Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Naruto I am simply borrowing them to create a story of my own, each and all of the characters (excluding OC's that shall be introduced later) are owned by someone else.
Authors note: Okay Editing of second chapter. I've tried to smooth stuff out inbetween different scenes and i fixed a few things i felt were wrong in each of the scenes as well completely ditched the KakXKurenai realtionship. This chapter introduces two new pairings. ShikaXTemari, and NejiXTenten. As well things get juicy between Hinata and Naruto.
Trials of the Shinobi
A Naruto Fan-Fiction
By Dark-Angel-Cronos
Part 1: A New Mission and a New Country
Chapter 2: Arrangements.
Tsunade was not having a good day, things had grown hectic and she wasn't prepared for what had happened. She had received a letter of grave importance yesterday explaining in detail she had 24 hours before a vessel would arrive to pickup candidates for the Tournament. She had been sitting in her chair impatiently waiting for the ship to arrive before calling in the nin to go on the mission for briefing, no sense in getting them ready without them being able to leave. As she was rolling the thoughts she would say during the briefing there was a knock on the back wall from the outside. She had realized they had come and landed on the secret balcony outside. She quickly stood up and walked over to the back wall tapping a small panel in the wall lowering a door in the wall to let the nin in. "Come in, I'll bring in the nin and you can take them after I brief them." Tsunade had returned to her seat and removed a clipboard from a drawer, which she quickly handed to the unknown nin. He was tall and had scruffy black hair as well a very pale complexion and was outfitted with strange foreign clothing not unlike Konoha's with a flak jacket and a headband but still strangely arranged and the headband symbol was that of a 6 point star.
"These are the ones then, I'll call them in." He moved towards the door and after calling their names they entered and formed a line of apprentices and their teachers behind them. Tsunade stood and moved in front of them.
"You 16 have been chosen to represent Konoha in a age old competition that'll be held in a far off country. This mission will be ranked S and from this point on your rank as ninja means nothing but if you return you all will be promoted to Sannin." Tsunade looked and noticed Sakura had a puzzled look about her face as did many others, she scoffed for a second and begun again. "For if and when you return you will be considered legends for being accepted for this task. In the past 500 years this competition hasn't been held and thus if and when you return you will be legendary ninja just like I was." She noticed she had cleared up the confusion in their appearances and begun with her final words. "So are you up for it? This mission will be beyond deadly and some of you may not return alive. If you accept you have here by dedicated yourself in representing Konoha in this competition and if you fail you will have disgraced the Konoha name as well as your own. If you wish to back out now nothing will be held against you but if you accept say so now." Tsunade only had a moment before every ninja had replied with a definite hai. "Well then since we're all in agreement lets get you on your way" Tsunade had slowly been making her way back to the panel she had touched before but now she hit a different panel and the entire back wall came falling into the ground revealing the balcony and a humongous airship that was floating in air being held up by huge revolving fan blades up shooting like masts on a ship.
"WOAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Naruto couldn't help but wow at the ship in amazement while he embarrassed both his teammates and made his new girlfriend giggle at his funny expression. He turned towards the others too see if anybody else was as star struck and when he realized he was the only one he quickly stood back in attention and put his hand behind his head in embarrassment.
"This is your ride to the island country where the competition will be held. I wish you good luck as my job here is finished, he will now lead you on board and get you situated." Tsunade pointed towards the un enounced nin who had called them in he stepped forward not looking at any of the nin and walked past them then waving a hand behind him for them to follow. The nin followed him slightly breaking ranks and moving close to friends so they could discuss what was going on Sasuke quickly moved towards Neji and Lee while Naruto waited back a bit and moved close with Hinata lacing his fingers through hers.
"Simply amazing, I wasn't expecting this, were you Hinata-chan?" Naruto questioned her as he examined the ship he was boarding.
"No way, who on earth could have guessed this would happen." Hinata was slightly less star struck as Naruto but was still pretty amazed as the unknown nin led them around to the front of the airship where a large number of other ninja wear conversing.
"Sasuke, what do you think about this competition" Neji wasn't so interested in the ship he was more interested in the competition and if he was going get the chance to face off against some strong ninja. Neji had always wanted to prove he was strong since he wasn't apart of the head Hyuuga family he often felt unnoticed but it was far from that.
"Hmmm I think it'll be a good chance to test out some new techniques I've been developing, how about you?" Sasuke had small rivalries with Neji, Lee, and Naruto that he had long wanted to settle but beyond practice matches never got any further.
"Heh same here and I promise I'll give you a good match if we're forced to fight one another." Neji knew what Sasuke was thinking and he had started thinking the same thing.
"What about you Lee?" Sasuke had heard what he wanted from Neji but he wanted to know the same of Lee.
"Are you kidding, hard work conquers all I'll trounce you both if the time comes!" Lee was very confident since he had surpassed his handicap of permanent injuries from his fight with Gaara long ago in their first Chuunin exam. The others did not know Lee had overcome the handicaps but they would soon find out that he had grown much stronger over the years.
"Looking forward to see you try" Sasuke and Neji replied in unison, they had gotten used to Lee being over confidant and learned very much what the other was gonna say.
We now move to some others who haven't gotten much attention. Shikamaru and Ino were off to the side with Chouji talking about this competition. Shikamaru was first to speak.
"Hmmm this mission seems so troublesome. Why did they have to pick me?" Shikamaru found most things in life troublesome but often agreed to them otherwise, no one, not even Shikamaru knew why he did so.
"You didn't have to say yes with the rest of us" Ino was annoyed that Shikamaru had barely been on the ship a minute and was already complaining. "Jeez why do you do these things?"
"I don't know it just seemed like not a trouble idea at the time but the more I think about it becomes one." Shikamaru was lying through his teeth as he spoke to Ino. The real reason he came on this mission was because he knew he'd get a chance to see Temari as this was clearly a mission that involved many countries and he hoped sand was one of them.
"Gah stop fighting and help me look and see if there's a buffet or something around this place." Chouji like always was interested in food and really needed a bite of something or he'd go mad as he hadn't realized he would be heading out directly and only had his normal emergency 6 bags of potato and shrimp chips, three of each respectively.
"Ugh, Chouji get your mind off food for once that nin from another country hasn't even told us we're good to explore the ship yet." Ino was slightly annoyed that her two partners were such a hassle sometimes.
"Yeah he did, like just five minutes ago while you were giving me and Chouji the second degree, god you're so troublesome." Shikamaru had finished with a shake of his hanging head and gone off to try and find Temari.
"Huh" Ino was confused as she hadn't heard a thing and was now watching her teammate walk off. "SHIKAMARU!"
"I smell food" Chouji saw his chance to escape the clutches of Ino and headed off in the direction of the kitchen.
"What!" Ino had turned around just to see Chouji go through a door into a cabin. "OH MY GOD MY TEAMATES ARE IDIOTS!" Ino screamed as she was tired of her two incompetent teammates and friends.
To be honest the ship wasn't unlike an ocean cruise only air born, it had all the luxuries one could need and plenty of food and space below to house the many nin that would be boarding it to the island where the competition would be held and the four team leaders where handing out key cards for cabins downstairs as each nin actually got their own cabin. Ino got hers and her teammates as they had disappeared and to Naruto and Hinata's luck they had adjacent rooms and as Kakashi and Kurenai left Naruto had a devilish idea.
"Hinata chan. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Naruto was looking at his key card with a wickedly sly smile. Hinata had started to catch on when she saw his face but decided to play dumb and let him pull her along a little she found it fun and a little kinky to play the naive maiden.
"No, what are you thinking?" she gave him her best puzzled look. Naruto gave her a smile and wrapped his arm around hers.
"Come on I'll show you" and they ran off in the direction of wear Kakashi and Kurenai had said the cabins were located. Meanwhile Shikamaru still hadn't found Temari but Sakura had found Ino and was talking to her about her incompetent teammates.
"MY GOD THEY'RE SUCH JERKS! Ditching me to go off for food and who knows what with Shika-kun" Ino was raging not even noticing she had used her pet name for Shikamaru from back when they were together, but Sakura noticed it and had let out a little gasp. "What?" Ino thought something was weird.
"You still have feelings for Shikamaru!" Sakura couldn't contain her self, she and Ino had become close friends again and was very used to girl talking with Ino.
"I DO NOT!" Ino raged her eyes growing wide and her face becoming red "WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU THINK THAT!"
"You said Shika-kun" Sakura lowered her hands from her mouth to reveal a very wide smile. Ino could only gasp and let her mouth hang open in shock.
"DAMMIT!" She closed her eyes and made a fuss. "So what if I still like him, it was his idea to see other people that bastard!" The kunoichi continued on their girl talk moving into the cabins hoping to talk more privately. While the fighter boys had moved closer to the edge of the deck and were now looking over the ship trying to figure out where they were going as they were heading inward as if to another country.
"It looks like we're heading deep into the mountains but there aren't any villages I know of up there." Neji was puzzled by the ships movements
"The snow village is up there" Sasuke replied remembering his encounter with the snow village a while back.
"That's right I guess that's where we're going." Lee responded for Neji.Going unoticedbehind them Tenten was having a heart to heart with Kurenai about a personal matter.
"I don't know sensei. Sometimes I just think he's not interested." Tenten was having doubts about Neji's feelings about her, for a while he had seemed to like her but when Sasuke got back he seemed more occupied with trying to outmatch Sasuke then expand her relationship with him.
"Oh of course he does, he's just a guy and guys are like that, but if you get him hooked around your finger he won't be like that much, it's the way they are when they're wild and unattached to a woman yet." Kurenai had some experience with mean in particular a certain black haired Jounin who just loved to smoke. Tenten meanwhile chuckled to herself at her sensei's old fashioned approach to men.
"Yeah but recently there hasn't been much of an ice breaker that got his attention long enough" Tenten was once again slightly disgruntled
"I can fix that" she handed Tenten three key cards. "those are your's Neji's and Lee's keycards go deliver them but let me make the suggestion of holding onto Neji's till her agrees you meet you sometime private." Kurenai gave her a wink and walked off having completed her assignment and given a little girl to girl advice. Tenten blushed at the thought of being alone with Neji. She quickly walked up to the boys and tapped Neji and Lee on the shoulder.
"Hey guys, you'll probably need these, they're our key cards to the rooms we'll be staying in" she motioned towards a cabin that was small and seemed more like a stairwell. "so I thought you'd like them" she handed Lee his card and started to give Neji his but snatched it back before he could take it.
"What's the deal Tenten?" Neji was confused by her actions.
"You have to promise me something, before you get this." Tenten gave him a smirk.
"What do you want?" Neji was used the Tenten's jokes and was ready to hear something stupid like bark like a dog or call me master while bowing.
"I want you too promise to meet me tonight outside up their." She pointed towards a spot in teh rails were their was a a pole and a wind sock. Neji was surprised at the request and simply gave her a nod his face showing an expression of confusion. "Okay then I'll see you there, you get you key card only if you remember to show up." She leaned in and gave him a wink she wasn't taking any chances. With that she left the boys confused and slightly suspicious about what was going on.
"Heh, good work Neji." Sasuke was complementing Neji on finally getting Tenten.
"What but i didn't, I don't even know whats going on!" Neji was in denial and not the river the feeling. He knew Tenten liked him and he knew he liked her back but weather or not he could act on these feelings was another story entirely.
"Ahh don't play that game Neji, You know exactly what's going on." Lee was very impressed and nodding his head in agreement with Sasuke that Neji was defintly on smooth guy. "Come on Sasuke lets leave lover boy to think." With that Lee and Sasuke left Neji more confused than he was 10 seconds ago. They went off in the direction of some construction, it seemed some people were setting somthing up for later tonight. Sasuke nudged Lee and pointed off to the side at what seemed like Shikamaru talking alone with Temari but her brothers were off to the side.
"So how about we meet later?" Temari was getting suspicious and teasing looks from her brothers and she really felt embarrassed.
"That's fine, I can see your brothers are making you uncomfortable." Shikamaru was being considerate and was about to walk away forgetting something "Oh, where are we meeting?"
"Just wait outside somewhere I can find you okay?" Temari had started to walk away cause she was feeling even more embarrassed by the second and she knew when she got back to her brothers Kankurou would tease her while Gaara just chuckled to himself. Because, right before Shikamaru had shown up, she had respectably said she had no interest in Shikamaru trying to get them off her backs as she searched for him.
"Okay" Shikamaru quickly started to walk off then turned when he almost forgot something again. "Oh wait…what time?"
"Just meet me later when everybody's asleep okay!" Temari was frustrated and blushed heavily as she just wanted to pound her brothers when she heard a loud ooooooooohhhhh from Kankurou and turned to see Gaara laughing. "God damn it don't make me hurt you two!" she gave them a menacing glare but they just laughed it off. Shikamaru was happy now and went off to find a place he could sit and look at the clouds as they were nice and high up so he could see them so much more clearly now. Meanwhile Naruto and Hinata had just finished up preparing something special for later that night.
"See Hinata now later tonight I can just knock right here and you can activate this seal and I'll be able to come in through here." He walked through his handiwork he had made a doorway in between their adjacent rooms and was planning on visiting her that night when they could talk more privately and spend the whole night together.
"Hmmm Naruto-kun this is nice, but what do you plan on doing if I don't let you in?" Hinata wanted to start a little foreplay because she really wanted Naruto to stop fussing over later and start fussing over now, so she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss then walked onto the other side of the doorway into her room.
"Well, whatever you want. I'm guessing you have something in mind" Naruto had caught on fast and was already starting to feel the tension melt away.
"Oh yeah I have something planned, but for now...that won't have to happen if you just do something for me." Hinata was teasing him now.
"Anything" Naruto gave her a smile she couldn't resist any longer. She giggled then said
"Come here you" She grabbed him by the collar with one hand and dragged him into her room, turning around and sealing up the doorway behind him. "OH NARUTO-KUN!"
Authors note: Okay. I have revised said chapter. Still a nice little cliffhanger at the end and still pretty good plot with all the characters.
