The morning sun shone brightly over Konoha, its rays spilling into the mission assignment office where Team 7 stood, fresh from another D-rank mission. This time, they'd been tasked with chasing after a runaway chicken, a mission that left Naruto Uzumaki on the brink of a meltdown.
"This is ridiculous!" Naruto shouted, slamming his fists on the desk in front of Kakashi Hatake. "We're ninja! Not farmers or… or chicken wranglers!"
Sasuke Uchiha stood quietly beside him, arms crossed, his expression as broody as ever. Sakura Haruno nervously adjusted her headband, trying to suppress her own frustration. Raven Kamizuki leaned against the wall, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief as she watched Naruto's outburst.
"I mean it, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto continued, his voice rising with each word. "We need a real mission! Something with danger! Adventure! Not… not this babysitting nonsense!"
Raven, ever the agent of chaos, decided to pour gasoline on the fire.
"She's got a point, Kakashi-sensei," Raven drawled, her grin widening. "Are you trying to bore us to death? I'm pretty sure even Naruto's mother would be disappointed you're holding her precious boy back."
Kakashi's visible eye twitched at the mention of Sayuri. His mind immediately conjured vivid images of Sayuri storming into the Hokage's office, demanding to know why her son was being treated like a glorified farmhand.
What if she thinks I'm wasting Naruto's potential? Kakashi thought, a bead of sweat forming at his temple.
Despite the pressure from both Naruto and Raven, Kakashi didn't give in immediately. He calmly opened his book, pretending to read, while internally spiraling into paranoid scenarios of Sayuri confronting him.
The team dispersed for the morning, but Naruto's frustration lingered like a storm cloud over the village.
By late afternoon, after hours of Naruto's incessant complaining and Raven's subtle jabs, Kakashi finally sighed and tucked his book into his pouch.
"Fine," he muttered, his voice laced with resignation. "I'll recommend you all for a C-rank mission."
Naruto whooped with excitement, punching the air. "Yes! Finally! A real mission!"
Later that same day, the door of the missions office creaked open, and in shuffled Tazuna, a grizzled old man with a bottle of sake tucked under his arm. His unkempt beard and bloodshot eyes made him look like he hadn't slept in days.
"So," Tazuna grumbled, squinting at Team 7, "these are the little brats you expect to protect me?"
Naruto immediately bristled. "Who are you calling a brat?! I'm gonna be Hokage one day!"
Tazuna snorted. "Hokage? You don't look like you could protect a bowl of ramen, let alone a bridge builder."
Naruto looked ready to explode, but Raven stepped in with a sly grin.
"Careful, old man," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I've got pizza monsters with thicker skin than you. Don't tempt me."
Tazuna blinked, unsure whether she was joking, but the glint in Raven's eyes suggested he shouldn't push his luck.
Later that evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Raven slipped away from the team, making her way to a quiet alley near the edge of the village.
A shadow emerged from the corner—Riko, her expression serious.
"We've got a problem," Riko said, her voice low. "Intelligence from Root suggests that Tazuna wasn't honest about this mission."
Raven's grin faded slightly, her curiosity piqued.
"Go on," she whispered.
"Tazuna's being hunted by rogue jonin-level ninjas hired by Gato—a corrupt merchant trying to stop the bridge construction," Riko continued. "There's a chance your team will be targeted. Be prepared."
Raven's grin returned, sharper this time.
"Oh, I'm counting on it," she said. "Thanks for the heads-up."
Riko nodded and disappeared into the shadows as silently as she had appeared.
Back at the village gates, Team 7 gathered their supplies, ready to embark on their mission.
Naruto was struggling to fit four crates of ramen into his bag.
"Do you really need that much ramen?" Sakura asked, exasperated.
Naruto huffed, pulling out a storage scroll with a triumphant grin. "Relax! I've got this!" With a quick seal, the ramen crates vanished into the scroll.
Raven, standing nearby, casually unrolled her own storage scroll, slipping in slices of The Crusty Kunai's finest pizza.
Sakura watched in disbelief. "You both have storage scrolls? Those things are expensive!"
Raven shrugged, her grin never wavering. "Perks of having a successful family business."
Naruto beamed. "Yeah! Being rich is awesome!"
Sakura groaned. "Must be nice… I wish I could afford one of those."
Kakashi, overhearing the conversation, sighed dramatically. "Ah, the struggles of the common shinobi life…"
Sasuke, ever the enigma, raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was normal for everyone to have storage scrolls."
Naruto and Raven burst into laughter, while Sakura glared at Sasuke like he'd just insulted her ancestors.
At Raven's feet sat Yuumi, her nine-tailed fox companion, who lounged lazily, her golden eyes flicking between the team members.
"You're really bringing pizza on a ninja mission?" Yuumi's voice echoed in Raven's mind, her tone filled with amusement.
Of course, Raven replied telepathically, her grin widening. "What's the point of saving the world if you can't enjoy a good slice while doing it?"
Yuumi's tail flicked, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Just don't get us killed trying to make a pizza pun in the middle of a fight."
"No promises," Raven shot back, chuckling softly.
Kakashi approached the group, his visible eye darting between Naruto and Raven, his paranoia growing by the second.
What if Sayuri finds out this mission is more dangerous than I thought? Kakashi's mind spiraled into worst-case scenarios—visions of Sayuri storming into the Hokage's office, demanding answers, or worse, dragging Kakashi out for a "private chat." But then Kakashi quickly calmed down. The worst-case scenario is they lose a few pizza clones and maby one of Ravens mobile pizza ovens a loss that Kakashi could just bearly financially handle.
As the team finished packing, Raven gave Kakashi a sly look.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei," she said, her voice dripping with mock reassurance. "I'm sure Naruto's mother will be very understanding if anything goes wrong…"
Kakashi's eye twitched again, his paranoia now at full throttle.
With their supplies packed and tensions high, Team 7 finally set out for the Land of Waves.
As they walked through the village gates, Raven leaned down to Yuumi, her voice barely a whisper.
"Let's see how well they handle a little real danger."
Yuumi flicked her tail, her golden eyes glinting with amusement.
This is going to be fun.
As the team disappeared into the horizon, the camera panned back to the mission office, where a file sat on the desk—one that detailed the true dangers awaiting them in the Land of Waves.
Waiting in the shadows was the first of many threats: the Demon Brothers, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent.
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