Game of the Year: A Naruto Quest

[Pittauro]

I tried a little something. It's not what i wanted to write, but better than nothing

Spoiler: A mother's wandering thoughts

Once Daisuke was out of her sight, Satomura Manami stopped smiling.

She was doing her best not to worry him, but she knew he saw through her. Her little gleam was smart like that.

That was not to say she was not proud of him! of course she was! He was smart, strong and determined, in him he saw the promise of greatness... if that greatness was not squashed before its time.

And she knew many would try, once news of what happened reached the court of Iron.

Would Toishi listen to her, Would he trust her with this? It's been a long time since they last saw each other, and while she still loved him she could not be certain he still felt the same.

And not all that served him would be willing to take the chance anyway. Tokei showed her that.

interrupting that train of thought, Manami went home.

---

..Did her home always feel this lonely? It was just the first day of the Academy and she already missed him!

She'd need to find something to fill her time, maybe she could prepare a little get-together for the parents of his classmates.

Some of them would be his teammates one day after all. It wouldn't hurt to get to know their families, see if they were good enough for her son to associate with.

Manami barely stopped herself from bursting into laughter, keeping herself to a muffled chuckle.

Yeah, right. As if Anyone could ever be good enough for that!

Well, the Nara and Yamanaka were close to it. She also heard most of the clan heirs were part of his specific class, so maybe there were a few people who might be good enough for him. Maybe she should suggest him to get close to the hyuga heiress?

Her eyes falling on the sword brought her thoughts back to heavier matters.

She'd been tempted to have it broken and shattered, the pieces thrown away... but her son had stopped her.

He was so smart and wise for his age, to see how usefull a Samurai's sword would be to him, even if it was HIS sword...

Maybe it could pay back what its previous master tried to do by serving her son.

---

...Staying at home alone was not good for her thoughts, it seemed. Maybe she could go meet Kasai, or try to find that nice jonin who was training her son.

He was a bit strange, but anyone who saw how great her son is could not be that bad. He might also give her some good advice about a gift for entering the Academy.

Maybe she could buy him a better training dummy? They seemed to use something different from his "Mr. Straw" at the Academy...

 

[Magnive]

Decided to do a what-if as well. Namely, what if Daisuke was a year older, and the hypothetical player-base went full YOUTH! all the way up to graduation and how poor Tenten might feel about her team as a consequence.

---

What-if: An Overflowing Springtime of Youth

"Gai-sensei!" "Daisuke-kun!" "Gai-sensei!" "Lee-kun!"

How do they have so much energy?!

At the moment, Tenten couldn't do more than think that thought, as she's lying on her stomach, breathing deeply in a desperate attempt to draw in enough air after the plainly ridiculous training regimen Gai-sensei had led them through. And despite knowing that it was coming, her sheer exhaustion means that she fails to avert her eyes in time to avoid the Sunset Genjutsu of Horror.

"Lee-kun! Let us run another lap around Konoha, and if we cannot do that, then we shall spar while water-walking for at least an hour!"

Just looking at her two maniacal teammates makes Tenten's... everything aches even more, so she closes her eyes.

"Yes, Daisuke-kun! And if we cannot do that, we shall camp in the Forest of Death and live off the land for the entire weekend!"

Right. Cutting off her vision doesn't protect her from the two nutca... her two teammates.

"And if we come home early for any reason, Lee-kun, we shall do a three-legged race through the city without using any horizontal surfaces!"

Even though her arms feel like each has a boulder attached, Tenten slowly manages to move them, pressing a palm to each of her ears.

"And if we fail to accomplish that, we will chop down trees with our bare hands, Daisuke-kun!"

With a small groan, Tenten tries to press her hands firmer against her head, as Lee and Daisuke are easily loud enough to overcome her attempts at cutting off their voices.

And then... then Gai-sensei speaks up. And by 'speaks up', Tenten naturally means that he shouts to the heavens, as seems to be his default way of speaking. "It fills my heart to see your Springtime of Youth," and the capital letters are all too audible to Tenten's ears, "in such full bloom! I, too, shall run a lap around Konoha, but on my hands! And if I cannot do that, I will cross the village using only a single finger, and if I do not manage that, I will..."

Tenten's groan, even if it's muffled by the fact that her mouth is less than an inch from the ground, makes him pause for a moment, before she feels him shifting into his "thumbs-up" stance, which should have her teammates screeching in pain from their eyes getting blinded, but somehow, they're immune to the effect. "Go on now, boys! Let your Youth erupt in full bloom!"

Moments after twin cries of "Youth!" Tenten hears their feet hitting the ground, quickly moving farther and farther away in speeds that would be a dead spring for Tenten herself, quickly bringing them far enough away that she can no longer hear them.

Then, she lets her arms fall back to the ground and opens her eyes just enough to see Gai-sensei's feet as he walks over towards her.

Rather than speaking straight away, he simply drops down a few feet from her. When she drops her hands back onto the ground, she hears that his breathing comes steadily, and opening her eyes and peeking up at Gai-sensei confirms that yes, he appears to be meditating.

While Tenten is tempted to fall asle... meditate as well, she manages to ignores the impulse and slowly get up. By the time her own breathing is even again, Gai opens his eyes and smiles at her.

"And what have you learned today, Tenten-kun?" he asks and oh god he's smil... and there's no blinding light this time. Huh.

She blinks for a few seconds in puzzlement, before turning her attention to the question. "That Lee and Daisuke have more stamina than the rest of the graduating class put together?" she guesses, trying not to feel too bitter.

For a moment, Gai-sensei tilts his head, as if evaluating her statement like Tenten herself might the distance to a target, before chuckling. "That may be true, Tenten-kun, but that was not the lesson I was thinking of. No, what did I tell you before we began the training session?"

Scrunching her face, Tenten tries to remember what he said before they started, and mostly... well, there was a lot of "YOUTH!", so she had admittedly tuned out a bit of it, but...

"Knowing my limits?" Her voice is a bit sheepish, as she'd largely focused on simply keeping up with the boys, not wanting to be left behind... even if she knew from the Academy that they both had the physical skills of a genin before they were halfway through the Academy, while her focus was more on weapons.

That earns her another smile, and almost instinctively, she tries to avert her eyes, but once again Gai-sensei appears to be capable of restraint, as she remains unblinded. "Exactly! It is admirable to push yourself to get better, but it is important to know when to stop. No two people are alike," although Lee certainly seems to give his best at becoming Gai-sensei's copy, Tenten can't help but think, "and every flower of Youth blooms differently!"

That is... surprisingly sagely. If not for the "Youth" thrown in, Tenten might have suspected an imposter.

Instead, she just nods, although she couldn't help but be a bit annoyed at Gai-sensei. Couldn't he have told her that before she all but ran herself into the ground?!

 

[Deathvon]

One of The Girls

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked Ino as she was applying make-up to Shikamarua's sleeping face and her friend Kasumi is doing the same to Chouji who seems to have fallen asleep after the surpise test Mizuki had the class do. In which I think he only did that to fail Naruto, even if he had to fail almost the entire class who couldn't finish the 20 laps.

"What does it look like? Were giving these jerks the beauty that we have gifted to them" Kasumi responded. I looked over to Shika and Chouji and saa them with clown make-up?

"We unfortunately couldn't give them true beauty, so we went with the next best thing. Making them toatlly unforgettable." Kasumi answered your unspoken question.

"Can I try?" I asked.

"Sure, but only if you do it on Daisuke." Kasumi replied.

"But, I don't want to do it on him. Can't I do it on Ren, maybe Sasuke, hell even Shino." I screamed, not wanting to apply make-up on Daisuke.

"Why won't you Mariko?" Kasumi asked me. "And don't say that he is a stinky boy. As one, you grew out of that a month ago. And two, you named thre other boys beside him." She finished.

"Because, becaus-" I began.

"Spit it out Mariko. We are all friends here." Ino said as she finished on Shikamaura. Who now looked more like a pineapple than he usually does.

I sighed as I began. "Well, because I borrowed his pencil, and kinda broke it."

The two girls faces instantly paled, "Ino! You help Mariko! You knew Daisuke the longest." Kasumi said as she began to back away.

Ino grabbed he sleeve in an effort to stop her, "No no no. Yes, I known him the longest. But, you-" Ino ranted on.

I slowly backed away from the two, ad began a full sprint to the hall as the lunch bell rong, signifying the end of lunch period.

Unknown to all three girls, a young boy was putting 'Mirako' on a sheet in his notebook titled 'Classmates who deserve Punishment'.

 

[Magnive]

The Chains of Commanding

Given the present company, Hiruzen permits him to let out a bone-weary sigh, as he lets his eyes cross the papers in front of him. One from the Iron Daimyo, requesting that his bastard son be allowed to live in Konoha, exiled. Another a long rapport, based on the observations from the various watchers assigned to the Satomura household over the years. A third, the Uchiha Police rapport on the incident that had seen the young Daisuke kill the man who was supposed to be his protector.

And finally, a seemingly innocuous slip of paper, a simple Academy Registration form, Hundreds of which crosses Hiruzen's desk every year.

This one, however, might well be the cause of a war one day.

Not for the first time since his attention was brought to this debacle, Hiruzen curses Gai. If the overenthusiastic jounin hadn't decided to skirt the rules and provide... guidance for a child, this entire mess wouldn't exist.

Hiruzen is tempted to reprimand Gai and give him a chain of "penance missions", simply due to the inconvenience the man's actions has brought the aging Hokage, but he knows that politics will not permit him to do so.

"Would we be in violation of our agreement?" he asks, despite knowing the answer already.

It's Homura that answers, not bothering to look down at the printed-out copy that lies on the table. "We merely promised to provide shelter and protect them from external assassins," when they had signed it, they had politely pretended to not know that the child's guardian was also his possible executioner, "with no provisions dictating what the child could or could not do."

After a few seconds of pause, Koharu adds her thoughts on the matter. "If anything, one could easily argue that Lord Imagawa has broken the laws of Konoha, by attempting to carry out an assassination within our walls."

Just barely, Hiruzen manages to suppress a scoff. If the assassination had succeeded, this discussion wouldn't have been taking place, a child would be dead, and relations between Fire and Iron wouldn't be any worse. Perhaps a bit better, as a potential thorn in the side for the next Iron Daimyo would be dead.

But the child didn't die. Instead, he signed up to become a Konoha shinobi, killed his guardian-turned-executioner, and seems to have a drive and talent rarely matched within the Academy.

In other words, if he manages to survive the next ten years, his face might well be plastered across Bingo Books across the Elemental Nations, with every Hidden Village - and by extension, the various other Daimyo - knowing his background.

"What are our options for preserving good relations with Iron?" Hiruzen asks, not expecting any ideas he hadn't thought of already, but nevertheless hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

His old teammates exchange glances, and he recognizes the warnings in their eyes, seeing that they do not support the ideas they are about to float. "We could potentially save the Iron Daimyo some possible embarrassment by ensuring that the child fails the Academy."

With a headshake, Hiruzen dismisses the idea. He'd considered it, but while he might be willing to sabotage a child's development, no matter how much it went against everything he believed in, Gai's rapport painted a picture of a boy talented and driven enough to be able to succeed despite that.

"We could deny the registration, citing security concerns, but the Daimyo wouldn't like it," Koharu says, and the room's three other inhabitants have no trouble realizing the words that she's not saying, namely that it would be the Daimyo's advisors that wouldn't like it, and that covering up something like this from their nominal ruler would be difficult and perilous.

And then his old - and likely current - rival speaks up, his voice calm in a stark contrast to his words. "Kill the boy, and make it appear as if it was the Samurai who did it, but then committed Seppuku afterward. The mother will either have to have her mind adjusted or preferably merely killed." Danzo paused for a few seconds, as if just now realizing another possibility. "Or we could let him graduate, and then make sure that one of his first missions outside of the village goes wrong."

Hiruzen gives Danzo a hard stare but shakes his head. "I will not have a citizen of the Leaf killed when they have done nothing wrong, particularly not when it's a child."

Given how his old rival doesn't push the point, Hiruzen instantly knows that Danzo didn't actually want that to happen.

"Very well. If you will not have him killed, then let me train him. He shall disappear from the streets, learn to stalk in the shadows, and become a true Shinobi. For all the outside world will know, he would be dead."

It speaks to Hiruzen's desperation with this entire situation that he actually considers condemning the child to Danzo's tutelage. It would remove the child from the sight of the Iron Daimyo's spies. If they were all ten years younger, he would deny the request immediately... but by the time the child would be grown enough to be a useful pawn for Danzo, the man himself might well be dead of old age.

With another weary sigh, Hiruzen shakes his head, waiting a few seconds before speaking. "No. You will not take another promising child. We will let the child attend the Academy, and send a private envoy to the Iron Daimyo that we condemn the attempted assassination within Konoha's walls, and warn him that another such action will be viewed as an attack on Konoha herself."

In other words, the relations between Iron and Fire would be stained for decades, possibly even generations, unless the child is put in place of his father or half-brother, and even then, the population will likely still resent Fire for the usurpation.

Once more, Hiruzen curses Gai. Why couldn't the man have developed an interest for any other child?

 

[Pittauro]

Spoiler: omake

Gai's hidden dephts

Spoiler: omake

It was a little known fact that if you were searching for Kakashi, there were really only three places where he could be: the training grounds, a mission, or the memorial stone.

The last one might surprise those who didn't know him, but his friends (the few he still had) understood. Kakashi was a man who had lost much.

For him, all the best things in life were in the past. He sometimes felt more like a collection of regrets than a ninja

<Dinamic Entry!> shouted a boisterous voice from behind.

Uh, Gai was actually late today. He was nearly curious enough to ask.
Not that he needed to. This was Gai after all. He'll probably say the why anyway.

<Gai> Kakashi quietly saluted back, gaze still fixed on the stone. He had moved just barely enough to let Gai get past him.

<I see that your reflexes are sharp as ever, oh rival of mine!> Gai walked back to him, usual shining grin on his face

..how did he do that anyway? Kakashi had never found the will to ask.

<And I see that you're still your... youthfull self> Kakashi hesitated at saying that word, but he supposed he could humor him a bit. Might make letting him down for their usual challenge easier if he's lucky.

..oh, who was he trying to fool? He should just get over it, with a bit of luck he could convince him to accept something short.

the silence after that stretched for a few, uncomfortable seconds. Gai was unusually quiet, and Kakashi didn't like it. It didn't suit him. It usually didn't mean anything good.

<he will start the academy soon, you know> Gai starts, hesitantly. He didn't need to specify who. There was only a child who he might be referring to.

Kakashi froze.

<I don't know what you're talking about> Kakashi tried faking nonchalance. He didn't feel like he was doing a good job of it

<of course you know> Gai responded, voice unusually gentle <little Naruto is not so little anymore. It won't be that long before he becomes a ninja too, you know that>

a moment of silence, than Gai continued < are you sure you..> <YES, I'M SURE I DON'T WANT TO MEET HIM> Kakashi shouted, showing more emotion in that moment than he usually does in an entire week <he does not need a failure like me in his life!> he concludes tiredly.

the silence becomes more oppressive.

Taking a deep breath, he decides to continue <We're not having this conversation again Gai. If you have nothing else to talk about, than leave>
Most people would be deeply offended from this. Most people were not Gai

<Ok> was the quiet answer, before the usual force and cheer came back to to the Green Beast's voice <Then on to more happy matters, it's high time for our usual challenge! We're 20 even and this is the day I surpass you!

He could try to refuse. He would fail. Better to get it over with <what will it be this time then? It's your turn to choose> if he was lucky it would be something quick

<Why, this is a special occasion, the day i surpass you! It can't be anything less than a full, everything-is-allowed DUEL!> his smile was nearly blinding now. Seriously, HOW DID HE DO IT?

<Gai, you know very well that all out fights between jounin must be approved by the hokage..> he tried to weasel out of it. It was even technically true, even if it was one of those rules rarely enforced.

<..and lucky for us, i already got his signed permission with me!> Gai swiftly continued taking out a small slip of paper, the signature upon it spelling my doom. Was this payback for that time he stole borrowed his Icha-Icha book? Surely he didn't deserve this!

Maybe he could make it not worth it for him?

<Very well> Kakashi then answered, voice filled with false cheer <but if we're really doing it, we need a worthy prize. Let's make a bet out of it.>
he faked being in deep thought, needing to come up with something so outrageous that Gai would hesitate to accept <Oh, i know! If I win... You'll teach me how to open the first two gates!>

Gai stopped cold. His expression one full of surprise. Kakashi was nearly tempted to take it back, that technique was important to Gai, he might actually be offended by this...wait, he's starting to tremble with rage. Did he really take it that bad? ABORT, ABORT.

<calm down Gai, i was just jok..> <THAT'S A WONDERFULL IDEA, MY RIVAL> he exploded. ah, it was not rage. how stupid of him. One would think he didn't actually know Gai <I NEVER KNEW YOU TO BE INTERESTED IN MY TECHNIQUES. A WORTHY PRIZE FOR THIS ALL SO IMPORTANT MATCH! I'LL GLADLY TEACH YOU... IF YOU CAN DEFEAT ME.> he slightly calmed down, before continuing. <of course you need to bet something as equally important!>

Kakashi was actually a bit worried now

<Let's see... if I win.. I get you to come teach my students, one day every month, until they all get chunin!> a pause. <And you'll be on time and give it an honest effort.>he added.

Kakashi stared at him. Stared at him a lot. It wasn't actually that bad, but.. <Gai... you don't have any students yet>

Gai's grin was now pretty smug <Well, if you're right then that means you have nothing to worry about yet. I'll just have to wait for the occasion to claim my prize>

Wait... did Gai get a student when he wasn't watching? That's not possible, he couldn't have possibly avoided talking about it! He would be boasting about it from the top of the Hokage Mountain! He's probably counting on getting some help for when he gets a genin team in the future. Yes, that must be it!

<..eh, why not. I do need the practice> Kakashi was actually getting a bit excited about it. It has been some time since he went all out, and while the gates were not really his style they were still a powerfull card to add to his arsenal.

And if he lost, he could at least help some impressionable child dealing with Gai. At the very least he might stop them from getting that horrible jumpsuit.

The world wasn't ready for a second Gai.

And with that, they both vanished in a small whirlwind of leafs, headed for the training grounds.

​

​

Again it ended up being pretty different from what i imagined at the beginning.

I wanted this to be Gai boasting about this new student to his rival... and then i ended up with this.

I leave it to @Vesvius to decide who wins, or even if it's a draw (i am hoping for canon).

If Kakashi wins, that's as good an explanation as anything for how he knows how to open the first gate in the manga.

If he loses, that could be an excuse for Gai introducing us to Kakashi.

I think it's obvious, but nowhere did Gai said his student had to be an OFFICIAL genin student. Or even that he was limiting himself to a specific number of students. Depending on how you read the terms Kakashi might be forced to teach both us AND any other students Gai gets in the future, which could help these students to learn ninjutsu, genjutsu or Kenjutsu. Basically everything Gai is not so great at.

And they say Gai can't do sneaky
​

 

[Kkutlord]

I really prefer being the "Idea Guy", but I rather not blindly hope someone writes this one. So, another What-If, specifically regarding a Hidden Village.

Spoiler: The Village Hidden In Mirage

Three decades ago, the Hidden Leaf Village was destroyed by the Hidden Sound Village and its leader, Orochimaru. There had been searches for survivors, and of course theft of Konoha's secrets.

However, as more went to claim the Village's secrets, the more people began to... Disappear, their bodies never recovered. Indeed, it was eventually concluded that all but the most hidden & secure treasures of Konoha were missing.

Perhaps Orochimaru and his own Village were obsessed with claiming all of Konoha's knowledge & artifacts, or maybe it was Konoha shinobi devoted to their now-destroyed Village.

Whatever the case, the Iron Daimyo began commissioning searches both secret and public, to locate survivors. What went unsaid but believed by many, was that he was determining whether his illegitimate heir still roamed.

If the young man survived, no one could say, yet many involved in Iron's politics were glad. Yet... there was one place, that those sent by Iron would always die.

At first they didn't understand why or who, until eventually a half-crazed Samurai returned- Ranting about a village of trees and the dead. Such ravings were useless, yet if there was an unknown Hidden Village...

Though that Samurai refused to make a return trip, it was only a matter of time for an investigative squad to be put together. However, they truly did not know what to expect...

----

It was a simple throne, in which sat or rather slouched a man with black hair tied into a spiky ponytail. From all appearances, he is sleeping, with a bored expression on his face.

Bursting into his chambers, are two women- One with blonde hair, and the other with pink hair. Locked in their grasp, is the beaten figure of a Samurai. The 'sleeping' man lazily opening an eye, he sighs in annoyance.

Pulling himself upright yet still slouching, the ponytailed covers his mouth as he yawns. Lazily focusing on the Samurai before him, he finally speaks whilst rubbing a crick from his neck.

"So, what you guys want this time? Kind of thought, ya know, letting that other guy go would stop... Whatever this is." Gesturing lazily at the Samurai as he emphasized, the blonde woman brings her free hand to her chest in a salute.

"Lord Nara, it may be best to reveal ourselves. I took the liberty of ordering the invaders' capture, so that we may prove our willingness to get along. Perhaps then we'll see peace and quiet?"

The man, Lord Nara supposedly, sighs as he strokes his chin in thought. The beaten Samurai, however, began looking incredibly concerned. Finally, the pink-haired woman took note of his behavior, and pushed him to his knees.

"If you wish to speak, then speak. Do not waste our lord's time with your wordless worries." Lord Nara, however, raises his hand and waves her off. "No, this is fine, I can guess... The Nara Clan was reported as wiped out, wasn't it?"

The Samurai froze, waiting cautiously for what would happen next. Finally, Lord Nara stepped off from his throne, and stretched his limbs before slowly approaching the Samurai.

Stopping in front of him and crouching down to eye-level, Lord Nara just smiles faintly- a sad smile. "I was afraid of that... Well, now I have to redo my whole backstory don't I?"

At that, something about Lord Nara... changed, and the Samurai's eyes widened- as standing before him is the visage of Iron's illegitimate heir, Daisuke. The beaten Samurai struggling, he just wasn't breaking free from the women's grasp.

Daisuke, though, grabbed the Samurai by the chin- tilting his head, examining him. 'Hmm'ing in thought, finally he began applying pressure to the Samurai's jaw.

"Yeah, better to replace you, and you... seem about the right size for sensei. Gonna be so annoying, conditioning your body to the Eight Gates..." Blinking at that, Daisuke chuckles a little.

"For me, that is, you're... Not gonna be you much longer. No hard feelings, okay?" The Samurai's struggling intensifies at that, yet Daisuke simply turns to the two women holding the man down.

"So, um... 'Sakura', 'Ino', take him to the medical center's Restoration Wing. The others... They can go, just going to need some alone time with them." Thus, the two women silently nodded at their lord's command, dragging away the hoarsely screaming Samurai.

Daisuke, though, plops back in his seat and sighs. "Man, I really just wanted to be Shikamaru… So much easier being him. Hmm, who was that girl he liked again? Eh, I'll figure it out later..."

----

When the investigative squad returned, one of the Samurai was an utter wreck, just like the one before. The others, though, were still more stable... In comparison.

They began describing a village made in the likeness of Konoha, populated with previously unknown survivors and even people believed to have died. In the end, they called it the 'Village Hidden In Mirage'.

Indeed, though outsiders would not know, it was a Village created by one traumatized Shinobi- a Shinobi who desperately wanted his friends, his family, all back to him.

It would become famous for its plentiful trees, and its strict entry policy. For at the center of it all, their own Kage, was desperate to keep this fleeting mirage alive- Even if he had to twist reality to match his delusions.

 

[Pittauro]

Spoiler: Teacher's chat

Umino Iruka was nervous, and he had good reason to be it. Today was an important day after all.

Today would be the day he would met his first class as a teacher, a big responsibility.

And what a class it was! The heirs of many importan clans, a kid recommended by probably the best taijutsu specialist in the village... and the kyubi child.

He was a bit conflicted about that. While he did understand that the child was not the fox, a bit of animosity against it him was inevitable. It was the fox that made him an orphan after all.

Still, he didn't know him, hadn't even met him yet, and it would be awfully unprofessional to treat him differently when he had not actually done anything wrong yet. Time would tell if he deserved his bad reputation.

Drinking the last of his calming tea, he rose up and went for the classroom.

---

While the kids were out for lunch, Iruka and Mizuki were correcting and grading the written test

<so, what do you think of them?> Mizuki started the conversation while continuing his corrections with a small frown. That was Naruto's he believed. He didn't seem that bright, so he could understand the frustration.

<Well, it's a bit too soon to tell> Iruka started hesitantly <though if I had to say, they seem to hold a lot of promise>

A nod from Mizuki, inviting him to continue

<the clan children are what we expected, except maybe for the hyuga girl>

a snort from Mizuki, followed by a reply <yeah, that surprised me as well. I doubt anyone except those next to her even realized she was there. Really quiet that girl. And not the usual "Hyuga" quiet>

Iruka absently nodded, adding a few marks to the papers <most of the civilian born are behind in the phisical department, but that was to be expected. I suppose the only surprise there was the Satomura kid> finished with the one test, Iruka put it aside to start grading the next

<That's putting it lightly> Mizuki exclaimed, stopping his work to fully face Iruka <he caught my punch! That rarely happens on the first day, maybe one or two new students every year manage it, and NEVER a civilian-born>

Iruka turns to face him as well, a small "I-know-something-you-don't" smirk on his face <what, you're telling me you didn't hear?>

Mizuki's doesn't bother to hide his confusion <what? Isn't he just a civilian child?>

Iruka replies teasingly <well, if you're going to call Gai's protegee "just a civilian child"...>

<WHAT> Mizuki burst out < HIM? but...> a deep breath <I guess that explains his taijutsu skill, but he definitely doesn't seem like the type Gai would take an interest in. Or viceversa, i suppose> a small frown <too "dignified", for one>

<I admit that surprised me as well> Iruka admitted, <Mind, this is miles better than another Youthtm​ fanatic.>

a quiet laugh before the answer <you won't have ME disagree. We already have the fox brat, I don't think i could deal with a mini-Gai as well.>

Iruka hesitated a moment. Should he reprimand Mizuki for how he called Naruto? It might be considered skirting the law, and while the kid was annoying he hadn't actually done anything that deserved this.. not yet, at least.

After deciding to simply ignore it this time, he went back to correct the papers.

This promised to be an interesting year.

i didn't really know how to conclude it, but here it is!

I don't think I'll write more until after the next update, I'd like to go with a Ino pov, but want to see her more in the quest before writing her.

 

[Pittauro]

Spoiler: omake: unspeakable horrors

In a small training ground in Konoha three people, a man and two children, were training.

They were all the picture of health, their bodies strong and agile, the perfect ideal of what a taijutsu practitioner should aspire to... if not for one small problem

<Very good my students, I'm so very proud of you! To celebrate how blessed I am to be granted such good pupils, we'll now make ten rounds around the village while jumping on one foot alone!>

<YES, GAI SENSEI>

they all suffered from a terminal case of Youthtm​


Green jumpsuits. Bowl-cut hairs. Thick Eyebrows. Teeth so white as to glow in the dark. If it wasn't for the different sizes, it would be hard to distinguish between Gai, Lee and Daisuke.

the youngs then continued, voice as one <and if we can't do that, we'll climb to the top of the Hokage Mountain without using our right hand!>

Trembling from the overpowering strenght of his pride, manly tears falling from his eyes, Gai replied full of enthusiasm < Truly the gods smile upon me, for the fortune i've been granted. Come to me then, so that we might share a manly embrace! LEE! DAISUKE!

<GAI SENSEI!> the kids cried out loud, running to their sensei.

The setting sun nearly seemed to smile, approving from far away. In the distance, you could hear waves crashing against the cliffs.

---

<NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!>

Daisuke screamed at the top of his lungs, heart hammering all too fast in his chest, bedsheets everywhere on the floor. He took deep breaths, trying to calm down. Outside his room hurried steps got closer, until the door was slammed open.

<Daisuke?! Are you okay? Tell me what's wrong!> the panicked face of his mother, Satomura Manami, suddenly covered his sight. Once she verified nothing was wrong, she enveloped him in a strong, yet gentle hug, helping to calm him down.

<I'm sorry mother...it was just a nightmare> now feeling a bit better, Daisuke tried to calm his mother in turn.

<It's alright Daisuke. It's normal to have bad dreams every now and then...> she rubbed a calming hand on his back, before hesitantly adding <..Was it that man again?>

She didn't need to specify who she was talking about. There was only one person she could mean, only one she would refuse even the right to a name.

After a short pause, Daisuke nodded and confirmed <Yes..it was Tokei again>


After all, how could he ever explain her what he had truly dreamed?

It seems like i had another short omake in me after all

 

[Edkose]

I'm gonna take a swing at the omake business.

Spoiler: Mother helps

Manami passed by the empty room yet again. Her fists clenched involuntarily as she looked at the closed door. A part of her wanted to let it remain empty, but that would somehow feel like a defeat. She had some ideas of what to do, but they did not feel quite right. She sighed as she walked down stairs to make herself some tea.

A short while later she took a sip of her perfectly made tea and wondered what to do today. Daisuke had left for the academy an hour ago, so there was plenty of time to fill up. Her grip tightened around the cup ever so slightly as she thought about Daisuke. He was as stubborn as her, if not more so, and he would certainly manage to graduate. There was no chance of him changing his mind. If pounding on a straw man for seven months did not make anyone understand his dedication, nothing would. No, he'd graduate and then he'd be in danger every time he set foot outside Konoha.

Lost in thoughts about ninjas, she absentmindedly took a sip. It had gone cold. She put down the cup. Her hands shook slightly, so she quickly took hold of the cup again. What could she do? There were families who had been training their young to be ninja for decades, centuries even, with all that support and knowledge they would have an advantage over those who did not. That was not even counting the major advantage those with bloodline limits had! Ninja would ruthlessly exploit any advantage, and Daisuke had no support except for her, but how could she help? She had thought to manipulate Gai into teaching Daisuke more than he did, but his own guilt and remorse had made that unnecessary. Still advice every know and then did not make up for the entire support structure of a ninja clan.

An idea slowly materialised. The beginning of a smile could be seen at the edges of her mouth as she nodded to herself. She put the cup down and walked outside. Her hands did not shake.

-D-​

Daisuke walked home from the academy lost in thought. He'd gotten some new achievements.

Henge, Bunshin and Kawarimi… Is it some kind of secret path to success? Learn the basics in and out and utilise them in ways no one had thought of… How did the Henge work anyway? How could one set of hand seals produce that many different shapes? Was it solid or not? There were so many questions and he'd have to wait a whole year!

He imagined himself standing in a clearing. His enemy was facing him sword in hand snarling like a beast.

"What are you waiting for! Draw your sword and die like the honorless bastard you are!"

"I do not need a sword to deal with the likes of you," Daisuke said before running at great speed toward his foe. His speed was so great it left afterimages. In less than a second the clearing was filled with immaculately dressed ninjas. It was not all speed though. Daisuke had sneakily created Bunshin and hid behind the foliage observing the battle carefully.

His fantasies about winning the fight by only using the academy three ground to a halt when he spotted the genin team walk out of his house. They looked dead tired and almost relieved.

"I did not think that a civilian could have such potent killing intent," one of them, a boy with blonde hair and well... There was nothing else that was remarkable at all. They were all bland. The jounin just chuckled prompting Daisuke to give her another look. He doubted that he'd be able to recognise her again even if she bumped into him on the street.

He got looks of pity as they walked past.

"Good luck, kid" the jounin said in a perfectly unrecognisable voice.

Daisuke frowned and put Team Bland out of his head. It was remarkably easy.

"Mother?" he called as he entered.

There was no reply.

Shrugging he made his way upstairs to his room. Just when he was about to enter, he spotted the light coming out from Tokei's room. Daisuke steeled himself as he walked towards the light.

"Oh," he said as he looked around the room with wide eyes.

The wall to the left was completely covered with bookshelves, a study desk and a chemistry set was to his right while plants and three different terrariums occupied the space in between. He walked closer to the tanks and peered inside. One had colourful frogs while the others had vicious looking snakes. He glanced at the plants but could not recognise any of them.

"Are they poisonous?" he wondered out loud.

He shook his head and walked to the bookshelves. They sported books for all the academy years, as well as books with subjects ranging from anatomy to survival.

"Daisuke, come here!" his mother called from outside.

The boy ran to the back yard and saw more changes. Mr Straw had gotten company by Mr Wood and Mr Rock as well as several targets placed strategically around the yard. His eyes lingered on Mr Rock before looking at his fists.

"They assured me that any decent ninja could punch solid rock without any harm," his mother said. She was standing beside a crate full of kunai, shuriken and ninja wire.

"I cannot… will not try to dissuade you from the path you have chosen, but I can at least make sure that you are more than adequately prepared. You will do your best," she said while walking towards him. The firmness in her tone and steel in her eyes did not leave any other choice but to agree.

Daisuke nodded.

"Good," she smiled and kissed his forehead. "Now, get ready for dinner. I have a treat for you after"

"A treat?"

"Snake venom jelly," his mother said without missing a beat. "What kind of mother would I be if you are not resistant by the time you graduate?"

 

[Vesvius]

After a moment's thought, your grip your lunch box tightly and with purposeful strides, head back out to the courtyard. It doesn't take long to find the small corner of the training field that Ino and her coterie have already claimed for themselves. Casually, probably too casually, you stroll towards them. Without pause, without hesitation, you drop down into it, placing yourself between your kinda friend and Mariko.

Before anyone has a chance to object, you start to talk. "That was fun!" you say brightly. "But I think I did bad on the history part."

Ino nods glumly. She's the only one of her circle who doesn't look put out by you dropping in next to them. In her mind it was expected that you'd be here. "I know!" she gripes. "The running was tough but it was the math that I messed up on! Mommy is going to be sad! We studied for like an hour yesterday!"

"Ah, the math wasn't that bad," you reply. "I'm sure you did alright. Not like me and history. I've never even heard of half those places before and-"

You're cut off midword by Mariko, who seems finally recovered from your sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?" she sneers.

You cock your head to the side and give her a look. "Talking. About to eat lunch," you state. "Unless there was something else I was supposed to be doing?"

"Go do it somewhere else!"

"Why?"

Your simple question seems to confuse her. She sputters for a second. "I- You should've asked! It's rude to just sit down!"

"And it's rude to tell someone they smell," you counter, "But you did it anyway."

"You do smell!"

Despite yourself, you're starting to feel a little offended. You know perfectly well that you do not smell! After all, you keep a close eye on all your motives! And you take care of your hygiene before it gets into the red every single day! "I do not!" you bite back.

"You do!" she argues. Her narrow mouth is split wide in a vicious grin as she presses her successful attack. "You smell real bad!"

"Oh yeah?" You say, mind racing as you try and figure out a response, something that will end this. Even now you can see some of the other girls looking at you like maybe you do smell, even if you clearly don't. You need to cut this off right now. But no; snarling back at her isn't the answer. You need to calm the situation down, not egg her on. "I… I don't smell! And I don't know why you keep saying I do! We both know I don't."

Mariko's face screws up in anger, and her words are venom. "You do! And you're not my friend!"

...ouch.

You feel the words like a punch to the gut. Objectively, you know that you're a guy who used to be much older and as such, are beyond stupid little things like this. But mostly, you're six. And you were just 'not my friended'. When it comes to six year old insults, that's the end all be all. The final weapon. She just burned your fields, salted the land, and carried off the women and children.

The rest of the group looks at her, eyes wide and mouths open. Chisako seems a little embarrassed, and Kasumi just seems horrified that someone's just broken out the big guns so quick. Ino though? She just looks pissed.

"He's my friend!" she hisses. "And if you don't like that then you can go away!"

This time it's Mariko's turn to look like a fish gasping for air. "I… but he's a boy!"

"So?!"

Mariko sits there stunned for a long moment. As you watch, tiny tears begin to bead up in the corners of her eyes. Then suddenly her stillness breaks as she leaps to her feet, grabs her lunch, and storms off, hands in fists down at her side. Chisako leaps up and takes off after her without a word.

Ino watches them go with a confused look on her face. You take a moment to recover from Mariko's verbal beatdown and look over at your friend. "Um, sorry," you say sheepishly. "I didn't mean to cause so much trouble. I can go if you want."

Kasumi looks like she wants to say something but Ino cuts her off. "You didn't do anything!" Ino growls, seemingly offended by the idea that you did. "You just sat down here. It's not your fault that Mariko is weird! I didn't want her around anyway, but, you know, cousins!"

You honestly don't know, but you'll take it. With the fireworks over you sit and dig into your lunch in peace. Conversation is made, mostly between you and Ino with Kasumi occasionally chiming in a few words here and there. Despite the awkward start to lunch you find yourself having a good time. How long has it been since you just sat and talked with people your own age? God, it would probably before your bus incident. That's just sad.

Lunch ends too soon and you make your way back to the classroom, where Mizuki-sensei and Iruka-sensei await. Class after lunch is nowhere near as interesting as class before lunch was; the topic you all seemed to struggle with most was history, so that's what they spend the afternoon lecturing and teaching you.

The academy day comes to an end a few hours later after a long series of lessons about the founding of Konoha. You wave goodbye to Ino, exchange polite farewells with a few other people, and make your way home at a sedate pace. But that's only the start of your day. You have quests to complete, dummies to punch, a Mother to reassure your health to, and a Gai-sensei to learn from. It isn't until the sun is well set that you finally get a chance to sleep.

The next day is more of the same. In the morning you head to the Academy and are put through the physical ringer. Lunch is spent with Ino and Kasumi, and then after your head is crammed with as much book knowledge as Iruka-sensei can muster. Then questing, then training, then time with Mother, then rest. And then the day after that is the same. And then the day after that.

The day after that has a change, but not one you like. Your usual lunch spot is almost completely empty. It's just Ino sitting glumly, playing with her food before you join her. You give her a questioning look when you drop down next to her. "Where's Kasumi?" you ask.

"Gone," she says. "I think she's with Mariko and Chisako now."

You glance around the courtyard and see none of the three named girls. Which makes some sense; since the first day, Mariko and Chisako make a point to have lunch where you and Ino don't. But Kasumi leaving you for them is strange. Between Ino's sheer force of personality and your all around awesomeness, you didn't think she would just up and abandon you with no reason.

Which means she probably has a reason. But what could it…

Wait. "Her Mother runs the grocery store, you said?"

Ino nods, curiosity on her face. "Yeah. So?"

You groan. "Mother had some problems at the store yesterday. She was…" You trail off, struggling for the word. "...unhappy. I think she may have taken out her displeasure on whoever was there."

Ino pauses and considers what you're saying. "Yeeeahhh," she drawls out. "That would make sense. But Kasumi shouldn't just ditch us because she doesn't like your Mom! That's stupid! I'll talk to her and she'll understand!"

The next day, it's just you and Ino again. "She didn't understand?" you ask.

Ino shakes her head. "Stupid," she mutters again under her breath.

You sigh. "You can go with them," you tell her. "I get it. They're your friends too. And I can handle being by myself, really! Or I can leave and you can let them come back if you don't want to look like you're desperate. I-"

Your friend cuts you off with a shake of the head so violent that you can almost hear her neck pop. "No!" she declares with the stubbornness that only the very young can muster. "I won't! If they want to leave because they don't want to be friends with my friend because of stupid reasons then they're not real friends!" That's… almost deep for a little kid. She sounds like she's quoting something. Probably a parent; Inoichi and Kasai seemed to be pretty smart the few times you've seen them.

But whether she's just quoting a parent or not, Ino seems genuine. You feel almost foolishly relieved. Having a friend feels pretty damn good after all and you'd have to lose the one you have.

And you're even more glad for the friend you have when lunch ends and you head back to class for the day. Instead of the usual lecture, Iruka-sensei has a little something different set up. The desks are covered with oversized pieces of posterboard of all things, and you're each given a set of writing utensils so large that you have to hold them with both hands.

"We've been spending a lot of time this week explaining the history of Konoha to you all," Iruka-sensei explains. "But just sitting and listening gets real boring sometimes, right?"

There's a small rumble of agreement and sensei presses on. "Which is why this time, you're going to teach us! In front of you are all the supplies you need to make a big poster telling us about some part of Konoha's history that seems interesting to you! You'll have the rest of class today to put together a poster, and then tomorrow morning we'll present! The person with the best one will get a very special prize!"

His words make half the class perk up, and you can't help but notice that he didn't actually say what the prize is. A mystery box. Joy.

"And," Iruka-sesei adds, "as a special treat, you'll get to work with one other person in class and present your poster together!"

That got the rest of the class. In the week you've been here, any kind of socialization has been limited to lunch and griping during the morning training. The book learning portion of the day is ruled by Iruka-sensei's draconian 'no talking policy' which he enforces by any means necessary. Now everyone seems fired up to work on this poster.

There's no doubt who your partner is. By the time Iruka-sensei starts breaking you up, Ino is already waving violently for you to come over and sit next to her. You hop up the stairs quickly and take the seat to her right, left open by a Mariko desperate to get to Chisako before anyone else does.

"So what're we working on?" Ino asks. "Oooh, I know! We can talk about the Yamanaka! I know all about them! We won't even have to study anything! Or maybe the Fourth Hokage's fight with Kyuubi! That would be easy!"

You shake your head on that one. For one thing, the memory of Kyuubi's oppressive chakra still speaks loudly in your thoughts. Sometimes, when it's late at night and you're having trouble sleeping, you still swear you feel it pressing into your very bones. For another, from your vantage point in the top row, you can see Naruto ignoring his partner and scrawling 'the BEST Hokage (for now)!' at the top of his poster in bright yellow marker. That topic is definitively claimed.

"I'm not sure about doing your family," you tell Ino. "I mean, won't all you clan kids do that?"

"So? Their families aren't nearly as cool as mine!"

Ino seems gung-ho about doing your first graded assignment on her clan. But you might have a different topic you want to work on. What do you suggest?
[] Ino's got a point. You'll do it on the Yamanaka Clan. You're sure there's some interesting stuff in there that will get you a good grade.
[] Maybe doing it on the Fourth Hokage isn't the worst idea after all? He had a pretty long career before he was Hokage after all. You could focus on that.
[] The founding of the village is still a big deal even if it feels like ancient history to you. You want to do your poster on it.
[] Uchiha Madara. You're psyched to learn about the man himself. If things go as expected, he'll be up and about in a few years! No time like the present to learn about the enemy, as they say.
[] The day that the Eternal Genin, Might Dai, defeated every member of the legendary Seven Swordsman of the Mist by himself. This way maybe you will learn more about Gai's family!
[] The Swirl on Iruka's vest on its back.
[] Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. Student of the first two Hokages, teacher to the Sannin and longest serving Hokage, this poster pretty much makes itself!
[] Write-In (Approval Needed. Tag me to get it.)