Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 8
Team Kurenai
Naruto was waiting at the training grounds for Team Kurenai. He had left lunch with Lee a little early, so he would be on time, and he was the first one there. He was nervous and excited about meeting new people, especially the ninja dog. He hoped it would turn out alright.
He sniffed the air again and swiveled his head around from left to right. He'd been doing so every few seconds for the past five minutes, trying to sense their approach against the dull roar of heartbeats that was the village itself. This time, he felt something. Two distinct heartbeats were approaching from behind him. He sniffed again. Human females. So, Kurenai-sensei and Hinata-san. Another heartbeat caught his attention, this one from his left and a little further away. Just one, so it was probably Shino-san. He turned around. The two women were almost in the clearing.
They appeared from the branches, dropping to the ground in front of him. He bowed. "Greetings, Kurenai-sensei," he said to the obviously older woman. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I believe Hokage-sama informed you of my presence here?"
She nodded. "Greetings, Naruto-san," she said. "I am glad to meet you and eager to help you integrate into Konoha's forces." She smiled, softening her formal words somewhat.
"Arigatou, Kurenai-sensei," he replied. He smiled back, taking a quick moment to study her. She had shoulder-length brown hair and, surprisingly, red eyes. He had never seen a person with red eyes before, besides himself, and he was intrigued. She was taller than him and slim. She wore an outfit that seemed to consist of white bandages, short red leggings, and a red, one-sleeved shirt.
He turned to the other woman, standing next to and a little behind Kurenai. "Hi, Hinata-san!" he greeted enthusiastically.
"H-hello, N-Naruto-s-san," she stuttered. She was looking at the ground, her pale eyes almost hidden behind her bangs, a few strands of her long, shiny, blue-black hair falling forward over her shoulder. Her hands were clasped behind her back. She wore dark capri pants much like Tenten's. She also wore a lavender and white jacket with a hood. It was zipped almost all the way up, but Naruto could see a mesh shirt underneath it. Her hitai ite was tied around her neck.
He frowned a little. Why wouldn't she look him in the face? They had met yesterday when she'd come for Neji. Maybe she was just shy. If that was the case, then he would do what he could to ease her nervousness. Unfortunately, he hadn't had any experience with that and didn't really know how to do it. Well, he'd think of something. Now, though, he had to greet the third team member to arrive.
He turned to his right. A figure dropped down from the trees and began approaching them. He was tall, like Lee, although the blonde couldn't really pick out any other features. His eyes were covered with dark sunglasses. His hair was covered by the hood of his gray-green jacket and most of the rest of his face was covered by the tall collar of his black shirt. He had on dark pants and shinobi sandals. His hitai ite rested just above the sunglasses. Naruto surreptitiously sniffed the air. The boy's scent was dry and sharp, like dust on a hot day. He smelled like bugs. His heartbeat sounded like it was echoing in an empty room, and it wasn't just blood that Naruto could hear moving around in his body. This was definitely Shino.
The blonde bowed again as Kurenai introduced him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Shino-san," he said.
"Likewise, Naruto-san," the insect-user said. His voice was low, almost hoarse, and almost totally monotone. Naruto hoped he wouldn't get on this guy's nerves too, like he did with Neji.
Kurenai sighed. "Now we are just waiting for our last member, Naruto-san," she said.
He nodded. He could feel two heartbeats approaching fast. They wouldn't have long to wait.
A few minutes later, the last two dropped into the clearing. A boy with wild brown hair sat astride a large brown-and-white dog. His dark eyes were silted and his canines were really more like fangs. Naruto ran his tongue self-consciously over his own sharper-than-normal canine teeth. His weren't that obvious, most of the time. The teen also had two red triangles on his cheeks. He wore a black double-breasted jacket over a mesh shirt and black pants. His hitai ite was tied around his forehead. He slid off his dog partner as Kurenai called out to him.
"You're late Kiba!" she scolded.
"Sorry, Sensei," he called back, looking abashed. He walked over to where the group was standing, Akamaru trailing behind him. "Who's this?" he asked, looking at Naruto with a critical eye and sniffing the air. His eyes narrowed a little and he took a longer sniff. It was the sort of thing a dominant male dog would do to a subordinate in his pack, and Naruto suppressed the growl that rose in his throat. All his instincts were screaming at him to teach this skinny puppy a lesson, but he ignored them. It wouldn't do to get into a fight right away. Besides, Kiba-san was the dominant one in this situation, even though Naruto hated to admit it. He comforted himself with the thought that that could change over the course of the week.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Kurenai explained. "He is a new ninja and Hokage-sama wants him to train with us." Naruto bowed.
Kiba nodded and gave a slight bow back. "Cool. Welcome to Konoha," he said.
"Thanks, Kiba-san," Naruto replied with a small grin.
"This is Akamaru," the brown-haired ninja said, gesturing behind him. "Come say hello, Akamaru!"
The ninja dog only whined a little and butted his nose into Kiba's back. His tail was placed firmly between his legs.
"Akamaru?" Kiba questioned.
Naruto sighed. "It's ok, Kiba-san," he said. "Dogs don't always like me." He leaned around Kiba a little. "It's nice to meet you, Akamaru-san. I hope we can be friends," he said quietly. Akamaru only pushed his head farther into Kiba's back, hiding his eyes from Naruto. The blonde sighed again and shifted back into his original position.
Kiba turned around, a puzzled look on his face. He scratched Akamaru's ears and murmured something to the dog. "I don't know what's gotten into him," he said.
Kurenai was watching with eyes narrowed. "Kiba, Akamaru, is this going to be a problem? Naruto-san is training with us the whole week."
Kiba shook his head. "No, it'll be fine."
"Ok, then, we'll get started."
They began by simply getting to know each other better. Kurenai made them each introduce themselves again along with stating some things about themselves. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams. That sort of thing. She was most intrigued by Naruto's answers.
"Hi! My name is Uzumaki Naurto! I like training, ramen, tea ceremonies, frogs, Jiraiya-sensei, and Hokage-sama. I don't like people being mean to others for no reason, and raccoons. My hobbies are training, and…uhhh..." he trailed off. "Well, I don't really have any other hobbies I guess. But I really like plants, so I'd like to start a garden now that I'm not moving around all the time." He grinned, kind of sheepishly Kurenai thought, and rubbed the back of his head, but he continued. "As for my dreams, I have fulfilled my biggest one by becoming a ninja of Konoha, so now I just want to do my best to serve Hokage-sama."
Kurenai found herself smiling at his words. Gardens and tea ceremonies? Not what I would expect from such an energetic person. "I myself like plants, Naruto-san," she said. "If you like, I'll help you with your garden."
He smiled at her. "Thanks, Kurenai-sensei!"
"Why don't you like raccoons?" Kiba asked.
"Oh, well, I had a bad experience with one when I was young," Naruto replied, grinning. But his eyes were wary.
"Really? What happened?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes a little and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I had a bad experience." He clearly wasn't going to say anything else about it.
Kiba snickered, but didn't inquire further.
"Y-You were tr-trained by J-Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata stuttered. Kurenai noticed she didn't look up at the blonde while she spoke, and played nervously with her fingers.
Naruto nodded. "Yep."
Kurenai was impressed, although she hid it better than her students did.
After the introductions they started on some simple exercises that displayed each individuals' abilities. Kiba was, of course, more than happy to show off his clan's jutsus and tracking ability to the new ninja. That is, until Naruto proved to have just as good a nose as the Inuzuka. After that, Kiba was much less enthusiastic and kept shooting dark glares at the blonde.
They quickly moved along to Hinata's Byakugan, which Naruto was duly impressed by. In fact, he praised her so loudly and for so long, Kurenai had to stop him with a hand on his shoulder. "I think she gets the point, Naruto-san," she said, barely able to hold back a laugh. Hinata's face was bright red and Kiba looked like he wanted to murder the new ninja. None of which Naruto seemed to notice.
Shino had then revealed his Kikaichuu. Many people were uneasy around the Aburame because of their insects and the odd symbiotic relationship they had, but Naruto wasn't uncomfortable at all. He went right up to Shino as he released the insects from his sleeve, peering at the stream of beetles with wide eyes. "Awesome!" he said, obviously fascinated.
After training, Naruto left rather quickly, saying he had to meet the Hokage. When she was satisfied he was really gone, Kurenai turned towards her team. They were standing, chatting with each other, no doubt about the new young ninja.
She had a pretty good idea of their first impressions already. Shino was curious about the blonde and Hinata...she shook her head slightly. Hinata had it bad.
But it was Kiba she wanted to speak to. "Kiba!" she called. He looked up and she waved him over.
"What is it, Sensei?" he asked when he reached her.
"I want to know what you think of Naruto-san. You and Akamaru have been acting strangely all afternoon."
Kiba looked away, uncomfortable. "I don't know, Sensei," he said.
"Well, why don't you start with Akamaru?" she suggested. "Why wouldn't he greet Naruto-san?"
Kiba reached out a hand to scratch his dog's ears. "He's afraid," he said quietly. "Something about Naruto-san terrifies him." He looked back at Kurenai. "But I don't know what! He just says he's different."
"Different? How?"
"I don't know!" Kiba repeated. "I don't think Akamaru really knows either."
"Well, what about you? Are you afraid?"
"No!" Kiba almost shouted. Kurenai inwardly sighed. Even if he was, the Inuzuka would never admit it. "But if Akamaru feels that way, there must be something wrong with him," he added more quietly. "He seems like an ok guy, but his scent..." he trailed off.
"What about his scent?" Kurenai prompted.
Kiba sighed. "There's something about it that gives me the creeps. He smells like fresh air and sunshine and…well…ramen..." he shook his head. "But there's more to it. Underneath those scents, I caught a whiff of blood and smoke and some sort of animal. I don't know exactly what. It's kind of like a dog, but different. It's weird."
Kurenai sighed. So Akamaru was afraid and Kiba was uneasy. It was not a good combination. Kiba wouldn't be able to handle the feelings and would lash out at what was causing them. Add to that his natural desire to test his dominance with new people, and Kurenai was sure he would pick a fight with Naruto before the week was out.
Naruto arrived at Training Ground 10 to find his father and Jiraiya already there. He dropped to the ground and bowed. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sensei. I hope you have not been waiting long."
"Not at all," the Hokage said, waving off the apology. "The reason we are here is to test your ability to use the Rasengan."
Naruto's face lit up. "Hai, Hokage-sama!"
Jiraiya chuckled at his younger student's enthusiasm. "Show him what you got, brat," he said. Naruto nodded, and the Toad Sage made his way to the trees to once again perch on a branch and watch his students.
For the next hour the Yondaime drilled his son. He had him make different sizes and strengths of the whirling chakra balls. There was a limit to how small his son could make them, and his control only allowed for a few different strengths. Still, Minato was very impressed.
Especially by the Odama Rasengan Jiraiya had helped Naruto create. It was gigantic. Minato doubted he could make one that size, although he was certainly going to try when he had some free time. Naruto needed a clone to help him make it, but he had assured the Hokage that he was working on forming one himself. Jiraiya had already explained that when Naruto was first learning the jutsu, he had a lot of trouble with the final step--controlling the chakra ball. Not surprising since chakra control was difficult for Naruto to begin with and his boundless energy made it hard for him to concentrate on one thing for very long. Finally, he had hit upon the idea of using a clone to help him. It was a brilliant idea and had succeeded spectacularly. Now, his control was to the point that he didn't need a clone to form a regular Rasengan anymore. The young ninja was sure it was only a matter of time until he didn't need one to form the Odama Rasengan either.
Minato smiled to himself. His son was certainly full of surprises. "Ok, Naruto, I want to do one final thing, then we'll head in."
"Hai, Hokage-sama!"
The Yondaime backed away a few paces and told Naruto to do the same. They were facing each other, about twenty feet apart. The ground around them was littered with Rasengan-created holes. The Hokage stuck out his right hand and a yellow ball of chakra started forming. He grinned at his son.
It took the younger blonde a second, but then his face split in an identical grin. He stuck out his own right hand and an orange ball of chakra whirled into being. They stood for a few moments, grinning at each other, and then both leapt towards the other. They met right in the middle.
"Rasengan!" two voices cried out as they pressed their hands forward. The two chakra balls met.
And exploded.
Minato was thrown back, but he managed to twist in the air and land on his feet. A huge cloud of dust obscured his vision. He ran through a few hand seals and called up a wind to blow it away.
He blinked when he saw the field. There was a giant crater, right where he and his son had been standing. Naruto was just picking himself up off the ground on the other side of it. Minato was worried for one split second about his son, but realized pretty quickly he didn't need to be. Naruto was laughing. He waved at the Hokage and started to make his way around the crater. Minato went to meet him.
His son was grinning like a madman. "That was totally awesome, oto-" he started to crow, his fist pumping in the air, but stopped and looked down quickly. "Hokage-sama," he finished, looking back up. "Wasn't it?" The grin was back in place, but it wasn't quite as big as before.
"Yes, it was. I feel sorry for whoever has to clean this place up." Minato grinned back. He knew what word Naruto had been about to use and his own heart had skipped a beat at the sound of it.
Naruto laughed. "Yeah."
Minato leaned forward, so he was right next to Naruto's ear. "I am so proud of you, musuko," he whispered. "You are an amazing ninja. And I would be honored if you wanted to call me 'Father' when we're alone." He really wished his son could call him father anytime he felt like it, but that was too dangerous. At least for now.
Naruto sucked in a breath, but didn't say anything. Minato pulled back and smiled at the expression on his son's face. He was smiling, that true, radiant smile that seemed brighter than the sun. His eyes were swimming with tears, but he didn't let any of them fall. "Hai, otou-sama," he breathed.
Minato thought his heart might burst. He had always wanted to be called that. But Jiraiya was coming towards them, so all he said was, "How about ramen for dinner, hmmm?"
Kurenai got her first real shock the next day during team practice. The Yondaime had wanted her to evaluate Naruto's genjutsu abilities. She'd started with his ability to cast genjutsu and found he really had none, which wasn't so surprising. Genjutsu required good chakra control, and that was something the Hokage said Naruto had trouble with. She could understand that, considering how much chakra the boy had. She thought there was more to it, though. He just seemed so…open. Honest. Genuine. Genjutsus were illusions, lies. She didn't think Naruto really had it in him to twist reality like that. But, that was alright. Plenty of ninja couldn't cast genjutsu. The important thing was to be able to recognize and dispel them. Which Naruto also had trouble with, but not for the reasons she would have supposed. He had trouble dispelling them because he had trouble recognizing them, and he had trouble recognizing them because they didn't work on him.
She discovered this during a team exercise. She hid a small chest in the grounds and the group had to find it. Missions for her team often involved finding lost people or objects, so it was good practice. This time, she cast an illusion on the area to make it appear as though the chest was in a different spot.
She expected Kiba to fall for it and probably Naruto, but the blonde had surprised her.
"No, Kiba-san, it's over there," the new ninja said, pointing towards the spot where the chest truly lay hidden.
The Inuzuka scoffed. "No, it's not, it's over there," he replied, pointing towards the illusionary chest.
Naruto shook his head. "No, it isn't. Can't you smell Kurenai-sensei's trail?"
Kiba snarled. He didn't care for the implication that his nose wasn't working. "I can smell it perfectly well and it goes this way. Akamaru says the same thing," he hissed.
Naruto growled a little himself, in frustration, Kurenai thought. "No," the blonde's voice was getting louder. "It goes this way!"
"No, it doesn't!"
"Yes, it does!"
Kurenai smirked a little from her perch in the tree. This was quickly devolving into a shouting match between the two. But if Naruto knew the actual location of the chest, why didn't he just explain it was a genjutsu, or try to release it?
The arguing teens were interrupted by the arrival of their other two teammates.
"Naruto-san, Kiba," Shino said. "Arguing in this fashion is not a wise course of action."
Kiba scowled and Naruto huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know that!" he said, voice quiet again. He pointed at Kiba. "He's the one that wants to go in the wrong direction. Kurenai-sensei's trail goes this way!"
"No, it goes this way!" Kiba interjected.
Shino lifted his arms, forestalling another argument and releasing his kikaichuu. The other two teens shut up and watched as the swarm of beetles dispersed. After a few moments, the Aburame gave a little nod. "It's a genjutsu," he said. "The target is indeed in the direction Naruto-san indicated."
Naruto grinned and Kiba fumed.
Hinata placed her hand lightly on Kiba's shoulder. "Kai!" she murmured.
He blinked a few times, then sniffed. "Damn it," he growled. He turned on Naruto. "Why didn't you say something?"
"I did!"
"No, about the genjutsu."
"Oh," the blonde shrugged. "I didn't know there was one."
Kurenai blinked. Interesting...
After they had retrieved the chest and returned to the starting point, Kurenai questioned the blonde. "Naruto-kun, you said you didn't know there was a genjutsu?"
"Hai, Kurenai-sensei."
"Then how did you know where the chest was?"
He tilted his head, confused. "I could smell your trail."
She sighed. He didn't seem to understand what she was getting at. "Yes, but that genjutsu hid my real trail and laid a false one in the opposite direction. That's why Kiba wanted to go the other way. My question is why didn't it work on you?"
"Oh." He thought for a minute. "I don't know, Kurenai-sensei."
"I'm going to see if other genjutsus will work, alright? Just stand there and tell me if you see anything."
The blonde nodded.
She started with a low-level illusion, something simple and non-threatening. No response. She tried increasingly complex genjutsu and nothing worked. Naruto just looked at her.
Finally she sighed. "Ok, I'm going to try some high-level illusions," she said. "These are offensive genjutsu--ones I'd use in actual battle. As such, they will be...threatening. I didn't intend to use these on you, but since nothing else is working… Just remember you're not actually in danger, ok?"
Naruto nodded. "Sure thing, Kurenai-sensei."
She started with her trademark--giant plants enveloping the person and swallowing them whole. Naruto looked around him, brow furrowed a little. Kurenai released the illusion.
"Did you see something?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Kind of. It was like the air was rippling."
The air was rippling? One of her best illusions and all he saw was the air rippling? She was getting a little annoyed. It was silly, she knew; it was a good thing if Naruto wasn't susceptible to genjutsu. But it was her specialty and she took pride in being known as a Genjutsu Master of Konoha. It was a title she had worked hard to earn and it felt as if this teen was mocking her a bit.
She shoved those feelings away. They were unfair to Naruto, and to herself. She readied another attempt. "Alright Naruto, one last try." It was her strongest illusion. He said he liked Jiraiya, right? She almost wished he wouldn't see this one. It was going to be harsh.
She cast it and watched for his reaction closely. This time, she got one. His eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath. He looked surprised, but not upset or afraid. He must be seeing something but she kept quiet to see what else he'd do. He glanced around until his eyes came to settle on a point on the ground about three feet in front of him. The blonde walked forward a little and knelt down at the spot, his hand out to touch empty air. Then he pressed down, until his hand was touching the ground. He lifted his hand and stared at the fingers, rubbing his thumb across the tips. He took a sniff, then he licked his index finger. A wide grin broke out on his face. He looked right up at Kurenai. "Wow, Kurenai-sensei! This one is really good!"
She blinked. It wasn't quite the reaction she had been expecting.
Naruto brought his left hand up in front of him in a simple seal. "Kai," he muttered. Kurenai could actually feel a puff of hot air from the blonde as he dispelled the illusion. She was certain he had dispelled it, even though someone at his level shouldn't be able to. She shook her head slightly as he rose to his feet, still grinning at her. This ninja was certainly full of surprises.
"What did you see that time?" she asked.
"Jiraiya-sensei, dead, covered in blood. A lot of other people dead too, but I didn't recognize them." He said it matter-of-factly, like it hadn't affected him at all. Then again, he had known going in it was just an illusion. "It was strange though, I could see them all, but I could see the grass through them too. And I could still see you, although you were kind of faded out."
Kurenai stared at the young blonde for a minute, thinking. It sounded like he'd been half in and half out of the genjutsu, seeing it, but also seeing the real world. It was the oddest thing she had ever heard of. She'd have to do some research to see if this sort of thing had been documented before. "What were you doing when you knelt?" she asked.
"Oh, I was seeing if I could feel Jiraiya-sensei's body, which I could, but I could also put my hand though it," Naruto replied. "It was weird."
"And after that?"
He cocked his head to one side. "After that?"
"You were rubbing your fingers. Then you licked one."
"Oh," he grinned again, but the wary look was back in his eyes. He scratched the back of his head. "I was just testing the blood. It was almost like the real stuff, but not quite."
"You tasted the blood?" Kiba asked, sounding pretty disgusted.
Naruto turned his head towards the trio sitting under a tree on the sidelines. His expression didn't change, but Kurenai didn't miss the way his shoulders tensed. "Come on, Kiba-san. Don't be so squeamish. I knew it was an illusion."
"I'm not squeamish," Kiba muttered, seeming to drop the subject.
"You said the blood was not quite like the 'real stuff'," Shino spoke up. "That means you must have tasted real blood before."
This time Naruto's whole body tensed and Kurenai swore she saw a look of panic flash in his eyes before it was gone. But his grin never faltered.
"Well, sure I have," the blonde drawled. "Haven't you? We're ninja after all. I don't know how many times I've tasted blood after a good hit from Jiraiya-sensei."
"Th-that's t-true," Hinata spoke up, her eyes down and a blush on her cheeks. "We've a-all g-gotten hits l-like that before."
Naruto's eyes flicked to the dark-haired girl and his grin widened a little. Not that Hinata could see it as her gaze was still firmly planted on the ground. Shino just nodded and Kiba was still muttering under his breath about being squeamish.
Kurenai's eyes were on Naruto. His explanation was perfectly reasonable and logical. So why get so nervous about it? It was something she'd have to think about later.
"Well, Naruto-kun," she began, causing the blonde to face her again. "We know only high-level genjutsus work on you, but we still don't know why." She paused. "I'd like Hinata to take a look at your chakra network, if that's ok with you."
He blinked and seemed to be considering. "Okay," he said slowly, hesitantly.
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine, Kurenai-sensei," Naruto replied, smiling.
The jonin gestured for Hinata to come over. When she was in position, facing Naruto, Kurenai said, "Whenever you're ready, Hinata. Just tell me if you see anything unusual."
The dark-haired girl nodded and activated her doujutsu. Naruto stood, looking at her nervously.
The Hyuuga examined the blonde's chakra coils. "Naruto-san has quite a lot of chakra. He's very bright," Hinata said distractedly. Silence. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly. Then, "Oh." More silence. "T-Thank you, N-Naruto-san. I'm finished," she said, the veins around her eyes disappearing.
The blonde sighed and relaxed a little.
Kurenai spoke. "Well?"
"N-Naruto-san has very…unusual chakra," Hinata began, looking at her teacher. "And not just because h-he has so much of it. It's...bubbly."
Kurenai blinked at her. "Bubbly?"
"Y-Yes," she replied. "I-I could actually see bubbles in it. They are constantly moving, popping, and forming. It makes h-his chakra very...volatile."
Kurenai blinked again. "Well, that explains it," she said. "Genjutsus are broken by disrupting the chakra flow. Naruto, your chakra flow is constantly being disrupted by those bubbles, all the time. So a genjutsu can't even take hold unless it's high level, and even then it's incomplete." She thought for a moment. "I wonder if the Sharingan would work?" she mused to herself. "Maybe I can get Kakashi to try it out on you, although Itachi-san is better at illusions."
"Sharingan?" Naruto asked, sounding nervous.
Kurenai chuckled. "The Uchiha doujutsu. It can cast powerful illusions. Don't worry, I'll have to talk to the Yondaime first."
Naruto nodded but didn't look any less nervous.
"I wonder how far around you the disruption extends," she mused. She smirked a little. "Hinata, go stand by Naruto-kun."
The black-haired kunoichi, who had been watching her, blushed again and dropped her eyes to the ground. "O-Ok, Sensei," she said quietly. She made her way over to the blonde and stood about five feet away from him. Kurenai snickered to herself.
"That's good to start, Hinata," she said. "I'm going to cast a simple illusion, and you tell me if you see it, ok?" The dark-haired kunoichi nodded.
Kurenai cast a genjutsu that turned the grass blue. Hinata nodded. "I see it, Sensei,"she said.
"Ok, Hinata, take a step closer to Naruto-kun."
The girl did as she asked, fingers fidgeting furiously. Kurenai inwardly smirked. Oh, she was going to have fun with this.
Step by step, the Hyuuga heiress made her way closer to Naruto. By the time she was standing next to him, their shoulders almost touching, her cheeks were the darkest shade of red Kurenai had ever seen on a human being. She was worried the girl might pass out. But she still saw the genjutsu.
"Hmmm...so it only really works for Naruto," she mumbled to herself. "Ok, Naruto-kun," she called. "I want you to try touching Hinata. Don't gather any chakra or try to dispel anything, just touch her."
"Ok, Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata's eyes widened, but before she could say or do anything, Naruto had made his move. Because they were so close, and it was awkward to do anything else, he grabbed her hand in his.
Hinata squeaked, the red in her face turing almost purple. She swayed on her feet. "Hinata-san?" Naruto asked, concerned. The poor girl tried to stammer out something, but it was lost as her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted. "Hinata-san!" Naruto caught her before she fell and gently laid her on the ground. He looked over at Kurenai with wide eyes. "Kurenai-sensei! What happened?" he sounded a little panicked.
Shino and Kiba were on their feet, rushing to their teammate's side. Well, Kiba rushed. Shino sort of...flowed. But it was rushing for an Aburame. Kiba pushed Naruto out of the way, and the new ninja let himself be shoved back so Kiba could take his place at Hinata's side. He called her name a few times while Shino knelt down opposite him. One small insect flew out and landed on Hinata's forehead. Naruto hovered behind Kiba, anxiously watching Hinata's face.
Kurenai made her way over more slowly. Boys. It was sweet how concerned they all were, but they were so clueless. She wasn't worried about Hinata--she had only fainted because Naruto touched her. The jonin was certain Hinata had a crush on him. She'd wake up in a minute or two.
She told the three males so, and sure enough, Hinata groaned a little and sat up a few moments later.
"G-Gomen, everyone," she mumbled. "I'm fine, I just got a little...overheated."
Kiba snickered and she shot him a look. Naruto looked relieved and he grinned. "It's ok, Hinata-san," he said.
"Kurenai-sensei," the dark-haired kunoichi continued. "Ummm…it worked. When N-Naruto-san t-touched me, the genjutsu broke."
Kurenai nodded. "Interesting. Well, I want to explore this ability a little more, but for now, I think we should take a five minute break."
After Kurenai dismissed them for the day, Shino approached Naruto.
"Naruto-san," he began. "I have a request."
"Yes, Shino-san? What is it?" Naruto was curious. What could the insect-user want from him?
"My kikaichuu are…confused about you. They want to…get to know you better." Shino's normally emotionless voice seemed faintly embarrassed. "I am sorry if this seems too forward. I understand if you don't want to comply."
Naruto grinned. "It's ok, Shino-san. But what are they confused about? And how exactly will they 'get to know me better'?"
"They…find your chakra to be…unusual. Perhaps because of the bubbles. They want to…feel it more closely. You just have to stand there, Naruto-san. They will only land on you."
Naruto pondered the request. Like Akamaru, he didn't think the insects would be able to tell exactly why his chakra felt different to them. It was highly unlikely that they had encountered a demon before, since the Kyuubi container didn't seem to use its chakra much. Refusing might be seen as suspicious, like he had something to hide. Besides, he wanted to comply. He always tried to do what others asked of him. Especially when that 'other' was a newly-acquired comrade.
He was meeting Gai this afternoon...but Gai wouldn't be mad if he was a few minutes late. Especially if he told the older man it was because he was helping a fellow Leaf nin. Gai would spout something about 'flames of youth' and maybe cry a little. No, Gai wouldn't care at all.
He grinned. "They will only land on me?" he repeated. Shino nodded. "Then that's fine, Shino-san. I just stand here, right?" Shino nodded again. "Ok then."
Shino raised his arms and two dark clouds issued from inside his sleeves. The clouds swarmed around Naruto, making swirling patterns in the air. He lifted his own arms out to his sides. As if it was a cue, the insects started to land on him. Soon his whole body was covered, except his face, but there were more flying in the air, waiting their turn he supposed.
He laughed. He liked insects. They didn't shy away from him, like most animals did. The feel of their tiny feet on his skin tickled. It was a pleasant sensation.
Naruto cautiously brought his hand near his face, to get a better look at the little beetles. They were really quite pretty when you looked at them. Some would take off, their curiosity apparently satisfied, only to be replaced by others that hadn't had a chance yet.
Eventually, though, all the kikaichuu returned to their host. Naruto felt almost sad. But he smiled. "All done?"
Shino nodded.
"Well, what do they…think?" He wasn't sure if that was the right way to put it, but he didn't know how else to ask for the insects' opinion.
Shino was silent for a moment. "They still don't…understand why your chakra is different. But they are content with that. They accept the fact that it simply is unusual." He bowed to Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto-san, for allowing them the opportunity."
Naruto grinned. "No problem, Shino-san. I like insects. They are welcome to land on me any time."
Shino was silent again. Naruto thought he might be surprised, but it was so hard to tell with the Aburame. He turned to go. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow Shino-san!" he called over his shoulder.
Shino merely inclined his head and watched the blonde leave the clearing.
Author's Note
Thanks to everyone for your patience while I work through my writer's block.
Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added me/my story to their alerts/favorites. It really does mean a lot.