"If you're prepared to kill then you must also be prepared to die," Yasuda told Fuji who had immediately dodged his Kunai
Fuji was shocked, she thought this was going to be track training, not survival!
"Your father went too easy on you, I bet you haven't even seen a real kunai before and your planning on being a ninja? Pitiful, you'll need to know what you're looking out for or else one second your breathing, the next you're impaled and in the afterlife"
Tears crept up into Fuji's eyes, her mouth wobbling trying to hold it in.
Yasuda upon seeing this, panicked, Enkai was going to kill him if he found out that he made his little girl cry, just within the first few seconds of meeting her!
"Hey, hey! Hey! Don't cry there's nothing to cry about, I'm only stating the truth, ah crap I messed up, haven't I?" Yasuda asked while waving his hands frantically, trying to distract Fuji from crying even more.
'This was his fault' he thought
He shouldn't have listened to those people who said that Enkai's kid was hard-headed and bulldozed straight to danger, they also said she would talk your ear off non-stop if given the chance but all she's done since he's arrived was sit still and listen to his words...
Then it clicked, the girl he was thinking of should be more grown-up than this, in the academy, Did Enkai have another kid he didn't know about? He's met Kushina when she was still in diapers but that was years ago, this chibi here was out of them sure but she looked just as tiny as when...
"Your not Kushina are you?" he asked hesitantly to the little girl in front of him, crouching down to meet her eye level.
Fuji shook her head, wiping her tears away furiously, trying not to sob.
Great, now he felt like an asshole, not only did he get her mixed up with Kushina, he also made her cry.
"Alright, what's your name then? Your Enkai's kid right?" he asked, hoping he didn't just make some random kid cry, even though this was the exact location Enkai had told him to come to, he just had to make sure.
Fuji nodded her head, no longer was she crying but her eyes still glistened with unshed tears, and her lip still wobbled.
"Can you tell me your name?" Yasuda asked once more
Shaking her head, Fuji covered her face with her hands and brought her knees up to her face, she peeked through her fingers watching how the unknown man would react.
Yasuda now definitely felt like shit, he sighed, well at least he knows this is the kid he's supposed to be teaching, so there's that.
"Alright, I guess we could be on first name bases later than huh? For now, I'll just call you by your title, that sound good little Hime?"
She gave a nod, agreeing with him that it was for the best, as she wasn't comfortable with talking to this stranger just yet.
"From here on out, I'll be your sensei, little Hime, you can call me Sensei, Yasuda-Sensei, or just Yasu-Sensei, I'm here to teach you tracking, along with giving you survival training, your dad saw fit for you to learn the in's and outs of any situation you come across, hopefully, with all those pranks, it gave you some experience with that, I'm also supposed to help you better harness your senses." He explained
...
Fuji just turned 1, her parents were out in the war unable to celebrate with her, her sister is in school and their granny was taking care of the village along with their grandfather, and here she was getting yelled at by some stranger.
What a terrible birthday.
Well, it's not like any other could get worse than this.
...
They started with beginners gymnastic stretching, not so surprisingly, she's more flexible than the average person, her panther genes helped play a big role, but she still has a long way to go before she could achieve a backbend without help.
Next Yasuda summoned one of his ferrets, asking her to hide and not get caught, but to leave clues here and there as this isn't an advanced tracking training, yet.
An excellent hide and seek game, a ferret who's limble, a little girl who's perceptive and inventive. Both can get in and out of places quickly, quietly, and efficiently.
'Fuji will be pushed to her limits with this one' Yasuda thought, impressed with his idea.
Setting the game up, letting his ferret wrap her scent on him while also wrapping herself with his scent after she was finished he wrapped a piece of his scented cloth onto his summons collar just for extra measure.
He watched as she ran away while rubbing their mixed scent on every tree and bush she came across, all Fuji has to do is to find the correct path and then catch his summon.
...
After Yasuda explained the rules of the game, Fuji got to work, she walked up to him and sniffed his shirt for the scent, she made sure she got a good whiff, and it seemed like Yasuda didn't mind either, almost like he was used to it.
When she was able to get a good smell, she ran off into the trees trying to find the strongest scent, and to hear out for any noises that could give her clues, she made sure she was hiding her chakra as low as it can be, all while silencing her steps.
It took up to half an hour until she found the right path, by then she was covered in dirt and had leaves in her hair.
There were at least 100 paths, but this one had the weakest scent compared to the others, it seems that the ferret wanted to make it seem it went one way with the strongest scent but went the total opposite.
Smart.
Her eyes haven't picked up on any movements either, besides the wind hitting the leaves here and there, gets annoying when they zoom in every time, but they zoom back out once it recognizes the object, and moves on the next.
Making a complete stop under a bunch of tall trees, she lost the scented path, so she sat down and closed her eyes while taking a big whiff of the air, trying to sense the ferret with its chakra now that she knows she's somewhere close to it, and to find the path once more.
Upon locating it, her eyes popped back open and automatically looked and zoomed into the spot where she knows the ferrets located, her eyes staying zoomed in until she's spotted her prey, here comes the hard part, she thought while going into a crouching position.
Now that she's found it, she has to catch it, it's fast, she knows, as it's already juked her out multiple times making new paths, at that time she wasn't able to latch onto its chakra either.
She has to find something to hold it, maybe even something to lure it in, she knows ferrets like eating smaller mammals, maybe if she catches a rodent she can use it as bait, build a trap, and bam! Ferrets caught.
Yeah, but what's going to be the trap?
Hm, maybe she can use some of the giant tree leaves and tie them together with twigs, like she has seen her sister do before, to make a closed tube of sorts with a dead rodent inside.
That'll work, hm, now that she knows where her prey is and has the chakra locked. She'll be able to find it again easily, so getting up and running away to find some mice, she left to the place she knows they're infested.
The meadows.
...
When she made it to the meadows, which is a 5 minute run away from where the ferret laid, she crouched on all fours and watched, looking out for any of the field mice that play in the flowers.
Seeing one, she immediately pounced, her nails sharpening into claws, latching onto it, digging in so the mouse won't escape.
She watched as it twitched in her fingers, the life leaving its eyes as she squeezed, putting it out of its misery.
With that, she left, to set up her trap to catch the ferret.
...
Back at the place close to where the ferret is located, she sat down and took her time tying the giant leaves together, making sure that the ferret won't be able to break out.
Once finished, she put the mouse inside and then tied the tip of the trap to a long vine and three it up over a hanging branch, so when the ferrets inside, the lid will close and she'll be able to pull it in the air, where it will be unable to move around.
The ferret fell for the trap, she knew there was a small chance the ferret would fall for it, but for it to so blatantly come out of its hiding spot to climb into the tube that's so obviously a trap, shocked her.
Well looks like she wins the game, climbing the tree to pull up the tube with the vine, after she was done she hopped off and began her way to find Yasuda to return his ferret, she still has to wash her hands as well.
...
To say that he was surprised would be an understatement, he watched Fuji the entire day, she almost found him many, many times, it was as if any small noise he made no matter how tiny, her ears picked it up and her eyes latched onto it, it even felt like she could look through trees for Kami's sake!!
Terrifying, she was terrifying, he saw as she found and located his summon, then watched her leave, he was confused but he followed her of course, then like nothing! The little Hime just grew claws and killed a mouse! A mouse! He hadn't even killed anything until he was like 4 or 5! And that was for the hunting part of the training he did.
Usually, it starts with just dodging, tracking, and then hunting comes after. Seems the little hime is ready for that next step.
Than! His trained summon who's the best in the busyness, just waltzed right into the trap like it was a normal thing! Well since she already ate a snack, he's not giving her another one.
All this showed him is that he's going to have to step up his game because it seems that bribing works on his summons. It also seems the little Hime is more inventive and perceptive than he initially thought. Something he'll now have to keep in mind
Teleporting back to where the game started, he met with the sight of a smiling dirt-covered little Hime with bloody hands and a ferret whose head is sticking out of a well-crafted leaf tube walking towards him.
He smiled back, looks like this is going to be interesting from here on out.
"Come on let's go wash up and then get some ice cream huh?" He said
Fuji, still happy as can be that her plan had worked, nodded her head and ran up to his left side, Yasuda petting her head for a job well done.
Un-summoning his ferret, and her taking the tube along with it, he held Fuji's hand and made their way to the ice cream shop where they will hopefully serve them food.
...
Eating mango ice cream, with her hands cleaned off, Fuji was incredibly happy.
Even though her parents and grandparents couldn't make it to her birthday, she at least had her sister waiting for her when she gets back home, Fuji spent most of her day trying to find the ferret so by the time she finished with everything, her sister should already be coming home from the academy.
Now Fuji's eating her favorite ice cream, had fun playing, was able to make a trap by herself and when she gets home she'll be met with the sight of her sister, plus the maids will have already started the bath and cooked her favorite food.
When Fuji got home she was greeted at the door with a launching Kushina, who by the way is bigger than her, she got slammed into and was pulled into a big hug, the maids patiently waiting for it to end with a smile so they could grab her dirty clothes and put them in the wash.
"Happy birthday!! Look at you! You're all smelly and dirty!" -she laughed-
"Did you have fun? What'd you do?" Kushina asked excitedly
Fuji began telling the tale of her day as best she could, while taking off her shirt and pants, after telling her story, she hopped in the bath where her maid, Jun, washed her up and brushed her skin with an exfoliating brush for a deep clean.
After Fuji got out of the bath and was dressed, she ran into the kitchen where Kushina was waiting and sat down next to her, their chef, Hyousuke, made her favorite food, onomichi ramen, a shoyu soup flavored with fish from the ports of the village topped with green onions, chashu, menma, and a bit of pork lard for some more flavoring.
Delicious.
Both she and Kushina grubbed in like there was no tomorrow, Fuji eating up to 5 large bowls, and Kushina already on her 7th.
...
In bed with her stomach stuffed, teeth brushed, and ready for a nap, she smiled and whispered
"I guess today wasn't that bad of a day"
...
When she woke up it was sunset, 3 hours since she arrived home, meaning dinner will be served soon it'll also be around the time that her granny will be able to take a break and join her and Kushina for dinner.
She wonders what Hyousuke is going to make, along with the deserts, yum, she's drooling just thinking about it.
Getting up from bed, her body already was starting to feel sore-ish, maybe her granny can heal her up just a bit.
Ou! This will also be the time for presents! Kushina has been telling her how birthdays work, you turn 1 year older every birthday and receive gifts from loved ones, you also celebrate it with all of them as well.
How exciting! She can't wait!
Jun began knocking on her door,
"Come in!" Fuji yelled
Coming in and closing the door behind her, Jun placed the clothes for Fuji on the nightstand and began to make her bed.
"Are you excited? I heard your grandmother invited your aunts and uncles for you to meet them along with their kids, which are your cousins." Jun said
"Really! Are any of them my age?" Fuji asked while holding up 1 finger
"Hm, I believe that your father's younger brother by three years child is 3 years old, the only one closest to you by age, your father's younger sister by a year has triplets, meaning 3 children born the same day and are the same age, they're 4 or 5 years old I think, and your mother's sister only has one child, and she's 10," Jun explained
"Oh wow I didn't know I had that much family!" Fuji exclaimed
Fuji always thought it was just her, her sister, their parents, and grandparents that were related, not that she's ever met her grandfather but still.
Jun laughed, "oh Hime, your clan is your family too, there are all either distant relatives, from a cousin to a great aunt, or uncle, so your family is huge! Hime, so don't count them out okay?"
"Okay!" Fuji said with a big smile
Jun dressed Fuji up in a nice flowery Jimbei style onesie and tired her hair in two little pigtails with matching clips, and her crown to top it off.
Granny coming into the house and yelling
"I'm home!"
"Granny!!" both Kushina and Fuji shouted out
...
The first person to come to the party was her ma's sister, Mamiko, and her daughter Reiki. Mamiko's husband deployed unable to make it.
She was gifted an Omamori, a sealed amulet that protects the bearer from illness or other calamities, Reiki pinched her cheeks and gave her a big hug while telling her how cute her baby cousin is.
Mamiko laughed and enjoyed the sight of her daughter playing with her niece, she too joined the hug, pulling Kushina into the pile, and began marveling at their beauty, of course, she knows they both got their good looks from their mother's genes.
Fixing themselves up, Kushina and Fuji waited for their next guest.
Their dad's sister Masae, her husband, Satoshi, and their triplets, Kosuke the oldest, Kuma the middle child, and Kiyoko the youngest.
All three launched themselves on them, Kosuke and Kiyoko on Kushina, knocking her down, and Kuma on her, also knocking her down.
Kuma hugging her tight as can be, like a bear, Fuji was not used to people she's just met hugging her so she just lightly patted Kuma's back, not knowing what to do.
Kushina however squeezed Kiyoko and Kosuke back just as tight as they were hugging her, and Kuma upon seeing this got up off of Fuji and joined their dogpile, Fuji stood and patted herself down and fixed her crown, making sure she still looked presentable after all the hugging.
Masae and Satoshi we're both trying to hold in their laughter, it seems little Fuji has trouble with being in crowds and understanding social cues, it's cute really, she'll grow out of it, as no Uzumaki child is shy and unsociable, it just doesn't fit their nature!
Satoshi crouched on one knee and helped Fuji fix her hair, he gave her a nice welcoming smile and said "Happy Birthday"
Grabbing a seal from his back pocket, h gave it to her, and inside was her gift, a shogi set, handcrafted and detailed by the finest craftsmen in Uzushiogakure, added into it were seals to hold the unique pieces.
A true masterpiece really.
Fuji had yet to open it to know what it was, but she smiled and thanked uncle Satoshi for the gift, him opening his arms for a hug and her giving it.
Marae waiting patiently for her turn.
The next who came was their dad's younger brother Haru and his boyfriend, Ren, along with Haru's biological son Ichiro.
Ichiro walked up to Fuji, bowed, and presented her a wrapped gift while saying "Happy Birthday"
Fuji smiled, said "thank you" and sort of pulled him back into a standing position as she didn't like her family bowing down to her.
She understood though that Ichiro was doing what was expected of him, with her father being the heir to the throne that makes her family in a higher position than the rest, even though everyone here is a part of the royal family besides Ma's sister and niece.
But well, titles shouldn't matter all that much.
Ichiro smiled, and put his hand out for a formal shake, Fuji stared but instead of going for the shake she just gave him a big hug.
Haru smiled a sweet smile, and waited his turn, when it came up he kneeled and grabbed Fuji's hand, and placed a kiss, he spoke
"Happy birthday Fuji-Hime"
He then got up and pulled Ren to introduce him to her, "This is Ren, he's my lifetime friend, and now my boyfriend, Ren this is princess Fuji, my niece"
Fuji doesn't understand what a boyfriend is, but she looked up at Ren and waited till he spoke.
Ten cleared his throat and gave a bow, well he was going to before Haru held him up preventing him from doing it, they had a stare off before Ren was the first to look away, He instead gave his hand for a shake, but he never spoke.
Fuji felt some tension in the room, but she gave a smile and shook Rens's hand, she decided she would speak first even though it's against protocol, she said
"It's nice meeting you, I hope you enjoy the party"
Letting go and taking a step back, Fuji waited until they left her area, and joined the others.
They didn't, Haru was just staring at her, she not only felt it but saw from the corner of her eyes, Ichiro was hiding behind Rens legs, and Ren was just looking at Haru.
"Fuji! Come on! Let's go and play outside!" Kushina yelled at her, Fuji felt relief flow through her system
She looked at Ren then at Haru and gave a small nod of her head, "if you'll excuse me"
As she turned, she heard Ichiro take a step, she also felt a new set of eyes on her, she looked back, "Ichiro-san would you like to play with us?" she then looked back at Haru and asked
"is that okay Haru-Oji-san?"
Haru looked at Ichiro and then at her, and nodded his head then made his way to the snack bar.
She waited as Ichiro gave Ren a side hug, then walked up to her, where Kushina was tapping her foot waiting, Kushina was unusually quiet, just staring at Haru, she had watched the whole exchange.
When they made it up to Kushina, she gave a smile and pushed the two of them outside to play with the rest of the kids.
Fuji was super happy, even though her parents couldn't make it, at least she had a lot of family with her to help celebrate her birthday.
...
They were called in for dinner, Sticky rice cooked in bamboo hollows, with chicken and pork. There were also bamboo shoots on the side and boiled squid and octopus.
She only ate the sticky rice with some pork, her teeth couldn't handle the chewiness of squid or octopus yet.
After dinner was finished, placed right in the middle of the dining table was a large cake with strawberries and powdered sugar on top.
Everyone sang her Happy birthday and she blew out the candles making a wish
'She wishes every birthday after this one will be just as fun and that her parents will be home to celebrate with her"