Yo! Here's the chapter I promised everyone right on time, and again I am so sorry about the wait for this chapter! But anyway I think you guys have waited long enough!

Blind Love

Chapter 4: The First Mission

-Training Ground 7-

The following weeks Team 7 slipped into an easy schedule. Wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning and train for the rest of the day. As promised Hinata's and Kiba's chakra control and capacity both began to grow. The first half of the morning was focused more on physical training along with a few chakra exercise's. Such as running up and down a tree, across a lake, and tree hopping through the forest to help them be able to use these techniques as if they were instinctual.

After the first couple of weeks Yugao was so proud of their rapid and constant growth that she began teaching them jutsu's that compliment they're fighting style's. Kiba she taught a mix of Fire and Earth style jutsu to not only balance him out but to give him some defensive capabilities. Hinata learned several Water jutsu because most Hyuuga seem to favor that element, and some have even found ways to incorporate it in with the Gentle Fists.

But Yugao made sure that they understood that being a shinobi is not only about knowing a few flashy jutsu and saving the day. She drilled Kiba and Akamaru continuously through several mock up scenario's to help bolster there teamwork and coordination while using Gatsuuga. She taught them how they could break up an enemy team in a fight and how to disrupt their teamwork thus turning their own attacks against each other.

Yugao helped Hinata refine her Gentle Fists kata's. Helping her go through them quicker and with more grace than before making her efficient at darting in and disabling one enemy after another while Kiba kept them occupied. In the recent weeks she has been trying to help her learn the Kaiten, but seeing as she wasn't a Hyuuga there was only so much she could do but apparently her father was helping her along with that.

And when she was training Naruto she made sure that he not only knew how to use his swords wind abilities, but she made sure he knew how to use it in a fight also…he had the scars to prove it. And when assaulting an enemy team he would help Hinata take down as many of them as possible but also use his Chakra Fields to make sure that neither of his teammates are sensei got overwhelmed.

All in all they were a solid team how after endless drills were able to work together in almost any situation, and improvise when shoved into a challenge they haven't faced yet. They each grew as individuals and they would trust each other with their lives. But all throughout this they had yet to do a single mission.

After describing what D Ranked missions are they all agreed they'd rather train all day then waste they're time doing them seeing as they already had teamwork down. Apparently Team 10 had adopted a similar policy and had been growing well under Asuma.

But today they were going to break away from their schedule and take on their first C Rank mission. All four of them felt that they were ready for it and what better way to test their abilities then to go out into the real word and test them in real situations. Although C Rank missions aren't necessarily dangerous they still needed to get a few missions under their belt.

Upon reaching Mission Admin. Naruto, not bothering with the etiquette, thrust open the doors with a grin plastered on his face and a shout of. "Yo Gramps you better have saved me a good mission for today!"

Sarutobi just smiled at his surrogate grandson's antics and replied. "Well let me see…nope! It would appear that Team 8 took all the C Rank missions already."

"WHAT!" Naruto, Kiba, and Hinata said at the same time looking shell shocked…until they noticed Sarutobi, Iruka, and Yugao cracking up at their faces.

"Ouch man not cool!" Kiba said with a mock hurt expression.

"Well me and Iruka here have to amuse ourselves somehow. Right Iruka?" Sarutobi replied still grinning.

"Too true Lord Hokage." Iruka replied with a tragic look. Over the pass few weeks Iruka had warmed up to Sarutobi as more of a friendly colleague. Hard not to when hanging around Naruto and Yugao.

"Ok now all the joking aside. Team 7 reporting for it's first C Rank mission." Yugao said still smiling.

"Hm. Yes I believe I have several here. Oh wait what do you know this one must have been misplaced this morning shame on you Iruka!" Sarutobi said pulling a scroll out from under his desk giving his helper a false stern look causing another round of laughter.

"Alright lets have a look see!" Kiba said taking the scroll, breaking the seal, and looking at its contents. "Cool its an escort mission the Wave! Score!" He exclaimed exchanging a high five with Naruto at the end.

"Yes I thought you would like that mission for just that purpose. Now if you'll look here you'll see the more…definitive mission parameters in this case you are escorting a bridge builder and you are to stay in Wave until the bridge is completed." Iruka explained pointing out the fine print.

"Nice." Hinata said smiling. Giddy about their first mission.

"Alright now you have the mission now you need the client. Send him in." Sarutobi said talking into his intercom.

"Right away Lord Hokage!" The receptionist answered. The very same receptionist from nearly a decade ago. Sarutobi's insisted she kept her position with increased pay stating that it was hard to find good help, but we all know the truth behind that right?

"When do we leave?" Yugao asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Kiba answered reading from the scroll.

"Why the wait?" Hinata asked.

"It's so that we can pack all of the essentials and to give us time to collect any special equipment we might need. All missions outside Fire Country have these 'idle periods' as we call them as a safety precaution." Yugao answered smiling at the questions. It showed that her students were still eager to learn.

At this point the door opened and an old man walked in with a sake bottle in on hand, and judging by his posture and the way he walked he had drank quite a bit of it. "Your kidding right? I give you good money and you give me runts as protection? And by the looks of it ones even blind!"

This earned a tick mark from Kiba who opened his mouth to defend his friend. "I assure you they are capable of protecting you from harm your money is not wasted." Sarutobi said hoping to stop the young Inuzuka from mauling the poor fellow.

"Alright I'll take your word for it. The names Tazuna the best bridge builder in the world!" Tazuna introduced himself with a flourish spilling some of his sake.

"Pleased to meet you Tazuna. I am Yugao Uzuki the squad sensei and this is: Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Naruto Uzumaki." Yugao answered introducing herself and her squad. "You may leave now to go gather your things. Be at the front gate at 8 o'clock sharp! And Tazuna may a please request that you sober up before then? It'll be a lot easier to protect you when you can walk straight!" Yugao finished. She obviously didn't like that jab he took at Naruto either.

Tazuna just nodded before stumbling out. The other's soon followed, Yugao gave Iruka a parting gift, before they each headed to the respective abode's to prepare for their first trip out of Konoha.

"You nervous about your first mission?" Kyuubi asked as Naruto made his way home.

"Not really. Its just a C Ranked mission nothing we can't handle its just…" Naruto trailed off.

"You've got a bad feeling about the mission." Kyuubi could almost always decipher what was going on in his mind now-a-days.

"I don't know Kyu. It's just when Tazuna was talking to us I just got the feeling that he wasn't telling us the whole story." Naruto confessed.

"What else could their be then?" Kyuubi asked trying to help him figure out the drunken bridge builder.

"The way he boasted about him being the best bridge builder in the world. If its true then what's he doing in Wave? I can understand him living in Wave but building a commercial bridge IN Wave? They've always prided themselves in their shipping industries, and this is the first time I've heard of them wanting to build a bridge to the main land."

"Your right that does sound odd? From what I've heard Gato Shipping Inc. is still going very strong so why would they need another shipping revenue?"

"I don't know but we'll just have to keep our guards up." Naruto finished landing on his and Yugao's front porch.

Later on in the day Iruka stopped by for supper, something that had became routine, and they began to talk about the mission.

"Do you have your extra kunai and shuriken packed?" Yugao teased Naruto.

"YES YUGAO!" She had been at it for a while.

"So how do you feel about your first mission?" Iruka asked smiling.

"I don't know…" Naruto trailed off again wondering weather he should tell them.

"What do you mean?" Yugao asked now worried because of the expression he wore.

"Its just that something seems off with this Tazuna character." Naruto then told them about his suspicions about this bridge he's building.

"Yeah I caught on to that my self. But Konoha's already accepted the mission." Yugao said also thinking over the mission.

"The only thing you can do in those situations is to keep your eye's open and your guard up." Iruka gave his advice. Naruto nodded before turning back to his dinner.

Naruto had yet to tell Kiba, Hinata, or even Iruka about his 'doujutsu' or Kyuubi for Kiba's and Hinata's case. Yugao didn't mention anything to Iruka because she respected her adoptive brothers privacy.

"Well its late so you better get to bed. We got a big day tomorrow!" Yugao announced excitedly standing up and collecting the dishes with Iruka's held. Naruto just nodded before heading to his room. Maybe he and Kyuubi would think of something while they cuddled.

-end-

I know it's not too long but with school and my new job I can't find a lot of time to type so I'm hoping by shortening the chapters to about this length I will be able to push them out quicker. My next day off is Wednesday so I'm hoping I'll be able to get the next chapter for Ninja Hearts out and then Chapter 5 out for this story Saturday! I once again apologize for the wait and please read and review! Don't forget to throw some of your ideas my way weather its in a review (I read them all.) or in a pm! And I got this chappie out on time! It's about 6 p.m. here so hurray I kept my promise.

Yours on his path to Redemption

Cerino the Ultimate Ninja