Book Two: Wave Country
1.
All POV
Mitarashi Anko stood in the Konoha training field. It was a grass field surrounded on three sides by a dark green forest; a brook bubbled nearby. Standing before her were her three students: Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, and Hyuuga Hinata.
She paced before them. "Four years ago," she barked, "I took you on as my students in place of your Konoha Ninja Academy training. You were eight; you are now twelve. You have learned much, and will shortly be heading to the Academy for the first time to review for and take your Genin Exam.
"But first, I shall test you myself. I want to see what you've learned, how you measure out. We will go through the academic, physical, and seductive arts." She glared at them. "Are we clear?"
The three girls were unfazed, determined. "Yes, Sensei!"
And so the tests began.
First, all three girls had to cook a big, healthy meal for their Sensei. Then they were put through an entire day of intense physical conditioning, consisting of a series of tests: they ran laps, had to meet a certain number of pushups, situps, and pullups, they climbed up and down stairs at high, running speeds, they did rock climbing and weightlifting, they had to meet a certain number of laps around the local pool, and they were required to crawl through the mud under an explosive tag rigged ninja wire training field, making it to the other side of the field in under a minute. They leaped clean over bushes to land on their feet on the other side, walked perfectly balanced across narrow horizontal poles over rivers, they ran fast for a full hour at a steep incline on a treadmill at the gym, they did kicking and punching strength tests, and they held yoga stretches for long periods of time.
They each made both an ikebana flower arrangement and a chabana flower arrangement. Sakura's was humble and elegant, Hinata's was somber with little surprising splashes of color here and there, Ino's was colorful with openly sexual shapes. They took a written test on both standard Konoha ciphers and standard Konoha codes, and did another test where they had to make up their own ciphers and codes. They each did a Ninja Fist taijutsu spar with another student, and had to show off advanced skills and stay in the fight for at least two minutes. They made the combat symbol before, the friendship symbol after.
They each did both a Nihon Buyo dance recital and a shamisen playing recital, acting the part of the playful, shy, mischievous innocent. They placed their fans or instruments before themselves, kneeling and bowing to Anko at the end. They showed off their knowledge of fashion by wearing kimono colors that suited their complexions, tying their hair up with senbon needles and blades disguised as decorative pins, and painting their necks erotically.
They took a several-essay-based history test. They filled out a complete geographical map of the Elemental Countries. They showed off their roof and tree jumping skills, and their talent and creativity in shodo calligraphy pieces. They took one written test on the basic layout of any Hidden Village, and another test on cultural differences between different villages and countries. They showed off their skill in weaponry by unleashing said weapons from sealing scrolls and sparring each other with them. Their weapons included ropes, chains, cords, sticks, staffs, ninja canes, swords, kunai knives, senbon needles, and shuriken. All weapons were laced with hand-made poison.
They each hosted a tea ceremony with a different theme, projecting an aura of calm, smiling serenity. They took a written test on chakra theory and a written test on sex ed. They showed Anko how to pick herbs to make medicines, poisons, and antidotes using the plants around them - each had complete, hard-earned poison immunity. They then took a test on foreign plants found in other countries. Their next written test was on the fifty rules of ninja etiquette.
They were tied up and expected to break themselves loose, and were expected to map Konoha by memory. They each spent a night with Anko and took her through every part of sexually seducing man - except for the sex, which they described in abstract. But they did the conversations, games, and flirtation, the alcohol, massage, and striptease. Sakura was mysterious and alluring, Hinata was soft and shy and sweet and dignified, Ino was bubbly and playful and openly flirtatious.
They showed her stealth by breaking into buildings and fields they weren't supposed to be in, and getting back out without getting caught - this rule breaking didn't bother them as much as it once might have. They hid and placed traps Anko had to find out in the training field. Sakura's was a genjutsu hiding a ninja wire trigger that hid another ninja wire trigger. Hinata's was made of concealed sealing tags. Ino's was a minefield of explosive tags buried underground with grass placed over them.
They practiced their "innocent civilian woman" act for Anko, and then took a written test on espionage, psychological warfare, and being a commando agent. They tracked Anko through a forest, covering their own tracks in a game of cat and mouse, and then the next day she took them blindfolded out into the middle of a forest and forced them to spend a night with no materials in the forest and then find their way back to civilization the next day. The Forest of Death was, of course, also a Must Test for Anko.
They showed her tree walking, water walking, and leaf bending. Then the Paralysis, Replacement, Clone, and Transformation ninjutsu. She surprised them with a genjutsu and had them break back out of it. They each showed her they knew how to summon baby snakes and hide them somewhere on their person.
After that, they got to more personal abilities.
They each showed off their elemental affinities. Sakura blew fire breath. Hinata made earth walls, rockfalls, and spears. Ino showed off both cutting and blowing wind gusts.
Then they got to clan abilities.
Sakura's Haruno clan abilities included: Disguising genjutsu (all manner of sensory mirages) while a 'quick kill' attack happened elsewhere. Putting the cerebral nervous system to sleep and inflicting direct damage to it. Binding genjutsu and limb and head control. Field wide and layered genjutsu. Using genjutsu illusions to have enemies kill each other.
Ino's Yamanaka clan abilities included: Mind Body Switch (entering another's mind and leaving her own body from a straight line). Mind Clone Switch (a multiple person version of Mind Body Switch). Mind Body Disturbance (body control). Mind Body Reading (mind reading as long as she could look the other person in the eye). Mind Body Transmission Technique (sensing other minds in her area, telepathically communicating with them and setting up telepathic communication links). Mind Body Attack (psychic attacks, also required eye contact).
Hinata's Hyuuga clan abilities included: Advanced Byakugan (including sorting out lies by looking into the person's face). Gentle Fist hand to hand mastery (including ninjutsu disruption and healing). Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms (Divine Sixty-Four Strikes). Emanating chakra from all tenketsu at once, and from select bodily tenketsu. Kaiten and One Body Blow (which could also break through chakra prisons).
All three were the heiresses of their respective clans. The training had not revealed the true, softer personal personalities that Anko knew: That Sakura was sweet and daydreamy and spirited. That Hinata was a bit shy, calm, and kind. That Ino was a take-charge, take-no-prisoners sort of young woman with a playful yet sensible turn of mind and a fierce dedication to her friends.
"... Yes," said Anko at last, nodding firmly, her arms crossed. "You are ready."
Whispers had filled the Konoha Ninja Academy fourth-year classroom.
"So they're only coming to take the Genin Exam?"
"Yeah. I heard they've spent the last four years being privately tutored by a Jounin."
"Man, those guys must be beasts."
"No, I heard they're all girls!"
"Girls? Really?"
Suddenly, the door opened and all sound came to a halt. In walked three girls, distant, confident, lithely muscular, and highly fashionable. One had a pixie cut of short pink hair and bangs that fell into clear green eyes; she wore a turquoise dropped waist kunoichi dress. One had a full head of short, bouncy blue-black curls and rose quartz eyes without pupils; she wore a flowy burgundy kunoichi dress that banded at the waist. The last girl had platinum blonde hair in a long sidesweep and powder blue eyes without pupils; her kunoichi dress was a violet structured shirtdress with sleeves. The pink-haired girl was slim with a heart-shaped face, the blue-black-haired girl was curvy with a round face, and the blonde girl had a small bust but big hips and a long oval face.
They paused before the classroom, looking it over. Rows of students sat at three-person tables in rising tiers. There was a whole wall of windows on one side, letting light onto the space. The teacher at the front was a young man with a brown ponytail of hair and a wide scar across his nose.
"New students!" he said, smiling, friendly. The girls smiled back. "You're here to review for the last few days before taking our Genin Exam, correct?"
"That's right, Iruka-sensei." Anko had told them about Umino Iruka beforehand.
"Very good. If you could introduce yourselves briefly?"
"Hey, all. I'm Yamanaka Ino," said the blonde, waving her hand in a lazy salute.
"I'm Haruno Sakura," said the pink-haired girl with a peaceful smile, her hands held before her.
"And my name is Hyuuga Hinata," said the dark-haired girl, bowing slightly.
Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were both glaring enviously.
Lucky! Naruto thought. They get to be taught by a Jounin! If I prove myself to them, I bet my popularity will go way up! People will have to accept me then! He grinned viciously.
Sasuke's hands were clenched folded before himself, his eyes intent. Trained by a Jounin, he thought. Even as girls they must be good. He was reminded distinctly of the favoritism Itachi had always received. Then he smirked. They would be a good way to measure how close he was to his goal.
As the three girls traveled to an empty-seated table in the back, Hinata ducked her head, hiding her face behind her dark hair, and scanned the room with her Byakugan. Her expert eyes quickly picked out the details in each and every face and what every expression meant. All the reactions toward them were quickly catalogued in her head.
Ino opened a telepathic mind link. So what do you think?
I think there is some resentment toward us, Hinata responded, and the other two girls heard her voice in their mind as if she was speaking directly to them. The blond boy in the orange and the black haired boy with the Uchiha symbol on his back particularly dislike our special training. They may try to challenge us.
Is the black haired boy Sasuke? The one who lost his family? Sakura added, concerned.
Probably, said Ino. Wasn't he the only Uchiha who survived? Who else could he be?
So they'll challenge us, eh? Sakura smirked silently. Leave it to me.
The three girls were sitting in a circle underneath a tree in the Academy courtyard at lunchtime, eating bento lunches together. Sasuke walked up to them and said with icy determination, "Fight m -"
"Fight me!"
They all turned around to find Naruto standing there, shouting loudly at them and pointing.
"I want to prove to everyone that I'm really great by defeating you!"
"I asked first," said Sasuke darkly, his teeth gritted. "I must measure my abilities. Get in line."
"No way!" said Naruto defiantly.
Inuzuka Kiba sat back, grinning, and muttered to Aburame Shino, "This should be fun to watch." Akamaru the puppy barked in agreement.
"Well," said Shino, "it will definitely be a spectacle."
Nara Shikamaru sighed and lay down to go back to his cloud watching. "Troublesome."
"Don't you want to watch, Shikamaru?" Akimichi Chouji asked curiously, munching away at a bag of chips.
"There's no point," said Shikamaru flatly, watching the sky above. "They're not even here."
Back with the girls, Naruto, and Sasuke, Ino leaned back on her hands and sighed, suggesting casually, "Why don't you guys tag team it?"
"Yes, both of you could come at us at once!" said Sakura brightly, and they missed the way her eyes narrowed viciously, revealing her darker, more aggressive side to anyone who knew her enough to pick up on the subtle cues.
"Work with him? No way!" said Naruto indignantly.
"Can you really handle two ninja coming at you at once?" Sasuke added skeptically. "I'll warn you, I'm the top of the class."
"Oh, don't worry about us," said Hinata with dignity. "Whether one of you or both of you comes at us, it won't matter. The result will be the same."
How matter-of-factly she said it was what really got to them. Sasuke smirked, enjoying a challenge, and slid into a stance in preparation for a fight, but it was Naruto who exploded forward, shouting in anger, and went to punch -
A mirage. Naruto stumbled right through an unfazed Hinata like she was a hologram. He paused, staring at her. "Wha -?"
"It's a genjutsu," Sasuke realized, his eyes narrowed. He disrupted his chakra and dispelled the genjutsu, only to find… the entire place empty of all three girls.
They weren't even in the courtyard.
Sakura took her hands out of the hand seal and sat back down calmly. Ino was snickering and Hinata was smiling. "The look on his face -!" Ino said, cracking up. They'd been watching from an upper story window, in an empty classroom facing the courtyard. They were now ducked underneath the window, where they couldn't be seen, eating their lunches in peace.
"Really," said Hinata, surprised. "They were baited so easily."
"Pride is their weakness," Sakura added, remembering their psychological training. "We should keep that in mind for future times."
"Too bad," said Ino, going back to her food. "They're pretty hot. If they weren't such incompetent asses, I might actually have been interested in them."
"Indeed."
"You speak the truth."
Sasuke and Naruto were glaring at them suspiciously when they reentered the classroom for afternoon lessons. And when they were walking off campus at the end of the day, leaving the many round, multi-storied white and red-roofed buildings of the Konoha Ninja Academy campus behind them, they heard a shout: "Hey, stop!"
Ino sighed and rolled her eyes. They turned around. "What?!" Sakura snapped angrily. They were surprised briefly, remembering the cheerful girl from before. Hinata's face was guarded.
"You made us look like idiots back there!" Naruto accused angrily. Sasuke's teeth were gritted, his arms folded.
"It's not our fault you couldn't see through a genjutsu," Ino pointed out. "Look, in case it wasn't obvious, boys - we have no interest in fighting you." She leaned forward, eyes widened mockingly.
"Indeed," said Hinata calmly. "There would be no point. Konoha ninja often fight each other in rank exams. Perhaps you will face us then."
"But for now, buzz off!" Sakura snapped.
They turned around and walked off campus, leaving a staring Naruto and Sasuke behind them. A whole crowd of students had gathered around the spectacle, once more seeing the whole thing.
"Well," Sakura said, "that's day one."
"So much for blending in," Ino muttered.