"The Kyuubi no Kitsune would most definitely be a valuable asset for Seireitei in the future, but he could also be an asset for Konoha. Why do you want him?" Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his chin as he leaned on the desk in front of him.
People would think that he had gone mad if they had walked in on him now. There wasn't a single person sitting on the two chairs in front of him, at least, to the normal human eye.
The Sandaime Hokage had never been a normal human. He was able to see ghosts from the day he was born, and now was no different. The two in front of him weren't the most normal looking of people, but then again, neither was he.
"It would make a great research subject." Spoke the man in front of him, Urahara Kisuke. The captain of the twelfth division wore the standard clothing, a white haori on top of a black robe. His hat was removed, perhaps out of courtesy of being in a foreign leader's presence. "Not only that, we would prevent the fox from escaping. We were, remember, the people who sealed it."
That was true. It was a good argument right there.
"What do I get out of this?" Hiruzen spoke quietly. He might have handed Naruto over then, he would certainly be a lot safer in Soul Society, but he was seeing if he could milk another bargain from this.
"There is a child from the Rukon district. He has a disproportionately large amount of reiatsu flowing through him. In this realm, that would be translated to chakra. He would be an excellent addition to your forces if trained right. He also has something within him."
"Hmm?" Hiruzen wondered.
"We have noticed that he has the soul of the ice dragon lord, Hyōrinmaru within him.
"Do not forget, Naruto is likely to be ostracized and mistreated in this world. For his burden, many would still hold grudges and such." Said the until now silent one. He had long flowing black hair held up by special hair pins signifying a high social class. He had the same outfit as Urahara plus a scarf that wound around his neck.
"I know, Byakuya-taichō. I'm just wondering… Would Minato approve of this decision?"
"Naruto would be safer. I don't think he wouldn't agree…"
Sarutobi thought a bit more, not returning his gaze to the two captains in front of him before speaking. "Fine. We have a deal."
Fire and Ice
Written by EternalFrost
Chapter 1 – Ice Cream
Hitsugaya Tōshirō happily licked away at his ice cream. It was mint flavored with chocolate chips spread abundantly atop it.
"Mmmm!" He said lovingly. "Good as ever."
The two ice cream shop's owners smiled as they watched their number one customer eat the frozen food with glee. The white-haired boy visited their humble place often, always to enjoy another cold treat from the duo.
The place was called Ichiraku's. It was originally going to be a ramen stand, but when Tōshirō stumbled upon their secret ice cream recipe, they knew that they were going to have a lot more happy customers with Ayame's world coveted ice cream making secrets.
His smile lit up their world. They cared about this boy a lot. It wasn't often he smiled. Ice cream happened to be a guilty pleasure of his, and he enjoyed the Ichiraku recipe so much that he couldn't help but let a smile out. Admittedly, it wasn't a full blown grin, but if the uplifting of his cheeks was anything to indicate, he was certainly smiling a little.
His hair spiked up oddly, it rose to the top and pointed a little outward, but right at the bottom, it fell just naturally. He wasn't very tall, being the shortest in the entire class save for Hinata.
He wore a tight, sleeveless black shirt and a pair of baggy pants of the same color. Atop those, he wore a long white haori. It was slightly too big for him, it fell to his heels. It had a ton of inside pockets and was laced with armor seals, however, so it was more than useful. He wore a green sword strap around his torso, holding a rather large okatana that was the length of his body. Ayame knew he was more than proficient in the arts of the sword, if his arms' conditioning meant anything. His feet were adorned with sandals that had grips at the bottom, just in case.
Aside from his exterior, he was a cold lad. The years of living alone had done a number on his social persona, and he found himself speaking to less and less every day. His voice was always quiet, he never bothered to draw conversations out, and he tended to avoid crowds like the plague. He never went to a party before, and always sat alone when he ate lunch. In many ways, he was reminded of his classmate, Sasuke Uchiha.
He didn't like the thought, but his insightful mind connected the dots quickly enough. They were both high scoring students at the ninja academy, they both remained quiet and reserved; preferring to sort through their own thoughts than hear everyone else's, and worst of all, they were both all alone.
Alone.
He never really cared about the lack of company that he had. He preferred to be alone. He had lived with it all his life, why not add another day? That was his mindset, and everyone knew it. Tōshirō wasn't very trusting, either. The last time he trusted was the incident with the four drunks that he would rather forget.
He finished the last of his snack before placing the empty cup and the money that he owed the Ichiraku pair on the bar. He left as silent as he came, Ayame almost missed his leaving.
"Thanks for coming, Shiro-chan!" She called out. Tōshirō turned his head and faced her, smiling a little back at her.
"Thank you, Ayame-chan."
Then he headed back home. It was Sunday. He would be going to the Academy tomorrow. He needed some sleep.
After all, sleep was essential for growth, and this was no different.
Tōshirō frowned as the people among his class spoke away amongst themselves. They were incredibly noisy, and it was getting difficult for him to read. His eyebrow twitched violently, but he didn't do anything. Then he realized where he was sitting.
Perhaps Sasuke had sat next to him for protection. With rabid dogs like those girls after him, Tōshirō wouldn't be surprised. As he heard the two mistresses of his fangirl pack barge through the door, he knew he would have to do something.
Sakura Haruno, also known as the banshee, had pink hair. Her bangs were parted, showing Tōshirō her, in his opinion, massive forehead. Ino Yamanaka was her rival. She looked good, but that meant nothing in the ninja world. She would have to realize that sooner or later.
As they shot towards him, intent on removing him from his seat, they both lifted an arm to punch him. That was when Tōshirō was behind them, sword in hand.
"Please, Sakura… Ino… Don't interrupt my reading. I'm at a good part. Go sit somewhere else, please." Tōshirō muttered.
They frowned before going to different seats. Perhaps this was why Sasuke always sat next to the white-haired boy. Instant lady removal.
The class was still being as boisterous as ever, so when Iruka walked into the room and went to grab his class' attention, he was blatantly ignored. Tōshirō was paying attention, but he was close enough to being the only one.
"CLASS!" Iruka roared with his head swelling to massive proportions. "PAY ATTENTION!"
No one spoke.
"Good. Now, today we are going to begin reviewing for the final Genin Exams." He spoke. "We'll go over the transformation jutsu first. Come up here when I call your name…"
And that was how it went for the next few weeks.
"CLASS!" Iruka yelled with his usual routine. "PAY ATTENTION!"
He cleared his throat before continuing. "It is time for the Genin exams. Please follow me outside as Mizuki and I shall grade you on your practicals."
They all obliged following the teacher out. When Sasuke was up for shuriken throwing, all of his fan club was sure that he could do it. He did very well, getting a nine out of ten average. His kunai test was similar. As was his jutsu test. And his obstacle course.
Tōshirō didn't change his facial expression as he tossed his kunai at the target. Not all of them were dead center, but he had gotten a ten out of ten average. In other words, perfect.
Sparring was easy for them. They were pitted against Mizuki, who watched as Sasuke walked up to him with a confident smirk on his face. The chuunin attacked first, drawing a kunai and slashing it at the Uchiha. He expertly avoided it, grappling his opponent's hand and kicking him. It was rather one-sided, Sasuke beat him easily. Even if the teacher was going easy, it was still very impressive.
Tōshirō's fight was similar to that. Mizuki opened up with his kunai charge, but the white-haired boy drew his sword and parried the attack, catching the weapon then delivering a sharp kick to his teacher's side.
The thing that the boy was proud of was that he felt he was a rather generalized person. Although his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu skills were a little down, he more than made up for that with his Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, and his overall speed. His Taijutsu revolved around kicks, mostly, since he would be holding a sword with his hands, they would be occupied. He knew some punches, just in case. His Kenjutsu was his real pride and joy; he was top of the class every year in that subject. With his sword, he could beat many other opponents.
Tōshirō slashed at Mizuki, who sidestepped and threw three kunai at his student. The boy dodged and threw a few shuriken before charging at his teacher and throwing some well placed slashes. Mizuki dodged back and tossed more kunai, only for them to be swiped out of the sky.
"Is that all you can do?" Tōshirō taunted, his inflection not changing a bit.
"Not at all." Mizuki growled back, placing his hands into a seal. He cast a light Genjutsu and smiled as he saw the ice-using boy swear under his breath. He knew that Tōshirō sucked at Genjutsu, so it was an easy matter to get him with it. Tōshirō dispelled it with some effort, but he was already put in a compromising position by Mizuki. "Forfeit."
Tōshirō growled, but raised a hand in resignation. "I'm done."
Iruka began to clap. The white-haired boy smiled as he saw some others smile also. "Great job, Tōshirō. You did great."
Tōshirō walked back to the crowd, not facing the scarred teacher. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei."
He stood by Shino, who nodded slightly, approving his choice of words. "That was a well played match, Hitsugaya-san."
The other shrugged. "It was okay. Everyone expects me just to use my sword. I have to generalize as much as I can to prove them wrong."
The bug user adjusted his glasses. "Logical. It's regrettable that I can't do the same. Because of my kikai, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are not an option. The only remaining study I can practice is Taijutsu as a result."
Tōshirō shrugged. "Take up Kenjutsu."
"Hmm…" Shino seemed in thought. "I shall consider that."
"Is Sasuke-kun at the top of the class?"
"Lemme see!"
"Ugh! Move!"
Tōshirō stared at the grades for the Genin exam, appalled. He wore his head band around his left bicep, so he knew that he passed. Everyone was silent as they read the list.
Number 3 – Hyuuga Hinata
Number 2 – Uchiha Sasuke
Number 1 – Hitsugaya Tōshirō
Sasuke only glared at Tōshirō even more.
The white-haired boy later could be found walking home, reading his book. The sun was just going down, but he didn't care. It was still light enough to read.
He passed a lamppost before stopping at a park. He didn't have to show up at school again for a couple of weeks to allow administration to sort the teams out. He could stay up late tonight. He sat down, producing a sketchpad from somewhere in his haori. Withdrawing the pencil in the spiral binding, he began to draw. There was a bird sitting there. That was the object of his art today.
He had been embarrassed when Ayame commented on his art. He still remembered the day.
Tōshirō had visited the ice cream stand after a long day of training. He had dropped his sketchpad onto the street. Ayame, who was passing by, picked it up. She was curious as to what was inside, so she opened it to see a, in her opinion, beautiful drawing of a sleeping deer.
"It's gorgeous." She spoke in awe. When the smaller boy noticed that his book had been nicked, he blushed hotly at the compliment before snatching the book back. "Is someone self-conscious of their art?" She teased. "Don't worry. I think it's great!"
The boy hadn't spoken a word back. He just looked away, still blushing.
Tōshirō had taken to showing the ice cream girl every one of his drawings now. She complimented every one, enjoying the reaction on the little artist's face.
After he was finished, he began to train.
His physical capabilities weren't perfect. That much he knew. He needed more speed. Much more. He needed to make the standard Jounin ability known as Shunshin look slow. He focused chakra all over his muscles, forcing them to move as fast as they could without limit. It didn't work.
After about ten minutes of working, he had an idea. Ice was slippery. Perhaps he could simulate the ability of ice with just chakra. He performed that, and went face first into a tree thirty yards away in less than a millisecond.
He never knew that he had discovered the shunpo, chakra style. Coincidentally enough, he called the ability the same name.
Shunpo.
Over the course of two weeks, his reaction time had greatly improved. Using the shunpo, he managed to get his arm swing speed to more than double. It had made him extremely happy. However. It seemed that he had hit a plateau in his speed.
He practiced his sword maneuvers, hoping to eventually raise his speed higher. Sadly, he hadn't felt that he was going any faster at all. He cursed to himself, realizing that he would have to change his training method in order to raise his speed more.
He saw a shadow from the corner of his eye, and turned to greet it. "Hello!" After seeing who it was, his mouth turned to a slight frown. "Uchiha Sasuke."
Sasuke made no movement save for approaching the other boy. He looked him in the eyes and spoke sternly. "Fight me."
Tōshirō smiled. "What if I say no?"
"I don't care. Fight me now."
"I'm busy training. Come again later."
"Fight me now!" Sasuke roared, flipping through handseals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
As the large fireball sailed toward Tōshirō, he realized he couldn't counter the attack with his blade. He instead leapt upward, over the attack, and tossed several shuriken toward his opponent. "Stop this."
Sasuke ignored his warning, dodging the thrown projectiles. He charged the other student and threw a punch, which the white-haired boy dodged easily. Seeing an opening, the Uchiha kicked at Tōshirō's feet. However, before his attack could land, Tōshirō jumped up and kicked his adversary in the face.
Sasuke growled and sent another fireball at Tōshirō. He dodged to the side. "I'm fed up of this." Tōshirō spoke. "Time to end it."
"Try me." Sasuke taunted arrogantly.
The other used shunpo and appeared behind Sasuke. As the Uchiha found himself with a blade to his throat, he was amazed. "So fast…"
"Now that that's done with…" Tōshirō spoke quietly. "Please go away."
Sasuke frowned, but complied.
The ice user thought wryly. "It was luck that got me behind him. I need to work on my balance with the shunpo…"
"Sasuke-kun! What happened to you?"
I had to restrain a chuckle when the Uchiha walked into the classroom, decorated with various bruises and bumps from last night.
"I fell."
Now that was a shoddy excuse, Tōshirō thought. It didn't concern him though, so he looked back away and at Iruka, who had just succeeded on getting his class' attention.
"Okay class, it's time to put you on teams. Now it was great to have the honor of teaching you all."
Tōshirō zoned out slightly, ignoring his teacher's speech on how they would become great ninja of Konoha and such.
"…And so, I will now announce the teams. Number one…"
The class waited in apprehension for their teams.
"…Number seven. Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uchiha Sasuke."
Sakura stood up and cheered while the rest of the girls frowned. Tōshirō sent an apologetic glance at Kiba, who either ignored him or didn't notice.
"…Number eight. Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chōji, and Hyuuga Hinata."
Hinata frowned. "I'm not with Tōshirō-kun…"
Ino stood up and began screaming. "ARGH! Why does Forehead girl get to be with Sasuke-kun while I get stuck with FOOD BOY?"
Iruka waved his arms in pacification. "Now, now, the Hokage decided the teams, not me. Speak to him if you need to get a change. Now, since number nine is still in active duty, we will skip to ten. Hitsugaya Tōshirō, Nara Shikamaru, and Aburame Shino."
Tōshirō smiled. He could have gotten a worse team. When the teams were done being announced, he watched as a gruff looking man with a beard came in. he wore a sash around his waist with the emblem for fire on it. He had a cigarette between his lips, but it was unlit.
"My name is Sarutobi Asuma. Team ten, please come with me."
And so Tōshirō, Shino, and Shikamaru followed.
Asuma looked at his team with mixed feelings. They all were quiet in their own ways. Being the first to start a conversation, he sat on a bench opposite from the one that the other three sat on.
"How about we get to know each other? Tell me your likes, dislikes, perhaps a dream or ambition of sorts. And maybe some hobbies or a favorite food? Also tell me what your abilities are and some weaknesses we could work on."
Shino twitched. "It would be logical for you to go first, Asuma-sensei. One needs to know the enemy's abilities and weaknesses just in case."
"I'm Sarutobi Asuma, son of the Third Hokage. I like relaxing, serving my country, and my smokes. I dislike people who vouch that smoking is bad and I don't like troublesome women. I dream to become a ninja of higher caliber and fame than Hatake Kakashi and my favorite food is barbeque pork. I specialize in using elemental chakra to form wind blades with my trench knives that can cut through just about anything. I think that my wind element can be easily exploited, however, and I could get hit by fire real bad."
The other three nodded, but no one spoke. Asuma frowned. "Quiet bunch, aren't you? How about you go next?"
Shikamaru, seeing that he was being pointed at, sighed. "Troublesome. I'm Nara Shikamaru. I like watching clouds, and sleeping. I dislike, like sensei, troublesome women and people who feel the need to move all the time. I dream of becoming a mid level ninja, marry someone who isn't too beautiful but not ugly either, and have two kids and retire early. A hobby of mine is playing Shougi. In battle, I prefer to use my shadow manipulation to capture and immobilize opponents. My weakness, I suppose, is that I know almost no offensive techniques well enough to be good in combat."
"Okay." Asuma nodded. "Your turn, Albino."
Tōshirō twitched it the nickname, but made no fuss. "My name is Hitsugaya Tōshirō. I like swords, Shougi, and ice cream. I dislike those who ignore training over fawning over one boy, that one boy, and hot weather. My dream for the future is to discover who my parents are or were and to make them proud by becoming a great ninja. I like to read, write, and draw in my free time. I like to generalize more than anything. I use Taijutsu and Kenjutsu to help me win battles. My weakness, I suppose, is countering Genjutsu. I suck at that."
Asuma smiled. "Okay. Good, good, good. Now you, the last one."
"My name is Aburame Shino." He began. "I like peace and quiet, and dislike loud noises. I strive to become an appreciable asset for my clan and this village. A hobby of mine is researching and collecting new insect species. I specialize in my clan jutsu, the kikai, which allows me to have the aid of my insect colony in battle to do various things, such as immobilize opponents and steal chakra. My weakness is my inability to perform Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."
"A man of few words, eh? I like that." Asuma grinned. "Well, we'll take a test tomorrow, because I am required to do that. Meet me here, training ground ten, at seven o'clock. Until then, Ja ne."
Tōshirō walked away in the opposite direction of the others. He had something to do.
"Hey, Shiro-chan! How can I help you?" Ayame spoke cheerfully. Tōshirō showed up to the ice cream parlor with a smile across his face. A good sign.
"I'll just have a vanilla today." He spoke. Yes, ice cream was his favorite food, but he did more than enough training to counteract the fattening effects of the sugary treat.
"Coming right up." As she was making the ice cream, she couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. He looked somewhat nervous. Was he scared of something? "What's the matter, Shiro-chan?"
"Uh… I'm kind of nervous… Ayame-chan." He fiddled with his thumbs, a nervous reaction, she presumed.
"Nervous of what?" She turned around with a bowl of vanilla ice cream in her hand, ready to be eaten.
"About my ninja duties. I don't know if I'll be good enough… I'll fail my team, or get killed… or something else stupid like that."
The ice cream girl smiled sweetly. "Don't sweat it, Shiro-chan! I heard you finished at the top of your class in the Academy. I'm sure you'll do great! Don't fuss over the enemies you'll see in the future. You'll just pound them into dust. Don't worry about a thing!"
He smiled before licking his ice cream. "Thanks… Ayame-chan."
As Tōshirō laid down on his bed, he pondered the events of the day.
Sasuke seemed jealous of his skill. Why was that? Did all Uchiha have a superiority complex like that?
The only noise he heard was the ever present ticking from the clock beside him. It used to drive him up the wall, but now he could live with it. But as he tried to sleep, he couldn't help but be nervous for the survival exam that Asuma was going to give him.
What would it be? And if he had to fight Asuma, could he do it? So many questions floated around in his head, pointing and sneering at the lonely part of him that lay beneath the steeled exterior that he showed to everyone else.
So the clock continued to tick, and Tōshirō fell into the limbo between sleep and awareness, being eternally stuck to lay awake the entire night.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew that nothing good would come of the rivalry between Tōshirō and Sasuke. That was why he had them split up.
Well, the wizened old man corrected himself, it wasn't a rivalry, more like one person hating another while the other doesn't care.
Sasuke was a problematic child, that much he knew. It would have been in his best interests to remove the boy from the forces for his mental instability. He didn't dare propose that to the council, however. Although Sasuke clearly was dangerous, that collection of fools all kissed the floor he stood upon, not caring whatever path the boy would take in life. If he was to present that idea to the other political body of Konoha, he was bound to have lost.
He cursed his own foolishness at letting the council of elders gain so much power. They had the right to veto the Hokage's decision with a two thirds majority vote, but everyone on the council thought on the same path. It made him want to pull his hair out!
The Hokage feared that if he didn't intervene somehow, the wayward Uchiha would end up like another Orochimaru: A power hungry fool hell bent on revenge.
He leaned back in his chair. Something had to be done. Perhaps it was time to take all of the stops. He pressed the button on his desk.
"Takana. Get me Hatake Kakashi. Tell him he cannot be late."
The strange man known as Hatake Kakashi was currently walking down the somewhat eerie streets of the complex belonging to the late Uchiha clan.
He had a grim look on his face. He didn't want to plant a seal on one of his students, but that's what the Hokage ordered.
"I don't want another Orochimaru on our hands." He said. "You've seen how he acts. He is bent on getting revenge. He will stop at nothing to obtain power, and I fear that Orochimaru or some other evildoer will seduce him to his clutches."
"I understand totally, Hokage-sama." Kakashi stated, picking up the items in front of him. "I will do this mission as you have requested."
"Perfect. Now, the first scroll contains a seal that is to go on Sasuke. The second is to be placed on two people. You and Hitsugaya Tōshirō."
"Tōshirō? May I ask why?"
The Hokage took a puff from his pipe, frowning wearily. "I fear that he will be the only one to be able to defeat Sasuke if it comes to that."
Kakashi was still puzzled with the Hokage's reasoning. Why Tōshirō and not just him? Surely he could beat Sasuke, right? There was something that he wasn't being told.
Nonetheless, as he crept into the foyer of the head Uchiha's house, he knew that he had to carry out orders just as the Hokage had given them. Nothing more, nothing less. The standard ninja motto when it came to orders from higher-ups.
He had already visited Tōshirō, he felt bad for infringing the boy's privacy like so, but the Hokage had made it explicitly clear that neither boy was to know of this op.
Kakashi closed the window behind him quietly, making not a sound as he expertly stalked along the expanse of the room like a trained assassin. He smiled wryly: how easy it would be for an assassin to come in here and leave with the young boy's head.
Shaking his thoughts away, he lifted the covers of Tōshirō's bed, raising his undershirt so as to see his pale skin beneath. With the precision of a surgeon, he copied down the ink grafts that were present on the scroll. It was a seal made by his sensei; it shouldn't fail.
The boy twitched when brush met skin, but otherwise made no movement. Kakashi grinned inwardly at how easy this job was. He pressed chakra into the matrix, watching it disappear.
So he finished the seal, and left as quickly as he came. No one was any the wiser, or so he hoped.
The scarecrow ninja walked up the wall, entering through the window of the Uchiha's room, executing his job just like how he had accomplished Tōshirō's
It was morning, and as the semi-albino boy showered, he had looked for a pattern of ink on him. He found nothing, no matter how many angles he looked from, nor how many mirrors he looked in.
What the hell?
He remembered the feeling of the ink brush against his skin. He knew that a seal was being applied to him last night. Only, he didn't know just what it was or what it was supposed to do.
He hadn't been able to sleep a wink for the entire night, so when he heard the window open, he debated on going to close it, but decided he couldn't be bothered. As he felt the covers removed, he knew something was wrong, but he played it by ear, just so that he could see what their intent was. If it was an assassin, they would be dead before they could blink.
Instead of a blade on him, however, he felt an ink brush. When it began to move in various patterns, he knew that it wasn't just some lost artist looking for a canvas that happened to tour his room. Some sort of seal was being placed on him, and for the life of him, he wanted to know just what it was.
As he figured that he would get nowhere just by looking for it, he continued setting himself up for the day, mentally preparing himself for Asuma's test.
Training ground ten was currently filled with an atmosphere of nervousness. Even if none of the students knew it, Asuma did, and that was a bonus for him. Nervousness would screw them up.
"Okay, team ten. It's time for a survival exam. Now, I didn't mention this before, but this is actually the secondary Genin exam." He grinned. "But don't worry. It's not that bad. Statistics say that sixty-six percent of people who take this test… fail."
He played on his students' nervousness, pleased with the results so far.
"Now, the test is different for every Jounin. What we're going to do is play a game of tag. Basically, I'm it, and if I tag you, you fail. I'll give you a five second head start… Go."
And all three Genin were gone into the bushes. Asuma obediently waited for five seconds before wondering where his students went.
"Hmm…"
"We need a plan to keep Asuma-sensei away." Shikamaru spoke. Tōshirō and Shino were beside him, both hidden.
"Hmm… We need to stop him somehow." The ice user muttered. "I can't freeze him. What can you guys do?"
"I can perform my Shadow Imitation Jutsu." The pineapple haired boy volunteered. "But I can only hold it for so long, and I bet that sensei will try to break out of it with force… How troublesome."
"If it is possible to immobilize him with that technique long enough…" Shino mused out loud. "Then my allies will be able to relieve him of his chakra."
"We can try that," Tōshirō frowned. "But he will still be able to run and jump."
"Shikamaru-san. Perhaps we can tie him to one of the training posts provided in this field if you keep him there with your technique." Shino ventured.
"He surely knows how to untie himself, Shino."
"Maybe." Tōshirō smiled. "But… If we tie him, we could catch the knot with something… Lock it in place, if you will. He won't be able to untie it then.
"It sounds logical. How shall we go about this then?" Shino asked.
"I have a plan."
"Where are those blasted children?"
Asuma strolled down a path in the forest, seeing if he could locate the missing students of his. It had been ten minutes, and he had only began to find the beginnings of their trail.
Good, good, good. They were together. That meant teamwork.
He felt a flare of Shikamaru's chakra. He thought for a second that the shadow user might have been baiting him, but the Jounin smiled. If they were, he would just have to humor them.
He dashed in the direction he picked up Shikamaru's chakra and soon met up with him in a forest clearing. No one was there but those two.
"Where are the others?" Asuma asked.
"They're off on their own." Shikamaru said. "It's such a drag, but they said I had to do it by myself."
"Oh really?" The smoking Jounin grinned and leapt skyward, avoiding the shadow that came to get him from behind. Shikamaru only smirked. A net appeared behind Asuma from the forest shadows and wrapped around him, the four kunai at the corners sticking to the ground.
Asuma only smiled. "I can get out of this. Your Shadow Bind can't last forever."
"I know." Shikamaru sighed. Shino appeared behind the net and his arm twitched. All of a sudden the wires that were around Asuma, those which he didn't see, constricted around him, forcing his arms to the sides and rendering unable to make hand seals, thus making sure he couldn't perform jutsu.
Then, to make sure Asuma didn't worm his way out, a pair of trees fell forward and landed on the sides of the net, cleanly sliced from their stumps courtesy of Tōshirō's blade.
"You're done." Hitsugaya calmly stated.
"I guess." Asuma smirked. "Alright. You pass. All of ya."
Hitsugaya Tōshirō was livid. He rubbed the scars that had formed all over his face. Never again would he catch that god-forsaken cat or he would slice it to bits!
The other two felt the same, but weren't as passionate as the somewhat-albino boy.
"Sarutobi-sama. I'm sorry, but I will not do another D-rank mission."
The Hokage looked at Tōshirō somewhat shocked. He regained his composure an instant later, though, leaving no one the wiser.
"Tōshirō!" Iruka roared from his place beside the Hokage. "Respect the Hokage! If he assigns a D-rank mission…" He was cut off when Sarutobi waved his hand.
"Then you shall do a C-rank if it satisfies you." The Hokage handed a mission scroll to Asuma, who took it with surprise.
"You give in so easily, Jii-san?" Asuma asked with wonder.
"I believe your team deserves it, Asuma." The Hokage wasted no time. "Bring him in."
The door opened as an assistant showed the client in. The client said was a drunken old man, with bags under his eyes and a bottle of sake in his hand.
"Despite being illogical." Shino buzzed. "I had expected a client more… extravagant than the one here."
"What's with these brats?" The old man asked. "I didn't pay good money for a bunch of snot-nosed little kids. Especially that little albino kid. Is he even a ninja?"
"I would shut up right now." Tōshirō warned, a tick mark appearing on his forehead. "You don't even know what you are getting into."
"Hmph. You had better at least protect me on the way to Wave."
End Chapter 1