𝙇𝘼𝙑𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍. | 𝗡𝗔𝗥𝗨𝗧𝗢

VII

"CHUNIN from the Village Hidden in the Mist . . . These guys are ninjas known for continuing to fight no matter what the sacrifice."

Team Seven stood around a tree where the two ninjas who had attacked them earlier were tied up. The stood a good distance away for safety, Kakashi standing infront of the ninjas.

"How were you able to detect our movements?" One of the ninjas asked with a raspy voice. Kakashi stared them down with a glare.

"There probably wouldn't be puddles of water on a clear day like today, where it hasn't rained for days." Riki thought back to the puddle she had avoided earlier.

Now it was Tazuna's turn to ask a question. "So, knowing this, why did you leave the children to fight?"

"If I felt like it, I could kill these guys instantly . . ." Kakashi trailed off. He looked at Tazuna. "But I had to find out who they were after."

"What do you mean?" Tazuna masked his surprise with another question. "In other words," Kakashi answered him, "I had to find out whether they were targeting you, or one of us shinobi." Kakashi twisted his body round so he would be facing Tazuna.

"We haven't heard anything about you being targeted by ninjas. The request was supposed to just be providing you with protection from gangs, theives, an the like . . . This is a B-rank mission or higher. There seems to be some good reason for this, but being lied to on the request won't do. This is beyond the scope of our mission."

"This mission is too soon for us," Sakura said. "Let's give it up. We need an anaesthetic to open Naruto's wound and get the blood out. We need to take him back to the village and get him treated."

Riki found herself agreeing with Sakura. "It's not just that. The last thing I want to happen to us is that we end up fighting someone a lot stronger," Riki told them.

All eyes were on Naruto, and as he picked up his head from looking at his painful wound, he began to ask what was wrong. "Huh? What?"

Kakashi removed humself from looking at his students. "This sure is a burden! Should we go back to village and treat Naruto's wound . . . ?"

Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. He grabbed a kunai knife from his weapon pouch and held it in the air.

He then drew it into his wound.

Riki looked at him as if he was crazy. All of her team looked at him as if he was insane. Even the two Hidden Mist Chunin tied to the tree looked at him like he was insane. No one expected him to shove a whole knife into his hand. Riki winced at the sight of blood that oozed out of his hand.

Sakura shouted at Naruto, slightly worried. "Naruto! What're you doing?!"

His blood dripped onto the floor, a red blotch staining the dirt. "I'll protect you, old man, with this kunai knife!" Naruto smirked, the knife still impaled in his skin. "The mission continues!"

"Naruto, its all good and well to get rid of the poisoned blood, but any more than that you'll bleed to death." Kakashi sighed. "Thing will get hairy if you don't stop the bleeding quick . . . Seriously!"

"Yikes!" Naruto flailed his hand about. "Agh, no, no! I can't die like this, believe it!"

Kakashi crouched onto the floor and stretch his hand out to Naruto. "Show me your hand," he demanded. Naruto didn't hesitate and he quickly placed his palm on Kakashi's own one.

"Naruto!" Sakura approached him, her hands on her hips. "You really are self abusive, aren't you! That's masochistic!"

"Am I okay? You look really serious . . ."