Konoha's gates were impressive, albeit a bit of an odd choice, if you thought about it. Why waste money and resources on building such a massive wall and a door to go with it, when even the most average ninja could get over it with no effort. Not me, of course, but then again, short six-year-old legs. Give me a few more years and a growth spurt and it would be no challenge.
It was around the time my still sleep-deprived brain connected with the fact that the door (and the wall) were probably more to make civilians feel safe than anything else that I saw someone approach the door. Now, at any other time of the day that wouldn't have meant much, but since the sun was just starting to get up in the sky, I assumed that was someone else that shared my orders. And by his height, he either was my Jonin sensei, or a very old Genin.
My first impression was that at least it wasn't anyone from canon, at least I didn't think so. My second thought on that same train of ideas was that it was probably because he was retired by canon. The man was old. Well, old by ninja standards so probably around forty or so, if I had to guess. The blonde hair made and man-bun made the back of my neck itch, but I wasn't quite sure why.
His first impression of me, just guessing here, was something like disbelief. Because the moment he laid eyes on my face, and then up to my forehead, he looked mildly shocked, and then popped a piece of paper from his pocket, read it over, and looked back at me.
"... Hikari?" He finally asked, sounding disbelieving.
"Uh, yes. I am assuming you are my sensei?" I said, trying to sound as professional as possible... or what I thought a professional six-year-old would sound like, that is to say, probably adorable.
My confirmation seemed to break something in him, because he pinched his nose, turned away from me, and started whispering some things that I couldn't manage to hear. When he turned around, the wrinkles on his face were a bit more noticeable than before. He kind of reminded me of those old internet memes of people 'dying inside'
"And you are... six?" He asked, not even waiting for me to answer, instead, he sighed, and looked at me like I was a lost puppy or something. "You look four."
"Okay, rude." Damn-it tongue and or brain! That was an inside thought, not an outside thought!
"Maybe." He pinched his nose again and waved a hand. "If we must... my name is Yamanaka Isao, and yes, I'm to be your Jonin sensei"
Oh, so that's where the cosmic shoe dropped. The worst possible thing that could happen to someone that was hiding a mind much older than their own was of course having a fucking Yamanaka as a sensei. I can already feel the sharp knife of the vivisection in my future. (Fuck you, Truck-Kun).
"Oh uh ah... please take care of me?" I said, because that was what you were supposed to say, you probably weren't meant to sound as conflicted about it as I did. With a little bit of luck, he'd chalk it up to me being nervous... even if I had already proven that I was unable to keep my mouth shut sometimes.
"I intend to." He said, and the way he shifted his weight around was screaming body language of being uncomfortable. Probably not something I should dig into. Older ninja plus trauma probably isn't a pretty story. "And that's why your orders said to bring supplies for 3 days. You got them?"
"Hai." I confirmed, making my backpack bounce a little to prove it was full.
"Good. I expect you can walk and talk. So let's walk and not-talk. We are moving east." He looked at me for a moment, and I couldn't help but feel like I was being assessed. "Start moving, as fast as you feel comfortable to maintain pace till mid-day. I'll match you"
Ah, so we were already starting with the tests. He probably expected me to feel like I had to prove myself or something after his comment about me looking four, but the joke's on him, I am way too mature for that. I say to myself, as I make sure to check bunny is firmly locked under my extra clothes so it wouldn't fall as I moved. Not that I let him see I brought it with me.
I'd literally rather die. Literally.
So I did as he told me, I moved as fast as my short six-year-old legs would let me, bouncing between tree branches in a way that was just a hint of showing off control. One of the few advantages of being small (even for my age) was that it took very little chakra to both glues my feet on the landing, and push them away for a jump.
On the other hand, I also had very small chakra reserves so I may have over-estimated my abilities, and by the time the sun was shining bright on the sky I may or may not have been getting really close to having to slow down. I either had a bit of luck (as if) or Isao-Sensei noticed me straining and decided it was time to give me a break.
"That's enough, Hikari. Let's do some not-walking but talking for a bit" He said, in a tone of voice that wouldn't have left me any room for argument even if for some reason I felt like being argumentative.
"Hai hai sensei"
Sitting on a rock with just enough moss to offer some padding but not enough to wet my pants (hopefully) I picked up my canteen and took small sips of water.
"You pushed yourself a bit harder than you could actually keep up with." He said, with what looked like an energy bar in his hand, as he leaned on one of the fire country's famous trees. It just then downed on me just how tall he was. I was too focused on him looking old to notice that. "That was not surprising. All Genin have a bad understanding of their abilities."
I just nodded along with the assessment, not feeling like debating. Mom had cooked me some weird dried-rice cookies that apparently were from our nation of origin. They tasted okay... and were cheap, so I had no complaints. I chewed on one as I saw something similar to a smile on his face for the first time.
"On the other hand... you weren't actually trying to show off, as some kids your age and older would. Good, it was an honest mistake and not one born of bravado. You never know with prodigies"
There was that word again. I didn't like that word. "Not a prodigy" I muttered. Muttered. I was not pouting. Absolutely not. I'd never.
"You graduated at six kid. Like it or not, you are a prodigy." He commented, before moving to sit on the floor in front of me, which left us more or less at eye level, thanks to the rock under me. "More on the academic sense than the physical one, obviously. And that's why you are with me"
Ah, so we were going to have this talk now. "Are you saying you are bad at fighting sensei?" Brain. Shut up.
Yeah, he was smiling now. "Now don't get too sharp with me." He tapped his temple. "This, is the best weapon in the entire ninja world. Don't you forget it"
I was about to say 'Isn't the Hiraishin the best weapon in the ninja world?' but I was pretty sure I wasn't supposed to know about that, so I bit my tongue, which probably looked to him like I was doubting him because he kept talking.
"Being fast and strong is of course, very useful, but if your mind can't keep up with your body, you are gonna end dead." Oh, he was serious-serious. "You are now my student, and I'll do my best to keep you alive. But there's a reason you are my student. Things are expected of you, and I don't just mean that little 'loan' that's on your file." Ah... shit.
This conversation, and the implications, both the ones a 'normal' smart kid would be expected to get, and the ones I only knew about because I was aware of the more... Danzo-ish aspects of the village were obviously getting to me, because I couldn't hold a flinch as he put his palm on my head, ruffling my raven hair.
"Don't look so dejected. From what your file says, the problem isn't going to be getting your mind to keep up with your body. It's gonna be the other way around." he then stood up, and before I knew what was going on, he was many meters away from me. I didn't like that.
"Let's see how much work it's gonna take" He stated, and pulled a scroll from his waist, producing a bo staff from it. He then adopted a combat stance. "Come at me, show me a prodigy of Konoha"
Now, the polite thing to do would have been to question this, how it was dangerous, how I couldn't be expected to beat a Jonin. But we both knew that. So I did the only logical thing.
The girl was just so tiny. That was what ran trough Isao's mind as his new student seemed to freeze at the suggestion of battle. Not that the old Jonin was surprised, one didn't get to his age in this line of work without having a sharp understanding of ninja of all ages and mind frames, so there were very few things that managed to take him off guard.
The Jonin, if asked, would have to admit however, that using the backpack as a projectile to hide a few kunai wasn't a half bad idea, specially because she didn't throw it at him, she threw it halfway between them, in what could have been interpreted as a tantrum. Of course, it took barely a few movements of his staff to block them, and he never lost track of her as she moved, quite a bit faster than what she considered her 'good pacing'
"Ha! good try" the tall man complimented, blocking a kick with the staff and moving it around to hit the small girl in the stomach, refusing to move an inch. Literally. His sandals were in the exact same spot as they had been when he told her to fight.
The girl seemed to roll well with the punches, because having the air knocked out of her didn't end the fight. Instead, she summoned a few clones. Now, this would have been something Isao would have criticized, because the academy three was something that had obvious flaws Hikari's file indicated she should have been able to see... and then he noticed how all three moved in perfect unison, making it impossible to determine which one was making sound while running.
That trick may actually have gotten even some experienced Genin, but the old Jonin had no trouble focusing his hearing and discerning which of the three clones he had to 'tap' on the forehead with his staff to end the fight. "Good trick. Two in a row, actually."
And then the little shit tried to use his staff as leverage to kick him on the head. And she almost managed to graze his hair with her foot. Now that got the veteran's attention, as he wrapped an arm around his student's middle and slammed her small frame to the floor. Just to make a point, he pressed the staff against her throat, a smile on his face. "Three... and that's all you get."
Isao now knew his first impression about the girl was right. She wasn't what was described on her file. He had been wrong about on what direction he should move his expectations, however. She was something much more special than just a smart civilian.
I learned two things on that little skirmish. The first one, the anime-bullshit-buff-old-man thing was 100% going on with her teacher. Because I was quite sure that even pulling punches, I'd get a few bruises from the two little 'love taps' Sensei got in.
The second thing, was that Yamanaka Isao wasn't what I expected from the clan name. Either that or I had been under a genjutsu the entire time, but I'm quite sure that is not what's going on.
"Now..." He said, lifting the staff from me and helping me to my feet. "A few things. First, congratulations, this was all a test and you passed." Oh. Right. I had forgotten that was a thing.
"Second. You really are smart uh kid? Speed to make up for your lack of force, kicks to compensate for your short reach, and you patched a basic failure on a jutsu. Impressive... for a six years old anyway" Let's not mention the fact that I stole the clone trick from a girl that was not yet born okay.
"Now, how about you pick up your kunai and your backpack, finish eating and get say... half an hour break." He then popped the staff back into the scroll... somehow (so cool. scrolls are hax) "I'll be exactly six hours distance from your pacing, eastwards, a small Konoha watch tower. You have seven hours to get there... or I'm keeping this" He said... holding my fucking bunny, and disappearing before I had time to protest.
Yes, this was not gonna be fun, at all. Fuck you, Truck-Kun.