The group of Allied Ninja led Mana down the hillside and through the abandoned tents, heading toward the hive-shaped headquarters building. The magician let her chakra sensory unfurl for the first time in a while, sensing a cluster of large chakra signatures half a kilometer away in each direction. Multiple groups that used these tents for barracks had been training.
"This looks like a military school or something…" Mana mumbled. It only seemed apt since she was sent out of the village for supposedly "misbehaving".
"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose," Junichi shrugged. "You'll need to pass a training course before you're sent out on your first mission so in a manner of speaking it might feel like a school."
"Wait, so there's a standard of strength?" Mana wondered. "It seems like a hassle trying to keep every recruit at a certain standard."
"We don't get any weaklings. Ninja that aren't ready to leave the walls of their village don't ever make it here. They're not offered to us nor would we accept them if they were. This course is not mere combat training. Its purpose is to make you acquaintance with history and politics you'll need to maneuver around as an Allied Ninja," Junichi pointed out.
"Don't undersell this place so hard, man. Don't worry, you'll get a chance to whoop some ass before too long." Shikata winked and stuck out his tongue trying to accurately depict the excitement that Mana should be feeling though she wasn't yet sure how she should be feeling.
"We're back home. It's a mission completed for us. You guys can scatter and find something to occupy yourselves with. I'll deal with debriefing and presenting Mana to Supreme Leader," Junichi gave his comrades an inspecting glare.
"Phew, you're a lifesaver, man, seriously! A rocking thanks!" Shitaka clapped his hands together and bowed in front of Junichi as if thanking for his life. This reaction didn't help to get Mana's hopes up about this place whatsoever.
"Supreme… Leader?" Mana mumbled wondering if she had ever heard about a man calling himself that who wasn't waving a giant red flag.
"Don't worry, if you disobey, your execution will be swift and painless," Cailar swiped two of his fingers by his temple as his way of saying his farewells. Knowing his character, Mana would have been a fool to take anything he said too seriously but it wasn't like Cailar didn't find a fitting area to squeeze his parting irony in.
"That bothersome prick…" Junichi groaned and rubbed his face, knowing that he'll have to counteract any damage to the credibility of the Supreme Leader's authority that Cailar had just inflicted in Mana's mind. The fact that Cailar's antics finally forced Junichi to respond in aggravation was also admirable from a certain point of view.
"Junichi showed himself again and again to be a competent leader. He'll show you around, I'm sure. I look forward to working with you in the nearest future, Mana," Mollay nodded his head. It was a rather hasty and formal farewell to someone you've been through the thick and thin with and rubbed skin with inside a tight carriage for entire days while trusting them to watch your back while you would offer your life for theirs but, in all honesty, Mana was merely taken aback by the fact that Mollay didn't take the chance to just walk away without saying a thing.
Curious eyes tracked Mana when she entered the facility alongside Junichi. No one inside the Allied Ninja HQ was an outright child though the dominating age was well below thirty. That was to be expected. The previous generations have grown up during times of perpetual warfare and times of distrust and animosity between ninja villages. It took an untainted soul to give togetherness a chance. Still, even knowing all of that, the few adults and veterans that did meet Mana's curious looks of examination were odd to see in a school-like environment.
"Why don't I give you a little bit of an advantage in your preparation course? For old time's sake, just good old nepotism? The Allied Ninja are governed by the Supreme Leader. You can view them as kind of the Hokage of the entire organization. Though it's not all quite as authoritarian. The Supreme Leader shares control with five Regimental Commanders that oversee and are experts of matters in specific regions of the world. You can use that information in your courses, a few weeks of that'll be spent on the way the Allied Ninja work, its various regulations, and policies," Junichi said.
"You're just trying to make the Supreme Leader look more legitimate by showing that they share their control, unlike the Hokage…" Mana's face shriveled in suspicion.
"Is it working?" Junichi made an apologetic expression.
"Look, I don't care if this Supreme Leader of yours is a nut or not. I left the village hoping to flip a new page and give anything else but the way my life's been going its fair chance. I don't need to be sold on the idea anymore. I'm here and unless I flunk and get tossed out – I'm here to stay," Mana replied with genuine eyes.
"Oh, it's unlikely that you'll flunk. The academic portion is not at all strict. The worst that can happen is that your courses will get prolonged until you finish them. There are a few ninja here gunning at the six-month course for entire years so that's all you're risking. Don't worry, I'll put a good word on your side, the Supreme Leader won't have you go through all that perilous trip backward again unless you want out," Junichi shrugged, looking relieved that Mana's impressions of the organization weren't yet ruined.
"E-Excuse me!" a tiny man with spiky dark hair and thick goggles ran up to Mana, shaking his fists in front of his chest and a rich smile on his face as if he was gazing at a tower made of diamond. Mana and Junichi alike froze before this undergrown interloper with similarly baffled looks. "Y-You're Nakotsumi Mana, Konoha's Sorceress, aren't you?"
"Look, kid, we're in a bit of a hurry. Mana still needs to meet the Supreme Leader and Supreme Leader gets cranky when she is left hanging," Junichi tried to shove the lively fellow out of their way but he somehow managed to wriggle out of Junichi's palm and spin back in front of Mana. He kept pumping his fists and hopping on his tiny feet with a beaming smile of excitement.
"So you are Konoha's Sorceress! I'm a huge fan but it's been a while since I've seen you on the "Avalon" magazine. If it weren't for your get-up, I wouldn't have guessed!" the young man kept beaming a smile as if he hadn't just stopped the pair in the middle of something.
Mana looked behind her, noticing a small group consisting of a tall woman with gray hair decorated with streaks of blue and a leathery vibe to her that even left Shitaka in the dust and a square-jawed muscle-head with hair that looked a fountain of fur though reserved only to a specific area of the top of his head. Another pair of giants of matching sizes hung with that specific group though they didn't seem to pay any attention to one of their own who left to have a talk.
The square-jawed man leaned with half of his size so that he could speak to the rebellious woman. He looked rather amused by something that he noticed in the scene of his friend stepping in the way of another Allied Ninja and a new recruit though the young woman only rolled her eyes in dismissal.
"Yeah, I've been a bit locked up these last couple of months, I guess…" Mana ran her hand through her hair, trying to give the youth increasingly obvious signs that this was not the time. She used to love interacting with fans back in the day but nothing killed one's interest in such matters as being exposed to universal hatred and dismissal.
"Oh… I just figured that "Avalon" couldn't afford getting your pictures. It's a Kirigakure magazine so it might be difficult and all… Say… Are you here to perform? I'd love to see it, I don't wanna ever miss it!" the goggled youth pumped his hands again.
"No. I'm here to serve as an Allied Ninja." Mana shook her head. She regretted that honesty almost immediately as the dazzled young man inhaled for a vociferous howl of cheer before the Adonis with the ridiculous hairdo approached and yoinked his friend away, growling some unintelligible apologies as the low pitch of his voice made them difficult to understand.
"Now then… Through the yard and up the stairs," Junichi blew out a chest-worth of air while rubbing the back of his head and observing the curious group vacate this wing of the facility. "Don't worry, I'll show you around after but first we really have to see the Supreme Leader."
Mana followed Junichi through the yard that fostered a handful of gardens and had unused means of transportation ranging from unused yet well-maintained steeds to scooters just positioned one by another in a square formation. The veteran of the Allied Ninja permitted Mana the luxury of staring at the splendor of the garden that had no right being this excellent in the middle of the Land of Lightning known for its rocky and inhospitable soil. With a step that lacked haste but did not stop for a second Junichi telegraphed his intention of crossing to the other side of the round building.
"To your left, you see the indoor training facilities. They're for specific exercises and meditation only, please don't practice ninjutsu indoors. I don't recall anybody being sent home but something like that might just make for a fitting first case," Junichi pointed with his hand as the steep climb to the top floor of the facility began. Mana noticed a library that extended throughout multiple floors and had several entries from the same stair complex though Junichi didn't find it necessary to bring it up whatsoever. Maybe he reserved that part for the official tour?
The veteran who was the coolest guy and wasn't afraid of anything pressed his ear to the door, listening in for any potential noises coming out from the Supreme Leader's office before knocking on the door and pressing the handle. Mana was about to joke if he wasn't pushing his luck by daring to turn the handle after just a pair of measures to make sure he wasn't intruding but she reserved that until she met this Supreme Leader herself.
Mana's eyes widened to the point where the woman on the other side of the office behind the table froze in matching shock. Even with the knowledge that her curious reaction made the Supreme Leader freeze in place, the magician couldn't shake off her goofy stare. This was the only adequate way in which Mana could have reacted to a tall and slender woman of short and spiky hair of dark violet shade and a tight, black, military uniform complete with a cap and medals needed to decorate it though even an elementary inspection made these decorations seem more like metal hairpins rather than genuine awards.
"What the actual fuck?" the woman leaned back. Her tantrum eased when she saw Junichi standing beside Mana. The veteran stepped into the room first, providing his broad back for Mana to shake off her staring eyes and close her jaw. When Mana imagined a person calling themselves the Supreme Leader, she didn't expect to see the first thing that came to mind claiming that title.
"Supreme Leader. Our squad has returned. As you can see, Nakotsumi Mana is here, safe, and mostly unharmed. We've run into some trouble with local bounty hunters, it appears that she has quite the sum on her head in Land of Fire and Mana has showcased her abilities helping us fight those ninja off. The few bruises she has are because of those complications and, I'm afraid, couldn't have been avoided," Junichi summed up the first part of his debriefing while Mana peeked from behind the man, testing the waters after the comically bad first impression before she could step out and introduce herself right.
"Hello, ma'am! Nakotsumi Mana, looking to serve!" she bowed, copying Junichi's movements. Now that the initial freak-out was behind them, the uniformed woman leaned back and crossed her arms, acting cool and strict though her almost manic eyes suggested a whole different story.
"You don't have to copy Junichi, you dumbass, you're not Allied Ninja yet. The protocol doesn't bind you. There'll be a time to put that stake up your ass but I don't suggest rushing there unless you're into that sort of thing…" no matter how unorthodox the woman's standoffish manner of speech, befitting more a delinquent off the shadier streets rather than the chief of a supranatural military organization, was, her appearance, everything from her young age to her choice of apparel was just entirely too much even for Mana.
"Please stay for the debriefing, Mana, I'll show you around afterward," Junichi nodded his head at the magician before moving in to find himself a seat by the Supreme Leader's table.
"What the fuck's the matter? Just 'cause I look like a general don't mean that my office is a fucking minefield…" the Supreme Leader squinted with a long face, looking at Mana's hesitation to take a seat by Junichi's side in front of her.
And here Mana thought that Shitaka was the outlier…
"Anyways, the fourth floor is for the staff. The fifth floor is for the men's dorms while the sixth floor is for women's. I won't lead you all the way up once we're done for obvious reasons. Only recruits reside inside the facility. The actual Allied Ninja are either working or they find sanctuary inside one of the barrack tents outside, you might have seen them. You won't have much downtime once you're done with the preparation course. It'll be either training or sharpening your tools or… Shuffling your cards… Or whatever…" Junichi shrugged, realizing that he had no idea how someone like Mana would prepare for a mission during off-time.
"Ummm… The Supreme Leader…" Mana raised her finger.
"She has her own way with words but she's quite wise, you know. What she said about enjoying yourself while you still can shouldn't be lost on you. Those six months are going to whizz right past you and then you'll be all over the world doing your best to try and fix it if only just a little bit," Junichi replied before Mana could fathom how to complete voicing her thoughts on the woman that could have only been less than a decade older than her and yet was in charge of the entire Allied Ninja.
"Let's just hope you won't start out working in the Fire Country, huh?" Junichi noted the period of silence with a blowing out of his chest and a twitch as he made what he thought passed as a joke. After Mana no-sold that joke, the veteran thought she might have taken it seriously and rushed in to correct himself. "Don't worry, the Supreme Leader might not look like it, but she's smarter than she looks. She knows better than to assign you to somewhere where everyone wants you dead."
Mana didn't realize that her long face resulted in her eyes looking soaked with quite as much longing as they were soaked with.
"I… I didn't mean it like that…" Junichi tried shoving the implication away, realizing where he might have expressed himself wrong. "Don't worry, just give it a couple of years and Konoha won't even recognize you when you walk into it. Though… You'll likely be working for us when you do. Is that okay with you?"
"Perfectly…" Mana cut it short like a swing of an ax. Konoha could have kept its promises of promotion to Jounin once this whole affair cools down a bit and bringing her one more step closer to becoming a Sannin. There was no love lost declaring her allegiances to lie with an organization that had nothing to do with the slaughter of the Wandering Ninja, the group Mana's mother came from, or that spent the better part of their free time firing the blame arrows at their subordinates so that they could avoid their tips themselves.
"Great! I'd really love to help you out some more but it's not like you're asking too many questions. Don't worry if you don't know where to start, the preparation courses are meant for ninja completely oblivious to how this organization works." Junichi nodded to himself before raising his hand as a directing gesture toward where the women dorms were.
"Wait… Is it okay if I just join in like that?" it occurred to Mana. "Also, do I even have a room?"
"The prep courses won't start until September. You can spend the rest of your time here training, meeting new people, and enjoying yourself. Don't feel bad about it as I did. Just look at it this way – the Allied Ninja are glad to provide you with anything that makes you a better ally. If their facilities can help you grow stronger, if our company can help you grow happier, that's what Supreme Leader considers a fu… A useful investment!" Junichi corrected himself before he cursed out loud. "Also, feel free to just settle down in any free spot you can find. That's sort of how dorms work around here."
Mana sort of would have liked to have known this sooner. She hardly knew any of the people in this place and making friends has been rapidly becoming more and more difficult. It was almost as if her prodigious talent of dazzling people and making them into either fans or friends had gone alongside everything else that Mana tossed into her own funeral pyre when she signed part of her life away to damnation in Jigoku prison that stayed with her for life.
"I've been through ninja school already…" Mana shrugged, meaning to encourage herself about as much as she did Junichi. "How hard can it be?" she repeated that last line a couple of times as she ascended the stairs looking for an empty room with space for her to settle in.
Judgment was still reserved if the months spent here becoming a fully-fledged Allied Ninja would be better or worse than time spent in Jigoku.