A/N: Courtesy of the forum "Anime Review World" my view count doubled to 42 views. So yeah, victory dance. Apologies for the late update, but I had a lazy streak. However, with Emerald Shades (my other story) having its 5th chapter out, I'm finally able to go about this.
"Even though my eyesight is back, I find this place boring." Yukio stood in the clothing store, tapping his foot while Arine was picking something out. Denji shared Yukio's sentiment and sighed heavily.
"Yukio's right, this place is boring. Watching grass grow is more entertaining than waiting like this." Yukio bit the inside of his cheek to stem the boredom, but he was beginning to hate the taste of his own mouth more and more.
"Do all girls take this long?" He finally asked Aika, who hadn't purchased anything herself.
"You probably find this place boring because there's nothing to stimulate you guys." Yukio nodded while Denji noticed a couple girls walk into the changing rooms near Arine's. He donned a sly grin.
"I know something that can stimulate me." However, he noticed Aika giving him a dirty look and held himself back. Yukio had been leaning against a wall with his eyes closed, pondering.
"You do realize they'd kill you in seconds, right? Women are vicious creatures when they want to be." Denji glared at Yukio.
"Yeah, but they aren't always vicious. Hell, some even like that kind of thing." Yukio opened one golden eye and looked at his friend. He was about to respond when Aika chimed in.
"You have to realize kid; those women are few and far between. You'd spend years trying to find one and fail for most of that time." Denji bit his lip in defeat while Yukio smiled and closed his eye. However, his thoughts were disrupted when Arine stepped out of the changing room. The assembled looked on as Arine presented herself in her finally chosen attire.
"Well, I'm done." The group admired her choice. She chose black shorts that went to just below mid-thigh, mesh stockings, one that went from her left ankle to her knee, and other going from the end of her shorts to her knee, and a deep ocean blue shirt with short sleeves.
"Not bad. You sure none of that would impede fighting?" Arine nodded at Aika's question. She had told them before hand: Only get clothes that allow free movement. "Alright, then. Who wants the room next?" Denji strode forward, walked in, and locked the door as Arine stood near Yukio.
"You guys picked yours our already?" Yukio merely motioned to his left arm, which had his chosen clothes draped over it. "Alright, then. Where's Shizune?"
"Shizune could only stay a couple minutes before she had to go." Shizune had left quite quickly after Arine went to change. Said something about keeping her appointments with her teacher.
"Alright." Arine had just finished her word when Denji almost burst out of the room. The boy had chosen some heavy clothing, large black pants, a light grey shirt, and a thick black jacket that had way too many pockets than one would need. Closer inspection of his pants revealed the same thing.
"It's got lots of storage for secret weapons." He said. Aika tried to see if he'd get some lighter clothes weight wise, but Denji was adamant that he could fight in them so Aika relented for now. As Denji tried to strut his stuff for the same girls he was staring at earlier, Yukio walked into the changing room. As he closed the door, he heard a very loud smack, followed by Denji yelling out
"The hell was that for!?" Chuckling, Yukio stripped down to his skivvies and readied to change. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stared. He was pale, quite thin, and had several scars running along his body from various abuses by guards. He looked so weak. Giving himself a semi-death stare, he dressed and walked out as he finished. Denji and Arine were arguing about why she hit him, but stopped when Yukio stepped out.
"Well, interesting choices." Aika remarked. Yukio had donned thin black pants, a short sleeved shirt that was a violent shade of electric blue, and a black overcoat that went to just above the knee.
"It's not too bad is it?" he queried. He glanced around and saw Arine had donned an ash grey jacket that had two buttons below her chest and only went down to her waist. Meanwhile, Aika gave Yukio his answer.
"It's not bad, thin and loose clothes are good. Plus the jacket could hide some things, and be quickly disposed of."
"Hey, you complained about my jacket, but his is longer!" Aika glared at Denji for the umpteenth time today.
"His is thin and light, yours is thick and heavy. There's a difference." Denji pouted while the group purchased the clothes. Aika had her cloak draped over her arm. She said she'd wash it and all would be good. The group exited the store and made the semi-short journey to Aika's cabin, where they set down some things Aika purchased before they got clothes. When everything was put away, food wise, they all headed outside where Aika assumed the role of teacher.
"Alright, I'm going to ask you a few things before we really start, that alright?" the kids standing in front of her nodded. "Alright, do any of you know where you originally came from?"
"I'm from the Hidden Stone village." Denji was the first to answer.
"I'm from the Hidden Mist." Arine.
"The Hidden Cloud." Yukio. Aika pondered a second.
"Alright, do any of you know how to channel chakra?" The trio nodded. Fair enough. "Alright, that should do it. For now we'll try and learn your chakra natures, but focus on the physical stuff first. Then I'll try to get you to learn jutsu according to your chakra natures, and then we'll combine both. Sound fair?"
"It's alright with me." Yukio was the only responder, while the others nodded. Aika nodded and brought out three thin slips of paper.
"Since you know how to at least channel chakra, channel it into these slips of paper." She gave one to each child. "If it burns up, you have fire nature. If it soaks, you have a water nature. If it crinkles, you have lightning nature. If it tears in two, you have wind nature. And if it turns to dust and crumbles, you have earth nature. Now focus and we'll see what you'll all be taught."
Each one concentrated, focusing their chakra into the papers. Denji was the first to achieve an answer, his turning to dust and crumbling in his hand. Arine's soaked as if she'd dipped it in water. Yukio's crinkled.
"Alright, not surprising, but good. The most common natures from each of your villages." Aika took the papers. "Now that we have that sorted out, let's get you some weapons if you want." The trio agreed and Aika returned to the cabin and went to the attic, where the children slept the previous night. She came down with a large bag over her shoulders and a small foldable table under her arm.
"So what all do you have there?" Denji queried to which Aika gave him a withering look. Denji backed off while Aika set the table up and she set the large bag and opened it. She laid out several weapons, small swords, knives, etc.
"Now, take a look and see if anything interests you." As the group examined the weapons before them, Arine was the first to pick something. She picked up two pieces of a trident. She connected the two pieces and twirled it in her hand for a second before smiling.
"I remember using one of these when I was really small. Barely. But still, I like it." Arine twirled it a bit more and stepped back so no one got impaled. Denji kept looking, but found nothing that interested him. He would have chosen a hammer of sorts, but there wasn't one. As much as he looked, Denji couldn't find anything suited to him. Aika merely stated
"Not every shinobi is suited to wield a weapon. Some prefer taijutsu. In fact, some are experts in the area of using pure taijutsu in combat. I know one. He's annoying." Denji merely shrugged and backed off, letting Yukio take the pick of the litter. He scanned the table for less time than he thought. His eye was quickly drawn to two black, telescoping spikes, with several smaller spikes in between them.
"These are interesting." They were. Possible throwing and impaling weapons, only the tip was sharp, and they were probably very strong.
"Those are retractable spears. Compact and strong. It takes a dedicated person to learn how to use these since there's only one truly deadly part: the tip. So slashing would take time to learn. And these" she motioned to the smaller ones that were a more ash grey colour. "Those are meant for throwing, but the spears can be thrown as well. They're somewhat bigger than senbon, which are thin needles. And each comes with a type of holster." Aika showed Yukio two black holders for the large spears, and several smaller holders for the throwing ones. "These can go almost anywhere on the body so choose what's comfortable, but not inconvenient in a fight."
"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention." Yukio grabbed one of the retractable spears and flicked his wrist, sending the tip out. Extended, the whole thing was about as long as his arm. Not bad. With another wrist flick, the spear retracted and Yukio nodded his affirmation. He took the two holders for the spears and put them on the spots he felt were most comfortable: the one he'd use in his right hand would go on his lower back, while the one he'd use in his left hand would go on his left thigh. Aika helped Yukio put two holders on his arms and loaded several of the throwing spears.
Each was almost as long as Yukio's forearm and the holders had a cycling mechanism so that he could pull out three between his fingers quickly and quietly with a few wrist motions. A few other projectiles went into holders on the inside of Yukio's coat. When he was finished with getting ready, Aika packed the bag, folded the tao small bells in her hand. ble, and brought the trio of fledging shinobi to a more open part of the grassy area.
"Alright, aside from Denji, we seem to have some form of weapon?" Arine was leaning against her trident while Yukio scratched at his wrist, but he nodded. Denji wasn't looking too beat up about not having a weapon. Aika made a mental note to give him some taijutsu lessons before she continued. "Alright, we'll begin your first practice. This exercise is something I learned from an old friend and it's good." Aika held up two small silver bells in her hand.
"You want us to get those bells? But there's only two." Denji made the observation and Aika nodded.
"That's correct. And the exercise is simple: Get the bells from me." Yukio raised an eyebrow, Arine had a ghost of a smile, while Denji grinned.
"Cakewalk." Aika gave the silver haired boy a condescending smile.
"Simple goal, yes. But the important thing to consider is the difficulty of the journey, not the simplicity of the goal. With that said, if you don't get a bell by lunch, you don't get lunch. If you get a bell then you're free from the exercise. Whomever doesn't get a bell, will be forced into extra training. If you try to make food or eat anything, then you'll get tied up while we eat in front of you. Fair enough?" It was still relatively early, about two or so hours before noon if you judged by the position of the sun.
"Seems fair." Yukio spoke while the other two nodded in agreement. Aika clipped the two bells to her belt, her purple hair lighter than usual in the sunlight. She walked over to the weapons bag and pulled out an alarm clock. She fiddled with it for a minute before setting it down.
"Alright, the forest around us is fair game. Don't pull dumb moves with the cliff, as you'll just get hurt or killed. And one final thing." Aika stared each of her new students in the eye. "When you come at me, do it as if you're going to kill me. Otherwise, you've already failed. Ready?" The trio nodded. "Go!" All three scattered into the forest. Aika glanced at the forest wall and smiled. This was going to be the first bit of fun she'd have in a long, long time.
Arine sat perched in a tree branch, her trident in an over-the-shoulder holster on her back. She wasn't going to try and attack Aika, that'd be stupid. No, she was waiting. Because she knew what was going to happen. While she waited, she let out a deep breath, appreciating the fresh, open air. Time spent in a prison along with little time outside made one have more lust for outdoor activities. Her brown hair, however, was starting to bother her a bit. She'd look into getting it shortened a tad. However, a rustle interrupted her thoughts.
"It's about time." Yukio landed on a branch next to her, looking visibly strained. Arine wondered why he went by tree. But Yukio was always smart, he must have had a reason.
"Well, I had to get Denji to take an alternate route."
"We'll be lucky if he makes it before noon." However, Denji managed to climb his way up to a branch beside his comrades just after Arine's jab.
"Hey, I'm better than you think." Arine was about to argue when Yukio put a finger to his lips.
"Alright, here's the thing. None of us have any hope to get a bell from her alone. So we'll have to work together to get one or both. Meaning one of us will have to go hungry for today." Denji raised his hand.
"I'll do it. I might as well." Neither Yukio nor Arine argued. Denji was one who tried to stay with his goals.
"Alright then, here's the thing: if we attack all at once, we'll be doomed. I think we should stagger our attacks. So Arine will go first, then Denji, then I'll enter. Maybe we'll have a shot then." Arine nodded her affirmation, as did Denji. Yukio nodded and finished his plan. "Alright, if this fails, then we'll regroup here and re-plan, deal?" Nods all around. "Alright, let's go find Aika. But let's do it on the ground, we'll be useless from above." The trio dropped and made their way around the forest, keeping a close eye out until they saw Aika standing in a clearing, hand in a sign and her eyes closed in concentration.
"When should I go?" Yukio licked his lips in thought.
"Go now. Denji, go around that way and wait until Arine's been fighting for a few seconds." Denji nodded and left while Arine moved slowly around so that Aika's back was to her. Unslinging her trident, Arine knelt down like a runner. Then she bolted out, throwing her trident at Aika. Aika merely moved to the right as the weapon sank into the ground. Arine reached for it when Aika gripped her wrist with in a steel vice.
"Horrid first attack. Never let your weapon out of your hands." Arine tried to kick Aika, but the purple-haired shinobi blocked with her shin and let go of Arine's wrist before giving her a kick in the stomach, sending the girl sprawling. As Arine tried to get up, Denji burst from the area and tried going hand to hand with Aika. However, that bout ended as quickly as it began with Aika landing a punch to Denji's jaw, causing him to reel back. Arine grabbed her trident and swung at Aika, who managed to dodge. She whipped around and was about to hit Arine when she stopped mid attack as three small objects gleamed for a second as they flew over Aika's arm before they landed in the earth.
"Nice attempt." Aika landed a hit on Arine with her other hand as she picked the mini spears between her fingers and threw them back at Yukio, sinking them into the tree he had climbed. Yukio himself jumped from above, pulling one of his spears and extending it. He started slashing with it, Aika dodging each attempt. After the 8th swing, she grabbed the spear and kicked Yukio's legs out from under him before pulling him by the spear and punching him square in the jaw, forcing him into the ground hard.
Arine saw an opportunity and thrust her trident at Aika's waist, where the bells were exposed. As she did though, Denji came up and tried to attack Aika. Aika grabbed him and swung him around, making Arine's trident cut him and leave a gash on his side.
"Damn it!" Denji knelt down as Aika kicked Arine into him. Yukio charged at Aika, his spear about to be thrust at her when she stepped to the side, making Yukio trip over his own feet and fall to the ground. Aika strolled over rot the downed group and looked like she was about to finish them off when the alarm went off. Aika stopped for a second as the alarm rang, but was stopped after a few seconds.
"Alright you three, get back to the cabin. I'll tell you what your problems are." Aika then walked off, while the trio got up slowly and painfully. They got themselves as right as they could and made it back to the cabin where Aika was standing next to… Aika? One Aika was sitting in the shade while the other stood at attention. The sitting Aika stared at the trio and snapped her fingers, making the standing one disappear.
"What was that?" Yukio queried.
"A shadow clone. That's what you three fought." The trio was stunned. They only fought a clone? "And let me say, that was terrible." Aika stood and walked over to the kids. "First, I'll address the good point. Your plan wasn't bad, but you merely assumed that you'd have a chance if you attacked with all of you. That was a terrible assumption, one that could get comrades killed. Now, the bad things, Arine." She turned her vision to the girl. "You never throw your weapon when you first attack. You can lose your weapon and have it sued against you so fast it'll make your head spin.
"Denji, you feel that gash on your side?" Denji got a very bitter look. "That's due to inattentiveness. Had you cared to look, you would have seen Arine preparing to attack. Instead you charged headlong and got hurt but your own comrade. That could get you killed just as fast as a smaller mistake, if not faster.
"And Yukio." Aika's glare was only a smidgen less intimidating. A smidgen. "You completely ignored your plan. You only wanted to attack with everyone, hoping that you'd maybe get a shot. That's a deadly assumption. Next, you ignored your teammates, even hiding longer than them to get a better shot for yourself. That's not just deadly, it's selfish and unfair." None of the three could say anything to the contrary. Aika had told them the blunt truth. Aika, however, had a slight soft spot at the moment.
"Alright, go inside and get Denji's wound treated. Then we'll got some food going, you'll need it. I have some more fundamental training after lunch for you, so be ready. I understand this was your first time, but we need to nip these things in the bud, understand?" all three nodded and took Denji inside. Aika sighed. These kids had a long road ahead of them. She hoped they could handle it.
A/N: FINALLY! Got this shit done! Since I've gotten a couple more people interested that actually like it (And care to freaking review it) I'm striving for longer chapters. Not 9000 words a chapter, but enough to be more substantial. This may not be updated for a bit as I need to get a test chapter for another fic out and then Emerald Shades chapter 6. Should be fun.