Chapter 12 - Kage wo Hodoki (Untie the Shadow)

“Cheerful as ever Tsunade.”
Every head in the room whipped around. That voice…
“Third Hokage? I was wondering when you were going to get here,” Lady Tsunade said pleasantly, offering the older man a chair.
“So, which is it? I was surprised that you and Jiraiya have both taken on an apprentice. I was even more surprised to hear that you had a chunin for me to train. It’s good for me to stay active.”
I wonder who the lucky one is? The Third Hokage…He hasn’t aged much since he retired…He looks younger, if anything. Ekyt thought.
“You’ll know him Lord Hokage. Ekyt Kaguya?” Lady Tsunade pointed to the kneeling Ekyt.
“Me, Lady Tsunade? I-I’m honored!” Ekyt sputtered. They picked ME to learn from the Third Hokage? This is a huge surprise!
Next to him, Sakura squeezed his hand. I’m proud of you Ekyt-kun. You worked so hard, and you’re finally getting a break. Now we’re both learning from legends!
Ekyt could only stare blankly at the floor until the Third Hokage acknowledged him.
“There’s no need for such formality, I’m not Hokage anymore. You know me Ekyt. Although, I confess, the Kaguya part is new. And the fact that you appear to be holding hands with Sakura…and ANBU? I knew you were talented, but Jr. Black Ops at 19?”
Lady Tsunade put a hand on Ekyt’s back.
“This is one of my two newest chunin, Sarutobi,” Tsunade announced proudly.
The Third smiled. “So you made it…all the times I had to deny you entry to the exams…I’m very pleased that you made it to chunin.” The retired Hokage drew himself up. “My job is to get you to jonin. Since your ANBU rank comes with “Specialized chunin,” (Something Ekyt wasn’t aware of, and it showed on his face) you need to choose between “Jonin” and “Tokubetsu Jonin” so I can gear your training toward your selection.”
Ekyt gulped, then forced himself to stand. “I don’t want to be tied down to one area Sir. I want to teach, to lead squads, to proctor…same as before.”
Sarutobi (Formerly 3rd Hokage) nodded sagely. “There was never a doubt in my mind. Black Ops missions are few and far between at times. Have you a career other than that?”
Ekyt shook his head. “No, I”
“Yes you do! Or, you will! Come in, please!” Tsunade called to the hallway.
“Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?” Sakura asked, surprised to see him.
“Being a jonin!” he exclaimed proudly. Sakura gave him a big hug, while Ekyt shook his hand, which turned into a stiff hug between comrades.
“Lady Tsunade, I want to try my hand at squad leader for the interim three month period. And I need to feel secure that my classes will be well taken care of in my absence…If he’ll take, I’d like to appoint Ekyt Kaguya for the position of Academy Instructor while I’m trying my hand at leading a squad.”

Lady Tsunade broke into an even bigger grin at the obvious shock on Ekyt’s face. She watched as Jiraiya went over and gave the kid a slap on the back. Somehow, that jolted him back to reality. He nodded vigorously, apparently unable to speak.
“Should a mission for the Jr. ANBU agent come up, I need to be certain that there will be another teacher lined up. Ekyt, that will become your responsibility. Understood?”
“Yes Lady Tsunade! And…thank you. And you Iruka-sensei,” Ekyt managed, flushing with well-contained pride.
“You deserve a chance to show what you can do. I was not able to do that when I was Hokage. It is thankful that Lady Tsunade has found a way,” Sarutobi said with a mild chuckle.
“Times have changed Sarutobi. The need for jonin has allowed me to bend the rules. Besides, this young man defeated a kage in battle. I couldn’t hold him back anymore. He’s survived both Uchiha boys, Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and countless other enemies. If none of them killed him, the chunin exams weren’t going to do it. Besides, he’s got a girlfriend now and I’d say he’s grown quite a lot in four years. Apparently lil’ Sakura thinks so too…”
Ekyt and Sakura could only shake their heads tolerantly. What were they going to say?
“Alright then, it’s settled. Oh, one more thing Ekyt- how about showing all of us that new vest?”
Ekyt managed a nod. He reached for his ANBU shirt…
Sakura stood stoicly. Inner-Sakura, however…
CHA! Yes! That’s it kid, gimme the show! That’s the ticket!
Ekyt stopped. “I’m sorry, I nearly forgot…” with a somewhat teasing grin at Sakura (And a thought of “What the hell? Did I just smile at her?”), Ekyt tossed a smoke bomb down.
Seconds later, when the smoke cleared, Ekyt was standing, back military straight, in a chunin uniform. The brand new green vest made him look like all the others. It needed a few alterations, as it was a little big, but it was just about perfect for him.
CHA! So close to seeing the chest! Inner-Sakura sighed.



Ekyt walked out with Sakura. He seemed to be more relaxed than Sakura had ever seen him.
She decided to ruin that.
“Ekyt-kun…d-do you want to try dating again?” Sakura asked, acting shy.
“Huh. S-sure. I mean, if you want to…”
Sakura took his hand gently. “I would…oh, I forgot, come with me!”
She dragged the shocked Shinobi to one of her favorite places.
“It’s beautiful in fall!” Sakura exclaimed. She had lead Ekyt to a narrow pathway by a hill that was just outside the Village. The fall foliage made for a picturesque scene.
The two walked on the path, leaves crunching under their feet. They came to Sakura’s favorite spot. The foliage was perfect here. There were two cherry trees a few feet apart. Their branches intertwined more as the height of the branches increased. They moved slightly in the wind. The wind also tossed Sakura’s hair, something that never failed to gain the attention of the akward Ekyt.
Sakura looked at Ekyt. Her first thought was sadness. His good eye was so full of life, even though you could still see depression in it. His ruined eye did little to taint the scene, but it saddened Sakura nonetheless.
“Ekyt-kun, isn’t it beautiful here?”
Ekyt nodded his agreement.
“Do you remember the first time I brought you here?” Sakura asked him, real curiousity in her voice.
“I do. You talked about a dream you had…about kissing a boy under the cherry blossoms. And then you said it was like the “School Girl” fantasy that boys get…”
“Okay, let’s focus on the first part Ekyt-kun,” Sakura suggested. She sat down on large rock. Sakura patted it’s smooth surface with one gloved hand, wordlessly asking Ekyt to sit next to her.
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.
This took Ekyt by surprise. “For what?”
Sakura had tears in her eyes. “For being weak. You beat Sasuke at the chunin exams, and what did I do? I checked on him instead of you!”
Ekyt breathed a sigh of relief. “Is that all? Sakura-chan, that’s okay, it’s nothing to worry about. Sasuke meant a lot to you. Something that means so much to you isn’t easy to forget. Besides, I understand…”
Sakura was still crying. “Why am I so weak? No one thinks I can do anything! I don’t want to be weak!”
“You’re a strong girl, Sakura. There’s only a handful of people I know who could fend of Itachi Uchiha. Don’t sell yourself short, Sakura.”
Sakura pushed herself as close to Ekyt as she could. She felt his shaking arm on across her shoulders. She gave small sigh of contentment, then snuggled up to him and buried her face in his vest.
I’ll show everyone…I’ll prove Ekyt right. I’ll be as strong as he believe I am…


Ekyt could hardly believe all that had just happened to him. Tomorrow he would be teaching an academy class, learning from a retired Hokage, and possibly being sent on some Black Ops mission. Not to mention Sakura.
As he was walking home, mulling all this over in his head, he passed Naruto.
Naruto had an uncharacteristically disturbed expression on his face. Even Ekyt, in his daze, took notice. He was one to think of other people’s problems before his own. Neglecting his own problems made him nearly ill at times, but he couldn’t bring himself to ignore a friend’s problem.
“Naruto, anything I can help with?” Ekyt asked the troubled genin.
“Huh? Oh, well, I doubt it. I just…thought I would be a chunin. But Iruka-sensei told me Ebisu voted no…”
Ekyt narrowed his good eye. “I heard about your fight with Lee…I watched it on tape…you deserved to be a chunin…I know what the deal is. Naruto, I’m going to have a little talk with Ebisu. We’ll just see how that smug idiot likes having this thrown back in his face, for once. Now, the second thing that’s bothering you- and don’t bother lying, I know there’s at least two things…”
Naruto rubbed the back of his neck while looking around uncomfortable.
“It’s Sasuke. I mean, we used to rivals, maybe even friends…but now he’s completely evil…It bothers me that someone could change…just like that…change…Now we’re not even rivals…”
To Naruto surprise, Ekyt’s face morphed into one of unmistakable sorrow and understanding. “Let’s talk somewhere else…” Ekyt said in a hushed tone.


“My former student…Chakaro…you remember that he turned on me…what I didn’t say…is that he and I were rivals, much like you and Sasuke. We both strived to be the ultimate martial artists. He has two black belts to my zero…he was a gifted natural, with a tragic past, just like Sasuke. Until that point, Chakaro and I formed a collective yin and yang…We trusted each other, watched each other’s back…”
Ekyt paused for a moment, leaning back against the tree root he had balanced himself on.
“…When he left, things went to hell. We’ve battled several times, but the outcome is always a stalemate.”
Naruto piped up. “So you miss him? Is that it?”
Ekyt shook his head. “No. He’s too evil. What I miss…is someone pushing me to do my best. The nights I’ve spend studying the past four years…They saved me. Chakaro and I met, about three years ago. We fought…he asked me how someone with no natural ability could keep up with someone who trained under a master who knows as many jutsus as Kakakshi-sensei (Orochimaru)…”
“What did you tell him?” Naruto’s curiosity had gotten the better of him.
“I didn’t have an answer, Naruto. Maybe being a ninja was my niche…but I would bet…I would bet that it was knowing that I had to stay even with him that kept me going. If I take a night off, that’s one night that Chakaro has over me.”


Naruto looked on in, amazement in his wide-open blue eyes. Whoa…it’s just like me and Sasuke…But why is Ekyt bringing this up?

As if he had read Naruto’s mind, Ekyt spoke up again.

“It’s frustrating….Naruto, things are going great with my life right now. I’ve got two jobs, I’m being trained by one of the strongest Shinobi in the world”
“You have a hot girlfriend…” Naruto prompted.
“I have a hot…you prick. Anyway, my point is…something is going to happen. Soon. Life NEVER goes this smoothly…Maybe I worry too much, but I can feel it…something is going to happen…”
Ekyt shook his head, removing the thoughts.
Naruto had one more question, however.
“Ekyt, what’s your goal? I mean, I know your Shinobi way…but where do you want to go with it?”
Ekyt thought for a few seconds, but replied quickly. “I want to be the most trustworthy village in the ninja, someone Lord Hokage can count on for anything. Someone people come to with their problems, or come to for protection. Someone who is trusted by everyone.”
Naruto sighed at the response. “Thank God. For a second thought, I thought that you were going to say you wanted to be Hokage.”
Ekyt gave a smile and clapped Naruto on the shoulder. “One part of my Shinobi way is to not steal the dreams of my friends…You are MORE than welcome to the Hokage title Naruto.”
Ekyt got up and stretched himself.
“Besides, to paraphrase Shikamaru, paperwork is a drag.”



Lady Tsunade showed Sakura a more advanced chakra scalpel. But the pink-haired kunoichi seemed to be worried.
“Anything wrong Sakura?” Tsunade asked. She wasn’t the type to make friends. Sakura was an exception.”
Sakura looked at the floor. “I-I’m just a little worried Lady Tsunade. I always need to be rescued…how to I become stronger in combat? I don’t know what to do…”
“It’s amazing what thoughts a boy can invoke. Sakura, you already ARE powerful.”
Sakura made a small sound of question, which prompted Lady Tsunade to continue.
“Ekyt told me about the time you fought Sasuke during the chunin exams…and now, four years later, you fought his brother, one of the strongest Shinobi alive, saved your boyfriend, and lived to tell the tale. You know how Ekyt is…he was absolutely a wreck that he couldn’t protect you…so I just explained something to him, and he settled right down.”
“What did you tell him Lady Tsunade?” Sakura questioned, a hint of urgency in her voice.
“I asked him what he found attractive, beyond physical beauty. Purity of heart, courage, and strength is what he said. You know how steadfast Ekyt is about keeping his word…Well, this case is no different. That boy is SURE that you are all of those things. And I KNOW he’s right.”


“Everybody listen up!”
Iruka’s voice boomed throughout the classroom, shutting down the student’s chatter.
“As you may have heard, I have been promoted to jonin. For at least three monthes, I will not be here. I’m going to try my hand at being a squad leader.”
“So what happens to us?!” came the inevitable shout from the back.
“I have already selected my replacement.”
“But we’ll miss you Iruka-sensei!”
Iruka smiled kindly. “And I’ll miss all of you…but you’ll graduate, and maybe you’ll be in my squad. Besides, I’ll see you around the village. Maybe you’ll still be here when I come back…although I hope not, because all of you, even you Okkuu, have the potential for much more than this classroom can offer you.”
Iruka panned the classroom, smiling widely, before he continued.
“So, my replacement! I’ll let him introduce himself. Good luck to all of you!”


The classroom buzzed with life. Who was the replacement, they wondered. And where was he? Shouldn’t he be here?
Okkuu Kazuki got up and walked to the desk at the front of the room. He looked at the door that the teacher was going to come in from. In a Naruto-ish prank, Okkuu placed a bucket of water on top of the door. The green and blue gi somehow suited the little troublemaker’s untidily combed black hair.
“Hey, don’t do that!” Yuuka Momoko declared. Yukka was an uptight kunoichi, twelve years old. She had long brown hair and eyes to match. Her choice of dress was based on her love for springtime. She had one yellow flower in her hair, which (according to her, anyway) complimented her pink shorts and yellow shirt.
Tatsuya Tsubasa looked over at Yuuka. Wow, does she look cute today! Boy, she’d never even give me the time of day! Time to score some points!
Aloud, Tatsuya called “Yeah Okkuu, come on! Give the new guy a break!”
“Hey, he’s not here, and he should be! This is what he gets!” Okkuu replied. He ran back to his seat and took the position of a perfect, innocent student.


Ekyt opened the door. SPLASH!

“HA! YES! SCORE ONE FOR OKKUU!”
Ekyt lifted the bucket off his head, wondering if Umisu waking up Lady Tsunade had drawn him this assignment.
“Hmm…interesting…I’ve never hated someone on first site before. Okkuu, was it?” Ekyt asked in a Kakashi-esque drawl.
“Now you’ve done it Okkuu!” shouted Yuuka, who was unaware that Tatsuya was watching her intently. Belatedly, he shouted his agreement.
“Yeah! Why’d you have to go and piss off the new sensei?!”


Ekyt shook his head. All this seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place it…He stopped trying. He began to weave his hands together.
“He’s going to attack!” Okkuu shouted, leaping behind his desk, peeking out over the top.
Ekyt shook his head again. “Dragon’s Ember Jutsu: Clone Instigation.”
A clone of him popped up and used the jutsu, aiming it at Ekyt. The fire washed over him, to the shock of his new class.
“That’s better,” said the newly dry Ekyt. “Now, down to business. My name is Ekyt Kaguya, and I am here to cover for Iruka-sensei for the next three months, at least. Now, I’m supposed to have all you ready to graduate in two weeks…well, all except three of you. Let me see…Kazuko, Okkuu…Momoko, Yuuka…and Tsubasa, Tatsuya…Please see me after class. No, you’re not in trouble (Ekyt smirked at their scared faces).”


“Now, let’s begin. You all know WHAT chakra is, and how to use it for basic jutsu. Today, I’m going ask you all your clan’s specialty…”
“Come on, come on, just show us some jutsus Ekyt-sensei!” Okkuu yelled.
Ekyt looked at Okkuu. “You don’t want me to do that…it would be cruel to show you my specialty.”
“I could handle it! You know it!”
Ekyt shook his head. He was losing respect with the kids.
“You seem to think you’re powerful Okkuu…tell me, what is your clan’s specialty?” Ekyt asked kindly.
“My clan, the Kazuko’s, are responsible for Konohagakure’s landscape! The trees are all by us!”
“I meant your jutsus…” Ekyt told him patiently.
“Well, I DO know this one…”
“Go ahead and try it on me.” Ekyt’s voice silenced the entire class.
“What? You’ll get killed! You couldn’t dodge a bucket of water, how are you gonna dodge an expert jutsu?”
Ekyt pulled off his chunin uniform, revealing his ANBU clothes.
“I can handle it…”
Okkuu stopped his gloating and posteuring. “Y-you’re ANBU?”
“Afraid so,” Ekyt told him coldly. “Now, please, go ahead and attack, I won’t hurt you…”
Dejected, Okkuu sat down.


“Excuse me…Ekyt-kun!”
Sakura ran across the floor, jumping sloppily onto Ekyt.
“I missed you soooo much Ekyt-kun! I’ve been meaning to show you this all day!”
Sakura gave a wicked grin.
“Sexy jutsu!”
Ekyt’s eyes widened. The girl in front of him wasn’t Sakura. She was, however, naked.
“You’re soooooo smart Ekyt-sama! Maybe you could teach ME something…” came the girl’s innocent plea. Or not so innocent, considering the fact that she was naked. The girl blew a kiss.
That was all she wrote for the pervy samurai…a giant nosebleed ensued, sending the chunin backward into the wall, where he seemed to stick for a moment before sliding down, too dazed to move.
With a “poof”, the girl turned into a hysterical Naruto.
“I got you good Pervy Samurai! Believe it! The look on your face…the nosebleed! You’re as big a perv as Iruka-sensei!”
The recovered Ekyt leapt to his feet. “CUT THE STUPID TRICKS! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!” he shouted.
Naruto laughed. “Yeah right, that didn’t work when Iruka-sensei said it!”
“No?” said a voice from behind Naruto. “Well then…maybe you should be disciplined…”
Naruto turned to find Ekyt standing behind him.
“I’m sorry Naruto. Good joke. Class, this is Naruto Uzumaki, a good friend of mine, in addition to being the number-one hyperactive, knucklehead, maverick ninja show-stopper. The emphasis on knucklehead…”

Naruto’s eyes twinkled with mischief.
“This is Ekyt Kaguya, a friend of mine. But he’s also known as the pervy samurai, due to his habit of peeping on bathing kunoichi…”
“Damn it, I SAID that was an accident!” Ekyt shouted back.
“Hey, hey, what would Sakura say if she knew you were about to kill me?!” Naruto asked, playing his ace.
Ekyt played his. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her…” he replied as he rolled his neck.


NEXT ISSUE: IRUKA’S TEAM, AND ONE VILLAGE’S UNREST MAY LEAD TO ANOTHER VILLAGE’S DEMISE! EKYT STARTS TRAINING WITH THE THIRD HOKAGE. BUT WHAT DOES ROCK LEE HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

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