Chapter 14
Training Days Intermission Pt One
Temari was startled out of her sleep by the front door opening and closing. She stretched and sent out a chakra probe to see who it could be, then lay back down. It was just her niece. She yawned and shut her eyes, she'd just gotten back from a month and a half long mission and she was exhausted.
"What the hell are you doing here so early?" Kakuzu grumbled.
"Uncle Naruto's gonna be here by 2:00 so I was told to-"
"Uncle Naruto?" Kakuzu asked incredulously.
"Yup!"
That would mean trouble. Kakuzu thought, he remembered the auburn-haired Uzumaki kid from the Chuunin exams and he remembered what they were like together…a trio of troublemakers.
Tsuru was already up the stairs, she hesitated at her aunt and uncle's door, then went into Usagi's room instead.
Usagi walked out with a scowl and knocked on Jashin's door.
"What the hell is all that noise?" Hidan growled, he has just gotten done performing a ritual and he was always more bitchy when the afterglow faded.
"Uncle Naruto's gonna be here this afternoon," His daughter supplied.
"Jashin-dammit! I know that!" He slammed the door, earning a muffled earful from his wife.
Jashin emerged from his room and slipped into the bathroom before his dad could grab it.
Jashin and Tsuru, were two very different morning people. Tsuru was up and at'em type, though her brain took a while to follow, Jashin appreciated the morning's quietude for as long as he could.
Today the tanuki-brat was practically vibrating happiness. She was prancing and half running, anxious for her best friend to be here.
Hidan took off like a bat out of hell, claiming he had business at the Temple.
Kakuzu lay in watch as the Hokage and his small entourage came through River Country.
He could sense the chakra signatures of his team and sighed, he really needed to teach them to cloak their chakra output completely and decided that would be the next task, now that they were becoming more proficient at escaping capture.
Jashin flashed light off his headband in the trees and a brush of energy went through the air.
The Hokage's lips curled a little and Kakuzu's interest pricked at the trio's tactics, they were acting like a hunting team, even though their target knew they were there and he decided then and there that this was what he would teach them to be. He could not ignore such raw potential.
A chakra filled breeze whipped up dead leaves and quick as lightning Tsuru grabbed Jiraiya and hauled him up with chakra enhanced sand, startling the hell out of the new guard and shuriken went flying, Tsuru brought up a sand shield, eyes widened. That had been a little to close for comfort.
Naruto shoved his guard away.
"Aww quit bein so paranoid sheesh! It's just my nieces and nephew."
"B-but Hokage-sama I-"
The Hokage ignored him and called in a loud sing-song voice.
"Who's your favorite uncle?"
"Uncle Naruto!" Usagi cried as she leapt forward into the Hokage's arms.
"There's my girl!" He hugged her tight.
"Uncle Naruto!" Tsuru grinned as she ran for him, he planted a kiss on her head.
"Hi Uncle Naruto." Jashin scaled down the tree lazily, waving, eyes on the spooked guard.
It was a favorite past time of theirs to harass any newbies guards, whenever he came and the Hokage always encouraged it, by telling them when he was bringin one along.
"Last one standing gets 10 ryo from everyone else!" Usagi declared.
"Deal."
"I'm in!"
"Ok."
Jiraiya raced after them as they took to the trees, for a game of kunai tag.
"Hey! You didn't even gimme a hug!" Naruto shouted after him.
Temari and a team of Suna's guards came rolled there eyes.
"Hey Raiya you still owe me!" Usagi taunted as she flung a kunai down,
Jiraiya dove to intercept before flinging it to Jashin behind him.
"For what?" He asked.
"The bet at the Chunin Exams."
She smirked prettily and Jiraiya almost got his palm impaled before Tsuru snagged it.
"Hey cheater no sand!" She barked.
"That was a dirty trick Usagi." Jashin teased.
"Like I need to use my looks to kick someone's ass!" She hissed, flinging it even harder at her brother. "I can't help it if I'm naturally gorgeous."
Jashin used a chakra powered jump to get it, before spinning around and tossing it at Tsuru.
Tsuru caught it and chucked it back to him. The four of them shifting positions in the trees.
The point of Kunai Tag was to not miss the kunai or let it hit the ground otherwise you were "dead" it was a good way to teach rambunctious young ninja to hit moving targets and avoid getting hit themselves and the four players had to constantly be on the move, flashier or more agile ninja had added tricks, such as leaping, somersaulting and twisting through the air, using foliage or abandoned buildings to hide where the attacker was coming from, diving towards the ground, adding extra weapons unannounced and genjutsu were all part of the acceptable rules.
It had started off as a simple military exercise when the ninja nations were first forming and had evolved into a full blown teaching game after age restrictions were imposed and the Nations entered peace time.
Tsuru zigzagged through the trees, reappearing right in front of Jiraiya right as she flung it, he caught it out of shocked reflex and dropped below to hide, a flash of metal barely had time to alert Usagi who slid and almost fumbled.
While the kids were playing, the adults were talking.
Temari and Kankuro both had had to fend off hugs and back slaps from Naruto, while Yugure and Hoshi chatted each other up.
To say that Kakuzu was shocked to see how casual they all were with each other was an understatement.
Still, if they hadn't then Kakuzu would not have been allowed such a valuable insight so early on in the training game.