Chapter 29

Team five as we were called, met every morning at seven am. Kansen was punctual and would start us on drills. A lot of the drills were heavily based on defensive formations as well as dodging and speed.

Kansen toned down the praise on Hiroshi when it became clear to him that it was unwanted. I asked Hiroshi about it and he explained he was the first in line to become heir of the clan and Kansen and his wife weren't in the best favor in the clan currently. So basically he was brown nosing to help his situation. Well, I suppose that was more reasonable than just because, god I hated social politics. Kansen and I butt heads whenever I snarked at him or he called me Ume-chan. Under normal circumstances the honorific wouldn't bug me if it wasn't for the fact that he didn't use it with either Kiriko or Hiroshi. Yes, I was younger then them but I was also the team's melee DPS. I didn't like having a cutesy honorific, that was like calling the barbarian cupcake.

We break for lunch in the early afternoon then do D-Rank missions. Most of them were pretty simple. It was stuff like delivering messages or meals, helping construction on the damage from Zabuza's coup, and other basic chores. When those were completed we'd be assigned individual exercises by Kansen. In my case he'd give me laps and physical stamina exercises, which was fair. Kiriko had to do target practice using thrown weapons. Hiroshi was assigned drills to increase his hand seal speed and exercises in chakra building.

Once a week we would meet with all the other genin teams and have mass battle drills. It consisted of us teaming up and either fight each other or fighting our jonin sensei. Suigetsu would join us for those battles where he'd spend most the time either dominating or avoiding getting the bejeezus shocked out of him. We were all familiar with his logical deficiency by that point and I think the teachers didn't say anything about it because he was supposed to figure out how to fix that on his own. He was visibly improving with his kenjutsu. When he was in standard he'd use the fact that others couldn't actually hurt him (there was no ninjutsu course students who also did kenjutsu and lightning release wasn't taught until the last year) and just swing wildly. But there was likely a lot more structured enforced in his development when he trained with the seven swordsman. Also since he was being targeted by lightning release by the remaining ninjutsu course kids he had to learn how to block incoming attacks by using his katana defensively. Not that stopped anybody who could get close enough fast enough to do a touch lightning release, though considering his own speed among the students it was really only me.

When we fought the teachers Kansen gave him quite a run for his money since as it turned out Kansen could shoot and use chakra to change the direction of his lightning arrows mid flight. If we didn't work together to take him out, Suigetsu would be out of the fight fairly early and that lowered our chances of lasting with the jonin instructors. We never beat them of course but we were slowly getting better at coordinating as a whole based on how long we lasted.

Afterwards everyone would take the chance to socialized. I didn't recognized most of the jonin instructors assigned to the other groups, but I did notice that Gonbee had been assigned to Chojuro, Mitsuki, and Manami as their sensei on team three. Good for them. It was a nice way to keep up with everyone since they were otherwise occupied during the rest of the week. Though Suigetsu would often interrupt that and invite me to follow him away from the rest of the groups. A lot of other people were curious a glare from him was usually enough to push them back.

The private conversations we were having turned out were mostly so he could gripe to me about training with the seven swordsman over a nice box of sweets he brought with him from his estate. Apparently he was expected to pick up one of the spare swords and figure out how to master it, which without instruction from its previous wielder wasn't going well. Usually each of the seven swordsman took on an apprentice in their lifetime who would eventually succeed them, but the sheer rate we were losing them meant that the knowledge of the previous generation was being quickly lost. Also unlike his brother, he wasn't able to go through and train with every different weapon to see which one suited his style. Nor was he able to instinctively adapt the sword to a functional style. Mangetsu was his measuring stick on that team and it was a very unfair comparison.

I think he liked talking to me about it because I knew the technical qualities of swordsmanship just as well as he did and also because while he still wanted to be one of the seven swordsman, he knew I didn't see them or him for more than what they were, human. Suigetsu was a good fighter and his secret technique made him a great tank. That combined with being a member of the seven families made a lot of the other kids intimidated by him. The kids who had known him the best and were the least intimidated at the academy had been the kenjutsu standard course students. Unfortunately most of them had died along with most of the combat company leaving only five surviving swordsmen in our graduating class. He could have probably talk to one of the others but I don't think he expected them to share his love of sweets.

Afterwards I usually just went back to my apartment and tried to keep busy until I was so tired that I would sleep but not dream.

Dreaming was the enemy.

In my old life I used to enjoy sleep, and love to dream so much so that I did it as often as I as I could manage with my normal schedule. The dreams even if I didn't remember what they were a warm comfort that I wanted to prolong. Now though they were just nightmares of blood and death, sometimes my own, sometimes the unseen deaths of my siblings and sometimes the lives that were ended by my own hand.

So I did a lot of things to hold my attention. I cleaned my apartment excessively so much so that it could have been used for a home and gardens magazine. I cooked what meager meals I could manage with what Kiriko and I could get in terms of ingredients from small market in town. I practiced my sword katas until my calloused hands bled and my feet pounded. I did chakra control exercises until I would pass out from the effort and I read books until my eyes would start to sting. Sometimes this would last all night because of the endurance we had beaten into us at the academy and I'd be tired the next morning but that was all better then sleeping and see the nightmares.

I wouldn't always do this at my apartment, I would leave to go to the library as well. The library accessible to full rank ninjas was a lot let the propaganda provided for us at the academy and a lot more practical things. Though probably not as thorough and expansive as a places like Konoha or Suna, there was a selection of books on herbal medicines and poisons that could be made from the local flora. There was scrolls about common utility ninjutsu. It had things like lighting camp fires, putting an air bubble around your head to stay underwater for longer periods, using chakra to prevent sunburns and adjusting water ninjutsu pressure for cleaning purposes plus many more.

While I was there I also found that the library had an archive of bingo books. They were all out of date by about a decade because no one could leave the land of water to gather information on other ninja but it was still interesting. There were full spreads on all the previous village leaders. I often looked back at the yondaime hokage and frowned at the bright yellow hair and blue eyes. Good lord was that a blaring resemblance. How in the world did Konoha actually keep Naruto being his heir a secret? I mean I knew why, the Land of Rock would send assassins nonstop to kill the yondaimes heir after what he did to them in the war but still, how. Maybe when the chunin exams came around they did know and kept it under their hats for later.

I would also look up each of the sannin who had their own spreads as well as anybody else I knew to still be alive. I'd notice a trend that a lot of these books had notes and scribbles in the margins, some of them were humorous, but most of them were notes about noticed traits from past encounters. The ink was old and faded so it had probably been a while since anybody had added something new. I looked at each sannin quietly and pulled out a pen scribbling some notes of my own. In Tsunade's it was a simple, RED, or Retired Extremely Dangerous. For Jiraiya I added a note that said beware of perverts on giant toads. For Orichimaru I thought for a few moments before adding, if encountered, run like hell if you don't want to end up a science experiment.

I looked at that line for a few minutes before also adding, or poisoned, or dead, or wishing you were dead.

When I wasn't at home or at the library I'd wander the village at night. If I wore my forehead protector no one messed with me. In fact they straight up avoided me. So I often times I'd hide it, I mean, I was still armed, but besides that I didn't look like a ninja. Instead of the grey academy uniform (I threw away my old one, there was too much blood) I wore dark blue slacks and a long sleeved dark purple shirt with a backpack. It was second hand clothing bought for cheap but still decent enough and without my symbol of being a ninja I looked like a kid wandering the streets after hours.

Depending on the area the village was either very dead or very lively at night. The area near the wall was where most the poorer residents lived. It wasn't a slum per say, the streets were kept clean probably under direct threat from the rest of the village, but you could tell that a lot of the buildings were in disrepair and when I came around with my headband the people scattered and hid at my approach. It was mostly quiet, with only an occasional passerby heading home in a hurry from a late night job. I found that odd until I heard a commotion and round a corner to see several shinobi, gate guards from their uniform beating a young man while they were harassing the woman he was accompanying.

I closed the distance with a jump and knocked one of the five of them with his back to me with the dull edge of my sword out. I spun and used my sword to sweep another one beating on the young man off his feet and kicked him in the head to keep him down. When I spun to hit the other one having got his bearing blocked my blade with a kunai but I held a hand against his chest.

"Wind Release: Palm Burst."

The gust of wind pushed him away from me and into one of the other guys. An accident, but it looked cool as heck. Realistically if I hadn't surprised them they could probably have taken me, gate guards were part of the senior garrison and they were in the their late teens. But I had surprised them and even as small as I was my display was probably as intimidating as hell. I turned to the last guard and held my sword aloft as I said in a low flat voice.

"Explain."

The gate guard takes a moment but composes himself.
"They were,"

He glances at the girl.

"They were out after curfew."

My eyes didn't leave him and I didn't lower my weapon. I mean, I've two feet shorter than this guy, I don't want to give him any chance to grab me.

"And that means you can, beat them?"

I nod towards the guy on the ground then look at the woman.

"And, what did you plan to do with her?"

Maybe it hit him how absurd it was that I was threatening him, or maybe he was trying to save face because he suddenly turned angry.

"What does it have to do with you, who do you think yo...oh."

I reached back in my pack and pulled the forehead protector out before he finished speaking. Though it was dark out the engraved metal glinted in the moonlight showing official proof that despite my age and size, I was still higher rank than him. The other guys I'd just knocked down with the wind release were getting back up looking nervous.

Letting out a breath I sheathed my weapon and motioned for them to leave. I stepped aside to let them out of the alley. They moved uneasily, two of them moving together to hold the first one who I knocked out.

When they were out of sight I let out a sigh and kneeled down to check on the man they were beating. The woman didn't know what to say, she was just as scared with just me there as she had with the four men. But it was a more curious fear because she watched me very carefully.

I did the standard battlefield check up on the man. He was unconscious, he had a pulse, his breathing was irregular. His limbs didn't seemed to be bent in any strange shapes that indicated a break. I probably shouldn't move him, but I couldn't leave him there. Rolling him over carefully I pushed him against the wall of the building next to him then carefully pulled him into the special carry we were taught for moving injured allies. I gave out a slight huff as I adjusted his from on my back before I stood up. It was awkward as hell because I had to compensate so his arms and legs didn't drag on the ground when I walked since he was just shy of six feet tall, and I was just a little more than four and a half.

The woman gasped as I stood up bearing the load. Probably looked more unbelievable for someone who wasn't used dealing with people trained to use chakra to consciously and unconsciously enhance muscles. I was no Tsunade but the way moved and the amount of pounds I could put into a sword strike was nothing to sniff at. I looked at her and said in a much gentler voice.

"Where does he live?"

She seemed to be too stunned to speak but managed to get out.

"Not far, we were on our way home."

"Okay, lead the way."

She still looked scared but she might have seen the practicality of letting me carry him since she might have been able to manage. Either that or she was terrified about what I would do if she didn't comply.

We walked to what was several rows of double floor housing. Basically like a duplex that was built up instead of sideways. It was stone with some wood trimming, most housing in the land of water was like that. The mountains of the islands made stone the most plentiful traditional building resource and it meant it didn't have to be sealed against the dampness of the heavy fog and tropical storms or hurricanes that sometimes came off from the sea. Most major cities and villages were built far inland and all the coastal towns were built on high ground. The land of water was at least practical in that regard. There was no building full cities at or below sea level where it could flood just because it would be easier to hit the beach.

We went down the row until we got to one of the numbered doors. The woman fumbled with the key and opened the door looking at me nervously the entire time like she was expecting something bad to happen if she looked away.

The inside of the house was small, just a little bigger than the inside of the apartment I shared with Kiriko. There was a wooden armed bench with cushions near the front that was worn and old but still sturdy. I walked over and as gently as possible set the man onto it before giving him another once over before heading back to the door.

I looked at the woman and said.

"I will be right back."

She looked scared for a moment and I tried to soften my expression.

"I'm getting a healer it's okay, I'm not."

I looked at the wall, how many garrison members were in there. Was this normal?

"I'm not like them."

She didn't respond to me and I didn't wait for the answer as I jumped away.


I made good time getting Kiriko and coming back. Kiriko wasn't technically a healer but because she was trained in support she knew a diagnostic jutsu and basic first aid. We brought our ninja standard first aid kit with us when we got the small house. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I shrugged when I looked at Kiriko who then tried.

"Hey, are you alright? I heard something happened."

Kiriko had training in voice changing as well, also part of support, so the voice she used sounded older than that of a twelve year old girl. I kind of wish I had been put there because it seemed like they had a more varied skill set than just beating the hell out of people. Even if combat company was really good at that it wasn't like it helped us any at the raid. The woman came to the door opening it really quick and looking out to see Kiriko looking confused. I stood a few feet behind the door while Kiriko held up the first aid kit. The woman looked at her for a few moments before opening the door more to take her in fully. Kiriko didn't look intimidating, she had no visible scars, big dark eyes and dark hair that was rolled into a neat bun. I looked positively wild in comparison with my shoulder length shaggy dark red hair and the bags I had under my eyes from the lack of sleep. Kiriko was still wearing her nightdress, a simple blue thing over her sandals so I understood completely why the woman opened the door for her. As Kiriko started to walk in I walked out of the shadows and the woman nearly shut the door on my face but Kiriko stopped her putting a hand on her arm.

"It's okay."
Kiriko voice was set in her normal pitch now.

"We're here to help."

The woman relaxed a little bit and opened the door more. I could have said the same thing and she probably would have reacted the same but I wasn't Kiriko. Presence counted for a lot, Kiriko was presenting a very calm stance, voice and demeanor that added with her appearance made her more palatable for this sort of situation. While I could do something similar I had already cemented a very different presence in the woman's mind.

When I fought the guards my actions, stance and tone of voice exerted a presence of domination that had made the guards yield. Considering her reactions and hesitance it was probably a similar presence those guards used many a time harassing her and the people around her. I wish I could say I was surprised by this likelihood but I wasn't. The garrison even though it was lesser than full ninja had a good measure of power over normal people as they were this world's equivalent to military police. Even in my world where the police were only slightly more trained humans that power and the people were often abused or killed. Here where the garrison had chakra training to boost their physical abilities along with that normal civilians really had no chance.

Kiriko started checking on the man doing the field check I used first before moving her hands over the man's body her hands glowing as she did a thorough sweep.

"His ribs are cracked, but it's a small one. The rest is superficial, bruises mostly. He'll be in pain when he wakes up but with time and rest he'll be alright."

With the confirmation of the man's state the woman started to slumped until she was seated on the floor.

"We had been so busy today at the store that we had to close late."

She said in a stilted distressed voice.

"We didn't mean to miss curfew but we had to get home. It was just."

Then she broke down sobbing. The stress of the evening finally being let out after the reassurance. Good lord was it painful to see. It must have been hell to live like that.

I looked out the window of the small house and looked at the wall again.

I had a new way to spend my nights now.