Child of the Moon

Interviews

After a short while, the three kids made their way over to them. They introduced themselves as Moegi, Udon, and Konohamaru. Aiyanna realized that their introduction would probably be lost on Aki.

"So, what do you need from us?" Aiyanna asked.

"Start with your name, who's on your team, and a little bit about yourself," Moegi said sweetly. "I just wanted to say, I really admire your team, being an all-girl squad, you guys pretty much prove that Kunoichi can be tough too!"

Aki laughed. "Yeah, we're pretty great!"

"Well, my name is Aiyanna Nakamura," Aiyanna said. "I was born here in the Land of Fire, but not in the Hidden Leaf Village. I moved here with Aki a little while back, and shortly after was sorted into a team with Aki and Nanami, with Tsukiko-sensei as our jonin instructor."

"Name's Aki Yamada," Aki said cheerfully. "Aiyanna's already told ya who's on my team, and a little about me, but I guess you guys want more, huh? Let's see... I like most kinds of animals?"

Nanami chuckled. "I'm Nanami Hyuga, I was born in the Hidden Leaf. I was also born blind, so no one expected me to be a ninja at all, but thanks to my team and sensei, I'm here taking the chunin exams, and I've made it to the second round."

"You guys seem really unified," Udon pointed out.

"Well, Tsukiko-sensei drilled it into us that no one is infallible," Aiyanna explained. "So she made sure that we were aware of each other's weaknesses, and so we cover them for each other."

"Like how Nanami is blind, so you guys act as her eyes?" Konohamaru asked.

"Sort of," Aki responded. "She's developed methods for dealing with it, but there are things she won't be able to do, like read."

"Then there's Aki's brashness," Aiyanna chuckled. "Sometimes she does things without thinking. So the rest of us have to learn to adapt on the fly. To teach us to adapt to any situation, Tsukiko-sensei assigned us to different squads for a short time, so we could learn to adapt to different fighting styles, and types of teamwork since we won't always be with each other."

"Wow, your sensei sounds pretty amazing!" Moegi gushed.

"She's pretty awesome," Aki grinned. "Wish we knew more about her though..."

"You don't know much about your sensei?" Udon frowned.

"We know she's known as "Nightmare Tsukiko" but honestly, that name just doesn't seem to fit her, ya know?" Aki said. "She's super nice, thoughtful, and pretty as heck!"

"Wait!" Konohamaru said. "I know who she is! She's Boss's big sister! I've seen her get really mad, it's scary!"

"Well yeah," Aiyanna shrugged. "But have you ever seen her be cruel or terrifying for no reason? We've seen her get mad and frustrated, and while it can be scary, we get what she's trying to say."

"No, I guess you're right," Konohamaru said.

"Hey, why don't you three do a little investigating when you've finished your article on the Exams?" Nanami suggested. "You could do a special article on the Hidden Leaf's resident Mystery Kunoichi."

"Oh, I like the sound of that!" Moegi said brightly.

"Something that you guys haven't been able to do though?" Konohamaru frowned.

"It's a job only you guys could do!" Aki grinned.

"Hey, you're right! Don't worry, we're on the case!" Konohamaru said cheerfully.

"Um, maybe when we've finished this article," Udon reminded Konohamaru.

"Oh, right..."

"Good luck!" Aiyanna laughed, the three Academy students heading off for their next group.