I deflated instantly. “Well, Tama.. uh.. She.. umm.. ” I trailed off and Jiggle snorted beneath me. “You stay out of this, Jiggle!” I snapped at the bad pig.

  Quickly I changed tactics. Sensei couldn’t actually know it was me right? He was guessing! “It wasn’t Tama’s fault! We were ambushed! A whole horde of goblins! Wild ones! They had fangs and slobbered everywhere! They appeared right next to the chicken coop! Then.. um.. Demons! Yea demons! They.. they swooped down and attacked poor Jiggle!”

  My voice pitched higher while I pointed at the sky where the supposed demons had come from. “Poor Jiggle was trembling! Tama had to free the boar! It was the Ninja thing to do and we barely escaped with our lives!”

  The lie hung in the air, brittle as autumn leaves. My Sensei’s eyebrow inched upward. The old man stood silently listening to my story with a look of bemusement on his face. “So Sensei, as you can see, Tama had to let Jiggle out last night! It was of world-ending importance!” I said hopefully. The words sounded fake even to me.

  Sensei simply nodded and smiled down at me before asking, “Wow, that is dangerous, huh?” Believing I might have escaped punishment, I nodded aggressively and looked serious. “Tama did her very best, but with Jiggle she had saved the day!”

  My Sensei simply continued smiling as he nodded. “I see. Well, since the two of you were so strong and brave, I am certain you are both just as responsible!”

  My face fell as I realized where this was going. “Well, Tama isn’t that responsible! She is only 18 givings after all. She is only just barely an adult!”

  Sensei chuckled at me and nodded. "Indeed, little one, you are, and as an adult, you have responsibilities before fun. You can start by fixing the chicken coop and feeding Jiggle and his brothers before breakfast for yourself today. After that, you can meet me in the training arena for an extra round of sparring."

  My ears deflated to my sides. I opened my mouth to argue, then thought better of it. I was being spared a lecture right now; all I had to do was an extra chore, repair the mess Jiggle made, and survive against Sensei for about five minutes. That seemed super lenient.

  "That is, of course, after you get dressed," the old man said with a sly smirk.

  I paused as I considered his words before looking down at myself. I was naked, covered head to toe in dried mud from wrestling Jiggle and playing. I looked up at him, unperturbed about my current appearance, and simply bowed to my Sensei, making sure to keep my gi and underwear from getting too much mud on them. My Sensei smiled and nodded once.

  I blinked to the roof, then to the back where the empty bath was. I sighed as I realized Sensei had drained it to make me refill it for added training. I dropped my clothes on the tatami mat and walked over to it. I held out my hands and tensed as water began to pour out of me into the bath. It was going to be cold due to the morning air, even if the water I made was hot. But by the time I was finished, it would be cold. That wasn't even the worst part.

  The water level had barely reached my ankles when I felt exhaustion hit me like a brick. I stopped as I panted for a moment before my energy regenerated and I started again... and again... and again. By the time the bath was filled, I was barely hanging on. I dipped my toe into the water and almost cried. It was freezing!

  The blue box popped up and flashed at me.

  I pushed it away mentally and sighed.

  I slowly got in and began to wash myself quickly. I had learned as a child it was best to just get it over with quickly. I would have just cleaned myself with my water affinity, but this was part of training. I had to fill the bath, then bathe in it. The faster I filled up the bath, the less cold it would be.

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  The problem was that I was exhausted from fighting Jiggle, and thus my speed took a hit. Hence, the freezing cold water. After cleaning myself as quickly as possible, I jumped out of the water and grabbed my clothes. I tossed them into the bath and began to clean them before hanging them on a hanger nearby.

  Now I was naked and freezing without my ninja gi. That meant I had to change to one of my other outfits. I considered just being naked for the day, but Sensei would never allow that, and even as I had the thought, a brisk breeze swooped through and made me an icicle.

  I blinked to the roof, instantly regretting it as the increased speed mixed with the cold actually caused ice to form on me for a moment. I shook them off as I climbed into my room from my trap door.

  I jumped down into my room, closing the trap door as I fell and landing on my feet. A nice little Nekojin perk, that and I could see in the dark, well, better than Sensei at least.

  I pulled open the closet wardrobe and looked inside. After a moment, I picked a t-shirt that said "Sensei's Little Ninja" and a cute skirt that was purple with bits of black stripes. I grabbed some more underwear and put them on. I looked at myself in the mirror.

  I looked good, but I felt horrible. The clothes were super uncomfortable and made me scratch everywhere. I glared at the pretty but unpleasant clothing before sighing.

  I turned and made my way downstairs, taking my normal old boring door. I walked down the hallway and down the spiraling stairs to the first floor. I crossed the room towards the front door. I opened the door and walked over to the no-no cage and unlocked it. Jiggle snorted at me and bumbled out of the cage.

  He followed me over to the pig pen. I opened the gate, and he waddled in. I walked behind the pen and grabbed the bag of slop. I carried it easily over to the food bin and poured the whole bag in. Jiggle and his little cousins came rushing over and began to eat.

  I snorted when Jiggle pushed the others away and hogged the food himself. Selfish little pig, I thought in amusement, a smile dancing on my lips.

  My ears perked as I heard the door open, and I turned to see Sensei standing on the porch. He smiled at me and said, "Tama, please get your gi on and meet me inside."

  I nodded and blinked to the roof, then to the bath. I walked over to my still-wet gi and underwear. I took my gi off the rack and called upon my air element. It blasted the gi and forced the water off of it, leaving the gi nice and dry. I quickly and gratefully removed my t-shirt and skirt, replacing them with my nice and comfy gi. Then I blinked over the house again and stepped in through the front door.

  Sensei was waiting inside in the main room. Back when I was younger, he would train me here. We started training in a dedicated sparring clearing a little to the north when I turned ten. There were still little chips in the wood and bits of blood from the fighting.

  He wore his full robes today and held himself high. I knew instantly something was different. I quickly took my position in front of Sensei on my knees. I bowed my head in respect and spoke. “I have come as requested, Sensei!”

  I heard his footsteps walk across the floor, but I dared not move. By the sound alone, I was able to track his movement. It meant he was purposefully letting me know where he was going. He walked into his study, and I heard him move his desk. I heard the sound of a latch being unlocked and a hatch opening.

  After a moment, he came back into the room and stood in front of me before speaking. “Fuyuki Tamaneko, Ninja Apprentice and my protégé.” His voice was solemn, and my heart fluttered. What was going on?!

  There was a long moment of silence. My ears twitched, and I thought for just a second I heard Sensei sniffle. But that wasn’t possible. He was Sensei!

  “I have trained you these past twelve years, ever since your eighth giving on this world. Over that time, I have watched you grow into the young woman you are today. You are childish, immature, and impulsive.”

  I winced heavily at that. Sensei’s tone sounded serious, yet there were cracks in his voice. I felt my tail stiffen, and my heart began to pound harder. I felt weak at his words, but he continued. “However, you are also fast, powerful, and protective.” As he spoke, his footsteps echoed while he walked to the corner of the room, then back over to me.

  “Rise, Tamaneko. It is time,” he said simply, his voice calm. Yet there was an undercurrent there I could sense, and it made me twitch.

  I slowly raised my head, and Sensei stood in front of me, arms clasped behind his back as he looked into my eyes with his winter ones. He visibly swallowed and spoke. “It is my greatest honor and pleasure as your Sensei to award you the full title of Ninja. From this day forward, you are no longer a ninja apprentice, but one with the shadows.”

  My body stiffened, and I couldn’t move. My face was in a mask of neutrality as his words hit like a ton of bricks. “But Tama is not ready!” I cried before quickly covering my mouth in horror.

  Sensei took a deep breath and sighed. He leaned in and looked at me closely. As he did, he spoke. “Tama, my dearest protégé. No one is ever ready. But I have done everything I can to make you as ready as you can be. Do you question your Sensei?”

  My heart now felt like it was going to leave my chest. My ears were filled with my blood pumping. My vision dimmed as reality seemed distant to me. Slowly, I shook my head. My voice came out in an almost quiet whisper. “No… Sensei.”