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Staying in the Shadows (A Naruto Fanfiction) Chapter 3 - Part II.

Part I Chapter 1 Chapter 2 

Jinko remembered the next day to be the worst survival training she had ever done and that's saying something.

Kakashi sensei instructed each of them to grab a bell which were hanging from his jacket. The problem was there were only three bells rather than four. Meaning one of them was going back to the Academy. All they had to do was to attack him with the intent to kill. Everyone hid themselves amongst the trees and the bushes. Everyone except of Naruto. "Okay you and me right here!" he charged at Kakashi. Jinko pinched the bridge of her nose annoyed. Baka!

Before Naruto did any harm, (not that he could have), Kakashi sensei got behind him and poked him in the butt. "Thousand years of death!" he yelled and Naruto was sent flying into the pond. Seeing this everyone got into action and attacked Kakashi. But Kakashi wasn't a layman, he was a Jonin. The four genins were not even in the same league as him even if combined. Each of them tried their best to catch hold of those bells but none succeeded. Although, Sasuke came quite close. Jinko saw from her hiding place in the bushes that he almost had it. His fingers graced them but Kakashi sensei was fast, he moved away quickly. Jinko thought it was now her chance to attack him as he would be caught off guard. She jumped out with her hands balled in a fist. "Hyaaa!" she yelled, but Kakashi quickly blocked her punches with his mere palms, while still focusing on Sasuke. "You're punches are pathetic," he chastised her. Jinko's mouth opened and a gasp left her lips. Jinko had given all her energy into that punch but he didn't even flinch. Jinko put her other hand in her sachet and pulled out a kunai. Her hand moved towards his arm which was holding her fist but Kakashi simply slapped her kunai away. "You expect such attacks to hurt me?" he sighed. He straightened up and let Jinko's hand go. Jinko fell on her butt with a thud. She looked around and found that Sasuke had taken this opportunity to run away. "I'm giving you one more chance," Jinko looked up at Kakashi. "Hide wherever you want. You take this seriously and attack me with all your strength. If you are going to just play around then don't waste your breath." Kakashi then disappeared leaving Jinko on the ground. Jinko couldn't believe he thought she was not taking this seriously. She really wanted to hurt him and take those bells. What did he mean 'stop playing around'? She wasn't. She came at him with the intention to kill, like he asked them to. Suddenly Sakura's scream was heard through the forest ground. Jinko stood up and ran in her direction. She saw Sakura lying on the ground and rushed forward, however Kakashi sensei jumped out of nowhere and aimed his fist at her. Jinko couldn't block his punch and fell to the ground.

This happened many times. Jinko tried to attack Kakashi and he didn't even need look up from his book to block her. She made a clone and attacked him but the clone was as good as her. She couldn't block the attacks of Kakashi either. She had been hit in the stomach twice and once in her upper arm. Kakashi had disappeared and Jinko was heaving. She didn't have anymore chakra left for another attack. She fell to the ground. The sun was above her head and Jinko could hear the faint ringing of the timer. She got up and started walking towards the stumps where they had began their training. It took all of Jinko's strength to not fall over. As she reached the stumps, Jinko saw Naruto tied to one of them. Sakura and Sasuke sitting on his each side of Naruto and Kakashi sensei was standing before them.

"There you are Jinko!" Naruto said as he saw her walking towards them. "I was wondering where you were. We've all been waiting for you." Suddenly, Naruto's stomach growled. "Uh oh, stomach's growling huh? That's too bad," Kakashi said. "Oh by the way, about this exercise, I've decided. I won't send any of you back to the academy."

Jinko couldn't believe her ears. He's not going to send us back, she thought. "I'm going to drop you from the programme. Permanently." Kakashi finished. Naruto and Sakura yelled in disbelief. Sasuke got up and attacked him with a kunai. Kakashi flung him to the ground and stepped on his body with his foot on Sasuke's head and his arm holding Sasuke's behind his back. "You can't step on Sasuke like he is some kind of bug!" Sakura yelled.

Jinko couldn't hear all the commotion around her. All her brain was capable to think currently was that she wasn't going to be a ninja ever in her life. Jinko wasn't surprised. She was pathetic today no wonder he is dropping her.

"You all think it's a game. Did you determine what's the point of this exercise? Why are all of you put in a team and not individually?" Kakashi explained calmly. Not individually? Because a team is supposed to act together. Otherwise they are no good. "Team work," Jinko said looking down at her feet.

"Yes. Team work. If you all had figured that out and worked together you might have taken the bells."

"Wait a minute!" Sakura yelled. "There were only three bells and four of us. If we had worked together only three of us would have the bells and that would lead to group conflict and fights!"

"Exactly. I pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could over come that and put your team ahead first. But it didn't even cross your mind," he explained. "Sakura! You were so obsessed with Sasuke when he was gone but you didn't help Naruto who was right in front of you."

He then addressed Naruto, "You, Naruto, do everything alone. Everything." Kakashi then angled his foot which was rested on Sasuke's head, pushing it more against the ground, "And you Sasuke, you think others are so far beneath you they were worthless. Arrogance." Kakashi hissed.

He then looked at Jinko and his eyebrow crease eased. "As for you Jinko," Jinko looked up. "For not having any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu I expected your Taijutsu to be strong. Unfortunately, it wasn't." "I have ninjutsu! I can produce a shadow clone!" Jinko defended herself. Kakashi was taken aback. "Oh. Well. You are too weak then." He scratched the back of his head. Jinko looked down. She remembered what she had said the other day on the rooftop. She wanted to be the best kunoichi. Guess she was just aiming too high.

Kakashi then demonstrated how during a mission the enemy can take someone hostage and one of them can get killed if they didn't follow team work. He also mentioned the heroes who were K.I.A. but Jinko wasn't listening. She was focused on not letting her tears slip from her eyes. She felt hopeless.

"Alright. I'll give you all one more chance," he looked at them. Jinko looked up, her eyes red. "I'll give you three hours to get those bells. Eat your lunch to build up strength but Naruto won't have any. It's your punishment." Kakashi then walked away leaving them with their lunch boxes.

Everyone sat down and opened their lunch. Jinko was staring at her nails. Naruto's stomach growls again. Jinko sighed. "Here. Take it," Jinko offered her lunch. "No. Jinko it's your food, I can't take it," he protested.

"Take it. I'm not hungry anyway." It was true. Jinko wasn't hungry. Her stomach was churning with her need to cry. She felt as if she had even a bite of food, it wouldn't pass through her throat. She held her dumpling towards his mouth. Naruto opened his mouth and took it in whole. Tears flowed down his face and he was being dramatic about how she cares about him and she is his only best friend. Sakura argued that she was going against Kakashi's instructions and might fail the test.

"Let him." Jinko said adamantly. A surge of anger and rebellion was flowing through her. She was angry at herself, her luck and maybe even Kakashi. Jinko didn't know why she was so angry even when it was true and Kakashi didn't mean her any harm. He was just doing his job.

"Jinko is right. We need to work as a team and for that Naruto needs his strength," Sasuke sided with Jinko. He offered his rice balls to Naruto. Seeing this Sakura gave her food too claiming she was on a diet. Naruto began sobbing earnestly about how wonderful friends they are and he was grateful to have them.

The atmosphere changed quickly. There were black clouds surrounding them. Thunder rumbling. Sakura tumbled back with fright. Naruto, Jinko and Sasuke stood still with their eyes wide. "You!" Kakashi jumped out of nowhere. His face to the closest proximity of Naruto's. "You all passed." He said with a closed eyed smile.

"What?" Naruto yelled.

"Yes, you all passed. You helped your team mate when he needed you," Kakashi replied.

"But you said not to feed him?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Yes. In the shinobi world, you're required to follow your instructions and those who don't are considered scum. But those who leave their comrade behind are even worse than scum," Kakashi explained calmly.

And hence, Team 7 was formed.

Jinko's reminiscence was interrupted when the door to the office opened and the guard from earlier stepped out. "You can go in," he said, holding the door for them.

Mitsuki and Jinko walked in. The room looked quite modest. Almost nothing had changed since she last saw it. The office looked as bland as it did in the earlier days when she used to come with Team 7 for her missions. Two guards were standing near an office desk. Jinko eyed the masked man sitting on a chair in front of the desk, with his signature bored expression. Jinko felt nostalgic for her childhood days but then she remembered those years and how even breathing was painful and the hair on her neck stood up. Mitsuki had shrunken behind her, clutching the obi of her dress.

Jinko bowed her head. "My lord," she said. Jinko hoped she looked presentable. She wanted to make a good impression. Perhaps, to wipe out her first those many years ago. She slid her hand on the sides of her houmongi, hoping to straighten any crease.

Kakashi's eyes never left her. He looked at her from top to toe. The last time he saw her she was only thirteen. And now she stood, seventeen years later, a full grown woman. She turned out good, he thought. After all, the family was of a feudal lord. The yellow colour of her houmongi brought out her black eyes. Her black, silky hair was tied in a bun. His eyes fell on Mitsuki who was clutching her hand. Look at that, she is a mother now.

"Jinko Eguchi."

"Lord Hokage," Jinko bowed. Eguchi? Mitsuki wondered.

"What brings you here?"

"My lord, I wish to admit Mitsuki—," she placed a hand on Mitsuki's back and nudged him forward. "— into the Academy. They don't have ninja schools from where I come from and he has great potential, my lord. I wanted to place him into the guidance of a Leaf shinobi so that he could be great ninja someday."

Kakashi looked at Mitsuki. His pale skin and snake like eyes looked nothing like Jinko at all. "Is he your son?" Kakashi voiced his suspicion.

Jinko looked down, "No, my lord. I'm his guardian." Kakashi kept his stoic face.

"And is that all you want?"

Jinko shook her head. "There's one more thing, lord Hokage. We wish to settle here, me and Mitsuki. If Mitsuki gets admitted in the Academy, I wish to stay with him. It is the duty that I've been assigned and also for personal reasons," Kakashi looked at the floor. "I hope what we ask isn't too much." Jinko finished.

"I need to counsel this with the others. As you can see, you are outsiders. Though you were a Leaf shinobi Jinko, you aren't now seeing as you don't have your headband. Also, this is a matter of security. It's nothing personal. The elders will discuss it and we will inform you as soon as possible. Till then you could stay in the village as visitors," Kakashi laid back in his chair.

"I understand, my lord." Jinko bowed and turned back to leave. "Oh, and Jinko," Kakashi stopper her. "If the decision is a negative, then you'd have to leave the village the very day. I'd would escort you myself to the village gates."

"Yes." Jinko replied firmly and left the room.

It was clear that he didn't trust her. He would have an ANBU to tail me. I bet he already asked for a background check on us by now, she thought.

"Jinko where will we go now?" Mitsuki asked looking up at her as they walked out of the building.

"We will stay in a hotel till the decision comes," she replied.

"What if they don't allow us to stay?"

"We will cross that bridge when it comes. But for now let's go find Ichiraku ramen shop!" Jinko tugged at Mitsuki's hand and dragged him to the streets of Konoha.