With a distinct click, the door to the VIP room swung open, letting Akira take in the size and decor of the Hyuga clan's princess suite. Unlike the room he'd once stayed in, this one had no neighbors for the clan's hime. The space was big enough to fit ten guests at once, and the bed could easily hold three Hinatas. There were even two bedside tables: one stacked with books and personal items, the other with a basket of fruit and a little vase for flowers.
Hinata herself, looking thoroughly bored, was sitting up and munching on an apple. The moment she saw her visitor, her whole expression changed.
"Is it time for my shot?" With obvious annoyance, Hinata set the apple on the table and turned her back to him, lying on her side. Then, with her fingers, she pulled up the edge of her hospital gown, revealing to a stunned Akira her right, still not-quite-plump-enough butt cheek, dotted with a few red marks the size of mosquito bites.
*Couldn't you at least wait for me to answer? What if I just "walked in" for no reason?* Akira, currently disguised as a nurse, was screaming internally. What had seemed like a genius idea for sneaking into Hinata's room had taken a very unexpected turn.
*Million-ryo question: what do I do now?* Akira stepped closer to the bed. *Well, if someone's sticking their butt out at you, there's only one logical thing to do.*
smack
"Ow!" Hinata arched forward, shocked, covering the spot with her hand.
"What do you think you're - " She started to raise her voice, but stopped as soon as she turned around. "YOU?!"
"Me." Akira grinned, quickly stepping back to dodge a pillow aimed at his face.
"What in the name of Fujin are you doing here?" Still fuming, but now a little embarrassed, Hinata tried to arrange herself in a less compromising position.
"Well, I heard you were in the hospital and thought I'd drop by." Ignoring her irritation, Akira started pulling gifts from his storage scroll: a bag of fruit, a paper sack of still-steaming pastries, and a book. The last one, given how bored Hinata had been, caught her attention most. She decided to let the previous incident slide for now.
"What's the book?"
"Oh, this is an exclusive: part two of 'In Search of Truth.' You won't find it anywhere else yet." Akira was sure Hinata had already read the first part, and judging by the way her eyes lit up as she examined the cover, he was right.
"How long are you stuck here?" He sat down at the far end of the bed, not bothering to be shy.
"About five days. How did you even know I was here?" Hinata, curiosity winning out, set the book aside.
"I started taking med-nin courses, so I hear all the hospital gossip. As for your room number - let's just say the nurses are pretty chatty with me."
"Of course they are." Hinata snorted, fully understanding why the staff would be so talkative.
"So why did you decide to become a med-nin?"
"So I can heal or save the people I care about, obviously." Akira smiled, mentally adding, *And the person I care about most is myself.*
Hinata wanted to make a snarky comment, but honestly, she couldn't find anything wrong with that reason. In fact, she thought it was more than acceptable. Her own mother, after all, had switched to being a med-nin for pretty much the same reason.
"Five days - so you'll be out just in time for exams. Has anyone else visited you besides me?"
"No, just you and my mom."
"What about your dad?" Akira asked, then immediately remembered that he probably didn't even know his daughter was in the hospital.
"No." Hinata's face fell.
"Ahem, don't worry, I'm sure he's got important things to do." Akira started thinking about how to change the subject.
"Important? All he does is drink tea with uncle and talk about clan traditions and history. He doesn't have anything important to do!"
Akira realized he'd accidentally hit a sore spot.
"Even you, who's basically a stranger, found time to visit me. We've already talked longer than I've spoken to my father in the past month. And every conversation we do have is just him telling me to be more like my damn cousin. Sometimes I think he wishes he'd had an heir instead of an heiress." Hinata's outburst faded as soon as she felt a hand on her head.
"Hey, hey, calm down." Akira gently stroked her hair, whispering, "You know, we don't get to choose our parents, so getting mad at them for not living up to your hopes or expectations - it's just not worth it. Besides, some people just have a hard time showing their feelings, especially if they were raised with strict rules. I'm sure, deep down, he loves you."
"How would you know if he loves me?" Hinata asked shyly, not actually wanting him to stop petting her. *This is… kind of nice,* she realized.
"Heh, what kind of question is that? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? There's no way anyone could not love a girl as sweet as you."
"Okay, I get it." Hinata blushed for a second, then quickly got her emotions under control and pulled her head away.
"Perfect." Akira smiled, pulling his hand back. "I'll bet you ten thousand ryo your dad visits you today or tomorrow."
"I'll remember that." Hinata smiled, and mentally added, *And I'll remember that smack, too.*
****
"I'm home!" I called out as I stepped inside, taking off my shoes. No answer. *Weird, did they go out? Where's Aika?*
After searching the house, I found a note in the kitchen next to some covered plates of lunch. My sister had taken Aika to meet with a representative from a trading company in Otafuku.
*Hmm, so she wasn't just here to loaf around. Perfect, that means I can spend some time experimenting with fuinjutsu.*
I headed to my bedroom, half-covered in tatami, and slid the nightstand away from the corner. Underneath was a hatch leading to the basement.
Luckily, I didn't have to expand or reinforce the basement, just wire it for electricity. Still, I had to come up with some kind of explanation for the contractors about why there was - well, a torture chamber down there. Or not a torture chamber, depending on your point of view. There was a human-sized cage, shackles, various whips, and even something that looked like a Spanish donkey - a triangular log clearly meant for sitting people on.
Basically, the basement had belonged to someone with some serious sadistic tendencies. Given how old the house was, it probably saw its share of enemy kunoichi captured during wars - or maybe not kunoichi, who knows who used to own this place.
Naturally, I had to get rid of all that, and slip the workers a little extra to keep them from talking. Bad rumors are easy to start, and who knows what people would say if they found out my house used to have a torture chamber.
Now, instead of a creepy, dusty room that would give any guest the chills, it was a bright hall: half covered in tatami with a pull-up bar and a training makiwara, the other half set up with everything I needed for fuinjutsu.
A cabinet full of paper, a big desk, a comfy leather chair, and a sixteen-square-meter open space in the middle for seal experiments. And that's not all! Behind the cabinet, built into the wall, was a safe with my rainy day stash, kept in storage scrolls - but that was just for show. The real safe, with my most valuable stuff, was hidden under the floorboards and tatami in the training area.
The first safe could be found with a Byakugan if someone managed to get through the basement's barrier, but the second one, thanks to a mini-barrier at all four corners, would be almost impossible to find. And even if someone did, they'd never find the real hiding place, which was under that safe, several meters underground.
That's where I kept most of my savings, the original deeds to my property, my contract with the Snow Country rep, and... the cells of the First Hokage, sealed in a special organ scroll. Sounds like a lot, but in the shinobi world, you can't be too careful. Ideally, I'd stash my most precious stuff somewhere nobody could ever find it, but getting there when I needed it would be a pain.
Alright, time for some experiments. Let's start simple.
I got out all my fuinjutsu supplies and sat at the desk, thinking about where to begin. Leaning back in my chair, I looked up and caught sight of the glowing lightbulb. *That's it! Electricity! Time to experiment with lightning chakra.*
First, I started adding elements for chakra nature transformation, then ran a chakra circuit to the "release" kanji, which was supposed to let the chakra out. That should do for now.
I placed my palm on the left side of the chakra paper and started channeling chakra into it. As everyone knows, paper doesn't conduct electricity - unless it's wet. So I reduced the chakra flow to a minimum and carefully touched the "release" kanji with my finger.
*Hmm, just a slight vibration. Let's up the chakra a bit... yeah, as I thought, the more chakra I put in, the stronger the shock. What did I expect?*
I kept increasing the chakra flow until I reached the point where touching the "release" kanji was impossible. That only happened when I was channeling about a tenth of my maximum output. So... well, let's see. I made a clone and had it pour as much chakra into the seal as possible, until it started condensing into a visible dark blue mist.
"Go for it." A clear command, and the clone touched the "release" kanji - and immediately poofed out of existence. The pain from the clone's dispersal, as everyone knows, gets passed to the original.
For a second, my whole palm felt like it was on fire. My heart even skipped a beat from the sudden pain.
"So, theoretically... this kind of seal could knock a shinobi off their feet, maybe even leave burns. And if someone isn't prepared - meaning they haven't filled their body with chakra - they might even pass out. Hm, a budget Chidori? WAIT!" Hit by a sudden idea, I opened my left hand and started drawing the kanji on my skin with ink, almost exactly copying the scheme I'd used on the chakra paper.
As soon as the ink dried, I summoned a clone with one hand and, without explaining anything, pressed my palm to its shoulder, releasing chakra through my left hand.
POOF The clone didn't even have time to be surprised before it vanished.
"Haha, I'm a genius! All you need is - OW!" I accidentally shocked myself when the skin on my palm touched the "release" kanji.
So, you have to be really careful using this kind of fuin - best to keep your hand wide open so you don't zap yourself. At least the "release" kanji only lets lightning chakra out the front, otherwise you'd have a "technique" that hits you as hard as your enemy. And with this fuin, you don't even need hand seals.
The only problem is, skin isn't the best surface for a seal where ink is the chakra conductor. If you sweat, it'll smudge, and the attack area is tiny - you'd have to touch your opponent, preferably on the neck, to make sure they feel it. Rasengan, with the same attack area, would do more damage, but... I'd rather not show that off, and you can always finish off a downed enemy as long as you have a kunai handy. *Hm, is there a way to boost the shock?
Think, brain... no, I can't remember any kanji that would help. Maybe Kushina has a book with the info I need? Whatever, I'll think about it later, and also figure out what to use instead of ink.*
Now, let's try using a converter for other chakra natures instead of lightning.
****
In the end, Akira spent the whole day in the basement. Turns out, for a simple seal like that, lightning worked best.
Fire, when released through the kanji, made a little tongue of flame, and if you boosted it, the paper would catch fire and the seal would destabilize.
Water made the paper damp, which blurred the kanji after a few uses. Still, if someone was stuck somewhere without water but had chakra paper and ink, they wouldn't die of thirst with this seal.
Wind made a mini-fan, like those cheap USB fans Akira used to buy from Chinese shops.
As for earth, he couldn't really figure out what it did - the paper just got a bit denser and dustier where the "release" kanji was.
About five minutes after he left the basement and put the kettle on, Mezumi and Nekorin came back.
"Oh, I'm so tired. These new sandals turned my feet to mush." Mezumi sighed in relief, kicking off her shoes with enough force to make it look like she was getting revenge on them.
"I can make you some healing ointment, my lady." Nekorin offered, picking up Mezumi's sandals and neatly placing them on the shoe rack, then setting out a pair of house slippers with rubber soles and bamboo insoles.
"Mmm, later, when I'm getting ready for bed." She headed to the kitchen. "Hey, Akira, did you miss us?" She shrugged off her haori, left in just her kimono, and called out.
"Who are you people, and what are you doing in my house?" I asked calmly.
"Ha-ha, very funny." Mezumi rolled her eyes and sat down across from Akira, clearly enjoying herself.
"You don't look so good." Akira noted, perking up at the sound of the kettle.
"If only you knew... it's torture dealing with those merchants all day, and having to keep perfect posture the whole time. Sometimes I just want to drop everything and run away somewhere. Pour me some tea, will you?" Seeing Akira's indifferent expression, Mezumi forced a smile and added, "Pleeease, little brother."
*He's such a grump. How can he not be happy to help his own sister, especially one as wonderful as me? I bet he'd be all smiles if I said Nekorin and I were leaving.* Mezumi thought, staring at Akira's back.
*Or maybe he just wants us gone so he can invite his women over. Not that I blame him. But I'm not leaving just yet - not until I'm sure he actually feels close to me.*
Over the past few days, Mezumi had gotten a pretty good read on her little brother's character. She'd even figured out some of his masks. Outwardly friendly and easygoing, but inside, pretty calculating and cold. To her, Akira was like bamboo - prickly bamboo you could bend in any direction, but only up to a point, after which it would snap back and cut your hand.
And she liked that about him. People who are too flexible can't stand up for themselves, and those who never bend can break in a strong wind. She also noticed that his kind mask was genuine, but only toward kids or people he really valued - and she wasn't one of those yet.
*Unfortunately. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time.*
Mezumi felt comfortable around her brother, which was rare for her with men. That made her value their time together even more.
*If only every day could be like this... no responsibilities, just lying around, chatting, drinking tea, and eating sweets.*
And Mezumi was sure Akira felt the same way - otherwise, why would he insist on keeping their sibling relationship a secret? He really wanted a peaceful life.
After tea and conversation, it was time for Mezumi's favorite part of the day: reading hour.
She was delighted to learn that her little brother had the same habit as her - relaxing with a book in the evening.
Changing into more comfortable clothes, she went to the living room, where Akira was stretched out on the couch, nose in a book.
*Philosophy of the Three Blades.* She squinted at the title. Mezumi liked philosophy too, but not the kind tied to the art of war. Tonight, she had some second-rate novel about a clan run entirely by kunoichi during the warring clans era.
Grabbing an extra pillow from under Akira's feet, she sat on the floor, leaning her back against the couch. Even without direct contact, she felt closer to her brother in moments like this than ever before.
...And then Maya-sama, abandoning her group, ran into the gorge to draw the pursuers after her... *What nonsense. Their goal was to wipe out the whole squad - why would they chase just one person? Wouldn't it make more sense to split up?*
Even Mezumi, who wasn't much for military strategy, could tell the move in the book was forced and illogical. Given all the earlier dumb decisions she'd spotted, she didn't feel like reading any further.
*Besides, it's obvious how it'll end - the author's way too predictable.* With a snap, she closed the book and glanced back to see Akira still reading with the same interest.
"Akira." She called to him.
"Hm?" He barely managed a questioning sound.
"My legs are killing me after today. Can you give them a massage?" She smiled. Akira's eyes went back to his book.
"Come on, please!" Still nothing. "Don't be like that."
Getting up, Mezumi leaned over Akira and started gently nudging his shoulder.
"Just ten minutes, please."
"Don't want to." He answered calmly, trying to focus on his book.
"Come on, just five minutes and... I'll forget about that favor you owe me from helping with the Tanzaku magistrate." Mezumi remembered just in time.
Sighing, Akira closed his book, and Mezumi cheered inwardly.
*Poor Nekorin's exhausted too, I don't want to bother her.* She thought, and when she saw Akira get up, she let out a happy "yay," jumped onto the spot he'd just vacated, and quickly straightened her not-so-long skirt, which had ridden up a bit too high.
"It'd be easier if you stayed on the floor. Bend your knees." Mezumi did as told, giving Akira room on the couch.
He sat down, lowered her legs onto his lap, and started kneading her calves.
*Not as good as my personal masseuse, but there's something nice about rougher, masculine hands,* Mezumi thought.
From calves, Akira moved to her feet, then back to her calves after a couple minutes.
"You can go a little higher." Noticing he wasn't going past her knees, Mezumi hinted that by "legs," she meant more than just calves and feet.
Without a word, Akira moved up, using his anatomy knowledge from med-nin courses to squeeze and release each muscle fiber.
*Wow, he's just as good on thighs as my masseuse.* Akira paused for a second, looking at his hand. *Just as I thought, the seal's a little smudged. I wonder if it'll still work like this?* He went back to the massage.
*Ahh, what is this weird feeling? Like little electric shocks, my muscles twitching in tiny spasms - it's so strange and nice. How is he doing that?* Mezumi was really starting to enjoy the massage, but after half a minute, she tensed up a bit.
*Where are his hands going? By "higher," I didn't mean above mid-thigh, but... it feels so good right now. I don't want him to stop. Wait, why is he lifting my skirt?* Surprised, Mezumi pressed her legs together.
"Relax, I'm not going to cross any lines." That calmed Mezumi a little, but she still didn't open her thighs. Not that it stopped Akira, whose long fingers easily worked between her slightly plump, pressed-together legs.
Gradually, Mezumi stopped tensing up and let Akira's fingers work more freely.
*I guess there's nothing wrong with this. But... damn, is it supposed to feel this good? Am I actually getting turned on?* But before she could finish the thought, Akira spoke:
"Five minutes are up." And with that, he delivered a stinging smack to her left butt cheek.
"OW!" Mezumi arched, feeling a sharp jolt.
"Hehe." A chuckle came from behind her, which didn't make her feel any better.
"Take this, revenge!" She spun around and gleefully slammed a pillow into her brother's face.
"Your pillow-jutsu might be strong, but mine is stronger." Akira grinned, brushed imaginary dust off his face, and with a quick motion, tossed a pillow over his shoulder, hitting her pillow dead-on.
"Oh no! My pillow ate your makeup."
"You're gonna get it! Feel my wrath." Mezumi noticed powder marks on the fallen pillow.
And so it began... pillows flew, feathers and tears of laughter filled the air. Aika, caught in the crossfire, ran for cover, and the outcome was decided by a single mistake.
Akira, backing away, tripped over the coffee table and lost his balance. Mezumi seized the moment and closed in.
"Pillow-jutsu: Twin Blade Hurricane!" she shouted, raining down a flurry of blows on Akira's poor head. The bigger they are, the harder they fall - and that went for Akira, who knocked over the table and landed flat on his back with a thud.
Knowing you have to finish off your enemy, Mezumi jumped on Akira and started pummeling his arms as he tried to defend himself.
"Do you give up? Do you?" she repeated after every hit.
"Alright, just get off me!" Akira yelled, trying to push Mezumi off.
"No way, you're not getting off that easy. I want you to - " She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly feeling something odd. *...admit I'm stronger... what's poking me between the legs?* Mezumi looked at Akira's hands, then shifted her hips a few times. When she saw Akira's face change, she got it.
*Oh. Looks like the male body doesn't care about family ties.*
"Let's just say you've admitted I'm stronger." Not wanting to drag it out, Mezumi pretended not to notice. She got up - not too fast, not too slow.
"I'm going to take a bath. As the loser, you can clean up in here." She walked off like a champion. Only when she started undressing in the bathroom did Mezumi notice a small damp spot on her underwear.
*Ahem, it's just the massage. That could happen to anyone.* She found her excuse and went to the mirror.
****
"Mom, can I sleep with you?" Hayana, already getting ready for bed, heard a quiet voice from the half-open shoji.
"Hanabi-chan? Can't sleep alone?" Hayana asked her half-asleep daughter.
"Yeah, it's hard without onee-san." The girl admitted, shuffling at the doorway.
"Alright, come here. I think we'll both fit on my futon." Hayana smiled, and Hanabi happily jumped in beside her.
"Is Dad coming home tonight?" Hanabi yawned.
"No, he said not to wait up." Her mother replied, thinking, *Probably off drinking with Hizashi again. Not that I'd want to join them - I don't even like alcohol, and it'd be weird to drink with my husband anyway.*
Pushing aside those thoughts, Hayana tried to fall asleep. For half an hour, she tossed and turned, unable to find her way to dreamland, her mind full of images from the day - especially one in particular. It's not every day you see a man's erect member; in fact, since giving birth to her youngest daughter, this was the first time Hayana had seen one.
*Well, no, the second time... the first was when she'd spilled tea on Akira's pants and hurried to dry them.*
Remembering that warm, hard... thing she'd touched through the fabric, Hayana felt a thousand needles prickling between her legs. In her current position, she held back from reaching down, but Kami knew it was hard.
*Last time I took care of myself was... yeah, a month ago. Still, I should hold back, at least tonight.* Her arousal fed her fantasies, which only made her more aroused. Sleep finally broke the cycle - and it was a good sleep.
In her dream, Hayana was running through a grassy field, holding hands with her late sister - and Hizashi's former wife. They laughed, butterflies swirled around them, and behind them, their mother called out not to run too far.
The dream shifted. Now Hayana was running from a big, angry black dog, for some reason holding a toilet brush. No amount of chakra in her legs or experience could help her outrun it; the harder she tried, the slower she moved.
"Help!" Hayana cried, throwing the brush at the dog's face. She completely forgot she could fight. Actually, her body barely responded at all, moving in slow motion.
Suddenly, a tall, well-built, naked back appeared in front of her. Hayana clung to it, hoping for rescue.
"Don't worry, I'll save you." A deep, pleasant male voice said. Then a bright light shone, and the danger vanished.
The man, whose face she couldn't see, turned to reveal a bleeding scar on his chest.
"Oh no, you're hurt. Lie down, I'll heal you." The tall man with long dark hair didn't say a word, just lay his head in Hayana's lap while she tried to close the wound with her hands. In a second, the blood and scar were gone, leaving only smooth, white skin.
"Your muscles need to relax, too." For some reason, Hayana started feeling his chest and abs with one hand, holding his head with the other. Then she noticed a huge bulge forming in his pants.
*Oh, the blood vessels will get compressed.* And as if by magic, a scalpel appeared in her hand, and she sliced open his pants - even though she could have just pulled them down.
The man's organ, as long as two forearms and as thick as a fist, stood tall before Hayana.
*We're outside, what if someone sees?* But in her dream, nothing seemed strange or illogical.
Hayana, her critical thinking dulled by sleep, found a brilliant solution: she pulled down her panties, hiked up her skirt, and climbed onto the "pole."
*Too big... I need to do it in one go.* She braced her feet, bent her knees, and jumped three meters into the air. As gravity took over, she spread her legs and, like a magnet, was drawn to her "opposite pole."
"Ohhh, Akira!" In one motion, Hayana impaled herself on the entire length, rolling her eyes as explosive pleasure washed over her.
****
"Mmm..." With a long moan, Hayana started to wake up, feeling wave after wave of pleasure ripple through her body, making her clench up.
*Was that... an erotic dream? Oh, I've never felt pleasure that strong before.* Still half-asleep, Hayana didn't immediately notice someone breathing against her side.
"Hm?" She turned her head and saw Hanabi, fast asleep, snuggled up to her bare waist, one leg thrown over her. More importantly...
Hayana, suddenly pale, gently moved Hanabi's hand away from a rather inappropriate spot.
All day, Hayana had the nagging feeling she'd forgotten something, but thanks to the morning incident - which still burned bright in her mind - she never did remember what it was.