The First Elemental

Naruto woke up with a frown as he heard what sounded like someone dragging something across the walls of his apartment. He got up, still in his pajamas and nightcap, and went to open up his apartment door. Peeking out of the doorway, he got ready to yell at whoever had woken him up so early in the morning. He grew confused when he saw Adrik scraping the wall with a paint scraper.

"Hey, the hell's goin' on?! It's way too early in the mornin' for whatever you're doin'!"

Adrik looked over and stared at Naruto for a second before he asked.

"What time is it?"

Naruto shrugged, his irritation still evident.

"I dunno! Six a.m. or somethin'!"

"I assumed you ninja got up earlier than that..."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond but didn't say anything. Adrik went back to dragging the scraper across the wall, much to Naruto's confusion.

"What're you doin' anyway?"

Naruto stepped out of his apartment to see what was going on.

"Trying to get the graffiti off the walls. I wanted to see if I could remove it myself without having to go out and buy chemicals or whatever else there is."

Naruto looked to see there was a blank spot on the wall where once there was a random piece of fox-related graffiti.

"I'm sorry that it woke you up. But, if this is where I'm gonna live, I want it to at least look nice outside as well."

Naruto nodded silently before going back inside his apartment. It wasn't like he could really go back to sleep, anyways, so he might as well get ready for the day.

X

Adrik looked up when he saw Asuma approaching him.

"Ready to go, kid?"

He nodded silently and flinched when Asuma put a hand on his shoulder. A single moment passed and he and the jonin now stood in the middle of a clearing in a forest right outside the village. He was still trying to get used to everything these people considered normal, such as the Body Flicker technique that Asuma had just used to take them from the Hokage Tower all the way to the training grounds.

"Welcome to Training Ground Ten."

Adrik turned as he heard two pairs of footsteps walking towards him. It was Choji and the blonde girl he hadn't met yet.

"Good morning, Sensei."

"Good morning to you, too. So, where's Shikamaru?"

Choji pointed over his shoulder at a tree at the edge of the clearing before eating another handful of chips. Shikamaru sat right at the edge of the shade provided by the tree and stared up at the clouds gently drifting through the early morning sky.

"Of course... Well, I take it you've already met my genin, Adrik."

Asuma looked back down at the teen to see him shake his head. The teen then walked over to the blonde girl and held out his hand, which she shook after a moment.

"Adrik."

"Oh, uh... Ino Yamanaka. Nice to meet you."

Adrik nodded to Ino and walked back over to stand next to Asuma.

"Ino, you and Choji can go join Shikamaru. I just wanna do some quick tests to see what Adrik can do. Feel free to watch, I guess."

The two genin in question nodded and walked back over to sit in the shade next to Shikamaru.

"I guess Kiba wasn't lying. He seems like a nice guy."

Choji responded to Ino after gulping down a mouthful of chips.

"Told you. He just doesn't talk a whole lot."

Ino nodded slightly as she made to get comfortable in the grass.

"What do you think sensei meant by tests?"

Shikamaru decided to answer the girl's question.

"He's a foreigner, right? Asuma Sensei probably wants to assess the guy himself. For all we know, he's only considered a genin thanks to whatever's written on some stupid papers."

"Shika!"

Ino lightly slapped his arm.

"What? I'm just saying we have no idea what this new guy is capable of."

Ino sighed as the three teens watched their jonin sensei and the new genin in the middle of the clearing.

X

"You know what this is, right?"

Asuma pulled a kunai out of a small pouch strapped to his right thigh. He held it up for Adrik to see only to get a look of confusion in response.

"A knife?"

Asuma shrugged.

"Well, I guess that works. It's a kunai. Basically just a weighted knife we use as throwing projectiles, sometimes as combat knives if we need to."

Adrik nodded to the new information.

"Now, take this kunai and try to hit the training post you see there. It's only about thirty meters out, so it shouldn't be too hard."

Adrik took the kunai Asuma held out for him and nodded. He turned to face the training post that was off to his left. Asuma stepped back a little to give him some space.

Adrik looked down at the kunai once before looking back up again. He lifted his arm and threw the kunai as hard as he could with an overhand throw. It spun in the air rapidly before sinking into the wooden training post at an awkward angle.

X

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow as he watched the new genin perform one of the worst kunai throws he'd ever seen, even from his earliest academy days.

"So... He had to have done that on purpose, right? I mean, everyone knows how to actually throw a kunai..."

Choji shrugged at Ino's question before asking one of his own.

"Maybe he has a different way of throwing kunai? It could be something with the way he was taught wherever he's from."

The other two genin sitting under the tree nodded half heartedly.

X

"Do you wanna try that again?"

Adrik looked back at Asuma before shaking his head. The jonin lit his first cigarette of the day and took a drag of it before sighing to himself.

"While it wasn't the correct way to throw a kunai, you have a good arm. We'll work on that later. Next, I want you to try hand seals."

Upon, seeing Adrik's confusion, Asuma brought his hands up and formed the "ram" sign. Everyone in the clearing flinched as the jonin released a fair amount of chakra, being just enough that all of the genin could sense it.

"I'm not expecting it to work, but I just wanna make sure. So, try and put your hands into this seal."

Adrik nodded after a second and fumbled around trying to match the sign that Asuma was holding up.

"Alright, that's good enough. Now, I want you to close your eyes."

Adrik did as Asuma asked.

"Try to visualize your energy. Think of it like, say... a sink faucet. Turn the dial to let some water flow out."

Adrik tried to do as asked. Asuma kept watching him for over a minute before speaking up again.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected to happen-"

Asuma cut himself off when faint, black smoke began to trail off of Adrik. He raised an eyebrow as he tapped on the teen's shoulder. The teen opened his eyes and put his hands back down, and the wisps of black smoke immediately dissipated.

X

"Did something happen? I couldn't really see it from here."

Choji shrugged as he was just as confused as Ino.

"I think he tried to gather chakra. At least, that's what it looked like Asuma Sensei was asking him to do."

Ino tilted her head in confusion.

"It didn't look like anything happened, though."

Choji nodded as he swallowed another mouthful of chips.

"Maybe he doesn't know how to. It looked pretty awkward when he tried to make the hand seal."

"What? But even an idiot like Naruto knows how to do something like that."

Shikamaru shrugged before sighing.

"I'm getting a headache from trying to rationalize it all. Let's just say he made genin because of grades or something and move on."

Ino sighed as she could agree with her lazy teammate. Choji was the only one that kept watching.

X

"Well, it seems like you won't need to learn hand seals. But there was a little smoke that I saw coming off of you. Is that your ability?"

Adrik nodded slightly as he looked down.

"Hm. Well, don't get down about it. Hand seals aren't something you need anyways, since you aren't using chakra. We'll figure out how to draw out that power soon."

Adrik nodded before finally speaking.

"It's hard to remember how I used it before."

Asuma nodded along and patted the teen's shoulder.

"We'll figure it out later, whether it's me helping you or one of the other jonin senseis, so don't worry. Now, we're gonna move on to the last thing I want to test you on."

Adrik looked up at the jonin and waited for the man to speak again.

"I want to see how well you perform in taijutsu."

Adrik tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Hand to hand combat."

The teen nodded in realization.

"I'm not going to fight back or anything. Just focus on trying to hit me. I'll block if I need to."

Adrik nodded once more, this time being a little hesitant. Asuma stepped back a bit to give the teen a little space to start with.

X

"Looks like sensei's testing his taijutsu skills now."

"Yeah? Well, tell us if he does anything interesting."

Ino stared down as she fidgeted with her nails, seeing it as more entertaining than continuing to watch Adrik be tested. Shikamaru decided to rest his eyes for a while. Choji crumpled up his empty chip bag before pulling another one out from nowhere and getting back to eating.

X

Asuma gestured for Adrik to begin, though it was obvious the teen was still hesitant. The jonin puffed on his cigarette as he waited.

"Listen, kid, if you're worried about hurting me, don't be. I'm a jonin for a reason."

Adrik nodded slightly and took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. A few moments passed. When the teen reopened his eyes, Asuma was slightly surprised by the determination that now replaced the nervousness.

Adrik took a step forward before rushing at Asuma at speeds well above what most genin could accomplish. The teen jumped up, sending a kick towards the jonin's face, which was easily avoided. Asuma was surprised when Adrik pivoted mid air into a sweeping kick that forced him to jump away.

Adrik landed in a crouch and immediately went back after the jonin. He swung his right fist only for it to be deflected before it could hit Asuma's chest. Adrik then pushed his right elbow forwards, forcing Asuma to actually try to block it. Adrik switched up at the last second, dropping low and sending a kick straight up into Asuma's arm that he put up to block the teen's elbow. The teen pushed himself off of the ground knee first into Asuma's now unguarded chest, only to miss at the last possible moment.

Adrik grit his teeth as Asuma jumped back once again. He crouched down again before running, getting as low to the ground as possible before jumping above the jonin. He brought his leg down in an axe kick which Asuma avoided, causing the teen to crash into the ground. Once back on the ground, Adrik spun on his heel, delivering a roundhouse kick to Asuma's forearm as he brought it up.

Adrik then used Asuma's forearm and kicked himself away from the man. He brought his left fist back before he even landed, immediately rushing back in to try and deliver a punch. Adrik brought his fist down in an arc, only to impact with Asuma's forearm. The jonin was surprised when Adrik unclenched his fist and grabbed his arm. The teen pulled himself forward, driving a knee into Asuma's other arm that he barely brought up in time.

X

"Woah, guys, look at this. He's actually not half bad!"

Shikamaru opened his eyes and Ino looked up from her hands with interest. They were surprised to see Adrik was actually forcing Asuma to guard himself, a feat which the three, even combined, were barely able to do.

"Huh? What's with the smoke?"

The two teens next to Ino squinted their eyes slightly to see faint trails of black smoke drifting off of Adrik.

"You think it's some sort of taijutsu technique?"

Ino shrugged as they continued watching. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes as he thought.

"Hm... I've heard stories of something kind of similar from my dad."

Ino looked back at the lazy teen questioningly.

"There's this leaf jonin he worked with a bunch of times that doesn't use anything but taijutsu. He said the jonin took on a genin team with one of the genin being unable to use his own chakra, but that genin is training to be a taijutsu specialist."

"Really? You think this guy is like that?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"It's hard to tell. Either he wasn't trained on how to use his chakra or he doesn't have enough to use."

The three genin continued to watch with new questions popping up in their minds.

X

Adrik took a step back before rushing at Asuma. The moment he got in front of the man, he turned and ended up to his right. He sent a kick at the jonin's side, only for it to be blocked like all of his other attacks. He jumped back and landed in a crouch.

Adrik's eyes narrowed as he grew agitated at being unable to land a hit. He stood up fully and took a deep breath. Asuma raised an eyebrow as he lit another cigarette, the first having been swiped away when Adrik tried to hit him in the jaw.

Adrik stepped to his left before shifting and sprinting to the right. He continued towards Asuma in a zigzag pattern before jumping up and over the man. The jonin turned his head and was surprised to see Adrik yank himself to the ground with a black rope, landing much faster than he otherwise would. Asuma grunted as he barely turned in time to deflect the right hook aimed at the middle of his back.

Adrik bared his teeth as he attached Asuma's arm to the same black rope he pulled himself to the ground with. Asuma's eyes widened slightly as Adrik put one hand on the ground, spinning into an upside down kick to the jonin's shoulder. The man managed to catch the kick at the last second with his other arm. He grabbed Adrik by the ankle and threw him away across the clearing. The black rope dissipated as the teen became disoriented.

Adrik landed in a crouch once again with his eyes narrowing further. He took a step back before sprinting forward as fast as he could with his right fist held back. He stopped right in front of Asuma and crouched down lower than before sending himself back up with an uppercut to the jonin's guarding forearms. He followed this up as his feet left the ground with a kick to the man's chest.

"Did he just-"

Choji didn't get a chance to finish his sentence before the Asuma they saw Adrik land a hit on disappear in a puff of white smoke. The three genin watching from the shade of the tree looked around in confusion, much like Adrik was doing. They were all surprised when Asuma walked out of the tree line with somewhat narrowed eyes and a slight frown.

"Alright, that's enough, kid. I've seen all I need to."

Adrik looked over at the man, his features relaxing with the look of nervousness returning. He took the time to regain his breath as he only just noticed how winded he was. The other three genin watched their jonin sensei walk up to the teen with anticipation. A few seconds passed and Asuma lit another cigarette. He spoke after taking a drag of it.

"Well, I think I figured out how you use that power of yours."

Adrik became somewhat surprised as he listened to the jonin.

"It seems like it partially functions through either physical and emotional stress. Throughout the test you were getting frustrated, right?"

Adrik gave the man a small nod.

"You were unable to do much which irritated you. Add on the fact that all of that movement was exhausting you, and you started getting a little desperate. That power emerged from the need to do better. At least, that's my theory."

"So you're saying this whole time you were trying to get him to use that weird black smoke stuff?"

Asuma looked over to see his three genin looking at him questioningly. He looked back at an equally confused Adrik before nodding towards Shikamaru who asked the question.

"That was one of my goals, yes. I wasn't sure how to go about it so it felt like the most reliable solution."

"But what is that power? I haven't heard of something like that. Is it some taijutsu technique?"

Asuma shrugged in response to Ino.

"If I had an answer, I'd tell you. But this is something entirely new to us, and even to Adrik."

Adrik looked down at the ground when everyone put their attention on him.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. What was it?"

Asuma asked this question when he heard the teen mumble to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck. Adrik tilted his head up slightly as he raised his voice to be at an audible level.

"I've... had this power for two years..."

"Two years? Then how come you don't know how to use it?"

Adrik looked up at Choji.

"I never wanted to..."

Asuma saw the expression on Adrik's face and decided to cut the questioning short.

"Well, I've seen all I need to for now. I think it's time we go ahead and get our first mission. Adrik, consider this your first test on teamwork."

Adrik nodded along gratefully as the jonin kept him from being bombarded by questions for the time being. The other three genin, mainly Ino, sighed in disappointment at their lack of answers.

X

"So, how did today go?"

The Hokage questioned his son after the four genin closed the door to the office on their way out. It was late into the afternoon and the sky had begun turning a shade of orange. The other two jonin sensei of teams Eight and Seven were also present on the Hokage's order.

"It went about as I expected it to."

"... And you expected it to be...?"

"Terrible."

The old man sighed as he brought up his pipe and lit it.

"Alright, what happened? I haven't seen the mission report yet because of all this stupid paperwork."

Asuma sighed to himself and looked up at the ceiling.

"It wasn't anything special at first. I tested the kid on kunai throwing, which wasn't great, of course. Then I tested if he could use hand seals, which he can't."

The Hokage nodded along as he breathed out some smoke.

"So we moved on to the taijutsu test. As it turns out, he's one hell of a fighter. I had a hard time predicting what moves he made. He puts enough force behind his hits to match most beginner chunin. Later in the test, he even managed to pop the Shadow Clone I was using in my place."

Kakashi, who has remained just as silent as Kurenai up until now, looked up from his book with his one visible eyebrow raised.

"You're telling me a newly enlisted genin with no known training managed to break a jonin's Shadow Clone?"

Asuma turned to Kakashi and nodded.

"Granted, it was a weak Shadow Clone, but he still popped it. Not even my own genin could've done that."

Kakashi looked back down at his book.

"I still find that hard to believe."

Kurenai sighed at Kakashi's attitude and decided to ask her own question.

"Well, how did he manage that?"

"Adrik is unpredictable when he tries to be. His movements caught me off guard and he managed to lift my arms just enough to get in a kick to my chest when I had no time to readjust. Of course, he was getting help from that power of his."

Everyone in the room perked up at the mention of the teen's power.

"Really, now? How was it activated?"

Asuma shrugged.

"Nothing concrete yet. Looked like an emotional or physical response. It seemed exclusively used on instinct. And whatever it is, it's as strong as it is versatile."

Asuma breathed out some smoke from his cigarette.

"I don't think he noticed, but he used his power the more he fought. It improved his strength and speed the more he used it. The power seems to manifest itself as some sort of black smoke. At one point, he actually conjured up a solid rope that he used to pull himself around. He even trapped me by tying it around my arm and hooking it into the ground."

The Hokage was writing down what Asuma was describing while listening. He looked back up curiously as the jonin stopped.

"I called off the test the moment he popped my Shadow Clone, so that's as far as we got."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You said earlier it went terribly. From what we have heard, today sounded rather successful."

Asuma nodded and sighed again.

"It was all going well until we got our first mission. It's obvious Adrik is a quiet kid, but he cannot, for the life of him, make a call-out during a mission. He tried to go off on his own to complete the mission while not even thinking about the other three. He didn't even bother responding over the radio to his name being called."

Kakashi looked up from his book again.

"Tora?"

Asuma nodded slightly.

"Tora."

Kurenai took a step forward.

"I'll see if I can start working on his communication skills. He's assigned to my team tomorrow, correct, Lord Hokage?"

The old man nodded along.

"That would be appreciated, Kurenai. I am sure you and your teams would all benefit from it. Now, is that everything you have to report about the young man, Asuma?"

Asuma nodded.

"Very well. You are all dismissed."

The three jonin bowed to the Hokage and exited the office. The old man sighed to himself as he continued on with his seemingly unending paperwork.