Note: I'm really amazed. I never thought I'd get fifty some reviews in a little more then a day. A couple things. Yes I noticed my mistake in the last chapter. The "henge" was actually supposed to be a "bunshin". Caught it a bit late but oh well. Also I had a suspicion that I was spelling Sakura's name wrong, thanks for clarifying. As of yet there are no pairings and there will be no, repeat NO yaoi. Never have liked it and I probably never will. Relationships are different and Sasuke and Naruto will be a bit closer but there will be no liking "in that way". The chapters are getting longer as I go on but since I'm not really into mixing the real and made up stories yet I haven't had need for long, really detailed stories. I'll start that when they get to the Chuunin exam. Thanks for all the reviews and ideas. I'll try to incorporate the ones I like into the story.
Again, blah blah "Standard don't own the series clause" blah blah. Now back to the story.
Naruto had to admit that team tactics were a lot easier then he'd originally thought they would be. Sasuke had outlined a plan of action with Sakura and Naruto adding pieces until a solid battle plan resulted.
Hidden behind a tree on the far side of the clearing from Kakashi-sensei, Naruto had a good ambush position for a rear attack once the other two managed to push their sensei his direction.
Sasuke had asked Naruto to be "the final nail in the coffin" as he put it, in the trap they had set up.
"Leave the pushing to us. You just make sure you're ready with your most powerful jutsu when we get him in position." Sasuke had said. That was all they asked of him.
Not knowing Naruto or what his favored fighting styles were Sasuke and Sakura had left it open for him to choose the technique or techniques he would use. He had a good number to choose from, growing up training every day tended to do that to you, but after a short moment of thought Naruto chose his favorite.
Now he was hidden, waiting for the attack to begin. He silently watched as the Jounin across the field read his book. He seemed totally relaxed but Naruto saw the small signs that showed he was actually quite alert.
The fact that he was reading that...that...BOOK if you could even call it that...really got on Naruto's nerves. He would have thought a Jounin as good as Kakashi would find something better to do with his time. Of course, Naruto reflected dimly, he had a Sennin for a teacher and he was even worse then this guy. *I hope rank doesn't turn you into a pervert. Maybe its just old age.*
Suddenly Sasuke flew out of the tree nearest their Jounin teacher, releasing a flurry of shuriken as he went. The trap had been sprung.
*Huh, they've started again.* Kakashi thought as he dodged the rain of shuriken and set himself to block his flying student. The kick never came. Moments before the kick connected Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. *Bunshin* Kakashi managed to note before he saw the true attackers. Sasuke and Sakura were charging him, each coming in at a forty-five degree angle from his center. Sakura coming from the left and Sasuke from the right.
Kakashi smiled as he slipped his book away. They were serious this time. Almost as one the two genin threw a pair of kunai. Kakashi noted the small trail of smoke coming from them. His single eye widened as he realized what they intended. With a quick leap backwards he avoided the two exploding note kunai as they hit the spot he had just occupied and exploded. The smoke screen and dust cloud they produced still managed to cover Kakashi despite his effort to get clear of the blast zone.
Sasuke and Sakura turned and cut off at angles again, this time heading away from each other in the hopes of flanking their sensei. Once they were a safe distance from each other they stopped and turned to present their fronts to the rapidly disappearing cloud. In almost perfect harmony the two called out their next jutsu.
"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" the pair shouted. Twin fireballs crashed into the smoke cloud creating yet another explosion. This time Kakashi actually looked slightly singed as he skidded out of the fireball. He wasn't harmed in any way except for maybe a few hairs crisped here and there. Harm had not been the two genin's intention. They had done their job. They had gotten Kakashi to the other side of the clearing.
*That was closer then it should have been.* Kakashi mused as he put his hand out to stop himself. *I wonder where Naruto is though. Is he planing something himself or is he working with the others?*
Kakashi got his answer faster then he thought. He had almost stopped when a multitude of voices called out from behind him. "Hey sensei, I thought ninja weren't supposed to be caught from behind."
The startled teacher turned to see twelve Narutos each winding up the throw two hand fulls of shuriken each. A practical storm of shuriken whistled through the air. Kakashi wouldn't have normally been bothered by this except that the shuriken were actually real, not just illusions. *Not just Bunshin but Kage Bunshin! What a guy.*
Sasuke and Sakura watched in awe as the twelve Naruto's broke cover. At first they thought they were just illusions but they quickly saw that several had twigs or leaves stuck to them.
"Twelve Narutos? No way! And they're all real!" Sakura managed to stutter.
*What a guy* Sasuke thought, *I didn't know he could use Kage Bunshin. That's a Jounin level technique, and a forbidden one at that.*
The only exit was up and Kakashi took it. Unfortunately Naruto knew that too. Kakashi jumped only to find a diving Naruto coming right down on top of him, his foot cocked back for a kick. "This is for underestimating me before. NARUTO RENDAN!"
Kakashi took Naruto's heel right in the face. With a sickening thud Kakashi came back down to earth complements of the Naruto Express. Landing lightly next to him Naruto gave another of his foxy smiles and held up a V for victory. "How'd you like that sensei?" he asked mockingly.
He wasn't expecting a response from his enemy but he got one. "Not bad, but still not good enough." The downed Kakashi disappeared, replaced by a log with a burning note stuck to it. Naruto's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. He only managed to say one thing before it went off.
"Aww shit."
The explosion threw Naruto half way across clearing. He landed awkwardly and bounced a couple times before coming to rest near Sakura. The girl rushed over to see if her new teammate was all right. He was blinking his eyes and trying to sit up before she managed to take the ten or so steps to get to him. "Naruto. Are you...ok?" she asked hesitantly.
Naruto managed to sit up and take stock of himself. "Bastard got away from me." He lightly slapped away the hand she offered him as he stood. "I'm fine. I can get up on my own Pinky. I don't need your help."
Naruto's face met the dirt for the second time in less then a minute as Sakura pounded him into a pancake. "DAMN YOU NARUTO!" she screamed. She stood there heaving with exertion from her herculean punch. "Damn that felt good."
Sasuke was in total shock. He had never seen Sakura this mad before. A tick under his eye said it all. *Note to self: Never get Sakura mad at me...ever.*
Kakashi appeared next to the boy shaped hole in the ground where Naruto lay twitching. He surveyed the damage then looked at the one who had dealt the damage. "Um Sakura? Was the really necessary?" he asked. Sasuke joined him in looking at the hole in the ground.
"Of course it was Kakashi-sensei. He needed to be taught a lesson." Sakura said as she managed to get her breathing under control.
Kakashi was about to give her a list of reasons for it not being necessary but a sound from the hole beneath him interrupted. "Damn girl. Why'd you hit me so hard?" To the amazement of the other members of team seven Naruto struggled out of the hole and flopped down on his back. His whole front side was dirty and bruised but otherwise he looked ok. One eye opened and he eyed his team. Sakura's jaw had hit the ground, Sasuke looked shocked but was smiling slightly, and Kakashi just stood there.
*The boy is indestructible* Kakashi thought. *Can someone really be that tough?*
Naruto smiled, closed his eye, and slept.
****
Someone was washing his face. Naruto opened an eye to peek at his attendant and saw it was Sakura. She was dabbing his forehead and cheeks with a wet cloth. Naruto could hear a little stream near by.
The wet cloth left his face for a moment then he felt it return, wetter then before. He reached up and grabbed it. "I can do it myself" he said.
Sakura stared wide eyed as Naruto slowly sat up. He was obviously in pain but managed to get up and look around at his settings. They were next to a little pebble river on a grass covered bank. A fire burned merrily a few feet away and he could see Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei sitting next to it frying up some fish. The sun was setting over the hills to the west. With a final wipe of his face Naruto tossed the rag back to Sakura.
She missed it and it landed in her lap. She glared at him and threw it back, hitting him in the face as he stood. "Is that the thanks I get?" she asked angrily. Naruto grabbed the rag and almost threw it back with a sharp remark to follow but suddenly thought better of it and turned away. A muttered "thanks" reached Sakura's ears as he went to join the other males of the team.
Sasuke handed him a hot fish on a stick as he sat down on one of the logs that had been gathered round the fire. "That was a very good combination you performed Naruto-kun" Kakashi said as he happily munched on his own fist.
The blond boy took a bite out of his fish and smiled a bit. "Thanks. But I was going easy on you you know. Didn't want to hurt you."
Sasuke almost laughed, a serious breach of character for him, but managed to turn it into a coughing fit without to much trouble. "Sorry, must have gotten a piece of bone stuck in my throat."
Sakura joined them and grabbed the last of the fish from the fire. She munched on it quietly and shot glares at Naruto every once in a while. Kakashi watched the kids interact with interest. They had pulled off a well thought out and well timed attack with no previous experience working together. If what he had seen was a good indication of the future then everything looked good. Of course there was the small problem of an angry Sakura. Kakashi had never imagined she could pound someone so far into the ground with just one punch. She had never displayed that sort of strength before. *Looks like Naruto manages to bring out the worst in her. Or the best...I guess it depends on the way you look at it.*
After eating and some more small talk Kakashi got up and announced they were done for the day. "I'll see you three here bright and early tomorrow morning. We meet at seven Naruto-kun." He turned and was about to leave when he thought of something else. He turned and threw one of the bells to Naruto, who caught it. "You earned it." He smiled then added with a hint of his dry sarcasm, "Next time don't go easy on me. Goodnight." With a poof of smoke the gray haired Jounin was gone, leaving the three genin to clean up and put out the fire.
Within a minute the fire was out and almost all the evidence of their meal was gone. Sasuke and Sakura retrieved their bags and nodded back toward town. "I guess we're walking you home." Sakura snorted. Naruto tried not to snear at her. He did need help getting back and couldn't afford to make Sakura angry again. "Yeah...thanks" he managed.
After a quiet walk back into town the three fumbled around a little bit till they found a street that Naruto remembered. They soon located Naruto's new dwelling. Jiriaya was sitting outside the door smoking a pipe, something he rarely did. He stood as he saw them coming and quickly stashed it away along with the pad of paper he had been taking notes on from his day's expedition to the bath houses.
"Hey Naruto. How was it?" He asked as they stopped in front of him. Naruto gave him a knowing smile that almost looked scary. "Good, and how was your day...E-ro-Sen-nin?"
Jiriaya laughed nervously. Had Naruto really needed to call him by that name in front of his two new teammates? Then he noticed the pink hair and pretty features of one of those said teammates. He blushed and smiled. "And what's your name my pretty?"
Naruto clocked him a good one on the head. "Pervert Sennin, don't start hitting on my teammates! I told you to cut it out while we were here."
A slightly dazed Jiriaya shook his head. "Gomen." *I knew I shouldn't have done that in front of him* he thought.
Sakura couldn't help but ask Naruto. "Um Naruto. Is he your...father?" She whispered.
Naruto's eyebrows were still twitching. "That pervert? If I had been his kid I would have disowned him years ago."
For the first time the three genin of Team Seven had a good laugh together. Well actually it was more like a smile from Sasuke, a giggle from Sakura, and a loud obnoxious laugh from Naruto, but it was as good as it got for them.
Again, blah blah "Standard don't own the series clause" blah blah. Now back to the story.
Naruto had to admit that team tactics were a lot easier then he'd originally thought they would be. Sasuke had outlined a plan of action with Sakura and Naruto adding pieces until a solid battle plan resulted.
Hidden behind a tree on the far side of the clearing from Kakashi-sensei, Naruto had a good ambush position for a rear attack once the other two managed to push their sensei his direction.
Sasuke had asked Naruto to be "the final nail in the coffin" as he put it, in the trap they had set up.
"Leave the pushing to us. You just make sure you're ready with your most powerful jutsu when we get him in position." Sasuke had said. That was all they asked of him.
Not knowing Naruto or what his favored fighting styles were Sasuke and Sakura had left it open for him to choose the technique or techniques he would use. He had a good number to choose from, growing up training every day tended to do that to you, but after a short moment of thought Naruto chose his favorite.
Now he was hidden, waiting for the attack to begin. He silently watched as the Jounin across the field read his book. He seemed totally relaxed but Naruto saw the small signs that showed he was actually quite alert.
The fact that he was reading that...that...BOOK if you could even call it that...really got on Naruto's nerves. He would have thought a Jounin as good as Kakashi would find something better to do with his time. Of course, Naruto reflected dimly, he had a Sennin for a teacher and he was even worse then this guy. *I hope rank doesn't turn you into a pervert. Maybe its just old age.*
Suddenly Sasuke flew out of the tree nearest their Jounin teacher, releasing a flurry of shuriken as he went. The trap had been sprung.
*Huh, they've started again.* Kakashi thought as he dodged the rain of shuriken and set himself to block his flying student. The kick never came. Moments before the kick connected Sasuke disappeared in a puff of smoke. *Bunshin* Kakashi managed to note before he saw the true attackers. Sasuke and Sakura were charging him, each coming in at a forty-five degree angle from his center. Sakura coming from the left and Sasuke from the right.
Kakashi smiled as he slipped his book away. They were serious this time. Almost as one the two genin threw a pair of kunai. Kakashi noted the small trail of smoke coming from them. His single eye widened as he realized what they intended. With a quick leap backwards he avoided the two exploding note kunai as they hit the spot he had just occupied and exploded. The smoke screen and dust cloud they produced still managed to cover Kakashi despite his effort to get clear of the blast zone.
Sasuke and Sakura turned and cut off at angles again, this time heading away from each other in the hopes of flanking their sensei. Once they were a safe distance from each other they stopped and turned to present their fronts to the rapidly disappearing cloud. In almost perfect harmony the two called out their next jutsu.
"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" the pair shouted. Twin fireballs crashed into the smoke cloud creating yet another explosion. This time Kakashi actually looked slightly singed as he skidded out of the fireball. He wasn't harmed in any way except for maybe a few hairs crisped here and there. Harm had not been the two genin's intention. They had done their job. They had gotten Kakashi to the other side of the clearing.
*That was closer then it should have been.* Kakashi mused as he put his hand out to stop himself. *I wonder where Naruto is though. Is he planing something himself or is he working with the others?*
Kakashi got his answer faster then he thought. He had almost stopped when a multitude of voices called out from behind him. "Hey sensei, I thought ninja weren't supposed to be caught from behind."
The startled teacher turned to see twelve Narutos each winding up the throw two hand fulls of shuriken each. A practical storm of shuriken whistled through the air. Kakashi wouldn't have normally been bothered by this except that the shuriken were actually real, not just illusions. *Not just Bunshin but Kage Bunshin! What a guy.*
Sasuke and Sakura watched in awe as the twelve Naruto's broke cover. At first they thought they were just illusions but they quickly saw that several had twigs or leaves stuck to them.
"Twelve Narutos? No way! And they're all real!" Sakura managed to stutter.
*What a guy* Sasuke thought, *I didn't know he could use Kage Bunshin. That's a Jounin level technique, and a forbidden one at that.*
The only exit was up and Kakashi took it. Unfortunately Naruto knew that too. Kakashi jumped only to find a diving Naruto coming right down on top of him, his foot cocked back for a kick. "This is for underestimating me before. NARUTO RENDAN!"
Kakashi took Naruto's heel right in the face. With a sickening thud Kakashi came back down to earth complements of the Naruto Express. Landing lightly next to him Naruto gave another of his foxy smiles and held up a V for victory. "How'd you like that sensei?" he asked mockingly.
He wasn't expecting a response from his enemy but he got one. "Not bad, but still not good enough." The downed Kakashi disappeared, replaced by a log with a burning note stuck to it. Naruto's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. He only managed to say one thing before it went off.
"Aww shit."
The explosion threw Naruto half way across clearing. He landed awkwardly and bounced a couple times before coming to rest near Sakura. The girl rushed over to see if her new teammate was all right. He was blinking his eyes and trying to sit up before she managed to take the ten or so steps to get to him. "Naruto. Are you...ok?" she asked hesitantly.
Naruto managed to sit up and take stock of himself. "Bastard got away from me." He lightly slapped away the hand she offered him as he stood. "I'm fine. I can get up on my own Pinky. I don't need your help."
Naruto's face met the dirt for the second time in less then a minute as Sakura pounded him into a pancake. "DAMN YOU NARUTO!" she screamed. She stood there heaving with exertion from her herculean punch. "Damn that felt good."
Sasuke was in total shock. He had never seen Sakura this mad before. A tick under his eye said it all. *Note to self: Never get Sakura mad at me...ever.*
Kakashi appeared next to the boy shaped hole in the ground where Naruto lay twitching. He surveyed the damage then looked at the one who had dealt the damage. "Um Sakura? Was the really necessary?" he asked. Sasuke joined him in looking at the hole in the ground.
"Of course it was Kakashi-sensei. He needed to be taught a lesson." Sakura said as she managed to get her breathing under control.
Kakashi was about to give her a list of reasons for it not being necessary but a sound from the hole beneath him interrupted. "Damn girl. Why'd you hit me so hard?" To the amazement of the other members of team seven Naruto struggled out of the hole and flopped down on his back. His whole front side was dirty and bruised but otherwise he looked ok. One eye opened and he eyed his team. Sakura's jaw had hit the ground, Sasuke looked shocked but was smiling slightly, and Kakashi just stood there.
*The boy is indestructible* Kakashi thought. *Can someone really be that tough?*
Naruto smiled, closed his eye, and slept.
****
Someone was washing his face. Naruto opened an eye to peek at his attendant and saw it was Sakura. She was dabbing his forehead and cheeks with a wet cloth. Naruto could hear a little stream near by.
The wet cloth left his face for a moment then he felt it return, wetter then before. He reached up and grabbed it. "I can do it myself" he said.
Sakura stared wide eyed as Naruto slowly sat up. He was obviously in pain but managed to get up and look around at his settings. They were next to a little pebble river on a grass covered bank. A fire burned merrily a few feet away and he could see Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei sitting next to it frying up some fish. The sun was setting over the hills to the west. With a final wipe of his face Naruto tossed the rag back to Sakura.
She missed it and it landed in her lap. She glared at him and threw it back, hitting him in the face as he stood. "Is that the thanks I get?" she asked angrily. Naruto grabbed the rag and almost threw it back with a sharp remark to follow but suddenly thought better of it and turned away. A muttered "thanks" reached Sakura's ears as he went to join the other males of the team.
Sasuke handed him a hot fish on a stick as he sat down on one of the logs that had been gathered round the fire. "That was a very good combination you performed Naruto-kun" Kakashi said as he happily munched on his own fist.
The blond boy took a bite out of his fish and smiled a bit. "Thanks. But I was going easy on you you know. Didn't want to hurt you."
Sasuke almost laughed, a serious breach of character for him, but managed to turn it into a coughing fit without to much trouble. "Sorry, must have gotten a piece of bone stuck in my throat."
Sakura joined them and grabbed the last of the fish from the fire. She munched on it quietly and shot glares at Naruto every once in a while. Kakashi watched the kids interact with interest. They had pulled off a well thought out and well timed attack with no previous experience working together. If what he had seen was a good indication of the future then everything looked good. Of course there was the small problem of an angry Sakura. Kakashi had never imagined she could pound someone so far into the ground with just one punch. She had never displayed that sort of strength before. *Looks like Naruto manages to bring out the worst in her. Or the best...I guess it depends on the way you look at it.*
After eating and some more small talk Kakashi got up and announced they were done for the day. "I'll see you three here bright and early tomorrow morning. We meet at seven Naruto-kun." He turned and was about to leave when he thought of something else. He turned and threw one of the bells to Naruto, who caught it. "You earned it." He smiled then added with a hint of his dry sarcasm, "Next time don't go easy on me. Goodnight." With a poof of smoke the gray haired Jounin was gone, leaving the three genin to clean up and put out the fire.
Within a minute the fire was out and almost all the evidence of their meal was gone. Sasuke and Sakura retrieved their bags and nodded back toward town. "I guess we're walking you home." Sakura snorted. Naruto tried not to snear at her. He did need help getting back and couldn't afford to make Sakura angry again. "Yeah...thanks" he managed.
After a quiet walk back into town the three fumbled around a little bit till they found a street that Naruto remembered. They soon located Naruto's new dwelling. Jiriaya was sitting outside the door smoking a pipe, something he rarely did. He stood as he saw them coming and quickly stashed it away along with the pad of paper he had been taking notes on from his day's expedition to the bath houses.
"Hey Naruto. How was it?" He asked as they stopped in front of him. Naruto gave him a knowing smile that almost looked scary. "Good, and how was your day...E-ro-Sen-nin?"
Jiriaya laughed nervously. Had Naruto really needed to call him by that name in front of his two new teammates? Then he noticed the pink hair and pretty features of one of those said teammates. He blushed and smiled. "And what's your name my pretty?"
Naruto clocked him a good one on the head. "Pervert Sennin, don't start hitting on my teammates! I told you to cut it out while we were here."
A slightly dazed Jiriaya shook his head. "Gomen." *I knew I shouldn't have done that in front of him* he thought.
Sakura couldn't help but ask Naruto. "Um Naruto. Is he your...father?" She whispered.
Naruto's eyebrows were still twitching. "That pervert? If I had been his kid I would have disowned him years ago."
For the first time the three genin of Team Seven had a good laugh together. Well actually it was more like a smile from Sasuke, a giggle from Sakura, and a loud obnoxious laugh from Naruto, but it was as good as it got for them.