Chapter Nine

The next day dawned early. For Ayame, it was too early, for Hoshiko, not enough. The previous night had gone well with Hayato-sensei; they'd discussed trivial matters, like the weather and what they liked to do, what their favorite foods were and how they were adjusting to their apartment. Overall, Hoshiko had left feeling largely satisfied. Ayame had wanted more ramen. Hoshiko had smacked her, saying it was rude to drive their sensei into poverty just because of her appetite.

Hoshiko had already set out breakfast when she shook Ayame -violently- into wakefulness. The rice was steaming on the table next to bowls of miso soup. "Aww, Panda, what about pop tarts?" Ayame complained, the subject of food dispersing a bit of her grogginess.

"Absolutely not," Hoshiko stated, well awake because of her excitement. "If we're going to be living on our own, we have to have at least one healthy meal a day. Hey, I'm not making you eat eggplant or anything!" she defended at Ayame's pitiful look.

Her friend finally just make an unhappy face and sat down, Hoshiko joining her on the other side of the table. Hoshiko finished quickly; despite not being a morning person, if she had something to look forward to -like learning to be a kunoichi- she moved at the speed of light. As soon as she'd finished, she cleared her dishes and retreated back into her room to thrown on some clothes; she'd decided that she definitely loved the punk-ish look with the belly-shower and shorts, so she went with that again. Ayame finally finished up breakfast, but Hoshiko beat her to the bathroom, brushing her hair out well before deciding to swirl it into a bun to keep it out of her face while taking notes. Taking her tooth brush into the kitchen, she let Ayame have the bathroom. Hoshiko finished up in the bathroom with Ayame as they both took turns applying eyeliner, and within minutes of grabbing her backpack, the more eager of the pair was already marching out the door, short counterpart in tow.

"Ohaiyo, Hayato-sensei!" Hoshiko said brightly as she burst into the classroom, Ayame still being dragged along and looking thoroughly disheveled. Hayato didn't fail to see the soda in the brunette's hand and just smiled; he didn't know which of them to feel sorry for for having to live with the other.

"So, are you girls ready to jump into it? Today we'll still be lecturing most all of the time, but this'll be the last full day of solid information; tomorrow we start with bits of field training." Ayame gave a wicked grin at Hoshiko, making the other girl sweat drop. She did not want Ayame with any sharp or pointy object, but she didn't seem to have a choice. With a laugh, Hayato rolled his eyes and began to talk.

"So, today we're going to start talking about the clans that have immigrated here or developed starting from the end of the Godaime's reign. I suppose the easiest thing to do would be to go in chronological order.

"There were two clans that immigrated to Konoha at the end of the Godaime's reign and at the beginning of Naruto-sama's. The Akimoto were the first to start this trend. Originally, they were from Amegakure, but it appears as though no clan members remain there. Due to splits in the clan, there are branches scattered all over the continent, but the largest to date is here in Konoha. The Akimotos are known for their utilization of ribbons as a ninja weapon: By channeling their chakra through their special, silk-like cloth, they can animate the ribbons, and at the age of twelve, Akimoto shinobi are wrapped in in this, their limbs covered, torso just a mask of fabric. Rarely is this removed, though changes of the ribbon are somewhat common.

"The Nishizawa were the next to immigrate from a small country now destroyed by war. In essence, they are precisely like the Inuzuka, but they deal with cats instead of dogs. Appropriately, they are nicknamed the 'Nekozawa.' Unlike the Inuzuka, their feline companions do not remain with them at all times; instead they are summons specific to each clan member, but there are a variety of ways in which they can be summoned. The Nishizawa are known for their cleverness and ingenuity when it comes to summons, and even the most harmless looking of objects could well become a summon or a weapon for them." Hayato paused momentarily for them to catch up in their notes. There were only a few clans they hadn't covered, so today would be fairly light.

"The Kitamori are a representation of the strong ties between the Leaf and Mist. As the myths go, one of Kirigakure's most prominent ANBU fell in love with one of the Hokage's attendants. Eventually, they had several children. The reason they're called a clan today is because of all of the descendants' strong affinity to the water element, Suiton. In fact, one of the most prominent Konoha nin of the current age who recently passed away, an ANBU by the name of Kiyo, was a member of this clan. Her skills were incredible, rivaling that of the Nidaime, if not even surpassing them. In any case, the first of their children started appearing in the ranks of the academy just before the Godaime's death. Kiyo-sama was at her peak during the middle of Naruto-sama's reign.

"At the end of the Rokudaime's reign, another clan appeared from Oni no Kuni. As a result of their village being ravaged in the national turmoil, now settled, the Yoshizen fled to Konoha. Their clan traits were just beginning to appear, and some of the shinobi began to take note of their abilities. Much like the Nishizawa and Inuzuka, they too specialized in summoning jutsu. Theirs dealt with butterflies, but there is far more to their clan that meets the eye; indeed, one of the most valuable strategies that the Yoshizen utilize is how many shinobi underestimate them. Surely you can understand – After all, do butterflies sound particularly threatening to you?" Hayato cracked a grin, and Hoshiko groaned at Ayame's wicked look. It was all she could do to pray that Ayame never consciously ran into one of them. "Anyway," Hayato continued, "the butterflies simply augment their many other techniques. It's been confirmed that many of the Yoshizen have a particular strength when it comes to genjutsu. In addition, some of the butterflies can be used as explosives, or their wings laden with poisons that can lead to anywhere between sleep and death."

In looking to her left, Hoshiko noticed that Ayame looked significantly put out, and she couldn't help but giggle. Hayato looked up and smiled as well. "Alright, last one. The Takenaka clan appeared towards the middle of Konohamaru-sama's time as hokage. It was a remarkable surprise to everyone outside of the clan. They did not come from another village, nor had there been any signs of their development. However, one day the revealed themselves – A tightly knit group of about 20 who shared the same secret technique. Because of their... secrecy," Hoshiko noted a slightly tone of disapproval in Hayato's voice, "we have been unable to determine whether or not it is in fact a kekkei genkai. However, they trace their family tree back to the great Godaime's attendant, Shizune. They have the ability to manipulate poisons. It appears to be some sort of elemental combination, but again..." There was that disapproval again. "...they haven't exactly been cooperative. However, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with; their powers are great, despite their small numbers. For whatever reason, their infant mortality rate is extraordinarily high, and due to their resistance, neither the hokage nor any of his staff have been able to do anything about it to help them."

Shrugging off his annoyance -clearly, the Takenaka were not a topic to be brought up too lightly, Hoshiko noted- Hayato smiled. There, done with the clans! If you keep up this pace, you might be able to get a half day, since the rest of the topics shouldn't take too long, and what we'll be doing tomorrow will take the whole day." Hoshiko grinned broadly at his praise; Ayame just looked hungry. "Anyway, we're going to be going through the basic hierarchy of the shinobi system for the rest of today, as well as some Leaf Village history to start off with. Now, how much do you know about the history of the Hokages?" One look at Hoshiko with her hand straining to reach higher told him she could probably teach this part of the class. Instead, he turned to Ayame, leaving Hoshiko disappointed. "Ayame, what can you tell me?"

The blue-haired girl was caught thoroughly off guard. "Umm..." she paused for a minute trying to remember anything. "Uhh... we have... eight... of them. On what looks like Mount Rushmore. Annnnd... Let's see... One of them had a monkey. A really awesome monkey. You know, I really liked that monkey-" Hoshiko not-so-subtly elbowed her. "Ouch! Oh. Right. Umm... And there was one with wood... Oh! And then there was Tsunade. She is sooooo awesome! I love Tsunade. Then Naruto, and Konohama-whatsit, like you said... and now the really hot one. OW!" She turned her head to see Hoshiko with a giant stress mark on her forehead, ready to hit her again. "SENSEI!" she cried, diving under the table. Hayato closed his eyes and shook his head, a sweat drop appearing on his forehead.

"DON'T – YOU – EVER – KNOW – WHEN – TO – SHUT – UP?!" Hoshiko yelled, punctuating each word with another smack on the head. Inhaling deeply, she held it for a few seconds before letting it out. Noticing her sensei's stare, she turned bright red and sat back down. "Woops. Gomennasai, sensei! I might... have gotten a... little carried away."

"YA THINK?!" Ayame called from under the table. Hayato didn't fail to notice the swift kick she received.

"Right then! I see we have some learning to do about our village leaders!" he said, giving a stretched but somewhat humorous smile, sweatdrop growing bigger. "Now, the Shodai Hokage, or the First, was Senjuu Hashirama. What you need to know about him was that he started the village; he also had the ability to control the wood element, Mokuton. After his death, his brother, Senjuu Tobirama took over as the Nidaime. He created the infrastructure of the Leaf Village and had great power of the element of water, Suiton, as I mentioned earlier." Hayato was looking off of his notes as he copied a little tree of the leaders onto the blackboard, each leader having his own box with a name in it, a few key bullets beneath it, and lines connecting to the others to show the relationships.

"The Sandaime was their pupil, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He held his title longer than any other leader and as Ayame so keenly mentioned, had the ability to summon Monkey King, Enma, a privilege which no shinobi alive today has. The Yondaime, Namikaze Minato was the student of one of Hiruzen's students, the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya. The Yondaime held the title of hokage for the shortest time, and saved Konoha from destruction by sacrificing himself and sealing the Kyuubi in his son. He was known as Konoha's 'Yellow Flash' because of his advanced space-bending jutsu.

"Another of the Legendary Sannin, also the granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage became the Godaime Hokage. Senjuu Tsunade was responsible for the reconstruction of Konoha after the Oto-nin's attack on Konoha during the Chuunin Exams. She also helped establish the tradition of each squad having a medic ninja with them to take care of any injuries that might occur and is known for her legendary strength.

"The Yondaime's student, Hatake Kakashi, taught his son, Uzumaki Naruto who would later become the Rokudaime. In addition to Kakashi, he also trained under the Sannin Jiraiya as his father did before the Great Toad Sage passed away. Naruto-sama was responsible for many of the good relations that we share with other countries today, as well as the oversight of aide many struggling countries and the invention of the Rasen-shuriken, which no other shinobi has been able to wield since his passing. The next hokage was a friend of his, Sarutobi Konohamaru who was the grandson of the Sandaime. Konohamaru-sama is credited with the expansion of the Konoha library, as well as many laws to protect the forest surrounding our village.

"Our current hokage, the Hachidaime is the student of the Shichidaime. Akikami Kaito became the Hokage at the youngest age yet and is known for his charismatic approaches to new challenges; his diplomacy is legendary, perhaps even better than the Rokudaime's. He comes from an esoteric family who keep their jutsu well protected. Few have seen the Hokage in combat, but he is said to use kingyo, or goldfish as summons. One of his nicknames is Kingyo no Kokuou, or the King of Goldfish. And, that'd be it for the hokages. Any questions?" Hayato paused for a moment. With no response, he continued.

"Alright, so with our history of the hokages in mind, we're going to move onto the organizational basis that the hokage and all other shinobi work upon. It's designed for swift and efficient communication, with the hokage, of course, at the top. Just beneath the Hokage are his Head Advisors, who, depending on the leader, have varying degrees of power. Under them are two of the main units of shinobi: The Routine Ops Unit and the Medical Unit. The Routine Ops unit is what most shinobi are in – That's where you'll be if you continue on this path; that's where I am as well as any other teachers you may have. The Medical unit, greatly strengthened as we mentioned by the Godaime, is a supportive unit with subdivisions for the hospital, research, and emergency care. Lastly, there are the ANBU Black Ops; they are under the direct supervision of the hokage and answer to no one else. They deal with only the most dangerous or important of missions, like protecting the hokage himself, as well as interrogations and assassinations. Only the best of the best can achieve this rank," he ended, drawing another tree chart for this topic.

Looking up at the clock, Hayato decided that they'd had enough. "Alright, why don't you two go for lunch? We only have another two topics afterwards, so you'll be able to go early, 'kay?"

"Hai, sensei!" Hoshiko managed to call out before being brutally dragged off by Ayame, repaying the favor from earlier with the incentive of food.

--

Hayato broke out laughing when they returned: It seemed to be a definite pattern – Hoshiko was the one who dragged Ayame to class, and Ayame was the one who dragged Hoshiko away. Hoshiko blushed furiously at his laughter, while Ayame just plopped herself down, looking wholly satisfied now that her stomach was full.

"Mkay. Ready? If we can just blast through this, you guys can go early. Deal?"

"Hai!"

"Alright then. So, we're going to be talking about the system of shinobi rankings. You should have at least rudimentary knowledge about most of this. Anyway, we'll start out at the bottom with you, the Ninja Academy Students," he gave a knowing smile as Hoshiko wrinkled her nose, clearly not happy with her current position. "In order to graduate to the next rank, students must first pass the Ninja Academy Graduation Test. There's no limit to the number who can pass, so to narrow down the number, there's another test administered by your prospective jounin sensei, the Genin Certification Exam.

"Genin are able to rise to the rank of Chuunin through either the Chuunin Selection Exams or by appointment. The Selection exams are held twice a year, promoting cooperation between the ninja villages who compete. If a genin fails the exam but shows great potential, the leader of his or her village may promote them anyway.

"Jounin is one of the most respected ranks: Only highly experienced and capable ninja are promoted to this rank. They're chosen by appointment and are the leaders of genin squads. Genin squads typically have four members including the captain, which has been deemed the optimum number for power, speed, and secrecy. The shinobi in the ANBU are especially advanced jounin.

"The rank between chuunin and jounin is Tokubetsu jounin, more commonly known as tokujou. Tokujou are essentially jounin in a specific area. For instance, interrogators and trackers might be tokujou: They're good at their specialties, but not good enough all round. Tokubetsu jounin are typically assigned to jounin when they're needed in a team for a specific mission.

"The only rank higher than jounin is, of course, hokage. The hokage is the strongest ninja in the village. Succession is determined by appointment by the old hokage with the assistance of his advisors and village elders. In case the hokage dies before being able to appoint a successor, the village elders and jounin council will decide by a vote. So, do you guys have all of that? I won't ask you too many details. Just now how you advance from one rank to the other and the order of the ranks. Sound good?"

Hoshiko grinned, nodding brightly as she turned over a new page in her notes, and Ayame let it rest with a simple, "Mhm."

"Alright, last thing: Mission rankings. These basically match up with the shinobi rankings – just use common sense and you won't really even have to worry about memorization. The lowest mission rank is D. Genin are usually the only ones who do these missions. There's no direct damage or combat involved, and they vary immensely. They can involve anything from babysitting, helping to gather crops, or recovering pets. The payment is low on these, but they make up a good percentage of the village's income because there are so many of them.

"The next rank up is C. Chuunin typically get these, but genin occasionally are allowed to have them. These missions involve protective escorts, gathering intelligence, capturing wild animals, or clearing mines, and they typically only involved a chance of injury.

"B ranks are for tokujou and chuunin. These involve more dangerous protective escorts, gathering intelligence on foreign nations, and assassinations. Open combat is to be expect and injuries are relatively likely, but not to be expected.

"A rank missions are for jounin and tokujou. These involve national relations, important escorts, and suppressing the advance of other shinobi forces. These almost always have combat with a high risk of injury.

"The most dangerous missions are ranked as S. These are for jounin and ANBU only, as they are highly sensitive. These could involve the assassinations of important persons, the transport of classified documents, and generally affect the fate of nations. These are extremely dangerous and are worth high amounts of yen," Hayato finally finished.

It took a few extra minutes for Hoshiko and Ayame to finish copying down their notes; however, before they got too excited, he interjected, "I know I said that was the last topic, but... Sorry, pop quiz! I told you to know the villages for today, so just to make sure you studied..." he trailed off, feeling a bit guilty. They'd really been pretty good so far, but if they'd paid attention, it shouldn't be too hard. Erasing the flow charts from earlier, he began to write the questions up on the board. "Take out a blank sheet of paper, and just answer these. When you turn it in, you can go."

1. Name the Five Great Shinobi Nations

2. Name the five villages the belong to each of the nations, matching them with their respective countries from #1.

2. Name five other shinobi villages.

Extra Credit:

One extra point for each extra shinobi village named.

Hoshiko, although she'd been rather unhappy with the prospect of a quiz, finished quickly with a bonus village.

1. Hi no Kuni

Mizu no Kuni

Kaze no Kuni

Tsuchi no Kuni

Errr... Rai no Kuni??

2. Konohagakure

Kirigakure

Sunagakure

Iwagakure

Kumogakure

3. Amegakure

Kusagakure
Takigakure
Hoshigakure
Otogakure

Extra Credit:
-Yukigakure

Although she puzzled over Kumogakure's country, she kept on drawing a blank. Damn! Putting a lame guess, she turned it in, irritated over it. Ayame turned hers in minutes later, and Hayato waved them off. Once they were outside, they both spoke simultaneously:

"What country is Kumo in?"

"What's the name of the village in Mizu?"

They both burst out laughing. "You go first," Hoshiko nodded as they turned a corner towards their apartment.

"What's the name of the village in Mizu no Kuni?" Ayame repeated, making a face. "I couldn't remember."

"Oh, Kirigakure. Mist, 'member?"

"Oi! Duh. Urg... Anyway, what was your question?"

"Uh... Right. What country is Kumo in again?"

"Kaminari no Kuni. You blank?"

"Yeah. That was the only one I couldn't remember though," she replied as they trudged up the stairs. Their flat was on the fourth floor, which, although it afforded a nice view, was a pain to get to.

The rest of the night passed fairly well. It was Ayame's turn to make dinner, so Hoshiko turned on the radio and alternated between a news station and music while she made flashcards for the test on Thursday. In the end, they of course ended up eating ramen, but only after Hoshiko made her friend swear that they wouldn't have it every night that she cooked. After Hoshiko cleaned up -for that was the deal; whoever didn't cook cleaned- they moved into the bedroom and sat on the carpet quizzing each other on the countries; Ayame, of course, griped the whole time about how they hadn't gotten to play with any 'shinies' yet. Hoshiko snorted and whacked her with a make-shift fan.