60 Little Demon
{Extra chapter since we hit review goals! Keep in mind that the review goal is the sum of all reviews across all 3 platforms I post on (WN, RoyalRoad & Scribblehub), reviews from anywhere count. Thanks for the support!}
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[THIRD PERSON POV:]
Amaya grabbed the toy sword she'd recently stolen from Numa and looked at Aoki lying in the hospital bed with a serious expression, her focused gaze landed on the plastic hilt of the sword before presenting it to him.
"Aki, kill him with this."
Aoki stifled the smile that came across his face and shook his head lightly, "He's my Jonin instructor, it was just a spar that got out of hand." He assured her, patting her on the head.
Aoki was too preoccupied with the bowl of oatmeal that a nurse came in and placed in front of him to notice Amaya's worried expression evolve into one of resolve.
"Then... Amaya will do it herself..." she muttered under her breath, gripping the sword tightly with her tiny hands.
The injured boy was boring a hole into a bowl of oatmeal with a glare. Beneath his calm surface, lay a sea of disgust. If you were to ask Aoki what the worst part of getting beat up was, he'd point to the bowl of oatmeal without a moment's hesitation.
Tomo observed silently, cutting up some apples near the corner of the room while shooting judging glares at Aoki from time to time. She herself didn't know what she was angry at the boy for, but it felt warranted, and so she continued.
The three chatted for a while longer, touching on the twins' decision to join the Academy which Tomo didn't seem to want to talk about much, Aoki expertly changed subjects when that was brought up.
They talked about the prospect of new children being brought into the home as two of the bedrooms were now empty. Amaya tried to fight Tomo on that front, arguing that the rooms were for Sasuke and Aoki they visited, but a stern glare from Tomo made her shut up.
They were about to head home and leave Aoki to get some rest when the door to the room was opened by a smiling man sporting a shiny bowl cut.
"How are you feeling, Aoki?" Guy asked, speaking a lot softer than he usually does. Aoki and his new teacher exchanged a few pleasantries, the former starting off by apologising for taking their spar too seriously.
"It's fine Guy sensei, the nurse said that I should be ok to leave tomorrow!" Aoki tried to placate his teacher's slight guilt, which resulted in the Jonin attempting to give Aoki a tight hug which the boy vehemently blocked, afraid of his bones being turned to soup.
"Amaya will get you..." the child muttered under her breath, staring at the man's bowl-cut with slitted eyes; she thought the man was needlessly tall and decided to start training before trying anything.
Tomo listened to this with a wry smile, deciding that it was time for them to leave and Amaya to have her lunch. The girl had a bad habit of getting overly aggressive when she was hungry.
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[AOKI POV:]
"How are Ichiban and Kuroda?" I asked.
The Jonin smiled, "They're doing great! Ichiban's being treated within the Fuma clan itself and Kuroda's already fully healed, he got sent back home this morning," answered Guy.
'Those guys got off easy.' I complained internally, even if I didn't want to admit it, I was annoyed at how differently we were treated. Yeah, him not taking it as easy on me was a sign of respect, but his respect hurt like a motherfucker.
"Hmph, you should've beat them both up a little more then," I said, crossing my hands in mock anger.
Guy laughed and was about to smack my back before he stopped himself, I was very glad he had the sense to stop when he did. One more hit from him and I might find myself getting transmigrated again.
"I'm aware that I hurt you too much Aoki, and I'm sorry for that. But I wanted to test your mettle... and make sure of something," Guy said, laying a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it lightly.
He continued, a sincere smile forming on his face as he explained, "When you told me that your dream was to become the greatest Taijutsu practitioner ever, I'll admit, I got a little excited."
'Ah... so that's what that was all about...'
I didn't know that my offhand remark had affected him so deeply, I should've known that it would considering Guy's personality.
"You see Aoki, Taijutsu is a discipline that requires a tremendous amount of grit and dedication! Only someone who takes full advantage of their youth can ever dare to have such a dream!" Guy's open palm clenched into a fist, his eyes looking at me directly, "Aoki! With your display at our spar, I can say this with no doubt in my heart, you are one such person!" His voice began to rise, almost becoming a shout.
"AOKI! Listen to me and listen close!" He broke into a pose and pointed his index finger high in the sky. "As long as you have youth by your side, nothing can stop you! If you dream of being the greatest Taijutsu user that this village has ever seen, then let the flames of your youth lift you to that goal! I have no doubt in my heart that you're capable of this... AO-KI!"
By all means, Guy looked ridiculous saying this. With every frame of reference in mind, his words were cheesy beyond all repair; but dammit I couldn't help but get slightly emotional. This must've been Guy's version of the talk no Jutsu, what a dangerous ability it is.
So what if I just said that dream because I couldn't think of anything else? It'll be a fantastic goal to shoot for!
"Yes! Guy sensei, I will do my best!" I firmed the pain and did the most enthusiastic pose I could muster while trapped in a hospital bed.
A single teardrop flowed down from Guy's eye which was soon followed by a downpour from both, he quickly wiped it off with his sleeve and began to speak, his voice getting louder with every word. "The flames of your dedication have moved me Aoki... this... THIS IS WHAT YOUTH IS ALL ABOU-"
*SLAM!*
A nurse burst in with a panicked expression while holding a clipboard, she looked straight at Guy and was moments away from alerting security before we stopped her. It took both of us promising to be quiet before she left without kicking Guy out of the building. We made an unspoken agreement to move on to another topic.
"Since we're an official team now, are we going on real missions soon?" I asked, making sure to not excite Guy too much.
Guy nodded his head with his arms crossed over each other, "Yes!" Just as soon as you're fully recovered we'll be going on our very first mission! Team Guy is officially on duty!"
I couldn't help but be excited, this was everything I'd wanted for a long time. From embarrassing myself during Operation Guy-bait to now being an official member of Team Guy... I've come a long way.
With this, I've shattered canon beyond repair. From now on my moves need to be even more careful and planned out. I can't rely on the original Naruto timeline anymore due to my influence on a character as strong as Might Guy, the formation of a Team Guy before his canon team graduates will definitely have unseen repercussions.
"That's awesome! I can't wait! Don't worry, I'll do my best to recover quickly so pick out a good mission for us in the meantime!" I said, pulling a wide smile over my face. My words were chosen carefully, eluding to my injuries while glazing over them at the same time to inspire a small twinge of guilt in Guy; I hoped that it'd be enough to secure a few good missions quickly.
This reminded me of how I tried to pull one over on Hiruzen in a hospital bed very similar to this one, it was just after I had woken up in this world. Since then my acting skills have seen a tremendous increase in ability. I can't help but cringe when I think of how I acted back then...
'Hiruzen definitely saw right through me, but I appreciate him not calling me out on it.' I thought, a wry smile on my face as Guy got the hint and promised to choose a good mission.
With another visit from the nurse who looked even more ticked off, Guy bid goodbye and promised to visit later.
My mind buzzed with ideas and possible plans I could make for the future, the first of which was a shopping trip to buy some armour so I wouldn't get thrashed like this again. However, the fatigue my body felt hampered any sort of planning I could muster up anytime soon.
With a relaxed smile on my face, I nestled closer to the hospital bedsheets and got ready to have a much-needed rest... even the most youthful ninja need their sleep.
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[A/N: Amaya's training arc begins... the little demon's ascension is nigh!
P.S. Writing Guy is a balance, he's fun but his "youth" can be overwhelming at times, time to find the Goldilocks zone lest he become annoying.
*If you want some extra chapters alongside the 5 every week*
Powerstone Goal for another extra chapter: 380
Review Goal for another extra chapter: <Already reached, this is the bonus chapter>]
