Well, that took a lot longer than anticipated. A heavy mixture of school and procrastination kept this shelved, but with summer starting I hope to be posting more regularly. Anyway, this is mostly a flashback chapter (sorry this story will have flashbacks) but don't worry, the action will be coming.

The Land of Forests was, as its name implied, a heavily forested land full of valleys and plenty of wildlife. It had started from a small village that had discovered that the land's great supply of trees granted them the opportunity to sell lumber to the surrounding lands. Soon, they had become the biggest supplier of lumber to all of the surrounding countries, including the Land of Fire, and prospered greatly as a result. Unfortunately, as it so often happens with countries that gain power, they soon gained rivals, most prominently with the next-door neighbor the Land of Mountains. Each nation tried to gain status over the other through diplomatic power moves, trade deals, and land claims. Finally, diplomatic struggles turned to real conflict, embroiling the two countries in a bitter war. The war dragged on for ten years before peace was finally reached. In the end, there was no clear victor; rather, both nations could simply not go on raising swords against the other. Weariness of a war with no end in sight had disheartened both nations. No matter how their leaders cheered on their citizens with cries of patriotism and promises of honor, the words had eventually stuck in their throats. A dull weight had set upon them as they watched more and more of their people's sons, fathers, and brothers come back on stretchers, shields, or not at all, and they had decided that enough was enough.

Now, the land was experiencing peace for the first time in a long while, and the environment seemed to embrace it. Today was an especially good day: lazy white clouds drifted across a bright blue sky while birds flitted across it. Their songs cut through the air periodically in the green, rich forest stretching on either side of the road. A river ran parallel to the road on the left side several yards from the road. The day was beautiful and joyful.

A sharp contrast to how Hayato felt.

He walked along the road, emotions rumbling inside him. He still felt angry from the man's provocations and the people's judgmental stares from the morning. The whispers rang in his ears, terrified expectations of what he might do to them if he just happened to snap.

He knew he shouldn't let them get to him. He'd had to deal with these responses from people for long enough for it to be white noise to him. It still ate at him though; the glances, the whispers, the way people tensed up as passed.

Although, if he was honest, he couldn't blame people too much. Missing-nin weren't kicked out of their villages for minor reasons. Even though their strict rules and gung-ho principles may be broken by the softer ninjas who couldn't stomach their work or had doubts in their leadership, those shinobi were typically demoted, placed in a more myriad position, or simply fired. Shinobi were too valuable a resource to be discarded, they marked the strength of a village. The more shinobi that you had, the less of a chance another nation would invade you or get in the way of your political positions. Exiling too many of your shinobi also made for a poor public image. If you couldn't keep a handle on your ninja, countries and feudal lords wouldn't be willing to hire them for work. That's why nations would try to hush or clean up their shinobi's messes as much as they could. This meant that the shinobi that did get kicked out for their crimes were the worst of the worst. Except in the rarest of cases, missing-nin were murders, terrorists, and psychopaths to the highest degree. They excelled and glorified in violence, enjoying the fear that their names spread throughout the shinobi world. Many would continue to commit egregious acts of violence after they were exiled, and were only hired for the cruelest and dirtiest jobs: assassinations, extortion, torture, and other crimes were the nature of their work. Hayato knew the strength and cruelty many missing-nin possessed; he'd come across many of them himself.

That was why he tried so hard not to fight back against provocateurs and show a calm, cool demeanor. It wasn't just because of the pains of his past, but because he wanted people to trust him. He wanted them to not look at him as if he might snap their necks at a moment's notice or decide to turn on them for a profit. He wanted people to open themselves up and feel safe when they encountered him.

He gave the dirt a frustrated kick as he walked along the road. Normally he would be tree-hopping, the form of travel most shinobi used to get around in wooded areas. It was faster, but also took a physical tole. It required a fair amount of chakra to maintain a fast speed when traveling by tree-hopping, requiring shinobi to take breaks periodically to conserve energy for long travel. He had spent the morning dashing through the trees and at midday stopped for a quick lunch. He had eaten as he walked, trying to make ground even while restoring his chakra. He wanted to get to the capitol village quickly and make good on his promise to the feudal lord.

A laugh distracted him from his thoughts and diverted his attention to the river. Two children, boys roughly eleven and seven, possibly brothers, were playing in the riverbank. They were on the opposite bank, splashing each other and laughing their heads off. Judging from their wear, they were most likely children from a nearby farm.

Hayato paused to watch them play in the river. The younger one was the more enthusiastic of the two, digging into the water eagerly with both hands and flinging them upward to create walls of water at his brother. The older one was more direct in his approach, using one hand after the other to create continuous barrage of water. The younger brother pushed forward eagerly, then suddenly pitched forward and fell into the bank head first.

The older one stopped suddenly and dashed forward with a cry, probably calling his name. The younger brother got to his knees clutching his forehead. It wasn't clear, but it looked like his forehead was bleeding. His sobbing rolled across the riverbank as his brother knelt beside him. He managed to pry his brother's hands off and inspect the area. Yes, it was bleeding; the older brother had taken his headband off and was now wrapping it around his head. Satisfied with the impromptu bandaging, he held his brother and rubbed his back consoling him until his sobs slowly quieted. He separated themselves partially so he could look the other in the eye and appeared to ask him something. The younger brother gave an affirming nod, and the older put an arm under his elbow and hoisted him up. They pushed themselves up the bank and walked into the forest.

Hayato blinked and looked down at his feet. One of them was placed out and pointed in their direction, an instinctive step taken when the younger brother had fallen. He righted himself and looked back at the river. He found himself focused on the spot where the boys had played, watching the water roll over the stones at the bank. He let the gurgling and the whooshing of the water running wash over him, the bright and deep blues of the water shining…

"This isn't going to work Haru!"

"Trust me, this is going to work!" the spiky, black haired boy yelled back, focusing on the water with a rock his hands. "I've been practicing all night I tell ya!"

Hayato rolled his eyes at his friend's boast. Haru was a complete joker who would never spend a night practicing anything unless it was to concoct the perfect smoke bomb to use as a quick getaway from lessons with his dad. However, if he said he was up all night doing this, it would at least provide some entertainment.

"Can he really do it?" Yuuto wondered with wide eyes just barely visible under his great mop of hair. If his long hair wasn't signature enough, its bright blonde color made him stand out from most of the other dark-haired clan members.

Kanna huffed with her arms crossed, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder. She was the oldest of the group at 11 and, as such, was the most matter of fact. "Please. We just mastered standing on water, there's no way he can get a rock to float with chakra."

"Just watch," Haru bit his tongue in concentration. "I can totally do this! And you're gonna totally eat your words when I do this" He squatted down and closed his eyes. He held the rock clasped in his hands tightly for several seconds and then gingerly placed it on the water. It wobbled for a few moments on the surface, and then held on the surface. It stayed on the surface, still against the rocking of the light waves of the river.

Haru pumped his fist in triumph. "Ha! I told you all I could do it, I told you!" He looked at the group on the shore with a bright smile. "What do you have to say to that, Miss Priss?"

Hayato's eyes widened. Wow. He couldn't believe he actually pulled it off. Yuuto gave a cheer and looked between Hayato and Kanna excitedly. Kanna didn't even blink. Instead, she pulled a kunai from her weapon pouch and threw it in the water underneath the stone. There was a SNAP, and the stone dropped into the water with a plop.

Haru looked at her with a gaping mouth that tried to form comprehensive words. "Wha… how… but I… you did… how…?"

"You can't fool me Haru. I could tell you were just putting it on top of a stick." She rolled her eyes. "God, it's like you can never actually come up with something impressive."

"Hey! I do plenty of impressive things!"

Hayato chuckled softly. "Haru, setting the shrine's curtains on fire without anyone seeing you is not impressive."

"Yeah?" Haru stepped back onto the shore with a sour look. "Well why don't YOU try getting past a bunch of grumpy guards and tell me and isn't hard."

"Not the point, Yatsu-Haru."

"Shut up, Miss Priss!"

Yuuto gave a sigh of disappointment as the two began bickering again. "And I really wanted to see something really cool."

Hayato laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Cheer up Yuuto. Maybe we'll start learning some more ways we can use our clan jutsu this week."

Yuuto brightened at the prospect; he was always eager to learn new ninja techniques. His raw enthusiasm pushed him to be more excited for lessons than even the studious Kanna. "Yeah! I really hope we move onto something cool this week. What do you think it'll be?"

"Do you all expect to find out playing around here?"

All four kids spun quickly to see a woman standing behind them, arms folded across her chest. She wore a grey tactical vest over a fishnet style shirt with dark black pants. Her dark hair was cut short along her sharp jawline, and her dark eyes shown with a ferocity as she glared at the shocked children.

Kanna was the first to respond by snapping to attention and bending sharply into a formal bow. "Itsumi Sensei! We were just, um, practicing!" She glared out of the corners of her eyes at the boys, who quickly copied her greeting and straightened up in attention.

"Practicing?" Itsumi walked towards her students, planting each foot with deliberation as she stepped in front of Hanna. The girl began to sweat as Itsumi looked down her nose at her stiff form. "And what exactly were you practicing? You all didn't seem to be practicing anything when I showed up."

Hanna began to speak, but was cut off by Hayato. "Well to be fair, it's not like talking with each other is a crime. I mean, we DID spend all of today training so aren't we entitled to a little free time?" He turned his head to give his teacher a dry look.

The other students looked at Hayato out of the corners of their eyes in silent awe and shock. Out of the four students, he was considered to be the mild-mannered one, often quiet and slow to speak his mind. However, he was the only one who dared talk back to Itsumi Sensei in such a manner. Or any manner really.

Itsumi's eyes narrowed to a fine point, and she stepped in front of Hayato to turn her irritated glare directly at him. "Oh, are you? You believe yourself entitled to time wasted on pranks and prattling? You are Taikyu. You must live up to that legacy of strength and boldness."

Hayato shrugged, "Well, yes. But at the same time, isn't blowing off steam and relaxing good for us? I mean, being wired too tightly isn't good for a shinobi's health, right?"

Itsumi glared at him silently for a minute, then let out a sigh. "Very well. But this just means I'll have to work you harder tomorrow if you still have the energy to fool around afterwards."

"Does that mean we'll have to carry the log an extra mile tomorrow?" Haru whined

A glint shone in their sensei's eye as she surveyed the group. "No. I'll just have you carry it TWO more miles."

A collective groan rose from the group. Haru muttered a dark threat under his breath as he glared at Hayato. Hayato merely shrugged, not surprised by the outcome. He knew that some form of punishment was coming the minute she had arrived. The only question lay in what and how extensive. Fortunately, he knew exactly how to stem his sensei's desire for punishing her students.

Itsumi surveyed the group, "Alright! All of you head on home now. I expect you at the training field tomorrow morning precisely on time. No excuses!"

"Hai Sensei!" they all cried. Haru, Kann, and Youto all flashed away, heading back to the village proper.

Hayato, however looked at his sensei expectantly.

She gave him a curious look. "What?"

"Well, I figured we would head home together, right?"

She looked at him for a moment, then sighed. "Alright let's go. But for once I wish you would show me the same level of respect the rest of your training squad does." She turned and began walking back in the direction of the village.

Hayato jogged to catch up, matching pace with his master so she could catch his response. "I do respect you, I'm just not afraid of you like they are."

Itsumi gave him a bemused glanced as they walked along the path towards the village. "I don't know whether or not I should be insulted by that statement. Don't all children have a healthy fear of their mothers?"

Hayato shoved his hands his pockets and tilted his head to one side as he considered her question. "Well, yeah, but it's not like I'm not afraid of you," he said. "The others don't know what to say that won't make you mad though." He looked at his mom, making sure she understood the weight of his statement. "I just know you enough where I know what I can and can't say."

Istumi gave a small snort. "Apparently. 'Being wired too tightly isn't good for a shinobi's health.' Using your father's words against me again?"

"Well, he's the only one you listen to anyway, so I figured I'd use a little of his wisdom." Hayato said. He then added under his breath, "and trust me I was just as surprised to hear THAT come out of his mouth."

Itsumi glanced at her son and gave a soft sigh, "Hayato…"

Hayato raised his hand. "Look, I'm sorry ok? It's just, I really can't handle another 'you're a Taikyu, you are the inheritor of a great legacy, our clan is a clan of the strongest warriors' speech. It gets old after a-" Hayato stopped as he realized Istumi was no longer beside him. He turned and saw her several steps behind him.

Itsumi wore a strange look on her face, one that Hayato rarely saw her make. She wore a marked grimace that she made when she was angry, but her eyes were nearly closed and showed a sense of resignation. Hayato had only seen her make this face when his aunt had been killed in combat. He had never understood what it meant or why she made it.

Istumi looked at Hayato, her eyes locked dead with his. She said with a rough voice, "Don't take what your father and I tell you so lightly. It may end up being the death of you one day."

Hayato stood frozen. He didn't quite understand what his mother was saying, he could only tell that she was angry. That much was clear, but what confused him was that she didn't seem angry with him. She rarely took this tone with him as well. She usually sounded strict and formal in her statements, but this seemed a more deadly seriousness. Hayato knew his nonchalant behavior often annoyed his parents, but this was pure concern for his life.

He shifted uncomfortably, choosing his words carefully in his response. "It's not that I take what you guys say lightly. I admire you both a lot. I mean, you and dad are so highly respected by the village and the chief. It's just, well, I don't get why you guys are so tough on me. Or why everyone's so tough on everyone really."

Itsumi pursed her lips. "It's the way we are. Our jutsu may be what makes us feared, but it's our mental strength and fortitude that have made us the warriors we are." She walked up to him and laid an uncharacteristically gentle hand on his shoulder. "We both just want to see you grow up to be a strong warrior as well."

Hayato sighed, "I know, I know. I'll do better," he said sourly.

Itsumi hesitantly took her hand off her son's shoulder. She could tell that he was still disgruntled, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about it now. She had known she was going to push him when she got serious, but she had temporarily lost her composure. She just wanted him to realize… She sighed and put her annoyance aside. "Well, let's get going. We don't want to keep your father waiting."

Hayato groaned. "Oh joy. Can't wait to do some more training."

Itsumi reached out a finger and flicked him on the forehead. "Keep up that attitude and I'll have your team run the log for three miles tomorrow. And I'll be sure to let them know exactly whose fault it is."

Hayato glared at his mother. "You really enjoy making me suffer, don't you?"

Itsumi cracked a rare grin at him. "Well of course. I'm your mother and your sensei after all."

Hayato looked away from the river and glanced at the sky. The sun was starting to travel down, indicating that the afternoon had begun. He needed to get moving if he was going to make it to the Village of Forests by evening.

Before he headed to the trees, he cast one last look at the river. Its cheerfulness, the boys playing, they reminded him of a happier time in his life, even though he wouldn't have said soat the time. He felt nostalgia starting to bubble inside him, but he pushed it down almost immediately. No, he couldn't torture himself like that. He knew it sounded incredibly emo, but those emotions were meaningless now. He couldn't go back, he knew that. Any form of longing or regret would just hurt and keep him unfocused. His encounter that morning had reminded him of how far he had come from that time.

It wasn't just the negative things too. He needed to keep looking forward and try to find comfort in every day. It was hard in his situation but striving on was what kept him alive and hopeful for a better future. Sensei Saicho had instilled in him this ideology, and he needed to fulfill it.

Hayato walked up to a tree and leaped up onto a branch. He kicked off and sped down the tree line, rushing to the Village of Forests and his next job. Maybe this one would go well for him.

Like that ever happens.