The snake summons looked nervous. “He ate my friends!”
“… So we let them sleep longer, yes?” Yamato suggested.
“How the hell is he asleep if he’s eating snakes?” Anko asked, confused.
“He grabbed them by the head, sucking off all the flesh like they were chicken legs, before tossing the skeleton aside without even waking up!” the traumatized snake cried before dispersing itself in a puff of smoke.
Anko sighed. “You’d figure at least one of the snakes would have ran across one of the girls and woken them up before hitting Ranma.”
“Hard to do when they’re all sleeping in the same bed,” Yamato replied, having scanned the building carefully for chakra.
“Wow, now that’s what I call a close team!”
He rolled his eyes. “They are probably doing it so they present a smaller and more easily defended target. You know, just in case one of their sensei were crazy enough to attack them before the morning meeting.”
“What kind of psycho would do something like that?” Anko asked innocently, batting her eyes, before searching the apartment door for traps.
“Someone who wants to get their genin trained up and handling C Rank and better missions before she goes even more insane,” he suggested.
“Damn straight!” Anko replied. “Hmmm. Security seals,” she muttered, before stepping a couple of feet to the left of the door and drawing a kunai.
“How do genin know those seals?”
Anko didn’t bother replying as she dug a kunai into the wall and using a little chakra started making a new doorway. “Almost paranoid enough,” she said with a hint of approval in her voice.
“You know you’ll have to pay for that wall, right? I mean this is someone else’s property, genin or not,” Yamato replied knowing it wouldn’t make a bit of difference to her.
“Meh,” she replied, carefully infusing the section of wall with chakra so it wouldn’t come apart as she moved it. “The guy who runs this place would sell it for the price of a drink if the Hokage would let him. Only these three and Naruto live here and the taxes on this place run more than what they pay, so I doubt he’ll complain. I can just assign fixing it to them as a training exercise.”
“Injury followed by insult, well done,” he drawled out sarcastically.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” she chuckled. “Knowing how to repair walls has saved me tons of money. It’s a skill that pays for itself!”
“Somehow I doubt they’ll see it that way.”
“Well then it’s a good think they have such well educated instructors like us looking out for them!” Anko said cheerfully as she entered the apartment.
Team 9's Sensei entered quietly after finding no signs of traps in the apartment itself.
"They probably can't trap the interior without endangering Mihoshi," Yamato guessed.
"Well lets go wake them up!" Anko said much too cheerfully as she withdrew a trio of senbon from a pouch.
He rolled his eyes. "After you."
Another quick check revealed no seals or traps on the bedroom door before Anko quietly eased it open and spotted the three genin, who looked much too adorable in her opinion, snuggled up in bed together.
Anko grinned evilly and let fly, aiming for the fleshy bits of her cute little trainees – but all three senbon bounced off the blanket like it was made of steel.
"They armored their blanket?" Yamato asked, not noticing that Ranma's hand had shifted to the blanket as Anko threw.
"Looks like, probably makes it warmer too," Anko said approvingly.
"Talk about paranoid, or rather it would be if you weren't among their sensei," Yamato intoned dryly.
"I'm thinking cold water; normally I'd use fire, but this place is a fire trap."
Yamato chuckled. "You're all heart."
"Aren't I though?" Anko said brightly, before she hit the bathroom for a bucket and some water.
Team 9 woke up to a face full of water; Nabiki woke up sputtering, Ranma yelling about an uncute tomboy, and Mihoshi immediately fell back asleep, burying her face in Ranma's breasts while murmuring contentedly.
"Rise and shine my sweet little genin!" Anko called out loudly. "Its time for play time with Auntie Anko!"
Nabiki blinked water out of her eyes and looked at Anko strangely. "Did you just say we could buy this building for the cost of a drink?"
"That was five minutes ago," Yamato said.
"And a closed door and a wall away," Anko added.
"We have thin walls," Nabiki pointed out.
"The utility costs alone would kill you, kid." Yamato chuckled.
"Ranma?" Nabiki asked.
"I can make the place self sufficient with Mihoshi's help moving water once a month," Ranma replied absently.
"Well, go help Mihoshi shave so she doesn't cut herself," Nabiki said, climbing out of the sodden bedding, adrenaline having worked as well as coffee for her.
"Yeah, yeah..." Ranma said, still not fully awake as she climbed to her feet carrying Mihoshi.
Nabiki smirked at having managed to pawn at least one task she wanted to avoid off on Ranma.
"She can't shave her legs without cutting herself?" Anko asked, clearly displeased.
"She can shave her legs just fine," Nabiki replied as she headed for her room to change.
Anko and Yamato exchanged glances and shrugged as a male Ranma came out of the bathroom and started preparing breakfast. A second later another Ranma came out and started dealing with the mess Anko had made.
"Shave where?!" came a third Ranma's high pitched voice from the bathroom.
"I heard they injured their Jonin sensei so badly he had to be replaced," Tenten said.
"Their sensei did say to come at him with intent to kill, so I can find no fault with newly made genin giving it their all," Gai replied thoughtfully.
"Pardon Gai-sensei, but from what I've seen of Ranma-sensei I do not believe he gave it his all," Lee said apologetically.
"R-Ranma sensei?!" Neji stuttered out.
"Is he truly that skilled?" Gai asked, as shocked as Neji but better at hiding it.
"Ranma-sensei truly is!" Lee swore.
Everyone waited but Lee didn't say anything more.
"Usually you'd be telling us every little detail," Tenten said, wondering why he was so quiet.
"I have been sworn to secrecy!" Lee declared proudly.
"Are you allowed to demonstrate anything?" Gai asked.
"Oh yes, Ranma-sensei said that if you asked I was allowed to demonstrate one of the techniques he has taught me as long as you agree to keep it a secret."
"I have no problem with that," Gai said readily.
"Yeah I'll keep quiet," Tenten agreed.
"I doubt any technique done without chakra is worth all the bother," Neji replied.
Everyone waited until Neji caved in, "Fine! I swear by my eyes I will keep your secret."
"Yes!" Lee bounced up and down before hurrying over to a large boulder. "I am rather slow at this, but Ranma-sensei says I will get faster as I gain skill."
Lee calmed down and closed his eyes, placing his palms together and taking deep meditative breaths.
Neji had about reached the limits of his patience (which was always short around anything to do with Ranma) when Lee called out, "Rock cutting blow!" and his right hand darted out, palm level with the ground, and the tip of his fingers seemed to carress the boulder in a flash of blue light.
The three crowded around the smiling Lee and looked at the seemingly untouched boulder.
Lee quickly assumed a casual slouch and put a smirk on his face that anyone who had fought Ranma would recognize, before tapping the boulder with a single finger, which caused the top half to slide off.
The three stared at the boulder and then at Lee, who had been unable to keep up the expression and slouch as he was smiling widely and bouncing up and down.
"Did you have to imitate his irritating stance and expression as well?!" Neji growled out.
Lee opened his mouth to reply but quickly covered it with his hands before he could answer.
"Oh dear god, he does!" Neji said, paling.
"That was very impressive my young student, but while keeping the secrets to learning the techniques secret makes sense – why must you keep knowing the techniques secret?" Gai asked curiously.
"I must keep secret the fact that Ranma-sensei is teaching me the secrets of his art and not just sparring with me, lest Nabiki learn of it and Ranma-sensei is forced to remain in female form at all times to avoid Nabiki removing that which makes him male. When Ranma reaches age sixteen I will no longer be required to keep it a secret, as Ranma sensei has something planned that will make her not care about the training," Lee recited mechanically, having obviously been drilled into memorizing this rule.
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(Posted Sun, 09 May 2010 00:12)
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