Chapter 6: Let the Training Commence!
Since their injuries were not too serious, Lawrence and Tracy both manage to fully recover within the week. They decided to rest for a full day after they were released from the hospital before they began their training with the rest of the group. Eagerly, they waited at the training grounds where they were told to meet their ninja academy teacher.
"So, how does the ninja ranking go?" wonders Jon.
"There are about five levels of ranking for the ninjas in the Naruto world," began Tracy. She held up a finger, indicating the number one. "First, there's the Academy Ninjas. These ninjas start going to school when they reach the age of five and graduate after seven years of training. Sort of like the equivalent of an elementary school back home."
"So we're at the elementary level?" asks Robert, feeling a little irritated.
"Does it matter?" responds Jon. "We're all twelve years old so there's no need to feel ashamed."
"But we're being taught at pretty much the kindergarten level," notes Bao. "Doesn't that bother you?"
"A-hem!" interrupts Tracy.
"Sorry," apologizes Robert.
"Anyways," began the Naruto expert. "The next level is genin, which is basically an academy graduate. Genins are the lowest level ninjas so they're usually assigned C-rank and D-rank missions, since those are a lot easier for them to handle. The next level after that is chuunin, which are assigned the harder B-rank missions with the occasional A-rank missions depending on their abilities. Genins are only promoted to chuunins after passing the Chuunin Exam which is held every six months. Once promoted, chuunins have the potential to become jounins, the highest level ninja. These guys are assigned A-rank missions and the ever so dangerous S-rank missions. They're pretty much the equivalent of a very experienced martial artist who has been training since they were toddlers, way out of our league at the current level we're at even if we do become genins."
"So jounins are the highest ranked ninjas?" inquires Robert.
"Nope, not exactly," replies Tracy. "After jounins, there are the ANBU which are like the SWAT team of the Naruto world. On top of ANBU are the Sannins, which are ninjas that have achieved legendary status. And above all the ninjas is the Kages, the highest-ranked and strongest ninjas around. Each of the five ninja powers, the Countries of Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightening each have their own Kage who presides over them. Since we're in the Country of Fire, the Kage here is referred to Hokage and should be called as such."
"So much information," complains Lawrence. "I don't think I'll be able to absorb all this."
Just then, there was a puff of smoke which not only surprised the kids but also made them nearly jump out of their skins at the suddenness and unexpectedness of the occurrence. When the smoke cleared, standing before them was a man wearing matching blue fitting pants and shirt, topped with a blue doo-rag and a pair of circle-shaped sunglasses.
"Greetings my students!" he declares. "I am Ebisu and I will be your teacher."
"Closet pervert!" Caroline and Tracy both shout out loud at the same time and point at him.
"Gah!" exclaims Ebisu with shock. "Yes, the Fifth told me about your world and how you know about… that… But I'd appreciate it if you all just refer to me as Ebisu-sensei. That would be most appropriate."
"Closet pervert," Caroline and Tracy said again, emphasizing each syllable.
Ebisu's eye twitches as he glares at the two girls. This is going to be very uncomfortable, feelingas ifhe's teaching a handful of Narutos.
"Ahem, well then," he clears his throat. "Let us begin the lesson by introducing the concept of Chakra. Chakra is—"
"Already know about it!" interrupts Stephanie.
Ebisu's eye twitches again as the rest of the group nods in agreement.
"Okay then," he says. "Then, I'll tell you the basics of ninja rankings."
"Already know that too!" chirps Tracy.
Again, Ebisu's eye twitches as the group nods again in agreement. Already he was feeling irritated after being interrupted for the first time and now these kids are undermining his knowledge.
"Is there anything you don't know?" he asks them.
"Just start with the ninja basics like Chakra using and how to fight with it," suggests Bao.
"I see," said Ebisu. He looks around to notice a couple of the kids were missing. "I thought there were supposed to be nine of you. How come I only see seven?"
"Oh, our friends Kevin and Priscilla prefer not to partake in such an opportunity," explains Stephanie with a smile.
"Why is that?" wonders the man curiously.
"They're not the physical confrontation type," answers Caroline.
"Is that so?" responds Ebisu. He scratches his head feeling somewhat distraught. "I was hoping to group you all into three nice little ninja teams but since two of you are not here, we're going to have one person left out."
"I don't mind being out of the action," spoke up Caroline. "I'm not the type to go out risking my life. I just want to learn how to use my Chakra, that's all."
"Ah," responds Ebisu. "Perhaps you'll be more suited to being a medical ninja."
"Can we go on with the lesson now?" Tracy blurts out impatiently. "I'm getting bored here."
Ebisu's eye twitches once again. This girl reminds him so much of Naruto, it's irritating.
"Allright then," he declares. "But before we begin, I want all of you to give me your forehead protectors."
"But why?" wonders Stephanie with a puppy pout as she put her hands on her headband. "I've grown attached to mine."
"You all are not certified Konoha ninjas yet," explains Ebisu. "As such, you don't yet deserve these headbands as you are at the Academy level. I'll return them to you once you've completed your training."
With solemn disappointment, each of the kids marches up to the chuunin to turn in their forehead protectors.
"Now first we'll start with Chakra molding," announces Ebisu once he's collected all of their forehead protectors.
The lanky man sat down and puts his hand into a certain hand seal position, motioning the kids to do the same.
"This is the usual position for Chakra molding," began Ebisu. "Though you can still mold Chakra standing up, sitting down is a lot more effective for beginners because you focus more attention on your Chakra molding than trying to stand up."
Through his sunglasses, Ebisu could see the kids eagerly awaiting his next instructions while they sat and had their hands in the proper position. He smiles, feeling a bit powered knowing the kids were following his every move.
"Now," he continues. "This hand seal allows your mind to focus your Chakra more easily, in case you wanted to know. Close your eyes and picture your Chakra flowing through your body. Try to control the flow of the Chakra; make it go faster or slower. This exercise will give you more control of your Chakra as well as relax your body. Do this for fifteen to twenty minutes and you'll be able to tap into your Chakra at will."
The outdoor class went on until the sun started setting. All seven kids were disappointed not to have learned any jutsus at all.
"Don't worry," assures Ebisu. "The real ninja training will come later. Right now you need to learn how to manage and control your Chakra. Once you're able to do that, learning jutsus will be a piece of cake."
Saying goodbye to their teacher, the kids saunter back to their two apartments, the boys in one and the girls in the other. As they walked, Jon and Robert came up to Lawrence who was lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey Lawrence," greets Robert.
"Hey," Lawrence greets back to the brown-skinned Mexican.
"You never really told us what happened to you and Tracy in the Forest of Death," notes Jon.
"Lemme guess," spoke up Robert. "You guys did it."
"No!" Lawrence replies with a disgusted look on his face.
"That bad, eh?" added Jon.
"No! We didn't do anything, I swear," assures Lawrence. "We almost got killed in that damn place."
"How bad could it be?" wonders Robert.
"The animals there are all man-eaters, even the bugs," explains Lawrence. "They were all just huge. Tracy and I had such a hard time trying to stay alive in that hell hole."
"You must have," responds Jon. "I mean, if Kakashi wasn't there, we wouldn't be talking to you guys, would we?"
"Yeah," affirms Lawrence, looking down at the ground. "We got lucky."
"Geez, all that time in the woods together and you didn't even make a move on her," sighs Robert disappointedly. "What a waste."
"Don't you think of anything besides sex?" Lawrence yells at him angrily.
"Lawrence," began Robert. "How long have you known me?"
"True," agrees Jon. "You've been a fruity pervert since the day I met you."
"Exactly," added Robert.
While Robert and Jon spoke to each other, Lawrence glances over at Tracy who was walking with Caroline, Stephanie, and Bao in front of him. He has had a bad feeling ever since the two of them escaped the Forest of Death. She hadn't talked much after the two of them were released from the hospital. Even though she assured him time and time again that there was nothing to be concerned about, he was still uneasy about that bruise on her neck. He wonders if anyone had noticed it. He really wants to tell someone but if he broke his promise, Tracy would never speak to him again. They were still in a bad situation, not knowing if they'll ever return to their home world. The idea that Tracy might run away if he broke his promise filled him with fear, for if the Fifth Hokage and Jiraiya figures out a way for them to get back home, they might end up leaving the girl behind. That was the last thing Lawrence wanted.
He turns his eyes' attention back to the ground before him.
If I tell someone about that man in the forest and Tracy's bruise, she'll most likely run away and refuse to come back, he thought. But if I leave her as she is, something really bad might happen. On the one hand, things will get bad for us if she runs off. On the other hand, things will get bad for her if something happens. What am I supposed to do?
Lawrence looks up at the evening sky for an answer but ended up with none at all. This is to be a decision that could either benefit his friends or hurt them.
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That night, while everyone was asleep in their blankets, a figure stirred in the girls' apartment. The figure carefully maneuvers through the room, making sure not to awaken the sleeping kunoichis. Quietly lifting the window board, the figure crawls through the window and carefully places the wooden board back in place. With that done, the figure walks silently along the ridge of the building, only stopping to brush some dark hair out of her face. The figure looks up at the partially full moon, revealing the person as none other than Tracy.
With a thrust of her legs, Tracy silently leaps off the building and lands softly on the ground. She had changed out of her pajamas and into her ninja outfit, complete with the Konoha forehead protector upon her brow. Looking around to see no one, she dashes off in the direction of the nearby watering hole.
Uchiha Sasuke was taking a nice moonlit stroll along the empty roads of Konoha. Passing by the small lake where he had mastered his first fire technique, the raven-haired boy notices an unknown figure standing on the dock. He falls to one knee, trying to be as invisible as possible while still being able to see what the figure was up to. He notices the person had long dark hair and a curved shape, suggesting the figure was female. He tries to inch a little closer and sees the figure is a young girl about his age.
I've never seen her before, he thought. Is she one of those kids who were transported from another world like Kakashi said?
Sasuke pauses in his thoughts as he watches the girl perform a few hand seals. His eyes widen in shock when he immediately recognizes what the hand seals were.
Those hand seals! he thought. But how and where did she learn it? Could she even do it?
As if to answer his question, he sees the girl put her thumb and index finger together in front of her mouth and take a deep breath.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" she cries out. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Blowing hard, she manages to exhale a huge sphere of fire almost as big as the one Sasuke had done when he first mastered it.
"What the hell?" he exclaims. "Who is she?"