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This article, Naruto: Kōseiden - Vol. 1, is property of Nobody. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission. |
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Endings and Beginnings[]
“I can’t believe I passed!”
The voice of Yakushi Hikari could be heard clearly through the classroom as she celebrated her achievement. Around the room, her peers were giving her looks that ranged from annoyance to amusement as she sat back down.
“I feel you,” said Uchiha Arisa, one of her seatmates. “I thought they were going to fail me for sure after I botched the genjutsu portion. Thank the Sage I did so well on the nature transformation exam.”
Hikari nodded. “I had no idea that genjutsu was so complex. I’ve been trying to get better at it, but there’s so much that goes into it.” Her gaze cut to the boy sitting directly above them. “How’d you do, Ryūzaki?”
Ryūzaki Natsumaru shrugged, leaning forward as he thought the question over. “I did well enough, I think,” he answered easily. “My genjutsu scores were just as bad as yours, but I made up for it with taijutsu and ninjutsu. Didn’t do too good on the nature transformation portion.” A troubled look appeared on his face. “I ended up botching the technique.”
“There goes your chance of being rookie of the year,” Arisa said mockingly.
Hikari gave him a sympathetic look; she understood his pessimism perfectly. Like her, Natsu was both civilian-born and an orphan, and unlike the many clan-born children of their class, they had a handicap. They didn’t come from any established families with unique bloodlines or special techniques that’d been passed down to them. All that they did have were their natural talents and aptitude, and what the caregivers at the orphanage had been able to teach them in their spare time.
Her gaze fell from Natsu and slid to the others in their class, the clan and shinobi-born children who sat down looking completely unbothered. It was obvious they had no doubt about their ability to pass the exams. No late-night studying for them, Hikari thought wryly. There was no need to study when they were prepared years in advance.
“As if I ever had a chance to begin with,” Natsu grumbled. “Not when I’m stuck in this class.”
His eyes raked over the room before settling on a particular set of students. His expression grew from resentful to outright loathing, and he crossed his arms.
“Not this again,” Hikari rolled her eyes. “Let it go, Natsu.”
“It isn’t fair!” he complained. “They’re prodigies, Hikari. Nobles. Who’s supposed to compete with them? Especially that Uchiha?! Us? The orphan civies?” He rolled his eyes and scoffed. “I feel sorry for whoever gets stuck on a team with any of them.”
Hikari sighed, giving Natsu a look of annoyance. She hated when he got like this. She understood his frustrations; being who they were meant that they had to claw their way up, fight tooth and nail against their peers so they could distinguish themselves enough. It wasn’t easy, and there had been several times that Hikari had been tempted to simply call it quits and walk away while she still had the chance. When push came to shove, though, she’d done it; she had graduated at the tippy-tip-top of the kunoichi.
Work hard, get rewarded. It was Hikari’s life motto, her nindō. As much as she felt for him, she ultimately just couldn’t stand Natsu’s rantings and ravings. Fortunately for Natsu, Hikari didn’t get a chance to respond as their teacher walked into the room.
Uchiha Koichi smiled as he took in his students, eyes noticeably misty as he gave a watery smile. “Well, here we are everyone, our last day together as a class.” He took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. “It would seem that everyone has passed the exam, so that makes things easy. Let's get this show on the road!”
He turned to his desk, picking up a clipboard that he began reading from. The time passed quickly that way as students were called on. One by one, the newly promoted Genin were called upon and put into their new groups. Slowly but surely, the numbers began dwindling down; soon enough, only a few remained.
“Team Thirteen...”
Koichi’s voice could be heard clearly in the classroom of his soon-to-be former students. Though paying attention, it was obvious that the children in the room were lax. Only a handful of students remained; a little over half a dozen remained, enough for just a couple more teams.
“Yakushi Hikari.”
She snapped to attention as her name was finally called, sitting up straight and causing her dark hair to move like a curtain. She looked around, eyes landing on each of the unclaimed students, and wondered who her new partners would be. Her hands reached to her neck, and her fingers grazed upon the hitai-ate tied she wore like a choker.
She’d trained hard since the school year had begun, had pushed herself above and beyond, so she could graduate as one of the best in the class. She wanted to be put on the best team under the command of the best teacher and partnered with the best students, and their class had a handful who all competed for that spot.
Her eyes snapped to the back of the room, where a dark-skinned boy just a couple years younger than her perked up. He was short with blackish-purple hair and intense amber eyes. Minegumo’s curly hair bounced as he sat to attention. As he searched around the room, he gaze landed upon Hikari and they locked eyes, bright amber with dark blue. There was a moment where the light above him dimmed and flickered, and his eyes changed, going from amber to a brilliant gold and the expression on his face went hard. Then the light adjusted itself, and he was back to normal.
Hikari shuddered, looking away as a chill raced down her spine.
--- For his part, the Kurama heir’s gaze went directly ahead of him, where a black-haired boy his exact age was watching the rain outside. Slowly but surely, a grin came to life on his face as he gazed down on his godbrother.
It would be an understatement to say that Minegumo had been waiting for this day. He’d been looking forward to it from as early as the day he’d enrolled in the Academy. Mine wasn’t one to play the waiting game; he was too keyed, too ready to move. It had been evident ever since he was a small child, and it had become more clear over the years since he’d entered the Academy, when he’d thrown himself into his studies. It hadn’t been easy, due to a combination of his dyslexia and unorthodox learning style, but as always, he’d persevered. He’d pushed on and managed to get things under control, and here he was, a handful of years later: ten years old and graduating, finally going to get to go on actual missions and learn the ins and outs of the shinobi lifestyle.
Excitement welled within him, and the rush of emotion was so powerful it caused his eyes to glow, burning from amber to gold in a not-so-subtle sign that the usually tightly reined bloodline ability was rearing its head.
--- Cold, black eyes, glittering like jewels stared out of the window, observing as raindrops lashed gently against the panes. He should’ve been happy. This was supposed to be his day, after all, the one he’d been prepared for his whole childhood. Not only was he graduating, he was graduating top of the class, the only one to earn exceptional marks not just for his academic courses, but in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and bukijutsu. It had been expected of him the moment he was born, hadn’t it? All this day represented, though, was the simple, mundane fulfillment of the pre-ordained. Nobody was surprised by this, least of all him, but because it was so unsurprising, it meant that there was nobody but Tatsuo to really take pride in it. In him. Kian couldn’t even bring himself to smile; all he could think about was how it was a year to the day his father had died...not that anyone except Minegumo and Tatsuo even cared. Even among the Uchiha, Kian’s father was something of a taboo topic. The clan rarely spoke of the famous Mirage Man.
He himself tended to get mostly ignored and overlooked by the clan, too. Whatever. There would come a time when they couldn’t ignore him, because he was going to command their attention with just how talented he was. Maybe the rest of the Uchiha wanted to sweep both him and his father under the rug, but he wasn’t going to make it easy on them. Not by a long shot. Even their boring, lamebrained instructor was one of his lackeys… Hmph. Kian didn’t trust his father’s successor, and by extension, anyone in the clan that sucked up to him. Koichi was very much a pathetic suck up. It was an indignity, really. As far as Kian was concerned, the man was a borderline disgrace to the name Uchiha. Koichi wasn’t particularly talented in, well, anything. The only thing he had going for him was a little bit of skill in everything, and modest mastery of Uchiha clan fire ninjutsu. Even he could produce hotter flames and more impressive fireballs, and he was only ten. He couldn’t understand why it seemed to be so difficult for another Uchiha.
Running a hand through his hair, he became aware suddenly of a pair of eyes seemingly boring into him. Ugh. Natsu. What was that kid’s problem, anyway? Jealousy, was it? He supposed he could understand that. Uchiha was a clan of elite warriors, born for mastering the shinobi arts to the fullest. A kid like Natsu could never understand what it meant to possess the natural talent of Uchiha. No, a kid like Natsu who struggled with basic nature transformation principles would probably end up topping out as a decidedly mediocre Chūnin that would never do anything exciting or noteworthy. Sure, was that an elitist perspective? Absolutely. Did Natsu deserve it for constantly punking him out? Of course. If Natsu kept staring at him that way, Kian would simply get up and knock him across the room. Finally, Natsu’s gaze wandered elsewhere, as if the look on Kian’s face had done a sufficient job of conveying the threat that he was currently repeatedly uttering in his head. Today was not the day to pick a fight with him.
As Koichi would drone on and on announcing team assignments, Kian would briefly let his gaze flicker from the window to the elder Uchiha, wondering if this time his name would get called. Twelve teams in, no such luck. Eleven and Twelve got some of the most talented of their classmates; Uzumaki Sora went to Team Eleven, as did Hyūga Dan. A disappointment. This significantly decreased Kian’s odds of getting teammates that were actually useful, instead of just annoying wastes of space that would drag him down and be difficult to cooperate with. He already knew that the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi kids would be grouped together, and sure enough, they were Team Twelve. Who was left…? Nobody relevant. Well, that wasn't particularly inspiring. More than ever, Kian was willing Minegumo being his teammate into existence. Along with Sora and Dan, Mine was clearly the most gifted in their class apart from him. He could reasonably expect competence from Mine, and besides, they’d been friends for years. Even when they bickered and snapped at each other, they worked well together, which was a feat considering how much Kian really didn’t enjoy teamwork or cooperation. He heard Kaiya mumble under her breath from a few seats away, clearly not enthused about her team assignment. She thought she had it rough? If he didn’t at least get Mine on his team… Well, Nara would have no room to complain, considering who was left.
Team Thirteen. Would this be it? Growing impatient, he eyed their instructor intently, hoping to hear his name called so he could get this suspense over with. The first two names were called.
“Yakushi Hikari. Kurama Minegumo.”
Hikari, huh...? She was one he’d forgotten about, a taijutsu specialist. Not bad. Her marks were tops among the girls in taijutsu for sure, she would be tolerable.
Kian could hear Mine sitting up hastily, probably internally losing his mind with anticipation. Typical Mine. It almost made him smile...almost. Smiles from him were rare; they had been for a year. At any rate, Kian’s stare became so intense that it wouldn’t have shocked him if he spontaneously awakened Sharingan. This was his last chance to end up on a team that wouldn’t be awful. Please...call my damn name, Koichi. Be useful for once in your life. Please don’t put me on a team of losers. That’s all I ask.
“And Uchiha Kian.”
The raven-haired boy exhaled deeply with relief. So, he’d wound up with Mine after all. He was pleased; while he wasn’t sure what to make of Hikari, he was happy to have Mine on his team, even though he would never dare admit it out loud. Being separated from Mine was something he didn’t even want to consider.
Meet the Parents[]
For years, he had been away from the village, having returned only a few weeks ago. After spending some time as part of the Hokage Guard Platoon, he had received an offer to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, an offer he had readily accepted. It was a chance to get to travel, make even more of a name for himself. Bodyguard work had suited him. He had learned much and seen much, tangled with the underworld and the criminal networks that existed throughout the land, and now he had returned home to once again rejoin Konohagakure’s regular shinobi forces. Predictably, this meant he was now one of the Jōnin that the Hokage had directed to take on a Genin squad. If he were honest, he would confess to some trepidation about being an instructor. After all, he was Sarutobi Arata, wasn’t he, a shinobi famed far and wide as Konoha’s Royal Dagger? It wasn’t as if he were known for being soft, and he didn’t know exactly how to go easy on students. For him, remembering that the Genin training under him were just kids would be...hard. He would hold them to the same standards to which he held himself, regardless of how fair or unfair that was.
“Lord Hokage, you wished to see me?”
“Yes, I did. Arata, as you know already, it is my wish that you take on a squad of Genin. I can’t think of anyone better than yourself to mold young, aspiring shinobi into strong warriors. However, my respect for you dictates that I have this conversation with you before the team assignments are given out.”
“What is it you wish to tell me?”
“Two of your former teammates’ children are being assigned to you. Kurama Minegumo, Akigumo’s son, and…”
“Seto’s son, Lord Hokage?”
“Yes. Uchiha Kian, Seto’s son, will be your responsibility, as well.”
He paused, right outside the door of the restaurant at which he was meeting his subordinates’ parents. From what he had heard, Minegumo was very much his mother’s son, superbly talented at genjutsu and chakra control. Minegumo would likely be no problem, and it wasn’t Minegumo that he felt a certain uneasiness about...it was Seto’s son. Kian. While he’d been away, he’d of course heard of his best friend’s untimely death, not that he believed for a moment that Seto had killed himself, even if the evidence had lined up. Suicide was so out of character for the man, and Arata knew that Seto would never have willingly left behind his only son. Never in a million years. Regret swelled within him. He wished he’d been able to attend Seto’s funeral, but duty had bound him to the previous Daimyō, who had been traveling out of the country at the time. What would Seto’s child be like? Would he be able to forgive Arata for his absence? He supposed that he would find out soon enough. For now, he still had to face his new students’ parents. Akigumo was probably going to attempt to murder him for having spent so many years away.
“My Lord, you’re absolutely certain that you want me to lead this team? What if my personal experiences with their parents impact how I view the kids, how I train them? An unbiased teacher might be better for them.”
“No, it must be you. Trust me on this much, Arata. A true Uchiha prodigy, a member of the Kurama clan who possesses talent the likes of which the clan has never seen before… Only you are strong enough to teach these kids anything. Besides, I worry about the Uchiha boy in particular after Seto’s death. A more personal touch might be good for him. We all know how...difficult an Uchiha who has experienced loss can be.”
Arata entered the restaurant, his eyes scanning the room for Akigumo’s familiar face, but to his confusion, he didn’t see her there at all. Instead, he did recognize Yakushi Kohaku, the rather gloomy man who ran the village’s orphanage. Yes, the Hokage had mentioned that the third member of his new squad was an orphan… He supposed, then, that the woman with whom he was conversing was there on Minegumo’s behalf. Interesting… Perhaps Akigumo had a new flame that he hadn’t heard of, given his years-long absence from Konoha. The illustrious shinobi joined the pair at their table, adjusting his glasses casually.
“Good afternoon. You’re both aware, of course, that I’m the appointed leader of Team Thirteen, Sarutobi Arata.”
They both nodded, and Fuyuzki Mika waved at a seat. She took a drink of her tea, allowing the spicy cinnamon flavor to warm her and settle her nerves. While she only had a legal claim to Minegumo, she also stood in for the deceased Uchiha Seto: as Aki was Kian’s godmother, Mika, as her wife, had a spiritual claim over the boy; a bond born of knowing him his whole life, and having a mutual respect and care for one another.
“Well…”
Arata paused for a brief second, his voice trailing off.
“I’ll be up front with both of you. I believe in discipline, hard work, and dedication. Any student of mine who cannot develop these qualities will not be my student for long. Being my subordinate will be the most difficult thing these kids have ever gone through, but on my honor and that of the Sarutobi clan, if they invest the necessary blood, sweat, and tears, I will mold them into incredible young shinobi. This, I promise the both of you.”
“Can you really promise that?” Kohaku asked. “Ever since Hikari started at the academy, she’s had nothing but big aspirations, ambitions and dreams of being great and famous. And I’ve always tried to back her up,” He ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “But now I’m worried that she won’t just crash and burn.”
“It isn’t that I’m not happy for Hikari,” Kohaku was quick to say. “I am, really. She’s a special girl, and she’s got talent in spades. She essentially had to teach herself how to be a kunoichi. That she graduated with the scores she got is nothing short of amazing, but on a team like this…”
He sighed once more. “How can I know that she will actually be receiving the guidance she needs to excel? Teachers have a tendency to pick and choose who their favorite students are, and not to be rude, but young Kurama and Uchiha are the children of Arata’s former teammates; how is Hikari going to compete with that?”
“Mine will receive his own instruction at home,” Mika spoke up. It was a good thing that she’d come instead of her wife, she was starting to realize. Kohaku seemed like the sort of man that Aki wouldn’t hesitate to walk over. “He’s a genjutsu specialist, after all, and I know that Kian will also be getting extra help from other sources.” Her eyes softened. “I can understand your feelings, Yakushi. The child you looked after for so many years is taking her first steps into a new world, one where you cannot be her savior any longer. These kids are strong, opinionated, idealistic to a fault, and yet…”
Mika trailed off, staring into her teacup for a moment, before straightening up. “They are growing up, and this is proof of it,” she said. “We have to trust in them, and in their new teacher. Whatever happens will work out for the best.”
Arata listened patiently to Kohaku’s and Mika’s comments and concerns, but the truth was, this was merely tradition. He wasn’t really all that interested in what they had to say, and he wouldn’t have been even if Akigumo and Seto had been present. The bottom line was that the team assignments were set, and as of that day, Kurama Minegumo, Uchiha Kian, and Yakushi Hikari were no longer cadets, they were soldiers of Konohagakure under his direct supervision and command. Even if they had concerns and objections, his job from then on was to do what was best for his students, regardless of parental wishes. Seto… If he were alive, he would’ve understood. He’d always understood, that was why they’d been the best of friends, the closest of companions, the most reliable confidantes. Oh, how he missed his old friend. For the rest of his life, not a moment would go by during which he did not miss Uchiha Seto.
“Look,” he exhaled wearily, “I understand your concerns, Kohaku. However, I just have one question for you.”
Once again adjusting his glasses, he stared at Kohaku with a calmness that could have seen him through a hurricane.
“Just how little do you think of me, really? I, who was named captain of the prestigious Hokage Guard Platoon at 17. I, who served the Daimyo himself for a decade. I, who have mastered hundreds of techniques and been recognized as the greatest of my bloodline since the esteemed Third Hokage. Do you really think me the type of fool to play favorites? For better or worse, these kids have just entered the ultimate meritocracy. I assure you, there will be no favorites played, no shortcuts offered, no extra help or attention given. Each of them, including Hikari, will have to prove themselves every day to me. You question me teaching the kids of my former teammates? If anything, I will be even harder on Minegumo and Kian because I know their parents and their potential. It’s Hikari’s bad luck to have been placed with the two of them, because now she will be held to that standard, as well.”
Really, the nerve of some people. Being questioned like that irked him. Playing favorites...clearly, Kohaku was not completely aware of Arata’s reputation. It was downright offensive. Never would Seto or Akigumo blatantly doubt him. He supposed it would make an amusing tale, though, when he finally got a chance to visit Aki. The only reason he hadn’t was simply that upon his return, he had found himself a bit exhausted and in need of time and space to readjust to home. Not that he didn’t love Aki and consider her the sister he’d never been lucky enough to have and all, it was just that her personality could be a bit...taxing, to put it gently.
“I didn’t mean it like that!” Kohaku insisted. His eyes were wide, and his hands trembled. “I just meant-”
“What you mean does not always translate well into words, Yakushi,” Mika interjected smoothly. She finished the rest of her tea, fighting the urge to huff as she realized her role as mediator would be called into play here as well. “I am sure you meant well enough, but you must remember: we are in a Hidden Village, one of the Great Five for that matter. While I still call them children because of their age, they are now adults as far as the law is concerned.”
“As I said, I understand where you are coming from; I have taken care of Minegumo his whole life, after all. But,” Mika raised a hand when Kohaku attempted to interject, “I always knew this day was coming, as I’m sure you must have as well - unless you did not believe that young Hikari would actually pass to begin with.”
“Neither of you are being attacked,” she continued. “Although, it is very understandable why either would take offense.” Mika’s eyes, an uncanny shade of amber that matched that of her wife and adoptive son, rested on Arata. “You are a very distinguished man, Sarutobi,” she said, ever the diplomat. “So I am sure that you are capable of understanding Yakushi's anxieties, even to a small degree. It is one thing to prepare to send the child you held for battle, to actually send them off is quite another. It is only natural he has his concerns, no matter how unfounded they might be.”
She raised her cup again, and found herself looking put off when she realized she’d finished the cup.
“All of that said, I do look forward to how you will shape the three of them,” she said pleasantly. “They are certainly an unorthodox unit, it’s a guess as to what type of unit they will be specializing as.”
Nodding appreciatively at Mika’s comments, Arata ran a hand through his hair. This was already shaping up to be quite the pain in the ass… He could only hope that these three kids would end up being worth the headache. At the very least, it was going to be...interesting, for sure. Getting to his feet, he shook Kohaku’s and Mika’s hands.
“My apologies for dipping out, but I am running a couple minutes behind. I’ve got to go meet my new students now. Should there ever be concerns about them, I’ll be around. I’m not hard to find.”
With that, Konoha’s Royal Dagger exited the restaurant, his mind racing as he made for the Academy.
Formation: The Leaf’s Team Thirteen[]
“So who do you think our teacher will be?”
Minegumo’s voice rang out in the classroom. He lied on his stomach atop one of the many long desks in the room, drawing idly in his sketchbook. Unbeknownst to either of his new teammates, he was drawing portraits of each of them. Outlines for now, to be shaded in later on.
He phrased the question to both Kian and Hikari, although he wasn’t sure if either of them would actually answer him. Ki, Minegumo knew, was feeling more reserved than he usually did; the result of it being his father Seto’s death day.
A dark look appeared on Minegumo’s face as he recalled the event that transpired just last year.
He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it: one day he’d gone to see his other godfather for his regular get-together with Kian, and the next he was just…gone, committed suicide if the report was to be believed.
He was snapped from his thoughts when sudden movement from Hikari got his attention. Perking up, wondering if she was going to actually come and join him, he found himself frowning when she only ducked back down and remained quiet.
Damnit.
He glanced at Hikari from the corner of his eye, and glowered when she changed her position for the fifth time that day. Her hair moved out of place, and her forehead protector fell to a slightly different angle and Minegumo huffed. As he erased the outline he’d been working on, he fought the urge to compel her to stay still. He would have, were it not for the fact that he’d promised his Mika-mama that he would stop putting his peers under spells just to get his way. He was supposed to be turning over a new leaf, and that meant being less controlling; but as the saying went, old habits die hard.
“Hopefully it’s Tatsuo, but I doubt it. He only just made Jōnin a month ago, and Lord Hokage and our instructors would probably consider him too young.”
The Uchiha’s voice was quiet and even, with a hint of gravitas. Listening to Kian speak, one would get the impression that he was far older than merely ten, if not for the timbre of his voice. His feet were propped up in front of him on the desk at which he sat, his arms behind his head, which was tilted up at the ceiling, eyes closed as he attempted to relax. Even he was a little nervous about meeting their new Jōnin instructor. What if it was some no-name that only made rank because they were a jack-of-all-trades, but a true master of none? Kian had goals to work toward, he didn’t need some lame mentor holding him back and cramping his development.
At the very least, he wasn’t placed with loser teammates. Mine was Mine, and he supposed they could’ve done worse than Hikari. He was a bit perplexed by her obvious shyness, conveniently forgetting that at one point, he was genuinely shy himself. That Kian had died along with his father, though. Nowadays, he couldn’t care less what anyone else thought of him. If he was quiet, it was simply by choice. Pretending like he enjoyed interacting with people was a lot of work, and he didn’t have too much motivation for it. It was whatever. Right then, all he cared about was getting straight to work.
Hikari watched as the two conversed. A part of her wanted to join in on the discussion, but just couldn’t bring herself to. She wasn’t sure how she was feeling right now.
So she was just quiet.
She had wanted to be on the best team, and Hikari supposed she was having her wish granted.
Everyone knew who Uchiha Kian was. The son of the former Sasaukage Uchiha Seto, one of the most famous shinobi of the last generation. Once upon a time, Kian had been…not exactly friendly, but not unapproachable, either. Respectful and polite, and someone whose skill made him one of the more popular students in their class.
Then his father died.
Now there was a coldness to him that scared her more than she wanted to admit. It was like he was removing himself from the world, and looking down on all of them. Yet, despite what had happened to him, Kian still excelled. The Uchiha was the top student in their year, having graduated with the most well-rounded marks of the whole class; highest score in ninjutsu and nature transformation, and even managed to tie with Hyūga Dan in the taijutsu portion. The only category he hadn’t gotten first place in was the genjutsu section, and that was because…
Her gaze went from Kian to Minegumo, and her brow furrowed when she saw him sketching on a sheet of paper. While she would never admit it out loud, Hikari was somewhat intimidated by him.
The son of Kurama Akigumo, the Head of the Analysis Unit and currently the strongest kunoichi in the village.
Minegumo was, in a word, strange. He was somewhat reserved like Kian, but more easily approachable. When it came to tests, he tended to get average scores - if that. On paper, he was decent at best. His taijutsu was average; not the worst, but nothing to brag about either. His weapons skill was about the same too, and while he’d passed the ninjutsu test, he’d gotten among the worst scores in the nature transformation portion.
But he was also smart, terrifyingly so. His chakra control was arguably the best in their class, and he was a genjutsu master, too; one of the most challenging areas of the ninja arts, and he made it look as easy as could be.
As if he’d heard what Hikari was thinking, Minegumo turned toward her way with a questioning look.
“What about you, Hikari?” he asked. “Any guess on who our future teacher will be?”
She shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable. Hikari didn’t actually know too many ninja, especially those who were Jōnin. In fact, the only one that Hikari could say she knew personally was probably…
“Sora got promoted a couple years ago,” Hikari answered hesitantly.
“Yakushi Sora?” Minegumo asked. When Hikari nodded, he hummed and looked thoughtful. “He wouldn’t be a bad fit, I guess. It’d be interesting to have a medic as a Jōnin teacher. He’s got an affinity for Lightning, so he’d be able to help Ki out, and he uses taijutsu, so he’d be able to help you too.”
“I would just get the training I really need at home, so I guess it would all work out if he was our teacher.”
He set his sketchbook down and stretched out. “Then again, with a group like ours, who’s to know who we’ll get. The only person I can really think of would be-”
The door to the room slammed open and Minegumo and Hikari rose from their seats, tense and wary, only to relax as a man walked in.
Arata entered the classroom, observing as two of the kids in the room flinched at his arrival. He managed to just barely suppress a smirk. So...the one with the purple hair and amber eyes must have been Minegumo. He looks like his mother, sure enough. The girl was obviously Yakushi Hikari, and… His eyes flickered to the last person in the room, a pale boy with dark hair and glowering, heavily lidded eyes. Oh? You really are the spitting image of Seto, aren’t you, Kian…? Noticing that the three were watching him expectantly, he spoke up.
“I’m sure the three of you are wondering who I am and why I’m here. I am Sarutobi Arata, your new Jōnin instructor. The three of you would appreciate some fresh air now that the rain has stopped, I’m sure, so why don’t the three of you just follow me up to the roof?”
Five minutes later, and the four sat in a circle together on the roof of the Academy. Arata briefly examined his students’ faces, the gears of his mind turning. It felt odd, suddenly being responsible for the lives of three young ninja. He wasn’t sure it was something he was mentally prepared for. Of course, he’d led squads before, but this was different, wasn’t it? Every other squad he’d commanded had been made up of proven, fully-fledged ninja whose skills had already been developed. Guiding and nurturing these Genin would be a completely new challenge, but he supposed he had no choice in the matter. These kids were now his duty, and he had no intention of turning his back on them. All that could be done was to make the best of the situation, and who knew? Maybe the three young ones in front of him would grow into amazing ninja, and he would have a positive impact upon them. For all he knew, this day could be the beginning of a rather special journey. Part of him ached, however, looking at Kian and knowing that the boy was missing out on his father’s pride. Seto would’ve been overjoyed to see his son take his first steps towards becoming a real shinobi.
“Well. In the interest of team-building, I suppose we should all tell each other a little bit about one another. As I stated before, my name is Sarutobi Arata. Before returning to the village a few weeks ago, I spent nearly a decade serving the Daimyō as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and before that, I personally captained the Hokage Guard Platoon. Things I like include peace and quiet, a good book, and nice tea. Things I dislike include whining, self-serving people, and lack of discipline. If I were to have a goal for the future, I suppose it would be to one day become Hokage myself, to look after the village that my famous ancestor, the Third Lord Hokage, so dearly loved. My expectations for the three of you are to be perfectly punctual to all missions, team meetings, and training sessions, to work and study diligently, and...to never, ever quit. You are all talented in your own ways, but that talent means nothing if you don’t develop the discipline and work ethic to cultivate it. It also means nothing if you lack the character of a true Konoha shinobi.”
He paused, glancing towards Hikari.
“Now, ladies first, my dear. Why don’t you go ahead and tell us about yourself?”
“I’m Yakushi Hikari,” she answered momentarily. She pressed her lips together for a moment, looking from her teacher to her teammates, before continuing. “I’m from the Konoha Orphanage, and I’ve lived there for as long as I can remember. I like…I guess I like to exercise? Training has always been kind of fun, and I really like taijutsu. My dislikes…” She paused, thinking it over. “I’m not sure. I guess I don’t like bugs, or spiders. At least, not the ones that aren’t harmless. And my goal for the future…” She sat straighter, and her eyes blazed. “I want to be the best kunoichi, and show everybody that even someone like me can make it.”
Then she blinked, seeming to have caught herself, and slouched back once more.
“A commendable goal, truly,” Arata reassured her, smilingly kindly.
Far be it for him to criticize anyone’s dreams. Hikari was a truly interesting child. He could see why Kohaku had worried about her slipping through the cracks. Compared to an Uchiha and a member of the Kurama clan, she didn’t exactly stand out. That fire, that intensity she possessed, however, was evident, and he was convinced in that moment that she would be a student he could draw the best out of. Kohaku needn’t have been concerned. Hikari’s determination seemed to be such that no Jōnin instructor could have possibly brought themselves to neglect her. Even if she possessed no Kekkei Genkai or Hiden that made her exceptional, in Konoha, hard work, passion, and dedication were never ignored. Arata had a feeling that Hikari would be just fine.
“I guess I’m next,” Minegumo said softly. He gave Hikari a curious look, honestly caught off guard by the passion she’d spoken about her dream with, however brief the moment had been. “I’m Kurama Minegumo, from the Kurama Clan. I like meditation and art,” He used his fingers the way one would tick off a list as he stated his hobbies. He paused for a moment, to look Kian’s way and he smiled. “And I also like spending time with my best friend and godbrother, Kian here. I guess I dislike people who are annoying, or weird. And my goal for the future…I’m not really sure. I’ve never given it much thought, beyond what I know will happen.”
And with that he was finished, taking a seat and giving Ki an expectant look.
“Meditation, eh? I wouldn’t have expected you to be the meditative type, with the amount of energy you possess. That’s good, though. It’s a great way to decompress, perhaps I’ll even teach you some of the meditation techniques I picked up on my travels. As for your goal, well, we’ll just have to figure it out in due time, won’t we?”
What an interesting, cheeky kid. Oh, how his attitude resembled his mother’s. Minegumo was going to be a handful, of this much Arata was certain. He couldn’t deny, however, that he already liked the kid. If he was truly like his mother, then he would be relentless in his pursuit of excellence. That was something Arata could work with, for sure. Plus, Minegumo seemed to radiate positivity, which would provide a nice contrast with the obviously gloomy Uchiha child sitting to the left of Minegumo. With expertly veiled curiosity, Arata turned his attention to Kian, the last of his trio of students.
Kian elected to pointedly ignore Minegumo’s smile, partly to keep up his aloof, cold exterior, partly because he disliked the way his best friend’s smiles made him feel, especially when they were directed right at him. Instead, he glanced briefly over at Hikari, processing her words carefully. What a cute goal, really, striving to prove that even someone without noble blood could be an excellent ninja. He wasn’t particularly in the mood to humor her, though. If anything, he wondered whether or not her goal would inspire her to push herself too far and thus get in his way. People who were too desperate to prove something often ended up as liabilities. Kian had to admit, though, it was interesting. Hikari was an orphan, just like him. If his name weren’t Uchiha, he supposed he’d be a lot like her. The thought made him uncomfortable; he pushed it away.
“Hmph… I’m Uchiha Kian. Anyone who doesn’t recognize the name Uchiha is either dense beyond help or willfully ignorant. What do I like…?”
The boy paused there, considering his words carefully. He didn’t really like much of anything these days.
“Not a whole lot, actually. I like training, I like my blade. That’s about it. As for things I dislike, I could go on and on, but nobody cares, so I won’t bother boring everyone. My only real goal for the future is to become the leader of my clan, like my father before me.”
Well, there was more to it than that, wasn’t there? He also wished to uncover the truth about his father’s death, and to dispense justice to the one currently masquerading as the rightful leader of the Uchiha. Sakushi was a liar and a manipulator, even if others didn’t fully understand that. Kian was also convinced that if his father was murdered, Sakushi would be the only one who had a motive. After all, despite his father never liking the man, he’d also recognized that Sakushi was a skilled shinobi and an intelligent individual, which was why, for all intents and purposes, Sakushi had been something of a second in command. That meant when Sakushi had stepped up and taken charge of the clan, nobody had contradicted him or tried to stop him. It had been all too easy. One day, however, he would make Sakushi pay. No matter what, his father’s death would be avenged, even if it cost him his life.
“The Uchiha respect strength and dignity. I expect your goal is one that can be accomplished, so long as you take care to nurture those qualities within yourself.”
No, he wasn’t shocked by Kian’s proclaimed goal, and he completely understood it, as well as the implications behind it. Clearly, Seto’s son was well aware that the Mirage Man was not likely to have committed suicide. He supposed he wasn’t surprised by that, either. After all, Arata assumed that the boy had known his father well, since Seto had been his only living parent. If it was retribution that Kian sought, which he suspected it was, he would have to pay very close attention to the boy’s development and try his best to subtly dissuade him against such a pursuit. Being consumed by hatred and the desire to punish another was not a pleasant existence, and it was one to which Uchiha had frequently fallen prey throughout their clan’s history. Exhaling, he got to his feet.
“I suppose that will be it for today, then. Rest up tonight, because tomorrow is your real test. You may have passed the preliminary Genin examinations set by the Academy, but you are not yet truly Genin. There is one more test you must pass: a survival exercise, with me as your opponent. We meet at dawn at the Third Training Ground. Come fully armed and prepared to fight with everything you’ve got. Dismissed.”
Gone in the blink of an eye, Arata left his words to hang in the air, so that his students might process them. They were truly an interesting bunch...
The Day Has Come[]
It was the start of a beautiful day.
The red-gold light of the morning sun beamed down upon Konohagakure, bathing the village in its brilliance. All throughout the metropolitan settlement, people could be seen getting a start to their days. Young children walked in groups to the different institutions they attended for learning, while their parents either left for work or stayed home. Shop owners could be seen sweeping their porches and opening windows to let fresh air in, while the members of the Konoha Military Police Force made their patrols up and down the streets. The scene was an average and mundane one, the norm for the modernized Village Hidden in the Leaves.
For most of the villagers, it seemed like an average day; it was anything but. A sense of expectation and curiosity filled the air, most notably among the shinobi in the village. They walked together, making jokes and laughing to themselves as they passed by certain homes or establishments. It was obvious to anyone watching that the ninja who called Konoha home were in high spirits.
Just yesterday, the school year for the Konoha Ninja Academy had ended and a group of aspiring shinobi had made the first steps in becoming proper ninja. However, initially unbeknownst to the graduated students, they would not be beginning their career as ninja quite yet. Instead, they would have to go through one final test to prove themselves; to show they really had what it took. Only a third of the would-be Genin ever passed this exam, while the rest would either be sent back to the academy or forced to walk away completely.
It was a brutal system, meant to weed out those who were unprepared from those who were. A small fraction of the village’s Jōnin had been called in for this, to administer their exams, and in the event that their assigned students passed, they would serve as teachers to the recently graduated Genin to teach them the ins and outs of the shinobi world and help them be the best they could possibly be. Each Jōnin had the choice of virtually any test they wanted to administer, with their only limitation being that it had to be fair. The favored among those exams were the time-honored bell test first put into place by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
One Sarutobi Arata would be among those administering the bell test. The twenty-eight year old Jōnin stood by himself on the tallest tree in the Third Training Ground, tracking the progress of his students. Arata had put his own spin on the exam for his students; turning it into something of a free-for-all and creating scenarios to turn each student against the other. It was manipulative and even cruel, he could admit, but he fully believed it was needed. Hopefully, they would too, once it was all said and done.
The test had begun a few hours ago. Since then Arata had kept track of his students' progress throughout it, seeing the plans they came up with and how they executed them, how they fought together and against each other, and of course, testing each of them individually. They did well, of course; met his expectations and made him proud. But they were also failing in their own ways. While they understood the exam to an extent, it wasn’t to the level that Arata would have liked, and so they had yet to come together as a proper trio.
Arata ran a hand through his hair, then blinked in surprise when he felt a surge of chakra from within the forest. An instant later, and the memories of his last shadow clone returned to him, just as an explosion went off by the river.
He was moving before he was fully conscious of it, speeding through the forest, and doubling his pace when yet another explosion went off right next to the original.
“Minegumo!”
Arata’s anxious shout echoed through the forest as he made his way into the burning trees, wincing when chakra rippled about and around him. Stopping, he glanced around him: wandering which way to go as he squinted through his glasses.
The scene around him was, in one word, chaos. Trees were aflame, giving birth to a forest fire that filled the air with smoke and embers that made it difficult to breathe. At the same time, the earth itself had been mutilated by large holes that dug deep and uneven within. It was well and truly a scene he had not expected to see.
While he did his best to remain calm, it was obvious to anyone who knew him how worried the man was. His hands shook, his voice held a note of anxiety, and he was constantly whipping around, attempting, and failing, to find his student.
The shadow clone had given him a single clear memory before its destruction: fighting with Minegumo, before suddenly being caught up in an explosion. While that in of itself was not truly a cause for worry, the confusion and surprise that had shown on Minegumo’s face had sent a tingle down his spine, and then when his expression had given way to horror and fear…
Arata knew that something was up.
He heard the sound of metal on metal, before the thud of a body hitting the earth. As footsteps quickly ran in another direction, Arata gave chase, only to freeze when he heard a groan of pain.
As he continued to search, he heard a sound coming from some yards away — a weak cough, followed by a pain-filled moan.
Minegumo.
Arata turned on his heel, making a mad dash. In what seemed like an instant, he caught sight of his student: bruised and battered, but still bleeding even as burns covered different parts of his body. Eyes wide, Arata found himself dropping to his knees before his student, reaching out with a gentle hand and gasping when Minegumo whimpered and flinched, recoiling from him.
“Hurts…” the boy breathed out. He was curled into a fetal position, eyes screwed shut as tears rolled down his ashen cheeks. “Make it stop, Master. Please.”
What could he even say to that? Arata’s mind whirled, and he found himself gently moving his student into his arms, biting back a curse when Minegumo whined in his ear.
“Minegumo…” Arata’s voice trailed off as he felt the stick of blood coating the boy’s shoulders. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain steady even as shock made his heart pound in his chest.
“What happened?” He asked. “Who did this to you?”
Minegumo shook his head, tightening his grip on Arata’s shirt. He let out a mumble, an unintelligible sound as a sob worked its way up his throat.
“Who did this, Mine?” Arata asked more firmly. “I need you to tell me.”
Minegumo’s eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, they flashed with a brilliant gold hue. Then the boy blinked, and they were replaced by the same amber peepers as his mother and adoptive mother. He took a shaky breath, and let out a small cough.
His voice was a scratchy whisper, and Arata’s face paled as he took in what the boy said.
It can’t be.
Arata looked down at his student, denial gripping him, but Minegumo’s tears began falling again, and he felt a cold hand squeeze his heart. As if he knew the struggle going on within his teacher, he repeated himself, voice shaky, as his grip tightened.
“It was Kian,” he whispered. With his eyes shut, Minegumo was oblivious to the horror that dawned on Arata’s face. “Rai and Yakushi…they betrayed me.”
For Whom the Bell Doth Toll[]
Four o’ clock in the morning. The young Uchiha yawned as he pulled his shirt over his head and reached for his blade, which was currently hidden in a sheath that he kept strapped across his body. His mind was racing, and he turned the blade over in his hands a few times. Maybe he should’ve been more worried; after all, he’d heard how grueling these final exams administered by the Jōnin could be. Sarutobi Arata was the least likely to go easy on them, as well. The man was considered a legend, the top Jōnin in Konohagakure. No way in hell would his exam be easy...
Yet he hardly felt any nerves at all. Where anxiety should’ve been, he had a certain resignation. It was just going to be what it was, there was no point being scared of it. Besides, his father would’ve been ashamed to think of his son as being afraid. No, he was going to face this exam with the same blunt matter-of-factness that he approached everything else with. Failing wasn’t an option. If he was ever going to force his uncle to take accountability for his crimes, he couldn’t be weak. With a sigh, he turned to face Minegumo’s bed. A normal sight, to be sure; they were best friends, he was here constantly to stay over. The only problem at the moment was that Minegumo was still in his bed.
“Wake up, loser.”
For a fraction of a second, Minegumo seemed to stir, but a loud snore reverberated throughout the room instead. Really? You’re choosing this morning, of all mornings, to be difficult? Typical Mine. Glaring, Kian cracked his knuckles and walked over to Mine, reaching out and gently poking his shoulder. Well...from Kian’s perspective, it was gentle, but Minegumo would probably disagree, as a low voltage of electricity would be coursing through him. A smug grin tugged at Kian’s lips as his friend finally sat bolt upright, his pillow clinging to his hair. Static electricity was such fun, he had to admit. Instinctively, he took a step back, knowing full well Mine was liable to take a swing at him.
“Wow, you’re off to a poor start. Even your hair’s having a bad day already.”
Mine blinked, shock clear on his face, before it gave way to a glower. Amber eyes went sharp, and a moment later he was launching himself off the bed with a flicker, all but throwing himself at his best friend. For the next several moments, the room was filled with grunts and growls as the two boys wrestled on the floor. However, as quickly as it began, it ended just as fast when Minegumo jumped away with a yelp.
He growled, rubbing his side, and glaring at his oh-so-smug best friend, who only smirked in response.
“You aren’t nearly as funny as you think you are,” Minegumo said.
“Considering how funny I think I am, that makes me still pretty damn funny, you idiot.” Kian stretched casually, arms behind his head, as he let out a yawn.
Mine rolled his eyes. “You’re about as funny as Aki-mama,” he said in response. “And she’s as funny as an Inuzuka.”
Mine broke off with a yawn of his own, scratching at his head. He frowned, remembering just how bad his hair was with all of the static.
“Can you do something about this?” he pleaded. “If I show up looking like a porcupine, people will mistake me for you.”
“I could,” the raven haired boy mused, “but it’s funnier to me if I don’t.”
Mine scoffed, raising his finger in a rude gesture. He looked around his room, biting his lip, before he walked over to his closet. Quickly stepping through the door, he was gone for only an instant, before he reappeared dressed and ready to go, running a comb through his hair.
“See? Look at you, brushing your hair like you know how to groom yourself. You didn’t need my help at all,” Kian taunted playfully, having flopped back down onto Mine’s bed while he waited.
Minegumo sneered, but otherwise didn’t respond. Instead, he rummaged around in his closet, before pulling out a simple black cap that he pulled over his head. He walked over to the bed, flopping down next to Kian and turning so their faces were close enough to touch.
“Can’t we just sleep and wake up as full graduates tomorrow?” Minegumo asked. “I don’t want to be up this early. No one is up this early!”
“First of all, quit whining, we’re shinobi now. Second of all, you’ve got three seconds to get out of my face before I zap you again.”
“Fine, fine,” Mine said, sitting up. “If only all of the girls at school could see how mean you really are.”
“I wish they could too, maybe then they’d finally leave me alone.”
“Now you sound like Sora.”
The Uchiha’s nose wrinkled, as if smelling something unpleasant, at the mention of Sora. He’d always disliked that obnoxious Uzumaki kid. Minegumo sighed, recognizing the distasteful expression on his best friend’s face. The mutual disdain between Kian and Sora was legendary, although no one was quite sure what the cause of it was.
Minegumo stretched, giving a last yawn, before standing and grabbing his forehead protector, tying it around his neck.
“Well.” Minegumo’s tired expression gave way to a smile, eyes sharp with excitement. “Ready to go pass a test?”
“I’ve been ready for an hour,” Kian replied, rolling his eyes in amusement.
Getting to his feet, the young Uchiha headed downstairs, calling out a goodbye to Minegumo’s mothers as he strode out the front door. He was momentarily surprised by the fact that it was still dark outside; he wasn’t usually up quite this early. It was almost eerily quiet. The normally bustling streets were vacant, and the only lights on were the streetlights. A scent of morning dew reached him, carried by a gentle breeze. Maybe getting up early wasn’t that bad, after all. This was peaceful, so much so that he almost dreaded the rest of the village waking up.
“So, what kind of test do you think this will be?” Kian asked quietly, finally breaking the silence after a few moments of walking.
Minegumo shrugged. “Aki-mama wouldn’t tell me anything, but it can’t be too bad can it? It isn’t like the academy exam was actually hard either.”
“True, but that’s exactly why I think this will be difficult. They can’t let people that are too soft become Genin, right?” Well, at least, he hoped not.
“That makes sense...maybe a test based on chakra? Something a little more advanced than what was taught at the academy?”
“Heh, that would be a little too easy. I’m an Uchiha, my chakra isn’t weak like half of our class’s.”
Mine rolled his eyes, but couldn’t resist a small grin. Trust Kian to be so sure of his superiority over their classmates even when he was feeling anxious.
“Maybe it’ll be something cool, like testing how much pain we can take.”
“Too morbid, I highly doubt they’re going to subject a bunch of children to torture.” He stifled a yawn, wishing silently that he’d been able to sleep better.
“That’s what makes it such a good test,” Minegumo said. “No one would expect it, and the weaklings would drop out at the first chance they got.”
“Maybe, but still doubtful.”
Kian slid his hands into his pockets, turning his gaze skyward. The sky was beginning to lighten, streaks of gentle pink caressing shades of bluish grey. He could still see stars here and there, too, blinking lazily as if they were planning on settling in for a nice, long sleep, just as everyone else was preparing to wake. As the boys passed the gates of the Konoha Cemetery, Kian stopped in his tracks, unable to resist looking towards the rows of white marble headstones. Whatever test he was about to take, was it the same one his father had had to pass to become a shinobi? More importantly, if there was an afterlife, did that mean his father was watching him, right now, maybe even from only a few feet away? Even if it felt childish, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping so. Despite his self-assured attitude towards the test, the thought of his father watching over him comforted him.
A moment later, Minegumo appeared at his friend’s side, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. He could guess what was going through Kian’s mind, the same thing that had been on the mind of everyone in the Kurama-Fuyuzuki household. Or rather, the person. It had been a full year since the day that Seto had passed, and everyone was still feeling reeling from it.
“I bet he’d be proud,” said Minegumo softly.
He was sure of it. Seto had been a good man: fair, patient, and loving. The man was the whole reason that he and Kian were friends, Minegumo’s mother and Kian’s father having been teammates during their Genin days. Aki and Seto’s friendship had been passed down to their children, and they’d been inseparable ever since. As much as Kian had grown up at the Kurama grounds, so too had Minegumo grown up in the Uchiha district. Seto had been more than simply a family friend; he’d been the closest thing that Mine’d had to a father figure, even counting his Godfather.
Now Seto was gone, having taken his own life. It was something that Minegumo still couldn’t wrap his head around.
Kian casually pulled his hand away from his friend’s and began to walk on silently. Proud, huh? He sure hoped so, but part of him felt like he could never bring himself to believe that until he unraveled the truth about his father’s death. Uchiha Seto had not committed suicide, he would never accept that. There was no way his father would’ve just willingly left him orphaned, if nothing else. He didn’t think the man who’d raised him was capable of that. Surely at some point, if his father really had considered ending his own life, he’d have thought of Kian? Anger began to course through him. If it was true...if his father had just left him on his own...it was selfish and cowardly.
Loss was the worst kind of pain. It was the agony of knowing that there was a gaping wound in your heart and being unable to do much of anything to heal it. All you could do was bear it, bear it and try to pretend it wasn’t there, but it always was. It always would be. Nobody seemed to understand that, but Kian wasn’t about to begin to explain, anyway. He wasn’t one to waste his breath. Even his closest friend wouldn’t get it; Minegumo had his parents, had never experienced loss. In some ways, Kian envied that. Watching Minegumo with his parents was like watching what his own life could’ve been, and while he wouldn’t wish his pain on anyone, it was hard not to feel the jealousy sometimes.
“Ki…” Minegumo trailed off. It was in moments like these that he felt a...divide between him and his best friend, a gulf that cut Kian away from the rest of the world. Away from him, and he hated it, hated that Kian was going through something that he could only partly understand, that it was something that he couldn’t fix for him.
I miss him too, Minegumo wanted to say. Aki-mama still cries for him, when she thinks that no one’s watching. You aren’t alone. A million thoughts went through his mind, each of them went unsaid. Instead, he looked down and pulled off his hat, allowing his, miraculously, fixed hair to cover his eyes.
They were almost at the training grounds anyway.
--- As the two boys walked to their designated meeting area, the third member of Team Arata was also making their entrance.
Yakushi Hikari walked slowly, eyes on the ground as she made her way to the spot where their test would begin. The test that would either be the true beginning of her career as a kunoichi, or spell the crashing of all her dreams, before they could even take flight. It was well and truly her judgement day, and she didn’t know if she was actually prepared for it or not.
Hikari was nervous. It was obvious to anyone just how anxious and stressed she was. She’d stayed up later than usual last night training herself to the point of exhaustion. Throwing kunai and shuriken at targets, going through the katas taught at the academy, even chakra control exercises. She’d done everything she could think of to make sure she was actually ready for the rest, even studying village history in case the test was an academic one. In the end, she’d stayed up so long that by the time she’d stopped, she’d managed only two hours of rest before she was up again.
She’d done her best to get ready, throwing on her favorite outfit after a quick shower, and she’d grabbed hold of all of her weapons before she’d walked out the door. Not only did Hikari have her weapon’s pouches, but she’d also hidden kunai in the sleeves of her shirt and edges of her pants, exploding tags around the inside of her jacket, and even needles hidden in the braid of her hair. Overkill? Maybe, but she liked to be prepared. She just hoped that she wasn’t preparing for nothing, that all of her careful planning didn’t end up being wasted.
Hikari took a deep breath, trying, and failing, to settle her nerves. As she made it to the meeting ground, she caught sight of her teammates, and resisted the urge to wave to them. They weren’t friends, at least not with her. Instead, she looked them over. Unlike her, they looked put together, not a shred of anxiety to be seen, and she envied them for it.
Did they know what the test was? It was supposed to be a secret, but they were clan children — nobles at that. Who was to say that they weren’t privy to information that she herself wasn’t?
Hikari grit her teeth and looked away, feeling frustration rise as her anxiety worsened. Taking another deep breath, she once again attempted to settle her nerves. Nothing good would come from letting her thoughts over take her, she knew that, yet she couldn’t help it. She’d worked so hard to get to where she was now, and now she was standing on the precipice. Everything was going to change after today, but whether that change would be good or bad, she had no idea. That scared her.
Another inhale, holding the breath, before letting it go. Hikari absentmindedly played with her bracelets, fingers going over the seal-script engraved into them. It had been a nervous habit for years now, messing with the bands when she was feeling especially upset, and on each occasion, she’d been tempted to activate the seal formula they held. And each time, she withheld.
Most of the time, anyway.
--- Kian sensed eyes focusing on him, and sure enough, Hikari had arrived just after them. She seemed to be analyzing him, then Minegumo. That was hilarious; it was as if she thought she could compete with them and was mentally preparing. His face remained impassive, expressionless. Kian couldn’t care less about her, she was no threat to him, even if he hadn’t awakened the Sharingan yet. As long as she didn’t get in his way, she wasn’t relevant to him. Glowering, he glanced around impatiently.
Sure, they were a bit early, but shouldn’t their Jōnin instructor have been there already? If Arata was the type to make a dramatic entrance or be fashionably late, he was going to run out of patience very quickly. Whatever, at least the man wasn’t late yet. Perhaps whenever this was over and he’d passed this stupid test, he’d go and properly visit his father’s grave before he headed home for a nap. Kian was fighting tiredness, and he had a sneaking suspicion that that was the whole reason they’d been told to show up so early.
“Sensei still isn’t here?” Minegumo asked aloud. He hadn’t thought the man was the type to arrive late. “Or maybe he’s just somewhere hiding.
He looked behind him, eyeing the trees and the river around them. Technically speaking, he could try and sense out the man with basic chakra sensory. He was good enough, but that would only work if Arata was actually molding chakra — Aki-mama had yet to teach him the more specialized sensing technique used by his clan.
For her part, Hikari just shrugged, carefully running a hand along her braid, making sure to avoid the hidden blades. She attempted a smile, but felt her face twist into a grimace, and looked away again.
“Maybe this is part of the exam,” she said. “We might have to track him down.”
The thought wasn’t too out there, and it would make sense, if that was the type of unit they were supposed to be. But that also meant she would be useless. Unlike those two, she wasn’t a sensor-type, nor did she have naturally enhanced physical senses. The best she could do was use chakra to enhance her hearing, and even then, she couldn’t keep the technique going for more than a few moments.
As if on cue, a tall man with glasses appeared in their midst, a cloud of smoke dissipating as he pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. Clearing his throat haughtily, he took the opportunity to glance around at his students. Impressively, neither Minegumo nor Kian seemed to be anxious, save for flinching at his sudden arrival. He repressed a smirk; part of him was amused that he’d managed to freak them out, especially Kian. That child seemed to be too serious and gloomy for his own good, even if it was completely understandable why he’d be that way. Hikari seemed to be feeling the pressure already, which made him worry a bit about her. What he had in store for them might end up being particularly taxing for her.
“Alright, you three, listen up. I’m only going to go through this once, so save your questions, comments, and complaints until I finish, sound good? Good. Now, today’s exercise is going to be...a survival exercise.” He paused, anticipating the groans that emanated from his three students. “You won’t just be doing any survival drill, though. You’ll be surviving against me, and against each other.”
He held up a single bell in his right hand for the three of them to observe, letting it ring quietly for dramatic effect.
“Each of us will get one of these bells. The two students who, by noon, have accomplished getting their hands on a second bell will pass this exam, while the unlucky one will be sent back to the Academy for further training and will have to try again next year...if I don’t disqualify them from ever being a shinobi, that is.” Arata’s eyes searched their faces, gauging their reactions. It seemed that the three kids were about as mortified as he’d expected, but there was something else...a hint of resolve, determination. “The rules are simple: there are no rules, except get two bells by noon. You may use any techniques or tools at your disposal, and you may fight to kill. Questions?”
“Are we allowed to team up?” Minegumo immediately asked. He looked at Kian with a grin. “If we’re using any tool at our disposal, and shinobi are supposed to be tools, we should be able to, right?”
Barely able to suppress a snort of amusement, Arata nodded. “I did say that the only rule was to obtain two bells by noon. If that’s how you want to play it, then…” The Jōnin shrugged nonchalantly.
Kian pointedly avoided Minegumo’s gaze, instead opting to focus on their instructor and think over what he was saying. This test...is it designed for the strongest candidates to eliminate the weakest? Four bells total, you need two to pass and only two can pass… Not to mention, if there’s no rules, if it’s like a true test of survival, then it’s like Mine says...we could just team up, take the first bell from the weak link, and gang up on Master Arata knowing that one of us has already passed. Heh...too bad for Hikari, it’s survival of the fittest from here on out. Now that he understood what the parameters of the test were, he felt calmer than ever. Clarity did him good, eliminating whatever doubts or nervousness he’d had. Kian felt supremely confident that he could do this. In fact, if it came down to it, he felt like he could even pass by himself.
“Alright, well...if there’s no further questions, then the test begins...now.”
In a cloud of smoke, the Jōnin vanished as quickly as he’d arrived. Though the trio of would-be Genin didn’t know it, Arata had hidden himself in some bushes a respectable distance away, watching and waiting to see what their first move would be, how they would approach the exam.
“So that’s how it is, then?” Minegumo muttered to himself. His gaze left Kian, before sliding to Hikari, who was looking at the spot that Arata had just disappeared from with something akin to horror. He could understand why: it must suck to know that all of your dreams were about to go up in smoke. “Certainly makes this interesting.”
“Only two of us can pass,” he repeated Arata’s words. He gave Hikari a look that had her freezing in place, amber eyes glittering bright, but cool. “I guess we know how this is going to go then.”
“Isn’t that right, Yakushi?”
Hikari swallowed, eyes flickering from the spot that Arata had vacated, to her teammates, flinching at the way they were sizing her up. Her mouth opened, but she forced it closed as she found herself choking on her words. She took a step back, the hand holding her bell going behind her back.
“That’s what he said,” she agreed. Black hair shifted as she took on a fighting stance, sliding her bell into her back pocket. Her hands balled into fists, as she gave the pair a wary look.
Deciding there was no point in prolonging the inevitable confrontation, Kian took advantage of Hikari’s distraction to reach for his shuriken, throwing them directly at her with incredible speed and suddenness.
Hikari scrambled, vaulting to the right as the shuriken came her way. Scrambling to her feet, she reached for her own weapons pouch, taking out a pair of kunai, spinning them in her hand as she rushed forward.
It was on.
With a simple flicker, Kian was behind her, rapidly weaving hand signs. Raiton: Jinraisen. Golden lightning chakra formed in his right hand, and he launched it at Hikari’s back as an arrow projectile, silently willing Minegumo to take the opening he’d created. If Hikari somehow dodged, Minegumo could react and counterattack her.
Minegumo smiled, giving Hikari a rueful look before shaking his head. And yet, he couldn’t help but grin: trust Kian to take the initiative. His gaze sharpened, and he breathed in, summoning his chakra.
“Yakushi,” Minegumo began. He allowed his chakra to coat his vocal cords, calling upon his favorite compulsion illusion. “Stop.”
His voice seemed to echo through the clearing, and Hikari felt herself freeze as the single word rippled dream-like through her head. The scenery in the forest shifted as the leaves on the trees swayed, being replaced with violet wisteria petals. All at once, serenity washed over her, and she smiled as the tension seemed to melt out of her. And because she was lax, she had no way of dodging Kian’s blow.
The lightning projectile slammed into her, and she screamed as she went down, the genjutsu ending as fast as it’d begun. Hikari dropped as volts of electricity raced through her, curling upon herself as her body shook with golden sparks.
Minegumo regarded the scene with a head tilt. Walking slowly, he crouched down, moving Hikari’s hair out of her face, unminding of the electricity that arced over her.
“You really should have given us the bell, Yakushi,” he said.
“That voltage is nothing that’ll cause you any lasting or permanent damage,” Kian interjected, folding his arms. “I don’t really want to hurt you, that’s not the goal, I just want to pass the test and, well… The harder you fight, the harder I fight.”
“You’ve been reading those manga again, haven’t you?” Minegumo asked. “There’s no need to explain yourself to her, Ki. It’s just business. And she caught the wrong end of it.”
“Idiot, who reads manga? Don’t you read actual novels like a normal person?”
“I read Aki-mama’s case files from the T&I,” Minegumo said, matter of factly, “and poetry.”
Kian shook his head, drawing nearer to Hikari and reaching for the bell that she’d held; the force of the lightning must have caught her by surprise, the bell had fallen from her back pocket...
There was a small click, and the bracelets around Hikari’s wrist opened. That was the only warning before she sprung up, hand curled into a fist. Taking advantage of Kian’s closeness, she rammed her arm forward, aiming directly for his nose.
Kian felt a fist hit his face, the blow forcing him to take a step backward. He could feel warm, fresh blood dripping from his nose, but his expression didn’t change. The boy was singularly focused, and the pain barely registered. Why should he care if he was bleeding, anyway? Unfortunately, that split second was all Hikari seemed to need to grab hold of the bell and jump to her feet.
“Can’t you hit harder than that?” the Uchiha asked with a mild tone of genuine surprise.
“I was aiming for your dick,” Hikari shot back. She was breathing deeply, wincing from the pain from the lightning technique. “Your face looks a lot like one.”
“As insults go, that one was lame. How about one I haven’t heard before?”
“Doesn’t need to be funny to be the truth,” Minegumo interjected. He shrugged at Kian with a small smirk, honestly amused by what’d just happened, before giving Hikari an appraising look. “That wasn’t too bad, Yakushi…but a last-ditch attempt doesn’t change how this is going to end.”
Hikari smiled tightly. “Then I’ll just have to make sure that it doesn’t end here.”
As one hand clutched at her bell, the other suddenly whipped out, throwing down a pair of smoke bombs, filling the clearing with clouds of darkness. She vaulted out, but she wasn’t alone. a multitude of clones joined her. They scrambled every which way, some going to the trees, others on the ground, while some ran towards the stream.
“She’s just full of surprises, isn’t she?” Minegumo asked as the smoke cleared. He watched the clones with cool eyes. “I’m actually starting to like her.”
“Not bad, but I’m in no mood to be friendly or admire her. We can’t fail this test,” Kian replied, running a hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry,” Minegumo said. “We won’t fail. The forest is only so big, and it's still two against one.”
“True enough. Let’s make this easier on ourselves and split up to search. Whoever finds her first lets off a smoke bomb as a signal.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Betrayal: Every Man for Himself[]
Arata silently observed from his hiding spot, taking careful mental notes. Minegumo was a true natural at genjutsu...to be able to so effectively employ auditory illusions at such a young age…! It was impressive, as was Kian’s seemingly natural control over Lightning Release. Even Hikari’s resilience in the face of an unfavorable two-on-one battle was enough to make him think that all three of these kids definitely had some potential. Unfortunately, it seemed as though none of them understood the purpose of the exercise. Not a single one of them had considered that the point was for them to function as a three man unit, to resolve to eliminate him, the greatest threat facing all three of them, together. Instead, Minegumo had locked in from the very beginning on working with Kian, and Kian seemed...completely disinterested in teamwork, even if he was tolerating it.
He understood the appeal. They must have assumed it would be easiest to eliminate their teammate first and take her bell, then work together to take him out. Well, they were about to learn the error of their ways soon enough. Kian thought so highly of himself, was so arrogant as to dismiss a teammate outright? So be it, that meant that Kian would be the first to be humbled. It had looked as if the Uchiha child had headed towards the river bank, so taking great care to keep himself concealed, he headed in the same direction. This was going to be…interesting.
--- Kian walked along the river bank with his blade drawn and his guard up, mentally prepared for anything. After all, Master Arata had been conspicuously absent, and he was wary of an ambush. He didn’t think Hikari was likely to attempt one, even if he was on his own; that didn’t seem like her style, and frankly, it wasn’t likely an ambush would work out in her favor, anyway. Her greatest skill was close combat taijutsu, which he had the ability to counter more naturally than a genjutsu type like Minegumo. Kian was, after all, pretty good with both mid-range ninjutsu and his tantō. If she attacked him, he could keep her at bay.
Master Arata, though, was a different matter altogether. Kian knew absolutely nothing about the man’s skills, he just knew that their Jōnin sensei had an impressive reputation. For all Kian knew, he could’ve been good at just about anything, maybe even everything. He had to assume that Master Arata was capable of executing an ambush from any range, and he couldn’t rule out traps or even genjutsu. If he ran into the Jōnin, he supposed the best strategy he had available was to force a distance between the two of them and rely on mid-to-long-range ninjutsu. Should the battle progress to close combat, Kian would make good use of his blade. Either way, he could probably buy just a little bit of time before the noise would attract attention and draw Minegumo to them to help. He didn’t think that taking on Master Arata alone would be the smartest idea, but if it came down to it...he’d give it his all.
After half a mile or so of this solitary walk, he heard voices being carried upon the wind. Kian frowned; they sounded like they belonged to Minegumo and Hikari, but...it sounded...friendly? What in the hell was going on? The Uchiha drew closer, carefully and quietly so as to not reveal himself, until he could make out what they were saying.
“The best way to beat him is to ambush him and put him under genjutsu while he’s distracted, he won’t fall for either tactic separately,” Minegumo mused thoughtfully.
“I could be the one to actually attack him, show him just how hard I can hit,” Hikari replied, laughing. “What an arrogant jerk he is.”
“Yeah, that’s probably how we should play it. Make sure you knock the wind out of him this time, it’ll be a lot easier to put him under genjutsu if he’s disoriented.” Minegumo paused. “And yeah, he is a jerk, isn’t he?”
“He really is. He thinks because his name is Uchiha he’s better than everyone else, but I think he’s just got to convince himself of his own superiority because he knows nobody actually wants him around.”
Minegumo...laughed. Kian gripped the hilt of his blade so tightly that his knuckles were pale as the whitest pearls. His alleged best friend was actually laughing at him, openly mocking him and expressing disdain for him. Never would he have imagined that this was how Minegumo really saw him, how he really felt about him… So this was the truth. Growing up, he’d always heard that the truth could be painful, and right now, he understood. Kian wished he’d never overheard any of this; if he hadn’t, he could’ve continued happily believing in the lie that Minegumo cared about him, that they were truly best friends.
“If only you had to hear all his whining about losing his dad, it makes me sick, that’s how tired of it I am. All he does is feel sorry for himself, it’s exhausting. I only put up with it out of pity because no one else will,” the purple haired boy groused. “He thinks he’s suffering so much, but I think he’s just weak.”
Hikari joined him in laughter, running a hand through her hair. “Oh, that’s just sad and pathetic. I bet he cries himself to sleep, doesn’t he?”
“I dunno, probably,” Minegumo replied with a nonchalant shrug. “Wouldn’t surprise me, he seems like he would.”
“Ha! What a loser, and he wants to act so tough and aloof all the time? Please. You know, I don’t understand now why anyone takes him seriously.”
“Oh, that’s easy.” Minegumo smirked nastily. “It’s because he’s got the right name, that’s all. Uchiha. If his name wasn’t Uchiha, he’d just be any old nobody, but because it is, he gets special treatment.”
“You’re probably right. At any rate, we should probably get going and look for him, huh? It’d be easier to take a bell from Mr. Wannabe Uchiha Elite than from Master Arata.”
“Definitely. Let’s get going.”
Stunned, Kian felt anger coursing through him. He wanted to find them, find them and bring them both down hard by himself. In seconds, though, his anger faded, replaced by a grim resignation. So it was like this, huh? Even Minegumo was willing to abandon him? Kian couldn’t understand why. He knew he’d been miserable to be around since the day his father had died, but was he really that bad? Did Minegumo secretly hate him? Trying to keep his emotions in check, he did the smart thing and headed back towards the river bank, planning to cross it and find an advantageous hiding spot. If it was three against one, he needed to get out of the open, and quickly.
He was close to breaking down and crying, crying like he hadn’t done since his father’s funeral. If even Minegumo was against him, then he truly was nearly completely alone, wasn’t he? Childishly, he thought about how much he wanted to see Tatsuo. Tatsuo had been there for him a lot over the past year, and if there was anyone left that Kian believed actually cared about him, it was Tatsuo. When he was with Tatsuo, he felt safe, as if he was with an older brother who may be a pain, but would gladly sacrifice his own life to protect Kian. Right now, as he felt like his back was oozing blood from the knife that had been plunged into it, that feeling of safety sounded better than ever.
As he found some bushes to lay low in that gave him a good view of the surrounding area, he unceremoniously wiped blood from his nose; it had started to drip again. It wasn’t broken or anything, but Hikari had hit him pretty good after all. Not that he cared; almost nobody cared about him, so what was the point of caring about himself? All that mattered was that he got justice for his father, he himself didn’t matter. He only mattered insofar as he could accomplish his goal and restore his father’s name. If even Minegumo was going to get in his way, it couldn’t be helped.
Kian was going to have to not only pass this test on his own, he would have to walk down his path on his own.
Until he reached the end.
Why were his eyes stinging? Why did Minegumo’s betrayal hurt so much? Why…? After losing his father, nothing should’ve been able to make him hurt this badly, but here he was, nearly in tears, seconds away from falling to pieces. He was really losing his best friend...and for what? A girl they barely knew? Kian just couldn’t fathom what he’d done to push Minegumo away. They’d been friends their whole lives, and Minegumo was just... going to turn his back on him when he was suffering?
How was that fair?
It wasn’t like Minegumo owed him anything, but it was pure agony to think about. Minegumo had been the only one keeping him going, the only reason he got out of bed at all some days, just to make sure his best friend didn’t worry too much. Had all that been for show? Had Minegumo felt this way the whole time? Kian felt shame grip him. Maybe...Minegumo was right… Maybe he really was weak, and he needed to just forget about his father, to ignore the grief and agony and loneliness he felt. What a disgrace he was to the name of Uchiha.
All he was good for was feeling sorry for himself. Wasn’t that what he did all the time, what he was doing even now? He was such a joke, a complete loser, but everyone called him a prodigy. Everyone thought he was so talented, so special...if only they could see the great Uchiha Kian now. Part of him just wanted to scream, but he knew that not only would it be futile, it’d just give away his position, so he repressed the urge.
Kian tried to think of a plan of action, but all he could think about was Minegumo and all the memories he had of the two of them as friends.
Minegumo really had been there with him for everything. Every birthday, every holiday, every milestone… His heart ached as he thought about the day they’d entered the Academy, back before he’d lost his father, when he was happier and more innocent. Kian had been so nervous, but Minegumo’s excited babbling cheered him up and steadied him. Before now, he’d always felt as though Minegumo was the person who best understood how to lift his spirits, calm him when he was upset.
Cruel irony it was, Minegumo being the cause of his distress this time instead of easing it. Fury and resentment began to build up within him again, like a violent storm before it hit. Surely, if Minegumo had had such a problem with him all this time, he could’ve said so? What was the point of maintaining a fake friendship? No, if Minegumo was unlucky enough to run into him again, he was going to regret it.
It was no longer just business, it was personal.
Kian was going to take great pleasure in humiliating the both of them and taking both of their bells. Only one person would pass this test, and it would be him. They were both going to feel his wrath. He would be the arrogant, condescending, unpleasant jerk they thought he was. At least once the two of them failed, they could hate him in peace at the Academy, while he moved on and trained as a fully fledged shinobi.
Neither of his options were very good, though. He was faced with deciding against venting his anger on Minegumo and Hikari and going after Master Arata, or fighting a two-on-one battle. The odds certainly weren’t in his favor, but he was beyond caring. Unlike the two of them, he was an Uchiha, he was born for situations like this. When faced with what seemed like a difficult situation, an Uchiha didn’t run, quit, or cry. A true Uchiha stepped up and made the improbable look easy, and that was what he was going to do.
Exhale. Inhale. Deep breaths, center yourself. If you can’t get through this, then you’ll never be strong enough to face him, you’ll never be anything more than a stupid kid who thought too highly of himself.
Going after Minegumo and Hikari was his best bet. Kian knew Minegumo’s skills like the back of his hand, and he felt fairly confident that his best friend couldn’t beat him. Hikari’s additional presence would be a pain, but he would just have to figure it out. Perhaps if he could separate them somehow, pick them off one at a time, that would be a lot easier. Yes, that was it. He would lead them away from one another. In one-on-one combat situations, neither one of them could best him, not at their current levels.
Right. That was it, then. He was going to make his ex-best friend and his new pal regret ever opening their mouths about him, and then he would find Master Arata and present him with not one, not two, but three bells.
Feeling calmer, he drew himself up to his full height and set out hunting for his ‘teammates.’ This wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
--- Miengumo walked through the forest at a leisurely pace, hands behind his head, whistling a simple tune. He looked for all the world carefree, without a worry. However, for those that knew him, they could see the tension carried in his shoulders, the way his hands were tight behind his head. His eyes were clear and sharp, gaze sweeping over everything before him.
Every so often, he released a small pulse of chakra that washed over every tree, bush, and blade of grass. Since he hadn’t yet learned his clan’s sensing personal sensing technique, he was making due with his own, using a concept similar to echolocation. It was crude, but it also worked out well enough.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he called out, as if playing a game. “I promise, Yakushi, this time you won’t feel a thing.”
She wouldn’t. Minegumo’s plan was simple: enthrall her again, and then knock her out with a kunai. Once he had her bell, he’d just tie her up in a tree. If she were lucky, she’d wake up in time to escape on her own, or perhaps Arata would take pity on her. If not…well, it wasn’t Minegumo’s problem whether she woke up or not. He had no reason to care for her: not while she was an enemy.
Humming to himself, he released another barely-there pulse, snapping to attention when he detected a blip on his internal radar. He smiled, slow and dangerous, and his eyes glittered.
“Got you.”
He was gone in an instant, flickering through the forest at a brisk pace. He stopped a few yards away from where he’d detected the blip, hiding behind a tree. Taking out a kunai, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the area, and sure enough he saw a flash of long hair. Smirking, he gave the weapon a twirl, coating it with black lightning as he got in position. However, there was the snap of a twig breaking, and he stilled, expecting to see Arata show up.
Instead, to his surprise, it was Kian. Minegumo blinked, lowering his kunai as his best friend walked into view, head whipping around. He was just about to call out to him, when Kian stopped, expression clearing.
“Hikari.”
The sheer relief his voice carried made Minegumo freeze in place, and he watched as, sure enough, the third of their trio appeared, throwing herself into Kian’s arms.
What?
“Are you okay?” Kian asked, checking Hikari over for injuries. The care in his voice, the affection was strange to hear, and Minegumo was bemused beyond belief. He watched, a strange nausea welling in him as Kian pushed a lock hair behind her ear. “I know my lightning can be intense sometimes.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, Ki. What about you? I didn’t mean to hit you in the nose.”
Ki?
Minegumo repeated what she’d said, silently. At the ‘Ki’ part, his expression twisted, and he felt the sudden urge to gag.
Just what was going on?
From his hiding spot, Minegumo could only stare, dumbfounded as the two hugged, pulling apart with red faces and small smiles. He felt a strange sensation go through him, a bubbling of anger that was more intense than anything he’d ever felt. Stop. He wanted to scream out. Stop hugging. Stop touching each other. Stop looking at each other. But the words died on his tongue as a strange combination of shock and horror rose within him like a tidal wave.
“Where’s Kurama?” Hikari asked, looking around warily. “You didn’t lead him here, did you?”
Kian clicked his tongue, an annoyed expression appearing on his face. “The idiot’s still out looking for you.” He smiled, but it was sarcastic. Mean. A look that Minegumo had never seen on Kian’s face. At least, never toward him, never about him. “He hasn’t caught on yet.”
Caught on to what? Minegumo swallowed, feeling a nervousness well up in him. Suddenly, he didn’t want to hear anymore of the conversation, but something made him stay. A sick desire that he couldn’t begin to explain.
“So the plan is still on, then?”
He nodded. “We team up and take his bell, and then go after Arata. His genjutsu won’t work on both of us, so all we have to do is stay close. You pressure him, and I’ll support you with lightning.”
“He really is a one-trick pony isn’t he?” Hikari giggled, shaking her head. “How did he even graduate?”
“I’d say he cheated, but he’d have to be able to read to do that.”
They both smirked before Kian shook his head.
“Anyway, it’ll be the same for Arata-sensei,” He said. Kian paused, then smiled, the same mean grin that was making Minegumo’s eyes sting. “Although, I guess we can use the midget as bait. It’s not like the idiot is good for anything else.”
“At least he’ll finally be useful for something other than breathing air,” said Hikari. “Then again, I’m pretty sure that’s all he knows how to do.”
The two laughed, and suddenly Minegumo couldn’t take it anymore. He took a step back, and then another, and then a third. He turned on his heel, feeling a hand grip his heart. The clearing grew blurry and he stopped, feeling a wetness on his face. Bringing a hand to his eye, Minegumo realized he was crying. Immediately, he began wiping his eyes, unwilling to appear weak, least of all now.
Kian… Kian was betraying him. The idea was ludicrous, so much so that Minegumo could have laughed. His best friend would never turn against him. But he was. Kian was betraying him for Yakushi-san. For a girl. All at once, his eyes stung again, and Minegumo pressed his face into his hand, taking a deep breath when a sob threatened to let itself out.
Yakushi… Kian was betraying him for Yakushi. The line repeated itself in his head, and Minegumo continued breathing as the despair settled down. The same bubbling sensation from just minutes ago rose within him, and his hands shook as he remembered the way they smiled at each other. Anger, deep and primal, rose like a tidal wave, and he growled.
Was that how it was then? Kian, who’d spent years ignoring every girl in the Academy, was going to throw away a lifetime of being friends for some stupid crush?
Fine. Fine, fine, fine!
If that was the way they wanted to play it, then so be it. Kian thought he was an idiot? That he was useless? He would show him. He would show both of them.
However, as quickly as the anger came, it left, and he was left feeling hollow. It figured. People had always been wary of Minegumo, of what he could do, and then when it came out that he was dyslexic, he was ostracized even more. People either saw him as the Dark Magician, or the failure of his clan. What good was a shinobi who struggled with a task as simple as reading? He’d heard it time and time again over the years, and each time it chipped away at him in a way that he never wanted to admit, because...were they wrong? Someone who couldn’t follow instructions because he couldn’t read the instructions was dead weight on a mission. His teachers used to tell his mothers that, but each time, they’d been firm in their belief that he could make it.
Throughout it all, Kian had stuck with him. He was the only friend that Minegumo had ever made, the only one he’d ever wanted.
He’d been the one that’d helped Minegumo study. He’d been the one that sat with him and read to him. When Minegumo had wanted to quit and throw in the towel, his best friend had stopped him. Before, he’d thought it was because he cared, and now...he didn’t know what to think.
Was it all a lie? All the time they’d spent together, all the times they’d trained, the sleepovers, the hangouts…
Had Kian truly been just stringing him along? For what, so he could laugh at him later on?
“So much for being best friends,” Minegumo scoffed to himself, kicking the ground. “Ten years, gone for some dumb girl. She isn’t even that pretty.”
At least, he didn’t think so. Not anymore, anyways.
Another pang went through him, and he shook his head. It was fine then. Minegumo didn’t need friends, and it was stupid of him to have gotten attached to anyone outside of his clan anyway. Shinobi were tools, meant to be used by those who they had loyalty to, and that meant a shinobi could use another shinobi just fine. They were all just tools after all.
That didn’t make it hurt any less, didn’t calm the storm that he was feeling, and certainly didn’t take away the fact that he was getting betrayed for some girl with stringy hair and weak punches.
Minegumo took a deep breath, taking the mess of emotions he was feeling, and shoving them down, down where he could put them out of sight and out of mind.
“A shinobi is a tool,” Minegumo said to himself. “A tool is only as good as the one wielding it.”
He repeated the words, until he was feeling calm. Calm and focused, clear-headed and perfectly in control. He wiped his eyes, fixing his face as his grip on his kunai tightened. Looking at the sky, and the position of the sun, his lips thinned.
It was time to finish this test.
--- Kids were so easily manipulated. Sowing conflict in their ranks had been ridiculously simple, all Arata had had to do was play on Kian’s and Minegumo’s emotions. Talented though they were, they were still only ten years old. Expecting them to have the emotional maturity to reason things through on the spot and conclude that they were being played was unreasonable. Part of him felt bad for subjecting them to such harsh illusions, but he had meant it when he’d said that this test was no-holds barred, even if he would never actually fight to kill or seriously injure them.
Not that they needed to know that yet, of course. Arata found himself a bit flummoxed by these students. Individually, he thought they all showed promise, and yet as it stood, not one of them was worthy of passing the test. They’d been fractured as a team from the very beginning, and they had yet to overcome that and see through to what the exam’s purpose was. Of course, he’d just made it far more difficult for them, but that just meant it would be all the more impressive if they could get their act together. He wondered as he seamlessly leapt from tree to tree, traversing quietly and swiftly through the forest, how long it would take for the three Genin to encounter one another again. That moment would certainly be an interesting one, to say the least.
As he traversed through the forest, he produced a handful of shadow clones to fan out and assist in the search. He just hoped that these kids would learn their lesson before it was too late and he had to fail them…
--- Damn. He’d only just missed, Minegumo’s reflexes were just a shade quicker than he’d anticipated. Wait… Kian squinted as he took a second look, noting that parts of Minegumo’s sleeves were singed off, and some of the skin on his neck was burned. So his aim hadn’t been too far off, after all. The young Uchiha smirked. His former best friend was elusive, but clearly not elusive enough to have dodged all of the fireballs. Minegumo was halted in his tracks, probably from the pain of his burns, and Kian dropped down from the tree limb on which he was standing, raising his blade. That bell was going to be his soon enough.
Kian’s eyes widened in surprise as he felt the painful sting of cold steel slicing into his cheek, and his hand instinctively went to his wound, soaking his palm in blood. What in the world…? He hadn’t seen Minegumo make any move, throw any projectile…?
Then, as he glanced behind him and noted the kunai lodged in the tree behind him, the answer hit him. Genjutsu. Minegumo had timed his throw perfectly with his illusion, and the result was that Kian had blindly taken the hit. Leave it to Minegumo to be that skillful with genjutsu, even when he was most likely laboring under the agony of having felt the heat of Kian’s Fire Release.
“Not bad… I should know better than to take anything at face value when I’m up against you.”
His hands formed the ‘release’ seal, and he forcefully and emphatically halted the flow of his chakra, just for a moment. As the illusion broke, it revealed that Minegumo was actually on the ground, which was consistent with the angle at which the kunai had buried itself in the trunk of the tree. That was enough to confirm that he had, in fact, dispelled Minegumo’s subtle illusion. Sure, Minegumo had the potential to use some extremely wild genjutsu, but this was where he shined the most: the creation of illusions so subtle that they just barely blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, giving the opponent no reason to think that they were trapped in a genjutsu. It was arguably the most dangerous sort of mirage, one that could have an unsuspecting victim trapped for hours on end, wasting all of their chakra and stamina to achieve nothing but exhausting themselves and accruing injuries. Hell, if he hadn’t known his opponent so well, even he might’ve been trapped for a long time.
Glaring coldly at Minegumo, he contemplated just eschewing strategy and throwing everything he had at the other boy. Angry… He was so angry, not to mention hurt and betrayed… Even so, part of him was fighting off pangs of guilt at having burned Minegumo. Fighting with Minegumo for real was almost more than he could bear, and he felt a very strong impulse to just...toss his bell to him, give up on the test and walk away with his conscience clear, even if that meant another year in the Academy. Sure, he knew people would talk, probably insult him behind his back, maybe even to his face, and wax poetic about his fitness to be a shinobi. Kian didn’t care. He would have his integrity, and prove that at least his loyalty had never wavered.
What was he thinking? He shook his head at himself, irritated at his own sentimentality. Minegumo had made it abundantly clear that they weren’t truly friends, and never had been. There was no loyalty given, so no loyalty owed. He could flatten Minegumo with everything he had, use every skill at his disposal, and he still wouldn’t be stabbing Minegumo in the back as viciously as Minegumo had stabbed his back. No mercy, he told himself. Don’t be soft, Kian. He couldn’t care less about you, so wake up and fight. Still, he hesitated; it was easier said than done, raising a hand to the boy he’d considered his closest, perhaps even only real friend.
“Before I utterly destroy you, tell me, Kurama...what was I to you, anyway, huh? Just someone you kept around out of pity, isn’t that right?”
Cold, royal violet eyes met eyes of warm amber in defiance, glittering like hateful jewels. Kian’s emotions stormed furiously within him, crashing against one another, tumbling around in unbridled confusion and chaos. He was starting to lose control of himself already, and the fight had barely even begun. For all his attempts to work through his feelings and calm down, ultimately, he had failed.
“Don’t make me laugh, Uchiha,” Minegumo’s voice was hard, eyes flinty while his hands balled into fists. “You’ll be lucky if you still know your own name after today.”
His hands shook as he spoke, teeth grit as he tried to ignore the pain. He’d just barely dodged the worst of Kian’s attack, and Minegumo’s neck throbbed. Without even checking, he knew he’d been burned. Fitting that it was his back area that’d been hurt, considering that a knife had already been planted in it, all for some girl.
Minegumo shook his head, shifting on his feet as he kept careful track of his enemy. His trick with the kunai had worked, he was pleased to see, although the wound hadn’t been nearly as deep as he would have liked. He wanted Kian to hurt: to be as pained and wounded as Mineguno himself was feeling. Black lightning came to life, covering his body from head to toe in volts of electrified spiritual energy. Minegumo raised a hand and shouted, lashing out with arcs of electricity as dark as the night sky. Immediately they raced toward his former best friend, honing in on his physical energy like a heat-seeking missile.
Just like that, the situation was flipped as Kian found himself on the defensive from Minegumo’s assault. A flicker made for a quick escape, but the lightning moved with him. Kian swore, then growled, hands moving in a set of seals.
The two attacks met in a violent clash, exploding into a shockwave. The power of the explosion rippled outward, slamming into both boys with enough force to lift them off their feet and launch them back.
Using the tree behind him as a springboard, Kian vaulted high into the air, rapidly weaving yet more hand seals. Forming the last seal, the ‘tiger’ seal, the boy’s chest swelled. Once he was directly over Minegumo, he exhaled forcefully, expelling a massive fireball. Heat radiated throughout the area, and the majestic blaze burned furiously, causing a pillar of smoke to rise. It was the Uchiha clan’s signature coming-of-age rite, Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu.
It was proof that Kian was serious, using that jutsu. The fireballs that he could create were rather sizable, and he could inflict mortal injury upon a target with them. He was truly not showing any mercy; after all, Minegumo clearly didn’t intend to, either. Kian refused to lose to him. Even if he destroyed himself in the process, he was going to win.
It was Minegumo’s turn to swear, and he scrambled to his feet as the ball of fire roared toward him. However, as the attack made its way to him, he opted to stand his ground, hands pressing into a single seal, before he dropped to his knees, pressing his palms to the ground.
His hands released a small, but potent pulse of chakra, altering the very earth he sat upon. There was a small rumble, and then the ground beneath Minegumo suddenly caved in. He fell through, before repeating the motion against one of the earthen walls that surrounded him. It gave in without an ounce of resistance, and he quickly crawled through as the ball of fire landed.
Oh...no, you’re gonna stay right there. Look at you, crawling around through the dirt like a worm. Kian threw a handful of wired shuriken into the hole, aiming directly at Minegumo’s right leg; or, more precisely, near it. Once the shuriken had landed, Kian pulled on the strings, a couple of which he gripped with his teeth, and the shuriken embedded themselves in Minegumo’s leg. The boy was pinned down, unless he wanted his leg completely shredded. As Kian formed a sequence of hand seals, his ears rang with Minegumo’s taunts, and his blood boiled.
“Uchiha clan secret technique, Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!”
Brilliant flames raced down the wires attached to the shuriken at an astonishing speed, sweltering to the point that had the wire not been extremely fire resistant, it would’ve simply melted. Heh. I thought I was going to be lucky to remember my name? What happened to all your bravado, huh? Not so cocky now? Kian watched the flurry of flames with a mixture of awe and rage, anticipating the screams of pain that would signal that his jutsu had hit its mark.
“A shinobi’s body is a tool. A shinobi’s body is a tool.” Minegumo repeated the words through gritted teeth as the hail of weaponry embedded themselves within his leg. The pain he was feeling was intense like no other. One look at the shuriken and the strings attached, and a few rough ideas formed in his head about what Kian had planned. None of them were good. “A shinobi’s body is just a tool.”
It was more than a simple mantra that Minegumo was saying over and over. It was something that his mom had drilled into his head for years, since he began his lessons at home. The body was simply another tool to be used. It could be strengthened and sharpened, but ultimately its effectiveness depended on its wielder. Minegumo’s chakra spiked as he coated his vocal cords with energy once more, repeating the mantra low enough that only he could hear it.
As the flames roared down, the genjutsu immediately took effect. Only this time, the target was none other than Minegumo himself, turning his mantra into a phantasm. Even as the flames raced to him, he was calm — unnaturally so as per the genjutsu. Dampening his sense of pain, and the parts of his mind that would have been filled with fear and horror when the scent of burning flesh assaulted his sense of smell. And because he was so calm, so focused, he had no trouble with moving his hand into the flames and pressing the tips of his fingers to the wire-tipped shuriken, breaking them down with the same pulse of chakra, before burrowing deeper into his hole in the ground.
Kian let go of the strings; there was no point holding onto them now. He jumped up onto the limb of the tree he’d kicked off from, deciding that a consistent higher vantage point would be a good idea. At this point, the smart move was to force Minegumo to come to him. He had a pretty good guess as to how Minegumo had had the fortitude to remove the shuriken from his leg, despite his burns. It was only a matter of time, though, until Minegumo’s genjutsu wore off, and when it did, Kian had a sneaking suspicion that the boy wouldn’t be doing much running...or walking...or anything, really. There was a reason that burning to death was said to be one of the most excruciatingly painful ways to die.
The problem now was, though, the fact that he had consumed a decent portion of his chakra, more than he probably should’ve, knowing that he was going to have to fight Master Arata next. He couldn’t afford to keep throwing around ninjutsu at this pace. When Minegumo inevitably showed himself, it would be imperative to force a close combat situation. Minegumo was only average at taijutsu, the last thing he would’ve wanted was to go blow for blow with Kian.
He was going to have to get creative.
As his former best friend moved about above ground, Minegumo too moved underneath, shoveling through the dirt with a combination of his bare hands and key bursts of chakra. Chakra that was steadily running lower and lower as the time passed. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Minegumo was starting to tire. Technically speaking, Genjutsu wasn’t quite as draining as ninjutsu was — it required a great deal more of control, but it wasn’t nearly as draining. At least, not at first. Instead the price of casting illusions was in their duration. The more potent a Genjutsu, the more complex or intricate, and the longer it was allowed to run, the greater the price to pay for keeping it going. And the one he was currently casting on himself was particularly strong, enough to completely block out the pain in his wounded leg.
Minegumo took a deep breath, as he reached his destination — directly underneath Kian, who was standing on or beside a tree if the roots were anything to go by.
The first idea he had was to make a sinkhole and Kian down with him, but he crossed that idea out as quickly as it came. No, he needed to be smart, to remain level-headed if he wanted to take down his former best friend. Rushing into it would just be asking for a beat down, as Kian was too gifted to just attack recklessly. Instead, Minegumo would have to go about it more carefully — methodically. The genjutsu he cast on himself allowed him to do just that: keep his mind clear and focused, so he could get his revenge. It was just a simple matter of how.
Minegumo took a deep breath, eyes fluttering shut as he focused his chakra. He was done playing around: he hadn’t been simply taunting when he’d said that Kian would be lucky to remember his own name after today. Another breath and Minegumo’s eyes opened, his pupils dilating before expanding into solid gold discs as he called upon his bloodline limit.
It was then that Minegumo made his move. Smiling viciously, he allowed his chakra to flare, releasing it as a pulse over the area as he weaved an illusion.
The air in the clearing seemed to ripple, before a soft breeze rolled in, rustling the leaves on the trees. However, it soon intensified, growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment, until continuous storm-force winds were blowing through the clearing. As clouds darkened and rolled through, rain pelted down in a sudden drizzle that threatened to drench Kian should he not manage to take cover. That was only a precursor to the true point of the Genjutsu.
Kian watched, wide-eyed, as the sudden storm came to life. As the fierce winds rolled in, he found himself struggling to not get blown off the tree. He stabbed a kunai into the trunk and gripped it tightly to avoid being knocked over. Looking up, his breath caught in his throat as he saw the clouds merge together, twisting and turning into a powerful funnel cloud.
Then it touched down.
Stay calm, he told himself. Don’t let yourself panic, just think! Konoha doesn’t get tornadoes this time of year. Minegumo must be up to one of his genjutsu tricks… As the tornado barreled towards him, Kian formed the ‘release’ seal and abruptly halted the flow of his chakra, but it was no use. Currently, Minegumo’s chakra was overwhelming his own, which could only mean one thing: the bastard had activated his Kekkei Genkai. Kian, you need to think fast! What do I do?
For a brief second, his eyes flickered over to where he knew the hole that Minegumo had gouged into the ground should be. If he used the Body Flicker Technique, he could make it in time...but that would be doing Minegumo a favor. No doubt Minegumo was down there hiding, waiting for the genjutsu to decimate him before surfacing to take his bell. Exhaling deeply, Kian had to admit, Minegumo was going to get his payback for that Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu, after all. He had zero options. Breaking out of the genjutsu the normal way wasn’t going to work, it would be nothing but a waste of energy to keep trying, and it was more probable than not that Minegumo’s hold on him was too strong to rebuff with pain.
No options.
He threw himself on the lowest level of ground he saw, lying flat and throwing his arms over his head protectively, but it was useless. Whistling ferociously, the tornado sucked him up into its vortex, the sound of the winds drowning out his anguished screams as it slashed and tore at him mercilessly. Pain is just weakness leaving the mind and body, he told himself, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. To help block out the pain, he focused on happy memories that he had with his father.
It was the only thing that was going to keep him sane.
If possible, Minegumo’s smile grew. Good, he thought viciously. This was what Kian deserved, for betraying him, for pretending to be his friend. For stringing Minegumo along, just to drop him for some dumb girl. He deserved this, and more, and as his illusion played out, Minegumo took no small amount of pleasure in what his former best friend was going through.
Yet…he also felt strangely hollow. Before today, Minegumo had never imagined a situation where he’d be fighting Kian like this, had never fathomed turning his Kekkei Genkai against him like this. It just made the mess of emotions he was feeling that much more volatile.
Why did Kian have to betray him? Heck, why did he ever have to reveal himself? Couldn’t he have just kept pretending, if it really was all a ruse? Couldn’t he have stayed Minegumo’s friend, even if it was just a lie?
“Not that it matters anymore,” Minegumo muttered to himself. After all, he and Kian were done as friends after today. He just needed to find her, and end the whole thing.
“Uchiha?”
Speak of the Devil and it shall appear.
Minegumo growled, burrowing out of the hole to see the ruiner herself standing over Kian. Yakushi’s expression was nothing short of fearful and horrified as she watched Kian scream and writhe on the ground, bruised and bleeding as the effects of Minegumo’s Kekkei Genkai kicked in.
Hikari dropped to her knees, giving Kian a shake. “Uchiha?!”
“He can’t hear you,” Minegumo said coolly. “He’s under my illusion.”
The same illusion that Yakushi herself would be under, once he got his bearings. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing was beginning to grow labored as the strain of keeping up two different Genjutsu weighed on him. He was tiring, but he wasn’t going to drop. Not yet. Minegumo had always had good fortitude, much more than most members of his clan.
“What do you mean, under your illusion?” Hikari demanded. “What’s going on?” She shook her head. “Actually, never mind. We need to get him up before he bleeds out.”
“So what if he does?” Minegumo asked with a calm he didn’t feel. “Scared you can’t pass without your boyfriend?”
At that, Hikari gave him a bemused look but ultimately didn’t answer. Instead, she pressed a hand to the thrashing Kian’s chest, letting out a pulse of chakra that restarted his system, bringing him back to the real world.
The pain didn’t subside immediately, but he felt his surroundings return to normal, and the sound of raging wind dissipated. He sat up, trembling from the pain, and he was surprised to see who was standing over him. She must’ve broken the illusion for him, but why…? After how he and Minegumo had treated her? Wait...wasn’t she supposed to be on his side? His brow furrowed, and he gripped his blade tightly as a reflex, but some instinct stopped him from attacking. If she was saving him from Minegumo’s illusion, there was no way she actually could’ve been on his side. Kian let out a deep breath, lowering his blade.
“You didn’t have to do that. I was rude and condescending to you, you could’ve let me suffer.” He paused, reaching into his back pocket. “Here.”
A silver bell flew gracefully through the air to Hikari.
“Just take it as my thanks and my apology,” Kian told her before she could argue. “I’ll take this one’s, and then I’ll get the last one from Master Arata.”
The Uchiha turned his gaze to Minegumo, a sinister grin tugging at his lips. You look tired, Mine. Good. That was a nice try, but you didn’t finish me off with that. Now you won’t get another shot. Kian got to his feet, raising his blade again, his eyes darkened with fury and anguish. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot.
Minegumo’s hands balled into fists, the wave of rage that’d only just subsided once again bubbling within him.
“Well, don't you make a good team?” he sneered. His gaze flickered between them, and his hands shook. The interaction just confirmed his suspicions: they were indeed working together against him. “What a nice couple.”
Even as he spoke, he was already making plans, desperate, half-baked ideas.
Hikari’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?” She looked from the silver bell that’d been handed to her, to Minegumo and Kian, confusion plain to see on her face.
“I’d like to know the same thing,” Kian grumbled. “If I’m dating someone, that’s news to me.” He wasn’t focused on such trivialities, he only cared about getting stronger. Besides, he was...only eleven years old.
“Don’t act like you don’t know!” Minegumo snapped. His eyes glittered with fury, and his jaw clenched. “I saw you — both of you!”
“Saw what?” Hikari asked. “Me saving him from you trying to kill him?”
Kian shook his head. “I have no idea what you saw, but I barely even know Hikari.” Wait...a light bulb was starting to go off in his head. Could it be…?
Minegumo laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. “You sure look pretty friendly from where I’m standing,” he said. “You sure looked friendly when I saw you two earlier.” His voice caught, and he gritted his teeth, fighting back the sting in his eyes.
The Uchiha’s eyes narrowed. “I haven’t seen Hikari since she escaped us earlier until this moment. I thought I heard you with her, talking about how I’m a loser who does nothing but cry about losing my dad. Now I’m not so sure. We’re being played, Mine. Probably by Master Arata, he’s been noticeably silent and absent.”
“I lost Seto too!” Minegumo exploded. This time there was no stopping the tears. “I lost him too! My mom lost him! Do you think the rest of us don’t still cry? My mom has, every day!” He shook his head. “How could you ever think that I would do that?”
Minegumo breathed deeply, furiously wiping at his eyes. “I saw you two, talking about how stupid I am, how the only thing I know how to do is breathe air.”
Master Arata had played them well. Kian exhaled, his shoulders sagging. He sheathed the tantō he held; there was no longer any reason to fight. In the blink of an eye, the Uchiha seemed to flicker, and he was in front of Minegumo, arms wrapping around him. There was no need for words. Minegumo hadn’t turned on him, after all… His best friend was still his best friend, and hadn’t ever hated him… Relief washed over him, and he couldn’t stop himself from finally crying, his face finding Minegumo’s shoulder and burying into it. All of his anger left him, and he felt so exhausted and weak.
Minegumo readily returned the hug, gripping tightly as his tears continued to run. All at once, any control he had was gone, and all he could do was continue to cry.
“You really didn’t say that?” he asked quietly. His grip on Kian’s shirt tightened, an anxiousness gripping him. He didn’t know what he would do if this turned out to be a ploy. “You weren’t just pretending to be my friend?”
“Of course not,” Kian mumbled faintly. “You’re very nearly all I have. If I died here today, only you, Tatsuo, Reina, and your family would care enough to show up at my funeral, you know that? Why would I ever double-cross one of the few people who saved me from being alone?”
Minegumo nodded, letting out the breath he’d been holding.
“I don’t ever want you to die, Ki,” Minegumo said honestly. “You’re one of the most important people in the world to me.”
And it was the truth. Outside of his family, the list of people that Minegumo truly cared about could be counted on a single hand. And the spot at the top of that list had always been reserved for Kian, even when Seto had still been alive.
“I feel the same way,” Kian told him sincerely, violet eyes meeting golden eyes. “Let’s not fight anymore, yeah? We have a Jōnin’s ass to kick.”
Minegumo nodded. “Never again.”
Exhaling deeply, Kian turned to Hikari. “I don’t blame you if you don’t want to fight with us, now that you’ve already passed, but... if you do, be my guest.”
He was starting to understand what Master Arata was driving at, designing a test that tore them all apart, pitting him and Minegumo against each other… If he was right, then he truly had been an arrogant fool at the beginning.
Hikari shifted, giving the two an unreadable look before she sighed. She tossed Kian’s bell back to him.
“Let’s just say you owe me one, for me to cash in when I feel like it.”
Kian managed a grin as he caught the bell, putting it back in his pocket. “Deal. Now, we need a plan. I say we give our Master a taste of his own medicine since he likes mind games so much. What do you guys think?”
Minegumo breathed out. “Sounds good to me.”
How the Turn Tables: The Genins’ Counterattack!![]
Setting the trap was rather simple, once they’d decided on a plan and come across a well-worn area of the forest, knowing that Master Arata would have a good grasp of the terrain and undoubtedly think to check there. Once they’d gotten their bearings, Hikari set out some explosive tags in close proximity to each other, and the trio was careful enough to hide them under a pile of leaves. The foliage didn’t need to mask the tags for long, just long enough for the plan to work. It didn’t take long for Master Arata to show up after that, and Minegumo put his genjutsu skills to work.
A highly amused Kian watched Master Arata spar with a phantom for a few moments, knowing full well that the Jōnin thought he was fighting Minegumo. He performed hand seals and built up chakra, his chest swelling proudly as he once again used his clan’s famous Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu, the fireball igniting the explosive tags. The resulting blast caused some ringing in his ears, and the forest was set ablaze. It was a magnificent sight, the crimson and gold of raging flames dancing pleasantly against the backdrop of thick smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Kian’s eyes fell upon a badly wounded and severely burned Master Arata. For a brief moment, he found himself wondering if they’d gone too far, but then the Jōnin disappeared in a puff of white smoke, leaving no trace behind.
“A shadow clone,” the Uchiha mused, brushing midnight black locks out of his face to wipe the sweat off his brow. “Mine, can you cast one more illusion?”
“Should have known we wouldn’t be that lucky,” Minegumo muttered ruefully. He leaned against a tree, forehead once again beading with sweat. He nodded slowly, giving Kian a curious look. “I’ve got enough chakra for either a couple short Genjutsu, or a single long one,” he said. “You’ll have to make them count.”
“Then play dead,” Kian quipped, grinning playfully, casually flicking a speck of dust off of his blade. “A short illusion should do it.” His violet eyes flickered toward Hikari. “Oi, Hikari. While Minegumo has him mentally trapped in the genjutsu, I’ll create an opening for you. Do you trust me to cover you while you attack head on?”
Hikari took a breath, eyes closing for a moment, before opening back up. Face set, she nodded. “Just tell me when.”
“When you see the first thunderbolt. Mine’s genjutsu will get me one good opportunity,” Kian replied. “Now, we should hide; there’s no doubt with that massive explosion we just caused that the next one will be the real one.”
At least, Kian thought so. He supposed that they were about to find out if Arata cared enough about them to personally come rushing.
“Play dead, huh?” Minegumo said thoughtfully. For a moment, his brow furrowed, obviously deep in thought. He shifted on his feet, then winced as his leg flared in pain. However, his expression soon cleared and he smiled widely. “I can do you one even better.”
Nodding, Kian turned to find another hiding spot. His previous one had sort of caught fire by the time they were done scheming. Oh well. Whatever Minegumo had in mind, Kian trusted the rest to him. Their plan hinged on Minegumo’s illusion being a success, but he knew his best friend wouldn’t fail them. Sure, ensnaring a shadow clone that wouldn’t have as good of a chance at breaking out of a genjutsu was one thing, but now it was going to be the genuine article. If anyone could do it, it was Minegumo. For his part, well...Kian would have one clear, free shot. He endeavored not to miss.
--- “I never imagined they’d go this far... I’m so sorry, Minegumo.”
Arata couldn’t do anything in time to save Minegumo. His mind was blank, numbness spreading through him. This was his fault, he’d never be able to face Akigumo ever again. She would want to kill him, and he couldn’t even blame her. All of this, this whole situation, was indefensible, and it was a tragedy he hadn’t expected. What were those two thinking? Did Kian really turn on his best friend in anger so quickly as to attempt to kill him…? After all, he recognized the Uchiha’s signature fire ninjutsu when he saw it. To think Hikari would go along with such a plan, it was disgusting. Neither of them would ever be shinobi, he would personally see to it.
Especially Kian. What a disappointment. He’d thought Seto’s son would be like his father, but clearly, Kian had inherited none of Seto’s loyalty and character.
Everything went blurry, and pain was coursing through his body like electricity through a circuit. Falling to the ground, he couldn’t move; the lightning currently running through his body prevented it. So...he’d fallen into a trap, it seemed. He could easily guess who’d electrocuted him; Team Thirteen had only one Lightning Release user, after all. Despite the agony, he was impressed. Being on the receiving end of such intense lightning made him understand exactly how talented Kian really was with the element.
He was also extremely amazed with Minegumo’s illusory prowess. To have so thoroughly trapped him, an elite Jōnin, was astounding. Getting to his feet and groaning in agony, he was thoroughly unprepared for the fist that connected with his face. I see... so the three of you finally started to figure it out, huh…? Well done, all of you. As Hikari continued to press him, it was all he could do to react and fend her off as his body recuperated from the lightning. Suddenly, Arata’s eyes widened as he felt cold steel cut unceremoniously across his back, slicing through the flesh.
“Disoriented, Master?” Kian taunted, raising his blade for another strike.
With deceptive speed, Arata kneed his student right in the stomach, causing Kian to double over in pain and surprise. He then lifted the boy into the air by his shirt, then threw him aside before performing a few backflips to put some distance between himself and Hikari. Yes, the genjutsu and the Lightning Release technique had combined to thoroughly daze him, but he would be no credit to the rank of Jōnin if he went down that easily. Arata weaved hand seals at a speed that would be imperceptible to the normal human eye, save for the final one in the sequence, the ‘bird’ seal. These three were about to learn what true skill and power were; they had proven to be too strong and resourceful for him to hold all the way back.
It was time to flush them all out. From the nearby large river, a giant vortex of water formed, crashing into the ground around them and washing away the flames. Steam began to rise where the fire had burned particularly harshly, and Arata stood casually atop the new lake he’d just managed to create. He figured his students would resurface momentarily; after all, they all knew how to swim...or least, they should’ve, after graduating the Academy. All ninja were taught to swim. While he waited, Arata reflected on how amazing it was that these three really had gone from being nonexistent as a team to suddenly working together. He wasn’t exactly sure what had caused things to change, but he was glad that they had. Minegumo, Kian, and Hikari might have proven themselves worthy, after all.
The burns on Minegumo’s leg...he figured that the good money was on Kian having put them there. Arata could extrapolate from that that a battle must have taken place, and he supposed Hikari must have somehow gotten involved. Evidently, the two stubborn, prideful, arrogant boys had hashed things out and realized they’d been had for fools, since there seemed to be no ill will between them now. Quite a turn of events; he’d been certain that they’d have rather beaten each other into the ground than talked things out, but maybe he was underestimating them. Maybe, just maybe, they’d grow and mature more quickly than anticipated. The shadow of a smile flitted over his face.
Gasping for air, Kian emerged, directing chakra to his hands to pull himself onto the surface of the water, then concentrated it into the bottoms of his feet, continually modulating it to allow him to stand naturally as it ebbed and flowed beneath him. The boy adopted a defensive stance, eyes locked intensely upon his Jōnin instructor. Relief flooded him as he heard the sounds of more desperate inhalation, a sign that both Minegumo and Hikari were okay and were resurfacing themselves. He was glad. The thought of losing Minegumo once had nearly shattered him, losing him a second time would’ve been more than he could take, and...slowly but surely, he was deciding that he actually liked Hikari after all. Of course, that didn’t matter; he wouldn’t have wanted her to drown, regardless.
Not letting his gaze leave Arata, he backed up slowly, then crouched down to offer his hand to Hikari, who he recalled had always had trouble with chakra control. He didn’t know if she’d improved enough to fight her way through the waves to stand on the water, but it would be dangerous for her to just thrash about trying if she couldn’t.
Hikari took his hand gratefully, using it as leverage to pull herself up as she regulated her chakra to match the constant movement of the water. She breathed deeply, shocked at the display of power. It was one thing to know that the one testing you is a Jōnin. It was another for them to go about proving exactly what that meant.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Minegumo pull himself up, noticeably having a far easier time than she herself did.
“We might have bitten off more than we can chew,” Minegumo said, giving Arata a wary look. For a moment, he wobbled on the water, before Kian caught him. “That technique was an A-rank, and he tossed it at us like it was nothing.”
The technique obviously hadn’t packed the power it could have, but it was still nothing less than impressive, awing even, and it left Minegumo feeling more disturbed than he wanted to admit. Arata had flushed them out easily — what else did the man have up his sleeve?
“Very good, Minegumo. That was indeed an A-rank technique; if that’s a little too much for you, how about I go easy on you and use a B-rank this time?” Arata smiled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before once again weaving impossibly quick hand seals.
Exhaling deeply, the Jōnin breathed out gales of wind that formed themselves instantaneously into blades, creating them at numerous different angles. He was thoroughly interested to see how they would handle it. Part of him hoped that at least one of them could react in time to avoid getting hit, but he sincerely doubted it.
Minegumo swore, eyes wide as the attack raced toward them. His chakra sensing ability allowed him to at least detect the presence of the blades of wind, even if he couldn’t see them. They were moving fast enough that he could barely keep track of them.
“Ki…”
Breathing in sharply and mentally preparing himself, Kian quickly slammed the brakes on his chakra flow, and he plummeted below the water’s surface as he sustained some cuts and tears from Master Arata’s Wind Release. He had an idea, and holding his breath for a couple of moments would be far preferable to getting sliced up by wind...again. Kian had to remember to curse Minegumo out for that one...no. No, he’d better not, he was the one who’d upped the ante with that Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu. As he quite literally held his breath, he willed Minegumo and Hikari to hold their own for a moment as he swam towards where he knew Master Arata was standing, waiting for the perfect opening.
Minegumo swore again as Kian dropped into the water, leaving him to wobble on his own. However, that ultimately saved him — he fell, gracelessly, to his knees, avoiding the worst of Arata’s blades of winds by a hairbreadth. They sliced into his shoulders as he flopped atop the water, but they were shallow cuts. They hurt, but they were easily ignorable.
Hikari, it seemed, had had the same idea as Kian, because she dropped into the water, only to reappear at Minegumo’s side, wrapping an arm around his midsection to keep him steady.
“Are you okay?” She asked, keeping her eyes on Arata.
A nod. “I’m fine. Just…”
“Surprised?”
“Yeah.”
Minegumo took a deep breath, shaking himself before his gaze sharpened. “The plan is still on,” he said. “I’m your backup now.”
With that, he was moving. Minegumo hadn’t been lying when he told Kian that he only had enough chakra for a couple of spells: at the time, he’d had less than a quarter of his usual reserves, and since then had cast another genjutsu, and now had to worry about staying above the water too. He focused his chakra, before pressing his hands into a set of seals, giving the Jōnin a dark look.
Minegumo’s jaw clenched. “Now.”
Hikari nodded, before she too blurred into action flickering toward Arata.
Why was it so hot again all of a sudden…? Surely, he’d extinguished all of the flames? Realizing the back of his neck was dripping sweat, Arata looked over his shoulder, a stony expression overtaking his face as he saw a giant fireball heading straight towards him, as if falling from the sky. He supposed he’d figured out where Kian was. Squinting, he realized that he was wrong; it wasn’t Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, and Kian was nowhere to be found. Fireballs didn’t just appear from nowhere. That meant… Arata’s hands formed the ‘release’ seal as he disrupted his own chakra flow, and sure enough, the heat was magically gone. Perhaps that one wasn’t as well conceived as Minegumo’s other tricks, but it was understandable. The kids must’ve been getting desperate by now, not to mention extremely low on chakra. He looked towards Minegumo, realizing the boy was alone. Where had Hikari gone, then?
“Looking for someone?”
Hikari’s voice sounded from right in front of Arata, and he was startled, looking down to see his female student appear right in front of him, face twisted in a snarl as she balled a fist. Ducking low, she punched out with a solid strike aimed directly at his solar plexus.
Arata’s eyes narrowed, before he raised his knee, bringing his elbow downwards at the same time as he caught her attack. However, to his surprise, he immediately felt a pull at his chakra, and his position on the water wavered for the briefest moment. Clicking his teeth, he used his other foot to kick back, giving Hikari a level look. The girl was nursing her arm, where a thick bruise could be seen. A bruise that looked to be fading ever-so-slightly.
So she has that ability, then?
Then she was taking off again, dashing atop of the water. From there, it was a purely taijutsu bout: Hikari attacking with a flurry of punches that Arata expertly weaved around, taking care not to physically touch her lest she drain him of his chakra again.
This girl was good, he had to give her credit. She was much, much stronger than she looked, with speed and agility to boot, and her form was excellent. He hadn’t expected this much of a challenge in hand-to-hand combat, but so be it. Arata patiently countered her relentless offensive, taking a strike here and there; she was really good. For just an instant, however, her guard faltered and he took advantage by kicking her in the hip, hard, knocking her over. Gracefully leaping a couple of paces back, he weaved hand seals, finishing with the ‘tiger’ seal.
It was his turn to conjure flames, as he used the Sarutobi clan’s famous Katon: Haisekishō, spewing a cloud of ash that engulfed Hikari and Minegumo (about whom he hadn’t forgotten). Then he ignited the flint in his teeth, setting the ashes alight. Let’s see how good you two really are, then. As he watched flickering flames atop the surface of the water, he noted that a certain Uchiha child was conspicuously absent. Perhaps Kian had circled around underwater and was laying low, somewhere in the trees, watching and waiting. That was what he would’ve done, after all. He would deal with these two first, then he would find Kian.
Hikari swore as the wall of fire descended upon her and Minegumo, momentarily shocked; Arata really was turning up the heat. She shifted on her feet, grounding her stance. Focusing her chakra, channeled it into her fist, before she punched out… down at the water underneath her. Almost immediately, the water seemed to explode, forming into a powerful wave that clashed with the storm of fire.
This was not the monstrous strength technique developed by Senju Tsunade, not truly. It was unpolished, unrefined, and it was proven when the technique rebounded, creating a shockwave that slammed into both her and Minegumo, hard enough to send them back a few yards. Minegumo landed with a shout, momentarily falling underneath the water, before resurfacing.
“Are you insane?!” he asked, wobbling to his feet.
“I didn’t know it would do that!”
“Hasn’t anyone told you not to just throw around C-rank techniques if you can’t use them properly?!” Minegumo took a deep breath. “Never mind. It’s fine, I’m sorry. We can still work with this.” He paused for a moment. “I have enough chakra for one last technique. I can use my Kekkei Genkai to boost it, but even then, I doubt it’ll hold for long.”
“What do you need me to do?” Hikari asked.
“Keep pressuring him like you’ve been doing,” he said. “As long as he's distracted, Ki’s plan can still get pulled off. I’ll wait to use my genjutsu. Until then, you’re gonna be on your own.”
She nodded. “Understood.”
Then she was gone again, racing toward Arata, while Minegumo hung back.
“I hope you’re about ready, Ki,” he said aloud. “This is it.”
Underneath the surface of the water, still calmly holding his breath, Kian felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone had said his name. Alright, so it’s time, huh? You guys are hanging in there, then. Just give me one last opening, please…! I don’t have much chakra left, it’s now or never, you two. I cannot miss this one. Kian began to put some distance between himself and his Master, eyes fixed on Arata’s back from a distance.
As if hearing his unspoken words, Hikari began her onslaught again, lashing out with punishing strikes. Throughout it all, she did her best to stay close to Arata, unwilling to give the man even slight breathing room. However, she was beginning to tire, she was unused to fighting so intensely, and for so long. Her chakra was running low after the stunt she’d pulled, and try as she might, she’d yet to actually come into physical contact with Arata so she could drain his chakra.
She was still coming at him relentlessly, with every intention of pummeling him. Arata had to admit, her tenacity was special. Many Genin would’ve quit already, but not Hikari or Minegumo, and he was quietly very proud, if disappointed in Kian. He’d expected more from Kian than to lay low this long; it was a bit unsettling, and he had to conclude that either the Uchiha was a coward, or he was planning something. Either way, the two in front of him were so aggressive that he couldn’t dwell on the absent student. Worrying about whatever Kian was up to was a luxury he didn’t currently have. Arata evaded and maneuvered smoothly, unwilling to give Hikari a chance to replenish her chakra by siphoning off his own. If she wanted his chakra, she was just going to have to earn it.
From his spot, Minegumo watched the battle intently, eyes keeping track of Hikari and Arata’s movements. Hikari was doing a good job in keeping Arata’s attention, it seemed. She stayed close to the man, sending punch after punch, although not a single one connected. It just went to show how good their Jōnin instructor himself was, how wide the gap in skill and experience was.
He took a deep breath, calling upon the last dredges of his chakra. With shaky hands, Minegumo quickly went through a set of seals as he cast one the signature illusions of his clan.
The water underneath them bubbled ominously before exploding as vines lashed out at Arata. Legs, arms, feet, hands, torso, even his neck — they lashed out every part of the man, aiming to wrap around him and keep him in place. Spots danced in Minegumo’s vision, and he swayed, but held on, hands clenched into fists. His eyes burned gold, adding his kekkei genkai in to boost the technique’s power. He could already feel Arata fighting against it, and he knew it wouldn’t hold him for too much longer.
But a moment was all he needed.
“Now, Ki!”
Arata recognized this technique instantly as the vines wrapped around his body, tenacious as boas, and he knew that fighting against them was pointless. He was lifted into the air by the vines, and soon the pod would open up and lash out, but he wasn’t going to let it progress that far. Cutting off his chakra flow for just a fraction of a second, the illusion proved exceptionally easy to shatter. Minegumo’s chakra felt weak, like the pulse of a body nearing death, which meant that Minegumo himself probably knew how tired he really was. This had to be a distraction, but now the question was, for whom was Mine providing cover? Hikari again, or was it…?
Even underwater, Kian could hear Mine’s loud, obnoxious voice. He grinned, thankful for it being as easily carried as it was. Diverting chakra to his legs, he kicked hard. Like a bullet from a gun, he shot straight out of the water, twisting in midair as he launched shuriken straight at their unsuspecting Master. Of course, the shuriken were also laced with wire, the Uchiha clan’s specialty. As Kian landed gracefully on the water’s surface, he yanked on the wire, and the shuriken obediently looped around Master Arata and dug painfully into his skin.
“Hikari, grab Minegumo and get up in one of the trees, now! Leave it to me!”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Kicking back, Hikari flickered to Minegumo, carefully moving a hand underneath his shoulder, before continuing on. Gripping tightly, she jumped into the nearest tree, giving her teammate a worried look when all he did was groan. He really was out of it.
Make this count, Kian.
Pulling even tighter on the wires, Kian performed hand seals.
Arata’s eyes narrowed, and he stared his student down intently. So, he had been biding his time after all. Hiding underwater was a good idea; while looking up from underneath the surface was easy thanks to the light it reflected, it was much harder to look down and see through the darkness. Kian was clever; all three of them were, frankly. What was he planning…? Suddenly, it occurred to him as the Uchiha boy’s hand seal sequence ended. Kian’s favored element was...
“Heh, I can tell by the look in your eye that you’ve figured it out, Master.” Kian grinned, projecting more confidence than he felt.
Unless they were exceptionally clear-headed in the chaos of the moment, his teammates probably didn’t truly understand the impact of what he was planning. Electrocuting himself with his own lightning was a grim prospect, and it would probably render him useless, but if his lightning strike’s aim was true, at least one of the other two would be able to snatch Arata’s bell at long last. Knowingly inflicting pain on himself was one hell of a test for his resolve, but he couldn’t waver, not when he’d made his teammates believe that he was going to show up and play the hero and end things.
Kian had no intention of letting them be wrong.
“Take this! Raiton: Sandāboruto!”
Lightning formed in his already extended palms, discharging and racing down the threads menacingly. Don’t let this fail. This is my last move, either way, so it better work! Arata was trapped, unable to move lest the shuriken cut into him even deeper, and lightning began to course through him. Once it reached as far as Arata’s feet, it began to run rampant through the water, which of course conducted it. It spread, and as Kian maintained the jutsu, he was shocking himself just as much as he was shocking Arata. The Uchiha yelled as he pushed himself, increasing the intensity of the thunderbolts, doing his best to endure the pain. His eyes closed, and his teeth gritted due to the strain, but he didn’t let up. Kian refused to give in, he was going to make sure that at least one of them could pass this damn test, even if he couldn’t.
When Arata’s yelps subsided, the exhausted Uchiha finally opened his eyes slowly, a few sparks of lightning still crackling around his body. He was so, so drained, and the pain...he’d never experienced pain this excruciating before, even in Minegumo’s genjutsu. The wires he’d been holding...they felt slack. Did that mean he’d done it, then…? When his eyes were fully open, he looked up, trembling from the fatigue and the agony. At any moment, he was gonna... Shuriken floated atop the water, carefree as could be, coated in blood. It seemed as though Arata had escaped, probably with the Body Replacement Technique. Mine...Hikari...I couldn’t pull it off this time...
Kian had failed, after all. Exhaling shakily, he fell forward and once again plunged into the water. Sinking, sinking, sinking…
Darkness. Everything was darkness, and he didn’t have the strength to hold his breath this time.
Then his eyes closed again, and he faded, finally passing out.
Lessons Learned[]
“Kian!”
Hikari’s shout seemed to cover the whole training ground as she watched her teammate drop in the water. Crouching down, she set Minegumo to lay against the trunk of the tree, before standing back up. Kicking off, Hikari unceremoniously jumped back onto the lake, calling out for her other teammate.
“Kian? Kian?!”
From seemingly out of nowhere, Arata appeared next to Hikari atop the surface of the water. He reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
“Please return to Minegumo for now. I’ll get Kian,” the Jōnin said calmly.
His order having been issued, Arata created a handful of shadow clones and plunged headfirst into the water, the clones following suit. It would be easier to find Kian if there was more of him searching. As he swam through the depths, holding his breath, he couldn’t help but think about the rapid growth he’d just witnessed from his students. Minegumo and Kian had gone from electing to gang up on Hikari to working seamlessly with her, developing a plan that was more effective than he’d have expected from Genin. Sure, he hadn’t been fighting with his full strength, but for them to come so close to taking down even fifty percent of him was remarkable. Part of him was horrified by what Kian had done, knowingly shocking himself, but part of him also couldn’t help but admire the fortitude and willpower it took to do it. It had almost worked, too.
Almost.
When he came across Kian, he wrapped an arm around the boy’s torso and concentrated chakra in the rest of his limbs, forcing his way back up to the surface. Right on cue, one of his shadow clones that had resurfaced ran over and helped the two out of the water, and once he was firmly standing on the surface again, he held Kian carefully in his arms and made for dry land.
“Is he going to be okay?” Hikari immediately asked. “Is he dead?”
“No, he’s going to be just fine. The stress of maintaining the jutsu through such pain made him pass out, that’s all. Gifted as he is at Lightning Release, even he can’t produce a voltage high enough to kill yet,” Arata explained gently.
Truthfully, even though he’d had to leap into action to make sure Kian didn’t drown, Arata was more concerned about how intense Minegumo’s burns might’ve been. From a distance, they hadn’t looked like anything too severe to heal on their own, but he would have to examine them to be sure. Hikari had had the forward thinking to lay Minegumo down on the ground before he’d returned with Kian, and now both of the unconscious boys were just a couple feet apart, showing no signs yet of stirring. Arata carefully took Minegumo’s foot, stretching his leg out to be able to examine his injuries.
Hikari sucked in a breath, for the first time seeing the extent of his injuries. Looking at her two teammates and their injuries, she felt a laugh born of hysteria well up within her. It was as if all of the stress of the day had finally caught up with her.
“What kind of team did I get put on?”
Arata knelt down, relieved to see that Minegumo’s burns just needed some basic treatment. Reaching into pouch he kept clipped to his back pocket to hold shinobi tools, he pulled out a roll of gauze, some antiseptic, and bandages and went to work, cleaning the wounds as gently as he possibly could and wrapping the bandages around them with the gauze. Luckily, Minegumo’s wounds had already been immersed in cool water for quite a while already, so there was no need for a compress. Once he was done treating Minegumo’s burns, he looked from one knocked out boy to the other, barely repressing a smile. In a lot of ways, this was very familiar to him. Both Kian and Minegumo had inherited Seto’s and Akigumo’s tendency to push their talents to the absolute limit; neither had any quit in them, for better or for worse. Today really had illuminated quite a lot for him about all three of his new students.
“A team that understands the burden of being called a prodigy,” Arata replied thoughtfully, getting back to his feet and standing up straight. “You may not realize this, but there’s more to it than just looking cool and being popular. From the moment they were born, Kian and Minegumo have had to carry the expectations of their clans and their parents on their shoulders. It’s a larger weight to bear than you would think. That’s why they push themselves so hard, as if every challenge might be their last.”
“I never thought of that,” Hikari admitted. “They always seemed so put together.”
She’d always been so…wary of the clan kids. Children from civilian families tended to stay together, and the clan-born did the same. Orphans like her were usually in the middle, straddling a hazy gray line. Clans tended to look down on orphans like herself, but they also had expectations to do better than the civilians at least.
“Be wary of judging people based on what they present at the surface level,” Arata reminded her kindly. “Everyone has their own struggles. Careful not to make assumptions, like the ones Kian and Minegumo initially made about you.” He paused. “I’m proud of the three of you; you really became a team under less than ideal circumstances.”
Groans reached his ears, and he looked back towards Kian and Minegumo.
It seemed as though the team’s young Uchiha was waking up.
“Hikari…” Kian mumbled, wincing in pain as he sat up. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t get us across the finish line.”
“Kian!”
Hikari jumped up, moving to her teammate’s side as he began to sit up. Catching him by the shoulders, she leaned him against her, using her body to keep him steady.
“Don’t worry about that,” she said softly. “The important thing is…” Well, she didn’t know what the important thing was. Technically, they all failed: none of them had gotten a second bell, which meant they were all liable to be sent back to the academy.
“The important thing is that you’re alright,” she said after several moments. “You’re lucky to be alive after electrocuting yourself like that.”
Looking down, ashamed, Kian slowly reached up behind his head and untied his headband, pulling it off. He stared down at it, at the Konoha symbol engraved on the metal plate, the realization setting in that from then on, the headband meant nothing. None of them had passed. All of their studies, all of their training...for what? Just to go back to the Academy as washouts, if they were lucky enough to even be given a second chance. The thought of what the rest of his clan would say filled him with dread; he wasn’t worthy of the name Uchiha at all. He wasn’t even worthy of wearing the crest on his back now.
“Yeah...you’re right, thank you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible.
Kian’s violet eyes flickered over to his still-unconscious best friend. If anyone could possibly take the news that they’d failed worse than he was currently taking it, it would be Minegumo. He knew Minegumo well enough to know that the boy would be absolutely devastated when he woke up. Looking down again, his grip on his headband tightened to the point where his knuckles paled. This was his fault. This was all his fault.
At that moment there was a groan, and the last member of Team Arata joined them in the world of awakening. Minegumo blinked slowly, amber eyes filled with hazy confusion as he took in surroundings, as if he were waking from a dream.
“Ki? Hikari…?” He made to sit up, only to gasp as sharp, intense pain shot through him. And just like that, the confusion was gone, gaze sharpening as he slowly sat upright. “Did we win then?” Minegumo asked after wincing. “Did we manage to get his bell?”
Kian brought his knees up to his chest, hugging them, refusing to look at Minegumo. He couldn’t bear to show his face, especially not to Minegumo. This was so, so painful. “No...we didn’t. Master Arata got away from my lightning attack. He used the Kawarimi no Jutsu when my eyes closed from the strain of maintaining the stream of lightning.” Was that really his voice? It sounded so emotionless, so numb, not like his usual tone.
Minegumo’s jaw went slack. His mouth moved, but not a single word came out. His gaze went from Kian, who refused to show his face, to Hikari, who looked to be on the verge of tears, to Arata, who watched them all expressionlessly.
“Oh.” There was no hiding the sheer disappointment that filled Minegumo’s voice in that single word. “So we…”
Failed. Minegumo choked on the word, unable to bring himself to actually say it aloud. They’d failed. They were failures. All of that hard work from the last few years, gone just like that.
With shaky hands, Minegumo reached back and undid the knot holding his headband in place.
“I guess that’s it, then.” His voice was subdued. It was obvious to anyone the heartbreak he was feeling.
Arata watched as his students processed what they thought was their failure, and he was pleased to see how much grief and suffering it caused them. Not because he wanted them to hurt, but because it showed how much they truly wanted this. These kids cared about becoming shinobi; it wasn’t just a game to them, they had passion and determination. He walked over first to Minegumo, then to Kian, taking their headbands and tying them back on. Despite the looks of confusion they gave him, he smiled warmly.
“None of you are going back to the Academy. What I wanted was to see you three put aside your differences and competing interests and come together as a unit. The whole point of this test was to measure your ability to put your squad above yourself under difficult circumstances designed to tear you apart.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “In the real world, shinobi often have to put a mission and their comrades above themselves in the face of death. This bell test was never meant to actually pose a threat to your lives, but you needed to feel the pressure. What I mean to say is, if you three couldn’t even put your egos aside and work together to take a bell from me, could you really trust each other to die for each other, if necessary?”
Kian’s eyes widened. So, that was how it was, huh? Now he felt extra guilty over having ganged up on Hikari. After his and Minegumo’s brawl, he’d begun to suspect that the real purpose of the exam was something like this, but to hear it confirmed sent chills down his spine.
“I guess now we know why you manipulated me and Mine with genjutsu,” he mused.
“Yes,” Arata replied. “I do apologize, but I needed to drive as big of a wedge as I could between you three to see if you could overcome it. Now, I expected that not to be the case, but you all did wonderfully.”
“So we really passed then?” Hikari asked. Her eyes were wide, tone hopeful. “We aren’t being sent back to the Academy?”
“We’re really Genin now?” Minegumo’s voice was shaky, mirroring the same desperate hope that colored Hikari’s. “You aren’t messing with us again? This isn’t another test?”
“You all pass. As of right now, Uchiha Kian, Kurama Minegumo, Yakushi Hikari, you are officially soldiers of Konohagakure,” Arata informed them. “I believe in each of you and your respective potentials, but I warn you, the road ahead only gets longer and more arduous.”
Kian exhaled in relief. Of course it would be harder from then on, that didn’t bother him. He was just overwhelmed with joy to have passed, and more than that, he was ecstatic beyond description that he hadn’t caused Minegumo and Hikari to fail. Finally, he was a shinobi… A smile crept onto his face. They’d have to find a way to celebrate; it wasn’t normally his style, but even he couldn’t help but feel jubilant after everything they’d just gone through for this cursed exam. While the exam had been brutal, he couldn’t even bring himself to care or be mad about it. If anything, he was actually grateful for the lessons learned during the hardships of the exam. Going forward, he would resolve to carry those lessons with him.
Hikari blinked, before a wide smile appeared on her face. A moment later, and her fist was being shot into the air as she jumped, happy and joyful.
“We passed!” she exclaimed. “We’re really Genin now!”
As she jumped about, Minegumo too gave a bright smile, tears running down on his cheeks. Breathing out, he sighed deeply, relieved beyond belief. He’d passed. They’d passed. They were actually true ninja now, or at least, would start gaining the experience needed to become true shinobi.
As was reflex for whenever he received any news, good or bad, Minegumo immediately searched for Kian.
“So in the end, you really did come through and save the day,” he mused.
“Eh, if I did, it was only because you and Hikari created the opportunity for me,” Kian replied sheepishly. Accepting praise when he was the whole reason they’d gone through the anxiety of thinking they’d failed just felt…wrong.
Hikari shook her head. “My opening only worked because Minegumo was backing me up.”
“It was Ki’s plan,” Minegumo said. “I just made sure it was executed.”
Arata smiled proudly. “It was teamwork that took you three so far. Don’t ever forget that. Now that the test is over, I believe we’ll adjourn for the day. Take tomorrow off to recover, and our first mission will be the day after. Good work, Team Thirteen.” With that, Arata vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving his Genin students to their thoughts.
Sunsets and Dried Tears[]
Kian’s legs dangled over the edge of the pier as he rested on his back, staring up at the blood orange sky with its streaks of pinks and violets and blues, its blinking flecks of white that represented the stars. This was one of his favorite spots just to be alone and think, and he was thinking a lot. His mind kept drifting back to what the Minegumo and Hikari of Master Arata’s illusions had said about him, and each time it did, he ached a little more inside. Even though he knew they hadn’t said those things, he couldn’t help but wonder if they were secretly thinking them, because...they were all true. Maybe he wouldn’t blame them if they resented him. Despite his best efforts to look strong, he was so weak and insignificant. Arrogant, too. Why? Why was he this way? Could it have been due to the grief he still felt?
No, he told himself. That’s not it...at least, it doesn’t feel like that’s what it is. All he knew was that he didn’t want to be hated. Kian walked around acting like he didn’t care what people thought, but truthfully, he wanted to be wanted, to be needed, to be cared for, to be missed when he wasn’t around. Not having his parents made him crave that acceptance, as something in him told him that he wouldn’t be able to fill the hole in his soul any other way. Loneliness was almost unbearable, but...maybe if he tried to be a good person...Minegumo and Hikari wouldn’t hate him? Unless it was too late already, and the damage was irreversible. All he could do was hope he hadn’t been that awful and try to be better for their sakes.
Closing his eyes, he thought about Hikari’s reaction to him having shocked himself. She’d seemed genuinely concerned, as if the thought of him getting hurt bothered her. Did that mean to her, he was a comrade? A friend, even? In the moment, he hadn’t hesitated at all to voluntarily endure the pain for her and Minegumo. Did that say more about who he was than his arrogance? He hoped so, because he didn’t want to be someone loathsome; he wanted more than anything to be a good person. A good person doesn’t thirst for vengeance, a voice in his head remarked. You’re nothing, and you never will be. Don’t forget that your only purpose is to be an instrument of righteous justice, your existence has no other meaning than that. Kian felt a lump swell in his throat.
Why couldn’t humans turn off their emotions?
All he wanted was to make everything he was feeling go away, to just turn it all off. He was tired, tired of being sad, tired of being angry, tired of feeling worthless, and most of all, tired of being tired. It was all too much, and never enough at the same time. Kian wiped away the tears that stained his face, hating himself for crying.
“I wish you wouldn’t be so quick to run away when you’re feeling bad.”
Minegumo’s voice came from directly beside Kian as the boy seemed to materialize out of thin air. Like Kian, he too was watching the sunset, an uncharacteristically melancholy expression set upon his face. After a moment however, he turned toward Kian, amber eyes glittering in the sun’s light. He gave his friend an examining look and hummed.
“Ryō for your thoughts?” he asked lightly.
“I just...” Kian’s voice trailed off as he sat up.
How could he find the words to say what was on his mind when all of it was so depressing? Bringing Minegumo down when they’d just passed their test and officially became Genin didn’t feel right, either. Kian didn’t want to be selfish and talk about what he was feeling. Minegumo may not have understood, anyway, and even if he did, he didn’t want his best friend to worry about him too much. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Minegumo, he just didn’t know how to express himself, and his guilt at the thought of being a burden held him back.
“Nah, it’s nothing.”
Minegumo sighed, but didn’t press the issue. Not at that moment at least. Instead, he carefully sat down, sitting next to Kian and leaning his head on his best friend's shoulder.
“Sometimes…” Minegumo trailed off. “Sometimes, you feel so far away even though you’re right next to me.”
He hated it. That gulf, that divide, that single impenetrable wall that kept Kian away from the rest of the world.
“It makes me scared that one day you’ll just disappear, and go somewhere I can’t follow.”
For a moment, Kian was silent. He’d never heard his best friend express any kind of fear before; Minegumo was practically fearless. It was unnerving, really. Kian thought he understood what his friend was trying to say, though. Being truly close to people, being open and vulnerable with them, he found it difficult. Maybe it was the fear of experiencing more loss that was keeping him distant, he didn’t know. All he knew was that apparently, it extended even to Minegumo.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied quietly after a moment. “I still have too much to do here to disappear.”
Minegumo breathed out, releasing a tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.
“Good,” he said. Just stay here with me, he thought but didn’t say. “That’s good.”
A silence fell over the two boys, both deep in thought with words they couldn’t begin to express even if they tried. As the scene continued its slow transition from dusk to night, the silence stretched on, so lost they were in their thoughts; because they were so focused, neither paid close attention to the footsteps that made their way to the pier.
“Room for one more?” Hikari’s voice came from directly behind them, and they both startled, looking up to see the third member of their unit watching them with an awkward, but hopeful smile. She lifted a hand, showing off a small shopping bag that rustled with the movement. “I bought pocky.”
“Yeah, join us,” Kian invited. “Plenty of room.”
The Uchiha still felt horrible for how arrogant and cold he’d been to Hikari, and he thought he could try to make up for it by being kinder. After all, she’d proven herself to him during the test. Hikari hadn’t hesitated to team up with him and Minegumo, despite everything, and he couldn’t forget the concern she’d shown him once he’d sustained his injuries from his Lightning Release technique.
She smiled before taking a seat on Kian’s other side, taking the treats out of the bag and handing a couple over to each of them.
“Today really was something, huh?” Hikari said, aloud.
“That’s one way of putting it,” said Minegumo. He nibbled on one of the pocky sticks slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “I still can’t believe everything that happened today.”
Kian nibbled quietly on one of the pocky sticks Hikari had passed him, thinking. It was one of the longest days he’d ever had, truthfully, and he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Master Arata had really done a number on them all.
“We got through it, at least,” he mused. “I never imagined it’d be that difficult, though.” God, that was an understatement. He never wanted to take a test under Master Arata again.
Hikari nodded. “I know he held back, but it was still really intense.”
It has been a real eye-opening experience. The difference in power between a Jōnin and a Genin might as well have been the difference between a cup of water and the ocean. And the man hadn’t really gone all out either. The techniques he’d used had been high-level, but she knew they weren’t nearly as potent as they could have been. It was slightly terrifying.
She couldn’t wait to be on that level herself, one day.
“I hope the rest of our lessons aren’t like that,” Hikari stated. Using her arms as a cushion, she chose to lay back and stare at the sky. “Although, it makes me wonder what else he has in store for us.”
“Yeah, if I had to guess, he was only operating at fifty percent of what he could be capable of, maybe seventy-five percent. He’s not gonna ever go easy on us, but...if he’s that strong, his lessons will pay off, for sure,” Kian pointed out.
Master Arata had definitely earned his respect and admiration. The man had thrown around three elements like it was nothing to him; a lot of Jōnin couldn’t even manage two. It was incredible. Kian was actually looking forward to training under him now. His goal, after all, would necessitate that he become a powerful shinobi, more powerful than the strongest among the Uchiha clan…
The boy had to become stronger than his uncle.
If he wanted to figure out the truth behind his father’s death, and hold his uncle accountable, he couldn’t be a weakling. No, he had to reach the absolute peak of his potential. It was a matter of pride, a matter of honor, and a matter of justice for him. Kian could not, would not, let his father down.
For his part, Minegumo was silent, allowing his two teammates to converse with another. If he were being honest, he still felt awkward around Hikari. The way he hadn’t hesitated to team up against her, and then hunt her down…it was hard to pin down what exactly he was feeling towards her. It wasn’t guilt, per se, if only because he didn’t believe he had anything to feel guilty about.
He sighed, pressing closer to Kian as he attempted to get what he was feeling in order.
“At least it’ll be interesting,” Minegumo finally spoke up. He paused, tilting his head to look over at his other teammate. “You did really good today, Hikari.”
An understatement. She’s gone above and beyond what he thought she was capable of, and he had a feeling that she would only keep surprising him in the future. Minegumo was surprised to realize that he was looking forward to it.
“I concur,” Kian added. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
He wasn’t just being modest, it was the truth. Without Hikari, his plan would’ve never come close to working. Part of him was grateful, but part of him was also frustrated that he hadn’t been able to do it all on his own. The concept of teamwork and putting all his faith in comrades was still uncomfortable to him, even if he felt as though he could get used to it. It would take time, as withdrawn and introverted and independent as he was. Heh, the irony; what he wanted more than anything was to be happy and surrounded with people that cared about him, but at the same time, he wasn’t good at interacting with people, nor was it something he sought out.
Maybe that would have to change, unless he wanted to end up alone after all.
Hikari blushed, turning her face away. She wasn’t used to receiving praise, and found that she didn’t know how to respond to it.
“Thank you both for taking a chance on me,” she said bashfully. “I know you had no reason to…”
She trailed off, remembering how they’d tag-teamed her earlier, which seemed like a lifetime ago. It was funny in a way: earlier that day, she’d been sure that she hated them and everything they stood for. Now she couldn’t imagine not feeling the camaraderie she was experiencing at this moment.
“Are we friends now?” Hikari found herself asking.
The Uchiha ran a pale hand through his jet black hair, taken aback by Hikari’s question. Were they friends? It was a fair question, honestly. He was still scared she held a grudge and resented him for his earlier behavior. After how he’d acted, he wouldn’t have wanted to be friends with him, so how could he expect anyone else to want to? Yet… During the course of the test, Hikari had acted as though she’d forgiven both him and Minegumo. She seemed to be genuine in her inquiry.
Kian thought about the way that Hikari had caught him when he’d sat up after waking from his injuries. Why was he hesitating?
“Friends,” he confirmed, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.
“Friends,” Minegumo echoed the word, taste testing it on his tongue. The idea was bemusing, for various reasons, the prime being that Minegumo just wasn’t used to having friends. He had family in his fellow clansmen, and he had allies in his fellow heirs. But friends? Besides Kian, he had only one other person that he called a friend. Now he had another.
It was Minegumo’s turn to smile, a soft upturning of the lips. Then he paused, a pensive expression coming across his face.
“Well, in the spirit of our new friendship,” he began, “I’m sorry, Hikari.”
“It’s in the past,” Hikari said, firmly. It was her nindō to never look back, to keep pushing forward with her eyes on the future. “Let’s just keep moving forward.”
Kian couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Hearing Minegumo apologize was surreal; he’d never heard him do that before. Maybe Minegumo was still a tad out of it from having been unconscious. Either way, it was refreshing. The boy exhaled deeply, laying back, arms behind his head. Blood orange was now giving way to midnight blue overhead, the colors of the sunset bleeding together and fading away. Stars were twinkling away happily, brighter than before, and the moon was peeking out from behind the curtain of the sky as if to say hello. Despite the warmth of the summer, a gentle breeze was rolling through the village, caressing its inhabitants and keeping it cool.
It was a beautiful end to an ugly day.
“Do you guys know why the Uchiha clan’s crest is a fan?” he asked, after letting a content silence hang between them for a moment.
Minegumo nodded, giving another smile. As his teammates lied back, he shrugged his shoulders and made to lie with them. All three of them were looking at the shifting and changing sky as the night ushered in.
“It’s fans that fuel a flame, yeah?” Minegumo asked. “There aren’t many clans who can match the Uchiha when it comes to Fire Release.”
“It’s more than that,” Kian replied. “The fan of the Uchiha is a symbol of the role we’re meant to play in this village. We’re meant to be the ones who tend the flames of the Will of Fire, never letting it die down or go out. Part of the Will of Fire is protecting your comrades with your life.” He paused. “What I’m saying is…as your friend and comrade, I swear to both of you upon the honor of the crest on my back that I will protect you, no matter what, even at the cost of my life.”
He meant it. From that moment forward, he resolved that he would never be the one to sit back and allow harm to befall his comrades.
“Ki…” Minegumo’s voice was thick with emotion. He reached out, taking Kian’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “You can count on me too, both of you.”
“And me,” Hikari said. “I know I’m an orphan and I’m not from any clan, but I have my taijutsu and my absorption ability. I’ll be like a shield: no one’ll get through me.”
“Then I’ll be like an arrow,” Minegumo said firmly. “I’ll make the openings and snipe everyone that messes with us. And you, Ki…” he gave his hand a squeeze.
“That leaves me as the sword,” Kian mused. “Fitting. I’m the warrior who cuts down everyone who dares to threaten what he cares about.”
“What a team we make,” Minegumo said.
Silence once again fell upon them, a comfortable one as they looked up at the twinkling stars. It was a breathtaking scene that filled each of them with a sense of serenity. After several more minutes, they sat up, one-by-one.
“I’ve got to get back to the orphanage,” Hikari said. She brushed a lock of jet-black hair behind her ear. “This was nice,” she said. “We should do this again.”
Minegumo nodded. “Definitely.” Then he grimaced, looking at Hikari. “I’m sorry again, Hikari. For calling you ugly.”
She blinked, then frowned. “When did you call me ugly?”
Kian couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, let’s not go there. Hikari, why don’t Mine and I walk you back? It’s getting dark out.”
Hikari sent Minegumo another suspicious look, but let it go.
“Sure,” she said. “It’s right this way.”
Grabbing the now-empty pocky bag, she led the duo towards the orphanage, on the village outskirts.
It was funny, she mused. She’d arrived at the meeting spot alone and feeling singled out, and now she was leaving with two teammates on either side of her, walking and joking as if they’d all been friends for a long time.
As they walked, Kian tilted his head upward to the sky, sliding his hands into his pockets. This had been an insane day, but there they were, still standing... together. He felt oddly content, better than he’d felt in a long time, and especially better than he’d felt before Minegumo and Hikari had found him. Maybe everything would be okay somehow. Kian didn’t know; all he knew for sure as they walked together, shoulder to shoulder through the warm darkness of the summer night, was one thing.
Their journey had only just begun.
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