Chapter 1: Remembering! Old and New Family!
He didn't know what made him walk to the gravesite, but whatever willed him he didn't push it away. He read over and over again what was written for his grandfather. Well old man, looks like I'll be getting my own brats today, the jounin thought to himself. Jounin. Konohamaru smiled at the thought of finally becoming a jounin. Even though it had been almost 10 years ago, he still remembered be inducted. It truly filled his heart to see the Sarutobi name continue to grow, even after such loss.
Mother, Father, Grandfather, Uncle Asuma…He seemed lost in his thoughts until his ninja senses picked up on an upcoming presence.
"Hokage-sama will be upset if you show up late!" The female ninja warned.
"Hello to you too Kitara-oneechan!" His voiced cheered up which caused her to smile.
Konohamaru and Kitara had the same father, but different mothers. During its' early stages, Konohagure was a prosperous place, but it still needed alliances. Back when Orochimaru still posed as a Konoha shinobi, he took a foreign woman as a wife. That led to the conception of Kitara's mother, Katana.
This 'family' was nothing more than a front for they too were nothing more than subjects for his experiments. Seeing he now had a successor of his genes, he no longer needed a wife. He made it appear she was killed while traveling alone on a road away from the village. Though it was not formally named, the hidden village of sound was still under construction. Since it was still being formed, he made his only child live there and train. The Third Hokage, believing that was where her mother was from, allowed her to be trained there.
Many years passed before she returned to Konoha. Katana was both an extremely skilled and beautiful kunoichi. This caught the eye of many men; including the Third's oldest son, Aiken. Through an arranged marriage, they wed and conceived Kitara. There was only one flaw with this child…
…she was born blind.
Though it was a difficult decision, Aiken allowed his wife and only child to leave the village. The land of sound, he rationed, could help her situation better than he could; and her mother was also familiar with the area. The only stipulation was, by decree of the Third Hokage, that she be anointed as a Konoha ninja.
[Flashback]
Kitara was a fairly solemn child, keeping to herself and not really interacting with others, except her grandfather's pupil, Mitarashi Anko. Though six years older than her, Anko treated her with the utmost respect. Anko was really one of the few people she interacted with before she left the village to go to train. They often spared together, ate lunch, and spared more. "Why don't you ask Orochimaru-sama to train you as well? I know you're young, but you have potential even I didn't have at your age!" Anko asked Kitara one day."I don't want to learn his way of the shinobi!" Kitara said harshly. "I don't like the way he teaches, the way he instructs, and I don't like him that much!" She finished.
"How can you say such a thing Kitara-chan!? He is one of the Sannin. I know he seems a bit harsh and strict, but I have learned a lot from his teachings." Anko stated proudly.
"…" Kitara sat in silence, debating whether or not she should say what's really on her mind. Not getting a reaction out of her, Anko continued.
"When you are a little older, you'll understand. After all, you are like only 4 1/2 years old. I guess it's understandable to be a little afraid of him. You know he.."
"I'M NOT SCARED OF HIM!!!" Kitara yelled.
"THEN WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM WITH HIM?" Anko yelled back.
"Well…" Kitara trailed off. [Sigh]…" I don't know." She started in a softer tone. "I get a scary feeling from him." She began explaining.
"Scary?" Anko asked with disbelief on her face.
"Like…evil." Kitara involuntary shivered. "It's freaky! Worst of all, his voice rattles my nerves each time he addresses me."
Anko couldn't help but stare at the child. The way she spoke showed how truly mature she was. [Just what to expect from the prodigy of a genius] she mused to herself. "You'll get use to it Kita-chan. I know you don't want to hear it but he's your grandfather and he'll need you at your best if he's going to teach you his techniques."
"Maybe you should have been his granddaughter then." Kitara said just above a whisper.
"ANKO!" Anko stood at attention towards the man who had just addressed her. "Get packed! We are going off on a mission for a while."
"Hai! She said as she prepared herself to jump from building to building. She stared at the little girl before her.
"Looks like I won't 'see' you for a while." Kitara smiled. "You'd better go before he gets pissed." Anko whispered a small 'see ya' before leaving to pack her tools. She heard Kitara say 'be careful' before disappearing in the distance.
"My you've grown a bit Kita-chan!" The Sannin spat at her with his fake smile. She couldn't see it, but she grimaced at the thought of his leering voice.
"Sir." She bowed in respect to him. As she turned to leave, his voice once again caught her attention.
"Anko is right. You do have a lot of potential. Why don't you come with us? I'm sure your parents would approve."
Kitara stood stuck in her spot. [No way! He was listening the whole time! I didn't even notice his presence…] After quickly putting that thought aside, her mind went back to the conversation at hand.
She knew he was right. Her parents still loved each other, but each time Kitara and Katana left it caused a drift in their marriage- as if they were growing apart from each other. To Kitara, it seemed the only reason they were still together was for her.
"I don't think they'll mind…but would the Sarutobi-ojisan? I'm not even an academy student. It would be dangerous to send an innocent child on any mission. But I know you already know that…Sir."
His smile faded slightly. Any conversation that involved his sensei did not sit well with him. "Too bad you don't wanna go. I have a present I'm giving Anko and was hoping I could give you one too. Oh, well, I'll just have to wait a while. Ja ne!" With that, he was gone.
She didn't know why, but she just continued to shake. The statement about the 'present' caused tremors throughout her body and she couldn't stop. In fact, she didn't stop until the day the ANBU members brought the distraught Anko back from the land of water. He had indeed given Anko a present…a cursed seal.
[Present]
Kitara walked beside her brother and traced the words on their grandfather's stone. "You know… you always were his favorite." She said low. "You seen to be the primary person to make him smile."
"Maybe…but you were his pride and joy long before I came into the picture." She smiled as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She took her right hand from the stone and placed it on her left shoulder where Konohamaru's hand was. Their sibling bonding was interrupted by the sound of a hawk's screech overhead.
"I told you Hokage-sama would be upset if you're late." She scolded as they made their way to the Hokage's tower.
"Yeah, but one thing's for sure…" He smiled his mischievous, childish way, "…I'm not showing up late alone!" Kitara quickened her pace to catch up with the now sprinting jounin. Still a brat left in you. She thought to herself as she caught up to him.
[Hokage Tower]
"YOUR'RE LATE!" The blonde yelled. Konohamaru dug his left index finger in his ear.
"My bad, my bad." He smiled. "I lost track of time."
"It's his own fault really Hokage-sama." Kitara said pointy.
Konohamaru stared at his sister as she deserted him. "You make it sound as if you weren't late either." He said in a hopeful comeback voice.
"Actually…a good source of mine told me you were lagging around. That is why I sent Kitara-san to retrieve you." Their Hokage explained.
Konohamaru glanced at the shinobi around the room until he saw one pair of eyes that wasn't laughing at him. Should have known Misoa would be the one. He smiled at the young shinobi.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting." The blonde ordered. The meeting went on as scheduled. Various issues were discussed: missions, country alliances, Konoha's economy, etc. It went on for a whole twenty minutes until the Hokage came to the subject of the day. "Now the academy has sent me the names of students who are ready to begin as genin. If you know you were approved of being a jounin instructor, please step forward."
The selected jounin stepped forward to receive the names of their genin. "Alright, first off Team 1…" The Hokage mentally read over the three names before addressing one of the jounin lined up. After stating the ninja's name, he walked up to the Hokage to retrieved the paper. He looked over the names and rolled his eyes. How did I get these brats! They can barely hit a bulls-eye with a sharp kunai 25ft away! He thought to himself. Bowing for respect, he then returned to his spot.
The Hokage continued on. "Next Team 2…" 3,4,5, and 6 went by fairly quick until Team 7 came into focus. After reading the names, the Hokage put on a classic fox-like grin that made everyone swallow hard.
I know that look. Wonder who got Team 7? Konohamaru thought to himself.
"Team 7…Hatake…Kimiko." A young lady stepped forward to retrieve her team from her Hokage. Without even looking at the names, she bowed and returned to her spot beside the name of the ninja their Hokage called next. The fox-smiled widened as Team 8 flashed before blue eyes.
"Team 8…Sarutobi…Misoa." Though a bit older than the previous girl, he too was young. Approaching the Hokage, he saw that the blue orbs were now half- squinting and a smile that rivaled Rock Lee's. He took his paper and bowed before returning next to Kimiko. Needless to say, he too didn't bother looking at the names.
Konohamaru fixed his attention to the jounin. 16 and 18 years old. I hope they know what they're getting into. He was jarred back to reality as a man about his age walked beside him. He figured the man had just been assigned as instructor to Team 9. Wonder who I'll be assigned to?
"Team 10…Sarutobi…Konohamaru." Ask and you shall receive. He thought as he walked up to the desk. By this time, the Hokage's eyes were completely squinted and that smile could have put Gai-sensei to shame. Bowing, he returned to his spot. Like the other 2, he didn't look at the names either.
Before they knew it, all names were given and the Hokage was wrapping up the meeting. "Is there any other business that requires attention before the meeting is wrapped up?" No one said a word. Thank Kami-sama! The Hokage thought. "In that case, meeting adjourned for today!" Everyone bowed as they exited the door.
"Will the instructors for Teams 7, 8, and 10 please stay behind for a moment?"
"I'll catch up with you in a bit." Konohamaru told Kitara.
"Have fun." She said with a smile on her face.
Kimiko, Misoa, and Konohamaru stood side-by-side and awaited for the Hokage's words.
"You wished to see us Hokage-sama?" Kimiko asked.
"It's just us here. You don't have to be so formal with me!" The Hokage smiled.
"Okay then. Why did we have to stay behind Naruto-niisan?" Konohamaru asked.
"Well to be honest…I just wanted to know what you all thought of your teams." He smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
Everyone took that explanation as their cue to look at papers:
Team 7: Hatake Kimiko
(1) Uzamaki Hadoshi
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Average
Current Skills: Average Juken (Gentle Fist), mild Kage Bunshin, average chakra control
Family History: (Hyuuga) Uzamaki Hinata; Uzamaki Naruto-Sannin Level
(2) Uchiha Nagi
Age: 12
Sex: Female
Ninja Ability: Good
Current Skills: Excellent chakra control, mild fire jutsu
Family History: (Haruno) Uchiha Sakura; Uchiha Sasuke- both Sannin Level
(3) Uchiha Hachi
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Above Average
Current Skills: Good chakra control, average taijutsu, good fire justu
Family History: (Haruno) Uchiha Sakura; Uchiha Sasuke- both Sannin Level
Team 8: Sarutobi Misoa
(1) Inuzuka Kouga
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Above Average
Current Skills: Enhance senses, above average speed, partners with nin-dog: Michi (female)
Family History: (Karuma) Inuzuka Yakumo; Inuzuka Kiba (nin-dog: Akamaru)
(2) Aburame Shiobi
Age: 12
Sex: Female
Ninja Ability: Excellent
Current Skills: Use of destruction bugs, excellent stealth skills
Family History: Aburame Isaribi; Aburame Shino
(3) Hyuuga Kenshin
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Extraordinary
Current Skills: Mastery of Juken (Gentle Fist), excellent taijutsu, great range with weapons
Family History: Hyuuga Ten-Ten; Hyuuga Neji
Team 10: Sarutobi Konohamaru
(1) Yamanaka Inoiki
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Good
Current Skills: Knowledge of all current ninjutsu, stealth skills
Family History: Yamanaka Ino; Sai
(2) Nara Shikaru
Age: 12
Sex: Female
Ninja Ability: Excellent
Current Skills: Advance speed, enhanced knowledge, tactical skills achieved
Family History: Nara Temari; Nara Shikamaru
(3) Akimichi Chouza
Age: 12
Sex: Male
Ninja Ability: Average
Current Skills: Ranges between 3 basic jutsus, enormous chakra holder
Family History: Akimichi Tsuke; Akamichi Choji
All three looked at Naruto with surprise. "Are you sure some of this information is alright to be put inside the academy records? I mean it does look like it should be in bingo books instead?" Misoa asked with confusion on his face.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"Well, the information concerning their families…is it appropriate for the academy records?"
"I see where you're getting at Misoa. I assure you, the only reason they are included was because they used their 'family skills' to pass the academy. Anyway, their parents have already consented to their information being placed on the records." He finished.
Kimiko looked at Naruto with a questioning expression. "I have no problems with the team I've been assigned but I'm curious to know if you were bored when the teams were being assigned?"
"Now you know well as I do the officials at the academy make the teams; I just overlook them.
"She does have a point though. She has her old mans' team, I have my mothers', and Konohamaru has my fathers'. People will start to think you have a favoritism thing going on." Misoa stated.
Naruto took a deep breath while he digested everything Misoa had just said. True, the sequence is the same as the generation before but…
Naruto looked at the three of them with eyes that told them he was their Hokage. "I don't disagree. People are going to talk: that's human nature. But every single team was chosen based on the students' performance and the instructors' previous record. As of right now, you will decide whether or not the students will progress to genin or return to the academy. I trust all three of you to make wise decisions with your students. Remember, if you pass them, it will be mostly your responsibility to help them develop ninja skills and prep them for the chunnin exams. Do you understand what's being asked of you? Are you ready for the responsibility of three genin?"
"Hai!" They all answered in unison.
"Well if you don't have any more questions, you're dismissed…you all have to meet your genin tomorrow." As they turned to leave, they saw Izumo and Kotesu come in with loads of paperwork. They heard Naruto mutter something about 'lousy paperwork' as they exited.
Once outside, three ninja turned to their direction. "What took so long?" Kitara asked
"Yeah, we were about to go eat without you." The male ninja said. The female ninja beside him rolled her eyes. You always want to eat! She thought to herself.
"Hokage-sama wanted us to tell him what we thought about our teams." Kimiko answered
"And…?" The female ninja inquired.
"You're nosey…you know that don't you Korisa?" Konohamaru asked with a smile.
"Mom always told me if you wanted to know something, ask a question." Korisa stated while glaring at him.
"You should be more like your brother there and try to figure out things by process of elimination." He joked.
"Hey! That 'process' has helped me out quite a bit in the past. I have a natural skill at elimination." The male ninja stated.
"Your mom must have told you that too." Konohamaru countered. Kimiko and Misoa couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Actually, I did tell Korisa and Sakemo those things. Their father disagrees though." Kitara spoke in defense of her children.
"It just figures Iruka-sensei would think his children are capable of no wrong." Konohamaru said to his sister. It had been years now, but the thought of his big sister and academy sensei making babies together made him wanna throw up.
"So are you guys gonna tell us or what?" Korisa asked again.
"Let's eat and talk. I'm starving." Kimiko said as she began to walk, followed by the others.
"What are we eating?" Kitara asked the group.
"RAMEN!" They all said unison.
She just shook her head. She wasn't the least bit surprised since they were practically raised on the stuff.
[Flashback]
Iruka, Kitara, and Kurenai sat at the ramen shop with their children in their laps (four year old Korisa sat in Iruka's lap, five year old Sakemo sat in Kitara's lap, and three year old Misoa was in Kurenai's lap). There was an empty seat beside Kurenai that was to be occupied by a certain copycat ninja.
"Geez after all this time he still doesn't have an internal alarm clock set yet?" Iruka asked in mild irritation.
"I'm sure he has a legit reason for being late this time." Kitara said in his defense.
[I doubt it]. Kurenai thought to herself with a smile. She had recalled a number of incidents where Kakashi was suppose to meet his team and was always late.
**Poof!**
"You're late Kakashi." Kurenai said softly while keeping her eyes fixed on her son.
"Well…my vest got dirty so I had to go back home and change…"
"Are you serious Kakashi? You could have at least let us known so we could have started feeding the kids!" Iruka stated.
"My bad, my bad. I'll send Pakkun next time." The copycat ninja said with a smile behind his mask.
A cooing sound made everyone turn his direction. In front of him was a child in a holster reaching for the book he had in the front of his face.
"I can't believe you're reading that in front of the baby!" Kurenai stated in a disappointing way.
"A 'baby' Kurenai. It's the cover the kid's fascinated with, not the words." He said lazily as he turned a page.
Not wanting to debate in front of the kids, the issue was lifted for the time being. He took his seat beside Kurenai as the owner's daughter, Ayame, prepared to take their order. By this time her stomach had begun to show a little bump…meaning she had a bundle of joy coming one day.
"Hello! What can I get for you all today?" Ayame asked with a smile on her face.
"Daddy! I want ramen please." Korisa asked in a sweet voice.
"Yeah mommy! I want ramen too!" Sakemo excitedly bounced on Kitara's leg.
"Do you want ramen too Misoa?" Kurenai sweetly asked her son. He nodded his head first and then said a quiet "Yes please."
"Alright. And what will you be having today Kakashi-san?" Ayame asked the masked ninja.
He looked up from his book momentarily to answer. "The usual that Naruto orders please." He then went back to his book.
"Okay! Coming right up!" Ayame then turned her head back to help her father prepare the meals. Within a few minutes, the orders were ready. "Alright six bowls of ramen: 4 house specials and two diets."
Kitara raised an eyebrow when she heard the owner say 'diet'. "Kurenai? Why did you order Misoa a diet ramen again?"
"He likes the taste of it." She simply said.
"Itadakimosu!" They all said as they broke their chopsticks.
Iruka, Korisa, and Sakemo each had their own bowl, as did Kurenai and Misoa. Kakashi was yet to touch his. Sakemo looked up and offered his mother some ramen but she declined.
"You're not eating today Kitara?" Iruka asked his wife.
"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today." She replied.
"You said the same thing yesterday." Kurenai stated.
Iruka reached over and placed a hand over her forehead. "You don't have a fever. What's wrong?" She just shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe you're expecting again?" Kakashi said which made everyone go silent. "What? Just throwing ideas out there."
"What are you expecting mommy?" Sakemo asked.
"Nothing!" Iruka and Kitara yelled with a slight blush. She sent a glare at Kakashi for the comment. He didn't say a thing; instead he just gave his daughter a mouthful of ramen.
"Does her mother know you're feeding her that?" Kitara asked when she heard Kimiko slurp up ramen.
"Hmm…yeah I guess so." [It's better than that sweet stuff her mother gives her.] He thought to himself. "It seems to be most of what she'll eat since Naruto babysat a while back." He sent a quick glance at Kurenai while she wasn't looking. "The night he and Hinata watched her and Misoa that is."
She fought the urge to retort when she saw Misoa reach over to Kimiko and wipe away traces of the ramen juices. There were a few 'awes' and 'oh that's cute' heard around the stand.
"ANOTHER BOWL PLEASE!" Sakemo and Korisa said together.
"WHAT!!" Iruka yelled while still eating his first bowl.
[End Flashback]
Kitara mused to herself as the four rookies and Konohamaru ate. Actually, they binged while Konohamaru ate to kill the hunger sensation. She chose to merely sit there and drink tea.
"You sure you don't want anything mom?" Sakemo asked.
"I'm sure." She could tell her children were giving her 'looks'. "Misoa? Kimiko? Tell us whom you got. You too Konohamaru." She suggested changing the subject.
Kimiko started. "I got Team 7: Uzamaki Hadoshi; Uchiha Nagi; and Uchiha Hachi."
"Are you serious?" Korisa asked after swallowing her ramen. Kimiko just gave her the official paper their Hokage gave them.
Sakemo was getting a bit more interested. "You get something like that Misoa?" He asked his cousin.
"Team 8: Inuzuka Kouga; Aburame Shiobi; Hyuuga Kenshin." Misoa also handed his paper to Sakemo
Last, there was Konohamaru. "Let me take a wild guess, you go the Ino-Shika-Cho team Uncle Asuma had?" Kitara asked.
"Yup. Team 10: Yamanaka Inoiki; Nara Shikaru; Akimichi Chouza."
"Your father must have been bored to assign these teams." Kitara mentioned to her children.
"That's what I thought." Kimiko said. She slurped up some ramen that left juices on her face. She either didn't know or didn't care because she just continued to eat. She had dug her sticks back into her bowl as a napkin appeared in front of her.
"I swear you still eat like you are one." Misoa stated as she snatched the napkin form him. She didn't say anything, she just gave him that killer glare her mother taught her when she was five.
"Thank you for the food!" Everyone shouted as they paid for their meals and got up. Konohamaru stared at the Hokage Mountain with the six heads carved in. I'll be up there one day! He thought triumphantly to himself before catching up with the others.
"I'm going to head home now." Kitara said after they walked a few blocks.
"We'll go with you too." Sakemo said. Korisa just followed with the other three when Kitara suddenly stopped. "What's the matter mom?" He asked.
"Wait for it." She slightly chucked. Kimiko looked up at the shop they were in front of. Odangos? [Dumplings?] Just figures mom would be here. She thought to herself.
"ANKO-SAN!" They heard a scream. The said ninja walked out with Kurenai- who was looking disappointed at Anko. A man with spiky hair in a ponytail and a scar across his face ran in front of the women. As he reached for Anko, she stuck an odango stick in her mouth, cheezing the whole while.
"Th...That was my last odango stick Anko-san!" The man pointed at her accusingly.
"Oh come on Iruka-kun. It was just sitting there practically beckoning me. Besides, you don't eat sweets that often." She stated in her defense.
"True, but when I do eat them…I'd like to actually eat it!"
Geez! These guys are like ten year olds. Kurenai thought to herself. For the first time she noticed several presences around them. When she looked up, she saw a mirror pair of crimson eyes looking at her. "You are all out of the meeting rather early." She commented to the group.
"I guess Naruto-sama wanted to get it over with quick as possible." Misoa said to his mother. He looked over his shoulder to see Anko and Iruka still debating. "She took his sweets from him again?" He asked. She rolled her eyes as her comrades continued fighting.
"Why don't you do something Kimiko?" Korisa asked.
She raised an eyebrow at the older girl. "Why me?"
"Because…"
"Because she's YOUR mother!" Sakemo finished the sentence while he was trying to calm his father. To be honest, Iruka wasn't really mad; he was just upset Anko habitually takes his sweets without his permission.
Eventually, Iruka gave up. "Just ask next time…okay?"
"Yeah…Sure!" Anko said as she threw the bare stick over her shoulder. It landed square in the wastebasket. Showoff. Konohamaru thought with a smile.
"So mom, you seen dad today? I thought he was suppose to be back from his mission by now." Kimiko asked Anko
"Oh he's back alright. He was suppose to meet us here two hours ago!" Anko fumed while commenting under her breath about a 'tardy, one-eyed jerk'.
**Poof!**
"Yo gang." Kakashi greeted while leaning against the shop's wall while reading his green book. Anko marched up to him and forcefully pulled his arm down that held the book.
"Don't 'yo gang' me! You were supposed to be here over two hours ago!" She screamed at him.
Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Sorry, but I forgot I had to turn my mission log in to the Hokage so…"
"That is such a lie! We just left there before going to Ichiraku and you weren't in sight!" Kimiko screamed. Like Anko, she couldn't stand it when her father made up lies for being late.
Kakahi gave her a shocked looked as if he didn't know she had been there the entire time."Oh, hey there Kimi-hime." Kakashi greeted his daughter while ruffling her hair. It was silver like his, but she wore it up in a style like Anko. She swore she heard Misoa and Sakemo snicker at her father's nickname for her.
"Kakashi don't do that!" Anko yelled at him.
"Huh? Don't do what?" He asked, knowing full well what she meant.
"Stop ruffling Kimiko's hair! She's not a boy you know!" She stated while smoothing her daughter's hair.
"Funny, you don't complain when I do it to you." He stated coolly as he went back to his book.
Gross! The four younger jounin and Konohamaru thought to themselves.
Kakashi knew he had really hit a nerve with Anko as he caught a stray kunai with his right hand, still reading with his left. Whew! An inch closer and I would have lost my index and middle fingers.
"You know, they have anger management classes for that." Kakashi said while looking at Anko momentarily.
"Screw anger management! Don't talk like that in front of her!"
"You know it's a good thing you missed. I need those fingers later on." Anko readied herself to throw shurikens when Kurenai stepped between them.
"Alright you two, grow up!" Although they had been jounin longer than she had, they still had nothing but respect for her. Of everyone present, Kurenai was the oldest; so they knew it didn't take much to irritate her.
"Er…hey mom! We got our teams today! Look at who we got!" Misoa said nervously as he handed Kurenai the paper. A smile graced her delicate features. "Have fun. The Inuzuka on your squad is louder than the one I had…so I hear." She added quickly as Misoa raised an eyebrow.
"Inuzuka?" Anko inquired. "Let me see your paper Kimiko!" Anko nearly demanded. As Anko read the paper, Kakashi read over her shoulder. He just smiled and went back to his book. "Iruka? Were you bored when you made teams this time?" Anko asked him.
Everyone keeps asking me that. "No! You all do know that I'm not the only instructor at the academy that makes these?"
"Yeah…but you're the most popular…Iruka-SENSEI!" Konohamaru teased.
"Okay laugh it up, but your team is gonna give you a run for your money." Iruka laughed while Konohamaru frowned.
"Who did you get?" Kakashi asked; his eyes still glued to his book.
Konohamaru smiled and looked up to the sky while crossing his arms. "I got a loud-mouth, lazy, and a glutton." He finished while closing his eyes. He savored the wind that passed by. Silence fell over the group until the wind passed.
Sakemo and Korisa looked up to the sky where their uncle was staring. Mom always did say that's what Uncle Asuma thought of his team. Sakemo thought to himself.
Iruka saw Kitara drop her head. Her relationship with her father's side of the family was shaky, but she still loved them. She felt Iruka wrap his arm around her waist and she leaned into him.
A stronger breeze came by that caused Kurenai and Misoa to look up also. She gave a smile that said 'okay Asuma, you've got our attention.' She walked up behind Misoa and placed her left hand on his shoulder. He returned the gesture by placing his left hand on top of hers, squeezing it slightly.
Anko and Kimiko settled down to enjoy the breeze. Even Kakashi brought his face from his book to enjoy the scene. "So where were you all headed before now?" Kakashi asked to break the silence.
"I'm on my way home." Kitara said
"And we were going too." Sakemo stated as he nugged his sister with his elbow.
"I guess I'll head home too. Classes are done for the day and I've turned in my logs into the officials." Iruka agreed.
"What were you going to do Misoa?" Kurenai asked her son.
"Kimiko and I were going to head over to one of the training grounds and spar."
Anko cracked a sly grin. "You guys still don't know how you're going to test them? Do you?" She asked the duo.
"I have a couple ideas but I may just use the bell test." Kimiko stated with a grin that matched Anko's. Misoa just shrugged his shoulders-a silent way of saying 'I have no idea what I'm going to do."
"You brought it on yourselves. The two of you knew well in advance that you were going to be in charge of rookies. That thought alone should have help prepare you for…what?" Anko asked when everyone was staring at her.
"Well you just sound so…?" Kurenai looked around for the right words.
"…grown up…" Iruka
"…mature…" Kitara
"…much like a mom…" Konohamaru
"…not crazy…" Sakemo
"…non-psychotic…" Korisa
"…normal…" Misoa and Kimiko
They all stated at random times. Kakashi chose the later- remain silent. Anko squinted her eyes and balled her fists. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN! I'M MATURE, GROWN UP, AND ACT LIKE A MOTHER!" She yelled.
Konohamaru was tempted to hide behind his sister when he saw her smile. "What about the other three qualities?" She asked her longtime comrade.
"They're on my to-do list." Anko said as she turned her head to keep everyone from seeing her blush.
"How can you work on not being crazy?" Sakemo said sarcastically that caused giggles throughout the group. He leapt to the side to avoid being hit with one of Anko's signature kunais. Too bad for him it cut through the rubber band that held his ponytail up. "What was that for?" He asked as his hair flew to his shoulders.
"For that 'crazy' crock!" She bellowed at him.
Kakashi looked on as the two argued. Korisa and Konohamaru weren't much help, as they instigated the argument. Kurenai, Iruka, and Kitara laughed amongst each other. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Kimiko and Misoa playing rock-paper-scissors. The rules were: the loser would help instigate. After three quick rounds, Kimiko beat Misoa's paper with her scissors. He peered over Kimiko's shoulder and shouted, "HEY SAKEMO! YOU LOOK LIKE A GIRL RIGHT NOW!"
That little distraction caused Sakemo five strands of hair. "SHUT UP MISOA!"
"Okay kids settle down. You're starting to make a scene." Kakashi said coolly as he walked beside Anko. She glared at him before digging in her kunai pouch. She took out a thick rubber band and stuck it on her right thumb and middle finger. After stretching it, she sent it propelling over to Sakemo who caught it with ease.
"Just watch it next time kid!" She said dangerously at him. He nodded and said a slight 'thank you' to her.
Kitara looked up toward the sky as she felt time pass by. "Konohamaru? It's getting late." She told her brother. Indeed it was as he looked at his watch and saw he was really behind schedule.
"That's just great." He grumbled to himself.
"What's the matter?" Iruka asked his former student.
"Homaru." Was all Konohamaru said.
"Your wife is so gonna nag you! You were supposed to pick that brat up minutes ago!" Korisa picked at him.
He just stared at his niece as she called his son a 'brat'. "Who's more of a brat than you were?"
"Sakemo was." She answered. He just glared at her as he finished putting his long hair in a ponytail.
"I'm gonna head out now. Ja ne!" He pecked Kitara on the cheek as everyone said his or her farewell to him.
"Konohamaru-kun? Do you mind giving this to Hinata for me?" Kurenai stopped him before he left.
"Sure thing!" As said as he took the papers from her and stuck them into his back pocket. She pecked him on the cheek motherly which caused him to blush.
He put his hands in the sign of the sheep, but before activating it he turned and looked at Kimiko and Misoa. "Don't be late tomorrow!" With that said, he disappeared.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Kimiko asked dumbfounded. The seniors-except Kakashi- smiled because they knew he was comparing them to Kakashi's excessive tardiness.
"I think he was referring to you, Kimi-hime." Misoa joked. Everyone, even Kakashi laughed.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"