Sky on Fire: Slow Burn - Chapter 4 Part 2
Title: Slow Burn
Chapter: 04 Reformation
Author/Artist: Skylar Inari
Pairing: Yamanaka Ino/Nara Shikamaru
Theme: 09. “Ready, Steady, Go!”
Word Count: 8220
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. It's Kishimoto's and I just play with it. AU immediately after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Part 4 of ? Unbeta’d.
Asuma eyed the building Kakashi lived in thoughtfully.
He’d left Shikamaru back at the training area with a wave and a promise he’d be back by seven. Grumbling Shikamaru had been settling down against a tree, when Asuma had left. He was a man of his word - he’d be back in time.
He just wouldn’t be alone.
Asuma had thought long and hard about what exactly he could do to Kakashi as punishment for stealing and sending one of his students on an A rank mission. He’d been right too; Shikamaru would have died if Asuma hadn’t managed to show up. That, despite the fact that Kakashi had been well within the rules - Missions in times of upheaval and all of that - and his rights - as Jounin they were allowed to direct the Genin wherever they’d be best suited during a conflict - didn’t change the fact that Asuma was distinctly not happy with the man.
If Shikamaru had died it would have been Asuma that had to tell his parents the news. Not Kakashi. That, in his mind, gave him all the reason to find ways to make Kakashi’s life as miserable as possible for a good long while. Kakashi had gotten back from a mission in Kusa late the night before - Asuma’s powers of persuasion were nothing to scoff at and the cute young things at the Mission Centre had been happy to tell him what he needed to know.
If he’d judged it right, and if his informants had told him the truth, which they might not have, being Chuunin and therefore sneaky like that, Kakashi was running on about four hours sleep. Hardly enough to get up and make a drinkable cup of coffee. Which meant he wouldn’t be up to a fight. The mission had been a tough one, Kakashi did have a tendency to wind up doing S class missions with disturbing regularity, and Asuma knew what it felt like to crash after a long mission.
(That it was also the best time to ambush and coerce him was also part of the plan - after all, Kakashi had graduated from the Academy when Asuma had still been getting the hang of using kunai.)
Breaking into the apartment though, even with Kakashi exhausted wasn’t something that Asuma wanted to do lightly. No doubt Kakashi had traps and shit everywhere (Asuma didn’t bother, if someone wanted to kill him then he’d have to put up a hell of a fight) and while Asuma was good…
Kakashi had always been better.
Instead, he jumped down to street level and entered the building. Finding out Kakashi’s room number wasn’t hard. Stopping outside the door, Asuma lit up a cigarette and then after checking that no one else was in the immediate area leaned on the door bell.
It took longer than Asuma had thought it would for the man to answer the door. He’d thought that Kakashi might have gone out a window or something, which, to copy Shikamaru’s catch phrase, would have been troublesome. But still doable, so Asuma had prepared for that eventuality.
“Asuma?”
There was faint distaste in Kakashi’s voice. Asuma didn’t let it bother him - he had threatened the other man with severe bodily harm the last time that they’d talked. However much Asuma fooled around, he took his teaching seriously, and Kakashi had really pissed him off. Only Kurenai’s intervention had stopped him from starting a fight right then and there.
“Kakashi.” He said coolly, “Get dressed and let’s go.”
He got an insolent stare for his troubles, “I’m going back to bed.” Kakashi said wearily and started to shut the door.
Asuma’s foot shot out and held it open.
He smiled, but not pleasantly, “You’re getting up and helping me with my team.”
There were ways that he could have perhaps made the whole idea more playable. Asuma, though, never had been much of one for pansy-ing up his words if he didn’t have to. And since he wasn’t on a mission, or with Kurenai… well, no need to be polite. Not to Kakashi.
It took him nearly forty-five minutes to get Kakashi into uniform and out the door.
The other man, doing his passive aggressive best to slow Asuma down or talk him out of training, was severely disgruntled by the end of it. He knew though, in the end that Kakashi had only given in because Asuma had pointed out, in a voice that dripped ice, that it was only fair after what Kakashi had ordered one of his students on. After all, training with three teenagers for the morning (and depending on how things went possibly the afternoon), was a small price to pay as far as Asuma was concerned.
Kakashi had shut up rather quickly after that and it had become slightly easier to get the other man to go along. Asuma might have given up had he not been so irritated with Kakashi, but as it was he persevered and in the end it was only five minutes after seven when they made it back to the training area. Kakashi was pointedly ignoring him.
On the other hand, Asuma wasn’t going to rub his face in the fact that Asuma still had students whereas Kakashi’s had all left him to find better teachers. That was going to make it painful enough for Kakashi having to deal with Asuma’s team, even if the man was too stubborn to let it show, and Asuma didn’t think rubbing it in would be of any use. Kakashi had buried his nose in his book anyway, so it was easy not to say anything as they headed towards the training area.
“What the hell are you wearing those for?” Shikamaru’s voice was the first thing that Asuma heard as he made his way through the undergrowth.
“Why does it matter to you?” Was Ino’s tart reply. Asuma heard Chouji say something in a low voice and came into sight of the three of them to see Ino shaking off Chouji’s hand and glaring at Shikamaru with her hands on her hips. For his part Shikamaru looked no happier. Even his hair looked pissed.
Teenagers.
Well, he’d see if they could work together today despite that or not. Either way, it would be informative. And possibly painful for the kids. That was life as a ninja though and he’d warned Kakashi not to use lethal force.
“Isn’t it early to be fighting among yourselves?” Asuma asked mildly.
Ino spun around and he could see what had prompted Shikamaru’s disgruntled question. Perched on Ino’s nose were a pair of violently pink glasses. An equally pink band secured them around the back of her head, for stability, he guessed. Asuma could feel a headache coming on… if this was another one of the fads that were going around lately he’d have to have a talk with her.
But Asuma thought he could vaguely remember something about Ino's father with a pair of glasses when Asuma had been her age.
Which meant that it was probably training of some sort. Asuma made a note to ask her about it after the exercise he had planned for them. Chouji was looking good - something that had been a concern of all of them since that mission. Asuma would have to test him out too just to see where he was at. What he had in mind for the three of them would be a good start, however.
“Asuma-sensei!” Ino beamed at him and Chouji did the same. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
“Right kids, it’s good to be back in action.” He slapped his hands together, “Now first a few things before we get down to training for today - since we’ve been apart for so long and you’ve all been training,” here he paused and gave them a mock stern look, “at least you better have all been training, I’m going to want to go over your knowledge individually later on today.”
They nodded. Chouji looking quietly determined, Ino resolute, and Shikamaru bored.
“Now, to address Shikamaru’s change in rank and what that means for the team. As a Chuunin,” Asuma told them seriously, because this wasn’t something that he wanted them messing up on, "I'll be giving Shikamaru nominal command of Team 10. I expect you two to listen to him. I’ll still be around, so if you wind up in over your heads I’ll be able to help, but I expect the three of you to learn to handle missions on your own."
Ino’s hands tightened into fists and her eyes narrowed. Shikamaru was eyeing her nervously, and Chouji looked like he wanted to step between the two of them. Well, Asuma had known that it would cause problems - as far as Ino was concerned she was the leader. Both of the boys had been fine with that. This change in roles on the team was one of many reasons he had for not planning to take them out on missions until he’d gotten a better handle on what had happened in his absence.
He carried on quickly before Ino could open her mouth. "Right then, since we haven't seen each other for so long let's go straight back to the basics." Asuma told them while reaching into his pockets and drawing out two bells. He tossed one to Kakashi, who caught it without looking up from his book. "Kakashi-sensei has agreed to help me. You haven't done this one before, but it’s the exam he uses to pass Genin teams. Let’s see, if by his standards, you can manage what your classmates did."
Asuma hid a smile as Ino bristled visibly. He knew that she wasn’t the sort to take a jab to her pride easily. That was something that he’d have to work more with her on, though he guessed that his progress wouldn’t be all that great. Inoichi, from what he knew, was much the same. Asuma could only hope that Ino proved to have the same luck as her father when it came to getting out of things alive. Otherwise, her pride would be the end of her.
“What do we have to do?” Chouji asked, looking worriedly at Kakashi and then back at him.
“Come at us to get the bells.” Asuma invited, falling into a ready stance, and tucking his bell into his belt, “Normally there’s only one Jounin, but you three aren’t fresh out of the Academy, so I thought I’d make it a bit of a challenge. You have until noon, and you can’t leave this training area.”
Shikamaru scowled. He was no doubt calculating the odds they had. Asuma knew that they weren’t likely to be good - against two Jounin Team 10 had several disadvantages at this stage in their training. The largest one being that both the Nara and the Yamanaka Clans relied heavily on long range for the first bit of their training. Chouji was the only one with the training background to even think of taking them on in a straight taijutsu fight, and his stay in the hospital wouldn’t have helped him there.
Being a ninja though meant at times you had to work against really shitty odds. Asuma thought that this was a good enough test for them. If they could bring it together he thought they’d be able to get at least one bell off of them by noon.
“Ready?” Asuma asked the three of them.
It was with a sigh that Shikamaru spread his feet so he was better balanced. Ino dropped into a half crouch, one hand inching towards her weapons pouch. Chouji shook his arms out and slipped into a basic taijutsu stance.
“Steady.” That was mostly for Ino, who had a tendency, one he thought her father encouraged, to attack first and question later. In the field it wasn’t that bad of a thing, but it did mean that she had at times jumped the gun a bit. Asuma had changed the wording to remind her to keep her cool.
“Well then,” A positively evil grin came across Asuma’s face and Kakashi looked up, vaguely interested, tucking his book away, “Go!”
The kids vanished.
---
"Hinata-sama, a letter for you." Hinata took the letter that was offered from the servant with an inquiring look. The servant, one of her father’s personal ones, bowed and murmured, “From the Hokage.”
“Thank you.” The servant bowed again and Hinata was left alone. It was nine in the morning and she had been heading over to the dining room for breakfast after a few hours of training by herself. Now she stopped and turned the letter over in her hands. She didn’t know what it was for - yesterday she’d gotten her notice of reformation while she’d been out training, so it couldn’t be that… and what business would the Hokage have to do with her?
Unless it had something to do with her engagement plans.
A frown briefly crossed her face before she got her expression under control. Tucking the letter into her kimono, Hinata continued on to breakfast. Anything out of the ordinary from her would bring people asking questions. From what she understood of the talks, Neji-niisan was the current favorite, despite the fact that a few of the elders had protested about how closely related they were. Privately, Hinata agreed.
Outwardly, though, she remained silent. This might be her wedding they were talking about - and the rest of her life - but Hinata had known that it would be arranged according to the needs of the Clan from when she was small. She’d just thought that she’d have more time. To maybe make him…
Even in the empty hall Hinata colored slightly. Of all the people she knew Naruto was one that she’d bet could make the Hyuuga Elders back down. Several times Hinata had considered leaving the position of heir to her younger sister, but she knew that her father wouldn’t stand for that particular disgrace. He’d been able to brush over her defeat in the Chuunin Exams easily once Neji had been beaten by the 'dead last'. After all, he’d said coldly, if the most talented Byakugan user of her generation had not been able to win, how was she to do any better? Then he’d upped her training.
The biggest change, she’d noticed, from the exams though was Neji-niisan’s manner to her. No longer did she get the creeping hatred and anger from him whenever they were told to train together. It was a welcome relief, the cessation of hostilities on his part. Even her father had been better lately, coming to watch her train and offer advice that wasn’t in the guise of a put down. Hanabi… well, she couldn’t have everything work out. Her younger sister was mostly confused by the changes.
That did not mean though that she wanted to marry Neji.
It would be easier to lodge a protest, however timid that it would come out under the eyes of the Elders, if she knew what Neji was thinking. Hinata knew what his teammate Tenten was thinking, but that wasn’t the same thing. Not at all. She appreciated the company, and Ino-san’s and Sakura-san’s offers for her to come and talk made Hinata glad she had such people around her.
This though, was a problem she couldn’t easily talk about. None of her classmates had to deal with an upcoming marriage so soon. Ino’s family didn’t practise it, Sakura was only a first generation shinobi, and Tenten would put a kunai through the eyes of the first person that suggested she get married so soon.
Reaching dining room, Hinata paused for a moment to clear her face of any worry, and then slipped into the room. Luck was with her and she managed to eat quickly without having to make more than amicable small talk with a few of the younger branch members. Her father, she’d learned, had eaten earlier with Hanabi. Neji hadn’t been seen yet - though Hikari-san mentioned having seen him earlier in the morning, leaving the compound. It was decided that he was most likely training.
Excusing herself from the table Hinata headed for her rooms. She had an hour until the training her father had promised her for today. Hinata planned to spend that hour reading one of the family scrolls to see if she could increase her understanding of the Byakugan. After training with her father, she had to meet up with Kurenai-sensei.
Her plans, though, were derailed by the presence of Neji waiting outside her door.
“Neji-niisan? Is there something the matter?”
“Hinata-sama, did you have time to talk?” Neji answered her question with another. He was dressed in his training clothes, and she could still see the thin sheen of sweat on his face. He must have come immediately from training. Hinata made her hands remain still even though they wanted to fidget. She was getting better at that, slowly, since the Chuunin Exam.
Hinata opened her door, stepped through, and gestured for him to come in, “I have training with Father in an hour though.” She said in a half warning that she really couldn’t talk all that long. Taking a seat on her bed, and leaving the chair at her desk for Neji, Hinata looked at him curiously as he shut the door firmly behind him.
To her surprise she realized that Neji was nervous. What had he to be nervous about when talking to her? At the same time she was warmed by her improvement - two months ago she wouldn’t have been able to tell. Neji was good enough at keeping his emotions hidden that even some of the Elders had problems knowing what he was thinking.
“Hinata-sama,” He began stiffly, taking the seat she’d left for him, “I wished to speak to you about that matter.”
The marriage then. There was no other matter that she thought he’d speak of with such reluctance. She’d had, after the Chuunin Exam, seen him react like this while apologizing for what he’d done. Humility did not come easily to her cousin.
Hinata tried to keep the hope off of her face, when she spoke her voice was calm and clear, “Go on.” Slowly she was learning when to speak, and more importantly how to speak when it came to him. More than anything her cousin valued composure.
He took a deep breath, and Hinata pretended not to notice that his hands were shaking slightly. It would only serve to make him angry and that was the last thing that she needed. “You know that the Elders favor me for your match.” He said finally.
Neither of them, Hinata knew, had been allowed to sit in on the talks. Her father informed her in clipped sentences when she asked. Neji no doubt, was getting his information the same way. The other candidates were getting the same treatment, she knew from talking to the servants.
Realizing he was waiting for an answer, Hinata spoke, “Yes.” That was all she had to say - after all, Hinata knew her father was disinclined to let someone of Neji’s talents leave the main house. If it wasn’t her, then Hinata held no doubt that Hanabi would face the prospect of marrying Neji in a few years time.
“This prospect is… displeasing… to me.” Neji said slowly as if he wasn’t sure that she’d be offended. “I wished to know your opinion.”
Hinata knew from looking at him, that if the marriage went ahead then he would do his duty to her and the Hyuuga Clan. She however wished for love. Neji was someone she was slowly being able to call a friend, but love was harder to come by, and Hinata’s heart had been set on someone else for years.
She picked at her bedspread, eyes lowered, “It is not what I had hoped.” Hinata admitted. She however, was Hyuuga too, and if it came down to it she’d do it to the best of her ability. There was pride, even in her.
Neji sighed, and she looked up at him catching the brief flash of relief on his face. “Did you have another in mind?” He asked after a few moments.
Hinata went scarlet at the direct question.
He laughed at her, but without any malice. “Would Hiashi-sama approve?”
She shook her head, struggling to get her embarrassment under control, and grateful that Neji didn’t seem inclined to push her to name the one she liked. “N - no, he’s not Hyuuga.” Her voice was nearly a whisper. It went without saying that if her father got wind of this, then she’d be in trouble - the disgrace of her falling for one like Naruto would be one her father wouldn’t condone.
Neji stood, she looked up at him knowing that her apprehension showed on her face despite her best efforts. “Hinata-sama,” Neji’s voice was firm, “If you should lodge a protest, I will stand beside you.”
“Y - you don’t even know who it is I like.” She said finally, wishing that her stammer would stop showing when she was upset. Hinata had gotten better at keeping it from appearing when she talked normally, but her emotions proved to be her downfall every time.
“Nonetheless, I will stand with you on this.” Looking at Neji, Hinata knew that he would keep to his word. All the same though, she didn’t dare name her crush within the Hyuuga compound. Her father had his ways of finding out about things she would rather keep secret.
Hinata smoothed her hands over her lap, feeling the crinkle of paper. “I will lodge the protest.” She acquiesced.
Neji bowed to her, a faint smile showing, before his face cleared of all emotion. “Hinata-sama, I’ll take my leave then.” The respect in his voice made her flush.
There was something that she wanted to say though. She got up and took two quick steps towards him, “Neji-niisan?”
He turned at the door and looked at her.
“A - ano, Tenten-san…”
“I’ll talk to her.” Neji promised, then he was gone.
Hinata took a deep breath and reveled in the fact that she would be doing something and that Neji would be there to back her up if she faltered. Tugging the letter out of her kimono, Hinata regarded it curiously. Cracking open the seal another piece of paper fell out and she bent to pick it up while reading the letter. There wasn’t much to it.
Hyuuga Hinata,
Due to certain parties the enclosed letter would not have made it to you had it gone through the regular channels. If you wish to reply, entrust its delivery to me.
It was signed with the Godaime’s personal seal. Even more confused - what sort of letter wouldn’t her father have let her read? - Hinata folded the first letter and opened the second.
The second was from Naruto.
Written on cheap paper, and with his messy writing, it took her a few minutes to puzzle out what he was saying. When she’d read it through a second time to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her, Hinata blushed.
Oh my, she thought faintly, staring at the letter incredulously, I think I need to sit down.
---
Crouched behind a tree, Shikamaru made sure that both Chouji and Ino were nearby. Chouji was a few trees further back and Ino was up in the tree right behind him. For his part Shikamaru wished that Asuma-sensei hadn’t decided to be so… challenging.
Shikamaru didn't have to be a genius to know that Ino was glaring holes in the back of his head. He’d known that she wasn’t going to be happy, even if Asuma-sensei had managed to forestall Ino’s complaints by not giving her time to open her mouth. What was Asuma-sensei thinking? The three of them against two Jounin?
Troublesome.
Being careful to keep his chakra muffled so that they wouldn’t notice him as quickly Shikamaru signaled to Ino and jerked his head at Chouji. Her answering nod was short and he could see the anger in her movements as she slipped from one tree to the next, making her way over to Chouji.
When she’d reached Chouji, Shikamaru began moving towards them, his mind already going over the variables he had to account for. Asuma-sensei hadn’t said that he and Kakashi-sensei would be working together. When in doubt it was better to prepare for the worst.
“What are we going to do?” Chouji murmured, his eyes darting between the two of them.
Ino, though looking mutinous, said nothing.
Shikamaru was grateful for small mercies. He didn’t know what it was that kept her mouth shut, but if it gave him a chance to get them through this test, then he’d let her shriek at him later about it. And keep his grumbling at her to a minimum. After all, taking command of Team 10 hadn’t been his idea. He shoved those thoughts out of his mind.
Right now he had two Jounin that they had to take on.
“What do we know about Kakashi-sensei’s abilities? He can summon dogs.” Shikamaru asked them - he knew about his reputation of course, ANBU at thirteen and all that. The Sharingan too.
But he’d never seen the man in action.
Chouji frowned as he thought and Ino bit her lip before speaking, “He’s faster than Asuma-sensei. More traditional as well - mostly uses kunai and shuriken, coupled with advanced taijutsu and ninjutsu.”
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at her. Where had she learned that?
She flushed angrily, “I saw him during the Oto Invasion.”
Wisely Shikamaru didn’t press it. Instead he settled down to think, catching the warning look Chouji gave Ino when she looked like she wanted to say something. This was going to be a pain.
---
It was quarter to eight and Asuma was starting to get bored. He’d located his kids in the first ten minutes but had decided that he’d let them work out a bit of a plan first. After all, it was only a test. Kakashi was still ignoring him though the man hadn’t yet pulled out his book again.
“More patience than any of my three.” Kakashi said quietly, startling Asuma from his thoughts, “Naruto would have attacked by now.”
“Shikamaru and Chouji aren’t the sort to rush into things, and Ino knows when it would be stupid to.” Asuma didn’t mention that it had taken him a few months to get her to slow down enough to stop and think about the situation in front of her eyes. Ino had gotten too used to being at the Academy where there wasn’t enough to challenge her. “They’ll attack soon. What would the others be doing?”
“Hmm?”
“Naruto’s teammates. What would they be doing right now?” Asuma asked curiously.
“Sakura would be cursing Naruto’s impatience and Sasuke would be plotting how best to take advantage of the situation.”
Asuma pretended he didn’t hear the faint pause over Sasuke’s name. He was saved from figuring out how to respond to that by Ino’s voice.
"Support?" Ino shrieked shrilly, "I can do more than that, Shikamaru and don't you dare deny it!"
Asuma winced.
Kakashi coughed and his eyes were amused, “Trouble brewing?”
“They’ve been fighting for the last two months.” Asuma said shortly. He had hoped that they’d be able to work together…
The ground underneath him exploded.
---
"Support?" Ino shrieked shrilly, "I can do more than that, Shikamaru and don't you dare deny it!"
The forest around her went quiet. Her teammates were no where in sight. It was perhaps the only part of this plan that she enjoyed. Shikamaru, after haggling with her, had agreed to give her a slightly more proactive role. It wasn’t what she would have wanted to do, but it was better than what he’d planned for her in the first place.
Her goal, right now, was to serve as a distraction. Shikamaru had told her to yell something once he and Chouji had finished setting up the second stage of the plan, to make it seem like they were still fighting over what to do. Ino had grudgingly given up the idea of being the first one to strike when Chouji had mentioned that his father had taught him Dochuu Eigyo no Jutsu. That jutsu was too useful for her not to see that it was better for him to attack first. It allowed Chouji to hide underground and attack where Asuma-sensei and Hatake-san weren’t expecting it.
Ino inched closer, fingering the three kunai she’d wrapped explosive tags around. Smoke bombs dangled from their hilts. Once Chouji had done his part she was to add to the confusion by causing a few more explosions, giving Shikamaru a chance to trap one of the Jounin in his shadow.
There. The ground underneath Asuma-sensei exploded and she got a brief glimpse of Chouji’s back before she focused on Hatake-san. She flung the first kunai, aiming so that it would land close to him, her other hand quickly forming the seals that were needed to activate it. The second and third followed it quickly.
The kunai went off almost simultaneously and she could hear Asuma-sensei swearing from within the smoke. Ino felt a grin curving her lips. She had missed stuff like this, but Ino knew better than to remain still. That would only be inviting an attack on her. Being careful not to break cover Ino made her way around the edge of the clearing until she was on the opposite side from where she’d flung the kunai. Ino found Shikamaru where he’d said he’d be. Kage Mane no Jutsu was active and reaching towards the battle. Ino crouched at his side, waited, ready to defend him if she had to. “Where’s Chouji?” She hissed at him.
He grunted, sweat pouring down his face, “Back underground.” Shikamaru swore, “I can’t reach them without breaking cover. We’re heading to plan B.”
Ino grinned.
---
Chouji watched the surface carefully, making sure that he didn’t break his cover and trying not to think about how much chakra keeping the jutsu active for so long was eating up. He could tell that Shikamaru hadn’t been able to capture either of their targets. Knowing that Ino was due to start her frontal attack on Kakashi-sensei, Chouji moved until he was under Asuma-sensei again.
When Ino attacked, her goal was to drive Kakashi-sensei further away. Then Chouji was to grab on to Asuma-sensei’s feet and hope that Shikamaru managed to capture him before Asuma-sensei got free. Chouji wasn’t enthusiastic about his chances to hold their teacher for very long.
He heard it rather than saw it when Ino made her move. Chouji grinned imagining the determined expression on Ino’s face as she attempted to sweep Kakashi’s feet from out from underneath him, the Jounin cursing when Ino followed that attack up with a sharp kick at his knees.
Chouji shook his head, and braced his feet in the earth. Quickly he shot his hands up, grabbing hold of Asuma-sensei’s ankles.
---
Kage Mane no Jutsu was a success the second time around. Shikamaru could feel the sudden weight on the other end of the jutsu and from the sudden stiffness of Asuma-sensei’s body, that his sensei had recognized the jutsu. Knowing that against Asuma-sensei’s will the jutsu wasn’t going to hold out for long - not when he’d wasted a fair bit of chakra on an attack that failed - Shikamaru called out sharply, “Chouji, get the bell.”
Watching his friend pull himself out of the ground behind Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru kept a careful eye on what Ino was doing. Now that the shock of being out right attacked was over, he noticed that Ino had been forced on to the defensive and that every blow that Kakashi tried to hit came just a bit closer to hitting her.
“Got it!” Chouji said, already sinking back underground. They had decided that it was the safest to hide the bells beneath them.
With a sigh, Shikamaru released Asuma-sensei. Dodging to the side as several kunai narrowly missed him, Shikamaru swore. He’d hoped that with his bell gone Asuma-sensei would be down for the count. Now he had his sensei after him, and Ino was losing more and more ground against
Kakashi-sensei and he wasn’t able to come to her aid like they’d planned.
Pulling himself up into the trees, and subduing his chakra, Shikamaru thought about what he could do to somehow salvage the situation. He knew that he didn’t have much time - Asuma-sensei would find him any second now.
---
Ino knew she was in trouble.
It was taking too long for Shikamaru to get his lazy ass over to immobilize Hatake-san and with every second that passed Ino knew that she was losing. While her first and second blows had worked - he hadn’t been expecting her to attack his knees - after she’d lost the element of surprise Hatake-san was kicking her ass.
Ducking under another blow Ino wished that she dared to take a look behind her to see what Shikamaru was doing. She’d heard that Chouji had one of the bells, how long did it take Shikamaru to knock out Asuma-sensei? And where was Chouji?
“Baika no Jutsu! Nikudan Sensha no Jutsu!”
Ino leapt backwards, just in time to avoid Chouji’s technique as he headed towards Hatake-san.
Pulling out an explosive tag, she quickly wrapped it around the hilt of another kunai as Hatake-san got out of Chouji’s way. Closing in on the man as Chouji struggled to right himself, Ino lashed out with her feet.
She missed.
Hatake-san, evidently tired of playing around, caught her hand the next go around and flung her across the clearing. Ino barely managed to get her feet under her in time to avoid landing painfully. Glaring at him - that had hurt! - Ino flung herself back into the fray as Chouji attacked Hatake-san from behind.
---
Shikamaru winced as a shuriken grazed his arm. Asuma-sensei wasn’t pulling his hits as much as he’d used to do and Shikamaru was finding that he had to remind himself to compensate for that. Using chakra to stick to the slick branches of the tree he was in, Shikamaru peered around for his sensei.
He couldn’t see him and he couldn’t sense his chakra.
The only reason he knew for sure that it was Asuma-sensei was because he’d gotten a glimpse of Ino and Chouji fighting against the other Jounin. They’d been losing - which was hardly surprising considering who they were up against, and Asuma-sensei wasn’t giving him long enough to think about what to do next.
Leaving the tree, very carefully, Shikamaru crouched amid the underbrush and began making his painstaking way over to the other two. There was no way they were going to be able to get the bell off of Kakashi-sensei in a full out attack. The man had too many years of experience on them. They had to back off and regroup, somehow buying time to make another plan of attack.
Shikamaru never sensed Asuma-sensei behind him.
---
Ino climbed to her feet, rolling quickly out of the way of another attack, and circled around to Hatake-san’s other side as Chouji continued to evade his attacks. For the moment he ignored her, Ino knew better than to think that that would last for long.
She still had her kunai, not having had the time to set it off. Now was, she judged, as good a time as any. His back was turned to her and Chouji would be shielded from most of the blast if she aimed for the ground that Sakura’s pain in the ass sensei was standing on.
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Ino ran through a simple set of seals. The explosive note on the kunai would go off, now, in less than twenty seconds. Ino took sight and aimed.
“Ino! Look out behind you!”
Chouji’s warning came too late and she was hit from behind, by something large and heavy.
Crashing into the ground, ungracefully, Ino’s kunai slipped from her grasp and went flying even as she realized that it was Shikamaru that had smashed into her. Her kunai hit Hatake-san in the back.
“That’s…” Shikamaru said painfully, “One way of getting over here. Asuma-sensei’s going to pay.”
Ino’s eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen - the Jounin was too busy hiding a laugh to pluck the kunai out. She thought that it had only managed to lodge itself in the fabric of his vest, there was no way he’d ignore a kunai in the back otherwise.
“Get out of the way Chouji!” Ino shrieked as she shoved Shikamaru off of her. Shikamaru rolled off of her and looked confused as she backed up rapidly, one hand grabbing his arm and pulling him back.
“What’s the matter now?” Asuma-sensei asked coming from behind.
Her kunai exploded.
---
“What happened to you?” Sakura asked her as Ino stripped off her shirt on Shizune-sensei’s orders. She’d found her sensei talking to Tsunade-sama and Sakura outside of an office. Shizune-sensei had taken one look at Ino and ordered her into the room.
Ino hadn’t argued, her back was killing her. She glared at the door of the office as Shizune-sensei helped her out of her shirt. “Asuma-sensei sent Shikamaru flying into my back.”
Sakura winced. “I take it training didn’t go well then?”
“Depends on your definition.” Ino muttered vilely, “I’m sure Asuma-sensei had a lot of fun.”
“Stay still.” Tsunade-sama ordered, “I’m going to run a diagnostic. Backs can be tricky. Sakura, pay attention.”
“Yes, Tsunade-shishou!”
“When did this happen?” Shizune asked as Ino fought the urge to twist and see if she could tell what Tsunade-sama was doing, “I’ll teach you the jutsu later, Ino-kun, pay attention.”
She flushed, “Yes, Shizune-sensei.”
“Now then, how long ago did this happen?”
Ino thought about it, “Maybe nine-thirty this morning?” she hazarded a guess, “I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the time, and it didn’t hurt this badly then.”
Shizune-sensei’s lips compressed to a thin line, but Tsunade interrupted her before she could say anything. “Well, Ino-kun, you’re in luck - it’s just a bad set of bruises, nothing serious. I’m going to heal the worst of them, but you’ll be stiff for the next few days. Make sure to tell your sensei that.”
“Yes, Tsunade-sama.”
The cool press of healing chakra against her bare back made Ino want to shiver. She didn’t though, having endured several lectures from Shizune-sensei about proper respect. Besides, staying still meant that it would be easier for Tsunade-sama to heal her.
“How’d the glasses do?” Sakura asked, gesturing to the top of her head, “Did you wear them like that for the whole day?”
“No. I wore them normally - the band worked well until Asuma-sensei managed to cut it.” Luckily that hadn’t happened until near the end of training. Ino considered bringing up the matter with Shizune before deciding against it - she could ask when the Hokage herself wasn’t attending her injuries.
“I assume that had something to do with training and isn’t just a fad? Those glasses must cut down on your peripheral vision.” Tsunade-sama asked as she pulled her hands away.
“Yes, Tsunade-sama. It’s on my father’s orders.” Ino grimaced, several times during training kunai that she hadn’t even seen had managed to come close to hitting her. Asuma-sensei’s careful aim was the reason she wasn’t more scratched up than that. She needed to work on her taijutsu more.
Gratefully, Ino got dressed again, before bowing her thanks to Tsunade-sama. She was dismissed with an absent wave of the Hokage’s hand.
---
Asuma leaned against the outside of his apartment block as he waited for Kurenai. They'd agreed to talk about how their teams were functioning after the first day that they'd had them back.
He wondered if he could just tell Hokage-sama that he was throwing in the towel and giving up.
Today had been painful, to say the very least, and he had a headache that no amount of nicotine was soothing. The fact that his kids had managed to pin an explosive tag on Kakashi and send the man flying had been the highlight of the training exercise. Even if it had been by accident.
"Hey, you look like you've been put through the wringer." Kurenai called over the general murmur of the crowds as she threaded her way over to him.
Asuma grimaced and held the door open for her. He wasn't much of a gentleman, but he knew that she appreciated it when he tried. This, at least, was easy. "Remind me why I volunteered to take charge of three teenagers? And thought that it was a good idea at the time?"
"They were that bad, huh?" Kurenai sounded amused as unlocked his door and went to make tea. "My team worked wonderfully - the Chuunin Exam was good for all of them, even with what happened after."
"Definitely the opposite for my team. Their first attempt was the best, but it fell apart the moment they had to improvise - and they never got it back together." The fact that Shikamaru’s head long crash into Ino’s back had managed to hurt her no doubt had something to do with that. By the time he’d let them go she’d been walking stiffly, and he’d ordered her to head to the hospital to get her back checked out. Hopefully it wasn't anything serious. He hadn’t thought that Shikamaru would actually crash into her like that when he’d sent him flying. Asuma made a note to work on Shikamaru’s reaction times.
Asuma sighed as Kurenai hugged him from behind, "Chouji's finally back to where he was just before the exam - and he's going to have to work hard to catch up with the other two. Shikamaru's been working harder than he'd ever admit to, the lazy ass, it's obvious just from the way he moves..." He trailed off as they headed over to his kitchen table, tea in hand, and settled down.
"And?" She prompted after a few seconds, blowing gently on her tea to help cool it. Kurenai's red eyes were amused, "What about your girl?"
Asuma's lips quirked into a smile, "My girl? I thought you had that position filled?"
It was fun to tease her, he thought with satisfaction, as she blushed, "That wasn't what I meant!" Kurenai kicked him lightly in the shin. "Answer the question."
"Ino's... the problem really." He took a long sip of his tea, "Only it's not fair at all to call her that. You should see the amount of work she's done - it's like she's a completely different girl than the one in the exams. I think that it is affecting the boys more than they'd care to admit - Shikamaru keeps trying to make up strategies based on what they knew before and Ino won't stand for it. She knows that she can be more than support now and it grates on her that he won't let her. Developed a fondness for explosive notes." Just as well she was an only child with a father that doted on her - those things were expensive.
"She's changed that much in just a month and a half?"
He hid a smile. Kurenai's curiosity had been piqued, which was one of the things that he liked about her, "We could hold a joint session if you'd like to see for yourself." Asuma offered, refilling her cup at the same time, "Maybe you could tell me what I'm missing."
From the tension between the three of them today, Asuma was glad he'd had no plans to let them go out on missions for a good while. The last thing they needed was to wind up in trouble and even the simplest missions could go dreadfully wrong at times. Asuma wasn’t going to have them in danger when they couldn’t even work together enough to making it through a training exercise.
Kurenai toyed with her tea cup, “I know,” she said quietly, “if I was the only one on my team not picked for a mission, and then finding out the reasons why I wasn’t picked - by my own teammate no less - that I’d be more than upset.”
Ino had said as much, only more incoherently to him a few weeks ago. For some reason though Asuma hadn’t thought to apply it to their practical teamwork - even though he’d seen the difference in her personally. He blamed that, mostly, on the fact that he’d hardly seen his team at all since the end of August. It was nearly the end of October now.
He rubbed his face and groaned. “I knew that,” Asuma admitted when Kurenai glanced at him with a question on her face, “Ino told me herself, that she was upset about it. I just hadn’t applied it to everything.”
That didn’t explain Shikamaru’s problems though. He said as much to her and Kurenai swirled her tea thoughtfully.
“Well, he’s a Nara,” which Asuma had to admit was something that was hard to forget, “and the last time that he saw her in action was the Chuunin exams?”
Asuma nodded slowly, Shikamaru hadn’t seen her in the arena during the finals. She’d managed to hold her own well enough then - but he’d been off chasing after Sasuke. And Asuma had been chasing Shikamaru.
“All I’ve seen of her is at the exams.” Kurenai continued on, “From that I would say, he’d made the right decision. The strengths of her Clan aren’t the ones that would have been needed - but that doesn’t make a difference in the way we feel. I’m sure Ino knows that her chances of survival wouldn’t have been high if she’d gone. Shikamaru…” she paused and looked thoughtful, “I don’t know him personally, mind, but I think that the mission shocked him into actively thinking about what could happen to Ino as an active kunoichi - and he doesn’t like the conclusions he’s come to.”
Oh man, more than just the regular Nara sexism on top of it? His head started hurting again - Asuma knew that this wasn’t going to be a good time for him as their teacher.
“She’s a fine kunoichi for her age - even from what she was at in the Chuunin Exams - but the strength that was needed for the mission wasn’t her strength. I’d guess that he thinks about that, and then about the mission where his other teammate nearly died. He’s overcompensating.”
Kurenai smiled at his woebegone expression, “I think that in the long run you’re going to find that Ino was the most affected of your three by that mission - but that Shikamaru’s mental injuries will take the longest to heal.”
“What should I do about it? I’m not exactly the expert on teenage girls.” He finished his tea and debated if he wanted another cup, or if he wanted a drink of something stronger.
“You mentioned that Ino’s been training hard,” Kurenai observed as he gave up and went to dig a can of beer from the refrigerator, “What has she been doing with herself? It’s not often that you’re so profuse in your acknowledgement.”
Kurenai would know, Asuma admitted ruefully. More than once she’d told him that he had to express his pride in his kids more openly - and to their faces. It was good for them, Kurenai had told him seriously, kids liked to know what their instructor was really thinking.
“I know her father’s been teaching her a few more Clan jutsus and Ino’s been working heavily on her taijutsu - and it showed today in her sparring - and,“ here he hesitated because Ino hadn’t wanted him to tell people about her training, but then Kurenai wasn’t just anyone, “She’s been working with Shizune in the hospital to learn how to be an effective field medic.”
“I would like to see her.” Kurenai admitted, “I can’t reconcile the idea with what I saw in the
Chuunin exams. A medic? Does she want to go all the way?”
“No,” He shook his head, “She said that because the missions that best suited her capabilities were out of her range, most Yamanaka run into the same problem you know, that she wanted to have a few other skills to fall back on in a more general sense. Even while she’s this upset with the boys, she doesn’t want them hurt. “
“My team has a C rank mission tomorrow, so we’ll be gone a few weeks - it’s just a border patrol, so unless we run into anything untoward we shouldn’t have any troubles - but did you want to meet up after that with the teams?”
“I’d like that yes,” Asuma could admit that to her, “At the moment I’m not letting my three on any missions. They couldn’t even accomplish the bell exercise today - when before teamwork was their greatest asset. They did manage to blow up Kakashi by accident though.”
Kurenai winced.
Asuma laughed and getting up to put the dishes in the sink called over his shoulder, “Enough about me though, what about your team? Anything new with them?"
Previous Chapter // Chapter List // Next Chapter
Chapter: 04 Reformation
Author/Artist: Skylar Inari
Pairing: Yamanaka Ino/Nara Shikamaru
Theme: 09. “Ready, Steady, Go!”
Word Count: 8220
Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me. It's Kishimoto's and I just play with it. AU immediately after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc. Part 4 of ? Unbeta’d.
Asuma eyed the building Kakashi lived in thoughtfully.
He’d left Shikamaru back at the training area with a wave and a promise he’d be back by seven. Grumbling Shikamaru had been settling down against a tree, when Asuma had left. He was a man of his word - he’d be back in time.
He just wouldn’t be alone.
Asuma had thought long and hard about what exactly he could do to Kakashi as punishment for stealing and sending one of his students on an A rank mission. He’d been right too; Shikamaru would have died if Asuma hadn’t managed to show up. That, despite the fact that Kakashi had been well within the rules - Missions in times of upheaval and all of that - and his rights - as Jounin they were allowed to direct the Genin wherever they’d be best suited during a conflict - didn’t change the fact that Asuma was distinctly not happy with the man.
If Shikamaru had died it would have been Asuma that had to tell his parents the news. Not Kakashi. That, in his mind, gave him all the reason to find ways to make Kakashi’s life as miserable as possible for a good long while. Kakashi had gotten back from a mission in Kusa late the night before - Asuma’s powers of persuasion were nothing to scoff at and the cute young things at the Mission Centre had been happy to tell him what he needed to know.
If he’d judged it right, and if his informants had told him the truth, which they might not have, being Chuunin and therefore sneaky like that, Kakashi was running on about four hours sleep. Hardly enough to get up and make a drinkable cup of coffee. Which meant he wouldn’t be up to a fight. The mission had been a tough one, Kakashi did have a tendency to wind up doing S class missions with disturbing regularity, and Asuma knew what it felt like to crash after a long mission.
(That it was also the best time to ambush and coerce him was also part of the plan - after all, Kakashi had graduated from the Academy when Asuma had still been getting the hang of using kunai.)
Breaking into the apartment though, even with Kakashi exhausted wasn’t something that Asuma wanted to do lightly. No doubt Kakashi had traps and shit everywhere (Asuma didn’t bother, if someone wanted to kill him then he’d have to put up a hell of a fight) and while Asuma was good…
Kakashi had always been better.
Instead, he jumped down to street level and entered the building. Finding out Kakashi’s room number wasn’t hard. Stopping outside the door, Asuma lit up a cigarette and then after checking that no one else was in the immediate area leaned on the door bell.
It took longer than Asuma had thought it would for the man to answer the door. He’d thought that Kakashi might have gone out a window or something, which, to copy Shikamaru’s catch phrase, would have been troublesome. But still doable, so Asuma had prepared for that eventuality.
“Asuma?”
There was faint distaste in Kakashi’s voice. Asuma didn’t let it bother him - he had threatened the other man with severe bodily harm the last time that they’d talked. However much Asuma fooled around, he took his teaching seriously, and Kakashi had really pissed him off. Only Kurenai’s intervention had stopped him from starting a fight right then and there.
“Kakashi.” He said coolly, “Get dressed and let’s go.”
He got an insolent stare for his troubles, “I’m going back to bed.” Kakashi said wearily and started to shut the door.
Asuma’s foot shot out and held it open.
He smiled, but not pleasantly, “You’re getting up and helping me with my team.”
There were ways that he could have perhaps made the whole idea more playable. Asuma, though, never had been much of one for pansy-ing up his words if he didn’t have to. And since he wasn’t on a mission, or with Kurenai… well, no need to be polite. Not to Kakashi.
It took him nearly forty-five minutes to get Kakashi into uniform and out the door.
The other man, doing his passive aggressive best to slow Asuma down or talk him out of training, was severely disgruntled by the end of it. He knew though, in the end that Kakashi had only given in because Asuma had pointed out, in a voice that dripped ice, that it was only fair after what Kakashi had ordered one of his students on. After all, training with three teenagers for the morning (and depending on how things went possibly the afternoon), was a small price to pay as far as Asuma was concerned.
Kakashi had shut up rather quickly after that and it had become slightly easier to get the other man to go along. Asuma might have given up had he not been so irritated with Kakashi, but as it was he persevered and in the end it was only five minutes after seven when they made it back to the training area. Kakashi was pointedly ignoring him.
On the other hand, Asuma wasn’t going to rub his face in the fact that Asuma still had students whereas Kakashi’s had all left him to find better teachers. That was going to make it painful enough for Kakashi having to deal with Asuma’s team, even if the man was too stubborn to let it show, and Asuma didn’t think rubbing it in would be of any use. Kakashi had buried his nose in his book anyway, so it was easy not to say anything as they headed towards the training area.
“What the hell are you wearing those for?” Shikamaru’s voice was the first thing that Asuma heard as he made his way through the undergrowth.
“Why does it matter to you?” Was Ino’s tart reply. Asuma heard Chouji say something in a low voice and came into sight of the three of them to see Ino shaking off Chouji’s hand and glaring at Shikamaru with her hands on her hips. For his part Shikamaru looked no happier. Even his hair looked pissed.
Teenagers.
Well, he’d see if they could work together today despite that or not. Either way, it would be informative. And possibly painful for the kids. That was life as a ninja though and he’d warned Kakashi not to use lethal force.
“Isn’t it early to be fighting among yourselves?” Asuma asked mildly.
Ino spun around and he could see what had prompted Shikamaru’s disgruntled question. Perched on Ino’s nose were a pair of violently pink glasses. An equally pink band secured them around the back of her head, for stability, he guessed. Asuma could feel a headache coming on… if this was another one of the fads that were going around lately he’d have to have a talk with her.
But Asuma thought he could vaguely remember something about Ino's father with a pair of glasses when Asuma had been her age.
Which meant that it was probably training of some sort. Asuma made a note to ask her about it after the exercise he had planned for them. Chouji was looking good - something that had been a concern of all of them since that mission. Asuma would have to test him out too just to see where he was at. What he had in mind for the three of them would be a good start, however.
“Asuma-sensei!” Ino beamed at him and Chouji did the same. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
“Right kids, it’s good to be back in action.” He slapped his hands together, “Now first a few things before we get down to training for today - since we’ve been apart for so long and you’ve all been training,” here he paused and gave them a mock stern look, “at least you better have all been training, I’m going to want to go over your knowledge individually later on today.”
They nodded. Chouji looking quietly determined, Ino resolute, and Shikamaru bored.
“Now, to address Shikamaru’s change in rank and what that means for the team. As a Chuunin,” Asuma told them seriously, because this wasn’t something that he wanted them messing up on, "I'll be giving Shikamaru nominal command of Team 10. I expect you two to listen to him. I’ll still be around, so if you wind up in over your heads I’ll be able to help, but I expect the three of you to learn to handle missions on your own."
Ino’s hands tightened into fists and her eyes narrowed. Shikamaru was eyeing her nervously, and Chouji looked like he wanted to step between the two of them. Well, Asuma had known that it would cause problems - as far as Ino was concerned she was the leader. Both of the boys had been fine with that. This change in roles on the team was one of many reasons he had for not planning to take them out on missions until he’d gotten a better handle on what had happened in his absence.
He carried on quickly before Ino could open her mouth. "Right then, since we haven't seen each other for so long let's go straight back to the basics." Asuma told them while reaching into his pockets and drawing out two bells. He tossed one to Kakashi, who caught it without looking up from his book. "Kakashi-sensei has agreed to help me. You haven't done this one before, but it’s the exam he uses to pass Genin teams. Let’s see, if by his standards, you can manage what your classmates did."
Asuma hid a smile as Ino bristled visibly. He knew that she wasn’t the sort to take a jab to her pride easily. That was something that he’d have to work more with her on, though he guessed that his progress wouldn’t be all that great. Inoichi, from what he knew, was much the same. Asuma could only hope that Ino proved to have the same luck as her father when it came to getting out of things alive. Otherwise, her pride would be the end of her.
“What do we have to do?” Chouji asked, looking worriedly at Kakashi and then back at him.
“Come at us to get the bells.” Asuma invited, falling into a ready stance, and tucking his bell into his belt, “Normally there’s only one Jounin, but you three aren’t fresh out of the Academy, so I thought I’d make it a bit of a challenge. You have until noon, and you can’t leave this training area.”
Shikamaru scowled. He was no doubt calculating the odds they had. Asuma knew that they weren’t likely to be good - against two Jounin Team 10 had several disadvantages at this stage in their training. The largest one being that both the Nara and the Yamanaka Clans relied heavily on long range for the first bit of their training. Chouji was the only one with the training background to even think of taking them on in a straight taijutsu fight, and his stay in the hospital wouldn’t have helped him there.
Being a ninja though meant at times you had to work against really shitty odds. Asuma thought that this was a good enough test for them. If they could bring it together he thought they’d be able to get at least one bell off of them by noon.
“Ready?” Asuma asked the three of them.
It was with a sigh that Shikamaru spread his feet so he was better balanced. Ino dropped into a half crouch, one hand inching towards her weapons pouch. Chouji shook his arms out and slipped into a basic taijutsu stance.
“Steady.” That was mostly for Ino, who had a tendency, one he thought her father encouraged, to attack first and question later. In the field it wasn’t that bad of a thing, but it did mean that she had at times jumped the gun a bit. Asuma had changed the wording to remind her to keep her cool.
“Well then,” A positively evil grin came across Asuma’s face and Kakashi looked up, vaguely interested, tucking his book away, “Go!”
The kids vanished.
---
"Hinata-sama, a letter for you." Hinata took the letter that was offered from the servant with an inquiring look. The servant, one of her father’s personal ones, bowed and murmured, “From the Hokage.”
“Thank you.” The servant bowed again and Hinata was left alone. It was nine in the morning and she had been heading over to the dining room for breakfast after a few hours of training by herself. Now she stopped and turned the letter over in her hands. She didn’t know what it was for - yesterday she’d gotten her notice of reformation while she’d been out training, so it couldn’t be that… and what business would the Hokage have to do with her?
Unless it had something to do with her engagement plans.
A frown briefly crossed her face before she got her expression under control. Tucking the letter into her kimono, Hinata continued on to breakfast. Anything out of the ordinary from her would bring people asking questions. From what she understood of the talks, Neji-niisan was the current favorite, despite the fact that a few of the elders had protested about how closely related they were. Privately, Hinata agreed.
Outwardly, though, she remained silent. This might be her wedding they were talking about - and the rest of her life - but Hinata had known that it would be arranged according to the needs of the Clan from when she was small. She’d just thought that she’d have more time. To maybe make him…
Even in the empty hall Hinata colored slightly. Of all the people she knew Naruto was one that she’d bet could make the Hyuuga Elders back down. Several times Hinata had considered leaving the position of heir to her younger sister, but she knew that her father wouldn’t stand for that particular disgrace. He’d been able to brush over her defeat in the Chuunin Exams easily once Neji had been beaten by the 'dead last'. After all, he’d said coldly, if the most talented Byakugan user of her generation had not been able to win, how was she to do any better? Then he’d upped her training.
The biggest change, she’d noticed, from the exams though was Neji-niisan’s manner to her. No longer did she get the creeping hatred and anger from him whenever they were told to train together. It was a welcome relief, the cessation of hostilities on his part. Even her father had been better lately, coming to watch her train and offer advice that wasn’t in the guise of a put down. Hanabi… well, she couldn’t have everything work out. Her younger sister was mostly confused by the changes.
That did not mean though that she wanted to marry Neji.
It would be easier to lodge a protest, however timid that it would come out under the eyes of the Elders, if she knew what Neji was thinking. Hinata knew what his teammate Tenten was thinking, but that wasn’t the same thing. Not at all. She appreciated the company, and Ino-san’s and Sakura-san’s offers for her to come and talk made Hinata glad she had such people around her.
This though, was a problem she couldn’t easily talk about. None of her classmates had to deal with an upcoming marriage so soon. Ino’s family didn’t practise it, Sakura was only a first generation shinobi, and Tenten would put a kunai through the eyes of the first person that suggested she get married so soon.
Reaching dining room, Hinata paused for a moment to clear her face of any worry, and then slipped into the room. Luck was with her and she managed to eat quickly without having to make more than amicable small talk with a few of the younger branch members. Her father, she’d learned, had eaten earlier with Hanabi. Neji hadn’t been seen yet - though Hikari-san mentioned having seen him earlier in the morning, leaving the compound. It was decided that he was most likely training.
Excusing herself from the table Hinata headed for her rooms. She had an hour until the training her father had promised her for today. Hinata planned to spend that hour reading one of the family scrolls to see if she could increase her understanding of the Byakugan. After training with her father, she had to meet up with Kurenai-sensei.
Her plans, though, were derailed by the presence of Neji waiting outside her door.
“Neji-niisan? Is there something the matter?”
“Hinata-sama, did you have time to talk?” Neji answered her question with another. He was dressed in his training clothes, and she could still see the thin sheen of sweat on his face. He must have come immediately from training. Hinata made her hands remain still even though they wanted to fidget. She was getting better at that, slowly, since the Chuunin Exam.
Hinata opened her door, stepped through, and gestured for him to come in, “I have training with Father in an hour though.” She said in a half warning that she really couldn’t talk all that long. Taking a seat on her bed, and leaving the chair at her desk for Neji, Hinata looked at him curiously as he shut the door firmly behind him.
To her surprise she realized that Neji was nervous. What had he to be nervous about when talking to her? At the same time she was warmed by her improvement - two months ago she wouldn’t have been able to tell. Neji was good enough at keeping his emotions hidden that even some of the Elders had problems knowing what he was thinking.
“Hinata-sama,” He began stiffly, taking the seat she’d left for him, “I wished to speak to you about that matter.”
The marriage then. There was no other matter that she thought he’d speak of with such reluctance. She’d had, after the Chuunin Exam, seen him react like this while apologizing for what he’d done. Humility did not come easily to her cousin.
Hinata tried to keep the hope off of her face, when she spoke her voice was calm and clear, “Go on.” Slowly she was learning when to speak, and more importantly how to speak when it came to him. More than anything her cousin valued composure.
He took a deep breath, and Hinata pretended not to notice that his hands were shaking slightly. It would only serve to make him angry and that was the last thing that she needed. “You know that the Elders favor me for your match.” He said finally.
Neither of them, Hinata knew, had been allowed to sit in on the talks. Her father informed her in clipped sentences when she asked. Neji no doubt, was getting his information the same way. The other candidates were getting the same treatment, she knew from talking to the servants.
Realizing he was waiting for an answer, Hinata spoke, “Yes.” That was all she had to say - after all, Hinata knew her father was disinclined to let someone of Neji’s talents leave the main house. If it wasn’t her, then Hinata held no doubt that Hanabi would face the prospect of marrying Neji in a few years time.
“This prospect is… displeasing… to me.” Neji said slowly as if he wasn’t sure that she’d be offended. “I wished to know your opinion.”
Hinata knew from looking at him, that if the marriage went ahead then he would do his duty to her and the Hyuuga Clan. She however wished for love. Neji was someone she was slowly being able to call a friend, but love was harder to come by, and Hinata’s heart had been set on someone else for years.
She picked at her bedspread, eyes lowered, “It is not what I had hoped.” Hinata admitted. She however, was Hyuuga too, and if it came down to it she’d do it to the best of her ability. There was pride, even in her.
Neji sighed, and she looked up at him catching the brief flash of relief on his face. “Did you have another in mind?” He asked after a few moments.
Hinata went scarlet at the direct question.
He laughed at her, but without any malice. “Would Hiashi-sama approve?”
She shook her head, struggling to get her embarrassment under control, and grateful that Neji didn’t seem inclined to push her to name the one she liked. “N - no, he’s not Hyuuga.” Her voice was nearly a whisper. It went without saying that if her father got wind of this, then she’d be in trouble - the disgrace of her falling for one like Naruto would be one her father wouldn’t condone.
Neji stood, she looked up at him knowing that her apprehension showed on her face despite her best efforts. “Hinata-sama,” Neji’s voice was firm, “If you should lodge a protest, I will stand beside you.”
“Y - you don’t even know who it is I like.” She said finally, wishing that her stammer would stop showing when she was upset. Hinata had gotten better at keeping it from appearing when she talked normally, but her emotions proved to be her downfall every time.
“Nonetheless, I will stand with you on this.” Looking at Neji, Hinata knew that he would keep to his word. All the same though, she didn’t dare name her crush within the Hyuuga compound. Her father had his ways of finding out about things she would rather keep secret.
Hinata smoothed her hands over her lap, feeling the crinkle of paper. “I will lodge the protest.” She acquiesced.
Neji bowed to her, a faint smile showing, before his face cleared of all emotion. “Hinata-sama, I’ll take my leave then.” The respect in his voice made her flush.
There was something that she wanted to say though. She got up and took two quick steps towards him, “Neji-niisan?”
He turned at the door and looked at her.
“A - ano, Tenten-san…”
“I’ll talk to her.” Neji promised, then he was gone.
Hinata took a deep breath and reveled in the fact that she would be doing something and that Neji would be there to back her up if she faltered. Tugging the letter out of her kimono, Hinata regarded it curiously. Cracking open the seal another piece of paper fell out and she bent to pick it up while reading the letter. There wasn’t much to it.
Hyuuga Hinata,
Due to certain parties the enclosed letter would not have made it to you had it gone through the regular channels. If you wish to reply, entrust its delivery to me.
It was signed with the Godaime’s personal seal. Even more confused - what sort of letter wouldn’t her father have let her read? - Hinata folded the first letter and opened the second.
The second was from Naruto.
Written on cheap paper, and with his messy writing, it took her a few minutes to puzzle out what he was saying. When she’d read it through a second time to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her, Hinata blushed.
Oh my, she thought faintly, staring at the letter incredulously, I think I need to sit down.
---
Crouched behind a tree, Shikamaru made sure that both Chouji and Ino were nearby. Chouji was a few trees further back and Ino was up in the tree right behind him. For his part Shikamaru wished that Asuma-sensei hadn’t decided to be so… challenging.
Shikamaru didn't have to be a genius to know that Ino was glaring holes in the back of his head. He’d known that she wasn’t going to be happy, even if Asuma-sensei had managed to forestall Ino’s complaints by not giving her time to open her mouth. What was Asuma-sensei thinking? The three of them against two Jounin?
Troublesome.
Being careful to keep his chakra muffled so that they wouldn’t notice him as quickly Shikamaru signaled to Ino and jerked his head at Chouji. Her answering nod was short and he could see the anger in her movements as she slipped from one tree to the next, making her way over to Chouji.
When she’d reached Chouji, Shikamaru began moving towards them, his mind already going over the variables he had to account for. Asuma-sensei hadn’t said that he and Kakashi-sensei would be working together. When in doubt it was better to prepare for the worst.
“What are we going to do?” Chouji murmured, his eyes darting between the two of them.
Ino, though looking mutinous, said nothing.
Shikamaru was grateful for small mercies. He didn’t know what it was that kept her mouth shut, but if it gave him a chance to get them through this test, then he’d let her shriek at him later about it. And keep his grumbling at her to a minimum. After all, taking command of Team 10 hadn’t been his idea. He shoved those thoughts out of his mind.
Right now he had two Jounin that they had to take on.
“What do we know about Kakashi-sensei’s abilities? He can summon dogs.” Shikamaru asked them - he knew about his reputation of course, ANBU at thirteen and all that. The Sharingan too.
But he’d never seen the man in action.
Chouji frowned as he thought and Ino bit her lip before speaking, “He’s faster than Asuma-sensei. More traditional as well - mostly uses kunai and shuriken, coupled with advanced taijutsu and ninjutsu.”
Shikamaru raised his eyebrows at her. Where had she learned that?
She flushed angrily, “I saw him during the Oto Invasion.”
Wisely Shikamaru didn’t press it. Instead he settled down to think, catching the warning look Chouji gave Ino when she looked like she wanted to say something. This was going to be a pain.
---
It was quarter to eight and Asuma was starting to get bored. He’d located his kids in the first ten minutes but had decided that he’d let them work out a bit of a plan first. After all, it was only a test. Kakashi was still ignoring him though the man hadn’t yet pulled out his book again.
“More patience than any of my three.” Kakashi said quietly, startling Asuma from his thoughts, “Naruto would have attacked by now.”
“Shikamaru and Chouji aren’t the sort to rush into things, and Ino knows when it would be stupid to.” Asuma didn’t mention that it had taken him a few months to get her to slow down enough to stop and think about the situation in front of her eyes. Ino had gotten too used to being at the Academy where there wasn’t enough to challenge her. “They’ll attack soon. What would the others be doing?”
“Hmm?”
“Naruto’s teammates. What would they be doing right now?” Asuma asked curiously.
“Sakura would be cursing Naruto’s impatience and Sasuke would be plotting how best to take advantage of the situation.”
Asuma pretended he didn’t hear the faint pause over Sasuke’s name. He was saved from figuring out how to respond to that by Ino’s voice.
"Support?" Ino shrieked shrilly, "I can do more than that, Shikamaru and don't you dare deny it!"
Asuma winced.
Kakashi coughed and his eyes were amused, “Trouble brewing?”
“They’ve been fighting for the last two months.” Asuma said shortly. He had hoped that they’d be able to work together…
The ground underneath him exploded.
---
"Support?" Ino shrieked shrilly, "I can do more than that, Shikamaru and don't you dare deny it!"
The forest around her went quiet. Her teammates were no where in sight. It was perhaps the only part of this plan that she enjoyed. Shikamaru, after haggling with her, had agreed to give her a slightly more proactive role. It wasn’t what she would have wanted to do, but it was better than what he’d planned for her in the first place.
Her goal, right now, was to serve as a distraction. Shikamaru had told her to yell something once he and Chouji had finished setting up the second stage of the plan, to make it seem like they were still fighting over what to do. Ino had grudgingly given up the idea of being the first one to strike when Chouji had mentioned that his father had taught him Dochuu Eigyo no Jutsu. That jutsu was too useful for her not to see that it was better for him to attack first. It allowed Chouji to hide underground and attack where Asuma-sensei and Hatake-san weren’t expecting it.
Ino inched closer, fingering the three kunai she’d wrapped explosive tags around. Smoke bombs dangled from their hilts. Once Chouji had done his part she was to add to the confusion by causing a few more explosions, giving Shikamaru a chance to trap one of the Jounin in his shadow.
There. The ground underneath Asuma-sensei exploded and she got a brief glimpse of Chouji’s back before she focused on Hatake-san. She flung the first kunai, aiming so that it would land close to him, her other hand quickly forming the seals that were needed to activate it. The second and third followed it quickly.
The kunai went off almost simultaneously and she could hear Asuma-sensei swearing from within the smoke. Ino felt a grin curving her lips. She had missed stuff like this, but Ino knew better than to remain still. That would only be inviting an attack on her. Being careful not to break cover Ino made her way around the edge of the clearing until she was on the opposite side from where she’d flung the kunai. Ino found Shikamaru where he’d said he’d be. Kage Mane no Jutsu was active and reaching towards the battle. Ino crouched at his side, waited, ready to defend him if she had to. “Where’s Chouji?” She hissed at him.
He grunted, sweat pouring down his face, “Back underground.” Shikamaru swore, “I can’t reach them without breaking cover. We’re heading to plan B.”
Ino grinned.
---
Chouji watched the surface carefully, making sure that he didn’t break his cover and trying not to think about how much chakra keeping the jutsu active for so long was eating up. He could tell that Shikamaru hadn’t been able to capture either of their targets. Knowing that Ino was due to start her frontal attack on Kakashi-sensei, Chouji moved until he was under Asuma-sensei again.
When Ino attacked, her goal was to drive Kakashi-sensei further away. Then Chouji was to grab on to Asuma-sensei’s feet and hope that Shikamaru managed to capture him before Asuma-sensei got free. Chouji wasn’t enthusiastic about his chances to hold their teacher for very long.
He heard it rather than saw it when Ino made her move. Chouji grinned imagining the determined expression on Ino’s face as she attempted to sweep Kakashi’s feet from out from underneath him, the Jounin cursing when Ino followed that attack up with a sharp kick at his knees.
Chouji shook his head, and braced his feet in the earth. Quickly he shot his hands up, grabbing hold of Asuma-sensei’s ankles.
---
Kage Mane no Jutsu was a success the second time around. Shikamaru could feel the sudden weight on the other end of the jutsu and from the sudden stiffness of Asuma-sensei’s body, that his sensei had recognized the jutsu. Knowing that against Asuma-sensei’s will the jutsu wasn’t going to hold out for long - not when he’d wasted a fair bit of chakra on an attack that failed - Shikamaru called out sharply, “Chouji, get the bell.”
Watching his friend pull himself out of the ground behind Asuma-sensei, Shikamaru kept a careful eye on what Ino was doing. Now that the shock of being out right attacked was over, he noticed that Ino had been forced on to the defensive and that every blow that Kakashi tried to hit came just a bit closer to hitting her.
“Got it!” Chouji said, already sinking back underground. They had decided that it was the safest to hide the bells beneath them.
With a sigh, Shikamaru released Asuma-sensei. Dodging to the side as several kunai narrowly missed him, Shikamaru swore. He’d hoped that with his bell gone Asuma-sensei would be down for the count. Now he had his sensei after him, and Ino was losing more and more ground against
Kakashi-sensei and he wasn’t able to come to her aid like they’d planned.
Pulling himself up into the trees, and subduing his chakra, Shikamaru thought about what he could do to somehow salvage the situation. He knew that he didn’t have much time - Asuma-sensei would find him any second now.
---
Ino knew she was in trouble.
It was taking too long for Shikamaru to get his lazy ass over to immobilize Hatake-san and with every second that passed Ino knew that she was losing. While her first and second blows had worked - he hadn’t been expecting her to attack his knees - after she’d lost the element of surprise Hatake-san was kicking her ass.
Ducking under another blow Ino wished that she dared to take a look behind her to see what Shikamaru was doing. She’d heard that Chouji had one of the bells, how long did it take Shikamaru to knock out Asuma-sensei? And where was Chouji?
“Baika no Jutsu! Nikudan Sensha no Jutsu!”
Ino leapt backwards, just in time to avoid Chouji’s technique as he headed towards Hatake-san.
Pulling out an explosive tag, she quickly wrapped it around the hilt of another kunai as Hatake-san got out of Chouji’s way. Closing in on the man as Chouji struggled to right himself, Ino lashed out with her feet.
She missed.
Hatake-san, evidently tired of playing around, caught her hand the next go around and flung her across the clearing. Ino barely managed to get her feet under her in time to avoid landing painfully. Glaring at him - that had hurt! - Ino flung herself back into the fray as Chouji attacked Hatake-san from behind.
---
Shikamaru winced as a shuriken grazed his arm. Asuma-sensei wasn’t pulling his hits as much as he’d used to do and Shikamaru was finding that he had to remind himself to compensate for that. Using chakra to stick to the slick branches of the tree he was in, Shikamaru peered around for his sensei.
He couldn’t see him and he couldn’t sense his chakra.
The only reason he knew for sure that it was Asuma-sensei was because he’d gotten a glimpse of Ino and Chouji fighting against the other Jounin. They’d been losing - which was hardly surprising considering who they were up against, and Asuma-sensei wasn’t giving him long enough to think about what to do next.
Leaving the tree, very carefully, Shikamaru crouched amid the underbrush and began making his painstaking way over to the other two. There was no way they were going to be able to get the bell off of Kakashi-sensei in a full out attack. The man had too many years of experience on them. They had to back off and regroup, somehow buying time to make another plan of attack.
Shikamaru never sensed Asuma-sensei behind him.
---
Ino climbed to her feet, rolling quickly out of the way of another attack, and circled around to Hatake-san’s other side as Chouji continued to evade his attacks. For the moment he ignored her, Ino knew better than to think that that would last for long.
She still had her kunai, not having had the time to set it off. Now was, she judged, as good a time as any. His back was turned to her and Chouji would be shielded from most of the blast if she aimed for the ground that Sakura’s pain in the ass sensei was standing on.
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Ino ran through a simple set of seals. The explosive note on the kunai would go off, now, in less than twenty seconds. Ino took sight and aimed.
“Ino! Look out behind you!”
Chouji’s warning came too late and she was hit from behind, by something large and heavy.
Crashing into the ground, ungracefully, Ino’s kunai slipped from her grasp and went flying even as she realized that it was Shikamaru that had smashed into her. Her kunai hit Hatake-san in the back.
“That’s…” Shikamaru said painfully, “One way of getting over here. Asuma-sensei’s going to pay.”
Ino’s eyes widened as she realized what was going to happen - the Jounin was too busy hiding a laugh to pluck the kunai out. She thought that it had only managed to lodge itself in the fabric of his vest, there was no way he’d ignore a kunai in the back otherwise.
“Get out of the way Chouji!” Ino shrieked as she shoved Shikamaru off of her. Shikamaru rolled off of her and looked confused as she backed up rapidly, one hand grabbing his arm and pulling him back.
“What’s the matter now?” Asuma-sensei asked coming from behind.
Her kunai exploded.
---
“What happened to you?” Sakura asked her as Ino stripped off her shirt on Shizune-sensei’s orders. She’d found her sensei talking to Tsunade-sama and Sakura outside of an office. Shizune-sensei had taken one look at Ino and ordered her into the room.
Ino hadn’t argued, her back was killing her. She glared at the door of the office as Shizune-sensei helped her out of her shirt. “Asuma-sensei sent Shikamaru flying into my back.”
Sakura winced. “I take it training didn’t go well then?”
“Depends on your definition.” Ino muttered vilely, “I’m sure Asuma-sensei had a lot of fun.”
“Stay still.” Tsunade-sama ordered, “I’m going to run a diagnostic. Backs can be tricky. Sakura, pay attention.”
“Yes, Tsunade-shishou!”
“When did this happen?” Shizune asked as Ino fought the urge to twist and see if she could tell what Tsunade-sama was doing, “I’ll teach you the jutsu later, Ino-kun, pay attention.”
She flushed, “Yes, Shizune-sensei.”
“Now then, how long ago did this happen?”
Ino thought about it, “Maybe nine-thirty this morning?” she hazarded a guess, “I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the time, and it didn’t hurt this badly then.”
Shizune-sensei’s lips compressed to a thin line, but Tsunade interrupted her before she could say anything. “Well, Ino-kun, you’re in luck - it’s just a bad set of bruises, nothing serious. I’m going to heal the worst of them, but you’ll be stiff for the next few days. Make sure to tell your sensei that.”
“Yes, Tsunade-sama.”
The cool press of healing chakra against her bare back made Ino want to shiver. She didn’t though, having endured several lectures from Shizune-sensei about proper respect. Besides, staying still meant that it would be easier for Tsunade-sama to heal her.
“How’d the glasses do?” Sakura asked, gesturing to the top of her head, “Did you wear them like that for the whole day?”
“No. I wore them normally - the band worked well until Asuma-sensei managed to cut it.” Luckily that hadn’t happened until near the end of training. Ino considered bringing up the matter with Shizune before deciding against it - she could ask when the Hokage herself wasn’t attending her injuries.
“I assume that had something to do with training and isn’t just a fad? Those glasses must cut down on your peripheral vision.” Tsunade-sama asked as she pulled her hands away.
“Yes, Tsunade-sama. It’s on my father’s orders.” Ino grimaced, several times during training kunai that she hadn’t even seen had managed to come close to hitting her. Asuma-sensei’s careful aim was the reason she wasn’t more scratched up than that. She needed to work on her taijutsu more.
Gratefully, Ino got dressed again, before bowing her thanks to Tsunade-sama. She was dismissed with an absent wave of the Hokage’s hand.
---
Asuma leaned against the outside of his apartment block as he waited for Kurenai. They'd agreed to talk about how their teams were functioning after the first day that they'd had them back.
He wondered if he could just tell Hokage-sama that he was throwing in the towel and giving up.
Today had been painful, to say the very least, and he had a headache that no amount of nicotine was soothing. The fact that his kids had managed to pin an explosive tag on Kakashi and send the man flying had been the highlight of the training exercise. Even if it had been by accident.
"Hey, you look like you've been put through the wringer." Kurenai called over the general murmur of the crowds as she threaded her way over to him.
Asuma grimaced and held the door open for her. He wasn't much of a gentleman, but he knew that she appreciated it when he tried. This, at least, was easy. "Remind me why I volunteered to take charge of three teenagers? And thought that it was a good idea at the time?"
"They were that bad, huh?" Kurenai sounded amused as unlocked his door and went to make tea. "My team worked wonderfully - the Chuunin Exam was good for all of them, even with what happened after."
"Definitely the opposite for my team. Their first attempt was the best, but it fell apart the moment they had to improvise - and they never got it back together." The fact that Shikamaru’s head long crash into Ino’s back had managed to hurt her no doubt had something to do with that. By the time he’d let them go she’d been walking stiffly, and he’d ordered her to head to the hospital to get her back checked out. Hopefully it wasn't anything serious. He hadn’t thought that Shikamaru would actually crash into her like that when he’d sent him flying. Asuma made a note to work on Shikamaru’s reaction times.
Asuma sighed as Kurenai hugged him from behind, "Chouji's finally back to where he was just before the exam - and he's going to have to work hard to catch up with the other two. Shikamaru's been working harder than he'd ever admit to, the lazy ass, it's obvious just from the way he moves..." He trailed off as they headed over to his kitchen table, tea in hand, and settled down.
"And?" She prompted after a few seconds, blowing gently on her tea to help cool it. Kurenai's red eyes were amused, "What about your girl?"
Asuma's lips quirked into a smile, "My girl? I thought you had that position filled?"
It was fun to tease her, he thought with satisfaction, as she blushed, "That wasn't what I meant!" Kurenai kicked him lightly in the shin. "Answer the question."
"Ino's... the problem really." He took a long sip of his tea, "Only it's not fair at all to call her that. You should see the amount of work she's done - it's like she's a completely different girl than the one in the exams. I think that it is affecting the boys more than they'd care to admit - Shikamaru keeps trying to make up strategies based on what they knew before and Ino won't stand for it. She knows that she can be more than support now and it grates on her that he won't let her. Developed a fondness for explosive notes." Just as well she was an only child with a father that doted on her - those things were expensive.
"She's changed that much in just a month and a half?"
He hid a smile. Kurenai's curiosity had been piqued, which was one of the things that he liked about her, "We could hold a joint session if you'd like to see for yourself." Asuma offered, refilling her cup at the same time, "Maybe you could tell me what I'm missing."
From the tension between the three of them today, Asuma was glad he'd had no plans to let them go out on missions for a good while. The last thing they needed was to wind up in trouble and even the simplest missions could go dreadfully wrong at times. Asuma wasn’t going to have them in danger when they couldn’t even work together enough to making it through a training exercise.
Kurenai toyed with her tea cup, “I know,” she said quietly, “if I was the only one on my team not picked for a mission, and then finding out the reasons why I wasn’t picked - by my own teammate no less - that I’d be more than upset.”
Ino had said as much, only more incoherently to him a few weeks ago. For some reason though Asuma hadn’t thought to apply it to their practical teamwork - even though he’d seen the difference in her personally. He blamed that, mostly, on the fact that he’d hardly seen his team at all since the end of August. It was nearly the end of October now.
He rubbed his face and groaned. “I knew that,” Asuma admitted when Kurenai glanced at him with a question on her face, “Ino told me herself, that she was upset about it. I just hadn’t applied it to everything.”
That didn’t explain Shikamaru’s problems though. He said as much to her and Kurenai swirled her tea thoughtfully.
“Well, he’s a Nara,” which Asuma had to admit was something that was hard to forget, “and the last time that he saw her in action was the Chuunin exams?”
Asuma nodded slowly, Shikamaru hadn’t seen her in the arena during the finals. She’d managed to hold her own well enough then - but he’d been off chasing after Sasuke. And Asuma had been chasing Shikamaru.
“All I’ve seen of her is at the exams.” Kurenai continued on, “From that I would say, he’d made the right decision. The strengths of her Clan aren’t the ones that would have been needed - but that doesn’t make a difference in the way we feel. I’m sure Ino knows that her chances of survival wouldn’t have been high if she’d gone. Shikamaru…” she paused and looked thoughtful, “I don’t know him personally, mind, but I think that the mission shocked him into actively thinking about what could happen to Ino as an active kunoichi - and he doesn’t like the conclusions he’s come to.”
Oh man, more than just the regular Nara sexism on top of it? His head started hurting again - Asuma knew that this wasn’t going to be a good time for him as their teacher.
“She’s a fine kunoichi for her age - even from what she was at in the Chuunin Exams - but the strength that was needed for the mission wasn’t her strength. I’d guess that he thinks about that, and then about the mission where his other teammate nearly died. He’s overcompensating.”
Kurenai smiled at his woebegone expression, “I think that in the long run you’re going to find that Ino was the most affected of your three by that mission - but that Shikamaru’s mental injuries will take the longest to heal.”
“What should I do about it? I’m not exactly the expert on teenage girls.” He finished his tea and debated if he wanted another cup, or if he wanted a drink of something stronger.
“You mentioned that Ino’s been training hard,” Kurenai observed as he gave up and went to dig a can of beer from the refrigerator, “What has she been doing with herself? It’s not often that you’re so profuse in your acknowledgement.”
Kurenai would know, Asuma admitted ruefully. More than once she’d told him that he had to express his pride in his kids more openly - and to their faces. It was good for them, Kurenai had told him seriously, kids liked to know what their instructor was really thinking.
“I know her father’s been teaching her a few more Clan jutsus and Ino’s been working heavily on her taijutsu - and it showed today in her sparring - and,“ here he hesitated because Ino hadn’t wanted him to tell people about her training, but then Kurenai wasn’t just anyone, “She’s been working with Shizune in the hospital to learn how to be an effective field medic.”
“I would like to see her.” Kurenai admitted, “I can’t reconcile the idea with what I saw in the
Chuunin exams. A medic? Does she want to go all the way?”
“No,” He shook his head, “She said that because the missions that best suited her capabilities were out of her range, most Yamanaka run into the same problem you know, that she wanted to have a few other skills to fall back on in a more general sense. Even while she’s this upset with the boys, she doesn’t want them hurt. “
“My team has a C rank mission tomorrow, so we’ll be gone a few weeks - it’s just a border patrol, so unless we run into anything untoward we shouldn’t have any troubles - but did you want to meet up after that with the teams?”
“I’d like that yes,” Asuma could admit that to her, “At the moment I’m not letting my three on any missions. They couldn’t even accomplish the bell exercise today - when before teamwork was their greatest asset. They did manage to blow up Kakashi by accident though.”
Kurenai winced.
Asuma laughed and getting up to put the dishes in the sink called over his shoulder, “Enough about me though, what about your team? Anything new with them?"
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