Chapter 2 – A Stranger's Visit, Team Placements, & Team 10's Test!
When Naruto arrived at home, he found both Naruko and his mother, Kushina waiting for him with scowls on their faces. Staring at them in horror, he soon turned around to try and run away, but he found the way blocked by his mother as she closed the door. The angry redhead turned and began shoving him to the nearby couch until he fell into it. "Narutoooo. What the hell did you do this time?! I told you before not to play those silly pranks! Just because I did when I was younger doesn't mean that you should! And besides, you had practically the whole village out hunting for you! Whatever you did must've been really, really bad this time!"
Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as he looked everywhere but into his Kaa-san's eyes. "I-If…I tell you the truth, do you promise that you'll believe me?" The young blonde asked timidly as he began to poke his pointer fingers together. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw his Kaa-san nod with a sigh escaping her lips. "Mizuki-teme has been acting weird for a while. A-After graduating today, thanks for not congratulating me on that by the way you meanies!" Sighing, he shook his head and decided to continue on. "Mizuki-teme approached me after class. That's…when he said some pretty suspicious things."
Naruko frowned at this and sat next to her brother, looking into his eyes curiously. "What'd he want Naruto-kun? He didn't hurt you did he?" She asked in the sweetest of tones as she squeezed his hands in hers. Her little brother smiled softly at her and shook his head. "No, he didn't hurt me, but he tried to trick me into doing something really bad for him."
Kushina sighed and poked him in the forehead. "Just spit it out already Naruto-kun. You don't want to keep your Kaa-san waiting now do you?" She asked as an evil smirk made its way upon her face. This effectively made the young blonde gulp nervously as he decided to spit it out, lest he suffer her wrath! "M-Mizuki-teme wanted me to steal the Fuin no Sho for him. He tried to convince me that if I did that then I would be able to be on a team with Naruko-onee-chan."
Naruko chuckled softly and shook her head. "As nice as that would be, it won't happen until we're at least Chunin Naruto-kun." His sister said with a small smile on her face. When he just looked at the two of them with a stern expression on his face, her eyes widened somewhat as she stared at him horrified. "Naruto…you didn't?!"
Naruto chuckled again and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I figured it was probably the easiest way to trap Mizuki-teme and prove he was a traitor. Sooo…I stole the scroll and went to the designated meeting spot. I set up a trap for him and waited. Iruka-sensei showed up and we talked for a bit…then Mizuki-teme came, said some crap, and I proceeded to beat the crap out of him. Jiji showed up with some of his guards shortly after and I gave him the scroll while Mizuki-teme was dragged off. So y'see, I didn't really do anything all that bad. I was actually doing what I could to help protect the village. You're…not mad at me are you?" He asked the two most important females in his life.
Naruko smiled softly and kissed his cheek before hugging him tight. "Why would I be mad at my cute little brother? You're awesome dattebane! You took down a Chunin that would've hurt you given the chance! I'm not happy you stole the scroll, but Hokage-sama forgave you and nobody's actually trying to do anything to you now, so I'm okay with it. How about you Kaa-chan?"
Kushina sighed and shook her head before bonking Naruto on the head somewhat roughly. "You baka! You couldn't have thought of some other way to trap him instead of pulling something reckless like that?! What if he had actually managed to take the scroll and escape from you?! What then dattebane?! Did you even think about that?" She lectured him with her voice raised high.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the top of his head, grumbling under his breath about his ungrateful, stupid Kaa-san. When she looked about ready to hit him again, he raised his hands up defensively and shook his head. "Gomenasai Kaa-san, but I had faith in my abilities. I…knew I couldn't lose to him. You and Onee-chan, Iruka-sensei, and others have all trained me and taught me so many things. I…thought you'd have more faith in me." Sulking somewhat, Naruto rose from his spot on the couch and brushed past her, slowly making his way to his room. Kushina didn't say anything to him, but she did shake her head and sigh in frustration.
While her son did have some points, she was also extremely worried about him. He could have been in some serious trouble and that worried her deeply. Despite being a Genin now, he was still her little musuko (son) and she loved him very dearly. In fact, she was still thankful to be alive. The Shinigami gave her a second chance to stay with and nurture her dear musuko into a fine young man. He was well on his way to becoming a great shinobi, but no matter what, she would always worry about him as any mother would. Just knowing the fact that he pulled such a dangerous stunt tonight just did not sit well with her.
Naruko looked between her Kaa-chan and her Otouto and frowned deeply. She wasn't sure what to say, nor was she sure what to do. She wanted to go comfort her dear otouto, but at the same time she didn't want to upset her Kaa-chan. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't furious with her Kaa-chan at the moment. So as soon as she heard Naruto's door close, she rose and glared harshly at her Kaa-chan. "How could you do that Kaa-chan?! Naruto-kun did what he did for our sake just as well as for the village! He risked a lot with that plan of his just to bring a criminal to justice. You should be proud of him, not upset with him! Naruto-kun just…he just wants to make us proud of him. He wants to keep us safe. My otouto's a great guy Kaa-chan. He's one of my absolute best friends and you…you hurt him just now. I thought you were better than that." The young redhead lectured before rushing off to her room to cool down.
Kushina Uzumaki sighed and plopped herself down on the couch. She threw an arm over her eyes and took in a few deep breaths to calm herself. Oh Minato-koi, I wish you were here. I'm trying my best, but I still make mistakes. I love our children so much, but I just…don't know what to do sometimes. Naruto-kun's so reckless sometimes and…and I just don't know what to do with him. And Naruko-chan is so upset with me right now. She's so close to her brother. In fact, she's insanely overprotective of him that she'll even snap at me if I hurt him in any way. I bet if anyone ever hurt him, she'd slam a Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) so hard into that person's face she'd end up killing them. Chuckling softly at her thoughts, Kushina felt a familiar presence and soon turned her gaze, freezing slightly at the sight she saw. "Shinigami-sama…"
The Shinigami nodded calmly and slowly took on a more 'normal' appearance. Despite generally being considered a God whose gender is unknown, though it could be said that the Shinigami had no true gender, this God generally chose to take on the shape of a female Human dressed in a rather fancy gray kimono with silver lining running around the edges and dark grayish red rose patterns adorning the majority of her kimono. With a sigh, she sat down beside Kushina and smiled softly at her. "Kushina, you need not worry so much for your son. I already gave you my word that day that I would watch over him, but I haven't really had to thus far. Your son is quite the interesting individual. I could sense something special about him the moment I saw him, but growing up without a family would have tormented him terribly. I took mercy on the boy, and to a lesser extent, you as well Kushina. Now, before I say anything more, do you remember our deal?"
The redhead sighed and nodded her head slowly. "Y-Yes Shinigami-sama. I remember. I assume you are here to take what you want now?" The female Shinigami simply giggled softly and shook her head. "No, no my dear Kushina-san. When I am needed, only then will I reveal myself to your son. In the meantime, I am more than content to let you watch over him and tend to his needs. However, when I do reveal myself to him, I will leave the choice up to him. Despite being a God, I do not wish to force my will on your son. Naruto-kun is a good boy, and it just wouldn't do to go bothering him with this too soon. I simply wanted to check on things and tell you to buck up. Your children don't hate you and you've done a fantastic job thus far of watching over your children. I already promised that your family's souls will be safe until I deem that it is time for me to reap them from you. Now, go get some sleep. I have some business to take care of. Take care Kushina-san." With that, the Shinigami took on her usual visage and disappeared, leaving Kushina to stare blankly at where she had just been mere moments before. I will never get used to that. Just appearing whenever the hell she wants out of thin air…gah! Who does she think she is? I still don't know why she took such an interest in my precious musuko. Please be safe Naruto-kun. I don't want you to have to meet her too soon…
The Next Morning
As Naruto stepped into the kitchen the next morning to get himself some food, he saw his Kaa-san standing there. Upon noticing her, the youngling lowered his head and sighed softly. "H-Hi Kaa-san. Good morning. I'll eat breakfast and go." As he tried to step by her, Kushina placed a hand upon his shoulder and stopped him. Flinching under her touch, he looked up only to see her bring him into a gentle embrace. "K-Kaa-san?"
"Gomenasai Naruto-kun. I am proud of you. I always have been. But a mother will always worry about her children. Do you understand Musuko?" When he simply nodded slowly and sniffled a bit, she smiled softly and gently wiped away his tears. "Now, don't you remember when I promised that if you graduated in the top three of the class that I would give you a sword of your choosing? Well…a 'friend' you haven't met yet wanted me to give you this as well. She said it's for 'going the extra mile' and making her proud. So…here Musuko."
Naruto watched curiously as Kushina unstrapped a sword from her side and placed it into her musuko's hands. "She called it Shi no Tacchi (Death's Touch). She said that she would teach you more about this sword at a later time, so for now stick with your current sword alright Musuko?" Seeing him nod as he strapped the medium-length sword to his side, Kushina smiled and kissed his forehead. "Now, while you're out today, I want you to think on what kind of sword you'd like me to get you. We can either have it custom-made or we can purchase one. I'll take you to the store later, okay Musuko?" Seeing him nod once again, the redheaded mother gently patted him atop his head and went to cook him a healthy breakfast.
Later at the Academy
As Naruto stepped into the classroom, his thoughts were split between three different things. The first two of these things tied in with what his Kaa-san said earlier. First, he couldn't stop thinking about the new sword he was given. He kept wondering who his Kaa-san's friend could be and why she was so interested in him and his progress. Aside from that, young Naruto couldn't help but imagine all the different kinds of swords there were and what he'd like. At the moment, he couldn't truly decide on anything. Figuring it would be best to simply check out the weapon store first, he put that particular topic of thought aside for now.
Moving to sit between his girls, Naruto leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan? Do you think we'll get to be on a team together?" They looked at him curiously for a moment before both nodded and smiled at him. "All we can really do is hope Naruto-kun. We'd both love to be with you on a team together, but there's also the possibility that neither of us will get to be with you Naruto-kun. Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be okay. If, by some serious stroke of bad luck, neither of us gets to be on a team together and we're all separated, then we'll have to try and make time to meet up and spend time together when we can. So don't worry too much, okay?" Ino said before she leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I'm sure it'll all work out just fine."
Sakura nodded in agreement and smiled as she gently squeezed Naruto's hand in hers. As she went to say something, she noticed something new and smiled. "Is that the sword your mom promised you Naruto-kun?" Naruto noticed her gaze and shook his head, smiling softly at her. "No, this is a gift from somebody else. Kaa-san says a friend wanted her to give this sword to me. Apparently it's called Shi no Tacchi, but I don't know much about it yet. I've tried to draw it from its sheathe a few times, but it just won't come out. Kaa-san said that her friend will teach me about the sword later sometime, but I don't know when that'll be."
Both of his girls looked at him for a moment and then stared at his sword. "That's…really odd Naruto-kun. How are you supposed to be able to use that sword if you can't even draw it from its sheathe?" Sakura asked as she looked into her boyfriend's eyes. Chuckling, the blonde just shook his head and shrugged. "I honestly don't know. It might let me draw it in times of battle, but I really can't be sure. We can talk about it more later, Iruka's just arrived." Nodding his head to the door, Sakura and Ino both turned to see Iruka walking through the open door to his desk. Nodding their heads, they clung to their boyfriend and waited to hear who would be on whose team.
Iruka glanced towards Naruto and nodded at him with a smile before he took his seat and breathed a deep sigh. It's still a little hard to believe all of what happened last night. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. Taking a deep breath, Iruka demanded that his class be quiet and he began to give his speech about how he was proud of each and every one of them and how he wished them the best of luck in their careers. Upon finishing, he nodded his head and began to announce the teams.
A short time later…
Teams 1 through 6 had been called thus far and Naruto found himself yawning by now. He and Shikamaru both were in the same position with their heads laid upon their arms which were folded on the desks before them both. The two of them had their eyes closed, but neither of them was actually asleep. They were simply waiting as patiently as they could, though with as bored as they both were, they barely managed to catch it when Iruka began to announce the next team.
"Team 7 will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Shikamaru Nara. Your sensei shall be Kakashi Hatake. I wish you the best of luck with that one." Chuckling to himself, Iruka was about to list off the next team when he heard two heads hitting their desks with a loud 'thunk!' Looking back up, he saw both Sakura Haruno and Shikamaru Nara groaning and complaining.
"No…why him? Why do I have to be on a team with that jerk?" Sakura complained quietly as she felt Naruto massaging her shoulders. Lifting herself, she clung to him and laid her head back against his chest. "Shika and I might just end up killing that guy Naru-kun! This sucks." Naruto chuckled softly and just ran his fingers through her beautiful pink hair. "You'll be fine. And even though I'm certain that Uchiha's probably gay or something, I want you to make me a promise. If for some reason he ever hits on you…let me know so I can cut off his balls?" Sakura laughed and nodded her head. "Definitely Naru-kun!"
Shikamaru on the other hand just looked at Sasuke and grumbled. "Sakura I'm fine with, but Mister Arrogant? Does anyone really want to be on a team with this guy?" Choji chuckled and patted his back. "You'll be all right buddy. Sakura and you can handle it. Just try not to murder him too badly later, okay?" Shikamaru chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Nah, it'd be far too troublesome to hide the body. Worse than that would be trying to deal with the council after it was done with." Smirking, he glanced into Choji's eyes and they shared a small laugh together.
Iruka shook his head and chuckled at his students for a bit before continuing on. "Team 8 is Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuga, and Ino Yamanaka. Your sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi." An Ice Queen, and yet quite the beautiful woman. I'm not sure whether to be happy for you three or worried. The Chunin thought to himself quietly.
Ino pouted and clung to her Naru-kun. "I know what I said before…but this sucks Naru-kun! I was really hoping we'd be on a team together." Naruto laughed lightly before kissing her sweetly to calm her down. "It will be all right Ino-chan, I promise. How about we all meet up for dinner later after we've met our senseis, settled into things, and whatever else we're supposed to do? I'll pay while you two decide where to go." When Ino kissed him and agreed with that idea, he smiled and listened for Iruka to call the rest of the teams.
"…Team 10 is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, Shino Aburame, and Choji Akimichi. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi." Well that's certainly an interesting team. I wonder how these teams were decided. They must have been picked this way for some reason. With a shrug of his shoulders, Iruka Umino nodded his head and went on announcing the rest of the teams and giving a few finishing words before he sat down and started taking care of a little more paperwork.
Half an Hour later
Naruto was busy chatting away with his two girlfriends when the door slid open again. Many of the teams had already gone, but Teams 7, 8, & 10 were still in the classroom. Glancing at the door, the teams watched as two individuals stepped into the classroom. One was a rather beautiful woman with beautiful crimson eyes and long black hair that looked to be as smooth as silk. The other was a man with a rather scraggly beard, dark eyes, and a lit cigarette in his mouth.
Naruto eyed the crimson-eyed beauty for a moment and grinned inwardly, not daring to show it on his features for fear of facing his girlfriends' wrath. That woman is a BABE! Jiraiya would absolutely LOVE to see her. Chuckling softly to himself, he nodded his head calmly. "I guess that's your sensei Ino-chan. And that must be my team's sensei: Asuma Sarutobi. I could do without the smoking habit, but I'm sure he's got some pretty good moves. Sakura-chan, we'll see you later." Kissing Sakura on the lips sweetly, he stood up with Ino and smiled as both Teams 8 and 10 were called.
At the Akimichi Family Restaurant – 10 Minutes later
"Choji. I swear every time I come here, I never, ever want to leave. Not only is the food delicious, but everything smells amazing." Naruto stated and Choji found himself grinning. Choji was seated next to their sensei in a booth while Naruto and Shino were sitting beside each other. Glancing at Shino, Naruto grinned a bit and poked his shoulder. "You know Shino, you can talk to us. You don't have to be such a shy, quiet guy around us. We're going to make one awesome team, so be at least a little excited? For once?"
Shino simply glanced at him and nodded before looking back at his menu. "I am glad to be on a team with you and Choji-san, but I must admit it is an…intriguing team. Tell me Asuma-sensei, was this team of your own choosing or were the teams specifically appointed by Hokage-sama?"
Asuma chuckled softly and shook his head. "Well Kakashi-san wanted Naruto there." Pointing his finger over at Naruto, Asuma found himself smirking. "I was originally going to go with Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji here, but Pops did present an interesting idea. While Kakashi could have easily helped further Naruto's Kenjutsu training, I can help in other areas that he is lacking in. Kakashi needs to be the one to train Sasuke because of the Sharingan, and he was given Shikamaru and Sakura for a few reasons, but let's not get into that. Ino was given to Kurenai for a reason as well."
Thinking for a moment, the Jonin lit another cigarette and took a puff before nodding his head. "I got you three for a few reasons. This is a very unique team, but it also has a lot of potential. Choji, with your clan's techniques and fighting style, you're bound to become quite the powerhouse. I plan to help you further your training with your Taijutsu, but I also plan to teach you a variety of jutsu to help out with whatever flaws we find. Shino, with your abilities you'll make an excellent information gatherer and tracker. Aside from that, you'll be useful for debilitating enemies or holding them long enough for these two to finish them off. So you're our basic support unit in a sense. And finally, Naruto…"
Glancing to the young blonde, the two of them grinned at each other. "Pops told me a bit about you and I read up on your file. You've been spending a lot of time with Shikamaru, and I've heard that the two of you have played a lot of shogi together over the years. No doubt you have helped each other come up with a variety of strategies for any number of situations. Besides that, you're a quick thinker, you plan ahead, you're quite skilled in Kenjutsu thanks to your mother's training, you know the Rasengan, you're learning the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), your Taijutsu style is unique seeing as how you and your sister have been perfecting it at every opportunity…in fact, I could go on and on. You're this team's all-rounder. You can work as our strategist at one moment, coming up with strategies based on information gathered, and you can switch to being a heavy brawler the next, working with Choji to take out our enemies with powerhouse techniques."
Taking another long drag of his cigarette, Asuma smiled at the lovely waitress when she approached and Team 10 quickly placed their orders and watched her leave with Asuma checking out her ass, much to Choji's displeasure. Shrugging his shoulders, the Sarutobi smirked at his team and nodded happily at each of them. "As I said, this team has amazing potential. Together I think we'll do great things. I'll put you through the 'survival test' tomorrow. For now, I want to just get to know my team and enjoy a good lunch with all of you. Sound good?"
All three Genin of Team 10 nodded their heads in response and the Jonin continued. "While we wait for our food, why don't' we go over our likes, dislikes, dreams, etc.? I'll start. The name's Asuma Sarutobi, good to meet the three of you." Inclining his head in a slight bow to the three of them, he soon continued. "I like shogi for one thing." Nodding his head at Naruto, the two found themselves grinning at each other again, a silent challenge being issued between the two of them in that moment. "I also like a variety of meats. Sausage, pork, whatever, I love it. The Akimichi's BBQ is fantastic too." Smirking happily at Choji, he patted the young lad on the shoulder and continued on. "And seeing as how we're all guys here and I feel like I can be honest with you three…I love women too. I actually kind of have a thing for Kurenai Yuhi as well, but don't go around telling anyone that." Seeing their smirks, he suddenly felt a bit worried about one of them in particular going off and telling the woman just that.
Groaning, he found himself wishing he could take back what he just said when he heard Naruto laughing at his expense. "Relax Asuma-sensei, we won't say anything. We're just messing with you." The blonde explained, still grinning that same ol' foxy grin of his. Asuma breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head. "Finally, don't tell Kakashi this, but I'm a fan of Icha Icha as well. So is my Pops." Smirking at that, he looked at the three Genin and nodded again. "I dislike rude, disrespectful people, those who complain about my habits, and a variety of other things that aren't really worth mentioning right now. As for my dream? While some have questioned if I'd like to be like my Pops and take over the role of Hokage someday, it's just not for me. I think I'd like to get married and have some kids of my own or something. I'm still thinking on it." With a shrug, he patted Choji and nodded for him to go next.
"Well, my name is Choji Akimichi. I love food and I love my friends too. Shikamaru, Naruto, all of them. I dislike when people insult my family's cooking and I hate being called fat. Naruto sometimes jokes with me, but I know he respects me and doesn't mean anything by it, so he's one of the few who can actually get away with it from time to time, but I hate it when most people say it. I also dislike it when people insult my friends or try to hurt them. I guess my dream is to become a good clan head for my clan, but I still think there's something else I'd like to do too. I'm really still thinking on it right now." With a shrug of his shoulders, Choji just nodded and smiled at his friends while Shino was given the signal to go next.
Shino nodded calmly and looked at everyone for a moment before speaking. "My name is Shino Aburame. I like insects of all kinds. I also love my family, and I am fond of my friends. Naruto…befriended me some time ago and hasn't once insulted my family or our relationship with insects. If I remember correctly, you once said that you found us to be 'quite awesome, dattebayo'?" Naruto grinned and nodded at that while Shino cracked a rare smile before nodding and continuing on. "I dislike those who insult my family, and I dislike those who mistreat insects. There are many insects that actually benefit the world and don't mean harm to anyone or anything. My dream right now is to one day succeed my father as clan head. I would also like to see insects regarded better in society."
Asuma nodded at that and then turned to Naruto, waving his hand for the young blonde to speak up. Nodding his head eagerly in response, Naruto began. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze dattebayo. I like all kinds of things: Kenjutsu, swords, my Kaa-san and Onee-san, my girlfriends Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno, my friends, RAMEN! Umm…yeah, lots of things. I dislike being called 'demon' by the idiots that actually do." Narrowing his eyes at that, the blonde clenched his fists tight before sighing heavily and staring at the table. Gently folding his hands and resting them on his lap, Naruto went on. "I also dislike the time it takes for the water to boil when I'm cooking ramen. I hate it when people try to hurt my friends and family members. I also highly dislike Sasuke-teme." Snickering, he looked at Choji and nodded. "Poor Shikamaru and Sakura-chan are probably trying to tear his head off by now, huh Choji?" Choji laughed at that and nodded his head. "I bet that the two of them are going to be plotting his demise by the end of the week." Naruto laughed and shook his head. "I give it three days tops."
The Sarutobi shook his head and laughed as well. "Go on Naruto, finish up. Our food's on its way." Pointing his thumb over at the lovely waitress bringing them their food, Asuma smirked. "Okay, okay. My dream is to become Hokage dattebayo!" Grinning broadly, he watched as the waitress began to place their food before them. "I also want to prove that Kenjutsu isn't some worthless art. It's just as useful as Taijutsu, Genjutsu, and Ninjutsu damn it. But…more than all of that, I really just want to make my family proud of me. Minato Namikaze, my father and our Yondaime Hokage…I want him to be smiling down on me and to be proud of me for everything I accomplish."
Asuma smiled at that and nodded his head. "I think that's a good dream Naruto-kun. I hope I can help all three of you become great shinobi who become more than capable of achieving those goals of yours. Now, let's eat and then we can all leave and prepare for tomorrow." Nodding once more, the four of them went about eating their delectable-looking meals while conversing about different subjects the entire meal.
Later that Night – Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate
After returning home from his date with Sakura and Ino with a huge smile on his face, Naruto was met with the sight of his Kaa-san standing there staring at him with a grin. Blushing a bit under her gaze, the blonde rubbed the back of his head and smiled as he looked away. "Hey Kaa-san. Sorry I've been gone for so long. I…" As he thought back to the date, Naruto suddenly began to giggle. Kushina cocked an eyebrow as she stared at him and frowned. Upon noticing this, he quickly waved his hands to try and soothe her. "K-Kaa-san, we didn't actually do anything like that, I promise! They just kept…kissing me. And…they played with my whiskers a bit too. It tickled."
Kushina sighed and shook her head. It's a good thing Naruko-chan's out on a mission right now or she'd be absolutely furious right now. She isn't happy that those two are stealing all of his attention away. Chuckling to herself, the beautiful redhead walked over and gently grabbed her musuko's hand. "Tell me Musuko, have you decided upon what you would like your new sword to be?"
Naruto shook his head and smiled at his Kaa-san. "No, but I have decided that I would like to visit the weapon store with you tomorrow after we're done with team exercises or whatever. I want to check out the various swords there. I figure that something might jump out at me and sort of scream: "I'm the sword for you!"…y'know?" Kushina giggled cutely and nodded her head. "I think I understand Musuko. Now, why don't you sit down and tell me about your day?" And with that, Kushina led her son to the couch and sat him down with her as they began to go over the events of the day.
The Next Day – Noon – Team 10's Training Ground
When Asuma arrived at the training grounds, he was greeted to the sight of numerous potato chip bags scattered about the ground, Naruto sleeping with…an Icha Icha book covering his face, probably gifted to him by his godfather, and Shino was having a conversation with Choji about food of all things. It was an odd sight for him, but he soon found himself chuckling. "Choji, clean up your trash. After you're done we can start the test." Nodding with a "Yes Asuma-sensei!" Choji set off to work.
After a few short minutes of Choji picking up and properly discarding his trash, the Genin were seated before their sensei, simply waiting for him to explain the test they would have to face. Looking into each of his Genin's eyes, the kind-hearted Sarutobi nodded his head and closed his eyes after a time. "I can tell you're each skilled in your own unique areas. The first thing I'd like to do is test each of you individually. First up is you Choji." Standing up, Asuma walked a short distance away and from the group and raised a finger, moving it in a motion that says 'come here'.
Choji groaned and rose to his feet, following after Asuma. Standing a short distance from the Jonin, the young Akimichi heir nodded his head and prepared himself. Asuma turned around to face him and smiled kindly at his young Genin student. "Come at me with everything you have Choji-kun. I'll tell you when you can stop. Now, hajime!"
Choji nodded slowly and got into his family's Taijutsu stance before dashing forward and throwing a series of punches and kicks at the taller man, only to have each of his strikes blocked. Asuma soon struck out with a blindingly fast kick and sent Choji tumbling along the grassy ground. Quickly flipping himself back onto his feet, the young Akimichi frowned and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay, so that won't work. I wonder if that'll help any."
Asuma smirked as he watched his young Genin student go through two hand seals. All right Choji, that's what I was waiting for. Show me the power of that technique. Then I can determine where to go from here.
Choji shouted out, "Baika no Jutsu (Multi-Size Technique)!" and smiled as his body expanded until he looked like a giant, round ball. Within seconds after that, he shouted once more. "Nikudan Sensha (Human Bullet Tank)!" The extended body parts were instantly sucked into the ball that was now Choji. Asuma smirked at this and watched as the young Genin rolled towards him at a rather incredible speed. "Hmm, not bad Choji-kun. Let's see what you can do with this technique."
For a few moments, Asuma dodged out of the way, only to find that the Akimichi heir was able to turn himself around and continue with the rather unique Taijutsu attack. Impressive. It's not easy for one to turn when using that kind of attack. You must have been working with your friends on this, huh Choji-kun? Smirking to himself, the Sarutobi stopped and began going through hand seals. "Let's see how you handle this! Futon: Hageshii Kazeno Kabe (Wind Release: Violent Wind Wall)!" Slamming his hands to the ground at his feet, everyone was stunned to see a visible wall of wind erupt in front of their sensei.
Choji hit it at full force and, not surprisingly, was soon thrown back, his jutsu cancelled. Screaming out in pain as various minor cuts appeared all over his body, the young Akimichi hit the ground before his friends and struggled as he tried to stand. Asuma soon appeared beside him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Relax Choji-kun. You did well. You actually managed to avoid most of the damage that jutsu could have caused. I'm proud of you. Now take a rest. Shino-kun, you're up next."
As Shino and Asuma walked away to begin their spar, Choji sat beside Naruto and rubbed at some of his wounds. "They might not look like much, but these cuts hurt like hell. If I hadn't tried to match the rotation of the wind at least somewhat, I'm sure the damage would have been much worse. I got lucky." Naruto grinned and patted him on the same shoulder Asuma had just seconds before. "You did great Choji! Don't feel bad okay? I'm sure you'll be feeling better later. Just in case though, we'll take a trip to the hospital and have some of the medic nin take a look at you. Sound good?" Choji nodded and thanked his friend as they turned to watch Shino's match.
Shino and Asuma bowed to each other before the bug user began to look over his opponent. From that last attack in the spar with Choji, it's probably safe to assume that he's a Futon specialist. But it's also certain he hasn't shown us anything yet that even comes close to what he's truly capable of. It might be dangerous to send my bugs in, but at this point it's the best move I've got. Hopefully I'll be able to come up with something to help me at least hit him once.
Asuma smiled softly as he eyed Shino up and down for a moment. As I expected. He's analyzing me, trying to come up with an initial plan of attack. Shino's the type to think things through first, and then make his move. If I had to guess, he's most likely the kind to trap his opponents using a superior strategy, quite similar to the Nara's. All right, let's start this and see what he can do. "All right Shino-kun, hajime!"
In an instant, the Jonin Sarutobi was targeted from both sides by Shino's kikaichū (Parasitic Destruction Insects). Smirking to himself, Asuma went through another set of hand seals and extended his arms to his sides, palms facing the insects. "Futon: Hogo Fuu Daama (Wind Release: Protective Wind Sphere)!" Within seconds he was surrounded by a sphere made of pure wind, the insects that had attacked him being shredded upon touching the jutsu while others were sent off course by the powerful winds.
Shino frowned and called back his kikaichū. Damn. That's what I thought. With these wind techniques of his, it's going to be hard to even approach him. Alright, what do I do in this situation? Taking a moment to think on things a moment, Shino soon came up with an idea. "All right. Let's try this then." Raising his hands, the Aburame sent out a large number of his kikaichū and shouted the name of an attack he just thought up. "Kixyodaina Konchuuhanmaa (Giant Insect Hammer)!"
In a matter of seconds, all of the insects took the shape of a giant hammer floating over Asuma's head. The Jonin looked up curiously and frowned. What's he doing now? Why would he try that? A sudden look of realization dawned on his face and he quickly poured more chakra into his technique to prepare himself. Within seconds the hammer slammed down atop his jutsu and the Jonin found himself sinking into the ground, a crater forming around him. "Nngh! That was mighty clever of you Shino-kun. Quick thinking on your part. Combining them together and enforcing them with your chakra to increase the pressure of the attack and keep them safe…very good. Call it off; I've seen all I needed to see."
Shino soon stopped the attack and recalled his insects. Nodding at his sensei, Shino returned to his teammates and sat between them. Asuma looked to them and grunted a bit as he pulled himself out of the crater. "That's not a technique I've seen used before. Therefore, is it safe to assume that you just made that up?" The Aburame nodded slowly and decided to listen to his sensei's input. "It was clever, but it needs refining. With your ingenuity, I'm sure we can come up with many more techniques for you to use in the future. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice your techniques and I can even help teach you a few other things that will help with your attack style. Now, Naruto, you're up."
Nodding, the blonde boy stepped up and walked away from his friends. Stopping a short distance from his sensei, he bowed low to him before getting into his own, unique Taijutsu stance. "So, going to start off with Taijutsu eh? Alright Naruto, show me what you've got. Hajime!" And with that, Naruto was off. Moving quicker than Choji had, the blonde threw punches and kicks as fast as he could, all of them either being blocked or dodged by the Jonin sensei.
Seeing that his attacks weren't connecting, Naruto flipped backwards out of the way before Asuma could strike him with a punch. Smirking to himself as he decided to try something a little different, he put his fingers into the familiar cross shape. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" In an instant, five Naruto clones appeared and all six Naruto's had the Jonin surrounded. Soon, each of them was coordinating their attacks as they continued with a Taijutsu assault.
After some time and some very close calls, the Jonin Sarutobi kicked it up a notch and dispatched all of Naruto's clones before kicking him off to the side before he slammed into a tree fairly hard. Looking at him, he watched as the blonde Uzumaki-Namikaze rose to his feet and took hold of his first sword. "All right, I guess it's time to test your Kenjutsu next. Sounds good to me." Taking hold of his Chakura Tō (Chakra Blades), the wind user poured his wind-natured chakra into the blades and prepared for the next phase of Naruto's test.
Sighing to himself, Naruto glowered at his sensei. "Shoulda known you'd have something else up your sleeve Asuma-sensei. You're not going to make this easy for me in the least, are you?" Seeing Asuma smile at him, the blonde nodded and shrugged his shoulders. "Ah well, what's the fun unless I can see the true difference between our abilities? I want to see how far I have to go after all. Obviously I don't match up yet in Taijutsu, so it's time to see how my Kenjutsu fares!" Flipping his sword around and holding it at his side with the blade pointed behind him at the ground, Naruto began to pour his chakra into the blade before he blurred out of sight.
Asuma's eyes widened a bit as he watched Naruto move. Raising up one of his chakra blades, he blocked Naruto's blade only to wince as he shouted out a Kenjutsu technique. "Shougekiha Surasshu (Shockwave Slash)!" As soon as he applied more chakra through his blade, the Jonin was sent flying back due to a powerful shockwave that was shot forth from the underside of the blade. Flipping through the air, Asuma landed down and huffed for a moment before he began to chuckle. "I have to admit Naruto-kun; you caught me off guard with that one. Very good. Now let me show you a trick of mine."
With a smirk, Asuma pumped more of his chakra into his blades and shunshined closer to Naruto. The young man blocked the blades a few times, but soon found his sword flying out of his hands due to an attack he couldn't see. Before Naruto could do anything in response, Asuma shouted out and began his next attack. "Senkō Jūjiki (Flash Cross Sever)!" In an instant, it was over. After a quick series of punches, Asuma slashed his blades in the air before Naruto and blasted him with cross-shaped wind chakra. "I took it easy on you there Naruto. If I had wanted to, you would've been dead right now."
Watching as Naruto struggled in an attempt to rise, Asuma walked over and slipped his blades away before offering him a hand. "That's enough for now Naruto. Come, let us retrieve your sword and then we'll begin the next stage of the survival test." The blonde nodded his head and sighed sadly. "That attack…you chose to use the wind rather than your blades at the end. It's true what you said. If you had wanted to, you could have killed me easily. I still have a long, long way to go."
Asuma frowned at him as he picked up and handed the boy his sword. "You shouldn't act so down Naruto-kun. You did well. Really well. In fact, all three of you did great. So buck up, take a moment to relax, and I'll go over the details of the next part of the test." As Naruto sheathed his sword and sat beside his friends again, the three looked at each other and then back at their sensei to hear what came next.
Looking over the three of them, Asuma grinned and patted himself down, trying to get rid of all the dirt that had accumulated on his clothing. "Well, now that I've had the opportunity to test your individual abilities, I want to see how well you work together as a team. Before I arrived, I set up a series of small tests for you in the surrounding area. You are to collect three scrolls. However, each of these scrolls is in a different location, and each one will require teamwork to retrieve. You'll understand more when you set out to find them. So, as I said, take a few minutes to collect yourselves. When you're ready, I want the three of you to set out and start hunting! Just make sure you're back before nightfall." Smirking, Asuma walked off and sat beneath a tree, bringing out a very familiar book.
Fifteen Minutes Later
After taking five minutes to rest, the three Genin of Team 10 were off on their hunt. After ten minutes, the three of them came across the first scroll, but what they saw had the eyebrows twitching dangerously of two of them. "How the hell does he expect us to cross that to get the scroll?!" Naruto shouted angrily before Shino placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
Shino smiled at him and nodded his head. "We're supposed to apply teamwork, remember? Now, there's explosive tags scattered about, tripwires on the ground, and there appears to be quicksand around the rock that the scroll is laying upon. I would send my kikaichū to get the scroll, but I have a feeling he prepared for that. We have some time, so let's think on this together." The three nodded in unison and sat down to discuss their strategy for gathering the first of the three scrolls.
After about half an hour, they finally had a plan, but it would require Choji and Shino to really push their limits. Choji breathed in deeply and let it out slowly after a moment before he went through a few hand seals and declared the name of his jutsu. "Baika no Jutsu!" Rather than turning himself into a ball once more, Choji used his jutsu to increase his overall size and stature until he was as tall as he could make himself. When he was done, he cursed. "Dammit, this is as tall as I can get guys. I'm trying, but it seems I still need some practice. Think you can work with this Shino-san?"
Shino and Naruto used their chakra to ascend their friend until they reached his shoulders. The Aburame looked about and nodded his head. "I can work with this. You aren't too far from the tops of the trees, so I shouldn't have to push myself too hard. Though…" Looking to Naruto, Shino nodded his head. "You're going to have to work fast. As soon as I start this, begin crossing the bridge I make and create all the Shadow Clones you think you'll need to get the scroll. We'll hold our techniques as long as we can."
Naruto nodded and watched as Shino went through a few hand seals before extending his hands. "Konchuuno Hashi no Jutsu (Insect Bridge Technique)!" For a short while, the insects formed a series of steps leading skywards. When they broached the treetops, they continued on horizontally, extending all the way to directly above the scroll. Pumping a continuous amount of chakra into his technique as a steady rate so as not to exhaust himself too quickly, Shino watched as Naruto dashed across the bridge until he was at the very end.
Quickly throwing his fingers into the familiar hand seal, Naruto shouted out his jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Extending along the bridge, straining Shino just a bit more, appeared dozens of Shadow Clones. Quickly they all began forming a chain as Naruto held the feet of one shadow clone and lowered it over the edge of the bridge. Each Shadow Clone soon began to follow as they continued to form a longer chain. When the last was finally linked, a clone was hovering just above the scroll.
Reaching out with its hands, the clone swiped at the scroll a few times before snatching it and shouting upwards. "I've got the damn thing! Pull me up before the techniques collapse!" Slowly but surely, the clones hoisted themselves upwards until the scroll was resting in the real Naruto's hands. Dispelling his shadow clones, the blonde dashed across bridge of insects and jumped onto Choji's shoulders. "All right, we've got the damn thing. Take a few steps back and release your jutsu Choji!" Doing as he was told, Choji took a few gigantic steps backwards and everyone cancelled their jutsu with Shino recalling his insects.
When Choji released his jutsu, they all fell to the forest floor and breathed heavily for a time. "I think…he's trying…to kill us. If that was just the first scroll, what kinds of traps does he have laying in store for us next?" Choji questioned. Naruto shrugged and Shino shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I think it's safe to say that the rest of this test isn't going to be as easy as we'd originally hoped." Naruto and Choji instantly agreed before they set off in search of the second scroll.
Ten Minutes Later
The group of three Genin were currently staring up into the sky with curious expressions on their faces. "Okay…we're in the field again…how the hell is that thing actually floating up there? Can your bugs detect anything Shino-san?" Naruto questioned as he glanced sideways at his bug-using friend. Shino held up his finger and looked at one of his kikaichū for a moment. Shaking his head, the Aburame frowned. "There's a Genjutsu scattered about the area. I didn't realize he could set something like this up."
Choji and Naruto both looked to him, both awaiting an explanation. Shino shook his head again and sighed. "We never left the forest. We've been wandering in circles for a short period of time it would seem. I'm actually amazed we didn't notice it before. Looking around, it seems we're surrounded by 'unfriendly critters' and…great, traps. From the looks of it, we've already stepped into the lions' den, so to speak."
Choji groaned while Naruto closed his eyes and nodded his head. "All right. Give me a second guys." Flaring his chakra, as well as some of the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto managed to dispel the Genjutsu surrounding them, but fell to his knees soon after. "Okay…that took a little more than I thought it would. Now let's see…" Raising his head, the blonde's eyes widened as numerous senbon came flying towards them. "Shit shit SHIIIT!"
Naruto quickly brought out his sword and disappeared from sight again, using another of his Kenjutsu techniques to deflect all of the senbon before they could reach them. When he settled down next to his friends again, he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. "Our sensei's insane!" Choji and Shino instantly nodded in agreement as they helped him to his feet. "Thanks for saving our butts Naruto. You sit and relax; we'll do what we can to get the scroll okay?" Naruto nodded and laid on the ground.
Shino looked at Choji and smiled again. "Choji-san, do you think you can use your Baika no Jutsu again to grab the scroll? Be careful when you go to grab it, there's a few more traps surrounding the scroll up there. Be quick, do what you can to avoid whatever trap you might end up springing, and get back down here. I'll do what I can to fend off the animals Asuma-sensei has unleashed here."
Choji nodded and quickly used his jutsu once again, increasing his height just enough so he was simply inches from the scroll. Glancing at the launcher traps attached to the strings that held the scroll in place, he groaned. Looking down at his feet, the Akimichi heir could see Shino draining some of the animals while striking down others with his Taijutsu attacks. Naruto was doing what he could to help, but he seemed to be in some pain still. Damn it. Okay, think for a minute Choji. If you just grab it and release your jutsu that might work. But…no, that would be too easy.
Glancing around, Choji grumbled when he spotted a few more launcher traps attached to some wires that he missed before. They were aimed directly at where his friends were currently fighting the beasts down below. That's what I thought. They're at least within range; I could grab them from here, but what would happen? Thinking for a moment longer, the Akimichi grinned and reached out with both of his hands, quickly turning the senbon launchers to face the two that were connected to the clearly visible wire holding the scroll. Ducking down, he listened as hundreds of senbon shot forth from the launchers, striking the two launchers up above. What he didn't expect was for three of the senbon to strike the wire holding the scroll, therefore sending the scroll plummeting to the ground below.
Quickly reaching out, the Akimichi heir grabbed it and released his jutsu. Upon returning to his normal size, Choji lashed out with a series of punches and kicks, rendering the rest of the beasts unconscious so that his friends/teammates could relax for a moment. Sitting down with them, he grinned and passed Shino the scroll. "That's two. Now, any idea where the third one is?"
35 Minutes Later
The three Genin groaned as they approached Asuma and saw the final scroll attached to his hip. "Why doesn't this surprise me? You had it sealed away earlier, didn't you Asuma-sensei? You were watching us, waiting for us to collect the other two before you pulled that one out. We could've been searching for hours if Shino's kikaichū hadn't spotted that scroll attached to your hip." Naruto stated as he watched the Sarutobi take a few puffs of his cigarette before exhaling a small cloud of smoke.
"You've done well so far. Now, can you utilize your teamwork in the state you're in to retrieve this final scroll? You have until 5:00 PM to take this scroll from me, otherwise you'll have failed this final test. You don't want to do that, now do you?" Smirking at his students, Asuma got into a Taijutsu stance and prepared himself for their assault.
Naruto sighed and shook his head before turning to his teammates. "5:00 PM huh? That gives us a total of 2.5 hours to take that scroll from him. That's awfully generous of him, but that also tells us something else. Asuma's going to take this seriously. That also means that we can expect to see some things he didn't show any of us before. And if I'm right and he's been watching us…" Sighing, Naruto lowered his head and brought a few fingers up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Damn it, he's been setting us up for this. All right, we need to think up some kind of strategy. I propose that we test him a bit first to see what he does. Make him use some of his techniques, and then when we have enough data we can regroup and discuss another strategy. Don't expend too much of your chakra, but do what you can to make him use up as much of his chakra as we can. It will definitely help in the long run, I'm sure of it. Are we ready?"
Shino and Choji both nodded their heads and took different stances while Naruto took hold of his sword once again. "Alright Asuma-sensei, we've seen what you can do; now it's time to show you what we're made of! En garde!" Pointing his sword out before him, Naruto pumped a small amount of chakra into his blade and dashed forward, nodding to his teammates for a moment before he reached Asuma and began to clash with him.
Shino watched as Choji dashed off to the side and prepared himself to attack Asuma as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Shino on the other hand sent a few of his bugs into the ground and ordered them to wait beneath the ground for a time. Meanwhile, he had some more of his bugs creep up behind Asuma and attempted to snatch the scroll from him while he was distracted with Naruto. Sadly, that plan was brought to an abrupt end as Team 10's sensei easily caught onto what they were doing and used another wind jutsu to repel the bugs and Naruto. Cursing under his breath, Shino watched as Choji began his assault while Naruto quickly rebounded and tried to assist his friend with more of his Kenjutsu.
Asuma smirked and kicked Choji underneath the chin before flipping away and pulling out his Chakura Tō, Asuma pumped some of his chakra into them again. However, instead of empowering them with wind-natured chakra, this time they were covered with fire-natured chakra. Blocking Naruto's initial strike, he quickly ducked under Naruto's kick, slashed clean through some more of Shino's bugs, then spun around and announced another attack. "Katon: Hotaru Harikeen (Fire Release: Firefly Hurricane)!" In an instant, a spiral tornado of fire sprung up around Asuma that sent Naruto spiraling backwards with Choji's fist being burnt by his attack. At the same time, Asuma lashed out with his blades and dealt a series of cuts and gashes to Naruto's body.
However, when Naruto landed, he quickly poofed into smoke. Cursing under his breath, Asuma quickly dispelled his jutsu and spun around, blocking another Kenjutsu strike from Naruto before he was sent skidding along the ground by another of his Shougekiha Surasshu attacks. Wincing as a few cuts appeared along both of his arms, Asuma slipped away his weapons and brought up his hands in an o shape around his mouth after performing a series of hand seals. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!"
Naruto cursed and was about to raise his blade in a feeble attempt to block when Choji tackled him out of the way and Shino surrounded the both of them in an insect barrier. The three of them could feel the heat of the attack from where they were and immediately regrouped, all three of them panting and all three of them feeling anxious. They looked at each other and nodded. "Okay, we've forced him to use up some of his chakra, and we've learned he's capable of Katon (Fire Release) jutsu as well. That's good. Very good." Naruto sheathed his sword and glanced over his shoulder at their sensei as he simply stood there, watching them with one of his eyebrows raised. It was obvious that he was curious as to what they could be planning this time.
Shino nodded his head at Naruto. "It's obvious that our sensei is just full of surprises. I sent some of my insects to wait underground, all we need is an opportunity to present itself and I can snatch the scroll from him, hopefully without him noticing my kikaichu before it's too late for him. Choji, Naruto, I have an idea that just might work."
Both of his teammates nodded and smirked. "Okay Shino-san, tell us what's up. You've obviously planned out pretty far ahead and we're down to 1.5 hours. I think we're open for pretty much anything by now." Nodding his head, Shino decided to relay his plan to his teammates. "Naruto, before I go on, how many Shadow Clones can you make?"
Naruto gripped his chin with one of his hands and stroked it softly for a moment. "With my remaining chakra and stamina, I could probably make about fifty. Why?" Shino nodded and smiled at that. "Good, that's very good. Now, if you pour about one quarter of your chakra into your technique, do you think you could create at least ten Shadow Clones?" Again, Naruto nodded and smiled at him. "You've obviously got something fun planned out. Tell me what's on your mind Shino-buddy."
Shino chuckled softly at that and nodded. "You and Choji are going to go in for another assault. However, I want you to gradually create ten Shadow Clones throughout the fight. Whenever you see an opportunity, send a Shadow Clone underground. Be sure to put enough chakra as you think necessary into your clones, okay Naruto?" Receiving another nod, the bug user continued. "As soon as you have created ten Shadow Clones, I need you to relay some kind of signal to Choji. At that point Choji, you're going to do what you did earlier in your spar against Asuma-sensei. Use your Baika no Jutsu, then attack with Nikudan Sensha. You don't need to actually hit him, just force him into the center of the field. At this point, I want your clones to surround him, but they need to dispel themselves right as they move in for a strike. Understand Naruto-san?"
Naruto nodded and found himself grinning at this point. "I think I see where this is going. Go on Shino-kun, I'm anxious to see if I'm right. This sounds fun." Shino nodded again and reached out, patting his friends on their shoulders. "At that point, if my suspicions are correct, he'll be dazed for just long enough for the three of us to all attack at once. Use whatever techniques you two can think of to keep him off guard. While the smokescreen is still active and you two are attacking him with everything you have, my kikaichu will snatch the scroll off of his person and carry it underground right back to me. I'll shout out when I've got it. Understand?" When both of his teammates nodded with grins on their faces, the three of them turned to their sensei and smirked at him. "I apologize Asuma-sensei, but you're about to lose this 'game'." Shino stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Asuma grinned at that. "Ah, is that so Shino-kun? Okay, then feel free to come at me with everything the three of you have. You've obviously come up with some kind of plan and you're confident that it will work, but I can tell you this: whatever you've just come up with, it won't be enough to get the scroll away from me." Smirking at them, he watched as both Choji and Naruto moved in to attack him yet again. Come on Team 10, show me what you've got! I want the three of you to pass my test. I know you can do it!
Naruto nodded at Choji and they quickly split up, moving to two different sides. The blonde quickly moved in, throwing a variety of punches and kicks, and each time Asuma would deflect him and force Naruto to flip away, the young Uzumaki-Namikaze would quickly create a Shadow Clone with a decent amount of chakra pumped into it and hid it just under the surface of the ground to hide away until it was time for it to makes its appearance. While he was doing this, Choji was doing an excellent job of keeping their sensei's attention off of him so Asuma wouldn't suspect anything strange was going on.
Shino was observing everything cautiously, occasionally sending in some of his bugs to attack, but only to keep Asuma from becoming too curious about their plan. After all, the success of this plan lay in the ability to keep him preoccupied with trying to defend himself and keeping him focused solely on defending himself. Whenever Asuma looked as if he was about to eliminate some of his bugs, he would quickly withdraw them and have them instead focus on protecting his allies or helping them back to their feet whenever they were knocked down.
As Choji moved in for another attack, he caught the briefest of glimpses of Naruto nodding ever so slightly at him. Without doing anything to give away that they were about to enact their plan, Choji threw a few more punches and kicks until Asuma picked him up and flung him over his shoulder to land beside Naruto once more. Flashing through a couple of hand seals, Choji shouted out once more. "Baika no Jutsu! Nikudan Sensha!" Expanding his body into a ball once more and immediately sucking in his protruding body parts, Choji began to chase Asuma around the field, gradually forcing him towards the center.
As soon as Naruto saw that their sensei was close enough and was preparing to use that wind wall jutsu of his to defend himself once more, the blonde Uzumaki-Namikaze gave a signal for his Shadow Clones to do their part. Asuma's eyes widened as the Shadow Clones appeared from virtually out of nowhere around him in a circle. As he quickly prepared to destroy them, his eyes widened further when they each poofed out on their own, enveloping him in smoke. Clever. Very clever. Okay, if they want to play like that…
Before Asuma could go through the hand seals necessary for a proper Futon (Wind Release) jutsu to clear the smoke away, he found himself blocking numerous attacks from Naruto and Choji once again. "Damn it, you three are doing better than I thought you would. I'm actually pretty impressed! However…" Knocking away both of his opponents, Asuma flashed through a series of hand seals as fast as he could. "Futon: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"
As soon as the smoke was cleared, Asuma glanced around and quickly found himself dodging a strike from Choji and a Rasengan from Naruto. Flipping away, he quickly reached down to pull out his blades again when he noticed Shino out of the corner of his eye. Blinking a few times, the Jonin sensei reached down and patted the area where the scroll was supposed to be strapped to. Eyes widening, he looked down and realized that they had actually managed to take it from him at some point during the fight. Realizing he had lost the match, Asuma began to laugh merrily.
The three Genin joined together once again and smirked at their Jonin sensei. When Asuma finally calmed down, he walked over to them and hugged the three of them tight against him. "You three are truly incredible. Very, VERY well done. Now, would you mind telling me how you pulled that off? I'm honestly very curious to know. I never even felt the scroll leaving me." With that, the three nodded their heads and began to regale their plan to him.
When they had finished revealing the plan they had come up with, Asuma barked out laughing again and nodded his head. "You three are truly incredible. Excellent teamwork. First, I would like to congratulate all three of you on passing the survival test. Before I say anything more, I want you three to take a look at those scrolls."
Curious, the three Genin each looked at the scrolls. What they saw caused their eyes to widen. "They…have our names on them. One for each of us." Asuma nodded at this and pointed at each of them in turn. "As I said before, I took the liberty of studying up on each of you. I want you three to study these scrolls whenever you can and practice the jutsu and chakra exercises listed in them whenever you find the time. I'm certain that they will benefit the three of you greatly. Now, to close things off, I would officially like to declare us Team 10. We will begin taking missions tomorrow. I would like us to focus on D-rank missions for now, although they may seem awfully boring for the most part. The reason I would like to focus on those missions to start off with is so that we can primarily focus on training until I feel we're ready for some tougher missions. If I had to guess, I'd say that in about two weeks we'll be ready to take on our first C-rank mission. The three of you are truly amazing. I can't wait to brag about you three to the others! Pops is going to be damn proud. Now, would any of you like me to treat you to dinner before you head on home to do whatever you want for the rest of the night?"
Choji and Shino nodded their heads, but Naruto shook his head in a negative fashion. "You three go on ahead. I'm going to meet up with Kaa-san in a bit. Naruko's back today as well and I'd like to see her before we start things off tomorrow. Besides, Kaa-san and I have plans. I'll see you three tomorrow. That was really fun Sensei! Take care!" And with that, Naruto was off on his way back home after a rather eventful day. It's time for me to find a brand new sword! I can't wait! Not long after he disappeared, the other three left the training ground as well to go and get some dinner as an official team.