(THE NEXT DAY)
Ⅰ
Morning came. Waking up from the futon, I rubbed my eyes and stretched my body. After washing my face at the sink, I went downstairs for breakfast. Arriving there, I saw everyone waiting for me to join.
"Morning, Darren." Sakura greeted me.
"Morning..." I mumbled. Covering my mouth to stifle my yawn, I settled into my seat and slowly grabbed my cup of warm tea to take a sip.
"Took you long enough to join us," Chouji said. "I never thought you'd wake up this late."
"Sorry," I replied, "I was in the woods doing my kata last night…"
"How long did you stay there?" Shikamaru asked.
"A few hours, I guess…"
"You guess? You don't remember?" He raised his brow.
"Can you give me a break?" I sighed. "It was one heck of an eventful night…"
"What happened?" Chouji pressed.
"Well… " I muttered, taking a glance at my dear friend. He was smiling at me mischievously, resting his cheeks on his hands. He did promise he wouldn't do it but… I wasn't entirely convinced. "A lot of things happened… I hope it is a peaceful day today…"
The two of them looked puzzled as they exchanged their glances. But before they could ponder further, Tsunami-san had just served us the main dish for our breakfast: Braised Fish.
"Here you go. You can start eating."
We quickly picked up our chopsticks, expressed our gratitude for the meal, and began eating.
As we ate our meal, I cast a quick glance at Ino. Ever since Naruto mentioned it, I couldn't help but wonder why she started to talk about me so much. I was surprised to hear that she was being cool when Sasuke was around. For a long time, she had been seeking a chance for our team to work closely with team 7 so that she could get a chance to get close to Sasuke.
Yet, despite all that, I never expected her to behave differently.
She quietly ate her rice with a slight frown on her face. It was clear she was still upset with me for what I said yesterday.
It made my stomach drop when I saw her in that state. I hated seeing her like that. It made me more worried for her and frustrated with myself for not figuring out the issue. Wanting to calm myself down, I slowly reached out for my miso soup to take a sip.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice how long I'd been looking at her until Naruto spoke up out of the blue. "You are going to choke on your soup, if you keep staring like that."
The soup went down the wrong pipe, burning my throat. I quickly spat it out, splattering it across the table. Everyone looked at me silently with their eyes widened in surprise. Except for Naruto who covered his mouth and grinned maliciously like a fox.
"You okay?" Chouji asked.
"Here, drink some water," Tsunami-san said, handing me a glass.
I took a gentle sip, the burn slowly faded away from my throat.
"What just happened?" Sakura asked.
"The soup went into the wrong pipe…" I replied between the coughs. I stole a glance at my dear friend, who was still grinning at me, pretending that he had done nothing wrong. "I'm fine now."
"Are you sure?" Shikamaru crossed his arms. "Seems like it has something to do with you staring for so long andー"
"There isn't!" I shot back, glaring at him.
A beat passed. Then I realized—everyone was staring up at me. It took me a second to process why.
I had jumped to my feet in an outburst.
Heat rushed to my ears and cheeks as I started to feel embarrassed. And slowly, I sank back into my seat, facing down. "Sorry…"
Tazuna-san started to chuckle as he slowly shook his head. "Well, I don't know what has gotten to you but you sure look lively." he amused.
"Indeed, he does." Kakashi-sensei nodded.
Keeping my eyes down, I felt a concerned gaze across the dining table. Turning my head towards it, it was Ino who stared at me. When our eyes met, she slowly turned away and resumed eating her rice. However, when she looked away, I noticed a faint smile on her lips.
Ⅱ
After the meal, I was about to go upstairs to get my things ready for the escort when my uncle called and stopped me.
"Hold on, Darren. You're not going today." He said. "I'm sending Shikamaru and Chouji to accompany Tazuna-san."
"Shikamaru and Chouji?" I turned back. "I thought they hadn't finished theー"
"They've already done." My uncle replied. "They managed to reach the top of the tree, and I was about to tell them to go one more round so they don't forget."
I glanced over at the two, and they quickly nodded.
"That's true, Darren," Chouji answered, giving a thumbs up. "It took a while but we did it!"
"And it was troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, sighing.
"Well, congratulations! That's good to hear!" I smiled. "But wait, if you two are going, what am I supposed to do?"
"You are going to stay here," Kakashi-sensei said. "We want you to help the others complete their tree-climbing exercise. Same goes for you, Sakura."
"Understood." Sakura nodded.
"In the meantime, while you're helping the others finish their training, Kakashi and I will have a bit of a chat," my uncle added, "Afterward, I am going to teach you a new ability I promised."
My eyes widened. "You mean…"
"Yep." he grinned. "It is time for you to learn the Wind Style: Tempest Howl."
Ⅲ
In the woods where the tree-climbing exercise took place, Naruto and Sasuke wasted no time climbing up the tree, competing with each other.
"HAAAAAA!" Their voices echoed through the clearing as they raced up. Each footstep kicked harder against the bark as they climbed higher. Their speed was impressive but a bit unstable. With how much chakra they consumed to climb, you could see them struggling, their breaths already coming in short, exhausting pants
"Come on Sasuke! You can do it!" Sakura cheered. She was overseeing their training from the ground.
As for me, I was tasked to watch over Ino's training. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she was taking her time to climb up. Seeing her going up at a steady speed, I noticed how she controlled her chakra well to keep the momentum.
I stayed quiet, not wanting to disturb her focus while she was in the middle of it. As far as I can see, with a few more rounds, she would be able to get to the top.
A few seconds later, she started to struggleーbut she pushed forward. With a few more steps to go up higher, she quickly pulled her Kunai to leave a mark. And she swiftly came back down to the ground.
Gently rising, she slowly turned to me. "So, how did I do?" She asked.
"Pretty good." I replied. "You controlled your chakra well."
She confidently smiled. "Of course I did. I am amazing, right?"
"Yes, you are." I chuckled.
As she was about to go another round, I quickly stopped her by calling out. "Hey umm… before you go up again… there is something I need to tell you."
She turned back, her brow slightly rose.
"I know you're still… upset with me for what I said yesterday. And umm…" I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a little nervous. I'd apologized to her a few times before, but for some reason, this felt different—unnatural, like I was testing the waters.
Maybe it's because of what Naruto had said to me last nightーthe fact she kept talking about me while I was away. I tried to shake the thought off, to stay focused, but it clung to me like a stubborn rock refusing to be carried away by the stream.
But then, before I could ever get a chance to say I am sorry, she gently shook her head, cutting me off. "You don't need to apologize, Darren."
"I… don't?" My eyes blinked.
She slowly stepped closer, her expression softening. "I am the one who should say sorry to you. You didn't say anything that upset me, and… I don't know why I reacted like that." She slowly looked down to the ground, wrapping her hand around her right arm.
Seeing her biting her lips, I stepped in closer, trying to comfort her. "You shouldn't feel bad about it, Ino. It was me who made you angry and…" With a deep breath, I slowly said this to her. "Let me make it up to you."
She looked up, her eyes widened. "Make it up to me?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "Just tell me what you need me to do, and I am happily obliged."
A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but a flicker of doubt could be noticed in her eyes. "Are you serious, Darren? I told you, you don't need toー"
"Please let me," I cut in, meeting her gaze. "I was… worried when I made you mad. And… I'd rather see you smile."
Her cheeks flushed a bit. Realizing what I'd just said, I tried to clarify.
"Well, that's because you're our leader, and a leader always needs to be positive and inspirational! Soー"
She burst into giggles, covering her mouth. After wiping the tears from her eyes, her confident posture was back in place.
"I could make your life miserable, you know." she teased.
"That's fine," I replied, smiling at her. "As a Sarutobi, I must endure whatever comes."
"Hmm… if you say so." She began to think, tapping her finger on her cheek. It only took a moment for her to speak up again. "I'll tell you when we get back to Konoha. Is that okay?"
"Of course. I can wait." I nodded.
"Well, good. I hope you're prepared." Her eyes gleamed. "After all, we should always find the good things in life—Laissez le bon temps rouler."
I froze.
"Wait. How did youー"
"It's a secret." she playfully winked. She then turned back to the tree and resumed the climbing.
As she went up again, I couldn't help but wonder how she had learned the phrase. I had never uttered a single word in my native tongue to any of my teammatesーexcept Naruto last night. He was the only one so far who knew it.
Could it be that she…? Nah, that can't be it.
Ⅳ
After three hours of tree-climbing, Inair-san brought us some bento（弁当）for lunch. Thanking her for the meal, Naruto and Sasuke dove right into their food.
"Seriously, you two," Sakura sighed, looking at the two. "Can't you just slow down when you eat?"
"No can do, Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied in a mouthful. "If we are going to beat Zabuza down, I need to get back to climbing as quickly as possible!"
"For once, I agree with you Naruto," Sasuke said, nodding slightly. "We can't afford to waste any more time if we can't complete this training."
Smirking slightly at his teammate, Naruto returned his focus on finishing his bento. Sasuke did the same, quietly finishing his meal. There was no doubt how much of a headache it must've been for Sakura—constantly trying to keep their competitiveness in check.
"Must be tiring to babysit them, Sakura," Ino remarked with a sly grin.
"I am not a baby!" Naruto shot back, his cheeks puffing out.
"Yes, you are." Sakura deadpanned, shaking her head. "You never stop competing with each other. I wish you two could just act normal for once and ease up a bit."
"I don't know about that, Sakura." I chimed in. "It's better to see your teammate full of energy. Otherwise, you might have to keep pushing them until they finally move."
"What makes you say that?" She asked.
"Well… you know." I glanced at Ino, who stifled her laugh and shook her head, already knowing who I was talking about.
Gazing at our exchanged look, it didn't take long for Sakura to figure it out. "Oh…"
"Yeah… My uncle tried many ways to make him move and… it's still the same." I chuckled.
"What about Chouji?" Sakura raised her brow.
"Oh, Chouji is better," Ino replied. "He listens well to Asuma-sensei and takes action on his own. But…"
"He still needs some work to build his confidence," I added. "But he is getting there."
"Hmm…" Sakura mused, taking another bite of her bento. "I am guessing you always take charge, Darrenーmaking sure everyone follows your uncle's orders."
"Actually, that'd be her, Sakura." I pointed my thumbs to Ino. "She is our leader in the group."
"Wait, really?" Naruto froze mid-bite. "Ino is the leader? Not you?"
"She is good at keeping our toes, mon ami." I smiled. "Without her leadership, I don't think we would function as a team."
"No way…" Naruto muttered.
"Wait. What did you just say? Mon…" Sakura tilted her head, catching the word.
"Mon ami. It means 'my friend' in my native language."
Sasuke's curiosity piqued. "You can speak your native language?"
"I can." I nodded. "But I don't use it that much. Didn't like how snobby I sounded."
"Snobby? Oh please, you don't sound like that." Ino added, turning to me. "I kinda like how you said it so casually. It makes you look… cool."
Glancing at her, my ears started to feel the heat a bit. A sheepish smile escaped my lips as I scratched the back of my neck. "Merci."
She softly giggled. Her eyes had a playful glint when her smile tugged at the corner of her lips. It again made my heart race a bit: an unfamiliar sensation that felt… almost welcoming.
Turning back to the others, I noticed how quiet they were when they were staring at us.
"Is there something going on?" Sakura was the first to ask.
"Umm… no?" I replied.
"You sure?" She raised her brow. "I feel like somehow you two are… close."
"Of course we are, Sakura," Ino answered, waving it off. "Darren has been together with us so it's natural to be close. Can't you tell?"
"Ohhh, really?" Naruto teased, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Then why don't you tell us what happened when your team was on that boat ride?"
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, turning to him.
Sensing it. I quickly cut him when I shook my head. "Naruto. Don't."
But of course, he ignored me, the grin never leaving his face. "I learned something very interesting from Darren last night, and oh man, it's gonna blow your minds!"
"What's that?" Sasuke glanced at him.
"Well…" Naruto began, opening his mouth wide.
But just as he was about to spill it, Ino calmly cut him off, her voice was smooth and unbothered. "Is this about Darren sleeping on my lap?"
Sakura's head snapped back to Ino, her eyes went wide. "Wait! He slept on your lap?!"
"Yeah." She nodded casually. "He was feeling sick, so I let him."
"Seriously?!" Naruto was surprised, his gaze locking onto me.
Feeling his lingering gaze, I slowly looked away. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes when my whole face was starting to burn.
"You didn't tell me about this Darren!" Naruto whined.
"Why should I?!" I shot back. "It's already embarrassing, Naruto!"
"But stillー"
Thwack! Sasuke gently smacked the back of Naruto's head, shutting him up. "Pipe down. You are making too much noise, idiot."
Naruto rubbed his head where he'd been smacked, glaring at Sasuke.
"Unbelievable, Ino. I didn't think you'd actually let him sleep on your lap…" Sakura muttered, still stunned.
"Oh please, Sakura. It's not a big deal." She smirked. "I was just taking care of him as a good friend. Am I right, Darren?" A playful glint sparkled in her eyes.
"W-well… I… umm…" I tried to stay cool, but my words began to stammer.
"Something wrong?" She purred, leaning toward me. "Do you want to rest on my lap?"
"No!" I shot to my feet. "I'm fine! Really!"
"You sure?" She teased, tilting her head. "You looked so peaceful when you were asleep."
I gulped.
She then playfully patted her lap, tempting me to lie down.
Naruto and Sakura stared at me, their eyes wide with curiosity. As for Sasuke, he remained quiet, looking disinterested in the scene—as usual.
I could feel my whole body drawn to her lap, gently pulling me to rest. It felt so nice, so warm, and maybe I shouldーNo no no! What am I thinking!
Shaking my head desperately, I tried to push my thoughts away, not wanting to make myself even more embarrassed in front of them.
And thankfully, Uncle Asuma and Kakashi-sensei had just arrived, saving me from this awkward situation.
"Hey, you all. How's the training going?" my uncle asked.
Everyone turned their attention to the Jounins. Sakura was the first to reply. "Doing well, Asuma-sensei. Naruto and Sasuke-kun made a lot of progress this morning."
"The same goes for Ino," I added. "A few more rounds and she might be able to reach the top of the tree in no time."
"That's good." Kakashi-sensei nodded, his eye was smiling. "So, what were you guys up to? We heard Darren shouting while we were on our way."
"Oh, we were just talking about Darren sleeping on Inー"
Before he could finish, Sasuke swiftly clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth, cutting him off.
"Thanks, Sasuke." I muttered in relief. Sasuke knew I was going to yell again and he was aware that I didn't want that conversation to continue any further.
My uncle raised his brow when it happened. "Is there something I should know?" he asked.
"Nothing, uncle." I replied firmly. "Nothing."
Kakashi-sensei rubbed his chin, his brow furrowing in mock amusement. "Well, whatever it was, I hope Naruto didn't cost you much trouble."
Glancing at my dear friend, struggling to pry Sasuke's hand away, I sighed and scratched my head. "Yeah… you could say that."
My uncle had a knowing look, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lip. Judging by my expression, he must have figured out that the rest had learned what happened on our boat ride. But thankfully, he didn't press the matter further—understanding that it was already embarrassing enough that they knew.
"Anyway," he cleared his throat. "Once you all finished your lunch, get back to your climbing. And Darren," he paused, locking his eyes on mine, "it's time."
Ⅴ
Deeper into the woods, away from the tree-climbing exercise area, my uncle brought me to a secluded spot where I could practice my new jutsu technique.
"Let me show you the hand signs for the Tempest Howl. Firstー"
"Umm, uncle. Why is Kakashi-sensei here?" I cut him off, pointing my fingers at Kakashi-sensei. He was standing beside Uncle Asuma, leaning on a crutch.
"Well, Darren." My uncle began. "When Kakashi and I had a chat, I asked him if he could teach you one Lighting jutsu technique. I told him you have both Wind and Lightning affinities."
"And I have to say," Kakashi-sensei added, "I was surprised to learn there is another Konoha shinobi with a Lightning affinity like mine. But even more surprising is that you possess two affinities—something quite rare these days."
"So that means I get to learn two new jutsu techniques?!" I asked.
"Yep." Kakashi-sensei nodded, his eye was smiling.
This got me super excited. "Oh, thank you Kakashi-sensei! Thank you!" I bowed deeply.
He chuckled. "No need to do that, Darren. A simple 'thank you' is just enough."
I straightened up, scratching the back of my head sheepishly.
"Alright then," my uncle said. "once I show you the Tempest Howl, Kakashi will demonstrate his Lighting-style attack. Okay?"
"Okay!" I nodded eargley.
My uncle stepped forward to the center, focusing on the tree. His eyes went sharp as he slowly got into his position. After a quick deep breath, he swiftly performed the hand signs and unleashed the attack. "Wind Style: Tempest Howl!"
A gust of wind shot from his mouth, hurtling toward the tree. The force of it blasted the leaves away, leaving a crater-like impact on the trunk. It was loud and quick, causing the nearby trees to shake as the air pressure rippled through them.
Watching my uncle unleash the jutsu at full force, I was glad he didn't do it on us during our survival exercise. Had he applied that much power, there is no doubt we wouldn't have survived.
After he demonstrated, he turned back and began to teach me. "The key to this attack is that you want to generate as much Wind Chakra in you. To do that, you need to breathe in from your nose, drawing the wind from the air and storing it in your lungs. Once you have enough wind in you, then perform these hand signs: Snake (巳), Rabbit (卯), Boar (亥), Horse (午), and Tiger (寅). The hand signs help intensify the wind, turning it into a powerful gust, making it a strong gust. I'd recommend you practice your breathing, first. Then, the hand signs. Even if you learned the hand signs first, you will not be able to develop a strong gust of wind if you do not get the basics of breathing."
"Understood, uncle," I replied, nodding my head.
Then, it was Kakashi-sensei's turn. Facing the same target my uncle had just attacked, he turned to me and raised his index finger. "This jutsu I am going to show you is a bit tricky. Unlike the Tempest Howl, this takes a bit of time so you might want to step back from the front line."
Turning back to the target, he swiftly performed three hand signs and began to generate his Lighting Chakara on his two fingertips—his index and middle fingers.
His left hand firmly gripped his right wrist, focusing the Lighting Chakara into his fingertips. Then slowly, it started to crackle. The small bolts of lightning sparked across his fingertips. Concentrating it, the lightning grew stronger, and the crackling became louder. He slowly aimed at the tree and shot the lightning from his fingertips.
The lightning bolt pierced the target, leaving a small, round hole in the tree. However, looking behind the target, the bolt had gone even further, penetrating two trees.
The sheer damage from Kakashi-sensei's lightning attack was astounding.
After the demonstration, Kakashi-sensei turned back to me. "This attack, I call it Ikazuchi (雷). By generating enough Lightning Chakra at your fingertips, you can unleash a devastating lightning bolt. However, you might know that the nature of Lightning Chakra is unpredictable. No matter how much you generate, it can backfire, causing chakra fatigue. Even if you generate a small amount, the attack won't work. To acquire this jutsu, you need to know your limit. When you feel like you're reaching your overload point, that's when you should unleash it. One more thing, you can only use this attack twice. From a Genin standpoint, that should be enough. You don't want to slow everyone down when you're out of chakra. The hand signs for this attack are Cow (牛), Monkey (申), and Snake (巳)."
I nodded slowly, understanding the important notes of the attack.
"Think you can handle it?" My uncle asked.
Turning to him, I smiled confidently. "I sure can, uncle!"
He softly chuckled, gently patting on my head. "We'll check on how the others are doing with the tree-climbing. And later, I'll come back to check up on you."
"Good luck, Darren," Kakashi-sensei said.
Turning back to him, I gave him my determined look. "I make my own luck, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi-sensei was amused by it, and his eye softly smiled.