CH_2.1 (032): ARC-02!!!

CH_2.1 (032): ARC-02!!!

STATUS UPDATE

[Complete] ARC-01: The Sakura-Colored Days of Shinobi Academy

Chapters: 30(+1 Interlude)

Word Count: 67,975

[Ongoing] ARC-02: Untitled (I had twenty days to name it... couldn't come up with anything)

Sitting on a bench outside an administrative office wasn't how Takuma thought he would start his shinobi career, but the reality of the situation was more different than anything he had imagined. He leaned against the bench and thought about how all of his expectations had been subverted by a single line on a slip of paper.

It had been a week since his convocation ceremony. He didn't know how to feel when he didn't see the names of two of his classmates, and instead, his assignment had said two words: Genin Corps. Takuma had no idea what that meant— something like that didn't exist in the manga he had read, or at least, he didn't remember reading about it.

What he knew was that his two fails were the reason he was assigned to the Genin Corps.

'—It's not as good as being assigned under a Jonin team leader, but if you want, it can be as good, even better—'

Maruboshi's words had been contradictory. How could it be not as good but still better? There was a flash of regret on Maruboshi's face that he wasn't part of a three-man cell led by a jonin, but that look had quickly turned into an expression of seriousness. The old shinobi had told him that as long as he put his nose down and put in the work, his efforts would be rewarded.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

Those words had only served to confuse Takuma more because he still didn't know what the Genin Corps was. Maruboshi had simply defined it as the general pool of Leaf genins. But Takuma knew he was holding back something... something Takuma hadn't been able to draw out of him. So, he went to search on his own.

He couldn't whip out his phone and pull up a search engine to get the information he wanted, so he could turn to the next best source— a library. His official shinobi documentation had yet to be issued, so he could only go to the civilian library for answers. Fortunately for him, he found information about the shinobi military organization in case the civilians wanted to know more about their shinobi counterparts. Unfortunately for him, the records told him the same thing as Maruboshi and were directly led by the Leaf Genin Resource Command.

The first break had come from an unexpected source.

-.-.-

Takuma sat outside an administrative office with an application for his official shinobi documentation and a folder of required documents in his hands, waiting to be called in, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to see a familiar face standing beside him.

"Taro..."

Oishi Taro was a classmate of his. Takuma didn't think he had talked to him in the past year. They had sparred numerous times, and Taro had beaten Takuma every time, but they had no contact other than that.

"Yo," Taro raised his hand in greeting. "I heard you got directly shipped to Genin Corps."

"How did you know that?" Takuma hadn't told anyone, and he doubted Maruboshi was talking to any of his classmates.

"You weren't there when the Jonin sensei came to fetch us," said the boy with a man bun. "Everyone except you was there. Hiji laughed that they must've failed you, but Kibe-sensei shut him down and told us that you were somewhere else. My mom told me later that you must've been directly assigned to the Genin Corps."

"Ah..." Taro's parents were shinobi; they weren't from shinobi clans. From what Takuma remembered, his mother was a Chunin. He didn't know about the father.

"I guess we are in the same boat then," said Taro, sitting beside him.

"You're in the Genin Corps?" Takuma shifted to face Taro, surprise spreading on his face.

Taro slumped against the bench like he was sitting on a couch in front of his TV. "Uh-huh, the Jonin-sensei failed me."

Takuma frowned. "Aren't they supposed to send you back to the academy; why did they send you to Genin Corps."

"That's something they tell to scare us," Taro scoffed. "If you fail your jonin sensei test, you get sent to the Genin Corps. Our year had twelve teams— eight of them were failed by their jonin."

"Eight!" Takuma breathed in sharply— that was a two-thirds fail rate.

"It's normal, mom told me," Taro shrugged. "Elie jonin don't grow on trees, and taking a three-genin team is a four-year commitment from the jonin's side. They just don't accept anyone."

Takuma's mouth turned into an O-ring. He didn't know much of that. But just after a moment's thought, it made sense that the failure rate would be so high.

That made a hit. Takuma could tell from the way Taro's eyes narrowed that he had made a hit.

"I'm just a... what do they say... a late bloomer," said Taro.

Kids these days were quicker than he was at their age, Takuma thought as he said: "I could be a late bloomer as well."

"Na, you just stupid."

"Does your insult vocabulary only have stupid in it?"

"My mom says not to use curse words."

-.-.-

Takuma sighed, remembering his conversation with Taro a couple of days back. It wasn't the best place, but it wasn't the dead ditch he had initially feared. Maruboshi's words about putting in the effort made sense after hearing that genins could get away from Genin Corps and get into other divisions to improve their career.

But did he want that? Takuma furrowed his brows. The reason he had been aiming to become a shinobi wasn't that he wanted career progression and better pay— yes, those perks were great— but the main reason had been something else.

"Next!"

Takuma stepped into the office and faced another desk genin. He handed her a slip and told his name. The woman got up from her desk and walked to a cabinet before returning to him and giving him a sealed envelope. She asked him to check it and then sign a collection form.

He tore the envelope and titled it to drop a laminated id-card onto his palm.

———

Leaf Shinobi Identification Card

Name: Takuma

Shinobi Registration: 055-0037

Rank: Genin

Status: Active

Pay Grade: GN1

———

Takuma stared at his picture on the card. It was a bad picture, on the level of a driving license ugly. He knew it would stick until the id-card's expiration date before he would need to renew it or when there was a need for a change.

He hadn't chosen to become a shinobi to have a career progression and nice pay. He had chosen because he knew what was waiting for him out there— he didn't even need to cross the village walls— the dangers lurked in the supposed safe village.

He had chosen to become a shinobi because he didn't have a choice.

He had chosen it because it was essential.

Takuma gripped the card harder. He was going to see to it that the rank of the card would someday say jonin on it— the elite, someone harder to kill off.

Because it was essential for his survival.

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