Chapter 4: Tests
Hinata stood on the roof of a building, in the shadow of a water tower, looking out into a middle distance over Konoha as she observed the morning sky. Idly she thought over how her experience as a mage had so changed her training as a ninja. She had cover, but her position was exposed on three sides and she hadn't moved in some time. Too, her stance was relaxed and unguarded. As a ninja, she was trained to always be alert for enemies, even at home, and to be ready to defend herself. As a mage, however, she knew the unobtrusive ring on her finger gave her a better defense than any reasonable effort she could put into her daily routine would afford. Besides, she was not so lost in her view of the landscape as to ignore her other senses. She heard her target approaching.
He was yelling.
"…saving that for Sakura!"
"There isn't a girl alive that wants a shuriken for her birthday!"
"She's a ninja!"
"It was dented, dull, and useless! Like everything else in that pigsty!"
"Hey, the stove is not useless!"
"Naruto, there were two kinds of food in your apartment. Food that was spoiled, and food that was ramen."
"That's no reason to throw out the ramen!"
Hinata smiled softly and twiddled her fingers. Naruko had really beaten the slob out of Naruto over the past year. She had no doubt that the state of Naruto's apartment had been a shock to the boy's familiar, to say nothing of his pantry.
Hinata had no idea how Naruko was such a great cook, but she wasn't about to complain. A year of eating her cooking was almost enough to ruin Naruto's taste for cheap ramen. Almost.
The squabbling pair passed below the building Hinata was standing on so she decided to join them. She stepped off the edge and calmly fell free for a moment before her magic bouyed her. This wasn't flight, with Gentle Arc in standby she wasn't strong enough to fly, but her fall slowed and she landed in an easy crouch. "Hello Naruto, Naruko," she said softly.
"Hey, Hinata," Naruto greeted, as if pretty girls falling out of the sky was an everyday occurrence. "How did it go seeing your family again?"
Hinata's slight smile vanished to be replaced by confusion. "I'm not sure," the Hyuuga heiress admitted. "Everyone was looking at me strangely but no one said anything. It was very confusing."
The blondes blinked at that and Naruko shrugged, an ear twitching. "Maybe they're going to leave you alone?" she asked hopefully.
Hinata smiled a bit at the girl's optimism, but nothing was ever that simple.
Neji frowned from the shadows. Something was wrong with Hinata. She had been in the range of his divination long enough for him to tell that the silly schoolgirl had changed. She was at least a year older than she had been yesterday, she moved like one seasoned by experience, and she had a ring which tapped a trickle of her chakra.
But she was not seasoned as a ninja was, constantly in danger of painful death or worse. She was not watching for threats or keeping away from exposed positions. She held herself in a way that could never respond quickly to attack. And most strangely of all, when she jumped from the roof she didn't fall right. Had she merely chosen a poor stance and landed badly that would have been excusable for the poor excuse of a ninja, but she had landed perfectly. No, the problem was that she did not fall quickly enough. Something, some invisible thing, had caught her fall and slowed her to a comfortable landing. And that fall had accompanied a greater drain on her chakra from that ring of hers.
Most damning of all, of course, was that the shy little girl had chosen to leave her high place to join the subject of her long-time crush, Naruto Uzumaki. Hinata's fascination with the boy was a secret from no one in the Hyuuga, and had been tolerated only because Hinata maintained a discrete distance. If the silly girl was actually seeking a relationship now, it would be an embarrassment to the Main Family.
Neji was just fine with that. He sneered at the girl and her chosen paramour from his unseen position and abandoned his self-appointed post. He had his own team to attend to, after all. Hinata was a failure fate, and whatever happened to her had entangled her with another, worse failure. Obviously she had attempted to buck her fate, and just as obviously she had failed. Neji allowed a cold smile. She had warned her last time they sparred, yes he did. The only reward for defying fate was suffering.
Iruka Umino smiled slightly as his graduating class wandered in. The final class at the Academy was always bitter-sweet, a time when memories sung loudly in the faces of children he'd trained to adjust to the harsh ninja world. Each year had its ups and downs, each class had its oddballs. Each student had a story to tell and a story yet to be written. But few classes were as…intriguing as this one. Memories flashed as his eyes roved over the students filling the classroom.
Sakura Haruno, first ninja in her family as far as he knew. Brilliant mind but flighty, and a natural leader among the prepubescent kunoichi.
Ino Yamanaka, heir to the mentalists of the Leaf. As bitchy as they get, but the girl had talent.
Shikamaru Nara, the lazy genius. Iruka had never been able to predict when the student would actually do something, and no one had ever kept up with his thought process when he did.
Sasuke Uchiha, Rookie of the Year. Few students changed so much so quickly as he had. The bright boy that admired his brother was a thing of the past, but Iruka still saw some of the light of that talented boy that laughed so easily.
The class grew quiet with confusion as the door opened again, and Iruka didn't have to look to know who had entered.
Hinata Hyuuga, the wallflower. Humility in a Hyuuga was unheard of, yet there she was. You'd never expect it with her reputation, but her taijutsu was an easy contender for best in the class and her ninjutsu was not far behind. She was no threat to Sakura's academic standing, but the biggest thing holding her back from contending for Rookie of the Year was a lack of determination.
Naruto Uzumaki, completely indefinable. The best students teach their teachers something about themselves. Iruka had learned what it meant to be a teacher at the hands of a boy everyone thought was unteachable. How could they have been so wrong? Naruto had blossomed under attention, and while he was barely passing his enthusiasm and hard work were obvious. Not since Rock Lee had Iruka seen a spirit so unwilling to be crushed.
Iruka looked over the two…three children standing in the doorway to the classroom. Naruto and Hinata had literally changed overnight as far as the ninja world was concerned; even by ninja standards that was a few steps past the usual. It would take time to become used to their matured features, tempered by age and experience. Naruto's excitable, stumbling run had been replaced with an easy, utterly confidant stride. Hinata's closed, timid shuffle had also broken out into a shy, timid walk.
And then there was the fox girl, Naruko. Ears and tail quite beside the point, that girl wasn't normal. Only a handful of kunoichi ever dressed so revealingly, and he'd never met one that had such a blasé attitude or outright swagger in her gait. She exuded pure confidence beyond even Naruto, like she was in complete control of everything that actually mattered in the world. After a moment taking in her stance, Iruka decided that she should never meet Anko Mitarashi. At least, not when he was in the country.
Iruka was brought out of his own musings as his students started coming up with their own reactions. Shikamaru startled him with the calculating expression on his usually disinterested face. Kiba was sniffing the air in confusion. Shino…was a lost cause as far as reading him went. Sasuke didn't care. Choji had a chip frozen halfway to his mouth. Ino looked to Iruka, obviously hoping for an explanation.
Sakura had by far the most violent reaction, standing up and slamming her hands on the desk. "Naruto!" she snapped. "Stop using that perverted jutsu!" She grabbed a book and threw it at Naruto's head.
The rest of the class visibly relaxed. Naruto did something, Sakura yelled and hit him, Naruto boasts about becoming the Hokage, Iruka yells at him and/or Sasuke smirks mockingly, it was a familiar, comfortable routine.
A routine that shattered when Naruko shoved her hand between Sakura's projectile and Naruto's face. "Round shield!" she declared, like she was focusing a jutsu. And despite the lack of hand seals she succeeded, quickly forming a circular diagram of a seven pointed star centered on her hand, less than a foot wide. The book impacted the glowing crimson diagram, apparently solid despite the many gaps between the mystic lines, and promptly reversed course like it hit a springboard. Sakura barely had time to duck. Sasuke showed interest for the first time, staring at the strange jutsu.
Naruko let the shield fade and placed one hand on her hip, shifting her weight to glare at Sakura from a posture appropriate to an alpha female. "You did not just call me a perverted jutsu, girl," she snapped. "Let's get this straight, my name's Naruko. I expect you to remember it, I expect you to use it, and maybe we won't have problems like this again. Got it?"
"Yare yare," Naruto muttered, shaking his head.
"Naruko," Hinata said softly, "I think you might be overdoing it."
Naruko blinked and looked at them, a childish innocence demolishing her unyielding display of just a heartbeat ago. "Really?"
"This is going to become very troublesome," Shikamaru noted. The majority of the class just nodded dumbly.
Iruka sighed. "Naruto, Hinata, take your seats. Naruko, you can," he was about to suggest she hang out in back when she glowed bright red for a moment, her form becoming indistinct in the glow that…collapsed in on itself? A moment later he was looking at a small red-furred fox. She jumped on Naruto's shoulder and looked at Iruka smugly. The teacher shook his head. "Or that," he finished lamely.
Kiba stared at the new fox, curled up around Naruto's shoulders not unlike how he carried Akamaru. "What's going on?" he demanded. "Didn't Naruto fail? What's he doing here? Why is he wearing a headband? Who's the fox?" Murmurs of agreement wove through the class as others gave voice to their own confusion.
Iruka shook his head. "The details are currently classified," he announced. "However I was told that I could offer some basic information. Last night, Mizuki performed acts of treason against Konohagakure and attempted to involve Naruto in his plot. Thanks in large part to Naruto and Hinata, he was captured. Both of them have received official commendations for their actions, and I personally passed Naruto as a genin."
"So it's like an honorary thing?" Sakura asked with a sneer. Naruto had sat next to her as usual, but wasn't hitting on her yet. Maybe he was afraid that if a real genin got mad at him he'd lose that fake headband of his.
"Defeating a chunin in single combat is a truer test of ability than making a bunshin," Iruka said sharply. "Naruto earned his headband as surely as anyone else in this room."
"Except the fox," Kiba pointed out.
Naruko lifted her head. "I don't have a headband, dummy," she said sarcastically.
"You can talk like that?" Choji asked in mild surprise.
"No," Naruko shot back. "What you're hearing is a figment of your imagination." A piece of chalk flew by her head. "Yipe!"
Iruka hefted another bit of chalk and glared at the fox. "Miss Uzumaki, you will not interrupt my class. Clear?"
"Clear, sir," Naruko said with…well she wasn't contrite but at least she wasn't being arrogant any more. Good enough.
"Thank you. Now, as I was saying. The fallout of this treason led to the changes in Naruto and Hinata that you have already seen, as well as the arrival of Naruko. Questions?"
Oh yes, there were questions. At a nod from Iruka, the class descended on Naruto. "Why do you look older?"
"We aged about a year," Naruto said, thinking over what the Hokage had said was safe to talk about.
"Is it permanent?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded. Unless he henged himself younger.
"You grew a lot. Does that throw off your balance?"
"Nah, it didn't happen all at once for me."
Sasuke looked up. "You experienced that year," he accused. Itachi could only lock someone in a genjutsu for three days. Had Mizuki known a greater jutsu?
Naruto nodded. "Yes."
"What was it?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
"Classified," Naruto said. MidChilda was top of the list of things they couldn't talk about.
"Were you alone?"
"Classified."
"Did Mizuki do this to you?"
"Classified," Naruto repeated, scowling at the Uchiha. "Drop it."
"What's Naruko?" Kiba asked.
"A fox," Naruko answered the question.
"And I'm Queen of the Elemental Countries," Kiba snorted.
Naruko's eyes widened comically. "Your majesty!"
Kiba was grinding his teeth when Naruto intervened. "She's my familiar," he said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked. Stupid Naruto making up words.
"Classified," Naruto said simply.
Iruka saw everyone was getting hung up on the secrets and called an end to the questions. "Now, as you are all genin, you will be assigned to three man teams under a jonin while you perform missions. A handful of you have been selected for other duties, however." He pulled out the list and ignored everyone staring at Naruto and Hinata, expecting their names to be called. He called out a few names of people sent to cryptography, the division of paperwork, the diplomatic service, and other positions suitable for those trained in and understanding of the ninja lifestyle but lacked the temperament to be in the field. None of the names he called were a surprise to anyone, save one.
"Shino Aburami, you will report to…oh sweet mercy. Anko Mitarashi. Please try to keep her away from the rest of us."
Iruka folded up that list and pulled out another. "The rest of you have been assigned field duty. Konohagakure currently has seven regular field teams in service; one through six and nine. The nine of you will form teams seven, eight, and ten.
"Team Seven, under Kakashi; Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba." Iruka paused for Ino's shriek of outrage and Sakura's gloating to pass. Sasuke just brooded and Kiba grumbled about useless fangirls and emo brats.
"Team Eight under Kurenai;l Naruto, Hinata, and Naruko." Almost no reaction that time, but Hinata smiled a bit.
Naruto shrugged at Iruka. "Wouldn't make sense to split us up, sensei."
Iruka nodded to the point. "And Team Ten, under Asuma, is obviously Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji." Other than Ino grumbling about Sasuke, Team Ten also seemed to expect their fate.
Iruka smiled. These teams were better organized than most after all. Only one team really had any complaints, and with two prodigies on it he was sure Team Seven would become a rising star in the genin world. They might even take the Chunin Exams in under two years.
"Now, if you'll report to your room assignments, your jonin are waiting for you…"
Naruto opened the door and looked in to an empty classroom. "Hello?" Silence. He turned back to look at Hinata and Naruko, now back in her (mostly) human form. "No one's there."
Hinata frowned. "Kurenai is not usually late," she said.
"You know her?" Naruko asked.
Hinata nodded slightly. "She was hired by my father to tutor me against genjutsu," she explained. "I believe it was counted as a C-rank mission. She stayed in touch ever since."
Naruto grinned. "Genjutsu, huh?"
Hinata nodded. "Yes, she was very good at it."
"Gungnir," Naruto addressed his bracer, "how many people are in this room?"
[Four, boss.]
Hinata eeped and wove the handsigns for her Byakugan.
Naruto's grin widened. "You might as well come out, sensei."
The air twisted and suddenly Kurenai was standing in front of them, looking impressed despite her scowl. "If I had been an enemy, I would have killed you the moment you asked that gem of yours if I was here," she told Naruto. "We clearly have a long way to go with subtlety training."
Naruko giggled. "You have no idea."
Kurenai turned her scowl to Naruko. "Your teammates managed to find me in seconds. You didn't even try. It is good to have teamwork, but it is bad to be dependent on it. If your teammates die, you need to keep going. Initiative training for you."
Although she had said nothing to attract attention, Kurenai rounded on Hinata next. "You know me best, yet Naruto figured it out. Deductive reasoning skills, young lady."
Kurenai looked over her team one more time and her scowl softened into a smile. "That said, you did much better than I would have thought," she said happily. "I was afraid your ninja skills had completely deteriorated over your year away. Now, as you know I am Kurenai Yuhi, your jonin instructor. You will be my first genin team, and I promise to do what I can to help you reach your goals. Now I know you know eachother pretty well, but I'm afraid I don't, so why don't we have a round of introduction. Naruto?"
"Sure! Um," Naruto hesitated, "what do you want to know?"
"Well the usual introduction is your name, your goals as a ninja, your likes and dislikes, that sort of thing. For you three, why don't we add your favorite jutsu or…what were they called?"
"Spells," Hinata supplied.
"Favorite spell, okay. And maybe an idea of what you did to earn your 'mage ranks.'"
Naruto nodded. "Naruto Uzumaki, the future Godaime Hokage," he announced proudly. "My goal is to protect everyone who is important to me. I like ramen, my friends," Hinata blushed to Kurenai's amusement, "and helping people. I don't…I don't like the thing I'm not sure if I should tell you about," he finished softly. "The thing Mizuki told me."
Kurenai's eyes widened slightly. "I know about it," she said.
Naruto nodded. "Okay then. I have terrible dreams that he was right. That someday the kyuubi is going to take me over and I won't be able to stop him."
Kurenai looked at Hinata and Naruko. "You know about this?"
"I was there when Mizuki told him," Hinata said softly.
"I'm his familiar," Naruko said.
Kurenai nodded slightly. Naruto having friends was a new idea, according to the Sandaime. That he had friends that accepted him while knowing he carried the demon fox was practically inconceivable.
"Anyway," Naruto said, visibly shaking off the dour mood, "my favorite jutsu is kage bunshin. My favorite spell is barrier wall. And I'm a B+ rank composite mage because I'm only a B rank aerial mage, but my kage bunshin counts as a 'rare skill.' That's about chunin, I guess, but I'm really focused on barriers and shields."
Kurenai blinked and absorbed that. If the scale was accurate, Naruto would be able to put up some impressive defensive jutsu. She turned to Hinata. "Hinata?"
Hinata studied the floor carefully and spoke so softly Kurenai leaned in unconsciously. "I'm Hinata. I want…I want to be stronger for…for…"
Kurenai savagely crushed the amused grin that threatened to break out at the shy girl's discomfort. A glance told her Naruko had no such restraint and Naruto was confused. Clueless, Kurenai decided.
Hinata managed to get going again without finishing her statement. "My favorite jutsu is the byakugan," she said without passion. It was certainly useful but it was so familiar to her that it was like asking what her favorite hand was. "My favorite spell is regenerate. I'm a B+ rank ground mage, because the juuken makes me more valuable on the ground than in the air."
Kurenai nodded. So Hinata had something like medical jutsu. She turned to Naruko, the only one she didn't know something of.
Naruko grinned. "I'm Naruko, although I suppose I'll start getting called Naruko Uzumaki. I'm here to keep Naruto out of trouble. I don't really have any jutsu, but I can pull off something you'd call a henge as easy as breathing. My favorite spell is chain bind. I'm a B rank familiar because I don't know that many spells yet, even though I generate mana by tapping the kyuubi."
Kurenai paled at that last. "What did you say?"
"Did I forget to mention that?" Naruko said with innocent sweetness and an evil grin. She was clearly enjoying this. "Idiot here didn't use a proper fox when he made me; I'm the kyuubi."