Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own Naruto or Naruto: Shippuden.
A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it! I hope you all have a great holiday and enjoy Chapter 10!
Also, please review!
To Be a Ninja (Chapter 10)-Thoughts During the First Night
"Welcome to the Nomi Memorial Dojo." Asuma says to the nine genin, who are exhausted after the journey here. They only stopped to eat, drink, and attend to personal matters for only ten minutes before they were off again.
"This place was donated to my father – and therefore Konoha – by his late friend Kulish Nomi. I never met the man personally, but I know that he wanted my family to be able to use this dojo for students to learn in both body and mind – to come together." Asuma says, clearly emotional about what this place signifies to him.
The three genin of Team 10 has never seen their sensei acting like this. To sound to wise and regretful, makes his students consider his last words – to come together.
"And with that, let's say what's going to happen. Mornings, afternoons, and nights, we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. Everyone. Sharing meals is a great way for everyone to come together. After breakfast, there will be group training – endurance training, chakra control, and spars. Then we have lunch. Then it's individual or small-group training, depending on your individual needs. Then we have dinner." Kurenai says, to the genin, who have mixed feelings at knowing this.
"Not only that, but you will be sharing rooms – every week, the boys will share a room with someone not of their team, for four weeks. And the girls will all share a large room together, due to their odd numbers." Kakashi says, to the almost unanimous displeasure of the group.
Inwardly, Asuma is beyond grateful for this 'mission.' He and his father may not always get along, but they both want what's best for the village and her people. The Dojo was suggested by his father, meals my Kakashi, and rooming by Kurenai.
Even as competing Jonin-sensei – potentially for the chuunin exams, or just bragging rights in general – they are still helping each other.
And hearing the conversations before and after the journey to the dojo, the other jonin were more than happy to help. Asuma's team is currently in teamwork-crisis, and it's time to solve that now before it becomes a risk to lives.
"Now, let's eat!" Kakashi says, holding up two chopsticks he seemingly pulled out of nowhere.
Shikamaru Nara is excited. When he heard they'd be rooming with everyone from other teams for a week, he already looked forward to the week he would be rooming with Sasuke.
A week with Sasuke means a week of intense Shogi matches.
Dinner is…quiet. Twelve people around a not too-large dinner table, full of people who are friends, acquaintances, and who-knows what (Shikamaru won't try to explain what's going on with Kiba and the other teams – he needs more information, so he won't waste time until he has enough to go off of).
As people sat down instantly when they walked into the room, and him naturally being the last in line due to everything being such a drag to the Nara, he finds himself in the only seat remaining – between Ino and Choji and across from…the person he's thought about most within the past 12 or so hours.
…Sasuke Uchiha.
And Shikamaru's excitement about being next to one of his best friends, the slight awkwardness of being between both his would-have-been teammates, and being across from the best Shogi player in his age range (and the first guy to make Shikamaru's heart rate actually increase at seeing a smile)…all that goes away when he sees Sasuke right now.
Sasuke just looks…uncomfortable. He's looking down at his plate of food (which does not go unnoticed by the Nara that there is a tomato on this plate, which none of the others have), body turned slightly to his right to Shino (probably due to the fact that on his left is Hinata, who is not on his team). His hands are somewhat in the position they were during their mtches, but his elbows aren't quite on the table due to the lack of space brought on by the food.
Shikamaru remembers how isolated Sasuke kept himself back at the Academy. Barely uttered a word to anyone – except to tell his fangirls to leave him alone and to call Naruto a 'loser' because he was complaining after losing a spar.
He never hung out with friends at lunch, and Shikamaru couldn't remember him leaving or coming to class with anyone either. He never voluntarily answered a question Iruka-sensei asked unless he was called on specifically.
This leads to Shikamaru considering two things: either Sasuke is shy, or he has a problem around large groups of people.
He instantly rejects the first hypothesis, though – Sasuke was open to playing Shogi the night before and didn't seem reserved at all, when everyone around him were not his teammates.
So without having reason to consider a third hypothesis currently, which he is still open to if new evidence comes to light, Shikamaru right now thinks it's the second. That Sasuke has issues around large groups of people.
And it makes sense to the Nara why this may be. Sasuke lost his entire clan. One of the largest clans in the village – gone. Always being surrounded by family, going to no family.
Shikamaru decides to take a risk. He normally doesn't play risky – but if last night's Shogi match was any indication then he has to sometimes.
Shikamaru uses his new shadow-pulling technique on Sasuke, who begins to fidget in his seat. Shikamaru pulls the shadow to his own direction, and Sasuke looks him in the eye.
Shikamaru just raises both his eyebrows at Sasuke, sending just a simple greeting at him.
And Shikamaru is extremely happy he decided to take a risk.
Because he receives a light smile in return before Sasuke grabs and takes a bite out of the hearty tomato.
Despite being aware of his heartbeat again, Shikamaru can only think of this as a success.
Naruto Uzumaki went from being excited about this training month to dreading it in the span of one minute.
And that's because of the times that will be unrelated to training. Specifically, all of them.
He's never spent such intimate times with people who weren't his closest friends. Mealtimes he loves to share…but with so many people he doesn't know all too well is a bit frightening to him.
But he's most anxious about bedtimes. The Uzumaki has never had a sleepover or anything like that. He's never slept close to any other person before outside of missions since he was a child back in the orphanage sharing a room with Heba until his once-best-friend got adopted.
Naruto doesn't know how to share a large meal like this, or how to share a room with someone.
It doesn't help that he's somehow stuck sitting at the corner of the head of the table, between Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi, and across from Sakura.
All three of the people closest in vicinity to him have either hurt him, insulted him, embarrassed him, praised him, taught him, or a mix of them all. And here he is, eating a very nice meal summoned from storage seals – which Naruto notices preserve freshness after two days so he can preserve a lot of fresh ramen – like these people haven't seen him at his worst and/or best.
His team is one thing. A team's relationship is supposed to be deep, and ugly, and raw, and beyond the worst and surpassing the best. He doesn't mind being around Hinata or Shika or Kurenai because he's seem them in the same positions too.
But two of his three comrades around him he just can't share these experiences with. All Naruto can feel is shame and embarrassment and knowing what they've seen of him. All the failed spars and jutsu demonstrations in the academy, failed pranks and their punishments, successful pranks and their punishments, getting insulted by Kiba twice, failing graduation twice – technically three times!, as Naruto reminds himself.
Though he won't ever be rooming with Sakura or Kakashi, it'll be the same thing with everyone else. Everyone here has seen his failures. But only his team has seen his successes and progress.
He just hopes he doesn't have to room with Kiba already…
Choji Akimichi thinks it's kind of ironic how his roommate for the next week happens to one Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto, the one who – unknowingly – stole Choji's best friend from him. The one who made Choji too nervous to ask Shikamaru to hang out with them when still in school.
Choji was initially nervous about getting dressed into his pajamas, but when Naruto took out his own froggy-jammies, then Choji realized that this is Naruto.
Naruto would never make fun of him. Naruto might have a foul mouth, might hold a grudge over petty issues, but Naruto would never be mean.
Choji remembers too clearly how Naruto and Shikamaru, or Naruto and Hinata would laugh and hang out – eat lunch together, laugh when working on group assignments, or talk for a few minutes before leaving class for the day.
But Choji now remembers what he had forgotten – all the tears Naruto spilled when sitting alone on that swingset, or getting picked on by Ino and Sakura whenever he lost to anyone – especially Sasuke – in spars, how miserable Naruto looked.
Choji was lonely too, and bullied too. They were both victims of kids being cruel to each other. But Choji realizes now, sitting alone in a room with Naruto in awkward silence before bed, how jealous he has been of the blonde.
And then Choji feels guilty.
He's guilty because while he and Naruto have been bullied and miserable, Choji has had some support. He's had Iruka-sensei for as much as he was actually allowed to do, he's had his parents, he's had Shikamaru, and he's had the rest of his clan.
Until Shikamaru and Hinata, Naruto didn't really have anyone. Maybe Iruka-sensei and the Hokage – barely – but he definitely had no parents or clan or other friends to support him.
And Choji wasn't blind to the fact that the villagers tended to treat Naruto with more malice than they ought to, but he has no idea why and has never given it much thought.
And as sure as Choji is about not being able to forget about the things he's been called, he's sure that the cruel things from other students and the villagers won't be soon forgotten by Naruto either.
So how is one to heal? Perhaps it's what this whole trip is about – comradery, solidarity, to 'come together' as Asuma-sensei was saying.
"Hey…Naruto? *munch*" The boy who has just had a major paradigm-shift asks.
"…Yeah, dude?" The slight pause was not unnoticed by the eating genin.
"How…what did you think about dinner?"
"Was that the shadow communication technique you mentioned you were creating with your father last night?" Sasuke asks of the Nara when heading into their shared room for the next week.
"It was." Shikamaru responds, seemingly nonchalantly.
Inside, Shikamaru is nervously excited about this conversation.
"Why'd you use it on me?" Sasuke immediately asks the million-dollar question to the other genius.
"You seemed to be uncomfortable. I just though after last night's game, that we can be friends. And friends help each other. And it's helped my teammates feel comfortable, like I'm there with them even if I'm not right there." The shadow user responds.
"I see. Well, thanks. It, uh, it grounded me from some thoughts and I appreciate it." Sasuke has no idea the effect his words have on his roommate.
"Of course. So after you get settled in, wanna have another match of Shogi?" Shikamaru asks, raising his eyebrows at Sasuke who snorts.
"I think we'll be playing this a lot this week." Sasuke doesn't notice the pink tint on his roommate's cheeks.
Hinata Hyuuga is impressed by the size of the room she and the other girls get for the next month. Three beds, one bathroom, and one dresser for each person.
There's a window on the opposite side of the room from the door, and Hinata knows she wants the middle bed – a good vantage point in case an enemy comes through one of the two entries into the room, she can get herself and her comrades out altogether.
She's happy neither Ino nor Sakura complain when she walks to the bed and immediately starts putting things away.
But she's not quite happy about who she's rooming with, though. She hasn't had much interaction with either of the kunoichi, but her teammate and crush has.
Sakura, the one Naruto used to like. He used to ask her out, and she would hit and reject him. Ino, someone who just routinely make fun of him for being inferior to Sasuke Uchiha.
Part of Hinata knows she shouldn't focus on the past and what these two did before they were all even technically ninja, but it's hard. Naruto – and Shikamaru – brought her out of the meek little girl she was. Naruto's friendship is the reason they were even put onto a team; Kurenai-sensei said so when they had their Trust test.
But she loves Naruto. He doesn't know it, and she's thankful that he's a bit dense in that area – though she feels guilty about that too as it's probably due to emotional neglect – but she wants to tell him. She wants to protect him from all the pain that he's known.
And to her, a lot of that pain is in this room right now, with the two kunoichi from Teams 7 and 10.
"Say, Hinata, you guys all looked like you've improved a lot since the Academy. Especially Naruto and Shikamaru. How did you guys do it?" Ino asks the Hyuuga, who is stunned at the question.
Hinata could understand Sakura asking something like that – she apologized for how she treated Naruto. Ino never did such a thing.
"Well…we have something to protect. Each other. And we have dreams to fulfill, and we can only do all that by getting stronger." Hinata answers, staring directly into Ino's eyes. Ino stares back, eyes determined.
"Well then, looks like I need to kick my teammates' asses into gear. We need to protect each other, too." Ino says, and Hinata's impressed.
'Maybe…this month won't be as bad as I thought.'
Kiba Inuzuka has been mostly speechless since the night before. His 'talk' with Asuma-sensei when he went back into the tent – if it could even be called a talk to begin with and not some sort of cliché one-liner – hasn't helped him.
He still feels like shit. He still feels guilty, alone, angry, and embarrassed.
"Asuma-sensei, can we talk? I need some help. I'm feeling really angry and I just lashed out at Naruto again." The Inuzuka said to Asuma as he walked by, who then stuck his head in the tent.
"Well Kiba, I think you just need to try calming down and focus on the consequences of what you say." Asuma-sensei says before leaving, Kiba feeling even more dejected now than he had.
'He's giving up on me too...' Kiba thinks, turning onto his side and hugging a pillow.
"What's wrong?" The voice of his roommate, Shino Aburame, speaks up suddenly. Kiba actually kind of forgot Shino was here – he was so caught up in his own head and Shino hadn't made any noise at all.
It happened just a day ago – Kiba hasn't forgotten how Shino's entire team went off on him just for calling Naruto a 'dead-last.'
Akamaru makes a whining sound from the floor, sleeping in a doggy-bed Kiba brought for the month.
"Do you actually care?" Kiba asks in return, suspicious at Shino suddenly treating him like a good guy.
"If I didn't, I wouldn't waste my time by asking." Leave it to Shino to say that he cares by responding like that.
"Heh. Well…It's just that…I feel like my team's always been ignoring me. Never considering my opinion and just do what they want – mostly Ino actually." Kiba says, turning over to face Shino on his bed.
"What happened specifically?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to Asuma-sensei after another thing with Naruto earlier…" Embarrassment is evident in his voice, but he continues. "…And he didn't even listen to what I was saying. Just 'think before you talk' or some shit like that." Kiba finishes, and Shino considers this for a moment.
Shino knows this feeling all too well. At first he was worried that his team was ignoring him or not considering him, but then he talked to them that day when his whole team dynamic changed. And last night, too, the Aburame was told to think about only the important people.
Shino's important people are his family and friends, like Kurenai said. His team are like his family, and the Aburame felt invisible when he thought his team was doing the same thing as those other kids in the Academy.
So Shino knows exactly how Kiba is feeling right now. It really sucks, to put it lightly. And Kiba needs to fix this immediately if he and his team hope to be successful in anything.
"You need to talk to your team. Tell them all how you feel and how it's affecting you. It's not healthy to keep feeling like this, and I'm sure they will help you. Ino-Kiba-Cho, was it?" Shino speaks, and the last part really resonates within the dog-user.
"Ino actually did ask me if I was 'in' then…" Kiba mutters, but due to how quiet Shino is, he hears it anyway.
"I felt the same thing about my team too. Talking to them helped me feel so much better. Just the relief of that was enough that I improved in everything." Shino finishes, and wait a few seconds before turning on his side to face the wall and pulling open his vest to go to sleep.
He doesn't want Kiba to see the openings where his kikaichu roam out around his body at sleeping time. He barely even got it on when he had to hug Sasuke from that nightmare when he first moved in with him and his family.
Kiba understands this want of privacy.
"Yeah. And thanks… …goodnight." Kiba says, and Shino doesn't move.
"Goodnight."
The three Joinin-sensei are sitting together, having their last drink of poison for the next month.
"You really weren't kidding, Asuma. Your team needs work." Kakashi says, alcohol in his glass disappearing. Pure speed to lift the mask and drink that fast without being seen.
"But I really think this'll be good for them. There was already the team declaration by Ino." Kurenai says, putting her arm around the man whose team is in question.
"I may not always agree with my father or his choices, but this one I back completely. Also, thank you both for helping." Asuma says to his comrades.
"Konoha thrives on teamwork and the Will of Fire. This'll benefit everyone." Kakashi says, downing yet another pint of poison before letting out a belch to break the mushy tension.
The other two laugh and follow Kakashi's lead and drink as well.
A/N: Not that much action happened in this chapter, but there are a few seeds for future stuff in here. But there was ShikaSasu development! Honestly, I kind of find it funny just how many of these characters' worries and problems somehow involve Naruto. I truly didn't plan this – it just happened!
This arc is moving a little slow, but this is more of a character arc than plot. I estimate only 2-3 more chapters left in the arc before the Chuunin Exams begin.
Also I tried something different this chapter with the 3rd person perspective. I'll probably be using this format in the future a bit, but I expect next chapter to go back to 1st person.
I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 10 and stick around for Chapter 11 next Thursday! Again, Happy Thursday and/or Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading!