Chapter 34

She didn't know the whole story and didn't really want to. Something about their gennin test that the two were still looking to get payback for.

Evidently, the fact that Orochimaru loathed the Suna desert because of the sun, and the sand and the heat was going to be used at some point during this mission to help get said payback.

"You know." She ventured. "If you do end up screwing with him, he'll just take it out on us in training later."

"Don't care." Ryoko laughed.

"It'll be worth it." Naruto agreed

"Hmmm..." Personally, she wasn't going anywhere near this with a ten foot pole.

-0-

"Alright." The mound of cloth spoke up later that night, as they camped by one of the waystations that led into Suna. Several merchants circled the lake like a bazaar line-up. Suna didn't have a system of roads of course, sand was too unstable a foundation. So they made due with way-stations and supply depots in the desert oases that provided for travelers heading in and out of the village nearly for free. Since said travelers were usually caravaneers, tradesmen or most importantly clients. The visitors mostly ended up reimbursing the village at least double the food and supplies consumed on average.

The three gennin turned their eyes towards their robed sensei.

"All gennin teams." He began. "Hold a basic make-up in general. One gennin who is strongest in tai-jutsu, close range combat. One who is strongest in ninjutsu, long range combat and one who is strongest in genjutsu a support role. It generally has to be that way. You're too young and too unskilled to be considered adequate at more than a single field, generally. I refuse to let that be the case on this team."

What do you mean?" Kyofu asked, taking a bite of some of the cooked meat Orochimaru had bought from the suppliers.

"Ryoko and Naruto have been training their physical aptitude and taijutsu styles these last few months. You havent since I recruited you recently. They're both, adecuate in Taijutsu, enough to face any other gennin at least."

"Yeah you could talk about us like we're not sitting right here." Ryoko muttered.

The sannin pressed on ignoring her. "None of you will be learning the genjutsu arts yet, out of all fields it is the most difficult to master, despite being arguably the most powerful. I will only teach you in so far as to detect, and dispell it. The bulk of your training for the next two months will be ninjutsu starting tomorrow.

"Yes! Sweet!" The silver haired girl shouted, startling a few nearby. Naruto held the barest hint of a smile.

"Sit." He demanded, pulling out slips of paper from the many folds of cloth. He held them out and the kids could see his hand was covered in a thick glove. How the man wasn't suffocating in there was anyone's guess.

Naruto though, recognized them immediately.

Element tags.

"In order to diversify your arsenal of available techniques." The sannin drawled. "I will teach each of you elemental manipulation. Hopefully you'll each have three distinct affinities."

"What's all that mean?" Ryoko asked.

"I heard of it." Kyofu took one. "Elemental manipulation is pretty advanced though isn't it."

"You're my soldiers." The snake drawled again. "You're a reflection of me. As such I expect more of you. You'll learn this, or nothing at all. Now; each one of you take a slip and channel chakra into it once I tell you.

They reached into his hand and took one of the small squares of paper.

"Everyone has an elemental affinity or two, if they're lucky. Elemental affinities are often times inherited. Depending on who's genes are stronger, you're likely to have that parent's affinity. Or that of your grandparents in rare occasions. Sometimes, both your mother and your father's genes are balanced well enough to have both affinities. Though this is a rare case and mainly happens in bloodlines since some bloodlines require an absolutely perfect balance of elements to form a third, something impossible without the adequate genetic makeup. Kyofu, lets see you first.

The mocha skinned girl nodded and with a burst of chakra, the paper began to crumble to bits of dust from one tip, and the other began to smoke and burn.

"Two. Earth and fire, a powerful combination with practice. Ryoko?"

The younger female of the team looked excited as she stared at the slip of paper that split cleanly in half.

"A wind element. Its rare in Konoha. It is the most offense oriented of the five elements"

The girl was beaming.

"Naruto."

The blond channeled chakra into his slip, already knowing it would split in half.

To his utter shock, once it split, one piece of the paper crumbled to dust, the other became soggy and brittle with wetness.

He froze.

Orochimaru actually pulled off the hood of his robes, leaned forward and yanked his hand towards him.

"Gah! Hey-"

"That's...not possible!" If ever there was a moment Orochimaru looked like he'd been smacked across the face, this was pretty much it.

"Maybe the paper's busted?" Ryoko ventured, leaning over Naruto's hand as well, now forming a miniature huddle with her sensei.

The sannin looked at her before reaching into his pack. He ripped off a piece of a paper scroll and, on the spot, made another makeshift seal note.

"Do it again!" He demanded.

Naruto took the thing and repeated the action without much fuss. Truth be told he was curious too.

Just like before, a split down the middle with one half crumbling to dust and the last becoming soggy.

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