The Nara's residential complexes were nothing too fancy. However that might be because Shogi's expectations were based from a different time. Looking at the girls waving her over near the backyard, she walked her way towards them.
Hitomi and Yui were near the food with three more of her classmates near them. Momo, the host of the party, stood nearby with an older teenager. After exchanging pleasantries with Momo and her brother, Shogi made her way to where Yui and Hitomi were.
Despite being in the same classroom from day one, they hadn't hit it off till the final year of the academy. They simply sat together once randomly when they changed their classrooms for the final year. Like Momo, Yui was also related to one of the less prominent clans of Konoha. And Hitomi was a civilian like her who had potent chakra coils, but her family lived near the outskirts of Konoha in a rented house. They weren't the strongest or the most dedicated to training among their class, but they were the nicest to be around.
"Did your parents finish the transfer documents, Yui?"
"Dad said it will take another week. Okazaki shipments won't open till tomorrow so I'm stuck here for this month."
Yui had gotten accepted into a medic-nin academy this year. From her entire batch, Only Yui and Tetsuo had the necessary chakra control and proficiency. Shogi would never admit it out loud but she had been seething when Yui got accepted. She could have waited and prepared for the exams the coming year as well, but seats were extremely rare and most clans could simply demand a couple of spots by throwing enough money at the institutes.
Coupled with Yui and Tetsuo's affinity towards yang release, Shogi's own chakra were a few points behind, and just could not make the cut that year.
Thinking back on it now, Shogi felt a small, private sense of amusement at how worked up she'd been. The resentment had only lasted a day or two before her natural pragmatism took over. At the time, she had viewed the medical track as the ultimate golden ticket—a way to stay behind the front lines while still drawing a steady village paycheck.
But that was before the mountain. With her current physical vitality, trying to perform delicate chakra surgery sounded like a recipe for a disaster. Besides, her outlook on conflict had shifted. She wasn't necessarily averse to it anymore; she just wanted to be the one holding the deck of cards.
"The dango is actually good," Yui said, gesturing toward the spread with a half-eaten skewer. "Momo said her brother spent all morning getting the sauce right. You should grab some before the boys realize it's here."
"I'll take your word for it," Shogi said, picking up a cup of tea.
As Yui and Hitomi drifted into a conversation about the food, Shogi's mind wandered toward the practicalities of her new situation. Since she wasn't headed for the hospital, she was effectively a free agent in the Genin pool. Without a Jōnin sensei, she'd have the autonomy to pick her own missions and manage her own growth, provided she showed up for the mandatory monthly training sessions with her assigned squad mentor.
She already had a list of priorities and high on that list was a Fireball Jutsu. It wasn't efficient, and it wasn't quiet, but she'd be damned if she spent a life as a ninja without ever blowing a giant ball of fire out of her mouth. She deserved to have some fun too.
Beyond the vanity project, however, lay the real work.She needed more than just a heavy fist to ensure her safety..
Sealing was the only logical path. In a world of monsters, Fuinjutsu was the great equalizer; it was the only thing that could bind Tailed Beasts, facilitate immortality, or exert the kind of terrifying control Danzo used with his tongue-binding seals. Her physical strength was a massive hammer, but it wouldn't mean a thing if she walked into a Genjutsu or got caught by a Yamanaka's mind-transfer. Seals were the only reliable counter to the "bullshit" abilities that bypassed raw durability, and they were the only way to ensure her own secrets stayed buried if she were ever captured.
She figured she'd spend a month or two in the Genin pool—just long enough to rack up some funds and mission points. Once she pivoted to the Fuinjutsu academy, she'd wait a month or two to see how points were typically used for higher-level sealing techniques before deciding whether to exchange them for physique-enhancing jutsu to reinforce her stregth.
"Shogi? You're staring again," Hitomi nudged her.
"Just thinking about the schedule," Shogi replied smoothly. "It's going to be weird not having a bell tell us when to eat."
"Tell me about it," Hitomi laughed, reaching for another skewer.
Shogi took a sip of her tea, enjoying the warmth of the evening. She was glad Yui had made the cut; it just meant they'd have different things to talk about when they caught up later. Besides, Shogi had enough on her own plate to keep her occupied—starting with that fireball once she got her hands on it.
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I have returned, and this time I am employed. Thanks for reading.