Merry Christmas one and all, True Believers! I sincerely apologize for making you all wait for so long to read this, but with all that's been going on here recently, I haven't found that much time to write. However, I've finally finished Chapter 16 and the holidays are upon us so I'll have some free time to work on 17 as well. Anyhow, our last meeting with Naruto and Idenshi-X saw the addition of Kurenai Yuuhi to the team's ranks and the upcoming visit from some of Marvel's mightiest heroes! Now as that time draws near, a new challenge awaits our young mutant Genin, one that will push them harder than ever before. What could this be you ask? Well, let's read on and find out...
Chapter 16: A New Beginning.
"That's right everyone," reassured Kurenai calmly as she watched all three of her new students drift off into a firm, meditative trance. "Keep your minds focused. Let go of the world around you and look inward. Doing this can help you maintain better control of not only your powers, but whatever situation you may find yourselves in. Once you have quieted your mind, you can take in everything about your environment and use it to your advantage."
The four members of Idenshi-X were seated in a semi-circle on the front lawn of the Namikaze Estate beneath a tall oak tree, stationed quietly in the lotus position as they closed themselves and their minds to the world around them. A cool morning breeze whisked softly across the clearing, scattering a few stray leaves here and there, while gently caressing their exposed skin as they continued to meditate. Ever since she had become their sensei, Kurenai had made it so that a part of their daily training regiment was a short, half hour session of psychic training, which would help to both strengthen and sharpen their minds. Both Sakura and Naruto were taking to it quite well, while Sasuke was less enthused by the idea.
"I still don't see how sitting around and being quiet helps us with our training and getting stronger," grumbled the Uchiha heir discontentedly under his breath, thinking that Kurenai couldn't hear him.
"Not all power comes from how much physical strength you possess or the skills you were born with Sasuke," smirked Kurenai coyly as her student flinched in recognition at being caught. Despite his constant complaining about the uselessness of meditation, Sasuke was skilled at the exercise and had a strong mind that could prove to save his life if he ever came across a genjutsu specialist or high-level psion. Sadly, he was more driven to devoting his time to taijutsu and ninjutsu training than he was conditioning his mind.
Deciding to let the dark-haired Uchiha ponder her words for a time, she turned her mind's eye to Sakura, who- if she'd had her physical eyes open- would have been seen meditating as quietly as herself, a look of deep serenity upon her face. Like Sasuke, she too was fairly new to such deep, trance-like forms of meditation, but she took to it almost immediately, like a fish to water. Even now, as Kurenai observed her mind on the astral plane, Sakura was at a level of concentration so intense that she could be capable of resisting even the most potent of telepathic probes. 'It looks as though I was right about Sakura,' mused the crimson kunoichi thoughtfully as she watched the rainbow streams of mental energy flow from her students like water. 'Many people assume that Clan heirs like Sasuke or Neji are born geniuses. But someone like Sakura is a true genius.'
Having thought that, she turned her psychic gaze to Naruto, who was a bit less together than his teammates at the moment. Ordinarily, he would be at the same state of mind Sakura was, which Kurenai assumed to be a by-product of his training with the X-Men. But in the past two days, he'd begun to seem tense, distant, and excited as all get out, which she chalked up to the up-coming visit of his family. Now granted, she and the others were anxious about seeing them for the first time- having heard so many stories about them- but she could only imagine what Naruto was thinking. 'Still, his excitement shouldn't dictate his actions so loosely, it's not smart,' she thought critically as she inspected the psychic defenses he was creating for the exercise, taking note of their make-up and strength with her powers.
As she rounded the fifth barrier, she noticed a small, hair-line crack in the bottom-left corner of the wall. Upon closer inspection, she saw a faint wisp of blood red smoke wafting through the fissure and forming around the top of his defensive barriers. Immediately she sensed a powerful energy emanating from this smoke, something ancient and of an immensely strong mind that dwarfed her own psionic abilities. Curiosity finding root in her thoughts, she subconsciously extended the hand of her astral form and delicately caught a small thread of the smoke-like substance between her fingers, bringing it closer to examine it further. Suddenly, the blood-like smoke seemed to lash out at her, coiling up her arm and constricting her astral form like some bizarre serpent. Her first instinct was to try and pry it loose from her, but the mist responded by striking her with a blast of psionic force, knocking her back into her own mind. Before she could even question what had happened, her physical body doubled over in agony and shock from the encounter, her brain feeling as if it were about to split in two at any second.
Naruto's superhuman hearing caught the muffled thud of a body hitting the soft, grassy earth, and immediately his eyes snapped open, only to see his sensei writhing on the ground in pain with her head clutched between her hands as she curled into a fetal ball defensively. "Kurenai-sensei!!" he shouted in alarm as he bolted upright and rushed to her side, his panicked voice breaking Sakura and Sasuke out of their own meditative trances. Seeing their sensei in great pain, they quickly followed suit and gathered around her.
"What's wrong with her?!" asked Sakura worriedly, grimacing visibly as Kurenai had begun to cry out in anguish and distress. Having had some remedial experience with medicine, Sakura's instincts told her that their sensei was showing signs of a psychotic episode of some kind. But her screams told her that Kurenai was both in pain and genuinely terrified of something, as if she were having some sort of waking nightmare on top of a violent seizure.
"I'm not sure," Naruto replied sincerely over his sensei's screams. Thinking back to his experiences with Jean Grey and any other psions he'd encountered or grown up with, things like this only happened when they were under assault by a psychic probe or something else entirely. In reality, their sensei's episode could've been caused by any number of things. 'Kyuubi, any thoughts about what the hell is goin' on here?' he questioned the fox anxiously, hoping he may have some idea of what was happening.
'I'm just as clueless as you are Kit,' remarked the fox truthfully.
"Maybe she finally snapped from all this quiet," Sasuke said humorously, attempting to make light of the situation. However, a quick look at Sakura and Naruto told him that now was not the time for cracking wise about what was happening to Kurenai.
"Ahhhrrgghhh!!!" shrieked Kurenai once more, the level of pain going up a notch as she felt like her brain was beginning to liquefy. Had her students been inside her mind at that moment, they would've known all too well the reason for her cries of anguish. In her mind, she was hopelessly trapped in the Astral Plane, surrounded by an infinite void of chilling darkness and locked in her spiritual form. Frighteningly, she was not alone this time as she had been moments again. Crushing her from all sides was what appeared to be the mammoth coils of a gargantuan serpent; its scales tinged a bright shade of purple. As she struggled and thrashed in its steel-like grip to free herself, the great snake let out a mind-numbing hisss that sounded like a mixture of manic laughter and nails on a blackboard.
'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!' boomed the giant reptile gleefully as she strained against his grasp in vain to free herself. 'Your pitiful defiance amuses me, wench. It's been ages since I've tasted a will as strong as yours on the Astral Plane.'
'Urgh!' growled Kurenai angrily as she fought against her captor's hold with all she had. 'Who are you, serpent?!' she shouted accusingly at the beast. 'Why do you attack me like this?!'
'Oh come now,' a new, silky-smooth voice chimed in soothingly, causing her to jump in surprise. Turning her head towards the speaker, she noticed a tall, gangly figure standing calmly atop the serpent's head, as if he were the creature's puppeteer. 'Such a harsh tongue for one so lovely. Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku.'
Recognizing the direction of her gaze, the giant snake grinned slyly and lowered its head down to her level, it's cold, reptilian gaze threatening to swallow her whole at any moment and sentence her to oblivion. Tearing herself away from the serpent's piercing red eyes, she snapped her head upwards once more to look upon the creature's rider. For some reason, the figure was cloaked in shadow, outlined from the surrounding darkness only by a thin halo of white psionic energy that clung to his form like a second skin. The stranger's voice was that of a man, but his hair was so long and his body so lanky and trim that Kurenai would've mistaken him for a woman had he not spoken. He was garbed in a sort of tunic that was secured behind him by what looked to be a pretzel-like belt. However, what unnerved Kurenai the most about this stranger was his eyes, which resembled those of his serpentine mount, right down to the slitted irises and burning pupils that resembled the fires of Hell itself.
'W-who the hell are you?' questioned the crimson kunoichi sternly, a small amount of fear in her voice as she spoke.
'All in good time my dear, all in good time,' chuckled the stranger in obvious amusement, daintily brushing a strand of stray hair from his face. 'However, I will tell you this though: things are going to start popping around here very quickly, and by the time I am through, your village will have been reduced to dust beneath my feet. Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku.'
'Wh-what?!' stammered Kurenai in disbelief, shocked now more than ever at the dark figure's words. Whoever he was, this man carried a deep distain for her village, and she could feel it heavily in the air around them, his hatred bearing down on her like a massive weight. If her own psychic abilities weren't as strong as they were, this figure's hatred would've crushed her psyche within seconds of his arrival, rendering her in a vegetative state for the rest of her days.
'Oh, you'll see what I mean soon enough,' teased the shadowy man sadistically, his gigantic serpent mount tightening it's crushing grip on her once more, causing her to cry out in pain as she felt like her bones were really starting to break. 'I'll be in touch.'
Then, just as quickly as her assailants had come, they vanished into the blackness of what had been the Astral Plane without a trace. Only when she was completely sure that they were gone did Kurenai allow herself to collapse into the stillness of her own mind, her thoughts racing a mile a minute as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Beginning to feel overwhelmed, she remembered her exercise she'd been teaching her students and set herself to the task of focusing her mind on them instead, using that thought as an anchor with which to draw herself back into her corporeal form. Seconds later, it took affect and she ceased screaming, panting heavily as she tried to deal with the splitting headache she'd received from the encounter. As she began to feel her strength returning to her weary limbs, the crimson kunoichi groggily opened her eyes, delighted to see the concerned faces of her students staring down at her.
"Are you okay, Kurenai-sensei?" asked Naruto warily as he offered her his hand, carefully helping her get to her feet. Only seconds ago, she'd been screaming bloody murder, but now she was seemed to be as normal as before, if not a bit confused and extremely tired. He was tempted to ask more about what had happened, but something told him that she didn't really know either and he would be nosy by asking as well.
"I'm fine Naruto, really," lied Kurenai weakly as she steadied herself, her breathing becoming less shallow as she began to recover from her encounter with her assailant. Though she disliked deceiving them like that, she really didn't want them to worry about her too much. Still, this wasn't something she needed to put off until later. The Hokage needed to know what she'd seen.
"What was that Kurenai-sensei?" questioned Sakura in alarm, a panicked tone tainting her voice as she spoke. She'd never seen someone experience that kind of physical and mental trauma before. It was sincerely frightening. So much so that she felt as though it would haunt her for a while now.
"Honestly, I have no idea," answered Kurenai truthfully, her mind still trying to make sense of her encounter. Everything that had just happened was still clearly engraved in her mind's eye, every tiny detail still as visible now as it had been only moments ago. Even now, she could hear the mocking chuckle of the stranger echoing fresh and clear on her still ringing ears, sending icy chills tingling up her spine. Taking a moment to collect herself, she mentally shook off the creeping sensation that slithered along her skin.
"Are you sure you're alright Kurenai-sensei?" asked Naruto in concern, his hesitant attitude now replaced by one of precaution and guarded curiosity. The way she was acting, the blonde could've sworn that she'd been experiencing some sort of psionic trauma from facing an opponent of great strength on the mental plane. But he'd learned long ago that as far as telepaths were concerned, nothing was ever as it seemed. Even during the times he'd mimicked Xavier's telepathic powers, he'd never managed to fully test the limits of what he was capable of.
"Yes, I'm fine Naruto, really," replied an exasperated Kurenai adamantly, the reassuring tone in her voice placating her students for the moment. "I just... need to go collect my thoughts is all. Feel free to take the rest of the day off..." She paused for a moment, and then added with a calm grin, "But don't forget to take the time to practice on your own though. I don't want you three getting sloppy on me, especially with Naruto's family coming tomorrow."
"Sensei, wait!" Sakura called after her as she turned to leave, not wanting to see Kurenai leave in the state she was in. Hearing her worried cry, Kurenai halted her departure for the moment and turned to give the pink-haired girl her attention. "Don't go! Isn't there something we can do to help?"
"I'm sorry Sakura," began the crimson kunoichi sincerely, a warm smile gracing her ruby-red lips. "I appreciate the fact that you are all concerned for me, but there is really nothing you can do about this. I will see you tomorrow." And with that, Kurenai bid them farewell and promptly flickered out of sight in a whirlwind of leaves and dust.
"I sure hope she's alright," said Sakura worriedly after her sensei had gone, Naruto and Sasuke both sharing her concern. "What do you think happened you guys?"
"I'm not sure Sakura," replied Sasuke truthfully, his stern demeanor slipping to reveal a cool, calculating expression of in-depth thought. "If you ask me, she was hiding something. Did you notice how she paused a lot and how she seemed a bit jumpy just before she left? Call me crazy, but it seemed as though she was terrified of something."
"Teme, don't," said Naruto sternly, prompting a surprised stare from both Sakura and Sasuke. True, they all knew he was as concerned for Kurenai's well-being as they were, but something about the seriousness in his voice seemed odd to them. Seeing as they both looked so shocked by his rough command, Naruto relaxed his tensed mind, which in turn relaxed his body as well. Something about Kurenai's "episode" had unnerved him to say the least, but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was for sure. "It's best not to look into this too deep. Certain things about the mind aren't meant to be understood by everyone, some people just can comprehend it. Still...," he paused for minute, quietly looking back in the direction in which Kurenai had departed, the wind brushing coolly through his flame-tipped hair, "I hope she's alright."
The Hokage's Office, later that night...
"Hmm," mused Sandaime in silent introspection as he reclined slightly in his leather office chair, steepling his fingers in deep thought. Directly to his left stood Kakashi, with whom he had been speaking with only moments ago before Kurenai had abruptly entered with startling news that she'd said threatened the entire village. Now as she finished regaling them with the explicit details of her vision, both he and Kakashi felt a deep seed of dread begin to take root within them, though they did not allow the crimson kunoichi to see this. There was no need to upset her any further than she already was. "I see," said the Hokage after a moment of deadly silence. "And this has never happened to you before I take it?"
"No Sandaime-sama," nodded Kurenai truthfully as she stood before his desk, feeling the weight of both his and Kakashi's gaze upon her. "This is the first time something like this has happened. I've never been able to see the future like this, my mutant abilities are limited to creating illusions and thing else." After departing the Namikaze Estate, she had immediately gone home to mediate on her vision, trying to make sense of what had happened. However, she soon found that it was too much of a secret to bear and rushed to tell the Hokage, in hopes that he could help her unravel its mysteries and put her mind at ease.
"You mentioned something about a red mist that appeared before your vision," said Kakashi curiously, trying to look at Kurenai's premonition from all angles for a clue as to what brought on this new power of her's. "Do you think that was want caused you to receive this insight on the future?"
"I'm not sure," replied the crimson kunoichi in confusion, her mind still numb from the encounter. "It could be that it boosted my powers when I touched it. But there was something about it that seemed so... ancient. Like it whatever it was had been alive for centuries. Why would something like that be coming from Naruto's mind?" No sooner had those words left her lips than she saw both Kakashi and Sarutobi stiffen visibly, as if what she'd said had startled them.
Sarutobi quickly shot Kakashi a silent look, which apparently the Copy-nin returned. They were both thinking the same thing: could it be that the Kyuubi's chakra had somehow triggered a secondary mutation by making contact with Kurenai's psyche like it did? 'It's possible,' thought the aged Hokage guardedly, in case Kurenai was listening telepathically, 'but we can't know for sure. There's still so much about the Bijuu that we have to learn. But, I can't ignore what she's told me, especially when it comes to that figure she saw in her vision. Could it be after all these years, he's finally decided to make his move?'
"Sandaime-sama?" questioned Kakashi cautiously, every bit as unnerved by the Hokage's silence as Kurenai was. Like Sarutobi, he too recognized the mannerisms and actions of the figure Kurenai described, and it sincerely scared him. If it really was him and he was planning on attacking the village... Ugh, he didn't even want to think about it. That man was practically evil incarnate. Even now, memories of that man came flooding back to him, making him want to grimace and shiver in both disgust and fear, yet he kept his emotions in line.
"Um, yes," answered Sarutobi abruptly, thinking it best to hold off his thoughts until a later time. What mattered now was preparing his people for what lay ahead. "Well, we'll have to keep this in mind as we proceed with the upcoming events as planned."
"Sandaime-sama," Kurenai exclaimed in surprise, "are you sure it is wise to go through with them?"
"Yes Kurenai, I'm positive it is," replied Sarutobi in earnest sincerity. "Seeing as whoever you saw in your vision plans on attacking us in the near future, these events will be the perfect opportunity for him to infiltrate the village. It's the perfect bait to lure him out so that we may determine his true identity and take the right precautions to protect the village. That, and most of the other shinobi villages have begun to send their selected prospects to Konohagakure for a chance to participate. We cannot simply turn them away, lest we gain their animosity along with that of our mystery foe."
"I understand, Sandaime-same," agreed the crimson kunoichi honestly, though she still held a shred of concern when she thought about her students being part of all this chaos.
"Well," began the Hokage lightly, deciding it was best to switch to a less depressing subject, "now that that is taken care of, we should discuss the issue of your students' participation. I trust you've made your decision Kurenai."
"Yes, I have," Kurenai answered calmly, the thoughts of how hard both of her squads had been training as of late filling her with pride for their efforts. "I've decided that Squad-8 is to take part in the upcoming trials. All three of them have grown a lot since I became their teacher, and I think they've earned their place in this test and will endure."
"And, that's why I feel that Team-7 should take part in this endeavor as well," added Kakashi nonchalantly, his response causing the others to start for a moment, as he had been quiet for a time.
Upon hearing his request, Sarutobi looked up at the Copy-nin questionably, wondering what had prompted this. Then it occurred to him and he smiled at the thought, remembering a young, sable-haired boy who used to complain every time he was forced to pick up the slack of his own teammates, wondering what had ever happened to that kid. 'Heh, heh, looks like you've grownup some since then,' chuckled the Hokage knowingly, nodding his head at the Jounin approvingly.
However, this sudden inclusion of Idenshi-X in the upcoming crisis as well startled Kurenai deeply. Though she would admit that they had all improved greatly under her training and supervision, a small part of her worried that they still weren't ready to attempt these trials so soon in their careers as shinobi. Having faced this before, she knew all too well what awaited them if they were allowed to compete, and that frightened her. "Kakashi-sempai!" she exclaimed in disbelief, eyeing the silver-haired Jounin questionably. "You can't be serious about this! Besides, they aren't under your supervision any more, but mine."
"Even if that was the case Kurenai, I am serious about this," interjected the Copy-nin calmly. "And even though you act as the leader of Idenshi-X, I'm still their leader as far as Squad-7 is concerned. Therefore, I still have some supervision over them, even though they now function on two different roles for the good of the village."
"Forgive me sempai, but I simply will not allow you to enter them this early in their training," protested the crimson kunoichi further, her resolve staying steadfast as before. "They just aren't ready for that kind of pressure."
"Kurenai," sighed Kakashi, "look at it this way: you're willing to show Kiba, Hinata, and Shino that you have enough faith in their abilities that you'd enter them this early in their own training, aren't you being unfair by not allowing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to receive the same benefit of the doubt? Besides..." He stopped for a moment, looking her straight in the eye as he spoke. "When you've had the experience of being led to believe you're participating in a C-Rank mission, only to find yourself fighting for your life against two bloodthirsty nuke-nin on what could easily be an A-Rank mission, and you all make it out alive and defeat your enemies, then I think you'd see they're ready for this. Plus, before they were ours, they were mine, and still are in a sense."
Kakashi's words quickly reminding her that they had indeed proven themselves before in the past, Kurenai fell silent, any other protests she had dying in her throat. He was right, they had earned the right to be a part of this, just as Hinata and the others had. And here she had chewed out Logan only days ago for letting his personal attachments to Naruto hold him and his team back, when she was no better than him at the moment. "You're right Kakashi-sempai," she sighed in defeat, though some small part of her knew that she needed to let them grow up some time. "They have just as much a right to partake in these tests as any of the others."
"I'm glad the both of you agree," smiled Sarutobi pleasantly, happy to see that the argument hadn't gotten out of hand. True, Kurenai had every right to be protective of her team as she had been, but Kakashi still had the final say, as the three of them were still a part of his squad. That squabble finally settled, the aged Hokage reclined in his chair slightly, puffing a minute plume of smoke from his pipe as he set about returning to the matters at hand. "Well, now that we are all in agreement that your squads will be participating in the events, all that we need to do is to get their consent on the matter." Receiving a curt, yet understanding from the two Jounin, he pulled open one of the drawers of his desk, wordlessly produced a set of six consent forms, and promptly handed them to the pair. "I expect you will inform your respective charges of the situation and return these forms to as soon as possible."
"Hai, Sandaime-sama," agreed Kurenai, bowing respectfully as she received the three forms meant for her team. Beside her, Kakashi did the same, quickly folding the sheets lengthwise and sealing them away within the pages of his novella, as a way to remind him of his pressing task and save his place in the book as well. Upon seeing the orange book, both Kurenai and Sarutobi gave the Copy-nin a dour look that seemed to say 'pathetic'. Sensing their gaze, Kakashi quickly pocketed his book and grinned at them sheepishly from beneath his mask, his face turning a bright shade of red as he did so.
"Right then," chuckled the Hokage jovially at Kakashi's predicament, before regaining his usual, relaxed composure. "The two of you are dismissed for time being. I wish you and your squads, both shared and separate, the best of luck. Have a pleasant evening."
"Thank you, Sandaime-sama," bowed the two Jounin graciously. Their audience with the aged Hokage finished, both Kakashi and Kurenai turned and headed towards the two great fusuma doors. As she walked beside the man she had looked up to since her days at the Academy, the crimson kunoichi couldn't help but feel a little tense considering their argument a few moments ago. Like or not, they both had a responsibility to Naruto and his friends as leaders, and sometimes they wouldn't always see eye to eye on some things.
'I just hope you're doing the right thing by letting them go through with this Kakashi,' Kurenai thought silently as one of the Chunin present promptly opened the doors and moved out of her's and Kakashi's way. As they went their separate ways, she remembered all that she had heard from Naruto and his friends about their escapades in the Land of Waves, and she had to admit they had done well. Still, they wouldn't have Kakashi or the Punisher to back them up this time; it was a whole other ball-game. 'You were right about their experience as far as that mission was concerned, but this is a completely different matter entirely. It's going to take everything they've got to just survive what lies ahead.'
The following morning, at an old bridge in the Shopping District...
"(yawn) Man, where the hell is he?!" complained Naruto in annoyance as he reclined against one of the beams of the bridge, resting precariously on the railing as he and his friends awaited Kakashi's arrival.
Early that morning, all three of them had been awoken by a rapid series of knocks at their respective doors, each belonging to a different courier-nin who came bearing a message from one Hatake, Kakashi. Apparently, he wished to meet them at this bridge around 11:00 am that morning to speak to them something of the utmost importance. Naturally, they knew he would be late and took their time getting there. Naruto had taken the most time of the three, making sure everything was ready for his family's arrival to 2:00pm that afternoon. Now, as it began to turn 1:20 pm, the flame-haired mutant sighed hopelessly for what seemed like the million-th time as he spun one of his plasma claws lazily between the fingers of his left hand, tracing neon arcs through the air.
"The hell if I know dobe," glowered Sasuke in irritation, growing tired of the blonde's incessant complaining on top of Kakashi's absence. "He always does this, so just chill and wait it out." Like Naruto, he had grown used to the fact that the Copy-nin had a bad habit for showing up extremely late for everything under the sun, but it still annoyed him to no end. He was stationed directly behind his whiskered companion, leaning coolly against the wooden pillar that Naruto was resting his head on as well. Gazing out from under his jet-black follicles, which hung over his face like palm fronds as he inclined his head slightly, the Uchiha heir kept his eyes peeled for any sight of movement around them. He was determined not to let the Jounin sneak up on him again.
"We know that Sasuke," said Sakura poignantly from her seated position at her crush's feet, turning one of the pages of the medical book she'd brought along as she spoke. "But, it still wouldn't kill him to show up on time for a change." As short-tempered as she was knowledgeable, Sakura had been the only one of them to get completely fed-up with Kakashi's habitual tardiness. Still, she knew how to control her anger, and held back when she felt it was necessary. However, as she took a moment to check on her teammates, she could tell from the look on his face that Naruto was genuinely frustrated by all of this. But, she could hardly blame him. It was only natural that he was anxious about meeting his family, and Kakashi's little appointment had the potential for messing with that plan. Truth be told though, she was looking forward to it as much as he was!
"I see that I've kept you all waiting for too long again," sighed the Copy-nin from his perch on the wooden beam high above their heads, giving them quite the start as his arrival on the scene had gone completely unnoticed. Sasuke silently cursed himself for not thinking about keeping watch over the top of the bridge as well, allowing Kakashi to get the drop on them. However, it couldn't be helped now, so he shifted onto his feet and abandoned his inclined position against the beam. Behind him, Naruto willed his blade to dissipate and eagerly leapt off the railing, practically itching for Kakashi to get on with whatever he called them for. As the boy's abandoned their relaxed postures, Sakura decided to do the same, dog-earing her place and shutting the book as she got to her feet.
"Damn sensei, do I need to get you a pager or something?" asked Naruto impatiently as Kakashi leapt down from the top of the bridge to be at his student's level. His family would be landing in about two hours, so every moment he spent dawdling with Kakashi was only increasing the probability that he'd miss welcoming them to the village. "(sigh) Okay, what's so important that you'd call us down here and then take your sweet time showing up to actually tell us?"
"Patience Naruto, patience," said Kakashi reassuringly as he ruffled the boy's spiky, blonde locks, earning a playful scowl from the X-Man. "I'll try not to keep you too long. You'll still be able to get home before your family touches down, believe me on that one."
"So, what's up Kakashi-sensei?" wondered Sakura curiously, intrigued as to the reason why he'd called them there in the first place. If it had been a new mission, he'd have summoned them to the Hokage's office for a full briefing on the matter. But, seeing as he'd told them to meet here at the bridge, she assumed it wasn't as urgent, yet still important all the same.
"Well, for starters, I was feeling nostalgic the other day and decided to check up on you and see how you three were faring under Kurenai's training," said the silver-haired Jounin cordially, attempting to put their minds at ease so he could try and slide into the news of what lay ahead subtly. However, the looks on their faces told him that they hadn't bought a syllable of it; he and Kurenai had taught them too well for that. Sighing audibly to himself, he reached into his tactical-rig vest and produced the three forms that Sarutobi had lent him the preceding evening, handing one to each of them. "That, and I thought you might be interested in this."
The three Genin silently read over the consent forms they had just been handed, their excitement growing as the realization of what they held became fixed in their minds. True, they knew there was more to being a shinobi than their current level, but they had never dreamt that they'd have a chance to move up this early in their career. After a moment of silence, it was Sakura who finally spoke. "Are these for real?!" she probed critically; though an obvious trace of hopeful enthusiasm could be heard lingering in her voice. "I mean, for really, real?!"
"One hundred and ten percent, I assure you," grinned Kakashi cheerfully beneath his face-mask. "I've selected all three of you to participate in this year's Chunin Exams. These are a set of incredibly rigorous tests that will gauge your character, stamina, and will, to see if you have what it takes to become a Chunin." He stopped himself for a moment, allowing this monumental news to settle in, all the while noticing the pleasantly surprised looks fixed upon his student's faces. However, he was then reminded of Kurenai's vision of the danger that awaited the village, but shook it off. If he expected them to be the best they could be he needed to take his own advice and have some faith in them. Still... "Now remember, these are purely optional. If you choose not to take them, then that's your decision. And if not, then go to Room 301 of the Administrations Building at 3:00 pm five days from now."
"... Okay, hold up," Naruto interjected flippantly, drawing the attention of the others for the moment. "You pulled me away from getting ready for my family for something like this?" Upon hearing this, Sasuke had finally had enough of the blonde's attitude and strode towards him with fiery indignation flowing through his veins.
"You know what dobe?" growled the Uchiha angrily, tightening his grip on the form in his hand so much that it crumpled. "That's it! I'm sick and tired of your damn X-Men mentality! Since the moment we agreed to be a part of this little "team" of yours, you've stopped caring about anything that has to do with us or the village! Everything you've said about wanting to be a ninja and change our village for the better has all been a hypocritical farce! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to find out you never cared about the village or being a shinobi in the first place. Why don't you just go back to New York?!"
"You're questioning my loyalty to the village Sasuke?!" shouted the blonde wrathfully, igniting his plasma claws subconsciously out of anger and glaring at the Uchiha. "Everything I've told you and Sakura, I've meant 110%! I've never done anything to lead either of you to believe I'd ever be disloyal to Konoha, yet just 'cause I get excited about seeing my family again, you decide I don't care about all that! You have no right to bash me or my family!" As the anger mounted between them, Sakura could tell that this was going to be bad. Suddenly, as if to reinforce that sentiment, she felt a massive rush of power and snapped her head in Sasuke's direction just in time to see him activate his mutated Sharingan, his eyes glowing blood red with a lust for battle.
'No, not here! I can't let them do this!' she thought in a panic as she called up a portion of the area's ambient beta-energy and enveloped it around her hands. She knew she could stop them if need be, but she wanted to try and diffuse the situation before it got out of hand, without hurting them if possible. However, before she could even move to get in-between them, both Naruto and Sasuke launched themselves at one another, each intent on beating the other to a bloody pulp. Alarmed at this sight, Sakura started to race towards her comrades to stop them, when all of a sudden she felt a rush of wind blow past her and saw Kakashi successfully pin the both of them in under a second. Naruto was sprawled out on his stomach underneath the Copy-nin's foot that rested in the center of his back, while he held Sasuke by his collar one-handed, his left resting on the hitai-ite that hung over his eye, just in case.
"Alright, calm down, both of you!" snapped the Jounin sternly, his serious tone jarring the two boys out of their pointless fit of rage. "The two of you are acting like children! Letting yourselves get so worked up over such a frivolous argument instead of one deciding to act your age and diffuse it calmly. It's absurd!" His one visible eye darting back and forth between the two Genin, he could see that what he'd said had actually sunk in for a change. Cautiously, he lowered Sasuke to the ground, keeping his grip tight on the boy's collar all the while, and slightly lessened the weight he'd been asserting on Naruto's back. "Sasuke!" he barked sternly, narrowing his gaze at the dark-haired boy. "You had no right to call Naruto out like you did. Contrary to popular opinion among your peers, you're only human in a sense of the word, and have no grounds with which to judge him because of who he is."
"Heh, got that right," grumbled Naruto under his breath indignantly, only to feel the weight of Kakashi's sandaled feet press even harder into the middle of is back. "ACK!"
"And you, Naruto," sighed the Copy-nin in exasperation, twisting his foot a couple of times as he spoke to ensure his point was understood. "You have every right to be excited about seeing your family, I can sympathize with that much. But that still doesn't mean you should be disrespectful like that. The Chunin Exams are a highly anticipated right of passage for Genin all over the Elemental Nations, and only a select few are picked to participate each year. They're a chance for each village to gain a deeper appreciation for one another's culture and prowess in battle." Having said his piece, Kakashi released them and took a step backwards, regarding them in the manner one would a pair of squabbling toddlers who'd just calmed down. "That being said, can we please start acting like adults now? I know you two better than this to allow such bickering."
Sasuke and Naruto stared hard at each other for a moment, giving what Kakashi'd said some hard though. He was right after all, they had snapped at one another for no reason at all, fighting over the stupidest of things as if they were in preschool or something. And after they'd been through so much together and had become a real team, was all of this fighting and rivalry really all that necessary in the end? Finally, it was Naruto who reacted first. "You're right Kakashi-sensei," he admitted sincerely, nervously scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I should've thought about how you guys felt before acting all high and mighty like that. These Exams are really important to the team, and the village too, so I shouldn't have let my anticipation get in the way like that." Then, wordlessly, he offered Sasuke his hand as a gesture of goodwill. "And I'm sorry for almost pulverizing you Sasuke," he apologized earnestly. "We still friends?"
Sasuke looked at the blonde's hand quietly for a moment, still half-convinced that it'd sprout those deadly claws again and rip his arms off. Then he remembered that Naruto had already proven that he was a loyal friend a dozen times over, even if he had a hair-trigger temper at times. All of his life, he'd kept to himself and locked everyone else out. Maybe it was time to forget all that for a moment or two at times, and let someone in for a change. "Hmph," smirked the Uchiha heir nonchalantly, accepting the blonde's hand and shaking it meaningfully, "sure thing, dobe. Friends."
"There we go," grinned a satisfied Kakashi beneath his mask. Beside him, Sakura breathed a sincere sigh of relief and allowed the energy around her hands to silently dissipate, happy to see they'd calmed down and made up. Sometimes it was hard being the only girl on the team, seeing as she had the most level head at times. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to try and throttle Naruto for this later, but for now walked over to the two of them as Kakashi picked up from where he'd left off about the Chunin Exams.
"Now that we've got all of this settled, I need to know if you're positive about taking part in the exams," continued the Jounin calmly, but with a more serious undertone this time. "While it is a great honor to be selected for these tests, the Chunin Exams are far more dangerous than anything you've faced so far. In fact, several Genin from nearly every shinobi village participating loose their lives each year, trying to advance and become Chunin. While taking the Exams, you'll be completely at the mercy of the proctors who will oversee them, and they'll be watching all of you to weed out the weak from those who are strong enough to advance. You also won't have the luxury of having me along for the ride like in the Land of Waves, leaving you on your own and open to make your own decisions. Not to say that this won't make it even harder on you, as those other chosen Genin won't show any mercy and you may find yourself in a position where it will be life and death." This last statement made him glance over at Naruto for a moment, still unsure about how his moral stance against killing his opponents would hold out in the ruthlessness of the Exams. "Remember, this is purely optional, and there is no shame in bowing out if you're afraid or if you feel you aren't ready. There's always next year."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura quietly allowed what Kakashi had said to sink in for a moment, looking at the forms in their hands one moment, and each other the next. If they accepted this, they'd have a shot at becoming Chunin and making a difference in the village, showing them just what they could do as the next generation. Then again, there was a chance that they could be killed in the process, their efforts all for naught. It was true that they had faced something no one their age would've ever dreamt of in their fights with Zabuza and Haku, but they mostly got through it because Kakashi and the Punisher where there as back up. Were they ready for something this big? After a moment, the turned to one another and gave a slight nod of agreement. They had made their decision.
"We're in," Naruto replied confidently, meeting the silver-haired Jounin's eye as he spoke. "All three of us. The Land of Waves may have been tough, but it taught us something: we can take on any one as long as we work together."
"That's right," agreed Sakura enthusiastically, tightening one of her fists before her face as a sign of determination. "We're not gonna back down just because it looks like it'll be too tough. You and Kurenai-sense taught us to never give up, and that's exactly why we're gonna do this."
"Besides," smirked Sasuke coolly, the same determined look on his face. "Why should we let everyone else have all the fun?" Secretly, he was looking forward to all of this. With so many shinobi taking part in these Exams, it was a good opportunity to see if all of his training with his mutation would pay off. 'Who knows, maybe one of these other Genin will actually be a challenge. This is gonna be fun.'
"Alright then, I guess you're minds have been made up then," smiled Kakashi proudly, glad to see them so confident in themselves for a change, especially Sakura. They had been through a lot over the past month, whether it was their battles in the Land of Waves, the formation of Idenshi-X, or even their training with Kurenai. However, throughout all of these trials, they only seemed to grow stronger as a result, not only as individuals, but as teammates and equals. They were going to need those strengths if they hoped to survive the rigors of the Chunin Exams. "Now, take these forms home and fill them out thoroughly, then have them ready for me to hand in by tomorrow morning. Other than that, all I can do is wish you the best of luck, and-" Kakashi paused abruptly, appearing to be lost in thought for a moment, then looked up at the blazing sun and back at the three of them with a impish look on his face. "Well, would you look at that? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't Naruto's family be arriving any moment now? You three'd better get going if you want to make it back to the Namikaze Estates in time."
"Oh crap, he's right!" exclaimed Naruto in sudden realization, palming his forehead in aggravation at his own forgetfulness. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he'd almost forgotten to check the time. Fumbling with the inner pocket of his jacket, he clumsily retrieved his cyber-shades and put them on, shocked to see that it was already 1:45pm! They'd need to sprint hard if they were going to make it back home before them. Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed hold of both Sasuke and Sakura's arms and ran off towards his house at break-neck-speeds, a cloud of dust rising up behind them as his flustered teammates were dragged along helplessly. "Sorry sensei, gotta run!" he shouted as they shrank from sight. "Thanks for the forms we'll bring 'em back later!"
"Ha-ha-ha, alright Naruto," laughed the Copy-nin jovially at the blonde's unorthodox attitude, waving goodbye as he watched them go. "See you tomorrow." With that, he turned and walked back towards the restaurant district for a hot lunch and some quiet reading at his favorite cafe. As he strolled towards the end of the old bridge, he thought about all he'd told them concerning the Exams, wondering if they were truly ready for this and curious as to how the presence of Naruto's family would affect the blonde's performance. 'Well, one thing's for sure,' mused the silver-haired man thoughtfully as he left the bridge behind and headed into the busy streets. 'This year is sure to be interesting to say the least.'
Oh boy, True Believers! Sounds like things are going to get a little tense here soon. Not only are the X-Men and everyone's favorite Wall-Crawler about to touchdown, but there seems to be something sinister brewing behind the scenes as the Chunin Exams draw near. What is this new danger? How is Kurenai able to sense it? And who in the name of Steve Ditko is that man in her visions? All this and more will be revealed soon enough, so stay tuned. Remember to R&R, and have a very Merry Christmas! EXCELSIOR!