A Written Word: Eternity

Chapter 6

(Thank you to YoshiPrincess, animecybermusic, and Charliele for the name suggestions. There were so many great names suggested, but sadly I could only chose three. Thank you everyone that gave input, and I hope you are enjoying the story so far.)

"Alright, before we begin, any questions?" Uta's eyes roamed over the faces staring back at her. She sighed at the blank expressions on the three genin. Finally one of the genin, Hikari, raised her hand. Uta focussed her attention on her, "Yes?"

Hikari swallowed nervously, "So... what happens if we don't get a bell?" Uta gave a warm smile, "Then you go back to the academy to start your training over again." The students exchanged looks before the Hikari looked back at Uta again, "But...we already passed the academy tests." Uta let out a hum, "Well yes, but those just test skills. This test will examine your ability to use your skills and knowledge in a real world application. Basically, I'm testing if you can figure out how actually use what the academy taught you to complete a mission and be shinobi, without having me giving you detailed instructions. If you can't do something as simple as this, you wouldn't survive a real mission."

The three students swallowed nervously. "Any other questions?"

One of the two boys, Jiro, spoke up, "So...we get the bells from you...by any means necessary?" Uta nodded and held up the two bells she had borrowed from Kakashi, "And I do mean any means necessary. If you don't come at me like you're trying to kill me then you won't succeed, since I won't be making this easy on you. And your teammates won't make it easy on you either, since there are only two bells, so only two spots available on this team."

Uta smiled as the students turned their gazes on each other. Was she copying Kakashi's test? Yes. But why mess with something that worked so well. Uta pulled a clock from her bag and set it on a stump, "Alright, if there aren't any more questions, we will begin. You have until noon to get these bells."

Uta stepped a few paces away and raised her hand in the air, "Ready.....GO!" The three genin shot up and darted into the trees surrounding the open field. Uta looked around, sighing in relief to see that none of her students had pulled the same tactic Naruto had. She hummed a song as she wandered further into the open field, reaching her hand into her bag. Her new students were first time graduates from the academy, and none of them struck her as anything terribly remarkable, but there was some potential. There was Hikari, the only girl on the team, who seemed a bit like Asuma's student, Ino, but with a little bit more skill to back up the attitude. Then there was Jiro. He was the youngest of the three, and his youth showed in his naïveté, but he did seem to have decent instincts. And then there was Nobue. Uta was having a hard time getting a read on his personality. All she could really say about him so far was that he was quiet.

If she had to make a guess at who would come at her first, her guess would be Hikari. That girl had been biting at the bit since the team was first introduced to Uta yesterday.

Uta fished her notebook and a pencil from her bag and settled on a log in the middle of the field, working on her rough draft for her novel.

When she had first learned about Jiraiya's passing, she had hesitated to go back to writing, but as time had gone on she had realized that Jiraiya would have wanted her to continue his work. Plus, it was something that still helped her to organize her thoughts, and control herself around Kakashi. A smirk played at her lips. Since their date at the restaurant, she had barely given the man a break to catch his breath. Kakashi hadn't complained, but she could see that even he was a little overwhelmed by her desires.

Leaves rustled nearby and Uta huffed out a breath, looks like someone had finally built up enough courage to face her. She didn't even look up when she heard the shuriken hurtling towards her, she simply leaned to the side slightly to dodge them.

She bit back her grin when she heard the feminine groan, followed by the rapid rustling of leaves as Hikari moved positions.

Let the games begin.

~~~Time Skip~~~

Uta raised an eyebrow at her students. They were all sweating and panting heavily, bodies covered in dirt and sporting a few new bruises. But despite their worn out appearances, they all had massive grins on their faces. They had managed to get one of the two bells. And just in time before the timer went off. Uta rubbed the back of her neck, feeling conflicted. Sure, they had figured out that they needed teamwork to get the bells, and yes they had managed to get one...but the 'mission' she had given was to get both of the bells. They hadn't managed to do that, and they had exhausted themselves getting the one.

She hummed as she eyed up the three genin. Their strategy hadn't been half bad, and their teamwork was technically passable. Uta snapped her fingers to get their attention.

"Well congratulations on getting a bell, but I do recall that your task was to get TWO bells." The grins dropped from the students faces. Uta took a breath and began pacing leisurely, "However, your teamwork and the strategy that you came up with were decent. And your skills are something I feel like I can work with. All you need is a bit of guidance and you could pass this exam properly..."

The students watched her every move, none of them daring to even blink. Uta turned to face them, a stern look on her face, "I suppose...that I will consider this a pass. All three of you will begin training tomorrow morning." Uta couldn't supress the small smile that touched her lips as the genin cheered and jumped around in celebration.

Once the students headed out Uta made her way to report to Tsnuade that her students had passed and submit her plan for training in the next few days. She wasn't going to get a mission for her students until she had trained them up in basic team maneuvers. Sure, they had passed, but honestly, the maneuvers were pure chaos. If Uta hadn't been holding back, they wouldn't have even gotten close. Uta looked up at the sky. Had she been a little too easy on them?

She shook her head. No they had passed at the level that a genin should be at. Was she going to let them stay at that level? Definitely not. Uta giggled. They were so happy to have passed, but she had been trained by Tsunade, who was not known for gentle training techniques, and Uta intended to train her group just as intensely.

Uta knocked on the door to Tsunade's office and let herself in when Tsunade called out. Tsunade barely glanced up from her paperwork before laughing, "I take it they passed." Uta nodded and Tsunade laughed again, "Those poor children."

Uta crossed her arms, "Why do you say that. They might love getting trained by me."

Tsunade raised her eyebrow, "I know that look on your face. You have evil plans for them. I have no doubt that you are planning on training them like how I trained your brother and you."

"Oh, so are you finally admitting that you're a bit of a slave driver when it comes to training?"

Tsunade huffed a breath as she reached for the next paper that needed her attention, "I'll never admit such a thing. My training is efficient and effective. My students always turn out very well." Uta chuckled, "Exactly. I want my students to be exceptional. So I will naturally train them similarly to how you trained me." Tsunade nodded, "Well I wish them luck. Do you have your paperwork completed for registering them already?" Uta pulled the paper from her bag and placed it on the desk. Tsunade glanced at it and nodded, "Very well, you can take your leave now." Uta smiled and nodded, turning to leave.

Now to continue the tradition and get some chili ingredients and wait for Kakashi to get home so that she could give him the good news.