Team 7's First C-Rank!

Coren sighed; he was on his way to yet another pain-stakingly boring D-Rank mission. He'd been dealing with them for well over a week now, and every person on his team was fed up with them, as far as he knew.
Hell, even Kuroi admitted how much he hated picking litter out of the river. The only good mission was walking the Inuzuka's dogs, and that's only fun because he can sic 'em on Jacob!
...Heh, fun times.
Anyway, here he is, on his way to probably get ahold of that damn cat Tora, for the eighth time this month. No joke. That horrendous piece of fur made his D-Ranks go from a subtle annoyance to a living Hell.
The only redeeming factor in that mission is watching the cat claw at Jacob's face and chest.
...Hehe, more fun times.
Seriously though, that demon needs to be declawed, or he was gonna personally declaw and castrate it.
But here he was, sagging on his way to meet up with his team, which usually consisted of arriving fiteen minutes early, Hanako arriving ten minutes later, around the same time as Kuroi, and Jacob coming right on time.
Oddly enough, though, this time, Kuroi was standing there, leaning against a log. From the looks of it, he'd been standing there for... Oh, maybe 20 minutes.
That's if each of those cigarettes lasted around a minute a piece.
...How does this guy not have lung cancer already?
Kuroi gave a slight upwards nod of the head, which Coren returned.
As it turned out, Kuroi was not a wordy man. He was more of the 'stab it 'till it's dead' kinda guy.
Coren could respect that; it's not like he was in a talking mood anyway.
Still, though; Coren was wide awake now, looking over his teacher in an attempt to find out why he broke pattern and came early.
Training wasn't canceled; he would've told Coren that the moment he arrived... So that only leaves a few more possiblities.
The one foremost in his mind was that they were doing something a little higher-class, like a C-Rank mission, but that might just be wishful thinking. Best not to jinx oneself.
And so, he stood there silently until Hanako arrived, at which point he nodded his head with a brief "Yo."
"Morn'," she said, suddenly very interested in the duo, probably for the same reason.
And now, all that was left was to wait for Jacob to appear, and if he was a man of schedules and punctuality, then he would arrive five minutes hence.

As I was walking to the training grounds, I thought about the stupid D-rank missions where I had to chase the god damned cat Tora every time we got a D-rank mission. How can one person lose a cat eight times in one month? Seriously?
And that cat has one fearsome temper you do not want to mess with it.
I was then busted out of my reverie when I hit a tree.
"Ow... Goddamn it, who put this tree here!?" I quickly noticed that I'd reached the training grounds, where everybody glanced at me strangely. "Uh... Morning everybody?"

"Good... We're all here." Kuroi dropped his cigarette onto the ground and stomped on it. "I've got news, kiddies. How's a C-Rank sounding right about now?"
Three pairs of eyes widened.
"After dealing with Tora so much, I think it sounds like Kami's gift to man," Coren put bluntly.
"Y'know, I thought as much." He starting to walk away, gesturing for them to follow. "I already got the mission from the Hokage; I don't think I could handle seeing that damn mission center today."
Coren shuddered; that place was exactly where they'd get the scroll for finding Tora...
"We're headed straight to the gates; I expect you all in five minutes. This mission will be around two weeks long, so pack accordingly. You have fifteen minutes."
Coren's eyes widened; that certainly wasn't much time.
"Yes sir," he and Hanako said quickly, before disappearing.
Thankfully, Coren kept several emergency packs at his house with all the necessities for survival, so he really didn't need to pack. He just grabbed several sealing scrolls, put them on the inside of his leather jacket, then pulled on a back-pack and was good to go.
Hanako, on the other hand, wasn't so prepared. She spent ten of her minutes frantically tossing together as much as she could into a carry-on bag, before speeding off to the gates.
Kuroi, having had several hours to put his stuff together, ended up just taking one sealing scroll with him, and he was at the gates mere moments after his team went to pack.

As soon as I heard that we weren't going on a D-Rank, or more importantly, not hunting after Tora, I wanted to cry for joy. Unfortunately, I never really bothered with that whole 'always have an emergency back-pack' thing, since I never really thought that we'd ever go anywhere without warning.
...God damnit.
Launching myself forward at the speed of Kenyans, I managed to get the basic nescessities of life into my backpack. Y'know, like toilet paper. You always need toilet paper.
In any case, I managed to get there last, though really, that was just because everyone else is always annoyingly early. Taking my spot, I looked at Kuroi, waiting for him to explain the mission.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Kuroi pulled out a scroll with a large 'C' on it.
He started reciting the facts about it.
"Hired Village: Konoha."
"Client: Raiga Kuzunoha of Ta no Kuni, the Land of Rice Fields."
"Rank: C."
Taking a deep breath, he started on the more detailed parts of the mission.
"'I, Raiga Kuzunoha, formally request a small group of ninja to escort me from Konohagakure, where I have lived recently due to business, to my home of Ta no Kuni. Due to my business being that of incredible importance monetarily, I wish that I have at least a small group protecting my assets. I thank you for your assistance, should you decide to give it to me.'"
Rolling the scroll back up, Kuroi looked down at his team.
"This is the mission you have been assigned; an escort mission to Ta no Kuni, which neighbors Hi no Kuni, where Konoha resides. Our client will be arriving shortly."
Just as he finished his sentence, a horse whinnied from a short distance away as a cart rolled up.
"And that would be him," Kuroi said, putting on his hawk ANBU mask.
Coren looked at the driver of the cart, who seemed to be a jolly old man with graying hair, but still managed to retain a good deal of muscle... Something that was pretty different from the usual flabby civilians.
"Are you the group who's escorting lil' ol' me?" he asked with a bright grin.
Hanako smiled; she liked it when old people were happy instead of sour and cynical... Then they were just boring and depressing.
Coren, on the other hand, didn't like him one bit.
He was too happy.
"Yes, sir," Kuroi said flatly. He's just all business today, isn't he?
"Then it's a pleasure. I'm your client Raiga."
"I'm Hanako Yamanaka. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
Raiga's grin widened.
"Yamanaka? I'm glad you're on my side; I've heard about your clan's techniques, and frankly, I'm glad they're not pointed at me." Hanako nodded.
"...The name's Keitaro," Coren said plainly. "We will serve as your escort until the time that we arrive in Ta no Kuni and return you safely." Raiga's eyebrow raised.
"Relax kid; you're way too uptight for a twelve-year-old."
Coren just coldly stared into the very depths of the man's soul, chilling him to the bone.
"...Uh, yeah. And you look like a Hyuuga," he said, gesturing to Jacob in a desperate attempt to avoid Coren's stare. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jacob Inu, son of Hiori Hyuuga," I said. "So, when we going to start the mission?"

"That would be right about now," Kuroi said. "I received the mission from Lord Hokage yesterday, and he said to have all of you be ready... I viewed it as a challenge to see how well prepared you really were." He smirked as Hanako barely suppressed the urge to smack him.
"I see," Coren said off-handedly. "In any case, we'd better get moving. The longer we stand around, the longer the mission lasts."
Turning on his heel, Coren walked towards the gate, which had just started to open.
Walking through it, he heard the remainder of his team follow, though Hanako did have something to say.
"Hey, dude," she said quietly, to prevent them being overheard. "What's up with you? You were all laughs when we met, then you went Ice King back at the hospital, and now you're acting like someone from T&I! What's going on?"
Coren spared a look to Raiga.
"...He's hiding something. I don't know what it is, but I know it's something." Furrowing his brow, he went back on the lookout. "...Though that might just be my paranoia."
Hanako nodded; she felt nervous too, so she couldn't really blame him for thinking that. A person's first C-Rank is a pretty big thing, after all.
"...Well, just try to keep it under control, a'ight?"
Coren nodded vacantly, his eyes focused on the orange sun rising over the horizon, shining down on the leaf-covered road and the vibrant green trees.
"...I'll try."

"So, Mr. Raiga, what's your story? Why do we have to escort you to someplace as peaceful as the Land of Rice Fields? I thought that place had really bad blood with anyone," I asked.

"Bad blood or no bad blood, bandits're always a problem," he responded. "Like I said, this's some pretty important cargo. It's not 'team of jonin' important, but it's worth quite the pretty penny, and I don’t like the thought of getting hit by a bunch of thugs while delivering it… My boss’ll dock my pay if I get him damaged goods."
He shuddered at the thought.
“Anyway, that’s about it. I don’t really have any better reason than that. Any other questions, Jacob?”

"Who's your boss? Is he someone important? Or just a Trader?"

Raiga let out a small laugh. "You're an inquisitive kid, aren't you?" He rubbed the back of his head. "He's a pretty important person in Rice, but in a place as small as that, you wouldn't recognize the name... Sorry, kid." He looked up at the sky. "Well, I'd better get focused on driving; I don't think there's such a thing as a boss who likes his employees late."
With a crack of the reins, he had the horses on his cart speed up a bit, but not too much for the ninja to follow.

---

It took around two days to reach the Land of Rice Fields, which, much to the three genin's chagrin, was almost completely uneventful. Raiga even joked about how he didn't even need an escort with his luck.
However, on their second day in Rice, something eventful finally happened.
Raiga took Kuroi for drinks, and with the genin trio following, they learned exactly how bad Kuroi was at holding his liquor.

---

"God damn it!"
Coren flew through the wooden door, shattering it, as he soared across the street and into a lamppost.
After falling to the ground, he looked up and saw Kuroi, one hand balled into a fist, and the other clutching a bottle of hard-ass booze.
Hanako rushed out to check on him, but Coren just stood up and sighed.
"Alright, we took out a sober Kuroi once... Let's just get him back to the hotel, okay?"
Shaking his head, he got into stance.

Kuroi's Initiative: 11
Coren's Initiative: 14
Hanako's Initiative: 13
Jacob's Initiative: 16

Looking to Jacob, Coren could see that he was the closest to Kuroi, and would be the first to move.

Hearing Coren, I quickly entered my stance. Thankfully, since I kept a small bit of distance between me and my drunk teacher, I wasn't in his range.
On the other hand,
"You're in range of my divination," I muttered, charging forward. "Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!"

Jacob's Attack: 18
Kuroi's Defense: 9

Stepping forward, I shot my hands into his chest, shutting off several tenketsu.
"Four Palms!"

Jacob's Attack: 12
Kuroi's Defense: 17

After the first hit, Kuroi grabbed Jacob's arm and shoved him backwards, though when he stepped forward for a follow-up, he nearly stumbled in his drunken stupor.
Coren sat down onto the ground, pulling out a pen and paper. Scribbling furiously, he nodded for Hanako to go and strike.
Returning his nod, she ran forward with several senbon brandished.

Hanako's Attack: Critical
Kuroi's Defense: 11

The senbon struck true, one taking up lodging in his right arm, and another in his left leg. The third slid into his chest as the paralytics began to flow through his body

Poison Effectiveness: 11
Poison Resistance: 1

Kuroi stumbled, slamming his face into the bar stool as the paralytics sped up. Unfortunately for him, the effectiveness of the poison increases with more alcohol in his system.

Kuroi Taka is now severely paralyzed: All bonuses from the level of [ANBU] are removed.

Cussing, Kuroi rubbed his face.

"Thash it, e'rrybody, git out!"
All the other people in the bar quickly left, the idea of a loud, abrasive, and drunken highly trained ninja warrior scaring them.

Of course, during the middle of said evacuation, Kuroi still struck at the unfortunate blond kunoichi.

Kuroi Attack: 14
Hanako Defense: 13

One fist to the stomach later, Hanako had punched a second hole through the door to the tavern, skidding across the ground until she slid next to Coren.
"...Ooooww..."

I ran forward, trying to catch Kuroi of guard by using Hakke Hasangek.
"Take this!"

Jacob's Attack: 4
Kuroi's Defense: 16

Kuroi caught the blow, grabbing his arm and twisting it painfully before shoving him away.
"Got it!" Coren yelled out.
Charging forward, Kuroi turned to look at Hanako, who started moving just after him, and was actually now closer.
"Hyah!"

Hanako's Attack: 15
Kuroi's Defense: 0

Several more senbon cut into him, making him drop to the ground.

Kuroi Taka Status: Active>Stunned

"Alright, let's go!" Shoving Kuroi to the floor, he slammed the paper into his chest, channeling chakra into it. "Chakra Seal: Activate!"
Kuroi's eyes widened as his chakra began to pulse wildly, making him lose all chakra control.
"D-dru..."
Kuroi, no longer having his chakra to run damage control for the booze, promptly vomited and fell unconscious.

"...Alright team," Coren said plainly, "We are never to give Kuroi booze under any circumstances. Now let's get to the hotel."

Drunken Brawl: Kuroi - COMPLETE
Defeated: One Jonin
Rewards: +15 EXP

---

The next day was highly uneventful, besides a bit of teasing their teacher about his tolerance for the harder drinks. Raiga openly complimented the group on their teamwork, saying that he was glad that he had them as bodyguards, even if he didn't need them.
After that, the remainder of the day was spent on security detail for the guy as he went around doing menial tasks, like grocery shopping and delivering letters.
However, the following day, their sixth since leaving Konoha, Raiga did have something interesting to say.

---

"Well, it seems like my boss's really interested in you three," he said casually. "He said that he'd really like to meet his money's protective detail... Apparently, that little debacle at the bar caught his attention." Smirking, he looked over the group. "What'd'ya say? Wanna meet the guy who's payin' ya?"

"Hell yeah!" I said, smirking widely. "As long as we don't have to kill him, I think I'm pretty game!"

Raiga laughed.
"What about you two, then?" he asked Hanako and Coren. "What d'you think 'bout it?"
Coren gazed coldly, the ice in his eyes almost apparent enough to use for Hyoton.
"...I'll follow if they will," he said solidly.
"I'm fine with it. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" she asked cheekily. "I say let's get a move on!" Raiga nodded.
"Oh, we'll have to leave Kuroi behind though," he added. "He's still not quite recovered from the Dragon's Eye poison you used, Hana. Is that fine with you all?"
Hanako nodded, as did Jacob.
Coren's stare went that much harder, which Raiga had trouble shrugging off.
"...Lead the way, sir."
Raiga nodded, leading them to his cart, before taking off.

---

"Tch... Where are those three?" Kuroi said, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. "I told Raiga to bring them here for training."
Shaking his head, he got to training as he waited for them.

---

"Here we are!" Raiga said jovially. "Shall we?"
A large business building stood there, where the boss was undoubtedly.
Sighing, Coren pushed away as much of the paranoia as he could; being crazy had downsides sometimes, he guessed.
"Let's go!"
Hanako leaped off the cart, going to the door.
After Raiga unlocked it, he pushed open the door and tipped his hat to a small, red-headed girl sitting over by the elevator door.
"Hey there, Karin-chan!"
She waved happily, but kept sitting there.
He took them onto the elevator and pressed B-3.
A shiver went down his spine; why did Raiga have to keep doing all this creepy stuff? And what kind of boss has his office in the third floor in the basement?
Shrugging it all off with a sigh, Coren asked
"Yo, Raiga."
"Hmm?" He turned his head to the kid.
"...What cargo were we protecting on our way here? I mean, you never unloaded your cart, so it has to be small enough to carry on your person, right?"
Raiga laughed.
"Ooh, you're good, kid; how 'bout a game of 20 Questions?" Coren frowned.
"...Fine. Is it bigger than a breadbox?"
"Yup."
Coren's brow furrowed. Small enough to keep on hand, but bigger than a bread-box?
"...Jacob, help me out here."

"A chest?"

"Uh... No," Raiga said. "It's not a chest."
"...You're terrible at this, Jacob."
"Ooh, ooh!" Hanako raised her hand. "Is it smaller than a person?"
"Nope," he said, smirking.
The elevator doors opened.
"Let's move while we talk, alright?"
He kept moving.
"...Can it be worn?" Coren asked, wondering if he meant clothing.
"...I suppose, but everything can be worn. It's not meant to be worn, if that's what you're asking," he said, opening a door.
"Is it a sealing scroll, with something large inside it?" Raiga barked out yet another laugh.
"You really don't think inside the box, do you?"
"Logical thinking is an occupational hazard," he responded.
Raiga knocked on a door, saying
"So is ignoring your instincts. Tell me; what's not smaller than a person, could be worn but isn't, yet still bigger than a breadbox? Also, it's something of worth, something more expensive than anyone in this world could ever buy? What is worth more than anything else in the ninja world?"
Thousands of thoughts swirled inside of Coren's head, before a headache started coming on.
It was like he should know the answer, like he did know it, but the thought hid better than he could ever hope to learn.
The aching built up as they walked into a large office, as he wondered.
Finally, though, as Raiga bowed before his boss, dropping to his knees, it hit him.
"...People. They aren't larger or smaller than a person," he said, staring at the person in front of him. "They can be worn, and a person is the most important thing on the Earth."
Staring down the man with slitted eyes, he finished, saying
"But you know that, don't you, Orochimaru?"

---

Kuroi sighed, staring at the sky above him.
There was no reason that Raiga would be taking so long, or that they would be.
They should have arrived by now, and all of his mind screamed at him to find them, because they were in trouble.
But what reason does he have to mistrust Raiga?
Everyone else seems to trust him complet-
"...Coren," he muttered. "Only a fool would ignore a psychopath's words about a liar."
He needed to move quickly.
He pulled out a small scroll and, placing his hand on it, he yelled out
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!"
He didn't have much time.

---

"Oh? You know me?" the snake-sannin asked. "My reputation must precede me," he said with a dark chuckle. "I must say, you're very intelligent, Coren Keitaro. To have solved the riddle only using seven questions! You're really interesting."
Coren ran his hand over his blade's sheath.
"Somehow, I don't like the way you say that." Orochimaru laughed loudly.
"Oh, come now, boy. I chose your team to come here because you have the Byakugan and the Yamanaka techniques, both of which I might not get another chance for in a long time."
Standing, he took a step towards our trio.
"I'll have to rob the boy of his eyes, and I'll have to torture the girl until she tells me her secrets, and then kill them both... But you?" Orochimaru laughed. "You are a damaged sociopath with a deranged psyche with a knack for sealing and is already at well over chunin level if your defeat over your sensei is anything to go by!"
Stepping forward, he offered the boy his hand.
"You and I are so very similar; we're both labeled insane by those around us, and we have to wear masks to hide it. Only, I got tired of my mask long ago... As will you, in time." The grin that went on his face looked like it would split his mouth in half. "I could teach you so much; the apprentice of a Sage. What d'you say?" he asked coyly.
Coren sighed, looking over his team.
"...I can't fight you; I know that," he said. "Your skills far exceed mine, Orochimaru."
Unsheathing his blade, his eyes went dead.
"But I won't let you kill my team; I may be insane, but I'm bound by honor."
Orochimaru frowned.
"You plan to die for your team, who you've known for a week?"
"That's part of it," he conceded. "Another part of me wants to make you pay for what you did to my friend, Anko Mitarashi."
The Snake-Sage's eyes widened.
"I'd forgotten you'd befriended her!" he said loudly. "How is my old apprentice? I mean, I haven't seen her for so long!"
A quick slash was sent out, but Orochimaru stopped it with his hand.
"Ever since I gave her the Curse Mark, she never calls, she never writes! I mean, how rude!"
Coren couldn't even make his sword twitch with the grip the snake had.
"I hope that when you die, you die painfully, and that your name becomes synonymous with a bad joke."
Coren lashed out with a kick, but it was stopped.
"Is that all you've got?"
Throwing him backwards, Orochimaru took a step back.
"Come at me, you three; whatever you do, it won't harm me in the least."
Smirking, he looked Jacob.
"You first, child."

"Your in range of my Divination," I said coldly.
Lashing forward, I didn't even notice that he didn't try to dodge.
"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms!" I yelled, hitting him as hard as I could.
"Four Palms!" And again.
"Eight Palms!" And again.
"Sixteen Palms!" And yet again.
"Thirty-Two Palms!" I screamed.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hitting with the final strike, I fell backwards, having put every bit of force I had into hitting him.

He just stood there, smirking, as if he were just out for a morning stroll.
"Well? Are you going to begin?"
"'Begin' this, you sick snake!"
Hanako threw several senbon, which hit him in several vital areas; in fact, one cut his femoral artery, and another his jugular.
"Really now," he said in annoyance, "You really must wait your turn, girl."
Turning, he pulled the needles out and tossed them on the ground.
"Perhaps you could try your clan's techniques, hmm?" He said, smirking.
Hanako wasn't an idiot, though; that's what he wants.
Brandishing a few more senbon, she crouched down.
"And maybe you could try and shove your head right up your-"
"NOW!"
Coren forced his chakra into a seal in his pocket, pulling out smoke bombs galore.
Setting them off, he grabbed both Hanako and Jacob and flung the former over his shoulder, and dragged the latter behind him.
"After them!" Orochimaru yelled.
"Yes sir," was Raiga's simple response.
Instantly appearing before them, he said
"Oh, come now, kids. You don't need to run; at least Orochimaru will give you sedatives, so you won't feel it."
Coren, having left his sword in Orochimaru's room, had to pull out a smaller wakizashi and point it at him.
"Oh, you wouldn't go through with-"
One slash later, Coren was dragging his teammates quickly to the elevator.
Hanako tried to stutter out "Y-You just-"
"Shut and climb."
Taking a small explosive note, he set it off in the elevator.
After it crashed down to whatever floor was below them, he pointed towards the cord that held it up.
"He would've shut it off and ambushed us in that metal death-trap, so we do this the old fashioned way."
Leaping up, Hanako ended up being the first to start climbing.
"Get going," Coren said to his other teammate. "You've got something he wants, and I don't want that sick snake to get anything after what he's done."

"Damnit... I'll kill that snake when I get stronger. Believe it!" I said, climbing up the rope as if possessed by a monkey on crack.

"There he is!"
"Get him!"
Coren turned around as a group of high-class ninja ran his way.
"...You both, you'd better get your asses out of here quickly; I won't be able to hold them back for long," he said towards the elevator shaft.
Readying his blade, he roared out
"This is for Anko! Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"
Letting rip a large quantity of chakra, he blasted several chunin back, as well as stopping some jonin in their tracks.

---

As they made it to the top of the elevator shaft, Hanako looked back down.
"Damnit... We need to get Kuroi, and fast! We'll need his help to save him!"
A thundering explosion suddenly filled the air as debris started raining down.
"We have arrived," a deep, booming voice said.
"Thanks, Garandou."
Kuroi leaped off of a six-story-tall hawk and landed next to the group.
"Where's-"
"Elevator shaft!"
"What-"
"Orochimaru!"
His eyes widened.
"I'll save him, you two, take Garandou and leave."
Hanako looked at Jacob.
"I... No, we have to stay," Hanako said firmly.
"That's what I thought you'd say," he said calmly.
And then everything faded to black.

---

"Your proving to be quite the pain in my side, Coren," Orochimaru said, holding the two halves of the boy's wakizashi in hand.
"D-Damnit..."
Laying there on his side, Coren clutched his stomach, from where he was bleeding profusely. A good chunk of his abdomen was missing; if it weren't for his powerful healing factor, he'd be dead right now.
"'Damnit' indeed," he said calmly. "You should've just accepted my offer."
"I would've, if you didn't hurt my friend." Orochimaru sighed.
"She was too weak. She was pathetic, and I left her because of it. She doesn't even deserve-"
Orochimaru flew backwards at an absurd speed, slamming into the wall.
He looked in complete shock as he saw Coren standing there, his entire body shaking.
"I dare you, I freakin' dare you to bad-mouth my friends," he said in a tone that sent a chill down all of the surrounding ninja's spines, save the sannin.
"Your friends drag you down, they instill weak morals and tell you half-truths to keep you weak, to keep you hidden away, like stolen pearls," he said, snarling. "But I see you for what you are, boy. To them, you are disgusting, you are immoral, and you are a murderer. That's why you hide behind the mask. But what I see is potential."
Coren cut him off by hurling a kunai at the man.
"You see a pawn, and nothing more," he spat. "The world can see me as they wish; I don't want to be friends with them."
Drawing out a third blade, this time a o-tanto, he stared right into the snake sannin's eyes.
"But those who see me as I am are those I can, and will die for."
Getting into stance, Coren ignored the pain.
"Let's go, Orochi-"

CRASH

A huge-ass hawk slammed right through the wall, taking out a large group of chunin with the debris.
"Come with me if you want to live," Kuroi said plainly.
Ignoring the urge to scream out 'WTF', he climbed on. He wasn't about to look a gift-horse in the mouth.
"Damnit! Get back here!" Orochimaru screamed out. "Kuchiyose no-"
A quick kunai cut him, and his tongue, off.
Coren made a quick note to self; do not annoy Kuroi... He has eyes like hawks, and aim to match. And no pun was intended.
"You are a self-sacrificing imbecile," Kuroi said plainly as the hawk tore another hole in the walls.
More hawks flooded in, sending out wind blades to take out enemy ninja, as well as the supports for the entire building.
"Wait," Coren said. "There was a girl!"
Kuroi turned around, staring at Coren.
"...Pardon?"
"A small child," Coren said quietly.
Rolling off the hawk just as it broke surface, he ran towards the building.
Looking over the entire place, through the windows, he saw the girl.
Twelve years old, by the looks of her; he couldn't let a civilian die.
"-weak morals-" a voice said in his head.
Shaking his head, he rolled through the already-shattered window before tackling her and promptly picking her up.
"Hey-"
And then he knocked her out, for good measure. He didn't need her kicking and screaming on the way out.
Going back out the window, Kuroi flew down and jerked Coren up onto it.
"I'm going to break your jaw when we get to Konoha."
"Good; maybe it'll knock the stupid out of me," he responded plainly.
The hawk quickly took off, taking them out of earshot of the snake as he screamed out in anger, as well as from the pain of several tons of steel crushing him.

---

Coren ended up passing out from pain and blood-loss, as well as chakra exhaustion around fifteen minutes into the flight.
Hanako and Jacob were kept unconscious with a genjutsu as Kuroi had Garandou fly them to Konoha at the highest speed he could; in just over an hour, he had the trio at Honoha General Hospital, being healed as best they could.
Jacob needed maybe a day's rest, and that was pushing it. Hanako wasn't hurt at all, so when she regained consciousness, she'd be fine.
Coren, on the other hand, was suffering from extensive physical damage, he was poisoned, he had a hole in his stomach, and he had severe chakra exhaustion. A normal person would spend the next month in the ICU, but thanks to his heightened regeneration rate, he would spend a little less than a week there before being discharged.
At least, that was what they thought.
Hanako and Jacob woke up a few hours later, the former waking up first.
When she went to check on Coren, she noticed two things.
One: He looked mostly fine, besides a circular scar on his stomach.
Second: He had three tomoes in a spiral on his neck.

This thread has now been concluded.
Their journey has brought itself to a close, but Team 7 has failed.

They had done so well in the beginning in defeating their jonin-sensei in a drunken brawl, but in the end, they had no chance against the odds put before them. They had met the Sage of Snakes, Orochimaru, and had walked into his base unknowingly. Their mission had been a set-up for the Sannin to steal the Byakugan and the Yamanaka techniques, and they had triggered it.
Only thanks to Kuroi's summoning scroll with the Hawk Clan were they saved, though unharmed they were not. Coren was left maimed and horribly injured, and was to spend a week in the hospital, but something changed.
The mark on his neck, the three tomoes; what could they mean? And why did they heal him?
Tune in next time to know, here on TNTNaruUzu.forumotion.com.

Bonuses:
Completing a Thread: +10 EXP (To All)
Defeated a Jonin level opponent with sealing: +5 Sealing (To All)

CorenKeitaro has leveled up.
JacobHyuuga has leveled up.