TW: Swearing; Second Person; Usuratonkachi
——————
'I need to to hit something... I don't know what yet; But it won't. Be. Pretty.' You angrily narrowed your eyes at a fence. Meanwhile, your team was meant to be walking some monkeys.
It was an odd mission, to say the least, but you were lucky enough you didn't have to take part in it. There were only four monkeys, so Asuma was letting you sit out. You weren't quite sure why you didn't have to do anything- but maybe it was the fact you were doused in coal.
Yes, you read that correctly 3D you. 2D you was completely and utterly covered in coal dust; head to toe, and toe to head. Since you were a part of the team, you couldn't just leave during a mission, but Asuma promised you could get cleaned up after this one.
Earlier, you had all been tasked with catching some little hooligans running around; some young kids causing mischief, nothing bad. Your team had eventually cornered them to a park, leading to you splitting with Ino and the boys with each other. Asuma was running point, telling you when to capture them.
That's when you all found the two troublemakers in a clearing, just laying there, like they were asleep. It was the perfect chance for an ambush. Too perfect.
Your teammates were supposed to hold your position while Asuma looked for traps, but Ino-
Even thinking about the girl made you upset.
Ino quickly grew impatient and started yelling at the kids, heading further into the clearing. You face-palmed, but followed after your partner til you heard a clicking sound. Your instincts went into override and you pushed Ino to the side. You thought something dangerous was triggered. -Well, more dangerous than coal.
Anyway, you looked up at the sound of something falling, only to be met with a face full of black dust. Thankfully, you didn't get any in your eyes, mouth, ears, or nose.
You couldn't be too mad at Ino, for whenever she got near you she apologized profusely, and would sulk when you'd leave. However, that didn't stop you from being upset. The outfit you were wearing just happened to be brand new, and felt like a dream— now soiled by persistent coal dust.
'I wonder if this is how Santa felt when he had to go down unkept chimneys... No wonder he only worked one night a year... Now that I think about it, does Santa exist here—'
"Do you think she's mad at me..." Ino frowned. She gazed up at you from her spot on the ground. Her assigned monkey chirped as she ran a hand through its fur.
"What do you think? You're the reason she looks like burnt toast right now. Pretty sure those clothes were new too; haven't seen her in them before," Shikamaru gave his two cents, glancing to your form too before going back to a nap, just like his monkey.
"I don't think it's that bad," Choji added while hopping down from a tree branch, his monkey jumping onto his back. Ino became a bit more hopeful towards you forgiving her. The swirly-cheeked boy gave you another look before sitting down, "Actually, it looks pretty bad."
Ino deflated in sadness. Mushrooms started popping upon her head that her monkey picked off. Ino liked you, like really liked you. You were really cool and nice, and she wanted to be friends. The last thing she wanted was for you to be mad at her.
'What am I gonna do?! She'll probably hate me for the rest of the week, if not the month!! And what if that coal gets her sick!!!! She'll never want to hang out with me again!! Stupid kids...' Ino continued sulking, even as their sensei finally returned. Where he had gone, nobody had been sure, though, the popular theory was the Hokage's Office or Mission Assignment.
"Alright everyone, time to wrap this mission up. The monkeys go in these," Asuma held up four soft animal carriers. He tossed one to Choji and Shikamaru each, the former catching it and the latter being scared by it.
The man then set the last one next to Ino and patted her head. "I'm sure everything with (Y/N) will work itself out. Trust me."
Ino didn't reply, but carefully placed her monkey in the carrier. Choji did the same by successfully luring his monkey with a potato chip, and Asuma's monkey was already in a carrier. Shikamaru on the other hand was experiencing some resistance.
"Hey, get in your cage!" The pineapple did his best to get the monkey in, but to no avail as it crawled around him.
Choji quickly went to his side, "Here, let me try."
The monkey, as if it had been planning this, jumped directly at Choji's face, causing him to fall back. The chase began as the monkey took off in a surprisingly fast sprint, going in circles to trip everyone up. "Oi!" "Calm down- damn it-" "Watch it!-"
Ino and Asuma were in the chase too now after the monkey had crawled around them. Everyone stumbled after it as it got closer to the nearby, chainlink fence.
"Get back here! It's not safe in there!!" Ino called out while just barely brushing against the monkeys tail.
The monkey managed to land on top of the barbwire on the fence, without actually hitting any of the barbs. It quickly stuck its tongue out before jumping into a literal minefield. 'Why do we even have a minefield?!?!'
You clicked your tongue, holding the monkey up by its loose fat (like you would a dog or cat). "Where do you think you're going?"
Ino looked to you with wide eyes as you appeared to the side. You stood a bit higher, with your feet securely in two gaps of the fence. Asuma sighed in relief, along with Shikamaru. The boy brought his carrier to you and you placed the monkey inside. "Thanks (Y/N)." You nodded and shared a smile with Shikamaru.
The gaze from a certain blonde hadn't left you yet, as heat steadily rose to her face. 'Why did (Y/N) look so cool just now??? ...Oh! Am I getting sick? My face feels warm..'
"Good work, (Y/N)!" Asuma grinned. He patted you on the back, unbothered by the soot that got on his hand. "Now that the mission's over, you can go get cleaned up. Don't take too long. Meet us at Mission Assignment when you're done."
'Oh thank fucking God. It's about time...'
"Do you need- any help..." Ino started before you bolted away from your team. She frowned, hugging her monkey in the carrier close to her. 'I swear I'll make this up to you (Y/N). You won't have to save me anymore!'
~
"Excuse me?! Da- Sir! All due respect, but she's my student!" Asuma ground his teeth, pulling at the cigarette in his mouth.
So this was why Team 10 had been called back to Mission Assignment, even though Asuma had been given a list of missions already.
The three students there couldn't quite believe what they were hearing. They- they wanted to take you from their team?! From them?! And Ino still had earlier to make up for!!!
The older Sarutobi sighed, "I understand that, Asuma. And it is because of your reports that I would like to place her with a team that'll be going on a mission slightly above their skills. Pending the mission, she'll be returning to Team 10. You say that she has useful skills, so let her aid another team that needs them."
Your team was just starting to click, but now you were being moved off?! Asuma could tell how much the younger kids in the squad looked up to you, even if it had only been a few weeks. There'd be no telling how your absence would impact teamwork! Your sensei was also iffy about giving you to another teacher.
A lot of Leaf ninja didn't like Mizuki these days, and no one was sure if all of his accomplices had been found. If you were placed with the wrong ninja... someone more prone to accusations... Best case scenario your ninja career would be ruined; stopped before it could barely start simply because you had been that traitor's student once.
Asuma calmed down reluctantly, relaxing his posture. He knew he should trust the old geezer—as both his father and Hokage—but his gut grew uneasy at this new mission. "How long will this mission be?"
Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji simultaneously frowned, some more prominent than others. This was so unfair, but what could they do? Protesting against the Hokage wouldn't bode well.
"About two weeks, that's how long our services have been paid for," the Third Hokage hummed, thankful his son understood. Though, he noted the sadness and slight worry amongst everyone. "...She will be with Team 7, under Kakashi Hatake. This mission should not involve anything violent, so do not be concerned."
Asuma nodded, his gut settling; he knew Kakashi, so you would be fine, hopefully. He turned along with everyone else from a knock at the room's door. "Enter."
You walked into the room with a small towel around your neck and slightly damp hair. A clean set of clothes adorned your skin. You looked in confusion as your teammates seemed sad upon your arrival. "...Did I miss something?"
~
"Cm'on! Cm'on! Let's get this show on the road already!! What are we waiting for?!" Naruto whined as he paced back and forth in front one of Konoha's entrances. A certain emo duck was thinking the same thing off to the side, but didn't voice his opinion.
Kakashi—one of the strongest and most stoic Jonin in Konoha, as well as the leader of Team 7—flipped another page in the porno book he was reading. "Relax Naruto. We can't leave until the other Genin the Hokage placed on our squad gets here. Remember?"
"We don't need another member though! I can keep us all safe just fine! Believe it!" Naruto puffed out his cheeks at him.
Sakura walked behind the boy and slapped him upside the head. "Don't say that, Naruto! This is a C-rank mission, so having an extra teammate will be good!"
"But they're taking forever! We should just leave without them!" Naruto whined again, trying to get his point across to the pinkette.
You held back a laugh from your place on top of Konoha's gates. Kakashi slowly looked up at you. You locked eyes. You waved a bit, before holding your index finger to your lips.
"The blonde pipsqueak's right. If we don't start walking, I won't get home until after nightfall," an old, tanned man added in while taking a sip from a flask he held. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the nickname from the man and crossed his arms.
Sasuke, who had been leaning against a tree with closed eyes, at last nodded. "For once, I agree with Naruto. If this ninja's any good, they'll be able to track us. If they can't even do that, then they shouldn't come along."
"You wound me~ wanting to leave without me. Do you guys just have no patience?" You mused, landing beside the silver haired Jonin. "Honestly, the audacity."
"(Y/N)?!" Naruto's face lit up, Sasuke's too. "What are you doing here?? Have to seen the ninja that's supposed to come with us???"
You blinked and physically heard someone become concerned not too far away. —Both of your Hokage friends decided to let you do this mission by yourself, since you couldn't always rely on them— even if you technically could since they were ghosts—
And you already had a respectable Jonin with you anyway, so what was the point?
But with how stupid your teammates were being, Tobirama wondered if it was too late to change his mind and watch over you instead of the village. He had made sure you packed everything, but this amount of stupidity in one group was unsettling. Perhaps, he and his brother should've fulfilled your request to accompany you.
Hashirama placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. He knew exactly what he was thinking. "Don't worry brother, I'm sure (Y/N) will be fine."
Tobirama glanced over to him, 'Says another idiot...' His gaze traveled between you and his brother, raising a brow. "I'm surprised by you, older brother. You're both like two peas in a pod, yet you didn't object when I said it's only right for us to stay here.."
"She'll be okay. ...Come on, we should be going."
"Naruto," you placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm right here."
Naruto's head tilted to the side as the gears in his head tried to turn. Sasuke rolled his eyes, "She's coming with us, Usuratonkachi. (Y/N)'s the Genin."
Naruto lit up once again, Sasuke's rude nickname for him going over his head. "Really?! This is gonna be great, believe it!! Let's get going then!!!" Kakashi hummed in agreement and the journey to the Land of Waves officially began.
Naruto started talking your ear off as you walked, but you managed to slip to the back beside Kakashi after awhile. "You're my sensei for the time being, right? I'm (Y/N), Kakashi-sensei. Nice to meet you."
The Jonin glanced to you before looking back to the rest of the group. "Asuma's mentioned you before. I'd like to say nice to meet you as well but.. Have we met before? You seem familiar.."
Externally, you somehow remained composed, but internally you were sweating bullets.
'Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck- I should've fucking known he'd remember our encounter from after I confronted Mizuki— he's a ninja for godsake— I just had to be an optimistic little shit that he'd forget by now didn't I—' "—No. No, I don't believe we've met before."
"Right.. well nice to meet you then."
'Oh thank goodness-' You turned away looking around with wide eyes. 'Dammit- I'm only like- 2 minutes into this mission- and I'm already in hot water-' You subtly frowned with furrowed brows. 'Shit like this is why I wanted the Kages here to offer assistance— Shit, have I really gotten this reliant on them?!'
"Anyway, have you already been informed about our mission?"
You turned back to him, watching as he stared at the people in front of you. You slowly nodded, "We're to protect Mr. Tazuna here until he finishes building his bridge in the Land of Waves, yes?"
"That's right," the man glanced to you again. "...Do you know the other members of this team already, too?"
"Well.... I'm friends with Sasu and Naru, but I don't really know the other girl. If I remember correctly, her name is... Sakura?" you feigned struggling to recall the name. Kakashi nodded before his attention seemed caught by something ahead.
Your fellow Genin started bickering while you scanned the road ahead of you. Within the dirt path rested a shinning, crystal clear puddle.
Yet, there were no other puddles like it?
Oh no, it wouldn't be right to leave such a beautiful puddle by its lonesome! You stroked your imaginary beard in your mind. 'I really wanna step in that puddle... the pull is strong... but so many fictional MC's get attacked because of it..... and Kakashi's already suspicious of me.....
Screw it' You stepped more to the side as you neared the puddle, preparing to step in it. However, just before you could, you were subtly pulled away by your temporary sensei. You looked between the puddle and the man with a raised brow. He simply shook his head and went back to reading his porno.
'...Well that was anti-climatic... and here I almost got the chance to stomp on some people..... I really need to spar more often... maybe Kabuto will fight me when I get back-' Left to wait for the "ambush," you looked around at the scenery. You never really had a chance to admire the forests past Konoha during your arrival.
It was nice to get some fresh air once in a while.
'Man... I could've stomped a kunai into the puddle like in that one fanfic... that might've been fun.... missed opportunity-'
The screams of your teammates tore you away from your thoughts. You turned to where their petrified faces stared, seeing the bloodied, torn remains of your sensei next to you. '!! That's a lot in person holy deadness-'
Your eyes went wide as air rushed past your face. Two ruff looking men made a brake towards Naruto, planning to attack him next.
You raised your eyebrows sarcastically, 'Really? No, really? I've been waiting for an appropriate time to test my skills and what? I get ignored?! Not fucking cool mans- pretty sure these fuckers never show up again too- so, no, REALLY?!-'
Naruto was frozen, his body trying to get him to do something- as the two men dashed towards him with dangerous metal claws. They genuinely didn't see you, or else you'd probably be dead too right now. Sasuke sprung into action (literally) and pined the chain connecting the men to a tree with a kunai and shuriken.
The dark eyes monitoring the situation widen a bit as you suddenly appeared in the scene. You sprinted behind the men as Sasuke knocked their heads away, and kicked their feet off the ground. Unfortunately, they managed to keep their balance, detach their chain from their claws, AND make a mad dash for Tazuna.
Sakura's mind actually managed to succeed in moving her body, and she stood defensively in front of the bridge builder. You allowed yourself this instance to help, and stood in front of the frightened people. Sakura's eyes widened, her gaze glued to what she could see of your rather stoic expression.
However, it seemed your teleportation was faster than Sasuke, as he now stood protectively in front of you. —And the others too, of course!
'I can protect myself right now- thank you very much-' You quickly sighed and took out a kunai, holding it in front of Sasuke where he would get hit first- by the brother charging at you all.
Kakashi finally made his grand appearance, placing both of the rogue-nin in headlocks. You relaxed, moving your kunai carefully back to its pouch as everyone became shocked. You laughed silently to yourself at the contrasting expressions of the people you were between: Sakura being innocently happy, and Sasuke, with an irked face. Times like these reminded you of how truly childish the boy was.
"But-but!!!" Naruto managed to get out from his place on the ground. He turned to where your dismembered sensei was, only to see a bunch of small logs.
"Sorry I didn't help you right away, Naruto. I just didn't expect you to freeze like that," Kakashi turned to face the boy, then looked back to four people getting out of their line. "Good work, Sasuke. You too, (Y/N) and Sakura."
Naruto seemed to be in utter disarray over his first real battle.
'I know he'll be okay.. but watching him be upset doesn't hurt any less.... I sucked ass with my first real threat too... though, to be fair, that truck was terrifying... crushed cereal pieces and spikes everywhere——'
A certain pinkette watched you intently from behind Sasuke as you walked to Naruto. The duck boy barely noticed her at first since she wasn't squealing at the top of her lungs like usual. His eyes darted between hers and where they looked, narrowing in irritation.
Sasuke wasn't particularly keen on how Sakura eyed you, but he quickly brought his attention back to you and Naruto. His face became irked once again at your concerned expression directed at his teammate.
"Hey! Are you hurt, Scaredy Cat?~" Sasuke smirked triumphantly when Naruto became even more frustrated.
You shot the boy a glare before you even registered who spoke. His smirk fell a bit, but you quickly turned back to the blonde Uzumaki. Sasuke tched and turned away, raising a few brows.
'I don't know if I'll get used to such blatant disrespect... it's Sasuke- and I have pretty good ideas of why him and Naruto taunt and fight with one another... but it's still not nice...'
'Gah!! I couldn't do anything!!! Not even protect (Y/N) or Sakura!!!' Naruto grit his teeth in frustration, furling his hands into fists. "Sasuke!-"
"Naruto!" you and Kakashi yelled at the same time, though, your voice practically dipped with worry. The man quirked a brow at you as you made eye contact. He looked back to Naruto, "Don't move. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out quickly. It's in your blood, so the more you move, the quicker it'll spread."
You went white as a sheet, "POISION?!" 'They have poison?!?!' You had to be forgetting something- right?! "Naruto, are you alright?! I'm sorry I didn't help you- please be okay-"
Naruto didn't meet your gaze as you started panicking to the extreme internally.
"...By the way Mr. Tazuna-"
Your attention instantly snapped to Kakashi, "EH?! What about the POISON, Sensei?!?!?!?!?!"
The man sweat-dropped seeing how close you were to running around like a headless chicken. He sighed, tying the rogue ninja to a tree in one swift motion. "As long as Naruto doesn't move, we don't have anything to be concerned about for now. Please, don't worry..."
You froze, then turned away, crumbling to the ground and crying streams of tears, 'I know I should be happy... but this is the hyperactive ninja-' Kakashi stared at you for a moment before almost sweat-dropping again.
'Is... is this really the girl you mentioned having impressive chakra control, Asuma?? Am being suspicious of the right person?'
"As I was saying," the Jonin coughed lightly and turned back to Tazuna. You held back the urge to flick him off. "Mr. Tazuna..."
"Yeah, what is it?!" Tazuna sputtered out.
Kakashi side-eyed the man. You continued internally crying in the background. "They're Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their specialty is relentless attack. They keep fighting, no matter what they sacrifice.."
"How did you know about our ambush?" One of the men interrupted.
"A puddle, on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks?" The gray haired ninja looked at the Chunin with second-hand embarrassment, "Even one of my students noticed."
Everyone else glanced to each other before looking to you. Tazuna's brows creased, "In that case, why'd you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?!"
"I could have taken them out quickly, but then I would've learned nothing. I had to know who their target was... and what they were after."
Tazuna hummed gruffly, "What are you getting at?"
"I wanted to know if they were after us—ninja attacking ninja—or if they were after you, the master bridge builder—" Tazuna sweated more and more as Kakashi bluntly explained why the ninja were there—and how the man didn't put in the proper request. Sakura added on further about how Naruto was injured, and needed to be taken to a doctor back in the village.
'We should go back? Wait—' You suddenly jumped up and stood in front of Sakura, "What was that? Was that again- please?"
"H-huh???" Sakura seemed confused by your question.
"Naruto's hand could become a problem. I guess we should go back to the village."
Your gaze jumped to the perverted ninja.
'Fuck-'
Naruto's frown bent into gritted anger. He growled in frustration. Before anyone else could speak, the boy raised a kunai in the air, stabbing his bloody hand.
Everyone looked on with wide eyes as you collapsed to the ground again. 'I'm a motherfucking idiot— I can't even deny it now-'
"Why am I so different?! Why am I always-"
The boy groaned in pain. Sakura was the first to move, "Naruto, stop that! What are you doing?!"
Your imagination reeled through familiar bits of story as you punched the ground. ...You really should've written down everything you remembered, huh—
"I will never back down again and let someone else rescue me." You paused, finally looking up. A sense of something different seemed to hang in the air around Naruto. "I will never run away. And I will NOT lose to Sasuke.
Upon this wound, I make this pledge, believe it. Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai." Naruto turned to face the stupefied faces around him. His gritted teeth twisted into a grin, "Don't worry, I'll be fine!"
...
"Naruto, uh, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all. But if you lose any more blood, you're going to die."
.....
"Good idea to stop the bleeding now, seriously. <3"
Naruto was—rightfully so—quick to start panicking as he ran around like you had earlier. Surprisingly, you calmly walked over to the boy as he gave Kakashi his hand. "—(Y/N)! You've gotta help m-"
Slap!
"Owowowow! What are you doing, (Y/N)?! Trying to make my other hand bleed now?!—" Naruto went silent as he noticed your lips quiver. Your hands latched onto his un-poisoned one.
'..And it was my pledge to keep people alive too!.... I need to make thorough notes of everything I remember about the show as soon as we go home!!!'
"You- You fucking—! Don't you know how much you could've hurt yourself?! Don't you know how scary that was?!?! Fuck's sake, Naruto!!" Your nose released a quiet snort as you attempted to keep the the snot inside it. "Never fucking do that again!!!"
"Woa— I'm really sorry, (Y/N)!! Believe it!" Naruto scramble to give you his other hand as Kakashi finished wrapping it. Seeing you so broken up was surreal to Naruto and he hadn't realized yet, but it made his stomach churn in the most uncomfortable way. 'Idiot! Don't make (Y/N) cry to prove a point! What was I thinking?!?! —Damnit!! This is all Sasuke's fault!'
Kakashi internally sighed as the two of you fussed over each other. He scanned over you group to make sure everyone else was okay. 'Good, looks like everyone else is fine.. And Naruto... his.. other.. chakra was healing him it seemed. That's good...'
~
The wind flicked against the air, calm and soothing.
Unlike the current emotions flying about.
"Did you see how willingly she accepted that mission?" Shikamaru huffed. He frowned slightly to himself as the floor he lied upon went cold and the wind chimes above him began to ring. He'd have to ask Ino's mom if she'd take those down whenever he comes over. "It's like she doesn't even care who's squad she's on."
Ino frowned as well, but from the Nara's words. The blonde pressed herself further against the sliding doors, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "You know that's not true. I'm.. I'm sure (Y/N) just knew that you can't turn down the Hokage! Yeah!"
"Yeah but I'm sure he could've found someone else. (Y/N) could've said she didn't feel ready..." Choji absently stared at the sky as his feet dangled off the porch. Shikamaru sighed and Ino nodded reluctantly. "But she's only known us for like two weeks. Maybe she didn't realize how much we disliked this situation..."
"Wait- why do you guys miss her so much??" Ino stood with her hands on her hips. Her brows knitted together, "I know that I'm upset 'cause (Y/N) and I are best-girl-friends, but why are you two???"
Choji hummed as he eyed a particularly fluffy cloud, "(Y/N)'s likes food like I do and she shares with me. She's also nice to me, unlike some people.."
Ino's eye twitched, though, she remained silent to the comment. She turned her sights onto Shikamaru, "And what about you? You two barely even interact. Why do you care so much that she left, huh?"
The boy rolled his closed eyes, "We 'interact,' Ino. I'm not some hermit. We even had a shogi match not too long ago. I'm just frustrated that she didn't even bother to consider how this would effect our growth as a team; with her being gone so long."
"——Huhhhhh?!" Both the chubby bean and platinum boar sharply turned to Shikamaru with arched brows. "When did you two play shogi together???? —Are you sure you're not frustrated about something else?"
Shikamaru slightly opened his eyes only to flinch at Ino and Choji deadpanning above him. He sat up and backed away, "What in the world are you two going on about?"
"Nothing, nothing," Ino turned away, tossing her hair back as Choji continued eyeing his best friend. The girl spun around, confidence crear. "You're crushing on (Y/N)!"
The Nara stared at the two incredulously while they agreed with each other. Meanwhile, the tips of his ears grew gradually pink. "I'm not 'crushing' on (Y/N)."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes!"
"No, I'm not!" Shikamaru glared as he butted heads with Ino. Choji stood the side, enjoying some cookies you had given him to sample earlier. "But you— 'best-girl-friends'? (Y/N) tolerates you at best. Are you sure you're not trying to compensate for something, Ino?"
"(Y/N) and I are great friends! You're just jealous she spends more time with me than you," she fumed. Her face steadily grew red, both angry and flustered.
Shikamaru scoffed with crossed arms, "Time with her? Name one time you've hung out with her that you weren't on a job."
"I've hung out with her plenty of times! You're just a stupid jerk!" She too crossed her arms.
"Me?! You're the conceited bratty princess!"
Choji finally grew uneasy as the two glared at each other and pushed them back, "Guys, calm down. This isn't something to get so worked up over."
Hmph!
Ino was quick to turn around and walk into her home, slamming the door behind her. "Guys?" Shikamaru clicked his tongue soon after, leaving in the opposite direction. "Shikamaru, where are you going???"
"Home. Don't follow me, I need to blow off some steam," he spoke without even turning around to his distraught friend. "I suggest you do the same, Cho. Clearly little Miss Princess doesn't want us here."
————————