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ـم 03 ـم

Rival Team Two...

Tojike stared at the ground as the three Genin trudged through the village. Shoppers and passers-by eyed the teenagers in their battle-torn ninja gear. The other two were worried, but Tojike's black fringe of hair concealed his haunted yellow eyes. I fucked up. I single-handedly ruined things for my entire team. This was the problem with harbouring a creature such as the Zero-Tails. Tojike was permanently off-kilter when it came to decisions about the feelings of others. For a long time he battled with the heavy blanket of numbness that kept him down, in his younger years he was so distracted by his own inner-world that he'd thoughtlessly say negative (but true) things to anyone who tried to get to know him. The inner cynic that always leaked out when Tojike wasn't careful was another reason he didn't make friends. But regardless… what I did to Tamuki-Sensei was clearly taking it too far. My team must hate me.

"Hey Tojike… you okay?" Kawari looked politely inquisitive. Manzu was concerned. They were walking ahead of him, glancing back.

"Ah… yeah. Sorry, I'm just worried about Tamuki's decision."

"You don't have to be sorry about it." Manzu closed her eyes kindly.

"Well not much we can do about it now." Kawari stated. "I don't think we need to worry though, the three of us kicked ass. I mean, the plan didn't work in the end, but we're three inexperienced Genin going up against a Jonin. We did great, considering. And our teamwork was great too. She can't expect us to be legends already. I'd say she's definitely gonna take us on." That confidence of his was pungent.

"Most likely," Manzu said in a critical voice. "But I guess Tamuki-Sensei is a bit strange… She really fought us full-on. I don't think many Jonin would go that far just to test the skills of potential students."

Tojike lowered his head again. He'd briefly been able to disrupt the flow of Tamuki's chakra during the genjutsu. He hadn't been aiming at his other two comrades, so they didn't know what Tamuki had seen. That could be reason enough for her not to want them. Tojike wondered if he should tell them…

"Hey guys, where are we even going?" Kawari stopped and so did the others.

"I don't know." Manzu shrugged. "If we're not going to spend more time together… I guess I'll just go home and practice."

"We should get to know each other better! Even if Tamuki-Sensei rejects us we're still going to be a team until another Jonin comes along. Let's get something to eat!"

"Sure." Manzu smiled at him.

Tojike watched the two of them blankly. Hmm… my team-mates are actually pretty nice. He was pleasantly surprised.

The three of them headed for the dumpling store at the street corner that Kawari frequented. Tojike had only been there a few times before, but he liked their food. He spent another minute brooding but when he noticed the Zero-Tails energy expanding outside him he quickly pulled it back and changed the subject of his thoughts. By now he was good at sensing when the Reibi started oozing out and effecting others. Instead of worrying about Tamuki he kept himself in the present – right now he was going to have a meal with his two new friends.

"Yesssssss! I've got a mad dango craving after getting worn out in that fight!" Kawari stared over the shoulders of the customers in front as the workers busied about. "You guys gotta try them!"

This place had a long angular counter with booths beside wide windows, an undercover outdoor eating area with specials on eye-grabbing pin-boards. Families and couples eating socially.

"If you say so." Manzu looked up and studied the menu.

Kawari was practically drooling when the men in front left and they could order. Afterwards they took a number and slid into one of the booths. Comfortable leather seats under a hanging lamp-light. Kawari took one side, Tojike slid over to the window so Manzu could sit beside him.

"I'm so pumped to be in a team now! We're gonna get training and become strong! We're also gonna leave the village on our first ever B-ranked mission soon!"

"You think?" Tojike was worried.

"Not until our sensei thinks we're ready." Manzu told me.

"Right now is the time we get experience!" Kawari leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table. "And after that we get to take… the Chunin exam!"

"Well I'm not doing something that dangerous until I feel ready." Manzu straightened. "People die in that exam. And the entire team needs to compete."

"You might feel different about it in a couple of months…" He cocked his head.

"Maybe." Manzu allowed and looked away to study the other patrons.

Tojike watched the boy in front of him quietly. He was lucky to have such an attractive boy in his team to look at. Kawari was probably one of those arrogant ninja, but he didn't seem aggressive about it. Mostly, he seemed warm. Tojike studied his appearance again. That tan skin, untidy brown hair and chocolate eyes. The fit body under his martial arts uniform. Kawari was nice to look at. When his eyes flickered to Tojike the latter jumped in his seat and blushed.

"You're a pretty quiet guy, Tojike." Kawari stated.

"Ah… yeah."

"Are you just shy around new people?"

"No, I guess I've never been much of a people person." Tojike excused lamely, staring out the window.

Manzu was looking at him. He wondered what she thought of Kawari, whether she also considered him attractive. She seemed unfazed. More restrained than the other boy. In Kawari's case, Tojike couldn't tell if he was thinking about stuff like that. Manzu and Kawari both seemed to have very different characters. He doubted they'd be romantically drawn to each other. Tojike felt the need to speak up again, to shift the subject away from his strangeness.

"Our techniques did complement each other well. Apart from basic taijutsu and weapon skills, I'd still consider myself a support-based ninja. Ninjas like that don't become Chunin."

"Chunin need to be good all-rounders." Manzu agreed. "They need to be strong on their own, but they also need intelligence, resourcefulness and team-work. That comes with training and experience."

"Well lucky for me I already have all those skills!" The Senju boasted. Manzu looked sceptical. He leaned forward "I was dominating in that match against Tamuki-Sensei."

"You're pretty good to be able to use those different earth jutsu." Tojike admitted. The guy was already confident enough, but Tojike couldn't deny it. "It's impressive. Most Genin can't do that."

"Do you guys know your chakra element affinity?"

"It was pretty clear in my academy days that I was suited to Yin Release." Tojike explained, lifting his hand and then lowering it to the table. "I always did very well at the basic genjutsu skills. I can create illusions and stuff, but my clan didn't have any secret techniques. Unless Tamuki knows any good genjutsu that she's willing to teach me, or I come across a genjutsu master willing to train me, then there isn't much I can do. Genjutsu is mostly indirect, support-type skills anyway."

"Yin release isn't common." Manzu agreed. "And genjutsu is the rarest of the three ninja skills." She turned her attention to Kawari. "Even if you know your element affinity it doesn't mean you'll be good at change in chakra nature. Most people will only be good at augmenting other jutsu with it."

"Well Tamuki-Sensei could do wind and water. Maybe more. We'll have to see, but don't give up on being a Chunin so soon Tojike." Kawari said levelly. His face broke out into joy when he could see their food coming.

Under Kawari's recommendation they'd all ordered a side-helping of dango, two sticks piercing three round dumplings topped with sauce (although Kawari ordered three sticks). Kawari had ordered a plate of tempura – battered prawns – with a dipping sauce for himself. Manzu had a row of salmon and cucumber sushi. Tojike was given his pair of onigiri, rice triangle moulds with tuna inside that you picked up by a rectangle of seaweed underneath.

They ate together merrily, sharing the soy sauce on the table. Manzu swapped one of her sushi pieces for one of Kawari's tempura, because he liked the way it looked and she hadn't tried the prawns here before. Tojike finished eating before the others, he hadn't ordered much and his meal choice was plain. He'd never been much of an eater. The other two finished not long after and they got up to pay for their meals. The ryou coins in Tojike's little pouch was just enough to cover the cost of his meal. He suspected that the other two didn't give large amounts of their mission money to their parents, unlike him. He didn't mind, his family didn't make a lot.

They were walking out together, still not ready to go their separate ways. Heading down one of the dirt alley-streets toward a park Kawari wanted to show them. Their peaceful walk was disrupted when a kunai flew between them and landed in the ground ahead.

Tojike's eyes widened in shock, he and the others whipped around. The alley was empty, as Tojike scanned the backs of the buildings he could see a boy smirking at them, sitting atop a water silo. He was a Genin like them, from the academy. Tojike felt his eyes narrow at the guy's smug expression. He looked mean, and Tojike could tell… he was mean. He was a good judge of character. The darkness he sensed inside that boy was worse than your average trouble-maker.

"What the hell is your problem?" Manzu shouted angrily.

"So this is Team Three? You guys look like a bunch of losers to me." His black hair was spiky, those dark eyes mischievous and cold. Tojike's eyes narrowed further. Isn't he…? "My name's Zakuyo Uchiha."

"An Uchiha…?" Kawari muttered.

"And you're one of those dirty Senju." The ruffian leant forward, the smile gone as he aimed a hateful glare at Kawari.

"What do you have against Senju?" Kawari demanded.

Two other ninja could be seen on the roof above Zakuyo. A brunette girl and white-haired boy, both frowning. They didn't have the same ominous darkness as the Uchiha, who seemed to have established himself as top dog.

"Team Two is being led by an Uchiha while Team Three has a scummy Senju." he barked.

"I'm not their leader. And we're both clans of the Hidden Leaf." Kawari snapped back.

"And the Uchiha are superior." He said, almost in reverence.

"You get an Uchiha to be Hokage and then I'll say they're just as good as the Senju."

"How dare you…" Zakuyo went livid. Tojike could feel the Zero-Tails reacting to his rage. He wanted to warn Kawari and Manzu, this guy wasn't normal. Zakuyo stood up and hopped off, gripping a drain pipe and sliding down to a veranda roof, stepping down and landing opposite them in a crouch. He stood up with a glare while the three ninjas looked defensive and wary. "You wanna see which one of us is the best?"

His challenge was directed at Kawari. Tojike had a basic understanding of the Uchiha's abilities. They had large chakra reserves like the Senju. They tended to possess more stamina, so talented in physical combat and fighting with weapons. Their clan had secret fire jutsu. The Leaf's police force was almost entirely made up of Uchiha, and Tojike had seen their red-eyed Sharingan before. The infamous eye jutsu wasn't like the Byakugan which was common in members of the Hyuga clan. The Sharingan was rarer and awakened through trauma which was why many members of the police force had it, being survivors of the Third Shinobi War. It seemed unlikely Zakuyo had awakened the Sharingan as a mere teenager, but both Kawari and Manzu had exceptional secret skills… if he was a prodigy like them, maybe he did have those fearsome eyes.

"Zakuyo! Don't fight them here!" The white-haired boy warned. Him and the girl watched on anxiously from above. The Uchiha's eyes didn't stray from Kawari who glared back.

"That's enough, Zakuyo…" The four of them turned as a Jonin casually stepped out from the shadows. He was wearing a Leaf flak-jacket and an eyepatch over his left eye. It was the bald Jonin that'd waved at Tamuki earlier at the acadmey.

Zakuyo fired him a hateful glare. Kawari and Manzu seemed to relax, but Tojike didn't. Now that he was focusing on the Jonin he sensed a suspicious darkness inside him as well. Something unsavoury.

"I apologize for Zakuyo's rudeness." Casual, hands in his pockets. "He tends to get pretty… riled up. We'll leave you in peace." He looked at his other two pupils who lowered their heads, scolded. Zakuyo's resentment didn't change. The Sensei turned on his heel. "Come on."

He started walking away and their new rival shot them a deadly glare before leaving. The other two Genin turned away and out of view. The three Genin watched the teacher and student depart before facing each other.

"That guy is a dick." Manzu announced. "A massive tool."

"I could've taken him." Kawari grumbled, he continued off and the other two followed. He bent down and fished the kunai out of the ground, sticking his finger in the end and twirling it a bit before catching the handle in his palm. He cracked a smile.

"What is it?" Tojike asked.

"That Jonin… his name's Fuzaki. He's from my clan. A few of the Jonin are Senju, still I think it's funny that a guy who hates Senju is stuck with one for a teacher."

"That is pretty funny." Manzu commented as they headed out of the alley and moved down another main street. "You okay, Tojike? You're zoning out again."

Tojike lifted his head. He'd been pondering the suspicious evil coming from Zakuyo and his teacher, Fuzaki. Then he considered something else and smiled.

"Actually… I'm glad. I was thinking this before but that encounter just confirmed it. I feel bad for the other two members of Team Two. I get along really well with you guys. You seem like genuinely nice people." They both grinned at him and Tojike could feel their sense of camaraderie growing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk, fingers resting on the Hokage hat in front of him. The middle-aged man was frowning in his office, contemplating. Tamuki stood glaring at the wall opposite while Baki the racoon was huddled on the edge of the desk. With a sigh the Jonin reached into her pouch and pulled out a metal flask, unscrewing the top and bringing the alcohol to her lips. Hiruzen watched her with a frown.

"The team I assigned to you isn't like any of the others." He grunted, twining his fingers and sitting straight. "With the other ninja teams we tried to create a balance of strength. Your students… are different."

"Trust me." Tamuki replied after another gulp of liquor. "I noticed."

"Then you understand why these special teenagers need special training. No ordinary Jonin would be fit to handle their… abilities." As he spoke Tamuki eyed the roof absently.

"Kawari Senju. He's from the same clan as the first two Hokage. He's inherited the skill of the Senju. At first glance he seems like a genius. Advanced skills at taijutsu and even the ability to perform multiple earth jutsu."

"He's been taught techniques by different members of his clan and other ninja. He's spent a lot of his time training in the forest. He was more driven than his classmates while in the academy. Part natural talent but also a lot of hard work."

"On the surface…" Tamuki continued. "But the main thing that makes him so special is his body's weird ability to absorb nature energy on instinct. How do you explain that?"

"There's no doubt that the Senju is an extraordinary clan… when you factor in the rumours of the Sage of Six Paths. Amongst the Senju especially, you tend to get anomalies. Kawari's power is some kind of genetic defect. If the Senju indeed possess the sage chakra and body of the legendary first shinobi… you can see how this might happen. Regardless, I don't believe Kawari is even aware that he's using natural energy."

"He doesn't know?" Tamuki exclaimed in surprise.

"No. That boy is absorbing and melding it with his chakra on pure instinct. Usually sage chakra is extremely dangerous to learn. Not even you were deemed worthy by the racoon Master Gamu to learn sage jutsu. But Kawari does it so flawlessly, yet minutely, that his body must carry some form of random genetic anomaly. Not unlike the first hokage Hashirama who was the only one to use wood style."

"Well I agree he's special." Tamuki lowered her gaze. "So is Manzu Uzumaki. Mr Baki witnessed something truly astounding." The racoon nodded his head sombrely and Hiruzen's eyes flickered between them. "We knew her raw amount of life energy was suspicious, even for an Uzumaki. She has the potential to live longer than Mito did. Also she's mastered several non-combative but advanced sealing jutsu. She even developed a technique that she tried to seal my chakra with, and I think it would've worked if she'd managed to place it properly. An Uzumaki like her… that level of skill reminds me of Kushina."

"Is that so…?" Hiruzen mumbled.

"I'm not finished. That's still just the surface of it." Tamuki stated seriously. She wound back the cap of her flask and tucked it away. "Mr Baki saw her using the reanimation jutsu to heal her team-mate."

"Reanimation?" Hiruzen leaned back, startled. "How on earth could that girl perform that? It's a forbidden jutsu!"

"The principles of the technique are simple enough. You master control of your life force, imbue it with chakra and channel it into someone else. To use it effectively takes years of practice. It can heal serious or mortal injuries but usually has extreme negative consequences even if the caster doesn't die. Manzu can use her excessive natural lifeforce to use it for healing."

"That's the most reckless thing I've ever heard!" Hiruzen shouted.

"Healing is a basic use for such a remarkable power. Manzu needs to be guarded carefully. With an ability like that… if an enemy village ever got their hands on her… or god forbid, someone like Orochimaru… they could use her to revive a dead kage. Reanimation only works on the recently deceased, but I believe with her power she could return vitality to a skeleton in exchange for her own life. With such unusual chakra I'd say Manzu is also some kind of random genetic mutation. How did she come to be a part of our village?"

"Her family were refugees of the Hidden Eddy before it was destroyed in the war. Many Uzumaki spread about the world in hiding… Manzu and her family travelled here by chance." Hiruzen muttered.

"Then that just leaves Tojike Kohaku." Tamuki crossed her arms in disdain. "Jinchuuriki of the Zero-Tails. His team-mates don't know. He has an aptitude for genjutsu, but no remarkable talent. The only thing remarkable about him is his ability to completely restrain and hide the Reibi's chakra within him. Not many would be able to do that, and he was very young when his own clan sealed it in him. Barbaric, but now of course the Kohaku clan is extinct. Apart from him. Tojike has no access to the Zero-Tail's chakra reserves, and I don't know if he ever will. Tojike… can use mental power of the Reibi… to an extent." Tamuki looked aggressively distant for a moment before snapping back. "But even as a Jinchuuriki, I think he is and will be, the weakest member of the team."

"Time will tell." Hiruzen said seriously, resting his clasped hands over his chin.

They were silent for a long moment. "Tamuki… These students need a special teacher. They were grouped together for reasons other than their unusual powers. The Senju's sage chakra… and the Uzumaki's sealing abilities… will be very important if the Zero-Tails ever finds a way to break free of Tojike's restraint. That means Kawari and Manzu will have to be told the truth. I chose you to be their teacher because I knew how dedicated you are to protecting the village. Despite everything that's happened to you, you still uphold the values of the Will of Fire. I can't make you take these students… it's up to you. Tamuki Shimura… what is your decision?"

Lowering her head she sighed, reaching up to itch the bridge of her nose. She stared at the black smudge from around her eyes and rolled it across her thumb.

"If I leave them to somebody else they'll half-ass it." Tamuki muttered. "It's not going to be easy… but I'll take them on as my students." She looked up, determined. "I'll turn them into fine shinobi."

"You were always like this, Tamuki." Hiruzen observed with a smile. "Hard to convince but once you made a decision you never wavered or backed down. I know you'll be the kind of teacher these teenagers need. What's more… having your own team could be good for you too."

Tamuki said nothing. Baki the racoon sighed and rested his face in his tiny paw.

"Jeez… we're sure to have our work cut out for us now."

AN: Yay! Thanks to my new reviewer/follower/favoriter Phoenix Flametail! And thanks to Stryker23 for reviewing again! I only update stories for the reviewers, so hopefully the readership will grow. I think the character development is going well so far. What do you guys think?

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