26 In Sync
Kakashi was looking at the Memorial Stone in front of him. It was a few minutes before he needed to meet up with the three Genin.
Kakashi spends much of his free time at the monument because his former comrade, Obito Uchiha, has his name engraved there.
"Hey, Obito. It's me again. I finally passed a Genin team. If you were here, you would definitely like them. Naruto, he's just like you ya know. Satsuki acts just like me when I was younger and Sakura is just like Rin." Kakashi whispered silently. He didn't get any reply.
" I hope your watching from above, Obito. I will protect them, even if it costs me my life. As you said, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." Kakashi shook his head.
" The council wants me to train Satsuki because she is an Uchiha. They want me because of the gift you gave me. " Kakashi whispered before touching the his forehead protector that was covering his left eye.
"Actually, it's the whole reason I was selected for this squad in the first place. You already know that I do not approve of favoritism, I know that the council will not let this go and I'm pretty sure Lord Third has no desire to listen to pointless bickering. "
"I requested Naruto and Sakura before Lord Third could make his final decision. I requested Naruto because his skill, rivalry with Satsuki and also because he is sensei's son. I requested Sakura because she's a genius in chakra control, medical ninjutsu and she's a good fighter too. " Kakashi then narrowed his eyes.
" However, the council wants me to neglect Naruto's and Sakura's training in favor of Satsuki's. I have no intention of doing that. They can nag me all they want, I am not decreasing their chances of surviving in this depressing world we live in. " Kakashi sighed before checking his watch.
" Ah, it's almost time to meet my three cute Genin. See ya, Obito. Don't get too lonely without me. "
.
.
" Well would you look at that? He's actually early today. " Naruto grinned at Kakashi who chuckled.
"Good morning to you too, Naruto. You too, Satsuki and Sakura. " Kakashi greeted them all. Sakura smiled back while Satsuki nodded back at the jonin.
"Well, it's time to do what Genin tmdo best! D-rank missions! Follow me to the Mission Assignment Desk everyone! " Kakashi ordered as the three Genin started following his lead.
The Mission Assignment Desk is located within the Ninja Academy where shinobi go to in order to receive most of their missions from the Hokage.
"Kakashi sensei, I've only heard rumors but what are D-rank missions actually like?" Sakura asked while Kakashi was reading his adult novel.
"The lowest levels of hell." Kakashi replied to her, sending chills down her spine.
.
.
Naruto pulled out another weed, throwing it onto a growing pile beside him. He looked over at his teammates, who were both doing the same thing, then over to Kakashi, who was reading his adult novel.
He sighed and looked at his Clone who was doing the same. Kakashi only allowed him to create one clone for this mission.
Naruto wasn't disappointed or embarrassed about this, after all it was what all Genin went through. Kakashi also shared his experiences doing D-rank missions on the way.
"Good job Team. Let's report our success back to Lord Hokage." Kakashi said, snapping his book shut as they finished their task.
"These aren't missions, they're chores." Satsuki grumbled.
"Chores that every single Genin go through, Satsuki. You need to find something enjoyable in all of this. Do you feel satisfaction when you finished your work?" Kakashi asked her. Satsuki sighed.
" Maybe a little, but it doesn't fit us at all. It's humiliating. We're Shinobi, we're supposed to be out there fighting, not doing these chores that these villagers could easily complete on their own." Satsuki replied.
" Well look at the bright side, at least we get paid for our services. That doesn't mean I enjoy doing it though. " Sakura grumbled. Naruto suddenly had a devious grin on his face.
" Hey, I have something that can make this interesting. Let's break the record for how many D-rank missions a Genin team has done." Naruto suggested. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at his suggestion.
"That.... sounds kinda fun." Sakura mumbled, making Naruto grin at her
" Let's do it. " Satsuki agreed to Naruto's suggestion. Kakashi was surprised, he thought Satsuki would be the one to argue with Naruto.
"These missions unworthy of our time could count as stamina and physical training." Satsuki explained. Naruto grinned and nodded.
" Alright! Let's go back to the mission desk quickly!!!" Naruto declared before he and his teammates made a run for it. Kakashi chuckled before picking up his pace.
That morning and a little bit of afternoon, Team 7 performed a total of 15 D-rank missions, setting a new record of D-rank missions being done in a day.
Hiruzen chuckled to himself as Team 7 returned to the Mission Assignment Desk for the 16th time today. "Hello again, Kakashi. Do you need another mission?" Hiruzen asked Kakashi who shook his head before taking out the mission scroll with the signature from the person who paid for this mission on it.
He gave it to Hiruzen. "Nah, I think 15 is enough for one day." Kakashi replied as Naruto groaned. Satsuki and Sakura had disappointment clear on their faces.
"Aw man.....Well, it'll be 16 tomorrow! Believe it!!" Naruto declared, making Kakashi sigh and Hiruzen laugh a little.
"Excellent, all of you shall receive your pay then. You are dismissed for today." Hiruzen muttered while handing Kakashi four envelopes with the mission payment.
Kakashi gave each of his Genin one of them, leaving the fourth envelope to himself. That day, each member of Team 7 was 75,000 Ryō richer.
Naruto looked back at the Mission Assignment Desk for one more time. The Mission Assignment Desk is located within a huge, wide-open space with six windows and high ceilings with two stick-like lights.
The ceiling also has the kanji for the word 'shinobi' printed on it. There is a long table where the Hokage and other ninja sit when distributing the missions. On the front of the desk, there is a white banner with the kanji that says 'mission assignment this way' and at the top is another banner that says 'everybody, do your best'.
Naruto exited the room with his team and walked towards training ground 3 where Kakashi would start their training for the day.
It was mostly giving them intense taijutsu drills and doing a lot of chakra control exercises and also teaching them some battle formations if they were in a battle. They weren't complaining as they liked putting in the hard work.
Naruto also drew resistance seals on Sakura's and Satsuki's legs. It was difficult for them as they needed to constantly channel chakra into their limbs to strengthen them enough to move through their exercises.
Naruto explained that the idea of these seals were to slowly ween yourself off of using chakra in order to increase ones natural speed and strength.
Kakashi also asked them about their chakra natures. Once he got the answers he needed, he simply hummed and nodded his head. Naruto also secretly created a group of Shadow Clones in a secluded location so that they could help boost his training.
He would also have to tell his teammates about the Shadow Clone Jutsu and the benefits it brings one day when they have enough chakra.
For now, he just needed to focus on getting stronger so that he can accomplish his dreams.
.
.
.
Two weeks later.....
This repeated process went for two weeks as Team 7 broke record after record. They made a name for themselves in the shinobi community. They were now known as the 'Team Overwork' because of their D-rank missions completion record.
Naruto's chakra control was a lot better. He and his clones managed to float a leaf on each finger. After that he made them spin counter clockwise, before switching direction. Fūinjutsu was still the skill he had taken the largest leap in ability.
Naruto received advice from Kakashi about the Tree Walking Exercise. Kakashi said that they had not actually mastered this technique until they could fight while standing on a vertical surface for at least an hour. So group sparring sessions with Kakashi as their opponent was an everyday thing.
Right now, Kakashi was currently sitting against a rock while reading his adult novel, but he really wasn't focusing on it. He was thinking about Naruto, Satsuki and Sakura.
'I'd give them a couple of months before they reach high genin or low chunin in strength. They're monsters to say the least, able to handle things that most genin their age could only dream of handling. And don't even talk about their mission record.' Kakashi snorted, remembering about his conversation with Hiruzen a few hours ago.
'The amount I would allow them to do is 15. So 210 D-rank missions in two weeks time. Let's not even count how many of those missions were about catching Tora, Madam Shijimi's cat.' Kakashi mused.
"I think it's time we get something harder. They're way too overqualified for this now."
.
.
" Welcome back Team 7. What will it be today? I have painting the fence for Kotara-san… walking the Inuzuka dogs… or we could-"
"No TORA!" came a scream from outside, signifying that the cat Team 7 just caught ran away... again.
Sarutobi blinked before continuing. "Of course there is always catching Tora again. "
"Ummm, Lord Hokage. I don't think we'll be doing any of those today." Kakashi replied, making Hiruzen look at him curiously.
" I think it's time we take a C-rank mission. I believe they're ready to take on such a task." Kakashi explained. Hiruzen smiled and nodded. The three Genin widened their eyes at hearing Kakashi's words.
"Alright then. A C-rank mission it is." Hiruzen muttered.
"What kind of mission is it?" Kakashi asked as Hiruzen took out a scroll and gave it to Kakashi.
"An escort and protection detail. You are to protect the client heading back to the Land Of Waves." Sarutobi replied. Kakashi thought about it a little more before nodding.
"Very well, I think we can accomplish a mission like this."
To be continued.....
