"YEAH!"
Everyone waited for the severely blushing Hinata to sit back down.
"-Uzumaki," finished Iruka. "Team Nine is still active. Team Ten is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka-"
"ALL RIGHT!"
Everyone waited for the not-embarassed-at-all Ino to sit back down and then glanced at Shikamaru.
"Troublesome," acknowledged Shikamaru.
"-and Kiko Inuzuka."
Akamaru yapped happily.
"Team Eleven under Anko Mitarashi, you poor poor children," said Iruka Umino.
"Wait? What?" asked one of those who'd not been put in a team yet and was finding that comment to be most ominous.
Iruka gave three names. All three noted the way the teacher was looking at them with apparently sincere pity. All three got VERY apprehensive about this.
"So," said Kakashi Hatake, glancing up from her orange-cover book. "You know I'm Kakashi Hatake. You might conceivably know I'm fond of lurid steamy passion-filled romance novels. You also might be aware that since Orochimaru's little jutsu went off, I've worked my shapely little buns off to build my chakra capacity and endurance."
"Pfeh," indicated Satsuki.
"You might appreciate this, Satsuki," said Kakashi. "I did it for REVENGE. Though I admit I HAVE found a few compensations for things I lost back then."
"Vengeance IS an important consideration and motivation," admitted Satsuki.
Kakashi shrugged. "So, your turn, let's go with you first."
"Satsuki Uchiha. My goals and dreams are to keep my mother OFF of ANY of my classmates or younger ninja-candidates. Not just Naruto. Vengeance against Orochimaru, of course - but I suspect fully half the village including the civilians have those little Orochimaru voodoo dolls they started selling last year."
"I understand the Akimichi clan has made some serious money off of those," said Sakura.
"Yeah! The first year Mom came up with those, we made more money off of them then we did from all our restaurants!" said Choji. "There's a deal for inter-village distribution coming up soon. Also a photo contest with a cash prize for most inventive way to kill an Orochi-doll."
"Next," said Kakashi, looking to Sakura.
"Sakura Haruno," said Sakura. "My goals and dreams... up until a few years ago they were very different. Now my main goal is to show everyone that you don't need to be part of an established ninja clan to be an excellent ninja."
"A decent goal," admitted Kakashi.
"Choji Akimichi. My goal is to become clan head, to excel in the family style of ninjutsu, and to eventually help my friends reach their own goals."
"Well, we'll see about all that," said Kakashi, shutting her book with a loud snap. "Tomorrow is going to be a VERY difficult test."
"A test?" asked Shikamaru Nara. "I don't suppose this is one where we get to go back to a lazy Academy student existence and live out lives not disturbed by high-ranking enemy ninja?"
"Not so much, no," said Asuko Sarutobi, blowing out a set of smoke rings. "If you fail this test, I tell your mother and most likely you end up married by the end of the week. No doubt nagged to death by the end of the year."
"Such an incredible bother," complained Shikamaru.
"Uhm, sensei? Akamaru has a question," said Kiko.
Asuko blinked and looked towards the dog who made a bunch of odd noises.
"Akamaru wants to know if the test involves small bits of grilled meat slathered in barbeque sauce," said Kiko before turning to her dog. "I'm really not getting that kind of vibe here, Akamaru."
"Rowr raff."
"Well, yes, I suppose you CAN always hope."
"No, that's definitely not what the test is about," said Asuko, before pausing. "Though I have to admit, that is sounding good right about now."
"Our sensei is younger than us and wants to test us," said Naruto.
"Logically," said Shiko. "We could extrapolate. The Academy exams were to indicate a basic working knowledge of the basic ninja skills plus the ability to learn and retain knowledge."
"True," admitted Hinata. "So what do you think the next test is?"
"This is just a guess, but I'll postulate the possibility of a test of readiness to accept a combat role," said Shiko. "With Operation Snake Hunt siphoning off higher-level resources - it is likely that new genin teams will be required to fill in the coverage gaps."
"Huh?" asked Naruto.
"She said that the more experienced ninja teams will be working with the hunt for Orochimaru and that less experienced ninja teams will be picking up the slack in other departments," said Hinata.
"Oh, right." Naruto nodded. "But what about this second test?"
"Perhaps not combat readiness but some other aspect of the shinobi profession which is required for such tasks," mused Shiko.
"Preparedness?" asked Hinata. "Planning? Teamwork? The Will Of Fire? Decent supplies of food?"
"How is food a factor?" asked Naruto.
Shiko answered. "Sunagakure is situated in a desert with water and food problems. Kirigakure's region is not only wet, but has a rainy season that covers nine months. Iwagakure and the Land of Earth has great mineral wealth, but poor soil. Kumogakure has a number of lakes, mountains, and uses farm-terraces to make the most of their own lack of suitable farming area. In relation to these, it is the Land of Fire which is also referred to as the 'breadbasket' among the Five Great Shinobi nations."
"Most of the food in Iwa is imported from the surrounding nations, same with Suna," noted Hinata.
"You are quite well informed," noted Shiko.
"Private tutors, there is a chance I'll be the clan heir," said Hinata, though she held her fingers as if pinching something to indicate how much chance she thought she had.
"So the reason she told us to skip breakfast was to point out how important eating regular is?" asked Naruto.
All three considered that for a moment.
"Unlikely," admitted Shiko. "We should address the other likely causes by being prepared and having several different plans ready to deal with the challenge she seeks to bring us."
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(Posted Sat, 21 Sep 2013 16:06)
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