A soft wind blew through the village of Konoha. With it came the sounds of trees and several of their fallen leaves. It passed calmly through the streets, ruffling the clothing of the people on their ways home on a Tuesday evening. The sun cast an orange and pink pallet of colour across the sky, filling the streets with filtered light.

Genma walked very slowly through these roads, completely covered in dust. His skin was tanned, and there was a bandage wrapped around his right upper arm. A slight limp hindered his step even more, making him look more like an old man than one of the elite ninja of the village.

He stopped suddenly, tilting his head to the side. Then, he said, as though to the air, "Good evening, Kari."

"Good evening, Genma," the jonin replied, stepping out of the shadows of an alleyway and nodding, "and welcome back."

"Thank you," Genma replied, as Kari fell into stride beside him.

"What took you so long?" Kari asked, glancing over to him. "I thought your mission was only supposed to last a week?"

"Yes, well," Genma laughed slightly, a weak, wheezy noise, "supposed to isn't always does. There're always complications, always things getting in the way…"

They walked on in silence for a time, Kari with her head down and watching her feet, while Genma simply continued struggling along. Finally, after several minutes, the male jonin broke the silence.

"So, what did you come here to ask me?"

"Can't slip anything by you, can I?" she smiled to him.

"I'm sure you could," Genma muttered, "you just aren't being too subtle."

"Right…" Kari replied, rolling her eyes. "Well, it's just… Suzunaka."

"What about him? He's not giving you any trouble, is he?"

"No!" she exclaimed, "Of course not! It's just… how much did you teach him?"

"Me?" Genma asked, raising an eyebrow. "Incredibly little. I just let him train with me. Why do you ask?"

Kari shook her head, and opened her mouth to say something. She stopped, and looked away, then tried again. "He's just… he learns things too quickly."

"You're complaining about this?"

"Not at all. It's just… unnatural."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," Kari looked over at him, and Genma could hear the incredulity in her voice, "how many ninjas in training have you heard of who could do wall walking before they even became a genin?"

"It's not totally unheard of," Genma offered, shrugging, "I mean, there's Kakashi…"

"Yes, but did even Kakashi manage to nearly master water walking after a week and a half?"

Genma stared at her, stopping in mid-stride. "What?"

Kari rolled her eyes, and held her hands up in the air helplessly. "I started off by teaching Shitana and Hide to wall walk. They're making good progress, too. They can almost run up the city walls without falling now. I figured that I would give Suzunaka a head start on water walking while they were doing that. I never guessed that he would actually even begin to get it before they were done, but now…"

They had reached Genma's house, so he unlocked the door and let Kari in. The two of them walked into his small kitchen, where the male jonin took off his pack and tossed it on the counter. They both sat down, and finally Genma muttered, "That's not possible…"

"I know," Kari replied. "You've been working with him longer, so I thought you might have some idea how it worked…"

"Well," Genma said suddenly, his eyes lighting up. "There is one thing."

"What?"

"Suzunaka's chakra is strange. Whenever he uses it, it doesn't simply stream to his hands for the seals and then release. It leaches out of him in waves, in all directions. It's helped to make him a natural chakra controller, in his own right…"

"That would explain his sound attack, then," Kari reasoned.

"Sound attack?"

"You didn't know?" she asked, surprised. "He has the ability to gather the sound around him and throw it in a concentrated blast at someone or something." Her voice faltered slightly, as she asked, "You never saw it when he was training with you?"

"No," Genma admitted. "The only jutsus I ever saw him use were the ones taught at the academy. He didn't even know a single attack jutsu."

Kari stared at him in dull surprise for a moment, before asking, "So, you're saying that he must have come up with that jutsu on the fly, without any preparation?"

"So it would seem," Genma nodded, sitting back in his chair.

There was silence for several moments. Finally, Kari whispered, "I think we've got a mystery on our hands."

"Definitely. Where is he right now?"

"On a mission with the other two."

……………………………………………………………………………………………...

A false sense of calm was upon the tall trees just outside the gates of Konoha village. The evening light seemed to suggest tranquility and peace in a way, not giving away the truth of the situation:

There was a hunt in process.

"I can see him…"

"Copy that. I've got visual too. Hide?"

"Spotted him. I'll cover the east."

"Alright. Keep in touch, just in case. The two of us will come in at him on both sides. You ready?"

"Roger. I'll give the signal. Over and out."

Silent as the dead, the two genin slowly approached their target from the south and north, taking slow steps. Soon, they could see not only the target, but also each other. As soon as they had eye contact with each other, Shitana motioned with her hand.

They sprang.

Suzunaka went in low, while Shitana attacked high just in case.

Their target looked up as they each jumped at him, and then leapt nimbly out of the way, no more than a shadow amongst the trees.

"He's heading west!"

"Shitana, throw me that way!"

As the two closed with each other, Suzunaka extended his arm, while Shitana reached out and grabbed it. She spun in the air, and released the other genin.

He flew with her throw, and sailed through the air. As soon as he had passed by their target overhead, he twirled around, and smacked his hands together in several seals. Finally, he called out, "Ototon: Otodan no Jutsu!"

All sound died for a moment. Then, the silence was replaced by a dull roaring which filled the area, and ripped several leaves from their branches. The target, shocked and frightened by the noise, spun around, and bolted off the way he came.

"Hide, he's coming right for you!" Suzunaka said, touching a hand to the radio attached around his neck.

"I'm on it," Hide replied, and then the genin was moving. "Shitana? Give me some warning on when he's coming."

"Got it. Approximately five seconds… now!"

Hide lunged out, seeing where his target was moving and angling himself in midair. The target hit him square in the chest, and Hide grabbed him, going down into a rolling scramble.

Both Suzunaka and Shitana had to rip off their radios as an ear-splitting scream rang out of it.

"What the hell was that?" Shitana yelped as the two of them ran towards where they had last seen Hide.

"No idea," Suzunaka shrugged. They reached the bush into which the two of them had fallen, and pushed through.

Hide was holding the black furred cat out at arms length, glaring at it.

"What the hell happened to you?" Shitana demanded, glaring at him.

"The bloody cat scratched me!" Hide muttered, outraged. Both of them saw the three, shallow, parallel scratches going from under his left eye all the way to the right corner of his mouth.

"How are you going to be a bloody ninja if you can't take a cat scratch!?"

"Well, it's not the fact that it hurts, really," he muttered, still eying the cat. "Do either of you want to carry this guy until we get him back?"

"I'll take him," Shitana offered. He passed over the struggling feline, and she stroked its head. The small creature instantly purred, and curled up in her grip.

Hide stared on at her in surprise for a moment, until she glanced up and flashed him a satisfied grin.

"Well, let's just get him back to his owner," he muttered. "But I could've sworn that team seven did the exact same mission a few days ago."

"Shino said his team performed the mission last week, as well," Suzunaka added. The two started slightly at the sound of his voice; it wasn't often that he spoke, aside from the occasional battle command.

"Right," Shitana said, stroking the cat again, "let's just get back so that we can get to sleep early tonight. Kari told me that she has a few hard labour jobs lined up for us tomorrow."

Hide groaned, and even Suzunaka rolled his eyes a bit. True, the life of a Konoha village genin was not quite as romantic as one would think. In fact, it was quite boring. Capturing the cat had been the most action-packed mission they had done as of yet. Mostly, they had been pulling weeds, doing groceries, picking up garbage, and other such menial tasks. The only fighting they had done since Kari had accepted to teach them were the occasional sparring matches between each other, with Kari always placing some sort of bizarre stipulation upon them. For example, no using ninjutsu, no using arms or hands, no blinking, and so on.

The three began picking their way through the great tree roots, trying to find a relatively unobstructed path back to Konoha. All the while, whenever they could, the three would try going up the sides of the trees partly, practising their wall walking. While Suzunaka generally just walked up these, Hide and Shitana would have to run, and normally would drop to the ground afterwards. Eventually, Shitana was forced to pass the cat over to Suzunaka after far too many close calls for the creature's comfort.

Finally, when they reached the gates, the three stopped, and Hide asked, "Should we try it?"

"You'll never get better if you don't test yourselves," Suzunaka informed them.

"Alright, then. See you on the other side."

With that, both Hide and Shitana took off at breakneck speed, straight for the wall. Once they were quite close to the structure, blue light began flying up from their feet with each step, increasing their speed dramatically.

"I should probably follow them, shouldn't I?" Suzunaka asked, glancing down at the cat. He mewed, and the genin sighed, then started running after them.

Hide and Shitana's lead feet each smacked into the wall at the same time, and then they were running upwards instead of sideways. Instantly, their speed began dropping, but they were still moving fast. By the time the two of them were halfway up the wall, Suzunaka had just placed his own first foot onto its base.

Beads of sweat were forming on the foreheads of the two genins, as they each pushed themselves to their limits. They would make it this time. They were sure of it. This would be the first time they managed to clear the city wall. Tomorrow, they would meet with Kari, and show her. Show her that they had grown, and maybe that they were ready for some slightly more difficult missions.

Suddenly, each one of them lurched slightly, at the same moment. Each of their feet had slipped, losing their focus on the chakra, and placing them, instead of comfortably stuck to the wall, hanging in open air.

They each hung for one terrifying moment, and they felt the sudden pull of gravity. Then, they were falling, the height giving them vertigo. Stomachs in mouths, the two of them plummeted, turning to look at each other. Even as they did, they each saw the rising form of Suzunaka, easily jogging up the wall by them. He didn't even look over at them as they passed him, simply going on up with the cat perched comfortably in his arms.

"You know," Shitana muttered, glancing over to her companion, "sometimes I really hate him."

"Agreed," Hide responded.

With that, each one kicked forward with one foot, hitting the wall. The force of the kicks sent them back, slowing their downward momentum. They each pulled a single, slow backflip, and landed in comfortable crouches.

"Honestly," the girl genin said, standing up and brushing herself off, "I can't stand this. He can do everything."

Hide shrugged, then rolled his neck slightly. "Well, at least he's on our team. I mean, imagine if he'd been paired up with some of the others?"

Shitana laughed, muttering, "Yeah, imagine him, Sasuke, and Ino on a team!"

"Oh, don't even imagine that," he shuddered. "It scares me."

The two of them instead walked in through the main gates, where they were met by Suzunaka. He had already climbed down the wall, and was simply standing around, waiting for them. The cat had taken up a perch on his head, much to his apparent annoyance.

"Could one of you get him off?" the genin asked, crossing his eyes to look up at the thing. "He won't let go."

Shitana shook her head, trying her best not to smile as she grabbed the creature off of her team-mate's head. "How did he even get up there?"

Suzunaka simply shrugged, wincing slightly as she lifted it up. "Those claws hurt."

"Hah!" Hide exclaimed, "I told you! Even Suzunaka thought it hurt!"

Shitana sighed, stroking the creature in her arms. "I'll take him back to the Hokage, seeing as neither of you seem competent enough to pick him up. See you tomorrow?"

"It's not like we've got anywhere better to be," Hide replied, and Suzunaka simply shrugged, so Shitana turned on her heel and walked away.

They watched her leaving, crossing through the shadows and red light the evening sun cast throughout the street. When she finally turned a corner and was lost to their view, Hide turned to look over at Suzunaka.

"What are you doing now?" he asked conversationally.

Suzunaka looked over at him in confusion, as though he'd never considered the question before. " 'Doing'?"

Hide had to stare at Suzunaka for a little bit of time in order to ensure that he was serious, before going on. "You know, doing. Performing an action. What action are you going to be performing after we leave this exact point in space and time?"

Suzunaka knitted his brow in concentration, thinking hard on this question. Doing? What kind of question was that? How did Hide expect him to answer. Eventually, the boy settled on an answer, and said simply, "I won't do anything."

Once again, Hide looked on for several moments before continuing. Was this kid serious? "So you're telling me that when you're not training or doing ninja work, you do absolutely nothing?"

"I listen," Suzunaka said, as though it were the most natural response in the world.

"That," Hide sighed, "is sad. Come on. You can help me do my groceries."

With that, Hide began walking away. It took several moments for Suzunaka to realize that he was meant to follow, and then he ran to catch up. The two walked on in silence for some time, each slightly uneasy in the other's company. The two of them felt so… foreign… to each other. It was the only word for it. They were each convinced that there were no similarities between them. Still, the silence was only getting more uncomfortable, so Hide went out on a limb and attempted conversation.

"All you do is sit around and listen?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. When the other boy nodded, he continued, "To what? Music?"

"No!" Suzunaka shook his head violently, as though that were a stupid suggestion. "Music isn't real noise. It's too ordered, too regular. That's not what noise is."

"Then what is noise?" Hide asked, beginning to become interested in spite of himself.

"It's…" Suzunaka found himself at a loss for words. He couldn't describe the feelings he had. He knew what he wanted to say, but not how. Finally, he simply stopped trying, and said, "What do you hear right now?"

"Nothing," Hide replied, shrugging.

"Really?" Suzunaka asked, as though surprised.

"Yeah," the other answered. "I mean, it's just a street. Nobody's out. What am I supposed to be hearing?"

"Our footsteps," Suzunaka suggested. "The echoes they make off the buildings. The wind through the buildings. Anything."

Hide glanced over at the other boy quizzically. "You're quite odd, you realise that?"

"I revel in it," Suzunaka corrected, grinning over at Hide. Hide, for his part, could only shake his head in incredulity as they stepped around the corner, and headed towards a small market street. Several of the vendors were still out, though most were packing up, and several stalls already stood empty. Hide made a beeline for one stall, where a kind-looking and stocky grocer greeted him by name.

Hide listed off a quick series of different things he needed, and the grocer helped him find them along the several tables he had set out. When they were done gathering their things, the grocer looked up and saw Suzunaka for probably the first time.

"Who's this?" the man asked. He noted the forehead protector, and quickly added, "One of your genin partners?"

"Oh, right," Hide said quickly, "Sorry, I forgot the introductions. Mr Suoh, this is my friend Suzunaka. Suzunaka, Mr Suoh."

"Pleased to meet you," the man said, offering a hand. Suzunaka took it slowly, and shook it, as though he wasn't sure that the hand would eat him whole when given the chance.

Hide quickly paid the man, and then, he did something very strange. He reached up, and undid the forehead protector. He then handed it over to the man, who, in return, gave him a green apron identical to the one which he wore. The two nodded to each other, and then Hide grabbed his bags. On instinct more than anything, Suzunaka also grabbed a couple, and followed Hide as they walked away.

It took a bit of time before Suzunaka could recover from the shock enough to ask, "What did you just do?"

"Sorry?"

"You know, with the forehead protector thing?" he demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, right!" Hide said, and suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Well, uh, y'see, my, uh, my mom, she, uh, doesn't like me being a ninja, so, uh…"

"…yes?"

"I tell her that I got a job working for Mr Suoh at his stall. I leave early in the morning, come back late at night. It all works out, and she thinks that we get free groceries."

They walked on for a little while longer, Hide with his head pointedly facing away from Suzunaka. However, the genin had to ask, "What happens when she finds out?"

"'Scuse me?"

"What happens if your mom decides to go for groceries one day and you're not there?"

Hide shrugged, simply saying, "I'll burn that bridge once I reach it."

The two of them walked on until they reached a mid-sized apartment building. Hide walked over to a first floor room which had a door leading directly outside, and knocked. A few moments later, the door opened, and out stepped a woman, presumably Hide's mother. Her skin was the same dark shade as his, though her eyes were a surprisingly bright green colour. Her hair was shoulder-length, and pulled into dozens of complicated little braids.

"You're home!" she said, sounding worried. "Why are you so late today?"

"Sorry, mom," Hide replied, shrugging. "I had to clean up a bit. There was this stray cat that gave us a bit of trouble while we were taking things down. Gave me a good scratch, too."

"Let me see."

Hide waited impatiently while his mother surveyed the scratch on his face, and yelped once or twice when she prodded it. When she finally pulled back, he nodded over to Suzunaka.

"Mom, this is Suzunaka. He's a friend of mine."

"A genin?" she asked, looking Suzunaka up and down. "Risky job. Why do you want to have such a dangerous life?"

"I don't know," the boy shrugged, trying very hard to keep his voice casual. How could this woman not know that her child was a genin himself!? "It seemed right."

"Well good luck with that," she said, nodding to him. "Either way, let's get inside. I've started making dinner. You brought the groceries, I see."

"Yes, mom. Suzunaka helped."

"How nice of him," she said, taking the bags from him before he could stop her. "Well, it was nice meeting you Suzunaka. Good bye."

Hide turned to Suzunaka as she walked through the door, and winked, saying, "Thanks for the help, Suzu."

And then he was gone.

Suzunaka stared at the door for a while after he left. That was odd. Why wouldn't she want Hide to be a ninja. He seemed to be quite a good one, for all that he couldn't tree-run yet. But stranger still…

Why had Hide called him 'Suzu'?

He'd heard of people giving each other nicknames, or simply shortening their names, before. But normally it was only something people did when they were friends, or at least when they knew each other relatively well. So why all of a sudden 'Suzu'?

Suzunaka walked all the way back to his home thinking about this. There was only one possible explanation for it, but it made very little sense to the boy. Still, it was present…

Did Hide think of him as a friend?