After a month of doing D-rank missions, all the rookie 12 are tired and want harder missions. They have all already discussed this with their jonin leaders and they all agreed to ask the Hokage for harder missions. They all collectively agreed to ask the Hokage with the other teams.
All three genin teams met up outside the Hokage's office to ask for their missions.
"I see you're tired of D-rank missions too huh?" Mira asked.
"They're a drag. Oh great, now I'm starting to sound like Shikamaru." Naruto joked, and Shikamaru shot him a death glare.
"That's my line Naruto, now stop being a drag."
"Sorry buddy, now when will Sasuke's team get here? We've been waiting for the past hour." Naruto said impatiently.
Just then, Sasuke showed up with Choji having like 500 trillion bags of chips.
"Sorry we're late. SOMEONE here looks at Choji forced us to go into the supermarket and buy all the chips because he was 'hungry'" Sasuke said, annoyed.
"Well we're all here now, we can go ask big brother for harder missions. These D-rank missions won't even cover ramen." Naruto said.
Ino then smacked her forehead. "I swear this idiot loves ramen more than he loves me." Everyone burst out laughing at this, even Naruto, who decided to tease his girlfriend a bit.
"Well of course, Ramen will never let me down! It is the one thing I can teach our future kids when they grow up! Ramen can give me satisfaction that no other woman can!" Naruto stopped as he felt Ino's death glare on him, basically telling him 'if you don't want to end up in the hospital right now, I suggest you shut the hell up.'
Naruto gulped as he quickly rescinded what he said. "Sorry Ino-chan, I love you more than ramen, and if it proves it to you, I won't eat Ramen until we're done with our mission."
"Good boy Naruto-kun, now let's get our mission from Lord 5th." Ino responded, intertwining fingers with Naruto.
*knock knock*
"You may enter!" Obito called from the Hokage chair.
The Rookie 12 enter the Hokage office and address the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, we all would like to put in requests for harder missions. Lately we feel like the D-rank missions have all gotten really easy for us to do, and we all think we are ready for harder missions." Mira explained.
"I see. Your success rate with the D-rank missions have been stellar, and I got a chance to view a few of the missions by myself, all of you show exceptional promise as shinobi. However, I cannot just give you harder missions because you ask for it. I will need to discuss this with the jonin leaders in charge. If they feel like you are ready to take it, I have three C-rank missions for all of you." Obito explained.
Izumi, Kurenai, and Asuma then entered the room and began giving their stances.
"If you ask me, I think they have more than proven themselves ready to handle C-rank missions Lord Hokage." Asuma said, still smoking his cigarette. "From what I've seen of my team, their chemistry is off the charts. They work so well of one another that I think they could rival the Legendary Sannin in their primes right now."
"Asuma was overexaggerating with the part about the Sannin, but his point still stands." Kakashi spoke up. "I got to witness team 10 on a few of their missions, they executed them flawlessly, and quite possibly in record time too. If you ask me, I think they're ready, and Team 7 and 8 are too. While not quite as good as team 10, they are still very capable of handling harder missions for now."
"If Izumi and Kurenai share your sentiment, I will call them in to brief them on their missions." Obito stated. "But... these missions will determine the future of their missions. This will be a trial C-rank. If they cannot handle these missions, I cannot give them C-rank missions until they prove themselves."
"We both believe our team is ready, and if they do run into trouble, we will be the first ones there to help them." Izumi stated.
"Good. Now call them in, I have the missions ready for them. Just to make it fun, I have 3 envelopes and they have to pick their missions. Each envelope has the mission details enclosed within too." Obito stated, laughing.
The genin teams enter and choose their envelopes. Team 8 was the first to open theirs.
"So it looks like we're going to the land of Tea, to... help out with a race?" Mira said, looking at Obito as if he just pulled a prank on her.
"Exactly. I have received calls that the feudal lord there is hosting a race between two main families, and that the land has been ruled with an iron fist from the ruling family there. The Wasabi family aims to rid the rule of the Wagarashi family and claim the land back for the people. A good friend of mine has reached out personally for this mission, and I think you're more than capable of handling it. Your mission is to assist the Wasabi family to win the race against the Wagarashi family. Keep in mind that this mission may get even worse for everyone considering the Wagarashi family likes to play dirty. All I ask of you is to assist with the race and don't get into any unnecessary fights." Obito explained. "If the mission turns out to be even more dangerous than previously thought, I will send a backup team to assist you."
"Yes lord 5th. We accept the mission." Mira bowed and left the office.
Timeskip to when Team 8 is about to leave for their mission.
"So here's the plan: We have to help the Wasabi family win the race, but we cannot engage. Our main job is to protect the runner from any harm, so Kiba and Shino, you two are the most essential parts of this mission. I need you to use your dog-like senses and your bugs to detect enemy chakra, and if you can, immobilize them. Taiga and I will be the ones protecting the runner from any harm because we are best suited for combat. We will need you to not only sense enemy chakra, but relay that information to us in a timely manner, so we can protect the runner." Mira explained the plan as they all listened intently. "Does everyone understand what they need to do?"
"Who appointed you as the leader of the mission?" Kiba scorned.
"Can you come up with a better plan Kiba?" Mira fired back.
"I... Uhm... Well you see..." Kiba struggled to find any plan that would work as well as Mira's, he eventually gave up. "No." He said, defeated.
"Keep trying Dead Last, you'll think of something." Taiga teased his teammate, knowing it would make him angry. Taiga always loved teasing Kiba and his overall incompetence when it came to anything besides his tracking skills.
"Oh you've done it now Sarutrashy." Kiba said as he and Akamaru got ready to fight, before Mira stepped in.
"We're all teammates, so if you could both could kindly grow some fucking balls and stop fighting with one another, we can leave for our mission." Mira snapped. "Why did I have to get stuck with two children and an antisocial freak? Sasuke and Naruto are probably having the time of their lives with their teams." Mira cursed under her breath.
"Now come on, we have to leave for our mission. If you're not there by the time we leave, I will personally neuter Akamaru and steal your scrolls Taiga." Mira ordered.
"Jeez woman, would it kill you to be nicer for once in your life?" Taiga and Kiba sighed.
"Yes, yes it would. You guys are just panzies. Now come on, we have a mission to do."
They arrive in the Land of Tea and sit down in a tea shop.
"So who's this runner we have to protect?" Kiba asked, slurping down on his green tea.
"I don't know, but we'll find out soon. I just hope he's not a dick." Mira scoffed while eating her dumplings.
Just then, a man sharpening a stick with a pocket knife turned around to face them. "So you're the punks the Leaf sent to guard the runner huh? It seems like they have no idea what they're doing. The fact that you can just sit her and EAT while on a mission frankly disgusts me."
"I'm sorry, but who the hell are you?" Mira asked. "And what do you mean by punks?" She was starting to get annoyed by the young boy's attitude.
"It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that I hate you five. Just go home. A ninja has no place in this land. I will make sure of it." The boy continued, which made everyone agitated as all hell.
Suddenly, Kurenai held a Kunai to the boy's face. "Look, I don't know who you are, and frankly, I don't care. But next time you threaten my team will be the last thing you ever do in this world."
The young boy was scared out of his mind as he saw the jonin place her kunai next to his throat.
"Now that that's done, who are you?" Mira asked.
"I am Idate. Idate Morino."
"Good. Now listen to me. Next time you call my team punks, weak, or anything related to an insult, I will personally track you down and behead you. And before you try to call me out for bluffing, just know that I've killed much stronger people at a much younger age. So listen to me when I say this... Don't mess with us." Mira threatened, and Itade was scared out of his mind. "Now can you lead us to the starting point of the race? We have a mission to complete and I don't intend on having punks like you ruin it."
"What is this mission, and if you're on a mission, why are you just lazing around eating food? This is why I hate ninjas. They think they have it soooooooo easy that they can just laze around all day without a care in the world. While they do this, everyone else suffers." Idate cursed.
"If you don't want us here, we can just go back home and tell the Hokage everything. While yes, we may get looked on as scum, I'd rather that than spend another sickening second with you and your superiority complex. But our duty as ninjas is to complete our missions without letting personal feelings get in the way, and that's the only reason we're staying to help your sorry ass out." Mira snapped. "Now, take us to your boss so we can properly start the mission."
Idate took them to see the head of the Wasabi family, Jirocho, the one who sent word to the Leaf to bring in the shinobi. Along the way, they passed by many hungry and overworked individuals within the land of Tea, which immediately concerned Mira. No one deserved to be starved, no matter who they were.
"Um... Idate, why are there so many hungry people in your village?" Mira asked.
"My master will explain everything, so let's keep walking." Idate explained.
"Master Jirocho, I have brought the Leaf ninjas to you. Although I don't understand why we are asking for their help when we can easily win this race alone." Idate addressed.
"Welcome Leaf shinobi. My name is Jirocho Wasabi. I am the head of the Wasabi family. I cannot thank you enough for doing this for me." Jirocho addressed.
"Thank you Mr. Jirocho. Now I would like to ask, why do you need Leaf shinobi to assist you in winning this race? Is the mission more dangerous than originally reported?" Mira asked.
"The reason I have called you was for extra assistance. The Wagarashi family have been ruling this nation with an iron fist for the longest time now. This race will not only free the villagers, but banish the reign of the Wagarashi family, and so, I believe they will stop at nothing to ensure they win this race, even bending the rules such that they will guarantee victory." Jirocho explained. "That is why I need you. I believe the Wagarashi have hired ninjas to ensure they win, and I cannot take the risk of letting our runner face them without the proper help and backup."
"Wait... If you say ninjas are involved here, that would make the mission a B-rank one at the lowest. Why was this ranked as a C-rank mission?" Kurenai spoke up.
"Unfortunately, with the Wagarashi family holding most of the village's wealth hostage, the Wasabi family had no choice but to place a request for a C-rank mission, as that was the only one that we could afford at this time. The wealth disparity has gotten so bad that over half the population cannot even put a meal on the table a day. If we could just rid ourselves of the Wagarashi, we can pay more for the cost of the upgraded mission." Jirocho explained.
Kurenai looked at her team and they all nodded in agreement.
"Very well, we will continue this mission, and do not worry about the price of the mission. Your first priority should be to feed your people, so we'll take this at a lower cost." Kurenai reassured Jirocho. "But you owe the Hokage big time."
"Speaking of, how is Obito? I never properly thanked him for everything he did back then."
"He's doing great! He's married now, and he and his friends adopted two children!" Kurenai said excitedly. It always amazed her that the Dead Last in her class would end up as the most successful of the bunch. All those days with Obito chanting that he would become Hokage, and it coming true not even 4 years after graduating the academy. She smiled and looked up at the sky, knowing he would be an inspiration to the future generation of ninjas.
"That's great and all, but what does the race consist of? We need to know exactly what to look for here." Mira interjected impatiently.
"A long time ago, the people of Port Degarashi would offer Ryuko's jewels to the Great Todoroki Shrine in the center of the village in order to escape from bad omens. This worked for a long time as the village continuously prospered whenever they offered the jewels, so much so that it became a festival. Every four years, a race takes place to offer the jewels to the Shrine, with many spectators and the fastest people in the village competing. The winner would get the moniker of 'The Great Hero' and would retain that title until they lost a race."
"Recently however, the port has been divided into two separate factions: the Wasabi family, who believe in the equality of the wealth, distributing fairly, and that everyone has a role to play to ensure the village survival, and the Wagarashi family, who aim to control the village and believe that wealth and necessities must be earned by pledging loyalty to the family. As such, many people have continued to suffer under the Wagarashi rule, and if we cannot win today, the people will suffer for another 4 years at least." Jirocho continued his explanation.
"How did the Wagarashi family win last time?" Taiga asked, knowing full well they would try the same tricks again.
"Last time they won because they hired shinobi, who were able to turn the tides of the race. With the shinobi help, they not only left the Wasabi runner in the dust, but they used the shinobi to kill the runner to ensure victory. I have high belief they will try it again, so I am begging you to please be on your guard and protect Idate while he runs the race." Jirocho pleaded.
"We will do what we can. As Konoha shinobi, we will do our best to ensure no harm comes to Idate. In fact, we have 2 of Konoha's best sensory ninjas here to help. They can detect abnormal chakra levels and report back without anyone noticing what happened." Mira said.
"I don't have enough words to thank you, but please make sure you win this race. The people of Port Degarashi are counting on it."
"We will Mr. Jirocho, now where are we supposed to start the race at?" Shino asked.
"The race begins at the port and will end at the Great Todoroki Shrine. You will also find a checkpoint with the Ryuko Jewel that you need to pick up and place on the shrine to win the race." Jirocho explained.
"I forgot to tell you one thing." Jirocho said, with tears on his face.
"What is it Mr. Jirocho?" Kiba asked.
"There is a side bet going on with this race, and the loser's family must leave the port, or face execution. That means if the Wagarashi win this race, they will control Port Degarashi for the foreseeable future." Jirocho tensed up as he said this, not wanting to think of the idea of the port being under those bastards' control forever. "I am sorry if this adds pressure to your race, but I felt I had to tell you before you're taken by surprise, and that you know exactly what's at stake here if you lose. So Please. Do not lose."
"We will do our best." Mira said. She hated making promises that she did not know 100% if she was going to keep that promise.
They arrive at the port and get ready for the race, with Kurenai talking to the Feudal Lord about suspicious activity from the Wagarashi, whom Kurenai believes have rigged the race in their favor.
"WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE GREAT TODOROKI FESTIVAL! AS PROMISED, THE RACE WILL COMMENCE IN A FEW MINUTES, SO WOULD THE RACERS FROM THE WASABI AND WAGARASHI FAMILIES PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE STARTING POINTS!" The race announcer called out and Idate and the Wagarashi runner made their way to the starting points.
"You and your family are going down Jirocho, and the people of Port Degarashi will be under my control forever." The Wagarashi family head taunted.
"I think you're in for a major surprise with our runners here. In fact, I have full confidence that not only will we win the race, but we will bring Port Degarashi back to its former glory." Jirocho responded.
"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE! IT SEEMS LIKE THE RACERS HAVE TAKEN THEIR POSITIONS! RUNNING FOR THE WASABI FAMILY IS IDATE MORINO!"
Idate waved to the crowd and put on a face of determination. He knew he needed to win this race no matter the cost, and he was not going to be the one to let his boss down.
"AND RUNNING FOR THE WAGARASHI FAMILY IS FUKUSUKE HIKAKUYA!" The announcer called.
The runner known as Fukusuke flashed a smirk at the crowd, to which his fangirls all got nosebleeds and fainted. Fukusuke was a cocky individual who believed that because he was the most talented runner in the port, that his victory is all but assured.
Idate and the Wagarashi runner took their positions and waited for the start of the race, when they heard the signal they took off, with Kiba, Shino, Taiga, and Mira not far behind them.
Idate and Fukusuke eventually diverged paths with Idate making a left turn instead of a right turn, a decision that posed questions to Team 8.
"What the hell just happened? That idiot knows the boat is on the right, right?" Kiba asked.
"Welp, there goes the race for us. It was fun while it lasted." Taiga said.
"You two are the idiots here. Even if Idate may be walking cancer, the one redeeming quality about him is that he is fiercely loyal. He wouldn't do anything that would potentially hinder his chances of winning and letting his boss down. If you ask me, I think he found a shortcut, and is taking that." Mira explained Idate's actions. "I have to admit, for the pea-brain, he is pretty smart."
"If he does ANYTHING that puts this mission at risk, I am personally using my jutsus to kill him. I don't care if we get flack for this, but if he tries any bs, he's dead." Taiga calmly said, which Kiba and Shino returned the sentiment.
"Oh don't worry. If we fail this mission because of his incompetence, I will personally chop off his head." Mira echoed the same sentiment.
They followed Idate into the woods, finally catching up with him after a while.
"Hey there Idate, I hope you know what you're doing, because if we end up failing this mission because you got lost, I will personally kill you and eat your flesh to survive." Kiba threatened.
"No need to worry, scum. The last thing I want to do is to lose this race. I just know using the boat, while faster, may present other dangers that we may not be prepared for. I want to take the path with the least resistance so I can preserve my energy for the race." Idate explained.
"Wow, you're not as dumb as you look. For once, you actually had a plan to do something." Mira quipped.
"What was that bitch?"
"Nothing, let's just continue before someone loses their head." Mira then turned her attention to Kiba and Shino. "Kiba, Shino, I want you to go ahead and scout the surrounding area. Let me know if you pick up any abnormal chakra. I have a bad feeling we will have some uninvited guests soon."
"Got it." Kiba and Shino then left and dashed forward.
"Why are you sending them out on their own?" Idate asked, confused as all hell. "I thought Shinobi were supposed to stick together no matter what."
"If you really think that, then you don't know what being a shinobi truly means. I sent them ahead because they are the best trackers on our team, and they can easily make contact with us if they sense something abnormal to help us keep guard." Mira explained.
"And while yes it's true that shinobi must stick together, but that does not mean they must stay by one another's side. It means they must always have their comrades' backs, and they must do what they can to help the team. Shinobi are specially adapted to separate kinds of missions and mission parameters. For instance, I am an assault ninja, meaning my skills are in combat ability, and I suck at tracking. Same thing with Taiga here." Mira continued her explanation about the different roles of shinobi. "Kiba and Shino on the other hand, are best suited for tracking, sensory, and support roles. They possess special clan techniques that make them exceptional at tracking individuals using their chakra levels. However, in a 1 on 1 fight, I'm pretty sure they both would get one-shotted by a lot of people."
"Still doesn't make sense to me." Idate said.
"Nothing about Shinobi makes sense to you, that's why you hate it so much, isn't that right?" Mira asked, and Idate's face showed that she really did push a button.
"You know nothing about me, you scum!" Idate yelled.
"Then tell me, what do we need to know about you?" Taiga was growing more and more furious at Idate's comments. He seriously wanted to just feed Idate to the enemy and leave him there, but he couldn't because of his duty as a ninja.
"Tell me, why do you hate us even though you never even met us? Back at the Tea shop, you gave us looks as if we were the 9-tails reincarnated or something. Why do you hate shinobi so much that you would actively jeopardize the race just to get us off your tail?" Taiga sounded annoyed.
"I wasn't trying to get you off my tail. Just at this time of year, the winds are aggressively high at the port, and that would not only lead to trouble, but could get people killed. This way, I found something that could help us skip the storms entirely. There is another port waiting at the north end of the island that we could use to finish the race. That would help us avoid the storms." Idate explained.
"Hum... so you aren't a complete knucklehead, and that's actually a pretty ingenious plan." Mira complimented. "But you still haven't told us... why do you hate shinobi?"
Kiba and Shino then reappeared and gave their report to Mira. "We couldn't sense anything within a 10-mile radius, so we should be fine for a while."
"Thank you Kiba, now Idate, we can finish this conversation later. For now, we need to get moving." Mira said, which relieved Idate about not having to explain his actions.
They reached the port a few hours later and boarded the boat to the island with the shrine.
"So Idate, you still haven't answered my question. Why do you hate shinobi?" Mira asked.
"Let me ask you this: why did you become shinobi? What is your reasoning for throwing your life away for a system that will not only betray you, but take away your whole future?"
"What do you mean take away your future?" Taiga asked.
"I mean that in this world, the shinobi are disposable mindless soldiers." Idate sneered.
"Hey you dick, we're not disposable!" Kiba yelled, offended.
"Yes you are. But what can I expect from mere genin? You guys don't truly know how people view shinobi. We are disposable tools that once time for our expiration date, we are looked at as trash and completely thrown out."
"Wait... you said 'we'. Does that mean you were a Shinobi at one point too?" Taiga asked.
"Yes, in fact, I was a Konoha shinobi until I had to take the Chunin exams. It was the last question where we had to either stay or leave. I decided to stay and as such, I answered the question incorrectly. After that, the exam proctor told me that I was unfit for being a shinobi, and that I would not be receiving any missions from Konoha until I could figure out the answer to the last question. It was then that I knew, shinobi were not meant to have freedom, and that they were just tools to be used by the village. That is why I hate shinobi." Idate explained his past, to which Team 8 saw his reasoning more clearly.
"Wait... you said you were a Konoha shinobi at one point right? And your last name is Morino?" Mira asked.
"Yes, what about it?"
"Do you have any relation to Ibiki Morino? The head of Konoha Torture and Interrogation?"
"He's my big brother, and what do you mean by head of Konoha T&I? I saw him die right in front of me!" Idate was shocked at this turn of events. He had lived his life believing he had failed his brother when he couldn't save him, and when he couldn't answer the last question.
"Ibiki Morino is 100% alive. In fact, I just ran into him the day before we left for our mission to come here." Shino said.
Just then, dozens of spikes and Kunai began shooting at the boat, catching Team 8 off guard.
"AMBUSH!!!" Taiga called out as an Amegakure (Rain Village) ninja appeared on the boat.
"Well... Hello Idate, it's been a long time." The Rain ninja said with an evil smirk on his face.
"Do you know this loser?" Mira asked.
"Unfortunately... He is the man who helped me escape Konoha after the chunin exams." Idate said.
AND THAT CONCLUDES CHAPTER 8!!! THIS IS THE FIRST OF A FEW CHAPTERS DESIGNATED TO THE TEAMS FIRST MISSIONS. I CHOSE THE LAND OF TEA FOR TEAM 8 BECAUSE OF ITS CONNECTION TO THE SENJU CLAN AND IT BEING ONE OF THE ONLY FILLER ARCS I ACTUALLY ENJOYED! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE A PART 2 AND THE CONTINUATION OF THIS MISSION! I WILL ALSO GIVE A DEEP DIVE INTO SOME OF MIRA AND TAIGA'S ABILITIES IN THE NEXT CHAPTER AS KIBA AND SHINO STILL HAVE THE SAME ABILITIES AS CANON!
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I TRULY HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER, AS IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO ACTUALLY GET THE DETAILS OF THIS CHAPTER DOWN, SO I TRULY HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!
AS WITH EVERY CHAPTER, DO LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF IT IN THE COMMENTS, AND ALSO I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE IT IF YOU DROPPED A FOLLOW ON WATTPAD, AS THAT WOULD ALLOW YOU ALL TO SEE WHEN I UPLOAD FUTURE CHAPTERS! AGAIN, DROP A VOTE ON THE CHAPTER AS WELL AS IT IS A GREAT WAY FOR MY STORY TO BE SEEN BY MORE PEOPLE AND THEN I CAN SEE IF PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING THIS STORY!
TILL NEXT TIME! WALKER OUT!!!