24 - Within the Shadows

After saying goodbye to Tenten, Shigeo decided it was time to leave. But as he was walking to his apartment he heard someone call out to him.

"Shigeo-kun, over here!!" A feminine female voice called

"Shigi!" A familiar sound of an Akimichi's voice sounded out.

Turning around he saw the newest Ino-Shika-Cho trio, walking behind the trio was a bearded man in a jonin vest smoking. He looked at the bearded man and concluded that it was their jonin-sensei.

"Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, it seems all three of you passed?" Shigeo said as Ino answered.

"Well of course we passed, who do you think we are?!" Ino said as she gave him the stink eye while Choji nodded towards him behind Ino.

"Ino, can you not yell so close to me" Shikamaru said as he groaned.

"This is?" The voice of the bearded man asked as he looked curiously at Shigeo. He had seen the boy through his father, the third hokage's crystal ball before and knew the boy to be the genius, Shigeo Murakami. But to him as far as the kid knows the jonin doesn't know him.

"It's just a childhood friend of ours and Ino's boyfrie-Ouch!" Shikamaru said before he was interrupted with Ino smacking his head.

"STOP GIVING OUT FALSE INFORMATION!" Ino yelled as she sported a noticeable blush.

"Ahem!" Shigeo fake coughed, gaining the group's attention. Though if someone looked at his face long enough they would also be able to notice the pink hue on his cheeks.

"Shigeo Murakami, nice to meet you Mr. Jonin!" Shigeo said as he did a mock salute towards the older ninja.

"Well, I'm Asuma Sarutobi. Since you're friends with my team here, if you ever need help. You can count on me" He said as Shigeo nodded.

"But wait, you said Sarutobi... meaning as the third hokage's clan?" Shigeo asked as the Ino-Shika-Cho trio chuckled.

"Mm... What?" Shigeo said as he looked at the three chuckling genin and the wryly smiling jonin.

"Heh heh heh! Well Shigeo-kun, guess what?! Our sensei is the third hokage's son!" Ino said as she relished in the slightly shocked expression of Shigeo's face.

"Suck it Shigeo-kun, our team has the better Sense-Ouch!" She said before she was lightly smacked on the head.

"What was that for Asuma-Sensei!!" She yelled as she rubbed her head.

"I ain't that good, and besides all jonin are equal" He said gaining fast nods from Choji.

"OH, wait Asuma-sensei! Can Shigeo-kun join us!!" Ino said as she looked at Asuma with puppy dog eyes.

"Huh, I guess. If that's fine with everyone here and Shigeo himself" Asuma said as he glanced at everyone.

"Shigeo can come with, he gives me the ones he can't finish" Choji said as he beamed a smile.

"Yea yea, he can come. Can we go now, standing is hurting my feet" Shikamaru said as he hunched his back.

"How about it Shigeo-kun, wanna join us?" Asuma said as the boy in question shrugged.

"I guess, I don't have anything better to do" He said as he followed Team 10 to the barbeque restaurant.

As he followed the group he couldn't help but appraise the son of his current hokage.

---

[Asuma Sarutobi]

[Age: 26]

[Status: Healthy]

[Chakra: 23050/23050]

[Chakra Control: 86%]

[Strength: High-Jonin]

[Defense: High-Jonin]

[Speed: Jonin]

-Skills-

[Taijutsu](Master 24%) , [Trench Knife Mastery](Master 57%) , [Kunai Mastery](Master 89%), [Shuriken Mastery](Master 68%), [Flying Swallow](Master 76%), [Welcome Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder](Master 64%), [Wind Style Ninjutsu](Master 62%), [Fire Style Ninjutsu](Master 58%)

---

Looking at the status of Asuma, Shigeo wasn't too surprised. After all the man was the third hokage's son. His stats were quite reasonable for someone with his backround.

{a/n: tbh I completely forgot the whole story and now I'm once again confused at the whole status shit... Since I'm a dumbass I once again changed how it looked HAHAHA! I'm the author anyway!}

...

Now the group were all seated inside the restaurant and were all just waiting for the food they ordered.

"So, what did you guys get tested on?" Shigeo asked as he sat comfortably on his seat.

"Mm, we were just tested on our strength and teamwork." Choji answered as Shigeo nodded.

"I see, it was the same for me. So I guess it's safe to assume that all jonin would test their teams on teamwork or is do other jonin do other tests Asuma-sensei?" Shigeo asked the bearded man.

"No, you are correct. It's all about teamwork. If the fresh team can not see the problem and work together they automatically fail. And although each jonin test the team work of the fresh graduates, some jonin's tests are harder than some of the others" Asuma said as the image of a late silver haired jonin appeared in his mind.

"Ah, like Kakashi Hatake right" Shigeo said surprising Asuma.

"Yes, exactly like Kakashi... though how do you know about it?" He asked

"It seems Hatake-san is famous. I hear a he has the reputation of failing every team he had and so far no team has ever passed his test" Shigeo explained.

"Really? Then I'd feel bad for whoever gets him as a sensei" Ino said as in one of the training grounds, Sakura Haruno sneezed.

"You guys didn't see which team he took?" Shigeo asked as Choji and Ino shook their heads.

"After your sensei took your team away, our sensei arrived after. So we didn't get to see which sensei the other remaining teams have" Ino explained.

"Well, it would be pretty easy to guess which his team is. You just have to find which team waited last" Asuma said as he joined their conversation.

"Why is that, Asuma-sensei?" Both Ino and Choji asked as Shigeo also looked at the older man and Shikamaru who perked up his ears.

"Ha, because Kakashi is always late at least two to three hours, even if the hokage called" Asuma said making the four genin sweatdrop.

"What? But doesn't he get punished then, if he purposely shows up late even when the hokage calls?" Ino said confused.

"Normally, a ninja would, but you see Kakashi is different. The hokage allows it" Asuma said as he did't go into further detail. "Well, enough about that. Look our food is here" Asuma said as an employee handed them their meat.

"Alright which one should we cook first?" Asuma said as Choji immediately yelled.

"PORKBELLY!!!"

...

Somewhere underneath of Konoha, in an underground facility. An elderly man with a bandaged face and a cane looked at the kneeling root ninja in front of him.

"Tell me the report of the genin teams" He said as the ninja nodded.

"Yes Lord Danzo, Sasuke Uchiha along with the jinchuriki and a civilian girl are teamed up under the tutelage of Kakashi Hatake. While the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuga heirs are paired up under Kurenai Yuhi. There is also the newest Ino-Shika-Cho formation under the third's son" The root ninja said monotonously without emotion.

"Hmm, The Uchiha ad the Jinchuriki in the same team and under Sakumo's son..." The elderly man named Danzo muttered.

"I see, then what of that other boy. Shigeo Murakami, have you checked his background?" He asked as the root ninja nodded

"Yes, Shigeo Murakami, 12 years old, clan less orphan. Parents were ninja of about genin to chunin and died during the night of the kyuubi attack. Shows great talent in taijutsu and shurikenjutsu, also is an apprentice of Maito Gai" The root ninja explained.

"Maito Gai?" Danzo asked again as the root ninja nodded.

"Hmm... Maito Gai lacks the darkness in him and this boy is his apprentice... No matter, he is still a child and a child is the easiest to manipulate. For now monitor both Sasuke Uchiha and Shigeo Murakami" He stated as the root ninja nodded. As for the other teams, he could care less as they all only showed at best average talent.

"Yes Lord Danzo" The root ninja said as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

--

Look who's back~

Back again~

Daddy came back with the milk.

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Aight wait another 2-3 months for the next update