Chapter 24: Archenemy

Greetings, ladies and Assholes. I'm Shinji Inuzuka.
Let's have a short résumé of how I ended up here.

I was born the second child of Tsume and Tori Inuzuka, coming into this world two years after Hana. Who had her name spelled wrong in every official documentation because of an 'Act of Mom'.
A young baby who Fucked Up Everything by trying to understand with no context what was happening to me and not acting how a normal newborn should act. I was saved when the doctor slapped my fucking ARSE and finally screamed like I should have done from the very beginning.

A young baby who F.U.E again a few hours later when I was sent to pass the Inuzuka Ritual. Some moronic ceremony where a dog would simply like your smell and reacted to the words of my father. Then I bonded with a baby wolf with more pelt than brain.

A child who continued his life and tried to learn how to read before showing my parents that I've already bonded with my Friend. I could talk with him and had decided a name for him already but… I just didn't know that I should have told my parent about that. I just thought that it was... 'Normal' of the Naruto-verse to wait before doing so.

It wasn't, so I drew the wrong kind of attention to me again. Because in this world? Abnormal is dangerous.

Still not satisfied with just having screwed the timeline of the Inuzuka clan, I managed to grab the attention of a ROOT plant, posing as my sensei, and rushed toward a Fuck-You Beast, taking a blast from its more powerful attack, only surviving because someone thought I should be saved.

Someone who saved me from TWO kidnapping attempts, while I was comatose and defenseless.

Then I woke up, four years later, and immediately F.U.E again when I decided that I didn't like a member of the Genin Corps that drenched me with a water Jutsu and trashed him. And his backup, and the nurses… Only stopping when I tried to attack the Medical-Jonin in charge and lost.

Then I wised up and joined the academy. Passed every year with flying colors without standing out too much. Not really by choice, but because I was eclipsed by Hyuga Neji, a true 'Naruto-verse' genius. And I was completely okay with that.

And now, I should have been meeting my team, meeting my Jonin-sensei. Yama-kun and my Friend with me, which was what I hoped. Having a 'normal' life when you are a child soldier and maybe, somehow, hopefully, PLAN FOR THE MOTHERFUCKING NINJAPOCALYPSE IN THE FUTURE WITHOUT ANYMORE DISTRACTIONS?!

Greetings, ladies and Assholes. You know the rest and I can't be bothered to finish it because…
I was now on the receiving end of the killing intent of someone I never met before.

"Hum… Nara-sensei?" I could only weakly say.
"Kyougi-sensei is fine." The long dark-haired woman calmly said. Her voice unperturbed by the thought of 'KILLYOUMURDERYOUSLAUGHTERYOU' permeating the air in the classroom.
"We will begin by a small introduction. I'll be waiting for you in ten minutes on the roof of the academy. I tried to have the Hakimichi barbecue reserved for it but, apparently, I was too late. So, the roof will have to do…"
"Nara-senseiiiiiii?"
"Oh right, that." The carefree tone of the only adult in the room resonated.

"Kasumi-chan? I asked you to stop. Didn't I?" Immediately I sensed that the not completely gone killing intent…Switched. It was not directed to me anymore.
"I understand your reaction but it's frightening your future teammates. If you wish to stay in Konoha for your 'mission' then please understand the value of timing."

The… Hatred… I felt in the air abated. The young girl then took a seat, on a distant row from us. Her black cat jumping from her shoulder and starting to curiously wander around the classroom.

"So, we will meet on the roof, as I said before. Sorry, Kazumi-chan. But Yamamoto-kun and Shinji-kun have been friends for years. Take this as your time to meet them and see you all in ten minutes."

And then… We were left to three. Our sensei simply walked through the door and carefully closed it behind her. Then her smell simply vanished.

Well… How was I supposed to act right now?
I noticed that Yama-kun was completely frozen as well.
This was NOT how you form a stable team, right?

"Well, Shinji Inuzuka. It's a pleasure to meet you. That's how you lowlife greet each other beside smelling your backside, isn't it?"

I was dragged back from my OHMYGODWHATISTHIS mindset and noticed that the sudden female voice came… From my desk. Or, from the black cat that that was sitting on it and staring right into my eyes.

"Hum… Meow?" I oh so intelligently replied on reflex.
"Huh? One syllable and you managed to make three grammatical mistakes. It's somehow impressive. As expected of your clan." Said the black tom in front of me with… The feline equivalent of having one eyebrow raised.

"Okay, listen, you soaked piece of clumping litter…"
"Kuroko. Don't talk to him." That was the newly christened Kasumi speaking in a tense tone.
"We will just wait for the ten minutes to pass, and we will go to the roof."
"Very well." The cat simply said, with a composed voice that somehow reminded me of Harry Potter's McGonagall. She jumped from my desk and lazily curled into a ball on the desk of the new member of our team.

"Hum…" Came the timid voice of Yama. "Hi? I'm Nahora Yamamoto, it's… An honour to meet you, somehow? Please let's get along together?"
"Hello, Yamamoto-kun, I'm Kasumi Nekomata. Kasumi-kun is fine! I hope we'll be able to become friends! Don't worry, I only want to erase the mistake sitting close to you, you're fine!"

"That's… Not really reassuring me, you know?" Said Yama, still sitting on his chair. A chair, I noticed, that was slowly moving without any noise away from me.

"Meh, it's irrelevant, to be honest." Kasumi dismissed his reaction with a wave of her hand. "But still, I hope that we can work together and kill that eyesore. You know? As a team, when I'm finally allowed to do so!" She said in a voice that was… Way too cheerful…

"Okay, I'm too old for this shit. That was out team bonding time. Tadaaa! Let's go to the roof and go back home."

I got up and stormed out of the classroom. Yama and Kasumi followed me with various degree of enthusiasm.

"Shinjiiii?"
We were climbing the steps of the stairs toward the room. Yama-kun keeping pace with me, unsure on how to bring up the Elephant in The Room.

"Whatever you want to know, I don't know either. The only person who could answer our question is on the roof, so we are going to the MOTHERFUCKING ROOF!" I said while kicking the door at the top of the stairs. Which was locked by a seal and didn't move at all.

Ouch.

With a small hand sign, Yama awkwardly dispelled the seal that was keeping the door closed while I was standing upright and trying my best not to curl in a ball of shame and pain in a random corner. The blonde annoyance behind me wasn't even trying to suppress her laughter.

The school roof was not a place where I often dwelled. I knew that the Twins and their friends spend their break here, despite being, you know, a forbidden area as all school's roof are.

I took some time to watch out the surroundings. From up high, the streets of Konoha were clearly visible.
And there she was, Nara Kyougi was sitting on the edge of the wall, slightly slouched with her elbows on her laps, a small smile on her lips and the stone-faces of the past Hokage directly behind her.
For a second, I felt like five pair of eyes were now watching me.

Yama and I paused, for just a second. Kasumi was unaffected and walked directly in front of her, she sat cross-legged on the ground.
Her cat simply jumped out of her shoulder and curled in a ball on her lap.

"Very well, kids. It took you more time that I initially thought for you to come here, that's a good sign. Now, I want to use this opportunity so that we can introduce to each other. I'll begin, so you know what I expect."

Yama and I took seats on the tiles of the academy's roof. Our sensei was directly behind the Mountain, the stony faces of the statues behind her somehow giving her an air of authority.

"As I said before, name's Nara Kyougi. To put it bluntly, I've been promoted to Jonin this year, so you are my first Genin squad.
Before that I was a special Jonin in the Intelligence Division, my speciality is recon and infiltration.
My former company was ambushed and slaughtered to the last man but I managed to escape, survive and come back to the village with the sum of knowledge we managed to gather. Hokage-sama then promoted me to my position and tasked me to train your team, I accepted.

"Sorry but…" Yama only manage to say. "Shouldn't you… Be given time to mourn your friends and teammates?".

"True enough." Kyougi-sensei just… Shrugged.
"I was given a lot of time; I understand that you might have interpreted it this way, but it happened a long time ago and it's irrelevant to our presentation.

So, next, I will tell you my hobbies and hope for the future. I hope that you will tell me yours.
I love music and theatre. I was always a fan of the Imada Puppet Group, but they're banned in Konoha since they use puppets as the name suggests. Still, I never miss a performance of theirs when I'm on a mission, even if they only usually perform only for Daimyo, which sometimes creates complications..."

Her eyes were starting to have the shine of a fangirl, but they reverted in a heartbeat.

"But now, let's speak about you. Why don't you start, Nohara-kun?"

Yama immediately shrink three sizes.

"I… I… Huh…"
My friend started to fidget. He wasn't expecting to be put on the front stage like that. Which I suspected is the reason our sensei did it.
"I'm Nohara Yamamoto…I like… Calm and silence. I want… I want to learn medical Jutsu, so that… So that I…"
Moon-moon then nudged me. Yama was retreating and retreating inside himself. Unsure how, I simply put my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, slightly trembling but calmed himself. Then the steel of resolve came back.
"I want and hope to become… A field-medic. But not a simple one… I want to be one that Tsunade-sama would be proud of!"

Our sensei smiled at his declaration. And I agreed. It was a good goal, so why the fear?

"This is a noble goal, Yamamoto-kun. Your files showed me that you already have mastered the knowledge that is taught during the internship of the Genin Corps, so your presence in this team is warranted. I will help you with the little knowledge I have on Yin-Chakra, but you'll have to learn the rest on your own. Then, Shinji-kun, why don't you introduce yourself?"

…

I noticed that Kasumi was trying to drill holes in my the back my head.

"Well… I'm Inuzuka Shinji… I like my Friend, my Pack, and… Pretty much everyone else? I… Huh… Don't really have a hope or something…?"

Yeah because: stop the Akatsuki from kidnapping the Junchiruykis, if not then stop Madara from hijacking Kabuto's Mass Edo Tensei which wasn't Kabuto's plan initially because he was only loyal to Orochimaru who wasn't part of the Big Bad Guys plan but still found a way back from being killed by Itachi during the war because he could provide exposition to the readers and finally became a Good Guy for reason I still don't understand or something because it Made Sense At The Time (how do you made the Copyright symbol in your head ?) then the heroes stopped a fucking world war happening between ten S-rank Bad-Guys against the fucking world because fuck-you-it-makes-sense-if-you-stop-thinking-about-it then the Biggest Bad Guy summon some brand new what-the-fuck-beast and here come the moon-goddess because why-the-fuck-not, right after Obito/Madara/Idontcare casted a genjutsu on the moon to make everyone comatose because apparently the moon is a mirror that cast back what you cast on it because fuck-you-that's-how and it spiralled out of control because the half-man-half-plant-half-bullshit son of the moon goddess who controlled the world from the very beginning had an EVIL-PLAN© (Hey! I found how!) to Rule Over The World, because the previous Akatsuki's plan to simply 'rule over the world' wasn't EVIL-PLAN© enough (it lacked majuscule, they are important!) and oh, by the way, the goddess birthed the half-plant-bullshit when no one was looking after she got imprisoned on the moon or something, under watchful eyes of the Otsutsuyu clan, a clan of somehow alien-parasitic species from somewhere in the cosmos who wanted to obtain Godhood and…

And I want a fucking drink.

"I just want my life to have some sense." I simply said.

"That's nice, not it's your turn Kasumi." Said our sensei, apparently not caring about my outburst of 'KISHIMOTO! WHAT THE HELL! EVEN KINGDOM-HEARTS MAKE MORE SENSE!' And turned toward the newest member of our… I guess team.
"I'm Kasumi Nekomata." The girl simply said. "I love my Friend, my sister and my clan. My hope is to bring her back and get my vengeance against a certain clan. That's all". The young blonde girl said before closing completely.

"Alright, that's fine." Said our sensei after a few seconds of silence. "Now, to celebrate Yamamoto-kun acceptance in the Jonin corps, his parents gifted me with three sheets of Chakra conductive papers. So, we will now try to find what affinity you have. They are extremely expensive so be serious about it."
I wondered if this was normal.
Team Seven affinity was tested very late, right? Like after the time-skip or something?
But his team back then was… An orphan, another orphan, a civilian girl and a Jonin that couldn't give a shit…

"Yamamoto-kun, you know how to use them, why don't you explain it to your team?" Said our teacher with a kind smile. She handed the small paper to my friend, who took it with ease.
"…Okay… So. It's quite easy..."
Yama put the small sheet of paper on the ground before him, then put his right hand above it.
"You just gather Chakra in your hand and…"

His hand became blue with the concentration of Chakra in it and the paper… Became moist and dissolved on the floor.

"Water affinity, as expected." Said our sensei, who had knelled in front of Yama with her hand on his head.
"Now, Kasumi, Shinji, Chakra Paper is a good way to gauge whatever talent you might have and a good way to understand someone's personality. For Yamatoto-kun, water is common for a lot of medics nins. For it is gentle, relentless and pure. It suits you, Nahora Yamamoto."

Yama bowed his head. Clearly pleased with our sensei assessment. Then she turned her head toward us, getting up from her kneeling position while dusting her legs with her hands.

"Usual affinities are Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water and Whatever Combination in between, it depends on the user. I, myself, am Earth attuned. Shinobi like me are calm and logical. To put it bluntly: whatever unexpected thing happens is for me to handle. Now, try to put some Chakra into the paper, Kasumi-chan."

The girl took the paper with the precaution of handling an explosive note, but finally channeled some Chakra into it. It split in half.

"Your nature is Wind." Kyougi-sensei explained. "Wind chakra is wild and free, so people of this type tend to be wildcards. Free spirited ones that obey only those they respect. As Water is more suited to medical jutsu, Wind is targeted to long range fighters. Be it precise cutting or 'simply' creating thunderstorms. It's a rare element in Konoha, only the Sarutobi clan are proficient with it."

Kasumi withdrew her hands from the paper. Clearly proud of the fact that she was compared to our Hokage.

I took the paper and channeled Chakra into it.
It split in half.

"Huh?" Was the only reaction that happened. From everyone around me. Even the cat.

I was, somehow, shocked as well. I had the same elemental affinity as her?

"I thought you'll be attuned to fire…?" Said our sensei in a bewildered tone, one hand hiding her mouth.
"Me too…!" said Yama, taking one half of the piece of paper in his hand and observing the cut like his eyes were lying to him.
"No! That's not possible! I must have used too much Chakra and affected it! Let me see it!" Kasumi snatched the other half.

"… Hmmm I might regret asking this, but why did you all think that…"
That's where a particularly bad thought came to be.
"How… Would you describe fire-attuned people… Sensei?"

"Annoying." The black cat standing on Kasumi's lap replied immediately.
"Annoying, stubborn, completely full of themselves and completely convinced that the world rotates around them. Please don't tell me that this doesn't describe you."

Ok, listen you little piece of shit. There aren't Hot Dogs in this world but I'm pretty sure I can create the feline equivalent of…
My thought process stalled, and I turned my head toward everyone else. None didn't challenge the cat's explanation and were trying to figure how the paper should have been wrong.

"You… Understand… That this means war, right?"
"Shinji, your clan style is based on close combat! That's where fire element is the strongest! NOTHING in your file showed a single hint of wind affinity!" Said sensei, looking at the paper.
"Fire is the Inuzuka's prime and ONLY affinity. Your clan is registered having an 84% fire element, the rest are the one that married into the clan, and their children always have an affinity to fire." said Yama while looking closely at the other part of paper.

"… Okay, you live, this time. But YOU?" I looked toward the cat and her holder.
"What?" said the young girl, looking annoyed to have to explain the obvious. "You are a self-absorbed nobody who think he's bigger than life. It matches."

"Okay, kids, that's all for today." Kyougi-sensei tried to diffuse the situation before I could argue. "Tomorrow we'll have a team training at 10 so that I can figure a training plan for all of you before we take a mission. Please take the day to register at the Tower. I've reserved the training ground 4 for us. You are all dismissed."

Our sensei got up from her seat at the edge of the wall, a move we all mimicked, and we all went back home.
Kasumi just went toward another direction when we exited the school. A small part of me was curious about what 'home' a villageless shinobi could have.
Did Konoha had hotels?

The rest of me didn't really cared.

I went back home, still wondering how things could have become so complicated. Then I was hit with the miniature ballistic missile that was Inuzuka Kiba on my midsection. I welcomed the familiarity.

"Nii-san! You made it! I know you'll do it! But how was it! How was the exam! And who are in your team! You're with Yamamoto-kun, right!? And how is your sensei! And how is…"

Kiba's list of questions lasted for a while. I let them all wash upon me with a smile, before taking my sandals and moving in the foyer.
Mom was sitting on our sofa, reading scrolls that I'm sure were confidential.
I managed to put the overeager Kiba on a seat while Moon-moon took his usual resting place in his personal doggy-bed close to the fridge.

"Well…" I starting to say, with an evil grin on my face.
"The exam was quite easy. I was put against an S-rank missing-nin they had captured. He was good but… Meh… Then I was asked to create a Jutsu that can alter space and time, that was a welcome break after the first trial. Then for the final test I fought to the death against the Hokage to determine who will lead the village… All in all, it was fun, right?"

My cute little brother was becoming paler and paler by the second.

"Shinji." And that was Hana coming home after her shift of the clinic, with her three ninken wandering around the house and picking different place to rest. "Stop bullshitting our little brother." She simply said while going to the kitchen to grab some food.

Mom snorted while continuing to write reports on her desk.

"Sorry lil'bro, it was too tempting. Seriously, it was just 'perform the academy standard form, perform a jutsu and resist a genjutsu'."
Akamaru barked. A reminder that he would help my little brother on that task.

"You'll be fine. There is nothing the academy expect of you that I know you cannot do."

I smelled that Hana was simply listening on our conversation, preparing tomorrows breakfast for Kiba, her three ninken simply telling her what was happening.
She always had a soft spot for him.

I put my hand on his head. Something I have done a few times and he always accepted it.

"If I did it, then you'll ace it. Clan Head."

Kiba nodded and ran toward his room to do his homework. Hana looked him with amusement, before turning toward our mother.

"Should I help him with it again?" She said with a teasing tone toward our mother.
"Yes. Thanks for asking. Please, go."

But then our mom answered with the coldest voice we even heard, not even looking at my sister, not taking her eyes from the report she was writing.

"Mom?" Asked Hana, taken off-guard. She always took care of Kiba's homework and time proved that she was clearly enjoying it... But, this coldness wasn't…
"Sorry Hana." Mom continued to speak, in a somehow distant speech. "I need to speak with Shinji in my office. Neither you or Kiba WILL try to listen to us. AM I CLEAR?"
Mom's eyes never left the scroll on the table she was writing on but… Sis and I flinched.

"Is it… Is it something bad mom?" Said Hana.
"Not… Not exactly bad… But it could very well be. Go to your little brother and help him. Please."

Hana's face softened. Then she put the breakfast she was preparing and put it on the fridge for tomorrow. Then, she went straight toward Kiba's room.

Mom just… Got up and headed toward her study. The invitation was subtle enough so that my metaphorical ears were bleeding, so I followed her.
With only the light, subtle, almost eery feeling of WHAT THE FUCK NOW!

Mom took her seat behind her desk and activated the same seals she did before.

"The Nekomata clan made their first request sixteen years ago, they day you were born." Mom didn't even try to approach the subject in a subtle manner.
"The Third Hokage refused. They asked again four years later, the day before the… Incident, the Fouth didn't answer.
Then, four years later, when you woke up, we got the same request from them again."

Huh? What?

"The Third refused again. And now, after another eight years, just when it's time for you to finally become a Genin, they asked again to send someone from their clan… But this time the Hokage agreed. Shinjy, my pup, what have you noticed about the girl that is now part of your squad?"

The question took me off guard. "Huh… She's pretty? And she doesn't like me? And she had a cat with her which seemed more levelheaded. And she called him…."
The pieces of the puzzle were slowly getting together in my head.
"She called him 'Friend'."
With the subtlety of a jackhammer.

"The Nekomata are the Inuzuka traitors that forsook their oath to the Keeper. They abandoned our allies for their own selfish reason, they bastardized our nindo for their own end... And now they dare to…"
I noticed that mom was trembling out of rage, focusing her eyes on her desk, before calming herself. She dropped whatever insult she wanted to say, before speaking in her normal tone again.
"As I told you before, when their rebellion was crushed, the First Hokage agreed to let the rest go. And the Fierce of this time promised that if they wish to send a child back to us, then we would accept him… So, my hands were tied when the graduating teams were made. It was politics. I'm sorry, pup…"

"That might have saved my life mom, you know?" I couldn't help but to throw my two cents.

That was NOT what she expected. Mom's eyes turned to me.

"The other Jonin team was given to Gai-sensei… And I was that close to be the rookie of the year…"
I said while trembling. And I was NOT faking it.
"So yeah… Politics might have saved my life…"

Mom didn't laugh or something, but I saw that she was… A little bit calmer.

"I… See your point…" said mom in good humor. But that wasn't the end of it.
"The Nekomata despise us. While I think that they are a disgrace to what being an Inuzuka represent, they think the same of us. They got rid of our name at the first opportunity and have been a black mark we never managed to erase …
Each time our clan tried to change something in the way Konoha works, there would always be that guy who will simply ask the council if we will just go rogue if we don't have what we asked, and thus weren't worthy of trust."

Yeah, I thought that mom was angry before, but this was… Something else. I hope the guy in question is Danzo.

"So, yeah. To put it simply, beware of her. I don't know why the Third accepted her this time, but I know he has his reasons."
Yeah, maybe the reason was "OH COME ON! NOT AGAIN! OKAY I'LL ACCEPT! JUST FUCK OFF AND LET ME WORK!"
Why? Because if I was the head honcho, responsible for the thousands lives that made the village hidden in the leaves… I'll be fucking annoyed by that kind of childish play.

"Okay mom…" I said, before something came on the back of my head.
"But… She doesn't like me, okay. This much I get. But… When our sensei asked us about our goal for the future, she said she wanted to 'bring back her sister' or something… The 'getting revenge over us' part was only said as an afterthought…"

"Well, so I can sleep without worry tonight…" said mom, not impressed.

The next morning, after helping Kiba getting dressed and stealthily giving Hana a bottle of water so that she could ride out the hangover she was sporting after her 'late night training session with her squad', I left toward the training ground number four.

I walked toward the post that indicated the place. There was no one around me that I could feel. After all, I came one hour before our meeting time. I simply sat on the grass and waited, My friend by my side. I hope our sensei isn't as punctual as Kakashi.

So, I used this time to Focus on my surroundings. I still had to fix my attention on something to trigger the 'time dilatation' and I chose a tree far away. Then I slowly moved my eyes to focus on something else. I felt the flow of time catching up to a 'normal' one but managed to keep it slower for a few second before the effect completely vanished.

4 seconds. New high score. Go me.

Focusing on everything and nothing, as my failure of a grandfather put it, was harder than I thought. And headache inducing.

Then I saw Moon-moon's left ear twitching. It was a sign we agreed on which means "someone's coming". I dropped my meditation to smell and feel my surroundings, and there she was.

Behind me, downwind, her body close to the ground like a prowling predator and moving slowly without making a single sound, Nekomata Kasumi was approaching me.
What gave her away was her emotions. Through my imprint with Moon-moon, I could 'feel' the amusement radiating from her. No trace of killing intent.

"Hi, Kasumi-chan. How was your first night in Konoha?"

I felt the surprise emanating from her. It quickly became annoyance. Then the little girl dropped whatever stealth technique she was holding and acted exactly like I thought she'll do.

"Meh, it was nice. The beds are good but it's way too noisy. I can't wait to go back to my village. Also, NEVER call me like that again. I am not and will NEVER be a 'chan' to you!"

Deny that what she did ever happened and take control of the conversation. Shinobi rule number… 17, I think, if an infiltration somehow goes wrong.

"Kazumi-kun?" I asked with faked bewilderment.
"Do you want me to hit you?" Deadpanned the blonde girl.
"Kazumi-Obasan?" I continued. This was so much fun!
"Do you want me to KILL you?" She said, annoyance radiating from her.
"Oh yeah! I know!" I exclaimed while snapping my fingers, like I had an epiphany. "Bakazumi!"
"THAT'S IT! YOU DIE! RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!" She snapped. Her emotions turning from annoyance to full-on murder on the spot.

So much fuuuuuun!

But before she could assault me, completely unprovoked if you asked me, she was interrupted.

"Hiiii kiiiiiids…"

Interrupted by the completely DEAD TO THE WORLD voice of our sensei, walking toward us with Yama at her side. I noticed that my young friend was worried about our sensei state but couldn't voice the words, also he was holding a bag marked with the Akimichi symbol.
Pastries, as my sense of smell told me.

"Sorry kids" Kyougi-sensei sat on the grass with a groan. "A… Dearest friend of mine took me yesterday in a bar-hopping night to celebrate my promotion to Jonin-sensei and she didn't take 'no' for an answer. Damn, that girl can drink…". Our 'role model' was massaging her temples, pain visible in her face.
"DO YOU HAVE A HANGOVER, KYOUGI-SENSEI?" I asked in a far too loud and shrill voice, enjoying the pained reaction I got.
"You little… Alright, alright. It's too early in the morning to deal with this crap…"

Then I felt her chakra… Flare. For lack of a better word. Immediately, her attitude completely changed and the evident symptoms of her hanghover completely vanished. Our sensei was now completely back to her 'lazy but serious' mode.

Was that an anti-hangover jutsu? I MUST learn it!

"As I said yesterday, we'll be doing some light sparing. Since Yama-kun and Shinji-kun know each other, Kazumi-chan will be fighting them one after another. This way, you'll become familiar with your respective fighting style." Our sensei said while picking a hot bun from Yama sack.

We each took one before getting up. Kasumi and I turned to face each other.

"The rules are simple." Kyougi-sensei said. "No killing blow, no permanent injuries. Your Friends are forbidden to interfere. You must know how each of you fight before we move to that step."

Moon-moon looked down but moved to the side. Kazumi's cat was already sitting on the sidelines.

"So, when I say 'go'…"

My self-preservation instinct screamed at me, and I immediately Focused on my training partner. Her right hand was held high above her left shoulder. Like she just waved her hand diagonally. As time was flowing slower, I noticed that the very air between us was distorted. Like four invisible lines were… Approaching me… WIND BLADES! FUCK!

I jumped to the side, rolling on the ground and barely avoided the attack. Kasumi followed my move with barely contained amusement.

"OKAY WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!"
"She did say 'go'; you know?" Kasumi said with a smirk that only promised pain.

My eyes turned toward our sensei, who had her hand up high in a protest, her mouth open. Then, after two seconds, she lowered her hand and… Shrugged.

"I did say go"
"OH, COME ON! THAT'S SOPHISTRY AND YOU KNOW IT!" Was my indignant response.
"Shinji-kun." The serious tone of Kyougi sensei cut me short. "You are a ninja, not a samurai. I think it's better if you get used to it now."

My attention returned to my opponent, who had come back to a relaxed posture.

"Have you ever seen a cat fight fair, little dog? Still, you got good reflexes. That's nice."
Kasumi said while taking a more serious stance. Both of her arms in front of her and with fingernails I now noticed where sharp.

"Now I can be serious!"

That's where I felt it. My instinct screamed in my head that a threat was right behind me. It felt like a giant maw was closing on my head, ready to crush it between its jaws. Thankfully, my reflexes kicked in and I turned into my Hybrid mode. My fingernails turned into claws swiped where the throat of the massive beast behind me should have been.

I only hit air, and my back immediately burned when another wind blade hit me from behind. Cutting straight through my (civilian, I'll admit it) clothes and penetrating my flesh. Without the enhanced endurance granted by my family jutsu, this would have been bad.

"I could have killed you; you know?" Then Kasumi spoke, happiness in her voice.
"I could have cut you in two, or simply sever your spine and turn you into a cripple. I didn't. Am I not a good person?"

What the hell just happened? I have been completely taken off guard. What had she done?

Watching my opponent, I noticed that her breathing was heavy. She had a smile that bordered on demented, and her eyes were glued on mine. What the hell?

Then the same killing intent hit me. This time I Focused and felt that a pair of fangs where slowly closing on my neck. A pair of very, VERY big fangs. Knowing that retaliating would only leave me defenseless, I jumped forward, I need to put some distance from the threat.

And my head ran straight into her fist.

I rolled on the ground, mind spinning. I jumped back on my feet. Why didn't I feel the attack? Why didn't my senses miss something that obvious?

"Heh heh… Heh hehehe… If I had… A kunai… In my hand… you'll be dead… You… You know…?"

Kasumi's voice was now insane. Her breathing was even heavier. Her cheeks, usually quite pale were red from excitement. The smile on her face was downright disturbing. But what grabbed my attention was her eyes.
You know, an old saying of my former world was 'the eyes are a mirror to the soul'. What I saw in the 'mirror' right now was…
Not pretty.

She was enjoying this.

No… Not just 'enjoy'. The fact that she was breathing like she had been running a marathon… The fact that she could have ended this bout after her second attack… The sheer lust in her eyes…
She was taking pleasure in my suffering.

As fluffy as they are, cats are psychopath. Indeed. Why couldn't I have some normal teammate? Like Naruto?

An idea started to blossom in my mind, and I took the Inuzuka fighting stance.

The girl's eyes and smile became even more demented. So, I did something completely stupid. I stopped Focusing or her and turned my attention toward her Friend.

Kuroko, as I remembered, lickied her paw and carress her ears, as all cat does to wash them. Then she looked towards me, and I felt the genjutsu hitting my mind. If I wasn't paying attention, I would never have noticed the intrusion.

The cat's eyes met mine. My smile might have given the game away but her genjutsu, one that told me that a powerful claw was aiming on my left side, was just CRUSHED with extreme prejudice.

Kasumi, completely lost in her lust for violence, jumped on my right side and tried to hit me with a kick to the head. Normally, I would have dodged straight toward her attack, to avoid the obvious threat I was meant to feel.

But now?

I simply caught her leg and used the leverage it gave me to slam her on the ground.

"I won." I simply said to the girl that was now completely at my mercy. And I was starting to have a MASSIVE headache. Again.