*One year later*
The Konoha orphanage was a long, wooden building with a blue roof. It was now a familiar place, one you called 'home'.
"Aiko-chan, Aiko-chan, Aiko-chaaaaan! Hurry up!" Your eager, onyx haired friend yanked you up stone stairs and slammed the wooden, double doors of the orphanage open," I can't believe you forgot!"
"I forgot something? What did I forget!?" You nervously exclaimed.
"The entrance exams! And that's cuz you're always talking about becoming a ninja." Hiromi groaned sourly.
"Aw, shut up." You gave him a light, playful shove.
"Aiko-chan! Hiromi-kun! There the two of you are! Get over here so I can get you ready. You'll be late! Argh, you're both so filthy." Keiri was frenzied as she rushed up to you, her chubby face scrunching in dismay.
"Ah, sorry!" you apologized.
"Yeah, sorry Keiri onee-san." Hiromi whined.
"No time for apologies, get over here." She ushered you into the shower, one after the other, before throwing clean clothes at you.
After being scrubbed and dressed in new, durable, and flexible clothing, she ordered you both to get to the academy as soon as possible.
"You guys remember the way, right?" She hollered as you shrunk from her sight.
"Of course, Keiri onee-san!" You shouted back.
"You keep following the main road and when you get to Ichiraku ramen, you go left!"
"Calm down Keiri-san, you're suffocating the little ones." Kanpu, the bespectacled caretaker, chuckled.
"Oh can it, old man."
"Mm, so disrespectful." He shook his head, but you and Hiromi had long stopped listening to their words and were running down the homey, dirt roads of Konoha.
Your destination was the giant, red building with the kanji for 'fire' written across it proudly. With excited smiles, you sprinted until you reached the heart of the bustling town. Keiri and Kanpu never let you go out completely alone, so it was a new, fun experience. And if all went well, you'd be joining the ninja academy after today! Finally, the first step to becoming an official ninja had arrived.
Your parents would be so happy…
…
You always got a depressed when you thought about them and the fact that you were responsible for their deaths. Had you not slipped up at the academy and activated your Shinajii, that hunter nin might never have known your family was leaving. Perhaps your parents would still be alive today….
You realized it was probably all your fault, but what could you do? Keep being sad and getting sadder? No, that would have no point. What you could do now was become the best kunoichi you could be – to follow in your parent's footsteps as they wanted you to. Being a ninja was something real you could hold onto so that you didn't feel empty and lost.
Along with the necklace, dual blades, and glasses they gave you, becoming a ninja was the only thing you had going in your life that reminded you of the parents you dearly love. It was a way to get closer to them and to help everyone around you. Shinobi are protectors, and that's what you wanted to be too. You were motivated to protect others from horrible shinobi like that scowling hunter nin that haunts your nightmares. You didn't want others to experience the pain and sadness you did, so you had to try your hardest to live up to the great Mizushima legacy!
"Geez, you're making such an energetic face." You were ripped out of your thoughts by Hiromi's scrutinizing.
"Huh?" It dawned on you that you were standing before the academy doors.
"We're here! Let's go inside and see what's happening." Hiromi eagerly barreled his way in.
"Sure." You shook your head a little to snap you back to reality.
"Gotta focus, Aiko. Time to become a Konoha shinobi!" You chanted to yourself.
"Haha, yeah!" Hiromi beamed.
The interior of the academy was just as grand as the outside. The corridors of the massive building were filled with older shinobi – probably chūnin or even jōnin level. It was overwhelming to be around this many strong ninja again.
In Kirigakure, you lived in the Mizushima compound, so you were naturally surrounded by your cousins, aunts, and uncles that could give you tips on training and molding chakra. Here in Konoha, the orphanage wasn't a very good source for high ranking shinobi. You didn't get any pointers or advice on how to train from anybody – it was a big difference that you didn't like. But you could see that at the academy, you could get access to all that wonderful information again.
"Hi there, you two look lost."
"We're not lost, we're new." Hiromi grunted.
"Oh, I see, I'm sorry then. But I'll still help if you're new." An older shinobi with spiky, brown hair pulled back into a ponytail approached you. He didn't seem to be as aged as the other teachers since he didn't don a green chūnin jacket. Though he was definitely more experienced than you or Hiromi – and nice.
"So let me guess, you're taking the entrance exams?" He asked kindly.
"Y-yeah? How did you know?" Hiromi mumbled while you nodded enthusiastically.
"Haha, lucky guess. Okay then, we should hurry - the entrance exams speech is beginning soon."
Just as you were about to head off, the academy doors opened loudly – revealing a bored looking silvered-haired shinobi. He wore a unique gray flak jacket with metal plating arm guards. His left eye was covered by his headband while his other piercing black orb peered out with indifference – almost tedium. You also caught that he had a beautiful, spiral tattoo on his left shoulder inked in red.
"Wow, ANBU!" Hiromi cheered.
"ANBU?"
"You don't know, Aiko-chan? They're only the strongest ninja in the village besides the Hokage himself! They're the elite of the elite and so cool~" Hiromi swooned.
"Even higher ranked than jōnin?"
"Of course, no question about it."
"Kakashi! You're late!" The even tempered and genial shinobi you had just met suddenly turned vicious around the mysterious Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't seem the slightest bit fazed as he answered dully, "Ah, Iruka. Good morning."
"Don't give me any of that! Look, you're already starting to rub off on these children – they're barely on time."
"How could I rub off on them? Didn't they show up here before me?"
"We were late because we lost track of time playing together." Hiromi admitted sheepishly.
"Tell him, kid." Kakashi urged my friend on.
"I don't appreciate you poking holes in my words." Iruka snapped.
"It wasn't only me, the kid was doing it too." Kakashi scratched the back of his head idly, trying to pin the blame on Hiromi.
"Argh, never mind that. Come on, everybody! If we hurry now I might get you all there on time. Chop chop!" The anxious Iruka waved at you, Hiromi, and Kakashi – beckoning the trio to follow him as he shot down the corridors.
"Jeez, do as you like." Kakashi walked calmly, following his anxious, brunette friend from afar while Hiromi charged off energetically right behind Iruka – pulling you along with him.
o-o
o-o-o-o-o-o
o-o
"I see we have some latecomers. It's okay, come in, come in. There's room for all." Sandaime, swathed in the typical Hokage garb stood at the front of a large room filled with people of all ages.
"Sorry, Hokage-sama! It won't happen again." Iruka apologized seriously.
"Don't worry so much, Iruka. Take a seat, everyone's welcome." The amiable Hokage chuckled.
All eyes were on you, Iruka, Hiromi, and Kakashi as the doors clattered noisily. The third Hokage halted his speech until everyone was comfortable and seated.
"Today I visit you all here personally to wish you luck on the academy entrance exams. This is an important moment in your shinobi careers and thus, I wanted to be here to share it with you young saplings. Though presently I call you saplings, no doubt you will rapidly bloom into energetic, powerful full grown trees – standing strong as your capable branches protect the village hidden in the leaves. I know it sounds like a long time, but in roughly 7 years you'll have the opportunity to earn your Konoha headband. Until then, do your best! Don't hesitate to come to me or one of your instructors for guidance." His gravelly voice resounded against the walls – every child in the room listening intently with admiration. When it was clear the Hokage had finished, you cheered along with the rest of the children.
Next, Kakashi stood up from his seat and trudged to the front - standing before the class of fledgling ninja with little enthusiasm. He wasn't eager, but you were. You could learn so much from someone of his caliber. You inched forward in anticipation until you were at the edge of your seat.
"Greetings, I am a member of Konoha's ANBU Special Ops. It's a small group of talented ninja who work directly under the Hokage's orders. If you want to join a group like this, let me be the first to call you an idiot."
"Huuuh?" Hiromi's formed an 'o'.
"What? No way." You pouted.
"Bright children like you should become regular shinobi and live happy lives protecting their teammates. I am proud of what I do, yet I wouldn't endorse it. The only thing I will advise you to do is protect your teammates at all costs. Though you will be taught to complete the mission above all else, completing a mission at the cost of your companion's lives makes you trash. Thank you, that is all…"
Kakashi finished off honestly, standing casually in front of a shocked group of children. So, to him, being in the ANBU was stupid? When he said it, his eyes did seem a little sadder than usual. Maybe you were just seeing things? You wanted to be as powerful as he was, that was for sure.
The rest of what he said went over your head. So, when you got older, you had to do missions?
Yeah, you kind of remember mom and dad talking about missions – though the thing you thought people did most as a shinobi was train and guard the village. Still, it must be cool being an elite ninja. After all, Kakashi was one and he said he was proud of what he does…
"Okay now. Everyone, follow the proctors to the different examination areas. Above all, have fun!" The aging Hokage joined Kakashi at the front and beckoned everyone off – patting the silver-haired ANBU on the back and speaking to him so lowly that you couldn't hear anything.
Iruka had disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room. Turns out he was a proctor, or he had to be, seeing as how he was waving a large sign and yelling for examinees to line up orderly.
The majority of your future classmates popped up and scrambled to get into line while you and Hiromi did the same. You couldn't wait to see what the first test or challenge was! You skipped along in line as Iruka led the large group outside – fresh air rushing into your lungs.
You felt energized as the cold building gave way to warm sun and breezy wind. A large field opened up before you. Trees lined the sides of the grassy clearing. Wooden obstacles were set up, basking in the sunlight. Excited chattering arose.
"Gather over here everyone! For this first test, we measure your endurance and physical capability. Here to demonstrate how to go through the obstacle course are three volunteers from the class a year above yours." At Iruka's cue, three figures emerged from the crowd and stood at the start of the obstacle course.
There were two boys. One had striking pale eyes, long, dark brown hair, and was wearing a blue yukata robe with a white sash/obi. The other boy had a long, onyx braid running down his back and was wearing a green, long sleeved shirt with brown pants. The girl had brown hair pulled into two side buns and donned a pink shirt styled like a quipao with brown capri pants.
"Our volunteers are Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. Show them how you run this course, guys." The three diligently nodded and at Iruka's mark, took off sprinting.
When confronted by various obstacles they had to jump or crawl, climb, and then slide. When the upperclassmen jogged back, Neji was indifferent – as if he hadn't ran an entire, tiring obstacle course. Tenten and Rock Lee on the other hand couldn't hide their fatigue completely. Tenten was panting whereas Rock Lee was breathing more calmly but had scuffed up his clothing considerably.
"Everybody's going to go all together. I'll be recording your times, so all you need to do is make it back here. I'll line you up. Be patient."
"Oi, hurry it up geezer! I wanna get started." A loud blonde piped up, making faces at Iruka before the proctor could reprimand him.
"Quiet, this will only take a second."
"More like a million years. Yeesh, I'm here to test, old man."
"Naruto, quiet down, or so help me-!" Iruka didn't finish his threat, keeping himself in check as best as he could.
"Hehe, everyone's so lively today." Rock Lee grinned.
The efficient Iruka ignored the obnoxious blonde as he made his way around the cluster of examinees and created order out of chaos. You were in one of two orderly, narrow lines. Each contestant was the same distance away from the obstacle course. You noticed the volunteers appeared to be running again, which was awesome since you'd get to test your skills against others already accepted into the academy.
'I'm going to get the fastest timing and complete the course gracefully – that'll impress everyone. Let's do this!' You thought eagerly.
"First, stretch. I'll give you a few minutes." Iruka stood off to the side.
"Finally, I wanna show off my stuff." The mischievous boy with a spiral on his shirt boasted to anyone who would listen around him.
Largely, he was ignored. You simply paid attention to your stretches and warming up your muscles. You had to do your best.
"I'm going to count to three and say go. Ready?" Iruka announced.
"Yeah!" You jumped up and screamed fiercely as cheering arose.
Iruka began his countdown, "One… two… three… Go!"
You could feel the anticipation well within you. Focused, you flung your body forward, running quickly. You were surprised to find that not every examinee cared enough to run. A couple of boys – one with his black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail and one with red spirals on his cheeks - were actually walking without a care in the world! Despite that, you weren't about to slow down or anything – you needed to finish in record time.
When you finally approached the first obstacle, there were three others in front of you. You recognized Neji and Rock Lee from the demonstration immediately. The last person ahead of you had spiky, onyx hair and pitch black orbs with the symbol of a red and white fan on his back.
"Aargh!" Rock lee shouted as he completely wiped out - tripping and falling flat on his face before anybody had even reached the first obstacle.
Now, just Neji and the mysterious fan boy remained – sprinting along quickly and silently. Neji was at the front, but only by a little. The onyx haired boy was closing the distance between himself and Neji while you were catching up to both of them.
The first obstacle was an almost vertical wooden wall with prominent handholds to grasp onto. Neji was first on the wall while you were last on it. Luckily for you though, climbing was something you were pretty good at. Ignoring your two competitors, you clambered up as rapidly as your arms would take you, hurtling your body through air.
When you reached the top, you slung a foot over only to lock eyes with Neji who was crossing over at the same time. His eyebrows furrowed in vexation as he competitively quickened his pace to match and try to surpass yours.
"Tch." The fair skinned fan boy clicked his tongue in what could only be annoyance as he was now behind you and Neji.
Descending rapidly, your muscles glided effortlessly until you were back on the ground, running to the next obstacle. You didn't want to turn to look, but right now you didn't see anyone in front of you. Happily, you dashed forward until you reached a series of poles - some to jump over, others to crawl under.
Muscles churning and heart pumping, you sped up as you reached the first pole to hop over. As you were mid-air, you happened to peer over to your left to see a sandal, then a leg.
Fan boy was also at the pinnacle of his jump. He glanced over and narrowed his eyes, smirking. His gaze said it all - he didn't want to be beaten by you and was going to fight for first rank.
He landed gracefully and whizzed straight ahead, dropping to his stomach to crawl under the next pole. All the while, you weren't about to let him take your position so easily. You pumped more energy into your muscles to catch up.
After a series of jumps and drops, you ducked down only to have Neji slide past you and overtake fan boy by gliding ahead with all his might. His long, brown hair fluttered elegantly as he was the first to start the last obstacle - a tightrope.
His feet moved confidently, one in front of the other – not a bad pace for walking on the narrow rope. Fan boy, as determined as ever, sped up. He and Neji glared at each other from their respective ropes as they lurched and balanced.
When you finally mounted yout own rope, Neji and the onyx haired boy were almost halfway across. You were getting left behind!
Motivation flared in your gut and radiated to your limbs, powering your body up further with raw energy. You skittered along the tight rope, flying across so rapidly that fan boy and Neji seemed surprised when you dismounted exactly when they did. And from here, it was all a matter of running back to Iruka and winning.
"Ngh!" Neji grunted.
"Hnrr!" Fan boy groaned.
"Grr!" You growled.
Your hazel orbs met angrily with fan boy's onyx irises and competitively with Neji's interesting, pupil-less orbs. The two boys also didn't hesitate to glare at one another and you at times, mercilessly.
You pumped every last bit of stamina you had into your legs, which had recently started burning with fatigue. Keeping up with these two guys had caused you to exert far more energy than you thought you would, but after all that effort, you weren't about to lose at the end lamely.
You and your competitors sped up collectively. It was hard for anyone to take the lead - when one person was even remotely faster, the other two sprinters would viciously close in and fill the gap.
"It'll be me." The onyx haired boy stated.
"I'll make it." Neji corrected.
"Nu-uh, you're both wrong." You took turns grumbling at each other and loosing breath faster as Iruka's form grew larger and larger.
Before you knew it, your trio reached Iruka at the exact same time, panting. You looked at him expectantly for his judgment.
"Wow, a new high score. That only took you guys only 1 minute! Amazing tie! So that was Hyuga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke, aaaand… Mizushima Aiko, right?" Iruka wrote your scores down with glee, but you weren't all too thrilled – and neither were your two competitors.
"Really, a tie?" You sighed.
"…Hrmph…" Sasuke crossed his arms.
"Impossible." Neji couldn't accept it.
You fell on your butt, disgruntled and tired while Neji and Sasuke stared each other down.
"…Your name is HyūgaNeji, huh?" Neji nodded in agreement when Sasuke referred to him, "And I already know you're Aiko." He carelessly stated.
You were a little confused. "You already know my name?"
Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head, "You're acting weird."
You brushed off his comment, enthused as you asked, "I've heard of the Hyūga and Uchiha before. You guys both come from big, prominent clans, right?"
"You could say that, the Uchiha run Konoha P.D." Sasuke talked of his family proudly.
"Wow, amazing!" His face was slightly smug as you praised his clan.
Neji, on the other hand, didn't seem so appreciative of his heritage and answered with distance in his voice. "The Uchiha and Hyūga are both pretty big and have been loyal to Konoha since the village was created. I've never heard of your clan before. Mizushima…?"
"That's because I'm not from around here. My clan is from Kirigakure."
"To the east?" Neji raised an eyebrow.
"Eh? The only thing I know about Kirigakure is that it's surrounded by water." Sasuke added in.
"Rock Lee, Naruto, your times are 1 minute and 23 seconds and 1 minute and 27 seconds."
"Yahoo! Better luck next time!" Rock Lee good-naturedly grinned.
"No, no! I'd beat everyone for sure if we had a do over." Naruto complained.
Sagging due to his performance, Naruto made a show of bumping purposefully into Rock Lee - to which the boy with braided hair looked confused – unsure of Naruto's intentions.
"I'm sorry, the villagers tell me to stay away from you…" Rock Lee hesitantly trailed off.
"Hmph, listening to stupid adults! I'll show you next time by beating you! And hey, you too!" Suddenly the blonde bounded over to you, Neji, and Sasuke after noticing you were done before him.
More and more kids started to cross the finish line. You ignored the bickering boys and relaxed in the cool, flowing air.
In the end, the test didn't go so bad – maybe next time you'll be able to come in first. Your competition was surprisingly good - and they didn't seem like bad people.
"Aiko, go eat!" Suddenly Hiromi's giddy, upside down face consumed your vision.
"Iruka dismissed everyone – get to the cafeteria."
You laughed and poked at his cheek. "Sure."
Hiromi's blue, crystal eyes danced as he withdrew, jumped over you, and ran off in the direction the other kids were heading.
You stretched and stood up, your limbs comfortably limber and loose. Your stomach growling spurned you to hurry – lightly jogging to catch up with the diminishing trail of examinees.
o-o
o-o-o-o-o-o
o-o
The cafeteria was a bright room that smelled delicious. It was plainly colored and sparsely decorated, but the wide open space and the beams of sun from the skylight made the area comfortable. Most of the space was littered with round tables that could seat many people, and most of the tables were already filling up.
Stomach still churning occasionally, you stood in line eyeing the variety of food choices. Once you got your meal, you had just as many choices on where to eat too.
"Hmm…"
You peered at the wooden tables spread out before you - different groups of people sitting at each one. There was a table of glaring boys, one with chatting girls, and another with a lone ANBU. There were a few daydreaming boys sitting near the window, a shy boy drawing in the corner, and even a visiting, foreign diplomat's son. Where should you sit?
You took your lunch tray and wandered over to the table Neji, Sasuke, and Naruto were at since you'd already met them. For some reason, they looked really pissed at each other and were glaring nonstop.
"You don't mind if I sit here, right?"
When you approached the glowering boys, not a single glance was spared as they ignored you. Their mouths greedily and messily chomped food, too full to squeeze a word of acknowledgment out. What were they doing, having an eating competition? Despite your slight repulsion at their eating habits, you sat down with no complaints. Well, not from the boys at least – a couple of girls a table away seemed antsy and angry as they shot you dirty looks.
Either way, you shrugged and followed the rambunctious boys' leads - gulping down your food as well. You didn't want them to finish way before you, so you had to kick up the pace.
The blonde, happening to look over by chance, gulped down hard and laughed obnoxiously. "Eh, you wanna take me on too?! I'll give in to no one, especially not a girl!"
"I didn't do this to challenge you, but I'm not one to look down a good competition." You stopped eating long enough to accept his challenging words without hesitation. If you beat this guy before in the endurance test, you could definitely beat him at eating.
"Then bring it on." Naruto scratched his sunny spikes and commenced eating when you did.
He threw a few glares at you, to which you rolled your eyes playfully and glared back. Suddenly, Neji and Sasuke who were both watching you and Naruto's conversation, must've took your words as an invitation to compete against them as well. Neji's soft, lavender eyes and Sasuke's dark, deep orbs glowered and locked with your amused hazel orbs. You definitely weren't being ignored anymore and it was fun to have buddies to compete with, no matter how silly it was.
After a few more minutes of slurping, gulping, and hurried chewing, the four of you put your plates down in unison and sighed with satisfaction.
"Aw, dammit! Who won? It was me, right? I put my bowl down faster." Naruto claimed.
"You were the slowest, just like in the race." Neji stated calmly.
"What!? No way." Naruto fought back.
"Ch, it couldn't be a tie like last time." Sasuke grimaced.
"I think it was, maybe we just have to find something else we won't tie in." You suggested.
"Maybe…" Naruto spat.
"Then let's find something else we can do." Sasuke stood.
"I think I saw a giant tree to climb out back." Neji nodded.
"Sounds like fun, let's do it. I'll take any of you guys on anytime." You simply had to tag along.
"It's not just about fun, jeez. It's about the competition! The glory of winning!" Naruto shouted honorably.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Actually, it's about getting even better."
"No, it's about testing your skill." Neji declared.
"I didn't say it was all about fun, you said that."
"Urgh, whatever." Defeated, Naruto lowered his gaze while you laughed at his disgruntled face.
That'll teach him to be mean. Neji and Sasuke on the other hand were already walking away. Hastily, you scrambled up – Naruto the last one sitting down.
"Hurry, don't get left behind." You called out to the blonde as you happily followed Neji and Sasuke's focused backs.
Naruto fussed as he scurried along. "I'll beat all of you! Watch me!"
Though you all set out to show off your skills, sadly you weren't allowed outside unsupervised.
"Sorry guys, the next test is starting you should hurry." Iruka nudged you down the hallway.
"Urgh, no fair!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Iruka while the rest of you were dismayed.
'Oh well, at least it was an interesting lunch.' You thought, looking at your three, spirited companions.
o-o
o-o-o-o-o-o
o-o
It was now the writing portion of the exam. Luckily the questions weren't hard.
Once you finished everything, you ran home to the orphanage. The sweet wind and the dusty roads had long since grown on you and started feeling like home. Sure, you missed the chilly, misty, rainy, dramatic climate of the Mist, but the sunny weather and vibrant greens of the Leaf had their own charm.
You'd hear if you were accepted into the academy in a few days. You couldn't wait.
With the sun hanging low in the sky, you arrived on the outskirts of Konoha – the orphanage in sight. You were getting pretty hungry again and with the thought that Keiri might be cooking soon, you started running without realizing it – your mouth watering in anticipation.
That's why, when you burst through the front door, you were surprised to smell nothing cooking. Kanpu and Keiri were nowhere to be seen - a few children playing in the main hall.
Confused, you went outside and ran around the building, stopping in your tracks when you saw the old man and the plump caretaker talking to another adult.
He was a stern person with a mop of black hair laid messily on his head. Bandages covered nearly half of his face and right eye. He looked foreboding in the black kimono that fell to his feet – like a grim reaper or something.
"Ah, Aiko! Good timing." Once Keiri laid eyes on you, she bustled over and guided you before the dour man.
You definitely didn't like him. He was scary and looked at you with cold, calculating eyes. You felt like you were missing something that he could see clearly. Either way, he gave you the creeps and you didn't like the way the orphanage caretakers were fawning over him.
"Aiko, be good," is all Kanpu told you before leaving.
Keiri, who was still behind you, patted your head, leaving quickly. "Have a good chat, little one."
You were suddenly alone, staring shyly and awkwardly at the stranger. Since it seemed the man wasn't going to say anything, you decided to pipe up.
"Hello, I'm Mizushima Aiko, and you are…?"
"Hmm, hmm, interesting." The man lowly chuckled, "How polite for your age. I'm Shimura, Danzo. A pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure." You bowed quickly to which the older man mirrored your movements courteously.
"So… umm…?"
Seeing your confusion, Danzo stepped in, getting to the point of this chat. Apparently, he wasn't one to mince words. "I'm here because I have a proposal for you, Mizushima-san. One that you can accept or decline."
He paused. When he saw he had your full attention, he continued, "I have an organization of elite shinobi and I'm always looking for talented, young members."
"Young, really?" You couldn't believe it.
You thought to get into a high ranking shinobi organization of any kind, you had to be much older and already graduated from the academy.
"Yes. My organization trains all members until they are fit for missions that will protect Konoha. Would you like to join a select group of elite shinobi?"
Your eyes sparkled. Here you were excited about the possibility of getting into the academy when this old man comes along inviting you into an organization of elite Konoha shinobi! You were astounded and eager, but you couldn't be rash. Any decision you make should be well thought out.
Just as you were about to answer, you heard a loud, raucous voice call your name.
"I- huh?" You turned and soon the voice got clearer and ever louder as a boy with shaggy locks of black hair popped up - charging over to you and tackling you in a hug.
"Haha, Hiromi-kun…" You patted his back.
"Myouzu, Hiromi, is it?" Danzo inquired.
"Eeeehh? Who's this dreary grandpa you're hanging around with?" Danzo laughed heartily after Hiromi's rude, but honest question.
"I'm here to visit you too, I'll give you the same offer I gave her."
"Which is what?"
Hiromi looked over to Danzo suspiciously as he stood up. His eyes then flickered to you – still knocked over in the grass - as if his blue orbs were probing for an answer.
"Well, I was given the offer to join an elite organization of Konoha shinobi."
"Eh, eeehhh?" He was in utter shock as he gazed at you incredulously – the perfect depiction of a bewildered best friend, indeed. He eventually peered at Danzo with more interest.
"As shinobi, you'll be taught to put your life on the line for the sake of the village. To protect everything there is now and to protect the future. My organization is called 'Root'. For all the beauty of the village that is a mighty tree, it needs a strong foundation - a sturdy base mired in the shadows of the tree's own large branches and leaves."
You and Hiromi nodded.
"That is what 'Root' is. We are the support of this great nation. What do you both say? Are you going to join?"