I woke up with a start, my body sitting up immediately, surprising the nurse, Kankuro, and two other masked people who stood nearby. Breaths of air crashed into my lungs as my heart raced. Looking at each face in the room, my eyes settled on Kankuro, whose eyes avoided my gaze. I stared into my lap, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. It was like pushing a boulder, and it felt as hard as one, too.
My world seemed to dull as I realized I had failed. Gripping the stale white bed sheet in front of me, I failed to really think about the situation. I was in a room with Kankuro and two masked men, ninja, no doubt. And I was fretting about passing the academy exam? Thinking back on it now, I often kick myself for my foolish actions. Too lost in my grief, I failed to see the hand that grasped my arm.
"Genji," A familiar gruff voice softly called in my ear. Slowly, I turned around, paling as I saw the very last person I had wanted to see. The Kazekage, Gaara, stood by my side. Two other ninjas stood by the door wearing Demon masks. On the left, the mask's face curled into a harsh smile that exposed a pair of horrendous fangs. The ninja crossed their arms, revealing a massive fan strapped to their back. On the right, the mask curled into a sinister frown, and a massive horn protruded from the center of its forehead. The person was absolutely massive, dwarfing everyone in the room. "-and that is the result of your exam." My wandering attention snapped back to Gaara at the mention of my exam.
"My exam? I didn't fail?"
Gaara's expression fell as he stared down at the young boy. His hand unconsciously balled into a fist before releasing again. "As I have previously said, due to an overwhelming showing of your current skills and potential, Baki sensei recommended you to the Anbu." Soon, my own skin tone matched the pristine white of the bed sheets, and tears fell down the corner of my eyes. Heaving gasps leave my body. Gaara, shocked by my reactions, bent down to comfort me. "He must have been very relieved to have passed the exam," Gaara naively thought, but Kankuro, having known Genji since he was a small child, turned completely away from Genji's with tear-filled eyes.
Observing the scene, the two demon-masked ninja stifled laughs as they were the only ones able to view Kankuro's face at that moment. Still makeupless, Kankuro's face was as red as his tanned skin could get. His face had taken on a faint blue hue. Kankuro could only imagine Genji's parents' despair in the afterlife as the life they had wished for Genji fell apart before his very eyes.
I cried heavily into Gaara's chest. Of everything that I knew of the Anbu in the series, they were cannon fodder besides Kakashi, Yamato, and Itachi. Almost all of them died every time they appeared, and all in the worst ways possible! Even now, I don't even have enough Chakra to fight a real battle, let alone the spar! All I could do was cry even harder into Gaara's chest as he inadvertently sentenced me to death.
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After a draining thirty minutes, the high emotions died down, and everyone regained their composure. "I don't think I passed the practical exam. Right, Lord Gaara?" My thoughts went back to the battle. I know I may have surprised Iori Sensei with the Fire style move, and maybe even the subsequent explosion, but she came out of it unscathed as far as I could tell. Gaara's eyes narrowed on me before he sighed, which surprised me. "What?" I was a bit more hostile than I intended to be.
Gaara crossed his arms; the audible grind of his jacket made me wince. "You underestimate the volatile nature of Chakra," Gaara said, so matter-of-factly that whatever hidden message he was trying to teach me completely soared past my head, losing its way to my brain. Gaara, his voice dripping with condescension, continued his explanation. "As you may know, some Chakra natures cancel each other out completely. An example of that would be the Water Chakra nature and the Fire Chakra nature. As long as the energy remains more or less equal, the stronger elemental properties will cancel each other." Leaning over to look deeper into my eyes, Gaara rested his chin on his now interlaced fingers. "That does not mean that this is always the case. Your combination attack caused an explosion that, in fact, burned Sawada, Iori on her leg."
A pause fell in the room as the comprehension of Gaara's words finally settled. And with that comprehension came an immediate complaint. "Wait, but even if I did hit Iori sensei, I was basically out of Chakra at the end of that fight, and it wasn't even the full three minutes!" Even if I had wanted to be in the Anbu unit, I don't have nearly enough Chakra to do any of the missions that those freaks of nature could do. To my surprise, Gaara nodded.
"I agree," Gaara stated flatly. With a slight turn, he exposed the masked person's fangs. "You will be training with Anbu team three. That's your captain, Homura, Gomi." At the mention of their name, the smaller of the two ninja took a step forward. With a fluid motion, their hand removed the fierce mask, revealing a smiling Woman's face beneath. Loose green bangs fell just beneath her eyebrows, causing natural shade to fall over her eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Chimasa, Genji! My unit focuses on tracking and combat. With our lack of Fire style users, you fill out our team perfectly! Gomi said enthusiastically. As soon as her introduction had finished, her mask was back onto her face, and she had stepped back into place. As I looked from Gomi to the other, much larger person next to her, Gaara blocked my view.
"Another student will also be joining the Anbu," Gaara said with a small shrug. "You may meet in the field, and if he chooses to share his name, he shall." I slowly nodded, tearing my eyes away from the spot on Gaara's shirt where the other man stood directly behind. "One final thing. Academy student Chimasa, Genji." Gaara's sudden shift in move put me on edge as I watched him slowly stand to his feet. Gaara reached into a pouch on his side, producing a small metal plate affixed to a bandana. My eyes were already sparkling, and a wide grin broke out on my face. "Congratulations on your promotion to a ninja. I have already waived your written exam because of your talent and standing in your class. So focus on your recovery."
Slowly, my hands took the headband. Flipping it over, I exposed the hourglass-like symbol, thumbing the engraving. A warm feeling expanded from my heart, spreading throughout my entire body, and just like the bright smile that spread on my face. "Yes, Lord Kazekage! I understand!" Looking up, Gaara and Kankuro, who had stepped next to his brother, were both smiling at me—a proud look on both of their faces. "Ew," I say. "Don't look at me like that." That instantly soured both the sand ninja's moods as they both frowned at me. A chill froze my body as Gaara and Kankuro's eyes darkened as they took steps closer to me. After ten minutes of me screaming bloody murder, the nurse who was still nearby kicked the menacing ninja out of the hospital for causing a disturbance and gaining my profound admiration.
The two Anbu ninjas who had followed Gaara took their leave, as did the other two ninjas that I assume came with Kankuro. Finally, I was alone, alone with the exclamation mark pinging around in my vision, giving me a headache. "Alright," I growled, frustrated with the constant pinging. It had been going on ever since Gaara gave me my headband. I opened the notification, triggering a spray of digital confetti.
Extra Quest, Land a hit against Iori Sensei! Completed! Reward bonus! Trait awarded, Weapon Master.
Staring at the screen that took up my vision, my brows stuck together in annoyance. Weapon master? My room, the one littered with a bunch of wooden weapons, and you're telling me that I couldn't even use any of them effectively? That's so dumb! Holding my head in my hands, I took inventory of my "rewards." I had gotten one of, if not the most dangerous, assignments as a ninja that I possibly could have had in the Naruto world, and I gained a skill that you would think I would already have. Raking my fingers through my carrot-top, I screamed into my pillow, my muffled frustration softly echoing throughout my room.