Shikamaru Nara walked in the shadows, the only one suspecting him at all was Choji - and he'd explain something of it later to Choji. The two of them were best friends and trusted each other completely. Not the full story, of course. But a few details, and then Choji would help cover for any slips that were made.
Hinata Hyuga was not so lucky as to be able to conceal the changes in her. Her family was used to her acting a certain way, and changes from that brought suspicions. She tried to act the way she had, way back then. It was so long ago, and so much had changed.
Hinata knew that she could only avoid her family for so long.
She was also quite aware of Kurenai Yuhi's scrutiny. Kurenai had known her for years. Kurenai had been a chunin who had watched the child at the Academy where clan guardians were at least frowned at. (Mostly this was because if clan retainers and guardians attended the Academy - ALL the clans would do it and things would get very crowded and out of hand.)
Sakura could avoid her parents easily enough. Some things were obviously changed, but as her parents were NOT ninja, she had the easiest time handwaving off any changes.
"Uhm, Kakashi-sensei isn't here?" asked Naruto, arriving late himself.
"Pfeh," said Sasuke.
"What was that? You wanna-" Naruto was quick to bristle.
"Knock it off, Naruto!" said Sakura. "You want respect? You'll have to earn it. Showing up LATE is not going to get you that respect."
"But I was up late and I..." Naruto's voice trailed off.
"Excuses are just a way of shifting blame. Don't want scolded? Don't be late!" Sakura nodded as she caught Naruto's reaction. He was taking her seriously, for now at least. Good. The earlier he got over some of his bad habits, the better. "Now, how far have you gotten on the fuuinjutsu?"
"Uhm," said Naruto, looking around.
"Like I said yesterday," said Sakura, flicking in and out a peculiar sort of knife absently, "Kakashi-sensei is chronically late. He's got issues, but then so do just about any jonin level ninja."
"Well, I got to this stuff here about the elemental chakra," said Naruto. "I'm not sure I get it though."
"Oh, I can explain that," said Sakura. "Let me show you."
Kakashi explained the purpose of the bell test, not the hidden one - though he had an idea that Sakura had already figured it out.
The three were acting atypical of what he'd suspected.
Sakura, far from being an obsessed fangirl with a hair-trigger temper, was showing signs of a confident kunoichi with a major flair for information gathering.
Naruto was less loud and more confused than Kakashi had expected. It was as if he had been thrown off balance by Sakura and was being kept off that balance enough that his confidence had gotten a bit more cautious. Which was a good thing for a ninja actually.
Sasuke was also showing signs of having things go in unexpected directions, though he was more subtle about it. Still brooding, hanging off to the side, but every so often would look at Sakura as if trying to figure out where the annoying fangirl had gone and put some actually useful individual in her place. Probably not used to being ignored as much as he was.
"Go after you with killing intent, otherwise we don't stand a chance," said Sakura after Kakashi had finished. "Okay, got it. You two got it?"
"Yep," said Naruto, grinning confidently.
"Hnn," said Sasuke, apparently agreeing.
"So, since you ARE a jonin, and you ARE Kakashi Hatake," said Sakura, "the infamous 1000-jutsu copy ninja who has never taken a genin team - we have to work together and go all out."
Kakashi shrugged, deciding that his initial assessment based on school records was all wrong. Sakura was the one he had to watch out for.
"Okay," said Naruto, darting forward.
Kakashi casually disarmed Naruto and forced him to the ground. "I didn't say to start yet."
He was keeping an eye on Sakura, so he didn't miss the smirk that flitted across her face. That was worrisome right there.
"Begin," said Kakashi, leaping away to give himself a little room.
All three leapt away, heading in different directions. Which looked entirely too rehearsed to be just a reaction. Sakura's information gathering again, no doubt.
Then he heard Naruto's voice saying something and that was followed by two dozen Naruto leaping out of the bushes and charging him. A throw of kunai and-
BOOM!
Kakashi's visible eye went wide and he quickly pushed his headband off his Sharingan eye. With an active Sharingan he quickly confirmed that he wasn't facing simple bunshin. Nor was he facing kage bunshin. No, he was facing Bunshin Daibakuha. EXPLOSIVE shadow clones.
Kakashi leapt, dodged, threw kunai, and otherwise exerted himself a lot more than he thought he would have to. Fortunately, this was-
With a battlecry, two dozen MORE explosive shadow clones charged out of the brush.
Landing out on the water, Kakashi began racing through hand-seals. An area effect attack at range seemed the best approach.
"Crap," said Sakura as a plan fell apart. "As long as he's using the waterwalking technique, we're going to have trouble sneaking up on him."
"I could go under and approach him from there," suggested Sasuke.
"He'd sense the pressure waves from below," said Sakura. "I think Plan B is going to have to be used."
"I'll let Naruto know, but I don't see how having him fake an epileptic fit while doing a partial henge to a furry is going to throw this guy offguard," said Sasuke.
Kakashi had finally figured out where the real Naruto was hiding, and had used a rapid movement technique to come up behind him and throw a genjutsu on him. "Genjutsu. One of the three techniques..."
Naruto screamed like a lost soul and started twitching and rolling around on the ground.
"Okay, that's different," said Kakashi.
Fox ears and a fox tail popped out on Naruto. Fur began spreading over Naruto's body.
"WHAT?!" said Kakashi, leaping back and uncovering his Sharingan again. Waitaminute, that was a henge.
Kunai with wires shot past him on all sides, coming from two different directions so as to cover different angles.
Then Sasuke was in front of Kakashi, going through hand seals quickly. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Another substitution and he was out of the trap, but he hadn't even had a chance to get his book out yet.
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(Posted Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:23)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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