(Welcome back! Soon Kuroda and company will embark on a new mission in a new country, but before that he has some secret training sessions to get to. What kind of new techniques will he learn? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
Kuroda walks down a long hallway, the same hallway that he has been traveling down every night for the past two weeks. Some empty beds and unused IV poles are scattered about the hallway, but for the most part it is barren. The night lights of the hospital are on, only providing the hall with a slight amount of light, just enough to see where he is going. He walks further down, passing all of the doors until he is at the end of the hall. He turns left and opens the door to the last room, which is a fair distance away from any others. After closing the door he closes the blue, cotton drapes and lights a few candles. Only after that does he acknowledge the woman sleeping, hunched over her desk in the corner.
He walks over and places his hands on her shoulders and gently massages her back to consciousness. "Wake up Emi, it is time for my lesson," he whispers.
As she comes to Emi rubs her tired eyes and apologizes, "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep while I was looking over something for a patient."
"It is not a problem, shall we pick up where we left off?" he suggests.
After nodding to confirm, she walks over and reaches into a fish tank and pulls out a large fish and then sets it onto the table. The fish flaps frantically in her grip, it's gills fluttering as it tries to stay alive. Then with a scalpel she slices a large wound into the side. Kuroda comes over and places his hands over the fish and gets to work. He begins with deep concentration and focuses his chakra into his palms. Over the next few hours he attempts to heal the fish using medical Jutsu. After his previous mission he decided it would be a good idea to learn healing Ninjutsu in order to treat wounds on site. Thus far he has excelled, learning techniques quickly and now can easily heal small cuts and bruises.
"I can diagnose the injury and figure out how it needs to be treated, but I'm still not able to actual heal it," says Kuroda a while later as he sets aside a fish with a rather large gash in its side.
"It is just the inherent limitation of your chakra disposition," explains Emi, "You're really just not suited for healing. Honestly, I am astounded that you have been able to do what you can in such a short amount of time. But it seems you have hit a wall. Maybe if you were able to devote all of your time to medical Jutsu training you would eventually be able to master it, but with just these night sessions it isn't going to happen."
"I don't have the time, and this isn't important enough for me to make time," he replies, frowning slightly, "I'll just have to settle with what I have learned, which will in fact be very useful. If any serious injuries come up I'll always have you to count on."
"You don't seem too disappointed with this," she notices.
"Everyone has limitations and they have to accept that there are some things they cannot do. This just happens to be one of mine," he states with an unconcerned shrug.
"I see. Well then, will this be our last session?" she asks, hoping to have her schedule return to normal so she is not so tired all the time.
"Yes, I'll still practice when I can on my own, but formal training isn't necessary anymore," he replies, "You'll be able to get back to your regular schedule so you won't be so tired in the mornings."
"How did you know..?" she questions, again disturbed by the boy's seemingly omnipotent knowledge.
"I've been checking up on you a bit, just to make sure nothing seemed irregular to the casual observer," he explains nonchalantly.
"Oh, I see," replies Emi, trying to hide her alarm.
"Well then, I'll be in contact," he says indifferently, as he departs, "Get some rest."
"Sorry I'm late, Sensei," Kuroda apologizes as he comes to a halt in front of the other members of Team 3, "I was up late last night studying."
"You've been like that the past few weeks, is something up?" inquires Jando, raising his eyebrow in suspicion.
"I've just been doing some research on a special project," Kuroda replies vaguely.
"Care to share what that is?" asks Kayo sharply.
"Not really, you'll find out eventually," he responds evasively.
"Fine then, let's get inside, the Hokage has been waiting for us," says Kayo not hiding her resentment. They file into the chambers and spread out into a single line before the Hokage who is waiting at her desk.
"Ahh, good you have arrived. Now we can get started. Although the mission to the Snow Country was completed it is clear to me that your team was not ready for that level yet," announces the Hokage.
"What? Why not?" complains Jando.
"To put it bluntly, you shouldn't have been on that mission at all," she explains, "If I had known that Rogue ninja were responsible for the disruption of shipments I would have sent a team of Jonins. But I didn't know and you were forced to deal with it. And although you eventually defeated the Rogue Snow Ninja it was not without mistakes. For instance Kuroda and Sakura nearly froze to death and only survived because one of the enemies decided to turn traitor. You can't rely on luck to survive in the ninja world."
"So then we are back to D-rank missions, Lady Hokage?" Sakura inquires, disheartened by the news.
"Yes, you need to get stronger, both as individuals and as a team," the golden-haired woman responds honestly.
"So then what is the mission this time?" Kuroda asks, not really bothered too much by this turn of events.
"You'll be going to the Valley Country in the west," the Hokage reveals warmly, "The King of that country is going to enter into some diplomatic meetings with the neighboring Forest Country. You will be guarding his daughter until he returns."
"We get to meet a Princess?" asks Jando, brimming with excitement.
"Yes, and you had better be on your best behavior," she warns sternly, "This is the first time the Government of the Valley Country has hired the Leaf Village for a mission. If you do well then hopefully we can establish a relationship and acquire more business."
"Why is this only a D-rank mission?" inquires Kuroda, "You would think that guarding a Princess would be a fairly important job."
"The King is a wealthy man, but also an extremely generous one," the Hokage explains, "He uses a large amount of his wealth to help improve the quality of life for his citizens. He doesn't have very many enemies. In addition the Valley Country doesn't have any strategic importance in terms of military operations. So it isn't very likely that anyone will try to threaten it. It is a peaceful nation and all intelligence suggests that no one will try to attack the princess."
"So this mission is just a safety precaution?" surmises Kayo.
"Exactly," confirms Lady Katonae, "But for our village it is a building block for a potentially long-term and beneficial relationship."
"So when do we leave?" asks Sakura, energized and overcoming her earlier disappointment.
"You are expected there within the week," says Lady Katonae, "Although it won't take you that long to get there, I want you to leave sometime later today. You have to pass in between the Wind and Earth Countries in order to get there and although they are both allies of ours there has been some recent tension between the two nations."
"So, we need to pass through that area quickly to avoid getting dragged into any potential incidents," Kuroda concludes.
"Very good," confirms the Hokage with a nod, before tossing a scroll to Kayo, "I know you haven't been around that area in a while, so that is a map of the best routs to choose from."
"Thank you, Lady Hokage," says Kayo with a respectful bow.
"All right, I think that is all," announces the Hokage, "You are dismissed. Good luck, we are counting on you."
"Yes ma'am," the team says in unison snapping straight to attention.
The team is casually walking down the trail that will eventually get them to their destination. Like many of the roads around the area it is simply made of dirt. Although this particular one seems to be less traveled and little patches of nature are trying to reclaim their territory. There is a slight mist out, but the temperature is still fairly warm. For the most part the team is in good spirits, thrilled about the idea of meeting royalty.
"Man, this is seriously messing up my training schedule," Jando complains as he lazily rests his hands behind his head, "How am I supposed to get stronger if I keep getting sent on bad missions all the time?"
"Have you already forgotten about the tough mission we were just on?" questions Kuroda sarcastically.
"That isn't what I meant," Jando retorts, "That was a great mission, but we have only had a couple missions like that. We need more of them in order to get stronger."
"You are still just a Genin," Kayo reminds him, "You don't have the skills, training, and experience to be trusted with harder missions. Besides, this is an important mission."
"Yeah, I know," Jando responds, calming down, "But I'm still missing out on training."
"Why can't you just train when we get to the Valley Country?" suggests Sakura, "We are going to be there for a few weeks."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," admits Jando, his face lighting up at the prospect.
"That is a great idea, Sakura," comments Kuroda, "In fact; we should get started right away."
"What do you mean?" she asks in surprise.
"I'm going to help train you, of course," he reveals with a smirk.
"What? Really?" she exclaims with joyous anticipation.
"Yes," he confirms, "To be blunt, you were a vulnerability to the team on the last mission. Your ninja skills are decent and you have all the basic skills mastered, but that is all you have. You don't know any unique or special Jutsu that can be helpful in battle or on missions outside of fighting."
"That is true," Sakura admits, "I haven't fully learned any Genjutsu from Kayo-sensei yet, I'm not great at Taijutsu like you, and I don't have any special ability like the Byakugan."
"Exactly, so that is why I've decided to teach you the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Kuroda announces.
"Wow, really? That would be so cool if I could make real clones," Sakura exclaims, becoming animated, "I'd be so much more effective!"
"Kuroda, the Shadow Clone Jutsu is not really a Jutsu that Sakura should be learning," Kayo interjects, "She doesn't have the chakra levels to make it work correctly."
"It is fine," says Kuroda dismissively, "I'll teach her the proper strategies so she won't waste chakra."
"Even if you do, I still think…" Kayo continues despite the dismissive counter from the boy.
"I said it is fine," Kuroda says, harshly cutting her off, "This isn't a discussion, Sensei."
Kayo glares at him fiercely, but wisely chooses to say nothing more. The group passes around a tree that had fallen down quite some time ago and is now decomposing back into the earth. Hundreds of different fungi and insects cover the tree and are using it for their own purposes.
"Man, this is awesome!" shouts Jando, "If I combine Shadow Clones with my Gentle Fist Techniques I could be unstoppable."
"I didn't say I was going to teach you, Jando," Kuroda says teasingly.
"What? Why not?" Jando demands, stomping his foot.
"Because it wouldn't work for you," Kuroda replies coolly.
"You think I'm not good enough to learn it?" Jando growls, instantly on the defensive.
"That is not what I said," Kuroda responds politely, "I said it wouldn't work for you."
"What are you talking about?" questions Jando, half-bewildered and half-upset.
"For someone from the Hyuuga clan, you sure don't know a lot about your own abilities," Kuroda sighs.
"What does that mean?" Jando questions, the aggravation showing on his face.
"Never mind," says Kuroda, "The point is I'm not going to teach you the Jutsu. You should just focus on getting better with your own training."
"Screw you, I'll just have to figure out the Jutsu on my own," Jando thinks as he clenches his fist and watches the boy walk ahead so smugly, "Sakura is worse at Taijutsu than I am. She couldn't possibly use that Jutsu better than me. Why does he even want to teach it to her?"
The team walks along in silence for a bit, listening to the birds singing and the crickets chirping as they travel through the forest.
"Okay, so what do I do first?" Sakura inquires, pretending the mini-argument never happened.
"Well, we can't start any training now," muses Kuroda, "We are almost at the border of the Fire Country. Once we get outside we need to move quickly through the gap between the Wind and Earth Countries like the Hokage ordered."
"Oh yeah, I forgot," says Sakura, contrite, "Sorry, I was just excited about training."
"All right, once we are outside the border I want Jando to take point," orders Kayo, "Followed by Sakura, Kuroda, and then myself."
"Sweet, I love going up in front," comments Jando, moving to the forefront of the formation and casting a side-long glare at Kuroda as he passes.
A few minutes later the team has passed over the deserted border. Without a map or prior knowledge a person would just assume the wide open field is a normal part of the landscape. However, there are various underground structures on both sides that house the men and women who protect their countries from invasion by the other side. But now that they have passed through the area they are hopping through a forest of trees at a fast pace. Without her other students noticing, Kayo edges closer to Kuroda so that she can talk with him.
"Something on your mind, Sensei?" he asks as he notices her drifting closer.
"I want you to tell me what happened in the Snow Country," she whispers, giving him an even look from the corner of her eye.
"I already explained it," he says dismissively, "And again when I reported to the Hokage."
"I know what you said, but I want to know what really happened," she replies, "How did you really get out of that iceberg? And how did you defeat Taiki?"
"I already told you that the girl Yukiko helped us find our way out," he says, "Anything after that is not your concern for the moment."
"You're never going to tell me anything are you?" she questions in frustration.
"I'll tell you when the time is right," he replies, "Don't worry, I keep my promises."
(Kayo's intuition has made her suspicious about what really happened in the Snow Country, but as usual Kuroda refuses to divulge the truth. How long will it take for her to figure out what his plans truly are? As always, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)