Echiko bit his lip, staring at the stack of paper before him.
"Oh, it's just a little placement test!" Daisuke had exclaimed when he dumped the pile into his arms and escorted him to the living room which was, surprisingly, clean today, and sat him down at the low table. "Just answer all the questions that you know, and don't worry about the rest. This afternoon I'll take you to the Academy for your physical exam. Sound fun?"
No, not really... Echiko sighed, wondering how he got himself into this mess. How long is this test going to take, anyway? He skimmed through the pages. Eh, I don't think I want to know.
At the top of the first page he noticed a paragraph that stated "Admission Requirements for Konoha's Academy," below which was said, "'1. Love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity; 2. Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work; 3. Be healthy in mind and body.' If the above conditions are met, admission to the Academy will be granted."
He blinked. That was their admission requirements? It sounded so... contrary from what one expected a ninja to be...
The questions began right after.
"Question: What is a Shinobi?"
He dipped his pen into the ink well. He might as well go ahead and do it.
"A shinobi... is one who has the ability to manipulate chakra to create and use techniques called jutsu.
Question: What is required of a shinobi?
A shinobi is required to be a tool for achieving their village and country's goals.
Question: Upon becoming a shinobi, one must abide by specific rules when out in the field. Answer whether these statements are true or false:
1. A shinobi must never show their tears.
2. A shinobi must see the hidden meanings within the hidden meanings.
3. A shinobi does not have to follow their commander's instructions.
4. It is not necessary for a shinobi to prepare before it is too late to.
5. A shinobi must never show any weakness.
6. A shinobi isn't required to always put the mission first.
7. Emotions are considered unnecessary things."
He hated these kinds of questions because they always hit close to home, but his pen scribbled fluidly across the page and on to the next, as if he were answering to a child's curiosity.
"Question: What basic tools do shinobi use? Name at least five.
Kunai, Shuriken, katana, explosive tags, wire.
Question: What is chakra? Name the Five Chakra Elements.
Chakra is the molding of physical and spiritual energy that, once molded, can be channeled through chakra coils to any of the 361 chakra points in the body, which then can be controlled and worked through hand seals to produce jutsu.
The five Chakra Elements are Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water.
Question: Define Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation...
Question: Describe the dangers of chakra exhaustion...
Question: Expound on the three basic types of justu techniques.
Ninjutsu: mostly physical techniques using chakra. Genjutsu: illusionary techniques. Taijutsu: body techniques, like martial arts.
Question: Define the Will of Fire."
Echiko hesitated. He was sure he had heard that phrase somewhere before. But what did it mean? He scrunched up his face, realizing he had started to chew on the end of his pen. I suppose I will have to leave this one blank...
When he looked up at the clock again it was long past noon, but he could smell something delicious wafting from the kitchen and he sighed, glad he hadn't missed out on lunch. Glancing at his sheet he shuffled them neatly in order, figuring he was finished. He was able to answer most of the questions easily and only left a few blank. That was good, right? He felt some relief because he studied so much back home.
He slid open the door that led outside and plopped down on the porch, the blazing sun warming his skin and hair. The sky was so clear in this village, and even though it was winter there was not a snowflake in sight. He had no idea how different the weather could be in the same country, knowing only the frigid winters and hot summers of the mountains.
Echiko kicked his bare foot over the clear pondwater that stretched behind the house, fiddling absentmindedly with the wide collar of his new shirt. The style of clothing was different here too. The fabric was... softer? More elastic, anyway. He supposed he should have expected as much from a ninja village, after all.
Kimi had gone and bought him several pairs of clothes, a few shirts of which she customized herself and sewed on the backs the Nakayama clan symbol. "Then everyone will know you are a Nakayama, and the pride of our clan," she said with tears in her eyes, as if it carried great weight.
Echiko frowned. He knew he was the heir to the Clan, since his father was the Head, but he really didn't know much else about his clan or the members bearing its name. He was told they lived scattered in many villages along the border of Fire Country, their sworn duty to protect it from infiltration. The Clan also worked as part of the Daimyo's protective guard, or the Guardian Shinobi Twelve which was a group of elite warriors sworn to the Daimyo. Echiko never knew any of them, much less saw another Nakayama in his life.
Why did they live so far away in the mountains? If his father was the Clan Head, wouldn't it have been more beneficial to the clan if he remained with them? So many questions, yet he was never able to bring them up to his father. Now he couldn't even if he wanted to.
"Ho, is that you, Echiko-kun?"
Echiko blinked at the man standing in the archway. This was the first time he saw Daisuke wear anything other than a casual robe, noticing the long sleeved jounin outfit, capris, and a thin, long shirt cast over his shoulders. Except for the thongs he always wore, he looked completely different.
"Hn?"
"Are you ready to go?" He waved the completed test papers in his hand at a fly.
"Oh...what about lunch?" He had forgotten about the physical exam, and his stomach turned uneasily. He hated physical exams.
"Didn't I tell you? You'll be thankful you didn't have lunch by the time it's over," and Daisuke smiled real big, suddenly giving Echiko the chills. Yeah, this is why.
The Academy really wasn't that far away, maybe twenty minutes walking. It was a huge place though, and Echiko had come to understand that the building complex was used for many teaching and training purposes for children and adults alike, as well as being conjoined to the Hokage's Office and an Administrative Branch where missions were assigned daily. A large sign printed with the kanji for 'fire' (火) hung above the office compound, the archways on the rooftop platform visible from at least as far as the outer walls.
Instead of going inside, they circled around to the back where a fenced-in flat training ground sat behind the school, an array of simple wooden posts, dummies, and other useful instruments situated around the arena. A couple students were occupied with some of them on the far side of the grounds, but Echiko was directed towards a woman in a large coat who sat on one of the posts bent over a clipboard.
Daisuke had a hand on Echiko's shoulder. "Here you go, Kokoro-san. Can I leave him to you?" He slapped Echiko's test over what she was reading.
The woman didn't even look up. "Get out of here, Shimizu."
"I take that as a yes!" Echiko felt himself pushed forward, and he twisted back to see his new brother strolling off already. "Um..."
A "Damn you, Shimizu!" almost blasted off Echiko's ears and he looked frighteningly at the kunoichi, her tan-skinned face knotted in fury after Daisuke's retreating form before her striking eyes fell on himself. Her countenance immediately changed.
"D'aww, look at that beautiful blue hair! Oh my gosh!" She was patting his head like a doll. "You look just like Kimi-chan! How adorable. So you must be her little brother come to stay with her? Isn't that sweet!" She took one glance-over at her clipboard and threw it over her shoulder. "So why don't we get started, cutie-pie? That alright if I don't take notes? It's honestly not my thing, so I'll just have you do some stuff and give the administrative an oral report. Sound good? Yeah."
So stunned was he that Echiko couldn't even manage a word in there before she dragged him into the middle of the grounds and pounced back on her post, head tilted watchfully.
"Okay little man, here's how this works. I'm going to ask you to preform something and if you don't do it correctly you get a negative. If you do it well you get a positive. Got it?"
He nervously clenched his teeth and nodded, not really sure at all what she wanted him to do. His experience from training at home with his father was shot through the window, and he was left with nothing but to blindly follow this woman's instructions.
"Do you know how to control your chakra efficiently?"
He blinked. "...yes?"
"Good, good. I supposed I should've gone over your test answers more carefully, but whatever. I want you to apply your chakra to your feet. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"
He could feel her intense gaze uncomfortably studying his replacement left leg. "Yes..." He stood feet shoulder-width apart and placed his hands to form a seal to help activate his chakra. Then focusing that energy, he directed it to his right heel and the stump of his left leg in the matter of seconds.
He did not let up his concentration though the woman leaned back with a thumbs up. "Perfect. You look like you've done this before, so can you show me the techniques you already know?"
"Wh-what... exactly, do you mean?" Echiko stammered, not necessarily wanting to show her everything he's been taught.
"Oh, you know, the basic jutsu that you were taught as a kid, or whatever your clan teaches their children at a young age."
He wondered if the basics he was taught was anything the same as was instructed in this place. He placed his hands into seals again.
"Fire Flare Jutsu!" A thin stream of extremely hot fire shot from his mouth to ignite a bush across the arena, and it altogether disappeared in a whiff of smoke.
"Ahh, so you're a fire-affinity. Quite similar to the Uchiha, then," she commented.
More seals, though he didn't try hurrying it to impress her. That never ended well under his father's eye.
"Transformation Jutsu!" In a puff of vapour he appeared to look like an old farmer in a ragged coat, graying white hair stretched long down his spindly back as he gave a solemn glare at his proctor, who burst into laughter. "My what an imagination you have! Hahaha, oh I'm sorry, continue," she coughed.
"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" He threw two blunted shuriken stars at a dummy, and it was penetrated with twenty. Only basic jutsu... He frowned at himself. He didn't have much to show for it. These were techniques any child could accomplish, but if he preformed more advanced jutsu they would use up his limited supply of chakra too quickly.
"Are you done?"
He looked up. "W-well... I know more, but... I shouldn't use them..."
Surprisingly she nodded. "You know your limits well, I take it. But that was excellent. I'm quite excited for the next part of this exam! Yay!" She flipped off her vantage point and gracefully landed beside him, finger to his chest so fast that he had no idea what happened until his vision cleared to see he was a hundred yards away with his back hard against the dust.
"Hm, very interesting," she cocked her head annoyingly to the side again. "You reflexively adjusted your position the moment before I touched you, lessening the damage you received from being shot backwards."
What?... Echiko forced himself up, shaking the sand from his hair. What is she talking about?
"Alright, little man! Come at me, just taijutsu! You know what that is?"
"...yes." However he just stood there, a lump in his throat. He hasn't practiced taijutsu since... "I just..." How could he explain it to her?
"Hey." Her arms were crossed and expression serious like when he had first seen her. "When are you going to get over that stupid leg-loss thing? I know enough about you that it's been months since that incident and you should be used to that hunk of metal for a foot by now. Deal with it, kid. It's part of who you are! No enemy ninja will take pity on you just 'cause you're cripple! Now. Come at me!"
Her fierce tone numbed him to the core. How? How can I fight with this...? Again she pummeled him to the ground with her finger, but he was paralyzed with uncertainty. He had given up on fighting long ago. He always let them beat him down. If he used chakra he was cast as a freak and an outsider, but he was unable to fight back without it. What was he supposed to do?
Stupid, stupid! Get up, Echiko! His body was shaking like a leaf, however he felt only slightly sore from the woman's attacks as if she was just tossing him limply around. With one finger. He hated this so much. It was beginning to feel more and more like his father's training...
A light flickered on inside his mind, remembering the ruthless regimen he was put through each day. He could never, ever, hesitate in his spars with his father, because his father never hesitated. He gained one too many cracked ribs and dislocated joints until his muscles memorized it and was ingrained into his brain.
How could he forget? Even though he was weak, he certainly knew how to dodge. It would be harder without his left foot, but she was right. It was all he had right now. He had to make it work.
The proctor was watching him and noticed the change in his stance. "Ah, so you're finally ready, little man?"
Breath. Controlling his chakra on the sole of his foot and the palms of his hands as his father taught him, through toil and pain, to do it without the hand sign – he shot forward to lend a kick to her right side. As she moved to block it, he twisted his torso and slid past her, bringing his other leg about to swipe at her feet.
He knew she'd easily avoid it. As she hopped over his swipe his weight transferred to his palms and he spun his whole body around, kicking at her torso. To his shock, instead of dodging the blow, she took it against her forearms which were raised to block him.
He skid back, almost slipping on his brace.
"Well now, what fancy moves! I like this, little man!" She grinned. "You could use a little power, though. I doubt I'll even get a bruise from this."
Is that why she blocked it? To test my strength? He plumped to the ground, exhausted. He knew he'd never pass that part of the test.
"Hm, did we forget anything? I think we're done..." she glanced around. "Where did I put that notebook?" She effortlessly produced a shadow clone and sent her off to fetch it, sitting herself down beside Echiko. "Are you tiiirred, sweetie?" She extended the word like honey on toast. "How about some ice cream? My treat for you doing such a great job today!"
Uh... ice cream? His mouth watered. I haven't had ice cream in... in ages! "R-really?"
"Of course!" The proctor smiled, and then beginning to giggle menacingly she added, "Plus, I just can't pass up the chance of Shimizu freaking out when he returns. Bhahaha!"
Echiko inched back. This woman was truly, remarkably scary...
...
"Alright, everyone. Settle down. We have a new student with us today who recently moved here. Understand he has a physical impairment, so please be respectful. I won't tolerate any shenanigans."
The homeroom teacher's introduction served only to make Echiko even more uncomfortable, wishing he would have left out the 'physical impairment' part which was already painfully obvious to all the children in the room.
"Um, Sensei?" a hand was raised in the third row. "I thought it wasn't possible to be a ninja with that, uh, kind of problem."
"In many cases it's not, like for example in loosing an arm you will not be able to preform seals with both hands. But he is an exception. Please introduce yourself, Echiko."
"N-Nakayama Echiko," he quickly bowed his head toward the students and was sent to sit in the fourth row by a rather feral looking boy, who snarled, "Aw man, why do I have to sit next to the cripple?"
"Be quiet, Kenji." Though the teacher pretty much ignored all the rest of the student's whispering as he began to write on the chalkboard. "Today we will be studying more on the events of the Second Shinobi World War. Can any of you tell me what we learned yesterday?"
A girl shot up. "How Honzo the Salamander was defeated and gave the Three Legendary Sannin their name!"
Echiko watched and listened, the nervousness in his gut refusing to go away. Is this what a classroom was like? Where were the books, the scrolls? The teacher had a few on his desk that he referred to as he lectured the class, but the children either paid attention or didn't at all. Like the boy next to him, who just stared out the window.
Perhaps they were supposed to find reading material on their own after school? He wasn't liking this system at all. At home he would study all the scrolls they owned by himself and learned everything else from his father and mother. They would quiz him during supper and he had to explain in detail all that he had worked on that day, and if he misunderstood something they had him study it over again. It just wasn't allowed in his family to be lazy. He was constantly learning.
He sunk into his seat, seeing for the first time in his life how completely oblivious to reality other children his own age were. They were from shinobi families just like him, or at least he knew most of them had to be. Why do they act like they take it for granted?
Was it just because he grew up somewhere else that he saw things this way? Maybe the concept of being a ninja is so common here that it carried no weight at all. These... children, were just that. Children. They had no idea what life was like outside the protection of their grand village. In that regard they were exactly the same as the non-shinobi farmer kids who taunted him for being different.
It was the same... it was exactly the same.
"Echiko, can you tell me what the economical state of Amegakure was during and after the war?"
"...The country was devastated because it was used as a battleground between the warring nations," was his automatic reply, hardly realizing the teacher had questioned him until the man turned and continued without pause.
"Yes, and Amegakure eventually lost the war. However because of the hardships the country has endured, it improved its system to become one of the more secure and impenetrable smaller nations known today in the shinobi world."
Echiko caught the boy beside him mutter under his breath. What was he complaining about this time?
When the noontime bell rang Echiko jumped in his seat and then sighed. This will take forever to get used to. The entire classroom erupted into a commotion of laughing and talking even as they formed a line by the teacher, who was making a headcount before sliding open the partition to the hallway and escorting them out.
He joined the end of the line, remembering the bento box his sister had packed for him and snatching it from underneath the bench. Almost all the students had similar sacks in their hands and were trading bites of food as they strolled out of the school and scattered to sit under the shade in various areas around the great yard he had seen the other day. Where am I going to sit?
"Hey, get out of the way, cripple," the feral boy had bumped into him from behind and scowled at him before sauntering off to a secluded corner of the campus. Echiko pouted behind his back for a moment and then went the opposite direction, trying to ignore the stares from the other students who watched him as though he were a shinobi experiment gone awry.
"Look at the new boy, he's so strange."
"Where is he from? I've never seen anyone with blue hair in our village."
"And he's so tiny! He would crack like twig against any enemy ninja!"
"Yeah, you think so?"
"What's with that leg of his? What happened to him?"
"I have no idea, but I've heard his last name somewhere before."
"What was it, Na-Nakaya-something?"
"Nakayama. My dad's cousin knows a guy with that name."
"Huh, well I've never heard of it before."
"That's 'cause they're not part of Konoha. They serve under the Daimyo."
"Ohh. So why is one here?"
"I don't know. Probably an orphan."
The last one who spoke was a girl lounging on the grass with her eyes closed as if the topic wasn't really important. At least she didn't stare like the others.
"Well I don't think he seems strange," an uncommonly soft voice added to the conversation.
"You never think bad of anyone, Nya."
There was a ledge next to the school building that Echiko climbed on top of, but his appetite had drained and all he could do was push around the rice and veggies in his bento. The sun glared off of the light-coloured stone into his eyes and he was glad for the cool breeze. Nature at least was forgiving.
"Whatcha doin' up here all by yourself, new boy?" A familiar sensation tingled all down his spine and through his skin. He was very aware of the three boys' presence on top the roof next to him.
"What are you doing?" he replied darkly. This time... this time things were going to be different.
"Whoa, don't get all defensive. We just wanted to ask you something." The others nodded in agreement, and though it was easy for Echiko to see through their ruse, he played along.
"You see," the same boy stated, "we've been dealing with a lot of problems on the border these past few months. Lots of secret skirmishes going on. We really don't know what's happening out there anymore, and since you're not from around here we figured you might've heard more than us about these... situations."
Echiko furrowed his brow. What was he talking about?
"My father says we're in the middle of a secret war," another boy added from Echiko's right. "If we don't know the state of our own borders, how can we defend ourselves from infiltration? So c'mon, you gotta know something. Where did you live before you came here?"
"...I lived in the mountains." Echiko had an ill feeling about this. It was as if they were expecting him to say something that would prove he didn't belong here.
"The mountains? Which ones? My memory on the geographics of our country is kinda bad," the first boy chuckled.
"Mine too, haha."
The tension in the air was getting thicker. "I know nothing about your 'secret war', I'm sorry."
"What do you mean? Everybody knows about it. I mean you're a shinobi just like us, after all. It's been going on for a while." The boy put his face up close to Echiko's. "You're telling me you don't know what's going on?"
"No, I don't. Now please leave me alone..." Echiko stared at his feet, feeling choked.
"You're obviously lying. We heard you answer all of Sensei's questions without batting an eyelash. You know what I think?" He suddenly grabbed onto his shirt collar. "I think you're a spy for the enemy!"
What? Echiko gasped, grasping onto the taller boy's wrist as he was lifted off his feet. "Wh-what are you saying?"
"You heard me right," he glowered, and his friends closed in beside them. "Nobody from Fire Country has blue hair. That's an obvious give-away."
Echiko couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did they seriously... seriously think he was a spy? Either they were picking on him because he was new or they actually did believe it themselves. He struggled against the boy's hold. "I'm-I'm not a spy!"
"Pfft, yeah like we'll believe you?" The boy on his left raised his fist, and Echiko braced himself for the impact.
"You know, accusing someone of being a spy just because of their hair colour is a bit excessive."
All three boys turned toward the new voice that had decided to come to Echiko's defense and froze. He also twisted his head, wondering how this mystery person managed to sneak up on them, though he felt he recognized the voice from somewhere... His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Hey! Hey, it's- ah, what was his name? Oh! Echiko! Yeah! Hey!" The second and notoriously familiar voice chimed in, and a tall boy hopped onto the roof beside his friend who had spoken first. It was the two boys from the road to Akimoto – Kakashi and Obito.
"Eeh?" The boy that had Echiko's collar in his fist immediately dropped him back onto the roof. "I-I wasn't... it's a misunderstanding, that's all-" he freaked out, waving his hands in front of his body like he was trying to keep Kakashi's glare at bay. "C-c'mon guys, we're going!"
In one bound they ran off as quickly as they had come, leaving Echiko dumbstruck as to what actually happened.
"Ha! Those guys ran like a bunch of cowards!" Obito cheered until he was bonked in the head by the white-haired older boy.
"Don't even acknowledge them," he told Echiko. "They aren't worth it."
"I-" Echiko gazed at the two of them in awe. To make those bullies run like that they must be extremely strong. "...Thanks."
"No problem! You're our comrade, after all!" Obito grinned. "Comrades look out for each other!"
"Shut up, Obito."
"You shut up! I'm just trying to make him feel better!"
"You didn't even do anything!"
Their arguing actually calmed Echiko enough that he put aside the accusations of the bullies in his mind, determined not to even give them the satisfaction of stressing over it. Though he had one question...
"Um... why are you here?"
The two of them looked at him. "Oh yeah! We just got back from our mission and we were heading to the office to give our report to the Hokage," explained Obito. "We also wanted to find out when Sensei was returning from his mission."
He didn't realize one was required to report to the Hokage after every assignment. "Who is your Sensei?..."
"Namikaze Minato," said Kakashi. "Also known as 'Konoha's Yellow Flash'."
"Oh." Echiko had no idea who that was, or what his nickname meant.
"Hey, we should get together sometime," Obito suggested, "then you can meet Sensei. Plus it would be cool to do some training with you! I know you're younger but I don't care."
"Yes, well, we need to report," Kakashi interrupted, and Obito gasped. "Gah! I forgot! See you later Echiko, ok?" And they were off, just like the last time he saw them.
He noticed the kids in his class were gathering again, and he sighed at his untouched lunch. Well he'll just have to eat it later.
The rest of the school day was occupied with exercises inside the huge auditorium or outside in the training grounds, where they practiced throwing blunted kunai and shuriken at targets to improve accuracy, one on one sparring with assigned partners, and chakra building techniques.
To say that Echiko knew nothing about competition was an understatement. It was only him and his father back home, and his twin wasn't allowed to practice ninja techniques so he had no one to compete against other than himself. Everyone... it was like one big game as he stood waiting his turn for the next assignment. The other students were constantly pitting themselves against each other, always striving to be the best. It only made him feel sick.
The area set aside for sparring was by the fence, and the group surrounded the competitors to make a mostly square ring so as to prevent them from going out of bounds. At the beginning and end of each spar, they were required to preform a two-fingered handshake as the teacher called the Seal of Confrontation and Reconciliation.
"I'll explain this to you again. First, you face your opponent and point your fingers like this," he demonstrated. "This is the symbol of 'combat.' It represents one half of a seal that might be used to activate ninjutsu techniques, and means 'I've come to face you in battle!' When the spar is over, both participants make the symbol of 'combat' and lock their fingers together to make the symbol of 'harmony,' and acknowledge that they are still comrades. This is proper etiquette for a shinobi spar."
The two boys currently facing each other did so, and with the teacher's signal they charged at each other and fell into a headlock.
Who in their right mind would charge head on? Echiko wondered. His father had taught him a ninja's greatest advantage was in his ability to strike fast and sure, in order to cripple the enemy before they could attempt a jutsu. If you failed to do so, you are immediately forced to assume the defensive and your opponent has the upper hand, which can ultimately result in your defeat if you cannot withstand his attacks. Ninja battles usually lasted only a few seconds.
One boy managed to punch the other in the face and break the grip on his shoulders, and he spun around to punch again without noticing the fallen boy's leg swipe and tripped over it. As soon as he hit the ground the other boy was on top of him and the match was finished.
"Alright, Shigeru and Echiko. You're up."
Echiko stepped forward, looking for the head of his opponent when the students' whispering caught him off guard.
"The new boy is gonna die. No one has beaten Shigeru."
"I want to see how he manages without a real leg."
"It doesn't matter even if he is decent on his feet. Man, he'll be lucky if he escapes with only a few bruises."
The boy who entered the ring with him was a face Echiko didn't realize he'd see again so soon. It was the boy from the rooftop. This is Shigeru? He remembered how the punk ran off like a scared cat when Kakashi had defended him, and yet he was undefeated among his class? He grimaced at the comments the other students were making. This was not going to end well.
"Oh hey look, it's spy boy," Shigeru taunted, taking his place across from him. "I'll get to take you down after all."
"The Seal of Confrontation, boys," the teacher reminded, and they reluctantly complied, bowing their heads slightly like they were supposed to over their raised hands before assuming a fighting stance.
This Shigeru... what were his skills? What was his fighting style? Most importantly, what were his weaknesses? His stance was arrogant and wide open as he grinned cockily, and he knew he couldn't underestimate him. He had to believe he was incredibly strong. I have to do this. But his heart was beating hard against his chest.
"Begin."
Shigeru stampeded forward like a charging bull. No hesitation. Echiko instinctively bowed his shoulder as the larger boy, with hands outstretched as if he intended to strangle him, was within arms distance, and used his motion against him by sliding his shoulder and bending his back underneath Shigeru. The boy toppled over him and rolled back onto his feet, expression actually showing surprise for a moment before wiping it away with an angry glare.
"You just got lucky, spy boy," he growled. "I'll crush-!"
Echiko was not trained to wait for his opponent to finish spewing whatever he was going to say. He had already moved into his next attack from behind, lending a double kick to the back of the boy's head. The metal on his brace cracked against his skull.
"Gah!" Shigeru stumbled to the side and held his head, furious now. His hand reached out and took hold of Echiko's arm before he could put distance between them, and with one knee to the gut he sent Echiko hard into the dirt, coughing.
Shigeru didn't let go of his arm. His foot was about to slam into Echiko's chest again when he was forcefully stopped by the teacher, who had suddenly appeared and threw the boy back by the leg.
"Match is over. Seal of Reconciliation. Now." He ordered in his ever casual voice.
Echiko grimaced as he forced himself up. Even just one hit from his opponent sent his stomach reeling. He will have to... remember not to get hit next time.
Shigeru spat on the ground and raised his chin. "I don't see why I should have to shake hands with this dirty spy, Sensei."
The other students grew quiet. They knew what was coming. The teacher bent over Shigeru, scrunching the boy's face with his hand to look straight into his eyes as he yelled loudly, "Are you contradicting me, Shigeru!?"
The boy gasped. "No-no sir!"
"Then get up and shake hands." He stood, his authoritative shadow cast over the boy who crawled up next to Echiko and uncomfortably shot out his hand. Echiko raised his two fingers and joined them just as reluctantly, before the teacher walked forward and called out the next two students to begin their match.
This was going to be a long year.
...
"Father, what is this?" I turned my soft grey eyes on his looming form next to me. We were in the cellar where Father kept all of the Clan's important documents beside Mother's aging cheese and fermented cabbage, a tradition to make in our family. I had no idea why Father brought me down here. Usually I wasn't allowed to read the scrolls hidden away in this room.
Father gave me the candle and bent to remove a tatami mat from the floor, revealing underneath a bundle of more books and scrolls. He pulled out one that was extremely long and almost as big as myself. How did that even fit down there?
"You are six years old now, Echiko-kun," Father said, spreading out the huge scroll on the floor for me to see. "It is time you added your name to the Contract."
I froze, suddenly understanding what this Scroll before me was. As Father pulled it open, handprints and signatures one after another written in the signer's blood was marked upon the paper. A few of the names I remembered from my history lessons, like our great-great-grandfather's name, and so on. Then I saw Father's signature in his blood, right after Grandfather's, and next to his and his brothers' were two boy's names I did not know. One was crossed out in blood and black ink.
"Who are they?" I asked, curious. "Why is that boy's name crossed out, Father?"
"You will learn of them when the time comes." Father took my hand in his huge palm and looked into my eyes. "As the tradition, all males of our household must sign the Contract at the age of six years. It will be your duty from now on, Echiko-kun, to uphold the honor of our Clan and train to become a skilled summoner. Will you swear on your life's blood that you will do so?"
I nodded, wincing at the pain in my palm as Father used his knife to cut through the layer of skin until blood covered my entire hand. I placed my hand down on the blank spot next to the strange boy's name, then used my finger to carefully write my own. There. It is done.
Excited, I forgot about my blood-stained hand and waved my arms above my head. "Can I summon a dragon now, Father?"
Father used his kerchief to clean and bandage the cut before answering me. "In a little while, son."
I pouted. I hate being patient. He replaced the Scroll and returned the mat into the floor like nothing was there, and standing me up we exited the cellar. Outside, he instructed me in the hand seals I was going to make.
"Use some of the blood from your right hand," Father suggested. I concentrated my chakra and did so, and quickly forming the set of seals I slammed my hand onto the ground. Nothing happened.
It looked like Father was shaking his head. "Don't try to hurry through the seals, or you'll mess them up."
Embarrassed, I tried again, this time slowly. When I completed the set, I slapped my hand against my left, and a puff of smoke invaded my vision. I did it!
A small, scaly form sat atop my left hand. It was about the size of a squirrel, but with wings more than three times that size. It stared at me while snorting steam out of its nostrils.
Takahiro-sama? You've grown quite small. I thought you were taller.
"Father, look!" I exclaimed gleefully, and Father patted my head.
"Aizen, this is my son. He summoned you."
This one did? How interesting! The dragon cackled. You just signed the Contract and all you could summon was me? Haha. Oh. Cough. Nevermind. Nice to meet you?
"His name is Aizen?" I wondered, hardly hearing the dragon's comment. "I thought dragons would be... bigger."
Hey kid, watch it.
But Father interrupted the conversation. "Aizen, I want you watch over Echiko and assist in his training whenever he summons you. That also goes for the others as well."
Hm, great. I get to be babysitter. Anything else, Master Takahiro-sama?
"You call him Master now, Aizen," was Father's correction.
...Fine. The dragon flapped its wings before disappearing in another puff of smoke.