A Sense of Normalcy
Date: June 7th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 34
Time: 12:01 PM
Nakahito Haruno opened his eyes, his heart pounding slightly. A rueful chuckle of disbelief escaped his lips. "Did I..?" He looked up at his Jonin and saw a look of pride on her face. "I kept my temper in check long enough?!"
Miho Hyuuga nodded. "You did, although it almost wasn't the case, but I felt your mind focus on something else just before you blew your top. What was it?"
The young man's cheeks turned slightly red at the memory that had allowed him to bypass his temper…
~•~
Date: June 1st
Time: 12:01 AM
"Are you sure we won't be in trouble for returning to the Palace so late, Nakahito?" Kanna wa Akago, hugging the plush carp her date had won her, asked the slightly younger ninja as the last chime of midnight echoed through Kawa City's inner ring – the part of the city closest to Kawamizu Hill where Mizumiyo Palace stood, its gray/white granite walls cleaning in the night, though even that stopped half a kilometer from the base of the hill. The first night of the Festival of Waters – the week long celebration of Undine Kawa and the origin of the Aquamarine Throne – was still going strong behind them as they approached the stables where they'd left their horses. Parts of the city would be open all 24 hours for the week while the smaller shops and vendors that lacked the manpower to run continuously had their hours coordinated with the Kawa City municipal government to ensure that some kind of food and entertainment venues were open every minute of the Festival. Kawa City prided itself on the fact that unless one were to use 1,000 Shadow Clones it was quite literally impossible to see EVERYTHING the Festival had to offer.
"I'm sure, Kanna-hi…" A gentle glare from the Princess cut him off; she'd been strictly enforcing the 'no honorifics' rule since she'd made up with him. "Sorry; habit… Palace security runs 24 hours a day and I've got a pass from Fukamichu-san that says I – and anyone with me – can come and go as I see fit."
The regional princess formerly of the 13th District, now of the 3rd – and Heiress Apparent if anything happened to her brother before he and his wife of just over a month could have children – paused to talk to the staff of the stables. The duo bowed and one ran off to prepare their horses.
Haruno hid a yawn behind the bag he carried with gifts he'd bought his companion during their date – they had stayed out far later than he had planned; in fact, he should have been back by 10, but he knew he wouldn't have that much time left with Kanna and wanted to get every second he could in. He was hoping that Inugami's promise of support included covering for him missing curfew. "Everything okay?"
Kanna nodded. "Yes. I was just apologizing that we kept them here so late." She gestured to the fact that her mare and his stallion were the only two horses remaining at the top of a short hill. The staff member finished putting the saddles and bridles in place before gesturing for them to come over. The princess set her carp on the saddle. "Could you help me with my yukata, 'Hito?"
The ninja nodded after tucking his burden into his own mount's saddlebag. Kanna had worn the same riding outfit she'd learned equestrianism in for the ride down from the Palace, but she'd brought a yukata robe worthy of the Festival that she'd donned after they arrived here.
Nakahito stepped up behind his white-haired date and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, his index fingers hooking the robe by her graceful neckline. The princess jerked slightly, falling back against him – her hand brushing his masculine thigh – as she slipped. Her firm ass pressed provocatively against him and he had bite his lower lip to resist the urge to wrap her in his arms… While such a gesture wasn't normally inappropriate, Haruno kept his mind on the fact that she WAS a noble while he was just a beginning Genin… He'd have to be at least a Tokubetsu Jonin to even begin to approach her social status.
"Sorry, Nakahito." Kanna apologized as she stood back up, having remained pressed against him a scant few seconds short of impropriety. With her back to him he couldn't see the impish smile for her boldness or slight blush to her face from the mental conflict with her lifetime of training to be a proper lady. "The grass is a little wet and I lost my balance."
The fire specialist had to dry swallow a few times before he could trust his voice. "No harm done, Princess." Haruno's voice cracked slightly as he helped her out of the decorative robe. He folded it as delicately as he could to prevent it from wrinkling and draped it like a blanket just behind her saddle.
The white-haired older teen put one foot into the stirrup to climb onto her preferred side-saddle position when her mare took a step or two forward. A cute cry of dismay escaped Kanna's lips as she lost her grip on the saddle horn and fell backwards. Haruno jumped forward, catching his date by her narrow waist and helped her back onto solid ground. His hands lingered slightly longer than they should have, but neither of them minded.
"That was naughty, Kuro-chan!" The princess chided her horse, taking a step forward and pulling the reins slightly. As she did so, she turned in place enough to show that the blouse of her riding outfit was unbuttoned further than was appropriate – something she'd done to keep the blouse from being visible under her yukata – giving Nakahito an eye-widening view of her cleavage, upper swell of her breasts, and the lacey fabric of her bra.
'Is she flirting with me or is that just a wardrobe malfunction?' Nakahito wondered, his throat even drier than before.
"Can you help me onto the saddle, 'Hito? My ankle's a little sore from the jerk I got when Kuro-chan moved on me." Kanna asked, an almost mesmerizing pout on her white with a hint of blue lips; the color coming from the lipstick she'd chosen at the boutique store. All of the colors she'd tried on had only made her look even more kissable in Nakahito's eyes, but Kanna felt the palest blue worked best with her typical makeup color palette.
"Of course, Princess…" Nakahito agreed, stepping up to lift her by her waist. As he did so, he suddenly found his face buried in Kanna's exposed cleavage! Haruno's heart began to pound and his face turned as red as his clothes as he fought the urge to motorboat her breasts with every ounce of willpower that he had in his body.
Kanna, after a timeless instant, seemed to finally remember what she'd intended to do, pulling herself onto the saddle and looked down at him with the regality of a queen on her throne. "Are you okay, Nakahito? You look a little flush." She said, clearly ignoring the position they'd just been in.
'She IS doing this deliberately!' The Genin finally realized as the lights at the stable suddenly cut out, plunging them into darkness.
"What the hell..? What just happened to the light?" The ninja asked aloud, looking around in confusion.
Kanna giggled from the back of her dark mare. "I was a little naughty, 'Hito…" He turned his head to look at her as his eyes began to adapt to the dim moonlight that was making its way through the clouds. "I slipped those two gentlemen a few thousand ryou to leave as soon as they saw I was on Kuro-chan."
"Uh… Why..?" The Genin asked; utterly confused by this abrupt change in circumstances.
"So I can take advantage of the fact that there is absolutely not a single soul around to see me do THIS…"
THIS turned out to be the normally very proper princess laughing with delight while doing a lunging tackle from horseback. Never expecting such a thing in a million years, Haruno barely managed to catch Kanna and the two of them fell backwards; rolling down the incline of the hill away from the stables and further hiding them from potentially prying eyes. The ninja saw stars – and not the ones in the sky – as his head struck the loamy soil that was, thankfully, rock-free.
Kanna wa Akago, her white hair a wild mane as she pinned Nakahito's hands over his head against the hill, straddling his waist and looking down at him hungrily. "Stay absolutely still, 'Hito…" She growled in a commanding tone that both terrified and turned him on at the same time.
"Yes, ma'am…" Haruno barely managed to squeak out as he tried to figure out when he'd fallen under the Genjutsu... Or gotten a concussion. Either way, this couldn't POSSIBLY be real... Right?
The princess looked down at him, her thighs squeezing his midsection, rocking in place as her newfound lust fought against her long-instilled training as a proper princess. A low growl that would have made Kyouran jealous escaped her lips as she slowly ran her gentle hands and delicate fingers down his arms, feeling the tautness of his biceps, his strong pecs, his six pack abs… All while rubbing against…
"K… Kanna-hime..! You need to stop… I-I'm…" He moaned as the inevitable finally began.
Beneath her, Kanna felt a firm pressure begin to press at her most intimate parts through the layers of their clothing. Her dark eyes widened as she got an indirect idea about the nature of his masculinity. She froze mid-rock; the bulge in his pants agonizingly close, yet so far away at the same time.
The close contact finally shocked her to her senses. "OhmyGoddesswhattheFUCKamIdoing?!" She cried out, without taking a pause or a breath between the words of her shocked exclamation, as she threw herself off of him; burying her face in the grass of the hill.
Nakahito Haruno blinked a few times before his thinking brain re-engaged. There was no denying this was real; neither Genjutsu or the delusions of a concussion would have ended with their clothing still on.
"Hey, hey… Look at me, Kanna." He whispered, gently stroking the curve of her back.
The princess raised her head slowly, turning to look at him. In the moonlight, he could see she was so embarrassed that her blush extended past her face all the way down her neck and disappeared under the edge of her white bra. "You must hate me now… I'm barely better those tawdry hostesses outside that club beside the Boutique."
The ninja shook his head, giving her a gentle smile. "Over this? Kanna, all this proves is that you're as human as the rest of us; if anything I respect you more for stopping yourself. It's no one's fault."
"No, 'Hito, it is my fault… Ever since the assassination attempt, I've been breaking further out of the gilded cage I grew up in; throwing off Father's rules and standards. But I have no idea what I'm doing; I'd be in complete free fall if it weren't for you, 'Hito – it's why I got so angry at you last week… For a second there I was terrified that I'd lost my brightest guiding star; Muso-nii and Kagura-nee only helped me rebel against Father in minor ways, not the way you encouraged me to break his hold on me outright." Kanna reached up and re-buttoned her blouse before she flopped into the grass beside him, covering her face with the palms of her hands. "Part of me loves becoming more and more independent, but there's another part that craves a respectful acknowledgement that I KNOW I'll never get. But you, 'Hito… You encourage my growth AND respect me, too… Maybe my emotions are just overcompensating… I don't know what I want anymore…"
Above and behind them came an odd sound that cut through the silence following her admission. Nakahito and Kanna glanced at each other in confusion before they looked in the direction of the noise. On top of the hill behind them, Haruno's white stallion had mounted Kanna's black mare and was mid-rut, its front hooves making a mess of the yukata on Kuro-chan's back. The two teens' jaws dropped as their faces turned shades of red never before displayed on human flesh as they turned away from the carnal display. The two were agog at the way their horses not only had the same notion they'd had in their heads, but had no qualms about acting on it!
"Why can't our lives be that easy?!" Kanna wa Akago demanded after her brain finished processing her embarrassment. "It's all rules and etiquette all the time! Kuro-chan knows what she wants and just goes for it unapologetically…"
"It's the curse of being human, I guess, Kanna…" Nakahito said as reached over and pulled the seventeen year old a little closer in a one armed hug. "But it has its positives as well."
"Like what?" She practically wailed in despair.
Nakahito's heart began to pound harder than ever before.
"Like love, Kanna." He confessed solemnly; meaning every syllable.
The princess actually seemed to melt a little in his arms and rested her head on his chest. "Love… I kind of like the sound of that…"
The two of them looked up at Mizumiyo Palace, gleaming in the night – the stone carvings on the exterior pictographically telling the story of Kawamizu and Mizuka the 1st – as they basked in the moonlight; their cards finally on the table.
~•~
All this went through Nakahito's mind in a fraction of a second.
"Something that matters to me a lot more than my anger ever did, Sensei." He finally answered.
Miho Hyuuga smiled tightly. She, of course, had since found out that Haruno had missed curfew completely a week ago and that Inugami covered it up surprisingly well with outright lying to her. The funny thing about it was if they'd just told her, she'd have given Nakahito a one time pass since they'd been expecting to leave in a few days at the time. She'd just gotten word that morning that Judge Caprio, after hearing the argument from the lawyer, had decided that if no trace of Akechi wa Jubei was found by the 24th, he would throw out the case against Kimiko and Nakahito; giving them more than enough time to get back to Konoha in time for Itou's 14th birthday on the 28th and the start of the Chuunin Exams in the 1st.
The latter was especially important for personal reasons; Miho had gotten a letter from Hinata-chan a few days ago that Kurenai-chan had approved Team 8 to enter the Exams, something that both excited and worried the princess of the Hyuuga Clan. The news had startled most of Team 13, given that they knew the Forest of Death was part of the Exams, with only Inugami seemingly unconcerned; citing that between the enhanced senses of Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzaka they'd at least be safe through the second stage as long as they didn't do anything stupid... Like putting Kiba in charge of making the decisions.
"So, what's on your plate for today now that you're done with your morning training with me?" The Jonin asked the youngest of her three Genin.
"I'm going to try and break Inugami out of the funk he's fallen back into so that he's halfway decent company for tonight."
"Tonight?" Her white eyes widened in realization of what day it was – they'd kind of blurred together because of the holding pattern they'd been stuck in for so long. "That's right... It's the final night of the Festival and we're escorting Reiyuriko and Kodansyo to the reenactment play of Kawamizu and Mizuka the 1st's story. It's a shame that Kikyo and Kagura caught that really contagious flu and their whole floor has to be quarantined for the next two weeks."
Nakahito grimaced slightly. "Yeah, it put a damper on the plans Kanna and I were making for our third date, but even Lord Mizuzaki can't override the Imperial Gun'i Sokan's orders when it comes to medical decisions. Sho couldn't prove that whatever that stuff was that saved Kanna can't prevent her from being a carrier so she's stuck in there, too…" He rubbed his eyes in frustration as he climbed to his feet. "At least she should be clear by the day we leave… I hope."
Hyuuga clapped Haruno's shoulder. "I know how annoying it is when things don't go according to plan in the romance department." She paused in thought. "You know, my throat mike set was having a lot of issues when I was trying to coordinate things with Takahashi… It's probably overdue for replacement." She reached into her pouch and pulled it out, handing it over after turning the transmitter to an encrypted frequency. "Would you mind disposing of it for me?"
"Uh, sure, Sensei…" Nakahito said, looking confused by the abrupt shift in conversation as he took the device from her.
The Jonin fought to keep from rolling her eyes. "Shao Fukamichu or Hoshi Fugato should be able to help you get it to the appropriate place to dispose of it ON THE THIRD FLOOR."
The light finally came on in Haruno's eyes. Miho was trying to give him a means to talk privately with Kanna without anyone else knowing or being able to listen in. "Miho-sensei, I would kiss you if it wouldn't be stepping on Iruka-sensei's toes!"
The woman with purple ribbons in her hair winked at him. "Save that for YOUR Princess, hotshot." She made a shooing gesture. "Take care of that before you pester Inugami."
"Hai, Sensei!"
* * *
The More Things Change…
Date: June 7th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 34
Time: 3:35 PM
Nakahito was pacing in the suite he and Inugami were sharing, checking his watch every lap around the chamber. "Where is he? He's usually in here by now…"
The red clad ninja was so distracted wondering where his teammate was that when the medic-nin materialized in the room on his Flying Raijin tag, he practically ran the older teen over!
"Haruno! What in the names of the Gods are you doing?!" Sho growled in annoyance as he pushed himself off the ground, throwing Nakahito off his back.
"Shit… Sorry about that, Sho. Where were you? I was expecting to find you in here."
"Gun'i Sokan Bekku invited me to his administrative office down in Kawa City to use their lab to analyze that virus." He sighed, sounding annoyed and disgusted. "Four hours in a state-of-the-art lab that would make Dad drool to see and the results were no different from what I was able to determine with the limited capabilities of my scrolls. Sorry, 'Hito… I was hoping to be able to give you better news; Princess Kanna has to stay in isolation with the others until the communicable period passes."
"It's fine; Miho-sensei gave Kanna her throat mike and receiver, so we'll at least be able to talk…" The brown haired teen blinked in sudden realization and narrowed his eyes. "Wait… You NEVER redo your work because you always get it right the first time! You and Sakura are both annoyingly perfect like that."
Sho gave his teammate a wry grin. "That's because Academia is easy; medical science? Not so much. At any given time there can be a discovery that forces you to question everything you held to be true – requiring you to undo weeks or even years of effort… And they don't always do so when it's convenient."
"Then why do it?"
"Because YOU'RE the one that makes the discovery, it's a rush that's hard to describe…" Inugami paused for a second of thought. "It's like the first time you kiss the girl of your dreams; BAM! Endorphin rush."
Nakahito Haruno squirmed slightly. "I wouldn't know… Kanna and I haven't gotten there yet; we're taking things slow because of how… sheltered her childhood was."
"And by sheltered you mean oppressively strict." The fire specialist's jaw opened slightly. "I'm her acting doctor, Haruno, and – given what it took to save her – I had to ask very comprehensive questions about her history to try and anticipate complications."
"Speaking strictly from a medical standpoint only, mind you, and at the risk of inflating your ego, her emotional and mental recovery from the assassination attempt is largely thanks to you." Sho paused for a long second. "Which is why I was rechecking the results; I don't want my patient to regress because she's lost access to the stimulus that has been so beneficial."
Nakahito gave Sho a long look before giving him a hug, tears filling his eyes.
"Not a hugger, Haruno."
"Sorry…" 'Hito said with a sniffle as he released his teammate. "You really meant it when you promised to support us…" He grabbed Inugami again.
"Still not a hugger, 'Hito." The medic-nin sighed, patting his teammate's back despite himself. "Why were you looking for me anyways?"
Haruno released the medic and wiped the tears from his face. "Ugh… Not how I was expecting this conversation to go… I know you haven't been in the greatest of moods since the rat bastard vanished and with us having to escort Princess Reiyuriko and Prince Kodansyo to that play tonight…"
Sho clucked in amusement to himself. "You wanted to try to lift my spirits in the hopes that I might be a little less me?"
"It doesn't sound right when you phrase it like that, but, yeah, more or less…"
"Well, not to get all schadenfreude on you, but, honestly, that fact that I'm not the only one whose attempts at a relationship are being stalled due to circumstances beyond their control actually improved my mood… And the fact that I could TRY to do something, ANYthing to help really dispelled the funk I was in." The medic sighed in frustration. "I just wish there was more I could do for you two."
"Sho, you're a ninja medic, not God; you can't fix everything."
Inugami chuckled wryly. "No, I get that, Nakahito; I do... But, there are so few things that neither magic nor science can't do… Hell, the only thing that stops me from trying to do more then what is ethically and morally permissible is the fact that I need to be certain, at the end of the day, that I can look Motoko in the eyes and not see a monster reflected in them. That's been true since even before she and I had our relationship breakthrough the last night she was here." He rubbed the back of his neck. "My parents, my sisters, even Aniki they're all medically trained; they all understand going into the gray boundaries… Motoko-sa doesn't. She's almost too good for this world."
Nakahito gave a slight smile. "I feel the same about Kanna… I want to make myself stronger! Not only to protect her and my loved ones, like I once did, but ANYONE that is innocent; to stop them from needing miracles like the one you pulled out of that case in your coat."
"That's noble of you, Haruno." Inugami said without a trace of sarcasm. "But tell me... What does 'stronger' look like to you?"
"What do you mean?"
Sho made a gesture and images of Okito Tanaka and a blonde woman in a green haori over a grayish kimono-style blouse with a violet diamond mark on her forehead appeared side-by-side. The Jonin for Sho's girlfriend was tall and heavily muscled while the woman – aside from her larger breasts – didn't look like she had much more muscle mass than Aunt Mebuki.
"Who do you think is stronger?"
Nakahito instantly pointed at the woman. "I'm guessing this is one of your tests, so while my heart says Tanaka-sensei, I'm going to say whoever she is."
A grin split Sho's lips. "And just like that you've proven you're smarter than you were in the Academy." A small box appeared in front of Tanaka that said 1,100 kg. "According to his medical file, this is Tanaka's current deadlift record."
Nakahito's eyes widened. "Damn..! That's where you pick it off the ground, put it over your head and then fully extend your arms, right?" Inugami nodded. "I'm almost terrified to ask, but…"
"Before she quit being a ninja due to the loss of her brother and her lover during the Second Great War, Lady Tsunade-sama's official record is 100,000 kilos." His teammate's jaw fell so far open it was amazing he didn't dislocate it. "And I say official because they couldn't find anything heavier for her to try lifting."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me… You're saying she could bench press a God damned blue whale?" Haruno asked, half remembering a nature documentary they'd shown in the Academy when discussing combat on the open ocean with the Land of Water during the Third War.
"No…"
"Oh, thank God…"
"She can bench press TWO blue whales simultaneously." Sho's grin widened until his mouth began to hurt.
"H… HOW?!" The fire specialist's eyes were like dinner plates.
"A muscle amplification jutsu that she personally developed; no one know exactly how it works – she never taught it to anyone." He shook his head. "But back to my original point, how do you define 'stronger,' Nakahito? Physical strength is great, but its got its limits. Power means nothing of someone can drop a mountain on you from 100 meters away. But that same feat of magic means nothing if someone can run so fast the attack can't hit them."
Haruno's arms crossed in thought. "So you're saying focusing on strength isn't the answer."
"No, I'm saying focusing ONLY on strength is the wrong answer." He made a sweeping gesture and images of the Sandaime, Kakashi Hatake, and the Yondaime appeared. "These three are arguably the most dangerous men to serve Konoha faithfully in our lifetimes. Not because of raw power, but because of their VERSATILITY. Each of them have mastered no less than FOUR elemental releases."
Nakahito let out a soft whistle. "Impressive."
"They also have something in common with you, Nakahito… They all come from families that have nothing inherently special about them; no unique Kekkei Genkai, no legendary family combat or mystical arts… They became the legends they are through hard work."
"Wow; I'm going to have to do a LOT of reading when I get home…" He hung his head – reading was hardly his specialty as he got bored too easily unless Kimi was helping him. "I've got to learn more about these amazing ninja that I've barely heard of before."
"Well, yes, but also no."
Haruno raised an eyebrow in a mirror of Inugami's own look of confusion. "Huh?"
"Just ask Sakura to introduce you."
Nakahito was silent for a long moment as he realized that one of the three was his cousin's Jonin instructor. "I'm an idiot."
"Granted... But to be fair you had, what, a month and a half between graduation and when Team 7 left on their out-of-country mission?"
Haruno rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… And it was a pretty busy time. I hope they're back from their mission. Could you ask Motoko the next time you write her?"
"You haven't written home yet? Dude, Kimi and I had the excuse that we were undercover, so couldn't do anything to break out of character. Haven't you even sent a postcard?!" The medic appeared genuinely appalled.
"With everything going on, it slipped my mind, I guess…"
"Unbelievable..." The medic sighed, shaking his head before pausing in a sudden realization. "No, wait… Sorry, I 'forget' you aren't a big brother sometimes... I've been one since a month before the Kyuubi attacked Konoha thirteen years ago and, with the exception of this mission and my coma that put me in your class year, I've been there for my sisters from the days they were born."
Nakahito could hear the air quotes around the word forget and knew that his teammate meant it in place of 'didn't think about it.'
"Getting back to my point, Mom sent me a letter shortly after Motoko-sa's first reply came back, catching me up on things that had happened since we left. Team 7 came home a day or two after our mission began. Whiskers and Uchiha were apparently walking wounded when they got back, but she didn't mention Sakura, so she's probably fine... And before you ask, no, she didn't have any details as to how they ended up in the state they were in."
"Damn... I'll have to write a letter when we get back from the play... I've got so much to tell her..."
Sho paused. "You DO know that unless you're only going to talk about things since the mission officially ended, you're going to need to encode it, right?"
"Yeah, Sho, I'm not a complete idiot…"
"And yet YOU'RE the one who forgot to get in contact with his family for two months…" Inugami chuckled as he made a playful verbal jab.
Nakahito grit his teeth; he'd forgotten that even when in a good mood, Inugami's inner nature was that of an asshole… "Oh, please; you wouldn't have sent a letter home if Hata-chan were still here or Miho-sensei hadn't ordered you to send that book back to Konoha…"
"Care to guess again?" Sho chuckled, reaching into his uwagi and pulling out a stack of letters thicker than a kunai's width held together by a rubber band, but there were additional bands subdividing them further. The smallest grouping was held by an orange rubber band. "Motoko, Lucia, Karin, Mom and Dad." Inugami said pointing at the orange, purple, red, blue, and white bands in order. The pile from Lucia was the thickest.
'Damn… I guess he really hasn't had a lot to do if he got that many and undoubtedly replied…' Haruno thought; raising his hands in surrender.
"Now, admittedly most of Lucia's letters are pictures of interesting bugs she's found that she took pictures of with one of Mom's many cameras."
Nakahito dimly recalled Inugami's younger sister from their one direct meeting the same day he'd also met Tenten. "She's what, nine?"
"Lucia?" The white haired head shook. "No; she just turned seven back in February." A slightly sad look crossed Sho's face. "She was all of two weeks old when Saki-obaasan passed and was barely a month old when I ran into that damned boar. All-in-all a pretty shit few months; Lu-chan was literally the only positive thing to come out of it. She's only ever known me as 'Oni,' yet she still loves her older brother." The medic shook his head as he tucked the envelopes back into his uwagi. "Anyways, her best friends are girls from the Aburame clan, so she's become the budding entymologist of the family."
"Hey, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask you… How does Shino control his bugs without needing hand seals? I'd ask him, but I always get creeped out by the fact that he's got all those things inside him."
Inugami smiled. "A fair problem; the medic in me feels the same way, though there is a part of me that understands the rationale enough to resist those sensations."
> It isn't me. < Imaguni Ohs chimed in. > I think they're nuts. <
Inugami took the color commentary in stride. "See, the Aburame clan make their children hosts to the Kikai Mushi once they confirm the child has the ability to produce chakra. Since the Kikai Mushi feed on chakra, all it takes is the simplest of shape transformations to create guide paths and the insects follow their food source. As a result, by the time they enter the Academy, their brains are wired to think of the bugs as extensions of themselves; no different than how you think of reaching out to grab something with your hand."
Nakahito frowned slightly, thinking he understood, but not yet certain. "So it's kind of like Shikamaru's shadows, but invisible and not limited to the ground?"
> Hey, look, the blind squirrel found another acorn! < Ohs chuckled in amusement.
"That is actually a perfect comparison, Haruno." Sho outwardly agreed encouragingly.
The fire specialist's eyes narrowed slightly, suspecting his teammate was being sarcastic, but then he noticed that Inugami was actually smiling instead of smirking. "A genuine compliment from you; I should start keeping a log of these minor miracles." Haruno replied with a wry chuckle.
After a moment he sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a Haruno, but sometimes I wish my family had cool hereditary jutsu or abilities like the Twelve Clans. If only to have a better chance against you when we spar."
The so-called 'Twelve Clans' were the most powerful or prominent families of Konoha, having been part of the founding of or contributed greatly to the strength of the Village: the Senju, Uchiha, Hyuuga, Itou, Sarutobi, Aburame, Akimichi, Inuzaka, Nara, Shimura, Uzumaki and Yamanaka. Although, over the sixty-plus years since its founding, many of them had been reduced to less than a handful.
Now Sho's chuckle got a hint of mocking to it. "While I'm not 100 percent certain I could take Uchiha and I like Hinata-chan too much to fight her seriously, the powers of the Twelve Clans aren't infallible. Take me, for example, my family isn't part of the Twelve. Sometimes all you need is a trick or two to give yourself an edge."
"Like having already learned Flash Step so you're too fast for me to see half the hand seals you make while fighting?"
The medic chuckled. "Is THAT what you think I'm doing? It's actually a lot more than that; I'm using a shortcut for a tactical advantage." Inugami held up his hands. "Grab my wrists and keep them separated. The red clad ninja looked at his teammate oddly, but did so. "How many hand seals does it take to do the Illusion Clone jutsu?"
"Four; Tiger, Boar, Ox and Dog. What's… the… point?" Three copies of Sho appeared and Haruno's eyes bugged out. "Holy shit…"
The medic had done it without a single hand sign… In fact, his hands in Nakahito's grip hadn't even twitched!
"THAT'S what I mean by shortcutting your chakra." Sho clarified as he freed his arms and banished the copies.
"How the HELL?!" Nakahito finally demanded after he picked his jaw off the floor. "I want to say that's impossible, but FUCK, dude; would it kill you to go just ONE MONTH without breaking my brain?"
Sho chuckled softly while in his head, Ohs was literally rolling on the floor. "Give it a few more years, 'Hito; I'll run out of new things to show you eventually."
"Great…" Haruno moaned as he rubbed his face. "Is there a point to ask this aside from reinforcing just how far above me you are?"
> That's just an added bonus. < Imaguni chortled, conjuring more popcorn as he prepared to be amused by their teammate.
"Why do we need seals to make jutsu work? By that, I mean what does waiving our hands around actually DO?"
The fire specialist frowned. "My instincts say to focus our attention."
"Exactly; it makes you focus your mind to send your chakra to different parts of your body in a specific way. But what if you could do that…" He tapped the side of his head. "Through sheer willpower; without the training wheels?"
"That… That's possible?" Nakahito asked. "Why didn't Iruka-sensei ever mention it in class?"
"For the same reason we learn to hold weapons the right way before we even set foot on the throwing grounds. Now, consider your kunai that you used so effectively against me during our fight on team assignment day... When you could first touch them, were you able to hit the target on your first throw?"
Haruno snorted derisively. "Fuck, no… I…" The lights lit up in his eyes. "I had to get used to the grip, posture, and technique. Now I can do it without looking directly at the target sometimes."
"Precisely! Chakra is a tool no different than your kunai. Once you get used to it, you can do techniques with fewer or – in some cases –no seals."
Haruno's head shook in reluctant awe. "How did you even think of doing this, Sho?"
"I can't take credit for it." Inugami said with a sad smile.
"This Aniki fellow you're always talking about?"
The medic shook his head. "No… This was one of the last things Saki-obaasan taught me before she went into the hospital… You know, for the last time."
"This is one of your grandmother's skills?!" Haruno yelped in surprise. "So you've been working on this since she passed?"
Inugami nodded. "Yeah… Even for me it takes a LONG time to get used to it. I can do most D & E rank skills without seals and C ranks with just one. With B or A techniques, I can reduce the number of seals by anything from a quarter to half... But I can only do that thanks my photographic memory." Haruno was quiet for a moment, remembering how Sho didn't consider things he could do thanks to the fact that it was just part of him as an accomplishment; it wasn't due to his personal effort. "So, do you want to learn how?"
"You'd… you'd share your Grandmother's teachings… with me?" Nakahito's surprise and confusion were evident on his face. "I mean, I know how much she meant to you and Karin-chan. I'm not even related to your family, after all."
"The philosophy of the Inugami family can be summed up in three key sayings, Haruno. First is Jinsei wa Henkadearu – Life is change. In this case we mean it literally: existing is about changing, nothing ever stays the same for long and you must adapt to stay alive. Second is Kurayami ni Chokumen Suru Hitobito ni Totte Hikari to Naru – Be the Light for Those Facing the Dark." He smiled. "In this case it's euphemisms: light being hope, knowledge or wisdom and dark meaning despair, ignorance, or foolishness."
"You're still working on living up to that one." Nakahito chuckled giving Inugami a playful punch to the shoulder.
> Ah, damn it, that was actually a good burn. Asshole… < Imaguni Ohs chuckled despite himself.
"Right. That's why I never said anything when Karin decided to share Obaasan's jutsu with you. Teaching others, treating others, counseling others, these are duties my family had been performing for centuries. Yes, that it was one of the last things she was able to teach me makes it precious to me, but I would be unworthy to call myself Saki Inugami's grandson if I coveted that memory rather than share it and pass it on as she would have wanted."
Haruno nodded understanding. "And what's the third one?"
"Inugami ni Tewodasu-sha wa Inaishi, Tamashii mo Tamotenai."
No one fucks with the Inugami and keeps their soul.
Nakahito swallowed roughly. "That's… that's meant as a euphemism… right?"
Inugami chuckled. "Of course it is... It just means when someone truly, fundamentally wrongs our Family, we do not forget, we do not forgive, we do not tolerate: total war is called upon their heads until the offender loses all they cherish."
The red clad ninja grimaced. "Somehow that interpretation scares me more than the thought of your family being able to rip someone's soul out…"
Inugami chuckled, clapping Nakahito's shoulders to snap him out of his thoughts. "And that's the entire point of that part of our family creed; to make people think twice about starting a fight with our Family. Whenever we've dealt with an enemy to our satisfaction, we leave a message behind as both a warning and a reminder to others… Not that we've needed to do that since I was born; we don't have enemies like that anymore. Now, how about we get this party started?"
Haruno nodded; giving his teammate his full focus. Even with Inugami's explanation as to why he should be sharing this knowledge, Nakahito felt he owed respect to Sho's grandmother, who he had a vague recollection of, but he could be mistaken; he and Kimiko would have been 6, going on 7 when she died. "What's the first step?"
"Well, accounting for how you, Raiden, and Whiskers have similar impulse control issues and short attention spans, I'll promise to keep the theory and explanations as brief as possible."
'Oh thank God.' The fire jutsu user thought silently.
"Now, then, while I already know the answer to this, what is a jutsu you know backwards and forwards that requires the fewest number of hand seals to activate?"
"Transformation; it only requires the Tiger seal." Nakahito replied instantly.
Inugami have an approving nod. "Precisely. Think back to that first year in the Academy when they first taught us hand seals; all the steps we had to go through to make them work... Now, how many of those steps do you have to think of doing anymore when you use jutsu?"
"Barely any, if any at all. It's just natural now." He shook a finger at Sho. "I see where you're going with this; you're talking about how chakra use is just like tool usage."
There was a wry chuckle from Ohs. > We bust his chops a lot, but he HAS a halfway decent brain in there; when he uses it, that is… <
A genuine smile crossed the medic-nin's lips. "Precisely! So we start by trying a small step. I want you make the Tiger seal, but don't put your hands together as you normally would."
Haruno frowned to himself, but straightened his index and middle fingers while curling his ring and pinky ones on both hands. He kept a space of about a centimeter between them instead of interlacing his curled fingers. "Like this?"
"That's perfect, yes. Now for the hard part of this little trick: in your mind, as you contemplate what you're going to turn into, you also have to convince your mind that your hands are actually touching."
"Oh… is THAT all?" The other Genin asked sarcastically.
"I won't lie to you, Haruno…"
> For a fucking change… < Ohs chortled.
"…this is NOT an easy skill to learn. Iruka-sensei always said I had the best skill in Transformation he'd ever seen; and it took ME nearly three years to master it just for such an elementary jutsu. You'll have complications, you'll have setbacks, but you have to stick to it."
"Like those three geniuses: Third-sama, Lord Fourth and Kakashi-san." Nakahito nodded in agreement.
Nakahito focused his thoughts on his teammate in front of him. "TRANSFORM!" Nakahito cried out forcefully, trying to turn himself into a copy of the medic-nin trying to teach him. He felt his body shift, as normal when transforming, but he wasn't sure if he'd been successful.
"Well..? Did I do it?" Haruno's voice was hopeful.
His teammate was silent for a moment; too long a moment.
"Ahh… Were you trying to become me?" Sho asked gently.
Meanwhile Imaguni Ohs was cackling like a madman in Roshyan. > O, chert voz'mi, vo chto tol'ko on ne prevrashchayetsya! < He tried to eat some of his mental popcorn. > Khotelos' by, chtoby my znali tekhniku svyazi razuma Yamanaki, chtoby my mogli pokazat' eto Kimiko! <
"It's so bad you can't tell?" Nakahito moaned.
"No… No! I've seen worse before…" Inugami said straining to keep a straight face. 'Somewhere…'
Haruno winced at the slightly manic tone to Sho's voice, the kind of time one has while trying VERY hard not to laugh at someone. Curling the first two fingers of his right hand, he sighed. "Come on; let me see it…"
"Let me start by saying for a first try, it's not that bad..." Sho grabbed the wall behind him as he turned into a full sized mirror.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" Haruno looked at his reflection in utter horror. Half of his face had turned into an exact copy of the medic-nin, down to the shock of white hair and a lock of black draped over a gray eye.
And that is where the accuracy ended.
The rest of Nakahito's face was twisted and distorted, but still somehow recognizable as his normal self; as if someone had shoved a hand mixer into his head and turned it on... Then there was the matter of the pair of perky, prominently displayed female breasts that he could now see through his mesh shirt on his otherwise masculine form.
"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO ME, INUGAMI?!"
That's when the door to the two male members of Team 13's suite slid open. "Hito, are you okay?!" A concerned sounding Kimiko Itou came charging in. "I heard you scr… eam… ing…" Her words slurred in shock as she came to a sudden stop.
If Imaguni could laugh any louder or harder, Sho's teammates might have heard him. > BWA-HA-HA-HA! Oh my fucking Gods, I wanted that to happen and it DID! <
"Kimi, close the door and don't look at me!" Nakahito demanded as he tried to grab and shake the third member of their team. "Sho, you got me into this mess, get me the fuck out!"
That's when Miho Hyuuga, Princess Reiyuriko, and Prince Kodansyo – who'd been with Itou – appeared in the doorway. The team's Jonin covered her mouth and briefly closed her silver eyes to focus herself when she saw the state of the younger of her two male Genin. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for this…"
Nakahito was too stunned to think of ending his flawed jutsu. "I… Uh…" Itou, however, got a shit eating grin on her face as she walked up to Nakahito. "Kimiko… What are you doing?!" He demanded, her grin widening as she brought her hand up. "Itou, whatever you're thinking, don't you FUCKING DARE..!"
As soon as she could, Kimiko put a hand on one of his feminine breasts, giving it a playful squeeze. "Wow, 'Hito… Those are a lot firmer than I…"
"Oh, my fucking God…" Haruno cried as he remembered he'd said those exact words during the Yondaime's Gambit when he'd accidentally groped her. Miho, Sho and Ohs lost it; the later two reverting to their human form and pounding his fist on the tatami mat of the suite as he laughed. "Oh, someone, anyone, please just let me die!"
After a few moments, Inugami managed to focus himself and picked himself up, a flexible black rod appearing in his hand. With a light swing, he whacked Haruno on the back of his head, forcing the younger man's jutsu to stop; restoring Nakahito's normal appearance.
"Oww!" He moaned rubbing the back of his head, looking at the medic-nin. "What was that for?!" Sho pointed at the fire user's chest, causing the teen with seafoam green eyes to look down…
…to where Kimiko's hand was now pressed against Nakahito's now masculine pec, still squeezing it. A splash of red begin to fill both of their features.
"Kimi, that is NOT my shoulder!"
"Sorry!" The kunoichi squeaked, yanking her hand away as both their faces turned redder than Haruno's jacket.
"Still waiting on that explanation…" Miho-sensei asked, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration; a habit she'd picked up from her boyfriend. "And while you're at it, Sho, where the HELL did you find a chakra disruption rod in Mizumiyo Palace of all places?"
"Same place as all my other larger medical gear when I need it…" Inugami said as he undid the powder blue sash holding his uwagi jacket closed. He turned one side of the jacket back to reveal a number of gear storage seals that had been stitched along the lapel line, to one of which Inugami returned the black rod now that he was done with it. "It may not be very effective against effects from techniques higher that D and lower C ranks, but just like computers, sometimes you just have to turn something off and on again to fix a problem."
'So that's how he's constantly able to pull stuff out of his jacket… I never noticed the stitching with my Byakugan before.' The dark haired woman thought to herself. "And the rest of it?"
"Nakahito asked me to show him how I'm so fast with basic jutsu seals. I went through the basics of chakra shortcuts and he tried doing it for himself."
Miho covered her eyes with one hand. "Oh, Hito… Seal count manipulation is just something I'm afraid you're not ready for yet… It's a Jonin-level capability that even I haven't been able to fully master yet."
Nakahito's eyes went wide. "A Jo…" His voice cut off, looking at his white-haired teammate in disbelief.
Inugami shook his head. "Haruno, before your brain tries to eat itself, I'm at MAYBE five-to-ten percent mastery. Sensei's probably at least double that."
"I'd probably say I'm at about 25%... And to be honest, I think I'm at the limit I'll ever achieve with it; I can do most B rank jutsu with a single seal." She looked at Sho appraisingly. "This doesn't seem to be one of your usual pranks at Hito's expense…"
"No prank; at least not intentionally, though I have to admit THAT…" He gestured at his teammates, causing them to flush again. "…was comedy GOLD. Anyways, Nakahito wanted to learn and I wasn't going to discourage that by telling him it would be too hard. After all, Whiskers – sorry, Naruto Uzumaki – went from being unable to make basic Illusion Clones in the Academy to having mastered Shadow Clones in a matter of weeks. I figured Haruno deserved a chance to see if maybe he'd be a natural."
'More like a matter of hours.' Miho thought to herself as she recalled Iruka's version of the story. 'The Uzumaki Clan was always known for having a ridiculous level of life force, which is probably why both Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki that I know of are from that family; anyone less wouldn't be able to contain that Biju…'
The Hyuuga looked at Nakahito. "At this point in your development, 'Hito, you'd honestly be better off trying to increase the speed at which you can make seals instead of trying to learn one-handed or seal less jutsu performance."
"It's possible to make seals with just one hand, Miho-sensei?" Kimiko asked in surprise, finally getting past her embarrassment… 'Why on Earth did I grab 'Hito like that?! Did I just want to return the favor from when he grabbed me by accident.'
Miho nodded. "Most Kenjutsu specialists – at least the ones that wield one-handed blades – try to master single hand seals so they aren't forced to choose between using their preferred weapon or their jutsu. Since you're trying to specialize in your Wusha, it could benefit you as well."
Nakahito looked at his instructor. "It may be hard to learn, Sensei, but I'd still like your permission to…"
Miho Hyuuga raised one hand with a gentle smile. "You don't need my permission to keep trying, Nakahito. I'm simply saying that – from the perspective of the Jonin placed to be in charge of monitoring and guiding your development as a ninja – I won't incorporate it into the training I personally will give you. In fact, I wish you luck with it. Do you know why?" He shook his head. "My mission is to evaluate each of your potential to be a Chuunin. See, fewer than 3 in 10 Konoha ninja are Chuunin, less than 1 in 100 are Tokubetsu Jonin and under 1 in 1,000 are Jonin, but it takes drive and determination, to succeed at advancing. Some people have it, while others are content to be perpetual Genin – like your Uncle – and that's nothing to be ashamed of."
"They want you and the other instructors to figure out who is worth sinking the additional costs into to help them achieve their full potential." Inugami pointed out, as if it should be obvious to everyone on the Team. He had also heard Miho-sensei's subtle chastisement. "There's a few pieces of equipment that I should be able to find in Kawa City that can help improve phalangeal flexibility and speed." He arched an eyebrow at Kimiko. "Would you like me to get a set for you as well, Itou-san?"
Kimiko nodded, her previous flush of embarrassment now having completely vanished. "Can't let 'Hito leave me in the dust."
Nakahito gave her a one-armed hug and a smile. "Not in this life, Kimi."
"Pardon us," Kodansyo spoke up; the team of ninja had completely spaced that the total couple were standing there. "I know you volunteered to provide extra protection for us tonight, in the unlikely event the Traitor had contingency plans in place…"
Hyuuga's pale skin flushed. "My apologies, Lord Kodansyo; I was not anticipating…"
Reiyuriko playfully thumped her husband on his chest with the back of her hand. "It's fine, Miho-chan. My dear husband is merely of the mindset that if you're not at least half an hour early to something, you're late."
Kodansyo rolled his eyes, "Well, my love, not ALL of us grew up being able to 'get there when we get there.'" He looked to the Jonin. "Back me up, Miho-san; my dear wife is so slow she's going to somehow manage to be three days late for her own funeral, right?"
The future Queen gave the future Lord Daimyo a playful akanbe gesture. "And even if you've already headed to the Pure Land by the time that happens, it will somehow be ENTIRELY your fault, my love."
'Gods, I miss Motoko-sa right now…' Inugami thought to himself as Haruno and Itou surreptitiously rolled their eyes; hoping that someday the two of them could be as comfortably playful as the royal couple.
Internally, Ohs snorted. > The nearly constant fucking every night probably helps… These rooms aren't as soundproof as their designers thought. That or the Princess is a screamer; which is probably a special kind of hell for Lord Mizuzaki. <
'Yeah, well, they have the obligation to perpetuate the line or the succession issues this year will seem as easy as the pre-Academy's entrance exam.'
Ohs rubbed the back of his head. > Yeah, but if it weren't an automatic process, there are those who would flunk breathing and you know it. < The avatar of Sho's subconscious grumbled, remembering the paste eaters when he'd dropped Lucia off for the program four years earlier.
Inugami frowned at his other half. 'You okay, Ohs? Insulting kids barely past being toddlers is both beneath and unlike you.'
Ohs shook his head, exuding confusion. > You're right; that was weird… Maybe we're just a little overtired? My mind feels a little muddy or some reason. <
"Earth to Inugami!" Haruno's voice was accompanied by a light slug to his shoulder. "You okay there, buddy? You were zoning out pretty badly there; the others already left."
The medic-nin abruptly shook his head, clearing the mental cobwebs. "Yeah. Went down a mental rabbit hole again." Sho frowned. "I'm surprised you didn't just leave me behind; I would have caught up."
"I kinda wanted to ask you some quick questions without the others hearing… Why did I get stuck in that bizarre transformation and why did I suddenly get boobs when I was trying to turn into you?"
Inugami chuckled slightly. "Oh; it's just a side effect of the shortcutting process. See, because you were trying to concentrate on two different things – trying to mentally imagine your hands are touching when they aren't while also trying to picture what you're turning into – it's kinda like looking at that portrait," He pointed at a painting of Reiyuriko and Mizuzaki, "…without taking your eyes off that lamp behind me."
"Okay, I can see how that is difficult… But WHY did I have BOOBS?!"
"Because somewhere in that melon of yours, when you think of me, you're still thinking of me as Shion. As a result it corrupted your mental image, which is why you got stuck." He grinned wider. "So, tell me…"
"You're going to test the patience that Miho-sensei is trying to help me find, aren't you…"
"Oh, definitely… Which was better: you getting to second base with Kimiko or her getting there with YOU?"
Nakahito shuddered at both memories. "I really hate you sometimes, Sho…" He moaned as the medic-nin guided him out.