Team 8: by S'TarKan...Author of 8 Stories

[Pandora Green]

Disclaimer – I own nothing, mores the pity.
Team 8

Chapter One

It had been a long night and Yuuhi Kurenai was exhausted.
She'd gotten an early start that morning, so she could scout out the potential new genins at the academy. An unusual number of talented students were taking the test this year, probably enough for three full teams. That was why the sandaime asked her to take on a genin team.

She'd worked independently for almost ten years, ever since that incident. She wasn't happy about being forced to work in a team again, but when the Hokage asks, he doesn't necessarily have to say please.

The fact that Sarutobi did so made him even harder to refuse.

The old man was actually very considerate of her feelings. He knew that this would be opening old wounds, ever since that tragedy…

She ground her teeth to avoid the memory, but only a truly skilled shinobi would note any change of expression. Likewise, no one at the Academy could have detected her presence as she observed the students go through their routines. After the sandaime's 'request', she decided to utilize the remaining days to observe the students. This was unusual, as most sensei jonins simply waited for the team assignments to be made, trusting the academy instructors to construct well-balanced teams.
Kurenai was not most jonins.

Sarutobi had asked her to revive an old tactical concept, and lead a team of reconnaissance specialists. The last one had come to grief, but she didn't think the concept itself was flawed. What happened to Nomaru, Mattai, and Kobaru-sensei had been a tragic accident. At least that was what she told herself on her good days.

On her bad days, her thoughts were much darker. Sometimes they flirted with treason. Of a sort, anyway. If her suspicions were correct, she wasn't alone in such thoughts, just in failing to act on them.

However, she'd been having good days recently, so she occupied herself by watching the potential genins, unheard and unseen. The Inuzuka kid almost sensed her presence during recess when the wind unexpectedly shifted, but she'd been able to move before he could smell her.

Mostly she watched them talk and play. She noticed an unusual number of children from prominent shinobi families. Just like their parents, a Nara, a Yamanaka, and an Akimichi were all set to graduate together. If they all passed, there was little doubt they'd be placed on a team together.People liked to stick with what worked. It was just too bad for the boys that the Yamanaka girl looked to be an incredible shrew.

She saw a few prospects for a recon team. There was an Aburame kid who was so quiet the instructors tended to lose track of him. If he was any good with his bugs he'd be a resource for any team. She'd worked on occasion with a man who was probably this Shino boy's father. His 'little friends' always warned them of approaching enemies, giving them plenty of time to change position. The Inuzuka boy undoubtedly had a good nose like most of his family, as would his dog. He was a little loud, and a bit of a braggart though.

There was also a Hyuuga there, and Kurenai recognized the girl, Hinata, that she'd escorted to the academy years ago. She'd done a tour at the Academy while recovering from her wounds and preparing for the jonin exam.
She'd been dispatched to the Hyuuga compound in response to a request from the clan head, Hyuuga Hiashi. The man coldly informed her that his daughter was hopelessly weak and unable to master more than the basics of the Hyuuga gentle fist taijitsu style. It was hoped that she'd be of some use to the village as a shinobi if she was too weak to serve the family directly. The fact that he told her this in front of the silent girl sorely tested Kurenai's patience.

Of course, she expected no less from the leader of the white-eyed bastards. Aside from that silent girl, she'd never seen a member of that prestigious family that wasn't stuck up and arrogant. Well, Mattai wasn't like that, but it wasn't really the same. Remembering her old comrade always brought a pang, and she needed her concentration to focus on the quiet girl.
As if in reaction against the rest of her family's arrogance, the Hyuuga girl was still painfully shy and timid. She sat by herself and kept her head down so much it took Kurenai a while to confirm she actually had the Byakugan eyes her family was famed for. The only time the girl seemed to perk up at all was when the class troublemaker came tearing past, being chased by the Yamanaka girl and some pink-haired kunoichi-in-training that had to be a Haruno.

Kurenai was a genin fresh out of the academy when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. She and most of her friends were assigned to areas of the battlefield far from the worst of the fighting, which was probably the only reason any of them had survived that night. She didn't have any personal animosity against the child the fourth had sealed the demon fox into. It wasn't like the little gaki had asked for it.

Still, this Uzumaki Naruto seemed to be quite a handful. He was always pulling pranks, though never anything really mean or hurtful. Mostly he just seemed a little starved for attention. Unfortunately, that was something most of the academy instructors seemed unwilling to give him. To his credit, Umino Iruka seemed to be the least prejudiced of the lot: his irritation seemed to be focused more on the boy's poor study habits and hell-raising.
At least his antics were occasionally entertaining. He did show a lot of creativity in his mischief, and the reactions of those around him also gave Kurenai some insight into their personalities.

Unfortunately, it looked like his lack of focus had caught up with him that afternoon, during the genin exam. A fair number of his classmates ran out of the building afterward, proudly displaying their new Hitai-ite, but the blond haired boy just trudged over to the swings and sat there, the picture of dejection.

Kurenai was surprised to note that someone else was watching the boy as well. The Hyuuga girl stared at him from behind a post. She was obviously distraught - blushing and pushing her forefingers together in a nervous gesture. At the same time, the girl stood up straighter than Kurenai had ever seen her. She fidgeted behind the post, stepping out from behind it only to step back again without doing anything. From what Kurenai could see, the girl's cheeks were bright red.

The jonin smiled to herself as she slipped away. With no curse seal, the girl was obviously of the Hyuuga main family. For such a one to be attracted to a ruffian like the one who bore the kyuubi was an ineradicable smear on her family's honor.

Good for her.

The thought cheered Kurenai as she made her way to the Hokage's tower. The Sandaime and the new jonin sensei would be meeting with the academy instructors to go over the test results and decide how to split the new genins into effective teams.

It was nearly nightfall by the time all the jonins arrived, mostly due to Hatake Kakashi's chronic tardiness. She understood the reasons for his frequent diversions all too well, but that was not a good reason to make everyone wait for over an hour. Although she supposed the same could be said of her violent dislike of the Hyuuga clan.

The first bit of bad news was that only eight students had passed the genin test. That meant one team would be short a student, or they would be forming two four person teams. Kurenai wondered if she'd be let off the hook, but Sarutobi soon scuttled that hope. He said he didn't think the best of jonins could give four students sufficient attention for their development. The jonins sometimes whispered on drinking nights that the old man still blamed himself for Orochimaru's betrayal of Konoha. No sane person blamed the old man for his grown student's actions, but Kurenai knew quite well that guilt follows no logic but it's own.

No sooner had they settled that question and began wrangling over who would only have two genins than a messenger arrived. It seemed that someone had broken into the Sandaime's quarters and made off with a scroll of forbidden jutsus. No one was sure who had done it, but Uzumaki Naruto had been seen in the vicinity just before the break-in was noticed.
Umino Iruka went pale as a ghost when he heard this news, confirming to Kurenai's eye that the man did care something about the unwanted child. He immediately rushed out to join the search for the boy.

"How did Naruto do in the examination?" the Sandaime asked one of the academy record-keepers.

"He did not pass, Hokage-sama," the man asked without even checking his scroll.

"If he was able to break into the Hokage's office and make off with a heavily guarded scroll… it makes me wonder how hard that test is," Asuma grumbled sourly. He'd been forbidden to smoke inside and Kurenai was sure he was suffering from lack of nicotine.

Sarutobi seemed unusually unconcerned about the missing scroll, so after he went up to his office they instead sat around discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the genins as they looked through the reports. It seemed a little odd to do this when neither of the senior instructors were present.
Kakashi volunteered to oversee the training of the Uchiha survivor, which made sense given his use of a sharingan eye. He also was willing to only have two students. This was presumably so he could devote more time to Uchiha Sasuke, but Kurenai wondered how much of that was just laziness. It seemed to her that the more skilled the ninja, the more eccentric their personal habits became. It also made her wonder if her own ambitions to improve her skills would become ultimately self-destructive. The copy-cat ninja was feared throughout the ninja world, but he was also squirrelly as hell with his chronic tardiness and perverted reading material.

In fact his fingers were reaching for the corner of a brightly colored book protruding from his flak vest when Sarutobi led Iruka back into the room, the latter missing his hitai-ite.

"It looks like we have a ninth graduate," the chuunin gasped after sitting down. He looked like he'd been in a nasty brawl – he was covered with cuts and scrapes, including a really large gouge in the middle of his back.

"What happened, Iruka?" Maybe it was Kurenai's imagination, but the slight smile the Hokage wore indicated he knew more than he let on.

"It was Mizuki that betrayed us, Hokage-sama. When Naruto couldn't produce a good bunshin, he failed the jutsu portion of the exam. Mizuki told him that stealing the scroll and bringing it to him would count as extra credit and allow him to still pass the exam."

"He fell for that?" Kakashi asked in surprise. "And we're considering making him a ninja why?

"If students cannot trust their sensei, who can they trust?" Iruka asked stiffly. "We cannot punish him for listening to a teacher, can we?" He turned toward the Hokage with the last question.

The Sandaime nodded gravely. "I agree. If we cannot guarantee the loyalty of the people who teach our children, we cannot blame them for doing no better than we." He looked at Iruka for a second. "What happened to your forehead protector?"

Umino Iruka smiled proudly. "I gave it to Naruto for passing the exam. He'd failed to produce a simple bunshin, but when he was defending me from Mizuki's attacks he revealed that he'd learned Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and filled that whole section of the forest with clones. I literally lost count."

"But Kage Bunshin is much harder to perform!" Asuma protested.
Iruka shrugged happily. "That's why I passed him. He's quite surprising."

"Well then, it looks like we have three full size teams now," Sarutobi said with a faint smile. Most of the jonins knew he sympathized with the boy's lack of family. "Kakashi, if you will take Naruto, that will-"

"Your pardon, Hokage-sama," Kurenai broke in. She'd been thinking about the Hyuuga girl. With her bloodline, she had tremendous potential, but her confidence issues were worrisome. Now she saw a possible way around them. "I wouldn't mind having Naruto on my team."

"Are you sure of that?" Sarutobi asked. She also saw Asuma and some of the academy workers quietly shaking their heads. "I understand your team is to specialize in reconnaissance missions, and Naruto doesn't show a lot of potential in that area."

"Or any other," she thought she saw one of the record keepers mouth to his co-worker. Iruka shifted painfully in his seat to glare at them.

"After what happened to my genin team," she said coolly, "I'd prefer that my new team not be overly specialized. If they fall into a trap," she continued, giving the last word a slightly sarcastic emphasis that made the Sandaime wince, "it would do well to have someone with the ability to get us out of a perilous situation. A genin capable of filling the woods with kage bunshin would be able to provide quite a distraction, wouldn't he? Besides, I also seem to remember a large number of chuunins, jonins, and ANBU pursuing that boy after he decorated the Hokage monument. He led you on quite a chase, didn't he?"

Several faces in the room looked a bit sheepish after that. Iruka, on the other hand, appeared happy that someone was recognizing his pupil's abilities. Of course, he was also the one who eventually caught the boy.

She turned toward Kakashi. "Kiba is passable with his taijitsu, but he also spends a lot of time working with Akamaru. They work well together and might give your students an example of the teamwork you seem to prize.

Psychologically, the Inuzuka boy is like most of his family and very pack, er, group-oriented. He's a little boisterous, but friendly enough he might be able to thaw out that Uchiha headcase."
Kurenai noticed that everyone in the room was staring at her. She sighed.

"When I was selected to mentor a genin team, I decided to spend a few days observing them interact and getting a handle on their personalities. Am I the only jonin in this room that bothers to think ahead?"

Kakashi was reading his book and Asuma was fiddling with his cigarette. Evidently, she was.

She sighed and laid her face in her hands. "Fine, then. Just take my word for it. The Uchiha kid is a self-centered brat and you're going to have your work cut out for you."

"Hmmm…" Sarutobi grunted. "I would think Naruto would be able to warm him up a bit better. And it is traditional that the highest and lowest-ranked genins be placed on the same team to balance it out."

"Perhaps," Kurenai agreed. "But I think that kid's been through enough without sticking him on a team with two people who won't appreciate him, and neither Haruno nor Uchiha respect him at all… Besides, given what he did tonight, I'm not sure I agree with his assessment results."

The third Hokage nodded thoughtfully. "You think he will do better on your team?"

"Aburame Shino seems neutral toward the boy, which is better than the outright disparagement he receives from other students. Hyuuga Hinata would be his friend if she were not so shy."

Kurenai paused for a moment before continuing. "I believe that if your law mandating secrecy regarding the jinchuuriki were to be strictly enforced, all of the academy students would be made orphans."

Yuuhi Kurenai was quite sure that, were she to drop a senbon, the clatter when it struck the floor would have been deafening in that silence.

"That is ridiculous!" One of the academy workers snapped. "I have never heard one whisper of the Kyuubi in all the time I have worked here. No parent has told their child of it!"

"No," Kurenai drawled, "they instead tell their children to hate Uzumaki

Naruto and shun him for no reason they will admit. You don't hide a secret by drawing attention to it with bright lights and dancing around it doing everything you can get away with that doesn't involve saying the forbidden words."

Sarutobi sighed and sagged in his chair for a moment. Kurenai was reminded how old he actually was, and how he'd been enjoying his retirement up until his successor was forced to sacrifice his life to seal the Kyuubi. She felt a stab of shame that she'd reminded him of how little some of the villagers deserved his protection.

"Anyway," she continued in a kinder voice, "I think the gaki has a lot of potential. If I can bring it out, he may one day become a formidable shinobi."

"That may be a lot of work," Iruka said in a cautious voice. Kurenai's eye caught him wincing a little, obviously torn by his loyalty to the boy. She considered that a point in his favor.

"It will be worth it to prevent any more… accidents," she said in little more than a whisper. Even Kakashi managed to look uncomfortable, for all that his mask hid.

"Very well," the Hokage said in a quiet voice. "I will want weekly reports on the boy's progress and his physical and mental state."

Kurenai nodded. She expected as much.

Hyuuga Hinata had not slept well that night. Yesterday had been the last day she'd likely see Naruto in a long time. She passed her Genin Exam, but he would be staying at the academy for remedial classes until he could pass. He tried so hard that it broke her heart to see him fail. For once, his smiling mask had slipped and he'd walked outside like a broken down old man.

And still she failed to say anything to the boy who inspired her so much with his attitude and ever-present smile. Her father was right – she was a useless coward. Not brave enough to do more than hide and watch him like some pathetic stalker.

She'd always been a little embarrassed for the sillier kunoichis who chased Uchiha Sasuke around like a miniature fan club. But in the end, was she any better? She was just as hare-brained and silly, and even more cowardly.

Those girls at least had the courage to let Sasuke know that they liked him. Not even the prospect of not seeing Naruto anymore could make her act, and she despised herself for it.

She'd been too upset at herself to even think of eating breakfast, and her steps faltered as she slowly walked to the Konoha Ninja Academy for the last time. Her only consolation was the possibility that she might see Naruto there again today. It was fairly common for students who failed the Genin

Exam to stay home the following day – it was painful and embarrassing to see your classmates who were leaving to become full-fledged shinobi, even if they were only reporting to a different room for team assignments. But then again, Naruto seldom did the usual thing. The prospect of seeing him again, even if it would be the last time in a long while, buoyed her spirit. Maybe today she would find the courage to actually speak to him.

Her steps quickened as hope slowly leaked into her heart. She soon made her way into the academy building and found the classroom where the new genins were assembled.

Her classmates were spread out in their usual disarray, but Naruto was there as well, with his head down on a desk. She froze in shock as she walked in the door, but then her feet automatically led her to one of her usual seats; high up and near the door in the back – everyone ahead of her and no one behind. She stared at the boy, wondering if someone would come in and tell him to leave. Finally, Nara Shikamaru ambled into the room and stopped by Naruto's table. When he asked Naruto why he was there, the blond boy sat up and said he'd passed, showing off his new hitai-ite. "Naruto-kun graduated too," she whispered to herself.

Then Ino and Sakura burst into the room, arguing about who arrived first.

Naruto stared in her direction, his face lighting up, and Hinata felt her heart skip a beat. But then the pink-haired kunoichi walked by her and she realized Naruto was looking at her instead.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted her with a smile as she approached.

"Out of my way!" Sakura snarled as she elbowed him to the floor so she could sit next to Uchiha Sasuke.

An unpleasant voice in Hinata's head said it was glad that the girl Naruto seemed to like did not return his affections. But for the most part, she was dismayed to see him treated so cavalierly.

Then Ino contested Sakura's right to sit in the chair she'd just thrown poor Naruto out of. In moments, most of the girls in the room were arguing over the evicted seat while Naruto was still sprawled at their feet.

Naruto climbed up on the desk and glared at Sasuke, again attracting the ire of Sasuke's fan club. Even worse, an inattentive boy at the table in front of them bumped into Naruto, making his and Sasuke's faces meet. It was hard to tell from where she sat, but from the screams of outrage that followed immediately afterward, it seems the two boys had inadvertently kissed. Hinata thought it was somewhat funny, especially the way the two boys carried on afterwards, spitting and gagging like they'd been poisoned.

The Sasuke Fan Club ™ on the other hand, was incensed at Naruto's forward behavior – not to mention quite jealous. The beating they gave Naruto was well out of proportion to his actual offense. Hinata grew worried as they showed no signs of stopping. She pushed back her chair and was about to intervene when Iruka-sensei entered the room and broke it up. Poor Naruto looked like he'd been run over by a farmer's wagon.

When Iruka-sensei announced that the teams had been chosen, Hinata began pressing her index fingers together as her thoughts raced. I might be on a team with Naruto-kun. I might not be on a team with Naruto-kun. Those two thoughts kept repeating as the instructor worked his way down the list.

"Team Seven: Inuzuka Kiba, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

Sakura looked ecstatic as Ino's face fell. Naruto also seemed horribly disappointed, and Hinata couldn't help but feel sorry for him, even though her own hopes were rising.

"Team Eight: Hyuuga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, and Aburame Shino."

Naruto's expression didn't change, but Hinata thought her heart would explode out of her chest. She knew her racing pulse was making her cheeks flush, but she couldn't help it. Not only had Naruto passed, but they would be together on the same team. This was rapidly becoming one of the happiest days of her life, definitely the happiest since her mother died.
When the team assignments were completed, they were given a long lunch break, as their jonin instructors would be meeting with them that afternoon.

Sasuke immediately got up and stalked out of the room, Sakura trailing behind him. Kiba grunted as he stood up, frowning at already being left behind by his team.

Naruto stared after Sakura, and sat in silence after she left. Hinata felt ashamed that she'd been happy he was on her team instead of Sakura's.

She was an awful person if she took joy from the sadness of someone she admired. She looked down at her hands and began pressing her fingers again. She was too ashamed to look up as Naruto left the room.

After a while she got up and went outside. She saw Aburame Shino sitting on a bench near the playground. Determined to get to know her other teammate, Hinata sat down on the other end of the bench from the silent boy.
"Ano… I understand we are to be teammates," she said in a quiet voice.

The Aburame genius turned toward her, his face expressionless – what little of it she could see behind the high collar and the dark glasses he wore.

"Hai," he said in little more than a whisper. He then turned back and Hinata realized he was studying an ant hill that had been constructed in front of the
bench.

Hinata blinked and began unpacking her lunch. She thought of offering some to her teammate. She tended to bring more than she needed, on the off chance that one day Naruto would forget to bring his usual cup ramen. Alas, she never had the chance to share her food with him… not that she would've had the courage to approach him, she reproached herself bitterly.
Shino, however, had also brought food. It was a little disconcerting to see his kikai bugs swarming onto the dish as they consumed a portion of his rice and fish. They confined themselves to one corner of the square container as
Shino's chopsticks fed their host.

Hinata bit into a rice ball and wondered what she could do. She'd never been in this position before, trying to converse with someone who was even quieter than she was. "Ano… which jonin do you think we will be assigned to?"

Shino turned toward her again. He seemed to stare at her for a long moment, making her fingers fidget even faster. "Given our abilities, I would think one of the scouting specialists. Uzumaki's presence is troubling though."

Hinata took a deep breath. "I'm sure he will work very hard to make us successful," she said in as firm a voice as she could muster.

Shino simply regarded her for several heartbeats before answering.

"Perhaps. But he doesn't possess a bloodline or sensory abilities. I question what role he could perform, or if he was simply placed here to keep him out of the way."

Hinata felt her stomach contract into a small, hard ball. She always questioned whether she would actually be useful as a ninja or not. Was Team 8 just a place for throwaway ninjas? Had she and Naruto been placed here to keep them out of the way? But what about Shino? He was supposed to be the pride of the Aburame clan, the best bug user they'd produced in over a generation. "Ano… I don't think we're a team for shinobi that no one wants. Naruto works very hard when he trains by himself, and he still received a hitai-ite. "

Shino turned back toward his lunch. "That may have been done to remove him from the academy. There is something about him that the adults do not like. My clan will not speak of it, but they do not hold him in high regard."  

[Pandora Green]

While Hinata was glad that Shino was speaking more, his words disturbed her. She remembered the way her father's face twisted when one of Naruto's pranks was mentioned at dinner. The branch family retainer blanched under Otousan's furious glare, and for an instant Hinata thought his cursed seal had been activated. Hinata may not have been the ideal Hyuuga warrior, but even without her Byakugan active, she was still intelligent and above all, observant. As such, the looks some of the adults gave the object of her affections did not escape her notice. "Surely they don't hate him for pulling a few pranks? Naruto-kun never hurt anyone, not even by accident."

"I believe it's something deeper than that. I've heard his name mentioned in passing even before the first time he defaced the Hokage Monument," Shino replied.

Hinata was too involved in their conversation to wonder at how her teammate seemed to have finally discovered that he had a voice. Later, she would wonder if it was the teasing apart of a mystery that finally engaged him, or if it was simply the fact that someone was actively seeking to speak with him. Hinata wasn't especially fond of insects, but they didn't creep her out like they did some girls. "What else could he have done to become so unpopular?" she asked, frowning.

"It may not be anything he did," Shino replied. "I don't know of another Uzumaki in the village, so he may have come from a family that disgraced themselves in some fashion. Hokage-sama wouldn't execute a child for the crimes of the parents, no matter how heinous. The villagers may not be so forgiving."

Hinata sat there, her mind racing as a half-eaten rice ball fell back into her bentou. As far as she knew, Naruto-kun had no parents, and was forced to live alone as there was no one who would take him in. To think that he would still be blamed for the actions of people he'd never met made her feel very strangely. It was similar to the tight feeling she got when Otousan told her Hanabi would make a better heir and how she at least could make him proud… but the emotion gripping her right now was much stronger.

Hyuuga Hinata was angry. These people deliberately hurt her Naruto-kun with their cold eyes. The boy with the big dreams who always smiled and tried again no matter what – he deserved better than that. She'd seen his smile slip a few times, the most recently after the Genin Exam, and even if she was too cowardly to say anything to him, his sorrow still stabbed her heart like a kunai. After a moment she was able to master her new emotions and don the sterile mask she was taught a Hyuuga must always present to others. "That is very foolish of them," she said coldly, "since he is going to be Hokage some day."

Shino didn't say anything, but turned back to his lunch. While he didn't necessarily sound like he agreed with her, Hinata would settle for a lack of overt disagreement. They finished their meal in silence and returned to the academy to await their sensei.

Naruto sat at his desk with his head in his hands. The ache in his stomach was finally subsiding, but the pain in his heart was worse. It wasn't fair that Sakura was assigned to a different team, and even worse that she was partnered up with that Uchiha-teme.

When he saw Sasuke eating his lunch, Naruto was struck by inspiration. This might be his last chance to find out what Sakura really thought of him.
Fortunately, the overconfident jerk was surprisingly easy to subdue. So much for genius. The look on his face when the kawarimi log appeared in a cloud of smoke and half a dozen clones descended on him like the wrath of Kami was the high point of Naruto's day. After that it was simply a matter of tying the fool up and using Henge no Jutsu to copy his appearance.

He found Sakura where he'd left her – scorning his presence and mooning after Sasuke-teme. He didn't think she could really be that cruel – not when she was so beautiful and smiled so sweetly. The way her face lit up as he approached made the breath catch in his throat, and for a moment he almost forgot that she was reacting to Sasuke's appearance, not his own.

After a moment, he remembered his plan and sat down on the stone bench next to her. He tried to copy Sasuke's patented slouch and glower, and it seemed to work. Sakura smiled shyly and blushed.

"So," Naruto said, trying to sound disinterested. "What's the deal with that Naruto boy who seems to like you? He's always greets you warmly every morning and you usually bash him on the head."

Sakura looked confused for a moment before giggling. "That Naruto, he's always such a pain. He doesn't really understand me, and he's always interfering with my plans." She sighed. "At least he's not on a team with us, and after today I won't ever have to look at him again. Aren't you relieved as well, Sasuke-kun?"

Naruto didn't trust his voice at that moment as he felt his heart shrivel up and blow away. He just grunted and stood up again. He slouched away as Sakura called after him. He refused to acknowledge her confused cries. Maybe she might come to know how it feels. Not that she cared. He was halfway to the academy building when his stomach began cramping violently.

Naruto did raise his head when he felt a presence full of killing intent enter the classroom. Sasuke didn't look at him directly as he stalked over to an empty seat, but Naruto could feel the anger radiating from the boy. Naruto also knew the stuck up Uchiha wouldn't say a word about what happened – he'd sooner die than admit that the 'dead last' had beaten him down in a fight. While he had been taken by surprise, it was no excuse for someone that was trained in the ninja arts… let alone the almighty Uchiha genius.

Naruto didn't even look directly at the boy, who also ignored Sakura's confused expression. "Those two deserve each other," he thought bitterly.
"She just seems to irritate him, and now she'll get a chance to see how it's like to be ignored and despised."

His mind was so wrapped up in his misery that he almost missed Iruka calling out for Team 8. He stood up and sullenly shuffled over to the teacher's desk. Iruka frowned at him as he joined Hinata and Shino. Iruka-sensei introduced a tall woman with shoulder-length black hair and red eyes. "This is Yuuhi Kurenai. She will be your jonin instructor. Good luck to all of you." Iruka smiled when Naruto nodded and straightened the hitai-ite that Iruka had given him.

Kurenai smiled faintly, but her eyes were watchful as she led them outside.

Hinata smiled at him, a little hesitantly. Naruto actually respected her for being one of the few girls in their class that didn't spend all their time fawning over Uchicha-teme. Shino was a little odd. He didn't talk much, just the opposite of Naruto, but the other kids avoided him because of the bugs, which was something they had in common. Naruto didn't mind bugs, as long as they didn't try to get into his food. His live-and-let-live attitude ended where his ramen began.

As he walked out the door, Naruto found himself looking back at Kiba, Sasuke, and Sakura, who were still waiting for their jonin instructor to show up. He took a deep breath and turned his back on them, leaving with his new team.

Kurenai didn't miss the blond boy's backward glance as she led them out of the classroom. "He must be disappointed he wasn't teamed with that Haruno girl," she concluded to herself, "not that she ever gave him the time of day.
Was I ever that young and stupid? Surely not."

She spoke aloud after leading them out to the playground. "Now, I'd like to get to know each of you, so please tell me a little about yourselves." It was better to handle introductions in a familiar place, to put them all at ease. "I'll begin. I am Yuuhi Kurenai, and I became a jonin after the last exam. I'm a specialist with various types of genjutsu. I like to study human psychology, sing karaoke, and work in my garden. I dislike loud drunks and people who think I can't be an effective ninja because I'm a woman. My ambition is to prove that a reconnaissance specialized team can be successful and to see all three of you become jonins."

Naruto looked at each of his less-than-talkative teammates and then cleared his throat. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen. I hate how long it takes to make instant ramen and stuck up bastards like Sasuke-teme. My ambition is to one day become Hokage."

When neither Shino or Hinata showed signs of speaking up, Naruto nudged the Aburame boy. Shino's head snapped around at Naruto so quickly the blond flinched back. Kurenai wondered if the bug-user was used to any sort of human contact. "I am Aburame Shino. I like to study insects and find new varieties that haven't been catalogued by my family yet. I dislike people who kill insects for no reason. My ambition is to learn all of the Aburame bloodline jutsus and then develop my own techniques using my allies."
Once the taller boy finished, everyone looked toward Hinata, who appeared to be ready to sink into the ground without the benefit of a Doton jutsu.

"A-ano… I am Hyuuga Hinata. I like cheerful people… who are kind. I dislike… people who hurt others… for no reason. My ambition is to become stronger so I will be acknowledged by my father… and someone else."

Kurenai nodded thoughtfully. Shino was just as focused, or obsessed, as she thought. Hinata's home life was probably just as bad as she'd imagined from watching her. Naruto's focus was scattered all over the place, which was also about what she expected. He was going to need a lot of work, and the sooner she started the better. "Very good. Now, are you all familiar with training ground number nineteen?" she asked, specifying a variable-terrain space set aside along the southern border of the village. When all three of them nodded she continued. "Good. We're going to do a short skill assessment. Meet me there as quickly as you can." With that, her hands blurred into a seal and she disappeared in a sudden swirl of wind-blown leaves.

As soon as the substitution technique was finished, Kurenai took off for the designated training area at her best speed, leaping from roof to roof and tree to tree. With her advanced chakra control, she could feed a trickle of energy into her legs, allowing her to reach incredible speeds as she traveled overhead.

Surprisingly, she barely beat Naruto there. All that being chased after pranking had to pay off somehow. The boy had incredible stamina, just as she suspected. He was blowing hard and sweating when he arrived, but his color and respiration normalized in less than three minutes. It's not like he could ever use stealth to escape from pursuers, not with that bright orange jumpsuit.

Shino arrived a few minutes later, followed shortly by a badly-winded Hinata.
"I can see we're going to need to work on speed and endurance both,"
Kurenai said, frowning.

"Is that because we're going to be a reconnaissance team?" Shino asked.

"Yes and no," Kurenai answered. "Moving quickly is especially important for successfully completing a scouting mission. However, endurance training will also help increase your chakra reserves, which will in turn improve your taijutsu and make your ninjutsus easier to use."

Shino and Hinata nodded at this. Naruto just looked confused. "What do you all mean by a reconnaissance team?" he finally asked.

Kurenai nodded to acknowledge his question. If the boy had as hard a time in the academy as she thought, she didn't want him to be reluctant to ask her for information. "That's a very good question, Naruto. When genins are selected for teams, it's common practice to put members together who have powers that compliment each other. For example, Team 10 has a Nara, a Yamanaka, and an Akimichi. Their fathers all worked together as well. The Nara and Yamanaka bloodlines are especially useful for capturing or immobilizing people, and Akimichis excel at grappling techniques.
Furthermore, the Akimichis have some special attacks that are truly devastating, but somewhat easy to avoid."

Naruto frowned for a moment. "So Ino and Shikamaru hold them while Chouji pounds them?"

Kurenai nodded. "That's one way their abilities compliment each other. Now a reconnaissance team has members whose abilities make them especially well suited for finding the enemy or discovering their secrets. Sometimes that information is more valuable than gold – being able to adequately prepare for the enemy has decided more wars than any fighting technique or jutsu."

"Ano, K-kurenai-sensei," Hinata spoke up, "how do my, I mean our abilities make us suited for such a role?"

"That's also a very good question, Hinata. Your Byakugan eyes are an obvious asset. You can see for very long distances and through light cover when you activate them. With proper positioning, you can see into a commander's tent and read his battle plans with no one being the wiser.
Shino's bugs can also be invaluable when seeking out the enemy. I've worked with members of his clan before, and the kikai bugs have an excellent sense of smell. They also make good sentries. When deployed around the team, they can alert us if an enemy patrol is approaching. One of the greatest hazards of getting close to the enemy is the chance that they will stumble over you and attack."

Kurenai paused, thinking about how to phrase what she wanted to say next.

Naruto, however, noticed the incompleteness of her response.

"Sensei, what role do I play?" he asked, his eyebrows drawn down in a frown.

Kurenai sighed. "I won't lie to you. The scouting missions our team will likely be assigned will be dangerous. That is why I don't want this team to be over specialized in that role. Naruto, if the worst happens and we are discovered deep in enemy territory, your job will be to buy us time to escape. Your… unexpected… skill with Kage Bunshin makes you well suited toward distracting pursuers so we can successfully disengage."

"So it's all about running away?" Naruto asked, sticking out his lower lip.

"Yes, it is," Kurenai answered sharply. "Because completing your mission is what shinobi do. Proving who's tougher is a schoolyard game. Staying to fight when the Hokage needs our information isn't just stupid, it's treasonous. Ninjas who don't learn that lesson usually die as fools. Their names won't even be carved onto the memorial stone because they threw their lives away, rather than sacrificing them for something meaningful."

Everyone grew quiet after that. Kurenai gave them a moment to digest that, then set them to work on basic taijutsu drills. Hinata proved to be the best of the bunch. Her form was almost perfect, and her movements were swift and precise. While she may lack somewhat in power and speed, that would come as she got older. Shino's taijutsu was workmanlike, not particularly inspired, but she was sure he practiced it more for the chakra enhancement than anything else. More chakra meant more energy for his bugs. Naruto's stances were awful and his form was unbelievably sloppy. At the same time, he was blindingly fast and seemed to pull off the wall moves out of thin air. When he sparred with Shino, he proved unusually adept at using the terrain to his advantage, ricocheting off an overhanging branch to land a kick on the taller boy's head.

Kurenai scowled as she realized why his hand to hand skills were so undisciplined. With no friends and no parents, he could only practice outside of school by himself. He was probably going to one of the training grounds and trying to teach himself the more advanced taijutsu moves, possibly after watching older ninjas train. It was a wonder he wasn't worse. She considered her possibilities as she watched Shino knock the smaller boy down for the fifth time in a row.

"Yamete! That's enough." The boys separated and she noticed that after two deep breaths Naruto didn't even appear to have been exercising at all. Taijutsu wasn't one of her strengths, but she did know someone who was quite good… and Gai had been asking her for tips on teaching his genins how to recognize advanced genjutsus.

She then had them demonstrate some of their preferred ninjutsus. Shino used his kikai bugs to turn a log into a pile of sawdust in less than a minute. Hinata did a henge of Kurenai that was picture perfect – until the shy and hesitant body language immediately revealed the imposter. Naruto leapt to his feet when it was his turn and called out "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" in an enthusiastic voice.

There was a loud pop and two more Narutos appeared on either side of him. Both looked rather pale and sickly. One immediately ran behind some bushes and began making retching sounds. Kurenai felt the burst of malformed chakra when Naruto fired off his technique – she was actually surprised he produced anything at all. The other sickly twin broke wind so violently that he disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"Very impressive," Shino said in a deadpan voice. "I'm sure if we're about to be captured they will be quite a diversion."

"Kuso!" Naruto cursed. His reddened face screwed up in a rictus of concentration, he formed the Ram seal again and roared "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" at the top of his lungs. Kurenai felt the hairs on the back of her neck stir as she felt the massive surge of chakra being shaped.

At first Kurenai thought her eyes were blurring, but that was just the shimmer that preceded the shadow duplicates as they popped into existence. The fact that the blurring covered most of her field of vision was because Naruto had filled the clearing with clones. She heard Iruka describe how Mizuki had been beaten to within an inch of his life, but it was quite another thing to see a genin use a jonin-level jutsu to create almost a hundred duplicates of himself. The gaki had a right to stand there proudly with his arms folded across his chest. Especially since he didn't look like he was about to collapse from chakra depletion.

Shino's eyebrows had become visible over his glasses; while Hinata's pearly eyes had gone wide as a blush reddened her cheeks.

"That's more like it," Kurenai said warmly. Naruto blinked and scratched at the back of his head in embarrassed pleasure. Inside, she was saddened.

For the boy to react so strongly to a simple compliment… It said a lot about his early life, none of it pleasant. Her respect for the Sandaime had also taken a hit. The boy deserved a lot better than he'd gotten.
Naruto set his clones to sparring one another while Kurenai gestured for them to sit down. She ignored the errant clone that made a rude gesture at Shino's back, causing Hinata to stifle a giggle.

"That was a very interesting display, all of you. Tonight and tomorrow I'll be putting together some training plans for all three of you. We'll meet here at noon to discuss these, and then we will report to the Hokage for our first mission. So go home and get a good night's sleep."

"Yatta!" Naruto yelled, leaping to his feet. "Our first mission!" He struck a 'V for Victory' pose that made Kurenai and Hinata smile. Shino did not react, at least not visibly.

As Hinata and Shino left, Kurenai tapped Naruto's shoulder. The boy shied away from the unexpected touch in a way she found disconcerting. "I'd like to talk to you about a couple of things," she said in a quiet voice.

Naruto looked at his teammates, who were already out of earshot. He let out a resigned sigh and shrugged. Kurenai suppressed the urge to try out some phrases she'd picked up from Asuma. Instead, she put on what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "Come on," she said. "I'll buy you dinner while we talk."

Naruto brightened as they began walking.

"But no ramen."

He frowned.

"If you eat nothing but noodles, it's no wonder you're the shortest kid in your class. Don't you know if you don't eat right it will stunt your growth?"

Now the boy looked horrified.

Kurenai sighed. "I don't mean never eat it again. But if you don't get some vegetables and a good amount of protein and dairy products in your diet, you'll never achieve your full growth."

"I drink milk every day," he said defensively.

"That's a good start, but you still need protein, and vegetables contain vitamins you can't get anywhere else. It's a wonder you don't have rickets or scurvy."

"Nani?"

"Those are malnutrition-related diseases that sailors used to get when they went on long voyages without proper food."

"How do you know so many things?" he asked as they left the training area and re-entered the village.

"I'm a jouinin." It was easier than explaining that she was an insomniac who read half the night. Reading was a lot easier on her mind than thinking about Mattai  

[Pandora Green]

As they walked, Kurenai noticed the subtle glares and sneers the villagers directed toward her student. She began returning the glares, and made a point of straightening her hitai-ite. She was a jonin, by Kami, and she wasn't going to put up with any attitude directed toward herself or her student.
Her red eyes were just a Yuuhi family quirk, but back when she was a genin, Kurenai developed a low-powered genjutsu that gave her eyes a subtle glow. It was more cheap theatrics than anything else, but Mattai thought it was hilarious. It was fairly effective on the less intelligent residents of Konoha – villagers who thought she was 'too pretty' to be a ninja, and shinobi who wouldn't take no for an answer. The seals were easily performed in an unobtrusive fashion and soon she was glowering at anyone who looked twice at her charge. The glow was just barely visible in the waning afternoon light, and it had the desired effect. Kurenai smothered a smile as a particularly obnoxious shopkeeper stumbled over his own merchandise when his glaring eyes moved from Naruto to her. The crash of broken bottles was music to her ears.

Naruto looked back at her and twitched a little when he saw her eyes. She smiled at him and he grinned back. Unlike his previous smiles, this one was shy, with just a hint of mischief. Kurenai wondered if this was the first honest smile of his that she'd seen.

Moritake's was a small café run by a retired shinobi who'd been a friend of Kobaru-sensei. Moritake-san lost most of his lower left leg to an explosive tag trap during the war with the hidden village of stone, and was retired as an active shinobi. He still tended bar and swapped stories with the new graduates, making the place popular with ninja of more than one generation.

Kurenai always dropped by on Kobaru-sensei's birthday and on the anniversary of that awful day when… Anyway, he recognized her the minute she walked in. Naruto rather hesitantly followed her as she strolled up to the bar. He obviously wasn't used to this kind of place.

"Kurenai-chan!" Moritake-san called out with a smile. "And who is the Gaki?"

"This is Uzumaki Naruto," she said in a loud voice, "one of my new students."

She was a little disappointed to see the hesitant expression on Moritake's face, but he quickly mastered it and smiled at the boy. "I know what she wants, but how about some tea, kid?"

Naruto nodded and Kurenai wondered why he was being so quiet. She accepted the warmed bottle of sake with a smile, then placed an order for some yakitori, along with steamed rice and vegetables. Carrying their drinks,
Naruto followed her to a table in the corner.

They sat down and Kurenai poured a saucer of the steaming liquid and used it to wash the dust from her throat. She looked over at Naruto, who took a sip of his tea, but seemed pensive. Kurenai looked around. Was he being quiet because he was nervous being in the restaurant?

"Have you ever been in a place like this before?" she asked him in a quiet voice.

Naruto shook his head. "No. I've been to Ichiraku's for ramen, it's really good there, and…" his voice trailed off.

"And they don't run you out like other places do?"

Naruto nodded and growled. "Stupid people…" he muttered.

"I know why they act that way," Kurenai said and Naruto stiffened. "And you're right," she continued, "they are stupid people."

Naruto looked up at her. "Iruka said he wasn't allowed to tell."

"He isn't. I was there actually, when it happened. I was barely a genin, and we were assigned areas well away from the worst of it. No one knows why the demon decided to attack Konoha, and I doubt we ever will. But the people blaming you for its actions are just trying to strike back at something because they have fear and anger left over from those days. That still doesn't excuse their behavior though. The Hokage's law prohibits me from saying anything to people who don't already know – and you know. The law specifically doesn't apply to you either – you can tell anyone you want to."

"Nani? Why would I want anyone else to know why all the adults hate me?"

"I don't think all the adults hate you. I certainly don't. You had nothing to do with what happened to the village, and you're maintaining the seal that makes sure it doesn't happen again. I think your friends, your true friends, won't care."

"I don't think I have any friends like that, Kurenai-sensei."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. Maybe you will in the future, so don't close off any of your options. Anyway, I wanted to ask you, are you serious about your dream? About wanting to become Hokage?"

"Yes!" Naruto said the word so forcefully that people at neighboring tables glanced over at them.

"Being the Hokage means making decisions for and protecting the entire village and everyone within it," Kurenai informed him. "Including the people that glare at you and treat you like a criminal today. Are you sure you want to devote your life to protecting them as well?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm already doing that, aren't I? The fourth

Hokage picked me for some reason to hold back that b*****d fox. I spend every day keeping it from destroying Konoha. If he picked me for that duty, I'd like to think he considered me worthy of that responsibility. I just want everyone else to see me that way as well, so his choice would not be in vain."

Kurenai leaned back in her chair and took another long swallow of sake. The hot alcohol blazed a warm trail down her throat and spread out from her stomach. The boy's reasons were not the absolute best, but she knew a lot of kids his age whose ambitions were anchored on far less worthy soil. "All right," she said, "maybe you will make a worthy successor. I'll help you get there."

Naruto stared at her, eyes wide. Maybe she was the first person who hadn't laughed at his ambition. She doubted the Hyuuga girl would, but first she needed to work up the courage to actually speak to him. Something else she needed to work on with the girl.

"First things first," Kurenai continued. "When you have a big goal, the first thing to do is to break it up into smaller goals. You can use those as milestones toward your final objective. Now, what rank is below Hokage?"

"Jonins and special jonins," Naruto replied.

"And before that?"

"Chuunin."

"So good milestones would be achieving chuunin and jonin, correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"Okay, before you can even think about testing for chuunin, we need to make you a solid genin."

Naruto frowned. "I've already made genin," he protested.

"Naruto," Kurenai said firmly, "I'm not going to lie to you. You are sort of a mess right now. You have a lot of potential, but for various reasons, some of them most definitely not your fault, you have yet to achieve that potential. On the other hand, you also seem willing to work hard for your goals, correct?"

Naruto looked hurt, but still nodded.

"Good. A little hard work can make up for a lot." She took another drink of her cooling sake. "With your endurance, you should be able to make up a lot of ground. I wasn't kidding about your role in the team. If things get dicey, they will be depending on you to get them out of danger. The more you improve your taijutsu, the better your clones will fight. The more ninjutsus you know, the better you can utilize that enormous chakra capacity you have. The day will come when Shino and Hinata's lives may depend on you. Mine as well. I'm going to be setting up a lot of extra training for you, if you are willing to do the work. Are you?"

Kurenai found herself blinking rapidly at the expression on Naruto's face. That earlier smile was nothing compared to this one. Naruto's hand shook where it was gripping the table. "K-kurenai-sama, I-"

"Just work hard at your training," she interrupted him, using a purposefully light tone of voice. "And when you're Hokage, assign me a bunch of easy missions and we'll call it even, okay?"

"Hai!" Naruto barked.

Their food arrived at that point and with a shared "Itadakimasu!" they went to work on it. Kurenai was secretly glad of the interruption. Her student was getting a little emotional, and it was becoming contagious. He was just so damn earnest, about everything. Kurenai was an only child, but now she had a pretty good idea of what it would be like to have a younger brother.

After the waitress cleared the plates, Kurenai drank the last of her sake.
"We also need to do something about that," she said as she reached across the table and tugged on Naruto's sleeve.

"Nani?"

Kurenai frowned. "Er, you aren't color blind, are you?"

Naruto frowned. "No."

"Then you do realize you are wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, right?"
Naruto nodded. 'What's wrong with it?"

"Naruto, we may need to sneak around at some point. That means bright colors are not a good idea. That's why Shino and Hinata are wearing neutral colors."

"But you're wearing red, and that wrap around thing is black and white," he objected.

"I don't usually wear this in the field, though some kunoichis dress in bright colors so they can masquerade as civilian women. Besides, I mask my appearance with a genjutsu anyway. The brightest color I wore as a genin was such a dark red that it looked like brown from a distance."

"But I like this suit," Naruto whined, looking away and frowning.

Something didn't add up for Kurenai. At first she wondered if he couldn't afford new clothes. But with the stipend he received from the Hokage, and his cheap tastes in food, he shouldn't be hard up for ryou. Then she remembered the looks he received from the shopkeepers on the way there.

"Tell you what, meet me at the Hokage tower at nine and I will take you to a place I know."

Naruto looked up and nodded eagerly, confirming her suspicions.

She sat there quietly fuming while they waited for the check. The boy was reluctant to put up with abuse from random shopkeepers, but that left her wondering where he'd found the orange suit. Maybe it had been cast off in a refuse heap, or it had been the only thing they were willing to sell to him. Perhaps some worthless trash of a human being hoped the bright colors would make him more likely to die on a mission.

Kurenai didn't know the owner of the equipment store she frequented, but if they snubbed Naruto in front of her it would be the last thing they did. Experiencing two hours in the life of Uzumaki Naruto left Yuuhi Kurenai ready to commit assault, if not murder.

After she paid the bill, she sent Naruto home with a reminder to meet her in the morning. Then she went straight home to her bed. She planned to get up very early and have some strong words with the Hokage before she took Naruto to get properly outfitted.  

[Pandora Green]

Chapter 2

Kurenai squinted as the morning sun glinted off the white-painted exterior of the Hokage's tower. She had a blinding headache fueled by a lack of sleep and the company she'd been keeping. She'd lain awake longer than she wanted, brooding about her genins. Her original hope was that Naruto would help bring the Hyuuga girl out of her shell. Making the disrespected Hyuuga heir a strong shinobi would be indirect revenge on the head of that arrogant clan, but it was the best she could manage for the time being.

But it seemed that Naruto would need help of his own. Once you got past the bluster and the pranks, he was just as insecure as Hinata. He just hid it better. Shino had less psychological baggage than his teammates, but he also seemed to lack some of their fire. He just didn't seem to put as much effort into things. Perhaps it was that detached persona the Aburames cultivated. The ones she'd met seemed to act as unemotional and precise as the insects they partnered with. Shino was definitely going to be a challenge to understand.

Naruto's deficiencies were the most glaring though, and might take the longest to correct. So she awoke with her alarm before five and sought out Maito Gai at his favorite training ground.

Kurenai had a theory about the more skilled jonins developing severe personality quirks to compensate for the stresses of missions. If she ever wanted to make a presentation on this theory for the Konoha Natural Philosophy Society, Maito Gai would be exhibit A. She supposed he might have been dropped on his head as a child. Repeatedly. But that didn't explain how he'd survived to become a genin. It was depressing, but far more likely, that he'd started obsessing about green spandex and the power of youth after he became a jonin.

Yuuhi Kurenai dreaded the day she woke up and realized that she'd become just as eccentric in her own way. She'd have no choice at that point but to do the honorable thing and end her own life.

At least Gai was predictable in his obsessions. Every morning they were not out on missions, he and Rock Lee were up before the dawn, working on ridiculously intricate taijutsu combinations. At least he'd focused some of his obsessions in positive ways. His taijutsu was said to be among the best of his generation, and he'd taken on a student with underdeveloped chakra coils and made him an effective shinobi.

She supposed the extra stress of learning how to complete missions without resorting to ninjutsus or genjutsus was considerable. Something had to explain the accelerated descent of Rock Lee into green spandex-clad madness with his sensei.

On the other hand, it was hard to argue with results. The green-clad genin moved so quickly that without chakra, her eyes had difficulty keeping up with him, and his punches were leaving visible divots in the thick training logs. Naruto could learn a lot here.

Gai looked up from his pupil and flashed what he probably thought was a charming grin. "Kurenai-san, you are up early to see the power of youth!"
Kurenai nodded, though she imagined her smile was a little sickly. She was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. "I knew I could find you here."

Gai's expression became a trifle smug. "It takes a lot of training to become a genius of hard work! But Lee will make it because he is full of the fires of youth!"

"Yosh! Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Kurenai knew she needed to n** this in the bud. Her impending migraine was only a couple of verses away. "I wanted to talk to you about some supplemental training for Tenten, and something else that has come up."
Maito Gai might be self-absorbed, overenthusiastic, and completely lacking in fashion sense, but he wasn't stupid. "Lee! Run five laps around Konoha!"
"Yes, Gai-sensei! And if I cannot do that without stopping, I will climb to the top of the Hokage monument, walking only on my hands!"

Gai cheered as his student took off. Kurenai wondered if Naruto would be safe hanging around with these two. She'd have to make sure later on that day to impress upon her genin that neon green was also not an appropriate color for ninja attire.

Kurenai gathered her thoughts as Gai turned back toward her and crossed his arms in what he seemed to think was a serious pose. "Now that Lee is testing his endurance, what did you wish to discuss?" His smile was a little too eerie for Kurenai's tastes.

"I've been thinking about your idea regarding using our specialized knowledge to best develop our students' potential," she said carefully.
That wasn't exactly what he said when the jonins were all out drinking. What he actually said was something more along the lines of how he'd take pity on any students assigned to his Kakashi, and train them out of sympathy for having such a heartless sensei. Kakashi of course replied by asking if he'd said something.

"Nani?" Gai's inch-thick eyebrows bunched up in confusion.

"Well," Kurenai continued, "I thought it was a pretty good idea, so I'd like to work out a trade. I've got a student who needs a lot of extra work on his taijutsu. If he could join you and Lee in the mornings, he'd provide Lee with a sparring partner as well. In exchange, Tenten can join us when I work with my team on genjutsu training. Lee can come too, if you think he would benefit." Gai's other student, Hyuuga Neji, didn't really need the tutoring. His Byakugan could see through most genjutsus, and Kurenai wasn't crazy about the way she'd seen him glare at his cousin.

Gai ran his thumb over his chin in his 'deep thinking' pose. "Tenten could probably benefit the most, and Lee should at least know what to look for if he falls under a genjutsu. Which student did you want to work with us?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," Kurenai replied, waiting to gauge Gai's response.
To the man's credit, he only nodded thoughtfully. "He is rather small, even if he burns with the fire of youth. Do you think he will be able to train at the pace Lee sets?" The question was innocent, but she saw the man's pride in his disabled/specialized student.

"Naruto's stamina is nearly jonin level. Even when he becomes winded, he's ready to fight again in a couple of minutes. He's also highly motivated to prove himself." She smiled. The hook was baited, now to land the fish. "I wouldn't be surprised if, after getting used to your routine, he didn't start running the two of you ragged."

Maito Gai has never, to her knowledge, ever turned down a challenge of any sort. Ever. "Yosh! We will test the powers of his youth! Kurenai-san, send your student here tomorrow morning and we will make him a genius of hard work, second only to my Lee-kun!"

That was so easy that Kurenai felt a flash of guilt. "Good, and I will have Naruto tell you when we're going over genjutsu and your students will be welcome to join us."

The rising sun glinting off the man's teeth was beginning to give her a headache, so she made her goodbyes and sought out a cup of strong coffee.
There weren't many shops that sold coffee in Konoha. The Western drink was only just now becoming popular. There were even fewer places serving the caffeinated beverage that were open early in the morning and/or late at night. It was no coincidence that all of them were in close proximity to the Hokage's tower. A lot of all-nighters were conducted there.

Bolstered by two large cups of the strongest brew she could find, Kurenai made her way to the Hokage's office. His chuunin guards had eyes almost as red as hers, confirming her suspicions. The Sandaime was rumored to work incredibly long hours, rising early in the morning and often staying up all night. His only breaks from the pressures of his job were the short walks he took through the village, checking up on this and that. Even those had a purpose, as he often saw what others did not.

With all she knew of the man's dedication to the village and its residents, Kurenai couldn't understand why he let the situation with Naruto go on so long. The things she'd learned over the past week left her both angry and hungry for answers.

But an emotional display would not get her those answers, so she schooled her features into an impassive mask and nodded to the chuunin guards. She still had to remind herself at times that she outranked them now. "I wish to speak with Hokage-sama if he is available."

"Hai!" The one on her right barked. "He has been expecting you, Kurenai-san."

She didn't know if he was bluffing or not. Either way, she was impressed.
She nodded to them as they opened the door and ushered her into the Hokage's office.

Seeing 'The Professor' like this, in the harsh and unforgiving morning sunlight, reminded her that the man was in his late sixties, and should have been happily retired. Instead, he'd been forced back into this office again, and had labored here for another twelve years after the death of the Yondaime. She felt a stab of pity for a man in a thankless job, but squashed it ruthlessly when she remembered someone who deserved better than they'd gotten.

"You're up early, Kurenai," he said in a mild tone.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," she replied in a formal tone, her voice slightly cold. "I have had a conversation that made sleeping… difficult."

He nodded slowly. "And who was this conversation with?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. After getting to know him a little… I find myself questioning my loyalty to Konoha."

Her words were chosen with the intent of provoking a reaction. An admission of semi-treasonous thoughts would normally be met with outrage or derision.

She would not expect such a display from the Hokage, but she wasn't prepared for what he did do.

He smiled.

"I'm glad to see that Naruto has found another sympathetic ear," he said as he straightened up in his chair and re-lit his pipe.

"You…" Yuuhi Kurenai was not often struck speechless, but it took a moment for her to collect her thoughts. "You knew what was going on with the boy? Hokage-sama, why have you allowed this?"

The Sandaime sighed and for a moment his eyes showed her a glimpse of a supremely weary soul. "If only the Hokage were as powerful as everyone seems to think." He gave her a tired smile. "It would be nice to be able to do anything I wanted, at least for a short while."

Kurenai frowned. This wasn't going anything like what she expected. "But you are the Hokage! Your word is law!"

"It is, to a limited extent. In reality, the Hokage just shows the villagers and the shinobi the way. It is up to them to follow his leadership. The two halves of the equation must work together if anything is to be accomplished."

"And in the case of the boy?" She asked. Kurenai had a feeling she knew what he was driving at, but she needed to know for sure.

"You can lead the ox to the river, but it will only drink if it desires to do so.

The village elders and the clan heads petition me to have the boy executed, or failing that, to exile him from the village. I refuse to do this. I tell them the boy is the Yondaime's legacy, and that he wished the boy to be seen as a hero, because he is the Kyuubi's jailor. They nod and agree with me, then when they go home they tell their subordinates to shun the boy."

"But… if they are defying your orders… you are the Hokage." The caffeine in Kurenai's blood was keeping her awake, but it also made her thoughts jitter like water-bugs as she struggled with the scope of this betrayal.

"They do nothing to openly defy me," Sarutobi assured her. "They have grown too wary for that. Villagers have tried to kill the boy on numerous occasions, only to be foiled by the ANBU. Worse, there have been shinobi, maddened by their grief, who also sought the boy's life." His eyes hardened.

"They met with the same fate. But now? Now they agree with their mouths and disobey with their hearts. The Hokage can tell someone to treat the boy properly, but unless I or one of my subordinates stands over that person, they will not do something they feel has been forced upon them. Konoha has always placed fewer strictures on the private lives of its inhabitants, but it appears there is a downside to this freedom."

Kurenai found herself sitting in one of the chairs facing the Hokage's desk. She wasn't even aware of when she'd sat down. "So you're telling me that the villagers and a good portion of the shinobi… are so determined to abuse Naruto that they will go behind your back to do it? You basically have wide-spread civil disobedience where the boy is concerned?"

Sarutobi nodded. "That is one way to sum it up. The villagers look at the boy and see a reflection of their fears. The shinobi see a reflection of their loss. They won't see him as anything different until he can touch their hearts and make them see the truth. I think one day Naruto will prove himself to the village, and those who scorned him in the past will heartily regret their actions."

"Regrets?" Kurenai asked sharply. "Future regrets mean nothing to him right now. It's a wonder he hasn't run away, or started killing everyone he meets.
These idiots will be lucky they don't turn him into a self-fulfilling prophecy with their own actions. Wouldn't it be kinder to send him away? Let him grow up in some isolated village where no one knows who he is?"

"No," the Hokage said in a firm tone. "Naruto is Konoha's. The Yondaime wished him to be the hero of the village, not the exiled pariah." He raised his hand as Kurenai started to speak. "Even if it would be kinder, there are other reasons he must stay. There are rumors of a group that has been seeking out information on the Jinchuuriki. It's not known why they want this, but

Naruto is better off in Konoha, and learning to defend himself."

"That's why he was admitted into the Konoha Ninja Academy?"

"He actually wanted to attend…" The Hokage gave a slight smile. "He was quite determined to become a shinobi, as I recall. I just made sure no one stopped him from attending."

"No, but they sabotaged him at every opportunity, didn't they?" Kurenai knew a jonin was supposed to remain calm and logical at all times… but her frustration with what she was learning put that to the test.

"He still overcame that, didn't he?" that gentle smile was still on the
Hokage's face. "And he was awarded his hitai-ite from his sensei, a man who lost his entire family to the Kyuubi." He paused for a moment, looking Kurenai directly in the eyes. "And now he has you."

Suddenly Kurenai felt like she'd just passed a test of some sort. "You were expecting me to come here today, weren't you?"

He nodded. "Perhaps not this early though."

"I had to get up to meet Gai. Naruto's taijutsu needs a lot of extra work. I agreed to work with Tenten on genjutsu, which Gai is hopeless at." She bit her tongue after saying that. Technically, jonins were responsible for training their own genins. There wasn't a specific rule against what she'd done, but it was definitely against custom.

The Hokage chuckled out loud, which shocked her. "Trust Yuuhi Kurenai to break the rules in such a way as to make us ask why we hadn't long ago."

Kurenai shrugged, a little uncomfortable with his humor. "It only made sense. Gai is the best taijutsu instructor I know. His time is better spent doing that than trying to teach genjutsus – something I can do better."

"I see the logic of your plan. Most jonins would not admit that someone else can teach a subject better than they."

"I aim for my genins to be as well prepared as possible before I lead them outside the walls of Konoha. We all know how… the unexpected… can always happen." She didn't mean to sound bitter, but her words still came out that way.

"You still dwell on that day." It was not a question her Hokage was asking.

"There are still no answers for what happened." Her voice was layered with a deep tension, like a steel cable gradually becoming taut.

"You mean there are no answers that you will accept," despite his words, the Hokage's voice was gentle. He seemed to be more sad than anything else.

"Some things stretch the boundaries of coincidence… and we all know who benefited the most from such a tragedy." The cable began to vibrate.

"But there is no proof."

"Is that an indication of innocence? Or cunning? It doesn't matter. I have another team with someone on it who he would rather see in the ground. I'm not going to take any chances this time."

That refusal to take any chances was why she found herself standing outside the Hokage's tower right now, waiting for her student. And feeling her headache get steadily worse.

Fortunately, she did not have long to wait. Shortly before the ninth hour, an orange blur appeared in the distance, bouncing along the rooftops. She watched closely, but there didn't seem to be anyone chasing him, which was a relief. She hoped he'd stop committing pranks all the time… especially if she kept him too busy to get bored.

Naruto landed in a crouch in front of her, grinning like a madman.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the rush?" she asked.

"Ano, you said yesterday that a scouting team needed to do a lot of running away. So I figured it would be good training to travel as quickly as possible."

Kurenai nodded. "And your alarm didn't go off and you barely woke up in time to get here."

Naruto laughed uneasily, and scratched at the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

She chuckled a little as she gestured for him to walk with her. "Well, we'll need to get you a good alarm today as well. Tomorrow you're going to start getting up at five every morning."

"Five o'clock! Why?" Naruto's eyes had gone wide and his mouth dropped open comically.

"Because that's when Gai-sensei does extra taijutsu training with his student, Lee. You will be joining them every day we are in Konoha, is that understood?"

"You aren't going to train me?" He asked, sounding a little confused and disappointed.

"You will still train under me with the rest of the team at our normal meeting times. This is extra training. You'll be working with Maito Gai because he's one of the best taijutsu masters I know. He'll be able to show you things I can't necessarily do."

She took two steps before she realized Naruto had stopped dead in his tracks. "Aren't you my sensei?" he asked, perplexed.

"Yes, I am. Though you should probably call Gai 'sensei' as well. Despite what you may think, it's not a weakness to admit that someone else is better at something than you are. In many ways, it's a strength. Gai is the better person to teach you taijutsu… and I'll be showing his students the finer points of genjutsu. That's why shinobis work best in teams, Naruto. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Knowing how to use the abilities of your team to their best effect is the true test of a leader. Especially a Hokage. Do you understand?"

Naruto stared at her for a moment before he began to nod.

"Good. Then you will be reporting to Gai at training area twenty three every morning at six on days both his team and ours are in Konoha. I'll also give you some advance notice before I start working on genjutsus. His students will probably be joining us for those training sessions. Now… I want you to obey Gai's instructions when you are working with him, but otherwise you are still my student. Before you make any changes that extend outside your training sessions with Gai… I'd like you to check with me first, all right?"
She didn't want to undermine Gai's authority, but she was not letting him dress her student up like a clone of himself. One Rock Lee was enough.

Naruto nodded, a little less sure of himself this time.

"Good. Did you bring your money?"

Naruto nodded and dug out a frog-shaped wallet that was stuffed to bursting with folded ryou notes. She blinked, a little impressed that he'd managed to save so much. But she supposed that wasn't so hard to do when few shop owners would have anything to do with him. "Then let's get to it. We have less than three hours before we have to meet the others."

They stopped for a quick lunch before heading over to training ground nineteen. By that time, Kurenai's headache still hadn't dissipated. The shopping itself didn't help. As she expected, she had to resort to some fairly vile threats to get the shopkeepers to cooperate. Even then she caught two of them deliberately over-charging the boy. The incredibly surprised look on the boy's face when she spoke up in his defense made it even harder for her to control her temper.

"I can refuse service to anyone I choose," a particularly sour old man grated, then spat on the ground in front of them.

"Naruto is a shinobi of the leaf. Is he given a choice about whether or not to defend you if the village is attacked?" she countered.

"You got no business threatening me. What were they thinking, making a silly girl a jonin?"

Kurenai locked gazes with the old man as the temperature inside the weapons shop seemed to drop twenty or thirty degrees. Even Naruto edged backward as the other customers fled. "This silly little girl is acting under the direct orders of the Hokage himself. That means I can do anything to you that I want, since you are acting against his wishes. I can send you on a thirty minute tour of the lowest level of Yomi. When I'm done with you, no one will even recognize you. Assuming, of course, that you're still sane. It would be a lot easier to just drive you mad and then take what we want… wouldn't it, Naruto?"

"Neh, Kurenai-sensei! I don't want anyone to say I am a thief!"

She couldn't tell if Naruto knew she was bluffing or not. This, of course, made the shopkeeper even more terrified. "You are lucky my student cares about his reputation. He's naïve enough to think a foolish old man like you might eventually learn his lesson and see him for who he is. You and I both know that will never happen. After all, you were idiotic enough to insult a jonin to her face, right?" She was laying it on a little thick, but the old baka had decided to play around with the wrong kunoichi this morning.

"Y-yes! I mean, no! I mean…" the old man was babbling in fear now. Even an extremely weak killing intent on her part had nearly broken him.

"Let's go Naruto. As stupid as this old man is, he's probably sharpened the handles of his Kunai instead of the points."

As they made their way to another shop, one run by the father of one of Gai's genins, she spoke quietly to her student. "You notice how fear and ignorance seem to run hand in hand in people? A person with one, usually has a good portion of the other, and as such is easily affected by genjutsu.

He hates you, only because he is afraid, and his fear needs an outlet."

"Why are you telling me this, sensei?"

"Because of this… ignorance and cowardice will never be completely eradicated from the hearts of men. Even if you become Hokage, there will be some people who will still refuse to accept you. There are more than a few people in Konoha who do not accept the Sandaime, either." More than she would have thought before this morning anyway.

Naruto nodded slowly. His eyes may have dimmed a little, and she felt ashamed of herself for tarnishing his dreams, even if it would save him from future disappointment.

"That said," she continued, "what I did just now is not something to be done lightly. There was an element of bullying to how I treated that old man, and that is not something a shinobi should be doing."

"Then why did you do it?" he said, asking the obvious question.

"One, I wanted to demonstrate something for you. Two, he was acting directly against the will of the Hokage, which is criminal at best and treasonous at worst. Three, he insulted my gender."

"Gender?" Naruto asked. The boy was full of questions, but in some ways that made him easier to teach.

"Some people think that men are inherently superior to women."

Naruto just looked at her, obviously puzzled.

"Look, which of your teammates would you rather face in a serious fight?"

"Oh. Hinata, of course."

"What do you mean, 'of course'?" Kurenai asked in a deceptively mild tone.

"Well, Shino's bigger, and he hits harder."

"But wouldn't Hinata's Jyuuken hurt more?"

"Maybe, but I don't think she'd use it on a teammate."

Kurenai sighed. "All right then, outside our team. Say… would you rather face Sasuke or Sakura."

The boy visibly shuddered. "S-sasuke."

Kurenai stopped dead in her tracks. Naruto would rather face the Uchiha genius? Maybe he was still afraid of offending his crush… "Why is that?" she asked him.

"Sakura hits really, really hard when she's mad," Naruto whispered.

Okay, he is being objective after all, Kurenai mused, maybe there's hope for him after all. Asuma didn't do nearly as well.

On the way to the other weapon shop, she passed a tailor that had a banner on the front proclaiming their grand opening. She changed their itinerary on the spot, and was glad she did. The proprietor, a man named Ikitaro, had recently emigrated from Wave Country, hoping to make a new start after the economic depression there ruined his old business. As she hoped, the man knew nothing about Naruto's past, and was overjoyed that one of his first new customers would be a Konoha shinobi.

Ikitaro had some ideas that Kurenai liked, though she had a few suggestions, based on what she knew about Gai's training methods.

"Weights? Really? How heavily should those seams be reinforced then?" the young man asked.  

[Pandora Green]

Kurenai gave Naruto a speculative look. "I'd use the heaviest material you have, backed with thick leather for the seams and the inserts. His instructor tends to increase the load as they get used to it."

Naruto didn't sound too enthused at what she was suggesting… right up until she mentioned that it would make him faster and stronger than Sasuke. At
that point he would have cheerfully agreed to being lit on fire.

Ikitaro didn't have any other customers yet, and he worked incredibly fast, altering some heavy clothes that were already close to the right size. When they were done, Naruto didn't have a scrap of orange left. He wore heavy trousers made of a dark green material, with a matching jacket. Both pieces were reversible, the lining being a neutral grey. The idea being that when he was traveling somewhere with little or no vegetation, the grey color would be less conspicuous. The knees and elbows were reinforced with quilted padding. Ikitaro also included, at her suggestion, a dark grey cloth that Naruto could wrap around his head and tuck under his hitai-ite to conceal his bright blond hair.

Under the jacket he wore a black t-shirt, and a shuriken holster was strapped to each thigh. A weapons pouch was attached to his belt on each hip as well. Kurenai noted that Naruto didn't really seem to favor either hand when he fought; some tasks he seemed to do right-handed and other things he did left-handed. He was more than likely ambidextrous, a rare and useful trait, especially for a shinobi. Not that anyone would bother to notice, she reflected bitterly, best not to make a big fuss about it. That would only drive home that no one paid attention before. They also purchased a large traveling backpack for him. Since Gai would almost certainly have him working with weights on his body like Lee, she decided that some of that extra weight might as well take the form of extra weapons and equipment. One day he might be called upon to carry a wounded teammate, just like she was… Kurenai ruthlessly severed that train of thought.

Naruto was oddly quiet as he looked at himself in the mirror. It was hard for her to tell at that angle, but he seemed to be frowning slightly. She stood directly behind him so he could see her face in the mirror as she nodded approvingly. "You look like a serious shinobi now."

He nodded, but still looked a little sad as he paid Ikitaro and stuffed his old jumpsuit into the backpack. The shopkeeper looked a little unsure about the change in his once-exuberant customer, but he still bowed and invited them back if Naruto needed any repairs or alterations.

"Is something the matter, Naruto?"

He shook his head. "I just feel… funny. When I look at myself in these clothes I get a weird feeling in my stomach, and I know it's not expired milk."
Kurenai was fairly sure she didn't want to know more about his last remark.

"Maybe it's started sinking in, Naruto. You've graduated from the academy and become a genin. Soon, you will be doing missions, and some of them will be dangerous. Maybe the new clothes represent that seriousness?"

Naruto nodded slowly. "Is it okay to feel scared about that?"

"It would be stupid not to. Every shinobi who goes on a mission does so knowing that something might end their life. But life is all about risk, isn't it? So we work, and we train, and we do everything we can to be prepared for what comes. I'll do what I can to keep you three alive and safe, and you'll help me keep Shino and Hinata safe as well."

"What about them, sensei?"

"They will help me keep each other safe, and you as well."

"Then who keeps you safe?"

Kurenai smiled. "That's my job. There's a reason they send a jonin with each genin team, and it isn't just to make you behave."

Naruto scowled at this but didn't say anything.

As Kurenai hoped, the next weapon shop they visited had a more congenial proprietor. Once she mentioned that Naruto would be training under his daughter's sensei he was even friendlier.

"Tenten isn't here right now," he explained as he looked at Naruto speculatively. "Do you have a special weapon preference?" he asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Just kunais and shuriken."

The man nodded thoughtfully. "Probably better to get more of your full growth before your commit to something."

"Really?" Naruto looked at him in confusion.

The man nodded. "Unless you plan to train on a wide variety of weapons," he said, his proud smile unmistakable as he thought of his daughter, "it's best to see what size you are likely to end up at. Some weapons work better for relatively larger people, others work better for shinobi that are usually smaller than their opponents. Even a cut down tetsubo is less effective if you are smaller than everyone you fight. Similarly, trying to snare a much smaller and faster opponent with a manriki-gusari can be an exercise in frustration. Most shinobi your age just stick with kunai until they encounter something that really appeals to them."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. Then he frowned. "What are a tetsubo and a manniki-gitari?"

The man made a face, and then laughed. "A tetsubo is an iron-shod club, made out of heavy oak and around six feet long. It's a very heavy weapon, but hits very hard. It requires good balance and lot of strength to use well. The manriki-gusari is a chain with a weighted handle on each end. It's tricky to use, but very handy for entangling opponents."

Kurenai spoke up before Naruto wore out his welcome. "He'll need two full sets of kunai and shuriken." The ones he'd used at the academy were dull and covered with nicks and gouges, evidently having been forged from inferior steel. He'd no doubt also paid a premium for them, given the way he was frowning at the prices on display.

"Do you carry exploding tags?" she asked before Naruto could ask why his prices were so low. She didn't want him seeking vengeance on the shopkeepers on his own. Her idea worked better than she thought as Naruto's head jerked up. She remembered Mattai talking about how 'men' always liked things that exploded and had to force herself to swallow.

"I just received a new case from the Sumijin. I, uh, tested one out back, just to be sure. It lit up precisely three seconds after my chakra triggered it, and produced a nice-sized fireball. Easily ten feet across."

Naruto's eyes lit up eagerly, and Kurenai had to restrain him from spending the rest of his money on the explosive ofuda. The magic word, of course, was 'Ramen', and a suggestion that he might want to save some money if the team were to get together after practice for an early dinner.

The mention of food also produced a low growl from the boy's stomach that was audible to everyone nearby. Naruto looked embarrassed, but the shopkeeper just laughed and recommended a nearby restaurant. "I remember what it was like when I was his age. I never thought I would stop being hungry!" Naruto chuckled at that and Kurenai decided she'd be sending the man all of her business in the future. The old goat with the shop near the Hokage's tower deserved to go out of business and starve.
Hinata's morning seemed to crawl by… much like the inchworm she watched as she sat in the garden. She'd slept poorly that night, too excited to relax. She couldn't believe her fortune at being placed on a team with Naruto-kun. The rest of the day had passed in a bit of a haze.

She knew she hadn't been properly focused during the taijutsu sparring. Shino managed to hold her off with no difficulty. Naruto too, was just as fast as she was, if a little less… precise in his movements. Ordinarily, she might have been a little worried about sparring with the boy she admired, wondering if he would grow impatient with her weakness. Instead, he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit, smiling as they exchanged blows, and sticking his lower lip out when she managed to connect. She tried not to pay attention when he did that, because she found his fake sulks adorable and squealing 'kwaii!' in the middle of taijutsu practice was not something a Hyuuga warrior was supposed to do.

The way Naruto enjoyed sparring, she wondered why he never joined in with the other kids after school when they gathered, sometimes with the parents supervising, for extra practice… and to show off a bit. She, of course, was not allowed to do such things, as her father would not approve. The secrets of Jyuuken, her family's 'Gentle Fist' taijutsu style, were not meant to be paraded around in front of 'commoners'. Hinata sometimes wondered who in the village, outside her family, were not considered commoners, but she hadn't built up the nerve to ask her father.

At least her duties as a shinobi were clear cut. If Kurenai-sensei wanted her to spar with her teammates, then she was right to do so. Father could not disapprove of her following a direct order… though sometimes she wondered.
Hinata had learned, at a young age, to be wary of the emotional states of others, and to read them as a means of self-defense. Her father was best avoided when he was angry or frustrated. Otherwise, the sight of her might remind him of her history of failures and he might decide to test her in some new way. She knew he was only trying to find some aspect of her life in which she wasn't a complete disappointment to him, but lately she was starting to wish he would just give up on her. It hurt too much to be given hope that she might somehow win his approval this time, only to have it brutally crushed out of her heart when she invariably failed again.
She knew her life was one long legacy of failures, but hopefully, if she trained hard, she might find some way to make a difference. Perhaps she could die bravely in a mission, like the heroine in a book she'd once read. That way at least her failures would be over and maybe in some way her death would mean something. Maybe if she did that well enough, her father might not regard her as a waste of a life.

She frowned as she recognized the downward spiral her thoughts had taken. This was happening more and more frequently of late, and she found it a little disturbing. Yet another thing that was going wrong with her. The other kunoichis didn't think like this, did they? What was wrong with her?
She pressed her fingers together as she scowled. What was she thinking about before being distracted by failures? Yes. Father could not disapprove of her following Kurenai-sensei's orders. They were drilled constantly on the laws of the shinobi at the Konoha Ninja Academy, and obedience to one's superior was paramount. This was so ingrained in the way of the shinobi that if her commander ordered her to do something that violated the laws of the village, then her commander would be responsible in the eyes of the law.
But she'd also sensed something between her father and Kurenai-sensei when she was sent to the academy. Something that she was almost too distracted by her mortification to notice. There was a tension there, one that was unexpected. Kurenai-sensei never took her eyes off of Otousan, and her father seemed to react toward her with greater disdain than he normally displayed toward a chuunin who was not a Hyuuga. Pondering that dynamic was less painful at the time than thinking about her father's words as he cast her away like refuse.

It was also diverting to think of his latest reactions to her news. Two nights ago, he'd stared at her when she announced that she had passed the genin examination. Then he asked her what her ranking in the class had been. She had been so happy to have passed that she didn't think to ask about the class rankings afterward. He scowled when she tried to explain this, saying in a cold voice that for a Hyuuga to pass as anything but the top of the class was a failure in and of itself. He'd seen the crop of rabble that they were admitting these days, and he was far from impressed. It should be simplicity itself for the Hyuuga heir to distinguish herself from the common dregs, if she would but try.

Hinata was embarrassed and ashamed that she hadn't anticipated her father's request. She had forgotten her family's place at the forefront of the village. Of course, merely passing would not be enough to earn his approval. After lunch yesterday, she'd asked Iruka-sensei in the hallway if she could know her ranking within the class. He'd looked at her for a long moment, then explained that such information was considered classified by the village. She started to explain why she wanted to know when Iruka suggested, in a kindly voice, that Hiashi-sama was more than welcome to meet with himself or any other academy instructor if he desired the details on her performance. At this, Hinata merely turned red and bowed, babbling apologies. She knew father would not waste time to come here in person to hear of her failures.

But his reaction the previous night was even stranger. He asked if she'd been assigned to a jonin for missions, or given some other duty. When she said she would be on a team under Yuuhi Kurenai, he went very still. She saw something dark flash behind his blank eyes and felt a sudden surge of terror. She'd never seen her father fight before. She'd been wrapped up in blankets when her father killed the kidnapper from Kumo. But now she'd seen a flash of his killer intent, and found it to be every bit as terrifying as she'd imagined.
As quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Then he asked who her teammates were. He didn't react to Aburame Shino, but when she mentioned Uzumaki Naruto… The dark fire behind his blank white eyes returned, but it was even stronger this time. His killing intent made what she felt earlier seem to be a mild flash of irritation. She asked if there was a problem, in a quavering voice that she hated herself for. He responded by ordering her to bathe and retire for the night. She wasn't that hungry for supper, but she was puzzled by his insistence that she cleanse herself. She ordinarily took a shower every morning, and she hadn't really worked up that much of a sweat during the day.

Now she wasn't to meet her new team until noon, so she woke up as early as she could and made her way to the garden after dressing. The garden had been her mother's pride and joy, according to the older servants, and it was seldom frequented in the mornings. As such, it had become a haven for her. Here she could sit and think. Here she could try and tease apart the nightmarish tangle of disappointments and failure her life had become.
She looked up at the sun, calculating that it was nearly eleven now. She rose from her mother's bench and slipped out of the Hyuuga compound.
Aburame Shino was not quite sure what to make of his team.

It was logical that he might be assigned to a reconnaissance team. His abilities were quite suitable for such a role. Shino was a great believer in logic.

He was also painfully aware that his belief in rationality placed him firmly in the minority among both his fellow shinobi and the residents of Konoha in general. He didn't really understand why he was surrounded by people who insisted on handling their affairs in such incredibly slipshod manners. They based the most important decisions of their lives on emotional, poorly thought out, and invariably fallacious reasoning. They mated, raised families, and began careers, all with no thought of the eventual outcomes.

Hives were much more intelligently run. Their goals were rather Spartan, but all the more straightforward because of that. Raise the young to continue the colony, locate and retrieve food to sustain the members, protect the queen so she can continue laying eggs. Simple, but logical. An insect hive's system of priorities was never skewed. Ego and emotions never coerced them into doing stupid things. He admired their focus and dedication to their goals.

For all of his own rationality and desire to maintain an objective focus, how did he end up in this situation? He was teamed up with two of the most emotional and erratic genins in his class. Uzumaki Naruto's abilities followed no sane progression. He failed his exam because he was singularly incapable of creating an acceptable bunshin. But yesterday, he was somehow a genin anyway, and furthermore capable of using the far more demanding Kage Bunshin technique.

There was something quite odd about the boy, something that ran far deeper than just being class clown at the academy. His kikai bugs were unusually wary of being too close to his body. Something about him smelled odd to them, but they couldn't really explain what it was. That alone would be cause for concern. Things that couldn't be easily categorized were invariably dangerous. The idea of the smiling, ramen-obsessed blond being dangerous was ludicrous, but the principle still held. He had a secret, and for a shinobi, secrets can kill.

On the other hand, Hyuuga Hinata was all too easy to comprehend. She had an obvious fixation on their teammate, Naruto. To give her credit, she seemed intelligent on other subjects, and seemingly every female her age was obsessed with at least one member of the male gender. Although Naruto was harder to comprehend in such a role than the Uchiha heir, it was just as irritating to have to deal with.

When he pointed out the obvious gaps in their array of skills, the kunoichi expressed an unswerving faith that the object of her affections would not let them down. She believed he would somehow magically acquire the skills that had eluded him throughout their years at the academy. While hard work could, in fact, make up for some deficits in ability, her avowal that Naruto would never let them down was nothing short of ridiculous.

The sheer irrationality of the situation left him looking somewhat askance at their jonin instructor. Yuuhi Kurenai was only recently promoted to the jonin rank, and this was to be her first team of genins. He found it hard to believe, however, that a genjutsu specialist with her reputation for intelligence would just pick her team out at random. There had to be some deeper reason for the three of them being thrown together like this. He was just damned if he could see it.

It wasn't like he had any choice, and that realization brought a frown to his face. One small enough, however, to remain hidden behind his sunglasses and jacket collar, which was good. One had to maintain appearances, after all. No matter how irritating the situation.

Naruto felt a bit odd in his new clothes. They were comfortable, of course, Ikitaro was extremely skillful. It was puzzling how he managed to lose his business in the Wave Country. Whatever that 'economic depression' thing was, it sounded pretty bad.

There was more than one reason for his uneasiness, despite what he'd told Kurenai. The other factor just took him longer to puzzle out. When people saw him, they didn't immediately recognize him anymore. In some ways this was disappointing. He wanted people to recognize him, Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah. At the same time, it was… interesting to have them look at him with the neutral, vaguely respectful expressions they reserved for shinobi of the leaf that they didn't recognize. At least Ikitaro and that last weapon smith seemed to respect him as Naruto, even though Ikitaro had no way of knowing about his sealed prisoner.

Naruto kept his face carefully neutral as he walked with Kurenai-sensei and tried to work out how he felt about this. Some villagers eventually recognized his face as they approached. At this point many would glare as they did in the past. However, a few continued looking confused. Were they wondering what the clothes signified? Or were they starting to question their opinion of the shinobi wearing those clothes? Naruto struggled to maintain the sober expression that Kurenai-sensei called a 'game face' for some obscure reason. He wondered if he should ask her about the villagers' changing reactions as well.

It was a little unnerving, how wise his jonin instructor was. He'd never encountered someone who spent so much time thinking about the reasons behind things. At least, he'd never encountered someone who thought so much about those things – and was willing to share that information with him as well. He'd probably spent more time thinking and less time talking in the last twenty-four hours than in any day of his life. He didn't understand why she spent so much time explaining things.

She said that it was important for him to understand, so that made it part of her job. But that would apply to the academy instructors as well, wouldn't it? Until his last year, when he was assigned to Iruka-sensei's class, he'd never had an instructor who would simply answer any of his questions. Some were sarcastic or abusive when he raised his hand, wanting to know why he couldn't understand something so simple. This would usually get a laugh from his classmates at Naruto's expense. The really cold ones just ignored him when he raised his hand, looking through him like he wasn't there. Those were the worst, and fueled his determination to become a prankster. If they wanted to ignore him, then they would pay the price.

Naruto took a deep breath as they approached training area nineteen. Kurenai-sensei had explained as they ate lunch that he would be far too busy to do many pranks. Naruto wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He'd had some fun over the past couple of years, and enjoyed the grudging respect he'd earned from the few people who could appreciate his artistry. He would miss planning and executing one of his stunts, not to mention the wild chases that inevitably followed. On the other hand, his pranks were usually committed out of boredom, which was anathema to him… and Kurenai-sensei promised that he would have no time to become bored.
It was also oddly rankling how she said that she didn't want him causing trouble now that he was on her team. He'd lived on his own for years now, with no one bossing him around. Now his jonin instructor was laying down the law and restricting what he could do, even during his free time.

However… he wasn't just upset about this. She also said that his misbehavior could reflect poorly on his team as well as herself. When she said that "I don't want to have to explain to Hokage-sama why one of my genins still has enough free time to deface the monument," he felt his stomach contract like he'd been hit. Her genins. His team. He'd never really had anyone claim him like that before. It was an alarming and comforting sensation, all at the same time.

No one had ever described Naruto as 'theirs' before, not in any way that counted. His acceptance at the Konoha Ninja Academy was grudging at best, and he suspected that Hokage-sama had something to do with it. After all, the old man was the first person to even ask him if he wanted to train as a shinobi.

But Kurenai-sensei freely described him as 'her student', even when talking to villagers that obviously hated him. Hinata didn't seem to be disappointed about teaming with the 'dead last'. Neither did Shino, though it was hard to tell with those dark glasses he wore over his expressionless face.

Kurenai also said she was depending on him… depending on him to help keep his teammates safe. No one had ever said anything like that to him before. The responsibility it implied was a little frightening. But at the same time, he wanted to shout about it from the roof-tops. The latter feeling surprised him.

Uzumaki Naruto was not known for his introspective capabilities. He'd gotten through twelve difficult years operating by the seat of his pants, but Kurenai-sensei had demonstrated at Moritake's just how powerful her intuition was when it was bolstered by some hard thinking. It was with this in mind that he tried to tease apart his own feelings. It took a surprisingly short amount of time for him to arrive at an answer.

He'd been acknowledged.

In the space of twenty four hours, Naruto had been acknowledged by no less than four people. First Iruka, who he'd gotten to know over his last year at the academy. Even after suffering the loss of his family to the Kyuubi, he still saw Naruto as a lonely boy, much like himself, rather than the demon kitsune.

More surprising was the jonin who'd asked for him to be included on her team, valuing his skill with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. She didn't know him, but she still saw value in him as a person and a shinobi. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that the errands they'd run that morning were a normal part of a jonin instructor's responsibilities.

His teammates had also accepted him to some extent as well. They didn't sneer yesterday when he was beaten during their impromptu sparring matches. In fact, he even noticed Hinata smiling when he bounced off the tree and actually got inside Shino's guard for once. Shino didn't get angry when Naruto actually scored on him. He just nodded silently and went back into a ready position.

As far as Naruto could remember, neither of them had laughed or sneered at him while they were at the academy, which already put them in the clear minority.

Naruto's thoughts stumbled over each other as he pondered this realization. He remembered what his sensei had said about Team 10. Most of the leaf shinobi also knew their famous fathers, the previous Nara-Akimichi-Yamanaka team, and how they were still friends (and drinking buddies) to this day. Naruto wondered if they conspired to have their children at roughly the same time, just to ensure they'd have the chance to work together as genin like their fathers. Would his team become as close? Was that normal for genins who undertook missions together?

For Naruto, who'd never really had any friends his own age, that idea struck him like a thunderbolt, almost making him stumble and fall. Would Shino and Hinata become his friends, as well as teammates? Given what he knew, it seemed almost inevitable, didn't it?

Then Naruto was struck by a sudden chill. Well, perhaps not inevitable.
There was another possible fate that awaited every genin team. Despite the presence of jonin instructors and the limitations on what missions they could take, there was always the possible fate that awaited any shinobi on a mission. Bad luck and treachery could circumvent any safeguards, and jonins were not infallible. Sometimes genins did not come back from their missions. Naruto also heard that many died during the difficult tests for chuunin rank. Sometimes they made it back, but with injuries that forced them to seek a different vocation. Any way you sliced it, being a professional shinobi was not a safe profession.

Oddly enough, given how short a time he'd had them, the thought of losing his teammates sent a chill right through Naruto's heart. He knew that at this point he was dreading the loss of a potential friend more than the real thing, but it stung nonetheless. He knew Kurenai-sensei would do everything in her power to prevent that, but again, she was still only human.

Then he remembered what she'd said earlier. "…and you'll help me keep Shino and Hinata safe as well," were her words. Naruto's jaw tightened and he felt unaccountably angry, almost… fierce. He found himself gritting his teeth and curling his hands into fists as they approached the training area.
For someone who'd been alone all his life, Kurenai-sensei, Shino, and Hinata had joined Iruka-sensei as representatives of something that was more precious than gold. Anyone trying to hurt his precious people would do so only after stepping over his dead body.

Yuuhi Kurenai couldn't completely suppress a grim smile as she felt the killing intent literally exploding from within her student. It had been fascinating to subtly observe the play of emotions across his face as they walked to the training area to meet with the others. She'd have to teach him how to hide his emotions better when he was brooding, because the direction of his thoughts had been almost embarrassingly obvious to her. Asuma and the Nara boy would clean out his pockets if they could lure him into a game or three.

But now he seemed to have connected the dots that she'd presented him with, and his obvious determination confirmed that she'd picked wisely. She didn't know if having a potential heavy combat specialist on their team would have saved Mattai and the others, but it couldn't hurt. Especially given how motivated Naruto seemed to be.

He was oblivious to the reactions of the others, hands fisted at his sides and glaring down at the street. But the villagers definitely noticed the murderous aura radiating from the boy like a bonfire. Many of them turned away from him before his presence even registered. The ones that hadn't yet recognized Naruto were quietly respectful; the ones that recognized the Kyuubi's jailor looked terrified. As well they might, Kurenai reflected angrily, given the way he's been treated.

Nonetheless, she carefully placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. His head snapped around, glaring, but his features immediately softened when he saw her. He nodded without saying a word and smiled.

She knew the boy was strong willed. He'd have to be to have endured the treatment of the villagers without breaking down or lashing out. But until now, she'd never had an objective demonstration of it. It took considerable force of will to generate a psychic atmosphere capable of intimidating without words. Especially without eye contact. But the short blond had gone from smiling prankster to enraged killer in the blink of an eye, to an extent that even Ibiki-san would have taken note of.

More and more the boy seemed to be a diamond in the rough, just waiting for a hand patient enough to polish it to gleaming perfection. Maybe her analogy was a little off… her true task was more to sharpen him into a diamond-edged weapon, one capable of helping her reach a goal she'd set years ago.  

[Pandora Green]

Chapter 3

Hinata was the first to arrive at training area nineteen. She'd left home earlier than strictly necessary, but she was happy to be out of the Hyuuga compound. It was, she supposed, somewhat shameful that she felt happier away from her ancestral home. She knew that her father would see that as a demeaning lack of pride in her heritage. Hinata sometimes wondered what her mother would think, if she were still alive.

Shino arrived a few minutes later. The Aburame boy was quiet, merely nodding to her when she greeted him. At first Hinata wondered if he was angry with her for disagreeing with him at lunch yesterday. But as she watched him examine the base of one of the trees, she remembered how quiet he had been at the academy. Perhaps he just didn't have anything to say.

Kurenai arrived with another boy, and it took a moment for Hinata to recognize Naruto without the orange jumpsuit that had been his trademark over the last couple of years. He was frowning; making Hinata wondered what was wrong. Naruto was always smiling and joking, and for him to appear so grim…

As they approached, Kurenai-sensei put her hand on his shoulder and said something too quiet to hear. Naruto nodded and shook himself, like a dog with wet fur, and then he straightened up and let out a sigh. Naruto grinned at everyone and she felt her face begin to flush again.

"I'm glad to see you all got here early," Kurenai called out as they walked up. "Punctuality is important for what we do… or rather, being too late can be fatal."

Hinata felt her stomach tighten at the jonin's grim words, but tried not to let her fear show. Father would be mortified that any Hyuuga, let alone his own daughter, would show fear before others. Not that Hinata had done that well at abiding by her father's wishes.

Shino didn't visibly react to their sensei's words. Instead, he just continued to look at her through his ever-present dark glasses. Hinata envied his reserve.

Hinata did not know quite what to make of Naruto's new uniform. He looked rather good in it, she had to admit. It was also certainly more practical, but his orange jumpsuit had become such a part of him that it seemed strange to see him without it. The quiet way he approached with Kurenai-sensei was also at odds with his normal behavior. All of this made Hinata concerned for her teammate. She liked the Naruto that always smiled and tried again, and she didn't want to see that change.

As she became more upset, a sudden thought gave her pause. She liked the loud, brassy Naruto, but did he necessarily like it himself? He'd looked so dejected after the Genin exam, and her mind wandered back to other times that he'd been down. Were those truly the only times he'd been upset – or were they the only times he let it show?

Reading people was a high art among the Hyuugas, ever since one of her clan leader ancestors took his Byakugan to a new level. Hinaro-san was the first to actively read a person's intentions from the tension in their bodies and the way they moved. The observations he made were said to be devastatingly accurate, and the Fire Lord often hired him to evaluate his courtiers and to aid his spymaster in weeding out the disloyal. His eyes were said to be acute enough to detect variations in a shinobi's pulse rate by observing the vibrations in the skin over their carotid arteries. There is even a rumor that fear of this formidable skill was what led the Hatake family to begin wearing their traditional masks.

As with most of her family's arts, Hinata was not very adept with body reading. She could see the disappointment and resentment that festered in the eyes of the clan elders, but they also didn't bother to conceal their feelings. Her cousin Neji, on the other hand, was said to be able to see things that the adults wished to keep unnoticed. From most people, Hinata could merely guess at their mental state.

However, she had also spent a long time studying Naruto. She was no expert on his mercurial moods, but as she watched him approach, she didn't get a sense of sadness or anger from him. He was just… reserved, in an odd way.

At the same time, he also seemed very focused. When Kurenai-sensei spoke, Naruto took in every word. Not even Iruka-sensei at his angriest could command so much of Naruto's attention. Hinata found herself respecting the jonin even more now, though she wondered what she had said or done to

Naruto to earn such respect.

Her curiosity became even stronger when the woman reached into the pouch at her waist and removed a pair of scrolls. She handed one to Shino and the other to Hinata. "These are some exercises I'd like you to perform on your own, outside of our team meetings. They are mostly speed and endurance-building exercises, though there are also activities that should build up your chakra capacity and control."

Hinata carefully placed the scroll in her weapons pouch. "Ano, sensei, uh… what will we be doing during team meetings?" Despite Kurenai-sensei's kindly demeanor, Hinata still found it embarrassingly difficult to speak out or ask questions.

"That's a good question, Hinata," Kurenai replied evenly. "I'd like this time to be spent working on things that would benefit from us all being together. For the speed and endurance training, I will leave it to each of you to make sure you are pushing yourselves as hard as you can. Remember, it won't just be you paying the penalty if you don't. But a team also needs to learn how to fight together. Sparring will let you test and improve your skills against one another, and it will also let you come to understand each others' fighting styles. From what I saw yesterday, they are quite different."

Kurenai smiled, perhaps a little grimly. "That knowledge will prove very useful when you fight together as a team. You will know how your teammates will react and be able to move with them smoothly to counter any threats. A well-trained shinobi team can move together like a well-oiled machine, and becomes much more effective than just the sum of its members. We call this extra bonus 'synergy'."

Hinata nodded slowly. She vaguely remembered something about that concept from lessons at the academy last year. Naruto frowned thoughtfully but didn't say anything.

With that, Kurenai put them to work. "We'll start with just taijutsu today. No other techniques for right now. Just hand to hand. Hinata, why don't you and Naruto start? Light contact only."

Hinata was a little nervous about sparring with Naruto first thing, but tried to control her reactions. Sensei was right, she needed to know her teammates as well as she knew herself.

Naruto moved a little stiffly at first, perhaps because of his new clothes. Hinata activated her Byakugan so she could see his Tenketsu points, but she didn't push any chakra out of her palms as she struck. This way she could tell if she struck true, which wasn't as often as she liked, but didn't disable her teammate.

Naruto jolted back on his heels when her palm slipped around his block and struck him flat on the chest. He smiled ruefully at her and shook his head. Her stomach gave an odd wobble as he dropped back into a ready stance. Naruto didn't seem to be upset that she'd scored on him. In fact, his look was almost… approving.

That thought made her falter and she almost missed a block. Naruto, of course, was pulling his punches at the last instant; neither of them was out to hurt the other. Nonetheless, his knuckles still jarred her shoulder.

Mortified at her slip, Hinata grabbed his sleeve, wrapping her fingers around his arm just above the wrist. She brought her other hand in low, aiming for the Tenketsu point right above the hara, between the navel and diaphragm.
Naruto twisted backwards to avoid the blow, but her hold on his arm limited his motion. Naruto purposefully fell backwards. Hinata let go of his arm so she could chamber a kick, but then realized that he had a handful of her jacket clenched in his fist now.

Her unpredictable teammate rolled onto his back, pulling his knees up to his chest, and Hinata was yanked forward off her feet. He let go of her shoulder as her stomach came to rest on his sandals. Hinata barely saw the pleased grin on his face before she was launched into the air.

Hinata found herself upside down, flying backwards through the air. She curled up to speed her rotation, and managed to get her feet under her before she landed, her back to Naruto.

"Good recoveries, both of you," Kurenai said, and with the Byakugan still active, Hinata could see her smiling without having to turn her head. She was embarrassed at her slip, and could see her father's disapproving glare in her mind, but no one here seemed to notice or care.

Nonetheless, Naruto seemed a bit more focused when they resumed their match. His attacks sped up and became more fluid, and Hinata had to fully focus her concentration to block him. Every time she blocked one of his punches or kicks, his grin became a little wider, and Hinata found herself smiling a little as well. He really should have participated in the after class sparring, she mused as she ducked under a looping roundhouse kick. She swept his supporting leg, but Naruto twisted sideways with the motion and landed in a hand stand. His waist twisted and the foot she'd swept came arcing towards her face. She leaned back to avoid it, and as it passed she struck the back of his calf with the heel of her hand.

This sent Naruto's lower body off-balance to the left. He should have fallen to the ground, but he'd anticipated this and flexed his elbows, throwing his upper body into the air even as his legs rotated to the ground. He ended up on his feet in a comically wide stance, but the rotation brought his upper half in close to Hinata and his left hand came up inside her guard. She tried to flinch back from the fist rising toward her jaw, but it was too late. She closed her eyes and felt her head jolt.

Instead of the expected pain of impact, her chin felt very warm. She opened her eyes, realizing that she'd dropped her Byakugan in her surprise. Naruto's hand was wrapped around the point of her chin, his fingers warm on her cheeks.

"Gotcha!" he said, chuckling happily. He withdrew his hand as she blinked at him. "I was moving too fast to be sure, so I opened my hand." He frowned. "It didn't hurt, did it?"

Hinata shook her head, not trusting her voice. She knew she was blushing, but also realized that her whole face was red from exertion, so it hopefully did not show. In fact, she was dripping with sweat and it was becoming difficult to keep her arms from trembling. Naruto's face was a little flushed, but that was it. She was a little disturbed that he wasn't even breathing very hard.

"Very good, both of you," Kurenai-sensei called out. "Adaptation, Improvisation. But your weaknesses are not your techniques. Experience will only improve you both."

Kurenai sparred with Shino next, to give them a breather. Predictably, her Sensei was noticeably faster and stronger than Shino. Hinata's attention, however, was focused more on the blond sitting on the grass next to her. He didn't even look like he'd been exercising now, and she wondered if he'd just been playing with her while they were sparring. I should have known I wasn't really that good, she mused reproachfully as she pressed her forefingers together.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by Naruto's elbow. "All those palm strikes were times you would have used chakra to shut me down?" he asked her.
Hinata nodded silently. Aside from Kurenai explaining the reasons why they trained together, it wasn't that like Jyuuken was that big a secret. Her family's famous techniques were described, in a general fashion, during the History lectures at the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Naruto rubbed at the back of his head. "Then I guess I got you twice and you would have demolished me at least a dozen. That's pretty good!"

Hinata turned and stared at the boy, but he didn't seem to be mocking her.
Kurenai smiled as she put Shino through the wringer. The boy was a little larger and physically stronger than his teammates, and for the most part he hadn't been challenged that much the day before. She had a feeling that the boy was actually a bit more talented than he let on. As reserved as the boy's father had been, she realized that she shouldn't be surprised that his son would treat the academy like an infiltration assignment.

In the back of her mind, Kurenai again wondered at how clueless the academy examiners seemed to be. If we are teaching children to be shinobi, she mused, then why should we expect straightforward tests of their abilities to be accurate? Some students would excel at those of course. The Uchiha boy, Sasuke, seemed to have something to prove, so he would of course push himself to become the top of his class.
But those might prove to be the exceptions.

She'd stayed after the meeting where the Genins were assigned and grilled Iruka for everything he could tell her about his charges. The chuunin was a little disconcerted by her attention, but gratified that she was actually interested in his observations, as well as the examination grades. In those, Shino was said to be merely average at taijutsu. He was more than capable of defeating someone without training, but was barely above the bottom third of his class at the academy.

But now, placed on the spot against a superior opponent, the boy was executing blocks and counters at a level of proficiency approaching that of a chuunin. "You've been holding out on us," she accused as she drove a spear-hand strike at his mid-section. He silently blocked with the edge of his wrist and sent a back-fist strike against her temple. Kurenai stepped into it and blocked with her forearm. She brought up an unnoticed knee and tapped Shino in the stomach.

He nodded, acknowledging her point, and stepped back into a ready stance again.

She sent a kick at his midsection, but when he went to block, she pulled her foot back, re-chambered the kick, and launched it again at his head. He ducked his head, but her heel clipped his shoulder on the way down. Shino drove two fingers into the hollow of her knee and she barely managed to pull her leg back before his nerve strike numbed it.

"You didn't learn that at the academy," she observed as he deflected a ridge-hand strike she aimed at his floating ribs. "Extra training with your family?" she asked as she blocked his counterstrike at her stomach.
Shino pushed back against her block and his feet slipped backwards a few inches on the grass. That evidently was his aim as that motion gave him enough room to bring his foot up and kick. She caught his ankle between her palms and gave his leg a sharp twist. He leapt upward and retracted his leg, pulling himself closer for a knife-hand strike at her face. The move was unexpected and well-timed, and she barely pulled her head back in time to avoid it. As it was, his fingertips ghosted across the skin of her forehead. She used her grip on his ankle to throw him back and he somersaulted backwards once before rolling onto his feet and rising into a low crouch.

"Very good, Shino," Kurenai said approvingly. "But if you wish to remain on this team, you will not hold back during our training sessions. I can understand your caution within the academy, but there should be no secrets between teammates." She saw Naruto give a guilty start out of the corner of her eye and knew he'd gotten the message as well.

Shino merely nodded at this, which she accepted with good grace. She'd get him talking. Eventually… Maybe.

After that, Naruto sparred with Shino, and had a noticeably harder time landing a hit than he did the day before. Kurenai also took the opportunity to work with Hinata on her blocking techniques. Kobaru-sensei had done the same for her, many years ago. There were ways to angle the arms and legs that increased one's leverage. These modified blocks were not taught at the Konoha Ninja Academy because they required superior speed and timing to execute properly. For an agile kunoichi who possessed less upper-body strength than her male counterparts, however, they were ideal.

Hinata took to the techniques avidly, and Kurenai could tell she was flattered to be getting any individual instruction at all. If she didn't already despise Hiashi, the Hyuuga girl's reactions would drive her to do so. When she explained why she was showing the girl the alternate techniques, Hinata just nodded thoughtfully. Kurenai was embarrassed to remember how she had given Kobaru a very hard time about his insinuation that she was weaker than Mattai or Nomaru.

After about half an hour of this, switching off sparring partners every few minutes, Kurenai found all of her genins to be somewhat worse for the wear. Naruto's new uniform was covered with dust and bits of grass from all the times he'd been knocked down. At the same time, he was also smiling broadly as he helped Hinata, who'd slipped to one knee after successfully blocking his last kick. The Hyuuga girl was red-faced and barely able to stand, and Shino's chest moved rapidly enough to inform his teacher that he was breathing hard.

"All right, that's a good start. We can walk to cool down and let our muscles relax. I can tell we definitely need to work on endurance training. Make sure you follow the exercises I gave you, and ask me if anything is unclear." With that, she led them out of the training area and through the outskirts of the village.

The villagers they passed had very different reactions to the genins placed in her charge. Hinata's eyes and unadorned forehead marked her as a member of one of Konoha's oldest and most powerful families. People who didn't know her gave her at least a respectful nod, and she returned those she noticed.

Shino's clothing and glasses marked him as an Aburame, and most people gave him a wide berth. A few glanced downward at their arms and legs, as if to make sure a bug hadn't crawled up onto them. Kurenai did have to wonder how commonplace it was for a member of Shino's clan to 'tag' the people around them with the scent-producing female kikai bugs. The one she'd worked with explained that it helped him differentiate his teammates to the 'allies' he'd stationed on guard duty. It also proved useful when a member of their team had been ambushed and wounded, and they needed to find him quickly. Of course, that didn't mean she was comfortable with the idea of someone ordering a bug to crawl onto her body and hide itself. She'd probably need to talk to Shino about that the next time she could speak to him alone.

While Shino seemed either uninterested or unperturbed by the villagers' reactions, the same could not be said of Naruto. Maybe it was his acceptance by Iruka; maybe it was her own agreement that his treatment was unjustified. In any event, as Naruto received his normal allotment of angry glares and muttered oaths, he began to glare back. Soon he was walking with his hands fisted at his sides, on legs stiff with anger and resentment.

Privately, Kurenai wondered if this wasn't a healthier attitude for him than his previous denial. At the same time, it wouldn't do for him to get into an altercation with random villagers. She resolved to let him work through his feelings on his own, but keep a close eye on him and offer advice if asked.
By the time they'd arrived at the Hokage's tower, everyone appeared to have recovered from the sparring. She led them up the stairs to the top floor, and told the chuunins on duty that they were "Team 8 reporting for assignment". At her words, she noticed Naruto straighten his posture with pride, and even Hinata stopped looking downward for a moment.

The Sandaime looked pleased to see them, and his eyes seemed to linger on Naruto's new clothes. His eyes then met hers, and she couldn't suppress a mild blush at the approval she saw in them.

"You're just in time, jonin Kurenai," the Hokage said. "We still have a few D-rank missions left." Kurenai inclined her head respectfully as the old man shuffled through a stack of papers on his desk. "There we are," he said, pulling one out. "I need you to report to Herbalist Yukitaza in the western district, near the river. He suffered a broken leg last week while working on his roof and needs some help."

Kurenai led her students down to the exit, trying not to laugh at the confusion on Naruto's face, and echoed somewhat on Hinata's. "As a new genin team," she began before they even had a chance to ask her, "you will be assigned D-rank missions until you have completed a good number of them." She specifically avoided saying how many, because she wanted to have the option of delaying their first C-rank mission until she was sure they were ready.

"D-rank missions," she continued, "are judged to be little or no threat, and should rarely, if ever, involve travel beyond the outer walls of Konoha. They are tasks that still need doing, will give you all an opportunity to practice working together, and will supply you with a little pocket money when you are done."

She paused on a street corner while they digested this. Naruto still looked a little rebellious, but resigned to his fate. She stepped up the pace a little as they made their way to the western quarter of the village. When she rang the bell at the door of the house described in the mission briefing, a voice called out for them to come around to the rear deck.

Herbalist Yukitaza proved to be a middle-aged unmarried man with a large cast on his left leg. He made a short double-take when he recognized
Naruto, but didn't react in any other way.

Soon, Kurenai and Shino were working on the roof repairs, the Aburame boy having reluctantly mentioned helping his father perform a similar task last winter. Hinata and Naruto were put to work weeding the client's large garden plot, a task better suited to their smaller statures.

They'd been working for a few minutes when Kurenai was startled to realize that it was Naruto carrying the next load of wood up the ladder. She looked over at Shino, who just shrugged.

"Naruto," she said puzzled, "I thought you were going to help Hinata with the garden?"

Naruto grunted and laid the boards down on the shallow pitched roof. "There wasn't enough room," he said.
Kurenai frowned and looked out over the back yard. Hinata was working on the garden plot, along with about twenty Narutos.

Kurenai turned back to Naruto. "They can all work independently?" she asked. Bunshins were usually only capable of limited thought, following simple and straightforward commands.

Naruto shrugged. "Why shouldn't they?" he asked.

Kurenai wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. Naruto shook his head and turned to go back down the ladder. Unfortunately, he evidently forgot about the stack of boards he'd just put down, because he tripped over them and tumbled off the roof.

Kurenai lunged forward, hoping to catch the boy, but it was too late. She reached the edge of the roof just as Naruto hit the ground… and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She stopped, staring at the vapors that rapidly dissipated. I was talking to one of his Bunshin and didn't even realize it, she mused.

What the hell is that boy? She looked out at the garden, where Hinata had just grabbed Naruto's arm to prevent him from pulling up a plant that wasn't a weed. He scratched at the back of his head, embarrassed, not even noticing how Hinata pulled her hands back from his arm like they were burned. Not did he notice her blush, for all that it was brighter than his own. He's Uzumaki Naruto, Kurenai reminded herself ruefully, and he breaks the rules without even realizing it.

Naruto and Hinata finished the garden in less than twenty minutes, with a clone starting at both ends of each row and Hinata using her Byakugan to supervise. With her ability to look in all directions at once, she could see if he missed anything or was about to pull something that wasn't a weed. The latter happened a little more often than Naruto would have liked, but Hinata didn't tease him about it. In fact, she seemed to worry that she wasn't doing her fair share of the work.

Naruto wasn't any expert on girls, or kunoichi, by any stretch of the imagination. But he suspected that most of his female classmates would have been glad of an excuse to not get their hands dirty, rather than worrying that they weren't doing enough. He tried to tell Hinata that he appreciated her attitude, but when the words came out of his mouth it sounded more like "I like how you're like a boy, instead of a girl" and she became very upset and then confused when he tried to explain.

"I mean, you're not like Sakura or Ino," he said quickly.

Hinata ducked her head down and looked even sadder. "I- I know," she said hesitantly.

"But that's a good thing," Naruto said quickly. Did she like Sakura and Ino? He wondered. I don't remember ever seeing them talk, but they are all girls – they're like some secret society.

"I-it is?" she asked. Her forefingers were pressed together so hard that the skin had turned white.

"I – I mean, they are nice and all… I'm not saying they are ugly or anything,"

Naruto added quickly. If they were all friends and it got back to those two that he said they were ugly, genin or not, he was a dead shinobi.
Hinata frowned, perplexed. "A-ano… I…" she swallowed. "Naruto-kun, I don't understand what you mean."

"I'm just saying… well… I'm glad you're on my team," Naruto said firmly. There. No one could interpret anything bad out of that, right?

Hinata stiffened like she'd been slapped, then quickly turned away.
Naruto's mouth dropped open. He started to step around her to ask what he'd said when she pointed at one of his clones.

"S-stop. He's about to pull a good plant," she said in a choked voice.
Naruto whirled toward the offending clone. "You heard her," he barked.

"Take it easy, baka," the clone said. "You're acting like she's your girlfriend or something."

An instant later the clone disappeared as Naruto's fist transited through the space its head once occupied. "S-sorry," he apologized. "Sometimes they get a little smart-mouthed when they know their time is almost up."

"We a-appear to be almost done, Naruto," Hinata said in a quiet voice, still not facing him. "I will go inside and help Yukitaza-san with the kitchen."
Naruto glared at the remaining Bunshin as Hinata silently walked toward the house. All of them stayed bent over, peering carefully at the ground as they finished the weeding.

After finishing outside, Naruto went indoors to help with the cleaning. Hinata was silent as he passed through the kitchen, very intently focused on dicing up some vegetables Herbalist Yukitaza had delivered earlier that day. After locating the cleaning supplies, Naruto created another set of clones and put them to work tidying up. Fortunately, this was something he knew quite well how to do, having had to clean up his own apartment for years. He finished as Kurenai and Shino came down from the roof. Naruto sent his clones out to put away the tools and the ladders.

Hinata was still busy in the kitchen, so Naruto and Shino were sent to make some deliveries to their client's customers. Kurenai-sensei decided she would help Hinata finish. She gave Naruto a piercing look as she announced this, and he felt the back of his neck grow hot.

As he ran down the street with a small bundle of herbs, Naruto tried to figure out what he'd done wrong. It wasn't like he'd asked the stupid Bunshin to mouth off. Maybe Hinata thought it was saying something Naruto was thinking, and that was why she'd been offended. It sort of made sense in a way. Sakura always hit him soon after he'd asked her out. Naruto realized that his attempts to be friendly with her seemed to always make her angry at him. Maybe it was something about him, maybe it was some aura given off by that b*****d fox. Perhaps it was a side-effect of the seal used to imprison his unwanted tenant. Maybe a seal strong enough to repel a demon would also repel any girls he came into contact with as well.

He scowled as he knocked on the door of his bundle's destination. An old woman opened it and Naruto handed her the package before she had a chance to realize who he was. "This is from Herbalist Yukitaza. He broke his leg and can't make his own deliveries today." With that, he spun and was halfway back to the street before the woman had a chance to speak.
Naruto stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets as he made his way back to the Herbalist's newly cleaned and repaired house. It was bad enough how people hated him for something that happened the day he was born, but now he was pissing off everyone else – even when he was trying to be nice.
When he returned to the house, Hinata and Kurenai had finished up in the kitchen. With the deliveries made, the last tasks for their 'mission' were completed. The Herbalist thanked them for their help, and even looked Naruto in the eye, which impressed him a little.

"Not quite an hour and a half," Kurenai said after they made their goodbyes.

"That was very quick. Good use of your Bunshins, Naruto, and coordinating with Hinata to make sure there were no problems. I'm very pleased with your teamwork, both of you."

Naruto felt the knot of resentment in his middle loosen a bit. Hinata's reaction, however, caught his eye. She looked down, pushing her fingers together as her cheeks turned red. When she noticed him staring, she turned completely away. He frowned and let out a sigh. Evidently she was still mad at him or something.

As they made their way back toward the center of the village, Kurenai peered up at the afternoon sun. "At this point, I doubt the Hokage has any missions left to give out. Let's get together a little earlier tomorrow. If we work as fast as we did today, we can probably clear two missions a day. I'll see you all at the training ground at ten, all right?"