Kaori brushed her long hair and tied it back up in a ponytail, two strands framing her face. She left her room, skipped down the stairs, and kicked her brother in the back.
"Hiroto, move. I need to get down there."
"Just go around, Kaori!" He groaned.
"No! Your blocking the way. Move over!" She kicked him again, and he whirled around and grabbed her foot with speed to rival that of her grandfather's. It was a shame Hiroto had abandoned the shinobi way of life...
"Patience, Kaori. Patience." Her mother stepped in front of her two bickering children, anger and stress giving her face a mean scrunch. Her pink hair was hastily tied back, but strands like Kaori's framed the front, and Sakura kept on batting them back like a cat.
"Sorry, Mom." Kaori said, twisting her foot out of her brother's grasp. She jumped over him and sailed over the remainder of the steps, landing agilely at her mother's feet.
"Careful." Sakura turned and left. "I'm heading to the hospital for my shift. Your dad will be home for lunch but I can't make anything since I'm on duty. Hiroto, could you-"
"I'm busy, Mom." Hiroto called from the steps. Sakura sighed.
"Kaori, pick something up from Ichiraku's and bring it home, okay?"
"Okay!" Kaori said as she pulled on her blue sandals. She was out the door as soon as possible and bounded along the path to where she would be meeting her sensei and teammates. Konoha was sunny, warm, and the colorful buildings and green leaves made Kaori smile. She ran until she came to a small park. She looked around but didn't see anyone and sat down on the ground, waiting for her teammates to arrive.
"OI, Kaori-chan!" She heard the voice of Shun and turned around, already smiling. Today would be exciting and fun, she could tell already.
"Hey, Shun!" She was friendly to him because Misaki still held feelings for him... and in a geeky way, Shun could be cute. He had huge teal eyes and messy brown hair, always wore the same jacket, and carried a fan with him at all times. Like his mother, Temari, Shun was quite formidable with his inherited wind style inclined chakra. Already he was close to mastering the same techniques his mother used when she was a chunin. But the fan considerably lessened the "cool" factor...
"My cousin should be here soon. I hope."
"Shut your trap!" Gakuto appeared out of nowhere, smirking. Kaori giggled.
"Shun wouldn't complain if you weren't always late, Gaku-chan!"
"Stop calling me that." Gakuto said. It was Kaori's turn to smirk.
"When you stop coming late."
"Well, Sensei is later than me, so I sho-"
"Hello, my pupils!" Kaori's sensei's black haired head popped down from the tree where the three were sitting, startling them all. He smiled.
"S-sai-sensei!" Shun stammered.
"Yes?" Sai asked.
"You... you... how long were you there?" Yelled Gakuto, pointing at Sai. He laughed.
"I remember when I was on a team like this, with Kaori's mother and father... Gakuto, you very much act like the Hokage when you're upset."
Gakuto rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. We all know the story of Naruto Uzumaki, and that he was one of the biggest idiots in the history of Konoha. I am no idiot." Sai chuckled and hopped down from the tree.
"He may be an idiot to the rest of the world, but I see it more as wise in a way most people can't understand. Show some respect to the man who rose from a hated pest to a respected shinobi worthy of the title of Hokage."
Gakuto crossed his arms as Sai ruffled his red hair. "Hmmph. Well I, son of the Kazekage's brother and the most respected kunoichi to ever master the ninja arts shall unite Suna and Konoha and become the... Hokazekage!"
"Hokazekage? You'll create your own title? Any idiot could do that, Gaku-chan!" Kaori laughed along with Shun, who seemed a little left out of the conversation.
"Just you wait! I'll show everyone!" Gakuto said. Sai started laughing.
"You really are like the Hokage! Kaori, well, she has a lot of her mother in her, but Gakuto... I think Naruto may take an interest in you."
"When would he get the chance?" Shun asked.
"Ah. That leads me to why I called this meeting. The Chunin Exams are about to start... in about a week. Interested?"
"Yeah!" Kaori and Gakuto shouted at the same time.
"Uh, sure, I guess." Shun muttered.
"Shun, do you or do you not want to participate?" Sai looked darkly down at his pupil before brightening up. "This isn't a team event, so if you don't want to take the test, just tell me."
"I'll take it, sure, whatever. The worst that can happen, I go back to being a genin. Could be fun."
"I don't think you understand," Said Sai. "The Chunin Exams will be very dangerous..." Shun shrugged.
"So what? If I don't take a chance, how am I supposed to get ahead in life?"
"Alright! Here's the number of the room you three should report to next week. Until then, we have a mission: we are to work together with another team... team Rock Lee!"
"Oh! That's Misaki Nara's team!" Kaori said. "We were friends at the academy. I haven't seen her in awhile! Teamwork should be a blast!"
"What about her teammates?" Questioned Gakuto.
"There's that one kid... the fifth Hokage's assistant, Shizune, is his mother. I forget his name, though. And that one guy... he was in my class too, but I forget his name. Uchiha..."
"Uchiha? You mean the kid of the only one left of his clan? Sasuke, the most formidable ninja ever next to the Hokage?" Shun asked, incredulous.
"I've heard he's even better." Gakuto scoffed.
"Is not! Sasuke Uchiha and my father have had a long rivalry and in the end Sasuke left the village and became a rogue ninja of sorts... he was never declared one but he did commit crimes. My father stayed true to the village and his ninja way! He's the Hokage, and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki! No one is more powerful than him. He never gave in to the 'shortcut' like Sasuke Uchiha and is the most respected man in the village! Who is Sasuke? Some secretive Anbu shinobi living on the edge of the village treated with fear and anger! If it weren't for my father, the village would never have taken him back!" Kaori shouted.
"It's true," Sai said. "After Sasuke Uchiha killed his brother he returned to a village that no longer accepted him as the Uchiha genius. He has had a hard time with most of the ninjas and all of the civillians, only about half of the Anbu he is in charge of trust him. If it weren't for the Hokage, he probably would've been thrown out of the village on the grounds of the crimes he committed while in the company of Orochimaru."
"You say all that like it's a bad thing. What has the Hokage done? At least Sasuke Uchiha went out and did something with his life." Gakuto said.
"The Hokage has the power to change to people." Shun said. "My uncle... Gaara of the Sand... the Kazekage was once of Konoha's enemies."
"Pssh, I know that story. The Kazekage is my uncle, too!" Gakuto said.
"Did you know that Naruto Uzumaki is the one that changed him from a hateful jinchuuriki bent on killing as many people as possible to a good ruler, one that cared about his people?" Shun challenged.
"Hmmph. Uncle Gaara isn't all that tough. I mean, he has the kanji for 'love' carved in his forehead! What kind of guy does that?"
Sai sighed. "Gakuto... I'm getting tired of your constant arguing. We'll be late for our mission at this rate."
[meanwhile]
"Your kidding, right, Lee-sensei!" Shrieked Genji, hopping up and down.
"No, sadly, I am not! Isamu is sick!" Said Rock Lee rather loudly, mimicking his student.
"Guys... keep it down..." Misaki groaned, leaning against a tree as she waited for the other team to arrive. She made quite the pretty picture, she had her thick brown hair short and down and it never was flat or frizzy, but stayed perfect with the help of her two barrettes -one purple, one green. She wore an off-the-shoulders shirt emblazoned with the Nara clan symbol that came to a few inches aboe her navel on top of a mesh half-sleeve top. Bandages were wrapped around the end of her green leggings and over that was a grey split skirt. Very few dressed as well as the daughters of Ino Nara.
Teiko, Misaki's younger sister, wouldn't be caught dead without something pink, and her current favorite was a vest she wore buttoned over her chest but open over her bandage-wrapped stomach. A very, very short silver skirt with mesh leggings finished her signature style. Her hair, unfortunately very poofy, unlike Misaki's, was always pulled back. Still, she was extremely pretty and knew how to show that off.
Kaori, their best friend from the academy, was not that type. She was pretty, with her long, silky hair that color of daffodils. But her gorgeous eyes, a lovely mint green, framed by dark, thick lashes were breathtaking. Unfortunately, Kaori had the body of her mother, and her orange crop top and shorts weren't a ton of help for improving her appearance. And she had the mindset of her father, making any makeup or dresses and skirts out of the question. Although her outfit did show off her body, it was distracting and quite frankly lessened the allure of what could be one of Konoha's beauties.
Even the fifth hokage, a busy woman, had showcased her beauty. Even the Hyuga kunoichi, now Hinata Uchiha, who was known for her utter loveliness and unfortunate modesty wore colors that heightened the appeal of her long, dark hair and silvery byakugan eyes. Even Kaori's mother, Sakura Uzumaki, never wore pants or shorts but skirts that offered a more full look to her rather curveless body.
Misaki and Teikos' own mother, Ino Nara, wore a rich color that brought out her unusual coloring quite effectively and clothes that complimented her beauty. Clothes were so very important to a kunoichi -one wanted to draw attention in the right way so that as much distraction to an enemy as possible would be easily achieved. And it didn't hurt to look nice. If one didn't want to use that somehow percieved as low-handed trick, kunoichi normally wore the standard clothes issued to all ninja. But Kaori would never wear something so... bland.
As Misaki rested under the tree, pondering fashion and the effect it had on ninja, Sai's team made their way to the meeting place. Gakuto and Shun, dressed more moderately than Kaori, didn't draw as much attention as her orange attire which singled to Lee's team their approach from a distance.
"Yes! They're finally here! I will escort them, in case they get lost again!" Lee said.
"Yes! Let's go!" Misaki shook her head.
"Don't expect me to come. You're just tired of waiting and want an excuse to run."
"Absolutely right!" Lee took off at a speed that never ceased to amaze Misaki, who was rather... slow. Genji tagged after Lee, the two speeding towards the team slowly approaching the stand of trees on the side of the path out of the village.
"Well? What's our mission?" Lee asked as soon as they were within ten feet of Misaki.
"You mean you didn't know?" Sai asked, smiling.
"No, I didn't! I bet it's a B-rank mission! No, an A-rank!" Lee fist pumped the air.
"Actually, " Sai coughed. "it's a D-rank. We'll be helping a farmer plow and plant his fields." Misaki groaned, and made a note to give an earful to Isamu for leaving them a man short.
A few hours later, covered in mood and her whole body aching, Misaki swore to extract revenge on her doubtlessly-playing-hooky teammate. And as she watched the energetic Kaori running around, enjoying every minute of the backbreaking work, Misaki came up with a plan to play a prank on her friend and get her back for falling out of touch, and to awake an angry fire that should land on Isamu, the little shirker.