First D Rank

I shuffled my feet through the fallen leaves of training ground seven, my eyes heavy with the weight of a sleepless night. I didn't just stay awake. I also did some *ahem* heavy exercise.

Naruto and Sakura were already present and in the midst of a heated debate about the best type of kunai.

"Sup." I raised a hand.

They paused as I approached, their expressions shifting from animated to concerned.

"Why do you look like you've been chased by a pack of ninken all night, Yuji?" Naruto asked, tilting his head with a grin that completely smothered his concern. "Dude, those bags under your eyes can carry everything inside my pockets."

"Yeah, you look...like you smoked weed all night. What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Speaking from experience?" I asked Sakura with a sardonic smile.

"Yes, actually."

"Wait, what?" Naruto stumbled as we stared, incredulously. "You've once smoked weed all night?"

"I'm curious about everything." Sakura defended. "I can't exactly smoke it during the day. I had classes."

"You know, I totally never expected you to have tried that. Makes me wonder what else you've tried." I smirked.

"This isn't about me. What happened to you?"

I managed a wry smile, brushing a hand through my hair in an attempt to appear less disheveled. "Stamina training," I confessed. The best lies always had grains of truth. "I thought I could push my limits, but I guess I overdid it."

Before they could probe further, Kakashi-sensei made his characteristically late entrance, appearing in a swirl of leaves, his eye crinkling in amusement as he took in my state. "Good to see you're taking your training seriously, Yuji. Though, part of being a shinobi is knowing when to rest."

I nodded solemnly. If only they knew what I spent the night doing.

"We're going to the Hokage tower," he announced, and I felt a jolt of excitement. "Our first D-rank mission." And my excitement tanked immediately.

"Oh." Naruto slouched disappointed. "I totally forgot about that. I guess yesterday was just too awesome that I thought everyday would be like that."

"Don't worry. Just because you're doing missions doesn't mean you won't be learning new things. Experience is the best teacher, isn't it?"

"I'll say Kakashi sensei is the best teacher." Sakura spoke.

"That's the inexperience speaking." Kakashi smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that's just you." Naruto drawled.

Whistling, Kakashi sensei led is to the Hokage's tower. "Don't be so down kids, a mission is a mission. Whatever it is, we'll be doing it either way."

We arrived at the missions lobby to see an already waiting queue of genins and their senseis.

"Guys!" Kiba waved us over to join his team. The ever smoking hot Yuhi Kurenai stood there, arms crossed, emphasizing those beautiful breasts, her bandage clothing and wire mesh dress tightened over her curves. She stood, aloof, watching over her genins.

On one side stood Kiba. Tall, shaggy jacket, Inuzuka face markings and his very present companion, Akamaru, a full grown wolf-dog hybrid with incredibly soft white fur. Trust me, I've touched it. So soft, I almost wished I could turn the dog into a pelt. Don't tell Kiba that. He'll kill me.

On the other side stood Shino Aburame. Also tall, wearing his trademark dark Aburame high collared coat with his dark glasses. He nodded at us as we approached. Hands in his pockets, a dull buzz could be heard around him.

In the middle stood Hinata Hyuga. Dark blue hair, pale eyes, huge melons and the hottest figure among our age group. A shame it was all hidden behind her thick jacket and baggy pants. "Hi." She waved shyly.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kiba asked.

"Congratulations sir!" Naruto shook Kiba's hand. "You've just won the award for this year's most stupid question."

"Tada!" I pulled out a kunai offering it like it was an award.

"Okay that was stupid." Kiba looked around sheepishly. "Only people who want missions go to the missions lobby."

"So you guys passed, huh?" I asked.

"Passed what?" Kiba asked.

"Your sensei's test." I said like the question was obvious.

"Which test is that?" Kiba glanced at his sensei, scratching his head in confusion. "We never took any test."

As one, the three of us turned to stare at Kakashi.

"Every sensei teaches differently." He chuckled before turning back to his conversation with another jonin.

"Okay, what's this test?" Kiba asked.

"I too am curious to hear the details of your experiences." Shino nodded sharply.

"Me too." Hinata added shyly.

"Alright." We were in the middle of telling the tale when they were called in for their mission. After a few minutes of waiting, it was our turn. "Team Seven!" The chunin at the entrance called out.

"Here!" Naruto raised a hand and we began making our way to mission room.

Bang!

A flash of green.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

"Run." A look of pure terror appeared on Kakashi's face. We could see it through the mask. "RUN!"

Without asking questions, we raced into the mission room and Kakashi closed the door behind us with a slam.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked.

"One day, you'll thank me for this. One day." Kakashi sighed in relief. We turned to see a small crowd of ninjas sitting behind a table, watching us weirdly.

"Team Seven here for a D-rank mission." Kakashi waved like nothing happened.

"Over here." A chunin waved us over.

"I thought the Hokage always did this." I remarked.

"The Hokage has better things to do, kid." The chunin chuckled. He looked through some files. "Team Seven. Congratulations on graduating from the academy. First mission?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You'll do great."

"We have a mission here for you. There's an historian writing a new book on the impact of the second Hokage on the village. There's an old scroll crucial to his research inside the first level of the archive. However, due to the outdated arrangement method of the scrolls which is ironically an impact of the second Hokage, we need a genin team to help us locate it."

"That's your mission. Simple and easy."

On the contrary. It wasn't simple. It also wasn't easy. But it sure was fulfilling. Who knew I'd run into such a sexy scene?