Arriving at the training grounds at the ungodly morning hour, Natsumi met up with her potential teammates at 5 AM sharp. They all had the same thought that even though Kakashi was very late to pick them up yesterday, they did not want to risk coming late just in case he was punctual today. He did say it was a 'mission'. As sleepy as she was, she forced her tired brain to remember what she discussed with Hinata the day before. Apparently all potential teams had that one day to prepare for the Genin test and Natsumi really needed her advice.
***Flashback***
"This is the worst thing that could happen to us!" Natsumi clutched her head tightly in frustration while Hinata continued looking depressed as they waited for their orders at the Ichiraku ramen stand.
"Well, look at this way. At least you both are one step closer to your dreams. Just because you two are separated doesn't mean you will never be together again. I'm sure one day will come where your teams are assigned to the same mission," Teuchi advised as he placed their respective bowl of ramen in front of them. He grinned when the two girls looked at each other with realization.
"Why didn't we think of that? I feel so foolish now..." Hinata lamented. "I made my team worry about me needlessly..."
"At least that's better than blowing up and shouting at mine!" Natsumi laughed in a careless manner, though there was a slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks.
"Eh?" Hinata exclaimed in surprise. "You got angry and shouted at your team? You can't do that, Natsumi-chan! You'll fail your Genin test if you continue like that!"
"I'll fail...?" Natsumi visibly paled. "T-Then what do I do? I don't want to fail and leave you alone!"
"What did your Jounin instructor tell you to do?"
"Kakashi-sensei said to be at the training grounds at 5 AM for survival training and not to eat breakfast otherwise we'll throw up."
"That's odd..." a puzzled look appeared on Hinata's face. "That means you won't be at full strength for the training."
"Wait, wait, wait. You mean Kakashi-sensei is purposely trying to fail us? By making us train when we're hungry?"
"I wouldn't say that but... Throwing up when you're hungry will make you sick, Natsumi-chan."
"She's right, you know. It's better to throw up food than nothing in your stomach at all. Trust us on this," Ayame supported Hinata's claim.
"Really? That bastard sensei..." Natsumi gritted her teeth angrily at the unveiled deception. "I'll make sure to pay him back for this...!"
"G-Good luck, Natsumi-chan," Hinata sweat-dropped at her outburst. "Most importantly, Natsumi-chan, please remember to work with your teammates."
"Huh? There's no way that's gonna happen! Sakura hates me and Sasuke's a total jerk who won't work with anyone!" she exclaimed.
"But if you don't, then there's no meaning into us being placed in teams. If we had been teamed together, you'll cooperate with me, won't you?"
"I'll definitely cooperate with you, Hinata-chan! There's no way you and I won't have teamwork! We're best friends!"
"You know what to do now, Natsumi-chan?"
"Eat breakfast and work with Sakura and Sasuke even if I don't like it. I got it," Natsumi nodded sagely. "You really are my savior, Hinata-chan! What will I ever do without you!"
"N-Natsumi-chan...!" Hinata exclaimed as Natsumi suddenly reached over for a hug and the cheek rub. Embarrassing as it was being seen like that by the Ichiraku father and daughter, Hinata soon giggled as Natsumi's happy mood quickly infected her. They finished up their ramen and went home with a renewed confidence for their respective tests.
***End flashback***
It took over five hours for Kakashi to finally arrive at the designated training grounds.
"YOU'RE LATE!" Both Natsumi and Sakura yelled at him. His excuse of a black cat crossing his path did nothing to cool their tempers. Coughing into his fist to excuse himself, he proceeded to start their survival training. Placing an alarm clock on a tree stump, he had it set for noon.
"Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me," Kakashi said as he showed them two bells tied to strings. "Whoever can't will have no lunch. I'm going to tie you there," he pointed to three upright logs, "and eat lunch in front of you." Two stomachs growled at the mention of the lost breakfast. The owner of the appeased stomach had a knowing smirk on her face. "It looks like one of you decided not to listen to me and eat breakfast anyway," he noted, and all eyes turned to Natsumi.
"I'm not falling for any more of your tricks, Kakashi-sensei!" Natsumi declared proudly before brazenly fishing out a small rice ball and eating it in front of everybody, causing Sakura's and Sasuke's stomach to growl again. "Hinata-chan told me that if I didn't eat, I wouldn't be able to do this survival training with full strength and I'll get sick if I throw up on an empty stomach. Now that I think of it, I dare you to make me throw up if you can!"
'I should have guessed she would consult Hinata about this. Natsumi's trust in Hinata goes beyond following my instructions, even if I was trying to trick them,' Kakashi mentally noted as he gave no outward reaction. "I suppose I'll do something about that later."
"Sensei, why are there only two bells?" Sakura pointed out, getting back on track.
"Since there's only two, at least one will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail since he failed to complete the mission. That person will return to the Academy. It might be just one, or all three," he explained. "You can use your shurikens if you want. You won't be able to get this unless you have the will to kill me." Sakura exclaimed that it was dangerous but was swiftly ignored. Watching all three of them tense up, he started the survival training. All three hastily disappeared from his sight and hid among the forest surrounding the training grounds. Just as he was mentally praising their hiding skills...
"Let's have a match fair and square!" Natsumi was standing a distance away from Kakashi and issuing a direct challenge.
"Hey, aren't you a little weird compared to the rest?" Kakashi asked, exasperated at the foolish action.
"What's weird is how much you cover your face!" she replied before charging towards him. When she saw him slip a hand into his weapon pouch, she stopped and eyed him cautiously.
"Ninja tactics number one: taijutsu. I'll teach you that first," Kakashi said as he pulled out a book to read, utterly confusing Natsumi. "What's the matter? Come and get me."
"But why did you take out a book?" she asked.
"Why? I got curious as to how the story is going to develop. Don't worry about it. It won't make a difference either way." That provoked Natsumi enough to make her assault. Without even lifting his eye from the pages, he blocked a wild punch and ducked under a jumping roundhouse kick effortlessly. As she came in for a third attack, he speedily moved behind her and had a hand seal ready. "A ninja should not let the enemy get behind her, idiot." What happened next would surprise Kakashi just enough that he had to pause and rewind everything in his head.
Seemingly getting a boost of speed out of nowhere, she twirled around almost gracefully and smacked his hands successfully with a backhand swipe and disrupting his seal. Natsumi quickly made distance and almost entered into a taijutsu stance Kakashi could recognize anywhere. It was there he paused to process just what had occurred. Quickly filing away his thoughts, Kakashi refocused on his blonde opponent. "You're doing better than I thought, considering you had the lowest scores out of every passing student."
"Don't look down on me! You just might be surprised by what I can do!" Natsumi smirked, proud of herself that she managed to land a hit, no matter how insignificant it was.
"You said you're going to exceed the past Hokages, but your actions up till now say otherwise. By fighting messily and carelessly?" Kakashi turned his back on her and walked away, trying to get a reaction from Natsumi. If he could make her do whatever it was that allowed her to even make contact with him, he could then confirm his suspicions.
"I can't... I can't fail in a place like this no matter what! I'm going to be a ninja!" she shouted out for him to hear and performed the Kage Bunshin, six clones jumping out from the river behind her. "This is my best technique, the Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hidden in the forest but still able to observe, Sakura and Sasuke was pleasantly surprised at how adept Natsumi actually was. Even Kakashi was mildly surprised when he noted the clones were not Bunshin but Kage Bunshin. Still, he was not impressed. He calculated that it would only be effective for about a minute and despite her tough talk, Natsumi would not be able to defeat him if her fighting methods were to be believed. It was not until someone smaller than him grabbed him from behind that he was aware of Natsumi's plot.
"A ninja shouldn't let the enemy get behind him, right, Kakashi-sensei?" the Natsumi holding him mocked. She had let one of the underwater clones swim away to sneak behind him, and it worked. The other six grabbed onto Kakashi to hold him still while the remaining Natsumi delivered a strong punch to his face, only to see that she had hit one of her other selves. Since she did not dispel, the one who got sucker-punched was the real Natsumi.
"Huh?" the clone who delivered the punch looked at the injured Natsumi in confusion. One of the other clones accused another one of being a transformed Kakashi before another told the arguing two to shut up and think. They all paused and looked at each other before muttering under their breaths what Hinata would do in their situation. Deciding to try something very risky in an attempt to reveal a possibly transformed Kakashi, the real Natsumi shouted out to 'get into stance' for just a few seconds. All of them got into identical stances and eyed each other, seeing nothing wrong with all of them.
"That means..." all the Natsumis piped up at once.
"The Kawarimi!" The real Natsumi exclaimed and dispelled her clones, frowning to herself and clicking her tongue in annoyance. "I guess fighting with my clones isn't working. I really don't think Sakura or that bastard Sasuke will lend me a hand but..." She then left to find her other teammates to ask for their help.
Meanwhile, Kakashi observed Natsumi as her clones got into a small quarrel. Once again, he heard Hinata's name come up in their short discussion. They eventually figured out he used the Kawarimi to escape and not the Henge to fool them, but it was the way they figured it out that confirmed his suspicions. He also heard her mention wanting to get help from Sakura or Sasuke but doubted they will help her out before leaving to find them. Kakashi decided to find the other two before Natsumi found them first. Right now, Natsumi had most of his interest and he wanted to see just how she would fare if he interfered. He still needed to test his other two students, so it was like killing two birds with one stone.
Seeing Kakashi openly leave from his perch, Sasuke and Sakura quickly abandoned their respective hiding spots. Sasuke moved quickly to find another spot to observe Kakashi from while Sakura ran around trying to find Sasuke, fearing their potential instructor was going after him next. She stopped when she saw Kakashi apparently standing still reading his book until she heard him calling her from... behind? Turning around and seeing his hands in a seal, she momentarily lost awareness, saw something that was not real, screamed in fear and promptly fainted to Kakashi's dismay.
Sasuke paused briefly to note that Sakura had been caught by Kakashi before moving on. Natsumi rushed to where she heard the scream and found Sakura spread eagle on the ground unconscious. Cursing at the fact one of her teammates had been incapacitated, she made a Kage Bunshin to watch over Sakura for her as she left to find the remaining able teammate.
***Break Line***
Sakura soon woke up to Natsumi's incessant prodding and asked what she had been doing. Natsumi replied that she found her sleeping on the ground and was watching over her.
"Oh yes, I saw Sasuke-kun badly injured and I..." she said out loud, completely ignoring Natsumi. "Sasuke-kun! Don't die and leave me behind! Where are you?" she shouted, her voice ringing throughout the forest.
"Are you an idiot? Keep quiet!" Natsumi hissed at her as quietly as she could. "Sasuke isn't injured! He's not even around here! What are you talking about? He's fine!"
"You're annoying, Natsumi! You didn't see Sasuke-kun injured, and you don't even care!" A high-strung Sakura delivered a punch to an unsuspecting clone and dispelled it. Now that the annoying blonde was gone, Sakura heard Sasuke's panicked scream and hurriedly rushed to the direction it came from. Upon entering a clearing, she saw Sasuke's head poking out of the ground. When he called out for her, she screamed that it was a severed head talking to her and fainted again, her reactions disturbing him greatly. When she regained consciousness, Sasuke had already dug himself out to safety much to her delight.
When he mentioned there was still time to get a bell, Sakura asked if he was still going for it. He replied since he managed to touch it, he could definitely get it the next time. Realizing she herself could not get a bell and not wanting to be separated from him, she suggested that they give up now and try again next year. The smile on her face was quickly wiped off when he shot her a menacing glare. Without any prompt, he started talking about his ambition and how it started. He claimed himself to be an avenger and that he needed to get stronger than 'that man'. The alarm bell set for noon then rang, signifying the end of their mission. Irritated that he wasted his time talking, Sasuke made his way back to their starting position. Sakura obediently followed him back and saw Natsumi in the process of being tied up to a log by Kakashi.
***Break Line***
After ten minutes of rest, Natsumi ended up the only one tied to the log. It was punishment for attempting to steal the lunches and give them to Sakura and Sasuke.
"Your stomachs are growling, eh?" Kakashi mentioned when he heard two empty stomachs protesting for food. "By the way, about the results of this training..." he paused to add some suspense. "None of you need to return to the Ninja Academy." Sakura started cheering while Sasuke made a satisfied sound, but Natsumi was not fooled. She knew well enough their performance was utter crap. Getting a passing grade for that was just plain stupid.
"We didn't pass," Natsumi spoke up, stopping the celebrations.
"What are you saying, Natsumi? Kakashi-sensei said we don't need to go back, so that means we pass!" Sakura's mood quickly turned angry as Natsumi's seemingly pessimistic statement.
"Sakura, Natsumi is correct," Kakashi corrected Sakura.
"Eh?"
"You three... should quit being ninjas!"
"Quit being ninjas? What do you mean?" Natsumi asked desperately. Even though she expected a scathing remark about how badly they did, she did not expect this. "We didn't get a bell, but why do you have to say we should quit?"
"It's because you three are just kids who don't deserve to be ninjas," he mentioned casually, not caring that he was the one bringing down the hammer. Sasuke would not accept his reasoning and charged forward to attack him but was immediately taken down. "See? You all are just kids."
"Don't step on Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed. Natsumi wanted to barf at that. They were about to get kicked out of the ninja program entirely and she was worried about Sasuke being held down by Kakashi's foot?
"Do you guys think being a ninja is easy?" Kakashi's tone turned serious. "Why do you think we're training by breaking up into teams?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"In other words, you three don't understand the answer of this test. The answer that determines whether you pass or fail."
"We've been asking what that is..." Sakura mumbled, shrinking away at Kakashi's stern look. Natsumi remained silent, only keeping her gaze on Kakashi. She already knew the answer to the test. Even though she did it unknowingly, Hinata had already given her the golden ticket to passing.
"Geez, are your brains empty? You don't understand why you're all in a team?"
"The answer is teamwork," Natsumi answered loud and clear, not flinching at Kakashi's look and glaring back defiantly.
"You mean cooperate with each other?" Sakura asked, looking at Natsumi for clarification.
"What else do you think it means? Aren't you the smartest one of our class? You don't know what teamwork means?" Natsumi mocked. If she was going to fail, she was going down with her head held high and true to herself. If Sakura was going to act stupid, she would treat her like she was stupid.
"That's right," Kakashi said. "But it's too late even if you realize it now. If all three of you came at me together, maybe you could have gotten a bell. But that's too bad."
"Why do we need use teamwork when there's only two bells?" Sakura asked, finally noticing the discrepancy. "If the three of us work hard to get it, one of us will have to fail. A group conflict will occur instead of teamwork."
"Of course. This test tries to put you three against each other." At their confused looks, he began to explain. "In this situation, we select those who can prioritize teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but all of you were pathetic. Sakura!" He began to pinpoint each of their wrongdoings. "You cared more about Sasuke instead of Natsumi who was right in front of you, and you didn't even know where Sasuke was. You even attacked Natsumi when she was concerned for you! Sasuke!" To make sure he was paying attention, Kakashi drove his foot a little harder into Sasuke's head. "You assumed that those two were only going to burden you and did everything yourself. And you, Natsumi!" Natsumi never dropped her glare at him. "All you did was act on your own!"
"Of course I had to act on my own! If you really saw everything we did, then you should know why I acted on my own!" Natsumi finally snapped. "I showed to you I understood teamwork! I worked with my clones, didn't I? When that didn't work, at least I tried looking for them! I even tried stealing the lunches from you to give to them! If you really bothered to look, you would know from the very start that they wanted nothing to do with me even though I tried to work with them!"
"...I know. I did see everything," Kakashi's softened the look in his eye as he looked straight into Natsumi's eyes. "I saw the teamwork you had with your clones. When you found Sakura unconscious, you left behind a clone to watch over her while you tried to find Sasuke so you can team up. I understand you acting on your own. It's not because you refuse to cooperate with them, but it's because you already knew they won't cooperate with you, am I right?" Natsumi finally let her head drop, disappointed in herself that she was not able to help her team pass. "You hear that, you two? Honestly speaking, if I was able to pass only one of you, I would take Natsumi. She's the only one who actually understands what I'm trying to tell you. Missions are done in teams. While it's true that ninjas need well-developed individual abilities, teamwork is much more important. An individual action that disrupts the teamwork will result in danger or even death for the teammate." As an example, he drew a kunai and placed it next to Sasuke's neck, telling Sakura to kill Natsumi or else Sasuke would be killed. Kakashi proceeded to mention that they risked their lives in every mission and gestured to the Memorial Stone where numerous names had been carved. They all belonged to Konoha ninjas who were praised as heroes. However, they were not normal heroes. They were those who were killed in the line of duty. After sharing a moment of silence, he turned to face the three students. "Natsumi, if you want, you may choose to drop out now and I'll put in a good word for you to the Hokage to allow you to be teamed with Hyuuga Hinata next year," Kakashi told her.
"R-Really...?" Natsumi was stunned at the offer.
"Really. But at the same time, that means you are making Sakura and Sasuke fail alongside you. Even so, do you want to drop out so you can join your friend next year?"
"No... No, I can't. I promised Hinata-chan that we will both pass today. Hinata-chan won't want me to fail on purpose. I can't drag two people down with me just so I can get what I want. That's not right," Natsumi replied.
"What about you two?" Kakashi turned to Sakura and Sasuke. "I'll give you three another chance but if you fail again, Natsumi loses her chance to be teamed with Hinata. Let me tell you now, it will be much harder for you to get a bell after you eat the lunch I provided you. I can assure you that you will most likely fail if we fight, even if you team up against me. You can either fail by trying miserably, or you can choose to quietly drop out and give Natsumi her chance to be with her friend. I await your decision in ten minutes." With that said, he untied Natsumi and left them alone so they could enjoy their lunch while it lasted. For the entire ten minutes, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air other than the sound of chopsticks. "Well, what's your decision?" Kakashi asked when he returned.
"I'm not backing down! I'm gonna pass and be a ninja! I don't go back on my word, because that is my ninja way!" Natsumi declared with fierce determination in her eyes, ready to fight until the very end.
"Sensei, I..." Sakura gulped audibly. "I choose to drop out. All I did was faint. The least I can do is not get in Natsumi's way." She knew she was giving up her chance to be with Sasuke, but she was now well aware of the fact she had nothing to contribute to either of her teammate's efforts.
"How about you, Sasuke?" Kakashi turned his gaze to Sasuke.
"I'll drop out. I can get more reliable teammates next year. If Natsumi gets a bonus from it, I'm not going to take it from her," Sasuke made his choice.
"You guys..." Natsumi stared at both her teammates. Were they really going to drop out for her?
"In that case, all of you..." Kakashi paused to take a dramatic deep breath. "PASS!"
"Huh?" Natsumi was just as confused as her teammates at the sudden decision.
"You pass," he repeated. "You three are the first. All the others before you were idiots who just listened to what I said. Ninjas need to think beyond the normal. In the world of ninjas, those who break the rules are scum. But those who don't take care of their friends and comrades are even worse scum."
"He's... He's kind of cool..." Natsumi's eyes shone with great admiration for her instructor.
"The training ends here. Team 7 will start doing missions starting tomorrow!" All three newly christened Genin cheered in their own respective manners at the great news. "Let's go home. Natsumi, come with me for a moment. I've got something to discuss with you together with Hokage-sama." A little confused at being called out but still elated, Natsumi obediently followed Kakashi to the Hokage's office where she was told to wait for two other people. It did not take long for those two to turn up, and it was Hinata with her Jounin intructor Kurenai.
"Kakashi, what is this urgent matter you wish to speak with me in the presence of Kurenai and Hinata?" Hiruzen asked once all four were present. Kakashi had mentioned earlier it was something that needed immediate clarifying and it personally involved Natsumi and Hinata. They did not seem to be aware of the situation themselves as Natsumi had latched onto Hinata and was rubbing her cheek against hers as she was overjoyed at hearing both their teams had passed. A polite cough from Hiruzen silenced Natsumi's cheering and gestured for her to stand at proper attention.
"Before I reveal what it is to the two Genins, perhaps I should show it to you with my eye," Kakashi said. Since the two children were behind him, they could not tell what he did except he lifted up his hitai-ate for a few seconds before putting it back into its usual position.
"Is that really...?" Kurenai gasped.
"Hmm... This is really serious... And it might be labeled a serious offense if the Hyuugas push for it," Hiruzen sighed.
"Um... Hokage-sama, is there a problem concerning the Hyuuga clan?" Hinata spoke up timidly since the topic seemed to indirectly involve her. All the eyes of the adults were suddenly trained on her, causing her to flinch in fear. Seeing this, Natsumi quickly grabbed her hand to give her a measure of comfort.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Natsumi said. "Don't give Hinata-chan that kind of look."
"My bad, I didn't mean to come off that way. But since you asked, I suppose I'll just get straight to the point," Kakashi's tone of voice turned neutral, but something about his calm felt deadly. "Hyuuga Hinata, did you teach Uzumaki Natsumi the Juuken?" The two children visibly paled when they heard that, a clear sign they knew something about what Hinata was being accused of.
"W-What are you talking about, Kakashi-sensei?" Natsumi tried to pass it off as a joke by laughing very awkwardly. "There's no way I can learn the Juu-"
"This is no joke, Natsumi. What we're talking about here involves clan secrets and what you two have done is similar in weight to what Mizuki tried to pull," he immediately destroyed any notion that it was a laughing matter.
"Kurenai-sensei, I..." Hinata grew panicked and tried to turn to Kurenai for help but was only given a shake of the head, showing that she would get no help from her instructor. She had a look of sympathy in her eyes but she could not side with the children.
"If possible, I would like to avoid going for more severe interrogation methods. I strongly advise the both of you speak the truth. We will know if you're lying, and I hope you will not attempt to try and do so," Hiruzen gave a very clear warning.
"I will ask again. Hyuuga Hinata, did you teach Uzumaki Natsumi any form of Juuken?" Kakashi repeated himself.
"I... I..." Hinata was starting to have a panic attack.
"Hinata-chan didn't teach me anything!" Natsumi spoke up, moving in front of Hinata as though to shield her from the adults. "Sometimes we train together, and when we spar, of course she uses the Juuken! My taijutsu is utter crap when compared to hers, that's why I tried to copy some of her moves!"
"A half-truth," Hiruzen immediately called the bluff. "This is my last warning. Speak the truth, and only the full truth."
"I... helped Natsumi-chan through some of the motions of Juuken..." Hinata said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was gradually shifting to hide herself behind Natsumi. "But I didn't... I never taught her how to really use the Juuken..." Hiruzen nodded in acceptance, not finding a trace of a lie or a covered truth in her words.
"Hinata, the Juuken is exclusive only to your clan. Teaching it to outsiders is strictly forbidden and punishable as a severe offense in the face of your clan. Even though the Juuken is largely useless when used by someone without the Byakugan, it is still an offense regardless. Only the clan head, your father, has the authority to teach it to non-members. Other clan members do not have such a right. You must have known this, yet you still taught it to your friend. Why, Hinata?" Kurenai explained the committed offense as gently as possible to avoid distressing Hinata even further.
"I'm sorry...! I'm sorry...!" Hinata wept, grabbing the back of Natsumi's jacket like a lifeline and crying into it. She feared the coming punishment from her father. She could not stand seeing the disappointment showing on his face every time he looked at her. She wanted so desperately to run and hide, anything to avoid her father.
"STOP IT!" Natsumi yelled, spreading her arms wide in an open gesture that she would protect Hinata. "Don't blame Hinata-chan! It's not her fault! I needed help with my taijutsu and I asked her to teach me something because she's way better than me! I asked her to show me how to do the Juuken! If anything, it's my fault! Don't blame Hinata-chan for this! I won't let you!"
"...That seems to be all," Kakashi determined after no more questions were asked. "Hokage-sama, what do you make of this?"
"I will pursue this matter no further," Hiruzen gave his decision.
"Is that wise, Hokage-sama? Not that I wish for them to be punished for helping each other but..."
"Natsumi, I trust you are keeping your knowledge of Juuken a tightly kept secret?" Hiruzen inquired. Natsumi nodded fiercely in response. "Kakashi?"
"Though she showed brief signs of its use, Natsumi did attempt to hide it immediately with her own lackluster taijutsu," Kakashi reported, supporting his student's claim.
"Hyuuga Hinata, you may proceed with your teachings of Juuken to Uzumaki Natsumi," Hiruzen allowed. Hinata looked over Natsumi's shoulders to look at him, her face stained with tears. A look of shock could be seen on everybody's faces as they stared at the Hokage. "I'm willing to close one eye on this because it is clear you two possess the Will Of Fire, something which I admire greatly. Make no mistake, this is an offense... but only if this is brought forward to me by a member of the Hyuuga clan. Then, and only then, will I deliver the punishment. I pray the both of you do not get caught."
"You hear that, Hinata-chan? We're safe! We're not in trouble!" Natsumi turned around to envelop Hinata in a huge hug.
"Yes... I'm so glad...!" Hinata spoke through her tears, but now they were tears of joy. The last thing she ever wanted was for Natsumi to get in trouble because of her. She never even considered the fact Natsumi could be blamed for starting this entire mess. It was her who decided to teach her in the first place. They shared equal blame, but she knew Natsumi would rather take all the blame for her sake. Despite her joy, she still could not stop her sobbing.
"Come on, don't cry so hard, Hinata-chan!" Natsumi rubbed her back. "You're going to make me cry too, you know..." Even though she said that, she could feel tears building up at her eyelids and she was sure a few of them had already escaped. As the two best friends sought comfort with each other, the three adults had gentle smiles on their faces. They had to be machines not to be touched by such a scene.
"Natsumi, Hinata, you both are free to go. Be sure to report to your Jounin instructors for your missions tomorrow," Hiruzen dismissed the two of them. When the two children left, Kakashi excused himself as well. "Is there something on your mind, Kurenai?" the Hokage asked when he saw some hesitation in the woman.
"Hokage-sama, I do have troubling news of my own," Kurenai reported.
"Make your report."
"Two of my students, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, have told me either of them were willing to be traded to Team 7. I assume you are already aware of whom they are willing to be traded with?"
"Uzumaki Natsumi."
"I do not intend to question your judgement, but they have raised good points. Both Kiba and Shino agreed that they would be just as desperate as Natsumi to get back together with Akamaru and the kikaichuu if they were separated."
"I certainly understand where they are coming from, but unlike the Inuzukas with their dogs or the Aburames with their insects, Hinata and Natsumi are simply best friends, albeit best friends who share a bond so strong that it equals the bonds the two clans have with their respective partners. But in the end, they are not like the Inuzukas and the Aburames. They have to be separated in order to grow, but that comes with a risk that one or both will not be able to cope with the absence of the other. Fortunately, they seem to be just fine. My decision stands, but tell the two boys their worries have been noted."
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I will take my leave now," Kurenai bowed to the Hokage with respect before leaving. Hiruzen puffed his pipe as he looked towards the Hokage Monument, particularly the image of the Fourth Hokage. He smiled in remembrance as he hoped a bright future awaited the child the Fourth Hokage believed in.
***End of Chapter***
Differences
The start of the bell test.
Canon: Naruto did not eat breakfast and was starving with the other two.
My version: The day before but after Kakashi informs Team 7 of the true Genin test, Natsumi meets up with Hinata to lament the fact they were not teamed together. After some time, she discusses how she dislikes her team and Hinata gives valuable advice on what to remember during her test. So when the test started, Natsumi is already well-fed and ready to go.
Before Kakashi starts the test.
Canon: Naruto mentions how Kakashi couldn't even avoid an eraser. Kakashi calmly returned the jab and Naruto tried to attack him unsuccessfully.
My version: The eraser prank did not happen, so Natsumi has nothing to say to Kakashi and does not try to attack him before he starts.
The fight between Naruto and Kakashi.
Canon: After being taunted with the book, Naruto fails to hit Kakashi and in return was hit by the Sennin Goroshi.
My version: Starts out the same way, but Natsumi intercepts the Sennin Goroshi with a sudden set of moves Kakashi didn't expect her to have.
When Naruto uses the Kage Bunshin and Kakashi escapes with Kawarimi.
Canon: After slugging himself, the clones and the real Naruto fought among themselves. After dispelling them, he falls for an obvious trap by Kakashi.
My version: Starts out the same way, but she avoids in-fighting because she's keeping Hinata's advice in mind. She does something unexpected to try to find an impostor among her clones but there is none and realizes Kakashi escaped via Kawarimi. Kakashi doesn't set up the obvious trap because Natsumi chose to look for Sakura and Sasuke instead of just standing there.
After Sakura falls to Kakashi's genjutsu.
Canon: Sakura wakes up, rushes to find Sasuke, sees him buried up to his neck and faints.
My version: Natsumi found Sakura unconscious from the genjutsu and leaves behind a clone to watch over her. When Sakura wakes up, she punches the clone for denying that Sasuke was ever injured, something which Sakura believes due to the genjutsu. Then she rushes off to find Sasuke.
Kakashi's announcement that they failed the bell test.
Canon: He criticizes each and every one of them for their abysmal performance during the test and for not realizing why they were placed in teams.
My version: Natsumi already knows they failed thanks to Hinata's advice. She also knows the answer and reveals it when Kakashi asks if they even knew the reason they were placed in teams. When he criticizes them for their abysmal performance, Natsumi snaps because it isn't like she doesn't know what needs to be done but because she knows it won't work out, hence her solo actions. Kakashi is also aware of this fact and is a little apologetic to her for it.
Kakashi's second chance for Team 7 to pass.
Canon: Naruto remains tied up and Sakura and Sasuke offer him their food. When Kakashi confronts them, they mention that they are a team, allowing them to pass.
My version: Kakashi unties Natsumi and tells Team 7 if they don't accept the second chance, he will tell the Hokage to allow Natsumi to be teamed up with Hinata next year. Natsumi remains the only one willing to fight to the bitter end, but Sakura and Sasuke are willing to drop out to help Natsumi for the next time she tries to make Genin. Because they are willing to sacrifice their own wants, Kakashi passes them.
Extra Scene: Kakashi identifies Natsumi's uncharacteristic movements during the bell test as the motions for Juuken and starts a meeting with Hinata, Kurenai and the Hokage. Revealing it is an offense for Hinata to teach Juuken to outsiders, in this case Natsumi, the adults interrogate the two children. Pleased to see Natsumi willing to take the fall to protect Hinata, Hiruzen lets the issue slide. He reminds them that it is still an offense but he won't pursue the matter unless they get caught by another Hyuuga.
***Break Line***
Major changes to the canon events for this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter! I have to say, there are a few fanfics out there that have Naruto know Juuken. But that is because he, secretly or not, is a Hyuuga or he can master Juuken completely, techniques and all. Barring the ones that have him as a Hyuuga, the other fanfics tend to forget or remove one important point: his chakra control sucks. Period. He will never have the proper control to use Juuken effectively, and it doesn't matter if they give him the Byakugan or not. But hey, that's their fanfic so I won't criticize their work.
I choose to try a different style. I had Hinata teach Natsumi the Juuken, but. BUT! She only teaches the motions, not the chakra invasion because Natsumi doesn't have the Byakugan nor the chakra control needed to do it correctly. Keep it mind that Hinata's style of Juuken is also quite feminine, so the Juuken Natsumi has been learning is Hinata's rendition of it. On another note, from this point onward, Natsumi will be slightly more observant and her skills a little more diverse than Naruto's. She has been training with Hinata and if there are totally no changes, it will be so dull.
Thanks to all who liked and reviewed this story! I hope this chapter will keep your interest in this story going strong! Enjoy!