Chapter 2 - Adventure 2- A Big Meeting
Submitted August 31, 2008 Updated October 30, 2008 Status Complete | A story centering around Ryouko, Naruto, and the rest of the Hidden Leaf as children.
Category:
Anime/Manga » Naruto series |
Chapter 2 - Adventure 2- A Big Meeting
Chapter 2 - Adventure 2- A Big Meeting
Lord Hokage looked at Ryouko, not looking angry, just concerned. Ryouko was sitting in a chair that was way too big for him, making him feel even smaller. The angry crowd behind him wasn’t helping him.
I won’t cry!
“All of you, please leave and go about your business. I will speak to Ryouko,” the Third Hokage said firmly. The crowd left, a few glaring at Ryouko. Ryouko just kept his head down until they left, and even after.
“Ryouko…” Lord Hokage began, coaxing the boy to look at him, “…did you do this?”
“No, Lord Hokage…” Ryouko said quietly.
“Did you see Sakura and Ino do this?”
“No, sir…” Ryouko replied again, this time a sniffle in his voice.
“Do you think Sakura and Ino did this?”
“N-no…”
Lord Hokage was getting a feeling. One more question. “Do you know who did this?”
“No sir.”
“Then please tell me what you DO know about all this.”
Ryouko looked up, his eyes red, but no tears flowing. “They were getting stuff thrown at them. I didn’t know what happened, but I saw Sakura-chan start to cry, so I stepped in front of them. That’s how my cheek got cut, when a rock hit me. I held both their hands, then jumped onto the roof. Then I walked them home so that people wouldn’t bother them. I told Mrs. Haruno that they didn’t do it. I know they didn’t, Lord Hokage. I can’t prove it, but I’m SURE of it!”
Lord Hokage put his pipe down and walked around his desk to Ryouko, whose head was facing down again.
“How did you know that the girls were in trouble?”
Without thinking, Ryouko said “Naruto-kun came by and led me over…”. Upon realizing what he had said, Ryouko shook his head. “Lord Hokage, I mean…Please don’t blame Naruto-kun! He’s already so sad! You can blame me, I’ll take the punishment! Please don’t tell I told, I didn’t mean to! Don’t punish Naruto-kun, or Sakura-chan, or Ino-chan!”
Ryouko finally started to cry, his little mind swollen with fear, and his body marked up from objects hitting him. Ryouko never cried, but so much had happened, he was overwhelmed with emotions.
Lord Hokage bent down and put a hand under Ryouko’s chin, forcing Ryouko to look him in the eyes. Then he hugged Ryouko, which shocked the boy so much he stopped crying.
“Do you know that you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their eyes?” Lord Hokage asked, letting go of Ryouko.
Ryouko kind of nodded. “I guess…but I don’t know WHAT you learn.”
“In your case, I learned that you are telling the truth, and that you truly believe your words. I can tell you aren’t lying- I can also tell that you’re being brave, and trying to protect people. People you don’t even know very well. Please, sit here a moment and think about what I’ve just told you,” Lord Hokage said, walking back around his desk, digging in the drawers for something.
Ryouko thought about it, calmed now. You can learn by looking at a person’s eyes…That’s what made Lord Hokage believe me?
“Emotions are very powerful things, Ryouko. Feelings of love, and hate. Joy and sorrow. They all teach us something, and show us for who we are to others. Do you want to know what I see after speaking with you twice today?” Lord Hokage asked, something in his hands that Ryouko couldn’t see. Despite that, Ryouko nodded, wiping his sore, swollen eyes.
“I see a boy who will someday grow tall and strong. I see a seedling that will grow into a sturdy tree. A tree of honor, and trust, and loyalty. A tree that can become a support of this village, and everyone in it. And I see your character, and your intentions, which are pure.”
Ryouko looked into Lord Hokage’s eyes. I see…I see a man who loves this village. And I can see…no…that’s not it…
“I have a question, Lord Hokage. What does it mean when you can’t see something, but you know it’s there?” Ryouko asked, struggling to word his question in an understandable way.
“Can you give me an example, Ryouko?”
Ryouko shifted in his chair, which suddenly didn’t seem so much larger than him. “Well, when I looked into your eyes, I couldn’t see anything, really. But I felt something…I felt like I could trust you, and that you didn’t mean me any harm. And I could feel that you believed me, even though I can’t defend my own words. But it wasn’t a feeling like pain or something…it was different…”
Lord Hokage clenched his pipe between his teeth. “THAT is called ‘sensing’, Ryouko. You can ‘sense’ that I believe you. We all have that ability, some more than others. Have you ever sensed anything else before?”
Ryouko thought hard, his eyes closed in concentration. “Well, I sensed that Naruto’s lonely. He always smiles and plays jokes, but I always got this feeling that he was hurting. And I sensed…well, that a lot of people don’t trust me, or don’t like me. I don’t know which. Does- does that make sense?”
Lord Hokage nodded. “A lot of sense. For now, Ryouko, I think it’s better for you to go home and rest. I know you’d like to train, and I won’t stop you- maybe you’ll be content with reading this scroll for tonight. It starts after the one I found you reading earlier, about the First Hokage. This one is about the Second Hokage, who was my instructor. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
Ryouko took the scroll, happy to get something from Lord Hokage at all, never mind something so important.
“Thank you, Lord Hokage!” Ryouko hugged the old man, forgetting his character for a moment. Then, the character flooded back, as Ryouko apologized, bowed, apologized again, then walked out the door.
Lord Hokage smiled, sitting back down. That boy will be fine…
--
As Ryouko’s eight birthday came and went, a tragedy shook the Hidden Leaf. Ryouko woke up, ready to go, to find his Mother outside. It seemed everyone was outside. Kids, too. Class had been canceled, and that NEVER happened. Something big had to have gone wrong.
Are we at war? Did Lord Hokage die? Ryouko went through his mental rolodex of problems. Finally, after he had dressed, he walked to the Academy, finding a distraught Iruka returning from somewhere.
“Iruka-sensei? What’s going on? Is everything alright?” Ryouko wanted to know. Iruka-sensei looked ready to jump out of his skin.
“Y-you haven’t heard, Ryouko?” Iruka asked, surprised. They haven’t told the kid’s yet? Are they planning to?
“No, I haven’t heard anything sensei.”
Iruka sat on the ground. “Well, Ryouko, last night, the entire Uchiha clan was murdered.”
Ryouko’s eyes were as big as dinner plates already, but Iruka’s further explanation made things even more murky.
“Sasuke is the only one left. The murderer was his own brother, Itachi. Itachi was a prodigy, extremely talented. And, well, last night…he killed them all, except Sasuke.”
Ryouko responded with the question on everyone’s tongues. “Why did Sasuke live, Sensei?”
Iruka didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know, Ryouko…I’m not sure…” Iruka suddenly got an idea. “Ryouko, you’re one of the two tops students in class. Do you think you can help me with something, since you’re here?”
Ryouko was always ready to help. Iruka-sensei had done a lot for him, so Ryouko never found it irksome to help him. “I’d be happy to, sensei. What can I do?”
Iruka handed Ryouko a key to the school. “We need someone to be in the academy. It’s Lord Hokage’s orders to make every building look occupied. As you know, the Uchiha clan was our police force. Lord Hokage is worried about robbers. I have to patrol the streets, and I need someone here. And I think you can handle it. But don’t be a hero- if there’s trouble, yell for help, okay?”
Iruka made sure Ryouko got inside, then had to run off. He wasn’t worried about the boy- who would try to rob the school?
--
Ryouko had been sitting in school, studying, for maybe three hours when he sensed something. It was like the Third Hokage had said. Ever since he had mentioned it, Ryouko had sensed a lot of things. This sense wasn’t a good one.
There’s someone here…and they aren’t friendly…but where are they?
Ryouko closed his eyes and tried to sense more. He heard the creaking of floorboards above him. Upstairs! Ryouko darted out of his seat. He thought about yelling for help, but what if no one was there? What if it was just a mouse or something? No, Ryouko was going to look first. A kunai drawn tight to his chest, Ryouko peeked up the stairs, seeing a shadow. Ducking back, Ryouko wished he had brought a mirror to look around the corner with. But he hadn’t, so he had to make do with what he could. Now eight, Ryouko had learned two jutsus. One of which was going to come in handy right now.
“Transform!” Ryouko whispered. POOF! A cloud of smoke hid him as he turned into the first adult that popped into his head- Iruka.
-
Joubo walked carefully down the stairs, grumbling about such a weak assignment. The school? Nothing here but outdated textbooks and scrolls! Damn, I always get these lousy missions!
Joubo was twenty years old, and a thief. Not very skilled, his boss always gave him easy jobs. A deserted school wasn’t an assignment that anyone could screw up. But this school wasn’t deserted. As Joubo walked around the corner, something popped up behind him.
“You’re not from this village!” the voice said in surprise. Joubo cursed- he had been caught. He turned around, finding a chunin holding a kunai. The kunai was inches away from Joubo’s neck.
“Huh? A transformation?” Joubo said to himself. He put his hands together. “RELEASE!”
Joubo watched the chunin melt away, until there was a small boy in his place. The boy had a look of determination on his face. Dressed in black pants and a white shirt, with a thick crop of dark brown hair, the boy didn’t look threatening.
“You little- YOU caught me? I’m losing my touch!” Joubo reached out to grab Ryouko, who instinctively swiped at the incoming hand with his kunai. As Joubo yelled out in pain, Ryouko ran to the window.
“HELP! ROBBER AT THE ACADEMY! HELP AT THE ACADEMY!” he shouted, before turning around, finding a knife whizzing toward him. Ryouko dodged to the side and covered his heart, as they taught in the academy. But the kunai had struck his arm, causing a decent-sized cut to start bleeding pretty heavily. The feeling of the pain made Ryouko sick, but he didn’t throw up. Help was on the way, he just had to hold out.
“So, that didn’t kill you? Then I WILL!” Joubo ran forward. Ryouko, his eyes wide, threw the kunai desperately, hitting Joubo in the lower stomach. That stopped the big robber in his tracks.
Tok tok tok tok tok.
Iruka, two senseis Ryouko didn’t know, and one person Ryouko knew to be in ANBU Black Ops all landed next to him. They saw Ryouko, then they saw the big bandit lying on the ground. Then they saw the wounds both had. Iruka ran to Ryouko, while the others took care of the robber.
“Get him to the hospital! I’ll take Ryouko!” Iruka called to the others, who acted on those wishes immediately. Iruka winced, waiting for Ryouko to cry. Instead, he found the telltale inquisitive brown eyes looking at him.
“Iruka-sensei, are you okay?” Ryouko wanted to know.
Iruka kind of laughed. “Shouldn’t I be asking you? Doesn’t that hurt, Ryouko?”
“Yes, sensei. But I’m not scared. He barely got me, I won’t die from this…” Despite that, Ryouko looked scared of something. It wasn’t long before he voiced it.
“Sensei, are you mad at me for fighting?”
Iruka had to smile with relief. “No. You DID call for help, like I asked. Then you did the brave thing and fought the robber. I’m proud of you.” But that didn’t ease Ryouko.
“I could have called sooner. But I wasn’t sure it was a robber yet. I didn’t want to bother anyone until I was sure.”
After more reassurance from Iruka, Ryouko willingly let Iruka lead him to the hospital. Ryouko was told he was brave by lots of people, and when he didn’t cry out when he got a shot, even the medics commented that someone so young was brave.
“What about the robber? Did I kill him? I didn’t mean to, if I did…am I going to jail?” Ryouko finally asked Iruka, who had sat with him the entire time, even when Ryouko’s mother came.
“No, he’ll be fine. And you won’t go to jail, you were only doing your job, and acting in self-defense. If anyone should go to jail, it’s me for giving you an assignment like that! I don’t know what I was thinking! Even if it WAS just the academy, I shouldn’t have left you alone!”
Ryouko had already assured Iruka it was okay. “I’m going to be a ninja someday, and I’ll be doing stuff like this all the time. I’m just happy my Transformation Jutsu worked right, at least for a little while!”
-
Iruka pulled Shinobu, Ryouko’s mother, aside.
“I want you to know- your son is a joy to have in class. I AM worried about his social skills, but he works hard and tries his best. He’s second in the class right now, and not far from the first in class, Neji Hyuuga. You’re sure you have no ninja blood?”
Shinobu nodded. “That’s right. Ryouko just likes it here so much. The village, the people. Every day, he comes home and writes his notes down onto a scroll, then he goes outside to train. He’ll be gone for hours some times, but for the first time in his life, I think he’s truly happy.”
--
Within a few weeks, Sasuke Uchiha was back in class. His new attitude seemed to create a stir, especially among the female students. It seemed like Sasuke was the talk of the lunch room now. Every girl wanted to marry him and have kids, it seemed. The brooding raven-haired hope of the Uchiha clan was suddenly THE person to be seen with.
This didn’t really bother Ryouko so much. Until, one day, he overheard Sakura and Ino saying that they would each marry Sasuke. Ryouko hadn’t thought much until then, but he found he liked Sakura. She treated him nicely, and he thought she was kind of pretty. So it was kind of a first crush for Ryouko. But he didn’t know how to act on it, or what to do. He didn’t even know about ‘dating’, or even how to tell a girl that he liked her. Now, that didn’t seem to matter, since Sakura liked Sasuke. It would be wrong to tell Sakura that he liked her, because then Sasuke might not have someone who really liked him. And Sasuke had enough trouble.
At least that’s how Ryouko’s eight year old mind processed all this. Instead of speaking up, Ryouko backed down and quietly kept training.
One day, Ryouko saw a girl that wasn’t fascinated with Itachi Uchiha. She was pretty, and the same age as him, with big brown eyes, and two buns on hair on either side of her head. But soon, Ryouko saw she was fascinated with another student. Neji. He was the top in the class. Ryouko decided that he needed to be as good, or better, than Neji. He didn’t really understand that he liked Tenten, and he didn’t know her. He just remembered how good it felt to have a girl be nice to him. It made him feel like he fit in, like he belonged.
So it began. Ryouko studied even harder, and did everything he could to be better than Neji. But no matter what, Ryouko was always behind him. He was never good enough to be number one. Week after week, Neji remained the top student in class. Sasuke was a year behind Ryouko, but was just as good as Neji. Ryouko finally became frustrated one day and decided he simply wouldn’t leave the academy for a day. After obtaining permission from his mother and Iruka (which took some work on Ryouko’s part), Ryouko was allowed to stay overnight in the academy. Sleep wasn’t in his plans, as he ate through four scrolls in twenty-four hours. Ryouko only stopped when Iruka came in to get set up for the day and found Ryouko still working.
“Ryouko, you haven’t slept yet?!” Iruka fretted. An adult doing that was one thing- but an eight year old boy, staying up all night studying? It wasn’t healthy.
“No, sensei,” Ryouko answered, prying his eyes from the scroll.
Iruka knew something was going on with Ryouko. “Ryouko, what’s wrong? You’ve always worked hard, but this is unhealthy. I know something’s bothering you. Why don’t you tell me what it is, and I’ll help?”
Ryouko looked at the ground. “It’s…well, kind of embarrassing, sensei…” but Ryouko told Iruka everything. He couldn’t quite explain his fondness for Tenten and Sakura, but he had no trouble expressing his disappointment that his hard work wasn’t getting him to the top of the class.
“…and it’s getting frustrating, Iruka-sensei. No matter how hard I try, Neji and even Sasuke are always ahead of me.”
Iruka recognized what Ryouko was saying. So it’s a case of first love? Oh boy…I’m not sure how to handle this one. I know Lord Hokage said to let things like this work themselves out, but… That’s when Iruka got an idea.
“Ryouko, did you know there’s someone who works as hard as you, but is near the bottom of the class? He tries, but he just can’t do it. Can you think of who I mean?”
Ryouko couldn’t, and he said so.
“Rock Lee. He tries, but he just can’t do ninjutsu or genjutsu. If I graded on effort only, you two would be at the top of the class. Neji and Sasuke are rare people- they both come from strong families. You and Lee don’t, and sometimes that means that you’re a little behind. That doesn’t make you any less strong or valuable.” Iruka got up and walked away, hearing someone cry. But he hoped Ryouko would take the bait.
Rock Lee could use a supporter or two…
I won’t cry!
“All of you, please leave and go about your business. I will speak to Ryouko,” the Third Hokage said firmly. The crowd left, a few glaring at Ryouko. Ryouko just kept his head down until they left, and even after.
“Ryouko…” Lord Hokage began, coaxing the boy to look at him, “…did you do this?”
“No, Lord Hokage…” Ryouko said quietly.
“Did you see Sakura and Ino do this?”
“No, sir…” Ryouko replied again, this time a sniffle in his voice.
“Do you think Sakura and Ino did this?”
“N-no…”
Lord Hokage was getting a feeling. One more question. “Do you know who did this?”
“No sir.”
“Then please tell me what you DO know about all this.”
Ryouko looked up, his eyes red, but no tears flowing. “They were getting stuff thrown at them. I didn’t know what happened, but I saw Sakura-chan start to cry, so I stepped in front of them. That’s how my cheek got cut, when a rock hit me. I held both their hands, then jumped onto the roof. Then I walked them home so that people wouldn’t bother them. I told Mrs. Haruno that they didn’t do it. I know they didn’t, Lord Hokage. I can’t prove it, but I’m SURE of it!”
Lord Hokage put his pipe down and walked around his desk to Ryouko, whose head was facing down again.
“How did you know that the girls were in trouble?”
Without thinking, Ryouko said “Naruto-kun came by and led me over…”. Upon realizing what he had said, Ryouko shook his head. “Lord Hokage, I mean…Please don’t blame Naruto-kun! He’s already so sad! You can blame me, I’ll take the punishment! Please don’t tell I told, I didn’t mean to! Don’t punish Naruto-kun, or Sakura-chan, or Ino-chan!”
Ryouko finally started to cry, his little mind swollen with fear, and his body marked up from objects hitting him. Ryouko never cried, but so much had happened, he was overwhelmed with emotions.
Lord Hokage bent down and put a hand under Ryouko’s chin, forcing Ryouko to look him in the eyes. Then he hugged Ryouko, which shocked the boy so much he stopped crying.
“Do you know that you can learn a lot about a person by looking at their eyes?” Lord Hokage asked, letting go of Ryouko.
Ryouko kind of nodded. “I guess…but I don’t know WHAT you learn.”
“In your case, I learned that you are telling the truth, and that you truly believe your words. I can tell you aren’t lying- I can also tell that you’re being brave, and trying to protect people. People you don’t even know very well. Please, sit here a moment and think about what I’ve just told you,” Lord Hokage said, walking back around his desk, digging in the drawers for something.
Ryouko thought about it, calmed now. You can learn by looking at a person’s eyes…That’s what made Lord Hokage believe me?
“Emotions are very powerful things, Ryouko. Feelings of love, and hate. Joy and sorrow. They all teach us something, and show us for who we are to others. Do you want to know what I see after speaking with you twice today?” Lord Hokage asked, something in his hands that Ryouko couldn’t see. Despite that, Ryouko nodded, wiping his sore, swollen eyes.
“I see a boy who will someday grow tall and strong. I see a seedling that will grow into a sturdy tree. A tree of honor, and trust, and loyalty. A tree that can become a support of this village, and everyone in it. And I see your character, and your intentions, which are pure.”
Ryouko looked into Lord Hokage’s eyes. I see…I see a man who loves this village. And I can see…no…that’s not it…
“I have a question, Lord Hokage. What does it mean when you can’t see something, but you know it’s there?” Ryouko asked, struggling to word his question in an understandable way.
“Can you give me an example, Ryouko?”
Ryouko shifted in his chair, which suddenly didn’t seem so much larger than him. “Well, when I looked into your eyes, I couldn’t see anything, really. But I felt something…I felt like I could trust you, and that you didn’t mean me any harm. And I could feel that you believed me, even though I can’t defend my own words. But it wasn’t a feeling like pain or something…it was different…”
Lord Hokage clenched his pipe between his teeth. “THAT is called ‘sensing’, Ryouko. You can ‘sense’ that I believe you. We all have that ability, some more than others. Have you ever sensed anything else before?”
Ryouko thought hard, his eyes closed in concentration. “Well, I sensed that Naruto’s lonely. He always smiles and plays jokes, but I always got this feeling that he was hurting. And I sensed…well, that a lot of people don’t trust me, or don’t like me. I don’t know which. Does- does that make sense?”
Lord Hokage nodded. “A lot of sense. For now, Ryouko, I think it’s better for you to go home and rest. I know you’d like to train, and I won’t stop you- maybe you’ll be content with reading this scroll for tonight. It starts after the one I found you reading earlier, about the First Hokage. This one is about the Second Hokage, who was my instructor. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
Ryouko took the scroll, happy to get something from Lord Hokage at all, never mind something so important.
“Thank you, Lord Hokage!” Ryouko hugged the old man, forgetting his character for a moment. Then, the character flooded back, as Ryouko apologized, bowed, apologized again, then walked out the door.
Lord Hokage smiled, sitting back down. That boy will be fine…
--
As Ryouko’s eight birthday came and went, a tragedy shook the Hidden Leaf. Ryouko woke up, ready to go, to find his Mother outside. It seemed everyone was outside. Kids, too. Class had been canceled, and that NEVER happened. Something big had to have gone wrong.
Are we at war? Did Lord Hokage die? Ryouko went through his mental rolodex of problems. Finally, after he had dressed, he walked to the Academy, finding a distraught Iruka returning from somewhere.
“Iruka-sensei? What’s going on? Is everything alright?” Ryouko wanted to know. Iruka-sensei looked ready to jump out of his skin.
“Y-you haven’t heard, Ryouko?” Iruka asked, surprised. They haven’t told the kid’s yet? Are they planning to?
“No, I haven’t heard anything sensei.”
Iruka sat on the ground. “Well, Ryouko, last night, the entire Uchiha clan was murdered.”
Ryouko’s eyes were as big as dinner plates already, but Iruka’s further explanation made things even more murky.
“Sasuke is the only one left. The murderer was his own brother, Itachi. Itachi was a prodigy, extremely talented. And, well, last night…he killed them all, except Sasuke.”
Ryouko responded with the question on everyone’s tongues. “Why did Sasuke live, Sensei?”
Iruka didn’t have an answer. “I don’t know, Ryouko…I’m not sure…” Iruka suddenly got an idea. “Ryouko, you’re one of the two tops students in class. Do you think you can help me with something, since you’re here?”
Ryouko was always ready to help. Iruka-sensei had done a lot for him, so Ryouko never found it irksome to help him. “I’d be happy to, sensei. What can I do?”
Iruka handed Ryouko a key to the school. “We need someone to be in the academy. It’s Lord Hokage’s orders to make every building look occupied. As you know, the Uchiha clan was our police force. Lord Hokage is worried about robbers. I have to patrol the streets, and I need someone here. And I think you can handle it. But don’t be a hero- if there’s trouble, yell for help, okay?”
Iruka made sure Ryouko got inside, then had to run off. He wasn’t worried about the boy- who would try to rob the school?
--
Ryouko had been sitting in school, studying, for maybe three hours when he sensed something. It was like the Third Hokage had said. Ever since he had mentioned it, Ryouko had sensed a lot of things. This sense wasn’t a good one.
There’s someone here…and they aren’t friendly…but where are they?
Ryouko closed his eyes and tried to sense more. He heard the creaking of floorboards above him. Upstairs! Ryouko darted out of his seat. He thought about yelling for help, but what if no one was there? What if it was just a mouse or something? No, Ryouko was going to look first. A kunai drawn tight to his chest, Ryouko peeked up the stairs, seeing a shadow. Ducking back, Ryouko wished he had brought a mirror to look around the corner with. But he hadn’t, so he had to make do with what he could. Now eight, Ryouko had learned two jutsus. One of which was going to come in handy right now.
“Transform!” Ryouko whispered. POOF! A cloud of smoke hid him as he turned into the first adult that popped into his head- Iruka.
-
Joubo walked carefully down the stairs, grumbling about such a weak assignment. The school? Nothing here but outdated textbooks and scrolls! Damn, I always get these lousy missions!
Joubo was twenty years old, and a thief. Not very skilled, his boss always gave him easy jobs. A deserted school wasn’t an assignment that anyone could screw up. But this school wasn’t deserted. As Joubo walked around the corner, something popped up behind him.
“You’re not from this village!” the voice said in surprise. Joubo cursed- he had been caught. He turned around, finding a chunin holding a kunai. The kunai was inches away from Joubo’s neck.
“Huh? A transformation?” Joubo said to himself. He put his hands together. “RELEASE!”
Joubo watched the chunin melt away, until there was a small boy in his place. The boy had a look of determination on his face. Dressed in black pants and a white shirt, with a thick crop of dark brown hair, the boy didn’t look threatening.
“You little- YOU caught me? I’m losing my touch!” Joubo reached out to grab Ryouko, who instinctively swiped at the incoming hand with his kunai. As Joubo yelled out in pain, Ryouko ran to the window.
“HELP! ROBBER AT THE ACADEMY! HELP AT THE ACADEMY!” he shouted, before turning around, finding a knife whizzing toward him. Ryouko dodged to the side and covered his heart, as they taught in the academy. But the kunai had struck his arm, causing a decent-sized cut to start bleeding pretty heavily. The feeling of the pain made Ryouko sick, but he didn’t throw up. Help was on the way, he just had to hold out.
“So, that didn’t kill you? Then I WILL!” Joubo ran forward. Ryouko, his eyes wide, threw the kunai desperately, hitting Joubo in the lower stomach. That stopped the big robber in his tracks.
Tok tok tok tok tok.
Iruka, two senseis Ryouko didn’t know, and one person Ryouko knew to be in ANBU Black Ops all landed next to him. They saw Ryouko, then they saw the big bandit lying on the ground. Then they saw the wounds both had. Iruka ran to Ryouko, while the others took care of the robber.
“Get him to the hospital! I’ll take Ryouko!” Iruka called to the others, who acted on those wishes immediately. Iruka winced, waiting for Ryouko to cry. Instead, he found the telltale inquisitive brown eyes looking at him.
“Iruka-sensei, are you okay?” Ryouko wanted to know.
Iruka kind of laughed. “Shouldn’t I be asking you? Doesn’t that hurt, Ryouko?”
“Yes, sensei. But I’m not scared. He barely got me, I won’t die from this…” Despite that, Ryouko looked scared of something. It wasn’t long before he voiced it.
“Sensei, are you mad at me for fighting?”
Iruka had to smile with relief. “No. You DID call for help, like I asked. Then you did the brave thing and fought the robber. I’m proud of you.” But that didn’t ease Ryouko.
“I could have called sooner. But I wasn’t sure it was a robber yet. I didn’t want to bother anyone until I was sure.”
After more reassurance from Iruka, Ryouko willingly let Iruka lead him to the hospital. Ryouko was told he was brave by lots of people, and when he didn’t cry out when he got a shot, even the medics commented that someone so young was brave.
“What about the robber? Did I kill him? I didn’t mean to, if I did…am I going to jail?” Ryouko finally asked Iruka, who had sat with him the entire time, even when Ryouko’s mother came.
“No, he’ll be fine. And you won’t go to jail, you were only doing your job, and acting in self-defense. If anyone should go to jail, it’s me for giving you an assignment like that! I don’t know what I was thinking! Even if it WAS just the academy, I shouldn’t have left you alone!”
Ryouko had already assured Iruka it was okay. “I’m going to be a ninja someday, and I’ll be doing stuff like this all the time. I’m just happy my Transformation Jutsu worked right, at least for a little while!”
-
Iruka pulled Shinobu, Ryouko’s mother, aside.
“I want you to know- your son is a joy to have in class. I AM worried about his social skills, but he works hard and tries his best. He’s second in the class right now, and not far from the first in class, Neji Hyuuga. You’re sure you have no ninja blood?”
Shinobu nodded. “That’s right. Ryouko just likes it here so much. The village, the people. Every day, he comes home and writes his notes down onto a scroll, then he goes outside to train. He’ll be gone for hours some times, but for the first time in his life, I think he’s truly happy.”
--
Within a few weeks, Sasuke Uchiha was back in class. His new attitude seemed to create a stir, especially among the female students. It seemed like Sasuke was the talk of the lunch room now. Every girl wanted to marry him and have kids, it seemed. The brooding raven-haired hope of the Uchiha clan was suddenly THE person to be seen with.
This didn’t really bother Ryouko so much. Until, one day, he overheard Sakura and Ino saying that they would each marry Sasuke. Ryouko hadn’t thought much until then, but he found he liked Sakura. She treated him nicely, and he thought she was kind of pretty. So it was kind of a first crush for Ryouko. But he didn’t know how to act on it, or what to do. He didn’t even know about ‘dating’, or even how to tell a girl that he liked her. Now, that didn’t seem to matter, since Sakura liked Sasuke. It would be wrong to tell Sakura that he liked her, because then Sasuke might not have someone who really liked him. And Sasuke had enough trouble.
At least that’s how Ryouko’s eight year old mind processed all this. Instead of speaking up, Ryouko backed down and quietly kept training.
One day, Ryouko saw a girl that wasn’t fascinated with Itachi Uchiha. She was pretty, and the same age as him, with big brown eyes, and two buns on hair on either side of her head. But soon, Ryouko saw she was fascinated with another student. Neji. He was the top in the class. Ryouko decided that he needed to be as good, or better, than Neji. He didn’t really understand that he liked Tenten, and he didn’t know her. He just remembered how good it felt to have a girl be nice to him. It made him feel like he fit in, like he belonged.
So it began. Ryouko studied even harder, and did everything he could to be better than Neji. But no matter what, Ryouko was always behind him. He was never good enough to be number one. Week after week, Neji remained the top student in class. Sasuke was a year behind Ryouko, but was just as good as Neji. Ryouko finally became frustrated one day and decided he simply wouldn’t leave the academy for a day. After obtaining permission from his mother and Iruka (which took some work on Ryouko’s part), Ryouko was allowed to stay overnight in the academy. Sleep wasn’t in his plans, as he ate through four scrolls in twenty-four hours. Ryouko only stopped when Iruka came in to get set up for the day and found Ryouko still working.
“Ryouko, you haven’t slept yet?!” Iruka fretted. An adult doing that was one thing- but an eight year old boy, staying up all night studying? It wasn’t healthy.
“No, sensei,” Ryouko answered, prying his eyes from the scroll.
Iruka knew something was going on with Ryouko. “Ryouko, what’s wrong? You’ve always worked hard, but this is unhealthy. I know something’s bothering you. Why don’t you tell me what it is, and I’ll help?”
Ryouko looked at the ground. “It’s…well, kind of embarrassing, sensei…” but Ryouko told Iruka everything. He couldn’t quite explain his fondness for Tenten and Sakura, but he had no trouble expressing his disappointment that his hard work wasn’t getting him to the top of the class.
“…and it’s getting frustrating, Iruka-sensei. No matter how hard I try, Neji and even Sasuke are always ahead of me.”
Iruka recognized what Ryouko was saying. So it’s a case of first love? Oh boy…I’m not sure how to handle this one. I know Lord Hokage said to let things like this work themselves out, but… That’s when Iruka got an idea.
“Ryouko, did you know there’s someone who works as hard as you, but is near the bottom of the class? He tries, but he just can’t do it. Can you think of who I mean?”
Ryouko couldn’t, and he said so.
“Rock Lee. He tries, but he just can’t do ninjutsu or genjutsu. If I graded on effort only, you two would be at the top of the class. Neji and Sasuke are rare people- they both come from strong families. You and Lee don’t, and sometimes that means that you’re a little behind. That doesn’t make you any less strong or valuable.” Iruka got up and walked away, hearing someone cry. But he hoped Ryouko would take the bait.
Rock Lee could use a supporter or two…
This is good ^^