SPIRIT: Sakura Haruno (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter IV: Journey

        Once Team 7 had passed Kakashi's bell test, they had finally become real Genin. No more written tests, no more worrying about being sent back to the academy. They were full-fledged Shinobi now—or so they thought.

        They were only Genin after all, bottom-rank ninjas. They would only be able to complete D-rank missions, which were the lowest-paid, least fun, and the least dangerous of all the missions. Naruto's favorite.

        The few missions they completed—detaining a cat who had ran away from home, supervising a handful of lonesome dogs, and helping a family with their garden—had barely held their attentions any better than household chores.

        Quite yawnsome, as Nuriazi would say.

        After finishing but a sliver of the so-called "missions", they had reported back to the Hokage's office for more tasks.

◆ ~~~~~ I ~~~~~ ◆

        The Hokage's office was huge, mostly because of the abnormally high ceiling. Dark brown wood layered the floor and the walls were painted a pleasant beige. Four giant square windows on each wall carried cool gusts through the room.

        A woman strangling a cat in her astonishingly large chest handed one of the counselors some currency before strutting out the door, the cat yowling wildly. Sakura stole a glance at a mahogany bookshelf that seemed odd from the other bookshelves along the wall.

        It sported two carved insignias on the side, both shaped like the Fire emblem. The bookshelf didn't look as heavy as the others, as if it would take only a shove to push it away. She squinted her eyes to examine it further, but felt a weird feeling trickle down her skin. Her eyes instinctively jumped to the Hokage's and caught him staring her down suspiciously. Awkwardly, she averted her gaze and found the rustling trees outside the window much more interesting to stare at.

        Suddenly, Naruto let out a dreary whine that resembled Yuki's bored howl. "Noooooooo...! I don't wanna do all this little kid stuff! I wanna go on a real mission! Something exciting and challenging!"

        'Naruto may be an idiot, but he does have a fair point. These missions have been about as entertaining as scrubbing the kitchen backsplash.' Sakura thought to herself. She felt better and more dignified staying quiet than whining to the Hokage like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

        Kakashi sighed and pressed his hand against his one eye. 'I knew this was gonna come.'

        "How dare you say that!? You all are just Genin with no experience! Like everyone else you start off with simple missions!" Iruka yelled, slamming his hands onto the counter. The Hokage remained unfazed at Iruka's remark, glaring at Sakura as her eyes darted to the odd bookshelf every now and then.

        "Are you crazy?! Babysitting is not a missi–AGH!" Naruto shouted before being thwacked on the head by Kakashi. He whimpered and rubbed his forehead.

        "Wouldja put a lid on it?" Kakashi huffed, watching Naruto stroke his head like it was sore. 'I didn't even hit 'em that hard.'

        "Naruto," the Hokage started. "It seems you do not understand the tasks given to you."

        "...huh?"

        "These missions can start off from babysitting to assassinations. They start out as requests, carefully analyzed and ranked as A, B, C or D. As Shinobi, we are also ranked from ability. Hokage at the top, Jounin, Chunin, and Genin below. For missions, we select the missions for Shinobi who have the appropriate skill. We then receive a fee that supports our village and our work. Since you are unexperienced Genin, we assign you D-rank missions."