255Chapter Five: Team Seven, a Promising Start
Hinata had just finished pulling her new outfit on as she tied the headband over her Byakugan activate eyes, 'My first day on a Team with Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun...I hope I don't disappoint either of them.' she thought with a sigh as she went to leave her new bedroom door.
"Oh dammit!"
Hinata blinked before she opened the door quickly and ran out into the main room, seeing Naruto shaking his hand in pain as he had burned it on the pan, though he seemed to hear her rushed entrance to the room as he turned to her with a smile, "Morning Hinata-chan!" Naruto said exuberantly, his blue Sharingan eyes visible to the world even though the rest of his Genjutsu was still in effect.
Hinata smiled softly at Naruto as she saw simultaneously with her eyes that the toast was burning, the eggs were a few second from being overdone and the kettle was seconds from overflowing. She quickly walked through his little kitchenette, popping the toaster and lifting the kettle off of the heat as she glanced through Naruto's shoulder at the four eggs he had nearly burned.
Naruto smiled sheepishly at her as she placed the toast on the set of plates he had already waiting, "Sorry Hinata-chan, I was trying to make breakfast for you but I guess it was more like you saving breakfast from me." Naruto said with a kind smile as he placed everything in the sink and lifted the kettle and his own plate, turning to place them both on the small table that Hinata joined him at with her own plate.
Hinata sat down with a smile as she looked down at the food while Naruto poured some tea for the two of them, "Thank you Naruto, it smells wonderful." she said softly, her voice slightly hoarse before she cleared her throat.
Naruto grinned as he dug into his food, though halfway through it Hinata paused and broke the comfortable silence, "Naruto, didn't Kakashi-sensei say we weren't to eat anything before the test?" she asked.
Naruto nodded and continued eating, "Well normally I would agree with my commanding officer, but as a medic, a few techniques, pills and medicines are available which make the body absorb nutrients at an accelerated speed to avoid such situations that would normally result in puking up your guts." Naruto explained as he lifted his teacup, "Otherwise known as Rosehip tea infused with some special flavourless herbs." Naruto finished before taking a deep sip from his warm tea.
Hinata blinked at Naruto from behind her headband and nodded as she took a hesitant sip of her surprisingly delicious tea, she nodded to Naruto, "Thank you, this is wonderful." she said earnestly.
Naruto grinned happily as he finished his meal and took the empty plate to the sink. He just place it atop the pan in the sink before turning to Hinata and picking up his tea from the table, "I'm gonna have this on the balcony if you want to join me?" Naruto offered.
Hinata nodded as she finished eating her mouthful, "Yeah okay, I'll be right after you." she said before she watched him walk away.
Naruto stepped out onto his balcony, resting back into one of the chairs in relaxation as he looked out over the nearly empty street, 'Soon we'll have to go get Sasuke and we'll make our way to the training grounds,' he thought as he sipped his tea, 'I wonder if I can convince the others to get ramen with me for lunch...'
After about a minute, the door opened again and out came Hinata, "Is it okay to just leave the dishes there? I can wash up if you want." she offered.
Naruto shook his head, "Nah that's okay, Tsubaki has the next six hours to do the little chores around the house. That's what Mom hired her for apparently so yeah, we can have a break." Naruto said with a smile.
Hinata nodded as she took a seat next to Naruto, relaxing back into the chair and smiling softly as her eyes looked up and down the whole block, seeing a small flock of birds fluttering at one end while on the other some bats were sleeping. Having the Byakugan activated all the time really gave one a new perspective on the beauty of the little things surrounding them.
Hinata's focus travelled to Naruto as he finished his tea and set it down on the small table between them, "Hinata..." Naruto began, causing Hinata to turn her head to him curiously, "Are you okay? I mean, it must be just as new to you as it is to me now, the house I mean." Naruto said nervously, wanting to help somehow but not quite nailing down an idea of how to do so just yet.
Hinata was quiet for a moment before nodding, "Honestly Naruto-kun, I woke up worrying about when I'd have to go back and all that came to mind... is that I don't ever have to again," she said before smiling brightly, "I'm very, very okay." she said with a relaxed sigh.
Naruto smiled at her relaxed expression before stretching out in his chair, "I'm glad." Naruto said sincerely as the two soaked in the calm air between them.
"Hey love birds!"
Hinata snapped out of her near-zen state as Naruto leaned forward to look down over the balcony, "Kaa-san!" Naruto shouted in embarrassment as a light blush covered his cheeks.
Tsunade laughed up at his reaction before speaking loudly again, "You two better head off soon y'know, I'll see you tonight for dinner alright?" she asked rhetorically.
Naruto nodded as Hinata quickly stood by his side, the two of them waving, "Yeah I know, Later Kaa-san!" Naruto exclaimed.
"S-see you Tsunade-sama!" Hinata shouted in her soft voice.
Tsunade waved one last time at the two of them before she started walking towards the hospital, making Naruto turn to Hinata and offer her a hand, "Ready to go?" Naruto asked.
Hinata nodded and took a deep calming breath as she took his hand and stepped into his awkward hug as he once more formed a Ram seal behind her back.
In a shift of vision, the two were suddenly gone in a shunshin.
##########
Sasuke closed the gate to the Uchiha compound behind him as he glanced up and down the empty street, 'Not sure what I expected really.' Sasuke thought with a sigh as he looked to his left.
Feeling a shift in the wind, Sasuke turned to his right only to flinch as Naruto and Hinata were suddenly there in a blur, Naruto standing calmly as he supported the slightly woozy looking Hinata, "Morning Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed before catching Hinata, "Hey are you okay Hinata?" Naruto asked.
Hinata nodded as she regained her balance, it was an odd experience being pulled through someone else's shunshin, "Y-yes," she said as she stood tall, smiling at Sasuke as she turned her gaze to him, "Good morning Sasuke." she said politely.
Sasuke nodded to the two of them, "Morning. Where did you two jump from?" he asked as he glanced around the nearby rooftops.
Hinata opened her mouth to explain, but Naruto spoke quicker, "Na-uh! Not giving away my super secret techniques so easily!" Naruto exclaimed jokingly before linking an arm with Hinata and the obviously caught-off-guard Sasuke, forming the Ram seal once more as Hinata held her breath.
##########
Arriving at the bridge to the training grounds, Sasuke landed on his back with his eyes closed in shock and slight pain, though feeling pressure on top of him, he opened his eyes before they widened even further.
Hinata blushed as she realised she fallen on top of Sasuke, then she used her eyes and realised what the pressure on her lips was... they were...
...kissing Sasuke's lips.
Naruto laughed as Hinata and Sasuke leapt apart, though Sasuke fell to his knee off-balance while Hinata just stood blushing, getting used to the feeling of Naruto's shunshin as the blonde himself patted Sasuke on the back with a loud laugh, "Hahaha! You two look so cute together!" he said jokingly, earning himself a glare from Sasuke.
Sasuke climbed to his feet as Hinata felt that she was back at one hundred percent, "The training grounds is this way." She said as she began to walk off.
Naruto offered a supportive hand to Sasuke, "Hey are you okay?" Naruto asked in honest concern.
Sasuke glared at Naruto with a slight blush of embarrassment at the whole situation, expecting a patronising glare of some kind, but pausing as he noticed Naruto's expression. Sasuke glanced at the offered hand and nodded before standing under his own power, "I am." Sasuke said before marching after Hinata.
Naruto smirked at the back of Sasuke's head as he walked away, 'Note to self, let Sasuke keep up his façade of calm and cool, and just maybe... there's a way to get these two making each other stronger without it being a rivalry...' Naruto thought as he followed his team with a scheming chuckle.
Not two minutes later, Hinata led her team-mates into a clearing, pausing as she got to it's edge and pointed at the small sign, "Here we are." she said.
Sasuke and Naruto glanced around the clearing, Naruto smiling at the surroundings while Sasuke frowned as he noticed what wasn't there, "Where is Kakashi?"
Naruto and Hinata blinked as they glanced around, noticing their Sensei's absence as well, "Oh man, you don't think he'll be as late as yesterday do ya?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke frowned at the thought while Hinata shrugged, "Well, this gives us time to set traps and stuff at least." she said as she began to walk across the field.
Sasuke raised a brow, "Traps? For our Sensei?" he asked.
Naruto shrugged as he followed after Hinata, "Well I guess she's right. As ninja odds are he's gonna want to see our skills, which usually means a fight." Naruto said with a frown.
Sasuke scowled as he watched his two team-mates walk away, taking a seat between the training posts before they began to take out ninja wire and objects of the like to see what traps they could make.
Seeing the ninja wire caused Sasuke to smirk, 'Maybe... I can try setting up the multiple angle shuriken trap.' he thought as he glanced off to the side before walking away.
Seeing Sasuke leaving with her Byakugan, Hinata lifted her head to say something when Naruto cut her off, "It's okay, just let him do his own thing. He'll come around." Naruto said with a grin.
Hinata watched Naruto for a moment before he noticed her blush, "Actually, I was going to ask..." she said before looking at Naruto with a pout, "Does Sasuke hate me now?" she asked.
Naruto raised a brow, "Huh? Why do you think that?" He asked curiously as he paused in setting up a burst trap with shuriken.
Hinata looked down and shook her head, "He didn't talk to me and we umm... we just k-kissed." She said as if Naruto hadn't seen it, "And he didn't say anything to me after..." she trailed off.
Naruto paused in his trap making, "Umm, not to judge, but you didn't say anything to him either. I think he's just embarrassed as you probably are considering that blush." Naruto said.
His chuckle increased as Hinata's blush grew stronger at his words, though he held back his laughter as she began nodding and showing Naruto what she had to make more traps and him doing the same as they got back to work.
##########
"This is freakin ridiculous!" Hinata exclaimed.
Naruto and Sasuke leaned back in shock at her sudden outburst, Sasuke was stunned silent while Naruto just smirked after a moment, 'She's going to have to reign in her control of her emotions.' Naruto thought.
Glancing back over to the bridge, Naruto's eyes began to spin as they became long sighted, a somewhat simple skill used by medics to survey injuries and potential traps that he just discovered was enhanced with his new eyes, "I think I see him." Naruto said.
Hinata raised her head before her brows furrowed above her headband/eye cover, "You're right, finally." she said with a smile of slight excitement before it seemed to fade just as quickly, "But... what if we don't pass the test?" she asked her team-mates, sudden worry covering her features.
Sasuke raised a brow at her behaviour, "An Uchiha a Senju and a Hyuuga? As if the council would let someone fail us."
"And that's where you are wrong." Kakashi said as he walked into earshot, "You see as Hinata isn't a Hyuuga anymore, Hiashi is actively trying to take her out of the ninja program. Tsunade has a fair few enemies too, and that could definitely cause strife for Naruto." Kakashi said with an eye smile, "Morning everyone." he said with a casual wave.
Sasuke smirked, "So, I am still guaranteed a place on the team?" Sasuke assumed confidently.
Kakashi looked at Sasuke with his eye-smile still in place, "No. You're not any more important then these two. If fact, the way I hear it you might be the weak link on this team."
A sudden cold breeze swept through the field as Sasuke glared at Kakashi, though the Jonin just smiled on confidently, "Now, do we want to keep talking? Or do you want to see if you have what it takes to become gennin?" Kakashi asked as he reached into his ninja pouch.
Naruto took a defensive step back, basic instinct for a medic as their most crucial to the team's survival. But Kakashi only took out two bells, causing all three gennin to watch in confusion as the Jonin clipped them onto his waist.
"Now, as you can see I have a pair of bells. If you succeed in taking a bell from me before twelve," Kakashi said as he pulled out a small timer, "Then you pass. If not, you will be strapped to a post while those who did and myself get to eat some lunch." Kakashi concluded, "Get what I'm saying?"
Sasuke's stomach rumbled, causing Hinata and Naruto to look at him before Naruto clicked his fingers in realisation, "Oh yeah, Sensei said not to eat..." he said as he shared a look of embarrassment with Hinata.
The ex-hyuuga blushed, "Oops." she mumbled.
Kakashi blinked before sighing, 'Well, at least the starvation tactic worked against one of them.' he thought with a glance to the scowling Sasuke.
Hinata spoke up again as she noticed a slight flaw in Kakashi's test, "But Sensei, you only have two bells..." she said.
Kakashi nodded, "Good you noticed, yes only two of you can pass, and that means that one of you is guaranteed to not only miss lunch," he said with another eye smile, "but also get sent straight back to the academy."
The clearing was silent for a moment before Naruto raised his hand, "Umm, sorry Sensei but are we seriously supposed to believe that?" he asked incredulously.
Sasuke and Hinata looked at Naruto in confusion, letting the blonde be the only one to see the slight one-eyed glare Kakashi was aiming at him, "Of course, it's my job as Jonin Sensei to make sure you are ready for this and if you fail you leave." Kakashi said.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, but the whole 'sent back to the academy' thing, you can't do that. The standard practice is if we don't make it onto a team we are fast-tracked for a specific skill like for me I'd aim for medic ninja, or Sasuke might become an ANBU Captain, or maybe Hinata becoming one the Hokage Applicants who go into specific training," Naruto paused for a breath, "My point is, you can't dictate whether we – ninja who work for the Hokage – can have our headbands taken away."
After a few moments of silence Kakashi eye smiled, "And what makes you think that?" he asked.
Naruto raised a brow and reached into his left most pouch, bringing out a storage scroll, "Since I moved here I've been studying ninja customs and rules. What you're saying breaks these rules. You are lying." Naruto said seriously.
Kakashi's eye smiled grew, "Ah, I see there's finally a real ninja applying for this team," Kakashi said with a nod, "To be a real ninja, one must learn to look 'Underneath the underneath', that's your last clue for my test." Kakashi said as he placed the timer down on top of the middle log, "Stay logical and you might actually pass the REAL test." Kakashi said as he raised an arm from the timer, letting the three gennin hear the ticking, "You have five seconds before we begin. Show me what it means to be a real ninja." Kakashi said as he reached into his pouch again, "BEGIN!" Kakashi said.
The three gennin leapt into the bushes, causing Kakashi to nod, 'Good, they know that they can't beat a Jonin head on so they're going for stealth...' he thought as he pulled his hand free from his pouch.
##########
Naruto raised a brow, "Are you kidding me? He's reading?" he mumbled to himself as he watched their new Sensei through the bushes.
POOF
Naruto glanced over to his right, seeing Hinata calmly walk into the clearing before taking the Hyuuga gentle fist stance before charging, 'What the? She can't really think she can...' Naruto's thoughts trailed off as he saw the real Hinata step out of the bushes behind Kakashi, 'ooooh, good thinking.' Naruto thought as Kakashi looked up at Hinata's Shadow Clone.
Kakashi chuckled as the clone ran forward, "Lesson one, Taijutsu." he said as he moved his arm.
Knowing he couldn't just block a Jyuuken strike, Kakashi used the spine of his book to block her chakra laced pokes, "See this? I'm nullifying your technique completely, so how else would a Hyuuga trained-"
Kakashi's single eye widened before he ducked under the strike of the real Hinata, "Umm... okay." Kakashi said with an obvious off-guard blink, "I didn't even see you do that clone...or are you the clone?" Kakashi asked calmly.
"Or am I the clone?"
Naruto smirked as he stepped out of the clearing, his Hidden Identity Genjutsu making him look like an exact copy of Hinata, causing Kakashi to look between the three of them before turning and suddenly charging at Naruto, 'Nice try Naruto, but your body language is different from Hinata's.' Kakashi thought as he ran forward.
Seeing the Hinatas' follow behind Kakashi, Naruto raised his fist in the air, causing both Byakugan users to see the chakra in his fist and jump just as Naruto punched the ground.
Kakashi's eyes widened as he lost his balance from the ground rumbling so fiercely, managing to land on one foot and use his chakra to stick safely as he noticed two shadows falling at him from above, 'Illusionary clone don't make shadows!' Kakashi thought as he spun and swung his empty hand in a back fist to hit the Hinata on the right.
POOF
The Hinata clone was dispersed as the real Hinata reached for the bells at Kakashi's waist, her fingers just barely touching the bell before Kakashi swung his book around and knocked her arm aside before his foot followed up with a kick to her stomach.
"NINJA ART: POISON FOG JUTSU!" Naruto shouted as he spewed forth the purple mist.
Naruto dropped his advanced transformation and formed a Ram seal, disappearing in a shunshin as he landed next to Hinata on the opposite side of the field.
"FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!"
Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened as Sasuke's fireball appeared from the treeline, burning it's way across the field to hit the cloud with an explosion powerful enough that Naruto put his body between it and Hinata to protect her from the heat and the shockwave.
After a few moments, Naruto looked up as Sasuke walked out from the bushes next to them, "Hey Sasuke, good combo." Naruto said with a thumbs up.
Sasuke smirked and nodded at Naruto's words, though they went silent as they heard Kakashi clapping from inside the cloud of smoke and dirt.
Hinata's eyes widened, "How?" Hinata asked with wide eyes as the smoke revealed to show Kakashi was completely unscathed, clapping slowly for a few more seconds before flicking his book open again.
"Very good you three, nice to see you teaming up against me." Kakashi said with an eye smile, "But how will you decide who gets the bells when this is over if it's between the three of you?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke scowled at that as Naruto smirked slightly, leaning over Hinata for a moment as his green glowing hand rested on her bruised stomach, "Go show him how wrong he is Sasuke! The Uchiha are strong!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke's whole body seemed to grow a little taller with confidence and focus before he dashed forward as Kakashi, the Jonin's eye squinting as he thought he noticed something about Sasuke's left eye, 'Did it just flash red?'
Sasuke leapt into the fight with a high kick that lead into a sweeping combination that he used to get inside Kakashi's guard, though the Jonin was fast enough to continue blocking and evading .
Naruto nodded as he stood, "Hinata, you're back at one hundred percent, let's go give Sensei something to brag about if he sees Hiashi." Naruto said with a grin.
Hinata nodded as a determined frown rested on her brow, "Right!" She shouted before running in to battle.
Naruto smirked as he watched Hinata and Sasuke slip into attacking Kakashi from opposite sides, making Kakashi focus on blacking Hinata with the spine of his book and blocking Sasuke with his free hand.
Naruto got into a sprinters position as his blue Sharingan began to swirl and he focussed his chakra, 'Ready...' Naruto thought before he formed the Ram seal again.
Kakashi flicked his book around and caught Hinata's twin palm strike in the pages of his book before he closed it, his other hand catching Sasuke's foot in mid air before noticing Sasuke's smirk.
The Uchiha twisted his body in the air, reaching out for the bells which Kakashi only barely managed to keep away from him by pivoting, throwing Sasuke away as he went to step back, completely forgetting about Hinata who leapt up and slammed her chakra laced palms into Kakashi's shoulders.
"AH!" Kakashi shouted in pain that he managed to shake off when he realised the jolt had made him drop his beloved Icha Icha Paradise.
Naruto's eyes widened as he saw an opening, 'Now!' Naruto thought.
In a blur of movement, Naruto had shot forward at Kakashi, picking up Hinata as he grazed the Jonin's side and caught up to the airborne Sasuke to catch him with his other arm, the three of them skidding to a stop as Naruto tripped and rolled with them until their backs thumped softly against the training posts.
There was a moment of silence as the three gennin sat against the posts before Naruto looked up at Kakashi with the bells caught between his teeth, "We got you Sensei! All together!" Naruto exclaimed as the bells fell from his mouth.
Sasuke stood quickly as he swiped a bell from Naruto, "Thanks for the catch Senju." Sasuke said as he held the bell up to eye level, looking at it as if he was making sure it was the real one, which it was.
Hinata looked up at the bells in her team-mates hands and smiled as she grabbed Naruto's hand with the bell in it, "We did it!" she shouted excitedly.
Kakashi looked down at his waist and blinked, "Huh...well I gotta be honest I'm shocked..." Kakashi said as if he totally wasn't, "Anyways, you guys pass!" Kakashi said with an eye smile.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Kakashi looked over at the alarm clock he had set down, 'Wow, even before the time limit too...' Kakashi thought as he looked over the three gennin, 'To think that they work so well together, and the fact that they have a medic with the two Taijutsu powerhouses means they can just keep going if need be.' Kakashi thought with an eye smile as he watched the three gennin celebrate and smile to each other.
##########
"Hello Team 7," Hiruzen said with a smile as Kakashi walked his team into the Hokage's office, though his smile rested slightly longer on Naruto then the other two, "I am happy to see you passed a team Kakashi." Hiruzen said.
Kakashi scratched the back of his head with an eye smile, "Yeah well, after their surprising display of teamwork I couldn't NOT let them pass." he said before looking back down at his book, "So can we have a D-rank? Just something simple to get us started if you don't mind." Kakashi asked.
Hiruzen nodded as he looked down at the beginner missions for the Rookie teams, "We have the monthly dump clean up if you want that? I think your team would actually be quite well suited to that one." he said as he took the furthest scroll from him and tossed it towards the team.
Without looking up from his book, Kakashi caught the scroll with his free hand and nodded, "Sounds good to me, we'll see you after the mission then." Kakashi said with a nod before turning and walking back out the office door.
The rest of the team moved behind him as they left, though Naruto was the last out as he looked at the Hokage and shared a wide grin with him before the Hokage gestured him for to move along.
Jogging up behind his new team, Naruto stepped into place behind Hinata as she and Sasuke walked behind Kakashi, "So, do you guys know how we keep the village waste free?" Kakashi asked as he lead the way through the Hokage Tower.
Naruto had no idea, so he looked to the locals for answers, only to see that they were both as blank as he was, "No." Sasuke said shortly.
Kakashi nodded, "Alright then, Hinata, how many clones are you capable of making?" Kakashi asked.
Hinata frowned, "Umm, if I really push it I think I could make two at a time?" she said.
Kakashi tilted his head, "Hmm, okay sounds good." he said with a nod before he picked up his pace, "Well, I'm honestly not once known to rush things, but I rather we finish this mission before it gets too late, otherwise we'll have to do extra." he said as he lead them from the tower to Konoha's dump.
##########
"Alright guys, this is what we'll do," Kakashi began to explain as the four of them stopped at a set of really tall gates that sat all the way out behind the Hokage Monument, "We each get a Hinata to go into the dump with, her Byakugan is the best tool we have in locating the Storage Seals but they're only activated with these seals," Kakashi said as he unrolled the mission scroll and lifted the small sheets rolled up within it, "Which is a corresponding activation seal to make them suck in the rubbish. There'll then be a few things that are left over for us to sweep into a pile where I'll have Sasuke use his Fireball to destroy the scrolls and thus rid us of the rubbish." Kakashi explained.
The trio nodded as Hinata took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay..." Hinata said as she held the cross seal and pushed her chakra hard, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.
POOF
Two more Hinata's popped into existence as the real one fell to her knees, though Naruto was quickly by her side forming hand seal.
"Very good," Kakashi said as Naruto began to restore some of Hinata's chakra, "Alright, each Hinata start leading the way to the six seals, I reckon two each everyone?" he said as he began to walk off.
One of the Hinata clones began to jog after Kakashi as Sasuke turned to the other clone since Naruto was still channelling chakra into the original's coils, "Lead away." Sasuke said with a smirk as he stepped aside.
The clone nodded and began to lead the way as it looked for the seals, Sasuke following along closely behind.
Naruto and the real Hinata stood up together after a few more moments, "Good to go?" Naruto asked.
Hinata nodded and blinked on her Byakugan underneath her headband, "Yes, this way." she said as she spotted a Seal.
#########
Kakashi let the Hinata clone lead him towards the far corner of the junk yard, "So Hinata, tell me about how you learned the Shadow Clone." Kakashi said without looking up from his book.
Hinata nodded, "An old Sensei of ours tried to use me to steal the forbidden scroll, but in the end Naruto, Shino and I managed to stop him. But before that, I learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu from the scroll." Hinata said.
Kakashi nodded, "Oh that was you three? So I guess something Naruto did is the reason for his odd eyes?" Kakashi asked.
Hinata paled, "W-what odd eyes? I don't know what you're talking about." she said as she pointed up to the fence, "Here's the first seal."
Kakashi blinked at her reaction, 'Hm? Is it a secret that he has that blue Sharingan?' he thought as he walked up to the seal and placed a hand on it, 'Maybe I should go see Tsunade-sama, it has been a long time, if I were thirty years older...' he thought with slightly perverted chuckle.
Hinata frowned at her Sensei as he completely zoned out from the task at hand and began chuckling weirdly, "Umm, Sensei?" she asked as she poked his side.
"Eh?" Kakashi asked, "What's up Hinata?" he asked.
Her frown increased as she pointed at the seal again, "Oh, right." Kakashi said before activating the seal.
POOF
Hinata waved the smoke from her face as she coughed, looking up to see Kakashi holding a standard storage scroll with an eye smile, "One more then we're done."
##########
"So where is it?" Sasuke said as he and the Hinata clone walked to the center of the junk yard.
Hearing no answer, Sasuke turned to his copy of Hinata, seeing that she was searching for the seal with her eyes, though he couldn't help but notice the slight blush on her face, "This way." she said before turning away.
Sasuke looked down with a sigh, 'This might be troublesome...' he thought before jolting straight, 'What the hell... don't change into that Naara weakling.' Sasuke thought to himself as he followed behind the clone.
They paused at the foot of a large pile of junk as Hinata pointed up, "See up there on the rigging? That's for this middle section." she explained.
Sasuke nodded, "Let's go then." he said before they began to leap up the large pile.
They got to the top where Sasuke frowned at the distance still left between him and it and sighed, 'It would've been less effort to come across the rigging in the first place.' Sasuke thought as he sent chakra to his feet and leapt up to stick upside-down on the rigging with his chakra.
Hinata looked up as Sasuke sent chakra into the seal.
POOF
"Ah!" Hinata shouted in shock as all of the rubbish that she was standing on top of disappeared into the Storage Scroll that appeared in Sasuke's hand.
Sasuke looked back down at Hinata as she fell limply through the air, "Hinata!" Sasuke shouted as he pushed off the rigging.
Hinata was about to flip around to land on her feet when she noticed the shift of Sasuke grabbed her, flipping the two of them around so that he landed in a crouch with Hinata in his arms, the storage scroll in his teeth.
Sasuke stood as Hinata balanced by grabbing his neck, though before she could look up at him, he semi-dropped her so that her feet hit the ground, "Don't be so foolish ya idiot, you almost broke your neck." Sasuke said with a frown.
Hinata frowned right back at him, her earlier awkwardness gone as she bristled in unhidden anger, "For your information Sasu-gay I was completely fine on my own there, and who cares if I fell anyway? I'm just a clone." she said with a frown.
Sasuke had just put the scroll in his pocket when Hinata had spoken up, making him turn to her with an incredulous look, "What?" he asked.
Hinata's angered demeanour instantly faltered at his shocked look, realising that he'd never had been call him names before as the famous Last Uchiha, so she just smirked as she marched past him and off towards the next seal, "You heard me Sasu-gay. Now let's keep going." she said as she walked away.
Sasuke glared at the back of her head before marching behind her angrily.
##########
Naruto walked alongside the original Hinata, "So, what do you think of all this Hinata?" he asked casually.
Hinata glanced at him as she continued to lead them towards the seal she could see with her Byakugan, "All of what Naruto?"
Naruto shrugged, "Well, moving in with Mom, me and Shizu-nee, being put on Sasuke's and my team, Sensei's apparently reoccurring lateness, all of it." he said curiously, purposefully not mentioning the reason for the scar on her tummy.
Hinata shrugged as she looked down, "I... I'm still not really sure, but I think I made the right choice," she said before smiling at Naruto, "And I feel really at home with you Naruto, like I'm..." she began before blushing and looking down.
Naruto raised a brow as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Please say what you're thinking, I don't like not knowing." Naruto said, trying to be kind as he fished for information.
Hinata looked up at Naruto slightly nervously, "Like... I'm finally part of a real family." she said with a nervous smile.
Naruto grinned as he put his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner, "Of course you're part of the family," he said before turning his grin to her, "Hina-nee?" Naruto said questioningly.
Hinata paused as she stared at Naruto with wide eyes, "R-really?" she asked in shock, though she consciously noticed her stutter for once.
Naruto grinned and nodded, "Why not? You know about me being adopted, and though I gotta be honest, I'm not sure if Mom wants to adopt another kid, but other then on paper," he said before holding a hand out to her in a hand shake as he stepped in front of her, "Wanna be my little sister?" Naruto asked, nervous, hopeful and overwhelming happiness visible in his stance.
Hinata nodded quickly as she laughed and jumped past Naruto's outstretched hand to hug him around the neck, "Nii-san!" Hinata cheered excitedly as Naruto caught her and they laughed happily. The two paused after a moment as Hinata leaned back, "Oh, the seal." she said as she looked at the pile right in front of them.
Naruto blinked as he looked at the pile, "How are we supposed to get it?" he asked, thinking it was under the pile.
Hinata shook her head as she slid out of Naruto's hug, though she grabbed his wrist as she ran around the side of the pile, "It's on the wall behind it!" she exclaimed.
##########
"Well it looks like we did a good job guys," Kakashi said as he and his three gennin stood around the six pieces of paper that contained all of the garbage and trash, "Now, who knows a fire Ninjutsu?" he asked, looking at Sasuke expectantly.
Sasuke smirked and nodded, though he looked to the side as he noticed Naruto raise his hand, "Umm, I know one as well." Naruto mumbled.
Kakashi eye smiled at Naruto as Sasuke scowled, "Oh really? What fire Ninjutsu is that?" Kakashi curiously.
Naruto smiled and formed hand seals before looking up, "FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!" Naruto shouted before bringing his hands to his lips and spewing the fireball up into the air, "It's a Konoha standard right?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded as Sasuke glared, "It is, though mostly the Chunnin are taught it," he said before looking at Sasuke, "So, what about you?" Kakashi asked.
Wanting to show that he was better, Sasuke formed the same set of hand seals, but finished with Horse Seal after the standard Tiger Seal before bringing his hand up to his mouth, "FIRE STYLE: GRAND FIREBALL JUTSU!" Sasuke shouted as he spat the fireball that was at least double the size of Naruto's if not triple.
Everyone stared bug-eyed at the massive ball of flame shot up into the air, "Sasuke... if we're entering an unknown battle situation I want that to be your first response. With any luck it'll be a quick battle thanks to you." Kakashi said.
Sasuke smirked and nodded, "Hn. Easy enough." he said confidently, knowing his Uchiha Training went way further into Fire Style Ninjutsu then any other. Seeing that his team-mates were now staring at him rather then the ball, he frowned, "What?" he asked.
Naruto pointed at Sasuke's face, "Dude, your eyes." Naruto said with a slowly growing smile.
Sasuke raised a brow as he saw a blur around his team all of a sudden, 'Chakra signatures?' Sasuke thought for a moment as his red eyes span, one tomoe in each eye.
Hinata pointed, "You've got the Sharingan Sasuke!" She exclaimed.
Sasuke's face showed a smirk as he sent chakra to his eyes, the entire world tinging red as the chakra signatures glowed dimly against the background, "Finally..." Sasuke said as he held his face.
Kakashi eye smiled at Sasuke, 'Well, it's good to see his hard work has paid off.' he thought before noticing Hinata's two shadow clones that had gone with him and Sasuke sitting at the back of the group with the scrolls in had, "Oh yeah," he said in realisation, making Sasuke Naruto and Hinata turn to him, "Hold them up high girls, Sasuke, Naruto, why not one each?" Kakashi suggested.
Hinata's eyes widened, "You're having them burn my clones? B-but it'll hurt when I get the chakra memories..." she said.
Kakashi nodded, "Unfortunately, that's why we're doing it this way. We can't have the real you flinching in pain or hesitating every time a clone pops." Kakashi explained.
Hinata pouted as she looked over at her slightly scared clones, she waved goodbye as they returned the gesture, a scroll in their grasps as they looked at Sasuke and Naruto.
Sasuke nodded to the clones as Naruto gave an apologetic smile, the two of them forming hand seals in unison before Naruto glanced at Sasuke, his eyes copying the movement of chakra as he added a Horse Seal like Sasuke, ""FIRE STYLE: GRAND FIREBALL JUTSU!"" they shouted before spewing forth their jutsu.
Naruto's fireball was now twice as large, though Sasuke's practice and control with the jutsu allowed his to still remain bigger and faster as the two fireballs destroyed the clones and the scrolls.
Sasuke's Sharingan turned to Naruto angrily, "You just copied my jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed as he breathed heavily.
Naruto's eyes widened, "I just wanted to make my one a little better... is that wrong?" Naruto asked, honestly not sure.
Kakashi sighed, "Naruto, you just took something that Sasuke worked incredible hard to achieve. How would you like it if he stole your Mystical Palm Healing with his Sharingan?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto blinked, "Umm... really happy?" he said incredulously, "Cause what if I get taken out in a mission? Then he can heal Hinata and you a little better then right now, just like with this fireball, if Sasuke's one is actually stopped somehow, then wouldn't it make sense to have another one ready to go?" Naruto asked, knowing already that saying Sasuke might be defeated started a fight.
Sasuke frowned as his glare faded, "Well... let me copy it then." Sasuke said.
Naruto grinned and turned to Sasuke, "Cool okay!" Naruto said with a grin.
As Naruto began to explain the first basic medical jutsu, Kakashi looked over at Hinata to see how the girl was handling the feeling of being burned, only to raise a brow as he saw her blushing and glancing up at Sasuke, 'And here I thought she was the only one that wasn't a fangirl.' Kakashi thought with a sigh.
##########
"Congratulations on your first D-rank Mission," the Third said with a smile, "How did it go Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked.
Kakashi eye smiled, "Pretty much perfectly, even a little quicker then we thought." Kakashi said with a nod towards the clock, indicating that it had barely been an hour.
Hiruzen smiled and nodded, "Team 8 has only just left on their first mission and Asuma's team left a while ago. So that leaves only two missions left," Hiruzen said as he placed down two scrolls, "Now I know that no one ever wants the Tora Escape mission but what a surprise, she ran again." Hiruzen said before reaching for the other one.
"Actually," Kakashi said, "The Tora mission may very well be a challenge for these three. We'll take it." he said with an eye smile.
##########
"GOT YOU!" Naruto shouted as he dove from the bush.
Tora – a brown fat cat with a pink ribbon on it's ear and a blue collar – screeched before it dove out of his way, barely moving out of his grasp in time before it blurred away at high speed, even for an animal.
"He's totally lost his cool," Sasuke mumbled as he watched the usually calm and collective Naruto run around like a ticked off child, "Can you see it?" Sasuke asked from his place in the tree with Hinata.
She nodded, her Byakugan flaring, "Yes, this way." she said as she began to leap of to their right.
"STUPID CAT I'M SICK OF THIS STUPID MISSION!" Naruto shouted as he lost his cool and leapt up through the air and out of the shrubbery again, making the cat run off towards the sunset.
Naruto paused at that before his brow twitched, "THE SUN'S SETTING?! WE'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR HOURS!" Naruto exclaimed, making the cat jump in shock and run away again, this time back towards the village.
The cat turned a corner around the first building and leapt up, being snatched out of the air before it was rolled onto it's back and forced to look up, seeing Sasuke's Sharingan eyes as he quickly began to scratch it's belly.
The cat paused and began to purr as Hinata landed next to him.
Naruto turned the corner, "I swear I'm gonna-!"
"Good work you three," Kakashi said, making the three look up at the man as he casually read his book from the guttering on the roof above them, "Naruto, good herding. Hinata, fantastic tracking and Sasuke, well I'd say those hands are going to make a woman very happy some day." he said without looking up from his book.
Sasuke and Naruto raised a brow at Kakashi's words, while Hinata's blush came back at full throttle, glancing at the purring cat in Sasuke's arms.
"Well, another mission done, and to think it's only our first day." Naruto said as he glared at the cat.
##########
Chapter End.
Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates with this story, my head is really in the mindset of one of my other stories – The Ultimate Ninja Tool – but I do plan to continue the other ones ASAP.
Love ya and leave ya, please R&R, Alky out!