Chapter Text
A stern-looking man in a ninja's flak jacket stares down at Soul. The man's long bangs are combed over half of his face, covering one eye.
Soul is terrified. He has never been good around strangers. He's worse around ninja, even though he's been attending the Academy for a year now. Now that he's been caught in school after hours, he is absolutely certain that this man has a terrible scar under those bangs, and that he'll do something worse to Soul.
"Soul Evans?" says the ninja-stranger.
Soul ducks his head. He means to nod, but his eyes get stuck on the man's boots. They look well-worn, like the shoes of some of the Evans' servants, but less polished. His parents would never let this man through the front entrance of the family compound. After tonight, Soul doesn't think they'll let him through the front entrance, either.
"You're not in trouble," says the ninja-stranger.
That unsticks Soul's eyes. "I'm not expelled?" he blurts, looking up at the ninja.
The man's grim mouth twitches into a smirk. "No," he says. "The Tamashikage wouldn't want your bloodline going to waste."
The mention of the Tamashikage makes Soul relax. Something inside him relaxes, too, so that his foot finally turns back from sharp steel to regular flesh.
"However," says the ninja, "you will be taking your genin exam before you leave the building tonight."
Soul's leg tenses and turns to steel again.
The ninja ignores the transformations and the tiny puffs of smoke that go with them. "My name is Akane," he continues. "I will be your proctor, young master Evans."
"But the exam is tomorrow," says Soul. "I'm not ready. I haven't studied."
Mr. Akane's smirk widens, terrifying Soul all over again. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that," he says. There's a click and a whirr, and then he sets a tape recorder on the desk between them.
At twenty-two years of age, Clay Sizemore is as easy-going as his AB blood typing suggests.[1] He went easily to his teaching post at the Academy, and has been well-received by its students for the past year. He lives with the other remaining member of his original genin team, an Akane Hoshi, also twenty-two, also male. Clay does not belong to a clan; his roommate belongs to a dying one.
Kid knows all this because he has read the files. He also knows that he should not be allowed to re-take the genin test after failing it yesterday.
"Why not?" Mr. Sizemore asks. He looks honestly confused.
"No one else is," says Kid. "I shouldn't get special treatment just because I'm the Tamashikage's son."
Mr. Sizemore smiles. "You aren't the only one," he says.
Kid's scowl digs deeper into his brow. "There have never been genin re-assessments before," he says. "The rules shouldn't change just because of me."
"Or," says Mr. Sizemore, "they were flawed to begin with and are now being corrected because you have brought attention to those flaws."
"The rules shouldn't change just because of me," Kid repeats.
"Then who should they change for?" Mr. Sizemore asks.
Kid shrugs. "Someone else."
"Who would they change for?" Mr. Sizemore amends.
Kid sulks.
Mr. Sizemore does not press the issue. Instead, he tidies his papers and readies a finger over the tape recorder. "Are you ready to begin?"
Mr. Akane ends the recording. "Congrats on graduating from the Academy," he says, tucking the exam papers into a folder. "You don't need to come in tomorrow."
Soul startles. "What about the practical section?"
Mr. Akane snorts. "You passed that when you fully transformed into a scythe."
Soul's jaw drops. "What? But that was when I, um."
There's a quiet gleam in Mr. Akane's exposed eye. "You're not the first student to ever try to steal the written exam," he says, "but you're the first to ever pass another portion in the attempt." He pauses. "Why did you try to steal the answers? We thought Black Star might, but we didn't expect you."
Soul feels his ears heat. "N-no reason," he mumbles.
"There's always a reason, master Evans."
Something sharp and steel stirs in Soul's chakra. Soul hopes it doesn't turn him into a scythe again. One panicky transformation was enough for a lifetime. He really doesn't want it to happen twice in the same night. At least if it does this time, he won't be trying to run from the teachers guarding the exam papers. "It's stupid," he mutters. "I thought it would be cool."
Mr. Akane doesn't laugh, which is a relief, because if he had, Soul definitely would have transformed again.
"And finally: blood is to body as chakra is to…?"
"Soul," Kid replies. "But that implies that blood can be controlled. Which it can, but only through chakra anyway."
Mr. Sizemore is still wearing that benign smile he's had all evening. "Is that so?"
"It's illegal, anyway," says Kid. "Researching blood control. Researching bloodlines in general, actually, but that's because the clans don't like it when outsiders pry. Blood control is considered unethical, though." Mr. Sizemore nods along, but Kid can tell he isn't really listening. "That was the last question?" he adds.
"It was." Mr. Sizemore hits a button on the tape recorder, which clicks and stops whirring. "Congratulations on passing the genin exams." He beams at Kid. "Your team assignment will be sent out next week."