A Portent of Things to Come

Shino answered the knock at his front door early one morning to reveal Kurenai standing on his front stoop. "Good morning Shino."

"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, please come in." Shino stepped aside letting Kurenai enter his house. "My father is waiting, right this way." Shino said leading the jonin to the living room. Shibi Aburame stood up when Kurenai walked into the room "Ms. Yuuhi it is pleasure." Shibi said extending his hand. "The pleasure is mine Lord Aburame, thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

"It is no matter, you are responsible for teaching my son. Meeting with you is the least I can do to ensure his continued success. Please sit down. Shino please bring some tea for our guest."

"Yes father." Shino said turning and leaving the room. Kurenai was a little unnerved at the prospect of being in the house of the Aburame's clan head. But more than that she had never seen an Aburame without their trademark trench coats. Perhaps she had been listening to too many rumors about how the insect using clan acted leading to her own theories about their coats and glasses but for the most part they were very normal. The only exception to this being the occasional Kikaichῡ that would crawl along their arms or faces.

"My wife is unable to meet with you today, she has been experimenting with a sub-breed of Kikaichῡ and they have gestated more quickly than anticipated, leading to her spending the last few days isolated in the clan hatchery. She would like to extend her apologies and an invitation to lunch when her schedule has normalized."

"Tell Dr. Aburame that no apologies are necessary and that I would love to have lunch with her."

"I shall relay the message to her, but she will insist that you refer to her as Rebecca. Now what are your future plans concerning my sons training?"

"I will focus my team on chakra control to begin with as well as to teach them how to properly act as scouts. Afterwards I will teach them what I know about genjutsu, unfortunately I don't believe any of my genin have the aptitude to make genjutsu a main part of their arsenal so the training will mostly focus on knowing when they're under an illusion and how to dispel them. Due to their skills as sensor type shinobi I don't think I will spend very much time on this subject. Afterwards I will then focus on their ninjutsu skills with a heavier focus on elemental affinities."

"Hmm it does not sound as though you intend to train your team in taijutsu, why is that?"

"I do not believe I could help my team very much in that regard since two of my students will receive more specialized and in depth training from elsewhere. That and I do not know of any taijutsu styles that will work well with Aburame techniques."

"We have many different styles that synergize well with our comrades, I believe your analysis of your team thus far is thorough." Sbibi said pausing for a moment looking as though he was deciding if he should ask his next question. "I am aware that one of Shino's teammates is a child by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, are you aware?"

"Yes." Kurenai said seriously not breaking eye contact with Shibi.

"And what do make of the Lord Hokage's decision regarding this most unusual situation we are finding ourselves in?"

"I can only trust in the Hokage's judgement regarding this matter." Kurenai said stiffly. Shibi continued to watch Kurenai, analyzing her reactions.

"And what do you make of this Ziren Adair that has adopted him?"

"I cannot say as I have not yet met him. But we are meeting to discuss your son are we not?"

"Of course, do you have any inquiries about his abilities?"

"Does he have any skills in elemental ninjutsu?" At that moment Shino walked back into the room a tea tray in hand. He set it down and poured tea for himself, his father, and Kurenai.

"Where is the sugar?" Shibi asked looking over the tray.

"I believe mother has hidden it." Shino replied sitting next to his father. "As for your inquiry Kurenai-sensei I do not know any elemental ninjutsu nor do I know what my elemental affinity is. Why you may ask? Because the majority of the Aburame clan possess a fire affinity. And as you can imagine fire ninjutsu does not mix well with Aburame techniques."

"Still, having a fire technique or two might come in handy in the future." Kurenai replied taking a sip of her drink.

"True, versatility is an oft ignored trait that a shinobi should possess." Shibi told his son. "What will Shino's schedule look like?"

"I wish to start early on mornings, meeting at seven am. We will do team training and then afterwards we will do missions. I will release the team at around three or four depending on what we were working on that day. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Insects are most active during the dusk hours which is when I train Shino. Your plans are well thought out."

"I have a question Kurenai-sensei?" Shino asked.

"What's that Shino?"

"When do you think we will take a C-rank mission?"

"When I think you're ready. Don't worry Lord Aburame I will let you know when I think that is."

"I thank you for your discretion." Shibi said.

"Why so impatient Shino don't you like D-rank missions?" Kurenai asked sweetly, Shino just adjusted his glasses. "I thank you for your time Lord Aburame but I believe Shino and I must get to the training grounds. Otherwise Hinata and Uzumaki will start wondering what's happened to us."

"Of course, punctuality is important." Shibi said standing up and extending his hand towards Kurenai. Said jonin stood up and accepted Shibi's hand shake. "I leave my son in your hands."

"I will do my best not to disappoint."


Hinata had woken up early as she did every day so that she could leave the clan compound before the majority of her cousins began their daily activity. Having left much earlier than she needed to Hinata wandered around the village for a while until she finally headed towards the training grounds, though she still arrived an hour early. She was sitting underneath a tree waiting for half an hour when "Morning Hina!" Naruto shouted walking into the clearing. "M-morning Naruto," Hinata greeted her overly enthusiastic teammate. "Y-you're early this m-morning," she said as Naruto approached her. "Really? Aren't we supposed to be meeting right now?" Naruto asked.

"Kurenai-sensei is m-meeting with Sh-Shino's parents. D-didn't she t-tell you?"

"Nah I guess it slipped her mind," Naruto said dropping down next to Hinata. "Are you always this early?"

"U-usually," Hinata answered pushing her index fingers together.

"If you needed to kill time you could always just come and hang out with me." Naruto said. Hinata blushed at the prospect and wondered why the thought of casually hanging out with Naruto made her nervous. "B-but I d-don't know where you l-live. Are y-you still in the h-hotel?"

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you guys yesterday but Sensei has found us an apartment. We're going to be moving in in a few days, I'm so excited." Naruto said bouncing in his seat. "I'll get to decorate my own room and everything. I've never gotten to do that before."

"Th-that sounds like f-fun," Hinata said happy for her teammate. Being a Hyῡga her room had to meet their spartan ideas of decoration, meaning she basically only had a bed, a chest of drawers, and a desk in a beige colored room. The conversation continued in this vein for some time before Shino and Kurenai finally entered the clearing the two genin were in. "Mornin' guys!" Naruto shouted jumping to his feet. "G-good morning," Hinata said getting to her feet as well. Shino merely inclined his head in greetings. "Okay you three we have a lot of work today so get started on your stretching and warm-up exercises." Kurenai said clapping her hands together. And so they did.

After finishing their laps the three genin gathered in front of Kurenai who was standing under a tall tree. "Now who can tell me what is the most important skill for a shinobi to have?"

"Determination!" Naruto shouted.

"Important but not the most important."

"Chakra control." Shino said adjusting his glasses. "I assume that is the answer you seek due to the fact that you wish to eventually teach us ninjutsu."

"Correct Shino. Yes chakra control is the most essential skill in a shinobi's arsenal. Whether you specialize in taijutsu, ninjutsu, or kenjutsu you can always get better by having better control. Now today I'm going to teach you three an important chakra control technique that act as a stepping stone to more advanced techniques. Now pay attention." With that Kurenai turned around and walked straight up the tree to a good sized branch and stood on it. "I know Hinata can use this technique, I saw you use it in the true genin test. Do the two of you have any experience with this?" Kurenai asked to Naruto and Shino.

"I can do it no problem," Naruto said placing his hands behind his head. "Really Uzumaki? Due to your large reserves I thought you would have had the most problems with this." Kurenai asked surprised. "Yea well that's what Sensei thought too. So when he taught me tree walking he told me I couldn't eat ramen until I could do it easily. It was the longest week of my life." Naruto answered looking depressed.

"I have been practicing this technique for some time ever since my father showed it to me. I unfortunately have not made as much progress in it as I would have liked." Shino said sounding disappointed with himself. Well disappointed for an Aburame, Which meant he spoke in a slightly lower voice.

"I-it's okay Shino. W-we Hyuuga require v-very precise c-control for the G-Gentle Fist, so w-we are taught c-control very e-early." Hinata said trying to make Shino feel better. "Yea I'm sure you'll get it down in no time," Naruto added.

"Be that as it is that means that I am holding our team back due to my own incompetence. I will master this ability quickly and catch up to you." Shino declared.

"Good, and to hasten that process you two will help him. I want you two to work with Shino training him until I find his tree walking satisfactory. However you two will be doing something extra. Hinata I want you to spend as much time on the tree as possible to help deepen your chakra reserves. Uzumaki do you know the leaf exercise?" Kurenai asked Naruto.

"Is that the one where you keep a leaf attached to your forehead with chakra?'

"Yes I want you to practice that exercise while tree walking. Any questions?"

"Kurenai-sensei I do not wish to hold back Naruto and Hinata. Please continue instructing them. I can work alone until I master this technique." Shino said trying to not hold back his teammates.

"No, I want you three to be on the same level proceeding forward with your training. Plus I don't think these two mind. Do you?" Kurenai asked Naruto and Hinata.

"Heck no Shino, We'll get you walking up trees like a pro in no time!" Naruto shouted pumping his fist. "W-we're a team Shino, We're here t-to help," Hinata responded more quietly than Naruto, which really wasn't saying much.

"I do not believe that I am going to be able to talk you three out of this am I?" Shino said giving up. Kurenai looked at Hinata then Naruto before bringing her attention back to Shino "Nope."

"Shino I c-can use my B-Byakugan to help you r-regulate your ch-chakra," Hinata said trying to be helpful.

"Thank you Hinata that will be most helpful," Shino said adjusting his glasses and turning towards the tree that Naruto had already walked up. He made it to the foliage and picked a single leaf and placed it on his forehead. "I'll help if I can but I don't think I can be as useful as Hinata here. Her eyes are more precise than my sensory abilities." Naruto said turning his attention towards the leaf on his head. "Hmm I do believe Naruto is correct on this subject. I leave myself in your care Hinata." This minor praise from both Shino and Naruto flustered Hinata slightly but was saved when Kurenai interjected "Hinata I want you on that tree!"

Hinata walked up the tree a few steps before activating her Byakugan, "Whenever You're ready Shino." Shino took a few steps back and ran up the tree he made it about halfway to where Naruto was before his control slipped and he jumped back down. "O-okay Shino you n-need to use m-more chakra next t-time," Hinata said. "Shino nodded taking up position again.

"SHIIIIIIIII-" –CRASH-

An orange blur shot down the tree narrowly missing Hinata and crashed into the ground at Shino's feet. When the dust settled Naruto was sprawled out on the ground a dazed look in his eyes. "Naruto!" Hinata shouted jumping down and kneeling next to the hurt boy. Said boy immediately jumped back to his feet and dusted himself off. He looked around and saw his teammates surrounding him expressions of concern on their faces. "I'm fine I just lost control a bit, besides Sensei always says I have a hard head so don't wor-OW!" Naruto was interrupted when Hinata inspected Naruto's head for any damage.

"Here I have an ointment that'll help." Hinata said producing a jar from the depths of her bulky jacket. Naruto was about to tell her that he healed quickly and didn't need it but when he saw her eyes filled with determination and joy at being helpful Naruto just couldn't say no to her. "Thanks Hinata."

At the end of the training session Shino had made a great deal of progress, a Byakugan was really helpful in these types of situations, he was now able to make his way up most of the tree. And Naruto only fell five more times, he stopped standing so high up in the tree after his third fall. At the end of the training session Shino got better, Naruto got bruises, and Hinata got chakra exhaustion; a rather eventful morning all in all.


"That cat is a monster!" The tranquil evening in Konoha was shattered by Naruto's shout. His face was covered in small cuts and abrasions, mementos of his team's last mission of the day. Hinata had not come out of the mission any better and her face was as scratched up as Naruto's, Shino managed to avoid the worst of it due to his trench coat.

"I find it difficult to believe that a common house cat would be capable of such feats of skill and dexterity." Shino said depressingly. Dabbing the last of Hinata's ointment on his face.

"Th-that cat really didn't w-want to be c-captured," Hinata added pressing an ice pack to her forehead, getting dive bombed by a furry demon could really leave a lump.

"Did you guys get the cat mission?" A boy asked walking up to the group. He was wearing a fur coat, had two red fang like marks on his cheeks, and a small white dog sleeping on his head.

"Indeed we did Kiba. It proved far more daunting a task than I had originally anticipated. Do you have previous experience with the aforementioned mission too?" Shino asked the now identified Kiba.

"What? Oh you want to know if I did this mission before."

"That is what I said yes." Shino said a bit perplexed.

"Yeah my team took the mission yesterday. That cat is living proof that dogs are better pets than cats." Kiba answered petting the dog that was sitting on his head.

"You guys know each other?" Naruto asked not recognizing the stranger.

"Y-yea this is K-Kiba Inuzuka. W-we were in the s-same class in th-the Academy." Hinata answered.

"Nice to meet you name's, Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said holding out his hand.

"Same to you," Kiba said shaking Naruto's hand. "Wait," Kiba said as he started sniffing Naruto, who looked questioningly at Shino and Hinata who could only shrug. "Are you that guy who set the trap outside my clan compound, the one with the water balloon filled with bacon flavoring?" Kiba finally asked.

"W-why do you ask?" Naruto said starting to get a bit nervous, he was hoping he wouldn't have to make a quick exit.

"Dude that was hilarious! I don't think I've ever seen one of my clansmen run away from a dog so fast. Man I cried from laughter when I saw that. Up top!" Kiba said holding his hand up for a high-five.

"It's good to meet someone who has an appreciation for the art." Naruto said gleefully giving Kiba a high-five.

"W-what are y-you doing here K-Kiba?" Hinata questioned adjusting the ice pack she was holding to her forehead.

"Hiding, mostly." Kiba answered.

"From who?" Naruto asked.

"Come on Sas~uke," A sickly sweet voice came from around the corner. Kiba released a heavy sigh as he jammed his hands deep into his pockets.

"Them."

Two genin walked around the same corner that the voice had come from, the first was female sporting a red dress with black shorts, but the most striking feature was her long bubblegum pink hair. She was lively and was looking at her companion in a way that only school girls in love could pull off. Said companion was almost night and day different from her, he had raven black hair, which vaguely resembled the behind of a duck strangely enough, wearing a blue shirt and beige pants. Where his companion was being tooth rottingly sweet he was doing his best to ignore her and had a palpable aura of gloom surrounding him.

"Kiba!" The female shouted, her façade of pleasantness dropping away instantly. "What're you doing!? Kakashi-sensei gave us an assignment and you're holding Sauske up!" She continued shouting as she stormed up the group of four. "Oh Hinata how are you?" The girl asked switching back to sweet fairy mode.

"G-good," Hinata answered. She wouldn't really consider Sakura as a friend, she was too loud and confrontational, but they were among the top students of Tsunade's medic classes and would sometimes be given additional assignments.

"Come on you dumb mutt we need to finish this assignment up quickly so I can spend more free time with Sauske." Sakura said bringing her attention back to Kiba.

"Mutt isn't really an insult, just so you know. Also Sasuke already left," Kiba sighed.

"What!?" Sakura looked around and sure enough the raven haired youth was nowhere to be seen. "Sas~uke! Wait for me!" Sakura shouted rushing down the street.

"-Sigh- Shino can you switch teams with me?"

"No." Shino deadpanned in the Aburame monotone.

"Naruto?" Kiba pleaded.

"No, no, no, no," Naruto said shaking his head. Kiba turned to Hinata and was about to ask when instead he just shook his head.

"No that would just be too mean."

"G-good luck Kiba," Hinata said gently feeling sorry for the poor Inuzuka.

"Thanks Hinata, see you Shino, Naruto." Kiba waved goodbye as he trudged down the road after his two teammates.

"What was her deal?" Naruto asked.

"S-Sakura?" Hinata said looking over to her teammate.

"She is a member of the Sasuke fan club that was formed in our academy class." Shino answered.

"Sasuke fan club?" Naruto was becoming more and more confused by the moment.

"S-Sasuke was the r-rookie of the y-year in our c-class. He got t-top grades in a-all subjects and the g-girls in our c-class just g-gravitated to him." Hinata said.

"All the girls?" Naruto asked

"Not Hinata, she was smart enough not to waste her time on something so trivial." Shino interjected. Naruto released the breath he didn't know he was holding, or why he was holding it. "Although the reason why the females of our class fawned over him is still a matter of confusion for me. He is not what many would consider to be enjoyable company, nor is he overly social. It is most baffling."

"Aw Shino are you jealous?" Naruto chided his teammate. Shino just stared at Naruto for an uncomfortable minute. "Well anyway I'm really glad I got you guys for my team. The rest of your class seems crazy." Naruto said wrapping an arm around the shoulders of both Shino and Hinata, causing the latter to blush.

"Indeed I am glad that Hinata is the female that was assigned to our team as she was the smartest girl in our class." Shino said shrugging off Naruto's arm. "Th-that's not t-true. S-Sakura got better g-grades than I d-did," Hinata said pushing her index fingers together.

"While it is true that Sakura is more educated than you I stand by my previous assertion that you are smarter than her."

"Yea Hinata you are really smart. Besides tests don't mean anything anyway." Naruto said.

"Just to inform you Naruto, I was ranked second in my class as far as academia is concerned." Shino told Naruto while adjusting his glasses.

"Umm well I didn't mean…that wasn't…uh…Let's go get some ramen!" Naruto shouts grabbing his teammates and dragging them down the street.

"Hinata picked the location we ate at yesterday, and you picked the restaurant the day before. I do believe it is now my turn to choose an eatery." Shino said stopping Naruto.

"Th-that sounds f-fair," Hinata said. Naruto looked pleadingly between Hinata and Shino for a moment but when it didn't seem they would relent he seemed to deflate.

"-Sigh- No you're right. Where to Shino?" Naruto asked regaining his cheerfulness.

"My favorite confectionary is just down the street here. Come on." Shino said excitement breaking through his Aburame shell as he quickened his pace leaving Naruto and Hinata standing there.

"Candy?" Hinata said looking questioningly at Naruto. Said Jinchuuriki just shrugged and followed his teammate down the street.


Hinata stood on top of the water looking worriedly at a place on the lake where bubbles were rising to the top. She was about to start panicking when Naruto broke through the surface gasping for breath. "Almost had it that time Hina. I'm going to try again, just a second."

It had been almost a week since Kurenai had started her team on tree walking and Shino, with the help of Naruto and Hinata, had quickly mastered the technique and as such Kurenai then had them move right on to the next level of chakra control, water walking. Hinata had mastered this new ability the quickest of the team. Shino was not too far behind but Naruto was having difficulty and as such had asked Hinata for help after team training. Which led the two genin to where they were now, Naruto soaking wet and floating in a lake and Hinata standing on top of the water trying her best to help her teammate.

"A-alright Naruto here," Hinata said extending her hand towards her soaked teammate. "Thanks Hina," Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and started applying chakra to his feet. Slowly Naruto rose to the surface and concentrated on the chakra in his feet trying to maintain his buoyancy. Hinata had wanted to practice in shallower water but Naruto, being Naruto, wanted to go over deeper water to make it more exciting.

"Okay, I'm good you can let go." Naruto said keeping his eyes closed in concentration.

"O-okay, I'm l-letting go," Hinata said backing away slowly.

A full minute passed with Naruto standing perfectly still, still and above water. "I…I did it!" Naruto shouted.

"G-good job Naruto," Hinata said happily, glad that Naruto had finally made it past this hurdle. Naruto took a tentative step then another and another, still remaining above water. Naruto whooped for joy and jumped landing back on the water, still feeling like solid ground. He ran up to Hinata and enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Thanks Hina! It's all thanks to you!" Naruto shouted spinning the tomato red girl around before setting her back down.

"Y-y-y-y-you're w-w-welcome," Hinata stuttered out having trouble keeping her concentration on staying above the water.

"Let's go to Ichiraku my treat," Naruto said turning towards the shore.

"Look out!" Naruto shouted leaping out of the way of a whirling shuriken aimed at his head. However the surprise attack broke Naruto's concentration so that where he should have landed back on the surface of the water he instead fell through it. Hinata, when she heard Naruto shouting, activated her Byakugan and scanned the area. She immediately found the attacker. She recognized who he was but was confused as to why he was attacking Naruto.

Said blonde resurfaced and looked quite angry. "What the hell Sensei!?" Naruto shouted. Ziren just smirked and held up a brown paper bag with Ichiraku's logo on it

"Stop complaining I brought dinner." Naruto, grumbling the entire time, hauled himself out of the water and onto the shore quickly followed by Hinata.

"Was the shuriken really necessary?" Naruto asked angrily.

"Naruto you're going to have to deal with a lot worse than just one shuriken while water walking. Think of it as a surprise combat lesson," Ziren said cheerily. "Aw good to see you again Hinata," Ziren said ruffling the girls hair.

"G-greetings," Hinata said nervously, the last time she had seen Naruto's Sensei he was yelling at the two of them for their pranking spree.

"You don't need to be nervous I don't yell all that often," Ziren said trying to ease the nervous girl.

"Yeah shouting Sensei is easy to deal with. It's when he gets quiet and contemplative that you really need to start running," Naruto supplied trying to wring the water out of his clothes.

"Here," Ziren said throwing a second bag at Naruto. "I brought you some dry clothes to change into."

"Oh, thanks Sensei," Naruto said starting to take his shirt off.

THWACK

"Ow, Sensei what was that for!?" Naruto said holding his head and looking at Ziren, who just pointed to the side with his thumb. Naruto followed the older man's finger to a furiously blushing Hinata, who he was just about to strip in front of. With a blush to match his teammate Naruto dashed off into the woods looking for some privacy.

"I swear that boy sometimes," Ziren grumbled holding the bridge of his nose. He looked over to see a stupefied Hinata still staring at the place where Naruto used to be standing. 'For someone who can see through solid objects she sure is innocent.' Ziren thought to himself. "I wanted to thank you for helping Naruto with his water walking," Ziren said bringing the girl out of her trance

"I-it's not a p-problem."

"Knowing Naruto yes, yes it is," Ziren said siting on a rock and motioning Hinata to sit on the log opposite him. He then took three sealed bowls of ramen from the Ichiraku bag and handed one to Hinata.

"Y-you didn't h-have to get me s-some," Hinata said while holding the bowl.

"Stop with the formalities and eat. I know how exhausting it is trying to teach Naruto." As if to prove Ziren's words Hinata's stomach growled loudly.

"Mm that ramen smells delicious," Naruto said walking out of the woods in dry clothes and sat down next to Hinata.

"So how did your training go Naruto?" Ziren asked opening his ramen.

"Mmph mph mpmh," Naruto mumbled around his mouthful of noodles.

"What have I said about talking with your mouth full?" Ziren asked raising his hand. Naruto frantically shook his head and quickly swallowed.

"Sorry, but anyway Hinata has been a real help I think I've finally figured it out. Training with her is actually a lot of fun." Naruto beamed causing Hinata to turn slightly red.

"Why can't you ever be this excited when I train you?"

"Hmmm," Naruto thought to himself while staring at Hinata, "She's cuter than you." Naruto said completely oblivious to the fact that Hinata's ears were now red too. Ziren not only looked at Naruto but also extended his senses, but he couldn't feel anything that would suggest Naruto was trying to flirt with Hinata, in fact as far as Ziren could tell Naruto would have given the same answer whether Hinata was there or not. Ziren realized that if half of what he heard about the Hyῡga clan were true than Hinata was not used to being complimented. This was going to be fun.

"Really? Cute? You know good looks does not a good teacher make."

"Yeah well she also nicer than you too."

"So? You wouldn't have gotten as good as you are now if I went easy on you."

"Her Byakugan is more precise than our senses."

"Her Byakugan is more precise to than your senses."

"She's really patient."

"I'm a patient too, you just enjoy testing the limits of my patience."

"She's really smart, Shino said she was one of the smartest girls in their academy class."

With every compliment Naruto unknowing gave the girl sitting next to him Hinata became redder and redder, to the point that she was releasing more steam than their three bowls of hot ramen combined. It was only thanks to a lifetime of trade negotiations that Ziren was able to keep a straight face and didn't burst out laughing. If Naruto ever gained some self-awareness he would become an unstoppable lady's man. Ziren was often frustrated by Naruto's obliviousness but maybe it was a good thing Naruto was as dense as a collapsing star. Dealing with a trail of heart-broken maidens was not something he could deal with. But it was probably time to give the poor girl a break, she looked like she was about to faint.

"Okay, okay I submit in the face of Hinata's overwhelming awesomeness." Ziren finally conceded to Naruto. Said boy sporting a smug grin on his face as he turned towards his teammate.

"Hear that Hinata even Sensei thinks your awesome."

"Th-th-th-that-t-t-ts g-g-great," Hinata stuttered out with great difficulty.

"Hinata are you okay? You look really red." Naruto said worriedly reaching out to touch her.

"Leave her alone I'm sure Teuchi just left a chili pepper in her ramen or something." Ziren said giving the poor girl's heart a break. "Anyway it's getting late and Hinata should probably get home." Hinata then noticed that it was getting dark and Ziren was right she should get home before curfew.

"Okay I'll walk you home Hinata." Naruto said standing up and holding out his hand towards his teammate. "Thanks N-Naruto." Hinata said accepting Naruto's hand and standing up. "I'll see you at the hotel Sensei! I'll probably stop by Ichiraku on the way back though, one bowl of ramen just isn't enough." Naruto told Ziren as he and Hinata turned to leave.

"Eh no you're not." Ziren said stopping Naruto in his tracks.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Due to you working so hard on your chakra control you've been slacking on your swordsmanship practice."

"What no I haven't," Naruto tried defending himself. However his arguments died in his throat under the glare of his Sensei.

"Yes you have and since that is unacceptable I have come up with a brand new training regimen for you." Ziren said with the creepiest happy grin on his face. Naruto shuddered looking quite scared. "So walk Hinata home like a gentleman than walk straight back here and we'll get started. And if you dawdle I have a second training regimen that I'm even more excited about."

"Yes sir!" Naruto shouted saluting before turning around and stiffly marched away. Hinata bowed and thanked Ziren for the food before hurrying after Naruto. She managed to catch up with her teammate with no trouble but he was still walking stiffly.

"A-are his training exercises really th-that bad?" Hinata asked. Naruto looked back checking to make sure that Ziren was out of earshot.

"You know when I said you were nicer than Sensei?" Hinata nodded. "That isn't the compliment it sounds like. Sensei is a brutal teacher. It's especially bad when he gets excited over a new training regimen." Naruto groaned. Hinata just giggled. "What's so funny?"

"I-it's just th-that you seem k-kinda excited about it." Hinata said pushing her index fingers together and peering at Naruto.

"W-well that's uh...um I mean he doesn't pull punches but his training really works so yea this new training will make me stronger." Naruto admitted. Hinata just smiled at him causing Naruto to blush.


A bizarre thing happened the next morning, Naruto and Hinata were the first ones to show up for the team meeting. While rare that was in it of itself that was not the bizarre happening. No that happened when Hinata asked Naruto about his training from the night before. "Eh I got a little bruised up but that's nothing new."

"I'm t-trying a new recipe f-for ointment th-that's good for b-bruises. P-please use s-some." Hinata said pulling out the medicine. Naruto wanted to tell her he didn't need it but Hinata looked so proud holding the jar out to him, he just couldn't deny her. "O-okay," Naruto said rolling up his sleeve and holding his arm out to Hinata. Said girl took Naruto's arm and examined them for bruising. What she found confused her. He had bruises to be sure, but they were the yellow coloring one would normally see after a week of healing, not the angry purple of only a day old.

"I'm a fast healer so bruises never really bothered me." Naruto said seeing Hinata's confusion.

"Oh," was all Hinata could say. Even if someone healed faster than the average human the progress Naruto made with only a night's sleep was, impossible would be the word Hinata would use if she hadn't seen proof herself. However she would not be able to dwell on this new revelation for long.

"Good morning," Shino said walking into the clearing.

"G'Morning," Naruto said rolling his sleeve back down.

"G-good morning Shino," Hinata said putting her ointment away.

"How was yesterday's water-walking training?" Shino asked taking a seat next to his two teammates. "I think I've finally got the trick to it," Naruto bragged.

"That's good to hear Uzumaki I'm sure you wouldn't mind demonstrating for me." Kurenai said walking into the clearing.

"No prob Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto shouted jumping up to his feet and racing towards the river.

"Uzumaki wait for the rest of your team," Kurenai shouted after him.


"Huh I would have thought it would take you a day or two more to master it." Kurenai said while Naruto was busy doing cartwheels on the water.

"D-did you p-practice after I l-left?" Hinata asked confused because Naruto wasn't that proficient with the technique last night when she left.

"Yeah, Sensei decided that it would be a good idea to practice sword fighting while water-walking. Naruto said rubbing the back of his head.

"What is to be the lesson plan moving forward Kurenai-sensei? I ask because you said that you expected Naruto to take another couple of days to finish mastering this technique." Shino asked.

"I don't have anything else planned for today, hmm." Kurenai said thinking about what to do for team training. "Well down time is important for growth as well as active training. Here's what we're going to do today team. We'll take a couple of D-rank missions and then I'll give you guys the rest of the day off."

"Cool! Let's get going!" Naruto shouted jumping off of the river and heading back towards the village proper. Team eight made it halfway to the Hokage's tower when they encountered a smug looking Kiba. "Yo Kiba!" Naruto shouted waving his arm in the hair.

"Hey guys what's up?" Kiba asked as his dog Akamaru popped his head out of the Inuzuka's jacket.

"We are on our way to perform D-rank missions."

"Heh, heh, heh I have risen above such petty activities. That's right my team has been assigned a C-rank mission. I know I know you're all jealous." Kiba said sounding as smug as possible and striking a pose.

"Really aw man that's so cool. I want a C-rank mission." Naruto pouted. Kurenai was concerned, from what she understood team seven had the worst teamwork among the rookie teams. Her student's teamwork was above average for how long they were together, still they weren't ready for C-rank. "Kurenai-sensei can we get a C-rank mission?" Naruto asked giving the jonin his best puppy dog eyes.

"I told you Uzumaki that we'll start taking C-rank missions when I decide you're ready." Kurenai said shooting Naruto down.

"Well you guys have fun with your D-rank Missions. I'm going to prepare for my C-rank mission." Kiba gloated. As he strutted down the street.

"I-it's okay Naruto I'm s-sure we'll get a C-rank s-soon." Hinata said trying to cheer up Naruto.

"You're right Hinata," Naruto said immediately regaining his brightness. "Onwards to our D-ranks!" Naruto yelled as he ran down the street.


Kurenai stretched relaxing into the faux leather of the bar booth she was sitting in. She took another sip of her drink while she waited for her friend Anko to show up. She should release her team early more often. Kurenai closed her eyes as she tried to release some of the stress that comes with having to deal with a new genin team. "Kurenai Yuuhi?" Kurenai started at the sound of her name. Opening her eyes she saw a man standing by her booth, the fact that he had a sword strapped to his back precluded him from being the waiter. She immediately sat up straighter and got a better look at him. He wasn't particularly tall and was dressed in head to foot in a soft black material, the kind that allowed for absolute freedom of movement as well as muffling any sounds he made while moving. He wore a flak jacket denoting him as at least a chunin, but the way he carried himself led Kurenai to believe that he was more likely a jonin. black eyes peered from underneath mid length black hair, analyzing her, measuring her. Two things stood out from the rest, the first was his sword, this being a shinobi bar they didn't require that all weapons be checked at the door, removing all hidden weapons on a ninja was not a quick process. The second thing standing out was the fact that he left his Konoha headband dangling from his belt, even the lazy Nara's showed the protector more respect than that.

"Yes?" She asked hesitantly. The man smiled as he extended his hand to her.

"Ziren Adair, a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Ah yes a pleasure." Kurenai said accepting Ziren's hand.

"I had hoped to speak to you sooner but well so many things required my attention."

"Yes I had planned to meet with you eventually but team training requires most of my time." Kurenai said while Ziren slid into the seat opposite her.

"Indeed," Ziren said analyzing her.

"And what did you want to talk about?" Kurenai asked cautiously as the waiter approached to take Ziren's order.

"About Naruto. What else?" Ziren said simply.

"What about him?" Kurenai asked

"I'll not beat around the bush Ms. Yuuhi. Naruto may not be the sharpest kunai in the weapons shop but he is more perceptive than many would give him credit for." Ziren said. "Such as noticing that you treated him one way the first day and a different way on every other day. He is not, however, aware of what the Hokage told you the night in-between those two days." Ziren finished daring Kurenai to break eye contact with him.

"I treat him with respect and dignity the same way I treat my other two students."

"Please don't insult my intelligence and I'll extend the same courtesy to you. You don't treat Naruto the same way you treat Hinata and the Aburame boy. Naruto hasn't said anything specific but I can hear much in the things he doesn't say."

"And what doesn't he say?"

Instead of an answer Ziren just steepled his fingers and stared at Kurenai, observing her. However the "Genjutsu Misteress" wasn't one to back down and she wasn't going to lose this game of verbal chicken but her patience and determination wavered as Ziren's eyes drilled into her knocking aside any defenses she had and seemed to look into her very soul and if what she had read in the Hokage's reports about his sensory capabilities were true, he could very well be. Until finally she cracked "My reasons are my own and I don't have to justify myself to you. The Lord Third believed that I would be the best to train him and I will do my best to meet his expectations. If you have a problem you can take it up with the Hokage." Kurenai said defensively and far more loudly than she had intended to, causing something of a small scene. But it was the evening and people were tired and they quickly turned back to their drinks.

Ziren, who had remained quiet for a time, finally spoke up. "I know how hard it is to lose a family member, but being mad at Naruto won't make you feel any better. Ah thank you my good sir," Ziren said accepting his drink from the waiter and leaving Kurenai speechless, but for only a moment.

"What do you mean by that?" Kurenai seethed through her teeth, gripping the table hard enough to turn her knuckles white.

"I know that you lost your parents in the Kyuubi attack," Ziren said simply taking a sip of his drink.

"How do you know that?" Kurenai asked.

"I'm to be assigned to the Intelligence Division after my probation is over. Your parent's death is a matter of public record, if I couldn't discover that much I wouldn't be very good at what I do."

"And invading people's privacy is what you do!?" Kurenai was on the verge of attacking him over that. Even after twelve years Kurenai still missed her parents dearly.

"If doing so protects my adoptive son, then yes." Kurenai opened her mouth to retort, yell, curse, or just say something but any words she had died in her mouth as she looked into Ziren's eyes and found something she wasn't expecting, sympathy. She looked away and tried to come up with something to say, something to add, but she just didn't know what that something could be. She knew that Naruto wasn't responsible, that he was barely born when the Kyuubi razed half the village. But hearing that she was training the container of that monster opened a wound she thought long healed.

"I know that Uzumaki…that Naruto isn't the Kyuubi but when I look at him I just…I just see it. I see a demon."

"Not only can I sense the chakra in Naruto but also the chakra of the Kyuubi and sometimes I also have difficulty differentiating the two. I feel the Kyuubi's anger, its hatred, and hits desire for vengeance right next to Naruto's own emotions, his optimism, and his hopefulness. There have even been days when seeing the two of them super-imposed on one another has gotten to me. But one thing always helps me through the tough parts and that is Naruto himself. Yeah he's not too bright, and can pull one too many pranks and he is the container for the greatest disaster to befall the Hidden Leaf but he is always doing things for others, always going out of his way to help people no matter what. And his brightness always shines through, even through the miasma of the Kyuubi's hatred." Kurenai sat in silence absorbing Ziren's words. However her contemplation was quickly interrupted when a woman with purple hair and a more adventurous wardrobe took the seat right next to Kurenai.

"Ooh Kurenai who's this? Cheating on Asuma are we?" The woman said leaning into Kurenai and waggling her eyebrows.

"No Anko this is Ziren Adair his apprentice has been assigned to my genin team," Kurenai sighed stopping Anko's imagination short.

"Good to meet you Miss Anko," Ziren said extending his hand.

"Just call me Anko, that miss doesn't sit right with me." Anko said taking his hand and shaking it rather forcefully. "You guys sit tight I'm going to get some drinks." Anko said standing back up and heading towards the bar.

"I won't take too much more of your time Kurenai," Ziren said finishing his drink and pulling out some money to pay for it. "I'm not asking you to like him. Heaven knows there days when even I can't, but just remember this when you look at Naruto and see a demon. The day the Kyuubi attacked Naruto lost his home, his father, his mother, his privacy, and his freedom. Yes he is different from the rest of us but he still only a boy, a child looking up to his elders to guide him and protect him."

Ziren stood up and dropped the money on the table and turned to go. "Aww Ziren where you going?" Anko asked walking up to the booth holding a bottle of sake.

"I'm afraid I can't stay any longer. Too many things to do and not enough hours in the day to get them done. But I hope you two have an enjoyable evening. Good day."