"Today marks our first day as an official group! So it only makes sense to introduce ourselves..." Your teacher smiled, nodding his head along with his words with shut eyes before he opened them hastily, pointing a dramatic thumb toward himself.
"I'm Might Guy! But since I'm your teacher..." He smiled wide, his thumb being directed toward the group of you now. "You will call me Guy Sensei!"
You stared, fingers tapping at your knees as you look to your left, the one with brown hair sat, straight-faced and unimpressed, you recognized him as Neji - then to your right, Lee looked a lot more endeared at the introduction. So much so, he stood to be next with introductions.
"I am Rock Lee! I enjoy - no, I love to train! I also love various other things!" He snuck a sneaky glance toward his group before looking back at his teacher. "There is not much I do not enjoy!" After his hearty introduction, silence filled the air, eyes falling onto you and your teammate beside you.
Neji eyed you, arm resting on top of the seat before he sighed. It looked like you wouldn't budge. "I am Neji Hyuga, of the Hyuga clan." - should you introduce your clan after saying your last name to me? - "I like it when people don't bother me. And I dislike when they do." You blinked side eyeing him at his response before you decided it was your turn.
"I'm [Firstname] [Lastname]." You thought for a moment, thinking of what you enjoyed so much you were willing to share it. "I like to tell people what ghost follows them around." You decided, it was a memory from a while ago - back in your second year of the academy, you would tell people what kind of ghost acted as a guardian angel for them. Lee had a chihuahua, that was the first time you'd ever seen something like that. Another girl in your class - TenTen, had a legendary weapon user beside her. Well, they claimed to be legendary, but you had zero clue who it was. It branched out to other classes, Naruto already knew his parents followed him around.
But an interesting one was Kiba Inazuka, a boy with brown hair. He was so eager to come up to you, but his guardian was a little terrifying. It really did look like a stereotypical ghost, but you didn't have the heart to tell him that. So instead, you told him his guardian was a cute girl who liked dogs. You weren't sure whether you regretted saying it or not, seeing as he smiled and went around boasting. You decided you wouldn't tell anyone whose theirs were after that. But still, it was nice, having people come up to you.
"And I dislike library fees." That was something you could definitely say you didn't like, it wasn't that you got caught with the book you had taken a while back - no, that was still the only book you had on your bookshelf at home. But you had checked out a different book since then, something about how to cook cheap homemade meals. You had completely forgotten you checked it out, and the meals you made with it weren't all that great. The fee you had wracked up was more than you could afford, and you ended up with no food for a good two weeks until Kushina had convinced you to go to the hokage for help. But you thought he'd be a stingy man, seeing as he had someone from his own village living in the same conditions as you.
Guy nodded, hand on his chin as he took in mind all the things you three had said. Typical kid stuff, he assumed. Though, it definitely seemed some of them had some problems.
"I see... All very unique students I have... As of today, you are all Genin. So now tell me, why have you done it? What is your goal?"
"I'd rather not say..." Neji responded, leaning further into his seat, eyes trained toward the floor. He was selling the mysterious act, or he was just secretive you supposed.
"I can answer this, Sensei!" Lee shot his arm up, standing onto his tippy toes. "It is to prove that I can be as good of a ninja as any! Even without Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, I will prove it to the entire shinobi world!" As a response to the farfetched declaration, the boy next to him laughed - trigging an immediate reaction.
"What is so funny? I mean it! I will become a splendid ninja by using Taijutsu alone!" He was furious compared to the brown-haired ones reaction.
"Don't be dumb, the teachers at the academy weren't congratulating you for graduating only using Taijutsu, it's only because they sought it unusual."
The messy-haired one couldn't offer a rebuttal, instead taking a few steps back.
"That leaves us with you, what's your goal?" Guy turned toward you, smile still present on his face.
"Well," You looked away from your to bickering teammates. You had originally come here to become a full-fledged Ninja of the Leaf, but apart of you believed people already accepted you as one. You put your hand on your ninja band. "I want to carry on the legacy of the [Lastname] clan. I want to be strong enough so that my clan can be recognized indiviually in both the Sand and Leaf." You decided that was a noble cause, and seeing as Lee looked happy about your sudden change in aspiration, it was a good reason.
Might Guy hummed, nodding his head before he offered the three of you a thumbsup. "All good reasons for becoming a Ninja!" He started, now smiling. "If you've got the passion, then you could make any of those a reality. Working your butts off is what it'll take!" He pointed his thumb toward himself, smiling. "And as your Sensei from today onward for the rest of your lives... I will make sure you all reach your goal."
You glanced from your teacher toward Lee - who looked overly awestruck at what Guy had just said. You continued and the two before you came to a single conclusion; the two of them were very similar. If you knew how right you'd be in the distant future, you'd call yourself a fortune teller.
"Now. I want you all to meet me out at the training fields of Konoha, field three. Quickly!" And like that, he disappeared. Jounin always made their difficultly earned skills look so easy.
Lee was the first to move - quickly running down the stairs of the building you were on. You looked over at your other teammate, Neji. Despite being in the same class, the two of you never talked much. He looked back at you, face stoic as you made eye contact. You always thought the Hyuugas eyes were interesting, they looked as if they were always in a state of Kekkei Genkai, unlike your Poltigan. Or something like the Sharingan.
He didn't say anything, instead, he stood - following after Lee. It wasn't long before you got up yourself, following the two of them down to the training fields. You didn't often find yourself at these fields, instead resorting to the one you and Lee would go to. But there were times you accompany Naruto here, helping him practice his clone Jutsu. Which didn't improve much.
Once you made it to the field, your two teammates were already conversating. Not a good conversation, you assumed, based off of Lees defensive stance.
"A Kekkei Genkai that give's you the ability to see ghosts is hardly impressive, more of a nuisance." Neji scoffed, arms folded to state his case. His thoughts were geniune, if he had the ability to see ghosts instead of something useful like his Byakugan, he wouldn't take to much pride in that.
Lee was quick to come to your defense, "I disagree! I can only begin to imagine the great possibilities! She can be taught ancient lost techniques! Bring peace to families! She even told me my guardian angel! It is so awesome!"
"No one's even heard of the '[Lastname]' clan, no one would even begin to to believe that she can actually see ghosts." He retorted, side-eyeing Lee.
"That is not true! Her clan is very well known in the Sand! Please Neji, do not be ignorant!" Lee reprimanded. "Would you not be angry if someone doubted the abilities of your clan?"Your eyes shot between the two of them as they continued to argue over your clan.
"They have no idea about how it works. If they're to insult the main branch, I'd agree." Neji denied with the shake of his head, "I don't care what people say about the main branch, it doesn't concern me in any way." He shrugged. "What I'd dislike is being doubted myself."
Lee was silent. It seemed his words didn't really leave the effect he wanted them to have - he felt a little embarrassed then.
"I can do more than just see ghosts." You spoke up suddenly, sparing Lee more embarrassment in silence. "I can use their Justus if they possess me, and I can make them visible. Just imagine the amount of money I could make with something like that." You smiled, looking down. You never actually charged anyone for the stuff you did with your Kekkei Genkai, but it could make a lot of money.
Neji's eyes wandered toward you, "How about you conjure up lord first and prove it right now? Make him visible and I'll give you all the money I have." You could already see the hint of a smile creeping onto his face.
You were rendered silent, a bead of sweat forming on your face. "I can't make him visible yet, but I can conjure him..." You defended yourself, words hesitant as if you were tiptoeing around a minefield that was Neji finding a single slip up in your words. He placed his hands on his hips at your words.
"Tricky way of saying impossible." He said plainly. Eyes narrowing slightly as a mocking smirk tugged at his lips.
"You're really starting to get on my nerves, you know that?" It was hard to keep your nerves under check now. Not when Neji was constantly on a mission to get under your skin - and especially when he chuckled under his breath to mock you.
"Quit it with the smug look, would you?" You scoffed, stepping closer to Neji, closing in some distance.
"That's my normal expression." He responded cooly, head tilting slightly as his smirk became more evident.
Lee was quick to step between the two if you, hands on his hips and eyes closed. "Please, stop it you two! Let us act like teammates!" He reprimanded, not expecting look you gave him - it truly wasn't directed toward him. He never saw you angry before, especially not toward him. But it looked like Neji did well in working up your nerves, or your clan was a sensitive topic.
It was quick to make him back away, muttering a sorry as he lowered his head in shame. "You really know how to piss someone off, my clan has nothing to do with you."You scoffed, an irritated smile coming onto your face as you took a step back.
Neji raised an eyebrow, a hand on his hip. "I don't know what to say to you, if you can't take something that irrelevant, maybe you should let go of your dreams of being a Shinobi now."
You were silent, your face struggling to return back to its normal expression. "Whatever." You surrendered, lifting your arms up weakly before setting them back to your side. Neji watched you in silence, watching as you turned your back to him.
"I never thought of myself as one to get so easily irritable." You muttered shamefully. looking over your shoulder toward your teammate before you looked over at Lee. That look you gave him must've hurt him badly. Guilt built uinat your gut, it was embarrassing, you had let Neji get under your skin so easily.
You stopped in front of Lee, making him look up at you. He didn't look sad or shaken up, more so embarrassed, but you still felt bad. You were silent for a second before apologizing.
He blinked before shaking his head, "No! It is okay! I should have stayed silent, I know how much your clan means to you." He spoke smoothly. "Neji has done well to get on my nerves, as well."
At that - you smiled. Lee was too kind, whatever you did to deserve meeting the kindest in the Leaf, you weren't sure. But you never took their friendship for granted. "Well, looks like we'll have to deal with it. From today forward, the three of us will be stuck with each other for the rest of our lives."
"Oh," Lee blinked, "You are right! The two of us are stuck together for the rest our lives!" He smiled, grabbing your hands. "I will not complain now, not when we are together! Do you share the same sentiment?" He declared, gripping your hands tightly. And conveniently, before you could answer, your sensei appeared in all his glory. Landing from above - striking a pose while he was knelt over before standing to his full height.
"It looks like you all beat me here..." He hummed, hands on his hips as he scanned his eyes over the group. You and Lee standing close by while Neji stood a little behind. He wasn't having it, not for a second.
"You!" He whipped his hand forward to point at the lone teammate. "Stand next to [Firstname]!" He demanded, watching as Neji blinked slowly. He was surprised at the sudden call out, but his emotions didn't leave varying expressions on his face. He simply nodded, stepping next to you.
Guy smiled proudly at his work, nodding his head with a hum before his hand fell back onto his hip. "Perfect, now the three of you look like something that could be a team."
"And I expect you all to make use of that. What I want the three of you to do is land a single hit on me. If you can do that... I will truly take you in as my students." He instructed, sparing the three of you one last glance. "You have thirty minutes! Fifteen will start here, if you fail to do that - you'll have to spend the last fifteen chasing me!" He said. "We start now!"
And just like that, Guy was taking a defensive stance - ready to take on the group of kids already charging at him. Despite each one of them trying their hardest to land a hit, Guy managed to retaliate. It didn't seem as if he was holding back, either. Punching you straight in the stomach - knocking you down for a good minute. He kicked Lee so hard at his side he ended up flying into a tree. Neji didn't get hit to hard, he managed to barely block the attack straight for his cheek - though it didn' cushion the blow to much. He still stumbled back.
The first fifteen minutes passed, the three of you failing each attack you tried to land. Even if you went in separately, or all together, he managed to defend and attack.
"Your first fifteen minutes have ended." He declared, hands on his hips. Not paying attention to the three beat up children on the floor. "I believe in each one of you!"
The bad thing about these training fields was that they were big, the opening you were at now was already big enough as it was, but having to find and attack him wherever he might have been...
"This is impossible..." Lee sighed, already getting into low spirits as his posture slouched.
"We should make a plan. Alone, we can't hope to land a hit against a Jounin." You suggested—earning yourself a scoff from your second teammate.
Hands on his hips, he shut eyes. "Working together with the likes of you two... I'd never get anywhere." He rejected the idea of teamwork. "It's better I work alone if I want to land a hit."
You looked over at him, Lee did the same. He was unwavering beneath the two of your gazes—his gaze over Lee had him sweating. "You don't have any Jutsus, you're going against a fate that you can't change. Without Ninjutsu, you won't become anything special."
Lee frowned, turning his head away. Earlier he was defensive, but being told those words multiple times left him speechless each time. He could only remind himself to not take it personally. "I've only known you a few minutes, but this fate crap is seriously annoying. What do you know?" You spoke up.
He opened his eyes, eyes harsh—he was glaring at you. You shrank back just a smidge, hardly noticeable. The Hyugas all seeing eyes, however, saw everything even without a Byakugan activated. "Far more than you—there's a difference between me, and the two of you. And it's that I'm not ignorant, I don't try and defy a fate that was set for me."
You were rendered into silence, face sour as Neji shifted his feet—body facing away from the two of you. "Don't get in my way." When he jumped away, silence enveloped the immediate area.
You looked down at Lee, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't listen to him, Lee. A jerk like that doesn't deserve the time of day."
Lee raised his head, turning toward you, who continued to speak—"I'm not gonna doubt Jounins capabilities, but I'm sure landing a single hit won't be so hard." You reassured him before jumping away yourself. He lifted up his head, turning it left and right in an attempt to find where you or Neji could have gone, but there was no sign of either of you - so he ran off into the forest.
The tree you found yourself hiding in gave you a good vantage point to try and find your teacher. You had no doubts that Neji was having an easier time, though - seeing as his Byakugan could make him see who knows how far. It had you tempted to conjure the ghost of a Hyuga. The opportunity was presenting itself to you with open arms, but you held yourself back. The only dead Hyuga you knew the name of was Nejis father thanks to Hinata, and if you summoned him, he'd probably freak out seeing his son. So you held back.
Instead, you conjured up Minato. Who was clearly caught off guard as he swayed on the branch you were on. He wouldn't fall, anyway. Ghosts could float. He had to reorient himself before he looked down at you.
"I'll never get used to that no matter how many times it happens..." He chuckled. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
You shook your head, looking down at the field in front of you. Minato was your go-to choice, he was a sensor type, after all. He could pick up on any charka if he tried, and he could tell the difference between a Jounin and to Genin. "Nothings wrong. I just need your help, this is my first test as a Genin - and I have to find my Sensei." He nodded along with you, listening to the rest of your sentence before he began focusing on every chakra point he could pick up on. You were jealous of that ability, but you didn't mention it as you followed Minato out to another part of the field.
"There we are..." Minato said, landing on one last branch. "Your target. I wasn't aware Might Guy became a Sensei. But I think it fits well for a person like him." He looked up at another tree, "Plus company, there's another presence across from us. One of your teammates, I'm assuming?" You landed quietly next to him, nodding. "The last one is a bit far behind," he turned his head behind you.
"That's probably Lee..." You sighed, lowering your head. "I should go back to him, or at least send him a sign that this is where we should meet." You suggested quietly.
Minato nodded, "That's good. Staying with your team is always useful for any type of mission." He agreed. "I'll take care of it." You spared him a look of confusion.
"How will you catch his attention?" You asked, blinking as he smiled down at you.
"A shinobi learns a lot of interesting things, even as a ghost." He said, shutting his eyes in a kind smile before disappearing. That's another thing about ghosts you were jealous of, they got around efficiently.
'You know, I can sense chakra too.' Diaval spoke up suddenly.
"Yet another thing you haven't told me. I never felt the need to ask you that."
You turned your attention back toward your sensei before looking up at the tree Neji was hiding in. He probably knew you were across from him, but you wondered what he was thinking. Maybe he had a plan for getting a hit on him, it was possible thats what he was thinking of at that moment.
There were a few ideas in your head, but most of them had to do with a distraction. A clone jutsu could work, but there was always the option to make a ghost phase through him. That did well to distract someone at the sudden shivers.
You smiled before you conjured Kushina, who had a similar entrance as Minato - who stumbled a bit. "I was wondering where Minato had gone, but I think I know now..." She said, a hand on her head. "What's wrong?" She asked, adjusting her eyes to how high up she was.
"I need you to run through that guy down there a few times." You instructed quietly, pointing at Might Guy who stood still - hands on his hips. Kushina followed your finger down to your target. She wanted to question the weird request, but she managed to piece it together. "Alright then," She nodded before jumping down.
You had to wait until Guy let his guard down - the temperature dropping suddenly on such a warm day would arouse suspicion to anyone with half a brain. The moment Kushina passed through him, he shivered exaggeratedly.
"Oh, it's cold!" He said loudly, hands rubbing up and down his arms.
"Ah!! It's so cold!" That was a different voice - it was Lee who suddenly ran into the open clearing, with Minato close behind him. It looked like he chased him all the way there. It was such an interesting tactic... That would only work on people like Lee!
"I know what this is...! There's a ghost!" He declared loudly, shaking his head. "[Firstname] told me all about this! A sudden chill means..." He whipped his head left and right, as if he'd be able to see a ghost. Guy - hearing his outburst, let his own guard down. Lee was unknowingly the selling point in the distraction you were plotting.
"A ghost? Where?!" He asked, shivering harder as a result of Kushina simply standing inside of him. She and Minato looked up at you - giving you a thumbs up. You took that as your chance you jump down, it looked like Neji had the same idea, because the two of you landed on either side of Guy.
"Guy sensei!" You called his name loudly, a serious look on your face. "I need you to stand very still." You instructed. "There's a scary ghost, if you move.. You'll provoke it!" You warned, looking at your teammates. You'd get a hit in yourself, but you wanted your teammates to make it too - the obnoxious one and your friend.
"I'll excorcise it but... I need help from my teammates!" You excused. Guy was silent, so you wouldn't let him think it through and get an idea of what was happening. So you lifted up your arm, Neji copied you. A part of him couldn't believe a plan as stupid as this was working, but the other was accepting it - if the opportunity to land a hit was presenting itself, he'd take it. No matrer how dumb it was.
Lee was a little slow, looking between the two of you before he lifted up his own arm. You would feel sorry, but you doubted the punch of a few Genins would hurt too much - but it was still a good serving of vengeance - since he didn't hold back on his attacks. (Actually, he probably did hold back.) The three of you all managed to land a single hit on his face, you weren't sure if they gave it their all - seeing as their energy was drained during the first half. But you put in as much as you could, getting a good hit on his right cheek while Neji hit his left one, Lee managed to get a hit in from in front him - straight to the nose. Your weak hands all rested on his face before they fell back down, the three of you silent.
His head was thrown back at the impact, Kushina quickly stepping away from Guy to create the illusion that you really had pulled off an exorcism. It was silent, not a single word muttered from any of you before Guy sensei reached his arms out, catching the group of you off guard as he pulled you all in for a hug - a tight one.
"What amazing teamwork!" He declared, hugging you even tighter. "The three of you all pass! What a glorious display of youth!" You were happy you managed to do it, but Guy just about squeezed out all the air in your lungs.
Truth was, Guy, wasn't all too scared of a ghost - even if he did believe you when you said there was one, but he stayed still. Just so that the three children he had been assigned to would be his students.
. . .
damn this update hella early compared to the ones b4 this 😭😭 yw yall ily 😍😍