The funeral took place the next day. She couldn’t believe it! Don, her best friend, her brother was gone.
As they buried the coffin, tear fell down Chero’s face as she held onto all she had left of him. She was dressed in black, her hair down and wearing the locket, that she clutched so tightly.
Inside the locket she placed a picture of Don on the left side and a picture of her mother on the right.
As the funeral ended Chero stood rooted to one spot as people passed her giving their condolences.
She waited until everyone, including her father, left before she collapsed and sobbed.
“Don....”
She then remembered the song, so she started to sing,
“The sun was shining down on me when I was given you
I swore I'd always be there
to help you thick and through
You are my sister
my best friend forever
Though I might not always be here
to show you all my love
I promise I'll be watching and helping from above
I am your brother
your friend and protector.”
“Don’t worry Don, I will avenge your death! I will get strong and defeat Sasuke Uchiha!”
She stood up and brushed off her black dress. She pulled on her head band and tied it tight. She looked at her watch. 4:15.......4:15! She was late!
She whipped the tears out of her eyes and ran to the academy. She burst through the doors causing everyone to look at her.
“Sorry I’m late.” she told the teacher.
“It’s fine, actually I was just about to start.”
Chero nodded and headed to an empty seat. Everyone was staring at her and
whispering as she sat down.
“I heard her brother was murdered!”
“No way! He killed himself!”
“Well, my dad told me that his teammates left him to die.”
Chero took a deep breath, stood up and said, “ My brother, Don, was killed in battle, fighting the leader of the Sound village. He fought hard and well, dying honorably!”
She sat back down, glaring at everyone.
The teacher stood up clearing his throat, holding a list.
“This list holds the names of you and your new teammates. After today you will train with them and go on missions together. You will over come many challenges and bond, becoming a family. Team 1 will consist of Chero Aoyama,
Michi, and Koichi Fukunaga.”
Chero glanced over at her teammates. They were twins, both had black spiky hair, blue eyes and both were very tan. One was dressed in a blue t-shirt and tan shorts with his head band ties around his wrist. The other one was dressed in a green jacket with yellow accents. He wore dark green pants and his head band was across his forehead. They smiled at her. She forced a smile back. The pair looked very excited, which was understandable. Chero graduated at the top of her class and even though Chero personally didn’t think so, Chero was considered one of the prettiest girls in her class as well.
The twins walked over to her as the teacher announced more teams.
“Hi! I’m Michi!” the one in blue said.
“I’m Koichi.” the one in green said.
“Chero,” she said holding out her hand.
They each took a turn shaking her hand.
“So, Michi is blue and Koichi is green....I’ll have to remember that...” she thought.
Chero smiled.
After all the teams were announced each was told where to meet their sensei. Team 1 was told to stay there.
They sat and waited for their teacher to arrive.
“So, Michichi, Koichichi....What’s your favorite jutsu?” Chero asked trying to break the silence.
“Michichi?”
“Koichichi?”
They looked at each other and shrugged.
“Well, I like transformation jutsu. You can turn into anyone or anything!” Michi said.
“I prefer any type of genjutsu. Messing with the mind is so much easier than
having to physically fight someone.”
“What about you Chero?” Michi asked.
“Me? Well, I guess you could say I’ve always had a fascination with medical jutsu.”
“Do you know any?” Koichi asked.
“Well-”
“You must be my new students.” ???? said.
They turned to see a man with short messy blonde hair, a grass village head band across his forehead. He had hazel eyes and wore a navy blue jonin vest over his grey long sleeved shirt. He wore black pants and gloves with open fingers. He was sitting int the window in a relaxed like manner.
“I’m Etsuo Shiro, your new teacher.”
He grinned showing his bright white teeth.
“I”m Chero, Chero Aoyama.” Chero said bowing covering her face with her hair.
She could feel herself blushing. Her new teacher was cute.
“I’m Michi Fukunaga.”
“I’m his twin brother Koichi Fukunaga.”
Michi and Koichi both bowed.
Etsuo looked over at Chero.
“Chero right?”
She brushed her hair out of her face and nodded.
“I knew your brother. We were friends, he was a great guy. I’m sorry to hear about what happened.....”
“Thanks...”
After they talked more Etsuo-sensei told them to meet him bright and early the next day to train. He dismissed them and as they left he stopped Chero.
“Chero, wait.”
“What is it Etsuo-sensei?”
“I want you to know, that revenge is not the answer. You shouldn’t harbor your hatred only to avenge Don’s death. He wouldn’t want you to waste your life on such a horrid idea. Revenge is a horrible thing.”
Chero paused. Etsuo-sensei was smart, he knew exactly what she was planning. She smiled.
“I know that. Thanks for your concern, but I think I can handle my own problems.”
“Just think about what I said ok?”
“Ok.”
Chero bid him goodbye and headed towards home.
Before heading home she decided to stop by the library to see if she could find about on the Sound Village.
She walked up to Miss. Ishida and asked, “ Do you have any books on the Sound Village?”
“Yes, we do in the history section.... But Chero-san, that section of the library is closed.”
“Why?”
“ Yashamura-dono asked me to block off that section for him and his advisors.”
Yashamura was the current leader of the Grass Village and whatever he says goes.
“Please let me go back there. I’ll only be a minute! I really need this book.”
Miss. Ishida sighed, she really cared about Chero and wanted to let her go in.
“Alright, but be quick!”
“I will! Thanks!”
Chero smiled and this made Miss. Ishida smile, because this was the first time she had seen Chero smile since the news that Don was dead reach them.
Chero rounded the corner and sighed. It was going to get tiresome faking a smile all the time. She rushed over to the more current history. She wrapped her hand around the book labeled, “The History of the Sound Village”. She froze as she heard someone heading in her direction. She was not supposed to be back there and to make matters worse it was Yashamura and his advisors! A short bald man surrounded by a bunch of other people where heading her way.
“It’s a shame we lost Don. He was a great shinobi.” the leader said sighing, “It’s a shame that Todo begged me to send the boy on the mission. I
told him that Don was not ready for it, but he insisted.”
“Todo did that? To his own son?!”
“Yes....He told me he thought Don could handle it and would gain experience, but I think he just wanted the glory if Don were to succeed.”
“It was father’s fault Don was sent on that mission?!” Chero’s mind screamed.
She grabbed the book from the shelf and hurried to Miss. Ishida. She tired to prevent her self from crying.
“Are you ok?” Miss. Ishida asked.
“Yeah.... I was just thinking about Don....”
Which was true. The book was checked out and carried home.
She stood outside her house door gaining back her composure before entering. She headed straight for her room and didn’t come out until the next day for training.
She arrived early at the training grounds and waited for her team. Today she was dressed in light blue. Don told her she looked good in light blue...
“Hey Chero!” Michi cried out running over to greet his teammate.
“Hey.” Koichi greeted walking after his brother.
“Good afternoon Michichi, Koichichi.” she said with a smile.
“So everyone is here? Good. Let’s get started. I want to see what you know.” Etsuo said appearing out of nowhere.
“So cool!” Michi admired.
Each nin went through the basic jutsu that they had learned in the academy. Then it was time to show their strong points.
Michi was up first he closed his eyes and did a single hand sign and made three clones. Then he did a different sign and the clones turned into perfect copies of his teammates. The clones vanished and Michi went back to normal.
His team clapped.
“Very nice transformations Michichi.” Etsuo said picking up Chero’s nickname for the boy.
“Thanks. Transformations are my specialties.”
Next it was Koichi’s turn. He closed his eyes and did rapid hand signs. A black shadow surrounded Koichi and swallowed him up causing him to disappear. Chero gasped and Michi sighed.
“Not again......” he groaned.
Etsuo did a hand sign and said, “Kai Release.”
Chero closed her eyes and opened them. Koichi was back, only he was right behind Michi holding a kunai to his throat.
“He always does that!” Michi complained.
“Genjutsu. Nice job Koichichi.” Etsuo complimented.
“I guess it’s my turn.” Chero said grinning slightly.
She pulled out a kunai and cut her left wrist.
Koichi and Michi gasped. Etsuo looked concerned.
Chero grinned. She send chakara to her right hand, surrounding it with blue chakara. She held her right hand to her left wrist and healed the cut. She then reshaped the chakara and bent over, gliding her hand across the long grass cutting it short. She stopped the flow of chakara and turned to face her team.
“Wow.... Chero that was-” Koichi started to say.
“Amazing! Wow! You’re sooo good!” Michi said dazzled.
“That was great, Chero. How’d you learn that?” Etsuo asked.
“I spent a lot of time at the library.”
“You taught you self?” he questioned, his eyes wide.
“Um... yeah.”
After they got over the shock of Chero’s vast knowledge of medical jutsu they started to work on some basic chakara control techniques. They worked on these techniques and small missions everyday for the next couple of weeks.
“See you later!” Chero called waving goodbye to her team.
Chero sighed. It was hard keeping up the ruse in front of her teammates. She acted happy and smiled a lot in front of them, so they wouldn’t worry.
