A/N: Last one was supposed to be a double update as an apology to leaving things for this long, but unfortunately I was stuck finishing the final scene. That scene alone went through three drafts to turn out to its current state.
Also, I noted in the comments that Tsuki has been receiving a lot of hate. I merely felt like clarifying something.
Tsuki's character is not necessarily bad. He feels that both Fujita and Roku will be overlooked by others since they were teamed with Hatorama. As a result, he concentrates more on them than Hatorama and, in turn, neglects him. Considering his history with their parents, he feels it is his responsibility to ensure their safety and human beings always become warped when it comes to their loved ones. Seeing how Hatorama's status brings more trouble, he is understandably pissed with him. And the fact that his first impression of Hatorama was in itself skewed makes him suspect Hatorama for almost anything. This will have a major impact on Hatorama in the near future.
Anyways, this is Hatorama's story. Tsuki's perspective will probably pop up sometime in the future, but he wouldn't necessarily have a scene in each chapter. At least not for the next ten or so chapters. If you want a perspective of any particular character, let me know I will try my best.
By the way, I hope this chapter sheds more light on how the team dynamic is and Hatorama's thoughts on his team. Some of you may feel its illogical, but this felt more authentic and added more value to Hatorama's character as he struggles to find his place in this world. Remember, that he considers himself an oddity in this world.
About the summon thing, I might have overplayed my hand a bit there. But, I did have a valid reason for putting it there, at least in my mind. The summon's knowledge of Hatorama's past will play a part in the future, but not anytime soon. It will all tie into Hatorama's identity crisis.
One more chapter and we will be heading into war. I have to say, I am looking forward to writing that particular part of the story.
P.S: It's Pov, not Omake. Sorry for the confusion (for that one particular user who was confused).
"Oi Senju Baka,"
A smile blossomed on my face the moment I heard Harami's voice. It was my first off-day ever since the team assignment. Ever since then, I have been far too busy to actually visit Harami.
"What brings your lazy ass here this early?" Harami asked with a bit of a smile.
I merely shrugged my shoulders and moved towards her. The deer she was petting was eyeing me warily. I stood a few feet from the duo and watched her pet the deer in the early morning sun. Somehow, that sight calmed me.
I had been mulling over Kushina's statement the whole night. While initially, I was angry at Tsuki sensei, as time passed, it dawned on me that maybe I might have been a little immature in my actions of not trying to call Fujita back.
Also, Tsuki sensei's words about me being too prideful for my own good seemed to echo in my head constantly. Combined with my previous mindset, it made me feel as if I may have overreacted when Tsuki sensei reprimanded me. I have to admit, it had been an awful feeling.
"When will you be done?" I asked her.
"Give me five minutes, then we will go get some dango."
"You do realize that it is awfully early to eat dango, right?"
"No, it is never early to get some dango," Harami stated sagely as if she was revealing a universal truth to me.
I smile at her. "The shop might have been opened yet," I cautioned her.
"We will see,"
Harami returned to feeding the deer, which looked ready to bolt any moment. I merely admired the scenery of Harami feeding a deer in the early morning, with lush green forest backdrop during the entire time and kept my distance away from the deer, lest I spooked it. In a couple of minutes, the deed was done and Harami let the deer race off with one last kiss to its forehead.
"So, how's your team?" she asked as we made our way back from the Nara forest.
"Don't ask me, it's horrible," I said in an exasperated tone, trying to keep the conversation light.
"Tch, troublesome."
Her trademark reply brought a smile to my face.
"How did you mess up this time?" Harami asked in a knowing tone.
"Who said it was me that messed up?" I asked a little defensively.
"If that isn't a red flag, I don't know what is," she said not looking at me.
"Tch…. It's nothing. I think I have been overreacting to stuff recently," I admitted, at last, seeing no way to dodge the question.
Silence lasted for a few minutes as we made our way out of the Nara compound. The streets were still not that active, owing to the fact that it was still early in the morning. However, there were still few people, both ninja and civilian, going about their business.
"So, how's your training going?" I asked trying to break the uncomfortable silence.
"It's good. My Shishou has introduced me to basic codes that are used by the village on non-sensitive information. After fifteen days of supervising me, he has assigned me to decode the information that is coming in. Considering that I have been dealing with mostly regular reports and routine checkups, nothing interesting has come up so far."
"Hmmm," I nodded in reply as we neared the dango store which was just being opened.
"Looks like we have to wait a bit," Harami said with a huff.
"No issues, I have the entire day off."
"I expected you to not get a day off for three months at least," she replied with a searching look.
"What can I say, we messed things up a bit. So, sensei has given us a day to reflect on our behavior."
"And here you are hanging out with me. Doesn't look like you are doing much reflecting,"
I merely shrugged in response, not willing to open that particular can of worms.
"Its more than that, isn't it?" she asked with a searching look.
I grimaced. I didn't know if I should explain to her what was going through my mind. If anyone could get it and not be patronizing to me about it, it would be Harami. She was far too smart for her own good. But, it didn't feel like I should rant my problems to her. It is not as if I was the only one with problems in the world.
"Its nothing, just leave it," I said after a while.
She shrugged in return and we both sat waiting for the dango to get ready. It was fifteen silent minutes later, that we left the dango shop with a dango stick in each of our hands. We made our way to a small clearing, away from the bustle of the main streets and made ourselves comfortable.
"What about you? Don't you have to go in today?" I asked her as I took a bite out of my dango stick.
"I have to report in a while. But, it is still early for that though," she replied after savoring a particularly large bite of her own stick.
"Good for you," I muttered, not knowing how to respond.
Another bout of silence ensued as we snacked on our dango sticks. My mind wandered through the myriad of thoughts bouncing around in my head and settled on Kushina's departure to the frontlines. The fear I was trying to keep down ever since then bubbled up, but I ruthlessly squashed it down.
"How's your team? I heard from Shikaku sama that you were put together with Fujita," she asked breaking the silence.
I stopped midway from taking a bite out of my dango stick.
"As well as you can expect it to be. We haven't murdered each other yet," I said trying to turn my statement into a joke.
"What about the other one? Some Akimichi right?"
"Roku… Roku Akimichi. She's good. But she's more of Fujita's friend than to me," Harami's face fell, "I'm not complaining." I hastened to add.
"I mean, I understand. I heard that both their parents used to be on the same team. Naturally, she has to be closer to him than me."
"Oh," Harami's face brightened up a little. "Who's their third teammate?" Harami asked cheerfully.
"My sensei," I said trying not to sound bitter and utterly failing.
"Oh," Harami seemed to be at a loss as to what to say. Silence followed for a few moments as we both concentrated on our respective dango sticks.
"It must be hard," she said after a while.
"No, no. Sensei's not bad. I mean, it could be worse. But, overall he treats us all equally," I shamelessly lied. "But…"
"You feel as if you are unwanted…" Harami guessed astutely and I could only nod.
Another bout of silence ensued.
"I think, its all in my head, you know. I try very hard not to let it get to me, but somehow my mind always jumps to the worst when something happens. Like yesterday, sensei was just pointing out that sometimes I let my pride get the better of me, but I totally overreacted and blew the thing up."
Words started pouring out of my mouth like a river once I started talking.
"I mean, it was not as if he was only pointing out my mistakes. He reprimanded them too, but since I was the one he started off with, I kinda lost it. And I was in a terrible mood after that. I didn't even respond well to Kushina when she came to see me. And now, she's left for the frontlines. I don't know what…."
"Kushina san left?"
"Yeah, she left for the frontlines. Looks like Mist has joined the war too. So, they deployed her and a few other older shinobis to the frontline."
"Its getting bad, isn't it?"
"Yeah, and I don't think it will get any better soon. I think this will be a long war."
We both sat in silence as that truth sank in our heads. It was going to be a long war. And if my foreknowledge was correct, then we are not even halfway into it. And I will be spending most of the remaining half on the frontlines. It kind of scared me out of my wits. I have never been in a war before. And the horror stories I have heard about the veterans who came out of it made my head spin.
"Will you be safe?" Harami cut through my self-spiraling thoughts with a timid voice.
I looked up at her, only to find her looking intensely at her dango stick. I groaned internally as I realized what I was doing. Here I was, a grown ass man, at least mentally, ranting about my fears to a little girl. No matter how smart she was, or how advanced for her age she was, this was entirely wrong.
And I could see that Harami was scared for me. She knew I would be going to the frontlines soon. For a girl, as young as Harami, knowing that her friend was going to be in the frontlines of a war would be a terrible burden. It didn't matter that she was a genin now, she was far too young to be having such a burden.
"Who are you worried about? I am a Senju. We are born to fight," I said with far too much cheer in my voice than normal.
And for an extra effort, I flicked my half-finished dango stick at her head. Her indignant shriek was music to my ears as she started berating me for acting like a child despite being a genin. I laughed at her, until delivered a swift kick to my face that I had to hurriedly duck out of. I backpedaled and created some distance before standing up with a smile.
"Baka," she screeched at me and turned to leave.
"I'm sorry Harami," I rushed to catch up to her.
She let out an indignant huff, "Anyways, I need to leave for work. Unlike you, I don't want to mess up and disappoint my Shishou," she said caustically.
"Fine, fine. I will walk you to the compound," I raised my hands in surrender.
She let out a huff before turning away from me and walking towards the Nara Compound. But, she did walk slowly allowing me to catch up.
We made our way back to the Nara Compound talking about what we are training in currently. It looked as if she had started to train more in her clan jutsus now. I let her know my progress in water natured jutsus. She seemed to be impressed that I know three C-rank jutsus already. I pointed out to her that she wasn't far behind with all the clan jutsus she was training in.
Overall, the conversation took a lighter turn as we both jested and mocked each other all the way to Nara Compound. Harami waved me goodbye and we parted at the gates.
I watched her make her way into the compound for a few moments and started wandering aimlessly through the village. I knew I have to go meet with Roku and Fujita in a while, but I didn't know where to meet them. Probably, I should go to our training ground. But, it was too early for that.
As I wandered aimlessly through the village, my feet slowly took control of me and soon I was looking down at the village from one of the favorite spots in the village - the Hokage Mountain.
Talking to Harami did put some things into perspective for me. I knew I was afraid to be in the frontlines. Any sane person would be. But, it was just an excuse. I couldn't wallow in it too much. I knew that in order to become an S-rank ninja, I need to experience many life and death situations. While a part of me could wish to be an S rank ninja, I knew it wasn't going to be easy or done overnight.
This war would be a good place to sharpen myself for the events in the future. But, nothing would matter if I don't get out of this war alive. So, my current priority should be getting out of this war alive.
I knew, I pretty much had the running away part down to pat now. I know I will be doing a lot of it in the upcoming war. Some might consider it wimpy or even cowardice, but I knew it was anything but practical. I was a mere genin now. And expecting me to take on Jounins and seasoned veterans would only be a colossal joke.
So, the escape part is pretty much set. I could use the Hidden Mist jutsu, and a couple of clones to make my escape from tricky situations. And my sensing abilities will come into huge use during those times.
But, I can't be running away all the time. There will be inevitably some times where I would need to fight for my life. And being in the frontlines, I think it would be more often than I would like. Even for escaping, I might need to get into a scuffle or two to make a getaway. And that was the part that worried me.
No matter how much I improved in the next few months, there will always be someone more experienced and stronger than me. And to get out of tricky situations like that, I would need something extra. Like, say a trump card. Or…. a team….
Kushina's parting advice came to mind and I grimaced. It was clear from her statements that Tsuki sensei was under heavy scrutiny. I wouldn't be surprised if Danzo had an eye on our team.
Considering how the two children of his former teammate are in the team, there will be someone always looking for some hint of partiality or some such thing. He should be under pressure to not be partial. And, my outburst yesterday was pretty much telling him that he was being partial.
I grimaced at how much it would have hurt Tsuki sensei. No wonder he was so angry with me. Despite his efforts, I had accused him of being the very thing he dreaded to be. Maybe, I should apologize first thing tomorrow. Even if it wouldn't solve anything, at least it would indicate that I was willing to take criticism. And that would, in turn, reduce tensions within the team.
And Fujita…. That was honestly a dead end. I didn't know how to patch up things with him. Maybe an apology to him? Nah, no way! But then, it wouldn't hurt much, could it? At least the words would keep him placated and he would be more willing to work with me. It would be for the best. Once he gets it through his head that working with me is actually to everyone's benefit, it would become far easier to implement any strategies and we all would have more chance to get out of this war alive.
The more I thought about it, the more it felt beneficial. Am I going to keep dragging this on and on by keeping to my pride, or am I going to apologize and reduce the tension and have a better chance at survival? The answer sounded simple to me. After all, despite everything Fujita is just a small boy. And knowing Uchiha clan, the pressure he must feel would be enormous. Not to mention that he is in a team with a Senju - their hated rivals. So, keeping him appeased could only improve the team dynamic.
Having made the decision, I wasted no time in making my way to our usual training ground. It took some time for the others to arrive. Roku arrived first about fifteen minutes after I came.
"Hi Hato kun, were you waiting for long? Sorry, I didn't let you know at what time we decided to meet up," Roku said as she made her way to where I was resting.
"No, I just came about ten minutes ago," I replied with an easy smile.
"Ok," Roku nodded in return as she sat beside me as we waited for Fujita to arrive.
"About yesterday," Roku began after some time.
"I know Roku, sorry, I just overreacted. I don't know what got into me. I was just stressed," I apologized to her immediately.
If anything, I felt kind of bad for putting Roku in the middle and watch it happen.
"No, no. I get it. Sensei should have reprimanded Fujita first," Roku began.
"It doesn't mean he wasn't right about me, does it?" I asked with a self-deprecating smile.
Roku didn't reply immediately.
"I know, I should have gone after Fujita. It's just that, it is hard sometimes. He never listens to what I say, and sometimes I feel like punching him in the mouth. And I think, I just didn't care much at that point when he walked to the building. But, I never expected Orochimaru to be there."
"Yeah, he was scary," Roku said with a shudder.
"Imagine, I have to deal with him thrice a week when he drops in for dinner," an amused laugh left my mouth and I saw Roku smile at that.
"Orochimaru sama is strong though. I heard from my father that he is one of the top five shinobis in Konoha. You must get loads of advice,"
"As if," I snorted, "Hiru..., I mean Hokage sama and Biwako san wouldn't teach me anything. They are old fashioned. They strictly believe that it is the Jounin instructor's job to teach me anything advance,"
'and they believe teaching me things would send me to frontlines soon' I added mentally to myself.
"And I don't like Orochimaru san much. I prefer to avoid him most of the times. Kushina teaches me sometimes, you saw her yesterday, but even then she only has limited time."
"I didn't know that," Roku said in reply.
"Trust me, most things I know I learned from Konoha library. I also improved upon the basics that Biwako san taught me."
"Oh,"
"Anyways,"
"Hey Roku chan," Fujita bounded into the training ground with a cheery mood only to have his face sour at the sight of me.
"Hi Fujita," Roku greeted from near me with a smile on her face.
"Hi Fujita," I greeted him amicably.
"Senju," he nodded stiffly.
I let out a huge sigh. I stood up and walked towards him with Roku trailing behind me. A tense silence enveloped us. We all knew why he had decided to meet. But, the problem was to figure out how to go about it.
We stood there awkwardly for a few moments, me and Fujita eyeing each other, Roku watching us. At last, I decided it was time that someone spoke of the elephant in the room instead of treading around it.
"Look, Fujita," I began and immediately he scowled, "I know things haven't been good between you and me."
He looked as if he was going to argue, so I forestalled him by raising my hand. I didn't need him interrupting me now. It already irked me to apologize to him. I didn't want him to set me off with some really stupid shit.
"I don't know what it is that you are mad at me with. But, I know that it is not good for the team. And with the war, I think it is best if we put our differences aside and try to be more of a team than we are now. So, I apologize for whatever it is you are mad at me with. I think.."
"Will you stop it?" Fujita shouted angrily at me.
I faltered mid-sentence surprised with the amount of anger in his voice.
Now what?
"You don't need to act all high and mighty, Senju. I know it was my fault yesterday. And I know from my father that Tsuki sensei is facing a lot of pressure from higher-ups because of what I did yesterday. I don't need you to tell me that it was my mistake. You made it very clear yesterday. I am not a baby. So, don't patronize me like this, you asshole."
I stared at him dumbfounded. That was not the reason I apologized to him. I just wanted to stop fighting and get along.
"Fujita.."
"I apologize, Senju. I will not let my personal emotions to get hold of me hereafter. I came to say this to you. I am leaving," Fujita spoke over me in a strong tone and took off without waiting for my reply.
I stood there stunned. I didn't know how to react for a moment. I looked at Roku hoping she could help me make sense of what I had done wrong. Roku shrugged her shoulders in return. I closed my eyes and groaned unable to believe that it had all gone sideways.
"Maybe, I should go check on him," Roku said hesitantly.
I nodded not opening my eyes indicating that she should go ahead. I heard Roku taking after Fujita and shook my head in misery.
Every freaking thing was going wrong recently.
I honestly didn't know how I was going to fix this mess. I didn't know if I came off as patronizing to Fujita, but it was not my intention at all. I just figured we could all get along if I apologized. But, now it was clear that it was wishful thinking. I shook my head unable to believe that I have messed it up once more.
I sat there for a while, hoping Roku would come back with Fujita and I could explain my intentions to him. But, it was in vain. I waited for more than an hour, neither Roku nor Fujita came back.
Eventually, I got up and walked out of the training ground roaming aimlessly through the streets. As I roamed, I thought about how things had gone sideways despite my good intentions. I laughed self deprecatingly as a story from before came to mind.
Lord Garuda, a god of Hindu pantheon once saw Yama, the Lord of Death, watching a small hatchling intensely and decided that it was a good idea to remove the baby hatchling to a remote tree that is beyond seven seas and seven mountains to save it. Only for a snake on that tree to eat the baby hatchling within a few minutes after Lord Garuda left. Yama later told Lord Garuda that he was wondering how that particular was going to be eaten by a snake in that remote location within the next ten minutes, as it was what its fate was.
Lord Garuda's intention to save the hatchling became the trigger for its death. And the irony of it was that the hatchling would have been alive if Lord Garuda wouldn't have intervened. If only I had kept my mouth shut, maybe I could have avoided this fresh bit of drama.
Whatever!
There was no use crying over spilled milk. I think it is better that I concentrated on increasing my strength before I was deployed to the frontlines. In the end, that was the only thing in my hands. That was the only thing I could guarantee.
As I was deciding on what to do next, something caught my eye from a nearby shop. I couldn't stop myself as I moved closer to it and felt it under my palms. A sleek bow stood there in the weapons shop. From the looks of it, it looks like it had been sitting there for a long time. If the amount of dust it had accumulated was anything to go by, it should have been on the shelf for a long time.
I couldn't help but run my hands across it. It felt strong. Almost like a kunai, only it was rather unwieldy compared to a kunai or shuriken.
"No one uses those anymore?" a gruff voice sounded behind me making me jump.
"I was just looking…" I said defensively as I eyed the old man who was standing behind me.
The old man snorted. He pushed past me and lifted the bow. As he swung the bow, I could hear a whirring sound from it. Intrigued, I moved to get a closer look at the bow.
"This bow is one of a kind. Look at it, you see how strong it is?" I nodded, "yet, this is flexible. It is both good for long distance, and if needed," he swung the bow once more, once again the whirring noise appeared, "can be used as a weapon in hand to hand combat. But, a pity. No one uses it these days."
"Does no one use bows?" I asked as my curiosity piqued a little.
"Farmers and hunters use them. Then again, they prefer hard bows. Hard bows pack more power, and it is not as if they are going to go near to the animals. So, this kind of bows made with a special metal is nothing but waste to them."
"What about shinobis? They can use it for hand to hand combat right?" I asked undeterred.
"They can, but then again, no one bothers with bows these days. They are a bit impractical," the old man said wistfully.
"Why so?"
"Think brat. Bows are used to fire arrows. But, with kunai and shuriken, who is going to have time to fire arrows. So, bows have been out of fashion for more than two decades now. No one uses these anymore."
I nodded. It made sense. It is easier to throw kunai or shuriken at the target.
"Anymore? So, does it mean shinobis used it before?"
"Of course," the old man huffed indignantly. "Why else would I bother creating this? Then again, I haven't created anything like this in the last decade. This is the only one left from the last batch I created."
"Oh," and then something nagged in the back of my mind. "Wasn't there kunai and shuriken before? If so, then the bow must have something unique for shinobis to have used before,"
"Yeah, it does provide a longer range than kunai or shuriken. You could down a target from a far greater distance than you could do with a kunai or shuriken. Also, it has more penetrating power. What with force and all, but bows fell out of fashion after the hidden villages were established."
"Why so?"
"Well, before the villages existed, there were only clans. And most of the fights were between clans, and they would mostly be large scale battles. A bow is a good help in those situations. Later, after the villages were established, most conflicts were smaller in scale. Hence, bows didn't give many advantages. So, they were gradually replaced by kunai and shuriken."
I nodded in understanding. It did make sense.
"A pity, this is a fine work. Still, it is kind of like a memento of the past. So what if no one wants this anymore? It doesn't mean this is a waste of space," the old man smiled fondly at the bow as if remembering some past event.
Suddenly, a strange notion struck me. This bow would be perfect for me. With my sensing skills and Hidden Mist jutsu, this could be a killer combination. I didn't need to get near to kill someone with this. I just needed to check something.
"Can I give it a try?" I asked the old man.
He looked mildly surprised, but nodded at me and gestured me to the trial area where a target post was waiting. He handed me the bow and procured an arrow from inside the shop. I notched it, the old man had to correct my grip on both bow and arrow a bit, took aim; and spread out my senses. I locked on to the target post and fired it.
The arrow flew true. While it didn't hit the bullseye, it hit somewhere between the inner and outer circles. But, my suspicion was growing stronger. I inhaled and retrieved a kunai from my holster as I handed the bow to the old man. He looked at me with interest and confusion etched on his face.
But, I didn't have time for him. I flicked my kunai and it hit the bullseye. And my suspicions were correct. A brilliant smile spread across my face. Wanting to confirm once more, I retrieved the arrow and tried it once more. As it hit the inner circle this time, my smile widened.
This was perfect.
"I want to purchase this bow and some arrows," I said turning to the old man,
The old man looked stunned for a moment. But, a shrewd look came across his face. He gave me a once-over and I could see him deciding that I was an impulsive youngster, in other words, a fat sheep. I didn't mind the patronizing smile that blossomed on the old man's face.
"I don't entertain takebacks brat. Are you sure?" he asked me with barely concealed glee.
I nodded emphatically.
And the haggling began. First, he tried to fleece me completely. But I put him down real quick stating that no one else was going to buy that anytime soon. After a while, even he realized that it was better to sell it to me instead of trying to fleece me.
After about fifteen minutes, I walked out of the shop as a brand new owner of an outdated shinobi weapon, namely the bow. From outside, it looked as if I had been sold a junk, but I knew I had hit a gold mine. If my instincts were right, this could very well be my trump card.
When I tested it two things stood out to me. One, the arrows were far less noisy than kunai or shuriken. Second, the arrow was much faster and had more penetrating power. And combined with the long range, this was the perfect weapon for someone to hide and ambush multiple people. Unlike throwing kunai, I can even fire the bow in a crouched position or any other variation.
Looks like I will be buying lot more arrows than kunai in the future. And the best part is, arrows are cheaper than kunai.
(*****)
When I entered home, Biwako saw me with a bow and raised an eyebrow in question. I merely shrugged and moved on. There were no questions asked. But I knew this will be reported to Hiruzen soon. But I didn't care much. This was something unique to me. If I excelled in this, this could become my identity later on.
Thus started a new routine.
Every morning, I spent hours and hours practicing archery. While it was something similar to throwing kunai, the act of stretching the bow as I twisted in midair or taking aim while running or other aspects unique to bow and arrow made it a complete workout for me. I didn't need to spend extra training hours on flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and a few other things.
After I apologized to Tsuki sensei the next morning, which he grudgingly accepted, our team went into high-intensity training mode. Suicide runs were conducted daily now. The amount of training that was given to us quadrupled. For the first time in months, I felt like I was being run ragged. If it was challenging to me, I don't need to say it was hell to both Roku and Fujita.
Speaking of Fujita, we came into an accord. More like, I decided and he started to follow. We didn't interact except when situations called for. Whenever I spoke he listened, if not, Roku made sure he listened. Still, there was some tension in the team. However, it was far better than anything we had so far.
But not all was peachy. Tsuki sensei made a couple of decisions that irked me a little. However, I decided that it didn't matter much in the long run. What mattered was our survival and I was willing to bow my head if it would keep me alive through this war.
The first was the most dissatisfactory one. But, considering how it was announced barely a week after our D-rank fiasco, I didn't feel like protesting much. I think even Tsuki sensei expected me to protest when he announced Fujita will be second-in-command. That is, in the absence of Tsuki sensei we must listen to Fujita. The reason he stated was that I need to learn to respect authority. I merely eyed him and sighed in my head. I knew this was going to be a colossal mistake down the line.
The second decision was made based on team composition. Tsuki sensei announced that Roku will be the close-range expert of the team, Fujita - midrange, and finally me as the long-range expert of the team. It was fundamentally wrong on multiple accounts. While I could understand how making Roku the close range expert played to her strengths, I could also see the enemy nin, giving her the slip far too easily.
Roku should ideally be a support to either me or Fujita, considering how she was much more focused on destructive power than technique. That way, we could have executed many Taijutsu tactics like me and Fujita boxing in the opponent and Roku finishing him off, but with this new decision, we had to work around it.
Fujita as a mid-range was ideal. His fire jutsus and taijutsu were perfect for it. Most Uchihas were mid to close range. So, it wasn't much of a surprise for me. But, putting me in long range was a brain scratcher to me. Because I haven't revealed to my teammates regarding my archery training. Ideally, being the best in taijutsu, I must be the close range specialist. However, the reason Tsuki sensei gave made sense to me.
"As a sensor, you are more of backup oriented shinobi than combat oriented one. Roku, on the other hand, would eventually become a taijutsu specialist. This would allow both Roku and you to improve on your respective skills."
That was true. Very few sensors became a combat oriented shinobis. And, almost all of Akimichis were taijutsu specialists. I merely shrugged and took sensei on his word. Anyway, this worked out fine for me too.
But, some part of me was not entirely happy with the decision.
Regardless, things continued on uninterrupted. After about another month or so, Tsuki sensei started us on tree walking. Only, he wasn't pleased to know that I already knew it as it threw his training plan off. He tried to introduce me to water walking to which I sheepishly replied I know that too. In the end, I was allowed to pursue my own personal training until Roku and Fujita mastered tree walking.
Fujita mastered it in a week or so. But, Roku had much trouble with it. So, sensei assigned her a lot of chakra control exercises. Fujita requested another week of exception as he was undergoing some clan training that was more rigorous and couldn't join team training at that time. So, it was decided Fujita and I will be doing our personal training while sensei took care of Roku's training for two weeks.
Meanwhile, I had immersed myself in barrier seals and I have to say things were coming along well. Still, it was difficult for me to actually understand a few concepts as Kushina wasn't around. One such block was what led to me to an interesting event.
I hopped over the fence surrounding the training ground and a bizarre scene came into my sight. A genin was trying to get a rise out of a chunin while a girl was trying very hard to control the genin. I knew the trio alright. It was Team Minato.
I heard from Biwako that Minato and his team were in the village. So, I dropped by to clear some doubts I was having with barrier seals. However, I didn't expect to see Obito shouting at Kakashi like Kakashi had set Obito's dress on fire, only for Kakashi to continue ignoring him. As I watched Rin trying to mediate, I could see a definite resemblance to my own team. Only, their team had a sort of camaraderie to them.
I idly wondered whether my team would have the same sort of camaraderie after few missions outside Konoha.
I might have made some noise, maybe a snicker, because Kakashi looked up at me and scowled.
"What are you doing here Senju?" Kakashi asked rudely.
"It doesn't concern you Hatake," I replied smoothly as I made my way towards the trio.
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Obito eyeing me speculatively. Rin graced me with a small smile. I had run into her a few times in the past as she sometimes trailed after Kushina. I smiled back at her causing Obito to scowl at me.
"This is our training ground Senju," Kakashi replied in a superior tone, "so your presence here concerns me."
"Yeah, get lost Senju," Obito piped up in support for Kakashi causing Kakashi's eyebrows to raise.
"Obito kun, be polite," Rin chastised him in return before I could say something.
"Sorry Rin chan," Obito replied sheepishly.
"Hey Rin, are you still hanging around with these idiots?" I asked with a smirk knowing full well calling Kakashi an idiot was grounds for challenging him to a spar.
"Hey, watch your mouth Senju, or else you will be spending time in Hospital wing." Obito was the first to respond angrily.
Kakashi merely scowled at me.
"You can try. Your cousin has been trying for the past two months. He is nowhere near," I replied with a smile and an invitation.
"Stop it Hato kun. You too Obito," Rin said sternly deriding any arguments Obito was coming up with.
"Why are you here?" Kakashi asked without any preamble.
"That's none of your business," I replied smoothly with a smile.
Ever since that run-in near the cemetery, I have run into Kakashi a few times. And I have taken a new form of sadistic pleasure in trying to irritate him as much as possible. He wasn't any better either. He has taken to giving me backhanded insults as reply every time.
"Then, may I ask why are you here?" Minato's voice sounded behind me scaring the hell out of me.
I haven't even known when he had arrived. It was really scary. Kakashi made a face at my reaction. I scowled at him in reply.
"Oh, Minato sensei. That was awesome," Obito said in near hero worship.
"Thank you Obito," Minato smiled at him and turned a stern eye to me. "Now, why are you here antagonizing my team?"
"Oh hold on Minato san, I came to see you that's all," I replied.
"Reason," he asked tilting his head mildly.
"Need some help with this. Kushina's not in the village," I replied with a smile,
"Why would I help you?" Minato asked with a smile.
I knew he was merely jesting. Still, I needed to make it clear that he didn't have an option.
"You can refuse, but I don't think you will want to explain to Kushina why you didn't help," I replied with a cheeky grin.
Minato's smile froze. I was sure he was imagining what kind of a conversation that might be. Behind me, Kakashi snorted as he too realized that Minato had no choice.
"Oh Hato kun, that was devious," Rin chuckled at me causing Obito to scowl.
I wondered how anyone missed Obito's feelings for Rin. It was as clear as possible. If anyone bothered to actually see him around Rin, it would be very obvious. Maybe, Minato knew already.
"What would you like my help with?" Minato asked schooling his face into somewhat normal.
"Some of these are quite confusing. Need some help here," I handed in the scroll in which I had noted down my questions.
"These are barrier seals," Minato noted as he pursued my scroll.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow beside me. Obito edged forward to peek in a look only for Rin to drag him back and reprimand him silently. He graced her with a sheepish look. Their interaction was filled with so much innocence that I had to turn away. It was hard watching them knowing how their fate was going to turn out to be.
"Barrier seals are not my specialty," Minato grimaced, "I am sure you have some of the basics down. Most of your questions are quite advanced, I can't help you there. It looks as if you are planning to create a unique barrier seal of your own."
He asked curiously eyeing my notes. I nodded in return.
"This is more of a long term project. I don't think I will finish this anytime soon," I replied shrugging my shoulders.
"But, this looks interesting. I can see some aspects of time and space here. What is it?"
"Hmm, I haven't figured it out yet. I have an idea, but implementing it would be way too hard. You can call this my goal in sealing," I smiled.
"I understand," Minato smiled. "I am close to finishing mine. But, if you have any other queries regarding time and space you can come to me. But, barrier seals are not my specialty. If it is basics, I can help you. But this is more of Kushina's specialty."
I nodded to indicate that I understood. I let out a huge sigh. Looks like I have wait for Kushina. But, there wasn't much time left.
"Tell you what, I heard Jiraiya sensei is in the village. He may drop by to see me sometime today or tomorrow, I will ask him to come see you."
"The pervert is in the village," I asked in genuine surprise.
Obito and Kakashi gave me a hard look for insulting one of the Sannin. It was their luck that they didn't know the man as much as I know yet. Soon, they will understand why I called him so soon enough.
Rin merely giggled with her hand on the mouth. She knew I had adopted calling Jiraiya as a pervert from Kushina. The kinds of rant she went on about Jiraiya were legendary. Minato merely had an understanding smile. It didn't bother him that I was calling his sensei names. We both know Jiraiya wouldn't be upset.
"Then I will try to track him down. I don't want Biwako san seeing me interacting with him unsupervised," I said with a shudder running through me.
The last time that happened, both Jiraiya and I were subjected to her disapproval. Jiraya quickly left the village, throwing me to the wolves. That traitor…
"Completely understandable," Minato said sagely trying to hide his amusement.
I scowled at him in reply, only for a full-blown smile to blossom on is face. I huffed and vacated the spot soon. Rin's giggles and Minato's amused laughter followed me as I left the training ground.
Whatever, I had pervert to track down.
(*****)
Thank Kami that Jiraiya was in his predictable peeping spots - the hot springs. I knew that sentence sounded wrong on many levels, but I can't help but be glad as to where I found him. Imagine a kid skulking through brothels and pubs trying to find a grown man. That would be disturbing on various levels just on principle alone.
As I saw him in his ever glorious outfit and thick silvery mane of hair, I couldn't help but smile. While I could understand his interest in the opposite sex, he had an unhealthy amount of interest. As I watched him giggle to himself with an inordinate amount of glee, occasionally muttering stuff that no kid should hear, I couldn't help smirk evilly as a wicked idea popped into my head.
I cleared my throat and adjusted it to suit my needs, hoping that this would work. I slowly made my way to stand behind him and craned a little to raise to his head level. I couldn't help but notice how easy it was to near him without his notice once I suppressed my chakra when he was otherwise engrossed.
"Jiraya! What have I told you about peeping on women?!" I said in the best impression of Biwako's voice.
The screams that came out from the ponds were nothing compared to what came out of Jiraiya himself. He jumped in the air and backpedaled so hard that he fell through the bush in plain view of all the bathing females.
Another round of screeching ensued. I couldn't hold myself anymore as I fell back laughing my ass off. Jiraya fearfully poked his head out of the bushes expecting to see Biwako, only to find me rolling on the floor laughing and pointing at him. He sent a scowl in my direction.
Before he could do anything, a stone bounced off his head making me laugh harder. He looked back to find an angry horde of females getting out of hot springs and preparing to chase him. That sight of a horde of angry females was enough for him to gulp and book it immediately. I yelped as Jiraya unceremoniously picked me up and deposited me on his shoulders as he ran as if his life depended on it. It might well have, for a horde of females were chasing after us now.
After running for a while Jiraya deposited me on the ground roughly and checked his surroundings to make sure there weren't any females in the vicinity. I was still laughing my ass off, rolling on the ground.
"What was that for, brat?" Jiraiya scowled at me.
"For... leaving me... with Biwako... all alone... last time," I said amidst my laughter.
He looked at me for a moment before grunting in acceptance, "you have a point brat."
I sat up and fixed Jiraiya with my best glare, all laughter gone, "Don't eve do it again!" I said in a warning voice.
"Right, right," Jiraiya smiled apologetically.
"Do you know the worst part," I asked not letting go of the topic. "She informed Kushina that I was hanging out with you. Can you imagine, Kushina and Biwako, argh" I finished with a shudder.
Jiraiya paled just imagining that combination.
"I'm really sorry," he said with genuine emotion.
I waved it off, "Whatever, I still have one particular day to look forward to; when Tsunade finds out what Biwako found you teaching me," I said grinning evilly.
Jiraiya looked almost as if he was going to faint. I am sure that was one day he wasn't looking forward to at all.
"I sincerely hope that day never arrives," Jiraiya said solemnly.
"Anyways, I need your help with something," I said fishing out my scroll filled with my questions and threw it to him.
He caught it out of the air, but merely pocketed it instead of pursuing it.
"So, what's this about?"
"I'm trying to create a barrier seal. Need some input on how to go about it," I replied getting up from my position.
"Ask Kushina brat. Stop wasting my time. She is your fuinjutsu teacher and she knows more about barrier seals than me," Jiraiya said as we both started walking towards the village center.
"Can't, she's been deployed," I said shrugging my shoulders.
As I eyed Jiraya from the corner of my eye, I could see him taking in the information I had said and cataloging it in his mind. He seemed to be as if in immersed in his own thoughts, no doubt realizing the situation for Konoha to deploy Kushina. A slight grimace graced his face as he walked with me.
"So, what are you doing with your free time now?" Jiraiya asked as we rounded a corner and entered the main street leading to the Hokage Tower.
"This and that," I answered vaguely. "Just brushing up on my taijutsu and seals mostly."
"That was annoyingly vague," Jiraiya grunted.
"Can't help it," I stuck my tongue out in a childish manner knowing full well Jiraiya hated me acting like a child.
"So, how's your team coming along?"
"I'm in a team with an Uchiha. You tell me how it should come along," I replied with a little bite.
"Kami, are they out of their mind?" Jiraiya asked in annoyance.
"Don't know," I replied shaking my head.
"Anyway, I have to report to sensei. See you in the evening. Orochimaru and I will be dropping by for dinner."
"Sure," I said amicably.
Having Orochimaru for dinner has become a semi-regular occurrence these days. Strangely enough, it didn't bother me much these days. Guess I am getting desensitized to the snake bastard's presence. I waved Jiraiya goodbye as we split up outside the Hokage tower.
(*****)
Dinner was a quiet affair. Asuma and I talked about the new techniques we were learning. He bemoaned the fact that there are no proper wind natured shinobis in leaf. Luckily, he had a secondary affinity for fire. So, he was being instructed in a few fire natured techniques.
"Good for you," I groused. "I have learned most of nature techniques by myself. After Kushina left, I am having trouble in understanding some of the things the scrolls were saying."
Silence enveloped the dinner table as both Hiruzen and Orochimaru stopped whatever they were discussing with Jiraiya abruptly. It was jarring enough that Asuma and I looked up from dinner in confusion.
"Hato kun, you shouldn't be having any trouble considering your sensei's chakra nature is water," Orochimaru said in his snaky tone.
"Huh, who knew, maybe I should start asking sensei," I shrugged and went back to dinner.
"Are you telling me that your sensei hasn't begun teaching you jutsus?" Hiruzen interrupted me with a frown on his face.
"We haven't gotten around to that. Maybe, we will start after this week," I replied taking another bite of my dinner.
"He should have begun it by now," Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen as if it was all his fault.
Jiraiya merely looked between them with a shrewd look on his face. I paused in my eating realizing that there was an undercurrent to this discussion. I wondered if I had messed things again with my big mouth. I didn't want any more pressure to be added to Tsuki sensei. Not when things are going relatively fine.
"We have been working hard on our stamina and endurance. Past two weeks, things have been hell. I think sensei was waiting for us to reach a certain level before delving into jutsus," I offered an explanation hoping it would satisfy Hiruzen.
Hiruzen seemed to process the statement before nodding to me.
"And what level would that be?" Orochimaru asked snidely.
"Hmmm, tree walking?" I offered hesitantly.
Orochimaru snorted loudly, "You were already doing that about a year ago."
"Not my teammates though," I defended vehemently. I didn't like where this was going, "We all need to be at a certain level before we take out of village missions."
"Then, what about your improvement. Don't tell me you haven't improved in anything in the last few months brat," Orochimaru enquired testily.
"Who said, my endurance has increased tremendously. So are my sensor skills," I replied back with heat.
"Is that all?" Orochimaru looked skeptical.
"It doesn't matter how strong I am if my teammates are not up to a certain level. The disparity will only lead to issues with our teamwork," I replied back heatedly.
"He has a point, Orochimaru," Hiruzen interrupted mildly. "I trust Tsuki. I am sure he will do what's necessary for his team. He is as invested in the team as one could be."
"I doubt it," Orochimaru replied sarcastically.
I gritted my teeth.
"Regardless, tomorrow you will be sparing with me, brat. If I am not satisfied with your performance, I will be having some words with your sensei," Orochimaru announced before turning to his dinner.
"What's it to you, anyway?" I asked in irritation.
"I hate to see potential wasted," Orochimaru replied with a sneer.
"Both of you, calm down," Biwako interrupted us with a stern tone causing us both to huff and turn to our dinner.
"Hato kun, Orochimaru is just worried for you," Biwako stated in an admonishing tone to me.
"I doubt it," I muttered to myself as I gulped down my dinner as fast I could so that I could leave.
"Sheesh, you two never get along, do you?" Asuma joked with a small smile.
"Why don't you try then?" I snapped back.
"Nope, I am fine as I am," Asuma stated with a smile as dinner continued on.
When the dinner was done, Orochimaru and Jiraiya bid goodbye to us. Jiraya tossed me a scroll which contained answers for my questions before leaving. Orochimaru smiled deviously and said, "eight of clock brat. Come to Training Ground 15."
I merely scowled in reply.