"KUNO!" I sat up and tried getting out of my bed, only to end up tangled in my sheets and on the floor.

"Aah! No! No! I knew this was a trap!" I flailed around trying to get untangled.

"KUNO!"

"I'm coming! Hold on!" I continued to kick and pull, but to no avail. "Ugh! I give up. I'll just roll out."

Rolling of my already open door and down the hall in my cocoon of sheets, my name was yelled once again reverberating off the walls."What?" I came to a stop in front of the one yelling my name with such joy.

"What the hell Kuno? Quit playing around!" Grabbing a fistful, my sheets were yanked and I came tumbling out resulting in me banging my head on the wall.

"Ow! Mom what did you do that for?!" I grabbed my head in pain.

"Quiet! I ask the questions in this house. What I want to know is why there is a boy outside my house looking for you?"

"Uh...who?"

"Don't be coy with me! You already know that no other boy should come looking for you unless it's your fiancé!"

"Oh but how could I possibly forget that I'm not allowed to talk to ANYONE that's of the opposite sex, unless its my fiancé? But wait that would mean I wouldn't be able to talk to my sensei or teammates, not to mention the Hokage or my own father. Oh! And let's not forget that when I'm on missions I won't be able to talk to the bad guys and all because of my lovely fiancé!"

My mother's eyebrow twitched out of irritation and before she could retort, I ran to the front door and opened it, only to see Nobuyuki. "Well, well, if it isn't Blossom."

"I thought I told you to quit calling me that."

"Yeah, now tell me why I have honored you with my presence?"

"Very funny. Akira-sensei sent me to get you."

"What? Why so early?"

"Early? It's 3 in the afternoon." He crossed his arm raising an eyebrow.

"Really?" Turning around, I looked at the clock hanging on the wall and it read '3:00'.

"You're an idiot Kuno."

"Ha. It would take one to know one now wouldn't it, Blossom?

Nobuyuki twitched in anger, "Just hurry up and get ready."

I waved my hands, "Fine fine, I'm going. I remember he said after noon. He didn't specify the exact time." Passing my mother, who looked a bit embarrassed for having misinterpreted Nobuyuki's presence, I quickly made my way to my room.

I quickly did my morning routine and put on my white baggy shirt with short fishnet sleeves. Next I put on my black knee length shorts with fishnets and slipped on my ninja shoes. I grabbed my dark teal cloak, that was hanging over my chair, and put it on. I slipped on my black elbow warmers, followed by my white fingerless gloves. Finally I finished off with my headband, tying it around my forehead.

I ran out of room, passing my mother standing next to the open front door. "Let's go." As we were leaving my mother's voice rang out.

"Kuno! Are you not forgetting something?"

Yelling over my shoulder I replied, "Not at all!"

Once we had walked a while Nobuyuki spoke up, "You have a fiancé?" I looked over at him raising an eyebrow. "Your mother said you have a fianc ."

"Oh that! Yeah she's just crazy."

"Hmm, I don't know she sounded pretty convincing." He replied skeptically.

"Yup, crazy is always convincing. " I laughed.

Having finally arrived at the training grounds, Akira-sensei began scolding me as soon as he saw me.

"Of all the no good, irresponsible, sarcastic, stubborn, lazy, snot-nosed, bratty, foul-mouthed, insignificant, dim-witted, insolent, incompetent, and idiotic students I've ever had YOU are the worst." He yelled all in one breath, pointing accusingly at me.

Wide eyed I opened my mouth to speak, "Uh... could you repeat that?"

"Why you little-" Akira-sensei bent down, picked up a stick from the ground and began viciously beating me with it.

"Ow! Ow!" I yelled obnoxiously in pain, "No sensei not the face! Anywhere but the face!" Over the sound of the stick smacking me, I could hear Nobuyuki and Ryota laughing.

Akira-sensei finally stopped beating me as I looked over at my teammates," Stop laughing you little twerps, the least you could do is help me out here!" The beating resumed as soon as I finished speaking.

"Silence! Take it like a man!"

"But I'm a girl!"

"You think I haven't noticed that!"

"Well I'm beginning to doubt it!"

"Are you calling me blind?!" With that said, Akira-sensei gave me one hard and extremely painful final blow to the head.

Falling to the floor, as I clutched my aching head, I looked up with teary eyes. Akira-sensei stood over me. "Now have you learned what your lesson was?" He asked putting his hands at his hips.

"That you hit really hard with a stick." He raised his arm again, his face twisting in anger. Panicking I lifted my hands up,"Yes, yes!"

"And?"

"And..." I began, "...and you're not blind?" I was rewarded three whacks in rapid succession.

"No. What was your lesson?!"

"I don't know!"

Akira-sensei sighed in frustration, "Someone please tell this bumbling fool -"

"Hey!"

"Why she was getting the beating of a lifetime."

"Well I must agree with you on that one," I winced in pain as I stood up, "that was a beating of a lifetime."

Akira whacked me in the back with his evil stick. "Quit being a smartass."

"Geez Kuno, you're so dense." Ryota said crossing his arms.

"What'd you say to me?"

"I said you're dense."

"The only reason Akira-sensei beat you was because you were late." Nobuyuki added.

Deadpanning at them I responded, "Seriously? You couldn't tell me that from the beginning?"

"You'd at least think that you'd be more responsible now since you're officially a ninja. How in the world did you even pass anyway?" Akira-sensei looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Well they just couldn't bear the thought of not letting the beautiful wonder of Konoha graduate."

Akira-sensei rubbed at his temples and sighed,"I pity your parents. Alright enough with your stupid games, it's time to train."

Standing in between Ryota and Nobuyuki, I paid close attention to what Akira-sensei was explaining. "So today we are going to learn about teamwork. All new genin learn this their first day, after graduating, with their team."

"Well obviously. I don't think you can learn 'teamwork' without a -"

"Don't start Kuno." Akira-sensei said in a dangerous tone, holding up his evil stick of doom menacingly.

I gulped nervously, "Y-yes sensei."

"As I was saying, we are going to be training in various exercises that involve teamwork. "

Two hours passed and we had done three different teamwork exercises, we were now moving on to our fourth and final exercise.

"I don't understand why I have to do it." I glared at Akira-sensei.

"I just picked you randomly. "

"I don't believe you."

"Kuno, the others are going to have to do it too tomorrow."

"But I don't see why I have to do it first!" I yelled kicking my legs.

Our final exercise was what the team would do when one of our teammates was captured and held hostage. I, unfortunately, had been captured and been tied to a tree trunk.

"Quit squawking and hold still." Akira-sensei held a long piece of cloth and came closer to me.

"Whoa! I hope you're not doing what I think you're doing!" I yelled angrily.

Akira-sensei just smirked in response. "No! No! No! No! No! I refuse! Why do I have to be gagged?!"

"Do you want to be knocked out instead?"

Thinking about the aching pain that would come to my poor head, if I were to be knocked out, I reluctantly agreed to being gagged. "Fine, but I'm not happy about this."

Akira-sensei looked absolutely gleeful at finally having been able wrap the cloth around my mouth and gag me. I took the opportunity to take his appearance in while he did so. He had bright purple eyes and light blond spiky hair. His bangs were swept up and over to the right, where he had a braid hanging right before his right ear. He wore his forehead protector in its standard place and he wore the typical Jounin attire. Smiling innocently as he walked away, I glared scythes at Akira-sensei's retreating form, while also noticing a small butterfly tattoo behind his left ear.

After an hour of being held hostage, I had unfortunately been 'assassinated'. Apparently my teammates failed many different rescue attempts and took too long in rescuing me. My 'captor', finally getting irritated at the humiliating loss of my teammates, decided to 'put me out of my misery'.

"There! Kuno has now been killed because you two idiots couldn't figure out how to work together! Every second you waste is another second closer to your teammate being killed. You need to come up with a plan quickly and it has to be executed efficiently!" Akira-sensei continued his verbal beating and began his non verbal beating, hoping to get Nobuyuki and Ryota to understand.

With a final huff, Akira-sensei turned around and threw a kunai, slicing through the rope tying me to the tree trunk. "Tomorrow you better work as a team or there will be severe consequences. We'll be meeting here at exactly noon. And Kuno?"

I finished taking off the gag, " Yes sensei?"

"Do. Not. Be. Late."

"Yeah, yup me no late!" I replied hastily, not wanting a repeat of today.

"Good, now you're all dismissed." With that said Akira-sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Looking over at Nobuyuki and Ryota I noticed they were still on the floor trying to catch their breath after the severe beating they received for letting me die.

Walking over to them I began speaking, "Thanks for letting me die guys. I really appreciate it." Nobuyuki lifted his right hand up and flipped me off, while Ryota groaned in response. Laughing at their expense, I helped each one up.