When the break ended and school started up again, she knew, by the evil looks Sensei had thrown everyone on the first day back in class, that they were planning something.
And that something?
Survival Exercise.
Last year, over one-hundred students had failed, losing points on lack of common sense such as being poisoned, eating something poisonous, drinking unclean water, nearly freezing to death, drowning, falling in sandpits— those who fell to such stupid things were eliminated and deemed to need another repeat year. That was about thirty-six students, or, twelve teams.
The other twenty-one students? Beaten in battle without showcasing a lick of skill. Most of it was her fault.
But to be subjected once again to such boring exercises.. dear god she would rather be in lecture about chakra and history than this again.
"Alright everybody." Sensei had this eat-shit grin that sent shivers down Tamako's spine. Please please please—
"..Today we are going to have a fun activity." At the word fun, sensei's lips twitched. "We are going to separate everyone into groups of three, just like last year. Instead of the focus of survival, we are going to try something else."
Please, please please—
"I'll be announcing your teams based on performances, skill and balance."
NO.
As ranked one in the grade, her likely teammates will be the lowest in the class and someone in the mid-high. If we take Team 7 into consideration, Sasuke was put to balance the difference in skill between Naruto, the dead-last, and Sakura, the intelligence nerd who probably does sudoku for fun.
"Team 1: Katsumi, Morito Zenko, and Hoki Nanami
Team 2: Yamanoue Yoshimi, Inoue Itake and Kutsuna Takuma
Team 3: Asori Taya, Uta and Isaki Eriko
Team 4: Okasawa Aneko, Machi and Kiyoshi
Team 5: Tamako, Okura Kinji and Nakane Ginko."
There it was. Her deadlast, Okura Kinji.
"Everyone, please head outside to the training grounds, stay with your new group." Everyone complied with a few moans and groans, and soon enough, they had gathered outside with the other homerooms.
"Today we will be trying out team battles, that means you and teammates will have to work together to win. There will be three rounds. The first round will end when the sun hits noon."
"Uh sensei, before we start the rounds, could we talk to our teammates and devise plans?" A girl asked. Sensei nodded and continued,
"The first round will be 'Capture the Rag'. Each team will receive a small red rag that must be carried at all times visibly. You will be all fighting for each other's rags, once it is taken, you are out. The team with the most rags wins. The teams who still have their rags can continue to the next round." Soft murmurs and whispers were heard.
"You may talk to your teammates for 15 minutes."
She turned to her teammates before spitting out rapid questions, "Specialization, rank and other important relevant information we should know. Go."
Kinji answered first without wavering.
"My specialty would be a sensor and shuriken jutsu. I'm not so great in close-combat though. My rank is 78 out of 150. In class, I am ranked 30 out of 30"
Okay, so not complete deadlast in the grade, rather the class. She can work with that, a sensor is useful.
Tamako gestured at Ginko.
"My best would be traps and long-distance. I'm not that great at close-combat either. My rank is 23 out of 150 and in class would be 18 out of 30."
Traps are useful, he could be support. Working with two supports, however, may pose a slight problem. As the main damage dealer, she'll have to fight on the all the front while protecting the two from any incoming close-range dealer.
"I see." She paused for a slight moment before nodding, "I'll lead the main frontal assault and cover your backs as the two of you create openings for me via trap or coordination. Any trap is fine during battle. I'll be relying on Kinji to lead us to the right path and avoid any possible ambushes or risky paths."
Sensei spiked his chakra and gained everyone's attention. "To avoid anything happening like last year..." He narrowed his eyes at Tamako who innocently whistled, "There will be a five-minute grace period. No sabotaging." Sensei handed each group a rag. "Do what you wish with it. Separate yourself from everyone else and hide out, sure. Keep tabs on each team? Go for it."
Then right before he blew a whistle, "Ninjutsu is allowed."
Tamako grabbed her teammates by the shoulder and flickered, giving her group a head start before a true all-out could begin with Sensei grinning at the epicenter.
"There is a group southwest from here, if we go now, we can catch up to them in a couple minutes." A group had a similar idea as her, she noted. Running to gather one's wit before anyone could turn on them. She kept a steady pace, allowing the two to run beside her until she could sense the trio just up ahead.
Tamako signed in Suna standard, and he understood. Parting off to the side as Kinji ran beside her. At Ginko's signal, she seeped into the ground flowing lazily through the soft sand.
Doton: Headhunter Jutsu!
Her arm pierced through the sand to grab an unsuspecting foot, dragging the victim deep into the sand before she hardened it with a bit of suiton and a dash of doton. Shooting out from the sand, she waved an arm to send out an array of kunai to separate the other two.
As expected, both dash away from each other to dodge the onslaught of kunai, one falling for the trap Ginko had laid out earlier and the other to the left. With a spring of chakra, the girl launched herself forward to enter a battle with the lone female, who caught her blade with another kunai. A clash of iron with crystal let out a shriek of tension, but Tamako's strength at the eighties, she overpowered the girl and sent the kunai flinging.
With a kunai to the neck, and the other stuck in a pit of tar, she looked at the girl directly in the eye. "Rag?"
She disgruntledly handed over the red rag. "You should head back now." Then called out, "Ginko! Kinji! Let's head out now." She wrapped the rag around her shoulder underneath the other.
"There's another team north from here, it might take awhile to arrive."
"With Tamako here, there isn't a possible chance that we're going to fail the test. Plus, our little group here works pretty well" Ginko stated, looking off to the distance.
Kinji and Ginko somehow clicked together and were already best friends by the time the group spotted the team they've been looking for.
"I don't see why we can't use the same strategy as last time." She began, seeping into the ground, tearing through the resistance-less sand. It was nice being in the desert. Instead of using chakra to soften the ground, the sand held no resistance for her, making this jutsu nearly deadly and efficient.
Her head popped out of the ground to get a clear view of the unsuspecting group out behind the unaware team as chakra coursed through her arms. With a few hand seals, crystals formed.
"Shouton: Wide Range Shackles." The three fell on the floor, tripping against the sand as they were immobile with the shackles inhibiting their movement. One, however, grabbed an explosive seal and slapped it onto the crystal.
"Are you craz—'' It exploded, causing sand and dust to flood the entire proximity. It assaulted her eyes, making them water. Her arms naturally went out to shield herself from any possible debris, but when she opened her eyes, a green half-dome shielded her body from the impact.
[A skill has been created from the player's actions]
Shouton: Defensive Shield
- You can produce a shield automatically when in danger
+15 CP
Tamako waved away the crystal and took a look at the damage done. The boy and his team were all in similar condition, burn marks across their legs and arms, he's lucky that his limbs are intact.
Seriously, what kind of crazy person puts explosives on their body?
"Crazy fucker, what if you died? What if your teammates died?" She bent down and released her jutsu, putting two fingers on an unconscious girl, feeling for her pulse. The Shouton User waited with bated breath, sighed deeply when she felt a strong pulse before narrowing her eyes at the culprit.
"They didn't." He reasoned, biting out the remark as he hissed in pain.
"They could've!" She snatched the rag tied to the boy's leg, "I'll be taking this." Then tended to the girls' burns. Thank god she carried some aloe cream on her, that stuff was godsend and she always splurged for the Hoki Family's brand, it was far superior than the ones at the market. Using her extra bandages, she wrapped the girl's arms and legs after spreading the cream, all while glaring at her teammate who got all three into this mess. Her other teammate was also unconscious, having been flung several meters back and hit his head. She had propped him up on a nearby boulder. "Once one of your teammates wakes up, you should head back to the medical tents." Then left the clusterfuck behind.
No seriously, what kind of sane person does that?
While she mumbled out curses, Kinji led them east of where they were, citing that a group was nearby. If nearby meant more than a couple minutes before contact, then she was utterly confused. She couldn't feel any presence nor could she see a lick of them.
The ground was disturbed, a recent fight?
"Everyone, watch out... something doesn't feel right." Then her eyes widened. They were hiding their chakra!
"Don't mov—!"
Sand exploded, masses of dust lingered in the air making visibility null. "Shouton: Crystal Dome!" At her command, a dome formed around the group protecting them from any ambushes. It took a big chunk of her chakra, but it was better than being out there. Who knows what they'll throw with all that sand in the air.
She waited until the dust settled down before waving a finger to loosen the crystal's density, allowing the team to view exactly what was going on instead of putting them out like sitting ducks. There was a team near the dome, one of them even knocking against the dome to see how sturdy it exactly was.
She let the dome dissipate, puffing her cheeks up and spitting out, "Suiton: Water Pellet!" All three dispersed in different directions, three different fronts that she couldn't handle on her own. Dodging a fuuton ended up being the wrong choice as it snagged Kinji into the air.
"Fuuton: Levitation!" The enemy waved his hands and the airborne Kinji stuck in the air like a sitting duck. His other teammate sent a mass of kunai and shuriken at the defenseless boy, aiming to maim. Not a lot of options were opened so she slapped her hand together, "Shouton: Defensive Shield!" The projectiles made a thunk noise against the dense shield before reforming into senbon that launched themselves at the fuuton user. The enemy who held Kinji hostage, released the jutsu to dodge the senbon, the airborne boy was quickly turning to a quickly plummeting one.
With a quick shunshin, Tamako caught him before he could splatter and stain the sand before shunshin again to the ground. Letting him go, she nodded at the boy before slamming her hands to the ground. "Doton: Mud Slide!" The sand wettened before flowing rapidly towards the fuuton user who shot back another counter jutsu.
"Fuuton: Deflection Blast!" It was strong enough to send the wet sand spraying into the air and landing harmlessly on the ground just opposite of him. Then with puffed up cheeks, he spat out, "Fuuton: Gale Surge!" The flying senbon were sent flying to the air before it recourse back to the boy.
Never underestimate homing projectiles, and the senbon met their destination, piercing the fuuton user like a porcupine.
The last teammate, who was in the middle of dodging a series of explosives that kept exploding at his feet, resigned, throwing the rag wrapped around his wrist. "Alright alright! Here."
That, was the most intensive ninjutsu exchange she'd ever had. Her reserves definitely did not like it, but it was fun. She glanced at the porcupine-d boy, and nodded with respect. He was good. But she was better.
Ginko supported Kinji with his arm around his shoulder as the two staggered up to the younger girl, amidst tying the fourth rag. Feeling the strange texture, she shot a surge of chakra into the item, watching the genjutsu it was encased in.
She dropped the offending fabric and held out her hand. "Rag?"
Silently, the real rag was dropped into her palm. "It's getting quite late. We should probably head back." The sun was almost at the center of the sky. At her words, both boys nodded, Kinji nursing his right leg that he had probably sprained early on.
At the sight of the boy being supported by Ginko, she mused, how cute.
. . .
Eventually, they arrived at a sea of students, both with rags or lacking.
Sensei coughed, "Alright everyone, out of the 50 teams, only 28 teams passed. Congratulations." Small claps were heard.
"The team with the most rags is... Katsumi, Morito Zenko, and Hoki Nanami! Congrats! You obtained 6 rags!"
There was a murmur of confusion as the team cheered together, fist bumping each other. She wasn't upset, she wasn't on that team, but rather she was pleased with what had happened. That exchange would be a core memory from here on out
She naturally tuned out whatever rumors that began to spread and focused her attention on Sensei.
"Moving on! The next round will be team battles. Can Team 1 and Team 5 step up?"
Tamako glanced at the enemy team, noting their stats and levels.
An excited murmur of noises sounded out as the six stepped up
"Ooh, this is going to be great."
"Rules are, you can use tai, gen, and nin. While fighting, all attacks must not be fatal!"
"Tamako! You better not go easy on me" Nanami shouted, crackling her knuckles before digging low into her defensive stance.
"Riiight..." Rolling her eyes, "I never do."
"3"
'Observe'
Hoki Nanami
Level: 28
Age: 12
Class: Academy Student (Low Genin)
HP: 1,100
CP: 980
An aspiring medical kunoichi. She is quite skilled in her age group in Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu. She is average in Ninjutsu and is only capable of dispelling small Genjutsu. She admires Tamako's ability and understands that the relationship between the two still stay stagnant.
She hates how the world views women as weak, and want's to prove them wrong and become a combat medic.
She also admires Senju Tsunade, for her medical ninjutsu prowess and her capability to destroy mountains with one punch.
"2"
Morito Zenko
Level: 15
Age: 12
HP: 850
CP: 820
In the beginning, he was just a bully, this however faded and now respects his peers when Hoki Nanami beat him in a spar. Due to this, he developed a small crush on her but hides it well with continuous arguing.
He is skilled in Ninjutsu and is above average in Taijutsu, however, his Genjutsu is terrible. In fact, if trapped in one, he could never get out of it without any help.
"1"
Katsumi
Level: 13
Age: 12
HP: 1,005
CP: 590
An orphan who was in the same orphanage as Tamako years ago. He watched afar as Tamako continuously impressed his peers and others. It was hard for him to get any attention due to the girl taking it all.
With some convincing and training in his taijutsu, he was accepted into the Academy and put into a lower class. As years went by, he slowly got into high-tier classes, and wound up in the top class bracket, which included children from important families, clans or highly skilled individuals.
He doesn't hold anything ill against Tamako, although he does desire to beat her team and prove himself.
"Start!"
Katsumi was the first to act, running in with a first at the ready. She's never seen such disregard for one's safety nor did she really understand the boy's intention. It's called a team battle for a reason. Nevertheless, she caught his risky mid punch and twisted her body to land a solid kick to the side, the boy grunting before being set aside a few meters.
-50 HP!
With a quick flicker, she appeared to his side, arm coated with chakra before launching it at his solar plexus. He bent forward like a broken sheet of metal and she flung his body to the side.
Sensei caught him before he could really get any distance and the medic nearby was already on him.
She cracked her knuckles and grinned, "What's next?"
Ginko threw himself into the action, throwing out an array of traps, ready to explode at any given moment.
Zenko reacted with a handful of shuriken thrown at the younger girl's way, and charged in with Nanami close behind him. He pulled out a kunai and slashed it with both frantics and timed movements. It was unpredictable, but it would be pretty suspicious she got out scot-free so she left him with a few scratches to her clothes. She was supposed to be tired after the last exercise.
With her bandaged arm, she blocked a stray kunai with her tanto, leaning against it to overpower him with her mighty STR, then she one-hand signed several times, face puffing up at the same time.
"Watch out! Suiton!" Nanami shouted.
"Suiton: Water Pellets!" She spat the bullets, watching a few land their target and staggering the boy, leaving Nanami to rush in to retrieve him before he could take any more damage. She lifted a hand that glowed green.
At her call, Ginko saluted, pulling on a wire which sprung out a huge boulder. Where did he got it exactly? Who knows. It swung towards the duo, Nanami taking action by shoving the boy out of the way and throwing her body to the other side.
It was looking pretty bad for Team 1, with a bit more prodding, the two were down for the taking.
"Winner! Team 5!"
At the call, Tamako backed down, letting the tanto disperse into chakra and moving to the side to let the next team go up.
"Team 3 and Team 9 please step up."
The match up was pretty simple, Team 3 had a mid-long range attacker while Team 9 focused religiously on close-combat.
After a few sprawls, some jutsu making their rounds, it finally left four remaining teams left on the battlefield.
Sensei had taken a quick glance to the sky and declared a free-for-all due to time constraints and let twelve students wreck havoc. Stray fuuton and doton littered the area, some nonparticipants even got injured when stray jutsus ended up aiming for them instead. It was very poorly unplanned and she could see the disgruntled look on some sensei's face.
All in all, the entire exercise was more of a game than an exercise to Tamako, so she let everything run its course, showing up to random intervals to throw a punch or two before sending someone out of bounds.
"Ginko. Traps all set?" He nodded and Tamako slammed her hands to the ground, "Doton: Rock Throw!" Tiny rocks formed into tiny fists and aimed at the remaining teams. The rocks were aiming in a certain way, leading the unknowing team to land on several pits, some catching on quickly and formed a fuuton barrier to jump over the trap.
She wasn't really sure where Kinji went, hopefully Ginko was taking care of him. She let crystal streak into the air and grabbed ahold of the last enemy.
"Winner! Team 6!"
. . .
All things considered, the final survival exam was actually a lot of fun. She got a ton of experience fighting Ninjutsu users, met some handy taijutsu moves and incorporated them into her own style and saw a lot of cool fuuton users. It was a shame it wasn't her element, once she had better chakra control and got to know her chakra more intimately, she could probably pull a few C-Rank fuuton jutsu.
But now that the year was wrapping up and she was facing her impending doom as a newly minted Suna Genin, there was still one last hurdle to pass. Most students got their extra-curricular requirement by attending after-school clubs or finding a mentor to sign off their slips but Tamako, unfortunately, was not given any slips by Rasa and always left class as soon as it ended so she never ended up doing the requirements.
At the current time, she was unable to graduate.
And that sucked a lot.
Her sensei gave her three options:
1. Attend twenty meetings at a school ordained club.
2. Spend forty hours at the cypher division as an apprentice
3. Take 10 E-Ranks over the course of the current semester.
It was easy to choose.
Of course she took the 10 E-Ranks, there was no way she was going to be ordered around by paper-pushers doing their grunt work and there was no way she was going to attend the Academy's clubs, and while useful, really didn't fit her repertoire. Thankfully, she was able to collect three signatures from three Academy sensei, two of them being her previous ninjutsu instructor and one being her homeroom sensei, and set off on her first E-Rank mission. These types of missions had D-Rank difficulty but often focused on the utility around the village. Repairing defenses, caring for the scorpion farm, running hospital supply checks, those sorts of things.
Her's was an outside excursion with two other genin and a chunin leader to check on the underground pipes. Apparently parts of District 6 have reported lack of running water and they had to go check on what was going on. The Chunin was only added to the mission once Tamako figured out that the water hadn't been flowing even in the outskirts of Distract 7, which gave reason for the sudden outside excursion.
While going outside excited her very much since she's been trapped in this Village for nearly eleven years, they forgot to mention that the two genin had no expertise in either suiton, doton or even knew how pipes work. In fact, she used her suiton inclination to even figure out that the pipes hadn't had any running water. The two were about to dig up a massive hole to check themselves, and that would be incredibly inefficient.
Tamako was supposed to shadow the chunin, but watching the poor guy doing everything at once was incredibly sad.
"If you don't mind, I can perform the doton jutsu, Earth Tremor Sense." She offered.
Immediately, the chunin grinned, wiping tears from his eye as he nodded. "You do? Oh thank god." Then narrowed his eyes at the sweating genin. "I can't believe the two of you signed up for this, what do you think this is? A free ticket outside?" He shook his head.
With practiced motions, Tamako signed and placed a palm to the ground, sending her chakra in waves as she mapped out the ground underneath. Her chakra pulsed as she closed her eyes, forming a mental map and furrowed her brows. The pipes looked fine, other than the fact that there wasn't any running water.
"The damage must be further along near the oasis, they seem undamaged here." She blinked, releasing her palm before staring expectantly at the Chunin.
He nodded at her, and signed a few times, sand blowing in the air at his ministrations before he offered her a look. "Looks like this'll take a bit longer. Hope you packed yourself a cloak, we might be back by dark."
Oh great.
. . .
E-Rank missions didn't pay her, and instead were converted into her official record, which was pretty cool since now she had experience without even graduating. A huge plus. On more important matters, the final exam was finally here.
All those pointless exercises, practice and fake missions were over. Canon was here.
The test was simple, make a few bunshin here, transform into that, do an obstacle course over there and rock climb all the way up there. The hardest part was showing proficiency in at least one specialization and basic understanding of a second. Simple enough and easy for her. She showed off her Ninjutsu of doton, suiton and shouton before engaging her sensei in a small battle using her tanto. And finally, she received her hard-earned Hiatate after six long years.
She chose the Hiatate with black fabric, tying it to her forehead and bowed at her proctor.
[You've gained a new nickname!]
[Granted Title: Sand Genin]
[Effects: +5% DMG while fighting on home terrain]
"You passed! Of course, you passed! Tomorrow is the last day of the Academy, then we get a team and go on missions!" Nanami squealed before looking around. "Where's Uta?"
"He is still testing." Someone muttered back.
"Oh okay. I hope we all get into the same team, that'll be fun." Nanami said while touching the cloth of her forehead protector. She placed it onto her neck where it hangs. Her eyes brightened,
"Uta! Here!" Uta walked towards the girls with a protector in hand. "Where are you going to put it?"
"On my forehead."
"Alright, everyone! Congratulations! You are the shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato! Tomorrow, please come to the homeroom for your team placements. You are dismissed." Sensei waved and poofed into smoke, probably ecstatic that he's finally passed a graduating class.
"Tamako, we should go celebrate!"
The girl wrinkled her nose, "Sorry, I gotta pass."
"Awe, what for?"
She had to go and engage herself with Dango, please and thank you.
. . .
"Team 1 is Uta, Machi, and Kiyoshi
Team 2 is Hoki Nanami, Nakane Ginko, and Morito Zenko
Team 3 is Katsumi, Yamanoue Yoshimi, Isaki Eriko
Team 4 is Adachi Raidon, Tamako, and Okasawa Aneko"
Four is a very... lucky number. That stupid number seems to be following her all the damn time.
Okasawa Aneko
Level: 15
Age: 14
Class: Low Genin
HP: 850
CP: 980
A kunoichi who specializes in raiton. One of her ancestors came from the Lightning Country, allowing her to inherit that trait. She greatly admires Kakashi of the Sharingan for his prowess on Ration.
She heard of Raikiri, which was named when Hatake Kakashi split a lightning bolt in half. She wishes to witness it herself.
Adachi Raidon
Age: 12
Level: 25
Class: Academy Student
HP: 1,450
CP: 1,620
An Academy Student who is ahead of his class, but not up to the level of the User. He has a small budding crush on Tamako since first year and decided to gain her affections by training. He is currently second in Taijutsu, fourth in Ninjutsu and tenth in Academics.
His dream is for Tamako to acknowledge his strength and fight beside her.
[Suitable Lover Interest]
The girl honestly couldn't believe that it was still a thing. It was.. weird, since she was technically way older, at least mentally. To her, he was just a kid, a bright one at the most.
As time rolled by, Jonin stopped by to collect their students and left as that.
"Team 5?" Three kids walked away
"Team 8?" Another three whisked away.
It wasn't until ten minutes later, her sensei arrived.
"Team 4? You're coming with me." The sensei in question wasn't much. He was incredibly average and would blend into a crowd if you blinked. Guess she didn't get any special privilege or the what-not for a named-Jounin. Not that this Jounin was unnamed, after all, all Jounin make up only a small twenty-percent of the entire shinobi force, with most of the bulk being chunin and genin. Achieving the rank of Jounin meant that the shinobi in name has the skills to become top-tier shinobi. Even if he looked incredibly average, he must have something up his sleeves to be promoted. He was probably ex-ANBU for all she knew, those guys were so forgettable.
Still, it was a bit of a shame. She was secretly hoping for Rasa to show up and take her under his wing and leave the other two in literal dust, gold if necessary. "On the roof." He flickered away.
And just like that, he left the wide-eyed genin alone. Tamako just sagged into her seat, getting up to pry the window open and escaped.
"Why didn't you just use the stairs?" Her sensei asked, leaning against the railing and she slowly walked parallel to the building, grabbing the railing with two arms and heaved herself over it.
"Why should I when there's a window?"
He laughed and ushered the girl to sit down, crossing his arms as the rest of her team filed in shorty after her. "The name's Kaito. Just Kaito. You can call me Kaito-sensei though. My specialty is Taijutsu, and as all Jounin are, versed in Ninjutsu." He pointed at the other girl to continue, and so Aneko spoke next.
"My name is Okasawa Aneko, you may call me Aneko. I specialize in raiton based attacks that I incorporate in my Taijutsu."
Raidon opened his mouth and continued. "My name is Adachi Raidon, just call me Raidon. My specialty is Taijutsu and shuriken jutsu."
Clearly, her team was meant to be close front-liners, all four members were well versed in close-ranged. "Tamako, no surname. I specialize in Shouton, Doton, Suiton, and kenjutsu." She nodded at Kaito-sensei who whistled out appreciatively.
"You must be that girl everyone's talking about. With that rare kekkei genkai of yours, I'm pretty sure you'll do well in the Shinobi world."
She saluted lazily.
"Saate." He began, clapping his hands together, "Before we do fun stuff like missions, I need you all to take a test. Particularly, my test." On unison, her two teammates groaned, sagging into themselves.
"You just gotta land three hits on me to pass or disable my movements. Easy. It's to gauge your skill-level so I can plan around it." He yawned before continuing, "I'll be fighting at a Chunin-level, so don't fret. We'll begin once we arrive at training ground 4." He got up and jumped off the roof, the three following him like ducklings.
While hopping through the rooftops, Tamako spoke softly, "If we work together, those three hits should be easy,"
"Isn't that the whole point of teams? Working together?" Aneko asked.
"Supposedly. That is the point of a four-man cell." Hell, her team was smarter than Team 7 already! Maybe being in a team with a few kids wasn't so bad after all.
They arrived at the barren training ground, spouting a desert field and a few stray boulders here and there. Once everyone's feet touched the ground, she launched herself forward, tanto in hand. Kaito-sensei bobbed and weaved back and forth, pulling out a kunai to stop the girl maiming him.
"Now now, we have all day, no need to get started right away." He grinned at her as the iron between his fingers screeched obnoxiously against her own blade. Without warning, he put more strength into the stalefold, knocking her blade to the side.
"Shinobi strike without hesitation." She responded, holding up her tanto sideways to block a hearty kick. Skidding back, she slammed a foot to the ground, a chunk of rock rising into the air which she punched forward with a straight, sending the rock hurtling towards Kaito.
While Kaito-sensei dealt with her fast approaching projectile, she activated her skill to observe the man ahead of her.
Kaito
Level: 350
Age: 25
Class: Jonin
HP: 18,500
CP: 20,005
An average Suna Jonin, well versed in the arts of the Shinobi with a large focus on close-combat. He holds absolute hatred for the Ichibi and its container due to one of the current Jinchūriki's outburst several years ago killed his then wife. Mention the Ichibi, consider yourself running a couple miles or so.
Currently has a civilian fiancé, however, usually these kinds of relationship don't last long with him. It seems that Kaito is getting sick of her. It seems he fancies Team 2's sensei.
He is skilled in Taijutsu and could identify most Genjutsu. He could work on his Ninjutsu and increase his repertoire.
Possible Skills: Shouton: Trapping Needles, Shouton: Shackles, Doton: Headhunter Jutsu.
If he's skilled with taijutsu, usually direct combat should be avoided. She tested him out earlier, and true to his words he managed his level around mid-chunin. It shouldn't matter too much.
Raidon snuck around Sensei and launched a high kick to his head, Kaito easily blocking with one hand. With the momentum he gained from the kick, he twisted his body around to launch another fist and again, was countered with another palm.
Aneko stood by, forming a few hand-signs, her body flickering with raiton chakra and shot forward. Kaito threw the other boy aside to deal with the girl, grabbing her by the wrist to stop her at the very last second. And just as quickly as he grabbed her, he let go, hand twitching uncontrollably.
That's one.
With the two distracting Kaito head-on and her senbon lazily targeting him, she sunk to the ground and bottled up her chakra to her core. Slithering around in the ground and letting her truly feel like the mole rat she is. Her fist pierced through the ground and landed a solid strike to his chin. Or, what she thought was solid when he was replaced with a boulder.
"After him!" She shouted, springing into the air and letting crystal fill the air. It ate up the sky and its one goal was to turn Kaito into a pincushion. All three leapt, using the aid of the senbon to find openings.
"Alright, alright." Kaito spoke, raising both arms, "I'll admit the three of you are above what I initially thought. Let's not get too crazy with the senbon, okay? Congratulations on becoming Genin of the Sand."
He paused, dusting his flak jacket before staring at the dead in the eye. "We start our first mission tomorrow! Dismissed!"
. . .
Running through mundane tasks such as restocking hidden dunes and relieving other team's of patrol was in the full norm. Cleaning up town, assisting in paperwork and even sharpening kunai was all the norm. Then, out of nowhere, instead of the usual secretary informing them of their next task, they were called to the Kazekage's office.
"Team 4, you are assigned to protect this merchant until he arrives in Konohagakure. Once he reaches there, your mission is over. This is a C-rank. You have four weeks to complete." Rasa handed the scroll to Kaito, who nodded.
"Hai, Kazekage-sama," They all said in unison.
"Kazekage-sama, can these kids really protect me? They seem a bit.. young. " The merchant sent uneasy glances.
"This team is more than enough, we Suna Shinobi send out regular patrols on the main road, you shall find little to no bandits. Even so, our most promising Genin is here to guard you." Rasa stared at the man, daring him to say so otherwise before adding helpfully, "My trusted Jounin will also accompany you, if that eases your worry."
"Y-yes. We leave at noon, please meet at the exit." The merchant spoke nervously, his eyes spanning back and forth before walking out of the office with a stutter to his gait.
Team 4 all bowed to Rasa and left the Kazekage Tower with higher hopes since graduation.
"Woohoo! Finally, another C-Rank! No more chores!" Raidon whooped into the air with Aneko grinning back.
"I won't be surprised once we get back, we get another D-rank." Tamako deadpanned. "I'll see you two later, I need to pack." Without another word, she shunshin away, arriving at her small dainty apartment. As much as she liked her team, she hasn't really bonded with them, per say. They were nice, worked well together but she just couldn't see herself opening up to the two. They were immature, as all children were, and Kaito-sensei often treated them as a baby-sitting project instead of actual students, spending more time watching than teaching.
Although, the man did have a cruel streak. Many times he cut down bandits and the like in the most grotesque and bloody way he could. Aiming for stray arteries and sending blood splattering around his kunai in an arc, staining the sand as it sizzled from the hot sun. The smell of metallic had always disgusted her, especially in the way it cooked on contact.
Kaito always seemed to have extra fun on those days, even if the rest of his charge looked squeamish. But after two more C-Rank missions, her teammates had gotten used to Kaito's antics and the smell, though Tamako would probably never like his showy use of blood. He seemed to use it like paint.
She shook her head at the thoughts, drawing her attention back on task.
She could technically throw her necessities into her inventory, but that's so incredibly suspicious. So she opted for a sealing scroll that she received during a dungeon raid all those years back. A few changes of clothes there, extra rations and water, and she was done. She eyed the black gloves and extra set of senbon she'd been soaking in a solution she concocted, and threw them in her scroll. Who knows, maybe she'll ruin her bandages and would need the gloves, and maybe she'll be low on chakra and the poisoned senbon would come in handy.
. . .
"It takes two weeks to get to Konoha in civilian speed, why did Kazekage-sama give up an additional two weeks?" Tamako pondered, peering up to Kaitso as he gave her a bland look.
"Don't question him, I don't even know." Sensei replied as he looked around ignoring her.
Some Jonin you are.
The cargo they had to protect alongside their client was roughly two horse pulleys and a few workers under contract with said client. It was a quiet job, with joint-effort of both Konoha and Suna, the main road between the two villages was often patrolled and safe. It was so quiet, even as they passed the familiar sand dunes yesterday and could see a vast forest ahead.
It was, in Tamako's fair opinion, the worst climate she's ever been in. Sure, Suna has a lot of things left undesirable with its hot heat and heat-stroke weather 24/7 but this? The Hi no Kuni was hot, not in the hot the way Suna was with its hot dry air. The Land of Fire was hot and wet. Every time she breathed, the moisture entered her lungs, it stuck to her clothes and everything felt sticky.
Raiden looked absolutely miserable and Aneko looked like she was about to end it all. With a wet towel in hand she wiped her forehead and glared straight ahead. Kaito-sensei looked like he was about to pester the girl before he froze.
A quick glance at the trees around them, and sudden lack of birds and rustling of critters was all she needed. "Get ready." She murmured, forming hand signs slowly as if she was stretching her fingers.
Bandits swarmed the area, dropping from the trees, out of the grass and weapons in hand. "Shouton: Wide Range Needle Trap!" She bent down and slapped both hands to the ground, crystal growing at the legs of each bandit in her vicinity and encasing their lower body.
Kaito-sensei engaged a few who were out of Tamako's range while her teammates stood guarding the client with kunais at the ready.
A few thunks and a couple bandits hit the ground, Kaito-sensei signaling that everyone was fine. Tamako walked forward to the highest level, Level 31 and pulled out the local bingo book. Flipping through the pages before exclaiming, "Oooh, sensei!" She tapped the page with her finger, "Page 273"
Kaito leaned over and nodded, "Hm, seal him for now."
"Okay~" She sang back.
Forming the necessary seals for her only sealing technique, her teammates gathered the rest of the bandits and eliminated them, burning their corpse on the side of the road. Her chakra slithered out of her body and encased the bounty before crystal encased him full. Sealing him in another scroll she had just in case, the bounty was safely in her pouch
Was it cruel to burn those Bandits without a fair trial? This is what they were trained to do. While these bandits pillage border villages, shinobi served to eliminate and protect. They cannot leave these bandits to go off and start the cycle all over again.
. . .
The large red gate was finally sighted after a long two week trip at civilian pace. They were stopped by the gate guards who Kaito dealt with, showing them a few identifications and mission details before they were let in.
They said their goodbyes to the client and his group before Kaito went off after a quick lecture of, "Don't cause an international problem" probably to the Hokage Tower or something for official reasons, they are foreign shinobi on home ground. There was probably ANBU watching their every movement since they were a few miles from the Village.
Konohagakure no Sato was, to say frankly, large. It was a maze for security reasons and at any point she could look up at the mountains to see the Hokage Monument. It was strange, really. An out of the body experience because she has been waiting for so long for this moment. Now that she's here where it all began, she didn't feel excitement, awe or even fear.
Although, she did feel a bit hungry.
"I heard Konoha's BBQ is to die for," Tamako suggested, as the three walked down the main street filled with vendors, sweet smelling deserts and even passing by the infamous Ichiraku Ramen Shack.
"No sight-seeing? I've always wanted to know what the other villages look like."
"Eating food is sight-seeing, immersing ourselves in the culture and food—" Aneko stopped Raidon's rambling with glare.
. . .
"Alright my YOUTHFUL rival! Whoever eats the most meat wins!" The table in question was so loud and so green it was painfully hard not to look and just stare. The iconic Green Beast and his silver gravity-defying hair rival were a sight to behold.
"Holy shit, Aneko, your role model is here." Tamako nudged the girl and gestured to the table beside them. Even she was excited because oh my god it's Kakashi! She snapped her neck towards the onyx eyed girl, then to the table beside us.
Aneko's face brightened. "The Hatake Kakashi is eating BBQ right next to us!?" She stared at Kakashi before getting stony faced. "Should I do it?"
"Yes."
"No."
Aneko stood up as Raiden frantically shook his head while Tamako frantically nodded.
"Excuse me..."
"Hmm?" Kakashi turned around and stared at her lazily. That lazy look was far from lazy despite how hooded his one eye was. It flickered to Aneko's forehead protector, attire and even the table she came from. How calculative, it was exactly what Tamako expected from a Jounin of Kakashi's caliber. She was sure he had already figured out their specialties just by a single look, probably looking at their pouches, estimating the heaviness and eyeing their palms.
"You must be Kakashi of the Sharingan, right?" He nodded, then suddenly Aneko bowed 90 degrees and held out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Please sign this! I greatly admire your skill!"
"How youthful you are? Kakashi! You must sign for this fair lady!"
Fuck I'm jealous!
"Ehh?" He scratched his head. "Alright" He took her pen and wrote his full name rather sloppily "Here you go" He handed it back to her. Aneko squealed and sat back down with her group, rubbing shoulders with the other girl as she proudly displayed the piece of paper.
"Wah, you're lucky~" Tamako sang, staring at the paper with a gleam as she ate a few slices of pork belly. She was right, Konoha had the best BBQ of them all. Suna's dry spiced BBQ style was good, but nothing could beat the fattiness that was high quality pork. She hasn't even gotten to Konoha's infamous beef yet! Before she could tackle the goodness called food, a voice caught her attention.
"Excuse me, but do you all happen to be Sunagakure shinobi?"
She froze mid bite, eyeing Aneko's starstruck look and Raidon's opened mouth that was ready to ruin international relationships and took upon the task to save canon. "Ah, yes, we've completed a mission and now taking a small break," Tamako replied swiftly, fingers slowly going inching into the insides of her jacket, ensuring she didn't alarm the Jounin in front of her, and pulled out her papers.
Holy crap, The Hatake Kakashi, talking to her, Future Rokudaime Hokage. The future sensei of the second generation Sannin.
"Ah never mind..." He turned away after a quick scan of the official document.
No! I'm missing my chance!
Before she could say another word, Kakashi eye-smiled at Guy, "Looks like my break is over, I'll see you next time." And poofed away.
She could hear Guy shouting in the distance about his hip and cool rival as she lamented, placing more slices of pork belly onto the burner and pouting. The sizzling of the meat and the smell wafting up helped her mood as she munched on the cooked pieces. She hummed in delight, wiping her lips from the grease. "This is good."
Raidon groaned in agreement, "This is probably the fattiest thing I've ever eaten." He grabbed a piece with his chopsticks, waving it around. "Look at this thing, I could probably make a mirror from all this grease!"
"Bleh." Aneko stuck out her tongue and gave Raidon a look. "Stop playing with your food, and don't wave that around!"
. . .
"That was the best day in my life. Not only we had good BBQ, we met Kakashi of Sharingan!" Aneko gushed. Tamako nodded with equal enthusiasm, while the interaction was short, with mostly the older man dismissing them as recent graduates on a side-propaganda mission to introduce Suna's young and bright (and very unstained) to Konoha grounds as a way to disseminate Suna's stereotypes as creepy poison masters and puppet creators. It did not work on the Hatake, as he quickly dismissed them after learning of their names. No doubt will search them up later on.
"I don't see what's so great about that old man."
"Raidon, he's not old, he's younger than sensei." I laughed
"What? No way! He has gray hair!"
"Silver." Tamako chimed in. "Definitely silver."
Raidon crossed his arms and grumbled, "Whatever."
"Anyway, now what?"
Tamako pondered a bit, clasping her hands behind her back as they walked before she spotted a small Dango Stand. Her eyes glinted and a cheshire grin slowly graced her features. There's always room for dessert. "How about we stop by the stand?" She rubbed her hands and licked her lips. "Everyone always says that Suna's dango is subpar, I wonder how Konoha's is."
Without taking a look back to see if her teammates were following, she ordered at the stand, "Hmm, can I get a plate of anko, mitarashi and hanami dumplings?"
The old lady gave her a grin, "No problem, do you want tea with it?"
Tamako gave her a small nod, "House-blend please."
"Coming right up!"
She took a seat at the offered bench, blinking when her teammates sat beside her. "You and your dango obsession..."
"Sweets are good for one's soul." Tamako eloquently put, cupping the hot cup of tea and taking delicate sips. She could taste some subtle elements of Suna spices, but the main feature was imports from the Land of Tea. Definitely good, she'll have to pick up some tea leaves and flowers before they leave. Maybe she could do her own experimentation, tea-making is one of her hobbies outside of training and eating.
She carefully held her plates of dango, narrowing her eyes when both of her teammates took one plate, leaving her with mitarashi plate. "What the hell?" She muttered, taking a bite as she watched her teammates start consuming her dango. She paid for those!
Before she could open her mouth to protest, a soft rumbling of what seemed like an incoming stampede was comically making their way.
"Do you hear that?" Raidon asked, pausing from sipping his tea. It was hard not to hear, it was attention grabbing in the wrong way.
Tamako's never seen an earthquake before, and since Konoha was a little ways away from the tectonic plates she was just a little worried."Doton: Earth Tremor Sense" Tamako placed her palm onto the ground before her eyes closed. "There are only two chakra signatures coming this way, like a stampede." She stood back up pausing before shrugging, sitting back on the bench between her two teammates. Probably nothing to worry about.
"Wonder what's happening." She pondered, cradling her hot green tea in her palm as she rested a plate of dango on her lap. Truly, Konoha did not disappoint. Their dango was so soft and chewy, its texture so much richer than the ones back home. Was it because of their close proximity to the Land of Rice? They were two-for-two, and Tamako looked highly on food. Maybe once she reached old-age, she would retire in Hi no Kuni.
Before she could take another bite to savor the soft goodness, two girls stampeded, quickly sprinting across the streets as they pushed and shoved each other, almost tripping in the process as they yelled insults and pushed their foreheads close to each other with an angry expression. They were so bright, and so very loud.
One girl had the strangest hair she'd ever seen, it looked like cotton candy floss, so pink and so very pretty. She had these green eyes, greener than the forest she spent a week frolicking in. Haruno Sakura in real life was pretty as a fae.
The other had platinum blonde hair, long and pretty, silky and tied up high on her head with a large strand covering one eye. She too, was very pretty with her baby-blue eyes, even if they were pupil-less, it didn't do anything but bring out her pale features even more. Yamanaka Ino had this progressive modern hime look to her.
It was safe to say that these two girls were probably the prettiest girls her age that she'd ever seen.
And clearly, Raidon thought the same. He placed his cup down and stared silently without words.
Aneko snapped an arm forward, docking him in the back of the head.
"Ow!" He rubbed his head and glared back. "What was that for!?"
"Stop staring! This is Konoha! Not Suna!"
Raidon growled back, "That's the point! Who knows when we'll be back! I nigh' time I look around the local—"
Aneko smacked the boy one last time, "Say that again, I dare you!"
The boy whimpered pathetically, cradling his head.
Then the older girl finally glanced a look at whatever caught her male teammate's attention, eyes trailing at their features before turning to her last teammate. "I didn't know pretty girls like you came in spades. What the hell is Konoha feeding their kids?" She grumbled, her teeth snapping at her dango as she narrowed her eyes at them. "Their hair is so silky looking, I wonder if it's all that Konoha water... then again..." Then the older girl smirked, her lips into a sneer as the two younger girls snapped at each other. "This environment is incredibly different from Sunagakure, acting like the banshees of Earth."
Well, even if the girls were pretty as they were, they certainly weren't acting like it. They pulled at each other's faces and hair, faces pulled into snarls as they yapped at each other.
Tamako gave them a fond look, "Oh, they're just young and naïve. Let kids act like kids."
Aneko's eyebrow rose as she squinted at her teammate. "They must be around your age, right?"
Aneko was fourteen, almost fifteen as she failed her Genin test and opted to be reinstated back into the Academy to try her hand again for a Genin cell-squad. There were just more benefits and passing the exam meant she was at least on the Chunin-track, if not Jounin-track.
Raidon was a little luckier, with the skills to back it up. He passed on his first try and trained with his peers and was a fellow peer to Tamako who was put on the accelerated track with a few others. Tamako wondered what her fellow peers were doing. Were they doing grunge work at the Poison Division? Or were they tinkering with the Puppet Brigade?
"They seem like it." Tamako replied, crossing her arms and smiling. "I wonder how Konoha's Academy curriculum compares to Suna's. You think it would be a State Secret?"
Aneko gave her a bland look. "Don't even try it. Not unless you want to end up at Konoha's infamous TI."
Tamako was sixty percent sure [Gamer's Mind] made her immune to the Yamanaka's Mind Walk, but she wasn't willing to test out her theory. "Maybe you're right..."
Before she could pester Aneko again, the girls rushed past their bench so fast that her teammate wasn't fast enough to grab her tea cup a little tighter. "AGH!" Tamako snapped her head towards the sound it came from, watching as Aneko groaned at the spilled tea.
"I'm going to kill those brats." She flickered away.
"This is going to be good." Then Raidon flickered away.
Clapping her hands together and looking at the sky, praying, "Sorry sensei, we're going to create an international incident by killing a civilian girl and the Yamanaka heiress." Tamako flickered after them, settling onto a nearby tree and watched like a lazy cat.
"Hey, you!" Aneko growled, her palms on her hips as she bared her teeth at the two younger girls.
"What do you want?!" The pair screamed, still huffing and puffing at each other.
"Don't you two have a sense of what's going around you two? Causing such a scene, it's bothering everyone else!"
"Excuse me? Bothering someone?" Ino scoffed, arms crossing, "Take a lot at yourself, you are bothering me, I'm in the middle of something!" She looked at Aneko up and down and smirked, "Besides, someone like you, unkept and unaware, should stand back for something like me." The blonde finished and patted her chest with a smirk, her other hand swishing past her hair to bring attention to both her hair and eyes.
Sakura, however, nudged Ino. "What is its forehead?" Ino snarked out, eyes following along with her finger. Her eyes narrowed at the insignia of the girl. "What are Sand Shinobi doing in Konoha?"
"Oh, don't mind us." Raidon grinned at them. "We've just finished a mission escorting a merchant to Konoha. We're just taking a break before heading back to Suna." Raidon gave them an easy smile, gripping Aneko's wrist in an iron grip.
Tamako thought that Aneko was usually the more politically inclined of Team 4, but clearly, it was her. Before the two could really start anything, Tamako flickered behind the duo and placed both hands on each other's shoulders. "Raiden. Aneko, that's enough."
"But Tamako! They insulte—"
"Yes, it's a shame that Konoha doesn't teach their children properly, but that is not Suna's concern." Tamako pushed forward past her teammates and gave the two girls an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about Aneko. She's a spitfire, and we're all a little antsy. You see, we've never been here before." Then without warning, she turns her feet and begins to reprehend her teammates. "You can't go around and threaten civilians, let alone the Yamanaka Heiress. You really want something like what happened during that Hyuuga fiasco to repeat?"
"R-right..." The two muttered visibly sagging.
"Sorry, again, about these two." Tamako offered, watching them with passive eyes before dunking her teammates into a low bow. "I hope you don't take any offense that they said before."
Ino faltered before gathering herself up "H-hey, how did you know I was the heiress of the Yamanaka Clan?"
"As Shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato, we must be able to recognize key features of important political figures." She gestured at the girl, "Your eyes resemble a light pastel shade, nearly pupil-less. Reminds me of a lagoon, really.. That is how I was able to discern your identity." Tamako offered, not knowing she was practically flirting with the girl. She left the fact she was a carbon copy of her father unsaid. He was in the Bingo Book for goodness sake.
Ino's face seemed to redden at her words, but Tamako continued, "I also heard that the heiress was of my age."
Her face stuttered in emotion, "You're eleven? But don't you have to be twelve to graduate?"
Rolling her shoulders, Tamako gave the girl a curt nod. "Suna's standards differ from Konoha, so is their graduation process."
They both ran off before Tamako could add anything with the blonde seemingly embarrassed with her red heated face and pinkette for wanting to get out of the hairy situation. Maybe they were skipping class.
Tamako turned to her teammates, bonking them in the head "Are you two stupid? Do you want to make headlines, Two Sand Shinobi beating up Civilian and Heiress of Clan?!" Then she turned to her cup of tea, downing it and ignoring the burning sensation of piping hot tea and turned her heels. "I'm going to go shopping, don't follow me!"
She sprung to the rooftops with chakra coating her legs, easily taking herself out of the eating district of Konoha before squinting around her. The architecture of Konoha was colorful with their bright orange, baby blue and red rooftops. There were trees in every direction she looked, and it added to the color palette. Konoha was beautiful in the same way Suna was.
If she could get a birds eye view, she could probably see the village better but from the main gate to the food district, she noticed that a lot of Konoha was built in a particular way, just like how Suna's main building, the Kazekage Tower was placed at the center with all roads leading to it, the Hokage Tower was placed in a way where it could face the entire village in one direction.
The further away from the main gate, the more unused the land was, mostly for farming purposes. The main gate road directly led to the Hokage Tower and had a lot of smaller patches of housing connected to it, with smaller roads and such.
Judging by the sounds of untrained feet pattering on the ground and the lack of clanging of utensils, she was probably at the market. With a quick shunshin, she found herself by an alleyway and peaked out, eyeing the large market that sold a bunch of items of produce. She could eye from the other street parallel had some more niche ornamental item that she noted just in case.
Maybe she should buy some clothes here, Suna cotton was just too expensive and silk being even more of a luxury. From what she's seen so far, a lot of the more wealthier civilians had silk clothing to combat the heat in the air with a few shinobi having their outfits lined with silk on the inside to keep cool, and more durable fabric on the outside.
She could use something like that.
A subtle scent wafted into the air, floral and a little sweet. A grin appeared on her face, bingo!
Flower shops in Hidden Villages often doubled herbal dispensaries, she could almost taste the soft bitterness. She followed her nose, which was working better than it did in Suna with all the sand in the air and eyed the yellow building and its red tiled roof tops.
There were a few plants beside the entrance, and the sign was placed lopsidedly on the side and not above the entrance, which was a little strange. The sign itself seemed a little childish with its pink board and red writings in Kanji that spelled, Yamanaka Flowers. The last-name was squeezed in and slightly contorted but she shrugged and entered anyway.
The smell alone squeezed out a sneeze from her as she looked around. There was the front desk and all around was littered with flowers in baskets and pots. She could eye another section off to the side separated with a small opening that smelt a lot more bitter than the room she stood in.
"Hi! Welcome to Yamanaka Flowers, what can I do for you—" The high-pitched voice froze as they choked.
Tamako finally glanced up, pushing away the poppies and violets from her vision and smiled. "Hi."
"Y-you!" The girl pointed, mouth gaped open.
"Me." She responded, eyeing the interior again.
"Did you follow me? Hey, that's a crime you know!"
Tamako gave Ino a tired look, "Does this place double as a herbal dispensary?"
The girl narrowed her eyes before calling out, "Mom! There's a customer for you!" Before leaning on her palm, her yellow apron wrinkled at the movement. "Just go through the side, you can go through the herbal drawers and section how much you want to purchase. Mom will weigh them out later."
She gave another nod to Ino before heading towards the darker lit room, probably to ensure both dry and fresh herbs wouldn't go bad. Each box-shaped drawer was labeled with a few sections that read: Herbs, Tea, Supplements. On the opposite side, she spied a few analgesics such as oils and creams.
Maybe this trip to Konoha wouldn't be so bad.
Suna's main dispensary sectioned a lot of their stuff to the hospital and Poison Division only and only kept around the "useful" herbs. Here, they had a lot of loose tea of many varieties, and some blends as well.
She grabbed a small white paper bag from the pile and carefully opened it up before opening the drawer labeled, Hōjicha. It was her favorite variant of green tea, as it's roasted and reduces the grassy taste of regular green tea and brings out a more smoky and nutty taste. With the handle, she scooped a generous amount into the bag and sealed it with a few folds before going to the next drawer.
Genmaicha, roasted rice and green tea. Couldn't hurt to try their blend, though she could spy a few other dried flowers in the mix. With another bag, she scooped a small spoonful, just to try out. She went through each cabinet, smelling before deciding to pass or purchase until she ended up at the herb section.
With a provided basket she loaded on fresh bay laurel, raw jasmine, elecampane, alder burkthorn—
"You must be well-versed in herbs, aren't you?"
Tamako glanced up at the voice, nodding at the older woman. She had brown hair and light brown eyes, her hair up in an up-do bun secured with a piece of red braided yarn. Her outfit was incredibly classy, if not a bit regal with its dark teal dress and aquamarine brooch.
The woman eyed her basket and met her eyes with a kind smile.
"Ino could learn a thing or two from you, oh that girl..." The woman muttered, shaking her head. From what Tamako could deduce, this woman was her mother. They shared similar facial features, but Ino definitely got her coloring from her father. "All that girl does is talk about boys and flowers, but definitely not the ones you've been looking at."
Tamako shrugged, clutching her basket closer to herself. "Suna doesn't have access to these herbs so easily." She grabbed a few bunches of eucalyptus before returning to the woman. "I don't know when I'll have this kind of access again." She tilted her head, "Where should I get these weighed?"
The woman laughed, "Oh, just bring those to Ino. It's about time she's gotten used to identifying and weighing these sorts of things instead of just tying flower bouquets. Leaving all the hard work to her mother, I swear..." She crossed her arms and winked, "If you could get my girl to take things a little more seriously like you..." She eyed her headband, "I'll give you a discount."
Tamako felt her ears perk at the word and glanced down at her basket. She has a lot, and could use the discount. She's only run a few D-Ranks and C-Ranks, her bank account wasn't too crazy.
"Sure." The Shouton User offered, "I'll see what I can do."
With self-assured steps and a confident gait, she approached the front desk and sat down both her basket and bundles of white paper bags. Ino gave her a frown. "Didn't I tell you to take it to the other desk?"
Tamako coughed into her fist, "She told me to head to you."
Ino groaned, taking one of the many paper bags and opening it up with a wiff before wrinkling her nose at the bitter smell. "Tamaryokucha. Make sure you pan fry this later or it'll be really bitter." She placed the bag onto a scale before jotting the number onto the bag itself and tapped on the cash register. "Oh, our house-blend. At least you're taste-buds aren't completely gone." Ino sniffed loudly and coughed.
"You know." Tamako started, leaning against the front desk. "For someone working at a flower shop, you really don't like the side business, do you?"
The blonde huffed, weighing another paper bag. "Of course I don't! That side of the store is always so smelly, I honestly can't stand it." She jotted another number down on her notebook before finally tackling her basket. With narrowed eyes, she discerned the herb, her eyes roaming over its form. "Oh, alder burkthorn."
"Herbs are important too, they create medicine and help people." Tamako's eyes glazed over the dozens of flowers littered around the store. "Even poppies are medicine too."
"Yeah yeah, I know. Don't give me the same spew as mom does."
Tamako raised an eyebrow, "Are you training to be a shinobi?"
Then, Ino's disinterested look flashes away. "Yeah! I'm the top kunoichi, you know!" Her chest huffed with pride, "No one comes close to me, not even Forehead!" Then, her eyes round up to hers, sparkling with interest. "You're a shinobi too, right? Suna? What's it like there? I've never left the village before."
The periwinkle haired girl gave her a soft smile. "Suna is... windy to say the least. Pretty dusty, the sand gets almost everywhere."
Ino's smile dampened. "Oh, that doesn't sound so nice."
Tamako shrugged, "You get used to it. Rather than village, I quite like being outside the village." She crossed her arms onto the table and leaned forward. "Everywhere I go, the scenery changes. In Suna, we don't have much water. But after I crossed the border to Hi no Kuni, I saw my first waterfall!"
Ino leaned forward with interest. "You've never seen a waterfall before?"
She shook her head, "Nope!" She popped the P. "We have sand dunes and crackled land, canyons as far as the eye can see. Hundreds of different cacti species, some which bloom the most beautiful flower you can imagine. There's tumbleweeds and the occasional dust devil. I never knew water could be so loud." A large smile appeared on her face as she recalled. "Loud like thunder, cold like ice and feels prickly like cacti."
The blonde hummed, "I've never really thought of water like that. Then again, I can't even imagine what a dessert looks like."
"Travelling is the best." Tamako concluded, "The local fauna and flora, the small border villages littering the skyline. There's beauty to it, you know?"
"Well, I guess that sounds pretty cool. Konoha is a little boring, always a little dry on action. I bet you get on a ton of fun in the desert."
Tamako shrugged, her face squinting. "I guess, it gets pretty cold at night. Sometimes I go out and forage for some flora. They have a ton of medicinal properties."
Ino grabbed her last bundle of herbs and placed it into the large brown paper bag and pushed it forward. "You must really like herbs and flowers."
"They make excellent poison." She rolled out a sealing scroll before placing the bag on top. With a pulse of chakra, the lines raced up around the bag and sealed it inside before throwing the scroll into her inventory. "I'm a little jealous at your easy access to all of this." She gestured around her. "But that just means you'll become an excellent Shinobi one day."
"Not kunoichi?"
"Nowadays, Kunoichi refers to female ninja. Back then, kunoichi referred to either man or woman who used their body as a tool." She smirked at Ino. "I graduated top Shinobi of my graduating class. To be a shinobi is to endure. To be a kunoichi is to be a woman. Why can't I be both?" She placed a set of senbon wrapped in bandages onto the table. "I think you'll get some use out of this." Then placed another vial. "The antidote just in case. It's a simple neurotoxic derived from the Genkaku-zai Cactus and acts as a hallucinogen." She turned her heel and waved, "Give my thanks to your mother, she threw some things on the house."
. . .
Her shopping spree with the money she had on hand, and without touching the money in her inventory, was almost nearly spent after purchasing a few silk-infused undergarments that could be tailored later and a single wooden charm, supposedly carved out from a Hashirama tree itself. After a quick [Observe], she was a little surprised at the authenticity, and judging by its low price, the merchant probably had no idea.
She strolled down the streets with a skewer in hand, biting into the grilled lamb and hummed a tune. Shopping took time after all, and it looked like Kaito wouldn't let her team leave Konoha until a couple more hours to starve off the sun.
She spied a small quaint café, a lot more modern than the ones she'd already tackled and threw her skewer into a garbage can and walked in. "Welcome! Please take a seat."
She nodded at the woman who gave her a sweet smile, her white apron neatly tied on with no wrinkles. She eyed the fine establishment before eyeing a familiar shade of pink. With a grin walked by and planted her behind in the free chair and grinned. "Long time no see, pinkie."
The girl gaped, dropping her spoonful of anmitsu. "You're that Sand Shinobi..!"
Tamako waved down the waiter, "Could I get the platter set with daifuku, gyuhi, warabimochi and yokan?" She eyed Sakura's dessert, "And another bowl of anmitsu for her."
"I-i can't have another..!" She stammered, "Todays' already my cheat day!"
"It's fineee." She drawled, "We're only kids after all. Besides, training will burn all that sugar up anyways."
"You think so?" Sakura asked, spooning another mouthful and savoring the taste. "I've been limiting myself to just once a month, as long as I cut out breakfast."
She raised an eyebrow, sipping on the offered tea. "I've never dieted before."
The girl gaped again, "W-what? But you look so—really good!"
"Dieting is a civilian measure. We shinobi train and partake in enough missions that five meals a day is a minimum." Her eyes gleamed with her assorted wagashi arriving on a cute platter, all dolled up. Maybe she should get some senbei to-go, for a snack on the road.
Sakura eyed her platter with a drool, shaking her head when her bowl of anmitsu arrived. "Really? But Mitsuki-sensei said—"
"Your Mitsuki-sensei must be one of those who think kunoichi serves as a support." She sliced the yokan evenly and handed Sakura a slice in a smaller plate before serving herself. "No matter what he says, at the end of the day, you're going through the same practicals as your male counterparts, and burning the same amount of calories."
Tamako practically inhaled her wagashi platter as Sakura pondered, dipping her fork into the offered sweet.
"Then..."
She wiped her mouth and placed a few bills onto the table. "Konoha is truly strange." Tamako spoke, tilting her head. "In Suna, we learn that in spite of our harsh environments, nature doesn't care what you look like or what gender you are. It'll claim you with one false step." She waved at the girl with her back facing the girl. "I'll see you later."
Tamako licked her lips. Konoha really did have the best food.
. . .
She walked around the market for another hour until Kaito tracked her down with all his Jounin powers, and by the look on his face, they probably weren't welcomed to stay at Konoha for the night. Especially since they were foreign shinobi in another Village, even if they were allies for the past decade or so.
The journey back wasn't anything to write home about, other than the fact it took them a mere three days instead of the horrid two weeks. Camping in the desert fell just like home, the cold much more welcome than sweaty wet Konoha.
It was probably the one thing she disliked about the place. Their food was honestly top-notch all things considered, but meeting some of the main cast was... interesting. Ino was nice enough, Sakura seemed like she needed self-reassurance more than anything. And if anything, she learned about Konoha Academy and how Mizuki seemed like he was sabotaging from the inside. Honestly it wasn't her business, especially because Naruto would end up learning Kage Bunshin one day because of that man.
But it did open her mind to how easily she could spot them.
It was so obvious in how "important" they were, just by how they looked. She wondered if she would get the same sense of curiosity with other minor characters. Seeing Kakashi with her own two eyes, she finally understood why so many people were enamored by him. She always chalked it up to people vying for the unknown, but Kakashi had this pull that she couldn't describe. The features he showed off, which was only a quarter of his face, only added to it.
It was honestly super strange that she's beginning to think he put a genjutsu on her.
Either way, Might Guy also drew her in, but probably because of how eccentric he looked, and most of the time she avoided eye-contact because his bulging muscles under his skin-tight green suit was scaring her a bit. Not to mention the caterpillar eyebrows and shiny bowl hair-cut.
Sakura and Ino were a bigger surprise. The two were far beneath her in terms of both skill and level, so they shouldn't have drawn her in with their skill like how Might Guy and Kakashi did, yet they still did.
They were just so pretty, not pretty like Temari who's all sharp and deadly beauty, but pretty in a way that they were soft and kinda made her want to care for them. It almost made the kids back at home like squids.
What can she say, she's a sucker for cute things.
Tamako dodged the electrified limb with a duck, shooting out her legs and sweeping Aneko off her feet, crystal coated. The girl pivoted her palm below her, catching her fall and swinging into a backflip and nearly clipping the heel of her foot into Tamako's chin. "You've gotten better at counter-attacking." Tamako praised, grabbing Aneko's ankle with both hands and shooting her chakra.
With a hard tug, Aneko released herself from the periwinkle haired girl before falling to the ground, her entire leg encased in crystal and the added weight made it nearly impossible to stand up. She signed, pulling a hand up towards Tamako. "I concede."
Tamako grabbed her hand and pulled her up, releasing her jutsu with her free hand with a single half rat-sign.
"Your incorporation with raiton chakra into your taijutsu is good, but that will only work if you manage a hit. You'll need to get more creative against opponents that can negate it." Tamako offered, raising both her arms to reveal the crystal cloak that protected her from Aneko's electric charge.
The girl sighed, sulking. "Yeah yeah, I know." She glared at her hands. "It's just, I'm not sure how to build on this jutsu."
"Good ol' speed training, I reckon."
Aneko groaned louder.
Raidon grinned at the side, "Oooh, so is it my turn?"
"Shut up idiot," Aneko snarled.
A flutter of chakra encompassed to the left of her, Kaito appearing with an easy going grin. "Hey team, we've got a mission. C-Ranked." He held the scroll and waved it around, earning two shouts of excitement.
Despite Kaito being her sensei and all, the man honestly couldn't be bothered to do any sensei-related activities. All he did was watch them do missions, get his own cut and called it a day.
Which is why she never called him sensei. Just Kaito.
"What's the mission about?" Tamako asked, wrapping her hands with a fresh roll of bandages with a squint, ensuring her ties weren't so tight.
The man grinned, "Outside excursion. We are to check up on several villages north-east of us by our border with Land of Claws and take a round trip. It's a welfare check in a sense, since it's been reported that rainfall in the area hasn't been recorded since early last year."
The brows of Tamako rose, "And we're only checking now?"
No, it made sense. Sunagakure itself had a hard time with the ongoing famine waves. Unlike the other nations, Kaze no Kuni is composed of deserts, making it incredibly dangerous. Sunagakure was one of the safest Villages within Kaze no Kuni and many villages outside the Hidden Village often fell to natural causes such as disease, bandits, or sandstorms. That meant that Sunagakure's population was nearly triple that of Konoha.
Just a couple years ago, back in the Academy, she and a handful of students were taken out of class every week or so to refill the Village's water reservoir. The fact that the village had to use Academy Students to combat the quickly declining water tank said enough.
It's a miracle they had light rain a few months ago, all the careful canals and drainage systems carved out decades ago successfully collected enough rain water to keep them in the green for a little longer. Hopefully until the next rainfall.
The other villages may have not been so lucky.
She could name a handful of the small villages littered in Kaze no Kuni, often small communities and maybe one or two larger towns that had some sort of ninjutsu that kept them afloat. Border Villages had it better, since they lived on the edge of the desert and often traded with the neighboring nation.
"When do we leave?"
Kaito smiled. "Before daybreak tomorrow, while the sand is still cold."
Character Status
Name: Tamako
Class: The Gamer
Age: 11 Years Old
Title: Momma's Little Gem
Status: Happy. Normal
Level: 69
HP: 3,980 - HP Regen: 2.2 per 5 seconds
CP: 4,005- CP Regen: 2.4 per 5 seconds
Strength: 83
Vitality: 85
Wisdom: 82
Intelligence: 81
Dexterity: 89
Agility: 86
Luck: 70
Fame/Infamy: +60
Parents and Students whisper about you
Money: 73,290 ryo (7,329 USD)
Unspent Points: 30