*squee* I got another one done :) ~KB

Update 1/10/17 - fixed minor grammatical errors

Ch 28: Surprise

"So what and where am I practicing today, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka glanced over his shoulder, keeping a steady stride and grinned at Manami. "You'll see," he replied, "it's a surprise."

She shook her head but followed behind silently anyway. Over the past few weeks, Iruka had taught Manami how to use her chakra properly in accordance with the jutsus she was studying. He took her out to one of the various training fields to practice so the classroom wouldn't get damaged. While Manami found it easy to focus on a point of release and a target spot, she found it incredibly difficult to control the amount of chakra she released at a time.

Every day since she recovered from the sudden chakra depletion Manami had practiced her new ability.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Waaaahhhhhhh-" Manami's yelp was cut off as she fell beneath the water's surface.

Before she could sink too far, a hand reached down after her and pulled her up. As her head broke the surface, Manami coughed up a mouthful of water and gasped for air.

"12 minutes and 43 seconds, 38 seconds shorter than your last try." Iruka hoisted Manami out of the water completely for the seventh time that day and walked her back to the pier. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break?"

Manami shook her head, mostly to shake off the water. "No. Not yet..."

She stepped onto the pier and grabbed the towel they brought. Iruka frowned but stayed out on the water. How is he still doing that?! she mentally cried, patting off some of the water, I've been practicing this stupid Water Surface Walking for hours and can hardly last more than a few of minutes; meanwhile he hasn't stepped foot off the water since we started!

Manami peeped up and saw the look on Iruka's face. It was the one he gets when he's concerned about a student and is about to reprimand them.

"Manami," he started, "I know you want to do as much as you can as soon as possible, but straining yourself too much won't help. It's been a little over a week since your chakra was opened; you need to give your body time to adjust."

"I'm not straining myself," she retorted, wringing the water from her hair, "I know when I've reached my limit."

Iruka sighed but took a few steps away from the pier. Manami took a deep breath and went through the hand seals.

Feeling the chakra in motion, Manami focused the energy at the bottom of her feet and stepped on the water. As the water rippled, Manami adjusted the strength of chakra to keep herself above the surface. After standing there a moment Manami began to walk out towards Iruka. Her feet sank down a couple of times, but Manami didn't let that scare her like it did the first time. She refocused her chakra and kept walking. Manami felt Iruka's cautious eye on her as she wandered the lake, ready to jump in at any moment.

Fatigue began to creep up on Manami and she worked her way back to the pier. Plopping on the wooden surface, Manami laid back completely to rest.

"At your limit yet?"

Manami propped herself up and grinned at Iruka. "Told you I knew when I've reached it."

Iruka shook his head, chuckling. "Not bad. 14 minutes and 39 seconds and no falling in the water this time."

Manami sat up properly and looked at the gently lapping water. Soon, she thought, soon I'll be able to walk on water as easily as on land.

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Manami pulled out of that particular memory when she recognized Training Field 8 ahead of them. It was the area Manami most frequently practiced her jutsu skills under Iruka's supervision. Half of the area led into the forest while the other half was an open plateau. More often than not, Iruka would grade papers under the shade of a tree while she trained in the open field.

As they approached the edge of the tree line, Manami noticed a slight tension in Iruka's shoulders. He began looking around the clearing, mumbling to himself.

"Is everything alright?" Manami asked. "Was there something specific you wanted me to practice?"

Iruka gave her a small smile and scratched at the edge of his scar. "Well, I had a surprise planned but unfortunately it's running late… as usual."

Manami quirked an eyebrow, What on earth is he talking about? Iruka laughed nervously and tugged at his ponytail. "Wanna sit down?"

Manami blinked at him. "Shouldn't I practice a new jutsu or something?"

"I- uh, that's not- um… That's not a bad idea," Iruka rambled, "but I don't want you to get worn out beforehand."

Releasing an exasperated sigh, Manami sat down on the grass and patted the spot next to her. Iruka grinned and happily obliged. "So," she started, "while we're waiting for your 'surprise' to show up, why don't you tell me how you got into teaching? I'm curious as to how and why you put up with those little rascals every day."

Iruka chuckled, "Alright, but you have to tell me something in return."

Manami tensed but kept her expression neutral, "Like what?" she asked warily.

"Hmm, how about the village you came from?" he replied. His eyes widened, "Only if that's okay with you! If it's too difficult to talk about, I understand."

Manami was confused for a moment but remembered her cover story for being in the village. A part of her wanted to tell Iruka the truth, he deserved it. After helping her so much in this new world and taking the extra time to teach her, Iruka deserved to know why she was really there. But won't he think I'm a spy? Visiting a new world to do recon and get a lay of the land- oh yeah, nothing suspicious about that. Manami pondered her other options. There wasn't really anything else to talk about. Wow, am I really that plain?

"Sure," she responded cautiously. "I suppose it's alright. But there's not much to tell."

Iruka smiled, "That's fine. I'd still like to hear about it." Reaching into his bag, Iruka grabbed the stack of papers from today's lesson. "So, how I got into teaching, huh? Let's see-"

Manami sat there next to him, captivated as she listened to his story. Iruka talked about how he grew up an orphan, always seeking attention as a prankster. It was hard to believe at first, but after he explained a few of his more elaborate pranks, Manami could visualize a little Iruka running around setting traps left and right. It definitely explained how he knew what the troublemakers of his class were always up to.

"…Shortly after I became a chuunin, the Third Hokage asked what I was going to do from there. He asked what my Will of Fire was."

"Will of Fire?" Manami interrupted, "What is that? I've heard you mention it once before in class."

Iruka paused his grading. He seemed to struggle finding words before replying, "The Will of Fire is a little different from person to person. It is the fire within us and the will to protect the village that keeps us going. The life of a shinobi isn't an easy one," Iruka paused for a moment, a sad smile on his face, "it isn't easy, but it's what we fight for. We fight for the village, we fight for our family. As for mine personally, it is to inspire my students and to pass on the Will of Fire to them."

Manami's gaze fell to the ground. What is my Will of Fire? she pondered.

"So," Iruka continued, breaking Manami out of her thoughts. "What was your village like?"

Manami pondered her response. She had to be careful about her phrasing to avoid a slip up. "It's a small village, nowhere near the size of this one," she began. "There were shops and markets like any place, but it was quaint. I actually spent a lot of time away from it while I was training."

"Training for what?" Iruka asked.

Manami bit her tongue, thinking I can't tell him I wielded a giant key as a weapon! "A type of swordsmanship," she replied, "I wanted to do what I could to protect the ones I love."

Iruka nodded. She noticed his hand reach across to his side as he commented, "I know how you feel."

Before she could continue, a whirring sound caught her attention.

*C-clank*

Manami blocked two shuriken that came from the forest with her katana. She squinted but couldn't see far past the tree line.

Iruka sighed and stuffed the papers into his bag. "That, would be your surprise." he stated. "Typical for him to be so late."

Manami gave him a quizzical look but had to block another set of shuriken almost as soon as she looked away.

A shadowy figure appeared in the shadows of the trees and began making its way towards them. Manami crouched into a defensive stance and readied her weapon. As the figure stepped forward, Manami's grip on her katana tightened.

"Yo."

FIN

Well that was fun! Let me know what you think and thanks for reading! ~KunoichiBlade