Author's Note: Response was similar to last time, with the exception of one or two rude/eye opening comments (a little of both, and while the latter is appreciated, the former part of the two is not). There seem to be issues with Naruto and Sasuke, so I'll split this into two parts for the boys.
To clarify some things about Naruto's past, as apparently it is causing some questions: Tsume is the only Inuzuka that knows what Naruto's past actually is, all others merely know that he is adopted. Kakashi knows of the nine-tailed fox, as it is important for a genin instructor to know such details. As for why he knows Naruto's heritage now, that will be explained in this chapter in story line. Jiraiya's role will also be explained within the storyline.
The other main issue I've heard is that I'm changing things too quickly, to which I have to say that I disagree. The point of an AU story is that it is AU! There should be noticeable differences early on. That is what is happening now, the laying out of early differences. If someone desires to abandon a story, merely because they don't like how a story begins, that is their loss in my opinion. In all honesty, I personally HATED how Naruto started out in canon, but by the end, he has become my favorite character. So, to those who feel things are changing too quickly, I encourage you to keep reading, especially since we are only on DAY TWO of the story line. I am not as good a writer as Kishimoto, but I hope that I can at least change the minds of some who decide to stick around for more than two days in story timeline. Keep in mind that Sakura's interaction with Naruto, while still violent, will not be as dramatic, as he has never developed into an annoying pest for her. He's a competent comrade, who has never shown a large interest in her, so she treats him more fairly than he would have been in canon.
Secondly, Sasuke and his seemingly friendly mindset…review the original cannon for this. At first, Sasuke was annoyed, HIGHLY by the prospect of working with a fan girl and an idiot. However, thanks to Naruto being competent this time, and thanks to momentary distractions that have kept Sakura's inner fan-girl at bay so far, he has a team that is recognizably cohesive, with existing advantages.
In the main story line, he did not start out as AN AVENGER, but merely as someone with a serious hard-on to get revenge. The whole avenger bit came after the curse seal and Orochimaru mind-raping the poor guy...before that, he was happy competing with Naruto, as it gave him an easy bench mark.
After Naruto started gunning past him, he was a lot more miffed, and it drove him even further into the grasp of Orochimaru. That's why I have Sasuke being friendly right now; things are good in his life, and it seems to have finally started dealing him a fair hand. Once the shit starts hitting the fan, don't be too surprised by him switching his personality up, as he is still a fairly fragile psyche. You don't have trauma like his and walk away from it, you know?
Alright, now that post story rant and response is done with, it's time for the main show.
To get things off on the proper foot…I own nothing but the original stuff…
xXxXxXx
Seeing the confused faces of his students, Kakashi pulled out his orange book and began reading. He did this to hide his eventual development of giggles. 'If I hadn't already snapped that team photo, this one would almost be better.' Straightening himself slightly, Kakashi dusted off his pants absentmindedly before turning to the group. "Today's the first day of training guys, so let's get in there, shall we? It's already almost eight and I really would like to start before then." The three genin nodded dimly and leapt after their sensei, following him into a wooded area of the forest. "We'll meet up with Anko and Hana after the morning chakra exercises…so for now, we get to learn about the two things that make a leaf shinobi one of the best in the elemental nations." Kakashi turned his eyes towards his students, fishing for a response. Naruto was quick to bite.
"You mean our teamwork and drive to succeed?" Kakashi's smile only grew as he nodded to the boy. Kakashi pointed to a base of a tree, where there were coils of ropes with heavy weights in the center.
"Now, for your first day of chakra exercises, you are going to begin by learning how to climb trees with your palms…" At this, Kakashi paused as he looked over at his group of genin expectantly.
"Um…sensei, do you mean with our hands? But isn't that easy?" Sakura was the one to reply this time, and Kakashi only smiled further.
"Well, if I meant that you could use your hands, I would have said that. Here, I'll give you a visual example of what I mean…" At this, Kakashi walked up to the nearest tree, placed his hands flat on the trunk so that it was not holding anything, and then pulled his body up before placing one hand higher than the other. He then supported himself momentarily, and repeated the motion, bringing his hands even.
"And, once you can all reach the top of the tree this way, I'll teach you how to get down more easily…"Kakashi pulled his knees to his chest, and planted his feet on the tree. "By walking down the tree." As the masked ninja turned himself around, he smiled at the surprised faces on all of his students. 'Minato was right…the looks are worth the job in and of itself.'
"Holy crap! That was awesome! Tell us what to do first, that was totally badass!" Naruto's outburst for once did not draw Kurama's ire, who seemed to be admiring the accomplishment just as much.
"Naruto! Stop swearing! It's not right to be so improper, even if we are with our team!" Sakura yelled at the blonde, adding a slight flick to his forehead for additional admonishment. The blonde grabbed at his forehead and growled at the girl.
"Shut up you two, we have to hear how to perform the exercise." Sasuke shook his head at his two teammates antics. 'While they seem competent, they need to focus better…'
"Thank you Sasuke. For this exercise, the purpose is to get comfortable with gathering chakra in your hands and dispelling it continuously. This should not be terribly difficult for you, as the hands are the place where seals are formed, so the process should not be terribly foreign. However, dispelling a constant amount, at the right rate, will still provide some useful challenge." Kakashi then turned his eye towards Sakura. "The second major component of this exercise is building up muscles and endurance. This training week is going to be hard on each of you physically, but it will benefit you in the long run to start now." Kakashi then held up the two pieces of rope that had the weights attached. Written on them were the words 'Teamwork' and 'Dedication'.
"Those…those things are going to be rather heavy aren't they?" Naruto's question was stuttered out, hesitation apparent in his voice. At Kakashi's smiling nod, the blonde sighed long and hard before glaring at the man. "While I'll appreciate this later, right now…I hate you Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi shrugged and tossed the weights forward catching the boy off-guard as they hit him in the stomach and he fell to the ground.
"Those will be stretched between the trees that the three of you will be climbing on. The weights, if you notice, have a pulley system attached, so that someone higher up can divert some of the weight to themselves while a person who has fallen reclaims their position. The only rule is that you can only use your hands while advancing up the tree. When you are not advancing, you can brace yourself with your legs, but once anyone begins to advance again, you must return to relying only on your hands." Kakashi then turned and threw a kunai harshly behind him, imbedding itself roughly half way up the tree.
'Not a bad distance. I'd say about fifteen to twenty feet.' Turning back, Kakashi smiled at his students. "That mark is your goal for the next three days. By the end of that time, I want to start tree walking individually, but I doubt any of you will complete that by the time the week is out." Kakashi frowned slightly at the lack of reaction out of his team; not a single one of them seemed excited for the exercise.
"Alright, so why isn't anyone jumping around about how useful this training is now?" Kakashi's raised eyebrow looked over the group.
"Well, because besides improving our chakra control and physical strength, what's the real advantage to learning this way with our hands? Couldn't we do the same thing and start with our feet anyways?" Kakashi grimaced slightly at having Naruto call him out.
"There are two distinct advantages to learning with your hands first. One of them is that it will allow you to learn how to make a strong hold on a target, especially important if an individual is trying to escape from your grasp when being hunted down." Sakura perked up at this, her eyes lighting up a bit.
"You mean by pretending the person's body was a tree? That way you can grasp onto them and it will be harder for them to get away?" Kakashi nodded to that, smiling at the girls blush for getting something correct.
"The second thing that is useful is that learning how to expel a constant amount of chakra from any point on the body is advantageous to chakra control. Hands are the easiest location to get this concept down, and so we begin our training by focusing there. Feet on the other hand are the most difficult location to learn. By tackling the hands first, we can easily progress to mastering the feet afterwards." Kakashi gave a slightly pointed look to Naruto and Sasuke.
"By starting with things that we can master easily, we can make sure that the more difficult concepts are understood and applied more readily. I would never ask the three of you to master tree climbing in a week unless I was sure that you absolutely needed the power boost it could give for some dire reason." Sasuke grimaced at the fact that they were apparently taking the slow route, but nodded none-the-less in understanding.
"Now then…why don't you three begin. Sakura, you should take the middle position, and have Sasuke and Naruto take up one of the trees on either your left or right. Seeing as how the process of sticking to the tree will come easier to you, why don't you take over for leading this exercise." The girl blinked at being left in charged, but nodded in acceptance.
"I have to go take care of a couple things for your afternoon training, so I'll be back in a bit. However, Anko and Hana both wanted you to know that they'll be making rounds to check in your progress. Any sign of slacking off, and I'll call the whole training trip." Kakashi smiled as he saw Sasuke stiffen slightly at that. 'Good, that'll make sure they are all nice and driven.' As he was walking off, he heard the sounds of the three rushing towards the trees to get into position. Not five seconds afterwards, he turned at the sound of a sudden loud noise, where he saw Naruto bowled over on the ground, apparently having exploded off the tree from channeling too much chakra to his hands.
'Yeah, they're going to be an interesting group.' Kakashi chuckled and pulled out his book, deciding one last dig was too good to miss. "Oh, and Naruto, do try and not to make too much noise. Wouldn't want to attract any of the bloodthirsty predators around here, you know?" Kakashi chuckled at the paling expression on his student's faces before disappearing into a swirl of leaves.
xXxXxXx
Kakashi waited patiently outside the Hokage's office. He had a morning report to give about his team, and more than a few questions for the man. 'Still can't believe sensei even wanted his son's identity kept from me…guess there really was a reason to keep it under wraps though…' Kakashi looked out over the village.
The villagers were unaware of the jinchuuriki living in their midst, and compared to the treatment that the villagers gave to a nine-tails puppet during the seasonal festivals, Naruto had gotten off with much less grief than originally. 'Makes me glad I made that trade with Asuma…without that, I would have missed the opportunity to work with sensei's son…' The hokage's office door opened at that time, and Kakashi was ushered in as a fellow jonin left the room. From the down cast look on the man's face, that team had apparently not passed their genin exam.
"Ah, Kakashi! I take it that the training exercise was a success, as I processed a training mission request earlier…" Kakashi nodded to the Hokage, settling himself into the chair across from the venerable old man.
"Yes, they did very well, and learned the concept of teamwork almost too easily…however, Sasuke and Sakura both seemed willing to sacrifice Naruto's well-being rather quickly…still, they are at least getting along from what I observed so far." Sarutobi nodded at this description, asking Kakashi to continue.
"However, Sasuke seems definitely pleased at the willing training already…I'm hoping to temper that, and help them develop individual styles over the course of this week, but I fear he may still be set on achieving his revenge." Sarutobi sighed at this and pulled his pipe out of his mouth.
"Does the boy show concern for the well-being of either of his teammates?" Kakashi shook his head in the negative, drawing a second sigh. "We have to be careful with molding that team of yours into a hunter-nin squad. I've the council breathing down my neck about protecting the Sharingan as a village kekkei genkai, so I cannot let the boy become a flight issue." Kakashi nodded, taking a moment to look solemn for once.
"I think…this team is going to be a challenge for me. I'll have two high priority targets to watch out for on missions, both in the last Namikaze and the last Uchiha. That's not even to mention what I believe is a village secret in Sakura herself…" The third nodded in regard to that, linking his fingers together in thought.
"I have reviewed some of Danzo's files and come across a few disturbing things…it seems that she is a legacy of Orochimaru's research, though not in the ways that would be expected. Her biological mother died in childbirth, and she was adopted by her current family. However, because Orochimaru was involved and the experiments were of an unknown nature, Danzo had her placed with a family of ninja in case of any complications." The third turned and coughed heavily for a moment, waving off help from Kakashi.
"It should be considered lucky then that the Mokuton has returned, and apparently with someone that can be considered loyal to Konoha." The third nodded in agreement, but frowned as he looked fixedly at Kakashi.
"Your report also mentions possible feelings between Sasuke and Sakura. Though I know this will probably go outside of your normal mission parameters, you must at all costs keep a romance from developing between them. If the legacy of the Senju was passed on with the Mokuton, and that were to combine with an Uchiha, that could be catastrophic for the shinobi populace." Kakashi frowned for a moment at the third, lost as to what he was referencing. Seeing his lack of understanding, the third sighed and rubbed at his temple absentmindedly.
"The legacy of the Senju is something that should not have been passed down from a mere bloodline…it is a special type of chakra, separate from the mokuton bloodline, that when combined with the power of the Uchiha's Sharingan, allows a person to recreate a small portion of reality around themselves at the cost of the loss of a Sharingan eye. Though its range is limited, the scope of its power is truly limitless." The third coughed again, and this time, felt himself sink back into his chair afterwards. "That sort of power…that sort of power cannot be allowed to manifest once more. It is a power that no mortal should be allowed to wield." Kakashi nodded dimly, trying not to focus on his developing headache.
"I have some questions then…Jiraiya was named as Naruto's god father, and yet he has not been informed of either his existence or his Jinchuuriki status. When will he be informed, and will he be taking Naruto from my tutelage when he is?" The third paused before answering, taking the moment to refill and relight his smoking pipe.
"I have had to keep to Minato's final words, as it was something that he signed off on as a lost order as being Hokage. He wanted no one informed, save myself, the boy's adopted family, and his eventual jonin sensei. He said that Jiraiya should be informed in person when he chooses to take an interest in the raising of the child, as he knew that Jiraiya would be busy with his spy network and other duties to the village." The third took a long draw on his pipe, and it was at that time that Kakashi realized how elderly the man looked, couched within his baggy robes.
"Once Jiraiya takes an interest though, he was instructed to teach Naruto sealing, the toad summons and related techniques, and pass on Minato's original jutsu and jutsu goals." The third set the pipe down for a second, and gave Kakashi a sympathetic look. "I know it will be hard to give up one of your students, but I think that the training from Jiraiya will be very beneficial to the boy." Kakashi nodded sadly, trying not to focus on the fact that he would inevitably lose a chance to solely train his sensei's son.
"Now then, what about this training you are having them do? Is there anything in particular that you want to talk about for training purposes or jutsu to pass along?" Kakashi nodded, and the third took a long draw on his pipe while nodding.
xXxXxXx
"Alright brats! That's enough for now! The three of you managed to make it past Kakashi's mark, and your three hours are almost up. Take a break and rest for a bit before we start you on your elemental training." Anko's cry drew mixed reactions from the group of genin. Sasuke seemed to be frowning, wanting to continue. Naruto had a hapless grin on his face, just excited to be out and about. Sakura though looked relieved at the chance for a break.
'Seriously, these two are like automatons, they just don't stop going!' Sakura sighed as she slowly, painfully made her way down the tree, keeping her pace even with the two boys. 'My arms hurt so much I don't think I'll even be able to smack that damn grin off of Naruto's face…'
"Man, I can't wait! We're probably going to do something even more awesome for elemental training!" Naruto was all grins as the three made their way to the ground. "I can't wait to show this off to Kiba, he's going to be so jealous." Sasuke scoffed and shot the boy a condescending look.
"Is all you care about showing off? Being a ninja is a serious thing, blockhead." Naruto shot the boy a dirty frown.
"Who are you calling a blockhead, lightweight? I seem to remember pulling more of the weight than you did on this little team exercise?" Sasuke scoffed again and the condescending look only increased.
"That's because you were an idiot and couldn't even get the training down at first. You even had to have Sakura remind you about the trick to keeping your chakra steady…" Naruto growled at the boy and Kurama swatted him on the nose with his tail. The blonde blinked before looking away harshly from the raven-haired boy.
"Damn, four years of being in the academy, and I never realized how much of an ass you can be…" Sakura at this point had had enough, and the three had just reached the ground in time for the girl to go over and smack the boy upside the head.
"Don't insult Sasuke-kun, you idiot!" Naruto turned to the girl with an outraged look on his face.
"Don't call me an idiot, billboard brow!" Sakura felt her chakra flare in response to the infamous insult.
"Better a billboard brow than a vacuum head!" The girl felt her nails bite into her palm as she tried to rein in her flaring anger. 'Cha! If that sister of his wasn't right over there I'd make sure that head of his was put to good use as a punching bag!'
"Both of you shut up. You're annoying…" Sasuke voice was even and calm, but the tone had ice in it. Naruto amazingly quieted down, but kept giving the boy an angry glare.
"Sorry Sasuke-kun, I guess the training was a bit hard on me so I'm a little wound up right now…" Sakura blushed demurely at the boy, trying to hide her embarrassment by acting cute. 'Stupid Naruto making Sasuke-kun think I'm annoying…'
'Did she really get tired from that training? I'll admit it was harsh, but a kunoichi should be capable of things like that…' Sasuke frowned at the girl, before giving a dismissive grunt of acknowledgement.
"Well, now that the little soap opera is over with, how about you brats get over here. We have instructions from Kakashi for each of you on what you are to be doing for elemental training." The three nodded and proceeded over to the two women. Hana seemed to be focusing particularly on Sakura, obviously displeased about training the girl. "Girl, you're going to be working with Hana…you two boys get to come with me…" Sakura frowned at the derisive moniker, and at being separated from the two guys.
"Come on Sakura. I need to get you started on water manipulation, as mastery over water is helpful in medical ninjutsu." The girl nodded, and followed after the Inuzuka woman. Once the two were out of sight of the rest of the group, Hana turned and smacked the girl upside the head. Hard.
"What the hell was that for?" Sakura grit out between breaths. Her hand went to her head immediately and she tried to fight off the stars that were dancing in front of her face.
"That was for hitting my little brother and thinking you can get away with it. One more outburst like that, and I'll refuse to train you." Hana's face was set into a grim tone as she looked down at Sakura disapprovingly. "I've half a mind to not do so right now, and the other half is fast starting to agree." Sakura's face quickly took on an apologetic look, but Hana held up a hand to the girl. "Save it. I'm not the one you need to apologize to. As long as I've heard that you've done so before the end of the week, I'm not going to hold it against you." Sakura nodded in understanding, and the Inuzuka gave the girl a slight smile.
"I'll make you a deal though…once you and Naruto become good teammates, if you notice something that I would disapprove of as a sister, you can threaten to tell me about it…that will surely give the same message as hitting him, and allow you to continue training with me." Sakura smiled at that, and nodded eagerly.
"So, what are we going to be learning about water manipulation?" Hana smiled and pulled out a small bowl filled with rice. Sakura looked at the bowl oddly. She was sure that lunch was still several hours away, and felt herself growing hungry as she looked at the uncooked grains.
"Your goal is to make the rice wet…Using only your chakra." Sakura blinked a few times, then watched as Hana made the rice suddenly become damp. "Don't look so surprised. The second Hokage was infamous for his water jutsu. Though we are in the land of fire, there are a number of people that are known for having water techniques run in the family." The water quickly disappeared before Hana handed the bowl off to Sakura. "When calling upon water chakra, focus on the idea of making your chakra flow forwards and backwards, like waves on a shore. It will get easier with time as you practice this, but don't expect to get it down very quickly." The girl nodded in response, and Hana sat down on the ground across from the young genin.
"I've also heard you were fairly bright, so I'm going to be splitting your attention somewhat. While you're focusing on getting the elemental manipulation down, I'm going to be throwing some basic medical facts and jargon at you. After a bit, I'll leave you to this on your own, and just make sure we aren't interrupted by any of the forest friendlies." Sakura nodded, and bent her focus towards the rice grains in the bowl.
xXxXxXx
"Alright you two! I'm going to be training the two of you together for elemental manipulation for one simple reason! Wind and fire, when used together, are explosively powerful." This got the two boys to give Anko an appraising look. "But…if you don't have the necessary teamwork to work together, you end up just having the techniques explode in your face. As such, Kakashi and I have decided to do a little bit of a different training than usual for the two of you…" Naruto and Sasuke both blinked in surprise at each other before turning back to the woman with at least agreeable smiles.
"So, what's this awesome training you have whipped up for us? It must be something extra cool if we are going to be working together to get our elemental training down…" Anko couldn't help the smile that crept across her face.
"That's right gaki…your ultra-super-badass training is…" She paused for a few seconds and smiled inwardly as she finally noticed the stoic Uchiha take the bait, "Don't burn the leaf!" At this, she handed a slightly singed leaf to Sasuke, who noticed small embers in the center slowly creeping outwards.
"WHAT? That has to be the most lame-ass training I've ever heard of!" Naruto exclaimed, Kurama yipping in agreement from the boy's shoulders.
"Shut up and let me explain, idiot. Naruto, you need to focus on making your chakra razor sharp directly over the leaf…imagine two edges of chakra grinding together into a fine point. Sasuke, you need to not only draw up your fire chakra as you have in the past, but use it to suppress the enhancement of the flames that Naruto's wind chakra will give to the embers on the leaf." Sasuke frowned at hearing his role in the training.
"Why do I have to make sure that Naruto doesn't screw the training up? Shouldn't he be using the wind chakra to put the flames out?" Anko smiled at the boy, but not in a way that was at all comforting to the last Uchiha.
"Look, in order for Kakashi's plans for you two to work, you need to be able to manage and direct the heat that Naruto's wind chakra will enhance. If you can't do that, when the two of you team up, there will be nothing but an explosion in your face and charred corpses."
"What's the point of me teaming up with an idiot like him anyways…based on the tree training today, he'd only get in my way and slow me down!" Sasuke looked seriously irked by this turn in events, and the cuts and scrapes on his arms only added to his distress.
"Oh shut up you cry baby! So I fell a couple of times, it's not like you didn't fall any either!" Sasuke gave the boy a vicious glare, and the two looked to be on the verge of fighting before kunai sliced both of their cheeks.
"Now listen here brats…I'm out here helping Kakashi because he asked me real nicely…I'm not going to deal with punk brats like you mouthing off and trying to get out of training. Now shut up, sit down, and don't burn the leaf. If you can manage that for as long as I want you to over the next couple of days, I'll even pass on a couple of jutsu for you to practice on your free time and get down together, alright?" That got the smirks the woman wanted out of the two boys. 'Of course, Kakashi already was going to have me teach them to you anyways…but you don't need to know that for now…'
xXxXxXx
Sounds drifted to Kakashi as he flitted through the forest, racing back to his new squad. 'They should be done with their basics for now…so I guess I should stop back and find out how they've been doing from their instructors…still, I'm irked that the hokage would not let me pass on the shadow clone to Naruto yet. The boys got the chakra reserve to handle it, but without his permission I really should not pass down any of the forbidden techniques.' As Kakashi was nearing the clearing that he left the group in, he saw a large gout of flame suddenly leap up from the forest floor.
"God damn it Sasuke! I swear you're trying to burn my eyebrows off at this rate! Kurama almost got singed with that one too, you bastard!" As Kakashi landed in the clearing he found a laughing Anko, a singed and pissed off looking Naruto, and a sneering Sasuke.
"If you can't handle your wind chakra, maybe you should go and work on it on your own more. I've been doing this for a couple of years now…if there's any reason it keeps exploding in flames, it's because you're trying to force the wind chakra too much, idiot." Naruto growled at the boy's verbal abuse, staring him down derisively.
"Now now Sasuke, you'll get plenty of one on one training with me later. I need you and Naruto to get this training down though in order for some of the combined jutsu's I have in mind for you two to work out." Kakashi eye smiled at the pair, drawing dirty looks from both of the young males. 'I guess the teamwork training hasn't been going so well today…oh well, it should improve over time I hope.'
"Kakashi-sensei, why does an awesome team like Kurama and I need to work with a loser like Sasuke! I mean, how hard would it be for one of us to pick up fire chakra too?" Kakashi shook his head at the boy, smiling a little still.
"While it is possible for one to learn multiple natures, that usually isn't possible until after one has mastered at least one element. On top of that, it is usually exceedingly difficult to master a nature which opposes an individual's original affinity." Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke with a smile on his face.
"Because Sasuke has a lightning element, learning wind manipulation will be very difficult for him." His look shifted back to Naruto, the smile still on his face. "At the same time, as you have a wind element, learning fire techniques will be exceedingly difficult for you. As such, in order to achieve your full potentials, it is tantamount that the two of you work together to address some of your pitfalls." The result was a bitter pill for the two boys to swallow, and after a quick glance at each other they turned harshly away, snorting at the same time.
Anko was chuckling as she approached Kakashi and shaking her head at the antics of the two genin. "They've been like this the whole time Kakashi…and I have to admit, it is really damn funny." Kakashi sighed as he gave his fellow jonin a hang-dog look.
"What was the longest they were able to keep it from exploding into flame?" Anko just chuckled harder at the comment, getting a frown out of Kakashi.
"The longest the two of them have managed it so far is about a minute…they've got a long way before they can manage a full three minutes like you want…" Anko's speech was littered with chuckles as she giggled at the antics of the two boys.
"That's just because this idiot keeps messing up!" Both boys cried out, pointing an accusatory finger at the other. Before the fight could escalate, Kakashi quickly appeared between the two of them.
"Heh, guess that's just what I should expect though…I mean, I didn't really think a washed up clan like the Uchiha and a mongrel clan like the Inuzuka could pull such a hard training exercise off…" Kakashi's voice was rather wistful as he looked off in the direction that Sakura was in, "I guess I'll just go collect Sakura, and we'll wrap up this whole hunter-nin business, maybe train as a regular genin cell…" Kakashi smiled at the immediate reaction his words seemed to inspire.
"What? Give us one more chance, Kakashi-sensei, I promise we'll pull it off!" Naruto turned pleading eyes on the jonin, and Kurama even offered up puppy-dog eyes.
"Yeah, what Naruto said. We'll show you that the two rookies of the year can pull off anything!" Sasuke seemed determined for a moment, and actually gave Naruto a positive smile for once. Kakashi turned a questioning look on the two of them.
"Well, in that case, I'll go gather Sakura up. If the next leaf you have is burnt up by the time Anko and I return, I'm ending this training session. If not…you get to go find yourself some lunch in the forest." Kakashi smiled at the determined look he saw on their faces. As he left, Anko ambled over to his side.
"That was really underhanded of you…" Anko's voice was a conspiratorial whisper, and caused Kakashi to give her an eye smile out of the corner of his eye. "I'd only been laughing at and insulting the two to get under their skin, but you went straight for the jugular…" Kakashi only let out a slight chuckle as they came into a clearing. There they found Sakura concentrating closely on a small bowl of rice.
"So, how's the banshee been doing, Hana?" Hana looked over at the group, shushing Anko as they approached. The girl had a large scroll spread out on her lap, and seemed to be focusing intently on some worded passage.
"She's actually been doing alright…little bit outspoken at first, but she really gets down to work after a bit." Kakashi smiled a bit at hearing that. After the first display he saw, he was getting rather worried.
"Ah, Kakashi-sensei, welcome back! Where did you go earlier?" Kakashi turned and looked at the pink haired girl that had just looked up from her work.
"I had to stop by and talk to the Hokage for a bit. Give a mission report on the team's first exercise with the bell test…" Sakura paled slightly at being reminded of the almost scarring experience. "Other than that, not much else…" Sakura blinked before fixing Kakashi with a heated glare.
"Wait a minute…you only had that to do and yet it took you almost six hours to get back here?" Kakashi blinked for a moment then put his hand behind his head and smiled absently.
"Well, I might have had to help an old lady or two across the street, you know, things like that?" Sakura narrowed her eyes further at the man, but didn't say anything in response. "Anyways, it's almost time for the three of you to go on your first food gathering hunt…why don't we go meet up with Sasuke and Naruto." Sakura continued to give him a sly look, but took to her feet anyways.
"Thanks for your help Hana-senpai. I'll make sure to keep practicing later tonight, and get this down as soon as I can." Hana shook her head in amazement but continued to smile at the girl.
"Don't worry too much about getting it down quickly…elemental manipulation usually takes people years to master, so it will be awhile before you master this step." Sakura smiled and nodded, before running over to Kakashi's side. The man smiled and ruffled the girl's hair, getting a blush from Sakura in return.
As Kakashi returned to the training ground he left Naruto and Sasuke in, he came upon a strange sight. Both boys seemed to be extremely quiet, and extremely still. Their faces were completely blank, and in between them was a leaf that was hardly even singed at all. He blinked in surprise and as he stepped forward he absentmindedly crushed a branch underneath his foot.
"GAH!" Naruto lept back from the leaf, and Sasuke was suddenly replaced by a fallen log as a gout of flame leaped ten feet into the air. "Damn it Kakashi-sensei, we had that down until you showed up!" Sasuke walked back into the clearing, his clothes lightly singed from the near miss.
"Well, it looks like you two managed to pull off the three minute mark I wanted. Starting tomorrow, as soon as you both can manage that at the start of the training, you can work on developing your individual manipulation. I think Naruto is going to have to work on his control for a bit longer though judging from that little display." Naruto grinned absently to himself, and Sasuke merely smirked in agreement.
"Now then, I need to meet up with your trainers…why don't you three go find yourselves something to eat in the woods for the time being…" Getting nods from the two boys, Kakashi smiled as they disappeared into the woods.
"Hey, wait up you two! You left without me, damn it!" Sakura leapt up into the trees, racing to keep up with her comrades.
xXxXxXx
"I can't believe you two left without me, what the hell was the deal with that?" Naruto smirked as he turned to Sakura.
"We just knew you'd be able to catch up is all, Sakura!" Naruto paused as he landed on a branch, smiling back at the girl. "Besides, Sasuke and I are riled up from all that sitting around, you know?" Naruto turned to his teammate, hoping to get some back up.
"Maybe you're riled up, I just was trying to get away from the annoying sound of your voice." Though Sasuke's words were biting, he was smiling friendly at Naruto.
"Bah! Whatever, you just like hogging the spotlight is all!" Naruto waved off Sasuke's response as he turned back to Sakura. "Now, what awesome stuff were you learning with my sister, huh?" Sakura smiled wickedly at Naruto.
"Well…I learned how someone always sleeps with their favorite fox friend to keep away nightmares?" Naruto looked stricken at that.
"What! Hana told you that?" Sakura's grin only grew wider.
"No…but you just did…" Sakura's smile was all the way across her face as Naruto gave her one of his dirtiest looks ever.
"I hate you both right now, you know that right?" Naruto's deadpan face was enough to get a small smile even out of Sasuke. "So, where should we start looking for those food drops huh?" Sasuke stopped on a nearby branch, catching the attention of the other two.
"We should be far enough away from the training area now to start searching. I figured that they probably wouldn't leave too many foodstuffs near our training area, as that'd be too easy." The others nodded in agreement, and Sasuke turned to Naruto with a smile on his face. "So, picking up any scents Naruto?" Naruto and Kurama both blinked at Sasuke before closing their eyes in unison.
"I got something near here, but there are a lot of scents similar to Anko-sensei near it…we probably have some food of ours in a snake infested area." Sasuke nodded in confirmation. "I'll lead the way, so you guys just follow me…I'll stop outside of the smells range so we know just how close we can get." The two nodded and proceeded to leap through the trees. Naruto stopped them after a while, a single fist held up silently. The motion was hardly necessary though…
"That…is a lot of snakes…" Sakura for once was left dumbfounded. Ahead of them was a snake hive. The ground and trees seemed alive, there was a number of them writhing over the trees, along the ground, and surrounding a hole in the ground where the snakes seemed to be pouring.
"Yeah…and they are also our main problem…the smell of the food is coming from inside that hole…" Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, and shook his head.
"I know how to clear them out. Give me your explosive notes." Sakura blinked at the boy, before pulling one from her weapons pouch. Naruto gave the boy a grimace, before pulling out a wad of paper.
"The rest of mine are in my pack…sorry, but I thought we'd at least have our camping supplies with us, so I packed most of mine with my other gear." Sasuke grimaced at the answer, but nodded in acceptance. Naruto for his part handed twelve over, making the boy give him a questioning look.
"I was told to always keep my explosives note on me, in case I was separated from my equipment." Sasuke blinked, but nodded again in agreement.
"I only need four. Sakura, take yours back. I'll add one of mine, and we can use three of Naruto's…" Naruto grinned, and rubbed the back of his head while smiling.
Four explosive notes were quickly lined up on kunai and flung towards the corners of the whole. Naruto watched the explosives flying towards the whole, and at the last second Sasuke shot out a large fireball, racing towards the center. Naruto kept his eyes on the explosion as it happened, staring straight into the burgeoning firestorm. Sasuke did not even seem to be paying attention, jumping to the ground and racing towards the whole even as snakes fled quickly from the destruction.
"Naruto, stop staring at the explosion and move damn it! This is no time to be gawking around like a loser!" Naruto shook himself to see Sakura and Sasuke racing away from the whole, pulling along what looked to be a large backpack with the Inuzuka crest on the side.
"That crazy bitch put all of my stuff in a snake hole? Oh, I am so getting back at her later, the crazy snake bitch…" Naruto jumped down and took some of the weight from his teammates, throwing a spare explosive note behind him as the snakes approached. Naruto stopped to watch in glee as the snakes were blown to pieces by the explosion.
"Naruto, less staring, more running! This is seriously uncool, you know!" Sakura's screech got Naruto moving again, racing to catch up to the retreating forms of his teammates.
xXxXxXx
Anko suddenly looked over towards the far horizon. In the distance, she could see large amounts of smoke and what seemed to be the flickering lights of fire. 'That's the direction of the snake hive…those damn brats got the Inuzuka pack first…heh, go figure.' The woman chuckled as she jumped down the tree, joining Kakashi and Hana who had taken to idle chat after discussing their student's progress.
"Damn fine bunch of kids you got there Kakashi…they went straight for the snake hive drop first, one of the harder ones and with the most stuff…don't know if that makes them gutsy or stupid, but either way I'm impressed by the amount of firepower their packing" Hana giggled at that, getting both to spare the younger ninja a glance.
"Mom's always having Kiba and Naruto listen to her lectures about practicing and preparing properly…Naruto's seemed to take to some of them, including carrying his full explosive payout on his person at all times." Kakashi felt his eyes widen at that.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with carrying three or four explosive notes at all times…"Anko mused, sitting herself next to the two.
"Hana, just how many explosive notes does Naruto keep on his possession at all times?" Kakashi had his brow furrowed as he looked in the distance towards the now obvious signs of smoke.
"Well…Mom also tells us to have multiple copies at all time…if he listened to both the lessons, probably around a dozen or so…"Hana's perky voice seemed to drill into Kakashi and Anko for a second, who both robotically turned to her with looks of shock.
"A dozen explosive notes! What the hell does that blockhead need with a dozen! From what I saw earlier, if he works with the Uchiha, they can make some damn big explosions already!" Hana smiled ruefully as she nodded at Anko.
"Yeah, Naruto was always kept away from the explosive notes when he was younger…he seemed to take to them very well when he was young…I was always worried he was going to blow Kiba sky high!" The girl finished with a laugh as she took in the looks of her comrades, "Don't worry though, I'm sure he wouldn't destroy too much of the forest…unless there are snakes or spiders, he really hates those things with a passion…" Kakashi shook his head while Anko hung hers in embarrassment.
"I just had to put it near the snake hive, didn't I? Kid probably went after it to get back at me…" Hana just giggled at Anko and pulled more food from her bento.
"I'm just glad that those three are progressing as well as they are…by the end of the third day I'll probably even be able to pass on some tricks to them with any luck…" Kakashi took a draw from a cup of tea as he watched the area the smoke was coming from, "…though I may have to put out that fire if it goes on much longer…"
xXxXxXx
"Shit Sasuke, what did you do to make that explosion so massive?" Sasuke smirked and looked back at Naruto with a superior look.
"An idiot like you would never understand." Naruto growled at the boy and leapt up so he was neck in neck with him.
"Just what the hell is your problem huh? Thinking you're in charge all the time? Do you need me to remind you who wins our taijutsu fights half the time?" Sasuke just gave the boy a smug look and shook his head.
"Brag about beating me in Taijutsu when I have the Sharingan, blockhead. You won't be catching up once that happens…" Naruto just continued to growl at the boy as they leaped through the trees.
"Naruto, leave Sasuke-kun alone! He did most of the work pulling your stuff out of the snake hole, you should show him some gratitude!" Sakura jumped up next to the two boys, but reigned herself in from acting out. 'Cha! If it wasn't for that stupid deal with Hana, I'd be punching you into next week right now!'
Naruto's growl cut off, and he gave the slightest, most imperceptible nod to Sasuke. The other boy smirked and nodded back as they raced through the trees. Before long, the three had made it back to their training ground, and began pulling out their cooking equipment and food.
"Naruto, is all you have ramen and beef jerky?" Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head in response. "Seriously, no wonder you're so short with a diet like that…" At this, Naruto growled before snatching the food from Sakura.
"OI! Just because I decide to eat a little unhealthy when mom's not around doesn't mean anything!" Sasuke sneered at that response, storming off to get water from the stream without saying anything. Naruto watched the boy go and felt his frown deepen. "What the hell is his problem?" Sakura shook her head, her hands trembling in desire to hit the blonde idiot. After a moment she reined her anger in and stared hard at Naruto. "What? What did I say?"
"You idiot, Sasuke-kun's had to grow up on his own without any parents…ever since the incident with his clan…" Naruto felt his eyes widen before smacking himself in the forehead. 'Heh, I guess even he knows when he deserves to get hit…'
"Damn it, mom keeps telling me it's important to work on that whole tact thing with those outside the clan…Sakura, seriously, next time I do something so stupid, just smack me one, okay?" Sakura blinked before grinning eagerly at the boy.
"You sure you want to make that deal Naruto?" Naruto blinked in surprise, before smacking himself in the forehead again. "You know what, never mind. It's more fun to see if I can get you to hit yourself." Kurama gave a small yip of agreement before jumping on top of Naruto's head.
"Thanks…man, one of these days I swear I'm going to get this whole thinking before I speak thing down…" Sasuke walked back into camp at this time, his shoulders slumped from carrying buckets of water.
"Why would you do that, blockhead? It's more fun hearing what comes out of your second-rate mouth all the time…" Naruto gave the boy a wicked look, before shaking his head and sticking his hand out. "What's that for?" Sasuke voice was suspicious as he looked at the outstretched appendage.
"It's called shaking, even dog's know how to do it." As Sasuke scowled at him, Naruto fought the urge to smack himself in the forehead again. "It's supposed to be for creating a truce between two groups…" Sasuke blinked, before giving an even more curious look to the boy.
"Why would I want a truce with you? What can you offer me that would make me want to stop arguing with you?" Naruto fought down the growl in his throat before smiling wickedly.
"Well, if you don't I can use my tracking abilities to help all your fan's track you down?" Sasuke paled considerably at that before shaking hands with Naruto quickly.
"That includes helping Sakura too, you know? Unless it's for a team meeting or something…" Sakura paled in turn at Sasuke's addendum.
"Naruto, don't you dare make a truce with Sasuke damn it! Eternal rivals for ever, that's what you two should be!" Sakura screamed, trying to jump between the two boys. Kurama yipped in warning, before jumping and scurrying around the girl's neck. "You'll help me track down Sasuke-kun, right Kurama? Unlike Naruto?" Kurama yipped in agreement getting Sakura to snuggle the fox to her chest.
"You traitor fox!" Kurama yipped several things back at Naruto, causing the boy to blush in response. "You don't say…you're telling me all about that later, boy…" Sakura looked between Naruto and the fox before walking up and smacking Naruto upside the head.
"It's rude to talk about a lady in front of her, you idiot!" Naruto grabbed at his head even as Kurama jumped down and yipped excitedly at Naruto.
'These three…are real idiots sometimes…still, they're nice enough. So long as they don't distract me too much, maybe it'll be alright to get to know them…' Sasuke's scowl lightened ever so slightly as he looked at the three of them.
xXxXxXx
"Well, looks like you three made out rather well for yourselves on your first hunting trip…" Kakashi walked into the clearing, Hana and Anko flanking behind him. "Still, based on that I'm going to have to confiscate all the rations you have left…" Kakashi smirked to himself as he saw the looks of outrage on their faces.
"Oh come on now, you didn't think I'd really let you have it that easy, now did you? I had Hana and Anko hide the main packs in places where there were over laying smells, hoping that would be enough to keep the majority of your stuff hidden." Naruto smirked happily at his accomplishment. "Still, you managed to find them, so I'm going to have to change the parameters a bit to make this training exercise worth anything." Kakashi fixed the three with a hard glare.
"As you know, during training sessions my word is law. You will hand over all food stuffs now. The camping equipment can stay, as I am impressed. However, you will not challenge me on this, understand?" Naruto looked a bit bent out of shape over having to hand over his ramen, but did so reluctantly. Sakura and Sasuke both gave frowns to Kakashi.
"Naruto, this is your pack isn't it? I'm going to have to tell mom that you missed her lectures on eating healthy…" Naruto paled considerably as he turned to look at his sister.
"Come on, sis, you don't need to do that! So what if I packed ramen and beef jerky, how was I supposed to know Kakashi-sensei was going to be this mean?" Naruto turned pleading eyes on Hana, who just smirked and shook her head, laughing lightly.
"Put a can in it, blockhead. We're burning daylight, and we still have to introduce you three to your weapons yet. You'll want to get a handle on them so you can even survive in these damn woods at night." Anko's voice was harsh as she pitched a scroll at each of the genin's feet. "Open 'em up, then pair off. Pinky, you're with me. Duckbutt, you get to work with Kakashi. Spikes, you get to work with Hana." Sakura and Sasuke both gave Anko dirty looks as Naruto felt his grin grow.
"I knew you had a soft spot for me, you crazy snake lady! I got the only cool name!" Naruto felt the familiar feeling of his cheek getting nicked by a kunai.
"Yeah, and you really don't want to know what I do with the things I like, got that blockhead?" Naruto nodded quickly, making it almost look like his head was going to fall off.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at his teammates antics before pulling his scroll open to reveal a short blade, about as long as his forearm, with a simple handle. Sasuke picked it up, and hefted it once, before turning to look at Kakashi. "Where are we training at?" Kakashi smiled at the boy before disappearing in a burst of speed. Sasuke jumped up and followed after the man.
"OI! Stop making me look bad, dang it!" Naruto quickly opened his scroll and nodded to Hana. The older girl smiled at her younger brother before disappearing with him into the woods. Sakura for her part slowly unrolled her scroll, keeping a fearful eye on the now grinning Anko.
"That's right, just you and me pinky. You get to learn first-hand how to use a whip…" Sitting there, in front of Sakura was a metal contraption. It had nine sections to it, and had a blade at the end. As the girl lifted it up, she noted rectangular flags were attached to the base of the blade. The chain sections were linked together, and as she held it up, Sakura realized that it stretched from her head all the way down to the ground. "That's a nine-section whip. You're going to learn how to use it this week, and you are going to learn how to use it first, by having me use it on you, and you watch. Until then, you start with this…" Anko pulled what at first looked to be a small snake from her pocket, till Sakura realized it was cured snake hide.
"That is a blacksnake whip, and is what you will start with. When you have impressed me enough, you can graduate to the nine-section whip." Anko's smile took on a feral grin. "Now then, let me show you why whips and chains excite me…" Sakura leapt to her feet and dodged, just in time to see the nine section whip slash into the ground where she had been standing. A moment later, she felt the effects of a genjutsu setting in, and she forced her chakra through her body to quickly release it. When she did, she found the whip already around her neck.
"Now tell me, how did I snare you so easily in that genjutsu?" Sakura flushed at the closeness of the older women, who was pressing a kunai in her other hand against Sakura's back.
"When you struck with it, you channeled genjutsu chakra down the whip and into the colored cloth…" Sakura's response came out in gasps at the tightness of Anko's weapon.
"Hey, you do have a brain! That was very good. Today's first lesson will be in using visual and audio stimuli to generate minor genjutsu. They won't buy you much time in a fight, but you don't need much time if you learn to be ruthless enough." Anko released the girl, who rubbed at her neck absentmindedly. "You first need to manage to make the whip I gave you crack at will. Once you've done that, I'll set up some targets for you. After some target practice, you get to learn how to make a genjutsu from the sounds of a whip cracking, as well as get in some combat practice with using them on me," Anko smiled at the last bit. "Of course, I'm not just going to stand there to get whipped…I have to get in on the fun too you know?" Sakura felt her face pale, but she forced herself to stand and look Anko in the eye.
"Haha, now that's the spirit pinky! Let's see if we can get that brain of yours in the right mindset!" Anko smirked as she set up targets for the girl, chuckling inwardly to herself. 'Oh Ibiki-san, I think I might have found my eventual replacement…'
xXxXxXx
"Hmm…well, your speed is still in need of some work I can see. Oh well, the tree climbing exercise will help with that, no doubt." Kakashi turned to regard Sasuke calmly, taking in the boys panting appearance. "Right then, you get to learn how to use that tanto of yours." Sasuke stood up, forcing his breath even as he regarded Kakashi carefully.
"The training sessions between us, will consist of me first showing you some basic patterns of movement, and then you repeating them. After an hour of that, we have sparring for two hours, where you are to only use the moves that I showed you during the beginning of the session." Sasuke nodded in understanding to Kakashi, but a slight frown was on the boy's face.
"If you are wondering why I'm having you copy my movements, it is because I feel my Sharingan most active at those times. With any luck, sessions like these will help increase the odds of you awakening yours sooner." Sasuke blinked in surprise at the explanation before grinning widely.
"Sounds like fun. Let's get started then." Kakashi smiled tiredly at the boy, pulling out a tanto of his own.
xXxXxXx
"Sis, why do I have to learn how to use a bow? Sakura and Sasuke get cool weapons, and I'm stuck with a lame old bow…" Hana rolled her eyes at her little brother before flicking him lightly in the forehead.
"Quiet you. The bow is a traditional weapon of the Inuzuka. Our bond with dogs and originally wolves stemmed from our history as hunters. Bows are the ancient weapon of our clan, so you were bound to have to learn how to use one at some point." Naruto frowned at the response, but nodded in agreement. "Besides, Kiba doesn't get to start learning how to use his until he's a Chuunin, so you can brag to him about that later!" Hana giggled at the smile that came over the boy's face.
"Why didn't you say that sooner! Oh man, this is going to be awesome!" Hana rolled her eyes again at her brother, and Kurama swatted him with his tail to make the boy quiet down.
"Thanks Kurama" The fox gave the girl an appreciative nod. "Now then, the thing is bows are pretty easy to learn how to use, they just require practice. I'm going to leave you to that on your own time. What I want you to focus on is learning how to make the Gatsuuga pass through into your arrows." Naruto blinked up owlishly at his sister, before nodding and putting on his thinking face.
"So, if the arrows spin like the Gatsuuga, they should be able to pierce a lot of enemies…but wouldn't the chakra of the Gatsuuga destroy the arrow?" Hana smiled at her younger brother before pulling out some oddly shaped arrows.
"These are metal chakra arrows. They are a specialty of our clan, and the secret of making them have been passed down for quite a while. You get to learn how to channel your chakra, in the way that Gatsuuga is performed, into these arrows over the next week." Naruto's eyes seemed to go wide as he looked at the precious tools. Hana smiled at the look, and reached out to ruffle her brother's hair.
"Now then, I've set up some targets in the woods near here. Let's see if you can find and shoot them all down before our time's up, ok?" Naruto nodded in return to this, pulling his bow out from behind his back. It was a simple black compound bow, seemingly made of the same material as the arrows were. The bow had a heavy feel to it, and as Naruto drew the first arrow, he just knew that it would rip straight through almost any normal target.
"Alright, I'll get this down in no time, just you watch!" Naruto nocked the first arrow as he looked around the woods. Spotting a ramen cup up in one of the trees, Naruto felt his eyes go wide in understanding. "You're gonna have me shoot my own food!" His look of outrage turned on Hana, who only smiled mischievously.
"If you don't like my choice in targets, I really will tell mom what you decided to bring on a long-term survival mission…" Her voice was complete sweetness, and Naruto scowled at the girl.
"You're so mean sis…I doubt the others have to deal with teachers as mean as you are…"
xXxXxXx
Three hours later found Sakura passed out in a clearing, her body covered by small cuts, and her head resting lightly against a tree. "Guess I pushed her a little too far…still she's got the fire to master that weapon, so I guess I can let her rest for a bit…" Anko looked down at the girl, and realized that she was reminiscing about her few rare good times as a genin. 'Heh, damn Kakashi…I should be destroying spiders right now, not thinking about helping out some snot nosed brats.' Anko was brought out of her musings as she noticed the approach of Kakashi and Sasuke.
"Took you two long enough! I just got her worn down before you idiots got here…" Anko smirked up at the pair, and noticed Sasuke passing a worried eye over the girl below.
'She really looks beat up…she may still be the least competent on the team, but at least she's learning to pull her own weight.' Sasuke wearily dropped to the ground, wincing in pain at his leg's own protesting. 'Guess I'm hurting a bit too…still, feels great to get this much training done in such a short amount of time.' Sasuke felt himself slide down against the tree, settling in next to the girl.
"Man, what happened to you two, you look like hell warmed over twice!" Naruto landed in the clearing. He looked the least out of shape or breath, and Sasuke scowled up at the boy.
"Unlike someone else, the two of us just worked our asses off for the last three hours." Naruto returned the boy's scowl, before looking away harshly. Sakura woke up at this point, and blinked blearily at the two of them.
"What's up? Is our week over with already?" Sasuke rolled his eyes at the girl and Naruto shook his head ruefully.
"Sorry sleeping beauty, we still have six more days to go until we're released." Sakura blushed at Naruto's compliment, and pulled herself to her feet looking away. 'Cha! Wish Sasuke-kun would say stuff like that…Ino would never live that one down!'
"Well, now that the three of you are up and about, we'll give you a few moments to collect yourselves, and then the three of you are going to go head to head in a sparring match." That got the reaction Kakashi was hoping for; Naruto and Sasuke both perked right up and seemed to be at attention.
"Why don't we make it sporting Kakashi…since the runt has a fox partner, he can fight against Sasuke and Sakura together…" Naruto sputtered and turned an angry eye on Anko.
"This is because I helped blow up your snake nest, isn't it?" Anko merely smiled and winked at the boy, making him growl.
"Come on, second-best. You always are spouting off how you're better than me, well, here is your chance to prove it." Sasuke grinned at Naruto, hoping to goad him into fighting.
"Now remember, this fight is only taijutsu based, no elemental ninjutsu or genjutsu allowed." Kakashi fished around in his pockets before pulling out three more scrolls. "These are your training weapons, they are dulled and blunted so as to prevent permanent injury, however the slashing sections are covered in paint so we know when a direct hit is scored." Naruto gave a feral grin while looking at Sasuke.
"Let's see those eyes of yours beat me know, duckbutt…" Sasuke scowled at the boy and pulled out his own tanto. In an instant, the three ninja had disappeared in a blur, fighting on the nearby open clearing.
"You think it's wise to encourage those two Kakashi…they are both alpha-males by nature…this keeps up and one of them is really going to hurt the other." Kakashi waved off Hana's concern and gave her a lazy eye.
"That's why I have you along Hana, a good medic is there to make sure training accidents in hunter-squads don't go too far. I have a lot of hope for this team, I think they are going to do just fine." Hana rolled her eyes at the lazy scarecrow, and tried to hide her worry as she watched their team go at each other viciously.
xXxXxXx
Naruto and Sasuke stood panting, each facing the other. Sakura and Kurama had bowed out a while ago, and now sat on the sidelines, watching the fight silently. Each boy was shaking from the effort of standing, and seemed to be on their last legs.
"You…are…a right bastard…you know that, right?" Sasuke smirked and nodded at the boy, too weak himself to say anything. The two boys rushed forward, each gripping a practice kunai, before thrusting at each other. Sasuke had just enough reach on Naruto for his to land first, and knock the boy to the side.
"Sorry…but you still come up short, Naruto…" Sasuke reached a hand down to help the boy up, and Naruto grabbed on, pulling himself to his feet.
"That was good you three…though Sakura, you need to continue to work on your stamina once this training mission is over with." Sakura nodded to Kakashi as he approached the clearing. "Well, you three are done for the day, and there are a few hours left. Hana and Anko have removed the food from the training area, so you're on your own for food for the next couple of days. Good luck, and try not to get killed. We'll stop back in for training tomorrow morning at the same time." Kakashi smiled at the group, and pitched several bottles of water to the kids. Turning, he waved lazily over his shoulder as he exited the clearing.
Both boys seized on the water, and immediately began guzzling it down. Sasuke came up first from his drinking, and looked around the training ground. There were small craters here and there from where Sasuke and Naruto had thrown each other. 'Though he still is second best, he is not a bad opponent in taijutsu…' Shaking his head, the boy took another swig of water before looking at the others.
"We should head back to our campsite. Sakura, even though you bowed out earlier, you still look the most tired, so you should manage the camp while Naruto and I get wood and food." Sakura nodded in acceptance to that, and Kurama raced over to jump on top of Naruto's shoulders.
"I'll get the food Sasuke. My bow will let me hunt things from a distance, and with your fire jutsu you'll be better off starting the fire." Sasuke nodded neutrally as the group turned to go about their evening tasks.
xXxXxXx
Naruto pulled back on the bow string, watching as the rabbit came into sight. It was a mother rabbit, and Naruto had been following it to her den. 'Hard to believe that things like rabbits live in this forest, but I guess that the denizens need to live on something…' It killed part of the boy to do this, but he knew that predators and prey were a part of the brutal circle of life. Drawing the string back to its utmost, Naruto sighed in and out, waiting for the rabbit to pause in the clearing.
The rabbit suddenly froze as it placed itself in front of a small hole. Kurama had slinked into the clearing, and was giving off a low growl. The rabbit found itself torn between placing itself between its family and its predator, and running. It was then that Naruto loosed the arrow, turning away right before the shot struck home.
Naruto swallowed hard as he stood in front of the slain rabbit, and turned himself away from the sight of Kurama fishing the baby rabbits from out of the den. They were fairly large, which was good. With six of them, that meant enough meat for tonight and the morning. Still, Naruto had to fight to keep his gag reflex down as he skinned them.
When Naruto returned to the clearing, he saw a small fire going, and that Sasuke and Sakura had scrounged up enough tubers for a small stew. Naruto stepped into the clearing, the meat being carried in a net bag. He set it down near the fire and started cooking it. Upon seeing his downtrodden face, neither Sasuke nor Sakura knew what to say.
Sakura came over to the fire first, pulled out the meat, and skewered it, sticking it into the fire. She noticed Naruto look away as he did so, and Kurama duck his head, curling into Naruto's neck. "Thank you Naruto…without this, we might not have the strength to go on tomorrow." Naruto's head came around at that, and Sakura had to fight to continue while faced with the grief in his eyes. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. You're a really dependable teammate, and I'm glad I get to work with you." Naruto bit back his words, his face going hard as he struggled not to say anything stupid.
"What she said, Inuzuka. I appreciate what you've done, and will take on some of the burden tomorrow as well." Naruto looked up in surprise at Sasuke, who had a neutral, but appreciative look on his face. Naruto felt the pain leave his face, but nodded in agreement. With that, the three turned and looked into the fire, each silently awaiting their coming meal.
xXxXxXx
"Well, the days sure have passed quickly, haven't they guys?" Kakashi looked over his group of genin, and smiled at each of them. They had on the same outfits as when they went into the woods, but the man could see that the team that had gone in had not come out. Sakura had her whip positioned at her hip, and seemed to brush her hands over it quite often. The girl had worked the hardest overall after the first day, and had even gotten Anko to hand over the nine-section whip already, a testament to her blossoming skill. Sasuke seemed to grip his tanto tightly at all times, his hands constantly sheathing and unsheathing it, just to hear the sound the weapon made. Naruto had matured quite a bit, becoming quieter and checking over his bow every evening. He cleaned it religiously, and kept the arrows clean at all times. Still, Kakashi took pride in the fact that the three seemed to like working with each other, and had really developed into a team after a week from hell.
"Yeah, but you rookies are nowhere near as green as when you started…I think the Hokage should have this be mandatory for new teams to go through at some point, it really helped you three out a lot! I can't even call you all blockheads anymore!" The three kids smirked at Anko, each remembering their training with them in their own specific ways. "That's right, from now on, you three have graduated to grunts and underlings, people I have to give some grudging respect." All three kids rolled their eyes at the woman, but smiles were on each of their faces, except Sasuke who continued with a slight scowl.
"Come on, you three worked hard. I personally am most proud of Sakura, she improved the most drastically, I'd say." Hana smiled at the girl. Though their first introduction had been rough, they had gotten to know each other better throughout the week and had really bonded.
"Thanks, Hana-senpai. I'm going to keep working on those scrolls you left me, and become a medic in no time. Same to you, Anko-senpai! I promise I'll work really hard and make you both proud." The two women smiled at Sakura, Anko coming up to muss her hair a bit and lean in close to the girl's ear.
"Just remember what I said…dress like you mean business after this, keep the hair in a bun, and…" Sakura blushed slightly, already knowing what was coming next, "The more repressed a guy is, the hotter it will be when he finally cuts loose…" Sakura fought off the nose bleed and her desire to look at Sasuke. That was one thing Anko had beaten into her head the whole week, was how tough guys like him did not want fan girls following after him.
"Well, I'll see you at home later, okay Naruto?" Naruto nodded at Hana, who came over and crushed him into a hug. "And if you ever need help again, just let me know, ok?" Naruto tried to squirm away as he heard Sakura giggle and saw Sasuke smirk at him lightly.
"Alright, I get it sis, now let me go!" Hana just smirked and ruffled his hair before running over to Kakashi.
"Keep them safe for me, will you?" Kakashi nodded before the girl jumped off into the trees.
"Alright you three, since the day is still young, we're going to go get you your first ninja mission!" Naruto and Sasuke each grinned at the other and Sakura smiled lightly as they followed Kakashi out of the training ground that had been their home for a week.
xXxXxXx
Alright, now that I have the training out of the way, the ninja missions can begin…and yeah, there will be D-ranked missions to start with, as well as a cameo or two before the official start of the wave mission.
Now then, after rereading the comments, I found there were still some other answers out there that I had not given. To start with, Naruto's change in hair color is an affectation of the seal that Minato created to hide his identity. It allows him to take on an appearance similar to whatever family decided to adopt him. It fades slightly when the fox is active, as that overpowers the cosmetic changes that Minato had intended. In addition, his clan markings are part of the Inuzuka Clan secret arts I have decided. Over time, the fang marks allow a chakra connection to their partners. As for Naruto, his have developed more as whiskers than as fang markings. His have a smaller needle tip near his mouth, but flare out as they proceed away from his face. Also, as I said before, no plans for a pairing, but I'm thinking of maybe having one inside the village. Have to see how the characters interact when I write that in a couple of the chapters. Have to say though, I am not planning on having a diplomatic marriage, sorry to those that are interested in that. I'm trying that in my other story, and it is just giving me no end of headaches.
Moving on, Sasuke as the taijutsu specialist. The reason for this is that, with his Sharingan, he can see his enemies move before they happen. If he can then get his speed up to match, he can counter almost any known style. On top of that, he makes more sense as a general combatant, as he has access to all elements. As long as he knows a basic technique for each of them, he can push himself to get stronger at fighting all types of combatants. As for his multiple 'affinities' those are due to the Sharingan line. The Uchiha were feared far and wide, and known as jutsu stealers. On top of that, with the ability to progress into the Rinnengan, which has access to all elements, it only makes sense that the Uchiha had at least fledgling abilities in each elemental area. To sum up, because Sasuke can use all elements, and can react to all fighting styles he is fast enough to counter, he can use the minimum amount of chakra to take on a large number of lesser skilled foes quite easily. Until he builds up his reserves though, Naruto is better suited for the heavy hitters, as he has the sheer volume of chakra to throw at tougher opponents. While Naruto could develop quickly into a powerhouse, by breaking down and regenerating muscle quickly, he still would have to learn the physical forms and patterns like a normal person (even with Shadow Clones, as muscle memory, I believe, does not transfer). Sasuke on the other hand, can pick up a difficult style, as well as its speed and power, inside of a month for his own personal use. The more fighters he faces, the faster he can learn such tricks, keeping him ahead of almost anyone. The Uchiha I feel had a right to feel superior, and Itachi as one of their best was able to kill them (with I believe help from Tobi, but that's in anime version I think).
As for Naruto not picking up elements from the other families, I think that elements would be passed kind of epi-genetically. So, if a former family member used them, they would be more likely to pass on. Minato, I'm saying for my story, came from a line of wind users, one of the only family of them in Konoha. Kushina though, came from a family of seal users; elements were left to the side in favor of developing sealing proficiency. Tsume, while Naruto's mother, and while Naruto has some of her physical characteristics due to Minato's seal, does not pass on any of the Inuzuka traits for elemental mastery. As for Naruto developing the fangs of the Inuzuka, that occurs through a ritual of the clan, a clan held secret which I will expand upon much later in the story.
