Hangin with Fu (Open Topic)

Fu was sound asleep inside her apartment until the sun broke the horizon and sunlight crept into her small one room apartment through one of the only windows in the place. The sunlight made direct contact with the kunoichi’s eyes which caused her to wake up. Fu had decided the night before she would dedicate her day to training and forgo doing any missions unless she absolutely had to. The difficulty of her missions lately had been subpar at best and if she was going to get stronger, she would need to set a side time to actually train or else her skills were going to become rusty.

After rolling out of bed and fixing breakfast, she got dressed. She was wearing blank pants, a tan shirt and black shinobi boots. Along with that she had two weapon pouches and her leaf headband was tied securely to her left arm as always. Now that she was properly prepared to train, she left her house. It was approximately 7AM by the time she made it to the training grounds. Not too many Genin would be out training this early in the morning- only those who were the most dedicated. At first glance it appeared she may be alone, but after a while a few more people would show up and begin training in their own respected space. Fu was practicing her use with a kunai- considering it was the only real weapon she had at the moment.

She set up multiple targets at multiple positions around the grounds and would practice releasing kunai with her new technique, hidden arms, which allowed her to produce kunai using slight of hand to launch surprise attacks. Fu was a natural when it came to weaponry and she was learning quickly. After only a few hours she was able to deflect one kunai off of another to change its trajectory to hit targets that she did not have a clear line of sight. By this time, she actually had other Genin gathered around watching her train.

Her glory would be soon interrupted when one of her peers would challenge her to a game to see who could throw a kunai the furthest in a single throw. Of course, she was not going to let this random Genin show her up- not today.

“You’re on buddy! Get ready to lose! You first.”

Fu would shout out in the spirit of competition. The challenger would produce a single kunai and concentrate for a moment before throwing. Taking a running start, he would launch his kunai as far as he could, its flight path arching and proceeded to travel about 20 meters or so.

Producing a kunai of her own with the trick she had learned earlier, hidden arm, she would ready her kunai. The crowd loved her party trick. Fu would then proceed to throw her kunai, effortlessly, almost 40 meters. The other Genin congratulated Fu and went back to their training. She was getting bored of playing with Kunai and hoped that she could find something better to do.

Fu had seen shinobi in the order use a technique that allows them to reach a speed of movement that wasn’t considered normal. She remembered one of the instructors teaching some of the other students how to do it, but her memory was a little cloudy at the moment. After about 2 hours of meditating and breathing exercises, Fu came to the realization that those shinobi were probably using chakra to aid them in reaching speeds that were beyond their normal limits. Fu practiced distributing her chakra into the limbs of her body that allowed her to maneuver and in no time, she was able to use the body flicker technique.

Overlooking the training grounds was the Hokage’s Rock- a rock formation with all of the Hokages’ faces on it. Fu had never been up there before, and she figured she’d use her now traveling technique to take a beak and check out the view of the village.
Once atop of the Hokage’s Rock, she would take a seat and admire the scenery. It as a beautiful day with a light breeze and not a cloud in the sky. It was still pretty early in the day and she was wondering how she would spend the rest of it.

I wonder what Kaito and Tanjiro are up too…

Fu thought to herself while taking in the view.

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Wakey wakey, rise and shine. The natural light of the sun shining through his bedroom window caused Minato to wake up. Lately the raven haired Uchiha made himself the habit of getting out of bed before his usual time, because as they say, the early bird catches the worm. With more time at his hands he would be able to have a more fruitful day. Be it missions, training, or just hanging out with some of his fellow shinobi, all of it would be possible now that he freed up some extra time. And so he would continue his morning routine. A healthy breakfast, a cold shower, even some morning exercises, all of that to prepare him for his day.

If all went well Minato was now ready to offically begin his day. Ideally he would be full of energy and all set to face whatever would be thrown at him. Putting on his usual attire and packing all his equipment he would be completely prepared to head out. Leaving his house in the Uchiha District he would first set out for the Training Grounds. If he didn't run into someone he knew or someone that might look like they needed any help he would just continue walking the streets of Konohagakure no Sato. The raven haired Uchiha remembered one of his most recent missions where he had to clean the Hokage Rock together with Tadashi and Yoi. Completing this mission gave him quite the impression, being so close to the former leaders of the village. So he decided to return to that location once more, to experience that feeling once again.

When he found himself at the scene he would take in the beautiful environment he found himself surrounded with. It was a typical day in Konohagakure no Sato, beautiful and no single cloud to be seen. Given how comfortable it all made him feel Minato was sure nothing could happen to ruin his mood. The gentle touch of the sun on his skin made him decide to relax for a moment as he walked up towards the faces on Hokage Rock, where he to his surprise would run into someone he recently met. "Oh hi there Fu, remember me?"

(WC: 371)

Fu’s loneliness would come to an end with the appearance of a Genin that he had just met recently on her last mission which was providing security for the parade when the Dainmyo came to town. Once he came within talking range she would speak:


“Oh her Minato what’s up?”


Fu would say to the raven haired Uchiha. 


“I guess you had the same idea as me huh? I like to come here and check out the view of the village after a long day of training. It really makes you realize how small you are in the grand scheme of things… It’s weird to think that there’s also a whole world outside of these great walls, isn’t it? Why did you come here?”


Fu smiled at him then proceeded to turn her gaze back to the beautiful scene of the village before them. 


“By the way, great job leading us on that mission the other day. I look forward to completing more missions with you in the future and I also like working with Kaito! He seems really funny and strong too! That means I have to continue to get strong so I can beat him. My goal is to travel the world and fight power monsters. When I was growing up-“

 

Her words would pause for a brief moment- as she slipped away from reality and had a brief flashback to her childhood as an orphan and her training by The Foundation.

 

“Sorry about that. Anyways, when I was a kid, I would hear stories about big and power beasts called Bijuu and only the most skilled shinobi had a change against them. My goal is to track them down and fight Bijuu one day and maybe even become friends with them! In order to do that though I have to be able to get stronger though.”

 

Fu found herself passionately pouring out her dreams to a completele stranger and brought herself back to reality.

 

“You probably think I’m crazy. So why do you want to be a shinobi Minato?”

 

Fu would ask, looking to find out more about her peer.


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Minato would listen to Fu as she explained what had brought her at the Hokage Rock. It seemed that the tanned girl used this spot to check out the view of Konohagakure no Sato after she had a long day of training. It was true that a quick look around should suffice for someone to understand the true beauty of the village in the Land of Fire. With everything that's been going on people often forget to take some time to stand still at little moments like this, where you can take in the mesmerizing surroundings. Soon after she told him why she was here, Fu would ask Minato the same. Why did he come to the Hokage Rock? 

The raven haired Uchiha didn't have to think long before he would come up with an answer. "I still remember the goosebumps I was getting when I first saw the faces of our former leaders. It all happened during one of my missions and is a feeling I will never forget." Minato would think back at the first time he was this close to the faces of the previous Hokage. To be this close to those who served, protected, fought and died for Konohagakure no Sato had left him with a certain pride. Proud of being part of the same village as the men and women who had their faces carved in Hokage Rock. "Seeing them makes me want to work even harder to hopefully achieve the same as they once did." He didn't want to compare himself to them, it was more out of respect for their former leaders.

The conversation then shifted as Fu complimented him on how he took the lead on their mission together with Kaito. "Thank you, that means a lot" he would say as he was rocking an awkward smile. The raven haired Uchiha was glad his peers recognized him and thought higly of him. It would be a sign that he was on the right track. "But it wouldn't have been possible without you and the help of Kaito." He would return the compliment since they completed the mission as a team and teamwork makes the dream work, am I right? "I too look forward to working together with you in the future" he would smile before listening to the rest of Fu's story.

Unexpected and even more so interesting was the moment where Fu shared something about her past when she was a kid. It seemed that the girl had a dream of fighting the powerful beasts also known as Bijuu, hoping to catch and befriend them as well. In order to do so Fu started training in the hope of getting strong enough to challenge the Bijuu one day. "That's quite the ambitous goal you have set for yourself there" he smiled showing he didn't find it crazy. "As for me, it's nothing special. I want to make everyone proud. My family, my clan, my village, everyone. I want people to remember my name when they hear Minato Uchiha." As long as he was able to protect those he cared for or those who needed his protection, the raven haired Uchiha would be glad if he could achieve that. Minato didn't become a shinobi for the fame or the money, he became one so he could use his skills to do good and to fight against those who do bad. "Being the best that I can and protecting those who cannot protect themselves, I'd say that's not a bad place for me to start." He smiled once again, knowing he wasn't going to change the world, but also knowing he would try to change the world of someone else.

(WC: 617, TWC: 988)

Fu listened to Minato’s answers. His responses were much more noble than hers. Fu wanted to get strong for selfish reasons- to pursue her dream of being one of the best swordsmen to ever live and to win the hearts of mystical beasts while Minato simply wanted to fulfill his duty as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and protect those he cared about. Regardless of how different their dreams were, they both found themselves at the same location at the same time- which meant that their widely different paths were destined to meet now and again in the future.

 

“You’re going to be a fine shinobi, Minato.”

 

Fu would say with a warm smile. She could somehow sense that Minato was a truly kind soul and that his intentions were pure.

 

“Did you hear that the village will be hosting the Chuunin exams soon?” Fu would say. “I saw a flyer for it by the training grounds earlier! It’s been a while since the last exams, so it seems like people are excited about it. Are you going to sign up?”

 

What a silly question. Of course, he was going to- especially after what he had just said. Minato did not seem like the kind of shinobi that would turn down the opportunity to shine in front of his village and prove himself.

 

“I wonder what the exams will be like. Either way I know there is going to be some pretty good competition. I know Kaito will join and maybe those other guys I did missions with too! Tanjiro, Okuyama, and Byakura. I’m not sure what all of them are capable of, but I’m excited to test my skills against them.”

 

Fu found herself talking a lot again. For some reason she couldn’t help herself which typical of Fu. “I’ve got an Idea! Let’s promise each other that well train our hardest so when it comes time for the exams, we both make it to Chuunin! Okay?” If Fu was ever going to accomplish her goals, she was going to need to get stronger. She wanted to prove to everyone that even an orphan like her could do great things, but she also understood that it all started with putting the work in. A few more missions and she would have enough money to get a decent sword so she could begin perfecting her craft- until then she would continue to train with the shinobi weapons, she had available to her. So far she had practiced mostly with Kunai and was getting quiet good at using them actually, but she was going to need more than just kunai if she was going to make it to the next level.

 

That reminded her, she didn’t know much about Minato’s style of fighting at all because their last mission together was rather easy and did not require any display of fighting. “So Minato, what’s your fighting style? I like to use swords, even though I don’t have one of my own right now. I’m saving up to get one and if we keep doing more missions, we’ll be able to do higher ranked ones and make even more money! I’m almost halfway to my first sword! Once I get it I’m going to train until my hands bleed!”

 

Fu was almost the most determined and eccentric Genin in the village, coming in second compared to Kaito. In Fu’s eyes she viewed him as her rival because they both enjoyed the use of weapons. There was no way she was going to allow him to get better at weaponry than her.  

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The raven haired Uchiha, a fine shinobi? That certainly was Minato's dream. It was up to him to make that dream come true someday. Of course he was hoping to achieve great things, just like the men and women in front of him on Hokage Rock had done. Minato was aware that he wouldn't be able to reach the same greatness anytime soon but that didn't mean he shouldn't try. Even though there was still a big difference in power between the young Uchiha and the former leaders of Konohagakure no Sato, it didn't stop him from aiming for the top. "Thank you for your kind words, I'm sure you'll turn out to become a great shinobi as well." Things were looking good for his village with people like Fu and many others he had already met.

Fu would then mention the upcoming Chuunin Exams, wondering if Minato would participate. The raven haired boy remembered the last time such exams were held, he was still a student at the Academy and even went to see some of the fights when the event was reaching its final stages. Different from this time was the fact that the previous exams were a joint event together with all of the shinobi villages. Kirigakure, Kumogakure and even Hoshigakure had traveled to Konohagakure to participate in the exams. Unfortunately no one from the Land of Fire shinobi were able to reach far in the exams so it was up to the current Genin to do better. Not that it would be any difficult since the Chuunin Exams this time were Konohagakure no Sato shinobi exclusive.

"Of course, I've already signed up. I'm looking forward to seeing how strong I've become. I only hope I won't disappoint anyone." Minato would give it his all, hoping he wouldn't make a complete fool out of himself. It wouldn't be fitting for a member of the proud Uchiha clan. He had to show he had what it takes to do his clan justice. Just like Minato, Fu was curious about how the exams would be and wanting to test her skills against her peers. "What about you? Are you ready?" He would ask with a gentle smile.

"Hmm, Chuunin? That does sound good." If the raven haired Uchiha was able to reach that rank he could even start thinking about forming his own team and getting his own students. Once he succeeded he could even start working towards his ultimate goal, that of becoming a key player in the Uchiha clan. Or make it as a member of the ANBU, who knows. Either one of them would be amazing, both maybe impossible but dreaming couldn't hurt. "But it's a promise, we'll both train hard to become even stronger than we already are." He smiled, knowing he was going to improve and Fu would as well.

The young girl then asked about Minato's fighting style, an understandable question since there are many styles one could practice in. The raven haired Uchiha would first listen to Fu as she started to explain how she liked to use swords and how she would use all of the money earned on her missions to buy herself her first sword. "Interesting, I'm sure you'll be able to get your sword in no time. I specialise in Ninjutsu myself with Lightning and Water as my elements. Of course I'm always on the lookout to learn other things as well, weaponry and genjutsu for example. I hope to become a versatile fighter one day." They had been talking for quite some time now but he still didn't know a lot about her, so he would try and take a shot at finding out more. "Fu, if you don't mind me asking, where did you grow up?" He was hoping it wasn't a too personal question and one that made her feel uncomfortable.

(WC: 646, TWC: 1634)

“Ninjutsu huh? I’m still learning how to do most basic jutsu. It feels as though I have a long way to go until I’m any good, but I know if I keep trying, I’ll get there in no time. The medical shinobi at the hospital that I helped on one of my missions told me I seem to be pretty good at medical ninjutsu, so I may start there.”

 

Fu was beginning to open up to Minato, more so than she had done with anyone else since joining the academy.

 

 “Weapony and Genjutsu too? Looks like we may be future rivals! I don’t know too much about Genjutsu though so when you learn, you’ll have to tell me more about it.”

 

The conversation would continue, and Minato would eventually ask Fu where she was from. A question that caught her by surprise. Fu did not remember her family or parents for that matter. Fu was an orphan who bounced around from orphanage to orphanage on the out skirts of the Fire nation. She eventually ended up in one near the Leaf Village and was eventually taken in by shinobi forces and trained along with a group of other orphans to be trained informants for a secrete subbranch of the ANBU called “The Foundation”. During her time there she was nothing special. Good enough to get by but didn’t stand out by any means. Some of her peers could perform jutsu relatively well for their age. Fu seemed to get by on her instincts and speed alone.

 

Fu did not respond right away. In fact, she was silent for a while reflecting on her past and trying to remember what it was like. Regardless, the past was the past, and Fu was more interested in cultivating the future she wished for. Forgetting that she had been in a conversation, she would finally respond, giving Minato an answer, although her answer wasn’t entirely the truth.

 

“I’m from around here although my parents aren’t around anymore. I currently live by myself. How about you?”

 

Fu would say, giving him enough to hopefully satisfy his inquiry while moving the conversation along to another subject.

 

“So you’re an Uchiha? I’ve heard stories of your clan. I can’t say I’m apart of any clan or posses anything special, but I’ve heard multiple stories of your clans’ abilities. Some say you guys posses a sort of visual jutsu, although I’ve never seen it myself.”

 

Fu would inquire, while looking into the boy’s eyes. She wondered what she had to hide. To her, they looked normal- although they twinkled with determination to do great things. Fu was unsure how much Minato would indulge her questioning about his clan- although Fu had never belonged to a clan, so she was unsure of the kinds of things that were taboo to ask someone who belonged to one.

 

Fu was kicking her legs back and forth as she sat on the edge of the Hokage’s Rock. She motioned her gaze from Minato’s eyes to the sun which was now beginning to set over the village. It provided a great view which was great for bother admiring and conversing, Fu just hoped she wasn’t asking too many wrong questions.

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Minato listened closely to Fu as the young girl started talking about her own set of skills. She explained how she was still learning how to do most basic jutsu and that she still had a long way to go. It was to be expected, it probably hadn't been that long since the girl had graduated from the Academy and became a genin, so it made sense that she was trying to find her way into the shinobi world. Fu also mentioned that she might have a knack for medical jutsu and explore that path. "You can go in different directions with Medical ninjutsu so it is certainly worth checking out. And for the rest, you don't have to rush anything. One step at a time and I'm sure you'll get to your goals in no time." Minato said with a friendly smile.

Suddenly there was a pause. Fu was taking her time trying to come up with an answer regarding Minato's question about where the young girl was from. Maybe he was right and it was a sensitive subject. Or maybe it was difficult to come up and put it into the right words. Nevertheless Fu was finally able to come up with an answer. The young girl explained that she was currently living all by herself and that her parents weren't around anymore. The raven haired Uchiha could only imagine how that must feel for a girl her age, to have no parents by your side. "I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm sure they would be proud to see how far you have come." Minato said trying to comfort her.

The conversation shifted once more when Fu asked Minato about the Uchiha clan. Of course the young girl had heard stories about them. There were always stories about the Uchiha clan and this time it wouldn't be any different. "Every good story needs a villain" he would answer in a mysterious way. No matter how you looked at it, his clan had been through a lot. People were either for or against the Uchiha, there almost was no way inbetween. The so called Curse of Hatred had played its part in that. "You could say that we are famous for some reasons yes."

One of those reasons was brought up by Fu herself when she mentioned something about a visual jutsu. Although she worded it wrong Minato knew what she was talking about. The Sharingan, the dōjutsu kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan that appears selectively among its members. When the wielder experiences a powerful emotion with regards to a person precious to them, their brain releases a special form of chakra that affects the optic nerves, transforming the eyes into Sharingan, for that reason the Sharingan is described as an eye that reflects the heart. 

"We do have something like that" he would say as he activated his Sharingan. His normal dark eyes suddenly changed to a beautiful red, representing the famous kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan. If Fu were to look into his eyes she would notice the change in his eyes. Soon after activating his Sharingan the raven haired Uchiha would follow Fu's example of looking over the village. "A clan is more than just some group of people. To me it's more like a family where everyone cares for one another and looks out for each other. I'm proud to be part of the Uchiha clan." It was clear that the raven haired boy was filled with pride when he was talking about his clan. Minato hoped Fu would be able to understand what he meant. 

(WC: 604, TWC: 2238)

Minato offered some very valid points that made her think. Medical ninjutsu could be used in a multitude of ways- ways which she would need to explore to tailor to her own specific fighting style. He was right, she would need to continue to take things one step at a time.

Minato would proceed to providing Fu with some comforting words before delving into the questions Fu had presented about his clan. While looking into his eyes, he would activate his sharingan, his pupils shifting and taking on a new form of their own.

So, this was the Uchiha clans famous dojutsu, she thought to herself. For a moment she found herself lost in his eyes, but quickly snapped back to reality. His eyes were a reminder to her that she had no real talent, something that bothered her, but she made sure not to show it. Instead she decided that she would train harder so that she could make up for her lack of talent.

“Well Minato, it’s been nice talking to you, but I really need to get back to training, unless you want to join me?” Fu would extend the invite in the spirit of playful competition she would tag the boys shoulder with her right hand before jumping up and disappearing in ablur of speed, a speed that was probably recognizable to the eye of an Uchiha. Fu would travel to the training grounds and wait for Minato to see if he would show up. She secretly hoped he would because she was in need of some training with someone else. Since she joined the shinobi academy, she had trained mostly alone and could use the pressure of another to push her.

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The conversation between the two of them had reached an impasse as they had been sitting atop the Hokage Rock for quite some time, so Minato was relieved that Fu was the first to get up and potentially bring an end to their sitting around. As the young girl was standing up she mentioned something about getting back to her training, which made sense with the upcoming Chuunin Exams. There was no point in wasting time laying around doing nothing when each day they were getting closer and closer to an important event. The raven haired Uchiha felt the same way so he was happy that Fu asked him to join her for some training. 

Right when she jumped up Fu would disappear in a blur of speed, with his Sharingan still active Minato had no problem figuring out towards where she was headed. The raven haired Uchiha didn't plan on staying behind so he decided to get up as well and head to the direction Fu was running to. Mere moments after the young girl had arrived, Minato found his way at the Training Grounds as well. It seemed that he was correct in assuming this was where Fu was heading to. 

"It looks like we almost have the place all to ourselves." Normally the place was swarmed by other people training or just hanging around but this time it seemed there were only a few others. Not that he would mind, Minato actually preferred it that way. It was easier to focus when there weren't too much people around. And now that they had the Training Grounds to themselves they would have enough room to train to their heart's content. "So, what did you have in mind?" Now that they were at the Training Grounds it wouldn't hurt helping each other train or improve. 

(WC: 306, TWC: 2544)