Title: First Days Suck, Too
Summary: Kokoro begins her training and realizes she has much to catch up on.
Kokoro was up early the day she had to go to the academy. She threw on the plain, dark uniform with distaste, pulling at it and inspecting it. She much preferred her own outfit, but she understood why she had to wear the Academy uniform. She decided to throw her hair up in a tight bun to keep it from hindering her vision, and she wrapped her usual blue bow around her waist. After some consideration, she untied it and left it to sit on the floor. She didn't think the bow would be appreciated, even if it was useful in certain situations. Without an identifying hitai-ate, she felt like something was missing. It was frustrating and discouraging. She quickly ate leftovers for breakfast and packed a lunch before throwing on her shoes and leaving her apartment.
On her way to the Academy, she passed children of all ages dressed in the same garb as her. They were walking quickly to their destination while Kokoro took her time, observing everything around her. The children were more subdued than Konoha children. Many were on the smaller side, and a handful of them were bulkier than them. Some of their uniforms hung around them loosely, like they didn't have enough body mass to hold the fabric in place. They wore blank faces and frowns, barely talked to each other, and kept a distance from one another that Kokoro couldn't tell who was friends and who wasn't. A few students glanced her way curiously before their eyes lit up with recognition at the color of her hair. They sneered and turned away, gossiping with those closest to them and pointing her way. One girl bumped into her and glared at her vehemently. She turned around and stopped in front of Kokoro with her arms crossed over her chest. She was younger than Kokoro - possibly around the age of eight - and had dark blue hair that complemented her milky white eyes.
"You don't belong here," the girl snarked.
Kokoro opened her mouth to say something before she caught herself and remained quiet. The last she needed to do was get into an argument and cause problems on her first day. She sighed and tried to get around the girl, but the girl stepped in front of her again. Irritated, Kokoro said, "Excuse me. I have somewhere to be."
"I don't care," the girl said. "We don't want you here. Go back to where you belong."
"Did I do something to anger you?" Kokoro asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I can't believe you asked me that!" the girl shouted angrily. "You humiliated my brother! You mocked Kirigakure by using that- that evil jutsu while wearing a Konoha headband! The Mizukage should have had your head!"
"I was using my abilities to my advantage, something shinobi must do in order to win," Kokoro told her. "Your brother understood that when he used that water jutsu while it wasn't as powerful as it could be. He was a formidable opponent. You should be proud he made it that far in the exams."
"He should have won," the girl seethed.
"But he didn't," Kokoro stated. She sighed as a bell tolled throughout the air and the children spectating the disagreement ran towards the academy building in a hurry. It must be 8, then.
"I'm sure your sensei will be happy you're late," the girl taunted. She laughed and ran towards the building, leaving Kokoro to stand there in disbelief.
"Unbelievable," Kokoro muttered under her breath as she ran to make it inside the building. She wasn't given a specific location to be at, so she wandered through the halls until she stumbled upon someone. His moused-up blue hair and eye-patch was familiar, as was the permeating scowl on his face. He was glaring at the wall and tapping his foot with impatience, and when he turned his burning gaze on her, she stiffened.
"You're late," he said stiffly. "If you aren't willing to take this seriously, then I have no qualms telling the Mizukage I'm too busy to train a brat like you."
"It wasn't my intention to be late," Kokoro argued. "I was actually going to be on time, but this girl stopped me and-"
The blue-eyed man put up a hand to stop her and bit out, "I don't want to hear your excuses! Don't be late tomorrow or there will be consequences." He eyed her before he turned on his heel and began briskly walking down the hallway. "Follow me."
Kokoro followed him down the corridor and past four doors before he settled on one and opened it. He entered the room and waited until Kokoro was in the room before he shut the door. They were in an empty, standard classroom. The twenty desks were all on one level and lined up in rows and columns, and there was a chalkboard at the front of the room. A larger desk, presumably for a teacher, was set up beside the chalkboard. The man gestured for her to sit at one of the desks in the front row as he leaned against the opposite wall. She sat down and waited for further instruction.
"I am Ao," he introduced himself. "I will be your diplomatic sensei. I will be teaching you everything you need to know about Kirigakure's history and all its ties with the other elemental nations. Not only that, but we will be going over etiquette and the ways of persuasion, among other things you'll need to know to become a successful diplomat." Kokoro nodded her head, indicating that she was listening. "There is much we need to go over in a relatively short amount of time, so you will be with me from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day except Sunday. I expect you to be here before or at 8 a.m. sharp every day we meet. Are we clear?" Kokoro gave a vocal affirmation. "Good. Now, do you have any questions before we begin?"
"You said we have a relatively short amount of time to cover everything," she started. "How long exactly?"
"Three years at most," Ao answered. "The Mizukage would prefer it happen within two years, but she understands that these things take time. If we didn't have to cover so much material, you would have been able to do it comfortably under two years. However, you didn't grow up in Kirigakure, and your knowledge is practically nonexistent."
"So, we'll be going over the history of Kirigakure?"
"Not just the history," Ao said as he shook his head. "You need to be informed of previous and current policies, the policies of other nations, the leaders of our nation, the shinobi and the people of this nation. The Mizukage has been trying to reform this country for years. One thing she has placed importance on is camaraderie and people's choice. She wants the citizens to be happy and content with their life. She has brought you here to help with that. I highly recommend you take this seriously. By the end of my tutelage, you need to be a leader for this nation. Do you understand, Hatake?"
"Completely," she affirmed.
"Good," Ao said. He turned his back to her and walked up to the chalkboard. On the board in big letters, he wrote 'Saizo Kirigakure' and underlined it. He put down the chalk and motioned for Kokoro to pull out paper and a writing utensil. She proceeded to pull them out of a scroll and waited until Ao began speaking again. "Before we get into anything complicated, we are going to start off with the history of Kirigakure. To fully understand Kirigakure, you need to understand where it got its name. Saizo Kirigakure was a member of the Sanada Ten Braves, a legendary group of equally legendary ninja that served under daimyo Yukimura Sanada during the Warring States period. They carried out assassinations, assisted as bodyguards, and were on the frontlines of every battle they were called to. You should be familiar with the group as Sasuke Sarutobi was part of the group, as well."
"The Sandaime's father was part of the group?" Kokoro questioned in surprise.
"Sandaime Hokage," Ao corrected her. "And yes. I am surprised you were not informed of them as it is part of Konoha's history as there are many clans that reside in Konoha that helped assist the Sanada Ten Braves, including the Sarutobi clan, the Fuma clan, and the Hoki clan."
"I am assuming that the village was named after Saizo. If that's the case, then why is the relationship between Konoha and Kirigakure so tense?"
"Saizo and Sarutobi were not on great terms, and many considered them rivals. They were cooperative for the sake of the group, but they had their own battles. The rest will all be explained later. Now, Saizo Kirigakure was a renowned shinobi respected by many, including the first Mizukage, Byakuren. Byakuren, the founder and first Mizukage of Kirigakure, named the village after Saizo and began teaching Saizo's infamous fog and illusion techniques."
"Is that where the Hidden Mist Technique comes from?"
"Precisely. Saizo was supposed to join the village and help run it; however, he died before it could come to fruition. We credit him for giving us our staple jutsu." Next, he wrote the first Mizukage's name on the board. "Now, the Shodai Mizukage had trouble establishing Kirigakure as one of the five great shinobi countries. As you know, Kirigakure is the only one of the five not attached to the other four. We are separated from them by a body of water, making it harder to establish relationships with them and maintain a high rank within the shinobi world. We had a limited number of interactions with the other villages, and as such, the Shodai Mizukage was cautious of them. Our already limited interactions became nonexistent as he restricted communication between Kirigakure and the other nations. He openly discussed these reservations, causing the citizens of Kirigakure to develop the same opinions."
"So, the Shodai Mizukage started the distrust among the citizens, then?" Kokoro assumed.
"He kindled the embers, certainly. He was not the sole reason we view other villages with critiques, though. Am I correct in assuming you have learned about the first Five Kage Summit held by the Shodai Hokage?"
"Yes, we did learn about it. The Shodai Hokage wanted to meet with all the other Kage to establish a relationship with them and figure out how to make sure no village was more powerful than the other," she answered confidently.
"Is that all they told you?" Ao asked critically. Kokoro nodded her head in confirmation, causing Ao to sigh in disbelief. "I don't understand why Konoha is obsessed with keeping the existence of the tailed beasts hidden. It is a disgrace to the founding Kage of our nations, especially to the Shodai Hokage. I do understand, though, especially with their history with the nine tails."
Kokoro shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of the nine tails. She couldn't help her mind from drifting from her lesson to her friend. She hoped he was having a fun time on the road with Jiraiya. From the few interactions she had with Jiraiya, it seemed like he was a more experienced version of Naruto. They would get along well. She wondered if he even left the village yet. He did say they were leaving in a few weeks when she left, so there was a possibility he hadn't left yet. She decided she would send him a letter before the day's end before he left Konoha. She was snapped out of her head when water splashed over her and her notes. She sputtered and gaped at Ao, who was looking at her with disapproval. She glanced down and saw her notes were soggy and illegible.
"What was that for?" she asked crankily.
"You weren't paying attention. I won't stand for such disrespect. The next time you think my lessons are boring enough to daydream, you'll be dismissed for the day," Ao threatened her.
"I got it. I'm sorry," she apologized.
"As I was saying," Ao started where he left off, "the first Kage Summit was summoned in order to distribute the tailed beasts evenly throughout the elemental nation. So, while you are correct in saying it was to make sure power was even among the nations, Konoha has censored a bit of their history. Do you know about the tailed beasts?"
"I am. I am friends with two of their holders, actually."
"Then you understand how powerful they are, how distrustful people can be of them. Our Yondaime Mizukage was a jinchuriki, but he was favored heavily before his reign. Here in Kirigakure, we do not view jinchuriki and the tailed beasts as evil beings. We view them as neutral beings that are necessary in the power struggle between villages. There are other villages who fear them, though. Konoha is one of them. Two tailed beasts were given to Kirigakure during the Summit: the three-tailed beast and the six-tailed beast. Konoha was given the nine-tailed beast, the one-tailed beast was given to Suna, the two-tailed beast and the eight-tailed beast were given to Kumogakure, the four-tailed beast and the five-tailed beast were given to Iwagakurwe, and the seven-tailed beast was given to Takigakure."
"Kirigakure has a record of where every tailed beast is?"
"It's important to know these things and take them into consideration when dealing with relations between nations. Everything is important to know. The more you know about something, the better you can bargain for or cater towards. Remember that," he said.
Immediately after her lessons with Ao, she was told to meet her training instructor at training ground 4. She was weary at the lack of time between her academic lessons and her training. Usually, she liked to take a break in between the two to calm her mind and find some personal time. Sometimes that personal time was too long, but it was better than being worn out. The one day, after she got home from the academy, she had planned to only read for an hour before training, but she had gotten sucked into the book and ended up staying up all night to read it. It was a very informational book on chakra, specifically how it pertains to the different nature transformations. She had been particularly interested in how chakra differs with yin and yang release.
She ran towards the general direction of the training grounds and finally found training ground 4 in no time. She was alone when she arrived, which confused her greatly. The one thing she gathered from Kirigakure shinobi was that they liked to be on time for everything. She liked that they were punctual. It was a wonderful opposite from her dad's lackadaisical tendencies. Still, she couldn't help wondering why she was alone in the first place. She shrugged and went to sit when a flurry of shuriken flew towards her. They would have hit her if she hadn't dodged swiftly to the side. She glanced up and saw a tall figure looming over her in one of the trees. The person jumped from the tree and walked into the small amount of light filtering through the fog in the air.
"You're my training teacher?" Kokoro asked with uncertainty. Masumi was wearing the standard Kirigakure shinobi uniform which consisted of a striped, gray suit. Over it, they wore a dark blue umanori hakama and a dark gray tonbi coat over their shoulders. They looked unimpressed as they stared at Kokoro.
"I am. Mei assigned me. Whether it was a good decision or not will be seen by the end of today's training. Have you warmed up yet?" Masumi asked.
"Not yet," Kokoro said.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Masumi asked. "Stretch and then take a lap around the village. When you're done, I want you to run through the katas you know before we start any other exercises."
Kokoro nodded her head and began stretching her muscles out. Once she finished, she stood up and shook her body out before she started running around the village. She didn't like running that much, but she was fast and could get any running task over with earlier than others. She paced herself, though, making sure not to wear herself out before her training actually started. She made it back in no time and was met with a blank-faced Masumi.
"I was told you were fast. Next time I expect you to finish faster. Do you understand?" Masumi asked.
"That wasn't fast enough for you?" Kokoro asked, irritated.
"No, it wasn't," Masumi clipped with hidden anger. "Katas, now."
Kokoro rolled her eyes and began moving through her katas quickly. She made it through them without messing up and faced Masumi with arrogance. Masumi tsked and ordered, "Now do them as I call them out."
Masumi started calling out the katas out of order, watching as Kokoro hesitated as she tried to produce the accompanying body movement. Her moves were stiffer than normal, and she couldn't help the small itch that came from being aggravated from not knowing which move to execute. After Masumi called out fifteen of them, they stopped and watched as Kokoro took a moment to compose herself.
"Why did I do them out of order?" Kokoro asked with an edge to her voice. "I thought we weren't supposed to do that."
"Katas are used to help us learn defensive or offensive techniques. We have to be able to remember and know which kata to use for each new technique or move we learn," Masumi explained. "If you can't memorize the names of each kata and their accompanying move, then you can't possibly learn new techniques. Besides, I didn't like the way you completed your katas the first time."
"What could have possibly been wrong the first time?" Kokoro questioned as she threw her hands up in the air. "I've always performed my katas that way and my dad has always said I executed them perfectly."
"Tell me, what is your nature affinity?"
"Wind, water, and lightning," she answered.
"And have you practiced with all three?"
"No. My dad wouldn't let me practice my lightning affinity. He said he didn't feel comfortable doing it, but I know now that was a lie," she ended with a grimace. "Anyway, what does that have to do with my katas?"
"Your katas are too rigid," Masumi told her as they motioned for Kokoro to move back a few paces. They began moving through their katas. Immediately, Kokoro noticed a difference between her moves and their moves. Their movements were smoother, more languid, and adaptable. Kokoro was used to rigidity and precise movements. Kokoro tilted her head as she watched Masumi finish. "Do you understand?"
"Your movements are more fluid than mine. But, why?" Kokoro asked curiously.
"My natural affinity is water, like most living in Kirigakure. Water has no structure. It moves and flows without any real purpose. Shinobi who have a water affinity can control this unconfined resource and give it a purpose. When we use water techniques, we need to mirror the state the water is in. Our hand signs should be executed precisely and quickly in order to start the jutsu, that is true, but the way we move our chakra, the way we allow the water to flow in, out and around our bodies must be as effortless and fluid as water. The same can be said with wind affinities. Although it can be sharp and have distinct movements, it is as free flowing as water. I do wonder why Hatake didn't correct you," they said with a small hum.
Kokoro shrugged her shoulders and said, "I just did what my dad did. If it helps, he does favor lightning and earth jutsus."
"That explains it, then," they said. "Start your katas again. This time, try to transition between each one effortlessly. This is all we'll be practicing today."
"How long will my training be each day?"
"It depends on how well you do during each session. If I feel like you have done well, we'll stop early. If I feel like you haven't, we'll stay later. Most days, we'll end around 8," Masumi answered.
"8?" she asked in bewilderment. "That's crazy! I won't have time to do anything!"
"You were a chunin in Konoha, right?" Kokoro nodded her head. "You must hate being equal to an academy student. How do you become a genin?"
"You have to graduate from the academy to become a genin."
"Correct. Our requirements are different from Konoha's requirements. Judging by your last promotion, I'd say regardless of your location of upbringing, you'd graduate with excellence."
"So, I have to pass the academy requirements to become a genin. That's doable," Kokoro mused.
"And how do you become a chunin, Hatake?" Masuni asked with a wide smile.
Kokoro took a moment and then groaned aloud. "You're kidding me!" she shouted. "I have to take the chunin exams again?"
"Mei was adamant that I have you ready to take the next chunin exams. I guess your performance at the last one wasn't enough to impress her," Masumi told her.
"I don't want to take them again, though!" Kokoro shouted. "The first time was hard enough."
"If I were you, I'd take this seriously then. There is no time to laze around. Katas, now."
Dear Naruto,
I hope you haven't left the village yet. I wanted to send this letter before you do. I honestly don't know when the next time we'll get to talk or the next time I'll be able to send you a letter. I've heard that when Jiraiya goes on his travels, he tends to be hard to contact. So, I figured this was the last chance I'd get to contact you for some time. I miss you, y'know. I wish we could've gone on more missions together or hung out a lot more than we did. It was fun being on the same team as you. I remember being so worried that I would hate being around you and Sasuke all the time as a team. But as we spent more time together, I began to realize how much I cherished the time we spent together. The way you run right into a fight and try to remedy everything around you is so motivating, Naruto. I don't think I'm at that kind of level of instinct (or ignorance) but it never ceases to amaze me everytime I see you do it.
I want you to know that when I first asked you to train with me, I wasn't doing it out of pity. When we first officially met and I told you that you could become Hokage, I wasn't lying. There's something special within you, Naruto, that a lot of people don't have (and I'm not talking about the big guy). I believe in you, Naruto, and I know you're going to do great things one day. Train hard, and don't forget to lean on those around you. I can see how lonely and sad you get when you think no one is looking. You deserve someone who will listen to your problems, too. Don't shoulder too much, either. You have your own problems to deal with. Remember what I told you before: You can't save anyone unless you save yourself first.
Have fun with Jiraiya. Try to visit some time! I'm not enjoying my stay here so far as much as I thought I would when I decided to come, but I am hopeful it will get better. Oh, before I forget! It turns out I have to take the next Chunin Exams. Apparently, I was chunin level in Sandaime Hokage's eyes, but not in the Mizukage's eyes. It's gonna suck completing it with a whole new team - without you and Sasuke. How is he, by the way? The last time we all talked, he wasn't happy. Before you leave, can you tell him that he doesn't have to be envious all the time? Actually, don't tell him that. That might make him angrier. Just let him know that even if he gets on my nerves and even if I'm jealous of the way my dad favors him, I will always be here for him.
I think I understand him a little better due to being his teammate. He's lonely, too. Being here in Kirigakure by myself, I feel a small sliver of what he's been feeling for years. I'll never fully understand the feeling, so I know words will not help everything. But he has people to help him when he feels lonely or when he feels negative emotions or when he needs help. Tell him he has Kakashi to lean on. Dad is bad at a lot of things, but he knows (usually) what to do in times of crisis.
Anyway, I still have to write Gaara a letter to let him know about the changes in my life, but I wanted to write to you first because I was thinking about you. Talk to you later, Naruto.
Kokoro
I was thinking about posting special chapters about events that could have taken place in the first book of this series. So far, I have these chapter ideas: Sasuke and Naruto's time in the Forest of Death without Kokoro
Gaara and Shukaku find Kokoro's letters after returning home after the Chunin Exams
Sasuke's departure from Konoha
Tsunade begins training with Sakura
Let me know if there are any other things you might want me to write about in the special chapters, or let me know if this is something you'd like me to do :D
