(Please note this is the last chapter made by the original author on FF. the author was yuen7 so if you want to read the original go there. please note i most likely won't be adding on to this story.)
Teams 7, 8, 10, and Guy (possibly Team 9) gathered at Training Ground 6 for their first session with the Kumo kunoichi. Anko was also there, though she was dozing off with a dango stick between her fingers and a bottle of red bean soup resting between her legs.
"Where are they?" asked Sakura, clearly annoyed.
"We're early. In fact, we all decided to meet early to make sure that your sensei—who is not here, by the way—shows up on time," said Asuma, chuckling.
Twenty minutes later, Kakashi strolled in reading his porn, and a few minutes after that, the Kumo girls arrived.
Naruko was wearing her sleeveless kimono top and hakama-style pants, all in black. Hinata, in contrast, wore a light blue kimono top and knee-length tight pants, only slightly longer than the kimono. Both were sporting wide grins. Naruko also carried her mother's sword on her back. Right behind them were Konohamaru and Hanabi.
"Okay guys, time to train! But first, let us explain what we'll be doing!" After studying them for a moment, Naruko proclaimed that most of them were awfully over-specialized.
"So… you know how chakra is formed, right? A combination of your spirit, mental, and physical energies? Well, most of you are in pretty bad shape. On top of that, you need to broaden your horizons. You need some ninjutsu, better taijutsu, and some weapons to support your main roles! I mean, what kind of ninja is a one-trick pony?" said Naruko.
"So we're going to train you from the basics, then assess your current skills and offer some advice. Your sensei will take over afterward, and once everyone is on a more personalized training path, we'll rotate to spar and help you improve," explained Hinata.
"Jujuju! Now I present to you the hottest training tool ever!" shouted the very excited Karui. "This is the BONK!" Naruko unsealed a bamboo cane. "As you may guess, this cane is for bonking! And I'm not talking about the kind of bonking that makes rabbits famous—I mean the kind that stings. Each of your sensei will have one and… when—not if—you stop giving your best… BONK! They'll slap your sorry asses, your pretty heads, and more or less every part of your body. So you better give us your hottest effort, or they will know and…"
Some of them groaned, "Bonk."
"Anyway, it's up to your teachers to decide if you're taking it seriously or not. But Anko-san will also judge your performance—and she will also have a BONK. I recommend you do some stretching. We start running in 10 minutes."
"YOSH! We will beat this training together! And if we can't, we'll run 200 laps around the village, Gai-sensei!" shouted the enthusiastic green-clad ninja. But before they could begin their routine, Hinata bonked both of them with a swift, elegant swing.
"You, Lee-san, are a special case. Your physical prowess is already top-notch. So, while doing group training, you will work on your self-control by not working harder than the rest. You'll train your spirit and mental energy by maintaining the same level as the group. That goes for all of you. You will maintain a steady pace while running. If you go too fast and leave others behind…"
"BONK!" chorused Naruko and Karui.
"…you'll delay the collective effort, and you get the BONK. Konohamaru and Hanabi are the only ones excused from keeping up."
Hinata tossed the BONK to Anko, who lifted it above her head and shouted, "By the power of the BONK! I HAVE THE POWER!"
Everyone stared.
"What? Were you hoping for thunderbolts and lightning? A light show ending in a ridiculous costume or some other shit?"
Naruko handed each of the jōnin a BONK and grinned at the group. "Today, your new tortu—training starts! Now run like the Shinigami himself is after you. RUN!" Another BONK appeared in her hands.
A couple of hours later, the Konoha ninja were allowed to rest. Surprisingly, Konohamaru and Hanabi made a pretty decent group. They weren't the ones dragging everyone down—Ino and Sakura were. But while the blonde tried her best, Sakura kept making excuses and was now sporting some well-deserved bruises. Lee and Sasuke had their share too, as they tried to overachieve. Karui was quite happy with Chōji's performance—though she'd never admit it or blush. Nope, never. No way.
"Now that we're done with the warm-ups…" The genin groaned at the sound of Naruko's voice. "…each of you will go with your sensei, and we'll be picking you for some one-on-one training. We'll be doing the same thing every day for the next two weeks. Tsunade-obasan asked me to also give some pointers to the jōnin, so… be ready to train super hard," declared the Uzumaki clan head.
"We'll start with Team Gai, as Gai-san is the senior instructor here and his students have more experience. Kono-kun, Nabi-chan, come with us," ordered Hinata.
Once the Kumo team was alone with the taijutsu-oriented group, Hinata had them sit in a circle.
"More or less, I know the strengths of this team. That's why we're going to start by testing your chakra affinities."
"H-san, I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. That's why my dream is to become a great ninja using only taijutsu," Lee began, clearly ready to go off on a rant about self-improvement through hard work. But Hinata raised her hand to stop him.
"Lee-san. You have an active chakra system, and you can perform the tree-walking exercise, correct?" The boy nodded. "Then you not only have active chakra but also enough control to manipulate it to some degree. During taijutsu, you use it to enhance your body, don't you? Even if you have trouble performing regular jutsu, you may still be able to use techniques involving inner chakra regulation. So let's at least give it a try."
"I'm not sure how he does it, but it's well known that A-sama uses pure chakra manipulation to enhance his reflexes. And that's not even jutsu!" Karui added thoughtfully. "Who knows? Maybe you'll find a super-hot way of enhancing your body too."
That gave Lee something to think about.
The chakra paper revealed that Neji and Hanabi had earth nature, which was perfect for Hyuga-style taijutsu. So Naruko asked them to brainstorm creative ways to incorporate jutsu into their fighting style.
"Well, I could use body-strengthening jutsu to hit harder and protect myself. If I use a skin-hardening jutsu, my finger strikes would be like awls, right? That could help me against armored enemies and make me more durable."
"Not bad, Neji-san. A bit basic, but effective nonetheless," commented Naruko.
"H-neesan! What if I used Earth Style to raise walls and force one-on-one confrontations at close range? The Hyuga are deadly in close quarters—why not force the enemy into that situation? I'd avoid fighting a Hyuga in taijutsu if I were the enemy, but if I'm forced into it, my strategy crumbles!"
"That, Hanabi-san, is a mighty good idea! I myself have done similar things from time to time," said Gai with a youthful thumbs-up.
Lee and Konohamaru turned out to have fire affinity, while Tenten got lightning—ideal for her style. It would allow her to improve her bukijutsu and add some powerful ninjutsu too.
"Hey, Bun-bun girl! You don't know how lucky you are!" Karui grinned. "We all know how to use lightning chakra flow! You just need some good-quality weapons. If you use it with normal ones, they'll degrade fast. But I'm guessing you don't usually toss around top-tier gear, right?"
"Most of my equipment is self-forged, so it's decent. When it gets worn out or broken, I just melt it down and recycle. Um… are you sure it's a good idea to teach me that? It seems like a Kumogakure move."
"Yup, yup. Pretty much every village knows about chakra flow and elemental flow. It's no secret. The trick is mastering it. Bee-sensei once killed a bandit with a pencil using lightning chakra flow—punched a hole right through his chest… and the wall behind," Naruko added, leaving the Konoha ninja stunned.
"Now, weapons. I don't use mine too often, but I train with a short kodachi. N-chan and Tenten are well-equipped, and Karui uses a long ōdachi as her main style. What about the rest of you?" asked Hinata.
Gai revealed his nunchaku, Konohamaru showed his bo staff, and Hanabi admitted she was intrigued by the idea of using Gentle Fist with a bo staff. Hinata explained that while she couldn't target chakra points with her sword, she could still transmit chakra into her opponent's body. It was just harder because the weapon cut instead of smashed, but it was theoretically doable.
"I… I want to try using senbon to deliver our Gentle Fist, Hinata-sama. I've heard people speculate about it before. I'd like to give it a shot…" said Neji, clearly embarrassed. It was hard for him to break away from what he'd been taught all his life.
"Neji-san, please refer to me as H-san. And yes, it should be possible. You might need chakra-metal senbon, though."
"H-san! I think I'd like to figure out how to use my chakra first, then choose a weapon! So, in the meantime, I'll use brass knuckles or a gauntlet or something similar!" shouted the excitable green-clad boy. His sensei immediately joined in, shouting about youth with him.
"No. Bad Bushy-Brow and Bad Super-Bushy-Brow! Bonk. Bonk! BONK!" shouted Naruko, bonking them both with righteous fury.
"Wow, you actually stopped the Eternal Sunset Genjutsu! I might add the BONK to my arsenal!" Anko added, showing off her usual kunai and her longer, sharper assassination daggers. "I usually use kunai, and assassination kunai."
"Well? What are you all waiting for? You've got pointers and senseis ready to guide you. We'll be doing our own thing, so don't hesitate to come ask for help if you need it," said Naruko, hopping to her feet.
"Actually, N-chan, you're going to spar with Karui-chan. Lee-san, Neji-san, come with me. Tenten-san, ask Gai-san about chakra flow and start training. Ask the girls for pointers and let them check your progress."
Hinata led her group far enough from the others to avoid distractions. She explained that it was vital for Lee to have a Byakugan user monitoring him to prevent serious injury while he experimented with chakra use. She also instructed them to send detailed reports to Tsunade's office so any problems could be treated immediately.
Meanwhile, Konohamaru began teaching Hanabi her bo staff katas.
Next Day, after some BONK and group training…
"So this is Team 10. A capture and intelligence team, yep? So… what are your roles? What've you got?" asked Naruko.
"Shikamaru and Ino are intelligence and capture specialists, while Choji is support and heavy hitter. I have the same role and also handle direct interrogations until they gain more… experience," explained Asuma.
"Well, same routine as with the other team. We're going to check your chakra natures and weapon choices to help you develop a more rounded fighting style. Oh man, this team also needs a major kick in physical training," said Karui.
"Man, what a drag…" muttered Shikamaru.
"Oy! Listen here, pineapple-head! We can literally mop the floor with your faces! Not just defeat you—absolutely destroy you. Like, trample you with no effort. Zero. Nope. No resistance whatsoever. Choji-kun is pretty tough, yeah. But no weapon equals shish kebab! And Ino-chan and you are sitting ducks without him," argued Naruko. "You need some competence in solo fighting, guys. Come on! You're ninja!"
"I was actually thinking of asking my father to teach me our family's staff style. It works with our jutsu too," admitted a shy Choji after the harsh assessment. Shikamaru just grunted in annoyance.
"Shikamaru-san, I get that you distrust us. I can respect that. But understand that it is in our best interest to help you grow as strong as you can. We don't seek the knowledge of your strengths—there are spies for that. We don't lust after your secrets—we don't have any use for them, as most of your clans use pseudo bloodline limits. We just want to plant the seeds that will help our allies grow strong, for mutual benefit. So in that spirit, please don't hesitate to share your concerns, and I promise to try and answer as well as I can."
"I think I have enough information right now to guess who you really are. And that's the reason why I can't trust you. I don't understand why you'd be open to helping us," began Shikamaru. And before he could be interrupted, he raised his hand and asked to be allowed to explain.
"You're the lost Hyuga heiress, apparently sold by her clan. Why would you agree to help Konoha? And you… you're the last Uzumaki. This has been hidden from us, the younger generation, but I've dug enough to learn that the Uzumaki were once our greatest allies—and we failed them in their time of need. I also know the First Hokage captured and distributed the nine Biju… but it's never mentioned what happened to the Nine-Tailed One."
Shikamaru adopted his thinking pose and continued:
"Shodai Hokage's wife was Mito Senju… but her maiden name was Uzumaki, and she was known as 'the Witch' because of her sealing knowledge. So it's plausible that she was the first Jinchuriki. Then the other Uzumaki famous in our village was Kushina—The Red Death. She arrived in the village a few years before Lady Mito's death and the fall of the Uzumaki clan. So… I think she was the second. And you are the third. Kushina disappeared, and you appeared right after the Kyubi escaped and ended up being sealed in you. Then the village used you as a scapegoat and nearly killed you. So why help us?"
Naruko laughed hard. Hinata looked concerned but shook her head and eyed the older ninja seriously.
"This is top-secret information. Only a few people know. The penalty for revealing it is death, so be cautious," she warned. Then she activated her dōjutsu to scan the surrounding area, ensuring no one was spying.
"When my mother was giving birth to me, someone with a Sharingan interrupted the procedure and forced the seal keeping the Kyubi in check to break. A female Jinchuriki's seal weakens during childbirth. Then he used genjutsu on the Biju and forced it to attack the village. A Jinchuriki can't survive without their beast. Besides, my mom was seriously injured trying to protect me, so I was the only option… only an Uzumaki could hold the vixen."
Naruko snorted with disdain.
"I—no, we—don't care about Konoha as a whole. We care for our friends here, but that's it. But we can't ignore that Konoha is one of the strongest hidden villages, and someone is out there looking for the Biju. So by helping strengthen Konoha and providing you with a Jinchuriki—who we plan to recruit soon—we protect our village and another Biju. That way, we're safer, and the enemy has a harder time getting to us. We're helping you for our own benefit, since we're the village with the highest number of Jinchuriki. Will we make friends with you? Sure. But protecting Kumogakure comes first. Is that enough for you, Shikamaru-san?"
"Just one more question. Is the Fourth Hokage your father?"
"That he is."
After Choji and Asuma somehow managed to get over the surprise, Team 10 followed the same procedure as the previous teams. Ino got lightning element, which made sense since the brain relies on electrical impulses. Asuma recommended she visit Tenten and learn how to use metal tonfa. Tonfa would give her improved defense while allowing for kick-based taijutsu. At the same time, she wouldn't be too hindered in using hand seals effectively, and sharp-tipped tonfa are dangerous in tight spaces. Ino's new resolve to become a proper kunoichi pleasantly surprised her sensei.
Choji and Shikamaru both had Earth and Fire affinities. But while Choji favored Earth, Shikamaru had Fire as his dominant element. He agreed to learn how to use high-quality chakra metal knives, and maybe a kusarigama or another chained weapon.
Karui asked Choji if it was possible to redirect his Body Expansion Jutsu to specific muscles in his body instead of entire limbs. The goal? To develop a form that turned him into a hulking mass of muscle—bodybuilder style—instead of just making him a giant.
Kiba was really looking forward to their shared lessons. The brutal training regimen of Kumo was quite similar to his clan's—it kept them in shape while also teaching them to work as a unit, as a pack.
He noticed the glances both Rin and Kurenai kept sending H-san. There was longing and fear of rejection in their eyes, and he cursed his inability to offer bodily comfort to Rin, as well as his lack of familiarity with his new sensei.
When the Kumo team—plus Anko, who he learned was a close friend of Kurenai—got them to sit in a circle, he knew it was exactly the kind of environment where he could learn and be himself.
"Following the routine we established with other teams. First, we check your chakra nature and then we go for weapons!" said an enthusiastic snake mistress.
Kiba raised his hand to get their attention. "Kakashi-sensei already checked me when… well, after I was reassigned. He's helping me with summoning and lightning jutsu. I have a major lightning affinity and minor ones for fire and earth."
Shino turned out to have fire and earth, and Rin had water.
"If you're capable of mixing your natural poisons with water jutsu, you'll be a monster on the battlefield!" shouted Anko.
"I find it amusing that the most common natures in our village coincide with those in Iwagakure," was Shino's calm observation.
In the weapons department, Kurenai surprised everyone by showing them a family heirloom she was learning to use. It was a short, double-edged blade with a handle as long as the blade itself—shorter than a naginata, but longer than a standard long-handled sword. The weapon could only be described as elegant.
Rin told them she was interested in senbon launchers, and Anko roped her into using assassination kunai for close quarters. Kiba showed quite the insight when he explained he was thinking of using some kind of clawed gauntlets, but needed to find a way to use hand signs unhindered.
"I've got a lot of work to do. Why? Because of our symbiotic nature, it's harder for the Aburame to perform nature transformations without damaging our hives. I've already asked my father for the writings of previous clansmen who used elemental jutsu, and I have to: first, make sure all my little friends are able to adapt to elemental chakra; second, breed kikaichu beetles specialized in my two affinities," said Shino, adjusting his shades. "As for weapons, I've decided to learn to use a kanabo club. It's easy to use, good for defense, and I can rest it on my shoulder while performing jutsu. I suspect the correct length would be that of a long sword—not too wide or heavy. Why? Because I'm more interested in its defensive properties than in using it as my primary combat style."
"Very good idea, Shino. I have some friends who are well-versed in kenjutsu. I'm sure they can teach you the basics," said his sensei.
After training, Kurenai asked Hinata about her real identity and was overjoyed to hear her answers. Rin also felt quite comfortable surrounded by girls who didn't shy away from her because of her condition.
"N-san, I'm really grateful for this. I'd like us to be friends, not just allies. Know that my mother was a good friend of yours, and that the Inuzuka have your back," said Kiba as they were leaving. Naruko smiled and patted his shoulder.
"You've got a fine team here, Kurenai."
"I know, Anko-chan. Believe me, I know. And I have to push myself harder to set a good example for them. Would you help me? I'm afraid I've become over-reliant on genjutsu."
"Of course, Nai-chan!" said Anko, using her pet name.
When they met Team 7 after the joint training, they weren't expecting to find them particularly motivated, but what they found was outright worrying.
Sasuke was resting against a tree, not only showing no interest but actively looking down on them. Sakura was whining and moaning out loud, being completely ignored. Sai… well, he was literally part of the background. The Kumo team had found furniture with more personality than him. And Kakashi, of course, was reading his porn.
"Yikes, Kakashi! What's going on with your team? Geez, the attitude!" complained Anko. Sasuke growled.
"Well… let's see what we have here. Mind if I do the questioning?" The Kumo team let the snake mistress proceed.
Minutes later, Anko was fuming and berating Kakashi for his incompetence, to which Kakashi retorted that it wasn't his fault Sakura didn't put any effort into her training or that Sasuke did whatever he wanted. Sai… well, he was Sai.
"What do you expect me to do? The damn council forced me to pass this team, even though only Kiba was ready." Sasuke tsked, and Sakura started ranting, but no one paid her any attention. "I can't even properly discipline them! I WAS the motherfucking team captain of ANBU Team Ro. I trained the best. I revamped the motherfucking ANBU training system! I was known as ANBU Dog, the mad dog. Do you know why our ANBU has only had one deserter since my time there? Because I motherfucking trained them! That's why! Because, apart from motherfucking Itachi Uchiha, I didn't allow any of my men to be loyal to their clans when wearing a mask. And if the higher-ups had let me cut Itachi off from his other responsibilities, he'd still be one of our best operatives."
"What! You trained my brother?" Sasuke shouted, about to start demanding ludicrous things—until Kakashi nearly bitchslapped him.
"Of course I did. And he was one of my best! I don't know what made him snap, but if I'd had my way, he would've been the ANBU top operative after me. But nooo. 'Kakashi, you must allow him to do whatever…' Well, there you have the results."
Kakashi, who had been pacing, stopped and took a deep breath to organize his thoughts. "The civilian council—who knows I despise them—banned me from ANBU training after I ended my service with the masked corps. They made me rust! In my prime, I would've dealt with Zabuza no problem, but my abilities have rusted more than I thought. Then they ask me to train you, but don't let me really train you. No discipline. Just: teach lots of jutsu to the Uchiha, let Haruno be lazy, don't punish them too much, protect them, blah blah blah…" He sighed in frustration. "You're the worst team of the batch, and it's because I have to pamper you!"
Sasuke scoffed, as he usually did when hearing something that didn't suit his view of the world. Sakura started yelling about how unfair it all was.
"That is true. The only purpose of this team is to pamper Uchiha-san. As I'm privately trained, it won't hinder me very much," said Sai, smiling.
"What an absolute ton of shit they dumped onto you, eh, Kakashi? Meh, now that Tsunade-sama's giving the orders, things will change for sure," said Anko with her most mischievous grin.
"Summarizing: Duckbutt Prince is quite well-rounded. He needs to improve genjutsu, but all in all, he's clearly one of the toughest genin in the village. Probably stronger than half the chunin. But you need to learn discipline, accept hard truths, and use fucking tactics and common sense! You're a shinobi, not some fairytale knight or avenger hero from a theatre play. You've got good control over fire nature, as expected from your clan, and you should develop your second affinity—lightning. Maybe start with the basics of earth and water."
"Why not wind too?" interrupted Sasuke.
"Did I give you permission to interrupt me, you punk?" shouted Anko, making the raven-haired boy flinch—but he scoffed afterward.
"For starters, your fancy eyes aren't good for copying wind jutsu if you don't have an affinity for wind. Wind is rare and relies more on manipulation than hand seals. And you—undisciplined, sorry excuse for an asshole—you won't spend the time wind jutsu require to master."
She glared at him with eyes that could burn holes in his skull.
"You should also learn to use a weapon."
"Sai… well, you're a bit overspecialized, but you're solidly chunin-level."
"And you, the pink banshee! You're utterly pathetic. Your chakra control is superb, your memory is nearly eidetic—and yet you're not learning genjutsu or med-ninjutsu. Why? You only know the academy three jutsu and nothing else! You're not even genin-level! Just a green, fresh-out-of-the-academy fangirl pretending to be a kunoichi. You're a liability, a danger to your team, and an embarrassment to all kunoichi out there."
Sakura started crying and mumbled that it wasn't true. But Kakashi reminded her how easily she was taken down during the exams. It was also discovered that she had balanced earth and water affinities.
"This team needs a lot of work. And some hot survival exercises! You two are used to having everything done for you. No idea what suffering actually is," said Karui, crossing her arms.
"How dare you!"
"Oh, please shut up! We all know your sob story. Yeah yeah, pretty traumatizing, but… Have you ever had to fend for yourself? Nope. The civilian council's been pampering you since your clan was wiped out. Do you manage your money? Do your groceries? Clean? Cook? Nope, someone else does it. Ever been starving? Or known real hunger? Truly alone and defenseless? Afraid to fall asleep because you might not wake up? Cold with nothing to burn or wear? No, no, no, and no. You've got traumas, no one's denying that—but you've never endured a harsh life. And neither have you, Pink-chan," Karui said with a toothy smile.
"So… from now on, you'll live in tents in the training grounds, hunt your own food, and clean your own gear. That—and proper discipline—can make real ninja out of you." After a dramatic pause, she added, "If you're willing to endure and learn the true ninja way."
"And how's that supposed to make us stronger?" asked Sasuke irritably.
"That's easy. You'll learn the true meaning of effort. Then you'll learn to manage your own effort and work ethic. And, by doing that, hopefully, you'll learn to properly train and focus on what you really need. To be the best ninja, you don't need a thousand jutsu—just true mastery of a few. Look at your own Fourth Hokage. He knew lots of jutsu and was highly skilled in fuinjutsu, yet he was feared for the techniques he mastered—the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God," explained Hinata.
"What's the point of learning hundreds of jutsu you'll never use when you can master a few and be ready for any situation? I'm not saying you shouldn't copy jutsu. Just don't get obsessed. Your own teacher, the Copycat Ninja, uses his own strategies with his go-to jutsu, backing them up with the rest of his arsenal. But at the end of the day, he's elite because of his efforts, not because he knows hundreds of techniques."