WAB: Chapter 6

I arrived at Training Ground Twelve, which was next to, and which the Village leased from, the Temple of Kukunochi, the Kami of Trees. The temple of Kukunochi was known for its sacred tree, which was housed in the center of the Temple Complex in a cone-shaped building with numerous glass windows. Less well known were the more traditional buildings around the training ground, where priests could, if they so wished, gather to view the training of the Shinobi and swap tips with any Shinobi who might be eager to learn a select number of the Temple's Spiritual Energy-based abilities, which would allow them to more easily move around in, and disappear into, wooded areas.

This harkened back to Lord Second's days as Hokage, when the Village first needed to expand its boundaries. Tobirama struck deals with some of the communities that would be caught up in the expansion, such as the Temple of Kukunochi, or the Village of Sumitetsu, whose leaders, the Hata Family, were renowned blacksmiths, capable of using Chi and Spiritual Energy to produce superior-quality blades and armor of a kind rivaled only by the smiths of Iron Country.

While the Hata Family would become armorers for the Village in exchange for various concessions, including being taught to utilize Chakra, becoming a Shinobi Family, though they were not established enough to be given Clan Status, the deal they struck provided a template for dealings with the Temple of Kukunochi. Of course, by the time that the First Great Shinobi War Broke out, the Daimyo of Fire Country had made the Hokage lords of Hakage Province, making the need to make such deals obsolete, as the Hokage, as Feudal Lord of the whole province, could simply order villages vacated and had enough leverage to come to more favorable agreements with various temples.

While the Hata Family had now more or less integrated within the Village's Shinobi Structure entirely, the agreement with the Temple of Kukunochi was still on the books, leading to this training ground effectively being shared space between Shinobi and the Priests of Kukunochi. If I had to hazard a guess as to why Asuma-Sensei had chosen this training ground for the start of my lessons, it was likely based on having Priests to witness things. After all, it would be difficult for Akirao to claim that he had been cheated or set up with Clergy backing Asuma-Sensei's account.

I also wasn't the first one here. Asuma-Sensei was also here, though he wasn't alone. He had with him one of Lord Enma's Monkeys, which looked like a Wiry Gorilla or Chimpanzee in a blue hoodie, blue pants, and a yellow sash. I waved at the pair, and Asuma-Sensei nodded at me before the Monkey leaped forward, bounding toward me and using a tree branch like a parallel bar, swinging off it to cover more distance with the momentum of his leap as he flipped about and landed in front of me. I looked at him and realized that he was a bit shorter than I was, which was interesting. I was considered a pretty tall sixteen-year-old, but the Summon in the Hoodie was only maybe an inch or two shorter than me.

"This is him?" Questioned the Monkey, sizing me up.

"Choji, meet Yamazaru, Yamazaru, Choji." Introduced Asuma-Sensei.

"Huh. I thought you'd be taller." Mused the Monkey, Yamazaru.

"I can get taller with a technique." I shrugged.

"Neat. Anyway, I'm Yamazaru, nice to meet you! The Old Man assigned me to be Old Smokebreath's Personal Summon!" Grinned Yamazaru.

"And I'm Choji. Old Smokebreath, as you call him, was my Sensei." I nodded.

"Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em. I wouldn't call him that if his breath didn't smell like smoke all the time." Shrugged Yamazaru.

"Hey, I'm not the one complaining." I chuckled. Yamazaru's grin widened at that before he nodded once at me and turned back to address Asuma-Sensei.

"I like this one! He's not an idiot like the ones you've got hanging around usually." Opined Yamazaru.

"I didn't get to pick teams this time, I was practically voluntold." Defended Asuma-Sensei.

"Excuses, excuses." Smirked Yamazaru.

"If you're talking about Asuma-Sensei's latest team, he really didn't get to pick. In fact, he brought me on to help straighten them out." I pointed out.

"Yeah, well, good luck on that front." Snorted Yamazaru.

"What can you tell me about them?" I queried.

"Green's a little asshole. He thinks he's the Gods' gift to Shinobi, always thinking he knows better than anyone, never willing to take advice. Blue hangs off his every word like some lovesick puppy and always jumps to Green's defence whenever anyone criticizes him. Red, though, he's just stubborn. He needs to figure out how to channel that stubbornness into something that'll help him out more than what he normally does, which is dig his heels in every argument and try to prove Green and Blue are being morons." Summarized Yamazaru.

"I'm guessing Green is Akirao, Blue is Miho, and Red is Kanchi?" I asked.

"Yeah, honestly, I never bothered to memorize their names. If they keep going like this, they aren't gonna last very long, so I never bothered." Shrugged Yamazaru.

"Great. Any advice for me?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Green needs a swift kick in the ass if he's gonna get anywhere in life. Blue needs a bit of a talking to about realistic goals, especially if Green actually does become the new Senju heir like he thinks is gonna happen. Red? I think he just needs a mentor, one who can help him out when Old Smokebreath over there can." Informed Yamazaru.

"All right. I can work with that. You know, for a human-sized summon, you're pretty observant." I offered.

"What, just cause I'm Human-Sized, you think I'm a kid?" Queried Yamazaru.

"I mean, my own personal summon is a Boar the size of a small building." I shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I dunno how it is with the Boars, but for us, size and age don't exactly go hand in hand. I'm thirty-eight years old." Explained Yamazaru.

"Good to know." I nodded.

Just then, however, three people came crunching through the undergrowth. I winced as I heard them make their way over. Sure it wasn't loud enough for someone who couldn't channel Chakra or Chi to enhance their senses to hear, but anyone with a guard dog, or who could Channel Chi or Chakra to enhance their senses was gonna be able to pick up the sound of snapped twigs and rustling leaves that heralded the arrival of the trio of Genin. Hell, I was willing to bet that just someone with sharp enough hearing could have picked them up as they arrived. To make my point, I unsealed my Bow and nocked an arrow to the string, drawing back, I let fly as the trio of fresh Genin appeared, planting the arrow into a tree trunk an inch to the left of where they emerged.

"Boom, you three are dead." I intoned as I took stock of the Trio as they arrived.

The first was clad in green, with his forehead protector wrapped around his right bicep. He had a Katana strapped across his shoulders, and his wild, messy, sandy blonde hair was tied up with a green headband. Senju Akirao was clearly an early bloomer who had gotten a growth spurt because he looked like he was about as tall as Yamazaru, though he hadn't filled out the rest of his frame just yet. When he got to be my age, it was clear he would be a veritable mountain of a man, similar to how people claimed Lord Tobirama had been. He also looked furious and ready to argue the point I'd just made, and he wasn't the only one.

Funeno Miho looked furious as well. She was a willowy girl with her brown hair tied up in a ponytail, her own forehead protector was tied to her own right bicep, though in her case, she wore a blue outfit with a gray sash and brown belt that bore a Shuriken Holster hanging off her hip and a kunai pouch at the small of her back. She was the smallest of her three teammates, having clearly not undergone much of a growth spurt yet, though there were hints that when she did, she would be close to the size of someone like Ino.

The last Genin, Kanchi, looked more frustrated than angry, his shaggy black hair held out of his eyes by his forehead protector. He was stockier than Akirao, and only a few inches shorter, though I would guess that was muscle and not fat, and wore a red outfit that included a poncho. Out of the three of them, he was clearly the most developed physically in terms of muscle mass, likely based on habits he had picked up in the outlying district that he had come from. Most of the people of such districts tended to be less urban and closer to the land. I was guessing he was a farm boy, though admittedly, that was entirely based on how poor his stealth skills had been as he arrived.

"You're an idiot. An arrow wouldn't have killed any of us." Scoffed Akirao, drawing me out of my observations.

"Yeah! Besides, you missed!" Affirmed Miho.

"And if that arrow carried an explosive tag?" I asked.

"It didn't, though." Pointed out Kanchi.

"It didn't need to in order to make my point, at least that was what I thought. I didn't have to miss, and I have plenty of explosive tags. You three need to work on your woodland stealth capabilities. I didn't even need to channel Chakra to my ears to hear you coming. If you had done that while sneaking up on a Bandit Encampment, you would have given away your approach, much less if you had tried to approach an enemy shinobi like that." I lectured.

"We didn't think we had to be so cautious in our home village!" Scowled Akirao.

"Yeah, nobody expects to be attacked at home!" Concurred Miho.

"Asuma-Sensei, who is this guy?" Questioned Kanchi.

"This Guy, as you put it, is a former student of mine, Akimichi Choji. He will be your teacher for today and for however long it takes for me to decide you're worth teaching personally again." Huffed Asuma-Sensei.

"What? You can't just dump us on someone else! Do you know who I am?" Queried Akirao.

"Until Lady Tsunade says otherwise, you're no one." I cut in, forestalling the argument before it could really get going.

"Akirao-Kun's not no one! He's the heir to the Senju!" Protested Miho.

"No. He isn't. The heir to the Senju is currently Senju Kaede. Until Lady Tsunade decides otherwise, that is how things are." I intoned.

"Ha! He's got you there!" Laughed Kanchi.

"Shut up, Dead Last! You speak of things you know nothing about!" Snarled Akirao.

"Yeah! Don't talk back to Akirao-Kun!" Snapped Miho.

"Besides, even if that is true now, I'm still Rookie of the Year and you're still the Dead Last." Insisted Akirao.

"Rookie of the Year, Top Kunoichi, Dead Last, these titles mean nothing. You're not in the Academy anymore. Out there in the field, coasting on the petty achievements you earned at the Academy is pointless and will get you all killed. Asuma-Sensei was right, your passing the Genin Test was a fluke. You are not worthy of being Genin as it is now." I retorted.

"Is that a fact?" Asked Akirao.

"That's a fact. Your teamwork is atrocious." I nodded.

"Who cares about teamwork? Powerful Shinobi will always be powerful Shinobi!" Growled Akirao.

"None of you are powerful Shinobi. You, in particular, have claimed the Mantle of Leadership, that you're worthy of being made Heir to the Senju Clan over Kaede, but you don't even show the barest inkling of how to be a good leader. If you were in charge of the Senju, they would become a dead clan in truth instead of simply in name." I taunted.

"That's it! I'll show you just what you're dealing with!" Snapped Akirao.

As he said that, he blurred forward in a motion that probably seemed impressive to an Academy Student. To me, however, it looked like he was moving in slow motion as he rushed forward, drawing his Katana from over his shoulder, and bringing it around in a descending, diagonal cut at my torso. The cut displayed an excellent grasp of the basics of Kenjutsu, but basics alone would be pointless here. As the blade came in at me, I took two steps forward, inside the reach of the blade, and grabbed the hilt with one hand, preventing the blade from fully descending before smashing the point of my elbow into Akirao's throat. It was a fairly standard technique of Akimichi-Ryu Karate (Akimichi Style Karate) for fighting swordsmen with pure Taijutsu called Mutō (No Sword).

As he staggered backward, Akirao lost his grip on his Katana, sputtering and choking as he did so. That allowed me to take possession of his Katana, which was clearly well-made, if simple. Not the fancy thing I'd have expected from a would-be Young Master-Type like himself. The wooden hilt was plain, wrapped in brown leather for grip, and the Tsuba was an unadorned and rather simple circle of metal. The edge was razor sharp, however, and the balance was exquisite. As he sputtered to himself, drawing in ragged breaths, I nodded at him.

"A fine blade, well-balanced. However, a Blade is only as good as the Swordsman who wields it, and you have been found lacking." I intoned.

"Akirao was the best swordsman at the Academy, and he took him down in one move." Breathed Miho.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Exclaimed Kanchi.

"How did you do that?" Demanded Akirao.

"Your cut was basic. That isn't a bad thing, mind you. A strong grasp of the basics is fundamental as a foundation. But a house that is all foundation doesn't protect you from the storm. You will find in your career as a Shinobi that there are many Shinobi who have long since laid their foundations and moved on to building the walls and roofs of their homes, to extend a metaphor. When you run up against such Shinobi with only a foundation underneath you and no walls or roof beside and above you, only teamwork will save your life. Thus far, all I've seen from you is two Shinobi constantly belittling a teammate and a supposed leader who runs off half-cocked at the slightest provocation. If you don't fix your team dynamic, you'll all die when the time comes." I informed.

"So teach us." Ground out Akirao.

"That's why I'm here." I nodded.

"It looks like you've got everything well in hand here. I'll be around if you need me, just have Yamazaru come find me." Nodded Asuma-Sensei.

"I'm sure I can manage, Sensei." I chuckled.

And with that, my time training Team Asuma began. Over the course of the next two weeks, I started hammering them into shape, forcing them into intensive training to get them to rely on each other. Of course, the best place to do something like that wasn't Training Ground Twelve. No, it was Training Ground Forty-Four, the Forest of Death. Thankfully, Mitarashi Anko had other responsibilities, so we never ran into her during those two weeks. We ran into plenty of other opponents, however. Giant Spiders, Tigers, and the odd Chakra Mutant, such as the Six-Pawed, Razor-Clawed Bear that I had found out about at the start of week two and had Team Asuma hunt. I supervised the whole time, using my limited facility with Iryoninjutsu (Medical Ninjutsu) to patch up wounds. I probably used the Chiyo no Jutsu (Healing Technique) more times in those two weeks than I had in the entire two years that I'd been posted to Tanigakure as Ambassador.

By the end of the two weeks, not only had I managed to forge Team Asuma into a decent, if still new, team, but I had even begun to impart various techniques on the trio of Kohai. I taught Akirao the Konoha-Ryu: Yūgure (Leaf-Style: Dusk), which created rising gusts of wind to slash opponents up into the air with. For Miho, I taught her the Ni Kamasori Nage no Jutsu (Two Razor Throwing Technique), which allowed for the quick drawing of and accurate throwing of two Shuriken at once. For Kanchi, however, I taught the basics of Akimichi-Ryu Karate, Utau Haru Kenpo (Singing Spring Kenpo), and the Nenchaku-Ken (Sticky Fist) Styles of Taijutsu. His stubbornness was now channeled into mastering the basics of those styles rather than digging in his heels during arguments with his teammates.

They used their new techniques to slay the Six-Pawed, Razor-Clawed Bear, and I set myself to not only skinning the beast, but taking a trio of claws from the razors. Using those claws and some leather cords, I fashioned a trio of Bear-Claw Necklaces for the three of them, handing out the necklaces on the last day of the two-week period. I had taken the bearskin for myself, but these necklaces would celebrate their final gelling as a team in the forest of death. They would need it, as I had been given the OK to take them out of the village on a C-Rank mission as a temporary Sensei. We would be hunting the Crimson Flake Bandits, a band of marauders that had recently come down into Northeastern Natsu Province, having been recently driven out of Hot Springs Country.

Little did we know, these Bandits would have a Chunin Missing-Nin from Shimogakure leading them. . .

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AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. Choji meets up with his newest Kohai and finds that they need a swift kick in the ass and a two-week bout of intensive training in the Forest of Death in order to have some sense knocked into them and start working as an actual team. Now, he's taking them out on a mission to hunt Bandits, but this is the Elemental Nations. When are bandits ever just bandits in this setting? One thing is for sure, by the time this mission is all over, there won't be any trace of the Arrogant Young Master, Lovesick Fangirl, or Stubborn Farmboy left in Akirao, Miho, and Kanchi. Instead, they'll have actually tested their new team dynamic under fire and become fully-fledged Shinobi.

At any rate, the next Chapter will be the start of that mission. I'll also have some more images and Ninja Info Cards for Lee, Neji, and Tenten out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .