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Death is more of a fact than a fear in the shinobi world. Raised around it since they were too young to even properly grasp the concept. Murder was not nearly as painful for shinobi as it was for civilians or even for shitty samurai. A socialized normality. An inevitability, and for some even a joy. You couldn't be overly affected by murder when you dealt in it.
To civilians, this made them monsters, albeit their monstrous protectors. Mizuki himself had always loved the adrenaline, the power. Screaming and vicious chakra, deadly ninjutsu and smooth, too fast movements making his body tremble with the joy of being alive. Of hanging on the precipice. Though death was a disgusting outcome, the prelude was exhilarating. The door death opened a longing.
To die in battle was the only way to enter Aosaya. And no matter what, he hitched his hips up to sit on the worn cupboard, he would enter the realms of the Shinobi gods. He would dine with his parents, to tell them of the things he had experienced, he'd seen. And they would tell him of theirs.
Mizuki smiled to himself as he basked upon the sight of his brats, strong, hardworking little monsters now calmly (but slightly rigidly for a few, not optimal for sudden movement, he would have to make a notation) standing at attention. Eyes trained upon their superior commander with a piercing obedience. Even his former civilian brats now had the same look in their eyes, the same physique, and mentality.
He was honored to be the one to introduce these children to death. How to process it, and then, his stomach flipped pleasantly, dish it out.
Five wooden throwing stars appeared between his fingers, pointed ends sharpened slightly, he started his lessons as always. Searching for a flinch, a fear of getting hurt, of drawing blood.
A blur in five directions, specks of blood across five still chubby cheeks. Two flinched, three did not. He smirked proudly, better than most classes. His brats were a bunch of overachievers. The shouts from a taijutsu match resounded from afar. Windows having been opened to lessen the choking heat.
He subtly signed for one of the supervisors to close all windows. It wouldn't do to alert any clan's with heightened senses, he withheld a roll of his eyes at the thought, there were protocols in place for these occasions after all.
"Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Konomaru, you stand on your hands until I allow you to stop. Extended afternoon class at Response & Obedience for two days." he delivered harshly. Delighting in their swallowed protests, downturned eyes at being the failures.
They obediently flipped over, particularly smoothly by the Hyuuga, he would have to note that. As well as the already shaking arms of Haruno, he frowned pensively at the pitiful sight. Though, had they not had pure Taijutsu earlier? It would explain the bruises, the lack of stamina. He liked civilian born children, enjoyed the challenge of the more complex assimilation processes teachers were to make them undergo. Enjoyed stealing back what were now shinobi children from the mindless cattle of the civilian population. He would not see them fall behind, the girl would have to stand until she dropped.
He picked faintly at an itching scab over his bicep, now leaning against the cupboard to stare out the determined looking children. Silent and resolute, huh. They seemed determined to last the class then, he dipped his head slightly to hide his smile.
The whole class flinched at the sight of the rubber ball he absent-mindedly flung toward Uzumaki Naruto, blood spurting from the bright eyesores nose. To his credit, he made no noise, did not flinch or even move. Simply stared back with empty eyes.
His memories sometimes wailed at the sight of him. The loss burning still, (his little sister's giggling laugh, father's comforting hugs, mother's love filled eyes) they would only be lost to him for a time. He gave the kid an approving smile for his effort.
"My little brats, today you finally get your first taste of death." he bellowed sharply, bright-eyed.
Naruto had just recently turned six years old. But he knew death.
Tasted the blood of it in his mouth, the copper scent of it in his nose, the sticky sensation of it on his skin. Fading eyes, and fading light.
He tried to sniffle discretely into his sleeve as he wiped the specks of wet red away, small dashes of blood blemishing his soft yellow kimono.
His nose didn't even sting, fragile vessels already healed completely. Pain was always a matter of minutes, seconds, to him.
(Mizuki-sensei had the same hair color as his Nii-san, the lengths he'd gone to for that sliver of information made him want to scream a bit. He wondered if Nii-san still cared as much about him as he cared for his Nii-san.)
He glanced to where Sakura-chan was still standing on her hands, veins buckling, face a match to her hair. The stink of their sweat tickling his nose, Hyuuga Konomaru's low stamina an echoing pant in his ears.
(He liked to think Nii-san cared a lot.)
"We've discussed death over the 7 entire months of your attendance here. You know what death is, and hopefully, you know that we shinobi deal in death. Today, most of you will kill for the first time." Mizuki-sensei's overly excited voice delivered. The permanent smirk etched onto the man's face widening into a rare smile. Naruto valiantly did not snort nor provoke the man at his ever present weird behavior, Jii-sama would be proud.
Furuko Mizumi and Uchiha Kokou were visibly blanching at the idea of having to kill, something, today. He furrowed his brows at the thought, stomach slightly pinched, both at effects of the three-day starvation training the advanced students from the Beginners Frontline combat course were undergoing. And at the thought of his fellow classmates, he glanced at a shaking, panting but still determined Sakura-chan, the thought of his civilian classmates having to experience their first killing with someone as unsympathetic (he was a jerk) as Mizuki-sensei. He swiveled his head toward a now boisterous Mizuki-sensei answering the Shikasa Nara and Shikai Nara twins curious inquiries with an indulgent smile on his smarmy face. He harshly scratched some freshly healed skin on his lower ankle, trying to calm the stirring in his stomach, calm it down.
"Alright kiddos, our live samples-" Naruto raised his eyebrows at the Uchiha suddenly cutting off Mizuki-sensei mid sentence. Mizuki-sensei himself flinched angrily at the interruption from the bespectacled Uchiha Akemi, face reddening alarmingly. A simple 'stay after class' forced through clenched teeth was enough to make the girl tremble. Naruto was having a very hard time not starting a fistfight with Mizuki-sensei. Or at least letting him know that he was a dumb, sub par ninja and that his Nii-san would beat him up easy when he found out about him.
He pouted as he turned his eyes toward a now violently trembling Sakura, Mizuki-sensei was entirely too keen on stupid command protocols."As I was saying. Iruka-sensei, Yuukai-sensei and I caught the rabbits for you. You won't get that luxury next time. You-" Naruto promptly clocked out on what seemed to be the early onset of a Mizuki-sensei lecture, quickly directing his attention elsewhere.
Sakura-chan collapsed face first as her arms gave way, followed closely by a now vomiting Hyuuga. Both students looked ready to pass out. He gave them both compassionate smiles as Mizuki-sensei simply nodded for them to take a seat. The stench and presence of vomit having disappeared within a glance.
He tried to block Mizuki-sensei's view of Sakura-chan as she haltingly ambled her way behind him. She could cry a little bit, Sensei was usually okay with that as long as he didn't see. And Sakura-chan's blotchy, shivering visage indicated her need to do just that. Sakura-chan's friend Yamanaka Ino reached forward to hold her hand, soothing her better than Naruto ever could.
He directed his attention forward. Thinking, for the millionth time, on how to get to his Nii-san.
Smooth sidestep, foot rigid, angled left right left right, throw.
Hinata tried very hard not to squeak out loud as her third rabbit choked on the kunai now lodged in its throat. Landing on her feet as she dodged the slow projectiles meant to distract her. She felt like a cruel monster watching its tanned pelt stain red. Convulsing movements until it stilled. The copper scent was nauseating, made her head twirl and twirl like the dancers at the parties in the compound. She hated everything about it.
Her eyes smarted as they surged into 360° degrees (a quick snippet of the rabbit's fading chakra system, dead ones scattered around, Mizuki-sensei laughing with Shisui-sensei, her classmates waiting for their turns outside the door, five people hiding in the roofs.) before her eyes snapped back. Her Mama had told her every Hyuuga's eyes was fluctuating and uncontrollable until a certain age, but she didn't want to see the creatures die in more ways than one. She bent her legs forward, landing on her hands, propelling away. She didn't want to cry at her first assessment, Father would be disappointed. And Mizuki-sensei would be sure to report everything to Father, they all always did.
Her sixth kunai of the day bounced off the wooden floor, missing its squealing, terrified mark entirely. She was still in the extreme upper range, but Father and the council would be displeased at this showing. Disappointed, frowning, towering figures following her every move. She blinked frantically to keep the tears at bay, her arm steady. Dodged and spun to the left to avoid the clattering of a heavy wooden doll.
Hinata struggled to breathe in calmly, having been moving rapidly without pause for over 5 minutes, limbs shaking slightly with the effort. Having not eaten for two days made her brain sluggish. She was already constructing excuses, her father's voice was an ever-present echo. The guiding compass of her existence.
Angled throw, piercing the last rabbit's foot in place. A whispered plea of forgiveness for causing it prolonged suffering. Sweat glued her blue-tinged bangs to her face, dry throat making itself known at her surprised squeal. Coiled wire cutting into her skin, impact with the ground beating the air out of her lungs. Her sweat-soaked hands struggling with the kunai.
She couldn't help but think the rabbit's shrill squeals sounded very human-like toward the end.
Hinata hobbled out of the assessment room, body aching to the bones. She wanted to go home so Mama could hug her and cuddle her to sleep. She was at the point of tripping over her own feet, sandals scuffed beyond repair. Konomaru-kun and Akemi-chan made haste at the sight of her queasy face, quivering body keeping the leaf emblazoned door half-open for Kurama Inoue.
With the two reliable Hyuuga helping her weak body stay upright she made her way toward the boy she had been nervously avoiding all day. There was only one task at hand before she could be escorted home. And Mama could make her some cinnamon buns and maybe Father would be satisfied with her performance.
He was smiling, as most common. She didn't know the Jinchuuriki very well. But she liked to think he was one of the very few people as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Her face felt horribly warm at the thought, stomach quivering. Her traitor companions simply snickered and dragged her closer. Sending each other indiscernible looks through twin blank eyes.
He noticed them coming, he wasn't really approached by anyone other than Haruno Sakura. But his smile was as bright as the sun, eyes scrunched up in delight. Uzumaki Naruto seemed to be one to take so much enjoyment out of so little.
She stopped before him and they all bowed slightly, as was proper. Though his smile turned slightly strained upon them leveling. "Uzum-aki-sama, y-you're hu-umbly in-invited to the H-Hyuuga com-po-und thi-s this Sun-day." She bowed once more, arms outstretched with the invitation containing all further details. Short rehearsed sentence delivered without complete disaster.
Hinata managed to smile nervously before rapidly ambling away once more. Aided significantly by her cousins vice holds. The two already engaged in casual shinobi grapevine gossip. As a cheerful voice from behind shouted: "Thank you Hyuuga-chan!" in utter sincerity, her face bloomed red once more. Giggling slightly.
She did wonder, though she hadn't questioned Father. (He lost his patience with her stuttering too easily.)
Just why were they inviting Naruto-kun to a private dinner?