Chapter 10: Rookie Life Arc

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or there would be more canon and less filler.

Playing the Role of the Byakugan Princess

Rookie Life Arc

Chapter ten

As I walk into the classroom for the last time, I gaze around at my surroundings. Even though I have been coming to this same room for the past two years, it appears different to me today. Maybe it is because I am about to embark on a journey in my life or that my classmates now has forehead protectors wrapped somewhere on the bodies, all just as ready to become Genin as I am. Except, only nine out of the twenty-seven of us actually become Genin while the rest get sent back to the Academy for another year of studying or permanently banned for ever becoming a Shinobi if they are terrible enough. To be honest, my classmates never had a fair chance to even become Shinobi since my class is known to have most of the major's clan future heirs and heiress. We are just naturally talented at birth and trained as soon as we can walk. Sorry canon fodder civilian children.

Since I see that Naruto is not here yet, I decide to sit beside Sasuke. I have not seen or spoke to him since yesterday morning because he just suddenly disappeared on us. I am a little curious as to where he went. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun," I greet him as I take Naruto's seat.

"Hn," Sasuke grunts, not bothering to look at me.

"Are you excited to find who your team is?" I ask, ignoring his lack of response. "It would be pretty cool to have all three of us on the same team! We would be unstoppable! Though, I do not know how you and Naruto-kun would fare with working as a team since you two tend to butt heads so easily. Perhaps our new squad leader will fix that problem and-"

"Alright, fine! Good morning!" Sasuke snaps, giving me an evil look. Heh, I knew if I ramble on long enough I would get his attention.

"Where did you run off to after the exams yesterday?" I question. "We waited around for you outside, but you never showed up."

"I didn't get the memo that we were suppose to meet up," Sasuke says in his usual deadpan voice.

Ugh, smartass. "Just humor me and answer my question, please," I plead.

Sasuke rests his elbows on the desk and presses his fingers together up to his chin. "It isn't any of your concern where I was."

I give a fretful glance and decide to drop the subject. I can sense that whatever he did yesterday he does not want to talk about right now. If he really wants for me or Naruto to know something, he will tell us on his own accord. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but I know Sasuke will come around and tell us eventually of his whereabouts yesterday. He usually just doesn't run off on his own like that, especially without tell one of us, so I get the feeling whatever he was doing was important to him. I will just have to warn Naruto when I see him to not push the topic on Sasuke.

"But, I agree with you," Sasuke suddenly says, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It wouldn't be so bad to be on a team with you and the dobe. You two are probably the only ones that I will be able to tolerate and who I don't find annoying."

I sigh. "It isn't wise to be thinking like that," I warn him. "What are you going to do if Naruto-kun or I do not end up on a team with you? You can't just ignore your teammates." I am mainly just speaking for Sakura.

"As long as they stay out of my way and are not a nuisance, I will be fine," Sasuke tells me nonchalantly.

I roll my eyes. "That isn't a good mindset to have, but I can't force you to think otherwise."

Sasuke smirks. "You worry about me and dobe too much."

I dramatically throw my hands up in the air. "Have you two met yourselves? You two have never given me any reason not to. Yesterday is a perfect example!"

Sasuke drops his smirk. "Don't throw me on the same level as him. That was his doings."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun. Whatever you say," I tell him in a sing-song tone that causes him to deepen his frown in annoyance.

"Hey guys!" Naruto hollars, springing up out of nowhere. He locks his eyes on Sasuke. "Where were you yesterday, teme? You missed everything! Hinata-chan and I-" I shoot Naruto a "shut up" look and he covers his mouth.

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. "What are you going on about now?"

I wave my hand. "Oh, nothing!" I reply as Sasuke rolls his eyes. The Third ordered us to not say anything to anybody about what happened until they can find out Mizuki's motives for wanting to betray the village and steal the scroll. Naruto being Naruto, it seems that must have slipped his mind.

"Sorry, I forgot," Naruto whispers into my ear as we move around each other to change seats.

I shrug. "I figured. It is fine," I tell him.

Naruto spends the next few minutes telling us about his adventures this morning with a kid he met named Konohamaru. Iruka walks into the room with a clipboard in his hand and stands in front of us. "Good morning, everyone!" he greets. "I am going to be speaking to you all for only a few minutes before I call the three-man squads. As of today, you are all Shinobi. You all have faced difficult trials and hardships to get to this point. But, that's nothing because what is coming next will be far more difficult. You are only Genin, first level Shinobi. Each Genin will be placed into three-man squads and each squad will be assigned a Jounin, an elite Shinobi, as your leader. They will come in and meet you guys really soon."

Naruto points at me and Sasuke. "I hope all three of us are on a squad together! We would totally be the best and kick ass!"

"Be the best? You will probably only slow us down," Sasuke taunts as Naruto glares at him with flames flickering in his eyes.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Don't get him started," I complain.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities," Iruka explains. "That is how we set them up." He lifts up the clipboard. "I will now announce the squads."

As Iruka begins to list off the first six teams that will never become Shinobi, I allow my mind to wander in boredom. I already how this is going to play out. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura will be on a team together since they will be able to help one another improve and their grades and abilities balances the team out. I stopped tutoring Naruto during our fourth year because "he finally got it", but the kid's homework and exam grades said otherwise so I am pretty sure he's still dead last. I will be on Team Eight with Kiba and Shino because of our tracking abilities and Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji will be on Team Ten because of their diversion abilities. While I would rather be on a team with Sasuke and Naruto, at least I made Naruto a little smarter, Sasuke a slightly better teammate with my friendship, and Sakura more focused on her training. They will become a better team this time around!

"Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Yamanaka Ino!" Iruka calls out.

I widen my eyes and snap my head towards Ino who is cheering loudly. "Yay! I get to be on a team with Sasuke-kun! Take that Billboard Brow!"

"Shut it, Ino-Pig!" Sakura shouts, slamming her fist on her desk.

Naruto turns to Sasuke. "Hey! It looks like we will be on the same team after all!" He glances over sadly at me. "Sorry, Hinata-chan."

Why? Why? Why is Ino on the same team as Naruto and Sasuke?! I even taught Sakura to dial down her love for Sasuke just so he can tolerate her! Did Ino end up ranking higher than Sakura after all? But, that's impossible! This shouldn't even be happening right now! Ino's abilities doesn't match up with Naruto's and Sasuke's! She is an intelligent girl like Sakura, but that is all that I can think of. What the hell is going on right now?

"Team Eight: Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji, and Inuzuka Kiba!"

I almost jump up out of my chair in protest. I am suppose to be on Team Eight! Not Choji! He doesn't have any tracking specialties! That's suppose to be my spot! And, why is it an all guys team? That's really uncommon. What team am I on then? I better not end up on a canon fodder team! This is getting ridiculous!

"Team Ten: Haruno Sakura, Hyūga Hinata, and Nara Shikamaru!"

I give up. I am stumped. I do not understand what is going on nor do I get how I am compatible with those two. Plus, there is two females on the same team. That is rare! Did I do something to change all of this? I tried my best not to. The only I did was became friends with Sasuke and Naruto and improved them and Sakura in different areas. That shouldn't have changed anything as drastic as this. I wonder if the team's Jounin leader changed as well. Ughhhh. At least I ended up on a relevant team.

"What's wrong, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asks. "You don't seem happy. Do you not like your new teammates? I know Shikamaru is lazy as hell, but Sakura-chan is pretty cool!" Of course you think that. You have a major crush on her!

I throw on a fake smile. "No, I am fine," I lie. "I was just thinking." Naruto shrugs while Sasuke gives me an odd look. Crap, he know I'm lying. Oh, well. I don't have to tell him crap since he doesn't want to tell me where he was yesterday.

"Okay!" Iruka says. "That is all the teams! I would like for you all to go sit with your new teammates to acquaint yourselves until your squad leaders come get you."

As I get up, Ino practically pushes me aside and crawls over Naruto, knocking him out of his seat. "Sasuke-kun! Aren't you glad we are on a team together?" she asks, wrapping her arms around his neck and winking at him.

"Will you get off of me?!" Sasuke growls as Ino continues to coo in his ear.

I would have been laughing at the whole scene if Ino had not knocked Naruto out of his own seat. She didn't even apologize! I can already tell how she is going to treat Naruto. At least Sakura, in the beginning from what I can remember, wasn't that bad towards him! Was Ino always this bad? I know she is a loud girl, but I never thought she was this rude. I glance down at Naruto who has gotten up and is brushing himself off. "What's so great about Sasuke that you had to go and do that for?" Naruto asks, narrowing his eyes at Ino.

Ino rolls her eyes. "Shut up and leave us alone, Naruto!"

"Why should I leave you alone when you're in my seat?" Naruto asks. "Besides, Iruka-sensei told us to seat together."

"Well, sit in the other seat and stay quiet!" Ino snaps.

Okay, that's it. That bitch is not going to treat Naruto like that! I open my mouth to say something, but Sasuke beats me to it. "Actually, why don't you be quiet?" Sasuke says, removing Ino's arm away from his neck and lightly shoving it away.

Ino's face drops. "Sasuke-kun, why are you saying that?"

Sasuke glares at her. "Because you're annoying. That's why."

Oh, shit! You go Sasuke! Naruto frowns. "That was a little harsh, don't ya think?" he scolds. There's Naruto always being the nice guy when Ino was just mean as hell to him.

I decide to take this moment to step away from the awkward and tense situation and find my teammates. I notice that Sakura is already sitting near Shikamaru in the front so I go over to meet them. Sakura sees me and smiles. "Hey, Hinata!" she greets.

I sit down in the empty seat between Sakura and a sleeping Shikamaru. "Is he really taking a nap?" I ask, giggling.

Sakura nods as she crosses her arms in annoyance. "Why did we end up with a lazy person like that on our team for anyways?"

"Why did I have to end up on a team with two girls?" Shikamaru asks back lazily as he raises his head up and yawns.

Sakura shoots her eyebrows up. "What is that suppose to mean?! Argh, I thought you were sleeping!"

Shikamaru yawns once more and narrows his eyes. "I'm trying, but you never shut up."

Sakura clenches her fist as I roll my eyes. I forgot how Shikamaru's thoughts are towards girls, especially when he has to fight them. "Can you two not argue?" I ask. I get enough of that from Naruto and Sasuke.

"Yeah, whatever," Shikamaru replies. "Oh, by the way, thanks for waking me up last night."

I blink as I stare at him in confusion. "Um, I didn't wake you up," I tell him.

Shikamaru sighs. "I'm being sarcastic. You didn't wake me up before you left and, in return, that made me arrive home late and I received an earful from my mom. Do you know how troublesome that woman is?"

I smirk in response. I do feel slightly guilty since his mother sounds like a very overbearing and strict woman. I do not remember her much from the anime/manga, but I do remember Shikamaru complaining about her alot. "From the sounds of it, I can guess very," I say.

"Exactly. She was not happy and I had to stay up half the night listening to her nag. That's why I am so tired," Shikamaru explains, yawning again for measure.

"You're always tired," Sakura mumbles under her breath.

Well, this isn't how I wanted to start off with my new team. Sakura and Shikamaru is already annoyed with each other and Shikamaru seems annoyed with me for not waking him up last night. How was I supposed to know to wake him up? He naps all the damn time! On top of that, he doesn't seem to thrilled to have two females on his team. I'm so excited to listen to all the complaining he's going to do and all the angry outbursts Sakura is going to have. Not. I would say that I hate you destiny, but then I would be pulling a Neji.

The classroom door opens up and everybody grows quiet as a few Jounin walk in. Out of the small group, I only recognize Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yūhi. Either one of them could be my new sensei. Asuma is originally Team Ten's squad leader. However, Kurenai took a great interest in Hinata in the anime/manga. One by one, each Jounin calls out their team and the classroom population begins to decrease with each callout. Finally, Asuma steps forward and clears his throat.

"Team Ten! How about you all come with me and we grab some lunch and get to know each other?" Asuma suggests. He blows out some smoke from his cigarette and winks. "My treat." Sakura, Shikamaru, and I exchange glances before getting up and following him out of the room. So, it seems like he is still Team Ten's leader after all. At least something stayed the same. That means Kurenai is still going to be with Team Eight and Kakashi is going to waltz in late and claim Team Seven while getting pranked by Naruto.

No one says a word as we leave the Academy and walk through the village. After a few minutes, we go into a restaurant named Yakiniku Q and sit down at a large green-seated booth with all three of us sitting on one side while Asuma sits on the other. This place is known for its bbq and for having their customers cook their own food over a charcoal brazier, but we decided to sit at a table today. I am not too crazy over bbq, but if Asuma is paying than I am not going to complain. A waitress quickly comes up to us, takes our order, and walks off. Asuma takes that moment after she leaves to stare at the each of us and arches an eyebrow.

"You sure are a lively bunch," he says, sarcastically.

"We didn't exactly start out on the right foot," I admit, shifting my eyes over to my new teammates.

Asuma sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Great. That's good to hear. Well, you better start off on the left foot then because you three are a team now and will be spending a lot of time together," he tells us. Ugh, don't remind me. "Since this is our first meeting, I think we should take this time to get to know each other better."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asks.

"How about the basics such as your likes and dislikes? Maybe even throw in a dream for the future if you want," Asuma replies. Man, does everybody in this universe use that as an icebreaker? The waitress comes back with our drinks and Asuma takes a sip from his sake. He's going to need more than one bottle of sake to keep his insanity with this team. "Who would like to start first?"

"I will," Sakura volunteers. "My name is Haruno Sakura! I like studying and training genjutsu, shopping, being with my friends, and Sasuke-kun!" She slightly blushes as she says his name. "My dislikes are Ino-pig… grrr." Flames spark in her eyes as she mentions her name. Damn, she's a very expressive person. "My dream is to become a strong kunoichi and to be with Sasuke-kun!"

"Do you ever think about anything besides Sasuke?" Shikamaru scoffs.

"Do you do anything besides complain and sleep?" Sakura snaps back.

"Since you spoke up, why don't you go next?" Asuma asks, addressing Shikamaru.

"Fine," Shikamaru sighs. "The name is Nara Shikamaru. I like playing Go and Shogi, napping, watching clouds, and my friends. I dislike anything troublesome. My dream is nothing to spectacular. Just to grow up, get married to a woman that isn't too ugly or attractive, have two kids, a girl first then a boy, and grow old and die before my wife."

Asuma sweatdrops and chuckles. "That's a… very specific dream you have."

Shikamaru shrugs. "Might as well think it out now before it becomes a hassle in the future."

"Alright," Asuma says, looking over at me. "You're turn."

"Okay!" I say. "My name is Hyūga Hinata! I like training, my friends and family, reading, cinnamon buns, and exploring nature. My dislikes are rude and stuck up people and salads. My dream is to become a strong, kind, and respected Head of the Hyūga clan one day!" And to change its ways, but nobody needs to know that just yet.

Asuma nods. "It seems, based off your answers, that you each are your own unique individual with a lot of potential. This is going to be an interesting team." In other words, we are a team of different personalities that will always clash and we will probably make you want to pull your hair out. And, when I mean we, I mean Shikamaru and Sakura.

"Tell us about yourself now, sensei," Sakura insists. "We told you about us yet we don't know nothing about you.

"Hmmm, let's see here," Asuma ponders. "My name is Sarutobi Asuma and I am the son of the Sandaime Hokage. My likes are a good smoke, training, Shogi, and soba with tororo. My dislikes are asparagus and those who do not work hard or cheat. My dream is to make you guys the best Shinobis that you can be!" He gives us a smile as he says that.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Is that really your only goal?" he asks.

Asuma shrugs and puts a toothpick in his mouth. "Why not? I have achieved a lot of dreams in my lifetime. This is just my current one at the moment. It seems like I found myself a new Shoji partner though!"

Shikamaru smirks. "Heh, I guess so," he replies. And, that is how Shikamaru became Asuma's favorite student. The End.

"So, when do we start our first mission?" I ask. I want the topic of the Genin Exams to be brought up already since I know we aren't going on missions right off the bat.

"We have to do a survival training exercise first before any of you can think about going on a mission," Asuma tells me.

"Oh, so you're wanting to prepare us before we actually start going on missions?" Sakura questions, trying to understand the concept. "So we don't get blindsided?"

"I guess you can think of it like that," Asuma says. He shakes his head. "But, not exactly. I am going to be testing you three to see if you really are capable of becoming Genin."

"But, we did that by taking and passing the Graduation Exams," Sakura explains, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "I don't understand what you mean."

Asuma breaks out a cigarette and takes a long puff before responding. "Ehh, you guys are not going to like to hear this," he begins. "But, that exam was just to see if you know the basics of becoming a Shinobi. This test will prove to me if you really are capable of becoming one. Out of the twenty-seven of you that passed, only nine of you are actually allowed to become Genin. Meaning you have a 33% chance of passing!"

Sakura spits out of drink as Shikamaru widens his eyes in surprise. I let out a gasp of my own so I do not stand out. "What? Are you kidding me?" Shikamaru exclaims. "We have to take another exam? Oh, man. What a drag!"

"If we fail, what happens?" Sakura asks.

Asuma sighs and crosses his arms. "If you do not meet my standards, then you will be sent back to the Academy for another year," he tells us nonchalantly. "If you guys really do bad, I can choose to ban you guys forever becoming Shinobi." I like how he says this so laid back, like he doesn't really care.

Realizing I haven't given a shocked outburst yet, I decide it is my turn now. "Why weren't we warned about this before?"

"It is part of being a Shinobi. We don't always know everything," Asuma says. He finishes off his sake, slams it onto the table, and throws us an enthusiastic look. "Alright! Why don't we go ahead and start our exam now?"

Wait! Now? I thought it wouldn't be until tomorrow morning! I was going to prepared for it! Damnit. Why do I keep getting all these surprises thrown at me today?

An hour later, we all find ourselves in the Sixth Training Grounds. It is a pretty wooded area, compared to the Third Training Ground, though there is a tiny clearing in the middle where we are standing at right now. Asuma walks over to a random tree at the edge of the clearing, pulls out a huge roll of beige tape, and begins to create a large square in front of it. Shikamaru, Sakura, and I exchange puzzled looks as he did this. What the hell is he doing? Is this part of our exam? Asuma puts the tape back in his pocket and stands in the center of his newly created tape square.

"The objective of the Genin Exam I am about to give you is fairly simple," he tells us. He points down at the ground. "You three have an half an hour to get me out of this square. I want you to give it your all and do not hold back. I promise that none of you will be able to harm me." He smirks as he says that.

Sakura frowns. "I can't tell if he is just that confident in himself or if he is insulting our skills," she mumbles to herself.

"What happens if we are not able to get you out of the square within the time limit?" I ask. I don't think thirty minutes is enough time given he is more experienced than us. Even if it is three against one, he's a freaking Jounin and we are only Genin!

Asuma shrugs. "Then, you will fail."

"Way to be vague," Shikamaru scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"He's right!" Sakura protests. "Does that mean we get sent back to the Academy or-"

Asuma cute Sakura by pulling out a pocket watch and setting a timer. "Your exam starts now!" he calls out, clasping his hands together as a large screen of smoke appears.

I take that moment to retreat into the more wooded area and run up the thickest part of a tree for shelter. I quickly activate my Byakugan to scan the area for Sakura and Shikamaru. I sense that Sakura is lying under a shrub on the ground just a few feet from my left while Shikamaru is crouched down behind a bush to my right. Great, at least they were smart enough to hide during the smoke attack. Now, it is time to think of a plan. The smoke that Asuma created clears up and I see him turn his head.

"I'm impressed!" he hollers. "You've three seem to have hidden yourselves pretty well!" Nobody dares to respond back as Asuma leans back against the tree and lights up a cigarette as he closes his eyes.

Okay, what should I our next step be. Obviously, we have to work as a team. That's one of the main reasons why these three man squads was formed. Shinobi, most of the time, never go on missions alone because it would be too dangerous. I really can't think of a plan alone without my other teammates presence, especially when one of them is a natural born strategist and has probably already formed at least twenty moves in his head. I need to be able to group them up without getting heard by Asuma and give away my location. While I think I'm being quite, Asuma is way more experienced than us and his ears will catch me in a heartbeat. I need to create a diversion that will distract him long enough for me to grab Sakura and meet over with Shikamaru. I hope this works!

I hold up a hand sign and a Shadow Clone appears beside of me. Being a part of me, it already knows my thoughts without me explaining it to her. The Shadow Clone nods at me before dashing off to my left. If my Shadow Clone pops out of a different spot than where I am at, Asuma shouldn't be able to notice where I am hiding. My clone hops over a few trees before bursting out of one and makes her way towards Asuma. With my extended vision, I notice Shikamaru and Sakura tense up at the sight of my clone. They must think I'm a dumbass for attacking head on since they do not know it is not really me. I better hurry and come to them before they react to join me my clone. Asuma's eyes snap open as he focuses his attention on my Shadow Clone and I take that opportunity to grab Sakura. I silently jump off the tree to land on the ground and begin to make my way over to Sakura's position as I sense my clone get into my usual fighting stance.

I approach Sakura and wrap my hand over her mouth so she doesn't make any sudden sound or movement from my sudden appearance next to her. Her body jerks in surprise as she spins her head to look at me and gives me a crazy look as I put a finger up to my lips. She nods in understanding as I motion for her to follow me and we take off over to Shikamaru. At this point, my clone is attacking Asuma now to attempt to lure him out of the box as he effortlessly dodges her attacks. He seems to saying something to her, probably taunts, but I do not pay too much attention. When we find Shikamaru, he does not seem as surprised as Sakura was when I find her. We stay crouched down as Sakura and I crawl over to him and form a small circle.

"I wondered when you two were going to show up," Shikamaru whispers so we aren't heard.

Sakura narrows her eyebrows. "Are you really that lazy to come look for us?" she hisses.

Shikamaru sighs. "Don't start. With Hinata's eyesight, I already knew she would come search for us." He flicks his eyes over at me. "Good idea on distracting Asuma, but when did you learn to create Shadow Clones?"

"That story is for another time," I tell him. "Right now, we need to think of a plan to get him out of that square."

Shikamaru smirks. "Already thought of one," he admits.

Sakura gasps. "What? That fast?"

Shikamaru nods. "Yep," he replies. "Hinata, get rid of your clone now so Asuma doesn't get too suspicious and figures out your bluff."

I obey and poof away my clone as Asuma appears slightly startled from the action. He quickly recovers and smiles. "A decoy, huh?" he says, but nothing more. He rests his body against the tree again and closes his eyes to finish off his cigarette.

"Now that he knows that was only just a distraction, I need to tell you the plan before he pulls something on us," Shikamaru says to us. That is true. Asuma never said that he wouldn't attack back. He can throw a kunai at us any second if he pinpoints our location. As Shikamaru spends the next few minutes going over his idea, Sakura and I lean in to listen carefully. Boy, this kid is smart! I would have never thought of such a detailed plan so quickly. Sakura and I throw in our own ideas and a few make the cut. "Okay, do you two understand?"

"Yes," Sakura and I reply at the same time.

"Alright, let's do this!"

I create two Shadow Clones this time and have then go after Asuma as a distraction once more while the three of us distance ourselves a little bit without being spotted. Asuma opens his eyes again to see my clones and grins. "So, two against one this time, huh?" he asks as he dodges an incoming strike. I'm hoping he thinks it is actually me fighting along side with my Shadow Clone while we set up for our plan.

I hop onto a branch as the other two got into their positions and stood still, waiting for the correct time to pass. 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1! On cue, three clones on Sakura and two clones of Shikamaru emerge out of random places from the forest and begin to charge towards Asuma. He does not take his eyes off my Shadow Clones as he pulls out a handful of shuriken and hurls them at the clones. The clones instantly disappear as they get hit and a second wave of clones run in to take their place.

Asuma shakes his head as he throws more shuriken. "You have to do more than spam clones to get me out of this square!" he hollers as he sees a third wave of clones coming at him.

He tosses another around of shuriken and then pulls out a kunai and stabs one of my Shadow Clones in the shoulder, causing it to go up in smoke. Asuma turns to attack my second Shadow Clone when he averts his eyes over to his side as he notices a stray Sakura clone jumping towards him that he seemed to have missed. He raises his kunai to strike as I see Sakura lift one finger from her hiding spot. Her illusionary clone suddenly explodes into a cloud of cherry blossom petals. Asuma narrows his eyes in confusion as I take this brief moment to throw a kunai attached to some wire towards his head. As the pink mist clears up, Asuma notices my kunai at the last moment and barely ducks. I quickly wrap the wire around a branch as the kunai sticks into the tree behind Asuma.

As Asuma stands back up, I give him no time to rest as I hurl another kunai towards him. As I did so, I jump out of my position and start to sprint after him, sending chakra in my feet for speed. Asuma eyes lock on me and the incoming kunai. He take that opportunity to grab my Shadow Clone to use as a shield from the kunai. Damnit! I was not expecting him to do that! My clone dissipates into thin air as I push forward, extending my palm out to strike. He holds up his arm to block my attack as I spin around and aim at his shoulder. He sidesteps me and I twirl on my toes and went after him again. He and I dance around each other for a few moments when I sense a shadow of chakra making its way towards us by ground. Acting like I am coming at him once more, I, instead, flip over him and run up the tree behind him for coverage. Asuma begins to glance around as his surroundings and becomes aware of the shadow crawling in his direction. He prepares to jump when the shadow suddenly stops in its tracks about ten feet away and retracts back to his owner.

Asuma chuckles. "Not only does that seem to be your limit, but I know where you are at now, Shikamaru!"

Asuma flings a kunai to Shikamaru as I see him crouch down to evade it. Asuma peers his head up at me, weaves a few hand signs, and slightly parts his lips. A small yet strong gust of wind expels out and begins to tear the tree a part. I cross my arms as leaves and branches swirl around me, some cutting me in the process. Not being able to handle the gust any longer, I just down from the tree and away from Asuma. As I land, three more illusionary clones from Sakura zoom past me. When they reached a certain length, they stop and explode again, creating another cloud of cherry blossom petals. Except, this time around, the mist is thicker since it was more clones. Not being able to see that clearly, Asuma weaves the same hand signs again to get rid of the mist but I have other plans. Being able to see better than him thanks to my Byakugan, I dash through the pink cloud and make contact with his stomach. He stumbles backwards and suddenly disappears, a log lying in his place. Crap! Asuma appears behind me and I turn around just in time to block a punch. He reaches out to hit me again, but freezes on the spot.

I sigh in relief as Shikamaru walks slowly out of the woods, trailing behind a long shadow that has connected itself to Asuma. "Shadow Possession Jutsu, complete!" he casually says.

"So, that was a bluff of yours earlier," Asuma says, looking amused.

Shikamaru shakes his head, causing Asuma to do the same. "Yes and no," he replies. "While it was a bluff, that is furthest it can naturally go. However…" He jams his thumb over to the barely visible string just above him. "This little thing helped extend my shadow to reach you."

"I see that you all like to use distractions and decoys to capture your prey," Asuma points out. "Not too bad."

Shikamaru smirks. "Now, it is time for us to pass this test."

He starts moving to his left, forcing Asuma to do the same. Yes! We actually outsmarted Asuma! Asuma edges closer to the tape and raises his foot to step over it, when he suddenly stops. He glances up at Shikamaru, smirks back, and begins to effortlessly move back to the center of the square, resisting the jutsu. Damn, I forgot how weak Shikamaru is at this point compared to Asuma is right now. Shikamaru tenses up his body as he uses all his strength to pull Asuma back towards the edge, but Asuma is overpowering him.

"Plan B!" Shikamaru shouts.

I hold two fingers downward as a signal and Sakura reveals herself and runs over to join us. She instantly follows my lead as I jump towards Asuma and aim to strike the chakra pathways in his legs to prevent him from moving while Sakura wraps her arms from his waist to physically stop him. Plan B is to restrain Asuma in anyway if something were to go wrong with the Shadow Possession Jutsu. I didn't think we would have needed to phase into this plan since Plan A, to distract him, was going so well for us! My palm is only inches away from his leg when my ears hear the dreaded sound of a timer going off. What the hell?! Has it really been an half and hour already? I stop my attack on the spot as Sakura lets go of Asuma while Shikamaru regretfully releases his jutsu. Asuma pulls out his timer to stop the sound. Great, we failed the exam. Hopefully, there is some underlying meaning to the exam, such as showing great teamwork like Kakashi's for example, and he passes us.

The three of us gather in front of our sensei as he narrows his eyebrows in disappointment. "You three have failed my exam!" Asuma tells us, placing both hands on his hips. Well, all hopes down the drain. He really seems disappointed in us. But, I am not going back to that Academy! No way, no way!

"What does that mean?" I ask, trying to stay calm. "You really didn't explain into detail earlier, when I asked, what would happen if we failed."

Asuma arches an eyebrow. "I have already told you what would happen if you didn't meet my standards," he replies. "You will fail and go back to the Academy." I avert my eyes. He seems serious. Is he really going to send us back?

Shikamaru frowns. "She never mentioned anything about meeting your standards," he says. "She is only asking about if we failed. We already know what will happen if we didn't meet your standards. You told us at lunch. You never told us exactly what would happen if we didn't complete the exam within the time limit. All you said is that we would fail. That could mean anything!"

I glance over at Shikamaru and it clicks. Woah, he's sharp. "Yeah, he's right!" I add. "It could mean anything! It could mean you will allow us to take the test over, give us a different one, or be actually sending us back to the Academy!"

"How come you keep avoiding the question, sensei?" Sakura asks.

We all stare intensely at him as he stares about at us with the same intensity. Dude, I will win this staredown! My veiny eyes are not a pretty sight to look at for long periods of time. Finally, Asuma speaks. "Alright, I will answer your question this time with more detail." I hold my breath as he ponders for a moment. "While you guys did fail, the only way for you to truly fail is if you didn't meet my standards and prove your worth to me. Which doesn't mean sending you back to the Academy, it means banning you from ever becoming a Shinobi!"

All three of us widen our eyes in shock. For him to mention that, did we not succeed? Were we really that bad? I thought we did pretty well for rookies. "So, did we meet your standards or what?" Shikamaru questions.

"What do you think?" Asuma questions back. Ugh, enough with the talking in circles crap!

The three of us exchange glances, not knowing what to say at first. "I think… no. I believe we did," I tell him.

"You do, huh?" Asuma asks.

I nod as Shikamaru and Sakura give me puzzled looks. I give an encouraging one back. "First off, we worked really well as a team, despite never working together before. I don't know about the other students in our class, but we quickly figured out the main reason as to why we are put into three man squads to begin with."

"Even though it is three against one," Sakura chimes in. "You are a whole lot stronger than us, even if you were confined into a small spot. It would have been stupid for any of us to attack you head on and alone."

"That is why we got together and came up with a plan to keep you off your guard since we can't overpower you and force you out of the square," Shikamaru explains.

I smile at the both of them. I am glad they are checking on to what I am saying. We are a pretty intelligent team. Maybe that is why we ended grouped together. Asuma doesn't say anything for a moment. Then, a small smile makes an appearance on his head and he closes his eyes. "You three pass!" he informs us.

I gape at him, not sure what I just heard was real or not. "W-we passed?" I repeated.

Asuma opens his eyes and nods. "You sure did!"

"So, we really did meet your standards?" Sakura asks in disbelief.

"You actually exceeded them!" Asuma tells us, causing all three of us to break into a huge grin. That is reassuring to hear. "While you technically failed, what I was looking for this whole time is how well you worked together and if you fit into your team's role."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asks. Damn, Sakura! Always asking questions. Just accept that we passed and move on! Though… I kind of want to know the answer also.

"Squads are not selected at random," Asuma explains. "They are created by putting three people together who compliment each other in different ways. One team from your class specializes in tracking, for example. They would be great in search and rescue missions." I assume that is Team Eight, but what does Choji have that completes Kiba and Shino? I guess I will find out later. "This team's specializes in ambushing and creating diversions."

I know the original Team Ten was used as a diversion squad, but how in the world is this existing team a diversion one? And, an ambush team? That's new to me. "Can you explain how?" I ask. Okay, don't rag on me for asking a question when I just did the same Sakura. She questions everything like she's wanting to help clarify things for an audience of manga readers or something.

"Certainly," our sensei replies. "Sakura is skilled in genjutsu, Hinata is skilled with the Byakugan and in taijutsu, and Shikamaru has his clan's jutsu. By combining all those skills together, you guys are the best at creating diversions and ambushing enemies. Hinata can seek out an opponent with her Byakugan and you three can follow said person. Sakura can cast a genjutsu to eventfully confuse the enemy into thinking it is walking around in circles. While focusing on that, Hinata can send out a Shadow Clone to explain to the enemy that she is lost to further help out Sakura's genjutsu since he is convinced he is lost as well. While he is distracted, the outcome can go in many different directions from here. The real Hinata could jump out and block the chakra pathways or perhaps stay hidden and trap the man with her kunai and wire. Shikamaru can possibly use his Shadow Possession Jutsu to capture the man or Sakura could cast another genjutsu to confuse the man even further. This situation could become either a diversion or an opportunity for an ambush.

"Now, that is just an example. There are many tactics that we can come up with for you three to become the best. Besides being paired up because of your skills, you three were also grouped together because of your intelligent and quick thinking. Before you say anything, Shikamaru, I know you had one of the lowest scores in your class. But, that doesn't always mean anything. Being able to be on a team like this requires improvising and coming up with good strategies on the spot. It seems like one of the major things we need to work on is teaching you all how to better conceal your chakra and become lighter on your feet. It was smart of you three to send out distractions, because I could faintly sense you three even with all that commotion. But, that will improve of time."

Damn. I didn't know a lot went into planning out these teams. Our grouping makes sense now that he has explained it. He makes us sound pretty badass. At least Shikamaru is pretty good at hiding from always finding randoms spots to nap so he can help teach us. Being lazy has its benefits I suppose. Suddenly, a surge of happiness and excitement overwhelms me. We are officially Genin now! Yay! I glance over at my new official teammates and I can tell by the expressions on their faces that the realization has hit them as well.

I look back over at Asuma. "Since we are officially Genin now, what is next?" I ask.

Asuma smiles. "Tomorrow, we start our first training session and then go on our first mission!" I do not mind completing chores that are disguised as missions. It will help improve my stamina and strength, though I am not looking forward to Shikamaru complaining. However, if our first mission, any mission for that matter, is to check that damn cat, I am retiring from my Shinobi career early.

Author's Note: Sorry I am a day late! Due to reasons, I am going to start posting once a week now and it will be on Fridays. I have started classes and I am taking nine classes this semester plus working. So, I have my hands full. However, I will try my very best to post twice a week whenever I get a free moment. It is just my free moments are on Thursday Nights and Fridays now. I write Thursday night-Friday morning and publish in the evenings. I hope that doesn't upset to many of you! I hoped you all enjoy this chapters. OC Hinata is on Team Ten with Shikamaru and Sakura with Asuma as their leader! I wonder how that is going to go? Can she handle being around a lazy, whiny, and smart ass Shikamaru or a quick tempered Sakura almost 24/7 now? What's your opinion on the new team? I hope I explained well enough why they were grouped together. You will out why in later chapters the other teams were grouped the way they were.