Cosmic Comedy - some things only a god can see the humour in.
Time has passed, and now Senju Ai is joining the shinobi ranks. How has time changed her? Where is she going? And who the hell is this joker calling himself her sensei? Well, let the adventures begin! Self insert, gender bender!
Hey guys, from here on in updates will be going slower. The point in time I'd warned about has arrived. So in all likely hood the future chapters will has less grammar and spelling issues (don't ask for logic that isn't there). Please notice that this chapter is named, unlike its predecessors. There is a twisted logic to it that I don't feel like revealing - just know that it's there. As well since time is going to be more of a commodity now, I can shamelessly put up a review quota for the next chapter (I'm evil, I know).
Arwenia, Elivira, shirokuromokona and kenegi are in fact the reasons I won't. You silent readers should thank them ;)
Chapter 10 – Baby steps, Ai, Baby steps
8-8
"Look, you assholes have known me for years! If you think I'm going to fucking introduce myself, I'll end up stabbing someone!" I dunno who said that, but I like them already.
Iruka-sensei cleared his throat nervously, trying to block out the cursing he usually only tolerated from me. Even then it was because I didn't do it often, and because I was the Hokage's daughter! "Alright class, you all graduated. Congratulations on that!"
"And what asshole is in there saying the same speech every year?" I was already saying silent prayers to anyone that would listen that this wonderful person would be my sensei! I think the voice is female, but that didn't really say much just yet.
"From now on you will be doing your part in making sure Konoha's shinobi force remains one of the top in the known world. Bear your forehead protectors with pride, it certainly deserves as much." He continued as if we couldn't all hear this person cursing on the other side of the door. "When you are out doing missions with your team, please remember the basics you've learned over the years here at the Academy and remember to-"
The door exploded, interrupting whatever sensei was going to say. "Ruka-chan, is that you lulling these babies to sleep?" Purple hair, check. Tan overcoat, check. Dark orange miniskirt, check. Mesh body armour that absolutely nothing to hide any of her assets, check. I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude, check. Target identified, Mitarashi Anko! FUCK YEAH! If I ended up being on her team, look out world!
"Anko... you're early." Came some guy's observation. Talk about reverse to Kakashi! I had to end up biting my lip to not laugh at my own thoughts. "Can he at least announce the teams before you tell me why you felt the door deserved to die?" This guy was so calm, so collected. He could probably see an autopsy and not fucking blink!
Then behind them were some other people, including Ebisu. Poor Pervymaru. But not my problem.
"As I was saying, this year's teams are... team five: Choco-" I blocked him out – a skill I have perfected over my academy jail time. I could completely ignore him and when he calls my name, my brain would rewind and catch the last three sentences he said. Took me a long ass time to get to that level!
'Let's see, Anko's there. Ebisu is Konohamaru's problem. I don't know anyone else. Even remotely.' The guy that dared talk back to Anko had dull black hair and a scar on the right side of his mouth. Next to him was a guy with shaggy brown hair, a bit on the chubby side. He looked pretty cool otherwise. The next one was the definition of plain looking. Brown, shoulder length hair and sunken eyes – he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Behind him was a woman in a brown catwoman suite? Without the face mask, true... but no less disturbing. Okay... I'd better not be getting her!
Nope I think I'll just stick with the plan of going with Anko! Anko-sensei has a nice ring to it.
"Team 7: Senju Ai, Akamon Kouji, Takaoka Daichi to be led by Shirakumo Hayame." Mister personality – the one that was talking smack to Anko – nodded gravely. His eyes were already centred on me, probably thinking he was being discreet about it.
"Team 8: Kaminari Jei, Nara Matsuri, Onoe Ame to be led by Kanden Tekuno." Shocking Techno? You've got to be kidding me! But, the shaggy hair and the loose posture... it could fit if you viewed it abstractly.
"Team 9: Konohamaru-" Yup block out... I already knew that team.
"... Hyuuga Hanabi, to be led by Mitarashi Anko." Shit, what'd I miss? Oh, just Samo and Jin on her team. She was gonna hit the roof the second Iruka-sensei left the room.
Yun and Futaba were on the same team, and Choco was piggied with two slack offs that left her no chance in hell to passing the genin selection exam – or whatever official name this next dumb ass test was gonna get.
No matter how you sliced it, only two teams actually had a shot in hell of passing – seeing that Konohamaru's team is virtually guaranteed to pass. And seeing that Kouji and Daichi were on my team... well... There is hope for for Jei and Hanabi... but it's really between the three of us for those two remaining slots. With Matsuri on Jei's team... and Ame – dunno much about him. Well, mostly with Matsuri on his team he has a better edge. Samo's a grade-A jackass and Jin... well he's alright, but not enough to balance Samo out.
It sucked, but it seemed that Hanabi was going to flunk because of the draw she got.
"Well, that's all the teams. And seeing that the jounin are already here to collect you, I will leave you in their capable hands. Good luck with your careers." Iruka-sensei had this look that just screamed that he felt like a mother hen watching its eggs hatch.
8-8
"Alright, I want you to introduce yourselves." I was willing to bet this was the guy that pissed Anko off in the first place! "We'll start with you." He nodded at Daichi.
"Um, okay... what do you want me to say?" Daichi seemed unsure. "Could you maybe go first, sensei?" Bubble boy diverted it right back to the source.
"If you insist. My name is Hayama. I like kenjutsu and sparring with my buddy Tekuno. I dislike people who would sacrifice anyone to save their own skin. My dreams for the future are to get married and have two-point-three kids and one-point-five dogs." This guy's a virgin that never jerked off.
He nodded to Daichi again. "Name's Daichi. I like working with unusual weapons and helping Kouji and his dad develop them. I dislike people who do not appreciate the value of proper headgear. And my dream for the future is to figure out if barbecues are better than traditional cooking." That goofball did not just say that. Hayama-sensei nodded to Kouji next.
"I'm Kouji! I like long range weapons and anything that explodes on contact! I dislike blunt weapons... I leave that for Daichi to figure out. And my dream for the future is to make Choco-chan my wife!" Way too much information there. Still, it would make for an interesting topic later on.
"I guess that just leaves me. I'm Ai. Do not call me anything other than Ai, or Ai-chan. I like katas, training and sparring. I dislike prejudice, whether positive or negative – it's stupid either way. My dream for the future is to surpass my every Senju that's ever lived."
"Very well. Meet me in eight at six." He smiled at his own little joke. Acting like I couldn't tell what he meant (training ground eight at six AM). With that he was gone, still acting like his mind games were all that bad. Did he ever train under uncle Gai? Now those are scary mind games! Who knew green could be so emotionally scarring?
"Well, I say we go celebrate our being teamed up!" I announced already heading downstairs. "And why the hell did he want to meet on the roof?" There was something wrong with that man.
8-8
"Teuchi-saaaaaaaaaaan!" I greeted warmly. No we were not going to Ichiraku's –do you know how bad that stuff is for your figure?– but we do pass by regularly for me to give him updates on Naruto.
"Ai-chan! How's the weather?" He asked. That was our secret code for 'How's Naruto?'
"A warm front is coming. The weatherman said so himself!" I told him. Nii-san's last letter said he would be coming home soon – I looked forward to seeing the look on his face when he saw... my surprise.
"You hear that Ayame? Good days are coming!" He did a little happy dance – did he know I could see him?
"Okay... well, we'll be going now..." Lack of vitamin Naruto did weird thing to people...
Daichi, Kouji and I were outta there before something really weird happened. I already had to suffer through uncle Gai and Lee's manhug twice that morning on the way to school – I didn't want or need any more material for a back story in twenty years. What? Something had to spark uncle Gai's attraction to green and hugging men in public.
At any rate, we made our way to our regular spot – something of hangout for us. A restaurant on the boarder of the Commercial District called Ginkai's. Sure, we went to Ichiraku's once a week to eat... but I was not risking another pimple parade by eating there more than twice a week! I damn nearly started walking around with a paper bag over my head out of embarrassment!
"Yo, Kanashigetou! Come in, you're table's already been set for you!" Choco welcomed us, already walking ahead to show us to our usual table. She worked here after school – it was her mom's restaurant after all. Apparently her mom wanted to start something on her own, so her dad helped her start this place (family politics, don't ask don't tell). He still ran that merchant's route between here and the Land of Tea, so this place was more of a convenience for them – and they got nothing but the best teas. I loved coming here for that!
"Hey, Choco-chaaaaaan! Can we have the regular?" I asked, smiling at her. I looked around, seeing no one around. "And one order for you too. You know there won't be anyone around for at least another hour." The midday rush was not a pretty sight. I was so glad I didn't work in a restaurant.
"Sure, I was planning on taking my break soon anyway." She winked at me... or was that at Kouji? Not sure. It could be my brain was filling in the blanks – after all, it wasn't like Kouji kept his mouth shut about how head over heels he was for her. Horny little prick. "Jei-san made a reservation for two this Friday, by the way. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" She had a knowing smile on her face.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I intoned. Honestly I didn't, he never once asked me on a date. He just took me out to feed me quite often – that's not the same thing! I didn't know why people would think we're an item.
"Of course. Of course. I'll be right back." Her smile didn't go anywhere. Mou! This is what I got for admitting he was cute when I first met him...
Anyway, I had more important things to deal with. "Alright guys, sensei is probably cooking up some weird ass test for us tomorrow. We need to be ready for an all out war with him, and we work together, no matter what he claims, understood?" I received two nods. "Cool, we'll work on a few strategies just for him a little later. For now we go all out to celebrate being teamed up!"
They nodded, their eyes a bit shiny. We'd grown quite close over the years. Sure they still acted goofy as hell, but I tuned the worst of it out. I was the tallest of the trio, by a hair or two. Daichi was going to end up being the tallest in the end, I could just tell. He was, unfortunately, still surgically attached to that goofy helmet of his. I couldn't even tell you his hair colour because of that. Don't even get me started on that goofy smile of his. But at least he was starting to put on some decent muscles from all the training we did.
Kouji on the other hand, he was just out there. Wiry, surfer's body, constantly walking around with his bow strung over his shoulder and a quiver strapped to his back with the mouth peaking over his left shoulder. Put on green tights and you would get Robin Hood, Men in Tights. Hey, I actually remember that movie! Shit, I haven't thought about stuff like that in a while. Oh well. I wonder if uncle Gai has a leotard to spare?
Not like I was much better than either of them. I wore kimonos most days (mostly Iromuji and Komon), only switching to more practical wear when training. And I always had my geta on! I was half tempted to talk to Kouji's dad about designing some custom geta with hidden gadgets or some shit. I kept my belt pouches on my back under my obi, leg pouch on my left arm under the sleeve, and the reverse edge sword I got off the stupid Sound nin tucked into my obi under the top layer of my kimono. And Tenshi... I always kept Tenshi nearby, but sealed in a Fuuin I kept rolled around my right arm. My hair could reach the middle of my back if I let it out these days – I hadn't cut or trimmed it once. Still, I kept it in a ponytail with two specialized kunai hidden in near the end. If you look at me, you would see nothing more than a polite young lady always dressed to the nines – until you pissed me off. Hell, I even keep my slingshot in my left pouch, along with some nasty little surprises I'd been working on. I was always ready to go to war.
"Yo!" Jei and his team showed up as well. Even now, Jei was taller than me. That swimmer's physique he had went out the door – he was now the buff bodybuilder type. Fuck, I hoped I wasn't drooling.
Wait, WTF! I didn't drool over some guy! Oh fuck, pointless. That boy could wear garbage sacks and recycled newspaper and still be the hottest guy on the planet...
Ame... I didn't know him well enough to really tell you if he changed at all. He still wore that ridiculous red bandana on his head and practically never spoke. Whenever he opened his mouth, it was solely for the purpose of sticking his foot in it. Honestly, he looked fragile.
Matsuri-chan on the other hand, she was becoming so cute! Like me she had longer legs, giving her height over Ame – we were more or less the same height, so Jei was still taller. And we both had grown somewhat – double scoop of boobs to fill out our bras and somewhat wider hips. She had this huge crush on a guy in her clan too! We've been working on getting him to notice her the same way, but it was still a work in progress. (-.-)''
"Matte-chan!" I teased. It was kind of a corruption of her name ('matsu' –from which 'matte' is derived– was the infinitive of the verb meaning 'to wait', which fit her character too well to not point out).
"Good to see you're in a good mood." She intoned. She hated that nickname. They joined us at our table, not even bothering to ask if they could – this was all of our hangout spot after all.
"You're starting without us, kore?" Yup, Pervymaru struck again. Udon and Moegi flanked him, waiting for their 'fearless leader' to take his seat.
"Hey Choco! The whole crew is here!" Jei shouted at the door, to make sure she knew to bring out the usual for everyone. "We have Ame-kun as well! You might want to actually take his order!"
"Good to know that I've been left out of this ritual all this time." Ame complained. I barely knew his name at all! Was it anyone's fault but his own that he was excluded?
Anyway, the whole crew wasn't here yet – Hanabi was still-
"Jei-san, must you insist in being so loud?" Hanabi asked, Kou by her side. She must have already dumped Samo and Jin somewhere.
"Hanabi-sama! It's fate that we were put on the same team. Can't you see we were meant to be?" Samo appeared out of nowhere, kneeling and taking her hand into his. Luckily she saw it coming and substituted with Kou – who didn't look very impressed with some kid holding his hand romantically.
"So, who wants the honour of kicking Samo out?" Well, I had no qualms with it – he was annoying the fuck out of my best friend. I stood up – luckily it was a low table so I didn't have to risk messing up my kimono for this. I took out my sword from in my kimono – gotta think up a name for it, too many weapons to keep track like this.
"Hmm, I wonder how many times I can slice his pants before he starts breaking laws around here." I held the saya in my right hand, loosely grabbing the pommel with my left. My knees were bent at a ninety degree angle with my left foot pointing towards him. The Konohamaru Corps got outta the way real quick, giving me the perfect view of the target. I was already building up the 'dormant momentum' needed for the short dash to him and selecting the best trajectory to cause as much pain as possible. No one outside of my closely knit circle of friends knew it was reverse edged – the tanto I usually carry around wasn't. So many possibilities with different types and styles of blades.
"I uhh..." He didn't even wait to think of a good reason, he just hightailed it outta there.
"I hope you guys aren't trying to scare off potential customers." Choco whined, probably only seeing the shadow disappearing around the corner and me tucking my wakizashi back into my kimono.
"Nope, just Samo. You know he's allergic to paying for anything." I pointed out, getting a few laughs out of everyone.
8-8
Once lunch was over, I was met with three dilemmas. The first was whether or not to believe we were going to be an active genin team, and therefore whether getting Kouji and Daichi properly suited up or not. The second was Hanabi's declaration that she had no intention of being on the same team as Samo. I could understand how she felt, but that meant that she would either have to wait another year and try for better luck, or give up entirely and simply train in her clan's style. That would suck for her, seeing as that meant she had far less say in who she married – unwritten clan law I'm afraid.
The final dilemma was far more pressing – whether I should really name each weapon or not. That would mean coming up with a lot of names! My reverse edged wakizashi, my tanto, my slingshot, my custom kunai. The bo staff Saru-ji-chan had made for me (Kami-sama, I miss Ji-chan so bad sometimes) was named Eda – meaning 'branch'. It was a play on leaves being able to grow from it, or so I've been told. At least that one already had a name, so I didn't have to burn my brains to figure out the perfect one. Naming something, anything, was a science. It had to be perfect from all angles. The name needed to be able to be taken different ways to mask the true meaning, while making it glaringly obvious once you understood.
Like Naruto for example. Everyone knows that a 'naruto' is a fish cake used in ramen. But few ever think of the possible second meaning, the hidden meaning: Naruto can also mean 'maelstrom'. Which most would even then not see the significance of it. Maelstrom is written as 'daiuzumaki', which when broken down meant Great Uzumaki. Names needed to be perfect from all angles.
It didn't matter. Well, other than my wakizashi. There was great emotional value behind that sword – even other than the vow with Konohamaru, there was the simple fact that it was my first sword. And my slingshot, that was the only positive memory I had from... Wait a minute! Who the hell walked around with so many weapons anyways? Other than game characters... Triforce anyone? Well, there's Tenten, but...
Whatever. Bigger things to worry about in life. "Alright guys. You still remember the 'Hail Mary'?" I asked. They nodded. That was one of the usual strategies we used against Kono-corps during gym classes. "Good, this one is similar to that, only we will be using more stealth and dialogue for distraction. I'm going to be the distraction, Daichi will flank the target and when they try to get out the way Kouji takes the shot. Questions?" There were none, as usual. They always saved questions for after the first round.
We were using the practice dummy in my back yard to practice with. Basically I was distracting the dummy by any means possible – conversation, acting hurt, hell even flirting was a valid tactic. Daichi would then substitute with me (Version II) or he would sneak up from the dummy's blind spot (Original). Kouji would then shoot an arrow through the dummy, keeping in mind that the dummy would likely be moving and that he had to ensure that the arrow absolutely HAD to miss Daichi.
We even practiced the sign of what strategy this was (open right palm and left fist) and when Daichu had to strike (closing and clenching both fists). We went over it over and over again until we all agreed that we could do it flawlessly – luckily both boys were just as determined to do it right as I was.
I still had like one more strategy I wanted to practice with them – I never introduced too many of them at once. Still, there were all the strategies we had worked on over the last two years. We were ready.
8-8
After the guys left for the day it was time to get to my own training. I decided to start off with the most complex of my exercises – applied fuuinjutsu. Basically I would seal a single item on my person into its proper fuuin on the scroll wrapped around my right arm – I was left handed and not necessarily ambidextrous. Even after factoring in the difficulty of the motions themselves, it was still more complex than it sounded – I would first of all have to know which item went into which fuuin, without looking. Then I would have to completely expose said item and arrange that the proper fuuin was also visible – to each other at least. Then I had to re-wrap the scroll around my arm in such a way that it was once again comfortable.
It was tedious, and for the most part pointless. But in the long run it would allow me to carry a greater arsenal with me, should I need it. I, at least, managed to do a complete sealing in just over a second – way too long, but better than it used to be. There was something I was missing, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what.
Sure I could just keep at it until my speed was so off the charts that no matter how inefficient I was with my movements that it wouldn't matter... But that would mean jack shit against a faster opponent. No matter what I believed, there would always be someone out there that was faster, stronger, smarter or simply sneakier than I. I honestly still hadn't made up my mind if I wanted to join the shinobi rat race, but joining the shinobi ranks was simply more efficient. I was trying to be stronger than Hashirama and Tobirama Senju for crying out loud – I'd take any help I could get!
Anyway, back to the point. I started off by having every item sealed away. So all I was wearing was my 'uniform' for training – sleeveless gray shirt and tight fitting gray pants. I would then grab the scroll that contained all the fuuin and wrap it around my arm – position zero, so where this kata would always begin. Starting with the geta I had sealed, I would unseal them on the floor before me and put them on, then take them off and seal them again. Then I moved on to the next item.
Leg pouch – the one I actually had set up to wear on my leg. Arm pouch – the leg pouch that I usually wore on my arm. Belt pouches. Tenshi (sword from Ji-chan), Eda (bo staff from Saru-ji-chan), wakizashi (reverse edge, needed a name), tanto, trench knives (yeah, Asuma got a real kick to know that I was learning his signature weapon), jian, and finally a pair of tonfa. I never did get around to finding out if someone knew a kata for the yoyo. I was however started with the basic katas for the tessen (fans). And as the grand finale, my slingshot – which took the longest because I had to unseal my belt pouch and take it out from there. There was going to be a change in that in the future, but for now it was fine.
Maybe I was spreading myself out a little thin? Nah, better to pick ten and be damn good anyway. I met my ten weapon quota (if I counted kunai and shuriken as tools not weapons), so this was where I was intending to keep it for a few years – at least until I made chuunin. And no, I never did manage to get any better with the bow... I left that up to Kouji and Daichi.
Alright, that was that. Now to individual katas. I unsealed Tenshi with the umbrella. Hmm, would the umbrella count as a weapon, or an extension of Tenshi? Grey area. Tenten had taught me the beginner and advanced kata for this type of sword – the snake sword. This was by far the hardest for me to learn – part of the reason why I was still busy learning the basics for my tenth weapon twenty-eight months later. The reason it was so hard? Because it was two weapons in one – not including the umbrella. In its natural state it looks like a standard dual edged short sword, forty-five centimetres long. However if you knew how to work it, the blade could separate into nine pieces attached by the 'snake spine' (a specially constructed wire). Depending on how you used it, the distance between each 'vertebrae' could be shortened or lengthened – with a maximum total distance of just under nine meters.
Bad mojo with the number nine – it was usually pronounced as 'kyu', which could be taken to mean suffering. Sad really, seeing as I was always taught to believe that the number nine was divine – different strokes for different folks.
Anyway, there were two (three if you included the Itou-ryuu I had already started with) schools of kata I had to learn for Tenshi. The first was the snake sword school, the second was the umbrella sword school. That the Sengo clan designed katas for weapons I had never heard of before... well it spoke highly of them as warriors and blacksmiths. Although... shouldn't Tenshi then be considered three weapons? Who knew.
Let's not even get started with Eda... Sengo Muramase was simple a genius when it came to weapons. He could take any basic weapon and turn it into a work of art that would take any given person years to master. And I was blessed with not one, but two of his final works! Maybe I should wait until I turn jounin before taking on another weapon... I might need the time to get used to the ones I already had.
Hmm, I might just have an idea for a special tessen... I'll talk to Tenten about it when I see her later.
Well, next was the tonfa kata. How did Tenten manage to master twenty different weapons by the age of fifteen? That girl was scary!
8-8
"Welcome home, Ka-san!" I glomped her the second she opened the front door. "How was your day?"
She just laughed, hugging me back. "I'll tell you as soon as I take off my shoes." I didn't react much, I usually don't. She loved it when I glomp her when she reaches home and everyone knew it.
"Okay, I can do without knowing for another minute." I hugged her a little tighter. It's not like she would be able to tell me many details anyway, it was mostly just to let her know that I've been thinking about her and missed her.
Once I decided I had soaked in enough of her warmth, I let her go. She kicked off her shoes and we entered the house together. We were already chatting about little stuff. You know the usual – how was your day (fine), didn't you have a meeting with the council (don't start), how did it go at the hospital (no one died). She was basically sworn to secrecy on every front of her life, so she never talked about it. It didn't stop me from asking, or telling her about what I had been up to between questions.
Sometimes she would ask questions if something I said piqued her curiosity, but most often she would just listen. She was a good listener. It often intrigued me that Ka-san would always arrive home forty-five minutes after Nee-san, but it was none of my business so I never asked.
We sat down to the table just as Inaho-san served dinner. "You really should take it easy on how many weapons you try to learn. Aren't you on your tenth by now?"
"Yup, ten is my limit right now. I figure I should take my time to master the ones I've selected. But I also think that once I get passed the basics that I should get my hands on a good weapon to take me the distance. I still need to think of a name for my wakizashi by the way. Anyway, I've been thinking about the tessen I've been working with. I mean, it's practical, stylish and no one would think it weird that I would go everywhere with it! It's the ultimate hidden weapon. So I figure getting one of good quality should-" Yeah, I'd become a motor mouth – only around people I trusted implicitly though. All it took was three half hour sessions a week of Ka-san's psychotherapy for six months (more or less) and she worked out the worst of the kinks in my head.
Everyone knew how to shut me up too – a simple chorus of 'Itatakimasu!', which means 'I humbly receive'... something of a prayer, something of a ritual. Socially translated it could be taken to mean 'enjoy your meal', or 'bon appetite', but some things translate poorly.
Okay, I'm rambling again. Let me just eat so I can ask Ka-san what the hell was up with me not getting Anko as a sensei!
"Ka-san, how come I didn't get Anko as a sensei?" She knew the rules, the second her chopsticks touched her empty bowl I was going to pounce on her again – with questions, it was kinda hard to glomp her with a table separating us.
"Hayama is just as capable, and he has a higher rank. We only select special jounin if no fully fledged jounin offered to become a sensei." She cocked an eyebrow, wondering what my fascination was with Anko – if my guess was correct.
"True, but Anko was there as a sensei as well." I pointed out.
"Sweetie, I have hell with you as it. You think I'm going to add to that by letting Anko take you under her wing? It's bad enough that I let Jiraiya take Naruto for so long!" She was being dramatic. Naruto would come back alright – just with a few new perverted jutsus to show off. "The point being, I think Hayama's level headed approach to life might rub off on you. Besides, there aren't a lot of kenjutsu masters that signed up for sensei-hood this time around."
"As if you hadn't selected him the second you noticed that I was going to graduate soon." I cocked an eyebrow at her. She simply wasn't one to leave things up to chance – not when it came to me. "And the fact that Jei just so happens to be on Hayama-sensei's best friend's team..." Nee-san cracked a smile at that one. Yup, I had hit the nail on the head.
"Says the one that has been on over a hundred 'non-dates' with the boy." Came Ka-san's counter, and yes she did the 'air quotes' to make sure her blatant not-believing-my-claims came over properly. Nee-san giggled at my dilemma, knowing I would (and did) deny it anyway. "Ai-chan, everyone knows you like Jei. Everyone knows he likes you too. Is it wrong for me to... help that along?"
I just rolled my eyes. If my guess was right, she'd been 'helping it along' since the very beginning. "Whatever you say, Ka-san. Hey, Nee-san, is that a mosquito bite on your neck?" When in doubt, divert!
8-8
I turned the final corner, bringing me to my destination in the heart of the Shinobi District. With every step I took, I wondered what possessed me to return here. The last time this house saw me was Ji-chan's wake.
My heart still ached each time I thought about Ji-chan, and with my training with Tenshi and Eda... well, I thought about him quite a bit.
I knocked on the door post, already loudly apologizing for the intrusion. "Good evening, sorry I took so... Ai-chan! Hey girl, how's it going?" Yun was one of the few that truly understood that I really liked it when people didn't talk any different to me than anyone else.
"Still wondering how I'll ever measure up to you and Tenten. Can I talk to the both of you? I have something of a plan and I need both your brains to iron it out." I was immediately shown in and offered tea – Eucalyptus tea, my favourite (it tastes great, combats the build-up of slime in the throat and nose and does wonders for my skin and hair!).
"Ai-chan, please don't be shy to take off your socks if you want to." Yun pointed out, smiling at the deer in the headlights look she got from me. Normally you never take off your socks if you have them on. That was a privilege reserved for close family and only the best of friends!
"Seriously?" I had pointedly refused to let them walk around my home with socks on, but that was because of everything they and their family had done for me. I never anticipated reciprocation.
She nodded, not handing me a pair of house slippers lined up for guests. I couldn't help but blush at the implications. Leaving my geta and tabi neatly put away, we entered the sitting room – not the one reserved for guests, the one where their father was sitting down reading the newspaper and their mother was knitting... something.
In the more traditional homes there were two sitting rooms. One was for everyday use for the members of that home. It would be sparsely decorated, usually only having the absolute necessities. Sometimes it would have a family portrait, or the family crest or something with high emotional value. The family shrine would be in this room too, if no special and separate room was available. The other would be furnished with only the best seating, cushions, art and always with flowers arranged as properly and elegantly as possible. It was a firm belief that one's home was too humble to entertain guests, so this room was designed to offer an honoured guest the best – as they deserved.
To be invited into the family sitting room, with no socks or house slippers on... was almost like being unofficially adopted into the family. "Good evening, Sengo-san." I bowed to both parents in turn – father, then mother.
"Ai-chan, good evening. It's nice to see you again." The lady of the house smiled warmly. I already noticed her checking to confirm my bare feet, and seeing as she only smiled wider... "Please, call me aunty." I couldn't help but notice the smile on Tenten's face when her father aped the request – to call him 'uncle', of course (calling him aunty would be rude even in jest).
Having my suspicions confirmed, I blushed a little deeper. "Of course, Aunty." I barely got to ask anything – like what the hell was going on – before Yun came back with things for the tea. I got my favoured tea, Yun and Tenten preferred cayenne and cinnamon – a weird combination to be sure. Sen... um, Aunty (fucking weird), decided to try the Eucalyptus, and Uncle preferred the more traditional Oolong tea. Normally there would be just one pot and everyone would drink from it, but it wasn't uncommon to break the mould when someone dropped in.
Once we were all settled in, I got down to business. "The thing is, I've been thinking about getting a tessen made. But I need something that is common looking so that it wouldn't attract too much attention even if I take it out in the middle of a restaurant. I also wanted something with a special trick to it too, but nothing you would be able to figure out by just looking at it. That's why I need your help, you know I'm helpless when it comes to designing weapons." Both girls were sipping their tea as they listened, but I could feel the curiosity from Aunty and Uncle as well. "One part of me is saying that it should have a mini senbon launcher, but I doubt I'd be able to have one made thin enough to hide it naturally. Another part is saying that I should just get a battle ready one made from titanium and paint it to look like lacquered wood."
I sipped at my tea, trying to focus my erratic thoughts. Why did I keep getting too excited about this? "I also red up on a few unique tessenjutsu that would be really cool to learn, but they each need something altered on the tessen for it to work properly. I have no idea how to prioritize what to incorporate and what to leave out." I offered, hoping they had followed me thus far. I tended to get a bit scatterbrained when excited – as I've been repeatedly told.
"It would be a challenge, that's for sure. But it sounds like fun to work on. What jutsu were you most interested in?" Tenten asked, though Yun looked like she was a fraction of a second behind her in asking the same thing.
I grabbed the scroll I had brought with me – it was a scroll I borrowed from the library, so showing its contents wouldn't mean anything. "The two that attract me most are based on fuuinjutsu. The trouble is that only one of them can be applied to any tessen – and yes it has to be a tessen, the gunsen is too flimsy and the dansen uchiwa is too stiff." The last two were other types of fans. The gunsen was basically a normal flick open fan warriors used to fan themselves – so it was strong enough to not break if hit, but not strong enough to survive any real fights. The dansen uchiwa was a static fan, so it was always open. It was also much larger and could be used to signal the troops and the like, but was too much like a pole arm for me to like it too much.
"This one," I tapped the first fuuin (a dummy fuuin, so it won't do anything if chakra was applied) on the scroll. "would allow me store chakra in the tessen like a battery. Then I can re-absorb it if I am running low or something. While this one," I rolled the scroll open a little further and revealed a fuuin somewhere in the middle. "would allow a chakra based attack, similar to a genjutsu but with more kick."
"..." All four of them were staring at me like I had just told them I had just walked on the moon. "Fuuinjutsu can do that?"
"Fuuinjutsu can do a lot of cool stuff. This is just what is within my capabilities. If I bugged Ka-san, I'm sure she could come up with even cooler fuuins." I explained – I was barely genin level with fuuinjutsu – I knew the basics, but had a long way to go. Ka-san was trained by her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito... so she was a bit higher on the scale.
"What else did you come up with?" Yun was curious. Well, they all were, but she's the one that asked.
"Well, there was the tessen made up of explosive tags, that would be fun to toss at someone. Then there was a sealing fuuin that could be applied to someone and either lock up all their muscles so they couldn't move, or introduce a chakra based virus that would reduce the targets reserves to less than a percent." Every time I mentioned a new idea, their eyes widened just a little more. If they kept that up their eyeballs would fall out of their heads!
Maybe I should have bugged Ka-san about this... they looked like they were going to pass out soon.
8-8
"Well, the mini senbon launcher sounds cool. I could bug Tou-san about that when I get home later. You know he loves a challenge like that!" Kouji was excited about having a new project to work on with his dad – and Daichi looked just as exited. I didn't tell them about the other cool stuff, just the stuff I knew they could work on.
"If at all possible, it needs to look like a rib from a tessen. That's what I'll be using it for." I explained.
"Girly and deadly... I like it!" Kouji could be such a prick sometimes.
"Anyway, Sensei should be here soon. Are you guys ready?" I asked, getting nothing but nods in return.
"Too late. He's already here." Sensei joked – I think. He spoke evenly, calmly... a thorough monotone. If I didn't see the amusement in his eyes I might have thought he was an Anbu Root member.
"Let's get this show on the road. What's the objective?" I asked, already sizing him up. He stood a little taller today and he had what looked to be a baton strapped to his waist. No, scratch that... that was a sword. Kenjutsu master huh?
"What's the rush?" He asked, eying me.
"No rush." I shrugged, refusing to give him any leverage over me. Psychological warfare only works when you understand the inner workings of your opponent.
"Very well." Luckily I could read his chakra – something that Ka-san had me refine ever since she found out. He was impressed, obviously he wanted me to know what to reveal and what not to – or was I reading too much into it? "Something is hidden in this training ground." He looked around nonchalantly. "It's up to the three of you to find it."
I nodded, already combing through his words for a hidden meaning. He never said what kind of thing it was, who hid it or what it could be hidden in. He'd kept it vague. "Rules?" I asked, signalling for a tactical retreat – they'd wait on my mark to act.
"None. I will attack you. You may choose to attack, but come at with intent to kill. You have until eight o'clock. Fail and it's back to the academy with you." He eyed us closely. The tension was building up – I was just waiting for some kind of sign. "Are you waiting for an invitation?"
I balled my right fist, and the three of us disappeared.
8-8
"Alright, sensei's main goal will be to test each of us individually, but he also wants to test us as a group. I say we each go at him one at a time for him to figure us out, then we regroup to get tactical. What do you think?" I looked at Kouji (who was picking his nose) and Daichi (who took that exact moment to take a leak).
"That sounds good to me. I get to kick some ass!" Kouji proclaimed, honestly believing he stood a chance. "Hey, Ai-chan... can I?" He was opening and closing his hands over and over again like he was grabbing something.
"Not this again. Come on, Kouji. You told me that last time would be the last time!" I groused. He really needed to get his own pair!
"Yeah, Ai-chan. Please!" Daichi clapped his hands together over his now bowed head – a sign of begging.
"I swear, you two are incorrigible. Fine, but when this is over we are getting you both your own! You hear me?" I complained. They really were getting too fucking familiar with my shit! I flicked my right wrist, and unsealed the requested equipment – the trench knives for Kouji and the tonfa for Daichi. "You didn't wash your hands. Did you, Daichi?"
"Uhhhhhhh..."
"Nevermind, you can keep that pair... the last thing I need is tonfa with your piss all over them." Boys can be so fucking gross!
"Ai-chaaaaaan!" He complained. Great, he drained the lizard and started feeling up my weapons – which somehow ended up being my fault?
"Wait if I take a wizz I get these for free?" Kouji just had to-
He was already unzipping his pants turning towards a tree. "To think you'd risk your manhood over a blade. Oh well, I'll make sure your future girlfriends knows what really happened." Fucking goofball.
"Anyway, I'll go first, you guys try to study his reactions as best you can. See if there is something we can use for the next round." I dashed off ahead to where I knew the man would be.
8-8
I found sensei standing on the same spot he was when we retreated. He was looking at the spot Daichi was standing up at the time and though his face was without emotion, he was drowning in guilt...? Everything about him just SCREAMED heartache.
Was he missing a few screws? Either way, that little titbit got store away for future reference. "There is no singular box or traditional container around here, is there." I was studying both his physical and emotional reaction. He barely reacted at all.
"Fishing for clues isn't going to help you." He intoned.
"Who said anything about fishing? Just confirming a suspicion." He didn't look like he believed a word I said. So I continued to test his reaction further. "See, I believe that you are setting us up. Which is usually the case during these little tests. You give us a problem that we were meant to misunderstand. Then you test us in gen-, tai- and ninjutsu to see how we do and what our individual levels are. Then you test our teamwork synergy levels. After that you test for something personal. Something that says something about you and what you feel the team you lead needs." The colour drained from his face, radiating shock.
"Yup, about what I figured. Now let's see, what could be the most important thing to you? What is this 'thing' that is hidden here?" I tapped my finger against my chin, trying to answer my own question. "Not enough information. Oh well, I guess we'll just keep monitoring you until we figure it out." I unsealed my wakizashi, suddenly being hit with the perfect name – I'd only been wracking my brain for days. "Shinsei... the perfect name for the sword that marked a new beginning for me. 'New birth'... 'rebirth'... or perhaps the term 'nascent' is best for describing Shinsei. Or maybe just for me... Nascent literally means 'beginning to exist or develop'." Maybe that was it? Definition of words – he liked word games? He seemed amused with me, not sure if that was a good thing or not.
Either way, Shinsei finally had a name. I grasped the scabbard in my right hand, taking the pommel into my left. The best to begin with him was being defensive, even if it meant attacking defensively. No, I still didn't understand what 'attacking defensively' really meant, I just knew that it was called that.
He smirked at me, happy about something – don't ask me what. Then he unsheathed his sword... okay... was he curious about how good I was? Or maybe he was glad that he would have a student to teach his skills to? Something made him happy. Hmm.
Either way, he wasn't coming to me, so I dashed to him unleashing my fastest move – the Dragon's Claw. Dashing name, fast as fuck... but with a huge drawback! I had to overextend slightly to do it right... my arms were simply too short with this sword. Slight though it was, if anyone noticed they could take advantage of it and knock the sword out of my hand with ease.
Anyway, it was just a fancy name for a shotgun blast attack from the hip. It had a decent arc, but the reach was limited to the length of the sword. Why the hell was I analyzing my own fucking attacks? I should have known them inside out by now!
I mentally shook my head, wondering why I had the time to have such a long internal monologue during a fucking fight... Some quirks don't ever go away.
Sensei tapped the tip of his sword –a long and thin sword might I add– right against my wrist, causing me to release Shinsei. Before it flew too far away though, I unwrapped my scroll and sealed both sword and sheath (that was the beauty of being able to seal things quickly). Then I unsealed Eda. Maybe I just needed a reach advantage with him?
I re-wrapped the scroll and took Eda into my left hand. Yes, I knew that sensei had plenty of opportunity to destroy the scroll if he wanted to – but I had hoped to catch him off guard. No, I wasn't going to give him the opportunity twice.
He smirked. "You overextended."
"I know. But my arms won't be this short forever." I countered, trying to stab him with the tip of my staff – it didn't have a sharp point, but a stab could still hurt if it landed. He leaned out of the way, tapping Eda with his sword to make sure I didn't have some trick to still hit him.
I didn't, but I did try to kick him in the shin for his trouble. Too bad he stepped away from it.
That's basically how the entire fight went. He would only hit me if I overextended, or if my form was off – which only happened once! Other than that, he would only dodge me. Well... dodge, parry, sidestep, backpedal... he was good at frustrating the shit out of me!
"This isn't working!" I twisted Eda, letting it pop audibly. I held the middle firm while the top and the bottom fell limp, now hanging from a thick wire, ten centimetres long. I was able to take full advantage of the Eda in this form, because of the unpredictable flurry of motion that I had learned through the katas.
I don't know who came up with it, by the tornado like motions were effective as fuck! Dizzying, but effective. Still, it didn't matter – sensei had to put slightly more effort into it, but he was fending me off just the same.
"Impressive for one so young." He said, that smirk still pissing me off.
"I aim to please." I twisted Eda back together – there was quite a trick to it, but after training with it at least twenty minutes a day for over two years... it kinda just flowed along. I sealed Eda again, deciding to try my luck with hand to hand – which he didn't seem to mind. He sheathed his sword as well.
"Against a genin you would have won." He commented, tapping a punch off course.
"Against a chuunin I would have died." I tried sweeping his leg, but he just stepped over it. I was getting bored of these games, needed though they were. "Sensei, you aren't challenging me very much."
He smiled a little wider. "Stop holding back then."
"And give you a heads up for the team rounds? Nah!" Shit, I shouldn't have said that!
He started going on the offense – blocking instead of dodging, and he started hitting back! Fuck, no more chance to talk now! He aimed a punch at my chin, which I leaned to the left and tapped it off course. I countered with a knee aimed at his kidney, which he blocked with an elbow – which fucking hurt!
He shot a punch at me, which I tried to dodge. He still clipped the side of my head, giving me an instant headache. I bit back the pain, trying to kick the side of his knee to get him off balance. But he raised his foot and blocked my kick with his sole. Then he shoved my leg back, the shift in momentum setting me off balance.
I was getting tired, so there was little I could do to be effective. That didn't mean I was giving up though! "Your stamina could use some work. Still, you lasted longer than I anticipated. Take a nap, we still need to test your teammates."
I didn't know what he did, but the world went black instantaneously.
8-8
"YAAA!" I shot up, the feeling of ice cold water slamming into me. "SENSEI!" Sensei was watching me impassively – hell, he almost looked bored.
"So, Ai-chan decided to wake up to hear the results." He smirked at me. I just snarled in reply, noticing for the first time that the three of us were each tied to a tree.
"Sorry, Ai-chan. Neither of us managed to land so much as a hit." Koji probably thought I'd be upset with him.
"Even with your tonfa, all I could do was try to buy some time for you to wake up. But I messed that up too..." Daichi was even more downtrodden. He didn't have a lot of self confidence after his parents died, so everything that went bad seemed to be ten times worse in his eyes.
"Quit the complaining! We're not dead, so we will just have to figure our way out of this and try again!" I hated hearing them sound so defeated. It tore me up inside.
They didn't voice their complaints, but I felt them anyway. They thought he was too strong, too fast... they wanted to just give up. "So, you've noticed that I'm stronger. Is that why you wish to give up?" Sensei asked, his frown barely visible.
"We're not giving up! Never!" I shouted. "We've gone through too much together to let one man stand in the way of our dreams!" My words weren't reaching the guys. "Look, even if we fail this test. Even if we get sent back to the academy... it'll still be the three of us! We're not letting some stupid test ruin our team."
"Ai-chan, you don't get it. Sensei said that he could only pass two of us." Kouji said. So that's why he woke me up last. Slick!
"We've decided that I would go back." Daichi added. Oh. Hell. No!
"And you believed him? Look, it doesn't matter. Pass or fail, we are sticking together! There is no way I would let either of you take the fall for me to pass some stinking test! What the fuck is wrong with you?" I kicked both of them in their shins. Hard! "We're a team. Stop acting like a bunch of guys trying to protect the girl. I can take care of myself!"
They both just looked down and away – they knew how much I hated them going 'bodyguard' on me.
"Ai's right about that. She did better than both of you guys." Sensei added his two cents. "But it doesn't really matter. My decision was already final anyway."
Sink or swim. Did it matter? No. I would still be able to train either way, I would still drag these two dorks along with me – I was a geek, I could call them dorks if I wanted to! Before I knew what was happening, three kunai were thrown at the rope, cutting us loose. "None of you have found what is hidden here. You fail."
Both guys looked like they were going to cry. They started apologizing to me immediately about letting me down, and how it was all their fault. A whole bunch of worthless shit like that. "Kouji, Daichi. You really didn't hear a word I said. We failed this time, but we're not dead. The will of fire will not flicker out because we messed up." I hugged both of them, hoping they understood that it truly didn't bother me. "Now come on, we still need to get you guys suited up properly. That equipment you carry around is embarrassing."
"You're not mad?" Daichi tried smiling, but it looked a bit mutated to be honest.
"Furious! And that won't change until you take off that damn helmet of yours!" I countered, already sticking out my tongue to show I was pulling his leg. Well, mostly. That helmet irked me... "Anyway, Hayama-sensei. Maybe we'll bug you again next year." I waved at him, already dragging the boys with me.
"But you promised you wouldn't drag us shopping with you anymore!" Kouji complained.
I tisked. "Stop being a baby and come on!"
"Hey guys!" Sensei shouted over our bickering – no matter how much time we spend together, we still end up fighting like siblings. "Team practice starts at six tomorrow. I expect you to be there and ready to work hard."
"Huh?" Smooth, Ai... real smooth.
"I'm saying that you passed every test I threw at you. Congratulations, Team 7. You passed!" He smiled at us. A real, eye twinkling, face morphing, honest to goodness smile.
"Sensei, you have one twisted sense of humour."
8-8
"Alright you guys, we need to get you some better uniforms to train and do missions in. Daichi already has his tonfa, and Kouji is not giving me those trench knives back. I think you should both get regular kunai. No explosive tags though. Mesh armour for under your clothes. And Daichi, what the hell is up with those sandals?" Tenten and Yun were already jumping up and down from joy – that was a green light for a complete makeover!
"Oh, and you guys are getting some better bows and quivers." I added. Daichi and Kouji were both damn good archers – I was the only one that sucked with the damn thing, but my slingshot made up for it. "You guys carry fuuin scrolls right? We're going to need four of those as well. And what state is your camping equipment in?"
The list just got longer and longer – I didn't mind, I got a family discount. (^-^) And I knew for a fact that the girls were enjoying themselves with playing dress up with the guys. Something about girls and makeovers... meh.
"Hey, Ai... did you want these two to get some lessons for those weapons?" Tenten asked. She was away on missions a lot, but she was still the most reliable sensei when it came to weapons.
"Think you can handle two at once?" We both laughed a bit – she had been teaching Yun and I at the same time for years.
"Oh, Ka-san wanted me to remind you that our stock of explosive tags was running low. Between you and me, I think Tou-san has been selling them in bulk to other outfitters." Yun rolled her eyes and nodded at her sister's words.
"Cool, I can have the last ones done by tonight. I'll swing by after dinner time with Kosuke-san." We kept chatting while the guys kept complaining. I don't know why, they could have joined the conversation.
Anyway, while they were busy with that, I started getting the camping stuff together and I was already eying the weapons section. It was amazing how much they expanded their market, they could now brag that they carried everything a shinobi needed! Business was good.
Once I had everything I needed, I itemized everything and started sealing them away for the guys. I still haven't gotten to blood seals and the like, but I could seal damn nearly anything. Maybe I'd start bugging Ka-san about that tonight. Either way, there was stuff to do! "Hey Yun, what time did you have to meet up with your team?"
"Around noon." Ah. That's why she hadn't asked if we passed.
8-8
"Welcome home, Ai-sama." Came the usual chorus. Even little Kimoko was started to call me 'Ai-sama'. No matter how much I begged Inaho to teach her to call me 'Ai-chan'. Fucking annoying!
"Hey Natori-san. You heading out for your shift?" Kohada's husband, Naroti, moved in with us like a year ago – just after they got married. He still worked in Konoha's Aviary though. Whatever, he liked his birds.
"No, I have the day off. I have a date with Kohada." He replied, a goofy smile on his face. A 'date' usually meant they would go to a hotel after and boink the hell out of each other. Those two were WAY too fucking loud!
"I'd say to enjoy, but that would mean admitting I know what's going on. So I'll just see you later." He didn't even catch the hidden meaning. His loss.
I made my way into the downstairs library –the one that officially existed– looking for Inaho. She was my partner in crime when it came to fuuinjutsu, other than Ka-san who was teaching us. "Inaho-chan, Aunty Sengo needs those explosive tags by tonight. What's the current count?"
"Hey, Ai-sama. Nice to see you too. My, you're home early. Did your test go well?" She had that smirk on her face again.
I just rolled my eyes. "Kimiko kept you up again last night." The smirk was a happy smile that she didn't have the energy for. And the blabbering was her brain saying that she was likely going to shut down any time now.
"I honestly don't know why that girl doesn't sleep through the night! She's four! Four year olds sleep through the night!" Okay... enough caffeine for you.
"Inaaaa, tag count?" I reminded her, kick-starting her brain for a few seconds.
"Nine seventy-four. I'm gonna go lay down." She got up, already heading for her room – only the family slept upstairs. Which sucked, because her room was right next to the honeymooners.
"You do that. I'll wake you up when it's dinner time!" I shook my head, wondering when she was going to start asking us for a little help. I mean come on! Fuki practically begs to watch Kimiko during the day, Kohada offers to let the little girl sleep in her room most nights. But Inaho stubbornly refuses to let anyone help. Hell, I remember a few times I begged her to let Kimi-chan sleep in my bed with me!
Stubborn. That's what Inaho was. I should know, we had that is common. Anyhoo! Nine hundred and seventy-four tags. That left a mere twenty-six for me to make. Piece of cake. I sat down going over the supplies Inaho was just working with, finding all the ink pots still closed and the brushes dry. Poor thing probably just stared out into space for an hour – she did that when she's really tired.
After this I needed to swing by Kouji's house to bug him and his dad about that senbon launcher. Well, that and I wanted to make sure they actually threw away all that old training equipment! Fucking collectors.
8-8
"Hey, Fuki-chaaan! I'm going out for a while. Kosuke's with me, so don't worry! I'll probably end up eating out for dinner too!" I announced, already slipping into my geta. Kosuke had the box of tags – which he knew to be careful with. Nothing more dangerous than a thousand explosive notes residing in a box small enough to carry!
I wanted to seal them all up in a scroll, but for some reason fuuins negate other fuuins. That simply didn't work, not with my level of know-how. "Alright, come home safe!" Came Fuki's reply. She was still a bitch most days, but I knew how to deal with her – threaten to tell Naruto all about it.
Well, either way, we had places to go and things to do. And just my luck, Jei was just getting back home as I slid the door shut. "Ai-chan! How'd you do?" He was smiling, but was clearly worn out, so he passed.
"Made it, but barely." I told him honestly. He confirmed that his team made it too – meaning that Hanabi's team had to have failed. I'd known that the other teams would fail – a sad but harsh reality when only three teams could pass.
"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to celebrate with me and the team later. My treat." Yup, it was back to this again.
"Sure, why not." I shrugged. "But I had an appointment with Kouji's dad too, so we'd need somewhere private." Hmm, how much effort is a date (with me) worth (to you)?
"Not a problem. You know Ginkai's has those private booths upstairs and everyone likes the food there. I'd say that it would prove the perfect spot. What'ya think?" He didn't even blink. Okay, fine, he got a few points for that.
"That'd be perfect." I smiled. "I'm actually heading over to Kouji's just now. You wanna meet up at Ginkai's, or did you wanna come with?"
"'Just now'? That means you're making a delivery to the Sengo's first." He eyed the box. "Tags again? Didn't you deliver a box last week?" We had something of our own superstition: never mention the type of tags you were delivering, it's bad luck.
"Yup. Don't ask, I don't know." I shrugged. Yeah, Jei had been keeping something of an eye on me lately – not sure how I felt about that.
"Alright, well I can always meet you at Kouji's. I kinda need to take a shower first." Now that he was close enough for me to smell him... I had to agree.
"Nah, just meet me at Ginkai's. That way you can take your time." I grabbed a twig that decided it liked his hair. "It looks like you might need it."
8-8
"So basically it has to be hidden in the rib of a tessen I want made. The housing has to be as strong as the rest of the ribs, which I want made from titanium. The thing is that I am not sure what the motif is going to be, but if you need average and maximum measurements to have a basic idea..." I reached into my sleeve –no kimono has pockets, they have long sleeves you fold back that people USE as pockets... not the same thing– for a fan I kept on me for everyday use. "This is a standard fan. The fancier types can be about twice as wide and fifty percent longer. War fans can be a lot bigger, so it's not a complete flop if it has to be bigger."
"Hmm..." Akamon-san took the fan, checking it from all angles.
"You can take it if it helps. And yes I know that means you'll dissect it." I offered him the fan, which he immediately started stripping down to the frame. "If you take out the main pin at the bottom, you can see the see the outer rib by itself. Sometimes it's thicker too – especially on the fancy models. Just try not to make it too thick if at all possible." He nodded, clearly already thinking about possibilities. He would probably end up bugging the hell out of Kouji over this – something the guys bragged about.
"What material for the projectile?" He asked.
I had no issue with expensive weapons, but expensive projectiles were pointless. "Think along the lines of a standard sowing needle or even the point of a thumbtack."
He hmm-ed again. "And you would want it to shoot from a hole around here?" He tapped the tip of the outer rib, furthest from the pin that held the fan together.
"That seems like the easiest spot if it's going to be accurate." He was already making notes on a notepad he brought with him. "But anyway, that's enough business. This is a celebration!"
Everyone cheered for that one. Kosuke-san, Kouji, Daichi and I sat on one side, while Jei, Ame and Matsuri were sitting across from us with Akamon-san sitting directly across from me. Choco and her mother were constantly bringing in food and tea – and some sake for the legal drinkers.
The air was light, even with Choco admitting that her team didn't stand a chance at passing the test. She didn't mind, seeing as she intended on working for her mother either way. Though it came over as an 'I'm fine... really.'.
Either way, it was none of my business. "Jei-kun! This was a really cool idea!" I announced, indirectly saying that this was all his idea and he therefore deserved all praise for it. Everyone kinda looked around nervously, wondering who would say something. "Thank you for inviting us."
"Yeah, Jei-kun. This is alright." Kouji enthused. Daichi and Akamon-san both nodded as well. Jei's own team seemed a little... distant though. I knew that Matsuri was at worst neutral to him, but Ame... he was an unknown. Ame only really stuck to Samo, Dango, Jin and a few other guys I didn't even know. A group that was known for kicking trouble with Jei.
"What do you think, Ame?" I asked him pointedly. If he tried to make Jei's life miserable I'd-
"If I had a problem with your boyfriend, we wouldn't have passed the test." He didn't. No. He couldn't possibly be that stupid.
"Ame, how many times do I have to tell you that we are not dating." Jei said. You know that tone that you use when you've heard something so fucking often that it doesn't bother you, but you still need to say something about it? That exasperated, not-this-again tone?
"Sure you're not. Why would I think that?" He retorted. Oh, really?
"What Jei and I are is no one's business but our own." I glared daggers at him. "But to set the record straight: you are not to make his life or his career difficult... Understood?" He was sweating from the amount of killer intent I focused on him. I'm not sure if he meeped out a yes, or if he just meeped.
"So, Jei-kun! How's it feel to be a big bad Konoha shinobi?"
8-8
Once I reached home, I was honestly glad to get out of my kimono. It was hot, sticky weather – I should have worn a Yukata, but I was being stubborn. It was simply too difficult to hide any weapons in a Yukata! And you can't just wear the outer layer of any kimono!
I scrubbed down, but didn't soak in the furo – it was too hot for that shit. I put on my usual house clothes, and went into the upstairs library. There were a few things I needed to confirm.
The majority of which only Ka-san could illuminate. "Hey... do you have a minute?"
She had been reading a scroll – on what I had no idea. "Sure." She rolled the scroll and tied it off properly. "What's on your mind?"
"Do you really think it was smart to put Am-"
"Sweeeetieeeee." She drawled in warning. "Both Jei and Ame are now Konoha Shinobi. As such, they need to learn to work together to show they have what it takes."
"I knooooow." I sighed. "I had to try at least. But about the teams then... I know we are grouped together with a task in mind... what would be the tasks this year?" Maybe she'd be willing to-
"That is something you should discuss with your sensei." Maybe not. "But you already knew that a team's niche depends on how the members train, and not on what they were selected for. Didn't you?" That should have been obvious.
"..." I blushed.
"I merely select teams based on who can work best with whom. Most often we stick to tradition, like the Ino-Shika-Chou, but it isn't always an option." She explained, folding her arms. She had something on her mind.
"Ka-san... what am I missing?" The sinking feeling in my gut wasn't really helping.
"Ai, there is a lot you need to start figuring out for yourself." She looked at me sternly.
"So if I assume that we are a first response cell, based on my tracking and iryou ninjutsu and Kouji and Daichi's teamwork, I won't be far off?" I wondered.
"Tactical response. Genin cells are never first response." She corrected. Wait, was she telling me what the team was meant to be, or simply correcting the idea that no genin is first response?
"So we're a-"
"Ask your sensei. Now what else did you want to know?" Correcting the idea, not informing me. Got it.
I had dozens of questions, but they were all related to things that she would want me to 'figure out on my own'. "Now that I'm a genin, can I start going to see the Chuunin Selection Exams? The next one is in Suna, isn't it?"
"No, the next one is being held here, after that is Kumo. Suna isn't hosting for another eighteen months, at least." She smiled. "And yes, you can go. In fact, the first exam's already underway. Of course you have to discuss details with your sensei, he is your commanding officer now."
"So in a month and five days we're having the third round?" I had to stop myself from hopping around from joy! Ka-san never let me go to a single CSE. And the JSE was always done behind closed doors. What I wouldn't give to see jounin hopefuls battling for supremacy!
"That's right." She nodded. Ooooh. She had a secret! I can always smell when she has something up her sleeve.
"I'm guessing you'll tell me when the time is right?" I really needed to stop hopping around when I got excited about something.
She just rolled her eyes and patted my head – rather challenging seeing that I could barely sit still from excitement! "Time for little girls to go to bed, sweetie."
"Mouuuu!" I complained. "Ka-san shouldn't get me worked up just to hear 'go to bed'. It's illegal!" She laughed. She kissed my brow, telling me she loved me and I was officially shooed. "Hmph."
8-8
It was five forty in the morning. The sun was up, but everything was still sleeping. The squirrels, and rabbits and flowers... everything was sleeping. So why in the holy hell was I awake? I could have been hugging with my pillows, snuggling with my Tsu-Ba-chan (the doll of Ka-san that I simply got addicted to), or even just sleeping. Sleep could never be overrated! "G'morning, Ai-chan." Choco? What the hell was she doing here? I must have been sleepier than I first imagined.
"Umm... morning?" I had to beat my eyebrows down to make sure they didn't permanently move above my hairline.
"I know... I don't understand why I came here either." She sounded troubled, and uncertain. The look in her eyes was haunted, like she had missed something she didn't know she wanted.
"Choco-chan...?" I hated that look in her eyes. I truly hated it.
"We're friends, right Ai-chan?" Why was the cloud hanging over her getting darker? "And friends help each other right?"
"Usually." I cocked an eyebrow at her highly suspicious behaviour. "Why don't you just tell me what you need and I'll tell you if I can help."
If possible, she seemed even more unsure now. "..." She whispered as softly as she could in my ear, using her hands to block any lip readers that may or may not be trying to listen in – and she mumbled too, just in case.
When I heard her request, I fully understood her hesitance. If misunderstood it could be taken as...
"I'll be passing by Ginkai's later today. Think you can reserve a private table for me?" This could become interesting. I'd better check with Ka-san to make sure it didn't create a stink.
8-8
"Alright Team 7, welcome to our first team training. I will inform you of our training regimen. We start at six with warm ups. We do training from six thirty to eight. Cool downs until eight fifteen, then break for breakfast. At nine we head for a mission, which shouldn't take us until later than twelve. At one we start training again until four, then we check if there is another mission available. If so, we do that then call it a day. If not, we train again until six. We will essentially be together twelve hours a day and we will be having breakfast and lunch together – dinner is optional, but not a must. Now let's get started." Hayama-sensei simply spoke of his intentions. He broke no arguments, or back chat. This was his team, so we had to play by his rules.
"Hai, sensei." We chorused. Not a whole lot of choice in the matter.
"Ai, you're too attached to your weapons. During morning training you are forbidden to use any of them. And more importantly you are forbidden to use more than one." I could feel my ears heating up from how pissed off I was.
"Sensei you ca-"
"You're too eclectic. It makes it hard for you to truly master anything. I don't want you to get killed because you choose to switch weapons during an actual fight. Effective or not, you must learn to take a disadvantage and turn it into an advantage." He explained, which I could understand. I just wasn't going to like it, at all! "Kouji and Daichi, you were good in hand to hand, but your weapon skills are subpar, so until I see improvement neither of you are allowed to train without them. Now enough talk, I want to see this warm up I hear you three prefer."
I sighed – already planning some way to get around his instructions. "Alright guys, you know the routine. Hop to!"
8-8
End chapter 10
A/N: Well, here is chapter 10. Don't worry, there won't be too much angst for a while. As promised, the genre has changed to Adventure/Drama. And far more important, the fun is going to start!
Keep an eye out for the next chapter which will be all about Jei/Ai (not coupled, but shameless fluff none the less), missions, training and Ai exacting her revenge on Hayama (who was the squad leader in the episode where Kosuke was introduced). As well, there will be some plot bunnies introduced. I hope you guys are looking forward to it too!
Naruto doesn't show up until after the CSE (Chuunin Selection Exams), so he's MIA for now. And Sasuke... hmm, what could be up with Emo-king? Stay tuned!
And if anyone is interested in Beta-ing for this story, please PM me.
(Note added 1-July-2012): There is a poll up! Those who want to have their as to what Senju Ai's second element will end up being can cast their vote on my profile page! The element won't be introduced for at least another ten chapters, but I wanted everyone to have ample time to get their two cents in!