The Volleyball Team Hidden in the Leaves

It was a game that seemed so simple when one looked at it.

Pass with your forearms, push it into the air with your hands and hit it over the net where your opponent couldn't receive it. Do that for a couple sets and you win. But there was so much more to Volleyball than just that…

One would often wonder why there was so much excitement for the sport and why people around the world put so much hard work into the game… It was a team sport, one that required each person to be functioning at 100% for the play to happen but it was also a game where each individual player shined in their own right.

Liberos are the guardians of the earth, making sure the ball did not touch the ground on their side of the court and focusing on getting the ball to their target. Liberos are often short and deadly quick as their job is to receive spikes and serves moving at over 70mph at times and get a perfect pass to their target. Whether that meant serve receives, block follows or receiving a devastating spike that would have ended the game there and then.

Setters are the tacticians, the generals that sent their soldiers into battle to win points. They are responsible for making plays and managing the offense by finding opportunities for their hitters to attack. They are also have to be all around players as they must also be proficient in blocking and serving, with setters often being the best server on the team not counting the pinch server.

Middle Blockers are the lords of the wall whose jobs are to stop or slow down spikes from the opposing team and to score fast points of their own. Usually the tallest players on the team, middle blockers are some of the most reliable players who are essential to both offense and defense.

Wing Spikers are the strongest hitters on the team and are positioned on both sides of the court. The Left Side spikers are known as the Outside Hitters and were often the most reliable hitters on the team. The Outside often gets the most sets and was often given the toss when the first pass was not perfect as they are almost guaranteed to get the ball over the net. The Right Side attacker was known as the Opposite Hitter and their jobs were numerous as well, as they were tasked with blocking the other teams Outside as well as scoring points when the opponent's defense isn't prepared.

The final position was not an official one but one that had worked itself into popular volleyball terminology. The Ace. The spiker whose power and skill was undeniable and was tasked with winning points when the team needed them most. No matter the pressure they are under and who they are facing, the Ace is the one who the team puts their trust in when things get tough.

It was a simple game whose possibilities were endless for those who worked hard. There was no limit to what those who trained and practiced until they were the best.

This is the story of one team who would not stop until they were the best, no matter what obstacle was in their way. This was the story of Konohagakure High School and the volleyball team that took the country by storm.

As one approached the building, the sounds only grew louder. Every few seconds for hours on end, there would be a sound like gunshots that echoed through the building and scared passing by high school students heading to class. It was only when one removed their shoes and entered the building near the end of campus that realized what was happening.

Those "gunshots" were the sounds of the Konoha Volleyball Team practicing spiking. They were in fact spiking the ball so hard, they were bouncing their poor victims off the ground with so much force that the balls were flying into the bleachers of their gym. The gym was rather nice, with recently finished wood floors and a brand new set of dark green bleachers bought using their recently won prize money from their last tournament. Displayed proudly under the many windows that revealed the beauty of the environment surrounding them was a dark green banner that said, "Be as Unstoppable as the Elements".

"One more!"

The shout knocked the team's setter from his daydream, making the 2nd year look around tiredly. The teen's name was Shikamaru Nara and he was the starting setter for Konoha, also known as the "Lazy Genius". A brilliant young man whose IQ was in the 200's, Shikamaru was known to be able to find a weakness in any defense and to bring out the full potential of his hitters...when he actually cared that is.

Shikamaru had brown eyes that were always analyzing things but always looked bored as well. His long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail that spiky outwards which, according to his teammates, made him "look like a pineapple". He had a slender face and pierced ears with silver hoop earrings, a family tradition. Shikamaru wore the usual Konohagakure Volleyball uniform which consisted of a dark green jersey with navy blue sleeves and navy blue shorts that were slightly longer than normal so that they covered the knees and hid the player's knee pads. The jersey had the school's symbol of a spiral leaf on the front as well as the name of the school in kanji along the upper back, while Shikamaru's jersey prominently displayed the number 10 on the front.

"That's your fourth in a row Konohamaru-kun" Shikamaru said exasperatedly to his underclassman who was still bouncing up and down excitedly.

Konohamaru Sarutobi was the youngest member of the Konohagakure Volleyball Team and one of the only two 1st years on the team. He had short spiky brown hair and black eyes that were bursting with energy along with a young face that his teammates would usually tease him about. Almost unconsciously, Konohamaru displayed his Konoha jersey with pride so that all could see the 13 on his chest.

One of the team's two regular Outside hitters, Konohamaru had shown from the beginning that he had a lot of potential and hoped to become just like his grandfather, Hiruzen Sarutobi. A legend in the volleyball world, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a member of the first generation Konohagakure Volleyball Team who would later go on to play on the National Team.

"One more and then we can take a break until the Captain and the Vice Captain comeback!" Konohamaru said with a bright grin as he spun the red, green and white volleyball in his hands.

"Yosh! I will receive this one and if I don't, I will do 500 pushups and if I can't do 500 push ups, I will do 1000 situps…" Konoha's Libero began to rant as he readied himself for the attack from where he stood on the other side of the net.

Rock Lee's appearance was a bit...off putting. He had a bowl haircut that was rather shiny and very thick eyebrows that were rather strange looking along with his big round eyes. His appearance only became even more strange with the addition of the Konoha Libero uniform which was almost entirely dark green and lacked the dark blue of the normal uniform as well as the bright orange ankle braces and white bandages around his forearms and fingers that Lee wore.

Rock Lee was the opposite of a volleyball genius. He had not been gifted with incredible potential or outstanding prodigal skill. No, Rock Lee was a Libero who had trained and worked until he was one of the most physically fit volleyball players in all of Japan. He was a player who displayed the number 7 on his shirt with pride as it had not been easy to get onto that court and defend his right to be there.

"Left side!" Konohamaru called as he tossed the ball to Shikamaru who watched it with a bored expression.

Left, right, left!

That was the pattern Konohamaru's feet took as he approached the ball, watching it as it left Shikamaru's hands perfectly and began to enter the prime hitting location. Konohamaru took to the air with a jump almost reminiscent of a monkey as his left hand came in front of him and his right arm cocked back. It was only when his head was above the net and the ball was in front of him that he swung, his wrist snapping to form topspin on the spike.

There was another sound like gunshots at the sheer power behind the spike but instead of striking the back right corner like Konohamaru intended, there was a blur of green as Rock Lee appeared there in an instant. The spike bounced off his awaiting forearms with ease as the Libero's arms pulled back to absorb some of the energy behind the strike, allowing the pass to float easily to where the setter on his side of the net would be standing.

"Aw, I thought that was a good one too…" Konohamaru said with a small pout on his face.

"Yosh! Your hit was excellent Konohamaru-kun! Your flames of Youth burn quite brightly! You are in line to becoming the next Ace of this team if you continue working hard!" Lee yelled across the gym as he gave Konohamaru a big blinding smile and a thumbs up. There was the sound of footsteps behind them and the three volleyball players on the court turned to look at the two people stepping onto the court.

Shino Aburame was quite tall, as was fitting for his position of middle blocker. His eyes were hidden behind round, darkened sport glasses and his brown hair was slightly bushy, something that was only seen on a volleyball court as on all other occasions Shino was wearing a jacket with a hood. Instead of his usual sea green jacket that he wore everywhere, Shino was rather comfortable in the Konohagakure uniform and the 8 on his jersey.

A player who prided himself on remaining calm under pressure and outthinking his opponents instead of powering through most obstacles, Shino was a dangerous middle blocker that used his intelligence to his advantage when he read blocks.

The other teen was tall as well, being only slightly shorter than Shino, but still tall enough to be almost instantly identifiable as a middle blocker. Neji Hyuga had striking features with his pale skin, long black hair and pure white eyes that made him look like he was blind.

It was quite the opposite in fact. Neji Hyuga had amazing vision that practically allowed him to see the entire court at once no matter where he was, whether it was the opposing hitters or where Lee was behind him. This allowed the genius middle blocker to either kill the spike instantly by reading where the setter was going to toss to or direct the spike so that Lee could receive it with very little trouble. Neji was a deadly opponent that wore the number 3 on his jersey with pride.

"That was a nice hit Konohamaru-kun but try to remain more neutral as you ready yourself to hit. It was obvious that you were going for the deep corner shot over the straight and that means a blocker could react and close the gap..." Shino analyzed with his calm neutral tone that sounded cold but wasn't meant to be.

Luckily Konohamaru was used to this and took the advice happily. "Arigatou Shino-senpai!"

Shikamaru turned to his teammates with a deadpan look on his face. "Do you guys want to hit?"

"I would not be opposed to practicing a few new techniques" Shino said with a small shrug. The week was only halfway over and they had already had a couple practices that week, only their captain and vice captain had not been present for either of them.

"Okay then wait for the Vice Captain to get here. He'll set you up quite nicely while I rest." Shikamaru said as he walked off the court to grab a water bottle.

Neji chuckled and shook his head at his teammate's antics. "Lazy as always, Nara-san"

"Say what you will Neji but I'm tired...let me know when Coach gets here" Shikamaru said with a roll of his eyes as he rotated his body so he was laying down on the bench that ran along the side of the gym.

Shino raised his eyebrow as he turned to face the door. "Coach is here."

Shikamaru groaned and shut his eyes. "Kakashi-sensei would understand if I took a nap…"

Shino was right of course as a moment later, a mop of gravity defying silver hair popped in through the doorway and attached to it was the current coach of the Konohagakure Volleyball Team. He was rather young, only around 26 or 27 but already had long silver hair that he claimed was natural that along with his covered mouth and left eye gave him a rather mysterious look.

Kakashi Hatake was known throughout the country as one of the greatest high school volleyball players of the previous generation and the Ace of the Konohagakure Volleyball team that lead his team to a National Championship. Kakashi had combined his incredible intelligence with his athletics to become a volleyball genius that had been noticed by national scouts since he was young due to his incredible ability to adapt to almost any situation.

The young coach stepped into the gym with his signature eye smile as he gave his team a wave. "Good morning children!"

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei!" The entire team responded, even Shikamaru's whose eyes were closed from where he sat on the bench.

Shino's head snapped once more to the doorway once Kakashi had stepped through. "They're here…"

Now that made Shikamaru's eyes open as he sat up to look at the doorway.

The first person to walk through looked like a japanese male idol with his handsome face, onyx eyes and pitch black hair that framed the sides of his face. The next most obvious thing about him was the grey and black sports jacket with the japanese flag on it that he was wearing over his Konohagakure uniform with the number 2 on it.

Sasuke Uchiha was one of the greatest prodigies in the history of japanese high school volleyball as well as a well known legacy. The younger brother of the great volleyball player Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke had shown from the beginning that he had inherited the same incredible prodigious ability that his brother also shared. An ambidextrous Opposite hitter that was known to "spike like a lightning bolt crashes to earth", Sasuke had been a first choice for the Japanese U19 team for his incredible playing style was quite unlike anyone else's.

The next person to walk into the gym was the polar opposite to Sasuke. The teen was the same age as everyone else in the room but was significantly tanner, with an almost bronze complexion and his spiky golden hair was not dyed but natural. Not to mention his blue eyes and whisker birthmarks on both cheeks that made him seem more like a foreigner when he was in fact 100% japanese. The confusion only continued when one noticed that this teen was also wearing the same jacket as Sasuke, only with a jersey with the number 9 on it underneath.

Naruto Uzumaki was a strange, strange volleyball player. He wasn't incredibly tall, being only around 180 cm, nor was he naturally gifted in the sport like Sasuke or Kakashi or Neji but Naruto never let that stop him. He trained and trained and learned and learned, striving to become a unique player that wasn't like anyone else and to become the best professional volleyball player in all of Japan.

To go from a zero in the sport to one of the top three spikers in Japan was nothing short of extraordinary but the path hadn't been easy. Countless nights had been spent training his body and perfecting his techniques until he had become a hurricane on the court, an unstoppable force that had only one goal in mind, getting his team to Nationals and winning. Naruto Uzumaki was the kind of player that you trusted and relied on as you knew that he had your back and would fight with every last ounce of his energy until you as a team had won.

As soon as he walked into the room, Naruto flashed his team a big grin. "Let's get this practice started!"

The entire atmosphere of the room brightened at the words of their captain and everyone jumped to their feet. "Hai!"

Hinata Shoyo couldn't even watch in despair as the ball fell to the ground behind him. Nishinoya had received the spike and Kageyama had given him the perfect set but it just wasn't enough...he wasn't strong enough. His feet struck the ground a few moments after the ball did and Hinata turned around to see his teammates on the ground, all three of them having dove to follow the block but couldn't reach it in time.

Hinata's hands clenched into white knuckled fists as he watch Seijoh cheer and huddle in celebration. He wasn't angry at them, he was angry at himself. Hinata was angry that he had been so predictable and he had been the one who lost the point. He had let Kageyama believe that he could rely on him and when his setter needed him most...when his team needed him most...he had lost them the point and the match…Hinata knew one thing...he was not ready to be an Ace...Hinata looked at his downtrodden team with his own look of sadness before glancing at the black banner that hung behind their side of the court with a sigh.

Hinata briefly glanced up to the back of the gym where two teens were sitting and watching the match. What confused Hinata was the fact the two teens weren't cheering for either team, just simply watching. Hinata's eyes met the blonde haired teen's eyes and suddenly Hinata felt a familiar sensation. Like he was looking at someone who was favored by the air as well…

"Hinata! Time to line up!" Daichi yelled from behind Hinata, which forced him to break eye contact with the blonde boy.

"Hai!" Hinata yelled before racing after his captain.

It was going to take much more training until Karasuno was ready to "fly" with the powerhouses once more.

"Same ol' Sejioh…" Naruto said, crossing his arms as he watched the end of the match. "Oikawa is a pain in the ass to deal with…"

When Sasuke and Naruto had heard that the Miyagi Preliminaries were taking place, they had decided to make the trip. In a prefecture that had both Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa, Sasuke had insisted that they go see the competition that year.

"You're telling me…" Sasuke said with a small frown of his own. "Lee couldn't figure out how to deal with that jump serve for almost the entire first set."

The last time Seijoh and Konoha had played, Oikawa's jump serves had punched holes in their defense and Lee had not been able to perfectly receive one of his serves for almost the entire first half of the match. While only one or two aces were scored on Konoha by Oikawa, it was still difficult to receive and get to target as the serve almost always curved in one direction or the other.

"Although you were happy you saw it right?" Naruto retorted with a smirk that only got him a grunt in return.

It was a well known fact around Konoha that Sasuke was Kakashi's star student as just like Kakashi, Sasuke had the natural talent to see certain techniques and replicate it with enough practice. After seeing Oikawa's and Ushijima's jump serve, Sasuke had been rather eager to learn the serve for himself before later teaching it to the rest of his team. Not to mention being ambidextrous, Sasuke had learned to switch the hand he did his jump serve with to confuse the other team's defense.

Seeing as Sasuke wouldn't say anything else, Naruto leaned in toward the match with his chin resting in his hand."Karasuno huh? That's the team the Little Giant was on a few years back right? They went to Nationals back then"

"Yes but since they lost their coach, their team hasn't been nearly as strong since" Sasuke explained as they watched the Karasuno solemnly show respect to Aoba Johsai.

Naruto smirked. "Until now…"

"What are you thinking?" Sasuke asked Naruto whose foxlike grin had only gotten larger as he inspected each player on Karasuno.

"U19 is going to want the Setter soon because Oikawa is graduating and Nishinoya is going to be recruited eventually but I kind of like the orange haired kid" Naruto admitted after a moment.

Sasuke sighed and facepalmed. "I had a feeling you would…He's too much like you for you not to like him"

"He jumps hella high...and he's fast too...he's got potential! People are going to underestimate him and that is going to be deadly!" Naruto said with a feral, excited grin on his face. It wasn't often he found a rival for his position and Naruto was excited, even if the kid was very inexperienced.

"A stable foundation of three 3rd years who are willing to fight at 100% with no regrets, two 2nd year starters with great physicality and mental toughness and a few 1st years who are wild and talented enough to make splashes in the Miyagi Prefecture" Naruto analyzed, his bright blue eyes practically glowing with excitement at the possibility of new rivals. "I think this is going to be a good year Sasuke…"

Naruto's gaze focused on the small orange haired middle blocker from Karasuno was standing with his team when suddenly the boy turned around to look him directly in the eyes. The two had a brief staredown as both analyzed the other before the boy was called away by his captain.

"Hinata Shoyo...let's see which of us fly higher…" Naruto said with a grin.

And with that Naruto and Sasuke got up and left, wondering what their next encounter with the newborn crows would be.

A few days had passed since the final match with Seijoh and Karasuno had only now heard the news. The team that had beaten them had lost 2-0 to Shiratorizawa.

Hinata's hands clenched tightly around the mop he was using to clean the floor. The team that had defeated Karasuno when they had been fighting at their best had been beaten like it was nothing. Just how weak was he...

"Oi! The new Volleyball Monthly has come in!"

Hinata looked upwards in excitement and quickly rushed over to where Tanaka was standing with big eyes, having already completely forgotten about what he was sad about. "Oh! What's Volleyball Monthly?"

Tanaka gasped dramatically before grabbing Hinata by the shoulders and beginning to him violently. "What? You're a volleyball player but you've never heard of this magazine?"

Hinata and Tanaka heard a few people chuckling from behind them to see Sugawara, Daichi and Asahi walking toward them with Kageyama quickly following.

"It's a magazine published by the Japanese Volleyball Association that talks about the most prominent high school players and schools as well as the national team" Sugawara explained with a bright smile.

Hinata's eyes began to sparkle once more in awe. "Woah~"

The first page they opened to showed a series of extremely tall teenagers wearing white and blue uniforms with their ace being a tall teen with white hair and no eyebrows.

Hinata instantly recognized them. "Dateko"

The second page had a team with a white and seafoam green jersey. The team radiated a sense of regalness with their captain being a young man with shaggy brown hair and a smug look on his face.

Hinata's eyes narrowed and he said the next name with almost a growl. "Aoba Johsai"

The third page showed a team with maroon and white jerseys that just radiated superiority. The most prominent member was their captain, Ushijima Wakatoshi, the Super Ace of the Miyagi Prefecture.

This time, Kageyama was the one who said the name of the team under his breath. "Shiratorizawa"

"The Miyagi Prefecture by itself has some scary teams..." Asahi admitted, considering what three teams they had just looked at.

Sugawara nodded. "The Tokyo teams are no joke and then you have the Yamanashi team…"

"Woah, the Yamanashi prefecture has strong teams?" Hinata asked with wide eyes in surprise while even Kageyama was a bit surprised as well.

"Just 1 team" Daichi corrected as he turned to magazine to one of the last pages in the book. "Konohagakure High School"

The team wore forest green and navy blue jerseys and unlike most teams where only 2 or so players would stand out per team, all seven players on this team were worth noting. The two tall, calm middle blockers. The libero with the weird eyebrows and bulging muscles. The lazy but calculating setter. The young, energetic brown haired teen. The incredibly handsome dark haired vice captain whose black hawk like eyes stared directly into the camera. The golden haired blue eyed captain whose bright grin was almost infectious.

Hinata took a double take at the last two members of the team. They looked really familiar...

"The team of the Dual Aces…" Sugawara said solemnly.

That snapped Hinata from his daydream as he whipped around to stare at Sugawara with wide eyes. "Wait what? Dual Aces? I thought each team has 1 Ace!"

"You're right. Almost all teams only has 1 ace, it's just Konoha is different. They have two wing spikers of the highest caliber so instead of having 1 ace, they have two." Asahi explained with a bit of a frown on his face. He was the ace of Karasuno but he wasn't getting the same attention as these two...

Hinata stopped as he paused to think for a moment before suddenly remembering something. "Wait I think those two guys were at our match…"

The gym went silent for a moment in surprise before there was a simultaneous shout of. "What?"

"They were at our match, I made eye contact with the blonde one!" Hinata said with a nod, suddenly sure.

"Sasuke Uchiha, an ambidextrous right side hitter that watches the game like a hawk. He's a starter for the U19 National Team and is known for his Chidori, a spike that breaks through a block and goes straight down like a lightning bolt hitting the earth" Said a voice that came from behind the group gathered around the magazine. The team turned around in surprise to see their coach Keishin Ukai who bent down to turn the page, showing an image that was incredible.

The black haired teen from earlier looked like a hawk in the sky as he hovered above the net, his left arm extended having just hit the ball into the ground with so much overwhelming force that it bounced toward the ceiling. Hinata stared with wide eyes at the opposite hitter and the only thing he could say was "Wow…"

"And then there's Naruto Uzumaki…" Keishin said next, a serious look on his face.

Hinata was on the edge of his seat by this point. "Who is he?"

"Where as Sasuke is precise and deadly when the ball is tossed to him, Naruto is just overwhelmingly powerful. He's almost always the fastest player on the court, the most powerful hitter and the highest jumper in all of Japan" Daichi said with a stern look on his face. "He's one of the most athletic high school volleyball players in the country, if not the world"

Keishin turned the page a second time to show an picture that would be engrained in Hinata's head for the rest of his life. In the picture, Naruto's body had crunched after hitting the ball with so much force, the ball had deformed and rippled as it struck the ground.

But the most amazing part was the fact that the teen's entire upper torso was above the net…an eight foot net. It looked like Naruto was flying…

Sugawara's face was serious. "One of the top three Aces in the country and the starting Outside Hitter for the U19 Japanese National Team. He's known for his technique The Rasengan, a spike with so much spin and power that it is almost impossible to receive perfectly"

Hinata was silent for a moment as he clenched his hands into fists. "There are so many amazing players in the country that are so much better than me…"

Hinata grinned brightly at the thought of the obstacles he would have to overcome. "That makes me so excited! I hope we get to play them!"

"We better train then if we want to face them and win!" Hinata cheered, earning a roar of approval from the team.

"Let's go!" Daichi yelled before he took off jogging, with the rest of the team quickly following.

Just before he walked through the door, Hinata turned around to glance at the magazine opened at the picture of the blonde haired Ace. "Naruto Uzumaki…I'm going to fly higher than you!"

Hey! So there aren't many Naruto/Haikyuu crossovers and since I recently binge watched the series, I thought I might as well test it out to see what the response is.

The Konoha team will be very strong but you'll have to see that in later chapters. Oh and should I ship some of the Konoha team with Haikyuu girls or should I incorporate parts of the Naruto universe in as well?

LET ME KNOW IN A REVIEW WHAT YOU THINK! SHOULD I CONTINUE IT OR NOT?

See ya!