"You're studying with Gouken," noted Hinata.
"Eh? You know?" asked Sakura.
Hinata nodded.
"Who's 'Gouken'?" asked Ino, having put a cold wet washcloth over the upper part of her head to help with the headache she'd just gotten sparring with Sakura.
"Gouken, retired ninja, previously jonin rank, until injuries forced his retirement," said Hinata. "Distinguished himself in the Second Ninja War with his impressive taijutsu abilities. Older of two brothers, the younger went missing-nin about seven years ago. Taijutsu specialist. Believed to have served with ANBU - no details available."
"That's more detail than I was able to get," noted Sakura.
Hinata ducked down a bit, clearly embarassed. "Byakugan training. Information gathering."
"That's who taught you that weird kick that made me see little squigglies everywhere?" asked Ino.
"He's the one training Sasuke and... someone else," said Sakura, who remembered that Sasuke had wanted some details NOT made public knowledge.
"Naruto," said Hinata.
"Yeah, right, that idiot?" asked Ino. There was a few moments of silence before Ino continued. "Why isn't anyone agreeing with me?"
"Because he hides his real skills," said Sakura. "It took me awhile to realize that he's not an idiot. It's just an act. It has something to do with all the adults hating him, but I don't know WHY - it's something everyone refuses to talk about."
Ino slowly moved the cloth off of her eyes. "Well. When it comes to information gathering, nobody beats a Yamanaka."
Hinata sniffed or something. It was a small noise though.
Ino frowned, but the girl was apparently not disagreeing. Still, after that bit about this 'Gouken' guy - she had her pride as a kunoichi stung. "I'll prove it! I'll find out all the details before graduation!"
"Yeah, right, sure you will," said Sakura.
"And then Sasuke will see who the perfect girl is for him!" declared Ino.
"Actually, during taijutsu practice, Sasuke was pretty much firm that he wouldn't be interested in ANY girl before she made chunin," said Sakura, neglecting to mention that was something that Gouken had suggested to Sasuke.
"Chunin? We haven't even made genin yet," said Ino. She thought about that, and very carefully nodded so as not to hurt her head any worse than it already was. "Chunin then. I'll leave you in my dust, Forehead Girl!"
"Who got completely sidelined by MY kick?" asked Sakura.
Hinata just shook her head slightly as she wondered what Lee-san was doing now.
Ino flopped down next to Sakura. Hinata not being present wasn't unusual - she generally kept to herself after all. "Sakura."
"Ino-pig."
"Do you want the details on Naruto or not?" asked Ino.
"Do you really have details?" asked Sakura.
Shikamaru grumbled from where he was trying to nap nearby.
"Naruto Uzumaki. Dead last of our class. Checking records of last name 'Uzumaki' and his date-of-birth indicates his mother was a jonin named 'Kushina Uzumaki' who was known as the 'Red Hot Habanero' and one of the last full-fledged seal masters of our village."
"'Red Hot Habanero'?" asked Sakura.
"It's a spicy red pepper," said Ino. "She died on the day he was born, casualty of the Kyubi attack."
"How did you get these details anyway?" asked Sakura.
"What can I say? I'm just that good," said Ino proudly, not mentioning that she'd snuck a peek into records that her father kept around in a vault only someone of her bloodline could access.
"Yeah, right. You're just making this up," said Sakura. "How does that explain the way the adults act towards him?"
"There's more... but I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to find this out," confessed Ino. "See, he was born on the day of the Kyubi attack."
"Yeah, so?" asked Sakura.
"So, uhm, his mother's big skill was fuuinjutsu and apparently gusari-jutsu, and apparently you can't kill a bijuu like the Kyubi," said Ino, lowering her voice.
"But they told us in the Academy that the Yondaime killed the Kyubi," said Sakura.
"Now the Uzumaki apparently have something bordering on being a bloodline," said Ino. "They're known for being really good at fuuinjutsu, so good at it that they were almost entirely wiped out by Iwa and Kiri in a sneak-attack."
"So Naruto may be the last of his clan?" asked Sakura. "So you're saying that he's getting snubbed because his clan were good at something or were enemies?"
"No, Uzushiogakure was actually our main ally," said Ino. "But there was NOTHING on them or the Uzumaki in the Academy. Heck, Uzumaki were even known to marry with the Senju clan which is kinda village royalty almost. So why is it the old Academy textbooks mention them, but the new ones don't?"
"So you ended up with more questions than answers?" asked Sakura.
"Naruto is the Last Uzumaki, just like Sasuke is the Last Uchiha," pointed out Ino. "So maybe the Uzumaki did something terrible and he's being blamed for it."
"Then what was that about the Kyubi?" asked Sakura.
"It apparently came out of nowhere, so what if Naruto's mom released it?" asked Ino. "That would account for it."
Sakura thought about it for a moment. "So, on the day she gave birth to Naruto, she released the Kyubi from wherever it was sealed away?"
"That's what I came up with," stated Ino.
"On the day she was giving birth?" asked Sakura. "Isn't fuuinjutsu time-consuming, detail-oriented, complex? Giving birth on the same day?"
"It explains everything," insisted Ino.
"Except apparently her going around and breaking a seal on the day she was giving birth," said Sakura. "Accidently maybe, but who would put something like the Kyubi in something easily broken?"
"So the Kyubi was sealed away somewhere nearby, and she broke the containment vessel - and that came out afterwards and Naruto is blamed for his mother unleashing the Kyubi. See? I told you that the Yamanaka were information-gatherers." Ino paused and looked around the schoolyard.
Sakura paused and also looked around.
Six masked figures looked back at them.
"Something wrong?" asked Ino.
"Well - how the hell are we supposed to know it was an S-Class Secret without someone TELLING us that this is an S-Class secret!" protested Sakura.
"Troublesome," said Shikamaru Nara, who hadn't been able to fool anyone that he was asleep during the whole thing.
"Honestly, if it was all so hush-hush, why didn't they seal the records?!" asked Ino. "For crying out loud - I was able to pull up his mother's name by looking at class notes and the list of the dead for the Kyubi attack!"
Ibiki Morino looked at the three kids, giving the very poker face that had devastated opponents in more than one gambling hall.
"It's not fair!" insisted Sakura Haruno.
"Look - if nothing else - you should reward us," said Ino.
"Eh?" asked Sakura.
"If an Academy Student, even a gifted member of the loyal and talented Yamanaka Clan, can figure this stuff out - so could just about anyone!" Ino tried to act calm and cool despite having sweated through her shirt by this point.
"Yes, that's right!" seconded Sakura.
Ibiki Morino frowned ever so slightly, then opened a drawer. He considered the contents briefly, then with drew three objects and set them out on his table.
"AGHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Sakura. "I didn't do anything wrong! And now I'll never kiss Sasuke!"
"What? You kiss Sasuke?! HAH! I will be the one to claim Sasuke's lips and... is that a Number Nine Grouter?" Ino craned her neck forward, staring at one of the objects on Ibiki's desk.
"Who else knows about your conclusions?" asked Ibiki.
"Nobody! Nobody at all!" indicated Sakura. "We absolutely haven't told anyone!"
Ino briefly made a face, then smiled and nodded very rapidly. "That's right."
"Oh, this is so very troublesome," said Shikamaru Nara.
"How did Shikamaru get out of this?" asked Ino, rattling the chain that went from one wrist to a grate in the ceiling.
"It's just us girls in here, what makes you think he found a way out of it?" asked Sakura.
"Why am I here anyway?" asked Hinata.
The cell door opened and the Hokage stepped in. "I hear you've managed to uncover a pair of S-Rank Secrets. Who Naruto's mother is, and something about the Kyubi? That's it, correct?"
"Is that all?" asked Hinata. "I heard that Naruto is a demon fox that eats children that don't eat their vegetables. Is that what this is about?"
"No, Naruto isn't the Kyubi, his mother set the Kyubi loose and was killed by it - that's why he's hated by the village," said Ino.
"Maybe Naruto's mother is the Kyubi?" asked Sakura.
The Hokage stared at all three for a moment. "Okay. First. You're going to provide how you got the information you have. Second, we're going to talk about S-Class secrets."
"So, what did you end up doing?" asked Kakashi Hatake.
"Congratulating them on their investigation work, indicated that they had some very wrong conclusions, and let them know that those WERE S-Class secrets and that they were not to speak of them to anyone. Including themselves." Ibiki shrugged. "I asked them what THEY thought I should do, and wrote that in my report. Not that I took their advice, but I was momentarily tempted on the part of one of them."
"Which one?" asked Kakashi.
"Haruno. She suggested using a memory seal on her," said Ibiki.
"It wouldn't work on the Nara or Yamanaka, but it might work on her," mused Kakashi aloud. "The only problem would be that it has been known to cause odd side-effects."
"Due to some of the problems, it hasn't really been studied that well," said Ibiki. "And here she was volunteering for it. Strange girl."
"Well, it'll be something to keep an eye on I suppose," said Kakashi. He put his cards down. "Two pair. Threes and eights."
"-and so we come to team selection," said Iruka.
"Why's Naruto here? Didn't he fail?" asked Kiba.
"Yes, and he managed to do some extra credit work of a sort," said Iruka. "Team 5, your jonin is Yuko Goto. Yuuko Kondou, Toshie Hijikata, and Kaoru Okita."
The three girls exchanged high-fives, completely unaware that they would soon fail and be relegated to the dustbin of anonyminity.
"Team 6," continued Iruka. "Jonin Shinobu Masahiro. Benio Yonomori, Nadeshiko Kashima, and Niko Ono."
"But of course," indicated Benio, posing. "We shall triumph to become the first all-kunoichi team to make chunin!"
"Uhm," said Yuuko, quite aware her own team was all-kunoichi.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Nadeshiko, actually having a clue about how badly things would go - even if she didn't know about the genin test yet.
"Team 7," continued Iruka. "Jonin-sensei is Kakashi Hatake. Rookie of the year - Sasuke Uchiha. Top Kunoichi - Sakura Haruno. Lowest scorer was very close this year. Kiba Inuzuka."
"WHAT?!" yelped Kiba.
"Naruto Uzumaki, who only managed to pass by that extra credit, but that was considered a B-Rank mission for the Hokage and therefore has extra points assigned. Otherwise he'd have the last place," admitted Iruka. "Team 8 - jonin is Kurenai Yuhi. Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and -"
"No, I mean, I CAN'T be 'dead last'," complained Kiba, looking panicked.
"Should have studied more then," said Iruka.
"My mother is going to KILL me," said Kiba.
Iruka paused. "Anyone else saying that, I'd think they were exaggerating. I've met your mother though, so I can see it happening. Ahem. Last member of Team 8 is Adon."
"Can I get a do-over?" asked Kiba.
"No," answered Iruka. "Team 9 is still in use. Team 10 - jonin is Asuma Sarutobi. Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, Shikamaru Nara."
"Entirely predictable," groaned Shikamaru.
"Don't mess with what works," said Iruka without looking up. "Team 11. Gen is the jonin-sensei. Eagle, Birdie, and Genki."
"All right!" declared Birdie, rising to his already considerable height. "A taijutsu specialist team! We is gonna kick some serious ass!"
"Just so you know," said Benio. "You'll still be eating MY dust!"
"Trash talk later, team assignments now," indicated Iruka. "Team 12 is still in use, as is Team 13. Team 14. Jonin is Haze. Naruto Uzumaki. Elena. Sen."
The jonin looked over the three. "Okay. Have to say. Not impressed. I'm Haze. Yes, like the fish. It's a codename I got in the Second Ninja War. Yes, I'm that old. I'm a Water Technique specialist. If you three fail the test, I'll go back to doing nice easy C and B ranks like going after Kiri pirate ships. So, by all means, fail."
"Second test?" asked Elena. "This isn't because my family's originally from Cloud is it?"
"No," said Haze. "It's not because your family came from Cloud, or the reason that Uzumaki here gets even worse discrimination for something I can't talk about, or for the aptly-named Sen being a complete brooding loner. All graduates get the test. Two-thirds fail. Could be worse. Kiri used to have half the class kill the other half as a graduation test."
"Oh," said Elena, now glancing at Naruto and wondering what his secret was.
"My likes are racing, fishing, and drinking the tears of my enemies," continued Haze. "My hobby you can guess from the 'likes' list. I dislike being on land for extended periods. Unfortunately, I'm a jonin and when the Hokage says I need to give the 'jonin-sensei' crap a try - that's what I do. Next, you - Elena."
"I'm Elena, though I'll answer to Erena since I get called that a lot too. My likes are music, though I don't have any talent for playing it, spicy foods, and exercise! My goals are to pursue my abilities as sensor and medic!"
Haze blinked at that. "Sensor and medic? Those are pretty advanced skills."
"My father is a doctor at the hospital," said Elena.
"Huh," said Haze. "Next. Sen."
Sen sighed in his hooded cloak, through the mask.
"Yeah, I know. Brooding loner," admitted Haze. "I looked you three up yesterday when the teams were finalized. Go ahead."
"Sen. Likes: quiet. Dislikes: loud. Strengths: stealth. Goal: perfect shadow fuuinjutsu."
"Oh? You're good at fuuinjutsu?" asked Naruto. "Can you give me a few pointers? I've been having trouble with making explosive tags."
"Hmm?" asked Sen. After a moment he nodded.
"You're making explosive tags?" asked Haze. "Yeah. I know. Uzumaki. Your clan used to be THE seal-masters of the ninja world until you were almost all killed off. But at twelve?"
"I got a book on it, doesn't help that much. Water damage from somewhere on a lot of the pages," said Naruto, shrugging. "Sensei got that to me because it was written by an Uzumaki."
"Well, it's your turn," said Haze.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," said Naruto, standing up. "Taijutsu student of Gouken, I like ramen and fighting. I dislike the time it takes for instant ramen to be ready. I also dislike people who never bother to see ME, they just see what they want to see."
"Amen, brother," chimed Elena.
"Hmph," apparently agreed Sen.
"My goal was originally be to Hokage, and I still want that, but Gouken-sensei told me to break big goals down into stages," said Naruto. "So I want to be strong enough to protect the people who are precious to me!"
Haze nodded at that. Though certainly he could understand all three and this certainly didn't appear to a bad set of genin, he definitely didn't want to get stuck in the village for an extended period of time. "Okay. Tomorrow, I'd suggest not eating before the test. Meet at 0600 in Training Ground Four, aka 'The Death Pits Of Konoha' and be ready for anything."
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(Posted Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:11)
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