One of my favorite chapters.
I own neither Naruto nor Watchmen. I own my original characters.
This is it.
Walter sits eagerly in his seat at the Academy for the last time, spine ramrod straight. To the untrained eye he is blank and bored, or would think that, if they ignored his usually steady hands trembling in excitement.
He takes a deep breath through the cloud of nervousness, cataloguing familiar scents. Wooden desks, dust, paper and ink, machine oil, chalk and steel. Adrenaline. Soap. The lucky graduates, his fellow classmates are extra clean today of all days, trying to make a good impression on their new teammates.
He too is prepared for the future – a new uniform he's labored over for the past month, fitted but loose shirt and pants, fabric an inky black with narrow purple pinstripes that had been on clearance at the cloth store. He has a whole bolt of it left over (for repairs and a spare set, just in case). It is boxed up with the rest of his belongings from the apartment he shared with his mother, waiting now in his new apartment, located in the opposite side of Flicker District. The view is terrible, and the neighborhood is bad, but there are a few good eateries nearby with nutritious, tasty food, and the apartment has far more space than the apartment he's leaving behind. It's the end of his unfortunate experience of family. Today they will part ways, whether they may meet again lies in the hands of fate, but Walter hopes not. Without the widow and orphan's allowace, or means of employ, his mother is likely to return to the capital. Prostitution is not legal in Konoha, and such laws are rigidly enforced.
He huffs, and tugs on the long leather vest he is wearing, decorated with easy to reach pockets. This too is new, brown leather sturdy under his gloved touch. It will serve as armor in a pinch. The gloves are purple, to match the uniform's pinstripes.
Nelson Gardner-sensei clears his voice loudly, and the buzz of excited chatter tones down.
"Fellow shinobi," He begins, smiling fondly. Someone gives a whoop in the back row. "Welcome to the start of your life as a ninja. You have learned well, and it is an honor to see you out into the wide world. I may no longer be your teacher, but I will always be ready to help you, and should you ask for help, help will be given. Serve your village well, with honor, duty, courage, cunning and guile. Thank you." The class breaks into applause directed either at themselves or their teacher.
"You will be placed on a team with two of your classmates under a Jounin teacher. Learn from your teacher, and from your new teammates." Nelson-sensei smiles, and pulls a list off his desk.
"I will now announce the team rosters.
"Team One: Kara DeWitt, Klika Kadiri, and Ken Riki under Bill Brady.
"Team Two: Genji Minaka, Yutaro Shiite, and Hisoka Takada under Byron Lewis…" One by one, Walter's classmates file out to meet their new teams.
"Team Three…"
"Team Four: Hiko Hyuuga, Michiyo Kagami, and Walter Kovacs under Reika Gintaki."
Walter stands, chair screeching across the wooden floor in protest. He and his new teammates descend the stairs, leaving the room.
Out in the hall a very short, curvy woman, silver-haired, waits for them. She is perhaps a head taller than Walter.
"Team Four?" She queries, pale eyes sharp and slanted, lined with kohl to resemble a cat's.
"Yes, sensei." The girl in their team replies. Their teacher nods, a sharp jerk of the head, long braid bobbing with the movement.
"Follow me, then."
*******
The Jounin leads them over the rooftops, from Hearth District and through Flicker District.
As they move, Walter takes the time to examine his new team.
Hiko Hyuuga, tall and long featured, impatient white eyes and black hair in a ponytail. Multiple piercings on both ears - unusual in a clan so typically aristocratic. Good at taijutsu, from what he remembers from school. Intelligent, perhaps above average talent.
Michiyo Kagami, another clan name. His height. Choppy, short dark hair and bright eyes, narrow nose and wide mouth. She notices his gaze and dimples at him without baring her teeth in a smile. It's a disconcerting thing to behold. Fairly balanced, smooth taijutsu, decent scores in genjutsu, sloppy handseals.
Their new sensei stops in a training ground deep in the woods. A wide but shallow creek runs through the middle of the shady clearing.
The silver-haired woman hops up onto one of the training posts that litter the grounds and perches there.
"C'mon, sit down." She prods, and the three Genin obey. "Thank you. Right! Let's begin with introductions. Name, favorite color, life's goal, your biggest strength, biggest weakness, a hobby, and an embarrassing fact." The short-haired girl snickers on the ground next to the Hyuuga, covering it up with her hand.
"I'll start. My name is Reika Gintaki. My favorite color is purple. I want to have a long life, and maybe a husband eventually. Biggest strength? Information gathering. I am not a dog person. I paint. As for embarrassing secrets, well, my best friend is a cat. Right, that's me done. You! In the smashing purple suit!" Reika-sensei points straight at Walter. "You next."
"Walter. Kovacs. Black and white." He says, nervousness increasing the scarcity of his words.
"Full sentences please, Walter." Reika-sensei prompts.
"Ennk. My goal is to serve the Hidden Leaf. My biggest strength is willpower. Weakness is lack of resources. I like to read. Hkkh. …I sew my own clothes."
"Thank you, Walter. Hyuuga now." Hiko scoffs.
"It's Hiko Hyuuga, sensei. Blue is my favorite color. I wish to become a master of seals. My greatest strength is precise chakra control and taijutsu. My weakness is… hn, lack of stamina. I enjoy mathematical puzzles and crosswords. An embarrassing fact," Hiko says the words with great distaste, "I am homosexual."
Homosexual. First day of adulthood and already forced to work with deviants. Is it possible that there are such people in a dignified and strict clan like the Hyuugas?
The brunette girl snorts.
"What, so you mean us girls didn't have to worry about you usin' those eyes of yours to peek into the lady's changing room after all?"
"Yes, thank you, I do believe it is your turn to talk now." Reika-sensei says pointedly.
"Alrighty then. I'm Michiyo Kagami. Green is the most patriotic color in Konoha, and my favorite. My goal is not to end up just another Kagami Bride, perfect wife and baby machine." Her long nose wrinkles. "I'm not squeamish, good with ninjutsu, too."
Hm. Information gathered about her not correct, or she overestimates herself. Something to look into further.
"My seal work is a mess. I love to cook and sing. Um. Embarrassing secret? I talk in my sleep."
"Something we'll all be sure to exploit, Michiyo." Reika-sensei says cheerfully. "And cure you of, once we have gathered enough blackmail material." Next to Walter Hiko snickers and smirks. Michiyo sticks her tongue at him, and then at Walter, even though his face has remained politely blank.
"That is, if you three make Genin."
What?
"What? You thought just needed to pass the final exam in the academy to make Genin? You thought wrong. Oh, c'mon, don't glare at me like that. Of thirty-six students in level four of the Konoha Ninja Academy, twenty-seven passed the exit exam, and were then funneled into nine groups of three. In peaceful times only the top three teams would be allowed to remain intact. The teams who didn't pass muster would then be trained further and employed in jobs such as D and C rank clearance administration and the like. Genin in Jounin-led squads are kept on a fast-promotion track, and usually make Chuunin and even Jounin sometimes. In more hostile times, like now, four or five teams are allowed to continue."
"So how--"
"--does this team stay intact?" Reika interrupts with a predatory grin. "By passing yet another test. My test." She uncrosses her legs and slides off the wooden post to her dainty sandaled feet, beginning to pace. "So here's the test. In one week, I want you to investigate a fellow ninja, and gather as much information about them as possible. Walter, I want you to cover Hiko. Hiko – cover Michiyo. Michiyo – find out about Walter. Record your findings, and deliver it to me in Classified Profile RS-2E format. Also, record the seven days I have given you in a detailed mission report format – one standard of an undercover mission, class… B, I think. You are allowed to look up those forms if you don't recall it from school, though you should know them after four levels of Academy. Bring both reports here – this is Training Ground 16. I will review both reports, and compare them to what I'll have found out about you three munchkins next week. If the two are close enough for my tastes, I'll put in a petition to keep this team intact. One good enough that the Hokage will immediately pass Team Four.
"To give you further incentive, I'll even tell you why I am testing you this way and not using a standard bell test. Team work is obvious. You have already learned to work with others in group projects assigned by your teachers. Your ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu abilities meet the Academy's standards or surpass them. What I want to know is whether you can use both your brain and what you've learned from the Academy.
"I want to see if you can be a ninja, pure and simple. Not a warrior, not a martyr, not a goddamn superhero. Ninja. A spy.
"I can teach you a lot of things, but I can't teach you the mindset of a spy. So go. We will meet here in seven days, at noon. Do you understand what I want from you?" She stopped pacing, hands on her hips.
"Yes, sensei." They mumbled, grudgingly. She rolled her eyes.
"Louder!"
"Yes, sensei!" The three chorused in unison.
"Good. Dismissed!"
I've had Michiyo, Reika, and Hiko. None of them are mary-sues. They're just experiments in distinctive personalities and speech-patterns.
Yes, and reviews still warm the cockles of my cold, cold heart.