Acquainting

It was lunch time for the academy students. After getting to know their assigned teams and leaving the classes, everyone was amounting, outside the classroom, trying to find their team-mates and start their very first form of communication through lunch. Everyone was still talking about the episode with Yuusou that had happened just moments ago, inside the room. Everybody's opinion was still the same and now that they were outside, they could talk freely about it.

But some were clearly not the least interested about that matter. Naru was one of those. She had rather look for a lunch partner, but she couldn't find Sakuya anywhere. She knew Sakuya was a loner, much like her father had once been, but she expected that, at least, they could have lunch together with Yuusou, to start bonding among them. Plan failed, it seemed.

Better start looking for you Yuusou, then. I can't find Sakuya-chan anywhere, so I might aswell take the chance to be alone with Yuusou, hihi. thought Naru, immediately blushing and realizing what she had just thought. What the hell was that? I didn't just think that, did I?

Naru waved it off and started looking for Yuusou. She looked everywhere, inside the academy, in the halls, outside the academy, where most of the genin were, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She started worrying. She knew that none of the genins were daring enough to assault him in the academy, but outside the academy was another story. She also started noticing the side looks that most gave him, especially after knowing that not only had he passed the exam but he had also been sorted into what they found to be the best team. Besides, Yuusou had proved to be shy by nature. Even if nothing had happened to him, he could just be in some ally, trying his best not to be noticed.

I guess it's by-myself-lunch to me. sighed mentally Naru. She looked for a good and calm place to have lunch. She walked into a park where there were some wooden benches. She sat and looked at the sky. She was now a genin. A ninja. Playtime was over and now it was going to be serious. Am I really ready for this? Do I have what it takes to be a ninja? Naru was questioning her own ability as a ninja when she heard steps that snapped her out of her chain of thoughts.

"Can I sit with you, Naru-san?" called a voice at the girl's side. Naru brought her head down and looked to the person who had talked. Yuusou stood there changing looks from the ground to the girl. Naru wide-eyed a bit, a faint blush caressing her cheeks as she answered affirmatively. The boy did as he had asked to.

They sat there for about half an hour while they were eating lunch. It was an awkward silence, but none of them had dared to break it yet.

"So..." Naru decided to break the silence.

"Yeah..." was Yuusou's answer.

"Erm... Excited about getting to know our jounin instructor?" asked Naru, trying to wave off the uncomfortable air that was begining to take over. "How do you think he will be? Think that maybe it's a she? What kind of missions do you think we're gonna do? Maybe D-rank-"

"Naru-san!..." interrupted Yuusou, surprising Naru. He had a serious face. He first stared at the ground, with a reflective expression and then looked Naru in the eyes. "Honestly... Are you really not against me being in your team?"

Naru wide-eyed at such question. She took in the questions for a couple of seconds before saying "W-What do you mean?"

Yuusou sighed and breathed deep. "I mean what I said. You heard me awhile ago. Why do you keep pretending that you like me, or at least, tolerate me?"

At this Naru got angry and rose from the bench. "Is that what you think of me?" she grited her teeth. "Do you think that I'm just like everybody else? I thought you better, Yuusou. I am glad that you're in my team! I am glad that we'll be working together from now on! What's so wrong about me liking you, anyway? gasp" As soon as she said that, she covered her mouth with her hands and blushed from head to toe.

Yuusou stood there wide-eyed at Naru.

"I... I didn't mean that... I..." tried Naru.

Yuusou looked down... and smiled. "You know... I'm the Oozora family's heir." started Yuusou. Naru's angry expression eased and she sat again, staring at the boy. "My family is not wealthy. Nor do we have an anciant powerful bloodline. Heck, I'm the first ninja in my family's history." He chuckled a bit and continued. "But I'm proud of my family. We're humble, honest hardworkers. My parents own a famous clothing business in Konoha and I want be great at being a ninja myself, so that I can continue my family's good name. But..."

Naru interrupted him. "And I'm sure you will be, Yuusou!"

"Please let me continue." he asked.

"My father gave me this name. It means 'manly'. And even though he never told me personally, I know that he gave me this name because he wanted me to be the man of the family. He put great hopes in Akane, wanting her to marry a good man and give him many grandchildren. He put great hopes in me, first wanting me to continue the business and now wanting me to succeed as a ninja. But what do you know? Turns out my sister's a lesbian and has married another woman. Turns out that I'm not going to run my family's business after all..." at this point, Yuusou's eyes started tearing "and I'm really afraid of letting my parents down because I don't know if I have what it takes to be a ninja!"

Naru took in what the boy had said and looked at him intensely, in a way that she was thinking about what he had said. She stood like that for a couple of minutes, thinking and watching him constantly wiping his eyes, and then she stood up, stretched, smiled.

"The way I see it..." she started, catching the boy's atention. "Is that your father had two ambitions for both your sister and you. He wanted your sister to marry a respectable and good man. Well, she didn't marry a man, but Hanabi-baa-chan is very respectable and has a great heart. Besides, the Hyuuga work as a clan, so, if they're not hers, there are many children there that she can treat as her own, loving them and protecting them, since she is married to the head of the clan. As for you..." she then took a glance at Yuusou, who was listening atentively, wide-eyed "I really think that the hopes your father put in you to become a great ninja can and will not be in vain. I will help you. You will not be alone. You just need to believe and have a dream and you can do anything. That's what my dad always says and I guess we should believe him. Do you have a dream?" she smiled.

Yuusou's eyes widen even more for a second, before his expression eased and he looked down to the ground, in a reflective way, letting out a big smile and closing his eyes in a thankful expression, full of realisation.

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"Man, it's been almost one hour!" complained Naru for the tenth time, making Yuusou sigh and giving a headache to Sakuya.

As soon as the bell had rung at 15h00, as promised, all of the genins had gone to the classroom waiting to get acquainted to each team's jounin instructor. There was no definite time for waiting. The genin were supposed to wait in the room until the jounin instructors came in and called for their team.

Naru, Sakuya and Yuusou had been waiting for their jounin instructor for almost an hour and a half. Although Yuusou was politely sitting on his desk and Sakuya had a thoughtful expression, Naru was getting itchy from waiting so much.

The last jounin instructor had come in almost half an hour ago. Naru and Yuusou had gotten an unexpected surprise as Naru's aunt and Yuusou's sister-in-law, Hyuuga Hanabi, had come in to call for team #3. Naru knew she was a jounin but thought that the work as head of the Hyuuga clan and the missions left no open for her to become instructor. Apparently they did.

But after that surprise, it had been one miserable boring hour. Well, almost, since five minutes after Hanabi had come in and left, they saw through the room's window that there was a man wearing a big scarf running from a mob of apparently insane... women. Though the scene had been fast, it had been quite funny. But after that it had been only waiting for them.

"I can't believe this!" restarted Naru. "Why the hell were we left for last? I just hope our instructor isn't like my dad's instructor had been, because if that's the case, then I'm going to be really pissed off!"

At this, Sakuya flinched. She had also heard stories from her parents about the one jounin who could come late to even his own death. Hatake Kakashi. Well, he hadn't died yet, but surely, anyway. Sakuya really hoped that her instructor wouldn't be like this one guy. She couldn't take lack of comitment.

"Maybe something unexpected happened." Yuusou gave his opinion, finally talking.

"Yeah?" asked an angry Naru. "Like what? His watch's batteries run dead? God!"

"Stop cursing, damnit!" Sakuya shouted to Naru. "You're not taking us anywhere, you're just pissing us off even more, Naru-chan!"

"But I'm just so tired of waiting, Sakuya-chan! Maki-sensei said 15h00, it's past 4:30 p.m. and we haven't gotten any kind of information on the instructor's delay! What's he doing, anyway?" Naru answered back, getting some laughs out of Yuusou.

"That..." said a voice behind the three of them. "Is something you wouldn't want to know."

The three were caught in surprise and turned their heads in the direction of the voice's source. Standing behind them was a short man (short for his age), with black long spiky hair that shaped up like a flame, the Konoha forehead protector on his forehead, taned skin and lazy black eyes. He had a small band-aid on his left cheek and black gloves with metal plates on the fists. He wore green shorts, blue sandal-boots and a light yellow shirt under his jounin vest. To complete, he had a big indigo scarf around his neck that went almost to his feet.

"Wassup?" He told cooly, winking lightly.

All three of them stood speechless, eyeing atentively this man who, without a doubt was their assigned jounin instructor.

I didn't even sense him coming. Despite the looks, this guy's good... thought Sakuya.

He doesn't look bad. Maybe he's not too demanding... I hope. thought Yuusou.

Che, trying to look cool and all. But I didn't sense him coming, so I guess he's not that bad... Wait a minute!... that scarf... "Ah!" exclaimed Naru, catching everyone in surprise and pointing to the men. "You're that guy from before!"

Sakuya, Yuusou and the jounin stood there staring at her in surprise, wondering what the hell she meant.

Naru continued. "You're that guy that was running from that mob of women, almost an hour ago! I know it! So, that's why you got late. What the hell were you doing?"

Sakuya and Yuusou wide-eyed at this, and looked imediatly to the jounin, now recognizing his face.

The jounin took a defensive position. "I told you. You wouldn't want to know!" he blabbered.

The three genin eyed him a deathglare. He sweatdroped and tried to ease up the things, waving his arms in front of his almost pleading face. "Why don't we go to the roof, forget about this and introduce ourselves?"

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Team #6 and their jounin instructor were now sitting on the roof. A light breeze caressed their faces, as the sun ran slowly and nonstoply to the horizon, preparing for the sunset that would come in about an hour.

The jounin sat comfortably on the edge of the roof while the three genin were nervously sitting five meters across the jounin, eyeing him suspiciously.

The jounin talked first. "So... If we're gonna be a team, we might aswell get to know each other better, don't you think? Why don't you talk about yourselves a little. You know. Your names, relatives, hobbies, likes and dislikes, dreams for the future... That kind of stuff."

The three genin mantained their suspicious glare, but their poses eased up a bit.

"Why don't you tell us first?" asked Naru. "You're the one we don't know."

The others mentally agreed.

The jounin looked a bit surprised for an instance, but then his comfy pose went back. "Because I'm your instructor I'm telling you to go first anyway. I won't bite. I just think that you might get a surprise with yourselves. Maybe you don't know each other that well." He smirked.

The three genin made a surprised and confused face and looked at each other. There was silence for about a minute before Sakuya spoke up.

"Okay, I'll go first." she said "I am Uchiha Sakuya. My father, Uchiha Sasuke is the Konoha's ANBU commander and my mother, Uchiha Sakura, is the Konoha Hospital's chairlady.They are two members of the Konoha Sannin. I don't have many hobbies, nor there are many things I like, though I appreciate a good spar. My deslikes are none of your business. As for dreams... I don't think I have any."

The other three looked at her curiously.

I see that arrogance, an Uchiha trait, still runs in her, but I guess her mother's side worked well for her also. thought the jounin.

Wow! Her mom and dad are two of the three members of the Sannin. Besides, they both have high rank jobs. Amazing! thought, dumbfounded, Yuusou.

"Okay, now you." The jounin pointed to Naru.

"Me? Okay!" said Naru. "My name's Uzumaki Naru! My dad is the Hokage and the other member of the Konoha Sannin, Uzumaki Naruto. My mom, Uzumaki Hinata, passed away when I was a child and I don't remember anything of her, though my dad totally fills out for her, that's why I'm not sad. I have a twin brother, who's currently training at the Hyuuga household, Hideki. I like ramen and my favorite hobbie is to go with my family to Ichiraku Ramen bar. I hate people who look down upon others. (at this, Yuusou smirked) As for my dream..." She smirked confidently. "I wouldn't call it a dream, more like an ambition. My dad once told me that if you have a dream, you can always strive to do better and accomplish great things, in order to fulfill that dream. So, my ambition is to find a dream which I can live up to!"

Just like her father. The jounin smirked.

Woah, good one, Naru-chan. thought Sakuya.

Naru-san, you're amazing! thought Yuusou, trying to supress a blush that was starting to appear.

"Finally you, boy." said the jounin, breaking the mood and pointing to Yuusou.

"Yes, sir! I am Oozora Yuusou. I'm not originally from this village. My dad, Oozora Maru, and mom, Oozora Koko, run a clothes store. My sister, Hyuuga Akane, she... (an intense blush appeared on the boy's cheeks) she is married to Hyuuga Hanabi and helps her with the clan's business aswell as my parents in the store. (the smirk on the jounin's face faded and he frowned a bit) What I like is... Well... (he side-glanced to Naru, making her blush a little). I also hate people who look down upon others but I hate prejudiced people even more. My hobbie is to photograph birds. As for dreams... Well, I like to think that I have one, but..."

"Go on, kid, don't be afraid." said the jounin, noticing the lack of confidence in the boy's last words.

"Well... I've never told this to anybody but... My dream is to become Hokage..."

At this everyone, except for the jounin, wide-eyed in surprise.

"I..." Yuusou continued "Ever since I came to this village, I've been assaulted, pushed up and abused by other kids." He said this looking down to his feet, but then he looked straight in the jounin's eyes, with a serious face. "That's why I want to be Hokage. So that people can finally acknowledge me for who I am and so that I'll never be stepped on."

At the boy's words, the jounin's mouth opened up in a big grin and Sakuya was very surprised at the boy What would you know? Not bad. But the biggest reaction was from Naru. She felt her feet gettin weaker, her stomach felt like there were butterflies in it and her head felt light. She was blushing intensely.

"Very well!" said the jounin, breaking the mood once again. "I believe it's my turn now." Everyone stared atentively at him. "My name is Konohamaru. I have no family alive. I never knew my parents and my grandfather, Sarutobi, died when I was a little older than eight. He was the Sandaime Hokage. I don't have many hobbies that you would like to know, though I'm currently writing a tribute book." He then looked at Yuusou. "I like Hanabi-san. I don't like Akane-san." he said with a serious face, surprising the youth. "My dream is also to become Hokage. I made that promise to someone, a long ago... (he made a nostalgic expression, but then his mood lifted up) I'm also your father's rival!" He finished, looking at Naru.

The three genin stood there, there poses much more relaxed and their faces showing slight surprise. They didn't expect their jounin instructor to be so friendly and easygoing.

"Well, that's it." Konohamaru said, standing up. "Meet me tomorrow at the bridge at 7 a.m. Don't bring your ninja tools, you won't need them. See ya!" He saluted them and disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the three genin.