The walk back to the heart of the village was peaceful after the pitched battle from before. Giving them all an opportunity to talk, naturally Sasuke was above such things but Tsuchi had questions.
"Naruto, when did you learn a solid clone technique?" He immediatle began sweating.
"That's a top secret ninja secret, 'ttebayo"
Tsuchi nodded, "very well, what element was that by the way, earth or water?"
"Element?"
She turned her head to look at him in confusion. "Yes Naruto, which element do you use to form the jutsu," She pulled on her hand. "Physical clones require large amounts of chakra in addition to an element to give them form."
He scrunched his face up in thought.
"Nah I just make em."
"Wait, so what actually is it."
Naruto laughed and made the hand signs for his technique, a puff of smoke revealing a second Naruto smiling brightly. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
"Shadow clones? Isn't that-"
"A kinjutsu, yes," Kakashi piped up, "The jutsu creates a clone by splitting the user's chakra evenly among the constructs. The clones are capable of performing any action the user is capable of including performing jutsu. It was declared a kinjustu because the chakra drain was incredibly severe, though most jonin are capable of making at least one or two clones." He winked at Tsuchi, reminding her of her capture in the forest.
Naruto smiled brightly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Yea that."
"But you created at least ten with no ill effect, I knew you had lots of chakra but that's just ridiculous."
Naruto got uncomfortable from that line of questioning so Tsuchi dropped it, deciding instead to grill Kakashi for a more detailed assessment of their fight.
"Maa maa I would not worry too much, you are still just out of the academy, but if you are so insistent I can rate your performance."
"Naruto, you possess more chakra than you know what to do with, literally, you wasted about as much chakra as you used to create your clones, wearing you out unnecessarily. Your Taijutsu is powerful, but unrefined and while your battlefield tactics are commendable your situational awareness is abysmal." He ignored the shouts of anger from Naruto and turned to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you also waste a lot of chakra with your jutsu, while the grand fireball technique is impressive for a genin you severely weakened yourself in using it. Your taijutsu is incredibly good however, nearing chuunin level in fact. Also do take note how you obscured your own vision with the technique, flashy justu are all well and good but it pays to be mindful of the cost." Sasuke nodded thoughtfully.
"Tsuchi, your abilities are the most well-rounded of the two, though your tactics and situational awareness are unusually developed, you also never stopped trying unique strategies. You did still fall victim to my genjutsu: false world image so do keep working on countering such techniques. Also you were clearly inexperienced with the kama, graduation present?" She nodded. "Work on refining their use, your strength far below that of your comrades so work on building that up, you cannot always rely on being away from your opponent and letting your insects do the work."
He rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought before they arrived at a ramen place Naruto recommended.
They were well into their first bowl before Kakashi posed a question.
"I'm curious, when you were tied up, you still seemed to be able to direct the kikachu on the battlefield with similar control from when you were physically present. Usually the control drops when the bugs are out of sight and your clan has to use guesswork and rely on the training of your bugs."
She finished eating a bite of her noodles before lifting a finger, bringing one of her gnats to it.
"Its because of these, they're a special breed of gnats I've been cultivating for the past few years, I share some chakra with them and use that to judge distances. Currently I'm only able to control 30 at a time before I start getting bad headaches. I was hoping to get your help with developing the technique."
He waved his hand dismissively, "Sure sure, right now lets not talk ninja, it is important to rest."
Tsuchi nodded and they settled into a relaxing afternoon, eventually breaking off to go their own ways.
-x-
The next morning found them at the training ground, sans Kakashi who was late, again.
"I can't believe sensei is late again!"
Sasuke hummed in agreement. "It is incredibly unprofessional."
"Tch whatever, we may as well start training without him, I wont let myself get dragged down by slackers like him."
Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled three small scrolls tossing one to each teammate.
Naruto was unprepared for the object and got hit right in the head.
"Oi teme! What the hell!?"
"Shut up dobe, just read the thing." Tsuchi was already ahead of him there, having opened it the moment he threw the scroll.
"What Kakashi said about wasting our chakra," he clicked his tongue in annoyance, "I took these from home, so give them back before you go home, they're…" He looked away. "Whatever, I did not think that chakra control was so important so I did not focus on it, but these should have exercises to make our control better."
They stopped to read for a moment before Tsuchi spoke abruptly.
"Tree climbing? You've seriously never read these before, this technique seems incredibly useful beyond just for training control.
Sasuke gave a smouldering look, she put her hands up placatingly.
Having apparently used up all of his social ability for the day Saskue stomped off to a tree to work by himself.
Naruto immediately ran to the nearest tree, determined to beat Sasuke. Taking running starts at the tree to try and rush up it, injuring himself in the process. He was clearly using far too much chakra.
Tsuchi let him figure it out for himself and calmly walked up to a large tree, rereading the passage in the scroll.
The trick is not merely to push out into the tree but to imagine making your chakra sticky, adhering to the tree, it is important to first determine the proper amount of chakra to use to adhere to the tree and keep that constant. The second step is the hardest, as you are not only taxing your concentration but also your body, trying to remain perpendicular to the tree.
She followed it's advice, placing a single foot onto the tree and pushed chakra out, imagining it was sticky, like a spider's web. The image did not really come forward, but it made her think of tarsi, tiny claws that insects had which allowed them to adhere to surfaces without damaging them.
She imagined her chakra forming small hooks below her sandals, slowly she pushed more chakra into it until she was unable to dislodge the foot. She lifted her other foot up, straining under her own weight before an explosing and cursing disrupted her concentration.
She looked over and saw Naruto's tree sporting a large wound, the boy hopping around in pain, and an angry Sasuke berating him.
They seemed fine enough.
She retried the exercise, finally bringing both feet onto the surface, the strain on her core was intense and she only made it a few more feet before the physical exertion broke her concentration and caused her to fall back to the ground.
She pulled her mouth to the side, thinking, before having an idea.
This time she instead placed her hand on the tree surface, doing the same with her other hand, it was far easier to perform the technique this way, she vaguely recalled something about there being more tenketsu in the hands. She placed her feet on next, but at this angle her shoes were too blocky so the took them off and put just the ball off her foot on the tree. Without her shoe the technique was even easier, allowing her to climb to the first branch with little trouble.
She took a small breather at the top, she was definitely still wasting some energy there and observed the boys who had simmered down from their pervious shouting match, instead Sasuke had a scroll unfurled and was pointing to a passage in annoyance.
She shook her head and continued up the tree with a little more confidence, occasionally one of her limbs would slip but she had multiple points of contact, eventually the reached the top, face beaded in sweat.
"WHAT!? HOW ARE YOU UP ALREADY THAT'S SO UNFAIR!"
The yell almost mad eher lose her grip, she looked down to see Naruto and Sasuke looking up at her.
"Idiot, I told you to read the scroll, the less chakra you have the easier it is to control, she's only able to control her's so well because she is weaker."
Tsuchi decided to ignore the comment and focus on making her way down the tree.
"You're meant to use your feet, not crawl up like a baby." Sasuke's arms were crossed, clearly jealous.
"More like a spider than baby but yes I'm aware." She put her sandals back on and retried doing it the proper way.
He huffed before walking off.
She'd managed to consistently reach the first branch before their sensei arrived in a puff of smoke.
"Oh you're all busy, that's my determined little cute genin." He wiped a fake tear.
Naruto crossed his arms. "You're late again sensei."
He took on a sagely stance. "Ah but was I late, or were you…early."
"You were late! You said to arrive her at 7! Its 10!"
He scratched his chin. "Hmm no I definitely said 10."
Their eyes all twitched in annoyance.
"Anyway, it's time for your true training to begin." His dramatic toe was undercut when he pulled out a bright red ball and blindfolds.
"I'm going to get you to stand in a triangle and pass the ball to each other blindfolded." He threw the items at the genin. "Right, get to it." And Immediately pulled out the latest Icha Icha paradise and set to reading.
"Oh and Tsuchi, no cheating with the sensing bugs, this is a test of your teamwork, not any other skills."
The next hour was a painful experience, the ball was surprisingly solid and both boys had no concept of moderation in their throws.
Eventually Kakashi clapped, signalling the end of the activity.
"Good work students, now I believe its time for a mission."
"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "What is it sensei, are we going to take out some bandits? Rescue a princess? Take out some missing nin?"
-x-
"This is bullshit!"
"Language Naruto, as a shinobi of Konohagakure you are expected to remain respectful and polite at all times." Kakashi chided.
"You're literally reading porn, right now!" He yelled.
Kakashi shrugged nonchalant, turning a page.
"Not even good porn either, trash like that is not worth the paper its printed on." Everybody stopped painting the fence they were busy with to look at Tsuchi.
She huffed and got back to painting, hiding her embarrassment.
"The plot is atrocious, none of the characters are believable, especially the women, trust me we are more likely to castrate a man that intrudes on our hot spring than act the way they do." She scoffed. "The overreliance on hot springs to the exclusion of all else is a serious detriment to the works, it limits the scope of potential interactions. Its only saving grace is the quality of the artwork, though that does not extend to the male characters who seem to be barely drawn at all. Honestly, if you're going to draw porn you're going to have to draw all characters involved not just the ladies."
Kakashi was looking at her inquisitively over the top of his book, Naruto was spluttering and Sasuke had gone beet red, furiously slapping paint on the fence in an attempt to ignore the ongoing conversation.
"You seem remarkably well read on the franchise."
Her words finally catching up to her, she blushed slightly, hiding into her hoodie.
"It's hard to miss with it gets shoved into one's face wherever they go."
Naruto had finally regained his composure,
"Aww common! One Ero-sensei is bad enough but now even my teammate is a perv! Save me Sasuke." He launched himself onto the boy who shoved him off immediately.
"Don't you literally have a technique that requires you to transform into a naked girl?" Naruto made some sputtered denials. "Wouldn't you have had to use reference materials to create the form?"
Naruto cried in defeat, falling to the ground with a storm cloud above his head.
Sasuke continued pretending that none of his teammates existed.
Eventually they completed their mission and gathered the meagre pay from the amused Hokage.
-x-
They regathered at training ground 7.
"Now, my kohai, we have the next few hours for you to work on your individual techniques." He went to settle on a nearby log but was stopped by a serious Sasuke.
"Wait, your eye, I want to see it."
"Hmm? Its right here silly." He pointed to his uncovered eye.
Sasuke clenched his fist. "You know exactly what I mean, I need to see it."
Kakashi sighed, placing his book away fully. "Very well, if you are so insistent." He slowly brought his hand up to his headband, lifting it up to his forehead, revealing the slowly spinning red eye.
"Sensei, whats up with your eye! I think they've got drops for that." They all sweatdropped.
You cant be serious…
"Naruto, shut up." He moved to argue but Sasuke began speaking.
"That is the kekkai genkai of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan. It can copy any jutsu, see through any move, once mastered it allows a shinobi to see beyond the soul of their opponent and reflect their own techniques back at them tenfold."
"How did you get that eye." He sent a piercing stare at Kakashi who sighed again, as he covered the eye.
"It was the parting gift of an on old friend," he nodded to the memorial, "now he lives on only in stone and in my eye."
They all went to separate locations, Naruto and Sasuke to continue their competition of 'who can beat a technique into submission first' and Tsuchi to Kakashi.
"Sensei, that technique you used to go underground, what was it?"
"Hmm? Oh yes that was the hiding like a mole jutsu."
Tsuchi nodded, "could you teach it to me? I'm earth natured so I should be able to perform it, and with my ability to have a sense of the battlefield without looking I could use it for sneak attacks."
He closed his eye looking to be in deep deliberation.
"Oh all right, I suppose your reasoning is adequate. You already know your chakra nature?"
"Yes, my gran gave me a piece of chakra paper as a present for completing my mushi bunshin before Shino."
He got up off the log and began showing her the signs for the technique.
"This is a C rank Earth technique, but do not be fooled by its rank, it is rather difficult to truly master. It functions by turning the surrounding dirt or ground into fine sand, from there the user must propel themselves through the sand pocket. The more experienced you are with the technique the faster you can move, and eventually you will be able to return the sand to rock behind you, masking your escape."
With the explanation done Tsuchi walked off to practise attempting the technique, receiving only a few pointers from Kakashi, who had wandered off to Naruto and Sasuke to observe their attempts.
"Hmm."
The two boys, looked over to their sensei, panting.
"Tell you what, whoever reaches the top of their tree first," he took a scroll from the depths of his pouch, waving it enticingly. "Gets this technique."
-x-
The following week continued in this fashion, Kakashi was routinely late in the morning, they performed some strange and/or childish teamwork exercise. Went on a mind-bendingly boring mission, broke for lunch and then continued with additional training. Somehow the man managed to find the least effort way of teaching his students, having them perform all the tasks mostly undirected.
But the next Monday saw a strange sight, Tsuchi on time, but no boys to be seen, she shrugged and continued practising with the hiding like a mole technique. At this point she was able to submerge one limb at a time into the ground but was quite leery of fully committing to full submersion.
The ground around her was pockmarked by sand-filled holes, Kakashi had not given any instruction on how to return the ground to its rocky state yet.
Eventually, she spotted Naruto and Sasuke arriving together, looking as though they had neither slept a single bit.
Tsuchi raised her eyes at the two when they collapsed on the ground.
"What happened to you two?"
"We reached the top of the tree, Dattebayo." It was far more subdued then usual.
"It was a tie." Sasuke was about as grumpy as usual.
"I guess that means we both learn the jutsu huh?" He scratched the back of his head before prompty falling asleep, Sasuke not far behind.
Tsuchi rolled her eyes.
-x-
Kakashi poked Naruto with his foot.
"What happened to these two?" He gave Sasuke a poke two receiving a half-hearted kunai slash in return.
"They stayed up all night doing tree walking." Tsuchi braced herself on the ground and performed the hiding like a mole jutsu, falling into the ground up to her waist, though this rendered her body completely stuck.
No amount of squirming helped, the weight of sand against her lower body completely immobilising her.
"A little help?" She deadpanned.
Kakashi hummed thoughtfully before whipping out a camera and taking a photo of the scene. He ignored the annoyed growls as he appreciated the developing film.
"Oh this is just adorable, my two angry kohai sleeping on each other and my tall kohai on their level." He wiped a fake tear. "They grow up so fast."
"Kakashi sensei I swear, you better help me out or I will give you crabs." Kakashi felt a momentary feeling of terror, realising that she was not kidding.
"Maa maa no need for threats, this part is easier if you have mastered water walking but you should be fine, just push chakra out of your feet, however, rather than trying to make it sticky you want to just push against the sand."
She made a face of concentration before very slowly starting to rise out of the sand, the pressure on her legs still made it rather difficult but it was working.
She tried also pushing against the pressure of the sand and briefly sped up before losing concentration and stopping.
Eventually she popped out of the hole in time to see Naruto and Sasuke walk back into the clearing, wet and grumpy.
"Well now that we're all up and ready I can get to work on teaching you two your present." He held up two copies of the scroll.
"Wait, how did you know we would tie?"
"Oh, I didn't," He smiled, "I was lying before when I said I would only teach one of you."
They were exasperated by the deception but just took the scrolls from him.
"Oh, and since I know you three are itching for a real mission, once all of you have learnt your techniques we may go on a real mission, a C rank,"
"So you admit that D ranks aren't real missions!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at their sensei who just smiled and disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving them alone to train.
"Whatever, teme-sensei, what technique even is this?"
They opened the scrolls.
Sasuke raised his eyebrow.
"The shunshin? Hmm, this is going to take a while."
"For you maybe! I'm going to learn this technique in record time, believe it!"
-x-
Tsuchi held her breath underground, practising moving back and forth without moving her body, just pushing herself around with her chakra. One aspect of the technique her sensei had neglected to mention was that the user needed to hold their breath during its use. So she was forced to train holding her breath for longer periods of time, a ninja could train to hold their breath for minutes on end if he was to be believed.
It was quite nice being underground, since it saved her poor ears the trouble of being near her two teammates. Over the past two months they'd somehow, against all her expectations developed something of a friendly rivalry.
This sounded great however, currently they were trying to learn a technique that was awfully loud and destructive when used well, and both boys appeared to believe they learnt best launching themselves repeatedly across the field and occasionally - slight tremor went through the ground – into the nearest tree.
Sasuke had mostly perfected the technique by now and was trying to use it in multiple bursts. Naruto – another tremor – tended to overshoot things still.
Tsuchi felt herself becoming faint and resurfaced, taking deep breaths and ignoring the carnage around her. Deep trenches carved across the once pristine clearing, multiple trees were quite scarred as well.
Naruto sat in the middle, cheering.
"Yatta! I did it!"
He got up again and demonstrated, performing the hand signs before disappearing in a cloud of smoke, moving himself onto a still intact tree at the edge of the area.
"Tch, took you long enough dobe."
Tsuchi sighed in relief, in all honesty, she was also thoroughly sick of D ranks, she suspected if she ever saw that stupid cat again she'd personally give it every tick, flea and mite she could find.
-x-
"Well, you have some very enticing options." The hokage rubbed his chin, fully aware of the vibrating genin before him, drawing out the moment. "The daimyo's wife has lost her cat again, the Inuzuka kennels are in dire need of cleaning- "Kakashi raised his hand respectfully.
"I believe my genin are ready for a C rank mission, lord Hokage." His genin were shocked that their sensei was even capable of being respectful, before he promptly took out his latest read. Not Icha Icha this time, which shocked Hiruzen more than anything.
He'd finally listened to the arguments and/or veiled threats of his genin and bought a romance novel 'worth the tree sacrificed to make it' and damned if she wasn't right, it was very engaging, though he dearly missed the pictures.
Clearing his throat, the Hokage produced a green scroll, with a C stamped on the seal.
"This is your mission, in brief you are to read its contents and make your way to Keikokugakure, south of the fire-sound border. The village recently suffered an avalanche, and they can use some help rebuilding. Dismissed."
They were barely out of the tower before Naruto began whining.
"Aww I thought we'd get a cool mission, sensei can we mulligan? I want a proper mission, with a princess to save."
Kakashi ruffled the annoyed boy's hair. "Patience Naruto, the princesses come later, much later." He giggled, earning the further ire of his genin.
"We'll meet tomorrow by the North gate, bring supplies for at least a month. Ta-ta." He disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Sasuke put his hands in his pockets starting to walk off.
"Wait!"
Sasuke and Tsuchi turned to look at him expectantly.
"Since this is our first real mission we should celebrate." His eyes shone bright in expectation.
"Hn, fine whatever." His attempt at a cool tone fooled nobody.
He thew his arms over their shoulders and smiled brightly.
Tsuchi smiled under her hoodie, still touched that somebody outside of her clan was willing to treat her like any other person.
Sasuke turned his head to the side to hide his small smile.
Naruto just laughed and led them to the familiar sight of Ichiraku ramen, devouring the noodles with an air of somebody who knew that they weren't going to see their love for weeks.
-x-
AN: this is the start of the major cannon divergence, as we obviously won't have the wave arc, I'm trying to branch out into less traversed territory here so hopefully it goes well.
toodles
