Chapter two : The Clearing
Chihiko's body slammed against the stony ground outside the dojo, her legs tucked beneath her. A cry escaped her tiny mouth as she quickly regained her composure, somersaulting onto her feet. Hair whipping around her, she pivoted on one foot rapidly, while simultaneously bringing her hands in front of her, the fabric of her hakama pants jerking from the precise movement.
"Terrible…just terrible…" a voice spoke out to her, clearly disgusted, "You must be faster! Stronger! Intelligent! Do not let confusion or fear cloud your judgement!"
Chihiko nodded her head fiercely, mustering all of her courage to try again. Her eyebrows furrowed with determination as she waited for the next attack to come.
This time from the left, a series of blazingly fast punches, all aimed towards her head. Chihiko moved as soon as her opponent did, and just as a blow was about to connect, she extended both arms towards the attack, parrying its momentum. Teeth clenched, the nimble girl secured the man's right wrist in her right hand, his left elbow with her left hand, and then suddenly pivoted to face the surprised enemy straight on. With a swift, deft motion, Chihiko guided the man's punch in a counter-clockwise motion, up and over her head. Using his own velocity against him, she spun the man in midair, sending him careening onto the ground.
She has no time to recuperate from the attack. A kunai flew towards her collarbone, set to render her flesh, but once again, Chihiko reacted with infinite speed. Bringing her left arm up, she deflected the assault, and then wrapped her right hand around the foe's wrist. She pulled his weapon-holding wrist down to her right side, in front of her, and pushed the rest of his body flat onto the ground with her left hand. Quickly tucking his arm into his body, she swiped the blade and flung it aside harmlessly.
It all seemed to happen in a matter of moments, a fleeting strand of attacks and counter-attacks.
The sounds of battle settled, leaving Chihiko panting, but standing. The two men, nearly 15 years her senior, laid on the ground, winded, but not badly injured. Surveying the scene carefully, the girl made sure that none of them had sustained any serious wounds. It was the first action one must take after victory.
She was startled out of her robotic trance by the sound of distant applause, the claps slow and rhythmic.
"Better. Now you are listening," the same man from before stated, now more satisfied.
"You must practice to attain the ultimate speed. If you can react faster, no attack can penetrate your defense. Reaction is the key."
"Hai, Kichimata-sensei…I will," Chihiko responded diligently, using her forearm, not the sleeve of her gi, to wipe the sweat from her brow.
"You have been following my orders well. It is just as the chief has declared," Kichimata chuckled, obviously delighted by the girl's progress, "With time, you will be able to show even the likes of Konoha that the Waterfall village is not made up of only farmers and businessmen."
"Hai…that is my duty," closing her eyes as if reciting the lines from memory, Chihiko bowed to her teacher.
"That is your duty, your life," the old man repeated her words, twisting the strands of his long, white mustache. He continued, "Never forget that Chihiko…never forget that without the art of Ninjutsu, you have nothing. It is your life, your everything,"
"Hai," Chihiko replied, snapping to attention, her face unflinching. Her teacher nodded, grinning slightly. She did not act like a slave, but rather a devote acolyte to his words. Kichimata bathed in the glow of Chihiko's success as if it were his own.
A man from across the road suddenly dashed towards the two, armpits drenched in perspiration. His breaths heaved out in short bursts, his lungs obviously aching for rest.
"Ki….Kichimata….sensei…" he labored to speak, resting his hands on his knees, balance wavering.
"Boy, what is it? Are you wounded?" the old teacher said with concern, placing a hand on the young man's hunched back. Chihiko is surprised to see her teacher displaying such abundant apprehension; she usually found him to be a cold, unfeeling man, but then again, she had yet to witness his behavior outside of training.
"Yes…I'm alright…" the boy clutched his chest, mouth open. He slowly rose from his bent position, chin length hair in disarray, "There are people in the village, people from a different village…I was told to alert you…"
"And you were right to. You have done well, my son…" Kichimata said resolutely, as he turned to face Chihiko, "Let us go greet these visitors…if they have come in peace."
The teacher walked away from the boy, who still struggled to calm his lungs, heart racing too fast for him to catch up with. With the long tails of her teacher's coat fluttering behing him, Chihiko soon followed suite, her footsteps matching those of Kichimata's exactly. Like a puppet, she mimicked her teacher's stance, his gait, the way he held his head up high as they walked towards the village's entrance. Teacher and pupil strode past the familiar market and hospital, winding through the alleys that had become infested with shadows as the day turned into dusk.
They did not have to travel far before they spotted four unusual travelers, all of them standing just inside the village's gates. Their faces were severe and grave, not a sliver of a smile on any of them, and Chihiko felt a tremble of intimidation spread throughout her.
"Sensei, who are these people and why have they come to our village?" Chihiko asked quietly as they examined the visitors, safe behind the corner of a nearby building.
"I don't know, Chihiko, but we won't find anything here. Even in Aikido, 'the way of harmony', there are times when you simply must act first," Kichimata answered, and Chihiko is amazed once more at how her teacher could infuse every word with a bit of wisdom.
He removed himself from the building's silhouette, making himself completely visible in the waning afternoon sunlight. The tallest figure turned nonchalantly towards the elderly man. Instantly Chihiko sensed an atmosphere of horrendous power within the man. His every inch seemed teeming with vile-intentions, even though his face was plain and pale. Dressed in a jounin outfit of dark plum, with his hair pulled back, the man's face is revealed, yellow eyes polished and illuminated with the encroaching sunset. With sunken-in cheeks and slender proportions, Chihiko quickly realized that his frail and delicate appearance contradicted his inner strength.
He looked at Kichimata as if the old teacher were nothing more then a mere bug, his mouth straight and emotionless, and then turned back to the three young adults with him.
"You there, stranger, who are you and what has brought you to our village? Do you have permission to be here?" Kichimata ordered, voice full and robust. His blue and white robes flapped in the evening breeze like the wings of a gull, hiding his frail frame.
Disinterested, the peculiar man ignored the questions and simply began talking to his company in low, hushed tones. A vein on Kichimata's forehead swelled slightly with mounting irritation. Chihiko looked up towards his face and could tell that even with his lips sealed, his teeth were clenched, his jawbone bulging.
"I have asked you a question, and I expect an answer! You are not native to this country, that I can tell for sure," taking a few experimental steps closer to the stubborn man, Kichimata did not feel fear, but anger. He came within five feet of the foreigner.
One of the other travelers, a boy with spiky, brown hair, turned his head slightly. Obviously annoyed, he stuck his tongue out towards Chihiko's sensei, eyes squinted. Unexpectedly, a hand slapped down hard on the exposed backside of his neck, causing him to squawk like a duck.
"Now now, that's no way to act," the man finally opened his mouth, although his voice was more sarcastic than anything else. He slowly turned to face the two Waterfall ninja, his thin lips pulled back into a gaping smirk. When he spoke, the man's words were laced with acidic humor
"The old man is right, we are not natives…" he said sardonically.
"Old man?" Kichimata chuckled, humored by the young man's ignorant behavior, "I think you'll find me to be a might bit stronger then I look."
"Don't go getting your robes in a knot," raising a flattened palm in peace, the man softened his expression, although Chihiko suspected that he had to strain to do so, "We are from the Sound Village that lies to the East of here. We are not here to fight, but are merely searching for a place to rest while we train. My students here wish to become Chuunin warriors."
He motioned towards the three children, and each of them shot scornful glances at Kichimata, as if they were far above his station. Chihiko noticed that they all wore garments of camoflauge material. The shortest of the students was a kunoichi just like she was, with raven-black hair that rivaled Chihiko's in length. Standing next to the female Sound ninja was a frightful child who Chihiko could only hypothesize was a boy, for his face was completely shrouded in bandages. The ninja's back was covered with straw, giving him a hunched-over appearance that reminded Chihiko of a turtle-demon called a Kappa.
The remaining boy wore a tabard with the characters for "death" printed on it three times. This was the Genin who had insulted previously insulted Kichimata.
"I've not heard of your village," Kichimata remarked shortly, nostrils flaring. He glanced at the four ninja's headbands and noticed the small eighth-note stamped onto the metal plate.
"It is a fairly new village, with a small population. Surely an esteemed, cosmopolitan establishment like this would have never heard of our quaint parish," the man answered, voice cluttered with biting cynicism as he motioned to the surroundings, which were threadbare when compared to the towering buildings of Konoha.
"You are treading on a thin line, stranger. I can have you ejected in moments if you don't curb that lethal tongue of yours…" Kichimata warned, pulling his shoulders back in an attempt to make himself appear larger, "We don't take kindly to outsiders who aim to belittle our village."
"As expected…you must excuse my rudeness. We are all tired from the long journey and it must be taking its toll," shaking his head in mock weariness, the man continued, "If there is no way that we cannot be housed here for a few nights, then perhaps we could go further south…I hear Konoha's helpfulness is nearly uncanny…as are its residents"
Kichimata detected even more sarcasm in the foreigner's words, but couldn't ignore the bribe. He knew that if the four travelers took refuge in Konoha, they wouldspill scornful statements about the Waterfall Village, sullying its reputation. His heart gnawing with contempt, he watched as the travelers slowly began to depart from the village.
"Wait…" he motioned for them to stop, voice tinted with surrender, "I will speak to the chief in your name."
The man grinned again, realizing that he had won.
"I will need all of your names, as well as documentation that you are indeed members of this so-called Sound Village," Kichimata spoke, spiting himself for acting on pride alone, and not common-sense. Anyone with a half-working eye could tell these people did not carry any noble intentions.
"Of course, you will have all of that," still smiling, teeth exposed, the man's voice was aloof as he walked closer to Kichimata.
The man, along with his three students, followed Kichimata as he led them toward the center of the village. From within the shadows, Chihiko watched as they disappeared, but not before the boy who stuck his tongue out peered over his shoulder, catching a quick glance of the young girl from her hiding spot. She dropped to her knees at once, concealing herself behind a wooden cart, hoping that she hadn't been spotted.
She heard the crunch of gravel beneath the boy's feet as he draws closer, felt her thudding heartbeat pulsate in her ears.
Please don't see me….please don't see me Chihiko repeated the words over and over in her mind, hugging her knees close to her chest.
The footsteps stop, and she suddenly heard rustling sounds, as if the boy was shuffling through the contents in the cart. At first, Chihiko is relieved that her presence was still unknown, but then she realized with panic that the boy might try to steal something.
What would Kichimata do…he's not attacking me…he's not hurting me… Chihiko's thoughts race, No one's here to tell me what to do…what do I do…
She pressed her delicate fingers against her temples, brain sore from distress.
Even in Aikido, 'the way of harmony', there are times when you simply must act first…
The word's of her master suddenly rang in her mind, but its simply not enough for her to act outside of training.
The sudden sound of knuckles rapping against skull shot out, and Chihiko is thrust from her mental calamity. She scrambled onto her feet, abandoning her hiding spot, and saw the owner of the cart, a burly man by the name of Eijiro, just as he's about to bring his fists down upon the boy's cheek a second time. The boy is sent tumbling onto the dirt and gravel road, the apple that was once clenched in his hand slipping free. Without hesitation, the boy jumped back into standing and with turbulent speed, he dashed off after his comrades, leaving Eijiro and Chihiko stupefied and in the dust.
"You little bastard! Get back here!" shaking his fist violently, Eijiro barked out after the belligerent youth. He then turned on Chihiko, looking just as annoyed and maybe even a little disappointed.
"You must have seen him before I got here, Chihiko-san! Why did you sit there, doing nothing!"
His words bit into Chihiko's heart, as a deepening shame began to swell from within. Knees buckled, muscles losing their staying power, Chihiko could say nothing in the face of her mistake.
"I swear, what good are you if you don't even have a sense of justice…" grumbling, Eijiro picked the apple off the ground and tossed it angrly back in his cart. Pushing it like a shopping trolley, he stomped off in the opposite direction that the boy went, still cursing under his breath.
"What good am I…" the girl, embittered by her lack of tenacity, brought her hands up towards her face, staring at the lines and wrinkles of her palms, at the fingers that couldn't be moved by her own volition to stop the boy from pick-pocketing.
"Just what kind of ninja am I…"
Heart sagging with grief, Chihiko walked with heavy footsteps back to her home, her worthless hands draped by her sides.
