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Team ⑨
Chapter 2: Penalty Kicks
By the time they got to the soccer field, their jounin teacher had already been there, idly waiting garbed in a football jersey and baggy shorts. A bin full of soccer balls sat near the sensei, while he idly juggled a ball.
"Oh ho, so these are the faces of the Ninth Genin Team, eh?" the silver-haired sensei exclaimed in a way that even the spirited duo of Naruto and Michiru was slightly taken aback by the sensei's enthusiasm, "Let's sit there first, okay?"
The four of them then settled down on the substitute's bench.
"Well, to get things going, let me re-introduce myself," Eino said in a friendly tone. "I am Eino Yagokoro, the jounin in charge of instructing Team Nine. My specialty is long-range recon and skirmish, but I also have a good grasp in disguise and camouflage. You may call me Eino-sensei or Yagokoro-san. My hobbies are soccer, good food, and hunting small game. I like hard work, perseverance, and patience, while I disdain selfishness and people who has double standards. We will be together as a team in sickness and health, in hardships and happy times, until death do us part! OK, now you all know who I am, I want to know you better. Starting with… you."
"Aah! Eh… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered as the instructor pointed to her. "M-my name is Hinata Hyuuga… I have the B-Byakugan… I can see chakra coils and all that… so I guess it's my specialty. My hobby is… meditation, practice… and… watching Naruto-kun. I like onigiri with umeboshi, Naruto-… wait, n-no! I-I mean it's natto! I… don't like… mean people. T-that's all…"
"Okay, that's good, Hinata. Really nice to have you aboard. Who's next?" Eino said reassuringly to Hinata, who is now blushing redder than a boiled crab's shell.
"Me, sir!" Michiru seized the moment. "My name is Michiru Nogami, twelve years old! My special ability is Fuyukaze, which could be used to make ice cubes or projectiles! My hobby is making epic pranks and having a good time! I like to play pranks, and I don't like people without sense of humor!"
"Spirited; I like that," Eino commented kindly. "Welcome to the team. Last up, the boy with the golden hair. Fire away!"
"The name's Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's prank-master and future Hokage!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "I don't have much of a special ability or something, but I can make great traps from everyday items! My hobby is pranking, of course, and also eating Ichiraku's fabulous Kitsune Ramen! I just love doing what I do best, and I don't like nothing!"
"Great, I could feel the spirit in this team!" Eino exclaimed. "Now, let's test your capabilities, shall we?"
"Yes, sir!" Michiru exclaimed.
"Okay then, first up, I want to see your abilities. Jutsu, taijutsu moves, kekkei genkai… anything, really. Starting from… you, Naruto," the jounin instructor commanded.
"Can I use any jutsu, sir?" Naruto asked as he got up.
"ANY jutsu, Naruto," the sensei emphasized.
"Well then… Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
The air shimmered as the chakra constructs came to life, popping in various parts of the football field. They started to do random chatter with themselves, forming groups of three to five, discussing various events like the weather or Ichiraku's broth.
"Impressive. If you could create 25, we can entertain ourselves with some Naruto versus Naruto soccer match complete with the referee and linesmen," the teacher commented, smiling. "Can you?"
"I can! Eh… let's see now…" Naruto replied, obviously losing track of his own clones.
"Ahahahahah!" Eino laughed heartily while patting Naruto's back, seeing the boy eager to outdo people in his forte. "Doesn't matter, you've impressed me already! Dismiss them now. Now… Hinata, perhaps?"
"Y-yes, sensei!" the Hyuuga girl said while perking up.
Hinata then stood up, and lapsed into a kata stance. With an exhalation, veins started to pop up around her temples, indicating that her Byakugan eye is activated.
"First Chapter, Senbon Zakura."
With that utterance, Hinata exploded into motion, much too fast for the untrained eye. Hinata whipped up a flurry of seemingly-unrelated motions with her everchanging palm, sometimes a jabbing finger, other times a chop, often enough a fist. The dizzying speed had been the result of a few years' rough Jyuken training, which emphasized more on speed than power.
"Second Chapter, Sanzu no Kawa."
As she said the words, Hinata's movement slowed almost to a halt. Her blinding-fast movement in the first chapter is replaced with series of flowing motions, closer to a dance than taijutsu blows. Her palm form would change in a flowing manner also, with the transition from form to form almost in an endless motion.
"Third Chapter, Yama Arashi."
With the words, Hinata's movement pattern changed anew, this time into full, broken arcs around her body akin to the cutting and stabbing motion of swords. Her palm form was almost entirely composed from chops and fists, the transitions between forms abrupt. Gradually Hinata's flurry halted, bringing her back into her starting stance.
"I-I'm finished…" Hinata stuttered as Naruto and Michiru clapped. It was pretty obvious that they are thoroughly impressed by Hinata's taijutsu prowess.
"That was beautiful, Hinata. Thank you," Eino said as he patted Hinata's shoulder. Hinata normalized her breath gingerly, before flashing a meek smile.
"What manner of kata was that, actually?" The teacher asked on.
"I-it's a practice kata… sensei…" Hinata replied almost too quietly. "It's… designed to help a student master the right balance of speed and power required for Jyuuken techniques…"
"I see," Eino shortly commented. "Well then, the last, Michiru-chan? The honor's all yours."
"That makes me the dead last, eh?" Michiru commented as she got up.
"Last is not always least, Michiru-chan," the spirited teacher said. "Fire away!"
"Okay, sensei…" Michiru said as she activated her kekkei genkai, conjuring herself a snowball the size of her fist.
"Ouch! Hey, that's cold!" Naruto said as he felt the snowball's coldness on his head. Michiru had thrown that one right on his head.
"And this is for you, Hinata-chan~" Michiru said as she presented a simple flower made of ice to Hinata.
"Th-Thank you… So pretty… kyah! It's so cold!" Hinata shrieked.
"It's ice, duh…" Michiru commented morosely, before springing back into her usual smile to counteract for Hinata's crestfallen look.
"What have you got for your sensei, then?" Eino playfully said.
"This!" Michiru snapped as she threw a sharpened icicle towards the sensei. Eino dodged it handily, since it was not meant to hurt the sensei. "And that's all for my preferred ability, sensei. Fuyukaze."
"Oh wow, very nice!" Eino heartily commented. "I had heard of the kekkei genkai before, but i have not known its applications. Well then, it's also time for your second test."
"Second test?" Naruto said interestedly.
"Yes, and also your final test for the day. For this final test, I want you guys to do a penalty kick… you know, the kind you may see in soccer. You guys just kick the ball to the goal and score, while I will play keeper. You may use any form of chakra manipulation to place on you or your ball, but no genjutsu or ninjutsu. Also, you may not use other projectiles or dust to disguise the ball. If you want to kick the ball using taijutsu, it's fair enough. All of you get two shots of this," Eino said as he walked over to the goal. "The one who scored a goal will earn the team a nice dinner in any place they want!"
"I'll go first!" Naruto exclaimed as he walked with a soccer ball to the white dot. He lined up his shot carefully, considering his sensei's position and second-guessing his moves, before taking a distance for his shot. "I'll earn you guys a great all-you-can-eat ramen dinner at Ichiraku's!"
"NARUTO HOU!"
To his delight, the ball exploded in motion as it leaves his feet. However, Eino was no laughing matter as a goalkeeper. With trained agility and finesse, the silver-haired man tipped the ball just out of the goal.
"Whoa, an excellent kick indeed!" Eino commented with a smile. "I'm looking forward for the next one! C'mon!"
"One more time, sensei!" Naruto exclaimed. Eino kept his smile before making a hand gesture to the boy, taunting him to kick the ball at him.
"NARUTO KYANON!"
This time, the ball simply exploded as Naruto put all of his chakra into his right feet and kicked the ball. He even slipped and fell, earning a snicker from Michiru and a combo of smile and blush from Hinata.
"Sensei! You cheated on that ball! You made them explode before my feet even touched them!" Naruto complained aloud.
"Oh, but that is not the case. We could have Hinata check on this pile of balls if you aren't convinced," Eino said as he helped Naruto stand.
"But, Naruto-kun, the balls are all or-ordinary balls..." Hinata stuttered in her reply, "And Eino-sensei ba-barely mobilized any chakra during your turn..."
"Is that so..." Naruto grunted disappointedly as he sat cross-legged beside Hinata, "Rotten luck of mine then."
"I'm s-sorry... Naruto-kun..." Hinata replied, crestfallen.
"Naah, not your fault for explaining, Hinata-chan," Naruto said as he patted Hinata's shoulder. Hinata suddenly felt funny on the back of her nose.
"Well, do you want to know why your kick pulverized the ball, Naruto-kun?" Eino said as he crouched in front of the trio.
"Hell yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, full of curiosity.
"You pumped way too much chakra to strengthen your kick, my boy," Eino explained, "The ball could not handle the pressure generated by your chakra, and simply disintegrated as you follow up. You could have overloaded your chakra pathways by doing that, and render yourself crippled for months on end."
"Is that so..." Naruto commented. "Gah, it still does not make much sense to me! Ah well."
Eino just chuckled, noting how the boy tried digesting a bit of information. This boy could go places if he try... the teacher mused interestedly.
"Well, you still used your two kicks, so there. Okay you two, now that Naruto has failed in getting us the Ichiraku-ya Ramen treat," Eino followed up as he stood, "Who's going to take the next shot?"
"I'll nail Eino-sensei for you, Naruto-kun!" Michiru said as she stood up and took a ball from the nearby bin, "My power of COURAGE will kick you good, sensei!"
"Come at me then," Eino said playfully as Michiru lined up for her shot.
With a huff, Michiru kicked the ball towards the middle-left portion of the goal. Eino swiftly moved to block it, but about halfway to the goal, the ball changed direction. Lucky for the keeper, the length of his hand could still remedy the error of his judgment. Eino successfully slaps the ball, barely keeping it out of goal.
"Bellissimo, Michiru! You have a way with the ball!" Eino commented spiritedly, "One more shot! See if you could nail it this time!"
"Heh, let's see you slap THIS!" Michiru remarked as she shot her second cannonball, right to her teacher's head area. Realizing the power she had put in, Eino moved himself a bit and cleared the ball with his fist.
"Michiru-chan sugoi!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Hinata only opened her mouth in disbelief.
"ARRRGH MAN!" Michiru shouted in exasperation as she plopped herself beside Hinata.
"You're... great, Michiru-chan..." Hinata tried to cheer her teammate up.
"Yeah, you're super, man!" Naruto added spiritedly. "What kind of cool jutsu is that? The ball just went left to right like genjutsu!"
"Naah, it's not a jutsu. It's just a neat trick my father told me," Michiru said while lying on her back. "Still isn't enough to nail it, though..."
"You're actually great, Michiru," the sensei once more commented. "There's no kid of your age, girl or boy, who has successfully fired a great banana shot on me like that. Where have you learned that?"
"Dad's a soccer nut to begin with," Michiru said while huffing away her fatigue, "He taught me the know-how..."
"I see. Well, that leaves us with our lovely Hinata, right?" Eino commented lightly as he eyed the groggy Hinata.
"Aah… wawa… Yes, sensei…"
Eino chuckled a bit seeing the uptown girl fidget about, getting tense on the nerves.
"Since you're looking a bit flustered, I'll just wait down the goal and let our two great kickers to share their secrets to you. Meet me up the goal when you're ready, OK?" the undercover expert Jounin said reassuringly as he goes to the goalpost.
"Aaa... er... f-friends...?" Hinata meekly squeaked as she turned to her team-mates. Her voice is a bit lower than usual.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan, with our combined genius, we'll nail him good!" Naruto adamantly exclaimed.
"Yeah, it's not like he could stretch his hand from post to post anyway," Michiru added. "I have a tip if you're interested, Hinata-chan."
"W-... what is that... Michiru-chan...?" Hinata expectantly said, suddenly brightening.
"You must shoot your ball to the upper left or right corner of the goal," Michiru said in a half-whispering voice. "It's tried and true... my old man said it's the best place to aim if you cannot trick the keeper."
"Oh... Okay... I'll try..." Hinata said pensively.
"You should also hit the ball as hard as you could, Hinata-chan! Full power may destroy the ball, but i'm sure three-fourth won't!" Naruto added, "Pump a good amount of chakra into your leg muscles!"
"Ye-yes... Naruto-kun!" Hinata said more resolutely.
"OK! Get the sensei good, Hinata-chan! Fight!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Go get'em, tiger!" Michiru cheered loudly as Hinata walked to her sensei.
"Feeling better?" Eino said softly as Hinata came to him, "You have made great friends already."
"Yes... sensei..." Hinata said more resolutely.
"Well then, let's see how hard this scion of Hyuuga can pound at my goal," the teacher said cheerily, "Give me a powerful one, Hinata!"
"Sensei, here I come!" Hinata exclaimed as she made the kick. She aimed for the high left corner, and also put three-fourth of her chakra into her kicking leg.
What happened next is a bit surreal for the Hyuuga family scion. She saw her sensei reacting to her shot appropriately, by leaping like a leopard towards the ball. Her horror wells because the ball seemed to move to her sensei's arm... Yet, the inevitable slap never came. Instead, it was a solid swoosh, a telltale sound from the ball hitting the net.
"No frickin' way..." Naruto exclaimed happily.
"She made it! She made it!" Michiru loudly bellowed.
"WE did it! AWESOME!" Naruto adds as he ran to congratulate his disbelieving team-mate.
All hell broke loose as the two Team 9 members broke to the field and caught Hinata in a group hug. Hinata were overwhelmed by the sheer joy of the moment, and finally gives in to her teammates' cheering.
"Great job, Hinata! Beautiful shot!" commented the sensei as he got up to the elated trio. "A well-earned feast for the three of you!"
"Yeah! Hinata-chan is our hero today!" Naruto said elatedly.
"Now, I'm sure we need to cool down a bit, so let's discuss why you two monster kickers failed where our little lady succeeded," Eino said as they settled down on the sidelines, "Any thoughts?"
"I kicked too hard, while Michiru-chan was too flashy with the shots!" Naruto immediately offered an explanation.
"Close, but no deal," Eino said while wiggling his finger. "Any other thoughts?"
"Te-teamwork...?" Hinata piped up meekly. "We-well... Michiru-chan and Naruto-kun was trying their shots... and they shared the results to me..."
"Ah-ha! Score one more for young Miss Hyuuga here!" Eino complemented the madly-blushing Hyuuga female scion. "But... it is merely half the truth. Bonus points for those who could nail the other half!"
"Ah... Experiments?" Michiru shared her opinion. "We both missed, though... so maybe ours are not that crucial anyway..."
"Quite the contrary there, Miss Nogami," Eino explained. "Suppose Naruto or even you succeeded, then we would not be lauding Hinata here! The key here is feedback. This is crucial for our line of duty as a team. Tomorrow I will explain that, and all about the most unique team this year, our one and only Team 9. Tonight though, it's time for celebration!"
"Yeah! I always looove eating!" Michiru said elatedly.
"Now, our esteemed princess Hyuuga, where shall we dine?" Eino proffered while mimicking a grand aristocratic gesture.
"Aaah... wawa... ee..." Hinata mumbled embarassedly, "I want to try that new... er... so-called fusion restaurant... aa... whatsitsname..."
"Aah, what fine choices do you have, esteemed princess!" Eino said with a grin, "The new Pia Carrot Café! A good coincidence that the proprietor is a friend of mine! Well then, let's freshen up and be a bit more presentable before hitting the cafe, shall we?"
"Yes sir!" the three genin said in unison.
*.*
"Welcome to Pia Carrot Café! Table for four, I presume?"
Naruto Uzumaki had never been to an eastern-styled diner before. He was quite surprised to find the café to be moderately filled, given the prejudice Konohagakure had given outside influences lately.
"Yes, please," Eino replied the waitress.
"Then please follow me," the waitress kindly said as she led Eino and the dumbfounded trio down to a table for four near the corner of the store. Swiftly after that, the waitress brought them four menus and distributed them.
"Oh wow," Naruto mused as he surveyed the menu. "They all look delicious…"
"I can't decide…" Michiru said pensively.
"Well, let Hyuuga-hime-sama call our shots tonight!" Eino called with a grand gesture, "Your orders, ohime-sama."
"Aah… ee… wawa…" Hinata stuttered, while she looked hard to the printed list, as if using Byakugan on the poor menu. "This… Karifoorunia Rooru… looks delicious…"
"Then so shall it be. Three servings of California Rolls please," Eino said quickly, of which the waitress quickly jotted down.
"Miss, what manner of drink is this Miruku… sheeki?" Naruto asked the alert waitress.
"It is a drink made from milk, soda, and ice cream, shaken to form a foamy, sweet, and tasty mixture." the waitress explained kindly, "would you want that, little mister?"
"Whoa, I don't know what this 'eye scream' is, but it sounds delicious… I'll have one!" Naruto said cheerily.
"Mi-Miss attendant… I- I would want one too…" Hinata quickly seized the moment.
"Make it three, Miss!" Michiru added. Hinata looked crestfallen, her prediction made true.
"I have it all down. What flavor would you want the ice cream to be? We have vanilla, strawberry, mint, and mocca," the waitress replied while jotting down the orders.
"Uhh… mint I guess," Naruto said.
"Mi-mint for me… too…" Hinata meekly exclaimed.
"Uhh… well… never tasted vanilla before, so I think I'll have that," Michiru finished off.
"You kids haven't ordered the main course, by the way. Let me order them for you," Eino reminded them gently. "I'll have Macchiato, and we'll also ordering… hmm… four portions of fish and potato please. You're taking ramen break tonight, Naruto-kun."
"Uhh… well, I believe in your order of food, sensei," the blonde ninja said unsurely.
"Yes sir," the waitress said with a smile. "Let me repeat your orders: three servings of California Rolls; three milkshakes, two mint and one vanilla; one Macchiato; and lastly, four servings of fish and potato. All correct?"
"I believe they are, Miss. Thank you!" Eino replied.
"Your orders will be delivered within fifteen minutes. Thank you for dining in Pia Carrot!" the waitress concluded as she took the menus and the order to the counter.
"Sensei, where's your friend?" Michiru curiously asked.
"Oh, she's the head chef and manager," Eino responded while chuckling. "And from the looks of it, she will serve us the food herself."
"Eh? Aren't those, like, the waitress' job in a restaurant like this?" Naruto said while scanning the premises. The pastel colors and adequate lighting conveyed a warm and friendly feeling to everyone. Naruto felt cozy already.
"Well, she owned the place, so I guess it's according to her whim," Eino said sheepishly.
"Hey, I heard that," a female voice chided Eino as a women dressed in white chef's garb brought them their order. "Boys and girls, here are your milkshakes… macchiato for our big boy here… and your California Rolls."
"Aheheheh…" the jounin chuckled sheepishly.
"Who are these children, Eino-kun?" the woman said playfully while grabbing a nearby chair to sit on, "Surely you haven't had three children under my nose, or have you?"
"They're my lovely and courageous genin apprentices, Makiko-san," Eino proudly said, "Kids, meet my friend, Makiko Koenji. Makiko, meet Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, and Michiru Nogami. All of them are my talented pupils."
"It's nice to meet you all~" the straw-haired chef said cheerfully as she made a bow, "I am Makiko Koenji, chef extraordinaire and proprietor of this establishing, at your service. Welcome to Pia Carrot!"
Naruto, Michiru, and Hinata were stunned by the grandiose gesture, while Eino sipped quietly at his Macchiato, suppressing a slight giggle.
"Eheheh… er, nice to meet you too, Koenji-san…" Naruto said unsurely. "Ahahaha… shall we start eating then? No sense to let these cool down…"
"Yes…" Hinata said pensively.
A resounding "Itadakimasu!" was heard as the three genin started to pick on their rolls.
"WHOAH! It's great!" Naruto exclaimed rather loudly.
"Yeah, this is so delicious! This light saltiness… sweetness… simply superb! What are these made of, Koenji-san?" Michiru asked while turning to face the chef of the house.
"I combined fried tempura shrimp with boiled home-made kani sticks and lightly-fried fresh trout fillet, rolled into a maki, and sprinkled with a dash of pepper and fried tempura crumbs," Makiko said proudly. "The Roll has been a best-seller since day one, you know!"
Hinata, meanwhile, was silently crying as she chewed her way through the third piece of the roll. It was noticeably faster than Naruto and Michiru, especially given how hoggy can Naruto be when it comes to good food.
"What happened, Hinata?" Eino said as he quickly reached for a bundle of tissues provided as he eyed Hinata crying.
"The… t-tears… i-it won't s-stop, sensei…" Hinata muttered haltingly while she chewed her mouthful of California Roll and gulped it down with a little difficulty. "I-it w-won't…"
"Shush now…" Makiko cooed as the woman hugged the girl, having already beaten Eino to comforting Hinata. "The rolls are good, are they? Do they give you a warm feeling inside?"
"Ye- yes…" Hinata answered between sobs.
"Then, that warm feeling is my love to you," the chef explained, patting Hinata's head, "please, savor the feeling of being loved."
"Hinata-chan…" Naruto mumbled, unsure of what to say.
"Th-thank you… thank… y-you…" Hinata mumbled in tears, burying her head on Makiko's ample bosom while still chewing rolls in her mouth. It takes a full three minutes for Hinata to recover from her early love-love shock, much to Naruto's envy and Michiru's sheepish smile.
"Hmm, the fish should be ready by now. Are you okay now, Hyuuga-chan?" Makiko asked the calmed Hinata.
"Ye-… yes…" Hinata nervously responded.
"Great. I'll bring in the main course in a jiffy," the yellow-haired chef said as she got up, "Don't hesitate to cry some more if you feel the love!"
*.*
The Hyuuga main family heiress made her way past the guards, weary of what was called love by the chef. She was overwhelmed, but also warm. With a thud on her bedsheets, she let the kami of dreams take her body over.
In silence, however, the pair of eyes belonging to Hiashi Hyuuga quietly witnessed his daughter's slumber. He has never seen Hinata openly cry in recent times, let alone outside the Hyuuga family compound. If he remembered well, the last time she truly cried was a few years ago…
*.*
In that hospital examination room, a girl cried loudly... As if wanting to break her tiny, frail lungs...
"WHY? WHY, KAMI-SAMA, WHYYY?"
Yet the Gods would not answer.
In silence, Hiashi Hyuuga observed.
Author's notes:
Back again with W. Nightpen and his little romp of his, Team Nine(balls). A great shout-out to my first beta Erendhyl... and the commentator beta just joining the fray, my good man Megaolix! I simply can't believe how fast we three worked ^^;; I hope for a great synergy for the upcoming chapters! Also for people who had read this one... Thanks for reading. Really.
*.*
Chapter names from Hinata's kata:
Senbon Zakura = A Thousand Sakura Trees
Sanzu no Kawa = River Sanzu, the Japanese equivalent of River Styx
Yama Arashi = Mountain Gale
*.*
Miscellany:
Bellissimo = Beautiful (Italian)
*.*
A little geographical note:
Pia Carrot Cafe, as some of you may know already, is a fictional western cafe from the hit game series, Pia Carrot e Youkoso!. So, why should I say it to be 'eastern' in this fic? Thing is, what Konoha citizens would refer as the "West" are probably either Land of Earth, Land of Wind, or both. They still feel distinctly "Eastern" (Middle-Eastern to be precise) to me, so i'd thought of placing the true "Western" environment waaaay beyond the Land of Water. If you'd see carefully at the wikipedia map (there's one in the "World of Naruto" article), there are two peninsula east of the Land of Water archipelago, an indication of a larger landmass just beyond that. This will be elaborated more as the fic progresses, but for now... those are what you'll need to know.
*.*
Useless omake:
"Now, our esteemed Queen Hyuuga, where shall we dine?" Eino proffered, a grand aristocratic gesture of respect accompanying his words.
Hinata was contemplative, but soon set her choice with fierce resolution.
"Tonight... WE DINE IN HELL!"
