Disclaimer: I don't own the series Naruto or anything you can find there, from characters (including the fodder) to settings. All I have are my original creations.

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Codenames for Disaster: Saru, Nakimushi and Melon

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Chapter 4: The Aftermath

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The clock had finally struck 11 o'clock. Phase 3 was now commencing.

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Numerous attempts on retrieving the bells without any aid had led to Midori's efforts become rather fruitless. Each of her schemes failed terribly and, to add to her growing frustrations and despair, in the process of trapping Anko or finding any openings at all, the girl had mistakenly unlocked countless freshly placed booby traps, ranging from deadly to even-more-deadly.

Shinobi tactic number 3: ninjutsu~!

Narrowly escaping them, Midori was on the verge of losing her last drop of patience... and sanity. Tired, hungry and dehydrated after the constant efforts she had made just to stay alive, with all her limbs and vital organs intact, the girl ran completely out of ideas as to what she could use against this woman – who had gradually shape shifted into a demon in her eyes – seriously... to use such destructive traps... there had been moments where Midori believed she would die. DIE! This was a first in a very, VERY long time since Midori had been outwitted so badly and this notion was completely unacceptable! SHE WAS A BETTER KUNOICHI THAN THIS FOR SURE, DAMNIT! Her weapons were used up almost entirely save for her emergency stock she kept secluded inside her hidden pockets. Plus, her chakra reserves were nearly depleted as well, which meant she had to be more careful as to what jutsu she would use in the future – one or two top ones, at most, so she had to make those count.

Things were beginning to look really dreadful.

Luck wasn't shining on the duo's side either, Jewel collapsing on the hard ground alongside Naoko, both struggling to catch their breaths, after successfully ditching two genuine wilder beasts and avoiding some rolls of sharp wooden spikes buried in a ditch, neatly masked under a thick layers of dirt and vegetation. Had Naoko not have such fast reflexes, Jewel would had most likely become a 'human dango', impaled by those sharp rows.

"What kind of a suicidal test is this?!", Jewel could not stop these thoughts roaming through her mind and she was not the only one. Needless to mention any more how Anko was becoming the target of many, MANY mental cursing at that hour, even more when announcing the beginning of the last set of this bell game. This was it... It was now or never!

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An hour later and without any further options they could choose from, Naoko was finally persuaded by Jewel that – (though he did not like it one bit – You don't need to like it!) – they needed the help of the grass-loving girl. It was their last shot. After searching for Midori's whereabouts for nearly half an hour, Naoko finally managed to spot the girl near a tree, messing around with some wires and stuff. Midori was just as 'thrilled' as he was when the boy mentioned about Jewel's proposal. Their plan as a two-person combo was close to being fulfilled, however they always lacked another person to salvage the situation and really give them a fighting chance.

"Considering I agree to help you two, there's still going to be the problem regarding the one bell we're allowed to get. Question is, WHO will have it in the end?", she asked suspiciously.

"Obviously, anyone else but you, if you keep up with this attitude.", Naoko said gritting his teeth, anger slowly boiling inside his body.

"Hey, do you mind saying that to my face again?", Midori hissed rather annoyed, prepared to throw him a right hook if he kept being this difficult. Her thinning patience was already crumbling and he was becoming a real nuisance in her existence. Also, if anyone was to pass this game, it was definitely herself! The most, she'd proooobably consider Jewel – if this plan of hers DOES indeed have high chances to work – although Midori was very doubtful.

"Oi, algae hair. You deaf? O-b-v-i-o-u-s-l-y n-o-t y-o-u~~~!"

"You're just asking for it-"

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"What... are you TWO... doing?!", Jewel suddenly landed near them with a loud thud and knelt on the ground, trying to find the strength to even her breathing again.

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"Nothing!", they both said in unison then quickly gazed at each other, electric currents running through their eye contact.

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With barely 10 minutes left of this bell challenge, they all put aside their bickering and together perfected a new group strategy, one that could potentially hold a large % of success. In theory, anyway. However, even if it didn't work at all, honestly at this point they could think of nothing better. They were all far too drained of energy and tired, plus this scorching heat was doing nothing more than add to their fatigue greatly and lower their ability to concentrate. Anko was lazily sitting on a strong tree branch, not too far away their location, keeping a curious watch over them while swinging one of her legs back and forth. The woman was indulging herself in some sweet break time, savoring some packed up dangos she kept in one of her belt pouches. She did not care to even snoop around anymore, nor listen to the children's conversation, giving them one final chance to figure things out before it was truly too late for them.

"Okay, it's settled then. Let's hope for the best...", Jewel tried speaking encouragingly while the other two nodded in agreement.

"Everyone, move out!", Midori yelled and they all disappeared in different directions.

Shortly after, the group managed to surround Anko from all possible sides, using everything they had left in their arsenal, weapon and chakra wise. Another array of weapons were swiftly flying from various directions and angles, some carrying explosive tags that were attached in their blind spots, detonating after a fixed number of seconds. The explosions were near Anko, who easily had the skills to dodge them without breaking a sweat, unaware she was moving according to their plans. The woman was becoming visibly disappointed, wearing a rather bored expression as she watched the three in action. Bunshins for each team member were constantly being created by all three to remove Anko's main focus from the originals, which worked wonderfully – the woman did not seem to realize that Midori secretly created a special type of Bunshin in between the other normal copies – it was concealed as a handful of grass on the ground and all the explosions were guiding Anko towards that place. The technique Midori used derived from the original Bunshin jutsu and it had been taught by her father not too long ago, imbuing the Earth element into it to give it new properties. Unlike the illusions, these types were more special – they were sturdier and of far better use. A copy of one's self that had its own solid substance and with the possibility to inflict damage against a foe! Just as Anko's foot reached the grassy area, the copy suddenly launched to make an attack, aiming its hands towards the bell, but was forced to stop in midair when a sharp noise instantly rang through the area. Surprised, Anko rapidly sent it flying away with a powerful kick, ignoring the slight discomfort of her ankle as her eyes traced the Earth Bunshin's form - its shape was returning to its muddy substance.

"A little more time and they would have probably put me in a tough spot... Hm."

"Time's up, kiddos!", Anko smirked. "And what a surprise, I still have all the bells~~! I bet you don't know what I'm going to do...", she narrowed her eyes darkly, her forehead creasing as those painful words came out her mouth. The children, utterly defeated, looked more pathetic than a drenched tied up puppy forced to howl under the icy rain drops.

"We get tied up and put in a cage like animals, going right back to the Academy...", the three kids mumbled in unison, sinking in the cruel reality. They failed. Naoko's eyes glistened as his hands formed into tight fists, gritting his teeth – he was feeling the anger and disappointment grow in him exponentially. Jewel was barely resisting the urge to spill her eyes out in a massive waterfall of tears, constantly biting on her lower lip to prevent this from happening. Her head was hanging down in shame while she was averting Anko's gaze. Midori was baffled about the outcome and so, so angry... never before has she felt this... this defeated and it drove her mad.

"Wro~~~ng! See? You didn't know~!", this caught the attention of the kids, all three of them carrying puzzled expressions as Anko's personality switched back to her normally carefree and cheerful side. Naoko could not help himself when he added with bitterness. "Oh right... we forgot the humiliation part."

"They'll be many more chances in the future for that, Naoko-chan. But not today! You've all passed!", said Anko raising a couple of flags and looking all chibi like, a cloud of confusion on top of the three.

"Eh...?!"

"Wait a second...We-", Midori.

"-all-", Naoko.

"-PASSED?!", Jewel practically screamed the end, not believing this great news. "We all passed...", she exhaled the words, plastering a grin so intoxicating that it was hard not to feel the waves of happiness radiating from her body. Without any warning signs she embraced Naoko strongly from the euphoria she was feeling, jumping up and down clumsily with his dazed and freshly reddened figure in a rather childish way. The good mood suddenly came to a halt when Midori asked rather cautiously:

"How is that possible, sensei? We couldn't get any bells from you..."

Anko sighed deeply, running a firm hand through her messy bangs. "And here I thought you were the brightest of this bunch...", she muttered as Midori was taken aback from that comment, her orbs growing larger from the surprise. Despite the obvious insult, the recognition of Midori's wits was like a balm for her wounded confidence in her skills, which was severely shaken up during Anko's test.

"What did you three imagine this entire thing was all about anyway? From the start it was impossible for you to grab anything from me without my knowledge, no matter what plans you would have come up with – Jounins and Rookie Genins are levels so far away from each other that such an exam would be absolutely meaningless from the beginning unless the main purpose lies somewhere else entirely."

"I was wondering about it... at some point.", Midori thought embarrassed by not realizing this sooner, yet was anxiously waiting for the answer.

"My main concern was to check the potential you three had to become a fully fleshed out shinobi cell in the future – and an effective one for that matter. No one has any interest of raising shinobi who'd rather fend off their companions while thinking only of their own personal gain and interests, deeming the others as being liabilities. Also, shinobi who would only focus their thoughts on certain team members while abandoning the others, allowing them to face constant danger due to an earlier disagreement is unacceptable.", Anko glanced quickly towards Midori first, then went onto Naoko, who grimaced slightly, placing both of his hands inside his pockets as he avoided the woman's piercing gaze, the redness from Jewel's actions still present in his cheeks. "Last, but not least, a true shinobi must never, ever let out their fears get the best out of them during battles, but to use that fear and nourish it to their advantage, fueling their desire to come out victorious in their mission! Else you are not only dooming yourself to a painful end, but you'll put other people at risk for your failure in controlling your emotions. The difference between life and death lies in how well you can control your mind and heart during even the most hopeless situations.", the purple haired woman went to look at Jewel, who bit was biting her lower lip again, reminiscing how foolish she were in front of Anko's snake...

"Learning to cooperate with each other and work together despite the differences you may share is important and to tell you the truth... I had some great concerns not long ago about how this would work out. I don't doubt, not even for a second, that Naoko and Jewel have great compatibility as a duo formation, which is already an advantage for a Rookie Genin team, but a shinobi cannot hope to work with familiar people over and over again – how efficiently you manage to blend your skills with new faces and still create efficient combos is vital. Truthfully, it was a close call – I almost failed you three. Luckily, you kids somehow managed to work things out during the last hour, but your overall teamwork is rubbish.", she ended her little speech with a solemn note, a heavy silence spreading in the area for some time...

"..."

"It's only the first day though... In time things will improve-", she said, her smirk resembling more a smile, then turning it into a sly grin, giving each of them a venomous glance. "-or else."

"...!" *shudders*

"Once again, congratulations to you all for officially becoming a Genin! Starting from tomorrow, Team 11 will be officially handled their first assignment chosen by Hokage-sama himself! Yo~~~~~shi! Now onto lunch, then desert at the dango shop! LET'S GO!", in a hyperactive voice she then pointed at a direction, still holding that pose for some few awkward seconds. No reactions...

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"Eh...", Anko was starting to become pissed off for being the only one who was blabbing her mouth for the past minutes. "Would you rather train with me for the rest of the day? I'll take your constant silence as a 'yes' then-"

"LET'S GO EVERYONE! YOSHI!", Jewel suddenly yelled and wore a visibly terrified look at that woman's suggestion.

"AGREED", Naoko added just as terrified.

"...", Midori was feeling lost, yet followed them closely. Training wasn't such a bad thing though – unless it was as brutally suicidal as the bell test, then... whatever anyway, she was hungry and if sensei was paying, it was fine with her.

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Ichiraku's ramen place was a fairly popular hangout between the villagers of Konoha. The service was top notch, the food was getting better and better with each passing season, the ingredients used for its preparation being only the best and personally selected by the old man Ichiraku. Some special orders were a bit too pricey, but overall the whole place was perfect for shinobi who were looking for fast refills in between their training time.

Finishing their big chunk of ramen portions rather quickly, Anko was willing to pay for their first meals together as a team, however they better not hope it would become a habit – only during special occasions. So... since Team 11 was still a new concept – even for Anko – a bit of storytelling was in store to ease the mood between them.

"Today will be about Jewel. Let's see-"

"I reject onee-san –"

"Don't interrupt your elders, little one.", Anko grabbed a spoon and forcefully chucked large scoop of food down the girl's throat, before she could further complain about the idea, almost choking her to death. Jewel was becoming so fussy lately, she'll have a word about it at home. "So... where was I... Ah! A few years ago-"

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"Come on, already... I know you want to, Midori-chan...", Jewel pouted, avoiding her team mates' gazes as she was aimlessly staring at a random spot on the road in front of her eyes, a broken and tired expression painting her face... way to make an impression on the first few days... now Midori will think she was mentally challenged or something similar...

Many rounds of embarrassing stories portraying the poor girl's 'many struggles' regarding certain social and material aspects of life – ( from cooking accidents, to stories about the extent of her arachnophobia, to gluing objects to her hand like a pro, to playing with all kinds of kunai during her younger years even though Anko had specifically warned her not to... well, 'f—king ouch' and 'multiple body scars' are the best way to describe the outcome ) – had been the delight of that lunch, but nothing lasts forever. The Jounin woman was the first one to leave Ichiraku's shop, her excitement intensifying when the time to visit Sou's dango place came into view, choosing to rush up ahead of the children. Naoko's heartfelt laughter was quite loud even after the stories had ended - "I didn't know that one!" – and Jewel couldn't stop sneaking glances at a red cheeked Midori, who was obviously suppressing similar outbursts, constantly clearing up her throat or biting her right index finger when it became too much to hold in.

"Ah! Forgive me, Jewel... It's just... those stories were so... Unbelievable..." Midori explained, doing her best to give an answer as to not upset the girl – plan failed though.

"And that was only the beginning! There are loads, and I mean, LOADS more to come that are even more ridiculous. Would probably take up an entire year, day and night just to get to know at least 2/3 of them all.", Naoko mentioned cheerfully, gazing at the gloomy aura floating around Jewel's body, which had just upgraded to a completely dark color after those last words. The one time these two didn't fight and talked normally with each other was at Jewel's expense...great. Now things were really beginning to piss her off, depressing thoughts slowly seeding up inside her head. The dark haired girl sighed so painfully deep as a response, scratching her head and running her fingers along her pony tail.

"Why did I even bother thinking that onee-sama won't go on humiliating me today... she loves it every single moment I'm surrounded by new people...", Jewel mumbled darkly to herself having narrow, trapezoidal eyes.

"Honestly, don't worry about it! Erm... Well, one way or the other I was bound to... erm... *suppresses some giggles as she clears her throat* find out sooner or later..."

Later would have been better!

"J-Just for the record, t-that is a real proven phobia, not just a-a whim of mine that won't g-go away!", Jewel mentioned quickly hoping she'd seem less of a freak, but deep down she knew... she failed miserably, especially when Midori coughed and cleared her throat. Again.

"Having a phobia is one thing, but what you did in those poor people's home was called demolishing.", Naoko added, raising a fist and slamming it into his open palm, receiving a quite painful elbowing in his ribs from the girl due to the gesture, whose eyes were dangerously glistening while her teeth kept mumbling on her lower lip. He took the sign as having gone too far and quickly apologized. Jewel was usually a kind and sweet girl, however... annoy her too much and a bit of her violent nature would graze the surface. Or the crybaby nature. Or both. "Anyway... I can't wait to get home already and snooze after all of this.", Naoko yawned as he was walking towards the direction their sensei took off.

"You're so lucky, Nao-kun... I can't sleep at all during daylight and I'm so tired after that whole ordeal from this morning... and still really thirsty... I wonder if there is anything good to drink around here...", Jewel mumbled the last words more to herself, her eyes scanning the shops in the area around for anything that might tempt her... alas...

"There's a smoothie stand a few blocks away from here, right across the main road. They don't have the cheapest drinks, but they are really the most delicious ones.", Midori pointed it out.

"Oh, that actually sounds really good~!"

"Ah, I know it! Hey, what flavors should I search for you, Jewels? My treat!", Naoko gallantly asked, trying to win back the favor points he idiotically lost with his unsupportive nature from earlier. Midori answered in Jewel's place, though.

"Thank you.", Midori robotically said although she did not truly mean the words. "Melons please. And don't forget the vanilla toping over it and cream.", Midori explained in details, drooling in her mind at the thought of the goodies that will come. She could already taste it... Naoko faked a cough, mocking Midori's actions with the gesture, and continued annoyed. "Who the heck asked y—"

"Show me the way, Nao-kun!", Jewel quickly intervened as to prevent a possible quarrel between the two and dragged him by the arm towards the shop thus successfully avoiding another conflict. 3

"You've escaped this time, algae haired witch. Finally~! A little alone time with my Jewel-chan~~~! Kekekekeke!", he snickered in his mind, letting out a goofy enamored smile as his heart blossomed in his chest. He reveled in the touch of the girl who was so gently...erm... painfully gently~~ gripping his arm, his cheeks heating up from the gesture.

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"Heading to Sou's again? Just how many times has it been this week alone...? At this rate you'll end up living on that type of food alone."

Anko's absentminded march came to a sudden halt when a familiar velvet-coated deep voice called out to her. Secretly smiling to herself, and then plastering her foxy trademark smirk, the woman turned her head to look towards the adjoined street, specks of messy white hair revealing the person who had dared to mock her love for Sou's dangos.

"Yo! It's been a while... Anko.", he said raising his right hand in a salute.

"Heeeeeh~? Oh! My... now what do we have here...", the woman grinned while her eyes traced the smaller figures trailing behind the man. "Kakashi! I barely recognized you with those kids surrounding you.", Anko added, scanning Kakashi's Rookie team, her gaze momentarily stopping at the loud mouthed one, whose whining overpowered the noises of the streets. "It's a very unusual sight."

"We're almost there Kakashi-sensei, 'tebayo! What is it now?!", the blonde ushered annoyed, visibly cracking from the impatience boiling in his system. "There, there... go ahead and order anything you like, I'll follow you soon.", the Jounin sighed defeated as he replied.

"Ugh... stupid Naruto! Shannaro, stop being so impatient and rude! Also... Who is this woman, anyway?", the pinkette curiously thought raising an eye brow while she switched suspicious glances between Kakashi and the woman."N-Naruto! Wait a minute, don't just rush like that!", she chased after the blond, trying to match his ridiculously fast pacing, but not before bowing down politely to the stranger they've encountered, mumbling a shy 'good afternoon' as she passed by her.

"Tch... so loud.", the raven haired boy, who was the last one to appear, scoffed without changing his pace, not bothering to catch up with his team mates any time soon. He was cherishing these few seconds of alone time he had received due to the ramen-crazed idiot, just fine, strolling down the street with both hands comfortably in his pockets.

Kakashi's eye closed as he was smiling under his mask with his favorite book in his right hand, while the three of them were becoming fainter presences in the crowd. "Well... there's a first time for everything. This year I had better students. What about yours?", he asked.

"They could have done better... but I shouldn't complain. None died this time either~! So-"

"What kind of tests are you forcing these kids to go through...?!", he inquired wearing a dreadfully serious face, countless sweat drops appearing above his head though.

"-SO... these kids will get there soon enough if they polish up their team work", she ignored the question and finished her sentence with a sense of pride blooming in her chest. "Jewel's trying to calm down things when it's rough, but with my help and 'persuasion' skills, they will eventually learn how to effectively cooperate. They'll become a very lethal team in no time. Be prepared Kakashi.", she grinned slyly, narrowing her eyes at the other Jounin, enunciating the following words while playfully poking his chest: "We won't show weaklings any mercy."

"Heh... We'll have to see then, shall we?", Kakashi did not waver under those statements and held his ground with confidence. His rookies were not average Genin at all and high hopes laid upon them. "Ah! Speaking of Jewel.", the man continued, the atmosphere around them suddenly turning more heavy and serious – he lowered his head slightly, his only visible eye piercing Anko's to the core of her body. "When will you decide to tell her about... that incident?"

The question had a large impact on Anko, whose good mood vanished like the stars at daytime. She chewed her bottom lip, her gaze landing on Kakashi's rookies, who had crossed paths with hers and were bonding... more like fighting with each other. Naruto had a confused expression as Sakura suddenly smacked him over the head, fire blazing from her eyes, whereas Midori was calmly discussing something with Sasuke, who at one point stiffened slightly after noticing something, then quickly tensed down, moving away from the group.

"Eventually she will figure out something is wrong soon, with that sharp mind of hers; especially now when there will be more focus on her shinobi activities. Or lack of it..."

"It would be too much for her to handle or understand as of yet... The girl's already struggling with her memory problems and the pains have been getting more frequent as of late...", Anko explained, creases appearing above her eyes. "I don't want it to worsen... or to have her remember such scenes yet..."

"In the end, it's your decision. Even Hokage-sama agrees to wait it out as long as possible. Since she's in your good care, I shouldn't complain, but... don't forget. That person... he isn't one who easily forgets a face especially from that day. Another identity won't conceal everything... You know it's already unavoidable."

Anko scowled and they both started watching over their little Rookie protégés...

"I know..."

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"Midori-chan~!"

Midori turned around to notice a familiar blond rushing down the streets and greeted him calmly. "Hello Naruto. It's ramen time, am I right?", she asked receiving a quick sequence of head nodding as he stopped next to her. "Hurry up then. Old man Ichiraku has a new recipe just for this week... Eh... Is that Sakura?" Midori asked as she caught a glimpse of the pinkette's flowing hair.

"Yeah. Oh! I can just taste it! Ramen! Ramen! Ra~~~~~men!", he sung the last words excitedly, eventually drool beginning to form under his mouth from overly thinking about his beloved food, which slightly amused the girl despite not revealing her state of mind on the outside, but not Sakura. She glared daggers because of Naruto's immaturity and felt extremely annoyed. Why couldn't Naruto learn a thing or two from Sasuke-kun and be as cool as him?! Seriously... bringing their team's level down all the time...

"Does that mean you two managed to become full-fledged Genins, as well?"

Naruto giggled in an adorable way as he scratched one of his cheeks, while Sakura stuck out her tongue, smiling proudly. "Hey, hey, hey! Are you alone? Where are your teammates, Midori-chan?", Naruto curiously searched the area, but saw nobody around their age. Jewel and Naoko were already at the smoothie shop, buying 4 extra-large ones: one chocolate for Naoko, one blueberry for Jewel, one wild berries for sensei and the last one, melon flavored for Midori.

"They'll be right back...", Midori replied, feeling ignored though as the blond kept his futile search for them. She suspiciously asked having a sweat drop. "Why do they interest you all of a sudden...?"

"Well –"

"What are you doing, dobe? Searching for your missing intellect?", Sasuke finally caught up with the group and was wondering if the hunger affected his low mental capacity even further.

"W-what did you say?! Teme! I'll show you-", Naruto growled preparing to lunge towards the raven, when a sharp head pain flooded his senses. *SMACK* "O~~~~~~~uch!", he yelled on the ground, rolling left and right while grasping his aching wound. Right when he was about to go and defeat Sasuke too!

"SHANNAROOOOOO! – I won't let anyone touch my Sasuke-kun! – One more outbreak like this and I'll smash you into tiny pieces!", Sakura growled deeply, terrifying the poor trembling soul, whose heart shattered in millions of pieces from that cold reaction from his one and only love... Midori retreated a few steps backwards, watching them from afar and feeling awkward about the situation, however thought relieved: "Thank god I'm not in their team... poor Naruto.", she sighed, then walked over towards the raven, who acknowledged her presence with a tilt of his head.

"You all seem to get along so remarkably well, isn't that right Sasuke?", Midori asked, her mouth actually curving slightly at one side; however, she only received a vague 'Whatever' from the raven, his posture regarding the scene in front of him being as indifferent as always – whatever those two problem was, he was not interested the slightest. Sasuke usually was the type who'd avoid any type of nuisances when it was possible; however, he was now forced to team up with on a regular basis with two of them – his mood was not good at all.

Sakura overheard Midori's question and it irked her badly somehow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing... nothing at all.", Midori innocently responded, keeping her smile on her lips as to intensify Sakura's rage, who stopped mid-sentence for a comeback, after hearing a sharp voice. "Anything wrong, Midori-chan?"

The pinkette's attention was caught by the dark blue haired, pony tailed girl carrying a plastic cup in her right hand and absentmindedly slurping the content through a straw. She was followed by Naoko, who had willingly offered to carry the other three drinks and pay for them fully. Gentleman! – though his wallet was crying from the new lightness though.

"No. We were only having a normal and civilized conversation. Right, Sakura?", Midori asked piercing her green eyes in a rather vicious way.

"Like you could ever do something normal...", Naoko mumbled intentionally loud enough for the girl to hear, passing the melon flavored smoothie towards her quite coldly.

"Nao-kun... ", Jewel quickly whispered back at him, threatening to elbow him in his side again as he sighed defeated. Meanwhile, the girl recognized the other team's kunoichi and the beat up blonde kid from the day before and waved her hands with a shy smile. Midori did the introductions, but as she got to present Sasuke she realized he was already gone.

"Sasuke...Sasuke... where did he go to?"

"The Uchiha?", Nao asked with one eye closed as he was sipping his last drop. "Oh right... I forgot, that guy was sorted out this year too. Tch... I hope Jewel doesn't get side tracked in our love!"

"Mhm... Good riddance.", Naruto thought about the raven while Sakura panicked and rushed out to look for him, the first place being Ichiraku's place. Naruto quickly followed after her, however when they both got there, the old man revealed that the boy had already finished his meal in record time and went away, placing his tab on Naruto.

"EH?! That bastard!"

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*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Are you sleeping yet?!", a loud voice reached inside the room, from behind the wooden door... truthfully, even if she were asleep, that voice would wake up even the dead...

"No... Not yet!"

"I'm coming in then!"

Jewel had been reading in her bed from a scroll as a light activity before heading off to sleep and, suddenly, felt her body tense up when she heard the door creak open. She thought it was strange how Anko had barely shared anymore words to Jewel after returning home from Sou's, practically ignoring the girl – that was her impression anyway, believing that the woman had indeed been highly disappointed in her, despite passing them all after that exam. It wasn't the first time this happened... however, maybe it wasn't the real reason.

"I didn't ask this in front of the others, but I want the truth and I want it now.", the woman demanded without any sugary coated nuances in her speech. This meant serious business... Jewel rolled her scroll back into its place, biting her lower lip and went on to pierce the woman's eyes, unaware for the moment about the her intentions – or if there's going to be any hidden punishment for failing in today's event...

"Did you have another one of your episodes today?"

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A/N: Hello ^^ Sorry for the late update, between college and other life issues, it was a struggle getting the chapter the way I imagined it. A little team 7 in this chapter ~~~ hope you enjoyed it. Other teams shall make their appearance soon, so stay tuned!