hey guys.

Sorry i havent updated in a while, i just been busy. i finished my studies for science, and i finally found time. next chapter is for the ONE PERSON who actually leaves me reviews. enjoy.

i dont own naruto. if i did, Garra would have something cooler than "love" tattooed on his forehead.

After a while of training, the three began growing their teamwork. Instead of a lopsided triangle, they were perfectly symmetrical. Arashi had been a great team leader, with a cool head, good strategies, and tons of strength. Kizuato became a team player, who stopped his attack to help a comrade anytime. Sukeru began studying more jutsu, and became well versed in snake-style jutsu.

But tsunade still wasn't impressed. She drove them harder every day, with their taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, everything had to be better. And that did not go over we'll with the team.

"Today, we are practicing your focus." Tsunade told the genin, "You will focus your chakra, and run up a tree."

"How do we do that?" Sukeru asked.

Tsunade didn't answer, she just ran at the nearest tree, running up the trunk with ease. When she reached a certain hight, she took a kunai, and slashed a notch in the bark. She jumped down, and landed in front of the group.

"Like that." She said.

Arashi focused, feeling his chakra surround his feet. He ran at the tree, and took a step on the bark. He fell off at the first step, falling on his back, hard. Sukeru helped him up while kizuato laughed.

Kizuato was next, so he ran at it without any concentration. He tripped over a root, and slammed his face into the bark. He slid down it, twitching, as Arashi and sukeru helped him up.

Sukeru didn't get much higher. None of them apparently had the ability to run up a tree, how emberresing.

Tsunade sighed, "Are you kidding me? Even the worst academy dropouts can run up a tree! If you guys can't get to the top, then-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know!" Arashi said, angrily, "You'll send us back to the academy! Well, I CAN run up a tree! It's just that you've been training us so hard lately, I don't HAVE any more chakra!"

Kizuato was standing up, and said, "Im getting up that tree. Even if I have to use kunai."

Arashi made a hand sign, and closed his eyes. He focused his energy, his chakra growing. His left eye was noticeable now. It didn't hurt, he was just aware of it. All his chakra seemed to build from it.

He took a kunai from his weapon pouch, and ran at the tree. He put his foot on the trunk, and it glowed with blue energy. He pushed off it, actually running up the tree. Of course, he didn't get high at all, but he did it. He landed safely to the bottom, and breathed heavily.

Tsunade could sense some odd chakra flowing from the boy. She didnt understand why, but the boy's chakra patterns now seemed to be replenishing themselves even faster than she had ever seen. She had seen chakra like this in two other people. One person who was long dead, and another who the boy was related to.

By it was different. As if the boy had both together. Like he was…

Tsunade was roused from her thoughts when Arashi threw himself at the tree again.

His feet stuck to the bark easily, and he charged up far. His feet made a slapping sound as they hit, and his joints moved more smoothly than before.

Tsunade saw the blue chakra around his feet dissipate, and sighed. It looked like his chakra levels still hadn't replenished.

However, he continued to rise. He didnt slow at all. In fact, he rose faster. Tsunade was stunned. He didnt have any chakra concentration! How could he still be rising?

He finally rose to where tsunade had made the slash mark. He took a kunai, and slashed a notch above it in the bark. Satisfied with the hight he had reached, he pushed off back the tree, and landed safely on the ground.

Tsunade was stunned. But kizuato and sukeru? They were pumped!

"That was awesome, Arashi!" Sukeru told her teammate.

"My turn." Kizuato said, and ran at the tree. He sped up the trunk, at top speed. Tsunade noticed as he got higher, his skin started to steam. It started out thinly, almost invisible if you weren't looking for it. Then it got thicker. It seemed as if he were producing some sort of…mist. Nothing was visible from behind the mist shinobi. It looked almost like te mist was coming out of his pores, almost like sweat.

Kizuato didn't get as high as Arashi, but when he had gotten to the end of his metaphorical rope, he jumped up. Pushing off the tree trunk, he propelled himself up far and high into the air. He took a kunai, and threw it easily at the tree. It stuck itself into the bark, just higher than the mark Arashi had made.

He seemed smug, looking down at a disappointed Arashi, but then the fact dawned on him that he was several long yards from solid ground, and falling rapidly. He began air-dancing, clawing at the air and kicking his legs wildly in an imaginative desperate bid not to become paste.

Tsunade put her weight back on her right foot, preparing to push off the ground and save the falling genin. She never got the chance. Before she could move, a swarming mass of black snakes shot up out of the ground, fighting over one another to gain a front most position. The small, thin black serpents impacted against kizuato's falling body, creating a shield and catching him. His descent slowed, the snakes hissing at the weight. Soon, they let him down, laying him horizontal on his back, before dissapering into the ground.

They all had bewildered looks on their faces, as they looked to sukeru, who was hunched over on her hands and knees. She was breathing heavily, and seemed to be drained. Tsunade sensed that her chakra reserves were low, as Arashi and kizuato ran over to her.

They each took her arm, and hoisted her up, her feet dangling off the ground at the hight they held her. She managed a smile, trying to look confident and NOT an inch from fainting.

"Was that rising shadow snakes?!" Arashi asked, gleefully.

"Yeah…" sukeru mumbled, "I can only manage one at a time, and then, I'm pretty useless…"

"Are you kidding?" Kizuato said, "that was amazing! You really helped me out."

As sukeru thanked kizuato, she stumbled, falling. Arashi swept her up by her arm, and carried her in his arms. He gave her an eye-smile, and looked ahead. Sukeru seemed more or less indifferent, but her heart gave a tiny skip at the prospect of Arashi holding her like that.

They walked back from the training field, and started kizuato and Arashi started jabbering about who was the better shinobi. They argued playfully, sometimes pushing one another or making wisecracks. Tsunade walked aside them, her eyes glued on the pair.

She wondered about them. Did Arashi wear his headband like that to imitate kakashi? Or was he too hiding some sort of incredible dojutsu? Was that what she had seen while he was running up the tree?

And what about kizuato? It seemed like he had used the hidden mist jutsu, but he didnt make any hand signs! She knew she had seen it plain as day, but still had no idea.

She decided to keep a close eye on the pair, to see if they had any more special talents or points of inquiry for her. Of course, she wasn't going to ask anything about it until she was sure they were hiding it.

i really dont have much to say about this one. i kinda put it togeather so nobody would come burn my house down. all i have to say is, if you can tell me whats happening to Arashi, ill give you twenty million pounds of cheese, and five bucks.

peace.