Enjoying swinging on the rocking chair in the library as he read a book about the feats of Hashirama, Tachibana let out a big *yawn*.
It had been four days since he'd last seen anyone or stepped out of the house. Maruboshi hadn't come to pick him up or tell him anything about the request he'd put forth so he hadn't left the house with the worry that he'd miss Maburoshi if he left the house.
He was just about to doze off while reading about the great battle at the Valley of the End when he heard a soft *knock* on his door.
Tachibana almost stumbled out of his rocking chair as he activated his spirit vision to check who was outside.
'Maruboshi-san?'
'Finally!'
Tachibana opened the door after ensuring he was presentable and greeted his only source of communication with the village.
"Good Afternoon Maruboshi-san. What brings you to this humble abode?"
"Good afternoon to you too, Tachibana-san. I come bearing news from the capital for you." Maruboshi said presenting the ornate scroll that Tachibana instantly recognised was from the royal court.
Tachibana opened the scroll and began to read what was inside with some worry.
'Does Dad want to stop me from-'
Tachibana's eyes widened as he read a few sentences in the letter.
'...as such I disown Tachibana Rei from my family. I specifically want the shinobi who hasn't graduated from the academy and goes by the name Tachibana Rei to involve himself fully in the affairs of shinobi and write me a report about it once each week…'
'So Dad kicked me out so that the politics of a royal family member learning how to use chakra doesn't become complicated and cause the families of other court members to come up with the same idea.'
'And by assigning me a special mission, which will probably grow stronger as I do, he made sure to set a precedent so that none of the other noble families 'kick' their children out to learn how to use chakra without giving them a mission that similarly escalates in difficulty as I grow stronger.'
The rest of the letter discussed the pay he'd be earning for his mission. It was the standard rate for a simple D-rank mission about ten thousand ryo.
Tachibana employed his abilities as a clown to manage his expressions well and appear appropriately shocked and excited as he looked at Maruboshi who was quietly evaluating him.
"Does this mean I get to have a sensei Maruboshi-san?"
"Yes.", Maruboshi said, scratching the back of his head with some embarrassment. "I have been appointed as your Sensei and hope to help you catch up with the other students who have attended the academy since the age of six."
Tachibana showed an excited smile outwardly but on the inside, he was a little tired of what was happening.
'I guess I'll have to work hard from now on.'
After that, Maruboshi only told him to get prepared to wake up early and come to Training Ground 7 tomorrow and after a short conversation left to make his preparations.
Neither did Tachibana have any shinobi tools to carry, nor did he have an appropriate uniform. When he brought up this issue with Maruboshi, he said it was alright to show up in loose clothes that wouldn't hinder his mobility and that he'd handle the rest.
'I can't believe it! I'm going to become a shinobi soon.'
Tachibana spent the rest of the day picking out an outfit for himself before cooking dinner and falling asleep with excitement for the next day.
Walking upto the Traning Ground 7 the next day after getting delayed due to getting lost, Tachibana couldn't contain his excitement when he saw Maruboshi waiting for him while sitting on a log, chipping away at wood to create figurines.
Tachibana entered the grounds and after arriving in front of Maruboshi bowed slightly as a sign of respect. "Good morning Maruboshi sensei. What are we going to do today? The three academy jutsu? Perhaps a simple D-rank mission? Or maybe even something clever like tailing a spy?"
Maruboshi looked at Tachibana and smiled, "No Tachibana-san we will be doing this."
Out of nowhere when Maruboshi placed a seal on the ground in front of him, several books popped up.
'A sealing tag?'
'And what's with all the books?'
Even though he was frowning a little, Tachibana picked up the closest book to him. It was a leather-bound textbook with the title, 'A Hundred and One Tips and Tricks for the New Shinobi.'
"We're reading?" Tachibana complained but Maruboshi only smiled. "Can't we at least unlock my chakra or something so that I can learn the jutsus by myself?"
"We'll start training the Academy jutsus only after you've learned all the knowledge and wisdom in those books."
"But-"
"I have a proposition Tachibana-san.", Maruboshi said with a coy smile.
Tachibana nodded, indicating he'd hear him out.
"If you are able to master all three academy jutsus within a span of six months and are qualified enough to complete twelve D-rank missions with three C-rank missions, I shall recommend you to join the chunin exams."
Internally Tachibana was a little shocked but he asked a question to keep his ignorant cover, "Chunin exams?"
"Yes. There are three qualifications of a shinobi, Genin, Chunin and Jonin. As soon as a student graduates from the ninja academy, they are labelled Genin. When they are ready, they take part in a competition with the shinobi of other villages to display their skills and once they pass the judges they're labelled Chunin."
"Then how does one become a Jonin? Another test?"
"Yes. The Hokage tests you with missions and the like to promote you personally from a Chunin to a Jonin."
"I see. So this Chunin exam will allow me to be promoted to a Chunin if I perform well enough?"
"Precisely. And that shall be the aim of your practice for the next six months."
"I understand. But then wouldn't unlocking my chakra right now be better? So that I can get used to it?"
"No. Let's do it like this. If you finish reading all these books in the next two weeks I will teach you how to kneed chakra. If you fail, I'll reject you as my student."
Tachibana frowned and looked down at all the stacks of books.
'There are a lot of books here, but at least my memory as a Seer will help me learn and memorize all of these books quickly.'
"But isn't it impossible to reject me? Since the Daimyo has hired me to learn about the Shinobi system?"
"True. Normally that would be the case, but you are currently weaker than any academy student. So what new information can you give to the Daimyo after a few weeks? Surely you don't want to anger the Daimyo by giving him the same information everyday?"
Tachibana frowned, 'Although Dad probably wouldn't get angry if I did that, Mom will probably want me to return home.'
"Now let's get you started with your first test." Maruboshi spoke with a happy smile that sent shivers down Tachibana's spine.
"First test? Isn't that to finish reading the book in two weeks?"
"No. That's just a little something to motivate you. Your test is to finish twenty laps around the ground in twenty minutes."
Tachibana smiled and asked Maruboshi, "Are you sure you want to give me such an easy task?"
Maruboshi just smiled dangerously while pulling out his stopwatch and showing it to Tachibana, "Your time has already begun!"