Reincarnation of Asura
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…sadly.
Chapter 5: Team Placements & Tests
'Thinking'
"Talking"
"Bijū / Summons Talking"
"Jutsu (Technique)"
- That Night -
Racing through the trees, a frantic and panting Mizuki held on desperately to the Fūin no Sho (Scroll of Seals) as he hurried through the village. His orders were simple: steal the scroll from the Hokage's Residence and make his way to a checkpoint at the wall surrounding the village where a contact would take the scroll from him back to Orochimaru-sama.
Unfortunately, getting the scroll had been incredibly difficult, as the ANBU patrolling the Hokage's Residence kept an ever-watchful guard over the place.
His original plan had been to trick Naruto Uzumaki into doing it for him, but the demon brat had to go and graduate without issue, derailing the first part entirely. This led him to think on the fly and lie to one of the students who had failed their Graduation Exam, promising another chance to graduate if they caused a distraction outside the building.
Once the ANBU went to go check on the child, Mizuki wasted little time in grabbing the scroll before fleeing for his life. Already, he knew that the ANBU would notice it missing and are now surely scouring the village for the thief. In his desperation, Mizuki had taken a slight detour to throw off any pursuers, moving through a large forest of trees that looked vaguely familiar to his panicked eyes.
"Kongōken: Tsūtenkyaku (Adamantine Fist: Heavenly Foot of Pain)!"
Before he could react, a heeled foot descended from the sky and crashed to the ground right in front of him, forming a massive crater as massive rocks and hundred-year-old trees were destroyed. The force of the attack threw Mizuki backwards, sending him crashing into a thick tree trunk that broke several bones. "AH!"
Slumping to the ground in pain, he blearily looked up through the sweat and blood running down his forehead as a solitary figure approached him. For a moment, the blond hair and forest-green top made his dizzy mind think it was the demon brat who had stopped him, only to realize with a growing sense of dread that the heels on the figure's feet belonged to only one other person.
"And what is a chūnin doing running through the Senju Compound's forest with the Fūin no Sho in his hands?" A glaring Tsunade asked, her arms crossed as she stared at the wounded Mizuki. "Last I checked, that scroll belongs in the Hokage Residence…and you don't look like Sensei."
Groaning, he tried desperately to force his shaking limbs to move as his eyes looked for an escape, but the blood dripping from a cut above his eyebrow was making it difficult. As he spotted a potential path, his eyes widened as a single red-painted finger appeared in front of him.
"Nice try, but you're not going anywhere." Tsunade smirked, flicking his forehead with just enough strength to knock him out.
Frowning, she grabbed the large scroll out of his hands before picking him up by the back of his chūnin flak jacket. Jumping through the trees, she made her way towards the Hokage's Residence to turn the traitor over to the ANBU.
The Gomon/Jinmon Butai (Torture and Interrogation Force) can find out what was going on themselves, she was too exhausted after a long day of celebrations with her godson and his little -definitely not- girlfriend to care.
Smirking, she chuckled to herself the thought of her godson, 'Yeah, like that's going to take long to change. Even stick-in-the-mud Hiashi knows that they'll end up together.'
Glancing down at the unconscious body in her grip, her humor died as a frown marred her gorgeous face. 'I'm gonna need a drink after this, I just know it…'
- Morning -
Sitting down in their seats for the last time, the newly-graduated Genin talked back and forth with each other about those who weren't called to join one of the Genin Teams. Earlier that morning, all of those present had woken up to an ANBU outside their homes informing them that they were to be at the Academy for Team Placements.
Everyone quieted down as a tired Iruka came walking into the room, his sad eyes counting off the students present before nodding to himself. "Everyone's here, good." Sighing, his shoulders slumped as he spoke to the class. "As much as it pains me to tell you all, Mizuki-sensei will not be here to see you all off. Last night, he was caught attempting to steal a valuable item from the Hokage's Residence…"
Gasps and whispers rang out as Iruka raised a hand to silence them. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but this is the reality of a Shinobi's life. Today's enemies can be tomorrow's allies, and today's friends can be tomorrow's traitors." His eyes hardened as he made eye-contact with everyone in the room. "Remember this as you go out into your new careers as Genin. Many have lost their lives forgetting this fact, and I don't want any of you to suffer that same fate."
When he felt that his point had been made, he tried to cheer up the room with a smile. "With that said, it's now time to reveal your team placements." Pulling out a scroll, he began reading through the list of names. "In Team 1…"
"As is tradition, we've placed the Rookie Shinobi and Kunoichi of the Year with the Dead Last. That means for Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Kiba Inuzuka will be led by their Jōnin Sensei, Kakashi Hatake."
An ear-piercing squeal shattered the following silence as a pink-haired girl in a red dress cheered, "SASUKE-KUUUN!" Pumping her fist in the air, she continued, "FINALLY! True love conquers all!"
Seated next to her, the black-haired Sasuke Uchiha clenched his eyes shut as he tried to stay calm, taking deep breaths through an angry scowl on his face. A few seats away, a wild-looking boy with red triangle marks on his face glared at the pink-haired girl as his hands covered his ears. The small white-furred dog sitting in his jacket's hood whined at the terribly-loud noises the girl was making.
Clearing his throat, Iruka waited until everyone had settled down before continuing. "Moving on…in Team 8: Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyūga, and Naruto Senju will be led by Kurenai Yūhi."
Ignoring the rest of what their sensei was saying, Naruto and Hinata quietly cheered together at being placed on the same team. They were hoping that they would be put together, but there was always a chance that something could have happened and they'd be split apart.
Luckily, things worked out in their favor and now they both would be working together on missions and watch each other's backs.
Glancing over to the other side of the room, they spotted their third teammate sitting quietly next to Shikamara Nara and Choji Akimichi. Shino was a very quiet kid who they couldn't remember ever talking to. Granted, most Aburame were that way, but it still them unsure as to how they'd all get along together.
If nothing else, his quiet work ethic meant that there'd be little drama going on amongst their team. And hopefully they could figure out a way to get him to open up to them. Seeing Shino turn his head and nod politely in their direction, they nodded back with friendly smiles.
Hearing the last name called on the list, Naruto and Hinata turned their attention away from their new teammate back on Iruka.
"Well then. That's everyone on the list." Iruka smiled, gazing at each other their faces for the last time in his classroom. "Your sensei's will be here momentarily to come pick you up…Which means that my time as your sensei is over. I wish you all luck in your future careers, and hope to see you all again soon!"
With a final wave, he left the classroom as two other people walked into the room.
The first person to enter the room was a bearded man with black hair, dressed in the typical Jōnin uniform with a white sash around his waist. The sash was decorated with a red circle and the kanji for 'Fire', denoting him as a former member of the Shungonin Jūnishi (Twelve Guardian Ninja) that protected the Daimyō of Hi no Kuni.
"Team 10, I'm Asuma Sarutobi and I'll be your new sensei…Follow me outside."
As Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji got up from their seats to follow their new sensei, everyone turned their attention to the other person standing in the room.
She was a gorgeous woman with long, untamed black hair that reached her upper back, and uniquely red eyes that radiated warmth as she smiled at the gathered graduates. Her style of clothing was a red mesh blouse with a single long right sleeve, under a unique bandage-style dress patterned with rose thorns.
"Team 8? I'm Kurenai Yūhi, you're new sensei. Please follow me." Her voice was soft and musical, almost enchanting to the ear.
Getting up, Naruto and Hinata walked behind Shino as they followed their sensei out of the Academy.
The three newly-graduated genin kept quiet as she led them to one of the training grounds with a small clearing surrounded by trees, the sound of a nearby river filled the silence as it flowed through the area and down towards several other training grounds.
"This here is Training Ground 8, and it's where we'll be meeting from now on for team training." Kurenai explained, her red eyes glancing at her new students as she took in their appearances while her soft voice gained a hard edge as she continued. "Officially, before we all get to know each other, I must test you three to make sure that you all can cohesively work together out on missions. Should you fail, you'll be sent to the Genin Reserves."
Seeing their faces turn serious, she smiled. "Good, you seem to recognize how serious this is…Then for your test, you three must work together to find a specific target. Since this team is meant to be a track-and-capture squad, you'll need to find the target and capture them without any outside help, before bringing them back here."
Seeing Hinata raise her hand, she nodded at the girl. "A-Ano, who is the target we're supposed to capture?"
Reaching into her long red sleeve, Kurenai pulled out a single scroll. "This contains everything you'll need to identify your target. You have until sunset to capture them, and bring them back here. Should you succeed, then you will officially be declared Team 8." Handing the scroll over to Hinata, she gave one last encouraging smile to them. "Good luck, Team 8... I know you can do this."
Forming a quick handsign, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the three genin alone in the empty training ground.
After their sensei left, the three genin glanced at each other wordlessly.
Breaking the silence, Naruto motioned to the scroll in Hinata's hand. "Let's see who we're supposed to find before we make any plans."
Nodding, they huddled together as Hinata opened the scroll. Inside, there was single photograph of the person's face. It was a woman around Kurenai's age, with pupilless brown eyes and purple hair tied in a ponytail. Underneath the photo was some basic information about their target.
Name: Anko Mitarashi
Rank: Tokubetsu Jōnin
Known Skills: Snake Summons
Last Known Location: Konoha Market
"We're supposed to capture a Tokubetsu Jōnin?" Naruto asked in disbelief. There was no way three Genin fresh out of the Academy could take on someone that strong.
Glancing at his teammates, he had to admit that the odds were stacked against them. Even knowing Hinata and sparring with her as long as he had, Naruto didn't a clue how they were going to pull this off. To make matters even more difficult, they had to work with a teammate that they knew barely anything about.
Focusing on said teammate, Naruto took a second to get his first real look at him.
Shino Aburame was a surprisingly tall figure, about an inch taller than Naruto at 5'3. He was very much the typical Aburame, with a high-collared coat that hid the bottom-half of his face, and a pair of dark sunglasses that kept anyone from seeing his eyes. His dark, bushy, brown hair was the same color as his long brown pants.
Everything about him gave off the idea that he was both mysterious and forgettable. The common colors he wore, and lack of any noticeable facial features that weren't covered, meant Shino could blend into a crowd and be easily forgotten.
'But that's probably why he wears it.' Naruto thought, a tinge of respect for his new teammate that obvious had some idea of what it meant to be a shinobi.
It's partially why Naruto wore a green shirt and black pants, it wasn't just to show respect to his shishō, it was also because of all of the trees and greenery within Konoha. Wearing just pure black, or kami-forbid some type of orange, he'd be very noticeable if there ever came a time to hide.
"What do you think Shino-san?" Naruto asked.
"Hmm, a difficult assignment." Shino spoke monotone, a slight buzzing coming from his body. "Mitarashi-san is known as the former apprentice of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Would advise extreme caution."
Nodding, Naruto turned to Hinata, "What about you, Hinata-chan?"
Glancing down at the scroll, she blinked as a thought came to her. "K-Kurenai-sensei wouldn't make us d-do this if it was beyond our ability. I've m-met her a few times, and she was always nice to m-me. S-She might have asked M-Mitarashi-san to go easy on us…"
'True, Hokage-sama wouldn't allow a team to be failed for having been given an outrageous task.' Naruto thought, grimacing at the thought of the man he once called 'Jiji'. Their relationship had been strained ever since Tsunade had told him about being a Jinchūriki. It was still difficult to image that the man he looked up to like a grandfather could keep something so important a secret from him.
While Naruto was never the most responsible person, even he knew that his status was something not to spread around. Even more so, when it was the cause behind the villagers' dislike towards him.
Pushing the thought aside, he focused on the present issue. Looking back and forth between his teammates, Naruto's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to go about this. His teammates pondered the same thing, allowing for the quiet of the clearing to fill their eyes. The soft buzzing coming from Shino drawing his attention as a thought came to him. 'Wait…maybe that could work!'
"Shino-san?" Naruto spoke up, drawing both of his teammates' gazes. At least he hoped Shino's gaze was on him, the dark sunglasses made it difficult to determine where the boy was looking.
"Hai?"
"How good are you at your clan jutsu?"
Pausing, Shino thought over the question for a moment before answering. "Decent, for a Genin of my clan."
Pretty much what he had expected. Turning to Hinata, who was watching their interaction curiously, Naruto asked. "And you, Hinata-chan? Were you able to get that those jutsu to work yet?"
"H-Hai!" She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
Grinning, Naruto clapped his hands together as a plan started to form in his head. "Excellent. In that case…I think I have an idea."
Staring at him with raised eyebrows, his two teammates glanced at each other before leaning is as he began to explain what he had in mind.
- Konoha Market -
Munching on a stick of fresh dango, Anko Mitarashi sighed as she continued walking through the market at a leisurely pace. Her open trench coat left her mesh-shirt exposed, just barely covering her chest enough to keep from being indecent, drawing the gaze of nearly every man and young teenage boy as she passed them by.
Most would assume that she was some kind of exhibitionist, with her nearly exposed chest and the short skirt that barely covered her butt.
Those same people -most likely civilians- also would never understand the harsh realities of the world that they lived in; where every second was a gift, and the chances of dying before ever seeing old age were more than common. In fact, it was rare for a shinobi to reach old age, most ended up dying before their 30th birthday. As a kunoichi, the danger was even worse as there was more than death awaiting her out in the world.
If showing some skin meant that she could live to see another birthday, then Anko would gladly deal with lustful gazes being sent her way. Especially if it meant she could live to enjoy another day's worth of dango, her favorite food of all-time.
Though, it seems there were more than just lustful gazes fixed on her now.
'Seems Kurenai-chan's gakis are finally making their move.' Anko thought, noticing a pair of white eyes belonging to a Hyūga staring at her from the crowd. Personally, she didn't care to deal with any genin, finding their childish antics annoying and not worth their time. But this was a favor to her best friend, so it wasn't like she could say no.
Watching as the young Hyūga girl weaved her way through the crowd, Anko had to give the girl props for her stealth. Had it been a chūnin they were sent after; the girl would likely have gotten to the target without being noticed. 'Unfortunately for her, I'm not a chūnin.'
As the girl came within reach, Anko bit off the last piece of dango meat from the stick before spinning the small piece of wood between her nimble fingers and tossing it straight at the girl's forehead.
Seeing the girl have to stop her forward momentum to dodge the stick, Anko used the opportunity to extend her palm towards the girl as she called out. "Kuchiyose: Sen'ei Jashu (Summoning: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)!"
From the baggy sleeves of her trench coat, three large pythons shot out towards the Hyūga, quickly wrapping around the girl and lifting her off the ground to dangle in the air. The civilians in the area, so used to the antics of shinobi, continued moving around them with barely a glance at what was going on.
Standing there nonchalantly, Anko smirked as she stared at the captured girl. "Heh, nice try. But you'll have to do better than that to catch me off guard." Subtly commanding her snakes, Anko drew the girl in close as she asked. "Now, where's the rest of your team?"
Before the Hyūga girl could respond, Anko barely had time to dodge as fist went sailing past her cheek. As a second fist came close, she lasted out with her hand to grab the wrist, stopping the blow before it could hit her.
Glancing at the new opponent, she noticed that it was an Aburame by the look of his clothing. Which explained why she hadn't noticed him coming, the kid had blended in with the cloud easily. 'Now we're getting somewhere.'
"Good effort, but your taijutsu needs work." Her tone was part mocking, part observational as she smirked at the stoic Aburame.
The kid obviously wasn't a taijutsu user, and had hoped to use his teammates capture to give a quick knockout blow to her face. An amateur attempt, but one that Anko could respect given the sheer difference in their abilities compared to hers.
In response to her quip, the Aburame nodded. "Indeed. I have much to learn, but that was not why I did this." Before she could respond, Anko's eyes widened as the boy in her grasp dissolved into bugs. "Kikaichū: Mushi Bunshin (Parasitic Destruction Insects: Insect Clone)."
Frantically trying to shake off the chakra-eating Kikaichū, her focus was taken off the Hyūga, providing an opening the girl needed to act. "Jūken: Ichigekishin (Gentle Fist: One Blow Body)!"
Chakra burst out from every tenketsu in the girl's body, using a rudimentary technique that was the first step to their infamous Kaiten (Revolving Heaven). Still, it proved more than enough to force the snakes wrapped around her to dispel, returning them to their summon realm as she lashed out with her fingertips. "Hakke: Jūroku Shō (Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms)!"
Preparing to be struck in her chest, Anko was surprised to feel the girl target the tenketsu in her legs while she continued trying to get rid of the kikaichū covering her arm that were slowly draining her chakra.
Deciding to get some distance between her and the genin, Anko used her free hand to form a quick handsign. It was then that she realized exactly why the Hyūga targeted her legs as she failed to mold the chakra in her legs necessary for a Kawarimi (Body Replacement).
Granted, with so few tenketsu closed by the Hyūga's rookie technique, she could easily force open her tenketsu with chakra, undoing the girl's attempt while also getting rid of the kikaichū on her arm. But Kurenai-chan had asked her to go easier on them, and to not use anything beyond a few snake summons that would show how outmatched they really were.
So instead, Anko swung her Kikaichū-infested arm at the girl, knocking her back and scattering the bugs away.
As she raised both hands to summon her snakes and bind them, a voice called out from a nearby rooftop. "Mokuton: Kanna (Wood Release: Complete Capture)!"
Suddenly, wood sprung up in a circle all around her, quickly encasing her in a wooden dome.
"…the hell?" Anko called out in surprise and confusion. She'd heard rumors that a genin had awoken the legendary Mokuton, but she hadn't actually given much thought to there being truth to it.
Now though, she was realizing how wrong her assumptions had been.
Testing out the wood dome, she drew her hand back before curling it into a fist and punching.
"OW!" She yelped, waving her stinging hand as she tried to shake off the pain. It felt like she had just punched a steel wall, and her strike hadn't even dented the wood! 'Okay…so maybe they're a little better than I gave them credit for.'
Before she could try and make an escape, a rumpling beneath her feet drew her attention. Glancing down at the shaking ground in confusion, her eyes widened as the sound of buzzing got louder.
'Oh, you have got to be kiddi-!' Before she could finish her thought, a swarm of kikaichū burst out of the ground, quickly filling the space inside the dome. "SERIOUSLY!"
Kurenai-chan was so going to owe her for this.
"Kikaichū: Mushi Damashi (Parasitic Destruction Insects: Insect Deception)." Shino called out, his hands placed on the ground as he had his kikaichū burrow underground and appear inside the dome. Already, his insects were quickly draining the chakra from their target, the process taking several moments as the tokubetsu jōnin's chakra reserves were more than he was used to dealing with.
Movement from behind him signaled his two teammates approaching calmly, their gazes fixed on the wooden dome where the loud buzzing of his kikaichū could be heard.
"Hinata-chan, can you check to see if she's passed out yet?" Naruto asked, getting a nod from her as she turned to stare at the dome.
"Byakugan (White Eye)!" The veins around her eye's bulged as Hinata peered inside the dome thanks to her clan's kekkei genkai. "S-She's almost out. Just a f-few more seconds should do it."
Nodding, the three waited until the sound of a body falling to the ground could be heard.
As Shino called back his swarm of kikaichū into his body, Naruto undid the wooden dome he had created, revealing the slumped form of a nearly unconscious Anko. Her clothes heavily ruffled and her purple hair freed from its ponytail and lying scattered on the ground from the bug-swarm she just endured.
"A-Alright…I give. You caught me." She mumbled out, the lack of chakra leaving her too tired and weakened to fight back as she laid on the ground.
Glancing at his teammates, Naruto said. "Best not take any chances." Weaving a few more handsigns, he called out, "Mokuton: Kabushiki (Wood Release: Stock)." Wood quickly burst out of the ground, wrapping around Anko's neck and wrists until it created a wooden stock that bound her and suppressed what little chakra she had left.
Checking the time, Hinata noticed that the sun was going to set, meaning they had very little time left for their test. "L-Let's get her back to Kurenai-sensei, quickly!"
Nodding, Naruto grabbed one side of the stocks while Shino grabbed the other. Groaning at the weight, they lifted the wood up as Hinata walked around to the back and picked up Anko's legs off the ground. Together, they moved as fast as they could back to Training Ground 8, carrying the bound form of their target through the market.
Watching the three genin carrying a bound older kunoichi away from the area, the civilians shook their heads at the oddity of shinobi.
- Training Ground 8 -
Standing in her original spot in the training ground, Kurenai had to smother a laugh that threatened to escape her lips as she watched her team carry a bound, semi-unconscious Anko over to her. Instead, she settled for a happy smile as they arrived with only a few minutes left in their test.
"Congratulations Team 8! You've successfully completed your first assignment together, which now makes you officially my students." Kurenai announced, watching as the three cheered in their own ways at the news. Hinata smiled brightly at her teammates while Naruto cheered before wrapping his arms around her and Shino's necks to pull them into a hug. Shino, the quietest of the three, allowed himself to be pulled into the hug as a slight increase in buzzing was heard.
Waiting until they settled down, Kurenai added. "For now, you three should head home and let your families know of your success. I expect you all to be here tomorrow morning for our first practice." Getting three nods, she turned to Naruto as she motioned to Anko, "Do you mind removing the stocks?"
Smiling, Naruto made a quick handsign with caused the wood to break apart, freeing Anko as he and his teammates left the training grounds.
Watching as her students walked away happily, Kurenai noticed a small bounce in all three of their steps as they disappeared in the distance.
Once they were far enough away, Kurenai lost her composer as she broke out into laughter. Her shoulders shaking as the musical sound of her giggles echoed throughout the clearing. "A-Anko, -hahaha!- are you okay?"
A groan came from her friend as she laid on the ground. "…you owe me so much dango for this."
"Hai, hai." Kurenai giggled, reaching down help stand Anko up on shaking legs. Seeing her friend's ruffed-up appearance, she had to ask. "How'd they do?"
Despite her exhausted state from lack of chakra, Anko replied in a steady voice. "Not bad, for a couple of genin. Smarter than I gave them credit for…Didn't expect you to get a Mokuton user either, and to think it'd be him of all people."
"Yes, I heard the rumors as well. I was shocked to learn that they were actually true…" Kurenai bemused, throwing Anko's arm over her shoulder as they left the training ground.
Glancing at Kurenai from the corner of her eye, Anko smirked. "Seems like things might actually get exciting around here."
And wasn't that the truth. The most excitement Konoha had seen in recent years was the Kyūbi's attack on their village, and that was only for a single night. Since then, the village had been relatively quiet as shinobi were sent on missions to help secure Konoha's borders and to keep the other Shinobi Godaikoku (Five Great Shinobi Countries) from having thoughts of invading.
The return of Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune had already caused word to spread throughout the Elemental Nations, forcing the other villages to pause whatever plans they had and rethink their strategies.
The Sannin were powerhouses in their own right that were each S-Ranked, meaning they could potentially take on armies single-handedly. Even with Orochimaru's betrayal, the fact that Tsunade had returned and Jiraiya was continuing his work as a spymaster, meant that Konoha still had two powerful shinobi to call on who could content with the best that the other villages had to offer.
And that's without taking into account the Sannins' sensei, the current Hokage, was an S-Ranked shinobi in his own right despite his age.
"Yes," Kurenai nodded, her red eyes staring at the spot where her students had disappeared. "Things certainly will be exciting from now on."
- END -
Author Notes:
And that's 5 Chapters.
In regards to my adding the Japanese names for things, I added those to shut the people up who always love to point out when I don't add every single bit of information in the backstories. If I don't specifically mention something, it's apparently a "plot hole" that ruins the story somehow.
If I don't add them, I get messages saying they should be there. But if I do add them, I get reviews saying that they're not necessary. I just can't win, so I'm sticking with what I've been doing.
It really shouldn't be that big of a deal people.
Hope you still are liking it so far! Thanks for checking out my story.