A/N: Yay! New post! Anyway, I'm looking for a better title because . . . well frankly, 'Team Seven Senseis' just flat out sucks. Of course, it also happens that I came up with that title. So, through logical evaluation, it is able to be concluded I suck at creating titles. SO if my readers would be so kind as to make suggestions for new titles after reading, I would much appreciate it. The person I feel comes up with the best title will be able to request a one-shot from me with any pairings, characters, OCs, settings, etc. of their choice. I'll try my best with it. I'd like to thank everyone who's read and especially those who have reviewed my story. It's what keeps me writing and (hopefully) improving!
Oh, one last thing. I know that if this were "authentic" and all, it would use the metric system. Well, I apologize, but I'm terrible with the metric system, so I'm using yards, feet, etc. Again I'm sorry, but I'm terrible at math.
"Yo, Naruto, Sasuke!"
The jonins turned their heads skywards, spotting the silver-haired sensei with a hand raised in greeting resting on a branch above them.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto smiled. "Found us already?"
Their former sensei dropped to the ground. "Yeah. How's the training going?"
"Look for yourself," Sasuke jerked his chin towards the six marked-up trees. Kakashi followed Sasuke's gaze, only to have his visible eyebrow arch in surprise.
"Chakra control?"
"Yeah, and thanks, by the way, what with the bell training and chakra control, makes for great teaching material," Naruto grinned.
"Copy-cats, stealing my material I worked so hard on."
"Kakashi-sensei, you can't use that insult when you're known everywhere as the copy ninja," Sakura laughed, approaching them. "Besides, bell training wasn't yours! Tsunade-sama told me plenty of stories about how the Third used it too."
"Ne, fine," Kakashi sighed. "So how's it going?" he indicated the six slightly mutilated trees with a jerk of his chin. "Who's winning?"
"Hideki," the three answered simultaneously.
"He only just passed Seiya though, and from the looks of it," Naruto regarded the dark haired genin, "Seiya is going to take another go."
In silence, the jonin watched the student run at the tree. His eyes burned with frustration and determination. "Eat shit, Hideki!" he shouted as his foot hit the trunk and he bolted up the bole, a faint blue glow pulsing through the soles of his feet. His mark fell just below Hideki's.
"Well we found the foul mouth," Kakashi muttered.
Naruto laughed "Tch, the first time we met he called me a talentless bastard, and Hideki something about five times worse!"
"He did his research on you," Sasuke didn't look at Naruto.
"Bastard! What's that supposed to mean?"
"You know, Naruto," Sasuke smirked. "By asking that, you've only further proven my point."
"Just go die in a hole, Sasuke!" Naruto fumed.
Kakashi and Sakura watched in amused silence as the two men exchanged heated challenges and insults.
"Oi, both of you, cut it out, Seiya just passed Hideki," Sakura turned their attention to the students once again. In fact, Hideki's mark was a good ten inches bellow the freshest of Seiya's marks.
Naruto watched the glare pass between the boys, just before Hideki ran it again, only to fall just bellow Seiya. He scowled at his lack of improvement, then at his teammate.
"All right you two," Kumari said between pants. "Eat this!" she hurtled at the trunk, giving herself a small jump as she made contact. Her pace continued evenly as she passed the mark on Hideki's tree, then Seiya's. She was mere feet from the top of the tree when the bark beneath her feet snapped noisily. She pushed off, yanking her ninja weapon through the wood, then dropping a good many yards back down, landing surprisingly pristinely on her feet.
"Alright Kumari!" Raito applauded her as Seiya and Hideki stared at her with huge eyes, slight curiosity about them.
"OK, my turn!" Raito said, taking a wide stance as the chakra began to gather at his soles. "Come on, Katsu, race me!"
Katsu groaned. "I'm tired enough already, I don't want to race."
"Come on, please?"
"No. I hate to strain myself physically."
"I'll challenge you mentally later, I promise, and I'll win, but come on, race me!"
"You can't make a promise you can't keep," Katsu said coolly.
Raito raised an eyebrow. "No?" Naruto saw something of mischief flicker in Raito's eyes. "You don't think I'm a threat?"
"Not a threat, tch, you're not even a challenge."
"I doubt I'm as easy to beat as you think. Now, race me and we'll see who's smartest afterwards," Raito proposed.
Katsu rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'll win both of the challenges."
"We'll see," Raito smiled.
"What do you think?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"I think that Katsu underestimates Raito just a little too much. I don't know if Raito could actually beat him, but if Katsu gets careless, he'll be unpleasantly surprised."
The senseis watched as Katsu outran Raito by a good yard, almost meeting Kumari's mark. "Hmph, what'd I tell you?" he asked as he reached the ground, where Raito waited, pouting.
Raito's glower held a moment more, but soon dissolved into a good-natured shrug. "Not bad, Nishi."
"So, who's getting there first?" Kakashi asked.
"My vote stands for Katsu," Sasuke stated.
"I say Kumari," Sakura eyed the feathery blonde with approval. "She seems like she could kick some testosterone."
"You're betting on her because she's a girl?" Naruto asked.
"No, I'm betting on her because it's true. What about you, Naruto?"
Naruto swept his gaze over the six genin. "As much as I'd love for Kumari to knock some sense into them, I think it will either be Seiya or Hideki." He turned to Kakashi. "Who else was sent with you to meet us?"
"Anko and Neji heard the genin from a few hundred yards away, and decided to take guard from there."
"Hyuuga Neji?"
"No, Inuzuka Neji. Yes, Hyuuga Neji, idiot!" Sakura sighed.
"No need to be nasty, Sakura," Kakashi chided.
"Just curious," Naruto said, looking over to Ayami, who was glaring at her tree as though the ferocity in her glare would somehow make the flora shrink.
"Check it out, Seiya and Hideki are going at it again," Kakashi redirected Naruto's attention to his male students, who were indeed barreling at the trees. They matched each other step for step, breath for breath about three-fourths of the way up the tree, until Hideki's competition got the best of him, and he snapped the bark under his feet while Seiya kept running, turning his head away from his falling teammate.
The senseis watched in shocked silence. "He made it," Sakura finally breathed.
Sure enough, Seiya was perched at the utmost pinnacle of the tree, panting and sweating, but grinning broadly.
"Beat ya, bastard," he called breathlessly to Hideki, who stood seething on the ground.
The attention shifted to Hideki as he began to call out, enraged. "You-!"
"Seiya!" Kumari interrupted the focus, and all eyes flew up to the treetop again, only to find Seiya was not there.
Frantically, Naruto searched the air, finding Seiya tumbling down, eyes closed out of pure exhaustion. "Shit!" he muttered and snatched his student from the air in a single bound.
"Seiya!" Ayami called as she, Raito and Kumari raced to meet Naruto, his pupil gently cradled in his arms. Katsu took his good, sweet time walking behind the others, Hideki by his side, glowering at the ground.
"Is he alright, sensei?" Kumari asked, eyes darting over Seiya's exhausted form.
Naruto couldn't help but let slip the tiniest smile.
"He'll be fine, he's just used up a little too much chakra," Naruto assured them. He raised his head to the last rays of sun sinking behind the horizon. "Enough for today, you've been at it for nearly six hours, that's plenty."
"I'll take him," Sakura reached out and slipped Seiya from Naruto's arms. "Not much I can do for exhaustion, but I'll see to it that he's better soon."
"Thanks Sakura-chan," Naruto stood up. "Well, let's get camp set up. After that you'll finally get some down time."
He could feel four genin relax, but Hideki's shoulders remained tense. "Kumari, you and Hideki start getting the food ready, Ayami and I will start the fire, Raito, Katsu, you work on setting up camp." He figured he could do with giving Hideki a small bit of light in his dark, gloomy day. Not that the light knew that was her purpose.
Hideki raised his head from the ground, staring suspiciously at Naruto. His attention, however, was pulled away by a small yelp from Kumari.
"Uh, sorry," she muttered to her toes.
Naruto shrugged to her, and went in search of Sasuke and Kakashi.
