Smoke Signals

Kakashi didn't know how to feel. He understood that the village was low on ninja able to take on a low A-Rank mission safely, but sending three teams of genin wasn't exactly encouraging. For all he knew, they could be in the most dangerous situation of their lives right now. The only good thing about this mission was that there were three jonin, including himself, present to ensure they succeeded. 

Kakashi looked up and saw the smoke rising into the air. According to the mission details, this signaled the position of their target. It was strange. Any ninja able to fight off two teams of chunin at once should have the brains to put out a campfire during the day. In the distance, Kakashi could see a clearing. They were finally upon their target. Kakashi's visible eye widened at what he saw, along with the other two jonin, Asuma and Kurenai.

X

Naruto was getting really impatient. He thought that A-Rank missions were supposed to be cool and filled with action. Instead, they had been traveling for a good two hours, hopping from tree to tree. The banter between his team and the other teams wasn't helping either. His pink haired teammate, Sakura, was arguing with the only other blonde haired genin there, Ino. Shikamaru and Choji were hanging back a little, probably to avoid getting involved in the argument. Kiba was snickering at how pathetic the two girls were acting. Shino hadn't spoken a word ever since they left the village. Naruto's other teammate, Sasuke, was trying his best to ignore the two fan girls, but anyone could see the signs of annoyance on his face. The only person Naruto didn't mind currently was Hinata, though she seemed to shy away from him if he got too close to her. 

He saw the teams' jonin senseis had stopped a few meters away from them, on the border of a clearing. Naruto and the other eight genin quieted down as they approached. They each silently walked up to stand beside their individual sensei, wondering what caused them to stop. All of their eyes widened as they saw what should be impossible.

X

Adrik stepped away from the unconscious body of his enemy. Wherever he was, the people here were strange. He didn't understand what language they spoke. Even stranger was the fact that these people wore headbands with metal plates on them. Perhaps it was some sort of military insignia? If so, why would a military squadron be sent after him? Whoever was the leader of these guys would get one hell of a surprise if he ever met them. For now, he needed to get away. He only sent up that smoke signal so he could loot whoever responded for their supplies. He had attracted enough strong people for one day.

Adrik paused in fright. He was incredibly exhausted from fighting the two "soldiers", he called them. There were about three people just as strong as the two he knocked out. The ashes he scattered around the clearing were really useful. He could see, hear, and even somewhat feel anything that came into contact with the ashes. He was even able to measure some sort of energy with his power. He didn't know what that energy was, but he knew other people had it. And now, nine others had appeared with the first three. 

They were all on differing levels, most of them being much weaker than the first three. Two of the signatures were a little bit stronger than the other six. The last one, however...it left Adrik hyperventilating. It scared the living hell out of his very soul. The weird energy that he could feel from the people were barely even a drop of water in the ocean that was this final signature. If he combined all of the other signatures into one, it still wouldn't even compare to a thousandth of whatever the hell the last signature was.

Adrik looked towards where he sensed the new people were. There were three adults, two males and a female. Around them were...children? They all seemed to be his age as well. What the fuck was going on? That's when he finally felt it. The impossibly gigantic signature was coming from a blonde haired boy in an ugly orange jumpsuit. The boy seemed to also have whisker marks, somehow. What caught Adrik off guard was the boy's overall expression. He seems so innocent compared to the others, looking like a naive child who was still discovering the world If so, why was the boy so much stronger than everyone else? 

Adrik calmed himself, reigning in his terror. He's survived worse than this, so he'll survive again. Whether he escaped or somehow defeated these new enemies, he would live, no matter the cost. Then, he'd find a way to get the hell out of whatever country this is. And so, Adrik pulled his shaky hands up in a defensive stance. One hand loosely clutched a weird looking knife made of black metal, the only weapon he found that wasn't chipped, broken, or cracked. It would have to work if he really wanted to make it out of this.

X

Naruto's jaw hung open as he stared at the battleground. Apparently, their target, a boy their age, had defeated two of the Leaf Village's jonin by himself. He didn't know who the one with purple hair in a trench coat was, but he could recognize Konohamaru's "elite jonin instructor" anywhere. Unknowingly, he and the other eight genin shared the same thought.

'What the fuck?'

Everyone flinched as the boy turned a frightened gaze towards them. The boy was very obviously terrified, but nobody could figure out why. His gaze seemed to linger on Naruto for a minute before he got into a defensive stance, a kunai held in his hand. Just based on his stance and how he held his weapon, even the genin could tell the boy had no proper ninja training. This only made it more impossible of a situation to them.

"Team, do not engage. I want four of you to grab Anko and Ebisu and get them to us. Try not to spook this kid too much. We don't want him to run. Remember, never take anything at face value. We don't know the kid's situation."

Kakashi silently and calmly gave orders to the genin. Naruto and Choji slowly stepped forward, going to grab Ebisu. Kiba and Hinata did the same with the purple haired lady named Anko. Naruto let out a small grin and a slow wave as they got closer, attempting to show that he and the others weren't a threat. It didn't seem to work as the boy's incredibly cautious gaze didn't waver in the slightest. Naruto and Choji dragged Ebisu back towards the others, Kiba and Hinata following their example. Naruto was the only one to take his eyes off of the boy, further attempting to ease the boy's nerves.

After the two unconscious ninja were safely recovered, Kakashi stepped forward carefully. He raised his hands to show he had no weapon when the boy's piercing gaze locked onto him. He kept walking until he was a meter away from the boy, who he finally noticed had many black stains all over himself. Kakashi kneeled in front of him, speaking up in the softest voice he could.

"Hi there, my name's Kakashi Hatake. I'm a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. What's your name?"

Based on the boy's confused expression, he didn't understand a word of what he said. Kakashi looked down for a second before speaking back up in the same soft tone as before. He pointed to himself as he spoke.

"Kakashi. Ka-ka-shi"

He only said his name, trying to make sure the boy at least understood he was trying to introduce himself. This finally seemed to help the boy calm down more, hopefully understanding their intentions now. Kakashi watched on as the boy made the same motion he did.

"Adrik. A-drik"

Kakashi eye-smiled as he was finally getting somewhere. Even though they spoke different languages, gestures were still universally understood. Kakashi made another motion, pointing at his back as he turned around, wanting the boy to hop on his back. Based on what he could see, the boy is very weak as he is now. Perhaps he had been living out in the forest alone for some time. 

Kakashi moved to catch the boy as his body seemed to finally give out. The kid was trusting him now, likely emotionally latching onto the first person who offered him help for who knows how long. Kakashi began to carry the now unconscious boy on his back, feeling a strange sense of responsibility. He signaled to the others that everything was fine for now. From what he could tell, the boy wouldn't be a threat anymore. 

Everyone collectively sighed in relief. This was probably the easiest A-Rank mission they'd ever be a part of. The genin stared at the boy in wonder, not knowing what to think of a kid who could match two jonin in a fight. Asuma and Kurenai glanced at the boy before turning back towards the village.

"Well, uh...mission complete?"

Everyone facepalmed at Kakashi's declaration.