Kevin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alliancesjr) wrote2008-11-16 09:56 pm
alliancesjr) wrote2008-11-16 09:56 pm
Entry tags:
Theater of War, Chapter Four
This took me a while to write, didn't it? It was worth it, though.
This was definitely a challenge. And there are a few things that don't flow right, I don't think, so any criticism will be greatly appreciated.
Enjoy.
Chapter Four
In which mysterious characters are more of a hindrance than a help, Yukiko and her team get their asses merrily handed to them, and Team Gendou learns a new jutsu.
* * * * *
The floodplains of the River Country were generally peaceful. Most traffic between the Fire Country and the Wind Country went through the central cities, leaving the northern and southern ends of the country to the calm, quiet of nature.
It was a true picture of serenity--
"Aiieee! Kodachi-chan, give that back!"
A picture of serenity--
"Rena, you bitch, let go of my arm!"
"It's mine! Give it back!"
Serenity--
"Aika, help!"
"Oh, sure, go crying to Aika-chan like you always do."
A pair of deep purple carraiges were being driven through the plains. Each was drawn by a trio of black horses. The lead carraige was filled with equipment and a few assistants.
"Please keep it down," said a young woman. Her voice was almost silken, each syllable spoken with perfect precision and grace. "There have been reports of Akatsuki sightings in this region. I'd prefer if we didn't get noticed."
The other two women fell silent, abashed. They rode the rest of the way in silence.
"Kyaaaa! That duck is so cute! I want to take it ho-ome!"
Almost silence.
------------
Yukiko cursed at herself as she hid in the trees. The entire team had underestimated their sensei - something that she knew that Hiroshi would mock her endlessly about. He was always needling her with that "underneath the underneath" stuff, and here was a perfect example of it.
When the girls had met their jounin-sensei at the training area, they had been expecting a lesson. Teaching them new jutsu, new tactics, something along those lines. What they hadn't been expecting was to have to fight the woman.
Ren-sensei had told them that she would only train them further if they could capture and subdue her. If they weren't strong enough to do that, she had said, they weren't worth training any further and would be sent back to the Academy. Hanabi had scoffed at that, but Yukiko and Keiko were definitely shaken up. It wasn't until Hanabi had rushed their teacher that they realized what had happened.
Everything went wrong.
Kurobana Ren, despite initial appearance, was fast. Hanabi hadn't been able to land a single jyuuken strike on her, no matter where she aimed. Every time it looked like the Hyuuga had gotten close, the older woman was simply somewhere else. In fact, everything that Yukiko had assumed about the woman was inevitably proven to be wrong. The loose kimono served to her advantage when Hanabi's hand got tangled up in folds of cloth. Ren-sensei twirled the silk around Hanabi's wrist, then slipped out of the garment entirely and used it to throw the girl halfway across the clearing.
In the absence of the kimono, the girls could plainly see a more standard black bodysuit, complete with reinforced armor plating, scroll and weapon pouches, and as more sharpened steel than any of the genin could imagine a person carrying easily. Over her upper body was a forest-green Konoha flak jacket, though slightly modified. Yukiko noted that it was a lot thinner, which probably helped it hide beneath the kimono.
Ren disappeared in a swirl of leaves. With a chilling glare, Hanabi had stormed off to find their quarry.
Keiko had disappeared as well. Yukiko didn't know where she went, but she did know that she was all alone now, with a dangerous enemy on the loose. So she did what she had learned in the Academy.
She hid, kept mobile, and searched. It had taken her half an hour to find Ren-sensei again.
Her teacher had replaced the kimono, and her parasol was open and resting on her shoulder. The light material of the umbrella cast a pleasant shade over Ren's face, and she appeared to be doing nothing more than enjoying the breeze.
"Are you just going to sit there, Yukiko-chan?" said Ren in a singsong voice.
Yukiko grimaced. Her teacher wasn't even looking in her direction.
"Come and face me, if you think you can," Ren trilled, twirling her parasol. "If you can. After all, if Hanabi-chan didn't stand a chance..."
That did it.
Yukiko leapt out of the tree, kunai at the ready.
------------
Hotaru yawned as she scanned the treetops. There hadn't been any motion since the last ANBU patrol around the perimeter, and she hoped that they would shift campsites that night. There was still mud underneath her sleeping bag - a remnant of the storm from earlier in the week.
"Hotaru, you may come down now," she heard her sensei call.
She didn't bother to hide the grin as she leapt down from the tree. The clearing was just large enough to move around in, without being too spacious to be easily visible from a distance. That was why they had chosen it as a campsite in the first place; Gai's site was far too visible for Gendou's tastes.
Her teacher adjusted his glasses as the rest of Hotaru's team appeared. "Excellent. While we are out here, I have a matter to discuss with you. Hokage-sama is preparing for the Jounin Selection, and she mentioned to me that you might be in consideration this year."
"All right!" shouted Kensuke, earning a glare from Gendou. "What kind of exam do you think we'll be taking?"
Gendou remained silent as Hiroshi frowned. Her teammate gave her a calculating glance.
So Hiroshi noticed it too. Hotaru knew that Gendou rarely misspoke. If he said something, that was precisely what he meant, and her sensei hadn't used the word "exam" at all.
"Do you think we're ready to be Jounin?" asked Hiroshi.
"With your current skills?" Gendou produced three small scrolls from the pockets of his vest. "All three of you have gravitated towards more specialized arts, but you have not neglected your broader training. Therefore, you have a multitude of tools at your disposal for a variety of situations. Each of you would make a fine jounin, in my opinion."
The three chuunin grinned. This was high praise indeed.
"However."
The grins faded.
"There are certain skills that most jounin have knowledge of, even if they are not physically able to perform them. I would like to teach you the first of them now, in the hope that this will...give you an edge, both in the field and on your official reports."
Gendou removed his glasses. Three pairs of eyes met one sharp red and one milky white.
"You know of the kage bunshin."
The three nodded.
"The standard bunshin creates an illusory copy of the ninja," said Gendou, slipping into teacher-mode. "Strictly speaking, it is almost a genjutsu, rather than a traditional ninjutsu. It does not warp reality, nor does it have a lasting physical effect. The kage bunshin is different; you are splitting your chakra and creating an actual physical body. As such, it is much harder to perform, and requires more effort. Typically, a ninja can create as many as five shadow clones with one application."
Hotaru smiled again. It had been a while since Gendou had taught them anything new. She had missed the way he always discussed the theory behind a jutsu, instead of simply how to perform it; that way, they knew how to tweak certain aspects of it as they needed, instead of having to learn an entirely new technique.
"The most practical use of this jutsu is in reconnaisance," continued Gendou. "Having a clone gather information allows for multi-tasking, as well as providing an extra layer of safety. If the clone is caught and destroyed, you are not the one killed.
"Neh, Gendou-sensei," drawled Kensuke. "How about combat situations? Wouldn't it be useful to have an extra set of fists or feet?"
"In some situations, yes. Giving yourself a diversion is always useful, and if you can decieve your opponent into attacking your clone, you will be free move into a flanking position." Gendou frowned. "However, this does prove to be draining, as you would be splitting your chakra between yourself and your clones. This means that you are not operating at full efficiency, and your reserves will be dangerously low after prolonged use."
"What about the Uzumaki kid, though?" asked Kensuke.
Hiroshi nodded. "He tends to use kage bunshin a lot in combat situations. It often works out to his advantage."
Gendou paused. "Uzumaki Naruto is an...anomoly," he admitted after a while. "He has been reported as having higher than jounin-average chakra capacity since leaving the Academy. Using the kage bunshin in that matter is not a liability for him, nor is his use of the more advanced form: the tajuu kage bunshin."
Hotaru blinked. Multiple shadow clones? Gendou had just said that the most that the average ninja could only create up to five...
Her memory clicked right as Hiroshi's eyes narrowed in recognition. She remembered hearing about hundreds of Naruto's clones assaulting the traitor Mizuki. She had dismissed it as an exaggeration. Clearly, this was not the case.
The three scrolls flew through the air at the chuunin. Each one was caught and opened.
This was how he had always taught them, too. Both the practical application and the theory at the same time. Other jounin-sensei didn't bother with the theory, Hotaru had heard. Gendou, however, wanted them to truly learn. To look underneath the underneath, as it were.
"I will now demonstrate." Gendou brought his hands together in the Ram seal. His students all felt his chakra flare as he whispered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
The chakra smoke dissipated quickly, revealing three of Kurohisa Gendou.
"Practice for the rest of the day. I will test your accomplishment after the evening patrol."
Hotaru nodded as she studied the text within the scroll. The path to jounin was ahead of her, after all. Giving it any less than her best would be shameful.
"Dismissed."
------------
What the hell?
Hanabi nearly missed the tree branch as she finished her jump. She reached out with her hand and steadied herself against the trunk, even as she prepared herself to leap away at a moment's notice.
The clearing ahead of her captured her full attention. Her teacher and that loudmouthed Moriyama girl were exchanging blows.
Hanabi narrowed her eyes. Almost exchanging blows. Yukiko was having just as much trouble landing her attacks on their teacher as Hanabi herself had. Ren was doing nothing more than dodging her attacks, with that damnable smirk never once leaving her face.
Something wasn't right, though. Yukiko had a kunai in her hand, and every so often, a sharp metallic ringing would sound throughout the clearing. As hard as she focused, she couldn't see anything more than Ren just dodging--
--wait. There, a brief shower of sparks, right as Yukiko's kunai made another swipe at the woman.
"Byakugan," whispered Hanabi, activating her clan's bloodline. Her vision warped, changing her perception from a frontal cone to a sphere around her entire body.
There!
Every time the kunai got close, Hanabi saw Ren pull at the handle of her parasol, revealing several inches of sharpened metal. She deflected the knife's strikes and replaced the handle, faster than the eye could see.
Hanabi snorted smugly. Faster than the average eye could see. The smile faded to a grimace as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
The difference between the Byakugan and the Sharingan, her father had explained to her, was in its generality. The Byakugan stayed at the broader end of awareness, allowing the Hyuuga to allow her focus to be on everything within the sphere of vision. Everything was clarified for her, allowing her to keep track of all movement in the range. The shift from conical to sperical vision restricted the range, but broadened the scope to an almost infinite degree.
The Hyuuga would always be superior to the Uchiha in that aspect, even if the accursed clan still existed.
The drawback, however, meant that without the spacial awareness training, the Hyuuga would be overwhelmed with the amount of information streaming into her head. The Sharingan countered that weakness by remaining in the normal human field of vision. The Sharingan was, for all intents and purposes, a more specialized doujutsu. It recorded everything that the user saw, allowing it to be dissected and filed away for later use. More advanced users of the Sharingan had reported time seeming to slow down during battles, allowing for a greater reactive ability from the Uchiha involved.
This did not happen with the Byakugan. The Hyuuga had to rely on their awareness training to handle the information bombarding their visual cortex.
Hanabi was still working on this aspect. She shut her eyes and shut down her bloodline, but the damage had been done. She only lost her balance for a moment, but it was one moment too long.
Yukiko sprang back from the fight as soon as she noticed the Hyuuga prodigy falling out of the tree behind her. "Hanabi! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," grunted Hanabi, squeezing her temples. "Give me a minute."
Yukiko's eyes went wide as she looked back at where Ren was standing. "I don't think we have a minute..."
"Pathetic," snarled Ren, all amusement having fled from her voice. "You don't get it, do you? You really don't understand."
"Understand what?" shouted Yukiko, tightening her grip on her kunai.
Ren snorted derisively. "All of this. Why you're even here! Hanabi came at me first, all by herself, because she thought she was worth three of you. Keiko ran away completely. And Yukiko hid in the bushes, waiting for an opportunity that would never come."
Both of the girls clenched their fists.
"You're three little girls, playing at being ninja. You don't know what it takes to defeat a stronger opponent." Ren flipped her hair back. "I had such high hopes for you, I really did. But not even the Hyuuga genius is worth my time."
Hanabi activated her Byakugan and rose to her feet. "How dare you?"
Yukiko grabbed her shoulders, holding her back.
"Let me go, Moriyama!" snarled Hanabi.
"You don't have to do this," whispered Yukiko, gesturing to Ren.
Hanabi deactivated her Byakugan again, understanding. Her teammate's focus wasn't on their teacher, it was just behind her...
Ren frowned, spinning around in time to see a red blur in the air. Keiko's arm was outstretched as she sailed towards the older woman, and clenched in her fists was...a frying pan?
A loud, almost embarassing clang echoed through the forest.
Ren had extended the handle of her parasol again, and the flat of the blade was struggling against Keiko's frying pan. It was huge, Hanabi noted - where had the quiet girl been carrying it?
"It's because we have to work together," said Keiko, with a confidence that Hanabi had not noticed before. The red-haired girl withdrew to where Yukiko and Hanabi were standing. "We three were put together because of our differences, in hopes that we would work past them. We must do this now!"
Hanabi smiled, despite herself. Keiko had unwittingly reminded her of her favorite cousin. Neji-niisan was also very quiet most of the time - although his trademark stoicism wasn't anywhere close to Keiko's shyness. But hidden beneath the quiet exterior was a flair for melodrama.
And the Moriyama girl, she seemed to adapt to anything. If she could combine that ability with her teammate's special techniques...
Perhaps she was beginning to like this team after all.
Ren slid the blade back into her parasol with an audible click. She turned to face her genin, and Hanabi could see plainly the smile on her face.
"Now we're talking," she said, approvingly. "Come on, you still have to finish your mission."
The girls grinned at each other, and - as one - charged.
Chapter Three / Continue to Chapter Five
This was definitely a challenge. And there are a few things that don't flow right, I don't think, so any criticism will be greatly appreciated.
Enjoy.
Chapter Four
In which mysterious characters are more of a hindrance than a help, Yukiko and her team get their asses merrily handed to them, and Team Gendou learns a new jutsu.
* * * * *
The floodplains of the River Country were generally peaceful. Most traffic between the Fire Country and the Wind Country went through the central cities, leaving the northern and southern ends of the country to the calm, quiet of nature.
It was a true picture of serenity--
"Aiieee! Kodachi-chan, give that back!"
A picture of serenity--
"Rena, you bitch, let go of my arm!"
"It's mine! Give it back!"
Serenity--
"Aika, help!"
"Oh, sure, go crying to Aika-chan like you always do."
A pair of deep purple carraiges were being driven through the plains. Each was drawn by a trio of black horses. The lead carraige was filled with equipment and a few assistants.
"Please keep it down," said a young woman. Her voice was almost silken, each syllable spoken with perfect precision and grace. "There have been reports of Akatsuki sightings in this region. I'd prefer if we didn't get noticed."
The other two women fell silent, abashed. They rode the rest of the way in silence.
"Kyaaaa! That duck is so cute! I want to take it ho-ome!"
Almost silence.
------------
Yukiko cursed at herself as she hid in the trees. The entire team had underestimated their sensei - something that she knew that Hiroshi would mock her endlessly about. He was always needling her with that "underneath the underneath" stuff, and here was a perfect example of it.
When the girls had met their jounin-sensei at the training area, they had been expecting a lesson. Teaching them new jutsu, new tactics, something along those lines. What they hadn't been expecting was to have to fight the woman.
Ren-sensei had told them that she would only train them further if they could capture and subdue her. If they weren't strong enough to do that, she had said, they weren't worth training any further and would be sent back to the Academy. Hanabi had scoffed at that, but Yukiko and Keiko were definitely shaken up. It wasn't until Hanabi had rushed their teacher that they realized what had happened.
Everything went wrong.
Kurobana Ren, despite initial appearance, was fast. Hanabi hadn't been able to land a single jyuuken strike on her, no matter where she aimed. Every time it looked like the Hyuuga had gotten close, the older woman was simply somewhere else. In fact, everything that Yukiko had assumed about the woman was inevitably proven to be wrong. The loose kimono served to her advantage when Hanabi's hand got tangled up in folds of cloth. Ren-sensei twirled the silk around Hanabi's wrist, then slipped out of the garment entirely and used it to throw the girl halfway across the clearing.
In the absence of the kimono, the girls could plainly see a more standard black bodysuit, complete with reinforced armor plating, scroll and weapon pouches, and as more sharpened steel than any of the genin could imagine a person carrying easily. Over her upper body was a forest-green Konoha flak jacket, though slightly modified. Yukiko noted that it was a lot thinner, which probably helped it hide beneath the kimono.
Ren disappeared in a swirl of leaves. With a chilling glare, Hanabi had stormed off to find their quarry.
Keiko had disappeared as well. Yukiko didn't know where she went, but she did know that she was all alone now, with a dangerous enemy on the loose. So she did what she had learned in the Academy.
She hid, kept mobile, and searched. It had taken her half an hour to find Ren-sensei again.
Her teacher had replaced the kimono, and her parasol was open and resting on her shoulder. The light material of the umbrella cast a pleasant shade over Ren's face, and she appeared to be doing nothing more than enjoying the breeze.
"Are you just going to sit there, Yukiko-chan?" said Ren in a singsong voice.
Yukiko grimaced. Her teacher wasn't even looking in her direction.
"Come and face me, if you think you can," Ren trilled, twirling her parasol. "If you can. After all, if Hanabi-chan didn't stand a chance..."
That did it.
Yukiko leapt out of the tree, kunai at the ready.
------------
Hotaru yawned as she scanned the treetops. There hadn't been any motion since the last ANBU patrol around the perimeter, and she hoped that they would shift campsites that night. There was still mud underneath her sleeping bag - a remnant of the storm from earlier in the week.
"Hotaru, you may come down now," she heard her sensei call.
She didn't bother to hide the grin as she leapt down from the tree. The clearing was just large enough to move around in, without being too spacious to be easily visible from a distance. That was why they had chosen it as a campsite in the first place; Gai's site was far too visible for Gendou's tastes.
Her teacher adjusted his glasses as the rest of Hotaru's team appeared. "Excellent. While we are out here, I have a matter to discuss with you. Hokage-sama is preparing for the Jounin Selection, and she mentioned to me that you might be in consideration this year."
"All right!" shouted Kensuke, earning a glare from Gendou. "What kind of exam do you think we'll be taking?"
Gendou remained silent as Hiroshi frowned. Her teammate gave her a calculating glance.
So Hiroshi noticed it too. Hotaru knew that Gendou rarely misspoke. If he said something, that was precisely what he meant, and her sensei hadn't used the word "exam" at all.
"Do you think we're ready to be Jounin?" asked Hiroshi.
"With your current skills?" Gendou produced three small scrolls from the pockets of his vest. "All three of you have gravitated towards more specialized arts, but you have not neglected your broader training. Therefore, you have a multitude of tools at your disposal for a variety of situations. Each of you would make a fine jounin, in my opinion."
The three chuunin grinned. This was high praise indeed.
"However."
The grins faded.
"There are certain skills that most jounin have knowledge of, even if they are not physically able to perform them. I would like to teach you the first of them now, in the hope that this will...give you an edge, both in the field and on your official reports."
Gendou removed his glasses. Three pairs of eyes met one sharp red and one milky white.
"You know of the kage bunshin."
The three nodded.
"The standard bunshin creates an illusory copy of the ninja," said Gendou, slipping into teacher-mode. "Strictly speaking, it is almost a genjutsu, rather than a traditional ninjutsu. It does not warp reality, nor does it have a lasting physical effect. The kage bunshin is different; you are splitting your chakra and creating an actual physical body. As such, it is much harder to perform, and requires more effort. Typically, a ninja can create as many as five shadow clones with one application."
Hotaru smiled again. It had been a while since Gendou had taught them anything new. She had missed the way he always discussed the theory behind a jutsu, instead of simply how to perform it; that way, they knew how to tweak certain aspects of it as they needed, instead of having to learn an entirely new technique.
"The most practical use of this jutsu is in reconnaisance," continued Gendou. "Having a clone gather information allows for multi-tasking, as well as providing an extra layer of safety. If the clone is caught and destroyed, you are not the one killed.
"Neh, Gendou-sensei," drawled Kensuke. "How about combat situations? Wouldn't it be useful to have an extra set of fists or feet?"
"In some situations, yes. Giving yourself a diversion is always useful, and if you can decieve your opponent into attacking your clone, you will be free move into a flanking position." Gendou frowned. "However, this does prove to be draining, as you would be splitting your chakra between yourself and your clones. This means that you are not operating at full efficiency, and your reserves will be dangerously low after prolonged use."
"What about the Uzumaki kid, though?" asked Kensuke.
Hiroshi nodded. "He tends to use kage bunshin a lot in combat situations. It often works out to his advantage."
Gendou paused. "Uzumaki Naruto is an...anomoly," he admitted after a while. "He has been reported as having higher than jounin-average chakra capacity since leaving the Academy. Using the kage bunshin in that matter is not a liability for him, nor is his use of the more advanced form: the tajuu kage bunshin."
Hotaru blinked. Multiple shadow clones? Gendou had just said that the most that the average ninja could only create up to five...
Her memory clicked right as Hiroshi's eyes narrowed in recognition. She remembered hearing about hundreds of Naruto's clones assaulting the traitor Mizuki. She had dismissed it as an exaggeration. Clearly, this was not the case.
The three scrolls flew through the air at the chuunin. Each one was caught and opened.
This was how he had always taught them, too. Both the practical application and the theory at the same time. Other jounin-sensei didn't bother with the theory, Hotaru had heard. Gendou, however, wanted them to truly learn. To look underneath the underneath, as it were.
"I will now demonstrate." Gendou brought his hands together in the Ram seal. His students all felt his chakra flare as he whispered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
The chakra smoke dissipated quickly, revealing three of Kurohisa Gendou.
"Practice for the rest of the day. I will test your accomplishment after the evening patrol."
Hotaru nodded as she studied the text within the scroll. The path to jounin was ahead of her, after all. Giving it any less than her best would be shameful.
"Dismissed."
------------
What the hell?
Hanabi nearly missed the tree branch as she finished her jump. She reached out with her hand and steadied herself against the trunk, even as she prepared herself to leap away at a moment's notice.
The clearing ahead of her captured her full attention. Her teacher and that loudmouthed Moriyama girl were exchanging blows.
Hanabi narrowed her eyes. Almost exchanging blows. Yukiko was having just as much trouble landing her attacks on their teacher as Hanabi herself had. Ren was doing nothing more than dodging her attacks, with that damnable smirk never once leaving her face.
Something wasn't right, though. Yukiko had a kunai in her hand, and every so often, a sharp metallic ringing would sound throughout the clearing. As hard as she focused, she couldn't see anything more than Ren just dodging--
--wait. There, a brief shower of sparks, right as Yukiko's kunai made another swipe at the woman.
"Byakugan," whispered Hanabi, activating her clan's bloodline. Her vision warped, changing her perception from a frontal cone to a sphere around her entire body.
There!
Every time the kunai got close, Hanabi saw Ren pull at the handle of her parasol, revealing several inches of sharpened metal. She deflected the knife's strikes and replaced the handle, faster than the eye could see.
Hanabi snorted smugly. Faster than the average eye could see. The smile faded to a grimace as a wave of dizziness washed over her.
The difference between the Byakugan and the Sharingan, her father had explained to her, was in its generality. The Byakugan stayed at the broader end of awareness, allowing the Hyuuga to allow her focus to be on everything within the sphere of vision. Everything was clarified for her, allowing her to keep track of all movement in the range. The shift from conical to sperical vision restricted the range, but broadened the scope to an almost infinite degree.
The Hyuuga would always be superior to the Uchiha in that aspect, even if the accursed clan still existed.
The drawback, however, meant that without the spacial awareness training, the Hyuuga would be overwhelmed with the amount of information streaming into her head. The Sharingan countered that weakness by remaining in the normal human field of vision. The Sharingan was, for all intents and purposes, a more specialized doujutsu. It recorded everything that the user saw, allowing it to be dissected and filed away for later use. More advanced users of the Sharingan had reported time seeming to slow down during battles, allowing for a greater reactive ability from the Uchiha involved.
This did not happen with the Byakugan. The Hyuuga had to rely on their awareness training to handle the information bombarding their visual cortex.
Hanabi was still working on this aspect. She shut her eyes and shut down her bloodline, but the damage had been done. She only lost her balance for a moment, but it was one moment too long.
Yukiko sprang back from the fight as soon as she noticed the Hyuuga prodigy falling out of the tree behind her. "Hanabi! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," grunted Hanabi, squeezing her temples. "Give me a minute."
Yukiko's eyes went wide as she looked back at where Ren was standing. "I don't think we have a minute..."
"Pathetic," snarled Ren, all amusement having fled from her voice. "You don't get it, do you? You really don't understand."
"Understand what?" shouted Yukiko, tightening her grip on her kunai.
Ren snorted derisively. "All of this. Why you're even here! Hanabi came at me first, all by herself, because she thought she was worth three of you. Keiko ran away completely. And Yukiko hid in the bushes, waiting for an opportunity that would never come."
Both of the girls clenched their fists.
"You're three little girls, playing at being ninja. You don't know what it takes to defeat a stronger opponent." Ren flipped her hair back. "I had such high hopes for you, I really did. But not even the Hyuuga genius is worth my time."
Hanabi activated her Byakugan and rose to her feet. "How dare you?"
Yukiko grabbed her shoulders, holding her back.
"Let me go, Moriyama!" snarled Hanabi.
"You don't have to do this," whispered Yukiko, gesturing to Ren.
Hanabi deactivated her Byakugan again, understanding. Her teammate's focus wasn't on their teacher, it was just behind her...
Ren frowned, spinning around in time to see a red blur in the air. Keiko's arm was outstretched as she sailed towards the older woman, and clenched in her fists was...a frying pan?
A loud, almost embarassing clang echoed through the forest.
Ren had extended the handle of her parasol again, and the flat of the blade was struggling against Keiko's frying pan. It was huge, Hanabi noted - where had the quiet girl been carrying it?
"It's because we have to work together," said Keiko, with a confidence that Hanabi had not noticed before. The red-haired girl withdrew to where Yukiko and Hanabi were standing. "We three were put together because of our differences, in hopes that we would work past them. We must do this now!"
Hanabi smiled, despite herself. Keiko had unwittingly reminded her of her favorite cousin. Neji-niisan was also very quiet most of the time - although his trademark stoicism wasn't anywhere close to Keiko's shyness. But hidden beneath the quiet exterior was a flair for melodrama.
And the Moriyama girl, she seemed to adapt to anything. If she could combine that ability with her teammate's special techniques...
Perhaps she was beginning to like this team after all.
Ren slid the blade back into her parasol with an audible click. She turned to face her genin, and Hanabi could see plainly the smile on her face.
"Now we're talking," she said, approvingly. "Come on, you still have to finish your mission."
The girls grinned at each other, and - as one - charged.
Chapter Three / Continue to Chapter Five