Author's Note: Thank you to all that reviewed, and started following my story. Also thank you to my beta Varmint. Because without, this story would not be that great. I don't own anything, if I did the ending of Naruto would have been a lot different.
'…' Thought
"…" Speaking
Mind transfer/mind reading
Location
Academy Grounds
Ino sighed as she looked at the two boys that occupied the room with her. The silence was stifling and seemed filled with tension... Well, tense to her. Being forced into such silence was absolute torture to the social butterfly and she tapped her foot against the ground nervously to fill the room with some noise. But it wasn't enough. The silence dragged on. And there seemed to be no end to it.
Just as the impatient girl opened her mouth to break the silence, the door to the room slid open and revealed their new sensei.
... Quite frankly... He wasn't all that fascinating. Especially with the senbon hanging from his lips.
Genma took one look at the group of dispersed children and figured he was in for a rough couple of years. "Sup kids? I'm Genma Shiranui, your new sensei. How about we get to know each other better, since we will all be on the same team for the next couple of years?"
"Did you not get a file on us?" Shino asked, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses.
"Yeah he did, it would contain all relevant information about us." Shikamaru answered the question with a sigh. Their Jōnin teacher was going to be troublesome if he hadn't even read their files.
Genma frowned at the Nara, then crossed his arms. They were already on the defensive about this... Great.
"Here's the deal you little monsters, I tell you to do something, you do it. I ask you a question, you answer the damn question. No smartass answers and no questions from you. Got it?" He growled at the group, clicking the senbon in his mouth against his teeth in annoyance.
"What if it's illegal, immoral, or unethical?" Asked Ino, eyeing the senbon in his mouth with a look of disgust.
"What did I just tell you about smartass answers girl? Now how about each of you tell me something you're good at." Genma replied with a roll of his eyes, all the while wondering if he had ever been this much of a pain in the ass as a genin.
"I'm good with genjutsu, taijutsu, and poisons." He blinked at her, not having expected those answers; but still filed the information away for later use.
"I'm good enough with ninjutsu, genjutsu, and strategies." Replied Shikamaru with an offhanded sigh, all the while pressing his cheek against his palm.
But even with his seeming lack of interest, Genma noted how the boy kept his gaze on him. And this caused the man to smirk inwardly.
It didn't surprise him to hear those skills. But the fact that the kid actually seemed interested... Hmm... Maybe this wasn't a typical Nara.
Still, Genma figured he'd have fun putting those supposed skills to the test later... If they managed to pass this one.
"I am proficient with taijutsu, ninjutsu, and seals."
The last boy spoke curtly and precisely and Genma found himself looking at dark sunglasses that showed zero emotions.
That would grow annoying quick.
So none of the kids thought it was worth mentioning their own clan techniques to each other. That was a problem for another day though. It was time for them to get down to business.
'So I have an Aburame that can break seals, a Nara that-even though he tries to show otherwise- actually has some interest, and a Yamanaka who could probably kill us all with a smile. This will be fun.' Genma thought looking at the three students, allowing his amusement to show in the form of a smirk.
"So here's the truth kiddos, you still haven't completely graduated yet." The man couldn't help but rejoice in the differing looks of dismay that crossed the kids faces. "You see there's another test you have to pass in order to be considered actually genin: My test. And since you have the added benefit of having been put together by the Hokage, I get to make my own kind of test for you. You three have until 7 am tomorrow to break into the Records Room under the Hokage tower and steal a file. It will be in a red folder." The Jōnin smirked as the looks of dismay became looks of horror on each of their faces.
"So you want us to break into the Records Room underneath Hokage tower..." Ino breathed out, unsure if she was asking or just repeating the task, while she looked at their new sensei incredulously.
Glancing around the room, she noted that she wasn't the only one left completely astonished by what had been said by the man. Shikamaru's eyes were wide and his body tense, looking like a completely different person. And... Well... She couldn't really tell how Shino was reacting. Him being mostly covered up made it nearly impossible. But from the way his body was all tensed, she could infer he too was surprised.
"Yeah, you're the new infiltration team. So you need to know how to infiltrate buildings and shit." Genma answered offhandedly with a wave of his hand.
"Sensei, that's treason! If we get caught, they could kill us on sight!" Shikamaru argued, wondering where in the hell they had found this guy and if they could return him.
"So... Don't get caught." The man answered with a shrug. "Remember my little minions: tomorrow morning. 7." Genma finished with a salute.
They all could have sworn that they heard him cackling as he teleported out of the room. When asked later, he would deny any claims.
Once the smoke had cleared, the kids all looked at each other with almost identical looks of disbelief, then began to wonder what in the hell had they signed up for.
After a beat of silence, the only female in the room breathed in and opened her mouth.
"So does anyone have a plan for breaking into the Records Room?" Ino asked her two male counterparts.
They spent a moment in silence, then Shino nodded softly. "We could always use Tora as a distraction." He offered, remembering the times he saw people chasing the infamous cat all over town.
"Great, does anyone know where the cat is?" Shikamaru asked looking at his two new teammates. When they both shook their heads no, he muttered a low 'troublesome', before shaking his head. "Alright then, let's split up and find the stupid cat. We'll meet back here by sunset."
*-()-*
When Ino and Shino arrived at the classroom at the agreed upon hour they weren't exactly empty handed. But... They had not come back with what they had been hunting for. Instead they had stocked up on weapons and items they might need during the infiltration.
"Where is Shikamaru at?" Shino asked the blonde after a few minutes of the boy not arriving. If anyone would know where he was, it would be her.
"I don't know; I ran into him about an hour ago but we separated. I had to go let my dad that we couldn't celebrate tonight since we're doing this stupid test." Ino answered with a huff, beginning to wonder where her last teammate could be..
Right as Shino was going to suggest they go looking for the genius, the door opened and revealed their missing counterpart. He walked into the room and dropped down on the closest desk with a long suffered sigh.
"I found out from some villagers that the Fire Daimyōs' wife isn't in Konoha anymore. She is back home, which means Tora is with her." Shikamaru grouchily told the group. He had missed dinner because of this stupid test.
Ino looked at her friend for a moment before she realized what was wrong with him and threw a bento box in his direction. "Well then I guess our only option at this point is to go to Hokage Tower and make up a plan as we go. Let's eat first though."
Records Room Hallway
Kakashi and Yamato stood outside the Records Room wearing their regular Jōnin outfits. Kakashi was reading the latest volume of Icha-Icha Paradise. The wood user had to repress the eye roll at the older man. Only he would take on a job like this and bring that book to read.
But there was a bigger problem for Yamato... He was completely and utterly bored. He couldn't believe he had gotten roped into doing this.
Scratch that... he could... But that's because his sempai was a cruel and unusual man.
Becoming fed up with the silence and absurdity of the situation, the man growled at Kakashi, "Why did you agree to this exactly?"
"Genma needed the help." Kakashi shrugged, his one visible eyes not leaving the pages of his book. "Besides... They're just kids. What's the worse they can do?" He then asked sarcastically, completely sure of his skills. Especially against three newly appointed genin.
He should have known he'd regret uttering that sentence sooner or later.
*-()-*
Seeing that the guards were too distracted by their conversation to notice him, Shikamaru used the shadows around the hallway to set up the trap they had decided to be the most efficient. Once everything was in place, he gave the signal to Shino to release the cicadas they had bottled up. Shino opened the jar and seemed to have a conversation with the insects. But Shikamaru didn't question it. Hey, if it worked... After a beat of nothing happening, the insects began to make their way towards the two unsuspecting guards.
Quite frankly, the plan was simple and somewhat elementary. Trained shinobi shouldn't allow themselves to fall for it and Shikamaru knew this. He was just hoping that the guys were as dumb as they seemed.
*-()-*
When they began to hear the sound of cicadas, the two veterans thought nothing of it. It was a warm night after all. But the more time that passed, the closer the sounds became.
"Do those sound closer than usual?" Yamato asked as he looked at Kakashi, the proximity of the distinctive warble like buzz the insects made beginning to worry him.
Just as Kakashi was going to answer, a large bug landed on his book. A cicada to be precise. Looking down the hall, they found it suddenly filled with more of these very bugs. And as if that one bug landing on Kakashi's precious book wasn't enough, it seemed as if the chorus of bugs was heading right to them.
As the bugs began attacking the two Jōnin, they tried swatting them away but more kept coming at them. Running to try and better their chances of getting rid of the flying insects, both men abandoned their posts by the door and headed down the hall. They tried to fight off the army of bugs... But, not only did they look ridiculous swatting and running like children, it was also futile. The little buggers weren't letting up.
The two were so engrossed in trying to get rid of the flying bastards that they didn't see the trap that had been set without them noticing. But they did notice when the thick chords wrapped around their lower legs. Unfortunately, before either man could really process the fact they had just been beaten by three newly appointed genin, both their heads smacked harshly on the floor as they were hoisted up into the air.
*-()-*
Shikamaru couldn't believe those two had been actually been as dumb as they seemed. But he hadn't been the kind to ever look a gift horse in the mouth and motioned quietly for Ino to complete her part of the plan.
The girl quickly darted down the hall and past the bugs that converged over the two guards that now hung upside down. When she reached the door, she wretched it open and disappeared inside. Locating the file took what seemed to be forever for the young girl, but was actually a few seconds. Quickly, she tucked the file into her chest with her left hand, then sprinted back down the hallway to the two boys waiting just around the corner.
As they all took off running, Ino reached into her thigh holster to grab a senbon; just in case they were followed. But what she hadn't realized was that her personal pouch of treated senbon had spilled and mixed in with her normal senbon when she had hastily grabbed them earlier that day.
*-()-*
"They're kids, what's the worse they can do?" Yamato growled while imitating Kakashi, irritated with a headache forming.
"Not a word of this to anyone." Kakashi snarled back, feeling like an idiot for never having entertained the idea of those kids ever actually standing a chance.
Yamato was pissed. Kakashi wasn't any better off. And when they heard the familiar laughter of the man that had asked them this favor, their irritation only grew. Of course he would have been watching.
The two came crashing to the ground without any warning, leaving them with dull aches around their body. But that was nothing compared to their wounded pride.
Academy Grounds
As the three slid into the classroom, they immediately began to put their traps in place. They still weren't sure if they were being followed or not, but the possibility was very real. Ino moved towards the center of the room with the file clutched in one arm to her chest and the senbon in the other as Shikamaru set up traps on the windows and Shino took care of the door.
As she took a breath, she saw a shadow looming above her and felt an unfamiliar chakra signature. It was then she realized that they were not alone in the room. Someone had managed to get through their traps. Without any doubt, the girl gripped her senbon tighter, then twisted her body and buried the senbon in whoever had managed to follow them.
Blue eyes widened in shock and fear as Ino realized who she had just stabbed.
Her senbon was in the arm of her new sensei. She had just stabbed her sensei... This was going to go over really well.
Genma's brown eyes widened as he processed the fact that his brand new little monster had stabbed him. The little brat... He could feel a burning sensation in his limbs and abdomen, and found himself wondering why that might be. Then he remembered, the Yamanaka brat had a penchant for poisons. Well he was fucked... and not in a good way.
He hit the ground hard, rather calm considering he had just been poisoned. He wasn't freaking out. He just found himself wondering how long he had to deal with this pain until he died. His reprieve came in the form of unconsciousness.
Ino let out a scream, and both boys turned to see their sensei on the ground with Ino standing above him. Where had he come from? Both shared a quick look of disbelief before they launched into the questions.
"What happened?" Shikamaru questioned, walking over to the blonde girl with wide eyes.
"Is he still alive?" Shino asked, for once sounding worried and not completely calm. If only by a little bit.
Ino stood there, shocked that she had not only stabbed their teacher, but apparently poisoned him as well. Could nothing ever be easy?
"He appeared right behind me. I didn't know it was him. Oh my God! What do we do? I'm too young to die!" Ino cried, looking back and forth between the other two.
Shikamaru raised his hands in an almost placating gesture. "It will be alright. Do you have the antidote on you?"
Upon her uttered answer of no, Shino responded; "Go home and get the antidote then. We really don't need to be implicated in the murder of a Jōnin."
Ino quickly escaped through the window and left the boys to watch over their sensei.
She really hoped she got back with the antidote in time. She didn't want to get punished for something she had had no control over! It had all been the Jōnin's fault. Without a doubt.
Yamanaka Compound
The blonde haired kunoichi slammed into the door to her home, almost barreling straight through it. Not bothering with taking her shoes off, she ran through the entryway of her house and into the kitchen area where the antidotes were kept.
She slid into the kitchen, failing to notice that her father had company with him, then launched herself into a one-sided conversation with the man.
"Dad do you have the antidote for wolfsbane? I kind of poisoned my teacher a few minutes ago- It was his fault really. He shouldn't have snuck up on me like that. What was he thinking asking kids to go break into the Records room like that? Who does that? But he got poisoned and I really don't feel like being implicated in a murder tonight. Oh hey here's the antidote. I'll see you in a few hours!"
Still oblivious to the company, she ran back out of her house. Both Inoichi and Yukina watched the girl, one amused and the other mortified.
"So you taught your daughter how to poison people?"
Inoichi couldn't help but flush at the question.
Academy Grounds
Shino had to jump back from the open window when a hysterical blonde jumped through it. "Here's the antidote!" She announced breathlessly, winded from all the running she had been forced into.
Without much hesitation, Shikamaru lifted up their sensei's head while Ino poured the antidote into his mouth. "How long until we know if the antidote has worked?" Shino asked the girl as he stepped towards the three on the floor.
"We should know in the next 10 minutes if it's worked or not." She answered back, really hoping the antidote had worked.
The next ten minutes passed by slowly for the three students.
While Ino had been searching for the antidote, Shikamaru had thought of every viable option they had. These included running away, faking their own deaths, and becoming missing nin. Though he wasn't sure his father would approve of either of the last two. Or Ino's father. And that was one man Shikamaru did not want to piss off.
All three genin stood around in tense silence, worried and fearful of their new teacher dying. And as soon as Genma let out a groan, the trio let out a sigh of relief. They wouldn't have to become missing nin after all.
"What the fuck did you poison me with?" Genma questioned gruffly as the pain in his limbs began to recede, all the while he struggled to sit himself up on the floor.
Blinking, he noted that all three of his little mongrels stood around him in a loose circle. And they all seemed rather relaxed and relieved.
Laughing nervously, Ino informed the man and her teammates, "Wolfsbane. It's primarily used for hunting. In cases of poisoning the person can begin to feel pain in their limbs and abdomen. It takes anywhere from two to six hours to kill a person."
'I pity anyone who crosses that girl;' Genma thought warily. With a groan, he finally managed to sit up. Even through the pain still in his body and stiffness of his limbs, Genma had to smile when Shino dropped the red folder that had been their target in his lap.
"Congratulations you have passed the test, which means you all are mine to tort- I mean... train for the next few years." He smirked at the way all three groaned, then decided to give his assessment, "Girly good use on the speed to get in grab the file and get out. Also don't ever poison me again. It's not nice." He warned, then turned to the bug nin, "Sunglasses, good job with using the cicadas as a screen. Pineapple head, nice job on setting the trap. Now let's all go home and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow starts training, 12 pm at training ground 2." He teleported away before the cries of how unfair he was being could be heard.
Aburame Compound
After the tiring day, Shino padded into his kitchen to grab a glass of water before he went to bed. When he got there, he found Shibi already waiting there for him.
"So how did you do?" The older male asked his son, voice somehow maintaining its' monotonous tone even with the clear curiosity peeking through.
"Our test was to break into the Records room under the Hokage tower." Shino informed his father as he grabbed a cup to fill with water. "We managed to trap some assigned guards, retrieved the file, and escaped." And as he served himself his water, he remembered the most exciting and worrying part of the night. "Once in the meeting room, Ino poisoned our sensei. Then we were told we had passed and we are to meet with sensei tomorrow for training."
Normally, Shino was not a mischievous boy. But he knew that hearing about the poisoning would surely catch his father off guard. Especially if it was mentioned so casually.
"Son... Did I hear correctly?"
Internally, Shino smirked at the confusion that coated his father's words. The man barely ever showed any emotion. And it was amusing to actually hear some.
"What do you mean, father?" The boy turned around, keeping his voice innocent and devoid of signs of amusement.
Shibi Aburame crossed his arms over his broad chest and questioned, "Ino poisoned your sensei? Who?"
A Yamanaka using poison rather than her clan's own mind techniques? Shino could understand why his father was intrigued.
"It was an accident." Shino explained, receiving a small nod of understanding from his father. "Apparently when she went to grab one of her senbon, she grabbed one that was treated with wolfsbane." Shino answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Genma Shiranui is our sensei." He added offhandedly.
"Hmm... He worked as one of the Hokage's bodyguards for a long time." Shibi murmured softly, but said nothing more.
Even though the man knew more about Genma, he wasn't about to tell his son. Not with the questions that him being assigned as a Jōnin teacher brought up.
"Interesting." Shino hummed, then finished his water and began to walk to his room, "I am going to bed now father. Good night."
Behind his own sunglasses, Shibi followed his son's form until the boy ducked out of the kitchen. And once the boy was on his way up the stairs of their home, Shibi allowed himself to think and wonder.
He would have to speak with Inoichi and Shikaku eventually... The fact that Ino-Shika-Cho wasn't being repeated this year was odd enough. But that Shino had replaced the Akimichi's son and that Genma had been deemed the sensei... This was most odd.
Nara Compound
Shikaku was waiting in the living room when Shikamaru returned home.
"So who are you on a team with? How did you do on the test?"
He heard a groan of annoyance from the boy after he had spoken up, which made the man chuckle at his son's theatrics.
"I'm on a team with Ino and Shino. Our sensei is Genma Shiranui. We passed, even after Ino accidentally poisoned him." Shikamaru replied reluctantly, tired and just desperate for some sleep.
The elder Nara let out a laugh at the thought of Inoichi's princess poisoning someone, especially the sensei of the group. "So they've got you with Inoichi's daughter and Shibi's son... I thought they would have kept the Ino-Shika-Cho formation for this year." Shikaku muttered, thinking on the reasons behind the Hokage's decision.
He realized something was going on in the background and he needed to meet with the Hokage to confirm his suspicions.
"Apparently they wanted a new infiltration team this year. I guess that because we are the top students in the class, they figured we would work well enough together. But I'm going to bed, we have training in a few hours." Shikamaru waved to his dad as he went back towards his room.
Shikaku waved back at his son as his mind worked. And once Shikamaru was gone, the man noted that there must have been something going on in the background. But, to be sure, he would have to meet with Hokage himself... But... Maybe it would be wise to speak with Inoichi and Shibi before. They would undoubtedly have pieces to offer for this puzzle.
Besides, it'd be nice to meet up with Inoichi again.
Yamanaka Compound
Inoichi was waiting by the front door for his daughter. After her impromptu speech earlier, he was both worried and intrigued by the occurrences of the day. And he really wanted to know just how his daughter had almost murdered her new sensei.
"Hey princess, how did you do?" He asked his pride and joy once he saw her walking up the path to their home.
"Hey daddy, we passed the test." Ino answered nonchalantly, trying to down play everything that had happened during the night.
Inoichi knew exactly what Ino was trying to play at. And he would have none of it.
"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell me exactly what led to you poisoning your teacher." Inoichi smirked softly as his daughter glared at him, but she soon began to explain everything.
"Well I'm on a team with Shikamaru and Shino; and our sensei is Genma Shiranui." She proceeded to give him a play by play of her evening as they made their way back into the living room.
"Alright baby, next time make sure you know who you are poisoning. And always keep the antidote to the poison on you." Inoichi was impressed to know that the boys had both thought fast and maintained their cool. But, then again, Aburames' and Naras' tended to keep a cooler head than most.
He kissed her on the forehead when she said goodnight. The elder Yamanaka figured he could talk to her later about him dating Yukina later on, once the excitement of becoming a genin had died down. He wanted to make sure that she was truly okay with it.
But, before all that, he needed to sit down with Shikaku and Shibi to find out what in the hell the Hokage had been thinking.
Training Grounds 2
Genma was sitting on a tree branch when the trio meandered onto the training grounds. Oh, he knew this would be a fun exercise. Once the kids had gotten close enough, the senbon enthusiast jumped down and landed in front of the little mongrels.
"Alright kiddies, today's lesson is hiding." He informed them, then began to explain why they would be doing this because the little brats would undoubtedly question him. "Everyone thinks that front-line teams go out first, but that's not true. It's the infiltration teams that go first. They are the ones that are used to gather information and recommend the action that the village takes. Occasionally the infiltration team is found out before the mission ends and they have to run and hide from the enemy until backup shows."
He allowed a few seconds to pass in silence, then he told them just what they would be doing.
"So we are going to play a game of tactical hide and seek. You will hide from me and if you can keep hidden for the next 30 minutes, you pass. Game ends when you all remain successfully hidden for the 30 minutes. We will restart the game if I catch all of you before the 30 minutes is up. Now run along, I promise no peeking." Genma smirked as they all darted into the forest behind him without further prompting.
"Oh, by the way," He whispered softly, smirk finding its way onto his face, "There are a whole bunch of traps in the forest and you're going to lose horribly..."
"You're terrible."
"I try my best." He replied cheekily as Hana Inuzuka and the Three Haimaru Brothers walked up to him.
"Let's give them a minute to get settled. They deserve a moment of peace before you begin the torture." Hana remarked with a roll of her eyes.
Only he would think it would be fun to harass a group of kids. Although... Maybe it was a matter of perspective. Even though Hana couldn't understand why this might be so fun.
A few minutes later, Hana let out a sharp whistle that told the nin dogs to go after the children. As the dogs took to the ground, the adults took to the tree branches. Within seconds the dogs had locked on to the different places where the kids were hiding.
Upon reaching a flustered Shikamaru, Genma couldn't help but sigh and shake his head.
Geez, it was like they weren't even trying!
*Six Hours Later*
The sound of a smoke bomb going off followed by a female scream could be heard throughout the training grounds. "THIS IS UNFAIR!" An enraged Ino screamed at no one in particular.
Shikamaru was trapped in a tree a few feet from her by the dogs and Shino was directly under her, buried up to this neck.
Genma and Hana laughed from their positions above the kids and dropped down. The senbon user decided now was a good time for a lesson.
"Guess what buttercup, we are shinobi. Nothing will be fair from now on. When you're out in the field, don't expect to have all the information... In fact, it's better for you to assume that you don't know anything. Also assume that everything a person says to you is a lie." Genma spoke to the group, then blinked and pointed out, "Except your teammates. You need to trust those in the field with you."
A whistle from Hana brought the nin dogs back to her side. They were panting but seemed to be happy, most probably content with having chased down a bunch of kids for the afternoon. Turning towards Genma, she smiled "Hey I've got to go. I need to feed the dogs and help with dinner for the family." The Inuzuka explained, then waved at the kids she had hunted down and finally left with her pleased dogs.
"Alright minions, let's call it a night." Genma walked over to where Shino was stuck and grabbed the back of his collar to haul him out of the ground. Shino quickly moved once he realized that Genma was going to cut Ino down. The senbon enthusiast then walked over to where the post that tied off the net and cut the rope. Ino landed sprawled out on the ground gracelessly. Then a hand was unceremoniously thrust into her face, which she took with a huff. The girl was then pulled onto her feet, but, instead of thanking the man that had pulled her up, Ino merely glared at him.
It was eerily quiet as they all made their way out of the training ground.
"Tomorrow my little monsters at 9 am." Genma announced with a wave of his hand as he left the three standing alone. The newer generation of shinobi shared a look of mutual horror at the thought of training with the clearly deranged man tomorrow.
If they didn't know better, they would have thought he was trying to kill them.
Ino gave a small half smile to the boys, while Shikamaru gave a two-fingered salute and Shino just nodded his head at the two as they mutually split apart to walk in the various directions of their homes.
Aburame Compound
Once the bug nin was home, he immediately sought out his adoptive brother. He found the older male sitting on the back porch looking out at the sky as the myriad of colors signaled it was sunset. Sitting next him, Shino asked; "How hard was it for you when you started out in Root?"
Root was a subset of the Anbu that had been run by a cold and cruel man, Danzō Shimura. The man however died when he made the mistake of trying to wipe out the Uchiha clan using their own prodigy, the older brother of Sasuke, Shino's fellow recently graduated classmate. Once he had died, all the evidence against him turned up. The experimentation on children, manipulation of high ranking officials...Every disgusting and horrifying piece of evidence. Torune had been a part of Root for a year before it was disbanded. In his time there, he had been partnered with Fū Yamanaka. Currently, they were still partners, but now in regular Anbu. They had passed their psych evaluations.
"It was hard, I had to go from having a family to no one. It was a rough adjustment, but they partnered me up with Fū and he became like family to me. What happened today?" Torune was curious as to how his adoptive brother got along with the younger female cousin of his counterpart.
Swallowing, Shino answered softly, "I swear that man was trying to kill us." Then he regained his composure and looked at the other male. "We played "tactical hide and seek". Which really meant he and his friend, Hana Inuzuka, along with her ninken, beat us up for six hours." The boys crossed his arms over his chest with a huff, attempting to keep his anger from making him shout.
"Did you work together as a team?" The look the younger ninja's face told him all he needed to know. "The entire premise behind the tactical hide and seek game is to get you working like a team. Cover each other's tracks. Throw off whoever is chasing you by working together." He explained, slightly amused that his younger brother hadn't thought of that.
And Shino was supposed to be the smart one.
Yamanaka Compound
Fū was in the kitchen when Ino arrived home. He had been making some tea for himself to calm down a bit before going to sleep. But, when he heard his cousin enter the home and stomp her way into the kitchen, he decided to begin to make some for her too. And when he noticed the frazzled appearance of his cousin, he decided not to say anything to the temperamental girl. He did however, hand her a cup of the tea he had made and waited.
Ino was, fortunately, rather predictable.
"Today sucked. I seriously want to know where they found this guy at. Like, did he crawl out of hell or something? We had to play tactical hide and seek, because you know, infiltration teams have to know how to hide until back up can get there or whatever... But all he did was beat the crap out of us and trap us! We didn't even stand a chance against him." Ino ranted to her cousin.
She felt rather light after she had done so.
"Did you all try working together?" He shouldn't have been surprised when she glared at him. With a sigh, he continued. "The entire point of this game is to work together. Torune and I had to play it when we first got assigned to work together. Try working with your teammates tomorrow instead of playing the lone ninja."
Leaving her to mull over what he had said, he went back to his room for the night.
Nara Compound
Yoshino knew something was bothering her son, she saw it in the way he had his brow furrowed all through dinner. "Sweetie, come and help me with the dishes." She called out to her son, knowing fully well he would not disappoint her.
As they worked together to do the dishes, she asked him; "What happened today?"
"We had to play a game of tactical hide and seek; and we failed at it for six hours. You know statistically speaking we should have won at least once." Shikamaru told his mother, ego still bruised from the earlier perceived failure.
Yoshino bit down her laugh, and smiled at her son as she told him, "Tactical hide and seek is meant as a group training exercise. You were supposed to work together as a team to help each other. You go out with teams so you increase your chance of survival, so you need to know how to work seamlessly together."
Shikamaru realized that his mother was right. Of course it had been another test for them. This time to see if they would work together without actually being told so, and of course they hadn't. The thought hadn't even crossed into his mind. Tomorrow they would do much better.
Training Ground 2
Genma smirked as he walked up to the training grounds, the kiddos were already there. Stopping in front of the group, he noticed a look of determination on all of them and hoped they had learned the lesson he was trying to teach to them last night.
"Sensei, can you teach us how to make traps like the ones you were using yesterday?" Ino asked as she looked at him expectantly.
"Yeah, yeah kiddos. Let's go through trap making: Genma style." He said with a laugh. Oh this would be a fun team.
The next few hours had the students learning a multitude of traps and how to set them off in conjunction with other traps. There was the log trap, which was when they tied a rope to a giant log and sent that down and as soon as the person avoided the log, they got caught in ninja wire. Then there were the fake traps to hide the real traps right beside them; no one ever expected that one.
"Alright kiddos, this is the last one I'm gonna teach you about today. It's the one I was using last night that kept tricking blondie." Genma said as he moved around to show them the trap. "First thing you is set up a smoke bomb with a small explosive tag. So when they trip the trap it goes boom, and they think it's a big explosion. Usually they move right onto the net and the explosions cuts through the wire keeping the net on the ground. Then up they go."
As the four stood on the net, Shino asked him; "So if the explosion doesn't cut the wire then what do you do?"
"Well you should be in position above them, so if that happens then you can throw a kunai or senbon at it and cut the wire." Genma answered, wondering why it suddenly felt as though they were being watched.
Just as he spotted two porcelain masks above them, a kunai was thrown and the wire was cut.
The trap worked just as well today as it did last night, and suddenly Team 3 and their sensei were caught up in the net. Genma glared in the direction as to where the two porcelain masks had showed up seconds ago. Of course those two couldn't take a joke.
Ino looked up at him as she tried to move from where she was stuck between him and Shino and asked, "Sensei you are getting us down from here right?"
Laughter broke out from the team and could be heard all through the training field.
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Next Chapter: The First Mission
"So kiddos here's your first real mission. We have the fun of traveling to the town of Miura in Fire Country to gather evidence against a local merchant there." Genma told the team as he tossed files to each of them.
"Sensei, my family knows this man." Ino said looking at the picture of a familiar man.
It was hard to not remember him. There was a picture of him with her father sitting proudly in their living room.