Shikon sat quietly beside her brother, who was boasting about passing. Atop of his head sat Akamaru, while her own partner, Kiiromaru sat on her lap. She was not as big as her brother, nor as strong, so having Kiiromaru on her head for too long made her uncomfortable.
Deciding to tune out her loud brother, Shikon looked around the room. Those who had passed the exam yesterday had arrived today as genin, while those who failed would return next year. Her eyes met Shino's, or at least she assumed it was his eyes, and she gave a small smile. The Aburame gave a nod in greeting, but before she could say anything, her attention was pulled to the front by one very loud Uzumaki Naruto.
She had been certain that the loud blond male had failed, but upon seeing the forehead protector upon his head, Shikon deduced he must have passed somehow. The Inuzuka girl took a deep whiff, trying to catch the scents coming off of him.
Kiba glanced at her but returned to what he was doing after seeing his younger twin was only scenting the air. Shikon tuned out the scents around her, focusing only on Naruto. She wanted to know how he had passed despite failing the exam.
Blood, anger, sweat, the forest and the scents of Mizuki-sensei and Iruka-sensei drifted through her nose. Shikon opened her eyes, not realizing he had closed them, and frowned as she allowed her nose to relax. The smells had painted an interesting picture in her head. She had always been wary of Mizuki's scent any way.
Iruka arrived shortly afterwards, calming down his former students. He congratulated them all on their success, only to have to wait for the students to calm down again as cheers went up once more. When it finally died down, Iruka launched into a speech about being shinobi and what it meant to serve the village. Shikon tried to pay attention, she really did. But it was a much softer explanation than what she and Kiba had received at home.
When the man had finally finished talking, Iruka began to explain the concept of teams. They would be about balance, something that made Shikon frown. The structure that they were set up with would mean there was a very slim chance of her being on the same team as her brother. The very idea of it made her uneasy. They were always together. At home, in school, training, playing, the two were never far apart.
Sensing his sister's discomfort, Kiba looped an arm around his twin.
"It'll be fine imouto." Twins they were, but he was still older than her, if only by a few minutes. Shikon depended on Kiba, and Kiba felt the over protective need to watch over his sister. It was a bond that few could come close to.
Iruka began to call out teams. There were scattered cheers and groans. All the while Shikon grew more and more anxious.
"Team Seven; Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Inuzuka Shikon."
The Inuzuka girl felt herself freeze in shock. She was separated from her brother. Ice settled into her stomach. They were always together, but now? Fighting, missions, training, it would all be apart.
"Team Eight; Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino." Kiba tossed an arm around his sister, pulling her into his side. The young girl all but melded herself into her brother, allowing his sent to fill her senses.
"Team Nine; Haruno Sakura, Fukada Bolin and Aomaru Gin."
"Team Ten; Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akamichi Choji."
Shikon and Kiba ignored the rest of what Iruka said. The twins drew comfort from each other. The very idea of leaving the village without the other unsettled them, and Kiba was beside himself at the thought of his little sister being in danger without him there to protect her.
"Alright everyone, go eat lunch with your teams and then come back her to meet your sensei." Iruka dismissed them all.
"You can come with me, Shikon." The young girl looked up at her brother's worried eyes. She gave a small smile.
"I'll be ok. Go eat with your team." He hesitated for a bot, carefully looking her over before nodding.
"Alright, but if something happens, call me."
"Hai." She smile and Kiba left with his team.
After her brother left the room, Shikon stood up and walked over to the two boys.
"Um, do you guys want to head someplace to eat?"
Sasuke frowned. "I have training to do, I don't have time for losers." Sasuke stood up and began walking away. She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but Naruto beat her to it.
"Teme! You think you're so cool, I'm way better than you!" His shouting had Shikon flinching away. The blond boy stood up and ran out the door.
"Sorry Shikon, maybe later." That was the only response the Inuzuka girl got from the boys.
Shikon sighed and Kiiromaru whined.
"Yeah I know. Let's go." They followed after the scent trail of the two boys.
Shinobi had to work as a team, it was what could make or break a mission. If the group was unable to work well together or could not trust each other to watch their backs, then everything could go up in flames with the mission failing, or everyone dying.
Inuzuka in particular were big on teamwork. Their ninken were with them from an early age and much of their jutsu relied on the partnership between the two. The way their family was raised played a huge role as well. They were raised to be a pack, and your team members became your pack as you became a shinobi. Inuzuka looked after their pack with their lives, so having a malfunctioning team was one of their worst nightmares.
Shikon followed the two boys, but it was Sasuke she first came across. The boy was bound and gaged, looking furious as he struggled. Shikon sniffed the air in confusion. Naruto had been the one to tie him up for some reason. The girl knelt down and removed his gag.
"Sasuke? What are you doing?" The Uchiha glared up at her.
"That stupid Naruto jumped me and tied me up." He continued struggling against the ropes.
"I can tell that much." She said, tapping her nose, "But why?" Sasuke paused in his struggles to shoot her a glare.
"Because he's an idiot." Shikon just sighed and watched him struggle for a bit longer.
"Do you want help?" The Inuzuka girl asked, only to be harshly rebuffed.
"I don't need your help." Shikon frowned. This team was really going against how she was raised.
"Look, we're shinobi now, and on the same team. The point of being on a team together is to work together."
"Che. Fine. Untie me." Shikon looked at him pointedly, causing him to role his eyes.
"Untie me please." The girl smiled and crouched down next to him before slicing through the ropes with her nails. A perk of being an Inuzuka, but after that, Sasuke kept a wary eye on her hands. She stood up, offering a hand to the Uchiha even though it was ignored.
"Right, now let's go find Naruto." She set off, Sasuke close behind her. Shikon could not help but worry about what the future held for her, despite the smile on her face.