Tamashi 1

New Beginnings

The sun was beaming for a warm day, I had my fan with me wafting the Taiheiyō's salty spray up my nose and my adorable son of 14 years, 3 months, and 6 days old is playing on his DS in his Hanzō National Academy Uniform with a backpack of the essential things he needed for school as a Chūnin student. We are taking the ferry from island of Niijima, we pretty much live by ourselves there.

Just to get this out of the way shinobi don't really practice or exactly believe in marriage, it's more to do with always staying in the shadows than anything else, a rather public marriage would draw attention, also the legal age of consent for shinobi is around 14 to 15. Although there are some exceptions, my friend got a legal marriage although her fiancé was not a shinobi, much less a nen user himself. Although I personally call my partner a husband as more of a colloquial term over anything else, not to mention that I'd never be left alone if someone found out that my baby was a bastard or worst that we're both shinobi.

Also we're are more modern shinobi than exactly Sengoku period shinobi, meaning that some liberties have been taken to make sure to adapt with society. Like food for example, during the Sengoku period and possibly before shinobi were mostly vegetarians who favored tofu, vegetables, whole-grain millet, and whole-grain rice. Now we practically can eat whatever we want, as long as our health is not effected.

But let's get back to our story, "Cha-Cha, perhaps we should check to see if you have everything with you."

"Alright Haha," Cha-Cha said laggardly without looking up from his DS

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT ATTIDUTE!" I then grabbed the DS from him.

Man, that ruffled me, I mean I understand that in adolescence kids around Cha-Cha's age wish to have a little more independence and can get pretty tempestuous, heck I went through that phase too. But could he be more respectful to the only guardian who went through all of this trouble to apply him late to Hanzō?

"Haha?!"

"I said don't give me that attitude mister, I thought we went over to always look me in the eye whenever you speak to anyone and I'm going to keep this for the first week."

"But Haha…?!"

"Nope! I'm having none of that, if you're going to be making any friends, I can't afford you to have this on your personnel staring at it. I mean Chahan! You'd probably be in your room all day playing on this if it weren't for me."

"I…"

"No arguing! Now let's check to see if you have everything."

I then put the DS in my back pocket of my pants took out a list, "Now show the item and I say from here, World History Textbook,…"

He pulled the book out of his bag, "check"

"Biology Textbook,…"

He did the same with the next book, "check"

"Physics Textbook,…"

And again, "check"

"Calculus Textbook,…"

"check"

"Shinobi history Scroll,…"

"check"

"Nen usage scroll,…"

"check"

"Transmutation nen usage scroll,…"

"check"

"your Turnover scroll,…"

"check"

"Nihongo and Latengo grammar textbooks,…"

"check"

"your Kusarigama,…"

"check"

"Kusari katabira,…"

"I'm wearing it under here…"

"I'm just checking."

Cha-Cha then sighed, "Haha, can I take it off?"

Huh?

"My kusari katabira, it's uncomfortable to breath in something that is ¼ my mass, and also I feel hot under it."

I sighed and muttered, "You're always a piece of work…"

"Alright you can take it off, but not here. There's a bathroom at the other end of the ferry, change in there. Just remember to put it back on when you're at Hanzō."

"Hai!"

As he went by me, I felt a slight pat around the rear end area of my chīpao where my pants were.

Wait, did he…?

I then notice that some of the people around me were staring, "Chotto! My son and I work at Sengoku faires and he's currently in college."

At the harbor

"You put your kusari katabira in your backpack, right?"

"Hai."

"You don't have to worry about clothing, I put in five spare uniforms in your bag to wear along with 2 Metroid t-shirts just in case."

"I know that…"

"I'm just reminding you. Although what's with the attitude?"

"I don't know, I mean even though I mostly would like to try how school is like at Hanzō I has a few worries about it."

"Like what?"

"What if the students make fun of my unusual appearance? What if I can't keep up with them? What if they are boys? I can't handle guys! What if…"

"Sh, sh, sh, sh come here," I say in a nurturing way

I give him a big bearhug as he pressed his head into my chest hugging me back.

"You don't have to worry, I actually know two of the classmates whom you'll be with. And believe it or not the class is actually rather small with only girls in it."

This seemed to calm him down, "And maybe I might try renewing my teaching license so I can help out with class."

"But Haha, don't you have patients at home to attend to?"

"I can at least try going back and forth between Niijima and Hanzō to teach my classes like I used to do. But it you that I'm concerned about, and you're going to do great! After all, out of all the students I've have during my career as a teacher, you're my best student by far."

I held Cha-Cha at arm's length and look him in eye.

"Do me proud," I then kissed him on the cheek and he smiled.

"Dōmo Haha!"

"Oh, and before I forget I have two things for you."

"Huh?"

I rummage through my pocketbook to take out and a flip phone and directions.

"This should get you to Hanzō, and if there is any trouble call me. Okay?"

"Nn"

"And also,"

I make a smug face and hold my hand out.

"Hand it over…"

"The DS? But you took it…"

I hold up the "DS", "This is one of the scrolls."

Cha-Cha sighed, "Okay you caught me,…"

"Kuso," he muttered as he handed over the DS and I give the scroll back to him.

"but how did…"

"You're my son Chahan, and I'm more than able to read you like a book. And I'll say that's a rather sloppy way of pickpocketing, I felt it after all."

He scoffed, "Be lucky that it was not a molester!"

"I can deal with them, but please don't be dishonest with me Cha-Cha, okay?"

He nods.

He then starts walking off with his bag at hand waving at me.

"Remember that your classmates are all girls so be nice to them! And your cousin the class rep will be waiting for out by the side entrance to bring you to class! Her name is Ikaruga! Did you get all of that?"

"HAI!"

"Jāmate!"

Author's note: I thought that some Nihongo phrases could spice things up, they're living in Nihon after all, 'chotto' when translated means 'little' but it also can be used as an exclaimation or a way to say "Excuse me". 'Haha' is simply a plain/informal way to say 'okāsan' which means mother, 'Jāmate' is like before but it is in place of 'sayonara.'

Chifusa's note:

Looks like I've gotten some explaining to do, to start the basics of Yin and Yang are that for everything in the universe there is always a direct opposite to it, such as for example light and shadow, male and female, hard and soft, and more personally to me my husband and my son; but at the same time there is always a part of the opposite in each one to balance it out. Some, called evil shinobi, have sustained the world since time immemorial specializing in assassination and subversion for politicians and corporations. Likewise, there are also good shinobi, working on the behalf of other nations. Some would say the evil shinobi exist in the negative and are to be despised, but I at least do not really believe that. After all my own husband…

Even though he was supposed to be a good shinobi, he was an assassin who had done some of the dirtiest work imaginable, and that's all I can say for now about him. And also, what I can say is that both good and evil shinobi exist in the shadows, and likewise support the workings of the world. For the reasons to conceal our existence to the shadows and survive shinobi have their own branch of practicing nen, and through lots of experimentation, we're able to do all sorts of wonderful things with our nen like enhancing our weapons, using elemental based attacks, to perform Tenshin/turnovers, creating barriers etc. Speaking of scrolls did you know that my husband wrote A LOT of the scrolls currently in use by the Hanzō shinobi students, I even know three of them and my baby is one of them. And we are divided into different ranks, I'm personally a Saijōnin. The only people who can use nen can pose a threat to us like Hunters, other shinobi, and manner of yōkai and demons.

Also, nen users, in general, are separated into six categories, enhancers, transmuters, conjurers, specialists, manipulators, and emitters. Maybe know that I am an enhancer and Cha-Cha is a transmuter like my husband.