"So, how'd it go?"
Kaiya wanted to smack the smirk right off Sasuke's stupid face. She folded her hands behind her head as she approached him leisurely, giving him a frown. She huffed.
"Hf. I don't know why Iruka-sensei gets so angry with me; it's not like my grades are terrible, so I don't know how he could say such a thing," she complained, resting her back against one of the trees littering the training ground. "And to think that Old Geezer told him it was okay!"
She sighed, staring down at the ground as a line of tiny ants scurried past her sandals, wondering where they were off to. She looked up at Sasuke, who paused his shuriken practice to listen to her. She was jealous–he was an expert with shuriken, and she struggled with it even now. She tried to ignore the fact that all six of the shuriken he'd thrown were fighting for space in the middle of the target board. Stupid Sasuke.
"It was that bad, huh?" he figured, resting his hands on his knees as he sat next to her on one of the large roots sticking out of the ground. Kaiya clenched her fists, her countenance wavering, only for a second.
"He told me that if I keep being a disruption to the class, I won't be able to graduate," she explained solemnly, stomping at the ants with her foot. Some of them met a painful death; the survivors fled from the giant as fast as they could, their formation disrupted. They scattered in all directions, and Kaiya reveled in their chaos. Sasuke glanced at her in question but neglected to respond.
"He said between me and that dummy Naruto, he's always having to stop his lesson. He said I was a troublemaker and a rebel, and it's an insult to the Nara clan's good name. I told him to prove it, and then he told me I couldn't say another word or else he'd expel me before I could take the graduation exam. And he made a point to add that the Hokage gave him permission to do it."
Kaiya closed her eyes and rubbed at them in frustration, gritting her teeth. "Gah! I hate that stupid Academy, and I hate Iruka-sensei. I had to bite my tongue to keep from being stuck there for another term. I'm surprised it's still attached."
Sasuke chuckled lightly, making her frown. She removed her hands and glared at him, seeing spots in the corners of her eyes from squeezing them so hard. Her nostrils flared, inhaling the strong scent of soil beneath her feet.
"And what's so funny, asshole?!" she snapped, as steam shot out of her ears. Sasuke stood to his feet, turning his back to her as he stared at his shuriken embedded into the post of one of the practice dummies. He pulled a kunai out of his weapon pouch and examined it absentmindedly, pressing his finger on the point of the weapon gently.
"I warned you to keep your emotions in check," he stated matter-of-factly, shrugging. Kaiya scowled, her irises glinting with ire. "If you show your weaknesses, others will exploit them. That's just how it is. Iruka and the Hokage know that you want to get out of the Academy as soon as possible, so to keep you in line, they're threatening you with expulsion before you can graduate if you don't behave. And it worked, didn't it? You have no choice." He faced her, placing the kunai back in his pouch, and Kaiya lowered her gaze to the ground to keep from meeting his dark, mysterious eyes. Unlike her, it was always difficult to tell what was on his mind. She hated that he had that edge over her.
Scoffing, Kaiya responded, "Well…I can't just hide everything behind a stupid passive expression like you, ya know." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He knew it wasn't her fault that she was so expressive and easy to read when she was upset. It's just who she was. Still, as a shinobi they had to go beyond the limitations and expectations of human nature and their own bodies.
"Learn some patience and you might be able to soon enough." His unusually snide remark didn't amuse her at all. "Think before you react or move. I know that's not your style, but you're going to have to learn to do it if you want to live past the age of twelve." He let out a slow breath as he stood in front of her, crossing his arms. Kaiya frowned and stood to her feet, facing him with a snarl. They were only centimeters apart, glaring at each other.
"Kaiya, we'll be graduating at the end of the month," Sasuke reminded her, "and when we leave the Academy–assuming you can, under the circumstances–we won't be fighting against our own classmates." She stared at him stubbornly. "I told you before: they aren't your enemies. Not real ones. We'll be going on missions and facing shinobi from other countries that want to kill us. You should learn to conceal your emotions now, before you face someone who knows how to use them against you in a real battle.
"I know you don't care what others think of you, but if they can get to you so effortlessly, imagine a strong opponent who wants to do more than just hurt your feelings or spark your anger for their own amusement. With genjutsu or torture, or even just looking into your eyes, your weaknesses could be exposed in only a second, and your life is as good as over. Not to mention what that will mean for the village." She hadn't heard him speak so much at once for a long time. It didn't suit him.
Kaiya was clearly upset, but she regretted lashing out at Sasuke. She knew he was only trying to make a point, although he didn't have to be such a smartass. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair thoughtfully. She took to staring at the tree next to them for what felt like a long time, listening to Sasuke's breathing as it mellowed out, recovering from his hour-long workout before she'd arrived. His breathing was distinct to her ears, and she was confident by now that if she had to find him in a crowd, she could do so just by listening to his breaths. It was odd.
"Idiot," she mumbled irritably. "It's unlike you to talk so much, Sasuke. You're unsurprisingly annoying." Sasuke frowned, but there was no heat behind it. It quickly turned to a grin.
"Hn. Is that your way of saying I'm right?" Kaiya gritted her teeth as she waved a fist in his face.
"Huh?! Of course someone as smug as you would think that!" she roared, using her other hand to grab his collar. Sasuke made no attempt to remove himself from her grip. His smirk remained, infuriating her further. "And wipe that grin off your face, bastard! I'm tired of seeing it! Your arrogance really ticks me off!" He closed his eyes, scoffing.
"Why don't we settle this, then?" he suggested, opening his eyes and staring right into hers. "That's why you came here in the first place, right?" Kaiya's anger subsided for a moment as she considered his proposal. Suddenly, she smiled.
"Maybe I did, Uchiha. But you sure you're up for it? I'm just gonna kick your ass again." Sasuke's brows creased.
"Tch. I won last time, remember? I gave you a bloody nose." Kaiya's eyes widened, then lowered.
"Whatever," she snapped, releasing her hold on him to take a few steps back. He did the same. "I'm still gonna win this time." Sasuke balled his hands into fists and raised them up, ready.
"Talk all you want, but I'd like to see you try." He lunged at her, aiming for her torso. She dodged and countered with a punch to his chest. He slid back but immediately moved forward again. They spoke no more, only moved in silence, grins on both their faces. Their labored breathing filled the silence between them, saying more than words ever could.
Neither one of them noticed the dark shadow in the trees above them, or the yellow eyes watching them from the canopy.
…
"You're her guardian, so I wanted to discuss this with you before moving forward." The Third Hokage pushed the list of potential graduates from Iruka's current class in Shikaku's direction, sliding the folder across his desk swiftly; Shikaku caught it with ease. He opened it and flipped through it promptly, his eyebrows furrowing in interest as he found what he was looking for. He blinked as he studied Kaiya's information sheet. On it was her personal information given at the time she was inducted into the Academy, updated since then, of course. It held all her stats from the past seven years, along with her beginner's report during her first year at the Academy, from the time she was five years old; there were notes and grades for every quarter added by Iruka and earlier teachers, potential teammates and Jonin sensei added by the Hokage, and progress reports on her improvement organized neatly on the page.
Her Academy file, he knew, was far more detailed; this was just a summary. The last time he saw the actual folder, it was so thick he didn't feel like going through it. He just told the Hokage to do what he felt was best concerning acts of discipline. He didn't feel he had any right to do so himself, since she wasn't his child. Yoshino, his wife, felt differently, and she had no problem expressing that–to both him and Kaiya. Shikaku glanced at the page without expression.
"Hmm. You're considering Riichi, huh? So, he's a sensei now?" he asked, scanning the fellow Jonin's own profile attached to the back of Kaiya's. "To be honest, Lord Third, he doesn't seem like the teaching type. He can hardly follow orders, and giving them, well…" The Hokage lifted a gray eyebrow in question at the statement.
"Well, Kaiya doesn't exactly classify as the teaching type, does she?" he countered, chuckling lightly. "I figured it might do them both some good to taste their own medicine. They've both irritated me for far too long, if I'm being honest. They're the reason for half of my gray hairs." A sweat drop slid down the back of Shikaku's head.
"Err…I suppose you're right about that. I see your point." He had no other response, so he just dropped it and continued to look at the manila folder in his hand. His eyes lowered when he read the statement at the bottom of Riichi's sheet–words that he had written himself: Blacklisted until further notice. Shikaku frowned. "So, this is the punishment you decided for his slip-up, huh? Well, he'll definitely have his hands full with Kaiya, that's for sure." He sighed, flipping the page back to Kaiya. Riichi is a good shinobi, but he's always getting himself into trouble because he's lazy and impulsive at the same time. Then again, Kaiya is impatient and hotheaded. They're bound to clash…I just hope neither one of them screws up this time around.
Shikaku went over Kaiya's stats as an Academy student. He had never bothered to look at them before, because he wasn't the kind of overbearing parent that based a ninja's worth off of their classroom participation. He knew Kaiya wasn't the best student, but she wasn't a total slacker, either–unlike his own son–so how could he complain? (Although his wife found it easy).
Kaiya was average in ninjutsu, below average in genjutsu (way below average). But her taijutsu, strength, stamina, and speed were well above average for her age. She had an average score of intelligence, and her hand seals were subpar. Shikaku knew she excelled in physical prowess, and that seemed to keep her afloat, seeing as her participation surely didn't. Overall, her graduating score so far was a 28, so she was doing just fine, as far as he was concerned. But the stats weren't what concerned him; it was what he read underneath them, mostly in notes written by Iruka, his penmanship sloppier than usual, like he was writing out of frustration.
Lacks teamwork skills. Immediately resorts to physical violence when provoked. Has talked back to the teacher excessively and constantly disrupts class. Sometimes refuses to participate; lazy in the classroom. Silently stares into space often, or sleeps. Anger issues often prevent her from getting along with most classmates. Has a hard time with chakra control and genjutsu, but doesn't want to work to improve. STUBBORN.
That last word made Shikaku chuckle. If he could choose only one word to describe Kaiya, STUBBORN would undoubtedly be his first choice. His eyes scanned the paper further. In the corner of the report, there were good things written down as well, which he savored, since all he'd ever hear about her were the negative things:
Enthusiastic and competitive when doing physical work. Loves to spar and challenge tougher opponents. Excellent at taijutsu, fast and strong. Will excel if she continues to work hard in this area. Improvement since entrance is astounding. Determined to succeed despite others' thoughts and comments against her. GREAT perseverance.
Shikaku lowered the folder for a moment when he read the last note Iruka made. He knew exactly what the Academy instructor meant by it. He smiled, but it quickly faded.
"You know Kaiya better than any adult currently in the village," Sarutobi said, noticing his expression. "Her discipline problems, her work ethic, and even the demons that haunt her. And you know her classmates' opinions of her ever since that incident." Shikaku looked at him and nodded, noticing a grin on the old man's face. "Kaiya takes out her anger and frustration on those in her class who voice their prejudices, but there are two males in particular that she loathes."
Shikaku already knew where this was going. He picked up the folder again and flipped past Kaiya's and Riichi's pages, glancing between the next two students' sheets: Hibachi and Unagi. Otherwise known as Kaiya's most hated male classmates.
"I'm seeing a pattern here, Lord Third," he said, doing his best not to laugh. He scanned the two boys' stats briefly. Hibachi seemed to be above average in ninjutsu and hand seals, and Unagi had high marks in genjutsu. He could see why the Third would logically team them up, as they more-or-less balanced each other out in the three ninja tactics. But there was always more to it with him, and it took no time at all for Shikaku to understand: the fact that Kaiya lacked teamwork skills and hated these two, plus the fact that Riichi–who was suspended from his regular duties as a Jonin–was now their sensei, added up to one thing–the Hokage wanted all of them to learn character from working out their differences, and how to function as a team. They each had something to benefit from being together.
If they didn't kill each other first.
For the Hokage to have the nerve to make Kaiya's team a ticking time bomb… Almost anyone else would have told him he was crazy. But Shikaku was wise and could see the vision the Third was trying to turn into a reality. He just hoped it didn't backfire.
"So, do you approve, Shikaku?" The latter was shocked that the Hokage would ask him that question. He had no reason to receive his stamp of approval or permission to do anything with Kaiya, even if he was her temporary guardian. He was only the Jonin Commander. It was solely the Hokage who picked the teams, and even the sensei wouldn't be notified of their subordinates until after the graduation exam was completed.
"Of course, sir." Shikaku nodded curtly and grinned, the scars on his face crinkling upward with the gesture. He closed the folder and placed it back on the table, crossing his arms. "I trust your judgment, Lord Hokage. Kaiya needs a change of pace, and so does Riichi. Maybe the two of them will wear each other out." He chuckled at the thought. "She needs to learn teamwork and reliability. She hasn't had any success working with others since the villagers stopped trusting her, despite her innocence in her situation. Which reminds me…when are you planning to tell her the truth?" he asked, his face darkening suddenly. Sarutobi's eyes narrowed.
"..." In his mind, there were two truths to tell. He didn't want to admit either one of them, because he knew how much it would hurt her to hear them. The Hokage took out his pipe and pressed his lips around it as he pondered the question. "Do you really believe I should, Shikaku? You know what will happen. And then she will be too far gone for us to save her." The deer herder stared out the window to his right, neglecting to confirm or deny the Hokage's claim. His chest felt tight as he thought of her reaction and what would happen when that trust would be broken. He sighed.
The few people who knew the truth about Kaiya resented the day they would have to tell her about her family's past and where she came from, what she was–what they discovered that awful night over six years ago. And even more so, what possibly lay in wait for her once she turned sixteen. The Third wanted to hold off until the right time, when she was mature enough to accept it all. However, at this point, he knew that she would not be able to handle the truth in its entirety. She was a rebellious, stubborn child, and that meant she caused trouble when she was upset. And something of this magnitude…well, he was certain that he hadn't seen the worst of her yet.
She wouldn't be able to move on until she had every single answer. And they didn't have all the answers to give her. In fact, most of what they knew was just speculation or alleged truths told by someone else, and they'd have to go straight to the source to have their suspicions confirmed. But that source would never tell them everything–especially about Kaiya. Even so, in Shikaku's opinion, prolonging telling Kaiya anything would only make matters worse. She would see the handful of people she had faith in as untrustworthy, and then she would believe herself to be completely and utterly alone. And anyone who has seen ninjas go rogue knew that loneliness and pain and distrust led to a path that could only end in destruction. Sarutobi was sure that's when he would come.
Shikaku, as well as several others aware of the situation, believed that Kaiya was strong enough to resist such a temptation. She had never once spoken of revenge (except concerning her classmates), and she channeled most of her anger into training. The biggest issue was that she acted on her emotions before anything else, and if she was upset about the secrets they were keeping from her, not even the Nara clan or the Third Hokage would be safe from her wrath.
Well, Shikaku hoped that circumstances would change one way or another. She needed time to process everything, and it was better to tell her up front rather than have her stumble upon the truth by accident, especially by an outside source. Kaiya wasn't the type of person to listen to reason once she was angry. She acted irrationally and recklessly, without thinking. She didn't consider the consequences of her irrationality until it was already too late. And even then, she didn't care much.
"Kaiya can be unpredictable," Shikaku told the Hokage somberly, letting out a resigned sigh. "At best, she'll resent us for a time but will eventually forgive us once she comes to terms with our reasoning. At worst, she might go after them to find answers on her own. Even more concerning would be if you-know-who managed to take her while we couldn't protect her. Regardless of what Kaiya does, I believe she deserves to know the truth. We'd be no better than her parents if we never told her."
This time Hiruzen sighed, taking up the folder Shikaku slid back over to him. He tapped his aged fingers on the wooden table distractedly. "You're right, Shikaku. In any case, we'll just have to read the situation after she becomes a Genin and go from there–assuming she can restrain herself enough to make it to graduation. If, and when, Kaiya comes to learn about the past, no matter the method, we'll help her cope. My hope is that we have all the pieces of the puzzle by then." The Jonin Commander nodded, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly.
"Hmm. This girl is a lot of trouble," he said with a chuckle, bowing his head. "But she's not a bad kid. After what she went through, she's just trying to find her place in the world, and you can't blame her at all for being untrusting. But I think if we guide her on the right path, she'll be able to face the obstacles in her future. Even if it will take some time for her wounds to heal."
…
Kaiya burst through the Academy doors; for a moment she thought she'd ripped them right off their hinges, but she paid it no mind as she sprinted through the hallways, just a blur as she dashed up the stairs three at a time–so fast it felt like she was flying. Her chestnut locks bounced loosely from her shoulders into the air and back again as she went, and she twirled and duked to avoid colliding with people and objects alike. Any adults she came across yelled at her to slow down and watch where she was going, but she only laughed gleefully as she ignored them and kept going. She was too elated to think about taking it easy. She couldn't remember the last time she was so happy.
Kaiya finally skidded to a stop as she made it to the final hallway that led to Iruka's classroom. She reminisced silently, surveying the pictures of past classes on the walls on either side of her as she walked to the door. It was seven years ago that she entered the Academy in hopes of becoming a shinobi her parents could be proud of, just like her siblings. Now, at age twelve, she could finally make that ambition a reality. But mostly, she was just glad that she would never have to step into this room again.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, trying to calm her racing heart, Kaiya slid the door to the room open, stepping inside. She was a little early, so Iruka hadn't arrived yet, and only a couple of other students were there so far: Sasuke (of course–not like he had anything better to do); Ino (who was trying to seduce Sasuke–of course); Sakura (who was arguing with Ino about seducing Sasuke while also trying to seduce Sasuke–no surprise there); and Shino, who just sat there quietly, probably thinking about bugs or something equally as creepy–making Kaiya gag.
Sasuke saw her first, his annoyed expression switching to relief–only briefly, before returning to its previously agitated state–as Sakura and Ino yanked him back and forth without shame.
"No, Sasuke is mine, Ino-Pig!" Sakura shouted, waving a fist in the air. With the other, she held tight to Sasuke's collar. Ino, who Kaiya swore had steam coming out of her ears again, balled her hand into a fist threateningly as well, her nostrils flaring like a wild boar ready to charge. With her free hand, she pulled Sasuke in the opposite direction of her foe.
Kaiya sighed and rolled her eyes. This was nothing new, just their regular routine. It was actually quite comical at times, though it usually just got old and annoying. Those two hated each other, yet they were more alike than they probably wanted to admit.
"You're out of your mind, Forehead!" Ino protested, gritting her fangs. Sakura's face flushed as she made a growling noise from deep in her throat. She was extremely sensitive about her overly large forehead. Kaiya wondered if she would snap Ino's head off and use it as a chew toy.
Sasuke's eyes pleaded with her to intervene. Kaiya found this amusing, and she was definitely planning to throw it in his face later on. Even so, she couldn't just let them rip him to shreds–not when she and Sasuke still hadn't settled their score from five years ago.
Sasuke and Kaiya had become familiar with each other, but she wouldn't call them friends. That was a foreign word to them both. They hadn't really spent any time together outside of class and training. Still, she had to help the guy out, or he might lose an arm. That would make it even easier to beat him next time, and she didn't want to have that big of an advantage over him–or else it wouldn't be as fun.
Kaiya stifled a laugh as she approached her three classmates, squatting on the desk below them. She stared at them quietly until Ino and Sakura looked her way at last.
"What do you want, Beef Brains? Can't you see we're busy?" Ino screeched. Kaiya's eyes lowered, and she remembered that she still owed these girls an ass whooping from before. But she didn't move a muscle, much to the girls' surprise. Kaiya was almost impressed that Ino would have the audacity to speak to her in such a way after what happened a few weeks ago. Then again, Kaiya had been avoiding most of her classmates more than usual, at the advice (well, more like threats) of Iruka during their last meeting. As much as she wanted to beat them into dust, her desire to graduate was even higher. Her classmates most likely recognized this, so they figured they could talk to her however they wanted, and they'd be safe from her fists of fury.
For one more day, that is. But there were other ways to deal with them besides using her fists (less enjoyable ways, in her eyes, but effective nonetheless).
Kaiya stared at the girls for a few more seconds before replying. She had to count to ten to calm herself. "Maybe you can help me out with something, Ino." The blonde frowned in question as Kaiya studied the callouses on her palms casually. "I heard the other day that screaming burned a lot of calories. I figured you could confirm that, since you're always so loud, and you're so skinny…" Ino's eyebrows lifted, and her grip on Sasuke's collar went slack.
"What was that?!" Her breathing got heavier with every word. In the same way Sakura was sensitive about her forehead, Ino was sensitive about her weight. For whatever reason, she dieted all the time, even though she was the thinnest girl Kaiya had ever met. She was also one of the loudest, aside from Sakura. Her oversensitive ears hated it. "Just because you have the body of a man doesn't mean–"
"Of course, I'm sure you just want a figure that will attract boys, right?" Kaiya continued, cutting Ino off. "Since your personality is lacking." She shrugged indifferently. "But if you think about it…what kind of guy wants a noisy, bratty, irritating girl that he could snap like a twig if he's not careful?"
Kaiya grinned knowingly as Ino hurled herself at her (presumably her throat), fangs and claws bearing, like a wild animal desperate for the kill. Kaiya launched herself in the air with her legs, and Ino toppled over the desk into the row of chairs below, her arms flailing to catch her balance, but failing. Shino turned his attention toward them, his eyebrows furrowed behind his shades.
"Girls," he muttered, shaking his head. Bugs are far less complicated. That's because they don't like drama.
Sakura stared at Kaiya, daring her to do the same to her. Kaiya lifted an eyebrow, staring at her fixedly. Honestly, she was tempted to just throw her down, but agitating her was much more fun. Like Kaiya she was a ticking pipe bomb, just waiting to explode. Besides, if she laid even one finger on her, she wouldn't be able to graduate. And there was no way in hell that she was going to mess up on the day of the graduation exam. Kaiya grinned.
"Oi, I wonder if Iruka-sensei ever thought about using your forehead instead of the chalkboard," she chided curiously, measuring it out with her fingers. "He'd have a lot more room to write notes on."
Sakura's blood instantly boiled, turning her face a deep shade of red; Kaiya could feel the heat radiating from her body as she let out a war cry and tried to tackle her to the ground, finally releasing Sasuke. Apparently, she hadn't learned from Ino's mistake. Kaiya was too fast, and she missed, almost falling down the stairs. Luckily for her she caught herself (despite her giant forehead weighing as much as the rest of her body, Kaiya thought) but her seat had already been taken.
Kaiya grinned. They weren't the only ones that could use one's insecurities against them.
By the time Sakura looked up, Kaiya was sitting next to Sasuke, who had scooted over to the seat next to the wall while the girls had been distracted. Sakura was about to retaliate, but at that moment Iruka walked into the room. She growled, promising Kaiya that one day she would get revenge as she moved to another seat.
I'll keep that in mind, the brunette thought, sticking her tongue out at her classmate while her back was turned. Ino had gotten herself up and stalked to the other side of the room, near Sakura. She sent Kaiya plenty of death glares on the way. Kaiya grinned, pretending not to notice. There was no way they'd have the guts to tell Iruka what she'd done. Not that it would matter after today, anyway.
Sasuke flashed her a shadow of a grin behind his laced fingers. "That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Kaiya frowned, leaning back in her seat with her hands folded behind her head–her usual posture in the classroom. She propped her feet on the desk.
"If that's how you feel about it, the next time you're getting viciously attacked by girls, I'll just look the other way," she said matter-of-factly. She held her hands out in defense. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed "Oh, and you owe me for that. This is the second time I've run to your rescue, Uchiha. You don't come off as a damsel in distress, but I could be wrong."His eyebrow twitched this time. "It was all I could do not to choke them until they passed out; last time I wanted to beat them senseless. I'm showing a lot of self-control for your sake, you know. You almost cost me graduating." Sasuke shook his head with a scoff.
"Tch. Forget it, Kimura. People might get the wrong idea about us if we make this a habit." He grinned slyly, but there was a sort of mischief to it that made Kaiya wary. "And don't think I'm going to let that damsel in distress comment go." He shrugged. "Anyway, good luck on the exam today. I hope you don't get stuck with that loser, Naruto–if he even graduates, that is. Being teammates with him would be an unfortunate disaster." Kaiya raised an eyebrow at his comment. Sometimes he could be an asshole. Then again, so could she. She laughed.
"Heh. Careful, Sasuke," she warned. "Karma has a funny way of messing with people. You might just find yourself on his team. Or even worse…Sakura's." Kaiya glanced at their classmate, who was still steaming on the other side of the room, arms crossed as she sat slumped in her seat. Sasuke paled, and she snickered at the thought. Better yet, imagine if he had both of them on his team…now that would be unfortunate.
…
"I'm going to announce your teams now," Iruka called out to the classroom full of recent graduates. They all rustled about in anticipation, hushing their whispers as he spoke. "Now, keep in mind that the teams are balanced based on your strengths and weaknesses. Your team will progress as long as you work together to bring out the best in each other." Gross, Kaiya thought, running her tongue over her slightly-pointed canines, finding it more interesting than Iruka's talking. As if she would trust anyone in the room with her.
Boring… yada, yada, yada. Kaiya crossed her arms and tried her best not to roll her eyes. Iruka-sensei loves to talk. Who cares about teamwork? Everyone just does whatever they want anyway. No one wants to risk their lives for someone else–especially the people in this room. I wouldn't break a fingernail trying to help any of them. She figured they would've been done with the lectures as soon as they graduated, but apparently, Iruka still had one or two left in him.
Kaiya sighed, slumping her shoulders as she leaned forward in her chair. She just wanted to know who her teammates and sensei were so they could go on missions already.
"Okay, first will be Team 1…" Iruka went down the list of teams in order. Kaiya snickered when Team 7 was announced, as well as Team 10, because Shikamaru got stuck with Ino. That only left a handful of students. "And now, Team 11 will consist of Kaiya Kimura–" She held her breath in anticipation. "–Unagi, and Hibachi." Kaiya paled suddenly. She was going to be sick. Her stomach dropped to her intestines as she resentfully turned to where the two boys were sitting across the room, side by side.
There's no way in hell my luck could be this bad! What the fu–
"Your sensei will be Riichi." Kill me now. Someone please kill me.
The two assholes on the other side of the room looked equally mortified as they met Kaiya's eyes by mistake. As all three of them cursed in their heads, they turned to their now-former teacher.
"You're joking, right, Sensei?" Hibachi protested loudly, pointing to Kaiya in disdain. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tensed. Sasuke glanced at her through his peripherals, wondering what action she would take now that she was free from Iruka's control. He had no intention of stopping her this time, and perhaps Iruka didn't either. "Of all the girls we could've been paired with, we get the girl-boy hybrid?" Unagi chuckled and snorted, pushing up his glasses with his index finger. Kaiya growled, standing to her feet swiftly, almost knocking over her chair as she did so.
The sun shining through the windows cast a shadow on the left side of her face, making her look even more vicious than normal. Naruto, who was sitting directly behind her, gulped. Sweat slid down the side of his face as he tensed anxiously. I hope she doesn't take it out on me, since I'm closer, he prayed.
"Oh yeah? Come say that to my face, you son of a–"
"That's enough," Iruka scolded through clenched teeth, frowning and crossing his arms. He was already fed up because of Naruto's outburst earlier. Not to mention he had almost gotten through the day without an incident from Kaiya, thankful that she had remained in line for the past few weeks, so that he didn't have to pull out as much of his hair every day; and now he wouldn't have to deal with her at all anymore. He was planning on celebrating tonight with a bottle or two of sake, but he should have guessed it was too good to be true.
Lord Hokage…what were you thinking putting these three on a team? And with that failure of a Jonin? Are you trying to get them all killed?
Kaiya and Hibachi glared daggers at each other one last time before regrettably taking their seats. Kaiya huffed, crossing her arms and murmuring under her breath as she stared at the wall to her right. Sasuke, sitting behind her this time, wanted to smirk, but he was too annoyed at his own situation. He could feel Naruto's eyes burning a hole in the side of his face, so he turned and glowered at the blond with just as much heat. This was the situation he was currently having to deal with. In his head he cursed Kaiya, blaming her for his bad karma. Not only was Naruto on his team, but Sakura was too. Of course, karma wasn't so kind to her either, since she was paired with the two guys she hated most in their class. It seemed as if life hated them both.
Naruto's frown quickly turned into a sheepish smile when he stole a glance at Sakura, sitting in between the two males. A creepy sparkle flickered in his eye. Kaiya groaned. This day sucks. Sasuke felt the same.
The only thing that made the day worth it for Kaiya was when Naruto got in Sasuke's face and some kid knocked him forward, and the two boys locked lips. While the other girls lost their minds for not being Sasuke's first kiss–as if that was worth anything–Kaiya was rolling on the floor laughing. Sasuke shot her an irritated glance but said nothing as he did everything he could to erase the blond's germs from his mouth.
One by one, the Jonin sensei showed up and gathered their new teams. Eventually, Kaiya and her team left as well, until Sasuke's team was the only one left. Even Iruka got tired of waiting for Kakashi Hatake to show up and went home. Sasuke sat there quietly, but inside he was getting extremely agitated. His thoughts drifted to Kaiya and her team; he wondered if she had killed them yet. He almost chuckled as he pictured the bloody aftermath, but Naruto was irritating him so much that he couldn't.
…
It became apparent as Kaiya followed her new team to the lake: she was in hell. They were supposed to "introduce" themselves to one another. But Kaiya didn't care to know anything about Hibachi or Unagi, or even their new sensei. She didn't want to get to know anyone, in fact. She already knew her teammates were complete jerks who were overdue for a total ass whooping. What else was there to learn? And she surely didn't want them to know anything about her. Hell, she didn't know much about herself in the first place. Not to mention their leader seemed like a total weirdo.
"You guys wait right here," their sensei Riichi said, as they approached the bank. "I'll go get some logs for you to float on." He disappeared in a flash, making Kaiya scoff and roll her eyes. Experienced shinobi thought they were so cool, flashing their speed in front of rookies. But she wondered what Riichi would say when he saw that she could also do the Body Flicker technique. She couldn't wait to rub it in his face. He seemed like he was going to be just as annoying as her teammates.
Someone, please kill me now… She'd been repeating that plea in her head since she'd learn the makeup of Team 11. It would've been ideal for the Old Geezer to put me on a team with Shikamaru's lazy ass, but then there's that stupid Shika-Ino-Cho tradition he wants to keep. Stupid old man. I'm gonna tell him off later.
