Pakin stared, wide-eyed, at the combat taking place before him.

  Gera drove forward with a heavy axe kick, and Tsuyo blocked with both arms. DON The sound of their bodies colliding was loud and bassy. Tsuyo followed up quickly, twisting his forearms and grabbing for Gera’s leg. She crooked her leg and scythed it backwards, while letting her torso fall. Upside down, Gera punched Tsuyo right in the gut poomph. However, Tsuyo just grunted hard and pushed her away with a palm strike to her chest. Gera twisted through the air, but managed to land gracefully on her feet and dash back in.

  “Pretty crazy, huh? Seeing it from the outside.” Sho asked from beside Pakin. They were both sitting with their backs against the pillar wall on the far side of the arena. Sho and Tsuyo had started the spars, and Gera had narrated the fight for Pakin. Everyone had agreed to move at half speed for the first few rounds so that Pakin could watch.

  Pakin nodded and responded to Sho’s question, “It's even crazier knowing this is half speed for you all. My eyes hurt a little from trying to keep up.”

  Sho let out a lilting chuckle. The lisp Pakin had heard was actually a charming accent that he couldn’t place. “Just keeping up is pretty impressive, Pakin. I wouldn’t have been able to do that when I started at the Academy.” Sho’s gaze turned observant, and he asked, “What’s your story then? Do your parents run a dojo, or are they retired shinobi?”

  Pakin was confused, “No. My family runs the local blacksmith shop. Fuwayama doesn’t have any retired shinobi as far as I know.”

  “Hmmm.” Sho cupped his cheek in thought, scanning Pakin again. “I could’ve sworn you’d had prior training. How you carry yourself and the scar on your cheek made me think you’d at least seen a scrap or two. Sorry, that was presumptuous of me.”

  Pakin shook his hands and said, “No, no. It’s okay, I was just kind of confused. I got this scar on the way here. A missing-nin tried to attack me while Gera was tracking him.” Pakin conveyed the story to Sho, whose eyes grew larger and larger.

  “I’m surprised you made it out of that with just a scratch and some bruises.” Sho said.

  Pakin turned to watch the spar and touched his cheek absently, “I know. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if Gera hadn’t pushed me so hard to train while we traveled.”

  “Ah, so that’s it. You really are Gera’s student. Tsuyo and I thought she was just yanking our chain and showing off that she could find a kid to bring back.” Sho chuckled and continued, “You know, after we heard she was headed home as part of the recruitment drive, we joked that she’d show up two months late with a squirrel instead of a kid.”

  There it is again. Why do they all talk about her like that? He tried not to let it show on his face, but Pakin felt his face growing pinched. She may be goofy, but everyone treats her like a clown. Is that just how shinobi talk to each other? Some weird military machismo crap?

  Goro had poked fun at Gera constantly after he’d returned to the Academy’s office floor. Almost every shinobi Gera introduced him to on the street had some joke or comment to make at her expense. The only ones who seemed to respect her were the laundress who gave her cookies, Chie, and Kintaro (albeit begrudgingly). Now, Sho was talking bad about her right to Pakin’s face.

  Pakin really tried to let it go, but he just couldn’t. Maybe I’m just sensitive, but… It still bothered him. So, he asked Sho, “Why does everyone keep ragging on Gera sensei? I get that she can be aloof and silly, but it seems like everyone has something to say about her. We were getting lunch the other day, and a bunch of shinobi came up and asked her if she’d ‘blown all her money on plastic surgery again.’ It seemed like they were trying to bully her or something.” Pakin felt his face getting hot as he recalled the interaction.

  Gera had played it off well, shooing the other ninja away and telling Pakin not to worry about them. He tried, but there’s no reason people should disrespect her like that.

  “Gera sensei has been nothing but kind and patient towards me, so why is everyone so mean to her?” Pakin raised his voice without meaning to. Emphasizing his question more than he’d meant to.

  Sho stared at Pakin in shock for a few tense seconds. Then, he thinned his lips, and his gaze turned stony.

  Oh shit, I shouldn’t have said all that. Just as Pakin was about to apologize, Sho spoke up.

  “Sorry, Pakin. You’re right. I shouldn’t be bad-mouthing your teacher right in front of you. It’s just…” Sho let out a big sigh and continued, “Gera used to be a lot different from how she is now. At the start of the Polisher Program, she was definitely silly and aloof, but no more than any of the other kids there. She was a hard worker and a good friend.”

  Pakin looked over at his teacher. She skipped away from a knee being thrust towards her stomach. Tsuyo didn’t falter; he locked his hands together over his head and slammed them down towards the top of Gera’s head. She reversed her momentum and flew forward into the space between his arms, grabbing Tsuyo by the face with a triumphant grin splitting her lips. She pushed him down into the ground, but not before Tsuyo trapped her with a leg lock. Tight blows were traded as they writhed across the ground.

  Sho picked up his explanation as the spar went to the ground, “She got a lot more silly after graduation, when she caught Director Osako’s attention and started learning under that clan shinobi. She was always cracking jokes at her teammates, poking fun at their insecurities. She was late to briefings for missions, skipped out on group trainings, and frequently got into arguments with her superiors. We all thought her ego was overinflated.”

  Gera pulled at Tsuyo’s thumb, releasing his grip on her right arm. They’d switched positions while Sho was talking, and Tsuyo had gotten on top. Gera broke his hold and slithered through his legs as he hammered the ground where her head used to be.

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  Pakin cringed as Tsuyo’s fist cracked the stone tiles of the arena, but kept listening to Sho speak.

  “Turns out she was working harder than any of us could’ve imagined. Although, that didn’t mean she was any less of an asshole. After she came back from…”

  Sho paused, a conflicted look on his face. As he took in the confused one on Pakin’s, something clicked behind his eyes, and he said, “After she came back from a really long mission, Gera was different. Better to her friends and teammates, but much harder on herself. She’d gotten a field promotion to Chunin while she was gone, and spent most of her time off apologizing and making things right with her friends. Tsuyo and I know better than most that she’s a different person now. Still, it’s easy to fall into that old way of talking, especially because she’s so affable about it.”

  Sho reached out and patted Pakin’s shoulder, saying, “Thanks for checking me on that, Pakin. Gera’s got a good student.” He got up and Pakin followed after wondering if that long mission had anything to do with that big-ass scar on her back.

  Tsuyo and Gera were just finishing up Pakin had missed how the spar ended, but it looked like Gera had come out on top. She pulled Tsuyo to his feet, the bigger teen laughing and excitedly saying something to Gera.

  “-move was nuts! Where did you even learn to twist your fuckin knee like that? I had you locked up under me, and then you just swoosh slipped out from under me!” Tsuyo wiggled his hand to demonstrate

  Gera grinned proudly and said, “It’s taken a lot of practice. I got pinned like that a few months ago, I stabbed the dude in the neck before he could get any blows in, but I wanted to make sure I could escape without something sharp too.”

  “You know, for all the training you do in case you never have a weapon, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without one.” Sho stated.

  Gera grinned and replied, “Well, I wouldn’t be caught dead without them. Still, sometimes you don’t even know there’s gonna be a fight.” Pakin saw her eyes pan over to him before quickly darting away.

  “Anyways, you’re up next, Sho. Then, after we’re done, one of you can spar with Pakin. You still feeling up to it, kiddo?” Gera asked.

  “Yes, Gera sensei!” Pakin replied. Gera looked at him curiously for a moment before shaking her head and walking over to tousle his hair.

  Tsuyo walked over and scratched his chin, giving Pakin a once-over. “Let me have a spar with the kid Gera. I wanna see what kinda moves you’re teaching this student of yours.” Tsuyo walked over and picked up Pakin's wrist, inspecting his arms.

  He tsked and wiggled the boy’s thin arms, “This is no good, Gera! What’ve you been feeding this boy?” He chuckled to himself and let go of Pakin’s arm. “My prognosis is that he needs more meat on his bones!” He sent himself roaring with the joke, and Pakin stared at Tsuyo, bewildered.

  Gera slapped Tsuyo on the back of the head, but the teenager seemed unfazed. She fumed and said, “You idiot, look over him properly! I’m being serious!” She calmed down and repeated, “Please, be serious.”

  It was Tsuyo’s turn to be bewildered, as he stared at Gera and her serious countenance.

  “Hmm, alright, but let’s ask Pakin first.” The huge teen turned to look at Pakin with a gentle but professional tone to his voice. “Pakin, Gera told me you’ve never seen an iryo-nin before. Is that correct?”

  Pakin nodded, and Tsuyo asked, “Would it be alright if I assessed you quickly? I’m in my residence at the Medical Research Hospital, but I should still be able to diagnose you as an iryo-nin.”

  Pakin looked over at Gera, who just pointed to Tsuyo, her eyes saying ‘He’s asking you’

  I suppose it couldn’t hurt. If Gera trusts him, it should be fine. Pakin answered Tsuyo, “Sure, I don’t mind.”

  Tsuyo clapped his hands and gestured towards the pillar, saying, “Excellent. If you could come with me and lie down by the wall, I'd appreciate it.”

  Pakin followed the older boy’s instructions and lay supine on the stone tile. First, Tsuyo performed a basic set of examinations, palpating and asking Pakin to move his arms, legs, hands, feet, and head. Then, with that finished, Tsuyo closed his eyes and made the concentration hand seal.

  Tsuyo kept his eyes closed, but ran his hand slowly over Pakin’s body, starting with his feet. Pakin could sense the chakra flowing through Tsuyo’s hand and how it tickled his own, like it was brushing against him. Curious, he almost didn’t notice when Tsuyo called his name.

  “Pakin. Could you do me a favor and let go of your chakra? It’s harder to sense with it slowed down like that.”

  “Right!” Pakin said. “Sorry, I’ll stop.” It was still a conscious action to keep his chakra under control, but it’d become a habit to grip it at the start of every morning. So, he stopped slowing his chakra, letting it flash through him at its normal speed.

  Pakin blew out a long breath, thinking to himself That always feels nice, like pulling off a tight shirt at the end of the day. Tsuyo continued his scan, his face a mask of concentration.

  The feeling of Tsuyo’s chakra brushing against him intensified as he moved up Pakin’s body. It grew strongest over Pakin’s heart and head, where he could discern the specific location where Tsuyo’s chakra was focused.

  Oh, that’s weird. Pakin shivered as he felt Tsuyo’s chakra penetrate the left side of his skull.

  After a few more prods from his chakra, Tsuyo opened his eyes and told Pakin, “Well, everything seems to be in working order.” Tsuyo shook out his hand and smiled at Pakin, saying, “Although it was quite a challenge working around your chakra. I’ve only felt flows that fast in a few high-level chunin I’ve worked on.”

  “Sorry?” Pakin apologized, a little confused, but Tsuyo just chuckled.

  “It’s alright, Pakin. It was a nice challenge. Plus, I asked you to stop slowing it down. In any case, you’re fine and shouldn’t have any issues going forward. Just… make sure you’re eating enough. I was joking earlier, but after looking you over, you really do need to focus on giving your body the nutrients it needs to meet your growth milestones.”

  Pakin nodded at Tsuyo. “Yes, sir!”

  Tsuyo reached out and tousled Pakin’s hair, and said under his breath, “Huh, that is fun.” Before speaking up and saying, “None of that. I’m you’re senior brother, remember? So, just call me bro or Tsuyo.”

  Gera and Sho had apparently finished their spar already, because Gera piped up as she walked over, “How did it go?” Pakin saw her face grow tense as she asked.

  Tsuyo waved her concern away, and replied, “It went well, he’s in the peak of health, and his chakra looks great. In fact, it looks about ready for a spar!” Standing up, the teen winked at Pakin and asked, “How about it, Pakin, wanna have a go at your senior brother?”

  Pakin stood and made the Sign of Confrontation, saying, “Let’s do it!”