Becoming somewhat a broken record but I apologize in not updating sooner. Procrastination and other things kept me from having this out earlier. Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto.


Chapter 9
Sweep

"Target acquired. Spotted going toward the eastern quadrant. That's your area, Naruto."

"Understood Hinata." replied the blond through the radio communicator being used. "I'm on my way but will take a while. Where's your position Shikamaru?" Nothing answer was given. "Damn it. Get your head out of the clouds."

"No need to get worked up." retorted Shikamaru in a somewhat bored tone. "Besides, you're closer than me. Surely you can handle it."

Taking that somewhat as a challenge, Naruto soon found the target. He went in but no matter what he wasn't able to capture it. It would make a break for it only to find itself unable to move. "You were sloppy." Walking over was Shikamaru whose shadow had connected with the target's. "Figured you'd have this done by the time I got here."

"Shut up." Naruto shot back. Getting up he dusted himself off before going over to his teammate. "It took all my restraint to keep from wringing that thing's neck."

"You'll do no such thing." exclaimed the third member of the group. With a semi stern look on her face, Hinata picked up the cause of the whole chase in the first place. "It's just a cat." In the arms of the Hyuga was said creature, purring contently.

"That's easy for you to say. You're the only one that cat likes." To demonstrate, Naruto went to touch the feline only for it to hiss at him. Apparently the hostility went both ways. "Can we go already? I want to get this mission over with as quickly as possible."

Walking out of the area the genin soon came across their sensei, which was sitting on a stump and eating some dango. "Ah, you guys are done and in record time." Anko's praise held little value as the accomplishment was nothing special. "Remember having to do similar missions when I started out. It wasn't as much fun back then either." Finishing her snack, Anko got to her feet. "Let's hurry up and deliver the cat to its owner." "Hopefully we don't have to go after it when it runs away again."

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After completing the mission it was decided that the rest of the day would be on training. Anko lead them to a place surrounded in store with a waterfall that went into a stream. "Today you're going to work on bettering your chakra control. Already you know the tree climbing exercise but this is a more advance version."

Wanting to get her students immediate interest, she performed a backflip and landed gracefully on top of the water. "With the constant shifting of water, you'll always need to adjust to keep from sinking." Eager to try it themselves, the three genin tried their hands at the exercise. Sitting back Anko quietly observed what was going on.

Hinata seemed to be the one who was really getting the hang of it so far. Shikamaru wasn't that far behind but still had a way to go. "This turned out better than I expected. Training in medical ninjutsu must've helped her to learn to balance her chakra. Nara's are known to use their chakra wisely so shouldn't take him long to learn. Too bad the same can't be said for the other one."

That observation wasn't that far from the truth as Naruto was having real difficulty. His feet were nearly submerged entirely underwater and it was only by sheer will that he didn't completely going into the water. "Apparently even with all that chakra he processes he still has trouble using it precisely. Team is nicely balanced as they'll help to make up the shortcomings of the others."

Anko's evaluation came to an end as he happened to hear something over at a nearby bush. Investigating she found a man hiding. His back was toward her as he was peering over the other side of the shrubbery at the scene in front of him.

Shaking her head in disbelief at the scene, the jonin decided to speak up. "Spying on women playing in the water that are half your age? Have you no shame, Jiraiya?"

The man in question merely let out what sounded like a perverted giggle. "I'm simply admiring the beauty before me." As he said that, he didn't take his eyes away from the scantily clad women who were continuing to have their fun. He would finally turn away and gave the jonin the once over. "You don't need to feel insecure though. You've grown to be quite the woman."

Less than a second later a kunai was thrown and narrowly avoided in hitting Jiraiya's neither region. "I've also grown up to be quite proficient in maiming people." Anko had another kunai ready to use if necessary. "Start explaining why you're here or I'll demonstrate what I know on you."

Before their conversation could continue, they realized that they were being overheard by the three genin. "Guess it's true. The viper of Konoha has actually become an instructor." Jiraiya chuckled as he found the whole thing amusing. It would end though when he got a good look at who her students were. One of them specifically got his attention. "Is that-"

"It is." cut off Anko before Jiraiya could finish. "Still haven't explained why you're here."

"That's for another time." declared Jiraiya. His previous jokiness was replaced by seriousness. "I must be going." Not waiting for any type of response, he disappeared from the scene without a trace. Although annoyed, Anko decided to let the situation drop. Turning around she left and even though confused at what had happened, her students were left without any answers.

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"So he's back." Later that day Anko had informed the Hokage about what had transpired earlier. He thanked her for the heads up, Minato considered how to take the news but one thing he decided was to inform what was learned to his wife Kushina. She was just as surprised by the news. "This is unexpected."

"That's stating the obvious." murmured Minato in a voice that lacked much emotion. "He wouldn't be here for any reason. Am I right, Jiraiya?" Sitting on the ledge of an open window was the person that the conversation was about.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised. Never could sneak up on you." Getting off the window ledge, Jiraiya sat himself in one of the chairs that was in front of the Hokage's desk. "Hello Kushina. You're looking well."

"Thank you." Kushina was being polite as she had an idea what was to come. "I'll leave you two to get to business." Making her exit she left the room and closed the door behind her.

"Hard to believe it but she's become even more beautiful. You're truly a lucky man, Minato." Jiraiya tried keeping the mood as laid back as possible as to make the situation easier to deal with.

Knowing what he was trying, Minato didn't follow along. "There's a reason why you're here. How about getting to it?"

When it became clear that his efforts weren't going to do any good, Jiraiya tried another approach. "As you already know, I happen to come across your son." No real reaction came from Minato except for his hands clenching slightly. "By the looks of it he's been trained well. He'll surely become a force to reckon with as he gets older. Is the-"

"The seal is holding." interrupted in Minato who already knew what was going to be asked. "There isn't any sign of the nine-tailed fox influencing him in a negative way." By the way he spoke it was apparently all the he was going to say concerning that subject. "Again you had something important to discuss so say what it is."

Recognizing that any further attempts wouldn't work, Jiraiya got down to business. "If I'm correct the Chunin Exam will be happening in a few months and it'll be happening in Konoha." There wasn't any need to confirm that as it was basic knowledge. "From what I could gather my former teammate Orochimaru is going to be returning and you can bet it isn't to have a friendly chat."

Indeed what was revealed was big and given the reliability of Jiraiya's ability to gathering information, it was true. "Still working on what he might have planned but I have my sources looking into it."

"Make sure that you do. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin and not someone to be taken lightly. "Minato was going to get back to work but noticed that he still had company. "Is there anything else?"

"Not really." confessed the Sannin. From how he was suddenly acting it seemed as though he was hesitant. "I just thought that we could perhaps clear the air between us."

"There's nothing to discuss. You apparently felt that you didn't need to return to the village since Hiruzen Sarutobi sacrificed his life." Jiraiya was going to try defending himself but was cut off. "No need to justify yourself. Find it interesting though that your other teammate, Tsunade, who perhaps has more of a reason to be apprehensive to return being in the village, but manages to come back on occasion. Instead of trying to repair something that has long since passed, you should focus on finding out exactly what kind of threat Konoha might be encountering."

Although it wasn't actually said, the last thing that Minato said sounded more or less like an order. Giving into the realization that it would be pointless in continuing any further, Jiraiya did a small formal bow. "So be it, Hokage." Turning around he left and not once did he look back.

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Next Day...

"Now isn't this a surprise?" Anko had taken her students to resume their training from yesterday. They were well into it when they had some company.

"Same could go for you." was Anko's simply reply. "What brings you here? Don't tell me that the renowned lazy shinobi is actually training his students. Hell must've frozen over." There was a mixture of humor and a bit of honesty in those remarks.

Taking no offense, Kakashi merely rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not that lazy. As with you, I planned to train my students but seeing you here I've come up with a better idea. What do you say to say a series of matches against our students?"

Of all the possible reactions that could've come from Anko, the one that came was an eager smile. "It sounds promising. However, I'd like to add my own twist." Pulling out a piece of paper she wrote something down then tearing it into several strips. "On each strip is one of their names. We randomly pick a name from each team and they face each other. We'll go best two out of three." With there being no complaint, the terms were set. "First match will be: Sakura vs. Hinata."

Stepping away from their teams, the two kunochis faced each other. "The rules are simple. You fight with whatever available excluding lethal force. Win by either knockout, incapacitating your opponent or have them give up. Now begin."

"Kick her ass, Hinata. You can do it." shouted Naruto from the sidelines. Beside him was Shikamaru, who in his own way added his support. What they did was appreciated and Hinata gave them a smile of gratitude.

As for the opposing side, Sakura got her own support from Kiba but that would be all as Sasuke simply stood there uninterested. Try as she might, that hurt her to see. "Can you at least try to act as though you care?" Putting that aside as much as possible, she turned her focus back at the fight. "Have to be careful. One false move and I'm done for." Already she was trying to think of a strategy but wouldn't have time.

Going for the early offensive, Hinata closed the distance and went with rapid succession palm thrusts. Sakura managed to narrowly avoid each attempt but it was all she could do as her opponent didn't let up. Recognizing that simply dodging wouldn't help her win, she tried to attack when the faintest opening presented itself. Her attempt would be futile as Hinata was able to not only avoid it but actually get behind her to where she then struck a spot on the back of the neck.

The reasoning behind the move became clear as Sakura collapsed to the ground and showed no sign of getting up. "My chakra cut off her brain's ability to relay commands to the body." the Hyuga quickly explained. "It's only temporary. She'll recover soon."

"Winner: Hinata." Anko went over and picked up the immobile girl. "That was a clever way to end the fight. Good to see that she's using her medical experience in a variety of ways." Placing Sakura down away from the group, she went over to Kakashi. "Who's next?"

Putting aside the result of the last match, the copycat jonin pulled out the next set of names. "Sasuke, Shikamaru, you're up." Following the example of earlier, they got ready.

"You should withdraw." Sasuke suggested. "It'll save you from what is inevitable." He made it sound like there was no way around it.

"This is troublesome." muttered Shikamaru as he stretched his arms. "Not only do I have to fight but it's against an arrogant prick. Have you forgotten that you've lost to Naruto and Hinata?" The reminder was a sore subject for the Uchiha and it didn't go unnoticed. "Perhaps all that bravado is to help cover up your shortcomings."

Angered at what was being eluded to, Sasuke started to do a series of hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." Spewing from his mouth a large ball of fire went toward the intended target. Reacting quickly the shadow user got out of harm's way.

"Don't you think that was a bit much? Using a high level jutsu like that in a friendly match isn't necessary." Shikamaru pointed out. "Guess I hit on a touchy subject. Probably should end it before it gets too out of hand." Making a hand sign, his shadow started to stretch toward Sasuke.

Knowing what was being attempted, the Uchiha started to backpedal. For every step back, Shikamaru's shadow would follow and it continued like that until it finally reached its limit. Sensing that the tide was changing, Sasuke started to feel confident. "He should've listened." Any further self-gloating ended when he suddenly felt his body lock up and couldn't move what so ever. "What?"

"Apparently you already noticed so let me clear any confusion." Shikamaru turned his head, an action mimic by his opponent. The change allowed Sasuke to see that his shadow had become connected to the Nara's as he managed to extend another part of his shadow and had it sneak up behind him. "My early attack was merely done to put you into this position to be captured. If it had failed I would've gone with one of the other strategies I came up with. Now do you give up or do I have to continue?"

Despite it being apparent that there was no way to escape, Sasuke refused to surrender. He repeatedly tried to get free but nothing changed. "Enough." Kakashi announced from the sidelines. "Shikamaru's the winner." Hearing the announcement, the Nara released his hold and casually made his way back to his teammates. As for Sasuke, he was practically fuming. "You were beaten but too stubborn to admit it." Still unwilling to admit it, the Uchiha stomped back to where he was earlier.

"Well, that's two straight." proclaimed Anko. "I guess my team won this little challenge." You didn't even have to look at her to know that she had a cocky smile on her face.

"Hey, wait a minute." Kiba butted in. "That's it? Through all this I'm not even going to have chance to fight? It's bullshit." Before either jonin could respond, someone else spoke up.

"It's all right with me." announced Naruto while doing some light stretches. "Feel a bit restless watching everything go down and I know of a good way to deal with that. Besides, it shouldn't take long." The last part was in good humor and the expression on his face proved it. Having no problem with the offer, both jonins gave the okay.

Feeling confident, Kiba had Akamaru stay back while he took care of business. "I'll show them. Need to save some dignity for my team." Looking across he saw that Naruto was also ready but was taking a more laid back approach.

Wanting to strike quick and hard, the Inuzuka used his chakra to make his fingernails become like claws. Rushing in his swiped at the blond but was able to sidestep the attempt. Not letting up, Kiba went for it again and this time he succeeded as he gave Naruto a slash across the chest. The attack resulted in his opponent falling backward and didn't get up.

Feeling that he might've overdone it, Kiba slowly inched his way over in case it was just a ploy to lower his guard. "You okay?" There was no response. "Come on. Stop kidding around." There was no response, even as he lightly kicked Naruto's foot. Before anything could be done, the blond suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Seconds later, Kiba found himself incapacitated as he was now neck deep buried. "That was a dirty trick."

Standing away from the Inuzuka was a grinning Naruto. Something else to notice was that there wasn't any sign of the recent attack ever happening. "No need to get angry. It was your sensei after all I learned the move from." Kakashi became some bashful as he rubbed the back of his head. "Anyways, it was never specified that I had to start off the fight. Want to keep unpredictable in fights."

"Winner: Naruto." declared Anko who was even more pleased by the end result. She wasn't the only one as all three of her students were giving each other congratulations. "This calls for a celebration. Lunch is on me." Accepting the offer, the team left to enjoy for their clean sweep

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"Well, that happened." After their encounter with Anko's team, Kakashi and his students were making their way back to the village. All three genin were in foul moods from how things went. "How could we lose all three matches?" Kiba wondered as he continued to wipe the dirt that was clung to him.

"We just underestimated them." Sakura was quick to defend. "I was outmatched by Hinata and Naruto dealt with you on ease." Kiba gave her an annoyed look but couldn't deny what she said. "But Sasuke, he was cheated. Isn't that right?" The pink haired girl turned to the Uchiha for support but received a heated glare that made her flinch away.

"Let's call it a day. You guys head home. We'll start up again tomorrow." Kakashi's declaration was approved by Kiba and Sakura as they were quick to take their leave. "Is there something you want?" Standing behind the jonin was Sasuke and he was still in a foul mood.

"Teach me what you've taught Namikaze." the Uchiha practically demanded. "I heard him say that you trained him. I want to know what he knows."

Kakashi didn't allow his student's demand affect him as he simply gave an uninterested stare. "I haven't taught Naruto anything that you could learn if you were willing to learn the basics first." Sasuke was going to say something but was cut off. "You should concern yourself on improving on the abilities that you already have. Probably would've helped you from being defeated today."

"I was tricked." Sasuke was quick to dispute.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you lost." Kakashi calmly retorted. "Get your priorities in order. Otherwise you might lose more than practice matches." The jonin would leave, all the while ignoring the glare that Sasuke was giving him.


For those wondering why I had the matches end like I did, it's because it was to show that although unusual Anko can be a good instructor. Even still, I had them end like they did as if circumstances were different the result could've went the other way. Won't try to say when I'll update again. Will try to do it sooner then this but my recent track record hasn't been that great. Until then, see ya.