Out in the World

I couldn’t believe it. I lost all my friends in one go and was humiliated by them. None of them seemed to understand the impact of their actions. They didn’t just falsely accuse me and outcast me—they made me feel utterly alone during what should have been some of the best years of my school life.

Kakashi left a couple of months later, moving on to join Minato Namikaze as his apprentice, thanks to his prodigious talent. The rest of my classmates stayed, but none of them spoke to me. I was completely ignored. Anko, in particular, occasionally taunted me and became my biggest bully. The hypocrisy was unbearable. As for Hotaru and Yuki, they left the Academy two years later. It seemed they were never serious about becoming shinobi in the first place.

I couldn’t help but feel a growing desire for revenge. Their scheming had robbed me of genuine connections and friendships, something I desperately wanted. I promised myself I would pay them back one day.

On graduation day, I sat beside another civilian boy who kept to himself. He never said anything hurtful or taunted me, which was a relief. Our sensei called out our names one by one, and we were asked to perform the three Academy-standard jutsus, including the Clone Jutsu. When my turn came, I completed the techniques without any trouble and finally earned my Konoha headband.

It was liberating to leave that gloomy classroom behind.

Afterward, we waited for team assignments. Most of the kids ended up in their canon teams—Obito, Rin, and Kakashi were together with Minato as their sensei. I was left out of the original groups, as Hotaru and Yuki had dropped out. To my relief, I wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.

Once everyone had been assigned, I was the last one remaining. Finally, the door opened, and a man with a ponytail peeked inside, calling my name. From his appearance, I guessed he was a Nara shinobi.

I followed him to a small training ground. There, he introduced himself.

“Hello, I’m Hiro Nara, a jonin of Konoha. I like reading, drawing, and gardening when I feel like it. I don’t enjoy loud people or parties. I’ll be your sensei until you become a chunin. Now, introduce yourself.”

He seemed so much like me—a quieter, more introverted version of a sensei. I introduced myself:

“My name is Sen Saito. I’m from a civilian family, and I like reading and drawing. I prefer quiet places and aim to become a fuinjutsu and ninjutsu expert.”

There was a brief silence before he smiled. “Unlike the other teams, I won’t be conducting any tests. Instead, I want you to come to this training ground every day at 7 a.m. after a hearty breakfast. We’ll start with taijutsu and work toward fuinjutsu. But first, let’s do a chakra nature test.”

He handed me a chakra paper. I already knew my chakra natures—wind and water—thanks to my mother, and the test confirmed it. Hiro mentioned he had an earth affinity, but he was confident we could work around it.

Then, he outlined a long-term plan for me.

“You’ll focus on improving your taijutsu, starting with the Academy style since I can’t teach you the Nara clan techniques. I’ll also guide you through basic fuinjutsu. By the time you become a jonin, you’ll be proficient.”

I hesitated before responding, “Sensei, becoming a jonin isn’t part of my future plans.”

He looked genuinely surprised. “Sen, why don’t you want to become a jonin?”

“It’s not that I don’t see the value in it,” I explained. “But my priority is to focus on my skills and research, especially in fuinjutsu. Right now, I only have the theory. I haven’t even started practical applications yet.”

He was taken aback but nodded. “Fair enough. Fuinjutsu is a complex and dangerous art, requiring a sharp mind and a knack for logic. You already have the basics with your kanji skills, so we’ll begin with silencing seals, paper bombs, and chakra papers. You’ll even learn to modify and create your own D-level seals. However, paper bombs must only be practiced under my supervision.”

I felt a spark of excitement.

“Oh, and Sen,” he added, “your chakra control is perfect, which means you’re well-suited for basic medical jutsu.”

“How would I learn medical jutsu?” I asked.

“You can enroll in the ‘Shinobi Basic Medical Training’ program at the hospital. You won’t need to master medical ninjutsu if you don’t want to, but you’ll learn enough to support yourself and your teammates in emergencies.”

I made a mental note to register for the program immediately.

Hiro explained that since we were a two-man team, I’d often be paired with other teams for missions.

“With your skills and goals, you’ll focus on fuinjutsu, medical jutsu, and wind techniques,” he said. “I’ll give you some C-rank wind jutsu scrolls today. Study them, and we’ll start practicing tomorrow.”

Before starting my training, Hiro insisted on a team lunch—a tradition for new teams. He treated me to tempura and ramen, and we enjoyed a relaxing meal.

As we walked through the village, I noticed we were heading toward my grandmother’s tea shop.

Hiro stopped outside and asked, “Do you want to visit the tea shop?”

Smiling, I replied, “That’s my grandmother’s shop. I was just checking if she’s there.”

Surprised, he said, “Your grandmother owns that shop? I love their desserts—they’re the best in the Fire Country, maybe even beyond!”

His words made me smile even more. I’d been the one to experiment and create those desserts, like muffins and cinnamon rolls. My grandmother and mother loved experimenting with me, and it was one reason our shop thrived.

After lunch, we prepared to leave, but as the door opened, Team 7 walked in—Minato leading Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. I tried to avoid eye contact, but Kakashi spotted me. The two senseis greeted each other, and it turned out they’d worked together before.

Hiro introduced me to Minato and the others. I greeted Minato politely and offered a cheerful hello to the genins, though they weren’t as enthusiastic. Kakashi didn’t even look at me. Hiro noticed the cold exchange, as did Minato, but neither commented on it.

Once we left the shop, Hiro handed me the jutsu scrolls and told me to start studying.

“We’ll practice tomorrow,” he said before vanishing with a Shunshin.

I made my way back to the tea shop, eager to dive into my training. For the first time in a long while, I felt hopeful.

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Hey guys,

I’ll be covering one year of Sen’s life in each chapter for the next few updates. Once she becomes a full-blown teenager, the pacing will slow down. Romance will come later, so expect a slow burn! This fic is packed with plots and, of course, plenty of plot armor :P

The story will start to slow down in the next 2–3 chapters, and I’ll be introducing some new characters as well.

So stay tuned, and don’t forget to vote ☆—it really helps with the rankings!

♡♡ Gigi ♡♡