Over the course of the month, I was set on a special dietary plan that consisted of overly healthy drinks and foods, but along with that came a realisation that I didn't know how to read or write properly. This led to tutors being brought into the building to teach me how to do these things along with mathematics and the basics of science.
I didn't see Pein-sama often, Konan-san often sitting in on my lessons, and I regularly met up with Tobi-san to make sure everything was fine with me physical, mentally, and emotionally. It wasn't the best existence, but it wasn't the worse. Plus, it was a whole lot better than my life living on the streets.
Though I wondered, quite regularly, what my past held. Who was I before Takara? Did I have a family? Did I have parents and maybe a sibling or two? Where was I from? Have I always lived in Amegakure, or am I from another village? These thoughts plagued me almost every day now that I had time to focus on things other than survival.
Today, however, was a special day. It was the first day of my physical training and I was meeting Tobi-san in the training grounds underneath the building. When I got there, he was waiting for me. He looked board, at least, his posture dictated as much. I couldn't say if his face had the same expression, considering he wore a cream-coloured mask with black designs on it.
"You're here, and right on time too, little one," he stated simply, looking me up and down.
I wore a deep-grey singlet top with matching shorts and shinobi sandals. My shoulder-length blonde hair was tied up in a short, messy ponytail and I wore a light-grey jacket with a fur-lined hood over my singlet top. I was ready for training, no matter what it entails.
"Konan-san showed me where this place was yesterday," I replied, having lost my stutter thanks to my tutors.
Tobi-san nodded. "We won't do anything too strenuous today. You're only just starting after all. But trust me, soon you will hate me for this training."
"Will you be the only one training me?"
"When you get stronger, Konan and Nagato will also train you."
I nodded as I shuffled my feet on the ground. "So, what are we doing today?"
"Excited, are we?" Tobi-san questioned and I shrugged in response. "We'll start with warm up stretches. The last thing we need is for you to break something. Copy me and try to keep up."
After half-an-hour of a variety of stretches (with most of that time being Tobi-san correcting my posture) we moved on to warm up drills. It started with five laps around the room, then five push-ups, followed by five sit-ups, and five star-jumps.
Once that was done, he started running me through some Taijutsu drills – after explaining to me what Taijutsu was. We practiced them for a further hour before he was happy with my stance and posture and the power behind my punches, kicks, elbows, and blocks. By this time, I was sweating and had taken my jacket off. It was crumpled in a heap on the floor near the door.
"Good job. Last lesson for today is to start you practicing the hand signs for jutsu's. Without them you can't perform Genjutsu or Ninjutsu," Tobi-san explained and he started showing me all twelve hand signs, slowly, one after the other. "Now then, copy after me."
I copied him and for the next half-hour we worked on the hand signs. It was hard to form my hands properly, but Tobi-san assured me that once I get used to it I could do it with my eyes closed.
"Good," Tobi-san said as we finished up the last of the hand signs. "You have your other lessons tomorrow, but we'll meet back here the day after. Also, make sure you practice your Taijutsu drills and the hand signs every chance you get. I don't want to be on the basics for too long. We have a lot to cover if you are to be the strongest. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Tobi-sensei."
"Hmm, sensei? I never thought I'd hear that directed at me," Tobi-sensei mused.
"You're my teacher, are you not? That makes you my sensei," I replied and Tobi-sensei nodded in agreement.
"That's right. I never thought of that," he stated and started to leave the room. "Remember what I said. I will see you in two days' time."
He left the room and I collapsed onto the floor. I wasn't panting like I was after the drills, but I was still exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep for five or ten years. Maybe a hundred if I was going to be honest with myself.
I shook my head and forced myself up, grabbing my jacket and bottle of water that I brought with me before leaving the training room to the bathroom next to my bedroom. I believe a shower is in order after the training session I just went through.
...
It was the first day of the year, my self-proclaimed birthday. I didn't know my real birthday, but I figured I'd turn nine somewhere in the year, so why not take the 1st of January as my birthday?
I have been here for almost a year, and I knew the village called me Gods Treasure. I still haven't figured out what the experiment did to me, and Tobi-sensei seemed to be getting impatient for the fruits of his labour to show. Either way, I have caught up with others in my age group in terms of general knowledge about the world, reading and writing, and mathematics, though I still saw my tutors three times a week.
No one in the building knew I had a self-proclaimed birthday, so I was spending it resting up from all the training I've been doing in the last year. Tobi-sensei, and Pein-sama, and Konan-san have all decided to give me two weeks off for the new year. This was week two, and in three days I would be back on my rigorous schedule of studying and training.
I was sitting down near the top of the building, legs hanging over the side of open window frame and looking out at Amegakure. It was raining. Though what else is new? And it was cold. Just as cold as it had been when I first arrived in this building with Tobi-sensei. But now, I was wearing a thick winter kimono with a fur wrap around my shoulders. Not a thin hoodie with equally as thin pants.
"You seem pensive," Konan-san stated as she walked up behind me.
"Just thinking back on the last year. I know I have a break, but I am restless," I replied, turning my head to look over my shoulder, my blonde hair now falling to my chest unlike when I first arrived where it had fallen to just above my shoulders.
"When you get used to training, not doing so makes you feel like you're missing something," Konan-san agreed.
I nodded in agreement to her words, turning back to look over the village. "I had decided last year that today would be my birthday. I don't know my real birthday, so I decided to choose the first day of the year as my birthday instead."
"You're birthday? I haven't celebrated mine in many years, neither has Nagato or Tobi," Konan-san stated. "Do you want to celebrate yours?"
I shook my head. "No. I just thought you'd like to know when I think I turn another year older. Keep your records up to date and all that."
"I see," Konan-san replied. "I will go and inform Nagato of this development. I suspect the village may learn of this eventually and make a holiday out of it. Being Gods Treasure, you are important to them."
"They don't even know why I'm here," I replied.
"And do you?"
I frowned, turning to face Konan-san. "No. I know I'm a successful experiment. But I don't know what the experiment did to me. I believe Tobi-sensei is getting sick of waiting for it to reveal itself. Whatever it is."
"You've only learned the basics last year. When you start training again in a few days, you will be subjected to learning your chakra nature and any jutsu that involve that nature. With luck, it will reveal some of the abilities that the experiment will give you," Konan-san explained before turning around and walking away.
I turned back to the window, facing the village as I thought about her words. So, my abilities will have to do with my chakra nature. I wondered what else the experiment did to me.
...
I stood in the training room, a frown on my face. Tobi-sensei has yet to arrive. He was late. And not just by a few minutes, but by almost an hour. He had never been late before, and it made me worry that something was wrong.
Just as I thought that, he walked through the door. I could sense annoyance rolling off him in waves and I stiffened, watching as he walked straight up to me and pulled out a piece of paper from his cloak.
"This is chakra paper. Put your chakra in it and it will reveal your nature type. If it splits in half – wind, if it crinkles – lightning, if it fades into dust – earth, if it burns – fire, and if it soaks – water. If the experiment worked properly you should have at least three chakra natures. If it didn't, well, you may just end up back on the streets. Do you understand, little one?" Tobi-sensei questioned and I nodded, taking the piece of paper as he handed it to me.
I wasted no time in pushing my chakra into the paper and watched in amazement as the paper soaked in one corner, burnt in the other, and crumbled into dust at the bottom. Three chakra natures. Hopefully they were the ones Tobi-sensei wanted.
He nodded. "Just as I hoped for. It seems you have the natures the experiment should've given you. Though I wonder what your original nature was. Most likely one of three that was already here, otherwise you would've had a fourth nature appear on the paper."
I nodded and dropped the paper onto the floor.
"Now, you already know the three Academy jutsu – substitution, clone, and transformation. Now I'll be teaching you some elemental jutsu. Starting with the Fireball jutsu. We can't do it in here, so follow me," Tobi-sensei ordered and I followed him back through the tower and outside.
As we walked the streets of the village, people bowed to me and eyed Tobi-sensei wearily before we arrived at a training ground with a large lake in the middle of it on the outskirts of the village.
"This is where we'll train your elemental jutsu's. You are allowed out here whenever you have free time to practice. But go no further. You're also to go straight here and back, not stopping for anything. Nagato will know if you do," Tobi-sensei warned and I nodded, excitement filling me.
I was allowed out of the building alone. Sure, I was limited on where I could go, but still, it was better than being cooped up all day. I knew I'd be spending almost all my free time here, and I didn't mind it one bit.
"Now then, I'll run you through the fireball jutsu," Tobi-sensei stated and he went through the hand-signs, quickly showing me the jutsu then going through it again slowly. I watched with avid interest before it was my turn.
I did as instructed and created a small fireball.
"Hmm, not bad for a first attempt. Keep practicing," Tobi-sensei ordered and I kept going for the rest of the hour. By the time the hour was up, I was able to produce a medium-sized fireball and Tobi-sensei seemed pleased with my progress. "I have things I need to do. You may stay out here to train or return to the headquarters. It's your choice. But remember what I told you. Don't go past this point and don't stop on your way here or way back unless you absolutely have to."
With that said he vanished and I sighed, contemplating going back to headquarters before deciding to keep practicing on the jutsu.
...
It's been a month since I started on elemental ninjutsu, and I was in the training field on a Sunday, my day off training in everything I've learnt so far. I was taking a rest from a round of Taijutsu drills when I heard a twig snap. I shot up and got in a fighting stance.
"Whose there! Show yourself!" I ordered.
"Hey, I'm not a threat," a male voice said as he revealed himself from behind a tree.
I studied the boy. He was around my age with brown hair, fair skin, and brown eyes. I could sense the chakra coming off him and I knew he was training to be a shinobi.
"Who are you?" I questioned and he shot me a grin.
"I'm Chuza Ena. And you're Gods Treasure, right?" he questioned and I nodded.
"My name is Takara," I replied and he grinned.
"It's a nice name," he replied and I nodded again, watching him wearily, wondering what he was doing here. "I've noticed you've been training out here by yourself often, and I wondered if you wanted a sparring partner? You can't know your skills unless you fight against someone else."
I paused. He had a point. I only ever fought against Tobi-sensei, and he went easy on me to make sure I got better. Fighting someone my own age, who won't go easy on me, might be a good change of pace. I nodded and got into a fighting stance.
"You want to spar now?" he questioned in surprise and I nodded again.
"Are you up for it?" I questioned and he grinned and got into a fighting stance.
After a couple of seconds, I shot forward, aiming a punch towards his face. He dodged it, shooting his hand out to hit me in the stomach. I let the blow hit, not even flinching as I used his momentum to my advantage, grabbing his arm and flipping him over my right shoulder. He shouted in surprise but managed to land in a crouch.
I spun around to face him, not giving him a chance to escape as I rushed forward, bringing my knee up into his stomach, making him double over in pain as I grabbed him and pinned him to the ground, my knees on his stomach with my hands pinning his above his head.
"Wow, you're good. To be expected from Gods Treasure," he stated, panting.
I nodded and stood up, helping him up. "You weren't bad yourself."
"I'd hope not. I'm the best in my class, but you, you're on another level," he stated with a grin. "Can we spar again? You might be the best chance I have of improving my skills in combat. My classmates don't offer much resistance when I spar them."
I thought about it for a second before giving him a shy smile. "Sure, I'd like that."
He grinned. "We'll meet here every Sunday then and train. I learn from you; you learn from me. We'll be unstoppable when we're older!" he cheered and I smile before nodding as he ran off.
I turned back to my elemental ninjutsu training then. Excited for next Sunday. Did I just make my first ever friend?
...
Two months passed and I met with Ena every Sunday. We trained and sparred together and we became close. It was nice having a friend and knowing someone my own age. I learnt that his parents were also shinobi, but they had only ever made it to chunin before dying on two separate missions a few months back.
I was waiting for Ena at the training ground, doing some warmup stretches. He was a little bit late, but that was usual with him, so I wasn't too worried. I was doing some laps when he arrived, a big grin on his face.
"Hey, Takara-chan. Sorry I'm late, I had to run an errand for my grandmother," he explained as he ran up to me.
I smiled. "Its fine. I don't mind. How about you warm up?"
He went to nod but froze as his gaze looked behind me. I frowned, turning around and freezing as I saw Tobi-sensei standing there, his arms crossed against his chest.
"Takara, who is this?" he questioned and I flinched.
Tobi-sensei never called me Takara. It was always 'little one'. He was mad. But why?
"This is Chuza Ena. He's my friend and sparring partner," I replied wearily and Tobi-sensei tilted his head.
"Friend?" he sounded the word out, almost as if it was a foreign concept to him. "I see. And did I say you could be friends with people?"
I frowned. "You never said I couldn't."
He hummed and disappeared. I heard a gasp behind me and I spun around, staring in surprise as I saw Tobi-sensei holding Ena by the throat and up in the air.
"That will have to change," Tobi stated.
"T-Tobi-sensei come on. He's just helping me train. I get stronger every time I train with him!" I argued and Tobi-sensei's grip tightened as fear built up inside of me at seeing my friend being threatened by my teacher.
"He's a distraction. You have me to spar with, or have you forgotten?" Tobi-sensei questioned with a growl and I whimpered.
"I haven't. But I t-thought sparring with s-someone else would m-make me a better shi-shinobi," I stuttered out and he tilted his head to the side, a sign that he was thinking over my words.
"You have a point, but you shouldn't be training with someone I haven't said you could train with," Tobi-sensei stated and his hand tightened even further on Ena's neck and I watched as he groaned before falling limp.
"Ena!" I shouted as I felt my chakra flare and pain in my eyes, my world becoming suddenly clearer and I rushed towards Tobi-sensei preparing to hit him.
He chuckled and dropped Ena on the ground, grabbing my fist in his hand and pulling me towards him, him leaning down to match my sight so he could look me deep in the eyes.
"Well, well, stage two of the experiment has worked. I didn't think it would, but here we are with living proof," he stated as I whimpered and he let me go. "Come, little one, we have much to discuss."
Tears were streaming down my face as I looked down at the pale Ena. I hesitated briefly before following Tobi-sensei through the village quickly and into the tower and up to Pein-sama's office. Tobi-sensei marched in without knocking and Pein-sama shot him a glare before his ringed gaze fell on me, his eyes widening as he met mine.
"You were right, Nagato. She was meeting someone at the training field. But it turned out alright in the end. As you can see, she activated her Sharingan," Tobi-sensei stated and I frowned, having no idea what that was.
"Will you be upping her training then?" Konan-san questioned from next to Pein-sama and Tobi-sensei nodded.
"Yes. She needs to learn to control it, and maybe even get it fully developed as soon as possible. Now all we need to discover is if she can combine her water and earth chakra natures or not," Tobi-sensei stated.
"Um, T-Tobi-sensei?" I called and his gaze fell to me. "W-will I be able t-too still meet E-Ena?" I asked.
"Ena?" Konan-san questioned.
"The little brat she was 'training' with," Tobi-sensei muttered and I flinched.
"He's the t-top student in his c-class at the A-Academy," I tried to reason.
"What's his full name?" Pein-sama questioned.
"Chuza Ena," I replied and he nodded.
"He is one of the most promising students at the academy," Pein-sama stated. "It would be a shame to lose him. But it's your call, Tobi."
Tobi-sensei chuckled. "I'll let you still see him. And train with him every Sunday as you have been doing. But don't put him before your training."
I nodded, smiling shyly. "Thank you, Tobi-sensei."
"Now run along little one, I have to make up a new training schedule for you," Tobi-sensei stated and I nodded and left the room, feeling the three adults gaze on my back but not minding it so much. I still had my friend, and Tobi-sensei wasn't mad at me anymore. Things were looking up.
...
I arrived back to the training ground to see Ena still collapsed on the ground. I rushed over to him and knelt, checking his pulse before pulling him underneath a tree to protect him more from the rain that pelted down around us. He groaned and his brown eyes opened slowly, meeting my green ones before widening and he shot up.
"That man! Where is he?" he questioned sitting up and looking around frantically.
"He's gone," I replied and Ena turned to face me.
"Was he your Dad?"
I gaped at him, shaking my head firmly. "No, of course not. He's my teacher," I replied.
"He doesn't like me."
"He doesn't like anyone."
"Are you allowed to even be here?"
I shrugged. "He said we could still be friends. As long as you don't interfere with my training."
Ena nodded, looking around wearily. "I won't. Are you alright though? He seemed really mad about us training together."
"I'm fine. The worst he would've done is probably lock me in the tower," I replied with a shrug before tilting my head to the side. "And made training worse for me."
"He was going to kill me," Ena pointed out and I frowned.
"I wouldn't let that happen. You're my first friend, I would rather never see you again than know you died," I replied and Ena gave me a smile, pulling me into a hug.
"Same. I guess we have a bit of a messed-up friendship, ne?"
I laughed and nodded against his shoulder, returning his hug. "Yeah."