Pakin covered his mouth as he yawned on his way to the dinner table. Last night, he’d tried to think hard like Gera had asked him to, but he ended up passing out after a few minutes. Not that he particularly minded the sleep. He had been exhausted from the mental whiplash from discovering he was living in a world very similar to an anime, and that his neighbor was offering him the opportunity to learn what was essentially magic.
He’d spent a little longer than usual in the shower, using the extra time to think. However, he exited the bathroom no closer to an answer than when he woke up.
He sat down opposite his father while his mother served them all breakfast. It was a rather grand feast for his household’s standards: sweet pancakes with syrup, bacon, and fruit alongside the usual fare of yogurt and tea.
“Wow! Thanks, Mommy!” His family wasn’t poor, but luxuries were indeed luxuries in a small village like theirs. Everything was just a little bit more expensive since they were so far from a central distribution center.
“Eat up, sweetness,” She told him, joining him and his father at the table. “But don’t go anywhere once you’re done. Your father and I have something very important to discuss with you.”
“Okay.” Pakin said a quick prayer in thanks for the food and tucked in. He had a good guess what they wanted to talk about, but did his best to act innocent and enjoy the food in front of him.
The breakfast was pleasant despite the impending conversation, Pakin and his father heaping praise for the delicious food onto Mera. They all finished quickly, and Pakin helped his Mother with the washing up while his Father disappeared into their bedroom. Pakin wondered what he was up to, but the man returned and showed no hint of what he’d been doing in the other room.
Once the dishes were washed, Pakin and Mera sat back down at the table. Both his parents seemed anxious and unsure about how to start, but after a silent conversation using their eyes, Mera spoke.
“So, we wanted to talk to you about the choice Gera gave you last night. We know it was probably shocking to hear that we were talking about your future without you.”
Gakin joined in, “We don’t want you to think we’re making any decisions for you. We’ll support you no matter what you choose.”
Mera nodded, “Exactly. However, we thought it’d be good if we explained why we invited Gera over last night and asked her to take you with her.”
Pakin figured that’s what they had discussed without him last night, but it was nice to hear them try to explain it.
“You see, son. As much as I love teaching you the trade and would love nothing more than to have you take over the shop for me, it just seemed limiting. Not that it’s not a great job or something you couldn’t do if you really wanted, it’s just-” Gakin was clearly getting worked up trying to break down his thought process. Mera rubbed his shoulder to comfort him. “Just seems like you could do so much more.”
Pakin felt an emotion welling up inside as he looked at his father’s face, which was so full of pride. He also saw hesitation in his features, something his mother stepped in to explain.
“When you first got better, we were so ecstatic that you were healthy, we didn’t even consider the implications. Then, when Hika came back, we saw you growing up right before our eyes. Helping your father at the forge, gathering up all the knowledge our little village held, and making friends with everyone you met.” Mera’s eyes got misty as she stuttered through the next part, “We-we-we never thought. You were so sick it never crossed our minds that.”
Pakin felt tears grow in his eyes, and he scooted his chair over so he could hold his mother’s hand.
“I know, Mommy, it’s okay.”
“Oh my sweet boy.” Gakin reached over and wiped his wife’s tears with a napkin from the table. She grabbed his hand once he’d finished, and the two shared a compassionate look.
They all took a second to breathe, and Gakin picked up where Mera had left off.
“We realized we’d never considered what you’d do as you got older. The forge is a good job for a village boy, but everyone in Fuwayama knows you're more than just a village boy. So, I sent Gera a letter last month, and when I learned she was coming home, I set up our little dinner. Imagine my surprise when she told us the Mayor had been singing your praises in his letters to her. She told us Kumogakure was running a special recruitment program and that she’d like to take you back there to sign you up.”
She didn’t tell me about that part, but it seems superfluous to the serious stuff she hit me with last night. Pakin thought.
“It seemed like such a wonderful opportunity, and it solved so many of the problems with sending you somewhere else to school.” Mera smiled and said, “Gera would be there to watch over you. The village would cover your living expenses, and I’m sure they would give you much more than we could provide with just your father’s work. Plus, it might be dangerous, but Gera really sold us on how much of the world she got to see during her missions. You deserve to explore the world outside Fuwayama and take in all the amazing sights, people, and experiences waiting for you.”
Both his parents fixed him with their eyes and Gakin asked, “So, what do you think, son?”
Pakin was processing two things as he considered his answer. First, he was incredibly happy he’d been reborn to parents who loved him as much as Gakin and Mera. Second, they had brought up a point that Pakin had ignored entirely in his considerations.
There was a whole world of weird, crazy, magical things he’d only seen animated on a laptop screen. Now it was his life; the most amazing thing he’d ever seen could be just over the next hill. The original anime had shown so little of the world outside Konoha, and Shippuden had shown more, but it seemed so small compared to what he knew of his old world. It stood to reason then: if he lived in a real world that looked like Naruto’s, he could go out and discover all the stuff the anime never got to.
What better way to do that than to join a ninja village? Sure, he was probably going to end up in tons of life-threatening situations. Still, there was no guarantee he could escape that by living in his village. Why not enjoy his time in this new world while preparing as best he could for possible dangers? At worst, he’d die having tried his best and seen some incredible things while he lived.
It was a slightly morbid thought process, but it seemed fitting for the more violent world he’d found himself in.
He had reached his answer, and just as he was about to tell his parents, they heard a knock on the door.
His parents nodded to him, and Pakin hopped from his seat to answer the door. Pulling it open, a sheepish-looking Gera stood outside. He gave her a curious look as he regarded her timid posture, which was very at odds with how she’d presented herself last night.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Hey kiddo.” She gave him a little wave before saying, “I realized I might have been a little hasty giving you a single night to think things over. I forgot you’re still only eleven, and I had you out in the cold for quite a while last night. You must’ve been exhausted by the time you got home, so it’s fine if you need more time to give me an answer. It’s kind of a big decision, and I don’t want to rush you. Although Osako will probably kill me if I’m too late bringing you back, but you don’t have to worry about that. I just want to make sure you’ve really thought about it-”
“Gera!” Pakin’s shout broke whatever haze had settled over her, and she really looked at him. “I’ve made my decision. I want to come with you, I want to be a shinobi.” He made sure to say it like she had.
Gera’s posture returned to her usual casual confidence, “Guess I shouldn’t have bothered.” She put her hands on her hips and looked him up and down before asking, “Why?”
“I want to get stronger. The rest of the world doesn’t seem like a very kind place, and I want the strength to protect the things I care about.” Pakin tried his best to look serious, but he couldn’t hide the smile blooming on his face. “Plus, I want to see as much as I can while I’m still kicking! I’m betting there are so many things you only get to see as a shinobi, and I want that privilege.”
“It’s not always a privilege, you know.” She replied.
“I know. But, I’m willing to put the work in to make sure the good outweighs the bad.”
She leaned down and tousled his hair affectionately.
“Good answer. Now, go pack your stuff. Since you’re so sure we’ll leave now.”
“WHAT!?!?” Pakin’s exclamation harmonized with his parents as they joined him at the door.
Gera stuck her fingers in her ears to try and muffle their yell, “Geez, you guys are really in sync. It’s cute.”
Gakin and Mera looked at each other several times, as if daring the other to question Gera’s insane statement. Pakin, meanwhile, remembered Gera’s promise about shipping him home if she thought he wouldn’t make it. He looked to her for confirmation, and she gave a conspiratorial wink.
Pakin turned around and dashed to his room. He did a quick accounting of everything he thought he’d need to travel to and live in Kumogakure for an unknown amount of time. He realized he had no clue what that meant, but luckily, he owned so few possessions that putting the important ones into his travel pack wasn’t hard. He didn’t know where the pack had come from; he didn’t remember it ever being in his room, but he was grateful for it now.
After finishing up in his room, he moved to the bathroom to collect some toiletries. As he did, he managed to catch some of the conversation happening outside.
“Surely you can wait till tonight at least?” He heard his father plead.
“No can do.” Gera was resolute, “We’re on a tight timetable, and if he’s gonna make it in time for the start of the academy year, we gotta get going ASAP.”
Pakin scooped his toothbrush, spare floss, and a comb into his backpack. After a few more seconds of deliberating, he decided he didn’t want to take anything else his parents might need. He figured they’d have to stop on the way to Kumo anyway, so he could ask Gera to stop for some on the way.
Pakin ran up behind his parents and did his best to wrap his arms around them in a big hug. “I love you guys! I’m gonna miss you a lot.”
Gakin and Mera twisted around in his embrace to return his hug.
“Good, you found the pack,” Gakin said. “We’d planned to surprise you with it, but I suppose it’s too late for that.” He tried to pin Gera with an accusatory stare, but she remained unaffected.
“Check the inner pocket on the left side when you’re able. There’s a little something extra in there from us.” Mera gave Pakin a kiss on his forehead.
Gera let the family have their moment, and after a few words of advice and a promise to write, Pakin was released into her custody.
The two walked through the village quickly, passing folks on the way. Anyone who noticed them waved goodbye and wished them luck, and Pakin did his best to return their well wishes with a wave or acknowledgement.
Once they reached the town hub, Gera led him up to the town hall and told him to wait outside while she grabbed her stuff.
Pakin gave her a mock salute as he replied, “Aye Aye, Captain!”
“Alright, smartass.” She chuckled. “Just stay here. Oh, and if you see Dr.Kucha, don’t tell him anything.”
“Okay?” He was confused, but she dashed into the building before he could ask why.
Why would Dr.Kucha care?
As if summoned by her warning, Hika rounded the corner from behind the clinic a couple of buildings away. She spotted Pakin and rushed over, her curiosity practically spilling off her.
“What are you doing, Pakin? Your dad’s shop is closed today, so why are you here so early? Also, why do you have such a big backpack on? It looks new, can I see?” The questions rushed from her mouth so quickly that Pakin was surprised she didn’t bite her tongue.
He simply laughed and turned for her to inspect his new backpack while he answered her questions. “I’m out here waiting for Gera, she’s taking me to Kumogakure to become a shinobi!”
She seemed to freeze, her interest in his backpack wholly forgotten.
“Wait, does that mean you’re leaving?”
“Yeah.” He realized he hadn’t thought about how he would tell Hika. While he didn’t feel like they were true childhood best friends, he’d grown a soft spot for her antics in the half year he’d known her. “Sorry, it all happened last night, and Gera told me we have to leave right now or I could be late for the start of the school year.”
“Wha… That’s not… But I was gonna…” She was at a loss for words and almost on the edge of tears.
“I know Hika, but I promise to write! You’ll get to hear all about my adventures, and I promise to come back and tell you in person one day!” He wasn’t sure when he’d be able to return, but he’d be sure to come back whenever he could.
“I WAS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE FIRST!” Her shout caught Pakin totally off guard, “Next year, I’m going back to the capital to live with my uncle. I’m gonna go to school and learn to be a doctor like Papa, then I’m gonna become a Samurai and be the strongest doctor that ever lived!” She lifted her finger and pointed accusingly at Pakin, “What are you gonna be?”
He didn’t know what to say. This was the first he’d ever heard of her plan. Also, could you be a samurai and a doctor at the same time? He supposed it was possible. Armies did need people with medical training, so why wouldn’t some samurai train to do that?
However, now wasn’t the time. Pakin felt this was a critical moment for Hika, and he’d kinda messed it up by getting whisked away to ninja school. So he frantically put together a response in hopes of not letting her down.
“I’m gonna be an explorer! I’m gonna see the world, and discover new places and people, and get strong enough to fight off whatever gets in my way!” He felt an image start forming in his mind, of the type of person he could one day become.
“Okay!” Hika lowered her index finger and held out her pinky finger instead. “Then you become the best explorer ever, and I’ll become the strongest doctor ever, and we’ll come find each other. Then we’ll explore and cure all the diseases, okay?”
Pakin couldn’t help but grin at her over the top proclamation, but there was something important in the promise she was proposing. So, he raised his pinky finger to meet hers, “Okay. It’s a promise.”
The two children shook on it, and Pakin’s heart was suddenly one promise heavier.
“Hika, what are you yelling about? It’s too early for-” Dr.Kucha rounded the same corner Hika had emerged from and stopped to take in the tableau in front of the town hall.
At the same time, Gera emerged from the doors behind Pakin. “Okay, kid, ready to head out-”
Pakin couldn’t see Gera’s face, but he felt her stop behind him as Dr. Kucha's eyes grew huge and his face turned beet-red.
“GERA!! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH HIM?!?”
I’ve never heard Dr.Kucha cuss before. Pakin thought in the split second before Gera scooped him up in her arms and took off faster than he’d ever thought was humanly possible.
