A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

“So, where’s dad? Is he going to come home late from his mission like always?”

The little girl’s mother glares in contempt at her, her black hair a tangled mess on the top of her head.

“Mom…what’s the matter with you? Look, I didn’t mean…”

“Your father, my husband…is not coming back.” Her voice was strained with pain. “He’s dead! Your father is dead!”

The little girl falters and walks backwards away from her mother. “No, he can’t be…” Her mother opens her mouth, ready to confirm the horrible truth again, but the girl turns on her heels and runs. To where? She didn’t know and didn’t care, she just ran.

A few minutes later she halts to a stop, her hands on her knees, panting for breath.

“Whoa. Where’s the fire?” Reo says smiling, walking out from the trees a few feet down. “Where the heck are you even going?”

“I…nowhere.” She straightens up and eyes Reo fixedly.

“Humph. Well, you really need to slow down a bit. We both know how clumsy you are, and we don’t want you falling flat on your face. Huh?” Te girl takes a couple steps toward him, and he saw that he face was saddened; in misery. “Hey…what’s…?”

She stops just an inch away from him, their noses almost touching. “My…father is dead, Reo. He was…killed on his mission.”

“Naria…I…” He hesitates for words, but wraps his arms around Naria gently. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…”

Naria doesn’t reply, she doesn’t even hug him back. She just lets Reo hold her, refusing to let her tears fall.

~~

“Alright, now I am going to name the students who will be Team 3.” Ichiro sensei fixes his round spectacles and clears his throat. “Reo Zaru, Naria Kuroda, and Haru Jorin.”

“Oh, man. Why do I have to be partnered with a cocky annoying bastard, and a laughing idiot?” Naria murmurs aloud.

“I heard that, Naria. And because of that I’m going to make you wish weren’t on my team,” Reo states with a scowl.

“I already do,” she grumbles even lower.

~~

“Alright, Team 3, I will be your sensei.” A tall muscular man announces, poofing into sight from a cloud of smoke. His wavy black hung to his shoulders, and his smile was cheerful and radiant. “I am Kazuki Fujimaru.”

“Here you go, Kazuki Fujimaru.” The Third Hokage hands him a scroll, tied together by a red ribbon. “Inside are the contents of this mission I am assigning you and your team.”

“Yes, Lord Hokage,” Kazuki sensei bows his head, and Reo, Haru, and Naria mimic him.

“Take care on this mission, all of you. I am entrusting you with not so easy of a task,” the Third tells them surely, and dismisses them.

“Go!” Kazuki sensei yells at his students, the blue dome he was emitting growing dimmer and dimmer.

“Let’s go!” Reo grabs Naria’s arm and pulls her from the battle scene, with Haru right beside them.

Nighttime blankets the sky, and Team 3 was still running. They finally stop and collapse onto the grass below them, all beyond able to regain their breath. Each was silent, with raw dread in all their faces. No one spoke a word; no one even dared look at the other. They just sat there, trembling within themselves, until dawn broke though.

“Ever since then there was always a fear in me that I never could shake off. And when we were taking the same path, and those same Brothers centered their focus on us, that fear boiled up inside me to a point where I couldn’t ignore it.”

The Hokage scrutinizes his face, deep in thought. “Yes, it seems that I have asked too much of you, Naria. You still have a lot to learn, and a lot you need to work on within yourself.” Naria nods her head, averting his gaze. “Well, I think it is only appropriate that you are disentitled as sensei for Team 9.”

“Wait. No, Naria sensei,” I say quickly, bursting into the room with Lloyd and Rakuyo right behind me.

“What?” Naria sensei rotates around to us.

“So, I guess you really were going to quit being our sensei. Sorry, but we don’t really like that idea,” Lloyd says infallibly. He crosses his arms in front of him and smirks his prominent smile. “We want you as our sensei.”

‘She’s the same as me. She went through the same heartache I did,’ I think to myself, recurring Naria sensei’s story in my head.

“That is really sweet…but…” Naria sensei begins.

“Lloyd is right. We really do want you as our sensei. Were a team, and not everyone is perfect, so we’ll work through our differences and problems together,” Rakuyo states with an easy smile.

“And besides, we’ve grown to like you. And as for what happened on this mission, we can learn from it and help each other together,” Lloyd adds. Whoa. Way to go, Lloyd.

“It seems you three have really grown on this mission. All for the better too,” the Hokage acknowledges.

“Yes…yes they have,” Naria sensei agrees with a chuckle.