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Baby Steps

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Naruto really didn't appreciate the educational talk they were given. Kakashi was almost treating this like a school trip, explaining small details about things that no one really cared about. Hinata asked a few question of their sensei on where they were headed, and Kakashi didn't hesitate to explain some simple facts about the Country of Waves. One fact that astonished the genin was that there were no official ninja in the Country of Waves. They had to rely on other countries to help them due to not having their own Hidden Village, like Konoha. However, there was still the possibility of running into rouge ninja, just like anywhere else, as Kakashi explained. This eventually led onto a lecture about the great five Kage's, which only led his two male students to scoff. The boys pictured the Hokage, feeble and sitting behind his desk; they simply couldn't imagine what power he possessed. Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the information and was asking questions where appropriate.

Eventually, the boys moved ahead, bored of their sensei's ramblings. Hinata hesitantly followed after them, seeming unsure of where she should be amongst the group. This left Kakashi to walk beside Tazuna, observing how their client seemed tense.

"Tazuna-san, can I ask you a question?" Kakashi asked after a few moments of tense silence. Tazuna flinches slightly, not prepared for the Jounin to talk.

"Yeah, what?" he said gruffly, gripping his belt and adjusting it on his hips.

"Back in the Hokage's office, you mentioned something akin to 'handing you over to the wolves'. Now, during the heat of the moment I didn't notice, but you seemed… sure that 'wolves' would be prowling."

"…So?"

"So, this being an escort mission, there shouldn't be any wolves for you to be afraid of." Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow to Tazuna, who swallowed harshly and looked visibly uncomfortable.

"Well, you never know with these roads. A… a wolf could show up at any time." Tazuna's answer didn't seem to fool the Jounin, let alone himself.

"Tazuna-san, you are as well aware as I am that we are not talking about wolves here. So I suggest you drop whatever act you are trying to display, and tell me what is going on." Kakashi's voice held no room for arguments, and Tazuna felt sweat beginning to slide along the back of his neck.

Tazuna sighed, rubbing a hand down his throat. Ahead, he caught sight of the three genin walking together, talking to one another. His eyes narrowed when he saw the blonde waving his hands, moves quite boisterous. His jaw clenched uncomfortably, and he kept his eyes ahead, never once looking back to the Jounin. Whatever he knew of the situation would be pointless to mention. These kids wouldn't be able to do anything, and the Jounin wasn't a match for whatever was coming. Even if he had told the whole truth, who knows what would have happened then. If he hadn't left when he did… then… "There is nothing going on that should concern you, Kakashi-san."

~ ҉ ~

Naruto waved his hands about, practically signing nonsense as he walked. Both his teammates had a hard time trying to keep track of his hands, random words suddenly thrown into the middle of his sentences.

'- and I can't wait till we get to this -pepperoni- village! It'll be totally amazing and exciting and -because- we'll get to learn -octopus- techniques, and even get into -potato- battle against ninja and totally kick their -light bulb- asses!'

Sasuke rubbed his temple, fighting against his urges to punch his blonde teammate in the face. He tried hard to ignore Naruto, but the constant movements in his peripheral vision drew his attention.

"You realise we won't actually be fighting anyone, right? It's an escort mission, idiot." Sasuke seethed, moving his hands agitatedly while he spoke. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he saw the Uchiha's hands, turning to aim a punch to his shoulder. Sasuke moved quickly out of the way, glaring at his teammate.

'Bastard! Who knows, maybe some random person will jump us and we get a chance to knock em' out!'

"Like you could even fight them. You'd wuss out and be a liability." His hands moved angrily to his words, even though Naruto was now focussed on lip-reading than watching his hands.

'You prick-!'

The two boys argued, their words becoming harsher and their hand movements deliberately insulting, that they failed to notice their female teammate walking a few feet behind them. Her hands were stuck together by her forefingers, thudding together gently in her nervousness. Whether the two were deliberately ignoring her or not, she wasn't sure, but either way she felt unequal to them. It wasn't a secret that she was not up to the Hyuuga standards, so was it possible that they looked down on her just as much as everyone else? She was determined to work hard and be who she was supposed to be in the eyes of her father – even if her timid nature denied her the chance to getting the courage to ask for help or support in her endeavours.

She was so focussed on her own thoughts that she hardly noticed one of her teammates had slowed their walking to match her, walking for a few moments next to her in silence. When she noticed, she felt her ears burn as a blush forced its way onto her face and nerves tingling down every inch of her body.

"H-hello N-Naruto~kun…"

'Hey Hinata.' Naruto's blank face did not give away what emotion he was currently feeling, so Hinata was almost unsure of how to approach the situation. However, Naruto spoke first and didn't give her the chance.

'Do you mind if I walk with you? Sasuke's being a dick and I don't want to have to deal with him right now.' Naruto signed, his face moving to form a scowl when he signed their teammates name.

Hinata shook her head, her blush remaining stained on her cheeks. 'N-no, not a-at all…'

Naruto's eyes focussed on her hands as she signed, and an almost curious expression fell upon his face.

'Hey, why did you learn sign language?'

Hinata almost seemed surprised at the question, her hands shaking as she responded 'W-what? Why d-did I l-learn...'

'Yeah; I mean, it wasn't necessary for anyone to learn it.' He paused, then corrected himself, 'Actually, the sensei's at the academy had to, I guess. And the old man. But no one else had to learn it. 'Cause there aren't any other deaf people in the village, and I didn't think anyone would bother to learn just to talk to me.'

He sighed when she repeatedly signed 'e' (which he still never understood!), and he felt the urge to just force her hands apart so she would stop.

'W-well, I w-wanted…. I w-wanted t-to t-t-'

'Why would Sasuke want to learn it anyway? I bet he did it just to be a dick and make fun of me. It's all he ever does. He's a dick to everyone right? He either doesn't talk to them or insults them. That's really the only explanation why he'd learn it, right? To make fun of me?' As he spoke, he watched his hands thoughtfully, sorting through his thoughts.

'N-no! H-He wouldn't d-do t-that-'

'But then again, if he really wanted to be a dick, he wouldn't have even bothered. Everyone else makes fun of me for knowing sign language. People I don't know will make fun of my hands or ears, or mock speak to me with their hands. Sometimes they don't even bother with attempts and just out-right laugh at me!'

'N-Naruto~kun, please l-listen-'

Naruto sighed; evidently not having caught the muddled words that Hinata had signed to him. His own thoughts were muddled as thoughts swarmed through his mind. He barely registered that he was venting his feelings, and when he finally realised what he was doing, he felt himself close up. Why would he even talk about this with her? It's not like they've spent much time together. He eyed her face warily; not watching whatever it was she was trying to sign to him. They hung out a couple times as a team, sure. And then they had that small conversation… thing, when he was sitting on the swing after the teams were announced. Surely that didn't warrant him a reason to just spew out his feelings. Not sure if he trusted her enough to keep up with this line of thoughts, he decided to drop the conversation all together.

"Sorry…" He spoke aloud, startling her. She stopped her hand movements, looking over to him. 'I really don't know why I'm telling you any of this.'

'I-It's okay, N-Naruto~kun…'

Naruto stretched his arms and folded his hands behind his head. They had been walking for around three hours now, and he was quickly becoming bored of their walk. Hinata realised that by doing this, he was no longer interested in talking to her. While she felt put off from this, the fact that he was still walking alongside her made up for it.

As they walked, they managed to catch up to their disgruntled teammate. His hands rested in his pockets, eyes glaring at nothing in particular. Judging by his expression and tense posture, Hinata was sure that he was annoyed with their progress; really, they had been walking for a short while and nothing had happened.

Sasuke glared at the space in front of him, aware that his two teammates had caught up. While he was still annoyed with Naruto from their conversation before, his annoyance barely changed when they fell into step beside him. He was fairly annoyed that nothing substantial had happened on their trip so far, but seeing as this was a C-rank mission, and an escort one at that, there wasn't anything to actually look forward to until their client was back safe and had finished his task. Although, he considered, getting training in during their down time was something that he could actually look forward to. The more training he got, the better off he would be to obtain his goals. He hadn't shared these goals with his teammates or sensei and he wasn't about to share either.

"H-How d-do you t-think the m-mission will g-go?" Hinata asked quietly when the silence dragged on between the three. She had been expecting an answer, and was surprised when it was Sasuke who replied.

"Hn. I doubt anything worthwhile will happen." His voice was monotone, giving away no emotions. Hinata just nodded dumbly, unsure of how to respond to him. Naruto hadn't responded and remained silent. This was probably for the fact that he hadn't seen their mouths move, or if he had, just didn't feel like commenting.

After those few sentences, they relapsed back into silence. She would hardly call it a companionable silence, because annoyance was still radiating off of the Uchiha's being and Naruto just seemed bored. A small sigh escaped her mouth, almost ready to slip back and join their sensei when movement in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Turning her head, she screamed at the sight of a black mass charging straight towards their sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She screamed, hardly recognising her own voice. Sasuke flinched at the scream, quickly turning to see what she had seen. If the mass attacking their sensei didn't grasp his attention, then a second grey mass coming towards him certainly did.

Kakashi quickly moved in a defensive stance as a giant metal gauntlet ripped at the space in front of him. A small hiss escaped his lips as he intersected the attack with a kunai of his own, a resonating clang echoing in the area. At the noises made by his genin – panicked and flustered – he realised that a second enemy must have been in the vicinity. A dark chuckle escaped from the person in front of him, and it barely took a second for him to take in the details of his attacker.

Black clothing, a large cloak covering his shoulders. Dark hair with a Kirigakure headband, a single horn protruding from the metal. A large metal gauntlet surrounding his right hand, fingers leading into deadly claws.

He was able to react quickly when the nin swiped at him again, something niggling in the back of his mind to be wary of the claws in front of him.

Off to the side, the three genin had a problem to deal with themselves. The person in front of them was dressed similarly to the nin fighting Kakashi, except that a metal gauntlet replaced his left hand, and that two horns protruded from his headband.

"IDIOT! TURN AROUND!"

At the voice that resonated angrily through his mind, Naruto started and turned quickly. His silent world was shattered at the sight of a large enemy attacking his two teammates, and a second enemy attacking their enemy in the distant. He hadn't heard anything – nothing had even changed in his surroundings that would have alerted the enemies approach. Panic welled up inside him, and his body froze. Oh god, he hadn't heard them! He hadn't even known that there was anything wrong! In his own ignorant world, he has moved several metres away from his comrades and wasn't able to directly help them.

He watched as the enemy nin shoved Sasuke to the side, uprooting him from his spot and running into Hinata, forcing them both to the ground. His left hand rose up to strike, but a panicked noise from Naruto made him pause. The enemy nin's attention was quickly diverted to the terrified blonde, and Sasuke used to opportunity to quickly swipe a kunai across the Nin's gauntlet free arm.

A growl escaped the enemy nin as a gash exposed blood and flesh, responding to the attack by back handing the genin on the ground. Sasuke fell back again, an angry red mark swelling on the side of his face. Hinata shrieked as her teammate fell back, caught between defending her teammate from the enemy and trying to retaliate.

Naruto was still frozen on the spot, mind dead as he tried to come to terms what was going on. His teammates. There were enemy Nin attacking them. Sasuke probably just got really hurt then. Hinata was probably going to be in a lot of trouble too. There was an enemy nin… Coming right for him!

Panic seized him, and if it weren't for Kyuubi to suddenly scream "DO SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!" then he wouldn't have had the knee jerk reaction to obey the command and jump away. The enemy nin swiped the space where Naruto used to be, claws barely grazing the blonde's sleeve as he moved away. Naruto stumbled on his feet as Kyuubi kept yelling to him to act and the panic flowing through his body muddle his reactions; he became sloppy and the enemy nin was using that to his advantage.

Naruto cried out when the gauntlet claws raked down his arm, cutting deeply through his hand. When the claws broke free from his flesh, the nin used his other hand to shove Naruto away, before facing the two other genin. They had managed to get up, Sasuke wielding a kunai in his hand while Hinata tried to edge her way around the nin to get closer to Naruto, to help him. Sasuke rushed forwards, bringing his kunai forward in an arc to slash at the enemy nin. Because the enemy nin's face was covered by black cloth, Sasuke missed the wicked grin that stretched his lips across his face. Before Sasuke could blink the enemy nin appeared before him, his free hand coming up and slamming against his temple. Sasuke staggered back, kunai slipping from his hand and a choked cry escaping his throat.

When Kakashi heard the noise, his jaw clenched tightly and eyes narrowed into slits. The nin that he was fighting had staggered back, several lacerations covering his free arm. His gauntlet arm was favoured, almost no damage had been caused to it as the enemy nin protected it at all costs.

"Give us the bridge builder, and we'll leave in peace. Be thankful that we haven't hurt those brats of yours yet." The enemy nin suddenly spoke, watching Kakashi with chaotic eyes. Kakashi scoffed, bringing his hands up in front of his body. He was coated in less injuries then the enemy he was facing, but knew that a few hits from him would cause one or two bruises to appear on his skin.

"Why would I hand him over to you?" Kakashi questioned, reaching out a hand to slash at the enemy nin's gauntlet arm. Anticipating the attack, the nin used his already injured arm to intercept the attack, gripping tightly to the blade of the kunai. Blood welled up through his fingers, but his grip was firm and relentless.

"Because if you don't, my brother Meizu will dispose of those brats one by one right in front of you." His eyes flickered to Tazuna who was currently hiding behind Kakashi, eyes glistening menacingly. Tazuna had managed to avoid the fight up until now, and he wasn't exactly eager to get in the middle of things. Sweat beaded on his skin, running down his face as he watched the nin fighting Kakashi. Of course, he knew exactly why they were here. He was anticipating them showing up sooner or later. It was only now that he realised, probably telling Kakashi this those hours ago would have been the wiser choice. At least he would have been prepared then.

"Why do you even want him? He's nobody important." Kakashi questioned, using his other hand to curl into a fist and strike at the enemy nin. His fist was intercepted by the gauntlet, the clawed fingers digging gently into Kakashi's knuckles, the pressure teasing the skin to rip open.

"Gōzu!" The second nin shouted. The enemy that Kakashi was fighting, now having a name, looked towards his brother. Kakashi risked a look, and felt anger burning through him at the sight.

The brother, Meizu, held a crying Hinata in his grip, navy hair being ripped from the roots. His gauntlet hand was resting uncomfortably underneath her chin, the claws threatening against her throat. His right foot was crushing Naruto's chest to the ground, the blonde whimpering from the pressure. Kakashi also noted that his left hand was bleeding profusely, the skin noticeably pale compared to the rest of him. Sasuke was crouched on the ground behind them, one hand clutching the side of his head while the other supported him.

"Is the bridge builder coming with us, or do I have to kill these brats?" Meizu asked, lifting Hinata up an inch higher. She screamed at the pain, her feet dangling off the ground.

Kakashi grit his teeth, looking towards Gōzu. Gōzu tightening his grip on the kunai before pushing Kakashi away, jumping back a few steps.

What Gōzu hadn't been expecting, though, was several shuriken to fly towards his brother. Neither of them had expected the attack to Meizu, especially since he held two of the three genin hostage. The shuriken embedded into Meizu's arms and chest, and he let go of Hinata in shock. Gōzu let out a strangled cry when Kakashi suddenly moved towards him, much quicker then what he had been before, and landed a heavy punch to his stomach. A swift hit to the temple rendered Gōzu on the ground, world spinning and black spots dancing in his vision. When he attempted to get up, Kakashi slammed his foot into the side of his head, knocking him out.

When Meizu took a step back from the impact, Naruto threw his arms to trip the enemy nin, making him stumble back a few steps. He leant forward to rectify his balance when a heavy weight slammed on the tops of his shoulders. Sasuke had managed to stand and use the stumbling enemy to his advantage, running and jumping onto the nin's shoulders. Using his weight, he threw the enemy nin forward, using whatever strength he had. Meizu was launched into the air, and Kakashi met him halfway, aiming a kick to the side of his head. Meizu landed on the ground near his brother, groaning once before slipping from conscious.

The dust settled; the environment around them quietened once more. Sasuke cracked his neck, the tenseness he felt in his shoulders slowly drawing away. Hinata held back tears as she dripped the top of her head, and looked up to their sensei. Kakashi simply stared at the two nin on the ground, before speaking.

"Well done, Sasuke. You thought quickly and used the situation to your advantage. I'm sorry to see that you got hurt." Kakashi said, looking towards his genin. Sasuke glared at the ground, pissed that he sported visible injuries on his person.

"Hinata." She flinched slightly at his stern tone, and he softened slightly in response. "Thank you for trying. It was good of you to try to help Naruto during the battle."

Finally, Kakashi looked towards the blonde, who was sitting up. His body was pale and his arm was still bleeding. Kakashi held his tongue when he saw the guilty expression on the boys face. Saying he didn't expect Naruto to freeze up would be a lie, but he expected at least something from the blonde. He felt curious as to how Naruto had known about the situation in the first place. From what he witnesses around him, no one had physically gotten the boys attention. In fact, he had seen the boy turn before the enemy nin had even made contact. Perhaps it was just luck that he had turned around, but Kakashi wasn't too sure.

'Naruto. I need you to stay still.' Kakashi signed when Naruto finally raised his head. He spoke aloud next, speaking to the other genin. "Hinata, give him first aid. These ninja had poison in their claws." Kakashi motioned towards the two unconscious ninja at his feet. "I need you both to remove the poison as quickly as you can, so that it cannot go further into his blood stream."

He shook his head as Hinata moved towards her teammate, turning dull eyes towards their client. Tazuna flinched under the burning gaze of the Jounin; he felt himself shrivel under his eyes.

"Tazuna. We need to talk."

~ ҉ ~

"These people are Chuunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist." Kakashi explained later. Hinata was still attending to Naruto's wounds. As she worked, the blonde had remained uncharacteristically quiet. After the two chuunin fell unconscious, Kakashi, Tazuna and Sasuke had moved to tied them to a tree nearby. Currently, both chuunin were still unconscious, the evidence of the fights showing up on their skin.

"Chuunin? You should have easily taken them out then, right?" Tazuna asked, looking at Kakashi questioningly. "Why did you let them go after the brats like that?"

"Really, I could have taken them out easily. They're skill level isn't anywhere near as high as mine. It also doubled up as a way for me to see how my students would react in the situation and what level their team work is if I had taken them out quickly,than I wouldn't see my teams reactions or find out who the Kirigakure ninja were after." Kakashi turned his gaze from the tied up chuunin to the client, his eyes blank. "Now tell me, Tazuna. Why would they want you? You told me that there was nothing for us to worry about – even thought I should have taken your 'wolf' comment more seriously. No one says that, unless they are certain something is coming for them." Tazuna clenched his hands together at his sides, hanging his head.

"Had we have known this, the mission would have been ranked B or higher and more qualified ninja would have been sent with you. Whatever reasons you had to rank it so low are your own – but lying to us? That's unacceptable."

Tazuna sighed, looking up to the Jounin. "…Alright. I'll tell you what's going on. But before I tell you my story, you should make sure that kid gets looked after." He said, motioning towards the silent blonde. "He's probably hurt real bad. That should be the main focus right now. But once he's been fixed up… I'll tell you."

As the others spoke, Naruto had shut down.

Damnit, why did he freeze up? Why couldn't he have just acted, like Sasuke had? He had been so calm, and got up even when he had been thrown to the ground. He didn't even have the courage to do that. And it was only his stupid arm and hand that got hurt. Sasuke had been hit in the head and still bounced straight back up.

Naruto sighed through his nose, glaring at the ground beside him. He mostly tried to ignore what Hinata was doing, only vocalising his pain when she tried to dig the poison from his arm.

When most of the bandages covered his arm, she gently tapped his uninjured shoulder until she had his attention. She felt pity for him when blank eyes turned to her, and she was almost hesitant to inform him of the bad news she had come to realise.

'Naruto~kun… I'm s-sorry but… your hand…' At his confused expression, she gently pointed to his hand, motioning to the bandages. 'Once I w-wrap it up… you w-won't be able to u-use it…'

When the severity of the situation hit Naruto, it hit him hard. He felt his chest rise and fall quickly as he began to hyperventilate. He had to resist the urge to scream at Hinata, feeling the sudden urge to blame her for everything. He scrambled backwards and quickly stood, the banadges unravelling from his arm and exposing his ruined flesh to the air.

"No! No! This can't be happening!" Naruto cried out, staring at his hand in horror. His hand! How could he not have noticed! Now he can't… he can't talk! He can't TALK!

"Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi yelled to him, caught in the moment and not signing to the hysteric blonde. He gripped Naruto's shoulder firmly, ignoring his cry of pain at the action.

'You need to calm down. It's not as serious as it looks.' Kakashi signed once the blonde had calmed enough for him to remove his restraining hands.

"You don't understand! I need my hands!" Naruto cried out again, rising his hands up, showing the deep wounds. Kakashi sighed, eyes sympathetic to the blonde.

"I do understand. But you have to be calm about this."

You don't understand! He wanted to scream, feeling anger rising in his chest. No one could possibly understand what losing his hand meant. He can't sign to anyone – he hated talking aloud; the few times he did were only because he had to, like when people didn't understand him or his emotions got the better of him. And now because of his stupid freezing up during the fight, he wouldn't be able to communicate properly.

'Look. The wound won't take too long to heal. You'll just have to speak aloud until then. I realise that sign language is your main way of talking. But you'll have to be used to talking without yours hands anyway – especially in the heat of battle.'

"Just listen to him. They won't understand either way. He's got a point about the fights though." Kyuubi added. While he had spoken twice during the fights, he had remained quiet. He had stayed around though, letting his presence fill Naruto's mind in some form of comfort, to which the genin appreciated.

Naruto nodded, in response to both of the people talking to him. Hinata moved towards him hesitantly, signing to him that she had to finish with the bandages.

Sasuke had watched the blonde's hysterics in silence. His eyes had narrowed, arms crossed against his chest. He wasn't about to speak aloud his sympathies, but he had to admit that the sight was pitiful, even to him. He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. Whatever. It's not like it affects him in anyway. But even as he thought this, his eyes fell back to the blonde. He sighed.

When Naruto accepted the help from Hinata, Kakashi spoke to the group, as well as signed just in case Naruto was watching. "Because of what's happened… We should go back. Tazuna can explain the situation to us – the REAL situation," He added sternly, "And the right people can take over the mission."

"No."

Everyone was shocked when the blonde spoke, his eyes hard.

"We have to do this mission. I worked so hard to be here. Pushing myself until I'd pass out from exhaustion. Training alone for hours. Anything it took to get stronger. I will not let this mistake ruin my chances of reaching my dreams. I won't let it ruin the mission for anyone. I'll do whatever it takes. A real ninja never gives up – and neither will I. We will keep the bridge builder safe. We will finish this mission. No matter what." Naruto spoke hard, his voice coming out even. His wounded hand was clenched at his heart, determination spread across his features. Everyone stared, watching him quietly as he spoke. The air was polluted by Naruto's determination, and Kakashi let a small smile stretch across his lips.

"Alright, Naruto. We'll keep doing the mission. But I want you to rest your arm until it gets better. In the meantime… we should get moving."

"What do we do with the ninja?" Tazuna asked, motioning towards the two unconscious Kirigakure ninja.

"We'll leave them here." Kakashi said dispassionately, his attention solely on the blonde genin. "They'll get picked up sooner or later."

They all nodded in agreement before heading off. Naruto's arm ended up in a sling, due to his injuries reaching well past his elbow.

As they walked, Kakashi contemplated the blonde's wound. He could have sworn that.. when the bandages became unravelled…. They were already beginning to heal. He shook his head, passing it off to a trick of the light.

Unknown to all of them, a dark laugh filled the recessed of Naruto's mind.

"You did well kid. I'll make you a strong one yet."

~ ҉ ~