Academy Arc – That Spark
XXXXX
Kaeru was by no means an energetic child. That was something that Shikaku and Hiashi had learned quickly after spending time with the boy. Since the confrontation nearly two months prior, the two men would invite Kenkin and Kaeru for tea and discussion. It was simply their way of looking after the two and ensuring they were safe from harm. Hiashi cared for his little sister, despite his stoicism, and Shikaku was curious about his young cousin. It was a win-win. Still, Kaeru often appeared to doze off during their time together, which Kenkin had stated several times was strange for the boy.
It was definitely rare for a Nara as well. From what Shikaku knew, his family was known for being lazy, yes, but actually dozing off wasn't common. They were a shinobi family, after all, and actually falling asleep on the field was a death sentence for both you and your squad. The heir would have chalked it up to Kaeru just being an unusual kid if the boy actually slept. No, he faked it. He didn't want to talk and interact with himself and Hiashi, that much was obvious.
The question that popped into Shikaku's mind was why? Was the boy hiding something, or did he just not like speaking to adults? Perhaps it was because Kenkin spoke with enough energy for the both of them. Still, if that were true then how come he would speak more towards Kenkin when he thought they were alone? Maybe he was just a strange kid? Whatever the case, it was far too much work to figure that out for Shikaku.
"Thank you s-so much for having u-us," Kenkin stood as the meal came to an end. "B-Big brother, mister N-Nara." The older teen rolled his eyes and waved her concerns off.
"Call me Shikaku," he told the girl. "Using my family name makes me feel old. I'm not clan head just yet." The teen chuckled and Kenkin nodded happily. The three then glanced at their fourth.
"Kaeru," the Hyuuga girl shook her friend. "W-Wake up. We have to g-go now." Kaeru groaned before he 'woke', stretching and yawning for a few seconds before his eyes opened.
"Eh?" The young man yawned again, but Shikaku knew better. His breathing pattern didn't match that of someone who was legitimately sleeping. It was the slow, deep breathing of someone faking it. "Is it done already?"
"Y-Yes," the girl replied, giving her friend a gentle smile. "Do you want to g-go out and train?" A gentle flush adorned the girl's cheeks, and Shikaku was sure that his girlfriend would have gushed over the child if she were present.
"Ok," Kaeru's response was simple, not an uncommon occurrence with him. The girl helped her friend stand up, and he bowed to both Hiashi and Shikaku. "Thank you for having us." Hiashi sent the boy a coy smile.
"Try not to fall asleep while training," the heir of the Hyuuga suggested. "It may end badly for you with my little sister."
"Yes sir," was the polite response. Shikaku gave his friend a lopsided smile as the two left, with Kenkin speaking animatedly to her best friend.
"What, so I get an 'ok' while you get 'yes sir'? Sheesh, what a disrespectful little brat, eh?" The Nara heir chuckled and leaned back a bit, resting hi9s weight on his hands. They had been sat on the floor this time. The Hyuuga household had a distinct lack of chairs. "I have to tell ya, those kids are something special. I'm sure they'll end up changing the world somehow."
"Kenkin especially," Hiashi agreed. "You were able to sense her latent chakra, were you not?" Shikaku nodded.
"I'm not as good at it as Inoichi is, but I don't need to be. You'd have to be one hell of a bad Jounin to miss the amount of chakra she has. She's five?"
"Six," Hiashi corrected his friend. "Yes. Father is both worried and proud of her. Something about the fruit of his loins being melons." Both of the young men shivered at the thought. "In any case, it's something that he has tasked my brother and I to keep watch of. I'm convinced she might explode from chakra buildup if we don't."
"That might actually be kind of interesting to watch," the Nara chuckled. "Provided she doesn't actually explode, that is." The glare that Hiashi sent him didn't lessen. "What?"
"You're an asshole."
"Oh, scathing."
XXXXX
Snow dusted the ground, and the trees lacked their usual vibrant green leaves. It was training ground seven, the one both Kenkin and Kaeru had taken up as their own ever since the beginning of their days at the academy. Despite it only being so short a time ago, it seemed as if the academy days had been so long ago. Ninja academy was much more forgiving in time than civilian school, since breaks in academy workload allowed the teachers, normally Chuunin, to take up better paying missions to compensate their less than stellar teaching pay. Classes began in the middle of spring, and would end during the middle of fall.
"Hah!" A lone voice cried out from the training ground. A first. Normally it was only Kaeru and Kenkin that inhabited the grounds at any given day. However, since they'd started spending more time with their older friends, they had spent less time training. "Hah!" That amount of time may have allowed someone new to frequent training ground seven. "Hah!"
As the two children approached, they spotted a girl who appeared only a little younger than them striking at a bare tree, building her endurance and strength. The bark had long since been chipped away, leaving the wood underneath exposed to the elements. "Hah!"
"It looks like someone else is here," the boy observed aloud to his friend. "Maybe we should come back another time?" Despite being muffled by the snow, Kaeru's voice reached the girl's ears. She turned around, gazing at the two newcomers with dark chocolate eyes.
"Hey, what are you two doing over there, huh!?" The girl yelled at them, grabbing their attention. "You come to laugh at me too!? Did Odomaru put you up to it, you jerks!?"
"Odomaru?" Kaeru tilted his head, his voice strong enough to cover the distance between himself and the girl. He approached the violet haired stranger, his hands in his coat pockets. "I don't know any Odomaru."
"Kaeru," Kenkin attempted to pull him away. "We should go..." She could see the angry look on the new girl's face, and it scared her a little.
"Eh? But she's just a little girl. She doesn't look very- urk!" Kaeru was interrupted as the girl lunged at him, attempting to slug him across the face. He avoided the strike just in time before his eyes narrowed. She wasn't as weak as he'd thought she would be. "Hm. Ok, so you're interesting."
"I'll show you what interesting is, you bastard," the girl gave him an almost cruel smile. "I'll kick your ass!" She made to strike him again, each punch and kick was avoided with precision and care. She was already as strong as beginning students at the academy.
"Tch, what a mouth on you," Kaeru grunted, sidestepping another punch. Kenkin watched on with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Where did you learn words like that?"
"Why the hell do you care, huh?" The girl snapped back at him. "My name is Mitarashi Anko, and I'm gonna be the Hokage!"
"Hokage, huh?" Kaeru lazily weaved out of the way from another strike. Anko's once fast swings were becoming sluggish. She was tiring out. "There's no way a kid like you is gonna be Hokage."
"Just you wait, you bastard," the girl growled in reply. "I'll get you...! Just, slow down or something so I can hit you!" With one more swing, her fist was caught by the shinobi in training. "B-Bastard! Let go of me!"
"No," was Kaeru's simple response. "Not unless you promise not to hit me again, ok?"
"Raaaah!" Anko made to swing at him with her other hand, but it was caught by Kenkin's palm.
"D-Don't hit him!" She shouted, a scared look on her face. "Can't we just t-talk?" There was silence from all three of them as the girl tried to plead with the two that had been fighting. "Kaeru, what's wrong with you!? You're never like this."
"I..." Kaeru was at a loss for words. His eyes flickered between Kenkin and Anko. He frowned. She was right, usually he wasn't so eager to fight for no reason. Still, just looking at Anko made him feel something. It was an unnatural feeling, and he wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not. When she had been arguing with him, though, it had flared up and she became impossible to ignore. "Hmph. She was the one who attacked first."
"I'll hit you," Kenkin threatened him. Her expression was firm and her Byakugan was active; even Anko looked slightly afraid of her. "Both of you, apologize so we can talk and be friends."
"Y-Yes ma'am."
"Ok, Kenkin."
The girl released anko's hand, and Kaeru did the same. "Apologize."
"I'm sorry, Anko," Kaeru's apology lacked energy. His best friend stared at him. "I'm sorry for fighting you like that."
"Yeah, same here." Glare. "Urk! I'm sorry for trying to punch you." Glare. "U-Uh, punch you for no reason?"
"Was that so hard?" Kenkin asked, giving them both an adorable smile. Any traces of her previous disappointment was gone. "Now, we can all be friends and train together!"
"Yaaaaay..." The cheers following lacked any kind of enthusiasm. Kenkin only smiled beautifully. Both Anko and Kaeru glared at one another, each one blaming the other.
"Now, both of you can spar against me at the same time," the Hyuuga suggested, her look becoming smug. "It will be a fun warm up."
"N-Now Kenkin," Kaeru took a step back, feeling a bead of sweat travel down his forehead at the thought, "maybe let's not get too exited-"
"Piece of cake!" Anko, who didn't realize how skilled the Hyuuga truly was, instantly lunged towards her even in her own exhausted state. Kenkin quickly sidestepped the lung, used to such forward tactics from fighting against Kaeru so often. Despite all of his technique, the Nara always started his battles by lunging at his opponent. "Argh, stand still you bitch!"
Kenkin's eye twitched, and she grabbed the incoming kick that Anko followed up with to quickly shut down the muscles inside. Her head flew to the side as Kaeru blindsided her with a kick from the other direction. Her Byakugan hadn't been activated. The girl stumbled to the side, and watched as her best friend stood next to their new partner. "You underestimated me again." She had. She'd assumed by his passive start that he would stay out of the fight until she came to him.
"You cheated."
"We're going to be shinobi," Kaeru replied. "If you're not cheating, your not-"
"Trying!" Kenkin finished for him. She darted in a curved line towards Anko, who had been distracted by their banter. She was the weakest link. Kaeru was too unpredictable when it came to his tactics, but sometimes they were simple enough to take advantage of. "I've got you! Unf!" She spotted a fist coming for her side just as she reached out to strike Anko. Her own arm blocked Kaeru's punch, and she was forced to direct her attention on him instead of Anko.
Another flash of movement caught by her Byakugan led her to intercepting another kick from Anko, using her knee to twist her leg around the other girl's and trip her. Fighting against Kaeru and Kakashi had forced her to adapt her style from her family's Juuken (Gentle Fist) style. The Juuken didn't take into account to blows below the waist, making low strikes especially dangerous to the Hyuuga.
Another limb came at her face, and the blocked it with her arm.
Another from Kaeru came at her feet, and she had to leap over it. Unlike Anko, he was strong enough and had good enough balance to avoid being tripped. His other leg was also too far away from her, making a sweep of the leg a non-option. Kenkin found herself smiling. Kaeru was always a fun oponent, but there was only ever just one of him, so it made his movements predictable after a while.
Adding Anko to the mix made it much more fun, and she had to be aware of several directions all at once. The girl's smile widened. She felt so alive. "I think we should stop," It was Anko's voice that make her freeze. "She's getting a really creepy smile on her face."
"Yeah, I see it," Kaeru too? "Are you ok, Kenkin? Your face is getting really red."
"I was having fun, you jerks!" The Hyuuga whined. "Why'd you have to stop?"
"Kenkin, look at our arms," Kaeru spoke slowly. The girl frowned and looked at them. Their arms and hands were covered in red marks, as if they'd gotten chakra burns. "You were getting really serious, Kenkin. I can't feel the chakra in my arms anymore."
"Me too," Anko showed her own bruised arms. "You're really strong!" There were stars in the violet haired girl's eyes. With her short hair let down, she was actually kind of endearing. "Can you train with me more?" Kenkin was more concerned about her lack of control. Still, it wouldn't do to let her new friend down.
"Yeah, we can train a lot with Kaeru," she told Anko, getting a frown in return.
"Ew, I don't want to train with a bastard like him," she grumbled. Kaeru growled, something uncharacteristic with him.
"What was that, you little brat?" His voice wasn't loud, but it definitely held a presence to it. "I'll kick your butt from here to the Hokage Monument."
"I'd like to see you try, you big bastard!" Anko shouted back, getting up in his face. Kenkin stared at her friend, and only slightly noticed the amusement in his eyes and the gentle curve of his lips.
"Oh yeah? then how about we race," Kaeru grinned a bit. "First one to become Hokage wins. Got it?"
"You're on!" Anko's fists were clenched. "You better watch out, cause I'm gonna be the first girl Hokage, you bastard." Kenkin could only smile. Maybe they weren't the best of friend, but they were certainly something.
A strange sensation tugged at her head. Kenkin looked around as Kaeru and Anko continued to try and one up one another. It was a tugging, pulling feeling right at the top of her head, like it was being pulled by a string. Something slithered back into the forest around them.
Kenkin instantly activated her Byakugan, hoping to catch it in her vision. She only saw it for a brief second. A dark chakra slipping away, further into the forest around them. She couldn't make out a shape, but it definitely had a head. It looked like- Pain. Pain throbbed through her skull, forcing her to drop her Doujutsu (Visual Prowess) and she fell to her knees into the snow.
"H-Hey, Kenkin, are you ok?" Her best friend asked immediately. He was so sweet. "Sheesh, you really scared me there. Are you hurt? Do you want to head back into the village?"
"What's wrong with her?" Anko followed up. "Does she usually do that?" Kaeru shook his head, and Kenkin tried to stand. The throbbing pain was gone, and it was replaced only by a feeling of... what was that feeling? It was like excitement, but a lot more scary.
"I'm ok," Kenkin spoke slowly, trying to focus. She was ok. She could stand. Maybe she'd exhausted herself? Yes, that had to be it. The feeling was already fading away. "I think I just exhausted myself. Can we get food, Kaeru? I'm hungry."
"Of course," Kaeru was all too happy to get her something to eat. He was almost like Hiashi; he spoiled her almost like an older brother would. It was kind of weird now that she thought about it; he was younger than her after all. "Ramen? Or do you want something different?"
"Barbeque?" The Hyuuga asked, giving her friend a sideways look. "Something filling."
"Hotpot?"
"Hotpot?" Anko echoed, confused. Both Kaeru and Kenkin shared a look.
"Hotpot," she agreed.
XXXXX
"Holy shit, this is hotpot!?" Anko's vulgar language thankfully didn't carry far past their booth after she'd taken her first bite. "This is awesome!"
"Just the right mix of bitter, sour, sweet and smoky," Kaeru agreed, pulling his slice of beef from the pot and dipping it into some teriyaki sauce. "A little of everything for everyone. The perfect meal for family and friends." Anko slurped down a bunch of udon noodles.
"Diff doen't m'k uff fwendth," she glared at the boy sitting across from her, her mouth full of food. Kenkin hid her giggles as she pulled some noodles of her own into her mouth. She'd covered it in a little bit of wasabi; she loved spicy flavors. Anko swallowed the food in her mouth before she pointed at Kaeru with her chopsticks. "Next time I'll totally kick your ass."
"I'd like to see you try," the Nara replied as he took another bite of his beef. It had a sweet flavor to it that mixed well with the saltiness of the seasoning, something that Kaeru loved. He was the epitome of calm as he spoke and ate. It was something Kenkin had never noticed before. He was much more mature than their friends at the academy, not that they had too many. Only Obito and Rin, and maybe that Asuma boy. He gave her kind of a weird feeling, though.
"Not at the table," Kenkin decided to interject before they could argue during their food. "I don't want food going everywhere because you're fighting again."
"You're not my mom!" Anko stuck her tongue out. Kenkin stared at her.
"I will Juuken your tongue," she threatened. Said appendage quickly re-entered Anko's mouth. "Can we eat, please?"
"I'm not stopping you," Kaeru gave his friend a cheeky smile, his eyes meeting Anko's. She seemed to get the hint.
"Yeah, the only one not eating right now is you," the violet haired girl picked up a slice of pork and slipped it into the boiling broth to cook. "Are you feeling ok, princess?"
"I- You- Nnnnn..." Kenkin whined as she realized her two friends had turned against her. "You both are meanies." Her two traitorous friends laughed at her realization as the Hyuuga pouted. She grabbed some noodles with her own chopsticks and placed them in the broth to marinate some. The smallest hints of a smile slid across her face, however. "I'll get you both back for that next time when we train."
"Next time?" Anko asked, confused. "You guys will train with me again?"
"Did you think we wouldn't?" Kaeru asked, smiling a little bit. "You're pretty strong. You would be fun to train with." He paused to take a bite from some noodles he'd placed into the pot. "Besides, we're still racing for Hokage, aren't we?" Anko grinned widely, nodding her head enthusiastically.
"Yeah! I'll totally get there first!" In her excitement, the girl had shoved her chopsticks forward to point at the boy. Unfortunately, she had been holding noodles in her utencils, and the food slipped out when she did so, throwing it against the wall behind the boy. "Uhh, oops!" Both Kenkin and Kaeru laughed at the girl's misfortune, getting an angry rant in return as Anko tried to hurridly clean up the mess she'd made.
The young boy glanced at his two friends and smiled. This was home. This was fulfillment. There wasn't anything that could possibly go wrong.
XXXXX
"You're certain of this?"
"Yes, the boy will make the perfect candidate. All he needs is a push in the right direction."
"I will take it into consideration, Zetsu. Leave me, I will plan accordingly."
"Of course."
…..
"You really thing this will work?"
"He is the key to everything. You just keep yourself from screwing everything up, got it?"
"If you say so. But how are we going to get him to come to us?"
"He'll do it one way or another. We just need to find the right time. Mother will come back to her former glory, and then the world will become new once more."
XXXXX
Uh oh, we've got some shady characters working in the background. It's pretty obvious who they are, but they've definitely taken an interest in one of our male cast (boy, I wonder who that could be?). The duo meet Anko for the first time, rounding off our main cast for part one, and Kaeru jinxes absolutely everything to come! How will they suffer for his internalized mistake? Well, I only have a few ideas, but you'll have to keep reading to find out.
Overall a shorter chapter, but I figured it would be fine to end it here. Adding any more would just be out of place for the lighthearted tone of this chapter.
