T.E.A.M. Chapter 1
Notes: If you want to find it on Fanfiction.net, feel free. The Link’s below. I’ll probably try posting it to AO3 as well, later, but I’ve got to figure out how to use it first. Anyway, I got stuck again and decided to go through the entire chapter again, so...yeah. I’m going to be going through these and self-editing to remind myself of writing style. Honestly, I meant to post something else, but.... too many Muses stuck in my brain.
The Art of Motivation
Fandom: Naruto
Summary: The latest of Naruto!AU’s by Hakuei Shirei: Featuring a strange child, a broody avenger, an unpredictable knucklehead, their Sensei, and the everyday crazy that is Team Seven.
Characters: Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, OC
Rated: T (For Later Language if Continued)
Word Count: 5,385 Words
Warnings: Branching AU, OC Insertion, Self-Editing, Slow-Build
Cross-Postings: Fanfiction.net ,
Chapter 1
Team Placement
It was the moment of truth.
Iruka-sensei would be calling his name at any minute, and then he would know…
Was he going to be on the same team as Sakura-chan???!
Naruto bounced in his seat, ignoring the brooding raven-haired, self-proclaimed avenger beside him. Neither of them wanted to think about the earlier 'incident', and though it was too late to switch seats, that didn't mean they couldn't put as much distance between themselves as possible.
Still, several teams had been called and grouped, and the 7th was only now being revealed to the class.
"...Team Seven: Tsukino Kohaku, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke-"
"WHAT?!" the blonde cried out, half yelping and yelling. Sasuke?! He was teamed with Sasuke!? And there wasn't even a girl on their team! He was stuck with the creepy kid and the bastard!
(Somewhere near the back of the room, a sleepy looking dark haired brunette sniffed awkwardly, somehow managing to resist the sudden urge they had to sneeze.)
"Iruka-sensei!" He exclaimed, eyes half pleading, half indignant, "Why does an outstanding shinobi like me have to be on the same team as that bastard over there?!" he demanded, more riled up by the fact that Sasuke was on his team than the rather gloomy and sleep-deprived looking kid that always sat somewhere near the back of the classroom and always seemed to leave as soon as they were dismissed.
Of course, it would've been Awesome if he'd’ve been able to have Sakura-chan on his team (actually, scratch that, Sakura was way better than that Sasuke-bastard! ...And he really, kinda-sorta...maybe sort-of-didn't-mind being on the same team as the gloomy looking kid. If only they could just get rid of that stupid bastard!
In front of the chalkboard, Iruka withheld a sigh. As much as he loved the whiskered prankster like a brother, there were just times when the kid was such a brat that he wondered. Still, he tried to be patient, Naruto could be a bit slow at times after all. "Sasuke's grades were the best of all 27 graduates, Naruto. You were dead last. You do understand we have to do this to balance the teams, right?" He pointed out calmly, not really expecting much of a response from the blonde.
"Hn, just don't get in my way… Dobe." Sasuke nearly sneered, instead just telling the hyperactive knucklehead the one thing.
There was no way he'd ever let anyone get in his way. He'd get his revenge one day -and if the other dragged him down? Well… He was an avenger for a reason, and he'd stop at nothing to get the bastard that'd had the gall to massacre his entire family and think he could get away with it.
"What did you call me?!" Naruto bristled, turning to glare at the noirette as he slammed both hands on the desk. Between the two, similarly to Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura was mourning the fact that she'd lost her biggest chance of getting closer to her precious Sasuke-kun, turning to glare at the blonde with annoyance as her aggravation hit a new high.
"Shut up, Naruto!" The pink haired genin yelled, far too upset with the fact that she hadn't gotten to be on Sasuke's team...though at least Ino-pig or some other girl hadn't ended up being on the noirette's team either. That was the girl’s only consolation as she fought back tears of disappointment, refusing to sulk as she took her misplaced anger out on the blonde knucklehead beside her -even as Naruto tried to defend against the red-wearing girl that he had a crush on without hurting her.
Iruka sighed. Hopefully everything would work out. Especially with Naruto. Taking another breath to fortify the remaining patience he had left, he spoke again, completing the list of potential Genin Teams before setting the class free for lunch. "We'll be introducing your Jounin-sensei after break, so don't be late!" The Chuunin-sensei warned, shooting a disapproving look at the squabbling -though thankfully no longer fighting- duo in front of him.
Trying not to sigh as most of the group scattered, he shook his head and left. He hadn't been able to pack a lunch today due to all the events that'd occurred in the past few days. He had been planning to restock his fridge the day after Mizuki's little Midnight Betrayal, after all. But with his own injury impeding him and the Hokage calling him in along with the desk-work he did after and between class days, the Chuunin had unfortunately been far too busy to remember until he'd found his fridge all but empty that morning. Hopefully there wouldn't be too long a line at the restaurant not too far from the Academy and he could get a bento to go in case any of the students had any questions before break ended.
Letting one of his fellow Chuunin teachers know that he was heading out (and thus ending up with quite a few orders from some of the others that either hadn't bothered, were too lazy, or had -not so conveniently- 'forgotten' to bring their lunches once again), the brunette made his way to the closest restaurant that sold the most decent to-go Bento that he knew of.
Meanwhile, as the newly minted Genin separated (or grouped up, as the case may be), Naruto made his way up to the roof to devour the packaged bread that was his lunch for the day, trying to decide what to do as he polished off his meal. Having escaped the classroom that had begun to fill with the chatter of new teammates (just as Sasuke had -if only to escape his Kami-damned fan-girls), the youth remained unaware of the figure that had slowly stood from their seat, taking their sweet time to stretch before bothering to look around with dull, slit-pupiled eyes that, along with their owner, seemed perpetually tired and apathetic.
Not finding the two that were the lethargic looking genin's new teammates, said preteen resisted the urge to sigh and sat back down in their seat. Mentally shrugging, the dark-haired brunette took their time to unwrap the home-made bento that they’d brought, deciding not to waste the time it would take to find the two far more infamous students who had clearly not understood that the lunch was meant for the newly minted Genin Teams to get to know their new partners.
The preteen, wearing charcoal black pants over navy blue shinobi sandals and a long-sleeved black ninja shirt with wire under-armor netting -that revealed a thin midriff and shoulders- didn't even bother to look at the three other bento that sat beside them on the seat that, more often than not, remained empty.
There would be a chance to pass them on later if either of the other orphans were interested -along with the Jounin-sensei that would be taking said genin under their wing. The amber-eyed brunette had only made the extra's out of politeness after all, and if none of them wanted one that would just mean less cooking for the brunette to do -at least for the next meal or two. It wasn't like their guardian would be back in the next few days unless they finished a mission early, after all.
Besides, Kohaku didn’t really like socializing very much. It was difficult to tell whether something said was offensive or not at times, even if it wasn’t meant to be. And that was even with all the people-watching the child did when not at home...
Outside, around the Academy Grounds, Naruto (masquerading as Sasuke) interacted with the pinkette that he would soon be seeing far less of for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for him, he would not only learn of the fact that his beloved Sakura seemed to truly despise him, but also the reason that he'd come to realize that he liked her. Too bad for the blonde that diarrhea caused by the expired milk he'd drunk earlier in the day would end up sending him to the nearest toilet even as the real Sasuke appeared before the pink-haired girl, dismissing said girl until she said something the young avenger considered unforgivable.
Even as said events went on, however, the Hokage continued to show Team 7's soon-to-be Jounin-sensei around the jinchuuriki of the team’s home (a pseudo-attempt to guilt trip the man he still worried about that would -no matter what the ex-AnBu captain said- still work on the socially stunted genius).
Naruto peeked out into the hallway again, impatient to meet the Jounin-sensei who appeared to be running far too late for the blonde's liking. He, Sasuke, and Kohaku were the last three genin to remain. Even Iruka-sensei had already left (the man having waited until the last minute, to the point he'd had to hurry out in order to avoid being late for the desk-job he'd taken at the Hokage’s Tower. As it was, the Chuunin would be cutting it very close, barely making it in time to check himself in).
"Ugh, why is Team 7's Jounin-sensei so damn late?!" The blonde exclaimed at last, all but tearing his shortly cropped hair out of impatience. "All the other teams have gone with their Sensei's, and even Iruka-sensei's gone!" He sulked, not seeming to be aware that his outburst had drawn the attention of the two darker haired genin.
Unfortunately for the blonde, however, both genin seemed to be quite happy to remain quiet and boring, though their reactions and actions towards the blonde seemed to differ. Sasuke being his usual asshole self, while Kohaku…
Well, the toffee-eyed genin seemed to be mute or something since the other hadn't said a single word as far as the blonde could remember, only nodding in acknowledgement when they'd all converged back in the classroom to meet up with their teams. Naruto really wasn't quite sure if the other was really just mute or simply stuck up (though thankfully not as bad as Sasuke if he was).
Still, something about the other genin gave him the heebie-jeebies. Maybe it was the feeling that the other genin was like some kind of cat or other predator to the blonde's senses. The brunette always seemed so detached and uninterested in everything that went on and never seemed to have a single friend as far as the blonde could tell. Not like that bastard Sasuke who seemed to have fans following him around absolutely everywhere, even with his puffed up ego and chicken-butt hair.
In fact, the detached yet somehow curious slit-pupiled eyes (even his eyes were like a cat's! the blonde thought -not quite hysterically, but close enough to a feeling of panic that he had to quash the urge to get as far away from the creeper as he could. Not even Shino and his weird bug-hive body was so creepy! Those Freaking Eyes) on his back made the genin want to shiver. Still, he repressed it, deciding to go through with his prank even as he ignored the itch he felt from the gaze that was boring into the back of his head.
He was sure that Sasuke was watching too, though the noirette was probably doing so with his usual condescending black eyes as the blonde wedged the chalk-iest eraser he could find between the classroom’s sliding door and the wall. Thinking about his prank (simple as it was), he snickered, feeling much better now that he wasn't thinking about annoying or creepy things.
"Heheheh~ That’s what you get for being late!" He grinned, jumping off the table that conveniently sat next to the doorway and making his way back towards his seat with a feeling of pride.
"Che, like a Jounin would fall for such a stupid trap," the killjoy Uchiha muttered, just loud enough to ensure that the words would travel, as Naruto scowled. Kohaku, wearing a dusky, off-white jacket (somewhat reminiscent to the apparently classic Aburame coat) that seemed just a size or two big, seemed to lose interest as the blonde puffed up in response to the bastard's stupid logic.
Before anyone could say anything, however, a pale hand slid the door open, the eraser covering spiky silver hair in white chalk dust before bouncing off as the masked Jounin blinked.
Naruto burst into laughter, pointing at the now white haired Jounin. "You fell for it! You fell for it!" The blonde chanted, too busy laughing to really think about the potential repercussions of his actions.
Sasuke frowned, sweating a little as he wondered at the Jounin's reliability, while Kohaku's face remained as blank as usual, apparently neither amused nor questioning as dark eyes stared.
The Jounin hummed, ignoring Naruto for the moment as he seemingly studied his new students, offering an insincere smile behind the mask he always wore. One that caused his single visible eye to curve into a crescent.
"How can I say this…?" He started at last, "My first impression is… I don't like you guys~" He announced, two out of three members of the new Genin Team sweating in response, even as the last apparently reserved judgement. Ignoring the reactions to his seemingly careless remark, the man led the children (and they were still children, no matter that the law stated they were now legal adults with the hitaeate that adorned their bodies) to the roof.
Kakashi waited for all three genin to take a seat, having long since begun evaluating the trio and noting that they all seemed to be just as reported -with the exception of one Tsukino Kohaku. Who was, for whatever reason, carrying a somewhat bulky bundle. The Hatake's sharp nose couldn't seem to give him much information on the containers that were stacked inside said bundle. Three if he was correct (which, of course, he was quite sure he was). He didn't ask, however, even if he was a little curious about the anomaly.
Naruto's brash curiosity had already revealed that the other wouldn't be answering any questions after all. Even if there was a higher chance that the Jounin-sensei would be answered, unlike the loud blonde that had practically run circles around the Mikazuki heir. Oh, sure, she'd taken her mother's maiden name, but that didn't mean it wasn't still on her file. That wasn't even considering the distinctive markings of the Mikazuki Clan, dark markings under the eyes that could be mistaken for bags if not for the fact that said bags didn't actually exist. Not to mention the slit-pupiled eyes and distinctive shared scent that he recognized from his interactions with others of the clan (though a few had had variants) that had existed until the night of the Kyuubi's attack.
Kakashi refused to think about that night however, the pain, though no longer fresh, still a wound that the Emotionally Stunted Genius hadn't been able to get rid of. In fact, just looking at the son of his previous teacher made his heart twinge, but the Infamous Copy Ninja pushed it aside, even as he specifically avoided looking straight at the bright ball of mischievous sunshine that reminded him so much of those he'd lost.
Shaking the feeling off, he brightened the crescent-eyed smile that he'd been giving the trio for the past few minutes, even Sasuke being unable to help but shift a bit at the supposed awkwardness. The only one that didn't show any sign of discomfort was Kohaku, but if what he suspected of the apathetic seeming preteen was true, the stillness the girl showed only meant that she was taking things seriously.
Honestly, if Kakashi were any other person, he might have been weirded out by the child. As it was, the silver-haired Jounin was only slightly discomfited. After all, knowing was one thing, being right there to observe it himself…
Well, Kakashi might have admitted that even he felt a little uncomfortable by the gaze that was concentrated so strongly on his person, if only to himself. All the observations he'd had of the trio he'd made during the several hours he'd made the trio wait (all the while reading his precious Icha Icha, of course) had coincided with the files he'd been given on the three.
The Uchiha worried him of course, especially with the preteen's mentality (something that was apparently up to the equally emotionally stunted Jounin to handle, no matter that it was just a Terrible Idea all around). The self-sufficient little brunette that looked more like she might have been just another shinobi rather than a kunoichi like she actually was (something that anyone with discerning or sharp senses could -and should- have noticed), on the other hand, seemed not to care that her teammates had apparently decided she was male. Not at all bothered by the apparent lack of femininity that graced the child.
Then again, the girl, at least, seemed to be far more logical as well as being much calmer than the two boys on the team if the fact that she'd kept herself further back yet still somewhat in the middle of the last Uchiha and the rambunctious blonde was anything to go by. She hadn't said a single word so far, but Kakashi was sure that she wasn't mute…
Well, almost completely sure, anyway.
Clapping his hands together to ensure the trio's attention was still on him (which, of course, it already had been, even as he’d continued to simply draw the awkward silence out during his musings), Kakashi beamed once more. "Well then! Why don't we start with introductions from you kids, hmm~?"
Dark eyes watched the Jounin with wary, narrow eyes. "...What do you want to know…?" He asked, still suspicious of the Jounin they'd gotten assigned as their team leader.
"How about your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future and things like that?" He hummed, purposely acting the way he was to further mislead the trio that just might possibly become his new Genin Team. (As much as it hurt to be so close to the blonde, it wasn't like he'd accept letting another Jounin teach the Yondaime's legacy, after all. Hypocritical as it may be.)
Even as he spoke the blonde squinted at him, as if staring hard enough would give him all the answers. Crossing his legs and supporting himself with his arms, he leaned in to speak. "Hey-hey! Why don't you introduce yourself to us first?!" He all but demanded, the noirette beside him approving of the dead-last's tactics for once.
Nodding, Sasuke continued to watch the Jounin suspiciously, sitting on the other side of the strange brunette that he'd all but dismissed already. At the very least the other wouldn't be as bad, considering that they at least wouldn't be dragging him down like the blonde would. On the other hand, the other could still do so if he was as average as the noirette believed due to having no real recollection of the slit-pupiled brunette… Better to believe they’d both just drag him down, if there was no proof otherwise.
"Oh, me~?" The silver haired Jounin mused, "Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi," he began. "I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes," he continued, seeming to think for a moment before continuing on, purposely leaving information out. If the trio had really done their homework, they would have known who he was already. But from what he could see, the only one that might have any prior knowledge about him -or any of the other more well-known Konoha Ninja- was Tsukino Kohaku. Especially considering who the child's guardian was -but he was getting off track. Continuing on, he went on to give the trio blank answers that would at the same time inform them of just what he wanted them to list when it came their turn. "Dreams for the future…" He hummed noncommittally before finishing up with a just as anticlimactic: "I have a lot of hobbies."
Seated in a loose but uneven ring, the trio shared a glance. Two dubious and unimpressed, and one just as unimpressed and blank if the look on their face was any indication.
"In the end he didn't really tell us anything but his name, did he…?" Naruto muttered, even Sasuke nodding in agreement -and disgruntlement- as toffee-colored eyes flickered between their fellow genin and the Jounin.
"Saa, now for you. Why don't we start from the right?" the masked Shinobi suggested. The two boys shared a glance, the last member of the three-member team being more focused on their new Sensei, even if they still paid attention to the blonde that shifted his hitaeate in what appeared to be preparation for his introduction.
"Yosh! My name's Uzumaki Naruto! I like Cup Ramen," he started, grinning at man. "What I like even more than that, though, is when Iruka-sensei pays for my Ramen! I don't like waiting the three minutes for Ramen to cook, and my dream…" He took a deep breath, confidence clear as he firmly announced his dream. "I'm going to surpass the Hokage, and then have the people of this Village acknowledge my existence!" He all but shouted, a look of determination on his face that, coupled with the straightening of his back and the confidence he exuded, could almost make the man believe that the blonde would someday have what it took to follow in his father's footsteps.
Even surprised as he was, Kakashi couldn't help the fondness that crept into his expression, though he covered the moment with a blink. For a moment, the silverette had believed that all the blonde thought about was Ramen, but this clearly proved him wrong, the slate-eyed Jounin mused, chagrinned.
"Uhm, Hobbies…" The blonde continued, ending the moment of inspiration as he slumped a bit, crossing his arms in puzzled thought. "Well... Pranks? I guess…"
Kakashi sighed, rubbing his head and sending some of the chalk that didn't seem to want to completely leave everywhere. Well, he probably should have expected it, to be honest, but then, it had been such a juvenile tactic and he'd already known about it. Still, it did explain quite a bit about the abundance of pranks that seemed to have occurred even more often in the recent years.
"Well then, how about we have the moody one go next?" He smiled, sitting back against the railing.
Dark eyes met his, and the man almost frowned behind his mask.
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," the noirette began, eyes hard and face partially hidden by the hands clasped before him, elbows resting just above his knees. "There are a lot of things I dislike, and I don't particularly like anything. I wouldn't call it a dream, but I do have an ambition.
“And that is… the resurrection of my clan -and to kill a certain person." The last Uchiha spoke shortly, tone clipped, a heavy aura pressing down around him as the other three stared, even Kohaku's caramel eyes boring into the self-proclaimed avenger.
Though it wasn't clear what the Mikazuki heir was thinking, Kakashi looked as if that had been pretty much what he'd expected to hear. Naruto's reaction being a bit more obvious in the way he shuddered and inched just a little further from the Uchiha.
Sasuke didn't seem to notice, too lost in thought as the frown he wore turned as dark as his emotions. His introspection only broken when the only Jounin and actual adult of the group spoke up once more.
"Alright… And how about we have the last member of our little group speak up now," He continued calmly, not quite asking so much as stating.
"..." For a moment, the silver-haired Jounin thought she wouldn't answer, but much to his -and the others'- surprise, the brunette that had been silent up until now finally spoke. "Tsukino Kohaku," the soft voice that sounded too close to belonging to either gender sounding just loudly enough for the three males to hear. "I like taking naps," she continued quietly, voice smooth if clearly disused for the most part. "I dislike socializing, being woken, or bothered," the brunette told them, keeping her words as short as she could while still being polite. She hadn't shared much that couldn't be figured out just by watching her or which could be used against her, really. Something that was more habit than anything. The less people knew about her, the less they would try to bother her. But with this being her team for the foreseeable future, she felt she at least owed them some information, sparse as it may be.
Besides, Kohaku had never been very good at vocalizing, so it’d be easier for them to figure it out themselves as they spent more together (something that would, unfortunately, be very likely considering how Konoha ran itself).
"Dreams…" She paused, a single hand moving from its place in her lap to touch the Hitaeate she'd hung around her neck. Deciding not to answer it since even she wasn't quite sure what it would be herself (to protect her precious people -or rather, person? To be left alone? She honestly didn’t know), moving on, the tawny-eyed brunette gave her team a slight shrug, chin-length hair bobbing just slightly from the slight head tilt that had occurred instinctively, just prior to the shrug. "I like reading... and cooking," she said at last, seeming to just remember the package that had been the source of quite a bit of curiosity -even if it'd been forgotten in favor of the Jounin-sensei's introductions.
Untying the somewhat thick cloth she'd tied around the trio of uneaten bento, she held the square-ish containers out to her new team. "This…" She started, holding it up towards the trio of males that she would have to acquaint herself with, an unsure look on her face. Words awkward and almost stilted as slit-pupiled toffee-colored eyes stared resolutely at the stack of bento.
"For you all," she murmured, letting her words die, silence encompassing the roof-top as a gentle breeze blew past, brushing against all of their hair. It was said that gifts between new people were more likely to foster some kind of...amiability (she didn’t particularly care about ‘making friends’, after all). And since Kohaku was resigned to having to -somehow- get along with her teammates, she had prepared the trio of bento early in the morning before heading to school (for ease of career if nothing else -like she’d said, she wasn’t exactly fond of socializing, after all… with the exception of her uncle, but family was different, and it...wasn’t really socializing…? As far as she was aware, at least).
A slightly surprised look adorned all three of the male members. Blue eyes staring widely at the offering, while black remained unreadable, and slate only showed mild surprise.
So that's what was inside the bundle, Kakashi mused, even as Naruto gave a shout of excitement and asked if he could really take one, and if the brunette was 'really, really sure' he could. The only answer to the excited question being a nod as toffee eyes refused to look directly at rest of their team.
"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise," the masked Jounin mused, experience telling him that the brunette was embarrassed if the slight pink tinge against her cheeks was anything to go by. Walking towards the trio as the other two genin accepted their bento (one excitedly, and one almost reluctantly though he did at least thank the girl), Kakashi accepted the last with a ruffle of the only female's hair.
As much as the girl seemed like she might be agender or even gender neutral, it was possible that it was something the child might grow out of later (or never, but in his experience it tended to be later). The Jounin had known a few people that didn't seem to care much about their gender, few as they were. One being a Jounin that was quite open to crossdressing for missions, and didn't seem to care much about being male or female, the other being completely agender (not including certain AnBu members he knew of, of course). It was rare, but it did happen occasionally.
"Wow, this looks good!" Naruto exclaimed, bringing the others' attention to him as caramel eyes finally looking up, startled by the hair ruffle as well as the exclamation. "Did you make this, Kohaku?!" Bright blue eyes sparkled, staring at the brunette that he'd just seen a new facet of, looking even more awed when the brunette nodded slowly.
Seeming to hesitate, the other genin spoke up at last, even Sasuke discreetly cracking his own open out of curiosity. "I...was going to share them during break," the brunette explained awkwardly, spots of pale red appearing high on the girl's cheeks even as she looked away.
Kakashi had to resist the urge to crack his own open since he could smell the other two's clearly enough, and could see with his own (uncovered) eye just what was inside the bento. From the smell (likely the containers sealed scent in, which he probably should have expected considering what clan the girl came from, now that he thought about it), he could tell that both of the other containers contained the same things. So there was really no need for him to open his own. And looking at Naruto's (Sasuke had only taken a peek and shut his own), he could see that there was plenty of rice, what looked (and smelled) like chicken, and other vegetables (a stir-fry?). From what he could tell, the bento looked quite balanced, something that actually surprised him. It was almost impressive, he thought, partially at the thought the girl had put into making the food….as well as the speed and gusto that Naruto was eating his own.
"Ish'uz 'uh-rish-us!" The blonde shouted between gobbling his food, unfortunately also proving that he'd never been raised to understand that you weren't supposed to be talking and eating at the same time. A matter further proven when the blue-eyed genin choked for a moment, hitting his chest a few times to dislodge what was stuck in his throat before polishing off the rest in record speed. "Ah~ that was great!" The Uzumaki grinned, sitting back with his weight supported by his arms as the emptied bento box sat in the orange-wearing genin's lap.
On the other side of the brunette, Sasuke gave the blonde a disgusted look. "That was disgusting, Dead-Last. Don't you know anything about manners?" He sneered, resisting the urge to inch further away from the blonde though he did seem to be holding his own lunch somewhat protectively.
There had been tomatos in the scrambled egg, and smaller half-cut grape tomatoes in the vegetable stir-fry. The karaage looked good too, actually, but the male wasn't about to say anything since it didn't seem like anything was poisoned (though he doubted Tsukino would want to kill him off, anyways. There was really no reason or motive for it).
"What'd you say, bastard?!" The blonde exclaimed, straightening to glare at the noirette before appearing to think there was something more important to do. "Hey, hey, Kohaku! Can you make more of those bento?! That was really good!" He exclaimed, eyes wide and sparkling like brilliant aquamarine gems as he leaned towards the brunette...who leaned a little further back, looking somewhat alarmed by the close proximity.
"Maa, I'm sure Kohaku here'll do it if *(s)he feels like it," the Jounin spoke, clasping a hand on the sparkling blonde's shoulder and edging him a bit further away from the relieved brunette. "However, there's still something important that needs to be discussed before we can do anything else," he hummed, still standing as he smiled the soon-to-be-familiar one eyed smile at the trio.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "Hey, where'd your bento go?" The blonde asked, somehow managing to notice that the silverette's had disappeared.
Kakashi hummed, "I'm sure I'll have time to enjoy my bento later. For now, however…" He trailed off warningly, the trio before him straightening at the serious tone despite the Jounin relaxing his aura a bit as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He'd already sealed his bento away while the trio had been distracted, and watching as Sasuke and Naruto put their bento's aside (one, of course, still practically untouched aside from the shifted lid whilst the other was all but empty) to pay attention.
"Now, we'll be starting our duties as Shinobi as of tomorrow," the Jounin told them, having somehow managed to make his way back to the railing to sit down before any of the Genin could really notice.
Bright blue eyes and a wide grin met the slate-eyed ninja's proclamation. "Aw yeah! What kind of duties?!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly.
"Maa, first we're going to be doing something with just the four of us," he told them as Naruto settled, still fidgeting as he stared with bright eyes.
"What is it? What is it?!" He asked, clearly excited.
Kakashi allowed for a moment of pause, giving his next two words a sense of importance.
"Survival Training." The man announced dramatically.
"Sur...vival...training…?" Naruto questioned, a clearly confused look on his face. Neither of his other teammates said anything, both of the darker haired members of the team more focused on their Sensei.
"This isn't normal training, of course~ This time, I'll be your opponent," The silverette smiled.
"Then…! Then what is it?" Naruto asked, seemingly causing the Jounin to chuckle in response.
Dark eyes narrowed even as caramel sharpened, zeroing in on their Sensei's shaking shoulders.
"Wh- What's so funny!" Naruto demanded after a moment when it became clear that no one else would say anything.
"Ah, well… It's just that, when I tell you this, you guys will totally freak~" The man smiled, eye once again shaped into a crescent of short, silver lashes.
"F...freak…?" Naruto asked uneasily, fidgeting in his seat, eyes wide.
"You see...of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen to become Genin," he told them, creating the illusion that he was looming over them. "The rest? Well, they'll be sent straight back to the Academy. This training is a very difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent after all~"
A look of shock crossed the whiskered blonde's face. Sasuke's own expression not quite as shocked so much as surprised with Kohaku's being even less so. Whether it was a shock to her or not, or simply just a mild surprise was difficult to tell. But, having watched the trio for a while, Kakashi was at least somewhat confident that the child was surprised. It had been kept out of most of the books, after all (the only exception being certain journals typically kept private by their owners and records kept by the Hokage for filing).
Of course, if she was as studious (and deductive) as he believed her to be, then she would probably have at least a vague idea of said information.
Kakashi laughed, "I told you you'd freak out~" He smiled, even as the obviously building outburst escaped the genin as he changed position to yell.
"What?! No way!" He exclaimed, clearly shocked by this news, "But we worked so hard!" He yelled, as if it would change anything. "If that’s the case, then what was the point of graduation?!" He all but demanded.
The Jounin hummed. "Ah, that~?" He mused, "That was simply to select who'd be given the chance of becoming Genin," he explained, enjoying his trolling of the genin perhaps just a tad too much.
"Ugh. What?!" The blonde exclaimed, clearly still somewhat disbelieving of the situation.
Unsurprisingly, however, the only one that didn't seem to show any anxiety was Tsukino Kohaku. Or perhaps she was anxious and he simply wasn't used to reading her expressions (or lack thereof) enough to be able to tell just yet. The only thing he could see on the girl's face was a look of deep thought that didn't really tell him anything (yet).
"In any case, you'll have to show your real skills on the training ground tomorrow. Bring all the Shinobi tools you have," he announced, smoothly running through the rest of the explanation he'd given to every other genin team that had been handed to him prior. Of course, all of them had failed, but then, Kakashi had (slightly) higher hopes for this group. "Ah," he added, as if just remembering something important. "Skip breakfast, you might just end up throwing up otherwise~" He smiled. Pulling out a few sheets of paper, he passed them out to the shaking Uzumaki, the somewhat anxious looking Uchiha, and the stone-faced heir of the Mikazuki clan -a clan that would be all but extinct if its only other member ended up dying before he could sire his own progeny as well.
"The details are on these papers, and don't be late tomorrow~" He practically sang, disappearing almost as soon as the last sheet had left his grasp, leaving only a trio of genin staring at their own individual sheets of paper with a time and place noted. He'd even been kind enough to give directions!
Really, Kakashi was just such a kind person…
More importantly, however, he kind of wanted to try that bento. Not until the kids all separated and went home, though, the silverette mused, scent and presence pulled in tightly enough that not even an Inuzuka would be able to figure out he was there if he didn’t want them to.
Watching as Naruto and Sasuke squabbled over the bento that Sasuke had yet to touch aside from finding out what had been in it, and Kohaku doing her best to separate the duo despite her blank face and reluctance to speak, Kakashi almost chuckled.
At least it looked like this year's set would be more interesting than the last~
Maybe they'd have an easier time of passing the test if things went well. But considering the fact that two of the members clashed quite often, and the last preferred to stay out of the way as well as being far more reluctant to speak than the scarecrow had expected, the upcoming team looked to be one that would be quite amusing, to say the least.
Ending Notes:
To the Readers:
*(s)he : Why hasn’t Naruto or Sasuke noticed that Kakashi called Kohaku a ‘she’? Well, because despite the fic/story being in English, he’s not actually using the word ‘she’. Since Naruto seems to have a mainly Asian language (and of course, assuming that everyone speaks in a common language, that being some kind of alternate pseudo-Japanese or Chinese), in which “she” is either pronounced the same as “he”, “her”, “his”, “their”, etc. Or, as in the Japanese Language, is actually left out and more implied than anything. Hence the reason the boys haven’t figured out that Kohaku’s actually a girl. (I’m still trying to decide whether I want to make this some sort of running gag, but I guess we’ll have to just wait and see whether things go to keikaku/plan.)
For Self Reference:
Original Post Date: 05/08/2016 (on FF.net)
Updated: 05/14/2016 (on FF.net)
Edited: 01/03/2017
Re-Posted: 01/03/2017 (on Tumblr)