Magnolia Academy

Chapter Seven

x

"Will you stop staring at me?" Mirajane closed the book she was reading with a thud, growing annoyed by her new found member of the Library club. "You are pushing it."

Naruto shrugged, not too bothered about her outburst. He had gotten used to her nagging over the past few months.

Three months to be exact, had past since the exhibition match. He had a lot of questions but she would not answer. He wanted to know what happened during that match that made her scream and ultimately lose consciousness. She remained adamant and gave no heed to his inquiry, changing the topic all the time. She had yet to trust Naruto completely and he knew that. But he couldn't help but want to be nosy about her. He just wanted to get to know her more.

More than she would like.

"Yes? I was just reading."

Sigh...

"So, what did you learn today?" Mirajane asked instead of trying to prove him wrong. That almost never worked, he would just be a pest... the kind that never gives up.

He closed the book he was reading and showed her the cover that reads 'Princess of Crystarium.'

Mirajane cringed. "Let me guess, you read this because-"

"Not at all senpai, I am not a pervert. You are just special."

She groaned. She hated his guts but didn't want to be too rude either. She was stuck in between having enough and stopping herself from hitting the smug look out of his face.

"Princess of Crystarium lives in Agris, an Abyss where many believes to be full of treasures and unimaginable powers." Naruto added.

"Do you believe it?" She asked, interested to hear what his take was on the book. It was after all one of her favorites.

Naruto looked at her as she put her palm under her chin for support as she looked at him with interest. He inwardly gave himself a victory sign for getting her attention.

He cleared his throat to calm his nerves before he answered.

"The Abyss is said to be a place of great trial, whether its real or fantasy, it's dumb."

Now that wasn't what she was expecting him to say. "What do you mean?"

"If such a place exists, then it's clearly a trap for idiots. I would never go there." He crossed his arms as he laid back on his chair, staring at the tall wooden ceiling, a thoughtful look present in his face that she thought was impossible. "Where we can find the answer for everything? It's too vague. "

"How do you know? It can be just a place of serenity." She shrugged.

He shrugged too, but indifferently. "Please, they have all the red flags. Named Abyss. Princess waiting for us in the Abyss? Who falls for this crap?"

"I guess you do have a point. Well, it's just my opinion but I believe such a place exists. I would love to visit." Mirajane spoke absentmindedly before going back to read.

"Maybe if I ever find it, I will take you there." He grinned.

No response...

His shoulder slumped down in defeat. 'She has no interest in me whatsoever... this sucks.'

(Scene Change)

Loud thuds and clanking steel gates paved her path through the underground ANBU military division. Every doorway was operated through eye-scans and the readings of the brain's electromagnetic waves through virtual electroencephalograms. The sensory and intelligence department would monitor the heartbeat, blood pressure, and pupillary reflexes of every person that walked through the hallways. The highly efficient artificial intelligence operating the secret tunnels, and monitoring each insignificant activity, provided for the unbreachable confines of the esoteric place.

As she walked through a substantial, comparatively larger sliding door, it automatically opened for her after scanning a green laser through her eyes.

"Welcome. You're Seraphina Uzumaki. Am I correct?" Spoke a tall, middle-aged man standing behind the opened door, politely.

He was a little under six feet in height, a duck tail, black beard adorned his features. Chocolate eyes fixated at the cigarette dwindling within his fingers while his black under dress, cloaked by the grey, titanium Armour, completed his Anbu uniform.

"Yes, it's me," Seraphina answered, confidently.

"The headmaster told me about you. You'll be touring around the place today and I'll explain to you the process of your training," the man explained as they started walking through the narrow hallway, "My name is Asuma Sarutobi, by the way. And I am going to be your assigned mentor for this three-week program."

She nodded. Seraphina had gained quite the name in the last three months, showing outstanding performance that couldn't be overlooked by the authority and became the youngest to ever get a training call within the Anbu Division of the Academy.

As Seraphina stepped into the main hallway, she was met with an enormous practice field. The walls were grey with very little light being reflected through its surface, which made the whole place a little gloomy. The only sources of light being the white light torches which were aligned all around the four walls, beaconing the entire place to some degree.

The weaponry was aligned serially on the arsenal racks, countless such racks stood against the walls in front of the numerous battle rings in the military coliseum. M4 carbines and machine guns equipped the majority of the racks from what her eyes could perceive. Secondary to that was a side of the gymnasium occupied by trainees who were using their shotguns and rifles to hit their targets marked on several feet of the concrete wall facing them.

"This is our firearm site. The ANBU is basically divided into a major training division that trains mages to combine mana with these weapons and multiply the impact," Asuma explained, "the other division is called arsenal and weaponry development site where all the machinery is designed and manufactured."

Seraphina nodded while her eyes wandered in awe.

"You're a valiant swordswoman, I've heard. Is that what you'd like to master here, too?" Asuma questioned.

"Yes, I think," Seraphina scratched her chin as if in deep thought, "I like swords and I like to use them. So, I would like to gain mastery over it too. It's my basic skill, you know?" She nervously mumbled something she wouldn't do quite often. But the aptitude and the radiating intimidation from the four walls surrounding her inferior being made her a little anxious, if not too.

"Let's take a tour there then," Asuma spoke as he gestured her to walk along with him to the left side of the firearm gym. At the corner, another one of those huge, metal double doors awaited the duo, opening automatically as they approached it.

The door unveiled a fairy tale view to her ocean blue eyes. An arena similar to that of the firearm gym appeared before her eyes. The illumination was a little brighter and the trainees didn't wear the previous black uniforms but wore monochromatic black kimonos, instead. The arsenal racks contained a variety of katanas and Falchions. The swordsmen were using Vikings as they sparred in pairs within numerous battle rings. Clanging iron against iron made for such a harmonious rhythmic sound that resonated throughout the air of the hall.

"This is where you will be mentored," Asuma informed, "There are about thirty-six trainees here currently, all older than you by at least two years."

Seraphina nodded, not paying attention to anything he said, distracted by the fascination that that it provided her with.

"Asuma-Taichou," A quiet, young boy sneaked up to the older man, "Is she the first year you were talking about before?"

"Ahh— Sai," Asuma whispered in acknowledgement, "Yes she is. Seraphina, meet Sai."

Seraphina watched as the boy smiled at her. Short, silky black hair covered his forehead. His skin was pale and he was holding a Viking in his hand while his other forearm was mantled with a shield.

"Hi, I'm Seraphina Uzumaki, nice to meet you!" She uttered, excitedly.

"Likewise," Sai replied, his previous smile still plastered his face.

'Uh... kinda creepy.' She thought.

"Sai will be your sparring partner when you start," Asuma informed, "he's currently the ANBU's best swordsman. You could say, a prodigy."

Seraphina raised her eyebrows in surprise, clearly impressed but also thrilled to be able to train with someone like him.

"Sai, you should head back to practice now. I'll take her to the weaponry division from here," Asuma told him and Sai bowed his head and took his leave.

(Scene Change)

The Weaponry Club was just as magical, as she had hoped. Seraphina was glad she left the Archery club, it never clicked. She was glad that she will still have access to the club even after her training is over so it was a no brained for her.

'Home sweet home.' She grinned.

There were even more monitors, chemical laboratories, and specialized machinery that she wasn't familiar with, in there. Many mages were working at different sites wearing white coats and gloves to protect themselves, and a pair of goggles to protect their eyes, as they carefully mixed one chemical with the other. Some were monitoring peculiar wave patterns and radioactivity of certain elements through a glass screen that appeared like a specialized computer.

"Let me introduce you to our famed genius here," Asuma told her as he walked deeper into the place with Seraphina walking behind him.

"She developed nano-chips, nano-phones and nano-cameras for the military this year, something that has never happened before," Asuma explained on their way, "the best part about her nanotechnology is that everything is motile, you know? Like insects. Her designs are like insects too," he chuckled.

"That's impressive! I haven't even heard of nano-tech before," Seraphina stated,

"Yes since it is rare and ours is the rarest, given the motility. It gives a fair advantage in battle." Asuma educated, "Oh, there he is."

The duo marched to where the crowned genius was standing with his back turned. A bunch of loose papers in his hands as he skimmed through them, one after another.

"Freya," Asuma called and she turned around with a raised eyebrow, "I'm here to introduce you to our new member, Seraphina."

She watched as her eyes turned to where she was standing, just that she couldn't exactly see her eyes given the cover of her translucent glasses. "Hi, it is nice to meet you!" Seraphina exclaimed, bowing her head in respect.

"I'm Freya Aburama. I've heard about you from Master Asuma before," He spoke, "You are the one who destroyed the roof during induction test."

It was rather an embarrassing way to be recognized and she pinched her ample lips into a pout as she muttered an 'um-hm'.

"I'm a bit busy with a project at the moment but the next time you visit, I'll show you my nano-tech and explain its use," Freya said in a low, tender voice.

"That will be a privilege!" She exclaimed joyously. Asuma also smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Well, then we'll take our leave," Asuma told Shino as he took Seraphina back to the main hallway. Her heart pounded within her chest at every step that she took, eager to step back in there and acquaint herself with the marvelous experience that it would offer.

(Scene Change- Next Day)

It was Seraphina's first-day training with the Anbu.

Asuma greeted her as she entered the training auditorium holding her katana wrapped in a navy-blue cloth.

"I would've taught you the basics myself if you were an amateur," he stated "but since you passed Shizuka's class, I'm guessing that's not the case," he added, stepping out of the sparring ring that he previously stood inside, "I'll judge you, today, based on how well you hold up against my master student."

Seraphina's eyebrow lifted in confusion about the identity of this 'master student' but all of her unsaid queries got answered when a familiar face appeared in her line of sight. Sai stood at a little distance from her, holding his double-bladed Viking, dressed in a charcoal yukata, his dark long hair tied into a ponytail.

"It's good to see you again, Sai!" She exclaimed from the spot, Asuma then gestured her to come forward.

It was hard for her and completely out of the ordinary to wear a yukata to a sword fight so she had declined the offer given by Asuma when he asked her about it before but watching Sai elegantly weave his sword in the air while wearing such extravagant piece of clothing was surely tempting. Maybe she would try the yukata on, next time.

"I'm wearing a yukata too next time, Asuma-sensei," she stated.

"I did offer you one, didn't I? I'd imagined you would look very agreeable in it," the teacher chuckled.

"You'll see for yourself next time," she giggled, stepping up into the ring. Both Seraphina and Sai bowed before each other.

"Please last for at least two minutes," Sai whispered.

"Are you mocking me?" Seraphina bickered.

"you two will start when the bell rings," Asuma announced, "And three, two, one-"

Just when the bell rang, Seraphina waved her sword in the air, circling and spinning it above her head. Sai stayed back, quiet and steady; eyes like an eagle's, keen on his target.

With lightning speed, Seraphina charged at the boy, swift and quick, careful on her feet, holding the sword with expertise but the speed didn't help and neither did her technique when Sai easily paved his way through her attack, dodging it gracefully. His sword shielded him from her katana's wrath as he blocked her body's propulsion with his back facing her. In an instant he turned around, the Viking clanged against Seraphina's katana as she jumped backwards, quick enough to not have her sword flown away from the impact.

She was astonished at the tough thirty seconds her opponent had given her. His sword displayed his skills within such a short pan and left her stunned, down to her very core. Twinkling eyes watched him astounded, Seraphina became extremely precise and careful with her every movement.

"Do you know what they say about us sword fighters, Seraphina?" Sai asked, ducking down and balancing his body on his toes. The Viking spun between his hands.

"That we are impatient and boastful?" Seraphina joked.

"That is true but," Sai mumbled, stationing the sword still as he took his aim and planned his next move, "they say you can learn more about them by exchanging a single clash than conversing with them for days."

"Then my clash with your Viking says that you tend to be extremely cautious of your opponents."

"That is true."

"But I believe that being too wary of somebody makes you sluggish," Seraphina uttered through smirking lips as she charged at him once again, Heavy feet tapping against the cold floor, shining blade reflected the scarce illumination of the arena.

"That is not true," Sai whispered as he pierced his sword into the ground and jumped up to raise his legs in the air, his hands wrapped around the grip as he rose upside down, arms supported his weight on the sword. The tactical aspect was the timing of his movement and his quick wit which enabled him to leave the floor right before the impact.

Seraphina, who failed to withstand the inertia of her fast pace, fell behind Sai's initial position and even though she was sharp enough to attempt a precise strike of her sword from behind, Sai was quicker and smarter, fast enough to dodge it mid-air by rotating in his axis, landing keenly on the ground. Right before Seraphina stabilised her position, he pulled his sword out of the floor, ducked down to dodge another one of her sword's weaving strikes, that she had attempted instinctively.

The next thing he did was clang his own sword against hers, a metallic echo resonated throughout the auditorium at the vigorous impact as it forced her to lose grip and her sword landed on the floor.

Left in awe of his skill and shock of her utter defeat, Seraphina stayed still for a while, mentally comprehending what just had happened.

"Sluggish, wasn't I?" Sai chuckled, sheathing his sword. A smug expression plastered his face.

"What even was that?" Seraphina gaped in astonishment.

"A display of my skills, no?" he joked, "Well, I'll help you with where you are lacking from now onwards. This session was for me to judge your skills and see if I can teach you alongside Asuma-Taichou."

"That will be an Honour, truly."

"Now don't get your hopes up because you cannot reach my level within the next few weeks but I will at least help you minimize your shortcomings," he informed, "starting with your weak defense."

"my weak defense?" she asked, unaware and somewhat disappointed.

"Your offence is quite powerful, Seraphina. Maybe just enough to waver even me. But a real battle isn't defined by how offensive you are," Sai explained, "It is a combination of your offence and defense and while your offence is superior, your defense is weak."

She carefully listened to him, eyes eager to find ways to become as skilled as him.

"They say defence is the strongest offence, you know?" he continued, "If your defence was stronger, you would've persisted against me a bit longer."

She nodded.

"If you want to protect yourself and the people around you, you need to strengthen your defence, that will also serve as the first step in upgrading your offence."

"Ah," she sighed, "so where should I start?" Sai only smiled.

'Creepy...'

(scene change)

The usual clatter filled the cold air of the classroom as Naruto watched birds flying outside the window. They were still strange and one of a kind, in his eyes, but he was slowly getting used to all these peculiarities. His attention got absorbed by Sakura's novel presence at the door. Her hands were still bandaged and according to what he overheard, she couldn't start training under her as long as her hands didn't heal. So even if Sakura was grumpy and more frustrated than usual, he was happy for his fellow classmate.

'Everyone is improving. Where does it leave me?' He couldn't help but sigh.

She walked in like usual, glanced at him like usual, approached his seat like usual but before she could walk past his seat like usual, she unusually settled beside him.

"We need to talk." She spoke. "Tell me your sister's Weakness."

...

'Oh, and their rivalry didn't change. Guess that's a positive.' He wondered.

Yes