For the first time in a long time, Hayabusa slept until after the sun came up. He had stayed up the night before, thinking… tossing and turning over the death he caused. He was assured by his older brother that these things will get better with time. The first kill is always the hardest to bare and the worst of all, even if it’s somebody who deserved it will haunt you. The mind and body exhaustion dropped him into a sleep that he earned. Genshin didn’t lighten up much on Hayabusa coming in before the sun rose, but on the days after his first jobs, Hayabusa deserved it.
As he opened his green eyes to the sun peeking through his window’s drapes, Hayabusa slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He then realized that today, he had been thirteen years old. In thought of this, he smiled. As he slowly and gracefully got out of bed, Hayabusa had stretched and walked to the bathroom. Getting naked and showering, brushing his teeth, brushing his hair, and making himself look presentable before going back to his room wrapped in only a towel. There on the bed had been a black shinobi outfit, pressed clean, and a robe with his family’s crest on it. His eyes lit. This gave him permission to wear the crest. He ran to it and observed it as his mother came peeking from around the corner.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
“I love it!” he said. Hug ran up to her and thanked her.
“Happy birthday sweetie…” she said. She looked down on him with her one good eye. The other had been patched up every since she went out on a mission to Konoha the year before. She had never showed anybody what was under it or how it happened, but every since then, her success rate for her missions have increased to almost flawless. Hayabusa looked up at her.
“There is more, too.” She said to him. “Later… after you go to Uncle’s dojo and do what you have to do. Who knows… if you succeed today, maybe I’ll let you see what is under this patch…” she said. He smiled. “Now… go on… get dressed.” She said, letting him go and leaving. Hayabusa turned and got dressed. Today, he put his hair in a loose ponytail (such as Neji’s youthful hair style.) He turned and walked out of the door, closing the door behind him.
He smiled, for this was the first time he stepped out of the house as a bearer of the Lydeck Clan crest. This was the greatest honor for a child. In this clan, it meant he has stepped into manhood and can climb ranks. He could potentially be clan leader.
He walked to the Dojo, waving to all who congratulated him now being a recognized member. He felt good. As he got to the dojo, he knocked on the door.
“Enter…” Genshin said. Hayabusa walked in and bowed.
“Sensei…”
“Hayabusa… today… is your birthday. Happy birthday. My first gift to you…” he said. “All that training on control and molding of your chakra will come into play. You know the three basic jutsu. Name them.”
“Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu.”
“Very good. Now, you have been entered as a Genin candidate. You must prove your skills today in battle with a peer. Before doing so, we are going to show you what you were actually learning in these trainings of control and molding, combine with those hand seals I made you practice for months straight… do you remember those?”
“How could I forget, Sensei. I began doing them in my sleep… dreaming of fingers turning into animals and attacking me.”
“Ok… today we finish that training. You see…” Genshin began to do seals before putting his hand up to his mouth and blowing out a gust of wind that pushed objects away. “Handseals activate certain jutsu that need more than just chakra. I have written combos in which are very basic jutsu that all should know but are required. Beginning with Ninjutsu.” He handed him a scroll. Hayabusa looked at it.
“Kawarimi No Jutsu.. I’m slightly familiar with this.”
“Ok… hit me...” Genshin said. He performed one seal, gave it some chakra, and right after, Hayabusa threw a punch straight to the chest. Genshin was replaced by a log. Hayabusa watched it fall to the ground. “Cool, huh?” said Genshin’s voice from behind him. Hayabusa turned to see his Sensei standing there. “Your turn. Just apply a little chakra and do the seal. Think of the most basic thing you’d want to substitute with. Logs are always the best. Easiest to clean up. You could easily move with the elements of you surroundings, but trying to substiture with sand will leave sand on the Dojo floor, and I don’t want you to have to clean up on your birthday. Ready?” he said. Hayabusa nodded. He performed the seal and applied the chakra. He felt something overcome his body as Genshin kicked towards him. It hit, and Hayabusa felt nothing. The next moment, he had be directly behind the log that floated in mid-air before dropping. Genshin smiled.
“Good… next time, think about being substituted elsewhere.” He said. Hayabusa nodded. “Next is Taijutsu. Simple. It’s fighting. You excel at it. Rarely ever does Taijutsu require chakra, but it does co-exist with it. You can fight, I’ll give you that. But you haven’t used your physical energy. You need to tap into your body’s energy. It’s simple. Open your mind. Don’t think of your punch as a punch. Think of it as a force.” Genshin opened his arms. “Punch.” Hayabusa did so. Genshin hardly went back at all. “That was weak. You punch and hit as if you were trying to weaken my skin. That’s fine for regular combat, but when you want to be an opportunist and throw a punch that can crush your enemy, you want to break that. Without putting momentum in your punch, set you mind to hitting my insides, not my exterior.” Hayabusa nodded and pulled his arm back and tried to ‘x-ray’ Genshin, punching to hit his lung. This punch had more force and, though it didn’t weaken Hayabusa, but only slightly tired him more than a regular punch, it was worth it to see his Sensei crouch over. He was in small pain. Hayabusa smiled. “Nice punch. Ok…” Genshin took a seat, rubbing his side. “Didn’t know it’d be such a hard punch. We have one more to go.”
“Genjutsu…”
“Genjutsu.” Genshin echoed. “Attacking of the mind. This is the hardest to master of the three, but you… you’re special. Not only are you strong minded and smart, but you’re a natural born Genjutsu usuer. Or at least… hopefully you picked up that attribute…” he said, kind of more to himself. Hayabusa prepared to question it, but Genshin cut him off. “Now, Genjutsu is tricky. One seal…” he said. He put his hand on Hayabusa. “And a touch in most cases… and you’re mine…” he said. Hayabusa’s sight went blurry before, seconds later, he had been in darkness. He began to stumble. Genshin caught him.
“What’s happen!!” Hayabusa yelled.
“I’ve made your mind think you were blind.”
“How does it go away!?! I don’t want to be blind!”
“Don’t worry. Not only is there a jutsu to release weaker Genjutsu, which you can get scrolls from the shop or learn it from another… Maybe you should put money towards that. Try another seal… see what happens…” Genshin used a seal and touched Hayabusa, taking him out of the Genjutsu. Hayabusa rubbed his eyes. He nodded. “Don’t be discouraged if you can’t get it the first few tries. It is very hard to do for all shinobi…” he said. Hayabsua did a seal and touched his Sensei’s leg.Genshin laughed. “Well… first try isn’t likely…” he said, before he tried to stand. Then… he couldn’t.
“Or not…” he said to himself. “You succeeded… in Genjutsu… on your first try… you have become exceptional…” he said. Hayabusa smiled.
“What did I do?” he asked.
“My body is numb. I can’t move for a while. I can talk… that’s it. Now… in my left pocket is a ticket. Take it and run. Run to the Academy Center. This is your ticket to compete. You have received my blessing. I will be there momentarily…” he said. Hayabusa nodded as he took the ticket out of Genshin’s pocket and slightly bowed.
“Thank you, Sensei Genshin.” He said. He turned and ran out the Dojo, sprinting to his long awaited test.
As he walked into the destination in which he was meant, Hayabusa walked in. and looked around. The man who came to his aid was very familiar… he came to Hayabusa with a smug look.
“Hmph… so it’s the disrespectful little shit, huh?” he said. Hayabusa looked up to this man, to notice it was the judge he had disrespected his first day in this place. He looked down at Hayabusa with anger. Hayabusa threw him off by putting his fist in his hand and slightly bowing.
“Good morning.” He said. “I am grateful to be in your presence…” he said.
“Hmmmmmm… we’ll see… ticket!” he yelled. Hayabusa took the ticket out of his pocket and gave it to him. “Hmmm… Genshin. No wonder…” he looked at Hayabusa. Well… Lydeck Hayabusa was it?”
“Yes sir…”
“Come…” he said. He walked and Hayabusa followed. His surroundings consisted of many kids fighting as if it were a tournament. Hayabusa had been paired up with a blond hair blue eyed kid. “There is your opponent.” Hayabusa stepped into the arena. He bowed to the boy.
“I’m Eliot…” he said, slightly bowing.
“Hayabusa.” He replied.
“Ok you two…” the judge said. “Just show us your skills. Any skills. Anything goes. No weapons. Just hand to hand combat with any jutsu will do. Go until one is down, there is a ring out, or we say otherwise. Ready? FIGHT!” he yelled. The two stared at each other for about 5 seconds before Eliot took his fight position. Hayabusa did as well. Eliot attacked first. His punches came slightly slow, but Hayabusa got hit with two out of the five. The two he got hit with were powerful… it was as if this boy wanted to master Taijutsu, because he threw all his efforts into making each hit the accelerated hit that Genshin had just taught Hayabusa. With an onslaught, Hayabusa needed to grasp an opening. He needed to take the offensive. Hayabusa let his hand come up to the boy, allowing the punch to roll across his own arm. At the moment, Hayabusa flung to the right, pushing Eliot’s body off. This was his opening to begin hitting, but something came over him.. the will to fight. His memory kicked in… as if while he was fighting, he could tap subconscious memories.
He put his hand on the boy’s should, pushing off the ground and flipping over him. His memory showed three signs he saw Hayate use. He did the same and his hands lit with chakra that could damage. He palm thrusted toward the boys chest, and in succession, he hit from chest to stomach in a four hit combo. The last hit he went for, the boy used his own arm to hit away Hayabusa’s , following with a left hand punch. Hayabusa deactivated this Medical jutsu. Eliot then kicked Hayabusa back, and he stumbled. Close to the edge now, his mind still tapped, his mind entered that of his mothers. It was a jutsu he was not sure he could do, but at this point, he could only try. Eliot was running at him fast.
He made the Tiger seal, three more seals, then tiger once more. Putting his hands to his mouth, Hayabusa blew out a fireball that had been bigger than that of his own body. Eliot would have went right into it, if he was not saved by the judge. Hayabusa’s eyes were widened… he looked around and everyone was staring at him. Even Genshin was there.
“I…” Hayabusa looked at Eliot. “I’m sorry… I didn’t know… I could do that…” he said. Eliot stood up, bowing to Hayabusa.
“Pleasure…” he said. Hayabusa smiled and bowed back. Hayabusa walked out of the arena and went next to Genshin.
“Boy… you are something else. Not only did you manage to show something most people don’t show until they are experienced shinobi… your affinity being Katon obviously… but… when have you had the time to work on medical jutsu with my hectic schedule?”
“The first day I trained with you, rather… got destroyed by you, I begged my brother to teach me. Since that day it’s been a norm.”
“You…” Genshin put his hand on his head. “You are going to be an idol to the Lydeck Clan’s youth.” Hayabusa smiled and bowed. Everyone continued their fights. The judge came to Hayabusa. He surprisingly bowed to him.
“You may be an exceptional shinobi after all…” he said. He handed Hayabusa his village head band with the Sand emblem on in, shining brightly. He bowed back. “Now… go… you are now officially a Genin.” Hayabusa turned and walked with Genshin. As he walked, Genshin pulled something out of his pocket.
“Here…” Hayabusa took it. “Here is a coupons. 1 Free D Rank jutsu paid for by me… you just go in the scroll shop, take your pick, and they’re yours. Now, run along… I don’t want to see you for the rest of the night. Your family is waiting for you at the Sand Spider Diner. Go…” Hayabusa hugged him and left. “AND EXPECT TO START PUPPETRY TOMORROW!!!” he yelled as Hayabusa ran.
He stopped at the scroll shop, getting his first D Rank scroll. He would learn them as soon as he could. He put them in his pocket and ran to the diner. As soon as he walked in, his whole family had been there, smiling at his shining head band.
“Congrats, baby…” his mother said. She kissed him on the cheek. She led him to his brother and sister, waiting with smiles. Hayabusa rubbed his head and Kasumi; his best friend; punched him in the arm. She then took out a belt she had made herself with many pouches and a place for a sheathe on his left side. His brother handed him a kit of kunai and shuriken. Hayabusa bowed and hugged them both.
“Ok… well in front of everybody… in light of Genin AND your birthday…” Lisa brought out a box. It was long.
“What is it?”
“Open it…” she said, smiling. He opened the box and there before him was a katana with a red and black hilt chrome hilt and gold at the butt and head end that bared the Lydeck Clan symbol before his the blade extended. His eyes shone as he touched the hilt. The sheathing was gold as well. He took it out of the box and strapped it around his waist, on the left side. It was lucky he was tall, or he wouldn’t be able to do this. He looked at the three.
“Thank you… I love you guys…” he hugged them all, and then they sat to eat.
:::::::::Hours Later::::::::::
After they had eaten, they walked outside, laughing as a perfect family. He smiled a lot. The moon lit as they were on their way back home. They were near the gate of the Sand Village. But the light of the day… Hayabusa’s perfect day, had been dimmed by the screams and clashes of people and buildings. The smiles halted.
“What’s going on… Hayate said. From a distance, Hayabusa could see what looked like an oversized veined rodent destroying buildings.
“Shukaku…” Lisa said. Before them, crowds were running towards the village gates. She looked back at the three.
“YOU THREE! OUT! HAYATE! TAKE THEM OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE! NOW!” Hayate nodded. He grabbed Kasumi and ran.
“Mother!” She yelled.
“LETS GO” Hayate tugged on her arm. “HAYABUSA!” he yelled, as Hayabusa was in a blank stare. He shook his head and followed the running Hayate. People were running behind them. He stopped, watching his brother and sister go on ahead, and people run past him.
“M… mom…” He turned and began running toward the danger. His siblings didn’t even know.
Fighting through the crowd and falling buildings, he looked up at the demon. The first tailed Bijuu. He could hear his mother’s voice, yelling commands. He followed the voice. People were dying at the hands of this demon’s rampage. He made it to the roof, where his mother stood.
“MOTHER!?” he exclaimed. She turned, looking at him. Her eye… the one that had always been patched, was no longer patched. It had a glow to it. Even in the dark, its Crimson like color with a shape inside of it shown like a lamp. He got to see what was behind his mother’s patch. He couldn’t move, he was so shocked.
“HAYABUSA!?! WHAT ARE YOU…” just then, the beast had stomped on the building before the one they were on. Shukaku lifted his claw preparing to swipe down. She looked back at Hayabusa and ran towards him. The beast clashed the building down in its rage, as Lisa’s arms shielded over Hayabusa and they fell through the destroyed structure. Debris lay on his mother’s back.
Buried into his mother’s arms. He looked up to her face, as they were on the ground level now with her looking down at him with both eyes… only one of them glowing red. He began to smile because they were safe…
“Gah…” she said, spitting up what seemed to be held back blood. Blood sprayed on his face.
“Mo… mom?” He looked down to see structure of the building impaled through her body.
“Mo…move…. Ha… Haya…” she said. The puncture had been held back from impaling his stomach by her holding the weight of the building on her back. He scurried out from under and stood up.
“Come on mom…” he said, trying to help her.
“NO!” she yelled. “I… I can’t…” she said. She slowly dropped, her eye gazing through his soul. He fell into a trance… a form of an unconscious trance. That moment, her good eye closed… her last breathe escaped her. Hayabusa, not controlling his body, or into control of his mind, took a scalpel and glass tube out of his mother’s pouch. He used the scalpel to take out her still open eye. It was as if he was zombified in his slow, professional movements. He put the eye in the tube, put it under water falling from broken plumbing, and filed the tube up with it, sealed it, and put it in his pocket.
Just then, his consciousness returned. He had blood on his hands, a scalpel at hand, and his mother’s eye was gone. His mother’s blood had been on his hands. He fell to the ground, in pain, crying. His heart hurt.
“Mo… MOTHER!!!” he said. His eyes burned in a way it has never burned before. His chakra flowed freely in it as he had unlocked the potential of his hidden bloodline.
The Sharingan.
The building began to make it’s final drop. It had prepared to bury his mother with him in it. He didn’t care. It was then, that he straightened his face, and wiped his tears. He stood straight, looking at his mother for the last time, preparing to die with her. Just moments before the building collided, a shuriken went into his back. He felt something grab a hold of him, pulling him out. As he floated up to an adjacent, still standing building, with the beast far away on the other side, kicking buildings in sport, he landing on the roof watching the building fall onto his mother. He looked up, to see it was Genshin.Genshin pulled the shuriken from Hayabusa’s back, which was merely a way to attach chakra to Hayabusa successfully using puppetry strings. He looked back down, saying his final goodbyes to his mother, then turned to look at Genshin. Genshin gave him a funny look.
“What…” he said. Genshin took out a mirror and show Hayabusa. Before him, his eyes were glowing the same crimson red with a dot radial from his pupil. He put his hand near his eye. Slowly, it reverted to his green eyes. He then snapped out of it, taking the tube out of his pocket. Genshin looked at it in shock.
“Where’d you…” he began, then Hayabusa lifted it up to Genshin.
“She wanted me… to give it to you.”
“How would you know…”
“I just know…” Hayabusa said. He took it, and Hayabusa began to walk. “Come on Sensei… we have to return to the others…” he said. Genshin nodded as they began to run back to the village exit. Before getting out, Hayabusa looked back once more at his beloved village. He closed his eyes, as one tear dropped from his eyes…
:::::::::::::: 6 Years Later | Present Day ::::::::::::::::::::::
He opened his eyes with his red crimson Sharingan eyes. At the age of 19, he sat, meditating near the Valley of the End. His community consisted of about twenty members of sand, about twelve in which were Lydeck Clan members. That day, that his mother died, she used his Mangekyou Sharingan power to go into Hayabusa’s mind. She explained to him here in this plane that was nothing that the eye was that of the Uchiha clan. His father had been a man she flattered long ago, but it had been a one night stand. Love was not introduced. But, the eye she bear was for Hayabusa. She was to give it to him the moment he became Jounin. But, during a joint mission, Lisa had an eye injury. Hayabusa’s father had given it to her as insurance until Hayabusa got older. He was afraid the Kekkei Genkai would not be within Hayabusa, because he was only half blood Uchiha.
He was wrong, because Hayabusa had got his Sharingan upon his mother’s death. She told him to have Genshin hold it until he was older. She didn’t want him to be hunted for it. But, this was before Hayabusa gained his own Sharingan. That moment when he noticed that he had his Sharingan, he made the decision to give it to a man who had only one eye usable. Genshin had appreciated it. He couldn’t see out of it but it came to good use. Hayate was the one to put it in for him.
But years later, they were a community of 20 that started as a community of 35. They community looked to Genshin, Hayabusa, Hayate, Kasumi, and Eliot, the kid Hayabusa fought to be Genin, to lead. However, trouble had came amongst them, as their only skilled medic, Hayate, had fallen ill due to over use of chakra and strain on his body trying to keep the rest of the community alive. Hayabusa couldn’t handle it anymore. He grabbed his equipment, washed himself in the waterfall, and walk from under the waterfall cavern. His brother cried in pain under a canopy they created. He looked at him, holding his hand.
“Ha… Hayabusa.” He said.
“Hayate…” Hayabusa put his hand up to his chest, and began to give him his chakra.
“Stop… you ne…”
“Shut up, Hayate.” He said, as he looked at Kasumi and Genshin, who sat at his bedside. “I don’t need it… I’m going into Konoha to request an audience from the Hokage. This will keep you alive until then.” He said. Hayabusa stopped transferring before his younger sister stood up enraged.
“WHAT!? WE ARE NOT GOING TO GO IN AND BEG THEM.”
“Kasumi… for six years we fought for food… stolen… killed to survive. We have sold the bodies of our companions to cannibals and scientists! I am done.”
“I DON’T CARE. THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. I WON’T LET…”
“I WON’T LET MY FAMILY DIE!” he yelled. She flinched and backed a little bit. His anger was shown, through the uncontrolled activation of his Sharingan. He took a few breaths and reverted them. “They look to us to lead… to feed… to heal. Without Hayate, they all die when someone sneeze on them. I’m done living like this.” Hayabusa patted Hayate, who had passed out, and Genshin just looked away, the moment Hayabusa looked at him for approval. That usually meant that Hayabusa would make his own choice. “We will die out here…” he said, as he got out of the Canopy and saw the rest of the community looking at him. He turned to look at Kasumi as she came out following him.
“I am doing this. No matter what you say.”
“Fine…” she said. She sighed. “I’m coming with you then.”
“Fine… but I am going in to the Hokage office alone.”
“WHAT!?”
“Kasumi… your anger is worst than mine, and I’m the Uchiha here… that’s saying something.”
“Fine…” she grabbed her weapons and walked back out. Hayabusa looked to Eliot.
“Eliot… I am going to Konoha… take three guys, gather something to last them a few hours. A deer should do. I won’t come back empty handed.” He said. Eliot nodded. Hayabusa jumped off, with Kasumi as his tail, into the trees towards the Hidden Village in the Leaves…
[4250 Words]
