Gimme your power stones
...
Mikoto sat on the weathered wooden bench outside the Academy, looking at the expansive blue sky littered with fluffy, slowly drifting clouds.
Who knew cloud-gazing could be so relaxing?
She sank further into peace as the her mind shut down, noticing nothing except the vast overhead canvas.
Even then, she could feel a niggling sense of anxiety at the back of her mind. It had already been ten minutes since she was let out from the Academy, and Hidetada had still not appeared to pick her up.
Her first thought was that maybe he did not know the exact timing of when they were released from the Academy, but after time passed slowly but surely, Mikoto could not help but wonder if the Senju was just playing a cruel joke on her.
A sparrow flew high in the sky, chirping as it darted through the air, trailing after another sparrow in a playful dance. She couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to be a bird roaming the world freely. The thought of flying high in the sky as the wind rushed past her was pleasing to contemplate. A long shadow fell over her, yet Mikoto still did not look away from the clouds moving at a gentle speed through the air. The only sound around her was the pleasant chirping of birds, the soft rustling of the oak trees nearby, and the occasional gales of wind crashing against the academy walls.
The peaceful atmosphere almost made her fall aslee—
"The sky today is looking pretty interesting, huh?"
Mikoto almost jumped out of her skin as she heard his voice. Turning her gaze away from the horizon, she looked in front of her to see Hidetada standing before her, his figure obscured in the deepening shadows of the academy gates as he too stared at the sky.
It took her a moment to realize that the Senju had done something with his chakra to make her unable to sense him. While her sensing skills were not as refined as someone who was a natural at it, it should have been impossible for anyone to sneak so close to her without her noticing the shift in the air or sensing their chakra.
While it would not have been that suspicious if it were someone else, this was Senju Hidetada. Mikoto had not felt a chakra pool as vast as his in her entire life. For someone with average chakra reserves, it would be possible to suppress it, almost making them indistinguishable from a normal civilian, but he had somehow not only managed to suppress his chakra but also make it disappear completely.
'Just how...?' Her dark eyes flickered to the hand he had extended towards her, his face still unseen in the shade, though she could see the faint smirk beginning to tug at the corner of his lips. 'He knows exactly what I am thinking about...'
A normal ninja, no matter how precise their chakra control was, could not make their chakra signature disappear completely, as every living thing had its own chakra, no matter what.
You would have to be dead to have no chakra signature at all.
As she took his large hand into hers to stand up, Mikoto could not help but think about the enigma the person in front of her was.
Had he just appeared quickly before she had even been able to sense him? That was not possible, since his shadow had fallen on her, yet she had not been able to notice it for several minutes until he had finally said something.
And the terrifying part was that Hidetada's chakra felt completely normal now.
"How did you do that?" Mikoto blurted out before she could control herself. No normal human being should be able to completely suppress their chakra. It was impossible; it was the first thing they were taught in school.
Hidetada's calm face did not shift, except for the small smirk that had made itself home on his features. As she was looking at him, Mikoto realized that a small sparrow was sitting contentedly on his shoulder. "Do what exactly?"
His smooth voice rang in her ear as she turned her gaze away from the cute sparrow to look into his honey eyes. It took her a moment to realize that she was still holding his hand.
With an embarrassed cough, she quickly withdrew it and wrung her hands behind her back. "You know what I am talking about. How were you able to suppress your chakra completely?"
The smirk on his face seemed to grow as he beckoned her to follow him. Mikoto quickly fell in beside him as they made their way onto the street, the sound of their rhythmic footsteps being the only noise in the silent surroundings. Again, she turned her gaze towards the sparrow on his shoulder, resisting the urge to pat the plump bird. The way it tilted its head towards her was far too cute to ignore.
"Maybe you are just bad at sensing?" Hidetada teased, his voice gaining a playful edge as he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Mikoto barely managed to resist the urge to growl at his evasive statements.
He was definitely doing it to annoy her now.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she turned her face towards his, her eyes narrowing as she spoke with a sharp tone. "I know I am not that good at sensing, still, I should have been able to make out anyone standing that close to me. So how did you manage to do it? What did you do exactly?"
Usually, Mikoto would have never been as upfront with someone that she knew for barely two days, but Hidetada had something in him that made it easy to speak her thoughts out freely. Maybe it was just his presence? Just being around him made her feel safe. Also, if it had been any other technique, she would have kept her mouth shut, as it was impolite to ask people about the secrets of their Clan Jutsu, but he had basically gone against one of the fundamental laws of chakra.
"I don't know," Hidetada shrugged, the fat sparrow on his shoulder squawking angrily as it got startled. He muttered something under his breath that calmed it down, along with gently petting its head. "I was just enjoying being one with the nature and the sky, just like you."
The annoying smirk that he threw her way made her shoulders slump. Mikoto realized that if she were to press on, he would just make even more confusing statements. Still, the entire situation was simply baffling. Shaking her head at the thought, she decided to respect his wishes and not ask anything more.
On the other hand, the plump sparrow was looking even cuter as it buried its face under one of its tiny wings, dozing off. What could it even be dreaming about?
Not being able to resist any longer, Mikoto brought up her arm to touch its head, only for Hidetada to speak up and stop her from doing so. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. He doesn't like anyone else ruffling up his carefully groomed feathers."
The amused tone made her drop her hand with a huff. Maybe it was time to get her own companion from the Summoning Jutsu.
Actually, that reminded her. "Why is he sleeping on your shoulder? Is he a Summon?" Her black hair swayed to the side as she looked at him with curiosity.
Hidetada hummed in his throat, his gaze not straying from the path ahead of them as he answered her question. "No, he just likes sleeping on my shoulder." With that, he drew his hand up to pet the rotund sparrow.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
What kind of statement was that?
It made her even more confused.
After all, why would a random animal sleep on your shoulder, and why would you just let it do that?
Maybe it had something to do with his Mokuton. Did it make the user closer to animals? That was certainly a possibility, though she had not heard of anything like that. As she opened her mouth to speak, Hidetada stopped gazing ahead of them.
Turning her eyes away from the sharp outlines of his face, Mikoto stared in the same direction. They were standing in front of one of many gates that were part of the heavy iron fence that covered the Forest of Death.
With a nod towards the black-haired Chunin sitting guard at the side of the gate, Hidetada began to move inside. Mikoto quickly hurried her steps to follow beside him.
"Does that bird have anything to do with your Wood Release?" she asked hesitantly, and waited for his response. Hidetada walked inside the gates of the Training Ground Forty-Four before he glanced at her with a smile. "Ting, ting, ting. Bingo!"
What the hell was a bingo?
Mikoto looked at him questioningly, her eyebrows raised. When he saw her expression, he sighed and muttered something under his breath that was too quiet for her sharp ears to pick up. "Yes, you are indeed correct. Possessing the Wood Release bloodline makes anything related to nature become drawn towards me, be it animals, plants, or trees."
Mikoto couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of envy at that. He got a powerful bloodline and these sorts of additional abilities? It was totally unfair.
Seeing her expression, Hidetada couldn't help himself and raised his arm lightning quick to squeeze her cheek. Mikoto wondered whether she should slap his hand away before deciding against it—definitely not because she liked it—still, she had to pretend to scowl at him.
With a chuckle, he withdrew his hand from her cheek, and finally stopped moving to look around them.
Mikoto realized that they were pretty deep in the forest as she looked at Hidetada raising his arms above himself for a stretch. The gnarled trees here were massive, their canopy so thick that the ground was perpetually draped in a cool, damp twilight.
The bird on him released an agitated squawk as it flew up into the air before flapping its wings and disappearing into the surrounding tangle of trees and branches.
"To start training you, first, I'll need to see where your current skill level is," Hidetada finally stopped stretching, a grin stretching across his face. "So give your best and attack me."
Mikoto hesitated for a second before steeling herself. If that was what he was asking for, then she would gladly comply.
Her hands flashed through a number of seals before finally settling on the Tiger handseal. With a deep breath, as the chakra molded inside of her lungs and stomach, she blew, lighting the world around her on fire.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Her words were drowned out by the large roaring flames that emerged from her pink lips, coloring the world in vivid orange and red shades. Her hand flew down to the leg holster on her thigh, pulling out four kunai that gleamed in the light with their sharp edges resting between each of her fingers.
Mikoto did not wait for a second and threw them into the fire to surprise Hidetada if he was still standing opposite to her.
She stood on her haunches, ready to dart away at a second's notice if anything in her vision moved. The fireball impacted a massive tree in its path, finally dying out, with Hidetada nowhere in sight.
The hairs at the back of her neck raised slightly as she felt danger. Mikoto jumped away, activating her Sharingan just in time to avoid the hand that had tried to grasp the back of her neck. With her eyes narrowed sharply, she looked at the untouched figure of Hidetada standing opposite to her, a calm expression on his face.
He seemed to pause slightly, staring at her Two-Tomoe Sharingan, mildly surprised, though it did not show much on his face.
Immediately, Mikoto tried to put him under a Genjutsu, only for him to break it before it could even begin its work with a snort.
Having spent enough time examining her, Hidetada dashed forward towards her, faster than what her Sharingan could easily track. It was out of pure instinct alone that she was able to put up her forearms to block the blow that was coming towards her face.
A wince escaped her as his fist impacted her arms, the heavy vibrations ringing through her bones. Hidetada seemed to have realized something, as his eyes gleamed, his other fist darting up at a much slower pace towards her jaw.
Mikoto quickly backtracked, pulling out her kunai and holding it in a reverse grip as the two tomoe in her eyes spun hurriedly. She was starting to realize that the Senju was much better than her at everything. Although it did sting to think about, it was just the reality of the world.
Again, Hidetada pushed himself forward towards her, though this time, it was at a pace that her Sharingan could track. As they were locked in a Taijutsu battle, with Hidetada ducking and weaving through the strikes and swipes of her kunai easily, Mikoto realized just how outclassed she was.
Jumping back to put some distance between them, her hands quickly flashed through a series of hand signs, again coming to rest on the Tiger hand sign. A volley of flaming balls were spat out by her towards him.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
They streaked through the air, rushing towards his figure leaving trails of flames behind them. Hidetada simply stood in his place with a bored expression, waiting for them to come close.
As they did, he simply weaved through all of them and rushed towards her. Not expecting him to simply dodge the Jutsu, Mikoto was surprised as he appeared in front of her, and with a low sweep of his leg, made her feet fall down from under her.
With a sigh, the Senju caught her before she could fall to the ground completely.
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Word Count: 2367