Despite my multitude of transgressions, I still managed to graduate without being dead last. Thank goodness there were a few bigger dumbasses than me. So at first I was pretty proud of myself. Things were looking up. I was a genin now and feeling pretty badass. At least, I was until they announced teams. Then? Then I was just screwed.
Aburame Shino. My mortal enemy! Now my teammate. Yeah, I was totally screwed.
The first time the team got together was the day after graduation. We'd been sent word from Kurenai-sensei to meet her out in the far training grounds. I decided to make a good first impression and get there early. Plus, I wanted to get there before the bug freak just to show him that I was serious about this. So just to be sure, I got there an hour early and played fetch with Akamaru. It was good exercise for the both of us… a good warm-up for whatever training we had to do.
It wasn't much longer before the bug freak showed up. He didn't say anything, though. He only looked me up and down, brows furrowed, the only indication that he felt any emotion at all. I made a note that I should steal those damn glasses and burry them in the back yard. But at least he had the courtesy to leave me and Akamaru alone and not bug us while we waited.
So things in the training grounds were sufficiently tense when poor Hinata showed up. I'd never really talked to her before, but I had no reason to believe she wasn't a nice kid, so I felt a little bad to have her walk in on a silent war zone. Being more social than lameass Shino over there, I took it upon myself to make her feel welcome, not to mention the fact that Akamaru took to her right away.
I let her throw the stick for him a few times, even, though she really wasn't good enough at it to give Akamaru a real workout. It was still fun for him and it made her a little less nervous. Plus, it gave me a chance to show off how super cool my puppy was!
"Ne, Hinata, throw it up real high. He'll catch it, no problem!"
She was still a little nervous, but complied, making a slightly awkward but sufficiently high toss and Akamaru went for it eagerly. It came as a shock, then, when the stick was intercepted mid-flight by a kunai. "What the hell!"
It was even more of a shock when I turned to find the enemy only to see Shino and Hinata out cold and Akamaru growling towards the bushes. Something was wrong here. How could an attacker sneak up on me and Akamaru? How could they take down two people without me even noticing? It didn't add up. It made me nervous as hell.
Then again, I could at least gloat that they had taken Shino out in one hit with no struggle. I could take them without him. I could smell them now… why I couldn't before never crossed my mind at the time. There were two of them, one in front and one behind. Well, I would show them just what an Inuzuka was made of!
"Looks like we won't have such a boring morning after all, ne Akamaru!" I turned my focus in the direction of the one who'd taken Shino out, figuring him for the stronger of the two. I'd catch him with my speed before he ever knew what hit him. "Shikyaku no Jutsu!"
The familiar feeling of heightened senses washed over me, though it was different this time. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something almost too intense about it. It was as if everything not only became sharper, but almost too sharp to be real. It was overwhelming to a degree that I nearly contemplated abandoning the jutsu all together, but then I reasoned it was probably some trick of theirs to try and weaken me.
Ha! I wasn't falling for that!
As if reading my mind, the enemies made themselves seen. Everything about them was clear and focused, more so than even the ground or the air. It was strange, but no so much that I was willing to let it distract me. So before they could prepare, I charged forward. The more timid one seemed almost paralyzed in fear and the larger had to pull him out of the way. Because of that, I managed to land a blow to his shoulder. The blow wasn't solid enough, though, and put me momentarily off balance.
Despite the allure of taking down the weak one first, something in the back of my mind told me it was a likely distraction. If I focused on that one, the leader would take me down in a second. I had to focus all my energy on him and trust my nose and ears to alert me to any attacks from behind.
The leader wasn't bad at all. Akamaru and I charged a few more times and he was able to dodge well enough, but then I wasn't using my speed to its fullest and neither was Akamaru. I should have noticed, but in my excitement I only saw the chance for attack, never the fact that the guy never once attacked in return. He was dodging. Rather skillfully dodging.
"Time to really get serious, Akamaru!" The answering yap and the feel of him on my back told me he was ready. Already we could practically anticipate what the other would do. "Gijuu Ninpou Juujin Bunshin!" I could feel Akamaru grow heavier so I didn't waste any time with verbal confirmation. The longer I lingered, the more likely it would be that the bastard could counter my speed, so it was only natural to launch into an immediate gatsuuga.
He hadn't been expecting that and though he managed to dodge Akamaru's strike, mine hit him square in the chest and sent us both toppling. I recovered more quickly, though and assaulted him further. Though he managed to dodge the next few gatsuga's, I could tell he was tiring.
The problem was, I was too.
I made the eventual mistake of pausing too long and when I shifted to launch my next attack, I found myself unable to move. I hadn't seen him do anything, but my limbs were pinned firmly against the ground and the more I struggled, the more immobile I became. And yet looking down there was nothing there to hold me.
The method was the least of my worries now, though. The bastard was closing in on me, looming over me with the kind of smug posture that was so characteristic of Shino. In fact… he really did remind me a lot of Shino. There was something about the calm, calculated way he did everything, the way he peered at me with his brows furrowed. It was kind of creepy. To think there were two guys like that in the world!
He leaned over me, shaking his head, to the point where I grew frustrated with his lack of action. "Oi, why don't you quit staring at me and kill me, you dumbass!"
He shook his head, releasing a soft sigh as he lifted his hand to form a seal. "Dispel."
Dispel? What the hell was he…?
It took me a moment to realize where I was and even longer to realize there were no enemies. Just Shino leaning over me without a hint of expression anywhere to be found. "Shino..?" But if that was Shino then…
I must have sounded like an idiot, but I think I yowled like a girl when I discovered exactly what was holding me immobile. Bugs. Lots and lots of bugs. My struggles renewed but Shino seemed almost amused by the act of keeping me there
"When they aren't sleeping, Academy students are taught methods to dispel genjutsu."
I hated him so much.
"Oi, I don't need a lecture from you, now call your damn bugs off!" I looked around, trying not to seem too frantic, but I wasn't sure what had happened to Akamaru. If he was hurt, I'd really give it to Shino, bugs or no bugs. What I saw was almost as bad.
It seemed Shino had trusted Akamaru enough to release whatever hold he'd had on him and the puppy looked perfectly fine… and perfectly smug. "Ne, Akamaru! Help me out here!"
Shino shot me another of those sharp looks I hated so much, but it served the purpose of shutting me up long enough to hear what he had to say. "Whoever cast that genjutsu is still nearby. So long as the enemy assumes you are still under the effect of the genjutsu, he will not concern himself with you. That is our advantage."
Why the hell did he have to make so much sense?
"All right, bugfreak. Whatever you say." I didn't like it one bit, but it was a better plan than I had. Not to mention, Shino knew more about what was going on than I did. No matter how much I hated him, I had to trust him. He was pretty damn smart, from what I'd heard.
While Shino went about doing whatever pointless crap he did, I was scanning the surrounding area as best I could without being able to turn my head behind me. But eyesight didn't matter right now anyway. Not when I could smell the bastard already, a distinct human scent that wasn't one of us. Plus, it was further off in the heavy underbrush to my left. But hell if I'd tell Shino what I noticed and let him have all the glory.
I kept my voice low so Shino wouldn't hear. "Ne, Hinata. Look over in those bushes there to the east. Not to obviously though." I had yet to even glance that way other than in a passing sweep of the area. No point in letting on what I suspected.
"Kiba-kun?" Hinata seemed surprised at the request but obliged, only giving me a bit of a startled glance at first. "I don't see… oh…"
"What is it?" I'd been right. That made me pretty damn happy.
"I don't know. I can't tell exactly, but there's something strange there. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the trees."
"I've already investigated." Shino had closed the distance between us again without my notice. More than anything else, that pissed me off. "There is a strong source of chakra located in the vicinity. The genjutsu is more sophisticated than what trapped you, however. I cannot see through it." For a moment, he seemed reluctant to speak. After hearing what he had to say, I knew why. "Your nose will be of more use."
I felt the hold on my limbs loosen, though the bugs didn't move away. This left me free to move at any time and I couldn't help but grin just a little. "Watch my back, bugfreak. I'm not waiting any longer."
It looked for a moment as if Shino wanted to protest, but I didn't give him the chance. If this attack didn't come as a total surprise, it was going to fail and then where would that leave us? So to hell with what Shino thought!
I launched into an immediate tsuuga, but just as I would have struck the target, what they told me later looked like nothing more than another tree, the tree melted away. I took out half the forest beyond it before I could stop myself. So much for a surprise attack.
I was prepared to launch myself at the source of the scent again when once again those damn bugs pinned me down. "Oi, Shino! What the hell is wrong with you! He's right-"
That was the first time I saw Kurenai-sensei. Turned out it was all some stupid test.
Stupid tests really piss me off.