Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 31 Recruited

The sun was close to setting, but Taryn kept on training. She closed her eyes to better feel the wind around her and used it to increase her attack. The poles at the end of the field turned into a pile of toothpicks.

She put her fan aside and created a fireball jutsu. She wheeled around and threw a handful of kunai daggers at the target. All of her movements were fluent like water, but inside she didn't feel calm at all.

She forced out two other fireball jutsu, turning the fence to ashes. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes and started a series of taijutsu movements, almost too fast to see.

From a safe distance, her team was watching her carefully. She had been like this ever since they had returned from Iron two days ago. They hadn't dared bring up the subject. When she was like this, it was better to let her blow off some steam.

"Have you asked her yet?" Kuro turned to Hiro curiously.

"What? Now?" Hiro asked, "when she's like this? I value my life, thank you." He sighed. "I'll wait. It's no big deal."

"How long do you think it will take before she calms down?" Kuro asked.

Hiro shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. Do you think it's about that Itachi guy? Why didn't she want us to fight him?"

Daro pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against and strolled towards Taryn. He didn't even flinch when Taryn turned and almost pushed her fist in his face. She took a more relaxed stance and looked at him. "What is it Daro?"

"Can I train with you?" he asked.

Taryn eyed him for a moment. "Sure," she finally said. She looked over his shoulder at the other boys. "C'me her," she told them.

Curiously they walked over.

"Right," Taryn said, "I want to try something new with you. This is a training technique from Konoha, but I altered it a bit. I'm curious to see how you'll do." She took out two small bells. "The point of the exercise is to obtain these bells from me. One a person."

"But there are only two bells," Hiro said.

"I know," Taryn answered, "so it's up to you to make sure you get a bell. One of you will automatically fail." She tied the bells to her waistband and took a few steps away from them. "Good luck," she said.

The boys exchanged glances and nodded at each other. All three came at her together and split up.

Hiro sent a wave of water towards her, but Taryn blocked it with a wind attack. Immediately she kicked a rock that Daro had cast at her. It crumbled at her feet. Kuro was nowhere in sight, but Taryn knew he was close by. She activated Byakugan, but focused on Hiro again who was charging at her.

She countered his hit with her arm, grabbed the dagger from his hand and kicked him a way with taijutsu. He landed several feet away.

Taryn stumbled from a sudden wave of genjutsu. She turned the dagger she had taken from Hiro and plunged it in her leg to break the jutsu. She turned it again, whirled around and threw it at Kuro who had appeared behind her.

He jumped out of the way, but it scamped his arm.

Her Byakugan warned her for a movement on her other side. Lightning formed around her arm and she directed it at the ground. Daro had made use of her short distraction by the genjutsu and had used earth jutsu to hide himself underground.

When Taryn's chidori hit the ground, he broke free and jumped at her. Taryn kicked him, but he evaporated.

'A clone huh. Clever.'