Legacy of the Will
Chapter 7: The Rabbit Master
A/N: After plenty of listens to Open Your Heart and a lot of planning, I have returned from my very long disappearance. Apologies for that, hopefully the chapters are high quality to make up for it.
After what seemed like an eternal speedy rush, the two battered teams returned to their home. Quickly rushing their injured to the Konoha hospital.
"Help! Nurse!" Kaori cried out.
Several personnel rushed to the two. One of them spoke, "What happened?"
"My sensei has been poisoned! One of ours!"
Ryouichi was lethargic, weak and sluggish with horrible burns along his arm. He collapsed into the nurses' arms as they all realized something. The kunai was poisoned.
"Help them both! Please miss!" Kaori worriedly asked. Haru stood frozen as he saw half his team on their way to the Shinigami's doorstep.
The other nurse nodded. "We'll do our best!" And they got the two onto beds and wheeled them to an emergency operating room. Meanwhile, another nurse walked up to the two young Genin.
"Excuse me, let's have a look at you. Right this way." She asked.
"No. We're fine." Haru said, determined.
"Hiding your pain is commendable, but I wasn't asking." She gave a forceful glare that made Kaori and Haru gulp as they were led off by her to a room.
Team Asuma gave a collective sigh of relief as they sat in the waiting room. Ino paced the floor. Choji inhaled pork rinds. And Shikamaru sat there seemingly calm. He looked over at a grim Asuma, who seemed rather calm, only reasonably concerned instead of worried. That calmed down Shikamaru's jitters on his insides, and he sat much more relaxed.
The waiting was agonizing for Ino. She felt her stomach backflip, and cartwheel, and mingle with the tornadoes and hurricanes that joined her twistingly worried insides. She paced to the point of exhaustion but kept moving, on simple auto-pilot. Her best friend was in an operating room, poisoned, burned, beaten, and mentally tortured. And here she was, unable to do anything. She was powerless. And now she was afraid.
Kaori was sat in a room, impatiently she tried to hurry along. But the injury in her side and chakra fatigue made it hard for her to be quickly discharged and get back to Team Asuma. In fact, she was admitted into a bed. Haru was simply made to rest and calm down.
Ino held her stomach and then she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she spun instinctively. She saw her father's eyes and she tried to hold back her visible worry. Inoichi shook his head.
"It's okay, Ino. They'll be okay."
She lightly teared up before hugging her father tightly. He spoke soothing words to her, hugging his daughter with comfort.
Asuma looked at the hallway they took Ryouichi and Tsukiko through. 'C'mon you two, I know you can get through this.'
An hour went by, and then a medical-nin and a nurse came out to them. Ino looked worried as her stomach tightened. The smile on the medical-nin's face made her hopeful.
"They made it through. It was touch and go, considering their injuries and chakra fatigue. But they did just fine. We need to hold them though. At least for us to properly get them back to full strength." She said.
Ino let out half a sigh of relief, and half a laugh. She closed her eyes and nodded furiously. "I understand. Thank you. Thank you so much."
The medical-nin smiled, and she walked off to go handle other matters.
Inoichi smiled. "I told you it'd be okay."
She nodded. "Y-Yeah. You were right."
Ryouichi sat in his room staring at the ceiling. 'That was close...we almost all died...if it wasn't for Ino and her team, I don't even want to think about what would have happened. I was reckless and a total idiot. But...now I know the truth. I can't be a coward anymore.'
He sat up and winced in pain as he looked at his burned hand. 'How did I do that? I didn't make any hand signs or realize I did it.'
He looked at his bruised, bandaged, and very exhausted body. 'I'll have to work on this after I rest up. For now, just think happy thoughts.' He laid his head onto his pillow and closed his eyes. What greeted him was the swirls of leaves he saw after his victory. He lightly smiled.
Inoichi visited Ryouichi the day after their return. It was a welcome visit, Ryouichi only had nurses doting on him all morning as if he was a fragile child.
"Hello Ryouichi. How are you feeling?" The blonde man asked as he sat on the side of his hospital bed.
"Sore and tired, but other than that, I feel just fine. Thanks for asking Yamanaka-san."
"My daughter is rather worried about you."
"Sorry...I don't want her to worry." He looks down.
"You don't have to be. You did everything to protect your comrades. That's something to be proud of."
"Yeah...if I hadn't jeopardized the mission by getting caught in that genjutsu." He clenches his fist.
"That is actually why I am here. To talk to you about the genjutsu."
Ryouichi nodded lightly. "What do you want to know?"
"What was it like?"
Ryouichi remembered it. The stabbing in his heart. The memories he longed to forget. The pain.
"It...was cold."
"Cold?" Inoichi curiously asked.
"It made me...made me…" Ryouichi had to breath deeply as he felt panic crawl up from his toes to his head.
Inoichi reassuringly placed a hand on Ryouichi's arm. "It's okay. Maybe it's best you don't say anything;"
He thought to himself. "Do you mind if I use my clan jutsu to see the information myself? I'll do my best to make sure you don't relive anything."
Ryouichi thought for a second and nodded. "O-Okay."
He nodded and formed the handseal for Mind Transmission. Ryouichi made no resistance attempts. And Inoichi took over as Ryouichi felt his mind become cloudy and dark, unable to properly see everything clearly.
Inoichi, meanwhile, peered through all of Ryouichi's memories related to the incident. And what he saw made him sick to his very core. A foul genjutsu that he could see the efficacy of. All Shinobi had something that haunted them. But to turn it on a child was something he felt disgust towards.
He watched every moment. From Ryouichi seeing his parents, to the stabbing in his heart. After watching the three days on fast forward, he understood why this genin almost had a panic attack while describing it. He released his jutsu and returned to his body, before looking at Ryouichi.
"Ryouichi-shonen...you endured excellently." Inoichi nodded to himself.
"R-Really?" Ryouichi's eyes widened.
"Few people ever come out of something like that. And fewer do it and come out stronger than they were going in. I respect your drive, shinobi. And one thing is sure."
"What is it, Yamanaka-san?" Ryouichi asked.
He poked his forehead protector. "You deserve to wear this. Konoha ninja are made of sturdy stock. You're no exception."
Ryouichi teared up and wiped them away quickly. Beaming wide. "Thank you. That means so much to me."
Inoichi nodded. "Don't think there isn't some damage. But I promise, I'll do my best to help get you through it."
He nodded. "Okay. I'll listen to you the best I can!"
Inoichi smiled and ruffled the boy's hair as he stood up, and took his leave.
A few days had gone by. Inoichi had worked enough on Ryouichi to move onto assessing whether he was ready to resume shinobi duties. But more importantly-at least to Ino-was that he was now allowed visitors. She got in early that day, Haru and Kaori elected to train and get back to full strength before meeting him; believing they would rather die than have him see them weaker, and making him worry about them.
As such, she opened her eyes the day she could best go visit. And she quickly got dressed. She made sure her hair was well brushed and styled. She put together an arrangement of daisies and a get-well-soon note. With that, she walked over to the hospital.
Each step made her feel more and more nervous. She had no idea what that genjutsu had done to him. And while he seemed fine to her after he broke out, he might have also been running off of adrenaline. The idea of him no longer being himself, was paralyzing. She stopped midway during the walk. Until she felt a hand push her forward. A delicate hand.
She looked behind her, and saw Sakura pushing her forward. Sakura smiled and kept pushing until Ino moved her feet, and she started walking with her.
"You didn't have to do that Sakura." Ino looks away.
"Seemed like I did, Ino. You need to stop worrying."
"Easy for you to say." Ino looks down briefly.
"He's my friend too. I'm worried about him too. I understand you care about him a lot more."
She lightly blushes and nods.
"But I'm sure it'll be okay. After all, he was fine coming out right? I doubt he'll just drop after that."
Ino nods and relaxes lightly. The two continued their journey and made it to the hospital. At which point Ino went to the front desk. "I'm here to see Ryouichi."
"Of course. Right this way." The nurse took them to his room and opened it. Ryouichi sat inside and smiled at Ino. "Hey Ino-chan, Sakura-san."
They waved as Ino walked over and set the flowers down onto a table next by him.
"Thank you. Daisies for recovery?" Ryouichi asked.
"Yeah, you studied that book I gave you?" Ino smiled.
He nods. And Sakura giggles. 'So cute…'
"Well I'll leave you two alone." Sakura made a quick getaway before either could question it. Leaving Ino to look at Ryouichi who shrugged.
"How are you feeling?" She sat next to him. Her jasmine perfume hit his senses.
"I feel okay. Just a bit sore. The doctors say it'll be a couple weeks before I can leave the hospital."
"That's good. I hope you feel better."
"Thank you. But...How is Tsukiko-sensei, Kaori, and Haru?" Ryouichi responded slightly worriedly.
Ino smiles and nods. "They're okay. Tsukiko is recovering just fine. And Kaori and Haru only had minimal injuries compared to you two."
"Phew...that's a relief." Ryouichi contentedly nods.
"Ryouichi, um, are you...okay?" Ino looked at him in the eyes. "I know you went through something. But my father won't say what."
"I...relived things I'd rather not remember. But I had to. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. But...I had to accept they happened if I was going to move on. And I had to realize something."
"What...what was it you realized?" Ino carefully asked.
Ryouichi smiled and took her hand. "Konoha is the only home I have. And being a ninja is the only thing I can ever do with my life. When my team is with me, and when you're with me, I never should feel worried. Konoha ninja are sturdy stock. We can handle anything."
Ino blushes at the hand holding before smiling. "Yeah. We can. I should let you rest, huh?"
"Maybe a little. But, feel free to see me any time."
Ino nods and stands up. "Feel better Ryou-kun."
A knock struck across the door of the Hokage office, and it began to creak open as Hiruzen responded.
"Enter." Hiruzen said.
Inoichi walked in. "Hokage-sama. Thank you for seeing me."
"Of course. What brings you to my office today?" He asked, gesturing for Inoichi to sit.
Inoichi obliged and looked at him. "After taking some time to look after Ryouichi, my assessment has been made."
"Oh?" Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe.
"He's loyal to the village. But he's reckless and impulsive. That's what got him into the genjutsu. And also, I noticed he has a fear of not belonging in Konoha. His temper is also interesting. It seems fully capable of handling most things, but he gets overly irritated when others tend to bring up his status as not being born in Konoha. Overall, he's rough around the edges, impulsive, temperamental at times, and sometimes blinded by his values;"
Inoichi smiled. "But he's attentive, diligent, and quite loyal to us. It's useful. And it helps he has strong bonds in the village to help his mental state. Overall, when he's fully recovered, I see no reason he would be unable to continue being a Leaf shinobi. I'll admit, at first, I wanted to ground his shinobi activities due to the stress of this mission. But upon looking into his mind, I saw him starting to pick up the pieces of something he's run away from for quite some time."
Hiruzen smiled warmly and took a puff of his pipe. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that. These new genin are very promising. I would hate for any of them to have to retire."
"Very true Hokage-sama. While we're on the subject of the mission, I would like to ask you about Nekuro." Inoichi lightly sighed at having to end the nicer side of this conversation.
Hiruzen looked rather grim but nodded. "Go ahead, Inoichi."
"I'm concerned. Rogue Leaf-nin operating near Konoha is something we usually never have happen due to our hunters. How were they able to operate so close to us?"
Hiruzen smoked as he let out a smoke-filled sigh. "I am unsure. But I have the sneaking suspicion Nekuro was not the true leader. He is a follower, above all else. He followed Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War, and it is possible he was following someone powerful."
"Hm. I hate to bring up the possibility but…could one of the other villages have been sponsoring him?"
Hiruzen stiffened lightly before quickly relaxing. "It's certainly possible. He went Rogue shortly after the war, with his brother. The two could have been turned away from the Leaf by one of the nations."
Hiruzen took one last drag and sighed as he extinguished the pipe. "Inoichi, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Anything, Hokage-sama. Name it."
"I would like for you, Shikaku, and Chōza, to investigate this matter. I need people I can trust on this."
Inoichi nodded. "I can do that. But I'll need to check on whether Shikaku and Chōza are available."
"I will free them up for this task. I simply need you to do your best." Hiruzen looked at him with his piercing and wizened eyes.
Inoichi nodded and stood. "I will go speak to them then."
"Thank you. You are dismissed."
"Yes Hokage-sama." He went to leave.
Right as he reached the door, Inoichi paused. "Hokage-sama?"
"Hm? Yes, Inoichi?"
"In his memories of the incident, something stands out. As he broke the genjutsu, he called himself Ryouichi no Konoha. Almost like, he was saying a full name."
Hiruzen's eyes slightly widened. "Did he now?"
Inoichi nodded, before leaving. And Hiruzen smiled widely, an energy found only in the young wafting over him as he started heartily laughing.
As Tsukiko left the hospital, bandages around her shoulder, she sighed looking at the sky. 'Well...that was almost a disaster. I couldn't protect them...but those kids…'
She smiled, 'Those kids pulled through against all odds. I need to train them harder. Take the training wheels off.'
As she thought of her students, she knew exactly what to do. 'It's very advanced. It takes a lot of chakra. But if he can master it...nothing will stop Ryouichi. And more importantly, Haru and Kaori have better things to incorporate in their fighting styles.'
She walked down the Konoha streets. And as she did, she saw a familiar face casually walking along with an orange book in his hand. His disheveled silver hair leaning to one side.
"Kakashi? Weren't you gone before us?" She spoke in surprise.
"Hm? Well, Tsukiko, you may have been gone for a few days but the week or so you were in the hospital we came back. I heard you had quite the exciting mission."
"I suppose so. How did yours go, Kakashi?"
The masked man looked up, clearly thinking. "Hm, well, I think it went rather well. My students have a little potential. Certainly, it was more perilous than yours. But from what I hear, you had no breathing room."
"Not really. Yours was more perilous? What happened?" Tsukiko was astounded considering how her mission went.
"Hm... well, we fought a couple Chunin, and then two ninja I'd say were exceptionally strong. We did manage to win, although it wasn't quite how I expected."
"Fair enough. I suppose that would be tough. Things may have been a bit easier on my end but...well I had some problems. With a student."
"Oh? Let me guess, a knucklehead who got too impulsive and caused problems?" Kakashi has a visibly amused expression under the mask.
"How...did you know?" Tsukiko was surprised.
"I have two of those. You get used to it after a while."
She sweatdropped. "Get used to it huh…?"
Kakashi starts to walk off and lightly chuckles. "Reckless little kids who cause all sorts of problems. That's what our students are. But mine are starting to grow on me. Maybe yours will grow on you too."
As he walked away Tsukiko thought to herself. Perhaps they would. Perhaps, Tsukiko thought, they already did.
She journeyed through Konoha, eventually coming across a small restaurant, Yakiniku Q. Tired of hospital food, she ventured in. And saw Team Asuma sitting alongside Kaori and Haru, eating some barbecue.
When Kaori and Haru saw her, their eyes lit up. "Tsukiko-Sensei!" They jumped out of their chairs and hugged her tightly, causing them to wince due to bruises, but not caring.
Tsukiko felt something twisting in her chest as her two students seemed to be more childish at this moment. She almost reprimanded them for it, but given what happened, she let it slide and just smiled. Perhaps the twist in her chest was making her softer. "Are you two okay?"
"We're good, Sensei." Haru spoke.
"We recovered faster than you and Ryouichi. We didn't know you were getting released today." Kaori added.
"Well, I did." She looks at Asuma smiling at her and the sight of two shinobi kids clinging to both of her sides. She gained situational awareness and cleared her throat as she gently shrugged off the two and stepped back.
"Thank you, Asuma-san, for looking after them."
Asuma chuckled and nodded. "Of course, Tsukiko. Anytime."
Kaori looked at her and thought to herself. "Hey, um, Tsukiko-sensei?"
Tsukiko looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Do you know if...if we can visit Ryouichi yet?"
She looked down and then back at Kaori. "I don't know. But maybe we can go check."
Ino smiled. "Of course you can. I was going to check on him today anyway. You guys can come with me."
She nods. "Come along, then."
As they arrived at the hospital, they checked in to visit Ryouichi. Team Asuma, minus the Sensei himself, went with Tsukiko, Haru, and Kaori. A nurse kindly led them to Ryoucihi's bedroom and knocked before hearing a "come in".
She opened the door and within the shaded, dimly lit room sat a boy on the bed. This was Ryouichi, his hair had begun to grow out in the following weeks and was now capable of covering his eyes. His arms were wrapped in bandages, his side was covered in gauze, he looked rather thin. But all the same, he smiled brightly at his friends.
"Hey guys…you came to visit me?"
"Of course, Ryou-kun. Not gonna just let you sit here alone." Ino walked over and smiled. As she looked her best friend up and down, she lightly winced seeing the extent of his medical care after she had last seen him.
"Thank you Ino. I really appreciate that."
Kaori, Choji, and Haru followed her as Shikamaru lazily lagged. Ryouichi smiled brighter and brighter as his friends got close. A small glimmer of the light in his eyes returned. And as he was caught up on the recent events, he seemed rather happy at how asinine the noteworthy news was.
Ino stayed close to Ryouichi. Causing him to speak up.
"Are you okay Ino? You're kinda close."
She blushed lightly and nodded. "Yeah just um, really glad you're okay."
He smiled and nodded. "So am I. I'm sorry I roped you into the danger."
Ino poked his chest annoyed. "In the future, don't do something so reckless again. I was worried sick."
He nodded slightly solemn. "I'm sorry. If you were in that position I'd be scared too."
"So long as you understand that." Ino smiled and hugged him.
The same nurse as before returned and informed Ryouichi he needed to walk up and down the hall and be able to stand, and they'd discharge him. Ryouichi managed to stand up, his legs a little wobbly from disuse, but otherwise he made the trip just fine. At which point he was formally discharged. On the way out, Ryouichi collected his beat up and torn clothes, although Ino and Haru briefly left to quickly return with clothes from his home. Now dressed, Ryouichi walked out of the hospital squinting tightly as the sun hit his eyes.
"Whoa…forgot how bright that is…" he chuckled.
"Yep. Can't have been healthy not having much sunshine all those days." Tsukiko pat his shoulder.
"I spent most of it sleeping…that was about all I could muster to do. The chakra consumption during what little time I spent fighting was exhausting." Ryouichi looked at his mostly recovered burn on his hand.
"And the fireball I did…how I didn't collapse immediately after I have no idea."
"Well, Ryouichi, perhaps your spirit is simply hardy." Tsukiko pats his head with a smile.
Ryouichi smiled lightly and nodded. "Maybe so. But what does that mean for my training?"
Tsukiko smirked. 'He's got his goal back in focus…good.' She cleared her throat. "It means I think you're ready to learn a jutsu."
Ryouichi lit up as Haru and Kaori looked surprised. "Wait, are we all learning it?" Haru asked.
"Nope. Just Ryouichi. The jutsu he's learning won't suit you two that well. I have other things I plan to teach you."
They seemed satisfied with that answer, nodded with closed eyes. Ryouichi gleefully followed a beckoning Tsukiko, who told her other students to gather their ninja tools and meet her in the training ground. They nodded and dispersed.
As Tsukiko was leading Ryouichi out of the village, they were intercepted by a chunin. "Hokage-sama wanted to see you and Ryouichi-san."
Tsukiko sighed lightly before nodding. "Very well. Sorry Ryouichi, detour."
"That's okay Tsukiko-sensei. I understand." He smiled as they headed to the Hokage Estate.
When they entered the office, Hiruzen quickly extinguished his pipe. Ryouichi felt a pang of guilt as he went to tell the Hokage he felt better about the smoke, but there was still a lingering fear there that he had yet to fully conquer.
'At least I've stopped freezing…that's progress. And I can be proud of that much,' Ryouichi thought.
Hiruzen smiled upon looking at the two. "Thank you for coming so soon. I apologize for the sudden summons, but I actually wanted to clear up something brought to my attention."
Tsukiko nodded and bowed. "Of course, Hokage-sama. What is it?"
Hiruzen lightly grinned. "Ryouichi has no clan name. Seems rather unacceptable, if such formality is ever needed, we have no reference."
Ryouichi lightly nodded. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, but I still can't remember my last name."
Hiruzen's eye glinted. "And yet I am told you identified yourself as…" he looked down. "Ryouichi no Konoha."
Ryouichi's stomach dropped as he lightly flushed. "I…y-yes. I did."
"Ryouichi you've lived here for over a decade, shown nothing but loyalty to the Leaf, and declared yourself of this village as your truth." Hiruzen chuckled.
Hiruzen walked over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Who am I to slap your wrist for that? If anything, I should encourage it. What better way than to kill two birds with one stone?"
"You…you mean…?" Ryouichi's eyes widened.
Hiruzen nodded. "From this moment, and every moment onward, your true name is Ryouichi no Konoha."
His eyes lightly watered. More than relief, Ryouichi felt his stomach do backflips out of the surprise, and the joy of the moment. He bowed. "Thank you…so much…" he smiled widely.
Hiruzen felt the infection reach his face as he returned a beaming smile and nodded. "You may leave, you two. That was all I wanted you for." He sat down.
They nodded and left. With their spirits high, they left the village to the nearby woods. Tsukiko sat down and had Ryouichi join her.
"Okay. The jutsu I will be teaching you is an advanced one. But it can be invaluable."
"What is it?" Ryouichi beamed.
"It's called the "Summoning Jutsu". It allows you to summon creatures you have a contact with. You will be using the same contract as me, hares."
"Hares? Are they really that useful?"
"They got us out of the mess last mission."
"…Oh. Okay then."
She smirked. "Trust me. They're very helpful." She weaves some handsigns and suddenly the earth itself shifts into a stone tablet bearing the signatures of all who utilize the Hare jutsu.
"Use your blood and your dominant hand to write your name and place your fingerprints."
He nodded and bit down hard on his thumb, getting blood on his index finger as he wrote "Ryouichi no Konoha" on the tablet, before getting blood on all five fingers on his right hand to place it under his name. Tsukiko smiled with satisfaction. "Very good Ryouichi."
"Okay. Um, now what?" He looked at her.
"I'll teach you the necessary hand seals. Keep in mind that this takes a lot of chakra, so use it wisely. Eventually it'll take you less chakra to pull off, and I'll teach you some jutsu I use my summons for."
He nodded and mimicked the hand seals as she taught them. Eventually she told him to draw blood and slam his fist to the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" A tiny baby rabbit flopped out onto the floor and stared up dumbly at its summoner.
"Um…did I do it right?" Ryouichi raised an eyebrow.
Tsukiko started laughing hard, holding her stomach. "Oh…oh my kami that is amazing. Yes, you did. Just didn't put enough chakra and focus into it. But it's progress."
"I…suppose that's good." Ryouichi picked up the helpless bunny and pat its head.
"Okay. I'm going to have you train this. Keep going, and when you can summon a normal hare, we will call that a full success and I'll start teaching you more advanced uses of our relationship with these rabbits."
Ryouichi nodded and continued his training. Rabbit baby after rabbit baby was summoned, and by the end of the day Ryouichi was exhausted.
"Hm, well it's been slightly improving. But you can rest today, we'll try again tomorrow."
He stood up, barely, and headed home. As he entered the village, the dark blue sky stretched above him, dotted with silver stars. He looked up and smiled. Although his recent problems still plagued his mind. The failure to perfect the summoning jutsu, the end of the mission, he felt lightly a tinge of guilt. As he walked along, he felt hungry. Ichiraku was open, and he headed inside and sat down. There, he saw Naruto Uzumaki.
"Oh. Hey Naruto…"
"Huh?" Naruto looked at him then blinked. "Do I know you?"
"Um…Ryouichi? We were in the Academy together?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Um…friends with Ino?"
"Oh right. You're the kid who was in the hospital all those weeks."
"I…yeah, that's fair." Ryouichi thinks for a moment. "Can I sit?"
"Yeah? What's stopping you?"
"I didn't want to be rude." Ryouichi lightly sighs and sits down.
"What's the point if it's a public place?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know."
Teuchi looked at Ryouichi and smiled. "What'll you have?"
Ryouichi thought for a moment. "Something spicy."
He nodded with a smile. "Coming right up."
"Oh! And I want another bowl, too!"
"Naruto, can you afford another bowl?"
Naruto thought and pulled out his toad wallet. When he looked at it, he winced. "I can…I really shouldn't…dang it."
Ryouichi looked at him and thought for a moment. 'I…I shouldn't just leave a Leaf shinobi to dry.' He pulled out his own wallet. "And whatever bowl of what he wants as well please."
Naruto's eyes look on in wonder. "Hey! You really mean it?"
"Of course. Leaf ninja, we look out for one another." Ryouichi smiles.
Naruto chortled and grinned. "I guess so! Thanks a bunch dattebayo!"
Teuchi set the bowls in front of them, and they hungrily looked at their respective steaming bowl of ramen. They broke their chopsticks and in near unison went "Thank you for the food!"
Maybe it was the bright and cheery nature of his dinner mate that evening, but Ryouichi's worries seemed to fade. Whatever happened, in this moment, it was merely two boys enjoying some ramen together. And the next day, and the day after that, Ryouichi was willing to work as hard as he needed to master this jutsu.
NEXT CHAPTER: Intervention of a Jackal and Otter