Eclosion Arc: Introductions
Yuina's last-minute hopes were dashed. It was bad enough that they gained attention from an early graduation. It was worse when they weren't placed in teams. Even their supervisors weren't present like everyone else's. She didn't know how she was supposed to face them again. Hopefully, she would never have to.
She tried to find the bright side.
Did no team mean she got personal training? That didn't sound so bad. But what if she was replacing a dead person? Dread filled her at that prospect.
Were assigned jonin even teachers or did they serve a supervisory role? The potential of no team meant she couldn't rely on other to set examples. No, even if she had a team she didn't know if she could trust them to center her understanding of the world. Not after the massive failure of using Kakashi to serve that role.
More importantly, what was up with the cryptic messaging? Yuina looked back at the quickly sketched map that had been given to her by Masato. It was leading her to a district of town she was unfamiliar with. Not for any bad reasons, she hoped not at least. It was simply far from home. There couldn't be anything that she hadn't seen or accessed in other areas.
Yuina looked at the buildings and shops as she continued to follow directions, waiting to see if she was proven wrong. She wasn't. It did get her thinking about starting some jobs to save up some money. She should buy a more suitable outfit and protection. A single forehead protector wasn't going to cut it.
She turned around the last corner only to stop outside an unmarked building. She was about to knock when the door opened itself. It was a young woman with light brown hair and glasses who opened the door from the inside. Her hands were full, carrying a box. She nodded her head in acknowledgement before she continued on her way.
"Excuse me," said Yuina as she entered the building. She didn't need anyone to think she was sneaking in. People have probably been killed for less than trespassing.
The interior wasn't what she expected. It looked like a 100-year-old outdated lab or doctor's office. The setup was reminiscent of the early 20th century, which was to say things were organized, but there were things all over the counters and a noticeable lack of personal protective equipment. Still, this was the closest she's been to a lab in years and her fingers itched to touch everything. Did the lab belong to the village? Orochimaru? Someone else?
"Good timing. You must be Yuina." The man had a pale complexion, long straight black hair, and pronounced cheekbones that would inspire any wuxia, xianxia, xuanhuan, or danmei cover.
His tone, however, reminded her too much of her old interview days. Maybe this was an interview?
She bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Orochimaru—" Er, what was she supposed to call him? -san? -sama? -sensei? She only had one name to go off of as it was.
"Bold of you to assume I've accepted you as a student." His sensei may have hankered that he take on a student, but that didn't mean he had to accept. Yuina didn't overtly react, making him believe she didn't catch on to his meaning despite how plainly he spoke. It was that or she wasn't bothered by the thought of potentially being rejected.
"What's the decision-making process?"
Orochimaru's stare was ominous, though that may be from the power dynamic. It was always unsettling when someone judged your worth. Even more so when their opinion held weight to colleagues and society. One person disliking someone could mean being blocked from working in an industry.
"Why not start with introductions?"
An introduction? It really was like an interview. Workplace interviews usually wanted the interviewee to talk about what they brought to the table rather than about their personal life. Yuina had no desire to share personal details anyway. It took her months to even open up to Sato-sensei over academic topics. She didn't know how long she would need to know someone to be more personable.
"I'm Hatake Yuina. I like to get to the point as to not waste anyone's time. Probably how I came to be one of the youngest graduates in recent memory." That hurt to promote. "I've got decent chakra control and an affinity to lightning." She internally winced at the word 'decent'. That didn't sound like the best pitch. "Which I'm continuously improving. I've been researching the deconstruction of chakra to best understand and make use of its potential. In part to make up for my current shortcomings, and in part for efficiency. I prefer utilizing stealth when feasible." There actually wasn't much she could say. It wasn't like she had previous experience.
"So Sakumo's trained you well?"
Yuina considered her answer. It felt like a trap. "He's aided in my progression, so I may exhibit some of his traits and habits. However, I think you'll find yourself disappointed if you compare us further. We are our own persons and have different experience and goals." It would always be unfair to judge a veteran to a newbie, but it was also best to be upfront. No need to set expectations that couldn't be met.
"You'd be a fool if you thought you were on the same level." She knew his words to be true, but his words cut through her. "But your goals… what are they and why do you believe I can help you?"
Who said her goals had anything to do with him? She wanted to be strong to live as long as she could. It didn't warrant any specific person for guidance as long as insight and knowledge could be gained. It wasn't like she got any input on who her jonin assignment would be.
Wait. Did Orochimaru get any say? Or any of the jonin? Yuina was unaware of how jonin-genin pairings were chosen. Maybe it was a requirement that came with the role? It would make sense that the village would want those they deemed the most skilled to pass on their knowledge in order to make the next generation as strong as possible. She had her fair of professors who only taught because it was a requirement of their tenure, even when they were a poor fit for a teaching role.
Orochimaru was still waiting for an answer.
Yuina wasn't comfortable with the truth. Being weak was viewed negatively, nor did she want to give the impression that she would flee at the first sight of danger.
Her real dream would never come to fruition, nor could she tell someone that she fantasized leaving the village with Sakumo and Kakashi. Maybe live up in the mountains or by a quiet river bank where they could continue to live their simple life. Even if by some miracle it came true, there was no telling life outside Konoha was any better. Yuina's dream was more about being removed from the rest of the world more than anything.
Those weren't things someone shared in an interview. It wasn't related to the role and she didn't need to be associated with leaving Konoha.
Yuina's eyes were drawn back to the room. She wondered if he could be her ticket back into a lab. It may be different from her involvement before, but she would appreciate the opportunity nonetheless.
"In addition to training, I would like lab experience. It appears I can learn much from you in that regard." Not necessarily, but stroking someone's ego a bit couldn't hurt.
"Giving an answer based on truth to hide what's more valuable is a tactic, yes." She felt vulnerable at how easily she was exposed. "Your hesitancy was obvious. Also, if you are prepared to lie, then you better be ready to back up your claims."
Orochimaru bombarded her with several questions. Yuina managed to answer them. They began easy and became more difficult with each question, but most questions were in the realm of the life sciences where her niche was in physical sciences.
Yuina had taken some core science courses that related to biological chemistry, but her preference and passion was for the material sciences – synthetic and catalytic chemistry were close seconds.
It was weird. His questions put her on a spot. It was nerve-wracking to prove her knowledge. To prove her worth. She didn't know what happened if he chose to not take her under his wing. There were many things on the line. Her future. Her career. Her integrity. Even so, she couldn't help but be exhilarated. She physically relaxed as a rhythm settled between the two of them between questions and answers. It was weird. It wasn't like she gave up on the sciences, yet talking to someone who could keep up with her was freeing. No, he probably knew even more than her when it came to his expertise.
It was like the good old days, except some names and concepts of theories were partly different as they were named after and by different people.
"You can, but it would be horridly inefficient. Twelve to fifteen hours of stirring when the reduction leaves only about five percent of the initial volume isn't what most people aspire to achieve." Yuina just realized this world probably didn't have magnetic stirrers or other supplemental equipment to help. It was bad enough watching stirring over long periods of time, but she imagined the cramps from physically stirring. No. It might not be as efficient as the versions she used, but surely even she could make a simple prototype to spare her from the pain.
"A pity," said Orochimaru. Yuina stood taller. She had gotten so swept up that she almost forgot it was an evaluation. "It would have been a good lie if your initial reaction wasn't so poor. It doesn't matter. There's no reason to divulge."
Orochimaru was looking at something on the table in front of him, but the rows of vials and beakers blocked her view.
"I supposed I owe an introduction. My name is Orochimaru. From tomorrow onward you may address me as sensei."
Yuina grinned. She left behind her previous grumbles and doubts. This was her well-deserved reward for answering his questions that in hindsight she probably shouldn't know. It was probably fine. No one has questioned her before, so there was no reason to believe anyone would start inquiring now?
"I used to fight on the frontline, but these days I've been spending most of my time on a variety of research projects." It didn't sound bad. She would prefer not to engage in direct attacks if necessary, but it meant he had the strength, insight, and talent to do so and survive.
How old was he anyway? It was hard to tell by looks alone, and he didn't share anything else about himself. She was crossed between letting him say what he wanted about himself on his own terms or looking into him on her own.
"We'll meet at training ground four at 6AM tomorrow. You're dismissed."
"Thank you." She bowed once more before leaving, not wanting to overstep.
Yuina walked home with a spring in her steps.
She slowed down, eyeing the merchants. It was a reminder that she still needed to decide on a graduation present.
Yuina looked more closely at items on her way back. The jewelry was nice, but she didn't know when or if she would get a chance to wear it. The pottery had lovely intricate designs, but she wasn't sold on it. There were pretty and nice textured cloth, but durability needed to be taken into account. Perhaps something nice for celebratory occasions? Or should could get something for interior design. Her room was relatively bare.
She needed to think about it some more.
"I'm home." Yuina sat herself across the table from Sakumo who was reading.
"How'd it go?" Yuina was back sooner than Sakumo expected, though not nearly as early as Kakashi who came home grumbling before summoning Pakkun.
"I think it went well. Speaking of, do you know anything about Orochimaru? He didn't say much about himself." Yuina wasn't looking for anything personal. She just wanted a vague sense of who she was spending her time with.
She questioned if it was poor form. There were few reasons for Sakumo to have a shocked expression. He didn't try to suppress his emotions like Kakashi, not more than the average person at least, but Sakumo was a mellow man which led to his expression being more muted. Like a six out of ten. Enough to express himself while somehow never being extreme.
"He assigned you his student then…" Sakumo thought about the arrangement.
"Whose student?"
"Hm? Hokage-sama's."
Her brain fried. "You're saying Orochimaru-sensei was the student of Sandaime-sama." She needed it clarified.
"Yes."
It was the first time Yuina wished she had taken a page out of Hoshi's book. There was too much to learn, so little time, and limited resources. Why would she even look up who the Hokage's students were? Why would she ever need that information? Yet here she was.
She didn't know how to process it. Orochimaru was the Hokage's student? Was that a good or bad thing? Nepotism was real. More than real, it thrived, which meant it could open up opportunities. She worried people would expect too much from her by association. No, there was two degrees of separation. She had nothing to do with the Hokage.
"I'm surprised he convinced Orochimaru. It might be good for him. He and his team made a name for themselves. You might hear Legendary Sannin thrown around, but it's usually shortened to Sannin these days."
Again, she didn't know what to do with that information. Legendary three? What did he do? What did someone have to do to get a title like that? "Who are the other two?" Yuina was trying to see if she recognized any of the names.
"Hm? Jiraiya and Tsunade." Yuina recognized the name Tsunade. Rin wanted to follow in her footsteps, and she could have sworn she had seen her name a time or two when trying to understand the medical progression of the world. Yuina had more so been concerned whether their medical understanding was legitimate or whether someone would try weird things if she ever got severely injured. There may have been another reason, but those were the only two she could recall.
"Jiraiya is often out of the village and Tsunade left this past year." Maybe that was the last reason she heard about Tsunade. There were too many whispers of gossip to remember it all. "Orochimaru has been holed up conducting research these past few years, so I haven't seen him in a while".
Yuina wondered if Sakumo and the Legendary Three were close in age or if it was simply from being in the industry for so long.
Either way, Sakumo's words told her nothing and everything.
"I don't suppose you know anything that you can share?"