Invisible- A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 40

A blow lands on my stomach, sending me flying into a nearby tree. "God dammit!" I scream. I pull myself up off the ground, breathing heavily. We've been doing the same exercise for hours and I still can't get it.

"Ayaka," Taka says calmly. "I've told you this already. You need to calm down, focus on what you are doing. Lower your chakra levels and move gracefully, without putting too much weight on the ground."

"I'll get it this time," I growl with determination. Taka nods and returns to his place in the center of the clearing. I teleport back into the woods, surrounded by trees and just barely able to see my temporary sensei. I close my eyes and slow my breathing. Calm down, Ayaka. Ninja are supposed to be able to do this sort of thing, right? Sneak up on someone without them knowing?

My eyes flash open and I leap into the nearest tree. I jump from branch to branch, making sure that I avoid leaves and weak branches. I make it to the clearing without any difficulty. Taka is still in the center, still sitting and focusing on the sounds and scents around him. I let out a quiet breath, and once again close my eyes. I listen to the breeze through the trees and the grass waving in the wind. I can see it all, Taka in the center, the trees surrounding him on every side, the gate around the training area, everything. Shadow cloak jutsu, I think to myself. I feel myself fade away from sight. The wind fills my spot, and I feel light, weightless.

I move from my spot in the tree onto the ground, landing silently. I walk softly across the clearing, focusing on my weightlessness so as not to break the justu. I walk straight up to Taka, who still hasn't moved. His clouded eye stare straight forward, never wavering. I place my hand on his forehead and break the jutsu. Taka smiles and closes his eyes. "It seems like you got me."

Taka takes me out to dinner that night after training all day. We go to the small ramen shop that Naruto is always talking about and he treats me to a bowl of chicken flavored ramen. I swallow a scoop of noodles when I look over to see Taka, gazing sadly into his bowl. "What's wrong?" I ask quietly.

He turns to me and smiles. "Nothing's wrong," He sighs, "I was just thinking about what it was like when I was a genin. I used to have ramen with my parents all the time."

"Did something happen to them?" I ask, curious to find out more.

"They died a few years back. It wasn't a surprise or anything. They were old and sick. It was their time." He smiles sadly. "But, I remember my dad used to tell me my fortune with the herbs left in the bottom of the bowl once everything else was gone. I would always try to make out the images that he was seeing at the bottom of the bowl, but I never could. All I saw were little bits of plant."

"You saw tham?" I question. "So you weren't always..."

"Blind? No, no. I lost my sight only a few years ago. My genins and I were on a mission. It wasn't supposed to be hard, but we got in the way of an S Ranked criminal. My students didn't stand a chance. I did my best to keep them safe, but I couldn't beat him, He got me with his poison blade, which paralyzed me. I couldn't move and just watched as he slaughtered my team. He left me to die, but I was found. I was taken to a hospital and they were able to keep me alive,  but the poison took my eyes."

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. I can't imagine losing my team. They're my family now, and I've already lost a family. I smile and wrap my arms around him. "I'm sorry."

He returns the hug and smiles. "Don't worry, I have a new student now."