Chapter 5

It's been pointed out to me by Anael Razualle that Janus seems a little to perfect. I'll try to show some of his faults in this chapter and hopefully be able to show them effectively.

I shift on my rock. How long was Kurenai going to make us wait? I'm hungry. I looked over at Kiba and Hinata. The long wait was wearing on them too. Kiba was pacing a figure eight around a couple of trees with Akamaru following him. Hinata was leaning up under a tree. This was starting to wear thin on me.
"I see everyone is here on time." Kurenai appeared in a puff of smoke.
"On time? It's been three hours since you told use to show up? What you trying to do, starve us?" I shouted. My stomach growled in agreement.
"And I see you haven't eaten yet either. Good. Now then gather around so I can explain the test today." Kiba wandered over, grumbling to himself and Hinata just walked over normally. "Ok, this is how the test works. I will hold onto your lunch. Now, in order to get you lunch to eat it, you have to get these bells from me." She showed us two bells hanging next to her right hip. However, I won't give them up easily. Any questions?" I stared in shock. She expects us to do what?
"Umm, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yes, Hinata, what is it?"
"There are only two bells, and yet there are three of us." Huh? Wow, there are. That makes it even harder.
"Ah, yes. The reason behind that is that only of two of you will be able retrieve the bells from me so I will tie one of you to that tree over there," she pointed at the tree Hinata was sitting at, "And watches as I eat their lunch in front of them."
"Now that doesn't sound too hard," Kiba said confidently, getting a equally confident bark from Akamaru. "When do we start?"
"Ah, there is one more catch. The one person doesn't get a bell from me, will fail. And if none of you can" All three of us stared in shock. This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening, this wasn't happening. "So, the only way to retrieve the bells from me is to attack me with intent to kill. Begin." I was shaken out of my trance to see me the only one still standing in front of Kurenai.
"Eepp!" I quickly leaped for a hiding spot in the trees. Uh oh. I can't do this. No genin has ever beaten a jounin. No three genin have ever beaten a jounin. The last time any number of genin have ever beaten jounin was twenty years ago with thirty of them, and only two came back alive. We can't do this. I can't do this. I sunk back on the branch I was sitting on. I can't be a ninja, I'm not good enough. History will repeat it's self. I don't want it to. I should just quit being a ninja and become a scholar. I've always thought that it would be fun, but Naruto kept pushing me.

"Come on, Janus, get you head out of that scroll."
"But, but...I like this scroll. What else are we going to do?"
"Spar, that's what!"
"You know that you'll beat me, Naruto."
"Which is why you need to come with me, to get stronger! We are the Uzumakis, and one day I will be the Hokage. I don't want my brother to lose to anyone but me."
"But Naruto..."

I remember that he dragged me to one of the training areas that day, without any of my scrolls. He wouldn't let me go home and read again till I landed a punch on him. It was a week before I could return to my scrolls. Doing nothing but have to fight my brother for fourteen hours a day was hard. His stamina was incredible. No matter what I did, he always seemed to come out, unscathed. I shouldn't have listened to him. I should be called dead last, not Naruto. I placed my head in my hands as sounds of fighting echoed nearby. What do I care, it doesn't concern me. But I'm not going back to the academy. I'm going to quit trying to be a ninja and there is nothing Naruto can do about it. Tears started to roll down my cheek. I can't, I can't...
"You can't what, Janus?" I turned around to see Kurenai coming out of the tree to look at me. I jumped and fell to the ground below. "What kind of ninja are you, not masking your presence in any way. And you have been crying. Pathetic." I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks.
"Loser!" I turned around to see Kiba and Akamaru hanging from a tree. "Why are you just sitting around being a big baby? Fight! You're worse than your brother; at least he doesn't give up." I hung my head. He was right. I am worse than my brother. I can't hold a candle to his power. Suddenly, Hinata sprung out of the bushes and attacked Kurenai, hitting her right leg, just shy of the bells. I watched as Kurenai sprung backwards and land, favoring her other leg.
"Janus-kun, help me. I can't do this alone. I can't do this alone. Please..." I look at Hinata's eyes. I've never see that kind of resolve in her before. What is this drive she has. Her eyes pleaded with me and I had to nod. It may be pointless, but we have to at least try. I reached into my shuriken pouch and took four out. I threw them and cut Kiba's bindings. He fell to the ground and Hinata and I got up next to him as he untangled himself and Akamaru.
"Beast-Effect no Jutsu!" Kiba activated his fighting stance next to us. "Come on, Janus, how should we attack? I know you're smarter than me, so figure it out." Think, Janus, think...
"Kiba, you attack and Akamaru attack from the left, she is favoring that side, so the two of you should be able to occupy her left hand. Hinata, you did good work on her right leg. See if you can disable or occupy her right hand then. If we do this, she won't be able to perform jutsus. I'll try to bind her feet to the ground."
"How? Some fuuinjutsu?'
"Yeah, but don't count on it. I've never gotten it to work, but we need to take I shot at it," I took out six kunai and started tying some notes to them. "If it doesn't work, I'll just tackle her legs, then Hinata, retrieve the bells, agreed?" They nodded. They won't need me. I'll just do this so that they can pass the test. I just want to continue my reading. I finished tying my sixth note and stood up. I won't tell them that I've never tried to do a seal combat practice before, but they don't need to know.
"Go!" At that, Kiba, Akamaru, and Hinata took off at Kurenai. I stood watched. The moment they clashed I took off. I went running about fifteen feet away I jumped, throwing my kunai in a circle around her. She acted like it was a distraction from Hinata and Kiba, so one quick dodge and ignore it. As soon as I had thrown the sixth kunai I started the long series of hand signs. Twenty two of them. I was half done I landed. I started running towards Kurenai. Must focus on chakra. Push it, mold it. Forget everything else I finished the last sign. I opened my eyes.
"Movement Seal no Jutsu!" Immediately Kurenai turned to me shocked. Kiba and Hinata grabbed her arms to keep her from replacing herself. I slammed my hands into the ground, pouring my chakra into the seal. The seal patterns on the notes flowed and formed a bind between her feet and the ground. She tried to jump, but couldn't. I quickly, not losing any of my momentum, jumped through the gap between her and Hinata, grabbing both bells as I passed. Five feet later I impacted with the ground and rolled. Kiba and Hinata appeared next to me seeing if I was alright. They helped me to my feet. I looked over at Kurenai and saw she was still struggling with my seal. I took a deep breath and let it out.
"It worked?" I slowly opened my hands revealing the two bells that we saw hanging from Kurenai's belt, along with a third that had been hidden. "Kurenai-sensei? There are three bells here. I though you said there was only two?"
"I never expected the three of you to actually get the bells. You guys are actually the first group in three years to get them. I'm impressed."
"Three years?" Kiba asked. "But I've seen genin from that time walking around and taking missions."
"Because the whole point of this test was to see how well the three of you could work together, not to see if you retrieve the bells. If you simply worked together as team instead of individuals, you would all pass."
"Umm, so we all passed then, Kurenai-sensei?"
"Correct Hinata, the three of you all pass. Congratulations." Kiba jumped for joy and Hinata smiled joyfully. I fell down onto the ground. I was exhausted. I did it. No, we did it. I smiled at that thought.
"I think I put to much chakra into that seal, Kurenai-sensei."
"Well you certainly kept me from moving, that's for sure. Now how do I get out of it?" I laughed and sat up.
"Just move one of the kunais, the seal should break." I heard a tink of metal and footsteps over to me. Kurenai reached out a hand and helped me back up. I slowly walked over and collected my kunais and put them back in my pouch. Kiba and Akamaru had finally calmed down and joined in holding me up.
"So, Janus, Kiba, and Hinata, how would you like to start your training?"
"How about we eat first, I'm starving?" We all chuckled at Kiba's comment and walked over to where Kurenai hid our lunch.

I limped back into town. My body was sore all over. Kiba can really pack a punch. Hinata said that tomorrow she'd bring some healing salve for use to use but I'll have to suffer for today. I told her not to mind that I'd be fine with some sleep. As I walked by the barbeque restaurant, I watched Team 11 walk out, their sensei, Sarutobi Asuma, frowning as he put away his wallet. Shikamaru was looking at me with a questioning look. I held up the three bells that Kurenai, Kiba, and Hinata said were mine to keep. Shikamaru held up three bells of his own and grinned. Ino and Chouji were looking at him curiously. Asuma looked over at me, curious as to what his team was looking at. When he saw me holding the bells he understood and started to walk away. Shikamaru smiled in a way that could only be called challenged, a look I've never seen him wear. I looked back at him just the same. I think I've found my rival.
I arrived home just in time to be dragged back out by Naruto, something about celebrating or something. I soon found myself sitting next to him with a large bowl of ramen.
"Naruto, your team passed?" I looked at him curiously.
"Yep, we are the first team of genin that Kaka-sensei ever passed. I'm the best!"
"You were probably the one tied to the stump, right?" Naruto looked over at me shocked.
"You took the survival test too? How did your team do?" I reached into my pocket and placed my bells on the counter. I heard Naruto's jaw drop. I quickly finished my meal, picked up my bells and stood up.
"Charge Naruto, ok?" The man behind the counter chuckled slightly as I walked off, leaving Naruto in his state of shock. His team didn't get the bells. I can finally hold something over him. I smiled as I walked home. Being a ninja might be better than I had thought.

Just an after note, I have something planned for Janus, animewatcher. I'm just introducing the characters and the team. I'm actually liking my decision on only following Janus's story instead of jumping around between different characters. I can't add as much back story to the other teams as much with this style but I'm keeping track of the effects the actions Janus has on everyone. Oh, and just so you know, the next two to three chapters are only going to go pretty fast, mention a couple of Team 8's missions and stuff on the way to the Chuunin Exam. I'm not going to be touching the Haku/Zabusa story arc for Team 7. Any comments on how I'm doing would be appreciated, especially how you all think of how I'm developing the characters. Thanks for reading!