RLN: This chapter wasn’t as eventful as I was hoping, but that might be the way the next few chapters are going to be.

Anyways, I have all the plotlines for all of the FG heroes figured out, from beginning to end. But I’m not giving anything away!

So anyways, here’s the new FG chapter.

Future Geniuses

Part 6: Rock Gai

I always sort of wondered how I’d die.

After all, when you’re a ninja and you’re putting your life on the line on every mission, there are hundreds of ways you can die. It’s normal for a shinobi to wonder how it’s all going to end because ‘dying of old age’ isn’t always how it works out for a ninja. Countless of ninja die on missions—that’s how our world works.

I’ve thought of many ways I’d die—but dying by the hands of my father wasn’t always what I’d imagined…

Well, not always, anyways. I mean the thought never crossed my mind recently, until now, that is.

“Oi! Gai!”

I wasn’t able to look over my shoulder to see who was talking to me—after all, there was a giant weight strapped onto my back.

Well, that and the fact that I had been blindfolded and had been instructed to take my weight up a trail that decided to go up and down hills.

I didn’t need to look to see who it was anyways. It was Toyo, my younger brother, who also shared my father and my father’s teacher’s enthusiasm and obedience.

It was quite annoying, actually.

“What?” I asked, exasperated. I had given up on tact long ago.

“You’re not hauling that right! It’s okay to bend your knees, but you can’t slouch!” he protested, his voice almost sounding whiney.

I growled. “I’ll go through hell and back before I start taking orders from a brat like you!”

“I’m not a brat!”

“Toyo, Gai…” I heard a meek voice from behind. It was Kameko, my sister. “We should be focusing on finishing, not arguing…”

“But he’s not doing it right!” Toyo exclaimed.

“Shut up!” I snapped. “You guys don’t realize how hard it is! You guys are doing something easy! I have to go up a friggin’ hill with this stupid weight while blindfolded! Do you guys even realize that I can kill myself doing this?”

“Well,” Kameko said quietly. “Dad is being a little extreme, but…”

“’A little’?” I echoed, erupting. “He’s trying to kill me! And I swear—if I get called ‘Junior’ one more time, I’ll—“

“Gai, calm down…”

“Why should I? You guys are seriously underestimating the training that dad dumped on me—all you have to do is bring up buckets of water!”

“You had to do that too when you were our age,” Toyo said. “And you didn’t have the passion or the strength to do it, that’s why you quit!”

I gritted my teeth. “Kameko! Hit Toyo for me!” I ordered.

“Gai…” I heard Kameko sigh.

I tried to look in the direction where I imagined Toyo might be.

“Once I can see again, you’re dead.”

“I’m over here, stupid.”

“Dead!” I repeated, before marching up the hill.

“You’re straying off the trail!”

I froze.

“Shut up!” I snapped. I started heading in the other direction anyways.

I heard Kameko sigh again, and soon, I heard them both trotting after me.

“What kind of sane man does this to his children?” I muttered, to no one in particular. Then a thought hit me. Oh yeah, he’s not sane. He’s a fucking lunatic.

“Gai! If you don’t hurry up, we’re not going to make it in time!” I heard Toyo complain.

I frowned. “In time for what?”

“He means it’s nearing sunset,” Kameko explained.

It took me a brief moment to let that sink into my mind.

“What?!” I cried. I reached up and began to untie my blindfold.

“Gai!” I heard Toyo scream angrily. “Dad specifically said you shouldn’t—“

“Shut up, Toyo!” I snapped. “I’m only taking it off for a second! Dad’s never going to find out!”

To my surprise, Toyo did not respond. For a moment, it surprised me, but I continued to untie my blindfold nonetheless. I removed the cloth.

The moment I could see again, I found myself face to face with someone familiar…

“Shame on you, Junior!”

…Nonetheless, I was surprised.

“What the hell?!”

I walked a few steps back away from my father’s teacher to make some distance between us. When I had taken off my blindfold, he was right in my face. It was creepy.

“When we you finish your task, I suppose me and your father will have to think of something to make up for your rule-breaking! I know! How about you do a hundred laps or skipping around the village to make up for it?” he suggested.

I glared at him. “I wouldn’t skip around a bush if you made me.”

Kameko blinked. “Isn’t that an oxymoron?” she murmured to no one in particular.

No one really paid attention to her statement. Then ‘GOOD OL’ SENIOR GAI’ started to suggest a million other cruel punishments. I wasn’t about to do any of them. I didn’t even want to finish this task (nevertheless, I had sighed heavily and put my stupid blindfold on).

I wasn’t paying attention to Gai, who was running circles around us while throwing out more suggestions.

I heard someone whisper, “See! I told you not to take it off!”

“Shut up, Toyo.”

It was a long day.

I finished going up hills with a giant weight strapped to my back while blindfolded and after I finished taking it back home (which was my consequence for taking off the blindfold), I flopped onto my couch in the living room and prepared to take a nap.

I had just relaxed my self when suddenly; a loud pounding came from the front door.

I would’ve groaned but I probably would’ve broken a muscle if I did, so obviously, I chose to keep my groans to myself.

After I dragged myself to the front door in a posture that was similar to an old man with back problems and arthritis, I opened the door and found myself face to face with Chido.

I was about to tell him to go away (Chido had the energy of a jackrabbit and at the moment I didn’t have the energy for a dead snail), but he decided to invite himself right into my house.

“’Sup, Gai.”

I pushed the door shut, and could’ve sworn my back screamed as I did so.

He turned around to look at me.

There he was—standing there with a big, stupid grin on his face…

…And here I was—looking as if Haruko was given a choice and decided to date a 50-year-old homeless person instead of me.

I noticed him staring at me, with an expression that was a crossover between confusion and disgust.

“What?” I asked icily.

He snapped out of it. “Huh? Oh nothing, it’s just…” he trailed off, trying to think of an excuse. “…Uhm, you look good!”

Did his eye just twitch? Oh well, it didn’t matter, he could’ve been the best actor in the world and I still would’ve been able to tell he was lying.

“Cut the crap. I know I look like shit.”

“Then maybe you should fix yourself up?” Chido suggested slowly.

I gave him a glare that would’ve made Hyuuga members cry like little children.

“I was going to take a nap.”

“Oh come on, Gai,” Chido protested. “Ever since you started picking up your training with your dad, you’ve had no energy to do anything. That’s boring.”

“Shouldn’t you be training?” It sort of irritated me—it was his idea to start this whole rivalry thing, and I was breaking bones while he still had energy to run around Konoha like his pants were set on fire.

“For your information, I have been,” said Chido flatly. I looked at him skeptically. “In fact, I’ve already developed three new ideas for my elemental tags.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Just ideas?” I said dryly.

Chido coughed. “Well, yes, they’re just ideas at the moment… I’ve been trying to make them, but I just ended up setting my pants on fire…”

I blinked twice, never realizing my simile was actually based off a true event.

I got back on the original topic. “Well, anyways, I don’t have the energy to go anywhere right now.”

Chido thought for a moment. Then his face lit up as he came up with an idea.

“How about we go to some hot springs? That’ll relax you!”

I glared at him. “Chido, you know I hate going to the hot springs.”

Chido raised an eyebrow. “I do?”

“Yes, you do know,” I said with a sigh. “Because the only one we can afford to go is the public one—you know, the ones where there’s a bunch of people you don’t know sharing the springs with you…”

“So? What’s wrong with that? It’s not like you have to talk to them.”

My eyes narrowed. “I don’t exactly get off on watching a bunch of naked, wet, old guys running around in towels…”

“You’re being overdramatic. If they were naked, they wouldn’t have towels! That’s an oxymoron, idiot!”

I seethed.

“That’s true but they have springs you can reserve for private parties!”

I frowned. “Chido, don’t you think it would be awfully suspicious if two guys—especially if those two seemed really close—reserved a private hot spring for just them alone?”

He blinked twice. “What do you mean?”

I stared at him incredulously. I sighed and shook my head. There was no hope for him. “Chido, if you’re at some bar and some guy asks you if you want to come to his apartment and have coffee, do not say yes,” I warned.

Chido laughed. “Duh, Gai, I know that! Don’t be stupid! If I was at a bar, there would be plenty of drinks and I wouldn’t be thirsty enough to have coffee!”

He then continued laughing as if I was an idiot. As he laughed, I made a mental note to never let Chido go to a bar alone once we were old enough to drink.

“Anyways, what does that have to do with the subject?”

“I just don’t want to go anywhere…I have no energy at all.”

He sighed. “Fine, be that way.” I rolled my eyes. “It seems like these exams are going to be crazy.”

I wasn’t sure if he meant they were crazy because of the actual test or because of the training we were doing to get into the exams.

“Well, yeah,” I said. I decided to answer both questions into one, “It takes a lot to pass the test in order to get into the actual exams.”

“We’re going to go into it together, though,” he said, grinning. “And we’re going to pass.”

I smiled, but deep down I was skeptical. Even rookie Jounin seemed leagues ahead of us.

“Well, we’re going to have to do something eventually. This training’s driving us crazy…”

He had no idea.

“…but we’ll save that for another time. See ya, Gai,” Chido said, before heading out the door.

Now it was time for my nap. I headed over to the couch and plopped myself onto it. I glanced at the door warily before closing my eyes. It wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

When I had woken up, I felt groggy, which was always how I felt after I fell asleep before it was nighttime.

Shortly after I had woken up, my dad entered the house.

Perfect timing, I thought to myself bitterly.

My dad, brother and sister all came into the house.

“Hello, Gai!” my father said, practically prancing into the living room where I was resting.

I saw my brother head up the steps and my sister head into the kitchen.

Crap. I was trapped.

“Hi Dad,” I said. “Have you checked in on mom at work at all?”

Although that was an excuse to talk about something other than training (which I was pretty sure he was going to bring up), I also genuinely wondered where she was. I needed to talk to her about the Jounin exams. Besides, he said he was going to see her. That’s why he, Kameko and Toyo didn’t come home right away.

My mother was a ninja and, even though she was blind, she was a good asset to missions. However, she did most of her work by helping with exams like the Chuunin exams, Jounin exams and even ANBU. She was capable of being on missions, but she wanted to stay near home for Toyo and Kameko, since my dad was already a Jounin and went on missions.

“As a matter of fact, yes, we did!” he exclaimed enthusiastically. “We stayed there for awhile, and then Toyo and Kameko came with me as we did some errands. What did you do?”

“I slept.”

He looked on, urging me to keep going on.

“…And that’s it,” I said bluntly.

“Oh.” He seemed disappointed with my lack of story-telling. But honestly—what was he expecting from me? What stories could I have possibly told him? I was only asleep for a couple of hours—not even.

I waited for him to leave, but he just sat there. I raised an eyebrow.

“Uhm, is there anything you want to say to me Dad?” I asked.

“No.”

I waited for him to leave.

An awkward silence filled the air.

He coughed. “Uhm, I’m going to go upstairs right now…”

He headed for the stairs. I sighed heavily. Shortly after my dad was out of sight, Kameko entered the room.

“Hey Gai.”

“Hey Kameko,” I replied rather unenthusiastically.

She sat on the arm of the couch. “Did you fall asleep or something?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Can you blame me?”

She smiled sheepishly. “Uhm, no… I guess not,” she replied. She changed the subject. “The festival’s coming up.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Well… what are you planning on doing?”

“If dad keeps pushing me like this in training, I’ll probably be spending the free day writing my will. What are you doing?”

“Nothing much,” she said as she began to think about it. “I think my friends and I are just going to run around the festival.”

Her words put a strange yet hilarious mental image through my mind.

“Aren’t you going to spend the day with your friends?”

I was snapped out of my thoughts. “Huh? Oh, uhm, I dunno… I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

She frowned. “You have to see the fireworks at least.”

“Maybe.”

The thrill of festivals—especially the Summer Festival—seemed to have died out on me as I got older. I suppose it was only a matter of time before I realized it was the same thing each year. What happens is that you travel out into the streets and then suddenly holiday drunks start flying out of the bushes and relatives would crowd around you, poking into your personal life.

“Get a girlfriend already!” My great-aunt would always say.

Uhm, yeah, why haven’t I thought of that before? I’d ask myself sarcastically every time she told me that.

“I don’t think I’m going to do anything for the festival.”

Kameko shrugged and decided not to push the issue any further. She got up and left.

I thought for a moment. Once the festival came around, the chuunin exams would follow, then the Jounin exams… I had plenty of time, but when I thought about it that way, it seemed closer than it actually was.

I instantly regretted thinking about it because I was filled with worries. Very few people reached Jounin rank and I wasn’t all that great of a ninja. In fact, when I was in the academy, my rank was very low.

“When’s Mom going to come home?” I asked her.

“I don’t remember her saying anything, but she’s probably not going to come home until later tonight.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

I returned the look. “Does it matter?”

“Sorry… I guess not.”

“Don’t apologize…” I was starting to get annoyed with her apologizing habit.

“I’m going upstairs,” she announced when she realized there was nothing left to talk about. She headed towards the staircase. I heard her footsteps go up the stairs and move around the upper level.

The rest of the day just dragged on as I waited for my mother to come home. I did everything I could to past time. I even played cards. When she finally opened the front door, I practically ambushed her.

She smiled. “Hello Gai.”

People were always surprised that my mother was able to tell who was who since she was blind. I never understood why. All she did was sense the person’s chakra. Even people who can see are able to do that—it wasn’t any different.

She shut the door behind her and slipped out of her shoes.

“Where are my slippers?”

I looked around the room.

“I have no idea. Upstairs?”

She frowned. “I guess so…” She shrugged. “Oh well.”

“Mom,” I said. I followed her into the kitchen.

“What is it?” she asked as she groped around the room in search of the table. When she reached the dining table, she grabbed a chair and sat down. I sat down next to her.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about the Jounin exams…”

“Are you planning on entering?”

I couldn’t help but be taken back by her surprised tone.

“Well, yeah… is something wrong?”

She frowned. “Well, no, but… do you think you’re ready?”

“No, not yet,” I admitted. “But I will be.”

“Gai, maybe you should think carefully about entering. A lot of strong ninja aren’t accepted. You can’t expect to cram in a bunch of training at the last second,” she said. “I’m not saying I won’t support you, I’m just saying I want you to think carefully about it…”

“Well, yeah,” I said. “I understand.”

Even though I did understand, I couldn’t help but feel hurt by her lack of enthusiasm. I knew she was trying to be realistic, but I still couldn’t help but feel let down.

But I suppose if she was super-enthusiastic, she’d be the same as my father, and I didn’t need that.

“I need your help, though,” I said. “I was kind of wondering if you could help me prepare…”

“I thought you were training with your father again…”

“I am and I’m going to keep training. I just want to know what I need to prepare for.”

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to tell you that.” She looked a bit concerned.

Honestly, the answer was pretty disappointing. After waiting all day for her to come home, I half-expected her to dish out all the details to the exams.

“All I can tell you is that if you pass the entrance exams, you might have a good shot.”

I looked at her hopefully.

“But again—I said if you pass the entrance exams…”

I looked at her inconsolably.

“Well, anyways, while we’re on the subject of training… how are things going?”

I groaned loudly. She smiled.

“Is it really that terrible?”

“Even when I don’t have Dad and his teacher watching my every move, Toyo’s there to supervise.”

She laughed, her voice ringing throughout the room.

“It is just like Toyo to do that. He’s always your father’s little helper and follower.”

“Not to mention a pain in the ass.”

She sat there, a flat expression on her face.

“I mean… he’s too… enthusiastic.”

She seemed (just barely) satisfied with my new choice of words.

“Well, I know that things can be frustrating,” she said, shrugging. “But that’s life. It’s better to be calm and relaxed about these things.”

I almost banged my head on the kitchen table.

I didn’t understand why adults were so insistent on giving the same lectures over and over again. Even the biggest idiot of Konoha (somehow, a mental image of Chido flashed through my mind) could tell it was pretty obvious to stick through training—even if it was hard.

Had I been asked at the time, I’d probably say that yes—I had lost all hope in my mother. Out of all the people who thought I needed to be told that I needed to suck it up—which I was pretty sure I didn’t—I never expected one of those people to be my mother.

True, losing faith in one’s mother seemed wrong, but if she had lost hope for you, it was basically just getting even.

So instead of pounding my head repeatedly on the table, I just told her that I agreed with her and that I’d try harder.

It’s disappointing when you’re working your butt off and all you get in return is the title ‘lazy’.

Before I knew it, I was beginning to doubt myself. I pledged to myself that I’d try out for the Jounin exams, but now it seemed like I was biting off more than I could chew.

All I could do was keep trying and hope for some type of miracle.

End of Chapter

RLN: This chapter sucked ass. Especially the ending, not to mention I didn’t reread the chapter…

I finally update after months and it sucks.

Ah well. It’s better than nothing. I was hit with this giant writer’s block and at this point, I just needed to update. I had no material for Gai’s chapter this time around, so this chapter was just a basic update so I could get a move on.

Ah well. I already did a plotline for all three main characters, so I know where I’m going with this story. This chapter contributed little to the plot. But unfortunately, due to the way I decided to write this story, doing a chapter that doesn’t contribute to the plot makes the story move forward.

I feel like shit for doing it, but again… it was better than nothing.

Maybe the next update will be faster, hopefully.

Anyways, in case you guys didn’t know, I’ll be distracted lately due to work on my original stories. I’ve spammed about it in all of my blogs and on my profile. I’d appreciate some support on my original stories, so if you want details, check out my profile.

And yes, I totally went there and advertised.