Chapter 160

"Well, Shizune?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes when her assistant exited the examination room in the hospital, followed by Kurenai, who was as red as a tomato.

"About five weeks." Shizune confirmed.

"Ughh." Tsunade rubber her forehead. Next to her Hiruzen turned to his son and with a quick move smacked Asuma on the back of his head.

"Ouch."

"Biwako would've thrown you out the window." Hiruzen frowned. As he was in the hospital, where smoking was not allowed, he was missing his usual pipe and that made him feel a bit uncomfortable. "We raised you better. First you marry the woman and then you get her pregnant. And don't you dare say those are archaic traditions."

"He'd better not say that." Kurenai crossed her hands on her chest.

"Don't act like some victim Kurenai." Tsunade sighed. "I just thought that two of my jounin level ninjas would warn their active kage of the plans to expand the family. You think I would've been against that?"

"We just …. "

"Were caught up in the moment?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Whatever, those are your private lives."

"Know anyone to help out plan the wedding?" Asuma scratched the back of his head, when Kurenai turned to him with wide eyes.

"I'll ask Anko to help when she gets back to the village." Kurenai smirked, noticing how Asuma suddenly paled.

"Anko?"

"Of course. I will to the actual planning, she will just be a factor that will prevent anyone we hire from being late or doing a lousy job."

"That, Biwako would approve of." Hiruzen shook his head with a laugh. "I guess I should welcome you to the family, Kurenai-chan."

"Congratulations and festivities can wait, I now have a not so minor problem on my hands, courtesy of you two acting like hormone crazed teenagers." Tsunade once again narrowed her eyes, with obvious anger.

"Umm …. ?" Kurenai felt a drop pf seat roll down her next, when the female sannin glared at her.

"I will not obviously send you on a maternity leave, Kurenai. Which means your genin team is left without a jounin instructor. And Hinata being a fresh chunin is not exactly someone I would put so easily in charge of your team."

"Yeah, that could be a problem." Asuma admitted.

…

"I hope you all are rested and eager to get back to work." Tsunade observed the trio of chunin in front of her. All three members of team 7 seemed quite ready for another mission. Tsunade also noted that all three of them matured in some way. Even Naruto, who still had his goofy grin, was calm and quiet enough to listen to the mission briefing. Then her eyes travelled to the side, stopping on Toero, who stood near the already mentioned trio. His expression seemed to never change much. As before, his eyes were cold, carefully scanning the area around.

"Anyway, first of all, Toero will be in charge of your group, should not be anything new. But just in case …." Tsunade looked at Naruto, who lost his smile for a moment. "…. Toero still outranks all of you. The paperwork came in yesterday, so now it is official, Toero, you now hold the rank of a special jounin."

"Special jounin?" Naruto looked at Sakura, who sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It is a ninja with jounin level skills in certain areas. Sort of a rank between a chunin and a jounin."

"Oh." Naruto nodded and the frowned. "Tsk, I guess it makes sense, he got a promotion too."

"Ahem. I hope this clarifies the authority questions?" Tsunade asked, receiving a nod from everyone present. "Good, you can discuss it later, you will have time. Now for the mission itself."

Tsunade searched for a moment for something on her table, dumping a whole stack of paper onto the floor without much ceremonies, before pulling out a folder.

"Alright, with Akatsuki laying low for now, we can dedicate some time to other mission to improve the reputation of the village and resolve some of the issues that rose up recently. Your mission is important."

Tsunade then stood up, walking over to a map that was on the wall of her office. She found it easier to brief ninjas using it.

"You all will be heading to the Land of Marble. Located over here." Tsunade pointed at the spot on the map. It was clearly a rather small country. "The country is small, but though a combination of clever politics and good location managed to retain independence. This year, they had a very poor harvest though and the country is on a verge of an outright famine."

"That is strange." Sasuke closed his eyes as he spoke up. "Poor harvests are nothing unusual, it happens. Countries usually have storages of grain and rice to live through such periods."

"You are correct, Sasuke." Tsunade nodded. "It appears, that not so long ago the largest storehouses in the country caught fire and burned down, along with all the extra supplies in them."

"Unfortunate coincidence?" Sakura looked unsure.

"We can't rule that out, but seems unlikely. The fires took place right after the poor harvest. Actually, whatever supplies the people did manage to gather and store away, burned down, as they were stored in those same storehouses for the troubled period. Seems way too suspicious to be a mere coincidence."

"Agreed." Toero tilted his head slightly. "What are our mission parameters exactly."

"Your mission has two elements to it. First of all, there is a supply caravan forming, organized by the wife of our feudal lord. This is done to both help the people and improve the image of our feudal lord in nearby countries."

"Ughh, politics." Naruto looked as if he ate something nasty.

"I thought you wanted to become hokage, dobe." Sasuke smirked, as Naruto just turned away, deciding not to answer to that remark.

"You will escort the caravan. I must say the probability of attack could be relatively high. If the fires that brought down the storehouses was no accidental, it is reasonable to assume outside help will also not be welcome. You have to ensure the survival of the cargo and once in the country, make sure it won't be destroyed after the arrival. To put it simply, you have to make sure the food reaches those who need it."

"Second objective?" Toero nodded.

"Investigate the fires. If you will find out that those were acts of sabotage, do what is possible to prevent further problems. Good relations with the Land of Marble can be very useful for us, so do your best. Questions?"

"Umm, yeah." Naruto raised his hand. It was a big change if Naruto actually was asking for permission to speak, instead of just speaking up in a loud manner.

"Yes?"

"What about Kakashi-sensei? Umm, for all we know, he is in the village, so why not join us."

"You seem to forget, Naruto. Kakashi was the jounin instructor of your genin cell. There is no genin cell at this point. Or did you expect that a jounin would hold your hand for the rest of your careers?"

"So, Kakashi-sensei will no longer work with us?" Sakura looked between her teammates, who also looked conflicted over that bit of information.

"When necessary, I will assign him to your team, as he is familiar with you. But as of now, I need Kakashi to fill in for another jounin instructor."

"Fill in for someone?" Sasuke crossed his hands on his chest.

"Yuhi Kurenai, is currently unable to act as a jounin instructor for her team and I don't find it suitable to leave a fresh chunin like Hinata in charge. Kakashi should fill the role quite nicely for the time being."

"Is she sick or something?" Naruto asked.

"Private information, Naruto." Tsunade sighed shaking her head. "Hmm, oh right."

Tsunade saw Toero approach and take the mission folder, scanning through it. He flipped through several pages, before raising his eyes to the members of team 7.

"We will leave tomorrow morning, at sunrise. Meet me at the gates. I do not need to tell you what to bring for the mission."

"Yes." Tsunade just blinked, as all three new chunin seemed to even stand straighter when getting an order from Toero. If anything, he kept them in check.

"Until then, do as you please." Toero gave Tsunade a short nod and left the office, followed by the trio, who understood quite well, that he basically, in his own manner, gave them time to find Kakashi and get details about the recent development.

…

"Somehow, when I imagined being a ninja, I never thought, that digging through archives would be my mission." Ino closed yet another folder, as she, Chouji and Sai were patiently digging through a mountain of paperwork, trying to find at least something in the old medical records of the Hidden Mist to cross reference with their own information. Once they arrived to the Hidden Mist Ameyuri Ringo left to hand over Samehada, while the trio of genin were escorted around by another member of the seven ninja swordsmen, a young chunin named Chojuro.

Ino silently admitted, that he was a welcome change, when compared to Ameyuri Ringo, who seemed overly eager to cause carnage, though nobody doubted her skills and professionalism as a kunoichi. Still, she kept the Leaf genin on edge almost constantly, while Chojuro was incredibly comfortable to be around. He provided them access to the necessary files and helped find a suitable hotel to settle in. But he couldn't provide any other assistance.

"Maybe we can go grab something to eat?" Chouji offered.

"Honestly, Chouji. Thought ….. " Ino wasn't really hungry, but could use a change of scenery.

"Hmm, what about this." Sai suddenly looked up, sliding a folder across the table towards Ino.

"This? Hmm. Mission details …. classified. Several pages missing. What about this?"

"The dates match and look in the end."

"In the end ….. a psychological evaluation? Err, the patient mentioned fighting a ghost?"

"Judging by the records, that man is still alive, has been released from a psychiatric ward a couple of years ago. Obviously no longer a ninja, but lives in the city."

"A slim lead, could be just a nut." Ino sighed. "But that is the best lead we have so far. God work, Sai."

"My pleasure." Sai smiled, but the fake smiled only seemed to irritate his fellow teammates.

"You really need to work on social skills. Fake smiles don't work when they are so obviously fake."

"Really? Strange, the books claimed otherwise."

"You can't learn to be a nice person from a book." Chouji smirked. "Unless it is a cookbook, that is."

"Ughh, I so saw it coming." Ino slammed her forehead against the table.

…

"Ughh, where is he?! This is intolerable. Why did Kurenai-sensei have to go on maternity leave?" Kiba slammed his face against the railing of a bridge, where they were told to meet their jounin instructor substitute. Akamari sat down, looking around, but then barked angrily, clearly also displeased over the need to just sit and wait. The little dog seemed to hit a growth spurt recently. He was still rather small, but no longer could comfortably ride on Kiba's head or in his jacket. He was more or less approaching the size of a regular dog.

"Expressing your frustrations in such a manner will not make time move any quicker. Perhaps this is a test of our patience."

"If this is a test, Shino, it is a lousy one." Kiba growled. "Right, Hinata?"

"I just try to make the best of it, Kiba-kun." Hinata sat on the railing of the bridge, looking down at the water. She had her now longer hair in a neat ponytail and a light grey shirt with long sleeves and matching pants, with the shuriken and kunai holsters strapped to her thigh. She opted against using the standard chunin vest, as it was not a requirement. Some ninjas found it useful, as it was a very well designed piece of gear, but many also found it a bit too restricting. Hinata relied on her flexibility in combat and the chunin style vest didn't work well for her.

"But it has been three hours, three." Kiba lifted up three fingers to emphasize his point.

"I know." Hinata nodded with a smile. "I just enjoy some peace and quiet. Nothing bad about that."

"Yo." Kakashi appeared behind Kiba, his hand raised in a greeting.

"How did you sneak up on me? I didn't smell anyone approaching."

"Are you telling I stink?" Kakashi seemed offended, with Kiba waving his hands trying to say that was not what he meant.

"Kakashi Hatake." Shino nodded. "It appears you are late."

"Oh, you know, my watch broke. So I didn't realize I was late."

"You are not wearing a watch." Hinata pointed out, swinging her legs around and jumping down from the bridge railings.

"Well, of course, they broke. Why would I wear a broken watch."

"Is he lying? I think he is lying." Kiba looked between his teammates.

"Me? Lying? Now that is just rude. What would your mother say, Kiba? Tsume-san is a fierce woman."

"Oh, I think Kakashi-sensei makes a good point. Broken watch, can happen to anyone, right?" Kiba itched away from Kakashi, with Hinata hiding a smile behind her hands.

"Glad that you think so. Anyhow, I guess we should get to know each other a tad bit better. Yes, we all know each other, but since we will be working as a team, we could make introductions. What do you say?"

"This could be beneficial." Shino nodded with his teammates agreeing.

"Excellent, in that case, you start, Shino." Kakashi leaned on the railing of the bridge, his hands in his pockets.

"What information should I disclose?"

"No need for the name, we all know it. But you can say the simple stuff, things you like, dislike. You know, the basics."

"Very well. I enjoy researching rare breeds of insects and finding ways of using them for my clan techniques. I dislike people who think insects are disgusting."

"Insightful." Kakashi nodded. "Hinata, please."

"Umm. I like my sister and Neji-kun and ….."

"And …." Kakashi leaned closer curiously as Hinata went a bit red.

"That is private, Kakashi-sensei. I dislike those who poke their nose into matters that do not really concern them."

"Tsk, Sakura was more fun." Kakashi seemed to pout, before turning to Kiba.

"Yeah, sure. I like dogs, Akamaru in particular, as he is my ninja partner. Not a pet, never refer to Akamaru as a pet, he is a ninja partner. Dislikes? Err, foul smells."

"Not what I expected. I thought you'd say you hate cats."

"Huh?" Kiba blinked and the slapped his face in frustration. No wonder all members of team 7 were nuts in some way, with a sensei like this. Akamaru in the meantime was on his back, by the looks of it, he was greatly amused by the whole scene.

"Great, we can …."

"Hey, hey, hey, what about you?" Kiba looked at Kakashi.

"Oh right, sorry. Let's see now. There quite a few things I dislike. Then again, I do like some stuff." Kakashi attained a dreamy expression for a moment. "I am not sure about hobbies or anything like that really."

"An incredibly vague introduction." Shino noted.

"That is saying it mildly." Kiba rubbed his head.

"As I was saying, we can begin with what I have planned for today. But before that, I think there is someone here, who would like to share their experience. Right guys?"

"Something like that, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto appeared near the edge of the bridge, followed by Sakura and Sasuke.

"Yeah, heard Kurenai-sensei can't work as a jounin instructor? Is she alright?" Sakura looked at members of team eight.

"She is on maternity leave, courtesy of Asuma-sensei." Kiba frowned, explaining the situation.

"The cigarette addict? He and ….. whoah." Naruto smiled. "I mean, kind of awesome, right?"

"I am just surprised you know what a maternity leave is, dobe." Sasuke noted with a smirk, getting elbowed in the side by Sakura, who narrowed her eyes slightly.

"What? I bet you are surprised too."

"Perhaps. But I didn't voice it openly." Sakura pointed out.

"Damn, you two are mean." Naruto shook his head, but then turned to members of team eight. "Either way, be careful with this guy. He doesn't seem like much …."

"Hey. I heard that." Kakashi pointed at Naruto, who just released a short laugh.

"…. but is full of tricks. By the way, bell test?"

"Obviously." Kakashi pulled out a set of two bells.

"Oh, that brings back memories." Sakura paled.

"Humiliating memories." Sasuke agreed.

"And painful." Naruto nodded. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, can we give them some advice?"

"Sure, as long as you don't make it too easy." Kakashi agreed with a shrug.

"Alright, I am first." Sakura took a step forward with all members of team eight, listening carefully, as the previous comments made them a bit anxious over whatever Kakashi had planned.

"My advice, avoid scary illusions. Sasuke, your turn."

"Hn, don't get buried up to you neck and don't speak to your more emotional team members in that situation."

"Huh?" even Shino seemed somewhat confused.

"Naruto, your turn." Kakashi called out.

"Oh fine." Naruto sighed, as Sakura pushed him forward with a smile. "Whatever you do, don't let Kakashi poke you in the butt. Seriously, you don't want him poking you in the butt. It doesn't feel nice at all."

This time all members of team eight turned to Kakashi with very weird looks on their faces.

"Oh thanks a lot, Naruto. You couldn't find a better way to word that?" Kakashi rubbed his face, while shaking his head. "Now they are thinking who knows what about me."

"How can a thousand years of death be worded differently?"

"I don't know, any other way."

"Tsk, whatever. We have a mission to prepare to." Sasuke looked at Naruto and Sakura, before starting to walk away. His teammates soon followed, wishing the other team good luck, though they seemed very amused for some reason.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata looked at Kakashi with an unreadable expression.

"Umm, yes?"

"Did you …. umm …. really poke Naruto in the ….. umm …."

"Well, sort of. Purely for educational purposes." Kakashi silently cursed his former blonde students, who most likely was laughing his head off by this point. Then again, messing with these three could prove no less interesting than messing with his old genin team.