23 Making a Mark

First Impressions, Good and Otherwise.

"We'd better hurry – we have less than half an hour to get there and turn in our papers," Kotori told the others as they passed through the halls of the Academy. "And we don't want to be late."

"Well, I wonder whose fault it'll be if we don't have enough time?" Naeko sniped with a sharp look at Kotori. "What on earth were you two doing, anyway?"

"Nothing," Taiki answered, rolling his eyes. "What do you think we were doing?"

A blush stood in place of any words Naeko might have offered in reply, but she shook her head once firmly to clear her mind. "If you say it's nothing, Tai-kun, I'll trust you – this time." The sounds of a scuffle from somewhere nearby then diverted her attention, and she focused her hearing to find out just what the source was. "Anyone else hear that? It sounds like a fight."

"It is," Kotori confirmed, turning her own abilities to find out more information. "I want to see this!" Leaving the other two behind, she dashed ahead toward the sounds of conflict. Trading weary looks, Taiki and Naeko ran to catch up and found her leaning over a balcony railing, peering intently down to the corridor below.

The dust had just settled, revealing a blonde youth collapsed by the far wall which he had been thrown against with incredible force. His opponent, a young man clad primarily in green with dark shiny hair cut in an almost helmetlike style, now turned to face the other two occupants of the lower hall with a challenging gaze. "Mark my words... none of you will beat me."

"Who are those people, and what do they think they're doing?" Kotori asked Naeko in hushed tones, fixing the green-jumpsuited boy in a fierce scrutiny.

"That's Uzumaki Naruto, the class failure, up against the wall," Naeko answered, pointing. "Then there are the other two members of his cell. Pink-haired panicky girl is Haruno Sakura, and next to her is the owner of Konoha's biggest chip on the shoulder – Uchiha Sasuke."

"Can you blame him, though?" Taiki cut in, likewise leaning over the railing to watch the proceedings. "I heard his older brother killed off the rest of the clan and left him alive, and now all he wants is revenge."

Kotori shrugged at this information and continued her inquiries. "So who's the poster boy for Spandex abuse?"

Naeko giggled in spite of herself at this and answered, "His name is Rock Lee, and rumors have it that he's a genius when it comes to taijutsu."

"And he's challenging this Sasuke person to a fight?" The redhead grinned and shook her head. "This should be amusing to watch."

"But Sasuke is the best in his class and a genius in his own right," Naeko protested. "He'll use his Sharingan to plow Lee into the dirt, you just watch."

"Whatever you say. My money's on the helmet-hair." Grinning fiercely in anticipation, Kotori turned her full attention to the spectacle below.

The trio at the railing watched the bout with mixed reactions, Naeko wincing visibly as Lee used speed and strength to send Sasuke flying and Kotori cheering under her breath at a brilliantly executed strike. The girls' reactions were switched, though, when Sasuke arose with eyes glistening red. "See, Tori-chan? That's the Sharingan, unique to members of the Uchiha clan! He'll use it to take Lee's offenses apart."

"Hush, you," Kotori muttered, barely stifling a whoop of glee as Lee launched his opponent up into the air with a powerful kick to the jaw that connected with a sickening crunch. "This is getting good!" Something in her thrilled to the gleam of unease in Sasuke's eyes as Lee launched himself up into the air and mimicked his every movement with easy grace. "I wonder what he's up to now," she murmured, watching Lee unfasten the end of the wrapping on one of his arms.

"Oh no..." Naeko breathed as she watched the bandage snake up to ensnare its prey, then jumped as a loud voice called a stop to the fight. Blinking, she stared as another form became visible. "Is that..."

"A turtle?" Taiki finished, also staring in puzzlement.

"A turtle," Kotori echoed, frowning disgustedly. "What the hell! That turtle stopped a perfectly good fight!"

"Sasuke - !" exclaimed Naeko as the Uchiha boy fell and was barely caught by Sakura. "I can't believe it."

"You're not the only one," grumbled Kotori, smacking a hand to her forehead. "Who does that turtle think he is, anyway?"

"Look! The turtle is reaming Lee-kun a new one. What presence," Taiki murmured, observing the scene raptly. Both girls also turned their attention back to events below, disbelieving stares amplifying as yet another person appeared in a pose atop the turtle. "And who is that?"

Naeko grimaced as she beheld the latest addition, as did Kotori. "He's Lee's teacher, Maito Gai-san," Naeko answered. "A goof if I've ever seen one, and if he weren't so talented I'd almost wonder how he could even be a ninja in the first place."

"With all due respect, the same could be said about any of us," Taiki retorted with an irked eyebrow lift.

Nodding once in agreement, Kotori then noticed that the third boy, Naruto, had come to from where Lee'd thrown him into the wall. A part of her was relieved to see that he as well as Sakura and Sasuke shared her reaction to Lee's mentor, and with a weary sigh she listened to the lecture Lee received along with a swift punch to the face. To her astonishment, the situation was then resolved with a hug between teacher and student, and Kotori sideglanced Naeko to see if she was alone in her reaction. "Something about that... just isn't right."

"I know." Naeko shivered. "But that's the way things go between those two, and look where it's gotten Lee..." Something occurred to her at that point, and she turned to Kotori with a curious expression. "I just don't get it – how did you know Lee would do so well?"

"I just had a hunch." Kotori shrugged. "And when it comes down to it, I always prefer a straight out-and-out fight to any amount of smoke and mirrors. Most of my training is in taijutsu in case you hadn't figured it out, and it's always interesting to see a different style." Returning her attention to the glowering Sasuke, Kotori's grin of earlier returned with an extra sharpness. "Besides, I love watching someone take a kick in the ego, which is something that Uchiha has in spades. There's just something about him..."

Sometime during Kotori's musings, the jounin known as Gai had vanished, taking his turtle with him. In the silence that reigned immediately afterwards, Kotori's last two sentences could be heard loud and clear, and the trio at the railing suddenly became aware that they were being stared at. "Smooth move, Tori-chan," Naeko hissed at her teammate, turning red under the focused attention. "Are you hellbent on making everyone hate us?"

Kotori's only reply was a silent shrug; she then neatly vaulted down to the lower floor and made her way through the mixed emotions of the quartet with a small shake of her head. She would have made it past them had it not been for the indignant outburst of Sakura, who fixed her unfamiliar adversary with a foul glare. "Hey, you!" she yelled, her ire growing deeper as this newcomer refused to heed. Tensing herself to strike, she continued, "What've you got against Sasuke?"

The redhead's reaction was almost too smooth to be tracked. Turning slightly, she flung an arm out and caught the raging kunoichi across the brow with a restraining palm, then held her would-be attacker at arm's length for consideration. Fixing Sakura in a flat, ice-blue gaze, Kotori sighed and muttered, "Calm down, Miss Forehead, I only want to kick his ass... not kiss it." She then released the other girl, flicking her fingers pointedly against Sakura's forehead before turning back and resuming her calm walk. She was almost lost to view before her voice was heard again: "Naeko, Taiki, what are you waiting for? We've got a test to take."