Chapter 9
Kakashi yawned again as they walked to the Academy. Kida had wanted to come back to the real world so Kakashi could get a bit of sleep, but the boy had insisted they stay. Since they couldn't come back until after the month long training camp, he wanted to spend his time better than sleeping. And was now suffering the consequences.
Kida had an Exhaustion Debuff that would disappear as soon as she took a nap. Kakashi, on the other hand, would need actual sleep. Her pups were taking this chance to nap, Sessh in the backpack she was carrying and Zoran on her head. It was throwing Kida's balance out of place.
"You want me to carry one of them?" Kakashi asked as he yawned again.
"Nah, it's fine." She huffed as she adjusted Zoran on her head. She was still miffed about the scolding Haruto had given her, she had forgotten the guy could see her status.
+1 STR
Kida gave a sigh of relief when she saw the Academy coming into view. They were met with Obito at the entrance. "Good morning Kida-chan!" Obito yelled, waving at her. He had a black knapsack strapped to his back.
"Morning Obito." She greeted him with a small wave.
The boys greeted each other with glares. They continued to glare at each other as they made their way to their classroom.
Kida was about to follow the boys into the room, but stopped short at the door.
Kida found the effects of Genjutsu amusing. When she got caught in a Genjutsu she could see what the caster wanted her to see as a ghostly white film on top of reality. Right now, as she stood at the door of her classroom, she could see the ghostly white film all over the classroom. The other students were there writing on their books, but Daisuke-sensei wasn't there. There was just a Genjutsu illusion of him standing at the podium. Behind the illusion on the chalkboard were instructions to work on their books quietly, but underneath was another set of Instructions that said to go to room 109.
Kida looked over at her friends. They were sitting at their desks working on their books. She sighed and turned around. If she helped them now they would never learn. She was somewhat disappointed that Kakashi had fallen for the Genjutsu, but she would forgive him on account of his lack of sleep.
She made her way to room 109 with her pups still sleeping on her. When she opened the door she was met with surprised looks from several Chunin within, including Daisuke-sensei.
"Huh? I was expecting the Hyuuga or the Uchiha to get it first, not the Inuzuka." Said one of the Chunin assistants.
Kida pouted at that. "Gee thanks." They don't have to look so disbelieving.
They chuckled at her and asked for her pack. They riffled through it before handing it back to her with an approving nod. They then handed her another small pack and told her to keep it in her bag until she was given permission to open it. After she stached it away she was sent to another room filled with 6 chairs, where she was told to wait. She decided to do like her pups and nap.
About half an hour later the door opened waking her up. She looked up to see Kakashi coming in. "You left me." He said with a pout.
Kida giggled and patted the seat next to her. "Sorry, but this is training."
Kakashi sighed and walked over and dropped his pack next to hers, before hopping onto the chair. He immediately slumped onto her, falling asleep.
Not 10 minutes later Hyuuga Temuri walked in, followed by Obito. Temuri looked like a typical Hyuuga child with long straight black hair and milky skin. Her forehead was covered with bandages, indicating that she was from the branch house. She took a seat on one of the chairs farthest from them. Obito, after glaring at Kakashi, happily took the empty seat next to Kida. "Kida-chan, it's so cool that you were able to get out of the Genjutsu so fast! You're really cool!"
Kida chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "It's not that great." It wasn't anything Kida had done. Gamer's Mind did all the work. Kimiko came in next.
Kida jumped off her seat, making Kakashi fall over and startle awake. She giggled as she grabbed Kimiko's hands "I'm so glad you made it!"
Kimiko smiled back "Yes my Kochu are unable to detect Genjutsu as well as the other insects. Why? They are specifically bred for creating and administering poisons." She said. "This weakness to Genjutsu will be something my clan will remedy once we return from the training camp."
It took another hour before one last student came in, followed by an instructor. It was Nohara Rin. She had short bobbed brown hair and blue square tattoos on her cheeks. She bowed to them and took the last empty seat next to Temuri. By this point her pups were awake and sniffing at the newcomers.
The assistant instructor clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright kiddos. I'm Tanaka Shiro. I'll be the one judging you through this training exercise." He said "You six are a team. Since little Inuzuka-chan saw through the Genjutsu first, she is the team leader." Kida groaned and rubbed her temple. She didn't want to be in charge of a group of kids.
Temuri tsk'ed. 'Great, we get the Inuzuka baby as the boss. Just what we needed.'
"Your mission is to survive for 1 month in the wild, understand?" At their nod he motioned for them to follow him. They grabbed their packs and made their way outside. They walked to the Academy's back entrance where Shiro turned to them.
"Keep up with me. We have to run to the training grounds. The person that finishes last gets penalized."
Keep up! Rewards: Penalty
Keep up with the instructor
Time limit: 1 Hour
Hidden objective
+ 200 EXP
+ 200¥
Hidden Objective rewards
-50 Rep with Konoha
With that the instructor turned and began running. Kida cursed as everyone scrambled after him. "Kakashi! Lead the pack, keep it tight!" Kakashi nodded and took the lead, shoving back the Hyuuga girl so she was behind him. She yelled and attacked him, but Kakashi was too fast and merely kept shoving her so she stayed running at the pace he wanted instead of going off on her own. This went on for a while before Kakashi got fed up. "Kida is the team leader and she said to keep it tight!" He growled as he dodged another swipe from her.
Temuri hesitated and looked back at the other running kids. The Uchiha boy was running behind them, just slightly slower than Temuri herself. Behind him was the Aburame girl and the girl with the blue tattoos. All three of them looked out of breath and looked ready to stop. Behind them, though, was the Inuzuka girl. She was pushing at the two girls to keep them moving, while her pups were biting at the Uchiha's ankles whenever he slowed down.
Temuri looked to Shiro-sensei. He had been essentially ignoring them this entire time. Temuri frowned and she sprinted ahead. Hatake yelled and shoved her back, but she got what she needed. Shiro-sensei sped up to stay in front of her. And now that they had slowed down he too had slowed his pace.
Temuri looked back at her panting classmates. 'I get it. Sensei wants us to stay together. But how did she find out?' She shook her head and slowed her pace to match the Uchiha boy.
As soon as Shiro-sensei stopped running, Kida got the quest completion notification.
Keep up!
Keep up with the instructor
Time limit: 1 Hour
Hidden objective
? Don't let anyone fall behind
Rewards:
+ 200 EXP
+ 200¥
Hidden Objective rewards
? 500 EXP
Penalty
-50 Rep with Konoha
Rin, Kimiko and Obito collapsed onto the ground, too tired to stay standing. Even Temuri was clutching her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Only Kida and Kakashi were still standing, as if they hadn't just run for an hour straight.
"Thanks Kida-chan." Said Rin from where she was panting on the ground.
+5 Rep with Nohara Rin and Aburame Kimiko
Kida looked them over before going to Obito. He had a little bite mark on his ankle. She sent a slight glare at Zoran, who just sat there scratching her ear with her hind leg. "He should have kept up better."
Once she was done, Obito gave her a huge smile. "Thanks Kida-chan, you're the best!" He said as she finished healing him.
+ 5 Rep with Uchiha Obito
Rin was looking at the girl in surprise. She wasn't aware other children already worked with Iryo Jutsu.
Kida looked around at where they had arrived. They were at the edge of a forest.
"All right Kiddos, you have successfully passed the first part of the mission with the best score yet. It's not a perfect score, since Hyuuga-chan was ready to leave her teammates behind," Said girl crossed her arms, looking away in annoyance. "And Hatake-kun failed to communicate properly." Kakashi huffed at that "Same goes for you Inuzuka-chan." He said, turning to Kida. "You were quick to give the order, but you failed to make sure everyone understood what you wanted."
Kida pouted and rubbed the back of her head. "There wasn't much time, though. You were already far ahead and I had to focus on the ones being slow. I'm not making excuses or anything," She quickly said shaking her hand. "I just don't see what I could have done differently." She finished with a shrug.
Shiro-sensei smiled. "Well, let's say you were chasing an enemy. Then it's more important to make sure you're all on the same page than keeping up. Because you failed to communicate properly, if Hatake-kun had failed to keep Hyuuga-chan back you would have gotten separated. Which means that the enemy could pick you off one by one."
Kida hummed in understanding. 'That makes sense.' If she wanted to be a Jonin one day then she'd have to make sure she communicated with her team. She was too used to Kakashi and her pups already knowing what she wanted, she couldn't count on that out in the field.
"Wait a minute!" Obito yelled, jumping up. "How did we get the highest score if we made so many mistakes?"
Shiro-sensei chuckled. "Well that's because you guys made it all here at the same time. You see, usually the kids are so desperate to not be left behind that they get separated from their teammates. The instructors are forced to come back for the ones that couldn't keep up. That's how you fail." He turned to Kida. "Speaking of which." He pulled out a wrapped cloth from one of his leg pouches. "You came in last so you get penalized." He said handing over the item. "You are not allowed to take this off until I say the training camp is done."
Kida unfolded the cloth and chuckled. "If you wanted me penalized you should have gone higher." She said putting on the 5! pound weights on her legs. She didn't even feel the difference.
Shiro raised a brow at her. It was unusual for kids her age to be doing weight training already.
He shook his head and smiled at them. "Now then Inuzuka-chan. Go ahead and bring out the pack that was given to you and open it up." The others looked at her curiously as she opened her pack. They hadn't received anything.
She pulled out the said item and opened it. Inside where red headbands and a red flag. Each of the items had a large black 1 at their centers.
"You guys are team 1, or team red, you must wear each of the headbands where they are visible so that the other teams can identify you." He said as Kida handed out the headbands. Her pups didn't get any, much to their disappointment. "As for the flag," he grinned. "Well, we'll be playing capture the flag!"
Kida grinned widely. 'Best field trip ever!'
"The rules are simple. 1) The flag can be put anywhere you want so long as it is visible. and 2) you cannot leave the forest. Other than that you have 1 week to take at least 1 flag from either of the other teams. Whichever team ends up without a flag will get double homework for the rest of the year, that will not be counted as extra credit. Whichever team gets the most flags gets half homework for full points."
Capture the flag! Rewards: Penalty
You have 1 week to capture at least 1 flag.
Capture 1 flag
Capture 2 flags
Time limit: 1 week
Hidden Objective
Capture 1 flag:
+ 10,000 EXP
+ 5,000¥
+ 5 Rep with Konoha
Capture 2 flags:
+ 20,000 EXP
+ 10,000¥
+ 10 Rep with Konoha
Hidden Objective rewards
-200 with Konoha
Double homework
Kida grinned. 'Oh yeah! Now that's a Quest.'
"Your time starts now." He said, before he Shunshine'd away.
Obito frowned at the spot their sensei was just at. "How is he supposed to judge us if he isn't here?"
Kida giggled. "No worries, he's still here. He's watching us from over there." She waved in a seemingly random direction.
The others looked at her in confusion. "How can you tell?" Rin asked squinting at the direction she pointed at but seeing nothing.
Kida shrugged. "I can hear him breathing."
Obito got a huge smile. "You can hear him? Is that an Inuzuka thing?" He asked excitedly. 'So cool!'
Kida nodded "Yeah, yeah, I can also smell-"
"-How did you know?" Kida turned to Temuri in confusion. She had her hand on her hip.
They all looked at the Hyuuga in confusion. "Know what?" Kida asked, tilting her head.
Temuri sighed in annoyance. "How did you know Shiro-sensei wanted us to stick together?"
Kida blinked widely at her. "He did?"
Temuri frowned. "You didn't know? Then why keep us together?"
Kida chuckled and grinned at her. "I just didn't want anyone to fall behind is all." She said rubbing the back of her head.
Temuri's eyes widened as the others smiled at the Inuzuka. 'Huh, she's kinda cool.' She thought with a small smile of her own, before catching herself and glaring at the ground.
"Well then, team leader, what do you want to do?" Obito asked kida.
A new home
You're stuck in the wilderness for a week so
find suitable shelter.
Time limit: Sundown
Rewards:
+ 500 EXP
+ 100¥
+ 10 Rep with each team member
Penalty
-50 Rep with each team member
Kida looked down at the flag she was holding, biting her lip as a plan started to form in her mind. She needed to treat this as if they were out on an actual mission. She looked over her team, her eyes settling on Rin.
She walked up to the girl and offered her the flag. "Wrap this around your waist." She told the confused girl. The others looked at her in shock.
"Why me!" Rin squeaked, backing away.
Kida grinned and pointed at her tattoos. "Nohara clan members get blue tattoos to signify that they have mastered all forms of non-Chakra healing." Rin's eyes widened. "Which means that you have started working on Iryo Jutsu, right?" She nodded. "The rules put forth by Senju Tsunade state that an Iryonin cannot fight. So you will be our designated flag holder. You protect the flag and we protect you." The others were looking at Rin with interest now.
+ 5 Rep with Nohara Rin.
Rin got a determined look. "I'll do my best!" She said, taking the flag.
While Rin wrapped the flag around her waist Kida turned to her team. "We're gonna be here for a week, so we need shelter." She turned to Kakashi. "Go up and see if you can find water."
She could already see a small river on her minimap, but she wanted to play fair so she turned it off.
Kakashi nodded before turning to a nearby tree and ran up its trunk. Other than Kimiko, the other kids gave startled yells. She had seen them both doing that when hunting Cicada. Rin watched Kakashi go up the tree with an awed look and a blush on her cheeks. 'He's amazing!'
"How is he doing that?!" Obito yelled.
Kida chuckled at them. "You put Chakra at the bottom of your foot to stick to the tree's surface." She gave them a little demonstration, getting even more awed looks. "Too much and you get blasted off. Too little and you don't stick."
They all started trying to stick themselves to the tree until Kakashi jumped back down. "There's a small river about 4 km North of here." He said, pointing in said direction.
Kida pulled out her booklet and went to the team formations section. "If we are gonna be traveling with someone we are protecting, then what formation should we use?" She asked her team. She was so used to teaching and guiding her pups, that the question came out before she even thought of it.
The other children pulled out their own booklets and looked up the formations.
"We should use Column. It will help us move through the forest floor faster." Kakashi said.
Obito immediately disagreed. "We should use Square since we have to move while protecting Rin."
Kakashi scoffed at him. "The trees are too closely spaced for that, we need to use the Column formation since there isn't any enemy nearby. It'll help us move faster."
Kida rolled her eyes as the boys started arguing and instead turned her attention to the girls.
Temuri looked up from her book. "How about Diamond?"
Kimiko looked up from her book. "That is the best choice for formation. Why? Because it will allow us to move swiftly while protecting Nohara-san."
Kida nodded and turned to the boys. She sweatdropped when she saw Kakashi had Obito in a headlock. "Hey guys!" She yelled, getting their attention.
"We're moving out now." Kakashi let go of Obito, making the boy fall over with a yell.
Kida grabbed Rin and pulled her to the center. "Ok we are doing the Diamond formation. Kakashi, you go to the front since you know where we're going. Obito and Temuri on either side of Rin. Kimiko you can go behind them and I will be behind you." She said as everyone took their spots.
Kida and her pups got behind Kimiko. From her place Kida would be able to reach any of the team members in case of danger. She sent Zoran to stand behind Obito. Since she was faster, she would be able to react better to any danger the boy didn't see. With a wave of her hand, they took off in a slow jog.
It took them over an hour to get to the river. Other than Kakashi and Kida, the kids were tired. While they trained with their families, they weren't used to such constant running. Kida and Kakashi had the dungeons and Haruto's sadism to be thankful for getting them such high stamina.
Kida Observed the river. It was small, barely 4 feet wide and not very deep, but it was perfect as a source of water for their 'Mission'.
She turned to Temuri. She looked as tired as the others but she was still standing straight. "How far can your Byakugan reach?"
Temuri actually smirked. "27 meters." She said. Kida's eyes widened. Haruto said the average Hyuuga child could see up to 10 meters when they first entered the academy, 18 meters was the highest that he knew of.
Kida grinned. "That's awesome! Can you see around us if there's any place we can use as a base?"
Temuri nodded. She brought her hands up and created the Ram seal. "Byakugan!" Temuri called out, getting the others attention. Kida was fascinated and grossed out as she watched the veins around her eyes bulge out.
After a few seconds her eyes went back to normal. "There's a large fallen tree leaning against a large rock over there." She pointed across the river. "It's big enough that we can use it as a shelter."
Kida nodded and turned to the others. They had managed to catch their breath and were now standing, waiting. "Does anyone not know how to swim?" Rin grimaced and raised her hand, she was the only one. Kakashi scoffed, making the girl look down. Kida sent the boy a scowl, before turning to Rin. "No worries. It isn't too deep, but the water is moving fast. So I want you to hold on to me while we cross."
Kida took off her backpack and threw to the other side. She didn't have anything fragile in it, so she wasn't worried about being too rough with it.
While the others threw their packs to the other side and started to cross, Kida double checked that the flag was well secured around Rin's waist. "Kida-chan!" Obito came up to them with a smile. "You don't have to strain yourself, I can help Rin cross!" He said. 'This is the perfect chance to show her how strong I am!'
Kida grinned and ruffled his hair making him blush. "That's really sweet Obito, but I think I can handle it." She glanced over at her pups. "Why don't you help Sessh? He isn't the best swimmer." While Zoran was like a fish in the water, her counterpart tended to sink like a rock.
Obito smiled widely. 'Helping her Ninken is even better!' He thought as he picked up the white pup. 'Oh Kami! Why is he heavy?' He grunted, adjusting the pup his arms so his paws were resting on his shoulders. Thankfully, there wasn't too much struggle in getting to the other side.
They got into formation and Temuri led the way to their destination. It only took them about two minutes to get there. They arrived at a small clearing with large moss covered rocks and a tree laying against them.
A new home
You're stuck in the wilderness for a week, so
find suitable shelter.
Time limit: Sundown
Rewards:
+ 500 EXP
+ 100¥
+ 10 Rep with each team member
Penalty
-50 Rep with each team member
You are now liked by Hyuuga Temuri
You are now liked by Nohara Rin
Kida hummed as she studied the area. "This is perfect!" She turned to her team with a grin. She was about to give them orders when she was interrupted by a loud growl. Obito blushed as all eyes turned to him. He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Haha sorry about that! I think I might be a bit hungry." He laughed.
Kida looked at her time and grimaced. "It seems we missed lunch. Let's take a break before we set up camp and eat some rations." They all sagged in relief, even Kakashi was grateful. The nap he took before hadn't been enough for the three year old.
After changing to drier clothes and hanging their wet ones on some tree branches, they all sat in a loose circle and pulled out rations from their packs. Ninja rations were the equivalent of energy bars in her old life. Except they were about 10 times more nutritional. The problem with them was that they tasted like cardboard and the texture was of sandpaper. Thankfully, since Ninken were never gonna eat tasteless food, the Inuzuka were forced to figure out a way to make the ration bars taste better. Something which Kida was eternally grateful for.
Once he got his rations Kakashi jumped into the tree to eat so no one would see his face. Obito frowned up at where Kakashi disappeared into. "What's with him?" He asked munching on his energy bar.
Kida looked up from where she was feeding her pups. She grinned. "Oh don't worry about him too much. He's just shy." She chuckled when she heard the annoyed growl come from her friend. Too low for the others to hear.
"Neh Kida-chan." Kida looked over at Rin. "It's really amazing that you already know Iryo Jutsu. Not a lot of people can accomplish that at your age."
Obito grinned. "Don't you know! Kida is really amazing!" He said, looking at Kida lovingly. He yelped when an acorn hit him on the back of his head. He glared up at the spot he thought Kakashi was. 'That jerk!'
Kida shook her head with a chuckle and rolled her eyes. 'Boys.' "My mother is the head vet at the Inuzuka clinic, so she's been training me for a while now." Kida said as she crumbled up her ration wrapping and shoved it into her pocket. "I've no interest in being an Iryonin, but I thought it would be best to learn some in case my teammates are ever injured and we can't get to a healer right away." She shrugged. "It bores me, but if I can buy them even just a few seconds for help to arrive, then it's worth it."
+ 5 Rep with team Red
Kimiko smiled at her friend. "You are truly one of a kind Kida. Why? No one else would spend the effort on something they were not going to specialize in."
Temuri studied the Inuzuka girl with some interest. She had met some of the adult Inuzuka that had been partnered with her clan members and they had all been loud, brash and, according to her father, somewhat reckless. So far this child has not exhibited any of those traits.
Once they were all done eating, they all stood waiting for directions..
A new home Rewards: Penalty
You have found a good place to set up shelter. Now do so.
Time limit: Sundown
Hidden Objective
+ 500 EXP
+ 100¥
+ 10 Rep with each team member
Hidden objective reward
-50 Rep with each team member
"We need to set up camp." She said, pulling out her book. She didn't really need it, but she didn't want any of them to feel bad about needing the book. "Lets see… since this is a week long stay we need to have a secured shelter. Since it's summer still, we don't have to worry about the cold at night. Our regular blankets should be good enough." She looked at them. "What else do we have to worry about?"
Kimiko raised her hand. "We need to ensure that if it rains our shelter wont get wet. Why? My Kochu do not appreciate it." At her words a quiet vibrating sound rose up around Kimiko, making the others cringe away. Indeed they did not.
Kida grimaced, she'd forgotten about that. She nodded, sending her friend an apologetic look. "What else do we need to worry about?"
Obito started jumping up and down with his arm raised. "I know! I know!" Kida giggled at his adorableness and nodded at him.
"Food!" He said. "I dont wanna have to eat rations all week, so we gotta scavenge for food!"
Temuri turned to Kida. "Thats a good point. While field rations are full of nutrition, they are no good for keeping our muscle mass intact."
The others agreed. "We have two other teams we have to be careful of." Kakashi spoke up. "We should make traps around the camp, keep guards on rotation and camouflage the shelter." He said impatiently. Kida sighed at her friend's impatience. This was a good learning opportunity for the kids, why does he need to ruin it?
She closed her book and put it away. "Kakashi, you can go ahead and hunt for some food then." He nodded and ran off into the trees. "We need a fire too, but I unfortunately don't know the Jutsu for Smokeless fire. We'll only be able to light it during the day so we dont attract the other team's attention."
"Wait, I know how to make smokeless fire!" Obito called out. "My grandpa taught me how when he took me camping last winter!" He said excitedly.
Kida grinned at him. "Perfect! Then can I leave you in charge of getting firewood, too?" He nodded and took off.
Kida stared after him for a moment. 'He's gonna get lost.' "Sessh, go with him." The pup nodded and ran after the boy.
Kida turned to the girls. "I'll go take care of making traps. Kimiko, Rin, can you guys take care of making the shelter? Remember to make it camouflaged and waterproof." The girls nodded and started to murmur to each other while circling the fallen tree.
She smiled at Temuri. "Think you can keep a lookout?" The Hyuuga nodded and walked away, activating her Byakugan. Kida began pulling Ninja wire from her belt pouch.
Shiro observed the children from his hiding spot. Inuzuka-chan didn't want to be the leader, that much was clear, and yet, she had no problems taking charge. She was able to see the strengths and weaknesses of her team members and gave them each jobs that are well suited for them. It seems that Inuzuka-chan was a natural leader.
He chuckled. 'Perhaps my team will win this year.'
Obito had really managed to make the smokeless fire. Even Kakashi had been grudgingly impressed. Of course he didn't show it.
It was late evening just after sundown. Kida sat with the others around the campfire, preparing the rabbits Kakashi had caught for them. None of them had ever skinned an animal before, so it had been a learning experience. While morally she didn't have a problem with it, she had still been nauseated with the act. She had no problems killing Ghouls and Zombies, but pulling guts out of a carcass was apparently her limit.
Thankfully, they just needed to roast them now.
"How are we going to go about getting the other flags?" Temuri asked as she inspected her rabbit before setting it back to cook some more.
Kida grinned mischievously. "We won't." They all looked at her with startled expressions. "We are gonna let them come to us."
Next to her Obito frowned and cocked his head in confusion. "What makes you think they'll come to us?" He asked.
She giggled and ruffled his hair, making him blush. 'So cute!' She pulled back and looked at the others. "Think about it. If sensei had only said that you need at least 1 flag to not get penalized. Then the others wouldn't risk going after us and would just focus on protecting their own flag at all cost." She said, pulling back her rabbit. It was sufficiently burned and smelled divine. "But sensei also added one hell of a reward for getting 2 flags. That is gonna truly motivate them to come after us." She said around a mouthful of food.
Temuri's eyes widened. 'I see. She's smarter than I realized.' "Why do you keep saying they'll come after us though?" She asked, "Why not go after each other?"
Kida smirked. "Because of Kakashi and I. We are the youngest and smallest, therefore we are the least physically capable of all of us. So our team has a disadvantage. Or, at least that's what they'll think. The one I'm really worried about is the Nara team." She said with a frown.
Obito laughed. "The Nara? You don't have to worry about her. All Nara are lazy and from what I saw, the apple didn't fall far from the tree with her."
Kida shook her head. "You don't think the penalty and rewards are gonna be enough motivation?"
He stopped laughing and frowned in thought. "Oh right."
"My uncle said there's nothing more dangerous than a motivated Nara." She stood and tossed the remains of her rabbit into the fire. "We will keep an eye on their positions for now and wait for them to make the first move. I'll take first watch." She said before climbing up the tree to join Kakashi, her pups stayed on the ground gnawing on their bones.
Kakashi was sitting on a branch with his back against the tree. His mask was down since he was eating. Kida grinned when she saw the annoyed look on his face. "What's got you all frowny faced? Didn't like the rabbit?" She asked, settling herself across from him. From this vantage point they could see two separate smoke stacks in the distance. It would take about an hour or so of running for their group to reach each one.
Kakashi sighed. "Why are we doing this?" He asked with a huff. Kida gave him a confused look. "I mean, why are we playing this dumb game? You and I could have very easily gotten both those flags and been back within an hour." He said. "Probably less."
Kida chuckled. "Kakashi, you and I aren't really here to learn. Between your dad and Haruto, we've learned most of what the Academy has to teach us. At this point, it's just a formality." She looked down at their team. They were finished eating and were getting into their sleeping bags. "I'm just here cause I wanted to have some fun with kids our age." She chuckled, "or at least close to our age."
Kakashi watched his friend swing her legs back and forth on the branch she was sitting on. "Fun? I don't see what so fun about playing with a bunch of weaklings." He huffed.
She chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You'll understand when you're older."
Kakashi pushed away her hand with a glare. "If it's so fun then why are you up here? Shouldn't you be with your precious friends?" He said bitterly, a sad look going over his face. He looked away and crossed his arms. "Go away. You're gonna do it eventually anyway."
Kida smiled and hugged him tight making him struggle. "Do you think that just cause I'm making friends that I'm gonna leave you?" He stopped struggling, glaring at nothing. "Silly Kakashi, you're my favorite person in this whole wide world. I could never leave you."
He looked back at her in confusion. "But then why do you need them?"
She shook her head. "I don't need them. I just want to be friends with them. You're still young so yah don't understand. People will come and go in your life, friends can stay longer but they can leave too. A best friend though can never leave you." She made a face and scratched the back of her head. "Did that make sense?"
He chuckled and nodded "Yeah, I get it." 'You'll never leave me.'
The next day Kida woke up to a muffled yelp. It was too close to have been one of her traps. She sat up and looked around. Most of everyone was asleep in their sleeping bags except for Kimiko, who had morning watch and was sitting at the top of the fallen tree, and Obito.
Kida carefully got up so as not to disturb her pups. She pocketed her goggles and, after waving at Kimiko, she set out in search of Obito. It didn't take long for her to find him. He was sitting at the base of a tree a little ways from camp. He was rubbing the back of his head and glaring up at the tree. He was covered in bruises and scratched up.
"What yah doing?" She asked, walking over to him. Obito jumped up with a yell and whirled around.
He blushed brightly when he saw her. "Kida-chan! I umm," He looked away in embarrassment. "I was just trying to do the tree walking thing that Kakashi did."
Kida grinned. "Want some help?" He smiled and nodded.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the tree. "Ok, so the first thing you want to do is find each limit. When you try to walk up the tree using too much Chakra, it blasts you off and not enough will make you slip off." She said, getting a nod from the boy. "So try using a little bit of Chakra and see what happens."
Obito nodded and ran up the tree, only to slip off after 2 steps. Kida stepped in and caught him before he hit his head. He was blushing as she righted him. 'He blushes a lot, it's adorable.'
"Good, now use a whole bunch of Chakra and see what happens." She said.
Predictably, he was blasted off. "Now find the halfway point between both those limits and see what happens."
Obito took on a determined look. 'I can do this!' He ran at the tree. His eyes widened as he slipped off. Obito grunted when Kida caught him again. "Did you see that?" He yelled excitedly, jumping out of her arms. "For a split second my foot stuck to the tree!"
Kida laughed as she nodded. "Yeah, I did. That was really good!" She said, ruffling his hair. "Now you know about how much Chakra you need. Try using a little bit more each time you try until you get the right amount." She said, stepping back.
"Ehhh? Obito's learning to Tree walk?" They turned around to see Rin, Temuri and Kimiko peeking out from behind a tree. Kimiko ran over to Kida. "I want to learn too!"
"Me too! Me too!" Rin yelled coming over followed by Temuri.
She laughed "Sure, sure, I don't mind."
Kakashi scowled form where he stood atop a tree. The conversation from last night had reassured him somewhat but that didn't mean he suddenly liked having people take all of Kida's attention. He tsked and jumped higher up the tree to keep watch for their enemy.
For the next few days they spent their time practicing tree walking and, while none of them made it very far up the tree, they still made some progress. Temuri got the farthest while Rin was a close second. Despite the head start, Obito didn't get as far as the others did. Not for lack of trying either. The boy was determined if nothing else.
They at least all learned how to fall properly.
During their chow breaks they went over different strategies. Kimiko wasn't yet able to control her Kochu very well, if she used too many at one time she'll lose control of them and they'll end up attacking their team as well. Rin had focused on medical training and had neglected her fighting skills. Obito still hadn't gotten his family's fighting style down. So Temuri, Kida, and Kakashi were gonna be the main attackers, while both Kimiko and Obito were tasked with protecting Rin. Something that bothered Obito to no end.
He didn't like the idea of being left back while Kakashi got to show off. He huffed, crossing his arms. The only reason he hadn't fought it too much was because Kida had asked it of him with a bright smile that made him feel all gooey inside. He'd barely been able to speak afterward.
Kakashi was doing much better with the other kids. By no means was he suddenly best friends with them but he wasn't kicking Obito away anytime he got close to Kida anymore. Which was a huge step in the right direction if you asked her.
They were now taking a break. Obito panted on the ground next to Kida as she combed Sessh. "Neh Kida." She looked up at the boy next to her. "How long did it take you to master tree walking?"
She tilted her head in thought. "It took me about half an hour to be able to do it without a problem."
He sat up looking at her in awe. "Just half an hour? That's amazing!"
She chuckled. "Thanks, but if yah wanna see amazing you should look to Kakashi. He got it on his third try." She said with a proud smile.
Obitos jaw fell. "No way!"
Kida nodded "Yeah! He-" she froze, ears twitching. Her pups stood up and started growling, making the others look up in confusion.
One of her traps went off and from the sounds of struggle it was a human. "Ok guys, show time!" She said. The others hesitated only a moment before running to their assigned spots. Obito, Rin and Kimiko ran off to their hiding spot. Kida, the pups, Temuri and Kakashi took off in the direction of the enemy.
They kept themselves hidden and watched the kids that had tripped the trap. Shikari was scolding Inosuke for tripping the trap, Chomei was munching on salt and vinegar chips next to her.
Her team looked at each other and nodded. They jumped out of their hiding spot and attacked, making the other kids scream in surprise.
Then Shiro-sensei landed in between them, forcing Kida to abort her attack and fall flat on her face. She jumped up in annoyance. "Hey what's the big idea?!" She yelled, then she noticed the tense look on his face and fear in his scent.
"The training week has been canceled. We'll be going back to the academy so gather your things." The children looked at each other in confusion before separating.
Kida and her team went back to their camp and gathered their things and the rest of their team. They wanted to ask questions, but they could feel the tension growing in the air.
They ran back to the academy and were ushered into their classroom. Daisuke-sensei was already at the podium waiting for them to take their seats.
He looked them over before closing his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. He opened his eyes, a resigned look on his face. "Iwagakure has declared war on Konoha."
You now have the War status with Iwagakure.
A perk has been unlocked! Enemy Nin - Genin and above will attack on sight. +10% damage to enemy Ninja.
War ? Rewards: ? ? Penalty
Survive the Third Shinobi World War
Time Limit: 10 years
Hidden Objective:
?
?
5,000,000 EXP
1,000,000¥
Hidden Objective Reward
Death