DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (I'M STARTING TO RUN OUT OF THINGS TO SAY HERE HAHA, I JUST DON'T OWN NARUTO)
Team 7
- Somewhere in Kawa no Kuni (The Land of Rivers) -
It was a fair day in Kawa no Kuni (Land of Rivers), the sun was high up in the sky though there were clouds here and there thus providing shade every now and then. Kakashi and his students were in a forest to squeeze in some training while they were on a mission. They were on their break for the caravan they were escorting decided to take a breather as well for they have been traveling uphill for a couple of hours now which surely took a toll on them for they were simply average people.
"Okay the rules are simple, it's three against one but I will be stepping it up this time so be sure to step it up as well. The lesson today is focused on genjutsu, you should be able to know when you're in one, when your opponent is about to use one, and how to break free from one. Additionally, you are not allowed to break the genjutsu of your teammates, am I understood?" he asked his students. He wasn't surprised that all of his students understood his explanation the first time around for his students were rather bright themselves. Sasuke was considered a prodigy, Shikamaru though lazy, was incredibly smart and Hinata though not the best kunoichi of their year was no slouch herself.
Kakashi was facing off against his three students somewhere in the forest. He would usually play it cool by either keeping his hands inside his pockets or reading his favorite book while in combat. But this time was different, he decided to take it a bit more seriously in order for him to gauge how far his students have progressed. This did not mean he had doubts about their growth, no. He simply wants to see how much they have developed ever since they became a team.
Kakashi carefully looked at his three students, waiting for any one of them to make their move. For the first few minutes, it was simply mental warfare with him playing mind games on his students and vice versa. Until finally Sasuke decided to make his move.
He rushed towards Kakashi and cocked his fist for a jab, Kakashi simply caught Sasuke's fist as a response. Sasuke's other hand was free and so he decided to deliver a hook that Kakashi blocked with his other available hand. Refusing to give Kakashi breathing room, Sasuke continued his attacks by performing a spinning roundhouse kick that Kakashi avoided by simply backing away. Sasuke followed it with a double leg sweep, none of which hit his sensei for Kakashi jumped over it. Sasuke smirked and this caught Kakashi's attention, he looked behind him to see Shikamaru's shadow about to catch him. But Kakashi was quick to perform a shunshin to appear behind the Nara to kick him on his back but as he was about to do so, multiple shurikens went flying at him. Instead of being punctured like a voodoo doll, the sharp projectiles embedded themselves on a log.
Kakashi reappeared beside Hinata, luckily she was able to block his first strike. "Byakugan! (All Seeing White Eye)" she yelled as she aimed at Kakashi's chakra points in an attempt to close them off. But all of her attempts were foiled as Kakashi blocked each attack, once again Shikamaru's shadow was behind him but this time it latched onto him thus paralyzing him momentarily. Hinata quickly used this opportunity to land a move on Kakashi, she performed a leg sweep which made Kakashi stumble backward. With her doujutsu still active she then performed one of her clan's signature techniques, "Hijutsu: Hakke Sanjuni Sho (Hidden Jutsu: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms)" Hinata said as she delivered a barrage of attacks onto Kakashi.
"Two Palms, Four Palms, Eight Palms, Sixteen Palms!" Hinata exclaimed after hitting the final palm on Kakashi's abdomen which sent him flying. She couldn't believe that she had actually done it but as soon as she looked at where Kakashi was lying, she saw that Kakashi was twitching uncontrollably, his breaths were shallow and infrequent. This shocked Hinata as she rushed towards her injured sensei, she couldn't believe her eyes that she caused this. She didn't know what to do and she didn't mean to harm her sensei whatsoever.
- Outside the Genjutsu -
Shikamaru gritted his teeth because Kakashi was a sly fighter. He honestly thought that they finally got him but he was mistaken. After being caught by his shadow, their sensei quickly used a basic genjutsu called Utakata (Ephemeral). It was so subtle that Hinata didn't notice that she was placed under one.
Kakashi then decided to go onto the offensive by rushing toward Shikamaru for he knew he had some troubles when it comes to taijutsu. But as soon as he was about to get within range, shurikens began to rain upon him. Kakashi quickly performed a series of backflips and backward dashes to avoid being hit. Sasuke pursued his sensei and then performed the following hand seals in quick succession: Horse - Serpent - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)" Sasuke yelled, a sizeable fireball emerged out of thin air and it was aimed towards Kakashi.
Kakashi then performed hand seals of his own: Tiger - Hare - Boar - Dog. "Doton: Doryuheki (Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall)" Kakashi placed his palms on the ground. After which, a protective wall of earth rose from the ground to block Sasuke's jutsu. Once it hit the wall, it exploded causing tons of smoke. Sasuke was about to attack once more but Shikamaru stopped him and whispered something to him, after which he gave two kunais to Sasuke. Sasuke then leaped into the air and spun around, he then threw two kunais in a specified direction. After a few moments, he then threw another pair which hit the first two kunais thus redirecting their trajectory. Kakashi saw the two kunais approaching him from above, he then moved aside to dodge them but then heard Shikamaru yell "Hijutsu: Kagemane Shuriken no Jutsu! (Hidden Jutsu: Shadow Imitation Shuriken Technique)". A shadow emerged from the two kunais and was about to latch onto Kakashi's shadow to stun him in place. Kakashi quickly realized this and quickly formed a familiar hand seal but after that, he was paralyzed. Sasuke took the opportunity to finish the battle once and for all. He pumped chakra into his legs and ran towards his sensei at an incredible speed. Fortunately for Kakashi, he was able to make it in time. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)" Kakashi announced.
Out of thin air, two copies of Kakashi appeared and stood in front of Kakashi to protect him while he tried to get out of Shikamaru's hold on him. Sasuke then took shurikens out of his pouch and threw them at Kakashi and his clones. The shurikens were able to hit one of the clones due to the sheer number of them. Sasuke then repeated the same combo he did earlier, a jab then a hook followed by a spinning roundhouse kick, this dispelled the clone causing smoke to disperse into Sasuke's immediate vicinity. Sasuke decided to use the smoke to his advantage knowing that Kakashi was probably still stuck in place. He lunged through the smoke preparing to deliver a mighty punch at Kakashi but to his dismay it hit nothing. As soon as he left the smoke, Sasuke somehow ended up in a dark room.
"Genjutsu…" he thought to himself as he looked around his vicinity. The hairs on his nape stood up as he felt someone approaching him from behind out of pure instinct alone. It appeared to be Itachi holding a kunai, "Show me what you've learned Sasuke" Itachi said in a calm manner. Sasuke kept thinking to himself that this wasn't real but the mere image of his brother was able to rile him up. The person who took everything from him, the person who scarred him, the person who he resents each waking day of his life was before him even though it was simply an illusion. "It seems that you don't have what it takes to face me Sasuke" Itachi said to him. This made Sasuke's blood boil thus infuriating him even more, Sasuke ran toward Itachi with killing intent thus starting a new battle.
- Outside the Genjutsu -
Shikamaru couldn't hear any more noise from afar so he decided to check what happened to his remaining teammate and saw that Sasuke was standing still in one place, he knew something was wrong when he saw Kakashi break free from his restraints and rush towards Sasuke with a kunai in hand. "Hijutsu: Kagemane no Jutsu (Hidden Jutsu: Shadow Imitation Technique)", Shikamaru latched his shadow to Sasuke's own and controlled his movements himself to help Sasuke dodge Kakashi's attacks. More clones dropped down from above to stab Sasuke with their kunais. Shikamaru did a series of flips, dashes, and rolls to avoid Sasuke being hit but suddenly he stopped in his tracks when he felt a presence behind him. It was their sensei pointing a kunai at a vital spot on his back, he was so preoccupied with getting Sasuke out of a tight situation that he forgot to defend himself. "Mendokuse…" he sighed and raised his arms as a sign of defeat, ironically Sasuke did so as well since Shikamaru's jutsu was still active.
Kakashi then dispelled the genjutsus and gathered them around, "First off, I would like to apologize to you Sasuke for making that illusion. I know you don't like which is why I did it so that it won't faze you as much in the future. Learn to control your anger Sasuke, let it serve you for anger is motivation without purpose. Your enemies would be sure to exploit that part of you so I hope you understand that" Kakashi explained but he only received a grunt from him.
"All of you have improved working together as a team compared to before. I am satisfied with how you help each other out to ensure victory, though your aptitudes in anticipating genjutsus need more work. Hinata, be warier of your foes next time. Watch them closely, genjutsus can be applied in many ways. It could be applied through touch, it could be integrated with nature transformations, sound, substances, and eye contact" he said whilst raising his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan (Copy/Mirror Wheel Eye).
"Though I commend you that you know when to join in the battle to use your moves in conjunction with others" he said to Hinata. She was somehow delighted that she was praised for her efforts.
"Shikamaru, what you did to help Sasuke back there was good. Helping your teammates in a tight spot is a good thing but be sure to remember about keeping yourself safe as well. You can't protect them if you're dead" he said to Shikamaru who was either listening or letting his thought wander.
"And finally Sasuke, your sense of teamwork has improved though you still tend to act on your own. I have no doubts about your strength but strength alone won't cut it. I am pleased that you are beginning to rely on your teammates and not act like a lone wolf. Overall great job, all of you are indeed progressing. Any questions?" he asked them before wrapping things up.
No one did ask a question, "No? Well that's all, dismissed. Return to the camp immediately. The samurais would take watch this evening so rest up, we still have a long day tomorrow" he said to his students. Shikamaru sighed as usual at the prospect of traveling a long distance. "Mendokuse… More walking…" he said as he and Sasuke returned to the camp. This left Hinata all alone, Kakashi noticed this and decided to ask her what was up.
"Hinata? Aren't you going to return to the camp, what's wrong?" he asked her
"E-Eto… Kakashi-sensei… C-Could you help me train my Byakugan to increase its range?…" she asked him
"I don't see why not though I still haven't learned how to train your kekkei genkai. All I know is to use it frequently so that you can master using it and make your chakra usage more efficient" he replied
"I-I asked father some ways to improve one's prowess with the Byakugan and he gave me this scroll to give to you" she said as she handed the scroll to her sensei.
Kakashi then opened the scroll and began to read its contents
- Hiashi's Letter -
I Hiashi Hyuga agree to share the following information with you Hatake Kakashi to help my daughter become stronger under your tutelage. I hope you understand that I am sharing this with you in confidence and I expect you to never leak the contents of this scroll. The elders of our clan were opposed to this idea but I believe this would be beneficial for Hinata and our clan, as she is the heir to the Hyuga Clan.
Kakashi continued reading what Hiashi wrote in the scroll, he saw a rather well-thought-out training regime to hone one's Byakugan. The routine included exercises that involved pushing the limits of the user by making the user look for various objects from far distances, keeping the eye active for an extended period of time as well as improving one's aptitude for memorizing chakra signatures. Those are just basic exercises that Hiashi provided, Kakashi was certain that Hiashi was withdrawing some if not most exercises from him due to not being a Hyuga which was fine by him for those three exercises alone would suffice to train Hinata.
"Very well then, once we finish this mission we can talk about a schedule" Kakashi replied which delighted Hinata.
"T-Thank you Kakashi-sensei… I-I really appreciate all of your help" she said to him. Kakashi simply gave her one of his iconic eye smiles. He then told her to approach him if she needed anything. "If that is all, you can now return to the camp" Kakashi said.
"H-Hai…" she replied as she left Kakashi with his own devices.
Kakashi mused to himself about his team in past. He wondered if his sensei and teammates would be proud of him, one of the key lessons he learned in his entire life was that teamwork and camaraderie are one of the most important things a shinobi must exhibit. People who break the rules are scum but those who abandon their friends are even worse. Due to reminiscing about his past team, his thoughts then wandered to how Naruto was doing.
He still wondered why Naruto wasn't on his team not that it mattered, it was simply just one of those things that surprised him. His thought process was that if Sasuke was on his team due to both of them possessing a Sharingan, shouldn't Naruto be on his team as well due to his connection to Naruto's father. It seemed like life had different plans for both him and Naruto. Kakashi thinking about these kinds of stuff didn't necessarily mean he wasn't proud of his team, quite the opposite. This is just one of the rare cases Kakashi mused about things that were out of his control.
Kakashi was proud of his team and that was a fact, they've really come a long way ever since Team 7 was formed. At first, Kakashi knew teamwork was going to be an issue due to the conflicting personalities of his students. Sasuke acted like a lone wolf though he is starting to rely on his teammates. Shikamaru clearly lacks motivation and drive to be better, though when push comes to shove he would surely do his best. And finally, the timid Hinata who is usually quiet and keeps things to herself most of the time. Though he did notice Hinata being more upfront with him about her desire to be better. A clear example of that just happened earlier.
Kakashi then decided that was enough contemplating for now and went back to the camp to see that all of the merchants that they were escorting had finished setting up camp. He saw multiple samurais standing guard in different locations to ensure the safety of the merchants. The convoy was rather large for one team of ninjas to protect all on their own which was why the merchants hired samurais to accompany them as well. They have been traveling for about two days now, they initially started their journey at a quaint town in Kawa no Kuni (Land of Rivers) called Sugashimiyoshi. And their job was to act as their protection detail until they reach Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind).
- At The Camp -
"Have you eaten Hatake-san" a woman asked
Kakashi then turned to face the woman to respond, "Oh, I haven't yet" he responded curtly
"Here, we made this stew for the entire group. Perhaps you would like to eat given that we have been traveling for quite some time now. You must have an empty stomach by then" she said
Kakashi gladly accepted the woman's offer as he was handed a bowl of stew and a spoon to eat with. "Thank you for the meal Osaki-san" he returned.
"It's our pleasure Hatake-san, thank you for accompanying us as well" she smiled
"Just doing our job ma'am" he said with an eye smile
The woman nodded and returned to her group which left Kakashi alone once more, Kakashi then took his food to eat in a more private area so that he can take off his mask momentarily.
- In An Unknown Location -
"What do you mean the package is in a caravan?" a man asked
"What I'm saying is that this caravan is just a front to hide the real deal" the other guy replied
"Are you sure your sources are to be trusted?" the first guy asked skeptically
"Relax, since when did you become a skeptic. Last time I checked you're the gullible one…" the second man replied
"Would you please drop that subject… That was years ago and besides, I'm just making sure…"
"Yeah yeah, my sources are legit so don't get your panties all scrunched up. Once we have this item, they'll surely take us back in" the man replied
(A/N: Well this is the first chapter I wrote which features a different team other than Team 10, I hope you guys like it though I am still getting used to writing these characters. Sorry for the long wait haha, here's a fun fact for ya. I wrote the outline of this story while waiting in line for my turn to handle some college documents. The wait was so long that I was able to create this chapter haha, luckily I had mobile data with me for research and stuff. Also to those who are wondering what Utakata is or Ephemeral in the English translation, it's the genjutsu Itachi used on Naruto in Shippuden. The one where Itachi used his finger to put Naruto under a genjutsu with a simple move of a finger. Idk if anyone else can do it cause I am sure that was the only time Itachi used it and I looked around on the internet to learn more about it, turns out it's a basic genjutsu which I mentioned above, though I guess Itachi is just that good that we can use this basic illusion so well. There was another step to the move where Itachi makes Naruto's body turns into his teammates but I decided to leave it out since it was just training. Another thing I wanted to say is that I had a bad case of writer's block these past few days haha so sorry for making you guys wait. Thank you for the continued support I just received a huge influx of followers so thank you for that. Thank you for those who interact with me and stuff so yea, those are appreciated too. This is the longest A/N I wrote cause I want to keep you guys in the loop about stuff I'm doing, that is all cheers ^^)