Striped Like A Tiger! My name is Nekomaru!

A warm, bittersweet opening.

The morning sun peered ever vigilant over the leaves, piercing the gaps in between to bathe the Hidden Moon Village in its warm embrace. The Shinobi Academy was no exception. This year’s novices had gathered for the first time, each young hopeful bearing witness to the partners they’d spend years studying and fighting together with. The palette was rich and full of colour: some naturally more rugged, or innocent, excitable or meek, jolly or brooding. Each of these aspiring shinobi had something to bring to the table, and the table was indeed waiting to see what they had to bring.

Among the group, one of these upstart ninja found himself avoiding the pack. As soon as Nekomaru Kagetora arrived in Getsugakure, he found himself alone for the first time – no guiding Papa to stand beside him, no familiar scents, nothing to latch on to. The gazes he had received from the people of the village were mixed. Some kind, some judging. For an 11 year old with the eyes, ears, claws, padded feet and tail of a striped tiger, his own unnatural nature had never been made so apparent to him before. All the time he had spent in Getsugakure, Nekomaru had never felt so vulnerable.

But Papa had sent him there. To train, grow, and be an even better shinobi than himself! It was Papa’s will, and Nekomaru didn’t want to let Papa down. Even if the people of the Hidden Moon Village were weird, especially that one fat lady that glared at him at the fish market and soon found herself with some muddy paw prints as a form of graffiti on her tent, it was the boy’s wish to truly make Papa proud and become a proper ninja. After all, Papa’s training could only get him so far.

Nekomaru could remember the day he left Takigakure like it was yesterday, even if only a week had passed. The memory was painful, and worst of all, fresh. Like a wound. Even so, this wound was more bittersweet than it was entirely bitter. The sun was coming down over the port as Taigamaru took his son to the docks, holding a particular stuffed animal. As Nekomaru cried, pleading and begging for his Papa not to leave, Taigamaru could only shake his head with a smile as he placed one hand on his son’s striped hair.

“Son,” he said, firmly yet kindly, “you won’t have me forever. Your Mama, before she left us, wished you’d grow up big and strong. She’s smiling down on us, so don’t make her sad, okay?”

Nekomaru fell silent, still sniffling, as he noticed the toy in his father’s hand. Taigamaru handed the plush to his son – a yellow tiger, with buttons for eyes.

“We’ll be apart for a long time, Nekomaru. But if you hold on to this, you’ll feel like I’m always with you.” Nekomaru nodded, taking the toy in his arms as his father hugged him one last time.

The boy remembered the sight of Takigakure growing smaller and smaller from that boat like a gut punch. But now, the opportunity that Papa gave him was right in front of his eyes. And Stripes-san, undoubtedly still with Papa’s scent on him, hung from a thin rope tied around Nekomaru’s waist, providing Nekomaru with enough comfort to consider approaching the other kids. Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to. Not yet.

Nekomaru crouched behind a bush as the other kids fraternised at the academy’s courtyard. His green eyes spied through the foliage – the boy’s avoidance was not out of antisocial tendencies. Far from it! He desperately wished to have the ease to just talk to his new classmates. However, the nerves were too much. Poor Nekomaru could only feel comfortable clutching Stripes-san tightly to his chest as he simply observed the other aspiring ninjas. That one had his eyes bandaged, that other one had moppy hair and had a distinct salt water smell, that girl looked like a monkey… maybe she was a little like him?

The watchful eyes of a tiger were focused on the hunt – and being too focused on a single thing meant distractions were possible, even for the patient hunter. Nekomaru could only stare, wide-eyed, as the rustling sound of leaves nearby alerted him to the presence of someone. One of the students had parted from the pack to say hi to him directly!

A beaming girl, taller than the others, clad in red and noticeably more… developed, looked down from over the bushes at the crouching tiger with a wide, welcoming smile. And wide, welcoming hips.

“Hi there! What are you doing so far from the rest?” The girl said, offering a hand to pull Nekomaru up. Nekomaru blankly stared back, still hunched over like a feline, with his tail swinging from side to side.

The girl watched with a confused look, wondering why Nekomaru was just sitting there. Nekomaru tilted his head, sniffing the air before standing up and leaping over the bush, meeting the girl directly.

“H-Hello.” Nekomaru greeted the girl succinctly. His gaze was elsewhere, finding it hard to maintain eye contact. This development was acceptable for the girl, who proceeded to the next phase.

“You don’t have to be scared. Everyone’s really friendly!” The girl said with a shining smile. “I’m Momika! What’s your name?”

Even Nekomaru had to tear down his walls a little in the presence of someone so… shining. Momika’s natural charisma was impossible to reject, and the cub found himself returning that smile, showcasing his sharp canines to the older shinobi. With his tail, and those ears – Momika knew he was another animal-like person, much like Mana.

“I’m… Nekomaru,” he said, still hesitating. He tilted his head, taking a closer look at Momika, who by virtue of actually having gone through puberty, practically towered over the 11 year old. His sharp, feline eyes sparkled with excitement. “Wow, you’re… big!”

Momika went red in the face, clearly embarrassed as she immediately assumed what he was talking about – but she gave Nekomaru the benefit of the doubt.

“H-Haha, what do you mean by that…?” She replied, wondering if the feline boy was going to be some sort of problem child.

“O-Oh. You know…” Nekomaru raised his left hand over his head, lifting it up and down. “You’re bigger than me.”

“The word for that is “tall”, silly!” Momika let out a hearty laugh, as she realised Nekomaru was simply acknowledging that she was older, and taller, than him, and most other kids. “I’m not any different from you guys. In this school, there’s kids that are older and even younger than you, Nekomaru.”

“Really?” The more Nekomaru talked to Momika, the more he felt compelled to go talk to everyone else. It was likely that was Momika’s intention from the beginning – or was that just her standard fraternising, for her own reasons? The cub’s tail perked up. “But we’re all gonna be ninjas, right?”

“That’s the idea. You wanna come meet the rest?” Momika was just about to lead Nekomaru to the rest of the group, until the familiar footsteps of someone new arrived at the scene.

“Senseeei!” A young girl, in dark robes and tall sandals, called out to the older of the two. Nana quickly made her way to Momika’s side, looking somewhat anxious to have the eldest of the class’ undivided attention. “What are you doing all the way over here? Homeroom’s about to start.”

“Oh! Nana-chan. I’m trying to encourage Nekomaru to come hang out with us!” Momika looked to Nekomaru, and then back to Nana. “Nana-chan, this is Nekomaru-kun! Say hi!”

Nana and Nekomaru stared at each other blankly for two seconds. Somehow, acknowledging their similar social wavelengths was unpleasant to Nana, who furrowed her brow upon first sight of Nekomaru. Perhaps it was simply the nerves, it was everyone’s first day, after all. Or rather, it was the kind of disapproval that only a certain kind of child could have for someone with even less social graces than themselves.

“...hi.” Nana’s greeting was short, but perhaps not sweet. Nekomaru tried to smile, showing off his sharp teeth as he waved his clawed hand at the sight of Nana.

“Hi!” Momika’s enthusiasm was infectious, and even Nekomaru was motivated to be more sociable now, greeting Nana with a certain level of glee he didn’t have before. But Nana couldn’t care about any of that. She tugged at Momika’s skirt with impatience.

“C’mon, homeroom’s supposed to start soon!” Pleaded Nana, practically dragging Momika with her. Momika wasn’t entirely done with Nekomaru, though. And the teacher in question was going to take some time…

“You should come with us, class is gonna start!” She called out, and Nekomaru heeded the call, practically sprinting all the way to the school building and whizzing past Momika and Nana like a strong breeze.

“He’s fast…” Momika said, as Nana kept tugging at her skirt. The older of the two wondered what exactly she could use that speed in benefit of, now that she had gained some of Nekomaru’s approval.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weirdos and Whimsy

Class was a bore. Nekomaru sat at one of the back spots in the classroom, fidgeting while everyone waited for their new homeroom teacher. What exactly did a homeroom teacher do, anyway? Nekomaru wondered that question as he tapped his foot and wagged his tail, finding it increasingly difficult to, quite simply, stay put. In the cub’s awkward position, his mind raced as he looked in all directions. Everyone was fraternising, even if the homeroom teacher should be here any minute… who to start with?

To Nekomaru’s side, another boy was sharing in the restlessness. He had dark, moppy hair that covered most of his face, and he had left a rather large gourd at his side of the desk. He practised hand signs while muttering to himself – good, someone else who wasn’t talking to anyone right now! Nekomaru used his silent hind paws to sneak up to the mysterious boy that smelled an awful lot of fish, before pouncing on his prey!

Not literally, however. Nekomaru approached the gloomy kid and slammed the desk in front of him, getting up in his face with excitement.

“That one’s the snake, right?” The cub inquired with a glint in his eye.

“Gah!” The fishy classmate recoiled, before recomposing himself. His only visible amber eye gleamed with an overwhelming, yet unserious darkness. “How dare you sneak up to the Judge of the Underworld, cur?”

Nekomaru tilted his head in confusion. “The what of the what?”

“The Judge of the Underworld!” The boy repeated himself. “‘Heh. I suppose I can’t blame a bumpkin for not having heard the name. I am Kisui Shomi, for your information – sneaking up on the Judge himself carries a sentence of one quintillion years sealed under the waves, I shall have you know!”

“Hehe.” The feline boy stared blankly into Kisui’s single visible eye, before flashing a sharp grin and a chuckle. “You talk funny.”

“The Judge of the Underworld’s sentence is no laughing matter…” Upon noticing that Nekomaru was in no way shape or form intimidated, Kisui relented, slouching on his seat with a long sigh. “I suppose… even the Judge of the Underworld needs practice. I wanted to make sure I remembered all the jutsu hand signs.”

“I know! There’s tiger… dragon… rooster… mouse…. ox…” Nekomaru performed the signs one by one, but Kisui was quick to notice his memory was faulty. Desperate for an opportunity to make an impression, the Judge of the Underworld helped Nekomaru out a little.

“Horse, rabbit, monkey, pig, dog, and goat. Plus the snake, which I already did.” Kisui was faster at performing the signs than Nekomaru, simply because he’d practise them a lot whenever he daydreamed about being a big-time ninja someday. His expertise was, indeed, enough for the easily impressionable Nekomaru.

“Wow! You’re really good at this!” Nekomaru copied Kisui, cycling through the hand signs one by one, going faster and faster simply to try and remember them all. His hand speed was astonishing to the Judge of the Underworld, who couldn’t help but watch himself be outdone!

“Heh, it’s only natural. I’m the great Judge of the Underworld, after a – you’re fast, huh… state your name to the court.”

“I’m Nekomaru Kagetora,” the cub replied, a lot more confidently than he was with Momika earlier. “Why are you pointing at me like that? I’m not far away from you at all.”

Kisui was, indeed, pointing quite dramatically at Nekomaru in a fashion that was definitely cooler in his head. “E-Ehem.” Kisui took back the pointing finger. “You’re not allowed to do anything like that better than me, you hear me?”

“I just wanted to do it like you!” Nekomaru laughed openly at this strange request, having no idea what Kisui could possibly be referring to. “I like your funny words, Kisu-nya.”

Kisui furrowed his brow, astonished at how casually Nekomaru had flipped from being impressed with Kisui’s hand signs to trivialising the Judge of the Underworld’s very own judgement, as well as his honourable title! He reasserted himself. “And you must address me by my title, understood? The Judge of the Underworld decrees it.”

“I really don’t get a word you’re saying, but sure!” Nekomaru smiled with his big, sharp fangs, expecting Kisui to be satisfied with this. He wasn’t. Before the fishy kid could retort, Nekomaru’s ears twitched.

“Oh! That’s gotta be the guy.” Without another word, Nekomaru leapt back to his desk, leaving Kisui alone with his unspoken words as Suzaku made his way to the classroom, formally beginning the first period.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day went on as expected, and Suzaku-san showed to be quite an understanding homeroom teacher, picking up on Nekomaru’s restlessness immediately upon laying eyes on him for the first time. Suzaku provided a short introduction of himself before demanding one out of each kid.

“I’m Suzaku-Sensei. Your homeroom teacher. I like long naps, takoyaki, and students who don’t blow up my classroom.” He paused for a short moment, looking around and taking in the sight of all his new students. “So let’s try to keep that last one to a minimum. Why don’t you guys try now? Give us a name, and a few things you like.”

Each kid went one by one, providing succinct introductions. Little glimpses into each and every one of their lives. Nekomaru was still somewhat restless, even as he took in samples of each of his new classmates.

“Kosshi Hyuga”, said a very pale girl with white hair. “I suppose… I like peace and quiet. And training.” Her coldness was surprising to Nekomaru, who got very unnatural vibes from her. Approaching her would be tough… Kosshi continued, as Nekomaru wondered if they would ever be friends.

“Me am Iwao!”, said a literal rock the size of a kid, with arms and legs to match. “Me like birds, dirt, pretty stones, Papa, and drawing. Me am happy to meet you all!” Nekomaru was astonished to know rocks could talk – then again, he was closer to a tiger than a person sometimes, so it only made sense for other kids to possibly be just as weird as him. Maybe he was nice! At the very least, Nekomaru could always make friends with someone who also liked catching birds! …or so he thought. Iwao most likely preferred his birds alive. Iwao continued, and the next person eventually came around.

“Heh. You’ve never heard of the Judge of the Underworld, teach?”

Nekomaru rolled his eyes, immediately recognising Kisu-nya. Watching his introduction to the whole class was fun, however, so he rolled with it – not quite understanding what Kisui was talking about, but the cub was amused regardless.

“I’m Kisui Shomi. I am a black cascade of death, and I shall deliver dark, searing hot judgement to all who oppose me. With Kan’oke by my side, no one can avoid execution by my hand!”

“Uuuh…”

Suzaku-sensei tilted his head in confusion, and the class’ reactions were mixed. Most were silent. Some chuckled. Some even found Kisui to be genuinely cool! Suzaku simply moved on, unsure about what to do with this information.

“Y-You there!” Suzaku pointed at Nekomaru, who sat a few spaces away. The cub perked up, leaping over the desk to stand firm for the teacher.

“M-My name is Nekomaru Kagetora,” he said, copying the rest. “I like… running around, eating fish, pranking people that look at me weird, my Papa, and Stripes-san!” Nekomaru showed his plush to everyone, and all eyes were on him as he proudly displayed his stuffed yellow tiger.

“That’s cute!” Momika spoke up. “Do you take that everywhere?” Nekomaru nodded with a wide smile on his face and a swinging tail.

“Huh…” Sukaku-sensei could work with this, even if it was only a few steps removed from Kisui in the unusual nature of the introduction. “You prank people that look at you weird?”

“Only because I know they don’t like me,” Nekomaru replied without a shred of shame. “I guess… I don’t wanna do that to everyone, though.”

“You were hiding in a bush away from all of us, “ said Nana. Nekomaru seemed a little embarrassed as most of the class shared a sensible chuckle.
“Now, now, no shame in being shy,” Suzaku-sensei said as he reasserted control over the situation, noting that Nekomaru might need a little extra support. “You already did pretty well in introducing yourself like this.”

“R-Really?” Nekomaru’s eyes gleamed with excitement as Suzaku-sensei nodded.

“You’re gonna be just fine, kid. Now, mind sitting down so the next person can go?”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the first day of class progressed, the baton was passed to Myorin-san, the taijutsu instructor. As per her instructions, her full physical observations were now underway. The first test was simple, a few laps around the training yard to get everyone’s bodies pumping, and after that some more general athletics tests, before the hand-to-hand combat test. Everyone was allowed to use any and all jutsu at their disposal.

“This is just an endurance test to get us started!”, said Myorin-sensei, who was already worrying about how different all the kids were. How could she possibly teach them all at the same level? Internally, she already wanted another drink, but the middle-aged ronin knew she had to give it her all as a teacher after the rocky life she had already had.

To the watchful eyes of Myorin-sensei, some kids were clearly more physically capable than others. Nobody was truly disappointing at a first glance, but some showed far more athleticism than others from the get-go. Mona took an early lead, leaping into action without missing a beat. Not too far from her were Kosshi, Leigan, and…

Just as fast as she took the lead, a flash of wind overtook Mona without mercy. Dashing in and out of vision, the feline form of Nekomaru showed unbelievable speed for a ninja his age. Already sensing that he was probably using Chakra more than he should for something as simple as a warm-up race, Myorin knew this wasn’t ideal.

“Pace yourselves!” She shouted at the group as she kept pace with the frontliners – save for the runaway tiger. “Remember! Ninja with no endurance will burn out just as fast – this isn’t a race!”

“It’s not a race?” Nekomaru looked back, losing concentration on his jutsu. Myorin didn’t get a good enough feel for what exactly the boy was using, but as soon as she spoke, Nekomaru had slowed down, which was what she intended. The cub returned to the pack, shortly being overtaken once again by Mona and Kosshi, who had tighter control of their stamina. Nekomaru was never far behind, however, making it a point to stick by Myorin, who only then noticed the striped young lad had a plush toy on a string around his waist. The sight was curious, but also somewhat concerning – it immediately looked like a possible weakness.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now, I’ll call you out for the combat test!” Myorin-sensei declared to her lined up students. “Go sit down, and take notes on each encounter. I’ll be calling up the people in the best physical overall shape first, so don’t worry if you think you can’t keep up physically. Make sure to watch closely and use the information you’re gathering to try and get me on the back foot when you’re up against me, understood?”

“Yes, sensei!” The students cried out in unison, breaking the line to sit behind a row of trees as Myorin stood at the center of the training yard.

“Remember! You should fight to the best of your abilities. Anything you have at your disposal is fair game, I want to see you all at your best!"

As the kids started chattering amongst themselves, Myorin began her call-ups. Kosshi was first, with an outstanding hand-to-hand showing that exemplified her gentle, yet direct style. Mona was next, with an acrobatic, measured combat display. Up next...

“Nekomaru! Come up here, please.”

The cub’s eyes widened, and he instinctively sat up before sprinting over to the center of the courtyard. Myorin could notice he was likely a little confused.

“This is a pretend fight, got it? But I don’t want you to go easy on me.”

Nekomaru tilted his head with wide-open, curious eyes as he nodded slowly, before taking a step back. He took a low stance, as his tail waved and tensed and his retractable claws popped out of his fingers. Myorin already dreaded the thought of her robes getting cut up, but it was a little too late to worry about that now.

Myorin didn’t take a stance just yet, noticing that something was still off. Nekomaru’s plushie was still tied by the string at his hip. She smiled, wondering what the purpose of that was exactly.

“Nekomaru-kun,” she spoke softly, “is that your weapon of choice?"

Nekomaru half-whispered a “huh” as he broke his stance, straightening up. He realised Myorin was talking about Stripes-san. He held the plush tiger up, and clutched it to his chest. “This isn’t a bomb or a weapon. This is Stripes-san. He’s my friend!”

Myorin gave a bittersweet smile as some of the kids laughed, and she got in position in an attempt to shut them up. Nekomaru mimicked her, and soon enough, the spar was underway.

Myorin kicked things off, running up to the cub for a first approach. Nekomaru ducked under her incoming fist, showing some agility right off the bat. He twisted in mid-air, kicking Myorin in the back to pretty much no reaction from her. The sensei flipped, meeting Nekomaru face to face. Every fist Nekomaru threw out was caught by Myorin with open palms, showing just how ahead of him he really was. Nekomaru Flickered a few times, attempting to catch Myorin with a flying claw to the side of the face, but as soon as she reappeared Myorin weaved, catching Nekomaru's arm and dragging him back to the floor. It was then when she realised the toy wasn't even in use -- it just hung at the boy's side.

“Nekomaru-kun! You can’t bring Stripes-san everywhere, can you?”

“Why not?”

“Well, what if a bad guy were to do… THIS?”

Before Nekomaru could get his bearings, Myorin-sensei Flickered and snatched Stripes-san from Nekomaru’s hands, Flickering once again to throw the toy out of the training yard a few paces away from Nekomaru.

The boy gasped, trembling. The comforting smell of Papa wasn’t with him anymore. His hands shook, his pupils sharpened like kunai, his claws popped out, ready to draw blood, and as some of the other students gasped, sensing the rise in tension in the air, Nekomaru’s emotions reached a fever pitch.

“Don’t touch…”

“DON’T TOUCH STRIPES-SAAAN!!!”

Nekomaru VS Myorin

Let The Battle Commence

Before Myorin could brace herself, an immense current of wind surrounded Nekomaru, who vanished right in front of her eyes. An imperceptible gust of wind blew on her face, shifting into many directions all around her as her well-trained eyes struggled to keep pace with the blinding speed of the Flickers rushing in every possible direction, until Nekomaru reappeared with a shocking Pele kick that she could barely block just in the nick of time.

“Wow! He’s FAST!” Said Koda, who was petting his dear Eeki as the fight got underway. Hibiki, who sat beside him, paid attention with all his remaining senses.

“I may not be able to see him move… but the air pressure was immense just now,” he said, corroborating Koda’s observation.

In that split second of feeling the crash of his Chakra against hers, Myorin immediately realised what was going on with Nekomaru’s unnatural speed. That wasn’t just standard Wind Chakra…

“That’s Swift Release,” Natsume explained, crossing her little arms with a smirk. The white-haired 7 year old sat next to Ayane, who was engrossed in the fight. Ayane turned to Natsume, surprised by her assessment.

“Swift Release is a combined nature Kekkei Genkai that can make the user move with incredible speed, countering most taijutsu techniques if the opponent isn’t fast enough to keep up,” she said, reciting a textbook answer from memory. Ayane showed interest, paying close attention to Nekomaru’s speed.

“I suppose speed can be stealthy too…” she said, thinking to herself that a subtle, more nuanced approach to stealth was preferable.

Nekomaru was fast, but he wasn’t even strengthening his body with Taijutsu, much to Myorin’s shock. If he actually practised proper Taijutsu, she could only wonder just how much of a monster he would be…

With that blocked strike, Nekomaru seemed frustrated. He Flickered once again, putting Myorin in panic mode immediately as she tried to guess where the next strike would be coming from. Swirling winds struck from all sides, as a cannonball kicked her in the gut and dashed past her, sliding onto the field before Myorin could recompose herself. Tired of being on the defensive, the taijutsu master Flickered in an attempt to catch the boy with an overhead punch, but Nekomaru vanished right as she swung for the fences, leaving her in shock.

Myorin immediately knew she had to get out of harm’s way. She began Flickering in different directions all across the battlefield, finding herself surprised by just how little Nekomaru was struggling in catching up to her. A stray punch to the shoulder, a kick to the leg that scraped just enough. The fight was almost imperceptible to the untrained eye.

Using her experience, Myorin started attempting to predict where Nekomaru would be next. As she dashed across the battlefield, intentionally following the air currents, she ducked, lowering her center of gravity — and just as predicted, Nekomaru Flickered into a jumping claw slash that Myorin caught with a kick to the boy’s chin that sent him tumbling.

Myorin quickly fell back down to earth, kicking up a cloud of dust as Nekomaru recomposed himself. Upon witnessing the sight of his sensei a few paces away, the cub’s pupils sharpened as he growled, before Flickering once again. Myorin felt an immense current of wind hit her square in the face, and she attempted to deliver a left hook to the air current right behind her, predicting Nekomaru would appear there – instead, Nekomaru delivered a knee strike to her chin, before Flickering out of her sight once again. Myorin stumbled for a moment, and that was a slow enough window for the feline, who vanished yet again and reappeared at her back, slashing at his sensei’s robes.

Myorin’s hardened, experienced body was only taking light bruises and scratches, barely enough to draw blood thanks to her Taijutsu mastery. She found herself overwhelmed and peppered, but not quite hurt. Especially with her quickened regeneration -- any damage that was anything more than a light scrape for her would be fixed in seconds. It was that quick mental break that allowed her to find a solution, a way to pick momentum back up.

Nekomaru growled in frustration again, feeling like he was striking a brick wall. He Flickered a few times, and Myorin steeled herself with squared hips. As soon as the air pressure weakened around her, Nekomaru dashed into another claw strike, and Myorin dodged with an impressive lean of her back, as if avoiding a conga stick.

“Woah! Look at our teach! So elegant!” Momika perked up, tapping Nana’s shoulder as if to grab her attention. “Nekomaru’s fast, but Myorin-sensei knows what’s up!” Nana nodded along, more focused on Momika’s words than the action itself.

As Myorin dodged out of the claw strike’s way, she stumbled, taking the familiar steps of drunken style combat that many students were trained to recognise – and, as predicted, Nekomaru found himself dumbfounded. That gap in experience with his peers would be an issue, Myorin thought to herself.

For a slight moment, Nekomaru dropped his guard, wondering if he had hurt his sensei too much, or if she had hit her head during the previous landing. A slight moment too long, as Myorin jumped back on the offensive with a spinning back fist that struck the cub square on the nose. Reactivating his Swift Release, Nekomaru growled, going on all fours as he dashed around Myorin, quite literally running circles around her before pouncing with splayed out claws, which the Taijutsu sensei managed to roll her way away from.

As Myorin stood back up, she swayed in an unorthodox, drunken way that once again baffled Nekomaru. Myorin stumbled once again, kicking with an intensity unfitting for something accidental. Nekomaru caught on to the trick at first, using his Swift Release to dodge out of the way and Flicker, reappearing at Myorin’s back. But the sensei was ready to go with the flow, back-flipping before delivering a dropkick to the cub that put him on the ground once again, kicking up a cloud of thick dust.

As the dust settled, a tired out Nekomaru panted, eyes still locked with rage with the sight of Myorin-sensei right in front of him. The other students wondered what would happen next…

To their surprise, Myorin shook her head with a smile, before kneeling down and offering Stripes-san back to the boy. In half a second, Nekomaru’s feral rage vanished as he noticed the familiar scent of Papa back at his side, and he clutched the plush with a little tear in his eye.

“Y-You’re giving him back?” Nekomaru asked, with a frog in his throat still. He was shaking as the emotion overwhelmed him.

“It’s okay, Nekomaru-kun. I think we’ve all seen what you can do.” Myorin patted him on the shoulder, as a show of encouragement. “You did really well! There’s some things you could improve on, but you had me on the back foot for a bit there.”

Nekomaru sniffled as he pushed back his tears, before looking up at his sensei. “R-Really?”

“Yes, of course.” Myorin smiled, giving Nekomaru a strange feeling he had never felt before. A comforting, nice lady… her eyes were kind, and her hands were soft, even when he was feeling her blows. Nekomaru wondered if Mama was like that before she went to Heaven…

“Now, do you want to tell me what’s up with Stripes-san?”

Nekomaru nodded. “He’s my friend… Papa gave him to me before I left. He helps me sleep. With Stripes-san… I don’t have to feel alone.”

“I understand… but Nekomaru-kun, you’re going to have to grow up eventually. Look at all the new friends you have here!” Myorin directed Nekomaru to turn and face the lined up kids. Momika smiled, Kisui gave a “hmph”, Nana and Kosshi stared disapprovingly, Iwao played with a bird that had perched on his stony finger…

“You’re not alone, Nekomaru-kun. From now on, I want you to count on everyone, got it? Can you do that for me?”

Nekomaru held back tears, struggling to not cry and make himself look like a wimp in front of his new classmates… but he remembered what Papa told him before the ship sailed away from Takigakure.

“Son, you won’t have me forever. Your Mama, before she left us, wished you’d grow up big and strong. She’s smiling down on us, so don’t make her sad, okay?”

Nekomaru forced himself to smile, still holding Stripes-san close to his chest. “I’m gonna do my best, Myorin-sensei!”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night had fallen over Getsugakure. As the village’s titular moon began her watch over her children, the many lanterns lit up the Hidden Moon Village, illuminating its night life. At one of these brightly lit establishments, Myorin found herself in yet another miserable drinking session.

Piping Down With A Drink

“Gimme another, Katsuragi-san!”

The middle-aged overweight bartender gave Myorin yet another barrel of booze, which she took down her gullet without skipping a beat. “Gah! That was good.” She then slouched over the bar, sighing in exasperation.

“Teachin’ is hard…”

The pressure had already started mounting on poor Myorin, who had quite literally stolen a child’s only memento of his dad to get him to not hold back for a combat test. She wanted to get swallowed by an Earth Chakra user’s jutsu right then and there, only finding a moment to vent her frustrations now, by the grace of alcohol. Who knew that traumatising children was a necessary part of being a teacher?

Much to her surprise, as people came and went, someone stepped into the bar. Someone she recognised – someone who should absolutely not be there. But her drowsiness made her a little too slow to react.

“N-Nekomaru-kun…?”

“Hi, sensei!” Nekomaru smiled, clutching Stripes-san close to his chest before sitting next to Myorin.

“You really- - you really shouldn’t be here…” Myorin slurred her words, struggling to keep any shred of decency beyond her intoxication. “This is a grown-up place! Why are you even here, kid?”

“Suzaku-sensei said you’d be here. Buuuut he also told me not to come…”

“Then why didn’t you listen?” Myorin was lightly amused, even if she knew deep down this was VERY wrong.

“I wanted to give you this!”

Nekomaru let go of Stripes-san for a second, taking something out of his pocket. It was… a dead bird. He handed it to Myorin without hesitation, bringing out quite some shock from the bartender, who didn’t even know what to say.

Myorin’s inhibitions had been pushed far enough for her to not be too surprised by this at first. “H-Huh… it’s for me? What is this?”

Nekomaru explained himself without hesitation. “You were nice to me, Sensei. I… I hunted a bird for you. To say thanks.”

Myorin chuckled, realising that this was absolutely a cat-like thing to do. She put down the bird, giving it back to Nekomaru with an awkward, yet honest smile.

“That’s… really nice of you! You should think of other things to give your teacher, though. Ever heard of the apple on the desk cliché?”

“The apple on the desk what?”

Myorin sighed, remembering Nekomaru was still a kid who probably hadn’t heard the word “cliché” before, all the way in Takigakure. She ruffled up Nekomaru’s hair as a show of appreciation. “A-Anyway, it’s cool that you brought me something, just… don’t make it a dead bird next time, okay?”

Nekomaru nodded, smiling, with one of his fangs sticking out of his mouth. “Okay! Papa said I have to grow up strong, so I’m gonna do my best!”

“You’re far from home, huh? Mom and dad must be waiting for you to come back as a super Taijutsu master, I’m sure!”

“Just Papa. Mama died when I was born.”

It was only then that it donned on her that Myorin hadn’t just lightly traumatised a child, but an orphan. An orphan who was most likely looking for maternal affection from her.

“Katsuragi-san! Another!”

Within a few seconds, Myorin was already downing another barrel. As she emptied it out, she patted Nekomaru on the shoulder one more time.

“You should get to the dorms now, alright? Your sensei has… grown-up matters to attend to.”

“Okay! See you tomorrow!” With his signature Swift release, Nekomaru exited the bar, almost tripping over some other drinkers who shouted out as the feline gust of wind blasted out of the booze den. Myorin sighed long and hard, slouching on the desk once again.

“Teachin’ is hard…”

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Pub: 01 Mar 2026 19:47 UTC

Edit: 02 Mar 2026 01:16 UTC

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