Lines in the Sand

Arc 2 - Expanding Horizons

Line 7: An Eerie Encounter

I examined one of the strange looking knives that I have seen shinobi using in my hands. Kunai, I reminded myself, they were called kunai.

When I first saw them, it was difficult to understand why they were shaped the way they were. The design appeared to be quite inefficient for the purposes that they served. The edges were too flat to be good for slicing, the body too thick and wide to excel at stabbing, and it wasn't aerodynamic enough to be efficient for throwing.

Hayashi Ken, the weapons shop owner who ran the shop I was in, had given me some new insight on them. Part of why they were as highly utilised as they were was because of standardisation and availability. It was what was easiest to obtain, and once you become accustomed to the shape and weight, swapping required a lot of extra effort to rewrite the muscle memory that have been engraved in you.

As for why it was this particular design that gained popularity and started being mass produced in Konoha in the first place, it was because that although it didn't excel in any single purpose, it was good enough in all of them. In addition, there were other qualities that made them quite desirable.

The lack of a hilt and the loop at the end of the handle made them easier to manoeuvre and manipulate in their hands. The angular, simple edges made maintenance simpler and hassle free. Most importantly, it was thick and durable enough to sustain the strain the shinobi demanded of it.

As I was about to place the kunai I was inspecting back onto the shelf, the reason why I spent the last half-hour waiting in the store walked through the front door. Hibiki greeted Ken as he entered, striking up a small conversation as he picked up the small package that was handed to him. While he was distracted, I clambered out from behind the shelves, and waited patiently by the exit to intercept him as he leaves.

His eyes widened in panic the moment he spotted me, I could see the trepidation building behind his eyes, as well as the desire to flee. Before he could make good on his decision to move past me and escape, I bowed deep and low. "Gekkō-san, I want to apologise to you."

This halted him in his tracks, and he looked at me with new eyes as he reinterpreted the situation. He tentatively furrowed his brows, before hesitantly asking, "Apologise for what?"

"For the words I said that day," I explained, still not straightening out of from my bow, "they were unwarranted and out of line. I understood you did everything you could, but still I—"

"It's fine!" he blurted out, interrupting my apology. I heard some footsteps and then his sandals entered my vision. "Don't apologise Yume-chan," he said as he pulled me out of the bow. "You were upset and grieving, so you said some things. I get that."

"I still hurt you."

"Don't worry about it! I'm fine!" He attempted a reassuring smile, but I levied him with a disbelieving look. He tried to double down to persuade me. "Really! I'm totally alright! Your words might've been harsh, but they didn't…" his voice trailed off as I continued to give him an unconvinced expression. Finally, he heaved out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"I guess there's no point lying to you, huh?" He let out a dejected laugh. "I almost forgot how smart you were. Yeah, the words you said cut really deep, but I'll live. And really, it's not like you were wrong either." When he saw that I was about to start protesting his latest statement, he held out his hands in a surrendering pose. "Seriously Yume-chan, let's face it, if I were stronger, things could've turned out better. But let's not dwell on such sad things yeah? If it makes you feel better, I accept your apology, so let's move on."

I wanted so badly to correct him, to reassure him that the blame lay not with him, but on others. To go on my spiel about why it was the enemy ninja, or management that was responsible. To highlight my own actions and the things I could've done better to avoid the final outcome.

However, seeing how vehemently he wanted to move on from the conversation, to just forget it and not revisit the events of that day, I simply gave a hesitant nod. I only hope that the experience didn't permanently scar him. Shinobi or not, he was still young and impressionable, and things like these could really damage a person's psyche.

"So Yume-chan, what are you doing here anyways? I can't imagine you hang out here regularly," he took on a sly grin, "especially not with grumpy Ken over there. You'd think having a daughter would soften him up, but I think he just got grumpier," he joked, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Hey brat, I heard that. Don't make me start charging you double," Ken yelled from the counter.

"See what I mean?" he laughed, giving me a wink before leading us towards the counter.

I giggled a bit, before answering his question honestly. "I was waiting for you." I could see that my answer caught him by surprise. He didn't even have to say anything for me to know that he was wondering how I knew he would be here. I saved him the trouble of asking. "You mentioned this shop when you were escorting us, so I came and asked Hayashi-san for help."

"And then he told you when I was coming to collect my sharpened kunai and shuriken," he finished for me with an understanding nod. "Not bad Yume-chan, pretty smart thinking," he said as his eyes finally trailed to the kunai I was still holding in my hands. An amused smirk tugged at his cheeks, "I'll bet you had a lot more questions for Ken than just when I would show up too."

Ken chuckled heartily. "Oh you don't know the half of it brat. The little girlie here had so many questions I thought she'd never stop. Why do they use this? Why is it shaped like that? Why something like this and not something else?" When I started blushing, he let out another belt of laughter. "Bright future ahead of ya. You'll do great at the Academy."

"That sure does sound like Yume-chan," laughed Hibiki, "I tell her the same. Shame she's not interested in the Academy."

"Oh? Is that so? From speaking with her, it sure sounded like she was. She was asking about training sets."

Confusion entered Hibiki's expression as Ken's words set in. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "I changed my mind," I admitted, still blushing from the teasing from earlier. "There are things I want to do, goals I want to accomplish. Being in the academy, training to become a ninja will help me achieve them," I explained.

I can tell Hibiki wasn't satisfied with my simple explanation, but I wasn't quite comfortable with elaborating more, so I changed the conversation. "Look at what I can do now!" I blurted out and hastily pulled out the leaf I had kept stored in my pocket explicitly for this demonstration. Maybe he sensed my reluctance, because he let himself be distracted.

I placed the leaf onto my forehead, exactly like he had demonstrated for me several months ago. Closing my eyes, I concentrated and searched for that prickling warmth that bubbled just underneath the surface. Although it took some time, it slowly made its presence known.

I let it build inside of me, swirling, and churning in my abdomen. With each successive spiral, the current grew stronger and increased in volume. Once I felt it was strong enough, I started coaxing it towards my forehead. It fought my attempts to change and direct its flow, but with enough effort it started to form a circuit. It travelled to and from the centre of my body to its destination.

I let the circuit continue to establish and stabilise itself before I finally introduced an extra step to the process. Again, it resisted my attempts to make it do anything but follow along the path it wanted to go. Unlike before, this time it took a lot more pushing and prodding before it slowly allowed itself to bend to my will. It moved just free of the surface of my skin, right around the leaf, before cycling back into the system and pulling the leaf with it.

The cycle was precarious and unstable. Every time my concentration slipped for just a split second, it snapped back to its more desirable path of just flowing through the chakra pathways.

In many ways, it was reminiscent of lightning, following the path of least resistance. First and foremost, it preferred the central chakra system within my torso — the area where I suspected chakra was 'generated'. Afterwards, it was the rest of the chakra pathways that flew throughout my body. Last was outside of the pathways, like the area around the skin.

Despite its unwillingness to cooperate, eventually it finally started to stabilise. Slowly and gently as to not disturb the leaf, worried any external force my break the fickle equilibrium I have established, I removed my fingers.

Thankfully, the feeling of the leaf on my forehead didn't fade. I kept it there, every now and then it got a little loose, but I would always recover before it fell off completely. After a few successful seconds, I felt a little ambitious and took the gamble of opening my eyes.

That proved to be a step too far. The extra stimulus from my sight returning, and probably the extra processing power required by the brain to decode and interpret the signals sent from the eyes — as slight as it was — broke my concentration enough to disrupt the cycling of chakra. Even though the leaf fell, judging by the smiles adorned by both Hibiki and Ken, I knew I succeeded in proving my point.

"Wow, that's amazing Yume-chan!" Hibiki exclaimed happily.

"It truly is," added Ken with a couple slow claps. "You rarely ever see civilian borns get to that stage of chakra control this young. Congratulations girlie."

"Thanks!" I beamed, glowing under their praise. It'd taken months of hard work to get to this stage, I really was proud of it.

"So you'll be joining the Academy this spring?" asked Hibiki after he gave me a congratulatory fist bump. When I nodded in agreement, he continued, "Only got a few weeks left to prepare then. What else have you been doing to get ready?"

"Mostly running," I admitted, "they handed out a brochure of stuff I could be doing but…"

"Not a lot on it huh?" I nodded as he shook his head slowly. "Figures. The clan families already know how to prepare their children, so the brochures are only ever for civies. They intentionally don't want to put some of the important stuff to not scare off the parents from enrolling their children."

I sighed and made a frustrated expression. "I guessed that was the reason why."

"Mhmm, how about I help you get ready for the academy?"

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Sure! Of course! It's the least I could do for you Yume-chan." Then his smile lost some of its lustre, and he gave himself a gentle smack on the side of his head. "Ugh, almost forgot. I'm going on a C-rank tomorrow, it's why I got my stuff sharpened now. It's going to be a long one too, I don't think I'll be back by the time you start school."

"That's okay!"

"Well, we still have time today, I need to spend some of it preparing for my mission, but I can show you some katas and other things you can work on. I can give you some books too. Ah, but first, let me buy you some kunai."

"Sharp pointy objects aren't exactly the type of gifts you should give a girl on a date," Ken remarked dryly.

Hibiki flustered and made a strange strangled sound reminiscent of a cat caught in a trap. "That's not what I'm— damn it Ken. Why did you have to say it like that."

"Hey, I've taken a liking to little Yume-chan here. I have to protect her integrity."

I laughed and gave Hibiki a playful shove. "Yeah Hibiki-kun, you need to wait until I'm older first."

He made a pitiful, whining noise before covering his face, his cheeks a brilliant rosey colour. "Yume-chan, why do you — ugh," he groaned, "forget it."

I giggled again, deciding to spare him by changing the direction of the conversation. "And you don't have to buy me any, I can purchase it myself. Also, I should probably stick to a training set."

Recovering a little, he waved off my concern. "Training sets have a different weight and feel to them. They also fly through the air differently. You're better off starting with the real thing." He made his way to the shelves and pulled out a box.

Not wanting him to do too much for me, I tried to stop him from returning to the counter, but he just laughed it off and brushed past my meagre attempts. As a last ditch effort, I pulled out my own coin pouch to pay for it myself.

"Hayashi-san, don't take his money!"

Ken, who was content to watch Hibiki squirm earlier, changed the target of his laughter to me. "Money is money Yume-chan, if the brat here insists on paying, you should just let him. Hey— no, don't pout. Don't you dare give me those eyes, hey!" He turned away from me, shielding his eyes as I pulled out my cute act.

"Tell you what," he continued, now using the box of kunai Hibiki handed him as a barrier. "I'll half price it, but only if you let him buy it for you. You can always return the favour when you start making your own money."

Seeing as I was never going to win, I gave up and let myself be spoiled.

"When your daughter grows up and learns she can manipulate you like that, you're doomed," remarked Hibiki who was enjoying our interaction a little too much.

Ken made a grumbling noise and sighed, returning the box of kunai to us after Hibiki paid. "Yume-chan, if you ever teach my little Tenten how to make those eyes, I'm going to start charging you triple."

Hibiki poked and deflated my pouting cheeks before leading us out of the store. "Come on, Yume-chan. You don't have permission to use training fields yet, but I know a nice quiet place we can train at."

He smiled and patted my head. "You might have to do some catching up, but you're going to do big things Yume-chan. I just know it."

Lines in the Sand

I ran through the mental checklist of things I needed to do. My legs were firmly planted on the ground, shoulder widths apart. Left leg forward, pointing towards the target, and my right leg back, perpendicular to my left. My left arm raised in front of me, level with my shoulder; elbow bent so that the kunai is just centimetres in front of my collar bone. I kept the grip on the kunai handle loose, with just enough strength to keep it steady. Thumb and index finger were on the flat sides of the blade for more control, and the rest of them supported its weight as shown in the book.

Satisfied, I exhaled and let the air deflate out from my lungs, stopping my breathing so it doesn't interfere with the shot. With my eyes on the target, I snap my elbow straight, letting the kunai fly the moment my arm went completely linear.

The kunai soared through the air, headed straight in the direction of the target… and missed it by well over a metre.

Damn.

I would claim that my latest attempt to hit the target disappointed me, but then I would be lying. Outside of a few lucky shots, it went about just as well as every other attempt I've made thus far.

With a sigh, I let my body relax and stretched some of the more tense muscles in my body. The beginner kunai throwing stance wasn't a difficult pose to assume, but my stamina was pathetic and it didn't take much to exhaust me.

As much as I would love to attribute my paltry throwing skills to the book I was using for guidance, it would be merely an excuse and a deferral of responsibility to make myself feel better. Unlike the actually useless books I've criticised thus far, this wasn't something written for civilians. This was the one meant to train new shinobi, given to me by Hibiki to help me get started before the Academy began.

Although there were parts that could be improved, It was relatively detailed, complete with drawings and figures. Speaking of which, there were other exercises described in there I should be doing in my limited time left instead of improving my aim. Especially because we wouldn't even be working with kunai on year one.

At the top of the list of priorities was physical conditioning. Supposedly, academy hopefuls began as young as four, and in the case of the bigger clans, even three. This meant I was woefully behind. Still, I was tired, bored, and I wanted a break from my usual routine.

Plus, this was kind of fun.

I grabbed another kunai from my pouch, got into stance again, took aim, and let it fly. This time, it sailed even further to the side than before.

Man, I suck at this.

"You're flicking your wrist too much in your release," said a stern, gravelly voice that came from nowhere.

Nearly jumping out of my skin in surprise, I spun around as quickly as I could to find my unexpected visitor. Past the outcrop of trees, hobbling towards me with a cane, was an older man in his fifties or sixties. He had bandages covering over half his face, including an eye, and he had a scar on his chin.

Almost immediately, I put my guard up. I couldn't quite place why, but something about him sent my skin crawling. Perhaps it was the vibe he was giving off, one that exuded pressure and demanded respect. Maybe it was the way his steely gaze seemed to see past me, making me feel exposed in a way I've never felt before. Or it was the very obvious and frightening fact that he sneaked up on a girl in a secluded clearing.

I'd place my bet it was a combination of all three. Either way, he was bad news.

Not wanting to earn the ire of such an ominous and creepy individual, especially while I was in such a remote location, I suppressed my unease as best I could. Pulling my cheeks into a friendly smile, I greeted him politely, "Hello sir, may I help you?"

He put on a cordial expression, one that was supposed to be kind and sociable, but it only served to make me feel even more like prey. "Just here to give you some advice girl."

I felt a shiver go up my spine, a shiver I wasn't sure I successfully hid completely. If he saw it, he didn't show it. He continued to close the distance until he was about five metres from me. "Try it again, except this time, don't flick your wrist."

I absolutely did not want to turn my back to him. Every instinct in my body told me it was an absolutely horrendous idea; however, something told me that offending him would lead to an even worse outcome.

Gulping nervously, I hesitantly followed his direction and went through the motions. Despite the distraction of having his presence weighing on my mind, this time when I threw the kunai, it hit the target. It was still way off centre, but it was leagues better than anything I've done previously.

"Good throw," he complimented as I turned back around to face him. He sounded oddly proud or satisfied, and I dreaded finding out why. "In the beginner throwing stance, you aim with your body positioning so a steady wrist is key. It is only when you start to discard stances and body positions that you need to start flicking it."

"Thank you for your help," I said respectfully, trying hard to not let discomfort colour my tone. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here?"

He chuckled; however, it was in a manner that was anything but reassuring. "No need to be so alarmed girl, I could sense your caution the moment you saw me. I really am just here to help." Yeah, right. Fat chance I was going to believe that. "I am… affiliated with the academy. Not with the day to day operations of the school, but I manage an… advanced program. One you qualify for."

If that wasn't an ominous proposition, then I don't know what was. I wanted no part in whatever snake oil he was trying to sell me, but even more concerning was how he was phrasing it. He thinks I should be a part of his program, which implies he's been watching me.

I suppressed another shiver. If I was wary of him before, now I was downright afraid. In as polite a tone as I could muster, I declined his offer, "I'm not interested.'

"It'd be wise girl, to finish listening before you make a decision."

Sensing that I displeased him, I layered on the blandishment. "I'm honoured by your offer," I cajoled, tacking on a bow for good measure. "However, I wish to go through the regular curriculum at a pace I am comfortable with."

"And how do you know what I am offering does not match your pace?"

"You said it was an advanced program, I believe that says a lot."

He drew a frown on his face. "Do you not wish to become stronger faster? To graduate earlier? You had a goal when you enrolled did you not? Do you not want to accomplish it?"

I bit my lip and held myself back from responding with a negative outright. I wanted to deny all of his claims, to shut him down and prevent anything further from happening under this line of inquiry. However, at the same time, I was fearful of being too blunt.

"I just want to be a regular student." It didn't directly address any of the things he asked, but it was as close to a denial as I dared.

"That was not an answer girl, try again. And this time, I want a proper answer."

I gulped nervously and mustered up my courage. "No I don't."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say to him. He narrowed his eyes and the atmosphere turned frigid. The presence he emanated became heavy, and thick with a weight that was absolutely suffocating. A primal fear welled up from deep within me, and I wanted to scream, to run, to be anywhere except here.

But I couldn't do a thing.

No words left my mouth, the air was like lead in my lungs, and it smothered any attempts to even breath, let alone make a sound. My legs were locked still, the only thing it was capable of doing was trembling in fright. I could feel my mind, my last bastion of free will, shutting down in a despair so deep and tangible that I couldn't form a single coherent unrelated to my demise.

I was going to die. I was going to disappear, and never resurface again. I was going to—

And then it was gone.

The tension left my body and I nearly collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. It was only by some miracle my legs somehow remained locked still underneath me that kept me upright. My lungs started to function again, and I gasped for air. They worked overtime, hyperventilating in their attempt to get oxygen back into my system.

"You are lying to me," he said in a voice filled with such surety that he could've said the sky was falling and I might've believed him. "A word of advice girl, it would be prudent of you to not lie to me.

"I will give you another chance. Do you not want power?"

My willpower was thoroughly crushed. My resolve to continue fighting him and playing this game was squashed, stamped on, and trampled all over. I was willing to relent, to agree to whatever, to do anything just to not feel the way I did ever again. "I do," I squeezed out in a tiny voice.

But as soon as the words were out, my mind kicked in again. I couldn't just leave it at that. It was a death sentence, I would be handing myself over in a silver platter. In many ways, I feared it would be a fate worse than death. So I hastily added on, "But I think the best path forward for me is to follow the regular curriculum."

His smirk turned into a frown, and I held my breath, hoping I didn't take it a step too far again. For a second, I thought I felt that same fear build within me, but then he just sighed and shook his head. "The regular curriculum," he practically spat out the words with distaste, "in its current, post war state, squanders talent. It hinders ambition, stifles the gifted, and bogs them down with useless ideals that have no place in a real ninja.

"It is no place for one such as you. You may be behind on fulfilling your potential, held back by useless sentiments and a late start, but I can see the promise. You are raw, an unpolished gem. Follow my instructions, as you did with the kunai throw, and you will achieve greatness. Under my guidance, you will accomplish your objectives, you can shine.

"All I offer, is to be that polish."

I could feel my hands go clammy, and my back was soaked in cold sweat. My next words determined my fate. They decided whether I was walking out of this, or if I would never be seen again. I had to deny him, but how? How do I do so without offending him?

As I wracked my brain for a solution, he spoke again. This time, his voice took on an impatient tone. "What is your decision, girl."

"I uhm," I cringed, I was already bungling this. "I am flattered by your high-regard," I tried again, still stalling for time as I searched for my way out of this. "However, I think the Academy is still the best for me."

I mentally face palmed from my own answer. Was that the best I could do? I completely botched it, I must've. Never before have I been so appalled by my inept communication skills, and the stakes have never been higher. Now I was going to die because I couldn't find a better way to say no. Or perhaps he had an even worse fate in mind for me.

He leveled a frown at me, and I held my breath as I waited for his retaliation. His punishment for the perceived disrespect, for defying and disobeying him. He raised his cane, shifted his shoulders, and…

Nothing.

No rolling heads, no sudden darkness, no threat of retribution.

"How regrettable," he said in a disappointed voice as he turned around and began walking away. "You deny yourself this opportunity and path to greatness because you hold onto pathetic ideals and useless beliefs. However, someday, your ambitions will lead you to me. Because try as you might, you will come to learn.

"Large aspirations always require equal sacrifices."

The moment he disappeared from sight, all the strength in my legs gave out and I collapsed onto my feet. I shivered, held myself and I wondered, 'why was I spared?'