Capítulo 58: The Fallen
"Kids?! You are not much older than us Kaname-sensei!" the girl replied pointing at Kaname.
"Do you know her Toru?" Koji whispered to the masked Aburame.
"Yes"
"We're the last ones here, so we can occupy this class for a moment, I want to know why each one of you decided to be a ninja, what is your goal, likes and dislikes, etc. Let me start I'm Kaname Uchiha, a Konohagakure jōnin. My goal, for now, is to get a new pair of boots made from snakeskin, plug an eye out of a certain masked man, and squash one persistent human-cockroach. I'm experienced in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Iryōjutsu, I smattered a little in Taijutsu and Bukijutsu. And it seems you are to be my first batch of personal students." (In order: Ninja Arts, Illusory Arts, Healing Arts, Hand-to-hand Combat, Weapon Combat)
"Kaname-sensei, why did you said you are only experienced in iryōjutsu, from what I know you are one of the best in Konoha?"
"Because there is always more to learn Izumi-chan. But seeing you're so talkative you are next" Kaname replied.
"Emm… You all know me, Izumi Uchiha, I want to become a kickass medic and start a family with my childhood friend. I started my training as a medic from the first year, I have the Sharingan that I can barely use. I like tofu and sweets, for dislikes…" Izumi turned her head towards Koji, "perverts. Most likely I will be the support medic in our missions. "
"That's yet to be seen" Kaname replied with a sneer on her face.
"Oh no, what is it this time?" Izumi asked with terror written on her face.
"Now you, monkey boy" Kaname ignored her and pointed at the brown curly-haired boy with long thick sideburns encompassing his face.
"Hehe, you like them?" he laughed teasingly touching his side hair and darting his snub nose up.
"Stop this pervert! She is our sensei!" Izumi yelled at him.
"I'm hurt Izumi-chan, I'm the gourmet of all forms of beauty, you were calling me so intimately yesterday…"
"*Sigh* It's going to be interesting... introduce yourself" Kaname ordered.
"Koji Sarutobi, soon to be the best ninja the world has ever seen! The prankster extraordinaire!" He pointed his thumb at his chest.
"So the duster was your idea?... You're still an amateur Koji-chan" Kaname interrupted him.
"Guh, let me finish sensei, I was encumbered with the title of worst student of the year, only because-"
"You got your arse handed by every other student Koji-hentai, you were lucky to pass this year because females were too disgusted to fight you" Izumi interrupted him again.
"As I was saying, the teachers don't understand my way of fighting. Hmm, what do I like? I adore all forms of beauty"
"Interesting. Koji-chan, from your academy report, I read that you were the top student after the first semester" Kaname replied.
"Hoo, so you knew everything about us sensei, why do you ask for our introductions?" the boy asked.
"Those introductions are not for me. I know Torune-kun and Izumi-chan skipped a year, but what has happened with you three years ago? Are you an orphan? I doubt you just turned into a failure being a promising seed"
"Hehe, no sensei, I have got a normal family with both of my parents in active duty." Kaname didn't detect a lie in his statement, but she felt there is a hidden story behind the boy.
"Damnit, more work for me… Torune-kun, go on" she massaged her forehead.
"Yes, Kaname-sensei. My name is Torune Aburame, I'm the adopted son of Aburame clan leader. As my late father, I'm able to utilize my clan's Kikaichū, as well as a distinct type of insects that my late father used. Unfortunately, there wasn't a training partner available for me to practice with them. My dream is to discover all types of insects and make my clan as steadfast as Uchiha or Sarutobi clans. I like my little brother and insects" he listed off with a steady voice.
"Boooring! We all know that you love your insects, put some power behind your voice Toru!"
"Illogical, everyone is here, why should I shout Sarutobi-kun?"
"*Clap* Okay kids, stop bickering" Kaname clapped her hands.
"Kaname-sensei, as Uchiha-san… *Sigh* As Izumi-san failed to add to her observation, as genins we're considered adults by the village law"
"Heh, sorry to break your bubble kids, you're not genins until I say so and you join a team."
"Not again, you're gonna have a lot of fun with us, won't you?" Izumi asked.
"So what? Do we have to fight you? I would love that!"
Kaname observed two loudmouths and a masked boy that was deep in thought.
"Listen, it's important. There is a cataclysm coming to Konoha in a couple of minutes, the Kyubi Incident will be like a small burp compared to this one, the fate of entire Fire Country is at stake, it's not a job for three newbies, but there is no one close enough to stop it. Are you up for the job?" Kaname's menacing voice made three students straighten up. There was fear in Izumi's eyes, Koji's face and hands started sweating, and Torune stood up.
"What is going on Kaname-sensei?" The girl asked.
"You see... I'm bored" Their sensei replied.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
"Hahaha, if you saw your faces now" she laughed out loud, "If you want to become genins, I have got a test for the Team, I will give you a ten minutes countdown, then I will hunt you down, the only rule is to not leave the premises of Konoha, use whatever is necessary to survive. The last survivor wins and becomes a genin, two others are sent back to the academy. 600, 599, 598… I would move if I was in your place… 595,..."
"RUN!" It was the first time all three of them heard Torune shout, his yell made Kaname stop on her countdown.
She watched genins flee the classroom, 'Three willing prank victims, hehe' she thought.
=================(PoV change)===============
"Why are you two following me?!"
"Izumi-chan, I couldn't leave you alone to suffer sensei's punishment in solitude"
"Stop Izumi-san! We're too close to the academy" the Aburame stopped the girl before she lashed out on the boy.
"There is not enough time Torune-kun! All of us should run as far away as possible, the bigger the group the easier is it for her to find us. Please, don't follow me!" she begged, jumping away towards the east.
"Haha, she still does not understand that it's a test for the Team, sensei made it too easy, if she could she would underline the word on the board, I doubt it would help our brash Izumi-chan, don't you think so... teammate?" Koji leaned on Torune's shoulder.
"If we don't catch her, our team won't exist for long, help me find her please." he requested pulling the hand of his arm.
"What do you know of sensei? She is a beauty, has she got a boyfriend?" both boys started pursuing Izumi.
"Probably you were lucky and didn't meet her in the academy"
"She was our senpai?"
"No, have you heard about the Devil from the previous graduates?"
"You mean that she is the Devil?"
"Precisely. And our time is up, Kaname-sensei is looking for us right now. We have maybe a minute margin before a jōnin catches up. My insects are alerting me about danger coming our way." Torune reported.
"What can she do? It's not like she can harm us"
"Sarutobi-san, she is the best prankster Konohagakure has seen in many years. We should catch Izumi-san as soon as possible"
"Behind you!" Koji yelled making the masked boy jump away, looking back nobody was standing there.
"Stop your irresponsible…" His words drifted off while he was looking at the prankster.
"Hehe, you're learning Toru, but I won't get fooled-" in an instant, he felt his feet break away from the safety of the ground, looking beneath him, Koji saw a deep hole. Falling into it he stopped just before his head dived underground.
"This time you should get fooled Koji-chan, Aburame's aren't exactly known for their sense of humor. Now, where is Izumi-chan?" Kaname crouched next to the head while eating an apple.
"Toru help me!"
"Don't bother, he was unlucky enough to look straight at me, the Kikaichū (Insects) are immune to genjutsu, but the Aburames are just humans. Hmm, I just had a perfect idea. I would say don't move, but you can't do it either way, hehe" She put the half-eaten apple on top of Koji's head.
"What are you doing sensei?!" he observed three cockroach-like bugs the size of his palm scurry on the ground to him.
"Do not move your head, I heard the Aburame's insects do not like that. I need to catch myself a bad girl, See ya!" Kaname waved her hand to Koji, while one insect was already on top of his head and two others were climbing on his face.
Three minutes of torture later he heard a loud girly scream coming from the east, fortuitously, Torune woke up from his genjutsu induced slumber instantly recalling his bugs.
"I'm extremely sorry Sarutobi-san, Tini says he is sorry as well, he did not want to poo on top of your head" Torune apologized getting the boy out of the hole.
"That was dreadful, I will have nightmares for the rest of my life…" he scuffed his head from insect droppings.
"My insects would never hurt anyone that I did not order them to, they were just eating the appetizing apple that I asked them to get"
"You did not see my freaking head?!"
"I was under genjutsu Sarutobi-san, most likely you would stay there for much longer if sensei did not have enough fun already. Now, where is Izumi-san?"
"*Pft-Cough* I heard her scream just before you awoke, she was caught as well"
"Let's go, maybe we still have a chance," Torune noticed the funny look the boy gave him, but it wasn't the time for jokes, his career was at stake.
The boys delved into the forest east of their position. Going farther in for five minutes they noticed movement before them, they stopped and slowly scouted it out.
There was a thick line of spruces with a crevice in the middle, every four seconds they noticed a body swinging heads down after being tied to one of the branches of the massive trees.
After the eighth repetition, Izumi noticed her rescuers.
"Help" her body swung behind the thicket, four seconds later, "me...", "...ple…", "...se"
"That's sensei's trick from the academy, the Swing of Joy and Fervor." the masked boy explained walking towards Izumi.
"Wait Toru! Sensei could still be here! And Izumi-chan can be under genjutsu" he warned.
"Go…","...and…","...die!","Hen…","...tai" with the next swing she flicked him off, with her middle finger pointing downwards.
"Okay, she is not under genjutsu, I will catch her, cut the ropes Toru."
"Hey Izumi-chan, a new haircut?"
"*Growl* Let me go Koji-baka! Kaname-sensei cut my hair because 'I'm too inexperienced to fight while having long hair'"
"It suits you Izumi-chan."
"I can attest to that, sensei made a good job Izumi-san" the boys looked now at the girl possessing shoulder-length brown hair parted to the left tucked behind her ear. (Sarada's like hair, but brown and mirrored :-P)
"*Pft* What has happened with your mask Torune-kun?" Izumi snorted with laughter.
"Ahh, did you have to say it Izumi-chan? It would be better if he went home like that"
"Okay, so everyone got pranked, can you tell me what is going on with my mask?"
"Hehe, you have a depicture of pink brows, eyelashes, and ears added to it" Izumi explained.
"You were caught as the last one Izumi-chan, did sensei fail us?"
"A knowledge for knowledge Baka-Koji, what did she do to you?" Izumi noticed the boy tremble with fear.
"We will tell you everything later Izumi-san, please tell us what you know"
"*Sigh* I will get this story sooner or later. After sensei caught me she gave us all 'one last chance', she asked me to talk with you about the test, so what is going on?"
"You're just too brash Izumi-chan"
"Look who is talking… Torune-kun?"
"Kaname-sensei gave all of us a clue, but you bolted away before we were able to tell you. It's a test for a team Izumi-san, most likely we got pranked because we weren't a three-men cell"
"But only one of us can become a genin, she said so herself…"
"Heh, my dear brash Izumi-chan, that was a bluff, did you ever heard of a team having only two members? There is always a team of three genins and their sensei"
"She wanted to test our teamwork Izumi-san, I doubt she was happy meeting only two of us without you. How much time did she give us?"
"Not that much" The answer came from above their heads. Kaname stood vertically on one of the tree branches, her emergence triggered an immediate reaction on the kids, making them jump back and take defensive stances.
"Don't worry, I'm just a clone messenger, I won't attack. New rules, my original will come to get you all in twenty minutes, you have time to prepare. Do not disappoint her, come with the intention to kill. The first one that touches her wins the privilege to become her pranking victim, *Cough*, I mean student for the rest of his or her life, the last one goes back to the academy."
"We won't get deceived! You want to divide us!" Izumi yelled at her.
"That's rich coming from you Izumi-chan, Bye-bye" Kana-1 disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"*Guh*..."
"Heh, sensei was right, but don't worry Izumi-chan, I have got a plan!"
"Hmm?" Torune turned his head towards Koji.
"I call it: Hide and pray for a miracle! I mean she is a jōnin, she will sweep our asses all over the forest"
"Your plan sucks Baka-Koji! We need to fight her head-on, with an attack from three sides she will have to block at least one of us"
"Why won't we combine the two plans?" Torune interrupted the two.
Nineteen minutes later Izumi stood confidently before the Kaname slowly walking towards her. Two females stood ten steps across each other.
"So what is your plan Izumi-chan?" Kaname asked.
"Sensei, why do you think we were able to reach an agreement? Those two jerks left me here" Izumi replied with her hands behind her back.
"Yeah, right…" Kaname's hand blurred throwing two shurikens towards inconspicuous bushes, making two boys dodge away from their hiding spots.
At the same time, Izumi pulled a string hidden behind her springing the trap. From above their heads, hundreds of stones fell upon Kaname's position.
"Did that get her?" Izumi asked.
As the dust cleared of she noticed her sensei sitting on top of a big pile of rocks smiling at her.
"Is that it? Should I fail you all?" she smirked, from the small hill beneath Kaname's feet rose a black cloud of insects coercing her to jump away.
Koji launched himself at their sensei while she was in the air.
"GOT YOU!" he yelled with his arms stretched out towards her, Kaname used <Kawarimi no Jutsu> swapping herself with a wooden log lying on the ground.
"Never ever, yell at your enemy, why would you give him or her an idea of your next move?" she asked the boy hugging the log.
"Izumi-san" Torune received a nod from the girl.
All three kids attacked Kaname at the same time scattering all the leaves on the ground, Kaname executed the slightest movements she was able to let their attacks pass through without touching her. They slowly made her take a step back, then another.
After five steps, Izumi jumped up to her pulling another string. From below Kaname's feet hidden below the leaves, a net rose pulling both females upwards.
"Hehe, we win Kaname-sensei" Izumi was lying in the trap with her.
"Hoo, not bad kids, but you didn't win yet. At least not as long the original says so." Kana-1 dispelled herself.
"GAAH! It was a clone again! Guys, let me out" Izumi yelled at her teammates.
"Muhaha, now, what will you do kids? You have one minute." Kaname's voice was heard throughout the forest.
"I believe sensei is having fun torturing us" Koji released the brown-haired girl from her own trap.
"That's the most likely possibility" Torune replied.
==================(PoV change)============
Kaname ate another apple walking towards the last known location of the trio.
'Hard and juicy. Good, I found this bargain for the apples before I caught up with the kids' she thought.
Before she took another bite, a big cockroach landed on top of her apple putting his wings and front appendages up.
"Hehe, are you trying to scare me, little fellow?" she caressed its head, lifted it, and put the insect back down on the ground. Kaname cut off a big piece of an apple and left it with the Kikaichū.
'Interesting, I did not know that the insects can droll.' she watched a very happy overgrown cockroach indulging itself in eating the juicy fruit.
She walked deeper into the forest, soon she entered the clearing with a river on one side and black memorial stone on the other.
'The Third Training Ground, that brings some old memories of training with Minato-san.'
The moment she left the thicket she was attacked by a cloud of small black insects, she flickered away, just to appear ten steps behind the trio's hiding spot.
"Why did you pick this spot?" she asked.
"You can walk on trees, you're more agile and know more tricks than any of us sensei. At the least, on this glade, you're unable to attack us from above" Torune replied calmly.
"Good selection Torune-chan, but it won't give you as much breathing room as you might imagine" With a single hand seal Kaname's body got swallowed by the earth.
"Plan C!" Torune announced releasing hundreds of insects under the ground, while Koji shuffled through the hand seals.
"There!" Torune pointed to the left of them.
"<Doton: Dochūbaku>!" (Earth Release: Underground Split Technique)
Kaname was left floating for a second when the ground just disappeared. Izumi's eyes flashed red as she jumped towards her, from the ground surrounding Kaname trickled out a steady stream of black insects.
'Hmm, should I fight back? I don't want to hurt the Kikaichū…Heh, I should let Izumi-chan get a hit, <Kawarimi no Jutsu>' she replaced herself with one of the clones she hid underground.
Izumi observed as her sensei was smiling at her, with all of her power she punched with her fist towards Kaname's face. Her friends were looking as the older Uchiha again poofed out of existence and Izumi landing headfirst into the deep crevice with a log in her hands.
"Why is it always me?!" Izumi clambered out of the hole with her face soiled from the dust and sand.
She was interrupted by the sound of loud clapping.
"Not bad students, you almost caught me. Now attack me together, I want to see what I'm working with" Kaname ordered, appearing right behind the boys.
"Keep her occupied for a moment," Torune asked his teammate.
Koji attacked Kaname with some telegraphed punches and kicks, soon Izumi joined him in the onslaught. With a Sharingan in play, Kaname had to triple her efforts to dodge the attacks.
"Dodge!" Torune shouted out to his friends.
Kaname activated her Sharingan observing the boy, the uncovered parts of his body had a purple tint, zooming in she noticed that it's not his skin that altered its color, there are thousands of microscopic purple insects covering Torune's body.
"<Dokujin no Jutsu>!" (Poison Cloud Technique) he sent his purple insects towards Kaname.
'Kana-2, I have a job for you!' She swapped herself with another clone and flickered behind Torune at the same time the cloud of insects reached Kana-2.
"Hmm not bad Torune-chan, you will have to train this, it takes too long for you to use this type of Kikaichū," she said leaning on top of the boy's head.
"Another clone?" he asked nonplussed.
"Okay, stop fighting. I'm willing to approve of the team, but there is one more thing you need to know. Follow me" she caught a pair of genins attacking her.
"Hahaha, we passed!" Izumi laughed out.
"Heh, my family will be proud"
"If I may ask. When did you decide this Kaname-sensei?"
"When three of you caught my clone in the net Torune-chan, good planning." she led them towards the back of the glade.
"What is this?" Izumi asked observing the black stone.
"A memorial stone Izumi-chan, it's the sad reminiscent for every fallen Konoha shinobi, it shows us for what we're fighting for and does not let us forget about our friends."
"Thousands of names…" Torune commented.
"Are they the victims of last war sensei?" Koji asked.
"These are only the victims of the missions going side-ways, and the fallen shinobi at the end and after the war Koji-chan"
"So many?" he asked shocked.
" I have a close friend that lost has his entire team, with two of his teammates and his sensei mentioned on this stone. My three other friends have lost their teammates as well."
"My dad's name…" Izumi touched the stone where two Uchihas were listed off.
"And you, sensei?"
"What about me Koji-chan?"
"Have you got anyone close to you on mentioned on this stone"
"Koji-san, you shouldn't have to ask that" Torune rebuked him.
"*Sigh* I come here personally every day Koji-chan. There is my best friend that was on my team listed here, as well as my father slash teacher figure, two very close friends, and endless numbers of others I failed to save" Her voice broke down a little.
"Kaname-sensei?" Izumi asked.
"*Cough* Don't worry about me. I do not know why did you choose this training ground from all of the others available, but luckily I was able to show you this memorial stone. I hope you understand now what the shinobi duty entails, not many ninjas are able to pick themselves up from the death of their teammates, many are losing themselves in grief and commit suicide or even treason. I can and will protect you as long as you're my students, but our line of work has many unknowns waiting for us at every corner. Are you sure you want this to be your life? It's the last test for each of you today. Think it through, I will wait for you here tomorrow at 7 a.m, you don't have to come if you think it's not for you."
Kaname walked towards the stone delicately touching it, "See you tomorrow" she whispered.
------------------
The next day at sunrise Kaname flickered to the Third Training Ground, looking at the memorial stone she noticed someone leaning on it.
"Yo, Kana-chan. What are you doing here so early?" he asked.
"Hi Doofus-kun, I gave my new team some prep talk about ninja life. They have 15 minutes to show up"
"Hmm, the full dose? With the Stone talk?"
"Yep, I will not have anyone playing a ninja in my team. You know how insane our world is"
"Interesting... Okay, I will wander somewhere off. Good luck Kana-chan"
"Thanks, Doofus-kun. Later!"
Ten minutes later Izumi showed up.
"Hi Izumi-chan"
"Hi sensei. Thank you for telling me all of that, I just could not imagine how much sacrifice all of the older ninjas had to do to protect our village."
"I concur" Torune walked out of the bushes.
"Hi, Torune-chan. Two out of three, you understand that I will have to fail the team if Koji-chan doesn't show... Ah, forget it"
"Who will not show up sensei?!" Koji shouted at her.
"Welcome Team Seven in the worst and best days of your life! Thank you for coming. We will start here daily at 7 a.m. After training for four hours I will give you thirty minutes of a break, then we will go finish a mission or two, anyone got better ideas? No? Then what are you waiting for? One hundred reps of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and ten klicks around the grounds for warmup, I will join you. I will send a clone to Hokage-sama to inform him of the team creation" she ordered with a menacing smile on her face.
"Guh, now I think I made a wrong decision" Izumi complained.
"Yeah, me too Izumi-chan"
"I'm unwilling to give up that easily" Torune tried to keep up with Kaname's speedy warmup.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
dahnik
dahnik I hope you are staying at home, just to give you a report after only 8 days the number of infections rose from ~80/day to ~270/day in my country. And most of this because of idiocy...
I.E. There was news two days ago of a pair of elderly returning from a month-long trip from PARIS, because why the f*ck not to make a trip while the world is in a pandemic? They live 2 km (1.4 miles) away from my little town. Of course, they brought the virus with them, *sigh* the stupidity should be taxed :-P...
I hope you like the chapter, comment, and vote :-) The next chapter will be Wednesday.
If you found any mistakes please inform me :-) I don't like mistakes :-)