A/N: Ohhhh myyy gosshhh! I am so SORRY! I can't believe I haven't updated in so long Please, please, please forgive me!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plots used within Naruto and Inuyasha.
Kikyo opened her eyes when she didn't receive a celebratory response like one she had pictured within her head. She felt a bead of sweat drop down the side of her head as she took in her students' expressions - or, lack thereof in this situation.
"Is that it?" Bankotsu said flatly as he stared at his new sensei. "Kagome says a few pretty words and we pass? Geez, talk about favoritism."
Hakudoshi snorted at his teammate's disdain as he allowed his eyes to travel to their female comrade. He watched as Kagome glared at Bankotsu for his "pretty words" comment before sighing and allowing a bright smile to adorn her face and brighten her eyes.
Looking towards Kikyo, Kagome stepped forward. "So," She drawled out as she waited for her sensei's undivided attention, "what now?"
"Now," Kikyo spoke up, "you go home and rest. Tomorrow is the first day of training and believe me when I say this, it will not be easy. However, I have a feeling that the three of you will breeze through it."
At the mention of getting rest, the three Genin finally felt the day's exhaustion take hold of their bodies. As their shoulders slumped in relief and their forms lost some of their guarded posture, Kikyo smiled fondly. 'Yes, I am definitely glad these three were returned to me. Maybe this time they will get the life they deserve.'
Kagome smiled as she walked along the bridge at the Konoha river. Sure, Kikyo-sensei said to get some rest but she can't help the euphoria she feels as she realizes that after a year, she is finally here. She can finally make a difference and maybe, just maybe, she will finally feel like she belongs.
"Hey! Gome-chan! There you are!"
Kagome turned around at the sound of her best friend, a smile blossoming on her face as she pivoted to face him from the railing. Looking at the figure running towards her, Kagome laughed. "Naruto!" Kagome waved her hand above her head in excitement before jumping gracefully from her spot to meet him halfway.
Upon reaching him at the beginning of the bridge, Kagome took note of his excitement. "What's going on?"
"Hmm?" Naruto tilted his head in question. "What do you mean?"
Kagome rose an eyebrow in exasperation. "Really? You're the one who is running around excited You tell me."
"Oh!" Naruto's eyes widened as he took in what she said. Laughing with his hand rubbing the back of his neck, Naruto answered. "It's nothing, really. I was just happy that I finally found you. I heard from Shikamaru that you and your team showed at Choji's family restaurant but left right away."
"Oh, that," Kagome mumbled as she thought back at what happened. "Well, my team and I officially passed! Our first official day of training starts tomorrow."
Naruto smiled. "Awesome! We actually start on our missions tomorrow. I so can't wait!"
At this time, the two were already walking back towards the village as they smiled at each other, the excitement spilling from every word exchanged.
'Thing is, though,' Kagome thought as she smiled at Naruto as he explained what his sense put them through, 'why do I feel like something much bigger is bound to happen now?'
The moon was full tonight - full, bright, but weary. Somewhere someone - or something - was planning.
The breeze picked up a bit within a dreary, abandoned warehouse far past the borders of Konohagakure. Just as the wind died down, a figure cloaked in black appeared, the hood covering the person's face.
"My lord," The figure spoke in a hushed tone as he kneeled onto the ground, his head bowed towards yet another cloaked figure.
"Ah, Alpha," The figure spoke, his voice raspy as that of an old man. "I was wondering when you would appear."
No one said a word for a small moment before the figure lifted his head towards his elder. "Lord Danzo, the students - Team X - have reunited. They are a part of Kikyo's team."
The moon's light shone onto Danzo's face as he smiled ruefully. "Hmm, Kikyo-chan is it. Thank you, Alpha. Please, keep an extra eye out on her and her team. It is almost time to go through with Orochimaru's plan. We only await his arrival and signal."
Alpha nodded at Danzo before standing up. "I must report one last thing, my lord."
"Hmm?" Danzo turned to his ANBU leader. "And what is that?"
"It seems that the team is not what it once was from my observation. With them being under Kikyo's training and guidance, it will be that much more difficult to have them continue with the original plans."
"Do not worry about that, Alpha. They are, and always will be, a part of ROOT. When the time comes, they will definitely remember as such," Danzo said with a dark smile before turning away from Alpha. "You are dismissed."
Groans and complaints were heard as three students awaited their sensei at the arranged meeting location.
"I don't see why we have to arrive this early. I mean, it's not even morning yet!"
"Oh come off of it, Bankotsu. Whining isn't going to change anything."
"Technically, it is morning."
"I'm glad to see that you three are fully awake and aware," Kikyo's voice broke through the complaints, her voice cheery and without an ounce of sleepiness.
Her three students turned around quickly and straightened their postures at the arrival of their sensei. "How long have you been there? We didn't hear you come," Bankotsu said with genuine curiosity.
"Well, if you weren't too busy complaining about whether or not it's morning, you would have noticed me arrive around the same time as you guys did," Kikyo answered back with a smile.
Kagome just grumbled something about her sensei always being "so damn cheery" while Hakudoshi glared at Bankotsu as if it was his entire fault they were all so distracted.
"Well," Kikyo broke through their thoughts, ignoring Kagome's cranky thoughts, "now that we are all here and almost fully awake, I think now would be a great time to explain what your training will consist of."
"Ano, Kikyo-sensei," Kagome said before Kikyo could continue, "when will we start doing missions? I mean, all of the other rookie Genins have already started theirs."
"Good point, Kagome. However, I will be doing things a little more different. Here's the thing," Kikyo paused to take a seat on the ground and gestured for the other three to do the same, "the missions that all the rookie teams are required to do are actually chores meant to build up your teamwork and to train you. We are not going to be doing that," Kikyo explained simply.
"But," Bankotsu protested, "if we don't do those missions, how the hell are we going to be approved for anything other higher class missions?"
"Must you be so crass, Bankotsu?" Kikyo asked sharply before sighing. "Look, being a shinobi of Konoha isn't all about being sent out to do impossible missions. It's about being true to your village, representing Konoha and its citizens, and being as strong as you can to protect it from those that mean Konohagakure harm. How can you protect the one thing you swore to protect if you're always out of the village and gallivanting off doing constant missions?"
Kagome bit down on her lip to keep her smile from emerging as she listened to her sensei put down her teammate in the best way possible while Hakudoshi just snorted, at what she wasn't sure.
"Now that we managed to cover that, we can get onto the real explanation," Kikyo pointedly gave all three of them a look. "You have managed to delve into the first step of tapping into your very own spiritual energy. Each person, shinobi or not, is capable of accessing and honing their own energy. All one needs to do that is practice and above all, patience."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Well that's going to take a while for a certain someone on this team."
Hakudoshi smirked in tune to her statement while Bankotsu gaped at her in shock before laughing out loud. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, Kagsy."
"Enough," Kikyo spoke out, effectively gaining their attention once more. "Now is not the time to be joking around. Should you want to get this done faster - which I know you guys can achieve - then you must stay focused at all times."
Team Kikyo listened and kept their eyes focused and determined. Kikyo skimmed her students, her eyes meeting theirs one by one and as she took them in, she allowed her eyes to close and once she did, she began to breathe in deeply to fully succumb to her mind.
All three Genin watched their sensei as she breathed deeply for a few seconds before she seemed to stop breathing altogether. Even if they were itching to say something or move towards her, they stayed in their spots afraid to disturb the area. A few more seconds ticked by but to the three Genin, it seemed to go on for minutes instead.
Before anything could happen, they felt a flare of chakra pour over them and they unconsciously held their breath from the exerted force. Each pair of eyes honed into their sensei.
Hakudoshi allowed his chakra to flow through his coils and into his eyes to activate his clan's Kekkei Genkai. After refocusing his eyes, he was able to watch the chakra flow in waves through his sensei's body before his eyes caught something small happening in the center of Kikyo's chakra coils. As he paid more attention to that small fleck of energy, he felt his eyes burn and not from the exerted force of keeping them open. No, this was something else altogether and it took everything he had not to look away even as it grew exponentially.
Bankotsu narrowed his eyes as he allowed his sensei's chakra to flow around him in large spurts. He felt a smaller flare of energy come from his male teammate and knew that Hakudoshi had decided to use his clan's Demon Eyes to see into their sensei's chakra coils. Sighing to himself, he knew that he wouldn't be able to see directly as to what is happening but during the time he was away, he learned something very useful.
Closing his eyes, Bankotsu allowed himself to focus solely on the large amount of energy coming from Kikyo. As he did, Bankotsu couldn't help the side comment that he was actually doing something Kikyo wanted all of them to do on a daily basis and that is to fully focus and allow your mind to take over. Before he fully lost control of his attention, Bankotsu used part of his chakra to help him focus more on Kikyo's. While his eyes were closed, should one have looked at his outer appearance, they would have noticed a third eye forming on his forehead before slowly opening.
Upon opening fully, Bankotsu was able to fully pinpoint the difference in his sensei and his third eye focused in on the small energy that felt so beautiful and pure that he knew he wouldn't be able to look away.
Kagome knew that despite her previous experience within ROOT, without her memories like the other two, she is nothing but a rookie Genin. So, as she took her focus off of her sensei and took in her other two teammates, to be surprised would be an understatement. She couldn't help but feel inferior to them as she watched Hakudoshi use what she could only guess was a Kekkei Genkai and when she turned to Bankotsu, she knew that he wasn't just a hotheaded shinobi like he tended to act, his third eye proving differently. She knew what a third eye meant and had only read about certain shinobi's learning how to access a certain part of their mind to allow their chakra flow to delve into their brain and unleash the ability.
Sighing, Kagome turned back to Kikyo and knew that if she wanted to even come to par to her teammates, she had to find her own way of seeing just what her sensei was doing. With that last thought in her mind, Kagome closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.