Disclaimer: Holy Bejebus. Naruto is NOT MINE.
COLD FLOWER
Chapter 7: Skills
By Mokora
Kakashi ambled up the stairs, running a gloved hand through his grey hair, which poked to the side without the use of any strong-hold hair products. "Ne. Kids. Training day--" He began, only to find the door to the bustling room the night before open wide.
"What's this?" He voiced to himself quietly, giving his chin an inquisitive little tap. He peered inside, curious as to why the kids were up so early, if that was the case. This inquiry was immediately shot down, though, as his unclothed eye fell upon the many slumbering bodies, criss-crossed and overlapping, some snoring loudly.
Ino nuzzled her head into Hime's stomach, smiling in her sleep, Hime and Tenten's heads touching as they splayed across every inch of the bed. Kurai was asleep betwixt the nook of the bed and the wall, huddled together with arms draped around tightly bent knees. Shikamaru lay across the bed, one arm hanging down, at Ino's side. He snored peacefully, while below him, sprawled, was Kazuri, in whom had found a comfortable position for his head upon Temari's lap. The blonde girl's body was turned a bit, resting her crossed arms and chin upon the bed's side, breathing deeply and silently. Nami snored loudly, resting upon Hinata's stomach, in the far end of the room, drooling slightly, Kakashi noticed. Hinata slept upon her nest she'd made, Naruto sharing her blanket and emitting squeaky snores of his own. They were all, of course, covered in corroded and evaporated foam and gel of all kinds. Apparently, no one was up for showers.
Kakashi shook his head a bit, chuckling at how vulnerable the pack of tired bums was at that moment. He refrained from pranks of any kind, and knocked upon the wooden door frame. Loudly. Alright, so one prank wouldn't hurt. After all, the little demons never failed to pull one over on him.
He chortled to himself, highly amused, as Shikamaru tumbled off of the side of the bed, startled. Kazuri woke rudely, to undeniable pain of being elbowed and then head-butted in the stomach by the falling boy, who yelped. Temari woke with a start, seeing as Kazuri was trying to heave the sleepy and dazed bum from his chest, Naruto squeaking from the corner of the room. Hinata stirred at the blonde's startled noise, her movements waking Nami who had a trail of drool flowing down her chin. She looked about wondrously, blinking slowly at the ruffled drones.
Ino was still sound asleep as Hime popped one eye open, annoyed. She was sleeping. Why was everyone so noisy? She shifted uncomfortably as Kurai stood silently, stretching and popping stiff joints. Ino still slept deeply, undisturbed by the volume of the room and movements of her 'pillow'.
Sakura, who was formerly hidden from view, poked her head up from behind the bed, hidden in the slim wall and bed crevice at the back of the room. She looked at Kakashi, her eyelids drooping. "W-Wha--?" She asked, her small voice cracking a bit as a yawn overwhelmed her.
Kakashi grinned behind the mask. "Good morning, kiddos. Today is the beginning of our enhancement training. You have exactly one hour to get yourselves ready, so meet us outside at precisely 12:24. Anyone who's late isn't getting lunch." He gave a satisfied nod as the reluctant groans of disappointment from the kids filled the room, and he disappeared down the hall to bribe Midori into making him breakfast.
Hime jumped up, throwing the dreaming Ino onto the bed rather abruptly. Now, Ino stirred ever so slightly, looking about with fogged eyes. "Whas' ever'body doin' up?" She asked, rubbing her left eye. Shikamaru scoffed, cocking his head to the side.
"AN HOUR?" Hime screeched, turning everyone's attention to her dramatic display of utter and complete agony. This was apparently not nearly enough time for her to shower, choose an appropriate outfit, apply makeup, and so on. Ino watched the horror in Hime's face without reaction. She was still half-asleep.
"Gah, this is so bad." The stressed girl said, her crimpy mane frizzed and unkempt. Her eyeliner was smudged and her lack of makeup was apparently rather vexing, tough Ino's face suffered the same condition as Hime's. Of course Ino didn't mind as much. She was nodding off at the moment, the room swirling. Shikamaru nudged her a bit, obtaining a look of genuine annoyance. "C'mon. You only have an hour. Girls take long, right?"
"Mm..." Ino snuggled down into her crossed arm, which rested upon the edge of the bed, the other arm swatting at Shikamaru a bit. "Later."
"There is no later." He persisted. He normally would just leave her, but seeing as she was mostly unconscious, he could say most whatever he pleased.
"Get up!" He thumped her head and she shot him a drowsy glare.
"Leave me alone. I'm tired."
"You'll be hungry this afternoon."
"What does that--?"
"No lunch if you're late."
She was beginning to awaken more and more with this futile, yet continuous conversation, and she began to comprehend the irritated boy's words.
"Late for what?" She was annoyed now, stretching her arms a bit ang giving a big yawn.
"You have less than an hour to get ready for training."
She stopped, eyes wide. An hour? An hour to get ready? Her muscles tensed, and Shikamaru flinched, covering his ears. He knew it was coming.
"AN HOUR? Holy shit!" She stood in one movement and scampered to the closet. Hime had already flew to the nearest bathroom to primp and ready herself. Shikamaru heaved a sigh, sitting upon the ground beside the bed. Those two were just alike. And the last thing he needed was another Ino. One was more than enough. He would swear on that.
"Ne! Should I wear my normal uniform? Or this other--" She had turned in Shikamaru's direction, holding a black skirt and belted sleeveless top to herself, quickly realizing her mistake. She slumped over a bit, her brow furrowing and bottom lip jutting out. He gaped at her with the same expression, his mouth opening a bit to say something.
"As if you could decide." She scoffed and cut him off, shrugging a bit. She turned back to the vast closet, crammed with all sorts of outfits, and turned the question over in her own mind. She was flustered by the lack of others' fashion opinions, having to make such a difficult decision by herself.
Shikamaru shook his head slightly, averting his gaze from the troubled blonde. 'The black one's nice.' He thought to himself. As he began to envision her in the outfit he favored, he stopped, shocked by the strange thoughts, and possibly more shocked by the fact that he had an opinion on the matter. He was the most apathetic person alive, he and everyone assumed, but he was opinionated about Ino's clothes. He cursed internally and tried to think of other things.
"Um... The black one... Is it alright?"
Her voice was lower now, almost indignant, as she let her hands rest upon the two troubling clothing options, hanging before her. Her words shattered his churning thoughts about the discovery of a frog in the carpet pattern. He looked up at her and rose a single eyebrow in question, with that same dumbfounded look. She avoided his eyes, wondering if it was a stupid idea to try and get anything out of the lazy ass behind her.
"Yeah." He replied quietly, looking away from her bustling figure, scratching his scalp a bit in an attempt to hide his mildly flushed cheeks. Why was this so embarrassing? She had asked him if an outfit was decent, and he replied. Nothing embarrassing about that.
But... She was Ino. Ms. Pride. And he was Shikamaru. Mr. I-Don't-Care.
So it was embarrassing.
She lit up instantly at the boy's remark and nodded, promptly approaching him and forcing him towards the door. There, she shoved him out and braced her hand on the doorknob. "I gotta change. And no, you can't watch." With that, she poked her tongue out at him.
The door closed and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, plunged into the darkness of the ill-lit hallway. "Keh." He scoffed, shuffling towards his own room slowly. As if he wanted to watch.
He did.
Hinata yawned quietly, looking about her room for her hooded jacket. Nowhere.
She felt a twinge of worry within her as she wondered what she would do if it was lost forever. Or if she was late. No lunch? That would be the worst. She had to find it.
It was rather warm outside, but beneath her jacket was a mere fishnet mesh over and segent of a tank top, ending at her ribs. Wearing only that would bring that sickening feeling of nakedness, and being as shy as she was, it simply wasn't an option. She'd rather be extremely hot than wear her underclothes.
She pulled the t-shirt she'd worn the night before off, feeling the damp semi-dried foam upon it. It smelled nice, like shampoo, and she smiled. She began to reminisce. Oh how nice it had been, feeling so careless and free, playing flirtatious games with her beloved Naruto. He'd sought her also, she remembered, her hopes rising. But then she scolded herself for thinking that he might've ever liked her. There was no way. She was boring and didn't say much. She was plain-looking too. She never thought of herself as pretty.
Sakura and Ino and Hime were all so much prettier. And Tenten and Nami were beautiful too. Kurai was gorgeous, in a different way. All in all, all the other girls blew Hinata out of the water. She sulked a bit as she searched for her coat, overturning many things in her room. She didn't stand a chance at all.
She was nothing. Just a friend.
She scolded herself for not being grateful. It was an honor just to be a friend of the fox boy's. She'd never be so thoughtless again, she decided, losing faith in her search. She'd briefly observed every nook and crevice in the baby pink and lavender room, failing to find her jacket anywhere. She gave an indignant sigh. She'd lost it.
But, as she attempted to remember when she'd had it last, she heard a few knocks from behind. Turning, she immediately froze. Naruto stood in her open doorway, grinning. "Ne, Hinata! Whatcha looking for?"
"My jacket."
"But it's so hot outside today!" He protested, frowning a bit and leaning against the door's white paneling.
She stammered slightly, looking about with pink cheeks, realizing she was wearing only the mesh and tube top she'd dreaded being seen in before. She wasn't pretty, she scolded. She shouldn't wear such things.
Naruto had noticed this, and made an honest effort not to stare. He knew Hinata often interpreted things differently, and she might think she looked strange or something if his eyes lingered upon her, or at least cause discomfort in the insecure girl. She looked good, though. Really good. He wondered if she should wear a jacket at all, though he quickly rejected the thought, seeing as it was Hinata, and suggesting something like that would seem lecherous. And it was.
"Okay... Well..." He glanced about her room a bit, looking for any trace of the missing coat, deciding to help. Or at least try. "Could you wear a different one?"
"I-I guess." She withered beneath his gaze. He was such a cute boy, and she never failed to shrink with intimidation under that all-too-friendly grin of his. Or those round sapphire eyes. She adored every aspect of the rebel blonde, and she'd never speak a word. Ever.
"Well, I'm sure Sakura has one. Or Ino. Lemme go check." He was then trailing down the hall to Sakura's room without waiting for any protest from the shy girl, entering without consent of any kind, and heading to the closet. He sifted past a few shirts, some with dangling ribbons and lace. Yes, she truly was feminine, despite her strength and fighting ability.
"Ah!" He exclaimed, grinning widely as he tugged a thin black-knit sweater down from a hanger. The sleeves came to the elbow, he guessed as he examined briefly, and it was short, coming just below the breast. The middle had two little ties, which you knotted into bows, and it was airy enough for the sunny day. And it was cute. Perfect.
He waltzed back to Hinata's door, who was still searching about the room, retaining hope. "I found something in Sakura's room that might work!" He announced, waving the sweater before himself. Hinata turned and her brows rose in curiosity at the sweater. It was cute, she thought. And Naruto was offering it to her. It was grand.
She smiled a little, approaching him a bit. "Is it alright with Sakura?"
"Sure. She won't care." He offered it to her smile stretched a bit. She bowed before him slightly. "Thank you."
"No problem!" He replied, grinning.
"How much time is left?" She asked, slipping it onto her shoulders.
"Not much. We should probably head down soon. Here, let me tie it for you."
Her heart quickened at the blonde's words. He bent down a bit before her and maneuvered the little strings slowly into a bow. She shifted her head and hands nervously, demanding the red in her cheeks die, wishing and praying that he wouldn't see.
"Done!" He proclaimed, stepping back and looking her over. She turned her head, trying desperately to shadow her coral-flushed face.
He gave a playful thumbs-up gesture in her direction, winking. "Works like a charm!"
"T-Thanks, but I--"
"Woah! It's almost time! Let's go, so we can eat later!" He said, heading for the doorway and turning back, waiting for her. She followed without a word, showing only a timid smile and a healthy pink face. He walked with her down the stairwell and then followed her outside.
Kiba ran a thin little comb through his messy coconut-brown hair. "Ne, Akamaru, you ready?"
The little white dog replied with a squeaky 'Roof!' and wagged his tail merrily while the Inuzuka readied himself.
"We only have a little bit of time left. If we get some free time," The boy suggested, pausing momentarily to pull a t-shirt on. "Wanna go for a walk in the woods or something?"
The dog gave an agreeable high-pitched yip, and Kiba grinned. "Alright, then remind me about that when we're free. C'mon, let's go."
As if on cue, the cheery little dog leaped into his master's welcoming arms, promptly crawling onto the boy's shoulders and then hoisting himself atop the boy's head, sitting.
Kiba flipped the lights off in the dusty room as he exited, smiling. He wondered what kind of training the Senseis had planned for them. Whatever it was, he'd conquer, he decided with determination. Nothing was too much for this duo.
Sakura approached Sasuke's door, and stopping before mustering enough will to knock. 'Why do I always hesitate?' Sakura chastised, frowning a bit. 'Why am I always nervous? It's not like he would hurt me or something.'
But sometimes he did. Asking her to leave, or dropping hints she'd catch that let her know he didn't request her presence. 'So that's why.'
She knocked quietly upon the door, which always gave off strange and chilling vibes, always making her rather apprehensive. "Sasuke?"
"Yeah?" Came the hooded reply.
"You ready? Time's almost up."
"Yeah."
She stopped. She didn't want to anger him by her undeniable persistence, though she worried that he might be late.
"You should go soon." She said, hoping internally that she wouldn't irritate him.
She jumped a little as the door opened and the raven-haired boy's ebony eyes met hers for an instant. He then wept past her, down the hall, towards the stairs. She watched his figure recede, heaving a shaky sigh. He obviously wasn't in one of his nicer moods like he had been before.
"You coming?" He called from the first step, not bothering to meet her eyes, which were wide with bewilderment. He wanted her to go with him? He didn't prefer to attend the meeting alone?
"Uh, yeah!" She said, significantly more cheerful now that the boy had requested her company, which she would never deny. She couldn't. She loved him, and even though he'd refused her many times before, he'd certainly never attempted to wait for her when she stalled. But he had now, and it was progress.
She trailed after him, smiling. The two walked together and out of the building, wordless, which was enough for the love-stricken girl. Sasuke made his way to the sunny open area where a few trees stood tall and pleasantly shady, the ground alternating with patches of golden dirt and small-bladed grass. Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Neji, Shino, Hime, Yoshie, Razu, Kurai, Gaara, Temari, Kankurou, Jouri, and Kira had already arrived at the area, some chatting, some remaining completely silent.
Tenten and Lee then exited the building, Tenten approaching Temari and Kurai, Lee directing himself towards Naruto and Neji. Kairi then appeared, yawning, only half-awake. It was noon, and he was still tired, and it was obvious that he had no desire whatsoever to train at all. This was apparent in his large dramatic frown and droopy eyes as he gazed about at the crowd.
Kakashi appeared before the group with a swift and unseen movement, Midori, Kurenai, Asuma, and Ryo appearing soon after. Sen seemed to appear when no one noticed, popping up behind Midori with a fierce scowl. Gai made a large entrance, leaping onto the scene with a loud 'YOSH!' and hopping into an upright stance beside Kakashi and Ryo, grinning and letting his teeth sparkle. As they always did.
"Who's missing?" Ryo asked excitedly, expecting to thoroughly enjoy eating in front of the most unpunctual pupil(s).
"AH! Hold up!" Came a voice from afar. Everyone's gaze was cast toward the building, Nami flinging herself out of the door and racing to the group, breathing rapidly. Kira gave the girl a sympathetic look and patted her head. She gave a melancholy little sigh. Kakashi scratched his head. "No lunch today, Nami."
She nodded obediently, yet reluctantly. Kira sighed.
Kazuri appeared behind the crowd then, seeming to rise from nowhere. Nami blinked at the boy, wondering why she hadn't seen him approach. His speed was superb, she concluded.
"Kazuri. You're late." Midori said, crossing her arms and obtaining a look of hopelessness, as if to say 'I'm really not surprised.'
"Like always." She added reproachfully.
He chuckled with a sheepish look. "Somebody drugged my orange juice. I was totally wasted. Honest."
Midori gave a huffy sigh, irritated. "I don't know what to do with you!" She huffed again and ran a hand through her stringy black hair. "Just shut up and don't expect lunch."
He gave a little sigh, his shoulders slumping a bit as he accepted the defeat of his feeble lie.
"Alright." Kakashi said cheerfully, holding up an index finger. "Over the next five days, you kids will undergo a series of intense physical, mental, and emotional training."
Midori cleared her throat a bit and nudged the masked Sensei. "Kakashi." She hissed quietly, out of the corner of her mouth.
"...Yes?" He asked, leaning towards her a bit, his cheery expression unchanging.
"Um, there's really nothing emotional here. It's just physical and mental."
"Ah." He stood upright again, batting a closed fist against his throat and clearing it. "Ahem. Physical and mental. That's all you get."
Midori chuckled quietly to herself.
"This rigorous training will test your level of stamina, agility, logic, physical ability, teamwork, chakra control, problem solving, defense, speed, and ability to think quickly in difficult situations. You'll most likely be injured, feel varying physical pain, become angry at one another, be defeated, fail missions, be insulted, let one another down, face personal and emotional setbacks, and shed tears." He wiggled the index finger. "Shall we begin?" His brow rose in a merry gesture. For such a harsh statement, it was rather irking that he was so cheerful. Ino rolled her eyes at the man's antics, and Sakura sighed.
Ryo stepped forward now. "And if you screw up too bad, then you'll have a hard time passing. So don't be a total failure. Or it's over for you--"
He was promptly elbowed in the stomach by Midori, who shot him a frustrated glare. He recoiled, whimpering quietly.
"What he means is that you'll be graded and observed throughout the training. Don't worry about failing, just do your best. Tsunade is running the medical wing for anyone who experiences injuries of any kind." She smiled, clapping her hands together. "We have faith in you!"
"YOSH!" Gai shouted, throwing his arms in the air.
A few groans arose from the crowd, one of the additions being Shikamaru. 'Rigorous training' was the last thing he desired. Especially for five days. He rested his forehead in his palm, prematurely miserable.
"For today's training session," Kurenai began, her eyes stern and serious. They danced about, resting upon the young ninja faces. "You'll be divided into three groups. You've been sorted according to your own abilities, and you'll be faced with various situations provided by the Senseis, that will test and challenge your ability of defense."
Gaara scoffed. His defense never gave him much of a choice.
"First team, Kakashi, Midori, Ryo. Sasuke, Kiba, Kurai, Shikamaru, Naruto, Razu, Jouri, Sakura, Ino. Second team, Gai, Asuma. Lee, Chouji, Tenten, Neji, Hinata, Temari, Yoshie, Kazuri. Third team, Sen, Kurenai. Shino, Gaara, Kira, Kankurou, Nami, Hime, Kairi." Kurenai announced. The crowd divided into three sections, according to the female Sensei's instructions, and then waited for further instructing.
"First Team, you'll be tested mentally. Second Team, you'll be tested physically. Third Team, you'll each be tested according to your own abilities. Training day one has begun." The coal-haired woman bowed her head a bit and made her ways towards Sen, who was scolding Kairi for talking during Kurenai's announcements.
Kurai sighed. It was always mental. Those who were more skilled with ninjutsu and genjutsu were tested mentally, to use their mental capacity to detect attacks and illusions. The second team was for those more so skilled with taijutsu, using physical combat attacks. They'd be tested physically, against challenging odds. The third team was more specific, testing those who had more one-of-a-kind abilities.
The pale girl strode towards her Sensei, looking particularly glum. "You'll be under my wing, with Sasuke and Ino." He said cheerily, giving a thumbs-up gesture. Kurai scoffed quietly, looking towards the dark boy. Sasuke. He was extremely powerful, she could feel whenever he was near, and she'd heard that he'd successfully ended the life of Itachi, an important pawn of Akatsuki. This was quite an accomplishment, and she doubted any training would better his skills that were already surpassing that of the Senseis.
Ryo led the three into the forest, humming quietly under his breath. Kurai knew the song all too well, considering ever time he desired to hum, it was always that same tune. Sasuke tried to ignore Ino's obvious attraction as they ventured deeper into the forest. Kurai fell behind the other three, silent, with wistful eyes. She loved forests.
"Alright. This'll do." He said, stopping when the group had reached a significantly open area. "Kurai, you're up first." He said, giving a grin and ushering the other two into the thick foliage, until unseen.
"Are you going to throw kunais?" Kurai asked, her voice ringing in the thick silence of the somber wood.
"Precisely!" Came his voice, though it could be traced from many directions. He'd used a chakra-splitting technique, she noted, to disguise his location. She knew this training well, since it was his personal favorite. He would throw kunais, shurikens, and rocks. She would have to detect them or dodge them, or else she was hit, which was unpleasant. She tensed, clearing her mind of any distractions. Her only thoughts were success and determination.
The first kunai was thrown.
It whizzed toward her from behind, and her senses picked up upon this. Thus, she whirled about and caught it between the first two fingers of her right hand, tossing it to the ground.
A shuriken came, this time from the front. It was caught easily also, and another came, from above. She was forced to dodge this one, sliding out of the way just in time.
This continued, with her catching every object thrown, until a startled bird cawed and took flight into the sky, rustling a few branches from a large tree nearby. She made the mistake of looking towards the disturbance, rewarded with a burning pain in her left shoulder. She stumbled forward a bit, clutching the origin of the searing pain, feeling the warm liquid seep through her sleeve.
"Dammit." She hissed, pivoting sharply as her senses detected another projectile. She caught it with the hand that didn't clutch her wound, breathing shakily, holding the red kunai by its hilt.
'Wait,' She thought, fear striking her heart. It was his trademark. 'Exploding kunai!' She shouted internally, her eyes widening.
It erupted just as she tossed it, being thrown back by the sparks and smoke. Her arms, which flew up to shield her face, were mildly burned by the trick weapon, and she coughed ferociously as the smoke rose, thoroughly disappointed in her failure.
"Pay attention." Came his voice. "If you're wounded in battle, you can't let the pain distract you. Or you're through."
What he said was true, and she clearly detected the next approaching object, catching it swiftly within a burned hand. Then another, and she was redeemed, not a weapon slipping past her.
Ryo emerged after the last kunai was thrown, smiling, nearly tripping on a small bush before him. "You did well."
"Keh." She unwound the bandage about her left calf and began to tie it around her bloody shoulder, silently.
"Alright Ino! You're next!" Ryo said, grinning at the blonde. She tied the ninja band about her head and gave a determined smirk.
Naruto huffed. His training team was a ridiculous freak show, he'd decided, after seeing Razu slay a mouse and carry its dead carcass on his head. Thankfully, Shikamaru was there also, so it wasn't so bad.
But that mouse...
Midori stopped as they reached a deep part of the forest, turning to them. None of the boys seemed to be paying any attention.
Thus, three shurikens were thrown in their directions.
Naruto dodged his, exasperated at how close a call it had been. Shikamaru's eyes merely detected it and he leaned his body to the side, satisfied to hear the little weapon plunge into the tree he leaned upon. Razu showed no sign of detecting the assailant, though he reached for the large wooden paddle on his back and brandished it before himself. The star lodged itself within the paddle a bit, and Razu cackled, as if to say 'Nice try.'
Midori smiled. "That was just to get your attention."
Naruto huffed again.
The female Sensei pointed to three trees, the largest ones in sight. "In one of these trees, there are three eggs in a nest. Your job is to locate the nest, retrieve an egg, and bring it to this circle, unharmed." She traced a little circle in the dirt before her with the tip of her sandal. "I'll play the role of the villain here, doing various things to try and stall you or ruin your mission. The point of this technique is for you to retrieve something during a dangerous situation and keep it safe. Shikamaru, you're first."
Shikamaru sighed and crawled up into the nook of the nearest tree, gazing about for a nest. A few shurikens flew by, and he began to trace the branches more quickly. One grazed his knee, and he felt it sting as blood surfaced. He leaped down swiftly as another zoomed past his head and he grimaced. On to the next tree.
There, he found the nest, though it was on the highest branch, and he hissed a curse. He began to climb, a kunai slicing the side of his calf.
'Just keep climbing.'
He reached the branch below the nest's and outstretched and arm, probing around i nthe nest until grasping a cold egg in his palm. Now to keep it form cracking. He rolled his eyes and leaped down, branch by branch, a shuriken jabbing his shoulder and remaining there. He winced and jumped ot the ground, racing for the ring in the dirt, that would mean he passed.
Three kunais flew towards him. He quickly pulled his arms from his jacket, jumping out of the way just as the weapons zipped by. He tied the egg tightly in his jacket, knowing he couldn't risk getting stabbed by another round of kunais. He wasn't sure if the egg would survive the trip, though he swung it about his head a few times, to gain momentum, and then hurled it, according to his estimated measurements.
Naruto watched with unease as the bundle flew through the air and towards the target. It hit a foot away from the ring and bounced a few times, landing within it finally. Midori surfaced from the thick forest and gave a smirk.
"Let's see if your ingenious little plan worked."
She lifted the bundle and untied it. There was a pause, Shikamaru anticipating the verdict.
She looked towards him and smiled. "Good work."
He gave a triumphant sneer and fell back against a tree.
"But you didn't make any effort to dodge a single weapon. And it was far too risky. If that were a valuable item in a real situation, throwing would not be an option." She scolded, crossing her arms.
The lazy boy's eye twitched. "Dodging is too troublesome." Was his blatant excuse. He gave a little sigh. Did women always nag?
"Naruto! You're up!" Midori turned to the blonde, who strode into the open, wearing a look of unease.
"The nest has been moved by the birds that own it. You must start all over." She said, before disappearing into the woods. "Begin!"
The blonde took off towards the tree Shikamaru hadn't checked, scrambling up and keeping his eye out for flying weapons. One headed in his direction, so he quickly dropped to the nearest branch and fell back, hanging by the bends of his knees. He swung himself up again and continued, jumping to the side quickly as two shurikens flew at him.
He took this absence of threats to gaze about. "There!" He hissed, grinning, locating the nest.
A shuriken was hurled towards him and impaled him squarely above the top of his left sandal. "OUCHIES!" He shrieked, tumbling from the tree. He hit the ground hard, dust arising. He removed the shuriken from his leg and cursed at it, hurling back from where it had come. Two more sailed towards him. He yelped and scurried back up the tree, missing them.
Shikamaru shook his head, chuckling softly.
Naruto moved more quickly now, his leg throbbing. He climbed higher and higher until he was sitting adjacent to the little nest, bearing two blue eggs. He took one and gave it a large goofy grin. "DONE!"
But at that moment, a shuriken soared towards him, stabbing the hand that clutched the precious egg. It released the item, of course, and Naruto quickly forgot the pain. He dove after the egg without thinking and hit three branches on the way down, stabbed in the side with a kunai along the way, and hitting the ground more roughly than before.
The egg landed upon his messy hair, rolling off into his palms. "YES!" He rejoiced, despite the seering pain he felt, his grin returning.
The joyous boy laughed at his victory, only to have a kunai thrown at him, piercing the egg into two jagged shells, its contents spilling upon his hands.
"WHAT?" He shrieked, overcome with rage. He had won! But then--! "DAMMIT!"
The sound of rapid wings could be heard overhead, and before the blonde knew, two large black birds were upon him, pecking and slicing at his flesh. "WHAT THE HELL? GET OFF! HELP! HEEEEELP!" He cried, breaking into a run, the birds following close behind.
Midori gave a sheepish laugh and scratched her head. "Um, I forgot to mention that the eggs belong to those two birds. If you break one, well... They get angry..." She said, brows turned upwards with guilt.
"WHAT?" Naruto screamed, outraged. "WHAT THE HELL KINDA SENSEI ARE YOU?"
Midori snapped her fingers and pulled a small flute form her pocket. She blew four notes into it and the birds ceased Naruto's destruction and flew towards the woman, one resting on each shoulder.
Shikamaru looked towards Naruto, who was almost seizing on the ground with pain, anger, and confusion. Razu cackled, thoroughly amused.
Oh Lordy, I loved writing the ending. xD That is SO something that would happen to Naruto. Which is funny. x3
Anyway, thanks for reviews, guys! I'll be introducing a new character hopefully in the next chapter. I hope you all like her. xD She's spunky and outgoing, and her name's Miake Rei. Just a heads-up.
So yeah, I figure Kiba will have a bigger role in this too. Because he is definitely one of my favorite characters. And Akamaru? Nothing short of precious. I love the yips he makes! x333
WTF, time for reviews.
Kaeru Soyokaze - Why thank you. xD I try to keep everyone in character, since it's DAMN hard sometimes. Dx And, as I said, I wish I could throw parties like they can. o.o But I can't. u.u And the OCs are supposed to be tolerable, since I know LOTS of people don't like OCs. I tried to make them in-depth and funny/nice/interesting, like the real characters that we luv. Thanks for your kind words!
xx-Tsumi-Chan-xx - I wanted to put more guys in there, but I figured it would be really strange, since there are only 1/3 girls, and 2/3 guys. Meh, if you really want to know, I plan on making a chapter where the Senseis leave for a night, and they whip out the liquor. xD Naughty kids are only 15, but what the hell. xDDD Yeah, they get SLAMMED. I hope that's another awesome party too. xD Kairi will most likely be the one who gets infatuated with Sakura, since I already set Kazuri to Temari, and, well... Jealous Sasuke is good. x3 I thought the Kakashi part was funny too, since I could totally see that happening, him getting totally covered and just leaving without a word. xD Thanks!
