The night of the Uchiha clan massacre...
Itachi stands over the bodies of his mother and father while a scared and distraught Sasuke busts through the doors onto the gruesome and tragic scene.
"Father! Mother!"
He looks over to Itachi.
"Brother! Father and Mother are!... Why?! Who the hell... this!"
Sasuke is cut off by a kunai narrowly missing his face and sticking into the wall behind him. It begins to sink in that his brother may be involved with all the bloodshed. He raises his arms in front of his face, anticipating another shuriken.
"Foolish little brother..."
Itachi says as he activates the mangekyou sharingan. He had given this a lot of thought. Were he to use Tsukiyomi, his brother would recover from the mental trauma. He would be hardened by the loss he endured, but only by his own choice would he ever grant Itachi the punishment he seeks for the crime he committed this very night. No, it would be pointless to merely stun him and leave him with parting words. Though he loves his brother far beyond his own clan, even agreeing to take this mission to spare Sasuke, he needs to instill in him the hatred necessary to strike him down after growing powerful enough to do so. Only a permanent reminder would do. Nothing small like a few cuts; and nothing crippling like taking a leg or arm. It has to be superficial. It has to be the right eye.
[Amaterasu!]
At once when he opens his right eye, black flames engulf the small form of Sasuke. Clothing sizzles and shreds, falling away as it disintegrates. The boy's hair dusts away just as quickly. As his flesh sears and melts under the heat, Itachi pulls out a sealing scroll and removes the flames.
"AAAAAAGGHHHHH!"
Sasuke drops to the floor writhing in pain. Scorched raw flesh over ninety percent of his body. Only his eyes remain unburnt, his arms taking the brunt of the initial spread of the flames. Itachi approaches to sow the seed before his little brother passes out from shock.
"Remember this, Sasuke. You are weak. I could've allowed the flames of Amaterasu to consume you wholly. You are alive to serve one purpose: to test my limits once your own hatred has grown enough. The secret to obtaining eyes powerful enough to fight mine, you must..."
Sasuke blacks out before ever hearing the answer. Itachi is unaware of this and continues to tell him the location of the meeting place and the tablet that reveals the secrets of mastering the sharingan. Before Itachi vanishes from the compound, he takes one last look at his little brother, twitching and in agony. A trail of blood trickles from his right eye, tears flowing from the left eye.
Within an hour, ANBU and medic-nin flood the compound on forensic and clean-up duty. Danzo keeps his distance but oversees the ANBU, or more accurately the root members of ANBU. Despite Itachi's threats, he pays no mind to the corpses strewn about, electing to wait until the work is done to run a census on the dead.
In a hospital bed not far away...
Sasuke lays in a bed heavily sedated, wrapped from head to toe in medical cloth, an IV drip hooked up to his right arm. Hiruzen looks on briefly before vanishing to make arrangements.
The next day, Hiruzen shows up himself under the guise of a doctor, courtesy of a skillful henge. Noticing that Sasuke is awake but drowsy judging by his droopy eyes, he leans in close.
"Sasuke, I understand that you have been through a lot, but for your safety I need you to pay close attention. Your brother has gone rogue and killed your entire clan. Only you still live, and for you to remain so, I have taken precautions. I prepared another identity for you,"
He says, lifting a patient chart in front of Sasuke and pointing at the patient's name, which reads "Takamaru", no family name listed. Putting the chart back, he continues,
"I'm not going to waste your time telling you everything right now, but I just wanted you to know that you are officially dead. When you have recovered enough to move on your own, I want you to come see me immediately."
He turns to leave, but quickly faces back remembering something else,
"Oh, and do not visit your previous home or tell anyone your true name, okay Takamaru?"
He smiles weakly as he waits for an answer he knows Sasuke can't give, and then leaves. Sasuke, doped up on painkillers reflects briefly before falling back asleep. Were he not so heavily drugged, the dreams he'd remember would be more trauma than his spirit could take.
One month later...
Takamaru recovered enough to be up and about. It still hurt whenever he bumped into anything. And his left hand was slow to respond; it felt stiff and constricted. The doctors told him the amount of damage sustained there had been particularly severe, and that when he started to heal, it would scar up worse than other parts of his body. Still covered in medical wraps and wearing only a medical gown, Takamaru begins a slow trek out into the hall. It'd do his young body no good to be laying down the entirety of his recovery. However, as he about steps foot outside of his hospital room, a girl slightly older than himself walks right in front of him. He sways back narrowly avoiding collision, but cursing himself for not being attentive. Though, he is not the only one to blame. The girl proceeds several steps before stopping and turning about to meet Taka's wide-eyed gaze. She notices his shock and quickened labored breathing and bashfully approaches him.
"I'm really sorry for almost running into you! You see, I was here to check out the hospital and sort of shadow the medics here. I'm a HUGE fan of Tsunade, the legendary sannin medical ninja expert!"
The girl in a pink shirt, her brown hair in buns, offers her hand in greeting,
"Uhm, my name is Tenten. I'm training to be a kunoichi at the academy."
Takamaru stares her down with a dead look. That girl has way too much energy to be throwing around at a hospital. First thing in the morning. He lets out a ragged breath and replies without offering his hand,
"...Takamaru."
If feels foreign to introduce himself by another name. The first seven years of his life was mastery of all that was Uchiha pride. To not simply shout angrily that he is the sole survivng Uchiha and that he will avenge his clan against its murderer, his brother, is very difficult for him at the moment. Tenten's hand hangs awkwardly in the air for a moment before she withdraws it to the back of her head, nervously responding,
"Well, it was nice to meet you! I hope the medics here heal you up real good!"
And she simply runs off down the hall in the direction she was originally headed. Takamaru, on the other hand, decides that was enough activity for the morning and heads back to bed.
Three months after the attack...
By this point, Takamaru has already done more than walk about, as evidenced by his current regiment of pushups, jumping jacks, and other calisthenic exercise - as per the instruction of a medic nin acting as physical trainer. Having recovered a decent amount, he'd already visited the hokage and gotten the full backstory for his identity as well as instructions on his new residence and monthly allowance, as per 'the usual' (What Sarutobi referred to it as) for orphans of ninja families. The medic addresses him,
"Alright, I think you are as fit as you are going to get here. I'm going to go arrange for you to be discharged. I'll be back in a bit with a few forms for you to sign, and you'll be set to go today!"
The man smiles warmly at Takamaru, who stops his exercises to face the medic, and with a nod says,
"Thanks. I'm looking forward to eating some real food."
A light chuckle from the mouth of the medic, and then he walks off. It isn't but a few minutes before a familiar face shows up, again with far too much energy.
"Takamaru!"
Tenten runs up cheerfully but stops short of a glomp on Taka. He peers cautiously at the girl who'd been visiting on a weekly basis. At this point, he assumes she doesn't have many friends. But then again, neither does he. A slight bow,
"Tenten. How are you today?"
He'd learned to be cordial with this girl, or face total isolation. And that is far worse than forcing out a greeting. However he gets a little more than he bargained for today when she replies.
"Oh, wow, not good at all, actually. I'm pretty sure I don't have what it takes to become a medical ninja like Tsunade! Atleast not for awhile!"
That gleam in her eyes ever-present when mentioning her idol.
"But I can still be a great kunoichi!"
She pulls out a large scroll and unfurls it. The end hits the ground and keeps going, to reveal a rather lenghty summoning array. She places her hand the center and activates the scroll, spilling out numerous weapons into the hospital's courtyard.
"I know how a healed scar can break open easily, so I thought you might like to try out some of these weapons with me. Maybe a light spar or contact drill?"
Takamaru searches about the pile before settling on a cheaply built katana, its handle not even wrapped. Among the various blades, this one feels the most right for his style - a decent combination of precision and power. It isn't the most versatile of weapons, but it will get the job done. When he lifts the blade to examine its edge more closely Tenten seals up the rest of the weapons, her eyes beaming. Slightly confused, he asks,
"Aren't we going to spar?"
To which she replies, "Yes. You chose your weapon, and I get the rest!"
Takamaru is slightly taken aback, expecting a simple one on one sort of duel. How can she possibly just use all the rest of that mass of steel he sifted through? Shaking his head he walks away a few paces, turns about, and readies the sword with both hands out in front of himself. Tenten smiles wickedly as she merely holds the scroll.
"Alright! Let's start!"
She begins the fight by unleashing a few shuriken from the scroll. Having already trained extensively with shuriken before that night, he knocks the first three out of the air with a light motion of the sword and simply leans away from the fourth. The girl lets out a chuckle, impressed thus far.
"Ok, how about this!"
She then calls forth a training spear with its blunted tip, stashing the partially opened scroll in a side pouch. Tenten approaches slowly knowing that Taka has little or no training. She thrusts once for Takamaru's center. He weaves right and dashes forward with a downward strike. She counters by using the shaft to angle away the katana, then turning it down to bury it in the dirt, using Takamaru's momentum against himself. He quickly recovers, pulling the blade back out from the dirt. His next attack consists of a quick-step flanking manuver to her side, swinging the sword like a baseball bat at her seemingly exposed left. Tenten jumps back and leans away from the blade's arc. Still smiling widely,
"Nice! Now let's try something... unconventional!"
She drops the spear and the next weapon to appear in her hands is a kusarigama. Another chuckle escapes her as she sees the confusion in Takamaru's eyes. Taka readies his weapon just in time to block the weighted end, the chain clinking against the blade as it flies past. As he prepares to time another attack, he notices the chain abruptly stop and begin to spin towards himself using the sword as its axis. He ducks down as the chain swings above his head, the chain length shortening rapidly as it wraps around the middle of the katana. As he stands he is surprised yet again the sword is simply yanked right out of his hands, despite his grip on it. Tenten, having yanked the chain back to disarm, lets go of the kama end to catch the sword deftly as it reaches her.
"Good work, but you're just a civilian, so I wouldn't expect you to stand up to kunoichi, even one in training."
She lets out a throaty victory laugh, haughtily with her hands on her hips. Takamaru tries to save face from his wounded pride,
"Tch!"
- looking away. Tenten, unable to remain poised, breaks out into giggling upon seeing Taka's reaction. She seals up the other weapons but approaches with the katana. Presenting it horizontally with one hand under the blade, the other under the handle,
"Here, you can have this. I was going to get you something anyway to celebrate you getting out of here."
Takamaru looks hesitantly towards the sword. 'Well, it did feel right', he thinks. He grabs onto the handle, noticing the warmth in Tenten's eyes but ignorant of the slight blush forming on her cheeks. She smiles wide again with a chuckle as he takes it from her hands.
"Thanks. I'll have to get a sheath for this."
He considers forcing a smile but doesn't think it'll do any good with his face wrapped up as it is. Tenten looks down shyly as she presses,
"Y'know... you have some potential. You should join the academy!"
'Join? I'm already enrolled...' he thinks. Though he is, or was, enrolled as Sasuke Uchiha, he supposes this identity needs to actually do so. Maybe the Hokage already did? Either way, he's going back. He has someone to kill afterall. Before the dark thoughts begin to show in his eyes, the medic nin returns with the forms. Takamaru quickly nods at Tenten, who departs,
"Bye, Takamaru! The next time we meet I hope we are both splendid shinobi!"
The medic nin looks on with a gentle smile,
"She seems nice."
He hands the forms to be signed to Taka and notices the sword.
"A katana?"
"A gift from a friend."
Takamaru replies warmly, a small grin hidden beneath cloth.
First day at the academy. Again.
Takamaru approaches the administration entrance into the academy dressed in a grey t-shirt, black shorts, and a navy blue hooded vest. The hood is up with the edge just above where his eye-brows would be. Typical shinobi sandals. Wraps over his arms, hands, legs, feet, and his face and neck area - to conceal his burn scars where his clothing doesn't. He lets out a sigh, nervous about the attention he'll receive for his appearance. And then he enters on queue.
"Class, I'd like to introduce our newest addition -Takamaru."
Iruka motions to the boy at his side who just stepped through the side door.
"Would you like to tell us anything about yourself?"
Takamaru considers his options briefly. It would be best to blend, and so he goes with what he thinks will achieve that.
"Hi. I'm Takamaru. I lost my family to a house fire in the past year that I managed to survive. I'm here because I pick things up quickly, and I am not here to make friends. "
Iruka and the class share a moment of stunned silence before a hand rises shakily towards the back of the class. A voice meekly issues forth,
"I-I'm s-s-s-sorry... f-for your loss..."
Belonging to a girl with short black hair and pale eyes. A Hyuuga, if Takamaru remembers correctly. Well, the last thing he was expecting was compassion. Taka nods dumbly before another hand shoots up, far more energetic than the last one. This one belongs to a noisy blond boy,
"Hey! So are you all wrapped up like a mummy 'cuz of the burns?!"
Iruka looks sharply at the boy and shouts him down,
"Naruto! That is not a very nice thing to ask!"
Takamaru nods again, though with a glare aimed at Naruto. That was more in line with the kind of questions he was expecting. Next to Naruto sits a clearly annoyed pink haired girl.
"Alright, you may take a seat, Takamaru. Now class, if you'll look at the board you'll see..."
Taka heads for the back of the class. That's where that Hyuuga girl is, and it is also the best place to stay out of everyone's sight. As well, his eyes are pretty good so he won't suffer from the distance. It doesn't hurt that she is sympathetic. Or that she has issues with speaking loudly. That'll give him a good reprieve from noisy blonds. And this time around, the fan girls. Though a part of him will miss that boost to his ego. As he sits down next to the girl, he extends a hand in greeting,
"Nice to meet you. And thanks."
She hesitantly takes his hand and squeezes lightly, looking down and away the whole time.
"You c-can call me H-hinata..."
Takamaru nods and releases her hand, immediately diverting his attention to the lecture. Being out for a few months will put him behind but he's sure to catch up in no time.
Shortly before graduation...
Well, she is at it again. And thus, so is he.
Crouching among the bushes, Takamaru watches Hinata's movements through the trees. She steps lightly on her toes, avoiding branches and dry leaves as if she simply knows they are there. Perhaps she is memorizing the immediate ground layout as she proceeds, noting her peripheral despite keeping constant focus on her target. Or that is what he concludes as she hides mostly behind a tree trunk, a troublesome blond fifty yards ahead of her. For years, He'd been trailing Hinata, picking up on her stealth skills as she frequently stalked Naruto. His bright orange jumpsuit and loud mouth made him an easy target to trail. Even though they are in the academy, Takamaru wonders why Hinata never pushed herself to pursue a harder target... like herself. More than once Taka found himself losing track of her, having to trail Naruto to find her close by again.
But today is different. They will be graduating soon and he wants to test his ability for stealth. And so he moves cautiously towards the shy Hyuuga. Carefully, slowly, he approaches. Step by nerve-wracking step. During all these years, Naruto had never caught her. And though the possibility exists that it is because Naruto is exceptionally bad at noticing things, a few of those times the number two in class, Sakura, was with him... as is the case today. A few steps away he holds his breath, feeling his steady heartbeat in his ears. Reaching out with his right hand he ever so lightly runs his finger down the exposed nape of her neck. Immediately she jumps up and turns around. Before a scream can escape her lips Takamaru takes another step forward, placing his left hand over her mouth and bringing up his right hand between them as he leans close, right index finger still extended to silently hush her. He removes his hand a few moments later and points to the scene unfolding before them.
"Naruto! Why do you keep bothering me all the time! You are so annoying!"
The pink haired girl shouts at Naruto in the same way as always, so dismissive and equally as loud as her blond counterpart. The blond, pleading,
"It's because I like you, okay?!"
Sakura is stunned by the sudden confession, but then her face deadpans.
"Is this another one of your pranks? You know I'll destroy you if it is!"
Naruto let's out a loud sigh and takes a pace towards Sakura.
"No, it's not a prank! I swear on my love for ramen!"
Well, for Naruto that kind of 'swearing' comes second only to his promise to become hokage one day. Sakura considers for a moment. After all, its not like there is anyone else to look at. But this guy is so troublesome! Pointing boldly at him,
"Then prove it! Graduate tomorrow and I'll go on one, and ONLY one date with you!"
Sakura figures that given his abilities thus far, he probably won't graduate. However, if he can pull himself out of that 'dead last' place and actually earn his headband, she sees some potential for him. Especially if she is the one motivating him to do so. Naruto on the other hand, figures that the date is as good as his despite his previous failed attempts.
"Yes!"
He jumps high into the air with a raised fist. He runs off to go train. Though he has the transformation and substitution techniques down, he needs to get the clone one down enough to graduate.
Takamaru looks at Hinata, who looks down as always when there was nothing more to see. He places a hand on her shoulder and whispers,
"Hey, I want to thank you for being a great teacher for the last few years. Let me treat you to some food. Ice cream?"
Over the last few years Takamaru developed an affinity for cold and wet things, given his aversion to fire. And girls love ice cream.
"Ye-y-y-years...?"
Hinata is quite baffled that she could've been training anyone for the last few years. She'd only been attending the academy, training at the clan compound or... trailing Naruto. Her face rises in color to a bright red at this realization. Had he been tracking her in the same manner that she was following Naruto? Did that mean that he felt about her the same way she feels about Naruto? Before she can even ask,
"Yeah. Shortly after entering the academy I noticed that you liked to pursue Naruto. I figured it was because he is easy to follow, given his bright orange jumpsuit and loud voice. At first I thought you were just trying to track, but I noticed he never caught you. So I concluded that you were practicing stealth. Heh. I made you my teacher without ever telling you. When I began, I must have stayed four hundred yards or more away. But as you can see, today I have become the master."
Despite his face wraps, Hinata can see a smile in Takamaru's eyes. If all that he said is true, then he knows nothing of her crush on Naruto; and neither does he have a crush on her. This gives her great relief, and her blush fades quickly as she nods. She could use some ice cream after seeing her crush practically set a plan to date another girl. She isn't ready to quit over that, but she needs the distraction. And who knows, maybe she can learn a thing or two about pursuing from Takamaru.
Later that night...
"Thank you Takamaru, that was very kind of you."
Hinata bows after the two dispose of their napkins.
"If you'll excuse me, I must be heading home."
Takamaru blinks in surprise. That was the most composed he's ever seen Hinata. Maybe ice cream was the answer all along? Still, something seems off. He waves farewell, sticking around the vendor's stands for at least a minute to give Hinata a good lead before he tests himself one more time. A mischievous grin - the game is afoot!
Hinata departs for her clan's compound, but along the way she diverts towards a simple training ground. One she knows very well, having watched someone practice here for many years. The ice cream Takamaru gave her calmed her nicely and allowed her to compose her thoughts. She has no right on Naruto; but as the object of her desire, she decides to take the higher road and do what she can to help him be happy. After all, she can be happy if he is, no matter who he ends up with. In the end she is still a Hyuuga, and no doubt her responsibilities to the clan would drive her life in a direction away from him regardless. That sobering thought causes her to sharpen her eyes as she activates the byakugan. Just a little further ahead, she sees a pattern of several weaker chakra signatures forming and abruptly vanishing around a stronger one, every few seconds.
"Naruto..."
As she draws near, she hardens her resolve to do something good. She is calm, she can speak clearly; maybe not with confidence, but without fear. A few steps closer and she speaks louder this time.
"Naruto."
He turns around quickly and looks Hinata dead in the eyes. The moment vanishes as he dons his cheeky grin and chuckles nervously.
"Oh, hi, I didn't see you there Hinata!"
A slight blush rises to her cheeks at hearing Naruto say her name, but she remains determined. The chakra coursing through his network remains strong after so many attempts. And so the idea comes to her:
"...Hm. I've noticed you have a lot of chakra Naruto. I've also noticed that you don't effectively use it."
Naruto interrupts briefly with more nervous laughter. If anyone else besides the mild-mannered Hinata made light of his abilities, he would vehemently deny it with much enthusiasm. After all, he's going to be hokage some day. But the way she says it leads him to believe there's more, and he isn't wrong.
"Why don't you try making a whole bunch of clones at once, instead of just a few? Pump as much chakra in as you can muster, and try to bring forth a thousand."
Naruto blinks dumbly at Hinata. A thousand? That was hard to picture, let alone create. However, maybe there is a trick to this test. He nods in determination and forms the signs.
[clone jutsu!]
When the cloud clears, well over three hundred clones stand among the trees. Some look pretty bad, obviously not receiving enough chakra to properly form; but at least half of them are passable. Naruto falls down to one knee but catches himself from face-planting, sweat beading at his forehead. His tired look almost instantly re-energizes as he notices his apparent success.
Hinata looks concerned momentarily until she sees his chakra network light back up almost instantly. She isn't sure why he can do this, but there are many mysteries and now is not the time to explore them. With a smile she deactivates her byakugan and bows slightly.
"Good luck tomorrow, Naruto."
She leaves quietly, though her expression falters. As she rounds a corner, she can feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes. And then she bumps into someone.
Takamaru's wrapped hands shoot up to catch Hinata by the shoulders before she can stumble. He watched the scene unfold and was impressed. It seems his 'teacher' comment really hit home with her, for her to go out of her way to help Naruto, who would likely have failed otherwise. Though, he isn't entirely sure why she appears on the brink of tears. Perhaps it's similar to when a parent feels joy in their child's accomplishments. That begins to dredge up memories of his own mother before he shakes it off mentally. Taking a moment to look Hinata in the eyes he reassures her,
"That was very kind of you, Hinata. You are a good person."
His words intended to echo her own as thanks for the treat earlier. However to his surprise, he finds himself in a tight embrace by Hinata as she lets out a few quiet sobs. He holds in his breath at the uncertainty of how to proceed. He lets it out after a few seconds and weakly returns the hug. 'There is a certain warmth to this action', Takamaru contemplates. Again the memory of his mother resurfaces and he fights hard to keep his cool. His arms tighten around Hinata, who stops sobbing momentarily to blush in surprise. However, this is the distraction she needs to again calm herself. A few stuttering breath escape her lips before she resumes normal breathing. She releases Takamaru, who follows her lead and lets go as well. She wipes the few tears from her eyes and smiles gently at Takamaru.
"Th-thank you... Takamaru."
He nods as he struggles against his own memories that threaten to plunge him back into the torment of that night. With a wave they depart. In the distance Naruto can still be heard shouting celebrations at his accomplishment.
The next day, the test commences. Everyone passes, including Naruto, receiving instructions to come back the following day for team assignments. Much to the dismay of one Mizuki, there is noone capable of taking the scroll he seeks, and so he continues to bide his time. Naruto would have been one hell of an expendable scapegoat, but his spirits are too high at this time, somehow having passed the exam.
The following day, Iruka stands before the class and reads off his list. When he arrives to team seven,
"Takamaru!"
Takamaru's eyes widen. This is it - time to find out who he will end up having to protect on the missions to follow. He hopes they are competent...
"Sakura Haruno!"
Takamaru's eyes sink. Though Sakura is technically number two when it comes to overall academic record, he was hoping for someone more... combat-oriented.
"Naruto Uzumaki!"
A resounding 'Yes!' from that blond as he once again celebrates something emphatically. Sakura blushes in embarrassment and turns away from Naruto. This was the guy she lost the bet to, the one she'd be going on a date with rather soon. Takamaru grins at the irony. Sakura was the type to go for the 'cool guy', and here she was being roped into the group with 'dead last'. But the moment passes, and for some reason he finds himself glancing back at Hinata. When her gaze momentarily catches his, she looks away quickly and begins mumbling while fumbling with her fingers. 'How odd', he notes. Takamaru doesn't catch the name of their jonin; but does pay attention enough to find that Hinata is placed on the very next team with Kiba and Shino. Hm. He begins to notice a pattern with the formations. Something to consider only in hindsight. When Iruka finishes his list, he instructs everyone to meet their jonin later in the afternoon at the designated time and location posted on the bulletin board.
Some time past noon...
Takamaru sits on a balcony overlooking a pathway with a few benches nearby. Down there sit Sakura. And walking the hallway approaching him suspiciously is Naruto.
"Hey!"
Takamaru turns his head lazily and sighs with slight agitation.
"Yeah, you! Takamaru! I want to fight you!"
Takamaru moves his legs off the balcony and gets his feet on the floor. He slowly rises to a standing position, dusting off his shorts. He takes a few steps towards Naruto, towering over him by quite a few inches. Leans in and says,
"Not interested."
Taka can see the wind in Naruto's sails dying off quickly. Though Naruto is rather persistent.
"I said fight me! Or are you chicken?"
Takamaru feels a twitch above his right eye. He is above such childish taunts, but that is seriously pissing him off. He grabs the sword on his back on pulls it out of its sheath. He lowers it to his side as he continues to stand directly in front of Naruto.
"Okay, but it will be to the death. Real shinobi don't play at fighting."
And that completely kills that ship. Naruto is in the doldrums. The blond backs up a few paces and shrinks away,
"You wouldn't! We're on the same team!"
Inwardly Naruto curses. This isn't what he wanted, he was just tired of hearing Sakura talking all morning about how he should be smarter like Takamaru, or as cool as Takamaru... or as quiet as Takamaru. That last one she spouted off when he pestered her too much about just when they would be going on this 'date'.
Takamaru pushes the advantage.
"Oh, I'm sure there is some formal agreement on the terms of our duel that can be notarized. And waivers to sign. And wills to write."
That last comment forces Naruto to vanish via substitution, a log appearing in his place. Takamaru grins widely as he slashes the log in two before it lands. He was waiting for that to happen. Pecking order.
2 hours later in the all but empty classroom...
Team 7 waits impatiently for their jonin instructor to arrive. Takamaru takes the time to contemplate team roles in various situations while Naruto takes the initiative to cure everyone's boredom. With a childish grin he grabs a dusty eraser from the chalkboard and places it at the top of the doorway, trapping it between the door and wall.
"Hee hee. This'll teach him for being late!"
Sakura, in total agreement, watches on in silent encouragement. A corner of her mouth turns up wickedly as she imagines a prank'd jonin. Or perhaps she'd see something interesting involving Naruto's punishment. Either way it's a win for her.
Kakashi Hatake pops his head through the door way only to have a soft object bounce off the top of his head and rain him with chalk dust. That was not how he imagined this going in his head; especially after the hokage put so much faith in his ability to 'take on' the troublesome Naruto. He lets out a sigh but keeps calm and composed.
"Hm. I'd have to say my first impression of you three... I don't like you."
The way he says that last part with a seeming smile beneath his face mask irks Sakura and Naruto. Takamaru couldn't care less. That he got prank'd means he doesn't consider fresh genin to be threatening. That in itself is tactical knowledge he may use later. However, it doesn't give Takamaru any confidence in this jonin's abilities as a shinobi.
On the roof...
"Let's begin with introductions."
Naruto chimes,
"What do you want to know?"
"Likes, dislikes, dreams, hobbies. That sort of thing."
Sakura is more than reluctant to just divulge herself right then and there. They've never met this man before, so she presses,
"Hey, why don't you start us off? "
Kakashi raises an eyebrow. Sakura is certainly more assertive than he'd been led to believe by the marks Iruka left on the report cards. After a small sigh,
"Oh... well, I am Kakashi Hatake. I have no interest in telling you mine. I have a lot of hobbies. And dreams? Hm..."
Naruto eyes Kakashi suspiciously. Aside from his name, he just told them an awful lot of nothing.
"That's enough about me. Let's hear about... you."
He points to Naruto. Out of those present, he's heard the most about this boy. Especially concerning his status as the nine-tails jinchuuriki. Naruto eagerly answers,
"Naruto Uzumaki! I like ramen!... and the color pink."
He says with a wink at Sakura, who rolls her eyes emphatically in response, and continues.
"I dislike waiting for ramen to cook. My dream is to become hokage, and have everyone acknowledge me... and I think you know my first hobby - the chalk dust would've been more noticeable if your hair was a different color, though."
Kakashi experiences a faint nostalgia at Naruto's proclamation of his dream, but quickly stares at Naruto with dead eyes, clearly not amused by the prank. He points for Sakura to go next.
"My name is Sakura Haruno. I like... uh, well... things. I dislike..."
She pauses for dramatic effect while turning to face the blond.
"Naruto. My hobbies are stuff. And my dream is to never date Naruto. Again."
Sakura blushes in embarrassment. It would do her no good to deny their wager now that Naruto has won. Yet, she feels a determination to make the next bet more personal - something she can compete in and utterly crush Naruto. That inner Sakura slips out a bit and her eyes shine with the confidence. Naruto experiences a mix of admiration and fear at this.
Kakashi on the other hand sighs once more. It seems girls at her age are more interested in boys than ninjutsu. Her fervent declaration is little more than denial to the jonin. He then points to Takamaru.
"You can call me Takamaru. I like ice cream and I dislike stupid, noisy, and inconsiderate people who may or may not have a lighter hair color."
Sakura chuckles at this as both she and Naruto both conclude that he is talking about Naruto. Unbeknownst to Sakura, she is included in this descriptive list despite her academy scores.
"My hobbies... if you knew, I wouldn't be doing them right. And as for a dream, well, I have more of a calling - to kill someone in particular, someday."
Kakashi thinks briefly, 'hm, well revenge is as good a motivator as any other, for beginners, anyway.' Then addressing the team,
"That's it for introductions. Tomorrow we will begin duties together as a team."
Naruto interrupts excitedly,
"Duties? What duties?"
"- Survival training."
This time Sakura,
"Training for our first day together? What's that about?"
"Well, I say training, but it's more of a test. Against me."
Before anyone can interrupt again, Takamaru throws up a hand in a gesture to silence Naruto and Sakura. Their unnecessary questions are beginning to annoy him, so he'd rather get through this explanation more quickly by just listening. Kakashi is a little saddened as he was about to play on their curiosity to psyche them out for tomorrow, but a little respect isn't a bad tradeoff. He continues,
"Of the twenty seven graduates, only nine are to accepted as genin. The rest are sent back to the academy."
Naruto can barely contain himself and prepares to challenge this 'test', when Takamaru's eyes meet his in a menacing glare filled with killing intent. Naruto's eyes go wide in response as he keeps it down. He already had one brush with death from Takamaru today.
"The details are on this paper here. Oh, and skip breakfast. You don't want to throw it right back up!"
He vanishes, leaving behind the information.
The next morning at the training field...
"YOU'RE LATE!"
Both Naruto and Sakura scream out. Sakura quickly reddens at realizing she just mirrored Naruto, as Takamaru remains quiet as always.
"Hey guys, good morning!"
Kakashi sets down a clock on a stump.
"Set for noon!"
He pulls out a pair of bells attached to string.
"Your task is to take these from me by the time the alarm goes off. Those who don't have a bell by then get no lunch, and you will be tied to a stump to watch as I eat it. And if you don't have a bell, you fail, so at least one of you are going back to the academy. You can use any tools you have brought with you, like kunai..."
He eyes the weapon slung over Takamaru's back.
"-Or sword. You must come at me with the intent to kill, or you will never succeed."
Sakura gapes in shock, confused at either being underestimated or Kakashi's lack of self preservation. Naruto, however, has words to share,
"Haha! This coming from the guy who couldn't even dodge an eraser!"
Kakashi, full of wit from 'sparring' with his fellows replies,
"In reality, those who find themselves lacking, attempt to compensate with bravado. So bark way, little puppy, it won't make your bite draw any more blood. We begin when I-"
Naruto, not keen on being compared to a toothless whelp, charges Kakashi immediately. Sakura watches with shock renewed. If he could get the drop on this jonin in combat, that would definitely make him seem... cooler. Wishful thinking, that, as Kakashi merely grabs Naruto's arm and flips him around so his kunai points at the back of his own neck.
"As I said, we begin when I give the signal."
He release Naruto, who immediately jumps back several feet away.
"And go!"
Sakura and Takamaru vanish into the woods almost instantly. Kakashi approves as he states most educationally,
"The first and foremost asset for a shinobi is stealth."
He notes that Sakura is hidden well, and it takes him a few seconds more to locate Takamaru, but when attempts to track Naruto...
"Fight me!"
Kakashi turns to face Naruto, a little stunned, but mostly disappointed.
"That's... not how you do it."
"I don't care! I said fight me!"
Naruto begins his charge anew with a kunai in his right hand, Meanwhile, Kakashi pulls out a book and begins reading as he instructs,
"Shinobi lesson number one - Taijutsu."
He feels any more words would be wasted when a demonstration will suffice. Naruto stops his charge momentarily at seeing the book in the jonin's hands; but grins thinking that an opening has been created. His first strike is a slash aimed for the book itself, to which Kakashi merely sidesteps. And then, a flurry or kicks and punches. Each strike is either dodged or deflected with Kakashi's off-hand. Another kick leads to a sweep, knocking Naruto off balance. When he recovers he throws his weight into a hard right straight punch. In desperation he closes his eyes, which proves to be a fatal error as Kakashi vanishes and reappears behind him in a puff of smoke, crouching and holding his hands in a seal formation.
Sakura notices this and shouts,
"Naruto! Run!"
Naruto is more stunned by Sakura's apparent show of 'caring' than by being flanked.
"Never show the enemy your back... pup."
The next moment a pair of fingers are jammed upward into a very uncomfortable place and Naruto is airborne.
[1000 years of pain!]
Sakura stops dead and her expression freezes into a look of disbelief.
Meanwhile Takamaru lets out a long sigh. He wasn't expecting Naruto to achieve anything here, but even that was just embarrassing. Plotting his next move, he makes way for Sakura.
As Naruto falls from the sky into the water below awaiting him, he thinks it is time to start working together. Alone, he is no match for the jonin. If only he knew some awesome, kickass jutsu... or so he tells himself. When he climbs out of the water he spots a bell sitting by a tree nearby. 'Kakashi must've dropped it carelessly during the scuffle', he thinks. Alas, in the words of a certain admiral, it was a trap. When he steps close enough to retrieve it, a rope tightens around his ankle and yanks him upwards, dangling him just out of reach of the bell. Kakashi strolls back into view and picks up,
"Huh. I figured a prankster like you would be good at traps. As a shinobi, you must look for the meaning hidden beneath."
"Dammit!"
Naruto curses himself for such an obvious ploy.
Suddenly a couple handfuls of knives and stars embed themselves into the side of the jonin. When Naruto turns to see who did that, he is pleasantly surprised to see Sakura, wide-eyed at having maimed their instructor. However, substitution wins again. A log poofs in to replace an otherwise gory scene. At once Sakura's eyes go even wider. She just gave away her position to back up Naruto of all people. She looks left, and she looks right. No one. Ah, but when she turns around to check her flank, Kakashi is mere inches away.
"Shinobi lesson number two! - Genjutsu!"
A swirl of leaves build up into a cyclone around the young kunoichi. She feels herself go dizzy for a moment before opening her eyes to a scene at a Ramen stand. Next to her sits Naruto with the largest grin ever. He leans close, ramen broth dribbling down his front, and says,
"So, this marks our third date! You know what that means, don't you...? I can't wait to take you home!"
"NEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!"
Sakura screams in sheer terror. All Naruto sees after that, appears to be a seizure as she lies on the ground, twitching and frothing at the mouth. Naruto, concerned, quickly cuts himself loose and lands on his feet. And another rope closes around his ankle and yanks him right back up. The kunai in his hand falls out of reach. That was his last one...
Takamaru can't help but face-palm. A dull thud tells Kakashi all he needs to know about Takamaru's location. A second later and he's beside Takamaru with a quip,
"Enjoying the show?"
Taka quickly moves out from the bush, drawing his sword as he skids to a halt. It isn't the fact that he was so easily found that unsettles him; it's the insinuation that he was merely watching and nothing more. If Sakura hadn't charged out, just like Naruto, he'd have been able to form a plan for the two of them to get a bell. As it stands, he'll be the only one with a bell by noon.
"To watch is to learn; and knowledge is power."
Kakashi rolls his one eye.
"That's very text-book of you, Takamaru... however, that is not the lesson plan for today."
"Taijutsu, right?"
He says as he charges forward with a horizontal slash. Kakashi draws a kunai to block the incoming strike. The speed of the follow-up flurry of blows deny him the attention needed to read his book, and the exchange continues like an advanced class on the sword arts.
In another part of the training ground, Naruto manages to slip free of the second trap and land elsewhere, just in case there was a third one. He squats down near a dazed Sakura and gently pats her cheeks with both hands to wake her up. Her eyes flutter open, and when she sees Naruto inches from her face, she lets out another scream. Naruto reacts quickly and places a hand over her mouth. That first one was ear-splitting, and he doensn't need a second one this up close to finish deafening him. After she runs out of breath, he removes his hand and points to the exchange between Kakashi and Takamaru.
"We really should be working together, ya know?"
Sakura's face gains a little color back from the pale that it was as she nods in understanding.
Back to the fight - Takamaru isn't getting anywhere closer to those bells. His opponent is far too experienced to incapacitate or wear down. Ah, but what if he just cuts one loose? With a quick feint of a downward strike, Takamaru brings the blade to a halt at Kakashi's waist and short-thrusts at his side to relive him of the small metallic spheres. Kakashi is not so easily tricked, sees through this attempt, and jumps back.
"Third shinobi lesson - Ninjutsu."
His hands quickly form seals - Horse, Tiger, Serpent, Ram -
Takamaru's eyes go wide. Those signs, if he is not mistaken, will complete with monkey, boar, horse, and tiger. And with it, the fireball jutsu - the only jutsu his father taught him, the only ninjutsu he completed. Fire. Burning. The bodies of his parents. His older brother opening his eyes. The black flames consuming him, searing his flesh. The pure agony of that moment, both physical and emotional. His heart races in a fraction of a second. The seals complete and Kakashi leans back, gathering in a breath. Takamaru's eyes shift in color. The dark brown of his irises become red, two commas spin slowly around each of the pupils.
Kakashi's eyes go wide as well. For the sharingan to awaken so early is highly unusual; even more so since the clan is essentially extinct. As the boy moves forward at astonishing speed, Kakashi holds the breath and attempts to swallow back the chakra he was about to blow out of his mouth. With no time to move out of the way of the incoming thrust, Kakashi uses his left hand to deflect the blade's tip with his kunai; and with his right he grabs onto Takamaru's shoulder to hold him in place to regain himself. He lets out a cough of billowing smoke as two figures bolt past him.
Takamaru remains perfectly still in place, breathing raggedly. His eyes seem to stare right past Kakashi before losing their bright red. And the eyes glaze over, giving him a dead look. The rigidness in Takamaru's form tells Kakashi that he is standing on practiced form alone; his decreased breathing, that he is now unconscious. Whatever shock had pushed Takamaru to awaken his eyes must've been a traumatic one, for him to react as he did. Kakashi relaxes his hold and steps back. After a few seconds, Taka loosens and slumps down to his knees, then collapsing face first into the dirt.
"Takamaru!"
Naruto and Sakura yell in tandem. They rush over to their fallen teammate to check him for injuries. Sakura is the first to notice that he appears physically unharmed, and looks to Kakashi pleadingly for answers. He replies,
"He's alright, just lost consciousness after using a jutsu of his own. You two should be more concerned for yourselves - you still need a bell before the alarm goes off..."
Naruto smiles wide and holds up one of the bells. Sakura hesitantly does the same, concern still written on her face. Kakashi goes wide-eyed once again and looks to his side to see the bells simply gone. 'Well, isn't that a pleasant surprise,' He thinks. Relaxing his posture he takes a few steps towards the trio. Naruto jumps up and draws a kunai, his smile becoming a fierce, protective glare at their jonin.
"No! You can't tie him to a stump! He needs help!"
Sakura, uncertain how to act, places a hand on Takamaru's back and also draws out a kunai. She nods in agreement with Naruto. Kakashi raises his hands peacefully.
"Relax, you two. I'm not going to tie him to the stump. It defeats the purpose if he's not conscious enough to be effectively punished. Besides..."
He leans closer with a big smile showing in only his exposed eye.
"All three of you... Pass!"
Naruto's expression falters, his eyes twitching in momentary confusion. Sakura cocks her head to the side in equal disbelief, and asks,
"We pass? But I thought only nine genin would be accepted out of the twenty seven! Doesn't that mean that only one of us would pass?"
Kakashi's smile softens as he explains,
"Yes. Only three teams of three will be approved to active duty as genin. You see, above personal ability, is the ability to work as a unit under a commander. The previous candidates I tested all failed. They just did whatever I told them without thinking for themselves. A shinobi must see the meaning hidden beneath."
Sakura nods energetically.
"So, you are saying that you set up a situation guaranteeing that one of us would fail to divide us..."
Kakashi leads on,
"And...?"
"And that even though a mission may call for a sacrifice, we must be willing to do so for success?"
Kakashi nods,
"But that's not all. In the shinobi world, those who don't follow 'the rules' are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash. Even though you two completed the objective, had you left Takamaru behind I would've failed you. So, congratulations! Tomorrow we really begin our duties as team seven!"
Naruto grumbles for the second time,
"Duties? What duties..?"
Kakashi ignores him as he vanishes.
Sakura checks back on Takamaru and lets out a chuckle. Smiling, she turns to Naruto,
"Shhh. He's sleeping. Let's leave him be."
Her expression turns to slight disgust,
"And let's get that date out of the way. It's the only one you'll ever have with me, and I'd rather get it over sooner than later."
Naruto chuckles nervously.
Later that evening...
Maybe his psyche is adapting to shock. All the dreams he'd been having were pleasant ones, involving sweet ice cream in a winter wonderland. He never saw snowfall before, but in his dreams they fell like dandelion wisps. And there was a female presence there, comforting in a non-maternal sort of way.
"T-taka... maru..."
That's strange. It didn't speak to him before this dream. And why did it have a slight stutter? That question answers itself in a slight pressure sensation against the top of his head. Someone is poking him. His eyes open slowly to see a girl with shorter black hair and pale eyes. He groans out,
"Hi... Hinata..."
Another groan as he shifts on his stomach. How long was he out? Judging by the color of the sky, the sun is just past set.
"D-did you... pass?"
Hinata asks as nicely as she can. Takamaru feels the sword in his right hand and something foreign in his left hand. Always stiff to move, he opens the left hand slowly to reveal a couple of bells. With a hidden smile,
"I guess I did. What about you?"
Hinata looks down in her usual shy manner, though not dejectedly.
"Yeah... Kiba, a-and Shino, too..."
Takamaru considers this carefully. If Kiba passed, then maybe the test wasn't that hard. Then again, if they were to be a team, it's possible that the pass or fail would be determined by teamwork ability. And suddenly, he isn't so sure that he passed. Sitting up, he reaches up to his forehead to check for the steel-plated headband. It is still there. He doubts he'd be allowed to to keep it if his team failed. The question of just how they passed can be answered when he sees the two others tomorrow.
"That's good."
Hinata looks up from the ground secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of Takamaru's eyes without him noticing. No such luck. Their gazes meet and Hinata looks back down immediately as she reddens. This is very unusual for her to be so visibly shy around anyone but Naruto. But no, that can't possibly mean anything. This is just more positive interaction than what she is used to. That's all.
"And thanks for waking me up. You are a nice girl."
To Takamaru, he is just being polite and stating an obvious fact of Hinata's nature. To Hinata, it feels like she just met her monthly quota of positive affirmations. She feels another blush coming on and stands up quickly to turn away from Takamaru.
"G-g-g-good night!"
And she's off in a blur. Takamaru rises with a chuckle, thinking how odd Hinata is, but pleasant. He heads home to prepare. After all, tomorrow is a new day.