Chapter 42: Ah Hu
"Point A, in position."
In a hidden alleyway, Sakura crouched low, concealing her presence. She softly spoke into the small wireless communicator clipped to her ear.
Not far from her, Sasuke was similarly hidden, his face solemn as he reported through his own earpiece.
"Point C, in position."
Their eyes met briefly across the narrow street. In that moment of contact, a silent communication passed between them.
Cautiously, they turned their attention toward their target.
The lithe, agile figure before them moved with incredible speed. His powerful limbs showed that he was exceptionally strong. From his mouth came low growls as he chewed something.
Crunch. Crunch.
The distinct sound of bones cracking echoed through the alley as he bit clean through the skeleton of his prey and swallowed it whole.
Clearly, this was a formidable foe.
"Naruto, are you in position yet?"
Sakura pressed her earpiece more tightly, her voice tense.
"Point B! I'm in position, dattebayo!"
A loud shout blasted through the earphones, forcing Sakura and Sasuke to rip their earpieces off in reflex.
Suddenly, a blur of yellow dropped down from above, leaping straight at their target!
Startled, the target let out a sharp, shrieking roar and looked up just in time to see Naruto hurtling toward him.
"Naruto! You idiot!"
Sasuke's heart skipped a beat. A frown appeared on his face as he quickly sprang into action. He couldn't let Naruto's reckless move cause the target to escape. Without hesitation, he joined the fray, forming a pincer attack with Naruto.
With both Sasuke and Naruto charging in from opposite directions, even such a ferocious creature had no hope of escape from the hands of skilled ninjas!
"Hahaha! Gotcha!"
Naruto tackled the target and wrapped his arms around it, a triumphant grin spreading across his face.
"Meeeowww!!"
The captured target let out a furious screech. It was a large, fluffy cat — its name was Ah Hu. And it was not happy.
It unsheathed its razor-sharp claws and began to mercilessly scratch at Naruto's face, leaving red streaks and scratches across his cheeks.
"Don't let go! We finally caught it!"
Sakura stepped out, mission report in hand. She walked over and inspected the cat clutched tightly in Naruto's arms. Cross-referencing the report with the feline's appearance — a fat cat with a butterfly bow on one ear — she gave a satisfied nod.
Mission Target: Ah Hu
Client: Lady Chimi
Mission Rank: D
Naruto winced, his face bleeding from the assault. He looked pitifully down at the furious feline, who was now growling and writhing in his arms.
"Well done, team."
A cheerful voice chimed in. From a nearby rooftop, Kakashi appeared without warning. Smiling beneath his mask, he casually reached over and plucked the flailing cat out of Naruto's arms by the scruff of its neck.
Finally free from the violent cat, Naruto collapsed to the ground in relief.
"Idiot. We could've caught it without all that drama if you hadn't rushed in."
Sakura sighed as she looked at Naruto's scratched-up face. She knelt beside him, her hands glowing green with healing chakra, and began to treat his wounds.
Naruto's healing abilities were naturally strong, and with Sakura's medical ninjutsu, the injuries quickly began to fade.
"That cat's run away many times, hasn't it?"
Naruto asked as he watched Kakashi hold the limp, resigned feline like a bag of potatoes.
"Why would it keep running away like that?"
"Who knows~~"
Kakashi chuckled, his visible eye curling into a crescent moon.
—
Konoha Mission Assignment Office
"Oh~~ my precious Ah Hu~~~"
"I missed you so much, my darling~~~"
A plump, overly affectionate noblewoman embraced Ah Hu with such passion that the poor cat's eyes practically glazed over in despair.
"You mustn't run away again, darling~~"
Naruto watched the scene in silent horror. The woman's extravagant hugging and kisses clearly explained everything.
He glanced at the cat again, whose expression now fully conveyed a soul crushed by affection.
Naruto sighed.
"Yeah, I kinda get why he keeps running away now…"
"Well done. The efficiency of Konoha's ninjas is always impressive."
The noblewoman handed over a thick stack of cash as payment and was about to leave when her eyes landed on Sakura. Her entire demeanor changed. Her smile widened, and even had a hint of flattery.
"Lady Haruno! I didn't expect you to be on this mission too~~"
Sakura gave a polite, distant smile.
"Yes, Lady Chimi. I am."
The woman beamed.
"Well then, I won't take up any more of your time. Do visit my estate sometime, won't you?"
With that, she and the emotionally traumatized cat exited the building.
Naruto looked curiously at Sakura.
"You know her?"
"We met during a few previous missions."
Sakura answered casually.
Chimi was one of the noble supporters of Konoha during the resource wars. Sakura had crossed paths with her a few times back then.
Naruto scratched his head, then quickly lost interest in the topic. His attention turned to the desk where the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was seated.
"Seriously, we've been stuck doing these lame D-rank missions every day!"
Naruto shouted.
"Can't you give us an S-rank mission or something for once? These D-rank ones are way too easy!"
Hiruzen sighed and massaged his temples as Naruto continued his tirade.
"Naruto, you're a fresh Genin. D-rank missions are exactly what you're supposed to be doing."
"I don't care! Old man Hokage, I want a real challenge today!"
Even though Sasuke stayed silent, his expression betrayed his agreement with Naruto.
Sakura ignored the arguing and walked over to the water dispenser. She filled a cup and took a sip, thinking about how this had all started five days ago with Kakashi's so-called "survival exercise."
Since then, it had been one D-rank mission after another.
Honestly, Sakura didn't mind the easy missions. What surprised her was that Naruto had lasted five whole days before blowing up. She had thought he'd snap on day three.
Realizing that Naruto wouldn't stop pestering him, Hiruzen glanced toward Sakura, who had distanced herself from the ruckus.
He cleared his throat.
"Sakura, why don't you take a look and choose a mission that suits your team?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow. She saw right through the Third's little maneuver.
"He's just pushing the responsibility onto me," she thought with a sigh.
"This old man still hasn't made up for trying to expel me before."
She walked over and flipped open the mission book on the desk.
"Sakura, pick a high-level one! I'll totally protect you!"
Naruto grinned excitedly, clearly expecting something exciting.
Sakura pointed to one.
"This one."
Naruto leaned in and immediately deflated.
"What?! Cleaning river garbage?!"
Kakashi glanced at the mission she selected and smiled knowingly.
"Actually, this one might be more interesting than it looks."
Hiruzen nodded, chuckling softly.
"You're still Genin. You need to complete a set number of D-rank missions before you're eligible for C-rank assignments."
"No shortcuts. You must work your way up, step by step."
Sakura silently sipped her water while Naruto dramatically collapsed on the floor.
(End of Chapter)
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