Konoha:
Maruku spat out a mouth full of dirt as he got to his feet. His whole body shook with exhaustion from his intensive training. Kurenai had decided that the fastest way to accelerate Team 8's growth was to have them specialize.
Hinata, obviously covered taijutsu with her Gentle Fist style. Ichijin covered genjutsu which was Kurenai's specialty. As such he was as having the fastest growth rate of the three.
That left Maruku to cover ninjutsu. Unfortunately, his chakra reserves were trash, so most of his training was spent trying to increase his reserves. Of the three students he had the least and Maruku couldn't help but feel like he was holding his team back.
Chakra was much like a physical muscle in that the more one uses it the stronger it becomes. In order to grow his reserves Maruku was constantly using chakra. Doing so led to chronic fatigue which only added to his feelings of frustration.
In order to make up for his apparent lack of progress, he had increased the intensity of his solo training outside of their team meetings.
Looking up at the tall tree he placed a foot on it. Then the other. Putting one foot forward one at a time he slowly walked up the tree until his concentration slipped and he landed hard in the ground.
His head throbbed from landing on it and his vision was a bit blurry. He had woken up extra early to get more training in and he was starting to regret the decision. Cutting his solo training short he made it to Team 8's usual meeting spot.
During his commute, Maruku took the time to reflect. Over the past few weeks, he had been trying to add another sealing jutsu to his repertoire. He had to be very careful however because this particular seal was classified as a forbidden jutsu.
The Inverse Limit Seal.
It would seal away a vast majority of his chakra and in return he would gain supreme physical prowess. At his current level he had no hope of utilizing that seal. His chakra reserves were already horrible so sealing so much of it away was practically a suicide move.
Still, if he could use that seal, for even a moment, then he wouldn't be the weak link in the team any longer. Arriving at the training ground he was surprised to see that it was just him and Kurenai. She took one look at him and frowned.
"Good morning, Kurenai-sensei. What's the plan for…" He trailed off from her intense expression as she continued to inspect him.
"Are you alright? You seem exhausted and you're covered in scratches." She commented, her face softening just a bit. Maruku was caught off guard by the question. He was still getting used to how his sensei communicated and wasn't sure what to make of her just yet.
"I've just been doing some extra training. I don't want to fall behind." He replied. Kurenai raised an eyebrow and there was a distinct look of disapproval on her face.
"While I'm glad you're taking initiative. You're doing more harm than good. Your body needs time to rest and recover." Kurenai chastised.
Maruku shook his head, unable to keep frustration from bleeding into his voice. "I need to be stronger. I know no one's said but I know I'm the reason we haven't done any missions yet. I'm slowing the team down."
His rant was cut off as his teacher placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I haven't taken your feelings into account. We haven't done any missions because no one is up to my standard yet. Don't be so hard on yourself, you're still young, and you're still learning." She advised.
Kurenai gave him a calculating look as she spoke again. "For someone who's only a ninja for the money, you seem highly motivated. Or would that be for that old man's sake."
Maruku froze as his sensei referenced Tensei. Did she know his activities beyond the village walls? He discarded the notion. Kurenai didn't seem like the type of person to knowingly let a crime go on.
"The people at Flower's Landing helped raise me, and they're forgotten about just because the place doesn't have any clans or noteworthy ninja. They deserve better." He said firmly.
Kurenai smiled, a genuine one as listened to her student's goal. "Then do them a favor and become a wonderful ninja. I have no doubt you'll go far."
As the two spoke the other members of Team 8 arrived. "Fall in." Kurenai ordered. The three genin fell into formation as they awaited their instructions.
"Today will be primarily taijutsu focused. While each of you are making good progress in your fields I don't want you to fall behind in other areas. Ichijin, Hinata, both of you need work on increasing your speed. As such I've prepared these for you." Kurenai handed the two a pair of wrist and ankle bands.
"The best way to grow stronger is to train under pressure. So for today you will be sparring against each other. You may begin at any time." Kurenai said, leaping back.
Maruku barely had time to raise his hands before Ichijin was in his face. Despite his weighted seals, Ichijin was fast and he targeted the other boy's vital points mercilessly.
Flowing Water Crushing Strike
There was a sound of a whip cracking as Maruku struck back, flowing around Ichijin's assault. The taller boy cried out in pain as he lept back holding his sternum. The fabric from his shirt had been ripped revealing his reddened and slightly bleeding stomach.
"Oh shit! I don't mean that! Are you alright?" Maruku fussed, worried for his friend. He made his way over to help Ichijin to his feet only to receive a harsh uppercut that laid him out.
"It's not over until it's over." Ichijin muttered, helping his friend to his feet. "What was that by the way?"
"It's called the Flowing Water Crushing Strike. It's rather advanced Leaf-style karate. I wasn't aware you continued to focus on your taijutsu after you left the academy." Kurenai answered, looking rather stern.
"That is not a move to be used against allies. Had you done it right you would've torn several layers of skin off with that hit." She continued looking deathly serious.
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to do that, it just happened." Maruku tried explaining. There was a brief silence for a moment before their teacher nodded and moved on.
"You two will continue to train with me. You, on the other hand, still have chakra exercises to complete. Everyone get to it." Kurenai instructed.
Maruku moved to sit in the shade and closed his eyes. He focused on bringing his chakra to the surface of his skin. He let it wrap around him like a thin piece of clothing and kept the flow going as long as he could. Constantly using chakra would increase how much he generated and how much he could store.
As Maruku did his chakra training, Kurenai kept an eye on him while Ichijin and Hinata sparred. She fully believed that he didn't mean to do the Flowing Water Crushing Strike and that was what worried her. To do something like that to his best friend meant that he had an innate killer instinct.
Some would say that was a vital thing to have as a ninja. Kurenai would call those people fools. She would need to be careful how she mentored her student. He was brimming with potential and very moldable. A dangerous combination.
Maybe a mission and some time away from the village would help clear some heads. Kurenai grimaced as Hinata was handily defeated yet again. A Hyuuga losing to someone in taijutsu was unheard of. She knew the girl's ineptitude came from her problems with her clan.
She had hoped that by officially becoming a ninja and having positive outside influences, that the young girl would come out of her shell and display the tremendous talent that Kurenai knew she had.
Maruku and Hinata weren't the only ones with talent. Ichijin was a quick learner himself and took to her field of genjutsu remarkably well. If he kept progressing at the rate he was, she would consider starting him down the path of medical ninjutsu. His fine chakra control would do wonders in that area.
Maybe she was being too protective. Perhaps her team was ready for a mission. Strength was born from conflict after all.
Tomorrow. Kurenai would take her team out for their first mission tomorrow. Checking in on her most promising student, she found him fast asleep in the shade. She shook her head and dismissed her team for today. They would need plenty of rest.
Kurenai made her way up to the Hokage's office. Knocking on the door, she was invited inside and stood before her leader. Hiruzen Sarutobi was old and frail looking. He wore a kindly expression as he puffed on his pipe, waiting for her to begin. She wasn't fooled at all. She was standing in front of one of the most powerful and influential men in the world.
"I believe Team 8 is ready for a C-rank mission." She said formally.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Normally, genin start with D-ranks for a reason. Why should I allow your team to be any different?" He asked.
"We've been training for weeks now and their growth rate is astounding. I am also requesting Aoba and Anko for supplementary teaching." Kurenai asked.
The Hokage looked at her seriously as the kind expression slipped off his face. "That's a lot of resources for one team. Your request is denied."
"I believe one of my students may undergo Sparking very soon." Kurenai said quickly before she could be dismissed.
It was deathly quiet within the office. Hiruzen stood up and looked out the large window behind him as he continued to smoke his pipe.
"The Sparking phenomenon isn't something to throw around so casually. It's a closely guarded secret, one you shouldn't even know about. So, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to give you a B-rank mission to the Land of Lightning. A caravan of goods has gone missing recently and I want to make sure Kumo has nothing to do with it."
Hiruzen had spoken gently but it didn't fool anyone. This was an order resulting from Kurenai backing herself into a corner. Protecting three fresh genin on a B-rank mission was going to be difficult. Doubly so, as they were going to the Land of Lightning with a main branch Hyuuga. Clan politics wouldn't get the girl out of this mission.
Hinata was a ninja of the leaf before she was a Hyuuga. That's simply how things were. Kurenai nodded with a stoic expression, not revealing how she was feeling.
"You leave at noon tomorrow. You're dismissed."
Kurenai left, her hair swishing behind her as she tried her best to not curse out her kage.
The Next Day:
Maruku ate breakfast in Tensei's speakeasy while he reviewed his notes on the Inverse Limit Seal. He had taken his sensei's advice and had gotten some rest and he felt much better.
"So, your first mission? Are you excited?" Tensei asked, still trying to polish that dirty shot glass. Maruku nodded, half listening as something within his notes caught his attention.
"We're going to the Land of Lightning. Apparently something went missing there."
There was a sound of breaking glass as Tensei dropped the shot glass. Maruku looked at the man curiously before he frowned as he put it together.
"Please don't tell me it was your gang that robbed that caravan." Maruku pleaded, putting his things away. Tensei said nothing as he swept up the shattered glass.
"If I take this mission there's a chance it could lead back to you. Maybe I should play sick. I don't want you getting caught." He speculated.
"If you don't take it, you'll be asked why. Remember what I always tell you. Do what's best for yourself." Tensei rebutted.
Maruku sighed at the answer. He placed some change on the bar and left, heading towards the team's usual meeting place. On his way he ran into Ichijin, who looked grim.
"You too, huh? The other boy opened. Maruku nodded but stayed silent. You never knew who was listening in a ninja village. Ichijin's caretaker, Masuri, was a sickly old lady. Since she was a civilian from a poor part of the village, she was a low priority for consultation at the hospital. Ichijin occasionally ran her tea shop in order to help pay for Masuri's medication.
Medication that he regularly bought from Tensei's gang. Needless to say, neither of the two boys were very excited to be investigating the people who helped provide for them.
They arrived to find Kurenai and Hinata talking quietly amongst themselves. Their sensei nodded at their arrival. "We'll do an equipment check first before we leave. Present your supply bags." Kurenai said.
She was pleased that they were all up to code. Numerous kunai and shuriken, twenty feet of wire, smoke bombs, paper bombs, and a storage scroll containing first aid materials.
"As you know, we're going to the Land of Lightning which means we'll be within Kumo's jurisdiction. Follow their rules, don't do anything stupid, and we should complete this mission with ease. We leave now." Kurenai reminded, taking point.
As they traveled through the Land of Fire at a brisk pace, the genin tried hard to remain focused. It was their first time outside the village walls as a unit and the excitement was getting to them. Kurenai pushed them hard, not allowing for stops or breaks, claiming that this was also a form of training. Long distance travel was an important skill for high level ninja to have.
They kept moving until the sun began to set. Finally allowed to stop and rest, the three of them practically collapsed.
"You can rest after you've made camp, on your feet." Kurenai said in bemusement, not showing any signs of exertion at all. The boys groaned as they got up. While Maruku and Ichijin started a low smoke fire, Hinata scanned the perimeter with her Byakugan.
When the official stuff was taken care of Team 8 settled in for the night. They had ration bars, high in protein and filling, but with terrible taste.
"Here, wash it down with some of this." Maruku offered Hinata his water bottle. She took it gracefully and sipped rather daintily.
"It's sweet!" She exclaimed.
"It's sugar water. It helps keep you hydrated." Kurenai remarked, her eyes scanning the trees, on constant look out. "Lights out in ten. We have a long day tomorrow."
While Ichijin and Hinata spoke quietly, Maruku stared into the fire lost in thought. His progress in understanding the Inverse Limit Seal was going well. When he got back home, it would be time to apply it. Kurenai put the fire out and sent them to bed, warning that she would make them take watch in rotations.
A Few Days Later:
Several days of travel and sleeping outside had put everyone in a sour mood. They were only a few miles out from the Land of Lightning and had to stop on several occasions to avoid Cloud ninja.
The trail had long since gone cold. The Arashi had covered their tracks well. The mission would have been a complete failure if Kurenai hadn't suggested to check one of the caravans stops.
That meant they would have to backtrack back to the Land of Fire to one of Konoha's outpost towns. Which meant more travel. Team 8 moved in silence, nobody in a mood to talk. They were dirty and tired and their mission technically hadn't even started yet.
As they moved, Maruku thought constantly about the Inverse Limit Seal. One of the characters required stood for suppression. Chakra suppression was high level fuinjutsu because of how precise the formula needed to be.
One couldn't just write the word suppress on a paper tag, slap it on somebody and expect it to work. Seals needed details. Chakra was made of various attributes, spiritual and physical. A seal needed to be able to shut down both in equal measure to ensure it worked properly.
Maruku knew his own chakra better than anyone else's, so he was sure he could find the right combination of characters to bring out the full power of the Inverse Limit. However, chakra suppression as a whole was still something he was a novice in, and it was too powerful for him to just ignore.
"Get down!" Kurenai hissed quietly. The four of them quickly hid underneath some bushes. A few moments later a pair of Cloud ninja appeared. One of them was blonde, average height, and a ferocity about them that set Maruku on edge. The other one was tall, black, had shaggy white hair, and for whatever reason seemed familiar.
"Are you sure this is where they are? We've been running around for a while now."
"Shut up Darui. My senses don't lie. There are Leaf ninja about and they're close." The blonde one said. Her eyes were cat like, and she was hunched down slightly, ready to spring into action. Her whole demeanor made Maruku nervous. He was mere feet from a true predator, someone capable of killing him in an instant without remorse.
The man called Darui sighed. "Her senses don't lie, so why don't you come out so we can talk. I promise we mean you no harm."
"Speak for yourself." The blonde woman muttered. Kurenai was giving them signal to not move before she stood and revealed herself.
"See, that wasn't so hard."
"Where are the others?"
The two Cloud ninja spoke at the same time and the blonde woman seemed to grow more hostile, taking an aggressive step forward. Darui placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back, a serious look on his face.
"I'm willing to hear you out, because you haven't actually crossed the border into our territory. That is the only thing stopping me from escalating this situation. So, explain yourself. Why are you here?" Darui said, his sharp eyes never leaving Kurenai's form.
Kurenai deliberated before she spoke. "We're here on business. A civilian caravan of ours was reported missing and we've been sent to investigate." She said evenly, making effort to keep her hands visible at all times.
Darui was silent as digested Kurenai's words, searching for any sort of deception. "The Arashi Foundation is probably your best bet. They're a group of thieves who will rob anyone taking the main roads. They tend to move around a lot so you're too late to conduct your investigation. If that's all, I suggest you and your genin head home."
Kurenai gave a short nod and retreated, taking her students with her. As they were leaving, Maruku and the blonde woman made eye contact. She gave a bloodthirsty smile that sent shivers down his spine.
After they had put some distance between them and the Cloud ninja, Kurenai stopped them.
"They're lying. The Arashi Foundation is a construction company based in the Land of Lightning." She said a frown on her face.
"Then why did we leave? Why didn't we call them out for it?" Ichijin asked, looking confused.
"Because that would've started an international incident, and there were two high level ninja. There's no way we would've been able to win that." Hinata said quietly, shaking ever so slightly.
Maruku nodded his agreement but stayed silent. The Arashi Foundation that he knew was Tensei's gang. It was highly probable that the construction company were also the thieves they were looking for. The gang was more than likely using the stellar reputation of the construction company to throw off suspicion.
Regardless, it meant the Hidden Cloud was stealing. Not just from the Leaf, but from the rest of the Great Nations as well. Maruku's blood ran cold at the realization. If the secret got out it would mean war.
"We'll double check at Outpost 5 and see if we can gather any new information. For now let's keep moving." Kurenai ordered.