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The 3 Genin chased their new Jonin instructor, Hikari Ryujin, to one of her favorite spots in Konoha. The top of the 4th Hokages head on the mountain face.
Raiden suspected that this is where she wanted to have their first team meeting considering she spoke highly of the 4th Hokage before he died. He was also told by her that she was good friends with the 4th Hokage and his wife, but she never told him her name. He was uncertain that she was telling him the truth, at least the full truth, but she had no reason to lie to him, so he took her word for it.
For now.
They rushed ran as quickly as they could to get to the top of the 4th Hokages face on the mountain, and sure enough, there she was standing near the edge as they reached the top.
The 3 of them took in the sight and they understood why this is probably her most favorite spot. The view of the village with the sun high in the sky was amazing and beautiful. The people in the village below looked like a bunch of ants as they all walked around while going on with their day.
Raiden glanced at his mother before long while Kogeki and Yama continued to marvel at the view.
"Okasan, why have our first team meeting here?" He asked her. She glanced at him with a smile before placing her hand on top of his head. "Because I want you to know what it is that the 3 of you will be protecting. Your home. The people in it. And your future allies and friends." She said simply as Raiden looked back towards the view while glancing at the village.
"I want you all to take a good look at what you'll be protecting so hopefully you'll figure out what you want to fight for." She continued to explain as her new students continued to look at the view while she talked. "We may be Shinobi, but we're still human beings. Human beings with the ability to feel all kinds of emotions. Fear, anger, sorrow, joy and love. What you decide to do with these emotions is up to you. One of the principles of a Shinobi is that you never show your emotions, period. Personally, I never liked that principle." She continued sternly as her 3 students looked up at her to see a grim look on her face.
"Never showing your emotions is like making you into an emotionless weapon. A monster. We may be Shinobi, but we're not tools for our nation's government or anyone else. Fighting and... killing may be the only things we're good at in our lives, but we will always, at the very least, fight for what we believe in. We're not mercenaries or rogues that look for the next big fight or war. We fight because we are protectors and guardians of the people we love and care about." Hikari continued as her students continued to listen and stare at her in awe.
"I've never heard my mother talk like this before. If she's this passionate about all this, then we better take this even more seriously from here on out. Because I've never seen this side of her before. She's my mother, so she does have a caring side, but the Kunoichi part of her is beginning to show. I think this is a side of her that I want to see more." Raiden thought with a twinkle in his eyes before looking at the village of Konoha below them as Hikari continued again.
"I'm going to teach all 3 of you that there is no shame in showing your emotions, even when you're a Shinobi. But I'm not going to take it easy on you either. Especially you, Raiden." She stated to them before looking at her son. "When we're not doing business as Shinobi, I will treat you like I always have as a mother. But when we're on missions and such for the village and the Hokage, we're Shinobi. Teacher and students. Understand?" She asked them all.
They straightened their backs and nodded. "Hai!" They stated, which made her smile before leaning down to kiss her son on his forehead. Raiden instantly blushed and batted her away.
"Ugh, Okasan! Please don't do that! Didn't you just say you wouldn't treat me like your son when we're on Shinobi business?" He reminded her as she and Yama giggled while Kogeki just smiled.
Hikari then rubbed his head gently before poking his nose. "We're not on Shinobi business yet, my little lightning bolt. Besides, I can bend my own rules from time to time." She stated before motioning for them to sit down.
As they did so, she did the same and sat down with a bright smile. "Now, I know that the 4 of us already know each other and our families quite well, but why don't we take advantage of this time to get to know each other just a little bit better? So, to start things off, why don't we talk about our likes, dislikes and our goals for the future?" She said to them as they all nodded with smiles of their own.
"Great! I'll go first." She said simply before starting. "My name is Hikari Ryujin. My likes are my son, my husband, my family, cooking good and healthy food. Being a Kunoichi and fighting for those I love. My dislikes are those pervy books that the Toad Sage writes, people that betray their friends, people that hurt my family or people that have no morals or a code of honor. My goal for the future is to teach the 3 of you how to be the best Shinobi, AND people, that I know you can be." She answered with a smile.
"Ok, that's how it goes. Now, next." She said before pointing at Kogeki to go next.
He nodded and stood up before speaking.
"My name is Kogeki Hyuga. My likes are my friends, my family, especially my cousins, Hinata and Neji. I like to read in my spare time and I also like to train to better myself as a Shinobi. My dislikes are my... my family's Cursed Seal technique, the Caged Bird Seal. I understand it's purpose, but it brings nothing but pain in my family. I also dislike people that look down on others who can't defend or protect themselves. My goals for the future is to be a guardian of Konoha and all its inhabitants along with my family and friends." He finished with a smile.
Hikari smiled and nodded. "Well done, Kogeki. And that is a very nice goal. I expect great things from you in the future." She said to him brightly making Kogeki blush and sit back down.
Hikari then looked over at Yama and pointed at her for her to go next. Yama gulped and stood up.
"Ahem, my name is Yama Chikyu. My likes are... ahem, well, I won't get into the unnecessary stuff, but my likes and of course, my friends, food, and training. My dislikes are people who look down on me and think I'm weak. And people who treat others like dirt, while many others turn their backs on people and betray their loved ones. My goals or goal for the future is to show people that I am not weak and that I deserve to be where I am right now and to show them that I can be strong enough to protect the people I care about." She answered timidly before finishing with a confident look on her face.
Hikari smiled and nodded before clapping. "Well done to you too, Yama. Well done." She said encouragingly while Yama sat back down with a smile before finally look at her son and pointed to him as Kogeki and Yama looked to their friend.
"You're next, Raiden." She said making Raiden nod before he stood up.
"My name is Raiden Ryujin. My likes are, of course, my friends, my family, training and reading scrolls and books to look up new Jutsu. My dislikes are... people who look down on others and believe that they are better than the people that are less fortunate than they are. I especially dislike people that are quick to turn on others just because they can. One of my first goals for the future is showing people that I am not weak and that I am more than what they think of me. My second goal is to become one of the strongest Shinobi in history and become a guardian and protector of not just Konoha, but of people that aren't able to defend themselves." He answered as Hikari, Kogeki and Yama all smiled brightly.
"Very good, my little lightning bolt. Well done." Hikari said with a smile as she got up to hug him before bringing in Kogeki and Yama to hug them as well.
They all hugged each other for a moment before breaking away to act a little more professionally.
"Those were all very good answers. Insightful as well. I look forward to see where the 3 of you will go in your careers as Shinobi." She said to them encouragingly while her 3 students just listened attentively. "Now, that will be all for today. Tomorrow, the 3 of you will take one final test to see if you truly have what it takes to be Shinobi." She continued as the 3 of them looked slightly confused at what she just said.
"One final test? What does that mean?" Raiden thought as he subtly glanced at Kogeki and Yama, who both had the same looks of confusion on their faces, before looking back at his mother who continued speaking.
"I want all 3 of you to get up early tomorrow morning, so you may want to head to bed early tonight to try and get a proper nights sleep. Also, don't eat anything when you get up or else you'll vomit while you're doing what I have planned tomorrow." She suddenly said darkly before quickly giving them a sweet smile. "Ok, that will be all. See you in the morning!" She said before suddenly disappearing and leaving them where they stood.
All 3 of them shivered at her sudden mood change, but Raiden and Kogeki had a sneaking suspicion of what she had planned. Yama, however, had no idea and just had questions in her head.
"Ok, that was... sudden. Does she always change her mood that quickly, Raiden?" She asked him making him chuckle and nod his head.
"Sometimes. Yeah. You'll get used to it after a while." He answered her as they began to make their way back down to the village to head home and get some rest for tomorrow.
"But what about what she said? She wants us to head to bed early, but she doesn't want us to eat tomorrow morning or else we'll barf up what we ate? If we go to bed early and not eat anything tomorrow morning, we'll all be exhausted! Right?" She voiced her thoughts as they walked down the mountain back to the village.
"That's right, Yama. Which is exactly why we'll be going to bed early tonight AND grab a bite to eat when we wake up in the morning." Kogeki said to her as they neared the village, but Yama looked a little confused. "Wha- Wait a minute. She specifically told us NOT to eat when we get up though. I don't get it." She said to them as they reached the village before they stopped while Raiden began to explain.
"Yama, you just said it yourself. Even if we go to bed early tonight and wake up early tomorrow morning, we'll still be exhausted because we didn't eat anything to give us energy. That's EXACTLY what she wants. She wants us to be exhausted so she can overpower us for the final test tomorrow. Get it?" He explained as the realization dawned on Yama's face.
She nodded her head. "Ok. I get it now." She answered as they began to walk again, but asked another question. "But... what's this about a "final test"? Shouldn't we be done with tests by now? I mean, we graduated from the academy. Why do we need a final test?" She asked them as they continued to walk down the street.
"Because, Yama. She wants to test how well we do as a team against her. All the Jonin instructors do that with their new students. It's kind of an... unofficial test." Kogeki explained before Raiden continued for him. "And not many academy students pass. The one thing that is used against them is that if they don't pass the test, then they will either be sent back to the academy for another year, OR they will be banned from re-entering the academy and they will never become Shinobi. It all depends on how well the team does during the test or how hard they fail."
Yama's eyes widened at what she was just told. "Sent back to the academy for another year, or banned from re-entering the academy and never become a Shinobi?! That's bullshit!" She exclaimed while some of the Konoha citizens looked at the young girl in shock at her language.
Kogeki just chuckled. "That's how it is, Yama. Unfortunately. Which is why the 3 of us need to work together as a team tomorrow. I don't expect us to be in perfect sync with each other, but we're going up against a Jonin tomorrow. Raiden's Kaasan, for that matter. We need to work together if we want to have a chance at passing tomorrow. Understand?" He explained to her.
Yama said nothing and just nodded her head before sighing deeply. "Ok. I'm gonna make sure that I won't hold you guys back tomorrow. I'll do my best to make sure that we all pass. I hope that you two will do the same for me." She said timidly to the boys making them stop to look at her before looking at each other in confusion.
Raiden looks back at her and smiles before walking up to her to put a hand on her shoulder. "Yama, of course we will. You've got our backs, we've got yours. We're a team, so that's a promise." He said to her reassuringly with a smile.
She looks up at Raiden before looking at Kogeki, who nodded his head with a smile, before tears began to well up in her eyes.
Raiden and Kogeki then looked at her worriedly before she suddenly hugged Raiden and grabbed Kogeki to pull him into the hug.
"Thank you guys so much. I love you both." She whispered as her tears fell while Raiden and Kogeki looked at each other with confusion before hugging her back.
"We love you too, Yama. Never forget that. We're in this together now. So let's do our best tomorrow, ok?" Kogeki asked her as she just nodded her head before breaking away from them and wiped away her tears.
"Ok. Let's kick some ass tomorrow, huh? I'll see you both in the morning!" She said to them with a small smile before taking off towards her home.
Raiden and Kogeki watched her retreating form before they looked at each other.
"Does her family still think she can't be a Shinobi?" Raiden asked him.
Kogeki just sighed before nodding his head. "Yeah. She's the first female in her clan that has become a Shinobi, but her mother thinks she has no real chance to survive. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she suddenly blows up on her one day and asks one of us if she can stay at our place. Her mother... isn't exactly what one would call... supportive." He explained as Raiden sighed with frustration.
"Yeah, I remember. Never liked the woman. Even when we were little. It's like she has no life in her at all. I'm beginning to wonder if she had any life in her to begin with." He said with with a frustrated frown as he looked in the direction that Yama left.
Kogeki nodded and sighed. "Yeah, well, let's not worry about it for the time being. She's our best friend. One of us. Part of the team. We'll worry about all that when the time comes. For now, let's worry about what we have to do tomorrow. We need to get some rest and hope that we don't screw up tomorrow. We need to pass. Because I don't think Yama can take much more of her mother's "support" if we fail and have to repeat another year of the academy." He said to Raiden, who nodded in agreement.
"I hear ya, but she's not a burden. So let's not treat her like one. She's just as capable as we are. So let's all do our best as a team tomorrow. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Alright. Let's head home and get some rest, it's getting late." Raiden said pointing to the sun, that was currently setting, Kogeki looked up and nodded.
"Ok. I'll see you in the morning, Raiden." He said as they both nodded to each other and left in separate directions to their homes.
Meanwhile, up on the roof of one of the buildings, Hikari stood and had listened to the whole conversation between the 3 friends with a proud smile on her face.
"Raiden, Kogeki, Yama. The 3 of you are going to go further than any Shinobi or Kunoichi has ever gone. I can't wait to see what you are all capable of." She thought proudly before dispersing from her spot to head home.
Meanwhile, with Yama at the Chikyu home...
Yama walked into her home quietly to hear her mother humming a tune in the kitchen doing dishes as she tried to sneak her way up to her her room.
"Yama-chan, is that you?" Her mother called out to her making her sigh. She did NOT want to talk to her. Sighing, she answered. "Yes, Kaasan, it's me. I'm back from the academy." She replied.
"Ah, so what did you need to head back to the academy for, dear? Did they tell you that you couldn't be a Kunoichi? Did you have to return your headband?" Her mother asked her which made her look confused.
"What? No, Kaasan. I still have-" She tried to explain but was interrupted.
"Ah, that's quite alright, dear. Maybe the Shinobi life isn't for you. That will give you more time to help me around the house with errands and chores. You'll be safer that way." Her mother said without even listening to Yama.
Yama just narrowed her eyes while clenching her fists tightly. "Yes, of course, Kaasan. But there is just one little problem." She said through her teeth.
"Oh? And what's that, dear?" Her mother asked without looking at her while she continued doing dishes.
"I'm still a Kunoichi of Konoha and I DIDN'T have to return my headband." Yama answered making her mother pause before turning her head to see that Yama indeed still had her headband, which was wrapped around her left bicep.
Her mother looked up at her in confusion. "But... I thought the reason why they called you all back was because they had second thoughts about making you all Shinobi?" She asked curiously, but Yama shook her head.
"No, Kaasan. They called us back to the academy to assign us into teams. I'm part of a team now. And I have every intention of staying part of that team." She answered confidently as her mother had an unreadable expression on her face.
Her mother sighed before having a stern look on her face. "This... is preposterous. You will return your headband tomorrow and you will not be a Kunoichi, end of discussion." She said to her with a slight glare before turning her back to continue doing dishes.
Yama just snorted. "Not gonna happen, Kaasan." She said defiantly as her mother paused again and turned her head. "Excuse me?" She asked dangerously.
Yama began to shake, but stood her ground. "I have a final test with my team tomorrow with our new Jonin instructor and I am going tomorrow. And you will not stop me."
Her mother dried her hands and walked over slowly towards Yama before stopping just in front of her. "A final test you say, hmm? Well, I'm sorry to say, my dear, but you are going to fail that test tomorrow. You and your teammates. And when you fail, you will return that headband and you will return home tomorrow and be where you're supposed to be. In your place. At home. While the men of our clan do all the heavy lifting as Shinobi. That is no place for a woman. Especially one such as you. So, don't get your hopes up on passing, Yama. Because you've got no chance against a Jonin." She said to her cruelly while Yama's eyes filled with tears.
Yama sniffled before wiping away her tears. "Well, Kaasan, I hate to break it to you, but I've got a better chance than you do against a Jonin because unlike me, you are useless. And you always will be." She spat before her mother suddenly glared at her and made a move to smack her, but she suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"YAMA!!!" Her mother shouted as she ran up the stairs towards Yama's room and burst inside, but she wasn't there. "YAMA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" She shouted and began to search the house for her daughter.
Up on the roof of the Chikyu home, Yama sat with her knees against her chest while she cried quietly as she heard her mother shouting and turning the house inside out to find her.
Yama then laid her head against her knees as she quietly sobbed and waited until it was safe to go back inside the house to head to bed.
Next morning...
Raiden woke up early with a stretch the next morning and prepared himself for his mother's test before walking into the kitchen of the apartment to see that there was a box with a note attached to it.
"Morning, my little lightning bolt.
If you're reading this right now then you should know that I am already at the training grounds waiting for you and the rest of the team. I also have a gift for you in this box. What it is, well, you'll have to open it to see for yourself. I know that you are adept with katanas and Kenjutsu, but what I have for you in the box will be something different.
I know that you want a katana for your own now that you're a Shinobi, but I believe that having something outside of your comfort zone will be useful in your arsenal. Give this a shot until you can find a katana that you will be satisfied with. In the meantime, get used to this new weapon and put it to good use. I have a feeling that you'll enjoy what I've gotten for you.
Love, Kaasan."
Raiden put aside the letter when he finished reading it and openedthe box to see what was inside.
It was a sickle that was attached to a long silver wire. The weapon itself is called a Kusarigama.
The handle, or hilt, of the sickle was wrapped in a dark blue durable fabric that crossed over each other while the blade itself was in the shape of a lightning bolt, which made Raiden smile with a shake of his head.
"Of course she would get one with the blade of that shape." He thought before attaching his new weapon against his waist. He then grabbed a quick bite to eat and a drink before walking out of his apartment to head to the training grounds to meet with his teammates and teacher to take their final test.
30 minutes later, outside the gates of the Forest of Death...
Raiden walked up to the gates of the infamous Forest of Death and stopped just a few inches away from the gates and looked at the trees that stood high up in the sky.
He then heard footsteps behind him before he turned around to see Kogeki walking towards him.
"Ahhh... Morning, Raiden." He said with a small yawn and a wave. Raiden waved back with a smile before looking back at the trees and continued to wait for the final member of their team as Kogeki walked up beside him.
"So, your Kaasan wants to have us take our final test HERE?" He asked Raiden turning his head to him with a slightly frightened look on his face.
Raiden nodded before he answered. "Yep. I almost didn't want to believe it when I followed her trail here. But, she wants us take this seriously, so what better place for us to take our final test than the cursed forest?" He said before looking at Kogeki, who just shook his before looking back at the dark forest.
"I don't know, Raiden. It just seems a little overkill for me. The silence out here is deafening and we're not even in the forest yet." He admitted as they both continued to wait.
They heard another set of footsteps walking up behind them before long. They both turned around to see Yama walking towards them, but she looked like she didn't get any sleep.
If she got any at all.
She tried to smile and wave at them, but both their eyes widened before they dropped their equipment and rushed toward her before she just suddenly fell forward and almost hit the ground.
They both caught her and held her as she made a soft snoring sound. They both shook their heads when they noticed her eyes were slightly puffy with tear stains running down her cheeks.
Raiden look at Kogeki as they both shook their heads. "Her bitch of a mother again." Kogeki spat with venom as he stood up and befan to pace around.
"She probably kept Yama up all night. Doing what though, I don't know." Raiden seethed with anger as he held Yama close to him while she slept.
Kogeki paced back and forth, while occasionally glancing at Yama's sleeping form, before he just stopped and knelt down in front of them. "We can't take the test today." He said to Raiden, who looked at him with wide eyes.
"What?"
"Raiden, we can't take it today. She's exhausted. Look at her. She barely got any sleep, or she didn't sleep at all. We have to tell your Kaasan when she gets here." He said standing up before walking over to grab his equipment.
Raiden looked down at Yama, who was holding him tight, before sighing then looked back up at Kogeki.
"Kogeki, buddy, I don't think we're going to have a choice." He admitted.
Kogeki stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Raiden with a small glare. "What?" He asked with a dangerously quiet tone.
Raiden held up a hand in Kogeki's direction to keep him calm. "Don't misunderstand, Kogeki. I agree with you one hundred percent that we shouldn't take the test today. Yama really needs to get some rest, I mean, if she made it all the way here with whatever energy she had left before collapsing, then I think we'll automatically fail because of a bitch that doesn't care but much for her daughter. I want Yama to get some much needed rest just as much as you do,buddy, but I don't think we're going to be given much choice." He explained before looking back down at Yama.
Kogeki bit his lower lip and sucked in air through gritted teeth before smacking nothing but air as he walked back over to the gate and leaned against it before sitting down.
Raiden picked Yama up bridal style and slowly walked back over to the gate as well while she held on to him tightly and whimpered. He sat back down next to Kogeki making her relax as she began to snore softly again.
Kogeki looked at his sleeping friend and shook his head. "She needs to leave that damned house. Her Kaasan isn't doing her any favors mentally abusing her like this. It's not healthy for her." He said to Raiden glancing up at him.
Raiden nodded and leaned his head back again the gate with a deep sigh. "We'll take care of it after today. Or after the test at least."
Kogeki sighed and leaned his own head back against the gate before long as they both waited for Raiden's mother to show up and start the final test.
5 minutes later...
"Well, well, well. Good morning, gentlemen." They eventually both heard as they looked up to see Hikari standing on top of the gate while looking down at them with a frown.
"I see we got ourselves a little problem here." She said to both of them.