The clang of blunted tanto meeting each other rang throughout the private training ground. The smaller combatant was giving it his best but against a practiced opponent, he was finding himself wanting. The pressure of the assault was unrelenting, suffocating and forbade any thought. He could only react and react and react, never open to taking the initiative. It was frustrating. Infuriating. It was… it was…
"Troublesome." Shikamaru said, as he rolled out of the way of the blade aimed at his neck, only to receive a kick to the ribs for his effort. He was in a simple outfit of black shirt and black pants, his chunin jacket long since discarded. The kick made him realize what a mistake that was. He continued his roll until he got back to his feet, to see his opponent already on him. It was with the barest of margins he was able to block
What the rookie chunin had not be prepared for was for his attacker's free hand to grab the wrist of the hand holding his tanto and slip into his guard. Before he could make sense of her movements, he was elbowed in the face, causing him to drop his weapon. Next, he felt his arm wrenched behind and above him, causing him to bend over as she kept his arm perfectly straight. He was not given time to dwell on the pain in his shoulder as a fist to the face dropped him to the ground.
"Troublesome." he said, rolling to his back.
"Getting your ass kicked generally is, sweetie." Yoshino said. Shikamaru had no response for this. He wanted to complain but he constantly reminded himself that he asked for this. He recalls how powerless he felt in the Forest of Death, how Naruto did his best to insure their safety and then willingly marched toward his doom. Shikamaru hated that feeling, his intellect was rendered a non-factor, irrelevant. Nothing he could think of would have helped in the slightest, that was the gap between Orochimaru and them so he watched as his teammate crossed swords with someone he had no hope of defeating, only to get stabbed in the end.
Now, with what is coming he knows he has to be more than he is. It isn't enough to be able to plan things twenty steps ahead against people that can blow up your strategies with overwhelming power and skill. He could have been forced to watch a teammate die and been no more useful than a blunted kunai. He resolved to never let that be the case again.
"You know what your problem is?" Yoshino asked. She was shocked when her son requested she help him train as she knew his father was handling his development in clan techniques but she was happy he seemed to be taking things more seriously. Seeing he wasn't going to answer she continued. "It's taking you to long to get where you need to be. You keep thinking you can warm up in a fight or flip a switch to get serious when you really need to. That might work as a genin, with a Jounin leading you and a jinchuuriki at your back. Not as a Chunin and certainly not in war.
You aren't going to get breaks to craft your next plan. You'll have to constantly be moving, fighting, defending while creating your intricate strategies."
"It's a drag but you're right. I'll have to think more like that troublesome redhead."
"What do you mean?" asked Yoshino.
"He's good at coming up with tactics on the fly."
"Not surprising, his parents were like that as well."
"You knew his parents?"
"Yes, but not well. His mother was teased a lot as a kid and kept her social circle small because of it so not a lot of us could say we knew her well and his father was extremely kind but also very private."
"Who was his father and does Naruto know?"
"I can't tell you and yes, he does."
"Troublesome."
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At the Aburame compound Shino was being watched by his father. The two stood in silence, the son continually stabbing his sais into the wood dummy and his father content to watch for flaws in his form. Shino started working on these for the Chunin Exam finals but his match with the puppeteer didn't lend itself to close quarters combat. He, too, lamented his inability to aid Naruto against the once traitor. A hive functions best when all can contribute to the embetterment of the whole but he was unable to do so. It left him with a feeling of shame.
His parents tried to tell him his feelings, while understandable, were illogical. He stood no chance of defeating the once traitor and could have done very little to alter the outcome. He'd acknowledged their words and the validity of their argument but it did little to quell his emotions. Naruto is strong, the strongest of the three of them. Neither he, nor Shikamaru would challenge that but their teammate has never lorded it over them; he never discounts their contributions or tries to invoke his seniority in an attempt to diminish them. He has relied on them, their skills and talents but when he needed them the most they were impotent.
Useless is something he'd never felt before and something he wishes to avoid ever feeling again. So, he resolved to better himself; to diversify his skill set while sharpening himself. He would not be the weak link, he would not be a spectator. But progress is a slow process, so for now, he'd simply focus on handling the weapons in his hands with every ounce of precision he could muster.
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She sometimes forgot when Asuma was properly motivated he was a damn good shinobi and somehow she'd managed to motivate him. They'd train and spar before he met his team for the day and she hadn't been pushed like that in some time. She wouldn't say she'd gotten lazy but she had gotten content, maintaining her skills instead of pushing. Jounin were the elite but even among them there were levels. She needed to be a legitimately elite Jounin, her students needed her to be so. Especially Naruto.
It was hard being his sensei, not because of what he contained. She wasn't a small minded fool but for reasons completely divorced from that. It was difficult to separate how he was on missions; calm, almost detached and focused, with the borderline shy nine year old that commissioned her to talk about genjutsu. She remembered how cute he was, his face still retaining his baby fat. He'd become a seasoned shinobi since then and it'd taken a bit for him to warm up to his team. When he finally did, she realized he was the same good natured boy just one that kid behind a facade to those he didn't trust.
Her second concern was simply, she wasn't sure how much she truly had to teach him. His chakra control was decent, excellent given his reserves, but not fine enough for genjutsu. She wasn't a ninjutsu type so had very little to offer someone that could use all five nature releases. Stealth? To some extent but his summons had taken care of a good portion of that. He was ready to be a Chunin when she got him and felt a little lost but they managed to figure it out.
Now, however, he was marked. By the Akatsuki and by Orochimaru. Kurenai was honest enough to know she'd be of minimal use against either threat as she was. Asuma understood her concern, he'd been around elite shinobi his entire life and understood feeling inadequate. He'd been helping her perfect his nature releases; fire and earth along with polishing up her taijutsu and kenjutsu as she hadn't wielded her kodachi in sometime.
She was also taking a page from Naruto's book, trying to create more original genjutsu, something people hadn't seen and couldn't just cast off. When it was time to remove the Akatsuki she promised herself she'd be ready and if she needed to fight Orochimaru to save her student, she'd be ready for that.
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He never questioned his Mistress, it was not his place. She spoke her will and he carried it out. Theirs was a simple relationship. However, when he first laid eyes on the redhead she was so taken with, he had to admit he was filled with doubts, concerns that said boy was not worth his Mistress's attention. As if she knew, she arranged for them to spar and while he never took opponents lightly he still held little hope for the boy.
Kimimaro could admit when he'd been wrong and he misjudged this Naruto. The spar started with taijutsu and the smaller boy quickly learned not to kick someone with the Dead Bone Pulse in the leg, though he recovered quickly. The exchanges were fast, both boys using agility, reaction time and spacing to deflect and slip their blows. Kimimaro initially disregarded the other boy's tactic of kicking him in the calf, instead of the outside of the leg that typical leg kicks targeted. That is, until he started to slow down and wasn't able to put as much pressure on his legs.
The boy had been wearing him down, the accumulated damage had taken its toll but even still, Kimimaro had gotten the better of their fight. Naruto was worse off, a bloody lip is all that remained of the visible damage as his bruises healed swiftly but he was breathing heavily. Kimimaro admitted to himself that Naruto was a tank, taking hits some of the Sound Five couldn't endure and keep going. A small part of him was having fun, curious what an all out fight between the two would look like.
Orochimaru-sama called a short break before she had them engage with kenjutsu and Kimimaro saw immediately that the redhead was a much better swordsman as he pushed the older boy in what he, Kimimaro, would consider his best skill. The duel was fast but Kimimaro could tell Naruto was attempting to incorporate some new elements, it hadn't been quite mastered yet but when it was the Uzumaki would be a nightmare. His speed and power were excellent but his, nascent, ability to transition from a downward slash to a thrust to a horizontal slash with just a change in his grip and wrist movement was impressive. Once mastered he'd flow through defenses as he'd either be too fast or too hard to predict for most to stop his offense.
Once Orochimaru called a halt to their fight, she informed them this would be a daily occurence until the month was over and Kimimaro went back to Oto. Both boys acknowledged her words and Kimimaro was dismissed for the day, choosing to shower, change and then explore the village for a bit. While Naruto impressed him, he doubted most of the rest of this trash would.
The village was too open for him, the general mood didn't seem befitting of a shinobi village. Civilians all about, concerned about very little and generally in the way; as far as he was concerned. Kimimaro wasn't used to this kind of atmosphere. Oto only had people who were of use to his Orochimaru-sama and before that he spent his time in a cell, like an animal. He had to stop himself from thinking about his time with his clan, it always angered him and anger would do him no good. They were all dead so it didn't matter.
As he traversed the village he started to notice a shadow tailing him. Deciding against playing coy, he called it out to see a panther cub emerge and trot up to him.
"Hi!"
"Why are you following me?"
"Onii-chan said you might want some company since you didn't know anyone and Konoha residents can be jerks."
"The trash of this village does not concern me." he said before turning around and continuing his walk and noticed the cub walked right alongside him. "You can return to your summoner."
"I'm good." she said, not taking the hint. Kimimaro relented, figuring she'd be content to travel in silence.
"Ne?" he was wrong.
"Yes?"
"What do you do for fun?"
"Fun? I'm a warrior, I don't concern myself with fun."
"That's stupid." the cub said.
"That is not stupid, it is dedication."
"Onii-chan is dedicated and he still has fun. He plays ninja with some village kids and myself."
"The Uzumaki is not without skill but he'd be better if he spent that time training."
"Pfft, he could totally kick your ass in a real fight." she said and then looked panicked when Kimimaro shot her a glare. He assumed it was the glaring that caused her reaction.
"Don't tell nii-chan I said a bad word, ok?" He was wrong again.
"I'll consider it." He said, causing the summons to relax. He was curious why she was so concerned with the Uzumaki finding out about her word choice but decided it was of little concern.
"We should get some lunch, I know the perfect place."
"Fine." Kimimaro said and followed the cub to a small stand, that served ramen. He learned the cub's name was Mageela and she apparently came to the stand a lot, enough to have a tab and be known by the chefs. Teuchi and Ayame were some of the few people to treat Naruto decently so he ate at the stand a lot, as a consequence Mageela did as well. They didn't even hesitate to feed nor speak with her as if were an everyday occurrence. He paid little attention to the exchange until the expressive cub called him her "onii-chan's new friend". If he were one to do so, he would have snorted. He could respect the Uzumaki but friends? Juugo was his only friend, he didn't see the need in another however the ramen chefs seemed excited and offered him a free bowl in thanks.
Their gratitude mirrored Juugo's own and Kimimaro was curious why it was of note that he'd be friends with, though he wasn't, the redhead. Granted, he knew very little of the Uzumaki's life, he never considered asking and assumed his Mistress would give him all the information he needed. Now, he was curious. He offered to pay for the meal but the chefs declined, saying Naruto leaves a balance in case Mageela stops by so it was covered. He decided to return, having seen enough of the village and the small summons was right beside him.
Letting his curiosity get the better of him, Kimimaro was forced to ask, "Why did those chefs find it noteworthy I'm friends with Naruto?"
"The villagers weren't very nice to him, many still aren't. They treat him like he isn't there or, at the very least, like they wish he weren't. Almost no one wanted to befriend him so he was alone a lot before he joined us panthers. Then he was happy because he had friends."
'Interesting' Kimimaro thought but said nothing else as the pair walked back to the manor.