The next day was the official day for all teams to meet their sensei. By now, all the teams had gotten to know each other. Friendships had been formed between people who up until now, despised each other to the ends of the Earth. They had no choice but to be friends now, but it seemed like everyone else was enjoying the new company. Seeing a side of their classmates they never knew was possible. A side they actually enjoyed. That went to all teams...
Except Team 8.
Kitsune had tried to avoid Sasuke at all costs but wasn't even able to turn a corner without him standing there, grinning at her like he had caught her doing something stupid. Now, today was the day they met their sensei and Kitsune didn't trust what she'd have to endure with being on a team with Uchiha Sasuke.
The three sat in one of the rows in the classroom, all the other teams sitting around them. All of them were required to wait for their team leader to see them. Every other team bustled excitedly around them, eager to find out who would be their trainer. Team 1 was showing off that they were probably going to get the best sensei while the lowest team got the worst. A few girls attempted to flirt with Sasuke and get him to swap places with any of the boys on their team. Surprisingly, he was reluctant and declined all their offers.
Did he really want to stay on a squad with her and Nara Shikamaru?
Whatever the reason, Kitsune didn't care. She adjusted her bun, tightening it with another elastic. Thankfully, her fringe covered up the stretch marks that came from pulling her hair so tight. Also her forehead protector covered up her forehead so no one could see it. She mumbled to herself and patted down the strays hairs that slipped from her bun.
Iruka wasn't in the class to all their surprise. They had expected him to be there on their last day at the Academy but maybe it was because the teams all left at different times. They didn't leave in one solid group. Once their sensei came, they left and that was it for Academy life. In a way, it was sort of sad. Unless their mission revolved around being near the Academy, they would never be in their old classroom again.
"Why is everyone making it feel like we're never gonna see each other again? We'll see each other around the village... occasionally," Chōji said, his body leaning forward as he spoke to Team 7 and 8.
"Of course we'll see each other. Don't listen to those idiots. They're just being over dramatic," Kitsune answered as she glanced at the girls sobbing over each other. They were more or less sobbing over the fact Sasuke wasn't on their team. Like he wanted to be on their team.
Naruto stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Either way, the sooner this day is over, the sooner we can begin training. That's what I'm looking forward to."
Kiba rolled his eyes and scratched behind Akamaru's ears. The small dog snuggled into Kiba's lap and made a small whimpering sound.
Kitsune smiled softly and leaned forward, running her fingers lightly over Akamaru's back. Kiba laughed as Akamaru opened his eyes and immediately tried to jump up onto Kitsune, causing her to back up and stare at the dog. The small puppy may have gotten used to her but it didn't mean she was used to him always jumping on her or trying to use her duster as a cushion to sleep on.
Naruto glared at the dog and turned to face Chōji again. "Have any idea who your sensei's gonna be?"
"Nope. No clue," Chōji said, looking at Ino and Sakura. "I asked my dad about his team back in the Academy and he said that for years, the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clan were always on a squad together. He was surprised Shikamaru was on another team with different people."
Kitsune held Akamaru at arms-length and looked over at Shikamaru. He nodded his head at the statement. She had heard that those three clans were close and that their clan jutsu complimented each other. That must've been why Shikamaru was so surprised when Sasuke and her became his teammates. He must've expected to be on a team with Ino and Chōji.
Kitsune cradled Akamaru in her arms, her eyebrow twitching. It always did that but she had no idea why. Maybe her body didn't want her near Akamaru but either way, she liked the small mutt. The only animal she actually liked. She turned her body toward Chōji and Shikamaru. Unfortunately, she was seated between Sasuke and Shikamaru but only because that was what Kasumi had specified when she had peeked into the classroom to see why there was screaming and things being tossed at the board.
"Doesn't mean we won't work together as a team. It doesn't really matter who we're on a team with," Kitsune answered, glaring over her shoulder at Sasuke.
Sasuke glared back, his fingers visibly going tense as they were clasped together. She flicked her head to the side, her fringe moving out from her eyes. As she opened her mouth to comment, there was a knock at the door and a stream of Jōnin in uniform walked in. Akamaru barked and leaped out of her arms, jumping onto Kiba's head. She even felt a strange stirring in her stomach as she stared at the Jōnin, all of them wearing uniform and all of them male. Except for one near the end. She look mid to late twenties, with fair skin and a slender build. She had long, black, untamed hair reaching her upper back, and unique crimson red eyes with an additional ring around them. She wore make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye shadow. Her outfit, though different, was unique and actually kind of cool. She wore a red mesh armour blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Overall, very broad material was wrapped around her which resembled bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of red thorns. Both hands and her upper thighs were wrapped in bandages and over her forehead was the Konoha forehead protector and on her feet were regular shinobi sandals.
A rather pretty lady. She stood beside a tall man with olive skin, brown eyes, short, black, spiky hair, and a beard. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform with the sleeves rolled up half way, flak jacket, regular shinobi sandals, and a forehead protector. On his waist, he had a sash with the kanji for fire marked on it, a pair of black bangles, and bandages wrapped around the arms of his sleeves.
The woman noticed her staring and smiled, tilting her head to the side. Something about her was oddly familiar, yet Kitsune couldn't place her finger on it. She had probably seen her around the village once. A passing glance, maybe.
Iruka entered the class, smiling as he looked at his former pupils. "Ohayō gozaimasu! Hope you got to know each other better?"
"You could say that," Shikamaru muttered, looking over at Sasuke and Kitsune.
"As you can clearly see, before you are the Jōnin who will be in charge of one of your teams. Team 1, your sensei is Musama Taeko," Iruka said, gesturing to the older shinobi in the front. A young man with dark brown hair pulled into a mid ponytail. The man stepped forward and looked over at Team 1 as they stood up from their seats.
Mai nervously stumbled out from her seat, Jiro catching her before she could slip and hurt herself. The girl blushed and pulled herself out of the boy's grip.
Kitsune rolled her eyes. "Oh Kami, I smell a wifey."
"You're telling me. It makes me want to go wash my eyeballs," Kiba said, scowling at the two.
Kitsune chuckled and shook her head at him, watching as Team 1 left with their new sensei. It filed out in the order in which the sensei came. Very soon, the only teams left were Team 7, 8 and 10 were left behind. The young woman and the spiky haired man were still there, and silently conversing amongst each other. The remaining teams exchanged glances.
So it meant that those two people were one of their sensei. Kitsune listened closely to the two shinobi, arms folded on the desk as she leaned forward.
"Where is he? Time doesn't wait for anyone and I don't think his new team is going to enjoy having to wait for their new sensei?" the woman questioned, looking at the spiky haired man, her thin eyebrows furrowing together.
"It's Kakashi, he's always on a mission. Just give him time," the man replied, bringing a cigarette to his mouth and lighting it.
The woman grinded her teeth together and folded her arms over her chest. She shook her head. "Whatever his reason, it better be good enough to persuade twelve year olds," she craned her head to the side and eyed the new teams causing Kitsune to look away quickly. "Especially since he has the impatient one."
"Energetic is more like it. Ever read his file?"
"Only my team. I have the other sibling so I have my hands full."
"The sister? Good luck."
She didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know they were talking about her. She and Naruto were the only twins in their year who were different genders. There was the other brother and sister in the other class but Kitsune hadn't spoken to or seen them much. Then there was Usagi and Kyou but they were both girls and the most annoying set of twins she had ever met. Usagi especially.
Iruka looked over at the clock and began to chew away at the corner of his bottom lip. A clear sign he was nervous. He looked over to the man and woman still waiting to take their teams. "He probably has a good reason. I'm sure he'll come around..." Iruka trailed off and looked to the clock again. He swallowed and smiled nervously. "You can take your squads. I'll stay with Team 7 until Kakashi arrives."
"You sure, Iruka-kun? Who knows how long it takes before he finally decides to show up?" the woman questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about it. These are pupils I taught for seven years. Not much can change."
The woman seemed hesitant before finally caving in and allowing Iruka to have his way. She turned around and faced the nine other children in the room. Iruka cleared his throat, earning their attention. "Sorry for the long wait but may Team 8 and Team 10 please step down."
Kitsune looked over at Shikamaru then, after a bit of thought, over at Sasuke. He didn't return the stare like Shikamaru had but she knew he had seen her. Otherwise his shoulders wouldn't have gone as rigid as they had. The three stood up and moved out from the desk, walking down the steps. They stood in front of the spiky haired man and strange eyed woman, all of them completely serious. Chōji, Ino and Sakura moved to stand beside them, the three looking at the two remaining Jōnin anxiously.
Iruka smiled at the groups and Kitsune instantly felt a sense of relief. Just knowing he was in a good mood was enough to lift her spirits. Even if he was just happy that he was finally rid of them. She felt the corner of her mouth tilt upward but quickly forced it down.
"Team 10, this will be your team sensei, otherwise known as Sarutobi Asuma," Iruka introduced, gesturing toward the man.
Asuma smirked slightly, a thin line of smoke pluming out from his mouth. Ino visibly cringed as the smoke came toward her. She grabbed the end of her ponytail and pulled it away, not wanting the smoke smell to sink into her hair. Sakura shuddered but Chōji remained neutral. Unlike the girls, he wasn't bothered by people smoking in front of him. He instead, rubbed the bottom of his nose and sniffled.
Asuma took a step forward and jerked a thumb at the door. "Come on, rookies. We've got a lot of work to do."
"W-W-Wait... Are we starting right now?" Ino questioned, stumbling after Asuma.
He stopped and turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. "Got something scheduled for this afternoon?"
The young Yamanaka opened her mouth to answer, her cheeks flushing a light pink. "Well, you see -"
"Cancel it," Asuma said, walking off again with Chōji following behind. "Being a shinobi is not a beauty contest. Better get it in your head now."
Kitsune struggled to stifle her laughter and had to use her hand to muffle the snickers. Ino turned and glared at the red haired but followed Asuma nonetheless. They watched the back of Sakura's bright head disappear around the corner before they looked to the woman in front of them. She had a soft smile in place and was looking at the door. She looked over to the team before her. Iruka stepped forward and smiled. "Team 8, this will be your sensei. Yūhi Kurenai."
Kurenai? That same click in her mind told Kitsune she had heard that name before but still, no face matched anything in her mind. She stared at Kurenai and tried to figure out where she had seen this young woman but... it was like trying to stuff a square peg down a round hole.
You were getting nowhere. But still, Kurenai seemed like a rather intelligent woman. Her attire was unique but then again, you wore what was comfortable for you when you were a shinobi.
Kurenai placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. "Let's see here... Two boys and one girl. A rose amongst thorns. Doesn't seem so hard."
She seemed to be speaking more to herself than to them but as she spoke, she looked directly at each of them. She turned to Iruka and nodded. "If you don't have anything further to add, Iruka-kun, I should get to know my new team."
"Not at all. They've grown too old for the Academy," Iruka laughed. He turned his attention to Team 8. "I expect nothing but the best from you three. Good luck."
"Arigato gozaimasu, Iruka-sensai!" Kitsune smiled, pushing past Sasuke and capturing Iruka in a tight bear hug. He stumbled a bit and gasped, not expecting the initial hug. He looked down at the girl holding him tightly, her face buried in his flak jacket. Smiling, Iruka hugged Kitsune back but with not as much strength as she was displaying. She pulled back and grinned, little dimples appearing by the corner of her mouth. "See ya around, Iruka-sensai."
"Just a moment!"
The four turned and looked up at Team 7. Naruto had his hands pressed against the table and was glaring at Iruka. He swung his arm out to the side and pointed at the door. "If that's Team 8's sensei, then where the hell is our one? We've been waiting longer than anyone!"
Kitsune chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "N-Naruto-kun... shouldn't you be patient a little longer? These are Jōnin we're talking about. They can't always show up on time."
"I agree with Kitsune-chan. Just wait a little longer," Shikamaru said, looking up at Naruto with a small frown.
Naruto glared at the two but slumped down into his seat. If both Kitsune and Shikamaru told him to do something, he'd listen. Together, those two were far more intelligent than him and he didn't feel like picking a fight with both of them when they were already on a team together. Kiba snickered beside him, pleased to see Naruto get told off by his sister and her on-off crush. Hinata was silent but watched everything closely.
Kurenai began walking toward the door, Team 8 quickly looking toward her. She didn't stop but did tilt her head to the side so they could see her right eye, crimson orb sparkling dangerously. "Well, if you're coming, let's go do this."
And with that, she exited the class. The three students exchanged glances, well, Shikamaru and Kitsune though. Shikamaru sighed and began walking out, hands in his pockets. "Let's just get this over with."
Sasuke huffed out a breath and walked after Shikamaru. Kitsune lingered behind, watching the two boys leave the classroom. Once she followed them, she would officially be a Genin.
No more getting up early to go to this very classroom. No more late nights of working on projects. No more tests. It frightened her that she was leaving the safety of the Academy. It was the same as when a mother bird pushed a baby bird out of the nest so they could learn to fly. They had been preparing for this day for seven years. But now it felt as if those seven years had only been seven days.
Seven meaningless days.
Kitsune swallowed the lump in her throat and dragged her way out of the classroom, waving absently at Naruto. He waved back, smiling softly. "See you at home, Imōto-chan!"
She smiled and left the classroom, sparing one last glance at its appearance before running after the rest of Team 8. Her new team...
O~O
Kurenai walked through the Academy grounds toward one of the rooftop courts. It was used for the younger grades to peacefully eat their lunch before playing their games down below. There were arches above their head that curved and linked on either side. Trees were close to the railings and casted a cool shade over for those who were trying to avoid the blinding rays of the sun. Benches and tables were close to the trees along with garbage cans to toss litter into. All in all, it seemed rather grand for a small place for children to just eat their lunch.
But Kurenai wasn't focused on the meeting grounds. She was focused on Kitsune. The young girl had changed considerably in appearance from eight years ago but it seemed she still had that usual determination. The same determination Kurenai had seen when she had tried to protect her older brother.
She chuckled softly and shook her head. A small part of her wanted Kitsune to remember her but it had been long ago. She could barely remember the cause of the fire, let alone who had saved her. Kurenai stopped in front of the circled railing at the far end and turned to face her new team, leaning against the cold metal bar. "I guess you three are my new team... An odd bunch by the look of it."
"You're telling us. I tried to get swapped over but they did nothing about it," Kitsune muttered, sitting down on one of the steps and pressing her hands against the ground beneath her.
Kurenai nodded and examined each of them. She had read their files and had seen their weakness. Shikamaru was there because he lacked taijutsu experience and would benefit from having two fighters to back him up, Sasuke needed to learn to be able to work in a team, Kitsune would benefit from Shikamaru and Sasuke's strategic thinking and not dive headfirst into a suicide mission. But they all had their strengths.
Shikamaru's intelligence was above that of a normal Genin, Sasuke was gifted at mastering new jutsu and was considerably strong, and Kitsune seemed to have a talent for creating and escaping genjutsu, along with astonishing speed and stamina.
The perfect infiltration team.
She smiled brighter and straightened up slightly. "Let's go around and introduce ourselves. We'll let someone go first."
"What do you mean?" Kitsune questioned, rubbing the back of her head.
"What I said. All the things you like, the things you hate, your dreams for the future, hobbies. That kind of stuff," Kurenai shrugged, her untamed hair bouncing on her shoulders.
Shikamaru raised a hand, his eyes drooping tiredly. Kurenai nodded at him, surprised by his polite way of raising his hand before speaking. "Wouldn't it be better if you went first? You could be the example of how this is supposed to work."
"You want to know about me?" looking up to the sky, Kurenai thought about how to answer Shikamaru's question without going too much into her personal life. She barely knew them. In all honesty, she didn't know them at all. Their files just gave off a brief description of them but those files could sometimes be altered to hide the bad aspects. She craned her head to the side.
"I'm Yūhi Kurenai. I like going out for evening drinks and the occasional karaoke night. I dislike cake, don't ask me why," Kitsune lowered her hand and closed her mouth, her bottom lip pouting out slightly. Kurenai smirked and continued. "Well, as soon as I'm done with this kunoichi business, I do want to start a family but that's gonna have to wait. My hobbies... nothing that really stands out enough for you to know about."
Looking back at Shikamaru, Kurenai smiled. "That a good enough example?"
"I guess..." Shikamaru muttered, scratching the back of his head.
She looked over the three students before her. They all looked partially bored, Shikamaru not even disguising his boredom. None of them were close, as she could clearly see. They knew each other from class but other than that, they didn't know much about the other. Kitsune sat in the middle of the two boys, her legs pulled up with her hands between them. Sasuke was on the left of her, his legs spread apart with his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers laced together in front of his face. Shikamaru was leaning back against the steps, using his arms to keep him upright. Every so often, he would gaze up at the sky and watch the clouds drift by over their heads.
By the looks on their faces; she had a lot of work.
Clearing her throat, Kurenai looked to Kitsune. "Why don't you start?"
"Kami, that's the whole day gone," Shikamaru groaned softly, closing his eyes tightly and slumping even further.
Kitsune glared at him but shook her head and ignored him. "I'm Uzumaki Kitsune! What I like most is anything that has sugar in it, like ice cream mochi. My hobbies are eading and training, along with eating different types of mochi. I still haven't gotten through the first fifteen... And my future dream is to one day become the best kunoichi this village has ever seen. Even better than the Legendary Sanin! That way, the village will stop disrespecting me and look up to me!"
Her heart clenched in her chest as she stared at Kitsune. It was still the unfortunate truth that the villagers still blamed Naruto and Kitsune for the unfortunate Bijū attack and it didn't make matters better that the twins were now aware of why they were being accused. She had expected the twins to be angry about their fate but they seemed rather nonchalant about it. Or maybe they were just rather good at disguising their disappointment.
"And what do you hate?" Kurenai asked gently, not sure if she was treading on unstable ice.
"Sasuke."
The immediate and simple response took Kurenai back a bit. The young Uzumaki still had her playful smirk in place and was staring at her with a slightly blank expression, clearly telling her that she wasn't lying and telling the honest truth.
Kurenai blinked a few times and turned to Shikamaru, sucking in a deep breath to prevent herself from snorting or making some vile sound. Shikamaru understood instantly that it was his turn and ran a hand across his face, blinking a few times to get the heavy weight feeling out from his eyelids.
"I'm Nara Shikamaru. I don't have any hobbies and I haven't really thought that far about what my goal for the future is. If at all possible, I prefer to live in the present and work my way around a situation when I get there. Everyone who knows me will know I'm probably Konoha's 'number 1 lazy bum' and I'm not going to deny it. Other than that, you don't need to know me."
Unlike with Kitsune, Kurenai didn't try to question or try to get something more out of him. This whole introduction session was going off to a rocky start and Kitsune seemed to be the only one contributing to it. She was more honest than most girls and surprisingly didn't have any interest in boys. By the looks of it, she only saw them as friends and nothing over it. Kurenai glanced at Sasuke.
Him and Kitsune were apparently the heartthrobs of the Academy yet they showed no indication of trying to initiate some form of a relationship. But then again, their files were a clean slate of A+'s and nothing less. Dedication like that came from setting your mind to a certain goal.
Kurenai smiled at Sasuke and placed her hands against the bars behind her, leaning back. "Your turn."
For a few moments, Sasuke was completely silent. The only sound that could be heard was the ruffling of the leaves behind them and the distant chirp of birds in the distance. Kurenai frowned. She had heard he wasn't much of a talker but she had no choice but to drag it out of him if she had to.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke started, his eyes focused on the railing in front of him and not on Kurenai or the other two. "I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain... someone."
The air grew thick with tension and became slightly uncomfortable. All Kurenai could do, was stare at the young boy seated before her. Her eyes darted over to Shikamaru and Kitsune. Both stared at Sasuke with rather deadpanned expressions as if they knew he would make the whole conversation depressing. But Kurenai was worried now.
What was going on in this boy's head? Had the Uchiha massacre really left him this damaged? How Iruka had failed to mention this boy's apparent pain upset her. As their new teacher, she needed to know everything, including what troubled them the most. No matter how disturbing or dark it was.
She opened her mouth to speak but instead of her voice coming out, it was none other than the red haired kunoichi in front of her.
"Sasuke... you do know restoring your clan means you have to..." she made a circle with one hand and a pointed her index finger out. She began moving her finger in a thrusting motion into the circle.
Shikamaru smacked her hand and glared at her. "Kitsune-chan... this isn't the time."
"I'm just stating the obvious!"
Kurenai rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. Despite their achievements, they were still just kids. They didn't know what it meant to be real shinobi or the consequences that would come from certain decisions they would make. What was it called? Butterfly effect? Either way, they were far from being professional ninja that would be going on A or B-rank missions any time soon. The Academy had only taught them the basics. It was up to her to smooth out the edges and bring out their inner potential.
Though she was new to the whole Jōnin thing, she knew it was a massive responsibility to watch over and lead a squad. Especially one with a Jinchūriki, a Sharingan user, and a shadow controller. Hiruzen chose her to look after them...
She was going to follow through with it.
"You lot seem like a reasonably intelligent bunch, but there are a few rough edges that could use some work. Officially, you're all considered my gakusei but those are just on official records that the Hokage has to read through," Kurenai said as she folded her arms across her chest and pushed herself away from the railing.
"What does that mean?" Kitsune asked.
"I need to test your abilities for myself. Every team is going through a similar process with their sensei so don't think that I'm doing something against the rules. Tomorrow, meet at Training Grounds 5. Around..." Kurenai looked up as she thought of a suitable time for them to arrive. "Seven o'clock. I know, it's probably the same time you had to get up to go the Academy but this is the last time. After this... we'll see."
Kitsune and Shikamaru glanced at each other, both their eyebrows frowned. After a few moments, they faced Kurenai again and nodded their heads in agreement. Kurenai looked to Sasuke. He was still staring in front of him but his eyes flickered toward her. As quick as he had looked at her, he looked away and focused on the railing again. She would take that as an affirmative. She smiled at the three and took a few steps forward. "I actually look forward to getting to know each of you. You'll get to know me as we go on missions but during the down time between missions, you should hang around each other. Teams who aren't close don't last long."
The three stood up, dusting off the backs of their pants. Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking up the steps, Sasuke following his lead, one hand in his pocket while the other rested against his side. Kitsune placed her hands behind her head, staring at Kurenai for a few seconds before turning around and going in the direction the two boys went off. "No promises."
Kurenai watched their retreating backs. She didn't know what she was supposed to be feeling. They weren't as enthusiastic as she had expected. Kitsune was even a bit calmer than her brother. Their files all said they were rather calm students that didn't cause many problems for Iruka. But after close observation, Iruka had mentioned that the three seemed to compliment each other in abilities. That didn't mean they'd get along. Sasuke seemed distant from the others, completely set on avenging his clan. It was something she had to change. He couldn't be a depressed wreck forever.
She remembered he had mentioned wanting to restore his clan. That did mean he had to find someone who would love and care for him and at the moment, he wasn't even close to the boys in his class, let alone the girls.
That just meant she'd have more work to deal with. Kurenai sighed. She looked up at the sky, enjoying the gentle breeze that entered her clothing and travelled over her skin.
I wonder how the others are handling their teams. Kurenai thought, looking off to the Academy building. Had Kakashi arrived for his students? They were probably still waiting for him as she thought about it. She chuckled and began walking up the steps, rubbing her forehead with one hand.
Maybe she was wrong. He probably had a small errand to attend to like Asuma had said. He wouldn't let his new team wait forever.
O~O
"Naruto, why don't you just sit still?"
"But why is the sensei of our seventh group the only one late?" Naruto groaned, standing up from his seat and walking down the steps. Iruka had to leave to attend a meeting which meant they were all alone in the classroom. Half an hour after all the other teams had left. Obviously, Naruto had grown restless and groaned or tossed things across the classroom as a way to occupy himself but even then, it quickly grew boring and he was left with nothing to do.
He moved over to the board and grabbed the duster, turning it over as he inspected it. A dry sensation came over his hand and he swapped the duster to the opposite hand. White dust was smeared over his hand from the chalk that remained on the duster. A mischievous grin spread across his lips as he looked over to the door which was open slightly. Kiba looked up and frowned at the grin on Naruto's lips.
"Naruto, you better not be planning anything. We can't get in trouble on our first day as an actual team."
Naruto turned to Kiba, a determined look in place. "The first thing our sensei should learn is that he can't always be late. I'm gonna teach him a lesson."
"A prank is not a lesson, Naruto," Kiba groaned, scratching the side of his cheek.
Hinata looked between the two, unsure if it was a good idea to cause a scene with their new teacher. She just wanted to start everything off to a good start. If Naruto was actually planning on teaching their sensei a "lesson", she could only imagine they'd be in serious trouble. A small part of her wished she had a sensible person on the team, like Shikamaru or Chōji. Someone she could reason with.
Too late to complain.
Naruto climbed onto the door handle and balanced himself first. Then he carefully slid the duster into the small gap between the door. He made sure the duster didn't slip or tip to one side. Jumping down, Naruto pushed the door closer to the duster. It stuck fast and would only move once someone pulled the door open. Hopefully, their new sensei.
Kiba glared at his long time friend, sitting up in his seat. Akamaru lifted his head up from the table, looking up at Kiba then toward Naruto. "Don't do something stupid, Naruto."
"It's not stupid if it's the right thing to do," Naruto said, looking up at the duster. He quickly bounded up the stairs, taking it three at a time. He sat down beside Kiba, pushing him further into the middle of the desk. Kiba growled at him and looked to Hinata.
"Gomen nasai."
"I-I-It's... i-it's fine," Hinata smiled, lowering her hands into her lap.
Instead of listening to his squad mates, Naruto focused his attention on the door. He had to make sure only their sensei opened the door and no one else. Otherwise, he'd get his head beat in if it was anyone else. He leaned forward in his seat, gripping onto the corner of the desk. His knuckles turned white as the skin pulled tighter around it.
Something inside of him knew that the person he was aiming for would walk through that door. All he had to do was wait for it to happen.
And that's exactly what he did.
He watched the door relentlessly, his eyes becoming dry from not blinking. Every time his leg twitched, it made his bones shift uncomfortably beneath the muscle. If he didn't move soon, it would be hell to walk around.
The echo of footsteps travelled down the hall, reaching their classroom. All three sat up in their seats. Hinata looked at Naruto and Kiba, her face becoming even paler. Kiba's head snapped toward Naruto. "Take it out, now," he growled.
"Shut it! I got this!" Naruto hissed back.
The foots increased in volume and with each step, Hinata backed up and slumped further into her seat. Her pale eyes trembled as if unshed tears were threatening to spill. Kiba watched the door closely, his eyebrows scowled. Akamaru stood up on all fours and turned his attention to the door, watching it intently. He must've felt the tension in the room. The uncomfortable tension coming from the two behind him and the strange excitement coming from the blonde haired boy.
A shadow filed into the class from the small opening in the door and the footsteps stopped. None of them moved, not even Akamaru. They waited for any movement that would come from the shadow but it remained still. Naruto leaned forward in his seat, becoming impatient with each passing second.
Why aren't they moving? Naruto thought. The logical side of him thought that maybe it wasn't even their teacher but then why wasn't the person moving. It was like that person was trying to figure out whether or not they had to go inside. The waiting was killing Naruto though. He was becoming annoyed. Mainly from the fact their sensei was late and also because the person by the door wasn't moving.
Suddenly, a gloved hand slipped into the room and held onto the door. The three sucked in a breath, staring at the hand as it slowly pushed the door open. A clump of silver hair appeared in the doorway. Naruto leaned forward, a grin spreading across his face. Just a little more...
The door slid open fully and the person's head moved further. The duster that had been lodged into the door fell and dropped onto the unknown's head. A cloud of dust exploded from the duster, covering the top of the strangely bright hair.
Naruto stood up from his seat and pointed at the door, laughing out raucously. "I got him! He totally fell for it!"
"I'm sorry, sensei. I told him not to do it, but he wouldn't listen," Kiba said, raising his hands in defence. Akamaru barked in agreement.
The man straightened himself up and slowly reached up, removing the duster from his hair. He turned and faced Team 7. He had spiky, gravity defying, silver hair, oriented to the left-side. His left eye was covered by his forehead protector but the eye that was visible was dark grey and heavy-lidded but also relaxed. A mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving basically his whole face covered. He wore Konoha's standard infantry clothing; a flak jacket, dark blue pants, and a long sleeved shirt. On both his hands were finger-less gloves with metal plates on the backhand.
The shinobi stared at the three and tilted his head to the side. "Team 7, right?"
Naruto looked over at Hinata and Kiba. They didn't know who this guy was, maybe he wasn't even their sensei to begin with. Just some guy who was passing by. Kiba looked back at the silver haired shinobi, nodding his head. "That's right. Who are you?"
The shinobi didn't answer them, just stared at them until even Akamaru became uncomfortable. The small dog jumped into Kiba's lap and burrowed down between his legs. Naruto leaned back in his seat and frowned at the silver haired shinobi.
"Sorry I'm late. There was a kitten stuck in a tree and a little girl couldn't get him down. I did the noble thing and got it down for her," the silver haired shinobi said.
Naruto and Kiba stared at him, frowning their eyebrows. They were able to tell he was lying. He made it obvious that he was making up an excuse for himself since he forgot he had a team to meet. The shinobi turned to the door but watched them.
"Let's go. There's only 11 hours, 23 minutes, 8 seconds and 40.3 milliseconds left in the day and we won't get anywhere if you're just sitting here."
He left the classroom, his strange hair being the last thing that they saw. Hinata stood first, straightening her jacket as she moved out from her seat. She walked down the steps and cupped her hands together in front of her. She looked up at Naruto and Kiba. "Coming?"
Kiba picked up Akamaru and pulled his hood down, placing the small dog on top of his head. He pulled the hood back up, covering Akamaru up with it. He stood up and walked down the steps, hands in his pockets. He stopped beside Hinata and looked up at Naruto. "You in or out, Naruto?"
"Give me a second," Naruto mumbled, standing up.
He looked around the classroom, the details of his face softening. He suddenly realized that this was probably the last time he would be in this classroom. He had never heard of Genin going back to the Academy again, or any higher ranking officials. A tightening feeling in his stomach arose and he suddenly felt choked up. If he started crying now, he wouldn't hear the end of it from Kiba. Maybe Hinata would dull it down but the chances were high she would just remain quiet.
Naruto moved slowly down the stairs and glanced back once more at the seat he had dubbed his own. The seat he, Kiba and Kitsune always took whenever they had a free period. It was also the seat he threw up on after he ate pizza that was four days old. He really was going to miss the homeroom classroom he had been in for seven years straight.
Turning toward his two teammates, Naruto followed Kiba and Hinata outside as they found their team sensei. It was late afternoon and the sun was close to setting but still remained in the middle of the sky. A cooling breeze swept over them; not too fast nor too slow. The silver haired shinobi led them to the rooftop courtyard that was often used for lunchtime or in the rare case that Iruka would allow them to have lessons outside. That only ever happened when it was too hot to be inside and if the air conditioner "broke". They still never replaced it...
As Naruto sat down on one of the steps, he felt a chill crawl up his spine. He got the feeling someone had been here before him. And not just one person. More than two. Ignoring the strange feeling he was unfamiliar with, he sat down on the steps with Hinata and Kiba to his right. The silver haired shinobi stood before them, arms folded across his chest as he stared at them. His body didn't touch the railing but the material of his flak was just scraping it.
It was impossible to tell what his expression was beneath the mask and his heavily lidded eyes made him seem bored and tired. "OK, why don't you introduce yourselves? One at a time."
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first? You are supposedly our new sensei," Kiba suggested, allowing Akamaru to slip out from under his hood. The shinobi blinked but didn't say anything to prove resistant.
"And you should explain what you want to know about us. We're not going to tell you random crap you're not even going to remember," Naruto said, staring at him with a straight face.
The shinobi turned his head to Naruto and stared at him with expressionless grey eye. "Charming boy. But I should've explained everything in more detail," he leaned back and looked at all three of them. "Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that."
Naruto shared a look with Kiba and Hinata and found they were just as confused as he was. So far, this man hadn't explained who he was and he appeared to be a closed book. Hinata raised a shaking hand, her whole body trembling. Almost as if it were a struggle to do that simple task. "A-A-Ano... Sensei, if you went f-first, then w-we'd be able to understand exactly how t-t-to i-introduce ourselves."
"Me?" the silver haired man's visible eyebrow rose two centimetres then lowered again. "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future... never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."
That was pointless, all we learned was his name. Naruto thought as he stared at Kakashi. There was something about the man before him that reminded him of someone. Not someone he knew but someone he was supposed to know. It sounded stupid as he thought it over. But it was honestly how he felt. If Kitsune was near, she would've laughed in his face and questioned if he wanted to be an esper instead of a shinobi. He wondered if she had already gone home.
It was late and their sensei had arrived an hour and a half later.
"You can start," Kakashi said, looking directly at Naruto. He frowned as he stared up at the man. If he had been simply asked that question he would've thought for sure their new sensei was a slight nutter. But he knew very well that Kakashi was asking him to start introducing himself first.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei gets me at the Ichiraku Noodle Shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody- somebody important! Dattebayo!"
It was difficult to tell if Kakashi was smiling or not but he did nod to confirm he had heard everything. He looked toward Hinata. The young girl blushed and began pressing her fingers together nervously. "I-I-I'm Hyuga Hinata. I like... well, I like..." she glanced over at Naruto. His back was toward her as he watched the villagers doing their day to day routines. She turned her attention back to the ground. "My hobby is... well, my dream f-f-for the future i-is to b-become stronger so I won't l-let my team down and t-t-to catch up to a... a... a certain someone."
"And the things you hate?" Kakashi questioned, his head craning to the side. It was as if he was interested in finding out about the Hyuga Heiress.
"H-H-Hate? I don't hate anything," Hinata stated, her face showing her surprise. She shook her head to further her claim.
Naruto shifted his whole body around to look at Hinata, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want to become stronger, Hinata-chan? You're already strong enough."
That one statement caused Hinata to blush furiously. She turned her face away from Naruto and covered her cheeks with both hands. She stammered and stuttered but was unable to form full sentences, let alone proper words or sounds. It just flowed out as inaudible mumbles incomprehensible to the human ears.
Kakashi focused his attention on the Inuzuka boy and not on the Hyuga Heiress that seemed to have a massive crush on the Jinchūriki. He nodded at Kiba. Kiba sat up straighter, grinning a bit. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and this here is Akamaru. My likes and dislikes are simple really. I like eating beef jerky and anything that's chewy. I hate it when people lie and also the withholding of food. My hobbies, I like going on walks with Akamaru."
"And stalking my sister," Naruto muttered, baring his teeth at Kiba.
"I don't stalk your sister, you dumbass! Just because we happened to be going in the same direction, doesn't mean I was following her," Kiba turned to Naruto. It was one of their most hated discussions. The fact that Kiba had a clear and massive crush on Kitsune. He flirted with all the girls but it seemed he saved all his attention for the red haired Uzumaki. "And besides, Kitsune has a number of stalkers and I'm not one of them. I just find her hot."
"Gross! La la la, I'm not listening!" Naruto covered his ears with his hands and yelled random sounds so he couldn't hear anything Kiba said.
Kiba rolled his eyes and turned his attention back toward Kakashi. "And my dream for the future is to become the next Hokage. So you better watch out, Naruto. One of these days you're gonna have to listen to me!"
"As if! I'll move out of the village if that becomes the case. You'll probably create a law that we should obey dogs and then everyone's going to wear collars like we're the animals," Naruto exclaimed, glaring at Kiba.
That started a heated argument between the two; one that both Hinata and Kakashi didn't interfere with. Kakashi looked at Hinata, who was curling herself up into a ball as the two boys moved closer. Unfortunately for her, she had sat in between Naruto and Kiba knowing very well that the two were going to fight over something trivial and useless. But she had ignored it out of the goodness of her heart and was now, literally, stuck in the middle of it.
"How should I put this?" Kakashi interrupted, shutting the two boys up. The group looked up at Kakashi, their eyes wide with surprise. It looked like they had forgotten he was even standing there. "My first impression of you guys is... I hate you. You're a bunch of idiots."
Both of Kiba's eyebrows rose and a deep growl slipped out from his throat. Sensing his owner's anger, Akamaru crouched on all fours and growled at Kakashi. "That's a bit harsh. You don't even know us."
"But I'll get to know you as we progress. That is... if you pass the test I have set for you tomorrow. Until then, you're dismissed," Kakashi began walking up the steps, leaving the three behind. "Meet at the Training Grounds," he stopped in his tracks. Naruto watched Kakashi until he moved but it never came. "One more thing, don't eat breakfast or you'll puke."
And with that, he disappeared in a gush of wind, his body flickering before there was nothing left of him. A silence followed that made Naruto uncomfortable. He looked over at Kiba and Hinata, frowning in confusion. "So does that mean we can go? I'm getting kind of hungry."
"Same. And it's not like that strange guy's gonna come back," Kiba stood up and helped Hinata up. He looked at Naruto and shrugged. "See you at the Training Grounds."
"See ya," Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned, walking up the rest of the steps and moving toward the exit. "See ya, Hinata-chan! Kiba!"
Kiba waved once and picked Akamaru up, tucking him into his jacket. Hinata watched as Naruto left, a small blush painted across her cheeks. She twirled her index fingers around each other. "Itterasshai, Naruto-kun..."
O~O
The sun had set and the starry night devoured the sky. Bright stars were speckled across its velvet blanket. An ice cold breeze came along with it, causing people to bring out their jackets and long pants. Anyone still indoors took out their long pyjamas and wore scarfs and gloves to accompany it. Which was why Naruto suddenly wished he had grabbed a scarf before leaving the house. It wouldn't have been necessary if he gotten home early but thanks to Hatake Kakashi, he was walking home in the freezing night by himself.
He clutched his jacket close to him and exhaled, watching as a cloud of steam left his mouth. Thanks to that pathetic sensei of theirs, he had to walk home later. Thankfully, Teuchi was still open so he could get some ramen in his stomach before making his way home. But that resulted in him having to walk by himself at eight o'clock in the cold. His toes were frozen stiff in his sandals, stinging with each step he took.
He walked up the stairs to his apartment block slowly, whimpering whenever the muscles in his leg pulled tight. Most of the lights in each apartment were off but not the one at the very end. His one.
Kitsune was probably still awake. Naruto smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He inserted the key into the slot and turned it. The door jammed and remained in its solid place. Naruto frowned and pushed against the door. Still, the door didn't budge. It wouldn't have bothered him if he had gotten home earlier but it was cold and he was hungry again. A twenty minute walk made a difference for his digestive system.
He banged his fist against the door. "Imōto-chan! Wake up!"
There was a screeching sound of metal scraping against ceramic tiles and some grumbling. He heard the lock on the other end turn. The door pushed upward slightly and Naruto stepped back as it swung open. Before him stood Kitsune, dressed in her long sleeved lilac button up shirt and pants. He could tell she was wearing double socks by the way she bunched up her toes to keep them warm. She stared at him with a blank expression. He grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Wari. Long day?"
"No. The cold brings out the tired," Kitsune mumbled as she dragged herself back to her seat by the stove. Naruto stepped inside and closed the door behind him, locking it and clicking the lock in. The room was stuffy and smelt of hot chocolate with a faint sweetness lingering within it.
Marshmallows, probably. As he looked around, Naruto noticed how all the curtains were pulled shut and weren't swaying a bit. Kitsune had shut the windows as well.
Yanking off his shoes, Naruto placed them against the wall and zipped down his jacket. He looked over to the kitchen table and spotted where most of the heat was coming from. Two mugs of hot chocolate were on top of it and a bag of chocolate chip cookies along with it. Kitsune held onto her mug with both hands, closing her hands and sighing. She peeked one eye open and looked at Naruto. "Did you eat already?"
"Yeah, went to Ichiraku Ramen before I came here," Naruto answered as he made his way to the bedroom. He changed into warm pyjamas quickly, taking a scarf and a warm cap before going back into the kitchen. The mug of hot chocolate was still there, luckily. He thought Kitsune would drink it while he changed.
"Since when did the door need a trick to opening it? I thought we only had to worry about it opening on its own," Naruto said as he sat down. He pulled the mug toward him but winced and quickly retracted his hands.
"To be honest, the door wasn't fitted properly even before we moved in. You have to unlock the door and pull it up and toward you. Long method but it works," Kitsune said as if she had been doing it for years. She took a long sip from her drink and took one cookie from the bag. "Who's your sensei?"
"Ugh! Some jerk named Hatake Kakashi," Naruto groaned. Only a few minutes with the man and he knew that his life was going to be boring. And he was on a team with one of his closest friends and his sister's best friend. "I have to go to the Training Grounds tomorrow for some stupid test."
"Same. But apparently all the other teams are doing the same thing. Hatake Kakashi, huh..." Kitsune looked up at the ceiling in thought. She shook her head, tilting her head enough so that the steam from her drink went over her face, forming small droplets.
"Nāni?"
"I heard about Hatake Kakashi once. A little bit of eavesdropping never hurt anyone once in a while. He was trained by the Yondaime Hokage back when he was younger and became a Jōnin when he was thirteen... or fourteen, I don't really care about it. His whole team got 'killed' off and blah blah blah. I don't think he got over it but then again, all the best shinobi have some sort of tragedy that made them the way they are."
"How do you know all this?"
"I've snuck into the faculty lounge a bunch of times. I even have my own mug. It says 'I hate Mondays'. Classic."
Naruto rolled his eyes and drank up his hot chocolate quickly and ate a couple of cookies, enough that his jaw ached from moving too much. He placed the mug in the sink beside the rest of the dirty dishes that Kitsune had to clean up once she had some free time. Kitsune packed away the rest of the cookies and the powder for the hot chocolate before turning the lights off in the lounge. She yawned and dragged herself to the bathroom, getting to work on brushing her teeth.
Naruto walked inside, and grabbed the toothbrush Kitsune had extended to him. They brushed their teeth in complete silence, mainly because they were tired and needed all the energy they could muster for tomorrow if they were ever going to impress their new sensei.
Once they brushed their teeth and did the rest of their bathroom routine, Kitsune switched off the lights and made sure the front door was properly locked. She ran into the bedroom, whispering to herself. "I love the dark. I love the dark."
"Still afraid of the dark? Get over it! Nothing will kill you," Naruto laughed, pulling the blankets up over himself.
"I'm not afraid! I just... don't like shadows. Especially if they move to a different spot that's far away from the original place!" Kitsune exclaimed, ducking under her sheets. Through the darkness, Naruto was able to see her shivering and breathing heavily.
He laughed to himself and snuggled down into his sheets, which were even colder than the outdoors. He had to admit though; he was slightly excited for tomorrow. He could finally prove his worth and his strength. Something he could never do at the Academy. Like he had said to Kakashi, he would become Hokage and prove to the village that he was something more than a Jinchūriki.
Someone important.