Chapter 1-9
Crouching on a branch high up in the trees I eyed my prey, my weapon held loosely in my hand.
Just past two more trees and I would be at the edge of the clearing and within jumping distance of my target.
Deciding that further movement on ground-level was more feasible I eyed the branches beneath me and silently dropped myself from one to the next, always mindful to absorb the impact with my legs and back.
I dropped the last part onto the ground and…
"Found you!" I looked up and saw that she was indeed pointing straight at me. Blindfold still in place.
Sighing, I seamlessly shunshin'd right in front of her.
My god, I loved this jutsu, whenever possible I used it, whenever I trained I made sure to involve some kind of obstacle course, which I did until I fell to my knees forcing me to use my medical nin-jutsu to prevent cramps and so on.
And each week I got better and better, from my spatial awareness during high speeds to the speed itself, I was steadily improving in all departments.
The best thing was that the continuous use of the jutsu was also improving my regular speed and dexterity.
So far this was the closest to the plain old super-powers I got.
"What was it this time?" I handed her my water bottle as she took off the blindfold.
She poured a bit of water in her hand and washed away the salve she got from her aunt's clinic that was spread under her nose, blocking her sense of smell.
This whole exercise was primarily meant to train my stealth, I was still aiming for that silent-killing style, and for her to train her already superior hearing.
"The weapons in your pouch," I slapped my forehead, they have been a recent addition from the academy. "but you are definitely getting better."
"Thanks, I guess it's my turn now." She nodded and gave a short whistle.
She eyed me.
"You look awfully confident today." I smiled, refraining from commenting.
"The same as always?" I asked as the Triplet burst through a bush.
"Yes, five minutes head start, half an hour for you to hide and one hour for me to find you."
I nodded, given my speed and the Shunshin five minutes were more than enough for me to put some distance between us.
She pulled out an old alarm clock and I was off.
I had a plan, maybe slightly over the top, but I was struggling to put up a challenge for her tracking abilities.
I raced over the rooftops, made a slight curve around the cemetery in case somebody was paying their respect or grieving and ended up at the stream where we practiced our water-walking.
Without pause, I landed on the water and sprinted downstream.
More than half a mile later I found what I was looking for. A bag weighted down by small rock, which I put here earlier this morning.
Being careful I deposited the contents on the ground, took the empty bag and went straight into the woods for about a quarter of a mile.
Having found a good spot I took of my sandals, shorts and T-shirt and put them in the bag, which I then hid behind a tree.
Retracing my steps I came back to the stream, crabbed the small bar of soap I put here along with the freshly cleaned set of spare clothes and dived into the water.
Giving myself a hasty cleaning I put on the cloths and dived back into the water. Following the stream again, I stayed for as long as possible underwater, only coming up for a breath of air.
When I felt I made enough distance I went ashore again and made my way into the woods where I would stay for the rest of the time or until I was found.
Settling down, I closed my eyes, controlled my breathing and waited for Hana to inevitably enter the range of my sensing.
I sighed when I noticed a small chakra signature slowly making its way towards my position and I knew the jig was up.
I frowned however when I heard the puppy bark, it wasn't loud, but definitely noticeable.
A few seconds later and a bigger signature followed by two smaller ones converged on the position of the dog that found my trail.
I waited until they were standing near my tree and dropped down, signaling my defeat.
Hana smirked and tossed me my bag I left as a distraction.
"Not bad, you definitely managed to gain some time with your little diversion."
"What was it at the end?"
"We split up and Hai," She pointed at the one that was dozing on his back. "found a scent, that didn't fit with the environment and I recognized it as your soap."
I nodded, this was it. I was at the end of my rope regarding these exercises.
"Let's go," she flung her arm over my shoulder, I looked up as she was still easily a head taller than me.
"You are having supper at my place today, Mum finally wants to meet the boy, that has his scent all over me."
My back straightened immediately as she was guiding me along, I wasn't particularly fond of meeting new people, especially when it wasn't on my terms.
"Her words by the way and don't worry. She seems brash, but she's actually pretty easy-going."
"Alright." There was no point in making a fuss about it.
"Say, is there a way for you and the Triplet to communicate over longer distances."
She looked down at me, a questioning stare.
"I mean, when Hai found me he barked to signal you, didn't he?"
She nodded and I continued.
"It wasn't loud by any means, but I definitely heard it nearby."
I paused, I honestly didn't want to paint such a grim picture or reveal such thoughts in a seven-year-old body, but I felt like it needed to be said regardless.
"Let's say I was an enemy, a real enemy that was out to hurt you. The second I heard your dog I would have attacked it, either to injure or worse. And then set a trap for your arrival knowing that your focus would be on your dog."
She paused in her step and I followed suit.
She had a big frown, clearly painting such a picture in her mind.
I gave her light shake, she snapped out of it and looked at me.
"Listen, this is just the worst-case scenario and we are still in the academy so there's plenty of time to work on a solution." I resumed our walk and this time I dragged her along.
"Furthermore, you ain't the first Inuzuka around so I bet there is a bunch of ways around the problem."
"You are right, I will have to ask Mum later."
"It's probably something obvious, besides your nose your ears are just as sensitive. Just teach the Triplet to signal you way earlier and bit quieter."
She shrugged. "We will see."
She was still contemplative so I tried to change the subject.
"Is there something that you want to focus on from now on? I feel like I can't offer you much regarding your tracking anymore?"
"Hmm, I will probably step up my effort with your chakra-control exercise."
We settled into a comfortable silence for few moments during the walk towards the Inuzuka compound.
"Do you have any plans?"
"I might have to ask Daikoku-sensei to introduce me to the Replacement Technique."
I frowned, it wasn't my preferred course of action, because I actually only wanted to approach my academy teachers when the regular curriculum had nothing more to offer.
My Tai-jutsu and physical abilities were at the top of the class, in the theoretical aspects I was at the top and due to hours of training I was rapidly gaining on the clan kids in the weapons department.
I had hoped that by showing them my mastery of the Academy Three upon approaching them I would be able to ask for extracurricular subjects like Gen-jutsu or nature transformation.
"I could ask Mum later." I startled and stared at her, she just shrugged.
"You said something along the lines of learning from a professional and Mum is a Tokubetsu Jōnin. Plus the Replacement Technique is a somewhat big part of our fighting style given our partners."
"You are the best, you know that?"
"I know," we reached the cemetery. "you can bring your bag home. I'll wait here."
The door opened unbidden and we stood in front of a little boy with brown hair.
"So that's your lover, Sis?" Unsure of their sibling dynamics I remained quiet and looked at Hana.
"That's Kiba, my little brother," she waved in his general direction, clearly unimpressed by his antics.
"Kiba, this is Daiki, my friend from the academy."
"Yo!"
He clearly expected someone closer to Hana's age than his, given his scrutiny.
"You don't look like much." Case in point.
Since my experience with little children started and ended with ignoring them I just continued to let Hana take charge of the situation.
"Where's Mom." She ignored his needling entirely and indicated for me where to put my shoes.
"In the kitchen!" Came a call from down the hallway, Hana motioned for me to follow and we left Kiba trailing behind us.
We stepped into the kitchen and I almost immediately took a step back because the first thing I saw was what had to be the matriarch's partner.
I wasn't a dog person to begin with and this one looked like it could bite me in half plus the way it was staring at me wasn't helping in the slightest.
"Don't worry." I did my best to tear my gaze away and looked at Tsume Inuzuka.
"He's a big softy deep down." I nodded.
"Don't test it!" The dog replied and Hana gave me a slight shove.
"Mum, this is Daiki. Daiki this is my Mum, Tsume Inuzuka."
I bowed, Hifumi's lessons were still sticking. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, kiddo. The stew still needs a few minutes so make yourself comfortable."
I followed Hana to the table, Tsume and Kiba joining us.
"Thank you for inviting me."
"No problem, just wanted to meet the boy that got Hana all motivated." She gave a sideways nod towards her daughter.
"I honestly didn't expect you to be so young however."
"I like training, I like working with chakra and I usually have more than enough time on my hands so…"
I trailed off and shrugged.
"He has incredible chakra control and he's currently helping me get ready to learn medical ninjutsu from Aunt Haruka." Tsume turned to Hana, her eyebrows raised to her hairline.
"I noticed you getting stronger and faster during sparing," She sounded first surprised than skeptical. "but medical ninjutsu, already?"
"Yeah, he's helping me with a chakra control exercise, that's part of the fundamentals."
Tsume turned to me, somehow conveying that she wanted to know exactly what I, a little boy, was teaching her daughter without supervision.
"My skill-level isn't exactly common knowledge, only my former caretaker who's teaching me knows about my medical expertise and I kinda want to keep it that way." I gave a small glance towards Kiba.
I didn't want to sound like an idiot, which I did in hindsight, or look paranoid, but I also didn't want the boy to get any ideas or false hopes, plus I didn't want to get into the habit of flaunting my skills at the drop of a hat for everybody.
Tsume seemed to humor me and played along.
A quick glance towards the bubbling pot on the stove and she turned to Kiba.
"Could you please fill the bowls of the puppies while I finish the food."
Without complaint, he hopped off his chair and dashed towards what I had to guess the kennels.
"And I ain't known for spilling the beans."
Well, I did have a bit of an obligation to provide a satisfactory answer given that I was messing with Hana's education without anybody's knowledge.
A bit of concentration and I channeled my healing chakra to my palms, clearly visible for everybody at the table.
She was clearly trying to hide her reaction, but I could tell that she was quite impressed.
"So you want to become a medic later?"
"No, it was just a handy skill that was available at the time."
"He's crazy good at everything chakra-related and he's pretty tough, too." Hana chimed in.
"He reminds me a bit of that Itachi, who skipped a few years ahead." That got a reaction.
Tsume leaned back, sitting a bit straighter but paused suddenly. Did she just smell something?
"The stew is ready."
'Oh'
"Kiba!"
"Coming, Mum."
The food was good and hearty, something I hadn't had in years. I made sure to thank Tsume for the great meal at the end.
While eating, the Inuzukas did what passed as normal dinner small talk. How was your day? What did you learn in school? Did you do this or that? Nothing but pleasantly ordinary.
Food was eaten, dishes put away and I was the topic of the conversation again.
"Don't you think you are rushing things a bit, you are what, seven, eight?"
I didn't want to go the route as I did with Hifumi, with me being helpless and all, because by now it was ringing hollow even for me.
"I just enjoy working with chakra and learning stuff I never thought possible before the academy."
And for good measure.
"Plus, when I eventually become a shinobi of the leaf and go on missions I don't want to be snuffed out by some random dickhead," Kiba giggled and my eyes widened for a second, but Tsume just shrugged.
"Anyway, I have seen some academy students a year above Hana and I know it isn't the rule but they were really not inspiring confidence. I just don't want to trust a chain where every second link is not up to par."
I might have gone on a small rant here and acted more cynical than a seven-year-old had any right to do, but it felt good.
Tsume was staring at me while a still giggling Kiba mouthed 'dickhead' towards Hana, who glared right back.
Seemingly coming to a decision regarding her opinion of me she sat straight again.
"Well, you are a strange little bugger, but I'm glad you are Hana's friend." She motioned for Hana to listen.
"The leaf prides itself on its teamwork and camaraderie, much like us," She nodded her head towards her partner. "because it's a pillar that gives us strength. But there are times when shit hits the fan, wars, horrible battles and so on when some individuals rise above and beyond to turn the tides."
She paused for a second.
"Without the likes of the White Fang, the Yellow Flash and the Sannin, for example, we might not be sitting here. Yes, it's okay to trust the village and your comrades, but a fuzzy feeling won't save you from a seemingly overwhelming force."
'Holy crap, 12 points for Tsume Inuzuka' She took a sip from her drink again.
"Long story short, he's right, Hana, you might not reach the lofty heights of the Hokages, but it always pays to push yourself as far as possible, in a pinch, it might just save your life and that of your comrades."
It was a week and a half after the Inuzuka dinner when Hana waited for me at the academy entrance to pick me up. Apparently her impromptu training with her mother was finished.
After asking Tsume to help me with the Replacement Technique, which she readily did the following weekend,
Hana broached the subject I explained to her after our last tracking exercise, namely long-distance communication between her and her ninken.
I got another big long stare when Hana explained to her mother what I, as an enemy, would have done in that situation.
After helping me wrap my head around the Replacement Technique and getting me to do it at an acceptable level, which I improved upon in the week they were gone, Tsume told Hana to pack lightly for a training trip.
"So how was it?" I asked as we lazily strolled down the road.
"Intense, we went to a Training Ground 44, which is basically meant to teach survival."
I nodded and nudged her towards the Dango-shop on our left. "My treat."
"The second we set up camp, Mum wanted to see what I was capable of. Apparently meeting you and realizing that it wasn't just Tai-jutsu I got better at really fired her up."
"I bet you impressed her."
We took our Dango and took a seat at one of the tables.
"You should have seen her face when I attacked from a blind spot, obviously she knew where I was, using the Shunshin and your Bunshin Orochi*with a Kunai in my hand." She smiled in satisfaction.
"I have never seen Mum move so fast, next thing I knew I was bodily thrown into a nearby stream."
I couldn't help but smile with her, glad that she was happy with her progress.
"Anyway, after that Mum explained to me how she was going to teach me to communicate using pheromones. You know, unnoticeable smells to normal people, which can act as simple messages for those who can smell them."
My eyebrows shot up, that sounded actually quite impressive.
"Sounds complicated."
"I thought so, too, but it was actually just a matter of teaching the Triplets to respond in certain ways and in certain situations and for me to pick up on it. It's basically a new language for us."
She took a bite of her Dango.
"Kuromaru taught the Triplets and Mum helped me fine-tune my nose and to filter out different scents. That's why we were in that training ground, there were all kinds of crazy animals and plants."
I hummed, Training Ground 44 was certainly ringing some bells.
"What have you been up to without me?"
"After I got the Replacement Technique down I focused a bit on my lessons with Hifumi."
I held up a small paper bag filled with Dango I purchased additionally for Hifumi.
"I was on my way towards the orphanage for some lessons."
"Did you make any progress?"
I shrugged, I didn't do any leaps but I finally managed to get a handle on the chakra-equivalent of stopping the bleeding and cleaning the wound.
"Yeah, it's going alright, but I'm still stuck on basic superficial wounds."
"I can't wait to start with Aunt Haruka myself. By the way, did you finally talk to Daikoku-sensei?"
"Nah, I will probably do it tomorrow."
"I don't get it. You look like you are dreading to talk to Sensei."
"Yeah, well, have you ever heard the saying 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down'?"
I slowly made my way down the steps and watched the kids rush out of the classroom.
Seeing the last one vanish behind the corner I turned to Daikoku, who already had his attention on me.
"Excuse me Sensei."
"How can I help you Daiki?"
"I was wondering if there are extracurricular skills or projects I could do while at the academy."
"I know you are ahead in class, but believe me, there are still quite a few topics we have yet to cover."
I paused, now or never.
"My chakra control is way past genin-level and I mastered all three academy nin-jutsu. Tai-jutsu and theoretical lessons are temporary challenges at best."
He stared at me and I winced, that was way blunter than I intended.
"I see."
'I don't think you do.'
"I could demonstrate if you want." I offered to get things going.
"Yes…, yes, good idea." He stood up and made a step to the side.
"Please use the Replacement Technique on my chair."
I did the hand seals in a quick and clean fashion so he could observe them and did as he asked.
That done, I repeated the jutsu so I was back in front of his desk.
Daikoku nodded, it seemed like he was keeping his reactions in check this time.
"Now change into Iwana-sensei."
A second of concentration and I displayed a picture-perfect Transformation.
It was still frail, but it could do a decent amount of interaction and even cast a fitting shadow.
To be honest this one was a work in progress for as long as I wanted it to be.
Depending on my familiarity with the person I could do voices without trouble and with the right amount of fine-tuning regarding the Yang-chakra I could theoretically scale the haptic feedback to an insane level.
"Done." I responded in Iwana's gravelly voice.
"Very good, can you do three clones?"
Still in my transformation, I did three clones and made them look like Iwana, too.
After a second the clones and I seamlessly transformed into my real appearance.
"Well, you weren't joking, that certainly was impressive."
"Thank you."
"Would you please stay after class tomorrow so we can take a measure of your Tai-jutsu."
He eyed me for a second.
"Given your display just now I'm certain you weren't going all out in the spars with your peers, were you?"
"I was focusing on my form during the academy spars, but yes, I can go faster and hit harder."
"I thought so, like I said, tomorrow after class."
I nodded, said my good-bye and went my ways. I was at the door when I saw Daikoku take notes out of the corner of my eye.
I was standing across Iwana in the sparring ring as we made our Seal of Confrontation. Daikoku was off to the side clipboard in hand, ready to take notes.
"I'm capable of the Shunshin, just so you know." It would be a heap of trouble if I somehow managed to knock out my sensei, because he underestimated me and by some kind of dumb lucky strike.
"Duly noted."
He could at least try to make an effort in hiding his boredom.
'Very well'
"Daikoku-sensei, you said all out, are nin-jutsu allowed?" Just in case.
"For crying out loud! Yes, just get on with it!" Iwana answered instead.
I stood straight, bowed again in mock deference and just caught him roll his eyes.
'All right, asshole, I'm going to make sure to hurt you at least once.'
I breathed out and went for it.
A seamless Shunshin followed by a straightforward high kick, my shin aimed directly for his head.
What I lacked in creativity or instincts like those prodigies with their fancy moves I more than made up with my speed and chakra-enhanced strength in my strikes.
And that's exactly what my sensei just felt given his wince when he blocked with his forearm instead of ducking.
Instead of following through, I used my left foot and his raised forearm to jump away again and landed a few feet directly in front of him. I saw him get in a fighting stance, apparently someone was taking me seriously now.
No matter, the instant my foot touched the ground I was in another Shunshin.
A faint to his left, I left a clone in place, another Shunshin and I was on his right. My right elbow going full-steam directly for his liver.
He wasn't the Tai-jutsu instructor for nothing however as he disregarded my clone and used his backhand to guide my elbow to the side and me slightly off-balance.
Thinking quickly, my shoulder obstructing my hands I weaved three lightning-quick hand seals and used my momentum for a spinning hook kick.
I relished in his sound of surprise when my leg suddenly became three. One heel aimed at his solar plexus, one at his lower abdomen and one aimed straight for his groin.
It was petty, but if he had shown a modicum of respect at the start I would have pointed my real leg somewhere else.
Now, however, he crumpled to his knees, his face twisted with pain and his eyes widened as I used my remaining momentum to punch him full-force in the face with a vicious glee I hadn't thought possible.
Thankfully Daikoku was there and held my fist inches from Iwana's face, things could have become very unpleasant if he hadn't stopped me.
Iwana's wide-eyed gaze was still on me and I quickly tried to school my expression.
I couldn't help it, in my entire life, both of them, I never dished out violence, but this was intoxicating.
It felt like the runner's high of violence.
Hurting Hana during sparring was the furthest thing from my mind so I consciously or unconsciously held back all the time, but with someone that was almost asking for it, it was the first time I could really cut loose and that was a new experience.
Long story short, I would need to keep an eye on my emotions during fights.
"Thank you Daiki, we will continue tomorrow."
I heard the dismissal as Daikoku was trying to keep his voice light.
I nodded, made the Seal of Reconciliation and left as nonchalant as possible.
Concentrating for a second I sensed Hana thankfully waiting for me at the academy entrance.
I rounded the corner and tried to appear relaxed.
"You are tense. How did it go?" She immediately asked with a frown.
But there was no way for me to fool her nose, especially after her steep improvement.
I came to a halt near her and concentrated again, this time with more intent.
Around us nothing or nobody stood out, but I focused on my two teachers.
I breathed a small sigh of relief when I still felt them in the sparring ring.
Apparently word of my display hasn't left the academy yet.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked into the concerned gaze of my friend.
"What's wrong?"
I took her hand and gently guided her back on the academy grounds and towards the small woods around it.
"Come."
I didn't care if I was overly paranoid, but I wanted to make sure that there were no passersby, that could dilute my sensing. I wanted to make sure we were alone.
We came to a spot I deemed alright and we settled on a fallen log.
She showed her maturity and the reason why I liked her when she waited for me to gather my thoughts and explain things.
"Could you check if someone is around, please?"
Without asking for my reasons, she concentrated for a second just like I did earlier.
"I don't smell anybody." That was good enough for me.
"I overdid it during the Tai-jutsu test and nearly punched Iwana-sensei's lights out if Daikoku-sensei hadn't stopped me."
Her eyes widened, but I motioned for her to keep listening.
"Listen, people will soon learn that I can do medical nin-jutsu as well and they will put me in the same box as people like Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake, which will open a whole new can of worms."
I paused and started to pace in front of Hana.
"This has to stay between us!"
She nodded, eyes wide, clearly not understanding where I was going with this.
"I know this sounds crazy, but you know ANBU right, those masked guys being all secretive and shit? I never told this anybody, but when I was in the hospital after the Kyuubi attack two creepy guys discussed my potential." I paused, glad that I refrained from giving Hana any names.
"One said I was too old and the other said I was too young and had no potential. So clearly some kids get snatched up and put into some kind of program."
"I'm telling you this, because I don't know what is going to happen. Am I going to graduate early like that Itachi and put on a regular team or am I going to be drafted into some kind of program because I'm an orphan without connections?"
Maybe I was pulling on some big-sister instincts, because she grabbed my hand and pulled me on the log next to her again.
"I…, I don't know what to say, we could talk to Mum…"
I squeezed her hand and interrupted her again.
"I'm not worried about me, things might become unpleasant, but that's okay. And like I said, this has to stay between us!" I looked her straight in the eye, conveying that I was serious about this.
The last thing I wanted was for this nice little girl to be dragged into the circles that the likes of Danzo and Orochimaru frequented.
I sighed.
"I guess I'm telling you this, because I don't want you to be worried if I'm suddenly gone for who knows how long. Shinobi-lifestyle isn't exactly known for caring about personal feelings in the line of duty."
I saw that she was definitely shaken by my whole spiel and still a bit speechless.
Thinking furiously I tried to come up with something that might distract her at least long enough to calm down.
Still holding her hand I stood up and pulled her along.
"Do you have any preferred food in mind? I still have enough cash from the previous month at free disposal."
I was relieved when she put her arm around my shoulder in her usual manner, telling the world I was her little buddy. For now it was alright, but I dreaded the day she became a young woman and I was stuck in a hormonal teenager body.
"You still want to become a medic, or veterinarian I guess, right?"
She hummed in the affirmative.
"I am no expert, but are there ways to smell venom and poison? You know, detect and identify them in the way that the right treatment can be done?"
The setting sun was bathing the mess hall with a nice orange glow and the silence was only punctured by the occasional sip of the tea as Hifumi and I were taking our time to wind down from our respective days.
Seeing Hifumi finish her cup I downed mine.
"There might be questions coming regarding my education."
"Oh, how come?"
"Yesterday I asked my sensei if it would be possible to do some extracurricular projects, because I felt I was too advanced for the regular stuff."
"And?"
"Well, let's just say, that I exceeded their expectations…by far." I added a bit sheepishly.
"You seem worried about your results."
"It's, just, I know you teaching me isn't exactly normal and my skills for my age either, so I don't want you to get into hot water, because you helped me."
"What do you think I will tell them, to whoever you think will come?" She poured herself another cup.
"That a dedicated little boy was shaped by the trauma that was the Kyuubi attack and sought the company of the adults around him. Thus he matured faster than his peers and continued to show a remarkable maturity for his age. Intelligent and driven, yet he couldn't forget the helplessness of said night and set out to become a strong shinobi."
She casually took another sip, while I stared at her
"As he asked me for help to unlock his chakra I decided it to be safer to guide him along than let him experiment on his own and potentially injure himself. His incredible dedication and potential had me quickly teach him various control exercises, to the point where I thought medical ninjutsu to be possible."
Another sip. Silence.
"Have I missed anything?"
"I…, no."
Suddenly she sat straighter, her eyes widened as if she had a sudden epiphany.
"Now that I think about it, when you eventually become a famous shinobi and had some big adventures you will let me write a book about it, right? Oh, yes, and I will be the wise and gentle master, marked by her own hardships, that guided the young tragic hero onto his path."
"Sure, why not." What do you say to that?
"Oh my, your little girlfriend is quite a bit older than you, right?"
"Ah…, she's a friend and it's just four years."
She hand-waved my argument away, Hifumi was on a roll.
"Will their friendship last, can the young hero keep up with the desires of a driven young woman or will she leave him behind? Can they both look past their own desires and the age to stay together in friendship,…or maybe even something more?"
"Just,…just change the names, please."
Daikoku dismissed the class and motioned for me to come up to his desk.
"Follow me."
I did as he asked and followed in his steps. We walked down the hallway and came to a stop in front of what seemed to be a random classroom.
The door still closed, I looked up towards Daikoku.
He just stepped to the side and nodded once sharply towards the door, obviously wanting me to carry on alone. Understanding the hint I opened the door and stepped inside.
I stopped short, suddenly glad that I had my crisis of confidence yesterday.
Turning mechanically on the spot, I used the moment to calm down and closed the door behind me.
That done, I faced Danzo Shimura sitting at the teacher's desk just like Daikoku did moments before.
His gaze was on me and I shook myself internally out of my stupor.
"I was asked to come here." And gave a slight bow.
He kept quiet and just motioned for me to step in front of the desk. As I stepped closer I saw what seemed to be a closed file, probably mine.
"Daiki Ito, currently seven years old and soon to start your third year in the academy."
"Correct."
"Your teacher forwarded a report regarding your current skill-level and after speaking with your former caretaker your file has been updated accordingly."
I saw no need to respond to that and kept quiet.
"Advanced students your age are not uncommon, during wartime graduates your age were even a common sight." He paused. "There is no war…currently."
"Nonetheless, the leaf does not waste potentially valuable resources."
"The question is, will you be considered a valuable resource."
"I intend to." I answered for lack of better things to say.
"That's why I am here. I will be the judge of your fate in Konoha." He fixed me with a stare.
I had the bad feeling, that he just meant what he said. I had his attention and depending on my performance he had the authority and means to just dump me in some shinobi grinder to be spit out as a disposable weapon pointed at who knows what.
"Leaving the academy and formally entering the service as a shinobi of the leaf may grant a certain independence but it also demands a responsibility to always fulfill your given tasks." He paused.
"Failure will have consequences from now on."
My eyes widened, there was no going back now.
"I understand."
"You will."
A beat of silence and he pulled out a rather nondescript book.
"Missions are usually given to an available shinobi most suited for the given task. According to your file, your chakra control and your current disposition towards Yin-chakra makes you an ideal candidate for a certain art."
He held up the book for me to see.
"This is the most basic introduction to gen-jutsu. You may view this as minimal information available for your current mission. Your task until the midterm of your next academy year is to reach a level I deem acceptable."
"Additionally, your teacher will provide you all the textbooks necessary until regular graduation. You will attend classes regarding tai-jutsu and weapons with the next graduation class and attend your remaining classes with your current classmates."
My eyes widened slightly as the workload was starting to pile up, seeing as I was to attend my regular classes I understood that this was meant to eat into my remaining time. I would basically have to focus all my attention on completing my task.
"A graduation exam upon the end of the previously mentioned period will also be provided by me."
'Fuck me!'
"Any questions?"
"No."
"Dismissed."
Bowing a last time I left, my mind racing a mile a minute.
I stepped into the hallway and Daikoku quietly motioned me to follow him again.
"I'll give you the textbooks and the class schedule for your tai-jutsu- and weapons-class."
We went up a flight of stairs and continued in the direction of the teacher's lounge.
"At the end of each day, I will give you the topic of the classes you missed while you attended the advanced classes. You may work on them while your year-mates are doing their tai-jutsu- and weapons-class."
I just nodded along, the first thing I was going to do at home was a long, really long, meditation session.
I desperately needed to clear my head.
Despite my fuzzy brain I thankfully still had a few brain cells I could rub together.
"Excuse me Sensei, is there a teacher that could help me with gen-jutsu?"
He eyed me, apparently he didn't know about my side quest.
"Suzume-sensei is probably your best bet."
'Oh joy.'
Thankfully the books had been in a storage scroll, I couldn't help but think, as I eyed the tower on my small dining table.
My mind had been so preoccupied and still was, that I barely paid any attention when Daikoku explained how much chakra I had to channel into a certain point to activate it.
I shook my head, I wanted to clear my mind I reminded myself.
Taking a seat on the floor I made myself comfortable.
Breathe in…breathe out…
Breathe in…breathe out…
I needed to establish a schedule for my workload.
Breathe in…breathe out…
I needed to establish priorities.
Breathe in…breathe out…
I needed ways to simplify things.
Breathe in…breathe out…
I needed to be always mindful of Root-drones taking note of my doings.
Breathe in…breathe out…
I needed to have comprehensible explanations for doing certain things.
Breathe in…breathe out…I opened my eyes.
The last part gave me a headache.
I desperately wanted to learn the Shadow Clone Technique, but how could I ever explain my knowledge of the technique or my reasons for learning it without revealing my knowledge about the intricacies of the technique.
I had the stray thought about reverse-engineering it, but I wouldn't even know where to start when it came to the memory transfer. The palpability shouldn't be a problem with the right application of Yang-chakra, but I just didn't have the time to work out the memory transfer, which was also probably related to the chakra return.
No, the Shadow Clone would have to wait unless an opportunity presented itself.
Danzo said he would provide the graduation exam for me.
That was something I had to keep in mind the whole time, the guy was a full-blown fanatic, but what exactly could it mean for me?
I was still tense as hell.
In two weeks the next term was about to start and my eighth birthday wasn't too far of either.
Two weeks, I would give myself these two weeks to set everything up and go from there.
I started pacing, I really needed to get a grip on my nerves. This was starting to feel like fucking exam nerves already.
I saw the gen-jutsu book on my table and couldn't stop the scowl.
"Fucking gen-jutsu."
I never thought I would have to use my classmates as guinea pigs.
I was close to tearing my hair out again.
This whole genjutsu business was really testing my nerves and I was seriously starting to question my own intelligence.
Hunched over the book Danzo gave me I occasionally glanced at Hifumi's book, which was opened at the anatomy section concerning the head and brain.
I had the distinct impression I was making this harder than it really was.
The sheer number of diversity when it came to techniques and their respective mechanics had my head spinning.
One such a distinction was the trap-based genjutsu were you had to layer an area with your chakra, which then would, depending on the technique, affect the victim's senses. You could leave the trap alone and run the risk of the chakra dissipating on its own, somehow anchor it somewhere, probably seals if I had to guess, or you could keep the trap alive by remaining in the area and feed it with your chakra.
Then there was the straightforward variant with the attacker directly guiding his chakra into the brain of the victim to produce the desired effect with a minimal amount of chakra necessary.
This was the easiest part, but suddenly there's a bunch of differences between the common Demonic Illusions and the hundreds of genjutsu affecting the senses. From the molding of the chakra at the beginning to the different parts in the brain that are targeted. One used a simple formula to draw forth a predictable but intense vision, the other had to be meticulously guided to the right spot to give the barely noticeable effect, that could have devastating consequences for the victim.
With sight-based genjutsu you had to take perspectives into account, with this jutsu you had to that and so on and so forth.
The frustrating thing was that the book was explaining the basics of what was happening, but not how it was done.
I looked towards the clock at my wall between the bathroom and the closet and closed my books.
One week in and I was making progress, but it always felt like it wasn't enough.
I did my allotted time for the day regarding genjutsu and was making myself comfortable.
I made it my routine after dealing with this particular subject to always take 15 to 20 minutes just to set my head straight again and let go of the tension.
Anyway, I had some serious respect for that Kurenai lady now.
Breathing out for a last time I stood up, did some makeshift stretches to work out the kinks and made my way to the bathroom.
Inadvertently I kept thinking about my weekly schedule. Was there anything I could or should tweak?
Tomorrow was Saturday, a whole day meant to stay on top of my practical skills, from entrapment to taijutsu and everything in-between.
Sundays, in turn, were reserved for rest and recreation. To pass the time when it wasn't spent with Hifumi and probably more often than not Hana I wanted to start browsing the history section of the Konoha Library, at least the parts open to those without shinobi ID like me.
That had been a setback I honestly expected but it still smarted at the time when I learned that most shinobi-related stuff was restricted. Deciding that I hadn't wanted my trip to the library to be pointless I went to the section that actually was open to the public.
In hindsight, it was a stroke of luck because I realized that I needed these kinds of impulses to trigger my spotty memories regarding the given topic.
For example, remembering the Nidaime being quite the badass I decided to read a bit about him, which in turn made me remember the fight between Orochimaru and the Sandaime. This in turn again made me remember that they used some kind of genjutsu using darkness and that the Sandaime could summon the monkey boss. All these little tidbits started to trickle back into my memories and I started to ask myself what else I had already forgotten.
Stepping into the shower I let the water wash away these particular worries and focused on the more pressing problem.
My remaining weekdays after my stints in the academy were filled by the books for the advanced classes and me working my way through the years. To keep myself from going full-hermit I usually picked up Hana at her aunt's clinic during the afternoon when her shift ended to grab something to eat or just laze about at the stream near the cemetery.
Hana's development and in particular her starting at her aunt's place gave me a much-needed relief, that I only realized after a while. One aspect was that she was kept busy herself so that she didn't notice my workload and the other aspect was her pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian or medic much more in-depth. She probably wouldn't want to hear it and it surely wasn't a very patriotic thought to keep a strong asset tucked away in a clinic or hospital, but I was starting to like the thought of having her as far away as possible from some of the shit outside these walls.
Having brushed my teeth and ready for bed my eyes landed once again on that damn book Danzo gave me and with it once again without failure my problem rushed to the forefront of my mind again.
Funny thing is, I wasn't even sure if it was a real problem to begin with.
It came to me last week when I walked Hana home and thought about how to approach her mother regarding genjutsu. It should have been simple, but the whole time I had this intangible itch that kept me bothered. When it suddenly had clicked however I involuntarily stopped in the middle of the road much to Hana's confusion.
Danzo hadn't said his name in that classroom, he didn't introduce himself.
Why?
With that I had put approaching adult shinobis on hold until I thought things through.
Was this some weird underneath the underneath shenanigans?
When he described my task, why was he associating it with regular missions?
If I am to treat my task as a mission, would I have to see my steps in a different light?
Would asking Tsume or somebody else be considered as spilling the beans to someone unauthorized?
Then there was the fact that I would reveal Danzo's involvement to her.
Even a simple question as 'why?' would stump me.
Danzo wants me to do this. How did I know his name?
A creepy old man, who looks like this and that, wants me to do this. That was surely going to fly so much better.
Did I even want to risk her getting involved in the Danzo business? No, because I had the feeling she might make a fuss about it given my age and that could be unhealthy if in some worst-case horror scenario Danzo decided to make a lesson out of it.
'Failure will have consequences from now on.' I wasn't going to forget this little gem he tossed me.
No, I would do this a different way, the sneaky way.
I needed to learn an actual genjutsu to make real advances in regards to understanding them.
So that's why I was going to use a leaf out of my own book.
'Shibire' Thank God, that name stuck around.
I watched and listened as Hana demonstrated the setting of a trap she learned at the end of last year.
Incidentally, it wasn't just for my benefit, because I was sure it wouldn't hurt Hana to revisit old topics.
Looking over her shoulder I followed her step by step.
Who was I kidding, she breezed through every single hand movement and knot while explaining things to me without missing a hitch.
When I saw her admire her handiwork I decided to ask my question.
"Say, could you do me a favor?"
"Hmm?" She looked at me questioningly.
"There was a guy called Shibire, roughly around your age, probably older. Could you check in the academy if he's still attending or if he graduated?"
"What for?"
"It's for a project I'm working on." I paused until I had a thought.
"I treat you to whatever food you want later and I owe you if you don't ask any questions."
For the home run I gave her my best salesman smile.
She eyed me with a frown until she suddenly crossed her arms and harrumphed in what probably was supposed to be a ladylike manner.
"Very well then, we will dine at the Yakiniku Q, dear Daiki-kun." She dared me to protest.
I held back the wince, she wanted me feel that one. The barbecue-trip sure as hell was going to leave a dent in my purse.
"As you wish," I bowed keeping up the act. "Only the best for you?"
Hana came up to me during the second break.
"He graduated with the last batch."
"Thank you." I heaved a sigh of relief, it was good to have confirmation.
"Remember, no questions." I smiled up at her.
"Remember, you still owe me one." She smiled with fake cheer right back me and I couldn't help but laugh.
"That I do." Now on to phase two.
I concentrated for a second and found Daikoku in the teacher's lounge, so that's where I went.
Staring at the door I cleared my throat quietly, got myself in the right mood and finally knocked on the door.
To my slight amusement Iwana opened the door, he wasn't particularly fond of me after our little spar, and I had the feeling that my smile was just a tad too bright given the way he pursed his lips upon seeing me.
"Excuse me Sensei, could I speak to Daikoku-sensei."
Apparently the man in question heard me and came into view on his own.
"How can I help you Daiki?"
"I heard that Shibire graduated recently. He helped me quite a lot at the start and I wanted to congratulate him. Unfortunately, I don't know where he lives." That sounded sincere enough to my ears at least.
"Could you give me an address or point me in the right direction?"
"We don't have his file anymore, but let me think, I believe he lives with his father in the southern district."
"He lives directly east of the public park there." Iwana added surly but very helpfully.
I stared at him for a second and bowed quickly.
"Thank you very much."
"Hn."
"Was that all?"
"Yes, thank you again." With the information in the bag, I made my way outside again to enjoy the rest of the break.
"Who's…" Her damn ears.
I laughed and channeled good old Nedry "Ah ah ah."
I was doing good progress on the advanced class-front so I decided to spend the next few days after academy in the area Iwana pointed out on the lookout for my target.
Hana and my daily genjutsu hour before bed were left untouched by this little inclusion in my schedule.
It was on the third day when my patience was finally rewarded. No idea if my hunch paid off or if it was just luck, but I positioned myself on a roof, that overlooked the main street coming from the administration building. I thought a fresh genin would probably spend a significant part of his days doing d-rank missions and at the end head straight home.
Lo and behold! My target just came into view, hair color and style still the same, which made things for me significantly easier. Just to be safe I focused my sensing on him for a few minutes to memorize his signature in case I had to find him again.
Readying myself I waited until he almost reached the building I hid on and jumped down to the connecting side street.
Bored expression in place I went ahead and rounded the corner to step directly in Shibire's path. Upon coming face to face, I adopted a surprised expression.
"Shibire?!"
He startled and eyed me confused, I forged ahead unbothered.
"So you made it to genin, congratulations."
"Ah, yeah, thanks." He visibly struggled with remembering my name so I helped him along.
"It's Daiki," I cheerfully pointed at me, my tone light, "remember the tree walking exercise?"
"Oh, yes, uh…hi."
"So, how is life as genin? Did you learn anything cool?"
He shrugged, clearly uninterested in the conversation with this slightly taller yet still pushy boy.
"Nah, just missions and some training so far!"
I nodded in fake understanding, readying myself for the main act of this whole charade.
"Say, do you remember our little deal?"
"Yeah…" He sounded suspicious, probably remembering my threats regarding secrecy.
"See, I learned this advanced exercise, maybe you heard of it, water walking."
He kept quiet, waiting for me to elaborate.
"The great thing about this exercise is the more you use it the better your control AND size is going to be." Which was pretty obvious and true for almost all exercises, but how was he supposed to know.
"And what do you want in return?" Someone was catching on quickly here.
"Alright, I'm working on this project and for that I need to learn a jutsu."
I held up my hand, forestalling whatever he was about to say.
"Don't worry, you don't know anything I don't already know."
Oops! Let's hope he didn't take it as an insult.
"I need your genin-status."
"Why, what for?" He clearly was becoming somewhat uncomfortable with the direction I was heading.
"The Konoha Library, and I don't mean the Archive here, has a section dealing with various jutsu, which are probably all non-sensitive and not particularly destructive."
I was going with a gut feeling here and tried to make it sound as non-threatening as possible.
"Thing is, you need a Shinobi-ID to get access to the section. That's where you come into play, I need you to go there under some kind of pretense." I thought for a second to give him a plausible excuse to minimize the chance of him fucking it up somehow.
"Let's say, your sensei gave you the idea to branch out a bit and you want to try your hand at genjutsu. To see if you have the disposition you want to learn one of the easier jutsu to get a feel for it."
I eyed him critically for a second.
"You can remember that, right? Just keep it easy and sound casual."
"I can do that."
'You better!'
"Good, when you are inside I want you to copy whatever genjutsu you can get your hands on, if you can actually borrow the scroll or book all the better."
He hesitated. Why was that dumb idiot hesitating?
"Tell you what, if everything goes according to plan I'll teach you the Shunshin. Deal?"
I stuck out my hand to seal it.
'Give paw!'
"Deal."
'Good boy.'
It was two days later as I watched my victim from my vantage point walk down the street, scroll luckily in hand, for a considerable amount of time now.
There was no way around it, Shibire was a victim in my scheme here.
It only came to me now as I watched him.
I just pulled a Mizuki on a naïve young boy.
On one hand he really really should have known better, we learned about this shit in the academy. On the other hand I more or less inadvertently set him up as my fall man in case something went wrong.
I had the excuse of being a very young academy student with exceptional circumstances, Shibire was a full-fledged shinobi of Konoha, no matter the age.
I had debated with myself about aborting, not taking the scroll, but I was reasonably sure, that Shibire was already in hot water, regardless of my next step.
I couldn't confirm it with all these shinobis in my vicinity most of the time, but I was sure my doings were under surveillance, even if it was just by a random Root newbie doing it as an exercise.
If Danzo knew that you are susceptible to bribery and prone to hand out information to unauthorized people, I would bet that things might become very uncomfortable for you.
I shook my head.
'Fuck it'
I would take the scroll, hold up my end of the deal and then close this particular chapter.
Out of sight, out of mind.
He actually did a good job. As far as I could tell he did a complete copy of the original in neat handwriting, who would have thought that?
The Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique, d-rank.
The most basic of the Demonic Illusion-family.
It's one of the easiest and most suited for beginners, because it taught the implementation of genjutsu in general and upon entry in the victim just took their greatest fear without further assistance of the caster. Just mold the chakra the right way, direct it roughly to the right area and boom, done.
It's basically the genjutsu-equivalent of using a sledgehammer on an old wooden door. Not particularly subtle but it gets the job done that it is supposed to. Thing is, genjutsu tend to work better the subtler they are, so there is that.
Regardless, the jutsu that he got me is both, good and bad, for me.
I learned and understood it easily enough, I was even confident, that I could do it. The problem was that on my own I had no way of confirming it. I needed to perform the jutsu on someone else to see where I actually stood. That's where things got complicated, the jutsu while simple usually had a violent or traumatic theme which I honestly didn't want to subject anybody to, even more so on my first try.
I just couldn't stomach the thought of fucking up and leaving someone with a lasting trauma or worse.
I needed professional help.
I waited and waited and then I waited some more next to the closed classroom door.
My school day ended about 40 minutes ago, but since I wished to talk to Suzume I needed to wait until she was finished with the first kunoichi-class of the current first graders.
Extending my sensing all over the place thankfully was a good distraction for a good portion of the time.
Besides the differences in the size, I was starting to get a feel for the more subtle distinctions. Their nature perhaps? That said, you could only go so often over the different signatures in the nearby room.
Funnily enough, I did sense a signature a bit larger than mine in the trees outside the academy, probably with a decent view into the classroom I would enter.
Sighing, I tried something that I remembered when I recently read a little section about Sunagakure during the last war. At that moment when I was having my trip down memory lane, I had unintentionally stared at the book Hifumi gifted me and a sudden thought about her chakra control exercise flitted through my head.
Extending my chakra over a distance from a minuscule point on my fingertips reminded me rather strongly of the chakra strings those puppeteers used.
To be frank I had absolutely zero intention of ever becoming a puppeteer. I mean, it's childish, but who would rather stand back and dangle wooden dolls around than unleash a firestorm or perform a badass taijutsu combo?
I couldn't, however, think of a good reason not to learn those strings, which seemed dead useful.
Frighteningly enough my first thought was about assassination. Attach a senbon, poisoned or not, to a single barely visibly chakra string and guide it through a keyhole, tiny gab or whatever and kill the sleeping target inside their room with a stab to the temple or something. The deed is done, you reel in the string with the weapon and leave.
No weapon left behind, no struggle, no sign of entry, virtually unnoticeable.
Fucking hell, I was starting to get unhinged. Was I that scared of this world that I was trying to kill everybody else before they killed me?
…
Nah, it'll be fine.
'Ringing?'
Suddenly the door next to me slid open and a gaggle of little girls rushed past me.
'Pink hair, huh?...wait a…oooh'
'Nope, not going to touch that batch with a ten-foot pole!'
"It's showtime!" I mouthed to myself and stepped on the threshold. Proper manners were the name of the game here.
I knocked three times purposefully on the doorframe.
"Excuse me, Sensei." A quick, precise bow. "May I have a moment of your time?"
'Man, I'm good, should ditch the shinobi stuff and become a butler.'
I saw Suzume-sensei right her glasses and motion for me to step inside.
"You may, how can I help you Daiki-kun?"
'Good signs so far, carry on'
"I have a problem with genjutsu and Daikoku-sensei mentioned you would be the most knowledgeable regarding the subject."
"I'm sure Daikoku is more than capable enough to help you with dispelling genjutsu."
"The various forms of dispelling are no problem."
Although learning to bite my tongue hard enough was a literal pain. I'm sure I reached some kind of beginner masochist level along the way.
"I learned the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique and I'm confident that I can perform it, but I'm unwilling to practice the technique unless it's in the presence of someone qualified."
'Acceptable answer, points deduction for unnecessary wordiness, however.'
She stared at me with a blank face.
"You learned… a genjutsu?"
"Yes, it's part of my graduation exam." I kept my tone light, trying to make this whole business sound as conventional as possible.
"I see."
'This again.'
"I need to reach a certain mastery of the art and I would appreciate it if I could come to you for aid."
"Very well." She sorted the paperwork on her desk and seemed to be gathering her thoughts.
I waited and refrained from proposing some kind of deal. I had the feeling she wouldn't react favorably to bribery or the insinuation that an eight-year-old had something that she wanted or needed.
"Genjutsu is a delicate and dangerous art only to be practiced under supervision, that's why I appreciate your show of maturity by coming to your teachers, which is the reason, why I will help you. I will, however, expect the same maturity and dedication for the duration of these lessons."
"Of course."
"Currently I have to review the last class, so please come back tomorrow after you finished your classes. You can ask for me in the teacher's lounge."
"Thank you, Suzume-sensei." A short bow and for good measure. "Have a nice day."
"Likewise."
The instant I stepped out of the academy I suddenly had a lump of dread and insecurity stuck in my throat.
The reason for my moment of crisis hadn't noticed me yet and continued to swing along.
Yes, hit me with the cliché picture of sadness and loneliness of the franchise when I least expect it.
Was this some kind of 'character-defining moment' for me?
I could just shunshin away and carry on, but fucking hell, I would feel like an absolute asshole and it would eat at me for who knew how long.
A quick brainstorm, did I already do something that could affect Naruto?
Hifumi, no, Hana…Hana and Kiba…Kiba and Naruto…same class…fight…Chunin Exam…
Fuck!
I made Hana stronger and motivated her, which was surely going to motivate Kiba by extension.
This in turn probably will make him stronger, strong enough to beat Naruto.
No Naruto in the Chunin Finals, that…that might be problematic. Would it really be problematic? Was it my problem?
I sighed in defeat and misery, I promised myself years ago I wouldn't get bogged down by these what-ifs anymore.
What was it?
'I wouldn't look for trouble, but I would help when I could and damn the butterfly effects it would generate.'
Damn it!
I casually made my way towards him, intend to keep things from getting sappy.
"Yo, you alright there?"
He startled and nearly fell from the swing. Coming to a stop he looked at me.
"'m fine." Urgh, he even sounded incredibly sad and lonely.
Time for some tough love to get him out of this funk.
"Aren't your parents waiting or something?" I felt bad for a second, but I had a plan.
"I have no parents." He sounded even smaller now.
"Orphan, huh. Welcome to the club." I said it with a casualness, that made him look up at me with wide eyes.
"So, you go to the academy, too?" I nodded at the building behind me.
"Yeah."
"Cool, so what are you doing here? Don't you have homework or training to do?" I put him on the spot here a bit.
He kept quiet.
"Let me guess, you feel lonely, sad and maybe even a tiny bit bored?" I said with my hands in my pockets.
A nod.
"Well, come on then." I started my trek around the academy building towards the practice yard, confident that the kid was going to follow me.
Sure enough, I heard him running to catch up with me.
"Where are we going?"
"Towards the practice yard."
"Why?"
"'Cause you feel lonely, sad and maybe even a tiny bit bored."
"I don't get it."
'Don't worry Daniel-san, you will.'
I stopped at the running track and pointed at it.
"Well, get running." I stared at him, he stared right back.
"Why."
"Because I'm older, wiser and generally an all-around badass." I deadpanned, still staring at him.
"Now start running until I say stop." I nodded towards the track for emphasis.
And off he went.
I prepared myself for a long wait and started my new exercise.
Extending my chakra from my fingertip I stared at the thread-like chakra construct.
It was rigid, like I practiced with the blade of grass, and intangible.
What I wanted…
"What are you doing?" I heard Naruto panting.
"I didn't say stop." I kept my eyes on my fingertip and replied in a no-nonsense voice, that apparently got the job done.
What I wanted was flexibility and tangibility.
Let's start with flexibility, which meant…intent, visualization...which meant Yin-chakra.
I looked up for a second to see what my temporary charge was doing and was glad to see him still doing his laps. I did notice the exhaustion creep into his breathing, too, which made me feel slightly bad for my rather harsh tone earlier.
'Fuck it.'
I saw that his back was currently in my direction and placed a picture-perfect clone in my place. That done I shunshin'd to the nearby market and went ahead to buy two small packets juice.
On my way back I did a short stop on the academy roof to look at Naruto's position and when his back was towards my clone again I shunshin'd to my previous place and dispelled the clone in one sweep.
It was another 30 minutes when the kid finally fell to his knees, panting his lungs out.
I jumped next to him as he lay flat on his back.
"So, how do you feel?" I asked cheerfully.
No response, still panting.
"Just nod or shake your head, alright."
"Do you feel lonely right now?"
A shake.
"Do you feel sad right now?"
Another shake, he was starting to get his breathing under control.
"Do you feel a tiny bit bored right now?"
He was starting to sit upright and stared at me.
"No."
I happily gave him two thumbs up and handed him the packets juice.
"There you go, I'm awesome like that."
"Thank you." What's with the small voice?
I wasn't sure if he understood where I was going, but to be honest, I probably wouldn't have gotten it either, so time to spell it out.
"Listen, no idea if this is going to make sense to you, but it helped me."
I crouched down, eye-level seemed the way to go.
"From orphan to orphan, being sad or lonely is alright, but we can't get dragged down by stuff like this. As kids, we always have to work a little bit harder than the others, which is fine, too, no point in crying over spilled milk."
I paused, gathering my thoughts. Hopefully nobody notices that I'm bullshitting my way through this.
"Maybe it's different for you, but I always liked training. I enjoy improving myself, always being able to run a little bit faster, a little bit longer, jump through the trees a tiny bit quicker and so on. I want to be able to do the stuff those adult shinobis can do. "
Another pause.
"So whenever I felt lonely or sad when I was your age I went training. I trained until I couldn't continue, because by this point I was just too exhausted to feel lonely or sad, but I was happy 'cause I knew the next day or the day after tomorrow I was going to be able to do everything a tiny bit better."
He was staring at me with wide eyes as I was starting to get a handle on this.
"Then I went home, showered, did my homework and went to bed. No time to be sad. And you wanna know the best thing about this whole training stuff?"
"Yes" He answered with breathless anticipation.
"You become quite the badass shinobi who can protect Konoha."
I pointed my thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the Hokage monument for emphasis. Internally I was applauding myself for the genius move.
"You see, for me it's like this, Konoha is my home. It's where I feel safe and comfortable, which is nice and dandy." I shrugged my shoulders, showing what that really meant to me.
"It's however also the home of two people I really like. I don't have many people, which is fine with me, but I want to keep these two people safe and happy at all costs, so what do I have to do?"
He waited with bated breath.
"Easy, they are safe when Konoha is safe and they are happy when their friends and families are safe. So I do my best to keep Konoha safe and by extension, I keep my friends safe and happy."
I finished, not entirely happy how I ended that whole …thing.
"How?"
"Hmm?"
"How did you meet these people, how did you make them friends?"
Oh god, don't sound so desperate.
I scratched my head.
"I guess it was by chance. We met, they got to know me and liked me, and I did the same. Stay how you are and at some point people will come along."
I wasn't sure at what base he currently was with his relationships.
"Don't you know anybody?"
"I think there's the old man and old man Teuchi and Ayame-neechan."
"There you go, be nice, be friendly and be yourself and treasure the people you have. You don't collect friends like, I don't know, toys or something. They come on their own or they don't, easy as that."
So, enough of that.
I dusted my hands off on my pants. That was my sad Jinchūriki-quota for the next five years. All in all, I would give myself a respectable 6 out of 10 on the Mr. Miyagi-scale.
"Oh right, be yourself, but don't be an asshole, nobody likes assholes and bullies!"
7 out of 10.