An alarm could be heard loudly blaring its call for several moments before a hand reached over and turned it off. Throwing off the covers a young blonde slowly got out of bed, and stretched in the early morning light. Going about his morning routine he showered, and ate before getting ready for his last day at the academy. Looking over himself in the mirror he took a moment to examine his appearance. He stood 5'6 wore black ANBU style pants, dark orange and crimson sleeveless shirt, knee and elbow guards, and dark blue shinobi sandals. He liked how he looked, and was thankful to his girlfriend for helping him these last 5 years. As a matter of fact he knew his life would be much worse if she hadn't entered his life on his 10th birthday. A smile crossed his lips as he thought about the most beautiful girl to have graced his life. After a few moments of reminiscing the smile turned to a frown as he thought about the events a couple days ago.
FLASHBACK
He had been on top of the Hokage monument having a picnic date with his black haired beauty, and had been happily making out after the sun set until they were very rudely interrupted. The broke apart to look angrily at the man that had appeared out of the woods with a very large scroll strapped to his back. As he came out into the open they were able to see that it was one of the academy teachers named Mizuki. The 15 year old narrowed his eyes at the chunin, and was thankful he wasn't hiding his appearance with a genjutsu since he knew Mizuki hated him. He glanced at his girlfriend who shook her head before she turned to Mizuki.
"Hello, Mizuki-sensei. I'm surprised to see you since almost no one comes up here."
"I was going for a walk when I felt someone's chakra, and thought I'd investigate, Shoukyaku. Who would have thought a shrine maiden would be doing such naughty things in the open?" He said with a leering chuckle.
The couple glared at him, and she wished she could flash her doujitsu at him, but it had yet to activate. "What I do in my private time is just that, Mizuki-sensei. I would suggest you keep any inelegant thoughts to yourself." She said in a very hard tone with her eyes narrowed dangerously at the man.
Mizuki's grin turned down right sinister as he reached for a giant shuriken that was on his back. "Oh I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. After all by morning you will just be yet another shrine maiden to die in her lover's arms." He laughed evilly as he launched the weapon at the girl.
With both of them in a sitting position they knew they couldn't move in time to avoid getting hit, but as it turns out they didn't need to. With less than 10 ft to go there suddenly was the sound of metal hitting metal hard as a well built man stood in front of them holding the weapon by one of the points. The young couple looked at the man in surprise while Mizuki growled at being thwarted.
"You really are dumber than I thought, Mizuki-chan. First you try to get away with stealing the Forbidden Scroll, and now you're trying to kill Takeda-san. You are one lucky son of a bitch I'm under orders to bring you in alive." The man shrugged lightly before sending the shuriken into the air where it exploded thanks to a high yield explosive tag. "It's over, Mizuki. Come peacefully or get dragged back after I beat the shit out of you, your choice."
Mizuki reached into a pouch and through a handful of standard issue kunai before high tailing it towards the woods. Just before he could reach the trees he was met with a devastating kick that sent him rolling and coughing up blood. Holding his stomach he looked to see Konoha's resident taijutsu expert standing between him and the forest. Looking around he noticed more shinobi arrive and tried to find a way to escape until he noticed a woman in her early 20's wearing a chunin vest pick up the Forbidden Scroll, and cursed loudly until he was silenced by the bottom of a boot connecting with his mouth.
"That is no way to speak in the presence of ladies you pathetic little piece of shit." The man who had stopped the shuriken in the first place said as he bent down, and picked up Mizuki by the front of his shirt. "Ibiki is eager to have a little talk with you." The man said in an evil sounding sing song way before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The other shinobi who were still in the area vanished in similar ways until only the young couple and Gai remained. Gai walked over to them and gave his usual "good guy" pose before addressing them.
"Don't worry, Shoukyaku-san. Mizuki's flames of youth may have died out, but let yours burn brightly with the knowledge he will be punished for his most unyouthful actions tonight. I must warn you though that what has happened must remain a secret until the Hokage has decided what to do with him." Maito Gai gave them a grin that somehow was still blindingly bright even thought it was over an hour after sunset before he too disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
The two teens rubbed their eyes before looking at each other in confusion. After a few moments the boy looked at Shoukyaku and shrugged. "So where were we?" He said in a playful tone that brought a smile to her lips before she pulled him to her and kissed him deeply.
FLASHBACK END
Sighing he shakes his head to banish the thoughts, and places his newly acquired hitai-ate on his head. With that done he sends a pulse of chakra to the seal placed over his left shoulder blade to activate the genjutsu turning him into a 4'11 orange jumpsuit wearing clown. He was glad he wouldn't have to do this much longer as once he became a full fledge ninja he wouldn't have to worry about the civilian council anymore. He chuckled slightly as he pictured the looks on their faces when they realize that the clown they thought he was turned out to be nothing but an act, and there was nothing they could do about it. Glancing at the clock he saw he only had 15 minutes to get to the academy, and rushed out the door quickly taking to the rooftops.
He had just managed to get to class a few seconds before the bell rang, and sat bouncing in his seat for once not having to act as he was truly eager to get his team assignment, and take the true genin test. It was another 5 minutes before Iruka entered the room looking like he had just eaten a rotten plum. He placed the papers he held on his desk before sighing deeply and facing the class.
"As you all know today you will be assigned to you genin teams, and meet your jonin sensei. You all were to have been placed on teams formed from this class, but this year there is an exception. A team has been formed at the Hokage's direction from not only this class but two others as well. Uzumaki Naruto, you are the member from this class. You are to report to the top of the Hokage Tower to meet your jonin sensei."
Everyone had been murmuring in curiosity as he started to speak, and were totally surprised that it was the "dead last" that was selected for the team, and some even cried out in outrage at it causing Iruka to use the infamous "Big Head" jutsu to quiet them.
"SHUT UP! How dare you question the Hokage's orders? I should revoke your status for that!" He yellowed glaring at the genin before coughing into his hand. "Now as I was saying…Naruto, please report to the Hokage Tower to meet the rest of your team."
Naruto was very curious about this, and even felt a little hope that Shou-chan might be one of his teammates. He nodded to Iruka before rushing out of the room to find out if his hope was real or the Hokage was playing a cruel joke. Within 15 minutes he arrived at the tower, and seeing as how he had no problem getting to the Hokage's office he didn't think anything about getting to the roof. Needless to say he was quite surprised when he was stopped before he could even reach the 3rd floor, and was told that today no one was allowed beyond the 2nd floor. He even tried to tell them about what Iruka said, and was still forced to retreat back down the stairs. He sat on the bottom step thinking about the situation, and quickly began to wonder if this was some kind of test. The more he thought about it the more it made sense, so he tapped his chin in thought as he tried to figure out a way to get to the roof. After a few moments he smiled, and began to use his stealth training to slowly ascend the tower. He took him almost an hour as he had to scout out ahead of him, and back track a few times to avoid the random patrols of ANBU. Finally he reached the door that opened onto the roof, and carefully checked to see if it was trapped. Finding that it wasn't he slowly opened the door to see a short well built man with red, silver, and black hair leaning against the railing, and a large boy not far from him. Sighing at the fact he didn't see his girlfriend he still had hope she would be the missing teammate.
"Ohayo!" He said grinning like a fool as he got near the others.
The taller of the two looked at him with look that was a mix of "What the fuck?" and disgust at this apparent embodiment of peppiness. The older man snorted as he pushed himself off the railing.
"Drop the act, Uzumaki. I for one really don't like the cheerleader act so just drop the genjutsu, and be your real self."
Naruto was stunned at this since no one had seen through his act yet, but this guy just revealed that he knew it was there and what was behind it. Carefully he took a better look at the two examining them closely. The younger, but larger, one stood 6'1 was heavily muscled, and wore black shinobi pants and sandals, dark red tight long sleeve shirt, and a very loose fitting black trench coat that came down to mid calf. The older man was 5'5, well built but not overly so (think Tony Jaa from Ong Bak), and was dressed in sleeveless military style hunter green shirt, grey, green, black camo pants, black combat boots, and a jonin vest. His hair reached just below his shoulders, and was striated in red, black, and silver. His eyes were ice blue with flecks of black and red in a way that was reminiscent of marble. While he was absorbed in his inspection he hadn't noticed the last member of the team arrive.
The newcomer was a 15 year old girl with long black hair, and had deep brown eyes. Her body was undoubtedly well developed if her large C cup breasts were any indication. She was wearing what would best be considered a combination of a shrine priestess' attire mixed with shinobi elements. Her shirt was white with loose sleeves that were bound at the wrist, and her pants were a deep crimson that fit her legs tightly. A diamond shaped hole was on the sides of her pants that went from the top of her thighs to her knees, and showed off the mesh armor she wore under them. She also wore sandals that were a dark tan and were laced up her legs in an almost Grecian style.
"Now that we're all here we can get down to business. As you already know this team was put together by order of the old man, but what you don't know is that it was by my request. I have been looking for some promising talent the last few years and you are the first to fit the bill. As a matter of fact your getting here was part of your genin test, and you all passed." Seeing no confusion in their expressions he smirked in what was a distinctly evil way. "Before we get on to the 2nd part we'll go through introductions. My name is Maeda Toshiie, 32 yrs old, and I am an elite jonin. I am also a veteran of the 3rd war, and fought alongside the Yondaime Hokage against both Iwa and Kumo. My likes are meat, battles, and a few other things you may find out about in time. My dislikes are fools, mornings, and people that are entirely too peppy for their own good. My dream…" His smirk turned into a full blown grin that displayed some very sharp incisors at this point. "Well you'll find out about that if you impress me enough. Now drop the genjutsu and introduce yourself or I'll send you back to the academy." He said in a harsh tone glaring at Naruto.
Naruto glanced at the girl who gave a slight nod in response to his unasked question. Giving a sigh of relief he dropped the genjutsu revealing his real self before giving a mock 2 finger salute. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, age 15. My likes are Shou-chan, fuinjutsu, gardening, and reading. My dislikes are people that pass judgment without trying to learn all the facts, anyone that tries to harm those precious to me, and the civilian council. My dream is to get the village to stop treating me like crap, and someday start a family."
Toshiie nodded at the young man before he turned to the girl. "You're next, nisou."
"My name is Takeda Shoukyaku. Age 15. My likes are Naru-kun, meditation, and shogi. My dislikes are rogue spirits/demons, people who are blinded by hate and ignorance, and snow. My dream…" She paused glancing at Naruto with a slight blush. "My dream is to one day marry, and train future priestesses to better spread the word of Kami, and the glory of the Log."
To the surprise of the large male teen Toshiie put his hands together in a prayer like fashion with his eyes closed. "Blessed be the Log." Noticing the look he shook his head knowing that if he survived to make it to chunin he would no doubt also know the wonders of The Log. "Ok you're next." He said turning to face the largest one there.
"My name is Saiteiru Hana. Age 15. My likes include blowing shit up, testing my new recipes on people, science, and sealing as a hobby. My dislikes are far too energetic annoying pain in the asses and prissy little emo bitches like that fucking Uchiha bastard. Besides having a family my dream is to blow shit up and test my recipes on people without the risk of being imprisoned."
Naruto looked at Saiteiru oddly while he spoke, and slowly began to snicker. "For a guy with a name that means blossoming flower you sure as hell are one ugly son of a bitch."
"Laugh it up fox boy." Hana pulls out a syringe out of his coat. "Keep it up and I'll give you some ears and tails to match your whiskers so you can have a fan club of your own to rival the Uchiha's."
Naruto shudders violently while Shoukyaku glares at the tall boy before looking at Naruto with a gleam in her eye as she imagines her boyfriend with said "accessories" and begins to giggle.
Toshiie chuckles evilly as his eyes shine like polished stone. "At least I know what your punishment will be if you act out of line. Alright now that that is out of the way I want you all to get your gear in order as if you were going on a full mission minus camping equipment. You have until 1pm at which time you will meet me at the west gate of training ground #44. Until then you are dismissed." With that said he disappeared in a swirl of leaves courtesy of the shunshin no jutsu.
Having left the genin to their own devices for the time being Toshiie picked up two takeout orders of dango before heading to the Forest of Death. Taking a seat he opened up one of the boxes and began to eat. A few minutes later his left hand shot down grabbing a cobra at the base of the skull. Holding it up it noticed it was not of the spitting variety and tossed it into the bushes. Placing the box next to him he took another bite of the dango before he spun quickly blocking a kick aimed for his head. While holding the leg by the ankle he swallowed with a smile.
"It's good to see you too, An-chan, and I see you forgot to do laundry again." He said making a point to ensure Anko saw his eyes follow her leg upwards and under her skirt.
"What can I say? I thought it was a nice day to go commando." She said with a smirk.
Chuckling Toshiie released her leg and jumped back taking up a guard position between her and the dango. "As tempting as it is you'll have to get past me if you want the dango."
Slowly Anko lowered her leg to the side clearly showing off some of her flexibility before slipping into a stance from her own Hebi style of taijutsu. "I always get what I want in the end, and you know it."
As she finished speaking she struck like lightning flinging a kunai at his face, and charged him. Toshiie snatched it out of the air only to throw it into a tree before evading her punch by dropping down to sweep her feet. Anko flipped to the side spinning in an attempt to backhand him with her fist. He grabbed her wrist and wrenched it to the side before pinning it to her upper back, and wrapped his other arm around her neck with the back of his hand against her cheek.
"If I didn't know any better I'd think you were not trying to get the dango." He said in a whisper before dragging his elongated incisors down her neck.
Anko shivered slightly as she slid her foot slowly backward rubbing her firm ass against him to hide it. "You know I'll do anything for good dango." She said in her most seductive voice right before hooking her foot behind his and spinning in a way that knocked him to the side freeing her from the hold he had on her. While he was still stumbling back she jumped at him kicking him square in the stomach sending him to the ground. Toshiie flipped backward landing in a crouch as he eyed her carefully.
"You've improved since the last time we spared. Keep this up, and you should be able to make full jonin soon." Slowly he stood up taking a muay thai stance. If you can manage to take the dango this time I may even sign off on the endorsement paperwork myself, chibi hebi." He said with a smirk.
Anko got a sever tick mark, and her fingers twitched towards one of the many kunai she had hidden on her person. "Dango won't be the only thing I'll be taking from you." She growled as she slid forward approaching him cautiously despite her agitation since she knew that in a serious fight he could put her down in mere seconds.
When she got within range she moved with the speed of a snake bite as she threw punches and kicks at Toshiie. This went on for over 20 minutes with him blocking everything she threw at him with either his shins or his forearms. Finally fed up with this Anko decides to try a different tack and jumps back into a squat with her arms pointed back and down. With the same speed she had shown earlier she rolled her shoulders and thrust her arms up dropping her trench coat to the ground exposing her ample breasts covered only in ninja mesh, and jumped at him trying to deliver a haymaker. Toshiie smiled in appreciation of how her assets bounced, and spun to the side sweeping her legs out from under her just as she landed. Not giving her any time to recover he pinned her arms over her head as he sat on her stomach.
"Very well done, An-chan. I especially like the attempt at distraction, and I have to admit it would have worked if I hadn't seen you in even better positions." He said while Anko tried to struggle free.
She writhed under him like a fish out of water to no avail until she felt his tongue trace its way from her solar plexus between her breasts to her collarbone. "I'm going to make you pay for that." She growled out through clenched teeth.
"I'm sure you will, my hebi no tenshi, but we don't have time right now. My students will be arriving soon, and I don't want them to get any ideas about what is mine." He said before kissing her deeply.
Anko kissed him back passionately, and they made out for several minutes until the need for air grew too great. Breaking the kiss Toshiie got off of her, and picked up her coat before handing it to her.
"I think you'll have fun with them. I got the Takeda priestess, the Uzumaki kid, and a big guy that likes to blow things up." He said handing her the unopened box of dango after she covered up supple body.
"Really? Did you get him to drop the genjutsu he's been wearing for the last 3 years, or will it have to be beaten off of him?" She asked around a mouthful of her favorite treat.
"He dropped it, but it took me threatening to send him back to the academy, and his girlfriend okaying it. I'm not going to be dealing with that bullshit persona he has been using to hide behind every day. Hell maybe he'll thank me for it if their relationship is as advanced as I think it is." He said as he squatted down, and used his kekkei genkai to form a metal spike from his forearm to draw in the dirt.
"Oh ho ho so the gaki is getting some "divine inspiration" already huh? I can only imagine the council's reaction to the "demon brat" banging a priestess." She said laughing loudly at the imagery.
Toshiie laughed with her before retracting the spike, and sitting next to her to finish his dango from earlier. They continued to talk, flirt, and eat until they sensed the approach of his team.
"I better get going. Don't forget you're taking me out tonight." She said before giving him a kiss.
"Yeah I know. I won't be late." He said handing her his now empty container before she disappeared through the trees.
A few minutes later the teens appeared before the gate to see Toshiie looking into the trees with a small smile on his lips. Shoukyaku and Naruto exchanged a look curious as to what would cause their sensei to have that expression on his face, while Hana examined him thinking about how to take the comparatively short man down a peg or two. After a few minutes the girl hesitantly broke the silence.
"Ano…Maeda-sensei, we're here like you told us to be." She said as she took Naruto's hand to calm her nerves.
The man turned to the teens, and smiled in such a feral manor that they either took an involuntary step back or braced for an attack. "Glad to see you are punctual. That is important if you truly wish to be shinobi. Behind me is training ground #44, also known as the Forest of Death. This will be where you will train should you pass this test. It is a pass/fail test, and the only way you will pass is if you impress me. Each of you have caught my interest for various reasons, and this is to confirm if you are worthy of it. Know this…I will not go easy on you, and I am not worried about your teamwork, because if you don't work as a team you will die."
The young priestess and Naruto shuddered at the tone their sensei used, while the largest of the group grinned in anticipation thinking about how fun this was going to be.
"Now the test is simple. I will test your skills in combat. You can come at me one on one or as a group it won't matter. However you had better come at me with the intent to kill or I will crush you to the point you will never be able to be a ninja if you manage to survive. I will give you 10 minutes to plan. After that you have until sunset to pass." The jonin said before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Ten minutes later the academy graduates were looking around trying to sense their sensei when the gates opened, and a large, carnivorous rabbit ran out of the gate followed by two tigers that were easily 15ft long. The semi-demonic animals ran at the teens intent on making them their next meal. Naruto took out some shuriken throwing them while positioning himself infront of Shoukyaku who was doing hand seals. When she called out the name of her jutsu Naruto jumped into the air drawing a kunai in each hand as he watched the rabbit being consumed by the fireball she had spit out. When Naruto came down he kicked the charging tiger in the head causing it to focus on him instead of his girlfriend.
The tiger glared at Naruto stalking towards him intent to feed on his entrails. The boy braced himself ready to move when the tiger attacked. When the hungry animal pounced Naruto rushed forward ducking low as he slashed at the tiger's belly, and knew he had hit when he heard an enraged roar of pain. Twirling the kunai in his left hand so it stopped in a reverse grip he ran at the wounded animal as it recovered from its unstable landing. Dodging a swipe of the massive paw he sliced open the leg severing the tendons near the elbow. The tiger roared loudly, and lunged at the offender trying to take a bite from his flesh. Naruto jumped back, and dodged the tigers injured assault until he saw an opportunity, and struck fast embedding a kunai in the throat and slammed the other into the dying creature's eye. As it died it gave a coughing growl before falling to the ground.
While Naruto had been fighting with the priestess watching his back Hana had his own fight to take care of. Using his bloodline he created a sword made of chakra, and slashed at the tiger that ran at him in an attempt to tackle the boy. Seeing the blood flowing from the wound on its shoulder Hana jumped onto the tiger's back and buried the sword into the beast's side. The tiger lifted its head back to roar in pain as it tried to shake the large teen off its back. Hana released the chakra sword and grabbed the tiger around the throat cutting off its air supply with his massive arms. The two struggled like this, but the blood loss and lack of air grew too much for it, and it soon stumbled and fell pawing at the ground. As the dying beast stopped moving the teen used his strength to jerk the tiger's head until a large crack was head signifying the neck had been broken.
Toshiie grinned as he watched the genin eliminate the threats without hesitating to use lethal force. He already liked what he saw, be it the ease Shoukyaku had used Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, the way Hana first wounded then strangled a beast 3x his size, or the way Naruto used his agility and stamina to wear out the tiger until he could get a double deathblow. He stood on top of the now closed gate with his arms crossed as the teens dusted themselves off and checked for wounds. Deciding it was time for the next stage he jumped off the gate, and slammed his fist into the ground with his kekkei genkai activated causing a small explosion of dirt.
The teens jumped back into a guarded stance waiting for an attack. As the smoke cleared Toshiie slowly stood up, and heard a gasp from Shoukyaku as she saw him. He stood in a crater that was 2 feet deep and 6 feet wide. His arms were encased in spiked metal, spikes jutting back from his elbows, chin, head, spine, and knees. What stood before them was, simply put, a killing machine. Toshiie could clearly see the fear, apprehension, and curiosity being emitted by the teens, and grinned showing off the elongated incisors of his upper and lower jaws as he walked out of the crater. With experienced practice he slowly deactivated his bloodline causing the metal to retract back into his body.
"You have done well so far, but let's up the ante shall we?" He asked with a chuckle as he popped some of the joints in his arms, back, and neck.
Shoukyaku moved behind Naruto gripping his arm clearly feeling the power coming from the jonin, not feeling reassured despite Naruto's attempts to calm her down while keeping his eyes on the very dangerous man infront of them. Hana on the other hand had been thinking this would be the perfect chance to test one of his experimental techniques, and had a gleam in his eye that meant trouble.
"How about a handicap, sensei? It'll prolong the fight, and give us a chance to show off a bit more." The well muscled teen said with a smile.
The jonin looked them over for a moment, and shrugged. "Why not? It'll be a good way for you to learn just how far the gap is between genin and jonin. What did you have in mind?"
Hana smiled deviously at how the jonin had walked right into his plan, and held out his hands. Using his kekkei genkai he formed manacles made of chakra. "Just a little something to even the odds."
Toshiie watched with his arm crossed wondering what the teen had planned especially with the smile he had seen. He also took note of the curiosity the others displayed, and grew intrigued at what the boy had planned considering the others didn't know. "Alright then. Shoukyaku, take the restraints, and put them on me." He said not taking his eyes from Hana.
The girl did as she was told, and secured her sensei's left hand and right leg together. When she finished she went back to Naruto's side to see what would happen next.
"This is the last chance you have to pass my test. If you do not come at me with lethal force the best you can hope for is to go back to the academy." Toshiie said in a tone as serious as death.
Naruto saw how worried his Shou-chan was and decided to voice the next question as he squeezed her hand gently, and smiled at her. "If going back to the academy is the best option if we fail what is the worst?"
Suddenly each teen felt as if they were surrounded and being watched by hungry, nightmarish predators that would not only feed upon their flesh but also consume their very souls. They looked around in panic sweating with fear and paranoia until they heard words spoken quietly but with a power that compelled them to hear. Even though they were spoken quietly they were said in such a way that left no doubt to the certainty of them.
"You. Will. Die."
As they heard these words 3 pairs of eyes were drawn to the source of the words, and when they landed on Toshiie they froze at what they saw. The jonin hadn't moved, but now he looked different, terrifyingly different. Rising from his shoulders like a hellish form of wings were double bladed scythes, a row of spikes could be seen running across his forehead with the ones at the temples being nearly a foot long, and curling slightly backward, his skin gleamed like polished steel, two spikes over 6 inches long pointed down from his chin, and small curved blades similar to a shark's dorsal fin ran along the sides of his jaw. Standing still as statues they watched as chakra swirled so intensely around him that wind and dust thrashed about obscuring him from view. Suddenly as if a switch had been flipped the oppressive feeling disappeared and the dust settled down to reveal a normal looking man in manacles.
"Attack me. Kill me if you can. Show me your desire to live, and be ninja." Toshiie said calmly with a small smile as if what had just happened was nothing more than a dream as he waited for the genin to make the first move.
The genin took several moments to pull themselves back together warily watching Toshiie even though he just stood there like a statue waiting for them to make the first move. Gathering close together they talked in quiet whispers forming a plan of attack. Nearly 10 minutes had passed since the terror inducing sight when they broke apart. Saiteiru walked forward while the other two moved to the side. Looking back the large teen saw the couple in a guard stance only separated by 6ft. With a smile he faced the jonin, and launched himself to attack with taijutsu. Several minutes went by with Toshiie nonchalantly dodging every punch and kick with a bored look on his face. Suddenly Saiteiru jumped back forming shuriken with his bloodline, and threw a double handful while still in the air. Toshiie, though a little surprised at the tactic, dodged them all barely moving from the spot he was standing in.
"I really hope that isn't the best that you have." The man said in a disappointingly bored tone.
Saiteiru smirked evilly, and formed a tiger seal with his hands. "You shouldn't get cocky I'm just getting started." He said before yelling out. "KATSU!"
With the shout the shuriken he had thrown detonated in a loud explosion kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris. The genin knew it wasn't enough to finish off a war veteran of Toshiie's standing, but hoped that he had been injured enough to make things easier. With baited breath the watched the dust settle as their sensei became visible. To their great disappointment and fear, or in Saiteiru's case glee, the only damage they saw were some scorch marks on his clothes.
"Not bad I give it a 6 overall. Your execution was good, but the power was low. Even a low chunin and some genin could survive that. I give you an A for effort though." Toshiie said with a grin before he disappeared. The teens' eyes widened at this just as he reappeared behind Saiteiru, and kicked him square kicked him square in the back sending the boy to the ground. "I told you to come at me with intent to kill not give me a kiss."
The boy picked himself up off the ground, and nodded to the others signaling them to get ready to put their plan into action. While he looked at the smirking face infront of him he started to gather chakra. When he had nearly 60% of his current reserves he blasted it out in a pulse causing the manacles on Toshiie to glow before they exploded. The detonation was over 20 times more massive than the previous one causing the genin to cover their eyes, and use chakra to adhere themselves to the ground so they wouldn't be throw from the shockwave.
Reacting quickly Shoukyaku and Naruto sped through hand seals, and shouted out their technique. "COMBINATION JUTSU: DIVINE TREE UNHOLY BARRIER!" With those words a pentagonal shaped barrier formed with a massive tree growing in the center. Hanging from the limbs of the tree were paper seals that seemed to flutter in the breeze. With their hands held in the last seal of the jutsu the couple watched through the glowing red barrier with rising hope that the joint technique had worked. Slowly over a few minutes the dust finally settled to display Toshiie wrapped up in the trunk of the tree with his head hanging. The genin sighed in relief until they caught the sound of chuckling, and turned back with fear filled eyes not missing the oppressive feeling of Toshiie's KI. Shoukyaku started backing up as she felt the trapped man gathering more and more chakra fear and awe clearly visible in her eyes.
"How?" She whispered completely unsettled by what her priestess powers were telling her about what Toshiie was doing with his chakra.
The others stood shocked as cracks started forming on the barrier until the jonin released his chakra in tandem with his bloodline causing the barrier to shatter, and the part of the tree he was trapped in to explode with such force that the tree was launched upward. The genin were so stunned by the display of power that they didn't guard against the shrapnel earning several cuts from the debris. With a resounding boom the tree crashed to the ground with branches and leaves breaking off from the massive fence of training ground 44. Their minds were locked in awe as they watched Toshiie land in a crouch before them with his clothes disheveled, and smoke/steam rising from him (Picture the scene from Chronicles of Riddick on Crematoria but more intense.) with the tree dissolving back into chakra.
Rising slowly from the crouch he turned to face the teenagers before him with the smoke/steam dissipating. His visage could have been sculpted granite for all they could tell as he stared at them for several seemingly eternal moments. Toshiie's lips slowly formed a smirk that only touched the right side of his face causing fear to spike once again in the graduates.
"I have to say…I'm impressed. That last attack was very good. If I hadn't used my bloodline to protect myself I would have needed to go to the hospital." He said looking at Saiteiru before turning to the couple. "Your barrier was on a level that I would not expect to see from you for a few years yet. Combining a priestess's barrier with youki is simply amazing. You two must have trained hard to create that technique. I am proud that all of you have exceeded my expectations, and that you three are now officially genin on my team. I will give you the next two days off to recover, rest, and do whatever the hell else you want to do. Remember that you are now ninja of Konoha, and have a responsibility to act accordingly. That doesn't mean you can't have fun just don't go overboard. Now get lost I have an outfit to replace." He grabbed the burnt and tattered remains of his shirt easily tearing it from his body it emphasis his point. Holding it up he shook his head with a chuckle before dropping the shirt, and disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
The next day the various potential jonin senseis were gathered in the Hokage's office to give their reports. All told only 8 teams had passed the tests out of the three graduating classes. Saratobi sighed '24 out of 97 passed, 14 dropped out, and 59 going back to the academy. The only up side to this is that it leaves the jonin to handle more high ranked missions.'
"Alright then I want to hear what you have planned for your teams. Kakashi you're first." The old man said leaning back in his chair puffing slowly on his pipe.
"Hai, Hokage-sama. With what the team has shown so far I believe it would be best to have them perform D rank missions while focusing on their teamwork. I am hoping that through this Sakura will put aside her fan girl phase so she can shift her focus to either becoming a med nin or another genjutsu specialist with her chakra control. I will also be trying to get Sasuke to open up to his teammates more, and focus less on his search for power. Sai is silent with an odd sense of humor, but I think he will make a decent rival for Sasuke. While they are all specialists in certain areas I plan to make them more well rounded through the teamwork exorcizes, and become a very good team together."
Saratobi nodded, and gestured for Kurenai to take her turn.
The red eyed woman bowed before speaking. "Kiba, Hinata, and Shino have displayed a good sense of teamwork, as well as abilities that would make them a great tracking/capture team. I will be discussing with Tsume about focusing on his family jutsu while I teach work on his teamwork and tactics. Hinata I feel would benefit from med nin teaching to augment her jyuuken. Shino I believe would be excellent at strategy, and will focusing on that with the purpose of making him team leader." She bowed once more before stepping back to be replaced by Asuma.
"With my team being the reincarnation of the original Ino/Shika/Cho team I plan on focusing on their individual elemental affinities once their control is good enough. In the mean time I will be working on stealth with Ino, strength and endurance with Choji, and strategy with Shikamaru."
Saratobi nodded to himself remembering how good their parents were as a capture/interrogation team, and wondered if they would be joining the ANBU ranks later on.
Toshiie stepped forward with his arms behind his back at parade rest. "Saiteiru Hana, Takeda Shoukyaku, and Uzumaki Naruto have all shown skills above what genin are normally capable of. Saiteiru showed impressive control, and utilization of his bloodline, as well as low to mid chunin taijutsu skills. Takeda although a priestess displayed impressive versatility with the usage of a Katon jutsu, long range support with shuriken, and capture with a barrier jutsu. Uzumaki impressed me the most though. He displayed agility, and teamwork with Takeda that normally wouldn't be seen from a team that hasn't been together for at least 5 years. After testing their stealth and infiltration abilities I tested them in battle. The end result of which had me caught in an explosion and trapped in a barrier jutsu that Uzumaki and Takeda created as a combination jutsu. With their skills I feel it would be a waste to have them perform D rank mission, and will be training them until they are ready for C and B rank missions. With the skills they have I plan on making them into a demolition/destruction squad. When I am done I have no doubt that they will each make superb front line fighters, and even capable of taking out enemy bases without support."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow at this having not expected such high praise for the genin let alone Naruto. "This is quite surprising considering the reports I have about Naruto's time at the academy. Explain this glaring difference to me."
"As I am sure you are aware of, Sir, Uzumaki has been hiding his skills as well as his true appearance. From my information he has done so in order to keep those that are less than favorable towards him from growing more aggressive. Given this general attitude it is completely understandable especially combined with his relationship with a priestess."
Many surprised murmurs were heard at this including a widening of Saratobi's eyes. "What kind of relationship are you talking about, Maeda?"
"As you know I have been watching the academy students in hopes of gaining an apprentice to teach my skills to that would use them properly in the best interests of Konoha. During the surveillance I witnessed Takeda and Uzumaki having a relationship on a scale of boyfriend and girlfriend. The fact that they hid this is not surprising considering how certain factions would react to finding out that that "the demon brat" is intimate with a priestess of Kami."
The old man shuddered imagining the outrage of said faction and the paperwork it would cause until he remembered something Toshiie had said. "What did you mean when you said he was hiding his appearance?"
"While I was investigating their potential I discovered that Uzumaki has been hiding his true looks under a genjutsu seal. From conversations I have overheard it was Takeda's idea to have him hide his physical changes under a genjutsu with a seal placed on his clothes. He is not only more physically developed than the village believes, but also much more intelligent. Under normal circumstances he more than likely would have been rookie of the year, and only 2nd in intelligence to Shikamaru out of those in his class."
The quiet talking of the subject by the other jonin was filled with surprise and skepticism clearly showing just how different things were with the civilian and ninja parts of Konoha. While the civilians almost entirely hated Naruto the ninja were either supportive or indifferent towards him. Of course there were exceptions to this, but they were quickly handled.
"While I am more than surprised at this I do not doubt your evaluation. I am saddened though that one of our citizens has to go through such lengths to ensure his own safety as well as the safety of those he is close to." Looking around the room at the gathered jonin he spoke to the whole room. "I am ordering this information sealed as an S rank secret, and will be punished as such should I find out the information has gotten out. Maeda, I am counting on you to make sure that they are able to have as normal a relationship as possible without you directly interfering unless asked. Naruto's life has been hard enough with the burden he carries without people trying to damage his relationships. If any of you see this you are to step in and inform me immediately."
Getting a collective "Hai!" in response Saratobi nods in satisfaction. "Good you are all dismissed. Maeda, I wish to speak with you."
Hearing the order he turned back to the Hokage, and took up the same stance he had before wondering what he wanted to talk about. He stayed silent as the other jonin left the room watching as Saratobi filled his pipe, and puffed slowly on it for several moments.
"How long have you been watching those three?" The old man asked carefully watching Toshiie with an experienced eye.
"Saiteiru I have been watching since his second year at the academy. Takeda piqued my interest when I heard she wanted to be a ninja. Uzumaki was a surprise to be honest. At first I had no interest in him, but then I saw him drop the genjutsu and train with Takeda. Since then I have had Kage Bunshin watching them with orders not to invade their privacy once I figured out they were more than just friends."
"I see." The Hokage said as he thought about the information. "I want you to keep it up, but have your clones guard them as well. This will not go over well with the civilians or the council. I have no doubt that I'll be hearing about it by tomorrow night. I am going to have an ANBU team watch over Takeda since the civilians do not understand the sanctity of a priestess of the log, and I am afraid they might try something to get at Naruto. I am also authorizing the use of lethal force should it be necessary to insure her safety. As you know Minato wanted Naruto to receive his inheritance when he became a jonin, but depending on how things go now I may have to reveal it much sooner. Maybe even as early as the chunin exams."
Toshiie merely grunted at this since he knew the identities of Naruto's parents, and thought he should have been told who they were a long time ago. "I will talk with Anko about this. She may be able to have some of her summons watch over them as well." Now a dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes as an idea hit him. "Do I have your permission to do whatever it takes to insure the safety of my team, Hokage-sama?"
The tone that Toshiie used would have been missed by nearly anyone, but Saratobi Hiruzen was called "Shinobi no Kami" for a reason. He thought about it, and considering what he knew of the man infront of him had an idea of what was going through the elite jonin's mind. "Yes you do, BUT I don't want to hear of that authority being abused."
Hearing this Toshiie grinned in such a malicious and bloodthirsty way that the old man had flashbacks to the night of the Kyuubi attack. "I guarantee that you will not hear even a whisper from anyone. The reports of missing persons might go up though." He said using his tongue to caress his upper right incisor.
"Good just don't go overboard. We don't want the populous in an uproar. If it gets too bad though notify me and I will authorize a public display. You are a war veteran, one of the most experienced jonin in this village, and I trust you just as much as I do the Sannin. I just wish you would take up the mantle so I can step down." Saratobi finished with a baleful look at the stacks of paperwork on his desk.
"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, but no way in hell. You know quite well that we would be at war with Kumo and Iwa if I became Hokage. Anyway just imagine what would happen if Anko decided to help me enjoy lunch in the office."
Saratobi nodded his head acknowledging his point, and shuddered as he imagined just what kind of "lunch" that would be. "Ok you win. I won't bring it up again. I don't even want to think about the cleaning bill for that. I'll handle things on my end concerning your team. Go talk to Ibiki for any ANBU help you may need then send him to me. Now if there isn't anything else I have to get back to work before all this paperwork comes alive and attacks me."
Toshiie bowed, and walked out of the office while Saratobi glared at the piles of paper internally debating about using a Katon jutsu. "I swear they are reproducing." He grumbled as he took a sheet from the top of the largest stack.