Mages and ninja - The Story Of Three Legends

Team (24)

The time had finally come.
Students eagerly trickled into the classroom for one final time, each proudly wearing Konoha's headband. More than one, however, gave Zero, Naruto and Sasuke looks of deep confusion and surprise and for good reason.
They looked drastically different, from their appearance to the way that they held themselves.
Zero wore

and around her leg, she wrapped one of her holsters. She also wore black heeled sandals

She was striking really, and she looked more like a kunoichi than nearly the entire majority of the girls in the room.
Sasuke diverted from his usual shorts and shirts. He wore black shinobi pants as well as black shinobi sandals that ended up to his shin. He'd changed from his blue Uchiha shirts to a fitting, sleeveless black, turtle neck and atop of that he wore a black sweater with gray accents. He looked intimidating with his stoic gaze and his cold demeaner only added to it.
Naruto was the biggest difference. Gone was his horribly orange jumpsuit. Instead he wore black pants and the same sandals that Sasuke did. He wore a fitting, black quarter sleeve shirt with an open collar under a black sweater with subtle red accents. Coupled with the unusually apathetic gaze that he held, he looked like a completely different person.
Standing together, they made a truly striking picture.
"Uh....." Iruka stared in no small amount of confusion, "......right." He muttered under his breath. "Today is the day that you are all sorted into your respective teams, teams that you will fight and grow along with. It is very important that you remember that because your team is your lifeline, the ones that you need to trust to have your back in and off the battlefield." Iruka said sternly, eyes roving over his students. They needed to understand the sheer importance of their teams. "Konoha places a great emphasis on their teams and boasts the greatest teamwork out of all the Hidden Villages. Keep that in your mind as you begin your journey as a shinobi as well as the fact that your actions reflect on Konoha as well." He let that hand warningly in the air for a moment before continuing. "Now, I'm going to call the team placements as well as your sensei."
Iruka began and the students listen attentively, most with nervousness and excitement. As he went on to list the first few placements, there were many groans of dismay and looks of horrors. The girls that were called so far looked heartbroken at the realization that they would not be with their dear 'Sasuke'.
"Settle down class!" Iruka snapped, his tone immedietly booking no argument nor patience. He smiled satisfyingly as they immedietly complied. "Now then, Team 10." He continued, "Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji...." He said.Chouji gave the Nara a smile and the other returned it lazily but there was a resigned look in his eyes.
"And Yamanaka Ino with Sarutobi Asuma." Iruka finished, waiting for the inevitable fallout.
"What?!" Ino shrieked, glaring at Sakura whom laughed at her. "I have to be with lazy and fat-ass!?" She yelled, slamming her hands on the table. "There must be some sort of mistake Iruka-sensei!"
Shikamaru glared at Ino rather fiercely, surprising many, as Chouji flinched at her callous remark. Damn it, he was just feeling better!
Others glared at her as well, notably those who had attended the impromptu celebration at the Akimichi restaurant.
"There is no mistake Ino." Iruka said. "All of the teams were decided by Hokage- sama himself, so if you have a problem you can address your complaints with him." Iruka raised an eyebrow challengingly, nodding to himself when Ino sat back down with a stuttered 'no'. That's what I thought. "Also, make sure to apologize to Chouji-kun. Your remark was uncalled for!"
"Team 9 is still in circulation." Iruka read, "Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata and Aburame Shino on Team 8 with Yuhi Kurenai as your sensei."
"Well," Kiba blinked, glancing at his teammates. The night at the Akimichi restauraunt came to mind. "I could get used to them! Right boy?" He grinned, patting at Akamaru's soft fur soothingly. His smile widened as he saw his now teammates glance at him with approval.
"I-I look f-forward," Hinata took a deep breath, just like Zero had showed her, "─to working with both of you!" She said softly, a shy smile on her face.
Shino nodded. "I as well." He said, voice low and just as soft.
Iruka gave a small sigh of relief. Well at least they're willing to try... Chouji and Shikamaru get along splendidly but Ino? I hope someone helps change her mind soon... She's not going to get far the way she is now.
"Team 7," He called, eyes widening slightly as he saw the names on the list. All of them? Together?! "Team 7," He repeated, voice slightly wavering but growing stronger as he realized, just what sort of potential that lay in store. "Uchiha Sasuke," There were many squeals and yells that erupted at the mention of his name.
"Sasuke-kun!"
"Let me be on his team!"
"I can help Sasuke-kun better than any of them!"
"I'm totally going to be on Sasuke-kun's team Ino-pig!" Sakura said smugly, giving Ino the stink eye whom growled angrily. "Just watch!"
Sasuke scowled as he heard their declarations, annoyance and anger rising like a burning fire though he didn't show it. If he was ever placed with such useless teammates, Sasuke probably would have renounced his title as a shinobi and left the village or something because there was no way he was going to be stuck with them. Hell, any of the clan members would have been a hundred times better, that is, with the exception of the annoying Yamanaka.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka steadfastly continued, "and Zero. Congratulations. Your sensei is Hatake Kakashi." Iruka said with a smile, savoring the shocked look on the faces of his students though he did wonder why they didn't look surprised. Instead they looked immensely satisfied, even Sasuke.
Naruo smirked wickedly, eyes shadowed nearly menacingly.
"It all went according to plan." He said, disregarding the outraged cries of many of his classmates. Without looking, he high fived Zero.
"What?!" Sakura yelled, "She gets to be with Sasuke-kun!?" She, like Ino, slammed her hands on the desk and stood up indignantly. "But then who am I with?!" She wondered, despair and hysteria lacing her voice.
"According to plan?" Shino murmured, eyebrows furrowed.
"Those three I swear..." Shikamaru sighed, "I should have figured." But then again, it hadn't been any of my business. That, and I was too busy trying to get the harpies off Chouji's back. That was more important, he thought, a frown forming on his face. "This is what they get." He muttered, a tad vindictively of course, but it was true. They deserved it for all the wrong they did. "They all wanted to be with Sasuke but now none of them are. Oh, the irony." He smirked, laughing when he caught both Sasuke, Naruto and Zero looking very much pleased.
Iruka huffed, shaking his head as he wondered what other surprises lay in store. He saw their friendship and comradery a mile away but he never thought that it would have risen to such a level. Still, all he felt was relief, for all of them. Now they wouldn't be so alone anymore. They were gaining friends ─ if what he saw at Akimichi's was right ─ friends, that one could truly count on. He wished that he could say the same for Ino and Sakura.
"Team 6, Haruno Sakura," Irula called out the team members and sensei and he sighed once again.
Sakura had been sorted into a team with two civilian boys, both whom glanced miserably at one another and then to Iruka. They seemed as pleased with the placement as Sakura, which wasn't much at all, but mostly because of Sakura .
"With them?!" Sakura could practically see her shinobi career go down the drain. What am I going to do? Sasuke- kun needs me!
"That's all." Iruka announced. "Your sensei's will come and pick you up. I wish everyone good luck and congratulations on making it this far." He gave everyone a genuine smile before he left the classroom a moment later.
"Man," Kiba gave a huff of laughter, "I totally didn't expect this." Kiba said, somewhat sarcastically but good naturedly. He moved to sit beside his new teammates, smiling as Akamaru approached them excitedly.
"With them?!" Sakura repeated, still in shock. "I worked too hard to be stuck with them!" "Well she's still stuck in denial." Shikamaru shook his head, staying seated next to Chouji whom he eyed with a well hidden look of concern.
Zero frowned slightly as she glanced at the saddened Akimichi. She hadn't missed Sakura's comment and she was angry at her for it. Sakura may have not liked her but she was book smart, not that that helped her much. She'd thought that Haruno would have at least have known the necessity and importance of why the Akimichi needed to eat so much. They weren't 'fat'. They converted calories into chakra which allowed them to use their specialized jutsu. Sakura should have known that Chouji could end up having an immense physical strength one day. That, and Akimichi gave the best hugs ever. No debate. At all.
"It's what they get," Hinata said, "c-considering everything." She said softly, blinking slightly at the surprised looks that she garnered. "I-It's true." She said defensively.
Shino shook his head. "I concur." He said with a nod.
Soon enough, teams began to drift out of the classroom as Jounin came to pick up their new charges. Zero stayed seated with her teammates, waving goodbye to her sort of new friends as they left with their teachers.
"We should meet up again!" Zero suggested with Naruto nodding in agreement beside her.
Many of the girls left all while casting longing looks to the Uchiha.
Naruto eyed them with no small amount of disgust. "I don't know how you do it teme." He said, glaring at a girl who tried, and failed, to get the Uchiha's attention. "Seriously, they don't know when to stop."
Sasuke shrugged. "They're worthless." He said, not at all caring for the shocked and heartbroken looks that he garnered. It was the first time that he really addressed the matter of his 'fans' out loud and in front of others no less.
"They are, aren't they Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, apparently thinking that the comment didn't apply to her surely. Zero raised her eyebrows and she effectively shared a look of 'are-you-serious?' with them. Haruno, I don't really know how you'll do as a shinobi but I wish you the best.
Team 7 was the last team in the classroom. It was apparent that they were going to be made to wait but they didn't really care much at all since they kept themselves busy. Naruto was reading one of his many books on fuinjutsu whose cover was hidden by a book sleeve.
Sasuke was also reading quietly. He was reading a few of the many scrolls he had found in the Uchiha Clan Library. He was interested in learning more about his clan, specifically, about its history and even legends. Most of it regarded the feud between the Senju and Uchiha as well as the part they had to play in the founding of Konoha but he didn't find it any less interesting. Zero was also reading a book about fuinjutsu and had also taken the chance to further fortify her mind . She was more than aware of potential threats that posed against her, and one of them were the many techniques that were able to find out the secrets that one held. Techniques such as those of the Yamanaka posed a great threat to her and so did certain Genjutsu as well. There was no way Zero was ever going to give up information unless she willingly and consciously gave it. She never wanted anyone to invade her mind, ever, so Zero spared no expense in protecting her mind. While she had her mind protected in barrier after barrier made specifically by runes, as in Rune Magic. She didn't stop there. Protecting her mind were very 'real' personifications of dragons like Grandeeney, Igneel, Metalicana, Weisslogia and Skiadrum , Acnologia , her teachers and uncles all protected her mind with all the rage and ferocity that a dragon afforded. Last but not least, Zero was experimenting in regards of her magic and chakra. She found that her magic and chakra interacted with each other somewhat. If her chakra was disturbed by an external force, her magic reacted accordingly to stabilize it. It meant that if she or her chakra were ever under the influence of a Genjutsu or external force, her magic had the potential to expel it. It meant that perhaps, as she still needed further investigation, she was immune to Genjutsu altogether.
It made her very, very happy.
"You guys hear what happened to Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto said without looking up from his book.
"Hm?" Zero said as she listened with an attentive ear. "Something happened?"
"Apparently he stole the Forbidden Scroll." Sasuke added in casually as if they were talking about the weather. "It holds a few of Konoha's secrets supposedly."
Naruto made a vague noise of agreement. "Mn." He nodded after a moment. "He got caught though. He didn't make it too far from Konoha and Iruka-sensei took him down faster than ANBU."
"Really?" Zero said, turning her head slightly to the side as images of various ANBU came to mind. She knew a small handful.
"I think he just had a hunch or something." Naruto shrugged.
Zero nodded understandingly. "Ah. Goes to show to never underestimate someone."
Sasuke nodded as did Naruto. "Mizuki was always an asshole." He said, to the slight surprise of his teammates.
They stayed in a comfortable silence after that, each doing their own thing. Zero leaned slightly against Naruto as she continued to read.
They all looked up as they heard the sound of a door opening and they stared at the figure that stared back at them apathetically. He was a Jounin. He had silver-grey hair and a headband was worn slanted to cover an eye. A mask obscured the majority of his face and left only a slate grey-blue eye in view.
They didn't miss the way that he held himself. They all held a sharper eye than most of his classmates and kept an eye in particular to threats. The man before them certainly was one ─ not to them though ─ as he exuded an undeniable sense of power and danger. He held himself in a sort of lazy slouch but there was also a sense of an underlying tension.