Kakashi had stayed true to his word and run the three to the ground with stamina training the Hatake style. Sasuke was cursing under his breath, he felt pain in places, he did not know he could feel despite the long warm up and cool down they did. Sakura was on the other hand too exhausted to say anything as she lay on the ground opposite of Sasuke trying to catch her breath. Even Naruto was simply resting quietly between the two of them feeling exhausted from the crazy stamina training. Kakashi though looked very smug as he looked at the three of them who were unable to move a single muscle now.
Kakashi, "Okay, so among you three Naruto has the highest stamina, Sakura is the smartest and Sasuke is a combination of the two."
Sasuke grunted, "Hn."
Sakura stared at the sky, "I suppose."
Naruto, "I think I will crawl home today."
Kakashi, "No need to be so dramatic. I will take you all home. But we do need to work on increasing your stamina Sakura - chan."
Sakura sighed, "I know."
Kakashi, "Naruto - kun, we will work on your control. Your chakra is all over the place."
Naruto, "Akari obaa - chan says it's because I am an Uzumaki. I need extra control training, lots of it."
Kakashi, "Sasuke, we will work on your hesitance and balance. I have noticed you hesitate to hit your opponent. Remember this is training and I expect you to do your best."
Sasuke, "Fine by me."
Kakashi, "Good, now I am going to show you a very practical and useful jutsu. We will be practicing it in the next few months after you finish your missions."
Naruto, "Okay!"
Kakashi, "Ladies first. So, Sakura - chan get up."
Sakura, "Okay Sensei, what is this jutsu?"
Kakashi eye smiled and shunshined them to the Haruno compound getting a wide eyed look from the pink haired kunoichi. The man just eyed smiled at her then returned to the boys to return them home so they could rest after the training. Kakashi chuckled on seeing the expressions on the two boys as well and advised them to rest. All of his students were too awed by the shunshin to protest being babied making him whistle while he filled up the paperwork. However just as he was about to submit it he came across one person he really hoped to avoid no matter what.
Danzo, "Ah! Young Hatake, I hear you are a Sensei now."
Kakashi, "Elder Danzo, I was not expecting to see you today. Did I miss a meeting Hokage - sama?"
Sandaime waved his hand, "Of course not Kakashi - kun. Danzo and I were just discussing the school curriculum."
Kakashi, "Is something lacking?"
Danzo, "I think we should remove the civilian teachers, it is a shinobi Academy."
Shikaku walked in, "And that is why you are not a teacher. Who do you think most of our clients are? They are civilians."
Danzo huffed, "I am sure the shinobi can deal with the civilians."
Kakashi snorted, "Right! And a peach tree will produce apples. Danzo perhaps you should consider retirement. You have obviously forgotten these things need to be taught early on."
Hiruzen, "How about this? We will hold a vote with the Council over this matter. Will the result of that vote satisfy you? After all the Council's children are studying in the Academy too."
Danzo scowled, "Fine, in the next meeting."
Kakashi watched him leave, "That's going to be trouble."
Shikaku, "Indeed! Honestly, I would prefer if the civilian teachers we have now stay. Most are not even actual civilians but rather ex - shinobi."
Kakashi, "Only two teachers are actual civilians in the Academy."
Hiruzen, "Honestly, I was hoping to add more civilian teachers to teach the civilian topics from a civilian's perspective."
Shikaku, "Are you taking what Tanna - Chan told you years ago to heart?"
Hiruzen, "All things considered it is more practical the shinobi learned how to deal with future civilian customers from the start instead of being thrown into it. The Genin batch from last year has produced more positive results then the previous years."
Shikaku nodded, "The results speak for themselves, more than words."
Kakashi, "Anyway here is today's report."
Hiruzen accepted the paperwork with a sigh and dismissed Kakashi who left with a wave to head to the Jounin lounge. The next few weeks were filled with Team - 7 performing D - rank missions around the village in the morning with heavy stamina and chakra after the missions were over. Naruto was actually getting exhausted which made Tanna pretty impressed as far as she could remember the little sunshine was a bundle of unlimited energy. Tanna pat his head and simply packed extra desert for him and his team to get the extra sugar and energy to get through the training. Then Naruto cane home excited and very giddy one day which made Tanna raise her eyebrow.
Naruto, "Nee - chan, nee - chan. Guess what, since we used clones to help us do more than one D - rank mission everyday we got the first C - rank in our batch."
Tanna, "Is that so? Congratulations Ruru you did it."
Naruto nodded, "We have to take an ostrich back to his owner. Apparently that ostrich is the Tora cat of the entire nation."
Tanna tried not to twitch, 'Ah! The worst filler episode, I cannot believe Team - 7 got stuck with that one.'
Naruto, "I hope things go well. What do ostriches like nee - chan?"
Tanna, "Hmm... If I recall they love feeding on succulents, fruit and small pieces of meat, they are omnivores after all."
Naruto nodded, "I will head to the market before going to the meeting point tomorrow to get those stuff."
Tanna, 'Well, it could be worse.'
The next day Naruto was off early in the morning to the market with the intention to get some bribe treats to make the ostrich behave during the mission. He had no doubt the bird was a nightmare if it got the reputation of being the Tora cat of an entire nation. When Naruto finally returned after a few days, it was with a list of complaints and a Sasuke and Sakura who looked like they had been through hell. Tanna treated them to Ichiraku's ramen as they complained about how spoiled, demanding and flighty the arrogant ostrich was. Tanna could not help but shake from amusement as they recounted every crazy thing that happened in the mission.
Tanna, "You know there are people who behave similar and most of the time worst than the ostrich."
Sakura made a face, "How? Why? Are they not embarrassed?"
Sasuke made a gloomy expression, "I do not want to deal with a human ostrich."
Naruto looked exhausted, "Me neither, one ostrich is more than enough."
Kakashi snorted, "Sadly we shinobi must fulfil whatever conditions and missions we are given if we want to get paid. So, we will have to deal with them."
Sakura whined, "I do not want to be pecked again, I still feel the pecks on my head. I was scared I will go bald."
Naruto, "Yeah, he liked attacking our hair a lot."
Sasuke, "Hn! Next time I will roast him."
Tanna, "Look at it this way, if you can deal with a spoiled ostrich then you can predict what a spoiled client will act like. You can place counters and acceptable retaliation that way without causing any damage."
Naruto, "I hear you nee - chan."
Sakura, "But it does not mean we like it."
Sasuke sighed, "I am done with ostriches for a while though."
Tanna chuckled as they complained some more and then went home to relax from the very frustrating mission. To think they had been very excited to get a C - rank mission a few days ago, now they were dreading getting another one. Tanna took a look at Naruto, he was similar and yet different from the one she remembered. The previous one wore orange, lots of orange but this one wore a mix of orange and brown that helped him hide underground easily. Now that she thought about it, Sakura was different too, instead of keeping her hair open and flowing she had plaited her hair and tied it with a ribbon that Ino gave her. Sasuke was still the same in looks department, the only major difference was he was not gloomy or depressed.
Tanna, 'I like these changes. These kids deserve to be happy.'
Naruto, "Tomorrow we are going back to D - ranks and training again."
Tanna, "Back to the basics then?"
Naruto, "Sensei has been teaching us shunshin, there are a lot of rules and focus on observation. The theory is simple but applying it is difficult. We moved to water walking too. I keep getting wet though."
Tanna nodded, "I heard about water walking before, it sounds pretty useful. So, I am not surprised it is hard to get right."
Naruto, "I will master it nee - chan just watch."
Tanna hummed in agreement and then next two weeks went by with Naruto heading out to do D - rank missions and returning home exhausted from training. Tanna was on the other hand counting how many days and hours it took to perform the missions and complete training. She learned a lot of interesting facts. First, missions could vary depending on what time of the day they were being performed. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura would perform D - ranks early in the morning so they usually got one of three D - rank mission. It would be either watering the plants around Konoha which was made possible with their leaf clone or delivering the early letters or the last one chores at the hospital.
Tanna hummed as the day ended, "I will see you tomorrow children."
Everyone, "Thank you Sensei."
Tanna was heading out when she ran into someone she really did not want to deal with at all, "Ah! Elder Danzo greetings, what brings you here?"
Danzo eyed her, "Greetings I was passing through."
Tanna could feel the disdain coming from the old man and smiled widely, "I see, would you like some company? I am quiet free right now and I have some wonderful stories to tell you."
Danzo shook his head, "No, no, I need to attend a meeting after this. Perhaps next time we can have a discussion."
Tanna, "That would be wonderful. Say, have you thought about getting an heir? A lot of the Shinobi clan's are already training their heirs and heiresses, but I have not heard about a younger Shimura."
Danzo, "You need not worry about any of that Tanna Sensei. My family can handle themselves just fine."
Tanna had a very big grin, "Oh! I did not mean to pry. I was just curious you are one of the oldest living Shinobi after all."
Danzo twitched, "I see. I need to get going now, I look forward to talking with you again."
Tanna waved, "I will prepare food and drinks for us next time."
Mikoto was rushing to where she was as fast as she could, "Tanna - chan, are you alright?"
Tanna, "Do not worry about me Koko - chan."
Mikoto looked at her with worried eyes, 'She caught Danzo's attention. That cannot be good.'
Tanna, "I bet that old man is loaded. I will make him donate to the school at one point."
Mikoto really wanted to shake her, "Umm.. Tanna - chan, he is a very dangerous shinobi you know?"
Tanna, "So? It does not change the fact he is loaded with a lot of money. If he is worried about future shinobi he can donate for new equipment and items. Heaven knows we always need the funds to upgrade them."
Mikoto gave an exasperated smile, "You really are something else Tanna - chan."
Danzo on the other hand twitched when one of his Root shinobi reported what happened after he left, 'That shameless greedy child. How can anyone be so blatantly foolish in their approach?'
Danzo took a calming breath, "Keep a close eye on her. Dismissed!"
A few days later Naruto announced Kakashi was taking them to watch a movie and Tanna waved them off telling them to enjoy their time as a team. What she did not expect was for Naruto to rush back and grab the bag meant for cold areas. Tanna called him and asked if he was going to a cold area to which Naruto answers in positive. The older teen then grabbed a few oils and gave it to Naruto saying if he applied them before sleeping it will help keep the skin warm and smooth. Naruto was about to turn it down then thought Sakura might need it and thanked her before leaving.
It was quiet for the next two days and then there were whispers about the true heiress and future Queen of Snow returning to her land. It jolted a memory for Tanna and she remembered the first Naruto movie she watched about a Princess who was crowned as the new ruler. Tanna was expecting that mission to happen later after the Chunnin exams as that was when she had originally watched the movie. But then again she amended, there was bound to be changes because of her presence, not big changes but certain changes. She sighed as she corrected the assignment in front of her, she had a brand new respect for her previous language teachers.
Ayaka, "That's a big sigh Tanna - chan."
Yoshino, "Something on your mind?"
Tanna, "I am just worried. The kids are already getting C - rank missions soon they will get B - rank missions."
Mikoto, "That's how things go. What is on your mind dear?"
Tanna, "It's just both C - rank missions they had to deal with trouble. Kakashi is there to keep them safe but he is one man and he cannot be everywhere."
Mikoto hummed, "I understand your worries but danger is part of shinobi life. It is not avoidable."
Tanna, "I know but it does not mean I have to like it. Sometimes I just wish I could coddle and keep Naruto by my side forever."
Yoshino chuckled, "Don't we all? We want to keep our children by our side all the time too."
When Team - 7 returned Sakura was gushing about cool actors and actresses and how they create new stories. By her side Naruto and Sasuke were agreeing and adding their own two cents about the matter though Tanna had to wonder if something else happened during the mission. Later on Sakura told her that Sasuke had given Naruto a promise ring as proof of his very seriousness of their future. It was not an engagement ring, thankfully but now she had to talk with Mikoto about it. That had to be one of the most awkward conversations in her life, it felt like she was talking about Naruto's marriage.
The dark haired woman was beaming while her husband simply stated that if Naruto's parents were alive there was no doubt they would have more kids. That at some point both of parents the families would talk about joining and becoming one legally through marriage. Tanna was not sure how to feel about that, on one hand she was very interested to learn more about Kushina and Minato but on the other hand... It felt like she was stealing something very big and important from the couple, they should have been the ones sitting here and talking about this, not her.
Mikoto sensing her thoughts took her hand squeezing it, "Tanna - chan, even if they are not here you should know one thing about my friends. They would have been happy and grateful for everything you did for Naruto - kun. They loved him so much they gave their lives for him."
Tanna, "I know but still. This is a big deal and I can't help but feel I am stealing it from them."
Mikoto gave a watery smile, "Knowing them they would have dragged you into this. You are Naruto's beautiful and smart nee - chan after all."
Tanna, "I hope they are happy. I try my best to do right by Naruto but I wonder if it is enough sometimes. I am not a shinobi so I do not know how to help him in shinobi related matters."
Mikoto, "You are here with him. That is more than enough."
Fugaku and Itachi nodded in agreement and one of the servants entered with sweets making Mikoto let go of her hand. The tea was nice on her tongue and the crispy sweets felt really good to eat. Naruto was with Sasuke who was sparring with him in one of the clan's personal training grounds right next to their house. The two boys returned with Shisui who had just returned from the first C - rank mission his team had taken. It was a trip to Suna apparently and now he had sand everywhere in his clothes, shoes and hair. Mikoto shooed him off to shower before strictly telling him to have dinner with them.
Shisui, "So, what's the occasion?"
Itachi, "Sasuke's engagement."
Shisui choked, "What? With who? Oh! Don't tell me you finally bagged Naruto - kun."
Tanna twitched, 'Why does he have to say it that way? It was a mutual agreement.'
Mikoto, "Yes, Naruto will join our family in the future and us his family. However since they are both boys there are some things that will have to be discussed."
The talk went on till late at night when Mikoto insisted the siblings stayed with them, it was a weekend holiday the next day after all. The two agreed to stay and spend the night at the Uchiha compound which was pretty active even at night. They could hear the nocturnal birds hooting and the cats and dogs making noise from time to time. The next day the siblings returned to relax at home and Naruto spent the day helping Tanna make something called Pizza. It was a very fun dish to make and Naruto could admit to liking it and wondered if ramen could be made the same way. He decided to drop the subject as his nee - Chan looked very disturbed at the idea.
Naruto, "Nee - chan, we are heading to Wave this time."
Tanna froze, "Wave? The country where the Kage has ordered the deaths of kekkai genkai users. That Wave?"
Naruto froze at that then nodded, "Yeah, we got a mission. Do not fret nee - chan. We will stay safe, I promise."
Tanna opened her mouth then closed it again, "I cannot coddle you. This is the life you chose but I ask you to return home alive, okay?"
Naruto nodded and then left, while Tanna used the Academy as a distraction for her own worried thoughts. She could not tell Naruto but Wave was one of the biggest denominator of his shinobi career in the anime and manga. She could only hope that Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura return home alive from it, heaven knows how the mission might have changed. The team returned after three weeks almost a month after they had left and the three looked more subdued then Tanna had seen them.
Naruto "Nee - chan... "
Tanna, "Yes Naruto?"
Naruto, "It's nothing."
Tanna, "Do you need a hug?"
Naruto, "Yes!"
Tanna spoke after a while, "You look like you saw your parents die all over again. Who was it?"
Naruto, "It was a very pretty boy I met while patrolling, he was looking for herbs."
Tanna, "I see. Poor boy to die so young. Do you want to build a memorial for him?"
Naruto nodded, "Please? It's not fair he had to lose his life. He just wanted to make Zabuza - san's dream come true. He was not a tool but his family."
Tanna, "Zabuza as in one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist? I did not know he had a child. Oh dear!"
Naruto sniffled, "It's not fair nee - chan."
Tanna rubbed his back, "You are a very kind soul, Ruru. Most people would be bragging about defeating Zabuza and his kid. They would not be crying over their enemy shinobi."
Naruto, "I guess."
Tanna, "Never change this part of you. This world needs people who will mourn the deaths of others. The life of a shinobi is already hard enough as it is."
Kakashi who was listening in got up and left, 'More people to mourn the dead, huh?'