Disclaimer: No I do not own Naruto.
Wings of the White Angel
Chapter 4: Aiko, the light ninja
Birds chirped loudly in the morning light, and dew collected on the leaves of the nearby trees in the ninja academy's courtyard.
"He's late…" Kai rested his back against a nearby tree.
"Does it surprise you at all?" Yurei's wild eyes looked around the courtyard, tracking the movement of every creature that was nearby.
"No…which is a shame. I must admit that he impressed me slightly with his speed." Kai slid on his sunglasses and sighed. "What did you think of his ability?"
"It is interesting…he moved too fast for my eyes to track…" Yurei closed his eyes and let the sun shine down on him. "However, it is sad that he allowed you to gain control over his finishing technique. If he had succeeded with that attack, you might not be here right now."
Letting out a little scoff noise, Kai looked over at the school. "So it's the end of our trials, isn't it? From this point onward we are free of that stupid place…" ("However, we're not home free yet. But I trust my skills enough to get me through this.")
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Kin sighed contently and slid deeper into the bathtub. "There's nothing better than a nice hot bath in the morning. Especially after how tired I got when I fought Kai." A few memories flashed in his head. ("On that note, I need to remember to strengthen the Angel combo so that my opponent can't counter it like he did.") His muscles began to relax. ("For now though…it's time to enjoy the bath…") Looking down at his chest, he tilted his head to the side at what he saw. ("There's a scar?")
Right in the space in between his ribs there was a red scar. ("When did that happen? I don't remember even being attacked in the ribs.") As he ran his finger along it, he felt a tingle of warmth run up his arm. ("Maybe I should have it looked at…")
"Kin! You know that it's nine o'clock right?"
There was the sound of splashing and then doors opening and closing quickly. "I'm late!"
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Kai heard Kin long before the boy had entered the courtyard of the school. ("You're so loud…how do you expect to be a ninja?")
Finishing tying his hair up into a pony-tail, Kin charged into the courtyard and when he saw Yurei and Kai took a moment to wring some of the excess water out of his hair. "Good morning."
Yurei shook his head sadly. "You need to work on your timing…or else what's the point of becoming part of team eight?"
Frowning, Kin looked up at the sky. "Hey…I'm not that bad am I?"
"You're slightly less than horrible, if that is what you are asking." Kai stood up and brushed himself off. "However, that means nothing. You're still sub-par."
Kin met eyes with the boy he had fought yesterday. "Would you like to prove that with another hand to hand match?"
Snickering, Kai started to walk away. "You wouldn't be worth the time."
"That's not how it seemed yesterday, when I was moving so fast that you couldn't keep up." Returning the snicker, Kin cracked his knuckles. "Come on, let's do it…"
"That's enough, or would you like our instructor to see the two of you quarreling so early in the morning?" Yurei glared at both of them.
"Honestly, I wouldn't mind it very much," A female voice said from the wall right behind him. "They seem so spirited."
A single drop of sweat slid down the neck of all three boys. They didn't even hear anyone approaching them.
Dropping down next to Yurei, the woman stood up slowly. She wore a body-covering set of ninja gear, vest and all. Her eyes were covered by her forehead protector, leaving all three of them wondering how she could see. But what was most surprising was her hair. It was long, and seven different colors. Red, orange, green, blue, indigo, purple and yellow…
Kin stared at the hair like it was talking to him. ("What the heck…is that? Who'd dye their hair that many colors?")
Kai frowned. ("Our instructor is a clown?")
Yurei narrowed his eyes. ("Interesting…but how can you see us?")
The woman walked over and patted Kin and Kai on the head. "Behave now…or else I won't take you under my wing. My name is Aiko."
"Just Aiko? Don't you have a last name?" Kai started to feel less trusting of this person already.
"No, I don't," she answered calmly. "I am simply called Aiko. Is there a problem with that?" Her head tilted to look at Kai, and though he couldn't see her eyes he felt like he was being evaluated.
"Yes…there is." Yurei stepped forward. "How can we be sure that you are a Jounin of this village?"
"I'm wearing my forehead protector, am I not?" Aiko turned her head to aim at him. "Why is there such distrust amongst all of you?"
"Because…" Yurei stopped himself, letting the words play in his mind. ("Because you can see us with your eyes covered…and I find that unnerving.")
Aiko walked towards the wall of the courtyard, away from all of them. Now that they could see her clearly they could tell that she couldn't be much older than twenty-four or twenty-five. And she was slim…definitely a ninja by the way she walked. "Are you boys going to stop staring at me like I'm a freak?"
"I would stop staring at you like you're a freak, but you are." Kai smirked slightly as she stopped in mid-step. "After all…"
"So I'm a freak huh?" Aiko started to laugh quietly. "Then perhaps you'd like to dismount the 'freak' from her position of power?"
"I'd love to…" Drawing a kunai, Kai slowly approached her back. ("She's thinking to make a fool of me in front of those two to prove her skill…well she'll find herself hard-pressed to make me seem weak.") He didn't intend to win, but he intended to make her struggle to disarm him.
Aiko turned around and brought the insignia on her forehead protector over to look at him. "You're walking so slowly…what's the matter? Are you expecting me to simply stand here and let you take me down?" Her lips lifted a little. "You should know better than that."
"I'm just waiting for my opportunity…which should be here shortly…" Kai silently made the seals for his fireball technique.
Tilting her head back a little, Aiko smiled more. "Ahh…I see."
"Katon; Goukakyuu no Jitsu!" Kai tilted his head back and sucked in his breath.
Aiko snapped her hands up and made three seals. "Counter."
When Kai exhaled, only air came out. ("What? She negated my technique?")
"Surprised that I could do that?" Aiko started to walk towards him. "Would you like to try another Ninjitsu against me?"
Kai snapped his hand up and threw his kunai at her head.
She caught it by the ring and started to spin it on her finger. "That was entertaining, but otherwise pointless. If you trying to distract me then you should have used something sound-based."
He growled deep in his throat. ("You're mocking me…") After a couple of short breaths he calmed down. "You are our instructor…you must be…"
"That's right, I am." She turned and started to walk out of the courtyard. "Shall we go, gentlemen?"
Slowly, each of the members of team eight followed.
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An hour later they all sat on a patio in front of Aiko's home. She sat back in her chair and tilted her head to each of them. "Well, tell me a little about yourselves."
Kin stepped forwards and smiled slightly. "I'm Kin Watanabe. I intend to become strong so that I can protect Konoha, just like my father wanted me to. I'm one of the most skilled there is in the speed department."
"You think you're fast, hmm?" Aiko quirked her lips. ("We shall see…you'll need that speed soon enough.")
"Of course I'm fast…" Kin started to argue, but was cut off by Kai.
"I am Kai Otogi. My talents are numerous and my skill is unrivaled by any other member of the current Genin," Resting his back against a banister, he closed his eyes. "That is all."
("And I know all about you…and things not even you know…") Aiko tilted her head over at Yurei. "And you?"
Yurei looked out at the grass. "I am Yurei Akurei…that is all."
Aiko frowned slightly, but otherwise didn't respond. ("Kin is foolish, Kai is egotistical, and Yurei simply doesn't wish to be understood. What a great group I have gotten…") She stood up. "My name is simply Aiko. I am your instructor. That is all."
Kin looked from one member of his group to the next. ("Sheesh…everyone is so cold-hearted…") "So what now?"
"What now?" Aiko smirked and turned away from them. "We're going on a little trip. Just out into the nearby wilderness. So come along…" As she walked off, they all followed her slowly. Something about the tone in her voice spoke of her being greatly entertained.
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An hour later they were near the memorial stone of Konoha, which was built in memory of all brave ninja who had lost their lives while on missions.
Aiko stood in front of the stone and looked to her three students. "Well boys…come at me."
Kin and Yurei blinked in surprise, while Kai looked all too happy to do so. "Excuse me?"
"Did I stutter? I want you to come at me. All at once, one at a time, however you wish and with whatever attacks you wish…" She casually took an apple out of her vest pocket, shined it, and started eating. "I'll even pre-occupy myself so that it's easier for you."
"But teacher…" Kin's protests were cut off as Kai shot past him, kunai in hand. "What are you doing?"
"You heard the teacher!" Grinning darkly, Kai threw the weapon with all of his strength.
Aiko tilted her hand up, the kunai stabbing into the apple and cutting it into two even pieces. Grabbing the still-moving weapon, she began to juggle it along with the two apple halves. "Thank you very much for cutting my lunch, but I though I said…"
"Katon; Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Kai exhaled a fireball that engulfed the woman. ("I don't know how you countered my technique before, but this time I was ready. You can't counter if your hands are full.") Cutting off the stream of fire, he smiled coldly and drew another kunai. "Now, let's…" He was cut off as an apple half hit him in the side of the head.
"Now that wasn't very nice…trying to trick me…" Aiko smiled from her seat in a nearby tree. "Perhaps you'd like to…"
Kin kicked her in the side of the head. ("Oh no! I thought she was going to dodge it!") Grabbing a branch, he readjusted his momentum and back-flipped to the ground. But Aiko was already gone. ("There's no way…that hit her temple…")
"Very sneaky Kin…but not sneaky enough." Aiko stood just a few feet away.
Kin already knew that this was out of their league. "Why do you want us to fight you?"
"It's very simple…" She walked around slowly, head aimed off in the distance. "Beat me or you won't see a single mission."
"What?" Both Kai and Kin glared at her.
"You heard me…or perhaps you need to clean out your ears?" Aiko turned her back to both of them.
"Why you…" Kin began to perform the seals for the White Wind Angel.
Yurei snapped his hand out and grabbed the boy's hands. "No…don't waste your energy. Or have you not noticed something simple about our foe?"
"Simple?" Kin looked at Aiko…and realized that her hair was pure blue. "What in the…"
"I see you figured my technique out…" Another Aiko emerged from the fire that Kai had created, her hair orange.
"But you have yet to master the way to combat it…" Another Aiko dropped from the tree, her hair green.
Kin stepped back, feeling his back touch Kai's and Yurei's. Though he didn't like Kai at all, they knew that being back to back was the best choice in this situation. "What is this…I mean…"
The orange-haired Aiko stepped forward. "Niji Bunshin no Jitsu. This technique manipulates my energy through a chakra prism, splitting my strength into seven equal pieces. More or less, there are seven copies of me…but at least these seven might be possible to beat."
"You can't expect us to actually defeat a Jounin, can you?" Yurei didn't bother to draw a weapon. He had other plans if that is what it came to.
"I expect each of you to defeat one of my rainbow replications…otherwise you'll have no chance in the real world. Now then…" The green-haired replication lifted up one finger under her chin. "Catch me if you can." All three of them disappeared in a burst of white smoke.
To be continued…
To Arathir: Kai was a submitted character by my friend, so I'm not copying Sasuke on purpose.
To Shang: Well thank you very much.
To Wolfy: Errr…no problem.