Burning, bloodshot eyes snapped open as the owner awoke from it's nap by the sound of snapping twigs. Shifting onto it's hooves the boar snorted and let out a bellow. Yells of fear and angry was it's reply as a spear missed it's mark, clattering against the stones of the stream. Turning towards the foolish hunter the animal charged fast, tusks slicing open the belly of the human hunter. A roar of victory bellowed out of it's mouth as lighting crackled and sparked against the stones. Other's joined in it's call as it began moving towards the small human settlement. The ground rumbled as it and it's followers moved with hungry need.
Sounds of fear and bells filled it's ears as it charged down the hill from the human settlement. With a bellow it increased it's speed as arrows and spears flew from the wooden walls of the village. Several of the smaller wild boars and sows fell but not it. No, it's thick skin and barbed fur deflected each blow like raindrops. With one final roar it smashed through the gate, trampling the foolish humans behind it. Rising it's head to the heavens it called for it's smaller cousins to charge the breach to get revenge on the humans that had hunted them in their woodland home for years.
One human stared at the massive male boar with awe and horror as it began to move further into the settlement looking for food and to kill. Acting fast he fled into the night towards the one place he could think of to get help.
Konoha.
The boar paid him no mind. It was not interested in the actions of a single human. He was content in the destruction of another human village. All around him were strong and powerful boars who were like him. Strong, wild and intelligent.
He was the Calydonian boar. He was the king of the forest and all humans would flee from his domain.
...
Watching in the distance was a hooded female figure who watched the handy work of the boar with a frown. She did not agree with unleashing the Calydonian boar in an attempt to flush out the target but orders were orders. If what she and the rest of the team had collected was correct, the son of the sea god was in the village hidden in the leaves and the would most likely send a team to deal with the boars. Tyche willing he would appear and defeat the boar.
A grunt below her made her roll her eyes. Drawing out her bow and an arrow she barely aimed before shooting the masked man, shattering his ceramic animal mask. They were a pain to deal with but nothing someone of her skill could not handle. And at least that one was able to confirm that someone matching the description of the son of the seas was living in Konoha.
'Pachi Jakuson or Percy Jackson. No matter what name you are under you will face the justice of the Olympians.' She thought as she watched as flames began to spread.
She and her team will capture him. Or kill him. There was no other option for the son of Poseidon.
"Great work today my most youthful gennin!" Guy's voice boomed as he stood facing the setting sun from his place on top of the Hokage monument. Spread on either side of him was Lee who was panting but smiling with pride as he looked at his sensei with fanboy joy while Tenten and Neji sat on the rocks on the other side. All four shadows stretched out and covered three gasping and tired gennin named Pachi, Sai and Yakumo glared at the nonhuman jonin sensei.
"If I had the energy I will push you off the edge." Pachi uttered as he sent Guy-sensei his most hateful, exhausted glare. Mutters of agreement and desires to help came from his teammates.
Guy laughed. "Oh mr Jakuson I am sure after a few days like today your are welcome to try. Your youthfulness will increase with a goal in mind."
Pachi growled as he slowly rose to a more upright position. Guy's eyes sparkled with glee as Pachi stumbled to his feet, followed by his teammates.
"Wonderful!" Clapping his hands Guy took a few steps forward. "You three are done for today. Team! Help them to the hot springs to relax and get clean. Tenten please stay behind with Yakumo. I want to talk to the both of you before I talk to the rest of the youthful team."
"Hai Guy sensei." Tenten tossed up then sheathed a sharpening stone and her kunai knife. Getting up she pulled her fellow female gennin up and propped her against the rocks instead. "Looks like your stuck with me a little bit longer rookie."
"...f..in..e.. by.. m..e.." Yakumo said slowly to use as little energy as she could. Tenten smiled and rubbed her back.
Pachi turned his head away from the two female gennin to see that Sai, Lee and Neji were already making way down the stairs. Cursing in his head he stumbled forward and after them all the while Isobu made conversation with him.
"I can't believe you took that bet. To think you said you could take on the clone only to fail so spectacularly." Isobu snickered. "It took you how long to eat dirt after you little power up with water? A second?"
"Two." Pachi answered then winced as the three tailed turtle roared with laughter.
"I know!" Isobu's tails hit the water around his rock in excitement. "I've seen failures before but that took the cake! What were you trying to do? Oh! Pick me! I know the answer!?"
"Not helping me." Pachi tried not to sound like he was whining but he was embarrassed. He was paired against Rock Lee to work on his boost ability in water. He had at the time did not understood why Guy sensei had said Lee was the perfect helper until the older boy had used the eight gates to unlock the first gate, Kaimon. Reaching up Pachi gingerly touched the large welt on his side and winced. It was clearly going to be bruise over night but he was pretty sure nothing was broken. It stun at his pride that he was standing in water only for Lee to appear and sent him skipping across the water like stone with a single kick.
"Thinking of becoming a professional skipping stone?"
"I'm thinking about having some turtle soup." Percy shot back.
"You take that back!"
"Never!"
"If you are so sure you can take him what didn't you at least try to use your great control over water to push him away? Or at least catch yourself?" Isobu smile was clear to Pachi, even if he wasn't in his mindscape at the moment. "Or was your pride more important than thinking out a plan? News flash Pachi, while there are times when winging it has it's advantages, your not like Naruto with his luck. You need a backup plan in case your first plan fails you."
"Not another lecture about how I need to stop letting the flow of ideas sweep me away like the tides Isobu." Pachi rolled his eyes. "Iruka sensei gave me enough of a lecture."
"Says the one with the water related puns."
"Um. Jakuson? You ok?"
Pachi blinked as Lee waved his hand in front of his face. Neji was glancing his way with a flicker of concern that disappeared behind his set Hyuga default passive face. Looking around Pachi took a second to realize that he was standing in front of the hot spring entrance. Had he been talking to his friend the entire time of his walk?
"Doinpo is fine." Sai lazily said as he walked into the men's room.
"SHUT UP SAI!" Pachi yelled as he gave chase with several men and women giving him awkward grins.
Lee looked at Neji confused. "Is Pachi really a doinpo?"
Neji shook his head. Sometimes it was better not to engage. Stepping around the barrier he separated the two younger gennin before Pachi did anything too rash. He ignored the cursing of Pachi with a few quick strikes to paralyze the vocals before glancing at Sai who wisely took a few steps back. After having to deal with the yelling of youth this and youth that, Neji wanted to just relax in the water. Having a fight that could have them all kicked out because one gennin was insulted by his teammate was something he would not allow.
His pride demanded it.
"Oh how un-YOUTHFULL of you Neji-san!"
'If only I could do it to you Lee.' "It will wear off in a few minutes Lee. But we are in a public place and we need to follow social and the resort rules." He said to his teammate who was staring at him.
Lee gave him a grin and a thumbs up. "Yosh!"
Pachi glared before giving up. It wasn't worth it and it was clear to him more so that he and his team were still far too new to this now more than ever. Stepping away he began to undress and prepare to enter the hot spring. Silently the other gennin did as well. However Pachi wasn't going to waste time and got done faster. Muttering to himself he made his way to the outdoor pool while wrapping a towel around his waist.
The cold air mixed with steam hit his face like a relating breeze as he made his way outside. The last gleams of light from the setting sun along with the appearances of the stars greeted his eyes as he took a deep breath in then out. It felt good to relax after training all day and the D rank mission that Guy sensei required them to do while doing physical training. Yawning he closed his yes and opened them once he was done, looking towards that sweet water- Why was there a blue hair woman in the hot spring?!
"Isobu-sama?" Pachi asked slowly as his brain tried to process what was before him. There at the edge of the water was a woman whom he had never seen before. She was dressed in garb foreign to him yet it seemed that she was at ease in the outfit even with the heat of the steam of the natural hot spring. The most striking feature of the woman was her hair that seemed to shimmer like water in the light cast by the torches around the pond. Glancing upwards the woman stared right at Percy like she was surprised to see him as well. The woman then waved before vanishing like smoke into the water.
"What is it Gaki?" The three tails replied as he tried to see outside using Pachi's eyes. "Something wrong?"
Pachi rubbed his eyes to look again. He could have sworn that there was something there in the water. "I might be more tired than what I thought. I could have sworn there was a blue haired lady in the pool."
Creeping forward Pachi leaned over the steaming water in search of the woman. Isobu tried to give advice but Pachi was more focused on making sure that the woman knew she was in the wrong side of the hot springs. Yet the steam made it hard to see anything. Seeing no other alterative, Pachi stepped into the water. As his toes enter Pachi recognized the surge of strength entering his body along with the feeling of all the scrapes and bruises being healed alongside the feeling of his vocal cords being unparalyzed.
Like a soft breeze on the wind Pachi heard a woman's voice. "So he was right."
"Hello?" Pachi called out as he made his way further into the pool. "Hey, this is the men's side of the springs. Are you there?"
Silence.
"Anything Isobu-sama?"
"I am detecting someone in the steam ahead of you."
Moving forward Pachi tried to keep his eyes out for the woman. As steam engulfed him as be made his way forwards a dark shape began to form in the mist. Grinning, Pachi raised his hand hand gripped the figure's shoulder-
"EEEEEKKKK!" A woman screamed aloud making Pachi jump and fall into the water. Coming up he sputtered and looked away from the woman who was covering up her chest, face red. "What the! What are you doing you pervert!"
"I'M SORRY!" Pachi yelled/sputtered as he tuned away. The woman had non of it and ducked under the water. "What are you doing here! This is the men's side!"
"I know that." The woman's voice was familiar in a way that Pachi could not place.
"Then why are you there!?"
"I don't have to explain to you pervert!"
"I am not a pervert!"
"Are too!"
"Are not!"
"Are not!" Pachi turned to stare at the woman's face. Blonde hair and blue eyes looked at him back. She was beautiful and the three whisker marks on her face made her almost-
Pachi's thoughts came to a halt. 'Wait. Whiskers?'
He looked closer at her. His mind raced as he looked at her face more closely. With her three markings on either... side.. of.. face...
"NARUTO!" Pachi yelled as he stood up.
The woman laughed and a poof of smoke covered her form before Naruto appeared grinning like a madman. "Yo Pachi!"
"You don't get to yo me you bastard!" Pachi sent a wave of water which drenched his friend in hot water. "Do you know much trouble you could have gotten me into!?"
"What's going on?" Both boys looked to see Sai exiting the building followed by Lee and Neji. Naruto's teammate sir brood king self Sasuke was also following them with an disinterested look on his face.
"Nothing." Pachi sat in the water allowing it to cover his mouth. He then sent a look to Naruto, promising to prank the blonde in return. 'Was that woman only a part of Naruto's prank?'
Naruto grinned. "Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Who are you guys?"
Pachi wanted to slap his face. Only Naruto was willing to just blurt out his name. "That is Sai, my teammate. The one that looks like he has a bowl on his head is Rock Lee. He's teammates with Neji the Sasuke two point oh."
"Yosh! It is good to meet a fellow gennin and friend of the youthful Jakuson Pachi!" Lee declared making Neji hang his head.
"Lee. Tone it down." Slipping into the water the Hyuga let out a small sigh of content.
"Yes!"
Soon all male gennin were in the water enjoying the feeling of the hot water on their bodies. Naruto, ever so full of energy, told him all about what team seven had been up to the last few days after their gennin test. Sasuke had made a quip or a comment here or there about a detail or two whenever he felt that Naruto was going too far with his stories. Lee joined in in telling his juniors about his early days of his own ninja career making Naruto and Pachi listen with rabid attention. Neji and Sai mostly listened in too but did no join in, instead preferring to just let the water's heat relax their tired muscles. After some time everyone joined the duo in the silence.
"Pachi?" Naruto softly called out from his spot in the water.
"Yeah Naruto?"
"Do you think there are people watching us? Like, what if there are planets like this one far away around stars looking up at us?"
Pachi blinked and let out a sigh. "No idea. Why do you ask?"
"Oh. Um..." Naruto took a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Have you ever gotten a feeling that there is somebody looking at you even though there is no one there? Like a g-g-ghost?"
"Dope. There are no such things as ghosts." Sasuke grunted out. "What are you? Six?"
"Shut it! Ghosts are real and they are terrifying!" A freaked Naruto rapidly looked around to make sure they were all alone. "You can't even hit a ghost!"
"So why not use a jutsu or something?" Neji commented. "Idiot."
Naruto shot the older boy a look for he idiot comment which Neji paid no mind. "Because it would past though, duh."
"Well then, maybe you should just avoid any haunted houses." Sai yawned and tuned over to look out of the water.
Snickers filled the air as Naruto huffed. Stretching, Pachi wondered if Naruto was right. Maybe there was someone watching him right now and he could not see them. He let the thought fade as he looked to the starry night. It was too nice of a spring and nigh to think about one's place in the universe after all...
"HELLO MY STUDENTS!"
"Not now." Pachi groaned as Guy sensei walked out, teeth gleaming as the man made his way towards the water. "I can't do anymore youthfulness."
Guy laughed having heard Pachi's comment. "No need to get twisted up my dear student of Tenzo. Right now you and the rest of the team needs to relax. For tomorrow I think you and your teammates are ready to join in an easy C rank mission."
"A C-rank!?" Naruto yelled and looked at Guy. "No fair! Let us join in!"
Might Guy blinked and leaned over to look at Naruto and can Sasuke a quick glance. "Hmm. I don't know you two but I love your energy. Who is your sensei?"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. That's Sasuke and your sensei is Kakashi."
"Kakashi?" Guy rubbed his chin. "Ah yes, you both must be a part of team seven. I am surprised that my rival has finally taken a team but I can tell you both are bursting with the power of Youth!"
"So you'll let us help?" Naruto pressed. Guy chuckled and shook his head. Reaching out he patted Naruto's head matting his hair.
"I will talk to Kakashi, but it is not my place to interfere with another teams growth without permission. Regulations after all."
Naruto grumbled and sank into the water causing it to bubble about his mouth to cover up his cursing. Guy shook his head but had a small smile on his face. It was too clear to him that the gennin desired to do more than D rank missions that newbies had to do to build up a reputation in Konoha. He had been truly surprised when he had heard that his rival had finally had a team complete his bell test. Looking at the two members of team seven he could tell they had a lot of work. Guy noted the tension between the two boys. He was no fool. The last of the Uchiha was clearly a lone wolf that had little interest in teamwork much like Neji was at the beginning. Naruto had the drive like Lee, but he had poor basics with a large chakra pool to use that the boy had no idea how to use properly. Guy had yet to meet Sakura, the third member of team seven but from what the rumors told him Tenten was a better gennin than the fangirl.
Kakashi might allow his team to join in on the C rank with Guy and the gennin in his charge. Tapping his leg under the water to avoid being spotted by the gennin, Guy thought hard at how he could convince his rival to have his team join. Asking the Hokage was one way. Three teams of gennin and two jonin sensei's would be an unusual reply to a mission request, but Guy was sure he could convince him as having it as a way to show the rookies how a more experienced team worked in the field. The more he thought about it the more Guy believed that the lord third would allow a mass team mission. Kakashi would be trilled at the chance to show the value of teamwork in a situation that would be safe and relatively easy.
'It's just a boar extermination quest.' He hummed to himself as he splashed water over his face. 'What could go wrong?'
I hope you liked the chapter. Review
