Chapter Text
As we trudge after Yugao, I'm briefly turning my HUD back on before being faced with a barrage of popup windows that have appeared in my sight, and I turn it back off. As always, the game's clumsiness leaves me astounded. A full day has passed and it still hasn’t been resolved. Thankfully, I still remember the things it said. Not completely, and I feel the itch to check my stats or fire a [Observe] despite knowing I can’t right now. It’s incredible how reliant on this I’ve become.
I still felt a bit bummed out by the way Chakra Control worked, by the way. Simply put, once it reaches 90%, it begins having completely diminishing returns in terms of gains- I understand the reasons since the way the game treats chakra control still means that I expend only 1/10th of the chakra a technique requires, but still... it means that investing past what I already have in INT is a losing numbers game.
...it also means I'm probably as close as can be to becoming the second coming of Tsunade, but her strength technique still evades me. I can power up my speed and strength at extremely low costs for higher damage output, but that hardly seems to have the expected result of EXPLOSIONS and DEATH, more like… I dunno, a 50% boost over my normal, superhuman parameters? Then again, she is a Sannin, I'm barely Chunin level, so...
I'm still salty about not finding Orochimaru before he defected. Probably, in hindsight, for the better, but I feel a sense of wrongness. Of lost opportunity.
"Ne, Tomo." Hana snapped me out of my thoughts with a shoulder bump. "What do you think about our sensei? You didn't really say."
Turning to look towards Yugao, I tilt my head. What didI think about being assigned Uzuki Yugao as a sensei? She was one of the not-quite-faceless ANBU of the series- and very explicitly not a member of ROOT, if the way she saves Yamato’s ass from Danzo is anything to go by.
I also vaguely remember her interacting with Sakura during the fourth shinobi war for some reason or the other.
I shrugged. "I'm glad to finally get a teacher in swordsmanship. And even if she's a Tokujo, I assume she means business if they pulled her out of ANBU to teach us."
A sharp intake of breath ahead of us later, I'm reminded that they didn’t know that yet. "Sorry, Sensei. They would have found out sooner or later anyways thanks to my kekkei genkai, so... uh, surprise?" I make jazz hands at the rest of my team.
"...for the future, I would recommend you wait to share the details you glean through your bloodline limit only after you've become a full-fledged team, Tomo-chan."
"Huh?" Izumi asks. "Have we not become a team already?"
“Well, Jonin-sensei get to give their own exams before deciding to settle on a team. So Yugao-sensei could just say “You’re not worth my time” and dump us back at the academy, or in the corps.”
“What?!” Izumi whirled around.
“Correct again, Tomo-chan,” Yugao said. As I go to open my mouth a moment later, in what I’m sure was a vindictive move for outing her as ANBU, her whole hand just snatches my face, preventing me from speaking. “Whilst I was waiting for us to reach the training ground to explain the test, it appears I must run some last-minute errands. I will see you at Training Ground 12 in two hours.”
And with that, she shunshined away, and my speaking privileges were returned.
Rude. She’s going to go read up on my file, isn’t she?
While at the notion that there would be a test and that we were given two hours to prepare, Hana promptly sprinted off with a bye presumably to the training ground, I and Izumi took our sweet time. I would have gone, but Izumi did not feel like spending more time than necessary with Hana, and I kind of cringed at that but agreed. If the test was teamwork-focused, I would knock their heads together, but I think that they should spend less time together for a bit until Izumi manages to cool down.
Never belittle a Uchiha on an event so traumatic they developed superpowers for it, especially when one of the said powers is the ability to recall it perfectly.
So we had lunch together. I paid for it. It was a nice, sisterly bonding moment spent mostly in quiet contemplation of the upcoming exam.
An hour and a half later, which was still half an hour prior to the agreed-upon time, found us at the training grounds anyway. Somehow, Hana was not there.
"I see that you three girls have decided to make your way here earlier than what was agreed on," Yugao said, appearing out of nowhere- or more realistically, out of a shunshin, from behind us. "While most of the time this is a good ethic to hold, I would recommend you also learn the value of precision. Being on time makes you reliable to your allies, and that is a skill that must be carefully cultivated just as much as unpredictability towards your enemies."
"Hai, Uzuki-sensei." the other two replied, and I echoed after a moment, giving a side eye to Hana, who had… substituted with my sword, which was sticking out of the ground a ways away from us. What the f*ck, man? Where had she appeared from? And why was she covered in dirt?
I also couldn't really find it in myself to agree with the lesson. There were shinobi who got away with being unreliable, unpredictable little trolls among the top dogs of Konoha, weren't there?
"Now, I believe that both from your own evaluation and from those of your comrades, you are by far the most skilled within this team, aren't you, Tomo-chan?" Yugao asked, and I squinted in confusion at her. What was she aiming for?
"Yes, sensei," I said after a moment. Was she trying to get us into a rivalry of sorts?
"Very well." She grabbed off of her back a sealing scroll and unrolled it. After a moment, with a burst of smoke, a conical hat appeared in her hands, resembling that of the Hokage, but completely white and without the symbol for "Fire". "We're going to play a bit of a special game of Kage, then. You girls remember how to play, right?"
I was left staring blankly as Hana muttered a confused "Yeah?" and Izumi simply nodded. What the f*ck was 'Kage' now? "...I, uh. Never played before." I awkwardly say, and I can physically feel the pity in the looks they're throwing me.
"Right, you're all work and no play." Hana sighed. "Uh, basically, two opposing teams have their leader take up the hat of the Kage. The Kage gets to order their underlings around, but if they ever lose their hat, then they can't do that. If the hat is brought to the opposing team's Kage, then that team loses." she says. "It's just the three of us and one hat though…"
"Indeed." She said, and swept her hand over the training ground. This clearing was surrounded by forest, with a series of logs standing up, rooted to the ground in a seemingly natural fashion. If the logs themselves were not so thick, it might have reminded me of the ones in Kung Fu, but these were thick enough that if I were to climb one, I could still widen my stance quite a bit before no longer having space. Then again, I was a pint-sized soldier, so a taller person might struggle some. "This will be the arena for the test." And with that, she plopped the hat straight down onto my head. "Tomo will play Kage. As for you girls, you will both be opposing shinobi, trying to capture the hat."
...okay? Why did it need to be that complicated, just tell me I have the hat and they gotta take it
"Why is it Tomo against us, sensei?" Izumi asked, raising her hand.
"Well, to put it bluntly, Tomo-chan's skill level has already been assessed and found to be sufficient for a genin." Or chunin if I decided to spend my points, but I didn't say that. "If you two cannot manage to succeed on this test, I will be taking Tomo-chan on for a solo apprenticeship." The two of them tensed up considerably at that, but before any of us could speak, she continued. "You two have the next ten minutes to plan and prepare for your assault. Tomo-chan, you are not allowed to leave the clearing until they have begun. Ready?" The two of them nodded after a moment. "Go!"
I heard the ding of a quest go off in my head. I ignored the instinctive desire to open up the HUD, knowing it was buried under other blue screens.
I hummed in consideration, deflecting from that topic. "So, hypothetically speaking, what prevents me from just strolling up to them and handing the hat over the moment these 10 minutes have passed?" I ask.
"Ho?" She asked with a hint of steel in her voice, which was just about the first emotion I'd seen in our sensei since meeting her. "So quick to dismiss the idea of an apprenticeship, are you? I may just be a tokujo, but rest assured that there is plenty I can teach you. Having a dedicated teacher, as opposed to having to share with two other girls that are in a league below you, will get you what you want much quicker."
I was not really deterred… much. "I'm sure, but that's not really enough to condemn my two best friends to the Genin corps. Isn't Konoha's whole thing to nurture bonds of companionship between her shinobi?"
"Then you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss people from the genin corps just because they do not receive special teaching. Being taught by a Jonin instructor is a privilege, not a right, and they are not lesser in any way except us Jonin deciding individuals like you are better worth of our time." Somehow, in that sentence, she'd managed to chastise me for calling the Genin corps lesser while also openly claiming they were less worthy. Damn, she was good at this whole "say without saying" thing. Still-
"I can personally attest to the two of them's skills being more than fit for the team. Their talent's wasted on the corps."
"Then they shouldn't have any trouble with my exam, would they?" She asked. "But if you really need the extra motivation... if the two of them are so far beneath you that you feel the need to hold yourself back, then I will disqualify both them and you if I see you pulling your punches to hand them a free victory. I do not wish for insubordinate genin in my team, nor brats riding the coattails of their stronger partner that need handouts.”
I looked at her for a moment, before shaking my head. "You've read my file. I can go toe to toe with Uchiha Itachi. You knowthat I can fold the both of them like a pile of clothes, and it doesn’t make sense to not assign me to a team. Who put you up to this?"
Her eyes glinted with interest and maybe a little amusem*nt. "Why don't you tell me what you believe?"
Reaching up to rub my temples, I entered Analysis Mode.
No, it wasn’t an actual thing. I’m just having a big think.
“No one in this village outranks the Hokage, so if it were him, there would be no need to even disguise this as something I have a choice in. He says jump, I ask ‘how high’.
“You aren’t one of Danzo’s men,” Because I remember from a scene in the anime that you opposed him and stuck around even after ROOT was gone, “His style is all stick and no carrot, but you’re still ANBU. This is all occurring in the Hokage’s eye but not aboveboard, because… the old man doesn't actually play around with the shadow ops too much. Still, considering what my ability is best known for by the big heads,” I glanced at her, but whether she knew it or that sentence confused her, she didn’t show it. “You’re not even trying to get me into your genin team at all.” I accused.
“And why would that be the case?”
“Because the other part of my kekkei genkai makes me into a terrifying assassin.” This time, I searched hard for any sign that betrayed anything in her expression, and I was rewarded with the briefest look of confusion. “So you didn’t know. Still, the intention here is clear- either way I’m being forced to go down the Secret Ops route, and you are… what, the ANBU Commander’s way of snatching me out of Danzo’s grasp? Alternatively, I flunk this, and I get tossed into Genin Corps and promptly disappeared by the councilman?”
Another ding in my ears alerted me to something, together with the brief noise that accompanied a stat increase, a boon received, or a title gained. Who knows what it was? Not f*cking me with my broken HUD, apparently.
Yugao, after my analysis turned into a mini-outburst, simply raised an eyebrow before leaning back on one of the pillars. “You have three minutes left before they come. Do not disappoint.” With that, she offered me the hat.
“f*cking hell…” I grumbled, before vaulting over and onto one of the poles, grabbing the hat as I did. A few hand signs later, and I had to double over in exertion for a moment as about three-fourths of my chakra reserves left- this was by far the most chakra intensive jutsu I knew, simply because my chakra control did not reduce the fact that it cut my chakra supply to give to the clones.
I didn’t like making shadow clones much because I didn’t like looking at mirrors, but they were useful. I settled for Henging one of them as they transformed; one of them was clearly an older-looking, androgynous version of me that didn’t hurt my sensibilities to look at. The other, I didn’t bother changing, but he… she… it, the chakra construct, had no hat to differentiate from me.
“f*cking hell.” Older Tomo swore, and the two of us grimaced in response.
“Ain’t that the truth?” Younger Tomo sighed. “This is a whole situation and a half.”
I blinked, as I thought of something. “Can you guys check-” “Doesn’t work.” the two of them chorused immediately, and I groaned. “Well, there’s that avenue.”
Younger Tomo raised its hand. “Well, I’m off. Do I need to stay around to pop can I do whatever on my end?”
I thought about it. “So long as you do what you’re supposed to, you can do whatever unless you need to inform me real quick of something. I might need the chakra later though, so-”
“No you won’t.” Older Tomo rolled his eyes, putting a hand on my head. “If you have to step in, it means that they got past me, and they won’t, and you get whatever I had left. Just go.”
“Aye aye.” The two of us chorused, and we skedaddled as Older Tomo stayed up on top of the pole. As I got to my hiding spot, Yugao appeared next to me.
“Interesting conversation with yourself. People with Shadow Clones typically prefer to have them act as subordinates in a clear chain of command,” she commented. “And are you that eager to throw in the towel?”
“They like their independence. I know I do.” I replied with a shrug. “And I didn’t leave the clearing.”
“One-third of you did.” she countered.
“Does the clone truly count? It doesn’t even have the hat.” I fired back.
She hummed for a moment in consideration. “I suppose it doesn’t as long as it doesn’t attack them." She eventually conceded, eyes settling on me. "But what use is a clone that doesn’t participate in the fight?”
“I typically use them for chakra storage and other things. Draining myself of chakra puts the strain on my body to regenerate more, so when I pop the clone, I can have the rush of chakra back.”
“Hmm.” She replied, though she didn’t seem particularly convinced.
I honestly didn’t care for her to be.
