The sun's rays cast down on me from between the trees of the vast forest. I like the quiet here, and the village was much different from the noisy city I had come from. It was like everyone knew each other, everything was so peaceful. Some days when I walk past the training grounds I stop and stare at the students, there every move mesmerizing to me. I never had any great dreams but when I see their faces I see someone who is determined to prove their worth, someone who has a goal and would risk their lives to achieve it. They were inspiring, but the whole concept of becoming a great ninja intimidated me a bit. I had little courage and even less physical strength. Yet, I can appreciate the art of it.
Finally I reached the large oak tree, the one I sit and eat my lunch under almost every afternoon when I get the chance. I set down the container of rice and chicken and pulled out some napkins from my woven bag. Suddenly, a faint sound came from behind me. It sounded like a young boy's voice. He was counting.
"One, two, three…"
I peeked out from behind the thick trunk.
"Four, five, six…."
It was a teenage boy, not much older than me, 13. He had bowl-cut jet black hair and wore a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers. I noticed that instead of wearing his headband around his head, it was tied around his waist. All the kids I saw at the academy wore it around their forehead. He seemed to be kicking the side of a skinner tree trunk.
"Weird," I thought, not knowing I whispered it out loud. The boy sharply turned and looked at me, his face dripping with sweat.
"You know, it is not polite to stare," He said. His eyes were so round and so dark it was hard to break my gaze. I stood up and dusted myself off.
"Oh…sorry," I stammered, looking down at my feet.
"I have not seen you before," the boy's serious expression turned into a smile. "Are you new to Konoha?"
"Yeah, I just moved here a few days ago with my mom and dad. They run the Tempura shop that just opened up at the end of town" I tried desperately not to take notice of his spandex suit, being the pervert I was at times.
"Well, it is nice to meet you! My name is Rock Lee. You can just call me Lee though," he smiled and he tilted his head to one side, bearing a goofy expression. I suppressed a laugh. "What's your name?"
"Erin," I replied.
"Erin? That is a weird name, you really must not be from around here."
"I get that a lot," I shrugged "So, were you training or something?" I gestured towards the tree.
"Oh, yeah. Gai sensei should be back soon, then we are going back to the village. You can come with us if you want." He continued kicking the tree, talking in between breaths. I continued to watch him curiously for a few moments and broke the silence.
"Would you mind teaching me some moves?" I asked, feeling somewhat stupid. I would probably make a fool of myself.
"Moves?" He repeated.
"Yeah, you're a ninja in training right? A Shinobi? Maybe you could teach me a jutsu or something cool like that."
The boy's expression changed to something that could be read as sadness and anger and disappointment all at once.
"First," he started, "You have to find your own way of the ninja."
"My own way of the ninja…" His words echoed in my head. I nodded, trying to look as determined as possible.
Lee looked as if he was about to tell me something before he started but changed his mind and began showing me various jumps and kicks which I made a lame attempt to copy.
"But, what about ninjutsu? Or maybe transformation jutsu? Can you teach me any of those?"
"Well, those all take a great deal of concentration. Even new student could not master them without a lot of practice. Besides, I can only use taijutsu."
"Woah, that's pretty impressive-" I started
"YES! Neji said I was a failure but I knew I could become a great ninja using only taijutsu!" He looked like he was about to hug me but backed off at the last second. I could feel a blush growing on the bridge of my nose and shook it off.
Hours past and no sign of Gai. Finally Lee spoke.
"Gai-sensei is unusually late…I think we should head back to the village before it gets too late," his voice sounded unstable, as if he were about to cry.
"Okay, just let me get my- AHH!" As I turned around, a girl with long black hair and scarily pale skin about my height was standing, staring at us with fists clenched, her yellow eyes locked to mine.
"What kind of noise was THAT?! Ahhh? You even sound pathetic…I guess this won't take too long after all," She approached me, so our noses were practically touching.
"I'll make this short and painful, redhead."
"Hey, what do you want from her?" Lee asked and pushed the girl into a nearby tree. "If it's a fight you are looking for, I will be your opponent."
"Fine, you're both pathetic." She punched Lee with with what seemed to be twice the force the boy had pushed her into the tree with. I stood there motionless, helpless, just watching. The boy struggled to his feet.
"I'M HALF SNAKE!!! FEAR MY WRATH!!!" Flames shot up from her hands and I could even feel the power exerting from the teenage girl. Lee dodged an attack and tried to get at her from behind but the opponent's reflexes were too quick for him and he got slammed into the ground once again. But this time, he braced himself and did a somersault in the air, landing gracefully on a tree limb. I saw his throw some metal objects at the girl which were only to be brushed off by what seemed to be an invisible forcefield, and the next thing I knew the tree was burning and I could hear a scream of pain coming from the firestorm….I have to do something…I have to do something…
Everything went black.
When I finally opened my eyes I was laying on the ground with Lee by my side and the girl, now wounded and bloody lying next to me.
"Thank you," Lee said quietly. My eyes tried to focus on Lee's face as he spoke. "You probably saved my life."
Saved his life? How? I don't even like killing ants in the summertime, let alone ever hurting a human.
"What…what happened?" My words slurred together as if I as drunk. He smiled and started to laugh a bit.
"I guess you found your way of the ninja," his expression turned serious again and sharply turned his head to look behind him. I saw his jaw drop and the girl beside me get up.
"Orochimaru-sensei…" She began.
