Chapter 12: Yamato's Worry and Adam's 'Woody' Problem
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: NEW SENSEI DETECTED. PREPARING FOR DISCIPLINARY CHALLENGES AND BOTANICAL FAILURES.]
Kakashi, bless his perennially bored soul, decided he needed a "recovery period" after the Tenchi Bridge mission. Which, in Kakashi-speak, meant he was going to spend a week reading Icha Icha Paradise in a hot spring. So, we got a new interim sensei: Captain Yamato. The man was a walking rulebook, all discipline and stoicism. And, more importantly for my purposes, he had Wood Style Jutsu. Prime target for my system.
"Yamato. The guy who looks like he's constantly smelling something bad, probably because he's stuck dealing with Naruto, Sakura, and now me. He's got that serious vibe, the 'I'm an ANBU captain and I take my job very, very seriously' aura. Which, of course, meant he was ripe for some good old-fashioned disruption. And a little bit of accidental deforestation, maybe."
Yamato's first day with us was… tense. He started by trying to establish order, using his intimidating ANBU glare. It worked on Naruto and Sakura, mostly. Sai, of course, was unfazed. And I? I was just observing, trying to figure out the best angle for my next infiltration.
"Alright, Team 7," Yamato stated, his voice firm, "my name is Yamato. For the duration of this mission, I will be your commanding officer. We will adhere strictly to mission parameters and maintain discipline. Is that understood?"
"Crystal clear, Captain!" I chirped, snapping a salute with a bit too much enthusiasm. I then accidentally stretched my neck forward like a curious giraffe, then quickly pulled it back, wincing. "Just working out some kinks, sir!"
[YAMATO LIKE METER: 5%]
Yamato's eye twitched. His expression remained stoic, but I could sense a ripple of concern. "Adam, was that… a snake-like elongation?"
"Oh, just a little something I picked up from a… very flexible friend," I said, waving a dismissive hand. "It's for… tactical espionage. You know, peeking around corners without exposing your whole body. Very advanced stuff."
He sighed. A deep, long-suffering sigh. "Right. Well, try to keep your 'tactical espionage' to a minimum during training. We will be focusing on teamwork and chakra control. Naruto, Sakura, Sai, I expect full cooperation. Adam, try not to cause any… permanent damage."
"No promises, Captain!" I beamed. "Damage is a subjective term, after all."
My next mission: get Yamato to like me. Or at least, tolerate me enough to let his guard down. And then, acquire some sweet Wood Style Jutsu. The prospect of being able to spontaneously grow a house or a giant wooden hand was too tempting to resist.
My attempts to copy Wood Style, however, were proving even more challenging than my Body Modification. Yamato would perform a perfect Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Jutsu, creating an entire cabin from the ground. I would try to mimic him, focusing chakra into the earth, and what would I get?
"Behold!" I announced dramatically during one of our training sessions, gesturing at the ground. "My magnificent creation! The majestic… wooden splinter!"
[YAMATO LIKE METER: 10% (A mix of exasperation and grudging amusement)]
Indeed, sticking out of the ground was a single, pathetic wooden splinter. It was barely an inch long. And it had caused me to grunt with exertion.
Yamato looked at it, then at me, then back at the splinter. A faint, almost imperceptible tremor shook his shoulders. Was he… laughing? No, couldn't be. Yamato didn't laugh.
"Adam," he said, his voice strained, "that is a splinter. Not a house. Or even a pillar."
"Details, details!" I countered. "It's the essence of Wood Style! The raw, unbridled potential! It's like a single pixel on a magnificent canvas! You just need to… zoom in. A lot."
He just pinched the bridge of his nose. "Try something simpler. A leaf. A single wooden leaf."
I tried. I focused. I strained. And then, with a puff of smoke, a single, shriveled, suspiciously brown leaf appeared, crumbling into dust almost immediately.
"A for effort, Adam," Yamato conceded, though his voice sounded like he was trying to suppress a cough. "But that is a dead leaf. And it still took a significant amount of chakra."
"Okay, so Wood Style isn't as easy as it looks. Turns out, growing things from your body requires more than just a vague understanding of photosynthesis and a strong desire for a treehouse. Who knew? Sasori made it look so easy with his puppets, but wood? That's a whole different ballgame. A very stubborn, very splintery ballgame."
Despite my repeated failures, Yamato surprisingly didn't give up on me. He would patiently try to explain the intricacies of Wood Style, demonstrating various techniques. He would watch as I produced tiny, deformed wooden figurines, or accidentally created thorny bushes that snagged Naruto's pants.
One particularly memorable incident involved me trying to replicate a wooden spike. Instead, I produced a miniature, perfectly carved wooden duck that quacked loudly when I squeezed it.
Yamato stared at the duck, then at me. Then, he actually smiled. A faint, genuine smile. It was fleeting, but it was there.
[YAMATO LIKE METER: 20% (GRUDGING RESPECT FOR PERSISTENCE AND ACCIDENTAL DUCK CREATION)]
"Adam," he said, his voice softer than usual, "that is… a duck. A very well-made wooden duck."
"I know!" I exclaimed, holding it up proudly. "I call him 'Quacky.' He's not exactly a weapon, but he's excellent moral support! And he's surprisingly good at annoying Sai."
Sai, who had been observing my botanical failures with his usual detached curiosity, actually let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle when Quacky quacked loudly in his ear. Progress on all fronts!
Yamato, seeing Sai's subtle reaction, seemed to reconsider something. He still looked wary of my general chaotic nature, but there was a flicker of something new in his eyes – a recognition that my madness might, just might, have a method to it. Or at least, some highly entertaining side effects. And for a serious ANBU captain, I was pretty sure that counted as progress.