A/N: I'm gonna start putting the author's note at the bottom after this chapter. When I go through the earlier chapters to update grammar I'm going to make a few things more clear. Nothing about the story will be changed. It was just brought to my attention that I was too vague on certain points. So quick rundown of facts: Kakashi started talking to Naruko when she was 8, Ichaicha can translate to "make out" or "flirt" and that's how Naruko decided he was a pervert, the scrolls she studied were stolen from the ninja library, higher level skills came from the restricted section, and I think that was all. Enjoy the chapter!
CHAPTER 4: Pervert-sensei
Only three people were in classroom 103 as the clock read four. Sasuke sat in his normal brooding pose near the front of the class. His usual blue and white outfit seemed to contrast with the black headband of his new forehead protector. Somehow he seemed even more troubled than normal. He muttered under his breath occasionally but the words were lost to the room's other occupants.
Hinata sat at the back of the classroom nervously playing with the hem of her black T-shirt. Underneath she wore a set of long sleeve mesh armor. Her dark purple shorts reached to just above her knees, and more mesh armor could be seen going down to her black sandles. The outfit was Naruko's idea to offer protection, and to not leave anything loose for an opponent to grab.
Hinata had selected the dark purple to go along with the black in an attempt to remain stealthy while still incorporating her favorite color. She was unused to not having her oversized jacket and found herself missing it. Though she had often been grabbed by the baggy clothing in her spars with Naruko. Usually that ended with a throw, joint lock or just being pulled into a strike. Either way it was a painful experience. Hinata couldn't find an argument to use against Naruko's suggestion for more practical outfits.
In keeping with that ideal she had cut her hair so that it reached the top of her jaw at the sides. The hairs gradually became shorter the closer to the back of her head they were. Her bangs hung over her forehead protector but stayed safely above her eyes. Even if her dojutsu let her see through objects she couldn't have it activated all the time.
The taller girl was also in a full set of mesh armor. Her black T-shirt and crimson shorts matched Hinata's new set. Though she also had on the training weights Teuchi had gotten her 4 years prior. The outer fabric was brand new as the old cloth had been worn from harsh training. They still had Ichiraku's written on the back but the front was adorned by an all red depiction of a ramen bowl. Ayame had been practicing her sewing and wanted to do something special for the new cloth.
She was also sporting a new haircut, but hers was even shorter. The hair on the sides and back of her head was less than an inch long. The top was longer, but still too short for anyone to grab properly. Naruko had needed assistance with cutting her hair, and after seeing how well Hinata had done on her own she asked her for help. That had elicited a blush from the girl like most compliments did. Naruko had teased her for it playfully which only made the shy girl turn a darker shade of red. At this point that could describe about half of their one-on-one interactions if you excluded sparing.
Naruko paced at the front of the classroom as she anxiously awaited their new sensei. "Just what the hell is taking so damn long!?" It had been hours since the other teams had been picked up by their jonin commanders. They had all probably started training already but team 7 was stuck waiting around. To pass the time she idly thought about earlier that day...
OoOoO
Iruka had just finished his speech on the true nature of a ninja and what it meant to be on the path that they were now starting down. Most of the class looked bored with his lecture. They were ready to move on to a life of more specialized training and performing missions. The man kept giving proud smiles to his students as he spoke. Finally he moved on to naming off the teams. Most of the students only listened in for the names of themselves or their friends.
Hinata was anxious. She spent a lot of time fiddling with the top of her new outfit. Naruko thought it was cute that the girl was so unused to her new attire. The mesh kept her forearms from being entirely uncovered but they were certainly more exposed than before. You could even see the bumps of her budding bosom pushing her shirt out at her chest. Naruko decided to tease her friend, "You know, whenever you pull on the bottom of your shirt like that it makes your chest more pronounced."
Hinata immediately went beet red, and the girl hastily let go of her clothes. Naruko stifled a laugh as she caught a glare from Iruka for talking. She made an exaggerated bowing motion by way of apology while she covered her mouth with her hand. Hinata was somewhere between sulking and pouting next to the giggling girl as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruko…" -Hinata straightened up and held her breath- "Hyuga Hinata…" she sprang up from her seat!
"YES!" A loud cheer of victory was made with one fist raised entire class stared at the girl like she had just grown a third eye. Naruko laughed loudly while holding onto her stomach. Iruka's glare in their direction snapped Hinata out of the daydream that had started. She quickly retook her seat while muttering an apology to her sensei.
Naruko's banging loudly on the table served to further her embarrassment. The indigo haired girl came dangerously close to fainting before the blonde finally managed to compose herself. Naruko had known in advance who her teammates were gonna be, but had wanted to see how Hinata delt with the suspense. That reaction was totally worth it.
Iruka loudly cleared his throat to regain the class's attention and continued, "...and finally Uchiha Sasuke." A chorus of soft whining followed that name. If either of the girls on his team had shown an interest in Sasuke romantically then there probably would have been an even bigger disturbance. Sasuke was mostly indifferent to his team formation, but a small part of him liked that he'd have more opportunities to test himself against Hinata. 'I'm going to surpass her!'
Iruka continued on reading from his clipboard "Team 8, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino." Sakura blushed as she looked at Akamaru, happy to at least have one cute teammate. Meanwhile Kiba shot a death glare at the stoic Shino. Kiba hadn't scored as high as the other boy, and now he felt he had something to prove.
The next team was full of bland kids who had made no impression on Naruko, but team 10 had a few characters in it. "Team 10, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji." Ino had a determined fire in her eyes, the sight of which made Shikamaru groan. Choji said something reassuring to his lazy friend. Iruka concluded by advising them all to take lunch with their teammates, and be back in an hour to meet their new sensei.
Most of the teams had followed the advice. Even if they weren't friends already they would need to get used to spending time together. Sasuke had different ideas than his classmates. Immediately he used the substitution justsu with a rock outside. The boy rushed off on his own for a quick lunch, and as much training as he could squeeze in.
Naruko merely shrugged at his actions. By now his self imposed isolation didn't bother her. She instead focused her energies on asking Hinata where she wanted to eat the bento she had made for them. Hinata was still blushing deeply from her outburst earlier. The girl softly suggested a picnic at the park.
They walked there quietly as Hinata was still very embarrassed. By the time they arrived Naruko had had enough of the quiet. She spent the hour teasing the Hyuga about her outburst, and really anything else she could think of. The blonde didn't know why, but she seemed to enjoy teasing her friend more and more as time went on. When they packed up to head back Hinata wanted to sink into the ground. The girl was also in a way proud that she had survived an entire 45 minutes of being teased without fainting.
OoOoO
Naruko tried again to puzzle out why she enjoyed seeing her friend blush so much. She kept trying to think of it as part of her work to boost the girl's confidence. The act of helping a friend made her happy, it was simple! However that just didn't seem to explain it in its entirety.
She was distracted from her thoughts by the classrom door sliding open. She turned around and was shocked by the sight before her, "P-Pervert-san! What are you doing here? It's bad enough that you are always reading that smut. Don't add stalking to your list of bad habits!"
Sasuke and Hinata were both shocked that Naruko apparently knew this man. Hinata recognized the name Pervert-san from Naruko venting about the man to her. He had a weird way of getting under her skin without actually needing to do much of anything. The masked figure sweatdropped, "Well I guess you three must be my genin then. Team 7, right?" Naruko fell back in disbelief with a look of abject horror on her face. "I'll take that as a yes. Meet up on the roof in 5 minutes. Don't be late."
He disappeared in a poof of smoke after giving his instructions. Naruko shuddered for a few moments as she tried to convince herself that this couldn't be happening. Then his last comment sunk in and rage overpowered her. She bellowed furiously, "Who the hell are you to talk about being late!"
Sasuke walked past her calmly on his way to the stairs. The notion that his sensei already knew one of his teammates bothered him. This might lead to favoritism that didn't work to the benefit of his training. The test yesterday had shown him that he needed to be completely focused on getting stronger. It was bad enough that he had lost the past few hours to waiting for his sensei to bother showing up. He couldn't abide the idea of more of his time being wasted.
Hinata made her way to the front of the room with a sympathetic smile. She knew that this must be really hard on Naruko. At this point she had heard many stories about the verbal spars the two neighbors had over the years. Naruko had not once come out feeling like the winner of the encounter. The pale eyed girl put a hand on the shoulder of her nearly hyperventilating crush.
Naruko whipped her head over to Hinata and took a few deep breaths upon seeing the sympathy in her face. "Thank you for that Hinata-chan. I'll be fine now." She gave an unconvincing smile to the Hyuga as they started on their way to the roof. The whole way Naruko tried to calm herself while Hinata worried about how this new development would affect the blonde.
The jonin was sitting on the railing reading his favorite book. His entire demeanor screamed out that he was completely relaxed and a little bored. Sasuke had popped a squat on the couple of steps infront of him looking slightly impatient. Naruko refused to look at her new jonin commander as she sat down with her arms folded infront of her chest. Hinata sat close to her, for moral support of course.
"Ah, so we're all here now. Let's start with some introductions. State your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and any goals you have. Why don't we start with the guy who thinks white is a good color for a ninja." Kakashi put his book away into his equipment pouch. Now that everyone was there he seemed to focus his attention on Sasuke.
The boy scoffed in a manner that showed he thought this was a waste of time. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like getting stronger and dislike wasting time. My only hobby is to train. It's more of an inevitability than a goal, but I will kill a certain man, and after that restore my clan."
Kakashi replied in the same bored tone as usual. Apparently there was nothing shocking about what the boy had said, "Very singularly focused, but I can work with that. Next let's hear from Naruko-chan's tag along."
Hinata eeped and blushed at the man's comment. She didn't object for more reasons than her timid nature. The Hyuga couldn't refute that her entire body language showed her concern for her friend. "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I like training, and spending time with Naruko-chan. I dislike how the villagers treat Naruko-chan, and my clan's caged bird seal. My hobbies are to train, collect medicinal herbs, and cook. I hope to one day become a strong kunoich,i and help bridge the gap between the two branches of my clan."
Kakashi noded and gave her an eye smile. She had more diverse interests than Sasuke, but at least she didn't seem to be one of those fangirl kunoichi that plagued this generation. He remarked in a slightly less bored tone, "Those are very noble goals, and I can certainly help with one of those. Last let's hear from pouty."
Naruko growled lowly and stared daggers at him as she spoke, "You all already know my name. I like training, Ichiraku's ramen and spending time with Hinata-chan. I dislike some of the traditions of the Hyuga clan. I especially dislike being saddled with perverts! My hobbies are to train and hang out with Hinata-chan. All of you already know that I'm going to have my face put up on that mountain within the next 10 years." With that she pointed a finger at the hokage monument.
Kakashi tsked a few times as he shook his head disapprovingly, "Now Naruko-chan how do you expect to become Hokage if you can't respect your elders? To become Hokage you need to have a lot of support from people in high positions. Most of them being old, rather perverted men."
Naruko grumbled under her breath, and in a moment of compassion Hinata was able to gently rub the girl's back without blushing. Kakashi waited a few moments before exhaling a long sigh, "All of you will report to training ground 3 at 7 A.M. for a test to see if you are worthy of being genin. Fail to impress me, and I'll send you back to the academy."
All three genin looked shocked at his sudden declaration. Surprisingly Hinata was the one to question his words, "But we already passed the final exam. Besides we didn't see any returning student last year." Naruko nodded in agreement while Sasuke regained his annoyed demeanor. The jonin's words didn't make sense to the trio. Was he playing mind games with them?
Kakashi started giggling, then chuckling, until finally he launched into full on maniacal laughter. Hinata felt concerned, almost frightened, by the noise. Naruko and Sasuke seemed rather unimpressed with the display. Though their reasons for nonchalance were vatly different.
The laughter dies down to a more reasonable level, but still continues into his first few words. "That test is to see if you're even worth a jonin's time. As for why you didn't see anyone return last year… You're right, nobody is getting sent back to the ninja academy." -he takes another even longer dramatic pause, and it's just long enough to elicit a sigh of relief from Hinata- "If you fail my test then I'm going to send you to civilian studies."
Naruko growled again, and faced him with an expression of mixed determination and spite. Hinata emitted a horrified gasp, and quickly turned to examine the girl at her side. Sasuke finally showed a reaction in the form of a twitching eye. Kakashi smiled under his mask, "One last thing, I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you. You'll just throw it up. 7 o'clock, don't be late." With his parting words he shunshined away leaving behind a puff of smoke.
Sasuke tsked at the antics of his new sensei. He rose to his feet, and ran away immediately to train. Hinata showing him up yesterday was a wake up call. Obviously this new sensei of theirs wasn't going to take him seriously. He needed to focus all his energy in on training. He'd been soft on himself. He had allowed time for rest. That couldn't continue. The boy needed to keep his goal in sight and continue to run towards it.
Naruko was shaking from a mixture of anxiety and anger after the male members of the team left. The interaction had her fired up, and she had never before felt this much hatred. The man not only annoyed her every day for the past 4 years, but now he was threatening her future? This wasn't a test for her anymore. Now it was a battle, and if the jonin wasn't ready she was going to knock his block off!
It was true that Hinata was nervous from the man's words. What really bothered her though was seeing Naruko so worked up. Nothing had ever gotten to the blonde like this before. From what she had heard from Naruko their new sensei hadn't done anything other than try to talk to her in the mornings. 'Years of built up annoyance are coming to a head. If only there was more I could do for Naruko-chan!' The indigo haired girl's soothing rub progressed into an increasingly frantic motion.
Naruko took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and was able to stop shaking. She let out a low chuckle that somehow made Hinata even more worried, "Hey, Hinata-chan. Do you want to get some breakfast with me at the bakery? I'll treat you to as many cinnamon rolls as you can eat." She turned and flashed the girl a confident grin.
Hinata's confusion was evident as she removed her hand from Naruko's back. A faint blush was on her face as a small part of her mind imagined that this might be a date. "But Naruko-chan, he said we would throw up if we did." Hinata really hated throwing up, and it really wouldn't help impress their sensei if she did it during his test.
Naruko waved a hand dismissively, "He's bluffing. What kind of ninja goes on a mission without eating? Besides he's probably going to be late again tomorrow. We'll have plenty of time to digest before he gets there." Hinata smiled and blushed deeper as she nodded. "It's settled then. I'll be at the gate at 5:45 Hinata-chan."
Naruko hopped up to her feet, and took a running leap off of the roof. She jumped from roof to roof quickly, and disappeared into the distance leaving her friend alone on the roof. Naruko had a lot of preparations to make for the next day. Seals needed to be made, kunai sharpened, and a jutsu to master. Most of that were things she still planned to hide, but she needed to be prepared in case they became necessary. The ambitious girl wasn't going to let anyone stop her from keeping her promise to become hokage.
Hinata watched her crush leave wistfully. She spent a good minute reminding herself that their meeting tomorrow wasn't a date. A couple of times she had gotten her hopes up only to have them crushed. She didn't mind too much really as long as she got to spend time with Naruko. The pain was really intense, but it always faded. It wasn't like Naruko had ever done it on purpose. Still she longed to be closer to the jinchuriki. Though a part of the Hinata's mind kept reminding the girl that someone like her could never capture Naruko's attention in that way. Even if she could there were far too many obstacles to face with her clan. Still a small rather new part of her being held on to the hope that her dream could come true.
OoOoO
The next morning Naruko was at the gate exactly at the time she promised. Hinata was already standing there waiting on her. The blonde got a devious thought upon seeing her friend there. She channeled her chakra, and used her newly mastered jutsu "Shunshin."(Body Flicker) The girl was now standing behind her friend with a wicked smile on her face. She gently poked Hinata in the ribs, while asking playfully, "Who're ya lookin for?"
Hinata jumped up with a loud, "Eep!" Then she turned to face the other girl with a blush forming on her face, "Naruko-chan, you shouldn't scare me like that!" She wore a pout to go along with her blush, and Naruko couldn't help but laugh.
"Ah, sorry Hinata-chan! I saw you already out here waiting, and I couldn't resist teasing you a little." The girl scratched the back of her head, and her large grin brought a smile to her victim's face. "Should we head out? If we hurry we might still be able to catch the cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven."
Hinata needed no more convincing to begin heading for the bakery at a quick pace. Naruko followed along cheerfully as she was happy to see her friend so eager. The prospect of fresh cinnamon rolls always put a special pep in the Hyuga's step. Unbeknownst to Naruko the thought of Hinata sharing them with Naruko is what accounted for more than half of her friend's current excitement. Something about seeing the usually shy girl so excited made her feel light despite the training weights and resistance seals.
The two had a wonderful time at the bakery. They joked, laughed and ate nonstop for an entire hour. At the end Naruko paid the baker for what had ended up being his entire stock of cinnamon rolls. The man still didn't like the blonde jinchuriki. However she and her friend were his best paying customers. The first time he tried to refuse service to Naruko the little Hyuga had given him the most intimidating glare he'd ever seen. For his safety and profit he pushed his prejudice aside, and served the girls without complaint whenever they came in.
OoOoO
Sasuke had arrived half an hour early to the training ground. He had taken the advice of not eating breakfast without much thought. He didn't have time to think about that when he could be training. Truthfully he was a bit worn out from his efforts of the previous day. He had literally had to crawl into bed when he called it quits the night before. Be was a quite sore from the bruises all over his body. 'Maybe I should learn medical ninjutsu as well to help boost my recovery time.' With that thought he stood in a clearing near three posts, and waited for the rest of his team.
The two female members of team 7 made their way to the training ground while still carrying on with their laughter and giggling. They were 15 minutes late, but didn't seem to have a care in the world. Hinata was still munching on the last cinnamon roll as they approached Sasuke.
"You're both late." he observed coolly. Naruko just shrugged, and leaned against one of the posts. "And…" -it was at that moment that Sasuke realized he had no idea what their Sensei's name was- "...our sensei said not to eat anything."
Hinata swallowed the last of the cinnamon roll with a smile before speaking, "Do ninja's ever not eat before missions? No, it would be unhealthy to do so. Besides Naruko-chan thinks he'll be late like yesterday anyway."
Sasuke tsked and looked away from the two. He wasn't about to admit it, but their reasoning made sense. He silently hoped that the man would be here soon so he wouldn't be affected by his hunger too much.
Hinata seemed to realize something that had also dawned on Sasuke not too long ago. "Naruko-chan, do you remember Sensei's name? We forgot to have him introduce himself to us."
It was Naruko's turn to tsk, "Pervert-san is Pervert-san. He told me his name when we first met, but that was like 4 years ago." Hinata sighed, and wondered if he would hold it against them that none of the genin seemed interested in his name yesterday.
Sasuke remained staring away from the two, but asked a question clearly aimed at them. "How do you know our sensei?" his tone was somewhere between curious and accusatory in nature.
Naruko sighed, "Pervert-san moved into the apartment next to me a bit before we started the academy." She really hoped that their jonin was playing a joke on her, and was really someone else. It seemed unlikely, but she could still hope.
Sasuke hned once in the moments before he asked his next question, "So what do you know about him?" Any information she could give might prove to be a valuable asset in the coming test.
Naruko thought for a minute before answering, "Well he really likes that porn book he's always reading. He is always outside his apartment in the mornings trying to start up a conversation with me about something mundane. He wasn't there this morning, but to be honest I never bothered to learn enough about him to guess at why. Pervert-san is just that annoying man that never gave up on trying to talk to me." With her conclusion the group fell into silence.
It wasn't until the sun was directly overhead that the jonin stepped into view. He had his book in hand as he walked through the trees, "Ah everyone's here, that's good. I was worried you might have left."
Naruko jumped up, and pointed at the man angrily, "What kind of jonin can't manage to show up on time, eh Pervert-san?!" Her teammates weren't as willing to disrespect their sensei, but they did have similar questions in their minds.
The man continued walking until he was standing 10 feet away from them, "Well you see there was an old lady that needed help crossing the street." -All three of his students sweatdropped in response- "She also had a lot of groceries that she couldn't carry back to her home."
Naruko's eye twitched while she exclaimed loudly, "That wouldn't take 5 hours!" She shook a fist at him angrily as her voice cut through the woods. Birds took flight from their perches, and other small animals scampered away from the disturbance.
Hinata was the next to speak up. Not only did she want to change the subject, she also wanted an answer, "Sensei, you forgot to do your introduction yesterday. None of us know your name."
Kakashi's voice sounded mildly surprised, "Oh? Is that what you think happened? I was waiting for one of you three to ask, but none of you seemed to care. Naruko-chan is content with her nickname for me. Sasuke was too busy brooding about the tie for rookie of the year," -Sasuke tsked again, and looks away- "...and you Hinata were so focused on your childhood friend that you didn't think to ask." The blush on the Hyuga's face seemed too deep to him. In fact something about her focus on the blonde made him question the nature of her feelings.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments between the four of them. They could clearly hear a gust of wind as it blew some fallen leaves past. Finally the man decided to take some form of pity on them, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. If you pass my test I might consider answering the other questions."
The three genin focused intently as he brought two bells out. In short order he tied them to his vest. He then pulled out an alarm clock from his pack, and carefully set it on one of the posts. Kakashi then explained clearly, "You have until this alarm goes off to grab a bell from me. Anyone who doesn't do so will be tied to a log while the rest of us eat lunch." -Sasuke's stomach growled, and that caused his eye to twitch in irritation- "After lunch you'll have one hour to try and steal these. Anyone who doesn't have a bell by the end of that will fail."
The three genin all could tell that the math didn't add up. There were two bells and three of them. They all became more tense, but none of them further questioned Kakashi. He gave them a few moments to see if one of them would cave in, and ask the obvious question. When they all remained silent he shrugged, "If you are to have any hope of success you need to come at me with the intent to kill. The test starts… Now!"
Immediately Hinata and Sasuke jumped into the surrounding trees. They hid well, and Kakashi couldn't see them from his position. Naruko simply began to stretch, "Pervert-san, I've decided that this is your test. If you impress me here then I'll even call you sensei. Sound like a deal?"
Hinata and Sasuke sweatdropped at their teammate's actions and declaration. Did she seriously plan to fight him out in the open? Hinata thought there must be some sort of trick. Sasuke just muttered "Dumbass."
Kakashi looked to the sound of Sasuke's comment for a moment. Naruko took that moment to charge him full speed. She twisted her body, raising her leg up for a high kick. He easily caught her shin without putting the book away. He applied pressure, and forced the captured limb upwards a few inches. 'What is this feeling? That should have been enough force to flip her over.' Suddenly he felt as if he was within some insanely thick liquid.
Naruko used the leg he was holding to pull her body in towards him. One of her hands pushed off the ground, and she launched a kick with her other leg. Kakashi quickly blocked the attack with a raised knee. Her free hand reached for the bells, but Kakashi saw it coming. He let go of her leg, and his movements were no longer inhibited. He extended his own leg foward in a bro kick that crashed squarely into her chest. The girl coughed as she skid a few yards away. The man spoke calmly, "Lesson one. Taijutsu."
Just then a noise behind the jonin alerted him that Hinata was charging in to join the fray. She had an arm cocked back and her byakugan activated. He leaped upwards, and sailed over her glowing palm strike as he put away the book. "If it's the two of you I might have to pay attention."
Naruko quickly returned to her feet. The girls fell into stance next to each other. Naruko questioned her friend, "You ready to kick his ass?" Without looking over Hinata nodded her agreement. They both dashed toward the silver haired man. They split halfway to their target, and attempted to engage him in flanking positions. Kakashi was having none of that, and at the last second before their strikes landed he kicked himself backwards away from the two girls.
What he saw next surprised him. Instead of hitting each other as he had thought they would, Naruko grabbed Hinata by her sides. In a fluid motion she flung her comrade at him. He side stepped the improvised missle thanks to his battle trained reflexes. Seeing as he had the two taijutsu specialists facing him in tandem he decided to press the advantage. The jonin lunged forward at the off balance blonde without delay. She continued her rotation, and brought up a leg in a swift spinning back kick. Her heel connected to his forearm, and knocked Kakashi's fist away.
The girl smirked even as her sensei spun with the force of her parry to deliver a sharp kick to her abdomen. The clone burst into a poof of smoke, and Kakashi's eye widened. "Shadow clone?!" He spun around just in time to fend off the fists of two Narukos. His counter strikes were swift and brutal. Both of the clones were quickly dispelled.
In the trees Sasuke's jaw dropped, 'Shadow clones! When the hell did she learn that?!' It wasn't something that was taught by the academy. As far as he knew she didn't have anyone other than Hinata to train with, and the Hyuga clan weren't known for their ninjutsu. Besides the fact that jutsu in particular was rarely used because of how much chakra it required. The only reason he even knew about it was because he had read through the records in the Uchiha clan library.
Hinata was surprised to see the jutsu displayed so early on in the match. The deception she spent years cultivating had hidden the blonde's ability to create shadow clones from everyone outside of the Hyuga clan. 'She must have been serious about wanting to test him. Naruko-chan, please be careful.' the Hyuga heiress was also worried about Kakashi. If the jonin underestimated Naruko, and the girl went all out…
Kakashi heard a familiar sizzling sound coming from his right forearm. He cursed mentally as he used Kawarimi(Substitution) just before the explosion from the paper bomb. When a shadow clone dispels all their equipment does as well. The original, or at least a different clone, must have passed the explosive note off to the clone to tag him with.
Hinata jumped into the cover of the trees. Using her byakugan she quickly found Naruko. She changed course to meet up with the speeding blonde. "Naruko-chan! We need to hurry up and help Sasuke-san before Kakashi-sensei gets to him." The other girl nodded in agreement as the two rushed off to search for their other teammate. Both girls had come to the realization that they would need Sasuke's help to catch Kakashi off guard.
Kakashi had silently appeared behind his third student. The fact that he hadn't done anything to help his team was rather disappointing. He hadn't been as obvious about the point of the test as previous years because he thought these three were special. They were all geniuses in their own right, and the whole point of the test was to test their willingness to cooperate not their ability to follow orders. He waited a moment to see if the boy would notice him. He decided that the Uchiha hadn't, and breathed inches away from his ear, "Lesson 2. Genjutsu."
Sasuke fell foward off of the tree branch in his surprise. He twisted his body around in mid air to throw a few shuriken at Kakashi. The man deflected them all with the metal plate on his glove. "Show me the might of the famed Uchiha clan!" The taunt rang loud in Sasuke's ears as he landed on the ground. He made a hand seal, and disrupted his chakra flow, "Release!"
Sasuke saw his vision distort. When it cleared Kakashi was on an even higher branch. The boy quickly weaved through familiar hand seals while he took in a deep breath, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique) A large fireball rose upwards towards Kakashi. When the smoke cleared a lump of charcoal landed on the ground next to the Uchiha. He jumped forward in fear of ambush, and headed further into the forest.
Kakashi appeared next to him after a few moments. He easily fell into pace with the boy. The jonin casually commented, "That's an impressive jutsu, but you should never have run away from your comrades." Sasuke snarled, and tried to punch the source of his aggravation. The jonin deflected the blow with a backhand, and delivered a punch to Sasuke's ribs that knocked the genin back a few feet. Sasuke winced as he stared down the man. He tried to think up a plan to get around the more experienced fighter's guard.
Kakashi gave the examinee an eye smile as he chastised, "You can't count on an enemy to give you this much of a break during a fight."
Sasuke shot another fireball at him, but once again there was no sign of a chared body to indicate he was hit. He scanned all around him for his sensei, nothing. A cold laughter rung out seeming to come from everywhere at once. The sound borrowed into his ears making his head ache. The Uchiha clutched his head in agony. He tried to let out a scream, but no sound came forth from his throat.
Suddenly he came to his senses lying face down on the forest floor. The boy was helplessly pinned under the jonin who proceed to jerk his leg sideways violently. Sasuke grunted but managed not to scream as his leg broke. When the process was repeated with his other leg he couldn't hold it in any more, "AHHHHHHHH!"
OoOoO
Naruko and Hinata sped through the forest towards Sasuke's scream. Using her byakugan Hinata was able to assess the boy and his current condition. She reported her findings in a flat tone that was unfamiliar to her companion, "He's not too far ahead, but he's severely injured. I'm gonna need you to cover me while I heal him."
"No problem Hinata-chan. I'll keep Pervert-san busy." Naruko wondered just how bad the injuries could be. She tried to gauge it from the way the Hyuga heiress had spoke. It was probably more than what either had suspected going into this test. Maybe she would need to take things up a notch.
When they arrived Naruko gagged at the grotesque sight. She quickly averted her gaze from her teammate's mangled legs. Hinata had immediately started to heal the fallen Uchiha when his voice shocked her, "What're you doing? You don't have time to worry about me. Just focus on getting the bells!"
His words made Naruko look over again with the intention of firing off a witty remark. Instead she covered her mouth, and gasped out, "Oh god! I think I'm gonna be sick."
Hinata shook her head in disappointment at both of her teammates before speaking sternly, "Naruko if you can't handle it then look away. You're supposed to be covering us anyway."
Naruko muttered, "Sorry Hinata-chan, the second bends are just so unnatural." -the girl made a quick handseal- "Kagebushin no Jutsu!" (Shadow Clone Technique) Six Naruko's were now keeping watch in a circle around the other genin.
Hinata looked Sasuke in the eyes as her glowing hands worked on one of his legs, "As for you. I don't want to hear any of that Uchiha pride. I'm going to heal you, and then we're going to work together to get those bells. Got it!" The last part was definitely a command not a question. The shy girl was in emergency mode right now. Clearly she wasn't about to take any of her teammate's shit. If Kakashi was willing to go this far then they needed to end this soon.
They all heard a voice call out, "Lesson 3, Ninjutsu! Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique) A giant fireball now rushed towards the the team. Hinata had been caught off guard, and Sasuke was currently incapable of dodging.
Naruko cursed, "Damn it!" She was going to need to reveal more of her skills in order to protect her team. Two of her clones flew through handseals of their own, "Futon: Daitoppa!"(Wind Style: Great Breakthrough) They both took a deep breath in, and exhaled large gusts of wind. The air bolstered the flames, but the sheer force managed to hold them off. When the flames cleared they saw Kakashi standing on the ground looking at them curiously.
Kakashi's hands began to blur through seals again. Suddenly Naruko was coming down from above with a punch. The jonin backed up a step, and grabbed both of her leg weights. "I thought I said intent to kill?" he questioned. The man's thumbs rubbed over the quick release latches on the weights. Black fabric fell aside as he kicked her away.
The blonde genin flipped through the air, and landed with her feet on the side of a tree trunk. Her voice was broken up by light laughter, "If that's how you really want it." She was a blur of motion as she sped towards her sensei. The jonin matched her pace, and soon the two were engaged in a competition of martial prowess.
Sasuke couldn't keep track of either of their motions. The Naruko clone closest to him began to speak, "Alright guys I think I have a plan. But first, Sasuke eat this." -she held out a soldier pill to the other genin- "You need your strength back for this to work. It's going to take all three of us, but I think we can pass Pervert-san's test."
Sasuke stared at her dumbfounded. How was this girl the dead last of their class? She was forcing Kakashi to move at a speed he couldn't even see. She could perform shadow clones and wind element ninjutsu. It was unbelievable to think that this was the same girl that had declared him to be her rival three years ago. After a long silence Sasuke finally replied, "Alright, what's the plan?" As he took the pill from her he smirked. Whatever Hinata had done to stop the pain during her treatment was truly wonderful. He added "Dumbass."
OoOoO
The real Naruko was standing infront of Kakashi while both of them threw punches, knees, and elbows at a blinding pace. Truth be told Kakashi was shocked at the girl's speed. Any faster and he would need to fight her seriously. As things were he was dripping with sweat. He felt amazed that the girl hadn't slowed down at all after a full minute of assault. 'Probably because of the Kyubi's chakra.'
A light of recognition appeared in her eyes, a smirk developed, and she jumped back. "Well Pervert-san I gotta say, I didn't expect you to be able to keep up with that. Is this a jonin's strength?"
"I'm still just playing around with you Naruko-chan. Or did you really think I was taking this seriously?" he sounded a bit harsher than his normal apathetic tone.
To his surprise the girl disappeared into a puff of smoke. He mentally cursed himself for underestimating her, and scaned his surroundings. He heard the three genin approching him from behind. Kakashi made a few handseals before turning around "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"(Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique) The fireball incinerated the three clones instantly. 'It's a trap!' he realized, while he spun around to look for the real genin.
Suddenly Hinata leapt down from a high branch. She began to throw palm strikes and pointed jabs furiously. He had no problem deflecting the girl's Jyuken strikes, but took care to avoid touching her glowing hands. He heard a noise behind him, and jumped high into the air as a Naruko clone's follow through carried her into Hinata's palm and popped it. "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!"(Fire Style: Great Dragon Burning Technique) "Futon: Shinku Taigyoku!"(Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere)
Kakashi turned around just in time to see the giant dragon head explode into a massive firestorm from the collision with the wind jutsu. "Well fuck."
He substituted out of certain doom, but not before catching a mild burn on his leg. He noticed many trees burning down, and ashes blanketed the area. Above dark thunderclouds formed from the sudden updraft.
He saw his three genin standing next to each other. Naruko and Hinata were in taijutsu stances seeming ready to charge forward at a moment's notice. Sasuke stood behind them with shuriken between all of his knuckles. The boy seemed a little winded from using that last jutsu, but wore a proud smile.
Kakashi taunted them, "You did catch on that there are two bells and three of you right? One of you is going to fail this." -The three all nodded at him, but held firm to their formation.- "Then have you three decided on who is giving up their ninja career, or are you leaving it up to chance?"
The three gave him no reaction other than to study him more closely in an attempt to identify any sign he was about to make a move. Kakashi continued his taunts when they remained silent "I see. You girl's are going to use Sasuke to grab the bells then turn on him once I'm no longer holding them."
Sasuke glanced at his teammates for a moment each. They probably could if they wanted to, but he didn't see it as something that would cross their minds. He shouted to his sensei, "Why are you trying to divide us? Are you scared of what we could do together?"
Just then an exceptionally loud alarm could be heard in the distance. Kakashi sighed, 'Well I guess now is as good a time as any.' The three genin all noticeably tensed at the sound. No one had even come close to grabbing a bell yet. The suddenly darkening skies added to the ominous feeling of the moment. Even though there would be another chance after Kakashi ate in front of them they all felt like they had failed.
"You three all pass!" He delivered the words with a smile that could be seen through his mask.
All three sweatdropped, and cried out in unison "What?!" In the silence that followed the clouds began to release their liquid down upon the training feild.
Naruko was the one to break the silence, and elaborate on their question, "But you still have both of the bells. We never even touched one!"
Kakashi chuckled as he walked closer to the group "It was never about the bells, or even how strong you three are. The true test was about teamwork. The number of bells is meant to drive the team apart, much like enemy shinobi will try to do on missions. If you three can't work as a team then you won't survive a year in the ninja world." -He stopped infront of them and smiled widely- "There is a saying among shinobi. 'Those that don't follow the rules are trash.' However I believe that those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."
The three still wore shocked expressions as he explained his call. After he finished they each had their own separate reactions. Sasuke looked away, and he felt a pang of guilt for not working together until forced to. Hinata gazed at her sensei with a newfound sense of respect and admiration. Naruko chuckled, and she looked up at the sky "Is that so…"
The entire team closely inspected the jinchuriki. They all sensed there was more she was going to say. She shot Kakashi a determined look as she continued, "Alright, fine. I'll admit that you impressed me here today, and I'll keep my promise. Pervert-sensei!"
Naruko gave the nice guy pose as the rest of her team sweatdropped. Sasuke muttered "Dumbass" but had a smile on his face in spite of himself. Kakashi broke his normal cool persona by twitching his eye. Hinata giggled at their antics. She was just happy to see the team getting along in their own weird way.
OoOoO
Back at the posts the three genin ate lunch under a tree. Meanwhile Kakashi gave them all an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses. "Sasuke. You have good stealth, already know multiple fire ninjutsu, and showed no hesitationin attacking me. However you didn't work along with your team until after they came, and healed you. When I told you I was going to use genjutsu you assumed I had done so right away. Really that was a feint, and I waited until you tried to escape it to cast the illusion. You were covered in bruises from training too hard yesterday, and that hindered your ability to perfrom today. Also your speed could use a boost."
Sasuke avoided eye contact with the group as he was reviewed. Not only did the other two prove to be stronger, but he would have dragged them all down into failure if Hinata hadn't been uncharacteristically firm with him.
Kakashi turned to address the shyest member of the group, "Hinata. Your tiajutsu is very impressive, you showed good coordination with your teammates, your medical ninjutsu is probably better than most ninja in this village, and you were able to take on a leadership role to convince Sasuke to join you. You're lacking a bit in speed, and jutsu variety. It's great that you can see enemies at exceptional distances, but you don't have much in the way of ranged skills right now."
Hinata blushed at the high level of praise her sensei had for her abilities. The only other person who ever spoke that highly of her was Naruko. The blonde gave a chuckle at her flushed comrade. She was glad someone else had seen the true extent of the girl's talents.
Kakashi shot a glare at Naruko as he began talking about her. "Naruko-chan, would you care to explain why you're the dead last? You have multiple elemental ninjutsu, and can make shadow clones. Your speed is almost on par with mine, besides that you have great taijutsu skill and show quick thinking in battle."
Naruko scratched the back of her head as she answered "Biased tests? The instructors didn't like me. Oh, oh! I never took it seriously because I knew I was awesome!" Her nervous grin had turned large, and could only be described as shit eating by the time she finished.
Kakashi sighed while he shook his head, "Your lying needs a lot of work. It's one thing to be able to bluff along with people's expectations, but if you can't keep up your deception when suspicions are cast then you could get you and your whole team killed. Also your reluctance to use your full abilities when the situation calls for it won't do you any favors. The fact that you tried to challenge a more skilled and experienced ninja, head on, by yourself was extremely reckless."
Naruko's eye was twitching, but she kept quiet. She knew that he was telling the truth. As much as she found him annoying the man was going to be her sensei. She would need to find a way to deal with working with the man. 'I'll just consider it training for when I have shitty clients.' she told herself.
Kakashi had brought his hand up to his chin after he finished stating Naruko's weaknesses. After a few moments he had his thoughts organized. He announced his decision with a seriousness they hadn't seen from him before, "Starting tomorrow we'll meet here for training at 6A.M.. We'll start the morning off with physical exercises. From there we will go into chakra control training, followed by teamwork building work. We will always eat lunch together as a team to help strengthen the bonds between us. You will be putting your lives into each others' hands on missions, and I need you all to have absolute trust." The coldness in his visable eye upon those words sent shivers down the younglings' spines. It spoke of a loss, probably multiple, from bad team dynamics.
"After lunch we will report to Hokage-sama for a D-rank mission. No matter how long it takes to finish it we will be returning here after for specialized individual training. This will be the plan for Monday through Friday. On Saturdays we won't be doing missions, and I'll have some form of special activity planned. Do you all understand. "
The three nodded to affirm that they had followed along. He gave them an eye smile as they nodded, and seemed to drop back into his old relaxed demeanor. "Good we will end things here today. I suggest you think hard on what I told you about your faults, and show up tomorrow well rested. Oh and another thing…" -suddenly the world seemed totally dark except for the tall fires that miraculously ignited behind him- "be prepared to go through hell."
A moment after those ominous words were uttered the world went back to normal. The sensei had disappeared from sight just as suddenly. This display caused all three of them to shudder at the thought of what their sensei had planned for them.
Hinata decided to ask Sasuke if he would like to train with them. It would give them all a chance to bond, and form the trust their sensei spoke of. They knew next to nothing about what their teammate was like belowthe surface. Not only did that bother the heiress on a personal level, but Kakashi had said it was outright dangerous. When she turned to face him he was already gone. In a soft voice with downcast eyes, Hinata commented "Sasuke-san doesn't seem to like us much."
Naruko noticed the glum look on her friends face. Seeing it caused a pain inside her chest that she couldn't describe. 'Duckass better not make a habit of hurting Hinata-chan's feelings. If he does I'll pound him into the dirt!' The girl set aside her anger when she turned her energies towards comforting the heiress. "He just doesn't know us well yet. That and his pride took a real blow when he discovered that both of us are beyond him in skill. He'll come around, and if he doesn't I'll beat some sense into him!"
Hinata's face flushed when she realized that Naruko was trying to comfort her. She let out a giggle while nodding at her crush, "Thank you Naruko-chan. Though I think that attacking him might make things worse between the three of us." She told herself that Sasuke just needed time to open up. This was only their first day as teammates, and he had been alone for a long time.
The two continued to eat their lunch while making pleasant conversation. When they finished the pair spared with each other until sunset. Hinata bid the girl farewell as they parted ways. It had been a long day that had put a lot of strain on her body. As she walked up to the entrance of her clan's compound she wanted nothing more than a nice relaxing bath.
"Hinata-sama, you've returned. Hiashi-sama requested you see him when you got back. He should be in his study." The gatekeeper spoke with a bowed head in reverence for the heiress. It still made part of her uncomfortable that most of her family treated her like this. She hadn't done anything to deserve such respect. When she tried to reciprocate they fumbled over themselves as if they had just done something wrong.
Hinata bowed her head a little too deeply to be proper for a heiress acknowledging a member of the branch family, and thanked the man. It was a small compromise between her desire to not fluster them, and her desire to show the high regard she held her fellow clansmen in. Maybe when she became clan head she could change things. Work to mend the relationship between the main and branch families. 'No, I will change things!' she told herself firmly.
It was almost guaranteed that Hinata would take the mantle of clan head. Nobody had talked about her sister Hanabi taking her place for years now. The only cause for doubt that remained was that neither of the two had been marked with the caged bird seal. Tradition stated that Hanabi should have been marked years prior at this point. At the time they held off from doubts about Hinata's suitability for the position. Now she had no idea why it hadn't happened yet. Not that Hinata would ever press the issue.
The caged bird seal was one of the oldest traditions of the Hyuga clan. It sealed the byakugan upon death to ensure the advantage of the clan's dojutsu remained safely within the clan. However it also could cause searing pain if a member of the main family made a certain handseal. It forced the Hyuga clan into two separate families. The branch family all bore the mark, and were expected to live their lives in service to the main family.
Hinata had grown up largely alone. The distance between the two families had kept her separated from most of her clan. She wanted nothing more than to bridge that gap. To be shown love instead of respect was all she wanted from her family. It was an impossible dream, and no one else seemed to want it. If they did they kept quiet about their desire. Really she couldn't blame them for their silence in the face of centuries of tradition. That didn't stop her from wanting to reach out to her estranged family in a show of support.
As she neared her father's study her thoughts shifted to what he might wish to say to her. It wasn't often that he spoke with her outside of training. Naturally the heiress's mind was racing with a dozen different anxieties about what this conversation could be about. By far the largest fear was that her father would wish for her to stop seeing Naruko. Hinata wasn't sure if he had enough power to force her onto a different team, but she really didn't want to find out.
Her delicate yet blistered knuckles rapped on the wood between the panels of rice paper. A level voice from inside the room told her to come in. She slid the door aside, and stepped into the room with a bow of her head. When she spoke great care was taken to keep the stutter of her youth out of her voice, "You wished to speak with me Otou-sama."
The girl didn't look up from her bow as she waited for a response. Her mind couldn't think of any positive reason for being called here. The best, or rather least dreadful, probability was that he wasn't going to train her any longer now that she had a jonin sensei. Her relationship with her father was certainly astranged. That didn't mean she wanted to see him only at dinner and important clan functions.
"Hinata, close the door and come sit down. There is something I must discuss with you." That wasn't a good sign. The fact that he activated privacy seals that kept the room obscured from the byakugan was an even worse sign. If she was nervous before now she was embraced by the familiar feelings of panic. She began to sweat as she took a seat on the mat before him.
The man cleared his throat while he shifted uncomfortably. The usually stoic Hyuga was actually showing signs of discomfort. Hinata's eyes went wide at the realization. Seeing that her proud, composed father was nervous she began to tremble. Hiashi noticed this behavior, and knew he had to correct his demeanor. He took a deep breath before speaking to regain his near perfect composure. "This is a serious matter Hinata, but there isn't need for you to be so anxious. You've done nothing wrong, and I will not let you be punished for this."
Hinata took a few deep breaths to calm herself like Naruko had taught her. Remembering that the girl had researched ways to cope with anxiety reminded her that her friend would always be there for her. Truthfully that knowledge helped just about as much as the breathing exercise. Soon she was at a much more reasonable level of nervousness, "Wh-what would I be punished for Otou-sama?"
Hiashi inwardly cursed himself for starting the conversation that way. He really wasn't good at the emotional, and more intimate side of parenting. Silently he wished his wife was still alive to advise him. Maybe she would even have been having this conversation in his stead. "As I said I won't let punishment befall you for this…" -he paused here for a moment to collect his thoughts- "Tell me how you feel about Naruko."
Hinata felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. The level of her anxiety began rising again, and her mouth felt dry. 'This is it. This is the talk where he tells me I'm not allowed to see her anymore. He views the prospect of us getting closer as a punishment and he is going to do everything he can to keep that from happening!'
Hinata took a few deep breaths to clear the lump in her throat before she answered. "Na-Naruko-chan is my bestfriend. I admire her d-determination, and skill. I'm grateful for her interest in b-boosting my confidence, and her continued friendship." Hinata had stuttered a few times, but all things considered it could have been a lot worse.
Hiashi nodded as he formulated his response. Years of practice at picking his words wisely hadn't prepared him for this talk with his daughter. "It goes deeper than that, doesn't it." His sentence came out as a declaration inspite of how they were worded. They both knew that he had known about this for years. The man had merely kept quiet about it.
Hinata gulped as her eyes fell to the floor infront of her. As shy as she was the girl would not, could not, deny her feelings for Naruko no matter the situation. She yanked back hard on her fears. It was with a quiet voice that she replied to her father, "Yes Otou-sama."
Hiashi sighed, feeling as if a weight had been taken off of him. Hinata didn't share his relief, and seemed to take the sigh in a different context. He truly hoped his next words would help in that regard, "I approve of your feelings, and you have my blessing to pursue a relationship with Naruko."
Hinata's head jerked up to stare dumbfounded at her father. Those words coming from his mouth weren't something she ever expected to hear. At best she had hoped for indifference in regards to the potential of Naruko and her becoming more than friends. Her head felt like it was overstuffed with far to many thoughts. Was this a dream? Had her father hit his head too hard during a spar? Did he know what he was saying?
Hiashi continued with what he wanted to tell his daughter, "The elders will not agree with me on this matter. You are the heiress of our clan, and if you were to become involved with another woman you would be unable to continue the clan lineage. They will call for the immediate replacement of you as clan heiress, and want you branded with the caged bird seal."
Hiashi paused to let his daughter process what he had said so far. He knew this was a tough conversation for the both of them. He was trying his best not to overwhelm his daughter by speaking too quickly. It came as a complete surprise to him when she spoke. Doubly so that she spoke in such a firm manner, "I would gladly accept that if it meant being with Naruko-chan."
Despite his best efforts Hiashi spoke with an edge to his voice, "No! I will not allow you to be branded for this! I might have to concede so much as to have your sister take the position of clan heir, but I will not allow you to be marked for your feelings. I almost made that mistake once, and I will not do it again!"
Hinata had never before heard her father speak with such passion. The display paradoxically both unnerved, and comforted her at the same time. She once again teetered along the scale of nervousness as she listened intently to her father.
Hiashi's voice softened while he carried on, "When your mother passed I became your only lifeline. I was meant to guide you, but I myself was lost without her. I became cold, and I cast you into a darkness you should never have known. I was consumed by my despair. I couldn't help you. I owe Naruko a debt greater than I could ever hope to repay for being a light in your world. She took the time to understand you, to teach you the strength of your character. She made you see the beauty of your soul where I in my ignorance only saw weakness. You are a very compassionate woman, just like your mother. It is my greatest shame that I ever saw that as anything but a strength. From the bottom of my heart, and on all my honor, I apologize to you Hinata."
With his truest feelings spoken the proud man bowed low before his daughter. His bare forehead pessed against the flooring of his study in a show of his sincerity. He humbled himself as he expressed his greatest shame to his eldest daughter. A part of him wished for her to yell, scream, rant, and rave about how he had treated her. Hiashi felt that was what he deserved.
Hinata almost couldn't comprehend the sight before her. It was almost unheard of for any clan head to make such a gesture, and the Hyuga were a very proud clan. The girl was overwhelmed by emotion, and tears poured freely down her face. She rushed over, lifted her father into a sitting position by his shoulders, and quickly embraced him in a hug. "It's okay Otou-sama. I forgive you."
The words were almost too much to bear for the middle aged man. He hadn't known what to expect from his daughter, but in hindsight he didn't know how he didn't see this coming. Hinata was the epitome of compassion. Seeing him prostrated on his hands and knees must not have been easy for her. Hiashi returned the hug with misty eyes while he vowed to never let her down like that again.
A/N: So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I actually wrote it all in a few hours. The rest of the time was spent on editing. Can you believe I added 2,000 words when I edited this? I was just trying to correct my grammar, but that made certain parts look weird to me. So now there has been more detail added because of it. I originally had Naruko show off her fuinjutsu skills against Kakashi, but it felt weird to have her so suddenly and completely drop the act. Instead you get a less dramatic reveal! Let me know what you all thought of the chapter. Criticism is welcome as I feel it'll help me improve as a writer. I'd specifically like some feedback about the combat scenes as this is my first real one.
