"Pardon?" Soseki interrupted, a pure look of bafflement on his face. "You talk like you knew my dad personally. So how could you not know his name?" The orphan stammered
"Your father was sort of a local legend, I'd say. He was one of those guys you would always hear about. All of my information is second hand. I rarely frequented pubs, just things you hear working with so many people" she waved her hand, as if swatting the topic away.
'Talk about a let down, this lady is a total let down. To think someone with that much information does not even know the person's name.' As Soseki was thinking, the Head Matron's expression slightly grew uncomfortable whether it was the silence, or the lack of information Soseki could not tell.
"Soseki," she said, breaking the silence, "do you want to become a Shinobi?"
For the second time today Soseki was shaking, "Shinobi" For some odd reason the word felt foreign on his tongue.
'Is this her asking?... Do I even have a say in this?!' His mind raced, heart accelerating every passing second. 'This world.. Is not forgiving.. Child soldiers, death, PTSD. Having to kill. Harboring the weight of taking a life.'
His breathing started to become unsteady 'A life pledged to a leader. Every mission could be your last.' he looked down at his small trembling hands.
'But the power that can be gained, power that allows you to travel the world. Power that allows one to spread their wings and soar' His mind wandered back, to his small cramped shed where his life was taken without his consent.
'Power of chakra, the very energy that allows me to protect myself… The only way I can get answers is strength, come to think of it there are too many powerful individuals in this world, Pain, Madara… Kaguya. Gods among men, power not to be rivaled with regular people. I can not stand by and allow my life to be dictated by those who have power'
He calmed himself, the frantic energy crystallizing into a cold, hard knot of resolve in his stomach. looked the Matron in the eyes, "Yes. I want to become a Shinobi."
Soseki walked out the office and found himself back in the same cool, dim, unsettlingly familial hall. The large box pressed against his chest, holding it tight as if it will run away if he loosens his grip. The conversation he had with the Matron felt surreal, a blur of worlds and a lot of words left unspoken and questions unasked. The knot of resolve in his gut, loosening with every stop.
'This was the correct decision. I made the right call.' he muttered affirmations to himself. Testing every assimilation of words till he found the right one. 'I. Am. Right.' he lingered on those few words, then continued in his mind.
'I. Am. Right.. I. Am. Right.. I. Am. Right.' he chanted like a mantra, all the way back to his sleeping quarters where he lifted the box to the top bunk of his bed, his person following after.
Laying on his bed knowing after that talk, his life will never be the same.
He cleared his mind, sat upright and opened the box. Peering inside he saw an assortment of books, brushes, paper ink, tags, and scrolls.
Gently emptying the box he saw a single piece of notepaper read, "Things aren't always what they seem, little mouse... In time, you may pretend to be one of us, use abilities inherent to my kind... And you may do with these as you please, but are you prepared to pay the toll?"
He read the letter once, then again, and a third time. Finally, he gave up and stuffed it under his bed.
'I'm not in the mental head space to decipher that right now, he looks at the numerous materials now scattered all over his bed. 5 books, Fuinjutsu for beginners, The Sealer's Toolkit, Kanji and Calligraphy, How to Weaponize Fuinjutsu, and lastly How To Make Friends.
'That last one is quite odd. Did she think I'd need help in that department?' The irony was so thick he could taste it.
He found personal written notes, ideas, and processes on fuinjutsu by Yoihoshi Horodori. Soseki's mind began to try to place where he'd heard that name.
'Hold on a minute' He unknowingly slapped his hand on his forehead 'Horodori… that's my last name. So it's safe to assume that's my mothers name'
He puts the notes aside, and continues to sort out his weird collection of items.
2 bottles of ink. one nearly full, the other slightly used . 20 blank paper tags. 10 scrolls, their contents empty. 3 different brushes, none seem to be very distinct from the other.
And lastly 2 scrolls with instructions on them.
'Welp guessed my parents did not leave me to rot. That's very reassuring' his tone dripping with sarcasm
He neatly stashed everything back in the box, leaving only the "Fuinjutsu for Beginners" book in his hand, where he started reading.
"Welcome, aspiring scholar of the hidden arts.
You hold in your hands not merely a book, but a key. A key to one of the most complex, powerful, and misunderstood disciplines in the shinobi world: Fuinjutsu, the Art of Sealing.
To the uneducated, a seal is just a pattern of ink on paper. They see an explosive tag ignite or a storage scroll open and think only of the effect, not the profound architecture behind it. They fail to understand that Fuinjutsu is not simply painting, it is programming. It is the act of writing a law of reality into existence using chakra as your language and will as your compiler."
'This I already knew, I was always interested in this art,' he mused, 'one of the most underused arts, but later crucial in the fourth great war. I wouldn't mind following in my mothers footsteps, having everything laid out for me this nicely, I would be playing a fool's game to ignore it all.'
His steps slowed, 'though it has a very steep learning curve.. Not everyone can learn fuinjutsu.'
"Yo, whatcha got there?" a voice brought him out of his pondering
He looked up, his eyes meeting those of the person he'd come to think of as a friend.
"Oh Arashi, what's up, where've you bee-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Arashi clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with alarm as he stared at something behind Soseki.
"That's a wonderful question Soseki.. Where have you been Arashi?" A feminine voice spoke out.
"Oyari-san?" Soseki turned his head to look at the young matron.
"Oh crap" Arashi mumbled, turning around and dashing out the other way he came. As he was running he yelled, "NICE CHAT SOSEKI, I THINK I JUST HEARD YAMORI YELL FOR MY HELP HEHE," before he left from the entrance he added "Meet me at the training ground"
Soseki looked on in bewilderment and a hint of amusement, "That Arashi.. He is always running off somewhere without telling me.
"Anywho," the woman chirped, shifting moods. "Happy Birthday Soseki! I'll be over helping the others get you all's lunch ready. If you need anything just give me a shout okayyy?"
She dragged the 'y' for added effect and walked down the hall to the eating quarter to get the food ready.
"How.. bizarre," he muttered to himself.