Chapter Text
The day was calm and sunny as me and my dad walked along the dirt road. The impressive greenery made me appreciate the quiet that surrounded this place. I looked ahead of me to my dad’s back. He was dressed weirdly, just like me in dark green pants that came just above the black sandals that we wore, a dark green shirt with my family’s symbol of a black sword through a fist, and a headband with the same design. We only had a few weapons with us. Two long knives strapped to our legs and a sword on our back. The only thing that is different are the fingerless gloves that I wear, apparently I was supposed to be covered up.
Every year my dad went on this trip to a mysterious place without telling me, my mom, or any of my siblings what was happening. This was the year that everything changed, he invited me along. I think it was because I finished my elemental mage training. My dad spoke “So here’s the deal. We’re from the Bei Fong Clan to the west. A small village specialized in healing and elements. You remember the portals don’t you?” I was now walking by his side “Yeah, that they go to the lower world.”
My dad was a tall man standing around five foot eleven with dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, a sharp jawline, slight facial hair, tanned olive skin, and a kind smile. I had his same good looks, but I was only fifteen years old. My dad’s name was Dustin, or as many people called him, Dusty. He was the son of two Greek immortals so that made him a Greek immortal and then made me a Greek immortal. I couldn’t tell you my dad’s exact age, but I knew he was around four hundred years old. My dad continued his talk “Well most go to the lower world but some come here. It’s an alternate universe. We’re going to the Hidden Leave Village, a village of ninja. I made an alliance with them nine years ago so they know me well enough.”
I asked “So what am I doing here?” My dad stopped on the road. He had his hand in his pocket “Well for starters it would be good for you to socialize and secondly you could use some skill improvement in teamwork.” My dad and I are very similar. Neither of us like to work with other people. My dad can only work with my mom and I have yet to find a suitable partner for me. I spoke “So this is training?” My dad nodded “Yeah, but this is fun training. Trust me, you’ll make plenty of friends while you’re here.” We continued to walk until we came upon a huge gate with a symbol up top and honestly, it looked like a wood pecker. My dad stopped next to the shack to check in. After that he led me through the village, towards a mountain with faces carved into them. I was looking all around me. The streets were alive with shops and children running underfoot.
I stayed quiet as we walked. We eventually came to a big red mansion. My dad spoke “The leader of the Hidden Leaf is Lady Tsunade. She is called the Hokage.” I spoke “Got it. Tsunade is Hokage. Hokage is boss.” I could tell my dad was smiling, this was all new and exciting for me. When we came to a door my dad knocked. A female voice answered “Yes?” Both of us walked in. A woman sat behind her desk with blond hair, green eyes, and huge boobs. A woman stood behind her with short dark hair and holding a pig. The blond woman spoke with a smile “Dustin, you have actually come back this year.” Both of us bowed to her. My dad spoke “My wife woke up from her coma, I wanted to take the time to care for her.” The woman spoke “I’m glad you’re here, I actually want to talk to you about some things. Who’s the kid?”
I felt my dad shove me forward. I gulped, this woman’s stare put fear in my heart. I spoke “Ezekiel Bei Fong ma’am.” The woman holding the pig spoke with respect “He is certainly well mannered.” My dad spoke “He is my youngest son.” The blond woman raised her eyebrow “Youngest? You have more children?” My dad spoke “Five more to be exact, two other sons and three daughters. All powerful enough to face your nine tails in a duel.” The blond woman stood and looked right at me “I am Tsunade and this is Shizune. I have a few ideas in mind for you.”
My dad later told me to wait in the hallway. I couldn’t tell how much time passed since I wasn’t allowed to bring my watch. When the door finally opened I stood quickly. Shizune walked out “Lady Tsunade wants me to take you to her student Sakura.” I only nodded and picked up my back pack. We walked till we found this Sakura. It was in a huge room with a lot of books along the walls and plenty of tables filled with different plants. The young woman was hard at work sorting through one of the tables. Shizune called out her name “Sakura.” The woman looked up. She had actual pink hair with light eyes and a kind smile. She walked over with a clip board “Hi Shizune. Who’s he?” Shizune spoke “This is. What’s your name again?” I spoke “Ezekiel Bei Fong.”
Shizune spoke “Ezekiel here has been assigned to you while he and his father are here on a reconnaissance mission.” Sakura was unsure “Okay.” Shizune turned and walked away. Sakura was a bit nervous “So where are you from?” I spoke “A village to the west, the Bei Fong Clan. A smile played her face “Lady Tsunade told me about you guys, said you all specialize in different things. What’s yours?” We made it back to the table she was working at. I spoke “I specialize in elemental and healing.” She showed me that she was cataloging many different plants to use in her medicines.
The day went smoothly as we worked. The many different types of plants amazed me. I only knew spell magic for healing. By the time we were finally finished it was past sun down. I helped her put back all the plants in the special see through cabinet. After we were finished she showed me around the village. She spoke “Do you have a place to stay?” People buzzed all around us in the midst of the village. I shrugged “I don’t know yet. I haven’t seen my father since he stayed with Lady Tsunade. I might just pick a nice tree to sleep in.” She seemed shocked “What father would subject their kids to that?” I laughed “It’s fine, really it is. I’ve been doing this type of thing ever since I was a little kid.”
Both of us heard a voice from behind us “Hey! Sakura!” We turned to see a young man with bushy blond hair running towards us. As he got closer I could see his features. His eyes were bright blue and he was a little shorter than my five foot ten inches. He wore some kind of jumpsuit and a headband with the Hidden Leaf symbol on it. He seemed to have whiskers which was odd. A confused expression came to his face “Hey Sakura. Who’s he?” Sakura suddenly seemed annoyed “Naruto. Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I smiled and held out my hand “I’m Ezekiel, but I go by Zeke.”
He seemed skeptical “I haven’t seen you around here.” I felt a hand on my shoulder “I see you met my student.” This Naruto guy got really excited “Hey Dustin Sensei! You’re back. I thought you never would.” I looked up to see my dad “Dustin Sensei? Really dad?” My dad shrugged “I didn’t really have a choice. He kind of stumbled into my lap.” His attention turned to Naruto “I see you’ve met my son.” Naruto spoke “We only just met. So he’s your son?” I crossed my arms “So why did you pop up all of a sudden?” My dad took us into a nearby noodle shop and got a table. He began to explain “I’ve been training Naruto on his patience, weapons, and tai jitsu. I brought Zeke along to help keep an eye on him.”
Naruto protested “I don’t need any looking after Dustin Sensei.” Sakura smacked the back of his head “Of course you need looking after you fool. You have run off too many times to count.” Naruto rubbed the bump on his head “Okay Sakura. Whatever you say.” I smiled “You really have some strength Sakura.” Sakura looked back at me surprised. Maybe she wasn’t used to be complimented. My dad spoke “I expect both of you to be out in the field for training in the morning. Tell Ino and Sai too. They could use some work. Oh and Zeke you and I will be in the dorms with some Shinobi so be respectful. You don’t know what they can do yet.”
When the next morning came I was up and about around the time the sun came up. I quickly dressed and ate a few apples on my way to the fields. When I came upon the clearing of trees I noticed it was so peaceful. I was the first one there. I could hear my mother’s voice in my head “Try to meditate in the mornings if you can. You’re there to continue training, peace of mind is key.” I smiled to myself as I proceeded to take off my shirt and my sword. I sat a few feet from the tree line. I took a deep breath to clear my head. I felt my body relax and time slipped away.
My mage tattoos started to grow hot, meaning that they were lighting up like a Christmas tree. I think it was a couple of hours before I heard people approaching. I opened my eyes. I took another deep breath before standing. I turned to see Sakura, Naruto, and who I assume was Ino and Sai. I put on a smile as I reached for my shirt nearby. I could tell by their faces they were curious about my tattoos. I didn’t want to tell them. I was still a complete stranger to them. I strapped my sword to my back. Before I could finish Ino spoke “So you’re Zeke?” I nodded “Yeah and you’re Ino.” I could tell Ino was stubborn as a mule. She also had long blond hair with dark eyes and pale skin.
Her clothes were purple and consisted of shorts and a crop top without sleeves. I saw Ino smile and her cheeks turned a bright red from blushing. My dad’s words made me flinch “That’s enough of that.” I spotted my dad up in a tree. He jumped down and behind Sai. His hair was black and slightly shaggy. He’s a thin guy and his eyes were strangely black. My dad spoke “Time to work. Get a partner.” Both Sakura and Ino tried to claim me as their partner. My dad sighed and shook his head “Okay here’s the deal. Sai’s with Zeke, Ino’s with Naruto, and Sakura will work with me.”
My dad worked us through drills the entire morning. When we stopped for lunch my dad handed me a box of food. I found a spot under a tree. The rest of them joined me. Ino spoke “Sakura said you were from another village.” I nodded “Yeah. The village’s name is Olympus and headed by my mother. I think you would like her if you ever met her on friendly terms.” Sai asked “So she gets mad easily?” I spoke “No. She has those people close to her that know how to annoy her but when she gets mad you duck and cover.” Sai asked “Why haven’t we heard of your village?” I looked to them all. They were really wanting to hear my answer.
I sighed “Our village is only a select few. My family isn’t normal. Our village is mostly made up of people like my dad, very powerful.” Naruto asked “How powerful?” I looked at him “My mother is the best, then there’s my dad and my aunt Vixen. Below her was my aunt Sarah. My mom can manipulate all four elements at one time. One of her rules is to never take prisoners. Only reason that rule exists is because my mom put so many friends in the ground.” All four of them were stunned. Naruto was nervous “How powerful are you?” I answered seriously “Compared to what I have heard about you Naruto I would be a good match.”
Sakura asked “So that’s why you’re here right? To learn new jitsu?” I shook my head “My village’s fighting skills don’t work like that. We have magic. We say spells and whatever the spell was for happens.” Sai spoke “Interesting concept. Can you demonstrate?” I put my food down and rolled up my sleeve to reveal a large bruise. I put my hand over the bruise “Just don’t bend, fix a person who needs to mend.” My hand glowed a bright gold. When the glowing faded I pulled my hand away, the bruise was gone. Sakura was impressed “That’s incredible.” I pulled my sleeve down “That’s just the top of the barrel.”
My dad walked up to us “Sorry guys, I’ll have to cut practice short. Tsunade wants me to look at something.” My dad vanished from sight. Naruto was confused “So what do you do now?” My dad was leaving me in the dark “I guess I find a teacher, even if one would take me.” Naruto spoke “Someone will take you as a student. You can ask Captain Yamato. Then we can train together.” Just someone to take me on as their student made me smile “Really? You think he would?” Sakura spoke “But Lady Tsunade assigned you to me. And she hardly changes her mind.” Ino was mad “Tsunade assigned him to you? Lucky bitch.” I smiled a bit “I don’t think Tsunade will mind if I train with someone as long as you know I’m okay Sakura.”
I didn’t know if anyone would want me as their student. Back home most people stayed away because of who my parents are. It made for a really lonely childhood. I had a few friends like Daine the Wildmage who has a very special connection with animals. Then there was Oscar who was a friend from when I was a baby. I know my mom has several pictures of the two of us together. Jasmine was my other friend who joined us. She liked hanging out with us because it was less drama. She was still a girl and had her friends, but she told me and Oscar were fun because of the crazy trouble we would all get into together.
Naruto’s question towards Sakura broke my memory “Hey Sakura do you want to get some ramen later?” I looked to see Naruto was a bit twitchy, he had a crush on Sakura I could tell. Sakura was unsure “I don’t know. Tsunade might have a list of things to do. Zeke can go with you.” All eyes went to me. I smiled “Sure, why not?” When we split up I roamed the village alone and promised to meet with Naruto at the academy for Sakura’s sake. I thought it was interesting all the different kinds of people that lived in the village. Everybody was treated with respect and there was no sight of any fights anywhere. I found the academy pretty easily. I came up to the fence and watched as one of the classes was out in the yard training. These kids were barely ten years old but they already knew how to fight pretty well.
A voice rang out behind me, I barely flinched “So you’re Dustin’s son.” I spoke “Yes, that’s me. How’s that book Kakashi?” When I turned around I indeed saw Kakashi. He was just like how Sakura described, tall and skinny with silver hair and one eye showing and a mask covering his nose and mouth. He held a small book in his hand. He spoke “How did you know if we’ve never met?” I spoke “Naruto and Sakura did a good job of describing you.” He put the book away “So you’ve met them?” I nodded “They’re good kids, both stubborn but rise to the challenge.” He led me away from the academy with a hand on my shoulder “I heard you were looking for a teacher.” I nodded “Yes sir. My father is working with Lady Tsunade and he wants me to learn a different skill set from what I have already.”
By the look in his lone eye I could tell he was wanting to ask more. He spoke “I see. Your father already gave me your file. I actually met him when he came the first time when I was a boy. He wanted to talk to the Fourth Hokage for some odd reason. Anyway, would you like me to train you?” I looked up at him surprised “You train me?” He nodded “That is what I said.” I smiled “Okay, yeah.” I think I saw him smile under his mask “Good. We’ll be out in the fields in the morning.” “Hey Zeke. You made it.” I looked to see Naruto and Ino sitting on bar stools inside a shop. Ino smiled at me “Come sit down.” Naruto noticed Kakashi “Kakashi sensei. Come eat.” Kakashi politely refused saying he had to meet with someone else.
I sat between Naruto and Ino. The cook put a big bowl of ramen right in front of me. I looked up to the weathered face “Thank you.” He smiled down at me “You’re welcome. Hope you like it.” I pulled a pair of chopsticks from the cup and dug into the amazing food. When all three of us were finished we just talked till the shop closed down. Naruto left before me and Ino did. As it turns out we had a lot in common. Both of us were stubborn and didn’t have many friends. We usually competed for attention just to settle into the background and not be seen. She was usually a quiet person and a little shy. She usually liked to be left alone but when she sees opportunity she grabs it by the horns. When the ramen shop closed down I paid with the coins my dad gave me as allowance. I got turned around and didn’t know which way the barracks were.
Ino graciously helped me. It was quiet on our walk back. Our voices and footsteps were the only sounds in the night along with grasshoppers and fireflies. I actually caught a few for her and when she saw the faint yellow light in my cupped hands she smiled. Her soft hands covered mine and separated them. The fireflies slowly ascended into the air, but stayed around us. I saw her blush again. She spoke “Are you doing anything tomorrow? Since Dustin’s working I thought I could show you more of the village.” I sadly shook my head “I can’t. Kakashi took me on as his student and he starts training me tomorrow. Sorry.” She seemed upset “Oh. Well I’d better go.” She turned and walked away. I watched her till she turned a corner before going inside the barracks.
When I got to my room I took off my weapons and my shirt only to sit at the small desk. I opened the notebook my mom gave me to record my adventures here. I kept the page marked with a picture of us. I was around three years old and riding on her shoulders at the annual festival on Olympus. The too big tee shirt went well with the tiny camouflage hat. My smile then made me smile now. I saw the look on my mother’s face, it was a look of love. I wrote in the journal how my first day went. I laid in the bed only to drift to sleep a few seconds later.
When morning came I was excited to get started on my training. I met Kakashi at the fields. He spoke “There you are Zeke. I would like you to meet my friend Yamato.” I shook his hand “Nice to meet you.” I looked back to Kakashi “So what’s first?” Kakashi spoke a few words so bizarre I didn’t even know what they were supposed to me. I repeated the words back to him “My chakra? What’s chakra?” Kakashi asked “How have you been able to do any jitsu without chakra?” I spoke “My village doesn’t use chakra. We use say spells to get a certain result. Only spells I need to say anymore are healing spells.” Yamato spoke “Then you aren’t a ninja if you don’t have chakra.”
Kakashi spoke “Actually he does.” This drew my attention; I was curious to what he had to say. He spoke “Last night when I was walking with him I had Neji see his chakra, it’s there and he has it.” He handed me a slip of paper. I looked at him confused “What’s this?” He spoke “It’s a special kind of paper that tells me what kind of chakra that you have. Focus your energy on it.” I did what I was told and focused on the paper. Before I knew it a force blew me backwards. I rolled on my back and up on my feet with my hands ready. I looked at my left hand, it was covered in burn marks. I saw Kakashi with a worried Yamato by his side.
I asked them “What just happened?” Kakashi was calm “You have more than one chakra nature, by the looks of it you have them all.” Yamato was anxious now “You mean he has all the chakra forms? But that’s impossible. No ninja . . .” Kakashi interrupted him “He’s not a shinobi. According to his father he’s an Olympian.” Kakashi started me off with some simple jitsu like clones and substitution. Captain Yamato watched closely as I kept trying to do something as simple as this. The clone jitsu was harder for me because I actually had to copy myself and not just assemble them using water or the earth.
I got the main part of the substitution jitsu down. Usually when I did it I wound up in the forest and it ended up being more of a reversal thing than me having a piece of wood take my place and me appear a few feet to the side. I don’t know how much time had passed but I kept trying so hard I started to feel a little dizzy. I dropped to one knee. Captain Yamato ran up to me “Are you alright?” I looked up at him and his face swam around. I slowly stood and looked at him. At this point I was drenched in sweat and my shaggy black hair hung in my eyes. I gritted my teeth “I can do it. One more try.” I put my palms together “Shadow Clone Jitsu!” I heard a poof noise to my left. When I looked over I saw, me. I smiled “Huh. I finally got it.” My legs crumpled under me as my eyes shut to darkness.
When I woke up later I had a few faces looking down at me. When they finally swam into focus I saw Sakura, Ino, Tsunade, and Captain Yamato. Sakura and Ino were very relieved. I looked over at Tsunade and she spoke “You gave us a scare.” I grinned “It’s what my family does.” I slowly sat up and my head started to clang. This was the first time I woke up without any injuries for a while. Ino spoke “Take it easy. You drained all of your chakra.” I noticed that I was only wearing my underwear and I was in some kind of hospital room. Tsunade spoke “Yamato, a word please.” As the two of them walked out Sakura asked me “You were training weren’t you?”
I nodded “Yeah. As it turns out I have some chakra in me. It’s probably why my dad brought me here.” Ino took my hand “I’m glad you’re okay.” I smiled “I’ll always be okay. My mom is notorious for standing after injuries so that’s how I was raised. I bet you would love her if you got a chance to meet.” I saw Ino smile “I don’t know about that. Just the way you describe your father I don’t really want to meet your mom.” I chuckled a little bit “Sure my mom is powerful, but that’s not why she leads. She leads because she never gives up and she trusts her people with the lives of others. Sure she’s also a dork and a geek and like a kid herself but she never lets her power go to her head. You and Sakura both have the same thing. You never let it go to your head.”
After that day Kakashi and Yamato trained me. Week after week, day after day I trained only to fall into bed exhausted. I made time for friends and kept making new ones too like the dog lover Kiba and the extremely love bitten Hinita. I met Ino’s teammates Shikimaru and Choji as well. I was guessing it was somewhere around four months later that Kakashi spoke in the middle of our training “He’s just jealous.” I looked up at him “Who’s jealous?” I was too busy focusing on my chakra control to connect the dots yet. Kakashi spoke “Naruto. You fit in so well here.” I rolled my eyes “I don’t think so.” Kakashi was surprised “You don’t?” I was already sitting on the grass and I looked down at the small blades of green. I sighed “I’m and outsider remember? I’m not a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf.” Kakashi crouched next to me “You’re not a shinobi.”
I looked up at him “You’re not helping.” He stood me up “For our village a shinobi is who has the desire and the will to protect the village. And like the Village Hidden in the Snow has samauri. Your village happens to have mages. From what you’ve told me your mother has the will and the desire to protect her home. Our culture is very similar it’s just the way we do things that are different. We’re more strategic and you’re more forward. You fit in better than you think.” I looked up at my sensei “So why is Naruto jealous?” Kakashi spoke “His parents died when he was a baby. He spent his childhood alone. You can ask him for more information later.”
I looked down at the grass. Kakashi spoke suddenly “You know Ino likes you a lot.” I looked up at him “Me and Ino? You’ve got to be kidding.” Kakashi was serious “I see the way she looks at you.” I looked up to him nervous “You really think Ino could like me. I thought it was more Sakura.” Kakashi looked at me “She does too. It seems you have all the girls wrapped around your finger.” I groaned “Oh boy. What am I going to do now?”
When I was told to go to Tsunade’s office later that day I got news. Captain Yamato, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura were there as well. Tsunade spoke “You are to go on a diplomatic mission to the Hidden Sand village. Gaara would like to show that he actually has allies.” Tsunade looked right at me like she was about to kill me “You are to behave yourself appropriately.” I gulped and spoke with a little quiver in my voice “Yes ma’am.” Tsunade pulled something from her drawer “You’ll be needing this Ezekiel.” I stepped forward and took it. It was a headband and on it was the Hidden Leaf crest. I tied it around my forehead. Tsunade handed a scroll to Captain Yamato “Make sure to hand this to Gaara.”
It was an hour later that I was geared up and waiting at the front gate with Sai. He spoke “This is your first mission with us. You must be proud.” I looked at him. I knew he had trouble reading emotions so I helped him out “Proud, and scared. I’ve been on countless missions at home but not on my own.” He gave me a smile “Don’t worry. You’ll do great.” It wasn’t long until all five of us were gliding high in the air on Sai’s paint birds. It took us a few days to travel to the Hidden Sand village. We also got trapped in a sand storm halfway through the desert. Captain Yamato tried his best to form a structure out of wood but it kept blowing away in the high winds. I got tired of waiting. I formed a huge dome of rock over all of us to wait out the storm in. It was pitch black inside the dome.
I made fire appear in my palm. Sakura was holding onto my belt and coughing up sand. I patted her back until she stopped. She looked up at me “Thanks.” I smiled “Any time. Everyone okay?” I looked to see Sai leaning against the stone wall and Naruto glared at me. Naruto was angry “What’s your problem?” I asked “What do you mean?” He walked towards me until we were nose to nose “You and Sakura. What’s that about?” I spoke “I have no idea what you’re talking about Naruto.” I could see his gritted teeth “You bastard!” His fist came in and up punching me in the chin. I flew back and the flame went out, crashing us all into darkness.
Captain Yamato screamed out “Naruto that’s enough!” A faint glow brought my attention to Sai. His massive glow stick lit the whole shelter. Yamato was physically restraining Naruto. I got to my elbows and rubbed my chin to make sure it wasn’t broken. Sakura was now at Naruto beating the crap out of him and screaming. When Yamato got her to calm down I was in my own little secluded corner of the shelter. Yamato spoke to me “Zeke. Are you okay?” I nodded “Yeah, I’m fine.” He motioned for all of us to sit in a circle at the center. Captain Yamato first asked me “How did you manage to make this shelter from rock?” I explained “Mages can do almost anything. One skill set that comes very easily is elemental manipulation. Air, water, earth, and fire. I mixed the sand with the water in the air to form this shelter. It’ll last till the storm is over.” Naruto was still angry with me “Why didn’t you fight back?”
I looked into his bright blue eyes “Because with the way we are trained we don’t fight and evade, we fight to slaughter. If I flicked that switch here all of you would be dead. My mother, she was named leader because she saved our people from annihilation by killing every single one of them, man, woman, and child. She’s watched friends die before her very eyes. That kind of pain, it can consume a person.” Sakura was worried “And you?” I looked at her “I don’t want to be that person that’s filled with pain. I’ve seen her like that and I’ve seen my caring mother. All I can do now is to make sure that she is proud of me.” Sai spoke “She already is.” I looked at him curious “How can you tell?” He smiled “From what you have told me you have been on missions and trained all your life. I know she is proud of you, any parent would.” I smiled a bit “Thank you Sai.”
When the storm finally stopped it seemed forever had passed. We could now see the Hidden Sand village in the distance. Naruto was less mad at me, but still kept his eye on me. When we arrived at the barrier guards were present. Two of the guards crossed their weapons in front of my chest “Not you.” I looked at the two gruff men. Captain Yamato noticed I wasn’t with them and came back “What’s the problem?” One of the soldiers spoke “Who’s this brat? He’s not on team seven.” Captain Yamato spoke “Visiting the Hidden Leaf on training visa. He’s assigned to our medical ninja.” The two guards looked at me. I stayed silent, it wasn’t my place to speak. I needed to protect a new reputation as a respectful ninja. The two guards cleared a path, but kept their eyes on me.
I stayed close to Yamato as we walked. People knew Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato but not me and Sai. We both drew odd stares. Maybe it was because of the way we dressed or that we both project a feeling of danger. We approached the middle of the village when I saw more ninja. When we entered the throne room I saw a pale young man with pale blue eyes and red hair sitting on a throne. A man with purple face paint and dark clothing stood to his left. A woman with blond hair and a big stick on her back stood to his right. The man sitting on the throne seemed to be the youngest of all three of them. His voice was authoritative and calm “I’m glad you made it. We were worried that you got lost in the storm.”
Captain Yamato spoke “We have Ezekiel to thank. He saved our lives in that storm.” The woman spoke “Ezekiel?” Captain Yamato stepped aside to reveal me. I looked up. I instinctively walked forward and knelt “Hello Gaara.” I looked up to see him slightly smiling “It is good you meet you Ezekiel. Someone so powerful to survive in that storm, it is impressive.” I heard Naruto behind me “I could have done it.” Gaara spoke “I have a request.” Captain Yamato spoke “Of course. What is it?” Gaara’s face oddly didn’t show any emotion whatsoever “I would like Sakura to tend to some of our wounded.” Sakura spoke up “As long as Ezekiel is with me.”
Sakura and I were at the Hidden Sand’s hospital. I used my magic to heal as many as I could. I charmed the instruments that Sakura used to make her work heal faster and make stronger bonds. Sakura once watched me. I spoke a spell and my hand glowed faintly. It was a spell to make a diagnosis. I slowly ran my hand along the teenage boy’s body. I listed out the injuries, broken rib, make that two, bruised lungs, misplaced rib, and bone structure displacement. I looked at the boy with a smile “How did you manage to do all of this? Get into a fight?”
I already noticed he was a ninja of the Hidden Sand by his uniform. He laughed a little bit. I put my hands on his chest “You might feel some pain.” I whispered a spell and heard a few pops. The teenager screamed. When the spell was finally done I was sweating and breathing pretty heavy. I smiled at the teenager “That takes care of the ribs. The lungs will heal on their own in about a week or two. Now flip over so I can do your spine.” He complied with my orders. I searched his spine to see exactly where I needed to adjust. I looked to Sakura “I’ll need your help here. Come to my side.” Sakura quickly put down her clipboard. I placed her hands on the teenager’s shoulders. I spoke to the teenager “Hold onto her wrists. This is going to hurt.” I put a rolled up towel in his mouth to bite on. My hands found the section of his spine that was out of place.
Quickly, and without warning I jabbed down on his spine. A muffled scream came from the teenager. When he was done he spit out the towel. I smiled “I’m impressed. Usually people are still screaming.” The teenager let go of Sakura. She rubbed her wrists to ease the nail impressions on her skin. I had the teenager turn over so I could double check if everything was in place and healed. I was relieved that it was. I spoke “You’re good to go. Don’t lift heavy objects for at least a month and no fights for a week if you can help it.” I helped the teenager sit up straight. He stretched a bit “This feels so much better. Thank you.” Sakura later noticed I was too tired to continue. She ordered me to go get some sleep.
I gladly did just that. I collapsed when I reached the room assigned to me. When I awoke in the morning all was quiet in the Hidden Sand. I wandered the palace to come to a practice room. I saw Gaara inside with another teenager, the same one I healed yesterday. I walked inside “Didn’t I tell you not to exert yourself?” They both stopped and the teenager looked at me. I walked closer “You’re tai jitsu isn’t going to be strong without peace of mind.” Gaara asked “How do you know so much?” I spoke “My village thrives on tai jitsu. Only those who are born with abilities are able to do other things.”
Gaara was a little embarrassed “Can you teach me?” I was surprised “You want me to teach you peace of mind? Why can’t he do it?” Gaara looked at his companion “He is angry all the time. You seem calm.” I raised an eyebrow. I agreed “Okay then. I’ll teach you. But first, take off the sand.” I brought up my hand to touch the big sand vile on his back. He was scared “No Don’t!” Sand whipped up in a wall. I spoke a word of command “Διασκορπίζω” My hand went through his sand wall. Gaara was curled up to protect his head. I had my palm against the vile. I spoke again “Easy beast.” A purring sound came from the vile. Gaara dared to look up. The sand wall was gone and the giant vile of sand on his back purred like a kitten.
I looked to Gaara with a smile “Taming a tailed beast like yours is difficult. But if you are more stubborn and loving you can make a great partnership. He looked up at me shocked “Nobody has gotten through my sand that easily before.” I spoke “My aunt has her own demons, but my mother showed the love of another and the determination to succeed. This training takes time, it took them four years.” I convinced Gaara to strip down to his pants while I did the same. The two of us sat in the sand facing each other. I spoke “The goal of meditation is to relax both the mind and the body. This improves the brain response time to different issues both diplomatic and fight skills. Form a sign with your hands to help. Mine is the sign for three.”
Gaara looked at my hands curious to see that three shapes were made from my hands. He touched his fingertips together and then his thumbs “Like this?” I looked to see that he formed one circle. I spoke “Yes that’s good. As you achieve different levels of meditation the hands will change.” I looked up into his pale blue eyes “Close your eyes.” He was hesitant, but he did it. I spoke “Take long and deep breaths to clear your mind. Relax your muscles starting at your feet and work your way up. Let your mind wander.” The sound of our breath was the only sound in the room. It wasn’t long before my mind was wandering. From my favorite songs to remembering my favorite blanket from when I was a little kid.
I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. I spoke to Gaara “Ignore them. Right now it’s just you and me. Focus on your one tails. Speak with him and find common ground.” Gaara spoke after a long time “We’re both hurting.” I spoke encouragement “Talk with him. He is an extension of yourself.” I let him talk with his one tails before speaking again “Now open your eyes.” His pale blue met my dark brown. His hands were on his legs, his arms locked out and he looked to the sand. He spoke “I had no idea that he was feeling that.” I spoke “Forming a relationship with yourself is how you get stronger Gaara. You get to know your limits and go past them. He can teach you just like you can teach him.” Gaara asked me to teach him some drills from my village. We were working on punches when his sister Tamari walked in “Gaara.” She looked at me and blushed “Ezekiel right.” I bowed to her. Tamari spoke “Gaara, we need you at the meeting.” Gaara turned to me and we bowed. He put on his shirt on the way out.
I followed the two of them into that meeting. I joined Sakura along the wall. She prodded “Where were you?” I whispered “Teaching Gaara to meditate.” We both listened to the meetings discussion. Gaara was quite clear in what he wanted to do. I grinned and whispered “There you go.” When the meeting was over Gaara called me and Sakura over to the large table. I bowed first “What is it Gaara?” He spoke “We were meditating for two days.” I spoke back “Meditation is based in the mind when time is just a word on paper. My mother can meditate for a week straight.” Gaara sat back in his chair “What do you suggest?” I spoke “Continue talking to the tailed beast and always have your brother or sister or a friend close by to pull you out if you go to far.” Tamari asked “What is too far for Gaara?” I sighed “For the meditation I taught him it is when the sand starts to form around him.”
Gaara asked “Your comrades already left. Would you consider coming back?” I smiled “I’ll come back, I promise you that. And don’t worry, we’ll catch up.” When me and Sakura walked out to the main gate Tamari escorted us. We walked for about fifty feet and stopped. Sakura held onto my hand as I spoke the spell for transportation. We landed right on top of Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru in a heap. When we all got untangled Ino noticed it was us she was confused “Where did you guys come from?” I dusted off my clothes “Sorry I’m still working on that spell.” Sakura looked around “We’re already here? How is that possible?” I spoke “I spoke a spell for transportation. I thought of the Hidden Leaf Village and we landed on them.”
Sakura spoke “We should tell Lady Tsunade that we’re back.” I put my hands together “Way ahead of you.” All four of them started to protest quite loudly and Ino pulled my hands apart. I looked around “What?” Sakura spoke “Lady Tsunade can anger easily.” I saw her point “Oh. Then we’ll walk.” Tsunade was surprised to see us back so soon. She said Captain Yamato, Naruto, and Sai were still not here. I figured as much. It took us four days to get there together and I transport me and Sakura in one day. They should be back in a couple of days. We were told to rest. I found my way to an open grass area to see that Ino was already there resting under a tree. I smiled and kept walking. I decided to train at the academy yards. I practiced the substitution jitsu and the clone jitsu.
It was still bad but better than it was before. By the time the sun went down I was able to make five clones instead of just two. I was still having trouble with the substitution. I think it was something that wasn’t natural to the elements that was driving me nuts. I wondered the village that night to find that Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were heading to the bath house. At least Choji was excited to see me “Hey Ezekiel.” I smiled “Hey guys. Where are you off to?” Kiba’s dog Akamaru jumped up and licked my face. I laughed “Down boy.” When I looked up again Choji spoke “We’re heading to the bath house. Want to come?” I smiled “Sure.” Inside the bath house we all stripped down. I was in my underwear when Choji asked “We hardly ever get to talk.” I took off my underwear and wrapped myself in a towel “I’m being trained by Kakashi and Yamato. Not much time to talk at all.”
The style of the bath house was similar to the ones on Olympus. There were some areas for soaking and the rest of the area was filled with small stools, buckets and ladles. We all soaked up first talking about normal guy stuff like battles and girls. I was surprised to hear from Shikamaru that Ino had a crush on me. I didn’t believe him “There’s no way Ino has a crush on me.” Choji spoke “She’s super nice around you. Then complains to us when your gone.” I thought about it for a minute “Huh. So what should I do?” Kiba finally spoke “Go talk to her.” A few more guys slipped into the soak with us. One of them spoke “Hey little brother.” I noticed it was my brother Leo. I smiled “Hey Leo. Guys this is my brother Leo. Leo, these are my friends.”
My brother had dark brown hair and light green eyes. The other man was my other brother Hunter whose silence was disturbing. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were a changing green. Hunter’s deep voice questioned “Are you doing okay here?” I nodded “I’m doing fine.” Leo spoke “Good. Dad sent us to check up on you and don’t worry Shikamaru the Hokage knows that we’re here.” Leo smiled “I hear you have a girlfriend Zeke.” I spoke “Not my girlfriend. She has a crush on me.” My brothers were both in their four hundreds and far older than my sixteen years old. I knew them somewhat since they were my brothers, but part of them remained a mystery.
Both Hunter and Leo stayed in the village under a random tree and were gone by morning. I found my way to the fields again to see Kakashi waiting for me. He spoke “You’re back.” I nodded “Got back yesterday. So, what are we doing today?” I ended up working on more chakra control. He had me try to walk out on water to get a ball that he placed there. Going from my water magics to using actual chakra was a little trickier on this one and I fell in many times. I eventually got tired of dunking my clothes and took them off. After countless attempts and no successes I was getting frustrated “What am I doing wrong?” Kakashi spoke “Why don’t we take a break?”
I let myself collapse onto the rocky shore of the river. I closed my eyes “Why can’t I get this?” I heard Ino “Maybe I can help?” I opened my eyes to see her standing over me. She was already blushing and her smile was small. I looked up at her “What do you think Ino? How did you do it?” She sat down next to me “Well I had Shikamaru and Choji to cheer me on. Naruto had Sasuke to compete with so that’s how he got strong enough.” I looked over at her “So I need either competition or support. Naruto pretty much hates me, but he knows this already. And I’m not sure if I have support here.” Ino looked down at me “You have my support.” I sat up “You really think I can do it?” She smiled at me “Sure you can. You have the substitution and the clone jitsu.”
I raised an eyebrow and spoke in a charming voice “You know it’s not nice to spy on people.” Her face turned bright red. I stood up and took a breath. I shook out my hands “Okay; one more try.” I focused the support at the bottoms of my feet and shut my eyes. My feet moved forward and I kept walking. My foot hit something hard. I opened my eyes to look down; it was Kakashi’s ball. I looked around to see I was standing on the water in the middle of the river. My smile grew on my face and I laughed “I’m doing it. I’m doing it! Hey Ino!” I turned around to see her smiling at me. One look of her smile sent me into the chilly water. I swam back to shore holding the ball in my hand. I still had a smile on my face as I walked over to him.
He was under a tree reading a book. I tossed him his ball “Try not to lose it again.” He looked up at me surprised “How did you do it?” I looked back at Ino “The butterflies from her smile broke my concentration.” He stood “Then we’re done for today.” He walked towards the village leaving me and Ino alone. I went back over to where Ino was and both of us sat down. We sat on the bank until I was completely dry. Ino asked “What are these marks?” I instinctively covered them. I was ashamed of them a little bit. I sighed “They’re my mage tattoos. For every skill set you maser a new tattoo appears.” She asked shyly “May I?” I nodded. She moved behind me and I could feel her soft fingers on my back and shoulders exploring the marks.
She spoke after a while “They’re beautiful.” Ino was the first person to ask about my tattoos here. Not Kakashi, Yamato, Gaara, or any of the guys. It was her. I caught her hand on my shoulder. We stayed by the river till the sun was down. Ino fell asleep on my shoulder and I smiled. She looked so peaceful and I couldn’t help but smile. When she woke up we started to walk back to the village. We were kind of a ways out because Kakashi didn’t know how my control was. I ended up carrying her in my arms as she slept. I walked to her house and lightly kicked the door as a knock.
A man answered and I was guessing from the striking personality that he was her father. He met me with a kind smile “Come on in. You can set her down in her room upstairs.” I took off my sandals before I set foot in her house. I silently walked up the stairs and laid her down in her bed. I took off her sandals and covered her. She moved slightly and I smiled. I kissed her forehead “Goodnight Ino.” I left the room and went back down the stairs. I was nervous. Any dad would be protective of his daughter even when he safely brought her home and tucked her into bed.
Her father introduced himself “I’m Inoichi Yamanaka.” I bowed “It’s an honor to meet you sir. I am Ezekiel Bei Fong.” I bowed at first and was surprised when he shook my hand. I politely stayed for a drink when he asked me. We talked, mostly about Ino. He made his boundaries very clear. He was serious “How long are you here Ezekiel?” I shrugged “Probably just until I master my chakra. I haven’t seen my father Dustin in days.” He smiled “So your Dustin’s son huh. Well at least I can talk to him without being scared.” It wasn’t new to hear that my father scared people. Iniochi spoke again “The reason you haven’t been able to see him is because he is training as well. He knows the physical but lacks the brain power.” I nodded “I see. So he’s training too.
I saw Nurato walking in the village as I was walking out to meet Kakashi in the fields the next morning. His eyes went huge “What? How are you back before us?” Sai spoke in a calm voice “I would like to know as well.” I spoke “I used my transportation spell on me and Sakura. We beat you by two days.” Nurato was still mad “Oh come on. You can’t expect us to believe that.” I murmured the transportation spell and appeared behind him “Believe me now?” He stumbled and fell on his face a few feet away “No way. How did you do that?” I turned around and kept walking “A mage never reveals their secrets.”
At training that day Kakashi had me practice more chakra control. It was walking on water again. When I was able to multitask and still stay above water I was able to try walking up a wall. I still fell, a lot and I have the bumps and bruises to prove it. I kept trying anyway. Since it was walking straight up a wall it was different. Trying to do this with a knowledge of natural physics made it even more difficult. By the time mid-afternoon rolled around I still couldn’t get five feet up the wall. Kakashi walked with me back to the village. Despite my wishes Kakashi took me straight to the hospital by my shirt collar. Once Sakura showed up Kakashi vanished. Sakura laughed a little “You were training again weren’t you? Take off your shirt.”
I did what I was told and sat on the small stool. I spoke “I get the point he’s trying to get at but I can’t get it.” Sakura put her hands on a bruise on my back. I flinched and she asked “Then how did you get the jitsu and the chakra control from yesterday?” I spoke “I thought I had support from Naruto until he attacked me. Then Ino came to watch me train yesterday.” Sakura was now in front of me “Sounds to me you just need someone there to support you.” I changed the subject “Hey Sakura. Is Ino seeing anyone?” Sakura looked surprised by the question “Ino? I don’t think so? Why do you ask?” I smiled at the thought of Ino “I’m going to ask her on a date.”
Sakura seem disappointed “Oh.” I spoke “Look I know you have a crush on me, but I have a feeling you need to figure things out on your own. We can still be friends.” Sakura looked at the tile floor “What do you like about her?” I smiled “She’s smart, funny, supportive, stubborn, respectful, and she’s fun to talk to. She’s always there if I want her to or not. It’s like I’ve known her forever.” I heard Tsunade speak “Take that chance.” I turned around to see her. She was smiling “I’ve missed my chances and I’ve always regretted it. Go on then.” I stood and grabbed my shirt. Tsunade spoke when I was right beside her “Show her the real you.”
Okay, I think I was ready. I used my magics to have my black BDU pants, green collared shirt, and my good luck charm my mom gave me. I held the three red roses in my left hand. I was so nervous my heart was beating in my chest. My hands were sweating like crazy and my thoughts raced. The sun was going down as I approached her house. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Ino’s mother answered “Hi Mrs. Yamanaka. Is Ino home?” She smiled “Of course she is. Please come in.” I stepped inside the home as Mrs. Yamanaka called for Ino. When she appeared at the bottom of the stairs she wore a long dark purple skirt with a white blouse. Her hair fell down past her shoulders. My heart seemed to beat faster and harder. I swallowed to moisten my paper dry mouth. Ino asked “Are those for me?” I spoke “Ino, will you go on a date with me?” Time seemed to stand still before she answered “Yes I will Ezekiel.” She took the roses from me “I’m going to put these in some water really quick.”
I looked over to a doorway to see Ino’s parents there. To my surprise both of her parents were smiling at me. Mr. Yamanaka walked towards me and spoke very sternly “Eleven o’clock.” I nodded “Yes sir.” Ino came back into the room and opened the door. She took my hand “Come on. I want to show you something.” I smiled to myself as I walked hand in hand with Ino down the street. This was my world and this is where I belonged.