"When will Kakashi-Sensei arrive?"
"Yeah! It's been five minutes since he told us to meet here!"
The two complaints had been said by Sasuke and Sakura, whilst Tazuna and Naruto, who he had taken a liking to, chat to the side.
"Are they always like this?" Tazuna inquires, giving a fleeting glance.
Naruto sighs in frustration and also a rare emotion. Pity.
It's rare because his moral code demands that he treats all living beings with the utmost respect.
Unless, of course, they are far too lost to their own self and not of use to anyone.
If they are deluded, pity them.
If they are hated, harbour them.
But should they be a danger to those you care to protect, annihilate them.
The banshee and her obsession fall into the first category of the "tainted", as Naruto mentally refers to them as.
The taint of misguidance can be baptised with true honour and respectful ideals. The injustice of prejudice can be healed with time and care. The corruption of evil, can not.
But the Uchiha's delusions are as clouded as to never see the true light again.
"Yes," he groans, avert to their tendencies as Sakura rambles on about her daily life.
Sasuke had undergone a massive change. His ninjutsu has swelled to incorporate an arsenal of five C-rank fire techniques, and his taijutsu has advanced beyond all genin.
That is, apart from Naruto.
Kakashi arrives with a cautious eye, announcing his presence with a simple, "Yo."
Naruto is the first to respond, albeit indirectly. "Let's go."
He begins to depart from Konoha, and as Sasuke ends his conversation, Naruto had already gotten past security from the two Eternal Gate Guards.
As Tazuna had followed the shinobi he had placed his faith in (apart from Kakashi), only Kakashi and his two wayward students are left.
They shrug, following their teammate's lead, though inwardly, Kakashi is, as expected, suspicious. How did he get there so fast? Only I could do that with chunin level speeds coupled with chakra-enhanced physiology. He can't be that good, surely! Within a year, he will surpass me. Not good, as most genin cells last for two years! I must train. I'll start with increasing my chakra reserves so that I can use the Raikiri more times than not. Thank you, Naruto.
Said boy in question is bounding around the roads, quietly gaping at wildlife in awe.
I've never been out of Konoha! Finally, I'm away from the villagers, but also from safety... I must be cautious.
He rights himself from the crouched position he had assumed to observe an ant.
Kakashi sweat-drops. That was Obito's reaction...
Naruto allows Kakashi to take the lead and is immediately ushered into a formation that "they" had worked on.
The diamond formation. Kakashi on point, Naruto at back, Tazuna at the centre. Sasuke on the right and Sakura the left. Self-explanatory.
They walk along the winding road, Naruto's senses constantly on alert whilst Sakura's had waned, her attention has shifted to twirling her hair. She had a pocket mirror in front of her, thus obscuring her vision!
Naruto facepalms, an action that goes noticed only by Tazuna.
Upon the latter's questioning look, Naruto gestures to Sakura, who had become blind as a bat in daylight and had taken to tripping every few minutes.
Tazuna nods, discreetly sending her a disapproving look.
Naruto chuckles lowly.
"What's so funny?" Kakashi sharply inquires upon the action, having been put on edge by the earlier demonstration.
Do I outright point out her faults in hopes of her becoming a better kunoichi, or do I sugarcoat it to avoid the catastrophe that is Kakashi's teamwork speeches?
Naruto cocks his head to the side like a lost puppy.
"If a veteran bandit had chosen to attack Sakura, she would be dead in the second."
This startles said girl, who trips over a nonexistent ledge, falling before she catches herself.
She looks up, sending Kakashi and Naruto confused looks. "What?"
"You see?" Naruto bulldozes on. "She can't even pay attention to any sounds."
Kakashi attempts to defend his teachings. "When the time comes, she'll fare well in a battle."
Naruto scoffs, not pressing the issue though he knows he is in the right.
Tazuna pitches in. "The kid's right, you know?"
It doesn't help matters. Kakashi turns away in a huff, continuing the march to the Land of Waves.
This tedious monotony proceeds, silence dominating the atmosphere as Kakashi joins Sakura, perusing his reading material.
Meanwhile, all the constant thought and analysis of the imminent environment becomes taxing to Naruto, as he grumbles, slumping and his formerly combat-ready stance reduced to one that could have him decapitated.
The aching in his feet isn't helping matters either, like a searing pain that plagues him.
He observes Sasuke and sees that he too is in the same predicament.
Glancing up at the sky, it's high noon, meaning it had been a rough three to four hours since they had departed.
Mentally comparing their previous speed to their current speed, Naruto comes to a conclusion.
They had slowed their pace by at least two times.
We genin and the client are lagging behind Kakashi. He doesn't know it, but we're tired.
"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto addresses, knocking the shinobi out of their stupor.
"Yes, Naruto?" Kakashi responds, closing his book and giving Naruto his undivided attention.
"We should take a break. Look how worn out we are, especially Tazuna!" He exclaims, gesturing wildly to the group.
Sakura had placed her mirror in a pocket and had begun paying attention to the conversation unfold.
Kakashi obliges, his eyes widening at the sight.
The three's legs are shaking, with Tazuna being the worst off with his aged bones trembling. One may expect the joints to creak like a ghostly door.
"Very well," Kakashi groans, as they sit down.
Naruto does so, mentally admitting that he had to take a break once in a while. If I don't, well, that's bad for my health, isn't it?
He wearily scans his surroundings.
"Always imagine the worst scenario. Then visualise all the scenarios getting better from there. Thus, you will be ready. Or at least, as ready as you can be..."
~Arashi Uzumaki
The team had settled in the centre of the road and a blue lining is on the horizon, as far as the eye can see.
We're getting closer to the port! Finally!
The road is rough and unpaved, wildlife from the surrounding forest beginning to leach onto the road as spores of fungi latch onto the less sanitary parts of it.
An example of the unsanitary conditions is the puddle of what seems to be brown liquid.
Naruto shudders. I don't even want to know what that foul mixture is...
Instantaneously, the puddle begins to swirl under his careful watch, the liquid gyrating in a violent motion.
"A genjutsu!" Naruto cries, dispelling it with a flare of his immensely potent chakra as the others hasten to do the same, albeit with a less efficient method but a method nevertheless.
Reality appears to melt in front of his eyes as, to his immense relief, the unsanitary conditions becoming more... pleasant.
At least there isn't a suspiciously brown puddle. Or those larvae I saw earlier. Yep, definitely shouldn't think about that.
Two people appear, both in camouflage suits with bandages wrapped around their waists, matching gauntlets on their right hands and a forehead protector.
Squinting, Naruto glimpses the Kirigakure sigil with an overlapping slash mark. Missing-nin of Kirigakure. Hired mercenaries.
However, his thought bubble is burst by an agonised cry from Kakashi as they spread out, revealing a chain connected between their gauntlets.
A jagged chain, intimidatingly so, made of dark metals of unknown origin.
It stretches around the jonin, entangling him in the mess of metal as the jagged edges cut into his flak jacket, leaving thin marks imprinted on it.
"One down!" The pair roar, tugging on the chain as they run in opposite directions to further their distance from their target.
Kakashi's eyes widen, full with fear, though a close examination would yield that it is artificial emotion, for layers are concealed, cleverly so, underneath.
Naruto notices it. I should know. After all, I hid what I believe is my true self under the mask of the blonde hyperactive loudmouth.
He scoffs. A juxtaposition to his teammates' gasps of horror and Tazuna's face becoming pale as if he had seen a ghost.
Kakashi vanishes.
Instantly, Sasuke charges, throwing a flurry of shuriken in a widespread arc as he does so whilst drawing a kunai.
"Grand Fireball Technique!" He exclaims, sending a fireball towards them.
As the smoke clears, Naruto is given an opportune time to observe the death scene.
His first thought: Why is the blood so chunky? It should be a liquid, not a cross between liquid and solid. Like a sauce.
His second thought: There's a log. PRAISE THE LOG. It's the substitution jutsu. Kakashi is alive.
Armed with a newfound comprehension of what had just occurred, he rushes to aid his teammate in battle.
Willing the Basic Broadsword into his hands, Naruto uses the Substitution to appear behind his opponents, slashing wildly.
"Fifty Severations!"
Performing the technique with over half the number as had been used against the fake ANBU, Naruto slashes with a ferocity that far exceeds his reputation.
"Gozu!" One of the missing-nin cries, dashing towards his partner despite of that Sasuke pursues him relentlessly.
Naruto finally finishes his jutsu. "Farewell, soul, and may your rebirth cleanse all lust for monetary gain."
Deftly, Naruto rotates his sword so that the hilt faces the sky, the tip of the blade at his opponent's downed head.
"Have mercy, death."
He plunges his sword downwards, disrupting Gozu's already failing organs as he ceases their work altogether.
The sword descends like a bird plummeting to the ground, snatching up its prey.
An eagle. A hawk. Birds of prey survive.
"GOZU!" The other man wails, eyes set on one person.
"I'LL KILL YOU, BRAT!"
The man runs towards Naruto but is swiftly interrupted by Sasuke.
Sasuke plunges his kunai into the man's arm.
"I'LL KILL YOU TOO!" The man wails in anguish, sending his heavy gauntlet and chain towards Sasuke, the latter encompassing his figure as it drags him to the ground.
He struggles, writhing and attempting to slide out of the chains in a single motion, yet the spikes on it are invasive of any space that could allow that, thus impeding his escape.
The missing-nin advances towards his primary target, who simply utters under his breath: "Appear."
A magnificent ripple of light and pleasant gold manifests behind the man, pulsing with sentient energy as a blade slides out of it.
It continues to slide, accelerating as it does so, appearing to elongate to reveal a massive ninjatō blade.
It fully pierces the width of the man, and once more, Naruto finishes him.
"May your love of family and camaraderie be escorted into your next life, misguided soul. Farewell."
He plunges the blade into the man's skull.