Trials of Camaraderie

by PhoenixSempai

Hotaru: Genin Years 1. The Academy Graduation test is approaching, but Hotaru and her friends come to realize, as all ninja must, that there is far more going on beneath the surface than they first see.

1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

May as well say this again, just to be explicit:

Hotaru and any characters not expressly mentioned below are all © Me

Sutiibu-sensei design © me, the concept of the character came from both me and DeviantArt's 1387 Tortures (based on our TKD instructor :D)

Nariko and Rai design © me;

Nariko, Rai, Jomei, and Shiro characters © Rising Black Rose and myself (most of the credit belongs to her – please read her accompanying stories!)

Garuki © :dev1387Tortures, used with permission

Naruto and all of the ninja concepts from it © Masashi Kishimoto

Trials of Camaraderie:

A Ninja's Tale

(Hotaru: The Genin Years, Story One)

"Can you believe Honu-sensei's face when Jomei attacked that log that had been transformed to look like Shiro?"

"I know! I thought he'd pass out…until it turned back into a log."

All of my friends laughed.

Friends…it had a nice ring to it. I didn't have many, even then; but after four years at the Academy, those few that had stuck by me through everything were even more precious.

We were walking outside the training grounds: me, Garuki, Shiro, and Nariko, with her hippo summon Rai trailing not far behind as always. Jomei was still at the Academy, serving out his punishment by cleaning erasers. He had always been the prankster of the class; he didn't mind the punishment as long as fun was to be had first.

It reminded me of something. "Hey, Garuki. Do you remember the first time I met Jomei?"

He nodded, though he wasn't smiling as I was. "Yes. Thanks to him and his 'no girl ninja' theories, you almost got so lonely that you quit Academy."

I frowned. "You don't need to think of it like that, Garuki-chan. I see it this way: look at how much he's changed for the better since then. It's almost funny, when you think of what a big deal he made of 'cooties' back then. I'd never have guessed we'd be friends."

Garuki grinned. "I'm just glad you two can get along now. It makes things much easier for me!"

"Anyway," I said, "it wasn't his fault I was lonely, only that I never got to play with you. The rest was thanks to Aiko-san…"

Thanks to Aiko-san, the people in my small group of friends were still the only ones in class to speak to me…taunting aside.

"Hey, look over there," said Nariko. She pointed through the fence to the training grounds. Several teams of Genin-ranked ninjas were performing various exercised, supervised by their Jounin instructors. We stopped to watch.

"They're all so good. They must have been Genin for awhile now, don't you think?" wondered Shiro.

"Actually, I can say that for sure," said Nariko.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I know why they're all in there. They're training for the Chuunin Selection Exam. So it's not likely that any of them are rookies, and all of them are at least experience enough to apply for Chuunin rank."

I blinked. "Oh."

"What's more, these are the very best of that group. The first two parts of the exam took place in Hidden Sand about two weeks ago. These few groups of Genin were the only ones good enough to make it into the final third exam. That tournament isn't for another week – that's why they're training so hard."

We all stared at her. She was still watching the Genin.

"Nariko-chan…how do you know these things?" Garuki asked in an awed tone.

She smiled and shrugged. "I listen. That's all."

Shiro pointed. "Then can you tell me who that is?" He gestured to a blond girl dressed entirely in red and black, manipulating an impressive number of wires and throwing kunai at the same time. Her "victim" appeared to be a tree trunk. It was decimated.

"I don't know," was all that Nariko said.

I was so entranced by the girl's techniques that I failed entirely to notice her teammates and instructor…until her sensei called a halt, and brought them together.

"Garuki-chan, look! It's Sutiibu-san!"

Sure enough, the girl's instructor was none other than the ex-ANBU and my brother's savior, Sutiibu-san. The girl stood with her two male teammates, listening intently to instructions. Nearby stood a silver-haired boy, obviously not much older than the others, wearing a Chuunin flak-jacket and crossing his arms, bored.

"Sutiibu's group…of course they would be incredibly talented…wait, I know who that girl is," Garuki said suddenly. "Her name is Takeyoshi Katana. She was the number one rookie two years ago."

"Two years ago, ne?" Shiro said. "It's a wonder she isn't a Chuunin already, in that case."

"It's a rule that Sutiibu-sensei has for his students," said Nariko. "They must train for two years before entering. I don't think he's ever had a student fail, thanks to that."

We stared at her again, but this time we were smart enough not to bother asking how she knew.

Garuki yawned. "Come on, let's go get some ramen at Ichiraku or something. I'm sure my aunt and uncle will give us a discount."

Intrigued, we all followed him as he walked in toward town.

"So, if the final of the Chuunin Exam is in a week...a bunch of Genin will become Chuunin, right?" reasoned Shiro.

"I'm sure some of them will," said Garuki. "This is still such a small village that Yukikage always picks a bunch of them to move up, since we need more higher-ranked ninja."

Then I understood why Shiro had asked. "Wait…if those Genin become Chuunin, then they'll need more Genin, won't they?"

Nariko smiled. "You hadn't heard? The Academy graduation exam is next week."

We sat at Ichiraku Ramen, considering the upcoming exam.

Nariko sat at the end of the bar, her hippo on the ground beside her. She twirled some ramen noodles up in her chopsticks and fed them to Rai, who slurped them noisily and thanked her. I found that I wasn't hungry.

"Don't worry about it, Hotaru. All of us are really good. I'm sure we'll all pass," said Nariko distractedly as she fed her hippo. Garuki, sitting next to me, nodded enthusiastically and continued to sip his beef ramen in contentment.

"Sure," I said. But I remembered my grades. We had been given our class ranks earlier that morning. I pulled mine out of my pocket and unfolded it.

Garuki may have been perfectly happy, but he knew me well enough to understand something was bothering me.

He looked over my shoulder. Nariko had begun a conversation with Shiro; Garuki spoke quietly so they wouldn't overhear. "You've really improved a lot, Hotaru-chan. I remember when you were ranked last out the class in Genjutsu."

I sighed, staring at the paper.

Name: Yoruhana Hotaru

Subject Rank

Theory and

Strategy:2

Taijutsu:9

Ninjutsu:15

Genjutsu: 21

Practical

Skills:5

Weapons:23

"Garuki-chan, you know the only reason I'm not still dead last in Genjutsu is because I'm good at seeing and dispelling them. I couldn't actually perform one to save my life. Meanwhile, my weapons have only gotten worse since I was younger, and I have such a small amount of chakra that even when though I can do the ninjutsu, they're never really powerful or long-lasting. If we have to do a technique for the exam, I'll probably fail."

Garuki looked at me. "You're better than you think, okay? You'll be fine. Now eat some of that ramen, it's really good!"

I smiled. It didn't matter if he was right or not; he always made me feel better.

The following day, the exam was announced; it took place on the morning of the last day of class that week. Honu-sensei, Kaoru-sensei, and a couple of unfamiliar Jounin sat at a table at the head of the room, papers in front of them, ready to take notes. All of us sat in our usual seats. I was fidgeting more than I'd like to admit. It surprised me that Aiko-san, sitting behind me, didn't comment.

Honu-sensei stood. "Class, I just want to start by saying that I have taught your class for four years now, and I believe every one of you is ready for this exam. However, it is not likely that all of you will pass; please do not get discouraged. There will be another test in six months."

Six months, while all of my friends were out on real missions, would be eternity.

"Now, we have decided this semester to hold the exam in two parts. In a moment, Juro-san and I will move into the next room. Kaoru-san will hand you the written exam. When you finish it, please return it to her and line up outside the door to the next room over. We will call you in one at a time."

There were murmurs throughout the class.

"Sensei, what do you mean, written exam? There's never a written exam!" said Jomei with a crestfallen look.

"We decided that because ninjas must be well-rounded, we should test your knowledge as well as your skill. Now, no complaining. Please begin…and good luck."

He and the Jounin named Juro walked out of the room, and Kaoru-sensei handed us the exams.

There was only one question, though it appeared complex.

You and your teammates are on a mission in a forest and have been spilt up by an ambush attack from unseen ninjas. You travel quietly by ground while you search for your missing teammates. You hear the sounds of fighting close by and recognize the voices of your teammates in battle. Suddenly, before you can reach your teammates, three Sand ninjas jump from the trees and surround you. They remain at a distance from you. One of them uses a summoning technique and calls forth a badger demon twice your size. You recognize the beast as one with a strong sense of smell.

Assume: You have twelve kunai, three yards of wire, one exploding tag, and a smoke bomb. You cannot summon your own beast to fight, nor do you have any Bloodline abilities, pets, or family techniques at your disposal.

Describe the best possible plan of attack to subdue the ninjas and beast, in order that you might reach your teammates to aid them. Please explain your reasoning.

I stared at the paper in disbelief. There was no way an Academy-level ninja would be able to answer the question. Clearly it was a situation which would occur on a B or A-ranked mission, since there were enemy ninjas and summons involved. Those were normally reserved for Chuunin, if not Jounin. And we had been taught nothing on the best ways to fight sand-based demon summons….

Wait, I thought. Sand-based? Sand ninjas?

The Hidden Village of Sand was our ally.

I re-read the question. 'Ambush attack by unseen ninjas…before you can reach your teammates…they remain at a distance from you…' That's it!

Looking around me, most of the kids were making strange faces, biting on pencils or staring to the ceiling as if it would give them the answer. But I knew. I scribbled quickly:

The ninja in this situation is actually being held captive by a genjutsu (and a bad one, at that) because Sand is our ally and would not attack us. Also, we know it is a genjutsu because it was specifically cast on the ninja to distract her from reaching her teammates nearby, and because the "enemy ninjas" refuse to actually approach her even though they have the advantage. The best way to escape this situation would be to dispel the genjutsu using the command "Kai." Then, you should throw a smoke bomb to confuse the one ninja who must be nearby, who cast the genjutsu. While they cannot see you, you should make your way quickly to the aid of your friends.

Satisfied entirely with my answer, I handed in the test and walked next door. Looking back as I left, I saw Nariko and Shiro each scribbling answers on their paper. Garuki only gaped at me as he saw me leave. I was the first to do so.

"All right, Hotaru-chan. We're going to ask you to perform two techniques," said Honu-sensei. He didn't seem surprised that I was the first to arrive.

I nodded and tried to appear confident.

"For the first technique, we'd like you to demonstrate whatever ninjutsu you like the best or are most comfortable with; anything with a visible result, that is, so no Chakra Warmth no Jutsu."

I smiled a bit – I could just imagine Jomei trying to get away with that.

"All right," I said. "I'll do a transformation technique."

I looked around for something small to transform. A pencil lay on the desk.

I focused on it, formed the seals with my hands, molded the chakra, and said, "Henge no Jutsu!" The pencil became a tiny blue butterfly and floated above the desk.

I grinned as Honu-sensei looked on with pride. "It's awfully small, but still, very impressive work for a…" began Juro-san, but before he could finish his sentence, I felt my chakra weaken and lost my hold on the butterfly. It quickly became a pencil again and fell to the ground with a pitiful click.

Honu-sensei sighed as if he had expected it, and Juro-san frowned and wrote something on his paper.

"Now, for your second technique, we'd like to see your best replication jutsu…that is, as many replications as you can make, please."

The color drained from my face. I had worked too hard to make the Henge an impressive one with color and motion…it had eaten away at my small chakra supply. I knew how to replicate, but could only make two on the best day. At that point, with chakra used up, I knew I was in trouble.

I frowned, formed the seals, put in as much chakra as possible, and yelled, "Bunshin no Jutsu!"

There it was, beside me: a perfect copy of me. One perfect copy. And then it was gone.

I was out of breath.

The Jounin examined me without words, then made more notes on his sheet. Honu-sensei tried to give me a reassuring look before sending me on my way to wait in the hall for the test to finish.

I wasn't in the mood for talking. Garuki and Nariko sat on either side of me in the hallway. Both had asked me how I thought it had gone. I hadn't said a word.

All the students had finished; the Chuunin and Jounin who tested us had gathered in the room, compiling their results.

The door opened. "Yoruhana Hotaru?"

I looked up.

"Please come with me," said the Jounin I didn't know.

Garuki gave me a thumbs-up and a grin as I walked into the room. I heard Aiko-san laughing as well: "Guess who's going to be the first to fail?"

The door closed behind me and I stood before the teachers.

"As I'm sure you know, your ninjutsu were generally poor," said the Jounin. "While you can obviously perform them, you were not able to maintain them, or produce large transformations or multiple replications. That is a level far below that of your peers; considering you are a year older than them, we should certainly not pass you."

I blinked back tears and nodded; it was what I had expected.

"However…" said Kaoru-sensei. I looked up. "However, you were one of only four students to correctly and completely answer the written exam question. Because you are obviously quite intelligent, and have routinely done well in your theory exams, we have decided you would make an excellent teacher some day. Of course, to do that, you have to make it all the way to Chuunin rank first."

I wasn't sure what she meant.

Honu-sensei explained. "We feel that, because it is the practical skills you lack instead of the knowledge, the best way for you to improve would be to practice actual skills in the field, instead of remaining in the Academy and practicing them on paper."

"Of course, you will have to be well-supervised," put in Juro-san.

"Wait…you mean, I pass?"

"Congratulations," said Honu-sensei with the infectious smile I had grown to love. He handed me a beautiful, shiny new forehead protector engraved with the snowflake that represented our village. "Today, Hotaru-chan, you become a Genin."

"I told you not to worry," said Nariko with a smile. We had shared a small apartment for a year at that point, and she sat on the couch in our common living room, next to Rai, as I rushed to get myself ready. I was supposed to meet Garuki at Ichiraku Ramen in only minutes.

I admit I was surprised when Nariko had asked me to be her roommate, considering her solitary tendencies, but it had worked out very well. Since we each had our own bedroom, she had somewhere to go to be alone; meanwhile, I had the roommate I had been craving since I moved to the village.

"Maybe so," I said, "but it's not like they seemed really happy about promoting me."

"In any case, all of us passed," she reminded me. "Anyway," she said as I slipped on my sandals and headed out the door, "have a good time on your date."

I looked over my shoulder. "It's not a date, Nariko-chan. It's Garuki-kun. He's my best friend."

She smiled. "Whatever."

I shook my head and hurried out the door, only pausing to call "Ittekimasu!"

"Itterasshai!" was the last thing I heard before the door closed behind me.

Garuki was already waiting for me when I arrived. Since his uncle ran the ramen shop, he said the meal was on him, as a means of congratulating us for our promotion. Garuki wore his head-protector prominently across his forehead; mine was tied to my belt loops on the left side of my pants, easy to see but out of the way.

The ramen had extra special ingredients, on the house, and it was totally delicious. Garuki and I reveled in how well the day had gone for awhile; I tried not to think of how close it had been – how I knew I should probably have stayed in the Academy.

Garuki was too content to worry about anything. Naturally, I was the one who thought of it first.

"Garuki-kun…tomorrow they're going to place us on three-person Genin teams. We're going to be split up."

He stared at me, and slurped up the noodle hanging from his mouth. "Wow. That's right. I forgot."

I stared at my bowl and frowned. "Garuki-kun…we've been together since the moment I came to this village. Aside from that first month or so, we've been friends the whole time."

He nodded. "Super special best friends."

"So…what happens when we aren't together anymore?"

He thought about it. "I suppose we'll still be best friends."

"How do you know?"

"Well…because I couldn't imagine it any other way."

The next morning I woke up and put on the new outfit I had made for the day I became a Genin. It was a silver-blue kimono cut at the waist, tied with a decorative kimono bow, with forest green Capri-length cargo pants. It was incredibly comfortable and, I thought, very stylish. I tied my head protector to the belt loops again before leaving the bedroom.

Nariko had obviously woken up much earlier; by the time I joined her in the common room, breakfast was on the table and she and Rai were ready to leave. We ate quickly and made our way to the Genin meeting, in the old Academy room. All but about five of our classmates were there.

Honu-sensei stood before us with his incredible grin, more proud than he had ever been. "I want to congratulate you all once again on becoming Genin. Now that you are all here, I need to go over some important information with you."

He lectured us for awhile on responsibility and the normal duties of Genin, as well as our new training schedule aside from missions. Then he took out a box containing small slips of paper and began handing them out.

"On this slip of paper is your name, the number of your new Genin team, and the time and location in which your Jounin instructor has asked you to first meet with him or her. Please look carefully, as some of the meetings will take place as soon as a half an hour from now. Good luck, do your best, and remember to visit me from time to time!"

I received my paper.

Genin Name: Yoruhana Hotaru Team Number: 9

The meeting was to be at the bridge over the north fork of the stream which ran through town, in two hours.

I looked at Nariko. "What's your team?"

"Team Six. You?"

"Team Nine," I said sadly.

Shiro and Jomei were cheering across the room. "Rock on, we're both on Team Six!" Jomei shouted. "The Unstoppable Duo stays together!"

Nariko blinked. "That's interesting."

I smiled. "Good thing Garuki introduced us to those two, huh? Now you're not on a team with strangers." I have to admit, though, I was jealous. They may not have been the best of friends, but Nariko got along with those two well enough. I just knew it; I would be placed with Aiko-san.

"Hotaru-chan." It was Garuki; he had walked up behind me.

"Yeah?"

"Did I hear you say Team Nine?"

"Yep."

He grinned. "Me, too."

Garuki and I walked to the meeting spot together, smiling and laughing the whole way. We hadn't managed to locate our third teammate, but at that point, it didn't matter to me. As long as I had my best friend, nothing could bring me down. Not even Aiko-san.

We approached the bridge so see a brown-haired Jounin dressed in black with a silver flak-jacket. He was talking somewhat sternly to a blond girl dressed mostly in red; her Chakra Warmth no Jutsu must have been strong, since she wore shorts and her shirt was almost more fishnet than fabric. Her head protector had red fabric as well, and was tied around her leg. She leaned against the bridge railing, arms crossed and eyes downcast.

"I understand that you are angry. However, they both outperformed you, and I think you know that. In any case, Yukikage knows you are a strong fighter; it's your temper that worries her. Chuunin are team leaders, more often than not; she feels that you are too short-tempered to make a good leader."

"Kane was a Chuunin by the time he was ten! Surely you can't tell me that a ten-year-old makes a fabulous team leader. As far as I'm concerned, Yukikage-sama plays favorites."

"That's exactly the attitude that got you here," the Jounin growled. "The Yukikage would never do anything that threatened this village or any of its ninja. You know that….Oh, hello!" Finally he noticed our presence, as Garuki and I stood behind him on the bridge. He turned, rubbing the back of his head with his arm apologetically.

"I say, really sorry about that. I didn't hear you walk up."

I stared. "Sutiibu-san!"

Garuki was smiling next to me.

"Ah, yes, that is my name," Sutiibu-san said, grinning. "Of course, you knew that. Just the way I know who you both are. However, we still must make introductions. First of all, now I am Sutiibu-sensei, I suppose."

We nodded.

"Who are the kids?" the girl asked, without looking up.

Sutiibu laughed. "Of course. Katana, these two are Mikata Garuki and Yoruhana Hotaru. Garuki, Hotaru, I'd like you to meet your new Genin teammate: Takeyoshi Katana."