Honest Questions 1
(正直な質問です 1)
"You guys looked confused," said Iruka, smiling as he looked around the class. He gestured his hand towards Hayate. "Since the final exam is nearing, marking your gate into the true life of the Shinobi, Mister Gekkou here is selected to host a Q&A and discussion shinobi board. You are allowed to ask as much questions as you want." Some students look at each other in confusion.
"But sensei, can't you answer our questions instead?" One classmate asked.
"Sure I can, but we are offered this proposal every year of graduation – allow a more experienced ninja to examine and support the young ones. Believe it or not, Mister Gekkou is a jounin."
To the children, that reveal came off as a surprise. Iruka chortled, seeing some of the students with their jaws dropped. All the kids knew from instruction was that the jounin were the elites, a rank above chunin like Iruka and Mizuki. That meant that they were a big deal. Naruto, and other students, held their breaths as their chests tighten. Seeing a jounin, they could now feel the weight of the final trial as it approached.
Iruka continued. "Mister Gekkou took some time in his day to offer different propositions that'll motivate you. I guess you could call it 'guidelines'. Mister Gekkou in particular, while not just a high-ranking ninja, is also well-informed in different views and activities. He is also an aide to the Hokage." The only thing that the students could do was accept the pressure, and look on as the drawl-looking jounin wrote his name vertically on the blackboard behind him. Three Kanji was assigned to his name. Iruka and Mizuki bowed and backed away; now, the class belonged to the jounin.
"Once again children, I am Hayate Gekko," he said. "My surname is spelt with the same symbols as 'tsuki'(moon) and 'hikari'(light). My given name means a 'typhoon': the first Kanji is in like 'gufuu'. Let's begin."
"Tsuki, hikari, and gufuu huh? Must be a tough guy," murmured a child sitting above Naruto. He didn't even look to see who it was, only bending his mouth, wondering over how the day would turn out. One child wasted no time, blurting out a question.
"Mister Gekkou, the shinobi world has many secrets right? Are you willing to tell us an important secret?"
The jounin's bagged eyes looked up, the voice coming from the upper seats. "No. A secret is a secret." He replied, his voice serene.
No secrets huh? Sasuke Uchiha, the boy who tried to beat up Naruto yesterday after school, clicked his tongue. He was five seats below Naruto.
"Why?" The child asked.
"I might be a spy," Hayate answered in that same composed voice. All went silent, and the stares that he was getting permeated the classroom with a deep, chilling aura. Only to be broken by someone's laugh. It was the same boy directly behind Naruto.
"So, that means we can assassinate you right?" said the boy. There was a gasp from every corner of the classroom.
What the hell?! Taking the question to heart, which dipped after he heard what he did, Naruto spun completely around to see what devil was indeed behind him. He saw two boys and they were both recognized. The boy behind him, who asked the question, had barbed, black hair with a violet outfit.
"Indeed, but not at today's panel." After Hayate's answer to his question, the black-haired kid grinned from cheek to cheek, and the thought of being challenged, or maybe being bold towards the jounin, caused smugness galore to fill his face.
"Kannosuke!" Iruka yelled from the corner of the classroom, looking up at the upper seats. "Knock it off! Even if it's a joke!"
A boy with red hair gave this Kannosuke a wary look. Matter of fact, they sat next to each other.
"Kan, no way you'd go after him." He whispered.
"Yo Gaku, if I don't take our even the greatest of obstacles, I can't be the strongest. Got to show that you can't be messed with." The grinning kid said, kicking his feet atop his desk. Naruto could not believe what he was hearing, and even he wondered if he really was the devil?
Hayate cleared his throat, faced with another question.
"What is your favorite jutsu?"
For his next answer, Hayate smiled. "The one where I dance to the moon on the third day." First there was silence, followed by laughter at the ambiguity of the answer. The next question came from a girl. Naruto was spurred by her sound of her voice. A girl with long pink hair.
"I heard that many shinobi work in squads. If that's so, well, what if your teammate is annoying?" The girl clasped her hands and turned her head. Naruto didn't meet her eyes; her eyes were towards the morose looking Sasuke who was far away. Looking in that direction, she added with a wry smile. "Even though I hope that I won't have such a problem."