A strange new life

Second to last year of the academy changed focus yet again. Where before it focused on the individual, now we had combat drills, survival training, mock missions, problem solving, diplomacy, logistic and any other number of skills necessary for a shinobi to function in society instead of being just a killing machine.

I think if Iruka-sensei hadn’t been here, this year would have broken Naruto. The kids always avoided him, but now they were old enough to realize something was wrong. No one said anything, but every adult looked at Naruto with distrust, often urging other kids to avoid him. I still did my best to keep him company. We often grouped for activities, that on top of our shared lunch. But I always kept him at bay as well. I was his friend, I was friendly. I wasn’t his emotional support.

It was in this year Naruto started obsessing with Emosuke, and Sakura-chan. I watched from the sidelines, provided what little comfort I was willing, and kept with my training.

I had surpassed this year a hundred kilos in each seal. It was nuts. Maybe those cultivation geeks had a point after all. It took a while to really see the improvements, but no one could deny it. I could compete with the top boys, wearing my weights and not using chakra. My taijutsu was still a mess, but I was improving. I recovered faster, I could perform for longer.

It became glaring obvious, during ninjutsu practice I was way behind the clan kids. By now, all the others of rookie 9, except maybe for Sakura-chan and Naruto, were training on their clan jutsu. I was pretty sure Emosuke burned my hair on purpose, the bastard. But he wasn’t the only: shadow binding, beast transformation, giant hand punch, bugs. Whenever those came into play, I had no answer. I knew only the basic three and fuinjutsu. After one particular nasty beat-down, and another burn attempt I walked to Iruka-sensei.

I took my board, the new and improved version was still in the development phase. I wrote. “Sensei, where can I learn more jutsu?”

Iruka-sensei scratched the back of his head. Squatted in front of me. “Hinata-chan,” he started, “There’s two ways. You learn your clan techniques,” I scowled at him, “or you buy those from the village.”

I erased the words on my board, wrote more. “Are they expensive?”

“Yes, but also no.” He said. I tilted my head. “You can’t buy them with ryo. After you become a shinobi, and finish missions for the village, you’ll earn mission points. You can use those to exchange for new jutsu.”

I glowered at the man. Angrily scribbled on my board. “How I’m supposed to fight those jerks with their clan jutsu using only the three taught here?”

“That is by design, Hinata-chan.” The man explained patiently, “when performing missions for the village, you’ll often meet ninjas more powerful, and with more techniques than you. What will you do then?”

I stomped, glared. I turned around, fuming. What kind of bullshit logic was that? Wouldn’t that make people with better jutsu complacent? I sulked for a while that day. I even went to the mission hall. It was just besides the academy after all.

The shinobi there looked at me eyes full of curiosity. I took my board, erased the previous words, wrote others. “How many mission points for a technique?” I was still sulking. Angry.

Thankfully, the man was on a good mood. Indulged me. “What’s your name?” Shinobi-san asked.

“Hinata.”

Shinobi-san consulted some notes, looked at me strangely. What now, do I have a special note to my file because I’m not a Hyuga anymore?

“A D-Rank jutsu can be exchanged for ten mission points,” The man said. “A C-Rank jutsu, costs twenty-five. But to buy any C-Rank or above, you need permission from your sensei, or as reward for service.”

I nodded. I thought it would be something like that. I wrote another question on my board. “How many mission points for a D and C Rank mission?”

“It varies,” the shinobi started, “D-rank are usually one point, maybe more depending on how long it takes to complete and the client satisfaction. C-rank rewards around five points. More if they are dangerous, and the client satisfaction.”

I wrote on my board again. “Thank you, Shinobi-san.” I showed him the board. Bowed after he read. I left while the man chuckled at my antics.

If I took team 7 as example, they performed around ten D-rank missions, before earning a C-rank. That would be what, one new jutsu? I would need to slave my days completing D-rank missions just to learn basic weak jutsu. I didn’t even want to know how much for a A-rank one. Shame was, I couldn’t even beg the old man Hokage for some cool jutsu. I hadn’t seen him for years, only meeting Secretary-chan to get new chakra control exercises, which reminded me, I need to pay another visit. The last scroll had only one exercise, and I had mastered that one already.

Next day I visited the Hokage tower. Secretary-chan smiled when I walked inside. “Good afternoon Hinata-chan.”

I bowed. Dug inside my bag. Took a prototype cupcake. Presented it to the girl. She took it, ate a small bite. Sighed content.

“It’s good,” Secretary-chan said, “but it feels like it’s missing something.”

I sighed. Dangit. I was trying something new, my masterpiece, my magnum opus. But it seems I was still missing something. I dug in my bag again, handed her the scroll with the exercise.

“You finished it already?”

I nodded. Waited for the next one expectantly.

The woman scratched her head. “I don’t have another.” Secretary-chan admitted. “Hokage-sama told me this was the last one, and you probably would take a few years to master it.”

I blinked. What? I mean, yeah, I guess. Using multiple chakra treads to manipulate objects far away from me, while glued to the ceiling, and keeping multiple things stuck to my body, and still preventing my hair and clothes from being affected was a pain. But it was just that. The sheer amount of things to keep track of was what made the exercise complicated, not the control itself.

The woman walked from behind her corner, hugged me. “Congratulations Hinata-chan!”

I… didn’t know what to do. Maybe what the Hokage meant was that I already have more than enough exercises and experience to create my own exercises? I could always increase the number of threads, and objects I’m interacting simultaneously, as well the number of stuck things, and reduce the area of my body in contact with the ceiling. Yeah, that sounded suitably challenging. I realized what the Hokage meant with that one being the last exercise. It was time to come up with my own.

I wrapped my arms around Secretary-chan. Buried my face in her hair. Relaxed a smidgen. Enjoyed the moment. She smelled nice. Cherry blossoms. It had been so long since someone hugged me. I planted a swift, chaste kiss on her cheeks. Fled the tower with my ears burning.

To put away thoughts of missing mom’s hugs and presence, I went to work on my new communication board. Version 5.1 worked nice, but the hinges I used to allow the board to rotate on the support broke too fast. I needed a new design there, as well change the seals so the pen and eraser were included when I also vanished the board. It was embarrassing having to collect them from the ground when I stored my board.

I had mastered all the fuinjutsu vocabulary availed to me. These days, I spent a lot of times working on improving things. I was working right now on miniature seals. It wouldn’t be long until I could store bigger stuff into smaller seals. But that also left me frustrated. I didn’t want to cobble a hodgepodge of existing functions to create a cumbersome result. That’s how everyone did it. I wanted to truly master it. Master the language, create my own functions. But nowhere I looked taught me how. I hadn’t done anything that would warrant me receiving more stuff from the old man. He had already given me plenty. The one time I asked Secretary-chan, she told me such things are well guarded clan secrets. I started to suspect the old man hadn’t given me all information I needed to master seals.

It was so frustrating. What I needed was a seal master to teach me.