He was starting to believe that maybe he was not meant to be a ninja after all.
It was funny how a child could be considered gifted in the academy, praised for their intelligence and their supposed talent only to struggle once they finally entered the real world. While he was doing decent when it came to completing the missions his team was assigned, managing to complete his part of the assignment without holding his teammates back, he was not advancing as much as he would have liked and when it all came down to it, he couldn't help but compare himself to his teammates.
Enn and Hiroto were far more skilled than he was.
At times it seemed as though the only thing he had going for him was the Kekkei Genkai that lay within him and even then, his trouble when it came to controlling his Lava release made him feel less than confident in his worth as a ninja more often than not. It was frustrating to watch as his teammates grew into their own set of skills, growing more powerful with each passing day while he felt like he was being left behind by them.
Then there was Kakashi.
Ever since the younger boy had hugged him a few days before, things between the two of them had been different to say the very least. While Kakashi was no longer trying to push him away and end their friendship, there was a sort of awkwardness that came from the younger boy, almost as though the entire incident was something that he wished to forget. As a result, Ryosuke had chosen to bite his tongue and remain silent about what had happened, deciding to leave it in the past until Kakashi felt comfortable enough to bring it up with him.
He knew that Kakashi wasn't good with his emotions, and he didn't want to make him even more uncomfortable than he probably already was.
That may have played a part in the reason he had chosen to seek out Genma for this particular problem of his and upon finding him training with his team, he immediately turned around to start heading to his home not wanting to interrupt Genma's time training with Chōza, and his two teammates. He managed to take a total of two steps away before he heard someone calling his name, turning around to be greeted face to face with an eager Guy.
"I was hoping that it was you Ryosuke! If you're here then that means Kakashi has to be around here as well! I've been training so hard lately so I can challenge him again and win! We're tied right now, you know? But we're still in the prime time of youth so there is plenty of time for me to get ahead!" Ryosuke's golden gaze simply stared at the energetic boy with a stunned look for the longest of moments before what Guy had said finally registered in his brain and his cheeks would immediately darken.
"Kakashi and I a-are not a-always together Guy! I-I don't know why everyone always says that!" Ryosuke's gaze narrowed as he heard the snickering coming from Genma and Ebisu, lips forming a small pout as he averted his gaze for a long moment before sighing. "Kakashi is not here. I think he's with his team right now. I actually came to speak with Genma but I saw that you guys were training and did not want to interrupt-"
"-Ah! I see! Thanks for letting me know where Kakashi is! I'll see you later Ryosuke!" Ryosuke was left stunned as the boy would sprint off in the direction of the other training grounds, shouting out something about youth and beating Kakashi before that gold gaze turned to the remaining members of Team Chōza with a nervous smile.
"Is he always like that? Or was that all my fault? If so I'm so sorry-" He was silenced as he felt a large hand resting on his head for a moment before his hair was ruffled affectionately and as that gaze lifted, he was greeted by the sight of a smiling Chōza who immediately told him not to worry about Guy. It seemed as though the hyperactive boy getting distracted by someone was not exactly a rare occurrence and as it turned out, he was just about ready to end their training session soon.
He didn't know if he was being honest or simply trying to make him feel better about potentially ruining his training session, but he would gift the older man a grateful smile nonetheless before turning his attention to Genma. "I was wondering if you would like to come to the dango shop with me Genma. My treat?" He would give his friend a nervous smile before sighing in relief as he agreed to come with him, bidding his teammate and sensei goodbye before following him to the dango shop that the two of them used to frequently visit back when they had been in the academy.
It had been a while since they had returned.
The moment they were served their dumplings and tea, Ryosuke's gaze would immediately soften as he reached for one only for his hand to still as Genma spoke. "So are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" The black haired boy would pause for a moment, honestly stunned as he gifted his best friend a look of complete disbelief, something that made Genma snort before gifting him a smirk.
"We're best friends, aren't we? I'd have to be stupid to not realize when something is bothering you. Now spill it so we can eat our dumplings in peace without whatever this is hanging over our heads." For a moment the younger boy simply stared at him like a deer caught by a predator before sighing once again, contemplating how he should bring up what was troubling him to Genma, though, the second his gaze met that warm brown gaze, he couldn't help himself.
Maybe simply asking would be the best option.
"Genma, do you think I have what it takes to be a ninja?" He could see his question had managed to completely take the older by surprise if the way that brown gaze widened was anything to go by and as he was greeted by silence, for a moment he would become completely disheartened only to see that his best friend was deep in thought as he observed him.
"I think you're very kind and gentle, which isn't the ideal temperament for a ninja to have. You're also very sensitive and easy to tease, but then again you're a lot younger than we are so I guess that's to be expected. You are a talented guy Ryo. You didn't get into the academy early and graduate early for no reason you know. Why do you ask? Is someone picking on you?" The way that Genma's tone immediately changed from relaxed to annoyed at the mere thought that someone might be picking on him was enough to make the younger boy smile slightly for a moment, feeling touched that Genma still cared about his well being before his gaze would widen as the boy made to stand up, determined to find his supposed bully.
"Point him out to me and I'll put an end to it. It's not one of your teammates, is it? I bet it's that jerk Hiroto, he's always had a massive stick shoved up his a-"
"Genma! No one's picking on me! Hiroto is a bit stern but Enn manages to keep him distracted for the most part so he does not focus on me. It's kind of weird but Hiroto seems to always be watching Enn for some reason, I wonder why." His gaze immediately widened as Genma started choking on his tea the moment he mentioned Hiroto and Enn, immediately moving to his side only to relax as Genma managed to clear his throat.
"Are you okay? Why did you start choking when I mentioned the fact that Hiroto always seems to be watching Enn?"
"I.." Genma would pause for a moment as he really took in Ryosuke's curious expression before swallowing roughly as he looked away. "I'll tell you when you're older. You're too young to be hearing about this crap. Enjoy your innocence while you still have it. A-Anyways. Why did you ask me if I thought you were capable of being a ninja if no one is picking on you then?" Ryosuke's gaze narrowed at the older boy once again, thinking carefully about whether or not he would be able to convince his friend to tell him about why he had reacted the way he had before deciding to give up and bug him on another occasion.
Maybe he would even ask Enn, he would know and he wouldn't try to avoid the question like Genma was doing.
"I was just thinking is all. It seems as though everyone is much more talented than I am. Enn is already starting to practice Kenjutsu and Ai-sensei says that he's one of the best that she's seen in a very long time. Hiroto is being trained by a medic by one of the medical ninjas from the hospital in his spare time and he's getting really good at it too. He can already heal small injuries and everything. They make me feel like a kid and even if they don't say it, I know that I'm only going to hold them back."
They deserved someone better on their team than him.
"First of all, you are a kid Ryosuke. You're only nine and the rest of us are eleven with an exception for Kakashi and his team and you can't compare yourself to him because he's a genius. You are talented Ryo, you can't keep doubting yourself. You have to trust in your abilities and more importantly, you have to keep trying. Your Lava release is powerful but it's also very dangerous. You told me that even your father told you that you're doing a great job controlling it despite how young you are. You should be proud of that instead of bringing yourself down the way you always do."
Ryosuke's gaze would lift as he listened to his friend's words, frowning softly as he was scolded before speaking once again. "I'm just so worried that I will hold them back. I don't want to be a problem for them Genma and if I'm not a good ninja, I feel like I shouldn't kid myself."
"If you are worried about holding them back then let's train. I'll help you and we will keep training until you are confident in your skills. Between you and me, I don't think you were placed on a very good team. If Enn is specializing in Kenjutsu, which is the Koyabashi clans specialty as well, by the way, Ai-sensei will be too busy training Enn to have time to train you and Hiroto. As much as I hate to say it, Hiroto was smart to look for help outside of your team. I'll even talk to Chōza-sensei to see if you can train with us. Guy's pretty good with Taijutsu, Ebisu's good at ninjutsu while I'm pretty well balanced with everything. We'll be good for you."
He could not stop the smile that crossed his lips upon hearing his friend's words, happy that he cared enough to help him. "Maybe you could even ask Kakashi for help. I'm sure he'd be willing to help you too if for no other reason than the fact that you're one of the only people who are willing to still put up with him." The mere mention of his name was enough to make those eyes lower once again, the boy shrinking in on himself as he felt Genma's gaze on him before he heard the sigh.
"What did that idiot do this time?" The older boy sounded so unamused with Ryosuke's other friend that he could not help but gift him a small smile before telling him about everything that had happened between him and Kakashi, watching as Genma's irritation faded away before turning into something akin to amusement, the brown-haired boy trying his best to control his reaction before bursting into laughter much to Ryosuke's confusion.
"You both are hopeless. I know that you both are kids but it's so funny to hear you speak about stuff like this. Don't worry about that Ryo, like I said I'll tell you about this when you're older. Until then enjoy what little of a childhood you have left." Though Genma was going to tell everyone who would listen about what had happened between the two kids and let the others know that Ryosuke already had a little crush on Kakashi.
He could already tell that the two of them were going to end up together later on in life.
At least, he hoped they would.
As it turned out, Chōza was more than happy to allow him to train with his team after hearing how badly he was struggling with trying to keep up with his teammates. Little did he know that Ai was well known amongst her fellow shinobi for her lack of interest in having a genin team and that she had an even bigger lack of interest in teaching students who did not specialize in Kenjutsu the same way that she did.
It seemed as though both Hiroto and he truly were on their own.
Thankfully, he had a great friend in Genma.
Genma was one of the constant means of support for him, always willing to spar with him and help him whenever he needed. Ebisu, while initially hesitant to help an outsider with anything eventually managed to warm up to him, agreeing to help him with his ninjutsu and even Guy was willing to help with his taijutsu, nearly working him to death in the process.
Then there was Kakashi.
The moment that he found out that Ryosuke's team was little more than useless when it came towards helping Ryosuke getting any stronger and found out that he had been training with Genma and Guy's team, he had all but stolen him away with the intention of trying to help him as well. Though, their training easily surpassed any of the training he had experienced with any member of Team Chōza with the exception of Guy's taijutsu training.
Kakashi apparently did not like the fact that Ryosuke had not come to him at all for help and apparently, his childhood friend was capable of being very vindictive when the mood struck him. Whenever the two of them were not busy with missions or training, Ryosuke found himself being tutored by the boy genius who seemed to take a sadistic sort of pleasure in working Ryosuke past the point of exhaustion.
Despite that, Ryosuke had noticed an improvement over the weeks of training.
Kakashi and Genma both helped him with his chakra control, something that was easily the thing he had the most trouble with. While he had not mastered it by any means, he was a lot better than he had been before and as a result of his training, he found that even his Lava Release was becoming easier for him to control. While it could still be a bit difficult for him to control it if he wasn't completely focused on maintaining his chakra, it was less unstable than it had been in the past.
He had even managed to master a technique his father had showed him to use as a means of defense and while he could only use it for a short amount of time because of how difficult it was to maintain, he knew that it would be of some serious help later on once he managed to become even more skilled with his chakra control later on!
He couldn't wait to use it!
It seemed as though he would be using the magma armor sooner than he had originally thought.
He had woken up early in the morning to a message from Ai-sensei, telling him to meet her along with Enn and Hiroto in their normal training grounds by the hot springs and once he had arrived, he had been surprised to find that he was for once the last person to arrive, meeting the stern glare from Hiroto with a sheepish smile before turning his attention back to the long-haired jonin as she began to speak.
"As you may or may not know, the hidden leaf holds exams twice a year for the Chunin Examinations. I have been busy training Enn and I have not had much time to focus on you two, Hiroto and Ryosuke and for that I am sorry." For once, the sadistic woman actually seemed to be somewhat apologetic, something that honestly surprised the young boy as he would stare up at his sensei, before listening as she continued to speak.
"That being said, I know that both of you have been training under other people. Ryosuke has been training with Chōza Akimichi's team while Hiroto has been training under the medics from the hospital along with receiving training from his own clansmen, so I am not worried about you three. As a result, I have recommended for you three to take the Chunin Exams. It is your choice of course, but I do believe that you all are ready. If you choose to abstain from the exams, there is always next year."
He could already feel Enn and Hiroto's gazes on his back and Ryosuke simply swallowed roughly as he accepted the forms, knowing that if he refused to take the exams that both of the boys on his team would hold it against him until they would have the chance to take the exams the following year.
It seemed as though he had no choice but to suck up his inner doubts and participate, whether he wanted to or not.
Oh, the joys of being a ninja.
Chapter four is finally here! I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I was stricken with a heavy case of writer's block that had me struggling through this entire chapter! Nevertheless, I hope all of you guys enjoy it! On another note, I got a very good question from one of my reviewers who asked me if this story was going to follow canon or if it was going to diverge from it and I thought it would be a good idea to clarify.
The answer is while this story will follow some aspects of canon, there are certain aspects that will be changed as well to better fit in line with not only canon but also with the story I am trying to tell. While many important events and factors will, for the most part, unfold the same way as they did in canon, there will be a few circumstances in which Ryosuke's presence or actions will change the outcome of a few things, if that makes any sense.
I hope that answered your question! If you guys have any more of them for me or if you need me to clarify anything else, feel free to ask away! As long as it doesn't involve me giving away any spoilers for this or any of my other stories, I don't mind answering questions!
