Chapter 3 - His New Home

Ryouko laid awake that night, debating with himself about what he should do next. He had already decided to stay here in the Hidden Leaf Village. He had nowhere else to go, even if he had wanted to leave. He knew where his parents were, but it was too soon to return to them, or to even write to them. Ryouko hated the thought of leaving his parents in the dark about his new life, but for their safety, he had to. There could be no contact now.

Not until I’m strong enough to defend them on the trip here. If we’re attacked, I won’t be enough. And I can’t trust every ninja in this village, some still hate me. Only Lord Hokage really knows me, now that the healer, Tsunade, left.

Little Ryouko got up out of bed, wishing he had pajamas. With only the one set of clothes, he didn’t dare sleep in them. As of yet, he had no idea where to wash clothes- only where to bathe himself.

Ryouko walked over to the window, peering out into the moonlight. He had observed the city from this upstairs window in what he now knew as the Hokage mansion. Why he was staying here he didn’t know. Perhaps a kindness? But no matter why, Ryouko had seen the Leaf Village every day. He could now pick out a couple shops, and that was enough for him. He could get food and clothes that way- IF he had money on him.

What does one do for work in a Shinobi Village? And will that work mean that I have to learn their customs?

The thought of learning Shinobi trips had, at first, made Ryouko’s skin crawl. Ninja and Samurai were natural enemies, after all. But now, having spent time in the ‘enemy’s’ midst, Ryouko knew that they weren’t bad at all. They just performed their duties, the same as he did. But learning their techniques? Would anyone teach him? Was he capable of learning?

It was ordinary trepidation that children felt before starting school. The thought of Iruka as an instructor calmed Ryouko a little, but then the thought of that bully, Mizuki, around…Ryouko wanted to know something to defend himself with before he started school. He was sure that Mizuki would want revenge. It was just some instinct, some gut feeling that little Ryouko possessed.

And my name…I don’t know my real name…will people make fun of me for being ‘Ryouko’? ‘Tiger and Dragon’? Maybe at first, but once they learn that their leader named me, they won’t laugh.

Ryouko decided that he would ask the next person who came in to check on him to teach him something. Anything. Just something to allow him to escape Mizuki and lure the bully into a place where fighting with a sword was advantageous.

--

It had been just shy of two monthes since Ryouko had been chased to the Hidden Leaf Village. He realized that as he woke up and dressed. His thoughts from the night before returned to him. He decided to have his morning practice while he waited for his new caretaker to come see him.

Now that he had his sword back, Ryouko’s practices felt more normal. To a creature of habit like him, it had felt akward to just practice empty hand arts. He never excluded any part of his training when he could help it. Being without his sword had made him feel defenseless. The sword’s return meant that Ryouko would be brave enough to adventure outside. His first order of business would be to use what money he had on him to buy a second set of clothes and food.

It was funny to think, but Ryouko had never been poor. That didn’t mean he was rich- he just never wanted for money. Maybe it was his age, but Ryouko always felt like he had enough. In his village, he had saved his money as long as he could remember. But it had gone up in smoke, with the rest of his village. This thought caused little Ryouko to made a particularly hard cut with his sword. WHOOSH!

Just then, a knock came at the door. Ryouko called out an invitation to come in, though he poised his hand near the handle of his sword, just in case it was that bully again. To Ryouko’s relief, it was the white-haired guy, Jiraiya.

“Hey kid! Got your sword back, I see.”

Ryouko noticed a chance in Jiraiya immediately. He isn’t speaking normally…no, he’s speaking sadly, just like that healer. Could something be wrong? Before he could stop himself, Ryouko asked aloud.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

Jiraiya blinked in surprise, much as Tsunade had done. Is it that obvious?

“Well kid, here’s the deal. Yesterday, Tsunade, the healer, left the village. Today, I’m going to leave. I made sure to check in with you, like Tsunade asked. She hated to leave you, but we’ve all got to do what we must, right?”

Ryouko could appreciate that, of course. He had done just that a little less than two monthes ago. But while his reasons for leaving had been glaringly obvious to anyone who had been there, Jiraiya’s reasons were a mystery. Ryouko’s curiosity got the better of him. He questioned the reason Jiraiya was leaving.

Jiraiya seemed both amused and saddened by the question. “Well, it’s like this. My team was made up of Tsunade, myself, and my best friend. His name’s Orochimaru. He left the village a couple monthes ago. I just can’t let him go, not without trying to stop him. Because the way he’s going, he’s on his way to making a big mistake.”

Defense of a friend? That’s why he’s leaving. That makes sense. I mean, it’s so beautiful and peaceful here, I just can’t figure out why anyone would willingly leave. I wonder why Orochimaru left? And I wonder why Jiraiya thinks he’s making a mistake. What could be such a large indicator of evil?

Ryouko chose not to ask those questions aloud. This was clearly hard on Jiraiya as it was. The big guy had sat down on the bed, chin resting on his hands. Ryouko had folded himself into a sitting position on the floor. They both sat silently. Jiraiya was lost in thought; little Ryouko was getting ready to ask him the question that had been on his mind all night.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but may I ask a question?” Ryouko finally piped up, glancing to the side shyly. He hated asking people for favors, or even being saved. It felt like such a weakness!

“Huh? Oh, sure! What do you want to know?” Jiraiya was happy to find that Ryouko had finally gotten over his initial fear of almost everyone. Or, at least, he finally felt confident enough to ask Jiraiya a question. That was actually an honor for Jiraiya. A kid who never left this room felt comfortable enough to ask a question of him.
I’d better not tell him that whole ‘legendary’ thing. Judging by his nature, he’ll clam up and never speak to me again. He’ll just bow non-stop…

“The bully you and the healer saved me from…I’m not sure yet, I mean I haven’t officially decided, but I thought about going to the ninja academy. And, well…he’s a teacher there, isn’t he? With Ir..Iruka, that’s it. He’s a teacher with Iruka. And I’m worried that he might try to corner me again. So I guess what I’m asking is…Will you teach me a simple technique I can use to escape from him?”

Jiraiya wasn’t overly surprised by the question. For a second, he debated whether or not he should show the boy anything. Any jutsu learned at his age was taught at the academy, generally with no exceptions save for the secret clan jutsus that were passed down from generation to generation.

This is a special case. But I can’t stick around to teach him. Orochimaru won’t wait…

“Well, I can’t teach you personally, but I can at least give you some way to learn. It’s all in this scroll. If you get stuck, ask anyone in a green vest for help. Or, of course, old man Hokage.”

Ryouko took the scroll, bowing his thanks. Jiraiya put a hand on his head, though he didn’t ruffle his hair.

“I think you’ll fit in just fine around here, Ryouko. Don’t hide your light under a basket, though. If you stay cooped up in here, you won’t ever get stronger. But, all the same, wait until you’re ready before you do anything major. You’re still young, you’ve got all the time in the world to learn about your strength.”

With that, Jiraiya left. Ryouko was alone once more. This time, it stung as it always did, but there was a ray of hope. The scroll in his hand.

“Replacement Technique…” Ryouko read from the title. Sitting down on the tatami mat on the floor of his room, Ryouko unfurled his first scroll. It took him three seconds to untie the cord around the scroll. It took another two seconds to unroll it to the writing.

It took a millisecond to catch Ryouko’s interest.

--

Later on in the day, Ryouko opened his door cautiously, peering out the red-carpeted hallway. His sandals in place and his sword in his belt, Ryouko was ready to venture out into the village for the first time. He had never gone farther than Lord Hokage’s room. He passed the room now.

The Hokage’s office was an enormous room, windowed on most of it’s sides. Well, sides isn’t right, as the room was a circle shape. But that didn’t concern Ryouko at the moment. He was just going to walk by, but he heard Lord Hokage call his name. Immediately, Ryouko turned toward the room and walked in, bowing at the entrance.

“I’m glad to see you’re going outside. It’s certainly the mark of a brave warrior to venture into the unknown, as you are.” Lord Hokage had been painting as he spoke, moving his hand in graceful strokes. He finished a stroke, making a perfect line in a character that wasn’t finished enough for Ryouko to recognize. Ryouko decided he had to try this some time.

“Thank you, sir. Is there anything I can get for you while I’m out?” Ryouko didn’t think that he might sound like a suck-up. It was simply a mix of youthful innocence and exuberance speaking.

Lord Hokage stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Would you deliver this order for me? You’re too young to bring my tobacco to me, but you can have it ordered. I’ll give you the money up front, plus some for your trouble. We’ll call it a D-ranked mission.”

Ryouko didn’t understand this ‘mission’ stuff, but he was more than happy to help out the man who was letting him stay in his house.

“You don’t have to give me anything, sir. A place to live is enough.” Ryouko felt it necessary to protest, even though he had always learned to take money when it was offered as a gift. But that felt like begging, and Ryouko hated that.

“I’m not ‘giving’, Ryouko. I’m paying you for completing a mission. Oh, how forgetful, you’ve never had one before. You see, Ryouko, Shinobi are paid when they complete a mission. The missions are either ‘S’, ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, or ‘D’ ranked, depending on difficulty. This mission is a D-ranked, the lowest.”

Ryouko felt better about accepting the money after that; something Lord Hokage had taken into consideration. No matter how stoic the boy was, his politeness gave away some of his tendencies and beliefs.

“Thank you, sir. I’ll take care of it.”

There was a knock at the door, just as Ryouko was set to leave. When the door slid open, in walked a man who looked very much like Lord Hokage. This man, however, had blue hair and a full beard, as opposed to Lord Hokage’s black-but-almost-gray (remember, the Third is younger in this timeline, so there’ll be physical differences –NG) hair and his goatee. The new man smoked a cigarette, as opposed to Lord Hokage’s pipe.

“Hello…Dad.”

The man had veritably spit out the last word. Ryouko noticed that Lord Hokage had gone grim as well.

“It’s been a while, Asuma. Have you mended your ways? Are you willing to let the past be the past?”

Asuma exhaled smoke, apparently not even noticing the wide-eyed Ryouko. “I racked up a few thousand Ryo on my head, as a matter of fact. Just shows that I’ve got backbone. But we don’t need to get into that argument again. I can drop the past. Just don’t lecture me on it again.”

Ryouko’s family had been a peaceful one. The thought of an argument between a father and son was a surprisingly new concept to him. He edged toward the door, knowing that he shouldn’t be involved in this. It was a private argument, and one Ryouko knew nothing about.

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