NOTE: Pretty important stuff in the Author's Corner, so check that out when you're done. Hope you enjoy.
Part II: Chapter 3
"So how's your team coming along?" Shikamaru asked as he and Choji sat outside the latter's favorite barbeque store. Well, it wasn't Choji's overall favorite, but it was his favorite that he could afford. Choji shrugged in response to his best friend's question.
"It's going good, I guess. A lot better than I thought it would. Genma-sensei said I've really improved since we've started and I think he's right." Shikamaru took a sip of his drink before responding.
"That's good. How's he getting along with Naruto and Sasuke? Didn't you say they hated each other last time?" The next-in-line for the Akimichi head chuckled at the memory as he tore into a turkey leg.
"They're cool now. The first day, Genma-sensei had come back from like a week-long mission and didn't have any downtime. So yeah, he was just in a bad mood. Most of the time though, he just starts tuning Naruto and Sasuke out when they start being obnoxious." Shikamaru laughed at that and Choji laughed as well.
"You think he knows that's how The Coup started?" The Nara asked, a laugh still in his eyes. Choji shrugged, smiling at the memory of what was likely Konoha Ninja Academy's most infamous moment. The two fell into a comfortable silence before Choji spoke up.
"What about your team?" Shikamaru groaned, which was about the response Choji expected from Shikamaru.
"Sakura and Ino never shut up! I thought they were bad in class, but my goodness." The left side of Shikamaru's mouth curled upwards, however, despite the words coming out of it. "They're cooler than I thought though. Asuma-sensei is pretty good at getting them to focus when it's necessary. He's pretty cool too."
"What's with that face?" Choji asked, regarding the almost mischievous look on Shikamaru's face. For the first time in a long time, Shikamaru actually looked excited about something.
"Asuma-sensei can't beat me in shogi," Choji's eyes went wide for a second, and they narrowed again when he laughed. That shouldn't be a surprise. Everyone who really knew Shikamaru knew that the kid was brilliant, just lazy. That was why Naruto and Sasuke went to him when they decided to instigate The Coup. It may have been Sasuke and Naruto's idea, but Shikamaru was the one who really made it possible. Still, Choji couldn't help be impressed.
"Aren't jonin supposed to be like super strategists though?" The redhead asked. Shikamaru nodded.
"Yeah, he's really good don't get me wrong. Quite a few of my wins have been just barely, to be honest. Asuma-sensei he's...a really cool guy. The kinda guy I want to be one day." Shikamaru said, his eyes gazing into a place Choji knew he couldn't see. It bought a smile to his face, to see Shikamaru excited about something and Choji wondered what kind of person Asuma could be.
"Where is your team anyway? Did Asuma-sensei give you guys the day off?" Choji asked. He knew that Genma had given team 8 a few hours to relax before their upcoming mission. Shikamaru shook his head.
"Not really. He said he was going to work with all of us individually today. I think he started with Sakura since he said she needs the most help."
"Really? How come? Sakura's not super flashy, but she's pretty good, right?" Choji asked, thinking back to Sakura in the Academy. She had always been more book smart, he supposed. Especially when compared with Ino, but the two girls were still easily the top kunoichi's in the class.
"Asuma-sensei said she's too much of a nerd right now and that she needs to learn how to be a ninja." Choji cocked his head to the side and Shikamaru's lips pressed into a firm line the way they usually did when he was about to explain something.
"I think...he's basically saying she needs to find a way to complement me and Ino. I mean me and Ino are good at trapping and stuff, but there's no real finishing move, ya know?" Choji nodded slowly, thinking about his own team.
"Yeah, that makes sense. My team is pretty much all finishers."
"Yeah..." Shikamaru said softly. Choji could see his friend's brain piecing strategies together. Shikamaru was always playing some complicated board game in his head and Choji found himself wondering where team 8 fit in Shikamaru's mind. But before he could ask what the boy was thinking, Sasuke's voice rang out.
"Should've guessed we'd find you here," his voice was in its usual bored, better-than-everyone tone. Choji glanced over to see that he was accompanied by Naruto and Genma. The jonin looked equally bored.
"You ready Choji?" With a sigh, the Akimichi stood up. He really wanted to hear what Shikamaru's battle strategy was. Back in the Academy, Shikamaru would always talk strategies with Choji when they should have been paying attention. It was rare that Choji ever completely understood it, but he could usually figure out enough to be awed by Shikamaru's brilliance.
"Hey Shikamaru!" Naruto called, breaking the brunette out of his thoughts.
"Oh, hey you guys." He said with a casual wave. Naruto immediately started talking while Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Come on dumbass, we have a mission!" Sasuke groaned, causing the two to enter into yet another argument. Naruto never cared much about missions. In his mind, the Hokage never went on missions so they couldn't be that important. Sasuke on the other hand, felt strongly that missions 'made' a ninja and took all missions, even the simplest of D-rank, seriously. Genma sighed as he watched them argue. Sometimes it shocked him how deep the two boys could get when it came to their philosophies on being Hokage.
"Shikamaru, tell Naruto that I'm right so that we can hurry up and go." Sasuke all but ordered. Shikamaru raised his hands defensively.
"Nope, I have enough of getting in the middle of things with your girlfriends. I'm staying out of this. Later Choji, good luck on your mission." Shikamaru said before disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving Choji's irritated teammates. Choji couldn't help but laugh, which was clearly the wrong choice since both boys turned to their question to him.
"Let's go guys, believe it or not, we don't have all day. This mission isn't going to do itself you know." Genma said nonchalantly as he strolled off. Just as he expected, Sasuke followed right behind him, practically dragging Naruto with him. Choji inwardly thanked his sensei before following his team.
Takamine Tobio hated his team. No, that wasn't necessarily true. He didn't hate Hinata. Tobio didn't think it was possible to hate her, she was awesome and even if she didn't think so, she was so talented. And he didn't necessarily hate Shino, he mused. Sure the guy was eerily quiet and had a thing for bugs, but being weird was no reason to hate someone. So Tobio didn't really hate his team. His sensei, however, was another story.
Byakuya-sensei, or Kuchiki-sensei, as he preferred to be called. If Tobio had ever paid attention in class, he would have recognized the name Kuchiki as the long line of individuals whose clan served as the top tier of protection for the Fire Daimyo. And as a result, Kuchiki-sensei, believed he was God's gift to the planet. Or at least acted like he did.
"Takamine," Byakuya, who made it a point to only use family names, motioned Tobio towards the tree. The team had begun learning how to scale trees. Hinata, to no one's surprise, excelled in it. According to Byakuya, the Hyuga clan was one of grace and precision. Shino had some difficulty, but Byakuya simply let it slide due to some bullshit about him being part of the Aburame clan. Which meant that, as usual, Tobio got the brunt of Byakuya's criticism.
"You're using too much," Byakuya said sharply when Tobio's foot caused a deep crater to form into the tree trunk. Tobio gritted his teeth and pushed forward, making a mental note to use less chakra when his other foot landed.
"Not enough," Byakuya said when Tobio's foot slid off the tree.
"Tobio-kun!" Hinata exclaimed as her teammate began falling. Byakuya only watched while Hinata and Shino shot forward. He took a deep breath and blew. Even Tobio had to admit he was mesmerized as hundreds of leaves began to dance underneath him, considerably slowing his fall.
"Th-" he began to say, but stopped when Byakuya spoke over him.
"Again." Tobio gave him a shocked look.
"Are you serious? I almost fell to my death and you want me to do it again!?" Tobio snapped. Byakuya remained as infuriatingly cool as always.
"If you had done it correctly, you wouldn't have fallen. Again. This time, do it correctly." Tobio growled and muttered something underneath his breath.
"If you don't have the courage to talk to me directly, Takamine-kun, then don't speak." Tobio was about to snap at his sensei when Hinata stepped in between them.
"S-stay calm, Tobio-kun. It's harder to control your chakra w-when you're riled up." Her voice was soft and Tobio immediately felt the tension leave his body. He couldn't see how anyone could stay mad around Hinata. He gave his sensei one last glare before turning to face the tree.
"You can do it," he heard Hinata said. Tobio took a deep breath and then shot forward. His left foot hit the trunk and he knew he had used too much chakra. He ignored Byakuya's comment and tried again. He used too much chakra a second time, but it was less than his first step. Tobio made it a point to ignore Byakuya and focused on using just a little less chakra with every step. Before he knew it, Tobio had reached the top! He was exhausted, but he had done it.
Even though she was several meters below him, Tobio could see Hinata smiling at him and a grin broke onto his face. He took out a kunai and jumped down, using the blade to slow his fall by digging it into the tree.
"How do ya like that Kuchiki-sensei?" Tobio said tauntingly. Byakuya's face remained stoic.
"You used far more chakra than was necessary. If you were in a combat situation, wasting all of your chakra in such a manner would get you killed. Again."
"What the hell! No, I already did your stupid test and I passed!" Tobio exclaimed angrily. The wide, seething eyes of Tobio met the cold gaze of his instructor and for the briefest of moments he felt intimidated, but then pushed the feeling back. He was not going to cave in.
"M-maybe, we should s-stop for l-lunch anyway. I-it's been a few hours," Hinata squeaked, desperate to break up the tension.
"Hinata has a point, perhaps lunch would be advisable." Shino's voice was completely objective and nearly emotionless. Tobio refused to take be the one to look away. Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly, but if he was angry or even annoyed, it didn't show. After a few tense seconds, the jonin turned and began walking away. He sat a few meters away before he began eating. Tobio knew that his nostrils were still flared and he suddenly became aware of just how hard his heart was beating. Had he really been that scared of his sensei?
"M-maybe y-you shouldn't push him, Tobio-kun." Hinata offered meekly. Tobio wanted to defiantly turn away, but instead sighed. There was no need to make Hinata think he was mad at her. The three genin sat down as Hinata set down her picnic basket. Normally they all bought their own meals, but today Hinata had opted to bring food instead. She had bought some for Byakuya, but he politely declined (much to Tobio's chagrin).
"It's his fault for being so insufferable." Tobio responded, keeping his voice down.
"He was only trying to help you." Shino stated before taking a bite of his food. Tobio frowned. He knew that his teammate was right, but refused to openly admit it. Tobio hoped Byakuya would send them home early so he could work on the task without his sensei's overbearing presence. Tobio would be damned before he gave his sensei the satisfaction of taking his advice. Still, Tobio couldn't help but chant in his head 'use less chakra, use less chakra, use less chakra'.
"He doesn't have to be an ass about it though." Tobio replied stubbornly before he bit into the pork. It was amazing, nothing less than what he expected from Hinata who, in his eyes, could do no wrong. The trio ate in silence as did their sensei several meters away. Hinata hated the awkward silences that were so common amongst her team. They reminded her of home.
Finally, lunch was over. As soon as Byakuya rose, the tension began to rise. By the team he reached the trio, Hinata could practically feel it. Tobio looked up defiantly at his sensei, who gazed at Tobio with the same cold, harsh look Hinata was used to seeing from her own father.
"If you're done with your childish tantrum, you may try again." Hinata looked between the two males. She marveled at how calm Shino remained throughout it all. He was usually calmer than even Kuchiki-sensei sometimes. In some ways, it was scary. To Hinata's relief, Tobio stood up and faced the tree. He took a deep breath and took a lunge forward."
"Enough!" Kurenai's voice was soft, but her actions spoke loudly. In less than a second, all three of her students were completely engulfed in vines. Even Sai, who usually made a show out of dispelling Kurenai's illusions was completely helpless. Kurenai took a deep, relaxing breath as Sai, Kiba, and Kawamura struggled against trees that weren't actually there. Next to her, Akamaru made something between a growl and a whine. Kiba generally kept him out of his fights with Sai, mostly out of pride.
"It's okay, Akamaru," Kurenai reassured the young dog. He barked and looked at Kiba with his head cocked to the side. He grumbled something and Akamaru went back to sleeping. No one said anything as the jonin made her way to the middle of the three-way brawl. She didn't even remember what had started the fight this time. One second, Kiba and Sai were trading increasingly hostile barbs and the next second there was shoving which led to punching and then Sai took out his paintbrush. Kawamura knocked the brush out of his hand with an arrow in an attempt to keep peace, but that only succeeded in irritating Sai more.
At some point after that, the team completely devolved into an all-out brawl. Kurenai waited for ten minutes, during which she was admittedly surprised by the endurance of her charges.
"This is getting ridiculous, you three. We barely completed this mission -a garden-arranging mission-. Do you realize how pathetic that is?" She asked. All three boys looked down. She sighed and waved her hands causing the boys to fall to the ground. Kawamura rubbed his wrists, but Kiba and Sai had too much pride to show that they were in some discomfort. Akamaru instinctively trotted over to his owner and sat in Kiba's lap.
"So this is what we're going to do," Kurenai began as she sat down close to her students. She strung a few handseals together and pressed her hands on the ground. The grass beneath team 6 waved slightly, although there was no wind. Kiba attempted to ask a question, but found no sound came from his voice. Kawamura looked at him, amazed. He turned his wide green eyes towards Kurenai, who began to write in the grass.
Now, who wants to tell me why we can't get along? She wrote. She then flicked the words into the center of the makeshift circle where it stayed momentarily before disappearing. To no one's surprise, Kiba pointed an accusing finger towards Sai and began yelling silently. Had Kurenai not been so irritated with her team's behavior, the sight would have been amusing.
Sai coolly scribbled something into the grass in front of him. You can't talk dumbass slid towards the middle of the group before disappearing. Kiba lunged forward, but a number of vines burst upward from the ground and dragged him back to a seating position. The Inuzuka angrily scribbled something on the ground. Sai flicked him off. Kurenai sighed. This was going to be a long group session.
Author's Corner:
Alright you guys, sorry I missed last weekend's chapter. Finals week kinda snuck up on me and this week has been kinda busy for me. I think next Saturday's chapter might be delayed as well, so I apologize immensely for that. I'll be visiting family and they're not too keen on me not staying on my laptop :/
So as for that important stuff: So I was given the idea of splitting part 2 (the current one) into a completely different story. There's a couple reasons I think this is a good idea, but while I'm the writer, this story is for you guys, so tell me what you think about that. Of course there are pros and cons to everything, but for the most part, I feel like either way someone's not going to get what they want so hopefully I can at least please the majority if not everyone.
Sorry this chapter is a little short, like I said earlier, between finals week and this week and the trip next week, it's just been ridiculous so my writing kind of suffered a bit. But yeah you guys, talk to me about the team POV thing. Are you guys feeling it or should I just stick with one team overall?
As usual, I want to thank you guys for all the love and feedback you guys give. It's awesome. Also, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!