Fuhai

7: Waves

7 Waves

"Do you see the target?" Kakashi's voice crackled over the earpiece radio of the three genin.

"He's heading west at a high rate."

"Get in position, sound off."

"Here," Sasuke's voice crackled.

"Here." Sakura followed.

"Naru?" Kakashi questioned. "Sound off." He sighed heavily with a headshake. "Do you two still have sights on the target?"

"No, we lost it," Sakura informed.

"Let's regroup," Kakashi huffed, leaving his position and entering the clearing and finding the missing Naru leaning against the tree trunk, a chakra tail bubbled from her spine wrapped around a yowling and thrashing brown tabby cat with a red bow on its ear.

"When did you-?" Sakura asked as she appeared.

"You should have said you caught the target." Kakashi piped up.

"It's not a target, it's a fucking cat. It's a stupid waste of time," Naru retorted.

"Then why come on the mission, we could have done it without you." Sasuke sneered, Naru tilted her head and smirked, releasing the chakra freeing the cat that promptly shot towards Sasuke scratching him before darting in the trees.

"Naru!!" Sakura whined.

-o0o-

Itachi suppressed a laugh when Team 7 walked in the door, Sasuke holding the yowling cat and fine scratches up and down his arms and cheek.

"Well done team 7, seems Tora is getting better at dodging hm?" Hiruzen smiled.

"Actually he was caught quickly by Naru who then let him go."

"Why did you do that, Naru? Capturing Tora was important from the Daimyo.."

Naru sighed heavily. "Maybe playing chase with a cat isn't worth my time, the others said they could do it without me, so.." She gestured, earning a dirty look from Sakura and Sasuke alike, Kakashi heaved a heavy sigh.

"D-rank missions provide vital lessons and practice for -"
"Genin level genin and we both know I'm not." Naru interrupted, Hiruzen cleared his throat and inclined his head.

"Kakashi, you've had them under your tutelage for a month now, what do you think?"
The jounin arched his brow and glanced at the three. "Their individual skills are growing, but teamwork has not moved, clearly."

"Maybe if we had an actual challenge not chasing some bitc-"
"OH!! TORA!!!!" The sickly sweet and very loud voice of the Daimyo's wife interrupted Naru's insult as she grabbed her yowling cat and promptly began to squeeze the life out of it.

"No wonder he ran away," Sakura muttered, Sasuke bobbed his head slightly.

"We're happy to help Lady Shijimi." Hiruzen smiled as she nodded and presented her pay to Iruka, who took up helping the Hokage during the academy breaks and walked out with her cat. "Well, Kakashi, do you think something more challenging could benefit them?"

The jounin inclined his head thinking.

"Hokage-sama, it's strictly forbidden that new genin be sent out of the village, not that I don't think they could handle this." Iruka piped up.

"True Iruka, but team 7 has something special about them. So I'm open to giving them a chance, Itachi you've trained Sasuke and Naru for years, what do you think?" Itachi smirked looking at his little brother who shot him a look silently begging and ordering his brother to help them get something better.