Chapter 3 - of Graduation

'Kuko bounced out of bed, almost sprinting to the kitchen to make some tea. Miku blinked tiredly at the blur that vanished through the doorway before slowly following, deciding to ignore the crazy habits of her best friend. As she set foot in the kitchen, she found herself dragged to the table and forced into a chair, a cup of green tea shoved under her nose which she hastily grabbed before it could be dropped. As the caffeine rushed through her system, she idly wondered whether it was a good idea for 'Kuko to be getting an energy boost, given the way she was bouncing already, but let it go. It was too early to worry about such things.

On their morning run, Miku quizzed 'Kuko on various things they'd potentially find in the written exam that afternoon. The gate guards barely got a word in edgewise when they stopped to chat, 'Kuko babbling excitedly about their graduation exam and finally getting out of the academy to learn the interesting, 'proper-ninja stuff'. Miku smiled amusedly as she left them to their fate, pondering over what to make for breakfast and lunch.

The raven haired girl couldn't stop giggling during lunch when 'Kuko finally seemed to remember the written part of the exam and descended into a cloud of gloom, growing mushrooms on the corner of their tree-platform and muttering about failure and the horror of being an eternal student. It took nearly the whole hour break to calm her down, force some food down her throat and successfully drag her inside the building to take the test, though their Sensei was relieved to not have to deal with her bouncing through the whole thing. Unfortunately for them, the end of the written test brought the return of the bounce as she looked forward to the practical side.

And the bounce somehow got worse as the word 'Pass' left Toshio-Sensei's lips. She hopped over his desk and dragged him into a hug, almost squeezing the life out of the man, before vanishing through the door to glomp Miku, babbling at her joyously for a while before dragging her along to Yakiniku Q to celebrate with the other fresh graduates. The younger girl left 'Kuko to her gossiping with Izumo and Kotetsu and ended up discussing the exam with a black haired girl with red eyes name Yūhi Kurenai.

*o*o*o*

The next day, the pair sat in their usual spots for the last time, watching as the other graduates disappeared in threes with their new Jōnin -Senseis.

"Team 5, Ito Fukuko, Yūhi Kurenai," 'Kuko glanced worriedly at Miku, silently praying that they'd be on the same team, "And Ogawa Miku," the younger girl suffered through a happy glomp, rolling her eyes in despair.

"Your Jōnin-Sensei is Morino Ibiki. Team 6…" The trio glanced at their new Sensei, a tall, imposing man with 2 long scars running down his face. They followed him from the room and, at his command, dashed to Training Ground Twenty Three, Kurenai following the other two who knew the quickest way there over the rooftops. They skidded to a halt under Ibiki-Sensei's sharp gaze, Kurenai panting slightly from the fast pace the other two had set.

"My name is Morino Ibiki, from the T & I Corps* and, should you pass my test, I shall be your Sensei from today onwards. As such, I want to know your strengths, weaknesses and what area you plan to specialise in. You first." The man spoke with a no-nonsense tone, pointing at 'Kuko to speak first.

"Yosh, I'm Itō Fukuko, though I generally go by 'Kuko, I'm good at Taijutsu** and plan on specializing there, though I like explosives too so want to incorporate them into my style, not so good with Genjutsu*** and 'Ku-chan says I babble too much." Kurenai giggled a little at that, thereby volunteering to go next.

"I'm Yūhi Kurenai, I'm good with Genjutsu and want to specialize in it, but my stamina and physical strength aren't too good."

"I'm Ogawa Miku. My strength is in Ninjutsu****, where I'd like to specialize, though I'd like to be proficient with a sword as well. My weaknesses are Genjutsu and physical strength, though my Genjutsu is marginally better than 'Kuko's." Ibiki nodded, while 'Kuko whined a little about it not being her fault she sucked at Genjutsu.

"Now then, your test is thus, you shall find Dokuraku Mawashi, interrogate him for my location, retrieve the scroll he carries and bring that scroll to me. Understood?" The trio straightened with a chorus of "Hai*****, Sensei," before Ibiki vanished in a swirl of leaves. 'Kuko glanced at her teammates and sat down with a groan.

"I know that look on your face, 'Ku-chan, you're already coming up with some amazingly complicated plan , aren't you?" Miku gave a small smile and joined the older girl on the ground. Kurenai stood awkwardly for a moment before joining them, watching as 'Kuko despaired with her head in her hands.

"If you think her plans are too complex, what would you do instead?" 'Kuko jumped up with a fist pump.

"I'd find the guy and beat him up 'til he gives us what we need!" A huge grin spread over her face with her declaration.

"And that is probably why I don't trust you with the planning, 'Kuko-chan." The brown haired girl plopped back down with a huff, pointedly staring away from Miku.

"But it would be so much simpler besides, 'Nai-chan asked."

"It wouldn't work. Given that Ibiki-Sensei is from T & I, the person we're looking for likely is as well. Beating him up wouldn't be enough to make him talk, and before you complain, Kurenai-chan, 'Kuko-chan insists on shortening everyone's name. If you make a fuss, she'll give you an embarrassing nickname instead." Kurenai closed her mouth and slumped slightly in grudging acceptance, though she soon perked up again with the light of inspiration in her eyes.

"Why doesn't one of us Henge as another member of T & I and tell Dokuraku-san that he's needed somewhere else, and they'll take over for him as the test's target?" The other two pondered the idea for a minute, 'Kuko soon grumbling about it probably being better than her plan.

"It's not a bad plan, Kurenai-chan, but I doubt he would believe that the target we're aiming for would change when the test has already begun. However, the Henge idea is good, perhaps as an ANBU looking for Ibiki-Sensei."

"What about the scroll, though?" ''Kuko bounced up again, to answer her teammate.

"I can pickpocket him, I'm good at that. Ah! Don't look at me like that, 'Nai-chan, I haven't done anything bad with that skill." She hastily added at the wary look on Kurenai's face. Miku smiled slightly at her friend's antics before returning her thoughts to the plan.

"I can do the Henge, once we find Dokuraku-san, I should be able to sneak up on him well enough to disguise my lack of ANBU-level speed. Once he speaks it doesn't matter if he finds out the truth. But, if ''Kuko-chan gets caught before she can grab the scroll, Kurenai-chan, do you think you could either knock him out or grab the scroll while ''Kuko-chan keeps him distracted?" The ebony haired girl pondered the suggestion before nodding, mini plans for each scenario playing through her mind.

"Yosh, 'Nai-chan, head for T & I headquarters and ask about Dokuraku-san, we'll make sure 'Ku-chan's Henge is accurate, and we can all meet up in the top of the tallest tree in the academy, there's a small platform in the higher branches." Kurenai nodded and ran off while the other two stayed behind to perfect Miku's Henge with ''Kuko being extra-critical as payback for when Miku did the same over the Jiraiya Henge.

The trio gathered half an hour later to refine the plan, based on their target's location, and had lunch while they waited an hour to lessen the suspicion of the Henge if Dokuraku had been told they were asking about him.

*o*o*o*

Miku carefully dropped down from the roof to balance on the open, first floor window of Dokuraku's office, the slight creak of the wooden frame as she settled startling the man from his paperwork.

"Is there something I can help you with, ANBU-san?" Miku allowed herself a small smile behind her mask at the successful deception.

"I bring an urgent missive from Hokage-sama for Ibiki-san. Do you know his current location?" The Henge'd girl kept her voice even and unemotional, lower than her usual pitch to disguise her youth.

"He's waiting for his Genin team by the seventh gate of Training Ground Forty Four. Is there a problem, ANBU-san?" While the target was distracted, ''Kuko quietly slipped into the office, keeping her footsteps light and silent and breathing as quietly as she was able. She ducked under the desk and creeped forward, reaching carefully for the scroll that peeked out from the man's pocket.

"That information is confidential, though there should be no interference with his Genin's test," As ''Kuko's fingers grasped the scroll, Miku dropped from the windowsill to ground level as she let off a small smoke bomb to hide her movements from Dokuraku. The older girl almost pulled the scroll free but a hand suddenly grasped her wrist, halting her attempt. She blinked with innocent eyes up at the questioning raised eyebrow aimed at her.

"Not bad littler Genin, but not good enough, and the scroll isn't all you need," as Dokuraku began to pull ''Kuko's hand away from the scroll, a stone flew through the open window and smacked into the back of his head. He released the girl with a startled yelp and she took the opportunity, yanking the scroll from his pocket and fleeing, a quick wave to Kurenai signalling that she was successful. The black haired jumped down from the roof of the opposite building and ran off to their rendezvous point.

Miku was first to arrive back at their tree-platform, dropping the Henge and perching on a slightly higher branch to look out for the return of her teammates. Kurenai appeared slightly before ''Kuko, having had the advantage of no twisting corridors to navigate. The youngest dropped down from her branch to their platform as ''Kuko held up the successfully retrieved scroll with a grin.

"So, what's our destination, Miku-chan?"

"Gate Seven of Training Ground Forty Four, the Forest of Death, it's to the North of here, beyond the village walls. I think it's the gate nearest the river on this side of the area." The three took off, Miku in the lead, angling Northwards and turning North-West to find the river once the training ground came into view. They slowed and returned, from the canopy, to the ground as they noticed Ibiki leaning slightly against the gate into the fenced area. ''Kuko bounced over to present the scroll to their Sensei, a grin stretched across her face which was mirrored by Kurenai while Miku gave a small smile which meant the same.

"Three hours and Twenty Six minutes, and you retrieved my location without Mawashi-san's knowledge, impressive for fresh graduates." He paused, enjoying the slight worry that began to creep into ''Kuko and Kurenai's faces the longer he stayed silent. "Congratulations, you pass." It took all of the man's self-control to resist the urge to cover his ears at the joyous screams from two thirds of his new students, though he could empathise with the long-suffering look he caught from the youngest girl as she was dragged into a group hug.

"Hey, 'Nai-chan, you should come over to our place for dinner tonight, 'Ku-chan's an awesome cook and celebratory meals are even better. 'Biki-Sensei, you should come too, 'cos we're all a team now!" Ibiki raised a stern eyebrow at the babbling girl who blinked back with completely unrepentant eyes that held a hidden shadow that promised revenge if he should refuse. The man ignored the whisper in his mind that wanted to refuse just to see what the brunette would do as revenge, and sighed, allowing 'Kuko to grab his arm and start dragging him back towards Konoha, the other two stifling their laughter as they followed.

*o*o*o*

* Torture and Interrogation

** Hand to hand Techniques

*** Illusion Techniques

**** Ninja Techniques - any technique that lets the user do something they normally wouldn't be capable of.

***** Yes

Yes, I know, I missed last month but things were really busy and while the chapter was written I had no time in which to type it up, even with the added hours from deciding not to sleep some nights. If I can finish it, I'll try and get the next chapter up today as well but no promises, 'cos all the coursework is being piled upon me and as it's for university I can't just ignore it for a while and pray things turn out alright.

Reviews feed the hungry muse, who's kinda starving at the moment, so please do feed it.

Your Knackered-from-too-Much-Coursework-and-Not-Enough-Sleep Author

Kouseki