Naruto scowled at the blackboard that had been the bane of her existence for the last six years of her life, "Never," she started, "in my wildest nightmares," she continued, "did I ever imagine we'd land the only Jounin-sensei in the world lazier than Shikamaru."

Sakura sat perched just to her right, tossing kunai up into the air and then catching them again, "It's already been a half-hour..."

Naru sat up and pulled out one of her scrolls, "I'm not going to just sit around here doing nothing."

The pinkette caught the kunai by the loop three inches from it piercing her thigh, "What's that?"

She spread the scroll across the table proudly, "This is a plan of attack for our next game of Tag."

Sakura's face lit up and she put the blade away, leaning over eagerly, "I'd completely forgot! Naru, this is amazing! Now that we know everyone's teams, we need to come up with a good strategy to counter them all."

She grinned and nodded, turning to the only boy in the room, "Come on, Sasuke! This is our chance to get ahead!"

He looked their way and then went back to his silent brooding. She felt her eyebrow twitch and her earlier annoyance returned threefold.

Naruto had had it! She turned in her seat and tossed her pen at Sasuke's big, fat head with enough force and skill that it flew through the air like a senbon. He dodged it, of course -he wasn't the rookie of the year for nothing- but it got the desired result: his attention actually focused on her.

"That does it!" Naruto wasn't afraid to get in his face now that they were pretty much alone, finger less than an inch from his nose, "You have exceeded your emo-limit for the day. Either promptly return my best friend, or I swear you're going to wake up tomorrow looking like Sakura's twin sister."

Ebony eyes widened and stared at her, but Sasuke hadn't been (at times -most times- reluctant) best friends with her since they were children without learning to tell when Naruto was being serious. And she was most definitely serious about dyeing his hair in his sleep. And with Naruto being the queen prankster of the entire village, able to dodge even the shinobi that chased after her paired with Sasuke's own mental conditioning where she didn't register as a threat to his sleeping mind, she'd be able to pull it off.

Sasuke sighed, expression pinched, before he finally nodded and stood up, "You're so annoying."

Naruto grinned, fully content in her victory, and shrugged, "I've been called worse. Not like you're a ball of cheer yourself."

"Whatever." He sat down at the desk in Naruto's vacant spot, twitching when the blonde draped herself over his shoulders to point at the scroll.

"Now, we'll have to come up with a way to avoid Hinata, Kiba, and Shino's team. Between Hinata's eyes, Kiba's nose, and Shino's bugs, it'll be all but impossible to hide."

As she spoke, Sasuke's shoulders slowly untensed and he actually turned his attention to the paper spread out before them, examining it carefully. "Do you have any plants that can affect dog-boy's nose and Shino's bugs at the same time?"

"Hmm... Not sure. I'll have to ask Kaachan about the lethality of certain chakra-sapping plants. I know of a really smelly flytrap, but they'd invariably be fatal to the Kikaichu, and that's a foul."

Sakura leaned over them both and pointed to Hinata's name, "The issue here is Hinata's ability to see chakra-systems. So we need either a way to disable that ability, or to confuse it. Smoke bombs are useless, she can see right through them."

Sasuke 'hmm'ed, "What about chakra-enhanced smoke?"

Sakura bit her lip and frowned down at the scroll, then her emerald eyes lit up, "Sasuke, that's perfect! I know just the Jutsu to use!"

Naruto leaned over to plant both hands on the table and look at the scroll, her upper torso pressing Sasuke forward, his slowly reddening face sliding below her notice, "The Shadow Clone Jutsu has the exact same chakra as the person using it. I could probably trick Hinata-chan with it."

"Yeah, but we couldn't. Naruto, neither Sasuke or I have the chakra it would take to make even a single one."

"Yeah, I know. I wonder if the new Transformation Jutsu Shika helped me make will work for that..."

"New Jutsu?"

She smiled over at the other girl, "Yep! The Academy Transformation is the Henge, my new one is the Henshin! It's more sturdy and doesn't take constant concentration." Huh, I wonder what my Replications are doing right now...? She shrugged and went about showing the Henshin to her team.

The blonde threaded her fingers together behind her head and let out a loud sigh, "What are we supposed to do now?"

Her sister next to her was the more serious one, head bowed and holding her chin in thought, "We'll need a place to live, we'll need to eat." she sighed and crossed her arms, "What we need," she concluded, "are jobs."

"...And how would we go about getting them? We can't take missions since we aren't registered, and I don't know about you, but I have no idea how civilians get work."

"We can cook, we're strong; we can do manual labor." sharp blue eyes looked between them, "We're pretty, we could-"

"No." Paler blue eyes snapped open, her hands falling from behind her as she stared at her sister, "I don't want to be haunted by memories like those."

She let out a relieved sigh, "I agree. So it's decided, then? We'll split up and look for work."

"Sounds good, and it's not like it'll be the worst thing ever if we don't find anything. We can camp out indefinitely without any fear of starving. So we'll meet up back here later tonight?"

The long, burnished golden hair swayed with a determined nod, "Right."

They shared a final look and parted ways.

"Look, it's the Snake Witch..."

"I heard she drinks blood!"

"I heard she spreads her legs for anyone who can beat her."

"I heard she eats young gossips who are better off in school instead of slacking off."

The trio of boys spun in place and cowered back in instant reaction. A brave -or stupid- brunette with a hat stepped forward, "Oh yeah? And who are you?"

"Why you little...!" She was a Kunoichi with years of training under her belt and who knew sixteen different ways to kill a person off the top of her head. She might have been a little short, but in this form she had several years on the little snots in front of her and she would be shown respect!

The Odango-haired blonde cracked her knuckles with a toothy smile that sent shivers down all three boys' spines. The pale-haired one in the back made a break for it, but she lashed out with a swift kick to the back of his legs, sending him sprawling. The other two tried to take off but she grabbed one by the back of his shirt and the other around the neck with her arm. In the total space of six seconds she had two of them in twin head-locks and the other squirming on the ground under her foot.

"Now," she smiled down at them, "I think you owe that lady an apology for your atrocious social skills and non-existent manners."

The dark-haired one caught by her right arm pushed futilely at the hold she had on him, "Why should we?"

With blinding speed, she reversed her hold on him, then with muscles honed from years of training, heaved him over her shoulder to the ground where he landed with a huff, her hand mashing his face into the dirt, "Because if I can do all this, just imagine what a trained Kunoichi with years of experience could do to you. She helps defend your ungrateful lives, you brat, you owe her your respect."

The pale haired one under her foot was nearly in tears, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me, Kunoichi-san!"

The brunet still in the head-lock of her left arm went limp, "Sorry..."

Her fingers dug into Mr. Attitude's hair and pulled his head up, "And you? What do you say to the kind woman that didn't kill you for insulting her?"

He winced in pain, "P-please forgive me, Kunoichi-san."

Her grip tightened, "And?"

"And th-thank you... for defendin' our ungrateful lives."

The purple-haired woman stared at the whole spectacle in silence before turning away with a wave, "Whatever. It's not like I do it for you, anyway."

The blonde woman nodded, wrapping her hand tightly around his arm and hauling him back up, she shoved him forward and tossed his brunet friend next to him, their blonde comrade scrambling up after them the moment she lifted her foot from his back. She gave them a piercing crystal-blue glare, "Go back to your mothers until you learn some proper respect for women!" They left with more haste than grace and she crossed her arms with a satisfied nod. "Ooooh! Disrespectful brats!"

She froze in place as a pair of arms wound around her torso, one creeping across her stomach and the other over her clavicle as warm breath blew against her ear, "Oh, my hero, how ever shall I repay you~?"

She swallowed audibly, "E-eh?! I-it's nothing!"

"Oh, no, I insist."

"I'm f-fine."

The arms finally retreated and she stepped away as quick as she could, turning to look at the previously-mentioned Snake Witch herself, eyes wide. The purple-haired woman threw back her head with a laugh that put her on the defensive. Burnt-amber eyes looked at her, gleaming with amusement, "So, may I know the name of my savior?"

"N-name?"

"You know, that thing people call you by, generally given by parents."

Name?! She didn't have a name! Frantic to answer before she raised the Kunoichi's ire, she said the very first thing that came to mind, "Usagi."

Again she was laughed at, "Oh, that's rich! Your parents named you 'Rabbit'?!"

It was another knee-jerk reaction as she stomped her foot, offended, "No! I don't have parents, I named myself. And what's wrong with 'Usagi'?!"

The laughter cut off abruptly and she quailed under the suddenly sharp gaze before it looked away, "Ah, shit. Hey, I'm sorry for bringing it up, okay? Really, and there's nothing wrong with it. I was just... being a bitch."

Usagi sighed, "It's... fine."

"Hey, want to get some lunch?"

She shook her head and opened her mouth to decline when her stomach took it upon itself to answer with a loud growl that left her blushing hotly. She glanced away at the knowing smirk aimed at her, "I can't. I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it. My treat. Least I can do for the woman who so kindly stepped up to defend my honor, right?"

Usagi blushed hotter, sneaking furtive glances at the smile that was both friendly and slightly mocking, "I... I suppose."

She was waved forward and fell into step with her companion, "I'm Anko Mitarashi in case you weren't aware exactly who it was you were defending. You know you didn't have to do that, right? Shits will be shits, and it's not like I haven't been called worse."

Usagi folded her arms, fingers digging into the pale pink of her jacket as she watched the street, "It doesn't matter if others do it, it doesn't make it right. They had no right to say those things. Words are weapons as sharp as any made of steel, and people fling around far too freely things that can cut so deeply."

Anko gave her a sharp look as she hugged herself, "That's human nature."

She stubbornly shook her head and looked up, deep blue eyes burning with an inner fire, "I don't believe that. I believe the truest nature of us all invites us to be kind."

Anko shook her head in turn, but her smile was much kinder as she threw an arm around Usagi's shoulders, "You, my friend, are a dreamer. The world needs more of you."

Minako sighed as she wandered the streets. She'd been to any number of shops and stores and none of them had been willing to hire her. It was becoming more and more despairing, and more than one shopkeeper, seeing her forlorn expression, had pointed her to the House of Internal Healing down the street.

Does no one think I'm suited for anything besides whoring myself out? Not that she didn't make the ideal target for the profession: she was young, foreign, pretty, and apparently desperate for cash. She sighed as she passed the House, stopping before it and glancing in through the window. She shook her head and turned away, determined not to sink to that. She and her sister could live out in the forests if they had to.

"Hello, there. Is there anything I can help you with?"

She startled and turned back to see a woman with very long, dark green hair, "Oh, no. I was just... passing by."

"Would you like to come in for a bit?"

Her expression tightened, the words escaping her lips before she could stop them, "I have no desire to become a whore!"

The strange woman looked at her with wide wine-colored eyes, then threw her head back and laughed. Minako's face heated as she glanced around and saw several people stop in the middle of the street to look at her. She hadn't meant to be so loud, but it had been one too many suggestions today and she hadn't been able to silence herself. The woman smiled at her when her deep laughter trailed off, "Oh, no, I'm afraid you misunderstand. This isn't a brothel, it's a place of healing."

Mina gave her a skeptical look and glanced up at the highlighted 'internal' part of the establishment's name.

The woman stepped back and to the side, "Please, come in and talk to me for a little while."

She hesitated, but she had nothing to lose except time. Haltingly, she nodded and stepped inside, if only to get out of the stares of the villagers on the street after her outburst. It was darker within, the floors all darkwood, with low tables surrounded by cushions. As soon as the door closed all sound from outside cut off, like stepping into another world. The large open window kept the room from feeling too small, with red velvet curtains that could easily be drawn for privacy.

The woman led her to a table in a back corner and gracefully sat down on a puffy cushion. Minako hesitated before kneeling on one on the opposite side, glancing around uneasily.

A soft, husky laugh drew her attention back to her host, "You look exactly like any one of our new clients the first time they come here."

Her cheeks puffed out in agitation even as she felt them color, "Well forgive me if I don't frequent-"

"I reiterate my claim from before. This is no brothel."

Minako paused, unwilling to argue and offend the woman by insisting. The wind went out of her sails, "Then what is it...?"

"Setsuna. My name is Setsuna Meiou."

"I'm Minako."

Minako focused her eyes on the table instead of Setsuna's smile, on the tea that another... 'server' set before them, "Minako. This is not a house of ill-repute, it's a place of healing. Mind healing."

"Mind...?"

She nodded, "Shinobi have hard lives, beyond that which can be healed by a quick visit to the Honorable Yamanaka Clan, they require a longer, gentler healing. And, yes, on some very rare occasions, sometimes a healing of a sexual nature- that is especially true for some Kunoichi who undertake certain kinds of missions."

Minako shivered, knowing exactly the kind of 'missions' those were. "So... what happens here, then? Nearly everyone I've talked to today has suggested this place to me when I've asked for somewhere to work."

Setsuna looked up at her, eyes narrowing, "Is that so? Hmm. Well, most often, our work takes place right here on the main floor. This is a place of comfort, meant to relax our clients as much as possible. And it's here that we talk, where we relieve them of the burdens on their hearts. They come here for comfort, for someone to talk to who won't flinch away from the facts of being a Shinobi. Somewhere where they can be safe."

Mina raised her eyes, "You heal their souls with love..."

The dark-haired woman smiled at her, "That's it exactly." Setsuna raised took a sip of her tea and hid her mouth behind her cup, "I can see why it was you were suggested this place. You have a kind heart, don't you, Minako-chan?"

"I..."

"Would you like to work here?"

She shook her head, "I couldn't do that! What if... what if I'm bad at it? I could really hurt someone. Or what if it didn't work out? What would happen to the people who came in to speak to me? How could I possibly ever be there anytime I'm needed? How would I know? How- I couldn't!"

Setsuna giggled at her and she felt even more ridiculous, "Calm, Minako-chan. I would not be putting you with the most desperate cases in your first week, if that's what you're afraid of. We'd start you off gently and slowly teach you all that you'd need to know to help calm and treat even the most damaged cases. If that's what you want. Give it a try. You never know, this might be your calling."

Minako played with her cup, turning it obsessively, and drained it nervously as she thought. It wasn't like she had anything to lose, right? It wasn't a brothel, it was helping people. "And I... I wouldn't have to handle the... the sexual cases, would I?"

"Not if it makes you uncomfortable. This is a place of healing, always. It would hardly do to heal our clients at the cost of the healers themselves. Try, that is all I'm asking of you. Give it one week, and at the end of it, you'll be no further away than you are now."

She took a deep breath, "...Okay. I can do that. It's just a week. Anyone can handle a week. How do I start?"

Setsuna rested her elbows on the table and threaded her fingers together, resting her chin on them as she looked at her with a soft smile, "Just talk to me. I'll teach you as we go."

Minako instantly saw what she meant; that position and expression on Setsuna's face made her want to trust the woman, made her feel at ease and willing to share with her because she knew Setsuna wouldn't laugh at her or dismiss her words. She took another deep breath and let it out, and let her shoulders relax for the first time since she'd entered the building, "I have a sister, and we just got here. No jobs, and while we've been sort of thinking about camping out in the forest, I couldn't help this tight feeling in my stomach all day. We split up to look for work, and I've been so worried..."

Three hours... It was only a passive thought, though. Honestly, The three Genin of Team Seven couldn't care if their sensei never showed up. The three had pushed two desks together and pulled a third one close, scrolls covering all the surfaces.

Naruto leaned over her two team mates -Sakura sprawled across the two combined desks, hand on the one scroll she was checking and three beneath her that she looked back and forth between, and the other pointing to a spot on the huge scroll all three of them had most of their attention on, "This stand of trees, here. Naruto, do you know what they are?"

Naruto was shamelessly using the top of Sasuke's head as an extra desk, a chart laying on it as he held perfectly still, dark eyes flicking over the map they were crafting. "Yeah, that's a stand of sakura. I think even the same ones as the day we met. Over here, though..."

"Never mind that. Do you know a tree that looks close enough to sakuras for me to genjutsu an illusion of over them?"

Sasuke touched another point, "Divert them here. You said these kind of trees burn well, right? If we trap them here and then I light them up..."

Sakura pulled another scroll from the pile and laid it over the ink-sketches already there, "We need water trenches here to avoid causing a brushfire."

"Shika will see that coming a mile away..."

"Where would he hide out?"

Naruto's eyes scanned the map, then pulled out yet another scroll that was a close-up of the nearest training ground, "Shika would be... here. Because he hates this and would want to be as far away from Ino-nee's wrath as possible. ...Unless she ties herself to him again, in which case they'll probably be over here, fighting with each other."

"This is harder than I thought it'd be." Sakura commented as she made notes.

"Because all of our usual teams are broken up." Naruto grinned, "Though I've gotta say, it'll be nice fighting with you on my team for once."

Sakura gave her a small smile as she wiped at an itch on her cheek, smearing ink across her face. "Same here. Though I don't know how you usually get Shikamaru so motivated. Or Chouji for that matter. Actually, I don't know how you keep any of your team from falling apart..."

Naruto waved her off and moved the layered scrolls out of the way, grabbing another penbrush and marking the different plants and trees she remembered and their key characteristics for a battle. "Oh, that's easy. Kiba, Akamaru, and Chouji I bribe with food. Shino is more than happy to help me since I can help feed his Kikaichu. Shika just knows I never give up, and I'd drive him insane if he didn't participate and caused us to lose." Her smile turned devious as her blue eyes slid to their remaining team mate, "And I've been bugging Sasuke since we were seven. I've got him pretty well trained by now."

The raven-haired boy in question cast her a scathing glare- that would have been somewhat more effective had he not been allowing her to use his head as extra desk space. "Naruto..."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "Joking, 'Suke. You know that." In actuality, she bribed him the same way she did the others: with food. There were a lot of things Sasuke would put up with when Naruto supplied him with an infinite variety of tomatoes. Competing in the Tag Battles really had no downsides for him. It allowed him to hone his skills in live battle -or, well, as live as it ever got with the rest of them- granted him access to the greatest minds of his generation -really, watching Naruto and Shikamaru hammer out ideas and plans was something to see- and he got 'paid' for doing so. And if there was one thing Sasuke disliked, it was losing, so he really needed no more motivation to do his best.

The metallic clang caused all three of them to look away from their project to see their Jounin-sensei standing in the doorway, covered in chalk-dust from the well-concealed trap Naruto had set up above the door, a bucket of the dust triggered to the handle being moved. The Jounin stood there, entire front shrouded in white that billowed out across the floor, his first look at his Genin team being a pink-haired girl up on a desk on her knees, face smeared with ink, the infamous Last Uchiha sitting there with a chart on the top of his head, and a blond with several inkbrushes stuck in her hair at random so they wouldn't get ink all over the multitude of scrolls sprawled out over three different desks.

Their new sensei put a hand to his chin and tilted his head up slightly in thought, "My first impression of this team is... You're a bunch of idiots."

All three of them sweatdropped. Naruto looked away with a scowl, "Not so hot yourself, Sensei..."

On the roof after they'd all had a chance to clean up the classroom and themselves (and no, they were not the least bit sorry. If their teacher had been on time, he'd have had a ready team of Genin), sitting close together while their new teacher leaned against the railing.

"Introduce yourselves."

"Introduce ourselves?" Sakura looked at her team mates. Even not counting the fact they'd been together in class the last six years, where it'd be impossible to at least not know the names of each classmate, they were best friends. And this was their -Jounin- sensei, shouldn't he have their files?

"Names, things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies... things like that."

Sakura puffed out her cheeks, "You go first, sensei, give us an example."

"Hmm... alright. My name is Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the future... never really thought about it. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies." All three Genin sweatdropped. He pointed towards Sakura, "Your turn."

"Okay... My name is Sakura Haruno! I like my friends, I dislike people who are disrespectful of others' honest efforts -like, for example, a teacher showing up late- my hobbies are studying and training to be better and hanging out with my friends. My dream for the future is to become the top Kunoichi with Ino-chan!"

"Okay, and you next."

Sasuke visibly held in a sigh, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are few things I like. I hate being left in the dark, especially if it's about things involving me personally. My ambition is to learn the truth, and my spare time is spent on training to become strong enough to achieve that end."

Naruto rolled her eyes, highly tempted to reach over and flick Sasuke's ear for going emo again when she'd finally gotten him out of it, and more-so for their new sensei for putting him back into that mood. She squirmed in place, "Me next, me next! I'm Naruto Yamanaka, and my sister is Ino Yamanaka, our clan's heir. I like ramen -lots of foods, actually, but especially ramen- and my friends, and my Kaachan... And Sasuke-teme, when he's not being too broody." Sasuke gave her a dark look, she beamed back at him, "I dislike secrets, and I can't stand bullying, and I don't much like vegetables, either. Hobbies are my friends- and cooking, which I'm pretty good at, especially ramen. And my dream for the future is to help all my friends achieve theirs-" her gaze flicked over to Sasuke, "and to become-"

"Hokage." Both her team mates finished for her at the same time. Sakura even went so far as to add on her signature 'Believe it!' at the end. Naruto pouted at them both.

Their Sensei sighed, "Well, you're certainly each unique with your own ideas... Very well, then. We'll have our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto leaned forward, "What kind of mission will we do?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together."

The Genin shared a wry look, Sakura the one that spoke for them, "Well we didn't exactly think you'd only pick one of us for it." She whispered out the side of her mouth to the others, "Does he ever give a straight answer?"

Their attention was drawn back to Kakashi when he spoke, "It's a survival exercise."

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, then grinned, "Cha-ching~!"

Naru tilted her head back and forth, "We're masters at that kind of thing, no problem~!"

Kakashi waved down their enthusiasm, "This is not like your previous training."

"Uh... how's it different?"

All three exchanged confused looks when Kakashi began chuckling. Sakura glared at him, "What's so funny? That's a normal question."

"You're not going to like the answer. Of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here, only nine will be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the Academy. It other words, this is a make it or break it, pass\fail test, and the chance that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke immediately tensed and looked at each other. Sasuke's fingers moved so quick it looked like his hands were trembling. 'Emergency Meeting. Tonight.'

Naruto gave the barest nod, her own fingers flicking through code, 'Acknowledged. Home Base. Sakura, research.'

The other girl was already replying before she got the order out, 'On it.'

All three of them stared at their sensei with narrowed eyes as he laughed again, "Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?"

Sakura raised her hand, "Sensei, if we're still not Genin yet, what was the point of the graduation test in the first place?"

"That was just to select candidates who might become Genin- or not."

Her fingers twitched. 'Target, prevent wasting resources. Hopeless dropped. Primary taken.'

Naruto and Sasuke both signaled back an 'acknowledged'. So the Academy test was only to sort out the hopeless ones.

"Be at the designated training ground at five A.M. And bring your ninja gear." ...Like they were ever going to go without their ninja gear anyplace, ever. Kakashi turned his back on them with a wave, "That's it, you're dismissed." They stood up, pausing as he went on, "Oh, and tomorrow you might want to skip breakfast. Otherwise... You'll puke."

xxx

Not as many changes with Kakashi-interaction as we've had so far, but this is one station that needs to happen for everything else to work. Hope there was enough other happenings to keep interest up.

XXX