Konoha's Prodigies || Naruto [Sasuke x Sakura x Neji]

Chapter 5

While the sun was rising, a shinobi appeared in Sakura's room to inform her of her needed presence in the Hokage tower. As soon as he disappeared in a dance of smoke, she left her room to bid her parents farewell. Since no further instructions were given, she was still in traditional clothing, but beneath it were equipped with weapons and necessary tools needed for battle. As she approached the entrance of the tower, the Hyuga was already there. Assuming they were to be present as a group, they waited for Sasuke and Kakashi.

"I have a C-rank mission for your team, Kakashi. Because your team are prodigies which their abilities are equivalent to Chunnins. Do you accept this mission?" The Hokage asked.

They were in the old man's office. Scrolls were piled up on his table, reaching his height as he seated on his chair.

Kakashi looked at his team of fresh Genins and asked, "Well?"

The trio exchanged glances and nodded their heads. "We would love to, Kakashi-sensei."

"We accept the mission." Kakashi finalised.

"Very well. Your mission is to protect the bridge builder and escort him to the village Hidden in the Mist." He then called to the door, "You may come in, Tazuna-san."

All of them turned their heads to meet their client, but they were quickly disappointed. The person they had to protect was a drunk old man? Sakura's expression was solemn, her enthusiast to complete her first mission vanished like a snap of fingers.

"So I'll be escorted by 3 brats? Are you sure I'll be safe in their hands?" His voice slurred, still holding a bottle of alcohol in hand. His cheeks were tinted pink as he burped.

Disgusting. Sakura thought.

"Don't worry, Tazuna-san. They are the prodigies of our village, all from noble clans. Plus, they have an elite sensei with them. I am very confident you will be escorted safely to your village." The Hokage ensured.

Tazuna was hesitant, but nodded, "Alright, I trust you, Hokage."

The Hokage turned to the team and announced,"You have one hour to pack your things before meeting Tazuna-san at the front of Konoha's gates."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." They bowed in unison and vanished into thin air.

Sakura packed some clothes, weapons and essential medical equipments. She isn't skilled yet, but she knows enough from studying. It's a necessary knowledge to have, despite the protests of many. The last thing she grabbed was a katana that had passed down from generations to generations. It belonged to the legendary Sakura Haruno, the first. It has a black and shiny cover. Two red strings with cherry blossom flowers at the end were wrapped around the handle.

Once everything was complete, she met up with her team and Tazuna at the gates. Thankfully, Kakashi wasn't late; otherwise, they would receive an earful from the old man.

The journey was long and quiet. It was almost too peaceful. They were one quiet group, which made the atmosphere a little awkward. The pinkette unconsciously glanced at Neji which he caught.

"Like what you are looking at?" He smirked. If it wasn't that, she wouldn't know she had been staring at the arrogant Hyuga.

"N-No! What the hell, Neji?" She was embarrassed.

He only chuckled, enjoying the embarrassment of his teammate. He watched her huff in frustration, smiling at the pink dusted on her cheeks.

As they passed a puddle of water, Sakura's ears rang as she heard chains coming towards their way. Alarmed, she yelled, "DUCK!" She pushed Tazuna down with her body weight. Chains wrapped around Kakashi and crushed him in front of the group. However, the trio knew better than to worry. They had seen him fight. The kunoichi stood in front of Tazuna on standby while letting the guys fight. She heightened her senses, so she will be efficient in taking down enemies who attempts to use the element of surprise. With little difficulty, Neji and Sasuke finished off the attackers and tied them to a tree.

"Good job. As expected from Konoha's prodigies." A voice cheered from the trees. The group looked towards that direction and saw Kakashi clapping his hands. "Sakura, what do you think of them?"

"Based of their fighting skills, I believe they are Chunnins from the village Hidden in the Mist." The heiress started while placing her fingers beneath a chin, a gesture to show that she's thinking. "However.. they don't look like rogue ninjas, so I assume they are on a mission. But what would benefit them to kill a team of newly passed Genins from Konoha?" Then, she looked into Kakashi's eyes, her eyes were fierce and determined.

"Our prophecy isn't widely known outside of the Land of Fire. Furthermore, our team was announced 2 days ago. The only explanation would be... they are after Tazuna-san." Sakura concluded.

"Very good observation, Sakura. I'm very pleased." The Jounin complimented. He turned towards the bridge builder with his hands rested on his hips. "Lying about a mission is serious. It isn't about money, the lives of the ninjas selected and the clients themselves may be endangered. What do you have to say about this?"

"Uhh... You see.. There is someone out there who will do whatever it takes to assassinate me.. That person is named Gatou."

"Why would he want to assassinate you?" Sasuke asked. "You are just a bridge builder."

"Exactly because I'm a bridge builder. My current project is building a bridge which will change the fate of my village. But it will heavily effect Gatou's business as well. He tried to stop me in many ways, but I refused. The prosperity of my village depends on me, on the bridge."

"I see.. As you can see, Tazuna-san. This is not a C-rank mission anymore. With an expected assassination, this is a B-rank. We have come this far and it's probably too late to return now. Are you willing to take the risk of 3 newly passed Genins to protect you?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. And you will stay in my place. I sincerely apologise for the trouble..and thank you." The bridge builder bowed, his speech was sincere.

Before continuing their now B-rank mission, Kakashi turned to the Genins, "You all have no problem with it, right?" They nodded.

"Now let us continue." Kakashi instructed. "Keep your senses sharp, there will be more assassins, possibly very skilled ones."

==

Dedicated to xXLove_ShineXx for your spam of votes! Although I'm quite late in tagging you aha.

~Joelle

Published: November 2014
Rewritten: 16 April 2018