30)Foxy Adventures: Ch.30

“Sensei, why are we picking up trash?”, Sakura asked with a groan as she lifted the bag, Kakashi looking up from his book to see both Sasuke and Karin looking displeased as well.

“Well, you and Karin were the ones who offered to help and since I wished to make sure you kept to your promise, I decided to make it a team exercise.”

“Then make them do it. Why drag me into this?”, Sasuke grumbled as he picked up two bags, walking out of the river and dropping them besides the silver-haired man who shrugged.

“It wouldn't be gentlemanly of you to let them do it on their own, now would it?”, Sasuke didn't say anything as he just placed the bags down, Sakura and Karin putting their bags down as well.

'That being said, our stalkers appear to have gone silent,' Kakashi thought with a subtle frown as he glanced around at the trees. He had felt their stalkers hiding in the surrounding area, but they have vanished from his senses since they stopped in front of the Hidden Waterfall's entrance.

“Karin, could you come here?”, Kakashi asked, drawing a raised eyebrow from Sakura and Sasuke while Karin just blinked.

“Uh, sure,” She answered as she walked over and Kakashi gave a masked smile as he knelt down before hiding his mouth with his book while leaning down to whisper.

“I need you to use your sensory abilities. Do not tell the others or make it obvious, but I believe we are being watched,” Karin blinked in surprise with a slight flash of anticipation in her voice before she gave a slow nod.

“Got it,” She whispered and the man smiled as he straightened up, watching the girl adjust her glasses before she walked back over to her teammates.

“Sensei wanted me to remind you guys that picking up trash builds character and that it also helps with hand-eye coordination,” She spoke with a smile, Sasuke just raising an eyebrow as Sakura narrowed her eyes.

“Uh-huh, sure~ Character.”

“Hey, I'm just repeating what I was told,” Karin spoke with a roll of her eyes even as she subtly began to mould her chakra and her sensory ability activated instantaneously.

She felt her senses spreading out wide and felt her team's chakra first, followed by the chakra of the kids that were helping them clean up and the chakra of the seals behind the waterfall in front of them.

However, as she continued to stretch her chakra sensing further and further until she reached her limit, Karin hid her frown as best as she could as she felt nothing.

'I can't feel anything…and that's not normal,' Usually, she would have felt the faint traces of chakra in the small critters that hid in the trees and the foliage, but she could not feel anything whatsoever.

That either meant that there were no animals around them, which was a rare but likely case or…

'Someone's cloaking the area with chakra. Not like a genjutsu, but a simple way to confuse sensory shinobi.'

“Everything okay, Karin? You're not picking up the trash,” Kakashi spoke as he looked up, casually flipping his book open while Karin shook her head.

“No, I thought I heard something, but I can't hear anything very well. Must have left because I spooked it or it's probably hiding. Think I should go look for it?”

“No need. We'll just finish out here, get the payment from Shibuki and then we'll go back home,” He spoke and she nodded before walking out into the river to help the others.

The man smiled as he saw Sasuke and Sakura just blinking at their interaction before going back to his book when both narrowed their eyes and went back to work.

'Quick on the uptake,' Kakashi hummed behind his book as he sat down, unable to return to the books while watching the kids picking up the last of the trash.

A few minutes passed and Kakashi felt himself growing tenser by the second as the silence was nearly deafening before his head snapped to the water wall as it shifted slightly. The kids were all on alert as everyone went silent before the man blinked at the girl that hopped through it.

Vibrant green hair and shimmering orange eyes made him raise an eyebrow as the girl landed gracefully on the water, but he was reminded of another energetic goofball when he saw the massive smile on her face.

“Hi there~!!”

'And the same loud voice too…Huh, never thought I would miss Naruto's extravagant personality.'

“Uh…who are you?”, Sakura asked with a raised eyebrow while Kakashi tapped the spine of his book to stop Sasuke from reaching for his pouch as the girl giggled.

“I'm Fu, a friend of Shibuki's! I'm actually not supposed to be out here, but I was looking over the cliffs above and wanted to come say hi! You're come the Leaf, right?”

“Watching us”, Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes and Karin raised an eyebrow as the girl just laughed while waving a hand dismissively.

“Not in a creepy way. I just like seeing new people around the village. Plus, you guys were picking up trash and that was kinda cool.”

“Not really,” Sakura muttered under her breath, Kakashi finally snapping his book shut and drawing Fu's attention to him as he stood up.

“Well, hello, then. Yes, we are from the Leaf Village. I am-!”

“Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja! Oh my god~!! You're a living legend! He's your sensei?!”, Kakashi just blinked at the excited girl while Sasuke palmed his face, Sakura shaking her head as Karin giggled.

“Unfortunately.”

“Unfortunately?”, Fu repeated Sasuke's words with an affronted look and he rolled his eyes as Kakashi smiled.

“Do not worry about him. Yes, I am their teacher.”

“That's awesome~ Say, is it true you cut a lightning bolt in half with your Lightning Blade? And that you know a thousand jutsu?”

“Both are true, yes,” Kakashi spoke with a nod and Sasuke snorted while crossing his arms.

“Awesome~ Well, you guys look strong so he must have taught you guys a few of those jutsu, huh?”

“You have good instincts,” Sasuke answered coolly with a small smirk and Fu smiled as Kakashi just hid his amused smile.

“I know,” Just then, the waterfall parted once again and Kakashi raised an eyebrow as Shibuki exited, this time escorted by two guards that had the Hidden Waterfall jounin flak jacket on.

“There you are. I was wondering where you went, Fu.”

“I wanted to say hi to them! Also, you didn't tell me Kakashi Hatake was the one who escorted you?”, Fu spoke with a huff and Shibuki just sighed, both Team 7 and Kakashi raising an eyebrow at the mature aura that the man was now exuding.

'Does he have a bipolar personality?', The team thought as he turned to them, Shibuki rolling his eyes as he saw the looks of amused surprise in their eyes.

“Don't worry. I didn't drug you. I admit that I am a bit more paranoid than most.”

“By that, he means he's a big scaredy-cat,” Fu spoke with a smile, Team 7 looking amused as Shibuki groaned while his own guards nodded with amused smiles.

“However! While I am in the village, I have to act as the leader because no one would follow a scared leader. Now, I wanted to thank you all again for escorting me back despite my…harsh words and as a token of appreciation, I'd like to personally take you to see the Hidden Waterfall. It's a sight few outsiders ever get to see.”

'We should be heading back…', Kakashi thought as he glanced at his team, amused at their expectant and curious looks before nodding with a smile.

“We would be honoured, Lord Shibuki.”

“Excellent! Fu, would you mind escorting the children back to the Academy? I'd rather not have them running off again.”

“Will do! I'll catch you guys when you leave!”, Fu waved with a smile before she walked towards the waterfall, Sakura and Karin waving at the young kids that were waving goodbye while Kakashi turned to Shibuki.

“Unfortunately, we'll have to go through the longer path. You know, village secrets and all that.”

“We understand,” Kakashi nodded and Shibuki smiled as the man turned and walked through the waterfall, the group walking through after him as they began following the man through the cavernous maze.

However, if they had looked back, they would have seen the dozen figures hidden in the shadows, each dressed in a black cloak with a singular red cloud on their back and a horizontal slash through their headbands.

“So, Shibuki is allowing foreigners in the village now? Oh, his father must be rolling in his grave,” The man at the front spoke with a mocking smile before he vanished, the others vanishing as well as they rushed up the side of the cliffs.

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“As you've heard, a clone of Kakashi Hatake arrived a few minutes ago in order to deliver a message that Team 7 might have a few unwanted followers on them. While I would normally sent a few Chunin to help said team, Kakashi usually does not ask for teammates unless he truly needs it. Therefore, I will be sending the best that we got to go help him. Do you both understand?”, The old man asked and both Hinata and I nodded as we stood in front of his desk.

“Naruto, you used to be a member of Team 7 and I know you want to rush over, but are you capable of fighting now?,” He asked and I smiled before nodding.

“You don't have to worry, Lord Hokage. With my higher rank, I have an example to set to my subordinates so I would not do this mission if I was still recovering.”

“Good. Hinata, are you prepared as well? This will be your first mission with someone other than Team 8.”

“I am, Lord Hokage,” Hinata spoke with a smile and the old man nodded before clearing his throat as the door opened.

“Since I wish to make sure you two as well as Team 7 come back, I have tasked another to come with you. Please meet your third teammate,” I turned before smiling at the sight of Shizune dressed in the Leaf's jounin flak jacket with a black bodysuit underneath it that had long sleeves covering her arms up to her knuckles and a small pack at her side.

“Shizune here will also be the acting captain of the group until you reach Team 7, after which Kakashi Hatake will be taking command of the group. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Lord Hokage,” We all nodded and bowed as the man nodded.

“Good. You have five minutes to make sure you have everything before you must leave and please, do not try to be heroes.”

“Don't worry. We won't.”

“You're the last to be saying that,” The old man Hokage spoke with a smile as he looked at me and I rolled my eyes as Hinata and Shizune giggled.

“See you when you get back, old man.”

“Be safe,” He spoke and I gave a thumbs-up as Hinata and I followed Shizune out the office door, turning my gaze to Hinata who took a deep breath before exhaling softly.

“You worried about the mission or Team 7?”

“Both. You think they'll be okay?”, She asked, her voice laced with concern as I snorted and nodded.

“Yeah. I might have been the fighting force of our team, but Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke definitely have what it takes to fight. Sakura and Karin, while not as strong as them, are pretty good supporters so it's going to take a lot to take them down.”

'That being said, any genin team labelled Team 7 has the worst luck of any team throughout the village's history so hopefully, this doesn't become our Kannabi Bridge incident.'

“Naruto?”, Shizune's voice drew me from my thought and I looked up to see the soft smile on her face.

“I can see your anticipation to rush over and help them, bit remember that this isn't a race. It's about getting there as quickly and efficiently as possible and making sure both Team 7 and their client are still okay, understand.”

“I understand, Shizune. Thanks for the pep talk. I can see how you dealt with the old woman all these years,” I joked and she let out a soft chuckle as Hinata looked confused.

“Old woman?”

“Tsunade. She may look 20, but she's actually in her fifties and uses a jutsu to make herself younger.”

“Oh~ So, that's why she looks so much older every time I use my Byakugan,” Hinata spoke with a look of understanding and I blinked as Shizune frowned.

“That would not be possible considering Lady Tsunade designed her Eternal Youth Jutsu to be able to trick any and all doujutsu looking at her.”

“O-Oh. Well, I guess my eyes are just special,” Hinata spoke with a smile and Shizune hummed before nodding in agreement, both not noticing my subtle frown as I looked at my….girlfriend?

'Could that be from her being Hamura's descendant or something like that? Guess she really is quite the monster herself, then,' The moment we exited the Hokage building, all three of us leapt onto the rooftop in front of us.

Our movement was swift as we hopped from rooftop to rooftop, first stopping at each of our residences and getting what we needed before landing near the western gate.

Glancing at Hinata, I smiled softly at her subtle concerned glances towards me while Shizune looked amused at the younger girl's worries.

“You don't have to worry, Hina. We've got this.”

“I know, but it's just the first mission we're doing together and I feel like this might get dangerous.”

“Eh, I've been through worse and I know Team 7 has too. However, we just have that way of getting through harsh missions and coming out better on the other side.”

“Also, with your Byakugan and Naruto's Shadow Clones, we have a lot of advantages so stay focused and be ready for anything.”

“I couldn't help but notice you didn't say anything about my intellectual capabilities there, captain?”, I spoke with narrowed eyes before huffing as she simply smiled amusedly.

“Let's leave the thinking to Hinata and I and we'll leave the heavy hitting to you, right Hinata?”

“Right~”, Hinata agreed and I grumbled as we began hopping from tree to tree at a brisk pace, readying ourselves for the potential battles to come.

'No intelligence, my ass. I can be intelligent.'

“Sure you can~”

'You go back to being asleep!'

“Hahahaha!!”

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Kakashi had to admit that the lush greenery and the constant sound of cascading water was almost as enjoyable as the beautiful green forests of the Hidden Leaf, Team 7's genin staring in awe at the sight while Shibuki and the jounin looked proud at their shock.

“Welcome to the Hidden Waterfall~”, The man spoke with a proud smile as he waved his hand out across the many houses and the large lake at its centre, but Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the gigantic tree growing out from the island at the centre of the lake.

'Oh wow~ That's much taller than the Great Hashirama Tree back home.'

“Holy crap, how tall is that thing?”, Karin spoke out loud and Shibuki snorted as he crossed his arms with a smug smile.

“The Great Taki Tree is the pride and joy of the Hidden Waterfall. From what we've researched, it is at least a millennium old and some of our researchers even theorize that it was a sapling when the First Great Wars began.”

“The Ninja Wars?”

“No, the wars involving the Land of Ancestors and the Land of That,” Shibuki spoke and Team 7's eyes widened as even Kakashi and Sasuke looked impressed at that.

“Well, that is quite the time, then,” Sasuke muttered as Kakashi snapped his book shut, his eyes narrowed as he began to feel himself being uneasy.

“Sensei?”, Sakura asked, drawing everyone's attention to Kakashi as he glanced around before he lifted his headband and flew through hand signs.

Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!

Earth Style: Great Rock Wall!

Slamming his hands into the ground, a thick rock wall shot up from the ground just in time as a water dragon flew out from the water pit they came through and impacted it.

“What is the meaning of this?!”, Shibuki exclaimed as the dragon was successfully blocked, Kakashi's eyes narrowing while Team 7 stood at the ready as a dozen figures hopped from the pit.

However, both his and Sasuke's eyes widened when they caught sight of the black cloaks and the red clouds on their backs. Rage flashed in the young Uchiha's eyes as he growled while Kakashi was now fully on guard against the group.

“My, my, Shibuki~ Here I thought you couldn't become more of a disappointment than you already are, but you go and show me that you can get stupider. Showing a rival shinobi village our secret entrances? Idiotic is an understatement.”

“That voice…”, Shibuki trailed off while his eyes widened as the figure in the middle took off his hood, revealing a man with long spiky hair, dark eyes and a blue goatee.

The rest of the shinobi took off their hoods as well and Team 7 became cautious as they saw the horizontal slashes through the men's headband.

“Akatsuki…”, Kakashi muttered, drawing the attention of Suien as the man raised an eyebrow before smirking.

“Ah, Kakashi Hatake. The leader did tell us of your encounter with Itachi and Kisame, but we thought you were still in a coma?”

“I was…and then I was not,” Kakashi spoke cryptically as he took out a pair of kunai, the Akatsuki men doing the same before Team 7 readied themselves as Kakashi spoke.

“Team 7, defensive formation. Keep the civilians out of this and make sure our client doesn't die during this.”

“You think you can take them all on your own?”, Sasuke asked with an incredulous stare and Kakashi just smirked as electricity sparked around his kunai.

“Let me show you why everyone fears the name Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. Now go!”

Lightning Beast Running Jutsu!

A/N: And we kick off the battles~!! Next chapter, Kakashi's prowess, Team Shizune arrives and everyone lets loose.

Also, as you guys can see, the Akatsuki is now divided into a lower echelon and a higher echelon. The lower echelon are the ones introduced during this and the higher guys will be the main guys that we all need to worry about.

This was done just to make the Akatsuki stronger in preparation for Naruto to fight them.

Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!