About three fourths the way through their break Naruto left them at breakneck speed, clutching his stomach and looking as if he was in pain. Hinata hesitated, looking as if she wanted to follow him to make sure he was alright, but ended up staring down at her lap shyly. Hikari couldn't help but wonder what he'd eaten to make him so sick. It definitely wasn't anything Hinata had given him. Not only did she not have it in her to prank someone, the Hyuuga were very cautious with everything given to their heiress. Even the ingredients she used to make her own lunches were scrutinized heavily. Or at least that was what Hikari suspected based on what she knew and had seen of her best friend's clan.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Hina-chan. I've never seen Naruto have an allergic reaction to something and the food you gave him was well made." Thinking on it further she sighed and shook her head. "It's more likely he ate something earlier that made him sick. He just ate the bento, that's too fast a reaction. Plus you ate it too and you don't look ill." She flushed slightly when she realized she had the attention of everyone around them. Shino in particular was looking at her intently, though it was hard to tell through the glasses. "Maybe he ate something bad without noticing?" She shrugged. It was embarrassing but not uncommon. Hikari had done it herself once or twice when she was so focused on studying that she forgot to check the date on the package in her hand. Hinata brightened a little. She was still concerned about the energetic blonde but was less worried that she had done something to him accidentally.
When their time was up and they were packing up to return to the classroom Naruto jogged over to them. Skidding into view he acted as if earlier had never happened, looking sheepish when Hinata asked if he was feeling okay. "Couldn't be better!" His beaming smile made the poor girl blush and fidget. Hikari watched him, eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore, which was good, but she wondered what had happened to him.
As he and Sasuke traded barbs Hikari fell back to talk with Hinata's team. Fixing the two boys with a serious look she spoke just loud enough for the three of them to hear. "You better take good care of Hinata. She's my best friend." There was no real threat in her words, though her tone promised serious retribution if they let her get hurt. A small smile crossed Hinata's face and she ducked her head, hiding her amusement.
Kiba looked at the Uchiha in confusion for a moment before a wide grin split his face. "I won't let anything happen to her. Teams have to look out for one another! Right, Akamaru?" The white dog stuck his head out of the young teen's hoodie and yipped in agreement, tongue lolling from his mouth. It took all her willpower not to smile, he was just so cute. While Kiba had been enthusiastic and ready to promise that nothing would harm their team mate Shino was far more reserved. At first Hikari thought he may have been offended by her comment, as if she assumed they wouldn't take care of their team mate in the first place. The coat and glasses the Aburame clan were known for made it really hard for her to judge what they were feeling at any one time, Shino was no exception. "I will do all I can if a situation arises where my team mate requires assistance." That was probably the best she was going to get out of the stoic bug boy. Looking at the two of them she gave them a nod of acknowledgment. She had their assurances, that was good enough for her.
Sidling up to Hinata she looped arms with her and pulled her slightly away from the boys. Leaning in she tried to keep her voice quiet but knew that Kiba would probably hear her anyway. It was fine, as long as he kept quiet about it. "I'll keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get himself into too much trouble." Hinata's eyes went wide and her face flushed. The poor girl was still so shy about her crush. Chuckling Hikari let her go and raced to catch up with her own team, waving at her friend.
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Back inside the students sat around chatting with their new team mates as the jounin came to claim them. Slowly the teams trickled out, leaving the three of them with only Iruka-sensei for company. Naruto talked to him for about an hour while Sasuke and Hikari did their own thing but eventually Iruka-sensei had to leave. Naruto told him it was fine and gave him a reassuring smile as he gathered his materials. Flustered and apologizing he took one last look back at them before he hurried off to his other duties. Once the man was out of sight the blonde's expression fell slightly. Hikari could tell he was impatient and beginning to get agitated, especially without Iruka-sensei to keep him happily distracted. It wouldn't be long until he started acting out, which would just annoy her brother. Turning to her team mate she smiled. "So Naruto, what kinds of ramen do you like?" It was the perfect question to get his mind off of their jounin. But boy was it going to give her a headache. The honest smile of happiness he gave her may have been worth it though.
To her surprise she actually enjoyed the conversation quite a bit. Naruto was surprisingly good at cooking and knew a lot of recipes. There were a lot of ingredients he mentioned that she'd never tried before. Asking questions every now and then she learned what temperature was best for each type of ramen and how long the soup had to cook for. He even listed off what other dishes paired well with it. Hikari smiled to herself. If he ever got over the idea of being a shinobi of the leaf he should open his own restaurant, she thought.
Alas, a single topic couldn't keep a conversation going forever. Another hour passed and the blonde began to openly fidget, glaring at the clock on the wall. "Where is he?" Naruto finally snapped. Hikari sighed and looked over at her brother, who'd rarely spoken the last two hours and shot glares at the blonde whenever he became too exuberant. "I don't know." She began. "But he has to be jounin rank to teach us and jounin can sometimes be called on during emergencies. Especially if the Hokage asks for them specifically." It was a bit of a stretch and she knew it. Jounin assigned to teams weren't supposed to go on missions until their team was ready. Looking at Naruto she nibbled on her lower lip. Clearly the blonde didn't know this.
With carefully timed words she was able to draw her team mate back into a conversation. This time about ninja tools and what might be done with them. When that topic came to an end she speculated aloud what 'cool' ninjutsu their teacher might be willing to teach them. It even caught Sasuke's attention and he made a few comments of his own. It was a miracle that she was able to keep his attention for nearly two whole hours, since she knew he had a hard time focusing in class. Yet here he paid careful attention to every word she said before formulating a response. Although he didn't seem able to recall much about the curriculum his additions and creative ideas made her smile.
It was odd, she thought to herself. Why had no one noticed this side of him before? The teachers all called him a nuisance and ignored him, while the parents warned their children to keep away from him. Although he didn't have much in the way of academic learning he was able to grasp concepts quickly and change plans on the fly as he gained additional information. It was almost uncomfortable how his blue eyes bore into her, soaking up her attention. 'How lonely he must be.' It made her wonder what her life would be like if she didn't have Sasuke with her. Would she have been able to put on such a brave face? Probably not. Naruto asked her a question and she shoved those feelings down, her smile never faltering.
Finally, after what felt like ages, the door to the classroom opened and a man with silvery hair entered the room. The three of them stared at him for a moment before Naruto jumped up over the desk and landed on the floor below. It seemed he finally remembered why he'd been so agitated earlier. "You're late!" Hikari sighed and stood, glaring back at her brother as he snorted; his own frustration seeping through the carefully crafted stoic exterior. "Naruto," she jumped over the desk as he had, though with far more grace, "he's here now and that's all that matters. There's nothing we can do to change what happened in the past. But if you keep standing there and just yelling at sensei then we're not going to get anywhere today." Her tone was firm, like a mother scolding an unruly child. The blonde subsided with a growl, his fists clenched and teeth grinding.
The silver haired man fixed her with a searching look and she had to fight the urge to take a step back. It was such a deep, intelligent, and guarded gaze that it sent a shiver down her spine. Suddenly the man's look softened and he almost seemed to be smiling at them. "Hmm. My first impression of you is- you'll do." The easygoing words didn't register at first but when they did both Naruto and her brother bristled. Hikari wanted to put her head in her hands and sigh deeply. "Follow me." Their sensei said. If the slight tilt of his head and shoulders were any indication he was amused by their antics.
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Up on one of the school roof tops they found seats on a set of short stairs while their sense chose to sat on the railing opposite them. "Hmm, let's see…" Although his tone was lackadaisical Hikari couldn't help feeling nervous. What sort of introduction would they get to life as a ninja? "I think I'll have you introduce yourselves first." A small giggle left her and she stifled it too late. The man's uncovered eye landed on her and he tilted his head questioningly. "Sorry sensei, it was just such a normal thing to say." The normalcy of the situation had startled the nervousness right out of her. He seemed to understand and waved it off easily enough.
Naruto looked puzzled. "Introduce ourselves? What's that mean?" Sasuke looked at the blonde with annoyance. Hikari turned toward their sensei, wondering if he would explain or if she would have to. "Tell me your name, things you like, dislike, any hobbies, future dreams; stuff like that." The blonde smiled in understanding. Hikari wondered just what kind of introduction to give when the blonde piped up again. "Oi, oi, what about you? You first!" Well… it would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about their new teacher.
"Me? Well. My name is Hatake Kakashi, I don't feel like telling you guys about my likes or dislikes. I've never really thought about any future dream… As for hobbies I have a lot of them."
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Seeing the annoyed looks on their faces made him want to smile in amusement. But he knew better. Kakashi kept his expression carefully neutral. None of the kids spoke, just watched him quietly. The boys were frustrated and it was actually pretty adorable. But the girl… she was wary of him. He wasn't sure why yet, other than the fact that he was a strange jounin she'd never met before. He didn't have a good grasp of her personality yet, only observations and second hand knowledge.
"Alright, your turn. Let's start with you." He nodded toward Naruto and the blonde beamed at him. "Oh me? Me, I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I like instant ramen. But what I like more is when Iruka-sensei treats me to Ichiraku's ramen! What I hate is the three minutes it takes for the cup ramen to cook when you pour the hot water in." Hikari stared at her team mate, a confused frown on her face. She looked as if she wanted to say something but was unsure whether she should in front of their sense. Sasuke, on the other hand, was openly ignoring the blonde. "My hobby is eating and comparing different ramen!" Kakashi wanted to sigh. He'd heard the rumours but it was still a little unsettling how obsessed with ramen Naruto was. "And my dream is to become greater than the Hokages! I'm going to make all the villagers recognize my existence."
Sasuke's head whipped around and he gave the blonde a searching look, as if seeing him for the first time. Hikari had a resigned kind of smile playing at the corners of her lips. There seemed to be some promise there. "Alright, next." His one eye landed on Hikari and the girl sat up straighter, shoulders back and chin slightly lowered. It was the posture of a submissive subordinate.
"My name is Uchiha Hikari. I suppose I like hanging out with my best friend and my brother. I…" She hesitated slightly, glancing between the boys before taking a slow breathe. "I don't like insincerity or being kept in the dark." Odd, but understandable. He'd read the reports about civilians approaching the twins and how they reacted depending on how truthful the civilians were being. "My hobbies are cooking, sewing, playing the shamisen, and practicing the tea ceremony." He blinked in surprise, hiding a frown. It sounded like she cared more about being a proper lady than a ninja. He supposed girls at her age were more concerned with their appearance and being feminine than working on their shinobi skills. Although being an Uchiha meant she would be less flighty than other girls her age.
"I haven't thought a lot about the future… but I have two goals." Sasuke looked at his sister quizzically. Apparently she hadn't shared these with him before, interesting. "I want the truth." Her eyes hardened and he could feel the beginnings of killing intent. The boys began to fidget next to her as she raised her chin and stared him square in the eye. "And I want to protect those who are precious to me." Sasuke reached over and tapped his sister's hand. This seemed to calm her and she sank back slightly, looking mildly embarrassed. 'Hmm, and here I thought Sasuke would be the problem child.'
"Last but not least." He droned as if uninterested, turning his attention to the darker haired boy. It took him a moment but the boy finally responded when his sister nudged him. He grumbled under his breathe for a moment. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are lots of things I don't like and few that I do like." Very descriptive. "My hobby is training. I don't have a dream for the future; I have a mission. To protect Hikari." At least he was less surprising than his sister. Both Naruto and Sasuke were pretty much what he expected. The only enigma was Hikari.
The twins might look the same on the outside but inside it was like night and day. Sasuke was as antisocial as he'd heard while Hikari had been able to keep Naruto engaged for two whole hours. Naruto. The kid with enough energy and ingenuity to trump an entire Anbu squad. If her posture and vocal tone had been anything to go by she had even enjoyed the conversation. She was smart but also hardworking and had the ability to read people without any training. The only question was; how serious was she about her life as a shinobi. He'd have to revise his plans a little.
"You all have very unique personalities, I like that." Now their attention was back on him. "We're going to go on a mission starting tomorrow." Immediately Naruto perked up and gave him the saddest salute he had ever seen. "What mission would that be, Sir?"
"First we're going to be doing something I'm sure you three can handle." Sasuke had a determined look in his eyes. Naruto was practically vibrating. But Hikari looked tense. The slight tightening around the eyes mouth suggested anxiousness. "Ooo, what, what, what? What is it sensei?" Naruto practically bounced out of his seat and he sighed, waving his hand in a placating manner to try and calm the boy down. "Survival training."
The confused looks on their faces made him chuckle. "Survival training?" Naruto blinked at him, looking even more stumped than the other two. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him in suspicion but Hikari was watching him, patiently waiting to hear what he had to say. Kakashi hid a sigh. It wasn't as fun when they didn't raise a fuss.
"Ne, ne, Kakashi-sensei!" He glanced at the blonde. "If it's training are we going to learn some cool jutsu?" The boy was so excited and hopeful it was like looking at a puppy. "Unfortunately, no." He ran a hand through his hair. "Did you know that out of the forty-eight graduates only twelve will become genin?" He asked in a conversational tone. That got their attention.
"That's only four teams…" Hikari frowned for a moment. He could see the moment the implication dawned on her. "Does this mean we'll have to pass a certain criteria to become full genin?" Smart girl. Kakashi began to chuckle. "Those who don't pass will be sent back to the academy for re-training. In other words, this training is going to be a difficult test with a seventy-five percent drop-out rate." Silence met this statement as each of them thought over what they had just learned.
Of course it was Naruto who broke the silence. "No way! Then what the hell was the final exam for? I went through so much trouble!" He looked out over Konoha, taking his time to answer and rile up the blonde even more. "That? That was just to find out who was qualified to become a genin."
"WHAT!?" Kakashi had to hide a wince at the sheer volume Naruto could produce. "Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at the training grounds. Bring your shinobi equipment and meet me at oh-five hundred hours."
The look of fear and determination warring on the blonde's face was so plain to see that it was nearly painful. But he couldn't go easy on these kids. Turning his back he waved at them nonchalantly. "Now then, this meeting is over." Stopping as if suddenly remembering something he turned to look back at them. "Ah, right. Don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up if you do." That said he hopped over the rail and vanished from sight. He had some planning to do.
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In the early hours of the morning Hikari was awakened by her brother. Looking up at him from her mess of comforters and pillows she groaned before half climbing, half rolling, out of bed. Her brother practically pushed her through their morning routine until she was standing, a little more awake, near the front entrance. "Come on, Hikari." He said, holding her hand and heading for the door. Blinking she frowned slightly and stopped. "Hold on, I forgot something." Letting her go he waited by the door as she ran back inside and grabbed a second bag. Sasuke eyed it as if it were something dubious but he said nothing as they finally left the house.
Coming into the clearing she saw Naruto wobbling toward them. Looked like he wasn't a morning person either. "Morning." She said tiredly. "Hey." He replied, minus his usual enthusiasm. Sasuke gave them both one of his little half smirks and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Not everyone is a morning person." She chided him, though it lacked any real heat. Naruto stopped in front of them and dropped backward onto the ground, yawning. Setting down her bags she sat on the grass as well, taking in the morning air of the field and the scant bird songs just beginning.
A grinding sound came from her team mate and she glanced at him in confusion. He just smiled at her tiredly. "Didn't you eat anything?" She asked him, a little concerned. Naruto blinked at her in confusion. "But sensei said not to." Hikari sighed and reached into her pack to grab a small bag. She handed it to Naruto. "Inside are some nuts that are high in energy." Opening the small bag he started to nibble on the nuts with a shrug of 'well why not.' It took a narrow eyed Sasuke to remind him to say thank you. Hikari just smiled tiredly. "You're welcome."
Time passed as the three waited in the field. After about an hour Sasuke was looking impatient and Naruto was dozing off to sleep again. She started to wonder if this was going to be a theme. Was this a test? Was it supposed to make them exasperated or frustrated enough to make mistakes? Why had Kakashi-sensei told them not to eat breakfast? Fuyumi-sensei had spoken about nutrition in the kunoichi classes and while it was true that excessive exercise could make you throw up it was far worse to have nothing in your stomach. Throwing up stomach acid would burn your throat and could become a distraction. Which was why she and Sasuke had eaten something very light and drank plenty of water. She turned to Naruto and nudged him awake. He jumped slightly before looking at her. "You should drink some water before sensei arrives. That way if you do throw up it will be mostly water, which doesn't hurt as much as other things." Taking out his canteen he sucked the water down and Hikari had to make him slow down.
While Naruto went to refill his canteen from the lake nearby Sasuke stood watching the ever rising sun. Leaning against the back of his legs she sighed. "Why did it have to be so early?" Her grousing caused her twin to chuckle. "You never know when we'll be called out on a mission." She scoffed at him playfully before sitting up again. Naruto quickly returned and sat down as well, still yawning and looking as if he hadn't had much sleep.
The sun had well and truly risen in the sky by the time their sensei arrived. He appeared out of nowhere, making no sound until he spoke. "Good morning gentlemen, and lady." Immediately Naruto jumped up and yelled at their sensei. "You're late!" Getting onto her feet she dusted off her long shorts and looked expectantly at the silver haired jounin. "Well, you see, a black cat crossed my path so…" As both of the boys glared at him he coughed into his hand, as if to hide embarrassment. "Ah, well, let's move on then."
Walking over to one of the three posts he placed an alarm clock down. "The alarm is set for noon." That said he pulled out two small bells on string that jingled slightly. "The goal for today is to get one of these bells from me." He dangled them in front of him and Hikari frowned. "If you can't take one you'll be getting no lunch." He pointed toward the three wide posts in the ground nearby. "I'll tie you to that post and eat your lunch in front of you." Naruto looked devastated. Hikari sighed, at least she'd gotten him to eat some nuts before their sensei arrived. She and Sasuke had eaten a little bread so they should be fine for a while. But they were up against a jounin.
Hikari doubted he would go easy on them.
"Sensei, may I ask you a question?" His one eye turned to her and it almost seemed as though he were smiling beneath the mask. "Hm?"
"Why are there only two bells if there are three of us?" Silence descended upon the clearing as both Sasuke and Naruto realized that she was right. There had only been two bells. "Since there's only two bells it's guaranteed that someone will be tied to the post." His words were light but she felt a sense of foreboding in the pit of her stomach. "That person will be considered to have failed the mission, and the test." In other words… "That person will be sent back to the academy."
"It might be one of you, or all of you. You can use any weapon you like. You won't be able to pass if you don't come at me with the intent to kill." A shiver ran down her back. Images of bodies and a feeling of being watched swamped her mind. A light touch to her elbow shook her out of it. Sasuke looked at her, worried, she smiled reassuringly. Naruto started to grin. "Hey, sensei, are you sure? You could get hurt." Hikari and Sasuke looked at the blonde, incredulous. Kakashi's expression seemed to darken slightly. "Those in society who don't have many abilities tend to complain the loudest." Naruto's eyes narrowed and she knew that the blonde was fired up. "Just ignore the worst in the class." Kakashi drawled, dismissing the blonde. Naruto's hands clenched in anger.
"We're going to start when I say ready, start." Before he could say anything else Naruto palmed a kunai. Crouching to give himself a better running start he yelled loudly and took maybe two steps. A greenish blur was all she saw. She blinked at the scene before her. Kakashi had Naruto's hand behind his back, kunai aimed at the back of his neck while his other hand was firmly planted on the blonde's head, holding him in place. "Don't be so hasty." Hikari felt cold. Kakashi wasn't using his bored drawl any longer. "I didn't say start yet." Almost involuntarily she took a step back, she noticed Sasuke doing the same. After a tense moment their sensei released Naruto, who growled as he clutched his wrist.
"Well, it looks like you have the will to kill me now." Hikari flinched, ever so slightly. How he could say that with such an apathetic look on his face she had no idea. Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye, keeping most of his focus on the jounin.
"We're going to start." Shifting her foot back she got ready to bolt the moment he said the word. "Ready, Start!"
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Looking over some reports Ito Yamanaka dropped them onto the table and leaned back in his chair. Unlike a teacher or a relative he was not allowed to meddle or make decisions about the twins lives. As long as their mental state was stable, at least. But staring down at the page he wanted to sigh and curse out loud. He'd heard about Kakashi from colleagues and family members. Notoriously late, infamous in the other villages, and one of their youngest to be raised to jounin. The only other person he could think of with a similar record was Itachi Uchiha. It left him feeling anxious. Geniuses like Kakashi were known to be eccentric. He only hoped that he would take it easy on the twins. Not in the sense of training, but their fragile mental states. All it would take is one over powered genjutsu…
Standing from his desk he left the office and headed to the break room. He needed some tea to calm his nerves.
'Good luck, kids.'He thought as he poured the hot water into the pot.'You'll need it.'