Mages and ninja - The Story Of Three Legends

Training and old faces(12)

The first year of the Academy had ended and Zero was in the middle of the 'vacation', at least until the next year of the Academy started which wasn't but a few short weeks away. She's happy despite the 'enemies' she's made out of the girls and civilians in her class and then some more .It hadn't been long since the Academy was let out and Zero was planning in advancing in leaps and bounds. She didn't want to get complacent despite her ranking .She had already started her attempts on the techniques she had planned out. So far, her attempts at lava and ice release had been more successeful than the Mystical Palm Technique and Hiraishin . So here she is, as usual, training.She turned and faced her small army of clones.

They stood in perfectly straight rows, hands held loosely at their sides."Alright everyone!" She said gaining many small smiles from her clones. "I want twenty catching the fish necessary for this exercise. Once completed, I want half of you working to heal or 'revive' the fish. The other half will be working to analyze the effects of the different variations of chakra and chakra control! Dispel once your mission is accomplished!" Zero ordered, hands on her hips and eyes bright. "Understood"they answered in unisol.

It wasn't long until the assigned missions were well underway. It was a fascinating sight to Zero, seeing her clones working so fluidly with each other. Maybe it was because they were all clones, she wasn't sure, but she appreciated it. She knew that in the future, she was going to be spamming clones left and right, utilizing it for training and learning alike. It wasn't until hours later when night fell that her clones first began to dispel. She received information about chakra control, all from different view points and observances. She noted that a common thought was the importance of it. Other dispelled clones showed her why. It seemed that when one sent too much chakra into a being, the user could overload the chakra system, leading to burns in chakra pathways as well as disruptions that caused ill effects. Regarding the fish, not many of her clones made much progress but it was something that she had expected. Zero debated which justu she should learn next. It was amazing the amount of information you could get from the library, hell even from careful observation alone! She debated the merits and usefulness of many jutsu. It was hard to choose just a few as Zero had a plethora she had in mind but her clones helped her decide.She also did her usual exercises for strength, speed, skill, endurance and stamina except she did them at a level that would seriously challenge her. Anything less wouldn't garner her any results. Zero make her way through the crowds of people in the market that were making their own shopping rounds just like her. She needed to buy more groceries as she had begun to run low. Not to mention she needed new weapons as the previous ones that she had had all been worn down from... excessive use and rough treatment. She was slightly embarrassed to admit that she could have treated her weapons better and that she had gotten carried away... just a bit.Zero wandered the streets with her bag in hand eyes wandered from stall to stall, from store to store, trying to see if anything would catch her attention. Soon enough however she was drifting through store to store, buying the necessary items that she needed. It didn't take long for her to begin making her way home.
She bounded her way up the stairs of her apartment building, each step echoing almost hauntingly. Her arms were laden with her purchases but they were easy enough to carry. As she stopped before her apartment door, she hesitated to open it. It felt like there was something off and Zero eyes narrowed slightly before nodding to herself firmly and marching inside her home, only to be greeted with a very unusual sight.
She recognized who it was. Recognized the messily styled black hair and trademark glasses and the sheepish smile."Uh, we met before remember?" The male laughed, rubbing at the back of his head "I was told to come here by a friend." He said, awkwardly shifting on his feet as Zero stared at him in surprised silence. "Kami, what are you doing here Aoba?" The make muttered to himself, "If the others find you here they're going to mock you forever! Maybe it was a mistake coming here?"He was making his way over to the window when Zero snapped out of her surprise, hand reached out to the other. "Wait Yamashiro-san! Stay! You're not in the wrong place!" She said resisting the urge to pull him back as she knew that wouldn't be a great idea at the moment. Aoba hesitated slightly but seeing her serios face, he sat down on a kitchen chair, wincing slightly as he did so. Closing the door behind her and laying aside her bags, eyeing the dark stain of blood on her hardwood floor before running to her bedroom and heaving out the impressive medical kit that she's managed to put together and was growing a little day by day. She carried the heavy kit, laying it on the table with a heavy sound.
Aoba raises an eyebrow and stares at Zero. "Seriously?" "It's better to be safe than sorry. I mean you're here, aren't you?" She said with a sagely nod of her head. Her eyes run down Aoba's form. There were no visible signs of injury but she could smell the heavy scent of blood clinging to the other and she stares expectantly at the shinobi.Aoba is still wondering whether or not this was a good idea. He felt slightly ridiculous being here, thinking that a little girl that wasn't even tall enough to reach his waist could help him. He hadn't wanted to go to the hospital however, especially with the mission he had and all he wanted to do was get some goddamn sleep. A friend had recommended he come here. When he had asked if said recommended person was a doctor or a medical shinobi, the other merely shrugged as if they had no clue and Aoba wanting to desperately avoid the probing doctors and the stifling whiteness of the hospital, had thought 'Fuck it'.And so here he was, tugging off his flak jacket and grimacing at the uncomfortable feeling of blood and clothes sticking stubbornly to his skin. He hissed as he tried to take off his shirt and under armor but it clung painfully and he didn't even care when small hands carefully helped him take them off. Zero frowned as she spotted the dark bruising on Aoba's torso and the long laceration that stretched across his chest. Carefully she prodded along his torso, trying to see if there were any broken bones and was relieved when she found that there weren't. She leaned back, taking out the supplies that she would need. "Yamashiro-san," Zero said, gaining his attention, "I will be able to easily treat you but I'm afraid that you might gain some scars. I have a special cream that I can give you to minimize the severity but as I'm not yet proficient with medical ninjutsu..."she trailed off, with a wet rag in hand.Aoba smiled gratefully. "Don't sweat it kid, scars come with the job. And call be Aoba, will you? I'm not a fan of formalities." He said, "and wait, you said not yet? Are you studying medical ninjutsu?" He asked curiously, not even flinching as he felt her begin to clean his wounds with efficiency. Zero smiled mysteriously. "I am studying a great deal of things, Aoba-san. I would appreciate it if you kept it a secret for now ". Aoba nodded understandingly, relaxing slightly as he listened to her hum a soothing tune. Maybe the jackass was right in telling to come here, he thought. "Oh, uh, sorry about breaking into your apartment... and your floor." He said guiltily, eyes taking in the unusual cleanliness and the lack of personal detail. There were signs of her presence but there was no sign of family or anything of the like, something he had expected as he knew that she was orphan but seeing it was another matter. It's okay, Aoba-san. I've noticed that it's a quirk that shinobi tend to have." Zero said, putting aside the rag to begin stitching up the few lacerations that Aoba had. She made neat, little stitches as painlessly as possible. Then, she carefully began to apply medicinal cream atop the stitches which would accelerate the healing and help to minimize the scarring of the skin, carefully treated Aoba's bruises as well and she bandaged the other where it was necessary."I'm all done, Aoba-san!" She announced.Aoba stared in slight surprise and amazement at the neat swaths of bandages that wrapped around his torso. The bandages were a stark white with not a single sign of blood and there was a comfortable numbness to his torso that took away the sting of pain. It felt and looked great and Aoba felt a grateful smile stretch across his lips.
"Thanks kid. I appreciate it." He said as he carefully redonned his clothes. Zero made a mental note to have spare clothing in hand as she had a hunch that incidences like this were going to become increasingly common."It was no problem Aoba-san! Please be careful and make sure to get plenty of rest." She said sternly yet politely as she watched him make his way out of her window. "And if anyone else needs help please direct them here!"
"I can do that!" Aoba replied, "Thanks!"
She smiled fondly as she shook her head, closing her window and putting away her supplies. She took out her cleaning supplies a moment later and began to tackle the stubborn stain of blood on her floor.