Summary: You know the Rookie 12… Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. But you don't know Squad 3… Kouba, Hinote and Shikon are squad 3… Shikon is the violent, determined, intelligent, strong master of all animals, music, colors and motion, is the chosen leader of Squad 3… Kouba is the hardheaded, keep it cool, powerful master of plants, ice, water and fire. Hinote is the defensive, fiery, semi-depressed, sarcastic-like-her-best-friend-Shikon master of fire and heat. For Shikon, her best weapon is her small dog Hinoiri. For Kouba, his best weapons are his plants. For Hinote, her best weapon is her hair, which is alive with a mind of it's own. Their Jonin Squad Leader, Shikaku Nara, knows they're powerful enough to make it to the top… And they're his first squad…
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Naruto. I do own Shikon and my best friend owns Hinote. I own Hinoiri, and my best friend owns Saikae if he's ever involved in the story. I own the storyline, but not the characters, except for the OC's. My OTHER best friend owns Kouba…
Characters:
Shikon Hanone: Her name translated means Fang Fang. Her clan, the Hanone Clan, have fang tattoos similar to that of the Inuzuka Clan, but they are slightly bigger, and a brighter red. She carries pretty much everything in existence in her backpack, and has stated that she even wears it when she sleeps. Her brown hair is straight, and the bangs hang over one of her eyes. It spikes out near the top in an outward bowl sort of way. She wears a fang necklace, and her partner is a puppy named Hinoiri, which translates to Sunset. She is the leader of the squad, but not by self-proclamation. The team voted her leader, and she treats her teammates as equals. She was voted the leader for her excellent ability to analyze a situation and plan out a sure fire strategy. Her signature move is Splitting Fang Spear "Shikon Nijuu" Jutsu. When she's happy or angry, she sprouts wolf like ears, a wolf like tail, and her hair becomes spiky, wild and white. Her catch phrase is, "get ready for the beat down." When she's about to fight, she leans back, waves the opponent towards her with both pointer fingers, and then links them, and pulls them apart while clicking her tongue, and
then says her catchphrase. She's proud to say that her entire team passed the Chuunin exams and was promoted to Chuunin. She becomes a Jonin at the young age of 15. As do her teammates. In part one, she wears a dark grey jacket, khaki shorts and black gloves. In part two, after the time skip, she switches to a leather vest, over a grey and black hoodie shirt that stops in mid-arm, and black pants. She tends to add "because I'm cool like that," or "that's how I roll," to the ends of some of her sentences. When giving someone directions, or telling them something about something she saw, she adds "Conveniently located over there, that way," to the end of her description. Upon meeting him, she is completely infatuated with her Jonin Squad Leader's son, Shikamaru. She matures drastically over the time skip. At the end of part one, before the time skip, she requests that her team go train while traveling, to build up stamina and discover new powers. After the time skip, Hinoiri grows big enough for her to ride on, but, like Kiba with Akamaru, fails to notice the difference due to being around him all the time.
Kouba Ibuka: Kouba is complex. His name translates to Plant. He would do anything for the sake of the team, but is not easily convinced of one thing or another. He is relatively critical of others, and slightly arrogant. He wears a mask. His attire before the time skip consists of a long sleeved light cream-brown colored shirt, with black netting over the torso, white shorts, and bandages down his legs. His hair is black, and there are two long strands down each side of his face, and a long ponytail with a small white band near the end, that usually hangs over his right shoulder. After the time skip, his hair grows longer, and the band is slightly thicker. He wears black pants, and his sleeves are slightly baggier. He is apparently so good looking, every girl in the leaf village is infatuated with him, but he loves Ino, who likes him, but doesn't show it. He receives a curse mark from Orochimaru though it is currently unknown which one. It's been speculated that it is the HEAVEN curse mark. When rumors start flying about Team Shikon, or Squad 3, he is NO help in dispelling the rumors. After the time skip, they gain the name, The Legendary Three Double Star Shinobi. Kouba is very serious and solemn, not often making jokes, and taking his job VERY seriously. He has a companion, which is a small venus flytrap in a pot, which he carries in his backpack. After the time skip, the Venus flytrap grows larger and weaves itself around Kouba under his shirt so that it can fight from his sleeves.
Hinote Tsuki: Hinote is defensive. She doesn't like being stared at or ridiculed, and you could say she's paranoid to the point of violence. Her hair is her companion, as it's alive. Anything she touches burns or ignites. Those she has a connection to can touch her without being burned, unless the connection is bad. She went for years knowing this and wondering why Shikon could touch her, but realized later that it was because Shikon was not her enemy, but her best friend, in reality, and her hair knew it. She talks to her hair, and it kind of freaks people out. She sees Naruto as a little brother, and has a huge crush on Gaara. After the time skip she learns to form her hair into objects such as hammers or hands and make it extend in length, so she can do long range combat. Her clothes before the time skip consist of a red dress with bandages around the stomach, and shoes made from her hair, and the dress made from her hair as well so she can't ignite herself. After a while, her shoes become normal shoes because she can't walk in certain places in her ones made from her hair, because she'll light things on fire. Her clothes after the time skip become a red kimono like shirt tied with a yellow ribbon and shorts all made from her hair, and the same NORMAL shoes.
Prologue… Besides the Rookie 12…
Years ago, a young boy named Naruto, the fourth Hokage's son, though nobody knew, graduated the ninja academy. He had half of the nine tailed demon fox that wreaked havoc on the leaf village thirteen years earlier sealed inside him. But you've already heard that story. You HAVEN'T heard the story of Squad 3… soon to be the Legendary Three Suta-Nijuu… I guess 3 really IS the lucky number… It was that day, on the day of the ninja academy graduation exams, that their story would begin… Shikon Hanone, Hinote Tsuki and Kouba Ibuka sat at the very back corner of the room. Hinote got up to do her exam in the back room, then Kouba, then Shikon. Of course they all aced it, since they all had the three top grades in this order; Shikon, Hinote and Kouba. Most people weren't listening to Iruka-sensei babble on about the squads, but Shikon was sitting intently listening. She heard Squad 1… Squad 2… finally…
"Squad 3, Shikon Hanone, Hinote Tsuki and Kouba Ibuka," he said. Shikon listened further, ignoring her two friends' high five. She leaned back and laced her fingers. She heard Squad 4… Squad 5… Squad 6… "Squad 7, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha…" Shikon was great at sensing potential and personality and this Squad had great potential, but Sasuke made her nervous. "Squad 8, Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame." This group had great potential, but Hinata would need to come out of her shell, Kiba would need to listen more and Shino would need to be less grudge holding. "Squad 9, Neji Hyuuga, Tenten and Rock Lee." This group had potential as well, but Rock Lee's extreme confidence could get him into fixes, Neji was too angry with his family tree and Tenten was a bit too arrogant. "Squad 10, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akmichi." Good potential for this team… Ino was a bit too cocky and feudal, Shikamaru was a bit lazy and apathetic and Choji ate all the time, instead of focusing. They sat in the back corner until their sensei, Shikaku Nara, came. Because these three were tight-knit friends, they aced the bell exam, using teamwork, their separate jutsus and one of Shikon's surefire plans. Their sensei signed them up for the Chuunin exams, and they worked hard. I don't want to tell you the entire story now, so why don't we start at the week before the Chuunin exams, and go from there? Okay…
Chapter One…
"Chuunin exams?" Shikamaru asked his sensei. "What a drag!" He and his team were walking to the building for the Chuunin exams.
"Shikamaru, don't you want to become a Chuunin?" his teammate, Ino, asked.
"Yeah, I just wish it didn't take so much WORK," he said. Ino sighed.
"Well," Choji said chewing. "I'm okay with just being a Genin for the rest of my life, as long as I have food."
"We know, Choji," Ino said. They came up to the doors and walked in. They walked through to a nearly empty room. Only 3 people were there… 3 Genin. One was leaning back in a chair with her fingers laced, one was standing and pacing and one was crouching and tending to a Venus Flytrap Plant. The one leaning back, a girl, smirked.
"Only other group here EARLY, I suppose," she said. She had straight brown hair that stopped at her shoulders, with parts sticking out near the top, and bangs over her right eye. She had marks similar to that of the Inuzuka clan, but they were a brighter red, and slightly larger. She was from the Hanone clan. She wore a grey jacket, khaki capris and black gloves. Her voice was raspy.
"Early?" Ino asked. "This is on time." The girl clicked her tongue.
"Yeah, it's not so much that, as everyone else is LATE," she said. "I'm Shikon Hanone. The guy on the floor, with the plant, in a mask, is Kouba. He wears that mask because he's so ugly."
"I do not," Kouba said. Shikon laughed. Kouba had black hair. He had two thick strands down either sides of his face, and a long ponytail hanging over his right shoulder, with a small white band near the end. He wore a tan shirt with a netted tank top over it, and white shorts. Shikon waved towards the girl who was pacing.
"That's Hinote. She's standing because she can't sit for fear of setting the chair on fire, and she's pacing because she's nervous as hell, and I can't catch a break." Hinote had fiery red hair that went down to her knees. She wore a red dress with bandages around her stomach, and the dress appeared to be made from her hair.
"Oh, well, we're—" Ino began. Shikon cut her off.
"I know who you are," she said. "Believe it or not, I graduated the same day you did. Ino, Shikamaru and Choji, am I right?"
"Yes, you are," Ino said. Shikon smiled.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention," she said, as a small brown puppy with a black patch over his eye popped out of her coat. "This is Hinoiri." The puppy appeared to be shy, and connected to his owner. "And also, beware… the plant and Hinote's hair are both alive. It's creepy, I know, but it's true. We each have a companion and some people joke and call us the Legendary Three Suta-Nijuu… Double Star… meaning we have companions. By the way, Kouba is actually very good looking. He still wears the mask, but I don't know why. He thinks it's cool."
"And every morning when I open the door to let her in, I hit her with it," Kouba said. "On accident."
"Yeah, but for some reason, it's only ME," she said to him. She turned to Ino. "Well, anyway, good luck in the Chuunin exams. I heard the first part is a written exam, and then there will be the forest of death, where you have to get two scrolls, and if too many people… survive… pardon me… there will be preliminaries to eliminate some, and then there will be the final rounds. It doesn't matter if you pass, you can still be promoted if they think you have potential. But if you pass, you're sure to be promoted. I'm sorry, am I talking to much?"
"No, you seem to know a lot," Ino said. Hinote spoke up.
"Shikon had the best grades in class. She's very smart, and knows just about everything," she said.
"Who's your sensei?" Ino asked. Shikon bit her lip.
"Shikamaru's dad," she said. "Shikaku-sensei…"
"Really?" Ino asked. "Shikamaru didn't tell me his dad had a squad. How did you guys do on the bell task? I hated that one."
"We got them using teamwork, jutsus and a killer strategy by our resident squad leader, Shikon," Kouba said. Shikon threw a pencil at him.
"Resident squad leader?" she asked. He nodded.
"You should be proud," he said. She huffed, amazed.
"You are so stupid," she laughed. "If I'm the squad leader, you'd listen when I say take the mask off." He looked at her for five seconds and removed the mask. Ino took a double take. He was extremely good looking. It was love at first sight. She tried her best not to look as though she liked him, but she really was awestruck.