Hope you all are staying safe, yet another chapter for you all so I hope that helps somewhat. Rewrote this like seven times since I am a very anxious soul when it comes to writing and posting anything but oh well I think you'll like it! This is probably the most action-filled chapter for this story as well so that's fun.

As always I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read this story and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it as we progress. I'll see you all at the bottom as usual!

…

"Let's begin with introductions. While I'm sure you three are familiar with one another I want to get to know a little bit about each of you before we begin." The jonin explained eyeing each one of them for a moment before allowing an inviting smile to grace her features. "I suppose then that it's only fair if I start being the odd one out and to give you all an example of what I'm looking for."

"My name is Kurenai Yuhi." She introduced herself with a kind smile. "I have a few hobbies that I enjoy such as reading and some light gardening, though sadly I don't have as much time for the latter as I used to with my new duties. My dislikes would have to be those that look down on others for superficial reasons, kunoichi who do not take their training seriously, fangirls, and perverts…" She paused for a moment on that last point, as if upon saying it something or someone very specific popped into mind but she quickly continued. "While I am competent in the basic shinobi disciplines my main talents lie in genjutsu and my goal for the foreseeable future is to help each of you in becoming an excellent shinobi in your own right." She finished giving each of them a small nod and allowing them a moment to digest the information. "Who would like to go next?"

They looked between each other for a split second before Kiba raised his hand and they turned their attention onto him.

"Alright, my name is Kiba Inuzuka and this is my partner, Akamaru!" He grinned and the pup in question peeked out of his fur hoodie to greet them with a small bark and a matching smile. "I guess my hobbies would be training with Akamaru, hunting with my mother, or exploring new places. I don't really dislike much other than cats…" His face scrunched up as he thought about the mean little furballs and the rest of them had to hold back a small chuckle at the almost stereotypical nature of his dislikes. "I would say that I'm pretty strong in taijutsu and mom says that I'm making good progress with our collaborative techniques. My main goal for the future is to become a hunter-nin!" He finished and Kurenai hummed with approval.

"That's a good goal and with your skills, it's almost certain you'll have a talent for it. Just don't slack in your training the path to becoming a hunter-nin isn't easy so you better be prepared." She warned but she didn't dismiss his dreams before turning her attention towards her two female students awaiting the next speaker and to their collective surprise, Hinata coughed into her hand taking the initiative to speak next.

"A-Ano, my name is Hinata Hyuga…" She gave a small, formal bow of her head in greeting. "M-My hobbies? I s-suppose I rather enjoy flower pressing and tea ceremonies…" She admitted, blushing slightly at the strange looks her teammates sent her way and she quickly averted her eyes. "M-My dislikes are those that abuse others weaker than themselves, bullies, and unnecessary violence. I am p-passable in my clan's taijutsu and using my byakugan…" She seemed to hesitate for a second but quickly pushed on. "M-My goal for the future is to remove the divide within my clan a-and become a worthy clan h-head!" She finished and Kurenai nodded.

"That is very noble of you and I sincerely hope you can accomplish that." She encouraged truthfully. Hinata blushed but allowed a small smile to creep onto her face and Kurenai turned to her final student who seemed lost in thought before she noticed that the group was waiting on her and snapped back to the present.

"My name is Natsumi Uzumaki." She introduced taking a brief glance to note any visible reactions to her name, however, she found none and so she continued. "My list of hobbies include training, reading, practicing my calligraphy, and recently I've taken up a small bit of gardening as well." She rested her cheek upon her palm in thought of how to proceed, she was not used to introducing herself like this. "My dislikes would have to be… the willfully ignorant, bigots, those that would waste my time, and many other things that would take too long to cover. I am well rounded in most standard ninja arts but I specialize in medical ninjutsu, fuinjutsu, and ninjutsu specifically." She admitted earning looks of surprise from her teammates and one of intense interest from her new sensei but she paid it no mind. "My goal for the future is to discover a certain truth and to leave my mark on the world." She finished cryptically.

Kurenai was silent for a moment weighing the girl's words in her mind and her thoughts strayed back to a conversation she'd had with the Third and the reasons she'd been assigned as the jinchuriki's sensei as opposed to more fitting options…

"Hello Kurenai, I believe you wished to speak to me about the arrangement of your team?" The Third laced his fingers together as the newly minted jonin stepped deeper into his office and towards his desk, a small frown maring her natural beauty as she fidgeted ever so slightly in front of him indicating that she wasn't exactly comfortable with the coming topic of conversation.

"Yes, I wished to understand why my requested formation was denied." She confirmed his suspicion as politely as she could. "I recall that Kakashi wanted Uzumaki-san for his team but you gave him Shino Aburame and transferred her onto me instead?" She didn't understand the logic of the choice, there wasn't a conflict of interest and in her opinion, Shino would be a much better fit on her team than he would be on Kakashi's. "Was there an issue with my request?"

The Third shook his head "No, in fact on paper your suggestion may perhaps have been the most solid of the choices presented and if the situation was any different I would have happily granted your request." He admitted leaving her slightly stunned at the ease at which he admitted it but before she could voice her confusion on why he'd denied her wish, he continued. "However, recent events have made me rethink many of my choices and I now believe that Natsumi would be better suited to a sensei like you." He informed her.

"If I may, how would I be beneficial to someone like her?" She was more than a bit skeptical. "Kakashi has far more experience than I do and if their profiles are to be believed he would have far more to teach her than I would." It wasn't that she had anything against the girl by any means… If anything she respected her commitment to the shinobi arts but she was a genjutsu specialist and the jinchuriki had expressed little to no interest in the illusionary arts according to the reports they'd been given. She was, however, hinted to have a budding talent for ninjutsu and Kakashi was the foremost expert in that field given his circumstances.

"Those are all valid points and if I thought young Natsumi was in desperate need of teaching then you would be correct." He conceded but as he spoke his gaze grew tired and unfocused. "However, she has more than proven that she is quite capable of teaching herself with only minimal outside assistance from others and I'm certain she will reveal more of her talent in the coming months. The reality is, she doesn't need someone cramming jutsu into her day after day, at least not at the moment…"

He gave her a grandfatherly smile, one that in the past had reassured her but now left her feeling a sense of growing exasperation.

"What she needs right now is someone she can trust."

That was why she'd been chosen, her job wasn't just to teach the girl but also to be something more than just a stranger or a passing acquaintance. Kakashi was friendly enough but the man had his own demons and he was reluctant to dig deeper than he had too with people, probably a way to avoid creating more painful attachments and that made him ill-suited to the task of connecting with her. Asuma was a bit better in that department for sure but there were things he just wouldn't be able to connect with and he'd already been promised to the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho so he couldn't do it. As for the rest of her colleagues, well she knew there was some bias against the girl even amongst the jonin ranks which she thought was petty and so it seemed the job would fall to her.

As with anything she would try her best but after only a few minutes of looking into those analytical blue eyes she quickly reasoned out that it would take more than a few smiles, kind words, and some soft praise to build that bridge. That didn't mean she was giving up though either.

"That's certainly a unique goal, it's certainly not easy but judging by what I've heard you are certainly on the right path." She said and the blond merely raised a delicate brow ever so slightly in curiosity but still offered a stiff word of thanks before falling silent turning the focus of the conversation back onto her.

"That was very informative and I thank you all for sharing, now then I think it's only right that I admit something I've been keeping from you that is going to stress our working relationship a bit." She admitted and initially each tuned in to hear what she had to say. "You three… are not actually genin just yet." She reveals and like a switch being flipped, curiosity turned into indignation, disbelief, and a slight undercurrent fear.

"What?!" Kiba shouted and atop his head Akamaru yipped in anger. "But we passed the test, we got our headbands!"

"S-Sensei, what are you saying?" Hinata pressed her fingers together nervously and her previous smile dissolved into a frown of worry.

To her growing surprise Natsumi said nothing, her face gave away very few hints to her internal thoughts but she didn't seem phased by the abrupt revelation… almost as if she was expecting it. She was starting to suspect the girl knew far more than she let on but she couldn't prove that and it wouldn't matter much in the long term if they passed. She would have to question her later when they were on better terms but for now, she focused on addressing the concerns of her other potential students.

"The Academy exam was just a preliminary test to weed out those who didn't meet the most basic requirements to become a ninja. Those who did not possess the most basic knowledge necessary, those who were not physically fit enough, or those who lacked mastery of the most fundamental skills were removed leaving only those candidates who could be trained further." She explained. "Among even that group more tests must be conducted to ensure that only those who are fully prepared receive the best access to the village's resources."

"S-So what does that make us?" Hinata forced out. "I-If we aren't g-genin what are we?"

"You three are something in-between normal civilians and officially recognized genin. Where you go from here depends on how well you do on my test." She revealed giving them each a serious look. "Each jonin sensei has a test for their students, those that pass will truly graduate and become genin… those that don't will be sent back to the academy to try again next year." She said bluntly.

"Wait… so if we fail we have to wait a whole year to try again?!" Kiba growled at the idea of not only having to sit through another year of lectures but the embarrassment he'd have to carry from failing would shame him forever in his mind.

"What is this test?" Natsumi questioned suddenly, her calm voice undercutting Kiba's anger and Hinata's worry as the other two were hushed by the seeming hint of confidence in her question. "You said each sensei has their own test, what is it that we have to do to pass?" She reiterated leveling a narrowed glare at the raven-haired jonin.

Kurenai, in turn, stared her down for a moment before answering. "My test is not as convoluted as some of my comrades, all you have to do to pass is track me down and capture me within two hours of this moment." She explained and the trio blanched at the relatively simple task.

"T-That's all?" Hinata questioned.

"That's all." She nodded, crossing her arms with a smile. "Do you think you are up for it?"

"But you're already here?" Kiba said, pointing out that they had the advantage right now but to their surprise, the jonin in question merely laughed.

"Am I?" Ruby eyes flashed with amusement and the world around them began to shift, the quaint little dango shop that she'd led them into for their first meeting suddenly falling apart around them. Sanded Wooden walls crashing down to reveal large oak trees, polished tile flooring replaced with dirt and wild grass, and the gentle lights of the establishment replaced with shining sunbeams peeking through the treetops down into the open clearing that housed them. It was like a veil had been lifted from over their eyes as everything came back into focus and they were suddenly very much aware of a discomforting truth.

They were out in the middle of nowhere…

"Genjutsu…" Natsumi muttered, a mixture of begrudging respect and annoyance in her voice as she realized that they'd been trapped in nothing but an illusion this entire time like and like blind rats they'd played right into her hands. Worst of all she hadn't even noticed the transition, it was like her mind had locked away her memories from after she'd walked out of their classroom and simply filled in the blanks for itself. "Well played Yuhi-san..." She clicked her teeth and turned to her teammates who were still recovering from the rather jarring shift in perspective. She would need their help if she wanted to pass, she was no tracker and it would be foolish to abandon the tools she'd been given.

"That's so bullshit!" Kiba stomped his foot in irritation while Hinata quietly looked down at having been so easily trapped, her clan was known for being resistant to genjutsu but she'd gone and wandered into one without even knowing it.

"It is… concerning how easily we were caught in her illusion but complaining won't help." She shook her head and stepped towards them, turning her eyes towards the ring of trees that surrounded them in suspicion. "The test has started and we don't have the luxury of lamenting our failure at the moment. Right now our objective is clear, we must find Yuhi-san and capture her before our given time is up."

"We are in a random clearing, you do see that right?" Kiba pointed out and she fought the urge to roll her eyes at the obvious statement. She had her work cut out for her if his ability to think was so easily disrupted but she didn't have time to point that out…

"We also happen to have two trackers who can begin to point us in the right direction." She countered sarcastically before turning to Hinata who jumped at the intense gaze leveled upon her. "Hinata-san, what is the range of your byakugan?" She inquired, wondering just how much ground the demure Hyuga could cover, her text books mentioned that some users could cover miles with their sight but she doubted that would be the case here.

Hinata floundered in her answer for a few seconds before responding. "A-About sixty meters." She answered and Natsumi nodded. That wasn't as nearly wide as she would have liked but it was better than what she had so it would have to do, at least they would have ample warning if an ambush came their way.

"Good, begin scanning the surrounding area and see if Yuhi-san is within your range or if there is anything around us that might hint at where she might have gone." She instructed and didn't even wait for an answer from the Hyuga heiress before turning towards her second resource. "While she is doing that I need you to be on the lookout for anything you can use to track her down be it footprints or a scent we can follow, there has to be some identifier we can make use of." She ordered but unlike Hinata's quiet acceptance Kiba instead shot her an annoyed look at the sudden demand.

"Hold on, who put you in charge?" He frowned at her. "If this is a tracking exercise then either me or Hinata should take the lead, not you." He pointed out and she had to resist the growing urge she felt to knock him upside the head, of all the times he could choose to start challenging authority he had to choose right now while their futures were on the line. Did he not see there were more important matters at hand?

"We do not have time to debate this. Yes, I am not a tracker, however, my skills will be invaluable when it comes time to actually capture her… something you'll see when the time comes but for right now I need you to work with m-, us… to pass. "It doesn't matter who says what first if the actions taken are all the same in the end, probability makes it highly likely that we would have come to the same plan of action regardless so it's irrelevant who is in charge." She noted folding her arms across her chest. "Now, unless you want to return to your clan as the failure who could not even track a single target I suggest you listen up and play to your strengths." She finished sending him a glare that just dared him to say otherwise.

Kiba flinched a bit of the heat behind that look and internally he had to admit that the idea alone was almost disgraceful… not to mention he could already hear his sister's teasing and the grilling his mother would give him when they found out. He'd never be able to live that down…

"Grrr… fine!" He broke away and gathered himself before she noticed his features sharpen ever so slightly, his nose twitching as he began his own search and she allowed a silent sight to escape her lips. This was no doubt going to be a problem in the future but so long as it was after they'd passed she could afford to deal with it later. She was interrupted from her thoughts by a light tapping upon her shoulder courtesy of Hinata.

"U-Um, Natsumi-san… I can not see any chakra signatures nearby that could be her." Hinata admitted somewhat shamefully but quickly perked up with more news. "B-But I did spot a thin trail of chakra residue headed West, perhaps t-that might be her?" She relayed and Natsumi smirked with approval, it wasn't a guarantee but it was far better than nothing at all. However, before she could give the order to move out Kiba interjected.

"I caught a scent that doesn't fit in the forest, I don't know for sure if it's hers but it's definitely not something native to the area and It's trailing to the East of our position." He relayed and her smirk dropped like a stone skipping across a river. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy… while they could technically investigate both leads they would have to split up and both Hinata and Kiba could only follow one path, not to mention that she couldn't follow either without them, meaning that one of them would have to go alone which left them vulnerable…

"T-The chakra residue is beginning to f-fade." Hinata informed reluctantly as if she knew such information would only prove more stressful but she had no choice, the veins around her eyes bulging as she tried to memorize the path of the slowly dispersing energy trail. "I-I don't know how much longer I can follow i-it." She admitted drawing an aggravated sigh from Natsumi who quickly turned towards her other teammate.

"Kiba-"

"The trail is faint." He cut her off before she could finish already guessing what she was going to ask. "It'll mingle in with the smells of the forest soon enough and I doubt even Akamaru would be able to find it again if we don't follow it soon." He noted already seeing the dilemma that they were faced with while she cursed under her breath.

They couldn't follow both trails without splitting up and they were on a time crunch… if they didn't make a choice soon they would lose both of their leads and be left with nothing. That was unacceptable… she could flip a coin but even then there was a fifty-fifty chance of either success or failure and she wasn't a fan of those odds. She fell silent in thought for a moment weighing up her options and going over the information while off to the side Hinata and Kiba awaited her deliberation with increasing anxiety. She had appointed herself leader for the moment and so like it or not it was her call to make. She clicked her teeth after a moment of thought and spun on her heel towards the Hyuga heiress.

"Hinata guide us along the residue trail." She ordered. She would trust her gut instincts.

"Why that way?" Kiba asked but followed along regardless as the trio began to rush through the forest with Hinata leading the way as she followed the thin string of azure energy that wound a path through the forest unseen by her teammates. She, of course, had her own questions but in fear of failing in her assigned task stayed silent as Natsumi and Kiba followed up from the rear.

"It's not a perfect guess but working with what we know there is a far higher chance this is the correct path." She began to explain her reasoning. "Yuhi-san is clearly gifted with genjutsu and deception and given that she trapped us all without any of us noticing I do have to entertain the idea that this is yet another trick. However, like most jutsu, genjutsu is still chakra based at its core which gives far more credence that the chakra residue is a remnant of the technique she used to capture us." She reasoned drawing surprised looks from Kiba and Hinata who hadn't considered that. By that logic, it seemed almost too easy to figure out which path to follow. "Putting Hinata-san in the lead is also most beneficial to us as a group." She continued. "The byakugan has a natural resistance to genjutsu which means we are less likely to be fooled again, though we must still be careful as I very much doubt Kurenai's skills can be so easily overcome." She warned.

"T-That makes sense… ano, w-what will we do when we find her though?" Hinata asked, wondering what Natsumi's plan was once they'd located their target.

"Assuming she doesn't give up immediately upon being found? Chances are we will have to engage her directly in combat." She reasoned, assuming that Kurenai would also be testing their fighting ability as well. " Given that our task is to capture her, that leaves most of the burden on myself and Hinata-san, Kiba-san is not suited to the task." She admitted bluntly causing the Inuzuka's brow to twitch.

"Hey!" He growled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"That was not an insult, of the three of us you are simply the least efficient when it comes to restraining a target. You'd have to either maul your her or pin her and neither of those are likely to happen given the difference in skill. A pin is useless if she can trick you into letting her go and even if we entertained the idea that you could somehow beat a jonin in combat, we'd have little use for a sensei who is a single gust of wind away from falling apart." She dismissed making it clear that it wasn't that he was useless but right now they needed more fitness. "Shutting down her chakra flow will rob her greatest strength so getting Hinata-san in close is our best bet. Your job will be keeping her distracted enough for us to do that and I will act as a support for both of you since my skills can complement both tasks." She explained.

"So we're the distraction and Hinata is our hidden weapon." He simplified and she nodded.

"Essentially, though either myself or Hinata-san could subdue sensei it would be better if she were to do it. I will assist you where I can in keeping her open and if the chance presents itself, disable her if possible."

Before their conversation could continue Hinata spoke up once more.

"I-I'm detecting a lot of chakra in a clearing up ahead, l-like the entire area is covered in some kind of chakra mist…" She explained and Nasumi narrowed her eyes. "I-I can't fully see through it either." She added, straining her eyes to peer into the depths and frowning as her best efforts failed to pierce the blanket of swirling energy.

"A trap most likely, it stands to reason that she'd have some tricks up her sleeve that might even work against your byakugan." She clicked her teeth and paused prompting the rest of her team to stop. "Kiba, can you sense anything? Is that smell from earlier around here?" She questioned and he took a moment to sniff the air before and a curious expression arose on his face.

"Yes, but also no…" His face crinkled like he was lost in deep thought. "I am getting something but it's not the same scent I got before, this one is more… fruity, I guess? The other one was more metallic." He struggled a bit to place the smell. "It's sorta like wild berries and It also leads straight ahead."

Natsumi hummed. "Possibly some kind of soap or shampoo, Yuhi-san did appear to possess well-maintained hair and skin after all…" She muttered her thoughts aloud but snapped back to attention soon enough. "Hinata, does the trail stop at that clearing? It doesn't branch off in any other direction?" She questioned and Hinata paused to look around scanning the air around the pocket of chakra.

"I-I don't see any other trails b-but they may be hidden because of the f-fog." She explained knowing that large sources of chakra could actually smother smaller ones if used correctly.

"So it is likely that she is hiding somewhere within that mist, I don't know how much chakra Yuhi-san has but she can't possibly maintain that fog without being somewhere nearby." She guessed, it was just unrealistic given how Hinata had described it. "The question is do we risk it and walk into such a blatant setup?" There was something to be said about intentionally springing a trap but what choice did they have?

"So what's the plan now?" Kiba asked, assuming they would have to restructure their old one but Natsumi simply shook her head.

"The plan remains the same." She declared, stepping forward as she stared off towards where she knew Kurenai was waiting for them. "I'm not fond of going in loud but we can't afford to give her a single inch, we'll punch a hole right into her trap and corner her before she can escape." She said turning back to her team. "Hinata-san you will hang back and circle around while Kiba-san and I draw her attention, while I would advise moving through the mist you are the most suited to do that so use it as extra cover as needed and when an opening presents itself move in. We'll drive her towards you so make sure to get into a good spot." She explained and Hinata nodded.

"Good, Kiba-san you will stick with me and we'll lead the opening attack, no matter what do not give her room to breathe, we need to keep her attention for as long as we can without tipping her off to Hinata's presence." She ordered and he nodded, he wouldn't muck it up now that they were so close.

"If that is understood let's begin!"

…

"I wonder what's holding them up?" Kurenai pondered this question as she sat within the deep haze of her own jutsu. She had expected them to find her far sooner but the first hour was nearly up and she hadn't heard so much as a peep from them. Perhaps they'd followed the wrong trail which if that was the case would cost them dearly for time but that was part of her test so nothing could be done about that.

Her test wasn't the hardest, she knew that Kakashi's bell test had a record failure rating and even Asuma had mentioned he had a rather difficult test in store for his team but she was a bit laxer. She wanted to test what she considered core needs for a ninja such as problem-solving, reasoning and deduction, risk assessment, resource management, and should they make it that far combat capability. Her test was simple but it touched upon points that she valued and that was enough for her, plus she had a good feeling there was more to her team than she'd seen.

"Wind Style: Wandering Gales!"

Her thoughts were quickly thrown to the literal winds as a sudden stream of rushing air burst through the whitish haze that surrounded her, the careful net she'd cast being scattered high into the sky in a rushing sweep of gale forces. She clicked her teeth as she remembered that Natsumi was marked with a talent for ninjutsu but even so she hadn't expected the girl to have a wind jutsu in her pocket. Bringing her chakra to bear she quickly flooded the mist once again forcing it to begin retaking the lost territory.

Their assault had begun!

Natsumi poured chakra into her lungs as she continued to blow the mist away from their position while Kiba and Akamaru rushed in alongside her, already she could see the haze trying to reclaim them and she had no doubt Kurenai was responsible, likely trying to cover her tracks but she had more than enough chakra to meet her attempts with equal force. From the rear Hinata followed up lingering at the border of the fog, her byakugan blazing as she used her sight to keep an eye out for their target before breaking off making her way around the field her eyes allowing her to move almost unfettered.

"I can smell her!" Kiba barked and Akamaru yipped in confirmation alongside him, the wild berry smell standing out amongst the grass and grass. "Directly ahead!"

"Move in!" She shouted and Kiba wasted no time in blitzing past her, his features returning to their feral appearance as he and Akamaru rushed straight ahead with great force.

"Let's go Akamaru!" He shouted and Akamaru yipped before exploding in a puff of smoke that quickly dispersed revealing another copy of the Inuzuka heir, his own face twisted into a matching snarl of determination as the pair began to spin up into their clan's signature jutsu.

"Fang Passing Fang!" The duo howled like war dogs as they bounded ahead like twin drills punching a path forward with the force of their rotation and the ground beneath them was ripped apart. Natsumi was forced to slow her pace lest she end up with a face full of dirt and debris from the maneuver and she was left in slight awe of the destructive potential of such an attack, the pair could likely drill through stone with that attack. She supposed it was a good thing the Academy never allowed them to use clan techniques against one another...

The twin drills tore ahead without mercy and even though the now fading mist caught sight of a figure leaping out of the way of the devastating attack. She had little doubt over who it was and so she quickly moved to intercept, pulling out and launching a kunai towards the shadowy figure as she rushed in to engage.

Kurenai had no time to breathe after nearly being torn to pieces when her instincts practically screamed at her to move and she sidestepped just in time to avoid a kunai to the neck before she was forced to bring an arm up in defense as a solid kick smashed into her side. Ruby eyes locked with cerulean for a split second before the two began to exchange blows, Kurenai may not have been a master of taijutsu but she hadn't received her promotion for nothing and was still no slouch physically, something Natsumi was quickly discovering as she began to get pushed back by the more experience kunoichi.

Narrowly ducking under a punch Natsumi quickly brought up a chakra coated hand, the gentle hum of deep azure energy coating her fingertips as she drew upon her main weapons for close-quarter combat and suddenly the flow of battle was in her favor as Kurenai quickly caught onto the new threat. She didn't have to be a medic-nin herself to know that even a single knick from those scalpels could very well put her down if she wasn't careful… she needed to retreat and create some much-needed distance.

"Don't forget about us!"

She cursed as Kiba and Akamaru rejoined the fight having recovered from their opening attack she was suddenly left to contend with an onslaught from their slashing claws and the dangerous hiss of Natsumi's chakra blades. The only saving grace was that their teamwork was almost nonexistent and she had caught them having to pull back on more than one occasion to avoid accidentally hitting one another which gave her room for some counters. Even so, they were putting up more than a fair fight and given enough time she had little doubt that they would be monsters when paired up.

Rolling out of the way of desperate tackle she quickly began to weave her hand through seals hoping to trap one of them but she was once again forced to abandon her plans as Natsumi switch tactics and fired off a narrow jet of pressurized water towards her position, the spray nearly hitting her head on had she not jumped into the air in time to avoid it. However, she wasn't safe just yet as Kiba and Akamaru followed her into the skies with claws drawn at the ready and she barely had time to pull out a substitution that spared her the fate of a few nasty cuts judging by the bits of wood that splinted off upon impact.

She was beginning to think she'd given them a bit too much leeway, they might actually do her in at this rate…

"Oww!" The ravenette hissed as pain shot through her right leg and sparing a quick glance down revealed two senbon lodged deep into her leg, the twin bits of metal having sunk cleanly through her skin. She managed to quickly pluck them out just in time to avoid a foot to the face as Natsumi wasted no time jumping back on her, beginning the engagement anew but it quickly became apparent something was wrong. The more she moved the heavier her leg began to feel and she became aware of a creeping numbness that was slowly coursing through it that left her slightly off balance. It was becoming harder for her to guard her right side.

Natsumi smirked as the paralytic agent began to do its job, it wouldn't do any lasting damage but her tweaks to the formula made it far more efficient for combat purposes than the usual hospital variety since it activated far quicker and was more powerful but the effects were not as lasting especially given that she had not used very much but It would suffice for this task. All they needed was to get her a bit closer towards Hinata.

"Kiba-san, final push!" She signaled. It was time to wrap this up!

Behind her he grinned and nodded, leaping into the air already mid-spin as he aimed his attack. "Passing Fang!" He shouted and she watched as he dive-bombed her position. As expected Kurenai lept back and predicting her trajectory she quickly ran through another set of seals puffed out her cheeks.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Kurenai watched the air in front of her come to a boil as the stream of fire left Natsumi's lips and took shape into a medium-sized glowing ball of heated gas and flame that charged forward towards her position. The air hissing as it began it's raced forward and already her hands were forming the seals for another substitution past but she paused when rather than continuing its flight, it instead collided with the earth a few meters in front of her, collapsing in a small heatwave and a brilliant explosion of light that forced her to bring up a hand to shield her eyes.

"Y-You're within range of my divination!"

Kurenai's eyes widened as Hinata leaped out of the mist, her fingertips glowing with chakra as she quickly closed the gap between them and lashed out with her clan's Gentle Fist style of taijutsu. She winced as those chakra tipped fingers bored into her flesh and immediately she felt her usually pristine chakra flow lurch as her tenketsu were gradually shut down. With her ability to dodge compromise she had no choice but to take the full brunt of the attack and it was only seconds later where she found herself on the ground surrounded by her new students who were cheerfully looking down upon her with grins, smirks, and smiles.

"I think this is our win, Yuhi-sensei."

…

Once she could stand again, thanks mostly to Natsumi and Hinata's help, the group had gathered in the center of the clearing where she could address them.

"I have to admit I didn't expect you all to do as well as you did, you all made excellent use of your talents and despite having not worked together much before today you each managed to find your place on the team and execute your mission flawlessly." She praised them genuinely, it was rare for newly formed teams to perform this well and she was anxious to see how they would do after a few months together. "Safe to say you three completed the objective of the test and so you've passed, starting today you are official members of Team Eight and fully-fledged shinobi of Konoha."

"Hell yeah!" Kiba whooped with glee, Hinata smiled into her jacket in happiness that they'd passed, and Natsumi nodded in satisfaction and a bit of pride that everything had gone as smoothly as it had.

"I need to give my official report to the Hokage so we'll break for today but this is where we'll be meeting until we are assigned an official training yard, the village is just south of here so you should have any trouble making it back." She gestured off where they needed to go. "We'll be meeting up tomorrow bright and early at eight so make sure you get a proper rest." She relayed and flashed them a proud smile, they had far exceeded her expectations and with the proper guidance, each of them would grow to be splendid shinobi.

She couldn't wait to see it.

AN. Chapter Complete!

Another slightly longer than usual chapter though not by much, I am happy with how it turned out though and I think it marks a good jump in action seeing how Natsumi has grown and revealed a bit of the dynamic we're going to see with Team Eight. I actually rewrote this chapter a few times because it always ended up being a bit more complicated than I thought was necessary but I think this is a pretty solid wrap for this.

#1. Starting with Team Eight and Kurenai specifically:

Let's begin with Kurenai and the reason she was assigned to Natsumi. Now I touch on this in the chapter but I think it's clear that Natsumi has a lot of fallback abilities in the form of jutsu, poisons, medical ninjutsu, and decent hand-to-hand skills. She's also very good at learning on her own for the most part so I think it's fair to say that Natsumi is not in dire need of someone who can teach her a ton of things, what she is in need of at least from the perspective of the Hokage is some kind of attachment to the village. She needs friends, confidants, people she feels she can come to with anything, and of the teachers available at this moment I think Kurenai is best suited for that role.

How successful she'll be, remains to be seen.

Another point about Kurenai is her strength/ability to lead/hand-holding. I wasn't aware of the negative opinions surrounding for the most part but I do want to address them to help reassure people. In terms of strength Kurenai is going to be a bit weaker than powerhouses like Kakashi and Asuma but I think that makes sense as her specialty is in tricking the mind and body, in response I want to make her illusions far stronger and more unique to compensate for this. She won't be a one size fits all character like Kakashi but she certainly won't be weak here. Some people may also worry about her strength given that she loses here but keep in mind that this is not a serious fight and that Kurenai is playing very defensively, only attacking in retaliation. It also doesn't help that Natsumi's unpredictability in regards to her arsenal makes her very annoying to counter and predict which sadly works against Kurenai here but I don't want that to be mistaken as a weakness.

Her leadership and the hand-holding nature ascribed to her will mirror how I have done her character in my other story for those who are familiar with her. She will be kind and nurturing, but she will understand that her duty is to train them and that means she has to be firm and push them as well. We'll see this more in the future but I don't enjoy the idea of any of the jonin being essentially inept so they will all be competent to a level.

Anyway, that's it for this chapter! As always please leave a review with your thoughts as it not only helps me get a better idea of what to fix or try but also because it helps keep me motivated to work harder on the next chapter! PM's are also welcomed and I'll get to those as I can, stay safe and I'll see you all next time!