//------------------------------// // Graduation I. Team 7!!! // Story: Sunset Shimmer: Kunoichi // by RIPoste //------------------------------// The test was easy, to put it in a single sentence. Almost humiliatingly so. Iruka-sensei smiled brightly at me when he handed me my hitai-ate, a metal plate on a simple piece of cloth with the symbol of konoha engraved on it. “I’ll be looking forward to your accomplishments!” He cheered, I smiled in return. Almost everyone in the class passed. Everyone except for Naruto. It would be an overstatement to say that that surprised me. After all, Naruto was the infamous ‘dead last’ in our class, coming in last for almost every subject except for Taijutsu. Still, it worries me. He was the Jinchuuriki, after all. The fact that he failed meant that he would probably need to repeat a year. Either that or join the Genin corps. Both were not the most enticing prospects. Still, it couldn’t be helped, it was not like I was in a position to change the results in the end. “Kyoku-chan!” Ino squealed in delight after we were dismissed, hugging me a little too tightly for my liking. “We did it!” I couldn’t trust my mouth enough at the moment to not outright reject her chosen method of affection, so I merely nodded. Sakura, as per usual, was tagging along, somehow smiling shyly yet proudly at the hitai-ate she held in her hands. “Congratulations, Kyoku-chan.” She said. “Thanks, likewise.” I smiled, but kept my words short and sweet. Especially since I was getting rather short of breath at the moment. “So what are we doing?” “Celebratory dinner! My place!” Ino cheered, finally letting go, allowing me to breathe in a mouthful of much needed air before smirking. Dinner at the Yamanaka compound after a particular successful test had become something of a tradition among the girls in our group, currently only Ino, Sakura and I. Truth be told, I was rather surprised when we were allowed access into their clan compound so easily, but apparently, the current head, Inoichi Yamanaka and his wife, Ryouji Yamanaka, found it very hard to deny their daughter anything. Possibly the reason why she was somehow so sociable, yet somewhat spoilt at the same time. “Did you tell your parents?” I asked. “They already knew!” She laughed, very clearly still intoxicated by the rush of finally passing the graduation exam. I was already starting to miss the old Ino. She glared at me, almost as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. “And mum’s preparing a proper meal today, so don’t go stuffing yourself with those disgusting onigiri.” That was really unfair on her part. Onigiri was convenient to make and carry, and the ones I made don’t really taste that bad.  As we begin to leave the compound, Sakura mumbled something about needing to see her parents first and dashed off after a rather clumsy apology. With Ino cheering good-naturedly after her, shouting out the time to reach house by. It was really hard to imagine that these two girls almost broke off their friendship with each other last month over their combined infatuation with Uchiha Sasuke. It was still an episode that confused me to no end. The Yamanaka compound was small when compared to the likes of the Nara and the Akimichi clanholds, which I had the pleasure of visiting two and four times respectively over the last two years. Once you walked past the Flower Storefront that was the entrance, you would find yourself in a huge garden filled with a huge variety of flowers and more importantly to the likes of us Shinobi, medicinal and poisonous herbs. From there, the place split into four buildings. Two were residential areas, one was a greenhouse, and the last was their clan library, denied access to all but the members of the Yamanaka clan. Even Ino’s puppy eyes were incapable of moving her father to allow me entry when I asked her if she could bring me inside. We headed straight to the one of the buildings, where we were greeted by none other than Inoichi Yamanaka, one of the heads of the Konoha Intelligence Division and Ino’s father. The two shared a rather over-the-top reunion with one another while I stood aside, awkwardly diverting our gaze from the honestly quite cringe-worthy scene. Perhaps it was a testament to how close I had become to her that her father was willing to act like this in front of me. “Kyoku-chan.” Inoichi walked over after the entire debacle .“Heard that you passed, congratulations.” He smiled. “Thank you.” I nodded and smiled in response, earning myself another grin from him. “Hey Kyoku-chan, stop ogling my dad and come help out!” I opened my mouth. Blinked. Closed it. Blinked again. “I…” That was all I got out as my face burned with the familiar heat that came with embarrassment. Her father was not helping things either, shaking off at the side with barely concealed laughter. “I’m here!” Sakura came barging in, carrying a small basket of what seemed to be fruits. I thanked the princess that she had came in when she did. “Hi Yamanaka-san!” “Hello Sakura, I heard that you passed.” He managed, between fits of suppressed laughter. “Congratulations.” “Hey Sakura!” Ino’s voice rang out from within the building. “Get Kyoku in here before she starts seducing my dad!” Could someone please tell me why I became friends with her again? Dinner with the Yamanakas was a happy but quiet affair. It was a rather enjoyable event, though I regret that Inoichi was still rather unwilling to share anything about his job. Otherwise, the dinner passed without incident, and the hours flew by rather quickly, especially once I registered  that I was soon bidding them my goodbyes as I left the building. Truth be told, a small part of me would like to stay and continue socializing with them but unlike Sakura, who lived literally next door to the Yamanaka’s compound, Shimatara’s and my apartment was on the opposite end of the village. So I had to start moving if I wish to get home in time to make my report to him. I was halfway there, jumping between rooftops, when the alarm sounded. I immediately stopped, and paid close attention to the coded message playing out. Priority: Black. Calling: All Anbu, Jounin and on-duty Chunin. Order 1: Assemble. Location: Hokage’s Office. Priority: Black. Calling: All ninjas. Order 1: Prepare for rapid deployment. Order 2: Prepare for Evacuation. Location: Regional Shelters. My eyes widened as the alarm registered. Out of all the priority colors, black was the highest, reserved only for emergencies and disasters. What could have prompted such a warning? Was it Orochimaru-sama? I spun on my heels and filled my limbs with chakra, vanishing with the use of the Body Flicker technique. The Body Flicker may seem simple on the surface, appearing to be a high-speed technique to cross great distances achieved with the minimal use of chakra, but in reality, the technique was very advanced. It requires great control, as one would need to avoid the myriad obstacles while moving at that speed. I had even read records of Shinobi using it in battle, but had yet to achieve the fine control that the feat required. I reappeared on the doorstep of my house, in time to see father step out of the door, dressed in the standard Konoha Jounin vest. “Hi dad!” I cheered as I placed a hand on my chest, appearing as though I was out of breath. In truth, though, I was tapping out a code with my fingers, the one used in Otogakure. We were taught the Konoha sign language in the academy and I had a few confusing moments when I mixed the two up. But that was then. Emergency? Is it Snake-1? I signed with my hand, making sure to keep the gesture as inconspicuous as possible.  “Hello, Kyoku.” He smiled, waving back. No. He signed back with the hand tapping on his hip. I placed my hands behind me and turned about, feigning concern. “The alarm is sounding. Will there be trouble?” What should I do? I signed before turning back to face him. “Stay inside and await further orders.” He said, ruffling my hair affectionately, though that was mostly for show.  Still, for some reason, it felt good. Stay undercover. The hand on his hip signed. Letting go of me, he disappeared off the roof, with only the scattered leaves to mark his departure. “Stay safe!” I shouted after him, just to keep up appearances. I nodded and stood aside, letting him leave, before taking a seat at the dinner table, brewing a cup of tea to keep me awake. It would be several long hours before another alarm cut through the air. Priority: Blue. Calling: All ninjas. Order 1: return to normal activities. I relaxed as that order sounded out, but my head was still awhirl with thoughts. What could have prompted such a response from the village? I got my answer later that week. It was the last day of school, and Naruto, the only one who failed, was seated at his usual spot in the classroom, wearing a hitai-ate with the symbol of Konoha emblazoned upon it. Was this a prank? Probably not, considering that Iruka-sensei had not yet barged in here, yelling about a missing hitai-ate. There was surely a story to be told here. So I headed over, listening intently as Naruto regaled to the surrounding kids of his feats. It took awhile to get what he was saying. Seeing as Naruto was never the most acute of story-tellers. Often including unnecessary sound effects and glossing over some important feature. Still, I got the general gist. Basically, he got duped by Mizuki-sensei, an otherwise unremarkable shinobi, into stealing a scroll of secret techniques from the Hokage office. That would explain the alarm yesterday then. Mizuki then tried to steal Naruto and murder him in the process. But thanks to Iruka-sensei’s quick intervention, and Naruto’s mastery of a powerful jutsu from the scroll, the attempt was foiled. Still, the part about this new jutsu piqued my interest. Naruto called it the Shadow Clone technique, an upgraded version of the Academy-taught Clone technique, in which it produces solid clones rather than just illusions. Still it had to be rather impressive. The chunin instructor, or rather, former chunin instructor Mizuki, while not really that impressive, was still much, much more stronger than Naruto. And given how Naruto had said that Iruka-sensei had been heavily injured by Mizuki in a surprise attack, it would mean that Naruto would be the one who fought and subdued Mizuki. Naruto, who was the dead last, whose taijutsu and ninjutsu did not even come close to the top few of our class, had managed to defeat a chunin with the aid of a new jutsu. Now that was really interesting. Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted as a heavily bandaged but still standing Iruka-sensei walked in. Huh, looks like Naruto was telling the truth after all. “All right, settle down!” Iruka-sensei shouted, quieting our class for what would be the last time. I was honestly surprised that he still had the energy to shout, but perhaps our instructor was a lot more resilient than he had let on. “First up, I would like to congratulate all of you for graduating from the Academy’s shinobi course. However! While you are no longer students, you are still mere novices in the ranks of the Shinobi. Genin, the lowest of the low. The challenges that you face from here on will only get harder, and I expect each and every one of you to be up to the task.” As far as speeches go, I’d give that a ‘seven’ I suppose. Holding up his clipboard, he continued. “This here will be your official listing as dictated by the orders handed down to us by the Shinobi Command…” Shinobi Command, the organisation that overlooks the two branches of Shinobi in Konoha. The ANBU, and the General Operations, which consists of the rest of the shinobis. There used to be a third one, the Police Force, but that had ended with the Uchiha Massacre. “Each of you will be assigned to a three-man cell, and you will each be supervised by a Jounin.” He cast a critical eye over all of us. “The cells were arranged such that your ability level would be roughly the same.” That particular comment drew a lot of groans from the class, a reaction that Iruka-sensei ignored as he looked at the clipboard and began reading the names and their allotted numbers aloud. I listened disinterestedly, only perking up once my name was called. “... Cell seven, Asagami, Kyuko. Uzumaki, Naruto...” Naruto pursed his lips in disappointment. Probably because he had wanted to be teamed up with Sakura. At least he quickly changed to a smile when he caught my eye. Though that quickly turned into outrage and disbelief when the next name was announced. “And Uchiha, Sasuke.” “Why am I in the same cell as him?” Naruto exploded. I conveniently zoned myself out of the argument that followed. Truth be told, I was rather happy with this arrangement. Getting both the Jinchuuriki and the last Uchiha on my team? That was a jackpot as far as I was concerned. Or at the very least, I hope it was. The friction between the two of them was legendary. I just hoped that it would not be significant enough to backfire on us. When the lunch bell rang, the gang met up at our usual spot. I tried to invite Sasuke as well, but he brushed me off before setting out on his own. Perhaps that was for the best, considering Naruto’s reaction to what I did. Our main topic of discussion for the day was the new teammates. Sakura was in cell three, paired with two other boys by the names of Izuna Gekko and Kirigaya Ise. Academically wise, Sakura should be the best out of the three, though the other two had slightly better grades than her when it came to Taijutsu, if memory serves. Kiba was paired with a boy called Shino Aburame, from the Aburame clan, and Hinata Hyuga. They would be a formidable bunch, if their grades were any indication. Shino was a long-ranged insect user, while Kiba and Hinata were both exceptionally powerful at taijutsu. They complement each other well.  Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were unsurprisingly grouped together, forming the next upcoming generation of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho combination. They would be a formidable force on the battlefield, considering their skillsets. “But. BUT.” Ino was whining as she swerved her head to look at me. “Why is Sasuke-chan with Kyoku of all people?” I should be insulted that she placed such an emphasis on my name. I really should be. Sakura was nodding off to the side, “Yeah, Kyoku-chan doesn’t deserve Sasuke-chan!” “Yeah!” Ino grabbed me, spinning me around to face her as she did so. “But don’t think that just because you are in the same team as him will give you a head start! I won’t lose.” She said, her eyes with a bit of manic gleam within them. Princess save me from these girls with all their ideas of romance. I groaned. Love was like the last thing on my mind right now. Right up there with ‘Friendship’. A spy needed no friendship, since  we must be prepared to throw all the attachments we created at a moment’s notice. Lunch could not possibly be over quickly enough. And we found ourselves back in the classroom where Iruka-sensei was waiting with a bunch of other rather impressive looking shinobi. They were the Jounin instructors, apparently, and they left with their respective teams as soon as Iruka-sensei called out the team numbers. Until our team was left alone in the room. “He’s late.” Iruka-sensei groaned, quite literally, when I approached him on the subject.  So we waited. And waited. Two hours had passed when Iruka-sensei mumbled something about a meeting and left the room hastily, but not before telling us to wait patiently for our sensei and not to cause any trouble. Barely ten minutes had passed when Naruto, the hyperactive soul that he was, began to complain and wander around the room. Almost half an hour passed when even I found my attention began to wander out of the nearby window. In hindsight I should have brought some reading materials. “He’ll never fall for that.” Sasuke said, causing me to look over at Naruto. Apparently, he had set up a blackboard eraser at the door, which would cause it to fall on whomsoever would open the door. Silently, I agreed with him. Not even Iruka-sensei would fall for a prank like that, what makes him think that a Jounin would? Ten minutes had passed when the door finally creaked open, causing the blackboard eraser to fall squarely upon a head of silver hair. Naruto laughed, proclaiming that he was the prankster ever. Sasuke remained his ever-cynical self, almost as if he could not believe that the man before us was a Jounin.  I froze. There was no way I would mistake that face. I had seen it far too many times in the Bingo Books that Shiratama owned. Bingo Books were a small black book that contained the information of missing-nin from their respective villages. Sometimes, however, a missing-nin would be infamous enough to even make it to the bingo books of other countries. However, thanks to the Third Shinobi War, bingo books began to keep tabs on the significant shinobis of other countries. Famous examples would include the Sannin, of which Orochimaru was a member and the Fourth Hokage, who was reputed to have single-handedly ended Konohagakure’s conflict with Iwagakure. Another of these famous examples was standing before us now. With the bottom half of his covered by a plain mask the color of standard Konoha blue, and with his hitai-ate over one of his eyes, he looked exactly the same as the picture in his entries on the great bingo books of the other four great nations. Kakashi Hatake. The copy-ninja. Famous for copying over a thousand jutsus and his mastery of the legendary Sharingan. A master of not only all five elemental affinities, but also the yin and yang releases, it was no wonder that he was issued a S-rank priority in all those bingo books along with an ‘engaged in your own risk’ printed at the bottom of each of his entries. He looked so harmless now, exuding no aura at all. No killing intent, no aura of authority. For all intents and purposes, if we removed him from that outfit and geared him in civilian-wear, he would not stand out at all. That only made me all the more warier of him. And the tiniest bit afraid. And Naruto had just dropped a blackboard eraser on his head. Buck. I swore internally, reverting to my equestrian vocabulary for awhile. He looked at us. I tensed as he brought his hand up to his chin, as though contemplating something. “My first impression of you three.” He said brightly. “I don’t like you.” Double buck.