Hey ho! it's me and we're back with some True Jinchuuriki! last time, a fight was teased, but what will happen?
Is Ino ever gonna be redeemed?
Is Ino ever gonna be redeemed?
Let's find out! Anyway, let's go!
Super hero time!
Ex-aid: Red vs. purple! Anruto, face your peers!
Naruto: That's a dangerous zombie! Get some help from Tune!
Ex-aid: I don't think I'll be going near truffles for a while...
Naruto: See!? Vegetables WILL kill you! Child boys were right!
E-a + N: Game start! Showtime!
"You really want to go there Ino?" Naruto asked firmly. "Once you start, there's no going back."
"Oh come on Naruto, did you really fail that hard?" the blond flower girl returned, a triumphant grin on her face for whatever reason she had. For all he knew, there were thousands of possibilities as to what she was so smug about, be it getting one on the Dobe, making herself look better or possibly just simply being upset and wanting to vent. "What, did you not even understand what you had to do?"
"Ino, that's enough." Asuma Sarutobi, the teacher for team 8 and the second Ino-Shika-Cho trio, interrupted, putting down cup with held back force. He had heard of the terrible breach in conduct from one of the other jonin, each drawing a short straw and having to report to the others on the new genin as punishment and it had left him more than a little disgusted. "It is certainly not what you're expecting, I can tell you that much."
"And I don't mean to be rude, but who are these people and what is Hinata ding here instead of her own team?" Ino continued regardless of her teacher and team leader's warning. "Did their teammates end up dying? I'm pretty sure I saw Hinata has another reason b-"
"Well I almost died. Twice if I recall correctly." Naruto commented, looking into his cup, swirling the dark tea within with some sense of reminiscence. "It was certainly not a fun experience, I assure you." The words were enough to give pause to Ino, before she quickly regained her composure.
"Oh yeah? Did you have a combat styled test like we did and dove in front of a kunai or something? Sounds like something you would do." The mind walker remarked, crossing her lithe arms in satisfaction. "You didn't end up forcing Forehead or Sasuke back into the academy did you?"
"Well there were certainly kunai involved – both times in fact." Naruto concurred, the red captain leaning back into the seat of the booth. "Do you understand where this is going?"
"Oh yes, I think I do." Ino concurred and they both spoke at the same time.
"You ended up failing the test completely."
"I ended up nearly murdered by your friends."
A tense silence followed, both to allow team 8 to completely absorb what was just said and for the pirates to make sure they didn't grow angry because of what would inevitably happen.
"What!?" All three team 8 members cried, startling the man who bringing the meats towards their booth, nearly dropping them if it hadn't of been for the quick actions of Hinata. After the small accident was over and she was completely sure that there was no one else who she would disturb she took a deep breath.
And yelled.
"Are you accusing my Sasuke of trying to murder someone!? Even if it someone like you, he isn't the kind of person to just kill someone!" Ino screeched, slamming her hands onto the table with a fierce thud that shook the plates upon it. In response, Naruto shook his head slowly, looking at the standing girl with those sea blue eyes that were able to change a person entirely, a skill he would not learn of until many years later.
"We're ninja Ino. We're kind of obligated to do as such for our village and Daimyo. There's a natural issue with that in they have to instil the idea that killing is perfectly fine into people from a relatively young age; we are the age that has to now learn killing will make up the majority of our life unless something kills us first." Naruto bluntly stated, a sentiment that was echoed and mentally applauded by Asuma, sitting and listening intently at the side-lines.
"But that's different! Sasuke wouldn't just try and kill someone. It would be for a good reason!" Ino vehemently denied, accentuating it with a stomp of her foot that served to make her appear childish despite the rather mature subject matter.
'It was bound to happen when you put kids into adult situations.' Asuma mused, taking a sip of his tea. Perhaps it was symbolic, but it seemed as if it had become hotter as the conversation continued whereas the meats, placed next to Naruto, had remained cool in the little time it had been out, rather than slowly becoming room temperature.
"Ah, but that's where the crux of the situation is, isn't it?" Naruto remarked, a knowing frown on his face. "Sasuke has not had a family. There have been none to guide him in a smarter path since that dreadful day of the Uchiha massacre, leaving him as the last of his clan. Where you, Choji, Shikamaru and Hinata have had families to keep you on the right path, there have been none to direct Sasuke and in a world of encourage cold familiarity with assassination and murder, it is simply seen as normal to him."
"That doesn't make sense at all though. What would that mean for Forehead?" Ino countered. "And Sasuke's smart enough to know the difference between job based assassination and straight up murder!"
"It's all in the execution, isn't it?" Tenten spoke up for the first time since the confrontation began. "I'm guessing here, but Forehead is Sakura Haruno, is it not?" At the Yamanaka's agreement, Tenten nodded. "The Harunos have always been part of the civilian council and certainly one of the more vocal parts at that. They have been brought up with the idea that when they desire change or to remove something that either goes against them or they dislike, anything goes. Now picture the scenario: young Sakura is telling her parents about the annoying Dobe of the class, sorry Naruto," At her captain's nonchalant wave of his hand, the weapons mistress carried on. "Anyway, Sakura is speaking to her parents about it. What do you expect them to tell their daughter Ino?"
"Just ignore him." The girl quickly answered, her mind flashing back to the small advice her father had given a little Ino that was promptly ignored for the more fun alternative of 'bully the outcast and make sure he gets in trouble.'
"No. What's more likely is: If you don't like him, just get rid of him." Tenten declared, much to the confusion of team 8 once more.
"Wait, but why would they tell a child that?" Choji asked in disbelief, the hand holding the crisps he had been dipping into throughout the small event pausing before it met his mouth. "My parents wouldn't speak to me at that age like that."
"My dear Choji, that is because your family is an important clan!" Lee interrupted in his typical overdramatic manner. "If it was to leak that your family had been conspiring to murder Naruto, then you would face a hefty punishment! However, the Harunos are just not as important and yet important enough to be able to get rid of Naruto and not face such drastic action!"
"Mendokuse, so you're telling us that Sasuke tried to kill Naruto because he didn't know better and Sakura did because her parents told her to?" Shikamaru sighed, placing various pieces onto the built in grill, the sizzling of meat echoing his groans. "That seems logically sound but wholly absurd."
"Yeah, for once I have to agree with the laz- with Shikamaru!" Ino shouted again, unfortunately this time into Hinata's eardrums.
"Believe what you want. That is what happened. I was able to learn of it and volunteered myself to act as one of the replacement members." Hinata meekly added. When Kurenai Yuuhi, her teacher, had learnt that she would be leaving the team mere moments after it had been formed, she had been understandably upset, especially considering that team 10 would be the first team she led. Kiba had also been discouraged, wishing to use the time to pursue her in a more intimate group, even when she had openly rebuked his proposals. ('For dates of course!')
"Ino, perhaps you should go home and ret for a bit; you seem agitated." Asuma suggested, getting out of the booth and steering the girl towards the entrance. "If you're still feeling hungry later, we'll bring something to you."
"Huh!? Wait!" She called out in indignation until the pair was out of sight, a swirl of leaves a minute later dictating his return through shunshin.
"You know, we should really learn that jutsu. It could be really useful one day." Naruto commented, raising his glass to the man who let out a light chuckle.
"It isn't normally taught to any but Jonin and the prodigy chunin due to the chakra control needed to make sure all your body parts stay intact." Asuma said, instantly shooting down the idea.
"But I swear that Iruka taught us that it was a highly speed based jutsu. Why would we need to keep all our body parts intact if we're just… I don't know, super running?" Choji asked, intrigued himself with the idea of being able to teleport.
"So that's what they tell you now is it?" Asuma said, draining his cup before taking the metal kettle and pouring himself another drink, darker in shade thanks to the time it had been sitting. "Well it isn't that exactly. It really is the high speed displacement of all the material that makes up the body using chakra, meaning if you don't keep a steady amount of chakra and move it all to the correct position, you could end up flinging an arm about 4 meters behind you. It's why I can be here even though the door and windows were closed and the lack of sudden breeze means that I didn't just open and close them super fast."
"Oh, I suppose that does make sense…" Hinata lamented. "That would mean that me and Tenten would be better suited to the technique, while you would be at too much of a risk to utilise the shunshin." The though natural caused Naruto to deflate slightly, though Lee was there to pick the optimism back up.
"Do not worry my dear captain, for I, who may not use such techniques, can move at great speeds regardless! We shall find a better alternative, whether it be through natural or gifted abilities." He cheered boisterously.
"Mendokuse." Shikamaru repeated, a word coming up more often that the word 'the' in his vocabulary. "By the way, I heard you use the term captain. Why would you say that? You are on a different team if I recall."
"Well you see, we had something special occur and instead of just Hinata and some other ninja that graduates next, these two will be joining me!" Naruto quickly replied, throwing an arm around Hinata and Lee before giving a thumbs up to Tenten. To the pirates of course, it had a much different meaning that the generic joy.
'Don't say a single thing about the Gokaigers!'
"While we did have a team before this, I don't really mind being put on a different team." Tenten easily said. "The guy we were with before could be a little difficult sometimes."
"I see. You were with Neji Hyuuga before, weren't you? I can see why you wouldn't care to be on a different team. Apologies Hinata, but your clan aren't exactly the most sociable of people." Shikamaru stated, taking his drink in hand. "Mendokuse, I let it get cold. We should just eat."
"That was kind of close." Naruto sighed, slumping back onto his captain seat . He had removed the coat he had grown so used to wearing as part of his normal outfit, instead choosing to simple rest in the shirt beneath. The rest of the crew were lounging about as well, apart from Tenten who was finding her own entertainment in the various weapons that were lying around her, ones that she had managed to keep from the many transformations.
"I still don't get how this is meant to work, but there's a part of me that's like, 'forget it – just beat stuff up with it!'" the weapons mistress commented, fiddling with one of the pink blasters, specifically the ptera bow, managing to scorch the cream walls with a single shot.
"OI, be careful Tenten, it's not like we can just get a new ship!" Naruto warned, taking the bow off of the girl. "It's not exactly easy to take the right colour of paint in a small amount of time."
"Why don't you just- oh, yeah." Tenten began before she remembered the situation that Naruto had. It would never be as easy as simply waling into a shop and purchasing such things until the attitude of the majority of the population that made up Konoha collectively decided to change their ways, an act that certainly didn't seem close to coming.
"If you really want to test this stuff out, let's go to one of the training grounds!" Lee suggested, already heading towards the door. "We shall get you fully acquainted with a battle situation!" is hand was tightened around Tenten's before she could even respond.
"Hey, let me down Lee! This is not good! Abuse – Abuse!"
MAAAGIRANGER!
TOOOQGER!
"Hey Lee, why did you choose trains of all things to go against magic?" Tenten asked her opponent, a sentence she had not been expecting to ever ask in her entire life unless it was some sort of strange card game. Lee gave a thumbs up as a reply, the light glinting off of the black visor like it would his teeth.
"Because this is another team that has amazing power with weapons and another skill!" Lee declared, patting the white 4 upon his chest. Toq yon-gou was the green ranger for the team, remaining cool and collected in battle, yet still holding those childish qualities that made them so memorable. Being one of the more brute force based fighters, he wielded a giant axe done in like green, the steel glinting in the sun.
"Okay then, don't cry when I snipe you from a mile away!" Tenten teased with a twirl of her pistols. Using the sixth ranger power at her disposal, she had become Magi-shine, a magician that had been once known by his heavenly saint title, Sungel. Wielding the Magilamp buster, she quickly entered the offensive, a red cape billowing behind her golden figure. The train based ranger dodged to the side, intent on getting up close no matter how many shots were sent his way.
"Man, they're really going at it, aren't they?" Naruto happily remarked from the side-lines, completely unfazed by the tremor released from the axe as it slammed down on the space that was previously occupied by Tenten, lightly tilting his head to avoid the retaliation fire.
"They were teammates, so it would make sense that they already know the limits of each other." Hinata replied, though a little behind Naruto to protect herself from all of the crazy battle damage occurring around her.
"Yes, though I don't think she's ready for the absolute craziness Lee is about to bring to the party though." It was at that moment when Lee chose to hold up a small item, blue in colour as opposed to his normal green. Lifting up his left arm, he tapped a tiny white button on the brace found there, red lights blinking in alternation.
HENSHIN KAISHO ITASHIMASU! OISOGI NO KATA WA ONORIKAE KUDASAI!
"Time for me to get a little bit shooty as well! Brace yourself!" Lee yelled, jumping into the air and pulling up a black bar, removing a red train within the brace and placing the blue version into it instead.
TOQ YON-GOU: GREEN! NORIKAETE BLUE!
Suddenly, the blue train was launched off of the brace, forming a track suspended in the air that circled Lee, turning all green into blue. Eventually the track began to twist until it settled itself on the helmet. The power of the Toqgers involved the special ability to change colours and wield each other's weapons, hence why they were referred to as their number rather than normal colour. Now wielding a blue gun, a firefight soon followed, streams of energy flowing back and forth.
"And this has become Lee's win." Naruto seemingly said randomly, despite the fact that both combatants were going strong. Looking to her captain in confusion, Hinata watched intently as the fight continued.
"Tenten, for all the skill she has, is far too focused on her weapon's range. Now that the battle's on even terms, her single advantage has been diminished. Once Lee gets in closer, than there will be no advantage as her gun is not made for short range and Lee doesn't have less speed due to weight. Finally, she has taken Lee's tactic of not changing once in the battle, but because the Toqgers can change within their own team, he's managed to cheat the system. Looks like we've still got a fair bit of work on our hands."
Lee had managed to get close to Tenten, to gloved fists colliding with gold plated torso. Stunned by the immense blow, Magi-shine stumbled back where she was then nailed by a pair of gun blasts. A foot smashed into the front of her helmet to send her to the floor before a lighter tap of his toes upon her stomach dictated the end of the battle, both armours fading off of their wearers.
"Well that was definitely a nice spar, but you need to learn to adapt." Naruto instructed, helping the loser back to her feet.
"Damn, I really do need more time with stuff, don't I?" Tenten responded, cracking her back. "Oh well, I guess that just means we have to keep sparring until I get this stuff down! Who's up for it!?"
"I'll help you if you need it." Hinata volunteered, her own Mobirate and Gokai-pink key in hand and Lee eager for another fight. Looking on his crew with a smile, he held his own Gokai-sabre aloft before a smirk was plastered on.
"Well if it's a fight you want let's make things showy!"
Naruto's super sentai 'Saiko!' pedia!
Mahou sentai magiranger -魔法戦隊マジレンジャー
A group formed of the Ozu siblings who have access to incredible magic. fighting the Infershia with mystical abilities and weapons with the strength of heavenly saints. these were the ones who first introduced the idea of magic into super sentai rather than it being a supplement to a different theme, which would be continued in magic sentai Wizardrangers.
Ressha sentai Toqger -烈車戦隊トッキュウジャー
a team of train travelling 'teens' who have lost the memories of home and go on a journey in order to find out what happened before they boarded the rainbow line. fighting with the powers of imagination, they utilised that ability to achieve anything; their mecha doesn't have a viable control scheme because they simply imagine what they want toq-oh to do.
That looks like a good place to end. next time, we'll be looking at what happens for our crew after their little event - do they get a c-rank? will they be stuck with D- ranks without a jonin leader? Find out in the next episode!