V 6 ch 7
Show me what you know, Onari!
Onari titled her head as she watched Sasuke push a door open. She cautiously entered the room as he pointed for her to go in. she saw three men sitting at a long table. There was a man wearing a strange hat sitting in the middle of two men in uniforms similar to what Sasuke wore. Onari looked up at the man who had taken her in. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
"We're going to see how far your training has come, Onari. If you've managed to catch up to Takeru and Daiya, you'll get to be on a team. If not, your training will continue. The Hokage is going to ask you to show him what you have learned. Do as he asks, okay?"
Onari looked at the man whose face she couldn't see. She was hesitant about showing someone her skills. She pointed at the man. "Onari show boy with hat what…Sasuke, Izumi, brother Neji teach, jes?"
"Yes, that's what we're asking you to do. Can you do as he asks," Sasuke repeated. He watched her shake her head. He sighed. "Onari, you have to. You can't get on a team unless you pass."
"Sasuke, Onari no know boy with hat," she said trying to justify herself.
Sasuke put the edge of his palm to his forehead. All of her training was going to go to waste if she didn't pass the trails. All students had to. "Onari, you have to do what he says. He's not going to hurt you." Onari only stared at him with her intense gaze. The two proctors on either side of the Hokage sweat dropped.
Onari turned her head to look at the man who sat behind the table again. The man's face came into view. Onari tilted her head this way and that. She pointed at the face she hadn't seen for almost a year. "Uzumaki. Boy with hat is Uzumaki."
"Yeah, but you're supposed to call him Ho-," Sasuke blinked. He looked around the room. "Onari!" She had already attached herself to Naruto and was sitting on the table. The two proctors' mouths fell open.
Naruto stared at the dark haired girl in front of him. Her birdlike eyes were looking up at him, watching. Her speed. She moved towards me without alerting the two by my side. No sooner, did I blink and she was on the table. Naruto regained his composure. "My, you've gotten to be quite fast since the last time I saw you."
"Uzumaki no visit Onari at Sasuke house," Onari said rather disappointed.
"You're supposed to be over there! You can't attach yourself to the Hokage," a proctor stated as he started to grab onto Onari's arm. "Get back over there!"
Onari narrowed her eyes. She could feel the tension in the man's grip. She moved her left hand quickly to clasp it around his wrist. She curled her fingers around the bone slowly.
The proctor winced as he felt the girl's strength. He tried to get away, but she intensified her grip and strength to boot. "Let go you brat!"
Naruto held his hand up to stop the other proctor from advancing upon the girl. "She's not going to let go until you let go of her. You came at her first. She is defending herself." The proctor released his grip on Onari's arm. As suspected, Onari also let go. "Onari." She slowly turned her gaze towards him, wary of the proctors. "Can you show me what Neji, Izumi, and Sasuke have been teaching you?"
"Uzumaki want see everything," she asked.
"Well, I need to see enough that lets me know you can go on a team," Naruto explained. He smiled at her. Onari seemed to be perking up at the mention of getting on a team. "Would you like to graduate with the other students?"
"Uzumaki let Onari go Takeru if Onari show skills?" She got really close to his face. She could see the different hues of blue in his eyes. He nodded. Onari shot off the table. She skidded on the floor. Onari started to from hand seals quickly.
Sasuke tensed. "Wait, Onari, he didn't tell you what jutsu to do!" Too late.
Naruto blinked as Onari touched her hands to the floor. A strange pattern formed upon the wooden slates. The pattern began to glow as it sprung from the floor, wrapping around itself to mold into a shape. This looks strangely familiar. Sure enough, a small red bird formed out of the symbols that had been on the floor moments before. Is that… Is that Akaihi? He leaned over the table.
"Akaihi say 'hi' to Uzumaki," Onari said. The bird cooed sweetly as he started to move around her feet searching for something. Onari smiled big at Naruto. "Onari use summon jutsu. Onari fight Uzumaki like Sasuke?" She started to step forward figuring that's what the man wanted, but Sasuke grabbed her collar.
"No, you won't be fighting the Hokage. This isn't a training session, Firebird. You need to listen instead of jumping at the chance to show off. I know you're smart. I know you're fast. Now show the Hokage a copy of yourself like we've been trying to teach you," he said. Sasuke was afraid Onari wasn't going to learn to listen to another adult, but himself. It was going to prove a problem.
Onari formed hand seals in front of her body. She concentrated as she moved. A copy of herself popped next to herself. The copy jutsu was a little beneath her, she thought. Onari didn't like to use it. She preferred hand-to-hand combat to anything. She looked at Sasuke for approval. "Better?"
"Yes, that's better," Sasuke told her as he sighed.
Naruto wanted to see if Onari could take direction from someone other than Sasuke. So far, she was only doing what he asked. If she refused to adhere to anyone else, it wouldn't matter how much training she had. The girl was constantly looking around for other direction. "I need to see if Onari will listen to another authoritive figure. I'm going to ask you to step out, Sasuke."
Sasuke figured it was going to happen. "Onari, I have to leave. Do your best," he told her as he exited the room.
Naruto kept his eyes on the girl. She was staring at the door. She glanced at the table where the three of them sat. Onari was unsure about being in the room alone. "Onari, can you show me a transformation jutsu?"
Onari bit her bottom lip. She hadn't been separated from Neji or the Uchiha since her arrival in Konoha. Family or friends always surrounded her. She pointed at the door. "Sasuke," she said softly.
Naruto tried to redirect Onari. "Onari, Sasuke has to stay outside right now. You're taking a test. You may not see him until you're finished. Understand?" Onari seemed to be pondering the consequences of her actions. She wanted to leave due to the fact she was with unfamiliar company. She was not that familiar with Naruto. "Onari, please show a transformation jutsu."
Onari formed hand seals quickly. She poofed into Izumi Uchiha. Onari stood complete with Izumi's kimono, tattoo under her right eye, and her long white hair flowing behind her back. She watched the proctors move back quickly. Apparently, they had had run ins with Izumi in the past. She popped back into herself. "Onari correct?"
"Yes, you did very well," Naruto commented as the proctors wrote on their pads. They were evaluating Onari's progress down to the last detail. She was being judged harder due to her schooling factor. She was bypassing the Academy. "Now can you show me a substitution jutsu?"
Onari quirked a brow. Her mind went through the words in her head. Substitution. Substitution jutsu. She scratched her head. Onari saw Takeru in her mind. They were outside. He formed hand seals and disappeared next to her. She searched the garden with her eyes until she heard him whistle. Onari remembered. It was a jutsu she had had difficulty with in the past.
Onari formed hand seals quickly. She concentrated hard. Her mind focused and body remained calm. She disappeared.
"Good job, Onari. You're performed all three jutsus correctly. However, we need to make sure you know how to perform on a mission before you go onto a team," Naruto said as he wrote on a pad. He saw the proctors looking around for the girl. "She's behind you," he said as they looked. Onari only looked back at the two men. "Onari, come to the front of the table." She did as he asked.
"Onari, when you're on a team, who do you listen to," Naruto asked. He saw her quirk a brow. "Who is the one that directs you?"
"Trainer like Sasuke," Onari answered.
"What are the types of jutsu ninja use to outwit his or her opponent," Naruto asked.
"Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu," Onari said. She was familiar with all three now. Izumi taught her Ninjutsu while Sasuke and Neji taught her taijutsu. Ryu had shown her genjutsu.
"Who gives the orders for the ninja?" Naruto waited. He wasn't sure if she knew or not.
"Who tell Onari what to do? Sasuke and Izumi," she said softly. Naruto shook his head at her. Onari watched him point to himself. "Onari listen Uzumaki?"
Naruto pointed to his hat. "I am the Hokage of the ninja leaf village. I am the leader out of all of the ninja who reside here. It's my job to get others work so they can live and protect the village. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke have to listen to my directions and orders," he said pulling names she was familiar with. "Without the Hokage, the ninja in a village have no direction. I am an important person, but not more than each person in the village," he concluded.
Onari was just now realizing how important he was. He instructed trainers like Sasuke and watched out for everyone – every man, woman, and child in the village. Onari dropped to the floor, bowing her head constantly as he if he were a god.
Naruto stood up as Onari started to worship him. He approached her and kneeled. Naruto brought his hand down to place it on her head to get her attention. "You don't need to worship me, Onari. It kind of embarrasses me," he said with a faint smile. She sat up slowly. Naruto talked with her on a one-to-one basis so he could decipher her ability to analyze scenarios and situations.
Izumi Uchiha twiddled her thumbs as she sat in the living room. Normally she had Onari during the day when Neji was unavailable to teach her. Sasuke had decided to go ahead and submit Onari's name for testing. She hoped the girl was doing all right. They had managed to keep the decision from Takeru and Daiya.
Sasuke has something up his sleeve. Too bad, he will not let me know what it is yet. She sighed as she got up to go bargain shopping. She would have to wait until Sasuke came back to learn the trails and errors of Onari's training.
Onari exited the room slowly. Sasuke was waiting for her in the hall. He turned around to look at her. She wasn't to sure what had happened. The Hokage had asked her to perform three jutsus successfully – she had done just that. He also asked her questions after questions. Onari wasn't sure if she had succeeded in answering anything correctly. Her vocabulary was a hinder to her. She lowered her head.
Sasuke walked to her slowly. He wasn't too sure, what had occurred when he had left. He wanted to believe she had performed the jutsus correctly. However, he knew the years of lecture the other kids had, was against her. He kneeled so he could look up into her face.
Sasuke lifted his hand to touch her cheek. Tears were welling in her eyes. "Onari, you didn't let anyone down. You did the best you could." She shook her head. "What is it?"
"Onari not know words Uzumaki say," she said rather heartbroken.
Therefore, that's what it boiled down to. It wasn't just her physical strength, but also her comprehension. We didn't prepare enough. "We'll get a tutor for you, okay? What do you think about Ryu helping you?"
Onari wiped her eyes. "Turkey boy Ryu each Onari?" She attached herself to Sasuke when he stood up. Being on a team meant all of her countless hours of training hadn't been in vain. Yet, it appeared she was still lacking in skill.
Sasuke started to walk down the hall with Onari. He had his hand on the side of her head to comfort her. As their feet padded, he heard someone calling his name. Sasuke turned around to see Naruto walking towards him. The man appeared annoyed at something. "What's wrong?"
Naruto frowned a bit, but soon forced a smile. "After deliberating about Onari's performance with the proctors, I would like to go ahead and put Onari on a team." Onari whirled around to look at him. "She performed all three jutsus correctly despite the fact it took her a moment to figure out what I was asking of her. The questions I asked were to determine her knowledge about missions, the village, and what she overall knew about ninja life. Onari may not know the correct sentence structures, but she answered to the best of her ability.
It would be a waste to not let her continue to strengthen her talents. She's come a long way in a short amount of time. Neji has done a wonderful job of teaching her defensive taijutsu. Her movements are incredibly fast. One of the proctors tried to see if he could get past her earlier. He wasn't able to. No matter which direction he took and how fast he was, Onari was still quicker. She was able to stop him in place.
Not only that, but her offensive taijutsu is just as strong. When faced with two opponents who come at her, she is able to deflect their weapons and bodies while protecting someone. Also, her Ninjutsu is picking up nicely. She managed to defer her two opponents by combining your fireball technique with Neji's rotation move. She's combining jutsus, Sasuke. Onari is making them her own. I am very pleased with her progress," Naruto said as he leaned down to smile directly at the girl.
"I wonder how you'll do on your new team, Onari. You'll be protecting two others while completing a mission." Naruto handed her the ninja headband. "In short, you passed."
Onari's head lifted as she stood with the headband in her hands. Her fingers went over the smooth metal and symbol of the leaf village. "Onari pass test?"
"Mm-hmm. You passed. Now the Hokage will decide what team would be the best suited for you," Sasuke said. He took the headband from her and placed it on her forehead.
"Where Onari go," she asked moving her attention to Sasuke as if he held all of the answers of the world.
"I don't know just yet," he admitted to her. Sasuke looked at Naruto. "Where are you going to place her? The teams are full."
Naruto already had a plan in mind. "I've been watching Hire quite a bit these past few months. I wanted to be sure that her attitude was going to improve, in order, to give her the chance to learn where she went wrong. A village should never give up on a sole person. The best experiences one can under are the ones life demands. Without trying and leaving her alone, she has learned to get along with others and work for the better of the team. Let us go ahead and move Hire off your team, Sasuke.
It would be more beneficial to move a few students around. Onari needs her chance, don't you think? Hire's potential is already at its peak." Naruto took off his hat to run his fingers through his spiky blond hair. "Well, do your best," he said as he turned around. He waved at the two he left in his wake.
"I'm off of the team? What did I do to get kicked off," Hire asked as she sat on the stool waiting for her meal at the ramen stand. She stared hard at her trainer. She demanded an explanation.
Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye. "It's the Hokage's decision, Hire. Here," he said throwing a scroll at her. "Read what it says."
Hire opened the scroll carefully. She read the caricatures slowly. She stopped and re-read them to make sure what she thought was correct. "I'm being moved to another team that's fixing to take the Chuunin exams in the winter? So… I can become a Chuunin," she said as she breathed the last word out. She had advanced. "Who is replacing me? There has to be another person. It has to be a three-man team." Hire caught onto the smirk her used-to-be trainer emitted before he sipped his tea. "Alright, Sasuke Uchiha, what are you up to?"
"You're awfully blunt with your elders, Hire," he said as he closed his eyes. "Maybe what I have in mind benefits everyone. I thought your main goal was to become a Chuunin because you felt cheated in some way."
"I do want to be a Chuunin. Someone with my skills shouldn't be held back forever. Only your talents get you recognized anyway," she said as she put her chopsticks into her bar-b-que ramen.
"That's isn't what got you noticed in the first place with the Hokage," Sasuke corrected. He chewed his udon noodles. "It was how you've changed that got his attention. If you had continued to refuse to work with the others around you, you would have been off the team with no chance of advancement. I'd thank Areku while you can. You seem to have gotten a lot closer with him, as of late."
Hire's face turned red. She threw a piece of pork at Sasuke's head. He moved back swiftly to avoid her. "Now whose being blunt?" Hire settled down. She stared at the food.
"Aren't you going to tell him you've advanced like you wanted?"
Hire closed her eyes. She was getting awfully close to Areku. He gave her flowers every time he saw her. "I won't be able to work with him anymore, or see how he's doing," Hire said disappointed.
"I can understand your feelings. You've been alone the entire time – whether by your choice, or someone else's. You haven't fooled me at all, Hire. You were lonely from the start. Your attitude to snub others was how you dealt with not being accepted." Sasuke watched her lower her head further. "Cheer up. You have Areku now. He has to account for something."
Hire nodded gently. "I'll tell him later. He shouldn't think too badly of me if he can't see me all of the time. I don't want to smother him, or anything," she said as she regained her normal attitude.
Sasuke ate his udon in peace.
Masaru Uzumaki sat with his chin in his hand. His whit eyes stared at the floor. I wonder where Idai is. Is he going to come back? He couldn't imagine another person being on the team, but the sound-nin boy.
Yanagi leaned against the wall as she watched Masaru. The Hokage's son was uninterested in participating with training. Her gray eyes turned to her trainer, Kiba Inuzuka, who was walking towards them. She wondered what kind of mission they had managed to get. Kiba had been standing in front of the Hokage for some time.
Kiba stood stiffly as he watched his students. Yanagi was starting at him, but her mind wasn't focused on him at all. Masaru also seemed to have less energy. "It seems we won't be allowed to take missions until we get a replacement for Idai."
Masaru's ears heard the words 'replacement' and 'Idai'. He glanced up quickly. "What? We're replacing Idai? We can't! He's on our team!"
"Masaru, it's out of my hands," Kiba said to calm the boy down. "The Hokage can't let us remain as so without a third person. It's unknown whether Idai will return, or not. The problems he is facing right now are a bigger concern."
Yanagi stared at the ninja waiting to get missions. "Who's replacing him? Have you been told yet?"
Kiba nodded his head. "A guy named Jinrin Maeda. We'll be meeting him later. He is only temporary if Idai comes back, Yanagi and Masaru. Otherwise, he's going to be permanent. It has to be a three-man cell," he said as Masaru looked away disgusted with the fact that Idai was being replaced. "For now you guys are dismissed. Meet me this afternoon near the training grounds."
Masaru arose kicking his foot against the bench he was sitting on. "We don't need another person to replace Idai!" He mouthed off one final time knowing he couldn't do anything about it. Yanagi followed him out of the building. "I hate this! Why does Idai have to be replaced? That's not fair! He's on our team for a reason!" He leaned hard against the building as his back remained facing Yanagi. "He's my friend," he said softly.
Yanagi's eyes softened. "Masaru, I know you like Idai, but we can't get work unless someone else is on the team. All we can do is keep our hopes up for Idai. Whatever he is facing right now, is most important to overcome. We can't give up on him that easily. It's also not this new person's fault. We can't blame him for getting on the team. He was assigned to us."
"I know, but it's not going to be the same person I'm working with. We don't know what kind of personality he'll have, or what his fighting styles will be. It's like day one of our team all over," Masaru said. "I don't like reversing my direction to get accustomed to a new person."
Yanagi understood where he was coming from. She placed her hand upon his shoulder and smiled at him gently when he turned to look at her. "I know it's not easy for the ones we adore to go missing on us. You're attached to Idai. I would have never thought you would have managed to overcome your anxiety about getting to know him, like you have. Idai will appreciate you looking up to him as you do. Maybe it will make him come back sooner to us," she said trying to encourage him.
Masaru smiled a little in return. "Yeah, I hope he does. Yanagi, what do you think Idai is dealing with? Remember how he screamed when he was having one of those flashbacks of his? Are they all that bad?"
Yanagi looked away. "I've heard some things from Daiya and Takeru. Idai's flashbacks are pretty bad. He is being tormented by something. Gai sensei went to find out if he could save Idai from going insane. It's awful, Masaru. I think that's why Idai kept to himself the entire time at the Academy. He was always in thought about what scared him. We have to keep him in our hearts for now. Can you do that for him?"
Masaru turned around slowly as he heard a few birds chirping. One flew from a tree to another tree. Its chirping song reminded him of how Idai's flute sounded. "I'll try to, Yanagi. I don't want Idai coming back to scold me," he said as he decided to make peace with the situation.
Areku Inuzuka blinked as he listened to Hire talk about her movement to another team. He leaned against the tree, his mind not able to comprehend why she was being moved. "You won't be working with me anymore. Once that team takes the Chuunin exam, you'll be a Chuunin. Your missions will be harder, Hire. I want you to do your best. I know it's important to you to advance, but I don't want to hold you back. I'm still a Genin. I don't know when Shikamaru sensei will let us take the Chuunin exams."
"Areku, if I hadn't of been held back, I wouldn't have met you. Please don't think badly of me for agreeing with Sasuke sensei. The Hokage is proud of me, I think, for changing my attitude. You're not holding me back! I want to…," she trailed off afraid to say what she really thought of him.
Areku caught onto her hesitation. "You want to what? If you want to break up with me, I can understand your feelings. I wouldn't expect you to stay with me." His eyes looked away.
Hire looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. She walked up to him and put her hands on his cheeks. "No, you idiot, I want to wait for you." She kissed him gently on the lips. Areku's face blushed intensely. "I'm in love with you, Areku Inuzuka."
Areku's eyes widened. He had never had someone in love with him before. "Am I supposed to do anything?" He figured he had to acknowledge her feelings somehow. She shook her head. "Then what am I supposed to do now that you've admitted something like that to me?"
Hire smiled at him as she let her nose touch his cheek when she wrapped her arms around him. "You're supposed to let me," she said as she felt Areku lean into her. She liked the way he felt against her. Areku was a bit serious for his age, but he was sweet and romantic at heart. Hire grabbed onto his shirt. "You'll still come by to visit me, won't you?"
Areku nodded. "I don't have any intention of letting another guy take you away from me." He looked at her with his wild eyes. "You're cute when you're being high and mighty, you know." That caught her off guard. Areku smiled with a toothy grin similar to his father's. Hire punched his arm lightly. "See? It's a turn-on."
"What is it with you and Sasuke picking on me today," Hire said as she hid her face in his shoulder.
"What'd Sasuke sensei tease you about? Hire? Hello?" Areku prodded her, but she wouldn't look at him. All he could tell was that her face was red like his.
Neji Hyuga sat in his living room with his hands on his legs, meditating. It was good to have peace and quiet while the house was calm. Onari had gone to take the Academy exam with the Hokage. He wondered how she faired. It wasn't easy to take on all of the training and studying he had undergone in a year's time. In fact, it was unheard of for a student to have that much determination. Even the Hokage himself had had regular schooling.
Neji heard the birds chirping around the house. He felt the breeze of the wind. It was good to meditate. It made him relaxed and more focused. However, he also heard a fast padding motion of feet. He twitched his eyebrow. Neji felt a jab in his arm. He tried to ignore it. Another jab. Neji cleared his throat to get the attention of the person jabbing him. He relaxed again as the feeling stopped.
Neji tensed. He could sense someone in front of him. In fact, whoever it was was less than an inch from his nose. Neji moved his head back slowly. However, the person moved forward. He moved back a foot, his back leaning. Neji blushed as he felt someone crawl on top of him. Neji's concentration was being broken. He hated that. He opened his eyes to see two yellow eyes looking at him rather intently. "Onari, it's rude to crawl on top of others and to disturb someone who is meditating."
"Brother Neji, Onari passed test Uzumaki gave Onari," she said rather fast and excited before she tackled him to the floor with her arms around his neck. "Onari did what Neji say Onari do! Onari get team like Takeru!"
Neji frowned as he felt his back pop back into place. "Onari, I would be happier if you got off of me. My spine can't take this sort of abuse at my age," he said. She lifted herself off him to look down at him. "Sit down, Onari."
Onari moved swiftly to sit beside him. She watched him take a deep breath as he sat up. Neji rotated his shoulders and did relaxation techniques before he looked at her. "Onari do good job?"
Neji lifted his hand to place it upon her head. He petted her softly. "Yes, all of your hard work was accomplished for a purpose in mind. I'm glad you got onto a team like Takeru. Now you can join the others on missions. Did the Hokage tell you which team you would be on?"
Onari shook her head. "Neji no tell Eiyu and Kandai. It secret. Onari get on team in a few days. Uzumaki prepare teams for what he say. Onari want to see Eiyu and Kandai shocked." She smiled devilishly at him.
Neji looked away. It seems Izumi Uchiha has had some affect on her way of thinking. He sighed. It can't be helped. I can only hope Onari's determination doesn't falter when she's faced with strong opponents. Being a ninja is tough work.
Onari lifted herself to kiss Neji on the cheek quickly. "Brother Neji, Onari thank you for training! Onari visit again." She smiled at him sweetly before she got up quickly. She ran out of the house with lightening speed.
Neji blushed. He coughed. "Well, it's all for the best, isn't it? I'm going to miss her curiosity, but… not her bluntness." He went back to meditating.
Daiya stared at his room. It was quiet without Takeru being here. He packed his backpack quickly. He had to know what was going on with Idai. His best friend had taken off with his adopted father to get information on what he was experiencing. Daiya couldn't let him go at it alone. He closed his eyes. I don't know where you went, but Ryu said the sound village was the start of everything. Maybe you went there to find out something, but would they really tell you what you want to know?
Daiya heard his father come inside the house. He narrowed his eyes. He couldn't let Sasuke or Izumi catch him. They might prevent him from finding out anything. Daiya quickly slipped out of the back shoji screen that led to the garden. I have to be quick. If Dad catches me, it's my tail. He flew off the porch. His feet didn't feel the dirt under his feet, or grass growing in the garden as he crossed the bridge to the abandoned houses. Daiya stayed away from them as he moved.
As he parted the Uchiha compound, Daiya glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. He kept his eyes on the horizon as he moved through the streets swiftly. As people came into his view, he formed hand seals. He quickly used the transformation jutsu to appear as a mutt running through the streets. No one was ever the wiser as he passed them. If he could keep this up, he'd soon leave the village behind. Uh, oh. Isn't that Ryu? He won't notice me. Ryu doesn't notice anything except Saori. He ran past the Genin.
Ryu raised a brow. Wait a minute. He turned to look at a gray dog that had just ran past him. I've never seen that dog before. How could a dog get inside the village without anyone noticing? He smiled a little under his mask. Now who could you be? He took off after the dog.
Daiya breathed hard as he padded slowly to the end of a street. He made his way into a clearing to rest for a minute. He was running for his life at this point. Daiya gritted his teeth as he felt his heart racing. Come on, calm down. If I have an attack, I won't be able to get out of the village. His ears perked up. Someone was whistling at him. Just as he was fixing to mouth off, he soon realized he was a dog again and instead turned his head to see Ryu standing there with a piece of meat. Oh, no. Maybe I should just play into this for right now.
Ryu crouched low as he kept whistling. "Come here, boy. You're a hungry fellow, aren't you?" As the dog came close to him quite quickly, he petted his head, as he looked him over. Strays don't usually come to a stranger that fast. He kept petting the dog's fur until he moved his hands around the animal's neck. He lifted the dog's head so he could look into his eyes. The dog was unusually tense for some reason.
Ryu raised a brow as his red eyes looked into the dark eyes of the animal. These eyes weren't wild like a stray's ought to be. They were avoiding his gaze and looking around elsewhere. "What kind of stray ignores the person in front of him that might harm him and is more focused on the environment?" He put his arm around the animal's neck quickly to hold him. "Who are you?" The animal gacked. "Answer me! Fifteen seconds left before you black out."
Daiya waved his paws in the air trying to get away from Ryu. The older Genin had a strong hold on him. He struggled to breathe. "Ryu, you idiot! Let me go!"
"Hmm? Daiya? What are you doing parading around as a dog?" He let the boy go. As he did, Daiya poofed into his normal form. Daiya coughed as he lay on the ground trying to breathe. He noticed he was wearing a backpack. "Just what do you think you're up to? Where are you going?"
Daiya sat up quickly. He moved away from Ryu quickly, his feet sliding on the ground. "I'm going to search for Idai. You're not going to stop me either, Ryu! I have to know where he is!"
Ryu looked at him gently. "You can't go searching for someone when you don't know where he is. What would Idai think if you came after him? He might not look too kindly upon it, Daiya." He moved towards him.
"Stay away from me! He's my best friend! I have to know where he is!" Daiya yelped as Ryu tackled him. "Get off, Ryu!"
"Sorry, little brother," Ryu said as he held Daiya on the ground. "We can't have you running off when everyone would be worried about you. What would Sasuke sensei, Ms. Izumi, Takeru, Yanagi, and even Onari say if I let you wander out of the village? Are you forgetting about your heart problem? What kind of brother would let you go?"
Daiya struggled to get free, but he was still exhausted from high tailing it past everyone. He breathed hard as he lay back onto the ground. "It's not fair," he said as he tried to catch his breath.
"No, life isn't," Ryu agreed. "And you're too tired to fight me," he said as he stood up with Daiya under his arm. "Nice try, though. Maybe if you hadn't of encountered me, you would have succeeded."
"How in the world did you know it was me," Daiya asked as he crossed his arms annoyed. His legs swayed with Ryu's walking motions. He couldn't figure out how Ryu tracked him that quickly.
"I didn't know it was you. Not per say. All I know is that I've never seen that dog before. It's somewhat hard to get into the village under disguise, Daiya. I thought you were an enemy. I should have known the gray fur matched your gray outfit, but I wasn't reading into it that well. If I were you, I'd worry more about what Sasuke sensei and Ms. Izumi are going to say when you get home," Ryu said trying to warn him of the consequences. "They're not going to take too kindly to you abandoning them."
Daiya hadn't thought of that. He felt ashamed. Izumi and Sasuke might feel hurt that he didn't come to them first.
Masaru took a deep breathe. He moved his head left and right, patted his shoulders with his fist and rolled his shoulders. Yanagi was watching him with her brow raised. "I'm getting ready for our new team mate. I have to relax," he said.
"I don't see how that is relaxing. It looks like you're just anxious," she said with a light laugh. Yanagi turned her head to see Kiba walking towards them. There was a young man walking with him who had black hair and green eyes. The youth appeared to be around their age. He was dressed in yellow, which made him stand out. His ninja headband was around his neck. Yanagi wondered if he was the one supposed to be on their team.
Kiba stopped in place as he saw Yanagi watching them. "I see you two showed up like I asked. That's good. This is who is replacing Idai for the time being. As mentioned, he may be temporary, or permanent. It all depends on what happens with Idai. We're not going to count him out just yet."
Jinrin stepped forward to meet his two teammates. He bowed low with sincere. He lifted his form to look upon the pink haired girl who was watching him. "I am Jinrin Maeda. It is a pleasure to meet the both of you." He smiled at Yanagi. The girl's eyes widened. She moved back a bit next to her teammate. "Who are you pretty lady?"
Masaru stood up at that point. "Hey, don't be so familiar with Yanagi! She's taken! I'd back off if I were you," he said as he looked at Jinrin quite loathingly.
"Oh, is she? It's often said that there is a bit of a love triangle on teams since they normally consist of two men and one woman. I wonder if that will be the same here," Jinrin said as he moved his black hair out of his face so his green eyes could match Yanagi's gray ones.
Yanagi thought he was a bit of a show-off. She crossed her arms. "Masaru is only my team mate. My boyfriend is Daiya Uchiha on Team 2. If Masaru doesn't get you with his shuriken, Daiya will electrocute you to where no one will recognize your teeth," she threatened. She didn't quite care for guys who were full of themselves. "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but so far, you haven't given me a very good impression."
Masaru had never heard Yanagi be rude before. She was normally a happy girl with a kind sense about her. Even though he didn't care for Daiya, he did care about Yanagi. "Kiba sensei, can we request someone else? This guy won't fit our team. He's not even noble."
Kiba put his hands on his hips. "Look, I expect you three to get to know each other. First starts are always a bit rocky. You two were the same with Idai."
Yanagi watched Jinrin notice the last bit. The boy walked towards her. He held out his hand trying to make amends. She stared at it for a moment before she gave him her hand. Much to her surprise, Jinrin lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the top. Yanagi's heart stopped. Her eyes got wide and she screamed. She went flying behind Masaru.
Masaru was on his feet in no time. He flew at Jinrin with his fists swinging. Jinrin moved aside avoiding each of his attempted hits. "You jerk!"
Jinrin smiled as he formed hand seals. "So you want to fight, do you?" He shifted in front of Masaru Uzumaki to a large over towering panther. He smiled at the blond haired boy with all of his teeth. "It might be best to hold your temper," he said with a panther like growl emitted with his breath.
Masaru halted in his steps. Jinrin was now a large panther that was standing on his back legs. "What kind of trickery is this?" He pointed at the boy as he looked at his trainer.
"It's one of his fighting styles, Masaru. Ninja can turn into anything to avoid, fight, or elude an opponent. I wouldn't get near him," Kiba warned. "He's not the only one you have to watch out for," he said as he lifted his head to nod in a certain direction.
Yanagi became tense. As Jinrin had shifted into a panther, three large black panthers had poofed into the trees surrounding them. Whatever kind of Ninjutsu this was, it was advanced. The older boy had them completely cornered. "Masaru, look around," she said afraid the panthers were going to pounce.
Masaru looked around. He soon found them. Kiba was able to sense them right off based on their scent. Panthers? Are you kidding me? Masaru moved back as Jinrin moved towards him. "I don't know what games you're playing, but I'm not falling for it! Teammates don't attack each other. But if you touch us, I will attack you back!"
Jinrin's catlike eyes focused on the Hokage's son. "So the Hokage's brat is not just all talk after all. You body language means you're serious. But I wonder if you're acting like this because your team mate is in danger, or yourself."
"What? It doesn't matter why I'm acting like this! You're a threat to us if we can't trust you! I've only known you a few minutes and you've already flirted with Yanagi. Idai would never do that! He helps us learn and trains with us. If you're not going to do that, I'll never accept you being on our team," Masaru said angrily.
Jinrin brought his hands up to release himself from the transformation. The panthers poofed into thin air as he turned back into normal. "Sometimes it is actions that speak louder than words, Masaru Uzumaki. I do not intend to attack a teammate. However, you weren't going to accept me the moment you saw me. I could tell it in your eyes. It is true I am not like the one you lost. I am a completely different person. I will expect you to remember that," he said as he snubbed the boy. "It was nice meeting you, Yanagi." Jinrin waved at them as he turned around to walk off.
"Sensei, you can't be serious," Masaru said. His heart sunk as Kiba nodded. "He's not Idai! He's nothing like Idai!" Masaru punched a tree. "Idai was nicer to us and he was our friend. I can't deal with someone who is going to pick on me."
Yanagi narrowed her eyes as she watched Jinrin walk away in the distance. "He's not going to pick on you, Masaru. I won't let him. If it's one thing I learned from Idai, it's to never take anything sitting down." We miss you, Idai. Please come home soon.
Sasuke and Izumi Uchiha sat in the living room with their arms crossed as Daiya sat on the floor looking away from them. "Nothing to say about what you were planning to do?" No answer. Izumi suspected as much. "I can't believe you were even considering going off to find Idai. After everything we've done to prepare you for the future that's waiting. You can't continue to be in Idai's shadow," Izumi said to the point where Daiya looked at her suddenly. "That's what it is, Daiya. You have to live for yourself. You can't change what is happening to him. I know you care about him, but-"
"That isn't what it is," Daiya shouted embarrassed by what his mom was saying. He grabbed his head and lowered his body to the floor. He didn't like others noticing how he felt.
"Daiya, don't shout at her like that. If that's not what it is, then tell us what is going on in your head. Right now, you're in a lot of hot water," Sasuke said sternly. "I don't appreciate finding out from Ryu that you were going to abandon this family and make the decision to leave the village. You are our responsibility!"
Daiya lifted his body from the floor as he kept his eyes averted from the stern gaze of his father. "I'm supposed to be the one to save him. I promised to look out for him," he said softly as he closed his eyes.
"Well, you're not doing anyone any favors, Daiya," Sasuke said to the point. "I'm not happy with you at all." He crossed his arms. "Your punishment is going to be mine to decide."
Daiya gritted his teeth as he looked at his dad. "Y-Yes, sir," he said so softly that he had to repeat himself. He didn't know whether to thank Ryu for turning him in based on a bad decision he was making, or to punch his face in. Daiya was punished by Izumi once. It was humiliating. Yanagi had been punished by Sasuke on the Hot springs trip and she had been traumatized. He didn't know what to expect.
"Since you prefer to use Ninjutsu to fool your mother and I, you're going to be forbidden to use any Ninjutsu for the next two weeks. When we train, you'll only be using taijutsu. Ninjutsu is used against an opponent on missions and during training to learn it. Your problem is you're not respecting the skills we have been teaching you. I won't be taken in as a fool, Daiya. The excuse of not knowing what a family is, is no longer a good one. We're your family." Sasuke kept his hard gaze on the boy. Daiya was trying hard not to look away.
"You're dismissed, Daiya," Izumi said annoyed as well with the situation. "I have dinner to fix. You will eat alone tonight since you believe only your decisions matter."
Daiya sat by himself picking at his food. It was lonely being in the kitchen by himself. Onari wasn't trying to grab his food and Takeru wasn't running his mouth off about something. He leaned his cheek on his hand as he stared at it. The worst outcome for the evening was having to be grilled by Sasuke and Izumi. He didn't particularly like making them angry.
Daiya sighed. The house was eerily quiet. Takeru was in his room reading something. Onari was in the bathing area with Izumi. Sasuke, on the other hand, was in the living room writing reports for the day. Daiya felt as if he didn't belong in the house. He felt alienated.
Daiya crossed his arms as he pushed the food a
way. He wasn't hungry. Is this what I'm supposed to feel when I'm by myself? It hurts to be alone. It feels no different from when I was growing up. I don't like this feeling. I want it to go away. I want Idai to come back. I want to be included in something. He closed his eyes.
Izumi stood leaning against the doorframe. She had been watching Daiya for a minute now. He was finding it difficult to be thrown back into solitude. He has gotten used to this family. Why he did what he did, I'll never know. Does he care for that white haired boy that greatly?
Izumi walked into the kitchen. She didn't like punishing Daiya no more than she liked punishing Takeru, or Onari. But children had to learn. It was the only way for them to learn – by going through things themselves and realizing what it felt like to not have things be all right. She kneeled down. Daiya was completely wrapped in his thoughts. "Daiya." He moved his arm to look at her. "If you don't want to eat, you can go take a bath and go to bed. I won't force you to do something."
Daiya lifted his head slowly as he sat straight up. "Are you and dad still mad at me?" He was afraid to know the answer.
"We're not angry anymore, but we want you to realize what could have happened to you. We don't want you to ignore yourself. You're so concentrated on where, or what Idai is going through, that it's causing you to be rooted in place. That isn't what we want for you," Izumi tried to explain. "We want you to keep moving. Where Idai is, or what he is going through, is his obstacle. Not yours. You have to worry about this," Izumi said as she placed her hand over his heart. "Without this, you cannot and will not live."
Daiya looked down to where her hand was. He didn't like it being the main focus of his life. He wanted to be better than that.
"I know this is tough for you to deal with. It's not easy having an ailment that sets you apart from everyone else; however, the fact remains that you do have it and you must keep it in your decisions as you grow and learn."
Daiya nodded slowly as she took her hand away. "I'm sorry. I don't want it to be the reason I can't do anything."
"It's not supposed to be the reason you can't do anything, Daiya. It's supposed to be the reason you can. That's why Sasuke trains you differently from Ryu, or Hire. He has to think about your ailment to take that burden off of you," Izumi said. She watched a shocked expression come over his face. Before she could ask what was wrong, Daiya got up quickly and raced out of the kitchen.
Daiya stood in the frame of the door watching Sasuke write his notes. He hadn't thought that the reason he was trained was to deal with something he didn't wish to. Sasuke was always thinking about him. "D-Dad?"
"What is it, Daiya? I'm busy preparing tomorrow's training," Sasuke said without looking up. Before he could tell the boy to go take a bath, Daiya was hugging his side. "Might I ask what has gotten into you?"
"I didn't know that the reason you train me differently is because… you're always preparing me to deal with my… arrhythmia," Daiya said softly. He clutched to his dad's kimono.
"Yes, well, one can't help you being thick at times," Sasuke said as he looked down at the boy. "That is probably why you're being punished for the next two weeks." He lifted his hand to place it on Daiya's back. "Go take a bath. I still have to finish these before I go to bed." He watched Daiya get up. For once, Daiya did as he was told. No arguments. No talking back. Just doing what he was told.