Team 10

A/N: Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday to get a double release next Monday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones. 

Team 10 sat on a rooftop a kilometer away from the academy. Their Jounin Sensei, Asuma, leaned against the railing, taking a puff of his cigarette before turning to the group.

"As you all know, I'm your Jounin Sensei. Today, you'll be introducing yourselves, so your Genin peers and I can get to know you better. Share things like your likes, dislikes, and your dreams."

Shikamaru, staring at the ground, groaned, "This is such a drag." Choji nodded in agreement, continuing to stuff his face with potato chips.

'The only reason Choji agreed is because he doesn't want to stop eating. This doesn't even look real… How can he fit that much food in his mouth without choking?'

Standing up and crossing her arms, Ino scolded Shikamaru, "You're just lazy!"

Realizing things were getting out of hand, Asuma intervened, "Why don't we all relax? We're teammates. You'll have to get used to one another. Shikamaru, you're up first."

Briefly giving Ino the stink-eye, Shikamaru shifted his gaze towards Asuma. "I'm Shikamaru Nara. I like not being bothered, I hate women, and my dream is to live a life without too much trouble," Shikamaru said with a straight face.

"That's interesting… Moving on, we have Choji," Asuma said, an amused expression crossing his face.

Ino stood up again, yelling, "Sensei! We can't just skip over what he said. He only hates women because he can't get any! Take it back, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru sneered and replied, "You're only making me believe it more."

'Shikamaru acts like an old man…'

"Settle down. Choji, go on," Asuma said, taking another puff.

Choji paused, handed his bag of potato chips to Goro, and answered, "My name is Choji Akimichi. I like food, especially meat, I dislike being hungry, and my dream is to live in a valley of food!"

During Choji's introduction, Goro got curious about the potato chips and decided to try them.

"What's so good about these chips?" Goro mumbled as he took a bite. Shikamaru watched him, barely able to contain his laughter.

'Hm? What's so funny?'

"My… MY CHIPS!" Choji screeched, snatching the bag from Goro's hands and cradling it protectively.

'I momentarily forgot how Choji feels about his food… Curiosity got the better of me.'

"Calm down, Choji. It's not the end of the world. It's probably better if you burn the calories," Asuma said nonchalantly. Shikamaru froze, sweat forming at his temple and trickling down.

'Asuma… He hasn't learned not to mention Choji's weight.'

Sensing the shift in Choji's mood, Asuma quickly added, "You're going to steal all the women with those looks if you don't burn the calories…"

'As expected of a Jounin. He's quick to pick up on the small details. Though… I wouldn't say that's the best excuse…'

Choji's frown turned into a radiant grin. "Sensei, you need to give more context next time!" he laughed. Asuma smiled nervously before looking at Ino. "Your turn," he said.

Ino cleared her throat, then stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "My name is Ino Yamanaka. I like doing my hair, but I dislike having bad hair days. My dream is to become Sasuke's wife!" she announced.

"What's with your obsession with Sasuke anyway? The guy is too moody," Shikamaru scoffed.

Ino glared at him and responded, "Of course you wouldn't understand love!"

'These guys are too much… It's almost unthinkable they became such a great team later on in the show…'

"Goro, you're up," Asuma said between puffs.

'I think I'll just be honest, but vague for the most part. Revealing my likes, dislikes, and dreams won't disadvantage me in the future.'

"I'm Goro Obachi, and I like—"

"Hinata," Ino chuckled, finishing Goro's sentence for him.

"You heard that from Kiba too?" Choji asked.

"Yeah," Ino nodded.

Unbeknownst to Goro, his face had turned pink with embarrassment.

"Good luck," Asuma said, giving a thumbs up.

"It isn't like that," Goro pleaded, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Enough wasting time. Continue," Asuma instructed.

'Whatever, I'll just keep going.'

Goro continued, "I dislike being weak, and my dream is to become the strongest shinobi who ever lived."

Asuma whistled at Goro's ambition. "That's some huge ambition you've got there," Asuma exclaimed.

"Sounds like a drag," Shikamaru retorted.

"For the worst in the class to have such a lofty goal… If he's as Iruka described, he'll be disappointed to learn that's not possible for him. He'll probably make it to Chunin at most," Asuma thought.

"Are we done now?" Ino asked, snapping Asuma out of his trance.

Asuma smiled, scratching his head. "You're all good to go, but first…"

'He's going to talk about the exam.'

"Tomorrow at 9 a.m., we'll meet at the training grounds. Failure to show up will be a one-way ticket back to the academy."

Goro, Ino, and Choji nodded simultaneously, but Shikamaru didn't seem pleased.

"9 a.m.? That's too early. Make it later," Shikamaru protested.

Without responding to Shikamaru's complaints, Asuma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"You're so lazy, Shikamaru!" Ino reiterated. Shikamaru turned his back to Ino and left, with Choji following.

Ino shot a glance at Goro and then also left.

'That was rude… Whatever. I've got a bunch of free time now. Back to the Konoha cemetery it is. This time I'll disguise myself with the Transformation Jutsu, so I don't get caught by any frequent cemetery visitors. Last time was a close call; I can't afford to run into that kind of situation again and get blacklisted from the cemetery.'

Goro transformed into a different version of himself and body-flickered his way to the cemetery. He perched in a tree overlooking the area and watched as bodies were carried in.

'Five bodies being buried today. Four are in the ninja section, while the other is in the civilian section. It looks like discrimination at first glance, but it's simply a way to honor the fallen shinobi who fought for the village.'

Jumping down from the tree into an empty side road, Goro put on an act and entered the cemetery. His face showed nothing but distraught and anguish, though in reality, Goro was elated. He cared little for the dead; all he was interested in was copying the skills of the corpses to benefit himself.

'Hmm, which body should I pretend to be tied to…?'

Goro assessed the potential risks of approaching each body, but one stood out as the best option. It was a body with no family members around, only two leaf shinobi carrying it.

'They're probably regular chunin assigned to this duty. I don't think they have any familial or friendly ties to the deceased.'

Goro approached the body with minimal security and boldly placed his hand on it, startling the chunin.

[Starting copy… Estimated time… 1 minute.]

'Have I struck gold? This has got to be a Chunin!'

[False. It is an Upper Genin.]

'Not what I hoped for, but I can't complain.'

"You must be a friend of his?" one of the chunin asked, offering a sympathetic smile.

"Yes, I am," Goro confirmed, keeping his hand on the wrapped body.

"I'm sorry for your loss," the other chunin said.

"Don't be," Goro replied.

The two chunin set the body down, allowing Goro to spend a few moments with it.

[50 seconds left.]

'Time always feels slower when I'm copying skills… I should probably shed a few tears. It'll buy me more time.'

Tears welled up in Goro's eyes and spilled onto the cloth that wrapped the body.

[30 seconds left.]

[20 seconds left.]

'Come on, almost there…'

[Copy complete. Would you like to view your new stats?]

Wiping his tears, Goro got up and stepped back from the body. He thanked the two chunin and body-flickered out of the cemetery.

'Yes, show me my stats.'

[New stats:

Goro Obachi (12)

Taijutsu: Upper Genin (78%) 

Physical: Upper Genin (97%) 

Ninjutsu: Upper Genin (28%)

Chakra Capacity: Lower Chunin (8%)

Chakra Control: Chunin (22%)

Shurikenjutsu: Upper Genin (72%)

Chakra Affinity: Water + Fire(x2) 

Skills: Clone Technique, Substitution Jutsu, Transformation Jutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu and Firestyle: Great Fireball Jutsu], Firestyle: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, Dragon Fire Jutsu] 

'Sweet, I've got two new Fire Style jutsu, but what's the x2 next to the fire element in Chakra affinity?'

[The corpse you copied skills from also had fire affinity. The x2 indicates that all your Fire Style ninjutsu will be significantly stronger, regardless of your ninjutsu stat. While your ninjutsu stat determines how strong your ninjutsu is, the x2 simply amplifies the power of your Fire Style techniques.]

'That'll give me an edge over opponents at my level. Sensei Asuma is in for a shock tomorrow.'

Reminder: Get this story to 50 powerstones by Sunday to get a double release next Monday. This story will only continue if it gets enough support e.g. Powerstones.