oOoOo- Asuma -oOoOo

"So this is it, huh?" Asuma muttered to his fellow jounin as they gathered together at the end of the week. The past two weeks had been pretty intense, with a lot of training going on.

"Yeah, it is," Kakashi nodded.

"Shall we get started with our assessments then?"

"Sure, Sakura, come on up for your individual assessment."

The three teachers watched Sakura as she walked up to them, clearly nervous at being the first one called up.

"Sakura, from my observations you have a strong mind, but your body lacked physical training, so I set you to do a new morning routine, how is that working out for you?" Asuma asked.

"It's going great Asuma-Sensei, even though it's only been two weeks, I feel a lot better."

"Good, keep up the routine for the next month, and then increase the amount a bit. With you taking up Iryojutsu you are well on your way to becoming a chunin."

Sakura beamed happily, "Now, with me I taught you a couple of genjutsus to supplement your current skills. Genjutsus will never truly be your strength, but you can make a great subskill out of them. I would recommend only mastering the two genjutsus I taught you."

"Now, Sakura, you were my student first and I can say that I have seen a lot of development from you, as such you deserve a reward. If there is something you want, let me know, and I will see what can be done. For now I believe you are doing well and to continue with what you are currently doing."

Sakura nodded excitedly.

"Take your time to decide," Kakashi said with an eye smile as he dismissed her.

"Kiba, come on up," Kurenai called out.

"Your skills are improving," Kakashi said with an eye-grin as Kiba walked up, his steps and chakra hidden to mask his presence.

Kiba gave a fanged grin, "I really enjoy being able to sneak up on people."

"Kiba, while with me we worked on a technique so that you could transform into Akamaru, have you refined that technique anymore?"

"Yeah, I have," Kiba answered, but didn't elaborate.

"While you worked with me we discovered you had a wind affinity and worked on a couple wind jutsu's. I recommend you keep up developing that new technique of yours, it will be a great benefit in the upcoming exams."

Kurenai gave a nod, "I agree, continue training in what they were teaching you for now."

They dismissed Kiba, "He sure improved a lot under you two."

"Well Kiba seems to have an inclination for infiltration, despite being loud. I just helped to refine those skills and point it out to him," Kakashi pointed out waving a hand dismissively.

"Ino!" Kakashi barked out with a small chuckle of amusement as the girl jumped in surprise before rushing over.

"Jeez, you have it out for my students?" Asuma questioned as he saw how nervous Ino seemed around Kakashi.

"They annoyed me."

Asuma winced, Kakashi had always been petty, but for some reason his pettiness had increased.

"Ino with me I increased your physical strength and pushed you past your limit daily, I believe I have also given you a glimpse that the ninja world isn't all roses and sunshine, that you will be forced to do disgusting things that you won't want to do. Remember this lesson and reflect upon it."

Asuma watched as Ino shuddered a look of horror crossing her face, "What did you do to her?" He whispered to Kakashi as Kurenai spoke to Ino.

"While you had been with me we went over your current skills and decided what you could do to improve it, you decided to focus on poisons, how is that coming along?"

"The more unsavory D-ranks," Kakashi answered with an eye grin.

"I think I am doing decent."

"Wow, my team really annoyed you, huh?"

"They ran instead of doing the bell test."

Asuma winced as Kurenai shot him a pointed look, "Ino, I hope you take in the lessons given to heart, and if you need help understanding then you should speak with one of us, or your father."

With that said he dismissed Ino.

"Shino, you're up next!" Kurenai called out.

Shino walked up and looked at them silently. "When you were learning from me, you were forced to learn how to dodge, and that you can't always count on your bug clone to trick your enemies. You also already know your affinity for water techniques, which is uncommon in an Aburame. So I taught you a technique and helped you learn what you needed to do in order to strengthen your water affinity," Kakashi said.

"While you were training with me we mainly focused on strategy and using your available resources innovatively. While we didn't so much work on ninjutsu or taijutsu, the skills of the mind should not be dismissed so easily.

Kurenai smiled, "A water affinity sounds like it will be very beneficial if you can learn how to use it with your Kikachu."

Shino pushed his glasses up, "Do not worry about that sensei, why? Because I have already started the process of mutating my Kikachu to be of a water variant."

"That's wonderful news, alright head on back," Kurenai said dismissing Shino.

"Choji!" Asuma called waving the rotund boy over.

Kurenai smiled, "While with me you proved to have quite decent chakra, stamina, and endurance. This is good for your more offensive style, but I also pointed out that you were quite short range and only focused on your clan's taijutsu and techniques. Have you found something to help improve upon that?"

"Yes, actually. Thanks to Kakashi I have found a weapon I will be buying."

"That sounds good, I look forward to seeing what sort of weapon you picked out," Asuma said.

Choji just gave a nod.

"How did your time with Choji go?" Asuma asked Kakashi.

"Same sort of lesson as Ino, nothing new."

With that they dismissed Choji and called forth the next student, "Naruto!"

Naruto walked up to them, his arms crossed and a blank look on his face. Next to him Kakashi sighed, "Knock it off brat."

Naruto stuck his tongue out, but he did seem to relax an impish smile on his face.

"When Naruto was with me we focused on advancing his wind chakra," Asuma answered.

"With me I helped to refine his genjutsu breaking skill. I was fairly surprised by just how good Naruto's chakra control was though."

"Really? Oh, I suppose that's right, you aren't as familiar with Naruto as Kakashi and I are," Asuma said.

"I'm sure you have a list of things you will be working on, just make sure to not overwork yourself," Kakashi said waving a hand dismissively.

"Shikamaru!" Kakashi called out getting the lazy student to make his way over.

"When I spent the week training with Shikamaru I discovered he was very talented at genjutsus, I recommend he learns genjutsus to compliment his shadows."

"I just helped to remove some of his laziness," Kakashi answered flippantly.

"Troublesome Sensei," Shikamaru grumbled in agreement.

Asuma nodded to Kurenai, "I will make sure that Shikamaru continues to learn genjutsu's then."

"Hinata you're up next!" Kurenai called out after they dismissed Shikamaru.

The girl walked up and she actually looked different than she used to, though only slightly, Hinata now had a bo staff on her back.

"Hinata while working with me learned that her Hyuga stance was ineffective due to having a fire element instead of an earth element, so we worked on creating a new style to suit her better, and I taught her the great fireball jutsu."

"I further improved her new stance and recommended getting a bow staff to help fend off attackers, while she just has a regular staff now, I recommended that she save for one that can channel chakra."

"Alright, I will help Hinata further develop her new stance then. Is there anything you would like to add Hinata?"

"No Sensei… what Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei said has covered everything," Hinata spoke in a soft voice.

"Alright, you're free to go."

"Now for our most troublesome student," Asuma muttered to his fellow jounin. "Sasuke."

Kurenai sighed slightly as Sasuke walked over. Asuma raised an eyebrow as the teen glared at Kurenai, seems he didn't like the genjutsu mistress for some reason.

"Sasuke, while training with me I recommended you learn some defensive jutsu's, have you found anything?" Asuma spoke up.

The Uchiha crossed his arms and scowled, "No."

"Did you even bother to look?" Kurenai questioned.

"No," Sasuke once more said.

Asuma sighed, "I would recommend the next level of earth dome, the double layer earth dome."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"While Sasuke was with me, I helped him to learn how to break out of genjutsus without relying on his eyes."

Sasuke growled, "You mean you tortured me with those genjutsus."

Kurenai gave a smile and Kakashi and Asuma shuddered, "Nonsense, I only helped increase your mental fortitude."

"You showed me Naruto's and Sakura's death! You forced me to watch myself kill them!"

"It's not my fault that is your greatest fear," Kurenai commented looking down at Sasuke, "If you care so much about your teammates that losing them is your greatest fear, no losing them by your own hand, than you should perhaps act like you care around them." Kurenai's gaze was sharp as she stared at Sasuke, "If you don't you may push away your teammates permanently."

"That's what I want! I don't want to be friends with them!"

"Why do you not want to be friends with your teammates?" Kurenai questioned, "Do you see yourself above them?" She added tauntingly.

"If I become friends with them, I'll be tempted to kill them for power!" Sasuke shouted back angrily, before he froze as he realized what he said.

"Kill them for power?" Asuma asked.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"He is talking about the Mangekyou sharingan," Kakashi answered. "It is a common belief that you have to kill your best friend to get it," Kakashi raised his headband and Asuma watched in shock as they sharingan eye twisted and formed a new design.

It was gone a moment later and Kakashi covered his eye again.

"Y-you?" Sasuke stuttered out.

Kakashi narrowed his visible eye, "My teammate threw herself in front of my attack, in order to protect Konoha. Despite that I have this eye and its power, do you see me using it?"

"No," Sasuke answered the question.

"Exactly, you do not need to have the Mangekyou sharingan in order to be strong. Besides bearing the eye brings a terrible price the more you use it. Using the eye makes you go blind."

"Is there a way to stop the blindness?" Kurenai asked.

Kakashi hummed, "Well…" He paused and Sasuke and Kurenai leaned in closer. Asuma rolled his eyes, "I don't know," Kakashi finished with an eye-smile.

"Why are you like this sensei?" Sasuke questioned shaking his head.

"Maa Maa, just relax Sasuke," Kakashi said with a chuckle, earning a glare from the young teen. Kakashi straightened up turning serious, "Sasuke. Don't keep pushing your teammates just because you think you will be tempted to kill them. Naruto will stop you if you try to harm him or Sakura anyways."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, "How is the dobe so strong?"

"Hmm, well… he has been training for years, he just never bothered to do well in the academy since the stuff was so easy."

"Why didn't he graduate early then?"

"He didn't want to, though I don't know why."

"Hn."

"Well, go back to the others," Kakashi said waving Sasuke away to the other students.

"The chunin exams starts in two days, do you think one day is enough of a break?" Asuma questioned looking at the other two.

"It will have to be," Kurenai answered.

"Alright, let's tell the kids to take tomorrow off then, no training allowed," Kakashi said.

The three walked over to the students who were waiting to be fully dismissed. "We have went over your individual assessments, as you know the chunin exams start in two days, so tomorrow you will have the day off, no training allowed. Rest up and prepare yourselves," Asuma commanded.

The students nodded.

"Good, you're dismissed."

The rookie nine all left quickly splitting up and heading in all different directions.


A/N: So, it's been awhile. I had this chapter written for awhile, but forgot to post it till now. I hope you enjoy this while I work on trying to get past my block. I would recommend reading Unconventional Missing-Nin. It's co-written between me and Esellyn. Whose stories are amazing.

And if you are a Kingdom Hearts fan please go take a look at RikuKingdomHearts page, whom I have a co-write as well, called Souls of the Heart.

So while I'm stuck in a Naruto rut, you can enjoy those two wonderful author's works.