The Focuser
Book I
'Chaos, Thy Name Is Kokoru!'
Chapter One, Late again? The day begins…
It was a quite morning in the village known as *Konoha. The birds were singing their usual songs of 'good mornings'. There was barely a whisper of wind while the trees welcomed the incoming sunlight that has been hiding in the shadows of night. The shops were just opening their doors to the populous that would grace the stores. Most families were still sound asleep in their homes that were scattered across the village. A home, located three blocks to the east of the ramen shop, which is in a state of disrepair, houses a boy that has books scattered around his bedroom. The room, complete with one bed and one desk with a chair, started to get some of the morning light; welcoming the new day while the boy sleeps still in his disorganized bed. He, the boy, had studied late into the night before because he has to take the academy exam this morning and he forgot to study during the week. Hours pass by without anyone taking notice.
A person, clad in *Chuunin/Jonin clothes, walked slowly across the front this house and notices the boy sleeping from a window. 'Ah… still asleep, and barley has any sheets covering himself, he is definably my sons, son.' thought the man, as he walked to the window and taped the glass. "Grandson, are you awake?" he said while chuckling softly. The boy, startled by the noise, awoke and fell off his bed with a slight 'thud.' "Ah!" The boy said while rubbing his head from where the ground decided to 'kiss' his forehead. The boy looked into the window and saw that his grandfather was the one that woke him from his sleep. With nothing more than white shorts covering his bottom, the boy rose from the ground and walked to the window. The boy opened the window and said to his grandfather, while not trying to shout, "Grandfather *Ju`oZsaku, why did you wake me up! I was dreaming about that odd girl again. I was about to try to talk to her just before you woke me!" The boy looked at his grandfather, seeing that he is in uniform with his ninja headband covering his forehead, and his thick and long dark brown hair in a tight ponytail in the back that almost touches his knees with its length alone.
Ju`oZsaku, laughing a little, explained, "Everything happens for a reason grandson, but, that female that you have been seeing in your dreams will have to wait. Don't forget, after school you need to meet me at my home so that I can teach you some more techniques with the wax staff again." Ju`oZsaku looked into the room noticing the books that almost cover the whole floor and also saw his grandson looking at the clock that was perched on his desk that was close to the bed itself. His grandson, eleven years of age, and barely under five feet, was skinny, and had short, but thick brown hair that almost went golden in the daylight during the summer months. 'To think that today is the exam…' thought Ju`oZsaku, 'I hope that he passes, just like father before him…'
The boy noticing his clock and what time it was, shouted, "No! Not today!" He rushed getting his clothing on, and trying to get himself together for today. "I cannot be late for today of all days! I should have studied during the week!" He said while franticly placing on some more clothes and then getting his shoes on right after. Ju`oZsaku watching all of this transpire in less than two minutes while he also looked at the clock, said, "Whoa! Slow down grandson! Your clock is off by a half an hour. You have got time." The grandson replied while grabbing and eating a piece of bread that had been making itself comfortable on his desk in the room, "I am not just going to school. I am visiting father and mother's graves this morning before class starts; to pray that their strength will help me pass this exam. I was…" swallowing the last of the piece of the bread, "… studying all of last night until two o'clock this morning when I fell asleep; then you woke me up, just before eight, twenty-five!" Even though the boy stated that it was 8:25 A.M. Ju`oZsaku knew that the real time was 7:55 A.M. Ju`oZsaku, surprised with what his grandson said, replied, "Oh… the graves…" He said with some sadness in his voice. Ju`oZsaku remembered that both of the boy's parents died just right after he was born, and that he, Ju`oZsaku, needed to be the role model for him so that the boy does not make the same mistakes that his parents made. "What's wrong grandfather?" asked the boy. "Its just that I did not know that you knew where their graves were. How did you find them?" asked Ju`oZsaku still outside of the home. "I found the graves a while ago, grandfather; it was when I was training with that staff that you gave me last year on my birthday…" the boy said while he pointed to the wax staff that his grandfather carved and gave to him that now, is on top of his desk, glistening in the morning light. "… I was walking along the river towards home when I saw a clearing in the forest. I checked it our since I had no more training that day and found that there was two tombstones with mother's and father's names written. Its less-than fifteen minutes from here, if I walk, but I am going to jog there so that I have at least twenty minutes to walk to school." "Would you mind if you let an 'old timer' tagged along with you to the graves? I want to talk to you a little more before you take off for your exam. " asked Ju`oZsaku.
The boy, fully dressed in olive-colored cargo pants that barley fit around his skinny waist accompanied with a very dark green t-shirt while warring the academies scholar goggles on his forehead, was already outside the house with the key to the home in hand replied, "I always enjoy your company, sure why not!" Ju`oZsaku saw that his grandson was almost beaming with a big grin across his face after saying that last sentence as the sunlight reflected off his clothing showing the colors of his face and body. Smiling, Ju`oZsaku said, "Let's get going, I need some exercise." Both Ju`oZsaku and his grandson took off jogging, west in the direction of the forest where the graves lay hidden from view.
After ten minutes of continues jogging, both Ju`oZsaku and his grandson reached the graves. The boy, after catching his breath, started to read aloud the first inscription on the tombstone; "'Here lies Shukaku Kiber, a beloved husband and father. 'Hero of the Kiber Clan'." Ju`oZsaku remarks, "That's your father for 'ya… well in a nutshell…" The boy looking at the 'Hero of the Kiber Clan' wondering why his father was a 'hero'. The boy asks, "Grandfather? Why was my father 'Hero of the Kiber clan'?" Ju`oZsaku, surprised that he asked that question, responds, "Well… that's a hard question to answer…" Ju`oZsaku thinks for a minute then replies, "You see, he defeated a great evil that killed off everyone of the Kiber clan; he sacrificed his own life to save everyone that he could. You and I are the only known survivors of that incident. It was over ten years ago ever since that incident took place. Just be proud that you are his offspring, for I feel, that you will do great many things in this world that are going to benefit all mankind." The boy, startled by this, asks, "Really grandfather? I know that I am very lucky to still be here, but… you think that I will do great things?" Ju`oZsaku, laughing and scratching his grandsons head with his right hand, replied "Oh oh yes, I know that you will do great things, just believe in your own courage, it will guide you through your darkest days and darkest nights."
The boy, smiling a little, reads the next inscription on the other tombstone, "Here lies Akkaku (Uchiha) Kiber, beloved mother and wife. 'Sealer of Chaos'." Ju`oZsaku, answering before even his grandson could form the words, "I know what your question is, and I know the answer all too well. Your mother, along with one of her best friends, sealed a beast that's powers could easily rival that, nay, over exceeds that of the powers of the nine-tailed fox. So, it was sealed into something so that its powers could not be used for any purposes, military or not. This happened just before your father defeated the great evil… actually, I believe that both events happened on the same day…. And before you start…" Ju`oZsaku saw that his grandson had a question that he was just about to place into words, "No, I do not know where or what the beast was sealed into." The boy replied, "No, that was not my question…" His grandfather asks, "What is your question?" The boy asks, "What was the beast's name that was sealed?" Ju`oZsaku, thinking what words to convey the message, finally says, "Its name… we call it the Chaos Wolf. It had terrible powers, we don't know why or what triggered it to attack, but your mother and one of her closest friends sealed it so that no one can use its powers. She and her friend died while sealing it into its prison. Also, to top it off, she was Uchiha meaning that you are part Uchiha. This means that you can awaken the Sharingan, but, haven't you already awakened it?" Ju`oZsaku asked his grandson while looking at his eyes. The boy looked down at his shoes kicking some dirt around a little embarrassed, replied, "No… I don't know how to, but, was there an incident with a Itachi Uchiha over twenty years ago that he killed all but one member of the Uchiha clan? How did mother even exist?" The boy looked into his grandfather's brown eyes for the answer. Ju`oZsaku replied, "Yes, Itachi did kill all but one family member, but from what I can remember from what your mother told me, she was not here in the Nation of Fire when that incident occurred; She was born in the Nation of Wind. Itachi did not know of her existence. Akkaku came here because she met my son on a mission and were inseparable ever since. She moved here to be with Shukaku and got married,"
Ju`oZsaku looks into the eyes of his grandson again before continuing, "…but what really is interesting to me is that your eyes don't look like anything like your father's or mother's eyes. Your eyes are as blue as the skies themselves. Anyway, I think that I have placed you with barely any time to spare for you getting to your class on time, but before you take off… I know that I placed it here somewhere…" Ju`oZsaku was digging in his pockets before finally feeling the object that he wanted to find. "Ah! Here it is; your father's pendant. I gave this to him just before he took the academy exam and he kept it until he married Akkaku. He gave it back to me saying, 'to give this to my offspring, whichever one you think disserves this, because I know that it will help them when they need it most.' So as he wanted, I present this to you." He puts the pendant over his grandsons head and the pendant rests on his grandsons' chest. "Ah, fits you just like it did your father." The boy was excited about this pedant because this helped his father, so in turn, it should help him ace his exam. "Thank you grandfather, I will treasure it." Said the boy while he was looking at the pendant. Ju`oZsaku replies, "Keep it close, it will help you on the exam, but don't you need to pray for your parents to help you?" He asks. The boy, dumbfounded, replied, "I almost forgot about that when we were jogging." The boy then faced the tombstones and held his hands close together along with the pendant. 'Please mother and father; I need your help with this exam. Please help me pass it. Thank you for listening. I will talk to you both later. Goodbye.' Thought the boy; then without hesitation, he started to run towards the heart of the village towards his school. Ju`oZsaku waved goodbye to his grandson and thought; 'He will do great things, for his destiny is tied with the fate of others. Good luck *Kokoru Artimas Kiber, you will need all of your courage for what lies ahead of you. Your life…'
*Ju`oZsaku is pronounced as 'Joe-Zaw-ku'
*Kokoru Artimas Kiber pronounced as 'Ko-ko-row, Ar-ta-mis, Khy-ber'
*Konoha means 'village hidden in the leafs'
*Chuunin/Jonin are ranked ninja; each will be explained later
~End of Chapter~
