Part II: Episode 4
The sun had been up for a few hours when Kakashi strolled into Naruto's room, Shizune following behind. Both the blond and his best friend were completely unconscious in Naruto's bed, much to Kakashi's amusement.
"Hey, you two," Kakashi said, just loud enough to wake up Naruto. Sasuke stirred slightly, but he was always the more stubborn sleeper. "You know, you two sleeping in the same bed is cute and all, but you're both at the age where it's going to start getting really awkward soon." The white-haired jonin said, more to himself. Regardless, his words had the desired effect as Naruto and Sasuke bolted up.
"Sh-shut the hell up Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed and Shizune couldn't hold in her laughter, which in turn caused both boys to turn red.
"Don't you have something important to be doing?" Sasuke growled, still partly asleep. Kakashi chuckled in response and led Shizune out of the room. Naruto and Sasuke groaned as they began to start their day. Genma had given squad eight the day off, although Naruto and Sasuke had already decided they would spend the day training. Within the hour, both boys had washed up and were squaring off in front of Naruto's home.
"Oh no you don't!" Shouted Kushina's voice, just as Sasuke was about to lunge forward. Both boys watched as Naruto's scarlet-haired mom stomped up to them with Minato carrying groceries behind her. Kushina angrily pointed at the various scorch marks that decorated the side of her house and then towards the poor flower garden that had been ruined several times in its lifetime.
"I've told you two a thousand times, NO TRAINING HERE! Honestly Sasuke, the Uchiha clan has a whole area dedicated to training, why do you guys always want to destroy my house?" She kept ranting, but Naruto and Sasuke mostly tuned her out, having received the bulk of the message.
"Oh, Kakashi-kun, I didn't know you were here," Kushina said, her tirade stopping just as suddenly as it had started. Kakashi waved to his adopted mother, who abandoned Naruto and Sasuke with a quick "don't do it again" before turning to talk to Kakashi and Shizune. The two boys looked at each and sighed.
"My place?" Sasuke asked. Naruto nodded and gave a nochalant good-bye to his family. It was a Thursday and Konoha seemed to be surrounded in a lazy haze, as if the village itself was just waking up. It was fairly early, so the streets of Konohagakure were mostly deserted aside from kids late to school and shop owners opening their stores. The pair passed by a dango shop when Naruto spoke up.
"We should pick up Choji," the blond stated. Sasuke glanced back at him, his expression blank. He turned back to face forward, shrugging in response.
"If you want," he replied, to the chagrin of Naruto.
"Do you not like him or something?" At this, Sasuke stopped and gave Naruto a curious look.
"Should I not...?" Naruto shrugged. Sasuke always had been weird with people, the blond supposed. Kushina said it was an 'Uchiha thing' and not to worry about it too much. The two continued in a comfortable silence towards the Akimichi household. They were still a few blocks away when the various smells of the Akimichi household assaulted their noses. The most notable smell was chicken although there were hints of fish and sweet within the overall heavenly aroma as well.
"This place is amazing," Naruto practically moaned, while Sasuke rolled his eyes. Inwardly, however, he had to agree with his best friend. As they came closer to Choji's home, the largest building in the compound, the scent grew stronger. Once they arrived, Sasuke had to knock because Naruto was too occupied with the air around him.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, isn't it?" Said the man who opened the door. He was clearly Choji's father as he had the same reddish-brown hair and a considerable girth of his own. Sasuke nodded.
"Yes, sir. We were going to go train and decided to ask Choji to join if that's okay?" Sasuke stated. He glanced back at Naruto whose head was so far back, Sasuke marveled at how he managed to not fall over. Choza laughed at the blond while Sasuke simply sighed.
"Sure, I'll go get him. Why don't you two wait inside?" Sasuke was about to respectfully decline, but Naruto's olfactory and digestive systems turned the blond into a one-way machine that grabbed Sasuke and all but dragged him into the house. Choza chuckled again as he closed the door behind him.
"Remember Sakura, to get the best out of a genjutsu, you have to picture the illusion. You have to see the illusion the way you want it to be seen by your opponent." Asuma instructed to his charge. Sakura had noticed that he had been speaking louder than usual all day, but chose to ignore it. She closed her eyes and focused on weaving another illusion. This time Asuma's words echoed in her voice. She saw Asuma sinking into the ground, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed. Asuma released himself from the illusion once he had sank to his waist.
"Much better, why don't we take a break." Sakura let out a sigh of relief and crashed onto the ground. The two were working on Sakura's solo training near one of the few creeks in Konoha. It wasn't team 10's usual training site because Asuma felt that variety worked best in these situations. Even though she had only been training in genjutsu, Sakura felt exhausted. While trapping her sensei in illusions wasn't as physically tiring as taijutsu training, the mental focus was equally draining.
"You're awfully quiet today," Asuma said, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts. Even with the beard and smell of cigarette smoke that hung around him like an aura, talking to Asuma felt like talking to a peer. He was so easygoing and laid back about everything, which his students always appreciated. Sakura sighed before answering.
"I've just been thinking. Is genjutsu really the best option?" She asked. Asuma raised his eyebrows while taking out a cigarette, which was his nonverbal way of telling her to continue.
"I mean, you said we need a finishing move, right? Like, something to put down an immobilized enemy?" Sakura asked. Asuma nodded. "Well, would genjutsu really fulfill that role? I mean, couldn't someone just release themselves from it?" Asuma took a few puffs from his vice before answering.
"You know, Sakura, you're kinda like me." He said finally, much to Sakura's surprise. Her eyes, green as the grass she sat down, narrowed.
"How do you mean, sensei?"
"You and me, Sakura, we don't have any special skills. No top-secret ninjutsu like Shikamaru and Ino. But there's an upside to that too. Sure, they have their niches and an idea of what they can do, but Sakura, you and I are blank slates. You especially." Sakura's eyes slowly widened as her sensei continued. He stopped and smirked, standing up and ruffling her hair.
"You're a brilliant young kunoichi, Sakura. If you really try hard, I don't think there's anything you can't master." Sakura grinned as she jumped up, ready to begin training again. Asuma chuckled as he backed away, preparing himself for another genjutsu.
"Wait, Asuma-sensei," Sakura said. Asuma raised his eyebrows again. "Can...um...would you teach me how to use your knives?" Asuma began coughing in surprise, having botched his cigarette. He quickly recovered before pulling out his stylized chakra blades.
"You wanna learn how to use these?" He asked incredulously. Sakura nodded, a fierce and stubborn look in her eyes.
"Why?" Asuma asked, suddenly intrigued.
"It has the best synergy with Shikamaru and Ino. With those, I'd be able to maneuver enemies into a place that my teammates could use their skills to trap them." Asuma could see Sakura already churning out potential strategies, much to his amusement. Part of him was hesitant on letting a little girl train in such a dangerous style, but a bigger part knew Sakura would never let him hear the end of it if he didn't.
"I guess I can't stop you. But you can't just jump straight into using these." The jonin said in a resigned tone. Sakura frowned.
"Why not?" She demanded in an offended tone. Asuma rose his hands in submission.
"Whoa, relax there Pinky." He said, using the nickname he knew Sakura hated. "I'm just saying there's a process. First we have to work on your punching technique, your bone and muscle endurance, and your overall power. It's not going to be easy. When I first started seriously using these, I wound up with quite a few broken fingers." Sakura gulped in response, but her eyes didn't change. In all honesty, Asuma didn't expect them to.
"I can do it Asuma-sensei." She stated and Asuma could feel the determination coming off of her. He nodded.
"So be it, then. Shikamaru! Ino! Get out here!" He shouted, much to Sakura's surprise. For a while, nothing happened. Then the remaining members of squad 10 came from behind the nearby trees, blushing profusely at having been caught.
"I told you he knew we were here," Shikamaru groaned, while Ino simply scoffed and stomped towards her sensei and best friend. Asuma laughed while Sakura was just confused.
"Alright you two listen up! Sakura's stated she wants to add more taijutsu to her repetoire now." Asuma declared. Ino stared at Sakura with a mix of awe and shock and even Shikamaru looked vaguely impressed. "But that means she will need your support as much as you two need hers. When she's face-to-face with the enemy trying to buy you two time and get you some space, you have to be ready to do all you can to protect he You understand?"
"Yes, sir Asuma-sensei!" Shikamaru and Ino chorused without hesitation, although Shikamaru still muttered a 'troublesome' underneath his breath.
"Now come on. Sakura, we need to get a pair fitted for you." Asuma said, leading his team back to town, Ino chatting excitedly with Sakura about the latter's big decision.
"This is the studio where our mission will take place," Byakuya told his charges as they entered a fairly large house on the southern edge of Konoha. Inside, the furniture was minimal and the only real decorations were the scores of paintings hung up on the walls. Hinata marveled at how they could look so real and yet still have a surreal almost power to them, as if the subject's essence itself had been placed in the painting.
"Ah, hello, you must be Genin Squad 7, it is nice to meet you. My name is Kiyo and as you are probably able to tell, I am an artist." An old man said as he entered into the lobby where cell 7 had gathered. He was older than the Sannin and was probably around the age of the Sandaime, but his hair was still dark and thick and his eyes had a certain light to them that Tobio rarely saw in older men.
"A-All of these are yours?" Hinata asked incredulously. Even Shino found himself stunned by the brilliance of the artwork although, between his sunglasses and his hood, no one could tell.
"Yes ma'am, Hyuga-san. I've been painting for several decades now and, fortunately for me, I got lucky enough to be able to make a living out of it." Kiyo responded with a kind smile.
"Lucky? Kiyo-san, these are amazing! This is raw talent!" Tobio exclaimed, awestruck. There were pictures of Hokages and famous ninja, celebrities, landscapes, and several others that continued to lead around the house and even up the stairs. Kiyo laughed a soft, modest laugh.
"Why thank you young man," Kiyo responded, his smile not wavering. "Now I suppose you three are wondering why you're here." The old man began as he stood up a little bit straighter. Tobio blinked. To be honest, the question hadn't crossed his mind, but now that it had, he was curious.
"Yeah, why are we here? I doubt you need us to help you paint," the ponytailed genin wondered aloud. Kiyo gestured for the team to follow him and there were a few seconds of silence between when they started walking and Kiyo began talking.
"Do you three have any heroes? Anyone you look up to?" The old man asked. The three genin were silent while they tried to think of an answer. It was Tobio who spoke first.
"I guess it'd be the Hokage. He's visited us before and he's always so cool and smart and he's really strong too. I mean, he beat the Nine-Tailed Fox!" He answered. Without looking back, Kiyo nodded expectantly. Hinata squeaked out her answer next.
"I-I think m-my hero would be Ts-Tsunade-san," The Hyuga said without elaboration. The group was nearing the back of the house and they could see a small clearing before an impressive forest through the glass double-doors that served as Kiyo's back door. An easel and a large canvas board were already set up as were several buckets of paint.
"Those are both good choices. What about your peers? Do you ever look up to them?" Kiyo asked as they neared the back. Tobio was about to vehemently say no when he thought of Naruto and Sasuke and even Sai, even though the latter was a jerk. Then he thought of Hinata, who was probably the hardest worker he knew.
"I don't know if I look up to them, but they certainly hold my respect." Shino said bluntly, much to Tobio's surprise. He ran into Hinata, who had stopped suddenly. She was staring at a portrait, Tobio noted. It looked like a genin team, given the three young-looking individuals. The picture was still, but Tobio could tell it was a picture of a moving scene because the subjects seemed to almost be moving within the picture. He focused on where Hinata was staring and his eyes landed on a boy with long raven hair and eyes almost identical to Hinata's.
"You know him?" Tobio asked, snapping Hinata out of her gaze.
"Y-yes," she said, moving forward without elaboration. Tobio shrugged and looked back at the portrait. It was dynamic and Tobio had to admit, it was awesome. The Hyuga was racing towards his teammates, one of who was wearing an odd jumpsuit while the other was armed with a kunai in each hand.
"Takamine!" Came the harsh voice of Byakuya. Tobio glowered a bit before heading over to his team, arriving just in time to hear Kiyo begin speaking.
"Everyone has someone they look up to, especially individuals your age. Over the years, I've found there's something special about these genin squads, something...unexplainable. They simply have this energy about them. The combination of three dreams, three personalities, melding into one unit. I feel being able to paint one is the highest honor there is. And another thing I've learned is that when I manage to capture that energy, it serves as an inspiration to the students who are still in the Academy. It shows them that even young shinobi their age are capable of so much. That's why you three are here today." At the end of his speech, Kiyo uncovered three of the portraits outside.
"Whoa..." Tobio said, recognizing the subjects of the three paintings as the other three genin cells of Konoha. On the far left, which was likely the first one, was team 8.
"K-Kiyo-san, this is incredible," Hinata gasped. It was a scene depicting Naruto on the ground squaring off with an airborne Sasuke. Pale, glowing chains of chakra surrounded Naruto and were being launched upwards at Sasuke, who was blowing a fireball downward at Naruto. The painting was so realistic, Byakuya's team could almost hear the battle unfolding. Then, in the background, two massive hands could be seen next to Naruto and Sasuke as if they were going to push the boys out of the way of each other's attacks. Looking closely, Hinata could see the hands belonged to Choji.
"This was a fun group," Kiyo said as he looked at the picture. "This one is called Restraint, because that's what this team needed to learn in order to make this picture happen."
"Learn?" Tobio asked, to the apparent amusement of Kiyo.
"Oh yes, this can be quite the learning experience for young ninja, although the thing they learn is often different. For example, this group" Kiyo said motioning to the second picture, "had to learn Impact, which is the picture's name."
The picture was of cell 10, much to Tobio's surprise. Unlike cell 8, the trio of Sakura, Ino, and Shikamaru weren't exactly a flashy group and their picture certainly lacked the powerful feel cell 8's did. But at the same time, Impact had its own subtle power. It depicted Sakura and Ino engaged in combat. Even though it was a still picture, it seemed that Sakura was winning. Sakura's fist was on the ground, wrapped in what looked like some kind of cloth, while her other hand was blocking a kick from Ino. Hinata then noticed the spiraling shadow beneath the two girls, which gave the entire a sudden, darker feel. Like Choji in team 8's picture, Shikamaru was in the background using his family's secret jutsu.
"And finally, there's Collaboration." Kiyo said, motioning towards the final picture, that of team 6. While team 10 was about subtlety and team 8 had a sort of destructive grace, team 6 seemed to be sheer power.
Kiba and Akamaru were two flurries of claws that spiraled upwards. Flying around the Inuzuka tornado were dark avian shapes that seemed to be flying upwards in the opposite direction of Kiba and Akamaru, although Tobio wasn't sure how he knew which direction they were going. And then there was the silent Kawamura, his bowstring pulled as far back as it could go with the arrowhead covered in a small yellow flame which he aimed to the top of the "tower". Out of all of the pictures, Shino decided, this one deserved its name.
There was a silence as team 7 drank in the brilliance of the three paintings and understood what Kiyo meant about being inspired by the energy in his paintings. Just looking at them made Tobio want to run a marathon around Konoha before jumping into training with his team, Kuchiki-sensei included. Hinata took a deep breath, an odd sense of confidence swelling within her. She could see herself becoming stronger and the image bought a smile to her face. Beneath his collar, Shino couldn't help but smile. The fact that his peers had such potential for beauty and power within them, made him excited for his own potential.
"What's our title?" Tobio asked excitedly. Kiyo chuckled his dry, elderly smile.
"Well my boy, that is entirely up to you three."
Author's Corner
Hey you guys, sorry I missed last weekend's update, but I am now completely back on track. And I'm glad to let you all know that the Land of Waves mission is going to be a thing and is gonna start within the next chapter or two.
Also, hey, I'm still on the fence about making parts 1 and 2 different stories but I'm guessing from the lack of responses that you guys like it as one story so I suppose I'll keep it like this, which is nice. I will be fulfilling some Orochimaru needs next chapter, so that'll be fun.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter a bit. As always, I look forward to your feedback, opinions, and praise. You guys are awesome, I love you and for everyone who's already in school and to those who start next week, good luck on the new semester.