You paced around your one-room apartment, stopping to look in the mirror every few minutes to admire your new leaf headband. It was tied around your neck.
i'In a few minutes, my new sensei will be here to claim me. I wonder who it is?'/i you thought nervously. After Kakashi presented you with your headband, Lord Hokage told you that you would become an honorary member of one of the four newest teams. He and the Jonin felt that it'd be unfair to make you wait until the next Genin exams to let you join a team. They were taking a few days to decide who's team you would fit in with the best. Today was the day your new sensei would come to introduce themselves and your new teammates.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
i'They're here!'/i
You ran to the door and threw it open. A startling, yet beautiful woman was upon your doorstep. Her black hair parted wavily around her face, and her red eyes intimidated you to no end.
"Hello, Ai. My name is Kurenai. It's a pleasure to meet you." she said sincerely. Her warm smile made you feel a hundred times better.
"Hello, Kurenai! Are you my new sensei?"
"Yes, and your new teammates are anxiously awaiting your arrival in the training field. Are you ready to go?" she asked. Kurenai's voice was soft and deep, and she gave off a very motherly vibe. Her presence made you feel safe. You ran and grabbed your backpack, then made sure your hat was on tight.
"I'm ready..." you murmured.
"Ok. Let's go."
When you arrived, you saw a tall boy in sunglasses, a rather wild looking boy with his puppy, and a cute, shy girl. Intimidated, you stayed close behind Kurenai.
"It's okay, Ai. Don't be shy." she murmured as she put her arm around your shoulders.
"That's Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, and that's Hyuga Hinata. Everyone, this is Ueda Ai."
You smiled and waved. Shino nodded his head.
"Yeah, yeah. Just stay out of our way."
"K-Kiba...that wasn't...v-very nice..." stuttered Hinata. Akamaru jumped off Kiba's head and began to bark at you. Kurenai backed up to observe.
"Umm...what's wrong, Akamaru?" you asked, kneeling on the ground. He started growling as he advanced.
"Akamaru, are you blind? She's not a cat!" yelled Kiba. Akamaru barked at him, then rushed you. Caught off guard, the little dog knocked you backwards, sending your hat rolling across the yard. Frightened, you stared up at the angry dog perched on your chest. He barked again, glaring at Kiba, then at you.
"Wow...sorry little buddy...I guess you were kinda right."
"This is interesting, to say the least..." muttered Shino.
"Ai? Are those...real?" asked Hinata. You began to panic.
"No! Of course not! I just- ow!" you squeaked as Akamaru bit you, then barked again.
"He says you shouldn't try to deceive us! Tell the truth!" demanded Kiba.
"Ok! I'm really sorry! I just didn't want to scare you! Please forgive me! You too, Akamaru. I'm sorry..."
Akamaru whimpered and licked your face.
"Aw, you're a good boy. You were just afraid that if I lied, it'd hurt everyone else. How wise." you cooed, scratching behind his ears. He let you sit up.
"Well, Akamaru likes you, so I guess you're fine by me. Just don't let down the team."
"I'm curious about your abilities..." murmured Shino.
"U-um, I hope we can, um...be friends!"
"Wait a minute, you're not afraid of my ears? Not even you, Kurenai – sensei?"
Kurenai stepped forward.
"Of course not. If Lord Hokage trusts you, why shouldn't we?" she said, retrieving your hat. You put it back on, then walked into line over by Hinata. You both smiled at each other.
"Besides, we've seen a lot freakier things than cute little cat ears, *cough* Shino! *cough* Oh, excuse me, I had something in my throat!" said Kiba sarcastically. Shino threw him a look, then turned back to Kurenai.
"Ok, I'm sure you all know that I didn't call you out here just to introduce Ai. The Chunin Exams are just around the corner, and I'd like you to participate. Here are the forms."
As she handed them out, she stopped in front of you.
"Seeing as how you haven't completed the minimum of eight missions, you cannot officially participate in the exam. However, we would like you to join in as a guest member. If you happen to make it through all of the exams, we may hold a council to decide if you could really become a Chunin. Good luck."
She handed you a form. Kiba was loud as ever, but the taciturn Shino and the shy Hinata were silent.
i'They've gone through all this trouble just to let me participate! I can't let them down!'/i
"Before you're dismissed, I'd like each of you to spar with Ai for one minute each, so you may all get a grasp of each other's skills. Hinata, why don't you go first?"
"O-okay. Come on, Ai." she said, taking your hand and pulling you in front of everyone. You each backed up a bit, taking up your stances.
"Byakugan!"
"Neko Toboe!"
Your claws extended by 6 centimeters.
"Begin!"
You and Hinata danced around each other, striking at will. You were much quicker than she, and managed to cut her sleeve once or twice. She went in for a final blow, but you ducked and struck her face.
"Hinata, I'm so sorry!" you whined, retracting your claws and rushing towards her.
"It's okay. It's not...that bad..." she said as she lowered her hand. It was dripping with blood. A cut trailed all the way across her right cheek. You pulled a washcloth out of your backpack and began dabbing at her face, which turned a bright shade of pink.
"Ai, it's just a cut. Let Hinata take care of it. Kiba, you're up next!"
You reluctantly listened to Kurenai, returning to the middle of the field.
"You can sit this one out, Akamaru. I'll handle this." said Kiba confidently as he stalked towards you.
"Begin."
"Beast Mimicry! On All Fours Jutsu!"
He crouched low, then lunged. You jumped into the air, twirling as he went speeding under you into the shadow of a tree. You made hand signs in midair.
"Shadow Capture Jutsu!"
Black hands leaped out of the tree's shadow and wrapped elastically around Kiba. You dove into the shadow, reemerging behind him. Extending your claws, you swung like you were about to behead Kiba, but you stopped. Your claws were gently grazing his throat, but you retracted your claws, and released the Jutsu. Eyes wide, Kiba stumbled back to Akamaru.
"Ok Shino, your turn."
You and Shino exchanged blows for a while before he loosed his insects upon you. Faced with two enemies, you decided to make some allies.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
There were now eight of you and two of him. Two of your clones held the swarm of beetles at bay, and six of you attacked Shino with your claws. You extended them far beyond normal, so they were meters in length, and attacked Shino at a distance. He tried to duck and dodge, but with 60 blades, he couldn't hack it.
"Time's up." said Kurenai as slash marks burst Shino's jacket. Your clones disappeared and you retracted your claws once more. You flopped on your butt, panting.
"That was amazing! You beat Shino!" exclaimed Hinata.
"Yeah, I bet even with Akamaru, we still would have lost!"
"That was...unexpected..." Shino murmured. Hinata, Kiba, and Akamaru all gathered around you, praising you, but Shino stalked off to hide behind a tree.
"One moment, please." you told them as you ran to confront Shino. He was examining a beetle on his finger, his back against the tree.
"I'm really sorry about that!" you told him, examining his cuts. "Do you need some bandages, or-?"
"I'm fine, really..."
"Oh...um, are your little buggies okay? I hope I didn't hurt any of them." you whimpered.
"They're...wait, you care about my beetles?"
"Of course! Small as they may be, they're alive, too! And really cute!"
You pet the shiny black beetle like it was a little kitten.
"Hello, Mr. Beetle! Are you okay?" you baby talked. Shino laughed.
"She's a female."
"Oh. Sorry about that!" you told the beetle.
"Ai! What's taking you so long?" yelled Kiba.
"Awf! Awf!" barked Akamaru.
"Coming guys! C'mon, Shino, let's go!"
You ran back to the others, Shino following behind. Kiba and Akamaru both pounced upon you, throwing you back on the ground. Hinata and Shino sat on either side of you, smiling pleasantly. Kurenai knelt beside you.
"Welcome to the team."