Of triangles
“Huff…” I was desperately gasping for air.
Splash
I dosed myself with ice cold water and stared at the shattered mirror in the bathroom. Today nightmares were worse than they usually are.
Meow
Shiro started to stay over at my place more frequently. Mostly nights. It is possible that I am reading too much into it, but it started only after he witnessed me having nightmares. Animals are way better than humans. His presence helps me put myself back together.
“There is no chance I will be able to fall asleep again.” I looked at the clock, that shows 4:32. Might as well go train a little.
Cold wind brushed against my skin as I walked down the streets. Some drunkards were returning home from their night out. Some ninjas were seen here and there either going on a mission or returning from one. Some people were heading towards their work beforehand.
There are two training grounds that are reserved solely for academy students. Most of the time children only use them to work on group projects.
I decided to go to the one closest to the Academy, so I can head to the classes right after. I have at least two hours to make myself feel like a human again.
I yawned and plopped on the grass. Meditation it is. I sat in lotus position and closed eyes.
There are two types of meditation, one that focused all your senses inward, and another that concentrate them outward: on the world around you. The first one helps to get in touch with your own chakra and body in general, it always makes me more clearheaded and peaceful.
The second type helps you train your spatial awareness and sensory abilities. Most recognised sensors are natural born ones or those, who created their own special method through fuinjutsu, senjutsu, unique chakra usage or whatever they thought of. All people can sense others to a certain degree, what differs sensors from others is their sensory reach and accuracy. If ordinary person at best can feel up to 40 meters, then for sensors 100 would be minimal.
I am not a sensor per see, because my sensing range is short as hell (5 meters), at this distance you can see, smell or hear them. I don’t sense people’s chakra though like others, I sense their blood. It may not be all that useful as reconnaissance, but it helps me differentiate between illusion and reality.
One time man passed by me, and I could feel, that he had no blood in him. I have found later after skimming all books at Academy library, that it was a standard clone, which we will learn later. They are only illusion created by chakra and you can easily identify them, because they have no material form or mass, so they won`t kick up dust or press the grass. But who can pay that much attention during the battle, so instinctively knowing who is fake is useful to me. Also, people developed counter measures for sensors by masking it or decreasing to the level of small animals, jonins and veteran chunins at least.
I started slowly working on expending my range, it could be said that I had no progress at all. Well, now I can sense small animals better. They don’t have much blood, so it was difficult.
I took a deep breath and exhaled through my mouth; I could almost envision water vapor forming around me. It still fascinates me just how loud the nature is; beautiful sound of birds chirping, the fragrance of plants, first rays of sun gently falling on my skin. If I channel some chakra in my ears, I will be able to hear vendors slowly opening their shops.
I opened my eyes and stared at the sunrise. Maybe I should start meditating at this hour, I feel so peaceful. Before I noticed it, I fell asleep leaning on the tree trunk.
Someone entered my sensory range and I woke up with a start. I was muddleheaded, so I wasn’t able to react in time. The intruder didn’t seem to notice me at all and tripped over my legs. It is a talent how can you fall down that spectacularly, he was able to step on me, elbow me in the stomach and bring me down with him face down on the ground.
“ Ahh, what is it…ouch” he tried to get up pushing my head further in the ground with his body.
Finally I was able to get my bearings, so I kicked away the stupid fucker, who still couldn’t get up.
I just continued to stare at the sky. What a truly shitty start of the day.
“I am so sorry; I didn’t see you. I agreed to come earlier today for Rin-chan” Hah. I recognised the voice of the klutz. Uchiha Obito. My classmate. I briefly glanced at him, there was a bruise on his cheek.
I suppose I should be grateful that he woke me up. “Hey, are you alright?” He was sniffing, seemed pretty close to crying.
“Ehhh!? Is it blood!? I am so sorry.” He was panicking “Oh man. What to do? … Right! Rin-Chan can fix you up. She is really good at medical stuff, you know. You are from my class, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Uchiha-san. It is fine. I don’t need medical aid or anything” I said and looked down at the place that slightly stung from the pain. Ah, seems wounds reopened on my arms. It is really bothersome to slash myself every time I trained kekkei genkai. Constantly bandaging is even more of a hassle.
I looked at the position of the sun in the sky, it seems, there is a bit of time before the class. Isn’t he always late? How come he is so early here?
Obito did not seem to hear me, just grabbed my hand and dragged me towards Academy. Well, whatever. If someone wants to do it for me, I would not mind.
Rin was sitting at the classroom intently looking at some notebooks. She glanced up when she heard Obito bulldozing into the room.
“Rin … huff… chan... we need your help”.
She immediately switched to the work mode. Rin started examining my arm and manhandled me into the seat near her.
First she started unwrapping my bandages, I slightly winced from the pain.
Both of them gasped when they my arm, there were many scars and cuts, some of them had blood flowing from them.
“Emmn, hello, Nohara-san. You can just bandage them quickly, no need to bother much” I channelled a bit chakra and blood flowed back into my bloodstream.
“Ehh!” Obito got so surprised that he fell down from his seat. “ wha..what, how did you do it?!”
“Ah, you are that guy from hospital.” Rin clapped her hands together and looked at me in awe. “ You know, you can call me Rin. Hearing you say Nohara-san makes me feel like you are calling tou-san.”
Obito chimed in “Me too, there are too many Uchihas. And it makes me feel old. “
“Alright. You can also call me Kaito”.
“ Obito, it will take a while so I won’t be able to review with you. I am sorry” she looked at him apologetically.
He blushed and waved his hands in the air “No, no . You should tend to him”.
Oh, it seemed, Rin was helping him with his studies, he is still at the bottom of ranking.
“are you reviewing material for the test today? I can help you with that. I may not be at the top of the class, but I still have rather good grades. If you don’t mind” Rin already zoned us out from her world and started organising various vials on the desk. Am I getting experimented on right now?
Obito’s eyes sparkled “Ehh? Really? That would be so cool.”
I also took out my materials, while Obito was finishing his homework and in passing asking me questions. It was a bit awkward at first, because we didn’t know each other that well, but soon we started having heated debate.
“I don’t know how to memorise all this stuff. Why do we even need to know, whether this law was written by second Hokage or Lord Third?! It is so stupid. It is not like it is going to help me on battlefield.”
What I noticed was thar Obito wasn’t stupid, he just had no interest at all in subjects, he deemed useless. That’s why he can’t concentrate that much, when we have lessons. And his handwriting is just atrocious. Turned out he lives with his grandma, who cannot see very well. Usually, it is parents who teach their children how to read and write. Well, it turned into very interesting results of some semi-illegible chicken scratch.
“No way, I do not believe it. He can`t be Hokage, if he is like that, right?” he glanced at Rin, who also joined in our conversation.
“Hmm, I am not sure, but I think Kaito has a point there” she has chosen Obito as her next victim and started treating the bruise on his face. She always forgets boundaries when it comes to healing. And right now their foreheads are practically touching.
Obito`s face is so red right now, I can practically feel the heat coming from him. It is so obvious that he likes her, but Rin is completely oblivious, I almost feel bad for him.
“But seriously I am sure Lord Second had a grudge against Uchiha clan. At first I didn’t notice, but at every second letter of this raw it spells Uchiha`s evil. I don’t think he even tried to cover it up. That’s why he is my favourite Hokage, Shodai Hokage might have brought the idea of founding the village into light, but Nidaime is the one, who made it work. He created the system out of nothing that actually works, it is easy to say let’s do this, but to actually implement it, is way more difficult.” I started actively gesticulating, because I talked about my favourite topic.
“and the most incredible thing was he didn’t even want to found the village, many people were against it actually. I mean to forgive someone, who killed your family and friends is not easy. But he still supported his brother and could logically understand the advantages of creating it. Despite his own feelings he flawlessly carried his duties. But at the same time, he made it very obvious that he wasn’t very happy about it. So he made snide comments about Uchiha every time he could and made sure everyone suffers as much as he does. He is honestly so funny. “I rambled on and on.
Rin and Obito looked at me weirdly.
“I think it is the first I heard anyone calling Lord Second funny” The dude was a riot. What are you talking about?
Cough
Someone stood behind me, I was so engrossed in conversation, that I didn’t notice anyone at all. That would get me killed one day, really bad habit for any shinobi. Damn, and it is after I trained for hours today.
I scanned the room and saw other students slowly tricking into the room. The one who announced his presence behind me like that was…
“Good morning, Kakashi-kun” Rin chirped so loudly and cheerfully, that I convulsed from sudden noise. Right. It was his place.
“Sorry, Hatake-san.” I started gathering my stuff into my bag and simultaneously looked at Obito “ but I am telling you, it is foolproof method how to distinguish bills passed by Lord Second and Third” I slightly pouted, a tad bit annoyed that our debate came short.
Sigh
That again. Hatake.
I have way too many complicated thoughts about the guy with whom I shared conversation only once and it was about submitting my homework.
Because I can’t honestly understand him.
Like right now. Did he sigh because I was taking too long and he was annoyed, was he simply just tired early in the morning or maybe lost in thought. I do not know.
I had seen him almost making someone cry couple of times. I couldn’t figure out whether he is an asshole or simply socially inept.
I can feel him watching me, way to put pressure on someone, I didn’t even take that long. Jerk
As soon as Academy started, I noticed just how much students were paying attention to him, but I attributed it to his scores and placement. The way my jaw dropped when sensei said “As expected of the son of White Fang” while praising Kakashi for some test. I looked around and I was the only one who didn’t know apparently. After that I was spacing out all day trying to link together the legendary hero and that socially awkward middle-aged man.
But even without his father’s fame, he was already making name for himself on his own merit.
When I see him, I always remember Daiki’s words about unfairness of the world. Well, if God really had favourites, then this guy would be considered to be the one.
I wasn’t jealous of him, didn’t admire or hate him like others, but being around him made me feel uncomfortable. He is just someone far away from me; someone with superior talent, family conditions and overall everything.
Why the hell he is staring at me so intently?
I looked up from what I was doing and glanced at him, but he turned his head away as soon as I did so.
Ah, here he is, the reason of my headache.
It is not like Guy was particularly annoying or anything. But he was so full of energy, he wouldn’t waste even a second before lessons. He is already doing push-ups near our seats. I can somewhat understand his drive, but seeing something like that so early in the morning isn’t how I would spend my time.
Today we are finally starting our physical training. I was equally part nervous and exited. I didn’t know my level at all compared to others my age. I could guess that in sparing I would have my ass handed to me, but I didn’t know how fast.
“Alright, everyone line up in three columns. I don’t care how your parents taught you to hold weapons, in final exam you will be asked to do it traditional way. The one I will be teaching you now.” I could hear weak protests around me. Well, at least we all start on the same line, more or less.
We were given three blunted shuriken, the targets stood only five meters away from us, so most of the students were able to hit the wooden board at least once.
The next to throw were Obito, Kakashi and I. I felt a bit pressured, well at least all eyes were not on me, but on budding genius.
“I will definitely beat you, Bakashi.” Obito’s eyes were filled with fighting spirit. Interesting. Do they dislike each other or something?
Kakashi only glanced at him once and didn’t say anything at all. Ouch. Complete disregard. Poor Obito.
Shuriken was surprisingly difficult to hold. I know that their purpose is to maim the enemy, but it sure as hell feels like the maker wanted the user to suffer. Maybe it is because we are still young and our fingers are relatively short, but throwing them hurt. They may be blunted, but I am sure I will have either calluses or bruises from them.
Unsurprisingly, my first throw only hit the ground near target. I zoned out all noises around me and concentrated only on a task.
I slightly changed their position because it didn’t feel quite right.
On a second try I hit the wooden board at least, however crookedly it may be. I felt proud of myself and smiled slightly. The third one unfortunately flew past the target.
Suddenly I heard something whooshing towards me and reflexively sidestepped to the right where Hatake was standing. We collided into each other and fell in a tangled mess on the ground. I think I scraped my knee just now. Great.
What on earth was that thing?
“ How long do you plan to lay on me?” I heard annoyed voice under me. I realised that I was splayed out on top of Hatake. How embarrassing.
“Yeep, I’m sorry, Hatake-san” I said slightly flustered. I immediately stood up and offered my hand to him so he can get up, which he didn’t accept. There was some pink showing under his mask.
Well, whatever.
Thanks to this meat cushion the fall didn’t hurt as much. He is probably frustrated with himself, that he was unable to dodge me quickly enough.
Obito was being criticised by sensei and quiet loudly at that, his face was beet red, and he looked one moment away from crying. Not far away from where I previously stood was shuriken halfway lodged into the ground. If it hit me, it would hurt like a bitch.
I scanned surroundings, Hatake has hit bullseye with one shuriken and the other two were not far from it. Has his dad already taught him? It is possible, still it was amazing to do so well when so many people were staring at him.
Obito’s target had zero projectiles in it, I couldn’t see even one anywhere near where it was supposed to be. How was it even possible to throw it in my direction from that angle is beyond me. If that was intentional that would be an amazing talent, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hatake got surrounded by others, everyone was impressed with his skills. I think fan girls will be even more burdensome for Kakashi from now on.
Obito tearfully apologised to me and ran away after looking at Rin, who had her eyes glued on Kakashi.
Ah, so it is like that. Tragic love triangle.
I would have pitied Hatake, if he wasn’t such a jerk. But he probably doesn’t even know, why he is suddenly hated for no reason. It happened so many times to me.
It is almost funny how you can become object of someone’s as anger by simply existing.
How emotional. How very human.
Sometimes I wish people would judge only based on logic.