Chapter Twenty-Two: Kabuto I
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December 2nd, Year 68, Kabuto's Orphanage
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"Ah, Kabuto-kun, you've come to visit!" Nono-obasan greeted me with a cheerful face as I entered the front yard of the orphanage. Her happiness was contagious, and her smile brought one to my own face.
Upon hearing her exclamation, some of the older children came running out and enveloped me in tight hugs.
"Kabuto-niisan is here to visit!"
"Niisan, niisan, are you here to play with us?"
"Niisan, did you bring candy?"
Came the collective gaggle of the children. These children, whom I loved dearly as my younger siblings, always brought joy to my heart.
"Mou! Shota-kun, Nana-chan, Jinba-kun, stop bothering your nii-san," Nono-obasan reprimanded from the side, though her smile remained. I laughed happily and patted the children before handing them a bag of treats that I had brought along. They eagerly accepted them, hugging me once again and expressing their gratitude.
"Okay, you three should share them with the others. And I can't play with all of you today, I have to go and meet my team soon. I have finally become an official ninja!" I announced proudly to the children, who looked at me with stars in their eyes.
"Wow, nii-san is a ninja now!" Nana-chan exclaimed with excitement. "You're going to do cool missions from now on. I'm so jealous of you, Kabuto-niisan," Shota-kun and Jinba-kun pouted, but their excitement was still evident.
"Yes, Kabuto-kun is truly amazing, isn't he? But you all should stop bothering him and go share those treats with your other siblings," Nono-obasan said with a smile, to which the children obediently complied.
She then turned to me and gently hugged me before saying, "You have finally become a Ninja. You have started on the path to your dream of becoming a great Medical Ninja. I am so proud of you, Kabuto-kun."
Blushing at her sentiment, I felt a surge of happiness from the compliment. Seeing my mother figure so elated by this small achievement made me want to excel even more as a ninja, to make her even prouder. And with this, I would be able to contribute more to the orphanage and support my family.
Shota-kun was already studying at the academy and might need some new tools next year. I think I can manage to buy some for him soon.
But my thoughts were interrupted when Nono-obasan lightly bonked me on the head.
Looking up, I saw her amusement-filled gaze as she said, "You don't have to worry about us, Kabuto-kun. We are doing fine. The village provides more than enough funds to support everyone's basic needs. So, I don't want you to worry about the kids. Please focus on yourself for now. It's the prime time for you to advance, learn new things, and make new connections. You will be going on dangerous missions in the future, so you better be careful. Always prioritize keeping yourself and your teammates safe." She finished with a kind smile directed at me.
I nodded solemnly, taking each of her words to heart. I had already promised to do my best, and I would never give up on that promise.
Nono-obasan seemed satisfied and offered me some more advice, "Always listen to your sensei, Kabuto-kun. They know best how to help you. Try to become good friends with your teammates and don't be rude to them. Remember, your teammates will be your confidants, friends, and protectors for the foreseeable future."
I nodded in agreement. I was excited to meet my new teammates. I had only heard from Kou-sensei that they were both geniuses who graduated at the age of 9, which was truly amazing. However, this also made me self-conscious about my own skills. Would I be able to match them? Was I good enough to be friends with prodigies? They were even younger than me...
Nono-obasan seemed to sense my worries and consoled me, "Don't sell yourself short, Kabuto-kun. The Hokage is wise and wouldn't have placed you on a team with two prodigies if he didn't think you had potential. Instead of worrying unnecessarily, you should be proud of yourself."
She said this with a gentle smile.
I was taken aback and asked, "Do you know about my teammates, Nono-obasan?"
She chuckled softly before responding calmly, "Indeed, I do, Kabuto-kun. They are from two important clans in the village. As they graduated early, the higher-ups were looking for a suitable teammate for them, and you were one of the possible candidates due to your skills in medical ninjutsu, they came to me to learn more about you. That's how I found out about your two little teammates; they are really skilled. But I will let you meet them yourself to get to know them."
This revelation surprised me even more. My teammates were from prominent clans... and if the higher-ups conducted a background check on me for them... then they must be important individuals. Can I really keep up with them?
Nono-obasan smiled seemingly understanding my worries. Caressing my hair she reassured me, "You will be fine, Kabuto-kun. Don't overthink things and just meet your teammates first. You may find good friends in them."
Taking her words to heart, I bid her farewell before making my way to the academy to meet my new team.
I just hoped that everything would turn out great from now on!
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I made it to the room that Kou-sensei had told me about. Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I opened the door and found a girl with long brown hair wearing a purple sleeveless high-collared shirt. Beside her stood a tall boy with black hair, dressed in full black ninja gear, with a short sword on his hip. He seemed annoyed and was asking something to a Chunin instructor.
"I thought I would be in an Ino-Shika-Cho team with the older graduates… Why am I with this troublesome woman here? Don't tell me you took the graduation test?" he said, annoyance dripping from his tone.
"Now, now, Kuro… Sigh… Izumi has taken the early graduation test and graduated with flying colors. She has impressed every instructor in the academy. And it was the Hokage's choice to make this team. As for why you aren't in an Ino-Shika-Cho formation… well, it's because the Akimichi of this graduating batch failed his written test because he forgot to bring his lunch on his exam day and rushed back to his house, and missed the start of the exam and the invigilator didn't let him in for being tardy…"
A silence enveloped the room at the Chunin instructor's words. I would be speechless too if I weren't that boy's classmate. Apparently, when he entered the exam hall and tried to get a treat before the exam, he realized he had forgotten his lunch, so he dashed straight out... I don't know how something like that even happens... But... I have seen enough weird things.
The boy, whose name I learned was Kuro, said lazily, "Damn! That moron Chokuro… I knew something happened to him when he didn't come to the gathering… What a drag… So I am stuck with another troublesome Uchiha, huh?"
"HMPH! Who wants to be in a team with a lazy guy like you! But I have decided to still stick around so that you can't go about corrupting Izuna-chan anymore. And I will beat you soon," the girl said with aggression, but her body language told a different story. I didn't understand what she was trying to do, but from Nono-obasan's training, I knew those were some telltale signs of deception.
Kuro didn't seem bothered by the girl's words and instead yawned, earning an angry expression from her. But that was when the Chunin instructor decided to shift the situation by addressing me. He had already seen me when I entered, just like Kuro, but they had decided to wait until now to address it.
"You must be Yakushi Kabuto. Kou-san had said many good things about you. Please come and meet your teammates," the Chunin instructor said.
I complied and bowed before introducing myself, "Hello, my name is Yakushi Kabuto. Nice to meet you both. I am learning to be a medic-nin and hope my skills will be helpful to you in the team."
The girl smiled at me, but the boy looked at me with an intense gaze. His black eyes seemed to be looking right through me, and I felt like a prey being stared at by a predator. My body involuntarily froze up under that gaze.
Thankfully, it didn't last long as he retracted his gaze and looked bored and sleepy. I didn't know what had happened, but it felt like he was angry at me before... was he fine now? Was that some sort of test? These prodigies are scary. I was already sweating as I regained my senses and noticed that the girl was trying to introduce herself.
"My name is Uchiha Izumi, I am from the Uchiha clan! I want to become a strong ninja and master my Sharingan. I also want to beat my rival, so that he can no longer negatively influence my friend!" she introduced herself with great enthusiasm.
I smiled at her fervor and replied, "Nice to meet you, Izumi-san. Please take care of me."
She patted her chest and made a promise, "Of course! I will protect you from that lazy ass from now on!"
I couldn't help but sweat drop at her declaration, feeling a bit wary as I glanced at my other teammate. He seemed trying to fall asleep, but when he noticed my gaze, he gave me a judging stare, sending shivers down my spine.
The boy introduced himself in a flat tone, "My name is Nara Shikakuro, and I want to be a cloud. You may applaud."
I was flabbergasted by his introduction and didn't know how to react. However, before I could gather my thoughts, both the Chunin instructor and Izumi-san shouted at the boy for his uninspiring introduction. But the boy in question didn't seem to care, as he simply muttered something about "troublesome people."
Not knowing how to proceed, Izumi-san decided to help me out, saying, "This lazy ass's name is Kuro. He may have many bad habits, but he is strong. So, don't worry about his lack of enthusiasm."
Although she seemed reluctant to admit Kuro-san's strength, she was still happy about it. I really don't understand how she thinks. Are all girls her age like this? Will my younger siblings from the orphanage become like her too? Girls are so complicated...
The Chunin instructor, looking tired from all the commotion, excused himself, saying, "Okay, now that you're all acquainted, just wait here for your sensei to arrive. He should be here shortly. And... good luck! Make the village proud!"
With that, he disappeared in a whirl of leaves. I believe that technique is called the Body Flicker Jutsu. Maybe one day, I'll be able to learn it too, seems really handy.
Now that the instructor was gone, the room fell silent, and I noticed both of my teammates were looking at me. Izumi-san had a curious expression, while Kuro-san seemed to be contemplating something.
But he wasn't giving off that dangerous sense like before… That was weird.
Being the elder in this situation, I decided to get to know them, but it mainly turned out, Izumi-san answering for both her and Kuro-san, and the boy only lazily adding in sometimes, while having his eyes closed.
It didn't take long before the door to the room was opened, and in came a tall man with a beard and sunglasses. He had a strong aura about him that made me straighten up. Izumi-san seemed to do the same, warily looking at the man, but Kuro-san simply gave him a tired look before yawning.
The man glanced over each and every one of us for a few seconds, and I could feel the intensity of his presence looming over us. It was an overwhelming pressure that I had never experienced before. My legs trembled from the fear it brought me.
My primal instincts were yelling for me to run, as my mind was telling me that I was being looked up on by death.
Izumi-san seemed to be feeling the same, and her eyes had turned red for some reason as she shakily took out a kunai, trying to look threatening. I didn't know how Kuro-san was taking it, as he was behind me and Izumi-san, so I couldn't see him. At that moment, I didn't have the freedom to think about anyone else.
The man with the sunglasses smiled slightly, and the intensity of his presence increased even more. It became unbearable, and I could no longer stand. My legs gave out, and I found myself kneeling, feeling as though I was on the verge of death, helpless before this overwhelming power.
Beside me, I could hear huffing and heavy panting. I believed it was Izumi-san, trying her best to resist with every ounce of her willpower, but ultimately falling short, as fear was creeping in.
Finally, I realized what this was. Nono-obasan had once told me about strong ninjas who could emanate killing intent, capable of killing with their mere presence. I had always thought those were just stories, but now I was facing it myself, and my body was already locked up in fear.
I wondered how many people this man had to kill to gain such a thick intent.
However, there was still something strange about it all. Earlier, I had felt Kuro-san's gaze. Was that also a form of killing intent?
As I tried to occupy my mind with random thoughts to steer away the fear of death, I felt someone walk beside me and stand before me and Izumi-san.
"Come on, Gorilla-san, I think you have tested their willpower enough. Jeez, you are as troublesome as I thought you would be..." I heard Kuro-san's voice, filled with annoyance and defiance.
"Gorilla-san...?" I thought, my heart skipping a beat. Did he just insult the man? Was Kuro-san trying to protect us, or make the man angrier?
But instead of killing all of us, the man laughed out loud, releasing us from his killing intent. He replied, "It was Monkey, not Gorilla, you brat! And forget about that. From now on, I have taken the duty of being your Jonin Instructor."
He then looked at me, still on the ground, and Izumi-san, who was still wary and holding her kunai protectively. He nodded in appreciation and praised, "You two were able to withstand some of my killing intent without passing out or wetting yourselves. Color me impressed. Though the girl did better than you, boy. But no worries, we will work on that soon."
He then addressed all of us together, his voice commanding and firm, "Okay, brats, listen up. My name is Sarutobi Anzo, and I shall be your Jonin Instructor. I will teach you to be your best selves, using any means necessary—blood, sweat, threats, and punishments. Meet me at Training Ground 23 in one hour. Don't be late. Your training starts... NOW!"
And with that, he disappeared, leaving the three of us behind. I heard a thud as Izumi-san fell down to take a seat, trying to calm herself. Meanwhile, Kuro-san stood as if nothing had happened, his demeanor irritated as he muttered, "Troublesome old men..."
I looked down and tried to regain my composure, realizing that this was going to be my life from now on. The path of a ninja, with all its challenges and dangers.
I silently prayed to Sage to keep me safe on this journey.
"Well guess we are a team from now." Kuro-san seemed to say absentmindedly before looking at us and smile softly.
Seeing him smile like that was surprising, as compared to his usual bored visage, it was a contradictory sight. But seeing his smile, calmed me down… And I noticed that Izumi-san was trying to look away but failing hard, again making me confused by her actions.
Maybe I should ask Nono-obasan when I see her again.
Girls are so weird.
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Sigh. Kuro will finally meet an old friend. I feel like crying.
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