Into Konoha's academy walked two eight-year-old boys who couldn't be more different from each other. The first was the confident and very outgoing Ace. He was wearing a simple gray shirt and black shorts. The other one, Kaza, his adopted brother, was very different: quiet and introverted. The pair of them were about as different as they could be as they found their seats in the classroom, sitting next to each other in the back as others started to show up.
Kaza sat in his traditional robes made like those of his father Ryota, looking very traditional compared to Ace's simple and more modern look. The two knew each other very well, and they knew just how different they were, but they had no problems with one another either. Kaza's eyes looked over at Ino Yamanaka as she entered the class, which he ignored after a moment and went back to focusing on the class ahead of him. A moment later, their teacher Iruka walked into the class, and the room was soon filled with students.
"Welcome, class. It's good to see you all today. I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you. I'm Iruka Umino, your teacher. I'm also a chunin of Konoha. I want you to know that I'll be fair, listen, and help you whenever you need it. I won't tolerate bad behavior, and I hope to help you all become great ninja."
Iruka looked over the group of students. "Now, let's introduce ourselves. Let's start with Ryota-sama's two," he said, pointing to the back where Kaza and Ace sat.
"Well, um, hello," Kaza said nervously as he looked around. After a moment, he bowed. "I am Kaza Togusa, and it is a pleasure to meet you all," he said before returning to his seat.
Ace grinned confidently as he stood up, his eyes sparkling with energy. "Hey everyone!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'm Ace! Portagas D. Ace, but you can just call me Ace. I'm gonna be the greatest ninja ever, just like my dad!" He pumped his fist in the air before flashing a cheeky smile and sitting back down, brimming with excitement.
Ace basked in the attention, feeling a surge of excitement at being noticed by his classmates, especially by Naruto and Sasuke. He reveled in the contrast between his bold proclamation and Kaza's more reserved introduction.
As the lesson went on, Ace had to work really hard to focus on the lesson. The stuff that they were convering was really boring to him. He wasn't able to have any hands on learning which was where he did his best. However, he remembered the lessons that his adopted father had shown him, and he was able to get by with the lesson.
While Ace soaked up the attention, Kaza quietly observed the classroom, his gaze shifting from one student to another. Despite his shyness, his mind was sharp, and he absorbed the lesson with keen interest. He didn't draw attention to himself like Ace did, but he was no less capable.
The natural ability of Kaza to pick up on things and learn fast was easy to see. He was a sponge for knowledge taking in everything. His notes were perfect as well as he wrote, fast and helped cover for his adopted older brother too. He wanted to make sure that Ace had his support. To Kaza, family was the most important of things.
As the afternoon arrived, the group went outside to begin training. Ace continued to shine in various exercises, showing off with a grin as he worked diligently. Meanwhile, Kaza observed others and their techniques, quietly carrying out his own tasks. While Ace drew attention, Kaza remained under the radar throughout the day, and the group wrapped up their training by midafternoon.
As the day came to an end, Ace and Kaza packed up their belongings and headed home. Afterwards, they ventured into the wilderness surrounding the shrine. Here, Kaza wasn't so quiet or shy; he loved to explore the woods. It was during these small adventures that the two brothers truly understood each other.
"Ace, let's see if we can hunt a deer or a fox today," Kaza said with a grin, his eyes scanning the ground. "I think I've found the tracks of a deer already. It could be a good hunting opportunity."
"Sounds like a plan!" Ace exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Lead the way, Kaza!"
Kaza nodded as he looked at the tracks that went through the woods. He knew these woods really well as did Ace. They were on land that belonged to the Togusa Clan outside of the village, and it was land that the two boys had been trekking up and down for the two years previously already, at first with Ryota, and now by themselves.
Kaza moved quietly, as the boy did his best to be silent, as he moved. He was far from great at hunting, but he was getting better, and liked this practice if nothing else to practice tracking animals. "What did you think of our classmates, brother," Kaza asked as he moved, his voice quiet so as not to spoke anything near them.
"Well, they seem okay, I guess," Ace replied thoughtfully, his gaze scanning the surroundings for any signs of wildlife. "Naruto's loud, Sasuke's serious... But Iruka-sensei seems nice, don't you think? What about you, Kaza? What did you think?"
"Well yeah, Naruto-san is very loud and I think Sasuke-san is kind of um, edgy, Iruka-sensei does seem really smart and nice," Kaza said as he thought more on his classmates, "Shikamaru-san feels smart but lazy, Sakura-san seems kind of bossy, and Ino-chan is kind of um pretty."
Ace nodded in agreement with Kaza's observations, considering each classmate in turn. "Yeah, Shikamaru's always saying how troublesome things are, and Sakura-chan does seem pretty bossy sometimes," he remarked, recalling their interactions from earlier in the day. "And yeah, Ino-chan's definitely pretty, but she seems kind of... I don't know, stuck up?"
He shrugged, then focused back on their tracking. "Anyway, let's keep looking for those tracks. If we're lucky, we might actually catch something today."
"Of course," Kaza said as he followed the tracks, they were not that hard, the recent rain had caused there to be a great deal of mud on the ground that the prints went right into. Kaza moved into a bush and raised a hand as he looked down the forest, there eating some leaves was a rather large and impressive buck with an impressive set of antlers on it. "There we go, Ace, our target is right there. I think we should set up a trap for it, but not sure how, I mean it is pretty big."
Ace's eyes widened as he caught sight of the impressive buck. "Wow, that's a big one," he whispered, equally amazed and excited by the sight. He glanced around, considering their options. "Yeah, setting up a trap sounds like a good idea, but you're right, it's huge. Maybe we could try to lead it somewhere?" he suggested, his mind racing with possibilities. "Or we could try to distract it somehow, make it chase after something."
Kaza tapped his index finger against his forehead lightly as he thought about a plan. His little eight-year-old mind took in everything it could. The deer would enter flight or fight mode when it was approached, but they were small so it might attack and run, the trick was to get it to go the direction they wanted it to go.
"Ace move up to the right stay in the trees, find a spot where you can hit it if it runs away or if it runs at me, if it runs at me I will run as close at you and I am going to trust you to take it down with a kunai," Kaza said as he handed him a kunai that he kept on him for safety. He knew Ace had one too, but having two would give him a better chance for success.
Ace nodded eagerly, taking the kunai from Kaza with a determined expression. "Got it," he replied softly, his voice filled with determination. He moved stealthily to the right, staying low and keeping his eyes on the buck. Finding a good spot amidst the trees, he crouched down, ready to act if the situation called for it. His heart raced with anticipation, but he remained focused, knowing that their success depended on their teamwork.
Kaza looked ahead gathering his courage, which oddly was something he had in abundance, his recklessness a trait of the youngster even at a young age. He moved forward on the other direction and approached the deer. He tossed a small rock hitting it and angering the was much larger than him and as it saw him, it charged him looking to run him over and then most likely escape. Kaza felt his own heart racing as he turned and ran.
He ran right by the place he knew that Ace was, he was going to count on his brother to strike, and if not he would dive into the woods and hope that would be enough to get away from the angry animal.
Ace watched with bated breath as Kaza dashed past him, and as the deer closed in, he knew it was time to act. With a steady hand, he gripped the kunai tightly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. As Kaza dodged the charging deer, Ace saw his opportunity. With a swift motion, he launched the kunai toward the animal, aiming for its hind leg to immobilize it and prevent further pursuit.
After a moment, the kunai hit true, bringing down the deer before the two brothers. Kaza breathed hard from the sprint as he looked at Ace and smiled at their small victory. The two brothers would finish off the deer, showing it mercy before taking it home to the shrine together. Their successful hunt of a deer was a big deal to both of them.
That night, the two brothers had dinner with their parents, Ryota and Tia, and they were having deer meat. It was processed, and they would be eating it for a while. Ryota sat at the head of the table, the older ninja, now a jounin of the Leaf, sat with his family. He had a bit of early onset gray in his long brown hair, but he had a warm smile as he looked at his adopted and biological sons, each as much his son as the other. Tia sat nearby, still the vision of elegance and beauty that she had been as a young woman. She had cooked up the deer for them into a kind of curry.
"Well, a first day of school and a first hunt, I have to say, you both did amazing," Ryota commented with a great deal of pride in his tone as he looked at Ace and Kaza.
"It was," Kaza said, looking over at his pair of parents with a content look. "School was kind of fun, kind of boring, but it was what you told us it would be, Dad. The hunt was great too. Um, Ace was awesome and cool as ever."
"Thanks, Kaza! You were pretty cool too, especially with the plan and all," Ace replied with a grin, nodding at his brother appreciatively.
"Good. It's best if you two work together; brothers should support each other," Ryota said, looking at the pair of them. He missed his own brothers, but he knew the importance of sibling bonds and how significant having a good brother could be in one's life.
Both Ace and Kaza nodded, having been reminded of this fact many times before. They got along well and respected each other despite their differences. Ace, the outgoing and charismatic leader, and Kaza, the quiet and introverted brains of the pair, worked together quite naturally.
"Remember, this weekend is the festival at the shrine, so you both are going to have to help prepare for it and assist with setting up and cleaning up. It's a big event that helps cover the costs of our home and the shrine," Tia reminded them, emphasizing their responsibility to the Togusa Clan and the shrine.
Ace nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we won't let you down, Mom. We'll help with everything for the festival."
Kaza chimed in with a quiet but determined voice. "Absolutely, Mom. We'll do whatever it takes to make sure everything goes smoothly."