Chapter 13 - The System on Trial!

Kakashi and the other jonin escorted Ekyt to Lady Tsunade’s office. She was sitting at her desk, scrolls pushed to the side, leaving the desk bare. In front of her was a familiar figure, and not one Ekyt liked seeing. It was Linda. But, now she was wearing a green chunin vest. The jonin winced collectively; they could only guess what Ekyt’s reaction was.
Ekyt didn’t say a word. He kept walking, just like they had told him. Linda smirked at Ekyt, trying to taunt him, but Ekyt said nothing. He glared straight ahead. Lady Tsunade didn’t seem to know where to start, so Ekyt prompted her.
“You had your jonin escort me here. I assume there’s a reason, Lady Tsunade? If not, I’d like to get back to my schedule.” Ekyt said all of this respectfully, but you could not just hear the anger, but FEEL it in every tone. His hazel eyes didn’t waver, save for an occasional blink.
The jonin stiffened, and Kakashi put a hand on Ekyt’s shoulder. Tsunade stood up to look Ekyt in the eyes. She exhaled hard, knowing that yelling at the boy would make things worse. A LOT worse.
“I’m sorry, you didn’t make chunin.” Tsunade hesitated, as if unsure how to continue.
“What a surprise. With Ebisu on the council, and 5000ryo against me. I’m shocked. How is Ebisu (Ekyt refused to add the ‘–sensei’)? In pain, I hope?” Ekyt found he meant every word, and he felt that he couldn’t say them harshly enough.
Tsunade rubbed her temples. “I deserve this, I know I do. I shouldn’t have let my gambling effect the exams. But they didn’t. I trained Linda so she wouldn’t die out there and-”
“It’s nice to know I was afforded the same luxury! So, where the hell was MY ‘special training’ when I was ready to test, three years ago? I’ve had to learn almost everything myself, with no gratification. It’s getting harder and harder to give a damn. I’d ask you to give me a match against Ebisu for interfering, but there’s no point in that, since I already mopped the floor with him. His credibility is destroyed. And it’s great to know people get made ‘chunin’ when they have SOMEONE ELSE win the match for them! That’s a GREAT show of ability!” Ekyt snarled, shooting a glance at a shocked Linda. He paused to get his breath, then continued. “Is there anything else you need to tell me before I leave to go about my business?”
Tsunade stood up, pointing firmly. “Yes. Your punishment for attacking a sensei is”
“HE ATTACKED ME! WHAT DID HE GET? NOTHING, RIGHT? IS THIS THE WAY YOUR SYSTEM WORKS?” Ekyt pounded his fist on the desk, shouting at the top of his lungs. Kakashi grabbed him and restrained him, telling him to ‘take it easy’ and ‘stay calm’.
“Take it easy. Relax, hear her out,” Kakashi urged.
Tsunade spoke quickly, so Ekyt wouldn’t interrupt again. “Your punishment is serving with Linda on a C-ranked mission to retrieve a scroll from the Land of Herbs.”
Ekyt stood up straight for a moment, then put his hands on Tsunade’s desk, and leaned forward. “No chance. I’m not doing it. I refuse to work for that dog. You’re setting me up for abuse, and I’m not fool enough to go along with it,” he growled.
“You don’t have a choice. You have to, or I have to give you something worse.” Tsunade was starting to look almost as old as she REALLY was. “Please, don’t make this more difficult…You KNOW I wanted you to make chunin…Oh…you’re going to hate this, and I’m sorry…your team is, as of now, disbanded. I’m sorry.”

Ekyt glared at her, while Linda snickered. Sakura had entered the room with Naruto and saw the stare down.
Ekyt looked back at Kakashi, then shocked everyone in the room. He shrugged off his vest and hitai-ate. He stuffed the head covering into a pocket of his vest, which he slung over his shoulder.
“There isn’t a damn thing you can do to me anymore. This is one warrior you don’t have to kick around anymore. If I don’t have a team to let down, and all I’m going to catch is S***, then I’ll just be sure the door doesn’t hit me in the @$$ on the way out.”
The jonin blocked the door, but Ekyt looked up at them. The mutual respect was there. Before Tsunade ordered them to do otherwise, the jonin stepped aside. Kakashi patted Ekyt on the head as he walked by.


Naruto and Sakura couldn’t believe it. Ekyt vaguely greeted them as he stormed by. He continued down the hallway, ripped open the door to the stairs outside, and stomped down them.
“Is-is he serious?” Sakura couldn’t believe they had just seen one of the most dedicated Shinobi they had ever seen walk out on the Hokage.
“I think so…” Naruto gaped after Ekyt, who kept walking.
Sakura chanced a glance at Naruto. He’s grown so much…he’s always been concerned for his friends. But he’s got a little common sense now. I guess that makes him a little more…attractive. Sakura couldn’t believe she had just had that thought.


Neji made hand signs as fast as he could, ready to attack. Hiashi looked worried. I know how powerful Neji is…I need to stop this jutsu now!
Hiashi darted forward, palm outstretched. Neji was ready.
“Eight Triagrams Palm Rotation!” He called. He began his rotation jutsu, but began to throw palm strikes in the middle of the attack! Hiashi was stunned. Neji finally caught Hiashi under the chin with his 64th strike, sending the Hyuuga family patriarch flying.
Hiashi hit the steel side of the warehouse hard, his body sore. But he nodded his head. Very good Neji. But you’ve used your chakra…and this match is over…”
Neji spun around. Hiashi was behind him (The clone that Neji had just destroyed disappeared). With one last attack, Neji’s tenketsu were blocked. He was defeated.
The Hyuuga family would stay separated.


Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and Akamaru snuck the Akakomadori family out of the Mist Village, with no trouble. They reached the Leaf Village by traveling non-stop. There was less chance that the Mist Ninja would attack them once they reached the Leaf Village.
Their orders from Lady Tsunade told them to take the Akakomadori family to a large, two-story building. The bottom part was already made into a restaurant/bar, while the top part was furnished as a home. The Akakomadori’s couldn’t thank Kiba and his team enough. They immediately handed him a bottle of their finest sake for Lady Tsunade, as a gift.


Kiba marched into the Hokage’s office.
“Mission Accomplished!” he declared. He set the sake down in front of Tsunade.
“Are they open yet?” Tsunade leapt to her feet.
“Yeah, I think so, but” Kiba was cut off by Tsunade leaving the room as fast as she could.
“O-Kay. Shizune-sensei, what was that about?” Kiba wanted to know.
Shizune had looked troubled from the start. “Well, Ekyt Kaguya just quit after not making chunin. I’ll explain the whole thing. Don’t be mad at Ekyt, it was Tsunade who was out of line…”


Ekyt stormed back to his apartment. He threw aside his vests and black shirts and gi pants. He thought for a moment, then tossed his mask aside as well. He pulled on a pair of white gi pants, then added a white T-shirt. After a moment’s thought, he grabbed an old white headband with the symbol and kanji for ‘dragon’ on it. He tied it around his upper left arm. Finally, he put on his tabi shoes, bandaged his wrists, then replaced his mask. He had really wanted to get rid of all ties to his Ninja life, but for some reason, he wanted to keep his face covered, except to those he knew relatively well.
Not working for the Leaf Village didn’t mean Ekyt wasn’t a citizen. It also didn’t mean that he wouldn’t train. Because he did- that was ALL he did. Sometimes Sakura or Naruto, or one of the jonin would find him passed out in front of a scroll. Or they would find him lying on the ground in the woods, a tree stained with blood from his fists, forearms, and feet hitting it and breaking, then hardening, the skin.
When he wasn’t training or studying, Ekyt sat and stared. At nothing, at nobody. He stayed in his apartment, only leaving when he needed to. Sakura and Naruto stopped by. Even Lee stopped by, but he made the mistake of mentioning the chunin exams. Ekyt understood his reasoning for being happy his girlfriend won, but this new-found rage of Ekyt’s didn’t need to hear it.


Naruto, Sakura, and Lee went to see Sarutobi.
“…and he’s finally had enough. Tsunade betting against him, Ebisu taunting him, not being made a chunin. Master Sarutobi, what can we do?” Sakura pleaded. The village was weak enough. They didn’t need to lose another Shinobi. Besides that, if word got out that the ‘dragon had lost his flame’, there would be major trouble.
Sarutobi asked them to sit, while he went to speak with the jonin. If he wasn’t back within the hour, he told them, they should leave.


Ekyt was walking home from training. It was nearly 6 am; he had been training for twelve straight hours. His body was wide awake, and it told him he was thirsty. Ekyt made a sharp turn into the new Akakomadori bar and immediately ordered sake and the house special. That was grilled salmon, season with fresh herbs, and ramen on the side. Ekyt thanked the server, a woman in her mid thirties, and ate as fast as he could while remaining polite. He didn’t want anyone to bother him. He had avoided contact (save for visitors) with others he didn’t want to see for a week now, and he wanted to keep that streak alive. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen.


“Alright, give us all your money, and we won’t wreck you’re pretty new building!” a masked bandit declared. His two men fanned out to the sides of him. Ekyt ignored them and kept eating and drinking. He finished his meal, then stood up. He didn’t carry kunai anymore, and he didn’t have his sword with him. The bandits had knives and spears. Ekyt pulled his shirt off and wrapped it around his left arm so he could block their blades without getting cut too badly.
“What is this? Ha, look at this! We’ve got us a fighter, boys! Get him first, I’ll handle the owner!” the leader shouted, he leapt over the counter, but felt something give his robe a sharp tug. He crashed to the bar hard, his head bouncing off a tap, putting him out of action for the moment.
Ekyt let go of the man’s robe and turned to the other two bandits. One rushed him. Ordinarily, Ekyt would have used a clone jutsu, but he was too tired from his training. Today was ‘chakra focus’ day, and he had pushed himself to the limit. His stamina, however, was intact, and he knew it would remain so until his chakra returned.
The bandit slashed down with an axe. Ekyt stepped aside as the axe buried itself into the thick wood of the bar. While the bandit tried to tug it free, Ekyt elbowed the bandit’s triceps, causing the whole arm to go numb. He kicked the handle of the axe, shattering it. The handle was long enough to be a weapon, so Ekyt grabbed it and threw it at the other bandit, who was too shocked to move. The wood bounced off his chest with a ‘thunk.’ Ekyt had followed it in and connected with a left uppercut, sending the would-be thief spilling into the street. The leader grabbed Ekyt from behind, in a full nelson.
“Good fight, little man! But I’ve got you know. And I’m gonna break your neck for all the trouble you’ve cause me…”
Ekyt, non-plussed by the threat, threw his head backward into the robber’s nose, then kicked his leg upward into his groin. The last conscious thug hesitated, then tried to rush Ekyt. Ekyt didn’t particularly care how bad these people were hurt at this point. He grabbed a wooden chair and threw it at the robber as he was in mid-air, a flying side-kick on tap. The chair halted his progress and sent him spilling to the ground. He lay motionless, then tried to run for it. Ekyt tripped him and grabbed him in a figure-four wrist lock. He snapped the wrist, then tossed the screaming man on top of the other two. Two chunin patrolling the streets came and took the bad guys away.

Aki Akakomadori stared at the boy who had just cleared her shop of the bandits. There was minimal damage, and they hadn’t gotten away with any cash. She saw the boy sit back down to his meal. He finished his fish and sake, then put enough ryo on the counter to cover his bill, plus a tip.
“No, that’s on the house!” Aki exclaimed. The boy looked at the money, then shrugged.
“It’s a tip, then,” he spoke in a hoarse whisper.
Aki bowed to him. “Thank you very much. You’ve saved my shop. Might I ask your name?”
Ekyt hesitated. “Please keep it under your hat. My name is Ekyt Kaguya.”
Aki bowed again. “Thank you so much. The Akakomadori family owes you a debt.”
“You owe me nothing. Good luck with your business,” Ekyt offered.
“Are you a ninja?” Aki asked. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
The boy hesitated again, then nodded. “I used to be. Now, I’m a citizen…who has training,” he added with a laugh.
“I-I would consider it an honor if you would agree to protect my business!” Aki blurted out. She had never been attacked in the Mist Village, only threatened. If this was how things were done here, well, she had a husband and two kids, not to mention an elderly mother, who needed protection. None of them were skilled Shinobi. Having one protecting them would give her peace of mind, and possibly even save her business.
Ekyt, for some reason, agreed. “I’d like that. Thank you.”



Neji cursed.
“It was not fate…it was my own inabilities…fate can’t always side with one person. I just wish fate had chosen to ignore a less important matter…”
Hiashi approached Neji, but Neji bowed and left the warehouse. The Cadet Branch’s proctor’s head fell in shame. He contained his anger and left as well.
The Main Branch’s proctor congratulated Hiashi on the win, and immediately began preparing a celebration.


Decided he needed some new ‘work’ clothes, Ekyt went to the specialty shop and placed some orders.
The clerk practically had dollar signs in his eyes. Ekyt saw this coming and thought, for once, maybe mentioning his reputation might be a good thing.
“Can you put the Kaguya crest on the back of the kekko gi? Oh, and the black sash- could I have ‘Dragon’ put on that, in gold kanji? And I’ll take the dragon pendant, too.”
“That doubles as a knife, sold to Shinobi only,” the owner said gruffly. Ekyt hid his irritation.
“Really now? I’m sure it’s legal for a private citizen to own those…with the right abilities, of course.” Ekyt used a Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The owner raised an eyebrow, then studied the boy placing the order. He gasped in surprise.
“You’re the Dragon Boy!” he shouted, pointing.
“Yup. I hope my training is enough for me to get that pendant off you. The Dragon ring, too, if you don’t mind…”

NEXT ISSUE: NARUTO, SAKURA, AND SARUTOBI TRY TO TALK SOME SENSE INTO EKYT! THE MISSIONS CONTINUE FOR EVERYONE ELSE. BUT WITH NEJI DISTRACTED, INO’S MIND ELSEWHERE, AND TSUNADE STARTING TO FEEL THE PRESSURE OF BEING HOKAGE, ANYTHING CAN (AND WILL) HAPPEN!)

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