Chapter 4
Natsumi's POV
"I need to speak to you Natsumi"
I hesitated for a few seconds on hearing her words. The truth was that I didn't want to stay there any longer as it felt suffocating. Dad quickly assessed the situation and took the kids upstairs while nodding to Hana along the way. I just shook off her hand and grabbing Hana's hand, walked out of the house. As I came out of the house dragging Hana with me, I felt her small hands grip my arm as she tried to escape my grip.
"Natsumi let go! You are hurting me damn it!"
Coming back to my senses, I released her as she rubbed her forearm. Noticing a red mark from my grip appear on her forearm, I instantly felt guilty.
"Sorry Hana. I didn't mean to hurt you". She looked at me skeptically.
"Are you all right now?"She asked with concern evident in her voice and I nodded. Looking over my shoulder, her expression softened before she spoke. "Your mother's coming towards us now. Talk to her ok?" Before I could protest, she hugged me and walked away.
Taking a deep breath, I turned around and faced her. Her eyes scanned my face as she struggled to speak.
"Natsumi, I am so sorry for what I had done in the-"
I cut her off before she could finish her sentence. I just raised an eyebrow and glanced at her with thinly veiled disdain "Did you think that I came here just to listen to your apologies? ". She said nothing. "Let us be honest mom. You burned that bridge down a long time ago "and I turned around to go.
"I was afraid"
Hearing her voice, I again hesitated. She continued speaking "I was afraid at that time because of the prophecy". I just scoffed as I turned around to face her again.
"You were afraid?" I jeered at her "Oh yes. I remember how afraid you were when you told me that the prophecy was more important than me mom. I remember very clearly ". I disregarded the tears rolling down her cheeks as I didn't even feel any remorse for my words. "I remember how afraid you were when you didn't leave food for me at the table. I remember how afraid you were when you blew me off to spend time with my siblings. I remember how afraid you were when you taught them how to throw a kunai whereas I had to learn on my own. Oh yes mother I remember very clearly!"
"STOP ! Please just stop. I am sorry" she whispered as her body shook with her sobs. I just looked at her blankly. "I don't think I would never forgive you mom. But I won't hate you because I gave my word to dad. Don't try to come near me if you want to apologize to me like this". Saying so, I walked away from her as I heard her cries receding behind me.
"That was very dramatic" exclaimed a deep voice.
"Of course you would find that amusing" I shook my head as I reached my house. "Where were you all these days?" I asked the voice while unlocking the door and stepping inside. Removing the filthy uniform, I threw the clothes in the basket as I stepped in the shower and took a quick bath. Donning my favorite pajamas, I lay on the bed and closed my eyes.
Opening my eyes, I found myself infront of a huge cage. Stepping through the wide bars, a rush of hot air warmed me as huge red eyes stared down at me. "Seriously why were you silent these past days?"
The fox didn't say anything as it just stared at me. "Are you all right? ". I just sighed and nodded. The fox suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke as I coughed. A pair of warm arms crept around my waist as the figure hugged me. The arms released me from the owners grip as I stared into warm blood red eyes. A pair of ears twitched on her head as she knelt down taking me down with her and placed my head on her lap. We said nothing as we just stayed in that position. I relaxed under her hands as she massaged my scalp.
"So you met Kushina?"
"Yes"
"And you warned her to stay out of your life"
"Not exactly but yeah"
The fox just hummed as she stroked my hair. "Look. As much I like being your mother figure, you know I am just a replacement for your real mother kit". I looked up at her. "What do you mean?" She just exhaled noisily. "You know that we are demons right?"I nodded my answer. "We live for thousands of years kit. You might not be the last jinchuriki to hold me. There will be others in the future".
"I honestly don't get what you are trying to say here"
"I am saying that your lives are short compared to us. It's meaningless to hold grudges. Are you getting what I am trying to say?" the fox huffed angrily as I chuckled at her. "Very wise Kurama". We just laughed as I recounted the events of the day and fell asleep with her still stroking my hair.
"WAKE UP!" boomed a voice loudly in my head as I jolted awake and almost fell off the bed. Cursing the demon fox sniggering in my head, I got up and stretching my body, went about my usual routine. I retrieved a fresh set of the jounin uniform and hurriedly threw it on as I paid my respects at Jiji's grave before meeting the genin. Taking my own sweet time I wandered around the village for a bit, greeting the early risers and having a fill of ramen. Approaching the training grounds, I spotted the kids grumbling and muttering under their breaths as they struggled not to fall asleep. But then I also observed them exchanging glances with one another as they shuffled about.
"Good morning!"
"YOU ARE LATE!" yelled a pair of voices.
"Tell the damn kids to be quiet! My ears are hurting!" grumbled Kurama as Naruto and Sakura glowered at me while Mito and Sasuke had a scowl on their faces.
Looking at the group I felt something was off about them today. 'Something's just odd about them today. Naruto and Sakura look like they are trying too hard to be loud. Mito and Sasuke look like they are angry but their eyes tell a different story'
"Well I got lost on the road of-"
"Please don't use Kakashi-san's excuse, sensei. It doesn't suit you. At all" muttered Mito as the kids waited for my orders. Noticing a noodle strand on Naruto's sleeve, I inwardly smiled to myself. 'So they did eat and come. Someone must have told them about the test'
Taking out a bell and dangling it from my hand I gestured for the four of them to follow me "So the exercise we will be doing today is very simple. You see this bell?" as their heads nodded I continued speaking "The exercise is very simple. You just have to take this bell from me".
"That's all?" said Sakura as the others stared at me. 'Strange I expected them to protest about there being a single bell. There's not even a hint of confusion in their faces'
"That's all"
"What happens if we don't get the bell?" questioned Naruto.
"Well, if you don't get this bell one among you will be sent back to the academy. I thought I told you this yesterday" I smirked as their faces filled with panic. "And one more thing, I want you to come at me with the intent to kill". Naruto suddenly threw himself at me as I stopped him in midair and twisted his arm behind his back pointing the kunai in his hand towards his head. Ignoring his protest, I just chuckled and scanned their tense bodies noticing the glint in their eyes "Well. I am starting to like you guys. But I didn't even say start yet" saying so I released his arm and the four of them jumped back.
Third person's POV
The four of them surrounded her in a circle. Each of the genin stared at her as they waited for one of them to make a move. Even Naruto had a somber look on his face as he and Mito recalled the words of their father warning them not to underestimate her. Catching Sasuke's eye, the four of them had the same thought as they leapt as one towards her making her grin. Just as their fists made contact with her body, she suddenly burst into smoke revealing a cracked log. The four of them stood back to back as they waited for her to attack.
"Be alert guys. We are dealing with a jounin. We can't afford to let our guard down. Mito and Naruto, we might need your shadow clones later. So try not to exhaust your chakra" ordered Sasuke as he scanned the surroundings. Hearing the ground crack beneath them, they leapt into the trees as the mud slip past them in an avalanche (1). The four of them went into separate directions as fireballs (2) rained down on them making them scatter.
'She's trying to split us up. The Divide and conquer strategy. She knows that we can't take her one-on-one' thought Mito as she frantically searched for the others. Hearing a rustle beside her, she spun and almost cut off Naruto's head as he ducked. She caught a brief glimpse of blue cloth and pink hair in the background before he came in her sight.
"Geez! It's me Mito. Calm down!"
"Well maybe you shouldn't sneak up on someone so suddenly idiot"
The two of them scanned their surroundings as Mito suddenly caught sight of Sasuke with Sakura on the other side of the clearing and frowned. 'Why did they suddenly move to the opposite side?'
"We should not let her split us up" exclaimed Mito suddenly as she gestured for Naruto to follow her "Remember what dad told us?" He nervously looked around before answering "Yes. I also remember you telling me to act like an idiot". The two of them reached the lake and waited for Sasuke and Sakura under the cover of the trees.
"How many jutsu did you learn from the library?" asked Mito as she set explosive tags near the lake.
"One, maybe two I guess. Why?"
"Just be alert" answered Mito as she finished setting the tags and leapt into the trees. The two of them waited for a few minutes when Sasuke and Sakura burst into the clearing with injuries. Naruto anxiously started towards them but Mito pulled him back. "What are you doing?" whispered the blond haired boy angrily as he tried to free himself from her grip. "Something's not right. Don't be hasty" whispered Mito as she tried to pull him back. "They are injured Mito. Let's save them! Why are you so stubborn?" exclaimed Naruto as he got down and ran towards them. Mito immediately took out a kunai and wrapping a explosive tag around the handle, threw it at Sasuke. A huge explosion rocked the air as the bodies exploded setting off the explosive tags at the lake.
Sasuke and Sakura heard the explosion first as they saw Naruto escape the fire barely. He scowled and ran towards them with Sakura on his heels. They regrouped and again set a back to back formation. "Why isn't she attacking us directly?" whispered Sasuke as he looked around. "Seems like she is just toying with us" answered Sakura when Natsumi landed infront of them.
"Come on guys you are getting slow. Do you want to go back to the academy?" Natsumi grinned at them as the kids faces turned pale and readied themselves. Bringing out a watch, she looked at the time and shook her head "You know what? This is too slow for me" she leapt into the center of the formation and the kids scattered diving to the ground. Getting up, Sasuke attacked first as he faced her head-on. Throwing punches left and right, he tried to distract her as Mito created a few shadow clones and sent them after her. Catching Sasuke's leg and throwing him away while she took care of the clones, she turned her back on Naruto for a split second when her arms were caught by two clones appearing behind her.
"NARUTO, SASUKE NOW!" yelled Mito as Naruto and Sasuke brought their hands up and went through the handsigns quickly.
Snake - Ram - Monkey – Boar - Horse - Tiger
Dog - Horse - Bird
Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu
Futon: Toppa (Wind release: Breakthrough)
A large fireball enhanced by the wind careened towards her and exploded. The smoke dissipated to reveal the two clones burning and dispelling leaving a blackened log in the middle. "Good job guys. Enhancing the fire with wind. Clever idea" exclaimed Natsumi as she emerged from the forest. "But you didn't get the bell" their faces drooped instantly. "But don't worry guys. You passed the test. Because of your-"
"Teamwork"
She looked at Sakura. She blushed as she scratched her cheeks. "Well, at first when you took out only one bell instead of three, we got confused and thought that maybe you wanted us to fight among ourselves for the bell. But we realized that we had to fight together to defeat you instead of fighting for the bell".
"Correct Sakura". She beamed as Natsumi patted her head. "I wanted to find out whether you would work together or not as a team. The bell was just an accessory. But how did you know about the bell test?"
Mito answered on behalf of her "I was the one who told them about the bell test sensei. That's what we were discussing before you came. Sakura came up with the idea". Sakura blushed hotly as she heard Mito praise her. "No speech sensei?" teased Naruto as Natsumi shrugged and smiled at them. "If you want a speech, go and bug Kakashi. I am not the type to give speeches". Stretching her body she looked at her team proudly "Congrats everyone. You worked hard. As of today we are now team 7. We will begin our missions tomorrow". Smiles appeared on their faces as they cheered. I bid my goodbyes to them and went to Ichiraku ramen.
1 - Doton: Dosekiryu (Earth release: Mudslide)
2 – Katon: Homuranagase (Fire release: Blazing Meteors)
This is the first time writing a fight scene. I might rewrite it in the future if I get better at writing. Please review and if there are any mistakes in the story, I would gladly appreciate it if you pointed them out. This is just a rough draft. There might be rewritings in the future