Fuyōna watched as Kimimaro, Haku, and Koyuki left for their first mission with Kaga. He couldn't help feel like a proud father, and part of him wished it was him taking them on their first mission.
But he knew that the needs of the village outweighed his own. He could think of no one else better suited to become their jonin captain. If Hatsu were still alive, he would have been his first choice, but his death had come all too soon.
Fuyōna shook the thought away, knowing that his friend would not want him to be sad, not after everything they had achieved together thanks to his sacrifice.
He knew that he must cast his view onto the future and prosperity of the village. Knowing that looking to the past would only bring sorrow and doubt.
With that, he stepped away from the large window in his office and sat back at his chair to finish up some remaining paperwork before the plans he had made with Suiren, turns out she had some big news she needed to tell him about.
"Alright! Our first mission!" Koyuki shouted as the four of them reached the village gates. Haku was also excited, and Kimimaro as usual contained his emotion behind a simple smile.
"Right, you three let's head out to the land of hot water," Kaga said, smiling at them.
The three of them nodded to their sensei and followed him, setting off along the path that leads out of the village. Their first destination would be to one of the ports west of the village, it wasn't far, and once there, they would board a ferry that would transport them across the sea onto the border of the land of fire and the land of hot water.
It would only be a few hours journey from there to their next destination, being the noble's estate.
The whole journey would take a day, as the ferry was the longest part of the trip. Koyuki was a chatterbox most of the time, seeming to be the complete opposite of her father in that department.
Haku seemed to enjoy listening to her, although Kaga thought he was just too nice to say anything else. Kimimaro, on the other hand, remained quiet. He liked to watch and observe from a distance. Kaga could tell the boy was a genius in his own right and not just in combat, as he had already excelled in his ability to observe.
"Remember to be on guard once we arrived in the land of fire. The roads are filled with danger." Kaga said, giving his students a warning.
The three of them nodded, taking their sensei's words in without question.
"Yes sensei." The three of them said.
With that, the four of them made the most of their time until the boat arrived at the land of fire.
Haku and Kimimaro were amazed at the sight, after all, they had never been outside of the land of water before.
"Alright you three, let's move out," Kaga said as he started walking down the ramp that had been placed so that the passengers could walk off the boat and onto the shore.
The three of them followed him, making sure to keep up, not getting too sidetracked from the small port town they found themselves in.
"Ok, Haku. Why dont you take this map here and lead us to our destination?" Kaga said, handing the boy the map.
Haku nodded as he took the map. During their time in the academy, the three of them had been taught map reading, along with many other things necessary of a shinobi.
Haku took a good look at the map before he gained his bearing.
"All set?" Kaga asked.
Haku nodded.
"Very well Haku, lead the way," Kaga said.
Haku did just that and set off as the others followed him. Walking to the edge of town they headed to the edge of the land of fire before entering the land of hot water. Once there Haku brought them to a road that would lead straight to the noble's estate.
"Good job Haku!" Kaga said as he lead them to the noble's estate without any trouble.
Kaga walked up to the large front door and knocked, taking a step back as he waited for someone to answer. It wasn't long until an elder man dressed as a butler opened the door, treating the four of them.
"I take it you are here to see the master?" He stated, before opening the door fully for them to enter.
"Yes. Team Kaga, reporting from the village hidden in the mist." Kaga said, greeting the old butler.
"Please come in." The butler said, allowing them inside.
Kaga and the others entered the large house, the butler then showed them to a large waiting room and offered them a seat.
"Please, wait here while I fetch the master." He said, excusing himself from the room.
Kaga nodded as he and the others took a seat.
"Wow, this room is so big!" Koyuki said as she jumped onto one of the large armchairs in the room.
Haku and Kimimaro agreed as they too were impressed.
After a moment the doors opened again and this time they were greeted by the master of the house, the noble who had requested the mission himself.
"Greetings mist shinobi, greetings!" The man shouted as he entered the room.
"I do hope I didn't keep you waiting long." He then said as he took a good look at the ninja standing before him.
"Oh my, what lovely children you have brought along." He then said, looking at Kaga.
Kaga smiled.
"Children yes. But they are also shinobi of the mist and are more than skilled. You have my word."
The noble was a strange man, dressed almost like a clown in makeup, complete with long green hair and a top hat.
"Very well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Huem-Van Benkrihr. At your service." He said giving a bow.
Kaga and the others returned his greeting.
"I am Kaga of the mist. This here is Koyuki, Haku and Kimimaro." He said introducing his team.
"My, how splendid. You may call me Van." The noble said as he sat down, his butler instantly pouring him a cup of tea and placing it on the table next to him.
"How rude of me," Van said, realizing he had not offered them something to drink.
Van then snapped his fingers and his butler started to pour each of them a drink.
"Thank you, Lord Van," Kaga said, excepting the tea, as was the polite thing to do.
"Very well, to business then. Van said after taking a sip of his drink.
"As I requested in my letter to your village. I seem to be having a tad bit of trouble with a gang of rogue shinobi." He said, taking another sip of his tea.
Kaga nodded as he listened.
"They just won't leave my men alone, and have already attacked my trade product three times," Van said, crossing his legs.
"That is where you come in." He then said, looking at Haku with interest.
If the bandits attack, I would like you to kill them... All of them." He then said with an intense look in his eye.
Kaga and the others didn't bat an eyelid at his request. After all, they were mist shinobi.
"That won't be a problem, will it?" Van asked.
"Not at all, sir," Kaga said.
"That is why you hired us, is it not?" Kaga said as he sipped his tea.
Van smiled and gave a cheerful laugh.
"Just as I would expect from you mist shinobi. Very well, I shall make the arrangements! Please make yourselves at home until then." He said, standing to his feet.
Kaga nodded as he stood to his feet to thank him and bid him farewell.
"Thank you for your hospitality. We will not disappoint."
"Thank you. I hope not." Van said before exiting the room.
Kaga and the others watched as he exited the room and the doors shut behind him, leaving them and the butler alone.
"Allow me to show you to your room." The old man then said.
Kaga nodded and the four of them followed the old man upstairs where he showed them to their rooms.
"I hope you find everything to your liking. You shall be notified of the details once the plans have been made, until then if there is anything you need, please see me." He said giving a small bow before he left them alone.
"Wow, look at the size of these beds!" Haku said taking in all the details of the room.
Kimimaro also had the same look on his face as everything inside the room looked expensive.
"Ok you three, get some rest. And dont go wandering off anywhere you shouldn't, understood?" Kaga said the three of them.
Haku, Kimimaro and Koyuki all nodded.
"What about you, sensei?" Kimimaro asked, being observant as always.
Kaga couldn't help but laugh.
"Doesn't miss a thing this kid." He thought.
"I'm going out to scout the surrounding area. Dont worry about me and get some rest, ok?" He said giving them a smile.
Kimimaro nodded.
"Dont worry about us sensei, I'll keep an eye on these two!" Koyuki said, putting her hands on her hips.
"Alright, Koyuki, I leave you in charge." He then said before he vanished, leaving the three of them alone.
Kaga re-appeared atop of the house, mounting the roof so he had a good vantage point to look across the land. There was only one road leading in and out of the estate, with the surrounding land being fields and forest.
Kaga could see that there were other living quarters a little away from the house, he guessed they were where the staff lived. He could also see a large barn and warehouse, with the stables next to it. All in all, Lord Huem-Van Benkrihr seemed to be pretty well off, Kaga thought as he scoped the entire estate.
"The bandits and rogue shinobi have been estimated to be chunin level. Hopefully, that intel is correct." He thought as he looked towards the sunset.
"I guess tomorrow, we will find out." He then said as he vanished from the roof.
Meanwhile back in the village hidden in the mist...
Fuyōna had finished his last duties for the day and decided to head home. After all, he was meeting Suiren and she had already told him she had some big news to tell him.
Fuyōna walked through the streets, greeting everyone with a smile. The entire village was pleased to see him and greeted him with the most respect, bowing to him in thanks for all he had done for them so far.
Fuyōna finally reached his home and opened the door.
"Hello! I'm home!" He shouted, getting no response.
"That's strange, I thought Suiren would be home now." He said as he walked into the kitchen.
Fuyōna noticed a note on the table and picked it up so he could read it.
"Just popped out to grab something for dinner, wont be long! Suiren."
Fuyōna chuckled and headed to the fridge as he took a drink out.
"It sure is quiet without the boys here." He said, as he opened his pop and took a drink, sitting down after wiping his mouth.
Soon after the door opened and Fuyōna could hear Suiren's voice as she walked into the kitchen with a shopping bag in hand.
"Oh, your home!" She said a little surprised.
Fuyōna laughed.
"Isn't that why you left me the note?" He said.
Suiren looked at the note and then laughed.
"Oh that's right, I'm such a scatterbrain sometimes." She said, seeming a little nervous.
Fuyōna couldn't help pick up on it, but decided to leave it be.
"What dd you get for dinner then?" He said as he stood up giving her a kiss on the cheek.
Suiren put the bag down onto the kitchen table and started pulling the bits out of it she had bought.
"I thought I could make us something special tonight." She said as she pulled free of his hug as she started to get everything she would need to make the food.
Fuyōna was certainly surprised now and couldn't hold back the question anymore.
"Suiren, is everything alright?" He asked, his voice a little more serious than he intended it to be.
Suiren stopped what she was doing at his question, not turning around to look at him.
Fuyōna could tell she was almost scared and it made him sad to think that it could be him she was frightened of.
"It's ok Suiren, you can tell me if something is bothering you," Fuyōna said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
Suiren slowly turned around and looked him in the eyes. She had a strange expression on her face, a mix of joyfulness and worry all at the same.
"What is it Suiren? Fuyōna asked starting to worry himself.
Suiren smiled, but then it faded as she placed one hand in the other.
"It's about what I need to tell you Fuyōna. Its... Its..."
"It's ok, Suiren. Wherever it is. It's ok." Fuyōna said as he looked into her eyes.
"Fuyōna..." She said, looking down before finding her resolve.
"I'm... I'm pregnant." She said, looking into his eyes.
----------
And that's the end of that!
Merry Christmas everyone hope you had a good one!
"Pregnant..." Fuyōna said, his face filled with surprise.
Suiren nodded as she held her hands close to her chest.
"I know it's a shock... I didn't plan this either." She said almost seeming sad.
Fuyōna quickly wrapped his arms around her as he held her in his embrace.
"Please don't be sad Suiren. This isn't a bad thing." He said smiling at her.
"But Mei." She said looking into his eyes.
"Mei is already pregnant with your child..." Suiren started.
Fuyōna wasn't sure where she was going with this and just held her.
"I want you to be in both of these children's lives. They should both grow up with their father." She said with a determined look on her face.
"They will," Fuyōna said with a smile.
"I'm not planning on going anywhere." He said.
Suiren shook her head.
"I don't mean that. I mean they should both grow up with their father in the same house." She said.
Fuyōna nodded his head slowly trying to understand where she was going with this.
"T-That's why I have decided. I've decided to invite Mei to live with us!" She said adamantly.
"Wait what?" Fuyōna said, now even more shocked.
"That's right. I've asked Mei to come and live with us. That way you can have both of us and be a part of both your children's lives." She said looking a little embarrassed.
"Wait, have both of you? What are you saying?" He said.
"I'm saying that from this day onwards, both me and Mei will be here, for you... You are the Mizukage after all, and it would be only right that you have more than one lover..." She said going a little red in the face.
"Ehhh!" Fuyōna shouted in shock at Suirens words.
Meanwhile...
Morning came quickly for team Kaga as they were all up at the crack of dawn. It was drilled into them from their time at the academy and besides, Kaga had summoned them for breakfast.
He wanted the three of them to get an early start on the day, he also wanted to keep out of the way until the time of the mission.
The four of them sat and quality ate their breakfast. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would give them plenty of energy to help start the day.
Not long after that, Kaga had them scout out the area so that they could become familiar with the lay of the land, in case of an attack.
Once Van was up and about it wasn't long until he summoned them to give word that he had put the plans into motion.
"I've made a quick change of plans." He said as he sipped his tea.
"The cargo will be transported in one hour to the closest town. I will be relying on the four of you to escort it there safe and sound." He said, seeming very cheerful.
"Of course," Kaga said nodding his head.
"Yeah, leave it to us!" Koyuki then shouted as she punched the air.
Van couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm and placed his teacup back down.
"Excellent. I look forward to hearing your report once the cargo is transported safely and the bandits are dead." He said, standing up once he had finished talking.
Kaga nodded to him and watched as he walked out of the room.
"Alright you three, prepare your gear. We move out soon." He said, getting a nod from Haku, Kimimaro and Koyuki, who cheered.
"Alright! I can't wait!" She said in excitement.
Kaga laughed.
"I wouldn't get too excited if i were you. Most likely once the bandits see us, they will think twice about attacking." Kaga said as he crossed his arms.
"Awe! I was looking forwards to kicking some butt!" Koyuki said as she punched her hand.
Haku simple smiled.
"Don't worry Koyuki, I'm sure we will still have fun." He said.
Kimimaro didn't say anything as usual and remained quiet.
"Ok, dismissed," Kaga said, allowing them to go and tend to their equipment.
The three of them did as Kaga instructed and left the room to go and prepare for the mission, while Kaga remained.
"Time will tell what lies in store for us." He said as he pulled a scroll from his tool bag, checking it over as he had a small flashback.
Back in the Mizukages office...
"Zabuza? really my lord?" Kaga said as Fuyōna had just explained the real purpose of the mission to him.
"That's right," Fuyōna said as he leaned forwards on his desk.
"Our spies have picked up a trail and new intel has come in saying he could be somewhere in the land of hot water."
Kaga nodded.
"If that is indeed true, I don't think my squad is qualified to handle such a mission," Kaga said.
"I understand that," Fuyōna said as he picked a scroll up and placed it on the desk in front of Kaga.
"I can't afford to send a tracker squad. If Zabuza gets even a slight whiff that they are tracking him, he will disappear." Fuyōna said crossing his arms.
"I don't like it, but I'm using your squad as bait," Fuyōna said.
"But what about my squad? Would you really risk their lives?" Kaga asked.
Fuyōna kept a blank expression on his face.
"You are not to engage. If you come into contact with Zabuza I want you to activate that scroll. Is that understood?" Fuyōna said.
Kaga nodded, realising it was a reverse summoning scroll that would summon Fuyōna to its location.
"Very well Lord Mizukage, I understand.
Kaga's flashback ended, and he put the scroll back into his weapons pouch.
Not long passed and Kaga regrouped with his students outside by the barn.
The cargo had been loaded onto two separate horses and carts. Exotic spices and salts were the cargo, meaning it was worth stealing.
Kaga had a chat with both drivers so he could find out any details he might need to know in case of an attack.
After that, he headed over to the others so that he could give them a quick brief before they set off.
"Alright listen up. Koyuki, I want you to ride in the first carriage." He said, getting a nod from her.
"Kimimaro you will be walking on the right of the convoy, while Haku takes the left side." He said.
"I'll stay at the back so I can keep an eye on things." He then said.
"Understood?"
"Yes sensei." The three of them said.
"Good, let's move out." Kaga then said as he headed to the back to take his position.
With that all done the convoy headed off as the two drivers gave the horses a nudge, signalling them to start walking.
The others had taken their positions and now all that remained was to stay alert in case of an attack.
The driver that Koyuki sat next to looked her up and down, surprised at how young she was.
"Are you really a ninja?" He asked.
Koyuki smirked as she looked at him. He seemed to be a young man maybe twenty years old.
"I am, want me to kill you to prove it." She said with a terrifying expression on her face.
The driver could feel her killer instinct and backed off.
"Ok... point proven." He said as he quickly turned his eyes back to the road.
Kimimaro and Haku took the flanks, walking at a steady pace to match the slow-moving convoy.
Haku had his hands crossed behind his back as he looked around at the pretty flowers growing by the side of the road, humming a little tune in his head seeming to be in a world of his own.
Kaga paid close attention to his team of genin as he sat in the horse and cart at the back. He was sure that Haku and Kimimaro were already at chunin level and both possessed amazing abilities.
"Well of course they are gifted. Lord Mizukage wouldn't just train any random kids he finds on the street..." Kaga thought.
And besides. They each possessed one of the same Kekkei Genkai that he did. And if Kaga knew Fuyōna, he would have already taught them things that other genin couldn't even imagine yet.
More time passed and not a lot was going on. Koyuki couldn't help but yawn as she quickly grew bored.
Kimimaro on the other hand never let his guard down, even though he seemed perfectly at ease as he walked with a blank expression. Kaga could tell that he was on guard.
A small hint of movement in the distance caught Kaga's gaze, as he turned his head to look.
He scoped out the surrounding area in a matter of seconds, not seeing any other movement.
"Hmm..." He thought as he passed it off for an animal or something.
Haku had also noticed movement as a bush in the surrounding woods rattled ever so slightly.
Haku took a closer look, getting ready to reach for one of his senbon needles. Not a moment later, a small bunny jumped out of the bush staring at Haku for a moment.
"Aw, a bunny." He said looking at the cute little animal.
He walked over to the rabbit to stroke it and quickly noticed the explosive tag that was wrapped around its underbelly.
Kaga noticed what was going on too late and tried to shout out.
"Haku look out!" He shouted.
The rabbit suddenly exploded, creating a black cloud of fire and smoke that swallowed Haku from sight.
"Attack!" A voice shouted, coming from the woods, signalling the start of an ambush.
"Oh shit, it's the bandits!" The driver next to Koyuki shouted as he looked at her with fear in his eyes.
Koyuki had seen what happened to Haku and quickly jumped up to her feet.
"You bastards will pay for that!" She shouted.
There were seven bandits in total. Two rushed at Kimimaro, two towards Koyuki and another two towards Kaga. Quickly singling out the shinobi and targeting them first.
Only the leader remained as he stayed back, watching his men go to work from the distance.
Kimimaro quickly jumped into the air dodging a slash from one of the bandits. Kimimaro flipped in the air and pushed his foot off the man's shoulder, using it as a turning point to gain momentum from, as he kicked the other bandit in the face, breaking his neck dropping him to the floor.
"Why you!" The other one shouted in rage as he raised his sword, swinging it down with all his might.
Kimimaro landed on the ground and spun around with lighting relaxes.
To the man's surprise, his sword snapped in half as he felt it collide with something stronger than steel.
"What in the..." The man asked as he stared at Kimimaro who had cut his sword in half with a bone blade.
"Time to die," Kimimaro said as he quickly dashed in, to faster the man to see.
Kimimaro stabbed his bone blade through the man's heart faster than he could even blink. Coughing up blood he fell to his knees as Kimimaro had his back to him, only turning around when he dropped to the ground.
Koyuki quickly jumped into the air, pulling the driver of the cart off with her to avoid a shower of shuriken.
"Arggh!" The man screamed like a little girl and hid behind the cart as Koyuki dropped him.
Koyuki pulled out a kunai and blocked a couple of slashes from her first opponent before becoming locked in a clash with him.
The other quickly ran around her and was about to attack her from the side, when two senbon needles struck him in the neck, dropping him to the ground where he skidded to a halt.
"What in the hell?" The other bandit said as he broke off the assault between him and Koyuki.
"Not so fast!" She shouted as she started making hand signs.
"Fire style, fireball jutsu!" She said in her head before taking a large breath of air and breathing it back out as fire.
The bandit jumped high into the air doing his best to avoid the flames as he rejoined with his leader.
Kaga had easily taken out both of the bandits that tried to launch their sorry excuse for an attack on him.
Quickly immobilising them with his superior hand to hand combat, killing them both before they even knew what hit them.
Kaga was also pleased to see Haku hanging from a tree back from his feet as he petted the rabbit in his arms.
"The kid is fast." He thought as he looked towards the leader.
The bandit leader noticed the headbands they were wearing and bit his lip.
"Darn it, we are no match for Kiri shinobi." He said under his breath.
"Retreat." He then said to his only surviving teammate.
"We will leave these to him." He said as he and the other bandit disappeared.
Haku dropped back to the ground and put the rabbit on the ground, watching it run away safely back into the trees.
Koyuki crossed her arms as he walked over to her.
"You didn't have to help me. I had a plan." She said.
Haku simple smiled at her and then looked to Kaga who appeared next to them.
"Good work, both of you." He said.
Kimimaro also joined them and Kaga gave him a nod.
"You too Kimimaro, sharp as a pin, aren't you." He said with a smile.
"So thats five dead, with two retreating." Kaga then said as he looked at the bodies.
"Actually sensei," Haku said.
"I didn't kill this one." He said pointing to the man with two needles in his neck.
Kaga looked at the man surprised and checked his pulse.
"Wow, he really is alive. I could have sworn he was dead a moment ago." Kava thought as he pulled the senbon out, causing the man to gasp for air.
"Good work Haku." He said quickly grabbing the man by the throat, setting a new fear into his eyes.
"You had better tell me everything you know," Kaga said as he squeezed on the man's windpipe.
The man gasped for air as Kaga squeezed harder, tapping his hands off the ground in pain.
"O-Ok!" He managed to get out as he struggled to breathe.
Kaga looked to the others.
"Go and check on the cargo and drivers. I'll question this one." He said, telling them, not asking.
The three of them nodded and went off to do as they were instructed.
"Now, lets you and me have a little talk."
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Remember if you want more then head over to my P.a.t.r.e.o.n page and check it out. Link is in the story Bio. Others quicker updates and a new character creator option, in which I will draw you as a Naruto character!
link in Bio.