"Uhm, I hadn't intended that," admitted Sasuke.
"I know," said Naruto with a frown. "When she wakes up, you'll owe her an apology."
"NO NO NO!" said one of the other girls in the Sasuke fanclub. "SHE should apologize to HIM. She stole his first kiss!"
"That's right, that's right," said one of the other girls, folding her arms in front of her and nodding. "That's only common sense."
"Annoying," muttered Sasuke.
"Yeah," said Naruto with a glance back at Sakura. Then he simply gathered his fiancee up in his arms. "Later, Sasuke. C'mon Kiba. We can wait for our team leader outside."
Yuhi Kurenai knew what to expect. She was familiar with the history of Hinata Hyuga.
She hadn't been sure what to make of the engagement, particularly after seeing the Hyuuga head looking as if he'd gotten smashed into a wall or something.
Actually, she hadn't been there at that time, and had some problems accepting that NARUTO had apparently done it - but that WAS apparently what had happened.
She was a genjutsu specialist, and that was an area her current group was lacking in. Hinata's Byakugan specialized in finding things and getting information. Kiba was a combination of information and close combat. Naruto - close combat with the just-demonstrated taijutsu skills and his Shadow Clone talent.
Which meant that they were lacking a long to midrange combat talent, but would excel when finding things or tracking things were the mission objectives.
She was still turning the ideas on approaches and training over in her head as she approached her team.
"...faints a lot..." was Naruto's voice, the fragment carried over the distance by the wind.
"...don't know..." was Kiba's voice. "...low blood sugar or something?"
"Maybe," said Naruto, though his voice indicated doubt. "How do you know about that sort of thing anyway?"
"Hey, my sister's a veterinarian," answered Kiba. "I've had to help out in her clinic a few times. You?"
"Part of my studies of tsubo," said Naruto. "I'm studying any medic-nin texts I can get my hands on. Having a backup medic could be pretty useful."
Yuhi stopped a few feet away, appraising Naruto now in a new light.
If she didn't know better, she'd have thought him a serious student. A serious student who had Hinata's head in her lap and had apparently missed that she'd woken up at some point and...
Considering the home life she'd seen for Hinata, Yuhi really doubted that the girl smiled and looked that content all that often.
"Okay, you three," said Yuhi. She had to get things started, but she found herself reluctant to interrupt. For one thing, it was revealing aspects of the two males that had NOT been apparent from the dossiers both had accumulated. "We're going to have a training exercise."
"What? We've had tons of those at the Academy," protested Kiba.
"Hang on," said Naruto. "I get what Kurenai-sensei's after. She wants to see 'em first hand, right?"
"That's part of the answer," said Yuhi, wondering when Naruto had gotten a brain transplant. Certainly if you looked at his academic record, one got the impression that he had some significant gaps in intellectual prowess. "Hinata?"
Reluctant, VERY reluctant apparently, Hinata moved from her current position to sit up. "Because you haven't seen how we can operate as a team?"
"Easy there," said Naruto, putting one arm across her shoulders because she looked a little unsteady.
Hinata flashed crimson, ducked her head, and looked inanely happy about nothing in particular.
"So, you're going to train her in some martial arts style you've worked out?" asked Yuhi of Naruto.
"Yeah," said Naruto. "It's not a style for general dissemination though."
"Then you might not want to use it in front of Sasuke Uchiha or Kakashi," said Yuhi. "Their Sharingan technique allows them to copy martial arts styles. Now, follow me. We'll have the test and then I can plan out how to further your training from there if you pass."
"We have to 'pass'?" grumbled Kiba.
"Yip," yapped Akamaru.
"I s'pose," said Kiba.
"What did he say?" asked Naruto, curious.
"Oh, just that 'life itself is a test and the life of a ninja even more so,'" said Kiba. "Sometimes he gets awfully philosophical."
Yuhi glanced at the dog, then shook her head. Okay, there were apparently LOTS of things not in the official records.
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(Posted Fri, 08 May 2009 21:26)
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