Author’s note: I decided that some of the women are going to be a bit more forward in their advances on the guys. Specifically Hinata, Sakura, Temari, and Tenten. Neji will still dislike Hinata, but he won’t hate her in my book.

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(About a month later)

[Hokage’s office]

*By now nothing has changed with Sakura or Sasuke, but Naruto knows a little bit more about working as a team. Rita now also looks better now, and you can now only barely make out her bones under her skin.*

Ah, how about this mission? A nice old lady needs her garden weeded. Or how about this one? A nice old man needs his fence painted.(Hiruzen)

Okay, if I wasn’t so bored and we weren’t so clearly too strong for these missions I wouldn’t mind taking the gardening one. But seriously lord hokage, give us a C-rank mission. We have the jinchuriki of a kyuubi, a kyuubi, “the last uchiha”, and Kakashi the copy ninja for a team. I am 90% certain we can handle anything below an S-rank ninja with a bingo book entry. And even then it’s a 50/50 shot we beat the S-rank ninja. Simply due to the fact that two of us have a practically infinite amount of chakra, and that one of us knows hundreds of thousands of jutsu.(Rita)

*Hiruzen looks at Kakashi with a question of if he thinks that they can handle a C-rank mission in his eyes, to which Kakashi slightly nods*

Okay then. You will take this mission. The client has actually been waiting for a while, so I will call him here.(H)

*Ten minutes later, an old-ish looking man walks in*

I am Tazuna. Your mission is to guard me on the way back to my small village and while I finish building a bridge.(Tazuna)

I am Kakashi, and this is Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Rita. How about we all meet at the gates tomorrow morning at 8:00? We will leave then.(K)

Yes, Kakashi sensei!(Sakura/Sasuke/Naruto/Rita)

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(The next day, 7:58 AM)

[At the gates]

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

*Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto are waiting at the gates with Tazuna. Just after Kakashi arrives carrying Rita, Hinata runs up to Naruto.*

N-Naruto. I-I want you t-to have this.(Hinata)

*She quickly hands him a cloth sack, before blushing so hard that her entire face was bright red at what she just did, and running away.*

What was that about?(N)

*Sakura and Rita both start looking at him like he’s an idiot*

What?(N)

*Turns towards Sakura* How is he so thick headed? What just happened should be pretty obvious.(R)

I don’t know how. Though good for her!(Sakura)

*Right after they leave the gates of Konoha, Sakura and Rita start conversing*

We should totally have a girls night out when we get back from this mission. Anyone you want to invite, since I don’t know anyone.(R)

I think I’ll invite Tenten, and I am definitely inviting Hinata. Maybe I could invite Ino? I know we’re not friends anymore, but now that she’s given up on Sasuke maybe we can be friends again.(Sakura)

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(Two days of travel later)

*Rita suddenly asks for Kakashi to carry her for a bit. While her eyes said that she sensed something.*

*All conversation until Naruto speaks is said in a whisper*

Two enemies trailing us with a distance of about 10 meters from me. Both feel like they have chunin-level chakra reserves. Due to their distance I suspect that they may try to ambush us here in a few minutes.(R)

Okay. That means that this mission is B-rank, not C-rank. Tazuna paid for a C-rank mission, meaning that he lied about the danger level. It’s still fine, we don’t need to turn back yet.(K)

Hey Kakashi-sensei, when are we going to get there?(Naruto)

Not for a few more days, Naruto. We’re about ⅜ of the way there.(K)

*Ten minutes later, they see a puddle on the ground*

{These are their reactions to the obvious trap. The reactions are in their heads.}

I don’t see anything, but something feels wrong. I’ll get in front of Tazuna and Sakura in case something goes wrong.(Naruto)

I’m on a mission with Sasuke! This is amazing!(Sakura)

Why am I stuck with these deadweights? But it is suspicious how we haven’t been attacked yet, despite being a bit away from any village.(Sasuke)

Hm. Seeming to have been caught by this trap might make their teamwork better. I think I’ll seem to get killed by it.(Kakashi)

Really, a puddle? In the middle of a dry road? That’s probably a trap.(Rita)

{End of the reactions. As you can see, Sasuke is a little smarter and finds the fact that they hadn’t been attacked yet suspicious; while Naruto doesn’t have a clue, but his instincts are telling him that something is weird. Meanwhile Rita and Kakashi noticed the puddle, and realized that an attack might come from that puddle. Sakura is still useless.}

*As Kakashi steps on the puddle, a chain suddenly comes out of it and wraps itself around him. He is then torn in half before the eyes of team 7*

First one(? and ?)

*Sasuke immediately throws several shuriken at the chain, nailing it to a tree. The chain is then snapped by Naruto punching one of the enemies in the face. The other one immediately regrets his decision to attack them, as a fox covered in a red chakra cloak comes flying at his face and slicing his eyes.*

Sasuke! You finish off this one, I’m going to go help Rita!(N)

Got it!(Sasuke)

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