Hey everyone, just wanted to say you to the folks that followed this little passion project of mine, and an even bigger thanks to Users:

rougemage251 and naruath

For the encouraging words!

Also, I decided to start using Line Breaks to help with formatting. Let me know how they work!

With that, lets begin with Anko's test.

Chapter 2: Underestimated

This training ground was nothing like the one Naruto was used to practicing at, and he got the impression that the others felt the same way.

"No way." Shikamaru said as he approached the grated fence surrounding the supposed 'training area'. "This area is supposed to be off limits to most Chunin, let alone a squad of rookie Genin." He gave the imposing forest another once over, he couldn't even see through the treeline. "What a drag."

Hinata looked at her new teammates, her body frozen with anxiety. What would happen if one of them got hurt? Why were they here in the first place? These questions would be answered.

In a puff of smoke and a flash of light, a white banner appeared:

'The most Gorgeous, Talented, and Deadly Kunoichi in the Land of Fire!

The Jonin who breaks hearts, and bones!

"Anko Mitarashi!" The Jonin proclaimed as she teleported in front of the banner. 'Wait for the applause…' But Anko's expectations fell on deaf ears. She sighed and looked the three puzzled Genin over. 'These are supposed to be my exceptional Genin? The girl looks like she's about to faint…'

Shikamaru was the first to speak to their new Sensei, "So you're the Torture and Information Department's number two interrogator?" To Shikamaru, Anko didn't look like anything too impressive. But neither was Shikamaru, he was only a Genin after all.

"Ah, you must be Shikaku's son, smart guy your dad." Anko said. "Well, we might as well start off with introductions. Since you seem so eager, how about you go first Nara?"

Shikamaru sighed, but naruto looked at him expectantly. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. I like to do as little as possible, as often as possible." He looked up at the clouds, and didn't say another word.

Anko rolled her eyes before looking at the other two Genin. Naruto had his hand raised, eager to introduce himself, so Anko called on Hinata instead. "How about you Girly? Name, hobbies?"

Hinata's body went rigid, and she looked at her new sensei before quickly darting her eyes away. "I-I'm Hinata Hyuga." She could feel Naruto's eyes on her, and she blushed. "I like t-to cook, a-and I'm t-trying to b-be strong for m-my family."

Anko had her work cut out for her. Hinata couldn't even talk without her speech pattern breaking down. And why was her face red? Was she sick? Anko hoped not, this test would need for them to be at 100% for them to pass. She then turned her eyes to Naruto. "Okay Blondey, you're up."

"Alright!" Naruto said, unable to contain his excitement. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna become Hokage, Believe it!" She gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. "I love Ramen, and one of my Hobbies is trying and comparing different ramen. Ichiraku is my favorite!"

Anko raised an eyebrow, "Oh, and Hinata likes to cook, maybe you two can bond over than… or something…" She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm Anko Mitarashi, I'm the Assistant Director of the Konoha T&1 Department, like Shikamaru said. I enjoy eating Dango, drinking heavily, and sleeping for prolonged periods of time. I'm also hear to tell yuo something very Important…" Anko paused for dramatic effect. "You three aren't Genin yet!"

This news seemed to shake the three would-be Genin, Naruto was outraged.

"B-But I got the headband! I raised my grade!" He pouted. "You can't just take that away from us lady!" He stood up. "I'm a Shinobi of the leaf now!"

Anko smiled, 'well, he's got little a fighting spirit.' She walked closer to her new subordinates. "Well actually, I can. You see, all the little Genin teams are going through little tests with their Sensei's as we speak, and who knows how many will be sent back for another year at the Academy!" The Jonin laughed out loud to emphasise her cruelty.

"B-but" Hinata started, but couldn't find the courage to argue.

"This is seriously lame." Shikamaru sighed, "Whats the point of testing us in the first place if we don't actually pass?"

"Why, to score you all for your teams of course." Anko pulled out a scroll and sat down crosslegged, spreading the parchment over her lap. "Well, just like me, you get no choice in the matter! So we might as well get started on your little test."

The scroll was a geographical map of training ground 44, complete with a few notes of Anko's own taking. The objective of the test was a 24 hour survival scenario. The Three Genin would need to survive by any means necessary, feeding themselves and treating their own injuries. They were allowed 1 kunai each, everything else would have to be acquired within the training ground.

"We call this On-Site Procurement in T&I," Anko explained. "On most missions, this is unnecessary, but its a practical skill to have if you're ever captured by the enemy but manage to escape." Anko saw the looks on their faces when they were told to relinquish most of their shinobi tools. "Now then, there's one more Important thing I have to tell you, before we can begin."

"More?" Hinata asked as she passed over her medical balms.

"That's right," Anko said. "The final portion of your test is to fend off any ambushes I attempt." The Jonin stood, seeming to tower over the children. Anko pointed to an opening of the fence, "once you enter, I'll be your enemy. If you choose to stay out here, you might as well register for the academy entrance exam again." Finally anko gave the three Genin a bright and cheery smile. "Good luck!" Using the Shunshin, Anko vanished with a loud puff of smoke.

The three Genin were left alone. 1 kunai each, looking at eachother.

Hinata broke the silence first. "A-are other Genin b-being tested like this?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "My Dad said this test was more of an evaluation of our skills." He tucked his hands in his pockets and looked toward their entry point. "This is serious stuff… She's actually putting us in a survival situation."

Naruto had been silent, he looked at the gate, then at his teammates. The young Shinobi tightened his head band and gave the other two an encouraging smile. "Well, I'm not going to back down!" He held out his kunai in the middle of the trio. "We're a team now, we need to have eachother's backs."

The other Genin looked at eachother, Hinata had a soft smile as she looked at Shikamaru.

"W-we'll have your back, Shikamaru." She then looked on at Naruto, and touched her kunai knife to his. She couldn't help but think that Naruto's rally cry was inspiring. If he could believe in her, then she could believe in herself. "W-will you have o-ours?"

Shikamaru was surprised, but smiled at the two. "I don't want to be the one that holds Naruto back from his dream. I'd never hear the end of it." He placed his Kunai against his team's, "Okay, Team 1… let's go."

Anko took mental notes as she watched the Genin, taking stock of their behavior. Although Hinata had the highest test scores of the group, she struggled to take a leadership position. Shikamaru had more smarts than he let on, but he didn't seem to care about seemed to rally the troops, but talk was one thing, and action was another.

The moment the Genin entered the training ground, Anko performed a set of handsigns. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" As she exhaled, fire was shot out at the 3 children.

Shikamaru was talking, "If we keep our backs to the fence, we've cut off one point of atta-" He saw the mass of fire, "Look out!" He pointed before jumping further into the forest.

Hinata gasped, and tugged on Naruto's jacket as she jumped away, pulling him out of danger.

Anko performed another set of signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"

As the giant serpent appeared, he giddily greeted Anko. "Hey Boss! What's on the menu today?"

The Jonin smiled, "Genin, but only if they get too close to the perimeter." She watched as the snake began to slither off. "This'll be too easy."

As the three Genin regrouped, out of breath, Shikamaru spoke. "So much for the easy way…"

Naruto looked at Hinata, "Thanks Hinata, I should've reacted quicker." He was sure he'd embarrassed her by putting on such a slow display.

"N-Naruto Kun..." Hinata said between breaths, "It was an ambush, we didn't expect her to attack right off the bat."

Shikamaru concured, "She drove us further into the forest immediately." He looked around, they were in a small clearing, a small amount of light breached the branches of the trees around the team. "This spot isn't very defensible… We should find a cave, or maybe an old, hollowed out tree."

"But, what if she finds us?" Naruto asked. "Staying in one place for too long will just make us easier to find."

Hinata looked at the two, and quietly raised her hand. "U-unless we can s-see her coming." The young Hyuga focused for a moment before activating her Byakugan.

Shikamaru nodded. "Right… we'll use your Byakugan and stay within your range to improve our defense." He was grateful to have Hinata on the team, it gave him one less thing to think about.

"But what about our offense?" Naruto asked impatiently, "If we sit around and wait, then we'll just have to find a new spot, and who knows how many there are that can keep us safe."

Shikamaru thought for a moment. "You're right, we need a spot we can defend from multiple scenarios, an escape route, a backup hiding spot." The laid back Shinobi grumbled, "If we had more teammates, we could force her into a trap... "

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait! With me here, we have a whole army to back us up!" He smiled excitedly, before showing his simple handsign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A double of Naruto appeared beside him.

"That's amazing N-Naruto!" Hinata said eagerly. "A-a real Shadow Clone."

Both Naruto's smiled before one of them dispelled.

Shikamaru could hardly believe it, but he was impressed by Naruto's display. "Alright, then lets find a defensible spot, and set our little trap."

Anko finished off her third Dango skewer before checking the sun's position. "Almost Noon, better go frighten the kids." She smiled to herself. She hopped up to a tree branch and began looking for her three Genin. They were probably ready to give up already, the forest had a way of unnerving people.

Anko mused that she'd be out drinking tonight, celebrating the failure of her Genin team and the return to a less responsible, more fun lifestyle.

Anko's thoughts were interrupted as a Kunai went whizzing by her face. "What?" She hadn't noticed boy clad in orange standing defiantly at her. "You… wasted your Kunai already?" Anko begun chuckling as she Jumped from a tree down the boy and rushing him.

Naruto threw a second Kunai, and then a third. Which Anko blocked dismissively, "So, thought you would take the spotlight huh, toughguy?"

But to her surprise, Naruto threw a fourth Kunai, and then a fifth, sixth, seventh! Where had he found all these Kunai? Anko had to stop to block every knife. "Hah, tough luck!" She smirked.

Naruto smirked right back. "Yeah, Tough luck for you!" The Genin started slowly walking toward her.

Anko went to throw a kunai, but found that her arm was frozen. No, her whole Body had been frozen.

"Shadow Possession, Complete." Shikamaru said Plainly. "Okay Naruto, go!"

"Right!" Naruto rushed Anko, and as he did so, the 7 Kunai Anko had deflected transformed with a puff of smoke into multiple Naruto's, Anko was helpless to move. She prepared herself for several blows, but none came.

Instead, the Clones grabbed her pack, her leg sheath, and any scrolls on her person. "What do you think you're doing you twerp?!" Anko asked.

"On Site Procurement!" The Narutos exclaimed. Once the gear had been stolen, each clone dashed off with a bundle of weapons, provisions, and medical supplies.

"Shit!" Anko exclaimed, 'Now they have the advantage, and I'm still frozen in place. Her eyes followed a shadow emerge from the brushline. It was Hinata, the quiet and shy girl Anko had now realized had her Byakugan activated.

The fear in Anko's face made Hinata hesitate, but she knew she had to do this. For Her team! 'For Naruto!' The young Kunouchi began charging.

Anko was disarmed, couldn't move and was about to be poked to death by a 12 year old girl. 'What is with these kids?!' She could feel her body begin to move slightly, and her eyes widened. Summoning all the chakra she could muster, the Jonin finally had a chance to retaliate, she swung her fist as hard as she could, her arm seeming to be freed of the Jutsu. The connection was made, but it was probably only enough to push Hinata back. The Jonin thought fast. "Shadow Snake Hands!"

A flurry of snakes erupted from under sleeve, and followed the shadow trail back to its origin point. Instantly the Jutsu was broken as Shikamaru pulled out a kunai to defend himself.

The sound of Shikamaru struggling was enough of a signal for Anko, she raised her hands together and quickly teleported to wherever her summoned serpent was currently patrolling.

Mudamura, a rather young member of the giant snake clan, hissed out of fear and coiled himself up as the Jonin appeared before him. "B-Boss… is that you?" The giant snake poked an eye out from behind his body.

Anko fell backward onto the hard ground, panting. Her eyes wide as she made a conscious effort to understand what just happened. "They got the jump on me?" She said angrily. "Who do they think they are?" The Jonin would have to resupply, get her scrolls back, and then 'And then I'll show them why I'm assistant head of the Torture Department. Those brats will see...' Anko sat up and looked at her cowardly serpent subordinate. "Change of Plans Mudamura, give me your chakra. I'm going hunting!"

The timid snake grimaced. "B-boss, aren't these supposed to be y-your students?"

"Oh," Anko said dismissively. "Sometimes, people die in training exercises. Happens all the time." She couldn't believe she had left her guard down, let that little shit Naruto distract her!

"Boooooosssss" The Snake complained, "Won't the Hokage be mad if-"

"Oh, not as nearly as mad as I am right now." Anko said impatiently as she began planning her next assault.

Shikamaru took inventory of everything they had snatched off of Anko. it appeared she had planned to use their own equipment against them during this exercise, as the three Genin were no completely resupplied. "Not too bright…" Shikamaru sighed. They had found a large tree whose roots left somewhat of an opening for them to hide. Shikamaru picked up one of Anko's summoning scrolls, but he had no idea how to make it work.

Naruto was watching Skimaru, some of his Clones were guarding their impromptu campsight from the outside. "Do you think we'll be safe here?"

Hinata needed time to rest her byakugan, and was grinding some plants together in a makeshift mortar. "S-she knows this place m-much better than we do." She said discouragingly.

Shikamaru nodded, "She slipped up before, but if she's pissed off now then we can't afford to make any mistakes." He turned toward Hinata, "Sorry about the punch, I didn't mean to give her that much control back."

The kunoichi shook her head, "It had to look r-realistic, or else t-the rest of the plan would be for nothing." She rubbed some of the balm she had been working on against her jaw, a numbing sensation made Hinata feel accomplished. Herbalism wasn't a common practice among non-medical Shinobi, but she was glad she had begun taking it up as a hobby.

Naruto grimaced, "Do you really think we beat her?" The planned seemed fine, but Naruto felt uncomfortable about something. "What if she-"

"Nothings really guaranteed to work." Shikamaru sighed, "If I knew her better, I might be able to figure something else out. But right now the only thing we have to work off of is that Temper of hers." He thought back to a book his Dad had given him. "If your enemy is of fickle temper, seek to anger them and they'll start to make mistakes." That was the theory, at least.

Naruto's eyes widened, "S-she's coming!" the boy shivered for a moment. "She saw my Clones, She knows we're here."

"Try to get the other clones to hold her off, we need this to work perfectly." Shikamaru began packing up their equipment.

Hinata made her handsign. "Byakugan!" Looking off in the distance, she could see Anko making easy work Naruto's Shadow Clones. "Oh dear…"

Anko brutally delivered a series of hard kicks to one of the clones, if poofed into smoke and she growled. "Get out here kid! I'm sick of toying with all these fakes." The Jonin perfomed several handsigns. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

A massive wall of fire erupted from her mouth, spreading through and incinerating several trees on the spot.

In the newly formed, smouldering clearing, Anko saw a bright orange jumpsuit behind some gnarled roots of an old tree and began walking toward it. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, Anko guessed it was about 3 P.M. "A little too soon for my liking, but it can't be helped! Say goodnight kids!"

She heard Naruto let out a fearful scream as the Jonin pulled out a kunai. Little did she know that this was the signal for the Genin's second surprise.

"Hinata!" Shikamaru cried out.

The girl nodded and struck a very specific point in the ground inside their tree hut. A trail of the ground began to crack and head toward Anko, the Jonin hardly noticed.

"Anko began performing what she thought would be her final handsign of this test. "Summoning-" But before she could place her seal on the ground, she was falling. And falling far. The jonin hit the ground with an audible thud and groaned in pain as the wind was knocked out of her. "W-what?"

The trio of Genin stood around the opening, about 20 feet above Anko. She was in a pitfall, of the many traps laid in Training Ground 44. "H-How?" She asked.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "You showed us a map at the beginning of the test, one that several of your personal notes scribbled down on it. I took advantage and we planned to trap you here from the start."

"So," Naruto asked impatiently. "Can you just pass us already lady? You're already beat!" The orange ninja looked down at her incredulously.

"Not on your life!" Anko screamed. She quickly got to her feet and made the handsign for the Body Flicker Technique. The jonin would appear behind the trio and deliver a swift kick that would-

A swift kick that WOULD have decimated the brats, but these were more of Naruto's Shadow Clone Transformations. They disappeared as soon as Anko made contact.

The Jonin stood their, shocked. "You've got to be kidding me…" She said. "They… already ran off. Again." She felt a soreness in her back and neck from her fall. In all honesty she was lucky she didn't break something. "YOU DAMN BRATS!" She cried out to the sky. Not only had she lost her cool and burned part of a very important training ground, she had just been humiliated for a second time by these twerps! 'No. More.' She thought, 'I don't care if I have to blow up the whole village, I-'

She felt pain in her shoulder as she thought that last part. "W-what?" She felt the spread of her tainted Curse mark about to overtake her. "N-No!" She said, trying to calm down. She slowed her breathing, and took a knee. "What the fuck is wrong with me…?" She asked sadly. "They're kids… You don't destroy the village trying to get back at a bunch of kids…" But a part of her knew where thoughts like that came from.

Regaining her strength, Anko stood. The curse mark receded, and Anko took a few more deep breaths. 'Maybe I should pass them…'

Naruto was exhausted. Maintaining his clones for as long as he had left him feeling drained. "How much longer do we need to keep this up?" He asked.

Shikamaru grumbled. "Until she passes us, or the 24 hours are up." Shikamaru was feeling tired as well, wracking his brain to think of a new strategy to counter Anko.

Hinata had her byakugan active, scanning their surroundings for any sign of their Sensei. "She was… a little scary last time." The young kunoichi said.

"Uh-huh." Naruto agreed. "I'm not sure making her mad was such a good idea Shikamaru…"

"Well, no going back now." Shikamaru replied. "But, I think I've got one more plan. If it works, she'll have no choice but to pass us." He pulled out a Kunai and began drawing on the ground. "Now pay attention, Naruto."

Anko now simply walked through the Forest of Death. She was looking for her students, her wounded pride still stung, and she was still pissed off, but not to the level she was. She was on guard.

So on guard, that when a kunai was flung at her neck, she managed to catch it right before it met its target. Now armed, she took a defensive stance, and looked to see that Hinata had been the one to throw it.

"So, where are the others? How many Clones does Naruto have waiting for me over there?"

Hinata said nothing, she took out another kunai, and flung it at Anko. Then another, a few Shuriken. Anko blocked them all with ease.

"Or maybe Shadow boy is lurking around somewhere, waiting for me to let my guard down?" Anko studied the shadows of the trees, none of them seemed to be moving strangely.

As Anko's eyes were focused on the ground, Hinata charged the Jonin, closing the distance. Anko raised her kunai to block several of Hinata's blows but the Jonin's body was still weakened from her fall earlier. Her body felt slow. Wait… her body was moving slower. Anko gasped and looked down.

A long strand of Shadow had connected to Hinata, or maybe it was connected to her from the start. Now, Hinata and Anko's Shadows were also connected. "SHADOW SNAKE HANDS!" The Jonin screamed in panic. The snakes that flared out from under her sleeve instinctively went for Hinata's vitals. And Anko's heart went cold in her chest.

Anko's body broke free of Shikamaru's hold, or perhaps Shikamaru let her go, as the Genin ran from his hidden position. The boy clasped his friend in his arms. "Hinata!" He screamed before turning to look at Anko. "Y-you!" Shikamaru said angrily.

Anko forgot about the test, about her life of freedom awaiting her after this moment, she forgot about her. "I-I went too far..." She started stammering to herself. Did she just kill her own Pupil? In a test meant to frighten them? She looked at Shikamaru. "I-I"

Shikamaru's fist clenched. "YOU!" He closed his eyes, allowing for one deep breath, a pause for dramatic effect, "You fell right into our trap." The Genin turned to smile at his sensei.

Anko blinked at him, what was he talking about? Hinata was seriously-

The unconscious 'Hinata' reverted back to its true form, Naruto Uzumaki was the one lying on the ground, in Shikamaru's arms. Even more surprising, the blonde boy had a smile on his face. He began laughing at Anko. "I can't believe you fell for it!"

Anko stiffened up, waiting for some sort of surprise, some sort of attack from the shadows. But that was when she realized it was already too late.

Hinata was already standing behind the Jonin, She didn't attack, because she had done so right as Shikamaru let her free. The Genin smiled, "Y-you're C-chakra point are now blocked…" She said, stuttering, but somehow completely satisfied with herself.

Anko laughed for a minute before realizing that her body felt extremely heavily. Her eyes widened as she collapsed to her knees. "...you guys did it." She admitted. She looked up at the sky, and through the branches could see the sun, in the middle of the sky. "It's not even dark yet…" She sighed before turning toward her new team.

Naruto was already back on his feet, jumping for joy, he grabbed both of his teammates and brought them in for a hug. Hinata practically fainted as a result.

And Anko smiled at them. She had vastly underestimated each of them. Naruto's transformation and clones, Shikamaru's planning and resourcefulness, even Hinata used her shy and quiet nature to completely avoid detection. They had beat her by playing to each of their strengths, and there teamwork actually managed to Impress them.

Impressed as she was, Anko's body felt weaker by the second. "Um, Hinata, how long is this supposed to last?"

Hinata thought for a moment, "U-um… twelve hours?" She blushed wildly. "I-I'm sorry Anko sensei, b-but-"

"No," Anko sighed as she sat on the ground. "Its fine." The jonin sighed, before reluctantly admitting defeat, "You all pass, you're my team from now on. Congrats." A 24 hour survival mission? One Kunai each? What was she thinking? These tests were supposed to test a squad's teamwork, not purposefully traumatize them. Not that she had been very traumatizing, but she was planning to. Just like her sensei was…

That had to change. Now.

A.N.: Thanks for reading Ch. 2 folks. Please R&R if you so desire. Now, I'm not planning on Uploading every day, that would be madness, but I will be trying to upload a new Chapter once a week pending work and real life stuff. Thanks again for reading and take care of yourselves!