My teammate, being four wary genin, stood apprehensively in a line. Facing our jōnin sensei. Under one arm, he gingerly held a cardboard box. He took his time looking each one of us up and down.
"I am going to be completely honest with you guys. I am only allowed to keep two of you as my students."
"Sensei?" Shinko asks, voice full of concern.
"The final genin exam only is allowed to pass 66% of academy students."
"What happens to those who do not pass?" Itachi asks, voice neutral.
"Those who fail go back to the academy to try again later."
I have never met a academy student who had been held back. Is sensei lying to us? Why? What could be the purpose? I follow Minato's rule, to always look underneath the underneath. He could be attempting to divide us. Four individual genin, or even a two pairs don't stand much of a chance against a jōnin. I have only ever heard of a whole team being sent back.
"I don't want to compete against these guys! Their supposed to be my team!" Shinko high pitch voice cries out in alarm.
"Then are you volunteering to be one of the two who go back?"
"No...But Yuki-sensei, that's not fair..."
"Neither is the life of a ninja." He responds flatly.
"What's the test?" Itachi asks, voice void of any emotion.
"The test is simple." He opens the box to reveal a carton of four chicken eggs. "Each one of you is responsible for protecting this egg from me. You will each be targeted once, in which you will attempt to stop me from destroying the egg. You can try anything you like," This will be SO easy! "Except you Namikaze. No sealing the egg into one of your scrolls or putting up a barrier." Drat. "A future client will not like such treatment." Isn't it better than the alternative... of ya know...dying?
"So, you are going to attack each of us while we try to stop you from breaking our egg?" Tenma asks for clarification.
"Yes."
"Alright! Let's do this."
Yuki-sensei sets the four eggs in the grass. "I will give you five minutes to decide how you wish to proceed." He shunshins away, but I can still hear him breathing in a tree four-hundred yards to the south.
We all gather around the delicate white eggs in the grass.
"Come on, Shinko-chan. Let's leave these losers." Tenma mutters, grabbing the girls hand and pulling her after him.
"Wait!" I call after them. "We stand a much stronger chance if we face him together!"
"Aww, scared of our sensei?"
"Not fear. Respect. He's been a jōnin for much longer than we have been genin." I assert.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Teamwork." I state.
"Wow. What a wonderful idea." He says dryly. "I would never have thought of that." His tone is layered so thickly with sarcasm I could have cut it with a blunt kunai. "The only thing is, I am not going to protect you guys, and go back to the academy."
"Have you ever met anyone who was held back?" Itachi inquires.
"Well, no, but they could've been in a different class." The boy argues.
"Or, perhaps Yuki-sensei was attempting to divide us."
"So, lets say we work together," Shinko mutters, "What would we do?"
"I can get a box and blanket out of my scroll, and use them to pad the eggs. Someone can hold the box while the others fend off sensei." I suggest.
"No. 'Cause then someone gets to take it easy while the rest of us work hard." Tenma disputes.
"Well, we can take turns holding the box. While the others defend. Yuki-sensei did say he would attack four times." Itachi offers his support for my ideas.
"I don't like it." Tenma argues.
"Well, I do." Shinko says firmly. "I say we do it."
"So am I." Itachi agrees.
"Me too."
Tenma looks back and forth between the three of us, before huffing in exasperation. "Fine. But if we fail, it's all your fault!" He yells, pointing to me. My hands run through a familiar set of hand seals, and I release the wooden box that Kushina had given me my birthday present in and a small fuzzy blanket. I arrange half of the blanket underneath the eggs, in a little nest.
"Wait. If you pack them like that, they will smack into each other. Here." Tenma pulls the box towards him, and carefully rearranges the eggs, so each is nested individually. I note the practiced and calculating look in his eyes.
"Have you done that before?" Itachi asks the question that was on my mind.
"Yup. My parents like to have me help them out in their shop, so I have packed lots of boxes. "
"That sounds nice." I say quietly.
"Not really."
"I know that yesterday you said you didn't like to help out,"
"I hate it."
"I would give just about anything to see my parents and sister again."
Shinko gives me the 'look.' One pitying eyes that I have become all to familiar with. It had been over a year since I had arrived in Konohagakure, and once my sob story had been made common knowledge, people had started looking at me different. Civilian women looked at me with tears in their eyes, while praising how 'strong' I am. Some shinobi looked at me as if they expected me to fall to pieces. The Hokage himself has Minato give him reports every month about my wellbeing. It's like they don't see me for me. Only the events of my past. Tenma looks slightly chastened.
No matter, I will simply grow so strong, that they will not have any choice but to acknowledge me for who I am, not the ghosts of my past. I'll find a way to make lasting peace, and then... what? What would I do if I made lasting peace? I'll enjoy it with Minato and Kushina.
"Ready?" Itachi asks the group, and we all nod.
"Can I take the box first." Shinko asks.
"Then me." Tenma states.
"I'll go last." I offer.
"Alright." Itachi says. "Then I'll be third."
"Perfect timing. I can here sensei moving towards us." I whisper. We all tense and place our backs together, forming a three-point manji formation around Shinko, who clutches the box to her chest for dear life.
I draw my ōdachi, fingers firmly gripping the tsukaito, the reassuring feeling of the silk braid in my hands. Beside me, Itachi has drawn a pair of kunai, and Tenma has readied a bo staff.
A/N:
Sorry Guys! I have been so busy with school that I have barely had any free time to work on this. I am not going anywhere, but until finals are over, I'm gonna be goin' really slowly.
These last two weeks, I've written a 20 page paper, a 10 page paper, 2- 5 page papers, and four 300 word essays, and had 7 study guide to do... I am NEVER taking 18 Credit hours again! Especially while not keeping a part time job!
To my concerned followers: I am not abandoning this story now, or any time soon. If I ever do, [({Which is HIGHLY UNLIKELY})] I will let you know.
~~Aurelia Azyton~~
