Chapter 5: Halcyon

The academy was somehow simultaneously exactly what I expected it to be, and nothing at all like that. When you think "ninja academy," the words evoke images of guys in black kabuki stage assistant outfits learning how to throw shuriken. But, of course, it's a school. Intended for young children. The result being an image of otherwise ordinary kids learning how to throw shuriken.

Among other things of course.

Few people paid me any mind when I walked into the classroom (once, that is, Sayaka let me go off on my own; I had to talk her out of attending my classes with me). The standard classroom was set up like a small auditorium with tiered seating, an eclectic mix of an elementary school and a university classroom. It wasn't overly large. There were, by my reckoning, forty kids in the class, including me.

I may have been reincarnated somehow, but that didn't make me any less of a middle achiever, so I picked a seat close to the front, but not at the front. The idea being that I'd be less likely to be called upon by the teacher and, therefore, wouldn't have to talk to them in front of everyone else.

Unfortunately for me, not everyone paid me no mind. Drat.

Before I could escape, I was accosted by a few girls and had to ignore my initial instinct of crawling under the desk.

"Wow," one girl breathed, touching my hair. "Your hair is so pretty. What do you do to it?"

"Oh, y'know," I muttered. "This and that."

"I wish mine was as straight as yours," another girl cooed. I didn't look directly at her. "I have to spend an hour straightening mine every day, but yours looks so effortless!"

"Where are you from?" yet another girl asked. "I've never seen you around town."

"Elsewhere," I said, hoping she'd leave me alone if I gave her a non-answer.

"Do you use makeup, or do you naturally look like that?" asked the first girl.

"I don't know how to use makeup," I said, quasi-truthfully.

"Aw. That's so unfair. You're so lucky."

"Oi!" someone shouted over them. The girls turned to regard the newcomer.

"Oh look," said one of the girls. "It's cherry girl."

"This has nothing to do with you," said another. "You'd better scram. You wouldn't want to stain her perfect skin with your cherry juice." My face flushed bright red. They… thought I was a girl? But… Huh? I didn't…

"Look at her," the newcomer said. "You're frightening her. Leave her alone."

"Is that true?" a girl asked, turning to me. "Are we scaring you?"

I stared at my desk numbly. It wasn't that. I was more embarrassed than scared. I'd seen too much to be scared by some dumb kids. But, if it would get them to go away…

"I… Y-yeah. A bit," I squeaked.

"See?" said the newcomer.

One of the girls scoffed. "Well, whatever. Listen," she said to me. "If you ever get tired of the cherry girl, you should come to me. I don't bite."

"Hm," I mumbled. With that, finally, blessedly, they left. Once the group dispersed, I was alone. Only the newcomer remained. I glanced up at her, uncertain. "Was there… something you wanted?"

She smiled patiently, sitting at the desk to my left. Hesitantly, she put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said flatly. "I wasn't really scared or anything. More annoyed, really."

"Oh. Well, that's good." Silence reigned between us for a moment. She cocked her head. "Hey," she said at length. "Have we met before?"

I glanced up, taking a proper look at her. "Um…" She had bright red hair and freckles lining her cheeks and nose. I might have thought she was Irish if not for the sharp eyes with their heavy epicanthic folds. She sort of looked like a tomboy, with her hair in a practical tail, wearing shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals instead of the more fashionable dresses the other girls wore. She had a pair of goggles around her neck, ready to be worn at a moment's notice. She had some dirt on her nose. "I, uh… Have we?"

She nodded. "I'm pretty sure. I just can't remember where." I looked away, shrugging. "Well, anyways, I'm Asuka. Asuka Uzumaki," she said, bowing her head politely. "Nice to meet you."

"Hyōsuke Yuki. Likewise," I said.

She wrinkled her brow. "Wait. Hyōsuke? That's a boy's name, isn't it."

"It is."

"Gosh. Your parents must have wanted a boy really badly."

"Good thing they got one then, isn't it?" I shrank into myself a little. Was it really that hard to tell? The people back in Yukimura never mistook me for a girl.

Well, then again, everyone there knew me, so they wouldn't, would they?

Asuka's eyes widened, her face going as red as her hair. "Oh. Oh gosh. I'm so sorry. I thought…"

"It… It's fine." I looked away. "It, uh, really is nice to meet you."

"I…" She shook her head. "Anyways, Hyōsuke-kun —"

"Just 'Hyō' is fine," I interrupted. "Everyone calls me that."

"Okay. So, Hyō-kun. Where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"

"A small village to the south. You've probably never heard of it."

"An out-of-towner too, eh? Thank goodness." She emitted a sigh of relief. "I was worried I'd be the only one."

"You're not from…" Now it was my turn to be surprised. I looked more closely at her. "Wait. I remember now. I visited town once with my father, a few years ago. You were… Yeah, that's right. I saw you at a sukiyaki stand."

Asuka grinned. "Right. Of course. How could I forget?"

"So, where are you from?" I asked. "I mean, if you don't mind."

Asuka's face drooped, though she was clearly trying not to show it. "I…"

"It's fine," I cut in, realizing I'd made an error. "You don't have to —"

She shook her head. "I'm from a place called Uzushiogakure no Sato; the Hidden Eddy Village."

Something about the name felt familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it before. I trolled through my vague, distant memories of the original story, but it had been so long at this point that most of the smaller details had become a great foggy spot. Still, I'd definitely heard of it. I just couldn't think of why.

"A hidden village?" I asked tentatively. "Why are you here then, and not there?"

"I…" She turned, facing forward. "I'd rather not…"

"Yeah. That's fine."

"So, what are you most looking forward to learning about?" she asked, blatantly changing the subject.

"Hm… I guess it'd be pretty neat to learn how to clone myself."

"Really?" Asuka bit her lip. "To be honest, I'd really like to learn some taijutsu forms. Other than that, it's gotta be sealing."

"Sealing?"

She nodded. "Yeah. That's my clan's specialty. But, that'd be something to learn at home. I've heard the academy only teaches basic stuff like making paper bombs and storage scrolls."

"I mean, those sound pretty useful." I thought back to my journey. One of the Missing-nin we'd encountered had made stellar use of a paper bomb.

"I guess."

"Personally, I'd like to branch out with ninjutsu and genjutsu."

"You know some?"

"Yeah. Ninjutsu is a clan specialty. I can already use some wind and water." I almost said ice too, but I stopped myself. That was probably something I should keep close to the chest for now.

"That's really cool, Hyō-kun," Asuka chirped. "I can't use any elements."

"I'd be happy to show you later."

"What would you be happy to show her?" asked a lazy boy's drawl from behind. We turned, startled, to see a white-haired boy with jagged teeth sitting with his feet propped up on his desk. He wore a form-fitting purple mesh shirt and white pants. "Y'know, for shinobi, you two sure aren't very good at having private conversations."

"Who the hell asked you?" I said, annoyed.

The boy grinned lopsidedly, his sharp teeth making it rather creepy. He sat forward. "If it's ninjutsu or taijutsu you're after," he said to Asuka, "I'm your guy."

She glared at him, unimpressed. "Yeah. No thanks." Then, she turned away from him, arms crossed in front of her chest. The boy clicked his tongue.

Well, that… just happened.

Before any further conversation could be had, a scarred Chūnin with a bald head wrapped in a blue sash stepped in and called the class to order. My first lesson was officially starting.

~o~

Later on, I was sparring with a boy whose name I don't remember. We were just doing basic taijutsu, with the Chūnin instructor watching us like a hawk and correcting flaws in our stances. The boy seemed a bit timid and rarely actually tried to hit me. When he did, his hits were light. It was a little frustrating, to be honest.

I stood in a defensive stance, hands at the ready. He sent a half-hearted kick my way, which I easily dodged, going in with a palm strike to his chest. It wasn't very powerful, but it did knock him off balance. Since he was still on one foot, he toppled over like a domino, and the instructor declared me the winner. I held out my hand to help the other boy up, which he took reluctantly, blushing. Poor guy must have been embarrassed to have given such a sloppy showing. I gave him a sympathetic look, but it might have looked more like pity than sympathy. I'm not sure.

In any case, once he was up, I returned to the line, standing with Asuka.

"What did you think?" I asked.

Her lips quirked up. "Do you want me to be honest, or to tell you a comforting lie."

I sighed, shrugging. "Hit me. Can't be worse than my family retainer's frustration." Taijutsu just… wasn't my forte. Another Might Guy, I would certainly never be.

She looked amused. "Good, because frankly, I could beat you blindfolded and hog-tied."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, cheer up, Hyō-kun," she said, patting me on the back. "Everyone has to start somewhere."

"I guess."

After taijutsu, we moved to a target practice range. The set-up was more baroque than my mom's, but the basic concept was the same.

The white-haired boy with the lopsided grin went first. Hangetsu Hōzuki was his name. I felt like I recognized the surname, but I couldn't think of where I'd heard it before. In any case, he was good. Maybe a bit too good. He got perfect scores with shuriken, senbon, and kunai.

We didn't go in gojūon order, or I would have been one of the last to go. It seemed basically random to me, but maybe that was the idea. Put us on our toes. I went right after Hangetsu, and I'd be damned if I'd put my mom's training to shame by losing to him.

I stepped up to the course with a handful of kunai. When the instructor blew his whistle, my kunai disappeared like a lightning strike, hitting each target dead center. When it came to the shuriken, I decided to try a trick shot Mother had shown me. If I angled it just right against the wind…

I threw the shuriken. Four hit their marks dead on, while the fifth veered off in a bizarre direction. The class gasped, thinking I'd messed up. I smirked, watching the shuriken fly around its target, wind around, and slam into it dead on.

"Well, I'll be damned, Yuki," the instructor said. When I went to retrieve a handful of senbon, I noticed a fly buzzing around the tree behind the instructor and nicked one extra.

I took my place in the center again, letting the senbon fly when the instructor whistled. Five senbon hit five targets, and a wild sixth flew at the instructor. He saw it coming and dodged it, looking bewildered.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Yuki?!" he shouted.

"Sorry, sensei," I said calmly, pointing. "That fly was annoying me."

He frowned, turning to look where I was pointing. The class gasped yet again, this time in awe, as people noticed the sixth senbon had pinning the fly to the tree by its wing. The instructor leaned in close as the fly struggled impotently against its bonds.

He emitted a low whistle. "Where on earth did you learn to do this?"

"Where did it hit?" I asked, ignoring the question.

"The wing."

"Where on the wing?"

"Hm…" The instructor leaned in closer. The fly stopped struggling. "Right in the webbing. You didn't hit a single vein. How did you…?"

I pumped my fist, grinning like a loon. Without another word, I rejoined the line. Asuka was staring at me with sparkles in her eyes.

"How did you do that?" she breathed.

"Lots of practice," I said simply.

Later on, after class finished for the day, I packed up my things and prepared to leave. I could just see Sayaka standing outside amongst the parents. While I packed, Asuka slipped me a note.

I frowned, staring at it. "What's this?"

"It's my address," she chirped. "In case you ever want to hang out."

"Oh. Okay." I slipped it in with the rest of my stuff, watching her leave with a wave. I picked up my bag, heading for the door, but was stopped by someone clearing their throat.

"Um, Hyō-chan?" said a boy's voice.

I wrinkled my brow, turning to regard the boy. It was the same one I'd sparred earlier.

"Oh, hello," I said with a nod. "Good fight earlier." I lied with a completely straight face. "Was there something you needed?"

"I, uh, yeah…?" he stammered. His face was practically glowing he was blushing so hard. He fidgeted, almost vibrating. "I…" He bowed low. "I think I like you! Would you go out with me?!"

My eyes widened as I regarded him. I felt my own face get warm, though I suspect not for the same reason as his did. "I…" What was I supposed to say to that? I smiled sympathetically as he looked up at me. I could almost see his heart sink through his eyes. "I'm sorry," I said. "I can't. I'm not into guys."

"You-you're not?" he asked, somehow going even redder.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm quite straight."

He blinked. Then, somehow, his face went from red to blue. "S-straight? Are you… Are you a… guy?"

My eye twitched, my smile stiffened. The same mistake. Was it really that hard to tell?

"Yes. I am," I said cooly. I bowed. "Sorry. I have to go." With that, I scurried out of the classroom. If it was possible, I was more embarrassed than that guy probably was.

~o~

"Sayaka-san?" I asked as I helped the onna-bugeisha plate a dish of omurice.

"Yes, Hyō-sama?" she asked distractedly.

I twisted my toe into the ground. "I…" I looked up at her. "Could you give me a haircut?"

She blinked, looking away from the food. "A haircut? What's wrong with your hair?"

"Well, nothing I guess. It's just…" I fidgeted. "I want a boy's haircut."

"That is a boy's haircut. It's the same one your father has."

"I know, but he's like…" I waved my hands around, trying to find the right word. "He's, you know, manly."

"You're plenty manly, Hyō-sama," Sayaka said, looking bemused.

I shook my head. I didn't know how to get my point across properly. "Whatever. Can you do it?"

"Sure, if that's what you want." Sayaka returned to her work. "It's your hair, so it's your choice. But it'll have to wait until after dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

~o~

When I walked into class the next day, the stares were much more apparent. I looked down at my feet as I climbed the steps to the desk next to Asuka's. Asuka gave me a lopsided grin.

"It looks good, Hyō-kun," she said, staring at my hair.

"Thanks," I muttered, blushing. My hair, which before had been down to the middle of my back, now scarcely crested the tips of my ears, and it was slightly ruffled in the trendy way a lot of young men wore theirs. I had also swapped my hakama out for a pair of travel trousers and a short-sleeved blue shirt bearing the Yuki clan crest on the back, with ninja sandals for my feet. But it seemed people were mainly staring at my hair.

"Why'd you cut it?" Asuka asked.

"You know why," I said shortly.

She smiled parentally, patting me on the head. I swatted her hand away, face hot like magma. "You look dashing. But don't worry, I'll protect you from those girls." She glanced over her shoulder, but I didn't follow her gaze, instead staring straight forward.

Inside, I felt happy. Asuka had complimented me. I wasn't sure why that made me feel so warm inside, but it did.

Soon enough, the class filled in and the instructor entered, doing roll call. My second lesson at the ninja academy officially began.

-0-

AN: Like last time, I have some AI-generated images of certain characters. This time, it's Hyō, Asuka, and Hangetsu. imgur: a/ilkF9h5 (close the gaps)

Here are their names:

Asuka Uzumaki - 渦巻 飛鳥

Hangetsu Hōzuki - 鬼灯 半月