Should I redo Mika? This is not an official story, this is just a suggestion to what I should do.., this would be the new path.
Or Should I do both stories, putting this up as a what could have been...
Mika regretted very few things, he hated regret as a concept as it was a waste of time and energy. He learned that at the ripe old age of five, at the hands of his monster of a father. However, one thing he did regret was showboating at the academy, showing how easily he managed to master the clone jutsu. He had only been in the academy for six months, at the age of eight years old, and he had managed the jutsu before anyone else, even the class prodigy Sasuke. Everyone had been proud of him, but that only lasted so long.
The moment he returned to his apartment, satisfied and proud, something sharp slammed into his neck, knocking him out. He awoke in a dark place, a cell of all things, feeling cold and terrified.
After twenty or so minutes the door opened up and he was greeted by the sight of an older man, he had shaggy black hair and an x shaped scar on his chin. His body and right eye were covered in bandages, making him seem old and frail... which belied the air of power the man gave off.
"Look up, child." he says sharply, and Mika looked up. "Do you know why you're here?" he asks.
"No, sir... not a clue." And yet he felt it, in the air, the man had darker plans, he oozed evil and malice and yet nothing at all... like a void, the void of space.
"You have been given an opportunity to join something very special. Do you know of ANBU?"
"Yessir, they are the Leaf's special service of the most elite of ninja. They protect the Hokage, perform assassinations and more."
The man nodded. "Good... that helps that you know. There is another force among ANBU, called ROOT. They are my personal ninja, serving the Leaf from the Shadows, serving as nourishment for the village's roots. You have been chosen, by me personally, to join ROOT. Your academic scores were incredible for your age, you tested far above most ninja in their adult years intellectually and that is just with the basic first year of the Academy. You managed to complete the clone jutsu after mere weeks of activating your chakra, something you did years after your peers. You have talent, and I refuse to let it be squandered by that joke we call an academy by that joke we call our Hokage. Do you wish to serve your village? To be better, stronger, smarter than your peers?
It was impossible to mask his fear, but also his desire... that was exactly what he wanted. To show those lucky clan kids who was boss, to shine in a world that only praised bloodlines and shat on people like him! He wanted to never be weak again like when his father used to beat him bloody, nearly killing him just a year previously. He wanted to be better, to be more...
So, despite the man's clear manipulation, Mika nodded and so did Danzo in response. "Yes... I do."
"Good... then, from this point on, you are to remain here, training and growing in power, learning our ways to serve the village from the Shadows!" A man appeared next to The old man. "This is Torune, and I am Lord Danzo. He is to be your tutor for the next three months, until you showcase that you have enough talent to stay here. He will lead you back to your room."
It was here that Mika, eight years old and terrified, realized that he really had no choice to join and that his freedom was at an end...
::
'Foolish Hiruzen, thinking I strip all of my soldiers of their emotions.' Danzo laughed internally, mocking his old friend. 'Torune and Fu are remarkably close friends, they would kill or die for each other, they simply have the means to not be controlled by their emotions. Yamanaka powers do not work when they have no emotions.' Rolling his eyes internally, he moved away from the boy's cell and towards his office. He did not expect much from Mika, the boy was exceptionally intelligent on paper and managed the clone jutsu fast, not unheard of speeds for some, but still fast enough to gain notice
The boy would either sink or swim, in either case Danzo would gain a sacrifice for another ninja or a new recruit in full. It didn't really matter at the end of the day, the boy was a tool as were all of ROOT. He would serve his purpose or die trying. Simple as that really.
He was interested, as he always was with his recruits since he hand picked them, where the boy would end up. In administration, in combat, tracking? Who knew the boy was so young it was unclear. His reserves were pitiful, even for a civilian born ninja, so there was that making it unlikely he was to enter ninjutsu combat but still... there was promise. He only took those with some talent, with just enough to be noticed but not enough to cause panic if they vanished. The boy fit the bill perfectly, especially since Hiruzen banned his ROOT from active service and he could no longer publicly take whomever he wanted.
It would take time, years perhaps, for Mika to show any skills of note, he was young... but he had faith he made a good choice. He was rarely wrong...
""
Over the next few days, Mika was tested in all sorts of things. They evaluated him for nin, tai, genjutsu, weapons throwing, flexibility, speed, stamina, strategy. As Torune told him, it was not a pass or fail test, but a simple evaluation to see where he needed to improve. He did well in genjutsu breaking and amazingly well in strategy which was just playing Shogi for two hours... he ended up beating Torune after learning how to play. He was sort of proud, though he hid it well.
As for everything else, well he flunked. He only had six months of training in those fields, so he did alright for an academy ninja but nothing amazing. Torune did not mock him, make him feel bad or anything. The man did not smile or taunt, he just nodded and gave blunt explanations of where he could improve.
"We will start on throwing skills, conditioning and taijutsu to start while expanding your knowledge base. Your mind is where you excel, we need more strategistss among our number. Your body is weak, your taijutsu weak, but that is to be expected given that you are a first generation Ninja. You need several months of training before you can be of any use in battle of any kind. Prepare yourself, you will train from dawn to dusk in some capacity, be it studying, meditating or physical conditioning. You are not to complain or whine or bitch. Are we understood?"
Far too used being required to stem his thoughts and emotions, Mika nodded. "Yes, Torune."
"Good... now, let us start with your conditioning. We need to work on speed and flexibility, you are too small to be very strong so that is where you will need to focus. That and your stamina, both physically and chakra based."
And focus they did, training until dusk that very day. He was so tired he did not even notice his roommates nor anyone else when he crawled into his bunk and fell into the deepest of sleep.
Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.
This means a lot... what do you think of it? Be honest, should I do this or the old Mika? I think it gives me more room to grow, make my own content and keep him from warping the plot... I just need help with missions etc.
Love, your Ninja Overlord,
Mika.
