Curse Turned Blessing [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

Definitely Not Like Training!

Hello my lovely asparaguses! Not much to say except that music was requested by @_-dark_moon-_ (it's in this chapter for the dramatic effect, not for it's famous Christmas theme). WAIT WAIT ONE MORE THING OMG THIS BOOK IS #14 ON VARIOUS!!! AHHHHHH!! IM ABOUT TO CRY THIS IS SO AMAZING! ALL OF YOU ARE SO AMAZING!!!! Thank you guys so much for supporting this book 😭❤️❤️❤️
As a thank you, here's the next chapter :,)

*Reader's P.O.V.*
Racing toward Naruto, I made it just in time to block one of them from gripping onto him. Forming my hand into a fist, I go to punch the man's stomach, only to be sent flying backwards when his partner strikes at me before I can land the blow. I land on the ground with a hard thud, lifting my head with a cough just in time to see Sasuke come to the rescue and nail his adversary's chain to the tree with a throwing star and a kunai. Stumbling to my feet, I race over, about to go in for another attempt, but they slip out of their gauntlets and race toward Tazuna. Sakura rushes over and stands in front of him in a protective manner, then Sasuke stands in front of her in a protective manner. I frown and rush after the two enemy ninja, figuring I can take them by surprise from the back sense they're so focused on what's in front of them. Just as I'm about to reach them, Kakashi-sensei appears out of no where and makes quick work of the two of them. I slow to a halt, utterly surprised that he could still be alive. That's when I realize he must've used substitution jutsu and hid in the shadows until now- and my theory was proven true when Naruto checks behind him to see pieces of a log cut up. "You're alive!" Sakura is the only one to rejoice, while Naruto stands dumbfounded and- by the irritated look on his face- Sasuke had found out quite a while beforehand. I look over at Naruto, and slowly approach him.

*Naruto's P.O.V.*
"Hey, are you alright?" Slowly, I turn towards the person who directed the question towards me. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I-I'm.. fine." I reply blandly, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. Damn it! Sasuke looked so cool right then, and he even had to save me! Even (Y/n) and Sakura tried helping while I was so useless! And now (Y/n) must think I'm an idiot! I turn my gaze to glare at Sasuke, breaking it only when Kakashi-sensei speaks up. "Sorry I didn't help earlier, Naruto, I just.. didn't expect you to freeze up like that. Sasuke, good work reacting so quickly. You too, (Y/n) and Sakura. You all did a fine job." A frustrated growl escapes me as our sensei praises the others. Why did I freeze up? Why am I falling behind?

*Reader's P.O.V.*
I can tell Naruto is extremely upset that he wasn't able to help and was most likely thinking of himself as a burden. I sigh and step closer, happening to glance down I notice the wound on his hand. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you? Scaredy-cat." Sasuke sneers mockingly, which only infuriates Naruto more. "Sasuke!!" The yellow-haired boy snarls, looking like he was about to charge towards the latter when Kakashi-sensei interrupts with a stern face. "Naruto, don't move. The claws these two used to scratch you have poison on them. The poison is in your blood, so if you move around too much it will spread more quickly throughout your body." Naruto freezes, fear flashing in his eyes. "What!?" He stays still as directed as Kakashi-sensei turns toward Tazuna. "And, Tazuna.." He starts, grabbing the grumpy old man's attention. "Yeah? What is it?" He replies gruffly. "We need to talk." Although nothing in Kakashi-sensei's voice changes, I know I'd feel dread if those words were spoken to me. He's intimidating when he's like this.. calm yet clearly aggravated. I shiver as the Jonin's gaze passes over me. I help our sensei tie up the two ninja to a tree, then we all circle them. "These ninja are from the village hidden in the mist, their specialty is relentless attack. They will stop at nothing, no matter the sacrifice." I can't see most of their face because it's hidden behind some sort of gas mask, but I could easily imagine their scowls. "How did you know about our ambush?" One of them inquires. His voice sounds like what I would imagine a stick of steel to sound like if it came to life and started talking. "A puddle, on a clear day? When it hasn't rained for weeks?" Kakashi-sensei replies back with a question, though it's rhetorical. So that's why he took an interest in the puddle! Oh man, I should've been more aware of that. Maybe I would've been more of a help if I had figured that out beforehand. I can't believe it escaped me so easily.. I barely gave it a thought- but I guess that's why Kakashi-sensei is a Jonin and we're still Genin. "So why'd you leave the fighting to the Genin then?" The bridge builder seems to glare at Kakashi-sensei. "I could have taken them out quickly, but then I would have learned nothing. I needed to find out who they were after.. and what they wanted." Those words, for some reason, seem to push Tazuna into a defensive state. "What are you getting at?" He almost yells. "I had to find out if they were after us- ninja attacking ninja- or if they were after you. You see, you requested standard protection against robbers and highway men. You didn't say there were ninja hunting you down. If we would have known this, this mission would have been ranked as a B mission or higher. Our job was to get you to the destination safely and protect you while you build the bridge. If we knew we'd be up against enemy ninja, we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of a B rank mission. I'm sure you have your reasons, but lying to us is unacceptable. This mission is now beyond us." The Jonin finishes with stern gaze. I look over at Sakura as she speaks up. "We're Genin, this is too advanced for our level. I say we turn back, we still need to treat Naruto's wound and back at the village we can take him to a hospital." I knew we would probably have to turn around with the way Kakashi-sensei was speaking, but.. at the same time, this isn't your typical squad. There are four of us, not three. Then again.. with Naruto's wound, it's complicated. I turn towards Sasuke when Kakashi-sensei starts to talk again, though I ignore it. "What do you think?" I ask as I study Sasuke's face. "That loser had to go and get himself hurt, and now this mission is over. That's what I think." The emo boy responds. I frown, about to speak in Naruto's defense when said ninja suddenly makes his presence clear. "URGH!!!" His pained shout rings across the area and I turn to see he had.. stabbed himself!? "Why am I.. so different!? I worked so hard.. From now on, I won't back down and let someone else rescue me! I will never run away, and I will not lose to Sasuke! Upon this wound, I make this pledge.. believe it! Bridge builder, don't you worry, I'll complete this mission and protect you!" Naruto finished with a determined grin and a chuckle, still holding the kunai he used to stab his hand. "Uh, Naruto.. that was cool and all- how you took the poison out- but.. if you lose anymore blood, you're going to die." The entire group drops dead silent (no pun intended!) after Kalashi-sensei's words. I watch as Naruto's face slowly turns from one of bravery to one of fear and extreme worry. I hold back a smile as he starts scrambling around, overreacting while Kalashi-sensei tells him to settle down so he can take care of his hand. I wasn't sure if that much blood could kill, but it could certainly make him lightheaded or even faint.

*TIME SKIP TO THE BOAT! AHOY LADS, WE'RE GOIN ON A TRIP!!*

*Reader's P.O.V.*
For most of the ride, it was silent. I sat beside Naruto near the front of the wooden craft, squinting my eyes in the thick mist. Because sound could carry across water so easily, we all kept our voices down when we spoke. "Hey, Naruto, how's your hand?" I asked, leaning slightly towards him. "O-oh, uh, it's fine! Actually, it feels great." He smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "That's good." I smile back, then turn to face the front again as the person guiding us speaks. "The bridge isn't far, The Land of Waves is just up ahead." Slowly but surely, a massive structure unveils itself from the mist as we approach. It's the bridge. We gape in awe at the sheer size, but the silence is interrupted by Naruto's shout. "WOAH, that thing is HUGE!" He blurts, and the man steering the boat quickly scolds Naruto who immediately covers his mouth. After a moment of silence, Kakashi-sensei turns to the bridge builder. "Tazuna. I'm going to have to ask you something. The people who are after you- why? If we don't know the reason I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission once we drop you off ashore." His tone is as hard as steel, it didn't take an idiot to know he took this very seriously. But who could blame him? He's the leader of this squad and by being that, he's responsible for the four lives under his command. It's a tough call to make, but a necessary one.
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OKAY I'm stopping right here cause there will be a part two!! I'm sorry this is more on the short side, but you won't believe the writer's block I have :(
I hate it as much as the next person, maybe even more so!! It's super frustrating when you aren't able to do what you love and even when you can you don't think it's good enough for other people to enjoy :(
So I think after I get this published it will be a lot easier to do the next chapter. But like I said in the beginning please check out the character Q&A!! I super look forward to it and I think it'd be totally fun to do!! That's all for now except another HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU ALL!!! My readers are honestly the best! ❤️ I wouldn't have made it this far without you guys, and I mean it! Next chapter will be out soon with hopefully a BIG character Q&A section! (Remember this is your chance to break the fourth wall!!!)
-love, Lemon <3