Chapter 3
The Kicker
Well I hope you've been enjoying the story of my life so far. Yeah that's right it's me Yui. I'm not really sure who's been telling you what or how they even know what I was thinking, but anyway I really wanted you to hear this next part from me. It's a bit of a life-changer and it's hard to explain so just hang in there and try your best to understand.
I was getting the best sleep I have had in a good while at Hideki sensei's house. I hadn't been getting much sleep lately. As I'm sure you might have guessed, it was a very stressful time for me. I was all alone in a village full of people who didn't want me and then I snapped and put a fellow genin in the hospital. Yeah I messed up big time and now I was going to be sent to Konohagakure, away from the one person who actually cared about me. What a nightmare. The worst part of the day was waking to think that's all it was.
"Yui it's time to get up", I could hear him telling me from beside the bed. I rolled over to look at him and his calm blue eyes looked as peaceful as ever. I jumped up fast to tell him what a horrible dream I'd had but his words came out first. "We need to get moving so we can meet the Konoha shinobi on time." That snapped me back to reality pretty hard. I guess he could tell because I swear I saw a flicker of pity in his eyes before he left the room.
He had closed the door behind him and I took that as my cue to get dressed. Amazingly enough the cloths he got me fit like a charm. It may seem a bit grim but I was rather enjoying the fact that my cloths were all black. From my t-shirt down to my shoes. Even the shuriken holder atop the wrap on my leg was black. The only color on me was the brown pouch of tools I wore at the back of my waist. I had almost forgotten the gift he had given me. 'Where did I put it', I wondered searching around the room. There was a knock at the door and when I opened it, Hideki sensei was standing there holding the painted gourd as if he knew I was looking for it. "Thank you", I told him politely and fixed it to my left him. I loved my gift and now I had some real color.
When I tried to give him his shirt back he told me to keep it. He said I would need something to sleep in until I could go to a store. Honestly I was kind of happy to be taking a little piece of him with me. It made me feel a bit more reassured. But I was still so nervous that I couldn't even eat the breakfast he had made us. He didn't seem to mind very much. He just finished his portion and then we grabbed our bags and were out the door.
I was rather glad to see there was no mob this time. In fact there wasn't much of anyone around when we left. Just a few misplaced glares here and there. At the gate a man decided to sneer at me and tell me good riddance and I paused. I turned to face the man. It wasn't like I would ever be welcome back so why not. "You're damn right!", I yelled over to him, "Good riddance!" When I turned my back on him I finally started to calm down. Between the man's shocked face and Hideki sensei's amused smile it wasn't really turning out to be a bad day.
Hideki sensei knew me so well. "Are you feeling better? I brought some onigiri for when ever you're ready to eat." He didn't have to say another word. I answered him with a big grin and a nod, glad he had thought ahead. The onigiri was good. Just the perfect amount of salt and it entertained me as we made out way across the vast empty sand. When the food was gone I reached back to my pack for the canteen with water. It was hot and the cold water was cool and soothing on my throat. It gave me an idea. This was the perfect time to work my chakra into the water in my gourd. I let my hand hover over the gourd, feeling the water turn and swirl as I thrust my chakra into it.
"Slow down", Hideki sensei told me when he noticed how much chakra I was pouring into it. "There's plenty of time. If you rush it you'll exhaust your chakra." I must have given him a cocky look to get the next remark. "Yes. Even your large reservoir can be drained." I sighed in defeat. He was right, both about the reckless chakra use and that there was plenty of time. "How about a game", he suggested.
I was curious now. "What kind of game?" What could we possibly play out here in this wasteland?
He lifted his hand pulling the sand from around us and shaping it into a perfect square cube. "Try to copy it." Was he being serious? How hard could it be?
I popped the cork off of my gourd, shoving it in my pocket. Then I pulled the water out and made it hover in front of me. Apparently it was harder than I thought. If you've ever tried to shape clay into a cube you'll understand. First I had a rectangle and then when I tried to fix the long section it threw off the other side. I think it took me something like 5 tries to get it. That was when he told me to start slowly building up the chakra while we played out game of shapes.
The next shape he challenged me to do was a sphere. I nailed that one on the first try. After a few more simple shapes he kicked up the difficulty. Now we were making hands that waved, rabbits that hopped and more. At one point he told me to make a thin parallel sheet near the ground before he made a wonderful group of sand dolphins leap through it like they were swimming in a mini ocean. That was my second favorite of the day.
As time passed I noticed it was getting easier and easier to make more complex shapes and figures. It must have been the slow build up of chakra coming into play. By the time we could see the forest ahead of us we were making miniature figures with swords fight each other. His would lunge and mine would guard. Mine would jump up above him to come down with a swing for his to dodge. And then just before we hit the trees I went for a slash and he popped the head off of his little man, making him drop the sword and feel around for his missing head before falling down. That was my favorite one. It made me laugh.
"This is where we wait", he told me just a few yards into the tree like. My nerves were working back up now.
"Sensei is it ok that you're spending all this time with me here?" I knew he was always busy and to spend so many hours with me was rare. I probably made a huge mess for him to clean up when he got back but here he was spending his day walking me all the way out here and having sand-water people fights.
"I wanted to escort you and make sure you made it safe." His words put me at ease. "So are you enjoying your gift?" To be honest I had completely forgotten it was my birthday. Fourteen years old and what a day to remember.
Our timing must have been pretty good because it wasn't long before two leaf shinobi showed up. I had just put up my water when we noticed their presence. Good thing too because I didn't want to start my new life with a label that read 'The freak with a kekkeigenkai'. That just wasn't the way I wanted people to see me. I wanted to be normal, to fit in, and maybe for once to make some friends.
I looked over just in time to see the two shinobi touch and go from a branch to come to a stop, landing just a bit away. They both had on the standard uniform vest of the leaf village with blue pants and shirts, complete with the red swirl that accompanied their village for some reason. The taller of the two had spikey brown hair poking out from his head band and narrow brown eyes, which he was using to give me a good look over. My first thought, He looked kind of full of himself with the condescending look on his face.
The other guy caught my attention when he started to talk. "You must be the Kazekage and..", he paused having to check his papers, "Yui?" This guy had a bit longer hair than the other . It was black and parted at the right side of his face with even length going all around his head and the back buzzed off like mine. His skin was pale and his eyes were black with dark rings under them, probably from lack of sleep I would guess. Over all he didn't give me much of an impression. I heard Hideki sensei reply to the man with a yes as I looked them over.
Are you ready for the kicker because this is a moment that changed my life forever. If this confuses you I'm sorry but try to keep up and it will get easier for you to understand. Of all the times I've tried to explain, it never gets easier.
The taller man finally stood up straight, apparently having made his final decision about me. "He looks like a fine young man. I'm sure he'll fit in perfectly at Konoha", he said with a confident smile. The moment he said it my attention wandered. The words 'young man' played around in my head and I could feel my face start to flush as I noticed just how happy those words made me. For a moment I was confused and embarrassed but ultimately I was happy. It was as if someone had for the first time in my life actually seen me for who I was. Like suddenly I realized the reason why I never liked myself. It wasn't the way people treated me. Something was always wrong with me and I never knew what it was. It was my body. My body was never right and from the start a part of me knew it.
I nearly panicked when sensei started to correct him. "Actually", he started to say but reflexively my arm shot up to grab at his shirt. He stopped to look down at me and I gave him a look begging for him not to say anything. It only took him a moment to get the message. "Could you give us a minute?" He didn't even look to them as he asked. I looked over to see them both nodding as he put his hand on my shoulder and led me away.
As we walked my stomach clenched tighter with every step. Would he think I'm weird? Was he disappointed in me? Was he going to lecture me before telling them? I really didn't expect him to be as calm about it as he was. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? Eventually they will find out." I was relieved that he wasn't mad and it was that relief that fueled my cocky response.
"Then I won't let them. I won't let anyone find out." It was a bold statement but at the time I really thought I could make those words true. His sigh should have given me my first warning sign.
"You know this is a bad idea but fine I won't tell them. It's your life. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself." Somehow Hideki sensei always understood me.
"I will sensei!" That was all I could say through my ear to ear grin.
"Don't forget to come visit your old sensei every now and then", he smiled back and I couldn't help but hug him. I was so thankful. I didn't even notice when the black haired shinobi came over.
"Excuse my intrusion Kazekage-sama but I believe the paperwork said we were retrieving a female genin."
He startled me and I jumped back but sensei didn't flinch. He looked down at me like he was waiting for my final decision and when I nodded he turned to face the man. With a deep inhale and release of tension he made my decision into fact. "There must have been an issue with paperwork. If you two are ready I believe 'he' is ready to go." Hideki sensei was my hero.
"Very well. Thank you Lord Kazekage." I almost couldn't believe how easy it was as the man walked away.
I thanked him when the man left and proclaimed I would do my best to make him proud. "Just be safe", he told me and like the kind sensei I know, he gave me a kiss on the forehead. "Good luck." I admit a kiss on the head was a bit much even for him but it was nice and as I blushed a light pink he smiled before turning to go back. Feeling more at ease now I went to the Konoha shinobi who were waiting and we left.
I learned right away that the short haired one was a talker. "We'll be spending the next two days together so let's go ahead and introduce ourselves", he started. "My name is Daichi Kinoshita and this guy over here is Kuro Matsui. He's not a very big talker but he actually has a heart of gold under that dark facade of his." Kuro raised his hand as if to confirm the information and Daichi waited silently for my response, a friendly smile equipped to his face. He seemed like he might be an ok guy after. "Well? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" His smile was wavering.
"Oh sorry. My name is Yui and it's nice to meet you Daichi and Kuro." I tried my best to remember my manners.
"Yui what?", Daichi asked as if I had left something out.
"Uh. Just Yui", I told him hoping it wouldn't seem too weird. "I don't have a family name."
"Oh." His response was quick and he looked like he regretted asking for a moment but he bounced back fast enough. "So how old are you Yui?"
"I'm fourteen." Was he going to ask questions like this the whole way?
"Ah that's a wonderful age! I'm actually only 21 and you wouldn't guess it but Kuro over there is 28." He was enthusiastic I'll give him that.
"Hey! Daichi why are you telling people how old I am?", Kuro complained at him.
"Aw come on it's no big deal. You're still plenty young", Daichi defended before he changed the topic again. "So what did you do to get transferred?"
His question hit me suddenly and my legs faltered for a moment. I could deal with the normal questions but I really didn't want to explain the fight or the scenario that led up to it. "..Why are you asking me all of this? Can't you just read the paperwork?" I know I sounded grumpy when I said it. I could hear it in my own voice but it seemed better than sounding insecure.
"I could", he said in a flat tone, much different from the enthusiastic one he'd had moments before. "But you shouldn't base your opinion of people solely on paperwork. You should talk to them and listen to what they have to say."
"Come on quit asking him difficult questions. He'll tell you when he wants to", Kuro broke in and saved me. I gave him a smile hoping he would catch my 'thank you' behind it. When he smiled back I remember thinking he really did have a heart of gold under that grim exterior.
Silence lingered in the air as we made out trek toward what was to be my new home. I kind of missed having Daichi ask me questions and talk. It helped to pass the time. Finally I decided to ask what Konoha was like. Daichi was more than happy to have a topic to talk about. He told me the people of the village were over all accepting and then about various places one could go if they wanted to have fun or eat good food. He must have been a romantic because from there the topic turned.
"Oh and I can even tell you the best places to go for dates if you get yourself a girl", he chirped oh so cheerily
For a second I was caught off guard. "A girl? Why would I want a girl?" I hadn't really thought much about girls or boys in that sense. I hadn't thought of romance at all for that matter. They must have thought I was being a silly kid afraid of cooties by the way they both laughed.
"Just wait, as you get older you'll get lonely and you'll start to understand." Daichi was clenching his vest over his heart as if making a point while Kuro just laughed quietly. Part of me wondered if they really knew what it was to be lonely. I had been alone for years. Hell maybe they didn't realize it but even my name means alone. Makes you wonder what my parents were thinking when they had me.
After a long day of travel with only short breaks, we finally stopped to make camp. The sun would be setting soon and since they felt confident enough to determine no one would be after us, we made a fire before laying out our bed rolls. When everything was done and we could finally rest I pulled out my sketch book. Opening it to the sketch of Hideki sensei, I was surprised to see he had snuck in some money along with a note.
I should have known Daichi would say something when he caught sight of it. "Oh? A note from your secret girlfriend?", he teased.
"I already told you I'm not interested in dating", I couldn't help but grumble and that sent him into laughter. Ignoring the loud man, I opened the note to read what my sensei had wrote.
'I didn't want you to go so far away and not be able to get the things you need so I left you some money with this note. Make sure you don't spend all of your time practicing and instead make some friends you can enjoy being around. I'll be sure to come see you at the next chuunin exam so work hard. When I come you can tell me all about your new life. Take care and do your best', signed Hideki.
When I finished reading I read it again to make sure I didn't miss a word. I made a mental note to pay him back later as I stuck the money into a small pocket on my backpack. Then I decided to do as he wished. I would do my best and try to make friends.
"So who was it from?", Daichi asked me with curiosity.
I took a deep inhale and when I let it out I locked my eyes to his. "You asked me what I did to be sent away", I started, having decided honesty would be better than the speculation from after they read the paperwork. Now I had Kuro's attention tool "I put another genin in the hospital. Not in a standard submission but in critical care." Daichi's eyes widened a bit as if he hadn't the slightest clue before my statement. Kuro on the other hand didn't flinch. He must have already done his homework. "I know it's no excuse but the kid was a bully and I was already on a short fuse that day. When he picked a fight I.. well I just didn't know where to draw the line", I admitted. Daichi looked more composed by the end of my explaining. I was still nervous how they would respond but it was nice having people willing to hear my side of the events.
"Thank you", Daichi said surprising me. My mouth was probably gaping as he repeated and then explained why. "Thank you for being honest and opening up."
"Yeah", I replied with a sheepish smile. "I should have just explained from the start."
"Well tomorrow you get to start over", Kuro said as Daichi started to yawn. "You two can get some sleep. I'm going to stay up for a bit."
"Sounds good to me. Don't stay up too late or those bags under your eyes might grow." He was already into his sleeping bag before he even finished talking. Kuro sighed at his teammate and then looked over to me.
"Are you not going to sleep yet?" I was packing my book back into my bag and searching around for the mirror I had seen last night.
"I think I'm going to go for a walk and work on my jutsu a bit." I didn't want him to know exactly what I was planning. If I was going to live my life as a boy then I needed to take every step to make sure no one would find out. Yes I am talking about anatomy. Transformation wasn't exactly my worst jutsu but I could definitely use some practice.
"Just don't wander too far." He sounded pretty nonchalant as he added another log to the fire. I made my way just out of view of the man and started to practice my jutsu, transforming myself into a proper boy if you know what I mean. To be honest I didn't know exactly what it was supposed to look like down there but I had the gist of it. As far as anything else was concerned my hair and eyes, even my frame was the same. No point getting rid of curves that didn't exist. I practiced late into the night and was exhausted by the time I finally went to bed.
Waking up the next day was rough. I was tired from lack of sleep and the transformation I had when I went to bed had come undone. Daichi was teasing me that I would get bags under my eyes when Kuro protested that there was nothing wrong with being motivated to train. I was starting to get used to these guys. I did not however expect it when Daichi proclaimed he had to pee before we left. He turned around only walking a few steps and I realized he intended to go there with us in clear view of him.
"Hey! Don't you guys from the leaf care about privacy?", I shot out feeling my face turn red.
Daichi looked surprised by my out burst. "We're all guys here and I'm not shy" I could feel my face growing hotter as he turned back to do his business and now I realized I too needed to relieve my bladder.
"I'm going over there", I told them with a defeated tone covering my voice. I could hear Daichi teasing me about how I must be shy and Kuro telling him to leave me be but I didn't really care. So what if I was shy? It's not like I knew how to go standing up and before that I had to transform. So I did my thing and I have to admit, the first time you go standing up can actually be pretty amazing. I even impressed myself. But I'm sure reading all of this is probably embarrassing you so I'll move on.
This day was pretty much like the last. We made our way toward the leaf village, talking about various things. When they told me we were almost there I started to feel excited. Kuro told me that they would be taking me all the way to the Hokage's office. At this point I had to ask about the Hokage. I needed to know just how cautious I should be around him.
They both seemed to hold great respect for the man, telling me he was very smart and strict about the rules, but then they added that he would make exceptions for some if he truly thought it necessary. Over all they both agreed that he was a worthy leader. Daichi even threw in a comment about how eccentric he could be, just to get back lash from Kuro that he was more eccentric than the Hokage.
When we finally made our way to the gates of the village, I admit I wasn't too impressed. The entrance to the sand village seemed bigger. But when the giant wooden door opened it was like adding a splash of colors to a black and white sketch. "Wow! It's so vibrant", I remember myself saying. It looked like a nice place to live. I could get used to this.
I let my eyes wander from one colorful outcrop to another as they led me to a tall red building with several orange roofs. The outside may have been full of color but the inside was pretty bland. And of course once again I was anxious, worrying whether the Hokage would see through me and reveal my secrets. I needed to learn to stay calm. At this rate I would end up with an ulcer, but hey at least my white hair couldn't get any whiter.
As we walked in I readied myself for any questions I might get. "Lord Hokage we've returned with the boy from the sand." Daichi's voice was clear and firm as he addressed his superior, much different from his earlier exuberance.
For a moment the Hokage seemed confused as he looked up from his work. "Boy?", he questioned. His eyebrow raised and my heart started to pound as I wondered if he knew.
"It seems there was an issue with the paperwork", Kuro informed him, "Lord Kazekage confirmed it himself." Kuro always seemed to speak in a calm and matter of fact way. I think I was starting to admire him.
I looked back to the Hokage and he seemed to be pondering something. Would Hideki sensei's name be enough for him to believe or would he question it? After a pause, too long for my likes, he finally spoke. "Very well", he said as if he were accepting defeat. "And your name is Yui correct?"
"Uh yes sir", I managed to stumble before he continued.
"Welcome to Konoha village. If you want to wait a while I can send for another young genin like yourself to show you to your new place." He was straight to the point which made me think he must be busy like Hideki sensei.
"That would be great. Thank you", I tried to keep it polite and simple. I couldn't believe how easily he accepted the change in plan but I imagine it was all thanks to sensei's confirmation. The Hokage looked past us to tell another shinobi, probably a jounin by his looks, to send for someone named Koji. It surprised me because I hadn't even noticed the man until that point. Daichi and Kuro offered to wait with me until the escort could arrive but I told them I would be fine and so they left, leaving me alone with the leader of my new village.
He cleared his throat gaining my attention before he spoke. "For you to continue as a shinobi of Konoha we will need to asses your skills and placement for rank." Did he plan to strip me of my genin title and send me to the academy if I failed? Surely not, I was too old and skilled to go there. Would I possibly be promoted? That sounded great but I better not get my hopes up. "We'll be testing you individually and then also with a group. Do you think you will be up for that tomorrow or will you need another day to adjust?"
"Tomorrow will be fine." Would a true ninja answer any other way? He told me to stay close to home and that someone would come by to get me. I only had to wait a short bit before a spikey brown haired boy burst through through the door with excitement.
"Reporting for duty sir!", he exclaimed in an almost comical way.
"Ah Koji would you please give Yui here a short tour of the village and show him where he will be living?" The Hokage must have been used to his exuberance because he didn't seem to flinch at all.
"Sure think", the boy chirped as he turned to take a look at me. I took this chance to get a good look at him as well. His hair was brown and styled forward causing it to spike out over his headband with just a bit falling down. His eyes were hazel and they were complimented by the dark green and black jacket he wore over his black t-shirt with his dark brown cargo shorts.
"You look pretty cool in all that black", he broke my concentration. "You must be the new genin. My name is Koji Tsukiyama and I'll be your guide today." He was headed out the door before he even finished his introduction and with a slight laugh I followed. He asked me all the standard questions. When did I get there? Where was I from? And then he finally realized that he never gave me a chance to give him my name and asked that too. "You'll have to tell me all about the sand some time", he said as we made a left turn. He wasn't very good at tours it seemed. We had been walking and talking since we left but not once had he remarked to anything around. Never the less he seemed like an ok guy. I would just have to go exploring later.
"Well, this is it", he said as we stopped in front of what looked like a three-story, cement brick apartment building. "The rooms here are not very big but they're not bad. Oh and there's no shower so you'll have to use the public baths. Anyway I have to go now", he handed me a set of keys with a number tag attached. I have no clue when he picked them up but that was the least of my worries at the moment. He was walking away and I didn't know where anything was.
"Hey wait", I yelled ,"Are there any good stores close by?"
He looked back only for a moment to point back in my direction. "Everything you need is that way." And then he disappeared leaping across the roofs out of view.
I made up my mind to check out my new home before I did anything else. My key had a tag with the number 313 on it which meant I would be on the third floor and then the last two digits made me smile. As odd as it might seem, 13 was probably my favorite number. To most it would be unlucky but to me there couldn't be a more lucky number.
All of the doors in this place seemed the same except for the number tags at the side of each. When I made my way to the door labeled 313 I noticed there were only a few other residents in the building and all of them were shinobi. It made me wonder if it was a shinobi only complex. That would explain the rooms being small. Single shinobi often spent more time out on missions than they would at home. The apartment would do me just fine with it's small living room/kitchen, an even smaller bed room and bath complete with mirror, toilet, and sink.
Damn I forgot Koji had told me there was no shower. This was bad. I'd never had to use a public bath before. What if I didn't have my transformation right? Or what if it came undone while I was in there? It was nerve wracking and I needed to go to the store first, so I made a mental note to work on my jutsu later. Sadly that mental note jogged another issue to mind. I would need to get a book on water jutsu before the physical test. It would probably be better to disguise my kekkeigenkai from the start so that if I accidentally use it, I might get away with it.
I sat my bag next to the bed, glad that the apartment came furnished with even sheets and such, before heading out to the store. Koji was right when he told me everything I would need was just down the street. There was a bakery, tool shop, general goods store ,and more. I made a quick stop at the bookstore to find something on water techniques and then the grocery for dinner. I admit I was very thankful that Hideki sensei had put some money into my bag. The rest of my night was pretty boring, researching what hand signs did which water jutsu before practicing both the sign orders and also my transformation. Tomorrow would be a long and stressful day.
Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I have worked on this plot for the last 7 years but I am just not finding out how hard it can be to get chapters out on a timely manner. And for anyone still interested and waiting for the next chapter, thank you for your support. I highly appreciate it and I am open to comments, questions, and critique. -SD
