Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

Day Before Apple Board

The influx of fresh chills in her nostrils as Mana breathed in after leaving the Administration made her chest quiver before her whole body closed in to subdue the odd sensations. She was working again. With a dream as mighty and titanic as becoming a Sannin looming ahead, there was no time for doubts or philosophical self-reflection about the utilitarian qualities of her work.

This mission was all responsibility and almost no recognition but it was the kind of mission Mana had to do to get ahead. This was her chance to do something no one else will and this was only a warm-up before the magician would tackle the true mystery that many have tackled but none have resolved.

Overcome by the worry and responsibility of the work ahead of her, work that Mana was quite unfamiliar with and felt unprepared for, despite the best of her intentions and wishes for the future, the magician went to the Academy. Maybe Tori was still present and willing to offer some insights. Mana would only step into her shoes for one day but the last thing she could afford was to underestimate this mission.

Having in mind how seriously Team Oak used to take washing the dishes, the education of the young was of gold value compared to that.

The yard of the Academy was quite hectic at this time of day. It must have been the break in-between lessons, as a student who has roamed these halls herself, Mana should have known the schedule better. Before she approached the yard any closer than she already had, the magician took some time to look around and take in the schoolyard sights, as they felt strangely nostalgic.

If she concentrated and let herself get absorbed by these memories she could see her own five-year-old image trying to stand tall and look respectable like a hero from the book covers and play posters with a sniffling nose and wet eyes. Even as a five-year-old, the girl was plagued by her self-placed responsibility and the role she wanted to play.

The moment Mana did leave the shade and approached the yard closer she was surrounded by the students. Unless ninja were scheduled to meet the students for whatever reason their teachers would have planned such a meeting, an actual ninja showing up in the Academy was rare. There was, therefore, nothing unusual with kids that idolized ninja to be drawn to even the most ordinary and average ranked ninja. Hell, if she was still the little snotty nosed brat she once was, Mana would herself be all over such a visitor, even if they were just a lowly genin with just menial labor task missions under their belt.

Amongst the hectic harmony of yells and cheers, Mana could hear her stage name being thrown around, also something about the finals of the Chuunin Exams. The fact that the Konoha's Sorceress was not only a stage magician but a ninja too used to be a difficult to believe in secret, even if revealed, now it was an inescapable part of her image. Just another side of her to be scrutinized by the most scrutinizing eyes of children.

It was time to let go of her fear, it was time to hide the difficulty that the inner sense of responsibility placed on her and the blue color of her face when it dragged her underwater.

"Fine, just a couple of tricks but I really need to see Tori-san," Mana promised the kids.

Mana had to have known better. She should have been able to predict something like the eventuality of what happened... Of course, her tricks would have taken too much time. Of course, there would be no end to the "one mores" that came her way and to Mana's complete disability in denying a request. Luckily enough, what the scared teen with a performer's façade lacked in better judgment was soon fixed by an authoritative figure appearing in front of the front entrance to the Academy.

"What is the meaning of this?" a woman of amaranth hair appeared with hands crossed over her chest. The flames in her eyes, magnified by the lenses of her glasses, fired blazing beams of pure fury wherever the woman's vision turned. It did not take a degree in vision-related sciences to deduce that her vision almost immediately turned at Mana and tend to focus at around her general area. "Why aren't you guys in my class right now?"