Tamako gave the pair an uneasy glance, her eyes roving back and forth between the two before awkwardly cutting the silence. "Hey guys. You doing okay, Uta?" The atmosphere was thick and gloomy, and the fact that two hadn't said anything didn't make things look good.
"Tamako, why are you here? Shouldn't you be talking to Raidon?" Uta spat out his name in distaste.
"Yeah, since you were complimenting him before, you should already be best friends with him, just like everyone else." Nanami glared at her as if the girl herself kicked a puppy.
"Huh?" Tamako spoke eloquently. "He's our classmate. The entire class are our classmates, our future comrades." The periwinkle haired-girl stressed out, "Of course I'm gonna be friendly. Besides, Raidon and I were discussing the intricacies of chakra enhancements." Shrugging off their conversation. Though, she'd like to get back on that topic, it's been awhile since a simple conversation increased her stats like that. Since he was offering family secrets just like that, she should take it with glee.
"Huh, you know what else is bothering me?" Nanami stood up and walked right in front of me.
"What?"
"You. Ever since you came into our lives, you've been looking down on us. You knew, yet you didn't act any better. You're always nice to everyone, even with people we don't like. I think it's pretty clear that Raidon is an asshole, but instead of checking on Uta, you talk to him?" Nanami walked closer to her and whispered furiously. "You just think you are sooo great and better. That training under Kazekage makes you so much better than me. You know how much I hate that? Just disappear!" Nanami took a step back and shoved Tamako back before giving her another glare dipped with distaste, sharply looking away as if Tamako was a disease and walked away.
What the fuck.
Tamako took a moment to process this entire playground drama. She easily saw pettiness and perhaps even jealousy within Nanami's voice, as the girl always lagged behind her despite consistently ranking above everyone else in the class. And maybe, it was her fault, prioritizing another student over her friends, which mind you, she made two weeks ago.
Uta instead broke the silence between the two, "Look, Tamako. I— I liked you."
Flabbergasted, Tamako gave him a look. "I'm honestly incredibly confused in how all of these topics are related. Let's not discuss this issue again." Tamako reasoned, arms crossed on how ridiculous this was.
"Tamako...look, just forget about us..."
She was more than flabbergasted. Was this a prepubescent spat?
"Just disappear! You played with my feelings!" Tamako opened her mouth wordlessly before closing it. She calmly walked to the door in the infirmary before bursting into more confusion and anger.
"Just disappear? Played with feelings? What are these kids talking about? What sort of playground drama did I miss? All we did was train together for a week or so. I thought making befriending kids was easy." She muttered quietly to herself, her face pinched into pure confusion as she stomped towards her favorite training ground. "There's no way... am I actually like Kakashi? Emotionally incapable?"
She collapsed onto her back and stared dazed at the sky, void from any clouds that Shikamaru loved so much. "Dammit. At least I got the EXP from that quest... no use crying about spilled milk." Then she quirked an eyebrow, her lips pinched into a smirk as she held back her laughter. "That was probably the most cringiest thing I've gotten myself into to."
Childhood spats and playground drama, even in a new world, it's still all the same.
"Gaki. Wha'chu doing all the way out here?" She paused and turned to the voice, her face still barely holding onto restrained laughter as she took in the new face. A boy dressed in a standard Suna-styled flak jacket, standard sandals and his insignia proudly displaying on the forehead.
"What's it to you?" She's never seen this guy before.
He laughed before replying, "I like you, got some spunk and style. As a shinobi, I'm obliged to care for our citizens."
She breathed in deeply, trying to calm her nerves before feeling mischievous. Her face melted into pure disbelief. "You? A shinobi? Almost didn't notice, you don't seem to have to build for it. What are you? A genin?"
His eyes widened before deadpanning, "Well, so far, every year batches for the Chunin Exams are good. Soon enough, I'll be a chunin."
"Huh, how old are you? Sixteen?"
He spluttered before yelling back, "I'm not that old! I'm only fourteen! I've only failed twice! I'm doing pretty good as I graduated a year ago!"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say." Tamako teased, laughing at his reaction before sitting up straight.
"See! I made you laugh, what's a cute academy kid like you so far from class? Are you skipping?" He pondered before staring back at her.
Well technically she was skipping school at the moment, even if she had a free period. Skipping mathematics was honestly the highlight of her day, every single day. The one thing she could enjoy about this world is that Cosine, Sine and Tangents aren't real. They couldn't hurt her here. "I tested above my current year's mathematical requirements, so I have a free period right now. Jealous? I am pretty cool."
"So you're a nerd." He spoke, not even phrasing it as a question.
She couldn't refute it. "...shut up"
"What's your name? Can't keep calling you cutie. Others might get the wrong idea..."
"Well, that's your fault. Name's Tamako, you?" She reached out a hand for him to shake.
"Ikina Kaii." He shook her hand as his face pulled into realization before quickling smoothing out. She caught his expression and carefully noted it. His brows rose as he asked her a question. "So you an Academy kid, right? How old are you?"
"Nine, gotta problem?"
"Aah, so going into your second year? Good luck with those spars" He flinched at the word spar, probably re-experiencing the trauma.
"Nope, I'm on the accelerated path into third year. You may not understand it but I'm quite unique." Tamako flipped her hair to emphasize, giggling at her own actions.
"Right, right." He nodded with fake amusement, "And I'm the one with the headband."
Sighing while clapping slowly, "Captain Obvious strikes again."
"...smartass"
"Keep talking prick."
"Oh, I will, you little—!"
"Look." She cuts him off. "If we're going to have an insult competition, you should tap out, I don't have to remind you that I'm literally nine. You'll only end up looking like a fool." She finishes with another flip of her already short hair that just ruffled up her hair. They looked at each other before bursting into laughter.
"I can't believe a nine year old did that." He responded before patting Tamako's head like a dog.
The girl sneers, "Says the one who called an Academy Kid a cutie. Ya real close from tipping off the pedo cliff." He slowly retracted his hand off the girl's head.
"... that's… we don't speak of this."
She saluted back. "Yes sir!"
After their meeting, Tamako's friendship with Genin Kaii had just begun.
He provided much more intelligence than mere children, and he at least knew some techniques just by missions and learning on the go. He also had quite fantastic stories outside the village, even if it was incredibly obvious he was mixing storytelling with the truths, but Tamako didn't mind. Border patrol, restocking and maintaining the village and the whatnot gave her a good idea of what to expect after she graduates, which could be anytime soon.
Of course, she saw his ulterior motivation after his eyes glinted at her introduction. There was no one in the village that hadn't heard of her name, Rasa was all too happy to introduce the girl as his student. And that could only mean one thing: he was preparing her to take the Kazekage Hat, which was a massive political move because all the current and previous Kazekages, Lord Third and Lord Forth, most importantly, had come from the same family. It was clear that Magnet Release was the most superior technique in Sunagakure, with its superior defense style that suited the village.
It was a common tactic, hell, even the Sandaime Kazekage matched one of his son's with Lady Chiyo's daughter, whom created Akasuna no Sasori. It was clear that this lineage was superior, and they recognized Chiyo's own abilities and tied her down.
Clearly, he was preparing for her to either marry into the family and take the mantle, or at least integrate her close into his family to support one of his three children that would ultimately become the Kazekage. In any case, Tamako's role in the village was secured to be high-ranking, and Kaii had deduced this.
So he continued to casually bump into her around the village, going as far as to begging the girl to watch his training.
Kaii wasn't such a bad shinobi. Most Jounin-track genin were higher-quality than other village's genin because Suna liked to funnel a ton of resources on a select few, and Kaii had very good reserves and decent chakra control. He was a ninjutsu specialist on his team, which meant that he was the bulk of power in the team.
He had several D-rank and one C-rank jutsu patented down, and she might've stolen his Mud Wall while he wasn't looking. It cost way less chakra than a Crystal Wall and could come in handy. She was like, seventy-percent sure this was Kakashi's favorite Doton jutsu anyways.
If the [System] was going to compare her to Kakashi, which is both flattering and insulting, she might as well embrace it.
The sun had already set by the time the two had parted and the cool wind chill brushed against her spine as the sweat that coated her body had dried into an uncomfortable sheen. She felt incredibly cold and desperately needed a shower and change of clothes.
But as she walked down the street and into the Third District, she felt the chill worsen as heaviness weighed on her body. It was unlike anything she'd felt before, and the only comparable feeling was when Rasa had silently assassinated her three years ago.
But the feeling was more demonic, she felt curses in the air as, what she finally realized, chakra shuddered against her skin. It was coming from the main playground, just a block away from the Suna Academy. After school curriculums and training would've just ended.
Tamako dashed towards the scene, sand whiplashing against her figure as she went. The sandstorm got stronger and stronger as she approached, the slides and monkey bars completely torn apart as laid a plastic ball abandoned on the side. In the middle of the playground was a ball of sand, cracked open to reveal a short red-headed boy smothered in robes of the classic Suna garb.
This was Gaara.
"W-why..." He sobbed, clutching his heart, "Why won't anyone love me?"
He was short for his age, seemingly he looked two years younger than her despite it all. Nearby was a boy in civilian clothing, sobbing his eyes out as his arms shielded him from the sand flying wildly. Without a moment of hesitation, she shunshin towards the boy and picked him up, using chakra to enhance her limbs and lifted him to safety, just a few meters away behind a larger boulder.
"Stay here." She whispered, patting him on the shoulder before approaching the ticking time-bomb. "Hi." Tamako said, taking another step forward. "My name is Tamako."
Gaara ceased his sniffles, rubbing his eyes before he peaked at her with distrust. "I know you." He stated, his eyes narrowing. "Temari and Kankuro spoke of you." Then his face pulled, "Father praised you."
She felt demonic chakra directly impact her body, the lull so powerful that she fell to her knees as sweat dripped down her chin. Her eyes blew out wide with fear as the sand picked up in speed, swiping at her skin and blood dripping.
"If I take you away, will I get their love?"
He took a step forward, his face molding into a monster as a tail slowly erupted from his back. His features twisted and pulled, agony on his face from the transformation. "Aaaargh!" He screamed, scratching his head as blood stained his nails. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..!" His eyes blew open, bloodshot and almost dark. Then, an evil smile twisted his face. "You."
Tamako couldn't move. This bloodlust weighed her down, her mind unable to react.
A palm reached her shoulder and she flinched in response, her head snapping up as Rasa regarded his son with a frown. "Tamako." He spoke.
The girl narrowed her eyes, feeling her body and mind calm as he injected his chakra into hers, chasing away the demonic chakra Shukaku slowly poisoned her with. "Yondaime." She replied.
"As my student, this will be our first lesson." He crossed his arms, a grim look on his face. "This is Shukaku. Your duty is to subdue him."
[Quest Alert!]
Subdue the Ichibi!
Objective: Defeat Gaara while he is enraged
Rewards: 1,000EXP, +100 Relationship with Rasa, +500FAME
Failure: -100 Relationship with Rasa
"The Shouton was known to be one of the ultimate sealing jutsu." He pinched his brows. "Show me what you are capable of."
She took a step forward, dripping chakra to her body before filtering it through her legs. The rush of chakra chased away her fears as adrenaline pumped through her heart.
Gaara made the first move, whiplashing sand towards her figure as she clapped her hands, creating a crystal wall that was chipped away from the impact. The sand smoothly glided past her and gathered behind her, ready for another attack.
She replaced herself with a nearby boulder and ignored how it shattered in hundreds of pebbles before she began to run from the tendrils of sand that threatened to crush her. She formed several signs before holding out a palm towards the boy and coaxing her chakra, willing it towards Gaara as he withered in pain, drooling with a manic smile.
The sand coating his body crystalized before they snapped. It was too chakra saturated for her to take over. With a grim look, she backflipped into the sky, dodging several tendrils of sand that clashed into each other, creating several heavy waves that drowned the street. She attached herself onto an adjacent wall, almost flinching when she felt several presences around her.
ANBU.
There was no way she would've naturally felt them unless they let her. They were here to tell her if things went south, they'll at least try to recover her. How nice.
Fucking Rasa was an absolute pain and maniac. Why the hell would he test her like this? Against his unstable son who was a very terrifying Jinchūriki who had already killed probably a fifth of his ANBU at this point. Several years ago, around the time Yoshima took her out for the first time, there was a terrible Sand Storm that arrived several months earlier than the initial predictions. It caused horrible damage to the Village and a quarter of District One had to be repaired for a few weeks. The rest of the Village had to undergo structure checks that the orphanage barely passed, and now that she was older, she understood that it was the work of Gaara.
There was no way that her current state could take down Gaara, who could kill several ANBU. She had to be innovative in at least subduing her. That's what Rasa wants.
Subdue.
The quest objective of defeating would be impossible. But to subdue was to defeat, wasn't it?
She steeled her eyes and twisted her body in the air, dodging another set of sand tendrils before rolling onto the ground, and coerced chakra into the ground using her palms. It was only for a moment, so only a small fraction was spread out.
Tamako repeated these actions several times, looking like she was barely dodging and frantically running away. Rasa raised a single finger and froze when Tamako slammed a single foot into the ground.
Instantly, the chakra she had been building around Gaara sprung, attacking his Sand Cocoon, his ultimate defense, and devoured it. Crystalizing before one could blink as she formed the rat seal. A pronounced vein appeared on her forehead as she pushed more chakra, strapping the boy's arms to the side, wrapping a thick chain around his tail to tie it down before encasing his head fully.
With a bated breath, she released her hold on the cocoon as Gaara withered in her hold, snapping the chains but she formed even more, tying his body to the ground as he pulled and pulled. Tamako was fully expecting Gaara to break the bubble of crystal around his head, but even as the sand tendrils clawed and clawed at the structure, his fingers gripping and flexing uncomfortably, he could not.
This Gaara didn't know how to use his sand skillfully as he would in the next three years. His sand moved without command, killing as he went with undodgeable waves of sand.
The boy faltered in her hold, falling to the ground as the lack of oxygen finally reached his brain before he passed out. Instantly, the hiding ANBU swarmed the scene, ordering her to release the chains as they sealed the boy in cloth.
Cloth Binding Technique, Suna's most famed Fuinjutsu. They wrapped his body into a cocoon, placing more seals around his head to ensure his unconscious state didn't release Shukaku. Tamako heaved to the side, falling to her knees as the adrenaline wore off.
Quest Complete
+1,000EXP
+100 Relationship with Rasa
+500 FAME
The Fourth Kazekage calmly approached her, and looked down into her eyes. There was an indiscernible look on his face as he regarded her calmly. "You've exceeded my expectations." Then, he gave her a rare grin. "The Shouton is as powerful as ever." Then, without any follow-up words or even encouragement, he left her just like that.
Lying on the floor, drenched in sweat and drained of chakra.
Fucking Rasa.
An ANBU approached her, picking her prone body and she went black.
The following day, she woke up with the worst headache and nearly missed homeroom. News broke out and the entire academy new, and she experienced it tenfold. "Hey, is it true?!" A boy asked her, clamoring into the seat next to her.
"My father said she defeated the Demon!"
It was almost uncomfortable in how many students were piling around her desk. Yesterday was a fuckshow, and today she nearly skipped school to rest but opted to somehow scourge up and attend. Clearly, it was a mistake.
She slowly nodded and the classroom burst into more chatter.
"That's amazing! Demon Defeater Tamako!"
"Please don't call me that."
. . .
"Hey, gaki!" Kaii shouted. Tamako froze like a deer caught in headlights before giving the older boy a dirty look. He never sought her out in front of the Academy. She ignored her classmates and gave him an unimpressed look.
He ran up to her, stopping just a foot away before whispering, "Chunin Exams are coming, can you help me?"
"You're asking an Academy student for help..?" She raised her voice in confusion and groaned internally. Ever since that Rasa stunt, Tamako's been paranoid for sudden graduation notice and headband and has been training her butt off. "I have homework, go bother someone else, like your teammate or sensei." Tamako turned around without a backward glance, ignoring the cries of desperation.
Somehow, he convinced the girl.
Tamako sighed, leaning on her palm as they sat outside a dango stand. "Alright," She began, grabbing a skewer and tearing one of the rice treats with no remorse, "The exams are usually different from the last and don't repeat until three or four years. So, tell me about your last two exams."
Kaii glanced at the sky, arms crossed as he closed his eyes in deep thought, "Well, my first exam, round one was writing down three Shinobi Rules and it has to be the same as my teammates, which was easy. Then round two was team battles. The last round was one vs one." He paused for a second, eyes still closed before a hand slowly inched towards the platter of dango. Without a second thought, Tamako smacked the offending limb. He winced, "My second exam, round one was a writing test, which was honestly really difficult but I managed to pass it. Round two was retrieving a scroll from a chunin and meeting back at a designated spot. Round three was also one vs one."
Makes sense, the last round's theme is always a recurring one, likely won't change in the feature
Tamako threw the three empty skewers on the small platter, taking a dainty sip for green tea before setting the cup down with a hint of delicacy. "From what you're saying, we can deduce that the first round will always have a theme of strategy and problem solving. That includes information gathering. So—" She paused, giving the older boy the look. "Just do a bit of studying and hope your teammates are better in the thinking category to carry you."
Kaii makes an offended sound from the back of his throat, whining at the girl who dismissed him with a flick of her wrist, "Second round seems to be on-field situations. Something a real chunin would encounter. Delivery of scroll, finding said scroll, or maybe everyone starts out with a scroll." Then she snorts, "Or maybe it's a survival exercise, or at worse, a combination of the two."
The older boy slowly nods at her inputs, probably mentally jotting everything down for later.
"Round three never changes, so expect a good old fashion one-on-one type of deal." She takes another sip of tea, eyes shifting towards the sun and mentally calculating the time. Abruptly, she stands up and tosses a few coins on top of the table. "That's all I could really gather." She shrugs, "My exams are coming up so I'm gonna head out and study."
Of course, that was a lie. Who even studies when you have photographic memory? Kudos to the system. She's preparing for a sudden deployment. The lack of Rasa was seriously giving her anxiety.
With a quick wave as goodbye, she shunshin back to her apartment, stretching her arms before giving a nice groan.
She should probably start heading into the ID Dungeons herself instead of sending a clone out to do light EXP grinding.
With a few hand signs and pulse of chakra, the world around her warped into a large clearing with a few trees that draped droopily against the blue sky. The mobs of this particular world are made up of three types, Cyclops, Titans, and Dark Fairies. Dark Fairies were the weakest, ranging from level 29-38. Cyclops was around 40-58 and Titans were around 60-86.
It was incredibly RPG-esque, and while it was strange to look up at giant monsters, it made her feel as though she were playing a game rather than risking her life to EXP and drops. It made her feel better about her circumstances.
Currently, Tamako stood at a mere Level 48. She could handle Dark Fairies and weak Cyclops most of the time, so when she spotted an isolated Cyclops just over a hill, she quickly activated her skill.
Cyclops
Level: 46
Class: Monsters
HP: 2,349
CP: 1,398
A slow moving brute. Hit by his hammer that he's holding will cause massive damage and possibility of death. Use his size and slowness as an advantage and avoid fighting these in more groups than 3.
Recommended Skills: Shoton: Crystal Senbon, Shoton: Trapping Needles, Shoton: Hammer and Shoton: Crystal Shackles.
This fight would mean a two-level suppression, heavily in her odds through levels alone, however, the fight would be close. With far more health and strength, an up right fight and trading blows would be unfavorable. Attacking afar and restricting movements before spamming attacks seem the most safest option.
It was a traditional grinding mechanic, and has always worked.
Tamako moved slightly closer, ducking behind an uproot of dirt from the last time she was here and got a good view of him, he was around three meters.
Without a second thought, her hands clapped together in the Serpent Seal, chakra following at her beckoning, "Shoton: Crystal Senbon!" Instantaneously, dozens of senbon lazily floated in-front of her, launching towards the unsuspecting Cyclops.
They met their mark, and the Cyclops let out an ear piercing roar, his health bar quickly depleting.
-2,000 HP!
Ahaha, OP damage.
With a large hand, he ripped out a handful of senbon, dropping them with a clutter as more blood spurted out like a bad CGI movie.
Bleed!
-1,000 HP!
And just like that, he dispersed with no suspense and left behind a large hammer and some ryo.
"Did I just kill a cyclops with just senbon? System updates, please don't nerf it." She mock-begged, sauntering down the hill feeling like the bad bitch she felt she was and pocketed the loot, freezing when a dark shadow loomed above her.
"Ugh, there are clouds now?" Tamako's glanced up and her blood ran cold. A horde of angry looking cyclops that looked down at her, no doubt lured from her prey from before. "Don't tell me they heard the dead one scream did they?" She laughed nervously, barely even thinking as she launched her entire body to the side, missing a massive hammer that formed crevices and fissures alike from the force alone.
In a panic, she quickly maneuvered her body from a roll to a low crouch, her fingers grounded and dug their way to the soil, painting them dark as she poured a massive amount of her reserves to the ground. Before she could truly release that built up chakra, another hammer had met its mark, throwing her entire body into the air as she felt her ribs pierce her lungs.
-1,500 HP!
She breathed in painfully, blood spurting out when she coughed too hard. In a moment of weakness, her vision blacked out from the pain but another punch to her opposite side woke her up. Before she could land painfully on the ground, she maneuvered in the air and skidded back, hands digging into the dirt.
-760 HP!
Blood may have been trickling down her chin, but she watched with awe when her chakra naturally surrounded the cyclops underneath before shackles formed around their entire body in seconds. She took that advantage and hightailing outta there
[A skill has been created from reforming various actions]
Shouton: Wide Range Crystal Shackles (Passive) Level: 1 EXP: 0.00%
- You are able to trap any living object in a 4-foot radius of yourself
With this, hunting just became a lot easier, restrictive crowd control without actually having the need to get close proximity to them was game changing.
Time to grind.
She coughed a bit more blood.
Time to grind... later.
. . .
"Alright, everyone!" Sensei slammed a fist on the podium as another hand pointed at the blackboard. "We'll be finishing up this semester with the final test! As we already finished practical's yesterday, today we'll be focusing on the theoretic." He narrowed his eyes at the collective groan. "Score well, and you'll find yourself continuing your learning. Score poorly and you'll be retaking this semester's lectures."
Papers were already distributed on the desks, and once Sensei gave their signal, Tamako flipped the page and effortlessly answered.
Name: Tamako
1. You are fighting a shinobi well versed in the art of Kenjutsu and you are low on chakra, how do you defeat him?
A. Observe the shinobi's movements, pick out his favorited sides and read his kata. Study, memorize and locate his most unguarded side. Wait for an opportunity where your prediction lands true and aim for that weak spot. Assassinate him in one slice, end the battle as quickly as possible. There is always a rhythm to kenjutsu.
If his speed is proved to be far superior than my own, gaining some distance or even removing his katana or weapon of choice would be desirable through my own Jutsu arsenal. Trapping him and immobilizing him long enough to rid his weapon and slowly increase your speed through Taijutsu. If this is not possible, then gain distance, remove his weapon and start attacking him with mid-range jutsu and keep him at bay until his stamina fails him.
Most of the questions were just 'how to defeat this shinobi' and 'how to defend from this kind of ambush'. It tested practical-thinking skills and all were extremely easy and straightforward, with some slightly harder than the other. After reading several scrolls written by Nidaime himself, mass-produced of course, she's learned military tactics in both small and large scale. She quickly finished up the test and practically shunshin out of the class, springing towards the largest Stadium within Suna with a grin.
Today was the Chunin Exams.
It was incredibly unfortunate for the rest of her peers that today was their final exam. The other grades had already completed their test yesterday but due to confusion, someone forgot to print out their paper exam.
She'll give her classmates a detailed explanation later.
As she sprinted towards the stadium that was quickly filling up before bumping into unexpected... friends.
"Yo." He gave her a two-fingered salute, "Going to the Chunin Exams?" Kankuro raised the question before quickly following up, "You should come with us since we're the Kazekage's kids, we get seats up on the balcony. We both can bring two friends each." Kankuro offered, his hand pointing at himself and back to Temari.
"I'm bringing Sen and Yome, but they wouldn't come unless I invite Shira. Kankuro offered to bring him." Temari said, clasping her hands around Tamako's before bringing the two closer, with a grin "Don't worry, both of them are nice, I'm pretty sure they'll like you"
Kankuro sniffed, arms crossing with denial, "Hey! Temari, you blackmailed me to bring that loser!"
"Don't say that when Sen and Yome get here, they'll plummet you, and don't get me or Tamako involved, 'kay?"
"Long time no see, you two." Tamako greeted, giving the both the standard Suna greeting along with a complicated handshake. Just kids things, honestly. Then, she gestured at the sun, "When's your friends gonna come? I don't wanna be late since I promised a friend I'd watch."
Kankuro raised an eyebrow at her words, his face scrunching up, "A genin as a friend? When did that happen?"
"I don't even know..." Tamako trailed off, facepalming. He was like this horrible tapeworm that wouldn't go away, even after medicine. What she'll kill for some good kush right now.
"Temariiii!" A cute feminine voice rang out, the last syllable getting louder as the voice got closer, "Sorry, we're late, Shira went out for some last minute training..." The short girl gushed shyly, her wide eyes meeting Tamako's.
The girl, Sen, her mind supplies helpfully, grabs the other girl beside her, "Ne, ne. Isn't that Tamako? You know, the one who..?" She accidentally whispered louder than intended.
Tamako greeted the two with a polite nod.
"Hi! My name is Sen! Nice to meet you!" Sen had light mud-colored hair that was braided up high on her head with two small strands of hair framing her face. Her eyes were just a shade darker than her hair.
Too loud, too many... exclamation points. Maybe she should turn off subtitles.
"Ah, hello senpai. Nice to meet you too" Tamako returned the favor with a soft smile.
"Call me Sen!" She then dragged Yome over, "And this is Yome!" Yome, who practically is the embodiment of a hamster, squeaked out a quick hello.
Yome looked more hamster than human, and Tamako wasn't sure if she should gush internally about how cute she was or be concerned of her lack of height. Tamako was slightly tall for her age at 132cm, but Yome here was merely 100cm at best, and seemed like she desperately needed to consume more calcium. But judging by her plump cheeks, she at least ate well.
Then a taller boy spoke with a serious face, "Hello. I'm Shira" He begins with fierce eyes gleaming into everything about Tamako, "You must be the one everyone has been talking about. If you can, I'll like to spar with you, I just want to know how my Taijutsu is against a natural prodigy." Everyone froze at the mention of a battle. Tamako was no slacker and has proven herself.
She looks at the boy, her eyes straying and noting his squirmy arms to his bandaged hands. In the back of her head, she knew that these three characters were somewhat important characters. They were Temari's friends at the least, so she should probably try to act natural. "Who're you?" She tilted her head at the boy, leaning in close as the two girls squawked at her bold move. "Hmm, you don't look much." The boy was skinnier than her, all stick and bones. "Can you be sure that you not gonna waste my time?" Then she crossed her arms and gauged his skill with a simple question. "What's your rank in class?"
Sen and Yome were obviously students at the Academy just by glancing at their clothing, Shira on the other hand was a mix of both civilian and shinobi. She honestly couldn't tell. His hands were calloused, if not bruised.
His eyes harden as he glances to the ground. "I am not a student at the Academy."
Tamako whirls her head back at him. "I can't justify sparring with a civilian."
A young academy student with chakra training could rival an older teen civilian, the use of chakra could kill someone. The boy looked around her age, she couldn't just go out and just fight a newborn bird just like that. That goes against everything about herself!
"My inability to cast both Ninjutsu and Genjutsu..." He trails off, not finishing the statement.
Her eyes snapped forward as her mind finally made the connection. This was Suna's Rock Lee! That's why he looked so familiar.
"You must train in Taijutsu, don't you?" She shrugged. "Just because you're different doesn't make you less skilled than others." The mental image of Rock Lee entered her head, "You'll be facing a lot of hardships just to enter the same level as those who wield chakra, even after the rule is gone." Shira's face morphed into pure shock as the others stared in confusion.
Temari, the first to snap away from daze, tilting her head, "What rule?" Temari was the oldest of the bunch, just about to graduate alongside Sen and Yome. The blonde prided herself as the oldest of the Kazekage's children, and being well-read and skilled was a must for someone of her stature. But, she was confused. There were many rules and laws alike.
"The rule in which Yondaime Kazekage implanted that anyone who can't perform one of the three Ninjutsu, Genjutsu and Taijutsu couldn't join the Academy. Soon, it'll be gone, give or take six years."
"How do you know? Did Kazekage-sama tell you?" Shira stammered out, shock still apparent at her words.
"You guys better not tell anyone, but..." Everyone leaned in closer
"I just have a gut feeling." A cheshire grin devoured her face as everyone groaned.
"I thought you were going to say like you snuck into Kazekage's office and found something!" They whined.
She held a peace-sign, "Haha, just trust me."
Kankuro waved her off, sauntering towards the Stadium. "Maa... don't get us so excited over a gut feeling!"
The oldest of the group, Temari, sighed and caught up to her brother. "We should find our seats before it gets too crowded." She gestured at the large stadium doors with a grin. "It's my first Chunin Exam!"
The rest of the group followed in haste, squeezing past a few civilians and dodging the group of Chunin before winding up at their cozy sectioned off booth. Just down the hall inside, there was a large table surrounded by mostly adults. A large dashboard with names and bets.
She squinted at the kanji, rubbing her eyes again in disbelief, "Iruka?"
Sonoda Takeichi of the Cloud Vs Oshiro Akihiro of the Leaf
Yuasa Morio of the Leaf Vs Taka Shizu of the Mist
Ikina Kaii of the Sand Vs Sugimoto Benkei of the Mist
Umino Iruka of the Leaf Vs Mizuki of the Leaf
Obviously, Tamako knew what had to be done.
"Oji-san! 5,000 ryo of Umino Iruka of the Leaf!" She slammed the bills on the table, ignoring the stares because, really? A nine year old betting, with that much money no less?
What a scene.
The Older man gave a loud chuckle, grabbing the money and writing on the dashboard while Tamako skipped back to the group of kids with their mouths gaped open.
"Seriously? Why'd you bet so much on Konoha? Did you get another gut feeling!? You know, if you actually win, you'd get like..." Kankuro rambled off, fingers going off rapid pace, "... twice the amount!?"
Tamako held back a snicker, "Go big or go home!"
Temari sighed at the entire speculation before taking the misfit group to the one of VIP box, and just above this box was another box with the Kazekage, Hokage and Raikage.
Damn, who let the two sit in the same room?
There was noticeable lethal air surrounding the two as the old Hokage, Hiruzen merely plastered a grandpa's smile while the Raikage had already broken the chair's armrest.
Christ.
Suna and Kumo were pretty neutral with each other due to the two countries being on the other side of the world, just like how Suna and Kiri didn't interact much during the wars, other than the obvious and infamous poisonings of the South Sea. Konoha and Kumo on the other hand? It was probably only three or four years ago that Kumo tried to kidnap a Hyuuga, almost sparking the Fourth War. The only country that had the same beef that Konoha and Kumo had together with Suna was Iwa, and they were not invited. Or they declined, who knows.
Tamako quickly turned away and focused on the proctor.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Chunin Exams! Please get seated as we will be starting the fights very soon." Not even a second in delay, two genin walked out from opposing sides.
A boy wielding a sharp metal kodachi, obviously built to conduct chakra from the lightning lines embroidered on the metal. The name above him spelt Sonoda Takeichi.
When the proctor quickly announced the two and officially began the fight, Takeichi didn't waste time and charged at his opponent, Akihiro.
In response, Akihiro spread his feet for a better stance and pulled out a kunai made entirely of metal, including the handle. Not only was the weapon impractical, it was literally shining light into Tamako's eyes and blinded her. Was that the intended effect or is he just dumb?
Probably a mix of the two.
If Takeichi streamed just a hint of raiton into his blade, it would spell doom for the other guy.
With a lunge and swipe across the torso, Akihiro blocked with his ridiculous kunai before Takeichi smirked, "Too bad you got paired with me, you'll be in shock..." His kodachi visibly glowed with the foretelling of blueblueblue raiton.
Ignoring that cheesy line, the blade was impressive. Cloud has always had impressive swords with the amount of iron in their land. Sometimes put the Land of Iron to shame.
Instantly, the other boy dropped his Kunai, arm dangling to the side uselessly as he jumped back, his body twitching ever so slightly.
Takeichi let his kodachi rest harmlessly on his shoulder, "You can't do handsigns and you don't have the build for Taijutsu, just give up!" He then lifted the sword and pointed directly at Akihiro's direction, and without mercy, chakra began to charge up at the base of his weapon before the tip formed a ball of concentrated lightning chakra shooting off towards Akihiro.
With no attempts to dodge, or maybe it was too fast, Akihiro dropped dead, his corpse twitching.
"Winner! Sonoda Takeichi of the Cloud!" The crowd roared with excitement, both Sen and Yome flinched simultaneously.
"Wasn't that too much? He didn't have to kill him..." Yome said before patting Sen when the girl huddled closer for comfort.
"When genin sign up for the chunin exams, they should be prepared for the fact they might not return home alive..." Tamako shrugged, eager for the next battle.
Soon enough, everyone forgot about the death, and the next match started. Morio was lean and fit but didn't seem like he had the built for Taijutsu, nor the chakra reserves for Ninjutsu. So he had to specialize in Genjutsu.
Shizu, however, looked like she was about to gut someone with her Zanbatō, a long blade, similar to a Katana, but nearly larger than the girl herself. With her grin, she revealed sharp teeth and bloodlusted eyes. Practically the embodiment of Chigiri.
"Begin!"
Shizu made the first move and threw her Zanbatō at Morio effortlessly. Morio's eyes widened and dodged in the nick of time but before he was able to regroup himself, Shizu came running, using the shunshin to disappear and reappearing next to the boy and slammed her right leg against his own leg like she was trying to score a goal.
The sheer force had made Morio lose balance and fell down in a heap, freezing when a glinting kunai was brought to his neck.
"Give up or die..." She rasped. Morio hadn't even budge his head in fear of cutting his own throat and gave a desperate look to the proctor.
The battle ended just like that. No blood.
"Hah, Chigiri fight with no blood? I'm surprised" Temari's eyebrows rose before continuing, "You think her Zanbatō was a bluff?"
Tamako's eyes glanced at the girl another time and quickly observed her.
Taka Shizu
Level: 48
Age: 14
Class: High Genin
HP: 2,853
CP: 1,945
A young kunoichi who despises her village ways yet covers it with the average façade Chigiri, bloodthirsty monster. She is well-versed in wielding her Zanbatō but only uses it when desperate.
She has a high possibility of defecting her village once she's a Jonin, and has the same goal as the infamous Momochi Zabuza. Revolt against Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura.
Her role model is, not surprisingly, Momochi Zabuza. She admires his ability to wield one of the Seven Swords.
If Zabuza survives his encounter with Team 7, she would join him. If Zabuza dies, she swears vengeance on Hatake Kakashi and his Genin, leading her to the wrong path.
[Quest Alert!]
Role Model...
Objective: You already know that Zabuza Momochi is going to die. Fix that problem!
Rewards: 10,000 ryo
+ 300 EXP
Special: Save Haku
Reward: + 1 Favor
"No, she probably does use it, Zanbatō is really heavy, and she threw it like it was nothing," She concluded, forming one senbon and twirling it around. It was finally Kaii's turn with another shinobi from the Mist.
"Winner! Taka Shizu of the Mist!" The crowd stayed silent, quiet from the no-action fight.
"Aah, is that your friend? He's the only one in Suna to be in the final." Kankuro leaned forward, trying to get a better look.
"Yep."
Kaii was mainly a Fuuton and Doton user. Based on Ninjutsu, some Taijutsu, and no talent of Genjutsu except dispelling simple ones. He had good evasive skills with her help, although just that won't guarantee his win.
She knew nothing about his opponent.
'Observe'
Sugimoto Benkei
Level: 42
Age: 14
Class: High Genin
HP: 2,754
CP: 3,152
A young shinobi hoping to escape his village. Both him and Shizu plan to defect together.
His teammates are Taka Shizu and Shimazu Isoshi. The latter who was 'killed' during the survival test.
He mainly uses a Kabutowari; it consists of a giant ax and hammer, linked end-to-end by a flat thin leather-like rope.
"Begin!"
Benkei dashed forward, similar to the very first battle, and wasted no time to initiate the fight with a slam to his hammer where Kaii stood. You could hear the bash of bones and hammer, but thankfully, Kaii's very broken form was replaced by a large rock that cracked in two. Kaii quickly did some hand signs and slammed his palm on the ground.
"Doton: Rock Throw!" Dozens of rocks hastily formed into fists and hurled towards Benkei. He dodged with a few colorful backflips and slammed his hammer against a single stone fist that was a bit too close for comfort. Benkei growled before forming some hand signs and lifting his hands up.
"Suiton: Water Mirror!" Benkei used all of his sweat, ugh disgusting, to form a mirror behind him, instead of leaving it there, he dropped it to form a puddle. "Suiton: Water Shuriken!" The puddle that just formed quickly transformed into shurikens and swiftly aimed for Kaii. Benkei quickly followed after the shuriken with vigor.
"Doton: Mud Wall!" A small wall formed to block the shuriken, however, Benkei smashed right through the mud wall and hit Kaii right in the head with his weapon of choice.
It wasn't really looking great for Kaii as backflipped to regroup himself, blood pouring out of his head. Benkei then practically teleported in front of Kaii with a well used shunshin and used the blade side of his weapon in a downward fashion, successfully making its mark when a gash appeared on the other boy's torso.
Now, things definitely weren't looking good for Kaii, he drained his Chakra after extensive use of the jutsu before, let's be real normal genin don't have that much chakra, and if he continued to fight, he was going to die of blood loss from that gash.
"I resign!" The crowd roared in improvement, this battle had its own share of jutsu, which is incredibly exciting for civilians, and anticipation for the next match soon followed. Both shinobi hailing from Konoha, both teammates, both knowing each other's weakness.
"Winner! Sugimoto Benkei of the Mist!" The stadium shook, this so far, was the most interesting battle.
"Aah, better luck next time..." Tamako groaned, shaking her head before pointing out with a smile, "Hey, if that Iruka guy wins, I'll get 10,000 ryo!"
"And what are you going to do with it? Eat dango?"
With a dramatic grab to her chest, Tamako clenched at her heart, "Temari... you have that little faith in me!? I'll be saving it like a responsible person!"
"Begin!"
Mizuki handled a katana and teleported via kawarimi to Iruka and attempted to behead him, Iruka blocked with a kunai, grimacing when the blade nicked him before back roundhouse kicking him away. With the added distance, Iruka sent shurikens to Mizuki to buy some time, while his hands molded together as he formed an array of hand signs before throwing out a few kunai on the ground. At a closer inspection, there was paper with scribbles attached to it.
He continued with the long sequence of hand signs even when Mizuki began to run towards him full speed. Right when Mizuki's blade was a few centimeters from beheading him again, damn this guy has an agenda, he slammed his hand on the ground and a pattern formed around his enemy. Mizuki who froze in place was enraged.
Seals? I didn't know that Iruka knew fuinjutsu!
Iruka put a kunai to his neck.
"Concede."
Mizuki growled in distaste before turning away.
"Ha! 10,000 ryo for me!" Tamako slapped her knees and watched as Iruka offered a hand to Mizuki, who accepted with a fake smile
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the winners are, Sonoda Takeichi of the Cloud, Taka Shizu of the Mist, Sugimoto Benkei of the Mist and Umino Iruka of the Leaf!"
Kazekage had a frown on his face, none of the shinobi who won was Sand, even if Kaii put up a good fight.
The sun was now at its highest and many people began to leave the stadium to avoid the incoming heat-wave, "Well, lunch anyone?" Tamako asked as she flipped through bills she had just collected, grinning when it was the right amount.
"Food sounds good" Yome chimed, others adding in with agreement.
As the group bantered back and forth with food, and after Kankuro was heavily denied by Temari when he mentioned his favorite food, steak burgers.
"Kankuro, you always eat those! You're getting flabby."
Muffling her laughter, they all agreed to a restaurant nearby in District One, which had the best restaurants, and quickly settled into a large table. They quickly entered the cheerful atmosphere with Sen, Yome and Shira mostly keeping to themselves as Temari and Tamako began to talk about Fuinjutsu as food came and went. Tamako was incredibly curious about Fuinjutsu, but as a dead art, it was incredibly difficult to learn with a mentor. Most of the fuinjutsu masters of Suna were tucked into ANBU-related duties.
Then, they overhear a snarking voice "Well, what do you expect? Suna hasn't been doing good ever since Sandaime Kazekage went missing. Now they have a gold imitator as a Kage." Temari and Kankuro snapped their necks at the offender, rage in their eyes but they stayed quiet.
It was Mizuki and Iruka at the table adjacent to them.
It was clear that Kankuro was about to blow, and Tamako didn't want Temari to start ripping apart the restaurant they just got to. It was one of her favorites, and she couldn't afford to get banned. Tamako slammed both hands onto the table and stood up, gaining the two Leaf Genin's attention. "Hey, watch it" She sharply snipes at them, "Right now, you're in Suna, and you're disrespecting our Kage."
"Hey, hey, he didn't mean it, right Mizuki?" Iruka tried making peace, but Mizuki was always an asshole.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it? Tell the Kazekage? He won't listen to a brat."
"He might not listen to me." She offers him a shrug when his smirk grows, "But he will listen to his children." With arms crossed she gestures to Kankuro and Temari who are practically steaming.
Immediately, Mizuki's face drained of color.
"Look look," Iruka is quick to apologize in Mizuki's stead. "My friend here is calming down from the fight"
"Sure sure, let's all forget about our Yondaime being a-" She raises both hands and forms air quotations with them, "Gold imitator"
Tamako might not like Rasa that much, but he represents Suna.
Her home.
"You are full of jealousy and paired with your black heart," She sneers at Mizuki, "People like you won't go far in life." Without a second glance, she turned her back on him.
The Sand Siblings seem to get the memo and both stand up. The mood was absolutely ruined and Tamako felt like punching something. "I'm going." She placed a few bills to cover the drinks they ordered, but had yet to arrive and marched towards the door and froze when Sen grabbed the end of her haori.
"That was.. Cool. They're a lot older than us but you…" There were stars in Sen's eyes as she spoke, adoration in her eyes.
How cute.
"The Leaf may be our allies, but those genin had no respect. What kind of genin waltz into a Suna establishment and talk like that?" As the girl rants, somehow divulging into a nationalistic palaver that she didn't know she had in her (She's been dutifully eyeing every inch of history with the knowledge it was probably propaganda) while the group pitches in slowly with agreements. Before Tamako could continue her spew in how the Yondaime had saved Suna's previous economic downfall with the usage of his Gold Dust, Shira quietly mentioned the promised spar with a hint of shyness.
Tamako relents and they find themselves at a nearby training ground, and as the oldest, Temari served at the proctor. She had an uneasy expression on her face. "Alright, rules are as it goes, fight until one resigns!" The blonde glanced at Shira's expression before slowly counting down.
As Temari spoke, Tamako gleamed for information about her opponent, as she always does. If her memory serves her correct, Shira was incredibly good at Taijutsu, able to hold his own ground against newly inaugurated Gaara as Kazekage. His level now? Who knew.
Shira
Age: 12
Level: 27
Class: Civilian (Low Genin)
HP: 1,387
CP: 230
A young civilian who dreams of becoming a shinobi, despite his shortcomings. Right now he wishes to defeat the prodigy, Tamako.
"Start!"
Shiro charged first, as his only option was Taijutsu. With speed alone, it's quite impressive for his age group.
For Tamako? He could be moving at snail's pace and it wouldn't make a difference. He lacked experience. Punching a rock could only take you so far.
With a well-timed side step, she put most of her weight on the back of her heels and used the momentum to practically slam her leg brutally into his back.
He went flying into a boulder, and Tamako doesn't pull punches— err, kicks. Especially not in a fight like this. He wanted a lesson, and a lesson is one she'll grant.
An imprint of Shira's body was embedded into the boulder as he shakily rose, dust and small pebbles falling.
-580 HP!
"A-amazing. Just one kick and Shira went flying! His Taijutsu is amazing too! Just how strong is Tamako?"
Tamako didn't bother to glance at the voice, she already knew how far above she was with her peers. She trained until she passed out, every night. She had to, if she wanted to see the end of this story. The edge she has now will fade sooner than she'd like.
Finally, Shira got up and lunged forward with pure muscle, appearing at her side and attempted an ax kick straight down like a sledgehammer.
Two arms sprang up into an X and blocked the kick, and Tamako could really feel the weight from her joints.
Heck she sounded old—
She threw the leg with a push of both arms and roundhouse kicked his side, frowning when his arms blocked, but an audible crunch sounded the air, and Shira skidded to the side a few meters. Pain was visible through his face alone.
The distance had to be taken advantage of and Tamako threw an array of kunai and shuriken after him. They were all dodged with lunges, side steps, but they left wears and tears on his clothing.
He lunged down and tried to knock the girl off her feet with a low kick, but his movements were far too easy to read. Tamako jumped into the air and strained to be almost parallel to the ground before unleashing her own spin of the butterfly kick. Her first foot knocking his chin into the air and the second slamming into his solar plexus.
They always expect the first two, but the last two?
With chakra racing through veins and enforcing her limbs, she flipped her body twice, landing two more hits on Shira for the grand total of four consecutive kicks before softly landed in the ground and watched as his body soared through the sky.
Shira managed to block the first hit, but wasn't expecting the next three that transpired in fractions of seconds. Just because you know the first two hits were coming doesn't mean your body can naturally react to the hits. Added to her extra surprise, there was no way he would even dream of dodging it.
Shira coughed, all bruised up and his health bar right next to his name began to inch into red.
Anymore and she'll kill the kid.
Tamako smirked, hands on her hips, "That's all you got? I expect a bit more when someone challenges me!" Her blood was pumping, her fingers burning with heat from each punch. It felt good. He reacted to her attacks and responded accordingly, even throwing a few punches of his own. He was good for his bracket.
Sen bristled to the side as Yome grabbed her arm when she full on shouted, "Tamako! That's too far!"
"I..." Shira groaned, straining himself to get off his back and onto his two feet. "... want you to take me seriously."
Yome, who finally spoke up, cheeks puffed up stammering, "S-she wasn't going all out?"
Kankuro shrugged, his hands in his pockets before droning out, "She's barely putting any real effort into it. She hasn't even begun to use her Kekkei Genkai. All she's doing is whipping out the occasional cool taijutsu—WHICH, by the way—" He adds, frowning and looking at the ground, "—was kinda cool."
Tamako formed a single senbon and played with it, folding it between her fingers and letting it spin all around, "Can you handle it?"
The boy squints at her, the harsh sound beating down at him, "If I were to be defeated, I want to be through you going all out..."
Internally, Tamako just sighed. The match was a full beat down, there was no equal exchange, no competition. When an adult plays with a child, they would never go out, so why should she? It would be unfair for him, and her conscience couldn't handle it.
She snapped the senbon in half, watching it dissipate in the air. "Come back when you can prove yourself an equal." The girl crossed her arms and regarded the boy calmly. "You aren't bad, but I'm not a good opponent for you." With a twist to her heels, she nodded at his friends before blowing a kiss at Temari. "I'll see you later, dango next time?" After receiving a nod from the older girl, she shunshin back to her apartment, seeking out other worlds that could give her more of a challenge. It wasn't his fault, she just simply wasn't a normal kid, at least not on the inside.
Character Status
Name: Tamako
Class: The Gamer
Age: 10 Years Old
Title: Momma's Little Gem
Status: Happy. Normal
Level: 54
HP: 2,896 - HP Regen: 1.2 per 5 seconds
CP: 3,005- CP Regen: 1.3 per 5 seconds
Strength: 66
Vitality: 67
Wisdom: 65
Intelligence: 64
Dexterity: 73
Agility: 70
Luck: 55
Fame/Infamy: +50
Parents and Students whisper about you
Money: 65,290 ryo (6,529 USD)
Unspent Points: 26