A bit later...
"So, where are we going?" I asked as Granny Tsunade sat in her chair. Jiraiya, who I like to call Pervy Sage, stood next to her. Along with him were Kakashi-sensei, Sai, Sakura, and Captain Yamato in the Hokage's office.
"It's a mission to find Itachi Uchiha!" Kakashi-sensei announced.
"Yes," Pervy Sage added. "According to our information, the Akatsuki have already captured the Three-Tails. So, they—or more specifically, Itachi—will be coming for the Nine-Tails inside you, Naruto!"
"So, we'll be on a mission to find Itachi Uchiha. And while we're at it, we might also find Sasuke, just like we discussed earlier," Granny Tsunade said.
"But for that, we need more team members. We've already planned to add a few people to our team for this mission!" Kakashi-sensei explained.
"More members? We already have five people here. I don't see why we need more. It could just raise the chances of our enemies noticing us before we find them, and they'll become more cautious," I replied.
"I understand your concerns, and you're absolutely right. That's why we're only adding three more members only," Granny Tsunade clarified.
"Yeah, don't worry. We've thought this through and considered everything. Just focus on doing your best when the time comes," Pervy Sage reassured me.
"Okay, but who will our new team members be?" I asked, curious about who would be joining us.
[Scene change to the Konoha Gate; it was pouring rain.]
"Hi... Naruto-kun," Hinata greeted softly.
"What's up, Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as he jumped off Akamaru's back with excitement.
"Hi, Naruto!" Shino said, giving a small nod.
So, we're teaming up with Team 8? But where's their mentor, Kurenai-sensei?
"The team is ready!" Captain Yamato announced, looking determined.
"I think we're all set to head out now!" Kakashi-sensei said as he stepped in front of everyone. He glanced up at the dreary sky. "What a miserable day for a mission launch," he remarked, noticing the rain and clouds.
"Yeah, this weather makes it perfect for just staying cozy at home," I remarked, and everyone turned to me with curious expressions. "What? I'm just saying it would be nice, but I won't actually do it!" I added quickly.
"Alright, let's make this mission official. I hereby authorize the mission to locate and detain Itachi Uchiha!" Granny Tsunade declared. "However, be careful and make sure to complete the mission!" she warned.
"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.
"Yeah, obviously!" I chimed in.
[Scene changes to outside Konoha village, where everyone was gathered.]
"Alright, listen up. From this moment on, our main goal is to find Itachi and bring him in," Kakashi-sensei instructed as everyone nodded in agreement. "The Akatsuki is gathering the tailed beasts. According to our intel, they already have the Three-Tails, and from what Jiraiya has reported, it's possible they have infiltrated the Land of Fire, looking for Naruto."
"That's good news; I won't have to search for them," I muttered under my breath.
"Did you say something?" Kakashi-sensei asked, raising an eyebrow as I shook my head to indicate no.
"Okay, moving on. As we know, Itachi is from the Hidden Leaf Village. Three years ago, he returned searching for Naruto," Kakashi-sensei continued.
"That makes sense. He's probably heading back to the Hidden Leaf Village too," Sai stated thoughtfully.
"Then Sasuke should be nearby as well!" Sakura added excitedly. "We might be able to find him too."
"We should take it one step at a time for now," Captain Yamato suggested, keeping our focus sharp.
"Here's the search plan," Kakashi-sensei began, "We'll start from this point and search a 5-kilometer radius in every direction. If we don't find anything, we'll come back here, move the center point, and search another 5 kilometers. We'll keep doing this until we find something."
"5 kilometers? If we spread out that much, we won't be able to use our wireless com units. And being split up like that could be really dangerous. The rules say we need at least two-person squads for patrols," Sakura pointed out, worried.
"Sakura!" Captain Yamato interrupted her, "Try not to worry."
"Look!" Kakashi-sensei said, forming hand signs to summon his ninja hounds.
"Our voices can reach much further than any com units, and our noses can detect danger to protect you," Pakkun, one of the summoned hounds, assured everyone.
"Alright, let's go over the team assignments for the search units," Kakashi-sensei continued. "Each team will have two members. Team 1: Naruto and Hinata. Team 2: Sai and Sakura. Team 3: Kiba and Yamato. Team 4: Shino and me. Each team will also have two ninja hounds with them."
"Good to work with you, Naruto!" Hinata said softly as one of the ninja hounds came over to us.
"Good to work with you too!" I responded with a smile.
"Alright, let's go!" Kakashi-sensei declared. "Scatter!" he commanded, and everyone headed off in their assigned directions.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]