Private The Shaping of Young Minds

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

It had been a long day, with lots of work to do. Lecturing classes had not been the easiest skill for Keiyaku to develop - taking lectures when he, himself, had been at the academy was tough enough, but giving them was just as bad. Being an Inuzuka, he and his little brother, Morutobu, were both such boundless, wellsprings of energy. Natural battle reflexes made it hard to keep still and quietly focus, but discipline was a wonderful thing hold oneself too. The biggest concession at least, was that he could focus on teaching Taijutsu in the academy grounds, and breathe fresh air rather than wile away the hours in a stuffy classroom without feeling sunlight on his skin. Moru seemed much more agreeable about this too. Class was coming to a close, and Keiyaku had spent the better part of two hours instructing his students on basic Taijutsu techniques, the different ways you could use your shoulders and your feet to misdirect an opponent's interpretation of your moves, and how to keep moving to avoid getting struck.

"Good work today, pups," said the Inuzuka, with the air of a proud father, "class dismissed!"

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

Utsumi Nanamiya was a flower. She was soft, and pretty, warm colors that shone vivid under sunlight that she always seemed to be striving towards. The chill of an autumn afternoon could do little to brown her excitement - no breeze was enough to make her falter or snap away. She couldn't be slowed; she refused to be restricted. Every motion intrinsically lacked the passion that she put behind it: eyes alight but movements dispassionate and sharp. Her grace, fluid and striking, came with an instinct to fight tooth and claw. She never went too far, and she never seemed to want to hurt her peers in sparring, but she gave no quarter until quarter was asked for. She was a fighter at her core.

Utsumi was a flytrap beneath dandelion petals. On accident.
It made her a natural at the Taijutsu lessons, to the point of her own entrancement. She gave every motion - every wisdom Keiyaku-sensei shared - complete gravity and earnest effort, pushing her body at 110% even on the basics. It worked out a lot of feelings. There was something so freeing about a body escaping from its own trappings and exerting its will on a world that passed it by.

She ended the day at the Inuzuka's declaration, all that directed energy collecting its toll in a debt across her limbs. She wobbled. Sighed out, blissful. She fought the natural slump exertion demanded and instead - with bright eyes - scampered her way over to the instructor. She gave a hurried bow as her first of introductions - one to Keiyaku and Morutobu each - and then held up a hand to ask for his patience before scribbling on notepaper.

I know it's not the same thing, but I have a Contract with the wild dogs around the village! Me and Shizukesa-senpai made friends with them. Do you like being a Shinobi? You were a really good teacher today! I love working with my hands! What do you do? A starry expression and giddy smile. She was habitually eager to talk to the adults around the Academy about their goals and how they got to where they are -- she wanted to be like them. She needed to.

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Just when Keiyaku was about to head off, a little girl approached them, one of his students, obviously. She was so small and dainty, that the Inuzuka was half surprised she was enrolled here. Though truth be told, she was certainly no shrinking violet, and he had often found himself rather taken by the progress she always seemed to make in his classes. Whether that was a sign of him being a good teacher, or her just being a particularly gifted student, he knew not. He was about to open his mouth, when she thrust a scribbled, doodled-on note into his hand, thoroughly catching him off guard. A smile cracked his face as he read it, before handing it down to Moru, who did likewise. He gave a little sneeze when he saw the likeness of himself; a dog's way of laughing.

"Wow, good likeness," the Inuzuka snickered as he watched her, but when she didn't open her mouth to speak, he remembered something, and it made him a little sad, "ah, sorry. I forget sometimes, kid. No words, right?"

Keiyaku himself looked pretty haggard and tired, eyes baggy, and a sickly complexion. Moru, on the other end, was full of energy, and was demanding lots of scratches and pets from the girl, nuzzling against her hand and whining like the little ball of beans he was.

"Good work today, Utsumi," he told her, giving a fanged grin, genuinely looking impressed. His eyes had an appraising look to them as he watched her. Which clan was she from, he wondered. Hm... Dog contracts, eh? Maybe he knew a few of them...

"What do I do?" It was a curious question, and he needed to be juuuust the right amount of honest, "heh, what else? We guard the village, make sure things are in order. I'm wondering more about you, kid? Why do you wanna be a Shinobi?"

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

The cheerful grin - almost cheeky - that she gave him in response to his first question was the only answer it needed. Yeah. No words. Her shoulders rose and fell with soft exhalations that one could realize was laughter, a brightness to the way the sun cast across her and illuminated the gentle caress of her knuckles along the eager Morutobu's fur. She made a little sound between her teeth with the force of air behind it, a 'ch' of appreciation and recognition. A 'good boy, Moru, good boy' in any other language.

Exhaustion seemed more palpable on her Sensei than it did on her or his brother, earning a worried crease just behind the elation of her expression. She paused as the conversation continued - a curious hand lifting in the air as if she was going to begin her response before it extended and tapped his shoulder. Her touch was light, as if she was worried she'd be too firm without her concentration. It was more a lay on than a poke, dragging her to toes that make sure she was able to do one pat, then another, then recede. Her intent was clear. 'Are you okay?'

She'd follow that train of thought in writing regardless, cheeks dusted red from praise that only made her grin seem more smug than shy. She was doing a pretty good job, wasn't she? Eheheh ... a little chuft to shake herself out of her self-absorbing thoughts and she was nodding, quickly, the motion so powerful she was forced to wobble on her feet. She moved her fingers in a flash along another page, holding it up when done. The corner was annotated with her previous Are you okay? and in smaller letters, You just look a little sleepy, Inuzuka-senpai.

Then it'd answer him, every scrawl excited. I want to do that, too. I want to be cool like you and Morutobu-senpai, and Kaguya-san, and Shizukesa-san, and make sure the Leaf Village is always okay! : ) I want to make sure the dogs outside are never hungry and scared again. I don't want anyone here to be, either. I need to be strong to do that!

Something on her mind since her time out with the older Nara bubbled to the surface, at the end of the note. She'd chase this goal, either way, but if she was allowed a preference ... she didn't think she'd be allowed a preference.
I had a question, Inuzuka-senpais. Can you be strong without being scary?

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Maybe this was a form of sign language? The Inuzuka blinked as he felt a tap, a poke, and a pat on his shoulder. He crouched down to the girl's height to make it easier for her, and so he could actually look at her face. Slit-pupilled eyes scanned the red ones before him. What clan was she? Uchiha? No, by her scent, maybe Nara? They all seemed to smell like deer and fresh herbs a lot of the time.

"Am I okay?" He asked, reading the note. Sleepy? Man, did he really look that awful. Maybe he should invest in some makeup to hide the evidence. In truth, the full moon was only a few nights away, and it was causing his health to deteriorate a little. Still, he wasn't about to tell that to a young girl, obviously. It was supposed to be a secret. He gave a wide yawn, "I'm fine, don't worry, kid. Just been skippin' some sleep to finish grading papers."

Keiyaku had to admit, her explanation behind her ambitions made him smile, reminding him a little of himself at her age. She cared about animals too.

"Kid, ya got the soul of an Inuzuka. Surprised you ain't from my clan; we rescue a lot of strays, just like what you do," he grinned, giving her hair a little ruffle. Her question, however, made him frown in thought. He wanted to phrase it carefully.

"Scary? Well, sure, I guess? But you know, things you find scary now, ain't so scary when you get older and stronger. I might look kinda scary now," he chuckled, showing her the sharp claw-like nails at the end of each of his fingers, each looking like they could cut through steel, and then pointing to the sharp fangs in his mouth, much longer than that of a normal human's, "but once you know me, and once you know I what I can do, I ain't so scary. We only get scared a' stuff when it's unknown to us, y'know?"

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

Sometimes I stay up all night playing card games. I don't need to. I beat everybody in class anyway. But I like making cool new ones to beat them with in the morning. : ) My hosts tell me I shouldn't stay up that late though. XP She makes a 'blehhh' face here, sticking out her tongue as she writes. So if I can't, you can't, okay Inuzuka-senpai? Morutobu-senpai looks like he gets a lot of sleep, so you should take after your brother some! Yes, she was being a little too cheeky now -- there was a kinship she felt she shared with her teacher, and one only exacerbated by how easy it felt to talk to him. He was easygoing: a simple in for a free spirit. It helped to have a free hand ruffle across the hound's ears as if to punctuate her points.

Her nose wrinkled as Keiyaku's hand fell on her head, shoulders hunching beneath the touch more akin to a cat surprised by contact than a dog that might press in. Fair was fair - she patted him, he could pat her. Once! Consider dues paid. She would, however, tilt her head at his following statement, to the right then the left with hair slipping from the notch of her ear: there was the more canine instinct.

Curious eyes as she considered him. A piercing direction to the manner she scanned his nails and teeth, then his muscle definition and height. It would be like she was sizing him up, but it wasn't for the purpose of her own strength -- more comparing him in her mind to a pack beast, or Shizukesa. Did she think he was scary? No, Keiyaku was a very funny, friendly, skilled man. If anything, she thought he was incredibly cool. A hand slipped into her own mouth to tease one of few remaining milkteeth, wondering if something sharp could grow in its place. A frown. No, he didn't scare her.

But --

Are the village's enemies scared of you? It was an innocent question. However, innocence often only meant directness. Naivety demanded answers. She knew fear - that feeling any time hands closed around her or tiredness hit her limbs, anything that slowed or restricted her movement - and she knew that he was right. Fear largely came from not knowing what could happen to you. What something might do to you. How you would be able to respond or react. To be strong - to really be important and recognized - were you scary to someone, then? Did you become the unknown to something else? Your claws and teeth - they look like they'd really hurt someone. I don't think I'm scared of you, because you're nice to me, and you work in the Village, and you're always really funny and good to us. I'm not scared because I don't think you would hurt me -- but there are people you would hurt, aren't there?

. . . Is being strong about making other people afraid? Or is it about making people you like not? Is there a difference, Inuzuka-senpai?

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

"Yeah, alright, you win. I'll get more sleep," he said, the smile dropping off his face a little bit - good sleep being something he sorely missed, but what else could he really say here? One day, Utsumi would be just like him though, growing up to become jaded, desensitised, hopefully brave, but definitely used to the suffering of others. It was the shinobi's cross to bear, of course. He wondered sometimes if it was wrong to recruit so young. At the same time, this girl was oddly childlike for an 11 year old - he wondered if she really had any idea what she was actually getting herself into. Then again, her Taijutsu skills spoke for themselves.

"I... don't really know, to be honest. Maybe, but I don't want people to be scared of me. No, what's really important is that people, even your enemies, respect you. You should always rule through respect and reputation, never fear," he explained, reminding himself a little guiltily that he probably wasn't the best example of a person to be preaching this, especially given his job, "yeah... there's a lot of people out there I would, and have, hurt. But, you know, you'll be the same some day. There's no avoiding that in this line of work, and you should learn to come to terms with that sooner rather than later. It won't be long before you're a Genin, and getting your first official missions. Who knows what'll be waiting out there, hm?"

Keiyaku looked down for a moment, watching Moru before carrying on.

"Listen, kid. Class is gonna get a lot harder, you know. You're gonna have to learn how to make impossible, on-the-spot decisions with almost no thinking time. I hope you know, you're gonna have to learn to hurt people sooner or later."

Keiyaku's eyes spoke of a person who had seen a lot of horrible things in a very short span of time, eyes that were heavy with burden, but still seemed optimistic for the future. His tone of voice became stern, a little harsher, but not aggressive.

"You get that, right? This world absolutely sucks, and that's okay, but you gotta be ready for that."

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

She seemed only to watch him, feet planted, arms hugging a notepad to her chest once he finished reading her responses. She felt briefly that she had -- well, crossed a line in her questioning wasn't the right idea, but maybe asked the wrong questions? She just needed someone to tell her how to be like them: what, exactly, she had to be ready for. All she had to do was be told what she needed to do and then she would. In a heartbeat. Her intentions were so simple - too simple, really - but it meant she didn't really have to understand the why of something to know the how. Childish, yes, but with follow-through.

Inuzuka-senpai - Keiyaku - appeared to give her great consideration, however, which she ultimately appreciated. He was taking her seriously; maybe more seriously than she had taken the whole Shinobi thing, but that had always been ends to the means, hadn't it? It didn't look like any of her curiosity had an easy satiation. It was all too complicated, wasn't it? She didn't really want to be complicated. She just wanted to be.

So she waited, and she watched him, and then she lifted a still pen to a still page and waited a little longer. Respect and reputation, never fear. Respect and reputation? All she wanted, really. She'd like it if that meant she wasn't scary. She'd like it if ... if it was possible, to be that strong, without the fear. She knew fear all too well, even if in the strangest ways, but terror bred terror no matter where it came from. Striking that in other people was ... maybe, unideal. She opened her mouth and closed it. Traced a foot in the dirt in a half-circle and back again. Contemplating with a heavier brow than an eleven year old might need. Idealism wasn't really the name of the game in a ninja world. She had to be practical. She was, really. See, it was simple:

I can do that.

Action wasn't difficult. Consequences gave pause: but action won out.

I can hurt people, if you need me to. If I'm told to. If that's what it means. I'd do it. 'If it made me important to someone' hung back in a paralyzed throat. I'm going to be a ninja. Some are scary. Some aren't, maybe just because you know them -- but people out there, they won't always know you, so someone might always be scared. It's just not the point, right, Inuzuka-senpai? Respect and reputation . . . being a good person still means hurting people. Even if you do it all right, someone's probably sad for it. Even if you do it all right, the world "absolutely sucks," right?

She was pensive, not sad. Her face was shifted with lips bundled at the edges, chewing the tip of her tongue in its enclosure. Then I'd do it anyway. If I can't really make the world worse, I can at least make it better, right? Is that what being a Shinobi is?

 

[Inuzuka Keiyaku]

Keiyaku had to admit, he was impressed she'd accepted that so readily at such a young age. Frankly, he wasn't sure himself if he had fully understood this lesson when he was her age. In his opinion, accepting that fact early, and learning to be optimistic, but with a healthy cynicism when facing the world, set you up on a good road to success. She seemed to have a few opinions of her own already on this particular philosophy.

"Yeah, that's right. Being a good person means, well, knowing when and how to hurt people or not. Doing it because you have to, and not letting it run away with you. It means you can way the pros and cons, even though, sometimes, you might not get the time to do that and you kind of have to trust your gut knows what to do. Does that make sense?"

The Inuzuka could tell that she had a good heart, in the way she spoke about wanting to make the world a better place. It made him reconsider himself for a minute; he knew he also wanted to do just that, but with some of the decisions he'd made as of late, he was starting to wonder whether he was actually doing a good enough job practicing what he was preaching. With a sigh, he stood back up, giving the girl a tired smile, Moru giving a happy little bark alongside him.

"You better run along, kid. Come find me if you ever have any questions. You can always talk to me," he said, roughly ruffling her hair with the same warm smile from before. With Moru at his side, he strode back into the main building, dying for something to eat.

[Topic Left]

 

[Shinrya Sachiko]

She believed him, in that moment. You could always talk to me felt real - and poignant, for someone like Utsumi - in a way nobody else had really offered. He looked tired, but not because of his conversation with her. That meant something. She felt a real kinship with the older Inuzuka, and it wasn't just because she was fairly canine minded - spiritually, she got the feeling they both wanted similar things from being a Shinobi, and his measured, thoughtful responses gave her a look into her own purposes in a way she wanted to hold on to. Instinct. He instructed her with instinct. She could work off instinct.

If her instincts were wrong, she'd just pay the price. For every star that goes out, two more would simply have to shine brighter.

Thank you for spending this time with me, Inuzuka-senpais!! If he was going to pet her head, it was only fair she did it back: for him, and for Moru. Her nose wrinkled every time she did it, but that control was seized again when she - not condescendingly, but perhaps too affectionately - returned it. I want to be a good person. A good shinobi. Whatever that ends up meaning, I'll do my best, okay? For you and everyone else in Leaf. : )

So she wasn't as sad to see him go, standing back in that field of dispersing students and the idea of a sunset. She had learned something valuable. Hurt people when they have to be hurt, in the way they need to be - and help everyone else, maybe making the world suck a little less for everyone if you do it right. And if you do it wrong ...

Well, there were a lot of stars.

[ exit ]