I woke up a little later than usual today. The sun was already climbing, and the house was quiet—not like usual when Papa's already telling me to get dressed and hurry up for laps.
I rubbed my eyes and shuffled out of bed, still in my pajamas. When I got to the front room, I stopped walking.
Papa was there. But he didn't look like normal Papa.
He looked like a real ninja.
He was standing near the door with his back to me, dressed in black from head to toe. His hoodie covered most of his hair, and he wore thick black boots and pants that made no noise when he moved. Over his chest was a dark armor plate, and hanging on his side was a long, black sword. On the side of his face, half-covering it, was a strange bird mask.
He looked… scary. But also really cool.
I stared at him wide-eyed. "Papa…?"
He turned and smiled a little, the bird mask sliding off his face just enough to see both of his deep black eyes.
"You're up," he said. "Good. I was going to wake you before I left."
"W-Where are you going?" I asked, still staring at his gear. "Why are you dressed like that?"
Before he answered, I noticed something else. On his right arm was a headband. It had a weird metal plate with a symbol I didn't know… but the symbol had a scratch right through the middle.
I pointed at it. "What's that thing on your arm?"
He looked at the headband, then back at me with a different kind of smile. A little sad.
"That's a forehead protector. It shows what village I came from," he said quietly. "Or… used to come from."
"What village?"
"Konoha," he said. "The Hidden Leaf Village."
I blinked. That name sounded cool, but weird. "Why is it scratched?"
He knelt down in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "The scratch means I'm not part of that village anymore."
I tilted my head. "Did they kick you out?"
He smiled a little more. "Something like that. Your mom and I left because things weren't right there anymore."
I didn't really understand, but I nodded. "Oh… okay."
He stood back up and picked up a bag. "I have to go for a while."
"Huh?!" I gasped. "For how long?! What about training?!"
"Just a couple weeks," he said. "I need to make some money."
"How?"
"By doing missions. Fighting bad guys. You know, ninja stuff."
My jaw dropped. "You're gonna fight bad guys?! That's so cool!"
He chuckled. "It's not as fun as it sounds. But it keeps us fed."
I tugged on his pants. "But what about training? I still gotta practice the Fireball Jutsu!"
"That's why your mom will be training you while I'm gone."
My eyes got wide again. "Mama?!" I looked back toward the hallway.
She stepped into the room with her arms crossed and a proud smile on her face. "That's right. I am a ninja too, you know."
I looked at her, blinking. "…Really?"
She nodded and put her hands on her hips. "I wasn't always just your mom. I used to be a very skilled kunoichi."
"Kunoichi?" I asked.
"A girl ninja," she said, poking my forehead.
"Ohhhh." I grinned. "That's awesome!"
Papa stood and opened the front door. Cold wind blew in.
Mama walked over to him and hugged him tight. "Be careful."
He nodded, then looked at me. "You too. Train hard, and listen to your mom."
I ran over and hugged his leg tight. "I will! Come back soon!"
He placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair. "Of course. I'll be back before you know it."
Then he stepped out into the snow and shut the door behind him.
I stared at the door for a long time. The house felt kinda quiet now.
Later, Mama told me to get dressed for training. Even though it was a rest day, I guess not anymore.
She wasn't like Papa when it came to teaching. Papa was calm, and quiet, and always said just a few things.
Mama?
Mama talked a lot. And she didn't go easy on me.
"No! Step with your right foot, not your left! That's why your balance is off!" she snapped.
"B-But—"
"No buts. Again."
I huffed and did the stance again. She watched like a hawk, correcting everything.
At first I was annoyed. But then I noticed something.
Even though she was strict, her eyes never left me. She paid attention to everything. And when I did something right, she'd smile—just a little—but it made me feel really good.
"Good," she said once after I landed a decent punch in the combo she showed me. "You're improving."
I smiled wide. "Really?!"
"Yes, really. But don't get cocky," she said, smirking.
We trained until it started to snow again.
That night, we ate stew and rice. Mama let me have a second bowl because I worked hard.
After dinner, I sat near the fireplace with a blanket around my shoulders. The snow was falling outside. Everything felt kind of quiet without Papa, but not bad.
Just different.
Mama sat with me and handed me the orange book.
"Want me to read tonight?"
I nodded and climbed into her lap.
She started where Papa left off.
The gutsy ninja was still running. Still fighting. Still smiling, even when things were hard.
Just like Papa.
Just like Mama.
I guess I wanna be like them both.
Someday, I'll be strong enough to fight bad guys too.
And I'll protect everyone I love.