Chapter 3 - A History Unfolds: The Dream with a Chance

Twenty minutes later, Akai and Hinata were approaching the park where the Kajihana Clan had set up its vending stalls and makeshift shops. The area was as busy as ever, especially the restaurants, now that it was even later in the night. The Kajihana Soup Café was doing exceptionally well as the two new friends approached it. When they came nearer, Izumi, still carrying her tray of soup bowls, spotted Akai through the crowd.
“Hey, Akai,” she called out, “Mom and Dad are waiting for you.” She motioned with her free arm towards the large cook fire where Akai’s mother was still tending the three cauldrons of soup and his father, having apparently closed the woodshop early for the day, was busy filling bowls. Akai also spotted his older brother weaving amongst the customers with a tray.
“Okay, sis, thanks,” he shouted back to Izumi. “I’m headed there now,” he added as his sister turned to continue her work.
“This should only take a few minutes,” he said apologetically to Hinata as the two began weaving their way through the crowd.
“That’s okay,” she replied, “I don’t have anything else to do.” When the two came closer to the fire, however, Hinata recognized someone who was seated at a nearby table and appeared to be talking to Akai’s father.
“Good evening, Iruka-sensei,” she said as she and Akai reached the fire, “I’m surprised to see you here.” Her former teacher, equally surprised, turned from his conversation with Mr. Kajihana to greet her.
“Oh, Hinata, imagine running into you here,” the older shinobi said. Then, to explain his presence, he added, “I am on a meal break right now, but I couldn’t go back on duty without at least giving my compliments to the chef.”
“Well, if you only wanted the chef,” interjected Akai’s mother as she came over from checking the soups, “you could have left already with how many compliments you have given to me. But it was Akai, here, that came up with the recipe.” She motioned toward her son as he stood next to Hinata.
“Thanks, Mom,” he responded, visibly blushing despite the orange glow of the fire.
“So you are Akai,” said Iruka, an interested look on his face, “the one I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Yes, sir, Kajihana Akai, at your service.” The respectful tone that he had used to introduce himself to Hinata was once again apparent, and he gave a slight bow as well.
“Well I guess I owe you my compliments then, Akai,” Iruka said in response, with the same friendly voice that was well practiced on his students. “Your Mango-Habanero Ramen is really top notch.” He then glanced at his pocket-watch and stood as if to leave.
“Well, Mr. and Mrs. Kajihana,” he said as he picked up his vest and slid it over his shoulders, “thank you for your hospitality and good food, but I need to get back on patrol. I will be back to see what you have tomorrow, though, if the final exams allow.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Umino,” said Toramaru, Akai’s father.
“And we’ll be expecting you tomorrow,” added Mina kindly as she went back to her work.
“And where would you happen to be going, Hinata?” Iruka asked, reminding both her and Akai of why they had come back to the market in the first place.
“That’s right,” she said suddenly, looking at Akai, “Akai was going to show me some jutsu he made.”
“Jutsu?” asked Iruka quickly, surprised. He looked at Akai with renewed interest. “You develop jutsu?”
“Indeed he does,” interrupted Toramaru, who had been listening to his son’s conversation, “and pretty good ones if you ask the shinobi he sells them to on the road.” He reached out and patted his son on the back, a proud smile on his face.
“It’s just a hobby,” Akai explained to the understandably skeptical sensei, “but I will occasionally sell them to shinobi when they express interest.” He stood tall as he said this, taking pride in his hobby.
“Well, then,” said Iruka, doubts hardly eased by Toramaru’s words, “it’s highly unusual for a non-shinobi, especially one so young, to have any skill at developing jutsu, but I have standing orders as an instructor to investigate any claims like this. More than one person has tried to sell defective jutsu scrolls to ill effect.” He was serious, and even Hinata could tell that might not be a good thing. “Will you allow me to examine these jutsu?”
“I have nothing to hide,” said Akai, now taking a more serious tone but still doing well to stay personable. “I would be more than willing to show you.” With that, he left the café for the inn where his family was staying to gather his jutsu scrolls.

About ten minutes later, Akai returned to the café with his satchel and a whicker basket full of scrolls. Hinata and Iruka had taken a table near the fire with Toramaru and Mikon, and Izumi and Mina were closing down the café early so the group could have some peace while looking over Akai’s work. Both Iruka and Hinata were surprised by the number of scrolls that the young man’s hobby had produced.
“Are all of these completed jutsu?” asked Iruka with some amazement as he pulled a few of the scrolls from the basket.
“All of the scrolls in the basket are completed,” confirmed Akai as he removed his satchel and laid it on the table. “The ones in here are still in development.” To ensure that Iruka understood him, he opened the flap of his satchel to reveal five more scrolls and an assortment of writing utensils.
“How many of these will you have to examine?” asked Toramaru, with a worried glance at his son.
“Yes,” added Mina as she came to sit at the table as well, “after all, he is always making more.”
“Well, normally during these investigations I would have to examine every scroll,” the sensei replied, “but I have honestly never seen anything like this. Usually an investigation only reveals a few scrolls that are being sold to make some quick cash. I have never seen anyone with this many scrolls and every intention of actually making more.”
“Well the entire clan is behind Akai on this,” said Mikon, “he is the only one in the clan that has ever even attempted anything like this, and we are all willing to support him.” He smiled at his little brother as he said this.
“Yeah,” added Izumi, “it’s what he is good at and likes to do.”
“I understand that,” replied Iruka apologetically, “but I have my orders.”
“Can you just take a look at them first and then decide what to do?” asked Akai suddenly, with an air of confidence that surprised even his siblings. “I don’t want to give up making these, but I have been doing something wrong I will gladly take correction.” The entire table was stunned into silence by this diplomatic statement. It was as if Akai was unconcerned about what Iruka’s assessment might be. It was Hinata who broke the silence.
“We would be glad to help, Akai,” she said as she opened one of the scrolls.

The group spent the next hour or so pouring over Akai’s scrolls. Akai started with the most basic scrolls, answering Iruka and Hinata’s questions as he went, and continued on to more and more advanced level scrolls. He was grateful for his family’s support, though Iruka seemed to need little extra encouragement. After a while, he stopped asking questions and allowed Akai to simply present each scroll and explain the purpose of the depicted jutsu and the inspiration that had led him to it. On several occasions, he appeared excited by something, but every time he refrained from saying anything and appeared to be waiting until Akai had finished presenting.
When Akai placed the last scroll back into the basket and reached to remove one of the incomplete ones from his satchel, Iruka reached out and stopped him.
“That will not be necessary,” he said as pulled back his hand. He gave Akai a slight smile.
“Well?” asked Akai’s father, “what is your assessment Mr. Umino?”
“I have a few questions for Akai first,” Iruka told him, “and I will give my assessment when they have been answered.” He looked at Akai as if asking for permission.
“Then fire away.”
“First, I would like to know how you learned about chakra manipulation,” his serious expression revealed nothing of his thoughts, “and when you learned about it.”
“When I was six,” Akai began with as much seriousness as Iruka, “the clan was traveling in what was then the Land of Snow. In the small village of Ryuken, in the northern part of that region, the clan was joined in our travels by a traveling shinobi who we only knew as Grey-Wolf. We had no idea where he came from, but he had helped me escape an incident with a group of local brigands and had offered to teach me. It was that offer that first got me interested in the shinobi, actually,” he added, with a glance toward Hinata. “So for the next three months he traveled with the clan, teaching me the basics of chakra manipulation and chakra control, as well as teaching me about the shinobi and their ways. He even taught me three jutsu during that time: the tree-climbing jutsu, the water-walking jutsu, and the Mystic Palm Healing Jutsu.”
“What happened after the three months?” was Iruka’s second question.
“Grey-Wolf just disappeared,” said Izumi, answering for Akai. Iruka did not seem to mind.
“He was there one night and come the next morning, he was nowhere to be found,” added Mikon, “and all he left was a package containing 10,000 ryo and a note thanking the clan for its hospitality.”
“At the time we thought that might be the last thing Akai ever did involving the shinobi,” continued Akai’s mother, “but we were all surprised some time later when he offered to sell jutsu to a traveling team of ninja that we ran into in the Land of Wind. We were even more surprised when the sensei in the group agreed to purchase one of his scrolls, claiming that it was one of the most ingenious jutsu he had ever seen.”
“That was the Water Clone Death-Touch Jutsu,” stated Akai, as if recalling some recent memory, “which was one of the first scrolls I showed you. I have improved it since then.”
“Okay,” said Hinata, “but why did you continue after Grey-Wolf left? I mean, he was your sensei and he basically abandoned you. Why didn’t you just give up?” After she asked this question, Iruka looked like he was going to correct her for asking such a personal question, but Akai raised his hand to stop him.
“Because that package of money wasn’t the only thing he left.” At this, even Akai’s family showed surprise. They had had no knowledge of the strange shinobi having left anything else. “That morning I found another package and another separate note lying next to my bed. The note was only one sentence long, but I still know it by heart. It read as follows ‘True power cannot be taught or given, a person must find it on their own.’” An awkward moment of silence followed, which was broken by Iruka.
“Well, whoever this Grey-Wolf was, he would have made an excellent Leaf shinobi. That advice follows, almost word for word, one of our core principles here in Konohagakure.”
“What was the package he left for you though, little brother,” asked Izumi, as confused by all of this as the rest were.
“See for yourself,” said Akai as he reached into another pocket of his satchel and removed a square package made of brown paper that had clearly been opened on many occasions. He handed it to his sister and she opened it. Inside was a pair of gloves, a pair of black trousers, and what looked like a light armor shirt that was black and grey in color. None of Akai’s family could identify what it all was, but the two shinobi at the table recognized it almost immediately.
“That’s a Leaf Village ANBU uniform!” exclaimed Hinata, outright shock filling her eyes. Iruka was no less stunned and Toramaru, Mina, Izumi, and Mikon all had to do a double take.
“I know,” said Akai calmly as he held out a piece of paper to Iruka, “and this was with it.” Iruka took the paper from him and read it aloud.

These garments make up the uniform of the elite ANBU Corps of Konohagakure. This uniform is worn by only the most skilled and dedicated of shinobi, who are handpicked by the Hokage. If you wish to find me again, become worthy of wearing this uniform. If you do this, you will have what you need to find me again, and will have fulfilled my hopes for you. I hope you find the true power that I know you can.

This prompted the longest silence yet, during which Hinata just stared at Akai. Now she knew why his dream meant so much to him, and why it was still so strong.
“Wow,” said Toramaru, finally breaking the quiet, “and to think I once called him a worthless scumbag for abandoning my boy.” He smiled at the thought. “And all the while, he thought you were capable of that, of becoming an ANBU of all things.”
“Whether this Grey-Wolf, who I am now certain was a missing-nin from Konoha, thought he was capable of it or not is irrelevant.” Said Iruka rather bluntly.
“Now hold on a moment,” started Toramaru, “ are you trying to say that--”
“What I am trying to say is that it doesn’t matter if his former sensei thought he might be able to become not only a shinobi, but an ANBU, because Akai’s actions since that time have, by my reckoning, proven that he is capable of it.” The chunin said this with enough force to instantly quiet Akai’s indignant father, and his words surprised even Akai himself.
“Allow me to explain,” he said calmly, turning to Akai and reaching into the nearly forgotten basket. He removed the scroll that was marked Water Clone Death Touch. “This jutsu, which you say you developed at only six years old, is at least a B-rank jutsu.” This announcement came as a shock to Akai.
“There is no way,” he said in disbelief, “that is one of my simpler jutsu.”
“I wont deny that, it is simple in concept. But the understanding of physics and chemistry, not to mention chakra control, that would be required for this jutsu, which uses chakra to force water molecules to change their arrangement, marks it as a B, possibly A-rank jutsu. I doubt even I could use it effectively without a good deal of practice.” The entire table was speechless, so Iruka decided to continue. “Combine that with the fact that this is one of the jutsu you have tested, and that tells me you not only have remarkable intelligence but also a precision chakra control that rivals some jonin.”
“That’s not possible,” responded Akai, still stunned by everything the chunin had said.
“Believe me when I say it is,” said Iruka in return, “and almost all of your other jutsu are B-rank or better as well, for the same or similar reasons. What’s more, some of those jutsu you showed us, like the Wind Style: Dicing Desert Stream, involve using elemental chakra, which is a master rank skill. That kind of consistency with such high level skills is rare even among shinobi jutsu makers.” As he finished he looked at Akai, who had fallen speechless for the first time all night.
“What does this mean for Akai?” Izumi asked finally, as she herself recovered from the shock. Turning to look at her and the rest of Akai’s family, the chunin decided it would be best to be honest.
“I really don’t know. If it were up to me, I’d give him a hite-ate and call him a genin ninja right here and now, but the authority to do that lies with the Hokage. To be honest, there isn’t much I can do, but I can assure you that no one in Konoha will ever question his work again. In fact, don’t be surprised if you receive a lot of customers coming and asking for it by tomorrow.” Upon hearing this, Toramaru, Mina, and Mikon breathed a sigh of relief. Their son and brother would not be forced to give up this thing he enjoyed. Izumi, on the other hand, laid a hand on her little brother’s shoulder, and looked again at Iruka and Hinata.
“Is there anything you can do for him concerning Grey-Wolf’s challenge?” When she said this, Akai looked up at her, grateful for her concern. “Is there any way that he could become a ninja?”
“The problem,” Iruka responded, “is that he isn’t connected to any shinobi village. That fact means that only the Hokage has the authority to allow him to become a leaf shinobi, and Lady Tsunade is not known for making exceptions.” When he said this, Akai hung his head. That was one more nail in the coffin of his dream.
“But we can approach the Hokage with this,” added Hinata, and Akai looked up, hopeful once again, “and leave it to her to decide. She may yet approve, even if it is a long shot.”
“Certainly,” agreed Iruka, “that much we can do.” He then looked at Akai, with his sister’s hand still on his shoulder. “It is a long shot, but if you can stay strong like you have for the past ten years, you may have a chance. Lady Tsunade admires that kind of strength.” After he said this, Akai stood from his seat and responded with only the smallest of quivers in his voice.
“Thank you, Mr. Umino. Thank you, Hinata. I would greatly appreciate it.”

As Hinata walked away from the Kajihana Soup Café, on her way with Iruka to speak with Lady Tsunade, she turned back and looked at the kind young man whose dream might be realized that night. Then, looking at the red lotus banner on the wagon behind him, she remembered the small slip of paper in her pocket. She wondered if it was destiny that had determined how she judged her new friend earlier that night, and shuddered when she thought of what might have happened if she had judged him differently. Hopefully destiny would work out for both of them after this night.

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