“That’s the one.” Tsunade-sama announced as I entered her office. Before me was a bearded man with a cigarette, a blond girl, a rather chubby guy, and a chuunin with a ponytail. “Riku, these shinobi will be your new team. This is Sarutobi Asuma, the jounin of Team 10.”
“Nice to meet you,” he greeted kindly. I nodded back, but wondered how he managed to keep his cigarette in his mouth when he spoke.
“I’m Akimichi Chouji. Say, do you like eating barbecue?” He asked while munching on a bag of potato chips. I heard about his clan before. They needed a lot of energy to be able to perform their secret technique, the Multi-Size Technique, or so I've read.
I tilted my head to the side and shrugged. “I don’t have any dislike towards it. Sure, why not?” He grinned in return, not once stopping to eat his snack.
“Hey, I’m Yamanaka Ino! My family runs the Yamanaka Flower Shop near the market; you should check it out sometime.” I’ve heard of the Yamanaka Clan, too. They’re Mind Body Disturbance Technique enabled the clansmen to take control of other people’s bodies. They’re also apparently a strong part of Konoha’s interrogation team.
Finally, the boy with the tired look in his eyes introduces himself after a yawn. “Haa…I’m Nara Shikamaru, the one you’re replacing on this team.”
Three clans on one team, and they worked well together. The Nara Clan’s kekkei genkai was the Shadow Gathering Technique, the technique to possess the shadows of their victims so they could no longer move. I could see rather clearly why these three were put on a team.
I raised an eyebrow and turned to the Hokage, as well as the rest of the team. “Now you’ve lost me.”
“Shikamaru was the only genin to pass the Chuunin Exam earlier this year, so technically he is no longer a part of Team 10. Instead, you will be the third genin on this team.” The Hokage explained factually. I felt rather odd replacing a friend of theirs, so naturally, I spoke up about it.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked, just a bit hesitant about how the team would act towards me. I expected them to be rather hostile but they all showed great kindness and welcome to my arrival. I shrugged and just accepted this change. “What about the balance in the team, and whatever else teams do?”
“We’ve heard you’re a pretty good genjutsu user.” Shikamaru stated nonchalantly. “They would have the same or similar effects on the opponent as my jutsu. It’ll work out.”
The five of us were dismissed and Asuma-sensei brought us to the first training field. Shikamaru tagged along because he would give me pointers on how to work with Ino and Chouji. No effort was needed to learn that he’s a smart one. Lazy, but smart. Ino was rather hot-headed. In ways she reminded me of Naruto, but she seemed to be the one that kept the team together in a sort of menacing kind of way. She liked to have her way and the two males often didn’t complain, probably because it was ‘too troublesome,’ in Shikamaru’s words. Chouji is like this big friendly teddy bear. Although he’s large in size, he's gentle and kind – except when you call him fat. I was told that the word is taboo around him before I had the chance to make the mistake.
“You’re a quick learner,” Asuma-sensei commented while we took a break. “You get along with the team well, too.” My new two teammates, as well as the chuunin, responded with smiles. They’re a happy bunch. I like that.
“I can’t thank you guys enough for taking me in.” I said while falling onto my back to look at the sky as I caught my breath. The sun was starting to set, so there was a beautiful mix of purple, blue, orange, yellow, and red streaming across the sky. “After dealing with shinobi like the ones in the Hot Springs Village, I’m a little surprised from the kindness I’ve been given here. In a way, it’s sort of weird, actually.”
There was some light laughter before the jounin rested his hand on my shoulder as I sat up. “You know, every shinobi in the village has the Will of Fire in them.” He started before letting his hand drop. “We all must love, believe, cherish, and fight for the village’s sake. It’s our belief that love is the key to peace. We’re all a part of this village, so we must look out for each other. We’re like one big family.”
“You’re a Konoha shinobi now too, so you’re part of our family.” Chouji finished with his mouth full. I let out a relaxed sigh before falling down on my back again.
“Is that so?” I murmured with a faint smile.
I wasn’t sure what to think. After being alone all my life, so much warmth was thrown at my face. It was all just so weird suddenly feeling…loved, in a family-companion sort of way. Not that it was a bad thing. I just think it’ll take a bit of getting used to.
It’s been three months since I joined Team 10 and I discovered that it was rather easy to get along with them. I noticed that Ino seemed to have some sort of rivalry against Sakura when we encountered Team 7 once. I didn’t really listen, but I did hear something along the lines of “Sasuke’s mine!” Apparently he was rather popular amongst the girls, and I could see why. He’s definitely attractive, that much is true, but I was never familiar with the concept of intimate relationships or anything that could even remotely be considered romantic. I never had much time to indulge in that when I was busy scraping food together to survive.
On the topic of my joining of Team 10, Naruto was incredibly bummed that I joined another team. Sakura voiced her disappointment as well, but I was congratulated for finding a team nevertheless. We all understood why things went as they did, anyway.
After going on several more D-Ranked missions and training sessions, I had mastered several formations with the two other genin. Shikamaru joined us several times when he wasn’t busy with his own work. I’d say I became rather good comrades with him as well. Finally, after weeks of getting to know my team, my first C-Ranked mission with them was an escorting mission. Our job was to bring this merchant back to the Land of Iron, so I’m a little excited to see some old acquaintances again.
“Don’t slack off too much, Shikamaru!” Ino called as we left. The lazy-ass sighed but gave a crooked smile as he saw us off. From what I've seen during these past few months, he’s a really good friend to them, and even to me as well.
“When we come back, let’s go eat barbecue!” Chouji added with a cheerful grin. With nothing else to shout at him, the chuunin turned to head back into the village while we started for the Land of Iron with our client, Shuuzouhin Ureru.
He was in his mid-thirties and had a rather large bag with him. I assumed he was fit and strong because he travelled a lot and carried several things on his back all the time. Nevertheless, he didn’t want to risk getting robbed on his way back home.
The Land of Iront is a neutral land of samurai. They’re really strong, too, and the shinobi villages respect their neutrality, so nobody challenges their force. My favorite part about that land is the Three Wolves, which are the mountains that the land is formed by. The area is covered in snow so we all had scarves, gloves, and thicker clothing to wear when we got to the snowy areas, which would be in about six days. Normally it would take just three or four days if we ran.
“What kind of things do you sell?” Ino asked as the village gates went out of sight. “You seem to have a lot of cool stuff.”
Ureru seemed glad to tell us about his inventory, since he smiled as he spoke. “I sell and trade all sorts of things, from common items to ancient artifacts, like this one.” The merchant pulled out a small item wrapped in rags. We kept walking, but closed in a bit to see the item he was holding in his hands. As he unwrapped it, a small metal plaque was revealed. Imprinted on it seemed to be a bell of some sort. At least, I was pretty sure it was a bell.
Asuma-sensei stood up straight again with a puzzled look in his eyes. “That symbol looks oddly… familiar.” He commented while looking up at the merchant. “Where did you get this from?”
“I found this myself five years ago.” Ureru started, seemingly glad that the jounin asked about it. “After the war in the Ghost Village, I scavenged the area and found this. It’s an original piece from the Shurikane clan’s compound. This symbol here is their clan symbol.”
“What’s the Shurikane clan?” The blond kunoichi asked, but I glanced to the side. I heard of them before. It rang a bell, at least, but I couldn't quite place it. I assumed I'd seen it while looking through the library as some point or another.
While our client put away his item, he gave us a minor history lesson. It seemed like he really knew his stuff. I suppose he had to if he wanted to sell his items properly.
“The shinobi of the Shurikane Clan were capable of performing amazing genjutsu. Those who awakened the kekkei genkai, the Youkugan; their power was even more extraordinary. I find that it's such a tragedy that the entire clan was destroyed during the war.” He murmured at the end with a sigh and a shake of his head. “I'm so fortunate to have such an item in my possession, ahaha!”
Everybody’s noses were red by the time we arrived at the village. Although none of us really felt that cold, it affected us physically. Runny noses and rosy cheeks were small side effects of the weather, but it was no big deal. Ureru thanks us several times and even invited us to stay for the night. It was almost midnight when we arrived, so Asuma-sensei reluctantly agreed. It was probably safer to accept this offer rather than camping outside in the snow. We had to restock on items, anyway.
The merchant first led us to his house and apologized for its size. Although he lived alone, he had an extra room in his house that we could use. “I’m sorry for the cramped space. I could always take you to a hotel and pay for your stay there, if you wish,” he offered, but was declined. Better to accept his hospitality than to have him spend his money on us.
As soon as we dropped off our things, we started for the general’s manor.
“Ah. Welcome back, Ureru-san.” The general, Mifune-sama, greeted us with a kind yet stern look. He’s a humble man; calm and levelheaded. I respected him quite a bit. “I trust that these shinobi brought you back without a hitch?”
“Of course, Mifune-sama. I hope you don’t mind that I’m letting them stay at my house. I realize that I should have asked you first, but I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem.
“No need to worry, Ureru-san. It will not be a problem, especially since we have an old friend of ours here as well.” Mifune-sama added with a smile directed towards me.
My team looked towards me with confused looks but I just greeted the general with a modest smile and wave. “It's good to see that you're doing well.”
“How in the world do you know him?” Ino immediately asked, stunned.
“I just helped them fight off a few rogues while I was in the area, but they would've handled the situation easily without my help anyway.” I answered with a shrug.
Mifune let out a hearty laugh and shook his head. “Don’t be so humble, Riku-san. Every ounce of manpower helps in a battle. Feel free to stay as long as you wish.” I looked back at my team with a sheepish look and shrugged. They seemed either confused or slightly impressed with my connections but hey, who was complaining.
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Chapter notes: D-Rank missions are boring so let's skip to the (arguably) funner stuff.
Chapter end notes: Thanks for reading ~