"Understatement," said the elder, looking at the little boy.
"I didn't check the orphanage because the matron's reputation was exemplary until now," stated the Hokage. "A mistake among a long line it seems."
"You had expected to be in retirement by now, even the most powerful of shinobi cannot defeat time," said the elder.
"She kept him locked in a closet, didn't feed him," said the Hokage, a bit of anger leaking out until he forced it down again. "She's being psychologically evaluated."
"The child is a cringing wreck, I'm not sure that our shrine is the best place for him," confided the elder. "Many of our priests are samurai or war-priests or monks. I'm not turning him down, we don't accept everyone but I certainly don't sense any evil from the child. What's within him, on the other hand. No, I'm more worried that he'll be too fragile for such a rough crowd."
"You can sense that so easily?" asked the Hokage.
"Please, accept that I'm at least competent at MY job," said the elder. "Therein lies an additional problem. There will be those who sense that within him and seek to slay the evil within our midst."
"It is not so different here," said the Hokage.
"So," said the elder, considering that before nodding. "Such is fate then."
The child still cringed a lot, but was getting better. Just being able to eat larger amounts seemed to have calmed him some.
Having other children learning alongside him also seemed to help.
"Shinmeiryu," said Takano, holding a shirazaya (white wood bokuto) near his belt as he lectured. "Mainly consists of sword techniques. Yet you WILL learn unarmed combat, combat with a number of weapons, combat with improvised weapons, and skills necessary for life here at the temple. We do not care who you are, where you came from, or anything else about you. The past is the past and is left in the past. What you are NOW are students. You are all equal as of this moment, no matter who you WERE or what burdens you may carry inside you."
The blonde child seemed to startle and tremble at that, a hesitant smile showing itself.
"Whether you are boy or girl, from a rich family or poor family, the higher elevation of society or the youngest child of a fish-seller does not matter. When you arrived here all of that was left behind. Until you graduate here, none of that exists. How far or high you rise within the ranks of the school depends entirely on YOU. Your hard work, dedication, and strength. YOUR studies and YOUR learning. That is all that matters."
Takano looked over the small group of children. A couple of them looked shocked or lost. The blond though - he looked near ecstatic.
He would bear watching.
"Now, there are ougi (secret techniques) and hiken (hidden sword techniques)," continued Takano. "For now, you will follow me to the practice yard. You will spar, I will grade you, and we will see who will emerge the first."
Naruto wondered why he had to return to this damn place.
He was doing fine at the temple. Killing monsters, fighting demons, making tea, polishing the floors in the main temple, working on his sword forms, cleaning the statues, all the things that needed to be done.
Instead he had to come back here with Elder Hirashi. Pfeh. At least the old man had realized he'd needed to settle himself before getting into that damn village itself.
When he felt the presence he didn't immediately show outward signs, focussing instead on analyzing it. Once he had the location and "feel" of it, he acted.
Naruto drew his sword. "Who's there?"
"eep."
"You can come out," said Naruto, still holding his sword ready. Just in case.
"You... you can see me?"
"What kind of monster-hunter would I be if I couldn't sense spirits?" asked Naruto, who considered the spirit before putting his sword back. "You can come out."
The ghost slowly crept forward, seeming to take a little heart at the wooden sword having been put away. "It's just that nobody else seems to see me."
"Well, yeah, they're ninja here," said Naruto. "Ghosts are a little outside their specialty. So what is your focus?"
"'Focus'?" asked the ghost, a little relieved to actually be able to speak to someone.
"What's keeping you in this world as opposed to moving on to the next one," said Naruto. "You're obviously not a Vengeance type or a Hungry type. You seem more the Focus type - which means that you've got some task you were trying to complete, or some tie to a person or thing that keeps you here. Though I don''t think I've heard of ghosts radiating 'lonely' before."
"I had no idea the afterlife was so complicated," admitted the ghost.
"Yeah, it sure can be," said Naruto, moving around the ghost to inspect her. "Man, those lessons were a pain."
"Wh-what are you doing?" asked the ghost.
"You're missing some definition," said Naruto. "Definitely not one of the types I'd need to send forcibly to the afterlife. I'm Naruto of the Aoyama Shrine. So what's your name?"
"I don't remember that either," said the girl.
"Huh? Oh man, I heard about that. You're dispossessing or discorporating or dis-something or other," said Naruto as he tried to remember that particular lesson. "Your memories are dissolving."
"I don't want to dissolve!" cried the spirit.
"Hang on," said Naruto. "Hey, I got an idea. If you can't remember your focus, you need something else to stabilize you until you do."
"B-b-but what?!" asked the girl.
"You don't remember your name," mused Naruto. "So I'll give you one and bind you to my sword here. You can help me out, and that'll stabilize you. Then when you remember your focus, I can help you go on to the next world."
"It's a wooden sword," pointed out the ghost.
"So it'll be a temporary binding," said Naruto. "It'll be good practice. I'm supposed to make my own sword next year and then bind a spirit to it."
"Oh," said the ghost. "So I won't forget anything more? I'll be able to talk to you?"
"Yeah," said Naruto, "and yeah. Anyway, I'll need a name to do the binding. Got any preferences?"
"Uhm, no," said the ghost.
Naruto stopped scribing the seals on his wooden sword and looked around the field and the forest surrounding it.
"Elm?"
"That doesn't sound very feminine."
"Leafy?"
"Please, no."
"Kodachi?"
"That doesn't sound right."
"Sunny forest glade?"
"That's a bit long."
"Hinata?"
"..."
"Well, how about something like 'Sakura' or 'Katana' or something."
"I was going to say that name sounded 'right' somehow."
Naruto nodded as he continued scribing the seals in the sword, then in the dirt around the spirit.
"Are you sure this will work?" asked the ghost.
"Actually," said another voice.
"EEEP!" said the ghost, diving into the underbrush.
Elder Hirashi dropped down out of the tree he'd been in, went over to a squiggle and erased it, then redrew it.
"Uhm, Elder," began Naruto.
"Your instincts are good in this instance," said the Elder. "Were that they were so more often."
"Yes, Elder," said Naruto.
"So, young spirit," said the Elder. "If you accept this contract, go to the center of that circle there."
"This won't hurt, will it?" asked the girl ghost hesitantly, peeking out of the brush.
"No," said Naruto.
"Yes," said Elder Hirashi.
"Huh?" asked Naruto and the ghost.
"It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as dying usually does, or so I'm told," said Hirashi. "Both of you are going to hurt. If you're going to do it though, do it now. There's a predator about."
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(Posted Wed, 19 May 2010 00:45)
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