Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the reviews, they make me so happy. For those of you wondering if Naruto knows his true heritage, then yes he does.
Okay, now we're actually getting to the story part. I would really appreciate it if someone who is good at or likes to draw would please draw me a picture of Team Shikyo. I can do many things, but drawing goes right over my head. If you want to do this, then send me an email or on the review and I will send you all the information on what they look like, because not everything will be said in this chapter or at all. Some of the stuff I have written on my own Oujou biography page will never even make it into the story and is just for my reference, but I would appreciate it being put into a picture. I would love to see Team Shikyo put on paper (or any of the other Oujou Squads if you want to draw them. I'll send that info too).
Disclaimer: If you've never heard of it and can't find it on the Internet then it's probably mine. Other than that I (unfortunately) don't own it.
ENJOY!
Danse Macabre
Chapter 2: The Real Genin, the Fake Genin
Five-thirty in the morning found two members of Team Shikyo trying to get their other teammate out of bed. Fortunately, this was a common occurrence, one that Naruto and Hinata knew quite well.
"Naruto," Hinata began, as she attempted to drag Shikamaru across the floor by his legs. "Get the board." Naruto nodded and poofed out of the room.
A few moments later, he reappeared holding what looked like a shogi board. Actually, it was a shogi board. Shikamaru's shogi board to be exact. With a nod from Hinata he began.
"Katon: En-" But he was cut of by a yell from Shikamaru.
The formerly sleeping boy was now standing by the door of Naruto's room, clutching the board to his chest like it was a precious treasure. Well, to Shikamaru that may very well be the case. He adored that board, as it had been a gift from his betrothed. Naruto and Hinata always laughed at the fact that the two fought like no tomorrow, and yet that gift was his favorite thing in the world.
"Wow Shikamaru, I think the last time I saw you move that fast was when you fell into the women's onsen in Kiri." Naruto laughed out loud while Hinata tried to hide her giggles. It didn't work.
"If I remember correctly, it was your fault for pushing me in." He grunted and began to relax.
"Yeah, but you're the one they chased not me." He was still laughing as he grabbed his mask and placed the Hyuuga clothes on. "By the way, Hinata-chan, are you sure your cousins don't mind us using their clothes?" He motioned to the clothes he was wearing.
"Well, they did ask me to return them by last night, but they're already late…" She trailed off with a guilty expression on her face.
"Oh my gosh! Shikamaru, Hinata forgot to do something!" He joked. Shikamaru forgot their previous banter and laughed with him.
"Hm, well, I guess you won't be needing those clothes then, right? We can of course just waltz into the tailor's and demand our clothes." She finished sarcastically, her tone betraying nothing.
"Aw, come on Hina-chan, I was just joking." He send her the puppy dog look. All she did was raise an eyebrow.
"I'm sure."
"I waaasss." He whined, but the girl stood firm.
"Of course you were, Naruto-kun." A small smirk was beginning to form on her face, but fortunately Naruto didn't see it.
"I'm reeeaaaly sorry, Hinata-chan!" She couldn't take it anymore and began to laugh, passing the boys as she went out the door.
Naruto stood there, dumbfounded, "What just happened?" The blond turned to his best friend, who was leaning against the wall with a small, exasperated smile.
"You, my friend, just got duped by your girlfriend." And with that, Shikamaru also walked out of the room.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto yelled, chasing the other boy out of the room.
"You're betrothed, it's close enough!" Was the only reply he got before the brunette closed the bathroom door.
"Hey! Shikamaru!" He began banging on the door, only stopping when the door opened up to let a Suiton jutsu out. "I'll see myself to the breakfast table." The blond mumbled and slowly moved to the stairs.
It was going to be a long day.
Once breakfast was finished and Shikamaru's shogi board was put back in its' proper place, the team made their way out of the Forest of Death through one of the Hidden Entrances in the Tower basement. It was the first time in years they had done so without having a training session first. They were going to need all their energy today.
"Okay, first things first. We'll go get our clothes from the tailor's before we head off to see Hokage-sama." Shikamaru said.
"Why are we doing that first? Shouldn't we meet with Jii-san first?" Naruto inquired, pushing past a wooden door blocking one of the tunnels.
"Normally yes, but we should make sure Hokage-sama and Anko-sensei agree with our choice of clothes." The boy shivered at the mention of their temporary teacher.
"True. Alright, so we'll do that first." Naruto agreed and got a huge grin on his face. "I can't wait to see what you got, Hinata-chan. It must be great if it took you six hours to decide on something."
"Naruto…" Hinata sighed, exasperated. Sometimes the boy was complete genius, but he didn't do well in non-formal conversations. "Never mind."
As the girl raced ahead, Naruto turned to Shikamaru, "What'd I say?" The other boy just shook his head.
"Sometimes Naruto, you can be so dense."
"Hey! What does that mean?" But the other boy was already far ahead. "Teme!"
Catching up to his teammates, the three continued to race through the tunnels and passageways, silence overtaking them. To anyone else, the passages would have been mind boggling, even to a highly trained tracker or Hyuuga, but these three had spent years memorizing each tunnel, perfecting their internal maps so that they could find their way in the darkness. It was a time consuming, but useful process.
"Ne, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah?" Shikamaru turned and looked at him, as the group slowed down approaching the entrance that would lead them to Lotus Street.
"Do you think we might be able to make friends with these kids?" At his teammates' curious stares, the boy continued. "I mean, we are the same age and they won't know who we are, so…"
"This coming from the guy who was wondering if this mission was a ploy of the Hokage's in order for us to make friends." Shikamaru snorted in an amused tone.
"Well, yeah, but, I don't know." They had finally stopped in front of Entrance 23. "I mean, maybe it'd be nice to have some more friends our age."
"Maybe, but aren't we technically lying to them?" Hinata muttered, her eyes lowered. "We're not exactly friend material." The air about them suddenly became very depressed.
"I suppose not. There are a lot of differences." Shikamaru said, glancing at his teammates. "But, maybe. It would be nice, I guess, but I think we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's just stick to our current plan and see how things progress."
"Right."
Opening the entrance, the group used chakra to block their sense of smell. Despite the ingenuity the Shodai (theoretically) showed in creating the tunnels, he forgot to separate them completely from the sewers. Unfortunately for the children, this meant that in order for them to reach the surface they had to go through the sewage system. They had been tempted to finish the tunnels many times.
"Urg." Naruto grunted as his foot landed in a puddle of sewage. "Why didn't we just follow through to the Monument, or better yet, through the Forest?" He asked, helping Hinata out of the tunnel.
"Because this as the fastest way to the tailor's Naruto." Shikamaru replied, attempting to wipe his hands on his pants.
"Fastest, yeah, but do you really think it's the most inconspicuous?" He shot back. " And even if it was, do you really want to wander around smelling like yesterday's waste?"
"He has a point, Shikamaru-kun." Hinata muttered, inching away from what looked like…well, she didn't want to think of what it looked like.
"Well, we can't go back now." The brunette looked around. "Besides, one Suiton and Katon jutsu later and we'll smell like we just got out of the shower."
"Yeah, if we don't burn ourselves in the process."
"Naruto," Shikamaru growled. "You're practically fire resistant."
"Yeah, but you're not!"
Shikamaru opened his mouth to retort, only to find that he had nothing to say. It was true. He had forgotten that the bonding they had underwent all those years ago didn't transfer all the individual powers or protections each other had.
"True, but I'm sure you can put your pyromaniac tendencies to good use and raise the temperature with…his chakra."
Naruto growled at him.
"Um, guys?" They turned to look at her. "Not to sound pushy or anything, but can we please get moving. I like my tunnels, but I don't like the sewers."
The boys muttered hasty apologies, while silently wondering if it was her time of the month. She had become a bit fiercer as of late.
"Come on," she beckoned the boys forward and began walking. "It's the third manhole, right?"
"Yep, right between 212 and 215 Lotus Street." Shikamaru began to climb up the rusted ladder that would lead them to the tailor, silently wondering why the Hyuuga outfits didn't come with gloves.
Using a modified version of the leaf exercise, he used a small amount of chakra to push the top of the manhole off a bit, just enough for him to gaze around without being noticed. Finding no one within range, he motioned for his teammates to follow as he climbed out.
Now, it probably would have been easier for Hinata to use the Byakugan. Unfortunately, there was a slight problem with that. While the Shodai may not have had enough time to separate the tunnels from the sewers, he had enough sense to first realize that if they were found by someone of…unsavory loyalties then Konoha would be in trouble. In order to counter this, he created a sort of shield around the sewage system, blocking off all use of chakra within them. Chakra could be accessed above the shield and below it, but not in it, forming a block for someone above looking down or down looking up. The drawback was that while in the sewers, all jutsu became null and void, including bloodline limits.
In the beginning, it had annoyed the then Jounin, but had eventually taught them a valuable lesson: never rely on one thing.
After helping Hinata up (even though she probably could have done it herself), Naruto began his climb. It was unfortunate that, as he began his assent, he failed to notice the rather large rat watching them from an adjacent passage. Truly unfortunate indeed.
The tailor's shop didn't actually open until seven o'clock, but the old woman at the shop always made a point to arrive early for busy shinobi. Luckily for Team Shikyo, who were on a tight schedule, this meant that they could get their clothes, get adjustments done, meet with the Hokage, and still be on time to watch the genin. Fun.
Unfortunately for them, while the old woman was very nice, she was practically deaf and they spent almost fifteen minutes trying to tell her what it was they ordered. It wasn't until the old lady's son, who had been their clerk the day before, came in that they were able to get anywhere. He, fortunately, knew what it was they wanted and quickly fetched the clothing, all the yelling giving him a migraine.
As he pushed the children into the dressing rooms, both boys tried to, not so discreetly, take a peek at Hinata's outfit. All they could make out was a lot of purple and lavender.
It took the children almost another fifteen minutes to get all their stuff on, not because of the clothing per say, but because of the many bandages they had to put on. In the ANBU, seals were a necessity, usually because the amount of weapons needed by them would hinder movement. As such, seal masters would actually place storage seals onto the skin and clothing of the ANBU. Unfortunately for the team, clothing could be torn showing such seals that, while the genin might not know what they are, the Jounins would. To stop such a thing from happening the team had to cover most of their body in black bandages, a process that could take quite a while.
Then they had to get the clothes over the bandages. Urg.
As typical of stereotypes, Naruto and Shikamaru emerged from the dressing rooms first, impatient to see Hinata's outfit and get out of there.
"Come on Hinata!" Naruto yelled from his position on the bench. "It's been fifteen minutes already!"
"Troublesome." Muttered Shikamaru who was leaning against his dressing room door, not quite awake, but not asleep either. "We're scheduled to meet with the genin in an hour."
"An hour!?" The blond shot up from his seat, before getting a puzzled expression on his face. "But wait, isn't Kakashi always three or so hours late?"
"Yes, but we're meant to watch the genin, with or without their sensei."
"Oh. Well, that sucks." Naruto said as he sat back down, his mood going down.
"Tell me about it. I rea-" The boy was cut off by the sound of Hinata's door opening. Both boys turned to her and were utterly speechless.
Now, neither boy was entirely sure if it was because of the outfit or how Hinata looked in it, so they settled for a little bit of both. Never had they seen her in anything so…well, it wasn't exactly revealing with all the bandages, but it sure as hell showed more skin than they had ever seen before.
"Wow, Hinata-chan, you look h-" Shikamaru elbowed him in the stomach. "great!"
Turning to Shikamaru, he muttered, "Why did you elbow me? I was going to say 'great' the whole time." The other boy snorted in disbelief.
Turning to the girl, Shikamaru said, "You look very nice, Hinata." He smiled.
"Really? You don't think it looks too mature?" Her voice was unsure, but hopeful. It was obvious that she really liked the outfit.
"No way, Hinata-chan! It's awesome!" Naruto gave her a big thumbs up, making Hinata blush in the process.
"Naruto's right Hinata. Besides, isn't one of the functions of that type of outfit to make yourself look older?"
"Yes, but I don't want to look like Anko-sensei." Two of them chuckled while Naruto burst out into laughter.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan, you could never look that bad." The blond grinned. Hinata on the other hand didn't know how to take the comment, but knowing Naruto, she figured it was a compliment. She smiled.
"Thanks." She took a good look at them. "For the record, you guys don't look half bad yourselves." Both boys blushed and muttered their thanks.
Snapping her fingers as she remembered something important, Hinata took off one of her shoes and held it up so the boys could see the bottom of her high heel. "I almost forgot to show you guys this. Now, watch as I channel chakra into the heel." After a second of channeling the chakra, the base of the heel disappeared and a sharp, thick drill popped out.
"Whoa!" Both boys cried, inching away just an inch.
"Hehe, now when I kick someone it will really hurt." An almost sadistic grin appeared on her face, making the boys sweatdrop.
"Yeah, just don't use it on us, okay?" Naruto asked nervously, causing Hinata to chuckle and place her shoe back on, the drill disappearing and the base reappearing.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, I won't." She laughed at him as he drew a breath of relief. "At least now I can return my cousins' clothes. Masami-itoko-san is going to be so angry at me."
"Masami-san? What about your other cousin?" Shikamaru asked and Hinata actually began to fidget.
"Well…he didn't know."
"But I thought you said both of your cousins were expecting the clothes back?" Naruto said with his eyes wide.
"Yes, well, I figure that Masami-itoko would have told her brother and he would expect them back at the same time." She was beginning to blush, this time from embarrassment.
"Wait, who's her brother again?" Hinata began to fidget more.
"You know what?" Naruto said with his eyes closed. "I don't think I wanna know." The girl breathed a sigh of relief. She really didn't want to explain that.
"Alright," Shikamaru began, trying to get them out of the generally uncomfortable conversation. "Judging by the sun, it's probably around 7: 05. Why don't we pay and then hurry over to the Hokage's?" The other two nodded, glad for the change in topic, and gathered their clothes.
"Shikamaru?" Naruto got a gleam in his eyes, one his teammates knew to be wary of. "What do ya say we add a little something extra to our clothes?"
"What'd ya have in mind?" Naruto just grinned.
"You do realize that we just lost a half hour with your 'little something extra,' right?" Shikamaru growled.
"Hey, I didn't see you complaining when Ikuro-san was stitching them into your clothes!" The other boy growled back as the three made their way into the first entrance of the Hokage Tower.
"I didn't know it would take a half hour to do it!"
"Well, just be glad it didn't take longer!"
The two boys rarely got into real fights, something Iruka-sensei had stamped into them early on.
'Your teammates are your life, and you are theirs', without each other you are nothing.'
For the most part, the two (plus Hinata, but she wasn't arguing) followed it rigorously. This was mainly because they were best friends and there was nothing for them to be mad at, although Naruto's energetic personality and Shikamaru's laziness helped. Sometimes however, the two just needed to blow off steam and found each other to be perfect targets for whatever it was that was actually bothering them. Usually, the steam could be taken out in a spar, but in situations like this (in which there had been very little), verbal sparing worked just as well.
"But now we're going to be late!" Shikamaru yelled back. "We haven't been late for anything since we were four!"
"Oh come on!" Naruto exclaimed as the team entered the main entrance. "We talk to the old man and Anko-sensei for ten minutes and then Shunshin over to the training ground. It's not like there's a lot to say!"
"How do you know that?! Hokage-sama could have something very important to tell us!" Shikamaru responded. "Besides, we have to go through the whole mission acceptance procedure! Remember?!"
"If it was important don't you think he would have told it to us already?!" The blond yelled. "And of course I remember! It's kinda hard to forget when it's been drilled into your head since you were two!"
"Oh of course, my apologies Namikaze-Uzumaki-sama!" Shikamaru normally wasn't the mocking type, but even he could spit with the best. "But what if it just came up? Something they didn't realize early on!" The boys were practically spitting fire.
"Well, excuse me, Nara-fukutaicho! The Hokage is the one that came up with the mission! Don't you think he would have thought of every possible thing that could go wrong?!"
"You're excused! But didn't you wonder why we're supposed to watch over the genin now instead of just in the Chuunin Exam?!"
"Of course I have, but if you got information that an S-Class Nukenin wanted your genin wouldn't you want them to be protected as soon as possible?!" It was very likely that the ANBU didn't even remember what had started the fight.
"Yes, but he said that Orochimaru would come during the Chuunin Exam!" Hinata could feel a tick starting to form on her forehead.
"So?!" Naruto yelled at his friend. "He's an insane, evil genius! Insane, evil genius are prone to changing their minds!"
"So is everyone else in the world!" Shikamaru exclaimed, pushing passed a door. "But Orochimaru likes dramatics! Don't you think he would want a large audience for his 'grand kidnapping?!'"
"Yeah, but Orochimaru isn't stupid either! He knows that we exist and he knows he can't beat us!" Hinata was glad that they had come early enough that the Tower wasn't infested with shinobi of every shape, size, and hearing range, or else this 'secret mission' wouldn't be so secret anymore. "So why would he show up in an exam, try to kidnap some kids, with all the Konoha shinobi present?! That's suicidal!"
"Yes, but Orochimaru has been gone for almost thirteen years now!" If they didn't shut up, Hinata feared what she would do. "Who knows what kind of power he's obtained!"
"I know that, but-"
"WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP?!" Hinata whirled around and smacked the two rather forcefully on their heads, sending both boys skidding across the floor. "YOUR STUPID ARGUMENT HAS PROBABLY ALERTED EVERYONE WITHIN A THOUSAND MILE RADIUS OF WHAT'S GOING ON!"
The previously fighting boys were now huddled together on the floor desperately trying not to show fear. Showing fear would just make it worse.
Not to mention that their heads really hurt.
"I cannot believe your levels of immaturity!" She started to stalk forwards and the boys crawled back. "What has happened to your sense of professionalism?! Dear Kami-sama, maybe I should be babysitting you two instead of the genin! You're a danger to each other!"
The still huddling boys could only nod, hoping not to incur more of their friend's wrath.
"If you two don't shape up then I will make sure neither of you see another bowl of ramen or shogi board ever again!" She leered down at them. "Understood?!"
"H-h-hai!" They managed to stutter out as the girl grabbed them by their jacket collars and haul them up the stairs to the receptionist's office.
They made a mental note never to argue again, at least when Hinata was around.
The team must have made an odd picture in the secretary's eyes. Three twelve-year-old 'genin' that she had never seen before, just waltzing right in and demanding an audience with the Hokage. Normally, the woman would have refused them outright, but when they stated their Jounin sensei there was no way she would refuse.
Mitarashi Anko. The name practically demanded respect and obedience. Not to mention the fact that the very same Tokubetsu Jounin had stated very clearly to the older woman that she did not accept tardiness and that her genin team was to be in the Hokage's office the moment they arrived. Heck, she hadn't even known the Snake-bitch had a genin team.
"G-go right in." The woman stuttered to the smiling Hyuuga girl in front of her. "The H-Hokage is e-expecting y-you." If the team didn't know better, they would have thought the woman was fighting off fainting.
"Thank you so much." Hinata smiled again and dragged her still humbled teammates behind her.
Under normal circumstances, the three would have just used the secret tunnel they had used the day before. Unfortunately for them, the Hokage had left a note with the files stating very clearly that they were to start reporting like a normal genin team in order to not seem suspicious. It was highly annoying. This also led to the reason why they had not just Shunshin-ed to the Tower from the tailor's. Apparently, normal genin didn't know how to do that.
They followed the flight of stairs up to the Hokage's office without much talking; Hinata enjoying the quiet and the boys fearing her wrath should they speak. It wasn't until they reached the Hokage's door that the boys straightened up and the three placed on their faces of masked indifference. Naruto took the center while Shikamaru moved to his right and Hinata to his left, both taking one step behind him. The Mission Procedure began.
Naruto knocked.
"Enter." The door opened at the Sandaime's permission and the team stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind them.
The old man stood behind his desk in full Kage regalia, hat and all, while Anko stood two steps behind and to his left, signifying her help in the mission, but also that it was not her direct responsibility to secure the positive outcome of it.
The team bowed low.
"The Humble Oujou Squad, Shikyo, of Konohagakure no Sato humbly greets the Honorable Sandaime Hokage." They stated in a well-practiced, reverent, monotone voice, their bodies still bowed.
The Hokage bowed his head and replied in the same tone, "The Honorable Sandaime Hokage humbly returns the greeting of the Humble Oujou Squad, Shikyo, of Konohagakure no Sato."
Raising their bodies, but keeping their heads bowed, Naruto and his team announced, "The mission, Honorable Sandaime Hokage, has been reviewed and memorized. We ask now, is there more for us to know?" The tone remained the same.
"Your knowledge has been noted and recorded, Humble Oujou Squad Shikyo. At this time, no important information is available that has not been presented." The Hokage had raised his head and stared down at the team. They did not flinch under his stern gaze.
Naruto moved forward, his head up although his gaze locked on the kanji for 'Fire' on the man's hat, not the Hokage himself. "Permission to question temporary assistant on S-Rank Mission Number: 006591? Assistant name: Mitarashi Anko, Shinobi ID Number: 011226, Rank: Tokubetsu Jounin of Konohagakure no Sato."
"Permission granted." The Hokage did not move and neither did Naruto. Anko was the only one to move, but it was in a stiff soldier's march as she walked forward four steps, turned right to face the twelve-year-old and gave a sharp salute. The blank faces on everyone did not change.
"The Honored Assistant, Tokubetsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko of Konohagakure no Sato, humbly greets the Honorable Oujou Squad, Shikyo, and wishes to express extreme gratitude for the Honorable Team's acceptance of the humble skills offered." Her tone was the same as theirs. This was a well practiced skit that everyone of Chuunin rank and up learned by heart, whether they knew what it was for or not.
"Honored Assistant," Naruto began, nothing changing about him. "have you reviewed the mission stats left for you by the Honorable Sandaime Hokage?"
"Yes, Honorable Team Shikyo, I have reviewed the mission stats and have memorized its contents." Her right hand remained in a firm salute and her eyes never wavered from where they rested on his hitai-ate.
"Honored Assistant," The blond stated again, his eyes never stopping their gaze on the Hokage's hat. "what is your station in this mission?"
"Honorable Team Shikyo, I am to act as your Jounin-sensei, under the guise that my taking a team was to remain secret for one year, due to my questionable teaching abilities. This position is so that you may successfully complete the mission assigned by the Honorable Sandaime Hokage."
"Honored Assistant, what is the mission that has been assigned and why has it been issued?"
"Honorable Team Shikyo, the mission assigned is that you are to go under the disguise of genin on Team 8, an early graduation team as of one year. You are to watch over and protect Genin Teams 7, 9, and 10, under the Jounin senseis of Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma assisted by Yuuhi Kurenai, and Maito Gai. Each team consists of clan heirs or children of important village shinobi, and/or those obtaining a bloodline. Orochimaru, an S-Rank Nukenin, has shown interest in the Chuunin Exams, possibly for one or more of these children, as to which is yet unknown."
"Honored Assistant, which genin does each team consist of, why are they in danger, who is most at risk and why?"
"Honorable Team Shikyo, each team consists of two males and one female. New Team 7 under Hatake Kakashi consists of Uchiha Sasuke, last loyal Uchiha in Konohagakure no Sato and possibly future wielder of the Kekkei Genkai, Sharingan. Haruno Sakura, oldest daughter of wealthy civilians Haruno Kiyoshi and Yuri, but known to be distantly related to Founding Clan, Senju. Inuzuka Kiba, heir to the Inuzuka Clan, despite his sister being older, due to his being male and holder of the Inuzuka Kekkei Genkai to communicate and fight with dogs. Most at risk, Uchiha Sasuke due to the Sharingan."
"New Team 10 under Sarutobi Asuma and assistant Yuuhi Kurenai, consists of Aburame Shino, heir to the Aburame Clan and holder of Aburame Kekkei Genkai to communicate and fight with insects. Akimichi Chouji, heir to the Akimichi Clan, son of famous shinobi Akimichi Chouza of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho team, and holder of Akimichi Kekkei Genkai to increase size in order to crush opponents. Yamanaka Ino, heiress to the Yamanaka Clan, daughter of famous shinobi Yamanaka Inoichi of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho team, and holder of Yamanaka Kekkei Genkai to control-minds. Most at risk, Yamanaka Ino due to mind-control abilities."
"Team 9 under Maito Gai for six months, consists of Hyuuga Neji, member and heir of the Hyuuga Branch House and holder of Hyuuga Kekkei Genkai, Byakugan. Kanaki Tenten, eldest daughter of famous shinobi and Kenjutsu user, Kanaki Tenji. Rock Lee, orphaned son of famous shinobis Rock Santou and Tatsuki, is unable to perform Ninjutsu and Genjutsu due to malformed chakra coils, yet excels incredibly in Taijutsu. Most at risk, Hyuuga Neji due to the Byakugan despite the Juin Jutsu on his forehead."
Throughout her monologue, no one had moved.
"Mitarashi Anko," If possible, the woman stood up even straighter when Naruto said her name. "Do you feel yourself ready for the undertaking of this mission?"
"Hai, Honorable Team Shikyo, I feel it is my sworn duty to assist you in the undertaking of this mission."
"Do you swear on your honor as a kunoichi to put the good of the mission above your own life?"
"Hai, Honorable Team Shikyo."
"Do you swear on your honor as a kunoichi to keep this mission a secret even under pain of interrogation and death, unless otherwise spoken by the Honorable Sandaime Hokage or us?"
"Hai, Honorable Team Shikyo, no word of this mission shall pass my lips unless given express permission by your spoken words."
"Understood." Naruto still did not move anything other than his lips. "Honored Assistant, Tokubetsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko of Konohagakure no Sato, please return to your place to the left of the Honorable Sandaime Hokage." The woman moved back stiffly to her place from before, not once letting down the salute before then.
Still facing the old man, Naruto said, "Honorable Sandaime Hokage, the Humble Team Shikyo does hereby give Tokubetsu Jounin Mitarashi Anko express permission to carry out her orders as stated in the mission stats given to her by you. Do you agree with my acceptance?"
"Humble Team Shikyo, I, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, do hereby agree with your acceptance." Naruto bowed his head and returned to his teammates who had not moved and inch since they had risen from their full bow.
"Honored Assistant, please move to stand behind the Humble Team Shikyo." Anko bowed low to the Hokage, before rising and marching over to the team, settling to stand behind and to the left of Hinata. "Team Shikyo, may your mission be swift and successful." The team, plus Anko, bowed low once more, and Shunshin-ed out of the stifling room.
The group landed silently on two tree branches above Training Ground 7 at eight o'clock sharp. Surprisingly, for all the formality and repetitiveness of the Oujou Squad Mission Procedure, it was very quick and only lasted fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, the process usually sucked all the fun out of a mission and made everything seem so somber. Now was a prime example.
For all their complaining about babysitting, the mission was original and their last one had been six months before, making this one almost seem entertaining. With the formal speech and procedure that all Oujou Squads had to go through right before undertaking a mission, it made a simple protection job seem almost depressing. Okay, with Orochimaru nothing was simple, but for the moment it could be considered as such.
Now, however, was no time for such thoughts. The mission had begun and the team needed to be focused. Anko nodded to the disguised ANBU, acknowledging their skills to start the mission without her and poofed away to begin planning how she would introduce her 'genin' to the shinobi of Konoha.
Trying to get rid of the depressing atmosphere the procedure had surrounded them with, the team took a look at each other and nodded. They began to suppress their chakra and hide themselves among the trees. Sitting down on different branches on one of the most open trees, they prepared themselves for a long wait if Kakashi's reputation proved to be true.
Shikamaru sat up against the left of the tree trunk on the lowest branch of the three his team had picked. Before five minutes were up, he was asleep. Hinata situated herself on the middle branch to the right of tree, content to just watch the genin interact with her Byakugan. Naruto, who had a great love for the wind and heights had settled onto the highest branch about a yard above Shikamaru. He had fun trying to conk the sleeping genius on the head with random nuts or twigs that he could find. So far, he was unsuccessful in waking the other boy up.
Hinata sighed. It was going to be a long morning.
Hatake Kakashi took great pleasure in arriving late to events, meetings, meals, etc. So much so in fact, that some shinobi had caught on and told him to arrive three hours earlier than everyone else was expected to arrive. The only real drawback, in Kakashi's eyes, to arriving late was that certain people had no sense of humor.
Yuuhi Kurenai was a perfect example.
The moment he arrived at Training Ground 7, he could feel the killing intent in the air, even from Gai and the little mini-Gai. But none of the KI was more potent than that around the red-eyed kunoichi. She was seething and Kakashi could swear he saw fire in her eyes.
Used to this response from people though, Kakashi waved it off and raised his free hand in welcome, "Yo!" His visible eye crinkled up in happiness and his Icha Icha Paradise book moved down a tiny bit.
The group facefaulted, while Gai cried in the background, "SO COOL!" Kurenai was the only one still seething.
"Kakashi…" She growled out, and the silver haired man instinctively backed away. "What time is it?"
"Eleven o'clock sharp." He chirped happily, and he caught some of the genin shaking their heads either out of pity, embarrassment, or disbelief. Maybe it was a mix of all three.
"And what time were you supposed to be here?" She growled again.
"Eight o'clock sharp!" Yep, it was definitely a mix of all three.
"Exactly, eight o'clock sharp." She almost purred out. "Eight o'clock sharp was THREE HOURS AGO!" She aimed a punch for his head and hit him square in the noggin,' knocking his body into a tree.
"AND PUT AWAY THOSE DAMN BOOKS! THERE ARE INNOCENT CHILDREN HERE!" She paused when he didn't get up. "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME KAKASHI?!"
But the man wasn't listening to her, he was focused on the tree he had been punched into. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered the others come up to him, worried that Kurenai had actually hurt him (well, some of them at least, Sasuke remained in the clearing thinking that if Kakashi could be taken out with one hit then he wasn't worth it as a teacher).
The others, however, weren't Kakashi's concern right now. He had notice something in this tree, he knew it. Something-
"RIVAL KAKASHI!" Gai's screams alerted him out of his musings and he blinked at the big, eyesore of a man.
"Did you say something?"
"SO HIP!" Gai yelled again, as (most of) the group sighed in relief (Shino being the one exception). Kakashi wasn't hurt.
After helping the grey-haired Jounin up, the group that had come over to check on him left for the field, Kurenai apologizing profusely for knocking him into the tree. Getting a bit annoyed and still hung up over what he thought he saw, Kakashi said he'd only forgive her if she let him read his books.
She promised to knock him back into the tree.
As the last of the genin made it back to the training ground, the Jounin had them separate into their teams. Ino was a bit reluctant to leave 'her Sasuke-kun' with 'forehead-girl,' but relented when Asuma threatened to send her back to the Academy.
"Alright!" Having caught the kids' attention and stuck another cigarette in his mouth, Asuma continued. "First, I would like to introduce everyone to Team 9. They are an older genin team that I requested from Hokage-sama in order to help you all get into the swing of being on teams and how to adapt well to different situations. We," he motion to himself and the other Jounin, "felt it necessary for you all to learn how to work on teams you're not familiar with, so from now on you all will meet here once a week for mixed team sparring."
"Now, we won't actually start on that today or any other day for about a month, seeing as Teams 7 and 10 don't know how to work on their own teams yet either. Today is really just team introductions. We're just gonna go around and say our names and teams first, 'kay?" Seeing their nods, he started.
"'Kay, I'm Sarutobi Asuma, Jounin sensei for Team 10." He pointed to Kurenai.
"I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, and I'm the assistant Jounin sensei for Team 10." She nodded towards Kakashi, but Sakura interrupted his introduction.
"Kurenai-sensei?" She asked earnestly.
"Yes?"
"What do you mean by assistant sensei?"
Kurenai smiled, expecting the question to come up eventually. "I'm a new Jounin and as such I cannot take my own genin team. Hokage-sama, though, saw it fit for me to be placed with Asuma-san as an assistant sensei so that I might be able to see how to teach my own genin team in the future."
"Oh, that makes sense." The most of the other genin nodded their heads, while Shino remained unresponsive, and Sasuke grunted.
"Now, moving on." She nodded once more to Kakashi, who had his nose buried in his little orange book. Growling, Kurenai said, "Kakashi."
The man looked up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, I'm Hatake Kakashi, Jounin sensei for Team 7." Pointing at Gai, he went back to his book, his giggles drowned out by Gai's voice.
"YOSH!" The tall man jumped up and struck a pose. "I AM KONOHA'S BEAUTIFUL BLUE BEAST, MAITO GAI-" But he was cut off (to the secret pleasure of everyone but the mini-Gai), by a, not quite as loud, voice.
"I swear, Hinata-chan!" The voice was quickly coming towards them and soon three silhouettes could be seen coming near the training area.
The voice continued to get louder as it talked to 'Hinata-chan.'
"This really weird guy came flying out of nowhere and landed right at the base of the tree I was in!"
"I'm sure Naruto-kun." The girl, who the group assumed was 'Hinata-chan,' was quietly heard as the three came closer.
One of the silhouettes leaned over and said, "You believe me, right Shikamaru?" The group assumed that the one leaning was 'Naruto-kun.'
"Of course, Naruto." The one dubbed Shikamaru didn't sound very convinced.
It appeared that the three hadn't noticed the large group yet, too held up in their own conversation. As they moved out of the glare of the sun, the genin and four Jounin were able to just make out what the three looked like.
The one in the center, Naruto, had short, bright blond hair almost completely covered by his hitai-ate, which had been configured into a black bandana with the plate on his forehead and the cloth covering the hair, tying in the back. The group also assumed that the hair was spiky if what was peaking out of his bandana was any indication. The kid wasn't exactly tall, kind of average height, with tan skin and a thin frame. The girls also noted that he had to most beautiful bright, blue eyes.
He wore what appeared to be black Jounin pants with many pockets and had white bandages wrapped around the ankles and shins, as well as a kunai pouch attached to his right thigh. Around his waist were two dark orange belts in a criss-crossing position, not exactly a shinobi color, but every ninja had to have his quirks. He wore a black mesh, three-quarter-sleeved shirt underneath an open, black, short-sleeved, zip-up hoody with grey shoulders and a collar. The jacket itself seemed to have some sort of orange and red symbol or patch put on each shoulder.
Underneath the mesh, black bandages could be seen wrapped around his arms, torso, and stomach. The bandages only stopped about an inch above his fingerless, black gloves with steel tips in between each knuckle and small metal plates on their backs Kakashi was willing to bet that the leaf symbol was carved onto the plates. Most gloves sold in Konoha did.
Besides the black shinobi sandals with a steel heel and toe coverings if what the group saw was correct, the blond seemed to be wearing some type of teal or blue necklace along with a pair of black goggles around his neck. Some of the ones with better sight even managed to see small, silver hoop earrings, and some sort of black or grey elbow pads on. The two most startling things about him though were that he appeared to have three whisker-like marks on each cheek and that he was chewing on what could only be a very sharp senbon needle. Weird.
And that was just the first boy.
The second boy, who everyone guessed was Shikamaru, looked slightly more normal, if very sleepy. He was about the same height as the first boy, but a bit ganglier, with long, brown hair pulled up into a short, high ponytail. Chouji vaguely thought it looked like a brown pineapple. His eyes were the same kind of brown and he too had small, silver hoop earrings in his ear lobes.
Shikamaru's outfit wasn't all that different from Naruto's to tell the truth. He wore the same black Jounin pants with white wrappings, as well as placing the kunai pouch in the same spot. His belts, or rather belt, wasn't orange but grey with a silver buckle engraved with the Konoha symbol. The black mesh shirt he was wearing looked like short-sleeves, but the same black bandages were there in the same exact spots. Instead of a short-sleeved jacket though, Shikamaru's was a long-sleeved, cropped grey jacket with a green and brown patch on each shoulder.
That was really where the major differences ended and subtleties came in. They wore the same gloves, although Shikamaru's didn't seem to have the extra metal in between the knuckles. And while their shoes appeared the same, the brunette's were lacking the steel at the toe and were just at the bottom and the heel. His hitai-ate was wrapped around his left upper arm as well.
The most astonishing thing about him though, was that the kid was smoking a cigarette. What was the kid's parent's thinking?
Pushing aside the two boys and their obvious love for putting things in their mouths, the girl, Hinata, was a real jaw dropper.
At twelve, the girl had a body that sixteen-year-olds would kill for. She was obviously a Hyuuga, of the Main Branch the Jounin noted when they saw the distinct lack of a seal on her forehead. Her skin was fairly pale and no real blemishes could be seen. Unfortunately for a slightly jealous Tenten who had just hit puberty, her lack of pimples couldn't be blamed on not having started as the girl was obviously an early bloomer.
The girl was rather petite, slightly shorter than the two boys, and seemed to have a slightly shy disposition about her. Her hair was rather long, maybe slightly longer than Sakura's hair, and a deep indigo color. It was pulled back into a loose braid, with two thick bangs framing her face, and a light lavender ribbon weaved in between the plaits of her braid before forming a bow at the bottom. She even had a black and lavender peony stuck behind her left ear.
Unlike the two boys who wore pants, this Hinata girl wore a dark purple, slightly loose, short skirt with a slit going up the right side and a black and light lavender patch in the corner of it, near the slit. Underneath the skirt though, were black, spandex short shorts that reached about mid-thigh. Across her waist were two, small, black belts that criss-crossed and appeared to be used to keep, what Tenten and the Jounins were astonished to find, tanto sheaths and a pouch on the small of her back.
She also wore a dark lavender, long sleeved, cropped coat that only covered her arms and upper back. The coat had light lavender colored bands at the base of the sleeves and clasped with a silver buckle in the shape of the Konoha symbol at her neck. Underneath it was a tight, dark lavender, halter-top over a tight, black mesh, short-sleeved top. What was strange though, was that she also seemed to be wearing black bandages in the same places as her male counterparts.
Around the girl's neck was not only a pair of loose goggles identical to the ones the other two had, but also her hitai-ate, tied in a choker-like fashion. It was a good thing her silver hoop earrings were just as small as her teammates' or they'd be getting caught on everything. Also, partially hidden by her long sleeves, was a pair of gloves not unlike Shikamaru's.
It was her legs, however, that brought the attention of many of the (male) genin. Instead of just having bare legs with a kunai pouch attached to her right thigh (which she did), she also had black mesh on her left leg starting at the ankle and going up to the knee. But the mesh didn't stop with just that leg, as black mesh was also fixed on the right leg, but this time it started at the spandex shorts and ended at the knee. If that wasn't enough, Hinata also had metal shin guards on both shins and black, high-heeled, shinobi sandals.
But the real kicker, for the Jounins at least, was the Infuuin seal identical to that of Tsunade-sama's on her forehead.
Now, despite what it may seem, these observations only took, at most, maybe a minute or two. During that time, the three arguing 'genin' were making their own observations while pretending they hadn't noticed the rather large group.
They weren't overly impressed, but hey, you can't win 'em all.
"I'm serious guys! Why won't you-" Naruto pretended to cut himself off as he stared openly at the group. This of course drew the attention of his teammates, who obviously hadn't known the three teams were there either.
"Who the hell are all of you?!"
Haha, I left a cliffy. Yay!
Okay, first, I'm sorry the descriptions were so long, but I love making up clothes and I wanted everyone to really picture the team as the genin saw them.
Also, a few things I need to explain:
I know the whole Mission Procedure thing may have been a bit odd and repetitive at times, but there is a purpose for it and it will come into play later. Patience is key.
I also don't know if any of you picked up on the whole, "bonding" thing I mention maybe once at the beginning of the chapter, but if you did, CONGRATS! You have just discovered a major hint as to the weakness and strength of the team, as well as a major player in the plot of the story.
Oh, just to let you all know, the Hyuuga Branch House has a leader that runs the Branch House and makes sure everyone is doing their job. He also reports to the Hyuuga Clan Leader. Sort of like a House Steward or more like a Butler in an old wealthy household. Not the stereotypical Butler who is creepy and opens the door but one that is responsible for running the household. The position of the Butler actually pertains to the highest-ranking servant for those of you who didn't know. It's actually a great honor.
I'd also like to know what other hints of future conflict you guys picked up. I like foreshadowing, just to let everyone know.
If you guys have anything to ask or say, just click on the little review button. I love it when people do that. Just DON'T FLAME. I like constructive criticism, but flamers need to read what they write and think about what they would feel if they got such a message.
Word you may not know:
Itoko- Cousin
Well, that's all for now! BYE!