【𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍】

𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒

          𝐓he weather was perfect—blue skies stretched endlessly overhead, the forest below kissed with golden light. gentle wind rustled through the trees as if nature itself was whispering encouragement to the young shinobi hiding among the branches.

          somewhere in the woods, team 7 was on high alert, moving in careful coordination through their first official mission together.

          from his position, 𝐒𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐇𝐀 clicked the small mic in his earpiece. “sasuke here. at point b.” his voice was calm and clipped, as always.

          a second voice followed shortly, soft but confident. “sakura, point c. ready.”

          and then, lighter in tone—calm and soft as ever—came ameiko’s voice, like a petal drifting on the breeze.“ameiko here... point d.”

a beat passed.

          “naruto here! i’m at point a!” his voice was louder than necessary and slightly breathless.

          somewhere distant, 𝐊𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄’s voice came through all their earpieces. “you’re slow, naruto.” a slight pause, then, “okay... seventh squad—hm?”

          before he could continue, a sudden rustle in the underbrush snapped all attention back to the mission.

          “the target just moved!” kakashi called quickly, tone sharper now. “everyone—follow it!”

          in unison, they sprang from their hiding spots, moving with practiced energy toward ameiko’s location—point d. leaves scattered in the wind behind them as sasuke ducked from his tree first, eyes scanning the area with purpose. sakura followed not far behind, feet light on the ground. naruto dropped down last, landing roughly on a branch and pointing excitedly.

“alright! it’s over there!”

          just ahead, through the leaves and bramble, they glimpsed the silhouette of their elusive target—round, low to the ground, and darting swiftly between trunks.

          kakashi’s voice came again.“what’s your distance from the target?”

          𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐎 𝐔𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈 leaned forward, whispering into the mic with enthusiasm. “five meters! i can jump in any second!”

          “i’m ready too,” sasuke added with quiet precision.

          “me too,” 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐎 said, eyes narrowed with focus.

they waited.

silence.no answer from ameiko.

          the soft, familiar voice that usually spoke with such calm clarity through the earpiece… never came.

          the team glanced at one another, alert. kakashi’s voice returned—this time dramatic, almost playful.  “ameiko’s under attack. i repeat, she’s under attack! protect her at all cost!”

          without hesitation, the trio launched into action, weaving through trees and lunging toward the last known point of contact, adrenaline flared in their veins. leaves whipped past as they closed in, prepared for the worst—

and then skidded to a halt.

         there in the clearing stood 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐊𝐎 𝐊𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐎, perfectly unharmed. her haori fluttered softly in the breeze as she pet a very familiar-looking creature— a plump, brown cat. the feline was pressed affectionately against her chest, purring loudly as she gently stroked behind its ears with her delicate gloved hand.

         she turned toward the others with her usual calm smile. then through her earpiece, she said softly.  “i believe i got him, sensei.”

         kakashi’s voice cut in from her earpiece with curiosity, “does he have a ribbon on his ear?”

          ameiko tilted her head, lifting the cat slightly in her arms. “he has it. red.”

another moment passed before kakashi asked, “are you sure that’s tora?”

          the cat chose that moment to lick ameiko’s cheek, drawing a blink from her. but her smile deepened immediately.

          “it’s the target. no mistake.” sasuke said coolly, watching the bizarre scene unfold with unreadable eyes.

          sakura couldn’t help but smile a little, watching how the cat clung to ameiko like a baby to its mother. there was something oddly cute about it.

          while naruto couldn't help but look at them—ameiko standing in the clearing with the soft breeze fluttering her haori, that calm, unbothered smile on her face. the cat in her arms looked smug, purring like a tiny prince as she stroked behind its ear with gloved fingers.

          ‘cute...’ he thought automatically when his gaze flickered from the feline and then towards the girl holding it.

then his brain short-circuited.

          ‘w-wait—no no no! i meant the cat!! the cat is cute! what the heck is wrong with me?!’

          trying to shake off the thought, naruto stomped forward with fake confidence, hand reaching out. “hey, let me try petting him too—”

          the cat hissed like a wild demon, eyes flashing. whatever soft, cuddly creature it had been moments ago was gone—replaced by a snarling blur of fur and fury. before naruto’s fingers could even graze its fur, it swiped—lightning-fast.

“ow! what the hell—?!”

          three red claw marks tore across the back of his hand. he yelped and stumbled back, waving his arm around like he could shake the sting out of existence.

          the cat, completely unbothered, curled deeper into ameiko’s arms with a smug little purr, like it hadn’t just committed violence in broad daylight.

          ameiko blinked once, the corners of her eyes softening. her smile widened, just barely but unmistakably.

          “how cruel,” she murmured, glancing down at the feline like it had done something endearingly mischievous. “but i suppose he’s quite... selective with affection.”

          naruto stood there, fuming, cheeks burning—not just from the sting. “y-you think this is funny?!”

         sakura let out a long sigh, rubbing her temple. “honestly, naruto. read the room.”

         sasuke didn’t even look at him. “you had it coming.”

         naruto growled under his breath, nursing his scratched hand. “dumb furball... thinks he’s better than me! i’ll have you know that i’m going to be a hokage!” but the cat remains unbothered, and even pretending not to hear him.

naruto glared at it, checks burning.

         kakashi’s voice returned, now more relaxed. “mission finding tora is complete. nice job, seventh squad. come back and regroup.”

          grumbling, naruto slapped the button on his earpiece and shouted, “ISN’T THERE A MISSION WITH A GREATER SENSE OF URGENCY?!” kakashi flinched at the volume, almost turning into a deaf.

and the earpiece? broken.

          the sun was still high in the sky when team 7 arrived at the hokage’s office to report their completed mission.

           in front of team 7 stood a wealthy woman dressed in elegant robes, clutching the same round, brown cat ameiko had returned. except now, the poor creature was being strangled in her arms, its paws flailing helplessly as she rubbed her cheeks against its fur.

          “oh, my precious tora! i was so worried!” she wailed, clinging even tighter.

          the cat let out a desperate meow, its eyes locking pitifully onto ameiko, one paw stretching toward her as if begging to be saved.

          ameiko just smiled gently, hands folded neatly in front of her. she said nothing, but there was a glint of soft amusement in her eyes.

           naruto watched the scene and couldn’t stop himself from snickering inwardly. ‘heh. serves you right, dumb furball.’

          sakura frowned a little, watching the cat struggle. ‘no wonder it ran away from her.’

          sasuke and kakashi both said nothing, but their eyes narrowed faintly at the bizarre reunion.

          the hokage sat behind his desk, pipe resting nearby, as he scanned the mission request scroll.

          “the next mission for kakashi’s team seven is…” he muttered, eyes moving down the list, “an errand to the neighboring town… then babysitting the chief councilor’s son… followed by helping with the harvest, digging potatoes…”

          “nooo! no way! no, thank you!” naruto shouted, stepping forward. “i wanna do a real mission! something exciting!”

          sasuke remained silent, but a flicker of thought crossed his mind. ‘he’s got a point.’

          sakura scowled slightly. ‘ugh… he’s such a pain.’

          kakashi let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his head. ‘i figured he’d start complaining around now…’

          ameiko, ever composed, stood quietly beside them, her haori catching a breeze from the window. she didn’t speak, didn’t frown—her smile remained unchanged.

           iruka who was sitting beside the hokage, slammed both palms onto the desk, glaring at naruto. “you fool! you’re still just a genin! everyone starts with these simple missions to build experience!”

          “b-but it’s been nothing but boring stuff!” naruto argued, voice rising.

          kakashi bonked him gently on the head with a sigh. “knock it off.”

          naruto groaned, rubbing his scalp as he crouched down with a pout.

          the hokage finally spoke, his voice calm and clear. “naruto… do you even know what a mission is?”

          naruto blinked, sitting up straighter. “huh?”

          “requests come into the village from all over,” the hokage said, gesturing to the stacks of papers on his desk. “some are simple like babysitting, others are dangerous like assassinations. our job is to match the request with the appropriate team.”

          he held up the mission scroll again and continued. “missions are divided into four ranks...d, c, b, and a.”

naruto’s eyes widened a little.

         “d-rank missions are the easiest. we assign those to genin. c-rank is also for genin, but only under the guidance of a jonin.”

         as the hokage spoke, sakura listened carefully, sasuke kept his usual quiet focus, and ameiko lowered her gaze slightly—still smiling, still silent.

          “b and a-rank missions are given to chunin and jonin. those can involve serious threats—bandits, missing-nin, or guarding important people.”

          the hokage glanced down at the scroll again. “when a mission is successful, the one who requested it pays a fee to the village. it’s part of how the village economy functions.”

          as he spoke, the woman who had been clinging to tora finally walked over to a shinobi clerk standing behind a small side desk. she reached into her embroidered purse and handed over a thick stack of money with both hands.

          “thank you for your help,” she said dramatically, voice quivering as if she had just survived a great tragedy. “my precious tora could have been lost forever!”

          but instead of leaving right away, she turned and made her way over to ameiko.

          “and especially you, young lady!” she said sweetly, pulling out a small sealed envelope and placing it delicately into ameiko’s hand. “consider it a personal token of thanks. tora clearly adores you.”

          ameiko blinked but her smile widened just enough and bowed her head slightly. “...thank you, ma’am.”

         tora, still tucked in his owner’s arms, gave a soft meow and reached one paw out in ameiko’s direction again, even while being squeezed into a hug. his ears twitched, and his tail gave a lazy flick like he wasn’t finished with her yet.

         ameiko’s gaze followed the cat for a moment. “he’s more thoughtful than he looks,” she said gently. “stubborn, but not unkind.”

          the woman lit up at that, practically glowing. “exactly! you get him! no one ever gets my tora like that—he always scratches everyone else!” tora meowed again, as if proud of the compliment.

         naruto’s jaw dropped. “what!? he tried to kill me! and hey—why does she only gets extra?!”

          sakura’s brows twitched. “yeah, what about the rest of us?!”

         the woman turned to them with a polite smile that was somehow more smug than kind. “well... i noticed the boy with the orange jacket glaring at my sweet tora like he wanted to fight him. and the pink-haired one didn’t do much either.” she didn't even glance at kakashi and sasuke, who both looked like they couldn't care less too.

         “wha—?! i wasn’t glaring!” naruto snapped, flailing his arms.

         sakura shouted, “hey, i helped too!”

         but the woman waved them off gracefully and walked away, humming as she went. tora, still tucked in her arms, turned to glance back smugly at naruto—his little cat eyes narrowing in silent triumph. while, looking at ameiko, teary-eyed.

          naruto’s cheeks puffed out with frustration. “that smug little—!”

          the hokage cleared his throat, continuing like nothing had happened. “you all need to build your experience step by step. it’s the only way.”

team 7 stood quietly

         but when the hokage turned toward naruto, the boy was already sitting cross-legged, back facing them, arms crossed tightly as he mumbled to himself. “yesterday’s lunch was pork-bone broth noodles... so today’ll be miso for sure.”

         iruka twitched. kakashi blinked. the hokage’s brow furrowed, his pipe forgotten beside him.

         “listen!!” the hokage shouted suddenly, slamming his palm on the table.

         naruto didn’t even flinch. kakashi scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly. “i-i’m sorry, lord hokage.”

         naruto turned halfway to glance over his shoulder, pout on full display. “man! you always lecture me, old man! but i’m not that little prankster you think i am!” he turned back again with a dramatic huff. “hmph!”

a beat passed.

         iruka tried to keep his expression stern, but it faltered. the hokage, too, cracked the smallest of smiles.

          finally, the old man sighed. “okay, fine.”

         everyone in team 7 perked up instantly—except naruto, who slowly peeked over his shoulder.

         “if you insist,” the hokage continued, “i’ll assign you a c-rank mission.”

         naruto bolted upright. “really!? who is it? a feudal lord?! a princess?!”

          the hokage smirked knowingly. “don’t be so hasty. i’ll introduce you now.” he turned toward the side door. “please, come in.”

         the team turned toward the sliding door as it creaked open.

         a man stumbled in—grizzled, gray-haired, and clearly already tipsy. he wore glasses that slipped slightly down his nose, and a worn travel bag swung from his shoulders. in one hand was a half-empty bottle of sake.

his gaze swept the room, unimpressed.

         “…what’s this? just a bunch of darned squirts,” he muttered, taking a long swig from the bottle.

         then he pointed lazily in naruto’s direction. “especially you—the smallest one with the idiotic face. are you really a ninja?”

         naruto blinked. “huh? hahaha! who’s he talking about? the smallest one with the idiot face?”

then sakura scooted closer.

sasuke stepped just behind him.

         and ameiko quietly moved to stand beside sasuke, her soft footsteps barely made a sound.

naruto glanced left.

then right.

         his eyes slowly trailed upward. sasuke was the tallest, silent and aloof. then ameiko—graceful, calm, just an inch shorter than him. sakura next, standing straight and serious. and then… him.

         “…wait,” naruto muttered, realization crashing down. then his face twisted into fury. “i’ll kill you!!” he lunged for the old man.

         kakashi didn’t even blink, grabbing naruto by the back of his collar with one hand. “knock it off. that’s our client, you moron.”

         the man took another drink. “that’s right. name’s tazuna. i’m a master bridge builder—and you’ll be guarding my life with everything you’ve got until i get back home and finish my bridge.”

silence settled across the room.

         “…you may begin immediately,” the hokage said, closing the scroll with a final thud.

         𝐍ot long after, team 7 gathered at the village gates.

         the sun was warm, sky still flawless and blue. birds chirped from somewhere deep in the trees. it was, as far as days went, a perfect one to begin a journey.

          naruto stretched his arms high above his head. “yes! we’re off!”

         sakura walked beside sasuke, rolling her eyes. “what are you so excited about?”

         naruto cupped his hands over his eyes, peering dramatically at the horizon. “you see… i’ve never left the village before!”

         tazuna walked behind them, eyeing naruto with a deep sigh and turning to kakashi. “are you sure i’ll be okay with this squirt?”

         kakashi gave a lazy laugh. “i’m a jonin. i’ll be watching him. there’s no need to worry.”

but naruto’s ear twitched at the word.

squirt...

         it echoed in his brain like a curse. he crossed his arms, face scrunched in irritation. ‘anyone but this old dude… man! he’s seriously the worst client ever.’

        he spun around and pointed a finger at tazuna. “hey, old man! quit mocking ninjas! i’m awesome, you know?! i’m a super-elite ninja who’s gonna be the next hokage! my name’s naruto uzumaki—remember it!”

tazuna just kept drinking.

         then paused to glance over. “the hokage’s the top-dog ninja in the village, right? you sure as heck don’t look like you could ever become that.”

         naruto’s jaw dropped, fist clinching. “aaah! shut up! i’m prepared to do whatever it takes to become hokage! you’ll have no choice but acknowledge me one day!”

        but tazuna only chuckled, sake bottle dangling loosely from one hand. “i’ll never acknowledge you, squirt. even if you do become hokage.” then the man started walking forward, leaving naruto fuming.

         “i’ll kill you, you old man!!” naruto lunged again, fists flailing.

         kakashi sighed and held him back effortlessly. “i told you to stop it, you moron.”

         ameiko walked silently beside tazuna now, her steps measured, her expression unchanged. her haori swayed gently in the breeze. she didn’t speak, but her presence drew a glance from the bridge builder.

         tazuna looked at her sideways, watching the way she moved, how her eyes didn’t stray, how not even the ruckus behind them seemed to touch her mood.

tazuna blinked.

         and without a word, he took another long drink without stopping from walking.

        the others followed quickly after, one by one falling into step as they left the village behind.

        the road ahead stretched long and winding. green trees flanked either side, tall grass swaying as wind whispered through it. birds chirped unseen. for a while, it almost felt peaceful.

but something lurked beneath that calm.

unbeknownst to them all—shadows had already begun to shift in the distance.

and something dangerous was watching.

waiting.

【𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐁𝐈’𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓】

୨୧ — tazuna honestly thought at first that ameiko was another client—some kind of princess they had to escort. she looked way too elegant to be a ninja. but then he saw the sword at her side and the way she carried herself... yeah, definitely a shinobi.

୨୧ — tora, that grumpy little furball, actually really likes ameiko. the moment he met her, he fell for her—her soft voice, her soothing smile, and even the way she touched him. no claws, no sudden grabs. just calm and gentle. he’s basically obsessed now.

୨୧ — naruto couldn’t figure it out, but something about ameiko being taller than him bugged him a little. not in a bad way, but enough to make him stand up straighter whenever she was around. maybe it was pride. maybe it was something else.

【𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄】

HEYA GUYS!! we finally reached the tazuna bridge arc… or whatever you wanna call this emotional rollercoaster.

i was honestly on the verge of not uploading this chapter. not because i didn’t want to… but because i—physically, emotionally, and spiritually— could not. the last season of demon slayer dropped, and with it, my will to live. shinobu. gyomei. gone. ripped away from me like they were never mine to begin with. i’m in shambles.

i’ve been staring at my ceiling like a heartbroken widow, wondering why god gives his toughest battles to his most unhinged soldiers. but then i read your comments… and somehow, your words gave me the strength to crawl out of my despair and click upload.

so thank you. truly. like thank you 123456789 times

how are you guys doing, btw? i hope better than me. if you’re not, let’s cry together. lmao.

until next time, 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒! 🫀