A/N: This is my longest going chapter! Woo, I'm kind of excited for it! It fully opens the door for the story to move forward completely! In due time, we will see Kagome's memories unlocking as well as the strain the three go through with her two male teammates memories coming into play. I sincerely hope you all like how Kikyo is portrayed in this story, I'm truly excited for her to be their Jounin instructor especially with what I have in store.
... I also think I might pair her with Kakashi when the time comes. It seems interesting, don't you?
Anyways, please read and enjoy and review to let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: The story line and characters of both Naruto and Inuyasha do not belong to me.
Three figures darted through the shadows of a dense forest, each one more determined than the last. As they each tried to conceal their identity to the best of their ability, they kept their eyes open for any sudden movements.
A rustle in the bushes could be more than just a rabbit. A twig snapping behind them could be more than a squirrel passing by. A coo from a bird could be an actual enemy signal calling a plan to motion. Anything and everything could be an enemy; letting your guard down could be your downfall.
'Step number one: Conceal yourself completely.' Kikyo leaned against a large tree trunk within the clearing of training ground nine. Her brown eyes were alert and focused. Closing her eyes, Kikyo expanded her chakra just a bit and, finding no known chakra signature, she smiled. 'Well, they've certainly got that down.'
With that last thought and a tighter grip on her bow, Kikyo disappeared from her spot altogether, leaving no trace behind.
Kagome breathed deeply from her spot near the Konoha river. Hidden in between a couple of bushes, she kept her senses alert as she focused on every small detail. The leaves falling from the tree from a slight breeze, the ripples in the water from the nearby fish, the rabbit darting from one bush to another. Kagome took note of everything.
Noting that nothing was out of place, Kagome nodded to herself as she thought of how to go about finishing the "survival training."
"Within thirty minutes, I would like you three to be prepared as if you were going on a dangerous mission. Once you have prepared, meet me in the clearing of training ground nine. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Kikyo-sensei."
Kikyo had informed them of their final test of whether they were to be true Genin or not. Of course, Bankotsu had thrown a slight fit before Kagome cut in with the information that every new Genin team has their own type of test given depending on their sensei. Hakudoshi said nothing though a slight nod of his head gave the inclination that he did agree with his female teammate.
So, after a bit of grumbling from Bankotsu, they all dismissed themselves to prepare within the twenty-eight minutes left - as Kikyo had griped at them for wasting "valuable time."
After arranging their kunais, scrolls, shuriken, anything they each felt was necessary, they met up with Kikyo-sensei with just five minutes to spare. Kikyo had smirked at them when they arrived. "And here I thought you would have already been here twenty minutes ago," Kikyo absently said.
Kagome and Bankotsu both openly showed their confusion while Hakudoshi's eyes narrowed in insult. Kikyo smiled slightly before explaining. "When I gave you the time limit, it was just for consideration. I had expected you three to be fully prepared already. Needing time to prepare is an insult to shinobi altogether. A shinobi of any class must be prepared at all times for any sudden attack or invasion. That is Shinobi Rule No. 8."
Kagome had glowered as she realized that the moment their sensei stepped into the Hokage's office, she had already been testing them. Bankotsu, of course, said that he was always prepared and only gave their new sensei time to adjust to her new team accordingly. Hakudoshi just glared at her.
Kikyo laughed at their reactions before schooling her features and jumping into the next test of the day. "Alright, listen up," Kikyo snapped, causing the three to focus immediately. "Within the next few hours until sundown, you have one final test."
All three Genin focused intently at their new sensei.
"I want you three to effectively take me down as if I were an S-classed missing nin."
Kagome gasped in shock. "What type of test is that? There is no possible way that three Genin, fresh out of the Academy, could take down a fully seasoned Jounin. It's impossible!"
Her argument, while justified, pulled her teammates to look at her strangely once more though it went completely unnoticed by her. Naturally, Kikyo noticed their reactions but chose to ignore it for the time being, putting it away at the back of her mind.
"Well then, Kagome," Kikyo said, shutting her student down, "You better get to work. Especially since I don't plan on just waiting around."
All three of her students' eyes widened marginally before they each disappeared.
Snapping her eyes open, Kagome's eyes widened in realization. 'Of course, how could I have been so stupid! Teamwork, that's what she wants us to do!'
Nodding to herself in her realization, Kagome took off from her spot to find her her male teammates to explain just what the mission was really about. Just as she leaped from her spot, three kunai sailed through the wind and towards Kagome.
Gasping, Kagome used her momentum to turn just slightly in order to dodge the three kunai. 'That could have fatally wounded me!' Kagome thought as she landed on a tree branch before looking behind her at the kunai embedded on the ground. "She's not kidding, is she?"
"Kagome, Kagome."
It was whispered within her ear sending a shiver down her spine. Frozen in fear, Kagome had no idea what to do as she closed her eyes. Breathing in deeply, Kagome sprang away at the last possible second before turning around and sending a barrage of kunai towards her new instructor.
Kikyo watched in shock at how quick her female student reacted at the last second. Easily dodging the kunai, she found herself engaged in a bout of taijutsu, her student's eyes focused and not at all like the bright eyes she first saw.
Grabbing onto the arm that Kagome had threw in a slightly chakra filled fist, she used the girl's momentum to throw her into a tree. Kikyo watched as Kagome had righted herself before the impact and landed in a crouch at the base of the tree.
"Shinobi Battle Skill No. 1: Taijutsu. You seem to have that one down, lost one," Kikyo said to Kagome.
Staring at her sensei, Kagome held back a smirk. 'Oh, I've got a lot of it if you want to see it first hand.' Kagome tightened her stance a bit into something akin to a lion ready to pounce. She stayed still for a bit longer before springing from her place and disappearing from Kikyo's sight once more.
Kikyo's musical laugh followed Kagome as she darted through the tree branches in search of her teammates once more.
Kikyo had to hand it to the girl, she sure is filled with surprises. She expected for the girl to pounce instead of fleeing. "I wonder," Kikyo said to herself as she expanded her chakra once more, going further than last time, "does she know what the test is about?"
Feeling a dim, but strong chakra signature, Kikyo smiled. "I'll find out later, I suppose." With that, she took off in the opposite direction of her female student.
As she zeroed in on the target, Kikyo was able to put a name to the signature. 'Bankotsu, my own knucklehead ninja,' She thought with a small smile. Landing silently behind the male, she leaned in and sent the shinobi into a world of his own with a whispered, "Seal."
Kikyo pulled back and waited for the boy to release the genjutsu. While it isn't the strongest jutsu she's used, it is stronger than that of a genin's mind could decipher. She watched as soon, the panic set in before his screaming alerted the forest, and his teammates, of where he was.
Realizing that she had a few seconds before her other students appeared for their fallen teammate, Kikyo dispersed into the shadows to watch the three.
Hakudoshi was the first to arrive when he heard his comrade's scream. Chancing upon Bankotsu, Hakudoshi immediately noticed the genjutsu placed around the area. It was much stronger than he had anticipated and could not fault Bankotsu for falling prey to it. Finding the weak spot in the jutsu, Hakudoshi made the necessary hand sign. "Release!"
Kagome had appeared just as the genjutsu shattered from Hakudoshi's chakra. She watched as Bankotsu woke up with a start from his spot on the ground, his eyes wide with shock and slight fear. Tilting her head, Kagome was just about to step toward him before she took notice of something odd.
'That rabbit… it's the same one I saw. But, that's impossible - unless...' Kagome's train of thought shattered as she leaped back and threw three shuriken at the rabbit. Hakudoshi and Bankotsu immediately went on guard as a poof was heard and from the smoke stepped their sensei.
Kikyo clapped slowly at her student's display of sharp wit. "Good catch, Kagome. Tell me, how did you know?"
"That rabbit has the same dark patch as the one that I saw when you appeared behind me near the river bed. That is a good three miles away now and out of the rabbit's possible range within the amount of time we migrated," Kagome explained softly and carefully as she wearily watched her sensei.
"Smart, skilled, beautiful - you have it all, Higurashi. Now," Kikyo said cheerfully, "my favorite part of the test. Shinobi Battle Skill No. 3: Ninjutsu."
The Genin on her team watched as she went through hand signs a bit faster than they could comprehend. At the last sign, Kikyo pulled her bow from its place on her shoulder and made a show of pulling the string back. "Secret Shinobi Art: Sacred Binding Jutsu!"
Kagome, Bankotsu, and Hakudoshi were confused as they have never heard of the jutsu but, as they watched their sensei's chakra fuse into that of an arrow, all three pairs of eyes widened before they tried to escape from her range.
Kikyo noticed that their instincts had kicked in and just as they jumped from their place, she set the arrow free with a few more following. Watching as the arrows took hold of various parts of her students' clothing and securing them to the dense trees, Kikyo smiled.
"Now, as you can see, those arrows are part of my chakra. Thing is, they are infused with something else as well making them nearly indestructible. You have three hours until sundown to get free of them. If you manage to do that, you will find the secret to beating me," Kikyo said point blank with a smile. Looking at the sun, she nodded more to herself. "Well, I'm getting some dinner, Ja!"
With a poof, the three trapped shinobi watched their sensei disappear.
A cricket sounded, a bird cooed, and the rustles in the bushes gave way to the rodents of the forest getting ready to settle down for the night ahead.
"You're kidding me, right?" Bankotsu finally said after various attempts of escaping.
"You won't escape from the arrows with brute force, Bankotsu," Hakudoshi said from his spot on the tree. One look at him told of his discomfort and displeasure at being caught in an embarrassing sight.
Kagome just sighed. "Maybe there's a different way of getting out. Like, a sort of lesson that - should we free ourselves - would pave way for the first lesson with her."
"Even if that's the case, we won't ever make it to that point if we don't free ourselves now," Bankotsu pointed out albeit with a little irritation laced in his words.
Kagome sighed as she closed her eyes. 'Come on, Kagome. Think!' Kagome went through every arsenal in her brain that she knew of jutsus. 'The one she used was different. Definitely Jounin status so why use it on lowly Genin that wouldn't be able to counter it?'
An image of Kikyo appeared in her head, their sensei poised for an attack, her face filled with a calm determination.
"Secret Shinobi Art: Sacred Binding Jutsu!"
The wind seemed to die down just as Kagome's eyes widened. "That's it!"
Her exclamation caught the attention of her struggling teammates. "What's it?" Bankotsu gruffly asked, slightly mocking her.
Kagome glared at him for his tone before speaking. "Kikyo-sensei used a sacred art. You know, spiritual energy. That's probably what is laced with her chakra making these nearly impossible to break."
"And? What is your point Kagome-chan?" Hakudoshi softly spoke to Kagome, the added suffix making the kunoichi blush.
"As a shinobi, the first thing we learn is to never let our guard down. Because of this, we are never truly able to sit down and meditate. In the Academy, we learned of some shinobi learning the art of spiritual energy, something that is hardly practiced for it was deemed a waste of time. Thing is, should a shinobi learn to master it, she - or he, sorry - could unlock a new level of jutsu known as a Secret Shinobi Art," Kagome finished with a smile as she proudly demonstrated her knowledge seeking skills.
Bankotsu still looked slightly confused but Hakudoshi caught on quickly and with a realization, his eyes narrowed. "So what you're saying is, she wants us to unlock our 'spiritual energy?'" Hakudoshi asked.
"Kind of," Kagome answered vaguely. "I think she just wants us to first try the meditation part. Should we do that, who knows what we could accomplish!"
"Meditate? Are you telling me you want us to actually let our guards down?" Bankotsu was shocked as he asked.
"Look, we are within the Konoha training grounds. I'm pretty sure Kikyo-sensei has a lock on our chakra signature anyways. All I'm saying is that we calm our minds long enough to find the lock on the arrows in order to unlock them," Kagome explained exasperatedly.
"It's worth a shot, Bankotsu," Hakudoshi spoke up.
Bankotsu, realizing it was two-to-one, sighed and gave up his fight. Nodding, he turned his head to look at the kunoichi on his team, his mind reeling from memories of how she used to be when she was younger - though, of course she doesn't remember.
Kagome nodded back and - with a deep breath - closed her eyes, fully allowing her mind to go unguarded.
What she found next surprised her completely.