~~~~~

Kana and the stranger waited in silence. The man tended to his boat, and Kana passed the time by twirling her kodachi. But after almost two hours a group of five people approached them. Four out of five of them wore matching headbands, and the last man reeked of sake. They approached the owner of the boat, also noticing Kana at his side.

"Who's the girl?" The drunkard asked.

"My name's Kana," She interrupted. "And I just need a ride to the Land of Waves."

"Are you working for Gato?" He glared.

"No!" Kana huffed, tapping her headband. "I'm on a mission."

"Hey! So are we!" A blonde boy in an orange jumpsuit exclaimed. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

The tall silver-haired man hit him over the head with a masked smile.

"You don't just give out information like that, Naruto." He scolded.

"Ow!" Naruto whined. "That hurt, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Why should we trust you?" The girl with pink hair asked, narrowing her eyes.

"As I said, I'm just on a mission and I need a ride." Kana sighed.

"Find someone else." The boy with black hair scoffed.

"Now, now Sasuke, that was a little harsh." Kakashi teased.

"I already tried finding another ride, no one is going near the Land of Waves." Kana explained. "Besides, I can offer extra protection for all of you until we get there."

"What can you do?" The old man slurred.

"Oh, plenty of things." Kana shrugged.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. She was more experienced than she led on. She didn't reveal her skills.

"I don't have a problem with her joining us," Kakashi shrugged. "However, if the client says no, then there is nothing I can do."

The old man shrugged. "What can a kid possibly do?"

Kana kept in her laughter and bowed her head. "Thank you!"

~~~~~

The boat ride was far from silent. Despite the boat owners warning, the boy Naruto continued to talk in a hushed voice.

"What village are you from?" Naruto asked. "We're from Konohagakure."

"I am from Amegakure." Kana replied.

"What's the weather like?" Naruto snickered.

"Rainy." Kana chuckled.

"What exactly is your mission anyway?" Sakura, the pink haired girl, asked.

"I have to track someone down and convince them to come back to Amegakure with me." Kana replied, leaving out all the details she could.

"So are you a tracker?" Naruto asked.

"Not exactly, I have tracking abilities, but that isn't my main skill." Kana said.

"And you were sent on this mission alone?" Kakashi asked.

Kana nodded. "That's right."

"What's your ranking?" Sasuke asked with a glare.

"Officially, I'm a genin." Kana replied. 

"But you don't have a team?" Sakura asked.

"No, I have not been assigned to one," Kana agreed. "I work best with my summons."

"You have a contract?" Sakura swooned. "That's so cool!"

"What animal?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe you'll get to see." Kana grinned.

The conversation died down for a bit until the boat rower shut off his engine and spoke up.

"The bridge is right ahead of us, we will be there soon." He said, his voice no more than a whisper.

Sure enough, the bridge came into view, and it's sheer size made Kana go silent.

"It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke hit him over the head and mumbled an insult under his breath. Naruto scowled at him, rubbing the lump that was forming on his head. Sakura and Kana giggled quietly as Kakashi shook his head. Tazuna drank more.

"We're here," The owner of the boat whispered. "Be quiet when you get out."

The six of them quietly unloaded onto the dock, silently waving goodbye to the man who brought them there. The man waved back, sticking his paddle into the water and rowing back the way they came.

A kunai suddenly whizzed through the air, making everyone tense, they all relaxed however when they saw it was Naruto he threw it.

"It was just a mouse." Naruto chuckled.

"As nice as you all are, I think I should get going." Kana said. "I have a mission to complete after all."

"Will we see you again?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe, the chunin exams aren't far away." Kana replied.

Naruto opened his mouth to ask a question, but was quickly shut down.

"Good luck on your mission!" Sakura chirped.

"You as well." Kana nodded.

The Konoha shinobi and their client continued on, and Kana disappeared into the forest, where she could smell two distinctive scents. She silently went through the handsigns for the summoning jutsu and tapped the ground. Gray appeared and opened his mouth to speak, but Kana held up her hand for silence.

"Do you smell that?" Kana whispered, her nose twitching.

Gray sniffed the air, eyes narrowing. "Two people, not far from here and spread out."

"Exactly, and I smell blood." Kana replied.

"The two scents seem to be heading towards a large group of people." Gray added.

"Shit," Kana cursed. "We have to get there fast."

"Why?" Gray asked. "Do you know them?"

"Long story, let's hurry." Kana replied, swinging herself onto Gray's back.

"Roger that." Gray nodded, rushing towards the group.

His gigantic paws thudded against the ground as they rushed towards the scents. Fresh blood could be smelled, meaning a battle had most likely broken out.

Gray jumped over the Konoha shinobi, stopping in front of the genin and old man. Across from them, a tall man with a huge sword stood on the water, Kakashi crouching next to him, trapped in a bubble of water.

"Kana! You came back!" Naruto exclaimed, pure elation on his face. "And is that a dog?"

"Wolf!" Gray barked.

Naruto nervously chuckled and raised his hands in defence.

"What's this?" The man with a sword chuckled. "Another one of your brats Kakashi?"

"Ha!" Kana snorted. "I'm not from Konoha, I work for Amegakure."

She worked for the Akatsuki as well, but left that part out.

"So what are you doing here then?" He asked.

"I'm here to talk to you, Zabuza." Kana replied.

"Me?" Zabuza asked. "What business does Ame have with me?"

"Ame doesn't have any business with you, but I have an invitation for you." Kana said.

"Well I'm a bit busy, scram brat." Zabuza scoffed.

"Oh, now that's just rude." Kana growled. "Let's get him."

Gray howled in amusement and charged, jumping at Zabuza. He made a water clone, however it was quickly destroyed. In favour of not being bit in half, Zabuza jumped away, releasing Kakashi from his watery prison.

Kakashi hurried back to his team, checking them over for injuries. Each if them had several minor cuts, but they were safe.

"We have to get Tazuna out of here." Kakashi said. "But we can't just let Zabuza go, he will come back for Tazuna."

"Then why don't we help Kana?" Naruto asked.

"I'm still a bit suspicious of her," Kakashi sighed. "Why does her mission include talking to an S-rank missing nin from Kiri?"

"We still have to help her!" Sakura said. "She saved you Kakashi-sensei!"

"Owing a debt to someone sucks," Sasuke sighed. "We should help."

"What does the client say?" Kakashi asked, turning to Tazuna.

"Do what you need to." He shrugged.

"Then for the remainder of this mission, Kana is our ally." Kakashi sighed.

His three genin smirked, each of them readying their weapons.

A/N

I am not letting such good characters dies! It's not happening!