Training for Team 7 proceeded smoothly throughout the week. They arrived in the early morning and immediately began a routine of strength and conditioning, which included stretches, cardio exercises, resistance training, and a number of exercises to strengthen various muscle groups. This typically pushed them through the early morning whereupon they would take a short break. When they resumed, they worked on team formations and teamwork drills until lunch. After, they would proceed to individual training time, where each of Hiruzen's students would commence with their Individual Training Program.
Hiruzen found himself optimistic about their progress. He felt assured in his initial evaluations of Shikamaru, Ino, and Naruto. Naruto's perseverance had already proven to be a boon to the boy's growth. Hiruzen could tell that the boy would be a formidable hand to hand fighter as he reached his adult weight and height. In his current state, he was short and wiry, but he was fast too. He was already quicker in both reflexes and speed than either of Shikamaru and Ino.
In addition, Inoichi had approached him and explained that he believed Naruto was a natural sensor. It was certainly not surprising. Naruto's father, Minato, had been an excellent sensor. It was not rare in his time for Uzumaki to be sensors, as well. No, in fact, it was likely that Naruto would develop that ability naturally as he gained an understanding and control of his chakra.
As he walked down the hill toward his home, Hiruzen made note to add sensor development to Naruto's Individual Training Program. He could see his home now from his position on the road and in the window of his study he could also see Enma. He stood facing outward to the road, a severe look on his face. This can't be good, thought Hiruzen. Enma rarely showed up or was needed unless there was good reason.
As he entered his home, Asuma was sprawled out on the couch. He was silent and merely pointed upstairs.
"Right," said Hiruzen. He put down his bag of wares from the market and hastened up to his study. His worry mounted as he made his way down the hall and pushed open the door. It creaked as he pushed it open. Enma faced away from him. He was large and stood nearly a foot and a half taller than Hiruzen. He had a habit of hunching, but his stature was always imposing anyway. White fur covered his body and face. It poked out of every opening in his clothing.
"Haru never returned from his mission and his name has been stricken from the Monkey Clan scrolls, which means…" Enma said. His voice was gruff.
"He's dead," Hiruzen said, "and he was not able to dispel during the attack?"
"Apparently not. His body was not retrieved," Enma said. He finally turned toward him.
Hiruzen grimaced. It meant that Haru had been killed quickly. Perhaps, he had not even been aware of the attack. Which brought forth the question, who or what had been able to not only locate Haru, but also elude his awareness? It was not entirely impossible to accomplish this, but it meant the evidence pointed to a high level ninja. Konoha had many enemies, some known, but others were completely unknown to them.
He thought back to the night of Naruto's birth and the mysterious nature of the circumstances surrounding the release of the Kyuubi. The dead ANBU had been found outside, still at their posts. There was evidence of interference, but no leads had ever been determined because there were no survivors among those who were there. Not ANBU. Not Kushina or Minato. Not Biwako.
Haru's demise also meant Tsunade had not received his missive. I must contact her immediately, he thought. He'd put security seals on the missive, but it wasn't unbreakable by any means.
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention and… I'm sorry," he said. Enma maintained eye contact with Hiruzen.
"All monkeys that agree to be summoned understand the danger that lies in the dealings of humans," he said, stiffly.
Hiruzen nodded. Enma did not have patience for humans he deemed to be corruptible. He could not tolerate human treachery, which is why he'd so vehemently disagreed with Hiruzen on his inaction toward Orochimaru's betrayal and crimes. To this day, it had been a point of contention between them. In the end, Enma had been right.
Enma clenched his fists. "Haru was an expert in concealment. It is not impossible that he ran into trouble on a mission, but I wonder if you have unknown saboteurs in your midst."
Hiruzen straightened and a chill ran down his spine. "You think one of our own is actively working against us?" He said. He distantly remembered the strife of his childhood following Madara's betrayal. Hashirama-sensei had been distraught, emotional, and, at times, pensive. Tobirama-sensei had only felt fury. Enma shrugged and fixed his severe eyes on Hiruzen's own. Hiruzen felt old and weak at that moment.
"It is not the first time," he said, "you know this. I am only saying that you must consider every possibility. You are not the man you once were. An elderly man in power coaxes the lesser among your species to move on their ambition. It is not an insult, merely an observation."
Hiruzen paced around the room. It was a habit ingrained from years of stress. It rankled him to think there could be a traitor or saboteur amongst them. He dragged his hand over his tired face. "You are right," Hiruzen said, "Then what must be done?"
"The forest has a thousand eyes," Enma said, "it is my recommendation that you let some members of the Monkey Clan inhabit your forests and to gather information on the movements of those within this village." Enma stood stock still by the window, his request hung in the air between them.
"What you suggest is unprecedented," Hiruzen said, "if the jonin knew, if the Security Council knew…"
He left the implication unsaid. For a Hokage to use their own personal summon to spy on those within the village, including trusted jonin and long serving members of the government of Konoha was beyond unprecedented. It spoke to a lack of trust. If this plan were revealed, it would call into question his own authority and might move those within the Land of Fire to push for his resignation. It might make him look weaker than his advanced age already suggested.
"What you suggest is only a small part. Your people have an extraordinarily narrow view of the non-human sentience that exists within your own walls," Enma said, "I strongly urge you not to make the same mistakes of your past."
He observed Enma clench his teeth. Hiruzen nodded and suddenly remembered Enma's words from the past.
Do not let that vile snake go! End this cruel creature, Hiruzen!
Strung up by his emotional response, he had let Orochimaru go. The horrors he had uncovered that day were unspeakable.
His life had been filled with people who had tried to help Hiruzen make the right choices. Biwako had urged him to be a better father. He hadn't listened and had lost Asuma for a decade. Enma had urged him to watch out for Orochimaru. He hadn't listened and he had watched as his former student brought havoc to the Land of Fire and its neighbors. Even Tobirama-sensei had shown him a way of rule through example. But the young always wish to forge their own path. All the mistakes he had made, he had made on his own. Perhaps, he should start listening to those he knew he could trust.
Hiruzen closed his eyes tightly and sighed. "Yes, yes. You are right. Imbed the Monkey Clan deeply within the forests. Make sure they cannot be seen, even by the most advanced methods of detection."
Enma nodded. He clenched his fists tightly and his brow was drawn together tightly.
"You are changing, Hiruzen. It will be done. The Monkey Clan will make sure this will not go uninvestigated. I can assure you, they will not be seen," Enma said.
"For our sake, I hope you are right," Hiruzen said.
"Have I ever let you down, old friend?" Enma asked. He tilted his head to the side. HIs usual severe glare made way for a soft and light look in his eyes. They were filled with amusement. Hiruzen reminded himself that this was the Monkey way of smiling. The last thing you wanted to see from a monkey was their teeth. A monkey's smile was not one to take lightly.
Hiruzen nodded and returned the look. Enma had been his friend and comrade since he was young. It would be good to trust those who were closest to him. There were not many left from that era.
"There is one more thing I have come to request, Hiruzen," Enma said. He turned toward him. Enma's large finger traced a spiral on his side table. Hiruzen watched with interest as Enma started from the center and traced outwards. The spiral, the ultimate symbol of the Uzumaki.
The duality of this symbol was well understood by the Monkey Clan. If one began the spiral from the inside and climbed outwards, they would reach the outermost boundary and gain understanding from their new perspective. Start from the outside and work inwards and one is stuck deep within the vortex, unable to see, hear, or understand anything but the depths of their imprisonment.
"The Monkey Clan has been watching the Uzumaki boy with interest. We request that he sign the Monkey's contract," Enma said. He watched Hiruzen for his reaction.
Carefully, Hiruzen nodded. He weighed the idea and turned it over in his head. "He is young now and still learning," Hiruzen said, "perhaps if we were to wait, he would be ready." He settled on a neutral statement.
"All the better to learn the way of his people," Enma said, "lest we forget who you obtained the Monkey contract from."
Enma referred to Mito, a powerful Uzumaki ninja who cemented the relationship between Konoha and Uzu. She also happened to be the wife of Hashirama and as much of a mentor to him as either Hashirama or Tobirama. Her gift of the Monkey Contract was evidence of that. She had lived to see the genocide of her people, but not long enough to see the Uzumaki name survive through the diaspora. The Monkey Contract had been in possession of the Uzumaki for hundreds of years. Perhaps, it was time to have another Uzumaki sign it.
"Very well," Hiruzen said, "Let him sign it when we are ready to begin missions."
Enma clapped him on the shoulder, his hand dwarfed Hiruzen's back, but Enma's touch was one of gentle comradery. He peered down at Hiruzen, his brow still pinched. Hiruzen knew Enma meant no harm.
"You are making strides, even in your advanced age," Enma said.
I know so, Hiruzen thought.
Naruto, Shikamaru, and Ino had received orders to report at Training Ground 21. Shikamaru informed them that this was a larger training ground than the Sarutobi Grounds and they must be doing something extra troublesome today. Naruto imagined all the incredible things they could do with a larger space. Perhaps, they would all learn new jutsu.
The grounds were surrounded by forest, much like most of the Training Grounds in and around Konoha. On the eastern side of the grounds, Konoha's large exterior wall rose higher than the trees. It wasn't quite as tall as old growth forest trees, but it was nearly equally impressive in size. It also made Training Ground 21 a popular training spot for those who preferred to train in the mornings, as the entire grounds would be shaded until the midday sun arrived.
When they arrived, Naruto was surprised to see the other teams he had graduated alongside. Team 8 consisted of Sakura, Kiba, and Shino. They were situated some distance from the others. Kiba leaned easily on the tree. Sakura and Shino were whispering about something Naruto could not hear. Kiba caught his eye and nodded toward him. Naruto returned the greeting as his own team made their way through the grounds.
Team 10 was Sasuke's team. His teammates were Hinata and Choji. Choji was already waving his team over, probably eager to meet up with Naruto's teammates. Naruto tensed as Shikamaru and Ino jogged over. They're excited to see him, he thought, Am I just the replacement?
He kept his worry and anxiety hidden as best as he could and decided to follow them at a similar pace. They reached Choji quickly. The larger boy slapped Shikamaru's back jovially, a large smile on his face.
"How've you been!" Choji said.
Shikamaru smiled easily. Naruto could see the tension release from his body. His shoulders were slouched and his hands found an easy resting place in the pockets of his pants.
"Sarutobi-sensei has us working hard," Shikamaru said, "But all's been well for us. You?"
Choji scratched the back of his head and looked at his teammates. He chuckled lightly. "Kakashi-sensei is…" Choji said, at a loss for words.
"Strange," Sasuke said, "he's constantly late and he reads smut all the time." Sasuke's eyes were narrowed and he kicked the dirt lightly, which created a small cloud of dust. Naruto noted that Sasuke looked tense. His shoulders were tight and he crossed his arms in front of his body. It was odd to see the usually self-assured Sasuke in such a state. Whoever this Kakashi was, Naruto was beginning to like him.
"Ano… what Sasuke says is technically correct," Hinata said, "but, he's also super strong. We've learned a lot from him already. He's really tough on us in sparring." Hinata wrung her hands together and looked down.
"Well, if Hinata says he's strong, he must be one hell of a sensei," Naruto said. He smiled at Hinata, who ducked his glance, a red tint coloring her cheeks.
"Y-yes, he's pushed us a great deal so far," Hinata said.
Shikamaru nodded and crossed his arms in front of him. "I believe it. My dad has worked with him before. He said he's one of the strongest jonin in the village and he's got a huge reputation around the Elemental Nations. They call him Copy Ninja or Kakashi of the Sharingan," Shikamaru said. He was turned to Naruto and Ino, but Sasuke stiffened when he heard Kakashi's title before he turned away and looked toward the tree line.
Naruto followed his line of sight to see Sarutobi Asuma approaching from the opposite side of the grounds. He was waving, a cheerful grin on his face.
"Oy, not this guy," Naruto said. He ran his hand through his hair and remembered the old man's son. Asuma could typically be seen with a disheveled and generally pissed off look. Surprisingly, Asuma had cleaned up to a respectable degree today. His beard was trimmed and his hair was slicked back. He wore his standard issue flak jacket over a black shirt.
"Yo," he said, "Teams 7, 8 and 10, let's round up over here."
All three teams reluctantly closed in on his position. Once they had all arrived, Asuma pulled a cigarette from one of the pockets in his jacket. He lit it easily with a snap of his fingers. Probably a fire technique, Naruto realized. He'd felt Asuma's chakra flare for a moment. Asuma eyed each of them, seemingly in an effort to assess their capacity in some way.
"You're probably all wondering where your senseis are," Asuma said, "Unfortunately, you're stuck with me today. The Hokage has something different planned for you all. Something about how you lot are sensitive-"
"What-!" Kiba said. Sakura clamped her hand over Kiba's mouth and sent him a dark glare.
Asuma shook his head and tsked lightly. "Exactly what I was saying. Sensitive. Pink hair's got the right idea," he said, "What's your name pink hair?"
"Sakura, sir," she said.
Asuma nodded, smiling lightly as Kiba glared at him. "Right. I'll be getting to know all of you soon, best not to make a bad first impression, eh?" He looked at Kiba, who swatted Sakura's hand away.
"With that said, let me introduce myself," he said, "My name is Sarutobi Asuma, jonin of Konoha and one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. My job will be to support your enrichment and development as a ninja. I'll be getting to know each of you on an individual level, while I help you achieve both your goals, and those of Konoha."
Today, since I don't know much about your fighting style, besides what's written in your files, we'll be completing a training exercise that will give me a good idea about where each of you is in your development. Any questions before we begin?"
Ino's hand shot in the air. Asuma nodded in her direction.
"So, do we have two official senseis? Our regular jonin sensei and you?" Ino asked.
Asuma shrugged. "If that is how it makes sense to you, sure. Usually, ninja end up learning from more than one person. As a ninja finds their own style, we understand them as an amalgamation of the efforts of many teachers. Your jonin sensei and I will be just some of the people who make an impact on your development as ninja."
A few more questions from his peers essentially revealed an understanding that Asuma would be personally helping all of them in some capacity. Naruto thought back to when he first began learning wind techniques. He remembered that Asuma was a master of wind release. Perhaps Naruto had been too harsh on the old man's son. He had much that he could learn from Asuma.
"Today, we will be playing a game called Capture the Flag. Each team will receive a flag of their own. Your objective is to protect your own flag and to steal the other team's flags. You may use any technique at your disposal, as well as any tactics or strategies you deem to be useful. When I say begin, each team will disperse to a different location in the training grounds," Asuma said.
He distributed flags to each team and instructions on where they were to start. Leaving the training grounds was an instant disqualification, but otherwise, the rules were light. There were five minutes before the task would begin.
Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru retreated to their beginning position in earnest. Once they were alone, Shikamaru pulled both Naruto and Ino behind a large tree that obscured them from view.
"Hinata is likely already watching us," he said, "we can only hope she can't read lips."
Ino nodded, her brow drawn together in thought. "Good thinking, Shika. At this point, it's a good assumption that Hinata's team will already have our location. They'll probably come to us first."
"Wait, why?" Naruto said.
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and grimaced. "No offense, Naruto, but they probably think you suck. Obviously, they haven't seen what we have," he said.
Naruto's chin dipped down and he clenched his fists tightly. "That's hard to hear, but you're right. I was the dead last for most of our time in the academy, so that makes sense."
Shikamaru continued. "On top of that Choji knows Ino's strengths and weaknesses and mine too. Since Hinata will be able to locate us quickly, and they likely believe they can overpower us with Choji and Sasuke's power at the start, we'll be their first target."
"Sasuke is pretty aggressive too. If that arrogant bastard thinks we're easy pickings then we gotta have a trap ready for those fools," Naruto said.
"Exactly," Ino said, "let's make them regret thinking we're the easy team." She punched her fist into her open hand. Her brows were knit together. Naruto's appreciation for her determination grew. He didn't want to be known as the dead last anymore and he definitely didn't want to be known as an anchor keeping his team down. Despite the fact this was only meant as a training exercise, Naruto understood they had something to prove.
Shikamaru smiled. "I think I have an idea."
As Shikamaru predicted, Team 10 came to them. They hurled into Team 7's small clearing. Sasuke, Hinata, and Choji landed at the edge of the clearing and broke into a sprint. The first step of Shikamaru's plan was to stop Team 10's charge by any means necessary.
Sasuke was halfway across the training ground when Hinata shouted, "Wait!"
Shikamaru channeled chakra with the tiger seal. He activated the explosive tags in the middle of the clearing. Sasuke skidded to a stop and leapt back just in time to avoid the explosion that engulfed the distance between them. He cursed and batted the flames that had caught the hem of his shorts. The skin on his legs was pink and tender. He'd narrowly avoided a serious burn. A large plum of dust and smoke flowed through the area. The goal of their first step was to reduce visibility for the other two members of Team 10.
"Go, Naruto," Ino said.
The next step was to bait Sasuke away from the action and into a chase with Team 7's fastest member. In addition to removing Sasuke from the fighting, the goal was to gain some distance between Sasuke and his team in order to break the line of communication between him and Hinata's all seeing eyes. Flag tucked neatly underneath his orange jacket, Naruto broke into a sprint for denser forest. On his way out, he shouted toward Team 10, but the message was intended for only one member and for one purpose.
"Sasuke, you bastard! If you want this flag, you're gonna have to get your slow ass up and catch me first!" Naruto shouted. As the smoke began to clear, Naruto stuck his tongue out for good measure and continued his sprint toward the tree line.
He could see Sasuke bristle. Good, Naruto thought, follow me! You're a dumbass if you think I'll let you have the satisfaction of catching me.
Sasuke was about to sprint after Naruto, when Hinata's hand shot out and grabbed Sasuke's wrist.
"Don't let him rile you up," Hinata said, in a quiet voice, "we need you here. If he wants to run with the flag, we'll have the advantage. Three of us to two of them."
Sasuke thought for a moment then nodded. "You're right. With the Byakugan, we'll be able to find him after dealing with his team."
Naruto stopped some fifty meters into the tree line when he realized no one was following him. Shikamaru cursed under his breath. He turned to Ino.
"Shit. He didn't fall for the bait. We'll have to move to Plan B," Shikamaru said. Ino nodded and both ninja broke for the trees and toward Naruto's position.
Attacking Sasuke's pride as a ninja had been their best bet to split Team 10 into a more manageable fight. Shikamaru and Ino would deal with Choji and Hinata, while Naruto gave Sasuke the run around. What Naruto and his team hadn't considered was Hinata's clear head.
"Damn," said Naruto, "Hinata's too freaking good." They were going with Plan B then. They would avoid engaging Team 10 in direct confrontation and instead engage them from the trees, on the move.
Naruto could see Shikamaru and Ino sprinting toward him. He fell alongside them as they ran along the forest floor.
"I'm going up into the trees for a better vantage point," Ino said. Shikamaru and Naruto nodded. Ino would take to the trees given she was the best ranged attacker among them.
Team 10 was hot on their heels. Naruto remembered Shikamaru's words. Under no circumstances do we engage Hinata. She's not a master of the Gentle Fist yet, but she's good enough to take any of us out of commission with even a few jabs. Ino's objective would be to attack Hinata with ranged attacks.
As she ascended into the trees. She slowed her pace and let Team 10 move past her position to get a good vantage point to throw kunai and shuriken at them. Their plan now was to get Team 10 defending from two fronts.
All at once, Shikamaru and Naruto spun around. While on the run, Shikamaru had prepared hand seals for the Shadow Possession Technique. Naruto drew kunai and hurled them at the oncoming Team 10. They dodged by side stepping. Sasuke stopped quickly and ran toward the side to avoid the persistent Shadows. The other two members of Team 10 dove away to avoid Shikamaru's shadow possession. Team 10 barely escaped his range. They skidded to a stop some distance away.
From above, Ino hurled kunai with exploding tags attached. The explosions rocketed below as Team 10 scattered to avoid the deadly detonations. Naruto could see Sasuke secure a volley of shuriken in his hands. He hurled them with great speed toward Ino.
"Ino!" Naruto said, "incoming Shuriken!"
She quickly made her way around the trunk of the tree. The shuriken impacted the position she had occupied with a series of violent thwacks. The reprieve in their aerial assault gave Hinata and Choji enough time to reconvene. Naruto's eyes widened as Choji's hands grew to outrageous size. He grabbed the trunk of the tree which Ino held on to and shook it violently. It was only Ino's quick reflexes that saved her from falling. She leapt to a nearby tree and regrouped. Shikamaru assisted her with shadows to push Hinata and Choji deeper into the forest and away from Sasuke.
Naruto could see that Sasuke was about to break for his teammates. Instead, Naruto heaved a volley of shuriken with great force to cut off Sasuke's path. Sasuke abruptly stopped and glared at Naruto. His eyes were narrowed and he scoffed at Naruto.
"I don't have time to waste on you," Sasuke said.
Nevertheless, Naruto charged him, kunai in hand. He swung at Sasuke with a tight arc. Sasuke parried his strike with a kunai that Sasuke drew so quickly that it seemingly appeared from nowhere. I just have to keep him away from Shikamaru and Ino, thought Naruto, I have to start planning for him to get the advantage on me.
As Naruto and Sasuke exchanged blows, the clanging sound of kunai striking against each other rang out through the forest. Sasuke kicked him away and created some distance between them. He turned toward his teammates in an effort to return to his team.
"Not so fast!" Naruto said. He slung an explosive tag wide of Sasuke. It detonated against a large tree and pushed Sasuke back toward Naruto.
Sasuke whirled around a large grin on his face. "Fine, you want this, idiot? Don't say I didn't warn you."
Sasuke spun through hand signs quickly. He inhaled deeply and gathered chakra deeply within his lungs. Naruto could feel the heat of the chakra before he saw it. A large plume of fire erupted from Sasuke's lips and raced through the forest toward Naruto. It engulfed the tiny plants of the undergrowth and incinerated them instantly. It was a good thing Naruto had moved the moment he'd seen Sasuke gathering chakra because the size of the fireball that Sasuke produced was larger than anything he'd seen Sasuke create before. It was at least the size of a small house and Naruto had difficulty maneuvering around it.
"Are you trying to burn the forest down!" Naruto said.
He dove behind a tree and the fire erupted on either side of him as he took cover. The heat from the technique was intense. Thankfully, the tree was sturdy. It's bark smoldered and created copious amounts of smoke that obscured his vision. Through the smoke, Sasuke burst through and his eyes gleamed with intent to do damage. He reared back and all Naruto could do was throw his hands up before Sasuke rained punches down on him. Just like when I fought Kiba.
As Naruto weathered the storm that was Sasuke's assault all he could think about was how he just had to outlast Sasuke's barrage. He blocked as best he could, but his back was to the tree and Sasuke's assault left little room for escape. In a way, Naruto was still doing his part even if he was technically getting his shit rocked. All he was meant to do was occupy Sasuke and survive. He was doing both of those things right now.
Unfortunately, he couldn't absorb hits all day. Naruto lashed out with his right fist. He took a nasty hook to the face for his trouble, but his sudden change to the offensive caught Sasuke off guard long enough for Naruto to spin around Sasuke and get between his teammates. Once again, Sasuke's exit was blocked.
Naruto spit blood on the forest floor and raised his fists.
Sasuke smirked back at him. "All you do is tank hits. If you had any skill, you'd be decent," he said.
Naruto bristled, but kept his cool. It wouldn't do him any favors to get riled up when Sasuke was such a tough opponent.
Naruto charged again. This time, he led his charge by throwing three kunai ahead of him. Sasuke, of course, dodged. He rolled to the side and popped up quickly. Naruto hit him with a punch. Sasuke raised his arms in a block and they proceeded to exchange strikes. Naruto ducked under Sasuke's punch.
He could tell that Sasuke was getting tired. His strikes were slower and wider. Naruto jumped over a kick and enhanced his fist with chakra. He struck out at precisely the moment he observed Sasuke pull back his foot. Naruto's fist impacted Sasuke squarely in the cheek. Sasuke stumbled back before regaining his footing. Sasuke clutched his cheeks and his nostrils flared.
"You're going to pay-" he said, before he was forced to leap out of the way. A volley of shuriken impacted the spot he had just been standing. He leapt right into Shikamaru's awaiting shadow.
"Shadow Possession Technique, success," Shikamaru said. He emerged from behind the tree. Ino leapt down from her position on a higher branch.
Sasuke closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "So you got them then, too?" Sasuke said.
"Not without some trouble," Shikamaru said. He wiped sweat and dirt from his brow. Sasuke copied his movements.
"Stop wasting time, Shikamaru. If we want their flag, we have to secure Sasuke's hands too," Ino said.
"Right," said Shikamaru. He stuck his own hands behind his back. Sasuke mirrored him. Ino approached Sasuke with twine. She tightly bound Sasuke's hands behind his back.
Shikamaru's plan had worked. They possessed a huge advantage in mastering the tree walking exercise so early in their training. It allowed Ino to attack from above without much worry of counter attack. In the end, that had given them the advantage when fighting Hinata and Choji. Naruto felt triumphant in his own right. He'd actually landed a clean hit on Sasuke and felt like the tide of the match had been shifting in his own favor the longer it extended.
They led Sasuke back to Hinata and Choji. Their hands were tied behind their backs. Ino turned to Naruto.
"While you were stalling Sasuke, we learned that Team 10 hid their flag before targeting us," Ino said. She turned to Team 10.
"Alright, out with it," she said.
Team 10 was silent. Then Choji sighed. "There's no point in withholding the hiding place. If Ino wants to know, she'll use the Mind Transfer Technique."
Sasuke grit his teeth before he sent a glare at Team 7. "Fine," he said, "It's under the large boulder in the northeast quadrant of the grounds. Good luck getting under that."
The slight quirk of Sasuke's lips indicated it wouldn't be easy. Shikamaru sighed dramatically.
Unbeknownst to Team 7 and 10, a small beetle crawled along the grooves of a nearby tree. It fluttered its wings before it took flight to return to its master.