The morning sun bathed Konoha in its golden glow as Team 7 gathered at the mission board, their excitement palpable. This was it—their first official mission as genin. Naruto Uzumaki was practically vibrating with anticipation, his headband gleaming in the light, while Sasuke Uchiha leaned against the wall with his usual brooding indifference. Sakura Haruno stood nearby, sneaking glances at Sasuke while pretending to listen intently.
Then, Kakashi Hatake strolled in, his signature orange book in hand, and his lone visible eye curving into a lazy arc.
"Alright, team," Kakashi drawled, flipping a page. "Your first mission: Rescue Tora, the Fire Daimyō's wife's cat."
For a moment, there was stunned silence.
Then Naruto exploded.
"A CAT?!" he shouted, his face turning an impressive shade of red. "I'm a ninja, not a pet sitter! I wanted to fight bad guys, not chase furballs!"
Raven Kamizuki, lounging casually against a tree with her usual sly grin, chuckled. "Relax, ramen boy. This'll be fun."
Naruto shot her a glare. "How is chasing a cat fun?!"
Raven's grin widened. "Oh, you'll see."
Sasuke, meanwhile, merely grunted, his dark eyes narrowing. "A mission's a mission."
Sakura, ever the optimist, clapped her hands together. "Come on, Naruto. It's our first mission! Let's do our best!"
Naruto groaned but didn't argue further. Kakashi tucked his book away, gesturing lazily toward the village outskirts.
"Let's get moving."
It didn't take long to find Tora.
The cat was perched on a high tree branch, its fur ruffled and its eyes gleaming with the smug superiority only a cat could possess. The moment it spotted them, it let out a haughty meow and flicked its tail, daring them to try.
Naruto cracked his knuckles, a determined gleam in his eyes.
"Alright, furball. Let's see you dodge this!"
With a dramatic hand sign, Naruto summoned a horde of Shadow Clones, the clearing filling with dozens of identical Narutos.
"Get the cat!" they all shouted in unison.
The clones swarmed the tree, climbing over each other in a chaotic mess. But Tora was faster. It darted from branch to branch, weaving through the clones with effortless grace. The more Naruto's clones tried to catch it, the more tangled they became—until the entire swarm collapsed in a pile of limbs and yelps at the base of the tree.
Naruto groaned from the bottom of the pile, his face covered in scratches.
"Stupid cat…"
Raven laughed from the sidelines, clapping slowly. "Bravo, ramen boy. Truly a masterclass in stealth."
Sasuke stepped forward, his eyes narrowing at the still-smug Tora, who now lounged on a higher branch, licking its paw.
"This is pathetic," Sasuke muttered. He formed quick hand signs, his chakra flaring.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared to life, hurtling toward the tree. For a brief moment, it seemed like Sasuke's plan might actually work.
But Tora, ever the cunning feline, leapt out of the tree at the last second, leaving the fireball to scorch the branches and ignite the dry leaves.
"Oh, great," Raven muttered, watching as the flames spread.
Kakashi finally looked up from his book, his visible eye widening slightly.
"Uh, Sasuke?" Kakashi called lazily. "You might want to put that out."
Sasuke scowled, quickly dousing the flames with a burst of chakra, but the damage was done. Tora had vanished into the bushes, leaving only the faint smell of burnt wood and singed pride behind.
Sakura, determined to succeed where the boys had failed, took a deep breath and approached the bushes where Tora was hiding.
"Here, kitty, kitty," she cooed softly, crouching low and extending her hand.
For a moment, it seemed to work. Tora's ears perked up, and it cautiously crept forward, sniffing the air.
"That's it," Sakura whispered, smiling sweetly. "Come to me…"
Just as Tora was within reach, its eyes narrowed into slits. With a sudden hiss, it launched itself at Sakura's face, leaving a trail of scratches as it bolted past her and disappeared into the trees.
Sakura let out a startled yelp, clutching her now scratched and disheveled face.
Raven couldn't hold back her laughter this time, doubling over as Naruto groaned from his spot on the ground.
"This cat's a menace," Naruto muttered.
Through all of this, Kakashi remained unbothered, flipping casually through his book as if the chaos unfolding around him was nothing more than background noise.
"You're overcomplicating things," he muttered without looking up.
Naruto shot him a glare. "Why don't you try catching it, then?!"
Kakashi merely turned a page, his eye curving in amusement. "I'm not the one being tested."
After their third failure, Raven finally straightened, dusting off her clothes and strolling toward the group with an infuriatingly calm expression.
"Alright, idiots," she said, hands on her hips. "This isn't working."
Naruto glared at her. "You think?!"
Raven pointed at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two are throwing raw power at the problem without thinking. And Sakura…" She glanced at the pink-haired girl, who was still nursing her scratches. "You're too soft. This isn't a tea party."
Sasuke scowled. "I don't need advice from the pizza girl."
Raven's grin didn't waver. "No, but you clearly need advice from someone. That cat's outsmarted you three times now."
Naruto crossed his arms, pouting. "I'm doing fine! The cat's just too fast!"
Raven raised an eyebrow. "And how's that working out for you?"
Raven crossed her arms, her expression turning serious.
"Look," she said. "If we can't catch a cat, how do you expect to handle real missions? We need to train. Refine our skills. Then we come back and catch that furball."
Naruto groaned but nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But I'm not chasing cats forever."
Sasuke muttered something under his breath but didn't argue.
Sakura, still rubbing her scratched face, sighed. "Alright. What's the plan?"
Raven's grin returned, sharp and confident. "Leave that to me."
As the team began to pack up, Kakashi finally closed his book, watching them with a lazy, unreadable expression.
This is going to be interesting, he thought.
But as Raven's eyes flicked toward him, her grin widening slightly, a shiver ran down Kakashi's spine.
"Better hope we succeed, Kakashi-sensei," Raven called over her shoulder. "Wouldn't want Naruto's Mom hearing we failed our first mission because of your love for reading certain books."
Kakashi's visible eye twitched, and he suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.
She knows, he thought, his pulse quickening. She definitely knows.
As Team 7 walked off to begin their training, Raven's laughter echoed through the trees, blending with Naruto's grumbling and Sakura's sighs.
And high above, perched on a branch, Tora watched them go, its tail flicking with smug satisfaction.
But the cat's victory was only temporary.
Team 7 was coming back.
And this time, they were ready with hyjinks to capture her.
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