Yay, another new chapter! Break out the happy snacks! (I is totally sugar-rushed right now, forgive me for craziness, but the Pagan side of Easter sunday is AWESOME!) OK, I want to reply to a few reviews before continuing:
.o. - what's with the wierd name? anywho, Shino is, at the moment, unaware Genjutsu has befallen him. He will be in for a surprise to find out the bugs aren't following his orders...
sasukehinatalover - well, alright, I'll write like you said, but if it's too troublesome (Yay Shikamaru!), I'm going back to the old way, and you'll have to deal with it:-p Also, I'd like to point out that this will be a ShinoxHinata fic, but for a long while, they will keep their emotions hidden. For Hinata, it will be simply because she's, well, Hinata, but Shino will not want to compromise missions. As long as they are teammates, in this fic anyway, Shino will not want to make a move. Don't worry, it will happen, but not for a while, and only after many cute scenes of sugary goodness! (Don't worry, Shino will be in character through it all).
Thanx to all the other people who reviewed, or put this story on alert! Remember, the more positive feedback this gets, the sooner I'll put up another chapter!
OK, I know you're getting tired of waiting, but before I get on with the chapter, I have to say this: If you like this story, try reading my other Naruto fic! It's not as... nice... and I wasn't as good a writer as I am now when I started it, but I thyink you guys will like it! Scouts honor! (yeah, like I'm a scout...)
Ok, on with the chapter! (bout time)
"Alright, We've got missions to finish and business to take care of, so let's just get to it then!" Kurenai didn't like to talk like this to her pupils, but she thought it might help to get a fire in them for the test. Kurenai was pretty sure her test was brilliant - afterall, it covered pretty much every aspect of being a shinobi, without putting their lives in danger.
"Our first mission, lucky for you guys, is one that will let us stay here in the village. Apparently, a couple shinobi from the hidden Stone village have infiltrated as Konoha ninja. There are three of them: two chunin and a jounin. These are their profiles, and all the information we know about them," Kurenai handed each of them three cards, giving detailed information about each two of the three members. "There is Katsuo Horoyoshi, Miname Kimoto, and Ryoma Hanabi. They specialize in a strange beffudlement jutsu, which makes the opponent very easy to confuse and outwit. We are not sure how it is performed, or what, if any the weaknesses of the jutsu are. It's our job to bring them back to Lord Hokage alive for questioning. Any questions?"
Shino considered this in his head for a moment. The mission should be simple enough for him. His insects weren't likely to be trapped by a jutsu intended to confuse, and he was always a strong thinker anyway. What bothered him, however, was the fact that they were set to such a difficult mission at the very start. Two Chunin, and a Jounin? It didn't seem like Lord Hokage would give rookies that simple a mission. Was Kurenai really that strong, or was this some sort of trick? Shino stood and lowered his head, indicating there were no questions from him.
"Um, I... I have one," Hinata raised her hand, which Shino noticed was shaking slightly. Kurenai nodded her head in Hinata's direction, asking her to speak quickly. "Um, it- It seems that this is a pretty hard mission for new genin, isn't it? Why, I mean, can't we start with something a little easier?"
"Oh, come one, Hinata, it'll be fun!" Kiba was standing already, his face red. Akamaru was leaping around at Kiba's heels, yelping excitedly. They, Shino thought, were obvioously excited to prove themselves. "Besides, when has the Stone Village ever beaten the leaf village? Never, that's when! Kurenai-Sensei, when do we start?"
Shino put a small, invisible smile on from behind the collar of his shirt. Whether this was a trick or not, it certainly would be entertaining working with this team.
"First, I have to answer Hinata's quiestion," Kurenai smiled at the timid kunoichi. She thought that Hinata was the only one to figure out that there was something more to this. She thought something like this might happen, and decided to quell her fears quickly. "Don't worry, Hinata, the mission should be a lot easier than you would think. If they want to stay hidden, they'll have to keep quiet, won't they? They can't exactly fight konoha shinobi in the middle of village streets, now can they?"
Executed brilliantly! Kurenai smiled, directing the good gesture towards Hinata, but secretly patting herself on the back.
"We will want to start in the more social spots of Konoha. The only reason a ninja will take a spying mission is to get information, and one of the best ways to do that will be by meeting with other Konoha citizens. We start-"
"It should also be said," Shino let out in a sudden outburst, "that these ninja, as spies, will probably be using the transformation jutsu to blend in, and therefore the pictures on the profile cards will probably not be very helpful."
Kurenai looked thoughtfully at the shinobi in white. His observation was correct, of course: Kurenai had made sure to disguise her creations well, but she hadn't expected it to come so quickly from a fresh genin! noting that there was much more to him than met the eye, she continued.
"That's right. Let's not forget that, as spies, they could be anybody. Now then, we start in four spereate places. Kiba, I want you to head down to the business district of Konoha. They may be trying to get ties with higher-ups in the village."
"Right!" Kiba got up, and turned. He was anxious to leave, but he knew there would be more orders.
"Shino, I want you to take on the shopping district." Kurenai was pleased to have put him here. As a quiet, unattatched shinobi, he was less likely to be distracted by things found in Konoha malls or shops. Shino also was standing, having taken to his feet as his name was called. He, however, still hadn't broken eye contact with Kurenai. She had no idea of this, because of the sunglasses, but he was trying to figure out what she was up to: splitting the four of them up to fight high-level ninja? Something more was going on here.
"Hinata, I want you to take the food district. Ichiraku's, and the stands you see mostly, but feel free to walk in and have a look around in the buildings if you must."
Hinata stood, and stammerred a quick "right"before turning as well, preparing to leave.
"Keep in mind, everyone, keeping yourselves unnoticable is probably a good idea. It's not like the stone shinobi are stupid enoigh to just head up to the Hokage's mansion and request to see village blueprints, or naythying. They won't do anything if they're uncomfortable about the company they're in. Now then, I'll be keeping a close eye on all three of you, to make sure you're all safe. Keep an eye out for any strange things you happen to see in your areas, and I'll be in the liobrary."
"What? Why would spy ninja need to go to library?" Kiba turned back and looked curiously at Kurenai. She smiles.
"That's obvious, isn't it? If you look at the writing of Konoha citizens, you get a feel of what they're like. By simply reading a book, they can predict the movements of the average Konoha citizen, which makes it easier to counteract. Not to mention the fact that most of the villages records are stored there, so if they have to be gathering information, the konoha library is the first place to go. Report back to me if you see anything suspicious, and either way, we'll be meeting here at sunset. Got it?" The ninja around her gavce brief answers of confirmation, and dissapeared to their assigned areas. Kurenai was pleased with herself. The explanation of the "mission" had gone off without a hitch! And now, each one of them has fallen into a different Genjutsu, which she could modify at any time to test a specific shinobi attribute. She had plans for each of them, based on what she had learned from watching them train, and thought that this should be interesting. All the while, as a bonus, Kurenai got to relax in the library, and watch how her students did. They wouldn't even realize they hadn't moved anywhere, thanks to Kurenai's perfectly executed Genjutsu. So now, all she had to do, was sit back, relax, and watch.
How'd you like that one? I wanted to go into the actual test in this chapter, but The explanation of the "mission" ran too long, so I couldn't. Either way, now you know how our favorite shinobi will be tested, but how can they ever pass? Genjutsu doesn't affect Kiba's nose, or Shino's bugs, which will make it hard to complete their mission. Will they figure it out? or will they find a way to pass the test anyway? Review for the next chapter, it's the only way to find out! .