Shino Aburame is many things. He is a simple teenage boy, with equally simple interests. The teenager feels a deep connection toward his colony, a kinship to the kikaichu that he had spent most of his life cultivating and caring for. He is a ninja, a loyal vassal to the entity that was Kohanagakure. Of the Aburame Clan, he was being raised with intentions of becoming the next clan head. With the progress made over the last few years, he was well on the way towards that title, as well. He is an ally to the ninja of his village, of course and a dear friend to two ninja in particular.
'Duck, don't let her touch you.'
Shino Aburame is many things, and among those things, he is ambitious. In training, he and those two dearest partners spar daily. It's part of the same training regimen Kurenai used to give to them before her pregnancy. While their specialization was tracking above all else, it was critically important for them to be able to utilize close quarters combat, as their team makeup was very... close range, in terms of raw power. Their kunoichi's strongest skills were best used up close, and their bruiser of a hound master was terrifyingly strong, good for subduing a target after tracking them. So, what did that leave the Aburame, exactly? 'Duck'
Shino can keep up with his own thoughts, and he's indeed quick enough to bend his entire body, snaking out of the way of Hinata's Gentle Fist. But... he can't anticipate Kiba's more eccentric style of fighting or the speed behind it. As a result, the Aburame takes a earthshaking strike to the jaw, courtesy of a balled fist, and when his body goes flying, crashing head-on into the nearby wooden post, he hears a collective gasp.
Shino Aburame is many things. A taijutsu specialist is not one of them.
"Shit, Shino are you alright?" There's genuine concern in Kiba's voice and before the glasses wearing shinobi could even finish counting the stars that blurred his vision, the Inuzuka and his massive dog were upon him. It's... embarrassingly satisfying to be comforted in such a way, but shinobi doesn't admit to it. The sky looks rather pleasant from this point of view, and the training ground they frequented was deep within the Forest of Death, so he could practically hear the wildlife and feel the chakra of the world at large, now that his kikaichu had been shaken awake and spread their influence over the grounds.
"I am fine, Kiba. Merely a misstep." They were doing this training in the first place because his own taijutsu was beginning to fall behind theirs, and there was only so much he could do with his colony from a distance. Typically the quiet and introverted sort, Shino was the one to propose the group sparring this time around. A bit of a work out, just to loosen up their muscles before they moved on to today's tracking exercise. Getting up, the teenager lowers his hand so Akamaru may lick it, and then smiles to Hinata, who is clearly concerned.
"...you were hit hard, don't you think?" She could clearly see the inflammation beginning to bloom across his otherwise pale jawline. Clearly, Kiba never pulled his punches. "We can just call the exercise off, I'm sure Ino would rather be doing something else anyways..." The sun was barely up, so certainly their blonde companion would prefer to be in bed, asleep. It was only with a fair payment and promise of various means that they managed to get her here in the first place. Kiba, ever oblivious, squints and scratches behind his ear as he asks.
"Eh? Why does she have to be the one to do this, again? It's not like we won't be able to find her." Their tracking sessions rarely involved people from Konoha, and involving a fellow Chunin? It was making their job much too simple. It didn't make any sense at all, when these exercises typically involved tracking down specific breeds of snake or badgers or any sort of animal native to these woods. While Shino understood this line of reasoning, he's informed enough (or, sharp enough) to understand the true nature of this.
"...We're not just tracking her, Kiba. This is just a retrieval exercise. After what happened in Land of the Tea, the Fifth recommended that we do more training in both tracking and subduing a target." There's a weighted silence, in which he takes the time to get up. Catching the other boys eyes, he's a little surprised to see regret present, of all things. The mission in question hadn't been a disaster, by any means. A simple task, travel with a Jounin to the bordering lands in the Wind Country, find a daiymo's daughter, bring her home in one piece. The child had lived, as the kidnappers were at best Chunin level ninja that had no inkling of coordination. The issue was...
"We have to work on capturing targets effectively." Somehow, the mission reports failed to mention that this princess not only had run away, but she was skilled in the art of deception and simple tricks. All it had taken was a rather noxious stink bomb to disable all three trackers and if it weren't for the quick thinking of their Jounin commander Asuma, the girl would have gotten away from them. Kiba seems to recognize this, as he bares his teeth lightly, crossing his arms in indignation. Even if he could acknowledge that they had room to grow, he couldn't help but be frustrated. How long had they been a sensor team now? And they still were suspect to such juvenile games.
"I-it was just a mistake! If we weren't exhausted, we could have just tracked her chakra." The normally timid Hyuuga has no reservations about consoling her teammate, understanding that the feeling of inadequacy was daunting. Her fingers go to brush against the ninja's leather jacket, as she rubs at his shoulder. "We can use this opportunity to practice chakra sensing, like Sensei taught us." Always the idealist, Hinata wants to see the best in this day. Ino had to be convinced, yes, but she had been picked especially, practically recommended by both Kurenai and Asuma for some reason. When Kurenai had heard about the mission and presented the problem to her husband, the ninja had been quick to suggest Ino to join in on their training for... some reason. And even if the three chunin couldn't understand it, she still trusted their decision!
These words seem to be enough to motivate her friends, as Shino appears a little better for wear as he stands, fixing his sunglasses on his face. "...Hinata's correct. There was an oversight in our judgement and thankfully, our superior was able to handle the situation. Even if the nature of this exercise is unclear, it's a good chance to reinforce the fundamentals." Taking the first steps towards the forest proper, he beckons the other two. "It would be a good idea to get to work, don't you think? Ino should be in position by now and Sensei told us that the timer starts at sunrise." The first rays of morning greet Akamaru's dew kissed fur, as if giving them all a warning. The ninken stretches out lazily in the grasses, whining sleepily as Kiba scratches his ears to rouse the dog.
"Stay, boy." It was supposed to be a simple retrival mission, and even if they specialized in such tasks, bringing Akamaru would be overkill... wouldn't it?
Underestimating the task would be their first mistake.
Deep within the Forest of Death, Konohagakure's own fashionista was trying to grow accustomed to these ridiculous conditions, but it wasn't really going well. The payment she had received were starting to feel just a bit meager in the face of what she had to do to earn it. Wake up at the ass crack of dawn, just to wait for some weirdos to find her? Just what was Asuma-Sensei thinking with this? Sure, she was on friendly terms with the team, but how could she possibly help Hinata and the others with something like this? When she had been approached by the two Jounin teachers, she had assumed it was because they were looking to her for floral arrangements for the baby shower. To hear that they wanted her to assist an entire chunin squad with a field of expertise that was completely opposite of her skill set was... far more vexing. It's a trial to wake up so early in the morning, make sure her hair and makeup are minimal enough to survive the conditions in the forest, be sure to take a solider pill or two with her, just so she could keep up with the three ninja, be sure to keep her supplies packed.
The only advice Asuma had given her had been surprising, though. He puffed cigarette smoke in her face, blinked balefully at her, and said "Consider it your recommendation for Jonin, if you can knock all three of them out before noon."
At first, she hadn't understood. She hadn't even been vocal about her eyes on the title in the past months. She hadn't spoken to anyone, not even her parents about the interest, and the dream was only a dream, after all. She was a heiress in one way or another, but the flower girl was still down to earth. She could recognize that at sixteen, she lacked the proper experience or strength necessary for the role. She could be a leader in certain situations, maybe, but she was still years off from being able to hold herself on the same level that she had seen her own sensei or any of the other Jounin fight.
But still, the words had lit a fire in the blonde.
Instead of fuming about her lot in life, she tried to be more like Chouji. See the 'light' in a crappy situation. Sure, she had to be up before birds even began their morning song, and surviving in the Forest involved a level of alertness that she found tedious (yes, those traps near her camping ground were absolutely necessary, because she'd be damned if any of those giant fucking snakes touched her), but... it felt nice, in a weird way. She had spent years honing her body as a weapon, right? Years training alongside Shikamaru and Chouji to be the perfect machine of a team, and her role was usually just moral support, a second opinion when their teams genius needed insight, or a second line of defense of Chouji couldn't stop the enemy with strength alone. By herself, she could... fight differently. She'd have to, if she had any hopes of coming out on top of this.
Even if she was still a ways off from the rank, she'd earn that fucking recommendation.
The Forest of Death was one of the many staples of Konoha. Many ninja were introduced to the brutal conditions of the training grounds at the rank of Genin, either in form of the Chunin Examinations, or in ways of a mission assignment that would lead them there. Previous Hokage had considered the experience to be 'character building'. In three-man squads, survival exercises in the wild were essential to teach young ninja not only the means to fend for themselves, but fend for one another. This capacity is what really seperated the Rookie 12 from the rest of the Genin.
Team 8, from the very beginning of their formation, had always had a natural synergy. Boisterous and utterly brutal Kiba had no qualms about taking the front position, using his sharp nose to scout in a wide area around them and his strength to act as a first line of defense, should anything threatening creep up on them. His trust in Hinata's absurdly high range of vision helped drive them through the perils and anything that was too quick for him to follow, would always be caught by her field of divination. Combining that with the scouting prowerss of Shino's kikaichu made the chance of anything surprising them fairly slim.
As a result, the team was exposed to the unforgiving nature of the forest a bit earlier than most. Their 'bell test' in a sense, had been very similar to the task they were given today. Find Kurenai with no given information about her whereabouts. Even then, Hinata had the natural talent of a chakra sensor and although the woods were too treacherous for Shino's bugs to be effective at that age, Kiba and Akamaru had already gotten wind of her scent. Even with the creatures that roamed the wilds, giant bears, snakes the size of evergreens, and such, they were able to safely find the woman without much trouble.
So, with three more years of experience under their belts and the rank of Chunin, how could Ino possibly stand a chance against all three of them?
"...Have you picked up anything yet, Kiba?" The morning wind was moving to their benefit, and as such, the dog user imagined that he would be able to pick up on the scent of flowers and nail polish before Shino's bugs or Hinata's eyes found anything. The Yamanaka had a very distinct smell, and even if she had lessons in concealment (which was likely, considering her teams specialty), she wouldn't be able to avoid them for much longer.
"Not yet. But if we keep following these tracks, we'll run into her eventually." Shino's bugs had been able to pick up on small slivers of hair and fabric left behind, that had to have been recent, so following that had been their inital plan. When they were in proximity of her, they should be able to...
"There's a problem." Shino's tone rarely goes beyond calm and collected and typically when it does, it's not good news. He sounds genuinely surprised as the bug controller comes to a pause, putting a palm out and allowing one of his many beetles to fly back against his palm. "...Something in these woods is disrupting my kikaichu." It was as if... his senses were muted. He could feel the beck and call of the workers that had migrated from their queen, but they felt much further away than he thought possible, practically at the outskirts of his network already.
"It's hard to explain but... I think-" He's interrupted by the whir of a kunai before he could give an assessment. Once again caught off guard, he barely ducks out of the way, throwing shuriken in retaliation as Hinata's Byakugan activates. Even if they had been expecting nothing spectacular, the team still slips into a natural defense formation without a second thought. Kiba takes up the front, bowed on all fours as Shino and Hinata provide support to his flank. While Shino is wordlessly calling to any and all of his insects, the Hyuuga scans their surroundings.
"In the trees, two hundred and fifty meters southwest." She can't identify the flare of chakra as Ino, but it would make sense. If the girl is trying to avoid being caught by sensors, this would probably be the best course of action. Hide her signature and then let it be known just after making her attack, to throw them off the trail.
No sooner than Hinata barked her warning, does a flare of something orange and yellow come from the source of chakra. The reaction garnered for such a jutsu is shock, and then a immediate defensive measure is taken. The three separate, all finding their own footing in the forest before the flames could engulf the spot where they'd once been. Since when did Ino pick up a jutsu like that? And why would she use it so readily? Wasn't the point of this exercise for her to avoid detection? She had essentially screamed her location to the world with such a flashy attack.
Hinata is truly vexed, but she has no time to question the blondes motives anymore. There's thick smoke in the wake of the explosion and while her eyes are adjusting to the dust, a lithe shadow moves through it. Her Byuakugan finds the chakra signature again just as she's pierced by heavenly green eyes. The chakra building in her fingertips for a counterattack fizzles out right as something chill creeps down her spine. With the chill, the world and all its sensations deafen her in the intensity and whatever this genjutsu was... it had been effective in disorienting her.
As the kunoichi dukes it out with an enemy she couldn't see or hear, Kiba and Shino were having no luck in locating her. As if done on purpose, the flames sparked by Ino's attack had left the forest charred and smelling heavily of sulfur, effectively stopping Kiba's heightened sense of smell. Without any visibility, they were essentially fighting blind in the rolling smoke. Growling and making a few quick hand signs, Team 8's bruiser is creative enough to focus his chakra toward his nose, taking a big breath of air before exhaling. While not exactly a technique, the gust of wind is just enough to force the smoke astray, giving them a clear shot of Hinata, who seemed just a little unsteady on her feet.
"Hinata!" Shino only rushes when he realizes that the girl might fall over, and imagines that she had gotten hit with something while they were in the smokescreen. It would be within Ino's wheelhouse to work in such a cunning way, to avoid having to face all three of them simultaneously. Scooping an arm around the flushed teenager, he examines her briefly. Her skin is as fair as always, even if her eyes were a bit unfocused and her pulse weak. Maybe a simple genjutsu? He saw no wounds or anything to indicate a toxin, so...
'Hinata' gives away the ruse with an impish smile, the normally demure face breaking into something a little chaotic as both chunin present realized what was going on, just a few seconds too late. "Wait, Shino! Let her g-"
"Kai!" Ino isn't familiar with the Gentle Fist style, but with the body she stole, she had sixteen years of muscle memory and trained chakra coils backing her up. Shino's a sharp mind, but he's too slow to jump back, to even let his 'friend' go before an extended index and middle finger blast chakra into his body in four swift shots. It's light work, sealing the tenketsu in his arms and she manages to get a fifth blow to his thigh, before Kiba finally reacts. A flurry of hand signs, ending with the man on all fours.
"Inuzuka Art: Man-Beast Transformation!"
What took him several hand signs, only takes Ino one to counter, as she affixes her hands in a box and looks off in the distance, somewhere over the ridge of trees. "Release!" The Mind-Transfer Jutsu comes undone just in time for Kiba to pull back, a claw short of impaling his ally as Hinata's body slumped and Shino fell with her. While Shino wasn't rendered unconscious by the attack, he was completely immobile and with his partner's limp form on top of him, he was at a loss of what to do.
In just the span of a few seconds, two of them had been taken out?
Kiba looks his teammates, the same surprise registering across his expression. "Ino..." She used a fire-style just to catch them by surprise and mess with their senses long enough to attack their most potent fighter while their defenses were down. She attacked, knowing that they would separate, and then used the advantage she had to cast her jutsu.
Was this really the same blonde haired kunoichi that hung with Shikamaru and Chouji?
Sure, they sparsely interacted with the other rookies, especially after Naruto had left and everyone went on their own paths towards power, but... they would have noticed if Ino had become this powerful, right? He begins to frantically think back, think to all the times he'd seen Ino in the village. Who did she hang with, outside of her team? She favored Sakura, but that was a given considering they were both naturals with the Mystic Palm and the two were childhood friends. As far as he had known, she never hung out with any of the older shinobi to learn ninja tactics, and the only interactions she had that made sense were with patrons at her flower shop.
Entrapped by his own thoughts, Kiba nearly misses the rather bold attack. Smelling Ino's perfume before he could see her fist, the boy nimbly bends back, falling onto a neat handstand and flipping backward to avoid the kick that followed. Was she even confident enough to face him in taijutsu, now?
Her eyes are... surprisingly fierce, when they meet Kiba's, and it's for good reason! She wants a challenge out of this one, since both Hinata and Shino had fallen without much of a fight. These guys knew what her signature jutsu was, and still were caught by it! They had barely displayed teamwork, outside of quick communication and predictible behavior and although they were the same rank, Ino was a little... disappointed. She wasn't a glutton for punishment, but the fact that neither ninja had even put up a fight before being incapacitated was... surprising to say the least. Would Asuma-sensei even hold true to giving his recommendation, after Team 8 reported how they lost in such a underhanded fashion? At the very least, she could flaunt her prowess here. Kiba was the only one of the three she couldn't predict accurately. Hinata was readable, a defensive type shinobi that specialized in mid-ranged combat above all else. Abusing her blind spot and getting in close was the only effective way to fight her. Meanwhile Shino's network of kikaichu were almost impenetrable, but with just a few petunias and marigolds, he was rendered to the effectiveness of a Genin, his bugs completely disabled before the fight could even start. Those two had been easy to plot against, because they were shinobi that relied on their trademarks, without knowing their weaknesses.
But Kiba didn't bring Akamaru with him, for whatever reason. Was he underestimating her? Ino imagined that she could fool Akamaru's sense of smell long enough to subdue them both, but the Chunin apparently didn't want to risk his dog being hurt in the 'training'.
On the back foot, he quirks an eyebrow at her, fangs glinting as he barked. "For a game of hide and seek, you're doing a pretty crap job. You're supposed to be avoiding us-"
The thought isn't finished, because Ino's foot finds purchase in the soil and as she kicks up dirt, her heel spins in a neat roundhouse. With the first block, begins a flurry of deft and furious taijutsu that drowns out any further conversation. The same blue irises seem to pierce Kiba, who grunts under the force of each and every oncoming blow. Brow furrowed, she's treating the scenario like a real combat situation, not giving in to the urge to taunt or be overconfident.
'End the fight, don't let him up or he'll use a clan jutsu.' She knows the Inuzuka's fighting style is feral for a reason and even without his ninken, Ino didn't want to take her chances against Kiba in a serious fight. The instant they separate, there are senbon thrown toward his hands, as if the girl already knew what he was trying to do.
"Why would I avoid someone I can beat?!" Her voice rings throughout the forest and Kiba is frozen, locked by the urge to reply and just genuine shock at her hubris. The few seconds are all Ino needs, though. Once the needles find purchase in his hands, the brunette lets out a grunt of surprise.
"P-poison...?" She laced her senbon with poison? There weren't even any poison specialists in the village, to his knowledge. But still, his muscles lock up as the paralytic began to set in, forcing the boy onto his back as Ino approached with a kunai.
"Sakura made it for me, actually." It had been just an extra precaution, a just in case. And surprisingly, the pinkette really knew best.
"...You promised her a recommendation for Jonin?" From the safety of the trees and obscured soundly by a genjutsu, Kurenai and her husband watch the spectacle, both of their faces surprised. "I... would say I don't understand, but after that display? She probably deserves it more than anyone else." Kurenai had been skeptical when she first heard it, but watching Ino utterly trounce her students was eye-opening. The girl was a blossoming youth, something of terrifying power. And while most didn't take her seriously outside of her reputation in the Ino-Shika-Chou formation, they would, if they were to ever see her in combat.
There's a smile on Asuma's face as he lets his cigarette loose to the corner of his mouth. "Ino was the number one kunoichi of her class. Nearly tied with Sasuke for the spot as the top genin." There was something to be said about natural talent, but when that talent was combined with a frightening work ethic and calculating mindset, a genius like Ino could be created. He knew that, seen it from the very first time they met, and did as much as he could to kindle that flame in her.
"We could have given her this task with Kakashi's or even Guy's team, and the result would be the same." The smoker has to brag, because he's more than a little proud to see the blonde capable of showing off all three tenants of being a ninja in a single battle. As Kiba falls at her feet, he coughs. "And... we should call it here, right?" Both teachers watched as the blonde stumbled against a tree, breathing heavily. Clearly, the battle had left her winded and even if she wasn't supposed to be fighting in such a way, she had won.
From their vantage point, they could see the chunin coming back to consciousness, all three of them confused and more than surprised at the turn of events, right in time for Ino to fall onto her back, exhausted. "...still a little rough around the edges, but yeah, I'll give my recommendation with you if she sits down with them for a few more training sessions."