Age 12
Konohamaru honestly couldn't believe it. He stood before the very first class that he had trained, molded, and admittedly cursed at. The jonin couldn't grasp that six long years had passed since he had first become their sensei. It was with pride that he had watched his kids become the fine genin candidates that stood before him, even though certain ones gave him frequent migraines.
Unfortunately, the written exam had disqualified a handful from taking the step from student to genin. Those individuals would be integrated into his next class for reinforcement lessons, until they were ready to retest. Even though disappointed, the Sarutobi still held pride in knowing they had come so far from where they had started.
Konohamaru was more worried about the last stage of the exam.
One by one, each of his beloved students stood in front of the panel composed of himself, the Hokage, and Iruka to perform Clone Jutsu.
With a burst of pride, he watched as each student came to the front and soared through the jutsu with their own brand of confidence. Hand movements were crisp, intentions clear, and eyes bright while pulling off the technique flawlessly. Each earned a round of applause, their Hokage flashing a sunny smile filled with fatherly pride at each passing candidate.
Currently, the Academy teacher was sighing when he came to the next name on the list.
"Kakato Inuzuka!"
The dog-nin smirked immediately at the announcement of his name, sliding from his seat, and striding with all the confidence in the world. His fanged smile flashing and puppy yipping in excitement as the Inuzuka stopped in front of the panel. Konohamaru drug a hand over his exasperated features at the blatant showboating. But, nonetheless, he was just as proud of the young Inuzuka as any other student when he executed the jutsu perfectly. After receiving his applause, and Naruto's signature smile, he turned on his heel to return to his seat.
Naruto's smile dropped and eyes narrowed at the back of Kakato's head.
A sharp elbow to his side broke the glare.
"Ow! Iruka-sensei!"
The instructor merely eyed the Hokage with a small smirk and a sigh, "Naruto behave."
"I'm not a kid anymore." The blonde Hokage huffed quietly, his blue gaze refusing to meet the knowing one of his former sensei. "He's a bully."
"Don't act like a child and I won't treat you like one." Iruka whispered, "I assure you. She holds her own."
"But-"
"Are you two done yet?" Konohamaru groaned, already regretting letting his sensei and Hokage be in the same room. The fight between the two halted at Konohamaru's pointed look, who then returned his attention to his list, "Shikami Nara!"
Right on cue, a loud and piercing snore penetrated the silent atmosphere. A collective sweat drop was given off by everyone in the room, while Konohamaru gnashed his teeth. With a loud growl, he balled up a sheet of paper and chucked it at the sleeping girl.
It landed in her open mouth.
Shikami twitched as she sat up and spat the offending parchment out of her mouth.
"Nara, get down here!" Konohamaru snarled, his hand already pulled back with another wad of paper.
"Geez, alright, so troublesome," The girl grumbled, a hint of a yawn tinging her words as she gathered herself up, stretching properly, before she made her way to her sensei. Her dirty blonde hair bobbed in a high bun when she directed an annoyed glare at her instructor.
But of course, she passed.
The Sarutobi glared at the back of her skull, cursing her genius father for siring the demon spawn and returned to the list, only to cringe. He ignored the glances from his sensei and longtime rival as he attempted to put on a confident front, "K-Konohana Uzumaki!"
Said pinkette squared her shoulders, her tongue licking her dry lips self-consciously as she walked down the steps one at a time. Konohamaru had resorted to silently praying as the pinkette stopped in front of the panel. He knew she had pulled off the jutsu several times, but still, the image of her clone floundering at his feet never left his mind.
Iruka arched a brow at the suddenly pale Konohamaru, before turning his attention to the fidgeting girl in front of him. "Konohana, are you ready?"
She jerkily nodded, her face reddening, and hands shaking as she flew through the hand signs.
When the smoke cleared from the jutsu, the reactions were immediate.
Naruto and Konohamaru bolted to their feet and together swept the pinkette off her's. Iruka couldn't help but sigh helplessly, listening to the pinkette's loud protests and the two knuckleheads chattering drown out the class's laughter.
Meanwhile, Konohana's clone rubbed her forehead attempting to hide her growing blush, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.
Iruka dread to think how the two would react if she passed her chunin exams.
…..
Once the excitement had passed, the Hokage and the Academy's principle departed, leaving Konohamaru to explain the next steps into their new ninja careers. All the newly promoted genin stared in utter confusion when nine jonin walked into their classroom, each glancing between their crinkled sheets of paper and the kids in the stands.
The Sarutobi swore Naruto enjoyed being difficult.
Konohamaru sighed, "Alright then," He turned to the kids and announced, "This year's teams are going to be sorted in a new way. Instead of doing so himself, our Hokage has decided to allow your squad leaders to put together their own squads."
With a final look at his kids, he gestured to the waiting squad leaders to begin their selection process.
No one moved for a moment, looking amongst themselves, until one shinobi came forward and selected Team One. Then, came Team Two. Each of them kept to the traditional formation of one girl and two boys, until Team Three was selected.
A woman in a Chinese style white top and red pants, smiled at the students eagerly chattering amongst themselves, and cleared her throat pointedly, "I'm TenTen-sensei, my team will consist of Chokaru Akimichi, Inoichi Akimichi, and Shikami Nara."
"Um, that's two girls and-"
"I know how to count Konohamaru."
No one disputed after that.
Team Five was led by an orange haired kunoichi, "I'm Moegi-sensei". Konohamaru suddenly looked a bit pinker than usual as the female picked her team, which consisted of Shiro Aburame and two former residents of Suna that had relocated to Konoha.
Then, there was Team Ten and the obviously missing jonin leader.
Just as Konohamaru was about to go searching under every tree in Konoha, Shikamaru strolled through the doors with not a care in the world.
"You're late."
"I forgot I got volunteered to even be a team leader," The Nara grunted, "Apparently, Naruto thinks I need to get out of Hokage Tower more often."
Konohamaru sweat dropped, "Did you even look at the list of candidates?"
"There was a list? I'm the last team, so there's not much picking left to be done if we're making the teams ourselves." Shikamaru's gaze drifted over the bright faces of the freshest crop of genin. "Who hasn't been assigned a team?"
Hesitantly, two hands rose in the air.
The shadow manipulator sighed, "A two-man squad? Well, I guess a third would be just more work. You two are with me."
Konohana felt the instant dread slam into her as a certain dog-nin's growls reached her ears. She raised a rosy brow and met the hot glare being sent in her direction with her own.
Konohamaru paled considerably, "Uh, I don't think that-," The genin leader had already vanished from the line up in a swirl of leaves, "Wonderful."
…..
Shikamaru stared up at the smooth blue sky, gazing after several plush white clouds that hung overhead and morphed into various shapes. Part of him wondered if the two genin would even realize he hadn't given them a time, or a place to meet as his colleagues had done. One side hoped they would figure it out, but the other said if they didn't have enough ability to find him then they needed to stay in the Academy.
His dark brown eyes soon became heavy under the tree's comforting shade and he was on his way to a very peaceful nap.
"I'm telling you princess that his scent goes this way!"
"And I'm telling you mutt that he isn't that way!"
Okay, so the kids could find him.
"What do you know!?"
"More than you fang face!"
"Are you two always this annoying?" Shikamaru groaned, rolling his head upward to stare at the two students fighting on a tree branch.
Both looked surprised at the sudden appearance of their sensei, but it wore off when irritation was clear on their features.
"Hey! What's the big idea just leaving us hangin' back there!" The Inuzuka growled, he immediately recognized from the red markings, as he pounced out of the tree to land in front of the reclining jonin.
"You found me, didn't you?" Shikamaru sighed.
The girl with pink haired fluttered down next to her snarling teammate. "Was that our test, sensei? To find you?"
The Nara groaned, rubbing the heel of his palms into his tightly shut eyes. He had forgotten that he had to do that too. Brown eyes took in the two twelve-year-olds before him.
Their heritage was clear as day to anyone that lived within the confines of the village. The girl's rosy tresses were fashioned into a loose braid, her bright blue eyes held a steel quality that reminded him of a certain Hokage, while her gangly twelve-year-old body was covered in different color pallet than her parents. A bright blue tee shirt hung off one shoulder and fell to her upper thighs, a navy tank underneath, and navy spandex shorts going to her knees.
The boy's fierce expression paired with his fangs and bright red markings showed his true Inuzuka heritage just as much as the brown puppy at his side. Brown spiky locks were pulled into a low ponytail and slit like black eyes narrowed at their supposed leader in an underlying challenge. The jonin ignored the glare and took in the outrageously bright red jacket on the pre-teen's body, black tee underneath, and black ninja pants covering his legs.
The hostile atmosphere between the two was palpable. The pinkette kept fidgeting with her fingers and the Inuzuka kept glaring at her out of the corner of his eye. Shikamaru heaved a loud sigh. And here he was hoping having only two kids to train would be easier.
Observations were over and it was time to break the thin thread between the two. He found a weakness and that's what he would test. With a grunt he hauled himself upward and shoved his hands into his pockets, both genin's bodies tensed at the movement.
"Too easy," He muttered finally as he pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs from his pocket.
Before either genin could react, the device was snapped onto their thin wrists. "HEY!"
"Your test is to take this from me," He held up a single bell, "While being attached to each other. Come at me with the intention to kill and retrieve this before sunrise tomorrow. Don't succeed and your butts are going to be shipped back to the Academy."
The spiky haired male snarled and yanked his arm forward to bring the Uzumaki girl with him, ignoring her growl of protests. "How am I supposed to fight with her on me?!"
Shikamaru silently sighed and shrugged, "Not my problem. You're teammates now, figure it out."
In a puff a smoke he was gone, and they were frozen when realization hit them both.
…..
Shikamaru reclined against the branch, arms tucked behind his head, and a rather bored expression on his features. By his calculations, five of the fifteen clones he produced had been destroyed and all by the Inuzuka.
His brow arched at the echoed shouts of his team as they stumbled through the forest terrain and sighed, looking up at the orange splashed sky. "Troublesome."
….
Kakato growled in annoyance, yanking the girl's arm once more and continued to stomp forward through the forest. His nose burned with the extra chakra he was filtering to catch a whiff of his sensei's scent, only to have no results. That in addition to his burning wrist from tugging around the useless creature at his side, his non-existent patience was wearing thin fast. Chairomi was the only useful one. She would yip seconds before an attack would launch, giving him enough time to maneuver himself out of the way.
She finally stumbled into the same stride as him, "Inuz-"
"Shut up, Uzumaki!"
A growl snapped his head to the side to see her leaning into his personal bubble. "If you'd listen to me-"
"What do you know!? What can you do?! You ARE useless!"
Blue eyes glinted in anger as red bloomed across her neck and up to her cheeks. She gnashed her teeth together, "Fine then," she gritted out, "get hit."
His black eyes rolled, "What are you goin' on abo-"
Her fingers flashed to her pouch, whipped out a shuriken, and threw it over his head. Kakato yelped, "Hey! What are you-"
Konohana snarled in frustration, forcefully grabbing his chin, and jerked it to the side just in time for him to see the shuriken dissipate a clone.
"Oh," He muttered lamely and deflated, eyes still focused on the spot that the clone had been.
Chairomi nor him had detected it.
"Will you listen to me now?!" The Uzumaki roared, stomping her foot in clear irritation. "I'm not useless, you mutt!" A petite finger was shoved in his face, making his eyes go cross. "We have to work together if you want to get that bell! I am not going back to the Academy because of you!"
Kakato scoffed at the pinkette as he pushed her hand aside to properly aim a glare at her. His black slit eyes narrowed even further, "It was nothin' but luc-"
She flicked a kunai to the side, just as a shadow clone leapt at them from the trees. It collided with his throat, went through the puff of smoke, and thunked into the rough bark of the nearest tree.
Her ocean eyes morphed into slits as she leaned upward, her nose brushing his as she growled, "You were sayin'?"
The Inuzuka jerked back with a scowl, fighting down the heat creeping up the back of his neck.
"Fine!" The genin boy snorted, "Okay, what can ya do pinky?"
…..
Shikamaru yawned heartily, arms stretching above his spiky head. The series of pops that echoed from his stiff joints made the jonin grumble, scratching the small beard on his chin in thought. His still heavy gaze lifted to the onyx sky filled with thousands of bright, white stars, and the full moon illuminating the forest.
"They still got five hours." He murmured.
His nap had lasted most of the day since his clones kept the brats busy by running them around in circles. It was merely to gather intel on the two genin and the information that bombarded him had him cocking an eyebrow.
Four more clones had been dissipated and they were all by the girl.
Flashes of the pinkette's shurikens filled his mind as they zipped through the air and hit clone after clone in a calculated manner. His brows furrowed at the exactness the gesture held, seeming eerily familiar…
He had seen that somewhere before…but where?
Shikamaru slid two pieces of paper from his vest and began to scan their contents.
Konohana Uzumaki. Excellent aim and decent taijutsu skills. The lack of information on her ninjutsu was a little concerning.
Kakato Inuzuka. Excellent marks in ninjutsu and taijutsu. Low scores in aim. High scores when using combined attacks with his ninken. Of course.
Nothing remarkable it seemed.
With a sigh, Shikamaru folded the papers and placed them in a pocket.
Nothing was heard other than the soft rustle of the leaves in the nighttime breeze and the occasional chirping bird as it settled in for the night. He jolted suddenly. Three more clones were dissipated from the girl's attacks. The shadow ninja sighed, pulling himself to his feet, and shoved his hands into his pockets.
They had been heading in his direction when the three clones had intercepted them. In a chakra infused jump, he vanished into the trees.
About time he stepped in.
…..
Another pop of a vanishing clone filled the air and in its place a shuriken was embedded into the tree. The two genin zipped by it and continued leaping through the trees.
Kakato glanced over at his so-called teammate. The chain dangling between their wrists always kept them attached at the hip and things had started to go smoother after their makeshift truce.
She wasn't completely useless, he guessed. Whenever something slipped by him and Chairomi, she would catch it like a safety net for them.
"It's been too easy," She grumbled out of the blue, pausing as they dropped into a crouch on a branch. Her pink brows remained furrowed, "Those clones weren't even trying."
The Inuzuka grunted in agreement. It had been too easy. His slit like eyes zipped around the surroundings and growled, "I don't smell anymore of 'em."
He hadn't smelled the past few, much to his frustration. They had picked up on his weaknesses here and there, and now they were targeting Konohana. Inch by inch, her accuracy was being tested by each surprise attack.
The girl's eyes dropped shut, her entire body stilling. Kakato arched a brow at her statue state, feeling the small pulsation of her chakra increasing as it brushed by him.
He recoiled at the tingling sensation and snarled, "What are you-"
Her palm flew up and collided with his skull.
"Ow!"
Eyes remained shut, scrunched in concentration and lips thinned, "Shh, stop running your-"
"Don't you tell me-"
"MOVE!"
"Wha-HEY!"
She jerked the chain connecting them, dragging them both down to a lower branch. Her head tilted upward to see seven shuriken embedded into the branch where they had been and cursed.
"They're on offense now."
Kakato silently admired the precisely thrown devices, turning his attention to the frowning female. "How did you-," A sudden approaching scent cut him off. "Move Uzumaki!"
His shoulder collided with hers, launching them both into the neighboring tree. Fluidly Konohana spun, her thin fingers releasing a kunai that hit its mark and effectively dissipated the new clone.
Too bad neither of them sensed the other clone.
A sharp heel suddenly slammed into the pinkette's gut, making her vision blur, and the air rush out of her in a painful gasp. The attacker drove her physically through the branch beneath them, jumping off in time to land safely, while she took her partner down with her.
Konohana's grip slipped each time she reached out to grab limb, her body still tingling from the attack, and cursed every time they ricocheted off another branch. Kakato growled in determination as chakra surged through him, his nails and fangs elongating, and latched onto a branch with one hand just as they both slipped off.
Both sighed in relief.
"Grab my hand," He grunted out, nails digging deeper into the thick bark to keep his grip. The arm holding on ached, while the arm extended downward to his partner began to scream in pain. "Uzumaki, try to grab my hand."
A crimson trail snaked down her arm, tainting the light blue fabric of her tee shirt. She hissed at the metal cutting into her already raw flesh. Her fingers wiggled, desperately trying to wrap around his before another attack was launched.
They were sitting ducks.
A shuriken flew at the pinkette and sliced the dirty skin of her cheek.
Her fingers curled around the chain connecting the cuffs, attempting to pull herself upward, but the blood coating the metal made her grasp slip.
"Inuzuka," A calm voice announced, making the two snap their attention to their sensei and his clone crouched in the tree next to them. "I suggest you get Uzumaki up. She looks like bait to me."
Chairomi whimpered down at the female, and then looked up at her master whining. Kakato cursed as Konohana continued to struggle, desperately trying to get a good enough grasp to pull herself up. Bit by bit, the longer she struggled, the deeper the cuffs sliced further into their skin.
Without warning Chairomi climbed up Kakato's arm from the confines of his coat and landed on the branch above them. With a determined little growl, she began pulling at her partner's sleeve with all her might, attempting to pull the two genin up.
"Chairomi," Kakato grunted with a faint smile.
The puppy growled in assurance, fiercely digging her little claws into the branch as she pulled.
Shikamaru silently observed the pair, before jumping onto their branch. Both of his students tensed.
"Both of you fail. If this were real Inuzuka, your opponent would have killed Uzumaki to make her dead weight, and then killed you."
Kakato gulped at the glint in their teacher's eyes, just before unconsciousness swept over the three of them like a tide from the sensei's hand signs. All it took was a small nudge for them to begin the deadly fall to the unforgiving ground.
Shikamaru sighed as he vanished and reappeared beneath them. They plummeted straight into his arms below. His newly summoned clones caught the girl and the boy with ease, while a snoring puppy landed into his own grasp.
His gaze swept over his team, before turning to acknowledge the masked ANBU that appeared at their side. Despite the white tiger mask, the long blonde hair and body language made their identity a dead giveaway.
"Ino."
The captain pushed her mask up onto her head and whistled lowly, "Dang, what'd you do to them?"
Shikamaru sighed, "Do you actually need something? Or you just come to ogle?"
The blonde smirked at her former teammate and shrugged, settling her hands on her hips. "The Hokage sent me out to get the results from the squad leaders. You're last on the list. So, they pass or not?"
"They-"
Shikamaru paused as he caught sight of the two unconscious genins' bloody and dirty hands firmly interlocked between his clones.
Ino cleared her throat pointedly.
"They pass."
"Good," The ANBU smiled, clearly satisfied, "You'll be happy to learn Shikami passed also."
He only grunted his acknowledgement, but he still felt a warm spark of pride in his chest at the news. The blonde shrugged, pushing her mask back over her smirking features, "By the way, have fun taking them to be healed."
In a flash she was gone, and he cursed in realization. Sakura was the one in charge of the genin healings for after their tests.
"Troublesome."