Kitsune no Akuryō - Under Maintenance

Chasing Cats to Bridge-Builders!!

Kon'nichiwa mina! So it's Wednesday, and I still haven't updated on Monday as promised....Sorry about that. I'm here now with chapter twenty-one of Kitsune no Akuryō. Team 7 has gotten off to a solid start. They have worked on several D-rank missions, but things have to get harder sometime right? They are ninja after all.

Naruto Uzumaki's P.O.V.

     As much as I loved people letting me help them and pulling pranks on some of them for all of them being terrible, I couldn't help becoming a little stir-crazy. Chasing the runaway cat, Tora, for the umpteenth time had nothing on the mind-racing thrill of a reconnaissance mission, and while pulling weeds was all well and good, it had nothing on the mind-numbing anticipation of assassination.

     To add salt to the wound, some of the tasks brought back sad memories, memories of helping Uchihas in their daily labours, and seeing them all dead in their houses and in the streets. Worst still, I was in the middle of these missions with the last Uchiha in existence, and he absolutely hated my guts. I tried to bring back the old Sasuke, the one from my memories, the one that laughed and said stupid things like wanting to become the best ninja in the village, even greater than Itachi-ni, but that was to little avail. It was painful to see him so different and want so desperately to be able to talk to him like I used to when we were kids. It hurt still more to know that I spoke back then, but now because of stupid ROOT-ANBU shenanigans, I couldn't say a word. So with a brooding Sasuke and an oblivious Sakura, I had to get away, I had to find some distraction greater than the next time we disposed of the village waste.

    As we walked up to the Yondaime's office, I had tried to think of some way to communicate what I desperately wanted. I couldn't stamp my foot and scream. I couldn't run around. I couldn't try to reason with them. They would all talk over me and the mission would be set before I could even make a request. I didn't even know if I was allowed to make requests. Danzo certainly never let an ANBU operative determine on which mission he went. We had already entered the office and the Yondaime was opening his mouth saying, "I have another mission for you. You will be--"

     At my wits end, I formed a big X with my arms and mouthed, "NO!"

     The room fell silent while I caught my breath.

      The Yondaime looked at me inquisitively while Kakashi-sensei asked, "What is it, Naruto?"

      I looked at him and said, "Not another D-rank."

      "What did he say?" asked the Hokage.

      Kakashi-sensei gave a short bow to the Hokage and said, "He requests that we not go on another D-rank mission."

      "But that's against the rules," Iruka-sensei was now blustering, "Genin are the least skilled ninja and therefore they take missions that have the least eminent threat. Surely he understands that."

       Iruaka-sensei was giving me a hard glare as if we were in class all over again, and, yes, to be frank, I knew exactly what D-rank were, but I couldn't stand another day of pulling another weed or making another delivery when my greatest threat were two numbskulls who hardly knew what it meant to sharpen a kunai. I looked in bewilderment between my superiors begging for them to make an exception. I knew that I was apparently going against the rules, but I would go insane if I didn't have some spice in this monotony.

     Kakashi-sensei was looking at the Yondaime and gave a nod who in turn nodded back.

     The Hokage looked at us appraisingly before saying, "Team 7 will receive a C-rank mission."