Kapitel 26: 26: ToadMan-Sensei
Jiraiya, as promised, led them to the old building that he had described. It seemed to be something like a cross between a barn and a cabin. Seija really wasn't sure who or what it was originally made for, be it animals or humans, but she didn't particularly care. It had been refitted for use as a temporary scouting outpost by Konoha. It even had running water and working electricity.
'I wonder if I should tell him that Konoha is using mine and Nagato's hometown now... No. He's already feeling guilty enough about being involved in this war. No need to rub it in.' She decided.
Jiraiya opened the double doors to the 'house' and waved them in. It was a lot cozier on the inside than the outside, she noted. Then again, outside meant nothing but rain in this country, so just about anything would be better than that.
"Alright, you kids. This is the place we'll be staying for the next while. There... honestly isn't much in the way of amenities here but I can always go shopping at one of the nearby towns or villages for those. For now, find a comfy spot to sit while I get a meal ready."
Saying this, he pulled a small scroll out of his pouch and unsealed a large, raw fish.
"Wh-Whoa! Where did that come from?" Yahiko exclaimed. Of course, this was his first time seeing a sealing scroll used. The only things he'd seen a ninja do before was cast Ninjutsu and throw knives.
"Heh. This is a sealing scroll, Yahiko. If you'll look over there..." He pointed right at where Seija was just hanging up her coat. "She's got one too."
"Hers is bigger though..." Yahiko, for all his bravado and heart, was still only seven years old. He didn't even know about the innuendo he was making.
Seija had to stop herself from snickering as Jiraiya muttered "It's not about the size, it's about how you use it..." under his breath. Yahiko didn't hear him, thankfully.
"Yes... hers is bigger because it is presumably holding bigger stuff. Is that right, Seija?" Jiraiya decided to ask. He had to admit, he was curious about what a kid like her would be carrying such a huge scroll around for.
She responded. "That's right. This scroll contains all of my belongings from home. We had to hide all evidence of me somewhere, and we happened to have this gigantic scroll just sitting around empty in our basement. Even my old bed is in here."
"Seriously... you could just take everything with you?! Man... Ninjutsu is so cool..." Yahiko sighed wistfully.
Konan and Nagato had just sat quietly this whole time, but even they felt inclined to speak up at that, though for entirely different reasons.
"Wow, Seija! I bet that made traveling easier, h-huh?" Konan asked with a shy smile.
'Heh. Seems like she's trying to break the ice. That's fine, it's best that I do get along with all of them and if she's going to extend the olive branch, I'll happily accept it.'
She answered, "Yeah, it's pretty convenient."
Nagato took his turn to speak after Konan made her observation.
"Seija... You said you brought all evidence of yourself with you in that scroll, right? Do you-" He took a second to wipe his eyes before he could start genuinely crying.
'Ah. I think I know what he's going to ask.'
"D-Do you have any old photographs with my parents in the-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before Seija unfurled the scroll and took out a cardboard box filled to the top with framed photographs.
"Here, Nagato. There should be a bunch of them in there. Take as many as you want." She happily handed the whole box to him. "Though maybe save that for later. With that other question that's been asked of me I've realised that I don't actually know who any of you are besides Nagato. You all know my name, since Nagato was generous enough to blurt it out back on the dam, but I don't know you." She said with a smile.
Konan looked a little more embarrassed than she usually did now that she realised that she directly asked Seija a question without even introducing herself, and Jiraiya clapped his hands and sat up from where he was putting the fish onto a stone slab that was raised atop a fireplace.
"She makes a good point! We haven't had any real introductions yet! I'll start." He took a deep breath, "My name is Jiraiya! I am a Jonin-rank shinobi from Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. My favourite past-time is... 'Research'. My dream is to find out the answer to a prophecy I heard a long time ago."
He gestured to Konan.
"Uh! Right! M-My name is Konan. I'm from Amegakure. My favourite past-time is origami! My dream... hmm..." She thought hard for a moment, "Well, my dream for now is to help Yahiko to reform this country! Maybe after that I'll think of something else."
"Hm! Good answer, Konan! Nagato?" Jiraiya asked the next person.
Nagato tore his fringe-hidden eyes away from the box of photographs and answered.
"...My name is Nagato... I have a surname but my mom always said to keep it secret. Sorry..."
"No, it's fine! Go on..." Jiraiya reassured him.
"I'm now an orphan like Yahiko and Konan. My favourite past-time... It used to be reading, but I haven't had any books on hand for a while. My dream is the same as Konan's."
"Heh." Jiraiya turned to Yahiko, "Well these two certainly seem to be rather fond of you, kid. So what is this dream of yours?"
Yahiko stood up. "Right! My name is Yahiko! As Nagato said, I am also an orphan! My favourite past-time is training! Or uh... it will be when I get started doing it, I'm sure! My dream is to become super strong and take over Amegakure to lead it to a better future! One day I'll even figure out how to get rid of all this rain!" He shouted with a huge grin and a thumbs-up pose.
Everyone else in the room went slightly wide eyed at the energy he put into his introduction and Jiraiya cleared his throat while Yahiko sat back down.
"Well, Yahiko, that's certainly a high bar to aim for! Now, our mysterious shinobi girl who is apparently Nagato's childhood friend. Seija?" He turned to the final person in the room.
"Alright then. I'm Seija. Like Nagato, I also have a surname that I'm not allowed to share. I've been training to become a ninja since I was four years old. As you know, my parents have been taken to Konoha and I'm unsure of their status. Mom said she had a plan, so I'm going to trust that they're still alive.
"My favourite past-time is experimenting with Ninjutsu. My dream is to live a long, happy life... But that's just about everyone's goal, isn't it? Either way, I plan on becoming as powerful as I possibly can to ensure that nobody can kill me, so I may as well say that my dream is to become the most powerful shinobi in history." She finished.
"Nice! Another lofty goal, much like Yahiko's in a way, but I'm honestly not sure which one will be tougher to accomplish!" Jiraiya chuckled good-naturedly.
"Now! This fish is almost done cooking, so everyone go familiarise yourselves with the layout of the kitchen cupboards and find a plate that you like."
They were more than happy to finally get started on their meal.
- - -
Some hours later, Jiraiya was setting up the curtain that would separate the girls' bedroom from the boys'. Seija would've done it herself by walking up the wall in order to reach the high rail, but Jiraiya whispered to her that it would be best not to make the other three jealous, since he didn't plan on teaching them anything about chakra.
"There we go. One big curtain fully set up. You can move your bedding in now. Uh... although I'm not sure how Seija's going to fit a full-sized wooden bed frame into that tiny space next to Konan's futon..."
"I don't really need to use the bed. The alternatives are that I either sleep on a futon like everyone else, or Konan shares my bed with me. It's certainly big enough, but judging by the color that her face is turning right now, that second option might not work."
Seija lied through her teeth. She really didn't want to use those old futons when a perfectly good bed was available. She had to figure out a way to convince Konan to accept.
Jiraiya's mind briefly flicked into 'research' mode at the thought of two girls sharing a bed but he crushed it in seconds. They were kids, damn it. Even he had standards, and that sure as hell went beyond his limit. He decided to head out and scout the immediate area around the cabin to make sure nothing had changed. The rain would cool him off.
"Y-Yeah! My parents once told me th-that only couples sleep in bed together!" Konan stuttered out. Seija knew, of course, that Konan totally had a huge crush on Yahiko even now. She decided to leverage that to try to persuade the girl.
"Konan, it's just a bed. You don't need any special connection to use one. Think of it this way: If we share this bed, not only will we be more comfortable, but Yahiko and Nagato can double stack our futons with theirs. These old futons are rather slim and they don't have much padding, so two of them each will be more comfortable for the boys." Seija explained to her.
Konan's gaze hardened instantly at the mention of helping Yahiko.
"We're sharing the bed. Give the futons to Yahiko... and Nagato. Seija, can we use those spare pillows to make a line between us?" She pointed to the pillows next to the futons.
Seija giggled slightly at Konan's sudden mood shift. "Heh. Sure, we can do that."
She picked up her scroll from where it was leaning against the doorframe and brought it over to the bedroom. She unsealed the whole bed at once, which just barely fit into the space given to the girls for their sleeping quarters.
*Poof*
"Wow... it does look comfy. You slept in this for your whole life, Seija?" Konan asked, with a slight hint of jealousy.
"Not my whole life. Obviously not when I was an infant, and there were... circumstances... that required me to stay in my parents' room for safety reasons until I turned four. So I've had it for the past four years."
Konan decided not to pry into what those safety reasons were and instead chose to flop onto the huge bed. She decided instead to inquire about Seija's age, "So you're a year older than us, then? I thought you seemed kind of tall for a girl but I wasn't quite sure."
Seija huffed and folded her arms. "I am tall, regardless of my age! When I was really young I swore to my mother that I would never let Nagato out-grow me, and though it may seem childish I plan on making good on that promise."
And she really did plan on staying taller than Nagato. No way in hell she would let her dear mother be proven right. There was pride at stake!
"Anyways, Konan. We've still got these futons here. Better hand them over before it's actually time for bed."
"Right. Hey! Yahiko!" She called out to the boy who had just stepped in from outside, where he and Nagato were throwing away the bones of the fish they'd eaten for dinner.
"Hm? What's up, Konan?"
"You've got two more futons here to make your own bedroom more comfy."
Seija watched on as the boy celebrated this fortunate turn of events.
Tomorrow the other three kids would be taught some basic survival skills, starting with fishing. They did live next to a huge reservoir that was blocked off by the dam, so it was an ideal place to get food from.
She figured it would be time for bed once Jiraiya was back, so she ducked behind the curtain to get changed into her pajamas. She also took out a spare set for Konan, since the orphan girl didn't have any of her own.
'Now I just have to keep an eye on when Nagato and Yahiko decide to go out on their own one day. That'll be when the Chunin shows up. Gotta stay vigilant. And try my damn hardest not to brag about sleeping in the same bed as Konan on the Global Chat... Should be easy enough.'
Oh yeah... this would be a good three years.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Stein