Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
S = D/T
Assuming there is no change in speed or direction, it is possible to calculate when one object will collide with another. DL = 0.5 miles, RL = 8MPH, RR = 0 miles.
(SL = RL /TL) – (SR = RR/TR) = X
(0.5 miles = 8MPH/TL) – (SR = 0/TR) = X
4 minutes – 0 = X
4 minutes = X
After departure, object L will meet object R in four minutes.
Anko yawned loudly; stretching her mouth as wide as it could go. "Anyway", she said a bit sleepily as we stood outside the administration building. "You should definitely consider wearing the T&I trench coat when you're issued one. It really helps you control a room when you're the only one wearing it".
"You didn't have to come with me", I said; ignoring everything Anko was talking about. She had been saying whatever popped into her mind since we got here; from why dango is the best invention ever to how to pull out someone's fingernails without getting blood on yourself. "I would've figured out what to do". It wasn't like Ibiki's directions had been complex. Be at the administration building by 0800 hours. You will meet the first team you're working with out front, he had said.
"It's not that", Anko said as she yawned again; earning herself a few looks as people entered and left the building. She had worked late hours. For what? I had the sense not to ask. "I'm just here to make sure you won't skip out on training". Looks like T&I had really paid attention to all Iruka-Sensei's notes in my file. "Besides, I wanted to see your reaction", Anko admitted.
I had been passing the time by people watching, but hearing Anko's words had my suspicions raising. "Reaction to what?" I asked, turning my body towards Anko.
The grin that grew on Anko's face was very informative, but she didn't answer my question. "Good morning, young comrades!" A loud voice that was more suited for concert venues than outside government buildings.
Just the vernacular was enough to clue me in about what was about to occur. My face froze. As if my neck was as fluid as a rusty turning gear, I stiffly in the direction of the over-enthused greeting. Standing a socially acceptable distance away was the renowned green spandex wearing jonin in all his glory. He stood tall and proud with his hands on his hips in an akimbo style; completely immune to the glances he was getting from the people passing by. It wasn't just the background people giving him strange looks. Standing behind him on his right-hand side were two genin. I didn't need introductions to know who they were; Neji Hyuga and Tenten. Both appeared self-conscious in being seen with their teacher, but they were showing it differently. Neji had his arms crossed and was refraining from looking at anyone involved in this…. Scene. While Tenten had taken to covering her face with one of her hands. In contrast, on the jonin's left-hand side was one genin who was positively glowing at his teacher's energy. I didn't need an introduction for him either. Rock Lee stood next to his teacher; acting just as proud and emulating everything he could about the man.
With a gleaming smile, the spandex-wearing Jonin adjusted his stance as he gave Anko and me a thumbs up. "Who's ready for a bright and fulfilling day of meeting new comrades and pushing our limits?" Although, as loud as the man was, it sounded more like an exclamation than a question.
My face unfroze just in time for me to express how unimpressed I was by this. Pointedly looking away from the spectacle before me, I turned back to Anko. "This is punishment for not finishing my work yesterday, isn't it?" I asked.
Anko snorted as she slapped a hand on my back. But other than that, she didn't address my comment. "Hey, Gai", she returned the exuberant man's greeting. "Ibiki sends his thanks", Anko said as she pushed me forward; getting us both to approach the group. Anko's energy level appeared muted when paired with Gai's. It was a realization that I found unnerving. If Anko was too much for some people, that would make Gai…. I don't know. Instant death. "We can handle the kid's training in torture and interrogation just fine, but we just don't have the manpower to handle all the genin stuff".
Now that we were standing closer, Gai fell out of his thumbs-up pose and into a more casual one. I wonder how long that would last. "No need to thank me. I'm happy to help the future ninja of our village flourish during the springtime of their youth!" Tenten let out a groan that was only muffled by her hand that was covering her face. Meanwhile, Lee was excitably nodding along in agreement with his teacher. "Besides, it's good for my own students to meet and learn about their fellow genin".
Laughing good-naturedly, Anko place a hand on my head and started moving my head around. Kind of like when someone ruffles your hair but with a lot more force. I did nothing to stop her. It hadn't taken me long to learn that with Anko she'd get bored quickly if you let her do what she wanted. "That's exactly what I told Ibiki when I recommended you for this", Anko shared. My eye started to twitch Oh, she was just baiting me for retaliation.
Acting as if Anko had paid him a compliment, Gai's countenance became even brighter. If that was even possible. My annoyance with the situation was absorbed by the feeling of apprehension that took over when Gai locked eyes with me. "Greetings young friend, Rion Aburame! Are you ready to embark on a journey of growth and discovery with us?"
I blink twice. "No", I answered honestly; suddenly grateful that this was my first exposure to the green beast of Konoha. If it had happened any earlier, I'm not sure I would have been able to muster up the will to make it to graduation. "I'd rather be stunted and ignorant".
Gai threw his head back and laughed. "What humor", he commented; misreading…. Well, everything. It kind of made me wonder if Gai was truly clueless or if he chose to ignore others' reactions to him. Gesturing to his students standing on either side of him, Gai moved straight into introductions. "You may remember each other from crossing paths in the academy, but let me present your teammates for the day!" With the amount of flair one would expect in a theater production, Gai motioned to each of his students one at a time. "Neji Hyuga". The boy was still refusing to look at anyone; even with his name being called. "Tenten". The girl slowly uncovered her face and gave a polite nod. "And Rock Lee".
Almost trembling in… Lee's personal brand of enthusiasm, he only managed to restrain himself long enough for Gai to finish calling his name. "It's nice to meet you!" Lee exclaimed as he took a step forward. It was only Anko's hand on my head that took me in place. And I thought Naruto was too much. "We've never heard of a genin going straight into a division until Gai mentioned you. You must be a really splendid ninja."
Anko's hand fell from the top of my head as she turned to the side; acting like she was trying to smother a laugh. Not that she was succeeding. Not even close. "I'm not", I said rubbing the skin behind my ear and ignoring Anko's snickering. In my peripherals, I could see Neji eyeing her with distaste. "I'm just good at pissing people off".
That comment was all the permission (as if that mattered to her) Anko needed to laugh at full volume. It wasn't long before she was drawing strange looks from the people passing by too. Tenten slowly started inching behind Neji's shoulder; placing him between her and my self-proclaimed sempai. Wise choice. "The kid's not lying", Anko corroborated my statement; seemingly not noticing the mournful kicked puppy expression Gai had adopted. "You should have seen some of the notes in her academy file. All those infraction write-ups were a hoot".
Lee lost some of his energy as he started to study me in a new light. With little droplets collecting in the corner of his eyes and his bottom lip sticking out, it was clear that Gai didn't share Anko's amusement. "I now see why Ibiki has asked me for this favor", Gai said to Anko before shifting his attention back to me. "But worry not, young delinquent!" Gai suddenly exclaimed before he was on me; pulling me off my feet and into a spine-breaking hug that had my arms pinned to my sides and lungs straining for air. "I'll help you return to a righteous path befitting of a shinobi of our village!" It felt like my eyes were bulging out of my head; Gai squeezing me that tight. Damn it. I should have gone to that fancy civilian school when I had the chance.
Anko was set off on another bout of hysterics; forcing her to hunch over for all the effort she was putting into it. This time, it wasn't just Anko Tenten was inching away from. But her teacher as well. Anko took two deep breaths before she straightened herself. Her face was red with a blush one only gets when they have been immensely amused. "Bye, Rion", Anko said as she raised her hand in a wave and started excusing herself; pausing ever so often to let out more laughter. "Have fun. And thanks again Gai!"
…. I'm going to get her for this.
There was something special about the genin that graduated a year before my class. And it wasn't that one of the genin managed to achieve the rank without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu. Although it was impressive. The year ahead of mine had two survivors of class three graduate. It was rare for one to claw their way across the finish line. And yet, here I was; looking at the both of them. How did I know they were from class three? The lack of surnames. It was a feat that I could respect.
Not that I was going to let Tenten and Lee know that. "I thought we were supposed to be training?" I asked as I stood on the edge of the client's front yard; staring at all the supplies and tools one would need to build a fence. Training is what Ibiki had told me I'd be doing with Team Gai. So, imagine my surprise when as soon as Anko left, Gai marched his students at me into the administration building to get assigned a D-rank mission. Not that I was complaining. Taking a mission meant I could make some money. And I liked it better than spending the morning with Gai attempting to turn me into a bruised and sweaty taijutsu enthusiast. But I had to ask because…. Building a fence was just not how I had ever envisioned spending time with team Gai. Although, admittedly, it wasn't a topic I pondered often.
"We", Gai started to say; building himself up for grand reveal. Though the only one who appeared moved by Gai's showmanship was Lee. "Are going to do both at the same time!" In awe, Lee stared up at his teacher open-mouthed as he applauded. From my left, Tenten sighed with an emotion that I equated with overexposure to exuberant people. But Tenten's sigh went unheard by Gai explaining, "This will be an excellent opportunity to practice teamwork, perseverance, and endurance!" Sure, I thought as I glanced around at the open space we were standing in front of. Because building a fence can inspire all that. "To make it an endeavor suitable to our youthful spirits, let's make it a competition. Boys Vs. girls! Losers will run twice around the village"
Lee jumped in the air with his fist raised above his head. "Amazing, Gai-Sensei!" When his feet were back on the ground, he turned to face his male teammate. "Neji, let us show the girls how to build a splendid fence like no other".
Neji moved slower as he faced Lee, "I'll lead". It wasn't an offer or even a suggestion. Neji stated it like a fact. At Lee's energetic nod of agreement, Neji started walking over to one side of the yard. Not even looking to see if Lee followed. Neji's acceptance that he would have to work with Lee spoke of being in many similar situations.
"That's the spirit", Gai cheered on the boys as I turned to face Tenten.
She scratched her cheek before working up the motivation to look at me. Both of us stood still, waiting for the other to make the first move. Reminiscent of whenever two strangers get thrown together on a project. Honestly, this awkwardness is probably why a lot of schools and jobs make new students and employees play those stupid ice breaker games. Finally, Tenten lowered her hand from her face and asked, "Do you want to dig or work on the posts?"
Finding it easier to think when I wasn't maintaining eye contact, I glanced at the side of the yard that was opposite of where the boys were working. They had jumped right in; sawing the wood to make the posts and sanding them down. It seemed… premature. "We should measure first. Do we know the perimeter? Or how high the fence is supposed to be?"
"Uh…" Tenten stared at me blankly before adjusting to look at her teacher who was still standing nearby.
Having listened to everything we had said, Gai was beaming when both of us started looking at him. He held up the scroll he had been given with the mission details inside. "Good questions!"
"I hope you don't mind me asking", Tenten started to say as worked on cutting the posts down to the right size. "But why don't you wear sunglasses?"
The seeming randomness of the question had me pausing from where I was marking the post so Tenten would know where to cut. That was l like asking someone why they didn't wear earrings. Neither the question nor the answer mattered. "Why don't you wear sunglasses?" I countered as I got back to work.
If Tenten answered her own question, she'd realize how pointless it was. Tenten didn't respond until a part of the post she was sawing off fell to the ground. "No, I mean you're an Aburame right? Doesn't everyone in your clan wear sunglasses… and those big jackets?" Oh. I frowned down at my task; not looking at the other girl. That's what this is about. And here I had thought all the gossip about the disgraceful bastard child of the Aburame had died down after the first year I spent in Shibi's house. "I just mean", Tenten kept going when I didn't add anything to the conversation. "I've never seen a female Aburame before. I kind of thought there weren't any". That admittance caught my attention. Looking up from my task I met Tenten's eyes. No female Aburame? "So, when Gai-Sensei told us your name and you looked… well…"
"Normal?" I asked; stepping around any attempt Tenten would have tried to make to ask her question politely.
Heat rose to the surface of Tenten's cheeks. "Yeah", she answered before quickly continuing; trying to express the thoughts that lead to her questions. "But when I saw you, I kind of thought maybe the Aburame didn't let their women be ninja or something. Since you were the first one I've seen I thought maybe you were the exception".
Blinking twice, my lips twitched as I found myself amused by the thought of an all-male clan. As if that was sustainable. The next time I saw Shibi, I'd have to tell him what non-members thought about his clan. Since Tenten's comments amused me, he would probably be offended. "There are Aburame women. Kunoichi ones too", I informed Tenten. "They just all dress the same that no one can really tell. The Aburame are a lot more gender-neutral when compared to the other clans". Turning back to measuring the lengthens of the posts, I kept on explaining. Mostly so Tenten didn't have to repeat herself. "They wear big jackets and sunglasses because of the bugs". Why? I don't know. Whenever Shibi tried to educate me about the clan, I had the tendency to tune him out. It's not like I considered myself to be a part of the Aburame. Even if I did carry the surname.
Getting back to work herself, Tenten finished shortening another post before asking, "So, you don't have any bugs?"
My skin crawled at the thought. All most as if thousands of tiny legs were scurrying all over my insides. "Hell no", I said quickly; just to shake off the feeling. I started counting all the posts. If my math is correct (which it likely is), we should have enough. "I'll start digging", I said; moving to the places on the ground I had marked for the posts.
I was happy to let the conversation die there. What happened inside the Aburame clan wasn't Tenten's business. It was barely my business. But Tenten asked another question. A question that told me that all her other conversation points had just been polite small talk building up to what she really wanted to bring up. "How did you do it? Make it out of class three, I mean".
Having finished the first post hole, I looked up at Tenten with narrowed eyes as she approached with the first post. She was refraining from looking at me as she stuck the post into the ground and started kicking the loose dirt back into place to make the post stick. Looks like she was aware of the rumors from two years ago. "Same as you", I said a bit lowly. "I beat the crap out of my classmates and if I lost, I kept coming back for more".
Tenten had the decency to blush as interpreted my tone. She didn't need to ask it directly for me to guess what she was trying to get at. No, I didn't make it out of class three because I was secretly a clan kid. No, I didn't have an easier time of things. Even after I had obtained a family name. Sure, living with Shibi I didn't have to worry about food or other basic needs. But that security came with a price I had unwillingly been forced to pay. "I made it to class two because I picked up weapon handling fast", Tenten shared. It was a tactful move I could appreciate. "Lee is the one who is really impressive. He got through class three on pure grit".
We were silent for a while. I dug wholes and Tenten filled them. Only communicating when we needed to add horizontal posts to keep the posts we stuck in the ground sturdy. It was in that reprieve that I was able to calm down and reflect. It was when were we were on the second section of our side of the fence that I became comfortable to share, "Math". Tenten looked up in my direction when I had muttered the word. "I was good at math. That was how I made it to second year".
Through the recognition that Tenten and I had relatable experiences, we passed the time complaining about the teachers for class three and expressing our mutual disdain for what was considered to be the kunoichi arts. It made the work go by fast. And we were on the last section of the fence with the sun at its peak in the sky when Gai called everyone back together. Seeing as Tenten and I hadn't finished our portion of the fence, that could only mean one thing.
"How?" I asked as Lee beamed at Tenten and me; acting like my question had been praised. Meanwhile, Neji stood next to him just looking bored. How had they finished before us? "You didn't even measure!"
"Don't think too hard about it", Tenten advised from my right as she raised a hand to her forehead. "You'll only give yourself a headache". She didn't sound annoyed or disappointed. If anything, Tenten just sounded tired.
"But do not feel defeated!" Gai brook in; copying Lee's smile, he grinned at Tenten and me. "Your efforts were not without their merits. That was some fruitful feminine bonding you two. Good work!" Gai finished his praise with a thumbs up. I felt a small part of me die as Tenten let out a groan. "And you can continue on that youthful path of building friendships as you run laps".
The idea seemed to enthuse Lee as he clenched his hands into fists near his face and made an oohing sound. I gapped at the green spandex-clad jonin as my mind was still trying to get past the not-measuring thing. Tenten sighed loudly before she started to move; heading out of the client's yard. Meanwhile, Neji was still looking like he was pretending to be anywhere else. "Come on", Tenten whispered from behind my shoulder when I failed to move. "The sooner we start the sooner it'll be over".
Gai waved us off. "In the meantime, we'll finish the mission!"
I ran beside Tenten for a few minutes; climbing builds and jumping from rooftops when the foot traffic got too crowded on the streets. But when we were a good distance from the rest of her team, I slowed to a halt. Tenten ran ahead a few feet before she realized I wasn't next to her. Jogging in place to not lose her momentum, Tenten turned around. "What's up? You okay?" She asked.
Shrugging, I shoved my hands in my pockets. "I don't want to do this". Tenten adopted a confused expression. Like she understood what my words meant in a literal sense, but couldn't piece together why my wants were enough to get me to stop running. "I'm going to go home. It was nice meeting you", I said; honestly meaning that last part as I turned to the left to do just that.
"What? Wait!" Tenten called after me. It was out of respect for another class three survival that I listened to her. Looking over my shoulder, Tenten was still jogging in place. Now with wide eyes as she stared back at me. "Gai-Sensei told us to run laps".
"And?" I pressed.
"If you ditch, that's insubordination", Tenten pointed out. And it was a point. Ignoring orders was something that was deeply frowned upon in our line of work. Even more so, it was like a red flag pointed in the direction of a future traitor to the village. Or at least, that is as we had been taught. "Think about what Gai-Sensei would do if you didn't complete the laps".
I shrugged again; having absolutely no clue what Gai would do. "I'm not his student so I'm not his problem". Starting forward once more, I made it two steps with Tenten sputtering behind me. But it was only two steps. A hurricane collided with me out of the blue; causing Tenten to sputter for a completely different reason.
In mid-step I was thrown off balance by the hurricane's force. My ankle rolled and I found myself sitting on the dirty street as a sharp pain my foot and connecting joints. "Good news!" The hurricane, otherwise known as Lee, celebrated as if he hadn't noticed that he had knocked me over. "Neji offered to finish the fence, so I could run with you two and forge bonds of friendship!" People passing by started to spare us looks. Similar to this morning. Maybe it was due to Lee's volume. Or maybe because I was sitting in the street. Most likely it was a combination of both.
Biting my bottom lip to keep quiet I used both my hands to grip my ankle. Already it felt bigger than it ought to be. Out of all the ways it would have been easy to get a sprain in this profession, it had to happen to me in the dumbest way possible.
"Lee", Tenten scolded. "You need to watch where you're going". She ran a couple of paces until she was standing next to both of us. "Rion, are you okay?" She asked; glancing down at me.
"Yeah", I said through gritted teeth. Although, it didn't take long to suppress the pain. Sprains weren't too bad if you've experienced a lot of them. It was almost comical to see Lee glance down in panic as his enthusiasm was washed away by guilty horror. "I just twisted it", I lied; keeping my hands over the injury so they couldn't see how swollen it had become. "But I should call it quits for today". At least now it would be harder to be accused of insubordination.
"I'm so sorry!" Lee exclaimed with emotion as I allowed myself a pre-emptive wince before hauling myself to my feet.
I wobbled for half a second before I had to test how much weight I could put on my newly acquired injury. The answer; not much. Tenten rushed forward when it looked like I was going to meet the street again. She grabbed onto my arm to help me stabilize and to take some of my weight. Through my sleeve, I could feel the hard earn calluses on her fingertips and the grip strength in her hand. "If you can't put weight on it, it's more than just twisted", Tenten said. This time scolding me instead of her teammate.
"Alright, fine", I admitted. "It's sprained". Lee looked close to having an emotional breakdown with his bottom lip trembling. So, I added, "It'll be fine by tomorrow". Besides, tomorrow was a full day at T&I. It wasn't like I needed to be fully able to learn about applying psychological pressure points.
Tenten looked doubtful at that statement. Like a shaken soda bottle that was about to blow his top, Lee reached the end of his ability to restrain himself. "I'll get Gai-Sensei", he exploded with watery eyes before taking off in the direction he had come from; resembling a hurricane once more.
"No!" I tried to call him back. But it was too late.
The perceptive look Tenten gave me was all I needed to know what she was thinking. But that didn't stop her from saying, "You should have just run the laps".
