"So, there will never be new additions to Akaisen?" Shikamaru asked, and Enma smiled at him.
"You want to join?"
"Nah, not really, but my father wants me to become worthy of a spot in Akaisen." He lazily said, and his words surprised them all.
"As things stand, Akaisen is likely not a permanent unit. It has been created to help Konoha regain its prestige. Team 7 will be reformed when Naruto returns to the village from his Training, so that means that Kakashi-san and Sasuke will not remain active members. Besides, it's the Hokage who grants us the missions directly, so, the team will likely only be reformed in times of emergencies in the future."
The Nara nodded his head at those words.
"What do I need to do to be considered an option in case you need to make an addition to the Team?" He asked. "Just say it."
"As things stand, you will never be part of Akaisen, Shikamaru." Enma gave him a very direct answer. "You are intelligent, and that's all there is to you right now. If you want to become worthy of a spot on Team Akaisen, you need to grow stronger as a Shinobi."
"What a drag..." he sighed, and everyone laughed at his response.
"In fact, someone like Lee, who is very strong, and may become even stronger in the future, will not be considered by me as a member of Akaisen either." He lightly said, and they all surprisedly looked at him.
"Why?" Sakura nervously asked.
"Staying in our Team will harm his personality. He's not suited for the dark nature of our work." Izumi lightly said, and the indifference in her voice made them all feel very uneasy.
Only Shikamaru, Shizuka, Karin, and Shino truly understood the true meaning behind her words. The rest of them had a lot of questions, but they mostly kept them in their hearts.
"So, who is the most suited from all the people present here to join Akaisen?" Tenten asked, and the Uzumaki smiled.
"Karin, Shizuka, Neji, and Shino," he answered. "You, Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, and Kiba have things to work on. Physical weakness, personality, battle prowess, and a strong mentality. I would never wish to take Hinata, Choji, and Lee on the team. They are kind, and caring, and they would do better by staying away from the darkness. That's what makes them strong. It's the same for Naruto."
At his words, Hinata lowered her head, and she felt both relieved and a little unwell in her heart.
Enma then stopped talking about Akaisen with them and started helping them all prepare and marinate the meat.
Hiyori, Hanabi, and Hinoko wanted to eat the fish they had caught, and he took them to the riverside and taught them how to gut the fish and clean it.
He then made the girls marinate their own fish with the spices that he was carrying in a storage scroll and then sent them to help everyone else.
The group then sat down together as they chatted with each other, and Enma, when he was done marinating his and Izumi's share of meat, came over and sat down next to Sakura, who sweetly smiled at him.
"How are your studies going?"
"Good. Ino and I have been chosen to study under Shizune-sensei, and Tsunade-sama will start teaching us in August."
"Congratulations." He said to her and the Yamanaka, who was coming over to sit next to them.
"Thank you."
"I tried too, but I do not have enough talent." Tenten sighed, and the older Uzumaki Princess chuckled.
"You are better at holding a kunai than a scalpel. That's what you are good at."
"True." She grinned.
"Hinata, how are your studies going? Has Kurenei-san recommended you yet?" Enma asked.
The Hyuga smiled at him and shook her head.
"She is helping me out with my Chakra Control."
He nodded his head in understanding.
"You are a Hyuga, blessed with Chakra Control, and your Byakugan. I really believe that you and Neji would do great by studying and becoming Medical-Nin. Take it seriously, and it will prove very beneficial to you. Medical Knowledge is not only good for treating people and saving lives, it's also good for offensive use in the battles."
The two seriously listened to his words and nodded their heads.
"I have recommended Tokuma for Medical Studies, and I am going to talk to Hiashi-sama later to seek permission for him to become a Medical-Nin. If you want, I can talk to him about the two of you as well," he revealed, much to their surprise.
Neji thought over his words and then shook his head.
"Thank you, Enma, but I will talk to him myself."
"That's better." He smiled.
"I nearly forgot that you were a Jonin now," Shikamaru commented, and the Uzumaki chuckled.
"We have a Tokubetsu Jonin sitting here as well." He pointed at Izumi, who was sitting next to Karin and Shizuka.
"That reminds me, there's a rumour that Chunin Exams have been postponed." The Nakagami suddenly said, and everyone looked at her in surprise.
"What? Why?" Sakura frowned.
She really wanted to get the promotion.
"I don't know."
"Yes, they have been delayed and will be held in December, and the Finals on January 1st," Enma confirmed. "As for why they have been delayed. It's probably related to the village security as well as the willingness of the important guests to come to our Village to attend the Finals. We all know what happened last year, and even though Konoha managed to protect the Daimyos and other important guests, they did question our security and capabilities to let such a thing happen."
"Yeah..." the Nara sighed.
"It's good though. You all get enough time to prepare better. By the way..." he glanced at Sakura. "Whose team are you going to join?"
"I..." she frowned and glanced at Hinata and Kiba, both of whom apologetically smiled at her.
"Sorry, Sakura. Choji asked first," The Inuzuka informed her, and she smiled.
"It's okay." She did not mind and then glanced at Mito, but was unwilling to ask her to form a Team with her for the Exams.
"You can join Akane and Mito. They don't have a third member yet. It's better to have a friend on the team than a stranger. After all, teamwork is very important." Enma suggested.
"Akane?" Sakura surprisedly looked at Uchiha, who was sitting next to Sasuke.
"Yup." She brightly smiled. "I will become a Genin in October after spending a year in the service of the Police Force, and I do plan on appearing in the Chunin Exams now that they are delayed."
"Good!" Mito happily nodded her head. "With the two of us, we will sail through the exams." She grinned.
"You won't. As you are, you will fail." Karin lightly said, earning a glare from her sister.
"Mito. Do not forget that the team is not just about two people. You can not forget about your third teammate." Shizuka seriously said. "Did you not hear what Enma just said? Teamwork is very important in the Chunin Exams."
"We will be fine." She confidently nodded her head and then glanced at Sakura. "You can join us."
Hearing her words, the cherry-blossom-haired girl was very hesitant to accept the invitation. She could see Naruto in Mito, and she sighed in her heart.
"Thank you." She politely smiled and nodded her head.
However, since it was Enma's recommendation, she accepted it.
The group kept chatting until Hiyori suddenly stood up and walked into the centre of the circle.
"Onii-sama, we are getting bored." She complained, and everyone laughed at her antics.
"What do you want to do?"
"Let's play a game."
"What game?" He asked.
"You decide." She excitedly said, and the rest of the kids grew excited as well. He always had a fun game on his mind for them.
Enma thought for a while and then stood up.
"Alright. We will play a form of Tag. The last one standing wins. None of you are allowed to leave the training field." He said and started weaving a few hand seals.
"Water Style: Three Hundred Doves of Love."
Hiyori gasped as she saw three hundred beautiful doves shoot out of the river and appear in the air above them, made out of the water, and flapping their wings just like natural birds.
"Rule 1: No hiding. Rule 2: No Ninjutsu. Rule 3: No Dojutsu. Rule 4: No Taijutsu Art. Rule 5: No help from your Ninken or Insect. Rule 6: No Killing or blocking of these doves. Rule 7: Dodge." He smiled. "Only use your body to dodge the doves who will dive down to strike you. The moment they come in contact with something, they will explode and make you wet. So, be careful."
"I am playing too!" Ino excitedly stood up, and then Choji and the rest got up as well.
Soon enough, everyone except for Izumi was ready for their game.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
"Go!" He said, and they all spread out in the field as the doves dived down from the sky.
Izumi, who was standing by his side, giggled as she watched the funny scene where everyone was dancing for their lives, dodging the doves as if they were something deadly.
He did go a lot easy on the kids, but for the rest, he was pushing them a lot.
Laughter kept resounding in the training field, mixed in with Akamaru and Chanmaru's excited barks, and Choji became the first victim as he jumped up to dodge one dove but ended up getting pincered by two.
He depressedly walked over and sat down by Enma's side, but was soon laughing and eating from a bag of crisps as he watched his friends dancing and dodging the water birds.
Ino became the next victim as she was about to collide with Konohamaru and stepped out of the way at the last moment, right into the path of the dove that crashed squarely into her back.
She soon joined her teammate to enjoy the show.
Only a minute later, Udon tripped and was struck by a dove, and the boy was very relieved that he was no longer part of the chaos.
The next victim was Moegi, and following her, Enma's voice resounded in the field.
"Akane. Disqualified!"
She had briefly activated her Sharingan.
"It was a mistake!" The girl shouted, pleadingly, but he shook his head and she depressedly walked towards him.
"Shino. Disqualified!"
The Aburame sighed and stopped, letting the two doves crash into him, and flickered to their side.
"Asked your insects for help?" Ino guessed, and he nodded his head.
"It's a habit." He sighed again, and they all chuckled.
"Wow. Tenten is fast." Choji commented when he saw how well the Kunoichi was holding on, staying sharp and dodging doves left and right.
The next victim was Yurito, and then Akita too gave up.
A while later, Ino burst out laughing when Sakura stylishly jumped up and dodged the two water doves, but ended up getting hit by one in the back of her head when he feet landed on the ground.
She grumpily walked over to them, but soon her mood improved when she saw others struggling and having fun.
Lee, Neji, and Sasuke were doing extremely well, and so was Tenten.
Even though Enma was going a lot easier on the kids, none of them complained about it.
Shikamaru suddenly stopped and sighed when five doves crashed into him from all sides, and he lazily walked over to them, drenched from head to toe.
"What a drag..." he sprawled down and panted, but kept an eye on everyone else.
Hinata, Kiba, and Tenten fell next, and Konohamaru tripped on his scarf and ended up getting smashed in the face by a dove.
"Enma, Sasuke better not win." Akane grumpily said, and laughed out loud when twelve doves charged at the Uchiha at the same time, leaving no room for him to escape.
He still managed to awkwardly dodge half of them, but since the game was rigged, he ended up getting smashed by the rest.
"That was not fair." He said when he walked over to them, and Enma just smirked.
They all grinned when they watched the same thing happen to Neji, but Lee, somehow, managed to dodge all twelve doves and grinned, only to end up getting hit in the head from behind.
Karin, Mito, and Shizuka were victims of the same strategy, and the Senju was extremely upset with him for being mean, but she was happy that she was the last survivor from all the Genins and Chunins.
Arashi became the next victim, and in the end, only Hanabi, Hiyori, and Hinoko remained in the field with Akamaru and Chanmaru, who was Akita's Ninken.
Watching the five of them having fun, everyone smiled, and then consoled the girls when they became the victims.
In the end, Enma declared Akamaru and Chanmaru the winners, which made the two pups very happy.
No one really minded the two pups winning after all the fun that they had. In fact, watching them win made then feel very happy.