Something to Fight For (Naruto)

Being (A Harsh Sensei)

It took Haruka a while, but she finally dragged herself over to her bed to sleep. Slipping under the covers, she vowed to do her best to get back to normal as soon as possible. She forced herself to fall asleep, doing her best to shove her worry to the back of her mind. She would have a long day tomorrow with her new student, and needed all the energy could get.

The next day, Haruka woke up about an hour or so before she had to meet Rei, just as she had planned. Before she could even think about training the girl, Haruka needed to know what she could do. There would be no point in teaching her at all she wasn't cut out to be a ninja, and, if the kid wanted to use a weapon, she would need to see her fighting style to get an idea of what kind of weapon. Quickly, she got dressed and headed out to the training grounds to set up for her student's test.

It didn't take long to make sure everything was ready. All she had to do was take a quick stroll through the forest to see if what she needed was there, and make sure there wasn't any other ninja that could get in the way of the test.

Surprisingly, Rei arrived thirty minutes early, an excited smirk on her face. Haruka had expected her to be like Nii-san, since they were both so temperamental, but apparently, the girl was even more serious than she had thought.

Rei was dressed in her ninja clothes that morning. She wore what a lot of the other kunoichis in training did; a long red 'battle' kimono that trailed the ground and her hair was in a much neater ponytail than the day before. Frowning slightly in disapproval, Haruka made a mental note to take the kid clothes shopping later.

"So what am I gonna learn first? Sword stuff? Or maybe something even cooler?" Rei asked, barely managing to conceal the excitement in her voice.

"You will be taking a test."

The younger girl groaned in disappointment. "Why? I'm never gonna learn stuff if I gotta take a stupid test!" Her energetic demeanor now gone, Rei sat down, arms crossed and back hunched.

Haruka allowed a small smirk to slip on her face. "Oh, do not worry. This test will not be anything like those other tests you have taken."

Rei was obviously not impressed. "Mhm, sure," she sighed, her attention now focused on a bug she found.

"You will be hunting." Crouching down in front of the girl, Haruka forced her to look her in the eye.

"Hunting what? Ducks, deer, pigs...?" Rei rolled her eyes mockingly, all respect gone.

"Bears."

Blinking, Rei took a minute to register what she said. "Wait, did ya say bears? Like the giant brown, furry, violent things that like fish and honey?"

"Yes. You need to track, and kill a bear. There is one within two miles of here, so your task is not impossible. This will allow me to see your tracking, stealth, fighting, and other skills." The test was pretty brutal, but if things got too far Haruka could always step in. Besides, she had always wanted a bear pelt.

"Woah... That sounds so cool! When do I start?" The danger of her task, apparently, hasn't quite registered in her brain.

"Now. You have until the end of today." Haruka watched the girl run off, and followed her stealthily.

When Rei was little, her father would take her with him whenever he went hunting. He was from a family of butchers, so he grew up knowing how to track animals and such, and he wanted to teach his children how to do the same. Since her mom and older brother were always away on their ninja missions, she went out with him practically everyday. Not only did this turn her into a huge daddy's girl, but she also became a proficient hunter as well. She hasn't been able to go out with him since she started going to the academy, but she still remembered everything he taught her.