The next day dawned. It was difficult to get out of bed, but I had to because today was my first day at a ninja academy.
"SPLASH!!"
He said, "Hey! What was that for? I was just about to get up".
I bawled.
"You know, it's normal to interrupt someone's sleep, and the most sustainable way to do that is to splash some water on them."
Ichiro said.
"Grrrrrrh! I really hate it when you do that. Now, look what you've done to me! I'm wet "!
I growled.
"That's a fine way to take a bath."
He uttered it jovially.
"I absolutely despise you!"
I shrieked and left my room for the washroom. I took a shower and assembled downstairs for breakfast.
"Wow, that was quick. You must be really hungry, so I prepared your favorite meal, ramen! "
Ichiro hollered.
Lately, Ichiro seems to be acting really nice towards me. He would never prepare breakfast for me. What's up with him? Should I ask him?
"Thanks. Why are you doing this anyway?"
I asked.
"Ever since my dad left, I feel as if I am your dad. I must protect and serve you as if I am your dad. I must begin a new race where cowardliness doesn't survive, that is my objective".
Ichiro explained.
"Anyway, spouting words wouldn't solve any of our problems, would it? Now eat up because you've got a ninja academy to attend".
When did my brother get so cool and exciting? I mean: he used to be much of an insider. Heartless and emotionless. He even treated me as if I didn't exist. I actually cannot believe that that is him.
I guzzled the ramen and waited for Ichiro to escort me to the academy since didn't know the route.
We began the trek to the academy.
"You should have the route to the academy at your fingertips in less than three days because my academy will be reopening in a pretty short time and I wouldn't have enough time to escort you. Will you do that for me, Kuragari?"
Ichiro uttered.
"Yes, brother".
I replied.
We took a few turns and arrived at an unusual place.
"We're at the academy. "Good luck, brother. Do your very best to become the ninja I know you can be. Until then, farewell! "
My brother wished me good luck and disappeared.
I just wonder how they are able to do that. The shocking fact is that I cannot perform that meili. All I can do is make a terrible-looking clone that looks nothing like me and can't think for itself. It is really annoying, and the more I try, the worse I get. A meili is magic or enchantment that relies on enerugi to be performed. Enerugi is the elemental energy caused by drawing out spiritual energy and physical energy and combining them in a uniform manner, used to perform meili.
I walked through the vast gates of the academy only to see lots of people training with weapons, others barehanded hitting wooden dummies.
"What on earth is this?"
I asked myself.
"Is this the training I have to go through to become a ninja?"
I thought.
It's so brutal. It's like they are being punished or something. Oh, well, I wish to become a ninja, so this shouldn't be an issue.
"Hello, are you new?"
I heard a voice from behind me. I turned to my back only to see a guy about my age. He was smiling and he looked super friendly.
"Yeah, this is my first day at this academy."
I replied.
"Great! I could give you all the inside tips for this academy. Just follow me. "
He said.
That's a really shabby introduction to a new bee. Oh well, so much for that. I simply obeyed him since I knew nothing around here.
We walked past the vast entry and up to the stairway.
"Can you tell me your name?"
I asked him.
"My name is Zaku Atta. What about you? "
He answered.
"My name is Kuragari Watanabe."
I replied.
"This is my fourth year at this academy. Most people refer to me as the school's grandpa because I am still in Rank I. I just don't seem to go further in this academy. Today, I am determined to make a difference in my ninja studies and become the ninja I know I can be".
Zaku explicated. This guy is a veteran here, yet he's still at Rank I! Maybe this academy is tougher than I anticipated.
"Y-e-a-h, so how many ranks are there in this academy?"
I asked.
"There are three ranks, starting from Rank I to Rank III. It takes three years in total for you to complete all three, but if you fail to reach a certain mark, you fail to be promoted to the next rank, and you will have to repeat the same rank as well. In other words, you spend an additional year in that rank".
He explained.
"Who-ah! Their rules are strict!!"
"Yeah, but it's not only their rules that are strict their training is also strict and sometimes harsh but they do all of that to bring out the best from you.
"Hmm . . . I see". I said.
We walked to our class.
"Thanks for the brief intro back there, I really owe you one".
I said.
"No need to say that, I was just doing my job as the grandpa of the class".
He uttered.
"Hahahahahaha"!
We both laughed. Soon, we arrived at the class and I didn't expect to see a small number of people in the class. I guess it's true that their training is tough.
The classroom was pretty huge and there was something like a stage in front of it, there were more than enough desks to accommodate the people in the class at the moment.
"You can sit by me in the meantime as you get familiarized with the class. One of the things you ought to know is about bullying. Just about anyone is a bully and they do it of their own free will. They detest it when you look at their so-called girlfriends with lustful eyes.
Also, there are a group of bullies and the trailblazer of that squad is none other than Arata Fujii. He's exceptionally formidable and will destroy anyone at will. He can perform all meili in the fire manipulation and he does them so flawlessly that the Senshi sees him as a promising prospect for the next Senshi. And about the bullies, you don't want to rub them the wrong way otherwise things are sure to get ugly. To be on the safer side, just act as if they do not exist and that doesn't mean that you should walk around spouting bad stuff about them because once they hear a word from you, you are toast!
Oh, and about his girlfriend, she is Akari Kikuchi. She's the girl sitting at the back of the classroom, sitting next to a guy in a blue hoodie and a black mask and as you can see, she's beautiful . . ."
Zaku gave a pretty lengthy discourse.
I turned to look at her. And she was more than beautiful. She was picture-perfect. Man, I just wish I was the guy in the blue hoodie so I could sit next to her.
"Could you take a break from the thorough explication and answer these three questions. First: what is manipulation"?
I asked.