38. A Night of Celebration
Vesvius
The Wicked God
The forehead protector strapped around your arm feels restrictive, almost heavy as you finish cinching it around your bicep. It's going to take a long time for you to not be conscious of it every time you clench your fist. It doesn't feel like it's going to get in the way but, well, you notice it. Maybe that awareness will fade away with time; after all, it took you a month to stop tripping over your sheathe after you belted your sword on for the first time.
But you force your awareness of your headband out of your mind for now. Instead, you turn to look at your friends. Each of them has the same expression of pride and joy on their face as they affix their own symbols of graduation. Sakura wastes no time in taking off her hair ribbon and replacing it with the headband, while Jabari ties it right over his forehead. Yui stares at hers for a long moment before making up her mind and finally tying it around her neck like a choker. As for Ino, she straps it around her waist as if it's a belt. The moment the knot is done, she jumps at you, hugging you tightly. "We did it!" she squeals. "We did it, we did it!"
"We did," you say dryly, patting her awkwardly on the back. No matter how much Ino- and other people in your life for that matter- does this, you're still not used to hugs. "Was there ever any doubt?"
"Well, like no," Ino scoffs. "But I can still be happy about it!"
Jabari sheepishly coughs into his hand. "I had some doubts," he offers. "The Math test gave me trouble. And I wasn't certain my transformation passed muster."
Beside him, Sakura reaches up and cuffs him on the shoulder. "Oh, please!" she huffs out with a roll of her eyes. "I tutored you in math myself! Of course you were going to pass! And your transformation was great. All you had to remember was that everyone else is smaller than you! And you nailed it!"
"A shame," Yui offers through a small giggle. "Your oversized Henge was most amusing. It is good that you passed though. You may have doubted yourself, but the rest of us never did."
Jabari glances around at all your faces, finding only looks of agreement. His mouth splits open into a wide, shark-like grin. "I couldn't have done it without you all! Come here!" He opens his arms wide, reaching for a hug.
Oooooh, no. Ino hugging is one thing. But having your back broken by a happy Jabari? You'll pass. Substitute, substitute, substitute! You vanish in a puff of smoke, appearing by the door and leaving a chair to suffer Jabari's appreciation. "I am glad to have helped!" you call.
"As am I!" Yui calls from beside you.
"Me too!" That one was Sakura, over near the back window.
"Yeah! What they said!" Ino's call is from behind Iruka-sensei's desk.
You glance at all your friends. Did… did you all just do the same thing? From the sounds of cracking wood as Jabari embraces a desk, two chairs, and a coat rack, it seems you all did the same thing. Great minds and all that.
"When you're done with that," Ino calls again. "Mom and Daddy are throwing me a party later! I asked if you could all come, and they said yes!"
You and Yui nod your agreements and Jabari says something vaguely affirmative through his new wooden buddies, but there's no answer from Sakura. A look at her shows that she's staring at Ino with wide eyes. "Even me?" she asks with a small voice.
Ino scoffs. "Like, yeah, even you! Come on, Sakura! We're still friends after all! Even if you keep calling me a pig. You should really stop doing that by the way. Don't dish what you can't take!"
Sakura doesn't seem to be listening. She just looks at Ino for a long moment before nodding vigorously. "Okay! I'll be there!" With that she's down the stairs and out the door so quick that she kicks up a dust trail as she goes.
"Wow," Ino mutters as she stares after her. "If she moved that fast normally we'd never have had an issue. Sheesh!"
Sakura was the first person out the door and she opened the floodgates. Around the classroom, conversations break up and mix into the giant hum of students packing their bags on the last day. Mizuki-sensei cups his hands around his mouth, yelling over the hubbub. "Remember kids! Come back here on Monday for team assignments!"
Why's he making that announcement? Where's Iruka-sensei? That seems more his… oh, right. He's probably out grabbing Naruto. It's a thought that's confirmed when you get out of the classroom and see Hokage Rock slathered in paint of all colors. Yelling from in front of the Fourth's head lets you know that not only has Naruto finished his task, Iruka-sensei found him.
Well. That seems to be well in hand. No need to think twice about it. Like your awareness of your headband, you shove that thought from your mind and rush out with the rest of your classmates.
Just like the first day of class, the Academy Training Ground is a hive of activity as all the parents of all the graduating students wait for their successful children. Or in some cases, their unsuccessful children. None of your class failed the exams- no surprise there with the level of talent that was jammed in there- but some of the others in your grade weren't as lucky. A few sobs and cries mesh with the cheers and joy, with a few angry parents demanding retests and refusing to let their child take the remedial lessons. That won't end well for them.
But again. None of your concern. All you need to worry about is finding Mother. It's a fairly easy task. Your classes parents have all gathered together, so you just need to go with the flow and keep your eyes open. It's simple to spot Mother; you just look for the open clearing that always pops up around Kuromaru- Kiba's Mom's Companion- and find the parasol.
Mother spots you around the same time you spot her. Her composure breaks and a wide smile greets you as you rush up to her, one you can't help but mirror. "Look!" you say proudly, extending your arm and turning to show off the protector. "I did it! I-"
You stop. Calm yourself. Exhale. "Good afternoon, Mother," you restart. "It's good that-"
"Oh, you did it!" Mother coos. "I'm so proud of you! And top of your class too! As expected from my precious little gleam."
Beside you, you hear Kiba gagging as he finds his Mom. "Blargh!" he fake vomits. "It's just… augh!"
You ignore him and turn to Tsume, bowing to her and Kuromaru in turn. "Good afternoon Tsume-san, Kuromaru-san. Thank you for keeping my Mother company while she waited. Do you mind if I beat your son senseless for a moment?"
Tsume actually considers it before shaking her head ruefully. "That sounds hilarious, but I need him intact for right now! There's a lot of work to be done in the kennels and you can't get that stuff in sword wounds! It'd go septic and you'd lose your limbs! Can't have that. You'll need those for missions!"
Kiba's face is hilarious. "But Mom!" he whines. "I'm a ninja now! I shouldn't have to muck out the kennels anymore! That's kid work!"
"That's right, you are a ninja now!" Tsume replies with cheer in her voice. "And that means taking orders from your superior officer and getting used to the chain of command! And right now, that'd be me. So let's get to mucking!"
The wild looking woman turns and nods at you. "Congratulations on your graduation Daisuke. And Manami? We're on for cards tomorrow?"
"Of course," Mother responds. "I'll take you to the cleaners this time, I swear."
The Inuzuka's leave, leaving just you and your Mother. The two of you stand in companionable silence for a long moment, you admiring your headband and Mother admiring how proud you are. Mother finally breaks the silence with a hand on your arm. "Here!" she says, profering out a bag with her free hand.
You take it with confusion writ large on your face. "What's this?"
"You didn't think I would be so crass as to not get you a graduation present!" Mother answers with mock offense loud in her voice. "Here, take them now, before I change my mind!"
You do so with a laugh and open the bag, revealing several small wrapped parcels. "Shouldn't I open these at home?" you ask.
"You could," She says. "But then you would be late for the Yamanaka's party."
You stop short of saying that you haven't even told her you were going there yet. Of course she knows. She's Mother. She probably had this all planned out with Kasai weeks ago. Still, you make some token protest. "I don't have to go!" you say. "If you want, I can stay home and-"
Mother waves your words off. "Of course you're going. Where else would you be?" she answers. "Besides, if you stay home, I would have to cancel my own plans. And if I were to do that, then I would have wasted a week reading the most tedious book for nothing. My thoughts must be shared!" Right. Book club. At least Mother won't be bored. "So hurry up! Open your gifts! We have a schedule to keep!"
You take the chiding in the spirit that it's offered and deliberately take some time to open the first gift. But once the first piece of wrapping paper is torn open, you move quickly and efficiently, slicing it all and revealing the gifts within. Most of them aren't anything special. A new shuriken set, some new handwraps, a box of the Akimichi Survival Bars that don't taste like crap.
But at the bottom is a larger parcel that's far heavier than it looks. You pull it out and give Mother a questioning look. Her expression is as sheepish as it ever gets. "That one is from Gai-san," she explains. "He said that he wouldn't want to disrupt his student's routines and so couldn't come. But he wanted to make sure you had this."
You open it- and stare. From the feel of it when you picked it up, you expected clothing, and you're right. But it's not just any clothing. It's another hoodie, one that looks almost identical to yours. The color, the cut, it's all the same. There are only two differences. One, there are clearly weights sewn into it.
And two, the inside is the most garish technicolor swirl you've ever seen.
"....why?" you whisper.
"He informed me," Mother states, picking her words carefully, "That it is reversible. So if you choose to wear it with the… colorful side out you can. And if you do, it's considered a training exercise."
Of course.
Still. A gift is a gift. You shed your current hoodie on the spot and load up the pockets of your new one- sensible side out!- with all of Mother's goodies. "Thank you very much!" you say once you're re-equipped. "I love them all!"
Mother nods and bends down, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "Thank you. And thank you for making me such a proud mother." You flush with pleasure, and Mother strokes your cheek. "Now get moving my gleam. I think Inoichi-san is glaring at us."
You turn. Yep. That's a glare alright. Though it fades slightly when he notices Mother doing the same. You sigh and embrace Mother as best you can. You'd better get moving. When those two start focusing on each other, nothing good can happen.
***
"So," Yui asks with a hushed tone barely audible over the hubbub of the barbeque. "Why don't Satomura-San and Yamanaka-san get along? You would think they would!"
"Oh, Daddy and Lady Satomura get along just fine! And Mom does too!" Ino rebuts, pausing to pick another piece of meat off the grill. "Just last week they went out shopping together!"
"All of them?" Yui pushes.
Ino hesitates and chews. "Well, just Lady Satomura and Mom. I think Daddy had work."
You keep your face carefully blank. Ino might not see it, but everyone else does. There's some lingering animosity between your Mother and her dad. You haven't figured out the source yet but you will. One day. But that's not something to puzzle over tonight.
Tonight's a night for having fun!
It's hours after you left the Academy for the last time as a student. You said your farewells to Mother and were immediately grabbed by the arm and pulled away by Ino, even though her party didn't start for a couple hours. It's not surprise she wanted you around though; as part her graduation gift, her parents paid for a small shopping spree at Beauty Like The Dawn, one of her absolute favorite places to get civilian clothes. And if she's getting all these new clothes, of course she'd want you there! Someone has to carry the bags.
Ino's day of celebration didn't end there. Your next stop was The Jolly Pagoda- possibly Ino's favorite store in the entire village and your least. Thankfully her trip there had been mercifully short. She'd only picked up half a dozen pairs of hand crafted shoes instead of her usual baker's dozen; she must have decided to be considerate of you today.
The afternoon had gone on like that for hours, with shop after shop seen and pillaged by your blonde friend and your load getting steadily heavier. Finally, as the sun began to set, you had stopped by her home to deposit all of her new trophies and moved on to the crowning jewel of the day: dinner at an all you can eat barbeque. You'd been the first to arrive, but the rest of your friends hadn't been long in making their entrance. And then you had gotten down to the very serious business of shoveling as much meat into you as you could take, ignoring your usually fine table manners.
When Yui shoots you an accusatory look, as if you abandoned her, you shrug. "Blame her," you say, pointing at Ino. "Carrying half the village around for most of the day makes you hungry."
"It wasn't half the village!" Ino protests. "It was only seven new outfits, matching shoes, the proper accessories, a new type of shampoo that they swear is nearly scentless, a new incense dish, these adorable earings…"
She goes on and on, listing each and every thing her parents bought for her and you wound up carrying. With each word, looks a little more understanding and a little more jealous. Finally she looks at you and nods. You're forgiven for your breach in decorum. You waste no time in getting back to the food.
Even after another small plate, Ino's still going and Yui's starting to look desperate. She's never been as enamored with shopping as your other friends, even if she does like it more than most. She needs a rescue. Since she forgave you, you suppose that duty falls to you. "Hey, Sakura," you call. "Did Ino tell you about the gloves she bought?"
"Nooo," Sakura replies guardedly.
But Ino doesn't notice her reservations; she's too busy describing the things she now owns like a big game hunter describing their latest kill. "Oh, well like, they are just so adorable! Look! They're silk, and you barely feel them on you! You can wear them with no loss in dexterity even! See?" She demonstrates by grabbing a coin from her belt pouch and walking it along her knuckles. "No sweat!"
"Wow!" Sakura nearly squeals. "Can I try?"
"Sure!"
You let out a sigh of relief. Tomorrow, those two will remember that they're fighting for reasons that are clearly beyond your ability to fix. But tonight they've at least remembered that they're friends. It's a nice change of pace.
You're not the only one to let out that sigh. Yui looks happy, if a bit miffed for some reason, and Jabari's practically pumping his fists. Even Inoichi-san and Kasai-san, sitting a ways away at their own grill to give you all the illusion of privacy, seem happy to see Ino smiling with her best female friend.
At least they do for a moment. Out of the corner of your eye you catch Inoichi sitting straight up, like a cat that's attention has been grabbed. You can almost see his ears straining to pick out a small sound. Curiously you do the same, listening for whatever's distracted him.
You hear it quickly. Behind the noise of the restaurant, behind the chatter of your friends, you pick out a low, heavy drumbeat. An alarm; a village wide one. You spent a full marking period at the Academy learning Konoha's intricate system of alarms. There are hundreds of them that range from bells to drums to village wide jutsu that can mean almost anything.
You… didn't do your best in that class. You elbow Ino in the side, snapping her mouth shut like a bear trap. She looks at you questioningly. "Listen."
Everyone follows your order and clams up, listening to the drums. It's Sakura who puzzles out the code first. "High Priority," she mouths. "Jonin, ANBU, respond. Hokage Tower. Politically sensitive. All Shinobi, High Alert. Prepare for rapid deployment."
As Sakura speaks the words, you feel a chill crawl up your spine. All shinobi, high alert. That's… that's you, right? You're a shinobi now. Sure, you haven't been assigned to a team yet, but you've got the headband. Does that mean you should be on alert too?
Inoichi stops by the table. "I have to go," he says to Ino. "Don't worry about the alarm; I'm sure it's nothing. Your mom will stay here with you though. Just follow her lead."
He hugs his daughter, nods at the rest of you, and is gone, leaving silence in his wake.
Kasai doesn't wait long before taking his spot and more. She abandons her grill and slides onto the bench with the rest of you, scooting in between Yui and Jabari. "Your father would say if it was something," she says to a worried looking Ino. "It's probably just a drill. We've been thinking that it's been too long since the last one; Hokage-sama probably decided that today was the best time to bring one back."
None of you reply. You just sit in silence for a long moment, cheer forgotten. Kasai takes that as a challenge, and fills the air with chatter as she prods at everyone with questions and comments, forcing a conversation to resume through sheer strength of will. She keeps it going for a long time until finally the drums start beating again, signalling for everyone to stand down.
"Like I said! Just a drill."
The tension past, conversation resumes more normally. But this time, it heads in a different direction. "If that wasn't a drill," Sakura muses. "We could've been called out for it. It would've been like our first mission."
Ino snorts. "They wouldn't have sent us newbies out yet! I don't even think we're officially genin until the paperwork is done!"
"But what if they did?" Jabari interjects. "I wonder what we would've had to do. Stop a thief? Find a spy? Oooh, maybe someone was kidnapped and we would've had to save them!"
You shake your head. "Unlikely. If it was something that we were called in for, it would have been much simpler."
You are, of course, dismissed as a killjoy as everyone else starts talking about what it could have been. Which, of course, turns into them all theorizing about what they're going to do for their real first mission.
"I bet my team's going to get sent out to fight bandits!" Jabari enthuses.
Yui sighs. "I'm probably going to have to steal something important with my substitution skills."
"Infiltration! At a fashion show!" That one's Ino.
"Ummm…" Sakura thinks. "Break a code! We're going to have to break some code that's time sensitive to get something really secret!"
All eyes turn to you.
Somehow, you doubt it'll be any of those things. There's something in your memory about new genin's first missions, something that's important… but whatever it is, it's lost to you. It's not like any of the shinobi you've asked have been helpful. Even Gai had only patted you on the shoulder hard enough to make your feet shake and told you that it 'was an experience not to be missed'.
But you're sure that if you say that, they'll just call you a killjoy again. You should say something different.
What totally awesome thing do you think the Hokage will send you out to do for your team's very first mission?
[] Infiltrate an evil villain's lair and slay him!
[] Sabotage an enemy's resources without them knowing about it!
[] Befriend and rescue a noble, bringing them back to Konoha for their own safety!
[] Write-In (No Approval Needed)
***
But you force your awareness of your headband out of your mind for now. Instead, you turn to look at your friends. Each of them has the same expression of pride and joy on their face as they affix their own symbols of graduation. Sakura wastes no time in taking off her hair ribbon and replacing it with the headband, while Jabari ties it right over his forehead. Yui stares at hers for a long moment before making up her mind and finally tying it around her neck like a choker. As for Ino, she straps it around her waist as if it's a belt. The moment the knot is done, she jumps at you, hugging you tightly. "We did it!" she squeals. "We did it, we did it!"
"We did," you say dryly, patting her awkwardly on the back. No matter how much Ino- and other people in your life for that matter- does this, you're still not used to hugs. "Was there ever any doubt?"
"Well, like no," Ino scoffs. "But I can still be happy about it!"
Jabari sheepishly coughs into his hand. "I had some doubts," he offers. "The Math test gave me trouble. And I wasn't certain my transformation passed muster."
Beside him, Sakura reaches up and cuffs him on the shoulder. "Oh, please!" she huffs out with a roll of her eyes. "I tutored you in math myself! Of course you were going to pass! And your transformation was great. All you had to remember was that everyone else is smaller than you! And you nailed it!"
"A shame," Yui offers through a small giggle. "Your oversized Henge was most amusing. It is good that you passed though. You may have doubted yourself, but the rest of us never did."
Jabari glances around at all your faces, finding only looks of agreement. His mouth splits open into a wide, shark-like grin. "I couldn't have done it without you all! Come here!" He opens his arms wide, reaching for a hug.
Oooooh, no. Ino hugging is one thing. But having your back broken by a happy Jabari? You'll pass. Substitute, substitute, substitute! You vanish in a puff of smoke, appearing by the door and leaving a chair to suffer Jabari's appreciation. "I am glad to have helped!" you call.
"As am I!" Yui calls from beside you.
"Me too!" That one was Sakura, over near the back window.
"Yeah! What they said!" Ino's call is from behind Iruka-sensei's desk.
You glance at all your friends. Did… did you all just do the same thing? From the sounds of cracking wood as Jabari embraces a desk, two chairs, and a coat rack, it seems you all did the same thing. Great minds and all that.
"When you're done with that," Ino calls again. "Mom and Daddy are throwing me a party later! I asked if you could all come, and they said yes!"
You and Yui nod your agreements and Jabari says something vaguely affirmative through his new wooden buddies, but there's no answer from Sakura. A look at her shows that she's staring at Ino with wide eyes. "Even me?" she asks with a small voice.
Ino scoffs. "Like, yeah, even you! Come on, Sakura! We're still friends after all! Even if you keep calling me a pig. You should really stop doing that by the way. Don't dish what you can't take!"
Sakura doesn't seem to be listening. She just looks at Ino for a long moment before nodding vigorously. "Okay! I'll be there!" With that she's down the stairs and out the door so quick that she kicks up a dust trail as she goes.
"Wow," Ino mutters as she stares after her. "If she moved that fast normally we'd never have had an issue. Sheesh!"
Sakura was the first person out the door and she opened the floodgates. Around the classroom, conversations break up and mix into the giant hum of students packing their bags on the last day. Mizuki-sensei cups his hands around his mouth, yelling over the hubbub. "Remember kids! Come back here on Monday for team assignments!"
Why's he making that announcement? Where's Iruka-sensei? That seems more his… oh, right. He's probably out grabbing Naruto. It's a thought that's confirmed when you get out of the classroom and see Hokage Rock slathered in paint of all colors. Yelling from in front of the Fourth's head lets you know that not only has Naruto finished his task, Iruka-sensei found him.
Well. That seems to be well in hand. No need to think twice about it. Like your awareness of your headband, you shove that thought from your mind and rush out with the rest of your classmates.
Just like the first day of class, the Academy Training Ground is a hive of activity as all the parents of all the graduating students wait for their successful children. Or in some cases, their unsuccessful children. None of your class failed the exams- no surprise there with the level of talent that was jammed in there- but some of the others in your grade weren't as lucky. A few sobs and cries mesh with the cheers and joy, with a few angry parents demanding retests and refusing to let their child take the remedial lessons. That won't end well for them.
But again. None of your concern. All you need to worry about is finding Mother. It's a fairly easy task. Your classes parents have all gathered together, so you just need to go with the flow and keep your eyes open. It's simple to spot Mother; you just look for the open clearing that always pops up around Kuromaru- Kiba's Mom's Companion- and find the parasol.
Mother spots you around the same time you spot her. Her composure breaks and a wide smile greets you as you rush up to her, one you can't help but mirror. "Look!" you say proudly, extending your arm and turning to show off the protector. "I did it! I-"
You stop. Calm yourself. Exhale. "Good afternoon, Mother," you restart. "It's good that-"
"Oh, you did it!" Mother coos. "I'm so proud of you! And top of your class too! As expected from my precious little gleam."
Beside you, you hear Kiba gagging as he finds his Mom. "Blargh!" he fake vomits. "It's just… augh!"
You ignore him and turn to Tsume, bowing to her and Kuromaru in turn. "Good afternoon Tsume-san, Kuromaru-san. Thank you for keeping my Mother company while she waited. Do you mind if I beat your son senseless for a moment?"
Tsume actually considers it before shaking her head ruefully. "That sounds hilarious, but I need him intact for right now! There's a lot of work to be done in the kennels and you can't get that stuff in sword wounds! It'd go septic and you'd lose your limbs! Can't have that. You'll need those for missions!"
Kiba's face is hilarious. "But Mom!" he whines. "I'm a ninja now! I shouldn't have to muck out the kennels anymore! That's kid work!"
"That's right, you are a ninja now!" Tsume replies with cheer in her voice. "And that means taking orders from your superior officer and getting used to the chain of command! And right now, that'd be me. So let's get to mucking!"
The wild looking woman turns and nods at you. "Congratulations on your graduation Daisuke. And Manami? We're on for cards tomorrow?"
"Of course," Mother responds. "I'll take you to the cleaners this time, I swear."
The Inuzuka's leave, leaving just you and your Mother. The two of you stand in companionable silence for a long moment, you admiring your headband and Mother admiring how proud you are. Mother finally breaks the silence with a hand on your arm. "Here!" she says, profering out a bag with her free hand.
You take it with confusion writ large on your face. "What's this?"
"You didn't think I would be so crass as to not get you a graduation present!" Mother answers with mock offense loud in her voice. "Here, take them now, before I change my mind!"
You do so with a laugh and open the bag, revealing several small wrapped parcels. "Shouldn't I open these at home?" you ask.
"You could," She says. "But then you would be late for the Yamanaka's party."
You stop short of saying that you haven't even told her you were going there yet. Of course she knows. She's Mother. She probably had this all planned out with Kasai weeks ago. Still, you make some token protest. "I don't have to go!" you say. "If you want, I can stay home and-"
Mother waves your words off. "Of course you're going. Where else would you be?" she answers. "Besides, if you stay home, I would have to cancel my own plans. And if I were to do that, then I would have wasted a week reading the most tedious book for nothing. My thoughts must be shared!" Right. Book club. At least Mother won't be bored. "So hurry up! Open your gifts! We have a schedule to keep!"
You take the chiding in the spirit that it's offered and deliberately take some time to open the first gift. But once the first piece of wrapping paper is torn open, you move quickly and efficiently, slicing it all and revealing the gifts within. Most of them aren't anything special. A new shuriken set, some new handwraps, a box of the Akimichi Survival Bars that don't taste like crap.
But at the bottom is a larger parcel that's far heavier than it looks. You pull it out and give Mother a questioning look. Her expression is as sheepish as it ever gets. "That one is from Gai-san," she explains. "He said that he wouldn't want to disrupt his student's routines and so couldn't come. But he wanted to make sure you had this."
You open it- and stare. From the feel of it when you picked it up, you expected clothing, and you're right. But it's not just any clothing. It's another hoodie, one that looks almost identical to yours. The color, the cut, it's all the same. There are only two differences. One, there are clearly weights sewn into it.
And two, the inside is the most garish technicolor swirl you've ever seen.
"....why?" you whisper.
"He informed me," Mother states, picking her words carefully, "That it is reversible. So if you choose to wear it with the… colorful side out you can. And if you do, it's considered a training exercise."
Of course.
Still. A gift is a gift. You shed your current hoodie on the spot and load up the pockets of your new one- sensible side out!- with all of Mother's goodies. "Thank you very much!" you say once you're re-equipped. "I love them all!"
Mother nods and bends down, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "Thank you. And thank you for making me such a proud mother." You flush with pleasure, and Mother strokes your cheek. "Now get moving my gleam. I think Inoichi-san is glaring at us."
You turn. Yep. That's a glare alright. Though it fades slightly when he notices Mother doing the same. You sigh and embrace Mother as best you can. You'd better get moving. When those two start focusing on each other, nothing good can happen.
***
"So," Yui asks with a hushed tone barely audible over the hubbub of the barbeque. "Why don't Satomura-San and Yamanaka-san get along? You would think they would!"
"Oh, Daddy and Lady Satomura get along just fine! And Mom does too!" Ino rebuts, pausing to pick another piece of meat off the grill. "Just last week they went out shopping together!"
"All of them?" Yui pushes.
Ino hesitates and chews. "Well, just Lady Satomura and Mom. I think Daddy had work."
You keep your face carefully blank. Ino might not see it, but everyone else does. There's some lingering animosity between your Mother and her dad. You haven't figured out the source yet but you will. One day. But that's not something to puzzle over tonight.
Tonight's a night for having fun!
It's hours after you left the Academy for the last time as a student. You said your farewells to Mother and were immediately grabbed by the arm and pulled away by Ino, even though her party didn't start for a couple hours. It's not surprise she wanted you around though; as part her graduation gift, her parents paid for a small shopping spree at Beauty Like The Dawn, one of her absolute favorite places to get civilian clothes. And if she's getting all these new clothes, of course she'd want you there! Someone has to carry the bags.
Ino's day of celebration didn't end there. Your next stop was The Jolly Pagoda- possibly Ino's favorite store in the entire village and your least. Thankfully her trip there had been mercifully short. She'd only picked up half a dozen pairs of hand crafted shoes instead of her usual baker's dozen; she must have decided to be considerate of you today.
The afternoon had gone on like that for hours, with shop after shop seen and pillaged by your blonde friend and your load getting steadily heavier. Finally, as the sun began to set, you had stopped by her home to deposit all of her new trophies and moved on to the crowning jewel of the day: dinner at an all you can eat barbeque. You'd been the first to arrive, but the rest of your friends hadn't been long in making their entrance. And then you had gotten down to the very serious business of shoveling as much meat into you as you could take, ignoring your usually fine table manners.
When Yui shoots you an accusatory look, as if you abandoned her, you shrug. "Blame her," you say, pointing at Ino. "Carrying half the village around for most of the day makes you hungry."
"It wasn't half the village!" Ino protests. "It was only seven new outfits, matching shoes, the proper accessories, a new type of shampoo that they swear is nearly scentless, a new incense dish, these adorable earings…"
She goes on and on, listing each and every thing her parents bought for her and you wound up carrying. With each word, looks a little more understanding and a little more jealous. Finally she looks at you and nods. You're forgiven for your breach in decorum. You waste no time in getting back to the food.
Even after another small plate, Ino's still going and Yui's starting to look desperate. She's never been as enamored with shopping as your other friends, even if she does like it more than most. She needs a rescue. Since she forgave you, you suppose that duty falls to you. "Hey, Sakura," you call. "Did Ino tell you about the gloves she bought?"
"Nooo," Sakura replies guardedly.
But Ino doesn't notice her reservations; she's too busy describing the things she now owns like a big game hunter describing their latest kill. "Oh, well like, they are just so adorable! Look! They're silk, and you barely feel them on you! You can wear them with no loss in dexterity even! See?" She demonstrates by grabbing a coin from her belt pouch and walking it along her knuckles. "No sweat!"
"Wow!" Sakura nearly squeals. "Can I try?"
"Sure!"
You let out a sigh of relief. Tomorrow, those two will remember that they're fighting for reasons that are clearly beyond your ability to fix. But tonight they've at least remembered that they're friends. It's a nice change of pace.
You're not the only one to let out that sigh. Yui looks happy, if a bit miffed for some reason, and Jabari's practically pumping his fists. Even Inoichi-san and Kasai-san, sitting a ways away at their own grill to give you all the illusion of privacy, seem happy to see Ino smiling with her best female friend.
At least they do for a moment. Out of the corner of your eye you catch Inoichi sitting straight up, like a cat that's attention has been grabbed. You can almost see his ears straining to pick out a small sound. Curiously you do the same, listening for whatever's distracted him.
You hear it quickly. Behind the noise of the restaurant, behind the chatter of your friends, you pick out a low, heavy drumbeat. An alarm; a village wide one. You spent a full marking period at the Academy learning Konoha's intricate system of alarms. There are hundreds of them that range from bells to drums to village wide jutsu that can mean almost anything.
You… didn't do your best in that class. You elbow Ino in the side, snapping her mouth shut like a bear trap. She looks at you questioningly. "Listen."
Everyone follows your order and clams up, listening to the drums. It's Sakura who puzzles out the code first. "High Priority," she mouths. "Jonin, ANBU, respond. Hokage Tower. Politically sensitive. All Shinobi, High Alert. Prepare for rapid deployment."
As Sakura speaks the words, you feel a chill crawl up your spine. All shinobi, high alert. That's… that's you, right? You're a shinobi now. Sure, you haven't been assigned to a team yet, but you've got the headband. Does that mean you should be on alert too?
Inoichi stops by the table. "I have to go," he says to Ino. "Don't worry about the alarm; I'm sure it's nothing. Your mom will stay here with you though. Just follow her lead."
He hugs his daughter, nods at the rest of you, and is gone, leaving silence in his wake.
Kasai doesn't wait long before taking his spot and more. She abandons her grill and slides onto the bench with the rest of you, scooting in between Yui and Jabari. "Your father would say if it was something," she says to a worried looking Ino. "It's probably just a drill. We've been thinking that it's been too long since the last one; Hokage-sama probably decided that today was the best time to bring one back."
None of you reply. You just sit in silence for a long moment, cheer forgotten. Kasai takes that as a challenge, and fills the air with chatter as she prods at everyone with questions and comments, forcing a conversation to resume through sheer strength of will. She keeps it going for a long time until finally the drums start beating again, signalling for everyone to stand down.
"Like I said! Just a drill."
The tension past, conversation resumes more normally. But this time, it heads in a different direction. "If that wasn't a drill," Sakura muses. "We could've been called out for it. It would've been like our first mission."
Ino snorts. "They wouldn't have sent us newbies out yet! I don't even think we're officially genin until the paperwork is done!"
"But what if they did?" Jabari interjects. "I wonder what we would've had to do. Stop a thief? Find a spy? Oooh, maybe someone was kidnapped and we would've had to save them!"
You shake your head. "Unlikely. If it was something that we were called in for, it would have been much simpler."
You are, of course, dismissed as a killjoy as everyone else starts talking about what it could have been. Which, of course, turns into them all theorizing about what they're going to do for their real first mission.
"I bet my team's going to get sent out to fight bandits!" Jabari enthuses.
Yui sighs. "I'm probably going to have to steal something important with my substitution skills."
"Infiltration! At a fashion show!" That one's Ino.
"Ummm…" Sakura thinks. "Break a code! We're going to have to break some code that's time sensitive to get something really secret!"
All eyes turn to you.
Somehow, you doubt it'll be any of those things. There's something in your memory about new genin's first missions, something that's important… but whatever it is, it's lost to you. It's not like any of the shinobi you've asked have been helpful. Even Gai had only patted you on the shoulder hard enough to make your feet shake and told you that it 'was an experience not to be missed'.
But you're sure that if you say that, they'll just call you a killjoy again. You should say something different.
What totally awesome thing do you think the Hokage will send you out to do for your team's very first mission?
[] Infiltrate an evil villain's lair and slay him!
[] Sabotage an enemy's resources without them knowing about it!
[] Befriend and rescue a noble, bringing them back to Konoha for their own safety!
[] Write-In (No Approval Needed)
***
- Some wonder why Inoichi and Manami don't get along better. After all, their children are joined at the hip and both of them see their own child as the most precious thing in the world that- oh. That explains it.
- Daisuke's war on squirrels may have faded as he entered the Academy, but it will never end. Today, he plots his greatest attack: a strike on their central tree!
- Naihara Umo, personal secretary to the Daimyo of Iron and his personal lady of whispers, has a file on one Satomura Daisuke. It's time for her to review it once more.
- Uchiha Sasuke lost a fair fight. He's... not entirely sure how to handle that.
- The last edition of this year's student newspaper is about to be published. Secret Head Editor Shirai Kairi wants to make sure it's one to remember.
- This was everyone's graduation night, and so everyone celebrated. But not everyone had a party and shopping spree. How did others in Daisuke's class celebrate their new advancement?
- In the Jolly Pagoda, Konoha's number one store for hand-crafted designer shoes, there's a section for men who were dragged along to wait. It's no surprise that Daisuke spends a great deal of time in that section. But this time, he runs into someone else who's similarly suffering.
