I've been getting positive reviews which is always a plus side. I realise that some of the pairings I'm planning may not be to everyone's taste but they'll be more in the back ground. except Arashi's for obvious reasons. Now, I'll stop waffling so you can read on :)
The next morning found team eight at their training ground. Kiba smirked at Arashi "so...how was it?" He asked grinning eagerly. Arashi raised an eyebrow
"how was what?" He asked but he could see where this was going.
"Kurenai-sensei...how did she feel?" He asked. Arashi rolled his eyes as Hinata blushed and Shino looked distinctly unbothered by his team mate. "Kiba. You're asking me how Kurenai-sensei felt?" He nodded "when she's stood right behind you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Kiba span around and saw Kurenai glaring down at him "uh...hi Kurenai-sensei...I meant" Hinata laughed. Shino and Kiba looked around at her "what is it?" Shino asked in his monotone.
"Its a genjutsu. She isn't there" she explained. They looked at each other then back to Arashi who smirked "ok, you two need to learn how to recognise and dispel genjutsu." He told them. Shino raised an eyebrow "how did you do that without seals?" Arashi shrugged
"its an extremely low level genjutsu so it doesn't really need them. It only worked because Kiba panicked" he explained. Shino nodded
"then how did you get me?" Arashi smirked
"you must've panicked as well...do you want to know?" He asked. Shino stayed quiet "good, because its none of either of your business" Arashi said bluntly. Kiba pouted slightly and the Senju started training them to break out of genjutsu with a little help from Hinata. She could see the chakra flow to their brains and could tell when they got it right.
By the end of the training session, nine hours later, the three were breathing heavily and sweating. After they had learnt how to dispel genjutsu they had gone into an all out fight against Arashi. They lost and he held back a lot but they were quite good. However, Arashi noticed something that needed to be addressed. "Ok, Shino. Kiba, you can go. Hinata, we need to talk" he said. The two nodded and left while Hinata looked confused and slightly worried. Arashi hoisted himself onto one of the tree stumps and gestured for Hinata to take the next one. She did so "is there something wrong Arashi-kun?" She asked. He nodded and stared right at her.
"Your self-confidence sucks" he said bluntly. She looked down at the floor "Hinata, you have a great potential to be a powerful kunoichi but you need to have more confidence in yourself" he carried on. She nodded once but didn't look up. Sighing mentally "Hinata, look at me" he told her firmly. She looked up "from now on, every day, when you leave the Hyūga compound I want you to take a minute. Close your eyes and just leave your problems and concerns at the door. Inside that compound the Hyūga are important and so are you but outside is completely different. You are a ninja Hinata. Out here what matters is to have the strength to protect your friends. Your team mates. If your problems at home distract you from that goal then you leave them at home to be dealt with. Try it, just close your eyes" she did so "take a deep breath" again she did so "good. Now, I want you to sort through any worries you have. If they have to do with the Hyūga elders or your father or similar then push them to one side and forget about them for now. If there are worries concerning your abilities as a kunoichi then that is what is important right now. Those come to the fore front of your mind" she nodded once.
Ten minutes later a slight smile formed on her face. Not a shy timid smile but one that told him she was getting there. She opened her eyes again looking visibly relaxed. Arashi smiled "good. Every day I want you to do this. When you leave the compound you stop being a Hyūga and become Hinata. A kunoichi of Konoha. Think you can do that?" She nodded "excellent. Now, I am certain you have worries about your abilities. Talk to me, I'll see if I can help" she looked a little doubtful but nodded and sighed "most of them are because of my cousin, Neji. He's been hailed as a Jyuuken prodigy. He's so much more powerful then I am. He puts me down every chance he gets" Arashi nodded as she spoke then smiled
"it looks like we have a goal" he said. She raised an eyebrow "your confidence problems seem to stem from Neji. Hinata, I am going to train you personally to beat him" she looked shocked
"but...but he's a prodigy" she said quietly. Arashi shrugged
"you said a Jyuuken prodigy. Im going to help you create a new type of taijutsu that isn't the Jyuuken. I promise you Hinata that when it comes to the fight you two are going to have then you are going to beat him into the ground" she blinked several times but smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "That's better. Now, get some rest and we'll start tomorrow" she grinned and nodded before leaving with a wave. Arashi smiled as she left before calling "how many times do I have to tell you to rest?" Whilst looking to his left. From the tree line Kurenai walked out looking sheepish. "I walked, I just wanted to see how you were doing" she said coming over and hopping up onto another stump. "They're good. A little training and they'll be fantastic." He said. She nodded
"I heard what you said to Hinata. You think you'll be able to do it?" Arashi nodded
"hai, she has real potential but needs to be confident enough to reach it. How are your ribs?" He asked raising an eyebrow. She rubbed her chest "a little sore but other then that fine" she replied. He nodded. "I spoke with the Hokage earlier" Kurenai started "he said that there aren't any other med-nin in your age group. When they start C-rank missions I imagine you'll be moved around a few times" Arashi nodded again
"I guessed as much" he reasoned. Kurenai smiled before raising an eyebrow
"do you know how much teasing I have to put up with because of you?" She asked. He smirked
"they're just jealous. Think I have magic hands. Shizune-nee-chan is always saying how I give the best shoulder rubs" he said absently. Kurenai smirked a little with him before looking sheepish
"about yesterday. I didn't mean to insinuate that you would try and grope me" she said quietly. He shrugged "im a guy you don't know. You're a very good looking woman. Of course you'd be cautious but I can promise you something. When it comes to healing people I am nothing but professional. The thought that I was technically groping you never passed through my mind once. You don't need to be worried about that" he assured her. She blushed slightly but nodded.
"Its so rare to meet a guy not obsessed by sex" she said absently. He smirked
"comes with having my oka-san. If I even thought of trying something perverted she'd smack me all the way to Suna for it" Kurenai laughed melodically as he chuckled lightly and saw the time
"we should get moving Kurenai-sensei. Im sure Anko-san has more teasing ready for you" he said jumping down. She rolled her eyes but nodded "its not just Anko. Hana and Yugao are just as bad. They think I have a crush on you" she said as they started walking. He smirked
"who could blame you?" He said with a fake pompous voice. She shoved his shoulder
"stuck up" she joked. He chuckled
"you have interesting friends Kurenai-sensei" he noted. She nodded in agreement.
It took them forty minutes to walk back to Konoha during which time they just talked about random things whilst getting to know each other. Kurenai had to admit to herself. Arashi was definitely her type. Smart, powerful, respectful, not perverted and he was good looking but the only problem was his age. He was six years younger then she was. She very much doubted he would care for her and would prefer someone his own age. Sighing a little as he headed off with a wave she made her way to her, and her friends, favourite cafe to see the three already there talking as she sat down. "Where did you go to? I thought Arashi said rest" Hana said with a smirk. Kurenai rolled her eyes
"I didn't do anything strenuous...last thing I need is to be scolded by my genin" she muttered playfully. "Your genin huh?" Anko asked with a smirk. Kurenai shook her head a little before sighing "its a shame he isn't older. He's damn near perfect except for his age" she told them. Yugao waved her off "life of a ninja Kurenai. He's old enough to kill in the villages eyes so he's old enough for romance. All joking aside I think you should go for it" she said. Hana nodded and smirked
"if you don't I will. He's a prime catch" she said. Kurenai narrowed her eyes at her friend who smirked some more "well, if you don't want me to then I'd hurry up...either that or Anko is going to take him to hers and we won't see him again for weeks" she said teasing her friend. Anko rolled her eyes but smirked. "You four need to pay better attention to your surroundings" came a voice from behind them. They glanced around to see Tsunade with Shizune and Tonton. They sat down and Tsunade gave Kurenai a searching look that told the genjutsu mistress she heard everything. "You know, Yugao has a point. Ninja lead dangerous lives as you well know. You could wait until he's a little older but there's always the chance the worst happens" she said. Shizune went on
"you should hear him talk about you. He's read the genjutsu scrolls you wrote and they impressed him...that is quite a feat" she said absently. Tsunade nodded her assent. Kurenai looked between them before "this is all going under the assumption he wants to as well" she pointed out. Tsunade smirked "trust me Kurenai. You're his type" she said. Hana raised an eyebrow
"I wouldn't have expected his oka-san to try and set him up" she said with a grin. Tsunade shrugged
"he might be my son but I know he can look after himself...better then most. To be honest I really think that if he really tried he could beat me or Jiraiya in a fight. His Mokuton may not be as strong as the Shodaime's, yet, but it's very powerful" she told them. "Now, its your choice Kurenai but the longer you wait the more likely it is that he's going to ask someone else" Tsunade said to the woman who blushed again.
The next day passed in a blur. Kurenai went to the training grounds in the morning but let Arashi take the training for that day so she could finish the last days rest he told her to get. She noticed how he was paying particular attention to Hinata and that the girl herself seemed a lot more confident then normal. He sent Kiba and Shino off earlier then the day before and kept Hinata back to start work on her new taijutsu. As far as Kurenai as could tell it was a modification on the chakra punch Tsunade had taught him. With Hinata's Byakugan it could be devastating and that made the genjutsu mistress smile. When it came to her and Neji's fight in the future the branch Hyūga was going to be surprised to say the least. Hinata left a few hours later utterly exhausted but smiling widely. Kurenai approached Arashi who stayed back. "She really took your advice seriously" she commented as she neared. He nodded
"hai, and a good thing too. There's a long way to go before her taijutsu is usable in a fight but when its finished she'll be a force to be reckoned with" he said with a grin that Kurenai shared. Then he seemed to remember something "oh yea, my oka-san said you wanted to speak to me about something?" He asked. Kurenai blinked several times before scowling mentally. Tsunade had set her up. Clearing her throat a little she didn't meet his eyes "well, hai. There was something." She started. He waited patiently "you know, your oka-san is quite pushy" Kurenai said stalling. He smirked "you don't know the half of it" he joked. She smiled before
"you know there's a few years between us" he nodded "well, I was thinking that we could go out sometime. Its so rare to find a guy not perverted in this village" she said quickly. He blinked several times "you want to go out with me?" She nodded "sure" he agreed with a smile. She returned it and nodded. "Why don't we go get something to eat...I don't really know the village that well so" he said scratching the back of his head sheepishly. She smiled
"I'll give you the tour" she said as they started walking. He nodded
"arigato" he replied gratefully. "My oka-san set you up didn't she?" He asked after a moment. Kurenai nodded and he smirked "I think its about time Naruto and I pranked her" he said absently. Kurenai grinned
"what do you have in mind?" His smirk made Kurenai wish that it was never aimed towards her.
They spent the next few hours exploring the village before getting something to eat. Neither Kurenai nor Arashi missed her friends spying on her from a distance but decided to pretend they didn't. They talked not only about the village itself but on theories Kurenai had written about genjutsu. Although he wasn't really a genjutsu user Arashi respected all those who could use the art well knowing that a good genjutsu can make or break a mission easily. Kurenai was a jounin at just eighteen which really attested to her skill with genjutsu. When she asked how Kiba wasn't affected by her illusion the other day he told her that Shino planted a bug on him that bit the Inuzuka when the genjutsu was sent thus breaking it. That simple idea impressed Kurenai quite a lot but she agreed that it wouldn't work on more powerful genjutsu.
After the two went their separate ways Arashi went to find Naruto at the Ichiraku ramen stand yet again with Kakashi. "Yo Naruto" Arashi said hopping up next to him. He politely declined something to eat. "Hey Arashi. Have you met Kakashi-sensei?" He asked gesturing to the man with the face mask and hitae over his left eye. "Nope, nice to meet you" he said with a wave. Kakashi returned it but Arashi turned to Naruto "ok, we are going to prank my oka-san" Naruto choked on his ramen and Arashi clapped him on the back subsequently slamming the boy head first into the counter "oops" he said unconcerned. Naruto rubbed his forehead
"you did that on purpose" he muttered "and what the hell do you mean prank Tsunade? She'll kill us" he added. Arashi smirked
"well, it seems that she set Kurenai-sensei up earlier today" he explained absently. Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow "oh? In what way?" He asked interested. Arashi shrugged
"she told me that Kurenai-sensei wanted to talk to me about something. Apparently she and oka-san had a talk yesterday. Admittedly talking with Kurenai-sensei lead to a date but that's besides the point" Kakashi looked surprised whereas Naruto gave him a flat expression
"you want me to help prank your oka-san for getting you a date with the hottest kunoichi in Konoha? The horror" he said sarcastically. Kakashi chuckled and Arashi blinked several times
"stop poking logic shaped holes in my argument" he retorted. Naruto smirked at him
"gomenasai aniki but if you want to prank her you're on your own. Last time I was involved I couldn't move for a week remember?" He reminded Arashi who rolled his eyes
"coward" he said with a smirk. "How are things going on your team anyway?" He asked changing the topic. Arashi shrugged "the Uchiha is stuck up, arrogant and unwilling to listen to others. Sakura is an A grade fan girl whose going to get someone killed and Kakashi-sensei is a lazy pervert who is never on time" he said bluntly
"Hey" Kakashi said from the side but the two ignored him
"what about team eight?" Arashi smiled
"not so bad. Kiba can be a little loud but they know how to work in a team. Hinata has a slight confidence problem but im sorting that out. Training her myself to beat her cousin Neji" he said. Naruto smirked "poor guy doesn't stand a chance" he said. Arashi smirked
"you started missions the other day right?" Naruto nodded then scowled
"stupid D-rank missions. Had to catch some ridiculous cat this morning. It was quite fun to see the Uchiha and Sakura getting scratched by it though" he added with a smirk.
"Sasuke still doesn't like you then?" Naruto shook his head
"no, he needs to learn some humility or he's going to do something stupid and get himself killed" he said with a sigh. Arashi nodded slowly when Kakashi spoke up "the Hokage said you'd be switched around when the teams start C-rank missions". Arashi nodded
"I heard that as well. The only med-nin of our age group. Its only a safety precaution I imagine. Should I ever be placed on team seven I doubt there's many that could beat me and Naruto" he said with a grin that Naruto shared.
After a few more minutes they were joined by Hinata who looked relaxed. "Hey Hinata" Arashi said as she sat next to Kakashi. "Hello Arashi-kun" she replied before ordering. Naruto saw Arashi nod almost imperceptibly towards the girl and smiled "so you're the one aniki is training personally" he said to the girl who smiled and nodded "if you have half the potential he sees in you you'll be one of our year groups most powerful in no time" he said with a grin. She blushed ever so slightly but smiled widely. "Why don't you drop by training ground seven tomorrow and spar with us for a little?" Kakashi suggested. Arashi raised an eyebrow
"depends, Kurenai-sensei will be taking over the training tomorrow now she's recovered and I want to keep up with Hinata's training" he said. Kakashi raised an eyebrow back
"recovered?" Arashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly
"I might have injured her during our test" Hinata smirked slightly
"might have? You broke five ribs, cut her biceps, hamstring and Achilles tendon. I think those count as definite injuries Arashi-kun" she chided. He shrugged
"it would've been worse if I wasn't holding back" he replied absently. She blinked several times
"that was holding back?" He nodded
"Im fairly certain if I had kicked her properly she'd be dead" he said bluntly. Naruto nodded his assent and Hinata paled slightly. Kakashi chuckled nervously. "If I get some time I'll drop by though" the Senju said to Kakashi who nodded once "now though, im going to head off. Later Naruto, Hinata" he said leaving with a wave that they returned.
The morning came and Arashi was woken when Kiba knocked on the window. "Yo Arashi. We're getting a mission today. Get up" he called through. Arashi groaned and saw the time
"damn Kiba. Its five in the morning. What the hell man?" He replied. Kiba smirked at him
"what? We can get a little training in before hand" he pointed out.
"Go bug Shino" Arashi replied before sitting up. Kiba chuckled.
Ten minutes later Arashi was dressed and let Kiba in. The Inuzuka followed him inside with Akamaru on his head as usual. "So, what is it you and Hinata are doing after training?" He asked with a grin. Arashi rolled his eyes as they sat at the table with some tea. "Not what you think. Im helping her train to beat her cousin Neji" he said with a shrug. Kiba nodded slowly
"she's not the most confident girl" he admitted. Arashi nodded
"hopefully this will help" he reasoned. Kiba nodded and grinned again. Tsunade walked in looking distinctly hungover. "Morning oka-san!" Arashi said loudly making her wince
"shush. Not so loud" she mumbled holding her head.
"Why? Too much to drink!" He said just as loudly. She glared at him whilst taking some tea and leaving the room. Kiba smirked with Arashi "come on then. We'll head over to the training ground" the Senju said standing. Kiba nodded and followed him out as Akamaru barked quietly.
Arashi wasn't too surprised when he saw that Shino and Hinata were already at the training grounds when the two arrived. Shino seemed to be practising a family jutsu whereas Hinata was meditating by a tree. Kiba started sparring with Arashi.
Half an hour later and Kurenai appeared in a swirl of leaves and a smile "nice to see my team working hard. Lets go get a mission" she said smiling some more. The four nodded and followed her back through the trees towards the Hokage's tower.
They travelled at Hinata's speed, being the slowest of them, so it took fifteen minutes to reach the tower and head inside. The secretary ushered them up to the mission room, one room over from the Hokage's office, where they saw a small group of people looking through the missions. The Sandaime smiled as they entered "nice to see you up and about again Kurenai" he said with a slight smirk. Kurenai shot a glare towards Arashi who smiled innocently back. "Arigato Hokage-sama...I think" she added. The man chuckled
"it seems that Tora has escaped again Kurenai. Its a D-rank" he said passing over a scroll. Kurenai smirked and inclined her head before leading team eight out.
Twenty minutes later they came back in with Arashi having a twitching eye while holding a brown cat complete with red bow on its ear by the scruff of its neck. "That was the fastest anyone has caught Tora" the Hokage complimented as the large Daimyo's wife took the cat in a massive hug, paid the fee, and left. "Im not sure Tora has had to try and escape from someone like Arashi before" Kurenai responded.
"I already hate the damn thing" he muttered crossing his arms. The Sandaime chuckled
"an initiation of sorts" he said before passing over another scroll. "This is another D-rank...no, its not to catch Tora again" he added. Kurenai nodded and took it.
I can't remember where I got the 'logic shaped holes' line but I quite liked it so there it is. :)