When Sakura first got the news she didn't believe it. She couldn't. Sasuke couldn't have run away. He couldn't have been so short sighted as to have actually joined Orochimaru's side, right? But all evidence pointed to that result. There were signs of a struggle though, so he may have been abducted, rather than have gone willingly. Sakura clung to that hope. Even though she could tell it was a lie.
Sakura sighed, resting her arms on the old desk she had sat at when she was still attending the Ninja Academy. All other meeting places were taken by other, more important meetings than this. Around her sat Naruto to her right, Ino and Choji back a row and to the right a little. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen, though that was expected, after all Shikamaru was a Chuunin now and was probably helping make up the slack of all those who met their end at the last Chuunin test. Of course Kakashi, who had asked them to meet at 9:00 was unsuprisingly nonpunctual.
It was a late 11:47 when the door finally slid open, admitting both Kakashi and Shikamaru.
"Sorry we're late." Shikamaru offered
"We've come to expect as much out of Kakashi-sensei." Sakura intoned, no longer having the energy to be enraged with her teacher over something as small as punctuality. Kakashi's one visible eyebrow raised, Shikamaru adjested his Chuunin jacket nervously.
"Actually it was me that caused us to be late." Shikamaru said, "I slept late." Ino giggled a little Choji harumphed. Naruto and Sakura were stunned that someone could be more late than Kakashi.
"Anyway this meeting is for a purpose vital to this villiage's survival." Kakashi spoke in a flat voice. "Very many of this villiage's mid-level Chuunin and several Juunin are dead and therefore unable to complete any more missions for our villiage." There was a minor disturbance as the Genin shifted in their seats uncomfortably Shikamaru just looked bored. "However, there are still many jobs being requested that are deemed A and B level assignments, thus cannot be accomplished by Genin." Kakashi looked seriously at them, "But we need you to do them still."
Naruto grinned, "This'll be easy with you along though Kakashi, we managed that B level mission in the villiage of the wave that one time, remember?" Kakashi's expression didn't change, "I have my missions and you have yours." Kakashi closed his eye in what must have been a smile, though his mask hid it.
"It can't be!" Sakura gasped. "We are to accomplish missions beyond our general skill level without even having the support of a leader?"
"That isn't true." Kakashi answered, "Shikamaru will be your leader."
Naruto interrupted, "He's gonna be our leader? He's not even stronger than us!"
"There is more to being a leader than being strong. A leader is responsible for the lives of his teammates and is responsible for making them perform well enough to sustain those lives." The Jounin nodded his head, "I believe Shikamaru has this ability." He made a significant look at Naruto, "These skills are neccesary to the higher levels of Ninja so anyone who might have a wish to become Hokage some day would do well to learn them." Sakura looked at Naruto out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to explode with further declarations that only strength was important, but he remained silent and Sakura could almost see him give a small nod, his eyes closed to mere slits. Naruto had changed since his trip.
"But I have a mission to do so I will be leaving the rest of the explaination to Shikamaru here." Kakashi waved, "Let me just say how much I have enjoyed working with some of you, and that it will be a shame when you die." With that Kakashi disappeared in a puff of ninja smoke.
The four Genin were somewhat stunned by Kakashi's final remark.
"He didn't really mean that last part did he?" Ino asked, sounding a little frightened.
"Oh geez, how troublesome." Shikamaru began, continuing after a moment's thought, "Kakashi grew up during a period of strife not too much unlike the times we are in now. Because of the hardships he went through all of his friends and comrades died. He thinks that it would be far less damaging to our villiage to simply refuse a mission here and there if we don't have the Ninja necessary than to throw lives away meaninglessly. Hokage-sama knows that too, but she also knows that our strength as a villiage depends on accepting any mission regaurdless of the danger involved and she believes that we can prevent any further war with the Sand by maintaining a strong image. If we appear to stumble they might pounce." Shikamaru said, leaning back against the teacher's desk at the front of the class.
"So what you're saying is that if we don't risk everything to complete every mission assigned we risk a war with the Sand which would most likely decimate our villiage." Sakura said. Shikamaru nodded. "This is a lot of responsibility. The lives of many ninja count on our success." Sakura said quietly. Shikamaru leaned forward suddenly, "That is what it is to be a ninja. No less than the total responsibility of your life as well as the lives of countless others. Nothing has changed, nothing ever changes. I suggest you all get used to that and if you cannot, there is the door." Shikamaru nodded in the indicated direction. "I won't let anyone of my team die because of someone's careless actions." Everyone in the room was stunned by this display; no one spoke. "I thought so." Shikamaru leaned back once again.
"Since it is past noon we should probably go out to eat before going on with our first mission. Anyone know anyplace good and cheap?" Shikamaru mentioned looking at a clock on a wall. Naruto was on his feet in an instant, "Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto's volume was much higher than really neccessary.
"Shut up idiot, some of us don't have one track taste buds." Sakura said, pulling Naruto back into his seat. "I think we should eat at that Sushi place at the base of the Hokage monument."
"I said cheap, I'm fine with Ichiraku so unless ramen somehow offends the rest of you that's where we're going." Shikamaru said, a slightly annoyed look on his face. There was a somewhat uniform nod of assent from the team. "Alright, Ichiraku it is." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sakura, she tapped his jaw, making him bite his tongue, then start complaining loudly. Shikamaru sighed.
"Being a leader is going to be troublesome."
Sakura sighed, resting her arms on the old desk she had sat at when she was still attending the Ninja Academy. All other meeting places were taken by other, more important meetings than this. Around her sat Naruto to her right, Ino and Choji back a row and to the right a little. Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen, though that was expected, after all Shikamaru was a Chuunin now and was probably helping make up the slack of all those who met their end at the last Chuunin test. Of course Kakashi, who had asked them to meet at 9:00 was unsuprisingly nonpunctual.
It was a late 11:47 when the door finally slid open, admitting both Kakashi and Shikamaru.
"Sorry we're late." Shikamaru offered
"We've come to expect as much out of Kakashi-sensei." Sakura intoned, no longer having the energy to be enraged with her teacher over something as small as punctuality. Kakashi's one visible eyebrow raised, Shikamaru adjested his Chuunin jacket nervously.
"Actually it was me that caused us to be late." Shikamaru said, "I slept late." Ino giggled a little Choji harumphed. Naruto and Sakura were stunned that someone could be more late than Kakashi.
"Anyway this meeting is for a purpose vital to this villiage's survival." Kakashi spoke in a flat voice. "Very many of this villiage's mid-level Chuunin and several Juunin are dead and therefore unable to complete any more missions for our villiage." There was a minor disturbance as the Genin shifted in their seats uncomfortably Shikamaru just looked bored. "However, there are still many jobs being requested that are deemed A and B level assignments, thus cannot be accomplished by Genin." Kakashi looked seriously at them, "But we need you to do them still."
Naruto grinned, "This'll be easy with you along though Kakashi, we managed that B level mission in the villiage of the wave that one time, remember?" Kakashi's expression didn't change, "I have my missions and you have yours." Kakashi closed his eye in what must have been a smile, though his mask hid it.
"It can't be!" Sakura gasped. "We are to accomplish missions beyond our general skill level without even having the support of a leader?"
"That isn't true." Kakashi answered, "Shikamaru will be your leader."
Naruto interrupted, "He's gonna be our leader? He's not even stronger than us!"
"There is more to being a leader than being strong. A leader is responsible for the lives of his teammates and is responsible for making them perform well enough to sustain those lives." The Jounin nodded his head, "I believe Shikamaru has this ability." He made a significant look at Naruto, "These skills are neccesary to the higher levels of Ninja so anyone who might have a wish to become Hokage some day would do well to learn them." Sakura looked at Naruto out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to explode with further declarations that only strength was important, but he remained silent and Sakura could almost see him give a small nod, his eyes closed to mere slits. Naruto had changed since his trip.
"But I have a mission to do so I will be leaving the rest of the explaination to Shikamaru here." Kakashi waved, "Let me just say how much I have enjoyed working with some of you, and that it will be a shame when you die." With that Kakashi disappeared in a puff of ninja smoke.
The four Genin were somewhat stunned by Kakashi's final remark.
"He didn't really mean that last part did he?" Ino asked, sounding a little frightened.
"Oh geez, how troublesome." Shikamaru began, continuing after a moment's thought, "Kakashi grew up during a period of strife not too much unlike the times we are in now. Because of the hardships he went through all of his friends and comrades died. He thinks that it would be far less damaging to our villiage to simply refuse a mission here and there if we don't have the Ninja necessary than to throw lives away meaninglessly. Hokage-sama knows that too, but she also knows that our strength as a villiage depends on accepting any mission regaurdless of the danger involved and she believes that we can prevent any further war with the Sand by maintaining a strong image. If we appear to stumble they might pounce." Shikamaru said, leaning back against the teacher's desk at the front of the class.
"So what you're saying is that if we don't risk everything to complete every mission assigned we risk a war with the Sand which would most likely decimate our villiage." Sakura said. Shikamaru nodded. "This is a lot of responsibility. The lives of many ninja count on our success." Sakura said quietly. Shikamaru leaned forward suddenly, "That is what it is to be a ninja. No less than the total responsibility of your life as well as the lives of countless others. Nothing has changed, nothing ever changes. I suggest you all get used to that and if you cannot, there is the door." Shikamaru nodded in the indicated direction. "I won't let anyone of my team die because of someone's careless actions." Everyone in the room was stunned by this display; no one spoke. "I thought so." Shikamaru leaned back once again.
"Since it is past noon we should probably go out to eat before going on with our first mission. Anyone know anyplace good and cheap?" Shikamaru mentioned looking at a clock on a wall. Naruto was on his feet in an instant, "Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto's volume was much higher than really neccessary.
"Shut up idiot, some of us don't have one track taste buds." Sakura said, pulling Naruto back into his seat. "I think we should eat at that Sushi place at the base of the Hokage monument."
"I said cheap, I'm fine with Ichiraku so unless ramen somehow offends the rest of you that's where we're going." Shikamaru said, a slightly annoyed look on his face. There was a somewhat uniform nod of assent from the team. "Alright, Ichiraku it is." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sakura, she tapped his jaw, making him bite his tongue, then start complaining loudly. Shikamaru sighed.
"Being a leader is going to be troublesome."