Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Slope
The slope is a mathematical concept that describes both the direction and the steepness of the line that crosses both the X and Y intercepts. It can be calculated by this formula;
M= y2-y1/ x2-x1
It is useful for finding coordinates for points on a line or for continuing a visual representation of a line (since lines are infinite). However, if lines do not cross both the X and Y intercepts, they are undefined. These undefined lines can also be described as horizontal lines or vertical lines.
M= 3– 5/ 2-2
M= -2/0
M= 0
0= undefined
Debriefing after the Mizuki fiasco was awful. Not only because Ibiki needed to clarify everything Mizuki said (or didn't say), but also because he saw this as a teachable moment. A wasteful amount of time, time that went over my allotted patience for human interaction, was spent with Ibiki pulling apart my performance (as Ibiki called it). Apparently, my attempts at building rapport were obvious and overreaching. If Mizuki hadn't knew me as an academy student, I'd been screwed in that interrogation.
Ibiki's constructive criticism, feedback, and advice took forever. It was the meeting just wouldn't end! It was well passed my assigned shift when I finally got to leave T&I. I didn't get home until Anzu and Naruto had already eaten and cleaned up dinner. So, I felt completely justified in napping under a tree the next day as I waited for Shino and his team to get here.
The sun felt warm like a blanket, but not burning like a stove. The grass was soft under my head; acting as a natural pillow. Completely worth any itchiness it may cause. And it was quiet with only the sounds of rustling leaves and birds chirping to fill my eardrums. One of the benefits of using a training field on the outskirts of the village.
It was a peaceful moment. A moment that wasn't filled with Anko's attempts at staving off boredom, Ibiki's exasperated sighs, and Shinobu silently and passive-aggressively plotting the demise of all of us. Thinking of Shinobu, I wonder how he'll react when he realizes someone had strung all his paperclips together.
The moment ended with the sound of protesting grass and a shadow looming over me; blocking out the light. "Hey, Shino", I greeted after cracking open one eye.
His hair was just as spikey as ever and the collar of his jacket blocked his face from view from the eyes down. So, the only response to my greeting I could see was Shino pushing up his sun glasses with his index finger.
"Yeah, I missed you too", I said as if Shino asked a question. Shino remained a stationary presence as I used my hands to push into a sitting up position. "Shibi tracked me down the other day. You wouldn't know anything about that, right?"
Silence. Or at least silence from Shino. Off in the distance, I could see and hear Shino's team approaching. Did he run ahead? Aw, he really did miss me. Kind of makes me feel bad for all the times I used up the hot water.
"Rion! Good to see you'll still breathing", Kiba called out once he was close enough to do so. Akamaru trotted in front of him on his stubby little puppy legs while Hinata and a red-eyed woman, who could only be Kurenai, flanked his sides.
I raised a hand in response. "Still alive?" I asked Shino as we waited for the others to reach us.
Shino answered slowly. Almost as if he didn't want to answer at all. "During team selections, after you left, Kiba and your friends made bets about how long you would last. Why? I am uncertain". My nose wrinkled. My friends? But everything clicked a moment later.
"Yeah", Kiba agreed as he and the others reached us; having heard the tail end of Shino's explanation. "Nara thought you'd quit after first day. I bet you'd mysteriously die in a 'training accident'. But only Akimichi thought you'd be okay". Kiba grinned unabashedly as Hinata fiddled with her fingers and Kurenai watched the whole exchange with a type of observant look a lot of teachers carry.
Picking up Akamaru, who had found an interesting scent to sniff on my pant leg, I stood up. The polite thing to do would be to introduce myself to their jonin sensei and say hello to Hinata. Instead, I asked, "What did you bet?" Akamaru's fur was downy soft and I was enjoying holding his weight, even if he was wiggling to get back to Kiba.
Kiba shrugged as he reached out and reclaimed man's best friend. "Does it matter?" Briefly, Kiba's eyes flickered over to Shino before refocusing on me. "You're here, which means Akimichi won".
Hmm… I looked away from Kiba in time to see Shino adjust his glasses two consecutive times in a row. Yeah, that's not the full story, but apparently, it's not something anyone would be telling me anytime soon. Feeling grateful that I speak Aburame, I redirected myself to Kurenai and Hinata. It most likely isn't important, but if I get curious, I can always get the full story from Chouji or Shikamaru.
Probably thoroughly acquainted with Shino's silences at this point, Kurenai seemed to recognize when I was done talking and inserted herself into the exchange. "Rion Aburame, welcome to team eight for the day. Obviously, you know my students. I'm Kurenai Yuhi".
Her introduction was a lot easier to stomach than Gai's. I'd give her that. "Thanks", I said just for the sake of responding. "So, what are we doing today? D-ranks or training?" Personally, I was hoping for D-ranks. My next paycheck was still a few weeks away. Anzu was overdue for a pair of new shoes and my fingers were itching to get ahold of a new notebook.
Kurenai smiled gently. "I thought we'd work on chakra control today. From what Gai told me, saving training for the end of the day didn't work when you were with his team". Aw, so the rumored jonin gossip mill does exist. That might be something warranting an experiment.
Tree walking, otherwise known as the genin rite of passage. For the fourth time today, Kiba yelped as he fell from his tree. Too close to the ground, he didn't have time to fall correctly and landed on his back. Although, as I watched Kiba, I was surprised at how early team eight was learning this. Though, looking at Hinata and Shino who had already ran to lower branches of their trees, I probably shouldn't. Hinata's byakugan and Shino's nest; both things required precise chakra control. So, it made sense this wasn't their first exposure to this exercise. They needed it to not die of chakra exhaustion or have their army of bugs betray them. Unlike Kiba who is more of a powerhouse type and me being… me.
"Rion, give it a try", Kurenai instructed after we watched Kiba pick himself off the ground with an encouraging lick from Akamaru.
Sighing because I knew I had to learn this, I complied. Building chakra is kind of like boiling water. There needs to be a certain amount of heat to get a reaction. But too much and it would boil over. In other words, we were working with action potentials.
I waited for the familiar fluttering warmth to engulf my core before running straight at the tree. My first attempt left me with three observations:
1. It felt like walking on a sticky floor (which probably means I'm not using enough chakra).
2. Momentum was going to be my best friend until I mastered this.
3. Engaging my core to help my torso, neck, and head fight gravity was going to be a bitch.
Like Kiba, I made it a few feet before falling. Too close to the ground to tuck and roll, I landed on my back with a soft thump; staring up at the treetop that seemed like an impossible distance. The leaves rustled in the wind, as if mocking me.
Not long after, Kiba made his sixth attempted and joined me on the ground. A look passed between us, but it wasn't one of mutual understanding. His jaw was set in determination to be able to tree walk before I could. Understandable, considering his teammates were already ahead of us. Kiba wouldn't want to be seen as dead last.
While I was feeling more resigned. Looks like I'd be spending a lot of time today falling. And to think, if Anko and Ibiki weren't so insistent that I have normal genin experiences, I could've been learning from Shinobu how to remove someone's fingernails right now. But no. I had to exercise and test my chakra reserves instead.
Kiba was up and on his feet before I even moved. "What can you tell me about what went wrong?" Kurenai asked, before Kiba could try again and as I found my feet.
"I can't figure out how to alternate chakra between my feet". Kiba grumbled, casting a scrutinizing glance upwards to where Shino was standing stoically upside down on a tree branch; watching us. Because, of course, he already knows how to do that.
But alternating chakra to both stick and take additional steps wasn't something that occurred to me. Crap, this was a lot more intricate than it appeared to be at first glance.
Kurenai nodded once at Kiba to express she heard him. "Rion, what about you?"
"I didn't build enough chakra". And there wasn't anything else to say. The fact was that simple.
Kurenai's face offered little; making it unclear what she made of our insight. Even more so when all she said was, "It's a good start. Keep going". Walking away to focus on her other students, Kiba and I were left to it.
"Hey, Rion", Kiba said after we watched Kurenai collect Hinata and walk to the other side of the training field. "Wanna race? First one to the top of their tree has to buy the other lunch".
Snorting, I turned back to face Kiba. As if I'd take a chance on a bet I knew I couldn't win. "So I can mysteriously die in a 'training accident?' No thanks".
The wolfish grin Kiba gave me in response told me he got the joke. "Nah", Kiba said as he squatted down to scratch Akamaru behind the ears. "Shino would kill me before I even tried".
At the mention of brother dearest, I arched my neck to loop up at the treetops where Shino had returned to his favorite pastime of pretending to be a statue amongst the branches; staring at people. And he'd been standing upside down on the same branch this whole time… "Alright, fine", I caved, adjusting my eyes back to Kiba. "I want teriyaki for lunch".
Laughing with Akamaru barking to match his enthusiasm, Kiba returned to his full height. "And when I win, I want udon". Kiba paused for a moment to let me bask in his confidence before charging towards his tree once more.
I stood stationary, watching as Kiba made it a couple of feet up the tree trunk. When he fell and landed flat on his back, I raised my hand and started waving. "Oy, Shino. Come down here and teach me how to do this".
"What?" Kiba barked as Shino released his chakra and fell. Falling correctly, Shino landed silently and composedly on his feet. Like a cat. Meanwhile, Kiba rolled to get his feet under him; jumping around to face us. "That's cheating".
As Shino came to stand behind my shoulder, I grinned at Kiba; wide and forced, but still genuine in the context. "We never stipulated that we couldn't ask for help".
The taste of teriyaki on my tongue was rewarding. Even though I was tired enough to feel that chewing was taking a lot of effort. To my left sat Shino, his own food in front of him. But he was currently more interested in his water than his meal.
It hadn't been too long since I moved out, but it was amazing how quickly we adapted to each other once again. Shino shifted slightly in his seat, I handed him the salt. I flexed my fingers, he handed me a napkin. Shino adjusted his glasses and I shrugged in response. Because yes, Shino. I'm aware having my elbows on the table is rude. But I don't care.
Hunched over his udon, Kiba's mouth hung open. "You sure you're not twins?" He asked around a half-chewed mouthful.
Shino's fingers twitched comfortably as I frowned at Kiba, watching as he slipped some food to Akamaru under the table. "We had different moms", I stated, making it abundantly clear that twinship between Shino and me wasn't possible.
From Kiba's right, Hinata blushed into her cup of tea. Meanwhile from Hinata's other side, Kurenai looked on in interest. She ate her lunch in a fashion that was much more polite than Kiba and me. Meaning she wasn't stuffing her face like she hadn't eaten in a week. Considering Gai had been my last exposure to a jonin sensei, I was finding Kurenai's genin management style to be a shocking contrast. A good contrast. But still a drink of cold water.
"Then how do you talk to each other without saying anything?" Kiba asked. This time with his mouth free of food.
"Because we're siblings", Shino answered. Although a better answer would be explaining the two years I spent living amongst the Aburame and how I've became able to speak their language.
Kiba leaned back on the booth bench and crossed his arms. "Hana and I don't do that". Oh, right. Kiba was a little brother.
"Um", Hinata broke in. Her voice was meek with a sort of squeaky quality to it. However, this was the first time I've heard Hinata use her voice all day. So, it automatically grabbed my attention. And not just me. Shino and Kiba also adjusted their attention to include their female teammate. As Hinata fiddled with her thumbs; collecting her thoughts, Kurenai at her with gentle patience. Which gave me the suspicion Hinata only jumped in because she was prompted to do so. "Hanabi's learned to read my nonverbal cues too". Huh, I forgot Hinata had a little sister. Looks like everyone on team eight had something in common. They all have sisters. Interesting when compared to the other genin teams in our year. Where, I think, everyone is an only child. Except for Sasuke. But at this point in the timeline, he's probably wishing he had been an only child. So…
"Yes", Shino agreed with a deep incline of his head; burying his nose in his high jacket collar in the process. "That is good. Why? Because it's important to train younger siblings".
Train younger siblings? Please. Shino and I were only months apart in age. And we both knew I did whatever the hell I wanted. Despite whether or not he 'trained' me. But not wanting to argue all that, I settled for rolling my eyes at Kia. "I think we should be offended".
Kiba scoffed, but any retort he had was cancelled when Hinata fervently shook her head. "N-No", she began to stutter. "I didn't mean-" She lost her words. Apparently appalled at the thought of hurting Kiba's or my feelings.
This time, Kurenai didn't just look on. Placing a comfortable hand on Hinata's shoulder, she talked to all of us. "Knowing each other's cues is very useful. It's something Shino and Rion will be able to utilize in the field". Kurenai's very professional conversational injection was enough to silence any further comments from the peanut gallery. Otherwise known as me and Kiba. Though Shino did seem to perk up a bit at her comment. Here's hoping he doesn't convince Shibi and the Hokage to send us on some sort of Aburame family mission just so he could test our nonverbal communication skills. "Speaking of missions, it's about time we checked in at the Hokage's tower".
Groaning, I rested more of my weight on my elbows. "You mean we have to do more work?" I complained as Shino and Kurenai stood from the booth. Though it sounded half-hearted. Even to my ears. It was hard putting up two much of a fuss when the end result of completing a mission was getting paid. I really did want a new notebook after all.
Hinata and Kiba filed out behind their teacher as both Kurenai and Shino dropped some Ryo on the table; Kurenai paying for herself and Hinata, and Shino paying for the rest of us. What can I say? He offered after Kiba won our bet, feeling somewhat responsible that I lost. For 'not being a sufficient teacher' Shino claimed. And I didn't really care enough to refuse.
Akamaru met Kiba at the end of the table. "Rion", Shino called as Kiba picked up his best friend. Kiba zipped Akamaru into his hoodie to carry him, ignoring the looks one of the wait staff gave him as he made sure Akamaru was comfortable. Shino's voice was flat as always. But I still heard his message loud and clear.
"Fine", I relented, picking myself up. Though I wasted another second to shove the last bite of my food into my mouth before leaving. "But no lost pet missions".
"No way", Kiba argued as we made our way out of the restaurant as a group. "Those are the easiest ones". Akamaru barked in agreement. And I suppose when you can track animals by scent, they would be correct.
Shino adjusted his glasses as we stepped out into the sun. "I prefer the D-ranks involving gardening. Why? Because-"
"Because you like plants and looking for bugs", I answered for him. "What about you, Hinata?" I asked, earning me a look of approval from Kurenai.
"Um…" Hinata took her time to collect her thoughts, nearly hiding herself in her sweater. "Babysitting?" It was an answer, but it sure did sound like a question.
Babysitting? I mean, I could see Hinata liking childcare. But kids were just so… extra. Still, with a little bit of acting, a game of hide and seek, and one of Shino's beetles placed on a kid per kid to make sure we didn't accidentally lose anyone, babysitting probably would make for a good D-rank. "I like that idea", I told Hinata, making her blush. "Let's get a babysitting mission".
Kurenai politely cleared her throat. "That is up to the mission clerk's discretion".
