"No, Tenten, and I need to inform you both of a development with Lee," said Gai, going into his "serious" mode.
Tenten wasn't impressed. She'd been on this team for a year. Gai being serious could just mean he had a tea stalk floating straight up in his morning cup. "This is going to be completely lame, isn't it?"
"No. This is regarding an S-Class secret," said Gai. "Do you understand?"
"So - not an extra pickle on your rice this morning?" asked Tenten.
"Neji?" asked Gai.
"Fine. S-Class secret. I understand not to speak of it," said Neji.
"Fine, go ahead," said Tenten.
"As of late yesterday, Lee underwent an experimental procedure to fix his chakra coils so that he would be able to use ninjutsu," said Gai.
"That's all?" asked Tenten.
"You're not thinking this through," said Neji, sounding very thoughtful.
"WHAT?" asked Tenten.
"If Lee, who had no talent for fine chakra manipulation such as ninjutsu or genjutsu require, could become able to do so? Then isn't it possible that untrained civilians could become ninja? Or ninja with poor chakra control could become better at it?" Neji frowned. "It is Lee's fate to be a failure, but I understand why he would grasp at such slight hopes."
"It was successful," said Gai.
"WHAT?!" exclaimed Tenten.
"Lee... was able to change his fate?" asked Neji, sounding plainly skeptical.
"So far all that Lee can manage are Katon techniques, but they are very powerful," said Gai.
"Fire Release?" asked Tenten. "Whoa. I'll believe it when I see it but..."
"Believe what?" asked someone as they landed nearby.
"I..." Tenten stopped, stared, gawked, then pulled back while pointing with a shaking arm. "L-L-Lee?!"
"You're taller," noted Neji.
"A full four centimeters!" declared Lee.
"Your hair is shaggier," noted Neji.
"Under advice from an ANBU," admitted Lee. "This sort of advice I never expected to have."
"Eek!" managed the still-shaking Tenten. "Kai?"
"It doesn't change anything," said Neji. "You were fated to lose from birth and nothing can change your fate."
"HE'S A GIRL?!" asked Tenten. "I mean - she's a girl? I mean... WHAT?!"
"Yes, there were side-effects," said Gai.
"How is THAT a side-effect?!" demanded Tenten. "She's got bigger boobs than I do!"
Neji very calmly looked at Tenten and then at Lee. "Slightly more developed. You appear to be at least a year older."
Gai clapped his hands once. "Okay, we will have a D-Rank mission this morning, after which we will do some training. Lee, you -need to work on your control."
"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee clenched a fist which was abruptly surrounded by green fire. "YOSH!"
"Late," noted Naruto, idly crushing a fist-sized rock into gravel.
"Noticed," drily said Sasuke.
"Maybe he didn't get the notice?" tried Sakura.
"I doubt the Hokage would entrust that to someone unreliable," said Sasuke. "Plus - this whole thing started because our assigned sensei was late yesterday."
"Point," admitted Naruto.
"You know, you're a lot calmer - now," noted Sakura. "I wonder if the endocrine system changed."
"So what do we do in the meantime?" asked Naruto. "Spar? Strength training? Work on my fuuinjutsu?"
"Let's... hold off on that," said Sasuke. "Not that you'd intend anything like happened the last time. Just - let's not take that chance."
Kakashi observed them a full minute before he used the shunshin technique to appear in front of them. Naruto was doing pushups the hard way - vertical with his feet pointed skyward. Sasuke was flicking rocks at trees at the other side of the lake and apparently getting decent strength and accuracy from the sounds of it. Sakura was asleep?
Shunshin. "Ah. So you did show up today."
Sakura was apparently NOT asleep as she came rolling up to her feet without any sign of alarm. Sasuke glanced over a shoulder to glare at him, and then threw an additional rock before joining them. Naruto flipped himself upright, seemed to hang in the air a moment longer than he should have, but then came over to join them.
Huh. He would've expected some complaints.
"So, today you have to pass a little test," said Kakashi, holding up two bells.
"Two bells?" asked Naruto. "Three of us. Are the bells symbolic of something or does it involve stealth training?"
"A good guess," admitted Kakashi. "Completely wrong. But still a good guess. No, you have to be able to take these bells from me."
"Simulated mission?" asked Sakura. "So this is a test of our skills in acquiring objects from a hostile jonin?"
"Also a good guess," said Kakashi. "Also completely wrong. If you get a bell before this alarm goes off - you pass. If you don't get a bell - you fail and go back to the Academy."
"So this is a test on how well one of us can sacrifice for the team?" asked Naruto. "Awfully harsh right from the go, isn't it?"
Kakashi finished setting the alarm, watching as the three glanced at each other and made a few faces and gestures. This was not what he had expected from the notes made by their Academy teachers. "When I say 'start' you're going to have to come after me with the intent to kill, otherwise you have no chance at all."
"I see," said Naruto. "Ladies first?"
"In a combat situation?" asked Sakura. "No. How about Sasuke-kun first? He can get the bells then."
Naruto nodded and turned and walked towards one end of the field. "Sounds good. Let me know when it's my turn."
Kakashi really wasn't sure what was going on. Were they REALLY that naive? "Very well, start."
Sasuke wasn't sure what to do about this. It had been well demonstrated yesterday evening that if an ANBU were prepared to deal with his new abilities - they COULD.
He whipped out a set of handseals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
Once he'd released that, he leapt and rolled to his left, coming back out with a handful of shuriken. In terms of pure physical strength, he was roughly ten times what he had been prior to that morning. His entire practice with rocks had been to adapt to the higher strength and speed.
Sasuke saw the high-speed blur that was his new sensei and sent three shuriken at where he predicted that sensei would be. He had a good look at the shuriken burying themselves into a log before something he certainly had never expected happened to him.
"Konohagakure Hidden Secret Taijutsu Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!"
Naruto was torn. On the one hand, he wanted a picture of the moment to treasure the view of his rival with his buttocks handed him so thoroughly. On the other hand, he sure as blazes didn't want that happening to him.
He'd been gathering the chakra, compressing it, readying for when his turn came around. This looked like it. He drew in a deep breath as their sensei was just standing up from his crouch now.
He brought his hands together in imitation of how Sasuke had blown that fireball technique and let loose. There was a moment of doubt as to whether this would even work.
Then the white roiling fire shot out in a stream, turning a log and a flak vest into burning scraps.
"THAT looked painful," said a voice behind him.
"Oh hell," said Naruto. "Shadow Clone. Substitution."
A kick came towards his head despite the chained techniques. Naruto blocked and tried to palmstrike the knee of that leg.
At which point he could swear he heard someone say "Lesson One: Taijutsu" but with his head getting battered back and forth it was kind of hard to be sure.
Okay, something was seriously off with at least two of these genin. Unfortunately, in order to check something, he had to knock Naruto out for this. Well, it was unfortunate for Naruto at least. Especially as the single kick that SHOULD have done the deed was somehow insufficient and he had to use most of his strength and several attacks.
His first clue had been when he'd used the 1000 Years Of Death against Sasuke and had to use a lot more chakra to keep from breaking his fingers and launch the 'Rookie Of The Year' into the air.
It was as if he weighed three times what his height and build would indicate. It didn't feel as if he was wearing body armor under his clothes, even though that was the most likely explanation.
Then Naruto pulled out that stream of white fire that acted like a combination of Wind Release and Fire Release into something that sliced and burned at the same time. And then clung to the object hit for several seconds thereafter.
Naruto tried to chain techniques but obviously lacked experience doing so - it was easy to spot which clone he'd substituted with and then attack that.
Except that Naruto managed to block it and also seemed to weigh three times what he should. He also did a counterattack that Kakashi estimated would have shattered his knee like taking a sledgehammer to a watermelon IF he had not been an experienced jonin.
He was, however, an experienced jonin and so it just hurt like hell as he moved with the blow. Then he repeatedly kicked Naruto in the head until the genin was dazed, slammed him into the ground once with a throw, and then had to hit the boy twice more because he was proving exceptionally tough.
Really, there were jonin he knew of that would have been easier to put down.
Once Naruto was truly out of it, it was simple to pull the shirt up and channel some chakra to reveal the seal. While not a fuuinjutsu expert - he knew what the seal should look like and was able to give a cursory inspection. It didn't LOOK broken. So this was indeed Naruto.
Sakura was over there in those bushes, trying to be stealthy despite squeaking when he'd checked Naruto's seal. Did that mean she knew about his tenant?
Sasuke was getting up and putting his hands in front of his mouth without using the handseals. Was he going to do the same thing Naruto had done?
A quick substitution and lightning burned a line through another log, which then exploded. So - similar technique that didn't use handsigns?
He was using that substitution technique a lot more than he thought he would have to. "Lesson two: Ninjutsu!"
Underground Move + Headhunter Technique + Underground Move + Shadow Clone. Now he could pop up behind Sakura. "Boo!"
Sakura shrieked and clutched her buttocks protectively. Well, that WAS pretty much predictable wasn't it?
Oh dear, she was drawing breath and bringing her hands up. If Naruto used the technique and got a Wind/Fire Release and Sasuke used it for a Lightning/Fire variant - what were the odds Sakura could do something similar even though it wasn't supposed to possible at their age and experience level? Not to mention that kekkei genkai were needed for true combinations but he got the feeling it wasn't quite that.
And another substitution, this time with the shadow clone he'd left underground. Then up and hide in this tree to get a handle on the situation.
Ice?! She seriously had ICE Release?!
Had Orochimaru been experimenting with kids again? Or someone took up that research he'd left behind? Seriously the odds against a team being formed with three kekkei genkai users from families he KNEW didn't have such things. Well, Sakura might. He hadn't the familiarity with her family he did with the Uzumaki and Uchiha families.
The ground exploded as apparently Sasuke decided not to be restrained any further. Had Gai taken on students at some point? Because that really seemed Gai-esque.
Well, best to use another chain. Shadow clone + shunshin to appear next to Sakura.
"Lesson Three: Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique."
Really, he wasn't going to use that technique against Sasuke - who had some serious issues after the Uchiha Massacre. He wouldn't use that technique against Naruto because of the Kyubi. Sakura was the logical choice to demonstrate a genjutsu against - besides it would point out the usefulness of genjutsu to the single member of the team whose Academy notes stated that she would be a natural for it.
He was immediately glad he'd used a shadow clone for this because Sakura's reaction was somewhat atypical. Instead of breaking out of the genjutsu or fainting in terror - she froze and started shaking. Disappointing to say the least.
Except she was transforming into something that had teeth and claws and...
Quick check. No, he was not stuck in a genjutsu.
Which meant that Sakura, the ostensibly NORMAL kunoichi, not only had Ice Release but a transform-into-a-dragon jutsu. Maybe it was just a henge?
She just snapped her jaws out and tore a sapling in half. Maybe NOT the simple disguise technique they taught in the Academy.
Reluctantly, Kakashi lifted the headband covering his Sharingan up so that he could try and make sense out of the situation since it otherwise looked like any sense had not shown up for work today.
Ah. Finally the alarm went off. Naruto was unconscious still - so he'd end up tied to the post.
"Ungggg. Owie."
Sakura sighed. "Try not to move around too much. You might have a concussion."
"'Might'?" asked Sasuke.
"We're not supposed to untie or feed you," said Sakura. "Also, he tied you up with ninja wire. Apparently he thought if he just used rope you'd break it."
"Okay," said Naruto. "Did I miss anything else?"
"Yes," said Sakura. "He hit me with a genjutsu that showed Sasuke dying. I lost control and changed in front of him. Apparently I bit a tree in half. Took me some time to get all the splinters out."
"Ah," said Naruto.
"I was pulled underground with just my head up," said Sasuke.
"Supposedly this afternoon will have a further test to determine if Sasuke and I can go on and become ninja," added Sakura.
"Fine. I'll help," said Naruto, who tensed up. TWANG! went two wires, leaving several more. "I'll go back to the Academy. Though Jiji might be able to get me some advanced training."
"Are you sure?" asked Sakura, holding out a fried shrimp to Naruto with her chopsticks. "I mean, all three of us could just drop this and try again with a sensei who isn't so much of a-"
"YOU GUYS!" growled Kakashi, suddenly there.
Sakura squeaked and promptly started looking for a way to say something polite to finish that statement.
"-pass. At least if I can get an explanation as to what's going on here." Kakashi appended himself.
"To do that, we need to meet with the Hokage," said Naruto.
"Yakumo Kurama seems the best choice if we try that again," said Hiruzen Sarutobi as he looked over the reports. "Well done."
Owl acknowledged that with a slight bow.
"Anything else to add?" asked the Hokage.
"According to the physical examination and mental evaluation from Inoichi, Rock Lee is eccentric but completely healthy," said Owl. "Including scars along his lower left leg - which are now missing. It seems that the line about 'health' on that crystal means the transformed is cured of illnesses."
"As the transformation is meant to provide a stable start of a new species, that makes sense," admitted the Hokage. "Ah. Kakashi's here, he must have questions after his testing."
Owl saluted once and was gone, recognizing the dismissal.
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(Posted Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:11)
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