Ch. 13

Youth

Moriko groaned from where she lay on the ground.

"You didn't tell me you were a taijutsu master Gai," she groaned as the other three ninjas snickered on the sideline. Gai nearly grinned and helped her to her feet and she began shaking off the effects of being pummeled, already healing. Gai shot her a surprised look, seeing the bruising on her arm already beginning to fade, her hair lengthening by a centimeter to the naked eye.

"Your hair grows when you get hurt?" he asked causing her to laugh.

"Everyone's hair does, but since my regeneration is so much faster, it's more visible," she shrugged as he nodded thoughtfully.

"Care for another round?" he asked as she grimaced but nodded before turning to her teacher.

"Sensei, can I release my gravitational seal? I'm getting pummeled," she called and the sage nodded. Her hand went to her sternum as she concentrated for a moment before straightening with a relieved sigh, looking like a huge weight had been released from her shoulders.

"Alright Gai, let's do this!" she cried excitedly. He nodded before they took fighting stances. Then they moved, and Gai almost got a fist to the face before he sprung out of the way in time, already dodging a kick to the face. The power of their blows echoed through the trees as they fought, Gai managing to kick her toward a tree. She managed to right herself in time kicking off so hard the bark cracked too fast for Gai to fully dodge, her kick sending him flying across the field. He managed to right himself so his feet slid along the grass for a moment before he stopped, his grin looking a bit feral. The young woman's matched his own.

"YOOOOSH! A WORTHY OPPONENT!" he cried before blurring into motion. Her eyes widened and soon they were a blur as they traded blows, the speed causing leaves to rise into the air as they started moving into the edge of the evenly spaced trees that dotted one side of the training ground.

"Bad move Gai," Jiraiya muttered as the jonin managed to grab most of Moriko's hair by the ends with one hand. Asuma and Kakashi gaped as the hair grabbed both of Gai's hands, lengthening before it lifted him off his feet and began slinging Gai into trees or slamming him on the ground at high speeds. The disorientated man was flung high into the air where Moriko appeared above him to deliver a powerful ax kick. He managed to block in time but didn't have the time or momentum needed to not slam into the ground.

Moriko landed in a fighting stance, waiting as Gai began to laugh gleefully when he sat up, appearing to be in pain but thrilled. Her worried look turned into a grin as he stood and got into another fighting stance and they took off again, Gai moving faster than before. The ninja could tell watching the fight that Moriko was starting to struggle to keep up as Gai began pulling some of his more outlandish moves out and she was sent through a tree. She reappeared immediately and the two started going at it in earnest causing Asuma to whistle appreciatively.

"Damn, she's a total tank," he chuckled as she managed to take a solid punch from Gai only to send him through another tree. The group watched in interest for a while before looking at one another.

"How long should we let this go on for?" Kakashi asked. Jiraiya sighed as Gai was sent into another tree, this time bouncing off having hit it at an angle.

"Probably soon. Gai's getting too hurt," he muttered when Gai began pulling his nunchucks, Jiraiya stepped forwards.

"Alright, that's enough you two," he called causing the combatants to pause before coming over.

"Good match Gai," Moriko said cheerfully as she offered the man a hand to shake. He did so with a grin before stowing his weapon.

"And yourself young lotus! I did not realize there was someone else our age in the village that specialized in taijutsu as well!" he cried as she shot him a curious look.

"How old are you guys?" she asked curiously. Gai gave her a thumbs-up with a wide grin.

"Kakashi and I are twenty! Asuma is twenty-one!" he cried as her eyebrows went up before she smiled ruefully.

"I'm twenty-seven," she answered and the young men shot her shocked looks.

"But you look twenty!" Asuma cried as she laughed.

"I've only been training with Sensei since I was twenty-five. I guess I'm a bit older than you guys, ne?" she chuckled.

"And you said that you're going to be going to the chunin exams soon? From that fight, you might be able to be ranked as a tokubetsu jonin if you specialize in taijutsu," said Kakahi as Gai quietly beamed. This was the most his friend had interacted with other people since joining Anbu. Maybe having Moriko around more often would be good for Kakashi.

"You're right, but I don't want her ranking up too quickly so she has further time as my student before she comes to live in the village more permanently," said Jiraiya as Moriko shot her sensei a pleased grin.

"I might be getting pretty good with seals, but I have a lot more to learn," she said as Jiraiya nodded.

"So what is your specialty, if it's not Taijutsu?" asked Asuma as Moriko and her teacher shared a look. Moriko shrugged.

"Not really sure, I've learned a lot from Sensei since I started," she said with a shrug as the others shot her surprised looks.

"Now I'm interested," Asuma laughed as Moriko's grin turned mischievous.

"You'll have to find out in a spar, a ninja doesn't tell their secrets," she teased causing the group to chuckle.

"Now young man, what was troubling you this morning?" she asked lightly as they walked back. The young man shot her a rueful look.

"Yesterday... I returned back after leading a mission with a lot of fatalities. It was successful, but he turned his back on me, and I don't understand why," he said with clear frustration as he raked his fingers through his hair.

"He said to protect the king, and that's just what I did, I protected the feudal lord, so I don't understand why he refuses to acknowledge the success of the mission," he gritted out as Moriko frowned, biting her thumb as she thought. Jiraiya shot the group a look of interest, wondering if they would manage to figure it out.

"What the hell," she muttered as Asuma shot her a relieved look.

"Exactly!" all the ninjas fell into silence as they pondered the riddle.

"If the feudal lord isn't the King, then what is?" Gai asked, looking to Kakashi who was frowning. Moriko slapped her hands together in realization making the other ninjas jump.

"Today was the Academy entrance ceremony! He said something about the children being the key to the future. The people are the king, the children being at the top. It's because of the fatalities Asuma! We lost so many forces to the Kyubi that the elites are burning out having to keep up appearances. Not to mention the forces we lost when Martial law was called two years ago. Maybe Konoha can't afford any more losses," she said as the group looks of dawning comprehension. Asuma began looking pained as he began to rub his face with rising stress.

"I told him that the life of a ninja is about sacrifice, that he just didn't want to acknowledge me," he groaned as Moriko began to pat his shoulder comfortingly.

"To be fair, we didn't get what he was talking about either. Maybe it's something that was taught in his generation that isn't as widely taught in this one," she mused. Jiraiya ruffled the young man's hair causing Asuma to shoot him an annoyed look.

"I'll talk to the old man, he should have made his orders more clear," said Jiraiya as they moved into the compound, Gai and Kakashi pausing at the entrance. Moriko paused seeing their hesitance.

"Aren't you two coming for lunch?" she called, gesturing for them to join them. Gai and Kakashi did so with hesitance, not sure why they were eating lunch at the Hokage's residence.

Kakashi found himself in the kitchen helping Moriko prepare lunch as Asuma and Gai talked to the side, Jiraiya having left to find the old Hokage. A few minutes later and slightly raised voices coming from the other room, Jiraiya reentered before joining them at the food-ladened table. When Hiruzen came to join them, he pulled Asuma aside to speak quietly. Moriko watched with a small grin as the two seemed to make peace before returning to the table to eat, no longer at odds. She shot her sensei a grateful look and the older man ruffled her hair.

AN: due to this intervention, Asuma doesn't end up leaving the village and joining the twelve guardians.