The Hyoton - 9

The bridge was completed in roughly two days and Team 2 were the first to cross it back to the mainland. Tazuna, Tsunami, Inari and a good portion of the village had come to see them off.

"Take care on your journey back." Tazuna said, looking much happier than he had a few days earlier.

"Quit worrying about us you old coot. You just make sure you get a ton of business through these parts and fix this place up, alright?" Anko grinned, finding that the mission was a total success and that the genin were responsible for it.

"We will, thanks to you." Tsunami was smiling widely, like her son who stood in front of her.

Gaara and Haku were eager to return home, but Naruto still had one last question on his mind, "Uh, hey...what are you guys gonna call this bridge?"

Inari looked at him for a moment and then laughed, "Well, I thought we'd call it the Great Naruto Bridge!"

Haku looked a bit flustered, "What about Gaara-kun and I? Don't we receive credit for all our toils?" Gaara didn't seem very much bothered about it.

The boy shrugged, "You get credit, but we can't give it too many names! I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah, my name sounds cooler anyway!" Naruto nodded, pleased with Inari's decision.

*

The next day the team had arrived back in Konoha: dirty, hungry and downright exhausted. Anko congratulated them and was ready to turn in the mission report.

"You maggots did well for your first C-rank. Actually, you pretty much crushed it considering you're still amateurs," She found it difficult to call Gaara an amateur after witnessing his capabilities on the battlefield, "But I'm sure you understand that I'd rather not wait around for your master, on behalf of my sanity."

"Yeah, we do," Naruto agreed, scratching the side of his head, "You were way better than him anyway if you ask me..."

"The Legendary Three are not to be underestimated Naruto and eventually..."A dark look came over her face, "You'll learn why."

"Is there anything we can do for you before you go, Anko-sensei?" Haku would be polite until the very end.

Anko looked thoughtful, "Well, I'd have you buy me all the dango you could afford, but sadly, I have a mission debriefing to give the Hokage. Later boys!"

She stalked down the street, her overcoat swaying slowly in the light breeze. Naruto slipped the bag off of his shoulders and stretched his arms over his head, with a yawn loud enough to wake the dead.

Gaara stood next to them silently. He had scarcely said a word on the return journey, not that he usually had much to say at all. The mission had altered his behavior and hopefully it was only a temporary side-effect.

"Let's ditch this crap back at home and then get something to EAT!" Naruto decided loudly, grabbing his bag and taking off without an answer. Haku scurried after him, begging him to slow down before his feet were eroded away to nothing. Gaara followed a fair distance behind them with only half a mind.

*

At noon, Team 2 was bathed and redressed, settling down at Ichiraku Ramen for lunch, when a familiar, aged face trudged up the sidewalk looking utterly defeated.

"Ah, Ero-sensei! They let you out of jail already? Anko-sensei was way cooler!" Naruto smirked, and watched as the toad hermit dejectedly took a seat between Gaara and Haku.

"I was never in jail, I got booked at headquarters." Jiraiya muttered, "But it would've been preferable..."

Naruto chuckled maniacally, "Ooh, someone's moody!"

The statement captured Gaara's attention, "Preferable?"

Jiraiya nodded and Ayame came by with Naruto, Haku and Gaara's orders. She looked at the sennin curiously, "Would you like something Gama-sennin?"

"I'll take whatever you got, I don't care." He mumbled.

She nodded and returned to the back of the kitchen. Haku felt a small amount of worry for the sennin, wondering what had made him so miserable, "What's wrong sensei?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong? It's terrible I tell you! Hokage-sama was too harsh on me this time! Oh! The complete humiliation..." The sennin wailed, burying his face in his hands.

Gaara frowned, "Now you're being dramatic."

Naruto nodded while slurping his beef ramen, "Yeah, Gaara-kun's right. Pull yourself together you pansy!" Haku chuckled but muffled himself with a sip of ginseng tea.

Jiraiya frowned, "It was one tiny slip up and now my life is in total disarray! Jail is more merciful than these conditions!"

"You stay out of prison on what conditions? What did you get?" Haku prompted, knowing they were quickly losing interest.

"Just probation really...but it's horrible! My publisher postponed my book! Four months!" His students cringed, wondering how he would cope, "Community service is also gonna eat up all my time! It's cruel..."

"Maybe if you weren't such a lecher you wouldn't have these problems." Gaara pointed out, and his friends nodded solemnly.

Ayame returned with a bowl of noodles and Jiraiya selected a pair of chopsticks from a dispenser half-heartedly after thanking her.

"Yeah, well, enough of your problems! We had to fight a friggin jounin for the past three days!" Naruto barked, finishing his ramen.

Jiraiya raised his eyebrows, "What are you talking about?"

"While you were gone, Anko-sensei believed we were ready for a C-rank mission, so Hokage-sama obliged us," Haku clarified, "But it proved to be much more dangerous than that. Our client was targeted by Mist shinobi and-"

"Yeah, yeah, so what about this jounin?" The sage went straight to the point.

Haku explained the story from start to finish; from the Demon Brothers, to the Hyoton, to the climactic battle on the bridge with Momochi Zabuza.

Naruto would occasionally add in a detail or two while Gaara listened as he ate. Jiraiya listened quietly and narrowed his eyes during some of the more dangerous parts. When Haku had finished narrating, the sennin spoke.

"I don't think I should have to tell you this Haku, but make sure you watch your back from here on out," Jiraiya advised after a big slurp of noodles, "That nukenin Zabuza is one of Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of Mist, in other words, bad news for anyone associated with them. It seems he's only interested in you because of your Hyoton."

"But why Haku-kun? I mean, he knew about other people from his clan, so why just Haku?" Naruto wondered.

The sennin thought about it, "I can't say for sure, there could be many reasons. Possibly because Haku is young and, no offense kid, can still be easily manipulated," Haku didn't mind, "Or because this clan, er, Haku's clan, is not very sociable in the ways of a shinobi these days. The war had a heavy toll on the great clans of the Water Country so they aren't exactly what you'd call ninja-friendly."

"I'm glad for that," Haku said quietly, "They...well, I don't want what's left of my family to be involved in these things, even if I'll never get to meet them."

Naruto patted his back soothingly and Gaara offered him a sympathetic look.

Jiraiya sighed, feeling the boy's pain and then turned to the blonde, "Oh and Naruto, it's upsetting to hear that not once have you summoned anything during that mission. What were you waiting for? An invitation?"

Naruto had begun work on his fourth bowl, "Oh...well, not really," He chuckled, "I guess it never really crossed my mind. Next mission, I promise! I'll call a few toads...but they aren't very good fighters anyway..."

"Oh yeah?" Jiraiya was defensive, "Well maybe if you practiced more often you'd actually do something worthwhile with your summoning! Honor that contract I gave you!"

"Why do you care so much old man?" Naruto snorted, just to test his patience, but was also curious.

Jiraiya was about to snap out an answer, but thought better of it, "Just...practice, will you?"

Naruto nodded, "Sure, just chill out Ero-sensei. You make it sound like I've never gotten around to summoning Gamabunta or something..."

Gaara and Haku smirked at Jiraiya's stunned face.

After composing himself, the sennin managed to ask with some aplomb, "So…you have summoned the toad boss after all! How did he take to you the first time?"

Naruto shrugged, "Eh...he only tried to kill me. It wasn't so bad."