The Life of Ki (Naruto Fanfic)

Rain And The Hyugas

The next day, I find myself in a sour mood.

I can't explain why—the day started off great!

Tenten had spotted me heading into town early this morning to run errands, and she invited me for breakfast out of the blue.

The two of us had also spotted Shino, and we had a wonderfully unique meal.

Afterward, I headed into town, got great deals on the equipment I needed, and even had time to get my favorite food for lunch.

Now, under the cloudy sky of impending rain, I find myself...dissatisfied for some strange reason.

I should go visit Lee today! He has been in a better mood lately, so maybe he can put me in a good mood too.

I have just dropped my groceries off at my apartment when it dawns on me why I might be in a grim mood: Sasuke's question to me.

It has been floating in my mind all day, and I wonder why he asked such an unprovoked question.

Maybe some training will clear my mind.

Rather than a response, I've come up with another question to ask Sasuke, and I consider it as I grab my weapons belt and head back downstairs to step into the misty light of a dreary day.

Do you care the slightest bit about any of your teammates?

I'll have to find him later today to give my response. I suspect he might already have a response prepared for my question.

For now: training.

I'm well on my way to the training grounds when someone calls out to me.

I'm not surprised that someone seeks my attention: the village has been bubbling with activity since Tsunade arrived.

She was sworn in officially this morning, although only chunin and jonin were allowed to be present.

"Ki!" Jiraiya calls out, walking towards me with a purposeful step.

"Wait a moment." He requests as he catches up to me.

Once he has caught up, he motions for me to follow him the rest of the way to the training grounds I was headed for.

"How are you, kid?" He asks as the two of us approach the training grounds.

"I'm going pretty good," I say with a smile as I gaze around the forest. "It's been a while since I could relax like this. How are you?"

"That's good, that's good," Jiraiya tells me, probably not having heard at all.

"I've been fine--in a rush though." He says curtly.

Jiraiya pauses as the two of us enter the typical training location of the training grounds: the area with the targets and posts.

I move towards one of the sets to get some reps in while Jiraiya speaks with me.

Jiraya sets a foot on one of the low-resting tree stumps as he strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"Listen, Ki, I won't be in town for much longer—I've got things to do. Before I go, I wouldn't feel right unless I taught you a new Jutsu as thanks for helping me retrieve Tsunade." Jiraiya explains, rubbing the back of his neck as if uncomfortable at providing thanks. "I have a jutsu in mind if you're interested."

I break into a happy smile. "I'm interested," I assure Jiraiya, eager to finally learn a new move from this sage.

"Alright, follow me and I'll show you." Jiraiya gives me a humored smile as he motions for me to stay close.