Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters.
Chapter 2
Dedicated Mornings
Kaiyou awoke one morning to the sun rising. He never did like sleeping in late. Or alarm clocks for that matter. To him, they are just a loud and obnoxious nuisance that always woke him in an unsettling mood. He much rather preferred to let the rising sun awake him from his slumber. He also hated rushing mornings and normally used this time to train to increase his chakra and work on improving his kekkei genkai abilities. Today, however, he didn't have the time to train. Yesterday he received an alert from the Hokage that he and Bokura would have to start their mission as early as possible tomorrow. Man, everything just seems off when my morning rituals are interrupted, thought Kaiyou. The Hokage had several missions planned for him and Bokura today, so all he had time to do this morning was get dressed in his ninja gear and eat his breakfast. He put on his Konagakure headband and placed his pouch of food pills above his right back pocket. He normally didn't bring these, but he knew today's missions were going to be long, and he knew that he and his ally, Bokura, wouldn't have time to stop and eat. Sometimes, I wish we had a third member. I'd feel less uneasy if Bokura and I had a little more manpower. Teams function more smoothly when they're a three-man squad. His father had already left and Kaiyou walked out the door.
A slim ninja of sixteen, he grew up with Bokura. He had black hair and brown eyes. His bangs covered his forehead and grew slightly until they hung lazily slightly below his eyebrows. He preferred to wear black zoris like Bokura, but his for clothes he chose to wear loose-fitting dark blue long-sleeved shirts with the Aishihn clan snowflake mark on the right deltoid. He felt comfortable also wearing his black shorts ending below the knee. They weren't nearly as baggy as Bokura's, but they were a loose fit and comfy. He lived near toward the eastern edge of Konoha, about ten miles west of the border. The walk to the Third Hokage's office was about three miles.
I wonder if Bokura is still acting strange. I've seen him clutch his stomach a couple of times recently on missions and when we hang out. I think he's just constipated or just hungry. I've never heard a guy's stomach growl like his before. Regardless of these thoughts, he kept his mind consumed with thoughts of today's missions. He was sure he and his friend were going to get a higher-level mission today, probably C-rank. Possibly even B-rank, but that was unlikely. He and his friend were strong for a couple of genin, but not strong enough to take on a B-ranked mission alone.
He continued walking on his path to the Hokage's office. He figured he had plenty of time before he and Bokura were expected, so he decided to take a detour through a trail he enjoyed walking on during his time off to take advantage of the time he saved getting up early. It was peaceful, and he loved to come here and think, unwind, or just lie on the grass to do nothing. He noticed the trees were turning an autumn color to indicate the seasonal transition into fall. Well, I guess this day isn't starting all that bad. I feel more at peace whenever I'm here. He continued walking toward his destination, stopping occasionally to feed handfuls of grass to the farmers' horses that were kept near his favorite trail. At least I got to walk through here today. It's been about two months since I've come this way. That's two months too long.
He noticed it was getting late, so he started running to the Hokage's, leaping swiftly from branch to branch on the trees. He was about five blocks away from the Hokage's office when he leaped past a large, two-story house. He thought he heard a loud smack on the other side of the wall, but dismissed the thought. About three blocks away, he saw that a robin was caught on some discarded ninja wire in a tree, so he stopped and tried to untangle the distressed avian. After that didn't work, he formed an ice kunai in his palm. I'm getting better... That hardly took any energy at all. After he cut the bird free, it quickly flew away and chirped its approval and thanks.
He continued on, finally making it to the entrance of the Hokage's building. The shinobi guard saw his headband and let him pass. After he walked the hall north and traversed the stairs, he strode into the Hokage's office and noticed Bokura was already there. Bokura didn't notice him; he attention seemed to be targeted at the old wrinkly Hokage. The Hokage exuded both wisdom and strength, but also benevolence and compassion. The Third was Kaiyou's idol. He never questioned his judgment, even after he learned he would only be part of a two-man squad. It soon became apparent, though, that Bokura wasn't focused on the Hokage.
What? Who is that strange man? To find out, read the next chapter, "A Third Squad Member!?