Fire Red (Naruto)

Training in the Dark

The next morning Team 9 was awoken by the door to their room being slammed open. At once Aiko had a kunai in hand, jumping out of bed, only to see Anko looking at her.

"All right maggots! It's time to get up! We will be leaving Suna come tomorrow, but I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to use the caverns just outside the village for some special training." A small smirk was on her face, and the purple haired woman licked her lips. "I hope you can handle it."

"Special training?" Akemi asked, curiosity lighting her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Patience girl, you'll see! Pack some food and water and let's go!" And she was gone, just like that. "I'll never get used to her," Riichi said, eye twitching, "she's so... Weird."

Aiko snorted, filling her bag with water and some instant ramen, "Weird is an understatement. I'd say insane or psychotic fit better."

"What was that?!" Came through the door.

"Ah, nothing!" Aiko called, raising her hands in surrender, even though she knew Anko couldn't see. 'Yeah, insane is right.'

After a few minutes, Aiko, Riichi, and Akemi were walking behind Anko towards the entrance of the village. Overhead the sun beat down, casting the desert in a blistering heat.

"Anko-Sensei, what is this training that we're doing?" Aiko asked once they left, walking beside the taller woman.

"I told you it was a surprise kid, but if it's eating at you that much," she paused, smirking down at the redhead, mirth dancing in the grey of her eyes. "We're going to be doing some pitch black training."

Riichi and Akemi hurried to stand beside them, "What's pitch black training?" Riichi asked.

Anko laughed then, casting a devious look at them. The twisted woman was enjoying their confusion. "Exactly what it sounds like! There's some caverns three kilometers north of here, and it's said that there's not a bit of light in them. The three of you are going to be fighting some clones of mine in there.

"See, the three of you are strong enough during the day, but once night falls you all have the disadvantage of sight. If you were an Uchiha or Hyuga, seeing in the dark wouldn't be a problem. However, none of the three of you possess an eye related Kekkei Genkai." Anko paused, giving the three another once over, "That's what today is for. You're going to be learning to rely on your other senses. Specifically your senses of smell, hearing, and touch."

"That all sounds cool, sensei, but how are we going to do that?" Akemi asked.

"Easy, you're going to be fighting my clones blind," she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of goggles, "each one will be wearing a pair of these night vision goggles, so again, you'll be at a major disadvantage. Your task for today will be to work around it and defeat the clones."

Aiko was silent as she pondered over the words. Defeat a clone, huh? It would be a challenge for sure, but she needed to prove herself. And she still needed to ask Anko for a favor. Once they were alone that is.

Up ahead, tall cliffs rose in the distance. The rocks were a vibrant orange color, casting tall shadows out several hundred meters. Off to the left of the cliff were several cave entrances. "There's our stop, come on!"

The four of them picked up speed, getting there in less than a minute. The relief that Aiko felt once she reached the shade was enough for her to fall onto her back for a moment.

"Okay, before we start, everyone get some food into you." Anko said, before she headed off to the side with dumplings in hand. Aiko saw her chance then. Standing, she headed over to her squad leader quickly, "Can I speak to you, Anko-sensei?" She asked, taking a seat beside her and pulling out the ramen she had packed.