บท 4: Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Today was an ordinary third Friday in the first month of summer. It was also the birthday of Utakata. From today onward, he would be five. It meant nothing to anyone else and even less to Utakata. It was just another day. That was also his birthday. He ate, studied, ate, trained, and slept as usual. And now, today is Saturday.
There were no days off in the Village of Hidden Mist Academy. Months of training and studying can make some people irritable, especially when you are bullied daily. The bullies got to release their frustration on the weaker kids, but orphans like him were the most vulnerable and had to put up with it. Utakata took solace that he wasn't targeted yet.
Some brave ones tried to defend themselves as they couldn't take it anymore. Three kids fought back before everyone realized that there was no fighting back. Now there are thirty-eight children in the class. The classroom was no longer too packed, and their tables had free space to move around. Sometimes Utakata thinks to himself what living in other shinobi villages would be like.
Only sometimes, thinking of these possibilities was time and energy-consuming. Yet, most of the time, Utakata thought about the future. He knew what awaited him, so he had to prepare for it. And he so happens to be where people prepare children for the future Utakata was destined for. How convenient it was.
It took months, but Utakata has started to learn the taijutsu style used in the Mist. He learned it by being beaten up, but it taught him how to avoid most of the damage from certain hits. So, in the end, he didn't have much to complain about, apart from being always exhausted and hurt. He could accept that as long as he got stronger.
Then something happened, Kazaki Hosuki took Utakata's soup for lunch and poured it on his head. For some time now, Utakata knew he couldn't truly escape being a target, no matter what. It probably annoyed a bully like Kazaki to no end that Utakata managed to avoid him so much. Well, Kazaki Hosuki made a mistake today.
There were many things that Utakata could overlook, but wasting food wasn't one of them. The soup was something he earned by spending four and half hours listening to lessons. It was pork and vegetable miso soup, something Utakata enjoyed immensely eating. But what could he do? He could only cast his eyes on the ground as his dark brown and wet hair covered his face. And then, take a fork from his table and stab it into Kazaki Hisuki's eye while Kazaki was laughing at Utakata and didn't expect it.
The scream was both surprising and horrifying. Hearing someone from the founder clan scream in pain made many flinch. Nobody knew what to do. The bullies were shocked that someone fought back and succeeded in doing so. Even the kids who were bullied couldn't believe what had happened. The only sound in the cafeteria was Kazaki's screaming until an instructor entered the scene.
"What happened?" The instructor asked as he went to check on Kazaki.
"He stabbed me!" Cried out Kazaki and pointed at Utakata.
"Utakata, wasn't it?" The instructor asked, and Utakata nodded. "Do you know what you did?"
"I defended myself," Utakata said with certainty that surprised the instructor.
"Explain," The instructor ordered.
"He attacked me from behind, but my reflexes are quite slow, so it took a bit of time to react," Utakata said. "I acted on instinct as I feared for my life. Had Kazaki-kun attacked me from the front, I would have realized it wasn't life-threatening, but he made the mistake of attacking a shinobi from behind, even if I am still in training."
"I will kill you!" Someone didn't like Utakata's explanation. It probably had to do with the fact that he was stabbed in the eye a few moments ago.
"You can see why I would react that way, sensei," Utakata was still not fazed by Kazaki's threats.
"I have your head, you bastard!"
"Enough!" The instructor yelled out, silencing Kazaki. "Someone take him to a medic."
"Yes, sir," Another instructor, a younger one, came and took Kazaki away.
"And you, Utakata," The instructor pointed at Utakata with his finger. "Won't have another chance. Do something like this again, and I might start not believing your story."
It shocked everyone, including Utakata, that he would receive no further punishment. But he should have expected that. It was the Bloody Mist era for a reason. The strong were respected, even if they were from the lowest caste. It was a children's, so adults didn't want to interfere, and to them, Utakata was still a kid who would be useful in the upcoming war—a kid who would probably die on the frontlines.
After the ordeal, Utakata cleaned his face with his hand and finished his lunch. He was hungry and quite satisfied to take a small revenge on Kazaki as Utakata blamed him for Jin's disappearance. But he was concerned, too, at least a bit. Someone like Kazaki Hosuki won't take it lying low. He will do anything to pay back for what was done to him.
Utakata had to be prepared for being ambushed by Kazaki and the lackeys he would manage to find to beat him up. Utakata was sure of it. So, he ate up and thought about how to avoid him. Maybe it was good luck that he didn't have any friends for Kazaki to use against him. So, Utakata had only to avoid him. It shouldn't be too difficult, as they only met in the classroom, training area, and cafeteria.
Well, he shouldn't dwell on it too much. It was pretty tiring and troublesome. To Utakata, someone like Kazaki was a time and energy waste. So, Utakata decided to go with the flow. He will avoid Kazaki for as long as he can, then get beaten up by Kazaki and his lackeys before he grows stronger. With time he shouldn't have trouble defending himself. It was a sound plan. Simple but effective.
…
A new lesson was introduced today. It has been four months since the academic year started, so they may want to introduce something new and valuable, like shinobi tools and weaponry. Utakata was sure it had nothing to do with him stabbing someone in the eye. Utakata found himself enjoying the new lessons.
Once he touched the tanto knife, Utakata knew he would love to use it—a single edge twenty centimeters long knife with a wooden grip. Kunai was excellent too. They were simpler to conceal and had more uses than any other knife. Choosing kunai over any other weapon shouldn't be difficult, but a tanto knife looked more elegant like it was made for a more civilized era.
"Today, we shall learn about most basic weapons a shinobi uses," The instructor announced after the students checked out the weapons. "We will start with Shuriken."
The instructor picked up a couple of boxes from the side and started to display what was inside. The light from the windows shone over the blades, revealing their sharpness. Utakata was fascinated by it. He had never seen shinobi weapons with his own eyes. He never had a chance, and while most children from shinobi families didn't look impressed, the rest had their eyes clued to them.
"There are commonly three types of shuriken used by shinobi," The instructor continued his lesson. "The one you shall find most and use most is hira-shuriken, or simple shuriken. They are shaped like stars. You can find them with four-pointed stars, but shinobi also use six-pointed or eight-pointed ones. They could be thrown directly at targets or used to incapacitate opponents by striking pressure points or distracting them."
The instructor showed his skills with the shuriken by throwing them at a dummy not far away, hitting vital points. Then he got closer to it and started to strike at various points with Shuriken. While it was an impressive skill, Utakata could tell that striking wasn't a common technique used by shinobi. It just wasn't practical.
"Next, we come to bo-shuriken and Shaken. They might look similar but do not be mistaken. Even though both are straight needle-like projectiles, bo-shuriken are longer and are used as throwing weapons, best used to hit targets from a distance. While Shaken is shorter and might look similar to senbon, it is mainly used to ambush a target from a short distance and distract an enemy. Senbon is thinner than Shaken, so it takes more skill to use without breaking them. Senbon can be used for medical ninjutsu too, unlike Shaken."
It was interesting how similar they looked, but their uses differed. The instructions showed bo-shuriken penetration power by throwing it at a wooden dummy and implanting the weapon halfway through. It could easily hit the vital organs of humans if aimed well. And while Shaken was impressive, too, they were not lethal weapons. Senbon might be longer than Shaken. They were too thin and lacked the proper power to do any damage. As the instructor said, they were better used for acupuncture and medical ninjutsu.
"We shall start with regular shuriken, and if you like, you can try out the other variants," The instructor said. "Now take six shurikens each and follow me to the training field. I shall test each of your skills."
What followed was a bunch of kids making fools out of themselves, as they never held such weapons in their hands. Utakata was one of them, not managing to hit any targets. In contrast, other kids who had experienced this before today showed off their skills. Only Kazaki Hosuki didn't manage to hit anything. It was probably because his right eye was missing. Still, he managed to glare at Utakata afterward.
The instructor told them it would be enough for today and that they should prepare for the next class. Blending in with the other kids, Utakata avoided Kazaki. It helped that he could feel Kazaki's chakra, as his chakra was more unique than other kids. Most of the children from the clans had special chakra. At least, it felt like that to Utakata.
Utakata wasn't ready to confront Kazaki yet. So, as the lesson ended, Utakata stayed as far away as possible from Kazaki. Still, Utakata refused to skip dinner, but luck was on his side as an instructor was now dining with them, probably observing them after what he had done previously. Kazaki didn't dare to make his move with an instructor not far from him.
Utakata waited for a perfect opportunity to finish his meal and leave for his dormitory. It was pretty fun, sneaking around, blending with other kids, and reaching his goal without being disturbed. So, Utakata didn't mind it too much, and it gave Utakata a chance to feel like a true shinobi, letting him sneak around unnoticed.
And so, days passed, weeks, and not long after months. In a blink of an eye, Utakata's first year was finished. Apart from getting beaten up in sparring matches, his year was peaceful. And at the end of the year, he could somehow hold himself head-to-head with most children from clans, even if winning was uncommon.
Utakata was quite sad not having learned ninjutsu yet, but the instructors had taught him about chakra control quite well. He also got quite good at using various weapons, like kunai, tanto knife, and shuriken, and even took a liking to learn bo-shuriken. And then, news spread among the academy about the start of the Third Great Shinobi War.
There was no vacation for children, and the following year started soon enough. Even though Utakata expected the training to take a notch, he never could have imagined how much more brutal it would be. Everyone could feel that the Mist felt pressure for the war. So far, only Leaf and Stone Village participated in the war, but it was only a matter of time before the remaining villages joined.
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