Aiko had been in support of me going to spend time with my team. When I asked if she'd be alright for the night, she'd told me she would use the free night to go over to Shikaku's house and spend time with Shikamaru.
That made me feel better about randomly telling her I was going out with no warning.
I arrived at Kenji's house fifteen minutes prior to our scheduled meeting time and stopped on a nearby roof. Kenji lived in a single-story house in the civilian district.
He wasn't in the slums, but his house wasn't in one of the nicer areas either. Relating the area to my old life, I would put it in the middle class.
"Kagen."
I turned and smiled at Misa as she walked up behind me. "Hi, Misa."
She stepped up next to me and looked around at the houses with me. "What do you think of Kenji?" she asked.
"In what context?" I asked, looking at her out of the corner of my eye. There were a couple directions she could take this conversation, and I'd prefer that my teammates didn't talk poorly about one-another behind each other's backs.
Dead last or not, Kenji was our teammate now. Pointless animosity wouldn't help any of us.
"I have been thinking about how he will contribute to our team. I am a front line fighter and you are a mid to close range support fighter. Ideally, Kenji would fill the backline role, but without a large chakra capacity, he will not be able to use many ninjutsu." Misa explained.
"Do you have an idea for how he can fill that role?" I asked carefully.
Misa nodded. "Do you know how to make explosive tags? Used in tandem with chakra strings and kunai, I believe he could grow to be a major threat."
That…was actually a pretty good idea. Fuinjutsu worked around his chakra limitations because he could prepare everything he needed ahead of time. If he attached the tags to kunai and threw them with strings…
And that's not it. He could learn more than just creating explosion tags. He could learn more things in Fuinjutsu that would make him a valueable fighter to have.
I knew that I was not someone that would work on Fuinjutsu since that would take a lot of time. Something I did not have.
I was already thin stretched between my Nara clan techniques, genjutsu, physical training, iryõ ninjutsu and Crystal Release.
But to master Fuinjutsu, Kenji would have to work really hard. And considering that he had come dead last in the class, he was not someone who was used to it.
"We should talk to Kenji and Sensei about this during training tomorrow." I said.
Misa smiled proudly. "I'm glad you approve of the idea, Kagen. I… There was something else I wanted to discuss with you." she said hesitantly.
I turned to look at her. "What else did you want to talk about?"
"Well… Sensei is here." she said abruptly, her back going ramrod straight.
No sooner had she warned me than Ren landed on the roof right next to me, resting his forearm on the top of my head. "Hello, small genin. Are you ready to practice your manners and eat a delicious meal prepared by our teammate and his mother?"
"Sensei, could you take your arm off my head?" I asked dryly.
"But your hair is so poofy! It makes the perfect cushion." He was leaning on me like I was a table.
Misa covered her mouth and turned her head to the side, trying and failing to hide a giggle. Apparently, she found the unamused frown on my face amusing.
"Let's go!" Ren cheered, picking Misa and I up by the back collar of our jackets and dragging us down to the street. He set us down in front of the door to Kenji's house and knocked lightly on the door. A few seconds later the door swung inwards.
A short, portly woman in a dirty apron was smiling at us as she beckoned us into the house. "You must be Kenji's team."
Sensei nodded. "Yes. I am Kenji's jonin sensei Ren Hayashi. These are my students Misa Hyuga and Kagen Nara."
"It's good to meet you. I'm Chika Aoki. Come in, come in!"
"Thank you, Aoki-san." I said as I walked in.
"Psh. None of that. You can all call me Chika." Kenji's mom, Chika, said warmly as she waddled into the kitchen. "Kenji! Your team is here!" she shouted through the house.
"Coming, mom!" Kenji ran around the corner, wiping his hands on the apron he was wearing. "Uh… Welcome?" he said shyly.
"The ramen is almost done. You guys can sit down at the table if you want." He disappeared back around the corner into the kitchen. I could smell chicken broth and could see steam drifting around the corner. I was looking forward to the ramen.
The table we were led to was set for five. I hadn't met Kenji's father yet, and the number of chairs around the table led me to believe he wasn't in the picture for whatever reason. I didn't say anything about it of course. I had tact.
"So! Kenji tells me you both graduated from the Academy early." Chika said as we sat around the table, her focus on Misa and I.
"That is correct, Chika-san." Misa said. "Kagen and I have been training together since we were eight and have been working hard to graduate early."
"So I've been told. Only ten years old, but you were both top of the class. That's very impressive!" Chika had a bright smile on her face, but her words made this feel more like an interrogation than anything else.
Ren chuckled. "I'm very happy to have been selected to teach this team. I see great things in each of my student's futures, Kenji included."
"I hope so. My Kenji has worked hard to graduate. He isn't afraid of a little extra work if it will help his team." Chika said.
"Mom, please don't embarrass me." Kenji said, a grimace on his face as he came into the dining room carrying a large pot. He scooped some ramen into the bowls around the table then carried the pot back to the kitchen.
As Kenji was sitting down with us, Chika said, "It's not embarrassing to know your mother cares about your wellbeing, baby."
Kenji's muscles were tense. "Maybe to you." he mumbled.
Chika lightly smacked him on the shoulder. "No mumbling. We have guests."
"Mmm! This is very good." Ren said loudly, slurping up another spoonful of ramen. It seemed like he was trying to not-so-subtly change the subject.
Kenji's face lit up. "Thanks. I made it myself!"
"You made this?" I said with a raised eyebrow, eating another spoonful. Sensei was right, it was really good. "Whenever we're out on missions, you're our official cook."
"Agreed." Misa said with a sharp nod before shoveling more ramen into her mouth. She was enjoying it too.
Kenji was positively glowing under the praise even as he turned away, bashful. "I've always liked cooking. I figured I would need a hobby for when I wasn't out on missions."
"You're not wrong. It's healthy to find something to enjoy outside of ninja life. That's something you can help your teammates with." Ren said, shooting a pointed look my way.
I frowned. "Training is my hobby."
Chika tutted, shaking her head. "That's no good, young man. Everyone needs something to do when they aren't at work."
"He has a garden." Misa said. "He grows flowers and tea leaves. He has brought me to it on a number of occasions."
Chika grinned as she looked between us. "Has he? Who would've thought the young ninja had such a tender side."
I stared into my ramen bowl, refusing to acknowledge the heat in my cheeks. Misa threw me under the bus. But that didn't mean I was embarrassed. I wasn't. Gardening was perfectly manly, especially when you grew pretty flowers that killed people. I didn't mention that to Chika though. That would probably just make her press harder to get me to pick up a hobby.
"And what about you, dear?" Chika asked, looking at Misa. "What do you do for fun?"
Misa looked away shyly. "I also have a garden. I like flowers."
Chika smiled wide, her eyes shining. "That's lovely. I like flowers too."
The conversation transitioned towards our training schedule and time at the Academy. Kenji's mother was very welcoming and kind. Kenji himself seemed embarrassed the majority of the evening, but I didn't see what he had to be embarrassed about.
His cooking was amazing, something we all stressed at length, and his mother was great. We spent most of the evening talking about our various experiences at the Academy and cracking small jokes. It was a great bonding experience.
---------Author Notes--------
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