Chapter 4
Foundations
Following the previous day, Anko-sensei instructed them to gather outside the Hokage's Office building at 10 AM to finalize their team placement and take a team photo. Shiho, always punctual, had no trouble with this arrangement.
She set off from her own home making her way along the well-trodden path that she would follow every morning to the academy, the only difference this time was that she had to sit and wait outside one of the largest buildings in Konoha, the office where the Hokage did his duties was at the top of the circular building.
Shiho stood and craned her neck, trying to get a better look at the building. Her eyes focused on the large sign at the top of the structure, with the kanji for 'fire' emblazoned prominently, visible to everyone in the village from any angle. The building was as iconic as the Hokage Rock itself, one of the few structures in the village that stood tall and imposing, radiating a sense of security throughout Konoha.
Turning her gaze away from the building, she strolled over to the nearby benches and seated herself comfortably as she had a good 30 minutes to spare. With the extra time, she took the opportunity to gather her thoughts about what lay ahead now that she was a part of Team 9.
Immediately, she acknowledged that she was the weakest link within the team. Despite her additional training sessions with Naruto, she knew she was far from matching his combat prowess. Hana, who had been close to if not on par with Naruto's abilities, also posed a challenge. This realisation prompted her to reaffirm her commitment to improving her combat skills, understanding that she didn't want to be the one constantly needing to be rescued if a mission went south.
However, this train of thought led her to consider the nature of missions. Drawing from the stories her uncle had shared about his time as a shinobi before he found his place in the Cryptoanalysis Branch of the village, Shiho knew that missions were far from being a leisurely stroll. Every mission carried inherent risks, and neutrality between villages didn't guarantee friendly encounters when they did run into each other. There was also the threat of rogue ninja, bandits, and even those who just find pleasure in killing.
She knew following their sensei's guidance would minimize these risks. After all, their primary role was reconnaissance, and combat was meant to be a last resort. She recognized the futility of her worrying thoughts, especially since they hadn't been a team for a full day, let alone taken on a mission.
She shook her head, smiling at where her thoughts had led her 'Not even a shinobi for a day and I'm worrying about things out of my control' she thought. Determined to cast her concerns aside, she pulled out her book and settled in to wait for the rest of her team to arrive.
She busied herself for a further 20 minutes until she heard a bark coming from her right, which caused her to turn her head and smile at her two approaching teammates and the three ninken running towards her, the one at the front - she needed to learn their names as soon as possible - jumping onto the bench next to her and wagged its tail.
She laughed and gave it a pat on the head as Hana and Naruto approached, as they did Shiho cocked an eyebrow at the blondes' appearance. Gone was his old orange and blue jacket which had been replaced with a newer black and orange one matching his orange pants and black sandals.
However, it was what he now wore on his head and around his neck that made her smile, "It's called a forehead protector for a reason, y'know" she mimicked, quoting him from yesterday and giggling when he rolled his eyes at her.
Naruto adjusted the goggles that had taken their spot on his head, his headband now wrapped around his neck instead, "It was a graduation gift," he shrugged looking down at his jacket as well, "Ayame and Teuchi would be annoyed if I didn't put them to use".
"Well, at least the jacket isn't as bright as before" Hana chimed in from his side.
"-or as big," Shiho added, both girls shared a laugh at Naruto's expense. He sighed, slumping onto the bench, already appearing exasperated with their teasing. Their laughter only intensified when Taro decided to join in, licking Naruto's face in apparent sympathy.
Hana decided to help Naruto out a bit and whistled the pup to get off the bench, allowing her to take the vacant seat, "So, what do you think Anko-sensei will do with us today?" she asked, signalling for the triplets to lay down.
"I dunno," Naruto said, wiping at his face "I'm hoping for a mission as soon as possible so I don't need to dip into my savings for rent."
"That would suck" Hana commented, thinking of his position "I hope she goes over what we did wrong yesterday," to say that she was still annoyed by the hunt through the village was putting it lightly.
"I hope she does as well" Shiho said, "I would rather find out what we can improve on before we start taking missions outside the village", her thoughts from earlier cemented the fact that she had to improve the most in case they get into a fight.
"Well, whatever it is I'm sure we'll find out in a minute" Hana said, craning her neck over the back of the bench, Naruto and Shiho turned their body to look at what she was doing only to find Anko walking up to their spot.
"Good morning Anko-sensei" Shiho greeted her approach.
"Mornin' specs," she yawned, clearing her eyes, "let's move and I'll fill you guys in on what's happenin'," she said, motioning towards the entrance of the building. The three genin nodded and followed her into the building,
Upon entering the building, they were met with the hustle and bustle of the morning traffic, many shinobi passed them no doubt on their way to receive a mission or report on their completed ones.
It was her first time in the administration building, even though it was right next to the academy, and she found herself sticking to Anko as they traversed the spiral staircase.
Anko herself turned her head as she ascended the stairs to address her students, "First things first is we need to get our photo taken as a team and then hand them, and the documents I gave you yesterday, to the Hokage," she said, managing to catch the slight tightening of Naruto's jaw, 'Hokage-sama wasn't kidding when he said they weren't on good terms' she thought.
"This will probably last up until noon, after that, we can find a training field and I'll have you spar against me so I can get a feel of where you guys are at and then I'll have you spar each other."
"What about taking a mission, sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Keen to get started, hm?" Anko smiled, turning her head back to the front as they reached the top floor, "We'll take a mission or two tomorrow depending on how you guys fair at the spar this afternoon".
"Two missions?" Shiho asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Yeah kid, two missions" Anko said, mirth evident in her voice causing her students behind her to grow even more confused.
'Can't wait to see their faces when I smack them with a D-Rank' Anko thought, laughing to herself as she guided them onto the roof of the building where a photographer was set up. A long line of genin and sensei stood waiting for their photo to be taken.
As her students saw the queue of the squads waiting for their photo, their shoulders slumped at having to wait in line. Naruto turned to face her, "You coulda told us to meet you up here y'know?"
Anko smiled sheepishly, rustling Naruto's hair as she did so. "Patience is a ninja's greatest virtue, kid."
Despite the sound response Hana and Naruto just gave her an unimpressed look whilst Shiho smiled at her sensei's antics, causing Anko to subconsciously label her as her favourite of the three already.
Being Hokage meant that he was seen as the most powerful and respected person in the village. One would think that power and respect would be on show every day as a sign of unwavering strength but in reality, all the title brought him was paperwork.
Lots and lots of paperwork.
However, this week had been a breath of fresh air for Hiruzen as with the new shinobi graduating from the academy, it meant that his daily paperwork now included breaks of meeting and officiating the next generation of genin teams.
The jonin sensei were given a week to have them officiated and he had already received his first batch of happy genin yesterday, the visits leaving him with a smile on his face as he was able to watch the best and brightest of this year's crop begin to pave out a future for themselves within the ranks of Konoha.
It was at that moment that a knock at his door tore him from his paperwork, "Come in," he called, taking his pipe out from his mouth. Mitarashi Anko entered first a smile on her face as she led her team into the room.
"Good morning, Hokage-sama" she greeted, bowing slightly as she stood in the middle of the room, he returned the greeting with a nod and allowed his eyes to trail over her genin as they entered behind her.
His eyes first landed on the young Inuzuka Hana, her brown hair neatly styled in a bob cut with two bangs framing her face, accentuating her striking jet-black eyes. The bold red markings framing her cheeks labelled her as an Inuzuka, if her three white ninken didn't give it away. She donned a beige windbreaker with a fur collar, along with grey form-fitting shorts and a pair of black sandals.
If it weren't for the slight fidgeting of her fingers Hiruzen would have sworn a younger Inuzuka Tsume, Hana's mother, stood in front of him. 'Who am I kidding, Tsume would've barged through the door before her sensei at that age,' he thought comically.
His eyes moved to Hayashi Shiho. Her light blonde hair was casually tied into a loose ponytail, a few strands falling over her forehead protector. Her green eyes sat behind a pair of rounded black glasses. She wore a navy windbreaker that was unzipped showing off a simple beige t-shirt that went with her burgundy shorts and black sandals.
Unlike the Inuzuka beside her, Shiho was a vibrating ball of nervousness as she stood in front of him, the unusualness of standing before the Hokage wasn't lost on her and it was one she looked at in high regard. He gave her a gentle smile to ease her worries, happy when her shoulders seemed to relax if only a little.
The final genin entered and Hiruzen found his smile to grow a little as he looked at the boy he hadn't seen in years. Uzumaki Naruto stood alongside his teammates, his blonde hair kept from falling onto his face as a pair of grey goggles sat on his forehead, and the headband that would normally be there sat around his neck.
The unmistakable whisker markings on his cheeks made him stand out, unknown to himself they were the result of being exposed to the Kyuubi's chakra along with being its jinchuriki. He wore a black and orange tracksuit jacket, matching his orange trousers and black sandals.
The boy definitely had changed since the last time he set foot in his office, the look of indifference was a stark contrast to the bright smile he would always have on display and instead of the slouched carefree manner he used to display he now looked more confident and sure of himself which made Hiruzen both happy and sad at the same time.
"Good morning Hokage-sama", both Hana and Shiho copied their sensei, with the latter giving a deeper bow.
However, Hiruzen's eyes were still focused on Naruto as they greeted him, allowing him to watch as the boy's face of indifference morphed into a slight frown, jaw set in a tight line and his fists clenched at his sides, 'A stark difference indeed' he thought, shaking himself from his funk and moved to address the room.
"Good morning everyone," he said, clearing his throat, "I hope that you've enjoyed the little time you've had with Anko here", he motioned to the young woman.
"It's been great so far Hokage-sama" Shiho responded, finding her voice. "Anko-sensei put us through our paces yesterday."
"Yeah, Uzumaki tore his jacket up because of it" Hana laughed, causing Hiruzen to turn his attention to Naruto once again, his face still unchanged.
"Well at least you managed to go and get yourself a fitting replacement, ay?" he asked the boy, who just grunted out an agreement. The girls standing next to him finally took notice of the blonde's weird behaviour.
The terse reply caused a slight pause in the room as the Hokage was at least hoping for Naruto to answer his question with more words, Anko herself was finally able to visualise the exact relationship between the two and Hana and Shiho just looked uncomfortable in the silence.
Anko decided to move the conversation and added to Hana's comment, "Yeah, they weren't all too happy about jumping into the Forest of Death" she said, causing Hiruzen to raise an eyebrow at the impressiveness of a fresh genin team.
"Ah, a courageous team already" he remarked, putting his hand out "Then let's get them officiated so they you can build upon that courage, shall we?".
Anko nodded, handing over the scroll containing the squad's documents, both glad that the moment had passed, Hiruzen opened the scrolls and read away. His eyes skimming over the signatures and landing on the new photo that had just been taken on the roof of the building.
The photo was unique, matching the squad perfectly he thought. Anko stood at the back a bright grin on her face, her hands placed on the shoulders of Hana and Shiho who stood to the far left and right, encapsulating Naruto who was slightly crouched down in the middle.
The thing that made it unique was the three ninken that were included in the group photo. Hana had one of them sitting on her shoulder, whilst Shiho had another cradled in her arms and lastly Naruto had managed to stuff one into his jacket so its head poked out from his own collar, sitting just under his chin and if the matching grins across all of the genin's faces were anything to go by, Hiruzen knew that this team would get along just fine.
"Unique," he said, voicing his inner thoughts and smiling when one of the pups barked at his choice of words. Picking up his Hokage seal, he stamped the document and placed it into a box at the side of his desk, joining the rest of the documents.
"With that out of the way, I just want to say that I wish Team 9 all the best for their and hope that you guys carry the Will of Fire within you as you carry out missions on behalf of the village", they thanked him for his words as they were dismissed from the office, Naruto being the first to exit.
Once they left Hiruzen found himself turning his chair to face out towards the Hokage monument, a heavy sigh filled with emotion escaped him as his gaze landed on the fourth figure's head, although his thoughts were interrupted as there was a knock at the door, this time it opened without his call and in walked a man holding a cane and bandages covering the right side of his face.
"What do I owe the pleasure, Danzo?" he asked, already not looking forward to the conversation that was to come.
As Team 9 left the Hokage's office, Naruto walked out ahead of the others, his expression still clouded with the earlier tension.
Anko watched as he descended the stairs, allowing herself to mull over the situation. The relationship that Naruto and the Hokage had with each other was something she didn't want to get involved in as it wasn't any of her business but she knew that with the Hokage giving her permission to tell Naruto of his status if the situation called for it caused her to be involved if only a little.
Not telling the kid what he was definitely wasn't the choice she would've made, an oblivious jinchuriki is the same as an out-of-control jinchuriki in her book at least, but she wasn't going to argue the Hokage's word. However, as they neared the exit, she decided to herself that if what the Hokage had told her before, with Jiraiya being the one that was going to speak to him. She promised that if he didn't appear in the near future, she would bring it up to the Hokage.
If she was in Naruto's shoes, she would want to know everything and she believed he ought to learn everything sooner than later.
'Already feeling sappy for the brat' she thought, quickening her pace, as Naruto reached the doors to leave, she swiftly moved to his side and put him into a headlock, laughing as he struggled to get out of it.
"Come on, Narutoooo" she said, turning them both so the rest of the squad could see them. "You can't be getting all moody on us on our first day as a team, can he ladies?"
Shiho laughed, while Hana shook her head smiling, "No he can't, sensei" she said, getting barks of agreement from her companions.
"Exactly, so how about we go beat the shit outta each other for a while. It certainly is a beautiful day for it don't ya think?". Onlookers passed by some looking annoyed while some looked at the situation in jest.
Naruto himself muffled out a response, causing Anko to loosen her grip a little to let him speak "What's that? I can't hear ya".
"I said fine, let go of me then."
"That's not good enough brat. I need more passion than that." Anko said, motioning with her head for the girls to follow her as she continued walking ahead.
Naruto let out a growl at the embarrassing position he was in, "I'm gonna kick your ass sensei", he managed to get out causing Anko to tighten the hold once more.
"Hahaha, now that's more like it kid, although I wouldn't make promises you can keep. It'll only hurt you in the end."
Hana and Shiho just smiled at the situation as they followed along, while they didn't understand why Naruto was acting that way in front of the Hokage of all people, they were just glad that Anko had managed to lighten the mood.
They were sure that the more they got to know each other, they would find his reasonings for the way he acted. Shiho herself believed that it would also answer her questions of why he was treated the way he was, even now as they walked through the village people were giving both Anko and Naruto a wide berth.
However, this time she would chalk that up to the fact that their sensei was howling with laughter as she dragged Naruto by the head across the village.
Hidden beneath his sensei's coat, Naruto's lips curled into a small, genuine smile. It had only been a day, but Anko was already proving herself as someone he could trust. Despite the firm grip on his neck, he understood that she was doing it to cheer him up and there weren't many people Naruto knew that would go out of their way to make him happy.
"Hey!" Anko yelled, interrupting his thoughts. "You'd better not be falling asleep on me, brat!"
Naruto's train of thought slowly faded as he felt Anko slide a wet finger into his ear. "Ack, you bastard!"
"There we go," Anko laughed, wiggling her finger, prompting Naruto to yell and squirm in response, "thought you'd gone mute for a second".
After a good five minutes, Anko eventually let up on her hold on him, only to run as he chased after her, causing the rest of the squad to play catch up. Their chase came to a stop when she led them into an empty training ground, devoid of any trees or foliage.
Anko grinned mischievously as she looked at her team, her arms spread wide. "This is the perfect spot for me to test your guys' ability, so let's go. Come at me with everything you've got."
Hana, Shiho and Naruto exchanged eager glances; their enthusiasm evident on their faces. Naruto still standing at the front of the group nodded and wasted no time in leading the assault, "Your funeral sensei!" he called out.
Hana flanked him with the dogs as Shiho broke off from the group, taking off to the right of the fight so to encircle their sensei. Anko grinned as they approached, already happy that they were working as a unit.
"Don't get cocky" she yelled back, throwing a hail of shuriken at Hana and Naruto, rushing to meet them head-on.
Naruto grunted as he clashed with the woman, jabbing out with his left hand and attempting a grab with his right. Anko sent a powerful low kick to his front leg causing him to stumble and get sent back into Hana as she front kicked his chest.
Untangling himself with the Inuzuka he allowed her to take point, as her dogs had Anko surrounded already. On Hana's call, Naruto watched the triplets attack at the same time, only for Anko to leap up and use one of the dogs to spring forwards and hit their master with another frontal kick.
Not wanting to be tangled again, Naruto twirled past her and sent forth a kick of his own, annoyed when she softened the blow by rolling with the kick. Noticing Shiho, and a handful of bunshin, behind their sensei he whipped a kunai out and slashed at her, pushing her backwards.
She noticed his intent as she turned her head behind her and back to him. His wrist was ensnared in her grip as she prevented any more slashes. He went to throw a punch with his left hand but was taken off guard as a small snake snuck out from her sleeve and pounced at his face, its jaw open wide.
He grabbed it before it managed to latch onto his face, only to get a fist planted into his right cheek and then to be thrown away as Anko turned to Shiho and her copies.
He lay there for a moment, the snake still wriggling in his hand, and got his breath back.
Charging in one-on-one wasn't working and the three of them taking turns to attack her wasn't working either. They had to do it together at the same time and even then, he wasn't stupid to think it would work – they were just out of the academy.
Rising to his feet and tossing the snake away a good enough distance away, he watched on as Hana and Shiho must've come to the same conclusion as himself as they were both attacking from two different sides at once.
Deciding to join them he took Shiho's earlier idea and brought his hand into the familiar seals for the clone jutsu, six doppelgangers appeared around him, and he charged in once again.
Hana and Shiho noticed him, causing their sensei to as well. Turning she caught seven copies of himself rushing her at once. He himself was positioned at the middle-left, glad as three of the six copies had just been dispelled with shuriken.
He and the clones formed a line formation as they closed in, Hana and Shiho still pressing the purple-haired woman. She must've known the first was a fake as she allowed it to fall through her, the second was dispelled as one of the dogs got thrown at it, forcing him to jump over it.
He and the final clone fell side by side and threw two front kicks at her midsection. The timing was perfect as Hana and Shiho both threw two punches at her head, while the two dogs went for her legs.
She was caught and couldn't do shit about it, his grin threatened to split his face as their attacks closed in, time seeming to slow as they did so.
They all landed at once, Anko's face was smooshed between two fists, her posture caved in as his foot made impact with her midsection and both her legs were trapped in the jaws of the dogs.
"Gotcha" Hana exclaimed, her grin matching his own.
However, their work fell apart in front of them as their 'sensei' vanished in a puff of smoke, obscuring their vision.
A surprised yelp came from Shiho as the smoke dissipated, he and Hana were left looking at Shiho who was buried shoulder-deep into the ground, a confused and uncomfortable look on her face.
Hairs stood on his arms at that moment causing him to jump back, his senses screaming at him as where he had stood two hands broke out trying to ensnare him. Hana wasn't as fast. as her right leg was snatched and pulled under leaving her in an awkward position.
"Looks like you got lucky, runt" Anko rose from the ground in front of him, raising her hand as he made to charge her once more, "You're last standing, so you win".
Confusion was evident on their faces as Anko laughed, "Well I did say that you would be sparring with each other; so, this makes it easier" she said, turning to Hana and Shiho - the latter being dug out of the ground by three dogs as Hana was now standing.
"You two got caught first so you're sparring each other. Specs, your taijutsu is the worst of you three - but it's an easy fix" she said, glad that the girl seemed to not take offence as she nodded, "You both spar together and try to learn from what Hana's doing, she's throwing moves that work with her size."
"Remember it's a spar, so don't hit as hard as you were with me just now," she looked down at the three dogs, "you three need to sit out for a bit so - go do dog things" she finished lamely, the triplets barked and lay down causing Hana to facepalm.
"Right," Anko clapped her hands, "get started while I talk with blondie". Hana and Shiho moved away a good distance as Anko turned to him.
"You and Hana are on the same level when it comes to taijutsu but if the dogs aren't with her then you take the cake," she said, Naruto nodded in agreement as he had already believed that to be the case. "So, the only way you can get better at taijutsu is through experience at this point, which you will get as you take missions outside the village".
"Yeah that makes sense, just gotta make sure I don't get my skull caved in if I come up against someone out of my league." his pragmatic response got a snort from Anko.
"Yeah, that comes with being a ninja, kid. Although it won't always come down to a taijutsu match and as I said yesterday; you're gonna be the powerhouse on the team." at the mention of his role he failed to contain the excitement that grew on his face in the form of a smirk.
"So what, you're gonna teach me jutsu instead of sparring?" he asked, if he was being honest, it was a little unfair sending his other teammates away to spar whilst he was getting a one-on-one from their sensei.
However, the bark of laughter from his sensei gave him a feeling that he was wrong - this was further proven when she reached into her pouch and threw a kunai at him, his eyes unable to track the speed of the projectile.
"I don't play favourites brat", the blood falling from the cut on his cheek was evidence of that, "I'll give you stuff to work on after today's spar and then once you three finish what I've given you, I'll give you another. So, it's down to your own ability to get stronger, sound good?"
He nodded his head in agreement, "Great, now let's dance", once again the speed of his sense caught him off guard, and the fist that planted itself in his side sent a massive pain through his side, making him realise just how much she had held back in their three-on-one bout.
"I-Im beginning to hate you" he wheezed.
His legs were swiftly swept out from underneath him, leaving him to look up into the amused eyes of Anko.
Meanwhile, concealed amidst the dense foliage near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, two figures knelt in perfect seiza, their forms obscured by the enormous oak trees that shielded them from prying eyes. The silence of the forest enveloped them as they sat with eyes closed, each holding a hand seal as they focused on holding a jutsu.
Both figures sat in the same getup, black cloaks with red clouds and a straw hat obscuring their identity from those they would pass. However, at that moment the seal they had been holding was released allowing for their eyes to flicker open.
One figure possessed eyes that resembled golden slits, akin to a snake's gaze. The other's eyes were as chilling, if not more so than their partner's, as they burned with an intense, almost hypnotic crimson hue. Their pupils were encircled by the unmistakable presence of three spinning tomoe, a symbol of the infamous Uchiha's Sharingan.
They rose to their feet and departed their secluded clearing in silence, merging with the public road leading them further away from the Land of Wind deeper into the Land of Fire. A signpost ahead indicated that Tanzaku Quarters, still several hours away, would be their first destination.
The Uchiha broke the silence as they turned from the signpost and began walking, not even glancing at his companion, "We will keep to the roads at an even pace to prevent running into any squads from Konoha."
Behind him the man adjusted his hat as he followed, "Wise choice, we wouldn't want to slaughter innocent Konoha-nin now, would we?"
The Uchiha turned, his hat raised slightly to stare into the eyes of his companion, an unnerving look on his face, "Have you got something to say, Orochimaru?"
"Kukuku, not at all Itachi-kun. I'm just thinking of what's best for the mission we have been given" he laughed, clearly undisturbed by his partner's threat as they both continued down the path, the sun beating down above them as they did so.
AN | Been stuck in my head with this chapter as I found writing the fight scenes hard and my stupid ass thought it was a good idea to pick the Inuzuka with the three dogs giving me more work to come up with ways to include them in fights, oh well :(
Feedback is always appreciated.