Alright new chapter! This chapter is honestly just kind of a set up chapter for what's to come but w/e.
Also; a note on pairings. I haven't decided on whether to include them or not but if I do it'll likely be a Sasuke/Ren/Naruto OT3 rather than a love triangle. If I don't include pairings the three of them are still going to be very close and have a quasi-platonic relationship.
EDIT: Because I was asked I put a poll up on my profile page asking who you want Ren to wind up with if there are pairings. There is an other option on the poll however I ask that if you chose other you tell me either through a review or pm who you think he should wind up with.
Thanks!
Kakashi knows he has a weird team. Knows that any team consisting of the last Uchiha and his former sensei's son is bound to be a bit on the odd side. He had hoped that Mebuki and Kizashi's child would add a sense of normalcy to the team.
Despite having read the reports on Ren and having visited his home personally; Kakashi had still been blindsided by the boy. While it was true that Ren had an attitude problem and did nothing to hide his disdain for almost everything, the boy was also loyal to a surprising amount.
Reports had indicated that Ren had hardly interacted with either Sasuke or Naruto during their years at the Academy. Yet, during the Bell Test Ren had grabbed Naruto and fled with him when Naruto had made a rash move during the beginning of the test. He had managed to convince Sasuke to work with them and, most surprisingly, had been willing to risk getting sent back to the Academy for the other two to pass.
Perhaps Ren isn't loyal to those he doesn't acknowledge as equals, an interesting theory considering he had mediocre scores all throughout his years at the Academy. Or maybe one has to show that they are going be loyal themselves before he decides they deserve his loyalty. Either way, Kakashi muses, Ren is a contrary little shit. Something that is sure to get him in trouble in the long run.
Ren is intelligent as well. There is a glint in the boy's eye that reminds Kakashi of a mischievous Shisui who knew much more than he let on and refused to share.
The comparison worries him. But not nearly as much as the idea that a genin knows more about something than Kakashi, a jounin, does.
Ren, is angry, arrogant, yet loyal and intelligent when needed.
Kakashi doesn't know what to think of him.
This Team Seven is weird, but then again, so were the last ones.
Kakashi just hopes that this Team Seven has a better ending than his did.
Team Seven gets used to Kakashi being late fairly early on. Despite this, they still show up on time in some sort of desperate hope that their sensei will be on time for once.
He never is of course, so Ren suggests training during the time they would usually waste standing around and waiting.
Both Naruto and Sasuke seem enthused by the idea, though with Sasuke, it's hard to tell, but Ren thought he had seen a glimmer of interest in the others eyes.
So here they were, standing in a weird sort of triangle, eyeing each other cautiously and waiting.
Sasuke moves first, launching himself at Ren, fist raised and aiming at his stomach. Ren waits until the last second before dodging to the side and raises his own fist to meet Sasuke's in a parody of a fist bump.
Their fists meet, the barest brushing of knuckles against knuckles before the chakra Ren pours into his hand and forced outward creates a force that sends Sasuke flying. It's the same technique Ren had used on Naruto on their last day of class. It's not Tsunade's or Sakura's strength, he doesn't use chakra to enhance his own strength like they do. Rather, his own technique is more like creating a sonic boom to force others away when they come close enough.
As soon as Sasuke is thrown away from him Ren turns his attention to Naruto. The blond had made two groups of clones and sent one group after Sasuke while the rest rushed toward Ren.
Ren grins and takes up a stance. Feet spread shoulder width apart he waits for the first one to reach him before launching himself forward, punching the clone closest to him in the face and watching it disappear with a satisfying pop.
He doesn't have time to congratulate himself before another takes it's place.
Ren's grin widens.
By the end of the spar all three of them are lying on the ground, exhausted. The three of them lying next to each other, each of them trying to catch their breath.
There is silence; and then Ren laughs.
"Well," he says, "I guess we found a way to keep ourselves occupied at least."
Beside him Sasuke grunts and Naruto laughs.
Silence settles over them again,this time more comfortable.
Five minutes later, Kakashi shows up, takes one look at his team lying on the ground, and sighs dramatically.
"I don't know whether to be glad you took initiative and got started without me or disappointed I didn't get to see you three beat each other up."
Ren snorts, "You say that as if you weren't watching the last half of the match."
Kakashi raises an eyebrow.
"And what makes you think I was watching Ren?"
Ren sits up and gives Kakashi his most unimpressed look.
"I felt your chakra when I was searching for Sasuke's," he explains, waving his hands lazily, "You feel like trauma and lightning and were just keeping out of sight behind those trees over there." Ren adds.
Sasuke shoots a curious look toward Ren and sits up.
"You're a sensor?" he asks.
Ren shrugs. "Only when I concentrate," he admits, "My dad is a natural sensor so he taught me." Sensing chakra is an interesting ability, Ren muses, you can either be born with it as his father was or learn it. Learning to sense chakra takes years of work and someone who has been taught how to sense would never be able to climb to the ranges a natural sensor could. Because of this sensor's were thrown into two categories. Natural and Learned.
Ren considers himself lucky his father had began to teach him how to sense chakra when he was five. It's a useful skill to have and has provided Ino with much amusement.
One of their favourite games to play as children was one where Ino would try to guess what someone's chakra felt like and Ren would tell her whether or not she was right.
It had been amusing, and good practice besides.
Sasuke makes an interested sound in the back of his throat and just when he's about to say something Naruto laughs.
"Damn, we have a good team," he says, "Between Ren and I we're going to be unstoppable!"
Ren frowns, "Sasuke's better than both of us at taijutsu," he reminds the blond, "I think it'd be better to say that the three of us are going to be unstoppable." He's not letting Naruto turn this team into the trainwreck it was in the anime.
Because seriously, fuck that.
No one is getting a Chidori through the chest if he can help it.
"Sasuke's a jerk he doesn't count on Team NaruRen."
Ren blinks at the name, "Naruto what the fuck?"
"What do you mean?"
"That's a shitty ass name is what I mean. We might be a team but no way are we calling ourselves NaruRen. Besides," he adds, "We gotta include Sasuke. He's chill."
Naruto pouts before looking at Sasuke, "Fine then jerk, what do you think our name should be?"
"I think the name Team Seven is fine."
"Dude," Ren says, "Thank you for being sensible."
"Oh come on," Naruto whines, "Why can't we have a cool name like Ino-Shika-Cho?"
"Well," Ren says holding a finger to his lips, "Possibly because none of our names fit together well enough to not make us sound like total nerds when we announce ourselves? 'Oh look! It's Team Sasu-Ren-Naru! Let's laugh at their stupid name.'"
"Ren," Naruto says, face suddenly serious, "You're no fun."
"I'm plenty of fun," Ren says dismissively, "Just ask Ino."
"No I'm serious," Naruto says, "I think you might even be worse than-" Naruto pauses, "-Sasuke."
Sasuke's eye twitches, Kakashi who had been silent the entire time covers a laugh.
The three genin turn to look at him.
"Oh no," Kakashi says, "Never mind me. Continue with your bickering."
"I'd rather not," Ren deadpans, "Why not let us do a mission instead."
"Well I suppose since you asked so nicely."
Ren quickly comes to the conclusion that he hates D-ranks. All they are are glorified chores that a civilian didn't want to do and decided that hey, a ninja could probably do this faster, let's hire a group of genin to do my menial household jobs.
In other words, Ren is sick and tired of doing other people's housework.
So when they get a mission to capture a cat and return it to it's owner Ren is partially pleased.
It has to be better than picking up someone else's trash.
Right?
Reflecting on his mistakes as he holds a howling cat in his hand Ren decides that Tora is a monster in disguise and must be avoided at all costs.
Besides him Naruto is nursing his hands that got torn up pretty badly by the hell beast Ren is currently holding.
"Devil," Naruto hisses at the cat, "Demon Cat."
"For once Naruto I will agree with you," Ren says, "Tora is the Devil's Cat."
"I wouldn't talk that way about the cat of the daimyo's wife." Kakashi says dryly.
Ren doesn't have any respect for the form of government of the Hidden Leaf so he wonders why Kakashi would think he cares about the daimyo's wife.
Sasuke stares at Tora for a second, a brooding look on his face before he reaches out and plucks Tora from Ren's hands.
The cat stops it's howling to regard Sasuke for a second before beginning to purr.
"Sasuke you idiot," Ren says after a moment of silence, "Why the fuck didn't you tell us you are the Overlord of Demon Cats?"
Sasuke's eye twitches even as he adjusts Tora so the cat's head is leaning against his shoulder and Sasuke's other arm is supporting its body.
"It never came up," he says.
Ren gives him a grin. Sasuke's smirk gets a little softer at that.
Naruto nudges Ren.
"It makes sense though don't you think?" Naruto stage-whispers, "After all, I'm not sure Sasuke isn't a part cat himself."
Ren ignores Sasuke's glare and snickers.
Sasuke would make a cute cat.