Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks.
-Isaac Watts
Chapter 2- Tests
"Come on, guys! We have to catch up to that teme!" Hoshi was running ahead of her best friends and teammates, trying to catch up to the third. She wanted to eat lunch as a team.
"Hoshi-chan, not all of us want to catch up to that teme. We're going to take our own sweet time, right Hinata-chan?" Naruto had been less than happy when Hoshi had told him her plan, and he had been trying to stall this lunch for as long as he could.
"Ano, Naruto-kun, I do believe that Hoshi-chan's intentions are good. We really should get to know each other as a team." Hinata blushed a shade of red that would make a tomato jealous, but she had not stuttered. This caused her to do a mental happy dance while looking at her crush.
Naruto groaned. Why were the girls always right? "Oh alright. Let's catch up then." He sped up and asked Hoshi, "Do you even know where teme is?"
Hinata caught up. Hoshi smiled at her, letting her know that she was proud of her lack of stuttering, before saying, "He's at that building. Can't you see him through the window? And no, Naruto-kun, we are not going to play a prank on him." Naruto's mischievous smile, which had formed right after Hoshi's question, disappeared, his mouth settling into a pout. He opened his mouth, but Hoshi interrupted him. "No exceptions! You won't budge me on this, Naruto-kun." Naruto shot a pleading glance at Hinata, but she only smiled and shrugged. She was on Hoshi's side. With a frustrated sigh, they finished the last few steps to the house.
They all simultaneously jumped onto the ledge. "Hey teme!" Hoshi greeted. Sasuke turned around, surprised. He had known they were coming, since he sensed people approaching, but he had assumed that it would be his fangirls.
"Come on, we were all just going to eat lunch! We want you to come too, for some team bonding. Let's go!" Hoshi was about to jump off the ledge to head over to Hinata's favorite restaurant, Arata's Grill, when Sasuke grabbed her arm. She turned around in surprise.
"How do I know that you aren't just a fangirl?" He asked with a calm face that betrayed nothing of the confusion inside him. He had been asked on dates before, but never in a group. He wanted to be sure that her intentions were pure.
His stoic gaze was met with a steely one. In an instant, the sparkle in Hoshi's eyes had vanished, the cheerful atmosphere going with it. Hinata and Naruto glanced at each other. Sasuke could not have asked a worse question. Wanting to avoid Hoshi's bad side, which was really bad, Naruto said, "Come on, Hinata-chan, I bet I can beat you to the restaurant!"
He was off in a flash. Hinata sent Hoshi and Sasuke apologetic looks before racing after him. She knew that getting into this or even staying there would do no good. Besides, who knew what trouble Naruto would get into when he was alone.
Hoshi hardly noticed her friends' departure. She was too focused on controlling her anger. Don't get angry so easily, you know what getting angry does. Cool it! She took a deep breath before saying, "Don't flatter yourself."
Surprise flashed in Sasuke's eyes before being covered by his stoic face. Wow. This has fire, she does. Sasuke smirked before saying, "Trust me, I'm not the one doing the flattering. Now, where is this restaurant?"
He had cut Hoshi's scathing comeback off with his question. Surprise overtook Hoshi's face, and she didn't try to hide it. Her anger vanished. He accepted. I was right, although it was stupid of me to get mad over such a small comment. Her good cheer somewhat regained, she said, "Arata's Grill. Come on, we don't want them to order without us!"
With those words, which surprised him most of all, they set out. That was weird. Her anger was vast and terrifying, but it then disappeared without warning or anything. She is one weird girl.
They got there in no time, and Hoshi smiled at the waiter. The waiter smiled back before leading them into the restaurant. This irritated Sasuke, although he had not a clue why. His irritation was his fourth surprise in the last 20 minutes, which in turn increased his irritation. He was about to ponder the reasons behind his irritation when they reached a booth, with Naruto and Hinata already sitting on opposite sides.
Hoshi slid in next to Hinata with another smile, which left Sasuke to sit next to Naruto. With a grimace, he sat down next to the now not-so-happy Naruto.
Suddenly, Naruto said in an overly loud voice, "Thank God! We though you would never get here! Let's order, I'm starved!" His loud voice gave Hinata a smile, Sasuke a grimace, and Hoshi a scowl.
"Don't be so loud, dobe! We have to give Sasuke a chance to look at the menu. Not everyone's been here before." Hoshi reprimanded him with her scowl present throughout. Hinata couldn't help but giggle, and Sasuke smirked. He'd only been around them for 2 minutes, and he already knew that he could never be bored with them around.
"I've been here before, so we can go ahead and order." Sasuke told the group with his smirk.
As though on cue, a waiter came out. He smiled as soon as he saw them. "Hoshi-chan, Hinata-chan, Naruto-kun! I can never get tired of seeing you guys. The usual, I'm guessing? Oh look at you, all genin now! I knew you guys would pass with flying colors! Who is your new friend?" He said the last part with some surprise, as though he had just noticed Sasuke sitting there.
The three grinned up at him. They all said together, "Hey, Arata-san!" Sasuke looked on in surprise. How often did they come here?
"Yes, the usual would be just perfect, thank you. How is Chikako-chan?" Hinata asked with a smile. She knew this man almost as well as she knew Iruka-sensei.
Arata looked at her fondly. "Always so polite. Chika-chan is doing great, she's graduating first year, can you believe it?"
Naruto said, "Really? I could have sworn I was just playing pat a cake with her yesterday! She graduated top of her class, am I right Arata-san?"
Arata turned to him and gave the same fond look he gave Hinata. "I feel the same way, Naruto-kun. You hit it spot on! She got the number 1 rank!" He said this with some pride, and the girls couldn't help smiling.
It was Hoshi's turn. "She's going to be Rookie of the Year when she's genin, I know it! How could she not, with awesome teachers like us?" With an impish grin, she continued, "This is Sasuke-teme. He's part of our new team! Can you believe it? We all got onto the same team!"
Arata looked at her with even more fondness in his face for her than Hinata and Naruto. "I'll hold you to that, Hoshi-chan. You guys had better help her out! This is your new team? How wonderful that you all got onto the same team! Sasuke-teme? You still have the same sense of humor, Hoshi-chan. Okay, okay, enough small talk. I need Sasuke-san's order now. Nice talking to all of you, and you had better keep coming despite your genin status. What's your order Sasuke-san?" He finally turned to Sasuke, who just barely managed to cover his surprise. It seemed as though Hoshi was best friends with everyone. Team 8: 5 Sasuke: 0.
"I would just like some noodles, Arata-san. Thank you." With the order that took 10 minutes to take gotten, Arata bowed a bit and walked off. Sasuke turned to the table, questions hidden in his eyes. Hoshi was the only one who noticed.
"We come here so often because it's Hina-chan's favorite. All of us have been coming here since the beginning of our years at the Academy, and we got really close. It's not uncommon for us to spend some of our days here. Whenever we're off, we almost always come over here. We've been training his daughter ever since she announced that she wanted to be a ninja." Hoshi explained everything. Hinata and Naruto were confused, but Hinata caught on quickly. She had to explain to Naruto that Hoshi was just explaining their relation with the restaurant's owner. Naruto was just so clueless sometimes.
Sasuke looked at her. He had been surprised yet again. How had she known he was confused? Shaking his head slightly, he put it out of his mind. It was just a one-time thing.
Naruto spoke up, asking a question that has been bugging him since they got out of class. "Hey Hoshi-chan, what did you shout when you got onto the desk during class today? After you shouted for joy?" He had an inquiring look on his face, the same look on Hinata's face and in Sasuke's eyes. Hoshi, however, blushed slightly.
"Oh nothing, nothing at all!" She said in far too high a voice. Sasuke smirked, smothering a chuckle. Naruto, however, made no such effort. Hinata giggled.
She explained to Sasuke, "Hoshi-chan is a very bad liar. Whenever she tries, her voice goes very high." She turned to Hoshi. "Hoshi, come on. You can trust us. Plus, you said you would."
Hoshi looked up. She had said she would. It wasn't that bad anyway, she supposed. After cursing her inability to lie, she said with a resigned sigh, "I shouted, 'Instructors: 2 Fangirls: Zip' if you must know."
Her team looked at her for a couple of seconds. Then, with no warning, all three started laughing at the same time. Quite loudly too, which did nothing for Hoshi's pride. She flushed. "It's not that funny!"
Hinata calmed down first. "Hoshi, what on earth provoked you to shout that?"
Naruto and Sasuke immediately stopped, since they were both eager for the answer. Hoshi was about to answer when she gasped and exclaimed, "Sasuke-teme, did you just laugh?"
And suddenly, all attention had been shifted to the Uchiha, whose calm face had been put up again. He opened his mouth to lie, but Hoshi interrupted. "Don't even try lying. I've never heard you laugh before!"
Naruto and Hinata were in equal shock, having thought that the Uchiha was simply incapable of laughing. "Sasuke-san, you should laugh more. It's healthy, plus it helps your demeanor."
At Naruto's blank look, Hoshi explained, "Demeanor means behavior or conduct." His expression cleared, and he then said, "Teme, you have got to learn to lighten up."
Sasuke heard all these comments with only one ear. He was just in much shock as them. He couldn't remember the last time he had laughed, and he couldn't help but wonder why he didn't laugh more. It had felt… liberating. He squashed these thoughts. Laughter was a symbol of happiness. Nothing would give him happiness other than Itachi's death, which is why he had not laughed ever since the Incident. He couldn't help but think that he was surprised yet again. This is getting ridiculous.
Hoshi was watching the conflict in his eyes settle into determination. She frowned. He seemed to be denying himself happiness… she immediately promised herself that she will find out what was going on with this poor boy's soul that he wouldn't even allow himself a laugh.
She was pulled from her melodramatic thoughts by Naruto's next question. "Hoshi, you still haven't explained the reasoning behind your outburst during class today. Why?"
Hoshi looked at him with surprise and then irritation. Hinata and Sasuke both looked at her, their interest showing at varying degrees. She rolled her eyes, deciding to just get it over with. "I was just amused that the only two girls who weren't Sasuke's fangirls were the two put onto his team. That's all, nothing big, can we change the subject now?"
Hinata smiled and changed the subject by having a conversation between just her and Hoshi. She had thought as much. She knew Hoshi too well.
While Hinata started a conversation with Hoshi about the other teams, Sasuke was thinking about that. Now that he thought about it, Hoshi was right. They had never followed him, never asked him for a date, never even really glanced at him. He also realized that none of the other girls were mad at them. He had noticed the half-hearted glares at them once his team had been announced, but had failed to really comprehend them. His fangirls were fine with the two girls. He made a mental note to find out why.
Naruto was chuckling lightly. It was so like Hoshi to come up with something so weird to entertain herself. He turned to the teme. "You'll get used to it."
Sasuke turned, wondering what he meant and voiced his thoughts. "What?"
Naruto smiled. "Hoshi is odd, yet funny. She will always surprise you, so you should just get used to it."
Sasuke was shocked. Nobody had been able to read his emotions, and now this team had with ease. Even Naruto, the dead last. He added to the score in his head. Team 8: 8 Sasuke: 0 He really needed to step up his game.
He shook his head. What was he thinking? He had to focus everything he had to becoming stronger, to killing Itachi. He had no time for these silly games.
Before he could go into any gory details, their food arrived. They all started eating and chatting. Well, everybody but Sasuke. It wasn't long before they were heading back to the Academy, all thinking that this team may not be that bad.
XXXXXX
Three Hours Later
"You guys really shouldn't be doing that. Our sensei are jounin, they won't fall for that." Hinata reprimanded Naruto and Hoshi, who were currently getting an eraser stuck in the door in such a way that it would fall on the next person to enter.
They had been waiting for two and a half hours; long after everyone else had left. Sasuke was ready to actually try to have a conversation with one of them. That was how bored he was. He was in agreement with Hinata, there is no way they could prank two jouni—
His thought was interrupted when he saw the door opening and the eraser fall onto a ninja's head. Said ninja's surprised look caused him to smirk, Hinata to giggle, and Naruto and Hoshi to laugh.
Their sensei looked unimpressed. "Something tells me this was a bad idea."
A woman's voice sounded behind him, surprising the genin. "Oh, get in Kakashi. I don't relish sanding out here like a teme."
And with that they got a full view of both their sensei. The man was wearing a chuunin vest and an all black suit, which left only the top half of his face, fingers, and feet uncovered. Only one eye was visible, the other was covered by his hitai-ite. He had metal plates over the back of his hands.
The woman was wearing a short dress, which was made of bandages except for an arm being covered by a red sleeve. She had wavy black hair and startling red eyes. Naruto and Sasuke were interested instantly, although Sasuke hid it very well.
"Hello. I am Yuuhi Kurenai, but you will call me Kurenai-sensei. This is Hatake Kakashi, who will be called Kakashi-sensei. Why don't we go somewhere more private?" With those words, their sensei disappeared with a puff of smoke, leaving three very confused genin, and one smirking one.
Hoshi caught on the fastest. "This is a test. They're testing our tracking skills."
Sasuke was right behind her. "There's probably a time limit, so we should hurry."
Hinata thought out loud. "They won't be easy to find. I think we should use Naruto's clones and my Byakugan." She cast a glance at Hoshi before activating her doujutsu and Naruto made 5 clones. Despite himself, Sasuke was impressed. Kage Bunshin huh? A Kage level jutsu by dead last. What am I missing?
Hoshi grinned. "I have an idea. Got anything yet, Hina-chan?"
Hinata smiled almost… secretively at her. Sasuke suddenly had the odd feeling that they were having a conversation with no words. "I think we should go to Training Ground 7 and the bar on Main Street. I sense two jounin level chakras over there. But they could be decoys."
Naruto finally spoke up. Sasuke realized that he didn't actually know who the real Naruto is. And I thought one Naruto was bad enough… "I'll have my clones go over to both those places in disguise and see what's going on."
With that, he made another clone and then transformed them into random Chuunin rank shinobi. They split three and three before heading off. Sasuke was confused.
Hoshi looked down, smirking. She had noticed his confusion. "He didn't want to alert them that we knew where they were. That way, we can have a little fun with the element of surprise."
Sasuke rolled his eyes. Back to the childhood pranks. He put out of his mind how she always seemed to know what he was thinking. She keeps getting lucky… Naruto suddenly jerked. "You were right, Hinata-chan. They had split between the training ground and bar." He cast the same secretive smile at Hoshi that Hinata had before and then said, "Dispel!"
Sasuke was confused… again. You'd think I'd be used to this… This time, Hinata noticed. "When a Kage Bunshin dispels, you get their memories."
Sasuke nodded, impressed. That's quite a useful jutsu. The back of his mind wondered how Hinata could read him as well, but he shrugged it off.
Hoshi still had a couple doubts. "Did you get Kakashi-sensei out of the bar? Does either of them know that we found them?"
Naruto grinned. "The clones thought they should leave that bit of fun to ourselves. Neither of the sensei gave an outward sign that they knew but I wouldn't be surprised if they had somehow found out."
Hoshi nodded. "Okay then, let's go to the bar! Knowing Kakashi-san, he would have gone to the only bar with an age limit. How will we get him out?"
Sasuke cleared his throat. "I think we should set a distraction which will for sure get him out. Maybe if the Hokage sent him an urgent letter?"
Hoshi and Naruto looked at him in surprise. That was a good idea, and it still had the prank in it. Hinata smiled. "I think we should actually get the Hokage to write a fake letter and have someone announce that Kakashi needs to come out on urgent Hokage business or something."
Naruto nodded. "But why would the ANBU not enter the place to give it to him?"
Hoshi grinned. "I think a Transformation jutsu is in order here. I'll transform into any ANBU I see in the Hokage's office. I'll enter with no problem, and you guys can nab him when he gets there! But I think I should have some of Naruto's clones with me, just in case. Disguised as civilians would be best." There was a pause. "NOW Naruto! We have to know if anyone leaves."
"Oh right!" With that, he made a dozen clones and transformed them into random people. They ran off to guard the exits to the bar.
Sasuke was speechless. That was an incredibly good plan. The three had taken his idea and immediately hammered out any flaws. They even came up with the execution, which is just as good as any he would have been able to come up with. Again, he wondered what he was missing.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the whooshing of air. He immediately realized that they had left and quickly went after them.
XXXXXX
The Hokage was suddenly composed. Only the smile on his face revealed how loudly he was laughing just a second ago. "Poor Kurenai-san and Kakashi-san. I probably should have thought through the assignments more… Here I'll write that note."
If Sasuke was surprised by how the Hoshi seemed close to yet another adult, he did not show it.
The Hokage grabbed the nearest piece of paper. He wrote a simple note saying he must urgently come to his office with his signature. I can always count on Hoshi-chan and Naruto-kun to save me from this paperwork. Look out Konoha; Team 8 is together. "Here you go! Hoshi-chan, transform into that ANBU."
This was where Sasuke had some doubts. He didn't think that Hoshi could do a better transformation than him. He did get Rookie of the Year. "Hey, Hoshi. Why don't we see whose transformation is better? I don't want Kakashi-sensei to realize that this is a prank."
If Sasuke were any less brave, he probably would have been on the floor in the fetal position by the glare Hoshi sent him. Naruto, Hinata, and even the Hokage backed up.
"Well, we'll just see, huh teme?" Her voice of steel was almost as bad as her glare. Sasuke smirked, but that was only on the outside. Even the Hokage is afraid of her anger.
They both looked at the ANBU and then each other. In a poof, there were three identical ANBU in the room. The Hokage smiled. He had known that there was way more to Hoshi than her score. Sasuke was shocked. Her transformation is just as good as mine. I can't tell who the real ANBU is.
"Hmmmm. Tough call, but I will have to say that this one," he pointed as Sasuke, "has a flaw. The mask is tilted just a bit to the left."
Sasuke started. He looked at the other two and realized the Hokage was right. Damn. How does she have a better transformation than me? She is not from a prominent clan or anything. It's probably just beginner's luck.
Hinata and Naruto smiled at each other, both thinking the same thoughts. Sasuke should really learn not to underestimate Hoshi-chan. She's better than he is, but he appears to be way too pigheaded to see. The flawed one is definitely Sasuke.
With that, he dispelled. Hinata and Naruto exchanged glances. Hoshi would never have a flaw unless it was on purpose. Hoshi took the letter. She was gone before he could blink, although he could have sworn there was a smirk beneath that mask.
XXXXXXX
This letter looks official enough, and that is definitely the Hokage's signature. However, something's still off. Kakashi was standing up in the bar with the ANBU next to him. He set off. He was pretty sure that his team would be waiting for him there, but he was impressed. They had managed to find him, come up with a plan to get him, and then executed it all in 15 minutes. He would even bet that some of the civilians roaming in around the bar were some clones. This ANBU is probably one of them as well. It was a very good Transformation. He couldn't spot a single flaw. Can genin really do this? He was pretty sure that the transformation was Sasuke, but something still felt off.
With that, they reached the office. Kakashi entered through the window, as always. As he opened it, however, an eraser fell on his head. Hoshi stifled a giggle. Naruto never repeats pranks, and Hinata was just too shy too, which meant that it was Sasuke who had set this up. Smarter than you look, Uchiha. Who knew that you could have fun? This team looked like it would be even more fun than she thought.
She dispelled her transformation, and her teammates came out from their hiding places. Kakashi grinned. The eraser? That was a smart yet funny move. He was assuming it was Naruto, which was the reason why Sasuke had done it in the first place.
Kakashi had seen Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto approaching him from the office, so that meant Hoshi was transformed. Kurenai's voice echoed in his mind. I saw her while she was training alone, and I was astounded. She could probably best Sasuke if she wanted too. It appeared that she was right.
"Well, that's one down. Let's go meet Kurenai-sensei at the Training Grounds. We don't actually know the time limit." The shy Hyuuga girl said this with a confidence Kakashi hadn't seen before. She didn't have it at family meetings, which he sometimes went to when it was public, or in the marketplace. Kurenai's voice invaded his thoughts again. I doubt she would have gotten her rank if she didn't have Naruto and her other friend there helping her and cheering her on. Kurenai was very thorough in her investigations. Kakashi was impressed by how they had already known Kurenai's spot.
Sasuke smirked while Naruto and Hoshi grinned. "LET'S GO!" They both shouted together. They were off before hearing Hinata's reprimand.
The rest of Team 8 followed them, but not before Hinata shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Hokage-sama. You know how they can be."
The Hokage smiled at her. She was always so polite. Hoshi and Naruto would get into so much more trouble if she weren't around. "Yes, Hinata-chan, I do."
XXXXXXX
"Twenty minutes on the dot. Impressive." Kurenai had not thought they would be able to track and get Kakashi out in so little time. She had given them half an hour at least. Kakashi gave her a quick report, and Kurenai was impressed. I knew these kids were special. "Congrats, you four passed my test. Now it's Kakashi-senpai's turn."
The four genin's jaws unhinged. There was another test? Kakashi nodded, as though in answer to the genin's silent question. "The bell test. I have three bells here. All you need to do is get these bells by sundown, which is in 3 hours. I will have these bells on my person. Any questions?"
Hinata got over her shock the fastest. "Sensei, there are four of us, but only three bells."
Kakashi smiled. "Exactly. Whoever doesn't get a bell will have to go back to the Academy."
This sentence silenced the cries of outrage about to erupt from Hoshi and Naruto over the unfairness of having to take two tests.
The genin had horror on their faces. They had to get serious. "Go when I say too. One, two, three go!"
As soon as he said that, there was a big puff of smoke. By the time it cleared, everyone but Naruto had disappeared. Well, Naruto and his many clones. Kakashi was surprised that the dead last could perform Kage Bunshin. Kakashi didn't know that the real Naruto had disappeared as well.
"Where did that teme go?" Hoshi asked Hinata. Her, Hinata, and Naruto had all gone the same way. They knew they wouldn't be able to get the bells without each other's help.
"Screw the teme! Let's get the bells and have him go back to the Academy!" Naruto's rivalry with Sasuke appeared to not have gone away despite their being on the same team.
Hoshi rolled her eyes. "There was a reason all four of us were put onto the same team, Naruto. It would be very unfair to him if we get the bells alone."
Hinata was with Hoshi and was about to say so when she finally saw him. "Over there! He's in the tree." They both leaped off, and Naruto followed with a groan.
"Sasuke-teme, let's go. We have to come up with a plan." Hoshi and Hinata had gotten to him, and they were trying to get him to come with them.
Sasuke scoffed. He could get the bells all by himself. He didn't need them. He was opening his mouth to say so, but he was cut off. "Don't even think about writing us off, Teme. Besides, we don't have time for this. Kakashi-sensei is a jounin. There is no way you would be able to get the bells by yourself, so let's go already."
Sasuke considered this. She did have a point, and he would just have to make sure he was one of the ones who got the bells. "Okay. What did you have in mind?"
XXXXXXX
That's the last of them. Where did Naruto go?
"You're better than I thought, Kakashi-sensei. But that's not all I got!" With those words from the tree, 25 clones appeared. Without hesitation, they charged at Kakashi. He sighed. This boy has really got to learn some strategy.
He started to dispel them, when one suddenly got too close. Before he could dispel it, the clone had touched him. He realized that the clone was actually aiming for his legs instead of his bells. Before he had a chance to dispel it, it jumped away. That was when he felt a sudden numbness in his legs.
Hinata.
Suddenly, all the clones disappeared. Before the smoke had cleared, some kunai were heading straight for him. He couldn't jump out of the way, so he used his metal plates on his hands. He was busy with dodging those, so he didn't notice the shuriken headed towards him until it was almost too late.
He reached over just in time to block, when the shuriken disappeared in a puff of smoke. In it's place, grabbing the bells, was Hoshi. She grabbed the bells as she flew past him.
With a solid landing, she pumped her fist in the air. "WIN!"
Kakashi collapsed, his legs unable to hold him up thanks to his chakra points having closed. He had managed to delay his collapse, but now he was just in shock. What just happened?
Hinata and Naruto ran up to her with high-fives. Sasuke followed with a smirk. Hoshi grinned at their sensei before throwing the bells back at him.
"Thanks, but no thanks. We passed your test and if you still think we're unworthy of being ninja, then send us back to the Academy. All of us." The redhead winked at him before accepting her friends' high-fives. Her and Naruto began a goofy victory dance, causing Hinata to giggle and Sasuke to smirk. He had to admit, it was a good plan. Sasuke was about to gloat, but Hoshi cut him off.
She explained their plan while Hinata opened the chakra points again. By this time, Kurenai had joined them. "Hinata, Naruto, and I quickly figured out that there was no way we could get the bells unless we work together. We convinced the teme, and then we planned. Naruto would make a bunch of clones only this time; Hinata would be transformed as one of them. She would close the chakra points in your legs. The rest of us were standing in the tree. When we saw her jump away from you, Naruto dispelled his clones. As soon as he did that, Sasuke threw the kunai. He threw the shuriken, which I was transformed into, at the same time, but he made it go slower. I figured, correctly, that you would be too disconcerted to recognize me and knew your block against a shuriken would not be enough to block me. I was right."
Kakashi and Kurenai looked at each other before smiling. They nodded at the genin. Hinata had finished with his legs, so he stood up. "You all pass. Meet back here tomorrow at 8 A.M." And with that, their sensei left.
All of Team 8 grinned widely. This team is going to rock.
"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success."
-Henry Ford
Author's Note:
Italics: Actual thoughts
Boldand Italics: Flashbacks
"Boldand Italics with double quotation marks": quote
Thanks for reading!
-gimmecookiesorDIE
