Pandabot: Well, well. Hello again. Just a short little chapter to carry on with Shikamaru's team. Here's hoping you all enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 12: Showtime
Ino stood in the shadow of the cliff, kunai held loosely at her side as she eyed the surrounding trees. Yomiko was stationed in one of the trees, back to back with Tenzo as she looked around alertly, hair swishing softly. The dark shinobi at her back looked still and quiet as ever, the only sign of movement the swivelling of his dark eyes.
Akihiro stood by Ino's side, arms folded and looking thoroughly unimpressed by the turn of events that had led to him having to wait quietly with her. Of course, it wasn't really him; it was actually a clone with the real him cleverly hidden behind one of Yomiko's illusory Genjutsu halfway up the cliff in a little alcove.
The idea was that Yomiko and Tenzo would put up real resistance and try and draw Kana into the open. Kazuki and Hijame, being Taijutsu specialists, would naturally be forced to engage Ino at close range, but Akihiro was supposed to get hold of Kana if he could with his Shadow Whip Jutsu.
It was a decent plan, one that Ino was very happy with, and for Yomiko to create it at such short notice was very impressive. Shikamaru probably could have created something better, Kakashi too, but with the timeframe and the units at her disposal Yomiko had done very well. Ino was proud of her.
Ino sensed them coming long before they arrived but she was determined to leave her defending team to their own devices as much as possible. It would be good for Yomiko to be put under pressure like this. By the time Yomiko finally sensed them coming they had already split into three, Hijame and Kazuki sweeping around the sides while Kana stopped directly ahead of the defensive group.
Showtime.
The attack, when it came, was vicious and aggressive - exactly what Ino had expected from Kana. A huge gust of wind tore through the forest, sending the branches of the trees whipping around wildly. Yomiko and Tenzo were almost immediately unsighted by the mad winds as Hijame and Kazuki leapt from the undergrowth.
It was an effective tactic and would have worked brilliantly if Yomiko didn't know Kana. As it was, the pair disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind two logs that were instantly whipped away by the swirling winds.
The attacking pair continued moving, dashing past the logs without hesitation and scrambling for cover. Too late. Little balls of flame, courtesy of Yomiko's Phoenix Bloom Jutsu, chased after the running Kazuki, weaving through the trees in a remarkable display of chakra control.
Hijame hit the ground, hoping to stay out of view and immediately began to sink into the ground. Looking around, she saw the shape of Tenzo, half-hidden behind the trunk of a nearby tree, hands still together in a seal.
"Earth Style. Sinkhole Jutsu." She swore at him angrily, folding her arms in defeat; she knew this Jutsu too well to attempt an escape. Ino narrowed her eyes as she saw Yomiko direct her flames expertly, arcing around Kazuki in an attempt to drive him towards the cliff where Ino stood waiting.
She saw him narrow his eyes as he thought over the odd move, saw the gears grinding into motion in his head. Saw his eyes widen as he realised the trap, even as he threw a kunai at Akihiro's clone.
"Kana! No!" Had his shout come a few seconds earlier, it would have foiled Yomiko's plan, leaving Kana free to wreak havoc. Unfortunately for the attacking team, it came too late.
She flickered into view, wielding her fans to blow away the flames that had been chasing Kazuki. A split second later, a dark whip-like shape lashed out from the cliff face, wrapping around Kana's body and holding her tight. In the instant that Kazuki was distracted by the trap, Ino lunged forward at blinding speed to catch him by the arm and place a kunai to his neck.
The tableau froze in place as each of the attacking team realised just how badly they had been duped. Yomiko jumped onto the scene at the same time as Ino released Kazuki from her grip.
"You lose." The cute giggle that followed her statement was the first time that Yomiko had sounded genuinely pleased with herself and Ino had to bite back a laugh. Kazuki shrugged and laughed as well, turning to give the dark-haired girl a huge grin,
"Man, Yomiko. You got us good." Kana shot him a dirty look, still wrapped up Akihiro's Shadow Whip Jutsu,
"Who's side are you on?!" she shouted, struggling against her shadowy bonds. Ino shook her head in amusement,
"Easy, you two. I'd prefer no-one killed each other." Akihiro released his Jutsu, coming out from hiding behind Yomiko's Genjutsu.
"So it worked," he said with a certain note of grudging respect. Tenzo grunted quietly, hands in his sleeves with his arms folded carefully across his chest; Hijame prowled along in his wake, glaring coldly at Yomiko. The dark-haired girl was flushed with excitement, beaming around at her team mates and the other genin.
Ino shot her a proud smile as Kana picked herself up off the ground, muttering darkly to herself.
"Alright, kids. Gather round." She looked over them all as they gathered, judging reactions with a practiced eye. The two girls seemed to have taken the loss the worst but Kana was already getting over it, brushing herself off.
"That was a good exercise," Ino began, "it taught us the importance of knowing your enemy. Kana, tell me why your attack failed." The girl sighed,
"Because Yomiko knew what I was going to do before we did it." Ino tilted her head side-to-side in thought,
"Yes and no. Your attack was too blunt and simple. As a shinobi you must learn to look underneath the underneath; it's a very important lesson for you to learn." She paused and looked directly at Hijame,
"One of Shikamaru's favourite sayings is that 'The first move is always a feint'. It's a simple but effective way to lure an enemy into a trap - always make sure you have them before you launch your real attack." She looked up to see the group staring at her, each taking her words their own way.
"Alright, I think that will do for today. I want you guys to go and get some sleep. Team Six, I want you to meet us on training field twelve tomorrow morning at nine." She had barely finished when Hijame left in a huff, clearly very angry about today's training - Ino didn't envy Shikamaru, having to work with her.
Akihiro shot Yomiko a sideways look and sighed heavily, almost like it physically pained him, before he spoke up.
"Good plan." He walked away, shaking his head slightly, shoving his hands into his pockets. Tenzo was silent, merely inclining his head and following his team mate out of the clearing. Ino looked at her students with a smile,
"Well done today, you three. You dealt with them well." Kana pulled a face and shook her head,
"Ugh, whatever. Later." She leapt away into the trees, leaving the three left behind struggling to contain their amusement. It wasn't really funny, but there was a strange sort of humour in the way Kana was so annoyed at losing the contest. Yomiko, surprisingly, was the first to regain control.
"See you tomorrow, Ino-sensei," she said sweetly, practically dancing away on her little cloud of happiness. Ino was shaking her head in amusement when her last student spoke up seriously,
"Hey, sensei. Could you give me extra training?" Ino swung around in surprise, eyeing Kazuki carefully.
"More training?" He nodded staunchly, folding his arms,
"Yes, Ino-sensei." There was a long pause as Ino studied him in surprise, eyeing the determined young man.
"Any particular reason for this sudden need for extra training?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at the ground for a long moment, fidgeting awkwardly under Ino's gaze as he struggled to get over his embarrassment. Just as Ino was about to prompt him he screwed up his face and the dam burst.
"Because Yomiko and Kana have all these awesome jutsu and all I've got is my Lightning Barrage but it's not good enough because I can only use it once and it's really dangerous to use and...and...I just want to get better."
Ino raised an eyebrow, surprised by his outburst; she hadn't known that he was so disappointed in himself. She stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his head,
"I can help you improve if you want. That's what I'm here for right?" He looked up at her with a wide grin,
"Thanks Ino-sensei!" She gave him a warm smile and reached into her trusty pouch, rummaging through for a second.
"One of the best ways to learn better Jutsu is to find out what chakra nature you have." Ino explained, finding what she was looking for with a soft 'aha!' Kazuki pulled a thoughtful face,
"You mean like Yomiko's Fire-Style or Kana's Wind-Style Jutsu?" Ino nodded withdrawing a simple square of paper,
"Exactly. They can use those Jutsu because their chakra natures are fire and wind respectively. You probably learnt this in the Academy but I remember what those lessons are like." She grinned, remembering the amount of time she spent, head in the clouds while Iruka lectured them on various topics. Kazuki rubbed his head in embarrassment,
"Uh, yeah. It could be pretty boring."
"Right, well you know that most Jōnin can use Jutsu from more than one element, right?" At his nod, Ino continued,
"My chakra nature is water. It tends to be a support element - most water-style jutsu is indirect. I also learnt how to use some lightning-style jutsu when I was training with Kakashi-sensei. Have you met him yet?" Kazuki looked uncertain for a moment,
"I don't think so." Ino looked thoughtful for a second,
"I might see if I can get him to work with you. Depending on your chakra nature he'd be a big help to your style of fighting. He'd be able to teach you how to use your chakra effectively much better than I can." Kazuki shrugged - he was willing to go along with whatever as long as it made him a better ninja.
"How do I find out which chakra nature I have?" Ino smiled and produced the paper with a flourish,
"With this." Kazuki stared at it for a moment, looking thoroughly unimpressed before Ino handed it to him.
"This is a special kind of paper that can tell you what sort of chakra nature you have," she explained, remembering her own expression when Kurenai had shown her the paper, "water, lightning, fire, earth or wind. Just run some chakra through to your hand and we'll see."
Kazuki holding the paper uncertainly between his finger and thumb, frowned as he focused his chakra. After a second, the paper suddenly crumpled in towards his fingers; Ino nodded.
"Lightning it is." Kazuki looked at her, tearing his eyes from the crumpled paper under his fingers,
"Can you teach me some Jutsu, sensei?" Ino thought for a moment; though she knew some of the Jutsu, lightning style wasn't one of her stronger elements. She could probably teach him a little but Kakashi would be much more suited to the job. But he was out until he came back from the mission to the Lightning Country. Ino sighed,
"Lightning style really isn't my strongest area, Kazuki. I can teach you one or two jutsu but this is Kakashi's area really." Kazuki's eyes lit up,
"You can teach me some new Jutsu?!" Ino shot him a look, biting her lip thoughtfully,
"Maybe. Your chakra control needs to get a lot better before then. Lightning style Jutsu can be very dangerous if you don't have full control of your chakra." He nodded eagerly,
"I'm gonna practice all night! See ya later, Ino-sensei!" He leapt away at light speed, disappearing before Ino could get another word in. She tugged at her ponytail; she had been about to help him with his control. She should really go after him, the tips would be invaluable.
Ugh.
