The next day, Kakashi-sensei was called to another mission. Without her. Seina stayed alone at home, as neither Sasuke nor Naruto had returned yet. Luckily, it was Thursday, and she had work at the hospital, making the day go by faster. The same happened on Friday, equally lonely. Saturday, however, with nothing to distract her, she spent the entire day in her study.
She had almost forgotten her idea with the patronus, but now that she had the time, she could revisit it with pleasure. The runes to make the mineral she intended to enchant unbreakable were easy, standard. She had to create several sequences aimed at containing the patronus within the mineral. One of them didn't work. Another seemed to work for a few minutes, but then the patronus faded. Finally, she tried a different approach. Instead of containing her spell, she tried absorbing it.
"It worked!" she exclaimed to Kurama, who was watching with interest through her eyes.
"Why?"
"I think these minerals don't have enough power to hold such strong magic. By changing the rune sequences, I can make it so my patronus spell provides energy to the stone, rather than the other way around, with the mineral acting as an anchor for the spell. Once the mineral itself has energy, the second part of the sequence can activate to encapsulate the patronus within the stone."
"Huh. I think I get it. With the modifications you've made, your spell is giving magic to the stone, and at the same time, that energy is used to 'hold' it, right?"
"That's right. It's not a corporeal patronus but rather incomplete since part of the energy has been used to activate the runes on the mineral itself. Even so, it's enough for someone to feel the same happiness and serenity that a full patronus brings."
Seina repeated the experiment a couple of times to make sure it worked. Smiling from ear to ear, she realized it was a complete success. She took the first pendant, a silver chain with a flat, teardrop-shaped opal, and put it on. The moment the pendant touched her skin, she felt a sensation of serenity, happiness, comfort, and love that was hard to describe. It was like coming home to loved ones after a mission, like a warm bath on a cold winter's day, like an embrace from someone dear. She felt her stress melt away, her muscles relaxing, ready for anything.
She had successfully completed three trials but would make one more for herself. She took off the opal, cleaned it, and stored it in a soft, conjured box. The other pendants were a labradorite and an amethyst, but she wanted something different. She searched through the many drawers of her transformed chest until she found something interesting: a dark grey moonstone.
"Ugh… sentimentality, midget?" Kurama asked upon noticing why that stone had caught her attention.
It was the same colour as Kakashi-sensei's eye. She took it from the drawer, examining it, and then used it for her new invention. That night, she slept like a baby thanks to the influence of her new pendant.
The next day, a Sunday, she woke up to the sound of her brothers' voices. She went down the stairs in her pyjamas.
"…I told you we'd be very late, dobe!"
"It's daytime!"
"Because we haven't slept!" shouted Sasuke, giving his brother a smack.
Seina laughed as she saw Naruto and Sasuke arguing. They turned to look at her with less irritated expressions.
"Seina-nee!"
"Did we wake you?" Sasuke asked. She shook her head. "Wouldn't have surprised me, with how loud this knucklehead is."
"TAKE THAT BACK!"
"Shut up, dobe. I'm going to bed."
"Rest well," she wished him.
She listened to them go to their rooms, still bickering. Shaking her head, she made herself breakfast. She used that quiet morning to read the Nara clan book, surprised by all the research they'd done over the years. They truly were geniuses. They'd cultivated all kinds of plants to see what medicinal properties they possessed.
When she looked up from the book, she realized it was already noon and that her brothers were still asleep.
"I should start making something for lunch…"
With the help of her clones, she cooked several dishes and made an inventory of what they needed to buy and the bentos she had to fill. She would take the opportunity to go shopping alone that afternoon, if possible. She heard Sasuke's door open as he yawned, coming down the stairs.
"How did you sleep?" she smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Good. It was just what I needed."
She noticed Sasuke's ears redden slightly at her kiss but also saw the faint smile on his lips. Of the three of them, Naruto was the most affectionate: he would jump on her, hug her, hold her hand, cry on her shoulder… She was less enthusiastic, preferring occasional hugs and kisses, but nothing like Sasuke, who at first had kept them a full meter away. And she meant that literally.
"How was the mission?"
"Good," he repeated. "It was just an escort mission."
"Ugh. Don't get me started on those."
Sasuke snorted a laugh. She had to call Naruto to wake him up for lunch. When he came down, still half-asleep, he found them talking and laughing at the table. That afternoon, to help them get back to a somewhat normal schedule, they trained hard until they dropped from exhaustion.
The next day, they met up again with the other teams.
"I'd like to practice some ninjutsu," Ino asked her, as they were training that day with Shino and Sasuke. "I feel like I'm improving my taijutsu, but besides my kekkei genkai, I don't have much else to rely on."
"Has Asuma-sensei shown you what nature you have?" Sasuke asked.
"Yes. Shikamaru has a fire nature, Chouji has water, and I have earth."
"Not bad… Between the three of you, you cover a lot of weaknesses. Why don't I show you some more offensive earth ninjutsu?"
"Great!"
"And what about us?" Shino asked in his usual calm tone.
"Your biggest weakness is close combat, Shino. If I were you, I'd buy some weights and practice taijutsu with Sasuke and Hinata. How are you all doing with genjutsu?"
"I'm a beginner," Shino admitted. Ino nodded as well.
"We have a lot of training to do," Sasuke frowned. "It might be better if we came up with a plan. Training like this doesn't make much sense."
"I know. In fact, I was thinking of going person by person to assess their weaknesses and come up with a more efficient plan," she admitted. "Right now, we're just training whatever we feel like."
Sasuke whistled to get the others to come closer. The others, who were warming up to avoid injuries, approached curiously. They explained what they had in mind.
"And how are we going to do that?" Neji asked.
"Let me grab a notebook to jot things down…" She reached into her pouch, took out her journal, and opened it to a random page. "Alright… Let's start with those whose weakness is taijutsu."
"Shino, Ino, Chouji, and me," Shikamaru admitted.
"Okay… And those who only know genjutsu at a beginner level?"
"Pretty much everyone except Sasuke, Naruto, and you."
Seina started making notes in a table. The people who knew more taijutsu were the ones who knew nothing about genjutsu and very little about ninjutsu, like Lee, Tenten, and the Hyuga. Those who attacked from a distance were precisely the ones who knew the least about taijutsu, like Team 10 or Shino, while those with the most ninjutsu knowledge were the most balanced, like Kiba or her team. She thought for a few seconds, surrounded by her friends, until she realized they needed to change their training method.
"Look. We don't have much time before the exams, so I'd focus on two things: eliminating everyone's biggest weakness and learning a few ninjutsus. I'd split the four-hour training session into two blocks: one for taijutsu practice for everyone and another for learning ninjutsu."
"I'd pair those who know the most taijutsu with those who know the least," Sasuke thought out loud. "That way, we'll progress faster."
"Good thinking. Do you all know your chakra nature?" she asked.
She saw Team 8 and Neji's team shake their heads.
"You can buy chakra papers in the village. We'll split into groups to learn ninjutsu based on your primary affinity. In fact, if you wait a few minutes, I can go buy some papers so we can start today while you warm up."
Everyone agreed, realizing it was more efficient to use a predetermined schedule rather than just sparring randomly among themselves. Seina went to the village to buy the chakra papers. Why couldn't Kurenai-sensei and Guy-sensei think of something this simple? She knew not all teams were combat-focused like hers, but it never hurt to know how to defend themselves...
When she returned, she found them sparring in pairs and trios, as they had planned. Lee was explaining a few combos to Shino and Shikamaru, while Neji was sparring with Ino, and Tenten was facing off against Chouji. The others had strategically paired up to cover more weaknesses, like Hinata against Naruto, who was the most unpredictable of all, and Sasuke against Kiba to push him to his limit. This was definitely Shikamaru or Sasuke's doing.
While they were practicing taijutsu and shurikenjutsu, she took the time to think about which ninjutsus to teach them. The basics included the concealment jutsu, to slip away, attack from cover, and hide. They also needed a defensive jutsu, like the earth wall, and an offensive one, like a water jet or fireball… She noted her friends' chakra natures as she knew them and realized she, Sasuke, and Naruto could split everyone into three groups.
"Let's take a break!" panted Ino, lying on the ground, drenched in sweat. "I need to drink some water."
Everyone sat on the ground, breathing deeply. Seina tossed her self-refilling canteen to them to drink from.
"Why don't we try the papers now?" Tenten asked, leaning back on her arms. "I'm curious to know our chakra natures."
"Here. Pass the papers around. Can you tell me your primary nature? I'm making groups for the training."
"I have fire nature," said Shikamaru. Kiba nodded in agreement.
"Huh. Apparently, I do too," replied Neji, watching his paper turn to ash.
"Water?"
"Me," said Chouji and Hinata, raising their hands.
"I'm earth," Ino informed her.
"Same here," said Shino.
"And wind and lightning?"
"I'm wind!" Tenten smiled.
"All right. Then that's everyone. Naruto is wind type, and Sasuke is lightning."
She noticed Lee looked a bit down as everyone discussed ninjutsu, unable to use chakra that way himself. She approached him discreetly, realizing she could include him in other ways.
"Lee, how about learning kenjutsu and some basic wound care?"
"Really?" Lee's face lit up with a radiant smile. "I'd love that!"
"In fact, everyone should know how. Imagine Tenten and Neji run out of chakra to heal the team…"
"You're right, Seina! I have to train hard and learn as much as possible!"
She smiled. That's how they spent the remaining hours of training. Seina worked with Hinata, Chouji, Ino, and Shino to teach them water and earth nature ninjutsu, while Naruto focused on Tenten, and Sasuke on Shikamaru, Kiba, and Neji. They left the training grounds having made great progress. Lee trained with one of Seina's clones and practiced on another.
"How about we go to yakiniku?" suggested Tenten. "They have big tables there."
"Awesome! Right, Akamaru?"
"What else do you think we should work on?" Shino asked as they walked back to the village.
"You should wear weights to improve your speed and endurance."
"And do more chakra exercises!" Ino chimed in from ahead of them. "If it weren't for the exercises I've been doing, I couldn't have used all that ninjutsu."
They ate almost in silence, driven by hunger. That same afternoon, when they returned home, they trained in the shed much harder for hours. Until, unexpectedly, Kakashi-sensei showed up.
"Yo! Still training?"
Seina waved at him from the ground, exhausted, while Naruto and Sasuke were panting in the middle of their kenjutsu duel. He sat down beside her, watching his students fiercely fight, then looked over at her.
"You look like you're about to fall asleep," he remarked, glancing at her sideways.
"No wonder. I've been training all day."
"Oh, right. Today's Monday. And tomorrow, you have more training with Ensui and the others."
Seina closed her eyes, groaning at the thought. Then, she felt herself being picked up unexpectedly. He carried her inside the house without her even asking, but she had to admit she was grateful not to use her legs anymore.
"I should shower," she admitted. "I'm all sticky."
Kakashi-sensei chuckled at her comment.
"Want me to take you to your room?" he asked, smiling down at her.
"Could you?" she asked, opening her eyes like a little lamb.
"No need to ask me twice."
He set her down carefully in her room, then left to take a shower as well. A while later, after she had showered and put on her pyjamas, she went downstairs, feeling much more relaxed.
"How was your mission?" Naruto asked Kakashi-sensei as they ate dinner. "What did you do?"
"I escorted a ninja from one of Konoha's outposts near the border."
"A traitor?" she asked, remembering Mezu's accomplice.
"Yes. Apparently, Shikaku wanted to wait a few days to investigate whether he was working alone or with others, but fortunately, it was just one person."
They talked for a while longer, but everyone was clearly tired. They all went to bed much earlier than usual. It was only when she passed by her study again that she remembered the pendant. She picked up the box with the three pendants and went to Kakashi-sensei's room, the muse of her invention. She knocked on the door with a couple of taps.
"Seina?" he asked, almost at the same time as he opened the door, likely smelling her. "Is something wrong?"
"No. I just need to show you something."
He let her into his room. She noticed how everything was neatly organized, although it was clear someone lived there permanently. There were a few open scrolls on the desk and one of those erotic books on the windowsill, which had a seat perfect for reading and relaxing. She sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed, which had a folded blanket on top, and showed him the box with the three pendants.
Kakashi-sensei observed the identical silver-chained pendants with curiosity.
"What are these for?" he asked, smiling as he anticipated her answer.
"Remember what I did the other day with my magic? The spell I used? Well, I managed to store it inside here," she explained, pointing to the teardrop-shaped stone hanging from one of the chains. "These were tests, but they work."
She tapped her chest, where she wore her own pendant, to indicate she had already tested them extensively.
"You have one too?"
"Of course. It's like getting a buzz, but without the nasty side effects," she laughed, showing him her pendant.
Kakashi-sensei blinked as he looked at it, examining it in his bare hand with intense curiosity and a calculating glint. Then he looked at her with that eye of his, nearly identical in colour to the moonstone she had chosen—dark grey that could be mistaken for black in certain light. She watched as he picked up the amethyst pendant, gently touching the stone hanging from the chain. Suddenly, it dawned on her, like a jolt of electricity, that he had realized why she'd chosen the stone hanging from her neck.
She hadn't planned on using amethyst because of the colour of her own eyes, much lighter but still violet. Instead, she chose it because it was abundant and, therefore, cheaper than others, making it more practical for several tests. She watched him put it on silently. As soon as it touched his skin, she knew from his irregular breath that he was feeling it.
"This is incredible. Thank you, Seina." He leaned over the bed and kissed her on the lips, as if it were nothing. "I even feel better now."
"You're welcome. I'll let you sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." He gave her another kiss on the cheek before letting her go.
His dark eyes followed her until she closed the door.
The next day, Tuesday, she had to motivate herself to go to the training field. Honestly, she wasn't in the mood to train with four anbu, but she wasn't one to cancel plans without a good reason. When she arrived, Ensui was chatting animatedly, strangely enough, with Yugao and the others.
"Hey."
"Good morning, Seina," they chorused.
"Shall we start?"
She sighed. She accepted Kurama's chakra again, as it was the only way to match the speed and endurance of the other anbu, and leapt, dodging the others' attacks. She cast a darkness spell, encasing the entire clearing in a black bubble, and activated her bracelet. She quickly changed positions before they could continue attacking her last location. She used the latest genjutsu Kakashi-sensei had created so she could wield chakra and then waited.
"There's no point trying to dispel the darkness," Ensui told them from somewhere in the clearing. "It's impossible."
"Can you sense her?"
"No."
"Strange. I could sense Kurama's chakra before," Yamato reported. "But now, nothing."
She summoned a few animals to attack them while she burrowed into the ground, hiding clones around in case she needed to use the hiraishin to switch places. They spent a while searching for her and fending off her creatures. Kakashi-sensei's genjutsu seemed to be working perfectly. Slowly, she extended her hand out of the ground, where she could see someone standing, waiting.
"Cantis."
Seina bit her tongue hard as Yamato began to sing uncontrollably at the top of his lungs. She heard the others stifling laughter, coughing after a moment of absurd silence. Oh, she was only just beginning to mess with them… She sent one of the mildest curses at Yugao, hearing her curse herself and drop her katana to the ground when her fingers turned as soft as jelly.
"Eblubio. Inflatus." Seichi's high-pitched screams almost made her laugh. "Expecto patronum."
She summoned her patronus to give them light in the midst of darkness, a distraction before casting a multi-target stupefy spell, but when she saw the corporeal form it was taking, she froze in shock. It was no longer a deer. It was changing. Whatever it was, it hadn't fully transformed, but it seemed to be some kind of fox or other four-legged animal.
"What on earth is that?"
Yugao's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and immediately after, she knocked them all out. Shaking her head, thinking she'd figure out what had just happened later, she lifted the darkness and then brought them back to consciousness. Seeing them all, Ensui suppressed a laugh and a tired groan at the same time.
"Can you put me back to normal?" Seichi demanded, floating several meters off the ground like a zeppelin. She restored him while laughing. "Thanks."
"I'm not sure this is very good," Yugao said, staring at her fingers, which were moving in every direction with horror.
Meanwhile, Yamato didn't open his mouth. He merely glared at her, avoiding speaking to keep from singing again. She restored everyone, laughing. She spent the entire morning pranking them. Instead of normal combat training, the four anbu suggested she hide each time so they could find her and avoid her attacks. Seina, feeling a bit tired, accepted their peace offering. She lost count of how many times she successfully hid from them, using spells, magic barriers, runes, ninjutsu, her clones, genjutsu... Honestly, she had to admit they were brave to keep trying over and over after the dozens of prank spells she used on them. Ninjas… they were as stubborn as ever.