AN: Note that I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters from either Anime. This work is a fanfiction written out of my love for the series and not in any attempt to make a profit.
Proofread by: Author and Kyluxia
A few hours late with the chapter again, but what can you do? This chapter covers something I've wanted to bring up for a long while, unfortunately not everything quite fits in this chapter, so expect some more in the next.
Chapter 52: Academy training, and the lack thereof
While the entire date had skirted the taboo of nudity around others the entire time, a unisex hot-spring seems to both be crossing the line, while also completely unsurprising.
While not as common as hot springs divided by gender, unisex ones were still common enough in the Elemental nations. Civilians preferred the privacy of being separated by gender, and many young Shinobi did so as well. However, that hadn't always been the standard. While barely touched upon in the Academy, historically, all hot-springs had once been unisex. There simply hadn't been a luxury for anything else, and since it was the norm, no one had really bothered to change it, until civilians decided to do so.
It was a clash of cultures within Sakura. Heikō wasn't bothered by the revelation at all, but Sakura was caught between wanting to save her modesty and socially fit in. They had entered a unisex hot-spring, and even if it was unknowingly, it was expected and polite not to stare. The very same way one did with people of the same gender. Yet, the implications were something hard to ignore. They knew that Sai wouldn't have the same problem, they had gotten to know him enough to know that he put very little value in physical appearance and physical attraction between people. Part of it was because he was still, socially inept, and didn't see it the way other people did, but there was also the fact that he was always thinking of practical things, rather than aesthetics or comfort. This was ironic for someone who used art as a medium for their ninjutsu.
It wasn't that Sai was incapable of perceiving beauty in either aesthetics of art or people, it was simply that he had been trained to a point where his standards were far out of touch with the norm. What Sai should find attractive by instinct, had been purposefully whittled down, before being reshaped into something different, alien, and dangerous. The twins had noticed and paid close attention to try and figure Sai out when he spoke about his training. The impression they had gotten was that much like everything else, Sai's values had changed from the typical desirable aspects men usually focused on, to the more practical variables a Kunoichi would be able to offer.
They already knew that Sai hadn't asked them out because of their looks. After all, he had basically called them ugly, but it was the fact that they could if they wanted to, be a threat to him. It was embarrassing to put it that way, but in simple terms, what Sai found exciting and noteworthy was a Kunoichi's capabilities, rather than their body. They couldn't say for sure, but the only thing Sai would find desirable about a woman's body was likely their ability to give birth and have healthy offspring. It was disgusting to think of it in such terms, dehumanizing even, but it wasn't Sai's fault.
Trying to keep all of these things in mind, and with Heikō egging her on, Sakura eventually relented and got into the hot water, fidgeting and resisting the urge to cover herself, despite being alone in the bath, for now.
"Isn't it odd that Sai managed to set all this up? I mean, he managed to get it all booked and ensured we would be alone here. These would normally be public baths." Heikō points out.
"He likely had help. Jiraiya might be stingy, but he can splurge on the oddest things. Especially when it's related to his research." Sakura responds, considering how else Sai might have learned about the Thousand Dewdrops.
"Speaking of research. Do you think Naruto and the others decided to spy in the end? We've seen neither hide nor hair of them." Heikō points out, making Sakura blush as she realizes that they had essentially challenged Naruto to spy on them, in the baths, no less. Heikō simply finds her panic adorable and laughs in their mindscape, distracting Sakura enough that neither of them notices Sai arrive until he's already slipping into the water.
Naturally, as they do, Sakura focuses her senses on Sai first, before inevitably spreading out her awareness, trying to catch any potential peepers. Fortunately, the only ones besides them, are the staff present in the entire facility. As Sakura lets her paranoia go, she realizes that Sai is looking at them funny. "Something wrong?" She asks him, unable to place his expression.
"No, I was just intrigued. What were you doing? I noticed you focused on me for a moment, but then, your focus drifted, and you relaxed." Sai explained, making Sakura feel a bit embarrassed, as well as more self-conscious. She's glad that Sai isn't sitting too close to them, at least respecting their personal space, and that getting too close while neither of them was close wasn't a good idea.
"Sorry, I… I just made sure you were you, before sensing our surroundings. You took longer than us in the changing room, while I'm the most hesitant about… this." Sakura explained, gesturing around them to indicate the unisex bath.
"Ah, admirable. I merely had to take care of something quick. No need to worry." Sai assured them, although he didn't elaborate, and Sakura decided not to pry. They had no business inquiring about every little detail of his life. He had already been generous enough to answer all of their questions up till that point, and as far as they could tell, he did so honestly. He had given them no reason to distrust him, so it wasn't even worth concerning themselves with what he had done so long in the changing room. After all, as someone focused on the more practical side of things, they would have expected him to be one of those Shinobi who changed quickly. After all, they had seen Shinobi back in the village able to change clothes at the drop of a hat, exiting changing rooms less than five seconds after entering them.
"Probably took a piss," Heikō suggests with amusement, making Sakura scowl inwardly.
"Heikō! You did not need to think that!" Sakura replied, quickly showing the unfortunate mental picture their mind had conjured out of her active thoughts.
"True, but if I didn't, who would? Besides, it is the likeliest explanation." Heikō tells her, snickering.
"That doesn't mean you have to point it out like that!" Sakura argues, sighing as Heikō merely chuckles.
Fortunately, from that point on, they resume their conversation. Sakura eventually manages to steer it away from training as they begin running out of what they can, or are willing to share, and she asks him about his medium for ninjutsu. Painting.
"So, you enjoy painting then? Do you have any favorite artwork?" She asks him, and for a moment, Sai looks stunned, contemplative, before he shakes his head.
"No, I don't think so. While I do paint regularly to practice, I don't think I actually enjoy it all that much." Sai admits, confusing the twins.
"Wait, really? Then why did you choose that kind of fighting style?" They inquire as one.
"I…" Sai starts, only to fall silent as his expression morphs into a frown and his eyebrows furrow in thought. "I don't remember." He eventually reveals, making the twins feel sorry for him. It was one of the side-effects of the ROOT training apparently. Sai hadn't said it outright, but it was clear that it was intentional. The heartless and traumatizing training wiped the trainees' personalities and attachments away, making them something of a clean slate.
"That's sad. No one should have to go through such training. Hopefully, no one ever will again." Sakura says solemnly, imagining all the other ROOT soldiers that would be trying to acclimate to their new lives, as soon as their seals had been taken care of.
"Perhaps. I recognize that ROOT training is considered morally unacceptable, but you can't deny the effectiveness of it. If not for the necessity of losing at least half of the recruits, every single trainee that graduates became an effective Shinobi of the highest caliber, unlike the Shinobi Academy which has roughly a sixty-six percent fail-rate for the graduates." Sai points out, seemingly defending Danzō's methods.
"You forget that those who fail still become Shinobi, they're just not put on a Genin team, and are instead given D-ranks until they either shape up and prove themselves, assigned a Genin team for graduating to Chūnin, or go back to the academy until the next Genin Graduation exam." Sakura points out. After all, what Shinobi village would tolerate potential recruits simply remaining as Academy students forever? Technically, a career change was a possibility, but choosing a civilian career after training to become a Shinobi wasn't easy, and sadly, that was something a lot of children didn't consider. Unless their parents had the foresight to teach them something that could allow them to either take over a family business or land another kind of job, most Genin wannabees had no choice but to keep trying. It was the same case concerning Chūnin hopefuls, as Sakura remembered seeing fully grown adults that looked to be in their early forties at the first portion of the Chūnin exams. It said something about their own age group of Academy graduates, that all twelve of them had made it to the preliminaries for the third round as rookies, while the adult she had seen would potentially never do anything more dangerous than a C-rank.
"Perhaps, but you must admit that there is a stark difference in skill levels between the two methods." Sai points out with a shrug.
"At the cost of their personality and feelings. You're trying to regain that, you know how horrible it is not to understand. Why do you defend his methods?" Sakura asks, getting a little annoyed with Sai.
"I'm not. I am merely stating the facts. The Shinobi Academy is too soft and inefficient in what it hopes to accomplish." Sai defends himself, and Sakura has to agree as Heikō agrees that he has a point. All that time wasted on Kunoichi training, and they had learned more useful things traveling with Jiraiya on the topic than during their time in the Academy.
"I will admit that it isn't perfect, but the Academy isn't just there to train Shinobi. Everyone has to attend, and not everyone aims to become Shinobi." Sakura points out. After all, there was only one Academy, and enrollment was mandatory for all kids. Indeed, Konoha wouldn't survive with a population of only Shinobi, but that issue took care of itself quite handily. Not everyone showed the interest, or aptitude for a Shinobi career, but the training did ensure that everyone remained informed and that even the civilians knew basic self-defense. In case of an emergency, civilians knew how to react, and more importantly, how Shinobi were expected to react. It made wonders during evacuations and infiltration deterrence, as even a regular civilian could know better than the average citizen of Hi no Kuni, the Land of Fire, did about Shinobi life, chakra, and their way of life. Not to say that civilians and Shinobi still lived completely different lives, but thanks to the Academy, the divide was lessened significantly.
"That is something I actually disagree with. The Academy looks for talent or passion, but with the right training, anyone can become an excellent Shinobi. Those that strive for the position, but don't quite make the mark, the Academy has failed them." Sai explained his opinion, and the twins found that he wasn't wrong. Sakura knew plenty of their former classmates had dropped out of the Shinobi program after failing their Jōnin's test, but some had kept at it, trying again, and again to become a great Shinobi. Some lacked talent, while others lacked reason or the right motivation, but what Sai had said was true. If the system had been better, then the Academy should have been able to whip them into shape.
It was an unpleasant train of thought since it implied that their Academy program was poor, weakening their village as a whole. They were just kids, however, there was a boundary that had been set up, a moral one that they hadn't been willing to cross that made them soft. Looking back, it was obvious that the Academy wasn't anywhere near the moral line, not as close as they could be. There were a lot of options for improving the teaching methods and help that should be offered at the Academy, and according to Jiraiya, the standards had definitely slipped at some point. Sakura wondered if the Academy had ever stood at the edge of the moral line that had been drawn, and if people realized, just how many steps back they had taken since it had been drawn.
AN: The Academy. It really failed Naruto, and as an institution, it sucks as it is portrayed in canon. Many fanfictions explain it away as Mizuki, or other teacher's hate towards Naruto being to blame, but I think that the canon portrayal of the Academy is far too lax, forgiving, and laid back for a Shinobi village in the series. I mean, Naruto graduated without knowing about Chakra. That, is a red flag, regardless of Naruto being sabotaged or not because it was quite clear that regardless of Naruto's Academic scores, had he not failed his Clone Technique, he might very well have graduated properly.
Civilians and Shinobi hopefuls being taught together makes sense, but it also comes with the potential drawback of parental feedback, specifically the civilian type. Personally, in my story, I will blame the problem not being properly investigated, being due to the numbers seen on paper. A 33% graduation rate from an Academy accepting both Civilian and Shinobi children might look good on paper, especially as it holds true after the war ends. However, it is difficult to keep in mind that with there being peace, that the population grows steadily, and that the 33%, while growing in number, still means that more children are failing the program. A worrying sign when one decides to relax war-time protocols and teachings, which is what I imagine is what has happened in this situation. Hiruzen did grow soft, but Danzō took it too far with his methods. They could both stand to learn from each other.