Leaf Ninja
Chapter 1: Beginning
I take a seat at my desk, done with testing. All of my classmates have finished, sitting at their desks awaiting the results anxiously. I look over at the other end of the room. Specifically: two trainees that look antsier than the others. A boy with a bowl cut and ponytail, Rock Lee, nervously bounces in his seat. While next to him a girl with her hair done in two buns, Tenten, grumbles at him.
"This whole thing is a waste of time. I should have passed last year, but the Hokage had to come and personally be a hardass. I mean really, only passing the valedictorian? I was robbed! I'm not like you Lee, I actually should have passed!"
"Hey!" Lee objects. "I have been studying very hard to make up for my weak points by scoring well on the written exam! You cannot just dismiss my effort!"
Back at the front of the class, I see that the last student is up. A boy by the name of Sai. Most of the time he acts like a robot, his voice eternally monotone, spending a good portion of his time sketching in his notebook. He does have one strange point in particular though...
"Alright, that's a satisfactory Substitution Jutsu, Sai," the teacher, Iruka Sensei says as Sai finishes his final test. "Ideally, you'd want the illusion of your body to stick around as long as possible before the log is exposed, so practice that when you have time."
"Thanks for the tip, Sensei," Sai replies as he pulls out a notebook. "Let me just log your critique in my journal."
Oh? Very punny Sai.
After a moment of silence, Iruka Sensei and Lee bust out in uncontrollable laughter. I, however, just let out a slight chuckle. Joining me is Kiba, a rough boy with a fur-lined hood. The rest of the class groans collectively at Sai's pun.
"Hoo..." Iruka Sensei exhales deeply. "You always crack me up with your jokes, Sai."
Sai returns to his seat, face as stoic as ever despite just telling a joke.
"Well then," Iruka sensei addresses the class. "That's everybody. Mizuki here will be passing out the results as they are graded, so just sit tight."
Iruka Sensei goes to finish grading the tests and before long, Mizuki takes them and starts passing them out. He starts on my side of the room, coming up to Sakura, a girl with long pink hair, first.
"Nice job Sakura, you did great," Mizuki praises her as he hands her the test results.
He approaches me next.
"Here you go, uhh..." Mizuki stumbles. "I'm sorry I must have a bad memory, what was your name again?"
"Mizuki Sensei, it's me, Kon Karagowa," I answer. "Am I that unmemorable?"
"Uhh... Maybe? Sorry, sorry," Mizuki quickly apologizes. "I've only been a teaching aid for a couple of months, and I've had more paperwork than student interaction. Anyway, here's your test results."
He gives me the test packet, then moves on to the rest of the students. I open the packet and look at my test results. I'm pretty average across the field if a bit fast. Excluding my terrible Genjutsu score. I still pass, so that's what matters.
Soon, everyone has their test results.
"Well—" Iruka Sensei addresses the class again. "I'm proud to say we have a 100% pass rate, good job everyone. Just wait a bit here, and we'll be back with the team assignments."
Iruka and Mizuki leave the room. Looking around, everyone seems anxious about their team assignments, except one group.
Shikamaru, a lazy young man with his hair up, Choji, a rather rotund young man, and Ino, a girl with long blond hair, are all sitting together. From looking at them, I get them the feeling they have... resigned to their fate.
Sasuke Uchiha, a prodigal young man from the prestigious Uchiha clan glances over Shika maru's shoulder at his test results.
"Really?" Sasuke scoffs. "There is no reason you shouldn't have scored higher than me on the written portion. Sandbagging like this is only going to cost lives in the field."
He glares down at Shikamaru. The lazy young man struggles to bother responding.
"I don't need to hear it from you, mister prodigy," Shikamaru replies. "Why would I bother working my ass off when ninjas like you and your brother, A.K.A., 'The greatest ninja ever' go out of your way to do everything yourselves?"
I approach feeling some tension between the two young men.
"Guys. We're all integral parts of Konoha. From the Uchihas to the Naras. We're all connected. So stop acting like twats to one another. You're right Sasuke, but it's not worth getting in an argument over. Besides, it's just test scores. I'm sure Shikamaru will get serious when his life's on the line, right?"
My attempt at mediation seems at least moderately successful, as they both give a noncommittal grunt and go their separate ways.
After a bit longer, Iruka Sensei returns to the classroom.
"Alright everybody," Iruka announces. "Here is the moment you've all been waiting for: the team assignments!"
He begins to read off the teams.
"... Team 6 is Rock Lee, Sakura Haruno, and Sai, under Gai Sensei."
"NOOOOOOOO!" Sakura screams as she bolts up from her seat. "Why do I have to be with both the weirdos? I wanted to be on the same team as Sasuke! This is the worst thing that could happen!"
Leaving Sakura to her hysterics, Iruka continues.
"Team 7 is Kiba Inuzuka, Kon Karagowa, and Sasuke Uchiha, under Kakashi Sensei."
"Groovy," I smirk, satisfied that I got a good team. Kiba and Sasuke are both pretty skilled. Kiba gives me a thumbs-up, while Sasuke just eyes us both. He doesn't look visibly disappointed, at least.
"Team 8 is Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Tenten, under Kurenai Sensei," Iruka continues.
"...and finally, Team 10 is Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi, under Asuma Sensei. Everyone come get these sheets up here, they'll tell you where and when your teams will meet."
Everyone comes up and takes the sheets. Kakashi Sensei wants to meet me in this classroom tomorrow at 0700. Iruka dismisses everyone, and they begin to leave. I see Iruka go over to Sai.
"Nice job today, Sai," he says with a beaming smile. "Let's go to Ichiraku's to celebrate."
One by one, the classroom empties. I leave everyone to their devices while I head towards the market district.
My Uncle's already going to prepare a celebratory meal, so I don't need groceries. What I'm looking for are ninja tools. I've got a pretty good supply of Ryo, so I want to stock up. I'm officially a Genin tomorrow, so I want to prepare.
I head into the weapon shop, looking at the wares. They've got every basic tool I can imagine, from shuriken to kunai to explosive tags and wires.
"Mom? I have to work the store today of all days?" I hear from the back. "Fine, fine, geez."
I see Tenten come up behind the counter.
"Huh? Kon? Are you looking for something?" she asks.
"I was looking to stock up for tomorrow," I tell her. "Who knows what our Sensei is gonna throw at us, you know? I was thinking of some trap materials: explosives, wires, that kind of thing. Maybe a short sword as a main weapon or something. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Well..." Tenten muses. "A short sword is gonna cut into your budget quite a bit if you want decent quality, I don't think you could afford anything else if you bought it. As for trap materials, we've got plenty of wire and explosive tags. They're usually the go-to for that kind of thing."
"What about another weapon?" I ask. "Like a Kyoketsu-shoge. Could I afford that and the trap stuff?"
"Not quite, but..." Tenten thinks to herself. "It's a bit cheaper than a sword. I guess I could get you a discount. But if you do, you'll owe me big time." she smirks. "I'm thinking, running errands for me?"
"I'll do it, thanks Tenten!" I exclaim. She basks in my adoration for a bit.
"Yeah, yeah. Here's your stuff," Tenten hands me a bag while taking the money I offer her.
"I'll just track you down when I need your help, so go on home for now."
"Thanks again Tenten, I mean it," She did help me out, so I insist on the praise.
"Stop, stop, you're embarrassing me," she replies. "I'm going to get my money back out of you, you know?"
I leave the weapon shop, planning to swing by Kiba's house on the way home. I find him outside his house playing with his dog, Akamaru.
"Oh, hey. What's up, Kon?" he looks up at me approaching.
"You excited?" I ask. "What do you think Kakashi Sensei is gonna have us do tomorrow?"
"Hell yeah, dude," Kiba smiles and gives me another thumbs up. "The Sensei usually have some kind of test for their teams, but we don't get to know what it is until it happens."
Kiba puts his hand on his chin. "Not gonna lie, though. I am a bit disappointed that I don't have a girl on my team. It's not so bad though. We get to hang out, and Sasuke is the strongest from our class. Speaking of which, what do you think about Sasuke, Kon?"
"He's strong," I reply. "I'm glad he's on our team. I wouldn't have minded someone less stuck-up though. Or a girl, yeah."
"Heh," Kiba shakes his head. "I get it though. If my sister was considered to be in the running for next Hokage by everyone in the village, I might have a complex too. Not to mention he's got quite the clan name to live up to."
Kiba begins the trek into his house. "Well, it's about time I got in for dinner, it's getting late. See you tomorrow, dude."
"Later Kiba," I wave as he walks inside. I have dinner to get to, but it's only fair that I go see my other teammate as well. I head in the direction of the Uchiha compound. As I arrive, I realize I don't know where Sasuke lives. Some Uchiha are roaming around, doing their police work.
I head towards the closest Uchiha. "Excuse me!" I call as the man turns around. "I'm looking for Sasuke Uchiha's house, can you help me find it?"
The man snorts. "And just what do you want of my son this close to curfew? Shouldn't you be getting home? I'm sure whatever it is can wait until morning."
"Sorry, sir," I apologize. "We're on the same team, and I wanted to talk to him, maybe plan out some ideas for when we meet Kakashi Sensei tomorrow," I explain.
"Kakashi, huh," Sasuke's father, Fugaku, rubs his chin. "There might be time for a short conversation, but I don't think you'll have time to hash out any plans. Feel free to follow me though, I am heading home. Just don't stick around too long."
I follow Fugaku to his house. When I arrive, Fugaku calls into the house.
"Sasuke!" he shouts. "Your teammate wants to see you!" Fugaku motions for me to wait as he heads in. Moments later, Sasuke comes out.
"Kon?" he asks. "What are you here this late for? It's nearly dinner time. Could something not wait until tomorrow?"
"Sorry for losing track of time, I was talking with Kiba too," I explain. "I wanted to see if we could come up with a plan for when we meet Kakashi Sensei tomorrow."
Sasuke smirks. "Great enthusiasm there Kon, but there's honestly not much we can do right now. He could administer any type of test he wants, and we don't know anything about him. We certainly don't have time to gather information. I say we just take it as it comes. That's part of being a ninja too. You should head home and eat dinner. I've got dinner here myself in a bit."
"Alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke," I tell him as he heads back inside.
"See you," he waves.
It's nearly curfew so I rush back home, still carrying all that equipment I bought. As I get to my house and head inside, I hear your uncle.
"Kon!" he yells from further inside. "What were you thinking? Dinner's been ready for nearly an hour!"
I'd love to explain the situation to my uncle, but I have to act before it's too late. I set my stuff down, and run into the kitchen where I see it. My uncle's gyoza. The best of the best. I start chowing down.
"Honestly," my uncle laments. "All this ninja business. I didn't get it when it was my sister, and I still don't get it now."
Eventually, I get my fill of gyoza and start to settle down. "Sorry, Uncle Keiji."
I explain everything that happened this evening while he listens intently.
"I see," Keiji says as I finish my story. "I don't know much about all this, but it sounds like things are going great. Your mother never really let me in on what she did, but I'm always here to listen if you need to talk, you know."
It's been a long day, and I'm tired. I head up to my room. I think about things as I drift off to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, too. I'll have to be ready. The last thing I think of as I drift off to sleep is that I feel like I can depend on my teammates. I know it'll all work out somehow.
To think this morning, I had worried about running late. I slept in nearly until my 0700 hit time and had to rush to the academy as fast as I could, yet an hour after I my arrival my Sensei still hadn't. My teammates seem irritated as well. Kiba is tapping his finger on the desk repeatedly and his dog Akamaru sits on his head, wearing a similarly irritating expression to his owner. Sasuke isn't doing any fidgeting, but I can tell from his glare at the doorway that he's angry.
I break the silence. "So guys, while we're waiting why don't we tell each other what all we can do, maybe do some strategizing?"
"Can't hurt, I guess," Kiba says as he stops tapping. "I'm sure you remember, but the Inuzuka clan uses ninja dogs trained from birth as companions in battle. By teaming up with them, we can track anything with a trail. As for combat, we've got a couple of unique Jutsu that can be used to put the pressure on opponents, and keep us at pretty good range too."
With Kiba's piece said, Sasuke resigns himself to spill the beans.
"Alright, it makes sense," he admits. "We'll pool our talents and brainstorm some tactics. As for me, you know from the academy that I'm more than competent at most things. I also know some basic fire ninjutsu. Our clan does have the Sharingan, but I haven't unlocked it yet myself."
After Sasuke finishes, he turns to me.
"Well, Kon?" he asks. "What do you provide to the team?"
"I've got good speed, my taijutsu is solid, and I've got a penchant for explosive tags. Or traps in general, I guess, but it's cooler if there are explosions involved," I explain. "Speaking of, anyone short tags or wire? I bought some extras yesterday."
Kiba declines, saying that's not his thing. Surprisingly enough, Sasuke takes me up on my offer for wire, since he didn't seem to have any.
"All in all, not bad," Sasuke says as he puts the spool of wire in his pouch. "Kiba can always know where the enemy is, Kon can prepare some subterfuge, and I can provide the major damage if need be."
As we talk, the door opens. A man with white hair and a mask walks in. His headband tilted to cover one eye.
"Talking strategy already, huh?" he asks. "Maybe this won't be half as bad as I thought."
"We sure were, we've got to make sure our team is prepared for anything," I explain. "Are you Kakashi Sensei, then?"
"That I am," he answers. "Come follow me to the roof boys, we'll talk there."
We all get up to follow Kakashi Sensei. I can tell that Kiba barely manages to stop himself from blowing up in his face about his tardiness. We all get to the roof and sit down on a bench while Kakashi Sensei leans on the railing. It's a beautiful clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky, giving me a great view of Mount Hokage, with its five stone faces.
Kakashi Sensei speaks up. "Well let's begin by introducing yourselves. Your likes, dislikes, dreams for the future... things like that."
"Why don't you introduce yourself, Sensei?" I ask. It seems only fair.
"Oh, Me?" he responds. "Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake, and I don't want to tell you about my likes or dislikes. Or dreams for the future. I have plenty of hobbies."
We scowl at his is non-answer.
"Well then, now it's your turn. Let's start from the right," he says, pointing to me.
"Well, my mom and dad died during the nine-tails attack when I was still really little, but my mom was a ninja. She figured putting her life on the line for the sake of the village was worth it, and so that's what I'll do. Put myself in the line of fire to keep my friends and family safe. That and it's REALLY fun blowing things up," I explain.
"Admirable," Kakashi replies. "And what about you?" he points to Kiba.
"Heh. Well, I like dogs," Kiba says jokingly. "Shocker, I know. My dream is... to become Hokage!"
"Pfft..." Sasuke stifles a laugh. "Sorry Kiba, you're a skilled ninja, but your competition is so far out of your league, you don't even realize."
"Hey!" Kiba barks at him. "You want to say that to me again?"
"Guys, can we not do this right now?" I interject. "Not really the time. Let's not kill each other over being Hokage while we're all still Genin."
Kiba takes my advice and backs off.
"Kon's right, you know," Kakashi speaks up. "You've all got a long road ahead of you before you can truly measure your worth as ninja. Alright Sasuke, you're the last one."
"I..." Sasuke starts. "I want to try and surpass my brother. If he becomes Hokage, then I'll have to be greater than the Hokage."
"Talk about your lofty goals," mutters Kiba.
Kakashi addresses the group. "Well now that's out of the way, we can get ready for our very first training exercise."
"What will we be doing?" I ask.
"I'm going to be your opponent in a test," Kakashi explains. "A test that all the Genin teams take to determine who stays, and who gets sent back to the academy."
"Bring it on," I boast. "Does that mean if we beat you, You have to go back to the academy?"
"Confident, aren't we?" Kakashi Sensei replies. "I was going to allot all of tomorrow for this, but I think we can get it done today. Save us all some time." Kakashi hands out some directions. "Meet me here in one hour. Bring all your ninja tools. Also, you might not want to grab lunch, you're going to be exerting yourselves quite hard."
Kakashi gets up to leave, and my teammates get up too.
"We were already prepared for this," states Sasuke.
"Yeah!" Kiba chimes in. "We've got this in the bag!"
Me and my teammates head out to the site, a training ground on the edge of the forest, and arrive with plenty of time to spare, not that we expect Kakashi Sensei to show up on time.
I mention my plan to Kiba to set up traps and have him lead Kakashi Sensei into them.
"Not a bad idea, Kon," he responds. "If you're concerned about us falling victim though, just prick your finger and get a little blood on the tags. Akamaru will be able to sniff it out and avoid it."
I go about the forest, setting up a handful of traps as inconspicuous as possible. By the time I finish, Kakashi Sensei is only just arriving. Half an hour late.
"Looks like everyone's here," he remarks. "So here are the terms of the test: You have until 1300, in two hours to grab these bells from me."
After setting an alarm on a stump, he pulls out two bells and attaches them to his waist.
"Whoever doesn't get a bell by the time the alarm goes off, gets tied up to those logs," he points toward three training logs. "They will then have to watch as everyone else eats, then they'll be failed and sent back to the academy. Any questions?"
"Wait, only two of us can pass?" I ask.
"That's right," Kakashi nods. "Now to see what you're made of. Will you all work together to get both bells? Or will you look out for number one, since there's no guarantee you'll get one of the bells?"
"Now..." as everyone gets into fighting poses, he pulls out a book and starts reading it. "You can go ahead and start at any time."
"Let's go, guys!" I call out. "We can worry about who gets the bells later, we're not getting any from a Jonin unless we work together!"
Me, Kiba, and Sasuke all close in on Kakashi Sensei.
"Of course I know that," Sasuke remarks, prepping his kunai.
"You didn't think I'd abandon you guys, did you?" Kiba asks.
Kakashi looks up, almost surprised. "Not even gonna attack me one at a time, huh?" He puts the book away. "So much for catching up on my reading, I guess."
I immediately form a hand seal. Focusing my chakra, I make a clone. It's just an illusion, but that's all it needs to be.
Sasuke moves in with his kunai, doing several passes at Kakashi, but the Jonin is too fast. He merely leans out of the way, avoiding every hit.
With his dodging, he manages to get Sasuke in Kiba's way. Every time Sasuke takes a swipe, Kakashi leads him into the path of Kiba's attacks, forcing him to back off.
Meanwhile, I put my plan into effect, my clone runs towards Kakashi, feigning an attack. As it approaches, Kakashi glances over.
"Is that illusion supposed to accomplish something?" he asks as he lets the clone pass harmlessly through.
"No," I reply. "But the explosive might."
Kakashi notices the kunai I had thrown behind the clone, and the explosive tag on it. Sasuke jumps back, and Kakashi leaps when the kunai hits the ground and explodes. He lands on a nearby branch.
"Not a bad move," Kakashi notes. "You still left me far too many options for that to work, though."
The three of us look at each other. "What's the plan from here?" Kiba asks.
"Just like we planned, Kiba," I tell him.
He nods, and Akamaru hops down alongside him. He feeds Akamaru a pill and makes a hand seal.
"Here it comes, Sensei," Kiba announces. "My strongest Jutsu! Beast Human Clone!"
Akamaru transforms into a copy of Kiba and both of them take on a more feral appearance. They both rush towards a legitimately surprised Kakashi, who jumps around the trees to evade.
I follow and catch one of the wires that I set up earlier. I pull it as Kiba and Akamaru push Kakashi towards a tree with explosives set.
As Kakashi lands on the branch, his foot catches my wire and the trap goes off, causing a huge explosion. A few seconds pass, and I don't see anything.
I brace myself and scan my surroundings. "Do you smell him anywhere, Kiba?"
Kiba and Akamaru sniff around. "His smell disappeared right after the explosion started, probably a Substitution Jutsu. He should be nearby but I don't smell him right now, keep your eyes peeled."
The three of us stay vigilant, but by the time we notice him, it's too late.
I hear a voice from underneath me. "Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"
Kakashi's hand reaches up from the ground around my ankle and pulls me down, burying me up to my neck.
"That should do it," Kakashi says as he climbs out of the ground. "Now I won't have to deal with those traps of yours."
My teammates look nervous. They're running out of ideas. I notice some singeing on Kakashi Sensei's clothes, indicating that he only just gotten out of the explosion. If I expand the affected area, it might catch him before he escapes. I'm unable to move right now though, so setting off the traps isn't an option. Unless...
"Keep going Kiba, we can still do the plan!" I shout from my hole in the ground. "We've almost got him, you don't need me!"
I take a glance at Sasuke and he understands. He takes off after Kiba, who continues his assault on Kakashi, pushing him towards another tree.
"You can keep trying, but the result will be the same," Kakashi says as he dodges Kiba and Akamaru's swipes. "Assuming you can even still set any of these off anyway."
As he says that, he lands on the tree I had rigged to explode.
"Now!" Kiba shouts as he and Akamaru jump back.
I see Sasuke make some of the fastest hand seals I've ever seen and unleash his Jutsu.
"Fire Release! Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke shouts as he releases a giant ball of flame on the tree Kakashi is currently on.
Kakashi barely has time to react in surprise at Sasuke knowing that high level of a technique before the flames engulf the tree and cause the largest explosion yet.
Kiba dives into the smoke immediately afterward, ignoring the heat and debris, led by his nose. He comes out the other side holding two bells triumphantly.
"Yes!" he shouts as he tosses one to Sasuke. "We did it! How do you like that, Sensei?"
Kakashi emerges from the smoke with singe marks, but he's relatively unharmed. "Good job. That was definitely worth a passing grade."
"Yes! That was awesome! We did it, guys!" I shout, still in my hole in the ground. "Congratulations on passing Kiba, Sasuke. I mean it, nice job. So uh... you think someone could let me out of here?"
Kakashi pulls me up, then the two of us start walking toward the logs.
"Wait!" says Kiba and Sasuke simultaneously.
"Take this, you earned it more than I did," Sasuke says as he forces the bell into my hands.
"Hey!" Kiba objects. "I was going to do that! Fine, you take this!" he says as he forces his bell into Sasuke's hands.
"What? No, you take it!" Sasuke says as he pushes it back towards Kiba.
The two continue to push the bell towards each other, while I and Kakashi Sensei look on.
"Heh," I hear a slight laugh from my Sensei. "You can stop now, boys. I won't be failing anybody. You all pass."
I stop thinking for a second. "What? Why?"
Even through his mask, I can tell Kakashi is smiling.
"The point of this training was to try and foster divisiveness among the group. Since one of you wouldn't pass, you would all look out for yourselves. But not you guys. From the very beginning, you realized that the only way you would ever get the bells from me was by working as a team. There was no hesitation. You all worked seamlessly together and never worked for your benefit, but the benefit of the team. I honestly never expected a team of fresh Genin to work together like that. Even now, you keep saying how others should pass. You all passed with flying colors. I look forward to being your Jonin instructor."
"Yeah!" Kiba shouts as he puts his arms around me and Sasuke's necks. "You hear that guys? We all pass! This is great!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard," says Sasuke as he pushes Kiba's arm off, trying to fight the giant grin off his face.
"So can we eat now?" I ask.
"Sure thing, guys," Kakashi answers. "Come on, I brought enough for everyone."
We all sit down to eat lunch, and Kakashi Sensei addresses us. "Since we got this done today, you all have tomorrow off before we start on missions. So enjoy it. While we're here though, feel free to ask me anything. I might be able to give you a bit of an idea of what being a ninja is like."
"Sensei," I speak up. "Can we get some missions that aren't just like chores and stuff that they usually have new Genin do?"
"I'll see what I can do," Kakashi assures me. "We'll be doing low-level missions for a while, but I know you guys could hold your own on a C rank mission, so I'll keep my eye out for a suitable one."
"What was your first day with your Jonin instructor like?" Kiba asks.
"Heh," Kakashi laughs. "We did this same test. It's something of a tradition, I guess. My team didn't do nearly as well as yours did, though."
"Mind telling us why you're always late?" Sasuke asks.
"Well, that involves my old team as well," Kakashi responds, looking nostalgic. "but I think I'll save that story for another time."
We all chat a bit more before we finish eating. Kakashi Sensei and Sasuke head off, while Kiba sticks around to help me take care of the remaining traps.
Afterward, we head back home as well. I can't help but smile. Me and my teammates had worked together flawlessly to show our instructor what we could do. A pretty great accomplishment.
I wake up and stretch my arms out. It's a beautiful morning, and I've got the day off from ninja duties. After rolling out of bed and dressing myself, I hear a loud thump outside my window. I walk over to check it out.
As I open the window and look out, I'm met with a kunai sticking out of the wall. The handle has a note on it that reads: "You're working today."
I head downstairs and find my Uncle at the table, with breakfast laid out.
"Morning, Kon," he greets me. "You got any plans for your day off? Maybe hanging out with a friend or some ninja training? If you don't have anything going on, you could always stick around and give me a hand at the restaurant."
I think to myself as I munch on some toast. Tenten probably expects me to show up and help out. After finishing my breakfast and saying goodbye to my uncle, I head over to the weapon shop to help out Tenten like I had promised.
As I approach, I find Tenten standing out in front of the shop, and a 'Closed' sign on the door.
"Hey, Kon!" Tenten calls out. "We're closed for the day so we can restock. I need you to come to help me get the new stock from the supplier on the other side of the village."
I follow her to a large building with several smokestacks sticking up out of it. To the left of the building is a large shed.
"We already paid the supplier," Tenten explains. "So we're just transporting the goods."
She opens the door of the shed, and inside I see kunai and shuriken together in belts, and stacked nearly to the ceiling.
"At our shop, we usually make the larger weapons ourselves," Tenten goes on. "But when it comes to kunai and shuriken, they make them in bulk here. We've got about ten thousand shuriken and five thousand kunai to move today, so let's get to work."
An idea crosses my mind. "Hey, why don't we load ourselves up with as many weapons as we can carry? It'd make for good training."
"Uhh... feel free to do that," Tenten replies. "I'm just going to take some in a cart here. If you want to use this as training though, more power to you."
I load myself up with strips of the weapons wrapped around every conceivable area I can, then carry several belts in my arms. I must be packing over a hundred pounds.
Taking off, I try to keep pace with Tenten and her cart. Almost immediately I start to feel the pressure on my legs from carrying so much weight, but I keep pressing on. The hills, in particular, are rough, whether keeping my balance going down or struggling my way up.
About halfway through town though, I notice a familiar face.
I see Rock Lee, albeit with a new haircut and outfit. He's walking around on his hands through the village, and from the look of his hands, he's been at it quite a while. I keep looking in Lee's direction until I catch his eye, then give him a wave.
He sees me carrying the incredible amount of weapons and smiles, shooting a thumbs-up back at me before continuing his training.
As I keep heading towards the weapon shop, I decide to ask Tenten: "Does Lee do that a lot?"
"All the time," she sighs. "He's always giving himself ridiculous training and then punishing himself with more training when he inevitably fails. That can't be healthy."
We eventually reach the weapon shop and unload the weapons. After the immediate wave of relief from unloading the weight, I start feeling sore all over. Now done with the first load, we begin heading back towards the storehouse.
"Yeah, I think I'll use a cart too," I admit. "Don't want to strain myself too much, or I'll get hurt."
"Good idea," Tenten says. "After all, you're not going to be quite done even once we get all the weapons in the store. We've still got to stock them."
The two of us continue our errand, loading the carts full of weapons and hauling them back and forth across town. Three hours after we began, there are only enough weapons left in the shed for one cartload. Though two people working together might be able to carry them... Resisting the urge to make my suggestion to Tenten, I tell her to go start stocking while I take care of this last cart.
Sometime later, after bringing the cart back, I return to the weapon shop to find Tenten inside.
"Alright, Kon," she begins to instruct. "Now we need to stack all of the new stock on the shelves neatly. Shuriken can go straight up there, but we need to wrap the kunai handles first. Let's do that now."
Tenten gets all the binding for the kunai handles out and I two start to wrap them before placing them on the shelves.
It's a bit strange. I didn't expect to work in complete silence like this. Small talk should do the trick, an obvious topic coming to mind.
"So, Tenten," I start. "How did it go with your new team? What's it like?"
It looks as if my question destroys something that was restraining Tenten. She whips around and releases a torrent of words.
"My team?!" She starts. "Oh god, you just have no idea. I figured that I'd kind of have to take a more leading role, being older and all you know? But they had to go and stick me with two gloomy weirdos that never talk of their own accord. It's like they've never asserted their opinion in their lives. Hinata looks like she's always focusing on something behind you, and that's not just a byakugan joke. Shino, don't get me started on him. It's like one day he just up and went 'Welp, I'm in the clan that uses bugs, I better wear a trench coat and sunglasses all the time and make sure no one could misconstrue me as frien—"
The ranting catches me completely off guard, and I have trouble keeping up. She clearly needs to get this off her chest, so I let her keep ranting.
"—dly, and I know she's supposedly a new Jonin," Tenten continues. "But would it kill her to show some assertiveness? I'm supposed to be one of her students! I shouldn't have to take charge of my teammates because she doesn't want to get them mad at her! Getting these two to answer me with anything more than a nod is like pulling teeth!"
She keeps going for a while, mentioning every little thing that went on yesterday that's bothering her. The two of us keep working the entire time, eventually finishing the kunai and moving on to the shuriken. Tenten keeps up her rant all the while.
"Man..." she eventually winds down. "Your team sounds way better, Kon. You, Kiba, and Sasuke. What I wouldn't give to be on your team."
"I'm sure they'll come around," I respond. "I mean, my team's not as great as you think. Kiba and Sasuke are always on each other about everything. Akamaru has a cooler head than them. We're already working with Sasuke better than I expected though, so you just have to give them a chance and they might surprise you."
Tenten thinks about my statement. "I guess it was only one day. You're right. I'm sure if I keep working with them, they'll get some initiative to make a great team."
As the two of us finish stacking the last of the shuriken, she turns to me. "Though I don't think I have it in me to make as good a mediator as you, Kon. Anyway, thanks for the help. I don't think I'll drag you out here anymore, but if you want to help again, we could always use a hand."
It's mid-afternoon now. I still have some time left in the day. Maybe get in some practice with different weapons? Come to think of it, Tenten does know a lot about weapons and traps, she could out a ton.
"Hey, Tenten! Do you think we could train together? I need some work with my new weapon, and you'd be able to help me out a lot."
"Heh," Tenten smirks. "You probably think you're pretty smart asking me, huh? Well, you're right. There isn't a weapon I don't know how to use. I'll tag along."
The two of us head to the training grounds at the edge of the village. She pulls out a staff and gets into a fighting pose.
"Your kyoketsu-shoge," she starts. "Its greatest strength is its ability to disarm your opponent. The basic idea is to be able to wrap the cord around your opponent's weapon, catch it with the hook, and then pull the weapon right out of their hands. You also have the option to try it on their limbs, to get them off balance or occupy one of their arms."
I pull out my kyoketsu-shoge and swing it around a bit to get a feel for the weight. I have plenty of practice with throwing weapons, but a weapon I have to control after I throw it is new to me. I start tossing the weapon out a few times as practice, intending to have Tenten deflect it with her staff. After a few throws, I think I have it down alright.
"What's with those half-assed tosses?" Tenten asks. "Come at me like you mean it!"
Right afterward, I decide to put my plan into action. I dash to the side to get a better angle, then toss the weapon at Tenten's leg. It wraps around just as I had intended, and I pull towards myself as it hooks.
"Woah—" Tenten says in surprise, but just for a moment. Instead of fighting to keep balance, she goes along with the cord and closes the distance between me in a flash. She swings her staff and knocks me on my back before I can react.
"Good, that's the idea, Kon," she offers slight praise. "But you're going to want to be careful of opponents that aren't afraid to get right up on you. You're not exactly strong enough to drag them around right now. You might want to stick to using it on opponents that are facing the opposite direction, for now at least."
"Thanks for the tip, Tenten," I tell her as she helps me up. "Let's try again."
Me and Tenten continue our spar against each other for a while, both of us ending up knocking the other down more than a few times. By the time the sun is setting, exhaustion settles in.
"You're not doing bad, Kon," says Tenten as we both put away our weapons. "You're really quick on your feet. I didn't get any time to rest at all."
It's nearly curfew, so we both head home. I arrive to find Uncle with dinner ready on the table.
"Welcome back," he says. "Did you enjoy your day off?"
"I had a good time," I tell Uncle as I sit down and begin eating. "I helped Tenten with her parent's shop, and then we got some pretty good training afterward."
My uncle looks up from his food. "You spent the day with a girl? You're a much earlier bloomer than your mother, that's for sure! Haha! I don't think she talked to a man alone until she was twenty-five!"
My uncle continues to laugh nostalgically.
"What was Mom like?" I decide to ask. "She didn't make you chaperon her dates with Dad, did she?"
My uncle busts out laughing even harder. "No, no," he eventually manages to say.
"She did stick to me like glue when she was younger, though," he explains. "Our parents died when she was very young, so I was all she had. Our family never had any ninjas, but she had some potential with chakra, so they let her into the academy. I worked hard to support her, so she could become something great, you know. She was still incredibly shy, though. Any time she could, she would be spending her time with me. And if it wasn't me, she was always sticking to her instructors. She didn't have many friends. She came around eventually, though."
"What about my father?" I ask. I've honestly never heard more than a casual mention of him.
"About that..." my uncle goes on. "I'm afraid I only met him a couple of times. I didn't know him very well. He and your mother hit it off real quick after they met. It was scarcely over a year between then and you being born. All I knew about him was that he was a ninja from some other village. Apparently had it rough, since his clan was known for some kekky gekky bloodline thing, and he didn't have it. He must not have been getting any respect back home, cause he up and moved here and took your mother's name real quick. Didn't seem like a bad guy, though."
Kekkei Genkai. The term's mention immediately struck my curiosity. "Wait, uncle. Do you know which clan he was from?"
"Sorry, Kon," he apologizes. "Afraid I don't. Never mentioned it to me. I suppose you could ask around for the files or some such. I don't know how any of that ninja business works, myself."
I help Uncle clean up the kitchen. "Thanks for everything, Uncle," I tell him.
He smiles at me. "Anytime, Kon. Now get to bed. You've got a big day tomorrow."
I follow my uncle's advice and head upstairs. I make sure all my equipment is laid out, as I'm supposed to be up bright and early for my first mission tomorrow. Not that I expect Kakashi Sensei to arrive on time.
Despite my anxiousness, I'm able to fall asleep fairly quickly. The night before my first mission is graced with a night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. This is only the beginning. I've still got quite the road ahead of me. Yet somehow thinking that only gets me more and more excited.
End of Chapter 1