Natsumi yawned and knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. Kin answered the door with a small greeting.
"Oh, good morning, Miss Uzumaki."
"Morning." Natsumi stifled a yawn. I wake up early every day! I shouldn't feel so tired!
Kin stepped aside and opened the door further. "Lord Hokage has been expecting you."
Natsumi nodded slowly and stepped inside and saw the Hokage already sitting at his desk attending to paperwork. He glanced up briefly and sat up in his chair.
"Is there anything else you need at the moment, sir?"
"No, Kin. You may go for now." He waved his hand and she left the room, bowing her head respectfully.
He puffed on his pipe and motioned for Natsumi to sit. "I see that you still have not changed your mind about joining the ANBU."
She shook her head. "After sleeping on it, I don't have any more reservations about it. I'm just eager to get started and learn what I will be doing."
He chuckled quietly and waved his hand once more and an invisible form became visible as the refracted light returned to its normal state. Natsumi blinked and looked over the ANBU member that appeared.
"Kiri?" She smiled faintly.
Kiri stepped forward in her full uniform and lifted her mask to wink at Natsumi. "So much for anonymity."
Natsumi giggled. "The mask doesn't really do much since you look so unique."
"Fair enough."
The Hokage cleared his throat and laced his fingers together. "Before Miss Ueno takes you to receive your gear, I'll need you to sign the review and sign the contract."
Natsumi nodded again and took the pages that he held out. "Yes, sir."
Let's see... confidentiality clauses... violation punishments... duty to the Leaf over family. She paused and swallowed. I'm not sure I could do that, but... if it's to help Naruto...
Her eyes scanned the page and she turned her attention to the next.
Ah, here it is... duties and divisions... seven divisions total- Falcon, Owl, Bear, Cat, Frog, Wolf, Dragon... The Falcons hunt and eliminate Rogue Ninja. Owls gather intelligence. Bears are investigators and protectors. The Cat division is for...
Her eyes widened slightly. A-Assassinations?! So, the rumors I heard are true... She glanced up at the Hokage, who was watching her carefully, and lowered her eyes back to the page. I really hope that he hasn't assigned me to that division...
The Frog division... She continued reading. They're Medical Ninja. That must be Sena's division. And the Wolves... She swallowed again. T-Torture and Interrogation?! She glanced to her side at Kiri's mask. That's definitely a Wolf's face... I never would have thought that someone as friendly as her would be doing something like that.
And... the Dragons. Natsumi let out a breath slowly. Ambassadors, leaders, and elite Shinobi. I'm definitely not leadership material, so that won't be for me...
She turned to the next page with her heart pounding in her chest. I'm being assigned to the... She exhaled in relief. Owl Division. That's good news. I don't think I could kill anyone...
And, the rest of this... is self-explanatory.
Natsumi sighed and shuffled the papers, reaching for a pen set out for her and held it above the signature line, biting her lip.
Do I really want to do this? I can't back out... She pressed the tip of the pen to the paper and closed her eyes and she signed, opening them again when she was finished. I... don't feel as excited as I thought I would be after that.
She handed the papers to the Hokage, who looked them over with a nod.
"Everything seems to be in order..." He muttered to himself. "Miss Ueno...?"
Kiri stepped forward silently.
"You make take her to Equipment Department now."
She nodded and brushed her fingers against Natsumi's shoulder. "Come on, then."
Natsumi stood slowly.
"Natsumi."
She turned and looked at the old man, whose expression was serious and unreadable. "Yes, sir?"
"As you may already be aware, this path you have chosen will require many sacrifices. Sacrifices that you may not even be able to comprehend or imagine at this point in time."
Natsumi bit her lip and nodded. "Yes, sir." She answered quietly.
"I have no doubt that you will be a great Kunoichi someday, but remember to keep your motivation close to your heart during your duties. Your work will be dangerous at times and often push you to your limits. If you lose sight of your purpose in this line of work, it will change you."
Natsumi's eyes fell to the floor. "I... I understand."
The Hokage nodded at Kiri, who grasped Natsumi's shoulder, forming a hand sign. The two of them reappeared inside of a dimly lit room with a barred window along one wall and a thick, metal door beside it.
"Are you nervous?" Kiri whispered and watched her from behind her mask. "It's fine to be nervous. I nearly wet myself when I first joined. On my first mission, I was terrified. Those emotions just prove that you're human."
"Really?" Natsumi looked up at the familiar pair of dark eyes. But Kiri always seems so sure of herself.
"Before the month is up, you'll be accustomed to all of this. You'll settle into the routine quickly." She nodded and gently nudged Natsumi over to the window, rapping her knuckles softly on the metal and echoing in the stillness. From the room behind the window, a male ANBU member emerged from a door nestled in the corner and looked between the two.
"Team Yoru's new member?" He asked gruffly and Kiri nodded. He grunted and returned to the room behind for a moment, returning quickly with a box and setting it down on the metal counter and slid it through the opening in the grates. "Good luck." He muttered under his breath before disappearing again. "The captain's a bitch."
Kiri chuckled and put a hand on her hip. "Don't I know it."
Natsumi stared down at the contents of the box and her heart skipped a beat.
This is really happening.
Kiri nudged Natsumi's shoulder gently. "Go on. Gear up."
She nodded and slowly began to undress and slip on the tight, black uniform, and then held out the chest plating in front of her.
"Need a hand?" Kiri shifted the mask to rest on top of her head and smiled faintly.
"Y-Yeah."
Kiri adjusted the straps for the proper fit and attached the Ninjato sword to her back, then stepped back to looked Natsumi over.
"Perfect. Now, try the mask."
She obediently reached for the ceramic Owl's face and slowly pressed it to her face securely. She blinked to adjust to the limited vision of the rounded eye slots and turned to Kiri, who grinned.
"There you go. It suits you nicely."
Natsumi touched the cool mask gingerly. It's really official, now.
Kiri rapped her knuckles on the metal door and it opened from the other side. The man from before looked her over and nodded, allowing them through.
"Come on, kid, let me show you the lockers." She held the box, now containing Natsumi's original clothes and belongings and led her through the door on the back wall, down a long hall and past various doors.
"Most of these rooms you'll never have to worry about. Storage, inventory, stuff like that." She explained and turned a corner, descending a flight of stairs and leading Natsumi to an open doorway on the far right of the hall. "Here's the lockers."
She stepped inside and Natsumi followed her in and looked around. The room was very large, simple, and full of tall rows of wooden lockers, each labeled with a name. Several benches were positioned in the center of the locker section, with identical sections filling the room. Kiri thumbed toward a locker with a smile.
"This one's mine." She smiled and pointed at the one to its right. "And this one is yours. You got lucky and yours is between mine and Sena's."
Natsumi approached the locked and removed her mask as she read the label.
"Mina? Who's that?"
"Oh, right." Kiri chuckled. "We all have codenames. Some of us never even find out the true names of our squadmates."
"So, I'm Mina?"
Kiri nodded. "Yup. Anytime you're on duty, you're Mina."
Natsumi eyed Kiri's label. "And you're Ikuya?"
The woman nodded. "And Sena is Chie."
Mina... Ikuya... Chie...
"Believe me, you get used to it." She shrugged and opened Natsumi's locker, placing her belongings inside. "The guy who got your gear is called Sho. He's not much of a talker, but he's fun to hang out with in private." She winked and Natsumi rolled her eyes. "It was after a really stressful mission."
"I'm sure." Natsumi rolled her eyes again and close the locker, leaning against it. "Ki— Uh... Ikuya?"
She smiled and tousled her hair. "You can call me Kiri in private if you want. I'm not going to nit-pick you for it."
"What's so bad about the Captain?" Natsumi asked quickly. "Who is she?"
"My adoptive sister." Kiri crossed her arms and groaned. "She's rough, strict, sadistic, ruthless, and absolutely lethal. And those are her good qualities."
Her sister's the Captain?
Kiri shook her head. "I'll try to supervise to make sure she goes easy on you because you're young, but she's demanding and Sena wasn't kidding about her hazing newbies. She's brutal, but she gets it from our parents." She muttered. "But at least our parents could separate their work personalities from their home personalities. Yuuri's never been able to do that, so she's always a bi—"
"Better watch your mouth, or the Captain'll hear you." A man laughed and entered the locker room, followed by three more, progressively larger and more intimidating men. The first one winked in the woman's direction and then turned to Natsumi. "Ah, the new girl. Mina, right?"
Natsumi opened her mouth to correct him but remembered. "Y-Yes. That's right."
"Don't sweat the new name, newbie. Give it a few days and you'll be used to it."
He approached her and shook her hand. "Call me Kuma." He motioned behind him. "And here are Tarou, Tom, and Roshi."
The largest of the men filled the doorway completely and had to duck his head down to step into the room.
T-That's a big guy!
Kuma laughed and followed her gaze. "Don't be intimidated by Tarou. Sure, he's big, but he's a pushover. Find him a stray animal and he turns to mush."
That's hard to believe. Tarou raised a hand and grunted in greeting. The other two were obviously his siblings because they look almost identical with the exception of their tiered stature and their eyes- Tarou with brown, Tom with blue, and Roshi with green. Even the smallest of the trio still stood taller than even Kiri, who dwarfed most women. They must have some really incredible genes.
"What division's she got?" Kuma opened his locker and began to undress. Natsumi's face flushed and she turned quickly around.
I'll have to get dressed... around men?!
"Owl." Kiri leaned against her own locker as Kuma tore off his shirt and slipped his uniform on.
Natsumi averted her eyes and her cheeks flushed hotter. I wish she had warned me! I thought this was an all-girls' locker room!
"Huh." Kuma looked her over and chuckled, turning away as he slid off his pants and changed. "I was going to guess Frog. Is she any good?"
"Any good?" Kiri laughed. "Just this morning, I had the Hokage tell me that she'd been sneaking into his office for months, pulling pranks on him and managing to read some Forbidden scrolls without ever being caught once."
Kuma coughed and stared at her in surprise. "W-What? You did that?"
Natsumi covered her eyes as she nodded.
"Damn, newbie. You've got balls." He laughed. "Yo, Roshi, didja hear that? This girl's broken into the Hokage's office on the regular without being caught."
"Hmph." The second- biggest man nodded. "Impressive."
"Except that I screwed up and accidentally told him about it." Natsumi muttered.
"Hey, no worries." Kiri patted her head. "You panicked; it's normal."
"She'd better not squeal like that to an enemy."
An icy, almost hissing voice accompanied by a hot breath on her neck caused Natsumi to jump.
This man was already in his full uniform and masked— another wolf. She gulped and her breath caught in her throat. I never even heard him come in!
Kiri shoved his shoulder and distanced him from the girl. "Back off, Jiro. Go bother someone else."
He chuckled low and looked between the females, but turned and walked away. Kiri sighed.
"That's Jiro. He's clearly got issues, but no one's been able to pinpoint them. He's damn good at what he does, though, and scary as anything. He'd probably kill his own mom for a pack of cigarettes, so don't put too much trust in him. And you don't want to owe him any favors, either."
"K-Kiri." Natsumi whispered.
"Hm?" She knelt down. "What's wrong?"
"Do... we all have to change together like this?" Natsumi slowly uncovered her face, looking around to be sure everyone was dressed.
"Oh, that." She shrugged and then squatted down to meet her eyes. "Honestly, you'll get used to it. But if it makes you that uncomfortable, I can always block you when you change."
Natsumi exhaled. "You're the best."
Kiri smiled and patted her head, lowering her voice further. "Listen, if you start to feel overwhelmed, just let me know. Normally we don't recruit anyone this young, and it can be really rough for kids. Let me know if it starts to get to you, alright? Between the co-ed changing, the missions' intensity, secrecy, and everything... you know you can tell me anything, alright? I'm here for you."
Natsumi bit her lip, nodding slowly and she hugged her. "Thanks." She whispered and pulled away quickly, blushing as she noticed the guys staring.
"Don't mind them either. Besides Jiro, we've got a good team set up. Everyone here will have your back, bleeding for you if need be. They might seem intimidating, but I promise they're good guys when you get to know them." Kiri smiled and held up her hand to her mouth. "And they've all got a weakness for kids, so they'll probably spoil you a bit."
She lowered her hand again and rested it on her knee. Natsumi giggled faintly.
"There we go. That's better."
"Hey, guys!"
Sena! Natsumi grinned and hugged her tightly as she came near.
"Hi!" She returned the hug and pulled away slightly. "I knew you were coming, but I'm still so excited!" She giggled. "Look at you, all suited up. You look so adorable."
Her cheeks warmed as she continued to smile, and Sena began to change. "How many more people are left for me to meet?"
"Besides the two that no one likes... Just Aia and Ne, our two other Frogs." Kiri stood and reached out to ruffle Sena's short hair. "Though, neither are as adorable or lovable as this one."
Sena swatted her hand away. "Forget Wolf; you're more of a fly sometimes, bugging me." She smirked faintly and dressed quickly and with ease.
Natsumi glanced around at the other members as they talked to each other and studied their masks.
So... Jiro and Kiri are Wolves... Roshi and Tarou are Bears... and Kuma and Tom are cats.
Two women walked in, yawning.
"Morning, everyone. Newbie here, yet?" The brown haired one rubbed her eyes.
The other, the black-haired one, noticed Natsumi right away, nudged her friend, and pointed. "Aw, it's just a kid." She smiled and bent to Natsumi's level and wave. "You're adorable! I'm Aia."
"Shhh... don't be so loud." The brunette muttered and opened her locker, holding a hand up in a lousy attempt of a wave. "Name's Ne."
"Hi." Natsumi waved back. A-Adorable? I'm adorable?
"Don't mind Ne, she's still a little hungover from last night. Birthday shots, you know?" She winked at Kiri, who winked back.
"Happy birthday, Ne!" She shouted teasingly.
Ne held up a middle finger and covered one of her ears as Kiri laughed.
"Aw, don't be like that."
Quick, sharp footsteps echoed down the hall and everyone quieted and looked expectantly at the doorway. A woman with long, black hair pulled half up in a bun and stern rust colored eyes stepped into view and put her hands on her hips.
"Not ready yet?" She barked and looked around. "And where's Cessa?"
Natsumi flinched and remained quiet. Now I know what Kiri meant... she's pretty scary.
"Chill out, old lady; I'm here." A teenage boy filed in behind her with a smirk. "Don't get your panties in a knot."
Y-Yuuta? Natsumi gulped and felt herself blush. He's on our team, too?
Ayeka sneered and grabbed the collar of Yuuta's shirt and shoved him against the wall. "You're late."
He grunted and scowled at her, and their expressions were identical. "I'm here before we started, aren't I?"
"Hmph." Kiri shook her head, muttering so quietly that only Natsumi could hear. "My nephew finally arrives..."
"You're going to refer to me as Captain and show me the proper respect, or I'm going to let Jiro teach you some manners. Do you understand?"
He scoffed and she lifted him higher and the room went dead silent.
"Fine." He muttered and she released him. He rubbed his neck and glared at her, muttering under his breath. "Bitch."
Ayeka drew slapped his cheek hard with the back of her hand and his eyes widened slightly as she spoke coldly. "You're too weak and sloppy to even be considering speaking to me that way, boy. If you weren't my son, I'd have had you thrown out years ago, as pathetic and useless as you are." She shook her head and crossed her arms. "Now, go get geared up."
"She's scary." Natsumi murmured to Kiri, who nodded slowly.
"She Captains the same as our father did, and Yuuta is exactly how she was at that age." She murmured back and watched her nephew glare at his mother and stride to his locker, open it angrily, and begin to change. "Not a good combination."
The Captain turned her attention to Natsumi and narrowed her eyes, stepping towards her.
"The new girl..."
Natsumi gulped and forced a small smile. "Y-Yes?"
She stared at Natsumi and scoffed. "Wipe that smile off your face, little girl. You're here to follow my orders and carry out missions, not make friendship bracelets and have fun."
Natsumi's smile vanished immediately.
"Furthermore, you're to address me as 'Captain' or 'Captain Ayeka' at all times while on-duty, and off-duty, I don't want you to address me as anything at all because we will have minimal contact outside of these walls or on the field."
"Y-Yes, ma'am." Natsumi blinked quickly and corrected herself. "Uh... Captain."
"Hmph." Ayeka looked her up and down again, scowling and lowering her tone. "You should be aware that I was not one of the members who wrote recommendation letters. In fact, I urged Lord Third to reconsider his pick because having the twin of that boy in such a role is disgusting to think about. I will have my eye on you at all times."
Natsumi struggled to keep her expression blank but tightened her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. She relaxed slightly as Kiri placed a hand on her shoulder and replied in a low voice.
"I would watch how you speak to members of your own team, especially the candidate that the Hokage favors so much." Kiri narrowed her eyes and looked down at her older sister. "And I don't think I need to remind you that it is forbidden to discuss that topic around anyone."
Ayeka glared and her attention focused on her sibling as everyone quietly stared between the two of them, not moving a muscle.
"Be careful, Ikuya," The Captain muttered. "Remember, the last person you got so attached to is dead now."
Kiri's hand inadvertently tightened on Natsumi's shoulder.
"You know as well as I do that those circumstances were unique, and if you'd like to have that conversation again, how about we do it at home and keep things professional here?"
The two women glared unblinkingly for several moments before the Captain turned away. "The next time you speak out against me, there will be consequences."
Kiri relaxed her hand and she ruffled Natsumi's hair. "Sorry about that." She muttered. "She really gets on my nerves."
Natsumi nodded and pressed her lips together. I agree with everything they've said about her. She's awful and I already hate her.
The Captain moved to the front of the room and put her hands on her hips.
"Listen up! We've got new blood on our team, so you know what that means!" She smirked as she glanced at Natsumi. "We welcome her, of course."
There was no response from the team, but Kuma met Natsumi's eyes and one corner of his mouth curved in a faint, reassuring smile.
"So, as usual, Fresh Blood for New Blood."
Kiri clasped Natsumi's shoulder and Sena shifted her stance so her hand could brush hers.
"She's just a kid!" Kiri protested. "That's going way too far!"
"C-Captain..." Kuma held out his hands as he spoke slowly. "Isn't there something a little easier we could do?"
"Fresh Blood for New Blood." She repeated icily and her eyes fell on Natsumi. "Everyone meet in the Pit in three minutes. We've got a newbie to welcome."
She smirked and turned, striding out of the room and they listened until her footsteps were long faded. The heavy feeling in the air dissipated and Natsumi let out the breath she'd been holding in and looked between Kiri and Sena.
"W-What does that mean?"
Sena's face was pale and she shook her head slowly. "I swear, she's getting more insane every year."
"Damn it." Kuma sighed deeply and met Natsumi's eyes. "Alright, so we're in agreement here..."
"Pull our punches?" Jiro hissed in laughter and sat on top of the lockers. "I don't think so; There's no fun in that."
He looked down at Natsumi, who shivered and averted her eyes.
Kuma scowled at him. "Figures." He looked around. "Everyone else?"
They nodded collectively.
"Good." Kuma sighed again and shook his head. "Sorry about this, kid."
"I-I don't understand. What's she talking about?" Natsumi clenched her hands to keep them from trembling.
"Fresh Blood for New Blood is a tradition for hazing started by my grandfather," Yuuta smirked and approached Natsumi, looking her over and caressing her cheek. "My red-haired princess."
Kiri swatted his hand away from the girl. "I don't think so, playboy."
He shrugged, ignoring her, and continued. "It's where all the current members of the team individually fight the newest, swapping out once the senior members draw the blood of the newbie, repeating until the newbie can draw blood from one of them."
Natsumi's eyes widened. No way! T-That's... That's not fair! I can't fight any of them! I'll be killed!
"There are rules, of course. No fatal blows, no stabbing or puncturing, no targeting arteries...you get the picture." He chuckled and crossed his arms. "Usually it's fun, but, since it's you..." He winked. "I'm siding with Kuma this time."
Kuma rolled his eyes. "Hop off, little bunny."
Yuuta flashed a smirk and his middle finger. "Make me."
He turned back to Natsumi and motioned to the doorway with a look. "Come on. I'll show you to the Pit."
Kiri stepped in front of him, bumping into him and pushing him away with her hip as she chuckled. "Oops. Clumsy me." She laughed again as Yuuta scowled. "Hands off, little bunny."
"To be continued, my princess." He winked and stepped out of the room.
"Alright, ground rules." Kiri held up a finger and looked at Natsumi. "Stay away from him. He can act sweet and charming but you do not want to fall for his stupid charms as much as you do not want to go against Jiro in a fight. Got it?"
Natsumi nodded. He's really cute... but, she's his family so she's probably right. She looked toward the doorway and bit her lip. Still, being called a cute nickname like that... it's nice.
"Come on..." Sena wrapped her arm around Natsumi's shoulders as the team filed out of the room. "We definitely don't want to keep her waiting."
Natsumi looked at her and noticed her lip quivering. "Sena?" She whispered. "Are you okay?"
Kiri leaned down as they walked with a frown. "She's got a lot of bad memories from her hazing. She went up against Jiro first round."
Natsumi gulped and shuddered.
Alright, I'm really starting to regret this decision now.