The History of Konoha's Noble Green Beast
Chapter 10
Gai rushed forward with everything he had. Once he was within striking distance, he threw a hard hook with his right hand, which Koji swiftly blocked. Gai threw his other fist at Koji's gut, but the Hyuuga was quick enough to spot the attack and blocked it as well. Gai stepped back and swung his foot out in a high kick, which was quickly dodged and then another which was dodged again.
"Gai."
Swing
"Gai."
Punch.
"You are wasting your time." Koji said with little sign of interest still on his face as he continued to duck and dodge every move thrown at him.
The cocky behavior really pissed Gai off. Gai hopped back and reassessed his situation.
"Why are you wasting so much time Koji? Just finish the twerp off so we can go back to the lookout!" Ryota shouted out from the sidelines.
"Shut up!" Gai shouted back. "You're not in this fight!"
"You're right; I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight I can't win." Ryota shot back, which made the other two boys next to him laugh.
Gai grumbled under his breath and turned back to his opponent, who was still standing where he had been since the beginning of the face off.
"Are you even going to do anything?" Gai demanded.
Koji gave him a smirk. "If you insist." He replied with a casual shrug. Within an instant, the boy disappeared from in front of Gai.
Gai stood stunned in his place. Where did he go?
"Psst, behind you!" Came a quiet voice.
Gai turned in horror to see Koji directly behind him. He didn't even have time to think before the kick landed square in the middle of his back and sent him flying. Gai rolled forward on the grass, wincing in pain.
"Oi, what's the deal." Obito said, tilting his head to the side a bit.
"What do you mean?" Asuma asked.
"Why doesn't Koji just throw on his Byakugan and finish him off?" He asked.
"Apparently it's strictly a taijutsu fight. Koji mentioned something about Gai challenging him the other day and if it's a taijutsu fight only, using Byakugan would be cheating." Asuma explained.
"Oh." Obito said. He felt Ryota give him a slap on the back.
"Just relax man! Koji doesn't need to waste Byakugan on Gai anyways. The winner of this fight is obvious." Ryota said with a smile.
Gai coughed a little but scurried back to his feet, knowing another attack was inevitable. He positioned himself, with his guard ready, he would have to be more careful about attacks from behind now.
Gai looked over at the arrogant Hyuuga, who was standing with his hand on his hip and his signature grin, which made Gai's blood boil over the top. Just treat him like the last training post in the dojo. You have to be ready for anything. He coached himself on the inside.
Koji vanished in another body flicker. Gai checked over his shoulder but found nothing, then quickly realized there was a shadow hovering above him. He looked up just in time to see the black sole of Koji's sandal come careening down into his face.
The boys on the sidelines squinted to try to see through the dust that had blown up from the attack. Once it had settled, Koji could be seen standing in the middle of the small divot, he had made in the ground and Gai was standing about 10 feet off to the side panting.
That was close. Gai thought as he rubbed the deep bruise now forming on his cheek. He hit me, but if I hadn't moved when I did, I would have been crater paste!
Gai could hear the boys on the sidelines laughing again.
"Koji, this is funny and all but stop fooling around. It's like watching a cat play with a half dead mouse!" Ryota shouted out.
"I am not a half dead mouse you jerk!" Gai shouted back.
"Face it Gai." Koji said as he began to approach again. "I'm just toying with you."
Gai felt his rage overflowing. He could not take much more of these taunts. He couldn't possibly be that much weaker than Koji. Gai took a moment to brush himself off and re-center his mind. There was no way he was letting Koji beat him like this.
Realizing Gai was not going to make a move, Koji launched himself towards Gai with a mid height kick. Gai was actually ready for the assault this time and blocked the kick with his forearm. He saw the fast movement out of the corner of his eye as Koji's second leg came hurtling at him.
Not this time.
Gai used his other free hand to grab his teammate by the ankle. He turned it hard to the outside causing Koji to flinch in pain. Instinctively, Koji followed the motion with the rest of his body to protect his ankle from being twisted or broken. Gai took the opportunity to land a hard punch in the middle of Koji's back, which sent the boy into the ground.
The boys on the sideline stood with their jaws dropped. "No way! Did he just hurt Koji?" Obito cried out.
"That's impossible." Ryota snorted and then looked nervously at both his friends. "…right?"
Koji lifted himself up off the ground and wiped the dirt from his face. He was pissed, but felt grateful none of his family had witnessed him being attacked by such an armature.
"Congratulations Fuzzy Eyebrows." Koji smirked, trying to play it cool. "You landed a hit. I under estimated you. Don't worry though, it won't happen again."
Gai was getting more furious with how arrogant the boy was being. He could not keep his emotions in check any longer.
"Let's go then. Dainamikku-Akushyon!" Gai shouted. He leapt up into the air and did a rather acrobatic flip. Koji braced his arms in an x expecting a downward kick but was surprised by the sudden punch to his face.
"He hit him again!" Obito shouted. "Am I seeing things right. He hit him didn't he?" He pulled off his goggles and wiped them on his shirt to make sure his vision wasn't the issue.
"Koji must not be feeling well or something." Asuma tried to reason.
"Hey Koji! Stop letting that bowl-headed loser hit you and finish this…it's embarrassing!" Obito shouted out at his friend.
Koji was normally a levelheaded person. Normally, he showed a sort of poise about him that couldn't be broken by the hardest of steels yet right now, he felt like a 5 year old that had had his favorite toy taken away from him. He was mad…really mad.
Koji wiped his lip and frowned. The sight his own blood only fueled his anger. "This ends now." He hissed. With that, he lunged forward at the green-suited boy.
Before he reached him, he vanished in another boy flicker. Gai dropped quickly into a squat to avoid the attack from behind and swept his leg around to take out Koji's legs. He was nearly successful but Koji managed to jump out of the way before his feet were taken out from under him. Koji disappeared in a flicker again and reappeared by Gai's side. This time he landed a hard kick into the side of Gai's head. Gai felt his brain rattling in his head as he went careening into the grass a few feet away. He was about to get back up when he felt a pressure on his throat holding him in place. He looked up to see Koji, pressing his foot firmly into his throat.
"At this point, if I push hard enough, it will kill you. The fight is over." Koji said in a calm tone, though on the inside he was still raging and contemplated pressing down harder.
Gai looked up at him with a defiant glare. They held their position for a few moments and then Gai finally tapped his ankle, indicating defeat. Koji stepped back and waited for Gai to get up. The boy kept his head down as he lifted himself off the ground.
"Look at him. He looks so humiliated." Ryota commented.
"Gai….you should have known bet-" Koji began to lecture but was cut off by the happy chuckling of his teammate.
Gai looked up at him with a smile. "We'll it appears I've been beaten and a promise is a promise." He said, giving him a thumbs up. "1000 pushup just like I said."
Koji shook his head. How can he be so positive after that?
Gai immediately dropped down on the ground and started doing pushups. "One, Two, Three, Four…" He said in-between grunts.
Koji sighed and walked away towards his friends that were waiting for him.
Obito looked past Koji and the odd display in the field. "What is he doing?" Obito asked.
"Being Gai, let's go." Koji replied, not bothering to look back as he headed down the hill. The other boys shared a quick glance and then shrugged it off, leaving Gai alone in the middle of the clearing.
To be honest, he was not entirely alone. Another individual had been watching from up on a tree branch on the other side of the field quietly. She had been drawn over by the sounds of shouting and was very surprised to find two of her students going at it. Now, that Gai was on his own, she decided it was best to go up and talk to him. As she approached, she could hear him counting away the push ups. He was so focused; he didn't even notice her presence until she was hovering over him. Gai paused in mid pushup and looked up at the unexpected visitor.
"Misaki-sensei!" He shouted. "You're back!"
Misaki gave him a weak smile, trying best to hide how tired and emotionally strung out she was from the trip. "Hello Gai-kun. What are you doing?" She asked.
Gai continued with his push-ups. "I lost the bet, so I have to do 1000 push ups." He replied.
Misaki looked around at the deserted field. "But Gai, no one is watching you, and don't you think 1000 pushups is an awful lot for losing one sparring match?"
Gai paused again. "You saw us fighting?" He asked.
She gave him a nod. "At first, I was a little disappointed. I do hate watching you two fight all the time, but to be honest, I was rather impressed with your fighting Gai, you've improved quite a bit for just a week."
Gai felt his eyes well up with tears. "Thank you sensei!" He whimpered.
She replied with a nervous smile. "Don't…don't worry about it." She said. Gai was always so excited when she gave him praise…it was a little weird for her. "Really though Gai, you can stop doing the push ups. No one is watching you and I don't think those boys cared that much to begin with. I won't tell anybody if it makes you feel better." She said.
"But, what good are my promises if I don't keep them?" He said in between presses.
"I suppose that's true, but why not set the punishment a little lower then, such a high number of pushups is ridiculous!" She replied.
Gai finally stopped completely and sat back on his heels. "Sensei…do you think I can become a good ninja?" He asked.
Misaki gave him a dubious look. "Of course Gai, as I said before if you work hard I think you will become a great ninja." She answered.
"We'll I have been working hard. I've decided one of the best ways to do that is to set really high expectations for myself…so…even if I fail, maybe something good will come out of it." He explained. He hopped forward again and returned to doing push up. "So, if I can do 1000 push ups…maybe it will make me stronger and I'll be able to beat him next time."
Misaki stood in silence. So, this is going to be your way. She thought.
"This is how I will become better. It's my new rule. What is the point of working hard if I don't believe I will become stronger for it?" He grunted.
Misaki smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a week. She looked at the sky and determined it was likely sunset soon. She had planned to rush home to see Kushina but knew Minato was probably already there checking on her. Kushina would understand if she was a little late. Misaki took a seat next to the boy who looked at her out of curiosity as he continued to go through the motions.
"We'll if you're not going to take a break; the least I can do is stay here and make sure you don't kill yourself." She smiled.
Gai returned her smile and turned back to his pushups. "In that case, I will work twice as hard so you will only have to stay half as long!" He said.
"I said don't kill yourself!" She snapped back.
She watched him work in silence for a little while and could not help but admire his determination. "Keep it up Gai-kun. Only 912 more to go!" She cheered.
"Yes sensei!" He shouted back.
It took quite a while, but Gai managed (with some struggling) to finish all the pushups. Misaki returned home to find Minato there as expected, passing on the news to their friend. Kushina had cried pretty hard about it. The reports had been very kind in the information they had provided. The damaged to the Whirl Pool was undoable. The land was literally a crater. Anyone who had escaped had been on the outskirts during the incident and many of those who had managed to live, died shortly after from their injuries.
Misaki had not even been able to fully describe what she had seen. The land was cooked, yet there was no source for the fire. Whatever had destroyed this place had come and gone. The air was thick with a feeling of a dark menacing chakra that neither Misaki nor Minato had ever felt before. They had scanned the lands as best they could for survivors, but had ended their search early; when the weight of the dark chakra became too heavy for them to bear. It seemed the closer they got to the center of the damage, the thicker it became. They had even opted for going to the outskirt of the country to villages that were harboring survivors. They had managed to find a few, but they were mostly shell shocked from the experience. The only description they were able to get was a bright red glow that howled like a wild wind and that brought forth earthquakes and fire.
Minato knew nothing that could even fit that description but when they gave their report to the Hokage, he mentioned a legendary animal that may have fit the description, but reports of such a creature were just that…legendary. There hadn't been record of such a beast attacking a country in eons, but from the look of worry in the old mans eyes, the pair of Jonin's could tell he may have been giving it idea second thoughts.
They say that time heals all wounds, yet anyone who has ever had to depend on time for healing knows that it never fully removes our injuries.
Kushina stayed in the village, acting at a Jonin level but primarily kept busy teaching specialized ninja skills to students and arranging the Chuunin exams. The other Chuunin coordinators saw her as a godsend since she seemed to be able to accomplish what had taken them forever to put together. She attended the odd mission but never went out of her way to take on too many. Misaki suspected it had to do with the Whirl Pool incident yet never brought it up. It had been almost 2 years since the disaster and Kushina was starting to smile again.
Minato, clearly still head over heels in love with the woman, continued to pursue her. He managed to get the odd date with her but their schedules made it hard for them to have any real form of a relationship. Misaki mentioned a couple of times how happy she was to finally see them dating. This usually just resulted in Kushina yelling at her that they were not together and Minato blushing furiously.
Minato used to hate seeing the girls fight all the time, yet now, it made him really happy. It told him Kushina was starting to feel better…to be happy again.
"He is not my boyfriend!"
"Minato and Kushina! Minato and Kushina!" Misaki taunted back in a lyrical tone.
"Knock it off before I knock you out!" Kushina snapped.
The sun shone down fiercely on the walkways of the village as civilians went about their daily lives. It was an unusually hot day, even for the time of year but no one really complained since it was at least more enjoyable than the rainy seasons.
No one was aware of the pair or dark eyes shifting in the shadows, keeping a look out for any possible threats. After determining that the coast was clear, the boy took off down the dark alley and headed for his target location. He clutched the prize under his jacket tightly, feeling the pride bubbling up in his chest. He was going to top all of them today with this little gem!
He made the final sprint across the open walkway and reached the tiny grove that was well sheltered by trees and heavy brush. Upon breaking through to the open space, he was met by three startled faces that quickly relaxed upon seeing who it was.
"Yo." Obito said, taking a seat next to his friends.
"About time you got here. We figured you'd been caught." Asuma said in a hushed voice.
Normally on days off, the boys would just play cards or something. Today was a different though since earlier in the week, during one of their get-togethers, they had come up with a rather odd competition. The goal was to see who could swipe the best object from their homes without being caught. Sort of a game of stealth that was liable to get them killed, but each boy had been a little excited at the prospect of getting to play around with taboo items.
"No. No…I was just being careful. Had to make sure I wasn't caught with what I'm carrying." Obito explained, patting the front of his vest.
"We'll there's no way your item is better than mine." Asuma smiled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet. "Ta da!" He said.
The boys looked on with interest at the item. "What's that?" Ryota asked.
"It's cigarettes. I swiped them out of my dad's desk drawer. He normally smokes on his pipe, but I've caught him using these a few times." He explained.
"Aren't those bad for you?" Ryota asked.
"We'll, if they are so bad, why do you see adults always using them? I see really cool people using them all the time!" Asuma replied.
"Let's try them!" Obito said excitedly. "I want to know what's so great about them."
Ryota sniffed the package. "I think my nose is too sensitive for those things." He said.
"Wuss." Obito teased.
"Shut up! My family is renowned for their sense of smell. I can't go damaging it with those things!" He said.
"Suit yourself." Asuma shrugged. He lit the cigarette in his hand with the lighter he had also swiped from his father. He handed the lit stick out to the silent white-eyed boy in the group. "Here Koji, you can have the first one."
Koji took the cigarette and examined it. After a few moments, he took a puff in. His face quickly turned green and he started to cough. "Gross!" He gagged. "It tastes like that smell behind the butcher shop when that old guy burns all the rotten meat!"
"Ew. Gross. I don't want to try that." Obito said.
"Aw, come on! You'll be a chicken like Ryota if you don't." Asuma teased.
"I'm not a chicken. I just have my priorities." He demanded.
"Fine." Obito sighed, taking the cigarette from the coughing boy. He quickly took a puff and started to cough. "You're wrong, it's worse than that smell behind the butcher shop!" He choked.
Asuma took the cigarette from Obito and took a puff himself. He coughed pretty hard as well. "Yeah, it does taste pretty terrible." He frowned. He slipped the box back in his pocket. "Not sure how my old man always uses these things."
"Maybe you have to practice at it or something." Obito suggested, wiping the tears out from under his goggles from coughing too hard.
"Alright, what else did everyone bring?" Asuma asked.
Ryota reached into his pocket. "I brought a little bottle of sake I found on my mothers table. It's been sitting there forever. Unfortunately there isn't much left in it." He said shaking the bottle.
"We'll, it's still pretty cool. Let's try it." Obito said. Each boy took a turn taking a swig from the bottle.
"Bleh, it's not very good." Asuma frowned.
"Better than that stupid cigarette." Koji chimed in.
"Very true." Obito added.
"Alright you whiners...What did you bring?" Asuma said crossing his arms over his chest.
Obito could not hold it in any longer. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his new prized possession. "Check this out!" He said.
The boys stared over at the little orange novel in his hands. "Is that…that's the Icha Icha Paradise book!" Koji shouted in disbelief.
Obito was beaming with pride. "That's right. Adults only!" He smiled.
"How on earth did you get your hands on something like that?" Ryota asked suspiciously.
"The author himself gave it to me." He beamed.
"The author: Jiraiya-sama himself gave you this book?" Asuma asked with a skeptical glance.
"That's right, the other day I met him!" Obito explained.
"Team, today is very special. Today you are going to meet my sensei from when I was a Genin." Minato said with a smile as his team followed him down the street.
"Really? We're going to meet a real Sannin?" Rin said with excitement. She'd heard about the Sannin since she was little. They were legendary throughout the Fire Country and today they were actually going to get to meet one in person!
"So which of the Sannin was your teacher sensei?" Obito asked.
"Jiraiya-sensei." Minato beamed at his students. He was actually very excited to see the man. He had been off traveling for so long; it would be nice to finally catch up with him.
"He's the Gama Sannin right?" Obito asked.
"Yes, that's right. Be sure to behave in front of him. He's a very powerful man." Minato added.
"Yes sensei." They replied.
Minato pulled back the drape and stepped into the shop with his students close in toe. He looked around and finally laid eyes on the back of his teacher's head.
"Jiraiya-sensei!" He called out. The man turned sluggishly and looked over his shoulder. His eyes were droopy and he was clutching to a cup of sake.
"Minato-kun…ssssso good to see you." He said with a big smile, taking another drink.
"Sensei….are you…are you drunk?" He asked.
"Maybe I am…maybe I'm not." The man slurred as he swayed back and forth in his seat.
"Sensei…why are you drunk?"
"How did you know!" He cried in shock, grabbing the edge of the table to steady himself.
"Sensei…Remember? I was going to introduce you to my students. How could you be so careless?" Minato sighed disappointedly.
"Well…I was aaaall ready to meet ur students. Then Tsunade showed up. Did you know she was it town? I didn't. Girl drinks like a fish. I couldn't just let her drink alone!" He demanded pointing to the mess on the table. Sure enough, the small booth Jiraiya was situated in was littered with a number of cups and sake bottles.
"Sensei…" Minato sighed again.
"No really…she drinks like a fish. I think she stores it all in her enormous-"
Minato quickly slapped his hand over his teacher's mouth and laughed nervously.
"Anyways, these are my students." He said, trying to work with the situation as best he could. "This is Rin, Obito and Kakashi."
Jiraiya looked the group of students over. His eyes landed on Kakashi and he scratched his chin. You look familiar. Where have I seen you before? You look exactly like…oh what's his name… now I've forgotten."
Kakashi looked down at his feet, his eyes saddening at the memory of his father being prodded at. Minato quickly placed a hand on his student's shoulder trying to comfort him.
Jiraiya snapped his fingers. "I've got it! You look just like Minato! Yeah that was his name. He was a student of mine ya know?"
The group of ninja's paled a little.
"Sensei…I'm Minato!" The blonde-haired man demanded in frustration.
Jiraiya looked up with surprise. "Minato-kun! When d'you get here?" He asked with a dubious look on his face.
Minato smiled sheepishly and hung his head. "I'm going to get you some tea." He muttered. "You three, come with me." He ordered.
There was no way he was leaving those three alone with him in this state. He was liable to tell them something embarrassing about his past or worse…scar them with some topic they were just too young for.
Obito followed slowly behind the group but was held back by a strong arm on his shoulder. "Psst. Hey you there." Jiraiya said.
Obito turned around and looked at the man. "How old are you?" Jiraiya asked.
Obito titled his head to the side with a frown. "I'm nineteen." He said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
The Sannin's eyes lit up with delight. "Really, you're so small for a nineteen year old! You must have a hard time with the ladies." He said.
Obito frowned further. "I was only jo-" He began to explain but didn't manage to finish his sentence before the man shoved a little book into his hands. The symbols on the front making it very clear he should not be holding this.
"Here ya go. My treat. Be sure n'tell all your other short friends about it too. It's gonna be a huge hit!" He said before lulling back down into his drink. Obito stared blankly at the man before him that was now drooling into his sake cup.
Obito's hands remained frozen tightly around the little novel. He'd heard of the book before, and was well aware that this was not something he should be able to get on his own. He heard the approaching footsteps of his team and quickly shoved the book into his waist pocket without being noticed.
Minato shook his head, seeing the man asleep in his own sake.
Obito decided to cover his tracks before he looked suspicious. "He just started rambling and then passed out into his drink." He explained.
Minato gave a defeated sigh, set the tea down and ushered the students to the door. "I'm so sorry you three; this isn't what I wanted you to see. We'll visit him another time."
After I have a very long talk with him. Minato thought to himself.
Obito could not help but notice Kakashi watching him out of the corner of his eye. He gave the Chuunin a quick glare and then walked a bit faster a head of him to avoid any unnecessary questioning.
"Whoa! That's amazing! Have you read any of it yet?" Ryota said, swiping the book up and flipping through it.
"A little bit. It's pretty awesome. I mean, just read the first few paragraphs." He grinned.
The little boy's eyes flew over the words, his face growing redder with every sentence. He started to laugh to himself.
"Let me see!" Asuma said, reaching and out taking the book away.
"Hey, I was still reading that!" Ryota growled, reaching out for the book again.
"When do I get to see it?" Koji demanded, taking hold of another side.
"Stop it! You're going to ruin my book!" Obito shouted, also grabbing hold.
"It's my turn."
"Shut up, you already read some."
"I haven't even gotten to touch it yet!" Koji added.
"It was my turn!"
"What are you four doing back here?" came another voice.
"Oh, crap!" They all shouted. The boys dropped the book and took off for the trees. Obito was about to run off as well but paused and looked back at the book. He couldn't just leave it behind. He ran back and picked it up, only to find a pair of black sandals in front of him. He looked up with a frown.
"You." He said with a glare.
"What are you doing back here, Obito?" Kakashi demanded.
"None of your business." He snubbed the silver haired boy and he began to tuck the book into his pocket. Kakashi eyed the book with interest.
"Isn't that an adult book?" Kakashi asked, recognizing the symbol on the cover.
"So what if it is?" Obito shot back.
"You're not old enough to read something like that." Kakashi demanded. "Give it here."
"You're not old enough to read this book either. Like hell I'm giving it to you!" He snapped.
Kakashi sighed. "I'm not going to read it. I'm going to return it to a proper adult."
"Everything is about the freaking rules with you!" He growled.
"The rules are in place to keep order." Kakashi replied, sticking out his hand. "Hand it over."
"What you going to do if I don't?" He crossed his arms over his chest.
"I'll be sure to report you to Minato-sensei. As you superior, it is my duty. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to know you're holding onto adult products illegally."
Obito shoved the book into Kakashi's chest. "Just take it." He growled and turned to walk away. He looked over his shoulder. "Asshole." He hissed and then vanished into the brush.
Kakashi stood silently for a moment, examining the book in his hands. What was the big deal with this thing anyways? Out of shear curiosity he flipped open the front page and read a few lines. He had convinced himself since he was already a Chuunin he should be more than mature enough to just browse the front out of curiosity and then return it where it belonged.
But, as the story goes…this was not the case.
Kakashi felt his face beginning to flush with every word. The lines were so beautifully woven together and the descriptions….oh the descriptions. Kakashi finally managed to force himself to close the book.
"I…I shouldn't be reading this." He said to himself. It was wrong…it was against the rules…it was…it was…
Kakashi stared down at the orange paperback.
Read me….
No…I can't…
Read me!
It's wrong…the rules say you have to be at least 18 to read this book.
So…whose gonna find out?
That doesn't make it right.
But I'm so interesting. Come on, I had you hooked on the first line.
Why am I having an inner argument with a book?
Come on, just a few more pages and then you can return me where I belong.
Kakashi looked around the area cautiously. No one was around, he was sure he couldn't feel anyone's chakra. He shook his head violently.
"No, it's against the rules." He demanded and took off toward the village. As he went along, he looked at the book clutched in his hands. What could just reading a little bit of the book do? It isn't going to hurt anybody. It's not like it's part of the NINJA laws…just the…city…laws…
Stop trying to justify it to yourself! Kakashi yelled inside his head.
He continued towards the center of the village, picking up pace to try to distract himself. He didn't want to read it that bad…right? He finally reached the main walkways and decided it was best to take the rooftops; he didn't want to get yelled at for carrying the book.
Or are you afraid someone might take it away from you?
Kakashi paused on the edge of the one of the buildings…he couldn't take the argument in his head any longer. He sat down on the roof, obscured by some paneling and flipped open the book.
I can always return if afterwards.
Misaki gave a large stretch and a yawn as she watched her students working in the training field. Today they were testing the accuracy of their senses.
"Oi, Koji, keep that blindfold over your eyes and no Byakugan. This isn't a test for your bloodline limit." Masaki ordered from the tree stump.
"Yes sensei." He replied, keeping his arms up and ready. He focused hard with his ears and tried to sense the chakra of his teammates, but they were doing a really good job keeping their levels low enough that he could detect them.
"Alright. Riko, whenever you're ready." Misaki ordered.
A few seconds passed with no movement and then quick as a flash, Koji sensed her rising chakra levels.
To the left!
He turned hard on his heel and blocked the attack directed at his ankles.
"Nice one Koji." Riko said, backing away from her blinded teammate.
He replied with a smirk and pulled off the blindfold. "I guess it's your turn now." He said, handing her the piece of fabric.
Riko tied the blindfold over her eyes. Koji quickly took off into the trees and dropped his chakra levels down to prevent her from sensing him.
"Alright, Gai, go for it." Misaki ordered.
"Hai, sensei!" Gai shouted from the bushes and charged towards Riko.
Having the time to hear his voice, Riko quickly dodged him and stuck out her foot, sending the boy forward onto his face. She quickly pulled the blindfold off. "Gai…you're supposed to be stealthy. Calling out to sensei before you attack gives away your location!" Riko chastised the young boy.
"Whoops." Gai laughed getting back up and scratching his head. "I guess I was a little too enthusiastic."
Misaki sighed and walked over to her students. "Really Gai, you need to learn to keep the emotions in check. Koji, you can come out now."
Koji joined the group in the middle of the field.
"Alright, I think we've done well for today, but I have one more exercise I want you to do before I give you the big announcement I've been holding onto." She said.
"Oh, come on. You've been keeping it from us all morning!" Gai whined.
"Grow up Fuzzy Eyebrows." Koji said.
"Don't tell me what to do No Eyes!" Gai snapped back.
"Please stop fighting." Riko whined.
Misaki simply shook her head. "Anyways…" She continued. "I want you each to go stand on those posts over there." She said, pointing to the three pieces of wood lined up along the side of the field. The students did as they were told. Misaki stood in front of them with her hands on her hips. "Good, now this morning I talked privately with each of you for a few minutes, but only one of you was told a secret message. Now, as a team I want you to figure out who I told it to, and what the message was."
Gai was about to open his mouth and quickly shut it when his teacher gestured him not to interrupt. "The rules are simple…you may not talk to one another…nor can you leave those posts. In fact, I don't want to hear any noises. I'm going to go sit behind that tree and if I hear any noise out of you, the game is over. I'm giving you five minutes to figure it out." She said.
"Five minutes? That's impossible!" Koji demanded.
"NO TALKING!" She said. "Oh, and you ALL better be able to give me the message, not just two of you. You're time starts…now."
The students looked at one another frantically, unsure what to do.
How the hell are we supposed to communicate a message like this without talking? Riko thought.
This is difficult. I can't even see Riko-chan from this angle. Koji is blocking my view. How am I supposed to know if she's trying to tell me anything? Gai thought, scratching his chin.
This time limit blows. Koji thought.
Riko looked around nervously. She had to get her point across and fast. She looked over at Koji who made eye contact with her instantly.
Here goes nothing. She thought.
She quickly reached into her weapons pouch, pulled out a kunai and gently stuck it into the log between her feet. Koji's eyes lit up instantly.
Riko has the message! He realized. Koji gave her a nod indicating he understood.
Koji continued to watch the girl, hoping she would be able to give him the message quickly. He suddenly felt a tug on his shirt and turned to see Gai looking frantic. Koji made a few gestures indicating it was Riko and put up a finger indicating he needed a minute to get the message.
Gai misinterpreted this and thought the answer was one. He opened his mouth to shout it out by Koji, with lightning reflexes slammed his hand over the boy's mouth (just barely clinging onto his own post to do it) and mouthed the word 'wait'.
Gai nodded his head and waited patiently. Koji turned back to look at Riko who was trying to gesture out the answer. Koji tried to return the explanation, but it was only causing confusion.
Dammit. This doesn't work if we don't use similar symbols… Riko thought. Wait a minute, that's it!
Riko reached down and pulled out the kunai in the log. They were running out of time, so she'd have to pass on the message to both at the same time if they were going to make it. She reached into her weapon's pouch and pulled out another kunai and some trip wire. She fastened the wire to each of the kunai and gently tossed them to Koji. The boy gave her a strange look, but then realized her plan. He tossed the second kunai to Gai who gave him an even more confused look.
Riko pulled the wires tight and began to tap on them in a rhythmic pulse.
Morse code? Brilliant Riko-chan! Gai thought.
The wires still produced a pulse that could be felt, yet it gave off no actual sound.
The two boys focused intently, feeling the beat vibrate through the kunai. Just as Riko finished giving the message, Misaki's timer buzzed wildly. Riko pulled back the kunai and quickly tucked them into her pouch before Misaki made it back to them.
"We'll, did you get the message?" Misaki asked, looking the students over. The three took in a deep breath.
"The sky is always blue even when it rains in Konoha." They replied.
Misaki looked stunned. "VERY impressive." She smiled. "You win!"
"Alright!" Gai cheered. "So NOW will you tell us the big news?"
Misaki gave a nod. "How about you get off those posts first?" She said.
The students hopped off and approached their teacher. Gai was almost bursting at the seams with curiosity.
"So? What is it? What is it?" Gai demanded.
"Calm down." Misaki chide him. "I'm sure you are all aware of the time of year yes?"
The three shared a quick and confused glance. "What do you mean sensei?" Riko asked.
"Why, the Chuunin exams are coming up!" She smiled.
Gai was now hopping around wildly. "We're going to the Chuunin exams! We're going to the Chuunin exams!" He cried as he ran around.
"Really sensei? You think we're ready?" Riko asked.
She gave them a smile. "As sure as I could ever be. I think you three will do great."
Koji smiled a little. He had been looking forward to finally getting into the Chuunin exams. "This should be interesting." He said.
"So, how about we all go celebrate your entry into the exams at the Ramen Shop? My treat." Misaki said.
"Thank you sensei…but shouldn't someone go catch Gai first?" Riko asked.
Misaki looked over and realized that Gai was still running around excitedly in the field.
"Oi! Gai-kun! Are you going to have lunch with your team or not?" She shouted.
The little boy finally realized how far he'd gotten from the group. "Yosh!" He cheered and ran after his team. "Let's kick some butt!"
END OF CHAPTER 10