Approval
The smell of fried eggs, bacon and hash browns filled the air of the Narashi home along with the sounds of grease popping and sizzling in the skillet. Jo emerged from his room dressed in his normal attire; black leather steel-toes boots, denim blue jeans, black t-shirt and tan suede jacket. His hair was brushed straight back, but the strong-willed errant strand or two hung down over his forehead. His dad was sitting at the small table in the kitchen reading the sports section of the news paper as he did every morning; his mother toiling away at the stove. ”Good morning sweetie! Just sit down and relax, breakfast will be ready in just a minute!” His dad stood and laid the paper on the table, retrieving a mug from a cabinet and pouring Jo a cup of black coffee.
”Here you go, bud; gotta be wide awake for your first day at the Academy.” He set the mug down in front of his son, smacking him on the back enthusiastically before returning to his seat.
”Here you go, hun. Your favorite breakfast!” His mom said, setting a plate loaded almost to overflowing in front of him and handing him some silverware.
”Holy shit; you don’t expect him to eat all of that do you? My first day at Basic Training the drill instructors had us all puking our guts out within the first hour!”
”He needs his strength! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! He’s going to the ninja academy, not the army!”
”Mom! Dad!” Jo shouted. Both his parents fell silent. ”I’ll be fine, you don’t have to freak out and make me a special breakfast or anything. It’s just like another day at school.” His tour of the building with one of its recent graduates had set his mind at ease a bit. ”Besides, I’m running ridiculously early. I don’t have to be there until nine AM, it’s only sev-“ The ring of the doorbell interrupted his monologue mid sentence. He stood and made his way towards the door. ”Who could that be at this hour?” his words mimicking his parents thoughts as they stood sheepishly in the kitchen.
Jo opened the door to find a boy about his age wearing a Kumo headband. ”Message for Narashi Jo, are you him?”
”Yes, sir.”
”Good; you are hereby summoned to appear before your academic advisor ASAP. Here’s the room number.”<i></i> The courier handed him a wax-sealed scroll, before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Jo popped the seal of the scroll open and read the number, quickly memorizing it before tucking it into an inner pocket of his jacket. He sprinted into the kitchen, chugging down the steaming mug of coffee at the expense of his taste buds before cramming a fistful of bacon and potatoes into his mouth and wiping his hand on a kitchen towel.
”Sorry, I gotta run! Just ordered to report to my Academic Advisor ASAP! Love you!’ He quickly pecked his mother on the cheek, fist-bumping his dad on the way out of the room, the door slamming in his wake.
”There he goes, on his way to starting the rest of his life…” his dad said with a proud smile as his mother wiped tears from her eyes.
Meanwhile, out on the streets of Kumo, Jo ran at a dead sprint through the still quiet streets, jumping aboard the nearest trolley and dropping some change in the box at the front, and standing just behind the yellow line, ready to leap out at the next stop. He clutched the support bar as the trolley slammed to a stop at a cross walk for some pedestrians. ”Damn it! I’m going to be late!” he shouted, pulling a pocketwatch from one of his jacket pockets and flipping it open. The dinging of another trolley caught his attention, drawing his eyes out the window. It was heading towards the academy, and it was turning at the intersection where he was stuck waiting. ”Sir! I need you to open the door! I’ve got to get on that trolley!” He said to the operator at the front.
”Hey, kid. This ain’t a stop. That trolley ain’t stoppin’ neither. I’m not open the doors for anybody.” Jo spun around and looked at the ceiling emergency exit hatch with a grin.
”Then I’ll open the door myself!” Jumping up and swinging from the support bar, he kicked the emergency exit open and flew onto the roof, landing on his back with the air whooshing out of him. The shouts of the trolley operator below him fell on deaf hears as he stood, watching the other trolley approach at top speed. He only had one chance, and he took it with a running leap! His non-slip boots stuck to the roof of the moving trolley as he landed in a crouch, zipping towards the academy and away from the befuddled driver of the other trolley.
A few moments later, the trolley stopped I front of the academy where Jo hopped down and tossed some change into the box of the other confused trolley operator before turning and sprinting onto the campus. In moments he was inside the building and running down the hall, counting doors as he flew. He skidded to a stop at the last door, breathing heavily and trying to compose himself before knocking three times.
”Come in,”<i></i> Jo turned the door handle and entered. ”Ah, Narashi Jo, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Li Rei. I’ll be your academic advisor during your time here at the academy!” The woman sitting at the desk before him was in her mid twenties, her mousy brown hair pulled back in a tight bun and her cerulean blue eyes framed by narrow, oval-shaped spectacles. Everything from her posture to the grey tweed suit and skirt she wore labeled her as the scholarly type. ”Please, take a seat. You must be winded after running all the way here. It took you less time than I expected.” Jo looked at the nearest wall clock; only twenty minutes to get across town from the suburbs! He’d never gotten here so fast! In the chair across from Rei’s desk, he took in the office around him. Very typical for a teachers office; books lining the shelves, several metal filing cabinets filled to the brim, and motivational posters hanging on the walls. ”That stunt with the trolley was impressive! Way to think outside the box.”</B><i></i>
”Wait, how did you know about the trolley?”
”I followed you.” The form of the courier seemed to blend into the wall behind her desk until he spoke, dissolving the genjutsu.
”Yes; Gin here was assigned to deliver your message and follow you to see how long it took you to get here and to what lengths you would go to get here as soon as possible.”<i></i>
”I don’t understand…”
”It was a mission; not a difficult one, but a mission none the less. During your time at the academy, you’ll be going on similar missions, though they’ll be much simpler and more geared towards study and training. Consider these to be mini-training missions. You’ll come to my office at nine AM every Monday and be assigned a mission to complete and report to me by Friday. When you complete these missions, you’ll be rewarded with pay, like so.” She reached into her desk and pulled out a wad of cash, counting out the proper amount and handing it to the courier and dismissing him with a wave. As the courier left the room with a bow, she began counting out a smaller sum of money and placed it in front of Jo. ”Consider this your first mission. You performed well and completed the requirements, so you get paid the full allotted amount. If you do your best, but still fail a mission, you’ll receive a lesser amount. Does all this make sense?”
”Yes, ma’am.” Jo nodded.
”Good; I’ll also be assigning you to classes at the academy. There are regular classes that you have to show up for every day, and then there are specialized classes that are offered on a less regular basis that I’ll assign to you. You get paid for passing each of these specialized classes as well.”<i></i> She glanced at the clock again. ”Well, I’ve got another student coming in in about six minutes; so if you don’t have any questions, then you’re dismissed.” She handed him his daily class schedule and a map of the academy before standing up and shaking his hand. ”I look forward to working with you, Jo. If you apply yourself to the academy the way you applied yourself today, you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.”<i></i> She paused and sniffed loudly. ”You might want to take a shower before class; all that running didn’t do you any favors in the olfactory department. There’re showers and soap in the locker room. Use the map to find it. There’s also some vending machines down on the first floor, in case you missed breakfast.”<i></i>
Feeling slightly offended, but grateful for the advice, Jo thanked her and bowed before turning to leave. ”Oh, Jo?”<i></i> He paused and turned. She smiled sweetly to him, resting her elbows on her desk and her chin on her folded hands. <B>Welcome to the Academy.”
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The smell of fried eggs, bacon and hash browns filled the air of the Narashi home along with the sounds of grease popping and sizzling in the skillet. Jo emerged from his room dressed in his normal attire; black leather steel-toes boots, denim blue jeans, black t-shirt and tan suede jacket. His hair was brushed straight back, but the strong-willed errant strand or two hung down over his forehead. His dad was sitting at the small table in the kitchen reading the sports section of the news paper as he did every morning; his mother toiling away at the stove. ”Good morning sweetie! Just sit down and relax, breakfast will be ready in just a minute!” His dad stood and laid the paper on the table, retrieving a mug from a cabinet and pouring Jo a cup of black coffee.
”Here you go, bud; gotta be wide awake for your first day at the Academy.” He set the mug down in front of his son, smacking him on the back enthusiastically before returning to his seat.
”Here you go, hun. Your favorite breakfast!” His mom said, setting a plate loaded almost to overflowing in front of him and handing him some silverware.
”Holy shit; you don’t expect him to eat all of that do you? My first day at Basic Training the drill instructors had us all puking our guts out within the first hour!”
”He needs his strength! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! He’s going to the ninja academy, not the army!”
”Mom! Dad!” Jo shouted. Both his parents fell silent. ”I’ll be fine, you don’t have to freak out and make me a special breakfast or anything. It’s just like another day at school.” His tour of the building with one of its recent graduates had set his mind at ease a bit. ”Besides, I’m running ridiculously early. I don’t have to be there until nine AM, it’s only sev-“ The ring of the doorbell interrupted his monologue mid sentence. He stood and made his way towards the door. ”Who could that be at this hour?” his words mimicking his parents thoughts as they stood sheepishly in the kitchen.
Jo opened the door to find a boy about his age wearing a Kumo headband. ”Message for Narashi Jo, are you him?”
”Yes, sir.”
”Good; you are hereby summoned to appear before your academic advisor ASAP. Here’s the room number.”<i></i> The courier handed him a wax-sealed scroll, before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Jo popped the seal of the scroll open and read the number, quickly memorizing it before tucking it into an inner pocket of his jacket. He sprinted into the kitchen, chugging down the steaming mug of coffee at the expense of his taste buds before cramming a fistful of bacon and potatoes into his mouth and wiping his hand on a kitchen towel.
”Sorry, I gotta run! Just ordered to report to my Academic Advisor ASAP! Love you!’ He quickly pecked his mother on the cheek, fist-bumping his dad on the way out of the room, the door slamming in his wake.
”There he goes, on his way to starting the rest of his life…” his dad said with a proud smile as his mother wiped tears from her eyes.
Meanwhile, out on the streets of Kumo, Jo ran at a dead sprint through the still quiet streets, jumping aboard the nearest trolley and dropping some change in the box at the front, and standing just behind the yellow line, ready to leap out at the next stop. He clutched the support bar as the trolley slammed to a stop at a cross walk for some pedestrians. ”Damn it! I’m going to be late!” he shouted, pulling a pocketwatch from one of his jacket pockets and flipping it open. The dinging of another trolley caught his attention, drawing his eyes out the window. It was heading towards the academy, and it was turning at the intersection where he was stuck waiting. ”Sir! I need you to open the door! I’ve got to get on that trolley!” He said to the operator at the front.
”Hey, kid. This ain’t a stop. That trolley ain’t stoppin’ neither. I’m not open the doors for anybody.” Jo spun around and looked at the ceiling emergency exit hatch with a grin.
”Then I’ll open the door myself!” Jumping up and swinging from the support bar, he kicked the emergency exit open and flew onto the roof, landing on his back with the air whooshing out of him. The shouts of the trolley operator below him fell on deaf hears as he stood, watching the other trolley approach at top speed. He only had one chance, and he took it with a running leap! His non-slip boots stuck to the roof of the moving trolley as he landed in a crouch, zipping towards the academy and away from the befuddled driver of the other trolley.
A few moments later, the trolley stopped I front of the academy where Jo hopped down and tossed some change into the box of the other confused trolley operator before turning and sprinting onto the campus. In moments he was inside the building and running down the hall, counting doors as he flew. He skidded to a stop at the last door, breathing heavily and trying to compose himself before knocking three times.
”Come in,”<i></i> Jo turned the door handle and entered. ”Ah, Narashi Jo, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Li Rei. I’ll be your academic advisor during your time here at the academy!” The woman sitting at the desk before him was in her mid twenties, her mousy brown hair pulled back in a tight bun and her cerulean blue eyes framed by narrow, oval-shaped spectacles. Everything from her posture to the grey tweed suit and skirt she wore labeled her as the scholarly type. ”Please, take a seat. You must be winded after running all the way here. It took you less time than I expected.” Jo looked at the nearest wall clock; only twenty minutes to get across town from the suburbs! He’d never gotten here so fast! In the chair across from Rei’s desk, he took in the office around him. Very typical for a teachers office; books lining the shelves, several metal filing cabinets filled to the brim, and motivational posters hanging on the walls. ”That stunt with the trolley was impressive! Way to think outside the box.”</B><i></i>
”Wait, how did you know about the trolley?”
”I followed you.” The form of the courier seemed to blend into the wall behind her desk until he spoke, dissolving the genjutsu.
”Yes; Gin here was assigned to deliver your message and follow you to see how long it took you to get here and to what lengths you would go to get here as soon as possible.”<i></i>
”I don’t understand…”
”It was a mission; not a difficult one, but a mission none the less. During your time at the academy, you’ll be going on similar missions, though they’ll be much simpler and more geared towards study and training. Consider these to be mini-training missions. You’ll come to my office at nine AM every Monday and be assigned a mission to complete and report to me by Friday. When you complete these missions, you’ll be rewarded with pay, like so.” She reached into her desk and pulled out a wad of cash, counting out the proper amount and handing it to the courier and dismissing him with a wave. As the courier left the room with a bow, she began counting out a smaller sum of money and placed it in front of Jo. ”Consider this your first mission. You performed well and completed the requirements, so you get paid the full allotted amount. If you do your best, but still fail a mission, you’ll receive a lesser amount. Does all this make sense?”
”Yes, ma’am.” Jo nodded.
”Good; I’ll also be assigning you to classes at the academy. There are regular classes that you have to show up for every day, and then there are specialized classes that are offered on a less regular basis that I’ll assign to you. You get paid for passing each of these specialized classes as well.”<i></i> She glanced at the clock again. ”Well, I’ve got another student coming in in about six minutes; so if you don’t have any questions, then you’re dismissed.” She handed him his daily class schedule and a map of the academy before standing up and shaking his hand. ”I look forward to working with you, Jo. If you apply yourself to the academy the way you applied yourself today, you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.”<i></i> She paused and sniffed loudly. ”You might want to take a shower before class; all that running didn’t do you any favors in the olfactory department. There’re showers and soap in the locker room. Use the map to find it. There’s also some vending machines down on the first floor, in case you missed breakfast.”<i></i>
Feeling slightly offended, but grateful for the advice, Jo thanked her and bowed before turning to leave. ”Oh, Jo?”<i></i> He paused and turned. She smiled sweetly to him, resting her elbows on her desk and her chin on her folded hands. <B>Welcome to the Academy.”
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