Oni
Oni
The Path of a Shinobi
By Darth Xelas
Summary
Alright, this is the starting chapter to the story. This chapter will be divided into parts that I will try and release every weekend. Of course there will be times that I won't be able to, because I do have a life, but I will try my best regardless. :P
Please read AND review, because there is no other way for me to know if anyone is reading if you don't at least review. Thank you!
Italicized words are thoughts.
Words in parentheses are typically translations or explaining something.
Chapter 1: To Become a Ninja Part 1
The Hidden Village of the Leaf, also known as Konoha was the ninja village located in the Country of Fire. In the wide expanse of woods, ninja were taught and trained to do the service of their country. Of all the ninja villages in the world, Konoha was labeled as the strongest due to its past history and tendency to produce legendary ninja, such as Legendary Sannin and Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage.
The village was as large as a city and had a huge wall separating it from the forest all the way around. The academy was located under the mountain face that bore the faces of the four Hokages. As Katsuro and his friends moved towards the building, other shadows could be seen throughout the village heading towards the same location.
The academy was a rather large building capable of housing several grades of trainees from the ages of 7 to 13. The building had several facilities that were used for various training situations, such as taijutsu (hand to hand combat) dojo's, ninjutsu and genjutsu practice areas and ranged weapon grounds.
As the sun place itself firmly in the sky and seven o' clock came to be, the first chime of the Academy's bell sounded. From inside the academy, Naruto could be heard tearing through the hall towards his class. By the time the second chime rang, Katsuro and his friends, along with Shikamaru and Kiba, took their seats.
Kiba was the only trainee with a pet, a small white dog by the name of Akamaru, which rested inside the boy's favorite grey hoodie that had fur on the hood. He had a some what bestial look and his wild nature went along with it perfectly.
Shikamaru was the classes' laziest student who did what was needed to pass and that was it. Compared to the other students he was pretty lanky, and tall, like Katsuro. He had black spiky hair tied up into a spiky, upright ponytail.
Just before the third and final chime rang, Naruto busted through the half open door, tripped and slid across the floor right into their instructor's desk…Umino Iruka.
Iruka was one of the many Chuunin (Captain Shinobi) instructors at the academy who taught various grades. He was strict and abided closely to the rules, but overall he was a pretty nice guy…unless you were late to his class. He had spiky hair like Shikamaru and a long scar that went across the bridge of his nose.
As Naruto kissed the floor and blessed the Hokages for being on time, Iruka stood over him, eyebrow twitching. "Naruto…" said the Chuunin, his voice barely restrained.
Naruto looked up at him. "What?" he asked in a clueless tone.
Iruka lost it. "Don't WHAT me!! What have I told you about being late!?"
Naruto stood instantly, finger pointed at Iruka. "Bullshit! I made it here BEFORE that stupid bell finished! YOU said, as long as I'm here before the bell I'm safe!"
Iruka reached out like lightning and hoisted Naruto off the ground, shaking him comically. "I said you had to be in your SEAT," Iruka gestured at the rest of the class, "by the time the bell finished you IDIOT!"
Naruto, getting dizzier by the minute was still able to retort. "Did not!"
Iruka shook Naruto so hard that the poor boy's eyes became spirals. "NARUTO…!"
A few minutes passed and Naruto was sent to his seat with another tardy on his record…a perfect way to start of a graduation exam. Clearing his throat, Iruka calmed the class and caused Shikamaru to wake up, who had fallen asleep during Naruto's challenge with the teacher.
"Good morning class," said Iruka, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The class replied good morning in various ways…Akira by doing a quick wave, Hideaki responded with a "yo", and Katsuro simply nodded. Naruto simply sniffed loudly and refused to look in his sensei's direction, obviously still upset about his most recent tardy. Taking in all of his students responses, Iruka moved on.
"Despite a rough start," said Iruka, glancing in Naruto's direction, "I am happy to see you all here, ready to graduate. As you already know, today is the day that we will put you through the five tests known collectively as the genin exam. By analyzing and grading your results, other chuunin and I will decide if you are ready to become ninja of Konoha."
The room busted out with excited and nervous whispers, for this was the day that they all could become part of the ninja world, a world shrouded in battle and darkness. There were some however, that did not react to Iruka's statement…for first, they already realized what it meant…or second, they didn't really care. One of those people was Uchiha Sasuke, the number one student in the class and the last known survivor of the Uchiha clan, presumably one of the strongest clans in Konoha's history.
Sasuke, like Akira, was a quiet kid, yet unlike Katsuro's friend, Sasuke saw no reason to interact with other people and had no friends whatsoever. Many saw took this to be the brunt of the Uchiha's arrogance and pride, Kiba…but Katsuro along with his friends, saw it as something else. Whatever it was that kept Sasuke away from people, was not arrogance…because whatever it was also made him the top in the class. Of all the trainees present, Sasuke was the best, something that Hideaki, the boy who typically didn't care, had problems acknowledging.
When it came to Sasuke's looks and choices of wears he was quite simple. He had pale skin, obsidian eyes and somewhat spiky black hair, with bangs hanging in the front. He was a little taller than Hideaki and wore a blue/white outfit. The high neck blue shirt he wore had the Uchiha Symbol (a red fan with a white handle) on the back. When it came to his physique, he was built similar to everyone else, yet he bore a natural handsomeness that rivaled Hideaki's. The girls thought the Uchiha was the alpha male when it came to that category…along with everything else. Even though this annoyed Sasuke, along with most of the other boys in the class, it made life easy for Katsuro and Hideaki, for it separated all the smart chicks from the dumb asses. Akira could care less, for he had little interest in relationships, despite his friend's best effort to change that fact.
Shino, the ever mysterious child from the Aburame Clan, also said nothing to Iruka's statement, which wasn't surprising, seeing how he hardly said anything at all. Out of all the students, Shino was the only one who wore sunglasses on an everyday basis, a trait his entire clan shared. He had wild, upright, black hair and an extremely serious demeanor. He wore a grey over coat with a neck that was high enough to cover the lower part of his face. He also wore a pair of shorts and sandals, resembling nearly everyone else in the class.
To add to the list of non interested people, Shikamaru seemed quite at peace with the whole situation, as he stared out the window up at the clouds…one of his favorite hobbies.
To top it off, Katsuro, Akira and Hideaki all sat quietly, not even speaking to each other, for they wanted to get the show on the road. Though no one would guess, the three trainees were more than ready to pass the exam, for their skills secretly rivaled Sasuke's. Why did no one know? Because, as Katsuro had put it, it wasn't anyone else's business…but they would know at the end of the day. So instead of talking, the three simply grinned and waited.
Iruka noticed the three smirking in the back of the room, he decided to be nosy. "What are you three so happy about eh, Hideaki?"
Hideaki smiled as he rotated a pencil between his fingers absentmindedly. "The fact that we're going to kick this exam's ass," he responded, causing his friends to smile also.
Sasuke, betraying his normal attitude, chuckled and spoke. "This is coming from one of the laziest people I know."
Hideaki brought his eyes to the Uchiha's, who was smirking. "Just wait and see Sasuke," he said, "just wait and see."
Iruka shook his head in amusement; his class certainly had some characters. "Alright then…then let's go ahead and get on to it then shall we? As I've already mentioned, there will be five tests that will be graded to form you overall exam grade. The first is the written Test."
Naruto could be heard groaning in displeasure.
Glaring at his student, Iruka continued. "The second test will be the genjutsu exam, which will test your ability in dispelling a basic illusion and performing one yourself."
Katsuro AND Naruto could be heard groaning in displeasure. A vein appeared on Iruka's forehead.
"Moving on, you two…" said Iruka, slightly frustrated. "The third will be the accuracy test, involving kunai and shurikens…"
"Hell yeah…" said Akira quietly, causing Katsuro and Hideaki to laugh. Iruka's eyes narrowed into slits.
"The FOURTH test…" the chuunin tried his best to keep calm, despite the growing noise in his room. "Will be a taijutsu examination."
Katsuro cheered along with Kiba and Naruto, causing many others to join in.
That was it.
"HEY!" yelled Iruka, silencing the class. "May I FINISH?!" The chuunin looked around the room as everyone nodded in silence. "Thank you…now…the last exam will be a ninjutsu exam, which will test your ability to perform three basic jutsu that we choose. Any questions?"
The class remained quiet until Hideaki waved a finger in a circle in the air and quietly cheered, "Whoo-hoo! Ninjustu!" This caused everyone to fall out laughing; even Sasuke shook his head in amusement. Iruka simply covered his face, giving up. It was impossible to control these kids sometimes.
Once the laughter began to die down, a pretty girl with light red hair (so light that it actually appeared pink) raised her hand with a question on her mind. Seeing her hand, Iruka acknowledged her, thus silencing the rest of the class.
"Yes Sakura?" he asked.
The girl known as Sakura lowered her hand as she was called on. Sakura was one of the most stunning girls to cross the face of the earth as she captivated many with her natural beauty. She had on her red outfit along with a pair of tight shorts that stopped right before her knees. She had a cute face, despite a slightly large forehead and the biggest pair of green eyes imaginable, thus matching her pink hair. It was a sad fact however that such beauty was wasted…for she was just another Sasuke lover in the eyes of everyone in the class. The only one who showed any kind of affection for her was Naruto…who was rebuffed on every advance he made towards her.
"Well," began Sakura, "I just wanted to know if we had to pass each individual test in order to pass the exam."
Iruka shook his head, putting many in the class at ease. "No," he responded to Sakura's question. "We realize that each one of you have talents and weaknesses in particular areas, so it wouldn't be fair if we did such a thing. In order to pass you must get a 70 or above as your cumulative grade at the end of all five tests."
"Why a 70?" asked Naruto without raising his hand, gaining him a glare from Iruka and Sakura that he didn't notice. "A 60 is still a D…"
"Who hell would want someone who passed with a D become a ninja!?" asked Kiba from behind the blonde. "You're dumber than you look Naruto!"
Once again the class laughed as Naruto fumed. Katsuro simply shook his head and thought, Naruto…think before you open that mouth of yours man.
After calming the class down again, the door to the room opened and a silver haired ninja carrying a folder walked into the class. "Hey Iruka," he said.
"Hey Mizuki," replied the Chuunin. "Got the tests I see."
"Yep," replied the ninja. Turning to the class he asked a question. "Are these the kids the ones taking the exam today?"
Iruka nodded. "Yeah."
"Then let's go ahead and get started then."
Nodding once again, Iruka addressed the class. "Alright. It's time to start the exam. Mizuki, another instructor here (which automatically made the silver haired ninja a chuunin) and I will be overlooking your written test. You'll have an hour to complete 50 multiple choice questions that are worth two points each." Iruka narrowed his eyes. "If you're caught cheating you will automatically receive a zero on this test…so keep your eyes to your own paper! Any questions?"
No one raised their hands.
"Then let the test begin. Mizuki?"
Mizuki nodded and began to hand out the test.
The class walked down the hall with Iruka in the lead after completing the written part of the exam. They were now heading towards the next test, the genjutsu test, which would be over seen by Iruka and the jounin (elite/master) shinobi Kurenai.
As they walked, the class remained silent as not to disturb the other classes. The expressions on their faces however, along with their body language spoke volumes as they all thought about the written exam and how well or how bad they did.
Sakura, the brains of the class, was pretty much skipping down the hall seeing how she had gotten a perfect score. Naruto however had his head down in shame, for he barely had pulled off a 60. Though it was impossible to tell, Shikamaru had also done very well on his test, getting a perfect score also. This surprised everyone, seeing how Shikamaru never passed any tests, seeing how he always thought it was too much trouble to pick up a pencil and actually write.
Walking at the end of the line, Katsuro, Akira and Hideaki, all had smirks on their faces and for good reason. They had all gotten a 90 or above on their tests, a perfect way to start off their exam. Even though it explained their elevated attitudes, passing the test was not why they were all smirking. They were smirking because they had all successfully cheated even while Iruka and Mizuki were watching.
Weeks before the exam the boys had come up with their own version of Morse code that was made up of a sequence of timed beats on a solid surface. Using the underside of their desks, thus feeling the vibrations through the wood, the boys had tapped the answers to the test to each other. They intentionally missed a few to keep the instructors from being suspicious.
"We rock…" muttered Katsuro as they walked, causing Hideaki and Akira to smirk.
Little did they know that Iruka was also smirking as he led them to their next test. Those three are crafty…the Third was right about them.
Reaching their destination, Iruka stopped and faced the class. "Alright, here we are. This, as you know, is a room of shadows, a training ground for genjutsu. It is here that Kurenai-sensei and I will oversee your genjutsu test. Now remember, once inside, you'll all have to release yourself out from whatever genjutsu Kurenai has set inside. After that you will have to cast the genjutsu I taught you last week on her so she can see if you can perform a successful genjutsu." Iruka lowered his voice. "Make sure to add some spice to it, because she grades hard."
The students nodded quietly, thankful for the last minute tip.
Raising his voice again, Iruka continued. "Any questions?"
Hideaki raised his hand. "I'm guessing that the longer we take to release the genjutsu, the lower our grade gets?"
Iruka nodded. "Precisely."
Hideaki nodded and patted Katsuro on his back as the tall trainee covered his face in despair. "Sucks to be you," was his encouraging remark.
Katsuro flicked him off with his free hand, making Hideaki chuckle.
"Any other questions?" asked Iruka, looking around. This time no one raised their hands. "Then let us get started." With that, Iruka opened the door to the room of shadows, which was pitch black inside. "In you go."
One by one the class filtered in, with Katsuro being the last one in, with his hand still covering his face. Once they were all in, Iruka entered and shut the door. His footsteps slowly faded away as the genjutsu took place.
"Alright class…" said Iruka in the pitch black room. "Genjutsu test beginning…now."
Suddenly Katsuro no longer felt the presence of his friends as his mind was plunged into an everlasting darkness. Removing his hand from his face, Katsuro found himself in a dark forest, riddled with veins and hanging branches…nothing like the forests that surrounded Konoha. Slowly a creepy black mist drifted in between the trees, decaying everything it touched as it made its way towards the trainee. Katsuro scowled as it drew closer. I hate genjutsu…whoever made them can burn in an everlasting fire.
Putting his palms together, the boy made a seal with his hands and closed his eyes. After a couple of seconds he opened them and yelled out. "Kai!" (Release) To his utter disappointment, instead of disappearing, the mist was now only a few feet away.
I FUCKING HATE GENJUTSU'S, thought the boy as he tried to release himself again, only to fail once more. By this time the mist was at his ankles. In a frantic attempt, Katsuro leapt into the air, in a attempt to evade the deadly mist, only to have it shoot up after him.
"DAMN IT!!" he yelled, seeing how he had nowhere else to go. As he fell towards the rising mist, Katsuro made the seal one last time and closed his eyes. This is it, either I break this genjutsu or I'm toast! Opening his eyes, Katsuro stared at the mist as it surged across his body.
"KAI!!"
Alright, that's the end of the first chapter. Please read and review! I'll try to have the next chapter up by next week!