Ino's POV (Traversing Forests of Land of Fire)
"Fortunately, Shikamaru reached out and became my first true friend. It was only one friend, but it was more than enough. I always had my mom's support. That's when I decided to become Hokage; when I succeed at that, it will prove something. That I've finally earned the respect and admiration of my homeland, that even a nobody like me can become something… If I let someone else struggle alone, I wouldn't be worthy of my goal. As a Hokage, I can never leave a friend in pain. I'll help everyone I can and become the greatest Hokage ever. This is my ultimate goal, and I won't accept anything less." Ino silently pondered Naruto's words. As always, Naruto had a unique way with words and could be both a knucklehead and mature and caring simultaneously.
"So you'd do that for me, Kakashi, or whoever?" Ino asked. After that speech, she was keen to hear his thoughts on her.
"Of course, believe it!"
Ino furrowed her brows, feeling unsure about the vague response she received. She realized that she needed to be more direct in her approach. "Naruto, I'm curious. What are your thoughts about me?" Inwardly, she panicked a little, regretting her straightforward phrasing. Even the knucklehead should be able to read through that.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. Confusion was plain on his face. "Um, I mean, you're my friend. I think you're pretty hilarious at times, you're pretty smart, too, and you can be kind." The blonde male replied.
Ino's heart rate rose as she listened to the blonde. He wasn't exceptionally smooth or charming, but his honesty surprised her. Something about his words left no doubt in their validity. She had received many compliments in her life, such as being called beautiful, intelligent, talented, and personable, but she had also been insulted, temperamental, vain, and wrathful. However, being called kind was new to her, and she didn't consider herself as such. Nonetheless, Naruto had said it with such conviction.
"You may not always say nice things. And you can be a bit scary. But when Neji was harsh to us both. I noticed you were putting in effort to get along with me. Even though you considered me a goofball, you never put me down. You always took me seriously in a way not many people did. That meant the world to me. So thank you for that, ya know?" Naruto smiled brightly as he finished. "Oh yeah, and you're beautiful and all that!"
Ino's face turned red as she listened to Naruto's words. Though they were a bit simple, she couldn't help but feel touched by how sincere he sounded. However, this unexpected turn of events had not gone as planned. Despite everything, she realized that Naruto might be her first true crush. Wanting some alone time to process her thoughts, she hastily returned to her tent, leaving Naruto confused alone. However, the way he said things was so earnest it took her breath away. This certainly had backfired. But she knew one thing for sure. Naruto Uzumaki was someone she needed to be closer to…
"Was it something I said?" Naruto called quietly. He waited for a response that did not come. Before he sighed heavily to himself. "I'll never understand women."
X-X
Kakashi's POV
Kakashi was perched on a branch, observing one of Naruto's undetected clones below. It wasn't Naruto's fault that he couldn't detect Kakashi's presence, even if he had known he was there. Years of training and a rough life had perfected his stealth. Kakashi had planned to stay up all night to ensure the safety of his Genin, but he hadn't anticipated witnessing a moment between the two blondes. "Minato's luck with women and Kushina's lack of understanding of romance. It seems like your path will be similar to your father's, if not a little more messy," Kakashi said to himself. He found it enjoyable to be a sensei and to witness the growth of the next generation of shinobi, the next vanguard of the will of fire…
Orochimaru's POV (Hidden Sound Base - ?)
Orochimaru sat contentedly in his underground lab; Zetsu had gone to meet with a follower of Ikam. Ikam was a man with whom he was familiar. For years now, the two have maintained business relationships. Ikam had access to Fuijutsu, and even Orochimaru struggled to understand it. The Uzumaki at his beck and call were powerful and valuable. He could certainly use the added strength and numbers with both the Leaf and another force hot on his trail. Moreover, his first encounter with the Leaf was imminent. His forces were strategically positioned around a bandit camp, awaiting the arrival of a team of shinobi whom they could ambush. It was bound to be an intriguing few days for the Sannin.
It was as if the ground in his lab shifted on cue, and Zetsu swam out of the ground. "Hello, master! Orochimaru." The two greeted in sync.
"Hello there, how did the meeting with Ikam's man go?" Orochimaru asked, getting straight to business.
"It was so much more interesting than we had thought! Obito and Itachi Uchiha are alive and in service of the Leaf." Zetsu replied evenly.
Orochimaru was taken aback for a moment but quickly began to formulate plans in his mind. Itachi and Obito Uchiha were highly skilled shinobi with powerful Sharingan abilities, and obtaining their eyes would make him unstoppable in achieving his ultimate goal. Ikam was aware of this and sought Orochimaru's help dealing with them. "What does he want from us? Kukukuku."
"He asked for our assistance in killing them! We get the bodies! He asked for manpower, weaponry effective towards the Uchiha, or a more powerful compound to ensure they could crush the two. Providing we do this, he preserves the eyes for us and offers a seal to counteract their effect on a non-Uchiha."
"Perfect. Inform them this is fine. They will have all three. And what of the other news?"
"You were right as always, master! They sent a team! The team is Team Seven. They are a Genin squad part of the new program the shinobi world enacted. Neji Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, Naruto Uzumaki, and Kakashi Hatake."
"Interesting, the Side House has little value. To take him alive, however, I'd like to test the biology of a Hyuga. The heir of the Yamanaka family is a useful asset. We could use her for ransom or even our newest mole. As for Naruto Uzumaki, I believe my subordinate, Ikam, would relish a new target. However, Kakashi Hatake may pose a problem. We could use his eye, but he is no minor threat… I will send another squad of Sound Jounin and the Genin from Team Tremble and Bass. This should suffice for such an unremarkable group. It is time to demonstrate the strength of my shinobi to the world!"
"Understood. Whatever."
Orochimaru wondered if Hiruzen even realized the Leaf would soon be in peril.
Naruto's POV (Nearby Bandit Camp - Land of Fire)
They had moved out at the crack of dawn—light enough to see and move with ease but early enough for most of the camp to be asleep. Kakashi would get them close and then allow them to formulate their strategy of attack. Kakashi's presence served to kill any nerves the group felt. After weeks of training with the man, his skill was drilled into their skulls.
"It's important for each of you to gain experience in decision-making. You won't always have a commanding officer present, and you may even encounter an incompetent one. It's crucial to know how to think independently," Kakashi emphasized before stepping back and indicating he wouldn't be offering assistance. There was a brief pause before Naruto spoke up.
"Well, we should probably check 'em out first. Make sure we know what we're dealing with." Naruto started.
"Makes sense to me. Would also make sure there's nothing like prisoners or some kinda destructive weapon or unknown element." Ino added.
"Sound logic." Neji complimented. "Kakashi and I would be best off scouting them from a distance. Our eyes will allow safe and accurate visuals with ease." Ino nodded at this. Her brow creased as she thought hard.
"Maybe Naruto should surround the camp? It would give us a safety net if any managed to sneak by, or if we were somehow in trouble, they could bail us out", Ino offered.
"Great Idea! Plus, if for some reason someone else comes along who's hostile, they could either take them out or hold them off and get info to me no matter where I am", Naruto added happily. "But how do we do the attack itself?"
"Well, while Kakashi and Neji scout from the outside, why don't Naruto grab a guard? I can get inside as an actual member with my Mind Body Switch Jutsu. I could sabotage them and set traps from within. That way, when we launch the actual assault, they are even more vulnerable."
"Hmmm, what if I had some of my clones transform into kunai?" Naruto asked quizzically. "You could plant them throughout the camp, and they could release them whenever they pleased. But if you get in trouble, you'll have backup."
"Excellent idea Blondie." Neji replied. Both ignore Naruto's cry out about Neji not being too involved with the Blondie thing. "From the mission report, we know these bandits aren't particularly threatening; they just have considerable numbers."
"Okay, so assuming this camp has one to two exits, we need to split our forces. One team at each gate and another guarding my body", Ino continued.
"Maybe Neji? He could keep an eye on all of us with a shadow clone. If one of us gets in trouble, he dispels it, and every clone out will know. It would allow us a pretty flawless communication system, " the blonde male suggested.
"I believe that's a good plan," Neji concurred. "Kakashi, our strongest fighter, should be positioned as our main defense and bottleneck at the primary entrance. He could also be backed up by additional clones in case he requires assistance. Naruto can be positioned at the secondary entrance or exit. His clones will ensure even a large group will struggle to get by. After that, we'll have to wait until Ino signals she's ready. A simple flare will suffice. By then, it won't matter if they become aware that something is amiss. Once Ino and Naruto wreak havoc from within, Kakashi and Naruto will be bolstered by Ino and myself, and we'll push in."
"Whaddya, you think Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Eh, it sounds like it could work," Kakashi responded noncommittally. "Alright, are you all ready to start?"
"Hai!" The three answered.
"Just remember to have fun. We'll meet up again to discuss scouting and our future prisoner." Kakashi ordered, all of them then leaping off.
X-X
Naruto and Ino were hiding on the edge of the woods, carefully observing the camp. The camp consisted of a large group of tents and hastily assembled buildings. A fence and wood planks had been used to create a rudimentary wall, which would not stop most people but was high enough to require either climbing or destruction. Clearly, the bandits weren't foolish, as they had roughly six men patrolling the perimeter of the camp at all times. They watched each bandit as they passed by, memorizing their path and the time between their passes. Once a full rotation had gone by, the two selected their victim. An older bandit with a noticeable limp, a bit drunk, the man was the perfect target.
They waited patiently for the man to walk close by. Ino gave the signal when the man's back was turned. Without a sound, Naruto hurled his clone like a sack at the man, who never saw it coming. He was hit square in the back of the head with a flying kick, and Ino doubted he felt a thing as the clone silently landed on top of the unconscious man. The clone then picked up the man, and the three hurried back to the meeting place, hoping the scouting party had good news.
When the two arrived, they saw that the other two had been successful. Neji moved around the camp and counted their numbers. There were roughly fifty bandits, most poorly armored and armed, but not alone. From what he saw, there were around ten people inside the cells within the camp.
Kakashi informed them that he had discovered weapon caches inside the camp that were heavily armed with swords, bows, cannons, and explosives. He marked them on a map he had drawn and suggested that Ino trap them before they went for the prisoners.
"Only makes sense. I think we have what we need." Neji decided.
The members of Team Seven reconvened with a new prisoner in tow. They updated each other on the current situation. Ino's mission was to secure the weapon rooms and free any captives. Naruto and Kakashi were responsible for launching an aggressive attack from both sides. Neji would protect Ino and oversee the operation, ensuring everyone was informed and safe. Each member would have Naruto clones to assist with information sharing and backup.