__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
The chapter got you itching for more? Read ahead and get exclusive content before anyone else? Join me on Patr -e-on! Your support would mean the world to me.
( | [email protected]/FictionGoat | )
Read over 20+ chapters in advance.
. . . .
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________
In the trees just beyond the training ground, Kaito crouched beside Izumi and Sugikura, his mind working through the situation. He knew he could take a bell if he really tried, but that would mean revealing too much, too soon. It wouldn't make sense for him to know those jutsu, so of course, they'd find it suspicious and start questioning him.
'It'll be easy for me to get a bell, but that'll risk me revealing my techniques too early... If I could use my Shadow Clone Jutsu, I could probably get those bells, but I can't.' Kaito groaned internally.
He then turned to Izumi. "Remember what I told you right? Kurenai's a sensory-type ninja. She probably already knows where we are. She's just waiting for us to make the first move." His voice was low, calm. "We need a way to sneak up on her… but we can't, since she'll sense us coming. So, we need to overload her senses. Problem is, you're already low on chakra, so another Fireball is out."
Sugikura frowned. "What do you mean by overloading her senses?"
Kaito sighed. "Man, you really weren't paying attention in class, huh?"
Sugikura scowled, about to argue, but Kaito cut him off. "Sensory ninjas are like dogs. They can pick apart different smells, tell them apart from each other. But if there's an overwhelming smell, it drowns out everything else and messes with their sense of smell. Sensory ninjas work the same way. If you hit them with a wide-range jutsu, it floods their senses, making it harder for them to pinpoint individual chakra signatures."
Sugikura's frown deepened, but then something clicked. "Wait… I know a Wind Style jutsu that might work like that."
Kaito's eyes flickered. "How fast can you do it?"
Sugikura hesitated before scratching the back of his head. "It… takes a while. It uses a lot of hand seals, and it burns through most of my chakra."
Kaito clicked his tongue. "Figures. That means we need to keep her busy while you set it up. But with how strong she is, there's no way we can hold her off for long without her noticing you and shutting you down."
Izumi frowned. "So what do we do?"
Kaito stared out at Kurenai, watching as she remained perfectly still, waiting for them to make the first move. They needed a distraction. A damn good one.
Kaito sighed, "Alright, here's the plan."
- - - -
____________
- - - -
Kurenai stood in the clearing, arms crossed, her gaze flicked briefly to her wrist, where a watch was. Judging by the time, they had an hour left. They were running out of time. ' Maybe they won't make it after all...'
CRUNCH!
Her eyes shifted back to the tree line as a snapping twig caught her attention. Kaito and Izumi stepped into the open, side by side, but Sugikura was nowhere to be seen.
"Just the two of you?" Kurenai asked, arching a brow. "You think you can take me on alone?"
Neither answered. Kaito only grunted before breaking into a full sprint straight toward her, meanwhile, Izumi stayed back holding her ground.
Kurenai readied herself, sidestepping Kaito's initial punch with ease. He was fast, but she was faster...way faster. He spun on his heel, throwing a backhand aimed at her ribs, but she caught his wrist mid-swing and yanked him forward, using his own momentum against him.
Kaito twisted in the air, breaking free just before impact, and landed smoothly a few feet away.
SHRIIINGGG!
The second his feet touched the ground, a barrage of shuriken came flying at Kurenai from behind. Reaching into her leg pouch, she flicked her kunai up, deflecting each one in quick succession. The last one she caught between her fingers and sent right back toward its origin.
Izumi barely dodged, eyes narrowing as she locked onto Kurenai. The moment their gazes met, Kurenai felt her stomach tightened.
'The Sharingan…'
Izumi's eyes gleamed red, two tomoe spinning lazily in her irises. Kurenai's grip on her kunai tightened.
'How can she use the Sharingan so young?' she thought to herself. The Sharingan at her age? ' Maybe this is a talented group after all... ' Kurenai smiled to herself, but kept a stern look on the outside. Before she could dwell on it further though, Kaito was on her again, closing the distance between them.
He feinted left before twisting into a brutal elbow aimed at her jaw. Kurenai tilted back just enough to let it pass before countering with a heavy knee toward his ribs. He caught it at the last second, using the momentum to spin her leg outward and throw off her balance.
She planted a hand on the ground and flipped backward, putting space between them—but the moment she landed, a kunai was already flying at her face. She knocked it aside with ease using her Kunai, but when she looked back up, Kaito was staring her down.
"You sure you wanna look away?" he taunted.
Kurenai's instincts screamed at her. She turned just in time to see Izumi lunging, her fist cutting through the air. Kurenai dodged, but Izumi was relentless, throwing a flurry of jabs and kicks, her Sharingan analyzing every micro-movement Kurenai made. It was impressive, but not enough.
Kurenai blocked, parried, countered...but then, Izumi smirked. "NOW!."
Kurenai barely had time to register before Kaito's fist came swinging from behind. She twisted just in time, but his knuckles still grazed her cheekbone. A fraction of a second slower, and it would've been a direct hit.
Kurenai leapt back, creating some distance as her eyes flickered between the two. 'They're getting better at working together…' Her gaze landed on Izumi. Out of the three, she was the biggest threat due to her Sharingan. "I'll deal with you first," Kurenai muttered, her body tensing for a split second before she shot forward, closing the gap between them in an instant, reaching for her neck.
!...!..!
" [ Wind Release..Great Breakthrough! ] "
BOOM!
A powerful gust of wind slammed into her, sending her flying back. The force was overwhelming, knocking the breath from her lungs as she flipped through the air, barely managing to land on her feet. The ground trembled, the dust in the clearing exploding into a thick cloud, completely cutting off her vision.
Kurenai coughed, shielding her eyes as the dust settled around her. "Damn," she muttered, blinking rapidly. 'They wanna hide huh...' If she couldn't see them, she'd sense them.
But the chakra remnants in the air muddled her senses, making it difficult to pinpoint their exact locations. She could still faintly detect them, but it was hazy, distorted...like trying to listen for whispers in the middle of a storm.
But she wasn't just any ninja. She was a Jonin.
And then—
A hand shot out from the side, reaching straight for her bells. Kurenai reacted instantly, swinging an arm to deflect the grab. But the moment her hand connected, the figure burst into smoke.
"A clone?!" she thought.
Before she could fully process, another hand grasped at the bells on her waist. Her muscles tensed as she twisted, her fingers clawing after the thief, but they were already gone, disappearing back into the swirling dust before she could make contact.
Kurenai blinked, then let out a breath of amusement, a small smile tugging at her lips. 'Smart… using the dust screen to their advantage and catching me with a clone. Not bad… not bad at all.'
As the dust settled, the figures of her students came into view. Standing at the front, Kaito released a heavy sigh, dangling the three bells between his fingers.
Kurenai crossed her arms, eyeing them with newfound respect. "Not bad."
"So, we pass?" Sugikura asked.
Kurenai gave a small nod. "Yes...welcome to Team 8."
Izumi beamed. "Yes! That means we're offic—" She staggered, her excitement fading as her legs wobbled beneath her. "Whoa… hold on…" Her voice slurred, and before she could steady herself, her body gave out completely.
As Izumi dropped, Kaito caught her just in time, adjusting her until she rested over his shoulder. "Looks like she passed out from chakra exhaustion… She'll be fine."
Sugikura let out a long sigh. "Man… I'm feeling it too," he mumbled, barely keeping himself upright.
Kaito shot him a look. "Just so you know...if you drop, I'm not catching you."
Sugikura grunted, his brows knitting together. "I don't give a shit! I can walk myself."
Kurenai watched the two bicker, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. They reminded her of herself at that age...young, stubborn, and full of fire. She was unsure about taking on the role of a Jonin instructor. The responsibility, the pressure, it all felt overwhelming at first. But now?
Watching them, seeing their potential, she knew one thing for certain. She wanted to see how they grew. She wanted to see what they would become.
Kurenai shook her head with a small smile. "Since everyone's worn out, how about we go out to eat? My treat."
It sounded like an offer, but somehow, it didn't feel like one they could turn down.
- - - -
____________
- - - -
The restaurant was warm, filled with the scent of broth and grilled meat. The four of them sat around a table, their meals freshly placed in front of them. Izumi, still drained, rested her head against the table but managed to slurp up some noodles between slow blinks. Sugikura, arms crossed, poked at his ramen with a grumpy frown before finally giving in and eating. Kaito, as usual, ate at a slow pace, looking completely unbothered.
Kurenai glanced at them with a small smile. "So? How's the food?"
"Could be better," Sugikura muttered, though he kept eating.
Kurenai's smile instantly turned to a frown, her brows knitting together. "You ungrateful shit… if you don't like it, don't eat it."
Sugikura flinched, a few noodles still hanging from his mouth. "No...it's good! I was joking!"
Kurenai gave him a look that said, 'Yeah, that's what I thought.' Then, shifting gears, she leaned back. "Alright, before you all get too comfortable, I wanted to let you know since we're officially a team now, we start missions in three days."
Sugikura groaned. "Three days? Can't we get at least a week?"
Kurenai smirked. "Consider this your time to team bond."
Sugikura scoffed, shoving another bite into his mouth. "No way I'm getting along with this fucker." He jabbed a finger at Kaito, before flicking up the middle finger.
Kaito didn't even look up. "Good. I don't wanna get along with you either." He took a slow sip of his broth, flicking the middle finger back at him.
Sugikura shot him a look. "Shut up before I kill you!"
Kaito thought for a second. "Make me..."
Sugikura slammed the chopsticks onto the table standing up before rolling up his sleeves, " Don't worry I will! " Sugikura clenched ready to dive at him over the table. While Kaito just casually sat staring him into his eye's not even a hint of fear.
"Sit down, you little shit!" Kurenai's voice cut through the air like a whip.
Sugikura's body jolted before he dropped back into his seat, stiff as a board. " Sorry ma'am.."
"Good boy," Kaito murmured, smirking.
Sugikura's jaw clenched so hard it looked like his teeth might crack. A vein throbbed on his forehead, his fingers curling into fists on the table, but he held himself back—probably because he knew Kurenai would kill him if he tried anything.
"You too. Cut it out," Kurenai shot Kaito a look.
Kaito just smiled, raising his hands in mock surrender. "What? I didn't do anything."
Kurenai sighed, already getting a clearer picture of how this team was going to function. They were a bit rough around the edges, but there was something there...a balance that, with time, might just work.
. . . . .
_________________________________
________________________________________________________
Leave a review and comment!
Read over 20+ chapters in advance, on P@treon.