A/N: A little bit of romance this chapter, for all you people interested in such nonsense Please read and review!
In response to a recent review, the answer is no, the divergence point hasn't happened yet and Shikamaru is still his lazy old self. But in about two chapters (three at the latest), Team 10 will get a shock to their system. The result will be significant changes for all three of my favorite genin.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.
Chapter 4: Women and Cats Will Do As They Please
Slowly, ever so slowly, Choji lowered the dropper until it was positioned less than an inch from the beaker. He held his breath and squeezed as gently as he could, causing a single drop of a dark red liquid to fall into the beaker. The drop of red hit the blue liquid already in the beaker with a small plop, but didn't dissolve. Instead, it fell slowly toward the bottom, coming to rest on the glass like a small ruby on the sea floor. Choji leaned forward, still holding his breath.
There was a small explosion. Choji wheeled backwards, waving his arms in frantically in front of his face to ward off the acrid-smelling smoke pouring out from the beaker.
"Qusai!" Choji swore. Maybe he should have added the reagent before the active ingredient. Or was he supposed to stir the liquid first? Choji shook his head a few times to see if his ears were done ringing, and started to clean up the mess. If anyone had told him that his ninja training was going to involve chemistry, maybe he would have paid more attention in science class. Or maybe he would have run away. He was certainly considering the second option right now.
Choji took out the small vial of pills that his parents had given him a few days before. They were so small, yet so powerful! And each one was the result of hours of painstaking work in a laboratory, formed from the precise combination of ingredients according to formulas developed by Akimichis of past generations. It was only a week ago that Choji had been told about the soldier pills of the Akimichis, and had begun his studies in the art of developing and replicating the chemical formulas.
"You're almost a full-grown warrior!" his father Choza had declared one day at dinner, clapping him on the back with a force that threatened to drive him several feet into the floor. "It's time you learned about the real secrets behind our jutsus." Choji regarded his father with curiousity.
"Didn't you already tell me when I was practicing the Multi-Size and Meatball Tank jutsus? We eat a lot to gain large energy reserves, which we use to fuel techniques that require more power than ordinary jutsus."
Choza nodded. "To some extent that's correct, Choji. But our abilities are actually much more subtle – and powerful – than simply having large chakra reserves. We are able to change calories directly into chakra – for a shinobi, this is a more precious transformation than turning lead into gold. Shinobi never stop working to increase their chakra reserves; it is a process that takes intense concentration and physical effort, as I'm sure you've already learned in your training. But we have a shortcut." Choza reached into a pouch in the front of his uniform and took out a small red pill. He held it up for his son to inspect.
"This is a soldier pill. I'm sure you've heard about them in the Academy. The normal kind, which all shinobi use, gives extra energy and awareness for a short time. Our pills are much more dangerous and powerful. Our soldier pills jump-start our innate ability to convert chemical energy into chakra, fueling the process with the cells of our own body. The amount of power we can pour into jutsus increases exponentially, and over the years we have developed scores of techniques that are simply impossible without the aid of these soldier pills. Of course, our power has a price."
Choji nodded, seeing exactly where his father was going. "If our techniques are fueled by our own bodies, then what happens when we've used up all of our own energy?"
"Exactly! And that's the danger of these pills – they have no off switch. In a situation where an Akimichi overextends and takes too many soldier pills, he or she can't keep from burning up calories. In the worst cases our warriors can become emaciated and unable to sustain the chakra transformation, which leaves them defenseless. For example, during the attack on Konoha by the Kyuubi twelve years ago, almost every Akimichi fighting in the battle overdosed on soldier pills. We could feel the power we were facing, and every one of us was prepared to sacrifice our lives if it meant keeping the village safe. We sustained some of the heaviest losses of all the clans, and there wasn't a single one of us that wasn't in the hospital recovering for a month afterwards, but the sheer power we generated played a significant part in holding the Kyuubi at bay until the Fourth Hokage stepped in."
Choji kept silent, thinking about the horrible prospect of one's body literally burning itself up.
"Don't look so glum!" Choza bellowed at his only son. "Our clan has hundreds of years of practice in the science – or maybe art – of creating soldier pills. Each one is designed to give a certain amount of power and no more, so that we can be prepared for any situation without risking depleting our reserves too far. And as you've seen, many of our techniques don't need soldier pills at all. Our strength and basic techniques are enough for most missions, especially once you factor in the unique abilities of the Nara and Yamanaka clans. But when the situation demands it," Choza added, pocketing the red pill, "you will be prepared."
A week later, Choji was still struggling to feel "prepared." Every day after training with Asuma and the rest of Team 10, he trekked to the Akimichi laboratories carrying notebooks filled cover to cover with chemical formulas and development procedures. His mother, who was in charge of the laboratory, turned out to be a strict task-master with no resemblance to the caring woman Choji remembered.
Little by little he was making progress. Two days ago he had successfully made the weakest of the soldier pills, a small blue thing that looked no more threatening than a vitamin and upped chakra levels slightly for a period of only ten minutes. Choji's parents took him to a training field and had him test out his first soldier pill. Immediately after Choji swallowed the pill, he felt a fizzing warmth grow in his belly and spread through his body until he could even feel it in his fingertips.
He jumped straight up in the air, not sure what to expect. He was completely surprised to find himself soaring up above the tops of the surrounding trees. At the peak of his ascent he turned a single somersault, and then made the mistake of looking down. The ground was far away but coming closer, and Choji was not at all sure about the consequences of falling from such a height.
He braced his legs and hit the ground hard, the impact sending shocks up his thighs. The crater caused by the fall was a good five feet deep, and its breadth testified to the outward force generated by his landing. A nearby boulder had been ripped from the ground and launched into the air, and a few seconds later fell to the ground with a loud thud. Choji's jaw dropped. He liked these pills.
That demonstration had convinced Choji that the frustration accompanying the development of soldier pills was worth it. Though not all Akimichis continued making the pills after they passed the Chunin Exams, all had to understand what went into the source of their power. And the most talented often made improvements on the formulas, leaving a legacy for all the shinobi who would come after them. So during the evenings Choji worked furiously with goggles and beakers and powders, and at night before he went to bed he read a special book that he had received from his father, which provided detailed description of the techniques made possible only after consuming the higher-level soldier pills.
On one such night, while thinking about the future, Choji dreamed of becoming the best chemist the Akimichis had ever seen. Perhaps by developing new soldier pills and taking the Akimichi abilities to unknown heights, he could serve honorably and make his family proud without having to kill. Then Choji caught himself, realizing that he probably wouldn't have to worry for a while. His time as a genin on Team 10 was the high point of his life, and he didn't want to give it up for a boring life in a lab; hopefully it would be years before his team had to go out and fight real battles.
In years to come, Choji would think back on this night and wish he could recapture the innocence of that foolish hope.
oOoOo
Asuma wandered around the market at random, looking for this week's new delicacy. A while ago he had discovered that when bribed with different kinds of food, Choji fought with a renewed vigor and determination. While most students lost energy and began slowing down near the end of the day, Choji started perking up the nearer he was to eating dinner. It reminded Asuma of a story he had read once, about a warrior named Gawain whose power grew with the rising sun.
One day Asuma had bought some karaage, bite-sized pieces of chicken and beef which were floured and deep-fried, and told Choji it was his treat if he beat his chunin opponent during the afternoon sparring session.
In less than five minutes the unlucky chunin was seeing stars, and Choji was munching on karaage blissfully. Since then Asuma had made it a weekly event, each time bringing something new from the street vendors nearest the training fields. It seemed the word was spreading, and Asuma was finding it very difficult to find chunin willing to spar with his genin on Fridays. The excuses ranged from urgent missions to deaths in the family, but Asuma knew the true cause: it was the glint in Choji's eyes when he saw an obstacle standing between him and his dinner.
Asuma was about to decide between potstickers and tempura when he saw Kurenai walking about farther down the street.
"Oi, Kurenai!" he called, putting the food back and drawing a glare from the disappointed street vendor. He hurried to catch up with her, figuring he could buy Choji something later.
"What brings you here?" Asuma asked. He tried to make his tone casual, but to his own ears he thought it came out a little too eager. He had had a crush on Kurenai for a while, but he wanted to play it cool. She was beautiful, intelligent, and a heck of a talented shinobi, and she already had enough guys pawing at her. Suave and sophisticated, that was the ticket.
"I'm just picking up some lunch before getting back to my team. They're coming along really well." Kurenai told him with a smile. Asuma jumped at the opening.
"Mine too!" he said with unfeigned enthusiasm. He told Kurenai about his weekly culinary bribe for Choji, and listened happily to her laugh. She had a beautiful laugh, like little silver bells. Did I just think that? Asuma shook his head mentally. Get a hold of yourself, man!
"I don't know, Asuma." Kurenai said mockingly. "If you have to bribe your genin with food just to get them to fight, I don't think I'm impressed."
"Hey!" Asuma protested. "They're damn good without any food at all! They work together instinctively, if you can forgive them a little bickering. In fact, I'd pit them against any genin team I can think of, even Team Gai!"
Kurenai nodded politely, but her eyes showed a laughing disbelief. "Don't believe me? Maybe we should have a competition!" Asuma blurted out before he could stop. Shoot, did I just play the 'My-genin-can beat-your-genin' card? How old was he, five? She had definitely seen through him by now. Ah, well. Suave and sophisticated wasn't really his style.
Surprisingly, Kurenai nodded. "That might actually be a good idea. It will shake my team up a bit, make them apply their skills in a combat situation. Kiba's been itching for some real action, and maybe this will push Hinata to be a little more aggressive. Plus it will get them all thinking about their allies' abilities, in preparation for when they carry out joint missions." She grinned at Asuma, who felt his heart pound a little faster. "What should the forfeits be?" she asked.
"If you win, name your prize. If I win…" Asuma paused. Should he go for it? Might as well; if she didn't already know he was interested, Kurenai wasn't nearly as sharp as she was supposed to be. If he didn't take advantage of this opportunity, he'd hate himself for a coward. "If I win, go on a date with me?" As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep his voice from turning up on the last syllable, making it a question.
Kurenai stopped walking, and turned to him. Asuma looked at her, and to his surprise, Kurenai was blushing fiercely. Her hand reached up to play with a lock of hair in a way that was very girly, and unlike what he would have expected from her.
"So… you kind of like me, huh?" Kurenai murmured shyly. Asuma nodded, fascinated and a little freaked out by the transformation. Kurenai resumed walking. Asuma followed, staying a little behind and holding his breath in anticipation.
"I guess I could do that." She said finally. Asuma pumped a metaphorical fist, but kept his cool.
"All right, then. You're on." He cut off when Kurenai turned toward him rapidly.
"You know, you could have just asked me out." Asuma nodded warily, not sure how to respond. "A good sensei shouldn't use his genin to get him a date. You should make your own opportunities. Like this." And to Asuma's consternation Kurenai moved closer, her red eyes boring into his with a heat that warmed him all the way to his toes.
No one got away with calling him a coward! Asuma closed his eyes and leaned in, determined to make up for lost ground. But where he expected to meet warm lips he found only air, and had to flail his arms wildly to keep from losing his balance. He opened his eyes, and Kurenai was nowhere in sight. The nearby street vendors were watching him with delight, evidently having seen him smooching thin air.
When had Kurenai placed the genjutsu on him? …Oh. It must have been when she was playing with her hair – he'd thought it was out of character, but he hadn't even been close to suspecting foul play. Asuma could feel a blush overtaking his own cheeks. He was a jonin of no small talent, and had been fooled like a raw recruit. If Kurenai ever let this get out he would never live it down. A gust of wind rose up, bringing with it a feminine chuckle that raised goose bumps on his arms.
"You don't have to worry about that date, Asuma." Kurenai's voice reached his ear, carried by the wind. "Once my genin destroy yours, I'll think of something suitably demeaning for you. I hear Konohamaru has been acting up, and that the statues of the Hokage need a thorough cleaning." The wind subsided and Kurenai's voice disappeared, leaving Asuma feeling curiously lonely.
He gave his audience his best rogue shinobi glare, the one that said "Don't mess with me, I've killed more people than you've eaten meals." Some rushed to return to their business, but most continued to watch him, cackling loudly.
Asuma started walking back to the training field with his hands in his pockets, not noticing that for the first time in a while he didn't even feel the need for a cigarette. A small grin played at the corners of his mouth. Asuma hadn't fought in the daimyo's wars for so many years without being able to realize an opening skirmish when he saw one. So he had lost the first round. He was just getting started.
oOoOo
After returning to her apartment that day following training, Kurenai sipped a cup of tea and replayed the events of the evening. She wasn't sure what had come over her when Asuma had suggested a date as a possible forfeit. There was something about the rugged shinobi that brought out a playful streak in her that she hadn't felt since her Academy days. She had to admit she was a little disappointed in him for falling for her genjutsu so easily; then again, it was very flattering to think he liked her so much he'd been too disoriented to catch the deception. One thing was certain – an old campaigner like Asuma wouldn't be content to let things lie while he was behind on the scoreboard. Kurenai couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
oOoOo
Stupid cat! Shikamaru thought to himself as he followed the agile feline through yet another alleyway. Though he didn't exactly know what he'd been expecting for Team 10's first mission, it certainly hadn't included chasing after some lady's escaped cat. Of all the troublesome possibilities, this had to be the worst.
This explained why he had recently seen Naruto running around on the rooftops of Konoha yelling "Here kitty!" He'd thought his classmate had finally snapped, either from the constant hatred directed at the blond genin from the villagers or the stress of training every day with the angsty Uchiha and the lovestruck Sakura. No, he was just trying to carry out his mission.
Shikamaru had to wonder why the Hokage kept wasting teams on retrieval missions, when the cat so clearly wanted nothing to do with its over-affectionate owner. Still, they weren't paid to question orders, which was why Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were currently racing through Konoha's back alleys after what had to be the world's wiliest cat.
"We got it!" Ino crowed. Shikamaru and Choji caught up with Ino, who had managed to maneuver the cat into a dead-end alley. Their quarry was watching them warily, its hair standing on end and its muscles tensed, ready for the first sign of aggression.
"Watch my back," Ino snapped at the two boys, predictably. "I'll get it." She lunged forward, and Shikamaru sighed. Ino never missed a chance to take the lead, as if she had to prove to everyone that she was the best and brightest in the bunch. Shikamaru never managed to get through to her that he just didn't care. She was even more annoying than his parents, and pushed him worse than they ever had.
Therefore he derived no little satisfaction from the sight of Ino desperately lunging for the cat, which never seemed to have the least trouble evading her efforts.
"It's making me tired just watching you," Shikamaru said with a yawn. "I'll take care of it." Ino abruptly turned and scowled.
"Oh yeah? Let's see you try!" Ino jumped back to take Shikamaru's place blocking the alley, gesturing forward with one hand.
Shikamaru walked forward slowly, as gently and non-threateningly as he could. "Kagemane no jutsu," he whispered, and sent his shadow out in a long sloping arc to the left of the cat. He brought his shadow closer and closer to the unsuspecting feline, and finally made contact with its small shadow. Somewhere behind him Choji let out a small whoop of victory. Shikamaru smiled in spite of himself.
The cat gave them what Shikamaru could only describe as a withering look, and just… stepped… out of the shadow's hold. Shikamaru couldn't remember ever being as surprised. This was impossible!
Ino gave a disgusted snort. "Honestly, didn't you ever pay attention when your mom told you fairy stories?"
Shikamaru, whose mother had never told him anything of the sort, only shook his head.
"Cats," Ino said, slipping into her all-too-familiar lecture mode, "are different. They live partially in the spirit world, and are immune to genjutsu and most ninjutsu. Gods, don't you know anything?" With the last sentence her tutoring voice disappeared, to be replaced by pure exasperation.
"Well since you know everything, what do we do now?"
Choji cleared his throat. "I have some catnip; I brought it when sensei told us what our mission was. It's a long shot, but maybe I can lure it in. The animals around our house tend to like me ok." Shikamaru shrugged. It couldn't do any harm, and it wasn't like the cat was going anywhere.
They moved back to give Choji room, and he inched forward towards the cat, holding out a small amount of catnip. All three were unprepared when the cat launched himself forward at the chubby genin, settling into his arms and purring loudly.
"Wow. I guess he likes you, Choji." Ino walked forward toward her teammate, but stopped when the cat hissed at her and spat loudly. She backed off, holding out her hands in a gesture of peace.
"All right," Shikamaru drawled, "let's get this cat back to its owner without wasting any more time. I've had enough trouble for today."
oOoOo
Thirty minutes later Team 10 was assembled outside the Hokage's tower, having successfully returned the cat to its owner. Her loud protestations of joy made Shikamaru wince for the cat. They had to drag it away from Choji, but not before it left deep scratch marks on the arms of its favorite handler. Asuma was waiting for them.
Ino's mouth was already open, without a doubt preparing to regale Asuma with their adventures, when he cut her off with a sharp gesture.
"Congratulations on your first mission, team. Now follow me." Without another word he took off down the streets in a blur, followed after a shocked pause by Ino and Choji. Shikamaru followed as well after a moment, reflecting once again that his sensei really had the most unfortunate flair for the dramatic.
They came to a stop outside Asuma's house. The genin entered: Choji nervously, Ino with a deliberate swagger, and Shikamaru with a long-suffering look. Inside they found that the house had been cleaned since they had first visited for their one-on-one get-to-know-your-sensei meetings. A pot of tea and a sheaf of papers lay on the coffee table in the middle of the dining room.
"Sit down, make yourselves comfortable," came Asuma's voice from inside the kitchen. "Your earlier mission pales in importance to the one I'm about to assign you, so prepare yourselves. There is no margin for error."
Shikamaru sat down on the only chair, leaving the sofa for Ino and Choji. Ino spread out the sheaf of papers, gesturing for the other genin to have a look. On the front were pictures of Kiba, Shino and Hinata.
Asuma walked out of the kitchen, carrying a pot of coffee which he placed next to the tea.
"Team 10," he declared. "Your next mission. Tonight you will go over these reports, and formulate a plan of attack. I'm sure I don't have to tell you (although I will anyway, because that's my job), that no plan of attack lasts beyond the first contact with the enemy. Therefore, I will expect you to formulate several plans of attack, enough for every possibility you can think of and some you can't. You grew up with this team, so you should know their abilities and weaknesses. Factor in their growth over the last month, and you should be fine. At nine in the morning tomorrow, we will attack Team 8 on their own training ground. Don't worry about Kurenai-sensei," he added with a grin. "I will ensure that she does not interfere in this mission. It will be three-on-three, no holds barred, and will only end once one team is unable to continue. Any questions?"
Shikamaru looked around at his teammates. This was the first time they had fought against their year-mates, but it wasn't like they hadn't fought other Konoha shinobi before. In fact, there probably weren't many chunin they hadn't sparred, and many older genin had played a part in their practice missions during training. So why was Asuma treating this so-called "mission" so seriously? But Shikamaru was not what anyone would call slow, and it only took him a second to connect their mission with Asuma's grin when he had said "Don't worry about fighting Kurenai-sensei." So that was the way the wind was blowing. Team 10 was merely a pawn in their sensei's no doubt clumsy attempts at dalliance. There was only one word to describe this mission… troublesome.
Asuma caught Shikamaru's eyes and his glance sharpened. "And in case any of you were thinking of giving less than your all, either with this strategy session or in the actual battle, let me tell you now that if you lose you will rue the day. You think I have been pushing you hard in training? Not even close. Every shinobi has a breaking point, and if you fail this mission, rest assured… I will find yours."
Choji and Ino looked confused at this unwarranted ultimatum, but Shikamaru got the message. And while his sensei's dramatic delivery still irked him, Shikamaru didn't doubt for a second that Asuma would carry out his threat without hesitation.
"So now I'll leave you to your own devices," Asuma told them. "You have to practice planning out your missions alone; after all, I won't be with you forever. Stay here until 10pm, and then go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be your first real test." And with that he left the living room, heading who-knows-where while his team made their plans.
"What was that about?" Ino asked, looking from Choji to Shikamaru. "It's not like we haven't fought other teams before." Shikamaru was mildly impressed that she'd picked up on the undue intensity with their sensei was treating this mission.
"Think about Team 8's sensei; Kurenai-sensei is a beautiful kunoichi and Asuma-sensei thinks he's quite the player. Obviously he's trying to impress her." Ino sighed at this romantic possibility. Shikamaru turned away, disgusted. Girls.
"Still," Choji pointed out, "if we lose we're in for a world of hurt. We'd better do this right. Shikamaru, we need you to really focus in order to come up with the best possible strategy." Ino made a little snort of protest, but when Choji looked at her she sighed in reluctant acceptance.
"All right." Despite himself, Shikamaru could feel a rush of adrenaline kicking in. "The first test will be Shino's bugs. They won't tire and will come at us in a swarm, so we will constantly have to dodge them. Also I'm guessing he has stealth bugs, which will be able to come at us unseen through the grass or underground. Kiba's sense of smell is another problem entirely…"
The clock on the wall ticked on slowly and the coffee and tea grew cold. Upstairs Asuma grew more and more drowsy listening to his genin as they worked out strategies and counter-strategies, smiling slightly to himself as he imagined Kurenai's expression when she realized their competition was going to start sooner than expected.
oOoOo
The next morning at nine am sharp Team 10 gathered at the base of Konoha's front gate. "All right, men." Asuma began. "And women," he amended after the dangerous glare from Ino. "Now we see how prepared you are. When we reach Training Area 3, I'll draw off Kurenai-sensei. I have faith in you three; when the dust clears, I know you'll be the ones left standing. Break!" And the four shinobi leapt into action, their chakra-enhanced jumps carrying them out of the gates and into the training fields in a frenzied blur of motion.
They arrived at Training Area 3 in minutes, dropping into the combat formation they had practiced endlessly. Shikamaru took the lead and made no attempt at stealth, an omission of which Asuma approved. What with Shino's sentry bugs, Kiba's sense of smell, and Hinata's near-perfect range of vision, they would be fools to waste effort trying to catch Team 8 by surprise. Attacking hard and fast was the better option, and it looked to Asuma like Shikamaru had that in mind.
Kiba was the first to notice their presence, since the approach Shikamaru had chosen was downwind. Kiba and Akamaru froze at almost exactly the same instant, sensing the foreign smells. Asuma grimaced. He would have liked to have his genin attack in disguise, creating the illusion that they were rogue shinobi sizing up the village's defenses, but not disguise could hold up against Kiba's nose or Hinata's byakugan.
"It's just Team 10," Kiba announced to his teammates, relaxing. Asuma quickly made him reevaluate the situation by sending his trench knives straight at Team 8, fueled by his wind chakra technique. He met Kurenai's eyes and looked off to the left, towards a small copse of trees where they could watch the fight. He saw her size up the situation, and smile when she realized he had initiated their contest without warning.
"It appears Team 10 has gone rogue," she announced playfully to her team. "Take them out. Hold nothing back. I'll take care of their sensei." Kiba let out a triumphant whoop, overjoyed to finally fight for real. Kurenai took off for the trees, with the trench knives – and Asuma – in hot pursuit. Once in the trees and therefore out of sight of their genin, Asuma and Kurenai stopped running and faced each other.
"Are you ready for the show?" Asuma asked. "I forgot to bring the popcorn."
"Ouch. Did you spend all day coming up with that line? Let's just watch the fight." They found a sturdy branch in an outer tree, camouflaging themselves to look like the bark behind them, and observed as their genin squared off.
oOoOo
The two teams sized each other up from across the field. Kiba and Shino were in front of Hinata, standing about twenty yards apart. Her byakugan was active, evident from the bulging veins around her eyes. She was the sentry, just as Shikmaru had thought. She would sit back and warn her teammates if Team 10 tried anything, like a substituting a clone while attempting to approach from a different direction. They had to move quickly, then, before Shino's bugs could get in position to flank them.
Shikamaru flashed two fingers, initiating one of the plans that he had worked out with his team the night before. Right on cue, Choji brought his hands together to form a seal that had grown very familiar to Shikamaru during their practice missions.
"Baika no Jutsu," Choji yelled out, and immediately expanded until he was a round ball almost twenty feet in diameter. His chakra started swirling and his arms and legs were replaced with jets of blue flame. "Meatball Tank!" He started spinning in midair, and, after reaching full speed, fell to the ground and shot forward with deceptive speed. He headed straight for Hinata, bypassing both Shino and Kiba.
"Hey!" Kiba yelled, leaping back to go to Hinata's aid. He barely managed to pull himself back and avoid the volley of kunai launched by Shikamaru in anticipation of his movement. The volley that Ino launched followed a second behind, but this round had explosive tags. Kiba, still recovering his balance after his near miss, was caught in the explosion. The blast launched him another five yards and he landed on the ground in a heap, unconscious. Akamaru yelped and ran over next to him, whimpering.
Almost too easy, Shikamaru thought. He and Ino hadn't even had to move yet. Still, he had expected this. Even if Kurenai had managed to cure Kiba of his need to rush headlong into any confrontation (Shikamaru had figured she would have been able to accomplish that much in the last month), it was less likely that she would have thought to correct his big-brother attitude towards his "pack." Kiba was always going to look out for his own, even at the cost of breaking formation, and that made him predictable.
In fact, Kiba needn't have worried. Hinata had avoided Choji's attack with no problems, executing a flawless leaping somersault that brought her right to Shino's side. While Choji began a wide loop in order to turn around (as powerful as he was in his transformed state, corners gave him trouble), Shino and Hinata moved together to take on Shikamaru and Ino. A cloud of bugs flowed creepily from out of Shino's collar and fanned out in a wide circle to cut off their escape route.
Rather than attempt to escape Shino's flanking maneuver, Shikamaru and Ino charged forward, throwing kunai as fast as they could. The barrage of knives forced Shino and Hinata to separate, and Shikamaru closed with Hinata while Ino kept Shino away with a wide spread of explosive tags. Hinata set herself in the classic jyuken stance, but Shikamaru had no intention of going up against a Hyuuga hand-to-hand. At the last moment he jumped back and activated his most reliable technique.
"Kagemane no Jutsu." At such a close range, Hinata had no chance to dodge. She froze in place.
'Now!" Shikamaru shouted. Ino brought her hands together in front of her face, using the technique she had practiced so often in conjunction with Shikamaru's Shadow Possession that it was second nature.
"Mind Possession jutsu!" Ino's spectral self went straight at the motionless Hinata, and not a moment too soon. Shino's bugs had managed to surround Ino's body on all sides, and converged around her head in a buzzing black swarm. Shikamaru finished his technique, and sent his shadow out to Shino's left, forcing him closer to Ino lying in wait in Hinata's body.
Shino came within reach, apparently not realizing or understanding the effect of Ino's earlier jutsu. "Gotcha," she cried, coming at him with a powerful right uppercut. The solid impact rocked Shino back, but then he seemed to dissolve into a small swarm of bugs. The real Shino leaped through the swarm with his kunai outstretched, ready to take advantage of Ino/Hinata's miscalculation. He would have gotten her if not for Shikamaru's volley of shuriken. Shino had to abort his attack in order to fend off the small missiles with his kunai. Ino charged again while Shikamaru reactivated his shadow jutsu and came at Shino from the opposite direction. Shino vaulted away from Ino, landed on his hands, and pushed off in a new direction just in time to avoid Shikamaru's questing shadow.
Shikamaru was impressed. He didn't think Shino would have been able to track both Ino's attack and the shadow at once, not without the added perception of Hinata's byakugan. Too bad he was already in the air and unable to dodge when Choji's returning Meatball Tank caught him a glancing blow. The bug-user spun out of control and landed face-first on the ground. He didn't get up.
Shikamaru wondered what the results would be if anyone ever got seriously run over by the Meatball Tank. Broken bones would be the least of their worries.
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino-in-Hinata's-body met in the middle of the field, sharing a grin of triumph.
Ino sighed. "Ok, how are we going to do this? I really don't want you guys to club me unconscious, but we won't win unless all three are knocked out."
"Don't worry," Shino told her. "I came prepared for just such an eventuality." And with a dramatic flair that he worried was likely influenced by Asuma's showboating, he took out a small gray sphere about the size of his palm from his belt pouch. He threw in at the ground by Ino's feet, and it burst open with a thick cloud of smoke that rushed upwards and entirely covered the borrowed body. Hinata's body slumped to the ground, and both Shikamaru and Choji turned to observe the spot where Shino's bugs had caught up to Ino.
They laughed as a familiar purple shape sprang to life, brushing off her clothing with exaggerated motions. "Phoo! I think I swallowed some bugs!" Ino yelled at her friends.
oOoOo
Asuma tried to keep a straight face as he turned to look at Kurenai, but he couldn't quite manage it. He thought he saw a ghost of a smile on Kurenai's face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
"You can meet me at my place at 8," Kurenai said brusquely. "Please excuse me, I have to go make Kiba regret the first time his mother ever set eyes on his father." She left to collect her genin, who were starting to stir. The sound of her scathing commentary and her team's pained groans were music to Asuma's ears.
Asuma grinned widely. Score: Kurenai 1, Asuma 1. No, scratch that. The score was fun to fun. He met with his genin in the middle of the field, congratulating them all on a flawless plan. He promised to treat them all to Yakiniku Q the next day.
"Aw, sensei!" Choji complained. "What's the use of using up so much energy in a fight if you don't get to recharge afterwards? Let's go tonight!"
Asuma only smiled and shook his head. Tonight he had a date.