War Dog

Thanks for the reviews guys!

I do want to say that you shouldn't forget Akari right now is 11 years old physically, and about 21ish mentally. That's why I got worried she's getting too much power too quickly. Then again, Naruto and Sasuke weren't much older when all that crap happened to them and they became bloody God-like.

I just want everyone to be aware that I might get a bit out-of-control with how strong Akari is. And I might sometimes forget that people can use Jutsu, since I'll get way into writing a Taijutsu fight to care about the fact the one Akari is fighting could just use Great Breakthrough to make some distance then use something else to attack.

Chapter 6

"Wait, what? Could you, perhaps, repeat that?"

Akari stared wide-eyed at the man who had arrived on the doorstep to her home, not quite believing she'd heard the words he said correctly. "Certainly. Hokage-sama has requested the presence of Akari Uchiha, the 'Crimson-Medic', during the Armistice Agreement talks between Konohagakure and Iwagakure in the Land of Iron." He thrust a rolled-up scroll into her hands and bade her goodbye, which she responded to with a dazed wave, noticing the flashing box in the corner of her vision and huffing.

She had literally gotten her bandages removed a single day ago. She was still getting used to the very slight difference in-depth perception having someone else's eyes did to her. It was rather minor, but it was still there. So apparently now she was meant to, what, accompany the Hokage to wherever this Armistice was going to happen? Opening the assigned quest and ignoring the scroll, Akari scanned through it.

Quest received.

End of the War.

Objective:

Accompany Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, to the Land of Iron for Armistice talks between Konohagakure and Iwagakure.

Ensure The Hokage does not die.

Reward: 30,000 experience.

Hidden Objective:

?

It was actually the first mission, or quest, she'd received that didn't have a bonus objective. Until now, every mission she'd gone on with her team had at least one bonus objective. While the quest had a Hidden Objective, there were no actions she could take to get even more experience. It was a bit strange to be honest, but Akari presumed it was probably because she could figure out hints about her tasks from the objectives.

Her previous quest, for example, hinted at her second objective by telling her to heal at least 150 Shinobi. Unrolling the scroll she received, she read it and saw it was basically telling her the same thing, so she just burnt it with a quick Katon Ichi Jutsu, lighting her finger on fire and burning the paper.

Not like she needed it.

Knocking on the ornate doors to the Hokage's office, Akari rocked back on the balls of her feet as she waited a few moments.

"Come in." She heard a voice call out, and opened the door to see the Hokage sat on his desk, a blonde-haired guy stood at ease nearby. Quickly entering the room, Akari pushed the door closed and approached, stopping a respectable distance away and bowing at the Hokage. "Please, let's not have any of that. Rise, Akari Uchiha." Akari raised her head to look at the Hokage, quickly rising from her bow and grinning at the man when he smiled at her.

"Good morning Hokage-sama. So, I got the scroll for the mission. If I may...-" She trailed off, waiting for the man to nod before she continued. "-why do you want me for this mission? As far as I'm aware I'm still a Genin, surely you could get Jiraiya-sama or even Orochimaru-sama to accompany you for this task? Besides, I got off my bed-rest a literal day ago, and am probably an inferior choice to other options." The blonde-haired man in the room snorted when Akari mentioned Jiraiya, and she raised an eyebrow at him after she was done.

"I don't think anyone could convince Ero-sensei away from his research anymore." He said with a chuckle.

"...Right. Might I ask, and excuse me if this seems obvious, but who are you exactly?" The man actually looked a little startled that she didn't recognize him, but his face formed into mock hurt. "Gah, you wound me Crimson Medic! I made it a point to find out about you, only for my own exploits to go unknown, the horror!" Akari just giggled slightly. "And, for your information, I'm Minato Namikaze, I suppose I'll be your partner for this mission."

Akari made an 'oh' sound as she stuck her hand out. "I didn't realize anyone else was coming, that's why I was so confused. So, if Minato-san is coming along as well, are we getting more Shinobi for an escort?" She said as she turned back to the Hokage.

"No, it'll just be us three. As we are still at war until the Armistice is signed, I cannot afford to pull any more Shinobi from the front-lines for an escort. The reason the two of you are coming is that you have both gained reputations for yourselves, and it will be a solid show of strength when we meet with the Tsuchikage, as he will likely bring his Jinchuriki to the meeting. As each party are allowed two guards to stand in, they will very likely be stood behind him during this event. As such, you two will be stood behind me as well."

Akari nodded along to the mans explanation. "Right, that all sounds normal enough. I still don't get why you'd rather I show up rather than ordering Jiraiya to accompany you, as surely a Sannin would be more feared than a relative newcomer to the scene, but that doesn't matter." The Hokage looked a bit surprised at something. Akari put a hand to her hip as she tilted her head. "What?"

"Oh nothing, I just forget you are noted to be extremely mature for your age." Oh, right. Akari was only twelve in body, even though in spirit she was about twenty-two. With a shrug, Akari just smiled.

"Guess I was forced to grow up fast."

The forests of Hi no Kuni quickly gave way to the snow-covered Tetsu no Kuni, the Land of Iron.

Apparently, from what Akari pieced together through conversations with Minato, it was where the Samurai made their home. Shinobi would typically use the land as a neutral ground for their important meetings, which was why the Armistice was being held there. The meeting was to be hosted by an honoured Samurai called Mifune, who was apparently set to become the next General of the Land of Iron, the Samurai equivalent to a Kage.

"So, how are the Iwa delegation going to get to the Land of Iron?" She asked Minato as they hopped from tree to tree. During her studies, she'd memorized a map of the Elemental Nations using her Sharingan, and while the Land of Fire bordered the Land of Iron, the Land of Earth was blocked by the Land of Waterfalls, which was the only land route for people from Iwagakure to get to their meeting point.

"We expect they'll use a boat. They can sail across Aisu Bay, dock on the west coast of the Peninsula of Iron, then travel south and meet us at the designated point. To be honest, they actually haven't got much further to travel than we do. Despite the fact they are blocked by land, the sea route means they can avoid the mountains that dot the land borders of the country, and sail straight onto the Peninsula, probably embarking at a town near the border between Waterfall and Earth, disembarking on the other side of Waterfall." Minato shrugged, the action rather amusing to Akari as he was in mid-air when he did so.

Akari nodded and focused on making sure she didn't slip on the snow-covered branches, but very quickly Hiruzen called for the trio to go to ground. "We shall continue on the ground from this point on. It is heavily frowned upon for Shinobi to use their abilities within this land, and it would put undue political pressure on Konoha if we were caught openly displaying our abilities by tree-flitting." Akari tilted her head, but agreed all the same.

She'd probably be a little uncomfortable as well if she were a Samurai and saw Shinobi zipping past. Even if she was now used to the sight of Shinobi jumping from tree to tree, Samurai probably weren't as open to the idea. "So, where are we actually meeting this delegation?" She asked Minato as they walked down the long path.

"We're going to the Three Wolves mountains, there are halls specifically set aside for this kinda thing." Minato informed her helpfully. "The Samurai get requested often enough, and paid well enough, that setting aside specific places to handle Shinobi disputes is worth it for them." Akari nodded, then let a grin slip on her lips.

"So, how do you know all this stuff? You a living encyclopedia or somethin'?" She said, nudging the older man with an elbow.

Shaking his head, he waved towards the Hokage. "Nah, the old man wants me learning all this stuff for the future. That way I stop pestering him when I don't know stuff."

"Wait, hang on, something I just realized. You referred to Jiraiya-sama as Ero-sensei, does that mean that technically Hokage-sama is the sensei of your sensei, so your Grand-sensei?" She said with a snicker, and was joined by a chuckle from the Kage, while Minato just looked put-out.

"That reminds me, how is Kushina?" A bright smile came to his face when Hiruzen mentioned that, and Akari tilted her head. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Akari couldn't remember why that was at all.

"She's doing great. Still nags me for ramen every time I-"

"OH I REMEMBER NOW!" Akari quickly burst out, covering her mouth and blushing when she realized just how loud she was. The two she was travelling with eyed her curiously, and she sighed. "I remember why Kushina sounded familiar to me. I remember meeting her like...oh god, three years ago? Red-hair, annoying, calls Kunoichi-in-training cute? Wait...hang on a fucking minute..." Akari stared at Minato closely, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You were Kushina's...I don't even know, boyfriend?"

The man did a double-take, trying to remember something most likely, before he burst out laughing. "Th-that was you?! Ahahaha! K-kushina wouldn't keep quiet about the 'Adorable little Kunoichi' she met when she was out getting Ramen. Oh, I need to re-introduce you two." Akari quickly folded her arms up, twisting away from the man.

"Not a chance. 'Adorable little kunoichi' my left kidney! Bet she didn't even think about the fact I might have actually wanted to be a serious Kunoichi, and that hurt my self-esteem. Gah, she could have scarred me for life. Of course, I'm too awesome for that!" She announced, sticking a thumbs up and grinning, prompting the three of them to start laughing.

If anyone saw the trio walking down the road, they would never have assumed they were three of the most powerful Shinobi in Konoha, with the way they were bantering and laughing. It looked less like a serious delegation about to discuss an armistice and more like two old friends and a child of one of theirs merely going for a journey. Of course, as their destination loomed, their jovialty was placed back away, replaced with serious looks and a much firmer stride.

Well, for two of them anyway. Akari still shamelessly gawked at the giant mountains that they were approaching. Or rather, the giant jaws of ice and snow that hung above them, evidently where they got the name 'The Three Wolves mountains'. It looked like three giant wolves had their jaws about to clamp down, one on each mountain. Why anyone would willingly live near such a dangerous-looking formation Akari didn't know, but evidently it was supported enough to not just collapse, as there was a lot of civilization on the valley between the three mountains.

As they approached, Akari spotted a large stone wall running along the gap between two of the 'jaws', a colossal gate stood firmly in the centre of the wall. Along the battlements which lined the large structure she could see men and women in red armour walking to and fro, presumably the Samurai who acted as the military for the Land of Iron.

What truly drew the eye though were the interspersed cast-iron dragon heads lining the wall, with flames dribbling from their open mouths. Presumably some kind of defence mechanism, but it looked absolutely awesome, and Akari made no attempt to hide her interest as she kept her gaze firmly rooted on the closest one. She flipped her Sharingan on for a moment and then off again, just enough to permanently remember the sight in crystal-clear clarity, it was that interesting for the girl.

Between each of the heads were machicolations of stone, another rather genius defence mechanism, as any Shinobi trying to climb the walls would be vulnerable to those holes still. Akari wasn't sure whether or not she'd even see them since while Konoha's walls were absurdly tall, there weren't any actual defensive constructions like embrasures or machicolations. Presumably, because the Shinobi manning the wall felt confident they could just fire Jutsu down at any opponents, but it was still silly to not have anything defending the top.

"Hey, Hokage-sama?" The man turned and looked at Akari, and she pointed at the wall. "Why doesn't Konoha's walls have defences like that?"

"How do you know that we don't?" He returned, and Akari frowned. The walls were pretty plain, and she'd left and re-entered the village enough in her C-rank missions to see them plenty. The more she thought about it, the more it confused her, until she concluded either the man also didn't know, the wall did have defences but they were hidden, or he was just embarrassed that the Samurai had cooler walls than Konoha.

Probably the second one in Akari's opinion. It seemed like far too large of a point to just ignore.

"It was your Shinobi being caught during a mission that prompted the whole war to begin with!"

Akari blocked her ears with her fingers as she tried to tune out the loud back and forth between the short and angry man who was introduced as Onoki the Fence-Sitter. According to Minato, he was known as the Fence-Sitter because he always waited until it was clear who was going to win an argument before he chose a side. This was contrary to how he apparently saw himself, being even and fair to both sides of an argument, and a source of endless amusement for Akari, who had to stifle her amusement whenever he or his bodyguards looked her way.

More than once she caught Onoki glaring at her, so evidently despite her attempts to hide it, he'd seen her and the fact she was amused by something, probably putting two and two together. Not that it mattered. The man clearly knew his village couldn't sustain the war, considering on one flank they had the Yellow Flash, and on the other they had the Crimson Medic.

With Konoha able to send out the Sannin for a hammer-blow at any point, it seemed Iwa wanted to cut their losses and ditch the war, but not without taking every inch Konoha would give them. "And whose Shinobi were in our lands when said men were caught? If you will recall, your own troops were within Kusagakure when they were caught, a country that the Land of Earth has no formal alliance nor open borders with. On the contrary, the Land of Fire do have open borders with the Land of Grass." The Hokage retorted, taking a moment to puff his pipe as the Tsuchikage fumed.

It was pretty fun watching the Hokage verbally smackdown every single point the Fence-Sitter made easily and with solid reasoning and logic backing him up. Even the man's bodyguards were starting to look exasperated with the man's attempts at getting war compensation from Konoha. "Onoki-dono, allow me to be frank. Your country is to blame for this war for your militaristic actions and attempts to subvert an ally of Konohagakure and attack our lands. You have not seeked to limit the damage caused to Konoha or Kusagakure lands during your battles, a far cry from our own. If I recall, the only true instance of overwhelming terrain damage was during the battle involving Akari-chan here." He waved a hand at Akari, startling her.

"Eh?" Was all she said, having missed most of the conversation. Quickly her brain caught up with her and she frowned as she stepped forward. "Well, if you want I can go back and fix that, I'd guess the problem is my Jutsu made a giant sub-terranean cavern from excavating earth and stone to use as projectiles?" She looked at the Hokage, ignoring Onoki, and getting a nod.

"Yes, the earth there is now rather unstable thanks to the large space opened beneath the ground. So you can fill this cavern back in?" Akari nodded, smirking.

"As long as I'm within 50 meters of the whole thing, yeah, I can fill it in quite easily. If you'd allow me into your borders that is, Tsuchikage-sama." She smiled at the fuming Kage. She wanted to add a taunt, but she knew that aggravating the man was probably not a smart idea. Best to leave that to the expert statesman that is the Third Hokage. Quickly stepping back into the spot she'd taken up before, leaning her back against a pillar, Akari pointedly ignored the almost silent chuckling coming from beside her.

The meeting went on for hours, and by the time the Samurai called for a recess, stating the Armistice talks would continue the following day, Akari was ready to just collapse down onto a sofa and go for a nap. Minato, bless his heart, gave Akari his arm for support, since she was rather tired from standing in place so long with nothing to do. "I seriously want to know how the fuck he does that..." She said as she stared at the back of the Hokage, talking loud enough for the man to hear her.

"A lifetime of experience Akari-chan." He replied easily, and Akari felt the arm she was supported by shifting slightly as Minato stifled laughter.

Tugging her arm from his grasp, Akari folded them over each other. "Honestly, dealing with...men like that, for I don't even know how long, and not losing your temper once? That sounds like hell, seriously." Minato gave her a look when she nodded at her own announcement. "What? It's true. That guy was an asshole. Or a petulant child, refusing to take even a modicum of the blame for the war and expecting Konoha to pay for the bill. Fucking fence-sitter, more like Dine-and-Dasher."

The loud and surprised guffaw from the Hokage made Akari smile widely, and Minato joined him in laughing at the name. "You know I'm telling Kushina that new nickname when I get back." Akari just shrugged at Minato. "Dine-and-Dasher indeed."

"Minato-kun, Akari-chan, let's never call him that. He thinks Fence-Sitter is a good title, which is the only reason people get away with calling him that. There's no good way to frame a Dine-and-Dasher, so it can only be taken as an insult." The Hokage gave them both pointed look with a stern face before it softened. "In private, call him whatever you like though. My personal favourites are those that target his nose, it looks a lot like a fake doesn't it?" Akari thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

"I dunno, it looks like a clown nose to me. I wonder if it'd make a noise when I honked it. Aside from Onoki yelling that is." Akari snickered lightly. "Is that even natural?"

Hiruzen nodded sagely. "Yes, I believe so. It would certainly be amusing to think he made his nose how it is and actually liked how it made him look, I can't fathom why he would do such a thing though." The old man took a puff of his pipe as he thought, leaving Akari to look back the way they came.

"So how long do you reckon this whole thing will go on Hokage-sama?" Akari said as she rubbed an eye with her fingers. "My eyes still aren't quite back to normal, so I'd like to get some time off to get back up to scratch after all." Minato gave her a curious look, but Hiruszen just nodded, having been told exactly what the situation was surrounding Akari's disappearance from the front lines.

Officially it was because she'd become too exhausted, trying to push too far with a body too weak to support her, but the truth was that she had to recover from her operation. "That'll be acceptable Akari-chan. Will one week of rest be sufficient before placing you back on active rosters?" Akari nodded, before a stray thought crossed her mind.

"By the way Hokage-sama, I just remembered something." The man raised an eyebrow. "You never actually told me why I'm here. I mean, I get it, I have a reputation, but so does Orochimaru-sama. He's also probably far stronger than I am, so...why me?" The man smiled as he reached over to ruffle her hair, making her pout and try to pat it back into shape.

"Two reasons Akari-chan. The first was your reputation as the Crimson Medic. Even if I were to be injured during this Armistice somehow, you would undoubtedly be able to heal me. Don't try to be humble,-" He quickly added as Akari opened her mouth to protest. "-you personally healed at least two hundred of our Shinobi, many of whom were in critical condition. I have faith in your abilities. The other reason I shall disclose when we reach Konoha again. And yes, that does mean you'll have to come to my office before you head home for your week of rest."

Akari just closed her mouth and nodded.

Watching the Hokage and Tsuchikage sign the Armistice agreement, followed by Mifune signing it as an officiator, then Akari, Minato, and the two Jinchuriki, who were apparently Roshi-san and Han-san, all signing it as witnesses, was a pretty monumental moment for Akari. Before then, the most important thing she'd ever signed was a requisition form. When that was done, the trio quickly left the Land of Iron and returned to Konoha, the journey uneventful but tiring.

Akari stretched her arms out upwards as they entered the Hokage's office, yawning. "Well, that was definitely a monumental experience. So uh, why did you want me here Hokage-sama?" The man merely looked at Minato, who gave him a thumbs up.

"Akari-chan, I mentioned I would tell you the second reason for your coming with us on this Armistice mission. Suffice to say, Minato and myself have been observing you, and despite your childish wonder of the world, you are still very mature when necessary. Coupled with the loss of your Jonin-sensei and team, I have decided to promote you to Tokubetsu Jonin. Do you accept?" Akari let her jaw drop. Tokubetsu Jonin. As in, one level below Jonin, which was only outclassed by ANBU or the Hokage himself.

That was...great. Tokubetsu Jonin didn't have to take Genin teams, which would be fucking older than she was. They were still expected to be available if called upon to teach, at the Academy for example, but they were never directly given a team to look after. She would receive high-level missions which would help her experience earning immensely, and she'd be granted a lot more autonomy.

Sure, a Chunin also had a lot of Autonomy, but a Tokubetsu Jonin could leave the village entirely if they so wished, as long as they gave a good reason for it, alongside an estimated duration for absence. It sounded bloody perfect. Too perfect. "Excuse my suspicion Hokage-sama, but this sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?" The man smiled at her, and Akari knew there was something coming.

"The 'catch', Akari-chan, is that you will be a bodyguard to Minato-kun's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, for your first assignment." Ahh, there it was.

Akari resisted the urge to just say fuck it and elope to Iwa with Monty and her brother, but instead she settling for a low glower. "One condition." The Kage raised his eyebrow at her input. "I get to refuse if she tries something stupid like dressing me up or making me do something stupid. It's not happening, I don't care what she or anyone says." She folded her arms for emphasis. "I already had to deal with the embarrassment of being called a, and I fucking quote, 'adorable little Kunoichi', literally in front of my own brother, I'm not letting her embarrass me just because she wants to."

Stifling a laugh, the old Hokage nodded at Akari. "That sounds reasonable. However, I can't limit what she might say, so she may perhaps make mention of you as such a thing. In that happening, I trust you will simply deal with it in a calm and mature manner." Akari nodded, still scowling slightly at being essentially forced to look after the woman who called her adorable.

"Well Hokage-sama, if you don't need me for anything else, may I begin my one-week rest?" The man waved her out of the office alongside Minato, and she began to make her way to the door. Akari suddenly realized something incredibly amusing as she was about to leave, and before she left the office, turned to look at the Hokage again. "By the way, has anybody ever managed to be promoted from Genin without taking a single D-rank mission?"

Thinking for a moment as he puffed his pipe, Hiruzen shook his head, smirking. "No, I don't believe there has. Even Kakashi had D-rank missions under his best before he was promoted to Chunin. Isn't that right Minato?" The blonde-haired man chuckled softly as he nodded. "So, I do believe you are perhaps the first. I'd say congratulations are in order, but something like that shouldn't really be praised. Forcing you into such gruesome work without the easing into it that D-rank missions act as shouldn't be encouraged. Now, you look like you want to just fall over and sleep, so I shall instead simply say congratulations on your promotion, and I have high hopes that you will continue to uphold the Will of Fire."

Akari bowed once before leaving the office and heading for home, opening her quests, before quickly focusing on the flashing quest-icon, removing the notification of completion for her last quest as the wall of text appeared before her eyes.

Quest completed

End of the War.

Objective:

Accompany Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, to the Land of Iron for Armistice talks between Konohagakure and Iwagakure - Completed.

Ensure The Hokage does not die - Completed.

Reward: 30,000 experience.

Hidden Objective:

Insult Onoki the Fence-Sitter to his face and get away with it - Incomplete.

Spotting the already assigned quest, Akari let a frown slip onto her lips as she scanned the quest. More specifically, her bonus objective.

Quest received

Protection Duties.

Objective:

Protect Kushina Uzumaki for undisclosed length of time.

Reward: Extra title slot. Experience calculated on completion.

Bonus Objective:

Avoid being treated like a doll by Kushina on first meeting.

Reward: Chakra-conduction Jutsu scroll, 1000 experience.

"...Fuck you Game."

Soo, Tokubetsu Jonin huh?

I think that rank fits perfectly, and Kakashi becoming a full-fledged Jonin at 12 is stupid. Jonin receive teams, and at that age, he is nowhere near ready for leadership, especially not of a fresh Genin team.

Tokubetsu Jonin can still receive teams according to the fandom wiki, but there's no evidence, so I've chosen to ignore that. Tokubetsu Jonin excel in specific areas, whereas full-fledged Jonin are meant to be rounded off as good in all areas necessary. Akari is definitely eligible to be a full-fledged Jonin considering her rapidly-expanding Chakra reserves, her skill with Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and more specifically as an Iryo-nin, but as she is still only 11 years old, she is instead becoming a Tokubetsu Jonin until she's a bit older and more mature.

Now, on with the status screen! I'm adding Endurance to her list in the place of Charisma, and swapping out how her health is measured to use that instead. Thing is, Charisma isn't doing anything. Luck is going to have a bit of an effect, but Charisma just...I dunno, it seemed like nothing is going to use it. Plus, having strength measure her health is a bit odd.

Name: Akari Uchiha

Level: 30

Age: 11

Experience: 2759/30000

To Next Level: 27241

Title: Crimson Medic - Your exploits on the battlefield as a combat-medic have been noted, and many wonder if you will become equal to the Slug Princess.

Health Points: 6000 - (100 Base + (Vit x End)) x 10

Regeneration Rate - 500/s - Vit x End - Halted when afflicted with bleed status.

Chakra Points: 4000 - (100 Base + (Int x Wis)) x 10

Regeneration Rate - 300/s - Int x Wis - Halted when continuous chakra drain Jutsu in use.

Strength - 30

Vitality - 25

Endurance - 20

Intelligence - 20

Agility - 40

Wisdom - 15

Luck - 25