- Location
- Missouri, United States of America
Been busy I imagine, Holliday and such
Game of the Year: A Naruto Quest
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
chrisleech
The Finder of Things Left Behind
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
Maybe they couldn't figure out what she did. It's not like there were any details provided besides the fact that they were failed because of her after all.
- Location
- United States
Frankly, I've been itching to get in on that sweet omake money. But (like many I imagine) there is some performance anxiety holding me back.
It'd be easier with an idea of what test they faced
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
"Don't be a creepy stalker" and also "Fit in with a normal crowd for 30 minutes"
They got 2 chances, and bombed them both.
- Location
- Chile
Wasnt this already completed?
- Location
- France Nîmes
nope we are pretty asocial (mother and our friend are the only one we talk to )
- Location
- Chile
But team, friends, Maito, Lee and Ino's dad.
How close is 'Acquaintance' considered?
chrisleech
The Finder of Things Left Behind
- Location
- Jacksonville, Florida
We're not going by the definition, but rather talking about it in terms of relationship levels.
- Location
- Middle of Nowhere
We'd need to know them a little more to consider them acquaintances.
EDIT: Speaking of achievements.
I would think we can knock out most of these within a week. We should probably try getting them. Motive achievements are a little more tricky, but should also be easily doable.
Last edited:
- Location
- Somewhere I shouldn't be
I'm pretty sure this vote is closed, Ves is just being slow at getting the next update out. It tends to happen - writing of his quality takes time, and sometimes scenes just refuse to work for him.
Vesvius
The Wicked God
Yo all. As you've probably noticed, the next update isn't quite done yet. That's for two reasons: one, the next scene is kicking my ass something fierce. This happens every now and then and will pass, as it always does. But the other, bigger reason is that during the holiday season I'm way busier then I otherwise would be. The time I'd normally spend writing is spent doing other, more real life related things. What little writing I'm I'm able to muster is being spent on things that flow more freely. So don't expect the next bit until the new year.
Since I probably won't post in thread again till then, hope everyone has a good holiday season and thanks for sticking with GotY! See you all real soon.
Since I probably won't post in thread again till then, hope everyone has a good holiday season and thanks for sticking with GotY! See you all real soon.
- Location
- Around here
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Happy Holidays!
Ah, sorry, just made a sufficient velocity account and didn't notice that. My bad!
- Location
- Illinoise
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[x]Your friends were tested either yesterday or this morning too. You should check up on them and see how they all did.
45. The Fate of the Friends
Vesvius
The Wicked God
HAPPY VESNUKKAH EVERYONE!
-------------------------------
Years ago, Mother got you an alarm clock. It wasn't any ordinary alarm clock either. She had gotten it during the time she was trying to show you how much she supported your choice to become a shinobi and so it was an alarm clock made just for ninja. It doesn't make a single sound. Instead, when the time came, it emitted a strong vibration that jarred you back to the world of wakefulness.
It's a great piece of technology. It's sleek, it's barely noticeable, it's made of a durable material so you can use it as an improvised throwing weapon. It's something you would have committed a small crime for during your last life.
And you haven't used it once since Mother got it for you.
Not from any lack of trying though. You diligently set it every single night before going to sleep every single day of your academy life, hoping beyond hope that this time you would be able to let it wake you up. But every time, your hopes had been dashed. First it had been by Gai-sensei waking you up via kunai to the face. Then it had been Gai-sensei waking you up by throwing you out of the window. Then it had been Ino, taking over for Gai-sensei, going back to the kunais to the face. Between your twin wake-up calls, you've never felt the vibration from your alarm clock.
Until the morning after your real Genin exam. The clock strikes six, it pulses with energy, and you find yourself standing in the middle of your bedroom, sword half-drawn and eyes searching for a threat.
You find nothing jumping out at you but you don't let your guard down. That was your alarm. You've never felt your alarm. Something is wrong. Where's Ino? Why didn't she knife you awake like normal? It-
It takes a moment for your brain to catch up with your reflexes. Right. You've graduated from the Academy- rookie of the year even, and you have the achievement to prove it. You and Ino were split up, put on different genin teams in a move that disappointed you and shocked her. Then she vanished into her new team and you went off on to yours.
No wonder she didn't wake you like normal. She's got her own schedule to follow. Her jounin-sensei is probably testing or has already tested her like Kurenai-sensei did you, Kiba, and Mariko. She doesn't have time to wake you up like she used to.
...you wonder how she did on her test. You wonder how all your friends did on their tests.
The thought barely crosses your mind before you jam your soul back into its sheath and rush for your closet. You have six hours to go before you have to meet up with Team Eleven; you can spare some time to check on your friends.
And so you get dressed at record speeds, load up your equipment pouches, give Mother her good morning kiss on the cheek, and sprint out the front door at top speed. You tear through the village at a pace Gai-sensei would be proud of and wind up outside Yamanaka Flowers barely ten minutes after you left your house.
You've made it well before the store opens but still you see a figure moving around behind the dark shades. You hesitate; they'll be open in a few hours after all. Bothering them early will only make Inoichi hate you more. Maybe you could wait before interrogating Ino.
But you only hesitate for a moment before knocking on the front door. And you need to know now, no matter how much you don't want to be under Inoichi's glare.
You barely knock twice before the door slides open. Thankfully, it isn't Ino's overprotective father on the other side. Instead, Yamanaka Kasai smiles down at you. "Daisuke!" she greets you, cheer loud in her voice. "I was wondering when you would stop by!"
"Good morning Yamanaka-san," you answer, bowing politely. "My apologies for disturbing you so early in the morning."
Kasai waves off your words with a chuckle. "It is no disturbance at all. Inoichi had to leave for the Tower early, and I've been up since the crack of dawn. The only one still sleeping is Ino."
You try your best to hold in your sigh of relief at the news that Inoichi is somewhere else, but from the laughter dancing in Kasai's eyes you're not sure you're successful. You ignore it and plow on ahead, taking the opening that she no doubt left for you on purpose. "Speaking of Ino…" you say leadingly. "Did she…?"
"Pass her Jounin-sensei's test?" Kasai finishes. "Indeed she did. Or rather it seems that Asuma-sensei thought that Team Ten was beyond a Jounin's test."
"Excuse me?" you ask. Wait, jounin can just do that?! You got put through the genjutsu from hell and Ino didn't have to do anything?! That doesn't seem fair.
Kasai nods. "She didn't seem all that pleased about it either. Ino was in a fire-spitting mood when she came home last night. Apparently all they did at their meeting was introduce themselves and set up a meeting time for today. It was, and this is a direct quote, 'like the first day at the Academy all over again only without Dai-kun to make it bearable'."
"I think she took the lack of challenge as an insult," Kasai muses. "She was training late into the night. It's no surprise she's sleeping in today."
You breathe out a sigh of relief. Whether Ino took a test or didn't is irrelevant. What matters is that she's still a genin, and she's still pressing on. And…
And she's asleep.
You feel a smile creeping onto your face. "She's still asleep right now?" you ask, fingers drumming your kunai pouch. You know you've still got a blunt training one tucked away in there somewhere.
"Oh yes," Kasai answers. "Very deeply at that. She didn't even stir when I was cleaning the bathroom. It would take something extraordinary to wake her up right now."
You look past Kasai, towards the stairs in the back of Yamanaka Flowers that lead to the house part of the store. "Do you mind if I…?"
Kasai reaches up and ruffles your hair, which you take with dignity. "Oh no. Please, by all means. You know where her bedroom is." You nod your thanks and step into Yamanaka Flowers, hand already rummaging for the training knife.
Later, you'll congratulate Ino on her continuing Genin status and sympathize with her when she bitches about her teammates and sensei. But right now? Right now it's time for payback.
***
A few minutes later you're walking out of the shop with Ino in tow. Your best friend is rubbing her forehead and groaning with every step. "Ow…." she whines. "Is that what I've been doing to you?!"
"No, it is not," you reply, cheer in your voice and a skip in your step. "Because, you see, I block the kunai. You may wish to try that next time." Ino groans and swats at your arm. You let her have the blow and, in what you're pretty sure is a show of restraint worthy of some sort of award, don't even point out how ineffective a hit it was.
The two of you walk in silence for a moment with no direction in mind. Once the blonde is done rubbing her head, you speak up again. "So you didn't have a test?"
"No!" Ino huffs. "Asuma-sensei didn't even pretend to evaluate us! We showed up, he congratulated us, he gave us a speech, and then we went home! We don't even have to meet up again until two! All the good missions are going to be gone by then!"
You shrug. "Perhaps he's planning on skipping missions at first? He has to take the time to evaluate you sometime after all."
"Then he should've done it yesterday! We were all there- and the day I can't get Shikamaru to get off his butt and work is the day the world ends. Then we could get started on missions and, you know, being ninja!"
Ino sighs and flips her ponytail over her shoulder, clearly trying to put how angry she is aside for now. "But that's enough about my disappointing team. What happened with yours?"
"It isn't the worst thing in the world," you allow. "Kiba's Kiba, Mariko is at least willing to try to work together, and Kurenai-sensei is…" You grope for the right thing to say. How can you put all that Kurenai-sensei put you through into words? "...demanding."
"Oh, demanding?" Ino parrots. "That sounds way better than Smokestack-sensei. She put you through a test, right? You passed of course, but she had you do one. What'd you do? Was it tough? Did anyone fail? Did Mariko fail?"
You can't help it. Your mind flashes to the barren, empty look on Mariko's face when she talked about her fears. The way Kiba shook when he talked about his. The feeling of silence and abandonment when you spoke first.
"He told me I had ruined so many lives. That me being alive had ruined everything."
"I wasn't good enough to be his partner."
"They ate me alive. I was gone. Barely anyone noticed."
You jerk free of the memory with a shudder. At Ino's questioning look, you shake your head. "No. Everyone passed. Everyone. And… I really would prefer not to talk about it. Not yet."
Some small part of what you're feeling has to show on your face from the look of concern Ino grows. She reaches out and twines her arm around yours, trapping you in place next to her. "Are you okay, Dai? You don't look so good."
You feel like you need a drink, so you pull a water bottle out of your equipment pouch and take a sip. As you tuck it away you look back at Ino. "Yes. I'm fine. At least, I will be fine. Thank you."
Ino's lips thin as she frowns. She looks like she wants to press further, but thankfully she thinks better of it. The two of you walk in silence for a few moments. Finally Ino gives your arm another small hug before releasing it. "So, how do you think the others did?" she asks.
"I'm sure they did well," you answer, grabbing onto the new topic like a lifeline. "But we've got time. Let's go find out!"
Your best friend nods and the two of you take off. Neither of you says a word about your destination but instead. Instead you find yourself following Ino's lead as she goes away from the turn that would lead to the nice, middle-class area that Sakura lives in. Instead she heads towards the smoke-infused section that all the blacksmiths live and the home of Jabari.
It's crawling with people even at this early hour. Hiruma-san, Jabari's father, is standing in the middle of the smithy smashing another weapon into shape with strong blows and a firm hand. He's shadowed by a trio of apprentices, each taking care of another small step in the process. On the other side of the yard his mother works, weaving together a patch of fabric out of a bright yellow fiber. You've got no idea what it's going to be, but from the size of the patch the finished product is going to be enormous. She's assisted by a few helpers of her own that hand her more threads and help manage the loom.
You sigh as you do a quick headcount. Two, four, eight, nine people. And none of them are Jabari. A quick conversation with Hiruma-san tells you that your friend left hours ago. Something about early morning training.
You thank the imposing woman and turn, sprinting back into the streets at top speed. This time it's you that leads the way. If Jabari is out training, then he's either at your usual training grounds or he- and by extension Sakura- have already passed his test and is meeting up with his team. You don't have the time to check every single training ground though. You'll just have to check out your usual haunt and hope for the best.
As you start getting close to your destination, Ino puts on the breaks. When you give her a confused glance, she holds up a finger. "Listen," she mutters.
You stop and do as instructed. It's faint, but after channeling a bit of chakra to your ears you can make out what Ino heard: the sound of Jabari's big-ass club smashing into the dirt with rhythmic frequency. It doesn't even sound like he's swinging it at anyone. Instead he's just smashing the dirt over and over again.
With your newly enhanced hearing you can also make out the low voice of Shino. "Is this truly a productive means of preparation? Why? Because he will likely tire himself out before Sensei arrives for today's training."
"This? This is nothing," the higher pitched voice of Sakura answers. "Jabari-kun can swing his Kanabo all day if he wants. This is just how he warms up his muscles."
"Ah. I see. Do you also require such preparation Haruno-san?"
You can almost hear Sakura roll her eyes. "Shino, we've been classmates forever. We've sat next to each other for years. You know what my name is. But no, I stretched before I got here. And you? Is there anything we can do to help you prepare?"
"Not at this time, no. My hive is in a delicate state after the introduction of a new colony. Why? Because a new strain of Kikaichu must find its place in the hive without disrupting the existing balance. Any further stimulation would be met with negative results. I thank you for the offer nevertheless."
"Oh, okay…" Sakura replies. "So um… new bugs? Would it be wrong of me to ask why you're getting new ones now?"
"Not at all. You see-"
You cut the flow of chakra to your ears and gesture at Ino, who does the same. "They're fine," you say with a smile. "We shouldn't bother them."
Ino nods, already following your train of thought. "We don't want to make Shino uncomfortable," she agrees. "So… Yui?"
"Yui," you confirm.
Your feet take you to your next destination: a small temple closer to the Hokage Tower than anywhere else. The red wooden gates are already open, and the cherry trees are in full bloom sending pink petals dancing through the wind. You and Ino navigate through the small trickle of worshippers coming for an early prayer and make your way up the stairs and into the building proper.
Before you can get more than a few steps in, however, you're stopped by the heavyset form of the temple's caretaker. The older woman, who you only know as Suga-san, gives you a gentle smile. "Satomura-kun, Yamanaka-chan, it is wondrous as always to behold you. But today is not the best day for visiting."
You shake your head and brush the old woman off. "We won't be long, Suga-san. We're just here to check on Yui. Is she in?"
Suga-san shakes her head and remains firmly in your way. "She is, but she is not receiving visitors at the moment. I shall send a missive the moment-"
"She didn't pass…" Ino whispers.
Your gaze snaps from Suga-san to Ino. What? Yui? Not pass? That doesn't make any sense! She's the sneakiest of you all! The best of the five of you at… actual ninja stuff! By far the best at substitution- better than some of the teachers even! And she didn't pass?!
You push by Suga-san without another word and stalk towards Yui's small cell. It's the only one that looks like it's still occupied, the only one with it's privacy curtain drawn. You pay the curtain no mind and sweep it to the side with one quick gesture- revealing your friend.
Yui's sitting on the mat that doubles as her bed, knees drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. She's still fully dressed in the clothes you saw her in yesterday. The only difference is that now, those pink robes are more stained with grass and mud than they used to be. Your friend's eyes are red and puffy with tears.
You can't help it- you freeze. You're not used to seeing Yui with anything but a teasing smirk or a haughty frown on her face. The rest of you might crack, might break down every now and then. But not Yui. Until right now, you could've sworn that Yui was physically incapable of tears.
Ino squeezes by you and drops down next to Yui, wrapping the brunette in a tight hug that she doesn't seem to notice. You shake off your shock and squat down next to the two. Should you like put a hand on her shoulder? Would that help her somehow? You don't get a chance to make a decision before Yui speaks.
"I tried," she says, voice oddly calm. "I tried so hard."
"I-" you start before freezing again. What exactly can you say to that?
Yui continues, either ignoring or not hearing your almost interruption. "Reina-sensei said we couldn't handle it. That we were just one trick horses who wouldn't expand or grow. That training us would be a waste of time."
Her hands flex into the seals for the substitution that is her pride and joy once again, but there's no plume of smoke. "Just a one-technique wonder. That's all I'll ever be…"
You have no idea what to say to that.
But the pleading look on Ino's face tells you that it doesn't matter. Yui needs you to say something. Anything.
What do you say?
[] You tell her how stupid her Sensei is. This is an outrage! Yui's ten times more qualified to be a shinobi than half your class will ever be! You're going to take this up with your sensei, and then go even higher if you have to!
[] You'll tell her that there are other ways to be a shinobi even if she's failed the genin squad exam. She can still show her skills! Maybe she could be a med-nin, or join the corps! She's not out of options by any means.
[] You'll tell her that she just got a poor draw. She needs to stick this out, and she can find a sensei that's right for her. Special Jonin are always looking for new talent to groom and you know Yui can get an apprenticeship somewhere!
[] Write-In (Tag @Vesvius for approval)
-------------------------------
Years ago, Mother got you an alarm clock. It wasn't any ordinary alarm clock either. She had gotten it during the time she was trying to show you how much she supported your choice to become a shinobi and so it was an alarm clock made just for ninja. It doesn't make a single sound. Instead, when the time came, it emitted a strong vibration that jarred you back to the world of wakefulness.
It's a great piece of technology. It's sleek, it's barely noticeable, it's made of a durable material so you can use it as an improvised throwing weapon. It's something you would have committed a small crime for during your last life.
And you haven't used it once since Mother got it for you.
Not from any lack of trying though. You diligently set it every single night before going to sleep every single day of your academy life, hoping beyond hope that this time you would be able to let it wake you up. But every time, your hopes had been dashed. First it had been by Gai-sensei waking you up via kunai to the face. Then it had been Gai-sensei waking you up by throwing you out of the window. Then it had been Ino, taking over for Gai-sensei, going back to the kunais to the face. Between your twin wake-up calls, you've never felt the vibration from your alarm clock.
Until the morning after your real Genin exam. The clock strikes six, it pulses with energy, and you find yourself standing in the middle of your bedroom, sword half-drawn and eyes searching for a threat.
You find nothing jumping out at you but you don't let your guard down. That was your alarm. You've never felt your alarm. Something is wrong. Where's Ino? Why didn't she knife you awake like normal? It-
It takes a moment for your brain to catch up with your reflexes. Right. You've graduated from the Academy- rookie of the year even, and you have the achievement to prove it. You and Ino were split up, put on different genin teams in a move that disappointed you and shocked her. Then she vanished into her new team and you went off on to yours.
No wonder she didn't wake you like normal. She's got her own schedule to follow. Her jounin-sensei is probably testing or has already tested her like Kurenai-sensei did you, Kiba, and Mariko. She doesn't have time to wake you up like she used to.
...you wonder how she did on her test. You wonder how all your friends did on their tests.
The thought barely crosses your mind before you jam your soul back into its sheath and rush for your closet. You have six hours to go before you have to meet up with Team Eleven; you can spare some time to check on your friends.
And so you get dressed at record speeds, load up your equipment pouches, give Mother her good morning kiss on the cheek, and sprint out the front door at top speed. You tear through the village at a pace Gai-sensei would be proud of and wind up outside Yamanaka Flowers barely ten minutes after you left your house.
You've made it well before the store opens but still you see a figure moving around behind the dark shades. You hesitate; they'll be open in a few hours after all. Bothering them early will only make Inoichi hate you more. Maybe you could wait before interrogating Ino.
But you only hesitate for a moment before knocking on the front door. And you need to know now, no matter how much you don't want to be under Inoichi's glare.
You barely knock twice before the door slides open. Thankfully, it isn't Ino's overprotective father on the other side. Instead, Yamanaka Kasai smiles down at you. "Daisuke!" she greets you, cheer loud in her voice. "I was wondering when you would stop by!"
"Good morning Yamanaka-san," you answer, bowing politely. "My apologies for disturbing you so early in the morning."
Kasai waves off your words with a chuckle. "It is no disturbance at all. Inoichi had to leave for the Tower early, and I've been up since the crack of dawn. The only one still sleeping is Ino."
You try your best to hold in your sigh of relief at the news that Inoichi is somewhere else, but from the laughter dancing in Kasai's eyes you're not sure you're successful. You ignore it and plow on ahead, taking the opening that she no doubt left for you on purpose. "Speaking of Ino…" you say leadingly. "Did she…?"
"Pass her Jounin-sensei's test?" Kasai finishes. "Indeed she did. Or rather it seems that Asuma-sensei thought that Team Ten was beyond a Jounin's test."
"Excuse me?" you ask. Wait, jounin can just do that?! You got put through the genjutsu from hell and Ino didn't have to do anything?! That doesn't seem fair.
Kasai nods. "She didn't seem all that pleased about it either. Ino was in a fire-spitting mood when she came home last night. Apparently all they did at their meeting was introduce themselves and set up a meeting time for today. It was, and this is a direct quote, 'like the first day at the Academy all over again only without Dai-kun to make it bearable'."
"I think she took the lack of challenge as an insult," Kasai muses. "She was training late into the night. It's no surprise she's sleeping in today."
You breathe out a sigh of relief. Whether Ino took a test or didn't is irrelevant. What matters is that she's still a genin, and she's still pressing on. And…
And she's asleep.
You feel a smile creeping onto your face. "She's still asleep right now?" you ask, fingers drumming your kunai pouch. You know you've still got a blunt training one tucked away in there somewhere.
"Oh yes," Kasai answers. "Very deeply at that. She didn't even stir when I was cleaning the bathroom. It would take something extraordinary to wake her up right now."
You look past Kasai, towards the stairs in the back of Yamanaka Flowers that lead to the house part of the store. "Do you mind if I…?"
Kasai reaches up and ruffles your hair, which you take with dignity. "Oh no. Please, by all means. You know where her bedroom is." You nod your thanks and step into Yamanaka Flowers, hand already rummaging for the training knife.
Later, you'll congratulate Ino on her continuing Genin status and sympathize with her when she bitches about her teammates and sensei. But right now? Right now it's time for payback.
***
A few minutes later you're walking out of the shop with Ino in tow. Your best friend is rubbing her forehead and groaning with every step. "Ow…." she whines. "Is that what I've been doing to you?!"
"No, it is not," you reply, cheer in your voice and a skip in your step. "Because, you see, I block the kunai. You may wish to try that next time." Ino groans and swats at your arm. You let her have the blow and, in what you're pretty sure is a show of restraint worthy of some sort of award, don't even point out how ineffective a hit it was.
The two of you walk in silence for a moment with no direction in mind. Once the blonde is done rubbing her head, you speak up again. "So you didn't have a test?"
"No!" Ino huffs. "Asuma-sensei didn't even pretend to evaluate us! We showed up, he congratulated us, he gave us a speech, and then we went home! We don't even have to meet up again until two! All the good missions are going to be gone by then!"
You shrug. "Perhaps he's planning on skipping missions at first? He has to take the time to evaluate you sometime after all."
"Then he should've done it yesterday! We were all there- and the day I can't get Shikamaru to get off his butt and work is the day the world ends. Then we could get started on missions and, you know, being ninja!"
Ino sighs and flips her ponytail over her shoulder, clearly trying to put how angry she is aside for now. "But that's enough about my disappointing team. What happened with yours?"
"It isn't the worst thing in the world," you allow. "Kiba's Kiba, Mariko is at least willing to try to work together, and Kurenai-sensei is…" You grope for the right thing to say. How can you put all that Kurenai-sensei put you through into words? "...demanding."
"Oh, demanding?" Ino parrots. "That sounds way better than Smokestack-sensei. She put you through a test, right? You passed of course, but she had you do one. What'd you do? Was it tough? Did anyone fail? Did Mariko fail?"
You can't help it. Your mind flashes to the barren, empty look on Mariko's face when she talked about her fears. The way Kiba shook when he talked about his. The feeling of silence and abandonment when you spoke first.
"He told me I had ruined so many lives. That me being alive had ruined everything."
"I wasn't good enough to be his partner."
"They ate me alive. I was gone. Barely anyone noticed."
You jerk free of the memory with a shudder. At Ino's questioning look, you shake your head. "No. Everyone passed. Everyone. And… I really would prefer not to talk about it. Not yet."
Some small part of what you're feeling has to show on your face from the look of concern Ino grows. She reaches out and twines her arm around yours, trapping you in place next to her. "Are you okay, Dai? You don't look so good."
You feel like you need a drink, so you pull a water bottle out of your equipment pouch and take a sip. As you tuck it away you look back at Ino. "Yes. I'm fine. At least, I will be fine. Thank you."
Ino's lips thin as she frowns. She looks like she wants to press further, but thankfully she thinks better of it. The two of you walk in silence for a few moments. Finally Ino gives your arm another small hug before releasing it. "So, how do you think the others did?" she asks.
"I'm sure they did well," you answer, grabbing onto the new topic like a lifeline. "But we've got time. Let's go find out!"
Your best friend nods and the two of you take off. Neither of you says a word about your destination but instead. Instead you find yourself following Ino's lead as she goes away from the turn that would lead to the nice, middle-class area that Sakura lives in. Instead she heads towards the smoke-infused section that all the blacksmiths live and the home of Jabari.
It's crawling with people even at this early hour. Hiruma-san, Jabari's father, is standing in the middle of the smithy smashing another weapon into shape with strong blows and a firm hand. He's shadowed by a trio of apprentices, each taking care of another small step in the process. On the other side of the yard his mother works, weaving together a patch of fabric out of a bright yellow fiber. You've got no idea what it's going to be, but from the size of the patch the finished product is going to be enormous. She's assisted by a few helpers of her own that hand her more threads and help manage the loom.
You sigh as you do a quick headcount. Two, four, eight, nine people. And none of them are Jabari. A quick conversation with Hiruma-san tells you that your friend left hours ago. Something about early morning training.
You thank the imposing woman and turn, sprinting back into the streets at top speed. This time it's you that leads the way. If Jabari is out training, then he's either at your usual training grounds or he- and by extension Sakura- have already passed his test and is meeting up with his team. You don't have the time to check every single training ground though. You'll just have to check out your usual haunt and hope for the best.
As you start getting close to your destination, Ino puts on the breaks. When you give her a confused glance, she holds up a finger. "Listen," she mutters.
You stop and do as instructed. It's faint, but after channeling a bit of chakra to your ears you can make out what Ino heard: the sound of Jabari's big-ass club smashing into the dirt with rhythmic frequency. It doesn't even sound like he's swinging it at anyone. Instead he's just smashing the dirt over and over again.
With your newly enhanced hearing you can also make out the low voice of Shino. "Is this truly a productive means of preparation? Why? Because he will likely tire himself out before Sensei arrives for today's training."
"This? This is nothing," the higher pitched voice of Sakura answers. "Jabari-kun can swing his Kanabo all day if he wants. This is just how he warms up his muscles."
"Ah. I see. Do you also require such preparation Haruno-san?"
You can almost hear Sakura roll her eyes. "Shino, we've been classmates forever. We've sat next to each other for years. You know what my name is. But no, I stretched before I got here. And you? Is there anything we can do to help you prepare?"
"Not at this time, no. My hive is in a delicate state after the introduction of a new colony. Why? Because a new strain of Kikaichu must find its place in the hive without disrupting the existing balance. Any further stimulation would be met with negative results. I thank you for the offer nevertheless."
"Oh, okay…" Sakura replies. "So um… new bugs? Would it be wrong of me to ask why you're getting new ones now?"
"Not at all. You see-"
You cut the flow of chakra to your ears and gesture at Ino, who does the same. "They're fine," you say with a smile. "We shouldn't bother them."
Ino nods, already following your train of thought. "We don't want to make Shino uncomfortable," she agrees. "So… Yui?"
"Yui," you confirm.
Your feet take you to your next destination: a small temple closer to the Hokage Tower than anywhere else. The red wooden gates are already open, and the cherry trees are in full bloom sending pink petals dancing through the wind. You and Ino navigate through the small trickle of worshippers coming for an early prayer and make your way up the stairs and into the building proper.
Before you can get more than a few steps in, however, you're stopped by the heavyset form of the temple's caretaker. The older woman, who you only know as Suga-san, gives you a gentle smile. "Satomura-kun, Yamanaka-chan, it is wondrous as always to behold you. But today is not the best day for visiting."
You shake your head and brush the old woman off. "We won't be long, Suga-san. We're just here to check on Yui. Is she in?"
Suga-san shakes her head and remains firmly in your way. "She is, but she is not receiving visitors at the moment. I shall send a missive the moment-"
"She didn't pass…" Ino whispers.
Your gaze snaps from Suga-san to Ino. What? Yui? Not pass? That doesn't make any sense! She's the sneakiest of you all! The best of the five of you at… actual ninja stuff! By far the best at substitution- better than some of the teachers even! And she didn't pass?!
You push by Suga-san without another word and stalk towards Yui's small cell. It's the only one that looks like it's still occupied, the only one with it's privacy curtain drawn. You pay the curtain no mind and sweep it to the side with one quick gesture- revealing your friend.
Yui's sitting on the mat that doubles as her bed, knees drawn to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. She's still fully dressed in the clothes you saw her in yesterday. The only difference is that now, those pink robes are more stained with grass and mud than they used to be. Your friend's eyes are red and puffy with tears.
You can't help it- you freeze. You're not used to seeing Yui with anything but a teasing smirk or a haughty frown on her face. The rest of you might crack, might break down every now and then. But not Yui. Until right now, you could've sworn that Yui was physically incapable of tears.
Ino squeezes by you and drops down next to Yui, wrapping the brunette in a tight hug that she doesn't seem to notice. You shake off your shock and squat down next to the two. Should you like put a hand on her shoulder? Would that help her somehow? You don't get a chance to make a decision before Yui speaks.
"I tried," she says, voice oddly calm. "I tried so hard."
"I-" you start before freezing again. What exactly can you say to that?
Yui continues, either ignoring or not hearing your almost interruption. "Reina-sensei said we couldn't handle it. That we were just one trick horses who wouldn't expand or grow. That training us would be a waste of time."
Her hands flex into the seals for the substitution that is her pride and joy once again, but there's no plume of smoke. "Just a one-technique wonder. That's all I'll ever be…"
You have no idea what to say to that.
But the pleading look on Ino's face tells you that it doesn't matter. Yui needs you to say something. Anything.
What do you say?
[] You tell her how stupid her Sensei is. This is an outrage! Yui's ten times more qualified to be a shinobi than half your class will ever be! You're going to take this up with your sensei, and then go even higher if you have to!
[] You'll tell her that there are other ways to be a shinobi even if she's failed the genin squad exam. She can still show her skills! Maybe she could be a med-nin, or join the corps! She's not out of options by any means.
[] You'll tell her that she just got a poor draw. She needs to stick this out, and she can find a sensei that's right for her. Special Jonin are always looking for new talent to groom and you know Yui can get an apprenticeship somewhere!
[] Write-In (Tag @Vesvius for approval)
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
It's alive!
- Location
- Germany
[X] You'll tell her that she just got a poor draw. She needs to stick this out, and she can find a sensei that's right for her. Special Jonin are always looking for new talent to groom and you know Yui can get an apprenticeship somewhere!
