Chapter 5:  Academy (1)

Ninja Academy, what’s that?

It’s a place where the young shinobi train, and sharpen their ability. A place where the ninja that’ll be either the pillar of the village or even grunts gather themselves…

They hone and train many things, including, Martial arts, Throwing arts, Ninjutsu, and even intelligence. Each and every person has their own way to deal with something. Each and every person had their own personality,

While most of them are unruly, there are differences between this generation and the generation before! That is…

“Move your ass, move your ass! The great Hunter-sama will make inspections!”

“Damn it! My hair! My fabulous, and beautiful hair!!!”

“Oy, you bastards! How dare you break the regulation, that hair of yours could be easily pulled like this!” said the man, while pulling the kid’s hair, and savagely use his kunai to cut off the excess hair the kid has.

“My beautifully cordoned hair!!” said the kid while whimpering at the hair that just cut off.

“We, of the disciplinary committee do this for you guys! But if you want to hate us then do so! However, if you want to try and attack me, you better train hard at either running away or defeat me or you’d taste this hunter’s ability, on your body!” said Hotaru with fire in his eyes, and nonchalantly rage the audience that looks at him hatefully, just like he’s someone that killed their parents.

Bloodlust could be felt, although it isn’t as heavy as a murderer’s, the spectator can feel it. Their target of animosity all centered at the man titled hunter, aka the president and founder of the disciplinary committee of Konoha’s Ninja Academy, Hotaru.

That’s what makes the difference between the later and former Academy. It’s created by a person, with the approval of Hokage along with the teachers. With the goal of increasing the healthy sense of competition.

Although their hatred isn’t that healthy… nope, not healthy at all… all the thing the committee does is approved by the chairman, even the family leader of each clan unanimously agreed on the group. It’s just sad that, the leader of those all not one of their clansmen, but an orphan from outside… no, to be exact, a brat from a ramen shop…

Seeing the glee of the other in the group, Hotaru glare at his members and decisively knock their heads.

“Know of the words ‘power abuse’, if any of you do that, I’ll beat you all more than those outside!” bark Hotaru to the member of his group.

“Understood! Leader!”

It’s funny that most of the group members were those of the family clan, like Uchiha, Sarutobi, Nara, Akimichi, and even the Hyuuga… the group has a variety of clan inside of it, and the only non-clan member is Hotaru.

Of course, that’s not because they obliged their leaders to command. Heck, even those leaders always say ‘try to usurp the leader position so we can prove the prowess of our clan’ but, guess what?

They have beaten senselessly because of their idiotic pride honed in their bone, especially those of Hyuuga and Uchiha. They’re eaten so much, so hurt for them. They’d awaken the one tomoe Sharingan, while the Hyuuga cry so much, and train so hard only to get beaten again…

“Leader’s indeed scary… lucky for us that he’s still human…”

“Yeah, if it not because of his small chakra reserve, I bet he’s already a jonin by now…”

“I agree…”

Hotaru was already known as the prodigy of this generation, equal to Itachi. His way of thinking, his speed on learning things, and his wisdom, bring shame to the chunin in the village. If it’s not because of his low chakra, he’d already be counted as a chunin.

As expected, becoming a Jonin at his age is hard, and difficult even for him. As he’d no doujutsu like those in Hyuuga or Uchiha, even a double element isn’t something he had…

What is a double element? It’s another name, that’s kekkei Genkai…

It’s something very rare for a ninja to possess, in the history of Konoha there’s only 1 person that has a kekkei Genkai, and that’s is the founder, the 1st Hokage, Hashirama Senju of the Senju Clan, that sadly only has a person in it…

Like the Uzumaki, Namikaze, and the others. There’re many clans in history that exterminated, or leaving a member of their clan in pieces without even them, knowing about it…

However, Senju still has a clan member left, furthermore, it’s a woman named Tsunade Senju. The late founder’s granddaughter.

“You brat really have a nice team there huh…” said the man with a scar in his face looking at Hotaru

“Oh, if it isn’t Ibiki-san… what’s up?”

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me… you know what I’m talking about…”

“I really don’t know…”

“Seriously?”

“Not even a speck of lie…”

“Haah…” Ibiki sighed, and then grab Hotaru’s head nonchalantly, and gripping it so hard loud cheers in and outside of his group played.

“At last! The heavens have eyes! At last, that damn person got his tribulation!”

“All hail Ibiki-san!”

“All hail Ibiki-san!”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! What the heck?! What’d I do wrong?!” shout Hotaru to Ibiki

“Well, you need to come with me to know that…”

“At least stop this hell grip first!” Plead Hotaru

Smirking at him, Ibiki spoke “Nope” and drag him away, only to receive louder cheers from the students…

.

.

“you’re already at your last year now, what do you think will happen to the disciplinary group?”

“Eh… what is it, so suddenly Hokage-sama…” mumbled Hotaru “I mean, you just brought me here without notice, and Ibiki-sensei just grips my head all the way from the Academy to this place…”

“Hmmph, and you can see many kids thank the heaven and me along the way for punishing the hunter…” continue Ibiki

“I don’t even know, since when we ninja pray to heaven…” Question Hotaru

“And, can we back to our first question now?” spoke Hokage

“Oh right… so, what’s wrong with my last years’ again?”

“Sigh… you should know that it’s near the day you graduate, and seeing how competent you are as a leader of the group, what’d you think about the next leader aside of you?” asked the Hokage

“and, why’d I the one to choose again?”

“you won’t?”

“And why’d I want to?”

“You know that answering question with another is a rude thing, right?” chime Ibiki

“Oh, right… Pardon me…”

“It’s alright, from your answer I can already know about your thinking… so do you have any suggestions? It’s only 3 months left until you’re leaving the academy and officially became a Genin.”

“Why don’t you leave it all to the great messenger of Heaven, Ibiki-sama?”

“Hey, I’ve my own work to do!” said Ibiki

“You do?”

“You do?” asked Hotaru and Hokage at the same time, which left Ibiki baffled by his superior…

“I… don’t really have one at the moment…” Who can blame him, even the Hokage and elders baffled by how peaceful the village is in these several months. Even the death rate of the ninja that go out for the mission already lessened by a lot…

“Okay then, since it’s already decided… I’ll go home…” said Hotaru while waving his hand with a smile, and leaving the office through the door.

“… what kind of monster I create…” said Ibiki mournfully

“a good one, or so I want to believe…” answer Hokage…

Outside of the building, Hotaru humming while he’s walking to the Ichiraku, because of the dwindling customers, he’d have more free time than before. So, knowing that he lacked the chakra needed, he trains in several jutsu that have low chakra need in them.

“That’s wrong… you need to follow this path of the mark so they can create the jutsu you want!”

“This is indeed hard…” he once again tried to create the hand signs, while being coached by Shisui. It’s not only him the other brat like Naruto and Sasuke also come along in this training. Even Sakura and Ino tag along because there’re handsome guys around…

“Which do you think better?”

“I drop my coins to Shisui-san!” said Ino

“Owh… I’ll drop them to Itachi-san, he’s way cooler… but I still Sasuke-Kun’s better…” spoke Sakura, while glancing at Sasuke that near them, and obviously heard their conversation.

Knowing he’s ignored, Naruto tries to act cool and do clone jutsu. *poof*

But the clone he makes are a lifeless bunch of clones, paper-thin…

Laughter filled the place, even Itachi and Shisui chuckle at the show. While Hotaru glance at Naruto, for most, they’d see how incapable Naruto is. But, for him…

“You’re able to create 4 of them, however, the reason they’re all paper-thin is that the inconsistencies on your chakra supply… I really wonder, what’s wrong with your chakra…” question Hotaru to the puzzled brats, while only Shisui and Itachi have taken interest on what Hotaru said like they know something.

Glancing at the 2 Jonin, he stops his analysis.

“Well, let’s stop our practice now. The sun will soon set, the night isn’t good for the little ones!”

“Who’s the little ones?! Dattebayo!” growl Naruto

“Who else but you?” Chide Sasuke

“Hey, little ones! Let’s go back already, shout Hotaru to the brats arguing…

They partway in the middle, while Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke go to the Uchiha compound, Naruto and co go to the resident’s compound, along the way they talk and tell stories. Although Ino and Sakura care nothing but themselves, the girls can also be sweet sometimes. Shikamaru and Choji just walk, while the former wander in thought the later one keeps chewing chips after another.

‘while I’m better than them right now, they’d be better than me later… it’d be lonely to be left behind… but, I don’t really need to be the strongest, isn’t it? The world is so big, there’d be an opportunity to increase my power along the way… I just hope that everything will stay like this… all along, never change… is it egoist for me to think like that, I wonder…’

Think Hotaru, while walking along the sunset, seeing the kids chat and wander along the streets…