After years of being kept in the dark of her past and of her family, Kari Yamada finally knows the truth. However, there's something still missing, something detrimental to gain the peace she strives to find. With the Akatsuki breathing down hers an...
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"There you are!"
"Finally, Sensei..."
I shake my head at him. "Things really haven't changed, huh?" I say.
"Yeah," Kakashi-sensei raises his hand in apology. "Sorry about that. It took me a lot longer than I thought, to, uh, finalize the new squad dossier."
"Hello? This is our first mission as a new team," Naruto reminds him. "Couldn't you be just a little excited? Kakashi-sensei, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"
Sakura claps her hands over her ears and groans. "Already you're annoying," she grumbles. "Shut up!"
"Okay, okay," I say, waving them down before Naruto can retort. "There's really no point in wasting our breath; he's always been this unenthusiastic."
I sigh, at the same moment a bird caws directly over us. But when I look up, I realize it isn't any old bird, but a messenger hawk from the Hidden Sand Village—I'd recognize it anywhere. It comes with the territory, since forming a contract with Aosagi. I frown.
Why do I have such a bad feeling right now?
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"Awh man, it'll feel so good to go on a real mission again!"
"Listen," Sakura says, unintentionally putting a further damper on my spirits, "whatever mission we're given, just take it, and don't complain about it."
"Don't sweat it; those days are over," Naruto promises.
"I sure hope so," Kakashi-sensei murmurs.
"C-Rank or D-Rank," I start. "It's been so long, I'll take anything."
"Out of the way; out of the way!"
I'm forced to leap out of the way, as a woman comes sprinting around the corner and down the hall of the top floor of the Hokage's building.
"What was that about?" I wonder aloud, mid-recovery.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?!" Naruto shouts after her, fists raised. "Who do you think you are?!"
That bad feeling I'd had earlier... and the fact that the Aviary must have been the ones to call for the Cipher Corp... They've got to be connected, somehow.
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"Huh? Escort duty for a caravan?! Come on!"
"What?" Lady Tsunade leans into her hand, glaring our way. "You got a problem with that?"
"Naruto," I say, trying my best to hold back a laugh. "You do realize that we're still Genin, right?" Naruto turns to me, grimacing. "So I'm pretty sure that we're actually beneath this mission's dignity, not the other way around."
