A strange new life

2.3

“If you want, you can use shuriken and kunai. You won’t succeed unless you come at me intending to kill.” Kakashi-sensei said, closing his fist around the two bells.

Naruto had a nervous laugh. “You’re so slow, you can’t even dodge a black board eraser! We’ll definitely kill you!” He sounded sick at the idea.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. His voice was low, but carried. “In the real world, those with no talent often bark the loudest.” He looked at me and Sasuke. “Well, ignore Mr. Dead Last and start when I say—”

Naruto exploded. In one moment, he grabbed a kunai, took one step toward Kakashi-sensei. Next moment, Kakashi held Naruto by the hair, Naruto’s hand and kunai pointed at the back of the boy’s own head.

“Calm down. I haven’t said start yet.” Kakashi-sensei said.

I squirmed a bit. Maybe even did a small dance. I certainly couldn’t contain the guts pose. That was so cool! Thank god I was behind everyone, and no one saw me. That would have been embarrassing.

“Well, it seems you’re finally prepared to come at me with the intent to kill.” Kakashi-sensei chuckled. “Ok, let’s get going. Ready, begin!!”

I moved out, same as my team. I dove toward the copse of trees, changed direction, circled around, hid myself between the branches of one of the large trees in the area. As expected, Kakashi-sensei was still in plain view, in the middle of the clearing. He and Naruto.

Loudmouth Naruto hollered his challenge. Sensei took his Icha Icha book. I needed to get the fan-girl in control. I almost mute squealed, gave my position away. The scene played the same as I remembered. Naruto got played. Suffered a thousand years of pain, got trapped upside down. Sasuke took an obvious fake opening to attack.

Then from behind, I felt the chakra entering my head. A genjutsu. I held my own chakra back in, let the jutsu work on me. I needed sensei to think I was out of commission. I toppled down the tree. Kakashi-sensei caught me and gently laid me on the ground. Then he left. Chakra bonfire moving away. I gave it a few more moments, before I let my chakra break me free of the genjutsu. Kakashi had trapped my mind inside some sort of demented lab.

Without hand-seal I created a clone, left it on my place.

Outside the trees, I heard the sounds of battle. Sasuke trying to get the bells. I circled around as silent as I could. I got to Naruto’s tree, where he was tied up, before he saw me I clamped on his mouth. Held a finger over my own to keep him silent.

Thank god, Naruto nodded. I untied the rope, popped my board wrote my instructions. “Create a clone. Let it tied here in your place.”

Naruto tilted his head. Then like he just realized something, he smiled. Nodded. Popped a clone. We tied the clone up, moved around. In the distance, I heard the explosion, saw the giant ball of fire. That was the end of Sasuke’s battle with Kakashi.

I guided Naruto to the clearing. Had to clamp on his mouth again when he saw Sasuke trapped. I wrote while we approached. Showed Sasuke the board. “I have a plan. Will you listen? I’ll help you even if you don’t want to.”

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. I didn’t wait. Grabbed him, pulled him free. Didn’t have any doton jutsu. I had to brute force things. It might have hurt the boy. Served him right. Before he could say anything. I wrote another message. “Leave a clone, follow? I have a plan, you can have the bell.”

It took ten agonizing seconds until Sasuke nodded. My heart beat fast, too fast. Damn Kakashi-sensei was hiding just by the trees, watching us. I guess it was too much to hope he would be fooled by clones. But the show must go on, and I needed to convince these brats to play nice.

Sasuke clone popped up in existence inside the hole. We bolted, away from Kakashi-sensei. The damn ninja followed. Still hidden. I had time. I think he wanted to see what we would do.

Naruto glared at Sasuke, who glared back. I wrote fast. Couldn’t let them start bickering.

“A shinobi must see underneath the underneath. This isn’t a competition, it’s about teamwork.” I showed them the board. I raised my fingers to my lips to stop both. I flipped my board, wrote on the other side. “If we attack together, we can get the bells. You guys can have it. If Kakashi-sensei fails me, I can go back to the academy, or maybe I’ll try to become a medic-nin.”

That shut up both. Sasuke looked stormy. I thought he would curse me and walk away, but he remained put. Naruto looked devastated.

“No, Hinata-chan, you can have my bell. I’m… Even if I fail, I’ll still be the Hokage!” Naruto started whispering, and all but yelled at end. Thank god Kakashi-sensei wanted to see this play out, otherwise Naruto would have just given position away.

Still, I played my part. I looked around, put a finger over my mouth. Dashed away to another place. I explained my plan. I took my seals, summoned my exploding kunais, shuriukens, distributed to the boys. The surprised look on Emosuke’s face was priceless. I wished I had a camera. Kakashi-sensei seemed to decide it was time for the showdown. He moved to the center of the clearing.

We divvyed up.

Like we planned. I approached openly. I had my board out. Bowed to sensei. I could see his smile beneath the mask, the crescent eye shape. I showed him my message.

“Hi, Kakashi-sensei. I won’t go easy on you.” The man nodded after reading my message. I nodded back. Stored my board. Took a deep breath to center myself. I could feel Sasuke’s and Naruto hidden, just outside view.

I ran in, pushed my legs as fast as I could. My movements were a little uncoordinated. I had never give my all during academy training. I was always afraid of hurting the kids. But Kakashi? Kakashi could handle it. The world blurred, I was inside Kakashi’s guard, open palm strike from beneath. A combination of the gentle fist and Konoha’s style.

Kakashi-sensei eyes were wide. He had, of course, blocked. But the force of my strike had threw him up, just a centimeter. I realized I could take the bells. It wouldn’t even be hard. I just needed to extend my chakra threads and pull the things out. I didn’t. I had made a plan with the boys. I was going to deliver.

I spun, still low. Using the movement momentum to kick. Kakashi blocked with crossed arms, but this time he was thrown up and away. In that same movement, I got my shuriken, the exploding ones, threw them at sensei.

Give credit were credit is due. Kakashi matched throw by throw. Shuriken exploded midair.

A dozen shadow clones, all holding kunais, jumped from behind the trees, on a blitzkrieg attack. They attacked relentlessly. Worse, their kunai were the exploding type. I had instructed Naruto to stay hidden, and use the clones as suicide squad.

A barrage of kunai, shuriken, all of the exploding types threw by me and Sasuke, crested the surrounding area, blocking any path of escape, except two places: where I was, where Sasuke was. Kakashi flickered away. He choose Sasuke’s side. Before the man had even finished his jutsu, Sasuke dove from his hiding spot, grabbed the two bells.

I cheered. I danced. I knew it. Explosions are a girl’s best friend!

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