Beta'd: 8/12/13
Word Count: 11,276 words
Okay, finally! Your patience is rewarded! Here's chapter five! Also, a big "THANK YOU!" To those who voted and left reviews! I was so happy when the amount went from 14 reviews to a "HOLY!" 25! ^_^ Thank you guys so much for all the support! I'm not worthy! Really, I'm not, but I'll do my best with the incoming chapters. Anyway, as the state of Eri's love interest here's what I have so far:
8 vote(s) - Hatake Kakashi
1 vote - Umino Iruka
1vote - OC under a clan name
Well, Kakashi is in the lead, but I'm happy that people added another option! ^_^
I'll keep this open until the story hit's wave arc (yes, I might include it.) So to tell you ahead of time, I'm inserting an arc of my own. You'll have until the end of that arc before I count the winner. Only one vote per person!
Until then, thank you guys for waiting and for all of the support! So, on with the story! Enjoy!
Accumulate
Making the first move, Sasuke meshed together hand signs as he spouted out a large katon jutsu. His target was engulfed in flames, his hit accurate. He smirked at the small victory.
A thought crossed his mind.
'Maybe I was overestimating her.'
To his left, an amused voice sounded.
"Nice C-rank, Sasuke."
Turning, the young Uchiha saw Eri standing before him, unharmed with that leering smirk. Looking back to where he had once found her, he saw a tied up log that was connected to the tree branch by some wire. It was clear as day that the Yoshida had switched at the very last moment. Getting out his shuriken once again, Sasuke jumped back as the Jounin continued to speak.
"Despite my applause for your learning a C-rank jutsu, you'll have to do better than that. I am a Jounin after all, Sasuke."
The young raven grinded his teeth into a scowl; he had underestimated exactly what a Jounin was capable of. He knew how strong his uncle was; they'd spar together a few times in between his training. Nevertheless, these spars would always end in defeat – leaving Sasuke feeling crushed and inadequate.
And even though the fight barely had begun, the gap in their skill grew quite obvious as the fresh Genin felt himself barely tipping over the edge of defeat.
Though he had directed the shuriken at his possible sensei, Eri stood calmly with no qualms in the slightest. After testing Naruto and Sakura, it was clear to the ebony haired female that she'd have to take a proactive approach while subtly pushing them to realize their strengths and weakness.
So, just like with his two prospective teammates, the Jounin would have to first crush him into the ground before lifting him back up.
As much as Eri felt torn and guilty about this dismal fact, she was hoping for a good beat down with the arrogant Uchiha heir; just like how the woman had enjoyed mentally breaking down the pink-haired fan-girl, after beating the prank star Uzumaki at his own game.
Grabbing a kunai out of her holster, Eri wondered something in the back of her mind as she caught and deflected every shuriken Sasuke threw.
'Huh…I'm actually enjoying seeing these gaki's struggle. Maybe Obito and Kakashi are right, perhaps I am becoming a little too sadistic? …Eh, whatever; at least I'm having fun. Heck, if these guys really do pass, I'll have fun putting them through hell. It'll at least benefit them in the end too.'
Eri sniggered under her breath as she watched the little blue and white raven's scowl widen. Just to taunt the boy while baiting him into a fight, the Jounin smiled.
"Thanks, Sasuke! I was going to buy some shuriken later, but you saved me some grocery shopping. Although, that's still not going to help you pass."
Despite being aware that Eri was possibly baiting him, Sasuke recklessly took a forward frontal assault. Taking out a kunai, he slashed down as Eri back stepped left out of the way. She latched onto his arm, using her right arm to take advantage of Sasuke's forward momentum. Grabbing his lower torso, Eri flipped the Uchiha heir onto his back as she twisted his arm.
Sasuke grunted in pain as his grasp slackened around the kunai. With his right arm in a backward locked grip, he raised his left to punch the Yoshida in the face.
Commenting lightly, Eri noted aloud, "Too predictable."
Using her right hand, Eri smacked his punch out of aim, redirected for the air besides her face. He was slow to retract and the woman tightly grasped his left arm as it now crossed his right. Lifting the boy, the Jounin uncurled him to stand before kicking him squarely in the back.
Grunting again in pain, Sasuke was sure that there'd been a resounding crack. Flying through the air, he readjusted himself as he did a front flip before landing on a tree branch.
Standing, the young raven was now sure of what that kick accomplished. It had been aimed at the lower part of his back. Unconsciously, his left hand tried massaging the pain away, but he was met with no relief.
Sasuke glared at the Jounin, who just stood before him with a slight smirk on her face.
"If you're wondering what I did, then that kick I gave you was the cause."
As if answering his unvocal question, she stated, "It was aimed at your lower back, predominantly aimed at the lower part of your lumbar spinal cord. That kick was laced with chakra as I controlled it to aim for your synovial joints. I just trapped a few of the joint's membranes causing lower back pain."
Hardening his eyes into a glare, Sasuke noted how intense the pain was. It wasn't anything like being wounded by a kunai or a punch, but more of an internal annoyance that slowed him down. It was a pain that was constantly there, but wasn't in his way one-hundred percent. It made his actions stiff, like a pulled muscle as the dull numbness slowed the boy's reactions while he constantly had to fix his balance.
Dropping her smirk, and, with none of that playful lightheartedness Sasuke saw before, Eri stated…
"It's annoying, isn't it? It's always there, but never fully in the way to completely slow you down. However, it just slows you down nevertheless…"
Scowling at her with open contempt, he had a feeling that she had meant to do this from the very beginning; to slow him down as a way to eliminate him from passing. As uncaring as the woman had first appeared, Sasuke couldn't help but think that her connections to the dead-last helped played a role in Uchiha's fate – whether he would pass or not. The way she played with his mind was frustrating to the very end, and having been wronged thrice already, the young raven sensed that she was up to her tricks again.
However, too engulfed with anger and annoyance, Sasuke coldly spat out his thoughts.
"Yeah, it's annoying. But you sound as if you're not talking about some simple back pain, are you?"
Slightly impressed and surprised, Eri noted, 'Well, that's one out of three to catch my drift. However, that was a strong hint… If he's truly that curious about me, the little cockatoo will have to do better than that.'
Letting her smirk shine through, the woman added, 'And when they all finally adjust to me, I can finally open a whole new can of fun.'
Whether her thoughts were directed towards her peers, future students, or herself…the Yoshida would rather leave that question open-ended.
Sasuke waited for an answer as he carefully watched the woman's every move. Eri dropped that sadistic smile. Anticipating the answer, the raven haired boy felt a slight shiver trickle down the back of his spine. That once lighthearted and laid-back air surrounding the woman was traded for something more serious and severe.
Even her tone of voice even reflected the change in situation for the young Uchiha.
"You're right, Sasuke. I'm not talking about some simple back pain. No, I'm talking about something bigger than a measly physically impeding illness that's only commonly found within the elder community. For I know for a fact that there's something else that irks you to no end. Its mere reality irritates, exasperates, and infuriates you to certain extents; especially since there's not a thing that you can do about it."
At first, Sasuke thought the woman's dialogue pointed towards the massacre, and that it was about to head into another situation where an adult announced how sorry they were for him and his clan. The look of sympathy coupled with endearing words. The way they solemnly stated, "I'm so sorry".
It stung him. It annoyed him. Their pity was suffocating and painful. He didn't need their pity. In fact, every time he received those empathetic stares, it reassured the boy's reality – how almost every single one of his clan members was murderously slaughtered, and all this done by the hand of his so-called "loving onii-san".
But no, it didn't head in that direction. As Eri somberly stated her last sentence, the woman's point of direction preceded Sasuke's expectations. However, as she finished he instantly knew what the woman was trying to indicate his attention towards.
Thinking aloud once again, he muttered with some slight bitterness, "My teammates…"
Hearing the slight audible whisper, the Yoshida nodded. In that same solemn tone, she stated this as if this was, without a doubt, what Uchiha Sasuke truly thought of his so-called "teammates".
"Yes, your teammates. You think that they're deadweights, both of them; that they'll slow you down, that they're useless – have nothing to contribute in your quest to track down and fight Uchiha Itachi. Especially since Naruto is the 'dead last' of your graduating class while Sakura's only use is her mastery of the academy basics."
The mere mention of his brother's name made Sasuke flinch. A flurry of flashbacks sent the boy swirling in a typhoon of unwanted, scarring memories. Despite his initial feelings, the young Uchiha still feared his older brother, but that was deeply buried under the pile of hate generated from that fateful night – and as much as he didn't want to admit or believe it, there was a light layer of doubt that had generated after speaking with his Obito-oji when he returned from Suna.
Nevertheless, this still didn't change the fact that Sasuke thought nothing of his teammates being anything but useless.
Eerily, the Uchiha was reminded of that bone chilling shiver. Again, his thoughts were read, and again – Eri saw through him…completely. Instead of taking a back seat to continue his vigilant watch on the Jounin, the young raven lost himself in the heat of anger and frustration. It was the second time this had happened with this unorthodox woman.
Sasuke was a Uchiha. He was better than this, and yet again – the fresh Genin's mind was read to a "T".
Still lost in his own frustration, the Uchiha heir hastily answered with contempt.
"What good will they be when I finally confront that man? Useless. That's why I have to get stronger, so I can finally face him on even ground. They'll only get in the way. I have better plans than playing ninja with a girl whose head is in the clouds and a dobe who just wants to be acknowledged with the silly dream of becoming Hokage."
Though she was slightly astonished by how Sasuke was completely disregarding his teammates, Eri knew better than to feel surprised. In fact, her dominant emotion compelled her to beat down the boy, make him realize how truly fragile and powerless he was – especially since there was no one present to back him up. He wouldn't even be able to fight back as well as he normally could since he was slightly crippled with back pain.
If there was one thing the Yoshida couldn't tolerate, it was disrespect in any form. She considered all life equal, and valued fairness and honesty. These moral codes had driven her to be a mediator in the first place, and they were what had made her so successful since both parties could trust her word as person – not as a shinobi.
Cooling down, the woman narrowed her unseen eyes behind the metal framed aviators and finally came to a solution.
What had been stated before, she'd do just that.
With the young Uchiha's attitude and determined spirit, he wouldn't relapse from the danger she was about to take. In fact, it would only push the boy towards looking to his teammates as a viable option. The only problem with this idea was that the fresh Genin could awaken the Sharingan. If she was about to embark on this path, then Eri would have to carefully execute the level of danger and killing intent.
Choosing her words carefully, the Yoshida began her plot while slowly stringing together a rising K.I.
"You think your teammates are nothing but a crippling factor that'll slow you down? Is that your true opinion on them, Sasuke? Are they truly nothing to you?"
With the situation tensing with the Jounin's every word, Sasuke found himself suddenly unsure as he stilled in surprise and fear. Unsure if the woman in front of him was the cause of such an atmosphere, the Genin graduate decided to disregard the question, saving it for later. Right now, his attention was focused on whether he was about to receive the fight he wished for, or was about to completely stumble upon something else…
Well, with his next set of words, the young Uchiha would receive his answer.
"It's the truth. I'm different from them."
Slowly increasing the level of killing intent, Sasuke found that the woman before him was why he was now gasping for air. As his body began to tremble, the boy hardened his fists, positioning himself so that he was ready to spring into action.
While he did so, Eri slowly walked towards him, responding to his statement.
"OH, so you're different, Sasuke. REALLY? Cause all I see here is-"
Disappearing at lightning speed, the woman's figure reappeared to the Uchiha's left. With a right kick to the side of his stomach she continued her statement:
"ANOTHER-!"
The fresh Genin flew across the treetops; he had no time to register Eri's attack. Only knowing a tremor of pain, he heard her voice echo again.
"OVERCONFIDENT-!"
Continuing her sentence with another word, the Jounin instead twirled the Uchiha upside down before tying his arms together. Sasuke was slow to react as the force of another blow to the back sent him spiraling forward. The boy himself couldn't register his placement within such a fast-paced situation. In fact, everything felt like a nauseating blur. The pain piled intensely upon the suffocating killing intent, and now he felt his arms bound behind his back.
Hurtling forwards, the young raven felt an iron grip around the collar of his neck, keeping him suspended within the air. Slowly cracking his eyes open, the fresh graduate was faced with the image of his possible Jounin instructor. If this was a regular fight, Sasuke would acknowledge that his soon-to-be Jounin leader was as much a powerful shinobi as Naruto claimed. However, this wasn't a fight; the situation was more of a one-sided beat down on the Uchiha heir. Her killing intent, her speed, her control…
That was when it finally registered within the boy's mind. In amazed horror, the green genin came to an astounding epiphany.
'She's…She's been playing with me. From the very beginning…this was all just a mere game to her.'
"–brat."
Eri's venomous undertone only strengthened the reality of the situation as her killing intent slowly rose to a peak.
Her hand slowly clenched Sasuke's deep blue colored shirt, causing the boy to slightly wince in pain. This pain… It all made sense now. The smirk, that playful tone… from the very beginning, that woman was just humoring the boy's lust to fight.
And now it was clear that Sasuke had truly underestimated his opponent. This was the power of a Jounin, and the young raven had foolishly bustled ahead. However, he had miscalculated… And now with this mistake, the fresh graduate was bound, crippled and beaten – too shocked to struggle within the woman's grasp.
Thinking back to when this one-sided fight had begun, Sasuke felt this might've been due to his blatant disregard of his teammates. The teammates that were assigned along with him, creating team seven.
Was it really? Team seven…with Naruto, Sakura, and himself – this created a group.
His eyes widened.
'A group!'
A memory flashed before the boy's onyx orbs.
"As I said, tomorrow you three will be graded on your performance, and together you three will take me on to be tested."
Seeing the initial recognition she was looking for, Eri inwardly smirked while praising him, 'Hm…I see he caught on…Good boy.'
Keeping up her outwardly cold front, she made sure to sound as un-emotional as possible. The tone briefly brought her back to those morbid days she spent as an ANBU. Disregarding that bloody past, the Yoshida refocused her attention on the little straggler before her.
"THIS is what became of you for shooting ahead, Sasuke; tied, beaten, and crippled. You left your teammates behind, and with no reinforcements to strengthen you, you're out of options."
As she stood him up the ropes slithered off and Sasuke's bound hands were freed. Though he noted this in the back of his mind, the young Uchiha didn't want to retaliate and risk another beat down from the Jounin.
Also, it looked as if she had more to say.
"Sasuke, as much as you want to deny it, you still have a long way to go. What I just inflicted on you wasn't even a battle; it was a one-sided clash. If you're going to confront your brother one day, you'll have to be more than powerful. You'll have to be smart – especially if you're going to succeed at the task. Not survive, but succeed, Sasuke."
Despite his irritation, the twelve-year old raven gripped his fists in acknowledgement. The woman was right. She had just displayed a kind of speed and ferocity that the boy hadn't encountered since that night four years ago.
He also noted the emphasis on surviving and succeeding at his goal. It made him think and recount exactly why the young heir wanted to do this alone. Yes, his teammates could slow him down; however, recently – ever since their sensei showed – Sasuke's initial opinions of his teammates had begun slowly shifting – even if it was barely.
Though, he was still waiting for Sakura to (hopefully) surprise him – like what had happened with the hyperactive blond.
Naruto had mentioned the strengths of this so-called "Eri-nee-chan," and Sasuke couldn't help but agree with the evidence so far. Perhaps, under her tutelage, he would grow.
And perhaps, if Naruto and Sakura were growing, Sasuke could look again at the prospect of working with other people – as annoying as that sounded.
The Jounin continued to speak before finishing off her last comments. The ebony haired shinobi felt two speeding signals head their way.
"Sasuke, you're not alone – and despite what you may think, we're all still after Itachi. Konoha hasn't forgotten him, but it seems you're always forgetting this. Remember, you still have Obito along with his friends Rin and Kakashi. And since you've been placed on team seven, you've now got Sakura, Naruto and me to lend you our strength."
Eri smiled lightly as Sasuke pondered her words. At the very least, he was considering what she was suggesting, and that in itself was progress. The boy scowled in annoyance as she ruffled his hair. This only caused Eri to smirk.
Before disappearing in a leaf tornado, she added on, "You're a smart boy Sasuke, I know you can accomplish a lot of things, but don't forget. You're never truly alone. You're part of a team now, so it's fine to let us lend you our strength and worry about you, because that's what teammates do."
On that last note, Eri's silhouette vanished.
Still not completely open to the idea, the Uchiha couldn't spare even a few seconds as two figures came bursting out of the trees. Although, from the general noise that came flapping out of their mouths, the fresh graduate already had a good idea about who they were.
"C'mon, hurry up already! I'm worried about Sasuke-kun, since Eri-sensei probably confronted him."
The shrill tone of annoyance was laced with worry. That was mostly likely Sakura.
"I still don't see why we have to check up on him. If that teme is so strong, then he can get himself out of it!"
Despite its gruff and slightly bitter booming tone, Sasuke couldn't help think that the reply sounded a bit confident in the Uchiha's well-being. With how loud the reply had been…Yup, definitely Naruto.
Confirming his suspicions, the two appeared before him. Sakura's eyes lit up with happiness when she saw her crush, but that was soon replaced with worry as the girl took in his slightly battered appearance. In the back of his mind, Sasuke remembered that most of the Jounin's strikes had been to the gut. Despite how beaten he felt, his physical appearance didn't give away just how much pain he was actually in.
Behind their female teammate, Sasuke noticed the glower on the blond's face. He also saw that Naruto's entire front was covered in a multitude of camouflage colors. Must've been their "sensei" again. He wondered if what the woman had said was true… The Genin would have to pass first in order to confirm it.
Still fretting over his slightly scuffed up appearance, Sakura voiced her concern.
"Sasuke-kun, are you all right? You ran into Eri-sensei, didn't you? Naruto and I did too. Did she do anything to you?"
Glancing back towards the hot springs, Sasuke quickly thought over the option of just heeding the Jounin's words for now. The young Uchiha didn't want to be sent back to the academy, and if that meant teaming up with the two in front of him, then so be it.
Answering her question, he nodded.
"Hn, I ran into sensei. I'm fine."
He eyed Naruto next; the pinkette and the blond knew what the young heir was thinking. Trying his best to swallow down his usual fiery reaction at the teme, Naruto instead scowled at the ground as he clenched his teeth in irritation.
"Erinee-chan did this," he gritted out, "she found me on the roof of Ichiraku's before hitting me with an exploding paint tag. After that, she left and I went to find Sakura-chan. I saw her knocked out on the roof with Eri-nee standing there. I tried punching her, but it turns out she was just a Kage Bunshin."
While bitterly explaining his failure to confront the Jounin to his rival, Naruto was glad that the teme showed no joy as he looked up. Sakura then proceeded where Naruto left off. She was inwardly surprised that the Uzumaki didn't boast like usual in any way, but she felt that his experience could be similar to hers – like how she'd broken down before Eri.
"Eri-sensei found me as well. After figuring out my clue, I went find it, but my prize was in a locked chest. I found the key, but only a little after that, sensei found me. She trapped me with the same clones that Naruto mentioned and then put me into a genjutsu. When I woke up, Naruto was there. When we told each other what happened, I had a feeling that sensei was going to put each of us through the same thing. I was wor – I mean, we were worried about you. So we went looking for you."
Despite throwing Sakura a slight glance at her statement, Naruto disregarded it, turning his attention to the boy across from them. Here, the Uzumaki acted like usual.
Raging at the Uchiha, the irritated blond exclaimed:
"Teme! You made Sakura-chan worry! It was only after seeing a giant fireball and hearing you two fight near the onsen that we knew where to look!"
The young raven scowled before looking away. Swallowing back a retort, Sasuke opted to only grunt instead – despite how much he wanted to point fingers at a certain overactive knucklehead. If the boy did bite back, it would only enrage the blond further. If his guess was right, then this exam really did test the group as a whole.
"Hn." Silence only followed. Well, as long as you didn't count the grinding of someone's teeth.
Sakura didn't know what to do. Before her were her two supposed teammates, and with the help of a certain Jounin's advice, the pinkette saw something that was rather difficult. Her love and endearing crush, Uchiha Sasuke was at a standoff with the dead-last, Uzumaki Naruto. She wanted to take the raven's side on this, but girl's genjutsu experience kept ringing in the back of her mind, advising her to try something else.
What to try? Well, she had a guess, but the eclipsed Haruno found both boys to be intense and judgmental to a degree. If she did go with this niggling sentiment then it would be the first act in a long line of pre-determined behavior.
AKA: A raging temper and blows to the head for all.
Sitting idly in a tree while reading a book, Eri wondered if they were ever going to get their butts in gear. And by "they," she meant Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Reviewing the events that had happened so far, the Yoshida had fought, pranked, and taught the Uzumaki; cornered, "hypnotized", and scared the female Haruno; and played, intimidated, and beat the Uchiha into discipline.
Overall, it had been an okay day so far. However, the ebony haired woman would much rather be at home sipping tea with Hekear, shifting through merchant requests and dignified nobles' proposals as acting mediator.
Babysitting was really on the last neuron of her brain. And honestly, being a Jounin leader to three Genin was too much responsibility in and of itself. For now, Eri begrudgingly accepted the fact and the duties that came with the job. Shaking her head, the woman sighed before returning to what she had originally been thinking.
Analyzing the blond, she was sure that his file had left a false impression of the blond's skills. Of course most of the teachers were too enraged to think of the positives that pranking accomplished in a militaristic society. If anything, the boy had developed a makeshift brawler version of the standard academy katas, while his genjutsu was pretty much non-existent. His ninjutsu was a one trick pony of endless solid clones, but this resource was put to good use when combined with that trickster brain. Unbelievable stamina with strength to boot; Eri could think of a number of techniques that would suit the blond.
Nevertheless, Naruto lacked the precision, skill, and patience to do any of them. He truly did have a lot of catching up to do….Though – he wasn't the only one; all three of them lacked too much in certain areas to be considered proficient shinobi.
Sakura, for example, had almost completely disregarded the physical aspects required of a shinobi. The only reason she had graduated was due to filling the minimum requirements. She also lacked the compelling fierceness, determination and confidence that one would usually find in battle. Instead, that was replaced with a love struck, burning desire to be wanted and needed by the opposite sex. Mere lust, if Eri phrased it simply.
Sasuke, on the other hand, was quite advanced for his age. However, he lacked the required mentality that came with being a successful Konoha shinobi. Instead of the "will of fire", the Yoshida found his mind set more relatable to Kiri's – as the woman dubbed it – "blood is thicker than water" outlook. Blood was technically thicker than water, so if one could move swiftly through blood, and the "bonds" that blood brought – only then would that person be considered powerful. Throughout the years, she had seen this phrase in action one too many times, especially when Kiri-nin we're involved.
It was funny though; every time – every single time she came across this mindset, the person who bore it was cursed with loneliness, pain, and sometimes death.
Staring off into the distance, Eri couldn't read anymore. Watching the beauty of a peaceful village, she sighed at the melancholic mood she'd slipped into.
It still hurt, and she was still at loss about what to do. The Kyuubi had still appeared and "attacked" despite her successful efforts at saving Obito and Rin. Leaning back onto the tree, the woman wondered why she was still living. Though the thought of calling her life and existence into question was depressing, the twenty-six year old did so regardless. The Yoshida had long since answered the question of whether she had died in her first life: she simply pronounced herself dead. That was it.
However, this brought more into question. Why was she here? Why had she been reborn? Was she supposed to do something? Did her actions really change anything at all? Was…Was she even truly human?
Clenching her fist, the woman slowed her breath. Internalizing her angst, Eri saved it for later. Too many people were here, and she was too open in public to break down now. Shaking her head at such a thought, the jounin stashed away her novel. Bringing herself to stand, the woman activated a "chakra pulse".
Amused to no end, Eri huffed a short laugh.
"Heh, looks like they finally got the idea."
True enough, the returning pulses told of three people scampering across the houses and buildings of Konoha as they traveled from the onsen. With the direction the three took, the jounin knew they were heading for the bookstores next. Staring at the position of the sun, she calculated that only twenty minutes were left before she failed them. Forming a handsign with her left, the woman shunshined away. She wanted a better view the three struggling.
Though she idly thought, 'Maybe the three will graduate…'
"Rrrr! C'mon, hurry up Sakura-chan! I can't take it anymore!"
Naruto was complaining as usual.
"Hn. Shut it, dobe, and just put up with it."
Sasuke begrudgingly dealt with the situation.
"Just stop shaking so I can reach it, okay?!"
Sakura was annoyed with both of them as she reached for the engraved key within the wooden board.
Yes, it may have been shocking, but when one was forced to balance on a tightrope across a bubbling pool of steaming hot water – well, the girl would rather let them carry her for some pay back; especially since she had such a hard time wringing in the two oppositions. Naruto wouldn't stop antagonizing "Sasuke-kun," but amazingly, the Haruno saw that the Uchiha wasn't thinking too much of them either.
Remembering her vow to leave an impression on the raven haired Genin, Sakura was determined to prove her worth as a useful teammate. So, after yelling and shaking some sense into both the Uchiha heir and the hyperactive blond, Sakura quickly gained the Sasuke's attention. To say that he wasn't surprised would be an outright lie. Sasuke was as shocked as the Uzumaki next to him when they both were being shaken for dear life.
Glancing at each other, Naruto and Sasuke decided on a silent truce for now. Just so they could be spared from the Haruno's wrath. Though, too embarrassed to show weakness at the pinkette's rage, Sasuke just nodded as nonchalantly as he could. And within the blink of an eye, Sakura was back to her "adoring" ways.
With the Uchiha advising the two, and some complaining from Naruto, though it was briefly stopped with a glare from Sakura, the three worked together.
Sasuke tied some rope from Naruto onto his shuriken before throwing it toward a tree that stood across from their position. Hesitantly, Sakura walked across before hanging herself upside down to reach the chest. Balancing herself, she slowly brought herself up. However, since she wasn't strong enough to fully bring her entire body weight up, the girl settled to shimmy upside down with her legs crossed as she used one arm to hold the chest and the other to pull herself forward. Reaching the two, Sakura quickly handed the chest to Naruto as he complimented her. Sasuke nodded at her before opening the chest.
Though she wished for something more than a nod, the pinkette quickly changed her thoughts as this was more than what she had gotten before. Sakura was determined to get stronger and prove her words correct. It felt nice being praised for what you actually did.
Opening the chest, the three wondered what its contents could be; however, they never expected what was now in the Uchiha heir's hand.
Sakura was confused.
"It's a piece of paper?"
Naruto was aggravated that they had only gotten a piece of paper.
"That's the prize?! A stinkin' piece of paper?!"
Nodding in agreement, Sasuke grunted.
"Hn, afraid so… Wait. There's something written on it."
As they gathered around, Sasuke read the script aloud.
"答えは"
(The answer)
Staring wide-eyed at the little piece of parchment, Naruto exclaimed in outrage, "That's it? 'Answer'!?"
Instead of the usual astonishment that would have come out of the twelve-year old girl, her response was to narrow her eyes, contemplating a loud.
"It seems that's it. Although, sensei did say that each of our clues led to a chest with the prize inside – but, maybe…"
Just from the Haruno's short dialogue, Sasuke stared at her, anticipating an answer as he hoped that they were reaching the same conclusion.
"You mean…It could possibly be…"
Nodding at the clan heir, she affirmed his thoughts as a certain blond looked at the two with utter confusion.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the same as last time."
"Last time? What? What's the same, Sakura-chan?"
As they both turned towards their befuddled teammate, each had a different look of exasperation on their faces. One was subtle as he eyed the Uzumaki while dead panning; the other was squinting at the blond in slight irritation while trying to reign in her temptation to insult her teammate.
Wondering why they were giving him such odd looks, he merely questioned them with a single word:
"What?"
They shook their heads in disbelief.
Sakura sighed before explaining the situation to their oh-so-dimwitted teammate.
"Geez, I have to spell it out for you, don't I, Naruto? Okay, listen up cause I'm only going to say this once. You remember how during our team introduction, sensei tricked us with her question? Well, I think she was giving us a clue before this exam started. Remember what she said before? Her exact words were:
'You three will be tested, and I'll be the judge on whether you three pass or fail.'
And this morning too:
'You three are going on a treasure hunt.'
Eri-sensei kept referring to us as a group. Her instructions were to also gather all three clues, but she never said anything about teaming up with each other to gather each clue. I think she wanted us to work together; that this entire exam was created to test us as a group instead of individually."
Thinking back on the ebony haired woman's words, Naruto couldn't help but agree. She had expressed to the Uzumaki that no one person could accomplish much, but when backed by a team he could accomplish anything.
Nodding at the explanation, he agreed.
"Makes sense; Eri-neechan said to me that even the Hokage needed others to help him run the village."
Naruto's statement triggered the Jounin's words within each of his teammates as Sakura and Sasuke thought back to their encounters with the kunoichi.
She had spoken to the Haruno about respect; about how she should look at the last Uchiha as a person instead of an item, about how she should stop isolating a certain blond while only looking at his actions in a negative way. And most of all, about how Sakura should work alongside both of them as their teammate.
Sasuke also recalled the similarly phrased words that matched his prospective teammate's. The feral woman made a fairly large emphasis on how the heir shouldn't count out yellow and pink just yet; that instead, he should give them a chance to prove themselves over time while working with them instead of working ahead of them. That maybe, just maybe, the young raven might find some comfort in the oddness that was "Team 7".
Perhaps this was becoming more of an option than just a speculation.
"We should get moving."
Sakura and Naruto gazed at the source. Sasuke made the first step as they just eyed him – waiting for the reason that the Uchiha coldly spat out.
"Sakura's right. This test seems to be testing our comradery. We'll have to work together to pass this test."
Naruto bit back the urge to protest against the show-off Uchiha; however, he agreed with Sakura that the test was designed for them to work together as a team.
Plus, the fact that the "teme" was outwardly agreeing with another was just out-of-character enough for the blond to agree.
Disheartening comments and discouraging remarks usually flew out of the raven's mouth, and the fact that he was going out of his way to agree with another openly meant two things. One, the usual Uchiha Sasuke had been replaced by an enemy who was misinformed about the real Uchiha's usual behavior. Or two, this test was some serious sh*t(1) as it had forced Sasuke to rethink his battle plan – working Sakura and Naruto into the equation.
So, instead, the blond nodded in agreement while voicing a gruff "let's go." Blinking at the orange graduate, Sakura shook herself back to reality before noting the Uzumaki's quiet response. Sasuke found the notion a change from the dobe's usual behavior. If things were going to progress like this that swiftly, then this option was becoming more and more of a reality. The top graduate nodded back at the dead last's statement. Voicing the location of the next chest, Sakura took command – leading the two as they followed.
Circling back, the scene now connected with the present as the Haruno was able to fish out the key with her fingers.
"I got it!" she proclaimed joyfully.
Naruto responded with a statement of his own.
"That's great, Sakura-chan! Now get off of me!"
The tower of Genin wobbled and shook, signifying its abrupt end from an easy construction. Quickly, Sakura stashed the key into her side pouch before making a tricky downward climb off of Sasuke and Naruto. Safely on the ground, she watched as one jumped off from the other, releasing the blond from any more crushing pressure. Rotating his arms to relax the built-up tension, Naruto sighed in relief before Sakura presented them with the key.
Hopping across from the light poles to the bookstore's roof, the pinkette unlocked the box before presenting them with another piece of paper. Informing the two twelve-year old males, she said:
"です."
(Is.)
Commenting lightly, a certain blond acknowledged the clue to be…
"Well that was helpful."
– Absolutely no help at all.
Sakura sullenly nodded. She had expected the clue to be more informative. Her inner self was more on the side of cursing her sensei for being such a complicated jerk, adding on a few obscenities. Sasuke just inwardly agreed with Naruto.
Putting away the inscription, Sakura glanced at the owner of the last clue.
"Where do we go next, Naruto? You have the last clue."
As the two gazed on at the orange encased boy, said Genin threw back an arm and rubbed the back of his head while smiling in a sheepish manner.
Growing embarrassingly red, he replied, "Well, you see…I-."
Putting up a hand, the pinkette motioned for him to stop.
"Stop, I get it. You weren't able to figure out the clue, were you?"
Still wearing that embarrassed smile, the blond nodded in confirmation. Sighing, Sakura placed her hands on her hips before asking with exasperation for his clue. Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the expected behavior. After Naruto handed over the clue, the young Haruno quickly read and deciphered the message. Turning to them, she confidently stated:
"It's at the Hokage Monument, definitely."
Her happy mood was quickly wiped into one of surly contemplation.
"Although, how're we going to get there? We've only got about sixteen minutes left, then there's the cliff side to worry about since we can't run on the floor."
Sasuke nodded at the girl's quick analysis.
"We'll have to find a shortcut, or something along those lines, before the end of the exam. If we don't, we fail."
Hearing this, Naruto burst out at the two with excitement as his eyes widened in realization.
"Hey, hey! I know a shortcut, it's pretty quick and it'll get us there in a flash!"
Sasuke inquired, "Are you sure it'll get us there as fast as possible?" Surprised by the intel.
The blond's exuberance was undamaged by the doubt as the boy assured with multiple nods in return.
"Yeah! I've been there plenty of times! And I know my way around the village too since I've practically run all over Konoha while being chased by a bunch of ninja and Iruka-sensei."
It was hard to argue with that fact since it was practically true. From all of the times that Naruto had pranked and pranked, it was only logical that the Uzumaki would know Konoha's main layout inside and out.
Sasuke smirked at this. The dobe was also proving his usefulness when it came to being a part of a team.
Sakura smiled before nodding. The usual hyperactive knucklehead may be a overactive, but it was clear to her now that even if he was a dead last, a dead last could still be helpful.
Still wearing a smirk, "Lead the way then," Sasuke motioned.
Nodding, the blue-eyed Genin smiled.
"Right! This way!"
Jumping off the roof, blue and red were only a second behind orange as he led a swiveled pathway behind for them to follow. They climbed higher and higher. True to Naruto's statement, the boy knew his way around the village through experience. The three scaled a tower like building that was just high enough for them to jump off of before catching themselves in a roll as they landed on the roof of the administration building.
However, despite the size of the administration building, there was still a large gap to cross. Thinking on his feet, Naruto quickly made twenty clones. Handing one a few coils of rope, he sent them off to climb the mountain side. Looking back towards his two teammates, he found them blinking in astonishment.
Hesitating, he wondered about the reason for such an expression.
"Hey, you guys okay? Why're you staring at me like that?"
Quickly jogged out his dumb stupor, Sasuke replied with a hint of suspicion.
"Those clones. They were…"
Finishing his sentence, Sakura continued in her own way.
"They were solid clones!"
Now it was Naruto's turn to blink. He responded in a very Naruto-like fashion:
"So?"
He acted as if it was the most obvious, natural thing in the world.
Hearing the response, Sakura furthered her inquiry while Sasuke just took backseat as he listened in on the two.
"What? 'SO'?! Naruto, we never learned that technique in the academy! Where did you learn that, and just why are those clones solid?!"
Naruto nonchalantly crossed his arms behind his head while smiling up towards the sky. He laughed proudly a little at their reaction before giving them a half-baked truth. It wouldn't go over well if his teammate knew that he had stolen a scroll from the Hokage after knocking him out with a certain jutsu of his.
"Oh, well, I learned it from a scroll. My clones are real because they're… well actually; I don't really know how, but I do know that they're called 'Kage bunshin'!"
The blond's answers did nothing to satisfy his two prospective teammates as Sakura furthered her investigation on the Uzumaki's skills.
"But, you made at least more than fifteen clones! How're you able to make so many?! You could suffer from chakra exhaustion, Naruto! I've read that chakra exhaustion can kill! You could die from using up too much chakra since it must be a high level technique, Naruto!"
Hearing the words "high level", Sasuke quickly noted this before storing it away in the back of his mind. In all honesty, he did wonder how, when, where, and why the blond got his hands on such a technique.
'Was it Yoshida-sensei? She seems to have a soft spot for the dobe, so it's possible. I should ask oji-san later. If it's a high level technique like Sakura says, then he and Kakashi-san must surely know of it at least.'
Frantic, Naruto wondered how he could explain himself to his teammates while avoiding a mere mention of or reference to the fox in his gut. Outwardly, the orange shinobi just giggled as if he were proud. For now, he was keeping up a good façade of playing things off, but the boy couldn't keep it up forever.
Good thing the heavens answered his plea for help. Naruto pointed up with the widest smile he'd ever given as an object lowered itself slowly from the sky.
He exclaimed distractingly, "Look! The chest! They've got it!" Mostly due to relief and joy.
Following the direction of Naruto's finger, Sasuke again smirked while a smile appeared again on Sakura's face. As the box continued being lowered, Naruto untied it before popping out a white piece of paper.
Although, before reading the symbols aloud, Sakura cautiously asked, "Naruto, did your clones touch the ground when they were up there?"
Without a second thought, he answered naturally from memory. A memory that he recalled not having gone through, yet oddly did.
"Hm? Uh, yeah, I did Sakura-chan. That's why I got the chest so quickly."
Getting the pinkette's train of thought, Sasuke commented on the boy's mistake with narrowed eyes.
"Dobe, we weren't supposed to walk on the ground, it's one of the rules."
Slightly hurt by the tone of the Uchiha's voice, Naruto reeled his spirit back in with more fire as he replied with attitude.
"Yeah, that rule was meant for us, team seven. Not my clones. And since they're clones, the rules don't apply to them."
Shocked into revelation again, Sasuke's smirk returned as Sakura brought her smile back. Impressed with their teammate's thought, Sasuke grunted while nodding at the boy in acceptance. Naruto proudly smiled while using an index finger to rub his upper lip.
Turning back towards the parchment again, Naruto read its passage aloud.
"チームワーク"
(teamwork.)
Handing the paper over to Sakura, she placed the notes in the correct order. There was now a sentence before them.
"答えはチームワークです。"
(The answer is teamwork.)
With three varied smiles appearing out in the open, the three finished with time to spare. However, wasn't the woman supposed to appear now? What was going on? Naruto and Sakura continued to remain silent while Sasuke reeled back in astonishment as he caught a tiny detail by the tail.
Growling in frustration, the boy looked toward both his teammates as they stared at him with question marks floating above their heads.
"We have to go back to the training grounds."
Sasuke noted at how odd they looked with their eyes the size of dinner plates before reminding himself to quickly blurt out the reason for a change in location. Performing this successfully, the Uchiha stated:
"Yoshida-sensei never stated the location where she would meet us at the end of the exam. It was either that she didn't think we would pass, or she left a clue within her explanation for us to figure out."
Calming down considerably, Sakura nodded while Naruto took up the thinker's position with closed eyes. Nodding, Sakura added her own thoughts as time was ticking.
"Right, she said that this exam was between team seven and team seven alone, no one else. So then, going with that thought process…"
Naruto continued where the Haruno left off.
"The only place that includes team seven is-."
Smirking, the young raven declared:
"Training ground seven."
The blond smiled at the location.
"Right. I know a shortcut, so follow my lead!"
Nodding in acknowledgement, the two followed the Uzumaki back down across the spindling tower-like building before veering and curving across the tops of buildings and shops. As the height of each building lowered, the orange encased boy led them through a forest of trees.
Keeping the hyperactive Naruto within sight, Sakura voiced her concern for the nearing deadline.
"Three minutes, Naruto! I don't think we'll make it!"
Without looking back, he confidently replied with a headstrong fortitude:
"Keep heading straight! We'll make it! I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT!"
Infecting the trailing two, his confidence gave them an added boost of speed and pushed them to align with said blond. Smiling back, Naruto gave them a wild grin as the foliage cleared way into sunshine.
Reaching their destination with each of their movements in step, they saw a woman standing before them in wait. The bell rang at the exact same time the three touched ground together.
As they gasped to catch their breaths, Naruto – as expected – was the only one who had enough energy to ask the dire question that was ringing through each of the graduate's minds.
"Did…did we…make it?"
All eyes were now staring at the Jounin in question. Whether it was the three graduated or the overlooking shinobi that Eri had hired, it didn't matter. Watching with anticipation, they saw a slow forming smile appear on the woman's face.
With a voice laced with light air, she answered:
"Hm, close…but not quite."
It was here that the three collapsed on themselves; not physically, but mentally. Scowling at the ground as the three stilled in abhorred shock, Sasuke tightened his fists till his knuckles turned white. Sakura was quick to fall as she sat on the ground, just staring off into the distance with her mouth agape as silence rang throughout the field. Naruto clenched his teeth, also examining the ground, as he too fisted his hands.
Although, he was the only one who dared to question the mere reality of things apparent. Though the voice trembling with grief broke Eri's heart, she still continued on despite the downtrodden state of her assigned Genins.
"We…we failed the exam?"
Blinking slowly in response, Eri breathed in to calm her thoughts before asking in a confused, but accusing tone, "No, but you three want to fail?"
Not registering her words, three pairs of large dinner plates darted at the smirking female. In the background, Eri could hear the low-toned, muffled laughs of her hired help. This only caused her smirk to widen further as the three graduates mouthed a "what" with jaws hanging open.
Shifting her weight, the Yoshida leaned on her right leg as she stated her next sentence in a tone that made things seem like obvious, common logic.
"You three still haven't answered my question. If you get it wrong, that's when you three fail."
With their emotions turning three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, Eri found their faces an amusing source of entertainment. From shocked, to embarrassed, to fire-driven fury, to happiness, and finally relatively calm pride.
Though she had snorted at their demeanor, Eri had been overly pleased when the three came bursting in at the last second. All of them had been side by side, and in step with each other's movements as three feet touched the ground at the same time.
Cocking an eyebrow, she daringly asked, "So, you ready for my question?"
Naruto declared, "You bet we are!"
Sakura backed him with more confidence than Eri had ever seen in the girl – not counting her memories of her first life.
"Yeah! Like Naruto said, we're-."
Eri was slightly surprised with the tone that Sasuke stated his answer in as he cut Sakura off.
"–a team."
As the two smirked at each other, black irises met black lenses. Cocking an eyebrow, Eri made a mental note to continue her watch over the Uchiha. She wanted to believe that he was cured, but harder tests were bound to happen in the near future – and that wasn't just exclusively for the heir of the Uchiha clan, no. This included all three of them.
Still keeping up her smirk, the ex-ANBU took in all three determined expressions.
"Oh, so you're a team aye? Well, here's my question – and to pass your answer as a team answer, you three must answer at the same time. I hope you guys know what the others will say."
Despite Eri's condition, the three graduate's spirits were only enflamed. She felt and sensed the chakra aspect of the village's "will of fire" as it grew strong with no future waning or flickering in sight.
Huffing to herself in acceptance, Eri resigned herself to the Hokage's fate, thinking, 'I guess I'm stuck with them. There's absolutely no chance of getting rid of them now.'
The three intensely sharpened their focus towards their prospective, sadistic, Jounin leader as she spoke up.
"Alright, fill in the blank with your answer in the phrase that I'm about to present to you three.
'Talent wins battles, but "BLANK" and intelligence wins wars.'
So, what's the answer?"
As the three glanced prospectively at each other, they all nodded before stating firmly with fire and control:
"The answer is teamwork!"
At this, Eri questioned, "Are you sure?"
Oddly enough, all three of them nodded at the same time. In the background she heard a few low toned chuckles. If she wasn't standing before the three brats, the Yoshida too would laugh and shake her head in astonishment. Nevertheless, she had a test and an appearance to keep up.
So instead, the shinobi nodded. Formally controlled and businesslike, the woman stated:
"Very well. Then I welcome you three officially as 'Team seven'. Congratulations, you three pass. You're now officially shinobi of Konoha."
Curling inward, Naruto sprung out in cheer, shouting, "Yeah! I'm a ninja, ninja, ninja!"
Sakura smiled and laughed happily to herself while Inner cheered in a more rambunctious manner.
Sasuke smiled for a few seconds before hiding it behind the collar of his shirt. From what Eri could see, the smile appeared more like a smirk when behind the raised collar, especially considering how little the sides of his mouth were lifted.
Taking the chance now while the three pre-teens were distracted, Eri signaled with her left hand for the hired help to leave by sending them a subtle pulse of chakra. The surrounding shinobi left the field. Turning back to the still celebrating Genin, Eri walked forward.
"Alright, alright; calm down now. I know you three are happy, but I'll have to lay down some ground rules now that we're officially a team."
After a few more seconds of cheering, Naruto settled in to attention while the other two focused on the Jounin's words. It was clear to them now that when Yoshida Eri spoke, you had to listen with open ears.
Impressed that they were catching on this quickly, the woman inwardly decided that she had put them through enough for a day. Better to just be blunt and un-arguable with her terms and conditions.
"Okay guys, since I'm your sensei and team leader until you're promoted to Chunin or higher, you three will address me as 'sensei' from now on during the time we meet and perform as team seven. After, though, I'm fine with you calling me whatever you want."
Hearing this, Naruto was slightly sad since he wouldn't be able to call the Yoshida 'Eri-neechan'. Trying to remain positive, the blond thought, 'At least I'll be able to call her anything when mission and team meetings are done. Hehe, I can call her anything! She'll regret those words!'
Noting Naruto's strange display of emotions, Eri knew that he was planning for some form of retribution. Shrugging it off, the mediator continued with her explanation.
"So, tomorrow we'll begin training. I've set up a schedule, so listen carefully. Monday and Saturdays are individual training days. Tuesdays and Thursdays are team training days. On Wednesdays and Fridays we do missions, and Sundays are free-reign days where you can do whatever you see fit, whether you treat it as a day-off, or train with your teammates. You guys are free on Sunday. If there's anything you three need to address me about on Sunday, ask Naruto. He knows where I live."
Looking at the mentioned Uzumaki, Sakura and Sasuke stared at him. Hearing that Naruto knew where the Yoshida lived was odd, despite knowing how close they already were. Embarrassed, Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a growing red blush.
Er directed this next sentence at the blond as the three listened with rapt attention.
"Naruto, I'm trusting you to direct them, okay? So don't be surprised when they show up at your door, and don't turn them away either. Also, don't you dare trick them by giving the wrong address. If you do, you'll be receiving retribution, Uzumaki Naruto. And if you're wondering why I'm doing this, it's because I want you three working together as a team as soon as possible – and that includes building trust as it's the main foundation upon which teamwork is founded."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Naruto affirmed this with a hint of disappointment as his two teammates eyed the orange Genin scrupulously.
"Okay, Eri-sensei."
Getting back to her explanation, the Yoshida continued;
"Right, good. Well, every day, except Sunday, I'll appear before you three at seven fifteen a.m. You three can show up before this time to get in some last minute early morning training with either yourselves or each other. Just be there at or around seven fifteen a.m. I don't care if you're late, so long as it doesn't become a habit or you have a good enough excuse. At twelve thirty, we'll break for lunch. So you guys can go off into the village to eat or just eat from a bento. However, you all must return at one fifteen p.m. We'll then continue from where we originally left off, and depending on the activity, I'll either end the day and send you three home, or we'll all go out to dinner as a team before breaking off for the night. That's pretty much your schedule."
Adding onto this, the woman stated with a smirk:
"Anything that has to do with rules, I'll set straight in the future as we go on. And if you so happen to break a rule that has already been stated, I'll set you guys back into realignment along with that rule. Any questions or concerns that you three have for now?"
Gulping at their Jounin's deadly undertone, the three gulped in fear, especially Sasuke since he'd already had a kind of first-hand experience with the woman's form of retribution. Thinking it over, the three were happy with everything so far. Especially since they realized that soon they'd be doing their first mission straight after day one.
However, the "day off" was met with mixed results. Sakura was happy to have a day off to relax and unwind, although, the boys of the team wanted something a little closer to what they desired.
With no other questions, Eri took their silence as terms accepted. Nodding at the three, she smiled nonchalantly.
"Alright then, Team seven is dismissed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to report to an 'almighty Hokage' to inform him of Team Seven's results with their examination. I'll see you three tomorrow, bye!"
With that, the female shinobi clasped her hands together as she shunshined away.
"Although, before I do just that."
Appearing from behind, Eri placed her left hand towards the base of the Sasuke's spine, drawing back in her remaining chakra that had been keeping the boy's synovial joints in place. As she released the tension and pain, Sasuke felt remarkably different from how he'd been under that constant force of pressure. Wanting to sigh, he settled on stretching his back instead. Hearing the pleasing sound of a few pops, Sasuke glanced back at his new Jounin leader.
Seeming to get his silent "thanks," Eri nodded.
"Okay, now I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye!"
Once again, the woman physically used two hands before disappearing. The Yoshida didn't want to reveal the fact that she could accomplish jutsu with one hand.
Rationalizing, she thought, 'When they're mature and ready, I might, just might, tell them the reason. But, for now, I'll keep them guessing. It'll help them learn…Plus, it's just plain fun pressing their buttons.'
Chuckling under her breath, she appeared in a room full of Jounin with the Hokage sitting before her. As she bowed with a smile before her superior, Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgement. Falling in line with this year's prospective Jounin team leaders, Eri noted both Asuma and Kurenai.
Facing forward, Eri quietly mused within:
'How has nothing changed? Did I not do enough?'
Chapter 5 End
Whew! Finally finished! Anyway, I'll get onto the explanations:
(1) The only reason I very minimally censored that word was because I hate profanities and curse words. This may seem counteractive, but please respect my wishes as an author. I consider curse words to be un-professional and violent. Also, I believe that they are now too commonly said to replace everyday words that don't really take that much brain power to use. Why did I still list it, is what you're asking? Well, I was writing that from Naruto's perspective thought process. I know for a fact that Naruto doesn't give a...(Well, ya know) as to what people think of him, so why should he even care about keeping a clean tongue? It's just in his character description, that's all; and since I like accurate portrayals - I tend to try and predict what characters do what.
As for the phrase that Eri used, I just changed two words - as that was a quote straight from Michael Jordan. Yeah, I just changed "games" & "championships" to "battles & wars". That quote is completely his to be gloried and eyed.
If you're questioning the sudden change in Sasuke and as to why his Sharingan didn't activate when Eri was beating the poor heir... Well, Sasuke didn't know that the woman was about to strike. Yes, he had a feeling, but her killing intent wasn't strong enough to activate it. Plus, it was slowly rising with each word she said, and that was during her strikes. Added to the fact that he was too disoriented to pull off some kind of search for the Jounin, well - Sasuke was just too slow to keep up.
Taking on this different approach as to how Kakashi dealt with Sasuke in the manga, Eri was actively confronting the problem instead of facing off against the boy, before leaving with only a half-job done. I like Kakashi and all, but he really isn't suited to teach more than one student. There's also the fact that Eri is dealing with a slightly different Uchiha heir here. So, along with the beating and some of Eri's advice that was well enough to be considered by the boy - as long as Sasuke didn't disregard her opinion in the beginning is where I would think that Sasuke would only remain as the isolated avenger he's known as today in the manga. It also helps that Naruto and Sakura are changing little by little too.
But, this doesn't mean that everything is solved with one chapter. There will still be conflict to stunt the the Genin's character development. If my pre-teens were horrible, then I could only imagine the chaos of a shinobi pre-teen.
I hope that the change was reasonably within character for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. I was wracking my brains out with this chapter. I'm just glad this test is finished.
Next up is another chapter before an intermission. I wonder how Eri will handle her new role as Jounin leader, and how little Eri will react to her new "condition"?
Thank you guys for all your support! Don't forget to review and leave a vote for Eri's love interest! I'll see you next week on Sunday! Bye! ^_^