The Uzumaki Brigade
Naruto had a strange dream last night. He figured that it would be about fighting Mizuki, or the events that transpired at the Hyuuga mansion. Instead, he was at some king of wedding. He looked around, and noticed two familiar faces among the crowd, Gimmy and Darry. He walked over to them, and was about to ask them a question, when everyone turned to look down the aisle. Naruto turned to look at what held their attention, and found himself stunned into silence. Walking down the aisle was a beautiful woman, more so than Cougar, but less than Hinata.
Her hair was bright blue, and her eyes sparkled brightly. Within them, Naruto thought he saw pink flowers. Her dress was a brilliant white that tied around her neck and her waist. Upon her head was the ceremonial veil, fastened down with red roses. The bouquet she held contained the same roses, but in a larger quantity. Naruto noticed cherry blossoms falling around them, and began to survey the area. They were in a large clearing, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. The time was perfect for a wedding.
Naruto followed along with the ceremony, staring at the groom all the while. Whoever he was, he looked a bit like Kamina. He had dark blue hair, which contradicted the bride's hair quite nicely. He wore a white tuxedo, with a yellow necklace and-…That wasn't a necklace!
Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed that this man was wearing a core drill around his neck. Naruto couldn't wait to get his from Gimmy and Darry. He placed his right hand around the area that the key would be hanging at, and clenched the air around it. He could almost feel the small drill, the chain hanging around his neck…Wait a minute!
Naruto looked down, and found the core drill was indeed within his hand. He opened it, and stared hard at the small key. He closed his fist again, and looked up. The preacher closed his book, and the two newlyweds kissed. Everyone erupted into cries of joy, some even began to weep. Naruto was looking at the crowd for familiar faces, and stopped on this woman with a suit on.
She had long, red hair that flowed down to her waist. But it was the suit that confused Naruto. Why was she wearing a suit to a wedding? Was this girl a tomboy or something? Naruto noticed a worried look on her face, as she stared at the now married couple. He turned to see what was troubling her, and noticed the bride begin to vanish.
"Nia, I will never forget you…Through the end of the Universe," said the groom, with a loving smile on his face.
"But silly, it'll never end. That's what we all worked so hard for," was Nia's reply.
"Hehe…Yeah, you're right."
"…I love you so…Simon."
"Yeah, I do too…I love you…"
With that, the woman named Nia vanished entirely. The only remnant of her existence was a ring that fell to the ground, and rolled to the feet of the Tomboy. Everyone was silent, even Naruto. It was truly a tearful thing to witness, even if you didn't know that person. Naruto felt the tears build in his eyes, and he let them flow forth, not caring who saw.
"…Simon…" was all the Tomboy said, a worried look on her face.
"…It's all right…We knew this would happen…Both of us knew."
Darry stepped forward, and spoke out. "Yeah, but, it's not-"
"Defeating the anti-spirals meant… that this was going to happen." He said.
"Nia…was a virtual life form of the Anti-Spirals…I'm amazed she hung on as long as she did."
Naruto turned to look at the origin of the voice. The person he saw looked human, but with small fangs, raggedy hair, and claws. His clothing told Naruto that he was male, with a personality like Sasuke's. If Naruto met this person, he would most likely hate this guy. Although, this man appeared to be half human, and half beast, so he was already leagues above Sasuke.
"She always was one tough cookie," said a slightly feminine voice.
Naruto turned to look at this person too, and saw it was a man. His hair was bluish-purple, and he had a large forehead. He wore purple mascara, which in a sense, complimented his hair. He wore a white tux undershirt, with black pants. While this was clearly a dude, Naruto had only one thought going through his head…
…Gay!
Gimmy looked crushed, the evidence was plain on his face. At this time, he spoke up.
"Well then, you should just use the power of the spiral! Why can't you use that power to bring Nia back? And not just her! What about all the other people we lost?"
'Sorry, but Simon isn't God…Gimmy."
Simon walked down the aisle, and stopped at Gimmy.
"Those who are dead, are dead. If we bring them back to life, they'll just get in the way of the next generation, right?
He placed something in Gimmy's hand, and closed it. Then he began to walk away.
"It's in your hands now, Rossiu."
The preacher took a step forward, and spoke up.
"But Simon-"
"I'm just…Simon the Digger. There's better people to go down the tunnels I dug."
"…You can count on me."
Gimmy opened his hand, and gaped. Naruto did as well, when he saw that Simon had given the core drill to Gimmy. Simon took off his jacket, and tossed it away, quickly replacing it with a tattered, worn cape, not unlike Kamina's.
"We had lots of fun, didn't we?" asked the gay guy.
"SIMON!" shouted the Tomboy.
She tossed the ring from Nia, and without looking, Simon caught it over his shoulder. With that, he began to walk away.
Naruto awoke from his dream, the events that transpired still fresh in his mind. He thought about who he saw, the names he heard, and why Gimmy and Darry didn't see him. How did he know those people? Naruto looked turned his head to look at the clock. 5:32 a.m. It would be another twenty-eight minutes before they needed to leave. Now was the perfect time to get up and make some breakfast for the two of them. Naruto sat up, and looked over at Hinata. She was still asleep, cuddled up under Naruto's covers and…WHAT?
Naruto tried as hard as he could not to shout out. How did she get under his covers? He prayed that nothing happened while he was unconscious, it was still too soon for 'that'. Naruto checked his person to make sure he was still wearing clothes. Luckily, he found his night clothing was still in place. He calmly, and slowly, got out of bed, and walked over to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, and pulled out two eggs, an orange, and a bit of ham. He opened the cabinets below the sink, and pulled out a frying pan. He looked around the kitchen, and after a minute, found the salt and pepper. He turned the stove on to low, and placed the ham on the pan, and placed that on the burner. He applied salt to the scrap of meat very thoroughly. He repeated this process with the eggs, and then proceeded to peel the orange.
Hinata smelled something nice, and opened her eyes. She turned her head, and found the clock said 5:38 a.m. She remembered that today was the day that every new genin would be assigned a cell leader. This made her remember her dream, where she was paired with the Pink and Yellow Banshees (Sakura and Ino). Naruto had been paired with Shikamaru and Sylvia, a most depressing dream for Hinata. Then she had that wedding dream again, except this time it was clearer. This time, everyone had a voice, and some things were explained. But she truly felt sorry for that boy, Simon was it?
Hinata sat up, and began to rub a sore spot on her head. She could've sworn that Naruto had given her the soft bed, him being the gentleman that he is. She looked around, and found her bed…five feet away from her. OH NO! That meant…she was in Naruto's bed! Hinata blushed super red, and buried her face in her hands. She would've squealed in embarrassment, had she not been afraid to wake Naruto. Hinata looked to the side, expecting him to be unconscious, only to find him M.I.A.
This would explain the delicious smell that permeated the room. Hinata turned towards the kitchen, and saw Naruto cooking diligently. He didn't even notice that she was awake. Hinata got out of bed, and felt her clothes move with her. She forgot to check for those, but it relieved her that nothing had happened last night…but only a little.
Hinata walked over to the counter, and waited for Naruto to turn around. After he finished cooking the ham, and eggs, he began to squeeze the juice from the orange, making one full glass. After everything was finished, Naruto grabbed the plate and the juice, and turned to put them on the counter. He noticed Hinata, blushed lightly, and placed the food and drink on the counter.
"Mornin' Hinata! How'd you sleep?"
"Uh, good morning Naruto-kun! I guess I slept fine. I had this reoccurring dream again involving a wedding."
Hinata began to eat the eggs, while Naruto had a thought. Is it possible that Hinata had the same dream he had list night? Was this some kind of trick? If she did have the same dream as Naruto, was it mere coincidence, or more than that? Naruto had to know.
"Hinata, in this dream, was Gimmy and Darry there?"
Hinata stopped eating now. In fact, she dropped the fork when Naruto asked. Was he kidding? Did Naruto have the same dream as her? Was he able to tell these things just from hearing a few words? Did he put salt on the ham?
"Y-Yes! Did you have the same dream too Naruto?"
"I believe so. Do you think someone is trying to send us a message or something?"
"If they are, then I think I know what we need to do."
Just then, Naruto hears a quiet knock at the door, and goes to open it. He remembered what happened last time he opened the door, and decided to take a step back quickly upon turning the knob. As he does this, Hinata is leaning against the wall a slight distance from the door, to prevent herself from getting dog piled again. Naruto steps back, and lets the door open slowly.
Standing within the doorway, was Shikamaru, holding his head with his right hand, and his left in his pocket with the thumb hooked out. He had this lazy, hunched pose that said he really didn't want to be here right now. Naruto and Hinata stepped forward, and decided to invite him in.
"This is such a drag…You two aren't ready yet? We have to be at the academy in like, ten minutes."
"We had a long night man, cut us some slack."
"Whatever, I don't care really. This is all just some troublesome shit that I have to go through. I'd really like to get it over with, so can you guys just hurry up?"
"…Give me five minutes, and Hinata about eight."
Naruto closed the door, and walked over to the closet. He pulled out a pair of his new clothes, and tossed Hinata a few pieces as well. She went into the shower, and began her daily ritual of cleansing. Naruto yanked off his shirt, and quickly replaced it with the clean one. He removed his pants and tossed the dirty garments into a clothes bin in the corner, then pulled on his clean pair. He sniffed at the air for a second, and detected a hint of lilac in the air. He put this out of his head, and began to look for his kunai pouch. After finding it, he walked over to his nodaichi, and placed them on his back, Dinah on the right, Nina on the left.
"You ready girls?"
"Always, Master Naruto!"
"So we get a master today right? I hope we get to fight them! Yesterday's 'fight' was lame and a pathetic waste of ability and time."
"While I agree with you Dinah, you should lighten up just a little. We won, Mizuki got his ass beat, and Hinata castrated him. It's a win win situation."
"Whatever, but I want some ramen after we finish up today."
"Yeah yeah, I hear you. How do you two feel about ramen, Nina, Ryu?"
Sounds good to me. Can I have blood in mine?
"I don't mind, but can I have a veggie serving?
"Sure Nina, that's fine. Oh, and Ryu? You are so FUCKED UP! No blood for you!"
RYU OWNED COUNT: 3
The bathroom door opened and Hinata stepped out, a glow from the sun enveloping her, making her hair shine in a beautiful way. Naruto couldn't help but stare, as he felt a desire to be with her that was stronger than the Demon Fox. Hinata smiled, the kind, pure smile that only a truly innocent, and kind-hearted person could show.
"Hey you two, are you done yet? I'd like to get to the academy sometime this year, if you don't mind…"
For a lazy bastard, Shikamaru certainly knew when to ruin things. Was it his goal to torment them endlessly? Either way, the two genin were ready to leave, so Hinata grabbed her sickle, and walked out the door with Naruto.
"Shikamaru, is it always gonna be like this?"
"I don't know Naruto, are you two always gonna be lovey dovey little idjits? Just hurry up and get your love life in place so we can all just move on."
"…Duuuuude, that was way uncalled for."
"…Yeah well…Your mom!"
"…Is dead and I never got to meet her."
"…"
"…"
"…Your face!"
"…Okay, that is about all I can handle. Hinata, let's just leave him."
Hinata nodded in agreement, and the two shun-shined over to the academy. Hinata was glad to be away from that insensitive bastard. Did Naruto really have to work with him? Hinata felt sorry for whoever had to work with Shikamaru on their team. They were going to have to babysit Shikamaru forever.
"Hinata, I pray that you end up with someone less…like a complete doushe."
"So do I, Naruto-kun. But however this is done, it will be what it will be."
Iruka walked up to the two genin, and placed one hand on each of their shoulders. He gave them a large grin, and simply walked away, leaving Naruto and Hinata confused as hell. Did Iruka always act this strange on graduation day? Naruto simply shrugged it off, and led Hinata over to a nice seat in the back of the room by a window. They sat there is silence, Naruto staring at the sun, Hinata staring at Naruto. Finally, he broke the silence.
"…Hinata, what do you think of the sun?"
"…I don't know what to say to that. It rises every morning, and sets every evening. It goes forever, and promises us that it will be back again."
"Yeah, but it also brings hope and sorrow. With every morning, we feel the sorrow of thinking, 'Is this our last day alive? Will we die today, having lived our life to the fullest?' As the sun wanes, we stare at the horizon, the one that gives a graceful beauty, and we think, 'We lived another day, and we get to look back, tell the children of Tomorrow what happened Yesterday, and pass on our knowledge. They in turn, used what we gave them to better themselves, and tell the children of THEIR Tomorrow what happened to them on that day.' Is it just an endless cycle, or something deeper?"
"…"
"Hinata, I don't know what today will hold for us. And tomorrow is just as uncertain as this one. But so long as I'm with you, I can carry on, and give the children of Tomorrow a better chance. I know what I fight for, and who I care about. If I hold these things close to my heart, the there is no way I can lose, right?"
"R-Right Naruto-kun! And I'll be beside you every step of the way! You can count of me!"
The door opens, and Shikamaru steps in. He walks over to Naruto and Hinata, then steps down to sit on the row in front of them. He sighs heavily, and looks at Naruto. He blinks twice, and sighs again. He lazily shakes his head, and opens his mouth to speak. When no words come out, he closes it, and gains a thinking face. Finally, he speaks up.
"Naruto…Sorry about earlier. You were right, what I said was uncalled for. I was way out of line, and I apologize. I'm just having a case of the Mondays."
"…It's Thursday."
"I don't know what day it is any more. Truthfully, I don't care either."
"…You know, for someone to have a case of the Mondays, they just have to experience something they normally would on a Monday. It doesn't actually have to be that day."
The trio turn to the back of the room, and see Shino leaning against the wall. He looks at them with an expression no one can identify behind his shades and colar. Naruto was wondering when he got there, and how. Hinata was wondering how long he had been there, listening to them. Shikamaru was trying NOT to think, as his head hurt enough already. Silence permeated the room, until Hinata asked the question everyone was thinking.
"S-Shino, how long have you um…been right there?"
Shino looked at Hinata, and simply shrugged. His gaze returned to the door, and left everyone thinking 'What was that about?' Naruto was already confused as is, so he decided to try a different question.
"Shino, if you had to take a guess, how long do you think you've been here?"
"…What day is today?"
"…Uhhhh, Thursday. I thought you were listening to our conversation earlier."
"I was. Now then, how long have I been here?…Hmmm. Carry the two…Eliminate the five… About fourteen years is how long I've been here."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"To be fair Naruto, you DID ask him how long he's been here. You just didn't ask the right way."
"Argh! Shut up Shikamaru! Shino, how long have you been listening in on our converation?"
"Oh, that's what you meant…About since you got here, Naruto. By the way, that was preety deep, what you said. About the sun, and the children of Tomorrow?"
"…Riiiiiight. Uh, thanks, I guess. I wasn't really trying to be deep."
"That means you have enormous potential, mentally anyways."
"Naruto-kun, can we move somewhere else? I feel a bit cramped right here."
"Sure Hinata, you can pick this time."
Hinata turned to see if any good seats were available, and found that the room was completely void of all life, save for six people. The only people in the room now was Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Shino, Choji, and Sasuke. Naruto looked around the room, hoping that there was still someone else in here. Upon finding no answer, he spoke up.
"Where the hell did everybody go?"
Shikamaru was the first to answer his question.
"Off to get to know their teams. Iruka began to call out team members when I walked in. He finished when Shino spoke up, since then, everyone has been gradually leaving the room. Their mentors got them, and whisked them off on grand adventures around the town, and shit like that. To me, it sounds WAY to troublesome, and a waste of time. Just thinking about it gives me a migrain."
"Then beside you and me, who is our third teammate, Shikamaru?"
"You didn't hear? It was-"
"Hold on Shikamaru. Let them figure it out on their own. This'll just be a lesson to them, one that says to PAY ATTENTION in class."
"…Way too troublesome. But I don't care really, so long as I get a few minutes of sleep, I'll be content."
'"Shikamaru-san, you sleep way too much."
"You think so Hinata? I always thought I didn't sleep enough."
"B-But…You sleep all the time in class! How can you even THINK you aren't getting enough sleep?"
Shino picked this moment to intervene on the conversation.
"Naruto, calm down. Let me explain for you. Shikamaru does indeed sleep in class, but only for about two hours at a time. For three hours, he actually listens in on the teacher. For about one hour, he draws on his desk, erasing his bad designs diligently. The rest of the time in class is spend creating extensive plans and manuevers using what he learned. Some of his plans could easily let two teams of genin defeat the Hokage in a matter of minutes. Am I leaving anything out Shikamaru?"
"Yeah, you forgot the part where I crush your little spy bug."
"I didn't leave that out, I just thought it should be kept private, as it only involved me and you."
Hinata looked a bit confused, as did Naruto. He spoke out, interested about this spy bug thing.
"What was that about spy bugs? I'm curious."
"…*Sigh* Shikamaru, why couldn't you leave that part out? I like my friends to be under the radar, if you understand. Anyways, I have control over insects, as you two already know." Both Naruto and Hinata nodded. "So naturally, I might have a few that will spy for me. I plant them on random spots on my targets, and they provide feedback through a special chakra connection. They tell me all about that person, and who they really are. That being said, I know all about your special mission Naruto, Hinata. I know all about Gimmy, Darry, and Kamina too. There is nothing you two can hide from me."
Naruto and Hinata looked shocked as they realized that they had not been careful enough about this. But who was supposed to expect an insect boy to plant little bugs on people and learn everything about them? Naruto felt his rage build up, and carefully picked his next words.
"…DAMMIT SHINO! Do you have ANY IDEA what will happen to the masses if this gets leaked?" Naruto whispered, trying to prevent his rage from shouting at the eavesdropper.
"Of course. I never said I told any one. But I do know about it. Kind of funny if you ask me. I, someone you barely know, have all the details about you, where Shikamaru, someone you will be working with, has no idea what we are talking about. Should I fill him in, or will you do so later?"
"…Shino-san, please let us be the ones to tell him. But since you know, that means two things. The first is that we must report this to the Hokage. The second, we will speak of later. As for now-"
A knock is heard on the door, and Itachi uchiha pops his head in. He looks around the room, resting his gaze on Naruto for a moment. Naruto felt daggers stab him in the stomach, but he showed no signs of weakness. People like him would crush Naruto at the first sign. Itachi turned his attention to Sasuke, and his eyes became a bit softer. He closed his eyes, and stepped all the way through the door. He placed his hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall, and sighed.
"…You know who I am, and you know who I'm here for. Those I'm here for, you know who you are. We're leaving now, if you aren't in the hall in the next thirty seconds, I will stab your leg with a rusty kunai, and drag your ass around the room. Get moving!"
Sasuke stood up, and began to leave. Naruto began to stand up, but a hand from Shikamaru told him to stay seated. Shino got off his wall, and walked down the steps to the door. He pulled one hand out of his pocket, and extended it in the air. His way of saying 'See you later.' Then he called out to them.
"Later Naruto, Shikamaru!…C'mon, fat boy."
"DON'T CALL ME FAT, QUEER! I WILL RAPE YOU WITH A HOT IRON LADLE!"
"Whatever…Just get moving or Sensei will rape YOU with a rusty kunai."
Choji gulped loudly, and got up. He walked out of the room mumbling to himself. As the door closed, Naruto put the last piece of the puzzle in place. The only people left in the room were Naruto, Shikamaru, and Hinata. As enlightenment struck Naruto, Hinata gave a cry of joy.
"YAAAAY! I'm on Naruto-kun's team! I won't be lonely or have to kill a screaming banshee!" (Both Ino and Sakura sneezed into each other's face. This started the first bitch fight that the two of them would perform daily, right beside Tenten, who failed to pass the test last year.)
"Congrats you two. Just don't spend every moment of it kissing, or I'll kill myself."
"Be quiet Shikamaru-san. You're just jealous," Hinata said with a mocking tone.
"Two things Hinata. One: I'm not jealous, I could get a girl anytime I wanted. Two: If you keep adding 'san', 'chan', or 'kun' to everyone's name, I will personally rip out your tongue, and shove it up Naruto's ass."
"And if you touch me, I will shove an exploding kunai so far up YOUR ass, you'll cough up the note."
"…Touché."
"Hinata could fuck you up with ease, Shikamaru. I'd treat her with the respect she deserves."
The paper door opens again, and Kurenai steps through the door. She looks up at the three genin, and beckons for them to follow her. She steps out of the room, leaving them alone once again. Shikamaru stands, and begins to walk, as does Naruto. He turns around, attempting to hold hands with Hinata, but she is still in her seat, with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.
"Naruto-kun, I don't like her! Can we try to petition for a new team?"
"I don't think we can Hinata. Why? You don't like her any more? I thought you two were friends?"
"We were, until graduation exams. That morning…Oh never mind! Let's just go already!"
Naruto extends his hand to help Hinata up, which she graciously accepts. Hand in hand, they walk out of the room, following Shikamaru. In the hall, Kurenai is impatiently tapping her foot, hoping that her new students aren't normally this slow. As they enter the hall, she starts for the stairs down, and the three gening follow her. They leave the building, and walk through town, all the way to a training field.
Naruto and Hinata look around, trying to get a feel for this area. It was a moderate sized clearing, with a pond nearby. On the other side of the pond, Naruto thought he saw a flag pole with three logs sticking out of the ground. Besides the direction of the pond, and the path they took here, the area was surrounded by trees. It held all familiar types of terrain that ninjas used, except for rocky mountains.
"Okay you three, take a seat…Now then, my name is Kurenai, but you guys will call me Kurenai-sensei, got that?"
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," all three of them said with no enthusiasm.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
"YES, KURENAI-SENSEI!" they shouted.
"Hehe, I like this bitch! Me and her could be friends."
"Dinah, do not call our Master's sensei a bitch! That is disrespectful!"
"Bah! It's not like she can hear me. We are in Master's mind, where no one can listen to our words."
"…"
"Good pixie, just stay silent until the end of time, and we will never have a problem!"
"Can you guys go FIVE minutes without fighting? Do you have ANY idea what it's like having three people inside your head? I can't even keep my thoughts private! MY thoughts, in MY head!"
"Chill Master Naruto, it's all in good fun! We don't mean any harm by it."
"Nonetheless, hearing a constant bickering, as well as a constant desire for blood, is getting on my nerves! Hearing bloodlust from Ryu is bad enough, but to hear it from TWO SPIRITS is too much!"
"I apologize Master Naruto, she is a kind spirit, but fears what may become should she reveal it."
"What…may become?"
"Lies! Anyways, shouldn't you be focused on Sensei?"
Naruto snapped his attention back to Kurenai, who was glaring at Naruto. He felt a bit of her KI leak through her control, and wondered if she was doing it on purpose. He decided to release a bit of his own, except it would be fused with Ryu's and Dinah's. He exuded the malicious power, hoping that maybe a show of strength would do some good.
"You know Naruto, radiating bloodlust and kindness at the same time only weakens the effect. Right now, your KI is saying you want to kill me, and protect me at the same time."
Naruto realized that he had accidentally picked up Nina's presence instead of Dinah's. They were identical beings, so it would be natural for Naruto to confuse them from time to time. He quickly switched out, and forced Ryu's KI to double.
"That's better, but still, it's not strong enough. At best, you might scare a kitten."
"What a drag. Naruto, chill with the dark energy man, you're bumming me out right now."
"Naruto-kun, can you please seal your KI? Minato is going crazy right now."
"Urk, uh…Sorry Hinata, I didn't mean for that."
Naruto pulled his KI back, and closed his connection with the violent spirits. Was Kurenai serious about his KI? He was practically glowing with the power he released just now!
"Anyways, now that we're finished with that, let's get down to business! I want you three to show me your abilities. Each of you will spar one-on-one with me, using everything at your disposal. Don't hold back, as this is a test of what you can do. It determines the jobs we will do, the payment you receive, and other things. Let's start with you, the lazy one."
"Damn, this is such a pain. When do we begin?"
Within the blink of an eye, Kurenai positioned herself behind Shikamaru, with a kunai to his neck. He didn't even blink, and suddenly Kurenai released him. She mimicked his stance, and moved like he did, kind of like a mirror.
"Not bad kid, but you should also realize I'm a Jounin."
Suddenly, Kurenai was gone, and the genin realized that they had been under a genjutsu. Naruto looked at Hinata, and she looked at him. They nodded, and made the Rat handsign.
"Release!" they cried in unison.
Feathers erupted from thin air around their bodies, and they saw Kurenai hadn't even moved. Hinata took a step forward, but Naruto held her back with a hand. He shook his head, indicating that something wasn't right. They released once more, and found that Kurenai was gone.
Shikamaru was standing in the clearing like an idiot; his eyes were just staring off into space. It was obvious that he was still under the genjutsu. Naruto made the Rat handsign again, and used Release on Shikamaru. His eyes shut tight for a moment and opened quickly. He looked around the area, and saw only Naruto and Hinata.
"What the hell just happened?"
"Our sensei is Kurenai, the genjutsu master. She had us under one for a while most likely. I assume we are under one right now. She most likely has under multiple illusions, all layered together. We can continue to Release, but at this rate, we will tire before she does. In a match of stamina and strength, she outclasses us all by FAR. We need a plan, and quick."
"Hmph, what a drag. I guess I have no choice, do I? Fine then, leave the plan to me. How long can you two stall her?"
"I can go for about two hours, Hinata can for about one-and-a-half."
"…Give me five minutes."
"You got three."
Naruto and Hinata crowded around Shikamaru, and took up their respective taijutsu stances, with their backs to the lazy bastard. He crouched on the ground, and made a weird handsign Naruto had never seen before. His hands were not touching, except at the tips of the fingers. Each one touched the same finger on the opposite hand, with his thumbs being above the others. He held this pose, and remained silent.
"You kids don't get it yet, do you? No matter what you do, you won't be winning."
Naruto released once again, and saw Kurenai standing there, just looking at them. A fog suddenly creeped in overhead, covering the clearing. Naruto couldn't see ten inches in front of him. He knew he was under a genjutsu again, and released once more.
"Shikamaru, you got one minute! Hurry up!"
"Don't rush genius!"
Naruto formed the Rat handsign, and released chakra. Kurenai appeared out of nowhere, and struck him with a kunai. The attack itself didn't hurt, but where it connected did. The blade landed on his wrist, causing his hand to go limp.
"Shikamaru, time's up!"
"That's fine, now split!"
Hinata threw down a smoke bomb, and the three genin shadow stepped away from the clearing. When they felt they were a safe distance, they halted, and began to talk strategy.
"Shikamaru-san, what is the plan?"
"Simple, one of us distracts her, while the other two set up traps within the area. We create a trap that she will trigger, which will activate others if she dodges them, and the process will repeat until she grows weary. After that, it's just clean up."
"That works for me. Shikamaru, you and Hinata go lay the traps. I'll stall Sensei and buy you time."
"But Naruto-kun, how will you do it? Your arm, it is limp! You won't be able to make handsigns!"
"Worry not Hinata. I have my ways."
She nodded, and with that, they shadow stepped away, one to greet their teacher, the other two to prepare for a chaotic match. As Naruto came within sight of the clearing, he used his one good hand to create a mass of thirty clones that in turn, created about ten clones. With his legion of clones set for war, Naruto stormed the field.
Upon entering the area, he found his teacher was absent. He looked around, and released once more. After one final check to make sure she wasn't around, he had his legion separate into five squads, each composed of six clones. He instructed each squad to search a different piece of the forest, and report any findings immediately. He also instructed them to not engage Kurenai, but to lure her back to this clearing.
"Naruto, just give up. You can't win."
Naruto didn't even flinch when he heard the voice of his teacher behind him. He simply placed his hands in his pockets, and turned around. He sighed, and spoke up.
"…Kurenai-sensei, maybe you should have some faith in your students. To underestimate us is to seal your fate."
"Please, three genin fresh out of the academy have no chance against-"
"-Against a recently promoted Jounin?..What? You're surprised that I know. I'm a ninja, it is my job to know."
"Whatever, enough talk! Let's end this."
Kurenai dashed at Naruto with a kunai drawn. She slashed, but he ducked, sweeping his leg out in front of him. Kurenai jumped, and Naruto smirked as he sent his other leg out to meet her stomach. She coughed up a bit of blood, and 'poofed', leaving a log in her place. Naruto stood up, and withdrew a kunai from his pouch. He glanced around the clearing, and couldn't find Kurenai anywhere. He released, and saw her standing in front of him.
"Are we just gonna go in an endless circle of genjutsu and release? It's getting old."
"'Use whatever tactics you have available to defeat your enemy and complete the mission.' That is rule seven of the Ninja Way. Do you think your enemy will listen to you and oblige if you ask them to stop using their skills? Naruto, it's high time you learned how the real world works."
"Sensei, I know how the world works. I've been hated by it for as long as I can remember."
Naruto stick his hands back in his pockets, and turned towards the pond. He looked at the calm, undisturbed water, then to the bright, cloudless sky. A bird sounded off in the distance, and Naruto turned back to his teacher. The wind picked up, blowing through Naruto's spiky, yellow hair.
"Kurenai-sensei, this world may hate me, but I don't hate it. This world made me who I am today. It was also in this world that I met Hinata. So even if it hates me for who I am, turns it back on me, or leaves me for dead, I will protect this world with my last breath. Nothing will get in my way."
Kurenai stared into Naruto's eyes, and saw a fierce determination. She took a step back, and created another illusion.
"That won't work this time."
Naruto was suddenly behind Kurenai with a kunai to her neck. He smirked, and instantly five clones surrounded Kurenai, holding a knife to her neck from all sides.
"You put up your own genjutsu?"
"Yup! It wasn't hard really…Heh…Hehe. It's kind of funny. The 'Genjutsu Master' was just bested by a novice with a weak genjutsu."
"Boy, you have no idea who you are messing with," Kurenai warned him.
"I know exactly who I am messing with. Name: Kurenai Yuhi, Age: 30, Height: 161.1 cm, Weight: 54.4 kg, Sign: Libra, Type: Support, Specialty: Genjutsu. You were promoted to the rank of Jounin about two weeks ago. We are the first cell to fall under your command. Everything after that is unimportant to me…"
"…"
"…"
"… Am I really 162 pounds! I need to exercise more!"
"I just listed off every single piece of personal information about you, and all you are concerned with is your weight?"
"What? A girl has to keep up her looks. It's the only way to lure guys in and crush their hopes of trying to get someone out of their league."
"…And you are telling me this WHY?"
"Because it makes for a good distraction."
Naruto's vision became blurry, and Kurenai vanished. Something cold touched his neck, and Naruto instantly knew. While they were talking, Kurenai had placed another genjutsu on Naruto and escaped his little group.
"…Not bad Sensei, but you do realize that even if you beat me, you still have to deal with Hinata and Shikamaru?"
"They aren't a threat to me. Not even if they rushed me when I was half dead."
"We'll see about that…*Tweet**…Tweet*"
"Wh-What are you doing?"
"Oh, you like? It's my bird call, I've been practicing…*Tweet**…Tweet*"
The sound rang throughout the clearing, and could be heard for a mile. After a minute of silence, another call came from within the forest. A kunai came flying at Kurenai, which she dodged easily. It continued to the other side of the clearing, where it sliced a small string. A swarm of kunai came from the ground below Kurenai, which impaled her and Naruto. Kurenai 'poofed' and was replaced with a log, as was Naruto.
The kunai rained down on the field, each triggering another trap meant for Kurenai. Some released senbon needles, other tossed more kunai at her. At one point, Kurenai thought she saw a kitten, but when she blinked, it was gone. She assumed it had been a trick made to distract her while hundreds of kunai tore her to ribbons.
Naruto shadow stepped back onto the branch where Hinata and Shikamaru were waiting for him. Hinata noticed something in his hands, and squealed when she saw the black kitten with a bow tied to it's head. Naruto placed it in her hands, and walked over to Shikamaru.
"Okay, what the HELL is a kitten doing on the field? Please tell me it was not a part of your traps!"
"…Shit. No man, it wasn't. It must've wandered onto the field when we were setting trap number 17. I heard a 'meow', but I dismissed it as nothing. Sorry Naruto."
"…*Sigh* So long as the little fella wasn't involved, no harm no foul. Right?"
"Naruto-kun, Shikamaru-san, what should we do with it?"
Naruto checked the ribbon for some clue as to who the little kitten belonged to, but found nothing. He scratched his head, thinking of what to do with the furball.
"Well since there is no tag, I think we should hold on to it for now. I'll leave it in your care for now, Hinata."
"Yay, I lOVE kittens!"
Hinata began to cuddle to cat, rocking from side to side slowly. It purred in her arms, something that made her squeal again.
"Hey uh, is it a tom, or a tabby?"
"What did you say Shikamaru-san?"
"Is the cat a tom or a tabby?"
Hinata held the cat at arms length, inspecting it for detail on what gender it was. After a minute, she pulled it close to her again, where it purred against her chest.
"It looks like a tom, but I'm not entirely sure."
"Anyways, I wonder what Kurenai-sensei is doing? How many traps did you lay, Shikamaru?"
"Exactly 139 traps, each one triggers the next. If I had to guess, I'd say about 1530 kunai were used for this."
"Was I fighting her that long? Damn, time really flew by."
"No, it was only about five minutes. Hinata made about eighty clones, which made at least ten more, which made two or three more after that. The clones built the traps, and then turned into kunai for them. All I had to do was aim the traps for each other and throw the initial kunai."
Naruto looked dumbfounded, with his mouth gaping widely. Hinata chuckled at this, and began to stroke the kitten. It looked up at her, and licked her chin, tickling her. Naruto smiled and spoke to Shikamaru.
"I'm going to see if our teacher is still alive, you two stay here. If anything happens, try whatever you can think of. I'll whistle when it's clear to come out."
Shikmaru nodded, and Naruto shadow stepped away. When he reached the clearing, he stopped at the last tree. The field looked like a battlefield, with kunai scattered about everywhere. A bit of blood could be seen in some spots, bit it was too little to be noted as important. Naruto walked through the debris, hoping to see some sign of life. He prayed that they hadn't killed their teacher. But even if they were to take the blame, only one of them would be punished. And Naruto KNEW Hinata was not going to go through that. He would pin it all on Shikamaru. It WAS his plan after all. Then a thought occurred to Naruto.
Naruto released, and saw that none of them had moved from the field. Kurenai was standing there, sweat apparent on her face. She was breathing hard, with her back turned to the genin. Both Hinata and Shikamaru had a blank stare on their face, showing that they were still under the jutsu.
"Had all of this been one large genjutsu?"
"Master Naruto, you're awake! I was SO worried! You were just standing there, looking into space! You wouldn't answer me, Dinah, or Ryu! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! WAHHHHHHHH!"
"SHUT UP PIXIE!…Thank you. Now then, regarding what just happened, we were scared for a few minutes. What happened?"
Yeah, tell us about it. And don't leave out the gorey parts!
"Shut it Ryu."
RYU OWNED COUNT: 4
"Anyways, I guess we were all under a massive web of genjutsus. We had this large fight going on, Shikamaru made about a hundred traps to kill Kurenai, and Hinata found a kitten."
"SQUEEE! I LOVE KITTENS!"
"The fighting and the traps sound like something I need to get in on!…And I like cats too…"
"Speaking of which…"
Naruto looked over at Hinata, who was still holding the kitten. So the whole thing hadn't been a dream! Naruto walked over to the kitten, and begann to scratch under it's chin. It purred loudly, attracting Kurenai's attention.
"Damn. I'm still *huff **huff* weak from all *huff**huff* the jutsus. I can't make any *huff* more."
"Then why don't you release them and end the session?"
"*huff* huff* huff* Fine."
Kurenai released her jutsu, and Naruto's teammates snapped back into reality. Shikamaru grabbed his head in pain, Hinata looked around to see what was going on. The kitten purred again, drawing Hinata's attention. She began to cuddle the ball of fluff once more.
"All of you *huff* passed the test."
"…Cool. So what was the purpose of this test again?"
"*Phew!* The point of the test was to determine the level of strength each of you possessed. Naruto showed the best qualities found in a leader. Shikamaru, you showed the best qualities of a strategist. Hinata, you didn't really show me anything I liked. I need to see more from you."
"What are you talking about Kurenai-sensei? I made at least a hundred clones during that test!"
"So you have massive chakra reserves. Can you do anything useful?"
"How about my Byakugan?"
"…Well played. You win that one."
After hearing that from Kurenai, Hinata went back to playing with the kitten. Naruto smiled, and turned his attention to Kurenai.
"So are we a team now?"
"Yes, you showed me how well each of you work together. I have confidence in this team! Starting first thing tomorrow morning, we will begin to take assignments. Meet me at the Hokage Tower at 7:00 a.m., and don't be late."
With that, their teacher shun-shined away from the clearing, leaving the three genin by themselves. They looked at each other, and grinned. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand, and they began to walk away, Shikamaru close behind. They walked back to town, parting ways when they reached Ichiraku's Ramen Stand. After paying for two miso bowls, two veggie bowl, and two shrimp bowls, they walked back to their apartment, talking about what missions they might go on. When the two got home, they sat down, summoned their spirits.
When Naruto summoned Nina and Dinah, Hinata nearly had a heart attack. She pulled her scythe out, and prepared for a fight. Dinah took up a fighting stance, and Nina tried to calm her down. After everyone had settled down did Naruto explain.
"So while I went shopping, you met these spirits in your dream?"
"That pretty much sums it up. I got in a fight with Dinah here," Dinah waved Hinata off like she was nothing. It annoyed her that Naruto had such a spirit. "And after a few minutes, I got them to accept me as their master. It was hard, to say the least."
"Yeah, kissing us was VERY difficult." Dinah said in a sarcastic tone.
Silence permeated the room, except for Ryu, who was rapidly devouring his bowl of ramen. After a minute, Hinata stood up and walked over to Naruto. She grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him into the air. Naruto embraced for a massive blow to the head, but instead was kissed by Hinata.
"Wh-WHA? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KILL HIM!"
"Hmph! You aren't the only one that has kissed Naruto, Dinah! If I ever see you on my man, then you had better say your prayers. I will hunt you down to the ends of this planet and back!"
Naruto sighed in defeat. How was he going to put up with this for the rest of his life? There was no escape now.
"Damn, I'm royally screwed, aren't I?
Hinata, Dinah, and even Nina nodded in agreement. Ryu simply snickered at Naruto, then went back to eat his ramen…