Of Affinities, Apologies, and Preparations
-Of Affinities, Apologies, and Preparations-
Amaya sighs as she steps through the sliding door and out onto the porch, her bare-feet barely making a sound as she pads across the dark, oak wood.
Humming under her breath as she walks, she looks out across her grandparents backyard and garden, smiling when the scent of jasmine tickles her nose.
“Amaya?”
Snapping from her reverie, the brunette looks ahead to meet her grandfather’s gaze.
Hajime Senju, standing at 182 centimeters, was a carbon-copy of his father - what with his white hair and piercing, narrowed gaze. However, his attitude couldn’t be any more different. The man was slow to irritate and nearly had the patience of a saint. He was a total gentle-giant through and through, a trait his mother - Amaya’s great-grandmother, Yuuna Takahashi - had made sure thrived.
“Ojii-san...” She calls out in response, giving him a small polite bow before greeting the elder with a warm hug. “I let myself in... Is that okay...?”
Her grandfather chuckles lowly and nods, motioning for her to follow him into the room he came from. “I was expecting you, anyway. Though your grandmother will be disappointed she was unable to greet you...”
“I’ll make it up to her.” Amaya replies, smiling softly as the sweet old woman’s face came to mind. She then shakes her head as they re-entered the house. “So, what did you want to talk to me about...?”
Her grandfather sits on one of the cushions covering the floor and motions for her to do the same as he pulls out a few slips of paper from his pocket. “It’s been a few days since you’ve started your training, and we already know that you are a wind style user.” He begins, holding the papers out for her to take. “I’ve spoken to Masato about it, and we want to see if you have an affinity for any other nature.”
Amaya lowers herself onto her knees and gently takes the slips from his hand, staring at them curiously. “Chakra Induction Paper...?”
Her grandfather hums. “You already know what to do... Go on, focus your chakra into your hand.”
Amaya takes a deep breath and does as told. Focusing on the paper, she can feel the chakra build and gather in her hand with little to no effort. She then begins to channel her chakra into one of the pages, watching in muted awe as the paper split up the middle before slumping over as it became damp with moister.
Hearing a chuckle, Amaya looks up to meet her grandfathers amused gaze, returning his smile with a bright and excited one of her own.
Amaya grunts as she lands into a crouch on the roof of the Hokage’s Office and takes a moment to stare up at the Monument. Her gaze then trails over and focuses on the mountain range in the distance, already learning from Gai, that Kakashi had been using that place to train on his own.
‘No doubt Sasuke is with him now...’ The brunette muses, recalling Sakura’s tale of how both Lee and the Uchiha had seemingly snuck out of their hospital rooms to train.
“Taking a break from training, I see...?”
Flinching at the sudden voice, Amaya quickly turns her head to see Lord Third climbing the stairs.
“Ah... You could say that. I’m actually looking for Kakashi-sensei...” The brunette informs, rubbing the back of her head out of embarrassment as she adverts her gaze. “I got a little heated in our last conversation a few days ago, and figured I should apologize.”
“I see.” Lord Third replies, humming to himself as he pulls out his pipe, walking over to stand next to the girl.
Fidgeting, Amaya toes the at the stone beneath her feet. “I lost my temper and said something that I shouldn’t.”
“It’s good to be passionate about things you believe in.” Lord Third concedes with a nod, sending the girl a fond smile. “And it’s also admirable to admit when you are in the wrong...” His gaze then travels up to the Monument. “Lord Second was the same way... Though it’s pleasing to know that his will and spirit have passed on so strongly through the younger generations.”
Amaya follows his gaze to the Monument, immediately focusing on the second face carved into the stone.
A moment of silence then passes between the two before the elder breaks it by speaking up once more, this time doing little to mask his amusement. “I wouldn’t let it trouble you too much. I’m sure Kakashi will understand. You’ve always been protective over Naruto, after all, so it was bound to happen eventually.”
Amaya blanches and meets his knowing gaze. “Y-you already knew?”
The old man laughs heartily. “Would you truly be known as the Minamoto Spitfire if I didn’t?”
The brunette looks away, cheeks flushed. ‘Nosy old man...’ She thought fondly to herself. “Saa~… How embarrassing, they’ve come up with a name, now?”
Lord Third guffaws at the rhetorical question and pats her on the head before turning away. “Mmhm... Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” He states, making his way back to the stairs. “And good luck in the Finals! Your father has told me great things, I look forward to your match.”
Amaya watches him go, somewhat baffled, though that didn’t stop the smile from forming on her face. She then shakes her head fondly. “R-right... Thank you!”
***
-A Few Minutes Later-
Pausing in her jog, Amaya looks around as a loud, almost ear-piercing sound of chirping birds resonate around the area, eventually followed by a ground shaking explosion.
There’s then a split second of silence before the noise appears again, allowing the brunette to follow it to a small overhang.
Looking down, Amaya’s eyes immediately lock onto Kakashi and Sasuke’s forms, prompting her to cup her hands around her mouth in hopes of making her voice louder.
“OI! KAKASHI-SENSEI!”
Both turn in her direction as she jumps down, only coming to to a halt atop a large boulder some feet away from where they were standing.
“Amaya...? What are you doing here?” Kakashi asks.
Breaking the eye contact she had with Sasuke, Amaya turns her attention to her teacher. “Ah... About what I said the other day... At the hospital...?” She trails off questioningly, and at his nod, looks away bashfully. “I was disrespectful. I lost my temper and took things too far, so for that, I apologize.”
Kakashi stares at her for a moment before humming with a closed-eyed smile. “It’s alright. You don’t need to apologize, I can see now how my actions could’ve came across.”
Biting her lip, Amaya sighs as she meets his gaze a second time. “My mind hasn’t changed though. I still feel the way I do, and I won’t apologize for that...”
“Agree to disagree, then?” Kakashi questions, making the brunette huff in amusement.
“Sure...”
Sasuke stares at the two in confusion before shaking his head, opting to instead fully take in the brunette’s appearance.
Still wearing her standard ninja pants and sandals, the only thing different about the Minamoto’s attire was the light pink halter top she donned - which revealed the black brace wrapped snuggly around her left shoulder and ran down to her elbow. Her hair was also pulled up into a hastily-made bun that rested on the top of her head.
Along with her slight change in appearance, Sasuke could see both old and newly forming bruises and scrapes littering the girls knuckles, arms, and legs, making him curious as to what she had been up to these past few days.
Kakashi also seemed to take notice and raises a brow. “How has your training been going?”
A look of understanding crosses the brunette’s face and her face lights up. “It’s been going really well!” She informs with a smile, subconsciously reaching up to rub at her shoulder. “None of ‘em’s taking it easy on me, so it’s pretty brutal...”
Kakashi hums, his curiosity getting the best of him. “What have you been working on?”
Amaya contemplates answering for a moment, briefly meeting Sasuke’s eyes as a smirk pulls at her lips. “Saa… You’re just gonna have to wait and see. So, make sure your on time to watch my match!~” She replies, before looking up at the sky. “I should get going... I’ve gotta meet up with the old man.”
Turning slightly, she goes to wave goodbye before pausing. “Oh, and Sasuke...” She calls, “Everybody’s been training hard these past few days - some more so than usual. Apparently, you’re the guy everyone wants to fight...”
Sasuke’s smirk grows wider. “Is that so?... Does that include you?”
The brunette snorts in response, turning completely around to walk away. “Maybe...? Who knows.” She replies before lazily waving. “I’ll see you both in two weeks!”
***
A minute or so passes after Minamoto leaves before Sasuke turns to Kakashi curiously. “What was that about?” He questions, regarding the girls apology.
Kakashi chuckles. “Nothing for you to worry about.” He dismisses before motioning towards another rock facing. “Lets get to it... Do it again.”
Sasuke nods, sending one last glance in the direction the brunette went off in, his mind going back to the bruises littering her skin.
Kakashi notices and smirks to himself, already knowing what the boy was thinking about. “Seems like Amaya’s getting amped up... Who knows? She may even pass you up in the Finals.”
Sasuke scoffs at the taunt and turns back to the rock facing, preforming the required hand-signs for the Chidori. However, he couldn’t stop the feeling of excitement from bubbling in his chest for the upcoming exam. ‘Things really are getting interesting...’
“Don’t stop now, do it again.” Masato calls, his narrowed gaze never once leaving the girl in front of him.
Panting, Amaya looks away from her reflection and up to her grandfather, wiping away a bead of sweat as it ran down her jaw.
Taking in a deep breath, she nods and stands straighter, holding one hand over the waters surface as the other makes a hand-sign. ‘Yōso no Mage: Suiton...!’
Bit by bit the water rose and caressed the girl’s palm, gently wrapping around her wrist and weaving in between her fingers.
This continued for a few minutes until the brunette was satisfied with the amount, prompting her to raise her hand and flip it over as she controlled the liquid to move to the center of her palm to from a small, tennis-ball sized sphere.
“Good. Now hold it.” Her grandfather orders for the umpteenth time, taking note of the brunette’s trembling shoulders. “If it looses shape, I’ll add more reps to your strength training.”
Amaya grunts, gritting her teeth as the small ball of liquid wobbles in her hand slightly. “You’re such a...slave...driver...!”
Masato chuckles and walks closer, circling her form, correcting her stance with quick and sharp swats from the fan folded in his hand. “You’ve gotten the fundamentals down but your jutsu and technique are still weak... The water should be used as an extension of your body. Your movements must be quick and effortless, however, you take too much time to gain control.”
“Is there anything I’m doing right...?” The brunette sarcastically mutters under her breath, flinching when the fan is brought down onto the top of her head. In response, the water sphere looses shape and collapses in on itself, dripping off her hand and back into the small pool she was standing in. “Damn it...! What was that for?!”
“Concentrate.” Her grandfather grunts, swatting her head again when she glares up at him. “Do it again.”
Scowling to herself, Amaya does as told, cursing under her breath all the while.
-One Week Later-
Dodge
Drop
Swipe
Block
Punch
Repeat
Amaya drops to the ground, swinging her right leg out and swiping Toshiaki’s feet from underneath him.
As he hits the dirt, the brunette springs up and pivots on her heel, slashing and parrying off Cho’s kunai before kicking the girl in the stomach - sending her tumbling across the ground roughly.
Now seeing an opening, Amaya turns and sprints towards the river that ran though the training field, grinning as her father’s voice carries from where he was standing next to her grandfather’s.
“Don’t let her near the water...!”
The advice came a little too late, however, as Amaya sent chakra to her feet, using it to run across the rivers surface uninhibited. Turning, she faces Kou and Kurai head-on, kicking up water with her feet as she does so.
Jutting her hand out, Amaya smirks as the water begins to swirl around her hand. She then spins, swinging her arm out as the water stretched, forming a whip. The water swings forwards, wrapping around Kou and flinging him backwards.
By this point, the rest of the group had caught up to them and were circling around the brunette, surrounding her on all sides.
Amaya claps her hands together. “Suiton: Suishōha!” She exclaims.
The water surrounding the group raises into the air, creating a spiralling vortex that then explodes from the top, forming a large wave.
The brunette then swings her arms outwards, controlling the wave, making it rush outwards, overpowering her “enemies” and submerging them under water.
***
Kenji chuckles as Amaya lets out a loud victory cheer, his laughter growing louder as she lost her concentration on her feet and also fell into the water.
Beside him, his father-in-law sighs. “That’ll need more work...” Hajime mutters, smiling to himself when Masato huffs in response.