Author's Notes:
My apologies for the late update. I was very busy with academic issues.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
POLL ALERT
I've decided to work on another story in my free time. Updates to that story will be sporadic until I finish this story. The ideas for these stories are explained in the 'My Ideas' section of my profile. Read through them and place your vote on the poll in my profile. You have upto three choices. Choose Well!
The poll will remain open until I upload Chapter 10.
Chapter 7
It was a wonderful morning in Konohagakure. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. The villagers were just waking up, the ninja were ambling around, talking idly and gravitating towards their favorite breakfast joints. There were just two things wrong with this scene.
One, Nara Shikamaru was awake nearly three hours before his preferred wake up time. Second, he and his teammates were running for their lives.
Their sensei, Mitarashi Anko, had decided to combine their stamina training and dodging practice into one exercise. It mainly consisted of her chasing them around Training Ground Ten, chucking kunai and shuriken at them.
"Run, little maggots! Show me how much you can take!"
Ino yelped as a kunai flew past her, giving her a shallow cut on her left arm. Now, she had one on each limb.
'Insane bitch!' she cursed as she ran at top speed.
Chouji was having the worst time of it all. He presented a very large target and Anko took full advantage of it. He huffed and puffed as he tried to move his not-so-inconsiderable weight as fast as he could, flinching when the occasional projectile would place a cut on him.
The three genin finally ran out of energy as they collapsed on the grass. They took deep gulps of sweet air, trying to lessen the strain on their sides and the ache in their limbs.
Anko gave them five minutes.
"All right, brats! Break time's over. Time for taijutsu practice."
A barely audible voice groaned, "Troublesome."
XXX
Team Eight was currently undergoing their own training in Training Ground Eight. Their mentor, Yuuhi Kurenai, had joined them on a warm-up session, with a steady jog and some stretching exercises. After that, she made them spar against each other to get a general feel for their skills. It went just as she had expected.
When it came to taijutsu, Kiba was the best. His clan style was very offensive and he used his nin-dog partner, Akamaru, to distract the opponent very well. His ninjutsu skills were above average and genjutsu skills were barely passable. He was the one who had managed to land a hit on her as part of her genin test.
Her thoughts went to her next student. Sakura had learned the academy taijutsu style perfectly. Her punches, blocks, kicks and counters were textbook perfect. The problem with her was that she didn't possess the physical strength required to use it effectively. Her chakra reserves were about average, but her control was excellent. She also had a sharp intellect and a photographic memory. She had come up with a simple, yet effective strategy to pass their genin test.
Her third student, Shino, was an enigma. He spoke the bare minimum, his academy skills were just about average and he showed no emotions whatsoever. However, he was the one who had deduced that they had to work together by applying logic to her statements. He had also shown excellent skill in manipulating his Kikaichu bugs to surround and distract her while Kiba landed a hit. She idly wondered if all Aburame were like him. She had never worked with them much.
Beckoning to them to follow her, she led them to a patch of trees. She decided to work on their chakra control first.
"Good job, team. Let's begin your training."
Kiba shouted enthusiastically, "Awesome! Let us have it, sensei! We'll master it in no time, won't we, boy?"
"Yip!" barked Akamaru in response.
Sakura giggled. All the girls in class had fallen in love with the cute little puppy on the day her teammate had first brought him to class. She knelt down on the prickly grass and began to pet him as she waited for her teacher to elaborate.
Shino just nodded.
Kurenai gave them a warm smile, "Do any of you know how to climb trees?"
XXX
Team Seven were waiting for their sensei in Training Ground Seven. They had been summoned there by a masked ninja early in the morning. After having a light breakfast, they had met up near the Uchiha clan houses and walked together to their training ground.
This training ground was similar to most of Konoha's other training grounds. It was a large clearing formed within a small forest of tall trees. The ground was covered with fresh green grass, damp with the morning dew. A small lake filled with clear water was located at one corner of the clearing.
The one thing setting this particular place apart from the others was an inconspicuous path in one corner of clearing. This path led to The Memorial Stone, the monument that held the names of Konoha ninja who died in action.
The three genin had been waiting for about five minutes when their sensei arrived in a puff of smoke. After exchanging the customary greetings, he sent them to run laps around the clearing as a warm up. Once they were done, he made them do some stretching exercises to prepare their bodies for what was to come next.
"We will begin with team training. Your task... is to survive."
"Huh?" was all the genin were able to get out before he seemed to vanish from his spot and appeared instantly in front of them, holding a kunai at Sasuke's throat.
They leaped back in surprise, stumbling as they tried to understand what had just happened.
'So fast! I didn't even see him move, let alone draw his kunai! He's even faster than father!'
'Scary... and awesome!'
'That.. wasn't the Body Flicker Technique. It was pure speed. He's as fast as Itachi was!'
Naruto flinched as he felt a sharp pain on his left cheek. He touched his hand to the area only to find blood dripping from his fingers. He was shocked as he stared at Danzo, who was standing in the exact same position as before.
"Be-behind us" came the shocked voice of Hyuuga Hinata. He turned his head and looked back; Three senbon were stuck around a third of the way in different trees.
'Hang on.. three?' he thought to himself.
Glancing at Hinata and Sasuke, he saw that they had fine cuts on their cheeks too. Their sensei had drawn and flicked three senbon at them so fast that they hadn't even noticed it!
He gulped as Danzo began speaking, "I will fight you as an enemy. Treat me as such. If you do not fight back, you will die. Come at me with the intent to kill. Let's see what the Uchiha, Hyuuga and Uzumaki are made of."
Naruto looked first at Sasuke, then at Hinata. The former had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he was looking at someone else, and had clenched his fists. Hinata had broken out into a sweat and was trembling with shock.
Whether it was bravery or foolishness, he couldn't tell as he drew a kunai and yelled, "I'll kick your ass, Dattebayo!"
His shout seemed to shake his teammates out of their thoughts as the Uchiha drew a kunai in one hand and three shuriken in the other. The Hyuuga performed a set of hand seals and activated her bloodline limit.
"Byakugan"
Veins bulged around her eyes as she stood in a textbook Gentle Fist stance; The deadly taijutsu style of the Hyuuga Clan.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Twenty clones surrounded Naruto, each one of them holding a kunai just like the original.
'Shadow clones?' was the thought that ran through Sasuke's head before he pushed it aside. There were much more important things to worry about.
Twenty one Narutos rushed their sensei with a loud battle cry, who stood calmly.
Sasuke and Hinata hesitated for a moment, before joining in.
It took Danzo all of seven seconds to dismantle their attack.
The three genin groaned as they sat up. Naruto had received a gash along his right arm when he blocked Danzo's kunai, Hinata's lip was bleeding from a kick to the face and Sasuke was choking from a carefully controlled palm strike to his throat.
"Uzumaki, you have decent power behind your punches and reaction times are excellent. However, your strikes are wild and very predictable. Keep your limbs closer to your body and extend them to attack only when you're within striking distance of your opponent. You also created too many shadow clones as they interfered with each other. On top of all that, you rushed in with a battle cry, giving away your intentions to me. A ninja is never loud. You must be silent, and plan your attacks instead of attacking directly."
"Hyuuga, your strikes were well timed and accuracy was spot on. But you aimed only to disable even when I told you to try and kill me. Learn how to harden your heart; A soft ninja is a dead ninja."
"Uchiha, your skills with shuriken and taijutsu are excellent. However, you let your frustration control your strikes. When your first attack didn't work, instead of retreating and planning, you rushed in head on, leading to your defeat."
"Finally, when it comes to the true point of this exercise, you failed miserably."
The young ninja looked up at him in confusion.
"None of you three attacked as a team. All of you attacked on your own without a plan."
Sasuke managed to sputter out, "You didn't give us any time to plan-"
"Your enemies won't give you any warnings or time. If you need time, make it yourself. Distract the opponent, confuse him. When he's occupied, get away and form your plan. Now, stand up. We will attempt this again."
The time flew as Team Seven attempted to land a hit on their sensei. They tried everything in their arsenal; Some textbook ninja strategies, unorthodox ones, even outrageous plans cooked up by Naruto. He would beat them effortlessly on each try, but the time he took to do it was slowly increasing. After every defeat, he would tell them exactly what they did wrong and give them tips on how to correct their mistakes.
"That's enough for now. You may take a break."
The three genin collapsed to the ground, exhausted. This last session was particularly harsh. Danzo had not pulled his punches. Sasuke had a dislocated wrist and he was pretty sure at least three ribs were cracked. Naruto's right forearm was broken and he had a deep gash across his chest. Hinata was covered in bruises and cuts all over.
They watched as Danzo summoned a masked ninja.
"Heal them."
Sighs of relief were heard as bones healed and cuts closed. The ninja who treated them left as soon as she finished, without waiting for their thanks.
Hinata was fascinated by how quickly her wounds had been healed. She had been interested in medicine for a long time. She was particularly skilled with preparing one specific balm, which she used quite often. She made up her mind to ask Danzo for medical training later.
She shook her head as her teammates opened their lunch boxes. It was time for a well deserved meal.
XXX
The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, was very happy.
He had arrived that morning in Konoha as Sarutobi-sensei had asked. He took a little detour to the hot spring baths and proceeded to peep on the women's section till noon. The women in there were just begging to be ogled! Sensei wouldn't mind. It would all go into his next book, anyway.
He rubbed his palms together in anticipation when a beauty walked in with only a towel wrapped around her torso. Her skin had the complexion of a fresh peach, her long, purple hair reached down to her slender hips and her small lips were set in a natural pout.
He began scribbling in his notebook as she removed her towel, revealing a toned, lissome figure. He just couldn't help it; He giggled lecherously.
The woman, hearing him, spun towards his section of the wall with a furious look on her gorgeous face. He caught a glimpse of her right shoulder and blanched as the traditional tattoo of the ANBU stood out on her fair skin. He disappeared in a swirl of leaves. If he had stayed any longer, he would've been in danger of losing his manhood.
Another swirl of leaves marked the ending of his Body Flicker technique as he appeared on the platform just outside his mentor's window. He hopped in and greeted the Hokage, "Sarutobi-sensei, I have come, just as you asked. Is this about Naruto?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled as he bade Jiraiya to have a seat across him.
"Yes, it is. I have made a decision that you probably won't like. I only ask that you listen to my reasons first before condemning me."
"Very well"
"It all started on the night Naruto graduated..."
XXX
It was five o' clock in the evening when Danzo finally dismissed Team Seven. For an hour after they had finished lunch, he had introduced the topic of social protocol and how a ninja must interact both with clients and other ninja. It took Naruto quite a while to realize he couldn't go calling the Hokage 'Ojji-san' unless they were alone, even if the old man was like a grandfather to him.
Their mentor then proceeded to explain the importance of chakra control.
Hinata already knew this since the Gentle Fist taijutsu style demanded excellent chakra control. Naruto and Sasuke were not too happy until their sensei had rapped them on the head and mentioned how they'd never be able to perform higher level techniques unless they gained proper control over their chakra.
Thus, Team Seven had spent four hours walking up and down trees with leaves stuck to their foreheads and palms. Hinata had finished the exercise first, but continued doing it because Danzo told her it would build up her chakra reserves.
Sasuke had managed to clear about a third of his tree and Naruto a quarter when Danzo called them to him. He then handed them each of them a scroll.
"While your current attire is acceptable for academy students, it is woefully inadequate as ninja wear; For training as well as missions. In each of these scrolls, three sets of clothing fit for genin are sealed along with a ninjato. Henceforth, whenever you're on duty or training, these are what you will be wearing. I will not accept any alterations except the addition of your clan symbol. Is that understood?"
They hastily nodded as his cold gaze made it quite clear: They had no choice. Naruto especially, was put out as he wouldn't be able to wear his favorite orange jumpsuit anymore.
"Excellent. You may get them repaired or replaced at the Konoha ninja armory if needed. Dismissed."
Hinata hung back as the two boys walked away. She had to ask Danzo about helping her with medical training.
XXX
Naruto had been wondering what Hinata wanted to speak to their sensei about as he walked home.
His thoughts were interrupted by a chuunin who appeared in a puff of smoke.
'I know this guy. He's... Ojji-san's assistant! What does he want with me, dattebayo?'
"Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama requires your presence immediately."
Author's Notes:
As you may notice, I'm not showing too much of speech between the members of Team Seven. That is intentional; I don't like writing in stutters and adding a "dattebayo" in every other sentence. There will be a few more chapters that deal with training. Then, the missions!
There will be a lot more interaction between the people then.
Read and review, people. You know the drill!
