O1 - Chapter 5
(Three hours)
Seriously, who takes three fucking hours to just show up? Naruto mentally groaned.
It just didn’t make sense. Everyone else had come and gone; some even leaving before the end of the lunch break given that Koan and his oddly larger team hadn’t come back. Team 10 had left almost immediately after the break, their sensei, a fairly tall, bearded man well into a pack of cigarettes, coming to collect them practically straight away. And now it was just him, Sakura, and his royal brooding self, Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto spared the Uchiha a sidelong glance, almost grumbling out loud at the look of total emotional control on his face. It really did rub him the wrong way that Sasuke could just sit there with his hands folded underneath his chin so casually without giving the slightest clue that he even cared about what was going on around him. Did he seriously think it was a good thing to just ignore everyone and everything around him? How did that get him anywhere anyway? That had never made sense to him. The teachers never gave him anything other than praise, even when Naruto knew he didn’t deserve it in the slightest. He knew he was the Last Uchiha and everything, but how could that possibly be a reason to just instantly admire him for everything he did. It wasn’t like everything he touched turned to gold or anything crazy like that. Hell, he wasn’t even that good.
Naruto recalled one particular taijutsu contest two years back where Sasuke didn’t win for once. Koan did, of all people. That had to be the only time he had ever seen Sasuke look shocked. Koan had blown through the competition with little to no difficulty, Sasuke being the only one who could give him a little tough time. The fight lasted a few minutes, but in the end, Koan was victorious and Sasuke was unconscious, practically beaten into the ground. He couldn’t remember another time that the Uchiha had seemed so completely shaken by that. But what made that one particular thing stand out was that it was the only time Koan had ever fought in one of the taijutsu contests the Academy held for its classes once a year. All the other times he hadn’t even shown up to class on those days.
Odd, was Naruto’s only real thought on the topic. It didn’t matter much anyway. He turned his attention back to the present and another outstretched moment of waiting.
The silence was starting to be too much after nearly twenty minutes of saying absolutely nothing. He just wasn’t cut out to be the silent and brooding type that Sasuke proved to be nearly every minute of the day.
“Seriously, what is taking this guy?” Naruto suddenly exploded, voice cutting across the overwhelming quiet.
“Naruto, he’ll be here soon. Quit worrying so much,” Sakura said tiredly.
Naruto stiffened when he heard her voice even sasuke got affected and looked sideways to the windows
Sakura sighed, knowing what’s going on and she know it’s her fault
Well, i guess it’s the best time to apologize….thought sakura before steeling herself
“Naruto, Sasuke i am so-
“Oh, whatever, I need to find something to do”….naruto cutting sakura in between
Naruto groaned face-first into the desk he sat behind. Suddenly inspiration struck him. It had been a while since he had done a prank, and while he didn’t have the time or resources to do something as grand as his defacing of the Hokage Monument a few days ago, he still had the means for something simple yet enjoyable.
Slowly, he moved the stool he sat on over to the sliding door that led into the classroom, retrieved a chalkboard eraser from Iruka-sensei’s desk, hopped on to his stool and quickly stowed the eraser into the space between the wide door frame and the slightly open door with the practiced movements of a long-time prankster.
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Everyone except one was blowing out air in exasperation as they reached Training Ground 11, and the one person who was not exceptionally winded, or at least showing signs of it, was not the jinchuuriki on the team.
Shino stood upright; his hands slipped into the pockets of his jacket while all the others were leaning over with their hands on their knees. The main reason he did not give into his exhaustion was because logic demanded that he never give an unnecessary show of weakness, but in reality he was just as tired as the others, perhaps even more so. Despite common beliefs that the insects inhabiting their bodies were what actually composed their internal structures, the Aburame merely allowed a nest of insects, kikaichuu among the species utilised by his clan, to coexist within them in symbiosis. Essentially, that meant that not only were they carrying around their own body weight but an entire colony of chakra-sucking insects with them. Put into simpler terms, unless he started working on his stamina and endurance like a majority of the Aburame clan members at his age would, Shino would be in for a very short shinobi career indeed.
Kiba and Hinata were just tired from the run. Training Ground 8 was quite a distance from the Academy, and would usually take at least an hour to an hour-and-a-half for a civilian to walk there at a regular pace. They had needed to make it there in ten minutes. Yeah, that’s totally reasonable for a bunch of fresh-out-of-the-Academy genin
Unlike the other three, he didn’t bother standing up. Instead he found a nice tree to lie in while the others recovered on the ground below. Something about the trees always made him feel at ease, but yet again it probably had something to do with the tailed beast sealed into his body. For all intents and purposes, that could very well have been the only facet of his bijuu’s behaviour that he would exhibit outwardly.
“And you made it here with exactly thirty-two seconds to spare, not a bad job considering you are all just genin less than a week fresh out of the Academy,” Kurenai said, stepping out from the trees.
“Well I guess some proper introductions are in order for all of us, and to show you how it’s done, I’ll start: Hi, my name is Yuuhi Kurenai, I’m a jounin from Konoha and I specialise in genjutsu. I like training, reading genjutsu scrolls and hanging around with the other jounin. I dislike those who hate needlessly, those who treat genjutsu as pointless and when teammates don’t get along because of conflicting ideologies. My goals right now are to train my new genin team to be the best they can be, and to prove that genjutsu can be just as strong as taijutsu or ninjutsu. My dream is to shove the success of my goals in the face of certain smoking jounin who bothers me to no end. Why don’t you go next Hinata?”
Hinata bowed her head solemnly before she spoke, not raising it once as she talked. “Hai, Kurenai-sensei, my n-name is Hyuuga H-Hinata. I use the Jyuuken, the H-Hyuuga t-t-taijutsu form, but I’m not very good at it. I like c-cinnamon rolls, pressing flowers, spending t-time in my garden and the people I know I can trust. I dislike those who judge people before they know them, those who look down on others because they simply can and those who interfere where they shouldn’t. My goal is to become str-stronger so I can ch-change the Hyuuga clan for the better, but I’m a long way from that happening. My dream is to…work up the c-courage to tell s-s-s-s-some-someone…something.”
Kurenai inclined her head slightly. Hinata really was more of a wreck than she had thought. The Sandaime had informed her of the Hyuuga heiress’s troubles with her immediate family and her father’s ultra-demanding attitude, but the genjutsu mistress didn’t expect Hinata to be so submissive and self-doubting. The self-doubt was changeable with time, but the stuttering and overly passive manner would be harder to deal with, not to mention the girl’s sole training in Jyuuken would make it difficult to teach her otherwise from what Kurenai knew of the strict and deliberate teaching methods of the Hyuuga masters. “Alright, you’re next, dog boy.”
Kiba looked annoyed for a second before launching into a tirade of half-assed bragging. “My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and you’re all looking at the best shinobi on this team! I use my clan’s taijutsu techniques with my partner Akamaru and I’m going to prove I’m the best tracker here. I like my trusted partner and best friend, Akamaru, beef jerky and anything chewy! I dislike anyone who thinks they’re better than me just because they can point out a few flaws in my character and anyone who dislikes dogs. My goal is to be the best shinobi my clan and this village has seen, and my dream is to lead this village in whatever way I can, as the Hokage or the Jonin commander!
The red-eyed genjutsu mistress just sighed. She could already see exactly what Kiba needed to change: his entire attitude. That kind of alpha mentality straight from the Inuzuka clan never worked well for a team, especially when Kiba wasn’t the top dog by a long way. I’m the sensei, Kiba, not you, Kurenai rebuked mentally.
“So, how about you, shades?”
The quiet Aburame boy adjusted his glasses before speaking quietly. “I am Aburame Shino, and by extension a user of the insect-based techniques developed solely by the clan of my birth. I am able to use the insects bonded with my body to track targets, drain chakra and a variety of other specialised tasks depending on the scenario. I favour entomology and the collection of rare species of insects as pursuits of leisure. I dislike those who act rashly without examining a situation objectively and logically. My goal is to become a stronger shinobi using the means currently at my disposal while my dream remains to lead my clan to the best of my abilities.”
There wasn’t much Kurenai could say about the Aburame other than he seemed to have a decent grasp of his own abilities, but like the others needed to improve.
She glanced up at the dark-skinned boy lying in the branches of the nearby tree and said, “Your turn Koan.”
“My name is Koan. What I like is not much, What I dislike is an extremely long list. My goal… well, my goals and dreams are not something i would like to tell others”
Great another kakashi hatake…..thought kurenai after hearing koan introduction where the only thing he said is his name
Kiba exchanged an odd glance with Shino, or at least Kiba thought he did. Hinata narrowed her eyes slightly, though it was hard to tell with the lack of easily identifiable pupils in the girl’s tinted eyes.
Kurenai cleanly proceed the proceedings, “Well just so we can get an idea of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, you guys will pair off and spar each other. To get the ball rolling, Koan and Hinata, you guys go first. Just remember, try not to maim one another when you attack. It’d be a much better use of the village’s resources to keep you all in one piece.”
She moved first,since her chakra, was focused in her fingertips, Koan pushed at her wrist, pushing the strike to his right while koan slid around her in an orbit to the left, and rewarded her with a punch to the side.
Hinata’s eyes widened not only because koan blocked her strikes but but because of his punch which she knew would have dealt a lot of damage if not him holding back
Koan slid back, getting away from the inevitable counter attack.
“Your block was a bit lower; try to raise your arms a little higher”….. came the voice of yonbi inside koan’s head
Koan parried another strike, then another, making sure to push his wrists a bit higher. After parrying another attack, his palm landed on her chest (on her boobs) and he pulled back once more.
“I-I am s-sorry it wasn’t intentional i-i swear”…if there is someone who look at this scene they would see koan was just like hinata; his face was entirely red and he was strutting
Hinata face too was red like a tomato she was holding her chest looking at koan with a eyes that clearly explain, that she got sexually assaulted while koan is the beast who did it
“CONTINUE”….. came kurenai’s sensei voice who was watching entire fight from a tree top
“HaHaHa, i accept nothing less than my young jinchiruki, you made me proud kid”…Yonbi was clearly amused from this
Grrr….shut you old monkey…said Koan inside his head
Hinata who was clearly in a very very rare rage came at koan like a red tsunami who would eat him whole without even brewing salt on him
He slipped between the blows, deftly moving in sync with his opponent, so much so that it looked like a practiced routine. Eyes up and cautious gaze beaming across, Koan moved forward, dodging through a pattern weaving punches and kicks, blocking and deflecting where needed while flowing around and underneath the strikes raining down on him like the pounding tides of a storm.
To the ordinary observer, it would seem as if the Yonbi jinchuuriki was somehow moving through the blows as if they didn’t hit him at all, but to the trained eye, Koan could be seen moving with a speed and precision most his age couldn’t hope to keep up with. The chakra pumping through his body was nearly visible around him, an aura of distortion leaving light trails in the air as he moved. The previous second of the fight could still be seen in the traces of chakra he left to the sightlines of a Byakugan in his wake as he continued his high-speed movements.
Unexpectedly, Koan’s movements ceased almost instantly and he froze in the position of an open palm strike to his opponent’s chest, his extended hand distorting the air around it with a light shimmer. His opponent was blown back by metres, sandal-clad feet leaving twin trails in the disturbed soil.
That’s right kid remember your clan was on par with most powerful clans in history because your clan’s defense is most powerful in entire history; use that, don’t attack you reflect it’s all about defense through attack, attack through defense…..said yonbi inside koan head guiding him through his great inheritance
Hinata paused in her assault on Koan as she recovered from his heavy-handed strike. She dropped back into a Jyuuken stance and motioned for Koan to continue in a smooth flick of her hand. Her level of concentration intensified as her Byakugan focused in on the near-blinding glow of Koan’s chakra pathways. The fierce blue mixed with a sinister red around his right shoulder in an odd spiraling pattern that distributed the darker red into the bright glow of the blue.
The female genin thought it odd to see such a distinct difference in the colour of a person’s chakra or to see such great parallels in the difference at all. Most people she had looked upon with her inherited doujutsu carried chakra of an often blue tint, ranging from glaring whites and glowing silvers to ocean blues and even faint traces of violet, but never had she seen red in a person. Whether it something exclusive to Koan, though, she wasn’t sure. Naruto’s chakra, albeit in a different location on his body, carried a similar red stream, though his seemed far more centralized than Koan’s. Her mind disengaged from her train of thought as she saw a flash of movement in front of her.
Koan charged, coming at her with an incredibly fast right hook. Hinata ducked and turned, slipping beneath the male genin’s brutal rush. Like she had been taught by her clan, she brought a glowing palm up, intent on stopping Koan mid-air by disabling one of the major tenketsu on his spine. While her doujutsu did not have the keen vision required to clearly determine the location of each chakra point along his body, the slightly harsher glow on his back was easy enough to decipher amidst the flow of energy throughout his body. There was a sudden change in the air as her hand approached his back, about to collide palm-first with his spine. The right hook that had made her crouch and attempt a counter became an incredibly tight spin, one that disguised the movement of his left hand planting on her shoulder and the leg that swept around to deliver a snap kick from above, right into her arms that she came to block. Diverting the path of her hand mid-strike was no easy feat, but she managed to avoid Koan’s leg as she threw herself out of the way.
[AUTHOR NOTE: That is called defense through attack; this clan sure is a freak]
The entire exchange happened in little more than a second.
Hinata was holding her arms that punch really; what’s with that strength he is super strong (physically)
All the while kurenai was squinting her eyes,
That kind of strength there was no clan in konoha with that much power besides isn’t this koan an orphan? that strength is clearly a bloodline….. thought kurenai still looking at fight while maintaining more focus on koan
CONTINUE….yelled kurenai from the tree top
Hinata rolled back onto her feet to see Koan already settling back into his stance. It was an unusual one at that, not unlike the basic Jyuuken position in the location of the lower body but different entirely in the bearing of his hands. Her own were raised towards him palm first, her left hand in front while her right came behind, lowering her overall body profile in close-quarters combat. His were set in a similar way, but his palms faced the ground, arms slanted in front of his body and sloping forward from his shoulders.
As the Hyuuga heiress began to circle her opponent, the jinchuuriki mirrored her movements, strafing in the slowly in the opposite direction. It was a measured pace, both looking for weaknesses in their opponents’ guard. Hinata could already tell how incredible a warrior Koan was. Being able to move like he had in the brief exchanges of blows, blocks, feints and counters that had ensued was no laughing matter. He was far more skilled than he had let on, but Hinata still didn’t know how deep his skills ran.
Koan stopped a brief moment longer in one of his strides, immediately putting the female genin on guard in the tense air that had been building between the two combatants. Her Byakugan had almost certainly seen him glance towards her legs for an instant. Then Koan moved.
While extremely abrupt, his charge was expected this time. Hinata shifted left while Koan came at her right, not moving either of his upper limbs as he approached swiftly. His leg came up in a high kick for her neck. She slipped to the side, flexibility playing its part as she tapped at his leg with a handful of injected chakra. Just as her hand came back towards body in preparation of her next strike after her briefly successful hit against his leg, Koan changed position sharply, hand colliding with her wrist at immense speed. Her next move was thrown entirely off course as Koan turned with her wrist in hand, jerking her to the side and sending her hurtling away from him.
Hinata tumbled along the grass, all-seeing vision partially warped and twisted by her rapid though unintentional movement. It was always a strange experience to have such a huge range of vision tossed around suddenly without her control, x-ray-like vision thrown from side to side with reckless abandon, though she had been occasionally acquainted with the peculiar occurrence at the hands of her younger sister and father. She would have winced had she not been in the process of hauling herself back to her feet with another backwards roll.
Just as her vision began to still and she caught sight of Koan moving as a blur to her Byakugan, she noticed something even stranger. His movements weren’t inhibited in the slightest. He was moving at the exact same speed has he had been before she had hit both of his legs. That didn’t make any sense. The Jyuuken was designed specifically to disrupt movements, negate the flow of chakra to body parts and thereby disable an enemy’s ability to move at a combat-ready speed. That in itself was incredibly hard to resist. So how was Koan ignoring it like it was nothing?
[NEXT TIME WHAT’S WITH KOAN AND WALLS]
