New Sensei - 4

Hinata took a deep, steadying breath as she approached one of her newly assigned teammates.

"Hello Shino," She gave him a small smile, "I understand we are to be teammates?"

He nodded silently behind his dark glasses.

The Hyuga girl was honestly relieved to have the quiet boy on her team. She could relax knowing that he wouldn't be an arrogant, insult-throwing ninja as many of the boys in her graduating class had been.

As for what he thought about her...she couldn't tell. He seemed indifferent about her presence, but instead of that annoying her it actually helped her relax around him.

Hinata stood quietly next to him, supposing that since she was a girl, he would expect her to initiate a conversation.

"So, um, has Sato or our s-sensei arrived yet?"

"They haven't."

"Oh..." Hinata cursed herself. Wasn't that rather obvious? If they weren't present then most likely they hadn't arrived. Shino still seemed indifferent so she relaxed again.

Fifteen minutes of silence later...

"I w-wonder if they know w-where to meet us-?"

"Yo!"

Startled, Hinata turned to see another genin walking over to them, apparently not at all bothered by his tardiness. Even Shino raised his eyebrows over his sunglasses in acknowledgment.

The boy was just a few inches shorter than the tall Aburame boy, with a mop of silver hair and midnight blue eyes. Unlike Shino, the boy's emotions were easy to read judging from the placid smile on his face.

Hinata blushed in spite of herself.

"Hey there Hinata, Shino," He nodded to both of them, "Sorry about me being late, but I see that our sensei hasn't gotten here just yet either..."

"I'm afraid s-so." Hinata said softly.

"Heh heh, I don't mind!" Sato leaned back against a tree trunk and began to fiddle with a small camera slung around his neck, "I just hope we get someone good."

Moments passed and then a formidable woman appeared near the end of the alley. She gave the three genin grouped together a short stare. It sent shivers up Hinata's spine, and she was certain that their instructor had arrived after she began to walk towards them. She looked irritable.

She stopped in front of them, settling her fierce, ruby eyes on them, "I'll have you know that I will not abide by lateness from any of you," And to prevent herself from becoming a hypocrite, added, "For now I will beg your pardon because I have just violated that simple request. I was detained and thankfully it will not happen again..."

Yuuhi Kurenai tried to shake off her dizzying encounter with the perverted toad hermit from only minutes before. His request was truly obscene and she would've made short work of him had it not been for the genin team she had kept waiting.

The three young ninja looked at her, at a loss for words.

There was an abrupt camera flash and Kurenai fixed her glare at the culprit, "You."

"Yes ma'am?" Sato looked at her innocently.

"I forbid you from taking pictures of me without my permission, understood?" She was a bit paranoid of any media that could be passed along to the vulgar toad hermit, "I will excuse you just this once."

He nodded, "Understood ma'am!"

She cleared her throat and went on, "I am Yuuhi Kurenai and I will be your Jounin instructor. And I would like to hear something about each of you as well."

Kurenai paused and glanced back at the silver haired boy, "You...you look familiar."

He smiled, "Hatake Sato. You probably know my uncle Kakashi." He pulled his hitai-ate down over his left eye, imitating the Copy Ninja surprisingly well.

She frowned, "I didn't know that Kakashi had a nephew. Though you do look like him."

Sato shrugged, "I get that a lot but...he and I don't get along too well. He's a closet pervert."

"I know..." Kurenai muttered, then went on, "Tell us about yourself."

"Well I take pictures of my opponent's techniques and...things that I'd like to preserve," He grinned at Kurenai and she gave him a dangerous frown, "You'll never find anyone who's better than me at setting traps..." He added confidently and Shino raised his eyebrows again, "And...I love coffee. That's it."

That was all Kurenai had to hear.

"You?" She turned to Hinata.

"I am Hyuga Hinata," She said quietly, "I am proficient in the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist style and can utilize the prestigious abilities of the Byakugan..." It sounded as if she had rehearsed this information many times, "And I...I like to spend my time with my friends and pressing flowers..." Certainly she had added that in herself.

"Good," Kurenai turned from Hinata to Shino, "And you?"

"...Aburame Shino," He wasn't thrilled to have to speak up, "I monitor the growth of my colony of Kikaichu insects. I also collect different species of insects."

He didn't elaborate further.

Kurenai nodded. This team...it could work. Still she was going to push them to their limits and make sure they reached their full potential.

"Hey sensei!" Sato was grinning again, "How about a group shot?"

She frowned at him, 'But this one is...a bit eccentric.'

"Well...this is a drag."

Shikamaru spread himself out on a picnic bench. He folded his arms beneath his head and gazed blankly at the flocks of cumulus drifting up above.

Nodding in agreement, Chouji settled down on the table next to him munching on a bag of potato chips.

"What are you two doing?" Ino snapped, upset with their attitudes, "Like, we're a team now! Shouldn't we be training or...doing something constructive?"

Sarutobi Asuma took a drag on his cigarette when Ino gave him a pleading look. He didn't really feel like stepping in at the moment. It was true they had just officially become Team 10, but not much training was needed in his opinion. The Ino-Shika-Cho formation worked well enough, and there was little the three young genin could do at the moment to improve it. Missions and experience first; refining technique later.

"It's the first day Ino, let up a little." Chouji protested, while offering her a chip.

She gave him a frustrated look, "Let up? Why don't you let up on the snacks, Chouji!" Ino turned to a cloud-watching Shikamaru, "And you! Get up off your lazy ass and do something!"

He frowned at her for a long moment and then sighed, "Fine, but only if you stop being so troublesome."

Ino smiled smugly to herself. Finally a bit of cooperation!

Shikamaru raised himself into a sitting position on the bench, and with no change of inflection asked Asuma, "Sensei, are you up for a game of Shogi?"

"Sure."

"Hey!" Ino glowered at her lazy teammate, "I didn't mean go play a board game! How is that constructive?"

Shikamaru raised his chin up a fraction, "It is a game of strategy that requires patience and planning...not like you'd know anything about that."

She wore an expression equivalent to a wrathful harpy.

Chouji paused in his munching, "Alright Ino, I'll train with you." It seemed his offer came out of the desire to end her nagging rather than the out of goodness of his heart.

Ino also noticed this.

"Oh...fine," She gave another annoyed look to Shikamaru and his opponent, "We'll leave the old men to their little game!"