February 5th?After so much taijutsu-focused training, grinding away at D-ranks, and just basic training, his team gave a very beted celebration that they would be moving toward ninjutsu and other relevant exercises. Even if Genin said otherwise, they would be lying if they said learning new jutsu wasn't exciting. Tobio wasn't any more immune to this excitement than the rest of his team.

  In the anime and manga, there were all sorts of fantastical jutsu that were thrown around. Later on in the story, most of those were the reason why Naruto got memed into oblivion for being about punch-wizards, and not without reason. You had massive, elemental cataclysms being inflicted by brooding, emotional shinobi fighting for their ideals. It was hard for a reputation like that not to form…

  And for Tobio not to be a little interested in joining their ranks. If he was going to reach the peak of this world, there was no way he could do it without adding to his roster of jutsu. The academy jutsu were useful but limited in how far they could take someone on their own.

  Which meant that he needed to expand upon when he already knew.

  The three of them were practically bouncing with excitement when they met up with their sensei. Even if he tried to hide it, the man wasn't that far from their own enthusiastic levels. "Are the three of you ready?"

  "Hell yeah!" Hibachi nodded, smiling wide.

  "This month, I'm going to leave the choice of what to learn to you," he expined, gncing between the three of them. "But if I'm not satisfied you're making appropriate progress here, I reserve the right to restrict or curtail your learning in this regard."

  That dampened their spirits a little, but it wasn't a position to take without merit. If they couldn't keep up with the workload on top of their other training, then they weren't ready to learn it.

  "First up is more of a technique to improve your chakra control, and mobility, than a 'true' jutsu." Tekuno walked over to a nearby tree, before pcing his foot on the surface and merely walking up it.

  Even knowing that the tree-climbing technique was a thing, it was hard to parse the sheer strangeness of seeing a man defy gravity like that. Up he went, looking down at his surprised Genin. "The tree-climbing technique is crucial for mobility and, when mastered, can be segued into a few different kinds of improvements. But mostly, it's useful for chakra control."

  "That's chakra adhesion!" Ami excimed, pointing to their sensei. "It can also be used for walking on water."

  "Ami is indeed correct, though you're far from that much." Hopping down, he gnced back at the group. "It'll open up options for the three of you that didn't exist before."

  "Moving on, we've got some genjutsu. The first is the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. Given that it subjects you to your greatest fear, I'm not enough of an asshole to subject three Genin to it without asking first. If none of you want to learn it, I'm not going to hold it against you."

  None of them seemed keen to jump on that one. Compared to the utility of walking up surfaces with ease, none of them were that eager to delve into genjutsu. At least, none of them wanted to be tortured to learn it.

  "Maybe not this one, sensei?" Tobio lightly suggested.

  He shrugged. "Like I said, not the easiest one for Genin to pick up. Temporary Paralysis Technique is a little easier, though, and not as horrifying. Willing to be a volunteer, Tobio?"

  Well…he wasn't eager to be subjected to whatever messed up visions the genjutsu might inflict. But, he was willing to take one for the team. "…Yeah, alright…"

  Running his hands through a flurry of signs, their sensei projected out the genjutsu. And then immediately, Tobio was yanked to the ground. Or, dropped, under the weight of felt like heavy chains pulling him down.

  "The Temporary Paralysis Technique is one of the easiest genjutsu for a Genin to learn," Tekuno expined as Tobio tried and failed to break out of the bindings that held him down. He was doing a good job straining, but not quite freeing his body from the earth. "To be clear, this is a jutsu based entirely on your skill level. It'll be useful for capturing or debilitating a target well past your Genin years."

  Releasing the jutsu, Tobio could struggle back to his feet, rolling his shoulders lightly. "Thank you for the demonstration, Tobio."

  "Pick Hibachi or Ami next time…" Tobio grumbled, though there wasn't any real heat in his words.

  Chuckling softly, their sensei moved on. "Next up, we've got the Body Flicker Technique." Making the Tiger hand seal, Tekuno disappeared, before appearing in another spot. Almost like teleportation.

  "All about high-speed movement, so fast that it's nearly instantaneous. Not the most exciting jutsu, but the real restraints are chakra cost and how much information you can parse when moving that fast."

  Hibachi's thinned at those words. "What do you mean by information you can parse?"

  Tekuno sighed, as he visibly tried to think about how expin it. "You're moving at speeds the human mind isn't used to moving to, not at the outset. Getting used to learning it well, is the work of years at times. Unless you're a prodigy like Shisui of the Body Flicker."

  That name sounded familiar… "Shisui?" Tobio asked.

  "A former Uchiha Jōnin. The guy was a legend, total prodigy in every sense of the word. He could move so fast with it, it looked like he had afterimages in his wake." Tekuno sighed wistfully at those words. "The rest of us are only so lucky as to get creative with the smoke we put out with the jutsu by pushing out elements."

  It was a jutsu that would demand a lot from him, though it wasn't without its merits for sure.

  "The st one I've got for you is simple, but it does develop into other evolutions. Maniputed Shuriken Technique is ninja wire with a shuriken, allowing you to guide the path after it's thrown. If you're excellent, you can do it with many other weapons." Pausing, the man scratched his chin lightly. "This is a favorite of mine, but don't be biased by that."

  "…Are you going to judge us if we don't pick it?" Ami asked.

  Suspiciously, their sensei gnced away. "…No?" That felt like he would indeed judge his Genin, but all of them were polite enough not to call him out on the response immediately.

  All of the options were good, sensible, choices for starting jutsu. None of them were elemental, something he'd noted, but Tobio didn't think many elemental jutsu started at D-rank. At least, he was aware of none off the top of his head.

  Given that this was a perfectly valid suite of options, he gave them all their due consideration. And in the end, he chose the ones that seemed the most ideal for him.

  Like Ami and Hibachi, he agreed that the Tree Climbing Technique was the next real step in their education. It was useful, improved their chakra control, and, most importantly, it was very, very cool to use.

  For the three of them, that was the most essential part.

  Learning how to do it was easier said than done, though. Tekuno's instructions of pushing chakra to the feet was…difficult. For as long as they'd trained, their hands had been the primary direction they tended to push chakra. Or, mold it from, to perform the various jutsu that they were familiar with.

  Doing the same with their feet wasn't just unusual, it was unnatural. The fact that it took them days to get start properly sticking to the trees was not all that surprising to Tekuno, since it was around that much time for himself as well. And once they managed to get a foot stuck, then came the next real challenge.

  Walking.

  They must have looked extraordinarily goofy as the days passed, clumsily walking up and down the trees. But day by day, little by little, they were eventually managing to accomplish it. Nobody would say it was perfect, or that their control of chakra was immacute, but compared to how it was? The month was very, very good for the three Genin's statistics there.

  It also came with a delightful surprise, too.

  [HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED: IMPROVE CHAKRA CONTROL TO THE NEXT LEVEL.]

  [REWARD: 1x MINOR ERUDITION PERK.]?

  "The three of you are making pretty solid progress here," Tekuno commented, beaming brightly. "I'm fairly pleased. That being said, it just means we can add a new dimension to our sparring sessions now…"

  "Oh Kami no…" Ami whispered.

  "How else are you going to nail this down?" The group's sensei smiled, with an innocence that did not reach his eyes. "Don't worry. It'll be fun!"

  It was not fun. But, the new dynamic of combat was interesting and did force them to think in new ways. Even if the novelty of getting your ass beat upside down wore off startlingly quickly.

  On the other hand, he did manage to eke out some time learning another jutsu.

  The Body Flicker, while not the most combat-oriented by itself, was very useful. And something about it told him that there was…potential there. Something that could be combined with both his natural elemental affinity, and his Origin. After all, part of the jutsu was making an explosion in order to mask your movement.

  …What if Tobio weren't trying to mask his movement at all, but make one merely to improve the speed?The nice thing was that his frequent attempts to pull off the jutsu didn't hurt him. He smmed his head into an awe-inspiring amount of trees, but Calcium kept him from being too hurt from his attempts. In the end though, he learned the Body Flicker Technique, pulling it off without ramming into anything.

  It wasn't quite Mana Burst, but it'd do the trick in a pinch.

  More importantly, though, in his bedroom, he had another choice of perks to look into for his own future development.

  Alchemical TextsFullmetal AlchemistThese books are a primer to the art and science of alchemy. Anyone, even a child could get a good foundation just through these books alone. They also seem to grow more complex, varied, and complicated as you grow more and more skilled and learned in the art. Your origin has a great many memories of reading these books to get started(assuming you're an alchemist).SorcererGeneric Dungeon CrawlerYou have a rger-than-average pool of magical energy to draw on, and you can channel rger amounts of destructive energy with a greater degree of safety. You begin with knowledge of a low-damage but reliable offensive spell.Glyphs (Tier 1)The Owl House V1Those weird drawings are not mere drawings, they are actually glyph nguage. Every titan possesses his/her own glyph nguage, the titan whose body makes up the residence of a civilization of demons and witches has his own glyph nguage, which you can learn if you want to. This option will either teach you his glyph nguage, or maybe one which belongs to your blood, in case you took the Titan Blood Perk. Using glyphs would allow even a Pure Human to use magic, since it can draw on an external source of magic. By drawing one of those glyphs, you can create a construct of its respective element. Bigger glyphs will have bigger effects and by mixing the four basic glyphs into different patterns, you would be able to do things like: becoming invisible, reducing the impact while falling and executing teleportation. You start out knowing two of the basic glyphs, allowing you to produce simple constructs made of two of the four basic elements.This was an interesting divergence set of choices. One of them was very much focused on his own personal power. But he got the feeling that the other two could be taught to other people. Which…could have some interesting consequences, depending on who managed to learn the knowledge.

  Under normal circumstances, he would have been happy to try and pick up the broader knowledge provided by both Alchemical Texts and Glyphs. They were basically both a brand new kind of fūinjutsu, capable of things the existing brands weren't. The only thing that stopped him was the dangers of information contagion.

  Having a bunch of texts lying around that he wouldn't always be able to protect felt like…trouble. Especially if someone like Orochimaru got his hands on them. There were plenty of loud discimers against human transmutation in Fullmetal Alchemist, but it felt like the pedo-snake might just take that as a challenge.

  A shiver rolled down his spine at the notion of what he might be able to get up, with that knowledge. Danzo's own potential with it was admittedly lesser, but still a concern.

  Glyphs, meanwhile, weren't a danger by themselves. The knowledge would be entirely inside his head. He couldn't ensure that the knowledge would stay solely in the heads of anyone else he taught. There was only so much harm anyone could do with only two glyphs, but it was harder to justify to himself. At least, when compared to the immediate and enticing lure of Sorcerer.

  It didn't matter how good of a shinobi you were, or how excellent your chakra control was, if you didn't have an overall pool worth a damn. Something that would immediately bring him on par with the cn kids, if not better, was worth that investment. Add in the fact that it effectively expanded his jutsu pool on the spot…

  Taking it was a no-brainer.

  Resolving himself to his choice, Tobio mentally selected the choice. Instantly, the white text disappeared, as he awaited the effects of his next perk.

  They started off subtly, as a feeling of pressure began to grow from inside of himself. From where? He could only assume it was the chakra pathway system, functionally a real biological system that was just as interwoven and interconnected to the rest of the body as anything else.

  They also were responsible for the creation of chakra. Connected to each cell in the body, physical energy was drawn out for the creation process. In taking Sorcerer, the entire process was refined to new levels. He could feel that pool only grow all the rger, almost uncomfortably so. It was like wearing a suit of clothes a size too small, even if that sensation began to fade as rapidly as it appeared.

  What was more unusual was the knowledge settling into his mind. It didn't set his brain on fire, but it did feel like someone was creasing more wrinkles into Tobio's mind. With each passing second, the peculiar chakra manipution for a new and unfamiliar spell began to settle in.

  "Fire Release: First Burst…"

  The closest analog he had for the spell/jutsu hybrid was kind of like Bell's Fireball from Danmachi. His affinity and Origin might boost it a little, but he'd need more testing to tell for sure. More importantly? It didn't use any hand seals.

  Whoever he sparred with or fought with next was going to get a nasty surprise…

  For now though, it was a little too te to go rush out and practice the jutsu. As much as his burgeoning pyromaniac spirit wanted to rush outside, ever since he'd been transmigrated, the worth of getting a good night's sleep had been impressed on him.

  And maybe he'd be able to use it to wipe that smirk off sensei's face in a coming spar…

  February 21st?Having an unexpected day off was rare under sensei's tutege. However, there were times when his duties took him away, and he'd usually grant the Genin under his command free time instead of sticking to the grueling regimen they'd been under. It was natural he used the day to sleep in, lounge in his room practicing his Tree Climbing Technique on the walls, and only emerged outside in the early afternoon.

  Walking around the markets of Konoha was a novel experience. Asian street food culture fundamentally differed from the more Westernized takes on fast food that he was used to. For one thing, they tended to be healthier and more affordable, which felt like a wombo combo if he'd ever heard of one. With the aroma of scents in the air, the mixed blood was mostly trying to figure out what he was going to end up chomping on before he saw something of interest in the crowd.

  It was Ami, looking decidedly bored, as she was dragged around by an older woman. A figure that looked pretty much like an older version of Ami, except with darker hair, a more motherly physique, and a perpetually cheery expression on her face. That st one, more than anything else, probably made them look all the more distinct.

  That was when the girl looked over the market, and made eye contact with Tobio. She froze, stiffening, eyes flicking back up to the woman at her side, and then back to Tobio. Ami tried to tug her away, yet it was too te. The damage was already done.

  Ami's mother turned around, saw Tobio, and then saw how desperately Ami was trying to pull her away. There was a brief exchange of words between mother and daughter, but whatever was said only made the girl's face sink even further. Then, she was half-dragging her daughter through the crowd toward him.

  In the abstract, Tobio knew his teammates had families. He was the outlier when it came to orphanhood for team eleven, a fact he didn't focus on very much. But here and now, it made him feel very self-conscious the closer they got to him.

  Was his hair okay? Did he smell? What had Ami been telling her family about him, Hibachi, and their sensei?

  It felt like everything was swirling together in his head, the closer they got to him. Maybe it was unreasonable for a grown man in a kid's body to be this worried about what his teammate's parents thought of him.

  Up close and personal, Ami's mother was much as he'd seen at a distance. She cked her daughter's petite athleticism, but they both shared hair, eye color, and slender, long digits. Her face had well-worn lines in it around the mouth, hinting at the type of person that either smiled or ughed a lot.

  "Hello! You must be Tobio-kun," the woman greeted, beaming down at him. "I'm Kato Momo, Ami's mother. She's told me so much about you, and her team."

  "Only good things, I hope?" Tobio asked, eyes flicking toward the fuming Ami.

  "I can read between the lines," Momo shrugged. "My Ami's never been one to be forthright with her feelings, so I appreciate you sticking through it with her."

  Were these two really reted? Tobio was doing his best to boggle at the woman, but she was…nice. And polite.

  "It's no big deal," he reassured her, smiling nervously. "Ami's always got an upbeat and chipper attitude when we're training, or on missions."

  Lying, like a liar. He wasn't sure her mother bought it either, but goddamnit, he was trying!

  "Okay, you said hi to my teammate," Ami whined, trying to tug her mother away. "Can we go home already?"

  "And before I ask your teammate if he'd like to eat dinner with us?"

  If Ami was mortified before, she was even more flushed at that potential news. "O-Oh, I'm sure Tobio has to get home, doesn't he?" There was something faintly in her eyes, that promised vengeance if he didn't scram.

  On the other hand, having a proper homecooked meal for once was mighty enticing. "…What's for dinner?"

  "I was going to make some Oden," Momo expined, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Fish cakes, daikon radish, mochi rice cakes, boiled eggs, yonjac yams, and a little tofu, stewed in a light broth made up of soy sauce and dashi."

  His stomach growled audibly, and while his face flushed, he did his best to try and keep his features straight. "I mean…it'd be rude to leave you to eat all that food by your lonesome. I suppose I could come and help out."

  Yeah. Eating all their food out of the goodness of his heart. That was an excuse he could get behind.

  "Excellent!" Momo cheered.

  "Great," Ami smiled. It was a stiff smile, with no real mirth reaching her eyes.

  "Oh, don't be like that," her mother whined, already beginning to tug along her daughter. "You know your father has wanted to meet your teammates for a while now."

  "So he can give them the shovel talk?"

  Tobio blinked. "She's not serious, is she?"

  "Not really," Momo reassured him, which wasn't entirely a no. She was guiding him into a part of Konoha that was primarily residential homes—simple, single-family dwellings, not the dense apartment blocks he lived in. Once again, this made him feel weirdly poor.

  Well, not weirdly poor. Tobio was appropriately poor for his circumstances. No one liked being reminded of how broke they were, though.

  As they entered, he took his shoes off at the door and followed the two Kato women inside. Right at the threshold, there were pictures of their happy, smiling family. Even Ami was smiling in those photos, though most of them was of a younger version of her.

  The man inside the pictures was absurdly photogenic. Tobio assumed that he was Ami's father. While she didn't take much after him in looks, he felt like she had taken after him regarding the little things. She had his smile, for example.

  Or the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she was genuinely amused. It made Tobio wonder about his parents, whoever they were. Did he take after them unknowingly, slotted into this new body? More questions on questions, that he didn't know if he'd ever get answered.

  "Well, I'm going to get started on dinner," Ami's mother cheerily stated, gncing down at her daughter. "You should give Tobio-san a tour, honey. Wouldn't that be nice?"

  He suspected Ami did not think it was nice, but the girl was smarter than that. Instead of voicing that in front of her mother, she nodded slowly. "Of course, Mom," she sighed in resignation.

  Slowly, her mother disappeared from sight, likely heading into the kitchen to stow away their groceries. Ami instead fixed him with a stare, setting her hands on her hips.

  "…Did you have to accept her offer of dinner?"

  "It's my personal policy to never refuse an offer of free food," Tobio shamelessly admitted. "And outside of being at the orphanage, I don't think I've had a proper homecooked meal in years."

  Ami had the good sense to at least wince at those words, as his status as an orphan was brought up. "Okay, fair. Let's start with the bathroom."

  What followed was a rather short and sweet tour of their home. There was three bedrooms, one of which was currently being used for storage, but could quickly be adapted into a guest bedroom. Two bathrooms, though only one with a shower and tub. Most of the appliances felt old to me, but then I realized there was a purpose for that.

  Naruto began in 1999, so most of the technology shown in the universe reflects this. In fact, that single fact made many of the other anachronistic developments in the setting make far more sense. Even if there were weird outliers, like Orochimaru's experiments or Amegakure.

  They continued on, stopping at her bedroom, and she paused. Tobio could almost see the gears turning in her head before she ultimately sighed and turned back to him.

  "If I show you my room, will you not tell Hibachi what's inside? I'd never hear the end of it from him."

  What was in there that might have her worried like that? In the end, he was curious enough to swear to that promise. "Honestly? Sure, I'll keep it to myself."

  Giving him a nod, she walked into her bedroom and he followed after. What he saw inside was…underwhelming. Maybe he shouldn't have been expecting some great secret from a twelve-year-old's bedroom, though.

  It was, all things considered, normal.

  The wallpaper was some hue of pink pastel, with a truly impressive amount of plushies on her bed. On the walls were posters for Yukie Fujikaze movies, with the leading dy doing a pretty good job of acting out some degree of emotion. Wasn't that the chick from the Csh in the Land of Snow movie?

  Huh. He didn't expect confirmation that the movies were dubiously canon to come out of nowhere.

  "Are you big fan of Fujikaze's work?" His memories could only recall one of them, admittedly, but she'd been an actress for years.

  Guardedly, Ami slowly nodded. "She's the preeminent acting talent of the age. The emotions she put into her performance in Under the Waning Moon were sublime."

  "Probably not her best work. What was the one where she was an emperor's new concubine, that had fallen in love with a eunuch…?"

  "Oh! That's Jade and Malice. I thought she did a really good job capturing Himiko's sort of angst over the comfort of being a concubine, but I still think I prefer Under the Waning Moon."

  He shrugged. "I haven't seen it."

  Ami paused, jaw working back and forth, as she thought something over. Then, the girl spoke. "We have the VHS here. If you want to watch it, while we're waiting for dinner to cook, at least."

  Honestly? Tobio had been so focused on training, that he'd been kind of negligent in checking out the culture of the wider world. He still needed to read Icha Icha, for example, and missing out on these widely popur movies felt like he was missing out on something everyone was thrilled about.

  It was like Severance all over again when his friends kept telling him to watch it, and he never got around to it.

  "Sure." This was the first friendly overture that Ami's really made, and he'd be an idiot to reject it out of hand.

  That led into a flurry of movement, as Ami dragged him back to their living room. There was a boxy television sitting there, and an archaic VCR pyer, but before very long the two of them were seated there, as the movie began to py. Altogether, it was better than expected.

  The leading dy herself had a lot of range, in her role of a beleaguered noble dy of a house that's fallen on hard times. With the main romance being between her, and a ruggedly handsome actor pying a samurai of much higher standing, there's this interesting bance between what the main character must do for her house, and what she desires for love. The term didn't exist in the shinobi nations, as far as he knew, but it was basically an oscar-bait film in a lot of respects.

  From start to finish, Ami was glued to the screen. In the beginning she was expining different things to him, like the given research they did to make it as historically accurate as possible. That tapered off as the film continued, though, her interjections falling to the wayside in exchange for Ami's own enraptured status.

  There were times when Tobio had forgotten his teammates were young, and this was one of those reminders of that fact.

  All the while, the scent of prepared food only grew all the stronger in the house. If he was peckish before, well, with the scrumptious smells wafting from the kitchen, Tobio was positively voracious now. He was almost curious to wander in and see how the cooking was going, but Ami was staring at him more than a little eagerly as the movie came to a close.

  "So? What did you think?"

  He frowned, reaching up to scratch at his chin as he tried to find the right words. "I'm not sure. I liked the conclusion since it was bittersweet, but I'd recognize if people didn't enjoy that sort of thing."

  "Yeah, the plot's just okay," she agreed. "I think the director had difficulty figuring out how they wanted the story to end. If it wasn't for the acting, I don't think the movie would have been half as good."

  "Probably not my favorite film, though."

  Her eyebrows raised. "What is your favorite movie?"

  "The Icha Icha adaption hasn't been made yet, so I don't think I have one yet."

  Tobio couldn't help saying those words. The withering stare she sent him made it painfully clear what Ami thought of his response. "…Isn't that sensei's porn book series?"

  "It's romance," he corrected.

  "Right," she scoffed, shaking her head softly. Ami was gearing up to say more, but the sound of the front door opening interrupted it. Before long, a man came ambling into sight.

  Like the photos Tobio had seen, Ami didn't take much after her father. His hair was dark, cut short, and he was a little hefty around the midsection where his wife and daughter were petite and slim. Tobio might have questioned if he was Ami's father at all, if it hadn't been for his expressions.

  When it came to their expressions, they were eerily simir. The big, welcoming smile on her face was like Ami's writ rge, as the man waved a hand Tobio's way. "Hey there. I didn't know we were gonna have guests for dinner today."

  Standing up, Ami gestured over to the pony-tailed boy. "This is-"

  "Wait! Lemme guess…Tobio, right? He's just like you described him."

  Standing up himself, the Genin gave a little nod toward the older man. "Thank you for having me in your home. I hope you've only heard good things…?"

  "If you read between the lines of my daughter's compining, of course," the man agreed readily. "I'm Daiki. It's a pleasure to meet one of my daughter's teammates."

  The level of friendliness between Ami's mother and now her father was throwing him for a loop. Did Ami miss whatever genes made you amiable? Maybe he was reading too much into it.

  At this point, her mother popped her head out of the kitchen, wearing a cooking apron. "You're back! And right on time. Dinner's just about done."

  Time had flown by when he wasn't paying direct attention to it. The movie had been a few hours long, and it'd been absorbing enough to suck Tobio in. At least to the point where the passage of time had passed him by.

  "We can talk more around the dinner table, eh?" Daiki suggested, as the four of them began to move to the table. Momo was already beginning to set out food, and for his part, Tobio was the height of politeness by not actively drooling out of his mouth.

  It was the sort of spread that he just didn't have the knowhow to cook. Boiling rice and grilling fish was simple, but anything more advanced than that was getting into the territory of Japanese-style cooking that he just didn't know how to make.

  With his small pte, he took a few choice pieces for himself, and began to nibble. There were a lot of things he'd expected tofu to taste like, but apparently being soaked in broth did wonders for the fvor profile. It was rich, savory, and almost made him moan in delight as he chewed happily, along with Ami and Daiki.

  Momo watched the three other figures chow down for a few moments herself, beaming at the looks of pure delight they all had at their various items. Then, she dove in, and began to eat eagerly in her own right. Though, it wasn't long before conversation began to spring up once more.

  "So, Tobio! Tell us something about yourself, please?" Daiki asked, shooting the boy a smile. "If you listen to my daughter tell it, you're oh so strong, and faster than lightning, but I'm sure there's more than just your capability in a fight to you."

  "Dad!"

  "What?" He shamelessly shrugged, even if there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. "It's not my fault you seemed impressed with his physical prowess."

  "Mostly? I think I'm kind of boring," Tobio admitted. "I train like a maniac, but I do like sitting back and watching television. I've also wanted to take up cooking, but my apartment's not built for it."

  "Mm, that can be a problem," Daiki nodded knowingly. "I lived in a bachelor's apartment when I first moved to Konoha. If I'd never met Momo, I would have starved to death by now."

  There was a decidedly smug satisfaction on Momo's face at those words. "As long as you know it, dear."

  "What about you two?" Tobio asked, gncing between Ami's parents. "May I ask what you do for a living?"

  Daiki gently pointed to himself. "I'm an electrician. It's not very fshy work, but it is steady, especially with so many old buildings needing updating."

  "And I'm a part-time tailor," Momo continued. "Full-time mother and housewife, though."

  Tobio wouldn't be so foolish as to look down on a housewife. Caring for a home could genuinely be a full-time job, depending on the size of the house and the family. It wasn't something he could see for himself, yet he wouldn't begrudge anyone who chose that path.

  "I learned how to tailor from her," Ami expined, gesturing toward her own typical clothing style.

  Her mother nodded, eyes drifting toward her daughter's outfit. "Speaking of tailoring, you've grown a little. We'll need to refit your yukata, won't we?"

  Ami brightened at the thought, beaming at her mother. "I got curvier?"

  "Taller, I'm afraid," her mother stated, chuckling softly at her daughter's crestfallen expression. "Don't worry. You'll grow up in your own time."

  Changing the subject might be better. He gnced toward Ami and gave her a tentative smile. "Do you take commissions on outfits or clothing? I've been thinking of redoing my own style, admittedly."

  His standard fit was good for training, but it was bnd enough to leave something to be desired.

  "You'd trust me to make you clothes?" Ami asked, and for the first time since he'd met her, she seemed genuinely surprised. Off-kilter, even.

  "Of course," he nodded. "Out of the three of us on the team, you're the one with the best sense of fashion. I wouldn't even know where to begin."

  Tobio couldn't remember much about his past life. He knew enough to be confident that the man he'd been before had absolutely no sense of taste and style. Jeans and a hoodie had been acceptable attire for nearly every occasion outside of funerals and job interviews.

  Now, if only he could figure out what he'd said that was making her flush. Daiki and Momo were even chuckling softly, shaking their heads as the two of them ate in earnest.

  "W-Well, that's understandable." Ami smiled back, an interested gleam entering her eyes. Gradually, she looked him up and down, gears turning in her head. "I might be able to work something out. You're incredibly fit, so a lot of stuff-"

  She stopped, before clearing her throat and averting her eyes. "…Anyway, what I'm saying is that you've got options. I'll draw up some sketches for the future."

  From there, the rest of the evening passed by in retive peace. The conversation wasn't quite as notable, but everyone happily ate from the hot Oden with a relish. If Tobio just so happened to eat more than anyone else at the table combined, they were polite enough not to say anything.

  As the night wound down, he found himself at the front door of their home, Ami standing across from him. Daiki was off helping his wife clean up, while their daughter saw her teammate off.

  "…It wasn't that bad to have you over for dinner," she admitted.

  He smirked. "Not that bad, huh? Can I expect another invitation anytime soon? The food was delicious."

  Rolling her eyes, Ami crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Maybe. My mom will probably be on my back to invite Hibachi for dinner, and honestly…"

  She grimaced, but Tobio didn't think it would be bad. Out of the three of them, Hibachi was the one with the most common sense. That would be his bet, if he had to be honest about it. He'd probably get along just fine with her parents, some of the nicest people he'd met.

  How Ami came from them was a little bit of a mystery. However, he'd be generous and say that hanging out with Ami hadn't been…that bad. Almost kind of interesting to see another side of her.

  "Well, I'll have to return the favor and take you to dinner sometime."

  She paused, squinting at him. "Don't you mean take my family out to dinner?"

  He paused, thought over his words, and saw how they could be misconstrued. "Yeah, that. Unless you were jonesing to take me out on a date."

  At that notion, she genuinely scoffed. "In your dreams. You'd be lucky to take me out on a date."

  "Hey, I'm a real catch!" Tobio chuckled, raising up an arm and flexing, letting his biceps bulge ever so slightly. "What's with that attitude?"

  It may have just been his imagination, but her eyes stuck to his muscles for a little longer than he would have expected. Yeah, he was reading too much into that one. Did girls this young even check out a guy's muscles? Nah.

  This definitely wouldn't become a formative core memory for her.

  "S-Shut up, you…thug! You Oni!" Ami excimed, beginning to shut the door. "R-Right when you were getting ahead!"

  Tobio's faint chuckles continued back home, as he settled into his apartment with a belly full of good food. For the first time, he felt like he had a better idea of who his teammates were.

  Hopefully, she'd be less snippy and prickly in their team training in the future…

  As the month ended, everyone's new skills solidified into their general skill base. For Tobio, it had been a remarkably fruitful month, even if his system hadn't developed much. But it was likely for the best. Getting used to a sizable boost in his chakra reserves had taken a little getting used to, though he suspected his sensei had noticed that he was able to shoot out a lot more jutsu than before.

  But March was right around the corner, and it was time to get his training priorities set for the month ahead. He had jutsu he could learn or expand on, more physical training, just…so many options, pulling at his time and energy.

  Well. There was no point compining about it at this point. He'd went out of his way to succeed and get trained under Tekuno-sensei. Best to make the most of it while he could.