After much whining, complaining and puppy dog eyes (all Haruto's doings), Team Seven—which was still relatively new—was granted a C-Rank Mission.
Kakashi knew his team had potential—and he was the strongest jonin out there—but still, he had a bad feeling that things would go terribly wrong. It started when he actually found himself on time at the meeting grounds. Naturally, as he'd expected, his team were surprised.
He found it amusing when the Senju heir started repeating mantras of prayer for a safe journey and when Pinky looked like she was ready to froth at the mouth. Only the Uchiha looked remotely normal, still, she eyed her surroundings like she expected her older brother to pounce on them the very moment.
Needless to say, Tazuna was driven up the wall by their antics, already starting to doubt his sanity and safety. It was quite amusing in Kakashi's opinion, but if they give their client a heart-attack, it wouldn't be pretty on Konoha's reputation at all.
The bridge builder felt slightly guilty though, and he'd been trying to cover it up with a brash and arrogant drunkard act. He didn't want them to catch him lying—and in doing so, dying. He knew that what the Genin team had been expecting were merely bandits as such, not ninjas and assassins sent to kill him.
But he had to, the bridge builder strengthened his resolve and yelled out, urging the kids to walk faster so that they'd reach his country faster. The faster, the less risk and the quicker his country will be saved.
"Seriously," muttered Tazuna disapprovingly as Kakashi pulled Haruto and Makoto— "Moron." "Asshole!" - away from one another, after another petty fight. Truth to be told, Tazuna, personally, though the two clan heirs were acting like an old married couple. He knew how an old married couple fought; he shuddered, he'd been in a few—regrettable—fights with his beloved wife, involving a spatula and a flying knife (don't ask!).
But between ninja couples… Tazuna expected more than spatulas and kitchen knives to be flying.
He grinned teasingly as the blonde haired kid hurried his pace, settling himself in a pace by Tazuna's side, grumbling about stupid Uchihas and a few other unpleasant names. Tazuna couldn't help himself, he said, "Lovers' spat?"
The Senju exploded, his cheeks red with both anger and embarrassment. "Old man—not you too! Kakashi-sensei and almost everyone said the same! How many times do I have to tell you that I do not—and never will—"
Tazuna had already clapped his hands over his ears the moment the boy opened his mouth. "Look, I get it, you don't have to make me go deaf, brat. I was just teasing!"
"Don't joke about something so serious!"
"Oh," Again, he couldn't help the slip of tongue. "I didn't know kids can go so seriously."
Haruto looked ready to claw his eyes out until he stepped onto a puddle. Tazuna scowled, disgruntled as he wrung the part of his pants where the water had gotten to. He gave the brat a plain old glare and was about to complain loudly when the unusually serious expression on the boy's face stopped him.
Tazuna swallowed nervously when the ninjas, subtly moved themselves into a position surrounding him. "Is something the matter?" he asked in a hushed whisper, nervous.
The pink-haired girl suddenly appeared by his side, silent as a well, ninja (pardon the pun) and touched his arm lightly. "Follow my lead," she said and that was when all hell broke loose.
Haruto, turned, abruptly and so quickly Tazuna nearly didn't see it, and lashed out his leg—glowing with chakra—and something was knocked out of the sky. "Wah!" the bridge builder stumbled back in shock but Sakura grabbed him and hauled him out of another projectile's way.
His heart must've skipped a few beats! "Damn," the middle aged man cursed. "If anything happens to them, I'll never forgive myself."
Tazuna watched in horror as the teacher was torn apart by some chains—did that mean their enemies were stronger than the best jonin of Konoha?—but the clan scions didn't falter. The Uchiha jumped, twirling and letting loose a few kunais—to a civilian like Tazuna, she didn't seem to be taking any aim—which pinned the chains to a tree trunk, momentarily immobilizing them. Their pause gave the Senju more than enough time to punch their lights—oh, and let's not forget about those poor men's teeth—out.
Haruto grinned threateningly, exposing his sharp canines as the tree roots—fucking moved!—wrapped themselves around the two ninjas. "You will tell us everything, right, Sensei?"
"Yep." The cheery light hearted and nonchalant voice nearly gave Tazuna another heart attack. Kakashi seemed to be smiling under his mask, but his lone eye glinted coldly at Tazuna. "It would be nice if more than two people will talk."
He gulped.
He wanted to be a hero.
She was stunned, she was an avenger - living only for the sake of avenging. Yet, the Senju swore to protect his precious people and his friends—no matter how spiteful or annoying they were—he announced that when that Inari challenged him, calling a weakling and a pathetic fool.
Makoto was impressed that a brat like him wanted to challenge well-trained ninja—even if they were only Genins. That Inari had spirit but too bad, he was a civilian child and only knew how to whine instead of standing up on his own two feet and fighting for what he wanted.
Revenge? Then stand up and fight.
The child was even more pathetic in her eyes than the Senju was—but she didn't voice this, remaining silent as Haruto yelled at the brat.
At least Haruto proved to be a challenge to her rank and strength—for those alone, she'd tolerate his presence and his incessant chatters around her.
She promised herself to tolerate him until she could beat him. But now was one of the times she couldn't tolerate him. Growling as she slid down the tree trunk—again!—she snapped her head to where the Senju was whining and moaning and groaning as he tumbled off his tree.
He rubbed the back of his blonde head, scowling and looking up at her. "What?" he asked rudely.
"Shut up," said Makoto moodily, her temper and patience frayed when the stupid tree and her stubborn chakra wouldn't cooperate to her wishes. "You're distracting me."
Haruto's lips curled but he sighed and shook his head, tilting and looking upwards. The moon shone down onto both clan heirs. Haruto turned momentarily to make a proposal—maybe they could help one another—but his breath caught when he saw his female companion. He whistled appreciatively—must've been spending too much time with his Ero-Sennin—when he caught her soaked clothes clinging to her skin, allowing him to see her…
"Oi!" If Haruto's eyes weren't malfunctioning or something, he thought he saw her cheeks darkening.
"Oops, sorry!" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as she crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Uh, having a hard time?" he gestured to the tree which swayed even when there was no breeze—his Mokuton doing. He instantly realized it was a ridiculous question the moment she glared at him—even harder, she always seemed to be glaring at everything.
"I'm surprised you're still here."
And he knew what she said was genuine. He smiled wistfully. "Well, I have large chakra reserves so controlling them is hard—I'm just used to pouring chakra here and there into my blows, not like mom's." Someday, he would master and surpass his mother—and his father along the way. "Hey, why are you so determined anyway?"
"I could ask you she same question," Makoto shot back sourly, obviously not going along with Haruto's attempts at playing nice.
"I want to be a Hokage—the greatest one ever!" Haruto said enthusiastically, grinning at the mere thought but it dimmed as he continued. "If I can't control my chakra, how am I going to be Hokage and protect my precious people?"
"How am I going to protect my precious people if I don't dedicate myself to work?" Then he'd smiled, fingers poking the middle of her forehead before he stood and left, his back turned to her and she was always left looking at his back—and damn did the memory hurt.
Haruto was so much like him, yet he wasn't.
"Hey, what's your dream?"
"It's not a dream, it's my goal—I'm going to avenge my clan and maybe, revive it."
"I couldn't imagine you as a great mom, or motherly for the matter."
"… I suppose I'd just have to take back the thought of you being a decent father."
"What? Seriously! You think I can be a great dad?"
"Decent, idiot."
Haruto sprang to his feet, looking energized all of a sudden, judging by the tireless bright grin on his face. "Well, if you smiled more like now, you'd be a nice mother!"
Makoto's face fell the moment he said that, her cheeks felt stiff as if she hadn't move them in a long time to express her feelings.
She hadn't realized her lips had curled upwards.