x.
chapter ten - blood in the cut
After finishing my letters, I put them in my bag along with Jin's, and set off to find Toshiki.
Instead of finding him inside the hotel, I detected his chakra a few blocks away. If I didn't know what to hone in on, my chakra radar would have given me a headache at the influx of chakra signatures I had to bypass to focus on Toshiki's.
Leisurely making my way to his signature, I found myself outside a restaurant called "Yakiniku Q". The name was familiar to me, but didn't stand out as much as Ramen Ichiraku did.
Walking inside, it was almost easy to spot the dark-haired boy. Toshiki sat with someone who was probably his fellow classmate, and a shinobi that was most likely the one assigned to be their guardian.
"Toshiki," I greeted with a nod upon reaching their table.
"Kyojin-kun," Toshiki greets me in turn, a surprised look on his face. "I didn't expect to see you here—"
Not wanting to be stuck having a full-blown conversation (and be forced to undergo introductions with his acquaintances), I went ahead and cut to the chase. "Jin told me you had some letters you wanted to get to Suna?"
"Oh, yes, I do—" He shifted in his seat to dig through the bag he kept over his shoulder (probably full of useless material required for the Academy). A moment later, Toshiki handed me a single scroll with a small smile. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."
Before I could successfully say my goodbyes, the girl beside Toshiki garnered my attention. She looked younger than me, but was somehow in Toshiki's year at the Academy— my best guess was that instead of successfully graduating early, she was moved up to more experienced classes.
I had the opportunity to do that as well, but didn't feel up to leaving Jin and Murai just yet, especially if it meant facing a room full of uppity kids that were twice my size. My patience probably couldn't handle being harassed by children with easily bruised egos.
The girl looked familiar enough to have me look twice at her, but not enough to have who she was register in my mind. Her hair was brown, as was most of Suna's population, and her eyes were gray. The most prominent features she had were the purple markings that traced her cheek bones.
"Who's this?" The said girl I was scrutinizing asked, unaware of my blatant observing.
Toshiki blinked down at the younger girl. "Oh— This is Kyojin-kun. He's my kōhai." He paused "And technically yours, too. He's familiar with the messaging system here, so I asked him to send a letter to my family in Suna for me."
"Oh," the girl said with a frown, as if she expected something more exciting. "I'm familiar with it, too. Why didn't you ask me?"
"You never told me you knew, so I didn't think to ask." His response seemed to hold some irritance in it, despite how politely he said it. "This is my classmate, Maki. She was also chosen to represent our year in Konoha."
"Nice to meet you, Kyojin," the girl greeted me, removing herself from the table to give my hand a shake. I was a little surprised at the mature gesture; she was very professional for her age apparently. Toshiki seemed to be used to the behavior, because he simply sighed.
Their guardian didn't say a word, looking happy to just sit and watch the exchange. Honestly, I didn't mind— I had been wanting to avoid introductions anyway.
"Yeah…" I said, weakly shaking her hand in return. "Well, I'm gonna go send these off now. Have a good lunch."
"Thanks again, Kyojin-kun," Toshiki said with an apologetic smile.
As I walked away, I heard their guardian give an amused chuckle. "Looks like you scared him away, Maki-chan."
After dealing with the letters, I decided there wasn't much left to do other than head back to the hotel. I'd probably spend the rest of the day making trap blueprints and testing some poisons using the plant life that is local to Konoha.
My plans all seemed to go out the metaphorical window when I arrived at my hotel to a see a familiar figure waiting outside of it.
"Obito…?" I asked, a confused frown on my face as I approached the dark-haired boy. "What are you doing here?"
Upon noticing me, Obito wasted no time in rushing towards me, saving me the trouble of having to walk the rest of the way. "Kyo! Finally, I've been waiting here for hours!"
I squinted my eyes at him, letting him know how transparent his lie was. I hadn't even been gone that long, so there was no way Obito had been camping outside the hotel for more than fifteen minutes.
It didn't take long for Obito to cave under my glare. "Okay, fine— But when we get there, you're telling them that I was waiting for—"
"Wait, where are we going?"
"Oh—! Well, it's why I came to get you. The team usually goes out once a week to eat— Sensei, says it's to build our relationship with each other, but Kakashi will forever and always be a bastard—"
"Obito."
"—Anyways! We're going to eat today, and Sensei suggested we invite you. So, are you interested?" He smiled at me, giving a cheesy wink that made me want to hit him, but also laugh at the same time.
"Sure, sounds cool to me."
"Awesome!" Obito whooped, leading the way to our destination.
xxx
Obito brought me to the familiar ramen stand, Ichiraku's. Most of the seats were already taken by the members of Team Seven, who looked less than pleased to see Obito and I approach— I was mainly speaking about Kakashi here.
"You're late," the masked boy said with narrowed eyes.
I sighed, giving Obito a deadpan expression. The Uchiha laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "What can I say—"
"Nothing," Kakashi instantly said before turning back to the bowl of ramen in front of him.
Rin gave me an apologetic look. "Don't feel bad, Kyojin-kun. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to let Obito get you— considering his track record…" She trailed off, glancing at said boy who looked like a kicked puppy right about now. "Ah, no offense Obito-kun!"
"No, it's okay!" Obito forced out with a chuckle, but I could still see the pain in his dark eyes. He really valued Rin's opinion, so it was no surprise that her careless words affected him.
Minato decided it was time to speak up. "We're happy you both made it regardless of the time. Take a seat— It's my treat." Obito and I didn't hesitate to do as told, sliding into the few seats that were left open. I allowed Obito to order for me again, and just like before— he was ecstatic to be given the honor.
"You say that and regret it every time," Kakashi mumbled as he shook his head.
Minato laughed. "It's not my fault Obito has the world's largest appetite." The blond grinned over at Obito, making the boy smile in turn.
"Sorry, Sensei!" Obito stuck out his tongue. "I'm a growing boy, y'know!"
"Keep it up and the only thing you'll be growing is a stomach." Kakashi was quick to defuse the cheerful atmosphere.
"I doubt it," I cut in before a fight could break out. "I've experienced your training regime— Obito works off any and all carbs he collects. Pretty impressive if you ask me…" I side-eyed Obito, relieved to see his stiffness had instantly deflated at my comment.
Kakashi, on the other hand, scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"As he should." Minato smiled. "All of you take your training seriously, and I'm proud of that. Treats like this are my way of showing my thanks for your endless hard work."
Rin, Obito, and Kakashi all seemed touched by Minato's words— saying their thanks in their own way.
Obito was the most loud and energetic in his response, whereas Rin bowed her head in a sign of respect and bashfulness as she spoke her thanks aloud. Kakashi was more quiet and serious, as if receiving Minato's approval was just as good as the touch from a god— he made direct eye contact and gave a stern "thank you very much" as his reply.
I stayed quiet, feeling as if I shouldn't be here for such a private moment.
That is, however, until Minato's smiling eyes landed on me. I stopped mid-slurp, my eyes widening in surprise at what he had to say next:
"Kyojin, you've also proved to be a dedicated student, despite not being an official member of our team. I can tell you'll go far in your shinobi career, and I'll be more than willing to vouch for you when it comes to your final examination."
Though I was touched by his words, the last thing he said confused me.
"Final examination…?"
Minato looked confused at the question, as if the answer was obvious. "Yes.. A week before you leave, all the instructors get together to review your progress, aptitude, and skill. For you, I'd be happy to stop by and give a statement on your behalf. All the evaluations combined will directly affect your chances of graduating— whether that means graduating early, or at all." He raised an eyebrow. "I thought you knew. It was mentioned during your orientation."
I resisted the urge to slam my head against the wooden bar.
"Fuck!"
"K-Kyo-kun!" Obito squawked at my outburst.
This new information, undoubtedly meant that I would have to start attending the Academy religiously until we left to return to Suna. That was, unless I didn't want to graduate early.
"Holy fuck…"
Obito once again shouted in aghast as I slammed my head directly onto the table.
Rin, Minato, and Obito looked obviously concerned at my current state. When a loud slurp was heard, however, their attention was redirected to the gray-haired boy sitting beside me.
"Guess he didn't know— Idiot."
I had some major catching up to do.
Returning to the Academy with what little pride I had, I was properly scolded for cutting classes and then sentenced to detention for the rest of the training program. Honestly, I expected to get booted from the Academy entirely, so I would willing suffer for an hour after classes ended if it meant I still had a chance at graduating early.
Unfortunately, returning to the Academy and having to attend detention severly cut into my training time― and by extension, my time with Team Seven.
As I left the Academy after sitting through detention for the fifth time this week, I couldn't help but think, 'At least I don't have to see that shithead, Kakashi.'
"Hey, idiot."
"Oh my fucking god," I groaned immediately, because of course something as awful as that would happen to me. Kakashi Hatake stood in my path, looking unbothered and annoyed all at the same time. "What do you want?" I asked, attempting to walk around him― Obviously, this means that he had to use his quick reflexes to get in front of me again.
"If you stop trying to get away from me, I can tell you." Kakashi had the nerve to roll his eyes, as if I'm the one who stopped him in the middle of the street.
Heaving a loaded sigh (that, to my satisfaction, made Kakashi twitch in annoyance), I gave the silver-haired runt my full attention. "Well?"
Kakashi glared at me, but nevertheless got straight to why he was here in the first place. The boy handed over a folded piece of paper, which I took dubiously before opening it. Kakashi explained its purpose as I read it, "Sensei told me to give it to you. Said he spoke to the Hokage about getting you moved into a more challenging grade level." He said the last part with a scoff. "Which I'm sure wasn't hard to do."
"Are we finished here? I have things to do." While I was elated about getting moved up in the Academy, I was too irritated with the runt in front of me to properly enjoy it.
"No," Kakashi replied with a glare. "As much as I wish we were..." He turned on his heel and began to walk away. When he got several feet away, he stopped to turn around and sneer at me (or at least it looked that way; hard to say with the mask covering half his face). "Well? Are you coming or what? Minato-sensei said he wanted to talk to you about the transfer."
I huffed, following after him despite my inane desire to throttle him instead. "And how the fuck was I supposed to know that?!"
"Don't let Obito hear you say that…" I heard him mutter under his breath.
I wanted to laugh at the dig, but didn't want to give him any credit for the well-placed joke.
Kakashi continued to walk at a "civilian's" pace for my benefit, though I'm sure I would have been able to keep up with him anyway. I can use chakra to enhance my abilities, after all. The bastard was probably just trying to mock me— or be considerate… Though I highly doubt the latter.
Either way, I followed him in silence until we finally arrived to our destination… Which was none other than Minato's house, by the looks of it.
Kakashi didn't stay to walk me in. He merely knocked on the door before turning to snipe at me— "have fun" —and disappeared with a gust of wind and scattered leaves.
I realized why he got the hell out of there when the door cracked open, and my senses were pummeled into the ground by an extremely loud and hot chakra signature.
"Who— !? Oh, you must be Kyojin-kun! Minato told me you were stopping by, but— Hey! Where's 'Kashi-kun? That little runt was supposed to escort you! Don't tell me that brat made you find this place all by yourself? Tsk, he's always like this, dattebane! Just wait 'till I convince Minato to let me spar with him— Then he'll learn to be a little more respectful—"
Kushina, in all her red-headed glory, continued to rant and ramble as I tried to prevent myself from fainting. Her chakra signature must have been hiding due to the seals in/around the home (as I'm sure the seal-master couple abused it with), because as soon as she opened that door… It felt like lava was poured directly onto my skin.
Not that I know what that felt like, but the point was that it burned and I was probably sweating a lot.
'Is this because of the Kyūbi? Holy fuck..'
"Kushina," Minato— bless his soul —finally came to my rescue. He appeared in the doorway behind her, a sheepish smile on his face as he looked at me. "Sorry, Kyojin-kun. She loves meeting new people…"
"Oi! Don't talk as if I'm not here!"
Minato's grin became more forced as he moved her backwards and out of the way, "Please, come inside. I trust Kakashi at least brought you to the doorstep, right? He usually tries to avoid Kushina if he can— She loves to pester him."
"What did I just say!?" Kushina complained once again, though moved without much protest so I could enter the house without having to squeeze past her.
"Y-Yeah…" I finally found it in myself to speak, clearing my throat as I did so. "He left as soon as we got here." Swallowing hard, I followed Minato inside the house. Kushina stayed back to close the door and re-activate the seals (going by the small pulse in her chakra), while I was led into what looked to be their dining room.
"Thank you for coming to see me. I just wanted to talk to you about your advancement myself." Minato moved to sit down at the table, but stopped short as something came to his mind. "Would you like some tea?"
"No, I'm fine— Uh, thank you though."
"Oh, alright then." Minato smiled at me as he sat the rest of the way in his chair, and I followed suit a moment later— not before awkwardly standing beside the table, of course. "I spoke to Hokage-sama earlier today, and I encouraged that you be placed in the class that is supposed to graduate this year. They'll be closer to Obito and Rin-chan's age, but I'm sure the age difference won't bother you too much."
"Cool," was the only thing I could think to say in the heat of the moment. "Um, uh— Will my punishment still be in effect?"
Minato chuckled at the question, eyes following Kushina as she joined us at the table, before refocusing on me. "Sorry, Kyojin-kun, but I wasn't able to get your detention lifted. I hope your classes will make up for it, though."
Kushina nodded along, catching up with the conversation easily. "Yeah, I heard you said the other ones weren't hard enough? Or somethin' like that? Well, the graduating class should definitely prove to be a challenge, dattebane!"
"Not for all us, Kushina…" Minato said playfully, an amused look on his face.
"S-Shut up, dattebane! Not everyone can be a genius," Kushina was quick to huff, her face turning as red as her hair.
'Ugh, I feel like a third wheel. Fucking christ, Kakashi— why did you have to leave me alone?'
Words I never thought would ever enter my mind.
"Soo, is that all you wanted to talk about?" I awkwardly cleared my throat, breaking apart the amazing chemistry that Minato and Kushina were blatantly displaying.
"Ah, of course not. I was hoping to get to know you a little more. Seeing as whenever you drop by the training grounds, you somehow manage to keep away from me." Minato said this with a sweet smile that said I'm onto your shit, kid.
"Yeahh, that's crazy, huh?" If Kushina's flaming hot chakra wasn't making me sweat, then Minato's accusing gaze would definitely be the cause instead.
"Mhmm…" Minato hummed back, the smile never leaving his face. He leaned back in his chair. "Tell me about yourself, Kyojin."
"Um, what do you want to know?"
"Do you have any family?"
"Yes. My obaa-sama, and Saso-nii."
"Ah, I was under the impression you were an orphan. Obito-kun said you didn't have a last name that he knew of...?"
Still on alert, I shrugged. "I don't have a last name due to my family-line consisting of orphans. As far as I know, anyway— And I guess they never felt the need to come up with a name for themselves, so we've just gone on without one."
Minato nodded in understanding, while Kushina gave me a soft look that could truly melt my bones. "I'm happy to hear you have a family waiting for you in Suna, Kyojin-kun."
"T-Thanks…?"
"Tell me about your obaa-san and nii-san, Kyojin." Minato continued the conversation (read: interrogation).
"Well, my obaa-sama is a medic-nin and my nii-sama is a chūnin…" I trailed off, not wanting to feed Minato anymore information than I needed to. This was exactly what Sasori warned me about, and I'm sure he's looked at the file that was brought here from Suna and knew more than enough about me already. So I was unsure what the point of the conversation was.
'A power-play, maybe? Groups would do this all the time in my other life when they met each other— Trying to fish information out of the other while using polite conversation as a ploy.'
"A chūnin, huh? How old is your nii-san?"
"He's pretty young for his position," I said evasively. "Though I think Kakashi set the record for youngest chūnin alive, huh?"
Minato seemed to ease off of me, leaning back in his chair with a smile. "I guess so. It's hard to beat six-years-old, though it's hardly a competition."
"You must really respect your nii-san, huh?" Kushina added on with a grin, "Calling him your nii-sama and all that. How cute, dattebane!"
My face immediately heated "I mean, he's practically helped obaa-sama raise me… We've been through everything together. He's— Nii-sama means a lot to me. I'd do anything for him."
"That's so precious! Minato, why don't you talk about me like that!?" Kushina was quick to go from heart-warmed bystander to insulted girlfriend.
"Eh? I-I do, you're just not around to hear it!" Minato tried to quickly defend himself, holding up his hands as if they could keep Kushina back. He eyed me and smiled a little too widely for my tastes. "Kyojin-kun! I've kept you long enough, how about I walk you out? Or better yet— to your hotel!"
"Don't run away you coward!" Kushina shouted as Minato quickly ushered me from the house.
"So you got moved to the graduating class," Jin said bluntly before eating another rice ball. We were currently eating dinner in our hotel room, our chūnin chaperone nowhere to be found, as usual— probably off drinking with the other Suna-nin.
I watched with muted amazement as she fit the entire thing into her mouth. She kept eye contact with me the whole time; never blinking. Jin truly knew how to embody the term "establish your dominance".
"Yeah…" I said distractedly, before sighing. "Yeah, Namikaze-san was kind enough to lend me hand. I'm not sure why he did it though. It's not like I'm close to him— Fuck, I've honestly tried not to be."
"Maybe one of your new friends is behind it." Jin shrugged, averting her eyes as she reached for another rice ball. I watched her for a moment, trying to get a read off of her expression— but her eyes reveal nothing. I knew anyway, though, that the fact I had been more or less neglecting her to hang around Team Seven hit a nerve.
'I'll have to deal with that later; right now I need to focus on graduating.'
"Really? Obito is the only one that would care enough— but even then… I don't know. I just don't feel important enough to him just yet for him to go that far."
"Ask him then. It's the only way to know for sure."
Sighing once again, I nodded and continue to eat my own food. "Yeah, you're right."
"I know," Jin said with a small tilt of her lips and a twinkle in her eyes.
xxx
Speaking with Obito would have to wait until I actually had the time to even track him down.
Despite being transferred to a different class, my schedule remained the same due to detention and my late night training. My life was going to remain in this "rinse and repeat" type state unless I did something about it.
Something I honestly should have thought of before: a clone.
My initial thought was to have it attend all my classes and detention, but I didn't want to risk someone accidentally dispersing my clone during the lessons. With my shitty luck, someone would accidentally stumble into my clone within the first five minutes of class or something.
So here I was now, biting the bullet as I step into what would be my new class for the rest of my time in Konoha.
"This is Kyojin. He came here from Sunagakure along with a couple other students to be apart of the joint-training program. Starting from today, he will be attending this class and will be one of your fellow classmates. So, treat him well—" the instructor droned as if reading off of a script. While he continued to talk and answer a few curious children's questions, I looked around to take stock of my new peers.
I immediately spotted the two kids that were supposed to be representing Suna for this age group. They didn't look too happy to see me sliding on in, but I barely gave them a second glance as I continued to look around the room. In the end, I spotted four canon characters.
Kurenai was the easiest to spot; her red eyes popped out immensely when paired with her dark hair and pale skin. She really was a cute kid, and I knew she'd grow to be a beautiful adult as well.
Asuma looked pretty generic when compared to Kurenai, but I was still able to pinpoint him (mainly because he was seated right next to the red-eyed girl). His tan skin and ridiculous hairstyle weren't hard to miss after that.
Ebisu was also in this class, and honestly, as I stared directly at him— I wondered how he wasn't the first person to catch my eye. His trademark glasses were unmistakable… and his dark hair swept over his forehead in a rather interesting hairstyle. He and Asuma should take notes from each other; honestly, wow.
The last person I only took notice of because the instructor pointed her out to me.
"Kyojin, you can take a seat next to Shizune-chan." At the mention of her name, the young girl stood up and waved me over to her seat. I walked over to her as the instructor continued to speak behind me, "You were transferred over at a good time, Kyojn, because we're just starting a new subject today: basic medicine."
The instructor then began to explain the fundamentals of basic medicine and etc. as I took my spot beside a young and petite Shizune. She greeted me with a polite smile before returning her attention to the front. Unsurprisingly, this seemed to be a subject she was extremely interested in.
The lesson was pretty interesting and useful. It didn't mention much about medical jutsu, but at least these kids would know basic first-aid —that was, if they took notes and bothered to remember any of this stuff— and from the looks of the basic lesson plan, that the instructor kindly outlined on the blackboard in the room, we were going to be learning a variety of things. Whether it be cleaning a wound or making a poultice, these kids were going to be little mini-medics in no time. Emphasis on mini.
"Okay, now partner up with someone and solve these scenarios using what we just went over. Feel free to look at your notes—" the instructor gave a pointed look to some of the students, "— If you took any, that is."
I expected to be the odd one out, seeing I was the newest in the class. Kids were just mean and spiteful like that… I would have also assumed they'd shun me due to my age, but Kurenai, Asuma, Ebisu, and Shizune were all clearly the same age as me— and were also due to graduate early, by the looks of it.
Despite everything, however, Shizune caught me by surprise when she immediately twisted in her seat to face me.
"Do you want to be my partner? Since you're new, I don't mind lending you a hand." If anyone else said that to me, it probably would have come off as arrogant. Shizune, however, made it apparent that she was just trying to help me out. Due to my past as a medical student, I could handle this little assignment just fine, but I guess it couldn't hurt to play dumb for just a little bit.
"Sure, if you don't mind. I know a bit of this already, but some of it still confuses me…"
We huddled together at our shared desk, working through the make-believe situations and discussing the topic of medicine in general every now and then. I found our pairing a little ironic, seeing as Shizune would grow-up to be a talented medic and I was working to be a poison master instead.
Shizune and I were among the first students to finish our assignment, leaving us a lot of freetime to talk afterwards.
It was mostly small talk at first, but when I brought up how easily she took to this lesson, Shizune latched onto it eagerly.
"You really think so?! Gosh, that means so much to me. I really want to become an amazing medic-nin— Just like Tsunade-sama…" She trailed off, a bittersweet look on her face. It almost looked like she was lost in an old memory.
"'Tsunade-sama?'" I feigned ignorance. "I think I've heard of her. She's one of the Sannin, right?"
"Oh, um, yes! She is— You know, I'm actually supposed to become her apprentice! She promised to take me on as soon as I graduate, so I've been working extremely hard to get out of the Academy early. Especially after… Especially after my uncle died. Tsunade-sama hasn't been the same since. I can tell she wants to get out of the village, but she's been holding off so I can leave with her…"
'Yikes,' I bit my tongue. 'Didn't expect for her to dump that load on me.'
Not knowing exactly what to say to that, I awkwardly tried to push the conversation forward. "Was she and your uncle close?"
"Yeah," Shizune gave a small laugh and that faraway look returned to her eyes. "Dan was going to propose to her after the war was over, but I guess that was just wishful thinking…" Shizune remained quiet for a bit, as if gathering herself before she offered me a bright smile. "Sorry for just dropping that on you, it just kind of came out."
I shrugged. "It's fine. Sometimes it's easier to talk about that kind of stuff with a complete stranger. I'm just sorry you had to go through all of that. Um, what about your parents? Are they okay with you leaving the village with Tsunade?"
"Oh, they died a long time ago. Dan was there to raise me, and when Tsunade came along she was also there for me. Now, she's the only family I've got."
'Fuck, I'm just stepping on all the landmines, huh? How could I forget something so obvious? Of course, she's a fucking orphan. Who isn't in this fucking series?'
While I was internally seething, I managed to keep a friendly expression on my face. "I'm in the same boat, I guess. My parents died during the war— Now, it's just me, my nii-sama, and my obaa-sama."
Shizune nodded as if she had expected it. "A lot of people lost their loved ones during the war. I'm just happy it's over now, and we can live in peace."
'Wait until you see how long it lasts, though…'
I decided it was better not to comment on that…
"So, are you doing anything after class? If not, did you want to go eat with me and my friends?"
The only thing I really planned on doing was detention (via clone) and training, but I didn't mind setting those plans aside to hang out with Shizune a bit more. She was a really sweet girl, and it wouldn't hurt to make a friend out of her. Besides, I'm sure she could teach me a thing or two about medical-jutsu that would aid me in my own affairs to master poisons and traps.
"Sure, I'd love to go with you. As long as your friends don't mind?"
Shizune giggled. "I doubt it! If anything, they'd probably love to meet someone from Suna. All the other kids haven't been approachable at all— They always ignore us and won't answer any of our questions." She pouted a little. "Honestly. They act like we're still enemies or something…"
I wanted to explain to her that Sunagakure wasn't exactly a peace-loving country, and that the citizens were complete paranoid assholes. Once again, however, I decided it'd be better if I just didn't comment.
"Alright, time's up! If you haven't already, turn in your assignments." Our instructor finally spoke up at the front of the classroom, signaling the end of class and the beginning of my outing with Shizune and whoever her curious friends were.
Before I even left the Academy, I made sure to hurry and make my clone so it could sneak back into the classroom for me. I assigned it specific instructions to study everything I had written in my journal, as well as work on new entries. That way, detention wouldn't be a complete waste of time for me anymore.
After wiping out half of my chakra, I felt a little light-headed, so I was thankful we were going to eat.
As it turned out— Kurenai, Asuma, and Ebisu were included in Shizune's group of friends. Introductions were made and she mentioned that there were a few more people coming out with us, but they'd meet us at the restaurant, which was unsurprisingly the ever popular Yakiniku Q.
I was beginning to think it was the only restaurant in all of Konoha, other than the humble Ichiraku's.
"So, you're from Suna, huh?" Asuma asked bluntly once they all sat down. "What's it like over there? The two other pricks won't say anything when we ask—"
"Asuma!" Kurenai cut him off with an elbow jab and a scolding look.
"What?" Asuma asked with a frown, rubbing his chest where Kurenai had assaulted him. "I'm just sayin'— They really do ignore us whenever we try to talk to them."
"I know, but you don't have to be so—"
"What? Blunt? How exactly do you sugarcoat 'your friends are dicks'?"
Kurenai continued to scowl, while Shizune sighed. Ebisu managed to skillfully ignore the bickering children, and smiled at me before holding out a hand. "Welcome to our class, Kyojin-san. I hope the transition isn't too rough for you."
"Oh, thanks," I said with an awkward smile. Small talk wasn't a strong suite of mine. "The first day wasn't too bad. It's a lot better than the class I was in previously."
"That's right, you're the same age as us, right?" Shizune asked, looking me over again.
I nodded. "I think? I'm nine."
"Yep, you're the same age," Asuma confirmed, rejoining the conversation. "You're in the same boat as us then. Trying to graduate early?"
I nodded again, but before I could reply, Kurenai butt in with a smile, "Our other friends are also trying to graduate early. They're in a different class, though. We all know each other from when we first started at the Academy. Ah— Here they are now!"
We all turned to see two boys standing near the entrance, looking around in search of us. Ebisu kindly waved to them, ushering them over. "Ah, Genma! Gai! We're over here."
Genma gave a lazy wave to us as he approached, while Gai appeared much more energetic.
Genma had a cute, boyish look to him, not like Asuma's rather blatant handsome face at all. His brown hair was the same length and style as his adult self, though his bangs weren't being pulled back by a forehead protector just yet. Most importantly, he had a damn toothpick in his mouth, as if it was some kind of fashion statement.
Gai… Well, all I wanted to say was at least he didn't have that god awful bowl cut yet. The green jumpsuit was already in place, along with that red bandana— or scarf. Whatever.
"Hello, friends!" Gai greeted as soon as he reached the table. "And new.. friend?" He added on when he noticed me.
I snorted.
"Yo, I'm Genma— and that's Gai." Genam effectively took over the conversation.
"This is Kyojin," Shizune introduced for me. "He was just transferred to our class today."
Genma nodded in acceptance as he slid into a seat. Meanwhile, Gai looked astounded at this information— coming around to shake both my hands vigorously.
"Wow! That's amazing! I look forward to becoming ninja together!"
"Oh, he's a Suna kid," Asuma added "So, if he graduates it'll be in Sunagakure."
"Either way, we'll be allies! It's an honor to meet you, Kyojin-kun!"
"Y-Yeah," I tried to reply as Gai jerked my body around. "Let's stop this now."
"Oh!" Gai seemed to realize himself, and immediately dropped both my hands. "My apologies, Kyojin-kun! It seems I roughed you up quite a bit! However can I pay you back!? Perhaps I will do five hundred push-ups while holding one hundred pounds on my back!"
"At this point you're just showing off…" Genma rolled his eyes, flipping through the restaurant's menu.
Asuma tossed a menu at Gai's head, which the boy caught with unsurprising ease. "Yeah, please stop the dramatics and just sit down and order something."
"Very well! The real punishment will have to wait!" The green-clad boy gave a cheesy wink before he slid into the last free chair at our table.
I sat silently, wondering what the fuck just transpired before me.
'I've experienced Gai in the anime and manga. But dealing with him in real life is going to require therapy.'
"Don't mind Gai," Shizune whispered to him with a sheepish expression. "He's just… Well, he's Gai. You'll get used to it."
'I really hope I won't have to.'
"Is everyone ready to order?" Ebisu asked. "I'll signal for the waitress!"
xxx
The group talked over their meal, and it was surprisingly easy to blend into their conversations.
Gai was still a bit too rowdy for my tastes, but I managed to survive his dramatic antics and exclamations. Ebisu didn't stay long after he finished his food, choosing to leave early so he could go train. Asuma was easygoing, if not blunt with his questions and opinions (specifically targeting Suna). Kurenai was a sweetheart, sticking up for me whenever someone (read: Asuma) crossed a line. Shizune was also a nice support, rewording questions to make them sound better and apologizing for her friends more often than not. Genma wasn't much of a talker at first, but whenever we brought up a topic he specifically liked, he would become a chatterbox.
All-in-all, it was a fun experience and not a complete waste of my time. By the time we left the restaurant and said our goodbyes, the sun had set and it was time for me to head back to the hotel.
author's note: tbh i forget literally all the time that kyo is a sensor and that he should probably be reacting to these op chakra signatures that badasses like minato and kushina carry around sooo yeah. let's just forget that i didn't mention a reaction for minato when they first met ok bye.
all side stories and extras will be posted on my ao3, under the same name as this one: valxra. so if you haven't already, check them out!
this chapter was beta'd by fortheloveofb since she is so kind, but i'm still looking for an official beta for this story, so if you're interested, please let me know!
story rec: "falling leaves" written by lore55