Chapter 4
Minato had gathered a group of friends, family, and acquaintances he had met on missions, in the clearing of one of Konoha's training grounds. He had extended an invitation to the Hyuuga clan however they had declined. The original plan had been to use only Namikaze to fill up his squad, but he soon realized that in order for his team to succeed he would need more help. Starting with the five Namikaze of the group, there was Toshiyuki's son Toshimitsu. Minato and Toshimitsu were closer to each other than they were with the rest of their cousins. Like most Namikaze he was blonde but kept his hair short, and had his mother's brown eyes. Their youngest uncle had three children, twin girls and a young boy all with the signature blonde hair and blue eyes. Minato had requested the twins, Ayame and Yuri, be a part of his team. Next was Jin, Minato's second eldest uncle's only child. His eyes were green even though both of his parents had blue eyes. He was taller and slightly more muscular than the others. And finally there was Minato the commander of their newly formed team.
The new additions to their group were just arriving, for the morning training meeting. One was a close friend of Minato's named Roshi. An orphan of the previous war who came from one of the villages on the edge of the border between Iwa and Konoha. He was a prodigy at taijutsu and even possessed talent in the drunken fist. It was rumored that in order to become proficient in the drunken fist you required a certain lineage.
The second new addition was somewhat of a celebrity much more so than Minato. Nawaki Senju was considered a genius and at the age of 15 had been promoted to jounin. He was now 19, two years older than Minato. He also possessed the mokuton kekki genkai, and had trained with both Hiruzen and his sister Tsunade to control it. He held great potential and the hope of his clan. Though they were still one of the great clans, few in the village had forgotten the rumors surrounding his father's maternal heritage.
Next was Kinoe a young man he had worked with once before. He was talented but hadn't originally been considered for the team until he was suggested to Minato by an ANBU acquaintance. The young dark haired boy was stoic and completely focused on achieving mission objectives.
Last was another young ninja, named Gekko Hayate. Even at his young age he is considered a weapons expert and excels at stealth missions. He and Kinoe were the youngest members of Minato's team, at 15.
Though his cousins were very talented when it came to jutsu and their chakra control was better than your average shinobi, when it came to other area of their ninja art they were painfully under developed. Having experts in both taijutsu and kenjutsu would help close those gaps. There was also the question of genjutsu, however Minato had decided that it was less of a priority. Though useful, the first phase of this operation would not require it, and if they were caught in one, his team was already familiar with the genjutsu kai. In the second phase against the Uchiha, genjutsu was largely useless.
With the acceptance of this operation Minato had been promoted to Jounin and been granted a team of chunin. He had requested Nawaki not only for his talent but also to have a second Jounin who could take command if anything were to happened. Commonly your rank was not a sign of a ninja's level of skill or strength. It was more of a sign of position. Though generally genin were weaker and used mostly for low level tasks such as construction, domestic work, and delivery missions. Chunin were used in combat and were deployed to outposts to take up guard positions. Jounin were the leaders who had proven themselves competent and able to lead.
The only true sign that a ninja was a cut above the rest was their inclusion in special units such as ANBU or Root.
Minato had been scouted by ANBU and had recently been offered a position in their unit. He declined hoping to become a Jounin and eventually gain a position training and influencing young hopeful ninja. His ultimate goal being to influence the future generation to seek peace. His dreams would have to be put on hold for the time being. As for the present it was time to let everyone know the purpose behind forming this team.
He called everyone to gather closer so he could begin his briefing, and signaled for Nawaki to stand next to him. As the second in command it was important for him to be associated with Minato as a leader and be given authority from the start. He was glad to see everyone had shown up in their uniforms as he instructed it would give them a sense of unity. And if he was being honest, the blue pants and jacket and green vest made them look like a real team of Konoha.
"Hello everyone I believe you all know me," Minato began "you may also be familiar with Nawaki Senju. We will be the Jounin in charge of this team." At this point he looked to Nawaki to step forward and introduce himself.
Nawaki picking up his cue began to introduce himself.
"Nice to meet you all I look forward to working with you on this assignment" He had been given a short brief on the operation but was still unaware of the details so he kept his introduction short. However he was a little embarrassed when he noticed some giggling from the twins, one of whom winked at him when she caught his eye.
"That's enough Ayame, Yuri. Please behave" Minato asked.
"Oh, come on cuz let us have a little fun." Ayame pouted
"Yeah, we'll be nice we promise" Yuri said eyeing Nawaki. Nawaki was turning red under her gaze but kept his expression neutral. He couldn't let himself be shaken by the men and women he would have to lead.
"Please refrain from further comment, the commander is still briefing our assignment." Nawaki commanded. More giggling from the twins. It was hard for them to take Nawaki seriously when he was blushing so furiously.
Everyone assembled settled down and listened attentively to Minato as he began his speech.
"Thank you Nawaki-San, I have just been informed that we are approved to carry out an important operation. This operation will expand our territory and give the nation a greater strategic advantage in future conflicts" Minato then proceeded to give them the details of the plan. Kinoe, and Hayate where the least affected by the scope of the operation. "I have handpicked each of you to be a part of this team based on your individual abilities. All of you are skilled enough to contribute to the success of this mission and just to ensure that each of you has the tools necessary we will spend the next month training. We will be working on new techniques, team work, endurance, and tactics. Both Nawaki and I are in charge and when neither of us is around you will take your orders from Toshimitsu. During the invasion of Waterfalls" Minato nodded to his cousin.
"Nice to meet you all I am Toshimitsu Namikaze" He introduced himself somewhat stiffly. He was nervous, Minato had failed to mention that he would be in charge of the team that would invade the Village of the Waterfalls.
After this Minato had each member of their group stand and introduce themselves by name. Minato was glad that the moment passed uneventfully
"Well I think that will do for the introductions for now, let's start with some team building exercises today. We will split into two teams. I will be in charge of one team and Nawaki will be in charge of the other. While you warm up Nawaki-san and I will discuss the training schedule for the day"
The group began their warm ups as the two leaders discussed the training to take place out of earshot of the others.
"I want you to take them through team movements, chakra control, and some strength training exercises without the use of chakra. Get them good and tired Nawaki, then we will begin the real team building training."
"What kind of training do you have planned?"
Minato reached into his tool pouch and pulled something out. Nawaki held out his hand and received two brass bells with red strings attached.
"Make sure to stand back and direct them through the they are tired tell them there is one last exercise. Only the ones who can get a bell from you will be aloud to rest and eat."
"So one of them will be left out. This doesn't seem like a good way to bring a team together sir."
"The true objective is for them to work together selflessly in order to retrieve the bells. If you have properly worn them out they will not be able to fight you alone."
"I see, who will be on each team? Ayame and Yuri should probably be together to help make the training smooth." Nawaki stated, but Minato quickly cut him off.
"This is also an exercise in their ability to detect the truth, and they will not always have the luxury of being on the team they want."
"What if they are unable to figure it out?"
Minato thought for a moment before answering "Well I guess they will just have to try again until they do. We have about a month for them to do it, that aught to be enough time. The teams will be Yuri, Kinoe, Hayate and Jin on my team. Ayame, Roshi, and Toshimitsu on your team Nawaki-San. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes sir"
With the instructions clear, Nawaki and Minato set off to train their teams. Nawaki took his team through movement drills in the woods taking advantage of the terrain to vary the formation's maneuvers. They ran on the ground, through the trees, over water and up cliffs. After an hour of drills, they moved onto chakra control.
Nawaki first had them demonstrate their mastery over the basics then proceeded to direct them through performing under various conditions, such as molding chakra while standing on the underside of a branch, walking and running across choppy water while preforming simple jutsu and eventually light sparing. They moved on to the final phase of training before the bell test.
First they performed some simple strength building exercises without the aid of chakra, although after the last few hours of non-stop drills their reserves were starting to get low. Ayame and Toshimitsu were looking fatigued, while Roshi was showing no sign of physical exhaustion. Nawaki felt it made sense that one of Konoha's taijutsu experts would have exceptional stamina, he would just have to work Roshi harder.
"Alright one more set of movement drills. You will simulate a roving patrol circling 20 meters from this spot, taking all orders from me. Keep your formation tight and respond quickly to the scenarios given" Nawaki Instructed.
His team began to circle his position 20 meters out as he watched and shouted instructions.
As he watched them he would occasionally shout things like "confirmed enemy, west", "formation of unidentified ninja, observe till you can positively identify them", or "Ambush! You have been flanked to the North and South"
Finally after several scenario he called out his final one.
"Ayame you have triggered a trap and been injured you are unconscious, Toshimitsu, Roshi you are short on Chakra and must proceed on foot. Secure the area asses the casualty, and evacuate the forest."
The team landed on the forest floor and quickly surveyed the area for signs of enemy presence, before Toshimitsu began checking his team mate for "injuries".
"Good work, there is no sign of an enemy force near by. Ayame is hemorrhaging from a wound on her leg and is not responsive. She must be evacuated immediately." Nawaki had learned a few things about first aid from his sister. She insisted every team should have a medic ninja and though he could see the use in it he wasn't sure it was all that necessary. As long as the members of a team were trained in first aid he was sure that any casualty they had could be stabilized till they were evacuated to a proper facility.
It seemed that he would have to teach them about first aid before they ran their first team mission. Toshimitsu looked confused at Roshi, who looked just as confused. Finally Toshimitsu picked up Ayame who looked as though she was about to say something.
"You are unconscious Ayame and therefore can not speak." Nawaki reminded her.
Toshimitsu and Ayame exchanged a glance before the team headed towards the edge of the forest. Toshimitsu carried his team mate bridal style and when they reached their destination he was sweating heavily and his breathing was ragged.
They all stood with their attention turned to Nawaki as he approached.
"You have all failed, and since Toshimitsu looks as though he is at death's door Roshi will be the one attending the casualty this time return to your previous position and do not let me beat you there, and no talking on the way" Two of the three looked worried, Roshi looked determined.
Nawaki did not like acting this way but he had a job to do and would make sure it was done properly. He also could not make it easy by letting Ayame give away the answer, he was certain she knew what he wanted out of them.
Nawaki did not run full speed but he kept a high enough pace to keep them on their toes. Once they had reached their destination he watched again as they acted out the scenario. To his credit Roshi pulled out a bandage and applied it to his team mates leg before lifting her. One look at Ayame and Nawaki could tell she knew what he was expecting from her team mates. Perhaps she had potential as a medic nin.
Instead carrying her bridal Roshi carefully lifted her to settle across his shoulders, grabbing the sleeve of her jacket and the back of her leg. She looked like a human shawl. This was however a much more effective way to carry her. It was the same way the ninja carried victims out of a burning building.
Once again they set off for the edge of the forest at an even pace, however Nawaki had one last curve ball
"The enemy is in pursuit and you are still low on chakra Toshimitsu provide cover, Roshi pick up the pace." Nawaki made a mental apology for working them so hard.
Toshimitsu turned drawing a kunai, ready to intercept the imaginary enemy, as Roshi speed up. After a minute Nawaki gave Toshimitsu directions.
"Good job you held off the enemy, now keep up with me to the rendezvous point."
When they had all finally gathered, Nawaki gave his assessment. The whole group looked thoroughly worn out with Ayame looking the freshest. Making her the casualty the whole time was risky but he didn't want to just give them the answer right away and he was more concerned with whittling down Roshi's stamina. Even low on chakra a taijutsu expert was formidable.
"You have failed this exercise, do you know why Ayame?"
"The casualty was not properly cared for Captain"
"Correct, what should have been done?"
"A tourniquet should have been used to stop the bleeding."
Nawaki smiled after which his team visibly relaxed.
"Very good Ayame I am glad to see you know some first aid" Ayame blushed a little at the praise. Nawaki made a mental note to bring this up with Minato to add to their training regiment this month.
"Also Roshi that carry you performed was well executed, and Toshimitsu I appreciate your initiative and selflessness in carrying the casualty. However you all still failed this part of the exercise so as a penalty you have one final task."
Nawaki pulled out the two bells and tied them to one of the clasps of a pouch on the front of his vest.
"If you wish to rest before the rest of our training today you must obtain a bell for yourself. You will have an hour to achieve this, and those who do not will have extra training with me."
"But there are only two bells." Ayame pointed out.
"You are correct, achieve the objective of this exercise and earn your rest." It was as much of a clue as he could give them.
"So one way or another one of us will have to participate in your training." Toshimitsu stated looking at his two team mates. He seemed uneasy about this, as though competing against team mates was distasteful. He was glad to see that and hoped they would understand the purpose behind this training.
"You will have one hour to complete this exercise" Nawaki was mentally preparing himself, he could not afford to underestimate his opponents despite their weakened condition.
"Now begin!"
To his surprise they did not immediately launch into an attack or separate from each other. Instead they all looked at each other. Each member of this small team was wondering the same thing. Why would he have them all go through so many team related tactics and exercises only to pit them against each other? It seemed like a thinly veiled ruse, but then how serious was the threat to put them through extra training?
"We can decide who gets the bells later." Roshi concluded. With that he turned to Nawaki and began his assault.
This was going quicker than Nawaki had expected, making him simultaneously pleased and tense. At first he expected the team to have to work out the true objective once they discovered that they would not succeed individually. This was going to be difficult.
Roshi rushed in and opened with very straight forward and simple attacks throwing a combination of jabs and kicks at their assigned Jounin. The assault was far too simple for such a renowned taijutsu prodigy, Nawaki thought.
Nawaki decided to play this defensively as he blocked and dodged Roshi's strikes. From the corner of his eye he could see Toshi and Ayame moving around to his flank. Roshi picked up the intensity of his attacks. At the same time the two blonds launched a volley of kunai at Nawaki.
Their mistake was that they were not taking it seriously enough. The kunai were not thrown with any conviction, they were instead an obvious distraction as the two ran in after them. Nawaki hardly had to move to avoiding them. Roshi jumped forward in a kick, hoping to catch Nawaki off guard as he "dodged" the kunai thrown by his team mates, but the tables were quickly turned. Nawaki grabbed his leg and, enhancing his body with chakra spinning him in a wide arc. The first revolution barely missing Toshi and Ayame and on the second he released Roshi, flinging him towards his team mates.
Roshi was safely caught by the pair of intended targets but by that time their captain had retreated into the forest.
"Since you don't want to take this seriously, I will have to make it serious for you. If all three of you continue to fail this exercise you will be cut from this team. Konoha needs strong warriors, now come show me your strength!" He shouted from the trees. It was a bluff of sorts but he needed them to fight like he was an enemy.
The trio had already lost sight of their captain and fell into a patrol formation with Roshi in the front and Toshi and Ayame back and to either side. They entered the forest on the ground scanning around looking for any sign of movement. Ayame was the first to notice a shadow growing around Toshi.
"Toshi above!" she shouted.
Toshi dove to the side and the other two separated surrounding Nawaki who landed with a kunai he plunged into the ground beneath him. He then threw a handful towards Roshi and Ayame as he launched himself at Toshi, extracting his kunai ready to strike. He slashed out at Toshi, who dodged and drew his own kunai.
Roshi ran in, as Toshi parried and blocked, executing a leg sweep knocking their opponent over. He then pinned him down and shouted out to Ayame.
"Grab the bells!"
"He doesn't have them." Ayame searched him when with a puff of smoke his skin seemed to turn to wood, and he lay as still as a dummy.
"It's a clone, restrain it and form up!" Toshi instructed.
"You are going to have to try harder than that." Nawaki said from somewhere above them. Suddenly a wooden version to him emerged from the trunk of a tree near Ayame.
"Clone." She announced.
"Find the original" Roshi said as he started making seals. He jumped between the clone and Ayame and exhaled a stream of fire which engulfed it, burning it to ash. But they did not have to look far as Nawaki jumped down from the tree nearest the restrained clone. When he touched it, it changed into a staff. Now armed he faced down his team ready to take them head on.
"We are all going to have to attack him at once if we want to stand a chance." Toshi said.
"Okay, Let's try not to trip over each other then." Ayame said, as her and Roshi rushed in. It was a risky move in Nawaki's opinion. They did not yet possess the synchronization required to work together at such a high tempo. But if they were both going to attack him at once he would need a shorter weapon. So he channeled chakra into his hand and the staff split at the middle creating two shorter, thin clubs.
Roshi switched up his movements using irregular techniques to try and catch his opponent off guard while simultaneously avoiding his weapons. Ayame however was hesitant to get in his was and tried to look for openings in which to strike, putting pressure on their opponent. She hoped this would cause him to get careless so they could either subdue him or grab a bell.
The earlier exercises had taken their toll and Roshi could feel that his movements were sluggish and less fluid than usual. The other two were similarly exhausted and Ayame was having trouble keeping up with her partner, while Toshi prepared a surprise attack.
Ayame moved in throwing a punch at Nawaki only to have him block and redirect it with his clubs, sending her crashing into Roshi. Toshi entered the fray from behind Nawaki with a sweeping kick aimed at his legs and missed as his target jumped over his attacker. Nawaki now engaged Toshi batting away his strikes with his clubs.
"Aargh this isn't working!" Ayame cried in frustration, as she started going through a set of hand seals then slamming both palms on the ground. The earth swelled like a wave towards the two fighters. Forcing them to halt their duel.
Nawaki and Toshi both jumped away to avoid the wave while Toshi's team mates re-engaged their captain. They clumsily danced around each other trying to land a hit while Toshi molded his chakra outside Nawaki's field of vision, waiting for just the right moment. He would only have one chance since this tactic would not work twice, even if he had had the chakra to perform it again.
Nawaki was aware that Toshi was hiding somewhere nearby but was unsure what he was planning. Then it happened, as he once again sent his two attackers crashing into each other. He felt the ground move beneath his feet then he saw Toshi busting from under his feet. Nawaki bent backwards trying to avoid his fist as it rose through the air.
"Roshi, Ayame lets retreat!" Toshi shouted.
That was when Nawaki noticed, one of the bells was missing.
"Congratulations, Toshimitsu it seems you have earned your break, feel free to head back to the clearing until training with Minato-sama. The rest of you have 20 minutes left." Nawaki shouted.
Toshi looked at his team mates both just as exhausted as he was, and he knew he could not leave them.
"I'm not going anywhere, but we need to come up with a plan. Ayame do you have any chakra left?" Toshi knew she was probably the one with the most chakra left.
"Barely, I can maybe perform one more jutsu. Nothing too big though." She responded.
"How about you Roshi?"
"Not enough for anything useful."
"We will see. Can you use Henge?" Toshi asked, Roshi nodded. Toshi then proceeded to divulge his plan.
Meanwhile Nawaki waited, they had 10 minutes left. He had seen Toshi pass by him on his way to the clearing a few minutes ago. He had been surprised thinking for sure he would stay and help. Perhaps he felt that in his current state he would be more of a burden, after all he had seemed pretty ragged after the last jutsu. However this could still all be a part of some plan. He had a few wood clones in the trees around him in case they tried to ambush him. It wasn't a particularly good defense, if he lost focus his clones would become less effective, but it would do for now.
Then he saw them emerge from the trees and start a direct path for him. Roshi and Ayame were running in a straight line towards him. He must stay extra vigilant because if there was ever a time for them to try and ambush him he expected it to be now.
He sent his clowns to intercept them, keeping one in reserve near by, decided to wait out the short amount of time that was left. He was a little disappointed they had almost passed the test, perhaps they would pass next time.
His thoughts were interrupted when he sensed someone approaching from behind him. He grinned thinking that Toshi had a change of heart an come back to support his team. He was glad but he would not make it easy on him.
He gave one last glance at the slow clumsy movements of both Toshi and Ayame, trying to keep up with his clones. Sudden realization hit him when he saw Toshi fighting alongside Ayame right before he ducked under a leaping kick from Roshi.
"Now!" Roshi yelled to his team mates.
Toshi created some space for Ayame who flew through the hand seals required for one last jutsu. Two more Ayame sprung up from the ground beside her, earth clones. First the small team capitalized on their distracted captain's clones, destroying the two they had encountered. Then rushing to aid there team mate who, despite his best efforts, was doing little besides causing a brief distraction.
Nawaki had regained his composure and called down his last clone, five minutes left. He and his clone made quick work of the weak earth clones, after that the exhausted three man team was nothing to the relatively fresh young Senju.
Time was up, Nawaki jumped to the side of a tree and performed a jutsu that created a bird-cage like prison around each of the three chunin.
"It seems only one of you managed to get a bell, I suppose that means only Toshimitsu gets to skip extra training" Nawaki stated walking up to his cage.
"Captain you are wrong, it was Roshi who took the bell while disguised as me" Toshi responded. After explaining the plan they had decided that the break should go to Roshi. He had spent the most time physically engaging Nawaki during this exercise. He had of course protested stating that he could take it, but the other two had over ridden him.
"So that's how it is then?" Nawaki asked the three.
"Yes Captain" Ayame replied.
"Then there is only one thing left to say" Nawaki said before releasing all three from their cages. "Congratulations, you have all successfully completed the exercise."
"Does this mean this was another team building exercise?" Ayame asked.
"Yes and I am very proud of you all for how you performed. Let's all go back and meet up with the other team."
Nawaki could see that despite their lack of energy they were excited to have done well, but the celebration could come afterword. The four of them returned to the meet up spot where the second half of the new team waited. The other three looked just as tired but slightly worse for wear. They had bruises and the standard chunin vests of both Yuri and Toshimitsu were a dirty brown color, Kinoe's dark shirt and pants were full of rips and tears, and for some reason Hayate's hair was standing on end.
"Sir my team has passed." Nawaki announced.
"Good to hear, it looks like we already have a good team set up, my team also passed. Everyone good job that will be all for the physical training for today, take some time to rest and change and meet back here in 2 hours. You are dismissed." Minato instructed before turning to Nawaki. "Let's go get lunch while you brief me on your team."
"Yes sir, where are we going?"
"Please call me Minato. Do you like ramen?"
Nawaki was surprised, he couldn't say he had ever given the dish much thought. In fact as odd as it sounded he could really only remember ever eating the instant kind that came in a cup. After expressing this tactfully to his new leader, who assured him that it was going to be worth it, he was lead to a ramen stand out in the shopping district of Konoha.
"Here we are, this is my favorite place to go for ramen. Quick let's grab a seat" Minato said. Nawaki did not have a chance to read the sign over the stand. The stand itself was much smaller than he had expected. There were only 4 seats and one person to take their order and prepare the meals.
After ordering they discussed the team.
"How did your team do Nawaki-san?" Minato asked.
"They did better than I expected, and seemed to instinctively want to work together. Even going as far as to try and deceive me to give a team mate, whom they decided on, the chance for a break instead of the one who originally obtained a bell."
Minato smiled, satisfied in the knowledge that the team was coming together so quickly.
"My team had a bit harder time seeing the point of the exercise. JIN and Yuri worked well together however, Kinoe at first did not even try, and Hayate was caught between helping each of his team mates. Eventually they came together and were able to succeed in claiming both bells, but I may have been a little rough with them." Minato laughed nervously.
"So what do you think they should work on?" he finally asked his second in command.
"From what I saw, they will need to work on coordination, I also think it would be wise to train the whole team on first aid." Nawaki wanted to suggest the first aid early on, and had also made plans to suggest that Ayame receive some extra medic training. His sister was always saying that a properly trained medic could save lives. Maybe it would be worth a try.
"I also think it would be worthwhile to send someone to get trained as a medic. I could ask my sister for assistance."
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea, did you have someone in mind to send?" Minato asked, however Nawaki was interrupted before he could answer by the arrival of their food.
"Thank you for the food." They both chimed before beginning to eat. Nawaki could remember the few times he had eaten ramen before but it had never looked, or smelled this appetizing.
Contained in the simple red and white bowl, filled with the dark broth, sat the ingredients displayed almost artfully on top of the noodles. Slices of mushrooms, bean sprouts, green onions, a soft boiled egg cut in half, and two slices of pork were fanned out in a circle. Sticking up along the side where two squares of nori, and the final touch were two star shaped white disks with pink swirls.
"What are these little stars?" he asked Minato
"They are called Naruto, try them they are good."
The experience was surprising to say the least for Nawaki. At first he tried the ingredients on their own taking a bite of each to test the flavor. He discovered the soft boiled eggs were his favorite but that the mushrooms tasted the best with the noodles. Their firm texture and earthy flavor complimenting the slightly soft noodles that had only just started to soak up the savory broth. He soon found himself deeply engrossed in his food, stopping only to heed Minato's suggestion to try mixing the ingredients into the noodles and broth. The mix of flavors and warmth, even in these already warm spring days, were irresistible.
By the time Nawaki had drained the bowl of its contents, he had completely forgotten what they had been discussing. When he noticed Minato looking at him expectantly he was slightly confused.
"That was really good, much better than I expected." Nawaki said.
"I am glad to hear you enjoyed it, but back to our earlier discussion. Who do you have in mind to send for extra medic training?" Minato asked.
"Oh!" Nawaki was red with embarrassment. "I noticed Ayame had prior knowledge of how to properly asses and treat the wounded, I think she would be a good candidate. We may also consider sending one other for training if we have the time or availability."
"That is a good suggestion, if you don't mind talking to Tsunade-sama for us, I would be grateful. I will leave choosing a second medic to you and I will let you know when we have time to send them."
"They could also use a lesson on strategy, their ambushes and attack patterns were too predictable."
"I also felt that way. Thank you for the suggestions." After this they talked about the upcoming training and Minato revealed the new technique he would be teaching them all.
"That sounds like an amazing jutsu but is it really that useful?"
"It will give us an advantage in speed as well as aiding in surprise attacks. I want everyone to be efficient in its use if possible. For now let's get ready to meet back up at the training site."
With that they left to get ready for the afternoon training. They arrived ahead of their chunin and watched them arrive one by one. Roshi arrived alongside Toshimitsu, they were talking as they walked up. Gone were the green vest, and blue pants and shirt. In their place Roshi was dressed in a dark red jacked held closed by a fabric belt knotted in the front, and similarly colored pants. Like most ninja he wore a mesh shirt underneath his top, and his leaf headband across his forehead.
Toshimitsu had changed and now wore a long mesh shirt under a brown short sleeve one, with matching brown pants. He also wore a wide blue belt with the metal plate of his head band attached to it.
Ayame and Yuri arrived together wearing Kimono styled tops that ended mid-thigh showing the legs of the black shorts they wore underneath. Ayame's was purple while Yuri's was white with a pink trim. Both girls wore their hair in buns with two hair sticks holding it in place.
"Hello Minato, Hey Nawaki darling!" Yuri shouted as her and her sister approached. "Do you like our Kanzaki?" she asked pointing to her hair sticks. "It was Ayame's idea she wanted to impress you, She teased.
Ayame waved at Nawaki who in turn was blushing from all the attention he was getting. He did think they looked cute, but he had to remain professional.
"Please stop teasing him you two." Minato chided.
Next to arrive was Hayate, who at first glance looked to have only removed his vest. At a second glance it was noted that he was now wearing shorts and a black jacket instead of the blue. He also carried his sword on his hip now instead of on his back.
Finally Jin followed shortly by Kinoe arrived. Jin it seems had also changed into a more casual outfit. He wore a sleeveless light green shirt tucked into the belt of his fur lined waist cloth, under neath which where a plain pair of dark pants.
The only indication that Kinoe had changed at all was the fact that his simple black pants and shirt were spotless where before they had been ripped and dirty.
Welcome back everyone, for this afternoon I would like to discuss changes and the training schedule that Nawaki-san and I have decided on after discussing your performance today." Minato informed them.
"In addition to the previously mentioned training we will be adding a few things. You will be taking on more team based exercises to increase your coordination. You will also all be learning about first aid." Minato intentionally kept the supplementary Medic Nin training from them till Nawaki could confirm with his sister that it was possible.
"Starting tomorrow we will meet here in the mornings, we will start with some light endurance exercises, then move on to teaching you a new jutsu, followed by team building and skill development."
At this point Hayate spoke up
"What do you mean by skill development?" He asked
"My plan is to raise everyone here's over all ability before we take on our missions. We will not be receiving additional support from the village at the onset of this mission. However if we prove ourselves then we may have enough pull, from our reputation, to request support from the units in the field. "
"What is this new jutsu you will be teaching us?" Toshimitsu asked
"It is a jutsu originally developed by the Second Hokage, but with a little development to make it more versatile. Let me give you a demonstration."
Minato pulled out an oddly shaped three pronged kunai and threw it at a tree behind his captive audience. They all turned to watch as it embedded itself into the tree, but nothing else happened. They turned once more to look at Minato in confusion.
"Look" he said pointing behind them at the tree.
They turned in unison, only to find Minato standing there smiling. Several of the members of the team turned back to Minato's former position, next to Nawaki, expecting to find another copy of him standing there, however there was none.
Nawaki himself was the only one who had seen what had happened. He had heard of this technique from his father before but had never actually seen anyone use it. From what he knew of the technique it's versatility was practically unlimited and took very little chakra to use. What he did not know was why it was practically a lost jutsu. With such a powerful tool under their belt a group of ninja could control the battlefield.
"What's so special about that, isn't that just a body flicker?" Yuri asked
"It is a completely separate technique that uses space time manipulation. It will require intense study and understanding to use and even then some of you may be unable to use it. My hope is that enough of you will be able to use it that by developing our coordination we will not require everyone to be able to." After his explanation he could see that there was still some confusion.
"Well I guess it would be better to show you. Nawaki-san can you come here for a moment?"
"Yes sir" Nawaki walked over and stood next to Minato not sure what was about to happen but not wanting to obstruct his team mates view.
"That's perfect" he said as he dropped his hand on Nawaki's shoulder.
Nawaki's confusion only grew when, within the span of only a second, he felt a pull, then It was almost as if he blinked, the whole world was black for so short of a moment, that had he not been staring intensely at Minato he would not have even realized he hadn't. The group of chunin was suddenly to his left where previously they were on his right.
His sense of balance was slightly askew and he wavered slightly. His stomach had turned slightly, not to the point of nausea but just enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Sorry about that Nawaki-san I should have warned you about what was going to happen" Minato said laughing nervously as he apologized.
"It is ok sir the effect was not severe." Nawaki assured him. Turning back to their team Minato addressed them once more.
"I think that will do for now, meet here tomorrow at dawn and we will begin training. Be sure to get plenty of rest it will be a difficult month. You are all dismissed." At his command the group began to disperse. Ayame and Yuri, as they left asked Nawaki if he was going to buy them dinner. Which he denied stiffly while blushing. Minato assured them they would get a chance to have dinner together in the future and politely asked them to leave. Toshimitsu walked away but stopped just far enough to give the captain and commander of his new team privacy.
"I will talk to my sister tonight and give you her answer in the morning."
"Thank you very much and thank you for the help today, you did very well"
"Thank you sir I look forward to working with you." with that Nawaki bowed and turned to head home, while Minato did the same. As he walked Toshimitsu stepped out to join him on his way home.
"I thought for sure you would teach us that new jutsu you have been trying to hide from everyone." Toshi began.
"I'm afraid it isn't quite complete yet." he said with embarrassed
"That's not what is seems like to me, if the trees at your special training area are any indication." There was not much Minato could keep secret from Toshimitsu, they had grown up together and were closer to being brothers than cousins. So Minato was not surprised to find out that he knew the truth.
"If you know I have been keeping it a secret how do you know you didn't just give that secret away?" Minato asked.
"If anyone had been watching us I would have sensed them. I may not be as good as a Hyuuga, but I am at least good enough to know when I am being watched. Do you think one month is really enough time to get everyone ready?" Toshimitsu, Minato reflected, was a sensory type and was a fairly good one at that.
"they are already capable of surviving, as for if one month is enough time for them to win, it is going to have to be."
"Why is that?"
"Jiraiya has information that if Kiri gets involved before we get fully entrenched in the land of Tea, they could wipe us out and take the territory for themselves." The mood became tense.
"Everyone knows that they are in the middle of an internal struggle, there is no way that they could be effective enough to hold any land that far from their home. They would need the Seven Swordsmen and they have been split just as the rest of their country is." Toshi concluded
"Jiraiya says his contacts have heard rumors of a powerful group trying to use the Civiil war to their advantage. If they succeed they could bring the country back to it's prime."
"But they would have to deal with Hanzo." Toshi argued.
"Hopefully that will buy us time."
The rest of the trip home was made in silence.
Across Konoha, Nawaki had arrived at his sister's house. He knocked on the door and announced himself.
"Sis it's me!" no answer. He decided to let himself in.
"Sis it's your brother, I wanted to ask you a favor."
"Nawaki? " Tsunade came out from her office and greeted him, with a hug.
Tsunade lived alone, and had few visitors. Apart from himself, the old man Haruzen, and her old team mate she had few friends and fewer acquaintances. If Nawaki was being honest he didn't really like that old perverted hermit being around his sister in the first place.
Ever since Dan had died she had been completely obsessed with her proposal to have a medic nin on every ninja team. He only wished she would cheer up, he didn't want to imagine what she would be like if he had ever died. But today he was sure what he had to ask would perk her up.
"What brings you here?" She asked him.
"I have a request for you, it's about my new team."
"If you are here to ask me to join your team, I'm sorry Nawaki but I am very busy and wont be able to join you."
He could not lie, having a member of the legendary Sannin would greatly boost their power and reputation, and perhaps even give them the pull to request more support. However he knew she wouldn't and he didn't want to give his team anymore reason to tease him. His thoughts briefly lingered on Ayame and Yuri, he had to admit they looked cute in their more casual outfits. His cheeks turned red.
"Are you sick?" Tsunade asked. Nawaki could already see the greenish glow surrounding her hand as she prepared to asses his health.
"I'm fine" he said backing away a step. "I wanted to ask you if you had a little time to train one of the members of my team to be a medic."
Tsunade looked at her brother, this was not what she had expected when he said he wanted a favor.
"Tell me about your team." she said as she beckoned him into her kitchen. She pulled out two cups and started to make tea.
Nawaki proceeded to tell her about his day and the three chunin he had worked with. Tsunade's eyes were alight with surprise when he mentioned Ayame's knowledge of first aid, and of the commander of his team acceptance of Nawaki's suggestion. If only those stiff old men could be as enlightened.
She then asked him about the mission he would be taking part in while serving them both tea. Once Nawaki finished explaining she took a moment to consider. The mission sounded risky and having a fully trained medic ninja on their team would be a great advantage. However one month was not enough time to fully train a medic nin, not to mention the possibility of introducing a second student at a later point in the month.
"Nawaki, one month wouldn't be enough time to train one medic let alone taking on another. The second student would have an almost impossible learning curve, I'm not sure this will work."
"Please sis if anyone can do this it's you."
"Who did you have in mind?" she asked some what begrudgingly.
"I think Ayame would make a good candidate and her chakra control seems fairly good. Only her cousin Toshimitsu was close to her level"
"You seem very impressed with this girl, are you sure you aren't confusing admiration for attraction?" she teased. She would feel better if he had a fully trained medic nin on his team but of the few that were available only she was not already deployed. Maybe she should just set her work aside for now. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost him, she already felt like she had seen too many comrades die. That was even more reason to stay though, she had to get this program approved.
"Ok I will do it, for you. Send her to see me starting tomorrow."
"T-tomorrow?" he stammered "does it have to be so soon? We are just about to start our team training."
"If you want me to do this you will send her to me tomorrow early in the morning. I am already busy, she will have to be taken with me in my daily duties and learn on the go as well as on her own."
"What if I send her in the afternoon? You said you are busy and she would just be in the way. This way, you can get work done in the morning and she can still train with her team." Nawaki was going out on a limb and Tsunade could tell, but she felt that she couldn't deny her brother's request, so she relented.
"Fine, but you are not making things any easier for either me or her. If you are going to send another I suggest you make your decision within the next week." She demanded
"Yes! Thank you sis they wont let you down I promise!"
Tsunade couldn't help but smile at her brother's enthusiastic outburst. This girl had better be able to keep up, her brother's life may someday be in her hands and if she failed she would answer to Tsunade.
"Have you eaten yet? I could make us both dinner."
"Thanks sis!"
One thing was clear it was going to be a long month.
Author's Notes
What did you all think of the fights, and the way I portrayed the jutsu? I wasn't expecting for there to be this many chapters before Naruto's appearance. Nor was I expecting this chapter to be this long
One of the reviewers asked if Konoha and Uzushio were not allies and whether Hashirama had married an Uzumaki. I can not for the life of me right now remember his wife's name. The answer to both is no, but it will be explained more in depth in later chapters.
You may also notice that some characters are closer in age than they were in the original timeline that is done on purpose. My reasoning being two fold. First it is to support the involvement of certain characters at certain points in their lives. The second is that in a world were war happens more frequently, people are flung together more often and passions run high.
Finally a warning. After this chapter when we get more into Minato's team being on the front lines there maybe some descriptions of death and gore, as well as suggestions of sexual violence. I for one cannot write a rape scene, but the occurrence of it shall be suggested. I will repeat this warning at the start of chapters where it is included. If you want it I will find some way to mark it for those that do not wish to read these scenes. Let me know what you all thought in a review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.