I do not own Naruto. All rights remain that of Kishimoto.
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Chapter Eight
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"A C-rank already?" Hiruzen said curiously, looking at Itachi and the trio of genin lined up behind him. "It has only been a month and a half, are you certain that you are not pushing them too hard?"
"No, Lord Hokage." Itachi said. "Ruto has shown that he has virtually mastered the Kage Bunshin, making him a literal one-man army. When you include his Kekkai Genkai, his battlefield potential is quite terrifying. Hinata has shown she is very skilled in Juho and above-average with thrown weapons while Kiba and Akamaru have pushed themselves to the point that they have learned several of the more advanced jutsu of the Inuzuka. I intend to start them all on their elemental affinities soon, I believe that they have reached the level that will allow them to do so."
Hiruzen nodded. "All right, I can see that you have put quite a bit of thought into this. We have an upcoming escort mission in a couple of days that I think will suit your team."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Itachi said, then he looked round and smiled at one of the group that had just entered the mission hall.
"Little brother."
"Big brother." Sasuke replied with a small smile.
"Kurenai, Shino-san, Sakura-chan."
Kurenai nodded back as she led her team to the mission desk.
"Another D-rank please."
"Of course."
As Kurenai accepted the proffered scroll, Sakura gave them a calculating look.
"Aren't you getting a D-rank too?"
"We're getting a C-rank!" Kiba said before either of his team-mates could silence him and Sasuke looked slightly affronted.
"What? But…"
Itachi gave his younger brother a quelling look even as Kurenai sighed. "I don't think that you are quite ready for a C-rank yet."
"How about a test?" Itachi countered. "We meet up after you have done your mission and our students fight. Whichever team wins, gets the mission."
Kurenai stood still for a few moments, thinking it through, then she nodded.
"All right."
"Then we had better take a D-rank as well so that we do not have an unfair advantage." Itachi said, turning to accept a scroll.
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"The C-rank is ours." Sakura gloated as Itachi's team appeared, causing the rest of her team to stare at her. "What? You know I'm right."
"How did you come to that conclusion?" Sasuke asked curiously and Sakura shrugged.
"Hey, Ruto and Hinata may have been the top two rookies of the year, but Sasuke-kun and I were pretty damned close and they've got Kiba, the dead last. Whoever goes against Kiba will win while Shino can drain the chakra of whoever he's up against and Sasuke-kun can zap whever he's against."
Sasuke smirked as he played a small bolt of electricity between two of his fingers. He had learned about his Raiton affinity and had worked almost obsessively to get it to a usable level, although he could do little more than deliver temporarily paralysing shocks.
"And you?" Shino asked.
"And I can slap down whoever I go against." Sakura smirked. "I spar against Ino sometimes, and I'm getting good."
"We will see." Shino droned as Itachi greeted Kurenai.
"How should we do this?" Kurenai asked. "Best of three or battle royale?"
"Battle Royale." Itachi replied almost instantly. "It will help in testing their teamwork as well."
Kurenai raised one eyebrow at the certainty in his voice, but she simply nodded. "Rules?"
"We use training field 35, it has several different terrains which will increase the difficulty level and I do not believe that either of our teams has used it yet, thus negating the 'home field' advantage. Anyone goes out of the training field, they are out of the fight. No lethal strikes and if we think it is getting too dangerous, we stop it."
"Agreed." Kerenai said, noting that Itachi had gone out of his way to not try and stack the contest. "Alright team, we're heading out!"
"Team 7, on me."
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Sakura grinned as she and her team-mates squared off against Team 7.
"Ruto-kun?" Hinata whispered and Naruto nodded.
"I've already deployed some clones behind us, with some of them tasked with swapping you out if things get iffy."
"What's the plan?" Kiba asked.
"Shino is the greatest threat with his Kikkai, so we try to take him down first." Naruto replied quietly. "I'll send a dozen clones to trap the other two, but the chakra-draining abilities of those insects makes me think that my clones won't be that useful against him."
"So, Akamaru and me attack Shino first and Hinata follows us?"
"Sounds like a plan." Naruto said.
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"Hinata's Jyuuken could be a problem." Sasuke said slowly. "She'll be our primary target. Shino, can you drain her?"
"She uses Juyo rather than Jyuuken, and I believe that I can." Shino said emotionlessly.
"I'll slap down mutt-boy." Sakura said.
"And I have Ruto." Sasuke finished. "Alright, we go on command, that C-rank will be ours."
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"They look quite eager." Kurenai said. "Do you want to start it, or shall I?"
Itachi shrugged and Kurenai looked at the six young teens.
"Begin!"
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Sakura leapt forwards, then suddenly felt herself being grabbed by a dozen invisible hands. A quick glance sideways showed that Sasuke was likewise suspended in mid-air, even as Kiba and Akamaru dashed forwards, aiming at Shino who was disgorging his Kikkai as fast as he could.
"Fang over fang!"
Shino almost managed to avoid the twin twisters of destruction, but the glancing impact knocked him off-balance for just a few seconds too long.
"You are within range of my divination! Eight trigrams – thirty-two palms!"
Hinata's palms blurred and Shino collapsed bonelessly onto the ground even as Naruto strolled up to stand between the struggling Sakura and Sasuke, unsheathing a pair of kunai and holding them to their necks.
"I think we win."
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Kurenai's jaw dropped and she reflexively unleashed a burst of chakra to dispell any genjitsu. When the scene in front of her remained unchanged, with two of her students hovering at bladepoint in mid-air, she turned to Itachi.
"…how?"
"Toton Kekkai Genkai combined with Kage Bunshin." Itachi said with a slight smirk.
"Damn." Kurenai cursed. "How in Kami's name are we supposed to be able to stand up to… to whatever that was?"
"I have already planned out several possible counters." Itachi said, looking at where Sakura was kneeling over Shino, her hands glowing pale green. On Shino's other side, Hinata was doing the same thing. "I see that I am not the only one who is encouraging their Kunoichi to learn medical ninjutsu."
"That and Genjutsu." Kurenai said. "Her chakra control is as close to perfect as it is possible to be, although her reserves still need more work."
"Ruto has the opposite problem." Itachi commented. "He uses Kage Bunshin to jelp him manage his control. He has near-Kage-level chakra."
Kurenai whistled as Itachi turned his attention back to where Shino was sitting up, still rather groggy.
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"Damn, that was awesome!" Kiba laughed as they followed Itachi to their normal training ground. "I mean, you've got your own house, a girl who loves you and a Kekkai Genkai that lets you kick people's asses without them even knowing that you're there! You have to be the luckiest person ever!"
"The reaon I'm lucky is walking just next to me." Naruto replied, giving Hinata a one-armed hug. "If not for Hinata-Hime, I wouldn't be here now."
Hinata blushed at the praise, but nodded in confirmation as they reached their destination. Itachi led them to the middle of the field, then sat down and motioned for them to follow suit.
"Our mission is to escort a bridge builder back to the Land of Waves." Itachi said, frowning at the scroll. "It is classified as a C-rank. For the way there, we will be limited to civilian speed. For the way back, we will be practicing branch leaping. Comments?"
"If we are travelling at civilian speeds on the way there, we'll need to pack for several weeks, maybe even a month." Naruto offered and Itachi nodded in approval.
"Tents." Hinata blushed, earning a raised eyebrow. "Ummmm, Ruto-kun and I already have a tent…"
Itachi's eyebrow lifted further as he considered it. "I… see. You are betrothed, so I should have expected it."
For a moment, an uncomfortable silence settled over the field, a silence broken by Kiba who had completely failed to notice the emotional atmosphere.
"I can get a one-man tent from my clan's warehouse." Kiba said with a grin. "Um, Itachi-sensei…"
"I keep a field kit prepared at all times." Itachi said. "A tent is part of it."
"Medical supplies." Hinata added, stroking a scroll stored in an inside pocket, earning another nod of approval.
"I have a basic first-aid kit as well." Naruto added and Kiba perked up.
"I have a vet-kit which doubles as a medical kit."
Hinata blinked. "Kiba-san, would you mind if I sought lessons from Hana-san so that if Akamaru gets hurt, I know how to help him?"
"Sis would love to get a helper at the clinic." Kiba shrugged. "I know the basic stuff, but I tend to concentrate on the attacking stuff."
"I will be happy to rearrange the training sessions to help you accommodate that." Itachi said, earning a look of gratitude from both Kiba and Hinata. "Bring your mission packs to the vetinary clinic tomorrow at ten so that I can check them. Do not worry about rations yet, we shall collect them from the Akamichi commissary tomorrow. Unless you have spent all your money already, you should have enough for several weeks of rations."
Kiba paused, then exchanged glances with Akamaru. "Sorry buddy, looks like we'll have to wait until after the mission to get that new basket for you."
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The bell above the door jangled and Hana looked up, as did the three large grey dogs lying in various corners of the office.
"Hinata, Ruto." She smiled in greeting. "Itachi-kun and my bro are waiting out the back. Just head through."
"Thank you, Hana-sama." Naruto replied with a slight bow as he and Hinata moved to the indicated door. Opening it, Naruto briefly scanned the inside of the room before moving aside to let Hinata through.
"You realise that Hinata could have used her Byakugan, it would have been less obvious." Itachi noted and Hinata and Ruto glanced at each other.
"Ah… sorry, Itachi-sensei. I… I didn't…"
"It is alright, Hinata-chan." Itachi said, interrupting her apology. "I know about the tradition of not using the Byakugan in public within the walls of Konoha without a proper reason. Bear in mind, though, that the rules are different beyond the walls."
"Hai, Itachi-sensei."
"Excellent." Itachi said. "Now that you are all here, move to a table and unpack. I want to see all of your weapons and supplies."
The clink of weapons and rustling of scrolls briefly filled the room, then Itachi motioned for them to move to his table.
"As you can see, I have my camping equipment sealed in scrolls for ease of transport. Spare clothing is in this one, camping rations in this one. I have several bars of emergency rations in this pouch for use while moving. For weapons, I have a tanto, thirty kunai, thirty shuriken and three rolls of ninja wire. I also have several packs of seal tags, explosive, gas, flash-bang and a few extras and some scrolls that you do not need to learn about at this time. Now, let us see what Hinata has."
Hinata moved to behind her table. "My medical kit is in this scroll with the basics stored in this pouch for emergencies. Ko-san was kind enough to advise me. This scroll contains camping gear while this one contains rations, I have several ration bars in this pouch as well. Although I rely mainly on Juho, I have ten Kunai and twenty Shuriken as well as a roll of ninja wire. Finally, this scroll holds clothing."
"Excellent." Itachi said, picking up one of the Kunai and examining it. "You look after your weapons very well."
"Th… thank you, Itachi-sensei."
"Kiba?"
Kiba nodded and strode across to his table. "I have a standard Inuzuka camping pack scroll, a standard Inuzuka field medical kit, two scrolls of rations for myself and Akamaru. Fifteen Kunai, twenty Shuriken and a roll of ninja wire."
"Good." Itachi said, picking up the camping scroll and reading the inscription. "A type 3 camping scroll, an excellent choice for an escort mission."
"Yeah, sis told me what to pick and why." Kiba admitted and Itachi nodded in approval.
"Only an idiot turns down advice. I am glad that you are not an idiot."
As Kiba grinned, Itachi turned his attention to the final member of the party.
"Ruto, why is your table almost empty?"
"It isn't." Naruto said as his hand seemed to vanish for a moment, reappearing with a kunai. "I use pouches woven from my hair, my Kekkai Genkai means that the pouches are invisible, thus I can carry them while using my invisibility."
"Impressive." Itachi admitted, letting Naruto hand him one of the pouches so that he could examine it. "What is your loadout?"
"Well, I rely mainly on my Toton Bloodlimit, so I carry a dozen kunai, two dozen shuriken and two rolls of ninja wire. The visible pouch contains my camping scroll, although Hinata-Hime carries the tent, as well as my rations and extra clothes. I also keep a few ration bars and similar on me."
"Yes, I can see the problems that your bloodlimit brings." Itachi mused. "Your loadout is lighter than the others, but with your Kage Bunshin abilities, I do not see that as an insurmountable problem."
Nruto nodded as he reclaimed the pouches and started to reattach them to his uniform.
"Do you not have to remove your clothing to vanish?"
Naruto shook his head. "Only the mask, gloves and coat. The rest is made from materials that can channel my chakra. Watch."
Itachi's eyebrows shot up as Naruto shed the mask, gloves and coat before vanishing.
"Useful."
"Expensive." Naruto countered as his clothing reappeared and he donned the mask and gloves once more. "This outfit was a gift, I'd need to take a B-rank mission or higher to afford another."
"I shall keep that in mind." Itachi noted. "You may all re-pack your loadouts, they are satisfactory."
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Kiba waved as the rest of his team vanished, Itachi-sensei towards the Uchiha compound and the lovebirds towards their cottage.
"So, you finally have a C-rank." Hana said, coming up behind him and leaning on the doorframe. "Itachi-kun did say that you were improving quite rapidly, he wouldn't have asked for a C-rank if he didn't think you could handle it."
"Yeah, I'm awesome!" Kiba boasted, then he sighed and crouched to stroke Akamaru. "But Ruto's even more awesome. He uses invisible clones!"
"Keep it quiet, bro." Hana warned and Kiba looked at her in confusion. "Those are powerful weapons that enemies won't expect and the longer they fail to learn of them, the more successes your team will be able to claim before they wise up. It's why several of our clan techniques are banned from being used unless you can ensure that there will be no witnesses or survivors to talk about it. Most clans have the same thing, techniques that they hold onto tightly in order to provide a trump card when truly needed."
Kiba nodded slowly, then he followed his sister back into the clinic. Sitting down, he scooped Akamaru up and placed him in his lap so that he could continue stroking him.
"Sis…"
Hana looked at him curiously.
"I heard… I heard that Ruto was going to form his own clan. Isn't that rather hard to do?"
"I don't know that much about how to found clans yet. You're better off talking to mom about that." Hana said with a slight shrug.
Kiba nodded. "Okay, thanks."
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"Kaasan?"
Inuzuka Tsume looked up from the ever-damned paperwork to see Kiba stood in the study doorway. Eagerly seeing him as an excuse to put off the paperwork, she waved him in.
"Hey, pup. What you after?"
"Information about clan founding." Kiba said, then he caught his mother's confused expression. "Not for me. I heard that Ruto was going to become a clan leader at some point and I wanted to know about what it meant and if I could help him."
Tsume leaned back in her chair, one hand dropping to rub the ears of Kuromaru, who was lounging on the floor.
"Ruto… I assume that you mean Yurei Ruto, the boy with the Toton Kekkei Genkai, the one that means no-one can see or smell him?"
"My team-mate." Kiba confirmed and Tsume nodded.
"A bloodlimit like that is almost a gruantee of being allowed to form a clan, he only needs four clans to vote in approval, assuming he has a fiancee."
"Hinata." Kiba supplied and Tsume's eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Well, that gives him the Hyuuga vote. Any other clans that you know of linked to him?"
"The Yamanaka, Nara and Akamichi all seem to like him." Kiba said. "We often train with team ten and Ino mentioned that the Hyuuga attend the gatherings."
"That's four votes." Tsume nodded. "When he gets old enough, he will become a clan head. I believe that I will vote for him as well, having you on his team means that we Inuzuka have a chance of being clan-allies with his clan."
"Why is that so important?" Kiba asked curiously. "I mean, he's only one person…"
"With a Kekkei Genkai that makes him almost unbeatable." Tsume countered. "With his children inheriting it, and their children, it will only be a few generations until Konoha becomes the power in the Elemental Nations because of his clan. If he learns to move silently as well…"
"He's already pretty quiet." Kiba offered.
"…then his clan will become the perfect assassins, completely unstoppable." Tsume finished. "It's no wonder that the Hyuuga sought to link him to their clan by marriage, if his invisibility stretches to the Byakugan then they would be terrified of having him as an enemy."
"Hinata and Hanabi-chan are the only two Hyuuga who can see him." Kiba said with a slight shrug. "Itachi-sensei can't see him even using his Sharingan, but he can just about make out Ruto's Kage Bunshin."
Tsume whistled in amazement.
"Kiba, after you lot get back from your mission, you are going to give me a full debriefing on Ruto's abilities, and then you are going to act as my messenger. There is no way that I am letting the Inuzuka miss making allies with a clan as powerful as his is going to be."
