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Chapter 3
The next morning, I set out to meet our sensei way before Naruto was awake. Me and Toby met up with each other on the road while we were going to the training grounds.
"Do you know who our sensei is gonna be?"I asked, pulling out a chocolate bar as my breakfast.
"Nope,"Toby replied nonchalantly as he scratched his blonde hair, pulled back into a ponytail. "I really need to get this shit cut..." He was right. His hair was too long for my taste. But everywhere else, he was cute. Toby had some of the most intense blue eyes I have ever seen in my life. He was thin, but not too thin for a 9 year old. He always wore baggy clothes, something that most ninja don't wear. "I've been wondering,"He said
"Wondering what?"
"Why do you hang out with that Jinchuuriki?" That vile word always makes my body tense and my blood boil.
"Don't call Naruto-kun a Jinchuuriki!! It's demeaning!"
"It's what he is; he has the Kyuubi inside of him, don't he?"Toby looked at me with those sky blue eyes, not really caring about what I just said.
"Yeah...but still, he's a human being and he shouldn't be labeled as anything else!"My attempt to justify Naruto was going up in smoke because deep inside, I knew what Toby just said was true.
We were quiet until we reached the training grounds, which was just another part of the forest surrounding Konoha. The only difference was that there wasn't that many trees, and the grass was cut, and there was some tree stumps as targets.
Raze was waiting for us, and his face lit up when he laid eyes on my. "Hey! Ready for the training?"He asked, mainly talking to me, even though he didn't specify who he was talking to.
"Yeah, I guess.."Toby said, chewing on a candy cigarette, one of his favorite snacks.
"Yep!"I replied, noticing that I was just as enthusiastic as Naruto was. "Have you seen our sensei yet?"
Raze scratched his head, ruffling a bit of his chestnut brown hair. "Uh..not really...maybe today's not the day to train..ya know, since he's not here and all..."His voice got all timid when he realized that I was giving him a little attention.
"Well,"I stood up straight, poked out my slightly developing chest and pointed out into the distance. "If our sensei doesn't show up, I'll just train myself!! And I mean it!"
"Heh...we don't even know basic chakra control; how can you train yourself?"Toby asked, finishing his candy and about to pull out another one.
"Shuddup!"I shouted, now pointing at him "I'm tired of waiting!! SENSEI, COME OUT HERE!!"
Suddenly, a big puff of smoke came out of nowhere, and when it settled, we were looking at a middle-aged man with long silver hair and a goofy-looking outfit. "Behold, young ones!!! You are looking at one of the greatest ninja to ever live!! It is I, the handsome and brilliant, Jiraiya, the Mountain Toad Sage!"
Our sweat dropped at how corny he was.
"Are you our sensei?!"I asked, hot at how late he was
"Yes, I am!"He stood up proudly, and extremely wide grin on his face "I'm sure you've heard of me by now, am I correct?"
Our sweat dropped again.
"No,"Toby answered for all of us
"WHAAAT?? Are you telling me that you have NEVER heard of Jiraiya, one of the greatest novelists of all time?? What are kids learning in school these days??"His eyes were as big as baseballs and his mouth got big enough that you could fit three in there.
"Never,"Raze replied, now standing next to me
Jiraiya groaned exasperatingly "Well, I do write adult novels...kids have no business knowing about them.."
"Are you a writer or a ninja?!"I asked, pointing my index finger at him dramatically "If you're a novelist, we don't need ya!!"
"Shut the hell up!!"he responded "I couldn't expect you to possibly understand my greatness!!"
After two minutes of me and Jiraiya going back and forth, Toby finally stepped in "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU ARGUING WITH A KID FOR?!"He put another candy cigarette in his mouth "Besides, shouldn't we be spending this time training? The chunin exams are coming up in a few months, after all."
"True, true,"Jiraiya agreed, forgetting about me "First up is the bell test,"He held up two small bells dangling from a string "Notice that there are only two bells. Therefore, only two of you can pass this mission. The mission is to get these two bells out of my possession and into yours"
"What will happen to the one who doesn't pass the test?"I asked, confident in my abilities.
"You'll be tied to one of those tree stumps until...dinnertime."
"But what if we just get finished at dinnertime?"Raze asked, always liking to explore all the possible outcomes of a situation.
"Then you'll just be tied there until the morning."Our teacher clarified nonchalantly as he jingled the bells around his fingers.
"Will you be there to watch us?"Raze asked again.
He laughed boisterously,"And miss out on getting in some more research?! No way!!"
"But what if something comes around and tries to eat us?!"I asked, now concerned if I don't claim a bell.
"Tough luck"Jiraiya stopped ringing the bells and grinned,"The mission starts...now"He disappeared in thin air, leaving us to search for him.
Around 4:00, we finally got two bells...well, at least...they got two bells, and I was the one stuck on the stump for the rest of the night.
Before sensei left, we had a little talk. "I hear you hang around the child with the Kyuubi inside of him...is it true?"
"I'm friends with Naruto-kun."I replied coldly, hating it when people referred to him as "The child with the Kyuubi" or a "Jinchuuriki".
"I see that you're protective of him...have you told him yet?"His voice became quieter, as if he were telling a grave secret.
I lowered my eyes "No...why? I don't think he should know."
"But he should. If you don't tell him, he'll find out from somewhere else...but it's not your place to tell, I suppose...so forget I ever said anything." That's another thing I hate; how can I forget what someone said right after they told me?? I don't have Alzheimer's! "On a lighter note, I've noticed something about you."
"What?"Now I was a little pissed.
"You have a lot of potential, and you're a great Gennin--way better than either of your teammates...but what I don't get is why you hold back so much,"He placed a finger on his chin and looked at me for an answer.
"I-I don't know..."I was a little disappointed in myself. I knew full well why I held back so much. I wanted everyone else to feel like they were useful, and I didn't want to seem like an attention-crazed psycho.
Jiraiya sighed and stood up. "Listen...a great ninja needs to be at his or her greatest when faced with any mission--especiall a rookie ninja like yourself. When you grow in skill, that is when the time is right to hold back in missions that you feel don't require you to use all of your energy. Otherwise, you shouldn't be concerned about showing off in front of your squadmembers. Showing off might just be what saves them from being killed...remember that, ok?"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Alright; I'll be back in the morning." That wide smile appeared on his face again "I've gotta do some research!"His voice changed to a miscievious tone and he laughed goofily.
"Uh...Jiraiya-Sensei...exactly what kind of research do you do?..."
He froze for a few seconds and scratched his head. "Uh...you do not need to know everything I do, do you?"Before I could answer, he already made his way out of the training grounds, leaving me there tied to a stump for the rest of the night.
"Psssst!!! Marie-Chan!!"A boy's voice whispered from behind me.
"Who's there?!"I asked, looking around quickly, but my vision was restricted because I couldn't move much.
"It's me, Naruto!!"He jumped out of the bushes, a bowl in his hands.
"Naruto-kun!"I exclaimed happily as I saw his face when he stood in front of me,"What are you doing here? How did you find me?"
Naruto chuckled and rubbed his nose,"I did a little sneaking around! Did you actually think I wouldn't be awake to see you leave for training?"
"I suppose not, I guess..."We both laughed.
"I brought some Ichiraku Ramen, seeing that you were gonna miss dinner. Do you want me to untie you from this--"He set down the bowl and looked around for the knot that tied me to the wood.
"--No, Naruto-kun! I have to stay here! It's part of the mission!"
Naruto pouted,"That's no fun! What kind of teacher puts their students through this crap?? And how are you gonna eat the ramen?!"
"Just feed it to me, I guess..."
"...Fine...but don't act like a baby and waste it anywhere!"He took the aluminum foil off the bowl, releasing the delicious-smelling steam into the air. My stomach growled for what seemed like an eternity. "Looks like it was a good thing that I brought you some food, huh?"Naruto laughed, embarrasing me a little.
"JUST FEED ME ALREADY, NARUTO-KUN!!"
"All right, alright!!"
And from that night on, I was officially part of Jiraiya-sensei's squad, and I quickly became his favorite. Me and Raze became a little closer; one could even say we were in puppy love. Jiraiya-sensei told us to tone it down a bit and that it wouldn't last very long, but he was soon proven wrong. Over time, Toby and Raze accepted Naruto, but not fully because he was still the "Kid with the Kyuubi".
