Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Vixens and Kitsune ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Kurenai sat with the other jonin sensei gathered round the Hokage's desk. “So what do you think of your teams?”

 

Kakashi, surprisingly was the first to speak. “Given the way Kiba kept leering at Sakura and Sakura was fawning over Sasuke during our introduction, putting those three in the same house is a nightmare waiting to happen.” The cycloptic ninja gave a smile under his mask that caused his single visible eye to mimic his mouth's action. “However, unless they can pass their survival test tomorrow, that won't matter.”

 

“You sound almost as if you're planning to fail them.” Kurenai said.

 

“I don't see much of a team dynamic between them, that's all.” Kakashi said.

 

The sole kunoichi snorted. “You're just afraid you'll actually have to oh … I don't know start teaching your students, and maybe give up your reading during lessons.”

 

“She's got you pegged there.” Asuma laughed. “Anyway, Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino all seem fairly level headed. It'll be interesting to see how their skills balance out. I'm surprised I wasn't given the Yamanaka girl as well, considering the success of their father's generation.”

 

“I must confess my own curiosity as well.” Kurenai said. “The teams seem somewhat… haphazard, lacking purpose as it were.”

 

“That is understandable, and I will gladly give you an explanation, but first Kurenai-san, your thoughts?”

 

“My team is… unique. While Hinata is an obvious scout, and Ino can gather information straight from the enemy's minds, I believe that Naruto has the greatest potential of the three.” Kurenai said.

 

“Naruto? The academy dead last?” Kakashi's lone eyebrow rose as Asuma snorted. “You must be mistaken.”

 

“Is she?” The third asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Perhaps our newest jonin is better at looking under the surface than our famed Copy nin.”

 

“All right, Kurenai. Why is a clanless orphan with no ninja experience better than the heiress of a major clan, or a kunoichi backed with generations of experience?” Kakashi asked.

 

“He isn't.” Kurenai smiled.

 

“But you just said-” Asuma began.

 

“That he had the most potential.” Kurenai grinned. “Not that he was neither better nor worse than anyone else. Though he does need a lot of help when it comes to genjutsu.”

 

“You tested them already?” The Hokage seemed pleased. “How did they fare?”

 

“They passed stunningly, both my test of detail and the test of unity.” Kurenai beamed. “Naruto actually realized he was trapped before the girls did.”

 

“That still doesn't explain your reasoning.” Kakashi murmured. “Naruto has virtually no shinobi training.”

 

“Which is exactly why I claim he has the most potential. Naruto's lack of training makes him a perfect blank slate.” Kurenai explained. “Hinata and Ino have both been born and trained into their roles, but I think I can help them expand that. Naruto meanwhile may be molded into anything from a ranged jutsu fighter to a scout to-“

 

“I think you might be giving the boy too much credit,” Asuma said. “however I must admit the logic behind it is infallible.”

 

“And that,” The Hokage grinned broadly as he leaned back in his chair. “is exactly why I restructured the teams. While having a specialized team of trackers, for example, might be good for information gathering, scouts are not typically heavy fighters. As such, any information they may gather would be useless to us if it dies with them in the field.”

 

“In short you're worried that overspecialization will lead to their skills stagnating into predictable patterns?” Kakashi nodded at the Hokage's wisdom.

Kurenai took in this information. “It also forces them to adapt their styles into something they may not be immediately familiar with. Ino is a prime example, as she likely trained most of her life to become the next generation of InoShikaCho. Being forced to work with Hinata and Naruto will likely force her to think in a different way than she was trained.”

 

Asuma broke in at this point. “There's still one thing I don't understand.”

 

“Ah, yes. You want to understand the rooming arrangements, yes?” The venerable old leader puffed on his pipe a moment. “Kurenai, I believe your genin team had some concerns about this. Call them in please, so I may explain.”

 

The elder kunoichi nodded before moving to the door and beckoning her genin team in. The girls came first with Hinata supported unsteadily by Naruto, the former kept conscious by a nearly imperceptible motion by the latter. “I'm gonna sit on the far side of Ino. Put Hina on your other side and if she starts to faint I've been pinching her side.” Naruto spoke in a hurried whisper before slipping away from the kunoichi and taking his preplanned seat.

 

“With all due respect, Hokage-sama, why are the teams living together?” Ino asked respectfully.

 

“Yeah, old man,” Naruto chipped in. “We've never done that before.”

 

“Naruto-kun. You should show the Hokage some respect.” Hinata just barely managed to make herself heard.

 

“Louder next time Hina-chan.” He admonished the shy girl. “But I'll let it pass as you didn't stutter. As for respecting the Hokage…” He chuckled softly. “He may be the most powerful ninja in the village, but he's still as human as we are. Besides, everyone calls him Hokage-sama.” Naruto pulled a most grim and dour face with the use of the title, one that reminded Hinata far too much of her father Hiashi. “All day long, the poor man is reduced to a title. And worse still it's not even his own title. He's had to share it with a bunch of other Hokage's. While my chosen name may not be the most conventionally respectful, it lets Sarutobi-sama know that I'm talking to him, and not one of the faces on the mountain.” Naruto finished his explanation with a slight respectful bow.

 

The assembled ninja's pondered this reasoning a long moment before the Hokage spoke. “As you know other ninja villages have different customs than our own, obviously.” The wizened old man began. “Some of these customs are theoretically sound ways to allow teammates to form closer personal bonds that will aid them on mission. Others take a far darker twisted path…” The Hokage trailed off staring at nothing in particular.

 

Naruto grimaced at the pregnant silence that permeated the room. “So you want us to live together, so we'll be better teammates?”

 

“In part.” The old man lit his pipe. “I won't sugar coat things. As ninja, you are being trained to ultimately take another humans life.” The genin in front of him gasped. “While we have trained you in the skills to kill, we didn't exactly teach you the skills to live. Hopefully, living in an apartment together will teach you more normal skills.”

 

“With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I can't live with Naruto! He's clumsy, goofy, loud, he wears orange-“ Ino began ranting.

 

“One month.” Naruto said quietly.

 

The room came to a sudden halt. “What do you mean, one month?” The blonde kunoichi turned to her teammate in surprise.

 

“A deal. You live with me, the real me, for a month. If at the end of that month you still don't want me around, I'll see about getting my old apartment back and you only have to deal with me in a professional capacity.”

 

“I dunno…” The young mindwalker mused.

 

“I'll sweeten the deal.” Naruto said. “I need new clothes, and you're the only kunoichi whose fashion sense I trust. What do you say, you and me, shopping tomorrow?”

 

“Well… maybe.” Ino said hesitantly. “I don't really know how I feel about being alone with you.”

 

“We can make it a team effort, if that makes you more comfortable.” Naruto shrugged. “I wanna be a serious shinobi and I want you- all of you- to help me. Ino, you said in so many words that you didn't want my death on your hands. Well, I promised that I'd do the best I can to protect everyone, but I can't do that if I'm standing out like a target. If anything I'd be putting you all in danger, and I don't want your deaths on my hands either.”

 

Ino mused on the other blondes' words for a long while. “Kurenai sensei, how long until we can go on missions?”

 

The elder kunoichi smiled. “Well, since you three passed my test today, you are the first three man squad in your class to become an active genin team. As such, you could start taking appropriate missions as soon as tomorrow.”

 

“I think we may need to wait a day. Hinata and I have to help outfit our new teammate.” Naruto's grin split his face.

 

“Thank you, Ino-san.” Naruto said with a slight bow.

 

Ino took this moment for a bit of payback. “Naruto-kun, you may think this is mean, but I really think this is for your own good.” She smiled cheekily. “I forbid you from addressing me unless you call me Ino-chan.”

 

Naruto grinned as his own words were thrown back in his face. “Why Ino-chan, if I didn't know better I'd think you were offering to be my friend.”

 

“Well, we are going to be stuck together for at least a month. We might as well make the most of it.” The slender blonde said.

 

The elderly Hokage smiled mirthfully. “Well then, if there is nothing else, you are all free to go.”

 

Kurenai rose gracefully and beckoned her team forward with a slender hand. “Well, shall we meet the place that you will be calling home?”

 

A/N: Blah. I'm kinda disappointed in myself. This was really little more than a filler chapter, but it did explain the reasoning behind the seemingly haphazard team arrangements and experimental rooming conditions.

 

Let's see, onto other matters… Sasuke. People keep asking if Naruto is going to get strong and beat up Sasuke. While I have no great love for the power hungry, jutsu stealing bastard, I have to ask what reason Naruto would have to beat up him up in this story. Naruto's not competing with him for Sakura's attention, and since they're not on a team together our hero isn't trying to prove himself as a better shinobi, so there's really no reason for those two to even interact. Now as always if you can provide me with good logical reasoning as to why this should happen, I'll take it under advisement, but this is not a Sasuke bashing story.

 

Gender bending… I'm going to do my best to keep the characters in their representative genders, more or less. Kyuubi is rather vague because the manga depicts him/her as a fox, presumably male but not defined either way. Haku claims to be a boy but frankly I don't believe that much bishonen exists, therefore there will be a female Haku in my story. This will be the extent of my seemingly random permanent gender changes, and I will not be changing characters genders just so Naruto can get more girls in the sack. There will be no female Itatchi, Shino is not hiding bound breasts under that coat, and Kiba doesn't want Naruto to wrestle her to the ground and give her his puppies.

 

Next chapter is in my head, and I'm slowly wringing it out. Have faith.