Chapter 1: Generation
5:00 a.m.
Today was THE day, many have waited for this moment, and excitement was universal for several 13 year old kids and their families. However the sun has yet to show itself, and all those soon-to-be adults were still in their bed. All but one; a tall, well-built young boy who was jogging all around the village. The boy was wearing a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers and bandages over his hands and forearms. He also wore a similar orange neck warmer as a scarf and he was sweating buckets through his strange looking black bowl haircut. The few villagers who started or finished their work at this time were used to the sight of that peculiar boy and knew him well, he always greeted them politely albeit a bit loud.
"GOOD MORNING SIR, TODAY IS A GOOD DAY" he yelled to the baker who was opening his shop and was letting the warm delicious smell of freshly baked bread waft around. The baker laugh at the boy's enthusiasm, he liked kids who spend their energy in any way other than bothering him or his customers.
"Hello Lee-kun, training hard?" he gently asked the boy.
"SIR, YES SIR. TODAY IS THE DAY MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH REACHES A NEW STAGE" the latter replied passionately while still jogging.
"Ahh, is that so? Good for you my boy, so you woke up early to celebrate?"
"NO SIR, I COULD NOT SLEEP. SO I RAN IN EVERY STREETS UNTIL I COVERED ALL OF THEM AT LEAST ONCE."
"What? You did not sleep at all? Does your sensei know?"
"No sir" he replied with just as much passion but not as loud as before. "He is currently on an important mission and will only be back in a few days."
"I see. Well let me congratulate you by giving you this freshly baked Melonpan" the baker offered to the boy a sweet bread in a small brown paper bag. The boy's eye grew large and his grin grew even larger.
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH, I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS KINDNESS UNTIL I DIE!" he replied gratefully before biting ferociously into the bread.
"Hahaha, good. Now go home before your mother worries. And tell her I said hi"
"SHIR, YESH SHIR" with the bread still in his mouth. He set off while waving goodbye to the baker.
Is something important happening today? the man wondered.
6:00 a.m.
Meanwhile, at the east border of the village where the Fire Country's seemingly endless forest begun, in a large Japanese-style compound, a slightly petite girl woke up in her small bedroom as soon as her clock stroked 6 a.m., no alarm was needed for her. She opened her pupils, revealing her grey eyes. She had a serious look on her face, she wasn't frowning but there was no smile either. Every day without fail she would wake up at this exact time and carried off her morning routine. She attached her long reddish brown hair in a single high ponytail, folded her futon properly, put on her high collared beige coat and her black bike shorts, went in the garden silently, and did several stretches while breathing the fresh morning air.
After that she went to the small area in the garden that her fa…no, her guardians, set up for her. She approached 3 wooden crates which were emitting a low and gentle buzzing sound. She said with an equally low and gentle voice "Good morning to you as well. Today is a special day, you will have to memorise the scents and sounds of a few new people, forgive me for the trouble."
The reply was a few short buzzing sounds of different wavelength and frequency, it sounded almost like a weird tune but to the girl the meaning was perfectly clear: "Acknowledged." Yes, today was going to be a special day, whether it would be good or bad was yet to be determined. The girl decided to wait until she had all the necessary information, after all it would be foolish, even ridiculous, to reach a conclusion based on just feelings and emotions.
7.00 a.m.
The alarm clock ringed an audible noise that blared through the whole room, a palm slammed on the switch to turn in off, a grumpy noise could be heard while a body was slowly getting up. The teenager was really NOT a morning person. He would usually take 15 minutes, at least, to get up. But today was a special day. He lazily got off his large bed and headed off the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Looking in the mirror he saw the familiar 13 year old boy with an average build, an average height, messy dark green hair, light brown eyes, and a dazzlingly good looking face. A large wing shaped black tattoo could be seen on the center of his back. He smiled at the mirror while thinking about how today will go, strangely he had mixed feeling. On one hand he was about to begin what could be an exciting new adventure, on the other hand he did not know if he would get along with the people that will become his companions.
The boy had a fair share of relationship problems, his slightly narcissistic personality was an issue to those around him but he would not change for the world. After all his favourite features, namely his face, hair and eyes, were gifts from the 2 people he loved most and he was proud to have them.
A delicious smell snapped him out of his thoughts. Every morning he would smell a delicious breakfast just waiting for him to be eaten but this time the smell was clearly from a JAPANESE breakfast. He put on his clothes in a hurry and ran downstairs to the kitchen hoping that he would found who he was looking for. If he did, this would have definitely made this day extra special.
However when he came downstairs only a man reading the newspapers was sitting at the table. He was a perfect image of him but older; he had his face but with the lines of an adult, a taller and larger build, similar coloured hair but combed in a formal style, among the other features. His eyes were also of a deep blue colour.
"Good morning, son" his father said to him calmly.
"Good morning" he replied while looking around him to see if he could find the person he was looking for.
"She went back to bed" the man replied with a sad smile to him, guessing his intentions. "She tried to stay awake but could not. Although she insisted on making breakfast today." He then pointed at a plate on the kitchen counter; it had a bowl of rice, a smaller bowl of miso soup with seaweed and small tofu cubes, a grilled fish, a few pickles, and his favourite: tamagoyaki with ketchup on the side.
The boy could not help but feel elated and sad at the same time; his mother had woken up to prepare breakfast despite her condition. She even made a hearty breakfast for him. He only wished he could have helped her; cooking with her was one of his favourite but rare pastimes.
"It's okay. It's not THAT important of a day you know, she should be resting" the boy said more to himself than his father. He grabbed the plate and put it on the table, he sat opposite direction to his father. "Itadakimasu" the boy said lazily. He started eating slowly, enjoying the taste of his mother's cooking. A hand came on his head.
"You're wrong. Your mother never had the chance to experience what you did, that's why she wanted to do something for you. She wanted your day to start on a bright note" the man replied as he happily ruffled his son's hair. "So, enjoy today to its fullest, okay?" He then returned to his reading.
The boy looked at his father's serious smile, "Yes, dad" he said finally smiling himself. He realised this meal was his mother's way to greet him in the morning should she be unable to. I should not ask for more. I should be happy with what I have now, I AM happy with what I have now, he thought to himself. "Thanks, mom" he whispered, his father's smile grew behind the newspaper.
7:30 a.m.
"Hinabachi."
The girl turned from the sink where she had just finished washing the tableware from her breakfast.
"Aburame-san" she replied politely. "Are you heading to the Academy?"
"Yes, but before I go I have something for you" he handed her a file with her name on it. When she opened it, there was a photo of her glued on the upper left corner of the first page along with other basic information about her such as name, age, gender, etc. There was a red seal stamped at the bottom of said page. The file contained various information about her: her history until now, her current abilities, her medical results, and so on.
"What is…" before she finished, the man handed her a forehead protector with a leaf symbol on it.
"These are your identification documents, and your hitai-ate; you are now an official genin of Konohagakure. The jōnin sensei assigned to you has received a copy of that file, the seal indicates approval from the Hokage Office" he said to her in a somehow cheerful tone. Well, as cheerful as an Aburame could get. It sounded… unnatural.
The girl was staring at the forehead protector with an astonished expression. She knew this was going to happen, she was told about this a few weeks ago when she arrived at this village, but she only realised it now while holding the hitai-ate. She had dreamed several times the day she would receive this particular object, she had imagined a few scenarios, some realistic, others a bit exaggerated, but in all these dreams the symbol was a rock not a leaf.
She looked up and noticed the raise eyebrows above the visor of the man in front of her. "I'm sorry, it's just… I don't know what to…" she stammered. She was uncomfortable in his presence. In anyone's presence from this village actually. "Thank you, I will do my best to be worthy of this" she replied.
"What is the matter?" he inquired gently.
"I…" she hesitated, she was afraid that what she would say might anger the man, or the Hokage for that matter. She was afraid that the Aburame might report her to the Hokage, and that the latter would report to Tsuchikage-sama. She could almost picture the disappointed expression on her face, Hinabachi was scared of that more than anything else.
"I understand. This is not what you intended to do with your life, at least not in this current place" he said knowingly. "However, one must accept his own circumstances and adapt to them in order to make the best with what he has. Your circumstances are unusual to say the least, but I ask you to consider your situation logically and decide what is best for you."
They stared at each other before he continued "What is it that you currently want in order for you to achieve your desired goal?"
After a few minutes thinking about what he said, the girl replied "I want to obtain the necessary tools, the power to stand up on my own, the skills I need… everything that is needed, to go back... to Iwagakure." The last part was said in a low voice. She feared his reaction.
"Very well. In that case you should strive to become an excellent ninja, a ninja skilled enough so that she can deal with any obstacles effectively" he said.
Hinabachi looked at him with a questioning face. When he saw it he smiled a little. This bothered her. Why was this man, her guardian, helping her so? He encouraged her even though she just basically said that after obtaining everything that this village could offer her, she would leave it, and him. It made her feel guilty.
"I am going to be late. When you finish, do not forget: come into the Academy building, and enter class 3-A. There you will know the identity of your teammates. I preside over this class, so do not be late or I won't take it kindly. Class session starts at 8:30 sharp. Understood?" he said seriously.
"Yes, Aburame-san."
"I must warn you that several recently graduated students will notice you since you were never seen in their classes before. There is a chance they will ask you several questions. Feel free to answer them if you wish but do not divulge any sensitive information."
"Hai. I understand. Do not worry. I have already prepared for such an eventuality, and know precisely how to respond to it."
"Excellent. It would have been a pleasure to have you as a student."
She blushed slightly, unaccustomed to the praise "If I make a mistake with this, the one who will be troubled in the end would be Tsuchikage-sama" she said coldly, not understanding why.
The man just nodded, seemingly okay with that response. This also baffled her. Shouldn't the tone that she used made him upset?
Without another word, he left, leaving the young girl with her thoughts.
8:00 a.m.
Metal opened the door of the class with unnecessary force and shouted at top of his lungs "GOOD MORNING, NOW IS THE START OF THE SPRINGTIME OF OUR YOUTH!" No reply. Metal noticed that over half of the class has yet to arrive.
"Good morning Metal-kun, please take your seat and keep your voice down" Shino-sensei added monotonously.
"HAI" the youth replied, earning a sigh from his teacher.
Metal took his usual seat while observing each and every one of his classmates, wondering who among them will become his teammates and possibly his sparring partners.
As time passed, he grew fidgety. Patience was not one of his talents, his mother often scolded him for that. More and more students kept arriving until he saw the one person he wanted as a teammate and rival. He jumped from his seat and landed right in front of said person.
"SARADA-CHAN! GOOD MORNING" he shouted at the bespectacled girl dressed in red.
"Hello Metal, good to see you. As energetic as always" she replied with a smile. Everyone in their class was used to Metal's outbursts. Some, like Sarada, found it amusing while others found it annoying. The latter never voiced it aloud though. Not anymore.
It happened once a few years ago, during lunch time, a class bully targeted Metal and insulted him in various ways; his clothes, his hair, his eyebrows, his voice, everything he could come up with. But Metal endure it with a saintly patience, until the bully, having lost HIS patience, insulted his father. The result was that the man himself had to come to the Academy and apologise to the teacher and the bully's parents. Metal had punched the boy so hard that he flew out of the window shattering it in the process. Fortunately it was a rare snow day, and the idiot landed on a soft pile of snow. Surprisingly, his injuries were minor; Metal's punch was more 'pushing' rather than 'striking', an instinctual technique his father taught him when fighting weaker opponents or non-ninjas that could die should he get serious. After that no one dared insult him, and no one was surprised that he ranked first in the taijutsu part of the final exam.
"THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WOR…" he stopped when a hand silently touched his shoulder from behind. The boy turned around swiftly only to find his sensei's face, just a few inches from his. There was an irritated buzzing sound. To the class who knew him, that was their sensei's version of a growl.
"I'm sorry" Metal whispered visibly trembling. The man nodded and went back to his seat as if nothing happened.
"You have got to stop that Metal, all of us can hear you even when you talk normally" a blond boy with blue eyes said arriving right behind the Sarada.
Still trembling Metal said "Good morning to you too, Boruto-kun."
The boy snickered.
"It's not funny Boruto. Remember; you could not even utter a word the last time sensei did this to you" Sarada said amusedly.
"That was years ago, I'm a genin now, I'm not afraid of some silly little bu…" he started until a big visor appeared out of nowhere right in front of him.
Boruto's face went from normal, to white, to blue and he began to mumble something incomprehensible while looking like he just shat his pants. He had just insulted bugs in front of an Aburame. Baaa-ka.
"Go to your seats, quietly, all of you" the teacher replied neutrally while staring at all of them, including a white haired boy in a blue kimono who came right behind the blond.
"Hai" all of them replied and hurried to their seats.
Dissapointed, Metal decided he would ask Sarada later, then he realised he should wait until after knowing who would actually be on his team. 'Think before you act' his mother would often say to him. There was after all no indication he would be on the same team as the girl so he decided to return to his seat and took out his notebook where he wrote anything he thought interesting or worth remembering. When he was reading today's note which started with; Buy 2 cartons of milk… several high pitched screams resounded all around him.
"KYAA", "TSUBASA-KUN", "GOOD MORNING", "OVER HERE", "TSUBASA-SAMA", and it went on and on until …
The whole class was instantly filled with flying kikai bugs buzzing like they were ready to attack.
Complete silence.
"Good morning Shino-sensei, I'm sorry for the commotion" the green haired boy apologised with a bow. The scream had started when he entered the classroom. He was wearing an opened black jacket over a blue v-neck t-shirt and black jeans, with dark green climbing boots and thin black hiking gloves.
"Go to your seat quietly, Tsubasa-kun" the man replied while opening the attendance file. His kikaichu were slowly returning to him, crawling back underneath his clothes, almost the whole class got extremely cold shivers down their spines.
Tsubasa nodded while keeping himself as far away as he could from his teacher then winked with a smirk to the whole class. His fan-girls had to put their hands over their mouths to prevent them from screaming.
Metal did not like Tsubasa. He was the most popular boy in school, his looks, gentlemanly behaviour, and attitude made him look like some sort of noble. And he treated every girl he met like a princess. During break hours girls from other classes would come and ask him for lunch. On a clear day, it was a common sight to see him seated on a picnic sheet under a tree, with his lunch, while surrounded by dozens of girls all seated around him. This made many boys jealous, and Metal was one of them.
However, just like with him, one day, a group of boys attempted to beat Tsubasa up just for the fun of it. Tsubasa merely smiled at them, and before anyone noticed the bullies started fighting each other viciously. Tsubasa simply walked away while everyone else, including Metal, was watching. The bullies were throwing punches, scratching, biting, spitting, yelling insults at their friends(?) until a teacher came and tried to split them up, but it looked like that they did not even notice him until the teacher realised something, made a seal with his hands, and poke the boys once each. The boys stopped their fight and sat down on the ground looking confused, lost and battered. When questioned on what happened, the boys stated that they were fighting Tsubasa, who was also fighting them. It was later discovered that Tsubasa had inflicted upon them a genjutsu, it was an Academy-standard genjutsu which merely changed another's perception of a single object or person. What was impressive however was that Tsubasa used it without any hand seals; that alone would have required an extremely precise chakra control far beyond the level of a genin. Of course, he was not praised for using it for that purpose, but from that moment, Tsubasa was known as a genjutsu genius.
No, Metal definitely did not like Tsubasa. Their personalities clashed with each other. One was passionate and hardworking, while the other was blithe and made no effort in anything that did not interest him. But unlike the bullies, Metal did not confront the boy, he simply ignored him. The latter did the same. Any conversation between them was quick and civil.
Metal's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a stranger. A girl wearing a coat too large for her. She entered the class and sat down right next to him. He had never seen her before.
8:29 a.m.
Hinabachi came at the last minute to avoid any unpleasant questions. She knew she would attract attention by coming last but compare to the possibility of being questioned by these carefree children, she made a choice and stood by it. When she entered, the class was quiet, everyone but the teacher was staring at her. He probably sensed me and guessed my plan before I came in, he is a tracking specialist after all, the girl thought. She came in, ignoring the glances and took the closest seat she could find which was next to a strangely dressed boy. But she put all of this out of her mind and focused solely on the only adult in the room.
The boy in green was looking at her, and opened his mouth when Shino started speaking "Welcome to you all, today you will be assigned to your genin teams. All of you represent the new generation of ninjas that will build a new era for the shinobi world. I hope you are ready. Let us start."
Author's note: this is the first fanfic I've ever written. Constructive criticisms are welcomed. Please inform me of any mistakes no matter how small it is.
