"Talking"
'Thoughts'
"SCREAMING/YELLING/SHOUTING"
"Jutsu"
"Tailed Beast Talking"
'Tailed Beast Thinking'
Sound Effects
Date & Time
|Location|
[Flashback]
[+]
Chapter 31
[+]
|Ambassadorial Residence, Arashigakure|
October 14
Early Morning
While browsing through the fridge, Areku who was dressed in a white top with blue pants reached out and grabbed some commodities when his ears picked up the sounds of someone descending the stairs.
"Good Morning," He greeted, closing the fridge with his right foot as his left and right hands were preoccupied with a crate of eggs and a milk jug respectively.
"Ah, good morning Areku." Shizune greeted back with a yawn while stretching out her arms, the brunette happened to be dressed in a light pink yukata which was slightly parted at the front revealing some good eye candy.
'That black Kimono really hides a lot, a seal maybe?' The Kishida thought as he dropped the ingredients on the kitchen counter, "Sleep well?" He then asked, while reaching for the drawer where the frying pan was kept.
"I guess." The medic replied as she let down her arms, "Kin and I talked about a lot last night." She stared at the dining table and was surprised, "Oh, you're almost done?"
"Yeah," Areku nodded as he cracked up some eggs, "How would you like your egg?"
Taking a seat, Shizune thought about it, "Scrambled." She supplied.
"Coming up." The Kishida noted, already firing up the burner.
While he was doing that, Shizune took stock of what was already served, 'Steamed rice, miso soup, salted salmon and an egg dish…' She stared at the back of the male who had prepared all this and thought, 'Definitely living up to the single father type but why is he still-' The brunette shook her head, 'No, I have no right to pry but we're alone so-'
"Areku?" She called.
"Yes?" The verdette replied, his attention still on preparing her request.
"Forgive me for asking," She watched him place the eggs on a large plate, "but have you ever been with a woman?"
Areku blinked a couple of times before turning around, "Do you mean on a date or in an intimate way?" He turned off the gas and walked over to the dinning with the eggs.
"Both." She replied as he set down the plates.
"Well," The Jonin began after taking a seat opposite her, "I haven't been on any dates-"
"Really?" Saying she was shocked would be an understatement.
Areku wasn't surprised at her reaction, "I turned down a lot of them since because I was taking care of Atsushi. As for being with a woman…" He trailed.
The medic leaned closer, "Yes?"
The Kishida's cheeks gained a bit of red, "I have been with only one." He took a breath then released it, "Her name is Hikari."
"Kin's landlady?"
"Wait! You know her?"
The senbon user shook her head negatively, "No, but last night Kin mentioned that as her landlady's name."
"Oh!" He said, leaning back on his seat.
"But isn't she older that you with 17 years?" Shizune asked, fearing that he preferred older women.
"Yeah, but it isn't that I exactly like women who are older than me." He explained before the impression could be cemented in the medic's mind, "It's just 10 years ago after my brother and his wife died, I was an emotional mess and I had to take care of a 4 year old child and the ambassadorial duties that were suddenly passed on to me."
Shizune adopted a sympathetic expression, "That must have tough." She commented, honestly feeling sorry for him.
Areku nodded, "It was at first, but then Hikari who was my close-door neighbor at the time found out and came over to help. It turns out that her husband had just recently eloped with another woman and it made her depressed and unsure of her worth." He looked away from the brunette as his blush returned, "The two of us comforted each other one night and found ourselves in bed the next morning."
The female gasped slightly, 'T-this is just like in Jiraiya-sama's books.'
"Not knowing what exactly happened or who made the first move, the two of us decided to see where the relationship would take us and you can say we became 'Friends with benefits'" He chuckled nervously at the title, "We continued for about a year and half, then she had to leave for a business trip which lasted five years. Upon her return it was discovered that the relationship was just a way of dealing with our problems at the time, so we settled for just being friends although when visiting she does tend to be a bit seductive at times." He looked up and found his listener smiling at him, "Ehm… is something wrong?"
Shizune poured some rice into her bowl, "No, it's just you two have a good history together." She complimented.
"Yeah, I guess we do." He agreed before staring at the medic, "What about you?"
Halting her chopsticks, the brunette stared back, "Me?"
"Yes, have you ever been with any man?" Areku threw back her question.
The medic shook her head negatively, "It's hard to when Tsunade-sama steals all the attention with how massive she is."
The Kishida could picture that, "Well you maybe not be Tsunade-size but you do have a nice rack." He complimented.
The brunette adopted a smug look, "So you were staring."
Chopsticks impaled flesh, "Well the 'goods' were on display and you didn't seem to mind, so yes I was." The Jonin admitted before taking a bite of his salmon.
The Kunoichi grabbed her own chopsticks, "It's not a free show." She pointed out.
"I thought as much," The Ambassador said after swallowing, "So what do you want in return?" He then asked.
"I will just hold on to it for now." Was her reply after pondering on it.
Areku shrugged, "Fine by me."
"Anyway," The medic switched topics, "About my training…"
"Yes?"
Shizune dipped a finger into her miso soup, "I hope it's nothing too HARD?" She inquired, raising the soaked finger to her mouth and giving it a long lick.
This caused the normally coolheaded male to lose his composure, 'Did she just-'
Before he could finish the thought, sounds of doors being shut and approaching footsteps caused the two to stare above at the next floor then at each other.
"That must be the others coming down for breakfast." The Kishida Jonin stated.
His statement caused the medic to go stiff for a second, before she quickly sat upright and adjusted her pink yukata which had been partly open this whole time.
The Verdette watched all this with a surprised look before chuckling, the female heard his chuckle and blushed slightly, 'Can believe I did that.' She said to herself.
"Good Morning!"
"Morning!"
Both Atsushi and Kin greeted the adults, the first wearing a blue top with white pants while the latter wore a red blouse with black leggings.
"Ah! Good morning you two," Shizune greeted with a smile, her blush already gone, "you're just in time for breakfast."
Areku gestured to the different meals, "Free feel to have wherever you like." He said.
"Got any tea?" Anko said behind the teenagers causing them to jump slightly as they didn't know she was behind them.
"There are some tea leaves in the top drawer." Areku notified the woman whose clothes consisted of a mesh top and her usual orange mini skirt unlike the rest of them who were going civvies.
"Thanks."
Once Anko's tea was ready the six had a quiet breakfast while thinking of how their friends in Konoha were doing.
[+]
|Training Ground 7|
9:01
"Morning guys!" Naruto greeted as he headed towards the tree his two teammates were at.
"Good morning Naruto-kun!"
"Morning!"
The Uzumaki smiled at the Uchiha, "You're improving." He said.
Sasuke raised a brow, "What do you mean?"
"A couple months ago you would have hnn'd in reply instead of actually answering." Hinata nodded in agreement.
The raven haired male thought about it, "I guess you're right." He smiled slightly.
"Of course I am," Naruto puffed his chest out, "Now," He turned towards a far off tree, "You can stop hiding Kakashi-sensei!"
His teammates blinked as their sensei appeared in front of them via body flicker, "I forgot you've gotten good at sensing chakra signatures." The Silver haired said to his blonde student causing him to grin, "Now team, we and the other teams are required to be at the Hokage office in an hour's time for a special announcement."
"Special announcement?" Hinata repeated, "Did something happen?"
"I wasn't given the details."
"So it's a classified?" Sasuke inquired and received a nod, "So what do we do in the mean time?"
Kakashi placed a hand on his chin, "Well…"
"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto suddenly spoke up, "Where is your girlfriend?"
"Girlfriend?" His teammates repeated with surprise while the Jonin began to sweat.
'How did he find out,' Kakashi pondered giving his smirking student a slight glare, 'I made sure to take every measure so-' "She is at Inochi's for a checkup." he answered.
Sasuke and Hinata stared at their sensei with partly open mouths, "Wait, you actually have a girlfriend?" The former asked.
"Is it that shocking?" The Jonin deadpanned.
"So who is she?" The Hyuga heiress inquired as the Uchiha kept quiet.
"Remember that pretty lady we saw being escorted by ANBU?" Naruto reminded, "Well it turns out that sensei took your advice and talked to her."
"Really?" Hinata looked delighted.
"No, that's not what exactly happened," Kakashi dismissed, "It turns out that she lost a good amount of her memory but remembers me from a couple years ago, since I was the only one familiar to her Inochi decided I help her regain her memory." He explained.
The Uzumaki smirked teasingly, "So the date you two went out on is-"
"Finish that sentence and I will head over to Mission guild and book the next 'Catch Tora' missions six times over." Kakashi threatened.
Hinata instantly slapped a hand over her crush's mouth, "Don't worry, I will keep Naruto-kun in line."
The Jonin nodded in satisfaction while their remaining teammate chuckled, "Already whipped eh?" Sasuke asked with his classic smirk.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha but defied from retaliating as his lips were still under lock.
"Now, how we all go through our respective taijutsu katas before heading over to the Hokage's office?" The three nodded.
[+]
|Backyard, Ambassadorial Residence|
Seated Indian style on grass, Areku watched the sparring match between Anko and Shizune while taking down some notes for later reflection by the combatants.
Shizune: Restriction of chakra scalpels limits taijutsu style to grabs, throws and kicks with some occasional feints. Subject is reluctant to throw punches as she may subconsciously use Tsunade's Super Strength but that reluctance is thrown out the window if angered to an extent.
After writing that down, the Kishida's eyes wandered to her opponent and he instantly wondered why she hadn't been promoted to Jonin ages ago.
'Maybe she doesn't want to be shackled with a Genin team? Yeah, that's probably it.' He deduced before turning to the gazebo where remaining members of their group were.
A letter had arrived during breakfast informing them that their appointment with the Shrine Priestess will be held three days from today at a shrine in Arashigakure Minor. Kin was specifically told to avoid overworking her chakra network so as to facilitate a smooth reception of the Sankugan.
With training of anything chakra related suspended for now, the young lady had taken up studying with Atsushi keeping her company.
Thud!
"Winner: Anko!" The Kishida announced as he got up to his feet.
"Woohoo!" Said lady cheered while her opponent lay on ground panting heavily.
"You alright?" Areku offered her a hand.
Shizune grabbed on and was pulled up, "How did I do?" She inquired.
The Jonin showed her the notes, "I'm no master in taijutsu, but since you lasted longer than I expected, I will say good." He then made a shadow clone and sent it off.
"I see." The medic nodded, eyes reading through the notes before sighing, "So I guess it's time to overcome my hesitancy to throw punches."
Anko who was done with her victory dance nodded in agreement, "Your long legs are ideal for kicks but if you want more shots at my upper body then punches are the answer." She chipped in.
Shizune stared down at her training pants, "Long legs?"
"Add slender and hot looking too." The interrogator added which led to the medic shaking her head in amusement while Areku gave a subtle nod.
"So that's why you were so keen in picking our training outfits," The medic realized, "You wanted them to be skin-tight!"
Anko raised her hands, "Guilty as charged," She admitted before walking over and whispering into the brunette's ear, "but don't you love that muscle shirt Areku is having on."
Said Kishida stared at the two females then raised a brow, "Mind telling me why Shizune is suddenly red in the face?"
"Sorry, but it's between we ladies right Zune-chan?"
"H-hai!"
"Very well, but I will like to ask Shizune some questions." He notified.
Said person instantly lost her blush, "Ask away?"
If Areku was surprised at how quick she suppressed her blush then he hid it well, "You sometimes use your chakra scalpels like swords right?" The brunette nodded while her opponent raised a brow, "Have you ever tried your hands on some actual swords?"
"Yes, but I prefer chakra scalpels as they can't be disarmed by my opponent." Shizune answered.
Areku thought about it, "Well can't argue with that logic, but I suggest you get yourself a tanto just in case."
"I will think about it."
"So who did you learn Kenjutsu from?" Anko inquired, "It obviously isn't Tsunade since she fights hand-to-hand."
The medic puffed her chest with pride, "I'm self-taught." That surprised the two.
"Wow."
"That's impressive."
"Thanks." The poison mistress beamed.
It was then that Areku's shadow clone returned with some training logs, "Now Shizune, my Shadow clone will instruct you on your phase of training while I have a talk with Anko here."
With a nod the medic followed the shadow clone leaving the two strongest in the group alone, "So how did I do?" The Dango lover asked.
"Very good, your flexibility really compliments your taijutsu style." The verdette complimented.
The Snake mistress struck an enticing pose, "Glad you noticed." She purred.
Areku was unfazed as he went on to ask, "You learnt it from Orochimaru right?"
This caused Anko to drop the pose and adopt a neutral expression, "He is a bastard who deserves to burn in the deepest level of hell but his teachings aren't something to scoff at."
"Indeed." The Jonin nodded, "So what stage are you with your affinities?" He then asked.
"Switching to ninjutsu already?" The purple haired skin-tight wearing lady asked.
The Kishida shrugged, "It is my specialty." He simply answered.
"Of course it is." Anko deadpanned before supplying the answer, "Stage 2 on both Fire and Earth."
Areku just stared at her, "Why aren't you a Jonin again?"
The Snake mistress shrugged, "Beats me."
With a sigh the Ambassador left her to her devices.
[+]
|Hokage Tower|
"I will now begin." The 3rd Hokage began once all four teams were assembled, "In a bid to improve teamwork and diverse skill gained, I have decided for each team to switch members."
'Huh?' Was the universal thought of all the teenagers while their Jonin-senseis' seemed a bit apprehensive.
"This exercise will last about two weeks so don't let it inconvenience you that much." He spotted Shikamaru raising a hand, "Yes Shikamaru-kun?"
"Will our teams take high ranking missions during this exercise?" The Nara asked.
"If you referring to B and A rank missions then no, D and C ranks are all you will be going on for now." Shikamaru nodded at having his question answered, "Any more questions?" No one raised their hands, "Now the teams' formation."
[+]
Teams
Team Genius: Kakashi, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Neji.
Team Kunoichi: Kurenai, Sakura, Ino and Tenten.
Team Endurance: Gai, Lee, Naruto and Hinata.
Team Overcoat: Asuma, Choji, Kiba and Shino.
[+]
Numerous thoughts went thought several heads, but one just had to voice her thoughts.
"Who in the world came up with this lineup?" Ino asked while thinking, 'and why aren't I in Sasuke's team again?' This thought was also on Sakura's mind.
"That's classified." Hiruzen answered with a sweat drop, "Any objections?" He asked the others.
"Which kind of lame name is Overcoat?" Kiba nearly yelled, "The others are way cooler!"
'True.' Everyone else thought.
"The four of you each wear additional protective clothing," He pointed to Asuma's Jonin's vest, Choji's open green jacket then Kiba's and Shino's coats. "See?"
"But still." The Inuzuka mumbled as his ningen offered some comfort.
"It was either that or Team Protective Gear." The elder revealed before clearing his throat, "Since there are no more objections you can all go and interact with your new team members."
Kakashi turned round and faced the youngsters, "Okay Team Genius," He really liked the sound of that, "Training Grounds 7 in 5 minutes." He vanished in a twirl of leaves.
"I will show you the way." Sasuke informed, already heading towards the exit.
"Troublesome." His now Nara teammate sighed while Neji silently followed.
Kurenai walked over to her girls and smiled, "Girls, Training Grounds 8 in 10 sounds good right?" She received three nods, "Then we better start going." As soon as that was said she exploded into cherry blossoms surprising Ino and Tenten but not Sakura as she has seen it plenty of times.
"Team Endurance!" Gai began with a youthful cry, "Training Grounds 9 in 1 minute!"
"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee joined in which earned shocked looks from Naruto and Hinata.
"Full power here we go!" The two taijutsu maniacs sped out the door leaving their recovering teammates in the dust.
"Naruto-kun?" The Hyuga called.
"Yes?"
"What did we end up in?"
"Hell Style: Never-ending Grind." The Uzumaki simply answered.
"Team Overcoat," Asuma sighed at the team's lame name, "Training Grounds 10 in 7." He too also vanished in a twirl of leaves leaving a hungry Choji, a monotone Shino and a depressed Kiba.
'There is not even a girl on the team.' He sighed before dragging himself behind Shino with Akamaru by his side.
[+]
|Gazebo - Backyard, Ambassadorial Residence|
"This doesn't seem right!" Kin exclaimed, gaining the attention of Atsushi who was busy writing in a scroll.
"What is?" The male asked.
Kin showed him the passage she had just read, "Bloodlines originating from demons?"
The Chunin stared at her, "I don't see the problem." He returned, "It's pretty reasonable if you think about it."
The senbon user gave him a surprised look, "Reasonable? How?"
Atsushi dropped his pen and gave Kin his full attention, "A 1000 years ago," He began, "After Juubi, the Ten-Tailed Monster Demon was defeated by the Sage of the Six Paths, its minions fled into hiding but reappeared during the night to sate their primal desires."
"Primal desires?"
"Hunger, lust, those kinds of things."
Kin's eyes widened, "So they?"
The green haired nodded, "Settlements were destroyed, men eaten alive while the women violated. The demons were later wiped out by the Sage and his followers but it took nearly a decade to do so and by then the damage had already been done with all forms of mutations manifesting in newborns."
The girl slumped back as the information sunk, "So it's possible that your bloodline came as a result of your ancestor being defiled by a demon." A nod came her way, "But I figured all bloodlines came from the Sage."
Atsushi chuckled a bit, "I thought the same until Oji-chan revealed to me that only the Sharingan, Wood Style and Uzumaki's bloodlines come from the Sage."
Kin tapped the book in thought, "It's funny how those three are on the verge of extinction despite originating from the Sage," She then recalled another famous bloodline, "What about the Byakugan?" She asked.
"Theirs' came from the Sage's brother." The Chunin answered.
"Ho… You're quite knowledge Atsushi-kun." She commented while scooching closer.
Said Kishida resumed his writing, "I just read a lot." He replied.
Frowning at the reply Kin got up and looked over his shoulder. She read what was on the scroll and gained a sweat drop, "You weren't kidding when you said you were working on a lesser version."
"What made you think I was?" Atsushi asked while turning his head.
This led to his right cheek making contact with the girl's lips. Two froze before separating with identical blushes.
"I'm terribly sorry, it was an-" The male went silent when Kin leaned in and kissed the other cheek, 'Huh?' He thought before blushing furiously as he felt it received a lick.
The brunette drew back with a satisfied look, "Now all that remains is that date."
"Date?"
The girl nodded, "If that goes well then the next kiss will be on the lips." She winked at him before picking up her book and leaving the gazebo.
For the rest of the afternoon Atsushi couldn't focus on the scroll as his mind tried to imagine how her lips on his would feel like.
[+]
|Training Area - Backyard, Ambassadorial Residence|
"Now Shizune," Areku's shadow clone began, "As we know every Shinobi is taught Physical Augmentation which is the use chakra to increase one's physical capabilities, the body toughens up while punches and kicks deal more damage." The medic nodded as this was basic knowledge, "But after learning Tsunade's Super Strength you have subconsciously been using that instead of Physical Augmentation and I blame the lack of the combat missions for that."
"How so?" Shizune asked with a head tilt.
"Since you became Tsunade's apprentice you haven't been on any combat missions so your body in a sense forgot 'Physical Augmentation' as it wasn't engraved in its muscle memory."
'Is that what happened?' The brunette thought as she stared at right hand then the clone, "If that's so then why does it still remember Tsunade's Super Strength?" She asked.
"That's because it's the most recent combat activity that you learnt."
Shizune didn't quite follow, "Could please elaborate."
Before the clone could do just that, he sighted the original heading their way and dispelled himself.
"Eh?"
"Don't worry he just dispelled upon seeing that I was coming to take over." Areku said as he approached her from the right, "Now you wanted me to elaborate on the most recent combat activity part right?" Shizune nodded and he motioned for the two of them to take a seat on the grass, "As my clone was saying your body remembers it because it is more familiar with it than Physical Augmentation."
"But I know both of them so why is my body just familiar with one?" The brunette asked, now understanding his explanation.
"Physical Augmentation is usually taught in the final year of the academy so that upon graduation it will be familiarized by the Genin during combat missions and by familiarize I mean put into practice." He took a breath then pointed at the lady, "But since Tsunade made you her apprentice shortly after graduation and didn't request any combat missions-"
"It had the adverse effect of my body not being familiar with Physical Augmentation despite having the knowledge." The 27 year old finished.
"Precisely." The verdette agreed, "If she went on combat missions and took you along this wouldn't be an issue."
"But the lost of her loved ones in the 2nd War devastated her," Shizune revealed, "Once the war ended and I had graduated, Tsunade-sama took me out of the village and focused solely on my Medical jutsu training. When the 3rd war came around she turned down summons so I never participated."
Areku allowed that to sink in before speaking, "You completed your medical training at the age of 15 right?"
"Hai."
"So when did you begin work on the Super Strength Technique?"
"I first started at age of 14 but didn't get the hang of it until I was 18."
The Verdette was surprised, "It took you 4 years to learn?"
The brunette frowned a bit, "It took that long because Tsunade-sama was against me learning the technique in the first place."
"What? But you're her apprentice! Why would she be against it?"
"Medic-nins who know the technique are granted a spot on the frontline and she didn't want that for me." The medic answered.
"Oh!" Areku now understood, "So it was only after the war that she changed her mind."
"Yes," Shizune replied, "but she only taught me the basics of the technique as that was the much my body could handle."
"Wait! There's more to it?"
The female nodded, "Have you ever heard of the 100 Healings Jutsu?"
"100 Healings?"
[+]
|Training Grounds 7, Konoha|
"Good work team, 15 more passes and we'll take a lunch break." Kakashi informed. The Jonin had them tossing a ball among themselves while he read Icha-Icha under a tree.
Neji and Sasuke were the most displeased, "Is this how he teaches?" The former asked the latter.
"You haven't seen anything." The Uchiha replied, tossing the ball to Shikamaru.
'I quite like this,' The Nara thought as he tossed it to Neji.
The Hyuga branch member received the ball then sighed, "How is your team the strongest when you have a Sensei this lazy?"
"Hey I'm right here."
"I know."
Now Kakashi felt affronted, with a sigh the Silver haired closed his book and stood up, "This exercise is to establish Teamwork and understanding between team members."
"I understand but," Neji gestured to the ball, "How does tossing this promote that?"
"He does have a point," Shikamaru agreed, "This isn't really helping."
Closing his visible eye and placing a hand on his masked chin, Kakashi thought of a solution, "Then how about a spar? You three against little old me?"
The trio stared among themselves then the Jonin, "No Sharingan or Shadow clones." Sasuke insisted.
"Deal!"
Sasuke frowned at how easy he agreed but got into a stance anyway, Neji and Shikamaru also followed suit.
"Ready?" The three nodded, "Then begin!" The Jonin vanished in thin air.
[+]
|Barbecue Place, Boy's Table|
An hour later
"You guys look like shit." Kiba commented as Team Genius came in.
"Indeed." Shino nodded, "What happened?" He asked in monotone.
"Troublesome." The Nara said as collapsed beside a munching Choji, "Kakashi-sensei happened."
"He beat us quite easily." Neji mumbled while rubbing his behind.
"What happened to him?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"Kakashi finished up the spar with a 1000 Years of Death up his butt." The Uchiha answered.
The Uzumaki shivered as he recalled the time he nearly fell victim to that attack, "Thank Kami you and Sushi were there to bail me out."
"Don't mention it," He looked around for Gai's mini clone but couldn't find him, "Where's Lee?"
"He and Gai-sensei started talking about trekking up Hokage monument with boulders tied to their backs so Hinata and I left them." The blonde answered before taking a bite of his meat, "Mmm, this is good."
Sasuke shook his head at the blonde then focused on own his meat before it could get burnt, "How long with Atsushi and his uncle be gone?"
"A month at most," The Uzumaki answered after swallowing.
"That long huh," The Uchiha said, flipping the meat around, "I was hoping Areku-sna would have some tips on improving Moeruken."
"That fiery move you used against me?" Shino asked, surprising the two and gaining the attention of everyone on the table.
"Yeah." Sasuke nodded, "It's lacking in certain aspects."
"It didn't seem that way when you forced Shino to surrender." Kiba stated, earning a subtle glare from his teammate at the reminder.
"Kakashi-sensei pointed out that its flaring display is a waste of chakra and I'm inclined to agree."
The Inuzuka stared down at his meal, "It must be nice having two OP senseis." He muttered.
Naruto shook his head in disagreement, "Having multiple training sessions isn't, and the reason we have two senseis in the first place is because of Atsushi."
"That may not last for much longer." Shikamaru chimed in.
The Jinchuriki turned towards the Nara, "What do you mean?"
"I have a feeling that a new team will be setup once Atsushi returns, he may end up as one of its members." The Shogi player sighed at the incredulous look directed his way, "You really thought Team 7 will remain a four man cell?"
"Well yeah."
"Sorry to break it to you, but it won't for much longer."
"Why?" The blonde questioned.
"Four Chunins and a borderline S rank Jonin can't remain on the same team." His teammate, Sasuke supplied, "That much power shouldn't be restricted to just one Team."
Seeing the rest nod in concordance with the Uchiha's answer made Naruto to frown, "Damn." He muttered.
[+]
|Girl's Table|
"What's it like being on an all Kunoichi team?" Hinata asked the rest.
"It's a bit strange." The rosette in the group answered, "Most of our abilities are support oriented."
The Hyuga nodded, "Mine is all heavy hitters."
"You're lucky Hinata," Tenten chimed in, "You're the only one who got a teammate from the original team."
"And it's her boyfriend," Ino added, then engulfed a large piece of meat which shocked the others, "What?"
"You never ate that much before," Sakura pointed out as the blonde placed another on the grill, "What happened?"
"I decided to quit my diet after someone gave me a wakeup call." The Yamanaka replied, "I've also stepped up my training too!" She then pointed her fork at them as her face took on a determinate look, "I'm going to surpass you three and became the Strongest Kunoichi!"
The remaining three stared at her before smiles came upon their faces.
"Bring it on!" They yelled before shortly bursting into laughter.
"It's been a long time since I last hung it with some girls my age… well close to my age." Tenten said once the laughter had died down.
The other three looked among themselves.
"I have been wondering about," Sakura began as she faced the Weapon user, "What happened to the girls in your year?"
Ino and Hinata nodded as they were also curious, "Is Team 9 the only team that graduated last year?" The former added.
The brunette closed her eyes then sighed, "Well you aren't far with that assumption." She opened her eyes and shifted her gaze outside, "My team is one of the two teams who passed their Genin test, the rest were drafted into the Genin corps."
Hinata frowned a bit, "I once heard that Genin drafted into the corps are mostly on their own, is that true?" She inquired.
Tenten nodded, "Most of my friends couldn't go further without instruction from a sensei so they quit and took up civilian jobs," An aura of sadness seemed to engulf the girl, "A good number of them tend to avoid me now."
"Why?" Ino questioned.
"Because she is a reminder of what they failed to become," Sakura deduced, "My Dad did say it was more difficult to earn a promotion in the corps, that combined with how they're usually looked down on must have driven many to quit."
"Can't the Hokage do something about that? Like assign Jonins to be their instructors or something?" The Yamanaka continued.
Hinata shook her head, "There aren't enough Jonins to go around and if they were, what do you think will happen to all the High ranking missions that Konoha receives?"
"I see." The blonde mumbled.
Their table went silent until Sakura recalled something, "What happened to the other team that passed?"
"KIA on their first C rank."
Ino gasped while Hinata and Sakura shivered as they recalled their first C rank, the Yamanaka noticed this and kept silent.
'It seems I'm the only one who has avoided a near death experience.' The blonde thought as she silently attended to her lunch.
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A/N: No reviews or comments about the previous chapter, oh well.
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Chapter 32
Total Number of Words: 5395 Words
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