A new Mission: Teuchi Bridge
Natsuko found herself standing on the balcony of the hokage mansion, with Shisui and Sakura, as well as Sai who had information from Sasori. About Orochimaru, the first set of real
Information they'd had in a while. He'd all but ceased his attempts to take Sasuke after his sound ninja four were defeated.
"So, what's up, Sakura. Sai. Did something go wrong on the mission or is this about something else?" Natsuko asked sitting on the railing of the balcony,
"Lady Hokage, it's regarding Orochimaru." Sakura said and Natsuko seemed to startle, nearly falling off the railing
"What?" She said as she slipped, before she swung back over, standing on the wooden flooring of the balcony, looking more seriously at Sakura,
"Does Kakashi know?" She asked and Sakura shook her head,
"We did not want to cause undue stress." Sai said and Natsuko hummed,
"What of my brother, and of Sasuke?" She asked and Sakura shook her head once more,
"I didn't want him to jump to conclusions, I thought it'd be better to talk to you first." Sakura said and Natsuko hummed,
"Alright. Start at the beginning." She said Natsuko's hair was in a ponytail high above her head, with the strands reaching her thighs, as she wore a dark blue cropped top with chain armor underneath, paired with a black skirt and matching shorts, her shuriken holsters worn on both sides with her katana strapped to her back waist leaning towards the right with her kunai pouch on the left, as she wore her ninja sandals on her feet. Sakura nodded,
"Well after Lady Chiyo used her puppet jutsu to stab Sasori. He mentioned something to us." Sai started and Sakura nodded
"He called it a reward for defeating him." Sakura continued and NAtsuko hummed,
"Go to the Tenchi Bridge in the Village Hidden in the Grass, ten days from now, at noon. One of Orochimaru's henchmen is working for me as a spy. That's where I'm set to rendezvous with him. That's what Sasori said" Sakura concluded and Natsuko put a hand on her chin,
"Ten days from now, hmm…" Natsuko said
"It's already been four days, lady hokage. There are only six days remaining." Sai said and Natsuko nodded
"Is this source to be trusted?" Natsuko said looking towards Sakura and Sai
"The information gathered from an unreliable source is worse than no information at all." Natusko said
"They were the last words he spoke, what reason would he have to lie?" Sakura said and Natsuko hummed,
"Several, for an ambush, a trap with Orochimaru as bait." Natsuko said
"If it's a trap, I say we fight them, I don't think we will get another opportunity to fight Orochimaru like this, Lady Hokage" Sai said and Natsuko hummed
"I hear what you're saying, I do, but if this turns out to be an ambush or another ploy to take Sasuke, not to mention with Kakashi sensei out of commission for the time being." Natsuko said
"Why not employ a different team to investigate, that way we verify the information, and Sasuke and Naruto are kept from Orochimaru's clutches. If this information turns out to be true, we'll be able to possibly take out Orochimaru, or at the very least learn more about his plans." Shisui said and
Natsuko hummed
"Is there any objection to that? Sakura, Sai?" Natsuko asked and the two shook their heads, and Natsuko nodded
"Right. Sai, you'll be on that team since you also have information pertaining to the meet-up.
Sakura, you'll remain here with the original team 7. Naruto isn't going to like it, but with your sensei out of commission it can't be helped. Sai come back to my office in two hours. I'll have assembled the team by then. Sakura, meet me in my office 50 minutes after Sai, bring Sasuke and Naruto with you.
I'll have a mission ready for you three." Natsuko said and Sakura nodded,
"Right." They both said at the same time before jumping off
"Who do you have in mind for the team?" Shisui asked as they walked towards Natsukos office
"Pervy sage, for one." Natsuko said and Shisui hummed
"As for the other two can you summon Yuki and… Tenko from the anbu here please" Natsuko said, Yuki had grown much from the chunin exams, she mostly handled solo missions, but she also had a team of her own. She had more confidence than the chunin exams as well.
"You wanted to see me, Lady Hokage?" Yuki said as she stepped into the room and Natsuko nodded, Yuki's hair was cut around her shoulders, with her headband around her forehead, her bangs almost completely covering the metal, she wore a dark blue ninja outfit with a chunin vest overtop her shuriken holster on her right thigh, with her kunai pouch on her back.
"Yuki, I have an assignment for you. You're going to be on a temporary squad for this mission." Natsuko said and Yuki nodded,
"Ma'am." She said Natsuko relaying the same information to Tenko who's code name was to be Yamato.
"Alright. Yamato your heading up the mission. Pervy Sage, Sai, Yamato, and Yuki. You are to head to Teuchi Bridge, in the village hidden in the Grass. There you are to intercept Sasori's spy working underneath Orochimaru. Sai has more of the details, Sai?" Natsuko said
"Right." Sai going into the same details he had before disclosing the same details to the group that he'd told to Natsuko.
"This spy, may be our way to take down Orochimaru, finally. I don't expect Orochimaru to show. however, on the off chance he does, if combat can be avoided, do so. Pervy sage. This warning speaks to you specifically. If you're caught peeping on this mission I'll let Granny Tsunade know, so you guys can talk it out." Natsuko said raising her eyebrows a moment before grinning and Jiraiya paled
"Thats a little harsh d…d…don't you think, Natsuko." Jiraiya said and Natsuko hummed
"So, don't be a peeping tom."
"Jokes aside, shouldnt Master Jiraiya be leading the mission? Going by seniority." Yamato said and Natsuko hummed
"Due to his personal attachments to Orochimaru he can't head up the mission. Besides, " Natsuko said
"The deadline to get to Teuchi Bridge is 6 days from now, at noon, in order to intercept the spy. Good luck." Natsuko said and the group nodded.
Thirty minutes later Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto walked in, Natsuko sorting papers
"Ah, perfect. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura I have a mission for you B rank" Natsuko said
"What is it?" Naruto said
"Fire lizards have been spotted moving closer to the village from the forest behind hokage mountain, your mission is to find these lizards before they enter the village and move them further away into the forest." Natsuko said and Naruto groaned
"What makes it B rank sis this sounds easy." Naruto said
"Fire lizards look like small creatures and usually, they are, but they can grow to be the size of the hokage building, when they're scared or frightened. So it's important that they be moved back into the forest. They also breath fire." Natsuko said and Naruto looked over
"Sasuke your leading this mission. Here is some information that might be useful, goodluck" Natsuko
said, before going through the paper work on her desk. Passing the mission report towards Sasuke
who grabbed it, reading it over
"Where's Sai?" Naruto said and Natsuko hummed
"Another mission required his attention." She said offhandidly, waving her hand from the desk, looking up as Naruto groaned,
"You sent a member of team seven on a mission without us, how could you!" Naruto said
"You're particular skillset wasn't needed for this mission, I'd hurry and get on the fire lizards, before too long, instead of standing here complaining. Or I'll reassign it." Natsuko said looking up, glancing at Sakura quickly before looking back ahead as Sasuke led the team out, heading to the hokage mountain with the forest in back.
"So you're Natsuko's student, ey, Yuki." Jiraiya said as they made their way doen the road towards the bridge,
"I am, so your Natsuko-sensei's teacher… and her brothers teacher, Master Jiraiya." Yuki said her midnight blue hair in a braid behind her head as she wore her ninja headband around her forehead, her bangs falling over the metal partially, she wore a white longsleeve cropped top paired with fishnetting over her abdomen and black pants, on her legs with her shuriken holster on both thighs, with her kunai pouch on her waist, a chunin vest overtop her outfit. Her teal eyes looking towards the sanin who laughed, nodding,
"Alright, we should head towards the bathhouse on the way, and sort through a plan." Yamato said and the rest agreed, they had five days to reach the bridge, so if they could get a plan in place beforehand and work through it. That would be the preferable method. The group continued to talk lightly back and forth before coming to the hotsprings.
"I don't think you'll need a reminder Master Jiraiya, but Natsuko asked I report if you peep in on the womans baths, so I wouldn't do that. I believe last time you almost died, correct?" Yamato asked and Jiraiya paled,
"Yeah yeah, alright, I get it. Haha" Jiraiya said, the group rested at the bathhouse for half a day, before heading over to the bridge, reaching it with two days to spare, going over the plan at nauseum.