Author's Note: This chapter ended up being more of a pain than I thought it would, ended up having to break it up even more than I thought. Ugh.
But on another note, I finally cranked out enough to give this its own story, so yay? And as always, I am not a Japanese mangaka of the Kishimoto family, nor do I have a twin. Thus, I am not the owner of the Naruto franchise.
As per usual, this chapter is unbeta'd.
edit:: If you haven't noted it yet, I am currently going over chapters to try to catch and fix some of the errors in the recent chapters. Unfortunately, as you'd probably noticed, I've been typing and posting before while sleep deprived, meaning I've been missing things. Currently, all chapters prior have been fixed and updated. Hopefully I can get it all done within a day or two so I can get to working on the chapters that are currently in progress and unposted sooner rather than later. I have plans right now, and I'd like to get them written properly, rather than as...messily...for lack of a better word...than they have been due to sleep deprivation.
Chapter 3 (Bell Test II)
Kakashi peered about, instantly cataloging the general direction of two of the three little miscreants that might end up falling under his command. Humming in approval when he realized that one had been a decoy making use of a very well done kawarimi, he sighed and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck.
"Well, well," looked like they'd hidden surprisingly well, he thought, keeping his voice flat as he resisted the urge to inject a little bit of pride into the statement (damn it, he was already getting attached). "The most important thing for a shinobi is to be able to hide yourself," he sighed, reining in the urge to respond sarcastically as a certain orange-clad blonde did the exact opposite.
"C'mon and fight me!" The blonde yelled, mostly bravado, but far too used to tricking himself when needed to care too much about the fact that his hands were still shaking a bit, something he did by folding his arms (hands hidden tightly at his sides) and taking a far more confident stance.
As if simply pretending would really make it so.
(Uzumaki Naruto was used to pretending, after all. How else could he survive with the hatred that so much of the village seemed to carry for him?)
Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh, "That's… You're a bit off, you know," the slate-eyed man pointed out. He'd known that the blonde was apparently a knucklehead, but…
Well, it wasn't like there was much he could do about it aside from discreetly trying to lead him in the direction he wanted. Kakashi wasn't a top-level Jounin (and ex-AnBu) for nothing, after all.
Sasuke startled at the sudden appearance of a body that he hadn't been expecting before narrowing his eyes and hissing. "What are you doing here?!" The Uchiha scowled.
Kohaku ignored it, however, with the ease of someone who'd had much practice ignoring those around her. Instead, she decided to be blunt (or, well, more blunt than usual) as she stated exactly what she wanted.
"There are two bells," she pointed out, voice low but not quite...whispering, per say. "Our opponent is Jounin-level. There's no way a single genin would be able to get past him unless he wanted us to. Especially not if he's really a retired AnBu Captain as rumors say."
Sasuke choked. "AnBu Captain?!" After a moment of staring into dull amber colored eyes and then at the lazy looking Jounin with sheer disbelief, he forced himself to calm down. "How the hell would you even know that!" He hissed, keeping a wary half-eye on the now far more threatening figure.
Unimpressed slit-pupiled eyes bore into him. Before she could say anything, though, a loud exclamation cut through the hushed conversation they'd been holding.
"The only thing that's a bit off is your hair cut!" yelled Naruto, the bright orange eyesore that was his jumpsuit flashing past as he moved to attack.
Sasuke cursed the idiocy of their potential blonde teammate, tensing as the silver-haired Jounin reached into a pouch at his side. As the two watched, Naruto seemed to actually have some sense as he immediately stopped, ready to back away as the man slowly pulled something out of said pouch.
"Shinobi Fighting Lesson #1, Taijutsu," he began, "I'll teach you all about it," he said airily.
Taijutsu was a Shinobi hand-to-hand combat style, Naruto thought as he watched the man with wary blue eyes. But, considering that he was reaching into a pouch for something… Was he going to use a weapon? He wondered, only to pause as the man pulled out a certain book that he'd seen before, a bright orange book (which was really the reason he'd shown any interest in said text to begin with) in one fluid move, standing in what looked like something that was supposed to come off as cool, only to…
Well, it really wasn't cool at all, especially considering the book he had in his hand.
Oh my god, what the fuck, was this guy some sort of pervert or something?! Naruto though, somewhat horrified by the revelation. Holy shit!
"What's wrong? Hurry up and attack me," the tone of voice used almost seemed smug to the blonde as he tried to think things through.
No, no. It couldn't...couldn't possibly be...? Like, seriously? Sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him (or something), he laughed nervously before deciding to question the man. "H-Hey, what's with the book!?" He all but demanded, watching as the man pulled it up in front of his face as if to read.
"Hm? Well, you see, I wanted to know what happens next," he said leisurely, "Don't worry though, it's not like it'd make a difference against you guys," Kakashi told him, not even looking at the blonde as a single eye roved the pages. Icha Icha Paradise was a wonderful book, and, as with any of the series by Jiraiya-sama, was something he would never tire of.
Silence met the amused man's proclamation, one second, then two passing until his words seemed to finally register, mouth working soundlessly for a moment as the blonde worked himself up into a tizzy. "I am totally gonna kick your ass!" He yelled, once again moving as he aimed a furious kick at the man's face —only to be blocked with ease, a single hand coming up to meet him, followed up by a duck as he tried to get him again. With each miss, he became more and more annoyed, moves sloppy if still rage-filled, and easily evaded.
When his next attack met thin air, however, the blonde paused. "Wh-huh?" He blinked, what the—
The man had disappeared? No way!
"A shinobi's not supposed to get caught from behind, you know...Idiot," the voice came from behind him, and as the blue-eyed teen slowly turned to look, a feeling of dread filled him.
This...this wasn't going to end well at all, was it? He thought numbly, unable to help the sweat that trickled down the side of his face.
"Eh...heh...heh…"
Nope, not good at all, he thought, catching a glimpse of a hand seal. This really wasn't looking good at all—
As Naruto was sent flying into the water, Sasuke and Kohaku had both come to an agreement and broken up, hoping to lower the chances of either of them being caught...or humiliated, as the man seemed to intent on doing. As it was, Kohaku was having a difficult time keeping her aura and chakra reined in. After all, any good ninja would be able to at least sense that there was chakra in the vicinity if not pinpoint it, and she had no doubt that Hatake-san (he wasn't sensei yet, after all) would be able to track them easily enough even without that advantage.
Still, better safe than sorry, and Kohaku had always been a careful one, making her way around towards the water while Sasuke headed in the other direction. Hopefully they could pincer the man between them, while getting enough time for Kohaku to convince Naruto to help if what she was seeing right now was any indication of his chakra reserves (she had been taught the hand seals for the kage bunshin and knew a little about it, but her chakra reserves still weren't high enough for her to make even one safely just yet, even if her control was better than the other genin's at the moment…
(Well, okay, more accurately, her uncle had let her 'accidentally see' the hand seals, while hinting that he'd better not find her attempting to use the skill unless he deemed it safe. He wasn't supposed to be teaching forbidden jutsu after all, but Kohaku had been curious, and seeing as it was a Leaf Kinjutsu, it had been pretty likely she'd catch sight of someone using them at some point, anyway. So better to show her properly rather than attempt to copy a half-assed or possibly even incomplete seal-set and cause potentially deadly or irreparable harm).
Of course, she hadn't told Sasuke about this part of the plan, since she wasn't sure how he'd take it, having to 'team up' with the class clown. He might have rejected it just as easily as gone with it, but she would honestly rather just get this over with at the moment.
Keeping a sharp eye on the one she'd decided was (probably) the real Naruto, she brought her hands up into the seals for a Kawarimi. Hopefully all that practice would let her get in and out fast enough that Kakashi wouldn't take note of it until too late. Of course, again, considering that the man was a Jounin, and highly ranked in the few bounty books she'd had the privilege of looking at (mostly out of curiosity, seeing as Kohaku preferred not to have to socialize more than she was required to...which basically meant that she mostly preferred to stay home or train a majority of the time, honestly speaking), that chance was more than likely slim to none.
Still, she had to at least try. She had been the one to think up the idea in the first place, after all… And no doubt the last Uchiha would be annoyed if she didn't at least try to do what she'd said she would.
Ah, well. Kou didn't particularly care about what most people tended to think, after all, otherwise she would have fallen into peer pressure a long time ago. Still… something about this whole test continued to niggle in the back of her mind, but she still couldn't remember exactly what it had been.
As it was, she was working on the assumption that unless she could get some coordination in, none of them would pass —and at the very least, she'd like for one of them to pass even if it's not her…
Okay, but, this was really starting to bug her. Just what was it that she was forgetting...!?
"..." Taking a slow and careful breath, she focused herself back on the only plan she'd been able to come up with in the short amount of time since the actual test had been revealed. It wasn't great, and it probably wasn't good, but it wasn't terrible either. Taking a deep breath, she paused.
Hold on. Taking another deep whiff, her eyes widened. The Naruto's… They smelled the same, but—
But one of their scents smell stronger than the others. If she hadn't taken that breath at the right moment, she probably would never have noticed. But the bunshin, despite being Naruto, were only chakra constructs made to look, sound, and feel like him. With enough pressure, they would dissipate, but they were meant to throw the opponent off, because they were solid, and —as with any good bunshin— were meant to throw them off your trail in a sort of misdirection.
And yeah, Chakra didn't have a scent (unless it was some sort of weird sensor ability one had, because let's face it. Even in Konoha there there quite a few ridiculous bloodlines, let alone in the entirety of the Elemental Nations), but with a Kage Bunshin the solidified copy was just that —an exact copy of the maker, regardless of shape or form. And after a while, one could learn to recognize another by their chakra as well.
Of course, Naruto was a pitfall of chakra, and she probably wouldn't want to poke that reservoir with a ten-meter pole (something about it was a little off, after all, but then, everyone's chakra was a little different? Ugh, this was getting difficult to explain). Anyway, the end of the matter was that the copies were just that, copies, and as they —or, well, someone had once said, 'copies were but a mere fraction of the real thing'.
That probably didn't make sense, but the point of the matter was that the copies were just different enough from the main body that she could tell the difference if she paid close attention to her senses. Kohaku wasn't by any means a skilled tracker or sensor, but that didn't mean she didn't have some knowledge on the matter. Still, in the end what mattered were the practical results, not the theory.
Especially on a battlefield.
Watching and waiting as the dust settled, Kohaku tried to find a moment where she could quickly use the kawarimi to move in and replace the mentally marked Naruto with a copy. Unfortunately, the blonde ended up dispelling himself in the end when she waited too long.
Mentally cursing in annoyance at the missed chance, Kohaku restrained herself from sighing (and possibly giving her position away, if he didn't know where she was already) and shook her head. No, it wasn't Naruto's fault, especially when he didn't in the know, after all. But damned if she didn't almost give herself away trying to resist the urge to warn Naruto of the fact that the lone bell on the ground had been an obvious trap.
Grimacing at the change in plans, she layered a weak genjutsu to create what looked to be a flock of birds to fly high above the clearing and past it out of sight. Hopefully Sasuke would get the change in plans, but if not, well, hopefully the raven-haired boy would be able to understand that the plans had to be altered. They had managed to come up with two plans, after all. The first half being the same, but the second half…
Well, it really couldn't be helped, taking a deep breath, she wove a genjutsu of herself and sent it slinking across the clearing. It was a little obvious, but hopefully Kakashi would just take it as an inexperienced Genin trying to do...well, something by sneaking up on him as he chattered away at the blonde.
No doubt the raven haired avenger would have taken the opening if not for the bunshin that had made its way slowly across the clearing while keeping a 'careful eye' on the Jounin, one hand flashing a few signs to the Uchiha, while the other put a finger to her lips when the blonde took notice of her.
Somehow, though she wasn't really sure exactlyhow considering the blonde seemed to wear his literal heart on his sleeve, he managed to pretend not to see her, seeming to focus entirely on yelling at the Jounin. Though she wasn't sure if the Uchiha had noticed her hand signs, as she slowly moved her actual body so that she could get close enough to lunge at the right moment while the man was distracted by her bunshin, she managed to catch the glint of an eye in the foliage closer to Naruto. As her bunshin reached behind herself, pretending to grab a kunai while it gave a countdown, she readied herself so that she would be ready when it hit one.
If they didn't time this right, none of them would be able to get a bell —and maybe if she could get Naruto to agree to the idea she'd just thought of (Bunshin could be turned into objects...right?), maybe they could all pass…
Although, she still wasn't honestly sure whether she actually wanted to be on the same team as such an eccentric shinobi.
Oh, well, if they did pass, at least they would be taught by one of the best (though she kind of figured the only reason the Jounin had even been made the teacher for this squad would be because of the Uchiha, if she was putting all the clues together right. Especially considering that the Hatake had a Sharingan, and that Uchiha would no doubt one day awaken his own Sharingan...or, well, so her theory went. It was rather sound, though, so it was likely at least one of the reasons for part of the team's configuration...aside from the whole Dead Last and Top plus Kunoichi… Now that she thought about it, why hadn't she rigged her grades to avoid being placed with two…? Well, whatever, it wasn't like it really mattered now. No use clinging to possibilities in hindsight).
That didn't mean he would be very good at teaching, but she really, really hoped that wouldn't be the case. Having an eccentric teacher who also couldn't cater to their student's learning styles? That… well, she just really hoped the Hokage knew what he was doing with all this.
As the bunshin hit its last finger in its silent countdown, she layered a genjutsu to make it sound as if it had yelled and was now lunging in for an attack while the silver-haired Jounin dodged, still holding that orange novel in his hand.
A moment later, and both Uchiha and herself had darted out, layered genjutsu hiding their actual positions while they tried to use a combo for the first time in the hopes of snatching the bells. It wouldn't work as well as they'd hoped, but at least they wouldn't be without hope at all…
Sasuke had to admit, if only to himself, that the idea had had merit —though it would be difficult to pull off— as he slunk his way towards what he deemed the best spot to strike. Creating a layered genjutsu between them to make things seem more real and to confuse the man? Even if they failed and the genjutsu wasn't perfectly in sync, the man would (hopefully) believe that there was only actually one, or he'd be confused enough that it would buy them enough time to get themselves hidden again.
Of course, the raven haired avenger had no plans on failing the first time. But if the idiotic seeming man really was an ex-AnBu captain (just like that man) and an actual genius, then no doubt the face he was showing them now was just a mask to throw them off and make them think that he was less competent than he really was.
As it was, he'd had to restrain the urge to attack at the first opening he'd spotted, aware that it was a potential trap, as he waited for the signal.
A flock of birds flew past the clearing in a formation of five and three as he thought, with two more zooming away at the head of the formation. Discreetly using a Kai, he watched as the birds disappeared from his sight about two thirds of the way across the clearing. Genjutsu then, and a signal.
They'd be using Plan B instead of Plan A.
Well, considering that the blonde had positioned himself as a perfect distraction for the moment, and in no way on purpose (that idiot), the raven-haired boy could see the merit in the alteration. It wasn't much of a change, but…
Catching sight of a copy of the boy he'd reluctantly decided to team up with for the moment, Sasuke watched as it made a series of hand-signs that he recognized. Soon, soon they'd have their first chance. The other was a bit cautious, but he supposed that was all well and good considering that their opponent seemed to be stronger than he appeared (no matter how idiotic and aggravating the man seemed). As it reached halfway across the clearing and caught the eye of the blonde that had been scowling at the lecture the Jounin had been giving him, the raven haired preteen waited until it began reaching behind itself again to start preparing chakra needed for their next move.
As soon as the bunshin lunged, yelling, Sasuke created another bunshin and activated the genjutsu he'd been preparing, angling the illusion so that it would show up without the usual cloud of smoke that typically seemed to appear, and having it attack from a different angle, as if taking advantage of the sudden 'opening' that the other had given him.
Even as that happened, however, he felt the other genjutsu that Tsukino had created layering itself around his own, making their ploy seem even more realistic, while they both lunged at the man, weapons in hand, and throwing a full set each while keeping a few for defensive purposes.
As he lunged for the bell while the man started jumping back, he caught his temporary ally doing the same from his position, all while the idiot blonde started yelling at them to 'watch out', clearly caught up in the genjutsu.
Somehow, just as his hand brushed past the bells, the man seemed to sense him, catching his arm and tossing him back into the woods. He tsked, quickly readying another genjutsu to re-layer onto the field once the man released the previous one, somehow managing to make it seem as if he'd landed somewhere a few meters away from where he actually was rather where he'd really landed, coughing at the force he'd been flung with. Ow, overkill much? he scowled, grimacing while holding back a groan as he pulled himself out of the miniature crater he was now center of.
As he'd layered the genjutsu over again though, he caught sight of Tsukino being caught and tossed in another direction, making the hand seals for another genjutsu to thread into his. Hopefully the second genjutsu wouldn't be discovered nearly as easily, but for now, Sasuke was going to work on the assumption that he would definitely have it figured out.
Brushing away some of the dirt, he kept a wary eye on the silver-haired Jounin, only to bite back a curse as the man disappeared from view.
Another Kami-damned Kawarimi no Jutsu...
Kakashi had to say that he was curious, if not totally impressed. The idea to use a genjutsu to try to throw him off... The teamwork had been just a little impressive, and he had a feeling they might have actually managed to snatch one of the bells… If not for the fact that the other had been reaching for his pouch for some reason.
Granted, he was sure he could guess the reason, as he'd caught the hand trying to snatch the pouch that had been attached to his belt (he wouldn't have expected it, after all, since normally the kids would be aiming for the actual bells themselves, rather than something else). Whether it was a distraction or not, the man wasn't quite sure, but he was glad he'd realized that the genjutsu had been cast on him even if it had taken til the feel of intent (maybe not killing intent, but still intent nonetheless) and the feeling of something touching his possessions that had alerted him to the fact.
Of course, he'd dispelled it afterwards, just in case, but he would never have expected the second genjutsu. In fact, he hadn't realized that another had been layered on after until he'd realized something was off, though that wouldn't be until later.
As it was, the idea of layering their genjutsu had been a risky move, since being off by even a bit would have resulted in something...well, not quite pleasant, but it would have granted them at least an extra second of time they'd likely need to grab the bells themselves if he hadn't immediately dispelled it.
And if he hadn't released the genjutsu, he probably wouldn't have heard the sound of the bells jingling as they fell had Kohaku succeeded. As it was, he was a bit more alert now, and, keeping tabs on the other two, he decided to go after the only kunoichi on the team first. Maybe he could trick some answers out of her, or at the very least see if she was planning anything.
After all, out of all three, Naruto was doggedly persistent (if kind of dumb) and easily goaded into doing as he wished. Sasuke...had surprised him a bit, but if they were really working together, then he supposed that could have explained things? He wasn't sure exactly how the girl had convinced the stubborn avenger, but he'd find out soon enough, he was sure.
Taking a moment to hide himself away from all senses before appearing in the branches of a tree near the now wincing kunoichi as she pulled her arm out a tree with a hiss (oops, looks like he might have tossed her a little too hard, though it seemed she was fine if the way she was shaking her arm was any indication —likely just unpleased by the fact that she'd been tossed, quite literally, into a tree), expression pinched as she tried to reorient herself.
Ah, probably did end up tossing her a little too hard, he mused. Hopefully there was no concussion though, Sandaime would be a little annoyed with him if he ended up damaging one of the few potentially competent kunoichi of this batch.
Still, feeling kind (or maybe just pity with a side of guilt), he waited for the girl to completely pick herself up and brush the wood chips off her clothes. The girl had apparently gotten a few in her jacket since she had to shake parts of her Aburame-like coat to get them to all fall out. He didn't smell blood though, so he assumed that she'd likely condensed a bit of chakra to avoid breaking anything at the last minute.
Amused as the girl huffed and seemed to even huff in disgruntlement (that was definitely a pout, how cute~) as she shook her sleeves out too, he snuck behind her and waited for just the right moment to—
"Boo!" whisper right into her ear.
Watching as she stiffened for a good half-second before immediately breaking away and turning to face him as she did in a defensive stance, he nodded. Good, at least she knew what to do, though he'd have to break her of that habit of freezing up when surprised—
If he ended up taking them on, he reminded himself. Like hell he'd do whatever a civilian council tried to make him do if he didn't want to (not when it was their fault that Naruto was treated the way he was). The Hokage might be able to order him about, but he knew the old man had a bit of a soft spot for him, and the Jounin was taking full advantage of the fact whenever he could.
Ah, but he was digressing (he'd never admit it, but he really was starting to get fond of these rascals. As much as it hurt how it reminded him of his old team, it was also different enough that he could avoid thinking about it too much —but then, Kakashi had always been a bit of a hypocrite, after all. Saying one thing but meaning another, or saying one thing while not meaning it at all, or doing just the opposite, simply because he could).
Right now, smiling at the girl from behind his mask, he couldn't help the bubble of amusement that nearly made him chortle —especially at the wary expression on her face. It looked like she was trying not to look in any other directions, as she kept her eyes on the 'enemy'.
Taking a step closer as she moved further backwards, he almost giggled, the look of wariness on her face was just so… Ha, well, it was true that he could be a scary son of a bitch when he wanted to be, but even if that were the case, he wouldn't go so far as to permanently harm them.
Or, well, he wasn't supposed to, per say, and he didn't...not really… Unless they annoyed him —but so far he was in a pretty good mood, even if he had ended up paying more attention to the kids despite the book in his hands...which wasn't exactly what he'd been planning to do.
Still, even the test was a lesson. And Kakashi had decided to at least impart a few important things to remember to these kids, whether he accepted them or not.
Either way, having decided he'd made her squirm for long enough, Kakashi spoke.
"I'm impressed~" He told her, only half faking the tone as she shifted in discomfort, still keeping a wary eye on him. (Good, never take your eyes off the enemy, he thought, almost grim as he remembered the deaths of comrades that could be attributed simply due to even a moment's distraction from their foe.) "That little display of teamwork earlier was quite interesting. Was it you who thought it up? Or perhaps Sasuke?" He mused, pretending not to already know, as he feigned ignorance of the fact. If it made them underestimate him, all the better. If not, well, it only took one slip…
"..." Kohaku didn't answer though, clearly still wary. Grip tight on the kunai in her hand as she tried to sharpen her senses, resisting the urge to twitch as her ears caught sound of one of her teammates getting closer.
Somehow, she was doubtful that it was Naruto if all the cursing she could hear from across the clearing further out was any indication. Still, she didn't react to the sound of leaves rustling. Who knew if it was a trap? She'd layered the genjutsu on top of Sasuke's at the last minute, but that didn't mean the man hadn't already managed to dispel it while they were all out of sight.
As the man continued to stand there and smile —apparently bored enough with her silence to start reading again. She tried to think of a way to avoid getting caught by the silvered scarecrow (though there were rumors that he'd had that color since birth.. Wait, no, not important right now). Assuming that Sasuke had arrived, he would be able to use the genjutsu to make it seem that she was still there if she tried to move. But without Hatake-san —he wasn't their Sensei yet, after all— making any moves, she couldn't actually tell if he was still under the genjutsu. As it was, she had no choice but to try to test whether or not he was still under it with some probing.
"...And if it was?" She asked, voice low and hoping to see whether he reacted or not if she shuffled even a little bit off to the side.
He didn't move though, either (rightfully) confident that he could take her on even with the single side-step she took, or simply not noticing that she'd moved under the cover of the genjutsu. The Jounin hummed as he flipped another page.
"Finally speaking up, huh? Well, it would still be as I expected of course. Still, it's cute how you kids think you can actually take me on with just a Genjutsu on a few of the basic Ninjutsu you've learned," he mused, eye still scanning the page while actually paying attention to the figure standing before him.
Still, as the subtle genjutsu he'd woven a little earlier slowly began to shift into what he'd wanted it to do, he pretended to easily dodge the hail of kunai and shuriken that had been thrown at him as he bent close to ninety degrees backwards, physically jumping back only when another hail of weapons followed.
"Uchiha!" the girl exclaimed, startled at the sudden appearance of the raven-haired male. "What-"
"Change of plans! He hid the bells somewhere!" the visage of the Uchiha called out, standing at an angle to the other two as he readied another barrage. "You find them while I distract him!" He called to her without looking, readying to lunge at the Jounin.
Head snapping towards the Jounin again —the girl cursed, when had she taken her eyes off him?! she saw that the raven haired avenger was right as the bells disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Oh~ Found out, did you?" the man mused, smiling behind his mask again as he slowly reached back with his free hand for a kunai. "But do you really think just one of you will be enough to taken me on~?" he chuckled, eye crinkling into what was clearly a mocking smile.
Cursing mentally as she quickly calculated the chances of this being a trap, she let her eyes dart between the two figures to see whether the situation was real or not. Sasuke looked a bit battered, but otherwise alright. That was…good, but would he be able to hold on? She wondered, still backing away little by little, in case she did end up needing to get out of the way.
But hold on, why would Sasuke help her? It wasn't like…
"KAI!" She exclaimed, releasing the genjutsu without knowing, as the copy of Sasuke continued to stand there and snarl.
"What the hell are you doing?! Hurry up and go!" He yelled, "I can only hold him off for a little while, so get Naruto to make clones or something to hold him off!" He exclaimed, catching the girl's attention, even despite the eye she continued to keep on the amused looking Jounin as he sidestepped another 'barrage' of weapons.
"Tsk, tsk, wasting your weapons, Sasuke, really?" He smiled, eyes glinting as the kunoichi of the team hesitated for another moment…
And took off.
A pleased smile stretched across the Jounin's face. "Lesson #2 of Shinobi Fighting, Genjutsu…" He chuckled softly. She'd fallen for the trap he'd set while she'd been under his genjutsu, creating a kage bunshin of himself to make a battered copy of a Sasuke that had ended up encountering him first. "—and Misdirection."
No doubt believable considering the —admittedly short— amount of time he'd waited before actually confronting her.
Of course, it'd been a bit of a gamble, he mused, the Sasuke clone relaxed from an attacking position to simply stand and wait as he reached into his back pocket to pull the bells out again.
As it was, his move to intercept Sasuke would happen before he could actually come in contact with the girl again.
"Though... I suppose it is true that people tend to mistake one for the other at times."
Meanwhile, during the time that Kakashi was dealing with Kohaku, Naruto had been struggling to free himself from the exact same trap as he'd just been caught in. Grumbling and muttering to himself as he tried to reach up to cut the rope (again) only to miss for some reason, he cursed. Never realizing that he'd been hit with a genjutsu as well, considering his terrible chakra control —and, well, awareness in general.
Eventually, though, he ended up just giving up with a huff, deciding to take a break as he tried to think of how to get himself down without causing himself injury...yet again. But man, that had been so embarrassing earlier! The blonde thought, hoping that neither the bastard or Kohaku had noticed, as his body was turned with the momentum of the rope. As it was, it took him a moment to realize something.
Catching sight of a flag on a stone behind the stumps, he squinted, realizing that the bento Kakashi had brought were on the flagstone. Slowly grinning as an idea came to mind, he decided to steal the two bento for himself and Kohaku (since the other genin had been so nice as to supply him with food —twice now!), and leave Sasuke-teme without any food!
It'd serve him right if the energy he'd gotten from the food bars earlier ran out while he was fighting Kakashi! But before he could implement Plan 'Get Lunch For Just Me And Kohaku', said person came dashing towards him.
"Uzumaki!" Calling in a voice a bit higher than expected, the blonde turned his head back towards the amber-eyed brunette, trying to keep said person in sight despite the rope that continued to make his body turn this way and that, even if it was slowing.
"Kohaku!" He grinned, "And it's just Naruto, 'tte bayo!" loosening his arms from where they were crossed across his chest, the blue-eyed blonde blinked, "But hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were trying to get the bells from Kakashi?" He asked, curious, and not at all seeming to mind that she'd been working with that bastard, Sasuke, earlier.
"It seems that Hatake-san's hidden the bells. I'm planning to look for them, will you help?" asked the amber-eyed genin, stopping just a ways beneath the blonde, so that the brunette could look at him without having crane her neck too much.
"What?! You want me to help?!" He asked, blinking for a moment, only to grin when the other nodded. "Of course, datte bayo! You've been really nice to me, so I'll definitely help you, datte bayo!" Grinning at the slight head tilt and puzzled expression he got in return (Ha! Yes! He got him to make a different face!), Naruto gave the other an upside-down V symbol. "If it's you 'n' me, we can definitely do it!" Of course, at the prospect of a chance of actually beating Sasuke, all thoughts of stealing the food vanished from his mind, excitement replacing the hunger that he'd felt since earlier.
Kohaku nodded, taking a few more steps back, "Can you get down from there yourself?" She asked, seeming to gauge the distance between Naruto and the ground as well as her and the rope.
Giving the girl a sheepish laugh, Naruto...reluctantly told her about his problem. "Err, well...actually, y'see… I-I don't know why, but I, uh, keep missing the stupid rope," he admitted, he really wasn't that terrible at throwing kunai, but he sucked with shuriken —though he'd of course been training with them. Seeing the strange look on the other's face, though (he wasn't sure if that was just the other's brows furrowing slightly or not, it was weird trying to tell when he was upside down. From here his brain kept thinking Kohaku was smiling even though he knew it was a frown).
"...Have you tried surging some chakra to see if it's genjutsu?" The almost bland tone almost caused the blonde to flush but he just grinned sheepishly and made the seal for releasing genjutsu as he admitted he hadn't.
"I- hehe…Er— No? Uh… Kai!" He exclaimed, blinking at the moment of double vision that occurred during its dissipation before he shook his head. "Whoa! I, uh, I guess that was a genjutsu after all…?" He blinked, pulling out the kunai again, and reaching up to cut the rope, this time succeeding —only to stumble as he landed.
Thankfully not falling flat on his face or anything, but it was certainly a close thing.
"Phew! So, uh, what now?" He asked, grinning at the once again blank faced brunette.
"...Could you make a couple of kage bunshin and henge them?" She asked, even as she kept an eye on their surroundings… 'just in case', as she quietly outlined an idea to the blonde.
"Oh hey, yeah! I can do that, 'tte bayo!" He grinned, creating a bunch of clones, most of them looking like Naruto and Kohaku, while a few looked like Sasuke, one of the Sasuke's moving up next to Naruto and Kohaku, while the others split into their own groups of 'with' and 'without' Sasuke. "Okay, all done! But man, that was pretty smart, Kohaku!" He grinned, arms folded behind his head, as the groups waited for their next orders.
"...Are you sure they can act like who they're supposed to be?" She asked, somewhat dubious when she caught a Sasuke making weird faces, and a couple copies of her making different expressions from her usual serious expression. Probably just because he could.
"Uh, yeah! ...I think so, anyway," he grinned sheepishly, turning to his clones, "Okay, guys! You know what to do!" He exclaimed, as the clones nodded, the Sasuke's and Kohaku's trying to look serious while the Naruto's cheered…
She caught a few of the Kohaku and Sasuke's cheering too, though, before they got elbowed —or slapped— by one of their brethren. Frowning, but sighing as she made a few illusory bunshin to augment the chaos, she nodded to Naruto, and waited for him to let the clones loose.
"Alright then, get to it, you guys! And remember to act like who you're supposed to be, dattebayo!"
As the groups scattered in noisy movements, she, Naruto, and their Sasuke copy headed in another direction, unaware of what was actually happening to the actual Uchiha on their team as they followed a false lead…
Kakashi was chuckling as Sasuke glowered, mentally cursing as he tried to keep up with Jounin. He'd somehow managed to catch the Ninjutsu the man had set as a trap in time to avoid it, but the man was nothing if not skilled. Something Sasuke had had to reluctantly admit he was only just realizing before too late. Kohaku had told him a bit in the short time they'd had, but it wasn't like he'd fully believed it. Until now, anyways. If he hadn't already been wary it was likely that he'd have been caught in the Earth jutsu the man had prepared for him early on.
Still, it gnawed at him that the man was clearly playing with him despite the fact that he'd long since put the book away, unaware that the kage bunshin he'd been fighting since the failed attempt to use genjutsu on the man the first time had been replaced by the man himself. Nor had he even realized he'd been fighting a bunshin at all.
As it was, he'd already used one of his trump cards, showing one of the cards kept close in his hand due to the Katon jutsu he'd released earlier, unaware of the look of shock that had passed on the man's face.
As it was, Sasuke was struggling just to keep up, as he wondered just what was going on.
Had Kohaku gotten caught? No, he should be working with the estimate that the other genin had already gotten caught —or had at least been pulled into a trap as he almost had earlier— regardless of if he had until proven otherwise. Scowling as the man tossed another couple of low ranking jutsu at him as if it were nothing, the Uchiha had to bite back a curse, executing a Kawarimi just in time to avoid getting caught in some kind of earth dome jutsu.
"I have to say," the man started, "I'm impressed."
Keeping his attention on the Jounin, and assuming the genjutsu had been broken, Sasuke moved to cast another while hiding the fact that he'd left a bunshin to act as if he'd only just jumped out of the way going in the other direction.
"I honestly didn't expect you all to do even a fraction as well as you have," the man continued, building to a topic that he was sure would be able to break the Uchiha's concentration long enough to get caught by one of his traps.
"Hn," seemingly ignoring the man's words, the bunshin version of Sasuke went through another set of hand seals for the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, the real Sasuke forming a different set at the same time.
It seemed it was going to be now or never after all.
Carefully performing the hand seals for a jutsu he didn't know nearly as well as the Great Fireball Jutsu, Sasuke shifted through the six seals needed to perform the jutsu he was planning.
Rat — Tiger — Dog — Ox — Rabbit — Tiger —!
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" He hissed as quietly as he could, wincing slightly as they didn't quite all go exactly in the direction he wanted. Though it was close enough that he hoped it would be hidden by the genjutsu he'd cast earlier, pulling out another barrage of kunai and shuriken to hide in or behind some of the flames. He wasn't at the level that he could control the shuriken or aim properly with the attack, but he could at least direct it in a general direction and augment it with above mentioned weapons.
As Kakashi (rather belatedly) realized his mistake and cast a sloppy "Kai!" in response, though, Sasuke could almost, almost believe that it'd been worth using the technically incomplete —or rather, insufficiently trained— jutsu. Watching in satisfaction as it singed a part of the Jounin's sleeve.
And for a moment, just for that moment, he'd felt a feeling of triumph as the man grabbed and patted at his burned sleeve—
Only to disappear into smoke.
"Too bad~ You almost, actually, got me!" came a voice beside his ear. (What the fuck—?!)
Before he could even turn in his shock, though, he found himself feeling the sensation of a sudden drop —before finding himself buried up to his neck in dirt.
Standing before him, with a stupid smile that was visible even behind his face mask, was the Jounin that he was supposed to be defending himself against.
"Shinobi Fighting Lesson #3—" The man smiled, "Well, I supposed you're already much farther than the others in this, at least," he mused, unaware of the fact that Kohaku still had a few tricks up her ridiculously big sleeves (though most of them were more useless than not in this setting, either way).
Posted: 05/08/2016; Updated: 04/24/18; unbeta'd, Word Count: 7,540; Paragraph Count: 153; 16.8 Pages.