Another day, another training within the clan's private grounds, turning it into a battlefield, really. Trying to push myself up, I coughed, inhaling the dust hanging in the air, scraping my palm against the tree bark that littered the ground. Ugh... it was as if something had exploded around me, as several scorched marks decorated the surrounding trunks and glowing remains of the training poles and figures. As for me, I was in the middle of a small crater, fighting with my body to get back up.
"Haaah…"
Back on my feet, my chest rose and fell slowly as I tried to pull myself together, while across from me, Fugaku stood perfectly straight, his arms folded inside his sleeves, his expression calm, patiently waiting for me to gather my bearings.
"Your reaction speed improved," Fugaku said when I finally faced him, "But you are still... Slow. You are faster than this, Renji."
"I can't help it, because I still need to calculate all the counters your body signals to my eyes with just a move of a hand... It slows me down to throw away the fakes and notice the real one."
"You must train your eyes more," He said sharply, "Stop thinking about the counter and feel it. You can't do it consciously, because that's what indeed slows you down. Just like performing a jutsu you are familiar with, you must trust your eyes. Let them see it and don't try to overwrite their findings with your brain."
"Think before you act, don't think before you act..." I moaned, rubbing my face, feeling that I was smearing the dust all around it thanks to how sweaty I was.
"Both can be true at the same time," He shook his head, but, instead of starting to scold me, he continued without raising his voice, "You are adapting faster than expected... But it is also why I am pushing you this hard. You can do it, Renjiro."
"T-thanks..." I muttered, now feeling a bit conscious about it, but also proud.
"That will be enough for today." He added, making me raise my brows, because we barely started... what? Six hours ago?
"…Really?"
"Yes. You need rest, I am not about to break you... I am sharpening you." He added with the faintest of smiles before he turned around, walking away.
"You're not secretly planning a surprise round?" I shouted after him, while my eyes were searching for clues about a genjutsu, but nothing.
"No."
"Are you sure?" Fugaku paused at that, looking back over his shoulders, forcing me to raise my hands in defeat, "Alright, alright, I'm leaving!"
...
....
...
After washing off the dust and sweat at one of the open baths, I finally stepped out into the streets of Konoha, and it wasn't even dark yet! Aaahh... I have already forgotten how nice the early evenings are, because usually when Fugaku was done with me on training days, I crawled back home, falling asleep on the floor the moment I stepped through our doorway. Now, I was walking at a leisurely pace, watching the late-afternoon sun cast long shadows across the village roads. The buildings, the faces... haaah... moments like this really let me feel at home.
"Renji?"
I stopped at once, turning towards the voice, recognizing her at once, her long blonde hair tied into a loose braid.
"Ah, Sayuri …Huh."
Of course, she placed her hands on her hips at that, pouting.
"What do you mean, huh?"
"I mean…" I scratched the back of my head, "I thought you were out on your first big adventure with your Sensei, on some team-building trip, yeah? Congratulations on becoming a genin!"
"You didn't even come to see me graduate," Sayuri puffed her cheeks as she said that. "And not even when we left! Now greeting me with a 'huh?' alone?! That's not a very flattering way to greet someone you haven't seen in months."
"I meant it in a good way!" I chuckled, walking up to her, watching the headband shine on her forehead, "About not going... ugh... It's my bad, I was totally knocked out by our Chief... Sorry!"
"…Too late."
"I'm really sorry!" I moaned, suddenly going on all fours, making her panic as she reached down, pulling me up in a hurry, her whole face going as red as Kushina's hair.
"Alright, alright! I know, you did send me a gift after, and I wasn't really angry, I knew you were being drilled by Fugaku-san."
"How were your drills?" I asked, grinning, watching her face turn from pink to red as she got visibly angry and frustrated. "What? Was it that bad?"
"Yes. If I knew I would end up with this team, I would have failed graduation..."
"What?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised, because she wasn't lying, "Remind me again who's on that team?"
"Don't tell me you forgot..." Sayuri's expression immediately soured, "Arai Uchiha for one."
"Oof." I groaned at once, "That's... awkward."
"And Shinrai Hyūga." She continued, making me groan again.
"That's rough."
"You have no idea." She crossed her arms, blowing smoke from her nostrils.
"I might have a pretty good idea, actually."
"Triple it!" She huffed, "Arai is still arrogant, Shinrai thinks every conversation is beneath him because he is from the, khm," she added, clearing her throat and transforming her voice, "I am from the strongest clan in Konoha!" With a grimace, she quickly shook herself, continuing with a depressed moan, "and somehow I'm the one who has to keep the team from strangling each other. Yet I want to do it the most, I guess..."
"So... you're basically the adult in there, eh?"
"Yes!" She yelped and then immediately deflated. "And it's exhausting!"
"Sounds about right." I giggled, seeing her go through so many emotions while I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, it's not like you've been slacking either. I can tell!"
"I couldn't," Her expression brightened a bit again, "And I've been learning clan techniques."
"Oh? That sounds fun."
"It is, and it is much easier than what we learned in the Academy," She nodded, letting her braid bounce around, "Mind techniques, sensory work, Long-range communication jutsus, it is as if it was made for me."
"Well, you are a Yamanaka," I said jokingly, "So I guess it is exactly how it should be."
"True!" She giggled, then suddenly grabbed my sleeves, beginning to pull me, "Come on."
"Huh?"
"I'm hungry, and I can see that you are too."
"You stole a Sharingan or what?" I asked, already letting her lead me down the streets.
"Ha-ha." She fake-laughed, rolling her eyes, "Be grateful that I'm inviting you."
"I am." I said with a grin, "But be careful, I can eat a lot, I may eat you out of your savings."
"Khm!" Sayuri narrowed her eyes, growing pink again, "Don't make it sound weird!"
"Eh?" I flinched, honestly surprised, "What was weird? Girl, what are you thinking about?!"
"Shut up!" She pulled me stronger now, switching topics, "We're going to Ichiraku."
"That," my stomach said, rumbling like thunder, "Is a perfect idea."
...
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...
The familiar smell of broth filled the small stand the moment we neared it. Luckily, there were free seats, so we just sat down, and I leaned comfortably against the counter while Sayuri ordered two bowls. Mhmh... This will be a great dinner!
"Coming right up!" Teuchi nodded cheerfully, and soon, steaming bowls were placed before us both, filled to the brim.
"Finally, some proper food!" Sayuri clapped her hands, holding up her chopsticks, "The rations and whatnot we ate while on our training trip... ugh. I don't even want to think about that!"
"You sound like Kushina," I added, already slurping up the noodles from my bowl.
"Well, she's the one who drags me here half the time." She chuckled, eating in a much more reserved way than I, "I guess, it's your influence? So, if we think about it, I sound more like you, no?"
"Huh." I paused, thinking about it, "I'm such a great person, aren't I?"
"Pft," She giggled, shaking her head, returning to her bowl.
"You still hang out with her a lot?" I asked, "Minato and I visit her as much as we can, but I know that others have a hard time getting to her. The Village got really paranoid after the kidnapping bullshit, and she is under constant watch."
"I try," Sayuri nodded while stirring her noodles, "Almost every week... It is a bit of pain to get permission and manage to let her walk around within the Village..."
"That's good." I smiled at that, happy to hear that Kushina still has friends, not just us.
"She complains about you."
"Whoah?!" I coughed, slapping my chest while I began choking on my ramen. "Excuse me? What did I do?!"
"She says you disappear for weeks and only come back when you remember normal people exist. Don't worry, she says the same about Minato, too."
"Ugh..." I flinched, because there was truth in that, "We can't help it... While Fugaku is pummeling me, Jiraiya-sensei does the same with Minato."
"Don't worry, she knows," Sayuri giggled, seeing my guilty expression, which helped soften hers a lot, "But she misses you two when you vanish like that."
"I know..." I muttered as I looked down at my ramen, "I told Minato to visit her more and not to wait for me. But you know how he is when he gets close to some breakthrough."
"I heard." She muttered, making her voice much quieter, "Some of my elders were talking, apparently, he was allowed to study the Scroll of Seals?"
"Yeah, I was there," I said, making her choke on her food this time.
"It's true?! Wait... you too?!"
"Duh." I smiled proudly, "Of course!"
"What... Can you talk about it?"
"Sorry," I smiled at her, "I can't. The Hokage forbade us from saying anything."
"Oh... O-okay." She nodded, immediately dropping it, "I won't ask, don't worry."
"Thank you. I don't want the elders to talk about us... weirdly." I moaned, rubbing my face, "And I mean the two old bastards... ugh, I only met them once, and they were super annoying."
"They are not the only ones..." She shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
"Some of the elders started talking in my clan..." She started, her face unable to meet mine, focused on her broth.
"Oh?"
"About me being seen with you all the time." She poked her noodles awkwardly as she muttered the words.
"…Seriously?" I asked, my mouth hanging open.
"Clan politics."
"Figures." I snorted, "Well, I hadn't heard anything like that from my side."
"The Yamanaka protect their techniques," she said quietly, looking at me with one eye, "And I am pretty sure that the Uchiha protect theirs, too."
"Konoha comes first." I said simply, "So, even if they are afraid of anything like that, I don't care. We are of the same Village, I don't give a shit about clan secrets." Then I quickly looked at her, "But try not to spread that yet, okay?"
"..." I was a bit taken aback by how surprised she looked, but then she smiled, nodding happily, "I knew you'd say that."
"Did you now?" I teased her playfully.
"I... I hoped." She blushed, "Okay... I was worried you'd start avoiding me because of it... But just a little bit!"
"Hah! Why would I do that?"
"Well," Her cheeks turned pink again, of course, but then she shook her head, starting to eat again, just to have an excuse not to say anything.
"Sayuri." I called to her, watching her look up, "You do know, I like hanging out with you."
"You do?"
"Yeah! Of course! I'm here, no?" I laughed again, "So, turns out you weren't so sure, eh? My heart is hurting!"
"Oh, please!" she elbowed me, almost knocking me off my stool, "Big baby!"
"Not as big as your teammates!" I countered, "So... tell me! How bad are Arai and the Hyūga really?"
"Uuugh..." Sayuri sighed dramatically, rubbing her forehead under her headband, "Let me tell you a story… about how they failed to deliver a simple package our Sensei entrusted us, just because the two couldn't agree on which direction we should approach the dropoff point."
"Wait, wait, wait!" I raised a hand, holding back my laughter, "Are you telling me that a Sharingan and a Byakugan, a team that should, on paper, be the strongest Genin team... Failed to deliver a package?"
"Twice." She said with a deadpan look, "It wasn't a third time, before by then I took it, ignoring both and doing it alone."
"Huh," I grinned, "Maybe the Yamanaka will be Konoha's new Strongest Clan!"
"Oh shut it!" She moaned, holding back a grin, "Let me explain it... because even if it was as frustrating as it could be, thinking back on it... I can laugh at the two idiots."