Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Painkillers were a fucking blessing. Sure, he was woozy and perpetually tired, but at least his thoughts were somewhat coherent. If he was gonna go, he wanted to at least have a chance to get his thoughts in order. Cancer was a sneaky thing, coming out of nowhere and quickly corrupting his body. By the time his cancer was detected, it had already become untreatable. So, he had no choice but to make peace with his own passing. 

‘They’ll be okay,’ he thought to himself. It should have been a heavy thought, but it was somehow serene. His students had learned so much, and they would be okay without him. Hurt, devastated even, but okay. Sure, he still had far grander dreams of systemic change, but someone else would pick up the torch. He was by no means a professional lone wolf. 

The last piece of solace he felt was that of his family, or lack thereof. Sure, his friends would take this hard, but nobody was quite close enough to him to be irreparably damaged by his death. And with that thought, darkness embraced the young man of thirty. 

What happened next, you ask? 

Shenanigans.

After he ‘went to sleep’ for the last time in his hospital bed, he wasn’t greeted by the nothingness that he had expected. Death was supposed to be the end; there was no empirical proof of anything like an afterlife. It was all well and good that people chose to have faith in various forms of life after death, and take spirituality as a form of comfort and empowerment, but the man wasn’t one to believe in anything he could verify with reproducible evidence. 

He was so sure that he would close his eyes and just simply cease to exist. But no, he opened his eyes and saw... a glowing outline of a humanoid form? His mind was working again, back at full capacity. No medication to ease his pain at the cost of slowing his mind. His first hypothesis was that this could be the last flare of his own brain activity causing a powerful hallucination. But they never lifted his meds, his brain wouldn’t have had the fuel for a last hurrah. Fuck.

“So am I anywhere near justified in quoting the line ‘Magic is just science we don’t understand yet’?” The now-dead soul called out to this luminous apparition. There was no point in pure skepticism anyway. If his mind was just making all of this up, what did he have to lose?

~A pretty fair call, but let’s not go into the details. Let’s just say that there is a tiny shred of truth in some of the varying human theistic beliefs, but by sheer chance alone. Any more questions, or can we get down to business?~ The soul didn’t so much hear the response as become aware of it, which made sense due to the lack of, you know, ears, but was still rather creepy. Even so, the confirmation made him laugh, the absurdity of it all reaching him quickly.

“Well, I’m going to assume that if you don’t want to go into details, there’s not much point in asking. So, now that cancer kicked my ass and crushed my dreams, what’s next for me?”

~You’re no fun.~

“To be fair, cancer did just kick my ass and crush my dreams. My trauma is pretty justified, even if I have had time and a deathbed with which to process it.”

~Yes, very well then, I shan’t beat around the bush - you’re going to live another life.~

“On the one hand, I do like living. On the other hand, I’m talking to a glowing being that I know absolutely nothing about, in a situation that all my prior knowledge says is unlikely enough to be called impossible. Do I get to ask what this other life will be, and do I get to choose whether to live it or just kick the bucket properly here?”

~I mean, you have a choice. You can kick the bucket whenever you like in your new life if you dislike it so much, but you’re definitely going to get reborn. Remember the world of Naruto?~

If it was possible for a glowing human outline to grin evilly, it just did. The soul stopped for a moment, baffled.

“You’re telling me that somehow a fictional world written about by some guy in Japan is actually real, and that I’m going to be reborn there, of all places, after already dealing with how ridiculously impossible life after death is?” Whilst expressing his outrage, the soul began to run through any tests he could come up with to confirm that this was all in his head. Usually he’d want to prove the opposite, but this was a bit too ridiculous.

Alas, all he could think of without eventually rejecting was the line “I think, therefore I am”, alongside some circular meta-physics about how there really isn’t any way to prove that one’s observations are or aren’t reality, and so you might as well just go with it.

~Alright, I’ll give you a freebie. Sometimes, visions of other worlds leak across the boundaries of each reality. Some people just happen to end up more in tune with these visions. But rarely do they get their representations of these worlds entirely… accurate. Additionally, it’s not only visions that creep across, sometimes people do. And the one who slipped through the cracks is… a wildcard, to say the least. And that’s where you come in.~

“So you want me to go deal with this wildcard, is that it?” If a soul on some kind of metaphysical plane could raise its eyebrow quizzically, that is what he did. 

~Each world requires balance, and this intruder would shatter that balance. You would restore it - perhaps not to its original way, but an acceptable one nonetheless. This, I know.~

“Alright, so what’s the deal from here?”

~You are currently in the precipice, the boundary, between worlds. This boundary contains… a filter, of sorts. There are aspects of your self that your soul will retain, and aspects it will not. Your identity, your being, will survive. And, it will continue to grow in ways you had yet to discover in your prior life. Your memories, however, will be mostly fragmented, only vague impressions remaining. To a minor extent, I can influence this. I will grant you a select few pieces of knowledge to retain with clarity in your new life.

First, you shall not lose your innate understanding of your world’s scientific method. This tool will serve you indispensably. Second, your cursory understanding of the workings of chakra, to give you a head start. Third, the knowledge of a chakra beast named Kurama, sealed in the body of one named Naruto. And finally, knowledge that you were sent to this world to deal with the intruder and maintain balance shall be kept. With this, hopefully you shall succeed in protecting the balance of this world. 

Then there was darkness.

And then there was light.

And then there was the sound of screaming.

Minato had hardly been getting enough sleep lately. His duties aside, he was wracked with nervousness and excitement over the ever-nearing birth of his twin children. Exciting because he couldn’t wait to be a doting father to his two children, but nervous and terrified because of how dangerous this whole operation was. He wasn’t sure he would be able to keep up his duties without the help of Hiruzen and Biwako, who had been supporting him and Kushina through all of this. 

Kushina could go into labour any day now. Everything was set up in the cave - the seals had been set up a week ago and were being regularly maintained by Hiruzen. Even Jiraiya-sensei had been around a couple times to make sure the barrier was as strong as was needed. Despite all of the measures put in place to keep Kushina safe, to keep the twins safe and to keep Konoha safe, something just felt off to Minato. 

Minato ran through possible complications in his head, carefully thinking through what was set up to avert each potential crisis, just to remind himself that it would be fine, and soon he would be father to two healthy children. But a niggling anxiety stuck in the back of his mind. As Hokage, Minato had learned not to ignore that anxiety, because sometimes the unexpected did occur, and he had to be prepared to deal with what occurred. 

Minato barely registered the mechanical action of gathering his kunai, sorting the Hiraishin ones from the ordinary. He did notice the rising of the morning sun, as well as Kushina calling to him from behind.

“Minato, relax!” Kushina called out, practically reading his mind.

Minato turned to face her, and she gave him a look. ‘If something does go wrong, you need your strength, so stop being an idiot and get some rest’, communicated in just a glance.

“Thanks.” Minato responded. “So you’re sure that’s what you want to name our firstborn? I wonder how Mikoto will react...”

“I’m sure. It just feels right, to honour him. He was really special.” Kushina looked down, the slightest of frown lines appearing on her face, reliving a sour memory.

And so Minato took the day off - in a sense. Nobody could know that Kushina was pregnant, or the whole village could be put in danger. The act of childbirth would weaken Kushina’s jinchuuriki seals, and risk letting the Kyubi free. So, as far as anyone was aware, Minato had another day at the office. Quietly, though, Genma and Raido, two of his three official guards, manipulated his schedule so that most of the major appointments could be handled by the Jonin commander instead. Minato was there, doing his job, as though nothing was different.

Day turned into night, as Minato used simple work to rest his mind, and regain his energy. And night turned into screaming worry. Something was happening to Kushina right now, he just knew. Minato arrived at the cave just in time to see the first of two children, Obito, being delivered. Smiling at the small body with tufts of Kushina’s red hair, Minato pushed his worries to the side and prepared to get to work - he would need to begin repairing Kushina’s seal.

As the second child, Naruto, was delivered, Minato allowed himself a scarce moment to enjoy a first look at his two sons. Obito with Kushina’s magnificent red hair, and Naruto with Minato’s gentle blonde.

And then, he got to work. And then, he heard bodies drop. Minato turned quickly, seeing the midwives hit the floor, and a cloaked, masked figure holding Naruto. 

“Move, and I kill the kid. If you want your kid back, you’ll let the Kyuubi’s seal break.” The masked figure ordered, and it was clear that this was no empty threat.

The masked figure threw Naruto into the air, and immediately Minato recognised the bait. He knew this was a diversion but he had to take it, had to save his son. Gently grabbing the boy out of the air and landing as lightly as possible, Minato barely noticed the explosive tags on Naruto’s blanket.

Barely thinking, he used Hiraishin to teleport to an unused safehouse, tossed the blanket and shielded his son as he was blown away by the shockwave of the explosion. Quickly, he moved to another safehouse, where some ANBU were stationed. 

“Take my son, guard him with your life. No matter what, you keep him safe!” Minato ordered, his usual gentle demeanor fractured by the current situation.

Laying Naruto gently in a cot - Minato had insisted they have multiple backup safehouses prepared for the twins, just in case, Minato left in a yellow flash.

By the time he returned to the cave, Kushina was gone. Obito lay silently on the ground, blood slowly pooling towards his body. Grabbing the child, he once again returned to the safehouse where Naruto was, laying Obito gently next to him.

 And then, he felt it. That burning, corrosive sensation that was the Kyuubi’s chakra. Following it as fast as he could, Minato arrived to see the Kyuubi free, and Kushina laying weakened on the ground of an open plain. And the Kyuubi, slashing down towards Kushina.

No, No, NO!

Moving, moving, moving, faster than the Yellow Flash had ever moved before, Minato launched himself towards Kushina with hardly a concern for himself, sweeping her into his arms and launching up to the top of a nearby tree.

Registering and filing to the back of his mind the taunts of the assailant, Minato vanished, appearing again in the safehouse next to Naruto and Obito. He set Kushina down, next to their sons, and promised to return. 

Less than an hour later, Kushina woke from her short, desperately needed rest to the feeling of Minato’s chakra. Without wasting a moment, Minato explained the situation, and Kushina nodded to him. Just as she began to feel Kurama’s chakra outside, Minato was holding her and the twins, and then they too were outside.

Several shinobi, including Hiruzen, were doing their best to restrain the fox, but the hold was not strong enough. With what chakra she had left, Kushina released her chakra chains to restrain it. 

“Minato. We don’t have time! I don’t have much chakra left, but I have enough for you to seal the beast back into me. Yes, I will die, but it will die with me. Our sons are safe and healthy, and I want them to stay that way.” Kushina pleaded, believing this to be the only option.

“No! We can seal the Kyuubi into our sons. If I split its chakra, we can give half to each boy and they will be able to withstand the sealing.”

“But, the technique you’d need to use - we can’t let our boys grow up without either of us to look after them!”

“It’s horrible, I know, but we can. I believe in them, in their future. And with this, we can seal our chakra into them as well, and watch over them as they grow up. Kushina, please, it’s the best option.”

Kushina breathed, and nodded. It was. Though politics and strategy came less easily to her than to Minato, she did understand at least that Konoha was better off with jinchuuriki than without. And the twins had Uzumaki blood, so they were well suited to hosting a tailed beast. It was a hard life, but it would be ok. She and Minato both knew the boys would be ok. And so, again, she nodded. 

Painful as it was to watch, she observed as Minato drew the seals to summon the Shinigami, and heard Hiruzen gasp as it came and drew chakra out of the Kyuubi. Kushina knew that Hiruzen recognised this technique, probably shocked that Minato knew of it. And Kushina knew of it too. She watched, as Minato drew up the Eight Trigrams seal, and funelled the Kyuubi’s yang chakra into Naruto’s prone body. And then, the Shinigami began to draw out the Kyuubi’s yin chakra, but the Kyuubi began to resist.Sharing a body with the fox for so long, Kushina knew that Kurama was no fool, and wouldn’t want to be sealed yet again. 

As though there weren’t enough sudden threats for one night, Kushina saw the fox speeding towards the twins. Without thinking, she leapt off the ground and vaulted at the fox. So did Minato. To their last moments, they truly worked well together. The two of them barely fended off the fox long enough for the yin chakra to flow into Obito. And Kushina noticed as she fell to the ground, how Obito’s eyes were open, and how he seemed to be watching events unfold. The last thing Kushina felt was Minato drawing out her chakra, and infusing it into the seals of each of the twins. 

Darkness.

Minato almost broke when he felt Kushina’s life end. It hurt more than the keen awareness that his soul was being pulled, slowly, from his body, and that he wouldn’t even get to pass on when he died. But, there was work to be done.

Minato looked to Hiruzen, who stood, shocked by the events that had just passed. He was so wrapped up in desperately DESPERATELY protecting his children that he wasn’t sure when Hiruzen caught up. It couldn’t have been long ago.

“Hiruzen, I need to ask you for one last favour. I don’t have time to tell you everything. But please, don’t let the village hate Naruto and Obito for the Kyuubi sealed within them. They’ve been forced into this from birth, and if anything they’re heroes to the village, protecting them every living moment. Please, look after them. Make sure they grow up safe and happy.”  Towards the end, Minato began to pause between words, catching his breath and building his energy just enough to speak. His time was near.

Two figures landed suddenly beside Hiruzen. At this point, Minato couldn’t even keep his eyes open. He could sense that this was the chakra of Jiraiya and Kakashi. With the last of his strength, he spoke his final words.

“Kakashi, Jiraiya. I know you have a lot going on, but both of you please, visit my sons and help look after them when you can.”

Darkness.

The newly reborn soul tried to see what was going on as best he could, but the eyesight of a baby fresh out of the womb certainly had its limits. For a while, there was relative peace. He felt warmth nearby, from a larger and smaller body. Someone spoke, but he couldn’t understand the words. And then, a sound, a fusion of phonetic pieces that he was able to make sense of.

“Naruto!”

A moment later, there was a hand on his forehead, and another word spoken with equally vibrant excitement. “Obito!” He inferred that this was his new name. The hand rested on his forehead, and then withdrew. There was calm for a while, so he relaxed, and allowed his tiny body’s impulsed their request; he cried, and then fell asleep.

He woke again later, in an entirely different place. There was open sky, and a giant mass of snarling, aggressive orange. Several minutes dragged out into what felt like an eternity of primal fear. When it stopped, the baby hoped it might be over. It wasn’t. Something heavy and coarse surged into his body, and he blacked out.

Chapter Text

Obito’s day started with the sound of Naruto shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Obitoooooo WAKE UUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPP!”

Groggily, Obito stumbled out of bed, and looked over at the clock. Crap, he thought, realising that he’d slept in, which was rare. Muttering a tired word of thanks to his brother, Obito went to the bathroom to splash his face with cold water. He scrambled back to his room to get dressed, outfit already laid out. It was a simple look, a black t-shirt and green shorts. The shirt had a swirling orange symbol on the back, which was supposedly the symbol of his biological family. Naruto’s orange shirt had the same swirl, in black.

Obito looked at himself in the mirror, pleased. The outfit went well with his red hair. He especially liked that his hair was longer than usual, the messy spikes almost reaching down to his shoulders. It had been a while since his last haircut, and he had successfully convinced his parents that if they let him grow his hair out, he would take responsibility for washing it properly. Hearing Naruto shouting again, Obito snapped away from his thoughts and ran down the stairs for breakfast. A ration bar in hand, Obito was shuttled out of the door by his twin brother, and they were on their way.

Waiting outside were the twins’ two adoptive parents, Shiranui Genma and Yamanaka Sora. Genma, referred to by the boys as “Dad”, had been caring for the twins since not long after they were born. He had brown, shoulder length hair that was usually held up in a bandanna, and always had a senbon in his mouth. Sora, who the twins called “Papa”, had shown up when they were a few years old. He was taller, with long platinum blond hair tied into a low ponytail. They were both in high spirits, smiling proudly at their two sons who were ready for their first day at the Shinobi Academy. 

On their way to the Academy, they crossed paths with Naruto’s best friend, Uchiha Sasuke, who was accompanied by his parents Mikoto and Fugaku. The twins had basically grown up with Sasuke, and the Uchiha compound had become a second home to them - whenever Genma and Sora were away on missions, that is where they stayed. Sasuke quickly ran over to join the twins, and he and Naruto quickly immersed themselves in their usual playful banter, making bets about what they thought would happen at the Academy today. Obito fell slightly behind the two, reaching into his pouch to pull out a book to read while they walked. The book was titled “Basics of Sealing” - a gift from Sora to celebrate his Academy acceptance. Sora had said that the classes would probably be boring to him at first, and that this would keep him entertained. 

When they arrived outside the Academy building, Obito put the book away into his satchel and took a look around. The noise was starting to get to Obito, so he absent-mindedly began to fidget with the hem of his shirt in order to self-regulate. It was busy, with lots of parents and older siblings milling about and socialising while the kids ran around in groups. A few scatterings of kids were standing on the side, not knowing how or just not wanting to join in with the others. 

Unsurprisingly, people moved away when Naruto and Obito approached. They thought they were being subtle, but Obito noticed. So did Genma, who looked ready to take a crack at them all until he was pacified by Sora’s hand on his shoulder. Amidst all the people who were afraid of the supposed “Demon Twins”, one family approached the group. 

“Sora! It’s been a while! You ought to come visit more often!” Said a tall, hardy looking man with the same platinum blond hair cut significantly shorter.

“Ah, Inoichi. I’m sorry, you’re right! It must have been a while, Ino seems so grown up now. Starting at the academy already!” Sora responded, looking down at the girl holding Inoichi’s hand.

“Indeed, they grow up so fast. I still remember your first day. Rather memorable, since that was the first and last time I ever saw your mother break into tears. Aunt Inoue had to be the most composed woman I’ve ever known, so that was something...” Inoichi seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then snapped back to attention. “Genma, glad to see you’re looking well. Now, I don’t believe we’ve met your young ones yet!”

“Yes, allow me to introduce you to Naruto and Obito.” Sora gestured at the twins on saying each of their names. “Naruto, Obito, this is my cousin Inoichi. He’s actually the Yamanaka clan head! Also, his wife Mayu, who taught me everything I know about swordsmanship, and their daughter Ino. I hope you’ll get along well with her!”

While the twins were becoming acquainted with Sora’s relatives, the Uchihas had politely excused themselves to have a family moment before the welcoming ceremony began. When introductions were finished, the twins followed Ino, who wanted to introduce them to her friends. But before she got that chance, a loud voice called for the new students to gather in so the ceremony could begin.

Standing on a podium in front of the Academy entrance was a kindly-looking old man who Obito recognised as the Hokage, the leader of the village, who came to visit them a few years ago. The Hokage seemed to spot the twins amongst the crowd of children, which probably wasn’t hard given Obito’s distinctive red hair. He smiled at them briefly before directing his attention to the whole crowd. 

“Welcome, students, to the Konoha Shinobi Academy. You’re all here to begin your journeys as shinobi of our village. The years ahead will not be easy, but I hope you will give your best efforts to learn and become fine young shinobi.” The Hokage continued speaking for a few minutes, with motivational words about how many of the fine shinobi of Konoha started out here just like the children there today. He spoke of the Will of Fire that binds Konoha together - how Konoha’s shinobi protect and support one another.

After the Hokage’s speech, the new cohort of students were led away from their family members, into the academy. As they walked, Obito tried to ignore the continuing glares he and Naruto were recieving from many adults, and even some of the kids. They were directed into a classroom and told to take their seats. The classroom was divided up into three seater tables. The twins found a table with Sasuke to the front of the classroom, each eager to learn and wanting to be in a good position to do so. Once everyone had found a seat, the man who guided them into the classroom stepped to the front and spoke. 

“I am Umino Iruka, and beside me is Hiyoshi Mizuki. We will be teaching most of you over the next six years. Why only most? Some of you will drop out. Becoming a shinobi is is no easy task, and not everyone is cut out for it. The rest of you better get used to us, because you’ll be seeing our faces a lot.”

Obito observed the two teachers. Iruka’s face had a scar running diagonally across it, indicating that he’d probably seen his fair share of action. Mizuki didn’t really stand out, he was just smiling and trying to look friendly. 

“Now, you’re all here because you want to become shinobi. As you’ve already heard numerous times this morning, the road to becoming a shinobi is not easy. You will need to study hard and train harder. Over these six years, you will learn many things. You will learn to fight as shinobi do, which no doubt many of you are looking forward to. You will also study.” Iruka placed emphasis on the last word, and many of the students groaned. “Yes, you will have to study. There are many things that shinobi need to know, and your survival will one day depend on it. For example, you may one day end up on a mission in the deserts of the Land of Wind. If you want to survive those deserts, you will need to know how to find water and food. We will teach you how to survive, how to conduct yourselves on missions, and how to work together as a team.”

Iruka paused, allowing the students to take in everything he had said.

“Now, I want to start off our class with a question. Why do you want to become a shinobi?”

For a moment there was silence. And then,

“I wanna be awesome strong, spit fire and beat up the bad guys!” Some kid shouted.

“Nobody in my family has been a shinobi before, so I want to make them all proud!” Another spoke.

“I want to become someone who can protect those who are important to me, and then raise the next generation well. I also want to learn how to heal people, and look after the sick and injured,” Obito called out.

Next, a quiet voice from somewhere behind Obito stammered out an answer. “I w-w-want to be-become an amazing kunoichi like S-senju T-tsunade.”

Responses went on for a little while, until everyone who wanted to share had recieved that opportunity. 

“Alright, quiet down everyone, let’s move on now.” Iruka shouted, regaining control of the class.

“Now, we’re going to begin with the history of Konoha...” Iruka lectured on for half an hour, and Obito couldn’t help himself from dozing off a bit. He did already know most of Iruka’s lecture from his own books, having voraciously consumed any and all writing he could get his hands on from the moment he’d learned to read. Naruto started drawing in his notebook, and Sasuke was practicing some sequences of hand signs under the desk.

As much as Obito tried to stay focused out of respect for the teachers, it struck him as odd that they would throw a group of six year olds into a classroom, make them sit through lectures and take notes. Part of Obito’s soul screamed at this; he knew what good teaching looked like, and it wasn’t this. When the class finally finished, Iruka and Mizuki had the class get up and directed them to a training field outside.

“Alright everyone. Welcome to Taijutsu class.” Mizuki announced. “Since it’s your first day, before we start, we want to do a little fitness test. Any good shinobi, no matter their specialisation, has to have good stamina. So, we’re going to do 5 laps of this running track, and time you. The last person to finish will have to sit out and miss the first Taijutsu lesson, so don’t let that be you!”

How ridiculous, Obito thought, You’re going to punish the person with the worst stamina by taking away an opportunity to improve?

He knew better than to argue on that, but Obito had a better idea in mind. On cue, the students all set off. Naruto and Sasuke took the lead, putting themselves quite far ahead of the rest. Everyone else moved at a jog. Obito jogged with the main pack for the first lap. There were a few students lagging behind the group. In particular was one boy with dark brown hair tied up into a short spiky tail at the back, who looked like he was only half-awake. Obito didn’t think it was fair that someone who just wasn’t as well trained should have to miss out on the lesson, so he planned to finish last on purpose. He pretended that he was running out of breath and slowed down, matching pace for a while with the boy at the back. After a lap jogging slowly alongside him, Obito realised he wasn’t breathing heavily at all.

“You’re not out of breath at all, why are you so far behind?” Obito asked.

“Are you kidding? The person who finishes last gets to skip the taijutsu class. Exercise is troublesome, I don’t wanna do it.” The boy responded.

“You want to be a shinobi without exercising?” Obito shot back.

“Sure. I’ll be fine, I just wanna be an average shinobi , not anything special.”

“I see.”

“So why are you pretending to be out of breath?” The boy asked me in return.

“Well, I thought that there would probably be someone who was just really unfit, and I didn’t want them to miss the first lesson. I’ve been learning taijutsu at home for a while now, so I figured I could miss a bit and be fine. I didn’t think that there would be someone lazy enough to fall behind even those people like you. Anyway, I guess I don’t need to finish last now. I’ll see you around! I’m Obito, by the way. What’s your name?”

“Shikamaru. See you later.”

With that, Obito ran ahead at a decent pace, making it towards the middle of the class by the end of the last lap. He didn’t want to miss out on a class for Shikamaru, who didn’t really seem to care, but this way he would get an earful and the teachers wouldn’t let this happen again. They definitely noticed what was going on, seeing Obito lag behind as though out of breath and then run fast enough to make it to the middle of the class after chatting with Shikamaru. As expected, Mizuki went to talk to Shikamaru, and soon after he came to join the taijutsu class, much to his dismay.

Through the class, both of the teachers demonstrated a simple kata that the twins had learnt long ago. Much of the lesson was spent making sure that those in the class without formal training could get extra help, while the rest of the class were made to arduously repeat motions they were already well versed in. Finally, the lesson ended and they were sent off for lunch, told that they had an hour they could spend anywhere on the academy premises. Sasuke and the twins slowly meandered back towards their classroom, where they had left their belongings. 

Once they had their bags, the boys raced to find a less crowded space to eat. They moved towards a little nook Obito had spotted on the way back from taijutsu class, just behind the main building, to find a group of kids ganging up on a girl from their class.

The sight that greeted them was nothing short of ludicrous. Day one, and there was already bullying. And the fact that they thought they could get away with it in a shinobi academy in the village that preached the Will of Fire was just stupid. 

As the three boys arrived on scene, Obito heard one of the bullies mention something aggressively about the girl’s ‘weird eyes’. Obito didn’t really want to get into a fight on the first day - making sense of social dynamics was already hard enough - but he couldn’t just let this stand. 

When he saw the girl that was being victimized, things clicked into place. Obito recognised her easily distinguishable white eyes from a drawing in one of his books. The girl had the Byakugan, a genetic inheritance of the Hyuuga clan. The Hyuuga were one of the most powerful clans in Konoha, and messing with them was a mistake. 

Noticing Naruto looking ready to charge, Obito put out a hand in his brother’s way. This wasn’t going to end peacefully, but if Naruto just charged in to fight, there would be less opportunity to prevent a longer-term problem from arising. These bullies would just try to pick on the Hyuuga girl again later. Not only would that be awful for the girl, but the bullies would probably face consequences delivered by the Hyuuga clan. They were just kids, and didn’t need to become enemies of a major clan. Instead, Obito wanted to make this a problem of the Academy, which might give the bullies a chance to actually learn.

“Oi, what do you think you’re doing?” Obito called out, trying to sound intimidating.

The kids turned to face us.

“Hey, you should really think before you try and pick on others, especially at the Academy,” Obito said calmly, trying to pacify the situation.

“Oh yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it? You think you can take us?” One of the kids taunted. That was exactly what Obito wanted, because now the bullies were focused on him, Sasuke and Naruto instead. 

Obito eyed Sasuke and Naruto. “Probably, but that’s not the point. If you pick this fight, then you four will have just made new enemies on your first day of the academy. Besides, those eyes that you called weird are something that the Hyuuga clan members have, called the Byakugan. It’s super helpful, and you’d be lucky to have someone like her on your team to help you. She’ll probably save your life with those eyes one day! So look, why don’t you just apologise and we can all put this behind us, and work together to become strong shinobi who can all look out for one another, hey?”

Obito put a hand out in a welcoming gesture, hoping it would help. He wasn’t really counting on his argument working, because these kids would probably not react well to being corrected like this. As predicted, it didn’t.

“And why should we trust you? When my parents saw you this morning they said that I should stay away from you, because you’d just hurt me! Besides, what sort of normal person has red hair like that? You must be some kinda freak too!”

Oh bloody hell, Obito thought to himself. Naruto’s never gonna let that one slide.

“Alright Naruto, let’s try this your way then.” Obito conceded.

The fight was messy, at best. Training or no, a bunch of first day academy students trying to knock each other out was always just going to end up a poorly coordinated tangle of limbs. Eventually, though, the group of bullies realised they were outmatched and ran off.

“You ok?” Naruto called out to the Hyuuga girl.

The poor girl looked mortified at first, and then confused. Then she noticed the fresh bruises all three of the boys were now sporting. “I’m s-sorry! I’m so weak and useless th-that you three went and got hurt instead!”

“Oh come off it! First of all, you did nothing to deserve the way they were treating you.” Obito looked the girl in the eyes, and put a hand on her shoulder. “This is not your fault. You hear me? Not your fault.”

The girl didn’t seem convinced. The self-esteem issues were strong in this one.

“Look, if you’re really convinced you did something wrong, how about you pay us back then?” Obito offered.

Sasuke stared at me in shock. “Obito, what are you saying?”

“You can pay us back by coming to have lunch with us, and being our friend. I don’t know about my brother and friend here, but since it’s my first day I really want to make some new friends!” Obito declared, hoping his attempt at assertive kindness would pay off.

“Ok...” Hinata conceded, realising that Obito wouldn’t give up on this.

“Obito, you have a ridiculous way of going about these things...” Naruto complained, and then promptly dropped his butt to the ground and pulled out his lunch.

The others followed suit, sitting and digging into their various home-cooked meals. They stayed to chat for the whole lunch break, learning that their new friend’s name was Hinata, and they introduced themselves in turn.

“Say Hinata, you were the one this morning who said you wanted to be like the Sannin Tsunade, right?” Obito asked, trying to involve Hinata more in conversation.

“Yes, but I’m never really going to be as good as her...” She frowned.

“How are you so sure? You can’t give up before you even try! Just... don’t give up! Ok?” Naruto exclaimed, not sure how else to encourage her.

At this point, Obito figured they wouldn’t make much more progress in such short time. Instead, they went back to complaining about how boring the first lesson was, and Hinata sat in silence. When the lunch break ended, they all headed back to our classroom together.

The rest of the day’s lessons were dull at best. Obito could barely stay focused, and ended up reading the fuinjutsu book as sneakily as he could under the table. He felt bad for the other kids in the class, totally understanding when they became restless and disruptive. 

At the end of the day, the twins said their goodbyes to Sasuke and their new friend Hinata, and set off to go home. Not ten paces from the entrance to the Academy, they were ambushed by Genma, who decided to drop out of a tree right in front of where the boys were walking.

“Dad!” Naruto exclaimed.

“So, how was your first day?” Genma asked.

“Terrible” “Boring” Naruto and Obito spoke at the same time, barely just not in sync due to their differing choices of words.

“Really? You were so excited this morning. What happened?”

As they walked home, the twins told Genma about everything that happened through the day, and Genma seemed to get progressively more angry as they spoke.

“Dad, are you ok?” Obito asked, noticing that his face was all scrunched up.

“Yeah. I’ve just decided I’m overdue for a reunion with my old genin team, so I’m going to invite them over for dinner tonight, if they’re free. I was just hoping I could go longer without a particular one of them knowing where I live, because it’s just.. So peaceful.. Without him hanging around all the time like he used to. You’ll know what I mean when you meet him, just promise you won’t say I said any of this to you!”

“Of course, but if you don’t want this person to know where you live, why have the reunion at home?” Obito asked.

“Well, I want them to meet you two. I’ve just had a clever idea...” Genma trailed off, returning to his deep thought and grinning worrisomely.

Oh no... I sense a helicopter parent. Why do I feel like Naruto and I just instigated a revolution?

Chapter Text

When they got home, Genma left the twins with Sora, who the boys also regaled with their tales from the day. By the time they had finished telling Sora everything, Genma returned, carrying bags full of groceries.

“Alright, boys, we’re having guests tonight! Naruto and Obito, you can go and rest. Sora, will you help me prepare the food?” Genma said, his voice sounding strangely resolute.

“Uh, can’t we help chop vegetables or something?” Obito offered.

“No need!” Genma responded.

Obito looked at the volume of food that Genma had brought home. “But... The sun is setting, how do you expect to get everything ready on time between just the two of you.”

Before Genma could even got a chance to try and answer, Obito heard what sounded like shouting and some sort of stampede draw closer, and closer, and then suddenly everything went green. Suddenly there was a tall, muscular man with an unusually shiny bowl cut, standing in the kitchen. 

“Ah, Guy, right on time. You’re probably going to eat the most, so get in here and help us chop.” Genma said.

Before Obito had the time to process the strange scenario unfolding, things got very loud and overwhelming. Opting to choose wellbeing over curiosity, Obito quickly turn around and ran upstairs. Once the door to his room was shut, he started flapping his arms around rapidly, the motion helping his brain to settle down after being so deeply startled. He knew that kind of regulatory stimulation wasn’t suitable to a shinobi’s life, but he had a whole six years to figure out different ways to self-regulate when things got too overwhelming. 

Once he was calm, Obito pulled out his book and continued reading. Fuinjutsu was already starting to make sense, and a switch was flicking in his brain. This was a topic he wanted to stick with; it was deeply fascinating, and Obito could see there was just so much he could learn and explore. There was a lot in the book that didn’t yet make sense - especially the calculations. But he would learn those, and sealing would become his art to master.

An hour or so passed by, and Obito snapped back into awareness of the world around him when Naruto barged in, soaked through with sweat. “Dinner... soon... gotta... clean up...” He panted, squeezing out the words between breaths.

“What happened to you?” Obito asked, amused. “You know what? You can tell me after you go shower, you stink!”

While Naruto showered, Obito washed his face and got changed into some clean clothes, and went downstairs to meet the guests. Genma and Sora seemed to be just finishing up with the food preparation. Sitting on stools next to the kitchen bench top and chatting amongst themselves was Guy, and another shinobi Obito hadn’t seen before. The unfamiliar one, who introduced himself as Ebisu, was wearing the standard Konoha blues, with a hitai-ate worn like a bandanna and tinted round glasses covering his eyes.

“Ah, you must be Obito? Genma has been telling us quite the stories about you.” Ebisu greeted, smiling congenially.

“Yes yes, I hear that you can already tree-walk? Impressive, your youthfulness is powerful indeed!” Guy praised, in an calm tone that somehow felt off to Obito. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met yet. I’m Might Guy.”

“Nice to meet you, Ebisu and Guy. Yes, I’m Obito. Naruto will be along soon, he’s just getting cleaned up. He seemed to have worked up quite the sweat?”

“Naruto is youthful indeed! We trained outside for an hour, and after some light exercise I showed him some ways to improve his punching technique. He’s quite an attentive student, I must say! If he or you wishes to train with me again, you need but ask!” Guy remarked, seeming very pleased.

“Wow, really? Naruto seemed really happy, despite how out of breath he was, so I’m sure he would want to train more with you, and I would like to join in as well. Thanks, Guy!” Obito beamed, in part acting the child they thought he was, but also genuinely keen to have some extra training. 

“Impressive that he had the stamina to keep up, from what little I saw when I arrived.” Ebisu said. “I must say, Guy, you’ve become a great teacher. You should consider taking on a genin team some day.”

“Ebisu, you are too kind. And too modest, for I am only a wonderfully youthful teacher because I have learnt alongside the most youthful teacher of all!” Guy gave a thumbs up to Ebisu, who flushed a little from the praise, but regained his composure.

Naruto emerged from upstairs, no longer reeking of sweat and now dressed in clean clothes.

“Naruto, just in time. Will you come help me set the dining table?” Genma requested.

The twins did as asked, setting up the table for the meal, and putting out the numerous delicious-looking dishes too. Everyone seated themselves around the table, and Naruto and Ebisu were introduced to one another.

“So, you guys were on a genin team together, right? What was Genma like back then?” Naruto asked, smiling cheekily as he fished for fun stories about one of his parents.

“Well, Genma was actually the level head of our team. Very little could get him worked up, and he was always ready to take the lead if we got ourselves in a difficult situation and didn’t know what to do. There was only one thing that could break our Genma’s composure...” Ebisu explained, smirking towards the end.

“Ebisu, come on. Really?” Genma moaned, and went a bit red.

“Yes, it was Genma’s first youthful love!” Guy laughed.

“Oh? I have to hear about this!” Sora chimed in. “Go on, Ebisu?”

“Well, let’s go to the start of this story. When we were genin, we sometimes trained and did missions together with other genin teams. There was this one team - it was Hatake Kakashi, who was actually a chunin already then, and they also had a girl named Noharu Rin and your namesake,” Ebisu looked at Obito, “Uchiha Obito. But most important to this story was their Jonin sensei, Namikaze Minato - more famously known as the Fourth Hokage. See, our calm and composed Genma fell in love with Minato at first sight! He practically followed the poor guy around like a lost puppy.”

Everybody but Genma, who looked deeply embarrassed, laughed.

“I was just a kid back then, it was just admiration! You gotta admit, the guy was pretty cool.” Genma defended, flushing more.

“No, I think it’s sweet - it shows that you’ve always had good taste!” Sora teased.

“Well, you did spend a good deal of your shinobi career following after him - though the motivation certainly made you strong. Did you know that Genma was one of the Fourth’s three elite guards?” Ebisu asked, now genuinely praising Genma.

“Wow, amazing!” Naruto praised.

That’s pretty impressive, Obito thought, you have to be pretty amazing to be chosen to guard a Hokage.

“Genma, how about Guy and Ebisu? What were they like?” Obito asked.

“Well, Guy wasn’t actually as ‘youthful’ as he is now for a while, believe it or not. This story starts with Guy’s late father, Might Duy. Duy had a nickname all throughout Konoha, the ‘Eternal Genin’. Throughout Duy’s whole shinobi career he couldn’t manage a promotion from genin. So loads of people just thought he was some really weak failure. But he was really optimistic, always encouraging Guy to work really hard, and if they trained enough they could both become powerful taijutsu users.” Genma began.

“Duy always encouraged Guy, saying that if he worked hard enough he would certainly be a great shinobi. Guy certainly did work hard, but we knew he didn’t really believe in his father’s words. Can you imagine Guy thinking that he would never become a particularly good Shinobi? Those were different times...”

“Guy actually failed the entrance exam, because he had absolutely no talent in ninjutsu or genjutsu. But despite that he managed to make an impression on Kakashi’s father, who had some influence with the Academy, and he was allowed to join anyway. In fact, not only did he manage to join without passing the entrance requirements, he graduated at age 7! The rest of us were all 10 when we graduated, so it’s really impressive.”

“So during the war, we were attacked by Kirigakure’s Seven Swordsmen. They’re a group of Kirigakure’s seven most powerful swordsmen, and they wield powerful weapons that have been passed down for generations. They were considered to be the strongest shinobi in Kirigakure, and were powerful enough to bring down a country, if just the seven of them worked together.”

“Now, we were just three young teenagers then. Guy and I were Chunin, and Ebisu was still a genin. There was no way we were going to survive that encounter. But that’s when Duy showed up. If not for Duy, none of us would be alive today. See, Duy wasn’t doing nothing all those years of being a genin. He was training incredibly hard, and became able to use a technique called the Eight Gates, a powerful technique that requires an absurd amount of training to use.”

“Anyway, we were attacked by the Seven Swordsmen, and then Duy showed up. Duy managed to open all of the Eight Gates, which only a few people have ever managed to do, and bought us time to escape. Unfortunately Duy did not survive, but we heard afterwards that he managed to take down four of the Seven Swordsmen, whilst fighting all seven of them at once! And since then, Guy became the person you see before you, who runs around everywhere shouting about the ‘springtime of youth’.”

“Woah! This Eight Gates thing sounds really cool!” Naruto beamed. “What about Ebisu, what was he like?”

“Well, that’s a much easier story to tell. Ebisu was a total nerd. And nothing’s changed since!” Genma teased.

Naruto laughed. “Sounds just like Obito! Maybe you two will get along!”

“Say what you want, Genma, I take it as a compliment.” Ebisu retorted.

“Nah, I’m just kidding. We love you Ebisu!” Genma fake-cheered. “Anyway, so Ebisu used to be a huge stickler for the rules everything had to be done just so. Our sensei, Akamichi Choza, didn’t need to teach us how to write our mission reports properly when we started out, because Ebisu would always lecture us about it non-stop. He was always trying to teach us these various things about rules, how to ‘properly’ use hand-signs to channel chakra in the best way, and whatever else. And he was awful at it. He tried to explain things but it just never really made much sense, and we always ended up really pissed off about something or another.”

“But that all changed when we started training with other teams. Have you boys heard anything about a person named Orochimaru?” Genma asked.

To nobody’s surprise, simultaneously Naruto exclaimed “Nope, who’s that?” and Obito said “Yes”.

“Isn’t Orochimaru a Sannin? But they’re a missing nin who betrayed the village, right?” Obito asked.

“Yes, that’s right. Nobody seems to know what caused it, but something in them changed and they did some awful things. But before that, Orochimaru was an incredible shinobi who cared deeply about Konoha. Orochimaru had their own genin team at one point, but also helped train many others. I think that without Orochimaru’s training, Konoha may not have fared so well in the war. So, as I said before, Ebisu was the last of us to become a chunin. A little while after both Guy and I had managed our promotions, Ebisu was starting to get frustrated, because he didn’t really understand why he was having so much trouble passing the exams. So, Orochimaru came along and took Ebisu on a month long training trip outside of the village. When Ebisu came back, he was a changed person. He grew defiant, and his fighting style became a force to be reckoned with.”

“When he came back from this trip, Ebisu asked to spar with me and Guy, one at a time. We were both chunin then, and Ebisu was still just a genin. Of course, we wanted to help our teammate become stronger and become a chunin like us, so we were more than happy to help him train. But he absolutely mopped the floors with us. And what was the most terrifying, was that he did it only using three E-ranked ninjutsu techniques - the Clone technique, the Substitution technique and the Transformation technique.”

“It took us months to finally convince Ebisu to tell us what had happened on that training trip with Orochimaru. But, I think Ebisu could tell this part of the story better. Ebisu?” Genma finished, and passed the story-telling on to Ebisu.

“Alright. So Orochimaru took me out to a forest further out in the Fire Nation, and had me do all sorts of training. At first, we were sparring. Orochimaru told me that they could defeat me using only the Substitution technique. They said that they would use only that technique - no other ninjutsu, no genjutsu, no taijutsu, nothing. Just the substitution technique. I must admit I was much more stuck up then - and in fact I was almost offended by this. After all, I had thought that the substitution technique was purely an evasive technique. And, it is. I accepted this challenge from Orochimaru, and did everything that I could to defeat them. And I lost.” Ebisu recounted.

“Whaaaat? How?” Naruto shouted, totally enthralled by the story.

“Well, it’s all a matter of being creative. Back then, I was so by the books that every technique I used, I would use just for its original purpose. Substitution, for example, I used to escape attacks. I used the clone technique for basic distractions and diversion. Something like a Doton wall, I would use only to block strikes. Orochimaru was able to find countless ways to injure me with just the substitution technique. This ranged from more obvious things such as baiting me into thinking that I had them cornered against a tree, and then using a substitution at the last moment to avoid as I punched a tree, to more unexpected things like using a series of substitutions that resulted in a log falling on me from above.”

“For the rest of that week, Orochimaru gave me all sorts of tasks to complete, such as hunting for food, travelling to a nearby object and stealing back a particular object they had placed in somebody’s home, amongst other tasks. But each time, Orochimaru instructed me to only use a certain set of techniques. I was forced to come up with creative solutions. That training trip taught me that the way I applied my rules-based thinking was incredibly limiting, and that by instead considering all that which is possible, I could achieve so much more. I did not go to attempt the chunin exams after this for a few years, because instead I decided to focus on improving my creativity.”

When Ebisu finished, Obito was incredibly impressed. And then, afraid. Very, very afraid.

“Hold on... This Orochimaru is the same one that betrayed our village?” Obito asked, practically shaking.

“Yes, that’s right. Obito, what’s wrong?” Sora asked, noticing Obito’s change in behaviour.

“Well, from the story you’ve just told, Orochimaru sounds like an incredibly dangerous enemy for the village to have. Why shouldn’t I be afraid?” Obito shouted. He realised that he was acting out and took a breath, and then apologised.

“No, you’re right. Orochimaru is very dangerous. But the thing about the Sannin is that they are all very powerful. And even though Jiraiya and Tsunade are both gone from Konoha, they both care a lot about this village, and if Orochimaru tried to attack, they would come to defend us. Remember, they spent more time with Orochimaru than anyone, and they understand how Orochimaru thinks.” Ebisu reassured Obito.

Obito breathed, and calmed down. Ebisu was right.

“Anyway, you should have seen what happened when Ebisu finally took the chunin exams again. Ebisu was the only one who was promoted from that exam. He so severely decimated all of the other applicants that none of them got a chance to demonstrate their skills. Honestly, they should have just promoted him without the exam. It was just sad to watch...” Genma laughed.

The twins both enjoyed seeing these three getting together like this, they clearly knew each other well and enjoyed each others’ company a lot. As the food was being steadily depleted, with Naruto and Guy seemingly competing to eat the most, Genma turned to Obito. “Say, Obito, why don’t you tell Ebisu and Guy about your first day at the Academy?” 

Obito saw a strange glint in Genma’s eye. The revolution is coming, and it’s going to be all my fault. Excellent. So, he told them about everything that happened, ensuring to not miss a detail about the classes themselves, and the way his teachers taught. After all, Obito was a teacher himself in a past life, and a good one at that. He had dealt with parents enough to know what Genma was trying to achieve here - it was pretty clear. And so, Obito provided the ammunition. After all, if somebody could improve our Academy experience to make it more worthwhile, why shouldn’t he clear out a path?

Obito saw Ebisu’s eyes narrow several times throughout his recollection of the day. Genma noticed too.

“So, my teammates, is it time for Team Choza to come back together and take on our next mission together?” Genma asked.

“I’m in if Ebisu is in.” Guy affirmed, looking serious.

Ebisu didn’t speak for a while, seemingly lost in thought.

“... Alright.” Ebisu agreed.

Obito took this as his cue. “Hey, Naruto, we should probably head to sleep. After all, we have our next big day at the academy tomorrow! Goodnight everyone. Guy, Ebisu, it was lovely to meet you both!”

“What? I wanna stay and hear about this mission!” Naruto complained, but Obito didn’t even give him a chance. Before he even finished his complaint, Obito had dragged him away, and led him up the stairs to their rooms.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Obito woke up early to hear movement downstairs. The sun was barely up yet, and Naruto was still sound asleep. Quietly, Obito crept out, not wanting to wake his brother, and moved downstairs to see what the commotion was about. What he saw was a scene unlike anything he had seen in this life. Papers strewn everywhere with messy scrawls all over them. Some scrunched up, some folded and a few small stacks lying about the chaos. Crowding in front of a blackboard that Obito was sure did not come from this home were Genma, Sora, Ebisu and Guy. They were whispering with  vigour, seemingly disputing some scrawls on the board.

Out of curiosity, Obito wondered if he could sneak around and make myself some food undetected, given how focused they were on their planning. He doubted it, because these were four highly capable shinobi, and focused as they were, they wouldn’t have survived this long without good background awareness. But, as Obito moved about, if the adults were aware, they didn’t show it.

As Obito put some bread in the toaster, he couldn’t help but scan a few of the pages laying about. They seemed to have various notes and diagrams pertaining to lesson plans. Wow, I really wish I could have joined in on this...

With freshly toasted bread and jam in tow, Obito walked quietly to the dining table next to them, pushed aside some papers and set his food, and then himself, down, and began to eat. He made no move to interrupt them, and yet they seemed to bring their discussion to a halt in Obito’s clearly close proximity.

“Oh, don’t mind me, carry on!” Obito said cheerily, cackling on the inside. Oh, this was going to be fun.

“Good morning, Obito. It’s quite alright, we were just finishing up anyway.” Ebisu said politely. “I hope we didn’t disturb your sleep?”

“Not at all!” Obito responded with matching politeness, as though this was the most normal occurrence ever. “I just woke up, and Naruto is still out cold. Busy night at work, huh?”

“Er, yes, well, uh, we had some matters to take care of.” Sora stammered out, as though he had something to hide. Obito imagined that Sora didn’t want him to get a swollen ego over his family being the central cog in this coup they were planning.

“Matters indeed!” Obito proclaimed. “So, I’ll be seeing more of you lot at the Academy soon, then?”

There was something so devilishly entertaining about the way Obito was directing this conversation, being a ‘child’ speaking about something that children wouldn’t usually bother with or even comprehend, yet having the full plausible deniability of just being a particularly clever and astute ‘child’.

“What?” Sora questioned, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Genma hit his forehead with his palm. “Sora my dear, how do you decide to give Obito a book on fuinjutsu, and then get all surprised when he comes down and reads the very visible papers we left out. Cognitive dissonance, much?”

Obito had to stifle a giggle at that one. Even Genma would be shocked if the redhead demonstrated an understanding of something such as cognitive dissonance, with no plausible reason for knowing of it. Obito knew he was going to have to open that can of worms sometime, but now was not that time. So, he smiled on, and ate his breakfast.

The four of them set about gathering up the various papers and organising them. By the time Naruto stumbled down the stairs, there was no evidence of the night’s activities, other than the fact that Team Choza plus Sora were sitting around the table, having breakfast.

“Back so soon?” Naruto yawned.

“They never left.” Obito replied.

“Kay.” Naruto said, unfazed, and then went to get himself something to eat.

“Say, Sora, where can I get more to read when I finish this book? It’s gonna take me a while because there’s still a lot I don’t get, but this whole fuinjutsu thing is really interesting and I want to learn more about it!” Obito declared, a glint in his eyes.

Before Sora could respond, Genma grinned and spoke. “Obito, when you finish that book, here is what you do. You go find a man named Hatake Kakashi. Ask him to teach you. If he says no, which he probably will, you tell him that I’ll tell Guy where he lives.”

“Ha Ha Ha! My Eternal Rival will have a hard time refusing that!” Guy laughed, very transparently looking like he hoped Kakashi would say no.

“... Eternal rival?” Obito asked.

“Indeed! Kakashi and I have partaken in one hundred and one contests of youthfulness, and I have 51 wins to his 50!” Guy proclaimed.

“I see.” Obito responded, and without any further elaboration left to get changed and ready for day two of the shinobi academy.

A short while later, Guy and Ebisu excused themselves, and Genma walked the twins to the academy.

The Hokage let out a rather drawn out sigh. He looked at the four men in front of him, and sighed again.

“Fine, I’ll agree...” The Hokage paused, and sighed again. “But only with a few conditions in place.”

“Excellent. What are these conditions, Hokage-sama?” Ebisu asked.

“First, I am assigning you as the lead teacher for the first year class at the Academy. Whilst I did not wish to give you that particular class due to clear conflicts of interest, I do agree that it is best to start these... changes... early. To accommodate this assignment, Ebisu, you will be relieved from active duty, and not expected to take on any missions for the remainder of this year. However, this will not extend to the rest of you.”

“Second, this is a probationary assignment for the next year. As you proposed, we will design a contest that will pit this class with the cohort above them at the end of this year. If your class comes through that contest victorious, I will permit you to remain as their lead teacher for the duration of their time in the academy.”

“Third, I am willing to offer you, Ebisu, a promotion to full jonin status and give you the position of Academy Director at the end of these six years, IF every single one of your students graduates from the academy within those six years, and that they all also pass their jonin instructors’ tests.”

“Respectfully, Hokage-sama,” Ebisu interrupted, “whilst the promotion is of little importance to me, I would relish the opportunity to introduce my teaching plans more widely. For that reason, I cannot agree to this third condition of yours. We must be honest here, not every student who enters the academy is cut out for the life of a shinobi, and several of them will drop out before the end. Instead, I propose that this promotion be conditional on every student who is in my class at the end of these six years graduating the academy and passing their jonin instructor’s test. I am confident that all of the students who have the potential to become shinobi will succeed in doing so.”

“Fine, I can agree to that.” The Hokage said. “Then let us move on. Fourth, I do approve of your plans to regularly invite skilled Tokubetsu Jonin and Jonin ranked individuals to help teach certain topics. However, their active duty takes precedence over your lesson plans. If they are requested for a mission, they go on that mission, and you reschedule your planned lesson. These are my terms. If you agree, then you will start with your new class tomorrow. For the rest of today, I would like for you to go and observe the class. You will have either Iruka or Mizuki, their two current teachers, assisting you for the remainder of this year. I want you to appraise the students and teachers, and report back to me after their last lesson with your selection of assistant teacher.”

“Very well, the four of you are dismissed. Oh, and well done all of you, this was an excellent proposal and I’m impressed by the thoroughness of your plans. I look forward to seeing the results of this.”

During the first lesson of the day, which was on hand seals, Obito’s focus was fully captured. Not by the actual lesson, which was miserably disappointing, but by his fuinjutsu book. The section he was currently reading discussed how seals manipulated chakra to produce various effects. Apparently, there was a reason why fuinjutsu experts were rare, and why it wasn’t an absurdly powerful skill trumping all other forms of fighting. The creation of seals required extremely precise drawing of fuinjutsu scripts and diagrams to detail specific effects for chakra manipulation. Slight mistakes could either render a seal ineffective or otherwise dangerous, and so many would-be fuinjutsu users simply gave up and pursued skills with easier payoff. 

Following this section was a series of chapters on unanswered issues some fuinjutsu users had found. One example caught Obito’s interest. An Iwa sealing master had designed a seal that would mimic the effects of a particular Doton jutsu. It was particularly powerful, and had resulted in Iwa’s victory in an attempted ambush of the Land of Earth’s Daimyo during the Second Shinobi War. However, that same seal resulted in this kunoichi’s death when she tried to use the same seal in the Land of Fire, and it did absolutely nothing. The book then continued on to list a few similar such examples of well-designed seals working in some settings, but failing in others.

Huh. Obito thought to himself. They don’t know why that happens? I mean, I’d have to test it to be sure, but that sounds like the seals are probably designed accounting for certain parameters, and failing in the absence of those parameters. In the case of the Iwa kunoichi, I’d bet that when she designed the seal, she had done a testing process with the Land of Earth’s soil, and the fuinjutsu ‘instructions’ accounted for that. Then, she probably didn’t realise that it wouldn’t work with a different soil type. I’d have to find someone who knows Doton jutsu and get them to explain how they work, but if they typically find their techniques easier to use on home territory, then that would support my hypothesis. If I’m right, then it’s definitely no wonder that true fuinjutsu experts are so rare...

As daunting as that may be to most people, Obito isn’t most people. To him, this was an exciting challenge - a system with a series of rules still unknown to him, which he could investigate and come to understand over time. This was science, and he was nothing if not a total science nerd.

The next lesson was mathematics. Obito had hopes for this lesson to be bearable, as he needed to learn a large amouont of mathematics in order to properly study fuinjutsu. Iruka had the class copying and executing a series of algorithms for basic operations. Addition and subtraction were fairly intuitive, and Obito eyed several of his classmates quickly growing bored with the work since they probably understood it already. Multiplication and division also didn’t take long for Obito, although many others had a greater deal of trouble with these operations. .

Obito raised my hand to ask a question. “Iruka, in my book I’ve been reading, there is something I saw about using certain written characters in place of numbers when performing these operations. Could you explain how that works? I think it may have something to do with them representing other numbers?”

“Very good, Obi-” Iruka began to respond, before he was cut off by Mizuki.

“Obito, I will not tolerate this disrespect any longer. You’ve been reading your book in our lessons, and it is quite clear that your book is not relevant to the lessons at hand. Perhaps if you had been quiet, I could have let this slide, but now you are asking questions that are ahead of the class, and being disruptive. Give me that book now! I expect that you will stay focused on what we are currently learning, or you’ll find yourself removed from the Academy promptly. We have no time for disruptive class clowns.” Mizuki steamed, practically ripping the book out of Obito’s hands before he could even protest.

“Very well, Mizuki-sensei,” Obito spat out. “I will be sure to remember your lesson, and think on it whenever I wish to learn something extra. In fact, I will make sure I remember it so that it is the last thing I think of when I die on a mission because I didn’t learn how to create the barrier seal that could have saved the lives of everyone on my team.”

“Mizuki, a word please.” Obito heard Iruka say very firmly.

Iruka and Mizuki stepped outside of the classroom and closed the door, leaving a class full of children who had been stunned into complete silence, which held impressively long. We could all hear a shouting match outside, and then the door opened again. Iruka walked back in, holding my book, and not followed by Mizuki.

An obscure dark, shiny-eyed insect on a wall of the classroom somewhere thought to itself Well that made my decision quite easy.

“Obito. You asked a good question and I will be happy to answer it during our lunch break, if you would like to take the time to come and learn about it. And, I will return your book to you at the end of the day. I will say with no remorse that what Mizuki did was completely unacceptable for any teacher to do, and he will not be returning to teach this class. None of you in this class should ever sit by and let that happen to yourselves or your peers. However,” Iruka spoke, with the same firmness as before, “I do not want to see or hear word of you speaking with such disrespect to a teacher again. Rather than responding in kind, you should have apologised and pretended to lose. A smart shinobi will always outlive a thoughtless one. Once the class is over and you are safe, you go speak to another teacher or an adult that you know and trust, and allow them to help you report the issue and have it resolved. Now, class, where were we?”

During our lunch break, Obito did take up Iruka on his offer, and he was introduced to the topic of algebra. Obito found it a bit tricky to work through at first, as there were clear gaps in his knowledge of mathematics, however Iruka was more than happy to give him the names of some books he could use to work through the missing knowledge on his own. Iruka explained that he didn’t have time to work with Obito through this during our lessons, since he was ahead of the rest of the class, however he did say that he was fine with the boy working on his own. He only asked that Obito try to work on materials relevant to the lesson during each class if he was ahead on the content.

Obito found Iruka’s suggestion reasonable - it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t have the resources to cater to a wide array of abilities on his own, he just wasn’t given the means to do so. Don’t worry, Obito thought to himself. Help is coming.

After the school day finished, the twins found Ebisu waiting to walk home with them. Supposedly he was in the area anyway, so he had offered to Genma and Sora that he could see the boys home safely.

“So, how did your team mission today go?” Obito asked Ebisu. Naruto sent his brother an inquisitive look, and Obito silently mouthed ‘tell you later’ to him.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Ebisu smiled. Obito smiled back.

“Will you keep Iruka around?” Obito inquired.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Ebisu answered again.

“Thanks. Go have a drink on me!” The man said to his informant, tossing the woman a few coins.

So, you’ve changed bodies again? What are you doing, my friend? When did it all go wrong? He thought to himself, walking back to his rented room on autopilot.

Chapter Text

CW: Trauma, Alcoholism as a coping mechanism (towards the end of the chapter). If these are a problem for you, stop reading once the chapter changes settings to no longer be at the Academy.

When the first year students rocked up to the Academy the next morning, everything seemed perfectly normal. The sun was shining, wind gently pushing the leaves on trees into a steady flowing rhythm, and kids were walking to the Academy whilst groaning about another day copying down history notes from a blackboard. Uzumaki Obito and Uzumaki Naruto, however, were not complaining about anything. Naruto and Obito were both unusually quiet, stuck in an anticipatory state. The previous afternoon, when they returned home, Obito had filled Naruto in on everything he knew about the upcoming change in their education. Obito trusted Ebisu to change things for the better, and Naruto trusted Obito, therefore Naruto also trusted Ebisu.

What seemed like moments later, the two were sitting in their classroom, amongst their peers, quietly waiting. The classroom was noisy, of course. After all, it was filled with young, restless children who expected just another day of sitting still and taking notes, perhaps with a bit of taijutsu training if they were lucky.

Iruka walked in, and greeted the class. He was not accompanied by Mizuki. That, everyone expected, for he had stated clearly yesterday that Mizuki would not be returning to teach this class, after his inappropriate outburst. Instead, Iruka was accompanied by a slim man, dressed in Konoha’s blue shinobi attire, wearing a bandana-style hitai-ate and tinted glasses that made his eyes impossible to see.

“Good morning, class! I would like to introduce you to your new head teacher, Ebisu. I expect you to give him a warm welcome, and treat him with the utmost respect. Ebisu is a skilled teacher, and you’ll find that you’re incredibly lucky to have him!” Iruka said cheerily. A more astute individual might have picked out small tells on his face of his apprehension. Who wouldn’t be concerned when someone is brought in out of nowhere to take over their job, even if they were undoubtedly much better at it than them?

There was some slight murmuring in response to this; confusion, what with a change in teachers on day three of their first year at the academy. When Ebisu opened his mouth to speak, some students may have expected him to berate or reprimand them for disrespect.

“Thank you, Iruka. Now, while I would be overjoyed to be treated with the utmost of respect from my first moments as your teacher, I do not expect it. Respect is something that is earned. I am confident that I will earn everybody’s respect, and I hope that you will all earn mine. Now, how about we begin? Could you all please leave your belongings here in the classroom, and come outside with me to the training field? We’re going to start the day with something a little more practical.” Ebisu said, and then proceeded to lead the class outside.

Once everyone was outside and settled, Ebisu began speaking again. “So, I have a question for you, before we begin. What do you think makes a shinobi effective? And when you speak, could you please say your name, and how you would like to be referred to? I would like to properly get to know each of you.”

Ino was the first to raise her hand, and was invited to speak. “Hi, I’m Yamanaka Ino! I think that any good shinobi needs to be able to deceive their enemies, and catch them by surprise!”

“Very good, Ino. The element of surprise is very important, because it can decide the victor of a fight very quickly, and even allow a weaker shinobi to defeat a stronger one. Outside of battle, too, it has many uses. What else, class?” Ebisu responded. Another student raised their hand.

“My name is Inazuka Kiba. I think that a good shinobi should have great senses, so they can sniff out their targets.” Kiba said proudly.

“Ah, spoken like a true Inazuka. You must be Tsume’s son? Tell her I said hi, I haven’t seen her in a while. And yes, sensory skills, whether they are enhanced smell, the ability to detect chakra, or to see chakra from far away, are all highly beneficial. Not all shinobi are able to develop such skills, however, which is one of many reasons we choose to work in teams. We complement each other’s strengths and cover each other’s weaknesses.” Ebisu explained. “Anything else? These have been great answers so far.”

Naruto raised his hand. “ I think that the best shinobi are the ones who master lots of powerful ninjutsu!”

Obito smirked. How very Naruto. He thought to himself.

“Having powerful ninjutsu is certainly useful to many shinobi, I do agree. And in some cases, it can in fact be the sheer power of ninjutsu that determines the outcomes of a battle, rather than intellect and other skills.” Ebisu agreed. “However, I believe that those who strive to master poweful ninjutsu must remember something important, so that they may become even more effective, and that is to master the uses of these ninjutsu as well. To know when and why to use them, or not use them, is as important as just being able to use the ninjutsu.”

“This brings me to our first lesson together. At times, shinobi may find themselves in situations where they are injured, trapped, or stranded. They may be out of chakra, or hungry with no food to be found. These are undoubtedly scary and difficult situations. But with the right training, a shinobi can learn how to think in these situations and make the most of them. So, we are going to have a sparring tournament now. They will be one on one, with two matches occuring at a time, one supervised by myself and one by Iruka. You may use whatever you have at your disposal, with one catch. You will not be allowed to make any use of your dominant arm. Iruka and I will now come around to tie your dominant arm behind your backs. The objective of your match will be to knock your opponent to the ground. Are there any questions?” Ebisu asked.

A girl raised her hand. “Hi, my name is Amiyo Fuki. My parents aren’t shinobi, and so I haven’t had any taijutsu training yet, but I know most of the clan kids have. Isn’t this a bit unfair to us?”

“Thank you Fuki, that is a fair point. However, I do not believe it is something to be concerned about for this lesson. Firstly, fighting with one hand restricted will be difficult for all of you. Those who make it far in this tournament will be the ones who are able to make the most of their situation. Also, I wish for those of you who did not have clans to train you, to not worry. I am aware of this, and will work to ensure that all students will have the opportunity to learn in my classes.” Ebisu responded.

Ebisu and Iruka then proceeded to bind the dominant arm of each student, and divide them up into two halves. Each half proceeded to a large marked square that defined the boundaries of their combat arenas.

“Now, before your fights begin, Iruka and I have something to show you. When we spar in Konoha, we perform a couple of symbolic signs to remind ourselves of why we spar - to help each other grow stronger. First is the seal of confrontation, which we make before starting any spar, as a sign that we commit to give our spars our all as a sign of respect to one another. The seal is formed by clenching one hand into a fist, and extending out your first two fingers like so.” The two teachers performed the seal. “Then, when we finish a spar, we perform the seal of reconciliation. This is done by linking those two fingers together with your opponent, like a two-finger handshake. Like so.”

After demonstrating the symbolic seals, the teachers had the students participating in the first matches perform the seal of confrontation, and then begin.

The first rounds of fights were awkward, at best. It did not take the first round of combatants long to understand that it was difficult to throw punches or kicks and stay balanced with a hand tied behind their backs. One student fell over by missing a kick, and that was enough to inform all observers to be more careful in how they attacked. Matches often ended quickly, and before long it came to the final match.

Numerous students in the class expected the final match to be between Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, who had quickly revealed themselves as the two strongest students in the first two days of class. However, those expectations were not met, as Uzumaki Obito and a boy named Akamichi Choji proceeded into the final match, with many onlookers. Obito and Choji had defeated Sasuke and Naruto respectively in the semi-finals. Obito had won his matches by fighting defensively, and looking for ways to strike unexpectedly and without losing balance. Choji, had determined a strategy of approaching his opponents side-on and bumping into them, using his body weight to topple opponents without throwing his own centre of gravity.

The class watched on excitedly as the last match began. Disappointments from losses were forgotten, as the students all wanted to see which of these two promising fighters would come out on top.

As the fight began, Choji adopted his side-on stance immediately and shuffled towards Obito. Obito, in response, began circling Choji, forcing him to adapt his stance constantly. Many expected that Obito would dash to a side and try push Choji, but that was not what happened. Obito quickly squatted to the ground, picked up a handful of dirt and threw it at Choji’s eyes. Choji had to use his one available hand to shield his face, which gave Obito enough time to dash behind Choji and kick at his back, pushing him to the floor.

“That was dirty!” Someone called out from amongst the onlookers.

Meanwhile, Obito ran over to Choji and extended a hand to help him up, and then they performed the seal of reconciliation.

“Sorry about that!” Obito apologised, hoping Choji wouldn’t take it personally.

“Nah, that was smart. I found one way to fight that worked and just kept doing that, but you were able to surprise me. Nice fight!” Choji smiled, blinking to try and get the remaining dirt out of his eyes.

Ebisu stepped in and congratulated them both on a fight well fought.

“Now, I heard one of you say that was dirty. Whilst an excellent pun,” Ebisu remarked, and earned a series of well-deserved groans, “it was a clever tactic. Even Choji recognised this, and did not get angry about it. I applaud Choji for an excellent attitude. Now, which students do you think were the two most effective shinobi in this tournament?”

As the fights had been happening, Ebisu had been observing more than just the fights themselves. He had been watching his students, to see how they were using their time as observers. He identified a particular student who had been watching the fights more closely than others, and decided to call on that student to give their observations.

“Shikamaru, what do you think?” Ebisu asked.

The boy named Shikamaru groaned. “Why me?”

“I want this to be a class where you all learn from each other, and you were observing these matches quite closely after you purposefully fell over in your first match.” Ebisu smiled.

“Tch. How troublesome.” Shikamaru complained. “Well, fine. I think most of you will be thinking that it is obviously Choji and Obito. I would agree that Obito was the most effective here, but not Choji. Sorry Choji.”

Choji waved it off.

“Obito was creative - he mixed up his approaches, and stayed on the defensive until he was sure it was safe to attack. He used his surroundings, as well as the movements of his opponents. Choji’s approach was great, until it became predictable, allowing Obito to easily exploit it. I think the other most effective shinobi was Hyuuga Hinata. No, she didn’t win her first match, because she was afraid and not confident in herself. But notice that her match went on the longest out of any, because her defense was so good. I think that if she was more confident in herself, she would have won all the way through to the finals.” Shikamaru explained, and Ebisu clapped.

“Excellent, Shikamaru. I couldn’t have said it any better myself. One thing I would like to add is that Choji realised his mistake almost immediately after his fight, and learned from it already. Would anyone else like to share what they learned from their own fights?” Ebisu asked.

A girl with unusual pink hair raised her hand.

“Sakura, go on.” Ebisu said.

“Um, I was the first to lose to Choji. I thought I had lost because Choji is much stronger than me, but when I saw how Obito won, I realised that I was just afraid.” Sakura said.

Another student, a girl called Ami, laughed at that. “Ooooh, Sakura’s a scaredy-cat!”

Ebisu coughed. “Ami, please remember what I said earlier today about how respect is earned. Whilst this is no way for you to earn my respect, also consider that it is no way to earn Sakura’s respect. While that may not seem important to you now, I have every confidence that Sakura will become a very capable shinobi in time. Not only was she not afraid to share such a comment, she was not afraid to learn from her own mistakes. This is something I want you all to strive for, as it is what will enable you to grow. Now, Sakura, fear is not necessarily a bad thing for a shinobi to have. If you are rightfully afraid in a dangerous situation, that fear can motivate you to act. What happened in your match was that you were frozen by your fear.”

Ami’s face got a bit red, as she was upset and angered by the teacher’s comment, but backed down.

“Alright, that is enough for now. We’ll go back to the classroom and you may have a short break to chat amongst yourselves or relax as you see fit, and then we will continue with our next lesson.” Ebisu said. He and Iruka shepherded the students back to the classroom, and made some casual small talk between themselves as the kids ran free within the classroom for a while.

During this break, Obito sat and thought, smiling almost scarily the whole time. Not because he had won the tournament. Because he was incredibly amazed by Ebisu’s ability as a teacher. Within the space of one lesson, Ebisu had managed to earn the respect of many students, while setting clear boundaries about acceptable behaviour, and allowed several students to feel good about their learning. Damn, he’s almost as good as I was, Obito thought cheekily.

After a short break, Ebisu decided it was time to begin the next lesson.

“Ok, students. Time to get back to work!” Ebisu called out, and gave them all a few moments to settle down. “As shinobi, there is a lot we need to know that involves some sort of studying. We will get to that, but later. And, for the majority of you who are not so fond of copying notes off a board, worry not. There are some lessons where that will be required, but they will be few and far between. Now, I want us to get started with something that is essential to begin working on early - Chakra control.”

Some murmuring built up. Ebisu raised a hand to call for quiet.

“Now, I know that you are all at different levels with this, so those of you who have already begun training your chakra control, bear with me for just a moment.” Ebisu said, before drawing up a diagram of a human body on the blackboard and marking it in order to make a brief explanation of the chakra system and tenketsu points.

“If you have a look at this drawing, you’ll see the pathways through which chakra flows. Using your chakra depends effectively, in part, on the size of your chakra coils and how much they can store. But it also depends on how efficiently you can use it, or, how little you waste. Over time, you can improve both, so I want us to start early, and we will work on this every day. As we work on this, I want you to focus on what you can do, and on your own progress. Some of you have started learning chakra control as early as you could walk, but some have never heard of chakra control until today. You’ll all be at different places, and that’s fine.” Ebisu explained.

He then divided the class into those who had trained in chakra control before, and those who hadn’t, taking the group who had no experience whilst Iruka worked with those who had. Over the course of the lesson, Ebisu explained a few methods of getting in touch with one’s chakra, and worked with the students so that they could practice on their own at home. Meanwhile, Iruka gave the more experienced students exercises to work on matching their ability levels.

For the hyped up students who were excited to uncover the power of chakra, the slow pace of training chakra control was testing. Some students did not have the patience to sit through more than a few minutes of meditation, so Ebisu had them go out to the corridor outside the classroom and take a break, and come back when they were ready. A couple of kids came back, but the rest tried to take it as an opportunity to skip out on the rest of the class.

Those who did not want to come back, Ebisu spoke to in the corridor and let them know that they should return to the classroom in ten minutes, to continue with the next class. They did, though not without a little hassling. The remaining lessons in the day were taken up with practical, hands-on, and often collaborative activities, covering a broad array of topics of general knowledge. Ebisu was not messing around, and would have these students be fully prepared before they took on the dangerous life of being a shinobi.

The house dealer was grinning on the inside. The woman before him was losing, and badly. He could have sworn he was dealing with ‘The Legendary Sucker’, but that woman was taller, older, and known to be far less composed. This short lady who looked scarcely older than a teenager was swearing constantly, clearly conveying her hand with her actions. When a kid like that walks in with a wad of cash and wants to play, a smart dealer would let them. Let them play, let them lose.

Once again, the young lass started cussing upon being dealt her new hand, and the game was drawing to a close. The dealer heard this lass swear something about going all in - he saw many a brash player take a final risk instead of just cutting their losses, and that was why he lived such a comfortable life. The players revealed their hands, and something. was. just. not. right.

He was sure the young woman had screwed up, but he had been duped. Played like a fool. The girl had a royal flush, and just cleaned out all of the winnings. She broke out into a wide grin, took her newly won pool of tokens, exchanged them for cash and disappeared before anyone could get a word in edgewise.

But of course, no good gambling house gets scammed so easily. The dealer signalled to a couple of giant, brawny men at the door, who ran out to chase the cheating kid down. They saw her disappear into an alleyway, so they ran in, to be greeted by... nothing. It was an empty dead end.

Atop one of the buildings aside an alleyway, the young woman smirked. A moment later, she was gone, and in her place was a middle-aged woman with pitch black hair. Much taller, and dressed in an elegant kimono. The woman dashed unseen across the rooftops, before quietly descending to the ground in another part of town. As she travelled, she stepped in and out of numerous different stores, each time exiting with multiple bags of freshly purchased goods. Before night had its chance to fall, the woman was gone.

A short half-hour later, a definitely middle-aged woman with a guarded expression and a small red diamond on her forehead walked into a poorly maintained house towards the edge of town. Inside, a child was coughing, and the boy’s mother was by his side, holding his hand and doing all that she could - hope for the best. Another young woman was by the boy’s side, performing a form of medical ninjutsu that was designed to stabilise individuals for surgery.

“Are you ready?” The young woman asked her elder.

“Yes, I have everything I need, including for later.” The older woman responded, taking a few deep breaths and steading herself.

“Now, Emiko,” the older woman adressed the boy’s mother, “I want to remind you that this procedure only has a 50 percent survival rate. Either we finish this, and your son will be healthy and able to live out the rest of his life with no issues, or these moments will be his last. The only guarantee I can give you is that it will be one of these two. Do you still wish to proceed?”

The boy’s mother, Emiko, looked at the bag her maybe-saviour had brought in, and noticed alcohol. The strong stuff, in large quantities.

“Uh... What’s all that for?” Emiko asked.

The older woman sighed. “If this goes well, celebration. I’ll gladly share a few bottles with you if you like. If this doesn’t go well, I’m keeping it all. Shall I proceed?”

Emiko was stunned, at a loss for words.

“Well?” The older woman snapped.

“Uh, yes, please! I know the risks, but if you don’t do this, my son won’t live another year!” Emiko begged. All she had known was that her son was sick since he was born, and getting worse as he grew older. He couldn’t breath properly. He couldn’t play with the other kids. She was barely making ends meet as is, and then this woman and her companion showed up out of nowhere, and offered to try and help her son, for free. Emiko was suspicious at first, but she realised that even if this was all a bogus act, it was her son’s last chance. She may not have known much about medicine, but as a mother she knew that her son’s chances were slim without this help.

“Ok. Say goodbye to your son now, and then leave. We’ve spoken about this before, but I must remind you that you cannot come in until we are done. I need to have absolute focus for this to have a chance of working, and I have lost too many patients from family members who couldn’t help themselves from barging in mid-procedure. I will not stop you either way - your actions are your choice, your responsibility. If you understand, leave. We will come get you as soon as we finish, and give you the news, whatever it may be.” The older woman explained. She was scathing in tone, but her words conveyed the care she held, explaining everything that her patient and his mother needed to know.

Emiko kissed her son on the forehead, squeezed his hand one last time, and left without another word.

The older woman’s assistant spoke. “Lady Tsunade, aren’t you forgetting your usual threats about telling anyone that we were here?”

“Pah. There’s no need for that anymore, Shizune.” Tsunade smiled. Then, her eyes narrowed, and she got to work.

When she made the first cut, Tsunade winced at the sight of the beads of red fluid that emerged. She had gotten much, much better at handling her trauma triggers, but they never went away fully. This was something she would have to deal with for the rest of her life. The alcohol wasn’t only there to mute the feelings of failure or celebrate a success, after all.

Several long hours later, Tsunade and Shizune emerged from the house to find Emiko sitting still by the door. Emiko stood quickly, and looked to the two women before her. “So? How is my son? Tell me, who is drinking tonight?”

Tsunade’s face relaxed, and showed no emotion. “Emiko, I need you to understand something. Your son had the worst case of this disease I have worked on, or seen, in my entire life. It’s a miracle he survived this far.” Tsunade’s face then lifted into the gentlest, most compassionate smile Shizune had seen in years. “Which is why I’d like you to come back inside now. Drinks are on me, and if you don’t mind, we’ll crash here tonight so we can be nearby to check on your boy again in the morning.”

Shizune’s bottled tears burst out, almost matching Emiko’s. Both were crying tears of joy, but for different reasons. For Emiko, it was all about her son, who would now get the live out a full life thanks to this Tsunade’s act of kindness. For Shizune, it was the implications of this success.

Tsunade’s face, however, hardened. Though this was a joyous occasion, the work ahead of her was not done. There was so much more to do, and a dear friend was still counting on her.

Within a small, candle-lit room in Konoha’s underground sat six figures. All of them were tense, showing a mix of reactions from anger to disbelief. An elderly woman, with a physique withered by age, but a temperament fierce as ever, stood up suddenly, pointing a finger at the young man across from her.

“You fool! You speak of treason without remorse! What the hell brought this about?” She demanded, and everyone knew she wouldn’t back down until she got her way, or was otherwise satisfied.

“Treason or no, they’ve neglected us long enough. We deserve far better than this, and to think they expect us to passively let ourselves be pushed out of the village we helped create!” The young man responded with a seemingly impassable stoicism.

“Boy! Who do you think you’re talking to? You kids think you know everything, but I was around when this village was formed. I know just as well as you what is happening to us, but I also know that there are better ways to handle this. We need to-” The older woman spoke fiercely, but the younger man was unmoved, and interjected.

“With all due respect, that won’t work because it HASN’T BEEN WORKING! Hiruzen doesn’t give a damn about us, and we all know Danzo despises us. If you’re not with us, you can damn well step aside and let us do what needs to be done. Now, does anyone else have any complaints?” The young man, clearly the leader amongst the group, asked.

Nobody else responded.

“Very well, this meeting is adjourned. Dismissed!” The man barked, and three of the six immediately departed, leaving behind the leader, the elderly woman and another woman who sat in between the feuding duo.

“Boy, I hope you know what you’re doing. And may the consequences be on your head.” The older woman hissed, a barely detectable note of dismay in her expression, and a moment later she was gone.

Alone in the small room, the leader clutched the remaining woman’s hand tightly.  With a deep breath, he loosened his grip, and he too disappeared.

Chapter Text

The Uzumaki twins tossed and turned through the night. Both boys’ pillows were accumulating sweat, their blankets a tangle wrapped every which way around their limbs. Neither slept well.

In a rare moment of solitude, a pale individual, soaking through with sweat, shakily pushed a small scroll into the mouth of a small white snake, which then slithered away into the darkness.

As Tsunade lifted the sake cup to her mouth, she realised she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her vain hopes that she could just bottle everything up and get over herself were just that: vain. Without a word, she dashed outside, and moments later Shizune and Emiko could hear the awful sounds of hurling.

“Excuse me, Emiko. I’m so sorry about this!” Shizune apologised, and quickly dashed outside to check on her mentor. Stepping outside, Shizune noted that Tsunade was still vomiting over the grass. The putrid smell washed over her, and though she had become somewhat desensitised to it, it was still hard to ignore. Warily, Shizune approached Tsunade to put a comforting hand on her back.

“Damnit, Damnit, DAMNIT!” Tsunade screamed, pounding her fist on the ground beside her. “The kid’s fine, so WHY AM I STILL LIKE THIS?”

As the sun rose, an author sat in his rented room, scribbling away on a notepad, taking ideas and building them into the outlines of a scene, giggling to himself as he wrote. Satisfied, he put down his notepad and stepped outside to get some air. He noticed the smallest hint of a familiar inhuman chakra, and the relaxed look slid off his face completely.

Following the chakra to its source, the man found a small white snake with a scroll in its mouth, slithering straight towards him. The snake dropped the scroll, and vanished with a small poof of smoke.

“You were right to bring your concerns to me. Thank you, Genma. You needn’t worry, though. I’ll have it all sorted out promptly... Very well, you are dismissed.”

As Genma departed the Hokage’s office and closed the door behind him, he released a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding, relieved.

Back in the office, a masked figure appeared before the Hokage.

“Hound, I expect you heard all of that?” The Hokage asked.

Silence.

“Very well. I am assigning you a solo mission. Find that man and bring him back to Konoha with the utmost urgency.”

It had been a little over a month at the academy, and the Uzumaki twins had fallen into a comfortable routine. Usually, Genma or Sora would walk them to the academy in the morning and walk home with them at the end of the day. Occasionally, when they were both busy with missions or other tasks, the twins would walk with Sasuke and one of his parents. Today, however, things were different. 

A masked man with spiky grey hair approached them as soon as they exited the academy building. “I am Hound, and I have been tasked with bringing you safely home today. Follow me.”

The twins eyed each other nervously, but followed. When they arrived, there was a strange man sitting in the dining room of their home. The man had extremely long white hair, and wore a hitai-ate with the kanji for ‘oil’ written on it.

Strange, Obito thought to himself. Don’t hitai-ate usually have the symbol of a hidden village on them?

“Welcome home, boys!” Sora said not moments after they walked through the door. Neither boy noticed the subtle mix of concern and relief on Sora and Genma’s faces.

“We’d like you to meet Jiraiya here. He’s an old friend, who’s come to help out. See, he was passing through Konoha when I bumped into him, and mentioned your nightmares to him-” Genma began to explain with a barely-just-indetectable smile plastered on his face.

“Daaaaaaaaaaaad! Not coooooooooooool!” Naruto shouted, red beginning to tint his face.

“Naruto, relax! Jiraiya happens to know a thing or two about your nightmares, and says he might be able to stop them. Isn’t that great?” Sora attempted.

Naruto seemed to settle down at this a bit, but began glaring at Jiraiya. He seemed to be sulking because this unfamiliar stranger knew something he thought was ‘super embarrassing’. Obito, however, seemed to be concentrating, as though trying to remember something important.

Jiraiya looked down at the two boys and smiled congenially. “Ah, I’ve heard so much about you two. The way your dad talks about you, I’d think you’re the best thing that happened to him since he got picked to guard the Fourth Hokage!”

Obito made the connection, between the man standing in front of him and the Sannin they had learned about at the Academy. “Jiraiya? The Jiraiya? Dad, a Sannin is an ‘old friend’ of yours?”

“Once a Sannin perhaps, my young friend,” Jiraiya smiled faintly. “But now I’m just a humble traveler, relaxing and enjoying the wonders of life. Now, let’s get down to business! How much do you boys know about chakra?”

“Uh, isn’t chakra the stuff that lets us walk up walls and stick stuff to our hands and stuff?” Naruto scratched his head.

“That’s right, Naruto! Chakra is important for all sorts of techniques shinobi use, such as walking up walls. Do you know how it works?” Jiraiya responded, seemingly impressed by Naruto’s initial response.

“Nah, it’s all complicated... You should ask Obito, he gets that stuff way better than me!” Naruto offered.

“Well, as you said we use chakra for most techniques Shinobi need to use. It’s made up of spiritual and physical energy, and flows through our bodies all the time.” Obito answered.

“Very good! When I heard about your problem from Genma, I knew I had to come and take a look. You see, sometimes kids with lots of chakra get some problems. The chakra pathways inside their bodies can get a bit messed up, and it can cause problems like the nightmares you’ve been having. I owe your dad a favour, so I’m here to fix you both up.” Jiraiya explained.

Obito’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, not convinced that this explanation was true, and yet confused by the implication of it. Surely, if the nightmares are to do with chakra, it would be because of the Kyuubi inside of Naruto? But then, if I’m having the nightmares too... But the Kyuubi is inside of Naruto! Maybe there’s something I don’t know about chakra, and he’s telling the truth?

Sora watched the expressions change on Obito’s face quietly, not knowing exactly what to make of them.

“I’m gonna have to fix you up one at a time. Naruto, take off your shirt.” Jiraiya demanded.

Naruto did as he was asked, and went to stand in front of Jiraiya. Jiraiya squatted down, and pressed his hand to Naruto’s belly. His hand glowed a faint blue briefly, and then a spiral seal appeared.

“Woah! Where did that come from?” Naruto gasped.

“It’s just part of my technique, showing me what I need to know. Count backwards from 10, please.” Jiraiya ordered, borrowing a trick he’d seen one of his old teammates use countless times.

Before Naruto even got halfway through his counting, Jiraiya’s hand glowed again, followed by a cry of “Ow!” from Naruto, and then the glowing stopped.

“All done. Go and get yourself cleaned up, you smell like sweat. Obito, you’re next!” Jiraiya said grumpily.

Naruto stomped off, grumbling something about a “rude old man”. Meanwhile, Obito’s eyes thinned again, unable to control his facial expressions. Sora was able to pick up yet again on Obito’s expression and grew concerned.

Does he know about the Kyuubi? Sora thought. But how?

As Obito took off his shirt and approached Jiraiya, he breathed deeply to calm himself down, convinced that Jiraiya would find no such seal on his own belly. But when Jiraiya pressed his palm to Obito’s belly, Obito’s eyes widened in shock. Not moments after feeling Jiraiya’s chakra move into his abdomen, a seal similar to Naruto’s, albeit flowing in the opposite direction, appeared there.

What? But Naruto’s got the Kyuubi! Not me! Obito thought, startled.

While Jiraiya worked on Obito, Sora covertly formed a short series of hand seals, forming a mental link with Genma.

“Genma, I don’t know how or why, but I think Obito knows about the Kyuubi. He’s been acting strange this whole time, and seemed really surprised to see the seal on himself, but completely unaffected when it showed up on Naruto. Something about this isn’t right. I know it’s not something I should ever consider doing to one of our children, but do you think I should...” Sora thought to Genma over their mental link.

Genma turned to face Sora. “I... You know how to read people damn well, and this could get serious if you’re right and we do nothing. I say yes, this once and never again. Go in long enough to find out if you’re right, and come straight back out. And try to ignore anything that’s not about this! Gods, I feel awful about this but if you’re right and he says something to the wrong person...”

Sora walked over to Obito, and put a hand on his head, ruffling his hair.

When Obito recoiled from Jiraiya’s technique, Sora put the hand on his shoulder and squeezed to support him.

“Alright, Obito, I’m all done. You stink too, go clean yourself up.” Jiraiya announced.

Obito paced off, trying to keep his breath steady at least until he was out of earshot.

“I was doing my best not to see anything that wasn’t about the Kyuubi, and searching his memories was way harder than it is with most people. While I was trying to find what I was looking for, I heard him think the words ‘I have the Kyuubi too’. I didn’t even feel comfortable invading his mind to begin with, so I didn’t stay any longer. But I’m sure that’s what I heard. And there’s more than that. While you were repairing Naruto’s seal, he hardly seemed surprised to see the seal show up. Yet when you repaired his own, he seemed more shocked than I’ve ever seen. I’m not Inoichi, but I was in T&I, and I know my own kids. He definitely knew about Naruto being a jinchuriki, but somehow didn’t know it to be true of himself.” Sora explained, recounting what he saw as precisely as he could.

“Who could have told him?” Jiraiya asked, his back resting against the firm support of a pine tree.

“I don’t know! Look, the kids are both quite clever for their age, but Obito is way ahead. He tears through books like nobody’s business, and I gave him a book on the bare basics of fuinjutsu just before they started on the academy. It was nothing major, the kind you’d give to a genin with potential to read before they start learning anything about how to actually build seals. I thought maybe he’d been able to see Naruto’s seal at some point, but I’m sure he doesn’t know enough to actually understand a seal from seeing it.” Sora spoke frantically, pushing up his hair as he worried. “Should we go to the Hokage?”

“No!” Jiraiya shouted, before remembering himself and apologising. “Look, I respect my old teacher, but I don’t trust him. Right now, Hiruzen is content with letting them grow up before they start training to use the powers of the Kyuubi. But all it would take is for Danzo to find out, and... well, Danzo is dangerous.” Jiraiya thought back to the scroll he’d received a month ago, and shuddered.

“If Danzo were to find out, your kids will disappear soon after. And when you see them again, they’d probably be Danzo’s mindless weapons. No, we keep this between us for now. My repairs should hold for a few years, and then I’ll have to return again. They should now do what Minato had intended, and allow them to access some of the Kyuubi’s chakra without overflowing like it has been lately. Do you trust Naruto to keep this secret?” Jiraiya inquired.

“I love that little cannonball, but no. Tell him, and all his friends will know within days.” Genma laughed dryly.

Jiraiya sighed. He closed his eyes for a few moments, thinking. “Alright. So we don’t tell Naruto the truth yet. How about Obito. Trustworthy?”

“I think so. Obito really is one of those ‘old souls’ people joke about. He looks like a kid, but he doesn’t really act like a kid all the time. I think he doesn’t really know how... But that’s not the important thing right now. I think he’ll understand if we talk to him.” Genma replied.

Jiraiya opened his eyes, and stood up. “Alright. I’ll talk to him alone, better not to crowd him for something like this. I’ll stick around for a few days to make sure their seals hold up, and then I’m heading out.”

The three men returned about an hour after they left. Upon return, the scene before them served to relax them, an air of peace that felt as though nothing in the world was wrong. Obito was craning over a book, occasionally looking away from it to scribble something down on a piece of paper beside him. Naruto was running around outside on his hands, chasing after Guy who had dropped by to supervise while Genma and Sora were gone.

Jiraiya calmly walked towards Obito. “Obito, come with me.”

Obito silently followed Jiraiya, doing his best to keep a straight face. Inside his own head, Obito was panicking. Jiraiya led Obito into another room. When Obito entered, Jiraiya closed the door, pressing a small seal on the door handle and releasing a tiny burst of chakra to activate it. The placement of this seal did not go undetected by Obito, who was on edge from a fresh load of adrenaline.

“Obito, do you know why I need to speak with you?” Jiraiya said calmly, doing his best to keep this as pacified as possible, given the difficulty of this conversation.

“...No?” Obito responded, trying his best to appear puzzled.

“Look, I’m not gonna beat around the bush. It seems pretty obvious you know about the Kyuubi.” Jiraiya stated.

Shit, I can’t see any way out of this. But how do they know? Obito thought, quickly figuring out how to respond and make the most of this frightening situation.

“Kyuu...bi?” Obito feigned confusion.

“Kid, you can drop the act.” Jiraiya sighed. “You’re clever, but I’ve been playing this game far longer. I know you know about the Kyuubi sealed within you and your brother. You seemed surprised that Naruto isn’t the only jinchuriki, so I’ll offer you a bone here. The Kyuubi attacked Konoha on the day you were born. In order to save the village, the Fourth Hokage sealed half of the Kyuubi’s chakra into you, and half into your brother.”

Obito dropped to the ground, sitting cross-legged with his arms folded. Huh, this might actually work. Well, it’s my only shot, so here goes.

“It’s not hard to piece things together, with all the hints around us, you know. The way people look at us like we’re some monsters, I had to find out why. I heard some people talking one time about the Kyuubi attack, and then I found out it happened almost six years ago. Then, when I saw a seal on Naruto’s belly one night, I realised that someone had sealed it inside of him.” Obito lied, hoping it would be convincing. “I haven’t heard the word, but I’m guessing ‘jinchuriki’ means Bijuu host or something like that? Also, I couldn’t find much out about Bijuu, but how do you split up a Bijuu’s chakra? I didn’t even think of that being possible, so I was really surprised today when I saw a seal on my body too.”

Obito smiled, and fought hard to still his shaking while he desperately hoped that they wouldn’t find out, or hadn’t found out the truth about him.

You’d love this kid, old friend, Jiraiya mused to himself sadly. He’s probably smarter than you were at his age. Doesn’t seem your level of crazy, but I’m sure it’s in there somewhere!

The thought brought a smile to Jiraiya’s face, and he relaxed.

“Hey, kid, relax. I know what it’s like to be so clever that your friends and family can’t understand you. My closest friend was exactly like that, but they weren’t surrounded by people who love them like you are, and the loneliness drove them mad. I won’t let that happen to you. Not now, not ever.” Jiraiya spoke, hoping the revelation would earn some trust.

Obito breathed, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed. I think I might actually be in the clear.

“So... You want to make sure I stay quiet about the Kyuubi for now, so I don’t drive people away and draw in the wrong attention?” Obito asked, hoping hard that he was playing into what Jiraya seemed to expect him to be like.

“Exactly. I know it will be hard, but that includes Naruto. I can see that he’s a good kid, just like you, but we both know he wouldn’t be able to keep it secret yet. If it helps you not feel guilty, think of it as keeping him in the dark temporarily to protect him. When you’re older, we’ll be able to explain it all to him. So, can you do that for me?” Jiraiya asked.

Obito sat in silence for a little while, steadying his breathing and trying to calm his thoughts. “Yes, I suppose I can, but it’ll cost you. Teach me fuinjutsu.”

Jiraiya got up, and peeled the seal off the door handle. He tossed it to Obito. “Fine, take this as a gift from me to you. Figure out how that works and make one of your own, and then I’ll personally train you in the use of fuinjutsu.”

Obito looked at the piece of paper in front of him with reverence, and his face lit up. “Alright, deal. You better hold to it, because I’ll have this figured out sooner than you expect!”

“I’m sure you will.” Jiraiya said, as he opened the door and left.

Uchiha Shisui took in the sight before him. Three corpses, slashed randomly as though stabbed to death by bandits. The cuts looked almost perfectly indiscriminate. Almost. From his vantage point among the tall trees, Shisui could also see his mark, a small masked figure, working to cover the tracks that had been made

“You can come out now.” The figure down below spoke out.

Shisui emerged, deftly dropping to the ground. “You’re getting good at this, Itachi. But watch how you make your cuts. They’re still a bit too perfect, a more skilled individual might be able to tell that this was an assassination. Still, you’ve come a long way since you started.”

Itachi grunted. “What are you doing here? This is a solo op.”

Looking over his work once more to ensure he’d missed nothing, Itachi gave himself a satisfied nod and leapt up to the branches above, Shisui following. They travelled in silence for a while, until it was broken by Shisui. “Are you doing okay?”

“Sure, why do you ask?” Itachi responded neutrally.

“You just seem a bit... Are you sure this is what you want? Being in the ANBU?”

“I’m just doing what I have to do. So, who sent you?” Itachi asked.

The two continued on in silence for another while.

“Your father. He’s worried about you.” Shisui finally responded. “You know, don’t you?”

“Why do you think my father had me join the ANBU? Of course I know.” Itachi answered, looking straight ahead.

Shisui stopped. So did Itachi.

“I can make them all stop.” Shisui announced. “This fighting could get out of hand, and innocent people will die.”

Itachi looked directly at Shisui for the first time they had been moving together. “How?”

In an underground facility not too far outside Konoha, a masked Uchiha Itachi, dressed in black knelt before a man with one bandaged eye, dressed in a pale kimono. 

“Interesting. Thank you for your report, Hawk. You may go.”

Chapter Text

It had been a month since Uchiha Shisui had disappeared. Everyone had assumed the worst, but a body had yet to be found to prove his death. It could only be assumed, at this point, that he had left Konoha. Whether willingly or not, whether alive or dead, word could not get out that an Uchiha was missing - too many people would jump at the chance to acquire the Sharingan for themselves. A funeral was held the next day.

At last, the final day of the Academy school year had come. Obito was finally starting to make some headway on Jiraiya’s seal. He wasn’t surprised to piece together that it was some sort of privacy seal, preventing anyone from looking or listening in to the area it affected. But he still wasn’t sure how that area was defined, or the exact way it created such privacy. More than that, he had yet to figure out or learn how to put chakra into even the most basic of seals. He had experimented for weeks, using a storage scroll that had yet to be completed with chakra. Every time he tried a different way of putting chakra into the scroll, it would fail. To make it worse, the failures didn’t give Obito any useful information - no hints at why it wasn’t working. Nothing that made him feel like he was getting closer to figuring out how to turn writing on a scroll into functioning fuinjustu. So, he had decided to give it a break and instead focused on learning about the hand seals they had been studying at the Academy.

Hand seals were another interesting topic that also got Obito’s brain juices flowing. From what Obito had learned so far, certain hand positions could actually create different effects from chakra. But when he thought about it, it seemed so arbitrary that holding your hands together in one shape would create one effect, and another shape would create another. After all, hand seals were just a way of focusing the molding of chakra, and experienced shinobi could forgo hand seals to produce the exact same effect.

That said, Obito realised that when they learned about hand seals in the Academy, they were told that each seal did a specific thing, and that the students who were first to be able to perform an actual ninjutsu technique were all on the more academic side. Obito decided that he had to know, had to find out, if shinobi chakra techniques absolutely required specific hand seals, or if the shapes of hand seals were just arbitrary.

Obito’s attention snapped away from his own thoughts when he heard Naruto’s voice. “Obito! OOBIIITOOOOOO!”

“Huh?” Obito mumbled.

“Obito, hurry up! We have that big test today, we can’t be late!” Naruto urged.

At that, Obito started grinning almost evilly. “Oh yeah, that big test. This is gonna be fun!”

Naruto watched apprehensively, as Obito ran to the kitchen and began filling plastic bottles with... vinegar?

“Um... Obito... What are you doing?” Naruto asked warily.

Obito laughed. “Preparing! You know what the test is, we’re having a big mock battle between our class and the class above us. They said we can’t use any shinobi weapons, but they didn’t say anything about barely dangerous mixtures of kitchen chemicals! Oh, this is gonna be fantastic!”

Obito then began pouring baking soda onto plastic wrap, and wrapping it up into pellets that were just the right size to fit through the openings of the bottles, and storing them in a small pouch.

“Dangerous? How?” Naruto asked, still confused.

“Well, remember that time I accidentally spilled some vinegar onto baking soda when helping papa with some cooking? Turns out if you bottle those two up and the foaming has nowhere to go, eventually it just kinda explodes. I’d show you now, but I want to save these all for the battle.” Obito explained.

“You’re a complete gremlin, you know that?” Naruto laughed. “So, you gonna share those bottles with me?”

“Takes one to know one.” Obito nodded sagely. After preparing several bottles of vinegar and pellets of baking soda, he handed a few of each to Naruto.

As they walked to the Academy, Obito explained how to use these makeshift projectiles, and made Naruto promise to save them for when their opponents least expected it. “They won’t be all that strong, but they’ll be great to create distractions. I figured it’d be helpful to prepare some stuff so we don’t need to improvise as much.”

The two boys continued to plot and chatter until arriving at the Academy. Upon arrival, they noticed that most of their classmates didn’t seem nearly as relaxed as the excitable twins.

“Yo, guys, why the long faces?” Naruto yelled.

One girl, Fuku, decided to respond. “Because, idiot, for our end of year testing, Ebisu and Iruka decided that we have to do a written test and fight against the class in the year above us and they‘re gonna demolish us!”

“Oh, come on!” Obito quipped. “We’ll be fine! You think their class has learned half the stuff we have? Hey Fuku, you knew nothing about chakra at the start of this year, right?”

Fuku nodded. “But what does that have to do with this?”

Obito grinned. The path ahead of him to motivate the class was obvious to him now. This was a group of students who just hadn’t realised how far they’d come, and they needed to be shown. “Fuku, you can do the Kawarimi technique. So can everyone in this class. You know when academy students usually start learning the Kawarimi? Part-way through the second year.” Obito stopped, waiting for someone to take the bait.

“Yeah? So that means we know the Kawarimi, but so do the class we have to fight. And they’ll be bigger and better than us!” Sakura shouted.

“Firstly, I doubt they can all do it. And secondly, we can do it better! We’ve had Ebisu’s crazy taijutsu challenges all year, and we’ve all gotten pretty good at them. Sure, it won’t be easy. Sakura’s right, they are bigger and probably stronger than us. But we’ll win, because we’re smarter, and more creative!” Obito encouraged them.

Not moments after Obito’s semi-successful attempt at a pep talk, Ebisu walked into the classroom. “Well said, Obito. Alright class, you have half an hour to strategise however you’d like. I won’t help you plan, but if you have any questions of a more academic nature, I’m here to answer those. Iruka will be here shortly, as well. In half an hour, we will go to the training grounds where the battle will be held, and you’ll have ten minutes to prepare however you’d like before the battle begins.”

“I’ll remind you now of the rules. Each student will be given a pair of seals. One will be on a seal tag, and the other will be temporarily applied to your body. If the seal tag is taken off of you, the other tag will summon you out of the training grounds and you will be out of the battle. The objective is to remove the tags from every person in the opposing class. You may not use shinobi weapons. You may use whatever jutsu you are able to perform. If you or someone near you has been injured, your first priority is to remove their seal tag. We will have a medic-nin waiting to make sure nobody is permanently hurt. You are not to intentionally try and cause permanent injury to another individual, although combat is permitted and accidents do happen. If you do hurt someone, remember that it is your responsibility to take their seal tag quickly so we can help them. Is all of this clear?”

“Yes, Ebisu!” The class chorused.

Ebisu moved to the side of the classroom, watching as the students gathered around. It was clear that a handful of the students did not want to rally around Obito’s leadership. This was to be expected. Ebisu knew that these students had been told by their parents that Obito and Naruto were some kind of monsters. These students were the outliers, however, as most of the kids either hadn’t been given such vague misunderstandings of the twins’ secret or just didn’t care. Ebisu was particularly proud of that, having made a point of intervening at any signs of bullying between any of his students, allowing them to understand each other as people.

By the time the half hour was up, the class was on board with the plan - bar the few students who decided they would form their own cell and work separately. They had decided to split into two separate groups. One was led by Shikamaru, who was the undefeated class shogi champion, and the other was led by Ino, who was incredibly popular and easy to follow.

When they arrived at the designated battle location, the class took in their surroundings. Training Ground 18 was a simple enough area. There were tall trees spread throughout the large, flat area, and not much else. Because of the trees, it wasn’t possible to see particularly far in any direction.

They were met by two unfamiliar shinobi clad in chunin jackets, who were standing ready with paint brushes and sealing tags. Two by two, the students went up to the chunin and had the seals applied to them. When the sealing was done, Ebisu and Iruka wished them luck and disappeared.

A small crowd of Konoha shinobi gathered just outside of Training Ground 18, chattering amongst themselves. When Ebisu and Iruka arrived, one of the shinobi spoke up.

“Oi, Closet-Perv! What’s the deal with watching?” shouted a violet-haired kunoichi clad in an open tan overcoat.

“Anko, I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me that.” Ebisu remarked politely, habitually pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Anyway, here is the plan. Those of you here to watch, stick to the higher branches of the trees where you won’t be seen, and keep your presence hidden. You are not to intervene, except in the case of emergency.”

Ebisu paused, and then a sly smile appeared on his face. “And since I was not permitted to bet on my own students, I shall be ‘taxing’ a cut of the betting pool... unless you wanted me to report this highly inappropriate venture to the Hokage?” The gathering of shinobi collectively groaned at Ebisu’s remark, knowing they had been scammed.

“You know, I’m starting to think that Ebisu was just pretending to be a stuck up prude as a kid,” Genma joked.

The various shinobi moved to place their bets on either class. There was a clear distinction wherein those who knew Ebisu well bet in favour of his students, and the many more shinobi who didn’t know him as well placed their bets on what they thought was the obvious choice - the older students. When the betting, managed by the universally trustworthy Gekko Hayate, was complete, the shinobi disappeared, body flickering into the forest to watch their day’s entertainment.

During the preparation time, Shikamaru directed his team about the forested area - they were preparing to move forward, take the offensive and attempt to catch their opponents off guard. Naruto and Sasuke were leading the charge, being the most confident of the group. Shikamaru had decided that would be good for morale, when working with a group who were generally afraid of fighting the older students.

As a horn sounded to signal the start of the battle, the squad had been directed into various positions behind trees where they could see each other to silently communicate. During the planning time, Shikamaru had wanted to create a system involving several hand signals for better communication, before being reminded by Ino that, no, normal six year old children would not remember those. And so they stuck to just two: “wait”, and “go”. 

Gradually, the group moved through the forest, dashing behind the trees to stay out of sight, until they heard the sounds of voices.

“This’ll be a piece of cake! We’ve been training to become ninja for two years, and can already use ninjutsu! They got nothing on us! C’mon, let’s go!”

“Yosh! We just need to beat them up a little and take off those tags, how hard can this be?”

Upon hearing the voices, Naruto and Sasuke at the front raised open palms behind them, the signal for ‘wait’. They waited, silently, for their opponents to get in range.

“Hey, check this out.” Naruto whispered to Sasuke behind him, before taking out a bottle of clear fluid from his pouch.

As one of the older boys walked closer, Naruto dropped a plastic pellet inside the bottle and closed it, pointing the bottom of the bottle in the direction of the boy’s head. Unfortunately for that boy, Naruto’s aim struck true, and he took a bottle to the head, falling to the ground. Sasuke wasted no time, and dashed out to engage in a brawl with another boy remaining.

As Naruto saw the large group of older students nearby, he proceeded with a simple offensive signal. “CHARGE!” He yelled.

In response, Shikamaru tried to direct a group of his classmates to stay behind. Unfortunately, the young shinobi trainees were not as patient or lazy as he, and shot off to join the melee.

In the short brawl that ensued, Sasuke was able to grab two seals. As he was grabbing for a third one, he found his fingers grasping around a small branch instead.

“Hah! You kids think you can take us on! How cute! Come back when you can use some ninjutsu!” The smug-looking almost-victim taunted.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance, and Naruto looked behind. “Ami, now!”

The purple haired girl picked up a small log from behind, and focused some chakra into her arms before hurling the log through the air. It didn’t go fast, and it didn’t go far, but it did make it right behind the girl who taunted them before.

“You missed! Impressive trick, but what kind of aim is that?!” The girl laughed. She didn’t even have a chance to register the hand seals Ami was performing before Ami was behind her, and her seal ripped off her hip.

Following their plan this time, Shikamaru’s squad took that as their cue to disperse in pairs, hoping to split up their foes and take them down. The following fights were tough, and pushed all of Ebisu’s students to their limits of chakra use. Although they had been victorious, with a handful of them still remaining on the battlefield, they were too spent to move off and try to assist Ino’s squad.

Almost half an hour had passed since the battle had begun. Obito and Hinata were the last ones standing from Ino’s squad. Their classmates had all fought well, making clever use of the one ninjutsu technique they all knew. They had managed to defeat and steal the tags from all but one of their opponents, who single-handedly took out half of Obito’s group. The white-eyed boy standing in front of Obito had been able to see through sneak attacks, and was able to use the same Gentle Fist style that Hinata often used. Between his various abilities and his fast reflexes, he was seemingly invincible.

Hinata stepped forward, with a look of shaky conviction in her eyes. She appeared ready to charge forward, and veins around her eyes began bulging - something Obito hadn’t ever seen her do before. She seemed like she was about to dash forward, but didn’t. Obito waited. The boy across from them also waited, a smug smile spreading across his face.

“Hinata, you know you cannot defeat me. So why even try?” The boy goaded.

Hinata’s look of conviction quickly changed to devastation, and she fell on her knees, defeated by the boy’s mere words.

“Hinata, don’t let him get to you. But, if you don’t feel up to it you should get back. Let me deal with him, and be ready to finish him off if I don’t win. I’m sure I can at least tire him out!” Obito reassured her, stepping forward to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Obito knew that this Hyuuga boy was getting tired, and he had yet to use his secret weapon. Obito reached into his bag, pulling out a bottle from his pouch, alongside a handful of his plastic-wrapped soda pellets.

“Pardon me.” Obito announced. “All this fighting has me a bit thirsty!”

The Hyuuga boy watched warily as Obito twisted open the bottle he was holding. Having become friends with Hinata over the past year, Obito knew that this boy who clearly had the Byakugan would be able to see him mold chakra, and be prepared if he tried to use the Kawarimi. Because of this, the boy probably wouldn’t be expecting what would come next, and wouldn’t have time to react if he figured out what was going on.

“Just gotta put in my vitamin powder!” Obito narrated as he prepared his makeshift weapon, adding a handful of soda pellets. “Then, close it up and give it a good shake so the powder mixes through! It tastes gross if it doesn’t mix in, you see!”

After shaking up the bottle, Obito stopped talking and got to work immediately. He rapidly unscrewed the lid just a tiny bit and switched into a loose grip, lifting the bottle to his mouth but pointing it so the base was facing the Hyuuga boy, who had been using this time to gradually edge closer to Obito. Before he even had time to react, there was a loud bang, and the boy was being pushed backwards by the strong force of a bottle slamming into his gut. Obito wasted no time using the Kawarimi to get closer and rip off the boy’s tag, not wanting to risk letting him recover. A horn blasted, signalling the end of the match.

“By the power of SCIENCE!” Obito yelled victoriously.

Hinata stared in shock, as her prodigal cousin Neji was defeated by a drink bottle. “Wh...What?” 

“Vinegar, and baking soda. They only said no shinobi weapons!” Obito grinned.

“What the FUCK did I just watch?” Hyuuga Hiashi, a usually very composed man, shouted from atop the tree he was perched on in Training Ground 20. He had booked out the training ground for himself so he could watch his daughter and nephew’s battle from afar without having to deal with the other onlooking shinobi. At this very moment, he was glad he did, because it could not become public knowledge that he had been so undignified. To think that, just moments before, he was preoccupied with waiting to see if his eldest daughter might, for once, prove to be competent. 

At the end of the day, after the written test had been complete, Ebisu gathered up his students for some final words before they went on break for a couple months. “I want to first congratulate you all on your performance in the battle. You all fought incredibly well, and your teamwork was exemplary. I’m also confident that you have done well in the written test. You should all make the most of the next couple of months. Rest and relax, but don’t forget to keep up some light training. And with that, class is finished. I’ll see you all back here in two months.”

After the students had all trickled out, Ebisu gathered his papers and left the classroom, heading for the staffroom where he would deliver his students’ test papers. He found his path blocked by two students who he recognised from the other class. “Tenten, Lee, what can I do for you two?”

It was Lee who spoke for the two of them. “Excuse me, Ebisu, but we would both like to stay back a year so we can become shinobi under your tutelage!”

Later that night, after the twins had been put to bed, Genma and Sora set off to the Drunken Kunai, a popular bar amongst many Konoha shinobi. Tonight, it was filled with those who had watched the Academy battle earlier that day. The excited conversations were many and loud, as people discussed the events and implications of what they witnessed.

A couple drinks in, Genma began howling with laughter, which didn’t die for a couple of very concerning hours, after which Sora had to knock him out and carry him home.

Chapter Text

All Jiraiya wanted was to get drunk and hire the services of a beautiful woman. He had not anticipated, nor wanted, the advances of the too-serious woman dragging him out of the bar. He had not anticipated, nor wanted, the hunch that he felt when seeing her eyes covered with cloth. And he most certainly did not want, at least not on this night, to notice the subtle code-gestures this woman was making with her hands while pretending to ‘sweet-talk’ him. And he most certainly was not in the mood to talk to this person, about the matter being presented to him.

“Damnit, Shisui, can’t a man just enjoy a simple night of fun?”

An older man with a bandage covering his eye sighed, as the teacup in his hand cracked unexpectedly.

Hinata looked at the mat covering the floor below her, trying to calm herself by finding patterns in the design - patterns she knew well already from her numerous past attempts at the same calming technique. And yet she still found herself shaking slightly, despite her best attempts to still her agitated body and mind.

“Do you know why I have summoned you here, daughter?” Hiashi asked, his voice booming with a confidence Hinata knew she would never achieve herself.

“Um, n-n-no?” Hinata quivered, hoping that her father would say what he needed to and let her go quickly.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m impressed with your performance at the Academy lately.” Hiashi spoke neutrally, his intent completely unreadable.

Hinata looked up in shock. Her father’s face was completely blank and yet terrifying. She was sure that this was some trick, and she would be told moments later that she was not good enough.

“You still have a long way to go, but now there is a small chance you’ll make a competent clan head. Which is better than no chance, as it was just a year ago, “ Hiashi declared.

And there it is. Hinata thought to herself sadly, her doubts being confirmed as she felt her tiny ray of hope be shot down. Why would I ever think otherwise?

“Yes, f-father, thank you, “ Hinata stammered out.

For a short while, she didn’t move, or speak, and neither did Hiashi.

Hinata thought she heard her father sigh, and then he dismissed her.

Tsunade woke too early, to the powerful glare of sunlight beaming directly at her face. Queasy and disoriented, she raised a hand to her eyes to shield them from the light, and noticed a figure with a huge mess of white hair standing by the window. Sluggishly, she raised a hand to her head and focused healing chakra into it, soothing her headache and beginning to alleviate the hangover.

“Ugh, do I even want to ask how you found me?” Tsunade groaned, internally debating whether to sacrifice the walls to get rid of this pest.

“Oh come on. You’re not hard to find. The only reason people don’t go looking for you is because they know better,” Jiraiya laughed.

“Unlike you. Get out. Now.” Tsunade began pushing herself up off the bed with one hand, continuing to heal her hangover with the other.

Jiraiya walked over to the nearby sink to fill a glass of water for Tsunade. “I have proof, you know? All these years, I was right about them.”

Tsunade grumbled and begrudgingly accepted the glass of water. “And I suppose you want me to hear you out about this? And you want my help? Well, tough. You’re not the only one who’s been busy at work. I have my own projects to attend to.”

Jiraiya took out several seal tags from his pouch, and began placing them around the room. “Like the young ailing Uchiha boy?”

“And how exactly would you know about that?” Tsunade demanded.

“I have my sources. You’ll definitely want to hear me out, then. Itachi is compromised. I can help. You help me with Orochimaru, and I’ll help you with Itachi.” Jiraiya sat down cross-legged, and began unrolling a small scroll. “Look at this curse seal. What do you see?”

Tsunade sighed, and peered over at the scroll, taking some time to examine it. “...Fuck. So, which one ended up with that monstrosity?”

“This is Orochimaru’s. It’s highly likely that the young Uchiha boy has a very similar seal somewhere on his body. You can go and heal the boy’s disease, and he’ll tell Danzo about you. You’re gonna need me to remove the seal,” Jiraiya explained. “But have a look in this corner here. Remove or break the seal somehow, and Danzo will know. Meaning if we disable one, he’ll probably move to secure the other.”

Jiraiya took a deep breath, and cleared his mind of all distractions. “So, here’s my plan...”

Hawks soaring above the Uchiha District was a fairly common sight. Occasionally, one would fly down and deliver a message to a member of the clan. While Mikoto was taking a rare moment to relax in peace on her home’s rooftop, she spotted a hawk with a particular colouring of its belly flying overhead. The bird began a dive towards her, and she put out her arm for it to land. She promptly took the scroll tied to its leg, and sent the hawk off.

Taking the usual precautions, she pocketed the scroll, and moved to a secure location to take the message.

Once she’d finished reading through the scroll, she burned it.

“You picked the wrong family to mess with, Danzo,” she whispered to herself, and then returned to continue about her day.

Itachi’s solo mission was going perfectly smoothly. He was on his way back to Konoha, having made a clean kill on his latest target. As he was running, a pair of red Sharingan eyes with several black flower petals in place of the usual three tomoe appeared in front of him, and everything went black.

A wounded Jiraiya hauled the unconscious snakelike figure of Orochimaru into a dimly lit cave, and dropped the body to the ground.

“Took you long enough, you old fart.” Jibed a voice from within the cave.

Jiraiya entered to be met by a shadowy figure with red eyes, sitting beside the supine body of a young boy. 

“Slippery bastard wasn’t easy to take down, even with all the openings they were leaving. I’m not sure what’s scarier - the potency of this fucking curse seal, or Orochimaru’s ability to resist it. Where’s Tsunade?”

“On her way. While we’re waiting, give me details. How long am I guarding Itachi after this, and when do I clue in Fugaku?” asked the voice that was Mikoto Uchiha.

“Give me two weeks and I’ll bring this guy back. I know you trust Fugaku, and so do I. You should tell him as soon as you return. Covering for this whole operation is a bigger burden than one person can handle. Besides, Fugaku will need some time to get his affairs in order, but at least this way you don’t have to go to war with the village.” Jiraiya answered.

The two continued discussing specifics until Tsunade arrived, followed by her assistant Shizune. “Alright, what are we doing first?”

“We have about two hours until Itachi will be expected back in Konoha, but we won’t make it in time anyway. Your procedure takes three, and mine will take half an hour. Orochimaru is more volatile, so we deal with them first. Are you all clear on how this will work?” Jiraiya asked.

“You’ll alter the seal, after which I’ll cut off their chakra supply to the seal’s location. As soon as you remove the seal completely, I restore flow. Simple enough? Mikoto will be lookout, and Shizune is my backup. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this over with!” Tsunade exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves.

Jiraiya got to work, setting out a brush and some ink. He removed Orochimaru’s shirt and rolled them over onto their back, revealing a cursed seal in the shape of a scaly network of interlocked triangles. After Jiraiya painted some small symbols in a circle around the cursed seal, they faded away, and the triangles expanded out into a large mass of fuinjutsu script.

A while later, Jiraiya called Tsunade over, and she cut off the chakra flow to their back. Jiraiya then began rapidly scrawling all over Orochimaru’s skin. The fuinjustu script began to glow brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding, and then vanished.

“Alright, Tsunade, restore the flow!” Jiraiya shouted with a strength of conviction.

“Done. I’ve also sedated them, so they’ll stay unconscious for a few more hours. Now, let’s get to work on Itachi. Shizune!” Tsunade summoned Shizune over, who stepped beside Itachi and unrolled a kit of surgical supplies.

After Shizune had created a sterile field over Itachi’s chest, Tsunade stepped in and grabbed a scalpel. She took a deep breath, calming herself. Her face hardened, as though she pushed all emotion out of her mind. Tsunade made the first cut, and made a barely audible gasp as some blood surfaced on Itachi’s chest. She took another deep, calming breath and continued to cut.

Three hours later, as Tsunade began to finish and close up Itachi’s chest, the sounds of shouting and grunting could be heard from outside.

“Should we go check?” Shizune asked.

“Shizune, Mikoto is recognised within her clan as their strongest shinobi,” Tsunade laughed. “I almost feel sorry for whoever it is Danzo sent here.”

Shizune’s eyes widened, and she fought the temptation to go and see exactly what Tsunade meant.

“Jiraiya, you’re up!” Tsunade shouted, calling Jiraiya over to begin working on Itachi’s cursed seal.

“Is it safe to roll him over?” Jiraiya asked.

“Are you doubting my medical skills?” Tsunade growled.

“Right. Of course not.” Jiraiya sighed, and stepped in to roll over Itachi’s body.

Jiraiya began to draw the same initial symbols on Itachi’s back, and the cursed seal expanded outwards. He had to take some time to look over it and work on the differences from Orochimaru’s seal.

“Well, it’s definitely good that we’re taking the seal out after treating the illness. It looks like Danzo had no idea about the illness when he put this seal on Itachi. While that did make the illness worse, your healing has created weaknesses I can exploit. Shizune, go and tell Mikoto that we’ll need another half hour, and then we’ll be finished,” Jiraiya said confidently.

Shizune got up and stepped outside of the cave, and gasped. “Holy shit, they weren’t kidding! These poor sods probably don’t even know what hit them...”

“Sasuke, hurry up!” Naruto yelled. “You can’t be late for this!”

“I know, I know! I’m coming!” Sasuke yelled back from within his room.

Finally, Sasuke emerged, dressed in his most formal Uchiha attire consisting of a black t-shirt and white shorts. At least the shirt had the Uchiha emblem upon its back. Waiting for him were his immediate family minus his father, as well as the Uzumaki twins and their parents.

The group set off to a public square outside the Hokage’s tower. The Uchihas moved to the temporary podium to stand with Fugaku, who was preparing to address the crowd of people gathered. His usual Uchiha clan attire was hidden beneath a white haori, and his face shadowed by a red and white hat.

Beside Fugaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen began addressing the crowd. “Thank you for gathering here today. As you all know, I’m getting old.” Some laughter from the crowd. “And it’s time once again to pass the mantle of the Hokage to the next generation. It is with great pride that I pass the position on to one of Konoha’s finest shinobi, Fugaku Uchiha. May you serve well, and live to retire like me.”

Hiruzen chuckled at his own joke. The crowd applauded briefly, and then quieted down so that the new Hokage could speak.

“Thank you, Hiruzen, for your kind words. I am honoured to take on this position, and vow to serve Konoha to the best of my ability.” Fugaku declared. He continued his speech for several more minutes, after which the crowd slowly dispersed.

Once Fugaku and his family descended from the platform, Naruto and Obito ran up to intercept Sasuke.

“You’re naive fools, the lot of you! I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ve struck the balance with Danzo for years, and now you come and drive him out, drive me out!” Hiruzen shouted.

“In fairness, gramps, I have retrograde amnesia, so I take no responsibility for this.” Orochimaru smirked. “But let’s be serious. Your truce with Danzo was unsustainable. In the couple weeks since I regained control of myself, I’ve learnt enough about what was going on. If you had kept going as you did, it’s obvious that Danzo was going to have the Uchiha clan driven out or slain. Danzo was toying with you, and with the whole village. You’ve gotten soft.”

“Calling us naive... What kind of bullshit is this, Hiruzen? I don’t care how much influence Danzo has. Orochimaru is right, you’ve gone soft. As if what happened to Orochimaru and my own son isn’t evidence enough of how bad Danzo’s gotten! On top of that, I have good reason to believe that he murdered one of our most promising young clan members, Uchiha Shisui. And under your leadership, he would have just gotten away with all of it. How bad did it need to get before you decided he’d gone too far?” Fugaku shouted furiously. “Get out, now!”

Hiruzen opened the office door and stepped out, shaking his head in frustration.

“Um, Fugaku?” Jiraiya cut in, after Hiruzen was gone. “Actually, about Shisui...”

Jiraiya stepped to the window and opened it. A short moment later, a figure appeared before the group - a young man, wearing a monk’s attire, with eyes covered in bandaging. “Long time no see, uncle? Ahaha, except I guess it’s still no see in my case...”

“So, as I was saying, Fugaku, about Shisui. As you can see, he’s alive and well, with the exception of his eyes being gone. Danzo took them - he probably wanted the powers of the young man’s Mangyeko Sharingan for himself. What you need to be concerned about is that we now have a powerful missing-nin on the run with access to the Kotoamatsukami.”

“...Fuck.” Fugaku blanched.

As the village settled back into its regular routine, the time came for the twins to return to the Academy for their second year of shinobi training. As they arrived at their classroom, they took the time to mingle with their classmates, many of whom neither had seen in over a month.

A few minutes later, Ebisu entered the classroom and asked them all to settle down. “Welcome back, class. I hope you’ve all had a nice break, and kept some training up. Before we begin our second year of classes, I have two people to introduce to you. You put on a great show at the end of last year - so much so that two of your upperclassmen have actually requested to join our class. Come in now!”

Two students walked in, and introduced themselves.

“Hello everyone! My name is Rock Lee, and I look forward to studying with you in the coming years! I discovered last year that I will never be able to use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, but I still want to become a strong shinobi. After fighting with your class, I knew that this was where I must be in order to achieve my goal, so I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful Ebisu-sensei for allowing me this opportunity!” The boy spoke loudly, and bowed as he introduced himself.

“Uh, my name is Higarashi Tenten. I want to become a strong kunoichi like the Sannin, Tsunade. Like Lee, I was really amazed by how your class beat ours even though we’re all a year older than you, and so I had to try and get into this class. I’m so glad for this opportunity!” The girl did not bow, but flushed a little with embarrassment.

The two went and found seats in the classroom, and Ebisu began their lesson.

Chapter Text

At the homely Ichiraku ramen stand, a group of freshly minted Genin were greeted by Ayame, the daughter of the shop’s owner Teuchi. Ayame had started working at the stand a couple of years back, and always made pleasant conversation with Naruto and Obito when they came by. After each of the freshly ordained genin had ordered their ramen of choice, the celebrations began.

“Here’s to all of us moving another step closer to our goals! You better watch out, I’ll be the Hokage before you know it!” Naruto cheered, visibly shivering with excitement. “Now you all have to do it too! What goals are each of you closer to?”

“One day I’m gonna make a name for myself that isn’t just ‘the kid Uchiha’ or ‘Itachi’s brother’. I’m just so sick of people looking at me and not seeing, well, me!” Sasuke declared. Naruto cheered enthusiastically, the others not getting into it as much.

“I’ll keep on studying so that I can revolutionise medical care in Konoha, and one day maybe I’ll even surpass Tsunade!” Sakura smiled, staring dreamily at the ceiling.

“I want to become the head of the Hyuuga clan and change it for the better...” Hinata spoke softly.

The red-haired Uzumaki didn’t say anything for a while, and earned everyone’s expectant looks. Even Teuchi turned away from his cooking. “Oh, fine. I’m gonna keep studying fuinjutsu so I can use it to protect my precious people.”

Even as Obito seemed to finish speaking, the group stared as though they weren’t satisfied with the answer.

“...And work with Orochimaru doing crazy science stuff.” Obito conceded, garnering some laughter from the group.

“Well, cheers to you kids! You’re already fine young man, and I’m sure you’ll only grow to be even more impressive - each and every one of you.” Teuchi said warmly. “Now, I would love to say that the food is on the house by way of celebration, but I do have a business to run. So, since I’m feeling generous, you’re all only paying half today! Enjoy the food!”

The group laughed as Teuchi and Ayame served them their bowls of ramen, and they dug in.

“Hey, how easy was that graduation exam, huh? After everything we’ve learnt these years, we probably could have passed that exam a few years ago!” Naruto said jovially.

“Says the guy who can’t even make a single clone!” Sakura teased. “How did you graduate, anyway?”

“I can too! Just... not a normal clone.” Naruto admitted. “I made earth clones instead!”

“What? I don’t believe you! Earth isn’t even your chakra nature!” Sakura retorted.

“Can confirm, he’s been working on them at home for a while, tracking dirt everywhere. And here I am, unable to do anything with nature transformations!” Obito complained.

Sakura eyed both twins suspiciously, and then turned back to her food.

“So how do you think Lee graduated? He had a hitai-ate like the rest of us.” Hinata asked.

“Hah, I bet that musclehead just ran so fast that he created afterimages or something!” Sasuke joked, getting a giggle from Naruto.

“You gotta admit, though, there’s nobody in our class who can match him when it comes to taijutsu. It’s pretty cool, actually!” Naruto agreed.

The group continued reminiscing about their years in the academy, and discussing their various plans for their week of freedom before the team assignments. Once they finished eating, they paid for their food and set off to their various homes.

Once they arrived home, Obito invited Naruto to his room to discuss ‘something important’. Once they were both in Obito’s room, Obito took out a couple of sealing tags, and placed them on opposite walls, priming them with a good half of his chakra.

“Now we have some privacy, I need to tell you something.” Obito said seriously.

“Uh... Sure?” Naruto asked, confused.

“I wished I could have told you this way sooner, but this sort of secret is something that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. I wanted to wait until we graduated. Not because I don’t trust you, I do! But in a world where shinobi exist, academy students aren’t really equipped to guard secrets if someone powerful wanted to find out.” Obito explained. “I also want you to know that you’re the first person I’m telling this to.”

Naruto stared. “Um, what could be that dangerous of a secret?”

“When we were born, I did not have the mind of a newborn child. I lived another life, in a world different to ours. It might sound crazy, but I remember things. Not much specific, but I can remember all sorts of general things about my old life - who I was, what I did, what I believed in. From the moment I was born into this life, I have still been the person I was in my past life. It was frustrating, and scary at first, but I’m comfortable with it now - this is my life now. I am, without a shred of doubt, the sibling you’ve always known. There’s just more to me, and I’ve had to hide it to keep us safe.” Obito took in a deep breath, and continued. “When I was brought to this world, it was with a purpose. There’s someone else who has come from my world, someone bad. I don’t know who they are, but I’m supposed to deal with them. I know this is a lot to take in.”

Naruto stood frozen, seemingly overwhelmed. For a while, there was uncomfortable silence. Obito sat patiently, and waited for Naruto to respond - he knew that it was important to let Naruto respond however he needed to.

“How do I respond to that?” Naruto finally asked, the stress visible across the entirety of his body language.

“Do you want time to think about it? Do you want to ask anything? I know this is a lot, but you’re my twin brother and I didn’t want to keep something like this from you.” Obito said calmly.

“Um. It’s just all a bit crazy. How did you manage to keep that bottled up for so long?” Naruto asked.

“With great difficulty, believe me. I’m so glad to have finally told you, and I hope it doesn’t change things between us,” Obito replied.

“I think - You are my brother. When you say you couldn’t tell me until now, well, it makes sense, I guess. Can I ask you things about this every now and then?” Naruto inquired, seeming to settle down. One word in that sentence made Obito shift uncomfortably, but he wasn’t ready to unpack that yet. Brother. 

“Of course! Do you wanna come help me make dinner? I want to make food as a pre-emptive peace offering, because not only am I going to tell them all of this tonight, there are some things I want you to know that they might not be ready yet to tell you.”

“...What.” Sora deadpanned. “You’re a genin now, it’s time to put your pranks to the side, boys.”

Obito rolled his eyes. “Wait, you mean you didn’t see proof of this when you entered my mind back when Jiraiya visited the first time?”

Noting how Sora’s eyes widened with apparent shock, Obito continued. “I hold absolutely nothing against you for it. Once I realised that you had used your clan technique on me, I also realised why. Seriously, it’s fine. Anyway, I give you my full consent to go in and see for yourself now.”

Genma looked on, unsure of what to say. Sora sighed. “You understand that I’ll be able to see things you might want kept private? Last time, I made sure to ignore anything that wasn’t relevant to the situation at hand, but I won’t be able to do that this time around.”

“It’s fine,” Obito asserted. “You’re my family, and I trust you. This is the easiest way to prove that I’m not making any of this up.”

Sora gave in, and reached over the table to put his hand on Obito’s head. The two stayed that way for about half a minute, until Sora pulled back his hand. “Well, shit. On both counts.”

“Both counts?” Genma inquired.

“Yeah,” Sora sighed. “This is gonna be an interesting evening.”

Obito smiled. “Now that we’ve graduated, I think it’s time that you tell us about the night we were born? I know most of it, but it’s not fair to Naruto to keep this from him any longer. You two, of all people, should recognise that Naruto is ready. And that includes our biological parentage, which I figured out myself last year.”

“I have WHAT inside of me?”

“THE FOURTH HOKAGE?”

After Naruto’s theatrics ran their course, the atmosphere of the conversation also calmed down. Sora and Genma began to understand that their family was not at all torn apart by these revelations, and grew comfortable with answering their boys’ questions. They discussed the practicalities of what it means to be a jinchuriki, in terms of their safety and political value. They also discussed the idea that the boys would be able to, under suitable guidance, train to use the powers of the Kyuubi.

“We’re going to need to report this conversation to the Hokage. At the same time, we’ll see if we can convince him to organise your training. In the meantime, I hope you both understand not to share this information with your friends, unless you truly trust them. Some of them may already know, since this was a poorly kept secret, but it will be dangerous for word to get too far out about this.” Genma explained.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. But what about our mom? What was she like?” Naruto asked excitedly.

Genma sighed. “How about I tell you about her over some dessert. Ice cream?”

The next day, the boys were woken early and dragged off to the Hokage’s office. Waiting for them were the Hokage and the three Sannin. The sun was barely up, and Obito felt robbed by the injustice of having to be here so early on the first day after graduation.

“So, I hear you two have been filled in on your situation?” Fugaku asked dryly.

“Yeah, so uncle Fugaku, when can we start training to use our jinchukari powers?” Naruto beamed.

Fugaku’s forehead fell into his palm. “Naruto. In this office, you will refer to me as the Hokage. And I’m disinclined to allow you to train with your jinchuriki abilities until you have been promoted to chunin. I believe that you will benefit from having real experience before dabbling with such powers.”

“Ok, but Hokage-sama,” Obito grinned, “I already have enough fuinjutsu knowledge to open our seals enough that we could begin to teach ourselves! But, of course, I’m not quite experienced enough to ensure the safety of such training. What could possibly happen if two eager genin had access to such a possibility without good guidance? It sounds terribly risky!”

Orochimaru chuckled at that. “Atta kid!” They said under their breath, copping a slap to the back of their head from Tsunade.

“Don’t encourage him, you slithery bastard!” Tsunade growled.

“Well, I guess we have no choice then. Right, Fugaku?” Jiraiya laughed.

The Hokage smiled unnaturally, striking fear into the hearts of children everywhere. “Well, I do see there is no choice here. So, here is what will happen. I will organise for the suitable individuals to be available to help you with your training, and it will begin in two weeks. However, I forbid you from using your jinchuriki abilities outside of training until you have been promoted to chunin. I will make no other offer, and if you break this rule, I will personally prevent you from using these abilities until I deem fit. And believe me, I can do that.”

The twins grumbled an agreement, and were dismissed from the Hokage’s office.

“Obito, could I borrow you for the morning?” Orochimaru asked before they had a chance to leave.

“Oh, and I’ll take Naruto with me.” Jiraiya stated.

Obito followed Orochimaru to a forested training ground. Neither of them said anything on the way, and Obito was beginning to become apprehensive. As much as he admired and respected Orochimaru, the Sannin did have a somewhat skewed sense of, well, everything.

“Obito. You have graduated from the academy, and I wish to give you a personal reward. However, it is not easily given, and must be earned.” Orochimaru smirked. They took out a large scroll, and unrolled it to reveal a long series of names and finger prints.

“A summoning contract? So, what do I have to do for you to give it to me?” Obito asked, wary of what chaos could possibly be abound.

“Oh, you have to do nothing. I’ll give it to you here and now,” Orochimaru cackled. “You see all these names? These are all of the people who signed this contract. Do you see how many of them are faded, and only some signatures are clear? What do you think that might mean?”

Obito stopped to think. Looking at the available information - there was no clear pattern in the order of clear versus faded signatures. There were a couple clear ones right at the very start, which was evidence against the clear signatures being those who are still alive. There were, however, very few clear signatures, and nothing that seemed to unite them. Obito noticed that Orochimaru’s own signature was not present.

“Summons have to willingly agree to help their summoners, correct?” Obito asked, and Orochimaru nodded. “So, are the clear signatures the ones that received that consent?”

Orochimaru nodded again. “Very good. As you can see, very few people have succeeded here. If you can succeed, these summons will be yours to make use of. Now, you have a lot of chakra and excellent control, so I have no doubt you will be successful in summoning this being. When you’re ready, please go ahead and sign the contract. I will teach you the summoning jutsu, and then you can begin your trial.”

Obito signed the contract with his blood as instructed. After memorising the sequence of hand seals, he performed the summoning jutsu, and the being appeared in a puff of smoke. It seemed to be a bird of some kind. It had white plumage, a long neck and a yellow beak. Most disconcerting were the teeth on its tongue that Obito could see when it opened its mouth to produce a loud honking noise. The goose flapped its wings a few times, and then snatched up the contract scroll in its mouth. Then, it turned and bolted.

“I... uh... what?” Obito stammered, staring dumbfoundedly as it disappeared amongst the trees.

“Well, go on! From what I know, your trial is to get back the scroll and keep it. If you can do that, this powerful summons will be yours to work with. Off you go, then!” Orochimaru shooed Obito away, and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

It did not take Obito long to find the goose again. The loud honking kind of gave away its position. It was actually kind of impressive how the goose could continue to honk with a large scroll in its mouth. Obito chased it for a while before he was eventually able to tug the scroll away from the goose. Obito stopped, and so did the bird.

“So? Is this good enough for you?” Obito asked wearily.

The goose honked. Obito relaxed, and let down his guard. Which was exactly when the bird snatched the scroll back again, and bolted. And so began the next few hours of chasing back and forth. Obito had tried running up trees. Not only could the goose simply just fly up, it could also run up trees just as easily. Obito also discovered that the bird could run on water, when Obito tried to escape down a river.

Out of sheer irritation, Obito created about twenty genjutsu clones that ran off carrying illusionary scrolls in different directions. And yet, the goose was following the real one. So it can tell which is real?

And then, Obito realised he was overthinking the problem when there was a much simpler solution. Reaching into his pouch, Obito grabbed a blank tag and bit the tip of his forefinger. Using the blood, he drew up a basic barrier seal that was designed to block physical access to a small area - big enough to fit one person. As soon as it was ready, he slammed the tag to the ground and activated it, pouring in half of his remaining chakra to strengthen the seal, and a shimmering barrier formed around him.

The goose halted in front of the barrier, inquisitively looking around. It circled the barrier a couple times, and tried to peck at it - which only made the barrier ripple a bit. It stood there, staring at Obito. Seconds turned into minutes, and as it turned into an hour, the goose started honking. Slowly, at first, with a predictable rhythm. And then it sped up. And slowed down. And stopped. And then started. And then continued with the occasionally off-rhythm honk. All the while, maintaining direct eye contact.

Well I’ll be damned. A bird is attempting psychological warfare.

The infuriatingly inconsistent honking continued for almost half an hour. What the bird hadn’t realised was that Obito had long since drawn an addition to his barrier seal to block out noises.

The goose continued trying different things until the sun began to set. Obito was ever so grateful for the concept of food pills, or he would have given up to go get food long ago. And so, as the setting sun had nearly sunk all the way below the horizon, the bird disappeared in a puff of smoke. Skeptical but hopeful, Obito unrolled the scroll in his arms, and looked to see that his signature had set into clear lines of black, like the signatures of the scarce few successful summoners. He’d won.

Obito warily removed his barrier, and when he was sure the goose wasn’t about to appear next to him again and snatch the scroll, he headed home.

Chapter Text

“Isn’t it boring being stuck around all us kids when you have the mind of an adult?” Naruto asked out of nowhere one afternoon.

“Need I remind you who won The Great Prank Wars?”

Later that evening, Naruto appeared out of nowhere with another stray question. “Are dad and papa really parents to you?”

Obito turned to give his brother a shocked look before answering honestly. “They’ve supported us both constantly, so absolutely.”

“So, what kind of person were you in your past life?”

“I was a teacher. Like Ebisu, only better.”

“Huh. That explains a lot.”

The day had come and the newly graduated genin were gathering in their old classroom. While they waited for their teachers to arrive, they debated where was the coolest or most practical place to wear their hitai-ate, and theorized about who would be on a team with who. Most people predicted that the twins would be on a team together, and many of the girls in the class seemed adamant in their desire to be on a team with Sasuke. Sasuke, however, didn’t return these affections and seemed to retreat within himself protectively whenever the girls made advances towards him.

Just as the class were making bets on what would happen with the handful of individuals who were training as medic-nin, Iruka walked in. “Alright class, the time has come for you to begin your duties as shinobi of Konohagakure. As you know, you will initially serve in four-person cells, with a more experienced shinobi leading your team and guiding your continued training. We’ve put a great deal of thought into planning each of the teams, and I trust that there will be no complaints.”

Iruka pulled out a small scroll from his pouch, and began reading out the teams. Obito sat patiently, waiting for his name to be called. He understood that this team of his would be who he would spend a large amount of time with from here on, and so hoped that he would be put in a team with people who he already got along with.

“Team 6: Uzumaki Obito, Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Hinata.”

Although happy to be on a team with two close friends, Obito was a little bit disappointed to not be in the same team as Naruto. It wasn’t unexpected, since having two jinchuriki on the same team would have been a huge risk for the village. Some whispering built up amongst those of the class who understood the political implications of this team - having a member of the main line of both the Uchiha and Hyuuga clans in one team was a big deal.

“Your sensei will be Mitarashi Anko.” Iruka added, and then continued announcing the teams.

“Next, Team 7: Inazuka Kiba, Aburame Shino and Higarashi Tenten. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi.”

“Team 8: Rock Lee, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei will be Might Guy.”

“Team 9: Souzen Ami, Muhara Fuki and Uzuruno Hisaro. Your sensei will be Kaito Shizune.”

“Team 10: Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Chouji. Your sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma.”

After announcing a couple more teams, Iruka rolled up the scroll and looked around the room, making eye contact with his now ex-students. “Your senseis will come to collect you from this classroom as soon as they’re each ready. Before that, I want you all to know that it has been a pleasure teaching you these past years. I am sure that you will all go on to make fine Konoha shinobi. This time is now your own to do as you will until your senseis arrive, but make sure you stay in the classroom until you are collected. Best of luck to you all.”

With about half the class still waiting, the door opened with a sudden slam, revealing a tall, black-haired shinobi wearing a tan overcoat. As they turned upon entering the room, their mesh under armour was revealed, alongside a lot of bare skin.

“Alright, where’s Team 6?” The shinobi barked. “Come with me, NOW!”

Obito exchanged a glance with Hinata and Sasuke, and the trio chased after their apparent sensei, who had already left at a jog. They ran through the village in silence without stopping, until they reached a familiar gate that read ‘Training Ground 2’ in somewhat faded black ink. They moved through the training ground to a small clearing amongst the trees, and stopped. Along the way, Obito couldn’t help but notice the distinct lack of natural debris.

Anko turned to face them, and glared. “Mitarashi Anko, Tokubetsu-Jonin, she/they pronouns, either is fine. Feminine terms are fine, but I am not a woman. I’ll be your sensei and team leader if you can pass my test. The missions I usually take on are not for the fleet of heart, nor for weak shinobi. I need to know that I’m not taking on genin who’ll get killed or get me killed.”

Anko continued without giving any of them a moment to speak or ask questions. “So. I’m going to create a shadow clone. You’re going to fight the shadow clone. If the clone is dispelled, you pass the exam. If not, you go to the Genin Corps starting tomorrow, and your shinobi career will be full of delightful grunt work. You have five minutes to put your noggins together and come up with some kind of a plan, and then we start. Any questions? No? Good.”

It had only been about three minutes when Anko started moving. The team hadn’t finished planning, but they were forced into action when Hinata reported that Anko had gone out of her Byakugan’s range. They quickly got up and chased after, slowing to a halt at Hinata’s signal.

“T-traps ahead, be careful.” Hinata spoke mildly, but loud enough for her teammates to hear.

As they got closer to where Anko seemed to be waiting, Hinata pointed out where the traps were so that they could safely advance. According to Hinata, Anko was standing with her back to a tree not far ahead of them, as though taunting them by pretending to let down her guard. The genin nodded to one another, and Sasuke drew three shuriken from his pouch.

With a well-practiced flick of the wrist, Sasuke sent out the shuriken, which curved around the tree to where Anko was standing. Not a moment after the telltale clanging sound of metal on metal was heard, Hinata was beside Anko, unleashing a flurry of rapid blows. That Anko could easily deflect each and every strike was not allowed to be intimidating; if the genin allowed themselves to be startled they would surely fail this test.

Whilst Hinata was attempting to keep Anko busy, Obito was throwing kunai with exploding tags in every direction, hitting and breaking apart numerous branches; one of the first things the team had planned on seeing the bare training ground was to create objects to substitute with.

Amongst the manifold percussive explosions, Obito almost missed the one that detonated where Sasuke was standing. He knew it wasn’t his, and was struggling to stave off the frustration upon realising that not only could Anko easily fend off Hinata, but they also had time to throw their own exploding tag at Sasuke.

Obito noticed Hinata take on a stance he’d never seen her use in any sparring before, and her body became a blur. He took that as his cue to rush to Sasuke’s side. He quickly scanned Sasuke’s body for visually obvious injuries, noticing light burning on his forearms but not much else. Sasuke was seemingly alert, so Obito made the snap decision to only provide some light healing. He dared to close his eyes for just a moment to focus, bringing chakra to his hands in the form of a light green glow. Pressing his hands over Sasuke’s forearms, the burn began to fade. However, before Obito was able to finish healing the burn, he and Sasuke had to dodge for cover behind a tree as another kunai sliced through the air straight towards them.

Ready to rejoin the fray, Sasuke pulled a kunai from his pouch and ran in towards Anko. Obito turned to see Hinata clutching her stomach, taking deep breaths to steady herself. Obito realised that he needed to give them some direct support now if they were going to get a single hit in, and grabbed a small cylindrical whistle from his pouch. Holding it between his lips to free up his hands, Obito began weaving hand signs. Once he had molded his chakra as needed, Obito blew into his whistle. No sound could be heard, which was exactly why, for a whole second, Anko stood dazed.

This second was long enough for Hinata to step back into her stance and begins to unleash what would have been a successful flurry of blows if Obito’s genjutsu had lasted. After landing only one hit to Anko’s hip, Anko seemed to snap back into full consciousness and leap up into the air. Whilst she was in the air, Anko was visibly chaining hand seals at an incredible speed. By the time she landed, a swarm of snakes had appeared where her arms emerged from her coat, and they were already lashing out towards Hinata and Sasuke.

Sasuke stepped back and began working through hand seals that were familiar to Hinata and Sasuke, starting with the Snake seal and finishing with Tiger. His execution speed had improved enough over the years that Anko only had time to shield herself with her snakes as Sasuke yelled “Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu”. A great ball of fire roared out of Sasuke’s mouth, making direct contact with Anko’s snakes and dispelling them to leave behind only the pungent stink of burnt flesh.

Obito leapt into position behind Anko and across from Sasuke, who used the opening to kick straight towards Anko’s gut. Faster than any of the genin could register, Sasuke’s leg was brought to a halt by Anko’s hand, and a moment later Sasuke was toppling backwards towards the ground. As Obito was racing to complete the hand seals needed to perform his strongest possible paralysis ninjutsu, his eyes flashed red and he saw dirt, feeling a cracking pain in his back and a heavy weight press into him before lifting off. Then, Obito felt a stab in his side.

Obito tried to get up and found his body too heavy to move. His next attempt to mold chakra resulted in his vision growing blurry, and he realised he had poison moving through his system. Obito began trying to stabilise his chakra and get some of it into his hand so he could try and siphon out the poison from his back, but the process was far too slow to be of any use to his team. As a last resort, he tried to bring his thumb to his mouth to draw blood and push his chakra through into a forced Summoning technique. Before his hand even got anywhere near his face, Obito unleashed a curdling scream of pain as Anko stomped on his hand.

“You think you’ll get even a single opening?” Anko cursed at him, and then they were gone.

In the next moment, Obito heard a high pitched gasp followed by a thump, and turned his face to see Hinata on the floor not ten meters away. Obito tried and failed to make sense of the situation. Back in the academy, they’d all been trained to deal with frightening situations as calmly as possible. This was supposed to be a test, but Anko seemed as though she had it in for them.

Obito’s eyes widened as he made out the blurry figure of Anko rushing towards Sasuke. The figure that looked like Sasuke seemed to be frozen even as Anko closed in the distance towards him. And then, the two figures became one.

Obito heard a faint popping sound, and then everything went dark.

When Obito came to, he felt aching all over his body. He blinked a couple times and began to push himself up off the ground.

“Heal your comrades,” the voice of Anko commanded from somewhere nearby.

As Obito stood, he noticed the woozy sensation was gone, and he could move his chakra around normally. Unfortunately, that did nothing for the pain he felt as a result of the blow he took to his back earlier.

Obito saw the still but breathing bodies of Hinata and Sasuke on the ground, and rushed over first to Hinata. He knew he should heal her first, because she could help heal him and Sasuke too. As Obito felt chakra flow out of his body and into Hinata’s, she began to stir.

“So, what happens now. We go to Genin Corps?” Obito asked glumly.

“Heal your comrades first, then we talk.” Anko replied dryly.

Obliging begrudgingly, Obito trudged over to Sasuke and began healing what looked like a shallow gast along his chest. As the flesh knitted itself back together and began to close over, Obito fell back and looked to the sky.

Once Sasuke had stirred and sat up, Anko spoke again. “You kids are combat-naive and weak. The three of you fought a clone of mine which had only half of my chakra, and landed one hit. One.”

Obito looked down towards the ground, ashamed, afraid and unable to meet the eyes of his teammates and friends. “Are we really that incapable?”

At that moment, Anko’s face broke into an eerily wide grin as they cracked up. “Ahaha! Get a load of that. You kids, incapable? Nah, you all pass!”

Obito looked up at Anko in stunned disbelief. He then looked over to his teammates, noticing them being equally shocked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Something wrong with your ears? I said you pass.” Anko smirked. “I told you earlier that if the clone is dispelled, you pass the exam. I didn’t say you had to dispel the clone. Truth be told, I was going to pass you kids as long as none of you ran away and abandoned the others. So, you pass!”

“B-but,” Sasuke croaked out shakily, “we could barely touch you...”

Anko looked Sasuke up and down, and her expression morphed into a more serious one. She looked Sasuke directly in the eyes and spoke. “I put you kids through hell because I needed to see that you already have the attitude to become shinobi who can work with me. You three were put together to be a vanguard team, and so my job here is to train you up into an all-rounder team that can deal with a wide variety of circumstances. You kids came up with clever plans, worked together extremely well and showed incredibly creative thinking in a stressful environment.”

“Sasuke,” Anko continued, “your use of ninjutsu is well beyond what a genin should be capable of. Hinata, your taijutsu is good, and if you can become more confident in yourself you’ll realise that you’re far more capable than you think. And Obito, you managed to catch my clone in two layers of genjutsu, despite my extensive training in countering genjutsu. You kids are gonna go far. But now, let’s focus on lunch... I’m starving!”

Obito gawked at Anko, still processing the apparent personality switch. From the looks of it, his teammates were in a similar mental space too.

“Alright, Team 6. Let’s go get some food and we’ll debrief. You kids look like you need some time to process, so we’ll take it at a walk and you can ask all the questions you need,” Anko smiled congenially, stepping over to each of them in turn and offering them a hand up.

Chapter Text

Whilst the trio of genin were still shellshocked, processing what had just happened to them, their sensei ordered a platter of dango, which was apparently lunch for the day. They had walked to the restaurant in absolute silence, despite Anko’s offer to answer any of their questions.

“Alright, so congratulations on your unofficial genin graduation. I’m going to go ahead and explain some things now, so listen up,” Anko announced. “After graduating from the academy, every team of genin has to complete a test set by their sensei. I gave you a test to see how you would handle dangerous situations in a state of disadvantage. I also wanted to assess how well you would respond to fear.

“You might not feel like it, but you all did well. When one of you dropped, the other two did not give up and tried to take an action that would protect your teammates,” Anko continued. “I don’t care for those who abandon their comrades. Anyway, I can see that you’re pretty shaken, so I want to assure you of two things. Firstly, I will never willingly put you in a situation where you’re likely to get killed. Secondly, I’m going to make sure you kids learn how to cope with fear and trauma. Every Shinobi ends up traumatized; that's just how it works. But a Shinobi who doesn't have coping strategies is a useless shinobi, and none of you are allowed to be useless.

“Now, are you three ready to move onto business?” Anko asked as the food arrived.

Slowly, each of the genin nodded. Obito looked at his teammates and noticed that they both still looked pretty unsettled. Hinata was gripping at her fingertips, an old habit of hers that she used to display when she was particularly nervous or afraid but hadn’t been seen doing for almost a year now. Sasuke’s hands were balled into tight fists, and his whole body looked tense. Obito himself was rocking back and forth on the spot.

Hoping that the food would help to break this tension, Obito reached for a skewer of dango and started eating. “So, what’s next?”

“First things first, it’s time for us to get to know each other a bit,” Anko answered. “So, I want you to tell me how to refer to you, what you think your specialty as a shinobi is right now, why you became a shinobi and a goal you’re currently working towards. I’ll go first. As I said earlier, my pronouns are she/they. My specialties are infiltration and assassination - I’m someone the village calls on to take down dangerous opponents who are usually stronger than me. I became a shinobi because I was inspired by my old mentor and my current goal is to make sure you kids don’t die. Who’s next?”

Obito volunteered himself. “My pronouns are…” The redhead paused, “he/him. My specialties are fuinjutsu and genjutsu, and I’m working on my medical jutsu as well. I guess I became a shinobi to protect those I care about. And my current goal... well, it’s better if I tell you all that later.”

As Obito said the last sentence, he had to fight off an urge to reach for his belly. Then, Hinata offered to speak next.

“My pronouns are she/her. I’ve been told that my strength is my taijutsu, and I can also do some medical ninjutsu. I became a shinobi because it is the duty of the Hyuuga clan heir to do so. And my current goal is to...” Hinata’s face reddened, and Obito put a supportive hand on her shoulder. “I want... to show my clan that I’m not weak like they think I am!”

“We’ll have that goal done in no time, kiddo!” Anko grinned. “Lucky last, Sasuke?”

“He/him. I’m good at fire jutsu and taijutsu, I guess. I also became a shinobi because it’s just what Uchiha do, especially in the main family. And my current goal is to surpass my brother, but I don’t think that’ll ever happen...” Sasuke trailed off, staring into his hands.

“It sure won’t happen if you keep that attitude, kid! Itachi is one of Konoha’s best, sure. But when I’m done with you, you might just give him a run for his money.” Anko reassured him. “Okay, great. Here’s the plan for today. Once we finish eating, we’re going to go and take on a D-ranked mission from the Hokage’s tower. We’ll only be doing D-Ranks for a while, to give us time to train and grow accustomed to working as a team. These will all essentially be glorified chores around the village, and I’m going to make them harder for you so you can use them to train.”

Anko stopped talking and seemed to wait for a reaction, but their genin gave none. “After we’ve finished our first mission, we’re heading back to the training field from this morning where I’m going to run you through some tests and exercises to see where you’re all at with your abilities. When that’s done, we’ll finish for the day.”

Upon entering the mission assignment hall, Team 6 were greeted by the dauntingly authoritative Hokage, with his face as stern as ever. Beside him were several shinobi wearing standard issue chunin flak jackets, scribbling away at various paperwork.

“Ah, Anko,” Fugaku began. “What a surprise - I didn’t expect your team to be the first ones here. You did give them a test... yes?”

“Nah,” Anko laughed. “I just terrified your son a bit. Made him think I’d killed his teammates in front of him, you know? Nothing too serious. All in a day’s work!”

Fugaku stared, seemingly unsure of how to respond to this remark. He looked over to Sasuke, who returned a nervous thumbs up in an attempt to signal that he was ok. “I... see. Well, I assume that you are here for your first mission. Anko, do you have a preference for your team’s first mission?”

“Anything but Tora, we’re not ready for that yet.” Anko responded. One of the chuunin at the desk choked and coughed at Anko’s answer, resulting in the three genin being very confused, and mildly alarmed.

Anko then accepted a scroll and opened it. She walked over to a window, looked outside, and then cracked up laughing. “Damn, you guys respond fast. Alright kids, follow me.”

“Wow, it’s...” Obito began.

“Colourful?” Sasuke offered.

“Everywhere?” Hinata added.

“Yours to clean up.” Anko declared.

“Wait, what?” The three genin responded at once.

“That’s right,” Anko confirmed, looking up at the Hokage Monument. “Your mission is to clean all of that paint.”

Obito processed this for a moment. “You’re saying that in the time since we went inside and reached the missions hall, not only did someone get all that paint up on the monument but a mission was also created to clean it up?”

Anko nodded.

“Well, why doesn’t the person who did this clean it? Have they been caught?” Sasuke asked.

“The kid who did this is eight years old, and it was decided that his little antics were dangerous enough and that he’ll get some other punishment. So, you three get to clean up after him.” Anko laughed. “You gotta admit though, it’s pretty impressive work. It has... artistic flair.”

Obito sighed. “Ok, let’s go to the river.”

“What? Why would-” Hinata began to ask, before seeming to remember that she was talking to Obito.

Anko said nothing, opting instead to observe and let her genin take the lead.

“I have an idea that will save hours of scrubbing, but we need to go to the river first.”

Once they reached the Naka river, Obito grabbed ink and paper from his pouch and began making some notes. He seemed oblivious to the fact that his team were expecting some kind of explanation, and continued to work. After a few minutes, he had begun drafting designs for a seal, and then... “Aha! Got it!”

“...Got what?” Sasuke asked cautiously.

“Just watch!” Obito smirked.

Obito took out a blank paper tag, drew out his new seal design, initialized it and pressed it to the surface of the water. After a couple moments, he lifted up the seal.

“Alright, now check this out!” Obito shouted to the group. He then activated the seal and a powerful burst of water jetted out from the tag.

“Neat trick, kid. Wanna explain how it works?” Anko praised as Obito returned to the group.

“So, normal sealing scrolls store objects in a kind of... space that just exists without any kind of shape. And the design of the seal dictates how much can fit inside the scroll. I changed up the design just a little bit so that it can store water, and as you unseal it the sealing space quickly shrinks and pushes the water out like a pump. So, if I make a whole bunch of these, we can use them to wash off the paint much more easily!” Obito explained enthusiastically.

About half an hour later, Team 6 had returned to the Hokage Monument with a large stock of what were essentially storage seals mimicking water jutsu.

“Okay, let’s establish some rules for this mission. For as long as I’m your sensei, every D-Rank mission you do will be some form of training. In order to clean the monuments, you’re going to need to get up there. The only way I’m allowing you to climb up there is by walking up the wall. If you get tired, you take a break. But the only way you’re allowed up there is on foot.” Anko directed.

An hour later, Team 6 found themselves back in the mission assignment hall, receiving a small payment for their work. Anko then led them back to Training Ground 2 immediately, allowing no reprieve. Upon arrival, Anko immediately created two shadow clones. Each of the original and the shadow clones took one of Obito, Hinata and Sasuke to a different space.

“Okay Obito, I’ve seen what you can with fuinjutsu. Now I want you to show me what you can do with genjutsu.” Anko declared firmly. “Hold nothing back, I want to know what you’re capable of when you have the opportunity to go all out.”

Obito nodded, and closed his eyes. After a few seconds collecting his thoughts and planning his genjutsu, Obito opened his eyes and reached for the whistle in his pouch. Whilst blowing into the whistle, Obito weaved a series of hand seals, ending in the Rat seal.

Immediately after this, Obito configured his hands into the circular seal he had been taught by Sora, and focused on another technique. A moment later, Obito whispered “Shintenshin”, and he watched from Anko’s eyes as his body hit the ground. In the scarce few moments he had, Obito ran Anko’s body to a tree and began to run upwards. A few steps away from the top, Obito felt the expected jerking sensation and found himself staring at the sky from within his own body. He then noticed Anko look around before leaping back to the ground beside him.

“Impressive, kid. Four layers, and... I have to ask, is Yamanaka Inoichi aware that you know one of his clan’s techniques?” Anko enquired.

Obito blinked. “Um... yeah? You know one of my dads is a Yamanaka, right?”

“Of course I do, kid. Some clans are more protective than others and want to keep their techniques in the blood, though.” Anko responded. “So, what else can you do? Give me the list and then I’ll get you to show me some things.”

Obito picked himself up off the ground and dusted himself off, and then looked towards Anko. “Well, with the Yamanaka jutsu, I’m still working on Shintenshin; right now I couldn’t do it in a stressful environment even if the target was well locked down. Sora’s also teaching me another clan technique that will allow me to communicate at distance, but I’m a ways off from mastering that. I’m actually incapable of doing any elemental jutsu, so the only other ninjutsu I have are the basics. I’m also one of the handful from my class with a qualification as a basic-level field medic.”

Anko pressed her lips together tightly, as though in concentration. “Alright, I can work with that. How’s your physical combat?”

Obito laughed. “Physical combat? No thanks. My taijutsu is passable and I can throw a kunai with reasonably good aim, but I try to avoid it. I assume you saw my Academy file, so you know that after a couple of years at the Academy I dropped to near the bottom of the class when it came to anything taijutsu related.”

Anko’s eyes met Obito’s. “Have you tried any Bukijutsu?”

“No, the Bukijutsu classes clashed with the medic classes and I chose the latter. Why?” Obito looked back at Anko, puzzled.

“I’m going to introduce you to a friend of mine later. His name is Gekko, and he’s a tokubetsu jonin I’ve worked with plenty. He used to be deathly afraid of fighting at close range, until he started learning kenjutsu. Now, he’s one of Konoha’s best kenjutsu fighters,” Anko explained. “Some people who struggle with taijutsu just need the right weapon in their hands, and I’m hoping you’ll be one of those. If not, I’m sending you to Guy.”

“You wouldn’t...” Obito scoffed.

“Oh you bet your sorry ass I would, kiddo!” Anko grinned. “Alright, before we head back to meet with the others, I want to discuss one more thing with you. I’ve been told that you’re aware of your ‘status’ in Konoha?”

Obito lifted his shirt up to expose his belly, and concentrated some chakra so that the seal would become visible. “You mean this? Yes, I know about the Kyuubi. The Hokage wants Naruto and I to start learning how to control its power. Were you told that we’re starting our training tonight?”

Anko nodded. “Great, I needed to make sure we’re on the same page with that one. Now, what I wanted to discuss was whether or not you want to tell your teammates. Do you?”

Obito smiled. “I’m not one to keep secrets from my friends, and this was my goal I wanted to tell everyone at lunch, but I thought it wise to not say that in a public restaurant.”

“...So, long story short, both Naruto and I have half of the Kyuubi sealed inside of each of us. We’re beginning our training to use its power tonight, but I suspect that it will be a long time before either of us can actually do so safely.” Obito explained.

“Well,” Hinata spoke, breaking a silence that had reached an uncomfortable duration. “That explains what you look like through the Byakugan. Sometimes you and Naruto have two different chakra signatures instead of one, so that must have been the Kyuubi’s chakra.”

Obito was glad that Hinata seemed to take the news in stride, but he also noticed Sasuke looking somewhat downcast. Obito had somewhat of an idea why Sasuke was upset, and wasn’t sure how best to broach the topic.

“All I’m hearing from this is that I have three monsters in the making, not just two. Good to know!” Anko proclaimed cheerily.

“Three?” Hinata and Sasuke asked in unison.

“Hinata, you have the Byakugan, which has countless invaluable applications. You’re also a talented taijutsu fighter with a ridiculous amount of potential. It’s going to take hard work, but you’re gonna get there. Sasuke, you may not have awakened it yet, but the Sharingan is... something else. You will reach your goal one day, but in order to do that, you have to stop comparing yourself to your brother, or else you’ll never have the confidence you need to reach his level.” Anko lectured firmly, wearing a no-bullshit look on her face.

Sasuke still didn’t look up, but his body visibly relaxed a bit. “How can you be so sure?”

Anko groaned. “Sasuke, cut the self-deprecating bullshit. I know your insecurity isn’t going to magically up and vanish, but if you keep letting it win, I swear I’ll have you cleaning sewers for a week. And believe me, I can make that happen.”

“Now,” Anko continued, after Sasuke jerked to wide-eyed attention. “I’ve assessed each of you and gotten a general idea of what training you all need. Sasuke, I want you to take your skill with fire jutsu and get creative. I also want you to work on your physical strength. Hinata, you’re the strongest in the group right now but your anxiety is holding you back. As part of your training, I’m going to have a friend of mine work on that with you. And Obito, you’re going to give kenjutsu a try.

“We’re going to meet here at 7 every morning from now on to train. We’ll train in the mornings and do missions after lunch. We’ll do one or two missions every day, and then you’ll be free until the next morning. We’ll keep going like this until I think you’re ready for a C-Rank mission, which will probably take us out of Konoha for a decent period of time. Dismissed!”

Just as the sun was beginning to set, Naruto arrived outside the Hokage’s office, panting heavily.

“About time you showed up!” Obito teased. “You look pretty alive, Guy must be going easy on you. What was his test like?”

Naruto took a moment to catch his breath before answering.

“Freaking crazy! He took us to this training field and was just like ‘Yosh my youthful wannabe genin! If you can make me step away from this spot, I’ll be your sensei!’ and then...” Naruto stopped to catch his breath again. “After half an hour of him blocking everything Sakura made poison come out of the ground below him and he had to move! We’ve all trained with Guy before but today he was on another level!”

“Let me guess - after that he made you run a thousand laps around the village on your hands?” Obito queried only half-sarcastically.

“No... Not on our hands, and we only did ten laps. We trained all day. THE WHOLE DAY.” Naruto complained. “Why did I have to get Guy as a sensei? Of all people!”

Obito laughed. “Look at it this way. You’ll suffer all day every day for a while, but then you’ll be crazy strong after. For our test, Anko made us fight a solid clone of her, and just when we thought we were making some headway she knocked us all out in a matter of seconds. They passed us anyway, and they seem to have a really good plan for our training. Super scary, but I trust her. She kind of resembles Orochimaru a bit, too...”

Before Naruto had a chance to add to the conversation, Fugaku called them into his office. As usual, the room was meticulously organised and held a heavy, strict atmosphere.

“Naruto, Obito, thank you for coming. As we discussed earlier, it’s time for you to begin learning how to control the power of the Kyuubi,” Fugaku declared. “I am sure that you are rather busy with your lives as new genin, however this is also of the utmost importance. I have discussed with your senseis, and they understand the necessity. As such, you will attend these training sessions every second evening until further notice. Yamato, please come in!”

At Fugaku’s summons, a young man with brown hair appeared. He was wearing a strange head-guard that covered little of his face, revealing an eerily calm expression.

“This is Yamato. He has a certain ability that will be critical for your training. If Yamato is ever unavailable, you will not proceed with your training. Now, Yamato, if you would kindly escort our jinchuriki to their training?”

Obito and Naruto followed Yamato down a long, winding flight of stairs that led into a dimly torch-lit tunnel that must have been at least a hundred meters below Konoha. The air was stuffy, and Obito felt a shiver creep down his spine from a combination of the cold and the eerie atmosphere. After a few minutes of walking past doorway after doorway, Yamato stopped in front of a door labeled ‘Training Hall’.

The twins followed their escort through the doorway and into a ginormous room that must have been at least the size of the Hokage Tower. The room was mostly empty, although Obito noticed arrays of sealing script spread across the walls. He wasn’t close enough to read them, but he could guess that their purpose was at least in part to structurally reinforce the room.

Waiting for them within the room were both Jiraiya and Orochimaru. They seemed to have been in the middle of some kind of argument, but that was brought to a halt as soon as the twins walked in.

“Ah, boys, you’re here. Alright, let’s begin with ground rules,” Jiraiya began abruptly. “This training is exceedingly dangerous, so you will need to follow our instructions to the letter. Firstly, until we decide that you’re ready, you will not attempt to use the power of the Kyuubi or even practice using this power outside of our training sessions. Secondly, if Yamato is not here, training is postponed. And thirdly, if you want to try anything new in our sessions, you ask us first.”

Almost anticipating the reaction, Obito looked over to Naruto and saw his brother looking a bit confused and overwhelmed. Fortunately, Orochimaru seemed to notice it as well.

“What my dear friend here forgot to mention,” Orochimaru added wearily, “is that if any of us do anything stupid during this training, the Kyuubi could break free and destroy Konoha. Which would be a shame, of course, because I’d lose all my valuable research material. There is a lot that we don’t know about the seal and about the Tailed Beasts, because the fools before us didn’t take notes. What we do know is that both Kushina and her predecessor Mito were able to make use of the Kyuubi’s chakra, and that Kushina supposedly talked to the Kyuubi.”

“So, here’s the plan,” Jiraiya began to explain. “Yamato is going to use his ability to stabilize your seal. Orochimaru and I will be here to help ensure nothing goes wrong. I’m going to loosen the seal just a tiny bit, and then it’s going to be up to you to figure out how to talk to the Kyuubi. After that, we improvise.”

Taking his cue, Yamato took position at the other end of the training hall and created a single shadow clone. Each Yamato then sat on what appeared to be two separate, large patches of dirt. Each Yamato then held his hand to the ground, resulting in pillars of wood rising out of the dirt. Once a ring of pillars had formed around each Yamato, they held their palms out. Even at a distance, Obito could barely just make out a sealing symbol of some kind form on each Yamato’s palm, and felt a strange force latch onto him.

“Woah, what is this?” Naruto shivered.

“More pressingly, isn’t that Wood Release?” Obito exclaimed.

“I’m told that our dearest Yamato was one of my... escapades from when our favourite old War Hawk was telling me what to do,” Orochimaru confessed. “He has old man Hashirama’s cells in him. Questions later, though. Now, we begin the experiment.”

If Obito were not a person of science himself, he probably would have been terrified of the hungry look on Orochimaru’s face. However, he could understand Orochimaru’s enthusiasm to discover more about a Tailed Beast, and perhaps even shared some of the curiosity.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes and grumbled something about Orochimaru being ‘bloody mad’, and approached Naruto first. “Alright Naruto. Shirt up, Banzai!”

Confused and apprehensive, Naruto pulled up his shirt and said “banzai”. Jiraiya pressed his fingertips to Naruto’s belly, and the blond convulsed for a moment. Before Obito could react, though, Naruto settled, and blinked.

“Am I supposed to feel any different?” Naruto asked.

“You think I have all the answers, kid? This is as much as I can do right now if we don’t want to blow up Konoha.” Jiraiya grumbled, and moved over to Obito.

Once Jiraiya had loosened Obito’s seal, both the twins shivered. Something in the air had changed, and they both felt it. Obito suddenly felt like he was falling, and a moment later he found himself in what looked like a sewer system. Looking around, Obito realised that Naruto was no longer with him. He was in the sewers, and he was on his own.

A gust of wind blew into Obito’s side and he turned. Facing him was a set of piercing deep red eyes that glared at him menacingly, accompanied by a large snarling set of sharp teeth.

“Hello, Kurama.” Obito smiled.

Chapter Text

All preconceived notions of confidence aside, Obito couldn’t help but shudder as the menacing beast towered over him. Not even the conscious knowledge that Kurama was contained by Minato’s powerful sealing technique could stop Obito from feeling something corrosive on his skin. The beast let out an even more vicious snarl, and rammed his head up against the unwavering bars. A barely visible ripple propagated outwards from the point of impact, and the Kyuubi remained pressed against the bars, staring with ferocious intent directly at Obito.

“Nobody has called me that in an eternity, brat. Where did you hear that name?” Kurama demanded, shrieking with fury.

Maintaining eye contact with the fox, Obito took a slow, measured breath. Once he had grounded himself well, he rebuilt his calm smile. “Is there something else you’d prefer I call you? I would have thought that using your name would be more respectful.”

For a while, Kurama did not respond. He continued to stare directly at Obito, as though trying to pick him apart and understand what purpose the kid had. After a while, the fox spoke.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing here, brat. But if you think you can tame me like many before you have tried, know this - one day I will break free from these shackles and devour you!”

Rather than responding, Obito dedicated his attention to fighting against the corrosive sensation so that he could step forward and examine the seal across the bars.

“Hmmm,” Obito thought aloud. “This will take some time, and work, but I think I can make some modifications here. I was thinking... maybe some kind of window that you can open and close as you desire? I’d assume that being stuck in here all the time gets boring.”

“What are you talking about, brat?” Kurama snarled, almost wearily.

“Oh, right. Sorry! I don’t want to keep you shackled in here,” Obito explained. “But I also have a sense of self preservation. So I was hoping to make things nicer for you in here, and perhaps we can develop a partnership of sorts?”

The fox seemed to relax slightly, and snickered. “Oh, and I suppose you’ll expect something from me in return, won’t you? In the end, all that my jailors ever want is my chakra, which I do not willingly give.”

The corrosive pressure eased ever so slightly.

“Let me make an oath to you right now, Kurama. I know you have no reason to trust or believe me right now. Nonetheless, I’m not ever going to take your chakra, unless you choose to give it to me.” Obito promised, returning eye contact to Kurama after having examined the seal on the bars.

The fox made an aggressive ‘hmph’ sound, and turned away from Obito, pacing away towards the depths of his prison.

“My name is Obito, by the way!” Obito called out as the scene before him faded to black.

A moment later, Obito felt his consciousness return to his body. Obito realised that Naruto was standing over him, wearing a look of panic. Looking around, Obito noted that Orochimaru and Jiraiya didn’t seem all too concerned. Yamato was in his earlier position, stoic as ever.

“How long was I out?” Obito asked as he stood up and dusted himself off.

“A couple of minutes. Care to explain?” Orochimaru inquired, his tone lazy and unbothered.

“I had a chat with the Kyuubi. He doesn’t seem too happy with the current arrangements. Little bit on the cramped side, I think.” Obito joked, scratching at the back of his head. “Naruto, how about you? Any progress?”

Naruto shook his head. “I felt something... shift, I think? Like, I can tell that the chakra is there now, but I can’t quite get at it. What do you mean you spoke to the Kyuubi? How?”

Obito frowned. “All I know is that a moment after Jiraiya adjusted my seal I felt like I was falling, and then I was in this sewer-like place talking to the Kyuubi. It just... happened?”

Naruto grumbled something inaudible, and dropped into a cross-legged position sitting on the ground. His eyes were pressed shut, and he seemed to be trying to focus.

Meanwhile, an idea occurred to Obito. “Hey, Jiraiya, can you explain the difference between our two seals? Maybe that will help us understand what’s going on better.”

“Your seals are both Eight Trigrams Seals. They’re a kind of seal said to have been created by Uzumaki from generations past, that are designed to contain large amounts of chakra. There’s only one difference between your two seals, and that is the direction of the spiral centrepiece.” Jiraiya explained.

“And that would most likely signify some sort of oppositeness,” Obito conjectured.

“Yin and Yang chakra,” Orochimaru offered plainly. “Naruto most likely has the Yang half of the Kyuubi, whilst you, Obito, have the Yin half. That would-”

“That explains why Naruto is so good with nature transformations, whilst I can’t do them at all!” Obito exclaimed, cutting Orochimaru off in a moment of excitement. “So since Yin chakra has a stronger connection to the mind, that could be why it was so much easier for me to communicate with the Kyuubi.”

As Obito came to this realisation, he noticed the air grow heavy in the room. He began to feel that same corrosive force from within the sewers. At the same time, he heard Yamato gasp.

“Sorry to break up your moment of enlightenment, but we have a problem here!” Yamato shouted with a tone of urgency.

As Obito connected the dots, he swore and turned towards Naruto. The sight before him confirmed his realisation, and he swore again. Naruto appeared to be enveloped in an orange shroud, and was crouching like a cat ready to pounce - and he was facing straight towards Obito. His features had become fox-like - nails turned to sharp claws, fangs protruding from his mouth, ears pointed and his whisker lines far more pronounced.

Without hesitation, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood defensively, holding the hand seal for the common Temporary Paralysis technique. Just as the seemingly possessed Naruto’s feet left the ground, he froze midair and collapsed. Almost simultaneously, several of the wooden pillars surrounding Yamato had extended towards Naruto and had begun to lace around his body. Slowly, the orange shroud faded from Naruto’s bound form, and he went limp.

Yamato manipulated the wood to gently lower Naruto’s body to the ground, and then they retreated back into their pillar forms. A few moments later, Naruto pushed himself up onto his knees.

“I’m sorry...” Naruto whispered shakily. “I’m so sorry...”

The blonde began to cradle his knees, rocking back and forth. Obito moved to sit by him, holding his brother firmly in his own arms.

“It’s not your fault, Naruto, that was the fox trying to take over,” Obito tried to reassure him.

“No, I felt in control the whole time. I wanted to-” Naruto paused, tears spilling from his eyes. “I wanted to hurt you, Obito,” he said shakily, his voice barely above a whisper.

Beginning to realise what might be going on in his brother’s mind, Obito focused all of his attention on his twin. Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Yamato’s presences faded into the meaningless background, only Naruto was important right now.

“Why did you want to hurt me? You can tell me, Naruto.” Obito spoke gently.

“No... you’ll think I’m awful!” Naruto resisted.

“I won’t, I promise you. What’s wrong?” Obito persisted, trying to keep his tone soft and supportive.

“I-” Naruto began. “For a while I’ve felt so jealous, and was scared you were leaving me behind. And then, you were able to talk to the Kyuubi and I couldn’t. I just felt like I was falling too far behind, and I got upset. And then I just felt this awful anger, and I couldn’t stop, and I tried to attack you. I... I don’t understand! What’s wrong with me?”

Obito continued to hold his brother tightly, his own head resting against Naruto’s.

“I’m not going anywhere, brother. We may be on different teams, and we might see less of each other for a while, but you’ll always be one of the most important people in my life. Always,” Obito promised. “And that anger? That wasn’t you. That was the Kyuubi, trying to take over.”

The two brothers remained in their embrace for several minutes, oblivious to the other three in the room. Eventually, Naruto stopped shaking and Obito let go. Obito stood up, and offered a hand to Naruto. The two stood, and turned to face their teachers.

“Well, that was... touching.” Orochimaru mused. “Are you ready to proceed? We need to discuss what just occurred.”

Upon Naruto’s nod, Orochimaru continued. “Naruto, when you were taken over by the fox, a single tail of orange chakra emerged from your body. What do you suppose that could mean?”

Naruto’s eyes, puffy from crying, strained in concentration. “One tail... one tail... But, the Kyuubi has nine tails!”

“Go on,” Orochimaru beckoned.

“If the Kyuubi has nine tails, but there was only one... only a small part of the Kyuubi’s power came out?” Naruto guessed.

“Right,” Jiraiya chimed in. “So, you’ve demonstrated that you can call on some of the Kyuubi’s power. For now, Naruto, you will need to work on controlling that power.”

Seemingly dissatisfied, Naruto was pouting. At this point, Obito coughed to garner everybody’s attention.

“Naruto, you’re still confused about why we responded so differently when our seals were adjusted, aren’t you?” Obito asked. When Naruto nodded, he continued speaking. “What we figured out is that I have the Yin half of the Kyuubi’s chakra while you have the Yang half. This is important, because Yin chakra is usually associated with the mind and spirit, while Yang chakra is associated with the body. I think this just means that we’ll each need to do a different kind of training in order to learn to control the Kyuubi’s chakra.”

Once they finished discussing what had happened, Jiraiya announced that it was time to finish training for now. He proceeded to adjust the twins’ seals again, tightening them to avoid any incidents until the next training session. Then, Yamato led the boys out, and they returned home.

Obito wiped at his eyes and stifled a yawn while he jogged towards the team’s meeting point. When he arrived, he noticed Anko talking to an unfamiliar figure wearing standard Konoha shinobi attire. As he drew closer, he noticed the man had a katana strapped to his back, as well as a large scroll hanging over his shoulder.

“Obito, right on time!” Anko smiled, turning to face their student. At Anko’s greeting, the unfamiliar man also turned to face Obito. “Hayate, this is the kid I was telling you about. Obito, this is Gekko Hayate, a Tokubetsu Jonin like me. He’ll be helping train you for a few weeks, as a favour to me.”

Obito smiled, and nodded respectfully to Hayate. “Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to train me, I look forward to learning from you.”

“Hn. Follow me.” Hayate responded, and took off without warning.

With a nod from Anko, Obito set off after the swordsman, following him to a clearing at the far end of the training grounds. By the time Obito had arrived, Hayate had unfurled the scroll on the ground. The swordsman pressed his palm to the scroll, and tens of bladed weapons appeared, settling neatly over the paper.

“So, from what Anko told me, you’ve got the poorest close combat skills of the group, and specialise in a variety of ranged support skills. She’s asked me to fix that,” Hayate began. “You’ll see before you a variety of blades. Each of them is suited to a slightly different style of kenjutsu. I want you to pick them up, one at a time. Feel the weight and shape of it in your hands, and give it a few swings. If you like the feel of one of them, put it to the side. Otherwise, lay it back over the scroll.”

As instructed, Obito immediately got to work. The first blade Obito picked up was short and light, and felt almost too easy to swing around and lose control. Without much hesitation, he placed it back upon the scroll paper. Obito continued testing the swords one after another. Ten minutes later, Obito was testing the balance of a wakizashi with a deep black blade. Even as he picked the blade up, something about it just felt right.

Hinata arrived at the training ground just in time to see Obito chase after an unfamiliar shinobi dressed in standard Konoha attire. Her heart skipped a beat as the thought occurred to her that maybe she had arrived late, and disappointed her new teacher. She missed a step and stumbled, feeling heat flush to her cheeks as she regained her balance.

“Good m-morning, sensei,” Hinata stammered. “I’m sorry for arriving late.”

Anko looked Hinata in the eyes, and laughed. “Don’t get so wound up, kiddo. You’re not late, at all.”

A weight lifted off Hinata’s chest, but her body refused to relax. She stood at attention with her hands clasped behind her back, so that she wouldn’t fidget. As much as she knew it would probably disappoint Anko, Hinata couldn’t maintain eye contact. 

“Oi, Screwhead!” Anko shouted. “She’s all yours!”

Hinata could barely hold herself back from flinching when a large man suddenly appeared beside Anko. He wore a large, heavy overcoat and a bandana covering the top of his head. What stood out most, though, was the series of scars running across his face. 

“Hinata, this is Screwhead.” Anko exclaimed. “Be nice to him, he’s very sensitive. I don’t want to drag him home from the bar tonight, mkay?”

The red returned to Hinata’s face, flustered out of her sheer confusion. She figured that Anko was trying to make a joke, but wasn’t entirely sure. “Nice to meet you, mister...”

“Ibiki,” the large man offered, with a menacingly deep voice. “Morino Ibiki. Would you kindly follow me, Miss Hyuuga?”

Hinata kept pace behind Ibiki, following him down staircase after staircase. The air grew heavy, and Hinata was doing everything she could to maintain her composure. Part of her wanted to activate her Byakugan to see what was in her surroundings, but her sense of self-preservation felt like that would be a poor decision.

“Um, Mister Ibiki, where are we going?” Hinata blurted. She slapped a hand over her mouth, terrified that her question might’ve been out of line.

“My office. Welcome to Torture & Interrogation, the friendliest division of Konoha’s shinobi forces. Want the grand tour?” Ibiki responded, in a tone that Hinata almost wanted to perceive as teasing.

Stunned, Hinata was unable to respond. Instead, she simply continued to follow behind Ibiki.

“No? Perhaps another time, then.” Ibiki continued, before stopping to open a door. “Well, here we are. Come in, take a seat.”

Hinata entered the room as instructed, and looked around. She noticed that the room seemed exceptionally... normal. The desk Ibiki seated himself behind had a couple stacks of papers, and several scrolls, but was otherwise empty. The walls were adorned with a variety of photos and calligraphy pieces. To one side of the room was an easel with a blank canvas, accompanied by several closed pots of what Hinata assumed to be paint.

“Alright, first things first,” Ibiki began. “Whatever’s said in this room stays in this room. You want to say something, say it. You want to break something, I’ll give you something to break. Want to cry? Go ahead. Don’t feel like talking? Use the time to relax. Is this understood?”

Hinata stared at Ibiki in utter confusion. “Um... what?”

“Do you know why you’re here, Hinata?” Ibiki inquired.

“No... No, Sir!” Hinata forced out.

“Well, I suppose an explanation is in order.” Ibiki sighed, resting his chin on his hands. “Those of us who work in Torture and Interrogation have to deliver a great deal of physical and psychological pain to prisoners for the good of Konoha. As you might imagine, that kind of work can take a severe toll on even the best of us. And yet, you will not find a single member of my division that doesn’t have a handle on their mental wellbeing. Why do you think that is?”

Hinata gulped. “Um...”

“Go on, I won’t take any offense.” Ibiki promised.

“Do you... enjoy torturing people?” Hinata asked, her panic leaking through her words.

“Not really. At least, I don’t,” Ibiki confessed. “While there are a few, not many of my division actually take pleasure in causing pain.”

“So... Why do you do it?” Hinata asked.

“Personally? Because I’m damn good at what I do, and I can save lives with the information I collect. Everyone here has their reasons,” Ibiki answered. “The reason we don’t break is because we look after ourselves. Each and every member of my department has a way of... letting off steam, so to speak. You may have noticed that I enjoy painting. Sometimes, I just scream.”

Hinata blinked, and realised that somehow the tension had left her body and she felt calmer. For some reason, listening to Ibiki speak had soothed her, and she wasn’t afraid anymore.

“Um... you said that whatever is said in this room stays in this room, right?” Hinata asked quietly, clinging tightly to the cuffs of her jacket.

“That’s right,” Ibiki confirmed. “What’s on your mind?”

Hinata felt a pit in her stomach, and barely even stopped to consider the question. The words came easily, spilling out as though they had just been waiting for an opportunity to escape her lips. “Sometimes... Sometimes I want to hit my father. And I don’t mean just a tap. I want to feel bones break... I want him to hurt,” Hinata whispered. Ibiki was silent as he listened, face neutral. The horror of what she’d said built and built until a lone tear rolled down her cheek.

Sasuke arrived to see Anko idly spinning a shuriken on a fingertip. Nobody else seemed to be around, and Sasuke felt unsure as to whether he was early or late. He looked around to try and spot his teammates, and it quickly became clear that neither of them were present.

“Am I early? Where are the others?” Sasuke queried as he came to a halt in front of Anko.

“Come and gone, kid, come and gone,” Anko chided playfully. “Well, you’re with me today. Shall we get started?”

“Sure... But where are the others?”

Anko continued spinning the shuriken idly while they spoke. “Hinata’s doing some work with my old boss, and Obito’s learning how not to get gutted if someone gets close to him. And you? You get to learn how to blow shit up better. You ready?”

Hesitantly, Sasuke looked back to Anko and nodded. He noticed that she wasn’t even looking at him - no, Anko was now holding her finger upside down and still spinning the shuriken around and around.

“Tell me, why do most Katon techniques involve breathing fire?” Anko stopped the shuriken from spinning and let it fall into their open hand.

“That’s obvious, Katon users learn to knead and heat chakra in the body and release it through the mouth, because it’s the easiest way to create fire chakra.” Sasuke recited from memory, hardly having to think about it.

“Sure,” Anko responded. “That is the easiest way, but it’s not the only way. Observe.”

Anko held out their hand. They glanced at Sasuke and met his eyes, and then grinned. Without much by way of warning, her hand caught fire. Caught by surprise, Sasuke’s mouth hung open just a little. Then, a swift chopping motion released an arc of flame that sliced towards a tree. The arc of flame cut cleanly through the trunk, charred wood marking its path. Not long after, the upper bisection of the tree began to slide and fall, hitting the forest floor with a loud thunk.

“...Can you do that again? Is it okay if I watch you do that slowly?” Sasuke asked, his attention entirely on Anko’s hand.

Anko shrugged, and her hand caught on fire again. This time, Sasuke noticed a faint glow of chakra for just a moment before the fire came to life. Anko held this for a moment, and Sasuke noticed the flaming chakra appear to grow tighter - denser - and then with another chop, Anko released an arc of flame straight at the ground. Sasuke watched as the flame quickly cut into the dirt, burning the grass around it, and then dispersed into nothingness.

“So, kid, what did you see?” Anko asked, pulling out their shuriken and continuing to spin it over their finger.

Sasuke closed his eyes and replayed the scene in his mind. “First you brought chakra to your hand, which then became flames. Then, the flames seemed to pack in tightly before you sent them out?”

Anko nodded. “Good. Now, how many distinct steps did you count?”

“Four?” Sasuke offered, uncertainly.

“Almost. There was a fifth step that happened very quickly. Just before releasing the blade, I manipulated the chakra to vibrate back and forth, giving it the cutting power it needs to not just be an ordinary flame.” Anko explained. “But I’m not going to teach you this technique yet. First, we start with the basics. I want you to start by bringing a ball of chakra to your finger and holding it there for as long as you can.”

Collapsed by a wall to the side of the Mission Assignment Room, Obito panted heavily as he pressed his palm over his hip. A faint green glow betrayed the use of healing chakra, as the red-haired boy tended to the last of his many bruises. A concerned Hinata squatted by his side, her eyes puffy from crying. Over by a nearby window, Sasuke stared off into the distance. Obito swore he noticed a faint scent of burning when Sasuke first walked past, and concluded that the entire team had been subject to equally brutal training.

Just as Obito finished working on the bruise, Anko walked into the room, merrily munching on a skewer of dango. They walked straight past their genin without sparing them a glance, and approached the desk chuunin. After appearing to chat with the kindly woman staffing the desk, Anko accepted a scroll and walked towards her team.

“Alright kids, break time is over. We’ve got ourselves a wonderful little mission that I’m sure you’ll enjoy ever so much!” Anko flashed her teeth in a menacing grin, and walked off.

“We have to do WHAT?” Sasuke yelled indignantly. After realising how loud he was, he rolled his eyes and turned to face away from his team.

“Wait, wait! I haven’t even gotten to the good bit yet,” Anko sniggered. “Remember yesterday’s mission?”

Both Sasuke and Hinata’s faces paled in dawning realisation. Meanwhile, Obito wore a look of absolute calm, mirroring how unfazed he was by the situation.

“Consider this part two! Off you go now, I have some big adult things to attend to. Play nice!” Anko teased, and then she was gone.

The confused trio of genin proceeded into the complex, following the directions on their mission scroll to a two-storey house on the east side. Upon arrival, Obito knocked on the door.

“Is that the genin team? Come in, we’re just in the front room!” A voice called from within.

Cautiously, they entered. They were greeted by the sight of a red-eyed woman wearing a dress that looked to be made of thick, interwoven bandages, and a hitai-ate on her forehead. Beside her was a young kid who looked to be about nine years old. His features were mostly unremarkable, aside from dark rings under his eyes and fresh scabs and grazes over his balled up fists.

“Oh, you’re here, thank goodness! I’m so sorry to put this on you, but I’ve been called out on a recon mission. Just remember that the kid’s a total flight risk, so you’re gonna need to keep an eye on him at all times,” The woman instructed hastily. Obito winced at how callously she seemed to describe the boy, especially while standing right next to him. Unsurprisingly, the boy huffed angrily at the woman’s words.

Obito heard the woman mutter “the things I do for that man” before she took off. Stunned, Sasuke and Hinata turned, presumably to look for Anko who they then remembered was no longer here. Taking the initiative, Obito stepped forward and held out a hand.

“Hi, Konohamaru. I’m Obito, and these are my friends, Sasuke and Hinata.” Obito smiled, but momentarily lost his composure when the boy aggressively batted his hand away.

“Don’t call me that! And don’t act all nice and friendly with me! I know you’re just like all the others,” The boy huffed, and turned to look away from his new babysitters.

“I’m sorry, that’s my bad. Do you have a name you’d prefer we call you?” Obito replied gently, lowering his hand but not stepping back.

The boy looked back at him in a moment of vulnerability which quickly melted back into hollow distrust, and grumbled a response. “You can call me Maru, I guess.”

A moment of tense silence passed, only to be broken by Sasuke, who spoke as he turned to leave. “I’m going to go find a kitchen and put some food together.”

Maru got up and walked over to a wooden post off to the side of the room and began aggressively punching at it. Hinata shot Obito a concerned glance, but Obito shook his head and raised an open hand as though to say ‘let me handle this’. Hinata gave a small nod, and left to find Sasuke.

Obito walked over towards Maru and his punching post, finding a spot to sit near him by the wall. “Hey, if it starts to hurt too much, let me know. I can heal your hands so you can keep going.”

“What?” Maru stopped punching, shocked.

“What do you mean, what?” Obito responded casually.

“Aren’t you... going to tell me to stop? Usually people say that I’m just going to hurt myself.” Maru grunted.

“You want to feel the pain, don’t you? I have no idea what you’re going through, and I might not believe this is the healthiest way to cope, but still… Who am I to take this away from you?” Obito said, keeping his tone and expression casual.

Maru looked straight at Obito. For a moment, Obito thought he saw something relax. But then Maru’s face hardened again, and he returned to his punching post. The punching went on for several minutes, before Maru finally held out his hands wordlessly.

Obito looked the hands over - the knuckles were red and raw, some blood starting to well up and run along the skin. Obito held out his own hands, and let the green healing chakra come forth. Focusing on the wounds, Obito moulded just the right amount of chakra to close over the wounds and help sooth the pain. Once the healing was finished, Obito withdrew his hands back to his lap.

Instead of continuing to punch, Maru allowed himself to fall back onto the floor, landing on a soft cushion. The boy looked up, and closed his eyes. “Kurenai also didn’t tell me to stop, at first. She thought that this was a good way for me to let out my anger... Or so she said. But it didn’t last, it never does.”

Obito wanted to scream in frustration at all these incompetent people who didn’t know how to respect kids, but this wasn’t his moment. Right now, this was about Maru. “Let me guess - she tells you that you’re too young to be so angry? Makes all the problems about you?”

Maru opened his eyes wide, staring directly into Obito’s eyes. Obito dodged the look, never having been comfortable with eye contact, especially in such an emotionally raw moment. They sat in silence for a while, until Sasuke marched angrily into the room carrying what looked like a half-empty paint bucket.

“What the-” Maru began, before getting up and bolting out of the room.

I should ask Hinata to go after Maru, I need to talk Sasuke down before this gets out of hand, Obito thought to himself.

“Hinata, could you?” Obito quickly requested, and Hinata followed after Maru.

“Now I know what Anko meant by part two,” Sasuke grumbled as he walked over to sit next to Obito. “How are you so relaxed about this?”

“Sasuke, take a moment to imagine what the kid’s life must be like. You and I both know what people say about the Third Hokage; how do you think people treat this kid?” Obito commented. “Do you remember the looks people gave me and Naruto when we were younger? Maru has to put up with that, and unlike my brother and I, he doesn’t have parents to support him.”

Sasuke’s expression mellowed as he took in Obito’s explanation, and his fists relaxed and uncurled. “You think he just wants attention?”

Obito nodded. “He pushes people away because he’s afraid of constantly being let down, but he pulls stunts like yesterday because he still wants people to notice that he exists and has worth.”

“Do you think we can help him?” Sasuke asked quietly.

“I think so,” Obito answered. “Shall we?”

At that moment, they heard Hinata call for help. The boys quickly stood up and ran towards the source of Hinata’s voice, finding her outside.

“I’m sorry... he made a run for it.” Hinata apologised, bowing her head slightly.

“Which way?” Sasuke asked hurriedly.

Hinata pointed, and then ran to chase after their escaped charge.

They had chased Maru to the base of the Hokage monument, where he was surrounded by three chunin.

“About time you caught up. Weren’t you three supposed to be keeping an eye on him?” One of the chunin snapped at the three genin as they arrived.

Something clicked in Sasuke’s brain, and Obito noticed his expression change. Ignoring the chunin, Sasuke grinned. “Hey Maru, I’ll race you to the top!”

For the first time since the genin trio had met the boy, he smiled back at them. “As if I’d lose to you, duckbutt!”

“Duckbutt? Oh, you’d better run!” Sasuke bantered back.

“You’re not going anywhere, bra-” One of the chunin tried to say, before collapsing to the ground. A moment later, his two companions followed suit.

Behind the three collapsed chunin, Obito stood with his hands in a Rat seal, wearing a self-satisfied grin.

“Well?!” Obito shouted expectantly at Maru and Sasuke. “Off you go!”

To none of the genin’s surprise, Maru set off at a bolt, running straight up the side of the monument. Sasuke chased after him, appearing to match pace so that Maru could think he was in the lead.

“Oh… We’re going to get in so much trouble for this,” Hinata fretted.

“Don’t you worry about that, princess,” said Anko’s voice from out of nowhere. “Oh, this is priceless!”

The figure of their sensei materialised next to one of the unconscious chunin, wheezing with laughter. “I’ll take care of these three, you two better go catch up with the kid.”

Between running a hospital and teaching classes, Tsunade barely caught enough of a break to pursue her own interests. Shizune would always insist that every day she didn’t have time to poison her liver was a good day. Each and every time, Tsunade would remind her that as Konoha’s foremost medical expert, she had her liver under control and would do as she desired. She finally had a chance to finish early and find some good booze for the first time in months... or so she thought.

“Lady Tsunade, may I please have a moment of your time?” A crackly, yet formal voice asked from behind her.

Tsunade turned to see a young teenager covered almost head to toe in a heavy grey coat. The teen’s eyes were covered too, with large, tinted glasses. Noting the lack of visible expression, Tsunade inferred that the young shinobi before her was an Aburame.

“If you need medical assistance, I’m sure someone inside who is actually on duty can help. Now, scram before I get annoyed,” Tsunade scowled, hoping to be left to her own devices for once.

She kept walking, but noticed that the genin was walking alongside her.

“Are the rumours true about Dan Kato?” The young Aburame asked plainly.

Tsunade stopped. “And... what rumours would those be?”

“I have heard talk that you were able to develop a medical procedure to help Dan Kato become… himself. Why am I asking this, you may wonder? Because... I want to become myself, too.” At the young Aburame’s words, Tsunade froze completely.

“Come with me,” Tsunade instructed, and walked to the herb garden behind the hospital building.

Tsunade found a bench at the far end of the garden, away from any prying ears. The Aburame followed her, and they both seated themselves.

“So, do you have a name I can use?” Tsunade asked.

“Shino. I am Aburame Shino, daughter of Aburame Shibi.” The Aburame spoke firmly.

Tsunade noticed Shino’s shoulders relax and drop back, but said nothing of it.

“Shino, I want you to understand one thing,” Tsunade began, her expression growing serious. “I fully intend to help you, but I have only ever done this kind of procedure once... on Dan. This will be a process that takes time. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Shino nodded. “Thank you, Lady Tsunade.”

Tsunade noticed a stray tear roll down the young kunoichi’s mostly concealed face.

An air-curdling scream filled the air, followed by incessant howling. It was just supposed to be a simple delivery mission, returning a set of scrolls containing borrowed ritual supplies to the Fire Temple. An ordinary, cut and dry C-ranked mission so that Itachi’s genin could stretch their legs outside of Konoha. Sure, they could expect to run into the odd highwayman, perhaps even an organised group of bandits. Run of the mill bandits shouldn’t have been a problem for Itachi’s team, even without him. No, this was very different.

There should have been absolutely no way this lone assailant could get the jump on them. Especially not on Aibo, the Inuzuka clan’s most promising young sensor. Nonetheless, the pool of blood told a different story. Aibo’s left arm lay a metre away from his body, speckled with dirt and blood. 

Itachi wasted no time drawing his own blade and rushing their attacker. The assailant backed off, creating some distance and then holding ground, waiting for Itachi to give him even a single opening.

“Neji, what do you see?” Itachi shouted urgently.

“As far as I can tell, it’s only him. Shiromaru?” Neji beckoned to the white dog howling by Aibo’s side.

Hearing his name, Shiromaru stopped howling. The dog raised his nose to the air, and perked up his ears. Then, Shiromaru shook his snout side to side, and barked once.

So no additional intel, then, Itachi thought.

“Neji, Shiromaru, stay on guard! Kaya, assess injuries and give us a timeframe, then get to work!” Itachi ordered decisively, keeping the assailant in his direct line of sight.

There were two things Itachi noticed immediately. First, the attacker’s face was covered by his helm, so Itachi had no way of knowing if he was making eye contact or not. Second, the attacker’s armour was too similar to the armour worn by samurai from the Land of Iron. There was no reason for a samurai to be in the Land of Fire, much less attacking Konoha shinobi.

When Itachi drew chakra to his eyes to activate his Sharingan, some of his questions were answered. “Neji! Do they have one or two kinds of chakra?”

“Two! What-” Neji began, before being cut off.

“I’ll explain later. Stay on the defensive!” Itachi barked, and prepared to go on the offensive.

Faster than any ordinary combatant should have been able to see, Itachi sheathed his sword, retrieved several shuriken from his pouch and flung them towards the samurai. Without missing a beat, he brought his hands into a bird seal, shouting “Wind Release: Rotating Shuriken” as he infused each of the airborne shuriken with his chakra. As the shuriken closed in on the samurai, Itachi used subtle hand motions to control each shuriken’s trajectory, making them encircle their target and strike from different angles.

The Samurai held his ground, deflecting most of the shuriken with incredible dexterity. One managed to hit, slicing through the samurai’s armour effortlessly and nicking his arm. Great, that’s all I need, Itachi thought as his chakra invaded the samurai’s mind, ensnaring him in a genjutsu.

“Sensei, I can give him an hour at most before he bleeds out! We need to move. Should we go without you?” Kaya called out, the tone of panic poorly concealed.

“Get ready to move on my order. We stay together, understood?” Itachi commanded, receiving a swift “yes, sensei!” From both Neji and Kaya.

The samurai ran forward and attempted to slash at Itachi, but instead cut through the air a metre to the jonin’s right. Itachi moved swiftly alongside the genjutsu-ensnared samurai, lifting the helm off his head and making direct eye contact. A split second after Itachi muttered the word ‘Tsukiyomi’, he instinctively punched with all his force at the samurai, sending the attacker flying back.

“Incoming!” Itachi barked, and not a moment too soon. Metallic shrapnel barraged the Konoha shinobi - Itachi and Neji were hard-pressed to defend their vulnerable comrades. Where the samurai once was, only cinders remained.

“What was-” stammered Kaya, who was just finishing up with her first aid efforts.

“A spiteful old bastard,” Itachi spat as he turned to face his genin.

Sakura entered through the store’s back door and grabbed a broom. “Ino, you here?”

A blonde head popped around the corner, and smiled. “Oh, Sakura! What’s up?”

“Muscles for brains, that’s what.” Sakura grumbled as she began to sweep dirt and petals into piles. “I’m stuck with bloody muscles for brains!”

Ino grabbed a dustpan to pick up Sakura’s piles, and groaned sympathetically. “Tell me about it... I’m stuck with Shikamaru. He’s got a brain, but he doesn’t do anything with it. It’s a miracle he even graduated from the Academy with that work ethic. As hard as Choji and I want to work, it’s obvious that Shikamaru is Asuma’s favourite.”

“We had to catch some dumb cat today, and I swear those idiots made it ten times harder,” said Sakura, frustration spilling from her voice. “No strategy, they say! Just outrun the cat and catch it, they say! Five hours later, when they finally listen to me and we catch the damn cat, Guy praises us for our ‘hard work’. Ino, you’ve got to bail me out. I’m going to have a psychotic break!”

“Do you think they’d allow a swap? You come join us, Guy takes Shikamaru. What do you reckon?” Ino asked half-jokingly.

“I wish, but I doubt it. So, what have you been up to?” Sakura frowned, gathering up the last bit of mess from the floor.

“Exciting stuff! We painted fences today! Again!” Ino faux-cheered. “One day people will look at me and talk about how I became such a good fence-painter that they gave me a jonin promotion! Other villages will have me in their bingo books, I can just see it. Attack on sight: Yamanaka Ino, the Lady of the Fences. What a future, hey?”

The girls worked away in miserable silence for a while, until Sakura had a moment of inspiration. “Hey, Ino? Since our teams are so useless, maybe we should just train together in the evenings. You in?”

When Guy arrived at the memorial stone, Hatake Kakashi was on his knees, clutching at his face with his hands. As he drew nearer, Guy heard the sobbing and hyperventilation, and his own heart sunk. Slowly, Guy approached Kakashi, and sat beside him. Knowing that Kakashi was in the middle of a panic attack, Guy put a supportive hand on his friend’s back and spoke softly.

“Kakashi, I’m here. Listen to the sound of my voice. You’re having a panic attack, but you will be okay. It will pass. Just focus on your breathing. Breathe in, and out. In... and out.” Guy kept his voice gentle and steady, and paced his breathing prompts to line up with Kakashi’s gradually stabilising breath patterns.

Once the attack had passed, Guy embraced Kakashi firmly, and they sat together for almost an hour until Kakashi’s tears had dried up.

Finally, Guy decided to break the silence. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I was fine,” Kakashi said quietly. “Fine, until just now. There’s no common ground, and these kids are... coordinated, to say the least. I know I have nothing to worry about, but I just can’t shake the images from my head. These kids deserve better than me, Guy.”

“They’ll be hard-pressed to find better, Kakashi. Think about it - The young Inuzuka boy has a sensei with experience working alongside ninken. Higurashi’s daughter can learn kenjutsu from you, and the Aburame’s been suggested as a future candidate for ANBU. You have more to offer each of them than most jonin could claim, and you care,” Guy insisted, as he got up off the ground

“I’ll tell you what. Two of mine need someone to teach them ninjutsu. You help me with that, and I’ll help work on their taijutsu. Deal?” Guy offered a hand to Kakashi. “Now let’s get out of here before any of the genin see us with our masks off, we have reputations to keep.”

Chapter Text

Before dawn had broken, Obito was woken by scattered thumping and clattering sounds that seemed to be coming from Naruto’s room. Groaning, the redhead brushed his still-growing locks away from his eyes and tied them back into a short ponytail, but not before weaving in a braid along one side. Checking over his braid-work gave Obito a strange feeling of rightness that he hadn’t felt before. 

Once he was done, Obito made his way over to Naruto’s room and knocked on the door.  The variety of percussive noises stopped, and a couple of seconds later the door opened, revealing chaos within. Scrolls, clothes and various shinobi tools were scattered everywhere, alongside all sorts of travel supplies. A half-packed backpack lay open on the blond’s bed, various items spilling over the sides.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Naruto asked at a whisper. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Obito whispered back. “We probably won’t be seeing each other for at least a couple weeks, so I’m glad I’m awake to see you off. What are you looking for?”

Obito stepped into Naruto’s room and closed the door, not wanting the sound to travel too far and wake their parents. Naruto knelt over a box and began rifling through it, occasionally tossing something from within behind him.

“I still need rope and wire, and I’m short on explosive tags. I need to be at the gate in half an hour, so Higurashi’s wouldn’t be open in time to buy more...” Naruto trailed off in his rushed panic to get his supplies together.

“You keep looking for the rope and wire, and I’ll make you some tags. Are you sure you didn’t already pack them?” Obito asked quietly.

“Wait... I just bought them yesterday, maybe-” Naruto cut himself off in a moment of realisation and sprinted out of the room. By the time Obito had retrieved blank tags, ink and a brush from his own room, Naruto returned holding rope and wire.

“Do you still want more tags?” Obito asked. At Naruto’s nod of affirmation, he got to work drawing up the seals.

Fifteen minutes later, Obito had changed out of his pyjamas and joined Naruto outside. The twins jogged to the village gates, Naruto’s teammates were already waiting. Both Guy and Lee were unsurprisingly dressed in their usual green spandex, and carried their own travel packs. Sakura had seemingly decided against her usual pink outfits, and wore a dull green top and black utility pants. Rather than a large backpack, Sakura had a satchel slung over her shoulder.

Trust Sakura to be the only one to pack into sealing scrolls, Obito mused, chuckling to himself.

Sakura looked over at Obito, and noticed what he’d done with his hair. “Hey, nice braid! It’s really pretty.”

Obito flushed. 

“YOSH!” Guy roared at a volume that was certainly sufficient to wake anyone in the neighbourhood. “It is time for us to embark on our first youthful adventure together!”

“Tsukigakure awaits!” Lee shouted, mirroring Guy’s ridiculous enthusiasm. “And how wonderfully youthful of you, Obito, to rise so early and see your beloved brother off!”

“Oh, I’m just here to savour the moment when the gates close behind you and my freedom begins,” Obito teased, earning himself an elbow to the ribs from his twin. “I’m still surprised they assigned a diplomacy mission to you guys, given it’s your first C-rank.”

“It should be a breeze,” Sakura assured. “They’re expecting us, and it’s more of a messenger mission than anything diplomatic anyway. Delivering in person is supposed to be a sign of good faith and all that.”

“Now, my young disciples, it is time for us to make haste. Farewell, young Obito!” Guy announced, and led his team out of the village.

Obito had a few hours to spare before he needed to meet with his team. Since they were also going to be taking their first C-Rank mission, Obito used the time to take inventory of his supplies and organise them into sealing scrolls. Once they received their mission specifications, he would be able to easily select the scrolls he needed and be ready for immediate departure - unlike his brother who thought it would be fine to pack at the last minute.

Since he had so much spare time, Obito ended up getting bored and going to the Hokage Tower early. He figured that he could just sit and read until his teammates arrived. Walking into the mission assignment hall, the first thing Obito noticed was an older man who seemed to be arguing with the chunin at the desk.

“You better give me the best you’ve got,” the man demanded assertively, though without any aggression. “Alright?”

“Sir,” one of the chunin responded calmly. “You’ll get what you’ve paid for. But I can assure you that the team assigned to your request will be more than capable of completing it.”

The desk chunin looked up and seemed to notice Obito walk in, and called out just as Obito was reaching for a book. “Oi, Obito, get over here!”

Obito dropped the book back into his pouch and approached the desk. “Morning, Kotetsu. Hey, can I borrow one of those giant kunai? I need something to butter my bread with.” The redhead smirked as he teased the chunin before him.

“Ugh,” Kotetsu groaned. “It’s too early for your cheek, give me a break. Besides, I doubt you’d even be able to cut through butter with your little noodle arms.”

“True,” Obito sighed, feigning a downcast look at Kotetsu’s return quip. Then, putting jokes aside, Obito smiled congenially. “Did you hear that we’re getting our first C-rank mission today? I hope you have something good for us!”

The older man seemed to finally noticed Obito’s presence, and gave him a lazy once over. “Sorry, did I hear right? This kid is taking shinobi missions? I thought you were supposed to be one of the more reputable hidden villages...”

Obito could smell alcohol on the man’s breath, though he seemed to balance well and speak clearly. The young genin was about to respond by proving his capability to ‘reassure’ the man before Kotetsu cut in, smirking in a way that raised Obito’s suspicions. Oh, shit. Well, good thing I didn’t do anything too crazy.

“Actually, Obito, this is Tazuna. He’s a bridge builder from the Land of Waves, seeking to hire a team of protectors to guard him and his workers until they complete their bridge. Tazuna, this is Uzumaki Obito...” Kotetsu’s smirk lifted into thinly veiled mirth. “He’s one of the fine shinobi who’ll be protecting you.”

Tazuna choked and coughed, his face slightly reddening. “I’m sorry, what?! I paid you Leaf folk good money, and you’re sending me back with kids?”

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. He sifted through a small pile of papers, and pulled out a single sheet, quickly scanning it. “Tazuna, sir, it says here exactly how much you paid. The most we can assign is an appropriate team for a C-rank mission, and even that’s generous.”

Obito took it upon himself to chime in, oblivious to the poor delivery of his reasoning. “Besides, you won’t do much better. We’re the closest Hidden Village to Wave Country, and with your apparently limited funds, the cost of safely getting to another village will probably leave you unable to afford a new team.”

“The kid’s right, ya geezer,” announced the voice of Anko who had characteristically appeared out of nowhere and was now leaning with their elbow on Obiot’s head. “Of course, you could try your luck at Sunagakure - their economy is starved enough they might take your job, if you can make it there alive. But you ain’t got nothing to worry about - my three little munchkins are more than enough to look after you.”

On cue, Kotetsu picked up one of the many scrolls laid out at his desk and handed it to Anko - the latter of whom had decided to continue leaning on Obito indefinitely. Anko quickly unfurled the scroll and began to read over its contents. “Standard bodyguarding? Should be fun. The little ones will get to see another country with their own eyes, too!”

Tazuna very visibly noticed Anko’s sly jab at his reservations. He grumbled in resignation, and took a swig from the bottle he was carrying. “Eh, fine. So, what now?”

“The mission will take at least a couple weeks, so we’ll need to gather our supplies and then meet at the village gate. When you’re ready, I’ll escort you to take care of any business you might have, and we’ll depart in one hour.” Anko answered more formally.

An hour later, Obito made it back to the village gates, fully prepared for their extended trip. The process of gathering his belongings was well streamlined; unlike his brother, Obito kept his more important belongings categorised by a coded sealing scroll system, allowing him to easily pick out exactly what he needed. As a result, it took him only a few minutes to pack everything he needed into one torso-sized sealing scroll he could sling over his back. Strapped to the back of his waist was the sheathed black wakizashi that Hayate had given him, the hilt emerging on Obito’s right. He was dressed in a light black jacket, and deep navy pants. All the clothing he’d packed was devoid of any clan symbols, to minimise recognition by any enemies they encountered.

On arrival, Obito noticed that Hinata was already waiting, patiently sitting on a bench by the large village gates. The girl was wearing a variant of her usual cream-coloured attire, without the flame emblems. Beside her was a padded box with back straps, presumably containing her needed belongings. As Obito drew closer, he realised something was different - Hinata was wearing some kind of contacts to mask her Byakugan.

“Oh, good morning, Obito,” Hinata greeted with a gentle smile. “Are you feeling ready?”

Obito swung the ‘outer’ scroll off his back, and dropped it beside Hinata. “Oh, definitely. Time for us to get out there and see the rest of the world, huh?”

Hinata looked towards the gates, with an expression that Obito interpreted as not just longing, but almost desperation. “Yeah...” She then turned back to face Obito again, the look on her face replaced entirely with one of polite calm.

Obito wanted to find something to say that would pick up conversation - Hinata had been more reserved than usual in the last month, and he wanted to check in and see how she was going. She didn’t talk much about her sessions with Ibiki, which Obito knew was her absolute right, but she also didn’t talk much about anything outside of missions and training either. Before Obito had a chance to get a word in, Sasuke made his presence known by dropping out of the sky.

The Uchiha boy had either decided to take the rooftop route all the way to the gates, or was just making a dramatic entrance by leaping off a building towards his teammates. Obito was inclined to believe the latter; Sasuke was always one for posturing that would make him ‘look cool’. Seeing his attire, Obito shook his head pityingly. Sasuke had decided that a navy shirt and light shorts were appropriate attire for the mission, and Obito hoped that he had the sense to pack something warmer.

“Yo!...Do I even wanna know what that scroll’s for?” Sasuke sounded apprehensive, understandably wary of any situation that involved both Uzumaki Obito and any form of fuinjutsu. Obito proceeded to explain that it was just a sealing scroll, and suggested that his teammates let him seal their packs into it so that they would be less encumbered.

Sasuke was in the middle of giving an update on Inuzuka Aibo’s recovery status when Tazuna arrived, accompanied by Anko. It was no secret that Sasuke had a tense relationship with his brother that formed the basis for a mild inferiority complex. Still, the fact that Sasuke made time to visit Itachi’s injured student to try and lighten his brother’s emotional burden spoke volumes.

Unsurprisingly, Anko had her hands full with several skewers of dango. Obito supposed that she had decided to stock up for the trip, but also knew that Anko would devour them all within the first hour of travel. Obito related to that - he found that when snacks were present, impulse did not allow for moderation. 

“Right. Well, should we get going now?” Tazuna suggested impatiently, quite apparently not enjoying his company of the past hour.

The group walked in a standard protective formation under Anko’s instruction. The Tokubetsu-Jonin had pointed out that an ambush could always come out of nowhere, and a good formation would be critical in keeping the client alive in such a scenario. Anko and Obito each walked on either side of Tazuna. Hinata and Sasuke took the front and back respectively, each staying a few paces ahead or behind the central trio.

They had walked in silence, at first, the mood soured by Tazuna’s general disgruntlement. Eventually, Anko broke the silence. “Obito, take this. I want to see it for myself,” said Anko, as she passed a small slip of paper to her student.

Recognising the paper, Obito sighed. “Seriously? You’ve read my file, and you’ve been training us for a month. What, am I just some kind of party trick to you? Ugh, fine.”

Taking the slip of paper from Anko, Obito allowed a small amount of his chakra to travel out of his fingers. For a few seconds, nothing happened. And then, the paper started to fade. Over the course of several seconds it went from an ordinary, opaque, obviously solid piece of paper into what seemed like a translucent film. Finally, nothing; as though the paper had never existed to begin with.

“Huh,” said Anko as she stared at the empty space where the paper used to exist, wearing on her face a look of mild interest.

“Huh,” echoed Tazuna, less on the intrigued side and more on the startled side. “I take it that’s not supposed to happen?”

Anko shook her head, and procured another slip of chakra induction paper. “This is a special kind of paper that we use to find out what type of chakra our rookie shinobi have. There are five core chakra elements - fire, water, earth, wind and lightning. Every shinobi has a natural affinity towards one of these elements. By allowing some chakra to flow into the paper, a shinobi can find out their affinity depending on what happens to it. If someone with an affinity for fire puts chakra into this paper...”

The paper in Anko’s hand caught aflame, and burned down until it was naught more than ash. “The paper burns. If the affinity is water, the paper will become wet. For earth, it will turn to dirt and crumble away. Wind chakra splits the paper. And lightning...” Anko handed another piece of the paper to Hinata, who obligingly made the paper crinkle up between her fingers.

“...does that,” Anko continued.

“But the ginger brat’s paper did none of those things. How come?” Tazuna asked, scratching his wispy beard.

“For some reason, I don’t have an affinity for any of the five elements. As it turns out, not only do I lack the affinity for any of these elements, I lack the ability to use them,” Obito explained. “Instead, I have an affinity for a special kind of chakra called Yin chakra. The reason my mature and professional sensei thinks it’s a party trick is that no shinobi in recorded history has had a primary affinity for Yin.”

Anko poked out her tongue mockingly at Obito, who rolled his eyes in response. “If I had a ryo for every time someone handed me chakra paper and asked me to show them what happens, I’d have... around 10 ryo, so clearly this isn’t much of a party trick.”

“This coming from the guy who’s always complaining about people lacking curiosity,” Sasuke scoffed good-naturedly.

“I guess you’ve got me there,” Obito conceded with a chuckle. Guy?

Now that the mood had lightened up, the group continued to chat and banter as they walked. Sasuke seemed to be interested in the lifestyle of the people of Wave, whilst Obito was enjoying learning about the mechanical nuances of bridge masonry. Hinata seemed content walking quietly and listening, which was of no shock to the others.

The conversation about bridge-building was beginning to taper off when Anko’s body language changed subtly, becoming tense in a way that none of the genin had the training yet to notice. “I gotta go take a piss - you guys keep going and I’ll catch up,” Anko said unabashedly, and turned to walk away from the dirt path. Hinata let out a quiet ‘eep’ of surprise at Anko’s immodesty, still undergoing some form of culture shock after having grown up in the Hyuuga clan - where everything had to be right and proper.

As the genin walked, feeling vulnerable without their powerful sensei nearby, Obito noticed something strange. A lone puddle lay along the dirt path, unaccompanied even by any damp spots. The sky was clear, and had been so the whole morning - so something was off. Obito’s first instinct was to assume that this was one of Anko’s traps - over the last month she had made something of a habit of trying to catch her students off guard at any hour of the day. Then he remembered that this was a real mission, and it was entirely possible that they were walking into an actual ambush.

“Hinata, heads up! We may have company,” Obito whispered with a mix of urgency and caution.

Due to the kunoichi’s lack of real mission experience, there was a short delay between Obito’s words and her doujutsu activating - a short delay that came at a real price. By the time Hinata’s Byakugan allowed her to see the two figures disguised within the puddle ahead, they had already leapt out in a coordinated attack. The attackers wielded a clawed gauntlet each, connected to one another by a long bladed chain. Landing on either side of Hinata, the assailants manoeuvred their chain in an attempt to encircle and ensnare her. Fortunately, Hinata’s quick reflexes allowed her to bat away the chain and step out of its impending grasp - unfortunately, her evasive movement positioned the attackers right in between her and Tazuna.

As soon as Hinata had deflected the chain, Sasuke had leapt into the air and hurled a shuriken which struck the chain and pulled it - and the assailants - towards the roadside trees. Just as quickly, the chain seemed to fall away from the gauntlets, allowing the attackers to move freely.

Without a moment of hesitation, the two attackers were flying towards Tazuna from two sides. Obito drew his wakizashi, moving to intercept one of the attackers. He instantly regretted the decision, realising that his intensive kenjutsu training had conditioned him to resort first to his blade when he could and should have enclosed himself and Tazuna within a barrier seal.

Hinata had managed to position herself on the other side of Tazuna in time, and the two of them were able to hold off the attackers long enough for Sasuke to show off the fruits of his own training. Without warning, two spinning orbs of flame shot at the assailants from overhead. As sudden and rapid as they were, the attackers were faster, if the two tiny, smoking craters left along the roadside were any indication.

Hinata was the first to turn, stepping to intercept one of the attackers who had yet again leapt at Tazuna - making it clear that he was their target. The attacker made the mistake of trying to face off Hinata, clearly unaware of her particular skill set. He slashed at her with his claw, and while he was fast, Hinata was able to keep up and tap once, twice, and thrice across his arm. The man let out a grunt as his arm fell limp. Disadvantaged enough by his now paralyzed arm, the attacker made for the treeline in an attempt to escape. Unfortunately for him, the branch he had chosen to first land on was occupied by the figure of Anko, who was carrying the body of the assailant’s partner over her shoulder. Anko’s fist was swiftly introduced to the would-be escapee’s abdomen, and he fell back to the ground with a thump.

“Passable response,” Anko commented as she dropped to the ground, letting the second attacker fall from her grasp with another thump. “Could have been better, but at least nobody’s injured. Congratulations on surviving your first encounter with enemy shinobi.” The last two words dripped with an odd mix of venom and intrigue as Anko turned to glare at Tazuna.

Once Team 6 had dragged their failed attackers far enough from the road that they wouldn’t be disturbed, and then tied them securely to a sturdy tree, Anko turned again to Tazuna. “So, who did you piss off to need protection from Kirigakure shinobi?” Anko asked in an almost-too-casual tone.

“Me?” Tazuna protested, attempting to deny responsibility. “How about you explain why you left the fighting to your kids,” Tazuna retorted, trying to assert himself over the aloof kunoichi. “I’m no fool - there’s no way you just happened to need to go for a leak right before what was obviously an ambush.”

“Hah, you’ve got some balls, spinning things on me like that. I had to find out who their target was, so I needed these two fine chaps to think I wouldn’t be around. From what I gather, you’re the target. Plus, I needed to see how well my kids could handle themselves against real enemies,” Anko responded nonchalantly. “Now, when you filed a request for standard protection, you mentioned nothing about being hunted by shinobi. This mission is now at least a B-rank, and you only paid for C-rank protection.”

Anko’s sentence ended with intonation that suggested they weren’t done talking - and yet, they said no more. Silence held for a confusing moment.

“So... Are you just going to go back to Konoha now?” Tazuna asked cautiously.

“What? Nah, this sounds like fun,” Anko laughed cheekily, leaving Tazuna confused and mildly apprehensive. The three genin were used to Anko’s bullshit and just decided to go with the flow. “A humble bridge-builder from a small island country, set upon by shinobi in an attempted assassination!”

“Fun? Not that I want to go against your willingness to continue protecting me, but will these kids be okay?” Tazuna asked, seemingly torn between wanting protection and not wanting to have dead child soldiers on his conscience.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and huffed indignantly. “Gramps, if Anko thought we couldn’t handle it we’d already be half-way back to Konoha by now. So, are you going to give us the full story, or what?”

“Failed?! What do you mean, failed?” The short businessman stood aggressively, spraying saliva as he spoke. A look of offended anger marred his pudgy, stubbly face. “I paid you guys a lot of money because you’re supposed to be skilled shinobi!”

Upon hearing of the Demon Brothers’ failure, Gato and his assistant had immediately gone to confront the leader of the shinobi he’d hired. The strange treehouse had an unpleasant atmosphere to it, and Gato felt as though he shouldn’t be made to spend a second more than necessary in this foul place. The shinobi group’s leader lounged on a sofa passively, clearly not appreciative of the supposed importance of his wealthy employer.

“Shut your damn trap,” the shinobi groaned, more irritated than he was affronted. Wrapping his hands around the hilt of his gigantic sword, the man casually twirled the blade through the air as though it was weightless, halting its movement when it was pointed directly at Gato’s small form. Gato flinched, and his demeanor shifted from aggression to fear just as quickly. 

“Just leave it to me and my Kubikiribocho.”

As the canoe steadily pushed through the misty waters dividing Wave from Fire, Tazuna explained the situation regarding the corrupt businessman Gato and his influence over Wave.

“The Land of Waves is a poor nation. Our feudal lord has no money, and neither do us civilians. A C-Rank mission was the most I could afford to pay, even with many others pitching in. I do understand if you want to turn back once we land ashore. However, if you do, I will certainly be killed,” Tazuna explained solemnly, before his face lifted into one of sardonic jest. “No need to worry, though! If I die, my cute eight year-old grandson will just cry his heart out! And then, my daughter will just have to blame Konoha and its shinobi for the rest of her life as she grieves in solitude. She’s a widowed single mother, you know!”

“Huh?” Anko raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, it wouldn’t be your fault, though!” Tazuna chuckled, the sarcasm only mildly present in his voice.

It was Sasuke who spoke up, in a tone of moderate annoyance. “Seriously, gramps? You know we already said we were continuing with the mission.”

“Oh,” Tazuna exclaimed. “I’m glad to hear it!”

The group arrived in a small, notably mistless port, populated by shabby wooden houses, and the ferryman bid them farewell. Tazuna explained that he lived in another village a half-hour’s walk away, and led them along a path past the port. Obito couldn’t help but notice the few locals they passed by. They seemed just a little malnourished, and their expressions were hollow and devoid of any kind of spark.

The walk was seemingly uneventful, until...

“Duck!” Anko shouted suddenly. Everyone reacted quickly, a metallic mass soaring overhead. The mass lodged itself into a tree, revealing itself to be a giant cleaver-like blade. A tall, muscular man wearing a Kiri hitai-ate landed on the handle of the blade, looking down at Tazuna and his group of shinobi protectors.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Anko exclaimed. “Gato must be really concerned about that bridge if he’s hired the Demon of the Hidden Mist.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t know who you are, but you’ll be handing over that old man right now... If you know what’s good for you.” Perched on his giant sword half-way up a tree, Zabuza towered over the Konoha shinobi intimidatingly. Obito could tell that this guy was on a different level than the Demon Brothers who ambushed them earlier. Though he knew Anko was a powerful shinobi in her own right, Obito felt on edge, as though he needed to be ready to run at a moment’s notice.

“Well, you see, I’m not someone who knows ‘what’s good for me’,” Anko grinned devilishly. Zabuza’s response was to leap towards the nearby water, leaving his sword impaled in the tree. He began visibly channeling chakra, and water rose to spiral around him. Rather than try to interfere, Anko began issuing orders to the genin as quickly as she could, before the world around them went white.

The creaky door to Tazuna’s home swung open, and Team 6 were greeted by a gasp from the dark-haired woman within. Obito registered the woman’s reaction to their entrance, but deemed it unimportant in the current situation, instead choosing to keep his focus on the body of his unconscious sensei. Their weight was being supported by Sasuke and Hinata and their legs dragged against the ground as the genin walked. Obito followed a single pace behind, his green-glowing hands pressed firmly over a deep red gash that coloured the skin above their waist.

Anko’s body was gently lowered onto a large mat that covered the wooden floor, and Hinata was finally able to assist Obito in attending to their sensei’s wounds. With their combined efforts, they were able to clean and dress the wound after repairing enough damage to keep her from bleeding out. They were both still medical trainees, which was made clear by their inability to completely heal the wound. This meant that Anko would need to rest for at least a day before doing anything physical, else risk reopening the wound.

When Hinata and Obito emerged from the room they were treating Anko in, Obito finally took in the scene around him. The dark-haired woman seemed to be more relieved than anything to see Tazuna, and had pulled him into the kitchen where she was flitting around, preparing some form of feast. Obito’s heart sank at the sight, knowing full well that the people of Wave were not well off and likely had little food to spare. Sasuke was standing with his back to a wall off in the corner, a troubled look marring his face.

Tazuna noted Hinata and Obito emerge from the side room they had rushed into, and turned his attention towards them. “How is she?”

“They’ll need to rest a while, but Anko-sensei will make a full recovery,” Hinata responded clearly, in the tone Shizune had once taught them to use when addressing the comrades and family members of patients.

“...That’s good, at least. In the meantime, why don’t we make introductions? Everyone, this is my daughter, Tsunami. Tsunami, this is Sasuke, Hinata and Obito - three of the shinobi who are here to guard me. You’ll also get to meet my grandson, Inari, when we sit down to eat. So... What now?”

The three genin exchanged glances at Tazuna’s question, Hinata and Sasuke both looking expectantly at Obito. “Anko probably won’t wake until tomorrow, and we need to act sooner rather than later. That person who intervened in our fight was wearing the mask of Kirigakure’s Hunter Shinobi. But... Kiri’s Hunters usually destroy the corpses of their targets immediately, and this person took Zabuza’s body away. Something wasn’t right about that, and so I doubt we’ve seen the last of Momochi Zabuza.

“We’re in enemy territory with little information to work with, and unknown enemies. Our most powerful team member will be incapacitated for at least a couple of days, so we cannot afford to be in the dark. Until we have Anko back, or at least a better picture of what we’re up against, I don’t think that Tazuna should return to the bridge.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” A deep voice sounded out hesitantly. “I mean, shouldn’t we at least wait until Anko-sensei wakes up?”

“We need to get the lay of the land here, Sasuke,” came a softer, higher pitched reply. “I’m sure Anko will understand. Besides, I have the perfect skill set for this kind of espionage. If my cover gets blown, I can escape pretty easily.”

“Well, at least you seem pretty comfortable with being transformed into a woman,” Sasuke teased. 

“Huh? It’s just part of the job, what do you mean?” Obito responded, but his nonchalance was feigned. Should I be this comfortable?

The two transformed shinobi walked towards the bar that Tazuna had told them about, trying to act as though they belonged. Once they neared the establishment, Sasuke peeled off to look for a good vantage point to hide, leaving Obito to go in alone. Looking around, Obito was easily able to identify his choice of targets. Most of the people within were lifeless, devoid of any of the spirit typical of people winding down with a drink after a hard day at work. Obito would have expected a combination of those who were ready to let out pent up energy, and those who just wanted to drink and relax. The atmosphere, however, was nothing short of tense. The only outliers were the two armed men who seemed to be enjoying harassing a mild-mannered bartender behind the counter.

Bingo, thought Obito as he approached the counter. A few sweet words sufficed to lure one of the men outside and into an alleyway beside the bar - a promise of an evening together in the enticing confines of ‘her’ empty home. Once Obito and his target were well into the alleyway and out of site, he turned to face the thug with a smile. A line of shock crept into the man’s face when he noticed that the smile was not one of lust. No, it was a smile of satisfaction that betrayed deception. Two fingers and the thumb of each hand joined to form an open circle pointed directly at the thug, and Obito enunciated the words “Mind Body Switch Technique” before collapsing to the ground.

Even with his body transformed, Obito wasn’t used to the unsettling sensory transition. It was fast enough that he could watch his own body fall to the ground. There was a nagging discomfort in his mind; one that knew that this wasn’t his body. Obito gave the long, dangly arms a shake to acclimatise, accidentally knocking the sword at the body’s hip. He performed a few routine stretches, buying some time - after all, the other thug wouldn’t expect his return so soon.

A short while later, Obito walked out of the alleyway and let out a haphazard whistle - a cue for Sasuke. Still under the transformed disguise of a stubbly worker, Sasuke crossed Obito’s path and into the alleyway. “Be careful, okay?” Obito allowed himself a subtle nod at Sasuke’s words, and returned to the pub whilst his teammate retrieved his real body.

“Oh, man,” Obito exclaimed boldly as he walked back into the pub, stretching his arms up into the air. “I really needed that!”

The genin tried to keep his expression and body language casual, masking the worry that he would blow his cover. Sliding into the seat next to the other thug, Obito grabbed a half-empty drink and raised it to his lips. His ‘friend’ gave him an odd look, and Obito struggled to parse the meaning behind it. Was he acting out of character, or perhaps was the other guy envious of the attention he believed his ‘friend’ to have gotten?

“Damn, Zori, that was fast. Where’s the chick?” The thug grunted, gazing with disappointment at his empty glass.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Obito put on a smirk. He knew he had to keep his wording vague at first, until he’d gotten a good read on how to act.

“Tch, you were never one to share. Drinks ran dry, we should head back.” The thug lazily pushed himself up off his stool, knocking his glass to the floor. He seemed entirely unfazed by the panicked reaction of the barkeep, or the many shards of glass now scattered across the floor. Obito got up again with a ‘Hmph’, and followed the man out of the bar.

Though the island of Wave was small, it was still disconcerting that the walk to what appeared to be Gato’s headquarters took less than ten minutes - having the enemy practically on one’s doorstep was not remotely conducive to relaxation. Obito kept up the chatter with his ‘comrade’, slowly getting a feel for the personality of ‘Zori’ and becoming more confident in his facade. The headquarters were guarded by a pair of burly men with spiked clubs. They greeted ‘Zori’ and the other man, whose name was apparently ‘Waraji’ with distaste, stepping aside to allow Waraji to push open the doors.

Obito tried as discreetly as he could to look around, trying to find out as much as he could about enemy territory. At this time of night, it was reasonably quiet - a few armed individuals were lounging about on various pieces of furniture. A sound of heavy footsteps crescendoed as a short, pudgy man in a suit paced angrily down a hallway towards Obito and Waraji. He seemed to be looking directly at Obito. The genin’s breath caught, a lapse in judgement allowing him to fear that he’d been caught out.

“Zori! I have a job for you to do right now!” The man spat aggressively, still pacing towards Obito with fury.

“Sir,” Obito intoned flatly, not quite sure how to address this man who he suspected was Gato himself.

“You’re going to go to that bastard shinobi Zabuza and his tag-along bitch and give them a message. You tell them that if they don’t deal with that damn builder and his guards within a week, they’re FIRED! Darn shinobi talks big, but can’t walk the fucking walk.”

“Sir.” Obito nodded, realising instantly that he didn’t know where to go. “Are they in...”

“That fucking icebox, yes. Go, NOW!” Gato roared, and Obito set off. Icebox, huh? Probably someplace cold. Obito’s extrapolation turned out to be reliable. Waraji didn’t follow, so he was free to roam the corridors in search of a drop in heat that would betray the location of Zabuza.

The sought-after drop in room temperature was quite noticeable, as Obito began seeing condensation from his breathing. He moved in the direction of the cold, eventually being led to a room at the end of a winding hallway. Cautiously, Obito raised a hand to knock at the door. Before even reaching the door, a wave of malice burst towards him, making him flinch away. The door opened, revealing a deceptively gentle figure. The gentle face with long, neat hair and a tidy kimono were betrayed by eyes that glared daggers at Obito - eyes that spoke of a person who had one sole purpose, and refused to be slowed down by anyone or anything. “What?” The figure spat.

Obito coughed, trying to regain his composure so that he could stay in ‘character’. “The boss says that you have seven days, or you ain’t getting paid.”

“You can tell Gato that we will get the job done. On the seventh day, we will finish this. You can also tell him that I will personally kill anyone he sends to do the job in our place. Now leave! My master needs his rest.” The words came in a tone that wasn’t quite venom - there was hardly any anger. Just crystal-clear resolve.

Obito gulped, sneaking a glance through the partially open doorway. He could see part of a body stretched out on a bed, and a familiar mask on a small table beside the bed. Huh, so we were right. The supposed ‘Hunter’ is allied with Zabuza. But why the deception, why not just join forces to take us out at the beginning?

The door slammed shut in Obito’s face, and he realised he’d been staring. Reminding himself that he was still in enemy territory and needed to focus on learning what he could, Obito turned and set off down the hallway to find Gato.

Passing doorway after doorway, Obito eventually heard Gato’s voice from within one of the rooms. Though a misguided natural instinct wanted to complete the ‘task’ he was assigned and deliver the return message to Gato, Obito caught himself and stopped by the door. Electing not to press his ear to the gaps in case someone did walk by and blow his cover, Obito simply stood and listened as best he could.

“Are you sure, sir? Double-crossing him doesn’t seem wise.” One voice advised with a mild tone of panic.

“You fool! Gah, I’m stuck with such idiots everywhere! We’ll let Zabuza and his bitch fight it out with those Konoha shinobi. Once they’ve killed each other off, the survivors will be too tired to resist, which is when we strike. As if I’d pay that bastard a single coin when I can just use him and kill him after. This is why I’m in charge, and not you, you fucking fool!” Gato’s voice snarled.

The plot thickens, Obito mused to himself. Hearing footsteps approach the door from within, Obito quickly stepped back and raised a fist as though about to knock. The door opened to reveal Gato’s small, angry form. “Well? What did they say?”

“Sir, Zabuza appears to be injured. The kid said they’d take out the bridge-builder in seven days. Uh... Also, that if you sent anyone to fulfill the mission in his place, the kid would...” Obito forced a gulp.

“Would what, Zori? What happened to you that you’re afraid of a little girl? Ah, I don’t care! Report back in the morning, we have shipments to collect.” Gato rested his hands on a cane, upper lips raised into a frustrated snarl.

Obito realised that he’d probably broken character, and shouldn’t take any more risks. Having been dismissed, he found a private place within the building and pressed his hands together, releasing his jutsu. A powerful tug yanked at his consciousness, and Obito found himself staring up at the wooden ceiling of Tazuna’s home. It had gotten quite late, and Obito had confirmed that they were not in any immediate danger. Feeling the enticing pull of fatigue, Obito allowed his eyes to close as he drifted off to sleep.

The following morning, Obito was woken early once again by the sound of clattering objects nearby. Reminding himself that he was far outside of Konoha, and so was Naruto, and therefore this could not be Naruto, Obito pushed himself up to go and investigate. Following the source of the sound in the still somewhat unfamiliar house, Obito arrived in the spacious kitchen. Unfolding before him was an interesting scene - Anko was haphazardly tossing things about, apparently attempting to make food.

“Um... sensei? What are you doing?” Obito asked tentatively, partly concerned with respecting the home they were staying in and partly concerned with Anko’s healing injuries.

“Eh? Making breakfast, obviously. I just can’t seem to find a darned pot amongst all these frying pans.” Anko replied casually.

“Do you even know where you are?” Obito checked, now wondering if Anko had sustained a head injury that he and Hinata had failed to notice.

“Yeah, we’re in Tazuna’s home. Nice job on the healing, by the way. And I suppose the salve was Hinata’s?” Anko praised, rifling through a cupboard until she finally found a large cast iron pot.

“Are you not worried about... you know... waking everyone up?” Obito groaned, a judgy tone creeping into his voice.

Anko stared at him, as though she hadn’t even considered the possibility. “Oh! Ah well, at least there’ll be food. Geez, I’m starving!”

Obito had never seen this seemingly careless side to Anko before, and his worries that Anko took a hit to the head grew larger. “Are you feeling alright?”

“What? Never better! So, give me an update - what did I miss?” A trout had somehow materialised itself in Anko’s hands, and she got to work cutting it apart and deboning it with a kunai.

Obito sighed, his fears realised as a dazed Tsunami emerged from the nearby staircase. She took in the scene around her, panic growing rapidly on her now-alert face. “Wha?” She sputtered, looking as though she’d never seen her kitchen in this state before.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll clean it all up when I’m done, don’t you worry!” Anko tried to placate Tsunami, who huffed before leaving to go back up the stairs. Obito sighed again, wondering how such a composed, cunning shinobi could devolve into... this. “So, Obito? You gonna fill me in, or what?”

“So,” Anko began, now sitting cross-legged with food in front of them . “We have six more days, huh? At least, if they’re trustworthy.”

“But this all begs the question - if Gato is paying Zabuza and that fake Hunter shinobi to kill Tazuna, why didn’t they just finish the job yesterday?” Obito pressed “I... I know it’s probably naive and optimistic, but I have a feeling that this doesn’t have to end in bloodshed between shinobi. If Zabuza is getting played, why don’t we try and prove it to him and join forces to deal with Gato?”

Anko’s eyes set into a piercing gaze focused on Obito’s own. “Damn right you’re being naive. Momochi Zabuza has no reason to trust us, and we can’t take chances here. Going up against shinobi like him, it’s kill or be killed.”

Obito gulped, feeling the pressure of Anko’s suffocatingly intense glare. He wanted to be right, wanted to find a way to resolve this without having to fight Zabuza again. Obito definitely didn’t want to fight the kid who was looking after him either. Anko then ate in silence, sitting opposite Obito. One by one, the rest of the team trickled in, along with Tazuna and a still-grumpy Tsunami.

“Alrighty, the whole gang’s here!” Anko exclaimed, once everyone was seated around the table with their food. “We’re expecting a rematch with Momochi Zabuza in six days, according to Obito’s intel. Until then, each day one of you will go with Tazuna to the bridge and stay on guard, and the other two will come with me to train in the forest.”

“Sensei? I think it would make more sense for me to stay on guard the whole time. If we’re anticipating a trap, it would make more sense for me to go and set up some traps of our own. Besides, I stand to gain the least from a week of training out here.” Obito suggested matter-of-factly.

“Sure, that’s fine by me,” Anko agreed. “We’ll start today. Sasuke, Hinata, finish eating and get your stuff.”

“Wait... Why don’t we just take the fight to Gato? Zabuza is injured, right? Surely now is the time to strike!” Sasuke proposed insistently. “Why wait?”

“I... I think that...” Hinata started, struggling with her words. Obito had noticed that Hinata rarely stammered or stuttered anymore, and it only happened when she was surprised or talking about something very personal. “I think we shouldn’t attack now. We’re on Gato’s home ground. Maybe we can win, but Gato might have allies who would take revenge... Or maybe... maybe people here won’t know what to do with Gato gone. Then they could... they could become resentful.”

“Hinata is absolutely correct. With limited information about the state of Wave country, we’re better off just fulfilling our mission for now.” Anko agreed, to which Sasuke seemed to flinch a bit, electing to stare downwards at the table.

Orochimaru-sensei, I think it may be time to make good use of your generous gift...

The following day, Obito made sure to wake up earlier than the rest. Just because he wasn’t training with his team didn’t mean that he wasn’t training at all. And this was a kind of training that he had to do alone, in secrecy. If word got back to Konoha that he was doing this without supervision... Jiraiya would be upset and Orochimaru disappointed. But Yamato... Yamato would be furious. The poor guy went through so much because of the twins, and this was probably sullying the spirit of his efforts. Most people think Orochimaru is scary, but Yamato is capable of inspiring a whole different league of terror when he gets pissed.

Obito quietly crept out of the house, making his way to the forest under the cover of early morning darkness. Once he had found a peaceful spot amongst the trees, Obito sat himself down cross-legged. He opened his right hand, splaying his fingers and allowing an intricate flow of chakra to flow to each fingertip. One by one, the fingertips became shrouded with the blue light of chakra, dancing like flames in a gentle wind. With his left hand, Obito raised his top to expose his abdomen. Obito pressed the chakra-coated fingers to his belly and twisted, loosening his seal ever so slightly. Then, with focus and intent, Obito closed his eyes and welcomed the sensation of falling backward into his mindscape.

“You again,” Kurama snarled, acknowledging Obito’s presence outside his cage. “When will you stop coming to pester me?”

“Don’t act as if you don’t enjoy our conversations, Kurama. I can’t imagine it’s terribly exciting in here, all on your own,” Obito teased back. After many, many conversations with the fox, Obito had grown far more comfortable conversing with him. He knew, not only from the vague memories of a past life, but from his own experience, that Kurama was not the evil beast others made him out to be. Kurama responded to Obito’s teasing with a “Hmph” that the boy chose to ignore.

“Things have gotten pretty interesting out here. We’re on our first mission outside of Konoha, and Anko took a heavy injury fighting one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I did some scouting, and it turns out there’s a fair bit of foul play going on amongst our enemies, which I fully plan to exploit. Sound interesting?” Obito sat cross-legged, facing the fox, his arms on the ground behind him supporting his weight as he leaned back.

Silence stretched out a while, until Kurama finally spoke again. “Tell me about these enemies of yours.”

“Well, we’re in an island country called Wave, on a mission to guard a man who wants to build a bridge that will connect Wave to Fire. There’s a ‘businessman’ named Gato who runs a shipping company here in Wave. He has financial control over the country, and doesn’t want this bridge to get built. So, he’s hired shinobi to assassinate the builder, Tazuna. When I say hired, I mean he’s promised the shinobi money, but plans to betray them. Honestly, he seems arrogant and impulsive, and it wouldn’t be hard to topple his little empire if not for the shinobi he has ‘working’ for him,” Obito explained. “The troublesome part is that one of these shinobi is probably stronger than Anko.”

“Interesting. How do you plan to survive this?” Kurama asked, his common grumpiness replaced with mild intrigue.

“I want to get the ear of these shinobi Gato has hired, and prove to them that he’s planning to double-cross them. If I can convince them to betray him, we won’t have to fight. They can just take the money they were supposed to be paid, and be on their way.” Obito answered.

“And what of the money here in this ‘Wave’? You humans never seem to want to part with your systems of money, despite better options existing. So, removing a wealthy controller will surely bring great instability. Have you thought this through?” Kurama scoffed, trying to act dispassionate. Ever since Kurama had started opening up to conversation a week ago, Obito became more and more sure that the fox just wanted something novel in his life.

“Of course, what do you take me for? If I can, I’d like to convince Zabuza, the swordsman, to leave some of Gato’s money to be used as a stimulus fund for the people of Wave. Rather than giving it out to all of them, we could suggest they use the money to order a shipment of food and supplies. With the supplies, they can begin producing things to sell, and with the bridge being built they can engage in trade to revive their economy. It will be slow, but it should work in their favour.” Obito smiled excitedly. He didn’t have anyone to talk about his plans and ideas with outside of Konoha other than Kurama, and so he reveled in the opportunity. Kurama was clever, and often asked tough questions that Obito enjoyed pondering.

“And what if you cannot convince this swordsman to ally or truce with you?” Kurama prodded.

“Then, we fight. I don’t want to pressure you, but I could use your help if it comes to that.” Obito requested carefully, wanting to stay true to his words about not pressuring the fox - he was worried his tone or request would come across otherwise.

Kurama hummed contemplatively, and then spoke. “You have it. You may have my aid.”

“I... what?”

“You heard me, brat. Don’t make me change my mind. I won’t be lending you more of my chakra, but I will be granting you an ability of mine. None of my jinchuriki before you have been able to use this ability; they were all far too focused on frontal assaults to even realise the power I could give them.”

“Power?”

Kurama sighed. “Only half of my power is sealed within this prison you call a body. But that half possesses a certain ability. With my blessing, your genjutsu will alter the reality of its victims. If they believe themselves to bleed, they will bleed. If they believe themselves to heal, they will heal.”

“Excuse me, WHAT?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, brat. Like all things, this ability has its limitations. I will not make your genjutsu more powerful, and a weak genjustu will be just that; weak. I have no intentions to willingly give you more of my chakra as of yet. You are still far too much of a child. Now, begone, before I change my mind and withdraw my blessing.”

Dazed by the fact that Kurama actually agreed to lend power to Obito, it took him a few dangerous moments to process that he was back in the world outside his mind, and that he was not alone. His vision still blurry as he adjusted to the transition, Obito could only vaguely make out that there was a figure standing over him. As his sight sharpened, he made out the gentle face of Zabuza’s assistant peering at him with a kindly look. Obito’s breath caught, but he noticed that there was no malice to be found in this person, and so he relaxed.

“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep out here,” advised their enemy’s underling.

“It’s alright, I’ve only been here...” Obito looked up at the sky. “Less than an hour? Just taking a short rest. I’m Obito. And you are?”

“Haku,” the figure responded, gracefully bouncing back to allow Obito space to sit up. “You’re a shinobi?”

“I am. Of Konoha, as you can see,” Obito pointed at his hitai-ate. “What brings you to these parts, Haku?”

“These forests are known for their medicinal herbs. I am gathering them for my master, who recently sustained an... injury.” Haku declared. “He is a callous man, but I think of myself as his son. After all, he has looked after me since I was an orphaned child.”

“Haku...” Obito frowned. He knew that there was a kind humanity to this boy, and he wanted to bring it to the fore, hoping to negotiate with this boy who was at present his enemy. “What is Zabuza like outside of his work as a shinobi?”

Suddenly, the world felt like it was turning upside down. Obito looked down, trying his best to remain calm despite the senbon levelled directly at his throat. Haku had closed the gap with such speed that Obito didn’t even notice him move. If the boy wanted Obito dead, Obito would be dead. He was still alive, so it was likely that his gambit would pay off.

“Do I look in any way aggressive?” Obito intoned cautiously. “I’m not here to fight you.”

Haku glared at Obito, the resolution he’d seen yesterday returning in full to the boy’s eyes. “How do you know of my connection to Zabuza?”

“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine. Deal?” Obito offered firmly, hoping to create some kind of dialogue. At Haku’s nod, he continued. “Zori, last night? Did he mention anything about how he woke up in a supply closet? I thought that was a... tasteful place to leave his body when I was done with it. Now your turn.”

“Very well,” Haku responded as he stepped away, retracting the threatening senbon from Obito’s throat. “Master is... He acts as though he feels nothing, but he’s taken me in. He’s clothed me, fed me, trained me, and acknowledged me in a way that nobody else ever has. He has made a great many sacrifices in recent years, just to help others who suffer.”

“That sounds... I can understand why you care for him. May I ask you another question, Haku?” Obito asked, wanting to gain the boy’s trust by giving him the power to control the flow of the conversation.

“We’re enemies. Why are you acting so... friendly?” Haku scowled, a mix of confusion and frustration dominating his expression.

“Why didn’t you kill us earlier when you had the chance?” Obito shot back, hoping sincerely that Haku would give him something concrete that he could relay to his team to convince them of his plan.

Unfortunately, Haku turned away. “We’re done here,” the boy announced harshly before grabbing his basket of herbs and taking off. Tch, damn, Obito thought, disappointed that Haku didn’t give him some kind of answer. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected that Haku preferred not to kill, and he needed hard evidence. Realising that time was escaping him, Obito rushed back to Tazuna’s house, hoping that he could get in before the others woke and wondered where he was.

Knowing that they only had one day left until Zabuza and Haku would make their move only served to heighten Tazuna’s anxiety. Some of the other workers left after seeing how jumpy Tazuna became. Each of them had apologised profusely, explaining that they didn’t want to throw away their lives for this bridge. Obito had watched each time as Tazuna somberly dismissed them, reaffirming each deserter that he understood and didn’t blame any of them.

Over the past few days, Obito and Tazuna had discussed a range of topics regarding how Wave’s economy would be revitalised - what they would buy and sell, how they would encourage foreign workers and traders to come and set up shop, and even ways that Wave could build a further relationship with Konoha. Today, though, there was little by way of conversation - mostly due to the anxiety and anticipation of the inevitable rematch with the enemy shinobi.

The genin decided to spend a good deal of their last day of peace compulsively checking over the various seals he’d placed across the bridge and the surrounding area, ensuring that they were intact and functional. Once Obito had done his final checks and had time to spare, he elected to work on another project that had come to mind earlier. Back when they encountered the Demon Brothers, Obito had realised that relying on his kenjutsu alone for close quarters defense was more than foolish. He had all of this fuinjutsu knowledge staring him in the face and hadn’t thought to build seals into his swordsmanship. 

Rather than focus on building an offensive close-quarters arsenal, Obito needed to be able to create space. His initial idea was rather straightforward - create a seal that would repel an attacker on contact with the wakizashi. However, as with most fuinjutsu, the implementation was particularly complex. Obito knew the seals required to create a repulsion force, but they weren’t the problem. The issue was in feeding enough chakra into the seals so they could operate. Since the sword itself didn’t conduct chakra, Obito would have to use more seals as chakra transport instead. After some further thought, Obito arrived at the idea of incorporating chakra battery seals with a low maximum capacity, so that the sword didn’t break from chakra overflow. Then, he brought chakra to the tip of his forefinger and got to work.

Half an hour later, Obito looked at the wakizashi in his lap and sighed. The seal was functional, but markedly imperfect. His chakra flow circuitry was still imperfect and lossy, which not only made the repulsion force less efficient, it would expose the sword to more wear and tear from the runoff. Hayate-sensei would probably berate him sorely for it, but Obito much preferred taking that risk and staying alive. As the sun had begun to set, Tazuna dismissed the one remaining worker with gracious thanks to the woman for being the only one to stay.

Obito knew that the timing was poor; Zabuza and Haku were almost certainly going to strike today. And yet, he also knew that the relationship he was fostering with Kurama was equally as important. The fox did deserve better than being locked away in darkness indefinitely, and perhaps it was the boy’s more impulsive side that decided to not let another day go by without upgrading Kurama’s living conditions. Besides, it was only right to give Kurama a gift in return for the power he had bestowed upon Obito.

So, knowing full well that he didn’t have long before his team was due to escort Tazuna to the bridge, Obito touched a finger to his belly and directed his focus inward. The world around him began to shift, and Obito once again found himself within the increasingly familiar sewers. “Good morning, Kurama!”

The deep red eyes emerged from the darkness, followed by the rest of the fox. “Ugh, what do you want now?”

“Don’t you think it’s a little bit stuffy in here? An open window would make such a difference!” Obito bantered. “How else are you supposed to eavesdrop on all of your housemate’s juicy gossip?”

Kurama snorted and turned to face away from Obito, as though to suggest that the boy was wasting his time. “Don’t test me, brat. What I’ve given, I can just as easily take away.”

Knowing that an explanation of Obito’s intent would be met with more irritance and perhaps even ridicule, the boy chose silence. He stepped up towards the tag binding the bars of the Kyuubi’s jail shut, inspecting it closely. Though already intimately familiar with the script upon this seal, Obito knew that the smallest of mistakes would cost him everything, and so he had no room for error. Once Obito had identified the parts of the seal governing what could and could not flow in and out of Kurama’s cell - at the moment just limited amounts of chakra - he pricked a finger and began writing with his blood, a surreal concept given he was inside his own mind.

“When I gifted you part of my power, I thought you were a child with real sense who would put it to good use,” Kurama scoffed mockingly. “You’re sorely mistaken if you think I won’t break free of these confines the moment you ruin that hideous lock!”

Ignoring Kurama’s remark, Obito continued focusing on his work. The failsafes he had to configure were obscenely complex, given the numerous ways the addition to this seal could be exploited by such a powerful entity as the fox contained within. Once they were in place, Obito could finally incorporate what he had intended - an extra group of symbols that would allow visual and auditory information to be carried into Kurama’s cell. Moreso, Kurama would now be able to see what Obito saw and hear what Obito heard, whenever he wanted. “See? Window. When I told you that I don’t like keeping you shackled here so tightly, I actually meant it. Anyway, I’d best be off now. Toodloo!”

Noting how the position of the sun had changed, Obito realised he’d taken much longer than he’d hoped. The others were probably already at the bridge - Obito could only hope that he’d make it in time to stop the needless bloodshed. A shriek caught Obito’s attention, and he sprung into action. Bounding down the stairs, the boy found the source of the shriek. Two armed thugs had broken into the house, and one had taken Tsunami hostage with a sword pointed to her throat.

“You better come quietly, you dumb bitch!” One of the thugs barked. “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to that precious son of yours, would you?”

The fact that Gato’s lackeys were already on the move meant that Obito didn’t have time to mess around, so he stepped into view of the thugs, ready to resolve the current hostage situation and get to the bridge as quickly as he could. Obito’s entrance didn’t go without notice, and the one holding Tsunami lifted his blade towards her throat.

“You want to know something interesting?” Obito stared down the thugs with an expression of smug calm. “As it turns out, I’m the weakest fighter on my team.”

The thug holding Tsunami inched his blade closer to her throat, as though to reassure Obito of the current threat. Tsunami let out a muffled scream through the hand covering her mouth, eyes wide in rapidly growing fear. “The fuck are you talking about, brat?”

“I mean, I spent a whole month rigorously training under one of our village’s most skilled swordsmen and I’m still pretty crappy at close combat. And yet,” Obito’s expression gradually shifted into a confident grin. “I’m still the most dangerous. I mean, you didn’t even notice the hand seals I’ve been performing as I spoke, for one. Besides, you’re not going to hurt anyone with that fish you’re holding.”

The thug looked at the sword in his hand. His wrist jerked, and the sword went flying across the room. Tsunami used the chance to break free, running to the other side of the room. The other thug made a start towards her before tripping and landing on his face.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have forgotten to patch that hole in the floor, whoops! Anyway, I’ve got places to be now. I hope you understand, but I’m going to have to break your arms now.” Obito made a polite nod towards the thugs before turning to face Tsunami. As he turned, there were a few loud snapping noises, and the thugs fell unconscious.

The look of horror on Tsunami’s face was understandable, but Obito didn’t have time to deal with it. Of course she was terrified, having been an attempted hostage victim and then rescued in a rather unsettling fashion. “Tsunami, I know you’re scared, but I need you to hang in there. I’m going to put up a barrier so that nobody can get in and out, and you’ll be safe.”

Once the barrier was in place, Obito crouched to the ground and fished a kunai from his pouch. After gently pricking the tip of his left thumb, he performed the full sequence of hand seals for the Summoning Technique, and put a good deal more chakra than usual in. There was a puff of smoke, accompanied by several attention-seeking honks. A squadron of four amusingly outfitted geese posed with outstretched wings appeared as the smoke dispersed, before all turning their heads to face their summoner. Each of them wore a different accessory on their heads - from left to right, a straw hat, floral crown, headband and sunglasses.

Obito took a sheet of paper out of his pouch and unfolded it to reveal a map. “I need you four to follow this map to the marked location and run rampant.” The genin then performed the hand seals for the Transformation technique and morphed into the appearance of Gato, as he had seen the man on the night they arrived. “When you find this man, bring him alive to the big bridge.”

Instead of taking the map and leaving, one of the geese honked expectantly at Obito. “I don’t have anything for you now, but I’m sure you’ll find a variety of valuables that take your fancy at the place I need you to go. Whatever you want there is yours, do we have a deal?”

Straw hat honked and picked up the map with its beak. The geese turned and set off at a run.

Chapter Text

Sasuke woke up to light shining through a window. He blinked, and pushed himself up, finding that he was able to do so with little resistance. Given that they anticipated full-blown combat that morning, Anko had gone easy on them yesterday. And perhaps Sasuke had gone too easy on himself. He was the weakest on the team; he knew it, Anko knew it, and his teammates probably knew it too. People expected greatness from him, being the son of the Hokage and the brother of the great Itachi. Yet he couldn’t land a single solid hit on Hinata once throughout training. 

And Obito? That boy claimed to be some kind of ‘wasted effort’ for training, but Sasuke knew better. Sasuke grew up with Obito, and knew that he always had something up his sleeve; something unexpected, something that at times seemed otherworldly. Yes, Sasuke was the weak link, and he wasn’t pushing himself hard enough to catch up. He knew it, and he felt like there was a gap growing with every passing day. He was pretty sure that Hinata and Obito could probably already go up against some chunin and win. But Sasuke? People praised him, saying he was a genius like his brother - but that was all just lies. They said that to make him feel better, because they pitied Itachi’s weak little brother who could barely keep up. 

I’m done being the weak link, the recipient of all this pity. I’m gonna train harder than the rest, and I will catch up , Sasuke promised to himself at a whisper. He could feel the power in saying the words, goosebumps raising all over his body. And yet still, he was afraid to be heard. Afraid for those thoughts to exist beyond his own knowledge. He could keep himself accountable, of course, but he wasn’t ready for the pressure that would come with others knowing of his intent, and watching to see if he could live up to his words or not.

After saying the words, though, something felt different. Subtle though it was, Sasuke knew that something had changed. He knew he would succeed - he would get stronger, and he would keep up with his friends. Never again would Sasuke be the weak link who holds his friends back. For now though, Sasuke knew that he had to focus on the mission at hand, focus on getting back alive. In the training exercises and last night’s planning meeting, they had discussed formation. Sasuke would stay close to Tazuna for the whole day - the last line of defense. A voice inside of him continued to insist that he was chosen as Tazuna’s bodyguard to keep him, the most useless genin, out of the way during the inevitable clash. But this time, Sasuke caught that thought as it happened, and said no. He would protect Tazuna, and he would do a damn good job of it. 

As he got himself changed into some clean, light-fitting clothes, Sasuke noticed that Obito’s bed was empty. Hinata was still asleep, and Sasuke would leave her to rest a little longer - there was no denying that she was the powerhouse of the team, so every extra minute of rest she could get improved their chances of success. Latching his gear pouch onto his hip, Sasuke stepped quietly out of the room. As he opened the door, he could feel a mild wave of something corrosive wash over his skin. It felt familiar - he’d felt it a few times before since they’d come to Wave, but never like this. Before, it had been incredibly faint, barely on the edge of his consciousness. Now, it was nearby. Slipping into a careful, guarded stance, Sasuke cautiously followed the sensation to find the source. Sasuke walked up a set of stairs and along a corridor, noticing the feeling grow stronger with each step. 

The search led Sasuke to a small spare room. The feeling had grown strong enough that he could feel itches break out across his skin. He saw Anko’s back protruding from the doorway, motionless. Sasuke upped his pace, skipping across the floorboards until he stood beside his sensei, seeing what they could see. It was Obito; he was sitting cross-legged, a sly grin on his face and his eyes shut. One hand lay peacefully in his lap, the other seeming to claw gently into his belly. The boy’s shirt was pushed up by his hand, and below Sasuke could see some kind of pattern on the skin of Obito’s lower abdomen. Sasuke knew that Obito was scarily experienced with fuinjutsu, but he’d never seen that seal before. And he wasn’t sure if his eyes were just playing tricks on him, but it looked like bits of the seal were moving , ever so slightly. A foreboding feeling washed over him as his mind drew a conclusion about what he was seeing.

“Sensei? Is that... What is he doing?” Sasuke asked quietly, conveying a tone of apprehension. Sasuke was almost entirely sure this had to do with the Kyuubi.

“Idiocy,” Anko-sensei scoffed. “This dumbass is fucking with the Kyuubi seal on his own, and didn’t warn us . When we finish this mission, Jiraiya and that snake bastard are gonna kill me.”

The way Anko spoke, Sasuke wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not. The twins were training to control their halves of beast, but he knew nothing of what that entailed. What Sasuke did know, however, was that this was dangerous. He didn’t know a huge amount about fuinjutsu, but even a complete novice knew that a seal designed to contain something like the Kyuubi had to be incredibly complex. Modifying such a seal? Sasuke shuddered. “I’m not the crazy one here - that is stupidly dangerous, right?”

“Yes,” Anko replied, gritting their teeth. “Unfortunately , I can’t do anything about it. If we disturb him while he’s working on it, just about anything could go wrong.”

“So, what do we do?” Sasuke asked, worried, clutching at the bottom of his shirt nervously. “Today’s supposed to be the day.”

Anko sighed heavily, turning away from her jinchuriki student to face Sasuke. “We get ready to leave. If Obito makes it in time, he’ll come with. Otherwise, we can trust him to find his own way.”

As they arrived at the bridge, Hinata felt a cold bite in the air; one far more intense than the forest they’d spent the week training in. Hinata remembered learning once that oceans kept the air cold, so of course the bridge above the ocean would feel so chilly. A light mist hung over the area, reducing visibility even for trained shinobi. Though she possessed the Byakugan, Hinata still wasn’t able to see more than about thirty metres with it, so the reduced visibility concerned her. 

As was planned before they arrived, Hinata directed a steady flow of chakra to her eyes in order to activate her doujutsu, and observed the area around them. Aside from them and Tazuna, there were no remaining workers. The area was scattered with steel beams, boxes of tools, tarps, and crates with various supplies. Notably, concealed under many of these objects was an organised array of paper tags thrumming gently with chakra. There was no flow yet between the array, but Hinata could see some kind of strange, yet organised pattern in the layout of the tags. 

She thought of Obito, wondering what would possibly make him do whatever it was he was doing, instead of prioritising the mission. If she had made some choice that knowingly risked disadvantaging her mission and her father heard of it... no. 

Hinata took a steady breath in, held it, and released. She acknowledged the flow of her thoughts barreling towards her familial anxiety. She wanted to berate herself for being a burden bound by her own ‘baggage’, as Ibiki-sensei called it, but tried her best not to. Then, just like Ibiki-sensei had taught her, she brought her thoughts back to her environment, observing what she could sense around her. Ibiki-sensei had explained that good shinobi don’t have time to process their insecurities in the field, and it helped to ground themselves in the world around them as a means of clearing their mind and staying centred on the mission all at once. As usual, he was right. 

Through her Byakugan, Hinata continued to observe the area surrounding the bridge. There was no sign of anyone other than herself, Sasuke, Anko-sensei, and Tazuna. No sign of any traps other than Obito’s seals. Hinata thought to check the water below, and confirmed that nobody was there either. All was clear. 

For a good few seconds, that remained true. Then, Hinata tracked something moving rapidly into her field of view. In a single moment, she swerved her body and extended her arm. Now in front of Tazuna, Hinata flicked her wrist at the incoming, whistling projectile, batting a senbon out of the air with precision common to most Hyuuga. 

Two figures approached from the forested path beyond the bridge at a measured walk. They both stepped with casual, relaxed gaits, the senbon merely an announcement of their presence. Anko stepped forward, positioning themself at the front of the group as the attackers stepped onto the bridge. Hinata stood firm, watching Sasuke pull at Tazuna’s sleeve, leading the bridge-builder to back away with him. 

Hinata watched, and waited. After all, that was what Hyuuga did. And when the time was right, they struck with precision above all things. Brute power was unnecessary, hotheadedness a setback. So, she watched. And she waited. Then, when the time was right, she would strike.

Obito hoped dearly that he wasn’t too late. His decision to modify Kurama’s seal now of all times was reckless, sure, but he didn’t expect it to take as long as it did. He’d studied the seal in great depth - he wouldn’t have dared to mess with it if he didn’t know exactly what he was doing. He still didn’t understand the entirety of the script; but enough to know how to achieve his goal. 

Now that he was done, Obito made haste for the bridge, praying that his team and the Kirigakure shinobi wouldn’t all tear each other to bits before he arrived. Drawing closer to the bridge, Obito could hear the telltale sounds of metal striking metal - the rhythm was irregular, indicating combat rather than construction. If only he’d mastered the use of the Body Flicker technique for travel, he could have made it there much faster.

Once he reached the outer layer of his barrier seal network, Obito was close enough to hear more of what was going on. There were sounds of clashing that came from two sources near one another, but nothing else within earshot. If any of Gato’s hirelings had come, they would have been noisy. Thus, Obito concluded that it still made sense to engage his barrier. Zabuza and Haku would be kept from escaping, and any stragglers from Gato’s employ would be kept out until their business was concluded. Though he could make out the figures of his team and their current foes, and felt a sense of urgency to reach them, he knew it would be all for naught without the precautions he had taken pains over the last week to set up.

Hefting a large crate revealed a single paper tag laid on stone, decorated by a series of empty circles. One circle, indicating this particular tag’s position amongst the array, was filled in with black ink. In the centre of the tag was a kanji symbol for “barrier”, below which was an Uzu script symbol representing a “lock”. Along the edges of the tag were symbols denoting “mist” and “dispersion”. Obito knelt down by the seal, and retrieved a somewhat similar-looking tag out of his pouch. This one had a similar array of circles, except each was connected by a series of delicately drawn lines. Instead of a symbol for a “lock”, this tag had a symbol for a “key”. 

Pressing the two together resulted in the slow formation of a large, shimmering blue wall. The wall was scarcely wider than the bridge itself, forming along the edge where the bridge met the cliff face it was constructed upon. As the walls rose, the turned to meet midair, forming a rectangular prism that enclosed all within. Moments later, the mist cleared away completely. It wouldn’t hold against chakra-augmented mist of the likes of Zabuza’s technique, but Zabuza didn’t know that.

The closest people to him were Sasuke and Tazuna. Sasuke was tense, a kunai gripped in his left hand and his right hand faintly glowing with chakra. Tazuna stood behind him, only a few paces away, a skittish expression on his face. Past him was a dome made up of many panels of what appeared to be ice, with gaps between each panel. Obito was hardly given a chance to approach Sasuke, as the kunai from the Uchiha’s hand hurtled towards him without warning. He swerved to the side as quickly as he could, narrowly avoiding impalement before raising his hands in a pacifying gesture.

“Shit, Obito, Sorry!” Sasuke exclaimed with panicked intonation. “Where have you been?”

“I’ll explain later,” Obito promised. “But right now I need to stop the fighting.”

“Stop the fighting?” Sasuke asked, but received no response. Obito had already moved on, leaving him to his post of protecting Tazuna.

Obito moved closer to the dome of ice, spotting Hinata within. She had many small cuts along her body, which explained the countless senbon scattered across the ground. Her stance was defensive, and she was panting heavily. She was surely aware of Obito’s arrival - he could see the clearly pronounced veins around her eyes - though she did not respond in any way to his presence. 

Obito thought quickly, trying to determine the best course of action. Past the dome of ice, he could see Anko clashing with Zabuza, and she did not seem to be faring well. Since Hinata was holding up reasonably well, despite her fatigue, Obito decided to first try and de-escalate Anko’s fight, and so he made to advance past the ice dome. As he moved, the intensity of Hinata’s defensive movements picked up, and she began advancing towards the side of the dome he was passing. Registering that she was putting pressure on Haku so he couldn’t threaten Obito, he moved quickly.

The battle between the two adult shinobi revealed itself in full, no longer obscured by the dome of ice. Anko wielded what appeared to be a single tanto shrouded in dancing flames. She was on the defensive, managing only to fend off the heavy blows of Zabuza and his giant blade. Their movements were fast, and Obito had to find a way to capture their attention without endangering himself or Anko. The best thing he could come up with under the time pressure was to grab a pair of twin barrier seals, slap them around a kunai each and hurl them both in between the two shinobi. As he’d hoped, rather than batting away the kunai, which would have likely landed them too far from one another to work, both shinobi dodged backwards. A small barrier erected itself between the shinobi, and they turned to face the one who had intruded upon their fight. 

“Obito, what are you...” Anko began, her shocked expression morphing into anger, before being interrupted by her foe. 

“Does your kid have a death wish?” Zabuza growled. He looked ready to keep on fighting, so Obito knew he had to assert himself more, and quickly.

“Momochi Zabuza, you want to listen to me. Trust me, you do,” Obito spoke as firmly as he could, hoping to the powers that be that this would work. The enemy shinobi stopped.

“Oh?” Zabuza scoffed. “Do I now?”

“Yes, you do. Let me cut to the chase. Pretty soon, some friends of mine will arrive, and Gato will be their prisoner. His empire will have crumbled. His wealth? Yours for the taking.” Obito spoke plainly. There would be no tricks, nothing that could be perceived as deception or mockery. That would be too dangerous.

“Is that so?” Zabuza chuckled, as though he’d just heard a mildly entertaining joke.

“You don’t see any incentive to trust me now, but you’re the type to believe in strength, aren’t you? I propose a deal. Allow me to fight your disciple one on one. If I win, will you listen to what I have to say?” Obito challenged, still keeping his tone steady, and his body language as neutral as he could.

Zori had nothing but anger coursing through him. He’d hardly even been tipsy that night, and yet everything went wrong. This beautiful young woman had tricked him and done something to his mind, but he didn’t know what. One minute he was following her through a dark alleyway, and the next thing he knew he was in a supply closet. It was embarrassing enough that everyone saw him stumble out of that closet the next morning. Everything seemed to settle to normal after that, barring a few mocking jabs from some dumbasses who soon learned their place. 

But a few days later, something changed. Zabuza’s little assistant started glaring daggers at Zori at almost every given opportunity. What’s that bitch-boy’s problem, anyway? Zori had wondered the first time it happened. But once the boy made it clear he had something personally against Zori, the man just tried to avoid the kid. After all, last time someone tried to pick a fight with Haku, they ended up with several broken ribs in less than a second. 

For the first time since then, Haku had left along with Zabuza. Zori had let out a sigh of relief the moment they were gone, finally able to walk around without feeling so endangered. The peace didn’t last. Not twenty minutes later, Zori had been told to arm himself for battle. There was way more ruckus than usual - normally, a few people here and there would head out to intimidate the locals and make them pay ‘protection fees’. This time, everyone was being called up. Zori wasn’t very clever, and he knew it, but even he could figure out what it meant when this instruction was sent out after those two shinobi had left. Gato didn’t want to pay the shinobi - which worked well to Zori’s tastes. Those two rubbed him the wrong way, and he especially looked forward to sticking cold steel into Haku’s guts. 

While Zori was sharpening his prized katana, which he’d ‘liberated’ from his sorry excuse for a father many years ago, he heard something odd. A faint noise, hard to make sense of at first. It got a little bit louder, which allowed Zori to realise it was coming from outside the open window of the room he was in. As he made his way over to the window to see what was causing this strange sound, he both saw and heard it.

Honk.

Four strange white birds, running in formation directly towards the building.

Honk.

“Hats?” Zori asked aloud, not even realising he’d spoken the word, wondering with bemusement as to who would dress these birds with their assortment of headwear. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, one which he couldn’t explain. He dismissed it. They were just some dumb birds. If they were stupid enough to get too close, whoever was on guard duty at the entrance could just punt them away. No big deal.

Honk.

Zori returned to his maintenance work, beginning to wipe down his blade before sheathing it and strapping it to his waist. There was quiet, for a moment. Then, confused shouting that seemed to come from the guards at the entrance.

“What the heck?” One of the guards called out. “Get back, you stupid birds!”

Blade now securely strapped to his waist, Zori returned to the window. This should be fun to watch, at least . What he saw was certainly not anything he ever expected to witness in his lifetime. One of the birds - the one wearing sunglasses - was leaning its head back over its body. And then, the head swung forward, the bird releasing a loud, sustained noise.

Hoooooooooooooonk.

At the same time, another bird - one wearing some kind of cloth headband - lunged towards one of the two guards at the entrance. Zori smirked. He wasn’t sure what these birds were doing, but this would be over quickly. The guard being approached swung his leg predictably towards the bird. Zori was shocked to see the kick miss... completely. Just as the strike was about to connect with the bird’s body, the bird vanished. 

Zori could swear he saw a small puff of smoke when the bird vanished, and it then reappeared behind the guard... gripping a steel club by the handle with its beak? The bird swung with impossible speed, the club connecting with the guard’s hips, making a sickening crunch as the guard was knocked flying. The bird turned to the other guard, spreading its wings out wide as though to taunt the man, or perhaps assert its dominance.

Honk.

The remaining guard seemed unsurprisingly angry, and swung a short sword at the bird. The sword sliced through air where the bird had been, and then the man’s body was soaring through the air just like the one before him, landing a good few meters away.

Honk. Honk. Honk!

The birds seemed to be communicating with one another, and then they all ran into the now unguarded building. Zori could hear the screaming, the confusion, the chaos from down the halls. He knew he was supposed to go and help, but every fibre of his being told him that he should not mess with those... monsters. There was only one entrance to the building - escape probably wasn’t an option. All he could do was hide. Hide, and pray that they would leave him alone.

The sounds Zori heard for the next few minutes were terrible. Screams and honks filled the air, occasionally accompanied by the percussive noises of things breaking and shattering. It was only a few minutes, in which sounds of pure carnage moved around the building. Then, all that was left were those horrible honks. Zori was curled into a ball in the corner of his room, hiding like he hadn’t since he was a small child afraid of monsters in the night, when the door was knocked off its hinges. 

He looked at the bird, fear painted all across his face. The sweet little flower crown on the bird’s head fooled nobody - especially not with that horrible black dagger gripped in its beak. Zori stayed completely frozen. Silently he was hoping, begging that it would just move on. That it would let him live another day. For an awful moment, Zori met the monster’s eyes. Those eyes held no anger, no aggression. They held joy. Whether he would live or die depended entirely on the whims of this feathered fiend. Zori closed his eyes, waiting for his dreaded end. Seconds went by, and then minutes. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was still alive, and the bird was gone. An awful silence filled the air - a silence that betrayed nothing but sheer anxiety. Were they still here? Zori knew not.

Finally, he drew up the courage, or perhaps stupidity, to go and see what remained of his employer’s empire. Stepping out of his shared quarters, what Zori saw was not the headquarters of an organised crime boss. What he saw was ruins. Ruins that could be likened to the aftermath of war. It reminded him of when he was a child, and those damn shinobi were fighting amongst themselves. Most of the time, they had left non-shinobi alone. But on occasion, they passed through towns, leaving carnage in their wake. Zori’s home had been one of them. What he saw now was no different to what he’d seen during that stupid war. 

Chunks of the walls had been broken away, rubble decorating the floors. Weapon stands were knocked to the ground, contents scattered everywhere. Bodies were littered throughout, bloodied, broken and battered. What Zori saw around him didn’t even remotely resemble the building he’d been in an hour ago. So, he ran. Without looking back, Zori ran. Out of the building, and away. Just... away. He would hide somewhere else on this cursed island, and seek passage to the mainland as soon as he could.

Zabuza laughed. It was a long, hearty laugh - as though the man hadn’t heard a joke so funny in years. Anko was giving Obito a look. He had no idea what the look meant, interpreting expressions had never been a skill of his. Obito glanced back at her, and then away. He wasn’t sure what to say, how to respond. So, he turned back to face Zabuza. The muscular swordsman looked Obito in the eyes, and it took everything the genin had not to cower; the man’s glare was so incredibly intense. 

“You’re an interesting kid, you know? You’ve got a bigger pair than most people I know. Out of respect for that, you have a deal. Haku?” Zabuza called out to his companion, and the sounds of senbon striking stone halted. “Let the girl go! Kid, if you manage to defeat Haku, I’ll hear you out. You should know, though, that my boy Haku is my greatest tool - more powerful than even my famed Kubikiribocho. Are you sure you don’t want to back out? I might even be willing to let you four leave... in exchange for the old man.”

Obito didn’t have time to think on the discomfort he felt at Zabuza’s compliment. He looked over to the dome, giving Hinata a confident thumbs up before signalling her to move to safety. She stepped out, sending Obito an understandably concerned look, before moving to Sasuke’s side. Haku’s menacing form protruded from one of the panels of ice, his masked face looking directly at Obito. There was something unnerving about that mask. 

Obito had already encountered Haku twice - once when infiltrating Gato’s headquarters, and once while out in the forest. The boy’s motives were clear - he didn’t seem to want to hurt people, but he was unwaveringly loyal to Zabuza. Obito shuddered, but looked resolutely back to Zabuza.

“I would ask you the same question if it wouldn’t be more of an insult than a kindness,” Obito replied, earning a smirk from the imposing man. “No, I won’t back out.”

The simultaneously terrified and confident jinchuriki turned to walk willingly into Haku’s dome of ice. His opponent greeted him with a small, polite bow of his head, reflected across each and every one of the panels of ice. “So, we meet again.” 

“It’s funny, you know?” Obito smirked, now allowing his face to relax just a bit. “Both of my teammates are far stronger than me, and my skill set is hardly designed for a one on one fight.”

After a moment of tense silence, Haku responded. “And yet you are confident that you will be able to defeat me. Though perhaps that confidence is misplaced, for I can tell you have little real experience. The way you walk and talk is still soft, unweathered. I do not wish to kill you, but you know I will. Perhaps, if we had met under different circumstances, we could have been... friends. Brace yourself.”

Almost immediately after Haku finished speaking, a senbon tore through the air towards Obito, who responded by throwing his body to one side. He had seen the onslaught Hinata had been defending against, and thus knew this was nothing compared to what Haku could do. While still in motion, Obito rushed his hands into the Snake seal, and then moved to Tiger, the last two parts of the Clone technique. With a puff of smoke, the dome was populated with many visibly indistinguishable copies of Obito. It would hardly buy him much time; Obito suspected that his opponent could tear through them all in moments. But it was enough for the genin to reach into a side pocket of his pouch and draw a small whistle to his lips and blow. 

It only took a couple seconds for swarms of senbon to shred through the entirety of Obito’s illusory clones, causing each to distort and dispel. One senbon slashed past Obito’s left shoulder, leaving a thin trail of blood. Another dug into his thigh painfully. Obito winced, but didn’t let it disrupt his focus. He blew into the whistle, producing sound at a frequency higher than humans could hear. His chakra flowed through the whistle, using this inaudible sound as a means of travelling through the air, infiltrating Haku’s brain through his ears.  

The moment it took for Haku to realise that he was being affected by a genjutsu was a moment too long. In the mirrored dome, each of Haku’s reflections brought their hands into the Release seal to dispel a genjutsu. He shouted “Release”, and then stood still. Obito couldn’t see Haku’s face under the mask, but expected that it concealed a look of shock. He smirked as Haku brought his hands into the Release seal again. And again. And again. With each attempt, Haku’s movements grew more sluggish, more unbalanced. 

“Wha...?” Haku tried to say, his voice slurring messily. Then, he tried to throw a senbon. Out of each panel of ice emerged the form of a metal needle, flying through the air with far less grace than usual. They all missed. “Whaa haf you..?” 

Obito released his lips from the whistle and allowed the flow of his chakra to cease - his efforts had been sufficient. “I wouldn’t suggest trying to fight me now, you’ll probably just hurt yourself. Oh, and I’m so sorry about the hangover, it’s going to be pretty rough. But hey, if by some chance we’re not enemies at the end of the day, I can get rid of it for you!”

“Wha’re you talkin ‘bout? I’cn deal wiv ya!” Haku spluttered. He then tried to emerge from the ice. Presumably, he was trying to leap at Obito. Unfortunately for Zabuza’s disciple, he just fell on his face. Haku tried to push himself up a few times, unsuccessfully, and Obito remembered to breathe. He had known full well that if he’d messed that up, Haku could have killed him with ease. 

Obito twisted and looked at his thigh, wincing as he pulled a senbon out of his leg. He dropped it, and pressed a hand infused with healing chakra to the wound, closing it over. Reminding himself that this wasn’t over yet, Obito exited the dome and turned his attention back to Zabuza, the latter of whom wore a look of gratifying surprise.

“Well?” Obito called out expectantly. As he walked towards the swordsman, he stowed away the whistle in his pouch. He turned to look at Anko, wondering how they were taking this. He’d ignored orders from a superior and acted with great insubordination. If Anko chose, Obito would get his ass handed to him later. 

Anko actually seemed rather impressed, flashing a toothy grin at Obito. He was almost surprised that she wasn’t still angered, but after all, this was Anko. “Alright kid, the floor is all yours. After that little show, you’ve earned it!” Obito grinned back at Anko, truly appreciating that he had a sensei who rewarded clever plans when they worked out. Then, he looked back at Zabuza. 

“Don’t worry, Haku’s fine. He’s a good guy, and I didn’t want to hurt him, but he’s going to have a hell of a hangover.” Obito said, having to remind himself to keep his tone neutral. He wanted to break into a cheeky grin of smug victory, but he also liked being alive.

Zabuza struck his blade into the ground with enough force to wedge it surprisingly deep into the stone, and let go. He then stepped forward, approaching Obito. At first, Obito thought that the act of releasing his blade was one that signalled peaceful intent. When Zabuza began to approach him, Obito doubted that conclusion. He knew that the swordsman could break him in seconds. When Zabuza held his hand out to shake, Obito relaxed again, before gripping the man’s hand firmly with his own.

“So, kid, what is it that you think I want to hear?” Zabuza asked, sounding almost impressed. 

Since this had all happened so quickly, Obito expected that his summons wouldn’t be done yet with their task, though they may arrive soon. Until they returned with the evidence he needed, Obito would have to rely on his words alone. “First, let’s talk about how you and Haku aren’t the amoral killers you pretend to be.”

Zabuza’s eyebrows rose in some form of surprise. “A rather naive claim.”

“No, not really,” Obito asserted, now allowing himself to smirk confidently. “You see, one of the things I’m very good at is noticing things and connecting dots. You can deny it all you want in an attempt to maintain your callous tough guy act, but it doesn’t really benefit you here. Why don’t we start with the day you pretended to try and kill us.

“You ambushed us on the road, and from the very first moment you made no use of the many opportunities you had to kill each and every one of us. When you threw your blade at us, you had the element of surprise. Our sensei, Anko, was skilled enough to see it coming, but given your reputation, you could have combined your Silent Killing with that element of surprise to complete your mission there and then. You didn’t.

“Then, when that turned into direct combat, Haku was obviously nearby, but did not join in. It’s already clear that he doesn’t like to kill, but he’s also entirely loyal to you. That means you ordered him to stand by. You then had the upper hand on our sensei in a situation where we were powerless to help. Instead of continuing to fight, winning and moving on to kill us and Tazuna, Haku pretended to kill you as a Hunter shinobi. Yet another thing he would not do unless it was in line with your instructions. Which means you willfully chose not to kill us.

“And that’s only the start. That same evening, I paid your employer’s headquarters a visit, in the form of one of his lackeys. Gato thought I was one of his, and ordered me to deliver a message to you and Haku, confirming that you were alive and did in fact have an accomplice. When I encountered Haku, I saw that he was very clearly protective of you, and hostile towards Gato’s people. That suggests you don’t have the smoothest relationship with him - the likelihood that your loyalty was either because he had something on you or was paying for your services was already high.

“It gets better. On my way out, I happened to overhear something interesting - Gato had no intention of paying you out. If all had gone according to his plan, most of his armed forces would be waiting near the bridge to ambush you and Haku once you’d been tired out from killing us. That plan, however, is being thwarted as we speak.”

“So,” Zabuza interjected. “You thought that you could inform us of Gato’s intent to betray us and get us to stand down?”

“Yes, I did,” Obito nodded. “I happened to encounter your disciple, Haku, a few days ago in the forest - he was gathering medicinal herbs. Probably for you. I suppose I should start with the fact that he found me, and I was unconscious. Meaning he had an easy opportunity to kill me or take me hostage, but didn’t.”

Anko must have been caught off guard by this, if the sudden coughing fit was anything to go by.

“Instead,” Obito continued, “we spoke. I revealed that I knew of his identity from my night of infiltration. He actually spoke quite fondly of you - said that you’re like a father to him. I asked Haku why you didn’t kill us, and he refused to answer. Of course, that in itself was an answer. I suspect that Haku didn’t want to betray or ruin your reputation. 

“So, that brings us to why this confrontation won’t end with us at each other’s throats. I’m led to believe that you don’t want to kill, but you will when you have to. You have some kind of goal, and you probably need money, which I’ll bet is why you’re here working for Gato to begin with. That man doesn’t seem clever enough to hold something against you - at least not something significant enough to restrain someone as powerful as you. But now, you don’t need to serve Gato anymore.”

“Kid, you might be impressively clever,” Zabuza began to respond. “But you’re naive as fuck - you don’t know shit about the world. If you did, you wouldn’t be trying to make a truce, because you’d know that even - no, especially if you’ve taken down Gato, I’m going to have to kill you anyway.”

“While I am undeniably more inexperienced than I’d like, I’ve also thought of that,” Obito chuckled. He was too proud of his foresight here to not express it. “According to your reputation, you’re a mercenary, no longer supported by the backing of a Hidden Village. So, why do you still wear the hitai-ate of Kirigakure? Certainly, some rogue shinobi continue to wear the symbols of their old homes - but they usually deface it in some way, which you have neglected to do. If you’ve been denounced by your village, wearing that hitai-ate serves you no functional purpose. Sentimental value, perhaps? Or is there more to it then that?”

Zabuza’s eyes thinned, and he tensed up. “Kid-”

“Relax,” Obito cut over Zabuza’s attempt to interject. “I swear on what honor I do have, despite being a shinobi, that none of us inside this barrier will spread word of your true purpose. Well, I’m roughly 90% sure that it’s your true purpose. I could be totally wrong, but hey, certainty is for people who aren’t shinobi.

“So, as I was saying. You’re a ‘missing nin’ still attached to your village. You live off your reputation, which is why you’d need to go out of your way to keep it intact, and you’re doing work that you and Haku are less fond of in order to make money. Ergo, I’m rather confident that you’re part of a rebellion of some kind in Kirigakure.”

“I have to say,” Anko cut in, visibly fighting to not burst into laughter. “The logic actually does check out. Not certain, but there doesn’t seem to be any more likely explanation. As much as I detest that snake bastard, they certainly trained your mind well. But you have more to say, don’t you?”

“Just one more thing,” Obito confirmed. “Because ultimately, there’s still one missing piece of the puzzle needed to prevent Zabuza from opting to kill us. Zabuza, you live on your reputation. So what happens if word gets out that you failed a job, or failed to protect your employer? Who would want to hire a shinobi that gets outmanoeuvred by a team of genin from the oh so friendly Leaf Village?

“The only sensible choice you’d have to preserve your reputation if your employer had been slain by enemy shinobi would be to avenge that employer. At least then people would see that you still have your strength and integrity. But what if something so absurd happened to your employer that it couldn’t possibly be pinned to enemy shinobi? What if it’s so clear that the fault for failure is on Gato, because honestly how the fuck did he let that happen to him?”

At this point, Obito’s grin was getting a bit too wide. “What I’m trying to say is that I’ve done my best to ensure that your reputation is as unsullied as possible. You have no reason to follow through with your mission.”

Eventually, Zabuza spoke. “I won’t deny that I’m impressed. But still, I have no reason to trust what you have to say. If you have proof that I’m not bound to Gato’s loyalty anymore, I’m willing to partake in this truce. You took down my kid Haku, and nobody’s done that before. So, mister prodigy, what would you have us do now?”

Obito’s smirk returned to his face. “Actually, this is perfect timing. My friends have arrived!”

“Friends?” Sasuke asked cautiously. Obito hadn’t even noticed his teammates and Tazuna approach to listen in to his long monologue - a clear mark of his naivete. Even if he was safe, he shouldn’t have let his guard down that much.

In response, Obito went around to peel away a few of the tags from his barrier array, which resulted in just the one side of the barrier fading away. As the barrier faded, a squadron of four geese waddled in gracelessly, dragging an unconscious man’s body with them. They brought the body towards Zabuza, let go, honked, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“I present to you… Gato.” Obito chuckled.

Zabuza looked at the dishevelled form of his former employer, and then back to Obito. He seemed conflicted.

“Look, it’s rather simple. Gato’s home base was overrun by geese . Even if there are accusations against us or against you about who caused it, or who let it happen, people will be far too busy laughing at the absurdity to care whether or not you failed to perform as a reliable mercenary. Besides, in the off chance that your reputation is affected, I’ve thought of that too,” Obito said with a smirk. “I think you should forge an alliance with Konoha.”

Chapter Text

“I think you should form an alliance with Konoha,” Obito asserted without a shred of hesitation.

“What?” came the chorus of every voice around, almost entirely in sync. The reactions were mixed; Sasuke dropped his kunai. Hinata just stared in confusion. Anko smiled. Haku was wiggling on the ground in an entirely undignified manner. Zabuza raised just a single eyebrow.

“An... Alliance. With Konoha?” Zabuza echoed Obito’s words. He turned to look at Anko. “Are you on board with this?”

Anko returned Zabuza’s quizzical look with one of amusement. “Depends on what terms the kid has in mind, but potentially... yes.”

“Look,” Obito added. “This isn’t the place for such a discussion, so we should continue this elsewhere, at another time. What I will say before we wrap this up is that I’m confident that the Hokage will be on board with my plan. Sensei, could you suggest a suitable time and place to reconvene?”

Anko had produced a sheet of sandpaper and begun buffing her fingernails. “Oh, why don’t we meet tomorrow evening at Tazuna’s home?”

“WHAT?” Tazuna barked out, affronted that his home was being offered as a meeting place to a man who was, not long ago, trying to kill him. 

Zabuza smirked, a more mischievous streak beginning to show through. “I’ll tell you what. I’m going to go and see what state my ex-employer’s base of operations is in. If I’m still interested tomorrow evening, I’ll be there. If not, pray you never see me again, because I’ll be the last thing you see.”

In the next moment, Zabuza flickered over to Haku, who was now rolling around on the ground. Then, they vanished in a swirl of mist. Once the mist faded, the bridge simply felt empty. For a while, nobody spoke, and the silence made it feel as though almost everything was frozen in time. Almost everything, with the exception of the waves that crashed on the cliffs below in a messily inconsistent rhythm. 

“So, how exactly do you plan to win over the Demon of the Mist?” Anko asked, breaking the silence, before letting out a frighteningly loud cackle.

Since there were no other workers around, Tazuna and his bodyguards decided to return to his home for the day. There was something different about returning to the shabby house after the ‘big fight’. It felt emptier. 

They expected that people would return to work in a few days, once they began to hear and then trust the news that Gato was gone. The Konoha shinobi opted to treat their wounds first. Then, they would debrief on the encounter with Zabuza and Haku, and whatever it was that Obito had just pulled off.

Hinata had the worst of the injuries, though she had already begun to tend to them on the way back. There were several puncture wounds alongside many more thin lacerations. Individually, they would have been harmless. Unfortunately, the sheer number of lacerations threatened considerable blood loss; Hinata’s body would need more than just field dressings to recover from them all. Fortunately, two of the four shinobi were medics-in-training. Hinata had managed to pull out some of the senbon, but there were several still piercing into her which had to be removed more carefully. Though Hinata was too fatigued to muster up any healing chakra, chakra was something that Obito rarely ran out of. He got to work healing the worst of the open wounds, while Sasuke applied Hinata’s salve to the rest. Once that was done, they worked to carefully remove the remaining senbon and heal over the holes they left. 

Once they were done, the two boys left their friend to rest and stepped outside of Tazuna’s home to find Anko sitting on a log nearby. She was busy bandaging over her own injuries. Obito offered to heal them up as much as he could, but Anko declined. “You might be a jinchuriki, but your chakra supply isn’t infinite. You’ve done what you can for Hinata, my wounds will close up on their own. Go and get some rest. We’ll talk things over this evening.”

They both started to walk back towards the house, but Anko called out again. “Not you, Sasuke.” They waggled an expectant finger at him, and he obediently returned to their side. 

Anko looked the Uchiha boy up and down. He was uninjured and unfatigued, but failing miserably to hide the weight he felt on his shoulders. The damn kid played his part perfectly, and he still couldn’t stop beating himself up. 

“Sasuke, tell me what you think of your performance today,” Anko ordered, albeit with a casual tone.

Sasuke tensed visibly before speaking. “I was... I was useless, but I’ll do better. I knew there wasn’t much I could do today, but I swear I’ll work harder... I’ll train harder and get stronger, and I’ll stop being so damn useless!”

Anko laughed. They laughed heartily, and let themself keep going just long enough that Sasuke might start to worry about their sanity. It was far more fun that way, at least. “Useless? Oh, please. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard all day. Loosen up, kiddo. You did exactly what we needed from you today. You were the last line of defense for Tazuna, and you did well keeping him out of the way.

“Let’s cut the crap entirely. You wouldn’t have fared nearly as well against Zabuza’s kid as Hinata did. But by being a dedicated guard to Tazuna, Hinata was able to keep her fighting with that boy away from the two of you, ensuring Tazuna’s safety for as long as I could keep Zabuza at bay. If you had tried to help Hinata, Tazuna would be dead. If you hadn’t kept your guard up so well, Tazuna would be dead. Let yourself have a victory every now and then, okay?”

Sasuke looked Anko in the eyes, and Anko looked right back at him. She could tell from the subtleties of his expression he was giving off - something she was trained to understand - that he was actually trying to trust what she said, but he wasn’t quite there yet. It would do, for now. She’d been through the kind of self-doubt that Sasuke was still working on, and prided herself on how well she’d gotten past it in recent years. But she also knew that it took time. 

“I’ll tell you what,” Anko continued, holding eye contact with her student. “When we get back to Konoha, the two of us are going to do a week of intensive training. It will be nothing like training you’ve done with me before. It’ll be pure hell, but if you can make it through, you’ll be a fair deal stronger. How does that sound?”

“Thank you, sensei! I will give it my all!” Sasuke promised with a confidence that reassured Anko that she was, in fact, training her students well. 

Hinata woke just as the sun was beginning to set. Shades of orange and pink peeked through the window, giving the fairly plain room a splash of color. She looked down, seeing an abundance of bandages stained with the green of her salve and the red of her blood covering her body. She was still sore, and it stung when she moved, but it was nowhere near as painful as before she allowed herself to pass out. Hinata gently eased herself up, and slowly walked out towards the voices of her teammates. Though she shouldn’t be moving about, Hinata could at least go and sit near them to participate in conversation.

When she opened the door to the room where they were meeting, the conversation halted. Her teammates all turned to look at her with concerned expressions. Hinata gingerly crossed  the threshold between rooms, limped towards the table they were sitting around, and lowered her body to the ground. Resting her back against a wall allowed her to sit up and remain focused; it would also be impolite to lie down whilst conversing with her team. 

“Are you... alright?” Obito asked softly, as though afraid that speaking too loudly would reopen her wounds. 

“I’m... well enough to focus on the debriefing. What have I missed?” Hinata allowed herself to close her eyes - that way she could dedicate more of her energy to listening to the others. A small voice in the back of her mind insisted that such indecency would bring shame upon her clan, but she ignored it as best she could. 

“Not much,” Anko responded. “We were just beginning to discuss what we know of Kiri’s current political climate; those fuckers get up to some crazy shit, which will be relevant to our upcoming negotiations. As much as I love throwing you all into the river to see if you’ll sink or swim, I’ll do the talking this time. You’re all genin, and the Hokage would have me drawn and quartered if I let you speak on behalf of Konoha here. That said, you kids get up to some crazy stuff so I wanna hear your suggestions on how we approach this. What do we know so far, Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked up thoughtfully. “We were just talking about what Kirigakure is known to have been like in recent years; They’ve been nicknamed the ‘Village of the Bloody Mist’ - do you remember what Ebisu-sensei taught us about them?”

Hinata nodded. “Their academy once forced people to fight to the death in order to graduate. We also talked about rumors of how ever since the Fourth Mizukage took over, some of the Seven Swordsmen turned rogue...” Hinata trailed off in realisation. “So... Zabuza really is..?”

Anko nodded, pulling a small book out of their nearby pouch. They flipped through it quickly until they landed on the page they seemed to be looking for. “Did Closet Perv ever show you one of these?”

All three of the genin shook their heads, Obito stifling a chuckle at their well-respected Academy teacher being referred to by Anko-sensei’s brash nickname for him. “Gotcha, this information isn’t freely given out - usually only chunin and above are allowed to possess a copy of these. I wouldn’t have put it past him to at least show you one, though. This, kids, is called a Bingo Book. It’s our village’s collection of information on dangerous shinobi. Our book is split into several sections - sections for shinobi from each village other than our own and a section for rogue shinobi. Some have bounties on their heads, and those bounties will be listed.

“According to the latest edition of our Bingo Book, which was only updated a couple of weeks ago, Momochi Zabuza is not a rogue shinobi. Meaning...?” 

An image of her father ordering silence on certain matters flashed across Hinata’s mind. “Perhaps they don’t wish for people to know that he has gone rogue? Zabuza is a very powerful shinobi, perhaps his departure from Kiri might make their enemies think the village to be weakened?”

Sasuke nodded, appending his own thoughts to Hinata’s statement. “He was carrying one of those famous swords - if word got out that he had disavowed himself from Kiri and possessed that weapon, others might try to steal it. Kiri probably want it back, and so would prefer to deal with him on their own.”

“Very good,” Anko smiled. “Now I know that Obito has some crazy idea about all of this cooking up in that noggin - care to share?”

Obito stared contemplatively at a wall, with a finger tapped to his cheek. “I think that Zabuza is working against Kiri’s current leadership. Another piece of information missing from this is the rumours that Kirigakure are committing acts of genocide against clans with kekkei genkai. Do you all remember the dome that Haku created? It was made of ice - Hyoton; a Kekkei genkai I’ve once read about.”

“Okay... but how does that connect to everything...” Sasuke began, before trailing off. “Oh.”

“Yeah. A powerful member of a major hidden village goes rogue, and the matter is kept quiet. The rogue shinobi in question continues to wear his hitai-ate without striking through the village emblem. That same shinobi travels with and apparently cares for another shinobi who is a target of genocide by the village he comes from. They need him, or at least his weapon, back. And yet they don’t seem to be sending Hunters after him? It’s not proof that there’s a building rebellion, but it would make sense. If anything, the earlier conversation with Zabuza lines up with this idea.”

“But what does that mean for us? For these negotiations?” Sasuke asked. The look on his face made it clear that he knew there was some small detail he was missing, and he didn’t like missing it.

Hinata saw it, and so she spoke up. The soreness of her injuries washed over her again, and so the best she could do was a loud whisper. “Obito thinks that Konoha should ally with the rebels. Then, after a successful rebellion, Konoha will have the support of Kirigakure in full.”

“Exactly!” Obito called out excitedly, awkwardly giving his friend a thumbs up. Hinata had her eyes closed, but Sasuke and Anko-sensei both gave him a strange look. 

“Never do that again,” Sasuke shook his head disapprovingly, pushing Obito’s hand down. “Anyway, Konoha couldn’t exactly be public about such an alliance - that could build tension with other villages who don’t get along with either us or Kiri. What if we pretended to take them back as prisoners?”

“Decent idea, but no,” Anko refuted. “That’d defeat the whole purpose of protecting Zabuza’s pearly white image. But don’t worry about that part. Between Zabuza and I, we can work out the details of how to proceed right now. What I want you three to think about is what we can offer in the longer run. We need enough of a bargaining chip to bring them to Konoha to discuss with the Hokage - after all, why the fuck would a sane shinobi willingly walk into an enemy village? What could we actually suggest as representatives of the village? You three come up with what you can, and if it sounds reasonable to me, I’ll use it. Take some time to discuss amongst yourselves while I go for a walk, okay?”

Anko pushed herself up slowly, still limited by her own injuries.

Sasuke looked to Obito, who shrugged. “What? I’m not the only smart one here, what do you two think?”

The three genin discussed their ideas for an hour. Sasuke and Hinata both had a much deeper understanding of clan politics, and were able to offer their opinions on how the major clans might react to involvement with a rebellion in another village. The consensus they came to was that the clans wouldn’t want to be so publicly involved in such a conflict. At the same time, though, they wouldn’t be opposed to having a strong alliance with a village such as Kiri. Kiri was well known for its civilian smiths and artisans - they could improve Konoha’s supply of weaponry and tools. 

Obito suggested that there was no reason that the alliance had to be public. It could easily be very secretive. When the time was right, Konoha could send a few tactical teams to fight in a coup. Until then, they could exchange information and Konoha could help to supply the rebellion in exchange for some mercenary work that furthered Konoha’s own interests. 

When Anko returned, they summarised their ideas and answered many of their sensei’s probing questions, until Tsunami and Tazuna had declared that dinner was ready. After dinner, Anko made several notes in a small scroll, and they turned in for the night.

Zabuza scratched at his chin as he considered the Konoha shinobi’s proposal. Agreeing to accompany them back to their village wasn’t without risk; it would be easy for them to betray him. Word was that Konoha had mind-readers for when torture didn’t work - there was no guarantee that Zabuza could keep valuable intel about the rebellion from them. And yet... It seemed to be an opportunity that Mei wouldn’t want him to pass up. Perhaps... 

“I can’t make the decision to visit Konoha on my own. You’re not my targets anymore, so we have no reason to fight. Your mission is to guard Tazuna until the bridge is completed, yes? Let me go consult my people, and I’ll return before you finish.”

“Leave your kid as collateral, and you have a deal.”

Zabuza looked towards the closed door, behind which his student waited in the company of the three Konoha genin. Haku would be very displeased with this. The boy was useful, but he was also very attached. This would be good for him, though. Learning to live without Zabuza’s guidance would be important for the boy, and so the swordsman nodded. “I’ll return within two weeks.”

Kiba sighed and rolled out of bed. He must have entangled his legs with his sheets during the night, because they followed him to the floor. The usually deft boy stumbled, and fell on his face. The small white ninken who had been resting beside the bed jumped up with a start and began yipping with displeasure. “Sorry, Akamaru,” Kiba groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. Kakashi had given them the day off, but he couldn’t help but feel as though he was forgetting something important.

The young genin sniffed at the air, his stomach growling in response. He could smell frying meat. Kiba stretched, dressed himself, and stumbled out of his room with Akamaru trotting along behind him. Following the delicious scent to the kitchen, Kiba realised what day it was. There were assortments of food covering almost every inch of counter space. Unsurprisingly, his sister yelled when she saw him. “There you are, dumbass! We’ve been here slaving away for hours while you got your beauty sleep. What are you wearing? Go get changed, we have guests coming any minute now!”

“Good morning to you too, Hana,” Kiba grumbled, irritated. He knew he’d slept in, and he knew he was supposed to help. But still, being yelled at by his impatient sister was not what he wanted to deal with on an empty stomach. If she really needed his help, she could have just come to wake him up. 

“What was that?” Kiba’s mom barked at him. “I want none of that attitude when we have our guests, Kiba. Or did you want to be on bathing duty this week?”

Kiba gulped. Bathing duty was the worst possible job. He didn’t mind just washing Akamaru, but the whole kennel? Hell no. Kiba meekly turned around and went to get changed out of his morning homewear. After throwing a light grey jacket with the Inuzuka clan insignia over his shirt and swapping his shorts out for a pair of dark pants, Kiba returned to see if there was anything left to be done before the guests arrived. 

While Akamaru ran with some other dogs to clear some remaining clutter out of the clan’s foyer, Kiba set some glasses out at the dining table. By the time he’d finished, a group of new scents mixed in with the air; the guests had arrived. There was one familiar scent among them, and for that he was relieved. Kiba wasn’t good at all of the social customs between clans, so it was helpful to know that one of his classmates would be among them. 

Kiba followed his mother and sister outside, to where a few other prominent members of the Inuzuka clan were also waiting, each accompanied by their ninken. A tall, widely built man with a mane of messy red hair opened the gates to the Inuzuka compound and stepped in. He was followed only by two people; The first was a similarly large woman with immaculate makeup - Kiba’s attention was quickly drawn to the sharp, elegant orange wings accentuating her dark eyes and couldn’t help but appreciate how gracefully the woman carried herself. 

The second was Kiba’s Academy classmate, Chouji, dressed similarly to how he did back at the Academy. He had his open, short-sleeved green shirt atop his white clan undershirt, and a neatly wrapped scarf to complete the look. He wore dark shorts, and yet little skin was exposed. His arms and legs were wrapped neatly with white bandages. But what most easily stood out about his appearance was a relaxed, carefree grin. Chouji had always been someone who seemed entirely at peace with his life, and today was no exception.

“Chouza, Kimiko, how are you?” Tsume greeted politely, waving an arm to welcome them into her home. 

“We have been well, thank you. And you?” Chouza responded curtly. He walked in alongside his family, and followed Tsume inside her home. The various Inuzuka shinobi greeted both Chouza and Kimiko before returning to their various duties around the compound. Kiba and Hana returned inside after their guests had entered.

They moved to the dining table to sit for their meal. Tsume sat at the head of the table, with Hana to her right and the Akimichi adults to her left. At the other end of the table, Kiba and Chouji sat opposite one another. While the adults moved between idle gossip and discussions of inter-clan politics, Kiba and Chouji mostly caught up on each others lives in the month since they’d last seen one another.

Since they’d graduated, both had been placed on separate teams, and led entirely separate lives. On occasion, they passed one another in the street, but they weren’t close, and so they politely acknowledged one another and moved on. Now, though, there wasn’t much to do other than catch up fully over the meal. 

They exchanged stories about their training and absurdly boring D-rank mission ‘accomplishments’. Kiba told Chouji of the hellish joint training sessions Kakashi made his team do with Team Guy. Chouji had less eventful experiences to share - the worst it got was whenever Ino was particularly fed up with Shikamaru’s blase attitude. 

Once they had finished eating, a predictable line came from Tsume. “Kiba, why don’t you go outside with Chouji for a while. I don’t mind where you go, just be back before sundown.” Every time another clan came to visit, they would share a meal and then Tsume would send Kiba away. They always had clan matters to discuss that Kiba wasn’t allowed to be involved in due to his rank. He was told that he’d be included once he made chunin. 

Obediently, Kiba rose and led Chouji outside, and then left the compound to walk through the village. Akamaru, who had been outside for the duration of the meal, bounded up to them and leapt up onto Kiba’s head.

“So they even let big lumps like him be shinobi these days, huh?” A man sniggered quietly to his friend as Kiba and Chouji walked past. Kiba snarled, and balled his hands into fists. He made to lash out at the man, but Chouji put an arm out in his way.

“Don’t bother, it’s not worth it,” Chouji urged.

“How can you just let them talk about you like that? It’s just-” Kiba growled, furious at the derisive ignorance behind the comments being made about Chouji.

“I don’t like it - what they say is hurtful,” Chouji painted a sad smile onto his face. “But if we try to hurt them in return, it will only get worse. You and I both know that the relationship between civilians and shinobi can be rocky. If they look at someone like Asuma-sensei, they can trust him, but if they look at people like us, they don’t. Do you know why?”

“Because they’re stupid!” Kiba growled. “They don’t understand that we-”

“No.” Chouji’s soft voice somehow cut Kiba off with ease. “They do understand. They understand that we protect them, they understand that we’re powerful. But that’s why. When they look at someone like Asuma-sensei, they see someone who looks like them and talks like them. They can relate to him more. But when they look at an Akimichi, or even an Inuzuka, they see difference . They feel unsafe around us because they don’t know how to relate to us. And so they make fun of us in order to feel more in control, more safe.”

“But... It’s just so wrong! How can you be so calm about this?” Kiba demanded.

“That’s just it,” Chouji laughed almost derisively. “That’s my secret. The anger and the hurt never go away. It’s all about what we do with it. Kiba, you have training grounds in your clan compound, right? Can we use them?”

The Inuzuka compound’s training field was divided into two main spaces - an open flatland for direct combat training and a forested area for everything regarding mobility. Chouji asked if they could use the open space, and since nobody else was there, Kiba said it would be fine. Chouji stepped forward and ran through a series of hand seals. They weren’t nearly as slow as Kiba expected, and within moments Chouji had completed what had to be at least 10 seals. 

“Earth Release: Practice Brick Technique!” Chouji called out, slamming his hands into the ground. A series of earthen walls, each about as tall as the two boys combined, rose up from the ground. They looked pretty solid, and Kiba knew almost immediately what they were for. Kiba then saw Chouji fit his hands into what looked almost like a Bird seal before the Akimichi boy’s arms doubled in size. 

“I get angry when people call me fat as though it’s a bad thing!” 

        Punch.

“As if they don’t understand that Akimichi are stronger because we have fat in our bodies to contribute to our expansion technique!”

        Punch.

“I’m furious that they won’t give me a chance to show my kindness and win over their hearts!”

        Punch.

“I’m just so...”

        Punch.

“damn..”

        Punch.

“FRUSTRATED!”

        Punch.

        Punch.

        Punch.

Chouji took in a deep breath, relaxed, and let his arms return to their normal size. He then turned to look at Kiba, who was staring with wide eyes. Around him lay destruction that Kiba felt more than he saw. There was debris everywhere, pieces of dirt and stone scattered across the field. Every time Chouji struck one of the earthen walls, Kiba felt his anger in such a pure form. Was this the same person? Was this the boy who would ever so gently catch butterflies on his finger after a day of class? Wow.

“Your turn,” Chouji invited Kiba to take over, pointing at the many remaining walls. “I always work out my anger before I spar with anyone, so that I won’t ever go too far and hurt them.”

Once upon a time, Kiba would have laughed at Chouji for suggesting that the latter might be able to hurt him in a fight. But now? Now, Kiba absolutely believed it. Those punches weren’t just hard, they were fast. Kiba stepped up and took in a breath to focus his chakra. His mom had only started teaching him the Beast Transformation technique a few months ago, so it still took him a few seconds of clear focus to pull it off.

Allowing his chakra to flow through his body, focusing in the areas that he needed to affect, Kiba’s body began to change. His nails morphed into claws, his canine teeth became more pronounced fangs, and he dropped onto his hands and feet. Once the transformation had taken place, it became easier for Kiba to maintain a concentration of chakra through his arms and legs to reinforce his every movement. His senses became clearer, and he could feel his body being easier to control.

“I hate the ‘jokes’ people make about us and our ninken,” Kiba spat, his voice taking on a more guttural tone. He leapt through the air at one of the earthen walls.

        Slash.

“I hate the way my sister walks all over me and then my mom...”

        Slash.

“just lets her...”

        Slash.

“get AWAY WITH IT!”

        Slash.

        Slash.

        Slash.

Kiba landed deftly on all fours in front of Chouji, looking around at the carnage he’d left. Where Chouji had just busted the walls into pieces, Kiba had shredded them with his chakra reinforced claws. There were still a few walls standing, and Kiba still felt... pent up. After looking around at the remaining walls, he looked back to Chouji who just nodded. With that as the only affirmation he needed, Kiba took off and poured the rest of his frustration into decimating the remaining earthen walls. When he was done, he landed and dispelled his transformation.

“See,” Chouji offered. “It feels good to just let off steam without hurting anyone. I do this when I’m extra upset, but usually I just pour all these emotions into my training. But... Shika and Ino don’t understand it, and it gets a bit lonely. So, Kiba, do you want to spar with me?”

Kiba panted heavily, and winced as he tenderly pressed on a large bruise now colouring his ribs. He stared up at the clouds, dazed by what had just happened. After he’d had some time to catch his breath, Chouji appeared in his vision, extending a hand to him. Kiba grabbed it, and stood up with Chouji’s help. He knew Chouji wasn’t weak, but Kiba had prided himself on his taijutsu ability. Back in the academy, he was one of the best at it. But this? Kiba got his ass handed to him. Just how hard has he been training?

Chapter Text

AN: If you think someone you know might be trans or nonbinary and hasn't figured it out, please *do not* go up to them and tell them like Haku does. It’s rude and insensitive, and people have a right to figure it out on their own. 

The two weeks following Zabuza’s departure were strange, to say the least. Anko had demanded that he leave Haku behind as ‘collateral’, but Haku didn’t seem to interpret it the same way. The teen was convinced that he was there to keep an eye on the shinobi from Konoha. For the first few days, Anko tried to poke and prod at him to make him break and open up, but then they’d given up. He was curt, passive and compliant, and always, always watchful. But around Obito, he acted differently. Eventually, Haku approached the Konoha genin for a moment of privacy.

“You’re like me,” Haku declared abruptly.

“Huh?” Obito wasn’t sure how else to respond.

“I’ve seen the way you walk around, the way you wince when you see yourself in the mirror and think nobody is looking. I’ve been where you are, though in the opposite direction.” Haku kept speaking in a measured tone, his body language gentler than usual.

“I- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Obito bluffed. Somehow he knew what Haku was talking about, even without it being explicitly stated. 

In response, Haku lifted his shirt to reveal an unfamiliar cloth garment over his upper chest. It looked like some kind of cropped singlet, but Obito could feel that it was more significant than that. 

“Not everyone has the luxury of being born in a body that allows them to express who they are. People like us, we have to take extra measures to be percieved correctly by others. I do not speak of this freely, and I trust that you will keep this conversation private. When I was born, my late parents thought they had a new daughter. But as you have probably noticed, I am a man. I don’t think you are, though.”

A pit formed in Obito’s stomach. Haku wasn’t wrong, but Obito had never taken the time to stop and think about this properly. Yet he knew he could discuss this with Haku. After all, Haku was like him. “How did you figure it out?”

“I just knew,” Haku answered. “When I met Zabuza, I had an opportunity for a clean slate. I told him I was a boy, and he treated me that way. When I got older, and my body began to change, it simply felt wrong. It feels wrong for you, doesn’t it?”

“…yeah.” Obito admitted. “But it doesn’t… I’m not a boy or a girl, I think. And I know that’s an option. My sensei is like that, and so is my mentor back in Konoha. But… it’s complicated. It’s like… I don’t feel like anything? But my body is wrong.”

“So, your body is wrong,” Haku responded bluntly, putting his top back on. “You don’t need to feel like anything to make changes to what you show the world. Just do what feels right. Don’t think we’re friends though, just because of this conversation. We may end up on opposing sides of a battlefield one day, but still… You deserve to know, and to be, who you are.”

At the end of the two weeks, the bridge was structurally complete. It still needed some additional features - guard rails, perhaps some patterns carved into the stone for aesthetic design. Tsunami, who had insisted on helping out to honour her late husband, had insisted that making the bridge at least a little bit prettier would help to bring in business. That afternoon, the team of workers raced to pack away all of the construction materials and tools before the sun had set. There was some dirt and debris still left, but they could clean that in the morning.

As they walked on the forested path that led back to Tazuna’s house, Obito was the first to notice a very faint mist that crept through the air. It was subtle, but grew ever so slightly denser the closer they got to the house. When Haku noticed, a small spring entered his steps, and it didn’t evade the others’ notice. Once the house came into view, they saw the figure of Zabuza sitting cross-legged on the low roof that hung above the front entrance. So, the guy has a flair for the dramatic when he’s not trying to assassinate people, huh? Obito thought, and chuckled.

“Why, such excellent timing you have, Mister Demon,” Anko teased, playfully throwing a single shuriken at the Kiri shinobi. It soared towards the top of his head, and he lazily ducked below the incoming projectile.

“Is that any way to greet a potential new ally?” Zabuza deadpanned, straightening up and jumping from his rooftop perch. He landed in a crouch, and then stood up to look at the group of Konoha shinobi, a hand outstretched to shake.

Anko stepped forward to shake. “So, your mysterious masters gave you the go-ahead to parley?”

Is it really a parley if we’re not actually enemies? Obito wondered to himself.

“The big boss has allowed me to negotiate on our behalf, but only directly with your Hokage. On to more important business though, did my kid behave?” Zabuza’s blank face lifted into a grin that showed his menacingly sharp teeth.

“Did I be- what? Master!” Haku protested, his face flushing lightly. “I’ve kept an eye on them the whole time - I do not believe they’ve done anything to betray you.”

The sound of a thwack echoed through the forest surrounding Tazuna’s home. Zabuza’s hand was firmly planted on his forehead. When he removed it, a red mark remained. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. After a moment, the swordsman sighed.

“Your brat’s never had friends before, has he?” Anko snickered. Zabuza shook his head, dismayed. “Well, that explains a lot.”

“So, here’s the rundown,” Zabuza began to explain. “Haku and I will join you when you return to Konoha. Of course, there’s no way in hell a competent shinobi village will just let me walk in, so I consent to restraints and questioning if needed. Then, I’d like to speak directly with your Hokage to negotiate terms of an official alliance. The intention of my people is that, when we have reclaimed Kirigakure, we will become an open ally to Konoha in return for your aid.”

As the group got close to Konoha, a swift handover took place. Zabuza and Haku semi-hesitantly parted with all of their tools and weaponry, allowing the four Konoha shinobi to carry them for the time being. Since Konoha and Kiri weren’t on the best of terms, it was important for the two Kiri rebels to present themselves as peacefully as possible. Once they were close enough to the gate, Anko began swiftly signing towards one of the three chunin on guard duty. When she had stopped moving her hands in their rapid dance, the chunin flickered away.

Another guard opened the gate, blowing a strong breeze towards the group. Obito brushed a few stray locks of red hair away from his eyes, and stepped into the village. It had been just over three weeks since they’d left, but enough had happened that it felt far longer. Obito knew the change he felt in the air was purely psychological, but he stopped to savour it all the same.

“Alright, kids. What happens now?” Anko quizzed her students, turning on the spot to face the rest of the group.

“We go to the Hokage tower to deliver an verbal report, after which we need to write up and file a written report,” Hinata answered.

“Oh, we’re gonna get our asses handed to us,” Sasuke added, groaning.

“Yeah, Uncle Fugaku’s really gonna let loose,” Obito laughed, half in true amusement and half in fear. “Also, I suspect that we’ll be delivering a report directly to him given the nature of what happened.”

“Bingo! For a normal C-Rank mission, you’d just debrief with one of the desk chunin. When anything like what we’ve done happens, though, it tends to go up a rank or two.” Anko pivoted again, and took to the rooftops. Her team and their travelling companions followed.

When they arrived at the floor of the tower on which the Hokage’s office was, the chunin from the gate was there waiting. As the entourage approached, the chunin looked up and spoke. “Come right through, the Hokage is waiting to see you.”

They followed the chunin down the hall, and into the Hokage’s office. The chunin promptly left, and closed the door behind them. The Fifth Hokage looked up with his usual stern ‘work’ face. “Uncle Fu-”

Before Obito could get more than a word in, the Hokage spoke. “Tokubetsu Jonin Mitarashi Anko, you and your team of Genin students were assigned a simple C-Ranked escort mission three weeks ago. When you incapacitated two chunin from an enemy village, you should have returned to Konoha immediately. Yet you proceeded onward with the mission. Three weeks later, you return to Konoha, mission supposedly complete, accompanied by two more shinobi from that same enemy village. I will give you two minutes to provide a sufficient enough explanation, otherwise you will be demoted to the rank of chunin and thusly stripped of your leadership of Team 6.”

Anko visibly gulped. “Erm, well...” She took in a deep breath. “I can provide full details in the mission report later, sir. More importantly, Momochi Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen is here to represent a certain faction in forming an alliance with Konoha.”

“Very well,” Fugaku responded, eyes narrowing. “Obito, might you create some privacy for us all?”

Obito met the Hokage’s eyes, and nodded. He suppressed the discomfort he felt at being referred to with that name. It was a problem for later. “I’ll need to make them, can you give me a moment please?”

With the Hokage’s assent, Obito sat down cross-legged on the floor in the centre of the Hokage’s office. He was one of two people in Konoha who knew how to make proper privacy seals, which they did not like to widely distribute. Certain formulae were better not being circulated, otherwise enemies could obtain copies and develop counter-formulae.

Taking only a minute of his time, Obito took out four blank seal tags, his ink pot and calligraphy brush. Quickly he drew up the seals being requested, and handed them off to Hinata and Sasuke as each was completed. Once they’d been placed around the room, Obito packed away his supplies and stood up. “We should be safe from prying eyes and ears now.”

“Thank you, Obito. Now, Anko, would you please continue?” Fugaku filed away the paperwork that was previously in the centre of his desk, to demonstrate that his full attention was now on the conversation at hand.

“Sir. We encountered resistance in Wave; a local crime lord had hired mercenaries and shinobi to assassinate Tazuna, the builder who had come to Konoha seeking an escort. To be clear, Zabuza and Haku were among the hired shinobi. However, by a certain turn of events, Gato was... dealt with. Obito will deliver the full report on these events, as they were his doing. Once that... happened, we parlayed with Zabuza. He is part of a faction in Kirigakure that seeks to overthrow the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, and is here to negotiate a possible alliance with Konoha. I believe that you should hear the rest from him.” Anko stepped back, and bowed her head. Whilst Obito was still holding himself back from a fit of giggles, Sasuke and Hinata stared, bug-eyed, at the strange behaviour their sensei was exhibiting.

“I see that you are a busy man, and so I will keep this plain,” Zabuza began, bowing his head as a sign of respect. “Our rebellion wishes to request some form of discreet aid from Konoha. Once we have overthrown the Fourth Mizukage, we will establish Kiri as an official ally of Konoha. We can develop a partnership that will involve not only military allegiance, but trade deals; it is no secret that we have the best quality metalwork in the elemental nations, and we are willing to help outfit your armories. If you are interested, perhaps we can continue this conversation later?”

Fugaku considered the proposal. “No, I would wish to have this full conversation now. But if you do not mind, we shall go elsewhere. I see that you have handed over your weapons as a sign of trust, but I cannot so safely assume that you still bear no ill will.”

The Hokage’s irises appeared to spin, all the while turning from their regular onix to a deep red, with three black tomoe settling into view as the spinning stopped. “I assume a man of your experience understands what this means?”

Zabuza’s mouth lifted into a grin, showing his sharpened teeth on full display. “Of course, I wouldn’t have expected any less. Would someone be so kind as to catch us?”

“What?” Came the chorus of the three genin, before both Haku and Zabuza’s bodies hit the floor.

After accompanying the Hokage and the two unconscious visitors into one of the buildings used by the Intel division, Team 6 was dismissed. Hinata nervously excused herself, and ran inside the building. She paced quickly along the corridors and up a set of stairs until she found her knuckles rapping on one particular door.

“Come in,” came the deep, rough voice from inside.

Hinata placed her hand on the doorknob but instead of opening the door, she hesitated. Was this the right thing to do? She didn’t want to be of any trouble... but she needed help.

“Take your time, Hinata.” The voice called out again, calm and patient.

Hinata ran words of reassurance through her mind, and twisted the knob. With a gentle push, the door swung open, revealing Ibiki sipping a cup of tea at his desk. As Hinata meekly walked in and sat down in a seat opposite Ibiki’s desk, the man set his tea down and looked at her.

“How was your mission?” Ibiki asked, smiling gently.

Hinata took a breath. “It was... eventful. Beyond the initial parameters.”

“So I gathered,” Ibiki responded, when it was clear Hinata had no more to add. “We received your team’s... gift three weeks ago, and when you didn’t return I assumed that Anko decided to carry on with the mission.”

After that, neither spoke for a while. Once again, when it had become clear that Hinata was not intending to say any more, Ibiki asked his question. “What can I help you with today? Would you like to discuss the mission, or is there something else?”

“Something else,” Hinata muttered, almost inaudibly. “I... I don’t want-”

“Take your time,” Ibiki said, and he resumed sipping from his tea.

Hinata took in a breath, and tried again. “I don’t want to go home. When- We- I spent three weeks outside of Konoha, away from my father, from my clan. It was... I don’t want to go back.”

Ibiki set his tea back down. “I understand. You know I share your disdain for your clan. Hiashi is powerful, though, and his reach covers almost all of Konoha. Where would you go?”

“I... I was hoping that I could stay with you.” Hinata pushed the words out, fighting against the voice inside her head that told her to stop being an inconvenience to others. It was like Ibiki said, she deserved to take up her own space, to have her own desires, to ask for things.

“Hinata, I-” Ibiki started.

“Please!” Hinata interjected. Ibiki smiled; that was the first time Hinata had ever spoken over him, and it was a sign of progress. He sighed, and looked Hinata directly in the eyes.

“Hinata, let me be clear with you. I cannot simply take you in. Your father would easily have the political power to put an end to that, and to me.” As Ibiki spoke, Hinata’s face grew downcast. “Nor can you simply leave. You are the clan heir, and as much as they would be comfortable to elect your sister to take your place, they won’t allow you to just walk away. But, there is just one option. It wouldn’t free you from your clan, but it could buy you time. In two months, the next Chunin Exams will be held.

“I can give you until then, and if you are able to pass the exam and become a chunin, you may have the ability to distance yourself from Hiashi’s grasp. You will still have to live in your home, though you will be able to spend more time away from them.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll do it!” Hinata exclaimed, louder than she usually spoke.

“It will not be easy - you will not be able to speak with your teammates and friends for the duration. Additionally, you will be pushed to your absolute limits. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?”

Hinata nodded firmly.

“Very well. You may stay here tonight, if you like. Then, tomorrow...”

Hinata listened to Ibiki’s explanations intently, wearing an increasingly resolute expression the whole way through.

“I’m actually not allowed to tell you much about my mission - the report is ‘need to know’.” Obito announced over the dinner table, earning a disappointed frown from Naruto and a laugh from their parents.

“Oh, really?” Sora asked. “How did you manage that, on your first C-Rank mission?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what I can. We were supposed to be guarding a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. Escorts, until the bridge was complete. But, we were waylaid by enemy shinobi, hired by a crime lord who had taken up residence in Wave. This crime lord didn’t want the bridge to be built, and had gone to some lengths to try and get his way.” Obito grinned.

“Oh, I know that look... What did you do?” Genma asked suspiciously. “Do I even want to know?”

“Yeah, yeah, what happened next?” Naruto chimed in, eager to hear more.

“Well, do you remember the summoning contract Orochimaru granted me as a graduation gift? Some rumours of an organised crime group being toppled by four geese might make their way to Konoha soon.” Obito laughed mischievously.

“No way! Really?” Naruto was bouncing in his seat.

“Yeah, and I don’t think it’ll ever get traced back to me, because really... Geese?” Obito chuckled. “But on a more serious note, two of the shinobi we encountered were quite powerful - even Anko was struggling against one of them. The good news is that they might become our allies now, but the bad news is that’s where I can’t say any more.”

“Awww,” Naruto complained. “Hopefully whatever it was gets sorted out soon, and you can tell us more!”

“What about your mission, Naruto?” Obito asked. “Did anything crazy happen to your team?”

A proud glint shone in Naruto’s eyes. “We fought pirates!”

“You what?” Genma and Sora both protested in unison.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Obito suggested.

“Oh, right! Well, we went to this port town in the Land of Tea, and got on a boat to this island shaped like a moon. They have a shinobi village there called Tsukigakure, and Guy was supposed to deliver a message to their leader, who’s suuuuper pretty!” Naruto rambled. “We had some time to spend there because Guy and their Tsukikage had to talk about some stuff. Guy wanted us to meet the shinobi there, and so we hung out with one of their genin teams for a while. We went with them on a mission to patrol the seas, and beat up some pirates!”

The family continued to catch up and share stories of the last month as the night went on. 

 Genma and Sora mentioned that they were both considering applying to take their own genin teams from the next graduating cohort of the academy, which both Naruto and Obito were in full support of. Eventually, the red-haired jinchuriki mustered up the strength to say something that simply couldn’t be put off anymore.

“Um, guys?” They waited until they had the attention of their family. “I want to try out the name Akane, can you use that for me for now? And I’m not a boy, or a girl. Can you just use they/them pronouns to refer to me, please?”

As the last moments of sunset passed, Mikoto packed away the unfinished remainder of her paperwork, which she would attend to in the morning. She’d received notice that Fugaku would be working late, and Itachi was out training in the forest nearby. Mikoto moved to the kitchen to prepare a pot of tea, when she heard footsteps coming from the front of the house. The steps sounded too heavy to be Itachi, so she wondered if Sasuke had returned home. While the tea steeped, she moved towards the corridor to see who it was - and it was Sasuke.

When she looked at him, she could instantly tell that something about him was different. She could feel it. Though in its baby stages, her youngest’s sharingan had finally awoken. Mikoto could only hope that it hadn’t been brought out the hard way. She smiled when her son saw her, and beckoned him to come through for some tea.

“You seem different. Did something happen while you were away in the Land of Waves?” Mikoto asked, her tone a mix of firm and welcoming.

“A... A lot happened. I was too weak. I’m done being so damn weak!” Sasuke exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes.

“I have to ask, dear. Did you see somebody die?” Mikoto pressed, knowing it might bring up painful memories if she was right.

“What? No! Why?” Sasuke seemed taken aback, still teary-eyed.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Mikoto let out a sigh of relief.

“Why did you think someone died?” Sasuke asked, startled and confused.

Mikoto led her son to the nearest mirror, and directed Sasuke to look at his reflection. “Sasuke, focus some of your chakra to your eyes.”

Understanding dawned upon Sasuke, and he did as he was told. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together into a Tiger seal. As the chakra moved towards his eyes, he felt a disorienting shift, accompanied by a light headache. He opened his eyes, and stepped back in shock. Looking back at him were two red eyes, each with a single black tomoe.

Chapter Text

Near the crack of dawn, Hinata found herself standing in a forest somewhere close to Konoha. After Ibiki had woken her and given her a change of clothes, Hinata was escorted by a masked shinobi who hadn’t spoken a single word the whole way. She shivered, the cold easily seeping through the thin black garbs she’d been given, little more than cloth to cover her skin. She resisted the urge to fidget with the unremarkable white mask covering her face, knowing she must simply grow accustomed to the sensation of it resting over her face.

A sharp voice startled her, as well as the two similarly dressed figures standing by her side. “Welcome, recruits, to your ANBU training course. My name is Panther, and I’ll be overseeing the three of you for the next two months... that is, if you all make it through alive. These may well be the hardest two months of your lives - if you find yourself unable to keep going, you are able to quit. You will want to give up countless times, thinking you’re too weak or that it’s too hard. But if you can get past that doubt, you will become strong.”

Akane woke up with a start. They felt a sensation of firm pressure gripping their whole body. They snapped their eyes open and tried to wriggle, finding themself completely unable to break free of the thick roots entrapping them. The roots pulled relentlessly, lifting the teen out of the open window of their room despite their initial attempts to wriggle out. Once outside, they saw their twin’s less compliant form also being dragged about by the snaking tendrils of wood.

The twins were lowered to the ground, and turned so that they were facing Yamato, who looked thoroughly miffed.

“What’s the big idea?!” Naruto hollered in his state of agitation, unappreciative of the rough early wake-up.

Yamato’s face contorted into a terrifying expression, and he stared daggers at Akane. “Why don’t you ask your brother that, Naruto? After all, if he told you what he’d done, you wouldn’t be so surprised. Never mind… I suppose Jiraiya will fill the both of you in.”

Without warning, both twins felt their bodies being pulled once again. Rather than set them down to follow, Yamato decided to set off at a run, dragging the two through the streets of Konoha without heeding Naruto’s further complaints. Once the blond had accepted that he was being ignored, he turned to face his sibling. “Akane, what the hell is going on?”

“I, uh... may have broken the rule about using our jinchuriki powers,” Akane grinned nervously. They had no regrets for their actions in Wave, but still felt a bit bad for how Naruto was going to get roped into the consequences.

Naruto sighed. “Yamato-sensei, can you please let me down? I didn’t do anything wro-”

“No.”

And so, Yamato continued to drag them through the streets of Konoha and into the Hokage Tower. They proceeded towards the obscured door that led to the village’s tunnel network, and towards their specialized jinchuriki training hall.

The second the twins’ bodies were pushed into the spacious room and finally set free of the wooden grasp, the yelling began. Jiraiya stood with a finger pointed directly at Akane. “You idiot! You arrogant, hotheaded little fool! There was ONE rule. ONE! RULE!”

Akane looked around, noticing Naruto’s look of absolute shock at the seemingly unprompted barrage, as well as Orochimaru’s ever unreadable smirk. Their attention was snapped back to the enraged man, who was apparently not yet finished shouting.

“The ONE rule was that you do not mess with the kyuubi without our supervision. If anything went wrong, not only could you have died, but the half of the kyuubi’s chakra sealed inside your body could have been set loose on the world. And if you think that’s as bad as it gets, why don’t we also talk about how you were in another nation, and the kyuubi could have been captured by another village! What the fuck were you thinking, Obito?!”

Akane looked up at Jiraiya, but not meeting the man’s eyes. They wanted to smile or laugh, but had the better sense to not provoke the powerful shinobi before them. “Um, actually my name is Akane now. And… it was give and take, a favour for a favour. The Kyuubi, or should I say, Kurama did me a favour, and so I did something in return.”

Orochimaru stepped forward before Jiraiya had a chance to lash out again. “Explain, Akane?”

“It’ll be easier for me to demonstrate than to explain. Orochimaru, could you make a shadow clone and have it allow me to perform a genjutsu on it without any attempt to resist?” Akane requested politely.

Orochimaru nodded, and performed a swift sequence of hand seals. There was a small puff of smoke, followed by a single clone standing in front of the original. The clone raised a hand to signal its readiness.

“I’m going to put it under a genjutsu, in which the clone will experience their arm being submerged in lava. Watch what happens to the arm.” Akane explained, and got to work. It took several hand seals to construct a suitably powerful genjutsu. Once the jutsu had been performed, the clone visibly winced. Smoke began to rise from their arm, which had begun to rapidly burn. After a few seconds, the clone was dispelled.

Orochimaru’s lips spread into a wide grin of excitement. “Interesting! It would seem that the genjutsu has the ability to affect the body of its victim according to what they perceive to be happening to them. And this ability was granted to you by the Kyuubi, you say?”

“That’s right,” Akane confirmed. “While we were in the Land of Waves, I was sneaking out some mornings to commune with Kurama. I know that it was against the rules, but I had everything under control. One morning, Kurama offered to grant me this ability, and so I had to return the favour.”

“Wait, I still don’t get why you can talk to the fox and I can’t...” Naruto interjected. “Is this because you...”

“No,” Akane cut in before Naruto could finish that sentence. The sannin definitely knew of their secret past, but they weren’t sure about Yamato. Besides, they didn’t like it being said aloud. “I’m pretty sure it has to do with chakra natures. You remember the difference between Yin and Yang chakra, right?”

Naruto nodded, and so Akane continued. “Well, I have the Yin half of the Kyuubi and you have the Yang half. Yin chakra tends to be more mental, whereas Yang is more physical. I suspect that my half of Kurama is more even-tempered and easier to talk to, but yours is probably more powerful. Anyway, where was I?”

“You were speaking about returning the favour,” Orochimaru offered.

“Ah yes. I can’t imagine it being that pleasant, being locked in a dark cage for as long as Kurama has. So, I built him a window. I modified the seal so that Kurama can voluntarily see what I see and hear what I hear. No more, no less. By all means, inspect the seal. If it’s not up to scratch, you can revert it back to the original form.”

Jiraiya huffed angrily. “Fine, get over here so we can take a look. But don’t think you’re getting out of this free. The Hokage has asked us to inform you that you’re banned from taking any missions for the next month. Your team will proceed without you, and you’ll be given tasks to do around the village for the duration. I don’t care if your modifications are perfect, and I don’t care how safe and in control you were. You violated a direct order from the Hokage, an order which was put in place for the safety of the entire village. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” Akane sighed, and lifted off their shirt. They walked towards Jiraiya, and lay down on the floor.

“You have to admit, it’s clean work,” Orochimaru commented. “If there was ever any doubt that he inherited Minato’s talent for seals, let this be proof.”

“Yeah, fine,” Jiraiya grumbled. “But next time you want to fuck with the seal, you run it past me first. Understood?”

“Yes sir,” Akane said as they got up off the ground and put their shirt back on.

“Naruto, you’re up!” Jiraiya announced.

“Yay!” Naruto cheered, punching the air with his fist. “I feel like today will be the day I finally make a breakthrough!”

Jiraiya wordlessly procured a small storage scroll, and unsealed it. When a long rope appeared, Naruto’s excitement was quickly replaced with confusion. “Uh... what’s that for?”

“We’ve hit a dead end here, Naruto. I wasn’t sure how else to help you learn how to pull on the Kyuubi’s chakra, short of throwing you off a cliff and hoping for the best.” Jiraiya tossed the rope towards Naruto, holding on to one end. Naruto gulped.

“So I went and asked a certain someone for advice on what would get through to you, since you don’t learn well with traditional methods. I assume you know how to play the game ‘tug of war’?” The Toad Sage asked.

“...Yes?” The young blond answered with apprehension.

“Try to beat me.”

Naruto looked at the end of the rope in his hands. He looked back to Jiraiya. “How is this training?”

“Just do it.”

Naruto gripped the rope tightly, and adjusted his stance so that he could pull with more of his body weight. He started pulling, and realised that Jiraiya barely had to exert himself in order to hold steady. He tried augmenting his strength with chakra, something that Guy had been teaching him how to do in the last couple of weeks. He pulled with all of his might, and finally felt the rope move his way. Then, suddenly, he was falling. His head banged against the ground and stars flashed across his sight for just a moment.

“You pulled too hard,” Jiraiya said plainly. “So, I let go. Look at the rope. You managed to pull it away from me, but you lost control in the process. Now get up and try again.”

Naruto reluctantly did as he was asked. This time, he was careful not to pull too hard. He felt frustrated that he couldn’t gain any ground, but didn’t want a repeat of what happened last time. Suddenly, he was dragged forward and fell again, this time getting a mouth full of dirt for his efforts.

“Hey, what the hell?!” Naruto shouted indignantly after pushing himself up.

“You expect to achieve anything without even pulling? All it took was one good yank and I had you on the floor again. Come on, kid. It’s just tug of war,” Jiraiya scoffed as he rolled his eyes. “Try again. We’ll keep doing this until you figure it out.”

Naruto tried several more times. Each time, he either ended up on the ground or lost the rope entirely. Just as frustration was mounting and he was ready to give up, inspiration struck. “One more time, please!” Naruto shouted with renewed determination.

Once they both had had a hold on the rope, Naruto pulled. He augmented his strength with his chakra, but with only a fraction of what he was capable of. He kept at it until finally he felt the rope come his way. As Jiraiya was pulled forward, Naruto stepped back and stopped. Then, he thought he’d grounded himself well. But not well enough, as the rope was pulled out from his grasp entirely.

“Hey, no fair!” Naruto complained.

“Is that what you’ll tell the Kyuubi when it possesses your body and kills everyone around you?” Jiraiya prodded. “But still, congratulations on passing the first stage of your training. Learning to draw on the Kyuubi’s chakra should be just like this game of tug of war. You need to pull steadily. Too hard and you’ll lose control, too weak and nothing will happen. Most importantly, you need patience.”

Naruto’s eyes shone with excited comprehension. Training was over for now, but next time he would finally figure out how to draw out the Kyuubi’s chakra, and put it to good use.

In a dimly lit room in a restricted underground section of the Torture and Interrogation building, two men sat on either end of a black table. The atmosphere between them felt tense, despite how relaxed they each appeared. A few papers lay scattered over the table, detailing various plans and pieces of intel.

“So, are you satisfied yet?” Zabuza yawned. He scratched at an itch on his shoulder, maintaining direct eye contact with the Hokage.

“I am. You have been especially compliant, and I thank you for that. So, Terumi Mei? I look forward to meeting her.” Fugaku maintained his stony expression. “Before we conclude, let us go over the terms once more.”

“Sure,” Zabuza agreed. “I get to go back to my life of getting paid by rich folks to beat people up, albeit touching base with you guys here and there, and if you need me to do some shady shit, I’m your guy. In return though, you gotta look after my kid, Haku. He’s pretty damn strong, but clueless when it comes to actually living his life. Being serious, though, he could be a damn good ambassador between our villages in the future. Are we in agreement??”

Fugaku nodded. “My eldest son’s team finds itself in need of an additional member for the upcoming chunin exams. This will be a suitable way for your disciple to learn teamwork, and forge collaborative bonds with our own shinobi. But let us speak of the form our dealings will take after you have reclaimed your village. You wish to ally yourselves with us. You want discounted trade, and to rely on one another for aid during times of need. But we would make a request in return.

“Your village is renowned for its craftsmanship. In exchange for our aid, we would have you help to supply our armories; I ask for a further discount on weapons and tools produced in Kirigakure. Will this be acceptable?”

Zabuza barked out a single laugh. “As long as you don’t have eyes for our seven swords, you’ll have a deal. We expected that you would ask as much, and it is absolutely something we can give. In fact, I can further sweeten that deal. You have a talented young sealsmith amongst your shinobi - if you allow him to produce simple seals for us, we’ll discount our own products even further.”

“That’s right, you encountered young Obito in the Land of Waves. I will have to think on the additional request, but I suspect you’ll find me agreeable. Very well, I can assent to all of the terms we’ve discussed. Now, how long do you plan to stay in Konoha?”

“Perhaps a day, two at most. Am I free to go? Been a good while since I’ve had a proper sleep.”

“WHAT?! But master, I belong by your side!” Haku yelled, exasperation bleeding through his voice.

Zabuza sighed. He looked out the window of the Hokage’s office, surveying Konohagakure. “Kid, listen up. We’re going to take back Kiri with the help of Konoha. But that’s months, maybe even years away. When we do, we need to fix our village. Blood soaks every crevice of that place, and the whole point of this rebellion is to fix that. So, we’re going to take a page out of Konoha’s book. To do that, we need to learn how they operate. Or, more specifically, you do.”

Haku gulped. He fidgeted with a loose strand of his long black hair, gritting his teeth in frustration. “But I-”

“Haku. I’m gonna be really blunt with you now, okay?” Zabuza turned, and put a hand on Haku’s head. “You need friends. You’ve travelled a ruthless path with me since you were a child, known little beyond violence. But you deserve to experience more than that. I’m not abandoning you - you’ll still see me from time to time, and I’ll be glad to have you back by my side when this whole mess is over. Okay?”

A tear rolled down Haku’s cheek. “Yes, master. I understand.”

Zabuza ruffled Haku’s hair, and then turned him to face the young man who was also standing in the Hokage’s office. He had long black hair tied neatly into a ponytail, and deep, piercing onyx eyes. He wore standard Konoha jonin attire - a green flak jacket over a navy top and pants. The man stepped forward, and outstretched a hand. He smiled, but even Haku could tell there was no true warmth to it. It was genuine, but cold all the same.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Haku. My name is Uchiha Itachi. I am the jonin who leads the team you will be joining for now.”

Haku reached out, and shook the man’s hand, but said nothing. Then, he turned and looked to Zabuza for direction. He could independently handle himself in enemy territory while conducting reconnaissance or espionage, and yet in this situation he had no clue what to do.

“Run along now, Haku. And play nice, okay?” Zabuza grinned. “I’m gonna go take a nap. Oh Esteemed Lord Hokage, is there somewhere I can crash?”

Fugaku raised two fingers into the air. At his signal, a figure clad entirely in black, wearing a feline white mask appeared. “Tiger, would you be so kind as to take Zabuza and find some lodgings?”

The black-clad ANBU officer took Zabuza and left, leaving Haku stunned and confused. Haku instead folded his arms over his chest and looked back to Itachi. “What now?”

“Now, if you feel ready, I will take you to meet your new teammates.”

A single leaf floated through the air, blown towards the river by a gust of wind. Just before it would have landed gracefully on the water, it was crushed underfoot. Hyuga Neji danced about, evading the swirling shadows that slithered across the water’s surface. It was a purely defensive exercise, and his sole task was to maintain his balance while avoiding capture. For his teammate, it was an exercise in chakra control as much as it was an exercise in capturing an agile foe.

A bead of sweat dripped from Nara Kaya’s chin as she focused, trying to draw her shadows around Neji in a way that would bring him closer to her. Of course, they both knew that the closer he was, the less chakra Kaya would have to expend in order to capture him. The dance continued until suddenly, Neji ground to a halt. He fell prey to Kaya’s shadows, but when she realised he wasn’t even resisting its grasp, she pulled her shadow back and let him free. Upon being freed, Neji turned his head to face the two approaching figures.

“That was well done,” Itachi praised. “Both of you, but especially Kaya. You are becoming far more proficient in directing the movements of your foes, and it will serve you and your allies well. Neji, I believe you can step up the difficulty on your end. Next time, I want you to move on your hands, rather than your feet. It will make capture easier for Kaya, but I expect you to give her a challenge in holding you. Understood?”

“Yes, sensei!” Both students nodded, stepping off the surface of the river and onto dry land.

Neji looked quizzically towards the new face. “And who is this?”

Itachi gestured towards Haku with one hand. “This is Yuki Haku. He will be joining our team for a while, especially in the upcoming chunin exams. He has only recently come to Konoha, and so I hope you will treat him with respect and kindness, and make him feel welcome.”

“New to Konoha? How long have you been here?” Kaya asked, smiling.

“Just one night. My master has asked me to stay here and learn from Konoha. He wants me to... make friends,” Haku declared awkwardly.

“I... see. And you got put with the socially awkward team? Checks out.” Kaya laughed. “I’m Nara Kaya. Capture specialist and medic. This here is Hyuga Neji, our taijutsu combatant with no understanding whatsoever of how to relate to other people. And you’ve probably already met our sensei, Uchiha Itachi, who is so overly burdened by the pressures from his clan that he forgot how to feel. Best friends club, yaaaaay...”

“Thank you, Kaya, for that kind introduction. Now, Haku, if you would be so kind as to give us a display of your skills? I would like to know what I have to work with, so that we can adjust our formations.” Itachi sat on a nearby boulder.

“Very well,” Haku consented. He formed a hand seal with a single hand, and created several needles of ice in the air around him.

A single pulse of chakra through Hiashi’s palm was sufficient enough to completely unhinge the door barring his path. Maintaining a wholly neutral expression, he stepped over the fragments of wood decorating the floor, and looked up. Hiashi furrowed his eyebrows, and spoke. “Where is she?”

Infuriatingly, the man before Hiashi raised a teacup to his lips and took a sip. Ever so slowly, he set the cup down. “Hiashi-sama, would you be so kind as to clarify who you are asking for?”

“Morino Ibiki, don’t play games with me. Where is my daughter?” Hiashi spoke firmly, in a way that was not quite aggressive.

“Hanabi? I’m sure that she would be at the Academy right now, but I don’t keep tabs on her.” Ibiki smiled.

Hiashi’s lips curled into a snarl. “Why do you insist on trying to make a fool of me, Ibiki? I am very well aware that Hinata visits you regularly, though I know not why. Her team returned from their mission yesterday, and she did not come home. Tell me where she is, or there will be consequences.”

Ibiki pushed his teacup forward, and stood up. “I cannot tell you where Hinata is, and that is the truth. What I can reveal is that she will not be returning to the Hyuga clan compound for roughly two months.”

“Enough of this! You will take me to her now. Or... would you dare make yourself an enemy of the Hyuga?” Hiashi barked, taking a single step towards Ibiki.

Ibiki made direct eye contact with Hiashi. “Let me be perfectly clear: You are entitled to this information only because you are a clan head. Your eldest daughter, Hyuga Hinata, has been recruited into ANBU. She is currently at her initiation training, and will return in time to take the chunin exams.”

“Bah. Enough of the lies! Where is she, really??” Hiashi demanded, more aggressively than the last time.

“You truly underestimate your daughter. She is not as weak as you still believe. For all the sight your Byakugan grants you, you are quite the blind man. When I said that she is training to join the ANBU, I spoke the truth.”

“Hmph.” Hiashi turned and left, crushing a fragment of what used to be Ibiki’s office door underfoot.

Sasuke clawed at the dirt below him, panting heavily as he scrambled to get up. He threw himself to one side just in time for a kunai to whistle past his ear, barely nicking it and drawing a thin line of blood. A warm trickle ran slowly down his neck. Sasuke got to his feet, and started running again.

“Move! Move! Move!” Anko yelled, hurling kunai after kunai in Sasuke’s path. “You call that running? FASTER!”

As the genin ran, he allowed a small amount of chakra to flow through his lower body, augmenting his speed. He could feel the drain, but he had to push. He was done being the weakest link. If it meant shedding blood, sweat, and tears, then so be it. The finish line came into sight - one tree stood far taller than all its neighbours. All Sasuke had to do was make it there, and get to the top. One final push.

A shuriken lodged itself in Sasuke’s hip, and he let out a yelp. Nonetheless, he pushed forward. Refusing to give up, Sasuke ignored the pain and pushed more chakra into his legs. With a bigger spring in his step, he jumped. Sasuke twisted, and landed on the tree, hanging parallel to the ground. Chakra firmly gripping onto the bark, Sasuke paused for a moment. Then, before Anko could exploit his brief stop, Sasuke sprinted up higher and higher, occasionally jumping and twisting away from an inbound projectile. Higher and higher, until he stood at the top, looking out across the forests outside of Konoha.

He made it to the top. Wheezing, the boy grabbed firmly onto a sturdy branch and relaxed his chakra.

“Not bad for a first try, kiddo. By the end of the week, I’ll have you making this run in half the time!” Anko shouted as she swung from branch to branch until she was beside her student. “Take five, and then come down to the forest floor.”

When his break was over, Sasuke swung down to the ground, almost tripping up his landing from sheer fatigue. He looked around, and found Anko sitting with a skewer of dango she’d procured from somewhere. Anko heard their student land, and looked over towards him. “Alright, now that you’ve warmed up, we can start for real.”

A small part of Sasuke wanted to give in already. He resisted the urge to fall to his knees, and slowly paced towards Anko. “What do I have to do?”

“You want to get stronger. There are two things you’re lacking, which this week of training will focus on. Stamina, and control. The first will come from everything we do. Your stamina, both physical and of chakra, will underpin everything. Control will allow you to make the most of every movement and every strike,” Anko explained.

“You definitely have a larger chakra pool than most, but just because you have a large pool doesn’t mean you can perform massive attacks. At least, not until you’ve fully developed as an adult - which is why we’ll work on your control. Even the thickest armor has a weak spot; why waste energy on heavy attacks when you can take them down with a needle?”

Sasuke grinned. He was starting to see what his role in Team 6 was. Hinata was the raw offensive, and Obito specialised in field control. To complement the two, Sasuke would flit around the battlefield making devastating targeted strikes. “So that’s why you taught me that Katon release projectile?”

Anko nodded. “Good, you’re catching on quick. In fact, I’m glad you brought that technique up. I’ve set up some targets in the surrounding area. They’re special targets; the centres of them are made of a chakra-resistant paper. Everything outside of the bullseye, though, is just ordinary paper. Strike the centre with enough power, and it will pierce the paper, leaving the rest intact. Miss the centre, and the whole sheet will burn. If your strike is too weak, nothing will happen.

“Your task is to make as few shots as possible to strike down all twenty targets I’ve set up. The catch? You must stay in the exact spot you’re standing now. I reckon you’ll take at least fifty shots at first, but in a few days you’ll be able to destroy all twenty with less than twenty of your flaming orbs in total. Any questions?”

“No, sensei!”

“Very well. Start!”

Chapter Text

Akane looked around and tried to assess the situation they’d been thrown into.

“Any questions?” Akane surveyed the classroom, waiting for a response. There was quiet, for a moment, and then one of the students hesitantly raised a hand. The material wasn’t simple, and these students weren’t used to a learning environment that had no condemnation for not understanding. Their regular instructor, Tsuko, was… competent, yet rather uncaptivating. The class had a merely passable understanding of the more technical content, but nothing at all beyond that.

“Yes, Moegi?” Akane invited the student to speak.

A girl with two giant orange pigtails put her hand down, and spoke. “Aren’t elemental jutsu supposed to be taught in the final year? I thought they were much more complex than techniques like Substitution and Transformation.”

Akane smiled. “You’re right! But what you’ll be beginning to learn today is much more foundational. There is an important difference between elemental jutsu and elemental manipulation. The jutsu use hand seals in order to create complex, and often powerful, effects. Basic elemental manipulation, while it can be aided by some hand seals, is far simpler - all you are doing is directly converting your own chakra into a given element. It’s by no means easy, but it’s not limited by how much chakra you have.”

As he spoke, Tsuko returned to the classroom. She was a tall, large woman; her size characteristic of the Akimichi clan. A long scar wound its way around her left forearm, and her right arm was covered in tattered bandages. She’d seen war, and it hadn’t been kind to her. She wore her hitai-ate like a bandanna, covering her hair, and a flak jacket like most other academy instructors. She was carrying a stack of small papers - chakra papers. As she handed them out, one to each student, Akane explained their purpose.

Once they were done, one student raised a hand - Akane could predict what would be asked, and was unsurprised of who it was coming from. “Yes, Maru?”

“Will someone’s affinity always be one of those five?” Maru asked, lifting his face out of his treasured blue scarf only long enough to speak.

“No, and I’m glad you asked. Some people have an ability to combine two elements, an ability which is passed down in their bloodline - but that is not something Konoha has seen in any of its shinobi since the First Hokage. Even more rarely, some people can have an affinity outside of the five elements entirely. For example...” Akane took a piece of chakra paper for themself and directed some of their chakra into it. Gradually, the paper became more and more translucent until it had faded into nothingness. A few ooo’s echoed around the classroom in amazement.

“Though this is incredibly uncommon, some people, such as myself, have an affinity for either Yin or Yang chakra. Yin chakra is connected to the mind and spirit, and is most commonly used for genjutsu. Yang chakra is connected to the body, and is most commonly used in medical jutsu, or the Akimichi clan’s body expansion techniques. Perhaps the most famous use of Yang chakra has been in the First Hokage’s Wood Release, which was a combination of Water, Earth and Yang.”

“What would it look like if someone with Wood Release used chakra paper?” The question came from a student at the back, whose name Akane had yet to learn. As students began testing their affinities with the chakra paper, a chair was knocked to the ground, accompanied by a sudden shriek.

“Um...” Akane looked over to the sudden commotion. What they saw made them giggle internally - the sheer timing of such a coincidence had to be some kind of cosmic gag. “It would look exactly like that.” Akane pointed towards Moegi. She had fallen to the ground. Beside her lay a piece of chakra paper that appeared to have sprouted. A sapling was growing from the paper, with leaf buds forming along the stem. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting that, but still that timing was excellent.”

Once Moegi had a chance to pick herself up, she was quickly crowded by her classmates. Many wanted to know how she had grown a sapling out of the paper in the hopes of doing the same, not seeming to understand that it was a purely innate ability. Moegi’s face flushed quickly, and she tried to back out of the crowd.

“Alright everyone, give her some space!” Tsuko called out in a gruff, commanding voice. Quickly, the crowd dispersed, allowing Moegi to regain her composure. “As we can see, it seems apparent that Moegi does have an incredibly rare ability. All the same, we’re not going to pester her about it. Is that understood?”

A chorus of agreement rang through the classroom, followed by a shushing noise from Tsuko. Once there was quiet, Akane continued, directing the class to divide themselves up into different corners of the room based on what element they showed affinity for. There was a pretty even split between Fire, Earth and Water, leaving only a couple for each of Wind and Lightning. Akane allowed Moegi to choose between Earth and Water, and she moved over to the Water group in the back of the room.

“Look around, see who’s in your group. For the next few weeks, you’ll be working together to learn how to transform your chakra into your primary elements. It will be a few days before we begin practical exercises, but I wanted to show you why this is important, and why the effort will be worthwhile. If everyone could follow me outside, please?”

Akane led the class outside, to the academy’s main training field. Waiting with a frustrated look was Uchiha Sasuke, who had set up a series of targets in various spots around the field. “About time you showed up, what kept you?”

“There was a bit of drama, I’ll fill you in later,” Akane responded quietly before turning to face the group of expectant students. “This is one of my teammates, Uchiha Sasuke. I’ve asked him to come and show you exactly what can be done with nature transformations alone, and then help explain the training process to you. Sasuke?”

“Right,” Sasuke took over. He looked a bit flustered from the attention, but took a deep breath to steady himself. “Here is what you can do without any hand seals, if you train enough.”

Without any change of expression or indication of effort, Sasuke formed a small, flaming orb at the tip of each forefinger. He pointed each finger towards a target, and shot out the flaming orbs. Quickly, he built up new orbs - within seconds, ten targets had caught on fire.

“Woah!” Many of the kids shouted in unison, eyes open wide and jaws agape. Sasuke smirked proudly, and turned to explain the basic workings of nature transformations to the students.

After the class was finished, Tsuko thanked Akane and Sasuke for their help. The class was dismissed for their lunch break, but one student had stayed behind. “Sasuke, Akane, I think I got the hang of this already.”

“Oh?” Sasuke grinned towards Maru, who returned the gesture with an indifferent glance.

“I found a scroll on fire transformations a couple weeks back, and I’ve been working on it in my spare time. See?” Maru focused, and gripped his right wrist with his left hand. Then, his right hand began to glow. After a few seconds and a look of visible strain from Maru, his whole hand caught aflame.

Not a moment later, Maru disappeared. Akane saw him off in the distance, standing beside a burning wooden training post. Shunshin? I only just learned that myself, Akane thought to themself. They flickered over to Maru’s side, and admired the boy’s handiwork. The post was not only burning, but splintered through the middle.

Sasuke flicked towards the two of them and put a hand on Maru’s shoulder. “Damn, kid! Shunshin and nature transformation? You could probably take the graduation exam at the end of the year if you wanted. I’m sure Ebisu-sensei would let you. What happened to the prankster who didn’t care about being a shinobi?”

Maru looked away and scratched at his temple, embarrassed. “He met someone who showed him that there’s more to the world than what other people thought of him. He decided to get strong, and show everyone that he’s not the same person as his fool of a grandfather.”

“Well, I certainly look forward to working alongside you sometime in the near future!” Sasuke smiled, and held out a fist towards Maru. The boy bumped the fist with his own, and ran off to get his lunch.

“You two seem to be getting on quite well, huh?” Akane mused.

“He and I are pretty similar. I knew he’d been training more, since I’ve visited him a few times over the last month, but I never realised he’d had such a change of heart. Anyway, I’m going to put in a good word for the kid with Ebisu-sensei. You wanna come?”

“Nah, I’m gonna duck off. I’m doing some training with Orochimaru.”

“All right, I’ll see you this afternoon?”

“Oh, I almost forgot! Yep, I’ll be there.”

Within the well reinforced underground training hall, Naruto growled almost gutturally. His hands were clenched almost tight enough for his nails to pierce through his skin, and his eyes were nearly staring holes into the far wall. Several branches hovered just behind him, waiting to latch on should anything go wrong. The boy yelled as he exerted a great deal of effort. After several seconds more of extreme exertion, a faint red shroud bled out of his skin and around his body. The whisker-like lines on his face grew more pronounced, and his canine teeth grew sharper. His hair stood on end, and his nails became sharp claws. The red shroud around his body bubbled ever so subtly.

For almost half a minute, Naruto didn’t move. He appeared to be fighting his own body, waging a primal war to retain control. Finally, he turned around and excitedly waved. “I did it again!”

The tendrils of wood retreated half a meter, but lingered. Jiraiya stood up and put his book away. “Well done, kid. That’s the fourth time so far, and you got a tiny bit faster. Do you think you can fight without losing control?”

“I, uh...” Naruto jumped up and down, and swung his arms back and forth. “Yeah!”

“Great. Let’s see if you can land a solid hit on me this time,” Jiraiya challenged, and stepped into a combative stance. Without waiting, Naruto pounced.

“...and then I was like ‘WHAM’ and punched him in the gut!” Naruto mimicked the form of an uppercut, almost knocking over his ramen. “I think I might be ready to use this in time for the chunin exams next month!”

“I’d be surprised if they let you. Your jinchuriki status may be the village’s worst kept secret, but it’s still a secret,” Sasuke reminded his friend. “Besides, you probably won’t even need it.”

A ray of sunlight briefly shone over Naruto’s food as one of the fabric flaps covering the entrance to the ramen stand was pushed aside. Akane turned their face and gave a nod of recognition to the newcomer. 

“Naruto, I want to introduce you to a friend of Sasuke’s and mine. This is Haku, who came back with us from Wave. He’s been really busy with his new team, so he hasn’t had time to come and hang out until now.” Akane gestured towards the newcomer, who wore his usual aqua haori over the green pinstripe outfit from Kirigakure. His hair wasn’t in its usual bun, instead hanging freely over his shoulders. A small voice in Akane’s head with somehow envious of Haku’s effeminate look. “While we’re at it, Haku, you should know that I use the name Akane now, and my pronouns are they/them.”

Haku gave Akane a knowing nod, having expected such a revelation. Meanwhile, Naruto turned, and stared. Akane thought they saw their brother’s face go a little bit red, and smirked.

“Uh... Hi!” Naruto spluttered in an unusual display of awkwardness. “I’m Naruto!”

“I am pleased to meet you, Naruto. My name is Haku.” Haku bowed his head in formal greeting, and stepped forward to take a seat. “Excuse me, could I please have a bowl of shio ramen?”

Teuchi nodded, and turned to begin cooking Haku’s meal. Akane noticed that Naruto was staring at Haku, and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Hey!” Naruto protested, and picked up his bowl to slurp down the remaining broth in his bowl. “So, uh... how are you finding Konoha?”

“It is quite lively, unlike places I’ve been before. People here have been kind to me. My team is definitely more akin to what I am used to,” Haku responded curtly. “We work well together, and focus on the task at hand.”

“Sounds... good, I guess?” Naruto said, not quite sure how to respond.

“How long of a break has my brother given you?” Sasuke asked.

“Three days, and then we’re going outside the village for a week,” Haku replied. “I hope to meet people and... make friends. Such are my master’s instructions for me.”

“Well, Sasuke and I will be going on our next mission in a couple days, but we can hang out and introduce you to people tomorrow, if you’d like?” Akane offered. They fished out the last piece of tofu from their bowl with a chakra string.

“That is very kind. If you don’t mind my asking, where is your other teammate, Hinata?”

Akane hummed. “I’m not actually sure. I have my suspicions, but all I know is that she will return in time for the chunin exams. Why do you ask?”

Teuchi passed a hot bowl of ramen towards Haku, who accepted it with gratitude. “She was a powerful combatant, and I would enjoy a spar with her, should she accept. I suppose I’ll have to wait until the chunin exams though. So, the three of you are also entering?”

“That’s right!” Naruto declared, apparently having regained his composure. “And I’ll show everyone just how strong I’ve gotten. I bet that by the time we get to the exams, I’ll be the strongest genin from Konoha!”

“Ha! If you work hard enough, I might let you have second place,” Sasuke jibed. “Me and my sharingan will be undefeated!”

“Hmm, I actually can’t help but wonder which of you two would win in a fight,” Akane remarked cheekily, knowing that it would feed into their rivalry.

“Actually, I believe that neither of you are going to be the strongest genin,” Haku stated matter-of-factly. “That would most likely go to my own teammate, Neji. They say he is a prodigy among the Hyuga clan, the likes of which haven’t been seen in generations.”

Both Naruto and Sasuke huffed in unison. They each reached into their respective wallets, fishing out money to pay for their food.

“I bet I could make Neji quiver! All I need is a few common kitchen commodities,” Naruto grinned evilly.

“That will certainly get you smacked upside the head, brother dearest!” Akane laughed, losing themself to a fit of giggles upon recalling the memory of their own fight with Neji back in the academy.

The four genin continued to laugh and banter while Haku ate his ramen, and then parted ways to attend to each of their own duties.

Chapter Text

Hinata wearily pushed open the door to her family’s home, spilling the colours of the sunset into the foyer. She activated her Byakugan, and quickly found her father sitting in his office. Few others were around, but she decided to take no chances. Quickly and quietly, and with the lightest of feet, Hinata made her way to the office and knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

Hinata stepped inside. Her father sat at his desk, eyeing a stack of paperwork without looking up at her. Perfect, Hinata thought. He’s probably too busy to be distracted by me.

“I came to inform you that I have returned.”

Promptly, Hinata stepped outside the room and closed the door behind her, before her father could say anything. She walked over to her bedroom, keeping her steps light. Ibiki was right, she had to return home. But she didn’t have to confront anyone - besides, the Hyuuga were all perfectly used to Hinata being quiet and staying out of the way.

Once in her own room, Hinata dropped her bag onto the end of her bed. It was a strange feeling, unpacking her supplies from a mission she’d completed two months ago. It felt like it had been far, far longer. One scroll contained dirty clothes which she would need to wash. Another contained her spare kunai and shuriken, which she hardly even used. Now, that would change.

Keep your best weapons hidden until the last moment, Panther had said several times. When a powerful enemy believes they’ve won... that is when they will be most vulnerable.

“I will, Panther-sensei,” Hinata whispered solemnly. “I will.”

Choosing to skip dinner, Hinata lay down on her bed, disregarding the various objects now scattered across it. She allowed sleep to wash over her, and pull her away.

Finally managing to escape from the over-enthusiastic grasp of Team Guy’s early morning workout, Akane made their way over to Training Ground 2. Naruto had decided that Akane needed to take their nose out of their collection of scrolls and get some ‘real exercise’, and dragged them unwillingly along. Their hands were red from exertion, already forming blisters.

“Who the hell runs on their hands?” They muttered as they healed over the sores with warm, green chakra. They didn’t need calluses.

Seeing Sasuke and Anko standing around, Akane realised they were late and flickered over to them. Anko stood up from the fallen branch she was resting against and tutted at them before asking for an explanation. By the time Akane finished explaining how they’d been abducted by Team Guy, she was already rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter.

“Maybe we should join them every morning?” Anko offered, at which Akane’s face paled considerably. “Anyway, it’s time for us to talk about the chunin exams. They start next week, and I’ve nominated all three of you.”

“But will Hinata be back in time?” Sasuke asked, looking concerned. “We can’t participate without her, right?”

“Oh, she’s already back. You can come out now!” Anko hollered towards the trees.

Suddenly, Hinata was standing beside the other two genin, as though she had been there all along. Both Sasuke and Akane nearly jumped out of their skin, having been caught entirely off guard. “What? When?” Sasuke sputtered.

“She’s been here the whole time,” Anko smirked. “Even mister sharingan didn’t notice? Gotta up your game, kiddo!” 

Before anyone could react any further, the two boys were pulled into a firm embrace. A few seconds later, Hinata stepped away, ever so slightly flushed. “I’m glad to see you two again.”

“Hinata, where have you been?” Sasuke asked, tone both forceful and worried. A hug? From Hinata??

Hinata looked away. “I’ve been... training.”

“I see,” Akane interjected before Sasuke could pry any further. “Well, we’re glad to have you back! By the way, my name is Akane now, and my pronouns are they/them.”

“Speaking of training, why don’t we get started? You have one week to get used to working as a team again so you don’t go and get yourselves killed next week.” Anko suggested, grinning in a way that hinted at chaos to come. “Sasuke and Hinata, why don’t you two spar first?”

The two obliged. Akane and Anko stepped away and gave them some space. Hinata and Sasuke each made the seal of confrontation before shifting into their guard stances. For a while, nobody moved. Then, Sasuke twisted a half-circle, bringing his arm out to block a fist that would have slammed into his back otherwise. Just as quickly, he brought his other arm across in a hook that Hinata parried smoothly. The two kept at it for twenty minutes, neither allowing the other any advantages. Before they’d gone to the Land of Waves, Hinata would have been able to quickly dispatch Sasuke in hand-to-hand combat. Now, Sasuke was holding his own, and Hinata wasn’t even relying solely on her Gentle Fist anymore.

Damn, Akane thought. I wouldn’t want either of them as an enemy.

Without a single shred of hesitation, Akane dunked their head into the cold, flowing water of the Naka river. The sweat washed away and their overheating skin began to cool, providing a welcome relief to their aching body. Anko had worked them to the bone moreso than she’d ever done before. The team had completed tasks ranging from two-on-one spars to racing up and down trees to hunting down that blasted cat, Tora. The sun had long since set when Anko had declared them ‘back up to scratch’ on their teamwork, and Akane hardly even had the energy to make it home. Somehow, both Sasuke and Hinata seemed fine. There was something disconcerting about being the specialized supporter on a team with heavy-assault shinobi. Those two even put Akane’s Kyuubi-enhanced constitution to shame now.

Before they left, Anko handed each of them a single sheet of paper. “Your application forms for the exams. Fill them out and hang onto them, you’ll need to bring them on the first day.”

Akane looked over the form. It was very straightforward. Name, team number, shinobi ID and a signature. It appeared mostly clerical - a form to maintain the list of entrants to the exam and nothing more.

After bidding their teammates and sensei farewell for the night, Akane dragged their exhausted body home, walking through to the dining room and collapsing into a seat. They looked over the table and noticed Naruto filling in an identical piece of paperwork. No surprises there.

The older twin closes their eyes for what they thought was just a couple seconds. When they opened them, a steaming bowl of curry lay right in front of them. To either side sat each of their parents, looking more amused than concerned.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Akane. Have a nice nap?” Sora teased.

“Whaa?” Akane groaned intelligently. Coming to their senses, they pushed themself up and wiped away the small puddle of drool that had formed on where their mouth had been pressed against the table, embarrassed. “How long was I out?”

“About half an hour,” Naruto laughed. “So, did you get your form too?”

Akane fished the piece of paper out of their pouch and presented it to the family. “Just this evening. Oh, and Hinata’s back now! She seems... different. More self-assured. Whatever training she’s been doing, it’s done her a world of good.”

Sora smiled. For a second, Akane thought they saw a note of pride in the man’s face, but it disappeared just as quickly. “I’m glad to hear it. She always seemed so... repressed. Anyway, Genma, do you want to share your news as well?”

“Oh!” Genma exclaimed. He took the senbon out of his mouth, and grinned. “I’ve been approved to take on a genin team next year. Turns out there’s a precocious one in a younger year who they don’t want to hold back, and they think I’ll be a good fit for him.”

Akane smiled knowingly, and dug into their food.

A strangely familiar glowing figure danced across a blackened landscape, repeating something about ‘the two’ over and over again. The glow began to dim, and Akane felt themself falling, as though something was simultaneously reaching towards them and pulling them away. Just when they thought they were about to land on solid ground, Akane woke up with a start. They blinked, realising quickly that they’d fallen off their bed.

Disoriented from their bizarre dream which was already fading out of their memory, it took Akane several minutes to realise what day it was. “Shit!” They cussed, quickly bouncing off the floor and running to the shower.

After cleaning themself up and towelling down, Akane moved over to their closet to pick out an outfit for the day. If ever there was a time to show up in style, it was today. They grabbed a camisole undershirt and threw it on, accompanied by a black jacket that was open down the middle. It was a style that felt reminiscent of their old world, and provided an incredible sense of comort and confidence. This is who I am.

 Complementing the top with navy utility pants, Akane slipped on a pair of sandals. They grabbed their black wakizashi from its elegant metallic stand and slung it over their back. Finally, the chunin-to-be grabbed their pouch, which they’d prepared the night before. It had the basics - kunai, shuriken, wire and rations - as well as their more personalised resources - a variety of fuinjutsu tags, a couple of small scrolls and his whistle. Finally, they braided their hair into twin braids running down the back of their head. 

Akane knocked loudly on Naruto’s door to make sure he was awake. An appreciative groan signalled that he was, until that moment, asleep. Running downstairs, Akane stepped into the kitchen before doing a double-take and turning to see multiple toasted sandwiches on the dining table.

“Help yourself,” Genma called out from across the room. “You have at least a few long days ahead of you!”

Gratefully, Akane snatched up a sandwich and uttered a few words of thanks. Wanting to arrive early, they took their food and left, walking only until they’d finished eating. On their way to the academy building, where the exam was supposed to begin, Akane noticed several foreign shinobi making their way through the village and seeming a bit lost. Though they knew that any good shinobi should be able to navigate on their own, Akane recognised the symbol on the hitai-ate of the three squabbling shinobi and knew they were from a small village on friendly terms with Konoha.

“I’m sure this is the right way, why can’t you just trust me?” Shouted a boy with spiky blue hair. While his plain white top and red shorts were wholly unremarkable, the strange weapon on his back easily stood out. It was a large golden contraption that seemed to be a cross between a naginata and a cleaver. As Akane grew nearer, they were able to make out the faint markings of engraved fuinjutsu on the amethyst gemstones embedded where the handle approached the blade.

“Bullshit, Katsuki! Your sense of direction is absolute fucking shit and you know it! Now will you please let me look at that map?” A tall girl with an actual naginata on her back quipped in return. She had a messy tuft of short black hair on the top of her head, while the sides were shaved almost entirely. Her look exuded an aura of toughness, as did the brash tone she took on.

“C’mon Kana, when have I ever done you dirty?” The boy named Katsuki moaned pleadingly.

The third member of their group could only be described as the embodiment of tempered elegance. She had long, golden hair done up into neat braids, and wore a deep blue Yukata that looked to have white stars patterned across it. The silver plate of her crescent-moon hitai-ate appeared to be sewn into the obi of her yukata, leaving her gentle, kind features unobstructed. This graceful girl was the first to notice Akane, and bowed politely towards him. “Hello,” she said simply.

“Hey, you guys are from Tsukigakure, right? Need any help finding your way to the academy?” Akane offered.

“No, I know the way!” Katsuki shouted, and then proceeded to slap a hand over his mouth.

“Damnit, Katsuki! Now you’re being rude to our allies, you absolute buffoon,” Kana shouted, slapping the boy up the back of his head. The boy Katsuki’s face went red, and he shied away.

“Yes, that would be very kind of you,” the girl in the yukata responded. “I am Megumi Yume. And you are...?”

“Uzumaki Akane, at your service!” Akane smiled. There was something both relieving and beautiful about introducing themself with their real name to people who never knew them by their deadname.

“Uzumaki, huh? Hey, do you know Uzumaki Naruto?” Kana asked, putting a finger thoughtfully to her chin.

Akane nodded. “That would be my twin brother. You must be the team he mentioned from his mission over there, right?”

“Yes, we had the pleasure of fighting alongside your twin and his teammates a little while ago. They are very kind, earnest people.” Yume answered formally.

“Come this way, I’ll show you over to the academy. So, did you have a peaceful trip to Konoha?”

“Peaceful? More like boring!” Katsuki complained. “But hey, that’s good for you guys, right? Safe borders and all that.”

Akane chatted with the trio of Tsukigakure shinobi along the way to the academy - it seemed that Kana and Katsuki were a lively pair who probably bickered constantly, whilst Yume was the one who tried to calmly keep the peace. Once they arrived and Akane spotted their teammates waiting, they bid their new acquaintances farewell and approached Sasuke and Hinata.

“You guys ready to kick some ass?” Sasuke asked excitedly.

“Don’t get too overconfident!” Akane poked their tongue out at their teammate. Sasuke playfully punched them in the shoulder. Hinata seemed to be quieter than usual, but it was a resolute silence rather than the usual kind of withdrawn one. “Shall we head in?”

The trio walked into the academy building and up towards the third floor. As they were heading up the steps, all three of them noticed a shift in the atmosphere, each sensing the chakra that attempted to override their senses. There was a certain pull intended to make them depart the stairwell at the second floor, accompanied by some form of loud commotion.

“Hey, let us in!”

“Stop blocking the door!”

Out of curiosity, Akane popped their head out of the stairwell to see what was happening. A crowd was gathering outside of room 201, which was being guarded by what appeared to be younger forms of two familiar chunin. Akane giggled, and turned to update their teammates.

“Kotetsu and Izumo are fucking with a bunch of applicants, trying to weed out people who definitely wouldn’t pass with a rather simple genjutsu,” Akane explained, though their teammates surely knew.

“Fair play, I guess. If they can’t detect the genjutsu, they’re probably not ready,” Sasuke added. “I guess that’s the first test, hey?”

Hinata hummed, and began walking up the stairs. Akane and Sasuke followed, and they made their way into the real room 301. It was a huge hallway filled with rows upon rows of long desks. About half of the room had filled up - some people had taken seats along the desks, and others were milling about by the entrance. Amongst those standing around, Akane quickly recognised their cousin Ino alongside Chouji and Shikamaru. He was kind of surprised that Shikamaru was here; normally the lazy Nara would try to avoid something like the chunin exams, deeming them to be too much effort.

Akane walked up to them and waved. “Fancy seeing you lot here! Looks like a fair few of us fresh genin are taking the exam this year.”

Ino pumped her fist in the air in front of her, as though challenging someone. “Chouji and I are definitely gonna get our promotions, but I dunno about that slacker at the back.”

“Hey! I’m only here because you two dragged me... If I had it my way, I’d stay a genin for a few more years, or maybe even forever! Promotions are too troublesome...” Shikamaru complained before proceeding to stare blankly at the ceiling.

“As I said to Sasuke, don’t get too overconfident. There are some pretty strong people here.” Akane warned their former classmates.

“Besides,” Sasuke added in. “We’re definitely the strongest team from Konoha, so you should really watch out!”

Before Ino had a chance to come up with a retort, the door burst open to reveal an energetic mass of orange. After all our efforts, he still wants too wear that abomination? Akane shook their head.

“ORAAHHH!” Naruto yelled as he leapt through the doorway, getting everyone’s attention. “My name’s Uzumaki Naruto, and you better believe that I won’t lose to any of-”

Before he had a chance to finish, Sakura flickered behind him and punched him hard on the top of his head. “Shut up, you moron!”

“You can’t silence the power of you-mmmphh!” Lee tried to yell just as passionately. It turned out that Sakura could in fact silence the power of youth, when she slapped her hand over Lee’s mouth and shook her head in dismay. Rubbing the back of his head and wincing, Naruto spotted Teams Anko and Asuma, and briskly approached with his teammates in tow.

“Hey, Akane! Why did you leave without me?” The blond pointed accusingly.

“It’s not my fault that you slept in,” Akane sighed.

The nine Konoha genin bickered and bantered for a while as people slowly funnelled in. Most of them were also keeping an eye on the competition, trying to spot who they should watch out for. There was a kid Akane spotted who had short red hair, pale skin and deep black rings around their eyes. There was a large gourd on their back, and their entire presence radiated an aura of pure danger. They were accompanied by two other shinobi who weren’t quite as threatening, but still seemed to be forces to be reckoned with.

Eventually, the clock ticked over to 9am. Mere seconds after the minutes hand reached the big 12, smoke began to fill the front of the room.

“Silence, degenerates!”

The smoke cleared, revealing a group of Konoha’s shinobi dressed in heavy green and blue outfits. In the centre stood a man with scars crossing his whole face, wearing a large black overcoat and generally appearing menacing.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the man smirked. “I’m Ibiki Morino, proctor for the first test of the chunin exams.” 

Chapter Text

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the man smirked. “I’m Morino Ibiki, proctor for the first test of the chunin exams. Let me begin by saying this: There will be no battles, competitions and the like without the permission of the proctors! And even if you get permission, actions that could knowingly lead to the death of an opponent will not be permitted. Any idiot who screws with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?”

The mood in the room became tense, and conversations quickly died down. Everyone turned to face Ibiki, and waited for further instructions.

“Now then, we will start the first test of the chunin exams! Turn in your applications, and take one of these number cards in exchange,” Ibiki held up a white square tile with the number one on it. “Then, find the seat matching that number. After that, we will hand out the paper for the written test!”

“A... written... test?” Naruto mumbled beside Akane, sounding a bit worried. “Fuck.”

Once everyone was seated at their assigned desks, the papers were handed out face down on the table. Everyone was split up from their friends and teammates, almost as though the seat assignments hadn’t been random at all. Each participant was supplied with a single pencil and eraser, as well as two sheets of blank paper to use for working and notes.

“There are several important rules to this first test. I will take no questions, so listen well! Rule one: You are given ten points each from the start. The written test has ten problems in all, and each problem is one point - according to a point deduction system. For each question you answer incorrectly, you will lose a point. The second rule: Passing or failing will be determined by the total points of the three-person teams.”

“Wait a second!” Sakura called out. “What do you mean by the total points of the team?”

Poor Sakura... your team is not blessed in the academics department, Akane chuckled quietly.

“Silence!” Ibiki shouted forcefully. “Onto the third rule: If one of the examiners sees you cheating, you will lose two points. In other words, there may be those who are dismissed from the test before the grading even begins! Know that those of you who cheat will bring ruin upon yourselves and your teammates.”

Got it, Akane thought. Cheat, but covertly.

“If you aspire to become a chunin, know that high expectations will be placed upon you! And... in the case of even one person on the team getting zero points... the whole team will fail!”

A few people in the room gasped, and Akane was pretty sure Naruto was one of them.

“Oh, by the way, the last problem will only be given forty-five minutes into the exam. The time for the test is one hour. And with that... BEGIN!”

Akane turned over the paper, and began reading the questions through before attempting to answer anything. There were a variety of different topics - the first question asked about the interactions between different elemental jutsu, testing one’s knowledge on how different elements might supplement each other. A few questions in the exam tested one’s knowledge of the mathematics behind projectile motion. There were a couple of code-breaking questions with hardly anything by way of a cipher to help crack them.

All in all, Akane thought that they could probably answer most of the questions without too much trouble. The general knowledge was hardly a challenge, and the mathematics used content that Akane had long since become familiar with. The greatest challenge lay in the code-breaking questions, which Akane was sure were there on the page to be impossible to answer. Meaning, the answer was actually just somewhere else in the room.

Given the constant mention of cheating and getting caught, Akane’s best guesses were that either there were some plants in the room who knew the answer, or some people just had the ciphers and others didn’t. Cheating and not getting caught would be a trivial task for Akane, and it would be just as easy for the rest of their own team. Each had a way of spying covertly, and so they would be fine.

Akane got to work answering which questions they could. To make things harder for others who might try to cheat via their test paper, they placed a subtle genjutsu over the paper to show mostly incorrect answers. Once twenty minutes had passed, they began scanning the room, trying to find any plants. There was a woman several seats to their right who seemed rather relaxed. She was writing at a steady pace, and Akane thought they saw her mark something down on Question 8, which was one of the code-breaking questions they couldn’t complete on their own. Having found their mark, they waited another ten minutes to give her time to complete the questions.

Once enough time had passed, Akane faked a yawn and formed their hands into a ring below their desk. They positioned their hands at such an angle that the examiners would be less likely to see them performing a jutsu. Thinking the words ‘Mind Body Transmission Technique’, Akane directed their flow of chakra towards the woman. A few moments later, their head fell to the desk.

Taking a moment to adjust to the disorienting shift of perception, Akane looked down at the paper in front of them, seeing the woman’s writing on questions 6 and 8, the code-breaking questions they needed to figure out. Whilst the answers weren’t there yet, the woman had written out the cipher. Clearly the intention was for people who could be covert enough to spy on her, and probably others in the room, and take the ciphers to answer the questions. The examiners couldn’t make it too easy.

When Akane was satisfied that they had committed both ciphers to memory, they dispelled the technique. Now back in their own body, Akane quickly scribbled down the ciphers, and got to work breaking the codes. By the time forty minutes had passed, they’d finished everything except for the mysterious question 10.

Eventually, the time came for question 10 to be revealed. By then, at least 8 teams had been disqualified.

“It’s time to start the tenth question,” Ibiki announced. “But before that, we need to establish a special rule.”

Before Ibiki could continue, a door opened at the back of the room. A shinobi from Sunagakure who Akane recognised as one of those who accompanied the scary redhead walked in, accompanied by an examiner.

“Aren’t you lucky,” Ibiki said, seemingly directed at this Suna shinobi. “It looks like playing with dolls wasn’t a waste, after all? Anyway, sit down. Let me explain; these are the ‘hopeless rules’.”

Ibiki stopped speaking for a half minute, allowing the magnitude of his words to sink in.

“First of all,” Ibiki continued, smirking. “You guys have to choose whether or not you will take this 10th question. If you choose not to take the question, your score will be zero. And of course, the same will go for your two teammates.”

“That’s ridiculous! Of course we’ll take the question - as if we have a choice?!” Someone called out from the back.

“Just wait, there’s one more rule. If you chose to take it and are unable to answer it correctly, you and your teammates will be banned from ever taking the chunin exams again!”

“What kind of bogus rule is that?!” The same voice from the back called out.

Ibiki started laughing. “You’re just unlucky... I made the rules this year. But... I did give you the option to go back! Those of you who aren’t confident should just drop out and take the exam next year. So then, let’s begin. Those of you who will give up, raise your hands now!”

An older man who was seated next to Naruto raised his hand. “I... I’m sorry... Genai! Idaho! I just can’t do this!”

Once the first person had given in, almost a quarter of the room followed. Many people slowly trod out of the room, looking thoroughly dejected. Ibiki waited to see if any more would follow. When it seemed like the rest of the room had resolved to say, he challenged everyone again. “Are you all sure? This is a choice that will affect the rest of your life. I will give you this one last chance to leave - As soon as I present the question, the hopeless rules will apply!”

When nobody else attempted to leave and the doors had been closed, Ibiki grinned. “Very well. Those of you who have chosen to stay... For the tenth question, you all... pass!”

“What?!” came a chorus of voices from the crowd. “What about the tenth question?”

“There never was a tenth question,” Ibiki laughed. “If you want, consider this choice you just made to be the tenth question.”

“Hey!” a voice called out from the very back of the large room. “So what the hell were the other nine questions for? You better not have been wasting our time!”

Ibiki looked out the windows. “It wasn’t a waste. As I’m sure many of you figured out already, the point of the first nine questions was to test your ability as individuals and teams to gather information. These questions were hardly designed with actual genin-level knowledge in mind. I’m not going to explain the whole thing to you - if you couldn’t figure it out, then you have no place being here and should probably quit before the start of the next exam.”

“No place being here, huh? That’s easy for you to say!” another voice called out, this time from right up by the window.

“You’re right, it is easy for me to say,” Ibiki scoffed. He loosened his black bandana-like hitai-ate and removed it from his head. What lay beneath drew out shocked gasps from many in the room. Most of Ibiki’s head was covered in scars of one kind or another. There were those caused by burns, some which seemed to have been left by screws, and others from all sorts of scratches and gashes.

Once people had been given enough time to look, Ibiki put his hitai-ate back on and tied it over his head to cover the scars. “This is the cost of information. If you don’t have the guts to proceed, knowing the risks, then you have no place ascending beyond the rank of a lowly genin. All of you have displayed your information gathering ability, and decided to charge onward knowing that failure could have cost you dearly. You’ve passed through the gates, and the first stage of the chunin exam is now complete.”

Akane grit their teeth and fought down a small sensation of anxiety invading their stomach. They knew being a shinobi was dangerous business, and they knew their position as a jinchuriki afforded little choice. It was entirely logical to them that the safest way to exist was to become a powerful shinobi, and it would allow them to do good for those they cared about, and fulfill their purpose. And still, seeing Ibiki’s head made everything seem more real. A single knock came from the door at the front of the room, breaking Akane’s morbid train of thought.

“You can have them, I’m done now,” Ibiki announced towards the door, and it opened.

A tall, slender woman wearing some kind of dress made from bandages walked calmly into the room. Eerily calmly. She had red eyes, not quite the same shade as Sasuke’s sharingan. Her hair was long and messy, and yet she exuded an aura of complete control. Akane recognised her from the mission a few months ago when they met Maru, and they vaguely recalled her name being Kurenai.

“Hello everyone,” the woman said, taking a small bow. She then looked across the room, eyes calmly challenging each and every person. “My name is Yuuhi Kurenai, and I will be the head examiner for the second exam. It will take place elsewhere, and I will ask that you all follow me. But first, a warning. There look to be over thirty teams left; less than half of you will make it through this exam. I would expect that at most ten teams will pass. If you don’t like those odds, you are always free to leave before we begin.”

The large group of genin were led through the streets of Konoha, drawing a variety of odd looks from civilians. Everybody knew that there were many foreign shinobi in town for the exams, but seeing shinobi gathering in such a large group was usually not a good sign. Kurenai, walking at the front, seemed entirely unfazed. Eventually, they passed well beyond the outskirts of the town and arrived at a large fenced area. A wooden sign atop the fence read out ‘Training Ground 44’.

Behind the fence loomed gigantic trees, many almost encased in menacing ivy. There was something that felt not-right about the place, and Akane could already feel goosebumps spreading up and down their body.

“Welcome, genin, to the Forest of Death. This will be the site of your second exam.” Kurenai made the announcement with the same exceedingly calm tone as before. “If you’re wondering why it’s called the ‘Forest of Death’, you’ll find out soon enough when you enter. We will begin shortly, once I have explained the rules. I hope you have come fully prepared to be away from your lodgings for several days. If not, that is entirely your own fault.

“As for the rules to this exam, listen well; I will explain only once. There are fourty-four gates around the Forest of Death. Each of your teams will be given a numbered gate via which you will enter the forest. Your mission is to find your way to the tower at the centre. But it will not be as simple as travelling from A to B. This exam tests your ability to survive in unfamiliar territory, escape from enemies and adapt to the changing circumstances of an unpredictable mission.

“At your team’s entry point, you will be handed three scrolls, labelled on the outside with your team’s number. These scrolls contain ‘intel’ you must deliver to the ‘rendezvous point’, the tower. Under normal circumstances, you will have three days with which to find this rendezvous point and deliver the scrolls-”

Naruto put his hand up and shouted out a question without waiting to be called upon. “Under normal circumstances? Whuzzat supposed to mean?!”

“I would appreciate it if you do not interrupt me whilst I am explaining.” Kurenai shot the blond an icy glare, and the boy’s shiver was so pronounced that Akane could see it clearly from several metres away.

“As I was saying... ‘Normal circumstances’ means that you still possess all three of your team’s scrolls. If you are to lose any number of scrolls but still be capable of continuing on, you must make a choice. You see, each of your team’s scrolls gives you a day to arrive. All three scrolls together allow you to arrive as late as three days from now. So, if you lose your scrolls, it may be that you choose to attempt to regain them. You may also, of course, attempt to steal intel scrolls from other teams.

“Scrolls from other teams, however, are less beneficial to you. Whilst each of your original scrolls contribute one day to your time limit, each scroll from another team affords you an extra three hours. So, if you have taken longer than three days, you will need to have gained additional ‘intel’ in order to pass the second exam. You will have a maximum of five days - any longer and you fail.

“Now, as I’m sure Ibiki has mentioned, any actions that are intended to result in the death of another will result in immediate failure. Another important rule - if you arrive at the tower and are missing even a single member of your team, you will fail. Beyond this, you are free to use whatever tools or techniques you wish in order to advance through this exam. Oh, and if we have too many teams arriving in time, we will disqualify those who arrived with the least time remaining.”

Kurenai finished explaining the rules, and asked for a single member of each team to head to a small open shed, where a Konoha shinobi was waiting with sets of scrolls to hand out to the team representatives. Once they had their scrolls, teams were directed to follow the fence until they found their designated gate, where another Konoha shinobi would be waiting to permit their entry into the forest.

Sasuke went on behalf of Team Anko, and returned with a set of small green scrolls labelled with the number 27. The team agreed not to wait, and departed directly for their designated gate. The second stage was a completely different situation to the first - the three Konoha genin could already feel it. This was the start of the real chunin exams.

When they arrived at the rickety old gateway and the chunin on guard opened it up, the whole atmosphere morphed. It felt as though the flimsy wire gate was all that stood between the relative peace of Konoha and the corrosive, chaotic existence of the forest. Sasuke handed a scroll to each of Hinata and Akane; it made more sense for each to guard one, and be able to give it up in exchange for averting or escaping a disadvantageous fight.

“Alright, team number 27. Are you ready to begin?” The chunin asked in a foreboding tone. There was the slightest note of amusement, as though the chunin had been instructed to try and seem more ominous.

Sasuke, who was in front of the group and seemed to have elected himself as the temporary leader, nodded. The chunin opened the gate, and it creaked uncomfortably as it swung outward. Akane cringed and blocked their ears, caught off guard by the high-pitched noises. They shook their arms, as if to shake away the discomfort, and turned their focus towards the task at hand.

The three genin gave each other small nods, affirming to one another that they were ready for the challenge that lay ahead. Then, they jumped up towards the high, thick branches that would serve as footholds while they moved through the forest. After the team had been travelling away from the gates for a few minutes, Akane stopped. Their teammates saw them perched on a branch and stopped beside them. “Before we go any further, we should probably come up with an actual plan.”

Sasuke, who was leading the full forward charge into the forest, scratched his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. So, Mx. tactician, what are you thinking?”

Akane pointed upwards. “We don’t know what this tower is or how tall it is, but we should at least try checking the view up top. Based on how tall the trees are and how little light breaks through to the forest floor, it will be hard to keep track of our direction. If we can see the tower from over the canopy, we should try and come back up periodically to check. That said, I doubt we’d be able to see it, that would be too easy, but at least we will be better situated to keep track of our overall movements away from the gate.”

Sasuke shrugged. “Eh, worth a shot. Hinata, do you want to come up half-way and keep watch there?”

Hinata nodded, and they began running up the side of the tree. Sasuke, who was in front, suddenly came to a stop. The others quickly saw why. Before them was a giant centipede crawling in spirals around the exceptionally wide trunk. Its exoskeleton was almost black, aside from a small shine produced where light from above met the hard surface. As if its sheer size wasn’t startling enough, its face was adorned with incredibly sharp pincers, and whiplike antennae that swung menacingly through the air. It seemed to notice the three genin approaching its territory, and began to charge straight at them.

“Hinata, do you think your juken would work?” Akane called out as they ran back down the trunk, away from the gigantic arthropod.

Hinata quickly activated her Byakugan, and just as promptly shook her head. “Its outer body is too thick, but... it looks weaker along the middle. I think... hit it hard in one spot.”

Sasuke obliged, running around the centipede, allowing it to continue chasing after Hinata and Akane. Once he’d gotten to the beast’s side, he picked out a single kunai. After encasing it in the blue glow of chakra, Sasuke flung the kunai directly at the centipede’s exoskeleton and watched with an odd satisfaction as the kunai shattered through the outer layer, stabbing into the centipede’s body.

“Again!” Hinata shouted over the horrifying shrieks.

Sasuke drew three more kunai, encasing each in a thin layer of chakra. He almost ignited each blade, before remembering something that Anko had once explained - ‘If you want an enemy to bleed out, don’t use fire. You’ll just cauterize their wounds.’

Each blade broke into a different point along the centipede’s body, and it began to shake violently. The monstrous insect lost its grip along the tree bark, and fell. Hinata and Akane both had to lunge out of the way, for fear of being crushed under the giant black mass. Several seconds later, they heard a loud, sickening crunch as the beast collided with the forest floor.

“Well, fuck,” Akane declared with a huff. “I’m guessing we can expect more of those further in. Shall we keep going?”

Sasuke nodded, and the two young shinobi proceeded upwards to the canopy. Hinata stayed there, keeping watch for any enemy combatants or forest denizens. After almost a full minute of running, they finally reached the top. Akane shielded their eyes from the blaring light, having adjusted to the relative darkness of the forest. The duo looked around in every direction. They could vaguely see how far they’d come based on the edges of the leafy horizon in one direction. The other direction was entirely made up of leaves at varying topographies. There was no tower in sight. It was worth a try, but the idea seemed to have born no fruit. The duo stepped sideways back onto the upper branches and began running back down towards Hinata.

Once they regrouped, Akane suggested an alternative plan. “We’ll have to keep ourselves oriented, and we can do so using the position of the sun each time we check at the canopy again, but I think we should just run towards the centre and see what we find. We should watch out for enemies, and see if we can find any defensible locations along the way that would be suitable for camp when we need to rest through the night.”

Chapter Text

The first thing that Neji noticed was the strange movement of the red haired kid’s chakra. Not only was there an unusually large amount of it, it moved like a caged and bound bird trying to break violently free of its shackles. As though the kid was at war with their own chakra.

“Run.... please...” the kid murmured almost inaudibly. “I don’t... want... to hurt you...”

Neji could see that his teammates were understandably wary. He watched as Kaya shivered, most likely a reaction to the disturbingly corrosive chakra pulsing outward in wave after wave from this frail-looking kid’s body. She may not have been able to see it like Neji could, but it was clear that she felt it. Haku, stoic as ever, showed less of a reaction. Still, Neji could see him slowly forming sharp needles of ice under his sleeve. This Suna genin was incredibly dangerous, and they all knew it.

The kid’s teammates were nowhere in sight; a few moments ago, Neji took that as encouragement to accost the kid and rid them of the singular scroll strapped to the side of their waist. Now? Now, Neji felt no such encouragement. His new technique was nowhere near perfect yet, and even if it was... Neji wasn’t sure it would be enough. He hand-signed a brief, succinct code to his team: “Run.”

Before they had a chance to take even a single step backwards, the small piece of cork sealing closed the large gourd on the kid’s back popped out. Sand surged violently out of the small opening, forming a menacing cloud in the air. The cloud of sand danced about, and started to form spikes facing directly towards Neji and his teammates. Without warning, the spikes broke free of the large cloud, slicing a path through the air directly towards the three Konoha genin. 

In line with practiced formation, Kaya was the first to run. She was no defender; further yet, her still limited mastery of Water Release was of little use in such situations. She took to the trees, until she was far enough away to deem herself safe, and evaluate the situation more carefully. Meanwhile, Neji and Haku fought to ward off the spikes of sand. Each time Neji struck a spike with his chakra-infused open palm, it would fall slowly and harmlessly to the ground, once again lifeless... At least for the few seconds it took for the Suna genin’s chakra to traverse the distance and latch onto the sand once again. 

Once Kaya had reached safety, Neji no longer had to be concerned about holding his ground. Before the reanimated sand by his feet could coil around his ankles, Neji leapt back, and so did Haku. The sand chased. It was fast - fast enough to keep up with the two boys. But then, the sand hesitated for a moment.

Neji witnessed the kid mouth two unexpected words before the sand finally retreated. “Thank you.”

Even while taking the small moment of opportunity to turn and run, Neji watched cautiously. Being able to watch his own back while running was a vital advantage of the Byakugan that he had never appreciated as much as in this moment. In the second that the sand had hesitated, the chakra itself seemed to vibrate. It looked as though the kid was fighting their own chakra, resisting its motions. 

As soon as Haku and Neji had made it to safety, they heard a series of horribly loud thudding noises. Neji barely caught the sight of one of the giant trees toppling to the ground before it dropped out of the range of his Byakugan, and he was deeply grateful that they’d escaped while they had a chance. They caught up to Kaya, who was waiting with a stone-like expression several hundred meters away.

“If we see that monster again, run at first sight,” Neji declared. Kaya and Haku nodded, and they moved on to continue their search for the tower.

“Something’s definitely up, I’m telling you!” Ino urged as they vaulted from branch to branch with chakra-assisted leaps. “And no, Shikamaru, I’m not just talking about those absurdly giant bugs and poisonous plants and that 5 metre tall lion and those humongous leeches and the... anyway, I think we’re being followed!”

Shikamaru let out a big huff. “Well, why didn’t you just lead with that?” 

“I did!” Ino shouted, resisting her urge to punch the lazy asshole square on the nose.

“Now now, this isn’t the time or place for infighting,” Choji insisted, trying to keep his own voice level and pacifying. “Ino, why do you think we’re being followed?”

“I can’t explain it properly, it’s just this… this feeling. But I’m sure! It’s like my chakra’s trying to tell me or something,” Ino offered. Asuma had been a rather lassez fair sensei, and so most of her training had been self-led. For that exact reason, nobody had pointed out to her that she was a naturally gifted chakra sensor. Unfortunately for her, this predicament left her without the words to explain the sensation in the pit of her stomach, the tug on her chakra that wasn’t there five minutes ago.

“Fine, let’s say you’re right and we’re being followed,” Shikamaru started, his tone now more serious. “It’s barely been half a day since this thing started, which makes it possible but unlikely that we’re being chased by those who have already lost their scrolls and become desperate. Did you notice how the majority of the others in this exam are at least older teenagers? We’re the youngest and probably look like we’re the weakest. My best guess is that the people following us want to eliminate the easy competition, or just collect some scrolls to buy themselves more time to complete the exam.

“If I’m right, they won’t be too strong. If they were on the stronger side, they’d just prioritise finding the tower. But they most likely just don’t like their odds for avoiding disqualification and want to take our scrolls so they have more ‘time to spare’. It’s definitely gonna be troublesome, but should we turn and fight? It’ll be more troublesome to try and shake them off...” Shikamaru yawned, and rotated his shoulders to loosen the joints. Ino followed some of his reasoning, but as usual, Shikamaru left some of his conjecture unexplained. She could only trust that he was right, as he usually was.

Choji nodded. “We’re better at fighting and capturing than escaping anyway, so why don’t we turn the tables and take their scrolls? Let’s head to the ground.”

The trio of Konoha genin used the closely clustered trunks to bounce their way down to the forest floor, and made no effort to hide from the supposed followers. Ino let a weak haze of chakra escape her body, hoping to appear weak and lull the enemies into a false sense of security. Her recent training regime had required her to learn to constantly modulate the release of chakra from her body, so the task of masking her capabilities was simple to her. Half a minute later, they were met with the presence of three shinobi wearing the emblem of Kusagakure, partially obscured under their straw hats. 

“How kind of you to save us the trouble,” one grinned, stepping forward. This person had long black hair, and wore a beige top that hung down to near their knees. “As a courtesy, I shall tell you the names of the ones who will defeat you here. I am Shiore, and these are my teammates Kisato and Kisano. You have done well for mere children, but this is the end of the line for you. The chuunin exams are adult affairs, and you would do well to come back later.”

“Well aren’t you the arrogant fool?” Ino barked back in a challenging tone, grinning more confidently now that their followers had engaged and were geared up to fight. “Why don’t you come and find out what these ‘mere children’ are made of?”

Lightning began to crackle around Ino’s feet, and she leapt through the air towards the apparent leader without a moment’s hesitation. 

A scarce few rays of orange light shone down through the miniscule gaps in the canopy, marking the dawn of the second day. Akane, who had taken the last watch shift, dispelled the transformation that was placed over their body and went to nudge their teammates awake. Other than their clash with the giant centipede earlier, Team Anko’s travels through the forest had been mostly uneventful. 

While they were packing up camp, Hinata overheard the sound of combat breaking out nearby. It was too far for her to look in with her Byakugan, but she suggested that they go and check it out. If the victors were left sufficiently weakened, they could swoop in to claim some scrolls and help secure their own spots in the next stage of the exam.

Packing down the campsite in less than half a minute, the trio quietly made their way towards the sounds of fighting, rising up towards some higher branches in order to watch without being spotted. From their perches, Akane could make out the familiar forms of Katsuki, Kana and Yume from Tsukigakure. They couldn’t tell who the Tsuki team was fighting, but their opponents were definitely not faring well. 

Only one remained standing, gripping a kunai in her left hand hard enough that, even at a distance, Akane could see the skin turning white. Kana casually twirled her Naginata and yawned. The kunoichi fell for the taunt completely, and charged in towards Kana with a yell. Akane just barely followed the motion of the Naginata dancing through the air before the butt-end struck the kunoichi in the gut, sending her toppling to the ground. Kana walked forward and rifled through the kunoichi’s sleeves and pouches, collecting a scroll from within.

As they witnessed Kana deftly dispatch her final victim, Akane and Katsuki made eye contact. Akane winced in shock at the realisation that Katsuki had noticed their presence from almost 50 metres away. The blue-haired boy waved towards Akane and their teammates, and Akane didn’t really know how to respond. Whilst distracted, Akane noticed neither the hand seals Kana had formed, nor the small weight vanishing from their pouch until well after the Tsukigakure team had turned to depart. 

“What was that about?” Sasuke asked, wary of the interaction he’d just witnessed.

“Dunno,” Akane answered. “I think we should be glad that they didn’t decide to attack us. Did you see the way she dealt with that kunoichi? We don’t want to be getting tangled up with them right now.”

“We should keep moving,” Hinata suggested, turning to depart. “If we don’t find the tower by midday, perhaps we should plan to fight other teams.”

“Wait a moment... Those BASTARDS!” Akane shouted indignantly.

“Shush!” Sasuke urged, startled. “Are you trying to announce our position to the whole damn world?”

“Fuck, sorry,” Akane apologized. “But my scroll... It’s gone. I think... Somehow, I think the Tsuki team managed to take it. I don’t know how, though...”

Sasuke’s onyx eyes widened, and he exhaled sharply. “Should we try and track them?”

“No, it’ll just be a waste of time. We should just keep going,” Akane sighed. “Unless we snag some other scrolls, we have until midday tomorrow to make it to the rendezvous point. Well, I guess it’s time to get serious.”

“Get serious?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Akane signalled for their teammates to follow, and jumped down to the forest floor. They took out a kunai, and began carving through the dirt, drawing out a circular diagram. There was an ‘x’ shape on the edge of the circle, and a series of arrows pointing inwards from the ‘x’.

“See that ‘x’ on the outside? That’s where we came in. We’ve been periodically using the treetops to keep track of our direction, which I’ve marked with the line of arrows. We don’t know exactly how large this forest is, but I’d estimate it to have a radius somewhere between 8 and 12 kilometres, just based on how far we had to travel to get to our entrance gate. I think we’ve made about 5 or 6 kilometres from the entrance, mostly in a straight line towards the centre.” While Akane explained, they drew another ‘x’ in the middle, with its own smaller circle around it.

“The tower should be somewhere around that second ‘x’. One would think we should just go straight there and complete this exam, but I suspect that wouldn’t end well. Remember how Kurenai said they would disqualify the people who arrived with the least time remaining? That means there’s a limit on how many teams they’ll allow to pass. Which means that the inner ring will become something of a danger zone,” Akane continued.

Hinata nodded thoughtfully, and opened her mouth to speak. “I see. You’re probably right, Akane. I suspect that some teams will be waiting near the tower to ambush others and take their scrolls in order to reduce their own chances of disqualification.

“So... We take the fight to them?” Sasuke suggested, earning nods from his two teammates. “If people are hoarding scrolls, then we can’t just sneak past and hope everything will be okay - we might get disqualified for not being one of the teams with the most time remaining.”

“Especially now that we only have two scrolls - two days - to arrive. If we can get safely near that inner ring where ambushes are most likely and prepare properly, we can go in and take out one of the hoarder teams, grab all their scrolls and secure our victory. Sound like a plan?” Akane asked. When their teammates agreed, they smirked mischievously. “Oh, I have just the thing in mind!”

After a couple hours of travel, Akane ran up to the treetops to check their position. The view that greeted them was the yellowed planks of the tower’s roofing, not far off in the distance. They estimated that it was less than two kilometres away by now, and did a quick twirl to take in the rest of the view. They’d come a long way - yet, as close as they were to the finish line, there was still a fair way to go. The red haired genin made their way down the tree to rejoin their teammates, and informed the others of what they saw.

“Now, we begin. We need to cover our behinds first - the last thing we would want is to tire ourselves out in combat only to be ambushed by the next team to pass through. Of course, setting up traps might just encourage others to follow, knowing that someone doesn’t want them to. So, we need some misdirection as well. Hinata, can you go and lay some false tracks past this point and into another direction? Give us some space so any opportunists following the trail don’t overhear the fighting. When you’re done, can you go ahead and scout out the area to see if you can find us a target?” Upon Akane’s request, Hinata nodded and silently departed, so quickly that both Akane and Sasuke barely even registered her disappearance.

Akane and Sasuke got to work setting up traps in the vicinity - Sasuke worked to rig up a series of exploding tags, not only on the ground but also up near the thicker, more traversable branches. While Sasuke worked, Akane took the time to do what they did best - seal crafting. Rather than spend time immersing themself into the intricacies of designing seals that could create more potent effects specific to the terrain of the forest, Akane kept to simpler designs. They wrote out a handful of seals based on two primary symbols - one for detecting a sensory signal, specifically vibrations caused by either physical force or chakra, and one for cutting. The sensory detection script was set up to activate upon anyone coming within a fifty metre radius of the tags - and would require a network of smaller seals to actually sense the intruders and signal the main tag. Meanwhile, the cutting script had one simple purpose - accumulate the stored chakra and release it in one sharp wave behind the tag. 

After completing the network of smaller sensing tags and placing the final cutting tag on the last of numerous gigantic trees, Akane stepped back to admire their handiwork. If anyone got too close, they would risk being crushed under the huge trees. Nobody who made it this far into the chunin exams would be likely to get taken out by these traps, but they would be deterred and possibly injured, which was good enough. 

Akane made their way back to the designated meeting point, where Sasuke and Hinata were already waiting. Hinata got up and reported back what she had seen. There was a team from Takigakure a short way’s north of here, who had a decent stockpile of eight scrolls. According to Hinata, they had a sensor among them who almost caught her, so they would probably be ready for an attack. 

“We need to catch them off guard. I couldn’t tell how strong they were, and I don’t want to take chances,” Hinata advised coolly. Akane couldn’t help but notice just how much more self assured she was, compared to when they had just graduated from the Academy. It was beyond having worked on her stutter and becoming comfortable asserting herself. Now, she acted with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. Sure, she was just as quiet, but it was amazing to see how much more confident she was. 

“Hey, Akane, why don’t you summon a couple of your birds? Aren’t they great for diversions?” Sasuke suggested, his grin giving the impression that he just wanted to see them cause trouble.

“Unfortunately that isn’t the best idea right now. They exist to cause chaos, and work best when I can ask them to do something they’ll enjoy. Plus, there has to be some kind of prize or treasure for them to take as payment. Without that, I need to provide them some kind of worthy reward, and I don’t have anything handy right now. I honestly wouldn’t put it past them to take the Taki team’s scrolls and disappear, knowing that we need the scrolls for ourselves.” Akane sighed. They’d been gifted with a truly powerful summoning contract from their mentor, but they were hard to work with on the best of days. The incident in Wave only worked so well because the task they’d given their summons was suited perfectly to the summons’ particular… disposition.

“So, we’re really just going to have to go with a frontal assault?” Sasuke seemed a bit taken aback by Akane’s response. “At least, we can try and mess with the sensor and throw them off. Akane, what if you send in a bunch of clones from various directions? Then we can follow them in, and it might give us a slight advantage.”

“Sounds good,” Akane agreed. Hinata also nodded. “Actually, this is a perfect opportunity to test something out. Orochimaru and I have been toying around with a certain idea, and now I can test it to see how it works in the field.”

Akane closed their eyes and focused their mind inward before clapping his palms together. “Kyuubi Arts: Trick Clones!”

Nine orange bubbles appeared in front of Akane. They each swirled and wobbled slowly, distorting the world around them until they took the form of identical clones of Akane, Sasuke and Hinata. 

Akane could see the curiosity in their teammates’ eyes, probably wanting to  understand how these clones were special, and how that would play into their combat strategies. “For the most part, they’re ordinary clones. Strike them and they’ll dispel like any illusory clone. But where most illusory clones can’t hurt an opponent... well, let’s just say our opponents are in for a surprise. Shall we?”

Akane directed the clones to set off in the direction Hinata showed them. The Konoha genin followed a short distance behind, far enough to hopefully not be caught by the Taki sensor until after the clones had engaged in combat. After a couple of minutes, they arrived by the location their targets were camped out in. 

The clones charged in first. The three Akane clones drew their wakizashis, the Sasuke clones wielded kunai and the Hinata clones were unarmed. The originals hid out behind a thick tree trunk, close enough to listen, and for Hinata to see with her Byakugan.

“Don’t worry, they’re just illusions. I can feel the real ones are hiding behind that tree over there - why don’t we go and say hello?” A voice said chidingly.

“Ha! They probably think we’re stupid or something!” A deeper, more arrogant voice called out. 

Akane popped their head out from behind the tree, really wanting to watch this go down. They brushed off Sasuke’s attempts to pull them back into hiding - after all, how could Akane not observe this valuable experimental data in action? A large, muscular man wielding a wooden staff stood in a lazy defensive staff while a trio of clones charged towards him. With a single sweep, he struck down two of the clones, causing them to dissolve into nothingness. The third, an Obito clone, slashed into the man’s arm with his wakizashi, earning a shocked scream.

“What the fuck!?” The man called out as he struck an elbow into the offending clone, dispelling it with ease. “I thought you said these were illusions, dude!”

“They are!” the first voice shot back, striking down two more clones with well-aimed shuriken. “What the fuck’s going on?!”

Hinata took this as her cue to enter the fray. She flickered away, landing directly behind the shuriken-thrower and striking his back once with a heavy punch. He fell forward with a pained gasp, instinctively reaching to put pressure on his now wounded back. Akane watched Hinata similarly dispatch the larger man, albeit with a few more punches required, while their third member was preoccupied dealing with three remaining clones.

“Ah, fuck,” the remaining Taki shinobi groaned, stepping into a peculiar stance whilst forming an Ox hand seal. “Those idiots are useless. Surprised they even made it this far. The name’s Hoki. I’ll be ridding you and your two friends over there of your scrolls today. Choice is yours as to whether I hurt you in the process or not though. I’d think ‘bout it carefully if I were you, I’m not a pushover like those two dunderheads.”

Akane and Sasuke both ran out from behind the tree, taking up positions surrounding the remaining Taki shinobi. Akane drew their wakizashi, providing it with a small pulse of chakra. The blade thrummed gently with energy, and took on a faint glow. Hinata moved first, dashing in to strike Hoki. By the time she arrived, he was gone. Two small craters remained where his feet were. Hinata was the first to look up and see Hoki soaring through the air. His body twisted until it pointed towards Hinata, and his trajectory changed. Without any notice or visible explanation, he had launched himself midair and was hurtling towards Hinata. 

Before Hoki could strike at Hinata, Sasuke intercepted. Sasuke blocked Hoki’s strong fist with an open palm. The Taki shinobi vaulted back, riding the force of impact skillfully. As he landed, his feet dug trenches through the forest floor. 

“Let me handle him!” Sasuke shouted. “I’ve got this!”

From where he was standing, Akane could see Sasuke’s eyes turn red, with two black tomoe forming around his pupil. Hinata seemed aware of Sasuke’s sharingan too, and jumped away. She crouched, ready to re-engage if needed, but giving Sasuke the space he needed to fight freely. Akane stepped back towards a bush where they could take cover, and watched the fight unfold. 

“A sharingan user, huh? I’ve heard of you Uchiha lot before,” Hoki remarked snidely as he landed a metre away from Sasuke. “Just a bunch of darned copycats. I dunno what the big deal is, but you’re gonna regret taking me on alone!”

Hoki formed an Ox seal again, and Sasuke copied his movements. The two shinobi launched towards each other, both now wielding a kunai in their right hand. As metal struck metal multiple times, producing several loud clangs, Akane saw the secret to the Taki shinobi’s jutsu. There were small, concentrated flames on the soles of his feet, acting as powerful propulsion forces. To confirm their theory, Akane looked towards the craters left by Hoki’s initial jump and saw the incriminatingly blackened bits of dirt in the centre of each crater. 

“I can do this all day,” Sasuke taunted. “Surely you can do better than this!”

“Think you’re some hotshot, huh?” Hoki spat back. “Well, you asked for it!”

Akane realised that Sasuke was just trying to show off. As much as they wanted to give their friend the opportunity to be proud of how much stronger he’d gotten, this wasn’t the time or place to mess around. While the two clashed again and again, dancing through the air, Akane drew his whistle from their pouch and blew into it.  It was harder to put Hoki under a genjutsu while he was moving so fast, but Akane had noticed there was a half-second gap every time Hoki or Sasuke changed directions. That was long enough.

Akane constructed the idea for an illusion in his mind - pillars of fire emerging from the forest floor, shooting upwards with incredible speed. When the moment was right, Akane blew again. They pushed his chakra through the inaudible sound produced by the whistle, focusing on their intended illusion the whole way through. Moments later, Hoki screamed. Akane watched as the illusion’s shadow took its place in the material world - a dull visual representation of what Hoki saw, visible only to the original genjutsu user. Hoki fell to the ground with a thud. His exposed left forearm had an awful second degree burn on it, a dark red splotch spanning most of the visible skin. He continued screaming a few seconds longer, and then passed out. 

Sasuke landed next to him, and glared towards Akane. “What the hell? I had him!”

“I know you had him, but we shouldn’t waste time. We should just find the scrolls and go, before anybody else shows up,” Akane urged. Sasuke grunted in annoyance, and turned to look away. The Uchiha knew his teammate was right, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“Can you see who has them?” Sasuke asked Hinata, his irritation still clear by his tone. 

Hinata paused for a second, presumably looking around. It was always hard to tell, since the Byakugan had no irises or pupils. “They buried it, over by that tree.. There!” She pointed to one of the trees off in the distance, and Sasuke stomped off to go dig them out.

Meanwhile, Hinata reached into her pouch and took out a small container of her medicinal salve. Rather than apply it to the Taki shinobi’s deep burns, she simply left the container beside him.

Smart, Akane thought. That way he can tend to his injury, but when he wakes up he’ll still be too wounded to follow.

After a minute, Sasuke returned with eight scrolls bundled in his arms. He handed them out, distributing them amongst the team. Once all of the scrolls were safely stowed away within each genin’s pouches, they set off towards the tower to complete the second exam. 

Chapter Text

Akane woke to a bucket of ice-cold water being dropped over their head. The water hit first, waking them up, shortly followed by the whole bucket. It tumbled away from their face on its own, saving Akane the trouble of pushing the bucket off as they sat up.

“Wake up, sleepyhead!” Naruto hollered absurdly loudly. “You’re gonna miss it!”

“Miss what?” Akane asked sleepily. Realisation struck as their brain switched on properly. They tried to jump off the creaky old bunk bed, only to trip and fall on their face.

“Ow.”

Naruto hauled his sibling up, and tugged at their soaking wet sleeve. “Hurry up! I don’t wanna get disqualified just because you decided to sleep in and I decided to be a good brother. Seriously, what’s the deal with that? You hardly ever oversleep!”

“I dunno,” Akane responded lamely while speedily getting changed into their one set of spare clothes. They grabbed their hip pouch full of their various tools, and made to follow Naruto. “Where are we supposed to go?”

“Just follow me!” Naruto shouted before running out of the room and down the curving hallway. Akane had to push themself to keep up, since Naruto often forgot how quick he was compared to his less athletically gifted twin. 

Naruto burst through a set of plain double doors. Akane recognised them as the centrally located set of doors that had been sealed shut for the few days since their team had arrived at the tower. The twins entered a large room that, at a quick glance, appeared in every way to be designed for spectated sparring matches. There was a large open space, and a small stand on either side of the room. At the far end was a giant sculpture of hands in a Ram seal. 

At the loud noise of the doors slamming open, everyone within the room turned their attention towards the twins. And away from the Hokage, who stood before the sculpture, flanked by several jonin - mostly of Konoha, with just one from Sunagakure. Anko, who was sandwiched between Kurenai and a bearded jonin Akane knew he should have recognized, openly cackled at the scene whilst twirling a stick of dango between their fingers. The bearded jonin shushed her, and Anko obliged - but not without a rebellious glare. 

Quickly taking in the rest of the scene, Akane glanced across the genin in the room. They’d counted earlier that at least twelve different teams had made it to the tower successfully, but only seven were in the room. It was interesting to note that four of the teams were from Konoha, and that they were the younger teams. It was even more surprising to note that Shikamaru’s team was one that stayed on - anyone who knew that trio’s dynamic knew that Shikamaru was a dead weight, and Akane had expected him to cause the team’s failure. 

There was one genin team made up of actual adults - a team from Amegakure that tried to appear intimidating, but Akane wasn’t so sure that their bark had much bite. They were unsurprised to see that the team from Tsukigakure remained, and even more so with the team from Sunagakure. Both of those teams oozed competence and power, and the latter team was downright scary. If there was one thing that Akane knew for sure, looking around the room, it was that each team that remained was a force to be reckoned with - by genin standards, at least.

“How kind of you to grace us with your presence, Uzumaki twins.” The tone of the Hokage’s voice indicated that he was thoroughly unimpressed, and his piercing onyx eyes revealed that there was little forgivingness to be had. “Had you been a few minutes later, you would have been disqualified purely for being so tardy.”

“Sorry, unc-” Naruto began, before his mouth was promptly covered by Akane’s hand. He made some muffled noises of disapproval, but quickly settled.

“We’re sorry, Lord Hokage. It was entirely my fault, and I accept responsibility,” Akane declared before removing their hand from Naruto’s mouth. Akane then pulled a disgruntled Naruto over towards where all the other genin were standing, and the Hokage addressed the floor.

“Before the explanation of the third exam, there is one thing that I would speak of first - the true purpose of these exams. Why do we conduct these exams jointly, instead of within our own villages? One might say that it is to build camaraderie between allied villages, to get to know those who you may one day fight alongside. This is part of the truth. Some have said that the chunin exams exist as a mutually agreed place to engage in contests of strength as a substitute for war. But that is not the truth. The reality is that the chunin exams serve as a way for allied villages to compare their strength; to make sure that their shinobi are up to scratch. So, as you proceed through the next stage of the exams, bear that in mind. Ask yourself this: are your skills sufficient to respectably represent your villages?”

Upon completing his short monologue, the Hokage paused before directing the room’s attention to Gekko Hayate, who stood to his right. Hayate gave a small bow, and stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Now, before we can proceed to the third exam, we will hold a preliminary stage.”

Murmurs broke out across the room. Even though he’d been cured of his lung disease years ago, Hayate had grown used to having a quieter voice, and found different ways to exert his presence. He made a sharp coughing noise, well practiced from years of illness, which got everyone’s attention. “This preliminary stage is being held to further reduce the number of you who will advance to the finals. At the end of this day, eight of you will remain. It will be those eight who are able to compete in the true third exam. There will be a combat tournament held in a month’s time with an audience filled with people from across the elemental nations. As you may guess, this event is intended to be a full spectacle. We cannot have long pointless matches that will waste the time of the many prominent individuals who will be there, including numerous daimyo and wealthy individuals who frequently employ shinobi such as yourselves.”

“Without further ado, we will now begin the preliminary stage. Since there are twenty-one of you, we will conduct thirteen battles. This does mean that some of you will have to fight twice. After all, a shinobi does not get the luxury of choosing when and where to battle, or how much rest they get. You may use anything you have at your disposal. Matches will end when a combatant gives up, or is knocked unconscious. Any intentional attempts on someone’s life will result in immediate disqualification.”

“What holds the key to your destinies is...” Hayate looked over to the wall, where a panel slid open to reveal a black screen. “This. The names of two foes will be randomly selected and displayed on this electronic signboard. Now then, let’s get right down to it and announce the two names for the first battle.”

Everyone turned to look at the signboard. Names started rapidly flashing across the screen, with a static “vs” written in the middle. Akane heard Naruto gulp loudly, probably in anticipation. He was bouncing on his toes a little, clearly ready and raring to fight. The names started slowing down, and finally came to a halt.

‘Megumi Yume vs. Uzumaki Akane.’

“Heh, I guess I’m up first,” Akane whispered to their brother, who glared jealously back at him. 

“Now then,” Hayate spoke up again, this time a bit more loudly. “The two displayed on the signboard, come forward.”

Akane excused their way to the front of the crowd, and found Yume of Tsukigakure already waiting for them. She gave a polite nod to Akane. She was dressed in an elegant starry yukata with a plain white obi, and presented no tools or pouches on her person.

“For the first battle, Megumi Yume of Tsukigakure and Uzumaki Akane of Konohagakure have been selected. Everyone other than the two foes, please move to the upper area.”

Sasuke stepped forward and gave Akane a friendly bump on the shoulder before following all the others up the stairs to the stands. Akane turned their attention to Yume. She stood relaxed with an unassuming smile on her face, but Akane knew better than to let their guard down. These genin from Tsukigakure were all extremely skilled, and it was best not to underestimate them. 

Once Akane and Yume were standing facing one another and everyone else had made their way into the stands, Hayate raised a hand into the air.

“Now then, please begin!” Hayate swung his hand down.

There was just something about Yume’s presence that was so calming. Akane began to feel safe, relaxed, and even a little bit tired. Despite having overslept, they knew that this sensation was certainly not lethargy. In fact, had they not been skilled in genjutsu, this match would probably already be over.

Akane fought the urge to sit down and take a nap, instead slapping their hands together and shouting “Kai!”

When the hell did she do that? I didn’t see her do anything... Akane thought to themself, watching warily as Yume smiled gently and reached into her left sleeve with her right hand. 

As quickly as their reflexes allowed, Akane drew three shuriken from their pouch and hurled them towards Yume, hoping to prevent or at least slow her down from withdrawing whatever lay concealed in her sleeve. She seemed entirely unfazed, completing her hand’s motion to draw out a beautiful metallic flute. Yume swatted away the shuriken with the flute, and drew it to her lips. In the moment she started playing, Akane could feel the pull of the genjutsu grow within their own mind.

The tune was beautiful and alluring. A slow, steady tempo held as the flute produced a flowing melody that was as sweet as honey. A faint, silvery mist emerged from the end of the flute as Yume played, gradually spreading through the air until it covered the arena. Already generating a steady pulse of disruptive chakra through his body so that they would not become oblivious to their real surroundingsa, Akane watched with intrigue as the mist took shape. Small silvery buds formed, dotting across the air. From each bud sprouted weeping cherry flowers, coloured with the slightest hint of pink. 

Akane’s mind danced towards the thought of hanakotoba, the language of flowers, which they had studied in the Academy. Though it was normally only taught to kunoichi, Ebisu-sensei had insisted that the whole class learn. Why should kunoichi in particular have to care about that, especially when any shinobi could use the simple transformation technique to take on whatever form might be suitable for the task at hand? Searching their mind for the meaning of the weeping cherry, Akane recalled what they were searching for. 

In general, the cherry blossom signified grace and beauty, but the weeping cherry had a particular meaning. Deception. How fitting for an illusion, Akane mused as they continued to pump deliberate pulses of chakra through his body, preventing the alluring vision from truly affecting their mind. Still, the disarmed shroud of genjutsu that remained was a beautiful sight to behold. 

Once the many weeping cherries had taken form, they began to change form. The music also changed, increasing in tempo and morphing into subtle aggression. Yume sprinkled sharp staccatos through her music, each of which triggered a blossom to grow thorns. The light pink hue of the flower petals seemed to bleed into the thorns - until the flowers were white and the thorns a deep red. It was then that the tempo increased again in one large jump, and the attack began. 

Akane was ready, of course, and knew that this would not affect them. Whilst any skilled illusionist could cause mental harm, they couldn’t leave lasting physical harm - with the exception of their own illusions. 

As the deep red thorns began to rain down, Akane began to hum along to Yume’s tune. They did their best to harmonise with the melody, to work within it. Whilst weaving their own patterns of hand seals, this harmony allowed them to integrate their own illusions within Yume’s. It was an interesting phenomenon, to have two genjutsu users face off. When targeting each other’s minds, the shadows of each’s illusion blended together, entering into a shared space. Now, it would be a battle for dominance. 

Yume was skilled. A far more skilled illusionist than themself. Still, Akane had things that she didn’t. Greater chakra reserves, and their own unique skill - though they wouldn’t use that here, with so many onlookers. Making use of their enormous chakra, Akane directed their chakra-infused harmonies to mingle with the floral illusion. As the blood-red thorns soared through the air and neared their body, they transformed. Each thorn became a soft ember which fizzled away harmlessly. The flowers themselves began to swirl, insides brightening and outsides darkening. 

In a way which felt appropriate to Yume’s star-patterned aesthetic, Akane reshaped the whole illusion into a swirling, glowing array of stars and galaxies. Some were simple white disks, while others took the shape of colourful clouds of celestial gas. 

Yume’s music took on an even sharper tune, as though trying to cut away at Akane’s meddling. The illusory shadows, visible only to the two genjutsu users, vibrated as some of the galaxies fought their way into the form of crescent moons, which danced through the air like a master swordsman’s blade, slicing through the many small galaxies in an attempt to disrupt them. In turn, Akane’s humming grew louder, and they continued to cycle through the same pattern of hand seals. They aggregated the remaining galaxies - if Yume had the skill to disrupt an illusion that was spread out, they would just concentrate it more. 

As the galaxies began to cluster, they did something that Akane knew of from their dreams - dreams that occasionally showed them snippets from their old life. The galaxies merged into a darkening, shrinking spot. As more and more of the glowing entities gathered, the dark spot grew darker, denser, and more powerful. Once Akane had focused everything into the one spot, its power took hold over the illusory space. No matter how furiously the graceful kunoichi played, her dancing crescent blades could do nothing to escape the pull of the condensed black thing. They fell into its orbit, swirling around and around, closer to the blackness with each revolution, until they too got sucked in. 

It was then that Yume stopped playing. “I am impressed, Uzumaki Akane. You have great skill in the illusory arts.”

The battleground cleared up, and instead of standing in the black darkness of space, illuminated only by the stars and galaxies of their creation, they were back in the battle hall of the chunin exams. 

“You too,” Akane nodded respectfully. “If I didn’t have so much chakra, this fight would already be over. So then… Shall we dance?”

Yume nodded in return. She widened her stance, stepping one foot back and holding her flute forward like a tanbo. Looking her stance over, Akane could see that she was clearly skilled in more than just genjutsu. Definitely more skilled at physical combat than they were - so Akane didn’t even bother drawing their own blade... yet. Rather, they would play to their truer strengths.

With a well practiced motion - one that Anko had made Akane practice over and over until they could do it under duress without fail, Akane reached into their pouch. Their fingers danced within the pouch, collecting explosive tags from dedicated pockets and wrapping them around a kunai each. Thanks to Anko’s intense encouragement, it took only a second to draw three tagged kunai and swap them to their left hand. 

As Yume dashed forward, ready to close the gap and strike, Akane threw all three kunai along her path, forcing her backwards before they each released a small explosion. Using the moment of distraction, Akane crouched to the ground and focused chakra into their fingertips. Quickly, they drew up seals for simple but efficient barriers. On their own, these seals would do nothing. But once in formation, they could be activated. If Akane could control the free space, they could control the fight.

When Yume emerged from the smoke and came within striking range of Akane, they had no choice but to draw their blade and block. Metal struck metal with a clang, and the two combatants pushed against each other in a contest of strength. In that, at least, Akane was equally balanced with their opponent. Their thoughts moved instinctively to the seals engraved on the side of their blade, but Akane dismissed the idea. If they had to engage in multiple fights against opponents who were watching them now, they had to keep at least a small handful of tricks hidden. 

Instead, Akane summoned up some chakra through their body to augment their strength. Putting the temporary boost into their shoulders and arms, Akane pushed with enough force that Yume had to flip back in order to land safely. This bought Akane enough time to draw up another seal. The first had been in the centre of the room - this time, they put one against the eastern wall. Another seal - an explosive tag - was planted just beside it, with a minor external genjutsu placed over it so that it would go unnoticed. Akane hoped to keep Yume’s attention elsewhere, otherwise a genjutsu mistress such as her would easily spot the trap. 

A thought came, and Akane grinned. They knew they wouldn’t be able to hold off Yume with the same tricks long enough to complete their traps. And so, they got creative. Akane thought the name of one technique in their head, but said another.

“Shadow Clone Technique!” Akane shouted, as they ran the words ‘Kyuubi Arts: Trick Clones’ through their head like a practiced mantra.

They summoned up three of the illusory clones, putting extra effort into the preparation so that they would disperse in clouds of smoke upon solid contact. They’d seen Anko perform the Shadow Clone technique a few times, and it was enough to know roughly how they worked and what features to produce in order to fake the technique well enough.

The clones charged in on Yume, each with a wakizashi in hand. She looked on warily, probably knowing that shadow clones, unlike illusory clones, could cause harm. Once again hoping for the misdirection to hold, Akane prayed that their opponent wouldn’t dismiss them as illusions. 

In the several seconds it took Yume to defend against and defeat the clones, Akane was able to set up the remaining seals, which would produce a prismatic barrier confined to one quarter of the battleground. All it required was a particular chakra signal, and the barrier would go up - enclosing anyone and anything within until it was destroyed with a great enough force. 

All that remained was to land the bait. Akane thought to fake another technique with an illusion, but didn’t want to press their luck any further. Instead, they decided to go with something a bit more devious. They stepped into the quarter of the room that the barrier would enclose, with the wall on their right. After palming their right thigh and quickly imposing a particularly creative temporary seal on their own body, Akane looked Yume in the eye. 

“Not to be rude, but I think you should surrender,” Akane declared confidently. Yume didn’t dignify them with a response, and instead began to pace towards them. 

Akane formed their hands into an open ring. They knew that somewhere up in the stands, Ino was probably confused or alarmed - probably both. Anyone familiar with the technique knew that you do not use it in one on one combat. 

“You had your chance,” Akane smirked. “Mind Body Switch Technique!”

Akane’s body froze, unable to move while their chakra attempted to transfer their consciousness in a straight line towards Yume. She had the sense to sidestep, anticipating a straight line attack of some kind - even though she almost certainly wasn’t familiar with the technique Akane had used. When Akane’s body began to sag, and Yume became certain that they had just exposed themself, she charged in to deliver a finishing blow. Her sense, however, was not good sense.

Just before Yume’s flute was able to make contact with Akane’s seemingly defenseless shoulder, a pulse of chakra emanated from their thigh. Their body was launched over to the other side of the room, flying free like a ragdoll. While in midair, a secondary pulse of chakra was released, triggering the formation of a shimmering blue barrier. 

Yume struck at the barrier with her flute, but it was insufficient to disrupt the wall of chakra. Akane’s eyes opened as their mind returned to their body. “Really, I suggest that you surrender. Because while I’m sure you can break down this barrier and defeat me, can you do it fast enough?”

Akane gestured with one hand towards the array of explosive tags that revealed themselves to be littered across the enclosed space, the camouflage illusions now dispelled. Their other hand was hovering just above the ground, ready to release a pulse of chakra that would detonate the tags. Yume’s eyes widened in shock, and her hands separated, abandoning whatever jutsu she was attempting to perform. The kunoichi sighed, and raised her hand. “I surrender.”

Yume bent over to pick up her hastily dropped flute, and stowed it away within her sleeve. Hayate stepped forward and pointed his arm towards Akane. “As Megumi Yume has surrendered, the winner of the first match is Uzumaki Akane.”

A couple of voices from up in the stands, which Akane could easily identify as Naruto and Sasuke, cheered in support. Akane stepped towards the barrier and placed their palm on the shimmering wall, shortly after which it dissolved into nothingness. They extended a friendly hand towards Yume. She took it into her own, and they shook amicably. As Akane went around to disarm and retrieve the explosive tags, Yume retreated up the steps towards her team. With their still usable tags stowed away, Akane did the same.

Chapter Text

Upon Akane’s return to the spectator stands, Hinata insisted on taking a look at the quickly forming, nasty looking bruise on their thigh. Unsurprisingly, releasing that blunt force blast directly on their leg had negative consequences, and Akane was lucky to be free from fractures. The healing didn’t take long, and Akane directed their attention to the ongoing match, just in time to see the red haired Suna shinobi, Gaara, enclose an Amegakure shinobi’s entire body in sand. Hayate shouted for Gaara to let go, and the Amegakure shinobi’s body fell to the ground. He looked weak, but he was breathing. 

A team of Konoha medics quickly rushed away Gaara’s victim and made way for the next match to begin. At the same time, Hinata pulled Akane aside to whisper into their ear. “Gaara… They’re like you and Naruto.”

The next match was between Nara Shikamaru and his older cousin Nara Kaya. It didn’t take very long. Being from the same clan, the two had remarkably similar fighting styles. They both controlled their own shadows in what seemed like an elaborate game of Shogi to manipulate one another towards certain physical spaces. But after a couple of slow-passing minutes, Kaya amped up the pressure on her younger cousin, which evoked an immediate response of “I surrender” from the younger Nara. Akane sighed, almost disappointed that Shikamaru was exhibiting his usual behaviour of giving up at the slightest bit of trouble. Kaya seemed especially unimpressed by this, insisting that as the clan heir it was Shikamaru’s duty to do better than this. Shikamaru was unfazed, and simply ignored his cousin. Once again, the signboard began to flicker as it made the selection for the fourth match. 

“Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino, please come down to the arena,” Hayate requested.

“YOSH! IT IS FINALLY TIME FOR ONE OF MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS TO TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM!!!” Guy screamed at the top of his lungs. Naruto and Lee joined in, loudly voicing their support for Sakura. The kunoichi in question yelled at them to shut up before jogging down the steps. She went and took her place on the floor, a couple of metres away from Ino. The two friends faced each other, a silent communication clearly passing between them as they locked eyes. 

“No holding back, right?” Ino asked, a confident smirk painted across her face. 

Sakura returned a grin. “You’d better not, otherwise I’m not sure I’ll be able to stitch you up after!”

“Ha!” Ino laughed. “That’s a funny joke, Forehead! Let me show you how the Top Kunoichi fights!”

“Well then, it looks like you two are ready to go,” Hayate’s lips curved upwards ever so slightly. “You may begin!”

Ino formed a Hare seal with her hands. She closed her eyes for a single moment, grinning widely. Ino knew that Sakura would go on the defense first, which bought her the time she needed to get her signature technique started. After molding her chakra as thoroughly as she could, Ino called out “Lightning Release: Full Body Shroud!” 

Electricity emerged from Ino’s skin and began to dance around her body, producing a steady crackling sound. She slid one foot backwards, bracing against the ground, and leapt forward. Lightning guided her body and boosted her movements, and Ino soared through the air, and went straight past Sakura’s left side. Twisting her abdominal muscles, Ino pivoted midair into a kick aimed straight for Sakura’s head. To show any mercy would be to spit in the face of their friendship.

Sakura’s arm shot up, blocking the incoming strike. There was a sound of her grunting, as electricity shot through her arm at the point of impact, and then nothing. Sakura was gone, only empty air in her place. Ino landed with a spinning motion, slamming a hand to the ground to use as a counterbalance. A strike came from behind her, and Ino was able to twist with the blow at the last moment, so that it struck the edge of her hip, rather than over one of her internal organs. Ino felt the skin where she’d been hit bruise deeply, but pushing through the pain she rolled forward and out of the way.

As Ino stood up, she saw Sakura wearing a victorious grin. “Now now, don’t get presumptuous, my friend!” Ino chided at the pink-haired girl across from her. “You’ve gotta do way better than that!”

“That won’t be a problem,” Sakura locked eyes with Ino as she spoke. “Earth Release: Stone Arena!”

Sakura slammed her palms to the ground, and a small army of boulders burst upwards. Each was of a similar size, nearly spherical and about half a metre in diameter. Once they had emerged, the rocks lay motionless.

“Was that supposed to do something? C’mon! The Sakura I know wouldn’t fuck up a jutsu of her own elemental affinity, especially in a fight,” Ino taunted, almost confused. 

“Exactly,” Sakura confirmed with a cheeky wink. Without wasting any more time, Sakura formed a couple seals and encased her hands and forearms in stone. Then, she charged towards Ino. The blonde welcomed the advance, letting loose an incredibly fast jab to Sakura’s gut as soon as she was within range. 

Ino’s fist connected with a boulder, and broke through it like butter. At the same time, she let out a yelp as a heavy blow connected with her left shoulder blade. Still, Ino didn’t let this put her at a disadvantage. Hissing through the pain, she spun, letting loose a kick towards where Sakura should have been - but wasn’t. 

So you want to play a game of tag, huh? Ino thought to herself as she looked around. Sakura was standing across the room, waggling a finger tauntingly. Ino dashed towards Sakura, her speed still boosted by the lightning coursing through her body. When she’d closed just over half the distance, Ino directed most of the lightning temporarily into her legs, and vaulted over Sakura at twice her earlier speed. Using the wall behind Sakura as a springboard, Ino shot like a missile towards her friend, swinging an elbow into the side of her ribcage. This one connected, and Ino heard a small crack. A couple of ribs had probably been fractured, but not an injury serious enough to take her opponent out of the battle... yet.

Sakura grunted as she was pushed to the ground, and then her body disappeared - replace with another boulder. Ino looked to the other side of the room, almost predictably finding the girl nursing her wounds there. From across the room, Ino could see the green hue of the Mystical Palm Technique. Of all the students who had been granted the opportunity to take classes in healing from Tsunade back at the academy, Sakura was undoubtedly the most talented. She wouldn’t be able to fully heal the fractures mid combat, but certainly do enough of the work to prevent the injury from getting in the way. Ino needed to prevent that. She moved the lightning to her legs again, and sprung towards her opponent as quickly as possible, but arrived too late. Sakura was gone, and Ino’s flying kick crushed through yet another boulder. 

Yet again, Sakura was on the other side of the room. Ino should have seen it at the first moment - the barren arena had nothing designed for use with the Substitution technique, so Sakura created objects of a similar mass to herself. And with a field set up like this, there was no value to be gained by destroying all of the boulders. Not only would it take too long, Sakura could probably just make more. No, Ino would have to get used to her opponent’s patterns of movement, and predict what she would do. 

Ino realised that Sakura wasn’t watching her - she was looking up at the stands. At Guy-sensei.

“MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT, I PERMIT IT!” Guy exclaimed, loud as per usual. 

This just made Ino realise something else she should have taken note of from the very beginning. How could she expect to deserve a promotion to chunin if she couldn’t even notice something as important as the weights strapped around Sakura’s legs. Sakura reached down and unstrapped them, allowing them to drop to the ground with a scarily loud thud. 

Oh, shit, Ino thought, as Sakura sped towards her, conviction clear in her eyes. Ino was forced onto the defensive as Sakura let out a flurry of punches and kicks. Sakura was still slower than Ino, but the gap was far less noticeable - and that was with Ino’s lightning shroud. Ino was forced to focus on blocking strikes, trying to push Sakura away and create openings. Neither was able to fully defend against the other - each got a small handful of strikes in. Ino was gaining a slight advantage, being able to land more hits than Sakura could. Though they were weaker, they came with the jolts of electricity that surely numbed Sakura’s flesh and caused a different kind of pain. 

All the same, it was clear that Sakura won out in the stamina department. As much as Ino could recall countless times when her friend complained about Guy’s hellish training regime, it obviously worked. Sakura, the girl who once claimed that she didn’t need to spend much time on taijutsu because her other strengths would compensate, had spent the last few months training under Konoha’s greatest taijutsu master. Ino had to up her game if she wanted to come away with this victory. And that meant bringing out the big guns. 

“Well then. You’ve taken off your restraints, so I guess it’s only polite for me to bring out my true weapon, huh?” Ino reached into her pouch, and grasped around two pieces of cold metal. She pulled them out, and slipped her fingers through the perfectly sized holes. Ino clenched her fists, and allowed her flowing chakra shroud to extend into the cold metal chakra blades - bladed knuckle dusters - in her hands. A gift to her from Asuma-sensei, as a reward for the hard work that she put into her training every day. 

The chakra blades crackled, and the lightning grew. Though the metal blade itself was small - only a few inches longer than her hand was wide, the blade of lightning extending out of it was twice that. Now Ino had a potent combination of speed, power and range; Sakura was toast. Ino danced towards Sakura, who was also pulling something out of her own pouch. 

“Not a chance!” Ino shouted as she slashed towards Sakura’s hand. Her opponent fumbled, and whatever she was holding fell to the ground, getting crushed beneath Sakura’s foot as she stood to defend. Once again, Sakura disappeared, only to be replaced by a boulder. Where the previous boulders had all been crushed by the force of Ino’s enhanced strikes, this one was sliced through as easily as a blade cut through paper. The edges where the stone had been exposed to the chakra blade glowed red from the heat. 

Ino turned, and dashed once again towards Sakura. She’d come to see the pattern in Sakura’s movements, finally. Although Sakura, like most of their academy classmates, could execute the Substitution technique both wordlessly and without hand seals, she had a tell. She always looked towards the boulder she was swapping places with. If Ino followed Sakura’s eyes, she could see where Sakura would land and race her there. Ready to finally get in a decisive blow that would end the match, Ino put a burst of chakra into her legs. She was starting to run low - after winning this, she would need to truly rest just in case she was selected for a second match. 

Ino sliced towards Sakura’s left bicep with her right blade, holding the left one defensively. Sakura was able to swat it away with stone-covered hands, though the stone did crumble on contact with Ino’s lightning shroud. But Ino was ready. With her left hand, she swung an uppercut. Sakura would have no choice but to substitute away if she didn’t want a deep gash across her chest. Ino watched her eyes, and saw them flick towards her left. In the same moment Sakura disappeared, Ino turned and raced to her opponents landing spot. She had called it correctly, but didn’t expect Sakura to substitute again immediately, this time with a Dog and Snake seal. With the hand seals, Sakura had no need for the tell. Still, it came with the cost that hand seals ate up time. Ino’s premeditated slash cut clean through the boulder that took Sakura’s place, sizzling from the heat of the lightning once again.

Ino turned to find her opponent, but the rightward movement of her head somehow felt over-exaggerated. Though not at all her intention, her whole body swung further than planned, and lost balance. Ino had to throw her weight in the other direction just to avoid falling over. And then she realised that she had already lost. Everything in front of her moved slowly. Too slowly. Sakura’s fist struck into her solar plexus, and Ino gasped desperately as the air was knocked out of her lungs.

“...How?” Ino wheezed, looking up at Sakura, whose form had already become blurry.

“A colourless, odourless, gaseous poison, hidden within a stone that you so conveniently sliced open for me. Remember that vial that you thought you made me drop out of my hands? Well, I didn’t drop it. But damn, girl! When did you get so fast?” Sakura extended her hands, placing them over Ino’s lungs. 

Ino vaguely heard Hayate declare Sakura the victor, but couldn’t make much sense of the words with the poison distorting her senses more and more. She felt Sakura’s hands press over her chest, accompanied by a soothing warmth. Slowly, the world around her came back into clearer view, and Ino felt herself breathing more easily. When she tried to get up, Sakura put a hand on her shoulder to keep her seated. 

“Stay, let me get this out of your system. Open up,” Sakura instructed, and Ino opened her mouth. She felt a pellet of some kind on her tongue, and swallowed. “You should be fine in a couple minutes, it wasn’t a very long-acting poison anyway.”

Ino said a word of thanks, and cautiously pushed herself up. She reached out a hand to Sakura, and they shook. Applause erupted from the stands - and it wasn’t only from her friends. All three of the shinobi from Tsukigakure clapped. The one with the giant blade strapped to his back let loose a cheerful whistle, until Hayate raised a hand to call for silence.

“If you wouldn’t mind returning to the stands, we must carry on with the remaining matches. Before you go, though, I want to commend you both. That was one of the most impressive matches I’ve seen from genin, and you should both be proud of your skill in battle.” Hayate presented a small congratulatory smile.

Ino put an arm over Sakura’s shoulder, and let her friend support her weight as they made their way up the stairs and back to the stands. They were both greeted by their friends, who openly expressed how amazed they were by that fight. 

“That was so cool! I thought Ino had completely won until that last moment!” Naruto exclaimed, flapping his hands excitedly with clenched fists . “That was insane!!”

“So youthful!” Lee added passionately, pumping a fist in the air in front of him. 

Ino rested her head on Sakura’s shoulder, allowing her sore muscles to rest on her friend for support. “That was a damn good fight, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Chapter Text

Several more fights went by, none of which were particularly dramatic or interesting. Akane watched as Kana, the naginata-wielding kunoichi from Tsukigakure made short work of Kankuro, a shinobi from Sunagakure who manipulated a puppet with chakra strings. Though his mastery of puppetry was impressive, Kana took no time in busting it to pieces with her powerful naginata thrusts. 

Following that match was one which ended even more quickly. Neji was put up against Midare, one of the shinobi from Amegakure. The moment Hayate swung his arm down to declare the start of the match, Neji closed in on Midare and used his Gentle Fist to completely disable his opponent. The Ame shinobi wasn’t quick enough to react, and could only collapse in the face of complete annihilation. 

Akane’s attention was captured by the signboard as the next match was declared. Especially because their own name was on it again.

‘Rock Lee vs Uzumaki Akane’

“Could the combatants please come forward?” Hayate requested. 

Akane took the stairs, whilst Lee preferred the more direct route of vaulting over the guard rails. Before the match had even begun, Lee was dancing back and forth, one fist in guard position beside his chest and the other extended outwards, ready to strike. He bounced on his feet, clearly excited by the chance to show off his skills. Akane themself took on a far lazier demeanor, walking towards Hayate and Lee in measured paces. Since it was clear that Lee was ready to launch into combat the moment he was permitted to do so, Akane reached back and clasped their hand around the hilt of his wakizashi. 

I’m going to have to make very short work of this if I want to win, Akane thought nervously. There were a few people in this room that Akane hoped to not face off against at all, and Lee was one of them. Unlike the others on that list, though, Akane knew that against Lee they actually had a chance - but it would all depend on the very first strike. 

“Very well, you may begin!” Hayate declared, swinging his arm down. Lee disappeared.

Behind! Akane thought, reacting as fast as they could to pull the blade from its sheath and turn to intercept Lee’s powerful kick. They managed to get the blade out and in the way of Lee’s foot, barely just in time. Though Lee was incapable of molding chakra for any form of jutsu, he had enough to circulate through his own body for simple offense and defense. If not for that, he would have kicked into the blade and sliced his foot clean in half.

Akane felt the weight pushing them down - Lee was not relenting, and Akane almost buckled. But this was it. This was the moment that would decide the outcome of this fight. A small, measured pulse of chakra was pushed into the hilt of Akane’s blade. It snaked through a network of seals, and the point of impact between Lee’s foot and the black blade glowed a harsh green. Then, it burst. Lee was sent flying backwards by a wave of force, somersaulting through the air several times to land on the ground across the room. 

Lee didn’t wait a single second to re-engage, and neither did Akane. They had just under half a second to act before they risked taking a hit. Impulsively, Akane clenched their hands into a Rat seal and shouted at Lee. “HAAA!”

Lee’s fist was a centimetre from Akane’s cheekbone when it froze, and relaxed. Lee slumped, and fell to the ground. He had no apparent ability to move, completely and utterly paralyzed. 

“I’m sorry, Lee, but you’re just not ready to become a chunin yet,” Akane declared. “Until you can resist the effects of genjutsu, you just need to keep on training.”

Not even a single sound came from Lee, whose body was splayed across the floor.

“The winner of this match is Uzumaki Akane,” Hayate declared softly. Akane knelt down and pressed a hand to Lee’s back, releasing a pulse of chakra into his body that disrupted the simple paralytic genjutsu.

Lee vaulted up and looked around. Realisation setting in, tears emerged in Lee’s eyes. He looked up towards Guy. “I’M SORRY, SENSEI, I HAVE FAILED! I WILL DO A THOUSAND PUSHUPS AS ATONEMENT FOR MY WEAKNESS!”

“I FORGIVE YOU, MY PRECIOUS STUDENT! WE WILL DO A THOUSAND PUSHUPS TOGETHER AND GROW EVEN STRONGER TO FACE ANOTHER DAY!” Guy shouted tearfully in response. He leapt down to the arena and the two embraced. 

“Yeah, yeah. Get on with it,” Hayate urged. “We’re on a tight schedule here, can you move the brofest somewhere else?”

The two nearly identical shinobi marched dramatically out of the room, presumably to go do an insane and potentially unhealthy amount of ‘atonement’ exercise.

In the following match, Chouji went up against the girl from Sunagakure, Temari. As brief as the match was, nobody expected how well Chouji fared. Back in the academy, he never seemed like one of the kids to keep an eye on. Those unfamiliar with his clan mocked him - mocked his size, and his eating habits. Everyone else just thought he was a quiet, sweet kid who would be a perfectly average, competent shinobi. But nothing special. They had no idea just how hard he worked, and what kind of ideals pushed him to make his clan incredibly proud.

Chouji was the first to move, wasting no time to demonstrate his mastery over the Akimichi’s signature Yang manipulation techniques. Expanding his limb size and rushing into a flurry of surprisingly fast strikes, he gave his opponent no room to manouver. Or so it seemed. Suna’s Temari obviously had a great deal of combat experience, blocking each of Chouji’s powerful strikes with her giant metal fan. Unable to match the pure force of Chouji’s strikes, she instead allowed them to push her backwards in circles around the room. The moment Chouji lept back to re-evaluate and come up with a new strategy, it was already over. Temari had only been waiting for a moment’s reprieve to open her fan wide and release powerful, rippling blasts of wind. Her jutsu gave her full control over the battlefield, making it far too costly for Chouji to reengage. 

Had this been actual war, perhaps Chouji might have sacrificed himself to break through and create an opening for his allies, were the stakes high enough. But it wasn’t war, it was just a place for genin to show their combat skills. Unable to actually raise his hand against the powerful winds and surrender from within the arena, Chouji leapt up towards the stand, declaring his withdrawal from safety. Temari slapped her fan closed with two hands, and gave a polite nod of respect towards her defeated opponent before silently returning to her teammates. 

The display board began cycling through names again, revealing Gaara being selected for a second match against another of the shinobi for Amegakure. But this match didn’t even have a chance to begin. Having seen how powerless his teammate was before, the Ame shinobi immediately withdrew from the match, giving Gaara an automatic victory and securing their place in the finals. 

When Sasuke saw his name up on the electronic signboard, he was almost too quick to leap down and take his place in the stone-floored arena. His chosen opponent presented the perfect opportunity. Back in the forest, Sasuke had seen Tsukigakure’s Kana fight. He knew she was incredibly strong. Now, he could prove himself. He would prove that he wasn’t the Uchiha disappointment struggling to follow in Itachi’s enormous shadow. He would prove that he wasn’t the weak link of Team Six. He would prove that his mother, Clan Head Uchiha Mikoto, had the right idea of how to nurture a sharingan to its truest potential. Today, Uchiha Sasuke would become important in the eyes of the village. He glanced briefly towards the impassive figure of his elder brother in the stands before turning quickly away.

Kana quickly paced down from the opposite viewing stand, loosely grasping the naginata at her back in preparation for combat. She looked Sasuke up and down, and then nodded - as though to deem him an acceptable opponent. Sasuke felt a quick surge of pride at this, and made another resolution - he would honour the respect his opponent had given him, by going all out. 

Hayate swung his arm down to officiate the start of the match, and both fighters disappeared. They each reappeared atop the Ram Seal sculpture, metal striking metal. Kana had thrust forward with her naginata, Sasuke smoothly blocking the bladed strike with a far smaller kunai. They both leapt back, each landing on one of the sculpture’s green arms. 

The two combatants eyed each other, and some silent communication seemed to pass between them. Without warning, Kana leapt towards Sasuke with her naginata outstretched. The sheer force made Sasuke slide backwards almost to the end of the arm, even as he brought up his kunai to defend. Finally regaining some control over his momentum, Sasuke allowed the naginata to slide past him as he spun and brought his right elbow around into Kana’s gut. She mostly rode the blow, landing sideways on the wall behind the sculpture. 

Sasuke didn’t let up. Capitalising on this small window of opportunity, he directed chakra to his fingertips. The resulting swarm of flaming bullets forced Kana onto the defensive, and she leapt off the wall, making for the other end of the room. Sasuke followed, throwing handfuls of kunai along the Tsukigakure kunoichi’s path, forcing her to defend with her polearm as she fled. 

What ensued could only be described as a well choreographed dance. Blades struck upon blades with resounding clangs. Chakra vibrated through the air as the two combatants clashed against one another again and again and again. When the duo seemed to realise that neither was getting an edge over the other, they disengaged and stared one another down. Waiting patiently for a single mistake, a single opening. Onlookers held their breath, waiting for the suspense to end. 

Kana shifted her weight, and in that moment, Sasuke cupped his hands to his mouth, and blew. A blazing jet of flame blasted out, sizzling its way through the air in a straight line towards the kunoichi. She returned fire, stabbing her naginata into the ground and, without pause, releasing her own jutsu from her mouth. A vortex of wind shot towards the emerging flames, engulfing and absorbing them. The flame became one with the wind, and it was all Sasuke could do to flip away, just barely avoiding being burnt to cinders by the flaming vortex. 

Time to put mom’s training to use, Sasuke smirked, as his eyes flashed red. Next time the Tsuki kunoichi tried anything, Sasuke would copy the jutsu and make it his own. He grabbed a new kunai out of his pouch, and began to circle around Kana, watching like a hawk. He watched cautiously as Kana leaned down, grabbing onto a piece of rubble that had been left from Ino and Sakura’s earlier match. What’s she gonna do? Throw it at me?

Kana quickly wove through a short sequence of hand seals, and Sasuke felt the sensation in his hand change - it was no longer the familiar cool steel of a kunai. He spared a quick glance downward, and saw the kunai was gone; it had been replaced with that same small chunk of rubble Kana had been touching just a moment ago. But Sasuke had caught the hand signs, burned the patterns of chakra flow into his Uchiha eyes. To Kana’s shock, he replicated the same sequence of hand signs, manipulating his chakra in the same way his eyes had just watched. His kunai, which had made its way into Kana’s hand, was now back in his own. As comprehension settled, showing through her now less startled expression, Kana sighed and raised her hand. 

“I concede,” Kana declared, grabbing her naginata and deftly swinging it over her shoulder. “Our raw abilities are perfectly matched, and yet if this fight were to continue I would be at a disadvantage. I’d heard rumours of the famed Uchiha clan, but now that I’ve seen it for myself… Well, I’d rather not continue.”

Hayate nodded as though he agreed with the kunoichi’s judgement. “Very well, the winner of this match is Uchiha Sasuke!”

Despite the applause and cheering from his teammates and friends, Sasuke couldn’t help but frown. Kana had made the clever choice, though certainly to Sasuke’s own disappointment. Having never fought a shinobi from Tsukigakure, he’d really wanted to draw the match out and get another jutsu or two out of her, but it seems she’d caught on too quickly. As the adrenaline from the match wore off, Sasuke began to feel fatigue set into his body. He quickly proceeded up the stairs and collapsed against the wall, largely ignoring his teammates as they fretted over him. He vaguely registered Hinata offering to heal the plethora of nicks and scratches adorning his body, but waved her off, mumbling something about saving energy for her own fight. 

Haku sized up his foe. Kaiza Katsuki wore a plain white top, stained with smudges of dirt here and there, over a pair of red shorts. Unremarkable tabi adorned his feet. What drew Haku’s attention most easily was the magnificent weapon Katsuki wielded on his back. Haku couldn’t help but compare it to Zabuza’s Kubikiribocho, for the weapon before him was not only similar in size, it had a similar aura of strength to it. Yet still, he didn’t recognise it from his study of the Seven Swords of the Mist. This golden polearm was something entirely different, he could feel it. 

The boy smiled obnoxiously, a jagged tooth making itself known to the world. Deciding to get this over with, Haku disappeared. Reappearing behind the Tsukigakure boy, Haku hurled a handful of senbon directly at the back of his neck. It wouldn’t be lethal, but if just one hit the right nerve cluster, the boy would become paralyzed, unable to continue.

With impressive speed, Katsuki grabbed the handle of his weapon and shifted it upwards until the bladed section covered his neck, causing the senbon to all bounce away harmlessly. He turned and swung, the weapon slicing through the air. To others, it appeared to cut cleanly through Haku’s body - until the form turned into water, making a puddle on the arena floor. Haku reappeared back in his starting position, now eyeing his opponent Katsuki far more warily. 

“What’s the matter, scared of this oversized butterknife? Well,” Katsuki yawned arrogantly, “you probably should be. Tsukikosei is a dangerous tool, predating even those famous weapons from Kiri. But hey, let’s make this fair. I’ll give you a moment to decide what you wanna do, and then I’ll only move after you’ve had a chance to attack me.”

Haku frowned. He could use his ice techniques, but there were onlookers from multiple different hidden villages. He couldn’t risk revealing his origins through his easily identifiable kekkei genkai. So he would have to stick to water release. From what he could already tell, that meant he probably wouldn’t win this fight - the boy was fast, and had incredibly sharp reflexes. Still, at the very least he could put on a good show. 

“Water Release: Rain of Blades!” Haku called out before spitting out an enormous flow of water up into the air. The water hovered for just a moment, before forming into small, sharp daggers, and surging in towards Katsuki’s location.

The boy didn’t step away or make any attempt to dodge. Instead, he put a hand towards the amethyst set near the guard of the blade, and muttered: “Tsukikosei, Second Form: Crescent Blades.” The golden blade broke apart, splitting into a swarm of ten small, sharp crescent moons. A discerning eye could tell that each single blade was connected to one of Katsuki’s fingers by a thin thread of chakra. A certain Suna shinobi watched particularly carefully as the fight proceeded from this point.

Katsuki’s fingers danced rapidly, and each of the blades began moving in what seemed to be well-practiced patterns, effectively defending the entire space from which Katsuki was in danger. The daggers of water were cut to pieces, splashing harmlessly away from the boy. And he still hadn’t taken a single step.

The crescent moons reformed into the larger blade, and Katsuki waggled a finger tauntingly towards Haku. “You got anything more than that?”

Haku didn’t dignify him with a response, instead drawing a concealed kunai from his sleeve and closing the distance faster than most of the audience could follow. He lashed out with the kunai, aiming for the boy’s right shoulder. The boy was fast, but only just. Haku’s kunai managed to just break the surface of Katsuki’s skin before being repelled, and Haku was launched all the way back to the other side of the room by a singular, heavy push. As he landed, he felt a sharp surge of pain in his upper chest, faintly registering a cracking sound as three of his ribs fractured from the force of the boy’s push.

One push was all it took to fracture Haku’s ribs, and he’d barely scored the thinnest of scratches in return. Sighing heavily, Haku raised his hand. “I surrender.”

Chapter Text

AN: This is a bit of a content warning. This chapter will be very emotionally intense, and some of the violence a bit more graphic. Gather your spoons, homos and homies. 

After everyone had gotten over their disappointment at the abrupt end of the match between Haku and Katsuki, and Hatake had finally gotten everyone quiet, the screen began cycling through names once again. ‘Uzumaki Naruto vs. Nara Kaya’.

“Yatta!” Naruto screamed as he jumped up and down on the spot. “Finally, I get to show everyone how strong I am!” He leapt over the guardrails of the observation platform and landed on all fours before pushing himself up and grinning back at his friends. His opponent was still fatigued from her last match, and chose to walk into the arena in order to conserve energy. She had a look of resolve upon her face, one that easily showed Naruto that she meant business. She had a year’s experience in the field over Naruto and she wasn’t going to let him show her up. 

In the same moment that Hatake declared the start of the match, Naruto formed a snake seal before slamming his palms into the ground. “Earth Clone Jutsu!” As he called out, a group of five clones rose up from the ground and rushed straight towards the Nara girl. Deftly, she palmed a kunai from her pouch and swiped one, two, three, four, five times. Five expert, practiced strikes, one for each clone. Clone heads tumbled to the ground, and their bodies disintigrated. 

“Not bad, not bad,” Naruto praised, earning a scowl from Kaya.

“I don’t wanna hear that from some rookie genin. You shouldn’t even be in these exams, fresh out of the academy with no experience!” Kaya spurted out angrily, before realising her outburst and collecting herself. After her match with Shikamaru, nobody would believe that’s what she truly thought. Perhaps she was resentful of her last match and projecting that onto all of Shikamaru’s peers. Or perhaps, like many of the others in the village, she simply hated the Uzumaki twins. Regardless, Naruto knew he had to prove her wrong. 

Despite her being far more experienced, Kaya was simply no match for Naruto’s brute force. With Naruto not only being highly proficient in taijutsu, having trained under Might Guy, but also being able to spare the chakra for jutsu after jutsu, the older kunoichi tired out quickly, and was knocked unconscious. 

The team of medic nin quickly came out and carried Kaya away on a stretcher. Naruto left the arena, and the screen began cycling through names to decide on the next match.

‘Hyuuga Hinata vs Hyuuga Neji’

A few gasps were let out from amongst the remaining onlookers. This was the final fight, and the fact that Neji was selected as Hinata’s opponent drew a mix of reactions. Some were wondering just how ‘random’ these matchups were, whilst others worried for Hinata’s wellbeing. Amongst the genin from Konoha who had entered into the chunin exams, it was no secret that Neji was the most skilled combatant. He was said to be a prodigy of the likes that the Hyuuga clan hadn’t seen in generations. He was the pride of the clan, the branch member who would be one day trusted as the main branch’s finest guardian. 

Meanwhile, most knew of Hinata as the clan’s greatest failure. There were rumours escaping to the wider village that the Hyuuga elders were preparing to move Hinata to the branch clan and declare her younger sister, Hanabi, as the new heir. Those of the most recent academy graduates, who knew Hinata a bit better, knew that she wasn’t a pushover. Still, they expected Hinata to lose, and even pitied her upon seeing this matchup. 

Neji walked past Hinata with a formal step of clearly feigned respect, moving to take his place within the arena. Meanwhile, Hinata was rooted to the ground where she stood. Despite all her newfound confidence since her academy days, this match struck far to close to her insecurities and family trauma. Noticing a panic attack draw near, Hinata took a deep breath and attempted to shove all her worries into a tiny little box in her mind to deal with later. She had to believe she could win this, or she would make a fool of herself regardless of the outcome. 

Anko put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, firm but supportive. “Go get him, kiddo.”

She steadied herself, banishing the tremor that had possessed her hands, and walked blankly down the steps.

As his weakling cousin, the pitiful excuse for a clan heir, walked down the steps, Neji scoffed. It was a simple truth that Hinata’s fate was to be a weak, timid failure of a kunoichi. At times he wondered why Lord Hiashi had yet to declare Hanabi to be the clan heir, but he knew that such thoughts were above his station and so he tossed them aside. His job was to become strong and defend the main branch and its interests. His fate was to be the best, and bring the Hyuuga clan great pride and glory. 

But he simply could not condone the leadership being handed to such a weakling, and now he was being presented with a golden opportunity. Here, he was allowed to hold nothing back, and put the clan heir to shame. Here, he could show everyone what a pathetic, bumbling excuse for a Hyuuga kunoichi this girl was. Then, perhaps, Lord Hiashi would set things right, and make Hanabi the clan heir. She could find a role that better suited her… temperament. This is her fate. When Hinata walked up towards Neji and looked him in the eye, he had to tame himself, lest he respond uncouthly. 

“Very well, you may begin,” the proctor declared, swinging his arm down to officiate the beginning of the match.

“Lady Hinata, I urge you to withdraw from this match,” Neji advised scathingly. Despite his efforts otherwise, he could not entirely restrain the contempt from invading the tone of his voice. “After all, the hierarchies of our clan have no place in this arena, and it is expected that I do not hold back. You are not suited to being a shinobi, and it wouldn’t be smart for you to sustain an injury that may hinder whatever other endeavours you may choose to pursue.”

Hinata looked down, shivered ever so slightly, and then looked up at Neji again. She opened her mouth as if to say something, yet no words emerged. Maintaining steady breathing, she stepped into a basic Gentle Fist stance. One open palm positioned forward, close to her body for defense, the other extended outwards with a slight bend of the elbow, ready to turn in any direction and strike.

“Please, Lady Hinata. You are too kind to be a shinobi. You strive for harmony and avoid conflict, and easily follow along with the plans of others. People can never change! This is your fate, it is how you will always be! So I ask you this one more time - will you withdraw?” Neji spoke measuredly, only a subtle venom to his tone now.

The tension in the room broke immediately when Akane burst out laughing from up in the stands. Neji snarled. “What? What do you think is so funny?”

“It’s just... it’s just that your read on your own cousin is so incredibly off,” Akane called out from up in the stands, a wide grin stretched across their face. “Anyway, I don’t need to speak for her. Hinata has a voice of her own. Besides, she’s gonna introduce your face to the ground soon enough.”

Akane gave Hinata a thumbs up, and she smiled. Neji noticed that her teammate’s words seemed to boost her confidence quite a bit - not that it would help her in any way. Pulsing chakra to his eyes, Neji activated the power of his Byakugan, allowing him to see all that stood in the room. He watched as Hinata did the same. Then, he engaged. If Hinata would not withdraw, he would just have to defeat her quickly.

They both charged forward, closing the gap promptly. Neji was the first to strike, aiming for one of the larger tenketsu on Hinata’s left shoulder. To his surprise, she was able to swat his hand away without great exertion, and move in for a strike of her own, aimed low towards Neji’s thigh. He swerved out of the way, spinning into a series of strikes aimed at Hinata’s torso. The way she was able to bat each and every strike out of the air should not have been possible. Shouldn’t have been possible at all.

So she has grown somewhat. But she will never possess the talent required to lead the Hyuuga Clan, and today I will show that to her!

“Fine, you want to resist? Have it your way, then,” Neji spat, bouncing backwards several paces. 

Neji focused carefully on the room around him before locking his sights on Hinata. He watched how her body moved, down to the flow through each and every tenketsu in her body. Identifying those that would be the least guarded, Neji prepared to strike. “Allow me to show you what real talent looks like. Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”

He danced forwards, and struck the first two times. Those, Hinata was able to fend off. The next two strikes were also apparently defensible, as Hinata blocked each and attempted unsuccessfully to return fire. Then, Neji upped the pace with four strikes. Somehow, the main clan weakling could still keep up her guard. But Neji could tell. He noticed - she was beginning to get pushed back. Another eight strikes, and Hinata was struggling to keep up.

Sixteen strikes, and a few broke through, closing a total of three tenketsu across Hinata’s chest. Not enough to disable her, but enough to do some damage. Neji paused for just one short moment before launching into the final movement of thirty two strikes. This, Hinata could not defend against. And that was how fate willed it. A plethora of tenketsu across her body now sealed away, Hinata coughed up blood. Neji had avoided tenketsu connected to vital organs, but only those. Clumps of red struck the ground with an audible splat, bringing a cruel satisfaction to the fore of Neji’s mind. This was what she deserved. Hinata had to learn the consequences of trying to resist her fate.

Yet somehow… the failure still stood. Though sluggish, chakra flowed through her body. It had to find longer, more indirect pathways, but it persevered all the same. It appeared as though Hinata, and her chakra itself, lacked the common sense to give in to fate. If she wouldn’t concede, then Neji would just have to make her concede. Stepping in, Neji noticed that Hinata seemed to have less of the surprisingly skilled reflexes she’d shown earlier. Her guard was slow to rise. She was losing. He struck. She did not fall. He struck again. She did not fall.

“Just stay down, you damn weakling!” Neji roared, striking again, and again, and again. No matter how hard he pushed, no matter how fast he struck, Hinata refused to give up. Even if not all of his strikes got through, Hinata should have fallen by now. “You’re fated to always be weak - you should stop playing at being a shinobi and just! Give! UP!”

Neji landed an open palm strike to Hinata’s gut. She crumpled inward slightly, and coughed up a glob of blood over Neji’s forearm. In a moment of senseless anger and disgust, he jumped back and tried to shake some of the blood off. Before him, Hinata still stood straight. Something in her expression changed. In that one moment, Hinata’s eyes changed from unyielding to angry. For some inexplicable reason, Neji felt fear through to the very core of his being. It truly made no sense - after all, he was winning. No matter how much Hinata refused to drop, he was winning, and she had no way to fight back. The majority of her tenketsu were closed, and some of her organs were beginning to shut down. To win this match was part of his fate. Hers was to be sidelined to the branch clan like himself, allowing the talented young Hanabi to ascend as clan heir. 

“I will... never... give up,” Hinata snarled. Her tone was savage, almost primal. “Especially not when faced with arrogant fuckheads like you! SO WHY DON’T YOU JUST STOP BLABBERING ON ABOUT FATE AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOU! I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE UP, BECAUSE IT’S HIGH TIME I BEAT YOUR FUCKING ASS!”

The stands grew silent from shock. Even Naruto and Sasuke, who had been passionately cheering Hinata on, lost their ability to speak. Hinata had never asserted herself like that before, much less shouted, no, swore at someone. Many a jaw hung open, and not a single person knew how to respond. Neji stepped back, genuinely afraid. He reminded himself that she was on the verge of passing out from her injuries, and all he had to do was keep going. But he was wrong.

What Neji saw in that moment was something he would never forget. He could have stopped her. He should have stopped her. But he didn’t. Hinata raised a hand to her left temple and shouted words that she should not have been shouting. “Gate of Opening: Release!”

Hinata’s body seemed to stand a tiny bit taller. She raised her right hand to her right temple. Neji watched as chakra pulsed into the large tenketsu, igniting activity within. “Gate of Healing: Release!”

Hinata’s body began to heal its wounds internally. The many tenketsu that Neji had just recently shut began to buzz with chakra once again. No, no, this can’t be happening! This can’t be real!

Neji thought that Hinata’s actions were bizarre and terrifying enough as is, but something inside of him came truly unhinged when she reached around to her back with her left arm, which was already flooding with hyperactive with chakra. “Gate of Life: Release!”

As Hinata’s skin turned red, and her veins pulsed with rapidly flowing blood, Neji felt wave after wave of crashing fear surge through his body. Hinata’s hair rose up, standing on end. Then, she disappeared. Neji could barely track her movements even with his trained Byakugan; they were too fast. Before he could react, Hinata was behind him. Neji felt a palm crash into his back, and he was sent soaring through the air. Blood surged out of his mouth, painting the bottom of the large stone sculpture with fresh patterns of running crimson. 

He tried to recover fully, but there wasn’t enough time. He’d only managed to roll over and stand up. Hinata appeared above, lightning crackling around her hands. Neji wasn’t sure if she was hovering in the air or if time had simply stopped for him. All he could do was watch for the seconds that felt like years as her closed fist came crashing into his jaw. His face was launched mercilessly into the ground by the feet of the large sculpture. Neji knew he heard at least one crack, and his world spun. 

At this point, Neji didn’t even try to get up. He couldn’t. His sight was red, spinning uncontrollably. His jaw was certainly broken, and his shoulder was at least fractured. There was definitely blood below him; Neji’s last impact with the ground had been enough to rip open skin. Truly, he wasn’t sure what hurt the most. 

“STOP!” Hayate called out, but to no avail. Whatever had happened, Hinata was now oblivious to the sounds around her. In the stands, Anko had already started moving, hoping to restrain her student. There were even snakes wriggling out of her sleeves. 

But by the time Anko had made it to the rails of the stands, Guy was already on the ground. His skin was a shade of red similar to Hinata’s, if not deeper, and his veins equally bulging. He wrapped his hands around Hinata from behind, locking her at the shoulders so she couldn’t move her arms. The girl kicked wildly at Guy, attempting to break free. Lightning danced throughout her body aggressively. It was incredibly obvious to everyone that it was hurting the green-clad jonin immensely. As much as he shook from the pain, Guy held for several minutes. He just held her, so that she couldn’t move. Held her long enough that she passed out from the strain that opening three gates without proper training had put on her body.

“The winner of this match is Hyuuga Hinata,” Hayate declared dispassionately, still in shock from the rapid change in the match and Hinata’s sheer ferocity. There was no cheering; everybody was far too stunned by what had just happened. Medic shinobi appeared to take both of Neji and Hinata away, quickly loading the both of them onto stretchers and running out of the room with markedly apparent urgency. Guy walked along with them, his skin fading back to its usual colour. 

Chapter Text

“Now that Hinata and Neji have been attended to, allow us to formally conclude the preliminary round of the third exam,” Hayate declared. He noticed that many people were still distracted or even distressed by the scene that had just unfolded, and tried again to capture their attention. “Please, do not worry about their health. Lady Tsunade was already on call in case of any severe injuries, and she will be able to return both of the Hyuuga to full health. Anyway, those of you who have not been eliminated, please come forward.”

Akane allowed themself to relax just a little upon hearing that, but was still lost in their thoughts as he walked down the stairs. Tsunade was the best of the best, and if anyone could heal Hinata properly, it was her. They were still in shock over what Hinata had done, though. Akane recognised the physiological changes she had undergone from an old scroll they once read. Hinata had opened three of the Eight Gates - specific Tenketsu that limit the flow of chakra to safe levels that the body can handle. Supposedly one could open them with a great deal of training, and still it would have large repercussions on their body afterwards. But unless Hinata’s trip away had included such training, she must have just ripped them wide open. 

Even with Tsunade’s help, though, would she really be okay? This fight didn’t just have a massive physical effect on Hinata - it was clearly mental, too. Akane knew that Hinata had a complicated relationship with her whole clan, and especially with Neji. In that fight, she acted in a way that Akane had never seen before. To put it simply, Hinata had snapped. Akane hoped that they could be there when Hinata woke up to make sure she had the support she needed, and turned their attention back to Hayate.

“... will commence a month from now.”

“Huh?!” Naruto exclaimed. “A whole month from now? But that’s so far away!”

“Yes, Naruto. This is so that every combatant has a suitable time to prepare. As was explained earlier, these matches will occur in the form of a public event with many, many spectators. Accordingly, we want you all to be at your very best. In the trials you have undergone so far, you have had no forewarning of who you would encounter in battle. Some of you may have already revealed your full skillset in front of your rivals. Others held back, knowing that you would have to fight again and wanting to benefit from the element of surprise. 

“So, those of you who remain will have a month to train and prepare for your upcoming battles. Before you go on your way, we have one thing to take care of. Could everyone please step forward and take a slip of paper.” Hayate gestured towards a wooden box held by Kurenai, who had appeared at some point during his explanation. The box had a circular opening on top, just large enough for a person to comfortably fit their hand inside.

Kurenai stepped forward and walked along the line of remaining shinobi. Each reached inside the box and withdrew a single slip of paper. When the box reached Akane and they drew their paper, they noticed that it had a number written upon it - Four. Kurenai asked each person to declare their number, and started scribbling on a sheet of paper as they spoke. A few moments after they were done, Kurenai turned around her sheet of paper to reveal a tournament bracket.

“The numbers you drew determined who you would fight in the true third exam,” Kurenai announced, and immediately the air in the room grew heavy as people looked around at one another. 

Match One: Uzumaki Naruto versus Gaara

Match Two: Temari versus Uzumaki Akane 

Match Three: Haruno Sakura versus Hyuuga Hinata

Match Four: Uchiha Sasuke versus Kaiza Katsuki

Akane made eye contact with Temari, who shot them a ruthless grin. They gulped. Having watched her fight against Chouji, Akane knew that she was incredibly strong and skilled. What made it worse was that her skillset was an awful matchup for them. She was a front-line fighter, whereas they did best in supporting positions. Even in their match against Lee, if they had failed to block the first strike, they would have lost quickly after. Akane would have to train specifically in dealing with opponents like her over the next month if they wanted to even have the slightest chance of victory.

And then Akane considered their next match, if they managed to win against Temari. They would have to fight either Gaara or Naruto. Once again, neither was an opponent that they were confident in their ability to defeat. Akane resolved to do their best to prepare for the first round, but didn’t expect to make it further than that.

“Given that Hyuuga Hinata is absent right now, she will be informed of the details regarding the third exam when she wakes,” Kurenai said before going on to provide additional details about the exam. “Gekko Hayate will proctor the third exam as well, but there will be numerous jonin observing and judging the matches. In order to gain a chunin promotion, you do not necessarily need to win your matches. Demonstrate the full of your skill, and the judges will make our decision. And for those of you who are not from Konoha, know that among the panel of judges will be experienced shinobi from your villages, too.”

“And with that said and done,” Hayate said as he stepped forward, “you are all dismissed. I hope this would go without saying, but any combat between any of you or attempts at sabotage will be judged extremely harshly.”

Akane and Sasuke sat opposite from Anko in their sensei’s favourite Dango shop. As they waited for their food to arrive, neither genin seemed to know what to say. They were both still processing what they saw during Hinata’s match, and didn’t really know what to do with themselves.

“So,” Anko started, kicking her feet up onto the table, “what are your plans? You have a month to train. Let’s be honest here, kiddos, you’ll both need it. Akane, your opponent is one of the worst possible matchups for you. And Sasuke, yours just went toe to toe with that kid Haku, and won. As much as you’ve grown since we were in Wave, that Tsuki kid still outclasses you. So?”

Akane snapped out of their thoughts, and took a moment to consider. “I… don’t really know yet how I should train, but I think I know who to ask.”

Anko scoffed. “Tch, the snake bastard, huh? Yeah, I guess they’re probably the best choice for you. Fine. Sasuke?”

Sasuke turned to face Anko, wearing a face that knew no answers. “Uh…”

Before Anko got a chance to scold the Uchiha boy, they were interrupted by the arrival of their food. Anko was served an entire platter of dango, whilst the two genin each received a steaming bowl of udon. 

Anko clicked her fingers in front of Sasuke’s face, knowing his head wasn’t really in the game. “Look, kid. I’m not giving you the answers here. If you can’t figure out how to proceed with your training, you simply don’t deserve the title of chunin. Go figure it out, and let me know what you decide.”

In a network of tunnels deep below the village of Konoha proper, a percussive noise echoed down the corridors. Torches flickered ominously, purely for the effect of creeping people out. 

“Come in,” called the snakelike voice from the room within.

Akane twisted the handle and opened the door. They’d been gone just over a week, and already the lab had changed a fair deal. New experiments took up space across several of the benches, with old data and material bundled up in the corner of the room. Orochimaru stood hunched over a desk by one far end of the room, drawing out some form of diagram on a large scroll. 

“I expect that you are here to ask me to train you for the exams?” Orochimaru stated plainly without looking up from their work.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I would appreciate it greatly,” Akane responded with equal neutrality.

Orochimaru turned away from their desk, and looked Akane directly in the eyes from across the room. “I expect this means you are off duty for the time being. Word is that the third exam takes place a month from now. I will train you directly, on condition that you come with me on a certain... errand. We should be back around a week before the exam takes place. So?”

Akane considered it. Orochimaru was undoubtedly the most suitable mentor to oversee his training, and they were undeniably curious about what constituted an ‘errand’ for the erratic Sannin. At the same time, they felt that they should stay for Hinata. She would need people who cared about her to be around when she woke up. Akane’s eyebrows furrowed as they tried to make a decision.

“You are far kinder than I, child, but it makes you predictable,” Orochimaru commented, as though reading Akane’s mind. “The girl will be fine, she has the support she needs.”

Akane shot Orochimaru a quizzical look, and then immediately regretted it - they knew better. Of course Orochimaru already knew about what happened to Hinata, and of course they expected Akane to worry about her. 

“That girl is currently undergoing an important metamorphosis. This moment in her life is a critical turning point, and she will be better off without you around. She is a shinobi, and feeling safe and supported is not what will help her to decide how to proceed or harden her resolve. Let her solve this challenge on her own, child,” Orochimaru chided. “I will be at the village gates in one hour. If you wish to receive training from me, be there. Otherwise, I will leave without you.”

Akane stood over Hinata’s hospital bed, watching her peaceful form simply exist. Most of her body was covered by the bedding, but her arms hung free, covered in bandaging. A large scroll was slung over the Uzumaki’s back, carrying many of their belongings.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay for you, Hinata. I have to go, to get stronger. I need to catch up to you and Sasuke, I can’t just rely on you to defend me in a serious fight. I know you’ll get through this too, and I’ll be back a different person… a stronger person.”

The genin opened the window and leapt out, headed directly for the village gates.

For a while, the duo travelled in silence. Akane followed Orochimaru, not knowing anything about where they were travelling, or what this ‘errand’ could possibly be. They moved fast, making considerable ground, and after several hours of travelling in silence through the densely forested Land of Fire, Orochimaru ground to a halt. “Put down some of your privacy seals, now.”

Almost startled by the sudden command after no words had been spoken between them for so long, Akane did as instructed. Setting up a small perimeters of seals, Akane guaranteed that they would be auditorily obscured from any attempted eavesdroppers. 

“Now that we’re far enough from the village, I can explain to you the purpose of this trip without it falling upon the wrong ears,” Orochimaru spoke, facing away from Akane. Neither of them were fond of eye contact, and didn’t care for the social expectation others held around it. 

“I shall start with the actual errand I spoke of. I recently received intelligence regarding two persons of interest who are in hiding from a particular enemy of mine. But,” Orochimaru smirked, “I have no intent to reveal their identities to you yet. I think you’ll enjoy finding out for yourself. I have an idea of where they may be hiding, so we’ll spend some of our time searching for them.

“Secondly, of course, I will train you during those hours of the day which we have to spare. You need to increase your proficiency with physical combat beyond your training with that blade. There are instances in which you cannot rely on trickery and clever traps, and you must be prepared for those. I have my own ideas on techniques you can learn for this purpose, and you will soon come to see why you needed to be outside the village in order to learn them.

“Third, I procured the formula for a certain medicine from Tsunade, which will give your body the changes you might be after. I have written up a document detailing what you can expect from it, for you to peruse. Should you decide you want these changes, you are to take one of these pills every morning. Now, we will set up camp here and begin your training. Once the sun sets, we resume our travels. Understood?”

Akane nodded. They looked at the bottle Orochimaru handed them, labeled Estradiol, and smiled.“So what is this training you have in mind for me?”

“I will have you learn how to control shadows.”

“Shadows? You’re speaking of the Nara clan’s hiden! That’s-”

“Hush, child, and think for a moment. I do not believe you are fool enough to believe that all techniques involving shadows belong to the Nara clan. I suppose I’ll give you a hint. What is your chakra nature?”

Yin chakra, Akane thought to themself. They knew better than to actually say it aloud. Orochimaru would be dissapointed if Akane said anything at all without actually taking time to think about the point of all this. 

The Nara clan techniques are reliant upon Yin chakra. From what I’ve seen, they use the shadows to reach and bind an opponent. But how does that binding work? Wait… is that even important? Why would learning to bind my foes with shadows add to my skillset in any meaningful way? Orochimaru must intend something else. Chakra nature… Chakra nature… Wait! Most shinobi end up training to use their chakra natures to fight through elemental release techniques, which I’m fundamentally incapable of. What if…

“You’re not talking about Nara kinjutsu at all, are you?”

Orochimaru smiled. “Very good, child. No, I’m not. As a matter of fact, I will not be teaching you any techniques of my own. Rather, you will be inventing them yourself. By the time we return to Konoha, I expect you to be the first shinobi to fully understand the possibilities of Shadow Release. Now, let us begin.”

Hinata’s mind jerked into consciousness, feeling light pouring down over her closed eyes. The last thing she remembered was looking over her cousin’s battered body and feeling an incredible fury coursing through her veins; then, everything went black. As she stirred, she felt soreness in her muscles and stiffness across many of her joints. It wasn’t remotely close to the excruciating pain she felt before blacking out, but it made anything beyond the smallest of movements difficult. The delicate sensation of bandages on her bare arms and feet led her to assume she was in the hospital, or somewhere she had received treatment. There were light sounds of movement, the noise of something solid tapping against the floor back and forth, from which she knew she was not alone.

When Hinata opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of the last person she expected to see waiting by her hospital bed. Partially covered in bandages and leaning heavily on a single crutch stood her cousin, Neji. Hinata gently pushed her body up to lean on the backboard of her bed, only moving as much as her recovering body allowed. She then waited for Neji to notice; to see how he would react. Why was he here? What could he possibly want with her now?

In the course of his impaired pacing across the room, Neji eventually turned to face Hinata, and saw that she was awake. He looked her in the eyes. For a moment, nothing was said. Then finally Neji broke the heavy silence. “Hinata-sama.”

“What do you want?” Hinata’s voice was quiet and raspy, yet held an audible note of venom. No longer would she hold back, no longer would she be polite because ‘that was how the Hyuuga did things’. If she had something to say, it would be said. No more hiding behind masks in what should be the comfort of her own home. Missions were another thing entirely, but when off-duty? Hinata would speak her mind.

Neji’s eyes widened in a moment of shock, taken aback by her bluntness. He took a moment to collect himself. “I simply wished to apologise. I was wrong, my words were unkind towards you. You are clearly no longer the failure you used to be, and you will make a fine head of the Hyuuga clan when you deign to return.”

Hinata took in a breath. She had grown in the months since she had become a genin, the months since she had met Ibiki and had the support she needed to heal from all the damage that had been done to her through her life. But that didn’t mean the scars were gone; it was still difficult to assert herself. But she could. “The failure I used to be? Get over yourself, Neji. Get over yourself, and leave me to rest.”

Neji’s eyes opened even wider. Was this really Hinata, the quiet, reserved heir to the Hyuuga clan? She had become strong, yes, and Neji could accept that. But she seemed so entirely different now, and he wasn’t sure how to respond. Lacking any idea of what to say next, he bowed his head and left the room.

Not a moment later, the window pushed open and sand began flowing in. Hinata had seen enough to know that this was Gaara, and she was in no state to get up and defend herself from them. All she could do was rely upon her words and hope for the best. 

Yamato woke to see a small blue-bordered scroll sitting on his windowsill. He sat up and reached out for it, feeling a gentle thrum of chakra pulse as his fingers wrapped around it. He recognised the sensation of this pattern of chakra - a rigged bomb. Should anyone attempt to open the scroll, it would explode, destroying the contents within. Yamato focused on his own chakra, driving a very small amount to his fingertips. Small, delicate vines extended out of his fingers, twining around the scroll and draining the chakra away to dismantle the explosive safeguard. Then, Yamato opened the scroll and began reading.

His brain took a moment to make sense of the writing; it was in a code he hadn’t seen in a long while. Not since Kakashi had been serving in the ANBU as his own captain. Pushing to recall the cipher’s key, Yamamoto was eventually able to decode it in the privacy of his own mind.

“Bright whiskers in danger. Ears everywhere. Meet at rock garden number two.”

Cursing, Yamato launched himself out of bed. He dashed back and forth across his room, changing into his ANBU gear while collecting all of his essential tools. He knew better than to notify anyone of where he was going. ‘Ears everywhere’ meant that the intel’s dissemination had to be carefully controlled. Once he was ready to go, Yamato pressed a hand to the scroll, pushing chakra through it and turning the paper into mulch. Then, Yamato launched himself out of his open window as quickly as he could. He soared across the skies of Konoha, forgoing the gates entirely and leaping past the village’s walls and into the forest beyond.

After taking ten minutes to mess up his trail to ensure that nobody could follow him, Yamato made his way over to ‘rock garden number 2’. It was a large, jagged mountainous area perfectly suited for training one’s physical strength and stamina through climbing exercises. Many of the climbable spires plateaued to form suitable places to set up camp. Several kilometers into the ‘rock garden’, Yamato saw the form of Hatake Kakashi standing atop a spire with a small plateau.

Naruto had finally managed to produce a small group of shadow clones when the small form of one of Kakashi’s ninken, Pakkun, flickered towards Kakashi. 

“I’m sorry, Naruto, but I need to attend to something quickly. I’ll be back in just a few minutes; try and see if you can create another five clones before I return.” Kakashi gave Naruto a small wave, and then jumped off the rocky plateau they had chosen for the first part of Naruto’s training.

“Okay, Kakashi-nii!” Naruto called out after the departing jonin. 

Kakashi flickered away as quickly as he could, to create as much distance as possible before Yamato arrived. Once he was satisfied that he had covered enough ground, he found a nice stony perch and waited. 

After less than a minute, Yamato’s masked form came into view, hurtling through the air at top speed. Kakashi stifled a giggle, half nervous and half devilish. As Yamato got closer, he removed his mask to reveal a furious face. Just as the man was arriving within earshot of Kakashi, the silver-haired jonin raised his hands in a placating gesture.

“Explain, now.” Yamato demanded.

A bead of sweat formed on Kakashi’s exposed temple, but he hid his concern with a wry grin. “Maa, it was only a half-lie. I believe you’ll want to join me for the next few weeks. If not… well, one of Konoha’s valuable jinchuriiki may truly be in danger.”

“What. Did. You. Do.” Yamato’s face darkened, and he reached threateningly for the ninjato strapped to his lower back. 

“Nothing too crazy, I just taught him the Shadow Clone technique,” Kakashi declared, cheeky satisfaction creeping into his voice.

“You WHAT?” Yamato screamed loud enough that Kakashi’s ears began to ring. “Never mind, we need to get to him now, and you can explain what idiocy is going through your head on the way. Then, we’re going back to Konoha straight away.”

While the two Jonin leapt across the rocky spires towards where Naruto was training, Kakashi began to explain. “Naruto and Guy both asked me to train him for the upcoming matches. He’s going up against that sand kid, Gaara, and he needs to learn some new ninjutsu that will help with this particular matchup, otherwise he’s screwed. There’s too much I need to teach him in too small a period of time, so I taught him the Shadow Clone technique to speed things up. With his chakra, he can make enough of them to drastically improve his learning speed.”

Yamato made a strange “hck” noise that sounded like he choked on a sigh. “Do you understand what will happen if-?”

“Yes,” Kakashi interjected, smiling underneath his mask. “That’s why you’re here!”

The two jonin arrived atop the plateau to witness a group of five Naruto clones having an all-out brawl. It was entirely unrefined, especially given Naruto’s years of taijutsu training under Might Guy. There were wildly swinging punches, biting and lots of screaming claims of who was ‘the real Naruto’. Kakashi shook his head and sighed heavily. He was just about to tell Yamato that he really ought to give Naruto’s intellect more credit, before they arrived to witness the brawl.

The duo stood and watched the painfully embarrassing fight draw to a close, leaving the real Naruto lying on his back with rips and scuff marks all over his clothes, as well as several bruises across his body.

“Oh hey, Yamato-sen...sei...” Naruto called out upon noticing Yamato’s arrival. The enthusiasm quickly drained from his voice when he noticed the terrifying look of utmost disappointment the man wore.

“Collect your belongings, Naruto. We’re returning to Konoha immediately.” Yamato stared menacingly at Naruto. 

“Wait, nooo!!” Naruto protested. “I have to train with Kakashi! I don’t know if you saw that boy I have to fight but he’s scary! He, like, controls all this sand and is super strong and if I don’t learn some amazing new jutsu he’ll destroy me!”

“Naruto,” Yamato kept his voice level. “Whilst you and your sibling are uniquely suited to training while using the Shadow Clone technique because of your immense pools of chakra, it is incredibly dangerous. The technique splits up your chakra, and if you use too much chakra you might unintentionally pull out the Kyuubi’s chakra. If that happens, it will take over the clone and try to attack.”

Naruto stood up and looked towards Yamato, his eyes filled with conviction. “Yeah, but Kakashi explained it to me and I can have each clone work on a different jutsu and learn lots of things in the amount of time it would take to learn just one! Besides, I’m getting better at controlling the Kyuubi’s chakra and-”

“With supervision,” Yamato asserted, cutting Naruto off. “You are improving, which is commendable, but you always have supervision. Not to mention, I am always there suppressing the Kyuubi whenever it gets out of-”

“Yeah!” Naruto cut Yamato off in return. “You’re always there! And now you’re here, so you can make sure that I’m safe! You can do your seal thingy and it will be fine! Whatever you say, I’m not going back. If you try to make me, I’ll... I’ll fight you!”

Yamato sighed, and palmed his forehead, producing a loud thwack. “Fine, but if anything goes wrong I’ll drag the both of you to the Hokage myself.”

“Yes!” Naruto cheered, pumping his fist into the air. Then, before Yamato had time to set up the pillars he used to focus the Kyuubi-suppressing seal, Naruto formed the hand seal for the Shadow Clone technique and produced thirty clones. “Woah, that’s even more than last time!”

Chapter Text

A cold weight pressed upon the jinchuriki’s face. As soon as they had the mental capacity to process sensory input, the Akane realised that it also felt scaley. And slithered. Opening their eyes, they saw a pink-and-white mass of snake moving across their face. Had they not been a student of both the Snake Sannin Orochimaru and Mitarashi Anko, they would have panicked. No, they were used to this shit. 

“Get up,” called a cold voice from not too far away. “The shrine is nearby, we shall arrive there by midday. Except… I’ll have you go on ahead, while I take care of a more personal errand before meeting you there. The shrine is about fifteen kilometres due north, and you should be able to recognise it quite easily. I presume you’ll be fine on your own?”

The genin sighed, unable to shake the feeling that they were being tested in some way. Still, there was no arguing with Orochimaru, so they nodded and quietly began packing up camp. Orochimaru quietly chuckled to themself, as though they had taken specific notice to their student’s unusual lack of verbal communication. 

Once camp was fully packed away, and each item sealed into its relevant place in Akane’s storage scrolls, the two shinobi wordlessly departed in opposite directions. 

As they arrived at the shrine, Akane took in the view of the building, and quickly understood Orochimaru’s confidence that they would recognise it on their own. With that understanding, though, came questions. Many questions. For starters, they wanted to know why there was a weathered stone shrine in the middle of the Land of Fire with a large swirling crest of the Uzumaki clan engraved upon the otherwise modest doors. How did Orochimaru know about this, and why bring them here now? They reached out to touch the symbol. However, if not for a voice in the back of their head that screamed to jump out of the way, they would have lost that hand. 

A giant claw impacted with the door, taking a chunk of stone with it. Akane quickly pivoted, turning to assess their attacker. Well, that’s new, Akane thought to themself as they bore witness to a white lion with black outlines that could only be described as a painting come to life. With practiced motions that had been drilled into their muscle memory over the last few days, the jinchuriki formed the rat, snake and then tiger seals. “Shadow Release: Lance Jutsu!”

A spike of pure darkness shot up from the genin’s own shadow, stabbing into the lion. Unfortunately, it barely pierced the creature’s skin before fizzling out of existence. Akane grimaced, and leapt backwards. They tried throwing a singular kunai at the lion, but the creature effortlessly batted it away. Damn. With a snake seal, Akane swapped positions with a fallen branch off in the distance, and hid behind the nearest tree. Akane heard the lion run in circles, not getting any closer to their hiding spot. Then, nothing. When Akane peeked out from behind the tree to get a look, all they saw was a puddle of ink on the ground where the lion had just been standing. 

Their ears pricked up, and Akane was more grateful than ever for the enhanced hearing that came with being a jinchuriki of the Kyuubi - even if all of Naruto’s senses vastly outshone their own. They grabbed for the wakizashi holstered on their hip, and brought it up behind them. The clang of metal striking metal pierced the silent forest, and Akane came face to face with their true attacker - a masked teen similar in stature to themself, with short black hair, wielding a silver tanto. The two teens pushed their blades against one another, each vying for the upper hand. When the attacker realised they were unable to win the contest of strength, they jumped back, before vanishing. 

Above. Akane swung their wakizashi upwards, once again intercepting the attacker, who vanished yet again. Damn, they’re fast. Suddenly, a blade stabbed through the Akane’s chest, which just as suddenly became a wooden log. Akane dropped from the branches above, scoring a shallow kick into the masked attacker’s side before once again landing. The attacker quickly recovered, disappearing once again into the maze of trees. This time, Akane couldn’t hear where their attacker had gone. 

“It appears you are not my target. Do not follow me, or I will have to kill you,” called a bland, hollow voice somewhere to Akane’s left. They stood on guard, but true to the attacker’s words, they did not return. Akane exhaled deeply, relieved, before returning cautiously towards the shrine. 

This time having an opportunity to actually look around, Akane noticed some kind of marking on the ground in front of the door, partially covered in dirt. They knelt down and brushed the dirt away, revealing an intricate fuinjutsu pattern. It looked simultaneously familiar and foreign, and Akane was able to recognise some of the pattern matching their own way of creating fuinjutsu barriers. Yet there were several symbols they had never seen before. The pattern was surrounded with markers similar to what Akane used to connect seal arrays, so they stood up to look around for more seals. 

After half an hour, Akane had uncovered three more of the strange barrier patterns surrounding the building. Immediately in front of the shrine doors lay an even more unfamiliar pattern. Only by an educated guess could Akane suppose that it had something to do with blood. But before they had the chance to do anything foolish , Orochimaru returned. 

“I see you’ve acquainted yourself with the shrine’s protections?”

Akane didn’t even look up. Neither they nor Orochimaru required idle greetings from one another, deeming such actions pure tedium used to placate others. “I’m not entirely sure what to make of it, other than it’s a barrier which seems to somehow interface with blood. This is original Uzumaki fuinjutsu, isn’t it?”

“Well done,” Orochimaru praised in a bemused tone. “Though our own Konoha fuinjutsu is largely built off the old Uzumaki way, much of their art is lost to us. It is impressive, then, that a genin such as yourself is able to decipher this much of its purpose. Yes, this is a blood-gated barrier sealing array, which requires the blood of an Uzumaki to bypass. It is my current belief that the focus of our errand will be found within. ”

Orochimaru gestured to the ‘blood’ pattern in front of the door. Akane rose, and stepped over to it with a kunai in hand. After pricking the tip of their left thumb with the blade, they smeared a drop of blood onto the seal. It shone briefly, before dimming again, and the stone doors opened inwards. The inside of the shrine appeared entirely empty, except for a set of stairs that descended downwards into darkness. 

The duo followed the steps down until they were met with another door way, this time without the protection of barrier seals. Orochimaru pushed it open, and Akane followed. Just as soon as the doors were fully opened, the Sannin snatched a kunai straight out of the air. Apart from a small amount of light that spilled in from the torch-lit stairway, the room was dark, and there was no way for Akane to determine where the kunai was thrown from. 

“Who are you and how the fuck did you get in here?” came an aggressive voice from the darkness within. 

“Be at peace, child. If I had intended you harm, you would already be dead,” Orochimaru called back callously. 

There was a scared whimper, and then Akane was being pushed into the room. “Go, they’re more likely to trust you,” Orochimaru whispered.

“Why?” Akane tried to ask, but Orochimaru had already retreated back up the stairs. 

Akane must have become visible to whoever was hidden in the shadows, because the previously aggressive voice spoke in a now confused tone. “You… you’re… an Uzumaki?”

Akane nodded. “I’m… yes, I’m an Uzumaki. Who are you?”

Whoever was hiding must have decided they were now safe, because a series of torches along the wall lit aflame one after the other. Akane barely noticed the pulses of chakra flowing across writing along the walls between each torch, but was too distracted to be impressed with the seal work. Akane was far more interested in the two girls on the other side of the room, both looking like they were ready to pounce at the first hint of danger. They both had the exact same shade of red hair as Akane, who had never seen another living person with that same shade of red hair. 

“I’m Tayuya, and this is my twin sister Karin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Akane smiled, hoping to reassure the twins. “My name is Akane. I also have a twin, a brother back in Konoha named Naruto. Is it okay if I ask what you’re doing here?”

Tayuya looked down, as though contemplating the question. “…We’re on the run. Some asshole - I don’t know who - has been sending shinobi after us, trying to capture us. Almost got us once, if not for the blind wanderer who managed to save us. We grew up in Takigakure, but our mom… died.”

Akane noticed the lengthy pause, realising there was more to the story than Tayuya wanted to tell. It was okay, though, they didn’t need to pry. “I’m sorry.”

“She told us that if we were ever in trouble, we should come to one of these shrines, and that we would be safe here. Told us how to get in and everything, too. Been here about three months, living off food sealed in scrolls over there.” Tayuya pointed to a box across the room labelled ‘Food’. “So what are you doing here?”

Akane pursed their lips together, thinking of the best way to answer. “I think we’re here to bring you to Konoha? If you want to, of course. You’ll be safe there.”

Chapter Text

“Hey... Kakashi?” Naruto asked, fitting the words in between heavy breaths. 

“Yes?” Kakashi looked up from his perverted book.

“The matches start in three days, right? Can we go back tomorrow evening or in the morning the day after? I have something I wanna do before the big day.”

“Nicely done, kid!” Anko panted. They kipped themself up off the ground, and looked around at all of the havoc their student had wreaked across the open training field. 

“Thank you, Anko-sensei,” Hinata said as she politely bowed her head slightly. 

“No, seriously. You’ve made amazing progress in these few weeks. Not only do I think you might actually win this whole thing, but I have complete trust that you won’t lose control again. Not only have you gotten better at kicking ass, you’ve gotten heaps better at looking after yourself. Whatever you’ve been working on with Ibiki has done wonders, and I’m glad I set you up with him back then.” Anko’s mouth cracked into a wide grin. “Let’s go grab some dango, on me. Then tomorrow you can take the day off to rest.”

Sakura fell flat on her face with a loud thump, too tired to even break her fall. She stayed there for a while, trying to rest while ignoring the screaming pain across every single muscle in her body. Once she had enough energy to move, she rolled over onto her back and looked up at the cloudy sky, still breathing heavily. 

“YOSH! MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT, YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR INCREDIBLE SPECIAL TRAINING PROGRAM!” Guy roared enthusiastically. Sakura didn’t even have the energy to wince from the pain caused by her sensei’s dislike of volume control. She was relieved when he said no more, and took a few minutes to catch her breath. 

When she had some strength back, Sakura reached across her body, grabbing first for the weight strapped around her left wrist. Wearily, she looked over to Guy. With his nod of approval, she released the weight and let it fall away. Slowly, she removed each of the weights from her body, and found herself able to stand up. The experience was almost surreal - it didn’t even feel like her own body. As tired as Sakura was, she felt too light. 

“Here you go,” Guy said at a more tolerable volume, passing a jar to Sakura. “This salve will help your muscles to recover. You mustn’t do more than light exercise tomorrow, or your youthfulness will elude you during the important matches!”

Sakura accepted the jar with a word of thanks. “Uh, sensei? I have one question.”

“If I have an answer, I will give it to you!” Guy gave her a thumbs up, accompanied by his usual sparkly grin. 

“Do you think it’s okay for me to use that if I need to?”

“Of my students, you have the best judgement. Do what you think is best. Yosh! Let us go and grab a hearty meal!”

Sasuke looked in the mirror and smiled. Behind him, Mikoto held her hands on her son’s shoulders, validating the pride he felt. Two red eyes stared back at him, each adorned with three tomoe. 

Mikoto smiled warmly, and pulled her son into her embrace. “As busy as your father and I have been, we have enjoyed watching your development. You and Itachi both make us incredibly proud. Most of the clan misguidedly believe that the sharingan grows only through trauma. But you and I are both proof of how wrong that is. When you came back from your first mission outside of the village, we all noticed that you had awoken your sharingan. After your week of dedicated training with your sensei, you had your second tomoe. And now, the third has appeared. Do you know what made this happen?”

Sasuke locked eyes with his mother, through her reflection in the mirror. “…Training?”

Mikoto shook her head. “No, Sasuke. All that I’ve taught you is how to use the sharingan. The sharingan itself doesn’t grow through practice. It grows best through the strength of one’s emotions and convictions. Most Uchiha who have unlocked their sharingan have done so through severe trauma, such as the deaths of loved ones. Such an experience forces the sharingan open, damaging the eyes. When a Uchiha allows themselves to be too driven by trauma and death, they eventually go blind. For a Uchiha to access the full potential of the sharingan, they must do so with patience. Though the road is longer, it is far more rewarding.”

Sasuke allowed the chakra to seep away from his eyes, and they returned to their dormant, onyx form. He stepped forward, out of his mother’s embrace. “I need to get some sleep now. Thanks for all of your help, mum!”

Mikoto smiled as her son walked out of the room. A cheeky thought formed in her mind, and she called out after him. “You’d better rest up well. You’re gonna have to give it your best if you want to impress Naruto!”

“Wh-What?” Sasuke spluttered, almost tripping over his own feet. “Why would I want to impress that dumbass?”

“I’m your mother, Sasuke,” Mikoto laughed. “I know everything!”

The day had come, and the chunin exams were set to resume. Within an hour of sunrise, the high-rise seating area overlooking the circular combat arena had almost filled up. Whilst the crowd mostly consisted of citizens from the Land of Fire, there were also countless nobles and officials from across the Elemental Nations who were excited to witness the capabilities of shinobi they may one day hire into their service.]

Another hour passed, and it was time for the tournament to begin. A child with short red hair and a large gourd strapped to their back stepped into the arena and stood waiting. But their opponent was nowhere to be seen.

“Uzumaki Naruto, are you here?” Hayate’s voice echoed across the stadium. Some concerned murmuring began to spread amongst the crowd. Even if the match wasn’t one of the most highly anticipated, it was still a shame for it to end by forfeit.

“Uzumaki Naruto,” Hayate repeated loudly. “If you are here, please enter the arena immediately or you will be disqualified!”

A long moment passed. Now up in the audience stands and tending to their wounds, Naruto’s twin rolled their eyes. They knew exactly what Naruto was up to, but felt no obligation to step in and prevent their brother’s disqualification. If his dumb theatrics resulted in him being late, that was his own fault and he should deal with the consequences.

Just before Hayate had a chance to declare Naruto’s disqualification, screaming was heard from above. A figure soared over the high walls of the stadium, hurtling towards the centre of the arena.

“DY”

“NA”

“MIC”

“ENTRY!” Naruto screamed, flipping through the air, encased in swirling winds. Moments before he would have slammed into the ground, several clones of Naruto appeared below him and cushioned his fall. They each dispersed in a puff of smoke to reveal Naruto having landed safety, now standing and waving at the crowd with a goofy grin. 

Those who knew Naruto first noticed the change in his outfit. Instead of his usual attire, he was wearing a sleek black sleeveless top, adorned with orange trims. His fists and upper arms were tightly wrapped with white bandages, which, given the speed at which his injuries healed, were purely cosmetic. He wore deep black pants along standard-issue shinobi sandals. The most noticeable difference, though, was his hitai-ate. The fabric onto which the metal plate was usually attached was now bright orange. The immense pride the boy had in the hitai-ate certainly didn’t change how hideous it looked.

Refusing to satiate Naruto’s need for attention, Hayate continued speaking as though nothing had happened. “Very well, now that both combatants are here, we can officially begin the first match of Konoha’s Chunin Exam Tournament. You two know the rules - if you kill your opponent, you’ll be disqualified. Otherwise anything goes. Now, BEGIN!”

Without hesitation, Naruto summoned up ten shadow clones, each of which charged in on Gaara. The latter’s gourd opened up, and sand began flowing out. Before even a single one of Naruto’s clones was able to land a hit on Gaara, hard sand spikes lanced through them, dispelling them. 

“I’m not done yet!” Naruto yelled out, summoning five more clones. This time, they each ran up the walls of the arena, before turning to face inward again. “Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”

The clones each blew powerful gales of wind inward towards Gaara, who responded simply by encasing themself in a dome of hardened sand. When the wind subsided, the sand also fell away.

“Your efforts are futile,” Gaara stated plainly. “Nobody has ever gotten past my perfect defense. You should give up now; I’m not any good at holding back.”

“Good, because I don’t wanna hold back either!” Naruto retorted, before dispelling the clones. The original charged in towards Gaara, forming a boar seal and slamming his palms onto the ground. His hands were quickly encased in spiked, earthen gloves, and Naruto continued his charge.

Gaara made no attempt to dodge, instead holding their ground, right up until the very moment that Naruto’s rock-covered fist was about to impact with their face. Without any visible action on Gaara’s part, sand surged in front of their face to protect them, bringing Naruto’s fist to a halt. One of the rocky spikes protruded through the sand, only an inch away from Gaara’s eye. 

Naruto swung with his other fist, achieving a similar result to the first attempt. As both of the rock gauntlets crumbled away, he bounced back. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough to avoid the sharp blades of sand chasing after him, and ended up with several shallow cuts along his arms and legs. Naruto winced as he landed, but seemed otherwise unhindered. 

The blades of sand continued to chase Naruto around, so he made an army of clones to help keep the sand at bay. In the meantime, Gaara was gradually encasing themself in a dense sphere of sand. From within, they were safe to attack whilst well defended from any attempts Naruto made to retaliate. 

Slowly, the blades of sand cutting across the arena thinned down the army of clones until not a single one remained. The crowd went silent. There were murmurs of confusion, though mostly people were on the edges of their seats waiting to see what would happen next. Several long, silent seconds went by, until suddenly…

“RASENGAN!” A muffled shout came from directly below Gaara’s defensive sphere, and it began to crack. The cracking was followed by two separate screams; one of exertion and one of pain. Then, the sand sphere fell away. Naruto stood, victorious, beside the unconscious body of Gaara crumpled on the floor next to him. 

Chapter Text

The crowd had finally settled down from the excitement of the first match. Gaara’s reputation as an unstoppable monster had been completely shattered, by none other than Uzumaki Naruto. In the past, most of Konoha had prejudicially considered the Uzumaki twins to be nothing more than pranskters and menaces to society. Today, that had changed, when Naruto had used one of the Fourth Hokage’s signature techniques to penetrate Gaara’s “ultimate defense” from beneath, and land a knockout blow. 

Once the commotion subsided, a team of medics came onto the arena and carried Gaara’s body away on a stretcher. After being declared the victor, Naruto peaced out of the arena, visibly exhausted. It was no surprise, given the amount of chakra he had used in that match. When he reached the pathway back to the stands, however, he stopped, as though waiting for something.

Gekko Hayate stepped back into the arena, and announced the next match. “The second match will be between Temari of Suna, and Uzumaki Akane of Konoha. Could the two combatants please enter the arena!”

The first to arrive was Temari. She stepped out in a similar attire to what she’d worn for previous stages of the exams - a pale garment that covered everything from her shoulders to her thighs, and a large black metal fan strapped to her back. She walked with a confidence fully masking the complete shock of observing her youngest, undefeated sibling suffer a defeat to a nobody she’d never heard of before. 

Akane walked calmy into the arena, sporting an entirely new style that they felt suited them far better. The top section of their hair was tied back into a ponytail, with the sides and back falling freely at just above shoulder length. They wore a black jacket over a plain white shirt, with tight, dark trousers and standard issue sandals. And their bodily shape was different, having started to change the right way, with the assistance of the medication Orochimaru had given them. Their black wakizashi was holstered on their waist, and below it was their tool pouch.

“May the match between Akane and Temari BEGIN!”

At first, nothing happened. Akane watched carefully, waiting to see what Temari would do. From watching Temari’s fight with Chouji a month ago, Akane knew that they were outmatched in terms of close combat. Still, they couldn’t just jump straight into using genjutsu against a skilled opponent who had seen them fight before. They needed to find a way to occupy Temari’s attention and lower her guard. Besides, depending on how the tournament bracket proceeded, this might be their only match to show off for a promotion. 

Akane quickly considered their surroundings. Even after the chaos and destruction of the last match, there were several trees still standing, each casting their own shadows. Not only that, the sun cast a shadow on the east side of the arena, extending almost a quarter of the way across the field. Perfect, Akane though. But I’ll need to make the most of this before Temari’s wind techniques remove my advantage.

Akane’s plan would certainly cause some controversy, especially amongst onlookers of the Nara clan. But that was a problem for later. Besides, these techniques weren’t exactly stolen. To Akane’s relief, Temari made the first move. She leapt forward with her giant fan in hand, and swung it down towards where Akane stood. They leapt to the side, moving towards a nearby tree. Temari chased, launching forward again. This time, Akane wove through several hand seals whilst avoiding, positioning themself underneath the tree’s shadow. The tree’s shadow morphed itself, and chased towards where Temari had landed. With a look of surprised recognition, she evaded. The Nara shadow manipulation techniques weren’t particularly secret, so it was no surprise that Temari knew to avoid a moving shadow. Akane smirked, and directed the snaking shadow to continue chasing after Temari. When the Suna kunoichi jumped back a second time, the shadow chased, but seemed to stop, as though it couldn’t reach any further.

“So, I can’t get in close or you’ll capture me with those pesky shadows, huh? Too bad for you, I actually specialise at fighting from a distance!” Temari taunted, flicking her wrist and opening her fan out wide.

Before Temari had a chance to swing her fan, she winced in pain. The kunoichi looked down, and saw a dark spike jutting out of the shadow, slicing into the side of her left calf muscle before receding back into the ground. The wound was shallow - if not for the element of surprise, Akane wouldn’t have been able to land a hit at all from such a distance. Jinchuriki chakra or no, manipulating shadows far away cost quite a bit. 

“Unluckily for you,” Akane grinned, “I specialise at breaking expectations. You saw my shadows and thought I was using the Nara clan’s shadow possession technique, didn’t you? Well, you guessed wrong. But if you think I’m going to announce my secrets, you’d be wrong again. Shall we get back to it, Temari of Suna?”

Temari gritted her teeth and snarled, not taking kindly to being talked down to - or to being stabbed in the leg. She retaliated by slashing against the air with the giant fan, creating several blades of wind that tore aggressively across the arena. Akane dove behind the tree, and it was barely just enough cover to ride out the storm of wind. The moment the wind weakened, Akane used the substitution technique to reposition themself upon the branch of a tree to Temari’s left. Reaching into their pouch, Akane grabbed for a prepared sealing tag. They wrapped it around a kunai, tossed the kunai in Temari’s direction, and quickly covered their eyes with their other arm.

The moment the kunai hit the ground, it produced an intense flash of light that would temporarily blind anyone who was too close. The light only lasted for half a second, after which Akane leapt towards Temari’s position and shoved another piece of sealing paper into the ground. The kunoichi clearly somehow sensed their approach, and swung out again with her giant fan. Akane dove away from the wind, landing on the opposite side of where Temari stood and shoved another paper into the ground where they landed. This time, they pulsed chakra through the paper before letting go, and stepped back. A lightly shimmering sheet of chakra rose up from each piece of sealing paper. The chakra on each side raced together, and formed a dome around Temari’s position. 

The kunoichi blinked as she regained her sight, and laughed. “Oh please! You talk big, but you’re just a clueless rookie. You had an opportunity to take me down, and you wasted it trapping me in some little barrier? As if I wouldn’t have spent the last month preparing for situations like this! Sorry kid, but as soon as I escape from here, you’re done for.”

This barrier was weaker than what Akane had used in their preliminary match against Yume, and wouldn’t take long for Temari to escape. Still, it was more than enough to give Akane time to prepare their next move. 

“Shadow Release: Cover of Darkness!” Akane chanted, pulling up a wall of shadows right in front of them. The wall wasn’t particularly large, but was more than enough so that Temari couldn’t see them - which meant that they also couldn’t see Temari. Akane wagered that they had about five seconds before the barrier broke, so they got to work. With their metal whistle now between their lips, and their hands furiously rushing through seals, Akane began weaving the genjutsu that would hopefully win the match.

In the same moment that Temari let loose a powerful wind jutsu that shattered the barrier, the wall of shadows evaporated. Temari looked around, confused. Despite the fact that Akane was standing right in front of Akane, their opponent couldn’t see them. All Akane had done was perform the Hell Viewing technique, one that most genjutsu users were familiar with. Unfortunately for Temari, Akane wasn’t an ordinary genjutsu user. They were the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi’s yin half. Temari screamed. What Akane saw of their genjutsu, overlayed onto reality like a half-corporeal shadow, made even them gasp. A giant racoon-like monster with tufts of red hair stood threateningly over Temari, sand swirling aggressively around it.

“Gaara? How are you… I thought… Lady Chiyo was supposed to fix your seal! Gaara, it’s me! Your sister! Sto- AAAUGGGHHH”

Akane heard the sound of bones breaking, and watched as Temari fell to her knees with her left arm outstretched in the air. The Konoha genin quickly dispelled their illusion before Temari could sustain further injury, and the kunoichi’s arm fell limply to her side. The kunoichi drooped forward, her face planting into the ground. When there was no sign of her getting back up, Hayate stepped forward. “This match is over. The victor is Uzumaki Akane!”

Akane tuned out the cheers from the crowd, and instead focused on the medics that were quickly approaching to take Temari away. “Take care with her arm, it’s probably broken quite severely.”

Hinata rose from her seat the moment her teammate’s match had ended, rather than waiting for her name to be called. Rather than take the stairs and walk onto the arena from ground level, Hinata leapt down from the competitor’s section of the stands. She landed on her feet with a grace that could only be achieved with precise chakra control, the act instilling in herself a sense of calm. She crossed paths with Akane, tagging them out with a gentle tap on the shoulder. 

Once the match had been properly announced and Sakura had entered the arena, Hinata began carefully watching her every move. There was some kind of seal on Sakura’s pouch which prevented Hinata from looking inside with her Byakugan, and Hinata frowned at this observation. Sakura was clever and crafty, and what she lacked in pure combat skill she absolutely compensated for in careful preparation. She suspected that it was Panther’s ceaseless exercises in adapting to the unexpected that would carry her through this match, far more than anything her clan had taught her. Today she wouldn’t be fighting as Hyuuga Hinata, but as ANBU’s Lioness. 

At first, Hinata stepped into the basic Gentle Fist stance, her palms opened flat. Then, she bent her fingers into a claw shape, ready to snap back open or close into a fist at a moment’s notice. Normally, she would have charged up her hands with lightning chakra right from the start. Against Haruno Sakura, however, it was better to save that for later. In her preliminary match, Sakura had demonstrated chunin-level skill at Earth style, which was a natural defense against lightning techniques. 

From the look on Sakura’s face, Hinata knew that her opponent wasn’t messing around either. If she had been more observant, Hinata might have noticed the slight skin indentations around Sakura’s wrists and ankles - and that might have readied her for Sakura’s initial onslaught. The pink-haired kunoichi charged forward with a speed that far exceeded Hinata’s expectations. Perhaps if Hinata hadn’t been trained to work in ANBU, Sakura would have landed a gut punch strong and fast enough to create a significant advantage. With pure muscle memory, Hinata brought her open palm down and slammed it against Sakura’s wrist, using the momentum of her push to throw her own body out of the way. 

Sakura didn’t let up - she was likely under the entirely correct impression that if she gave Hinata a chance to gear up, her chances of winning would drop monumentally. Having stood her own against Neji, Hinata proved to all the other genin in the exams that she was not to be underestimated. Before Hinata’s feet even hit the ground, Sakura was chasing and punching. Until she regained her balance, it was all she could do to just block each strike one after the other. 

As soon as Hinata landed, she ducked under a punch and spun into a sweeping kick. With good instinct, Sakura jumped backwards instead of up. In the same moment, a kunai came soaring straight for Hinata’s neck, forcing her to cross the field with the substitution technique, only just saving her from the ensuing explosion. Not letting a single second of freedom go to waste, Hinata prepared to up the ante. She let chakra flow more freely across her body, bolstering her strength and speed. Then, she attacked. Hinata launched herself through the air, closing the gap between the two kunoichi. When she was barely a metre away, Hinata thrust her fist out into a powerful punch. On impact, the momentum carried both fighters several metres across the arena. The remains of the rock gauntlets Sakura had caught the punch with crumbled away, and Hinata’s onslaught continued. 

The moment Hinata’s feet touched the ground, her stance shifted; her palms opened up, and her knees dropped lower. Her hands snapped out, aimed precisely for the tenketsu along Sakura’s arms. At first, Sakura was able to block away Hinata’s strikes, but as the Hyuuga picked up her pace it became clear that Sakura could no longer keep up. After suffering numerous strikes along her right arm, Sakura’s limb fell limp. Hinata stepped back.

“Give up,” Hinata ordered, with a confident tone that Sakura still wasn’t used to. 

For several seconds, there was a pause. Then, Sakura looked up, her eyes meeting Hinata’s. “….no. I learned a thing or two watching your last fight, and if I’m going to go down, I’m gonna show off. GATE OF OPENING: RELEASE!”

Hinata’s surprise certainly cost her. In her single moment of distraction, Sakura landed a powerful gut punch with her now reinvigorated arm that launched Hinata back across the battlefield. The Hyuuga dug her heels into the ground to slow her momentum, and wiped away the drops of blood that had sprayed out of her mouth. And then, her hands crackled with electricity. The fight was renewed. 

Chapter Text

The afternoon sun cast a light shadow over the sandy spire, hiding two figures from view. Each was cloaked in black, with a decoration of red clouds scattered across the cloth. One had bangs over white hair hanging just above circle-rimmed glasses, and plain black eyes. The other was hunched over, close to crawling, with a metallic stinger coming out of the cloak’s rear. 

The hunched one spoke with a deep husk. “You know the deal, kid. If you fail to make the kill, or you get connected to us in any way, I’ll kill you myself. This is your test. Succeed and you’ll be a full member of the Akatsuki. You have until nightfall. Understood?”

The white-haired one said nothing, only nodding his affirmation. The hunched one didn’t make any moves to leave, and his face showed no expression. “Was there more you had to say?”

The hunched one’s stinger waved with unspoken threat. “If you fail, our organisation loses nothing, and the cash reward is of no true import. It’ll never truly be tied back to us, just an upstart mercenary who got too full of himself. All the same, I’d like to see you succeed for… personal reasons.”

The hunched one disappeared in a swirl of sand. The white-haired one began weaving a complex sequence of hand seals. At the completion of this sequence, his entire presence disappeared as he blended into his background - chakra, smell, body temperature, noise… everything. Invisible to all, the ninja ran. He couldn’t hold this up for long, but he needed it to be enough to get in, complete his mission, and then escape the village unseen.

When the match between the two Konoha kunoichi ended, the entire audience was silent. Those who were familiar with the Eight Gates were stunned that a thirteen year old kunoichi who wasn’t even from a ninja clan had the training to open even a single gate. And those who had seen Hinata’s preliminary match, well… they were just as shocked that she didn’t open any of the gates. In fact, she’d been able to beat Sakura’s gate-enhanced speed anyway and end the match with a powerful chop to the back of her neck. The moment after her victory was declared, Hinata leaned over and applied a green glow of healing chakra to Sakura’s neck until the official medics arrived, and then made her way up to the stands. 

The final match of the day was announced to be between Uchiha Sasuke of Konoha and Kaiza Katsuki of Tsukigakure. There was some cheering and applause at Sasuke’s name. The Uchiha were famous in and out of Konoha, and many were keen to see what the younger brother of Konoha’s golden boy, Uchiha Itachi, and the son of the Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, could do. The covert betting operation had most of the participating shinobi putting their money on Sasuke taking the win - after all, nobody had even heard of Kaiza Katsuki, and Tsukigakure was a small village which relied on its geographic positioning as an island distanced from the mainland to remain safe. 

Akane watched from the stands as their teammate took his place on the now rubble-covered arena. This setup would probably work well for Sasuke, giving him plenty of places to hide and strike from the distance - but then again, Akane had no idea what Sasuke had achieved with his training in the last month, having been away with Orochimaru for most of it. They turned to Karin and Tayuya, who were sitting to their left, surrounded by many of the genin from Konoha. Akane hadn’t been able to introduce them to everyone yet, since most of their friends were off training. 

Akane pointed down to the arena, and introduced Sasuke to their cousins. “That’s Sasuke. He’s probably my team’s most versatile fighter, with a bunch of close and mid-range techniques. Great with fire jutsu, and handy with a kunai.”

Karin blushed. “He’s cute! Introduce me to him after?”

Akane grunted noncommittally. I think he has eyes for someone else, sorry Karin.

The match started, and for a moment that felt like a year, neither combatant moved. Katsuki held his weapon, Tsukikosei, in a defensive stance, and Sasuke just held one kunai with one foot back, ready to pounce. Even at a distance, Akane could se a glimmer of red that confirmed that their teammate had the sense to start the battle with his sharingan active. Akane made sure to watch closely; after having seen the delicate seal work inscribed on sections of Tsukikosei, their curiosity had been piqued and they had to know how it worked. 

After the impossibly long second passed, both combatants vanished. They reappeared right in the middle of the arena, sparks flying as metal struck metal. With a blade of Tsukikosei’s quality, it was a testament to Sasuke’s skill that his kunai only chipped instead of completely breaking. Katsuki leapt back, and the gem on Tsukikosei’s hilt flashed for a split second. As soon as the flash subsided, the naginata-cleaver split apart into two serrated, golden daggers, and the two ninja clashed once again. 

This went on for a full minute, the two fighters disappearing and reappearing in various places around the arena. Several of Sasuke’s kunai broke in the process, and Katsuki switched between his naginata and daggers multiple times. Just as it seemed that Sasuke was figuring out Katsuki’s patterns and gaining the upper hand, Tsukikosei changed again, but this time into something entirely different - a chain and sickle. Sasuke was caught off guard by the unexpected, and a golden weighted ball wrapped around his ankle and pulled his legs out from underneath him. Except it wasn’t Sasuke that the sickle cut into; it was a hefty rock. 

“You’d better watch yourself, Katsuki. I know how your fancy weapon works now, thanks to my Sharingan!” Sasuke boasted, and Akane shook their head in dismay. The fool was posing, instead of taking advantage of the moment and getting a solid hit in. That moment in itself would probably cost him his promotion. 

Katsuki huffed indignantly, and switched his weapon into its cleaver form. In the moment it took for the weapon to change forms, however, he was forced to dodge to the side as a small sphere of flames shot towards his position. The ante had been upped. As the fight went on, Sasuke was getting better at exploiting the miniscule delay between Tsukikosei’s form changes. Still, it wasn’t enough. Akane hadn’t seen Katsuki use a single ninjutsu, but apparently he didn’t need to. He was fast enough that Sasuke couldn’t create any distance, and the Uchiha only had a limited supply of kunai to defend himself with. Even though there exchange of blows barely just put Sasuke in the dominant position, that would completely change when his weapons were all broken, and he knew it. 

The moment Sasuke ran out of kunai, he grabbed a small chunk of rubble and flickered away towards one of the arena walls. He smirked, and wove through a sequence of hand seals that drew a gasp from Katsuki.

“Object Substitution Technique,” Sasuke uttered, and the golden Tsukikosei appeared in his hands. 

When Katsuki noticed the rock in his hands, he blinked. “Kana’s… Oh, wow. So the rumours about the Sharingan are really true, huh? Oh no, what ever shall I do without my weapon?”

Akane wasn’t the best at interpreting tone, but they thought that last question sounded a tad too sarcastic. They saw Sasuke’s arms drop towards the ground under the weight of the golden naginata, and immediately realised the problem. If the weapon was heavy enough to weigh Sasuke down, and Katsuki had been carrying all that weight the whole time, then…

Akane’s suspicions were confirmed as Katsuki appeared in front of Sasuke, a fist slamming the Uchiha into the wall hard enough that he coughed out a sizeable gob of blood before sliding down the wall, unconscious.

“Well then,” came the voice of Hinata from beside Akane. They hadn’t even noticed her arrive, yet another testament to her training from before the Exams started. “I don’t think I could beat Sasuke anymore - at least not without forcing at least one of the gates open. I think my match tomorrow has already been decided.”

Akane raised their eyebrows in surprise. Coming from Hinata, that was extremely high praise for both Sasuke and Katsuki. Still, Akane was sure that Hinata would give the match her best. After Sasuke had been carried away by the medic nin team, Hayate announced that today’s matches were now concluded. There was supposed to be a festival taking place just south of the stadium starting in a few hours, and all the audience members were encouraged to attend. 

Akane and Naruto came to the festival together, arriving not longer after everything had come to life. There were all kinds of stalls set up around the previously open space - some sold all varieties of sweet and savoury festival foods, others had games and prizes, and there were several performances running throughout. Kids chased after each other, and adults stood around chatting. Many people were dressed in their festival finery - yukatas were a common, alongside all sorts of pretty suits and dresses. There were lights running along the skyline with various colours, and Akane hummed to themself rhythmically in order to regulate all of the sensory inputs. 

Naruto had insisted on wearing his battle outfit, stating that it was too cool to not wear to a festival - Akane had at least been able to convince them to put on a clean set instead of the torn, bloodstained one from earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Akane had changed into a long sleeved top, some loose-fitting pants, and a simple red scarf. Akane understood why people wore fancy attire, but never saw much point in it for themself.

The group of Konoha genin had agreed on a particular spot to meet at - there was a water fountain in the middle of the festival space with a statue of a toad. When the twins arrived, only two others were there - Sasuke and Haku. Some of the others probably already came and left, and the rest might arrive a bit later. Akane noticed Sasuke blush slightly at Naruto’s approach, as much as the Uchiha tried to hide his emotions. Unfortunately for him, Naruto’s attention has been completely stolen away by Haku, and Akane could see why. The older boy was wearing a perfectly fitted aqua yukata with intricate snowflake patterns sewn on. His hair was tied into a neat ponytail, with braids running across each side of the top of his head. He had an unusually serene air about him, which probably didn’t help Naruto’s infatuation.

“Uh… hi, Haku!” Naruto stumbled before collecting himself. “You look really pretty!”

“Thank you,” Haku responded politely, probably oblivious to the blonde’s crush. Akane stepped over and put a comforting hand on Sasuke’s shoulder, which was quickly shrugged off. 

Before any more drama could unfold, Akane noticed the arrival of Karin and Tayuya. Their cousins had already met Naruto, as well as the their adoptive parents Genma and Sora, but had yet to be properly introduced to most of the others, since everyone had been busy training for the Finals. They waved to catch Karin and Tayuya’s attention, and the two girls made their way over. Neither of them was wearing anything particularly fancy - they didn’t have much money to buy anything nice yet, and Akane hoped it wouldn’t be something the girls were self-conscious about. When the two came closer, Akane could see that Karin was teary-eyed and Tayuya had a look of overwhelm on her face. 

“Pretty impressive, huh?” Akane offered, hoping to get the conversation started and settle them in. 

“…Yeah,” Tayuya responded vacantly. Either the other twins had never been to a festival before, or there was something deeper going on here… or both. Akane chose not to pry, and instead opted to get introductions started.

“Karin, Tayuya, you’ve met Naruto already of course, but time to meet some more people! This is Sasuke, one of my teammates. And that’s Haku - he’s also new to Konoha, and recently joined another genin team. Sasuke and Haku, this is Karin and Tayuya. They’re cousins of mine and Naruto’s - Orochimaru and I met them while we were travelling last month and they came back to live in Konoha!”

The four people in question made their various nods of acknowledgements, but not many words were spoken. In fairness, it was a pretty overwhelming environment with loud noises and bright lights, and all that after an intense day at the exam finals. 

“So…” Naruto broke the silence. “What do we want to go do? Maybe get some food? Ichira-”

Before Naruto could finish, Sasuke cut him off. “No ramen, dumbass! It’s a festival, let’s get something else. The smell from the dumpling stand over there was pretty great. Shall we?”

Over the next hour, the group of five enjoyed a variety of food, played some festival games and generally just enjoyed each others’ company. Just as Akane was starting to wonder whether Hinata had decided not to come, a hand tapped on their shoulder. They turned and saw… Neji?

“May I have a word with you, Akane?” Neji spoke in a hushed tone, and Akane would barely have been able to register the words if they didn’t know how to read lips. 

“Ummm, sure? Why don’t we go somewhere a bit more quiet?” Akane was apprehensive. To say they didn’t have a good relationship with Neji was an understatement - Neji had been a bully towards Hinata and Akane put their teammates first. They nudged Naruto and quickly let their brother know where they were going, and followed Neji away from all the noise.

Once Neji had stopped, he pointed towards a hill in the distance. It was far, and Akane could barely see what Neji was actually pointing at, until they processed the mix of colours. A tuft of red hair, and a lilac jacket. “Is that…?”

“Hinata with the one from Suna, Gaara. I wanted to make sure you knew, as surely nothing good can come of this.” Neji’s tone was tense. 

Akane rolled their eyes. Of course Neji was concerned about Hinata spending time with a shinobi of another village. The whole Hyuuga clan was on edge about Hinata, worried that she would try to leave the clan. It was infuriating to see the quick one-eighty the clan had done after hearing of Hinata’s match against Neji in the preliminary exams. They had gone from abusing Hinata and constantly pushing her down to desperately trying to convince her that they all loved her and wanted her there. It was manipulative, and unearned.

“Neji, are you worried about Hinata, or are you worried about your clan politics?” Akane pressed. When Neji was unable to give a response, they continued. “I’m not concerned about Hinata spending time with Gaara in the slightest. Besides, I don’t think it has anything to do with your clan bullshit. She’s making friends with people from allied villages. If you think that’s a bad thing, then you seriously need to readjust your worldview.”

Neji still had nothing to say, and Akane noticed him looking down to the ground. Wait, is he actually trying to be better? “Look, Neji, I don’t think you’re a bad person. I know that your clan has shit going on, and I sure as hell noticed how Hinata’s beat down snapped you out of it. Can I give you some advice?”

Neji looked up in surprise, and slowly nodded. 

“The more you try to hold Hinata down, and limit what she can do for her ‘protection’, the less she’ll stay. Hinata is finding her footing as her own individual person. If you care about her, and want to stay in her life, support her. Let her have her space, and show her that you care by taking an interest in her actual life - but try not to be too pushy. Maybe just ask how she’s going when you see her? I’ll be honest now, she doesn’t owe you anything because of how you’ve treater her, but if you try to make amends maybe she’ll choose to open the door to you. I’m gonna head back to my friends now, so take care, okay?”

Leaving Neji behind to think on their words, Akane paced back over towards where their friends last were, and had to spend a few more minutes searching to find them. They smiled, knowing that despite how fucked the Hyuuga clan was, at least Neji was trying to do better. 

Chapter Text

Akane stood in the freshly cleaned and restored arena with the morning sun shining down on them. Apparently Hayate was taking the day off after having woken up ill, and Akane assumed he’d went too hard on the alcohol last night. Ever since Tsunade had cured his lung disease, Hayate had elected to make the most of all the things he couldn’t do before. His replacement was none other than Shiranui Genma, trademark senbon in his mouth and all. It was an interesting decision, considering that the first match-up of the day was between Genma’s two kids. 

Across from Akane stood Naruto, stretching out his legs and gearing up for all-out battle. The crowds were particularly lively - having heard that the two were twins, on top of seeing each of their prior matches yesterday, they were particularly excited. Unfortunately, Akane was worried that they might be disappointed. As much as Akane had been saying that many people in the chunin exams were a terrible match up for them in one on one combat, Naruto was one of the worst of the lot. All Akane could do was try and put on a good show, but they would probably end up surrendering anyway. 

“Hey, Naruto, before we start…” Akane waved their hand to signal Naruto over to them. “There’s no question about it, you’re going to win this fight.”

“But-”

“Of course, I’ll make sure we put on a good show! Maybe hold back a little, though? If you go all out this will be over in seconds. Deal?”

“Okay, deal!” Naruto grinned, clearly understanding the merit in drawing the match out. Akane knew he wanted a good fight, but unfortunately they couldn’t give him that. Their special genjutsu ability probably wouldn’t work on Naruto, since he also had half of the Kyuubi sealed inside of him. Yang half or no, Kurama wouldn’t take kindly to his own power being used against him. 

“What are you two whispering about?” Genma chided, but clearly lightheartedly. 

“Nothing!” Naruto grinned, and bounced back away from his twin.

“Very well, you two know the rules. So then, let the match between Uzumaki Akane and Uzumaki Naruto… BEGIN!”

I can’t use my genjutsu on his mind directly, but maybe… Akane thought as an idea popped into their head. 

“Just so you know, brother, I’ve also been training hard over the last month!” Akane declared loudly, so that everyone watching would hear. 

Naruto grinned, and formed his hands into a hand sign that Akane recognised immediately. Naruto had used shadow clones yesterday, which worked perfectly into Akane’s plan. Akane formed the exact same sign, but not before mixing in a Rat seal. Then, at the same time, they both shouted “Shadow Clone Jutsu”, and the arena became populated with numerous duplicates of each combatant. 

What the audience didn’t know, however, was that Akane didn’t actually know how to make shadow clones. All they needed was for Naruto to believe that they did, and the genjutsu clones they had actually produced would appear to serve the same purpose. The army of red and blonde clones duked it out for the next few minutes, brawling openly until only the original twins remained.

“We could fight with shadow clones all day, but that would be no fun. How about we drop the clones?” Akane challenged with the intent of sounding like a taunt, before realising that was a miserable attempt at taunting anyone. Naruto laughed, and dashed towards Akane with his fists up in an offensive stance. 

Akane was ready, though, and had already begun weaving through hand signs. Just before Naruto got close, Akane shouted “Shadow Release: Lance Jutsu!”. A spike of pure darkness shot out of the ground, and would have impaled Naruto’s lower abdomen had he not been able to dodge in time. But if Naruto thought that was it, he’d be sorely mistaken. Akane had come a long way since fighting that mysterious assailant near the shrine. 

Naruto had tried to circle around Akane, but was met with another shadow spike interrupting his path. He jumped back, and stopped to try and come up with a new plan. “If it’s a ninjutsu showdown you want, I can give you that!” 

Naruto formed a single bird seal, and then brought up his hands flat as though ready to chop through the air itself. “Wind Release: Wind Slicer!” Suddenly, the air was full of a swarm of faint blue blades of wind flying towards Akane, and they only had moments to do something about them. 

“Shadow Release: Cover of Darkness!” Akane shouted, pulling up a wall of darkness and then immediately body flickering to a position behind Naruto. They formed another combination of seals ending in the Rat sign, and whispered “Shadow Release: Dark Whip,” summining up a whip of shadows and directing it towards Naruto. It wrapped around the blonde’s body, which quickly turned into a tree branch. After slicing through the wall of shadows, Naruto’s wind blades had torn into one of the remaining trees left unharmed from yesterday, creating the perfect material for the substitution jutsu. 

Akane stepped over to the branch, and picked it up carefully with one hand. This gave Naruto pause - he seemed curious to see what Akane would do next. They drew their wakizashi from its sheathe, tossed the branch up into the air. Then, Akane slashed at it with the blade. But before the blade could actually cut through the wood, it glowed with a burst of chakra, and the branch was sent flying towards Naruto. 

It was fairly trivial for Naruto to just punch through the branch before charging towards Akane, but the point wasn’t to do anything useful; it was to show off. Akane felt ready for a promotion to the chunin rank, and needed to show off what they could do as much as possible in order to get it. And of their handful of different skills, fuinjutsu was by far their specialty. Akane had carved seals into a weapon to enhance its capabilities, and that was worth putting on display in what would be their last match for this exam. 

As Naruto approached once again, Akane threw down a seal tag onto the ground. It was a single-seal barrier, but with a special alteration that Akane thought would impress many onlookers. Just as Naruto reached striking range, he collided with the greenish wall of chakra, and his kick sunk into the barrier. Then, the barrier snapped back, launching Naruto across the arena once again. Akane couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Alright, I’ve had my fun. I surrender!” Akane declared. Naruto groaned, not having had his fill of fun yet, but sighed and gave his sibling a thumbs up.

“Very well,” Genma rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “The winner of this match who will proceed into the finals is Uzumaki Naruto! As there are only two matches today, we will take a half hour break before the next match, which will be between Kaiza Katsuki and Hyuuga Hinata.”

As the two twins made their way out of the arena, Naruto bounced over towards Akane. “Hey, what on earth was that thing at the end?”

“Oh, the barrier? I added an elasticity property to it. As long as a strike doesn’t break the barrier, it will maintain a tendency to return to its original form, sending whatever collided with it flying back where it came from. Pretty neat, huh? With just one tag, it’s not very strong so if you hadn’t been holding back on your taijutsu strength you would have broken it.” Akane explained, and Naruto looked amazed. 

“That’s so cool! Can you make me some later??” Naruto begged like a puppy. 

“Yeah, sure. Wanna come with me to find Hinata? I wanna give her some encouragement before her match!” 

As Hinata’s match with Katsuki went on, Akane understood why Hinata was confident she’d lose - he wasn’t fighting only on a physical level, he was playing her mentally as well. Katsuki was just as fast as Hinata, and even more skilled - and that was while wielding Tsukikosei. What’s more is that the boy hadn’t even revealed all the forms of his weapon yet, and had a few new forms that seemed particularly effective against Hinata’s combat style. Having seen Hinata fight yesterday, Katsuki clearly understood that he needed to limit close range interactions. One of the forms of Tsukikosei was a golden shortbow, with the limb shaped like a shining crescent moon. Katsuki was able to tap the bowstring and form arrows out of chakra, which removed the limitation of how much ammunition could be carried. And most importantly, he had an incredibly fast firing rate. 

Hinata was able to keep up, and deflect each of the arrows. Moreso, she was able to slowly make ground towards Katsuki. As soon as Akane realised that the boy was knowingly backing himself into a wall, they realised that he was luring Hinata into a trap. He was giving her the impression that she could reach a close enough range to use her Gentle Fist. As soon as she got into that close range, Katsuki switched his weapon into its dual dagger form, and they began a very evenly matched exchange of blows. Neither of them landed a single solid hit on the other… Until Hinata added lightning chakra into the mix. In that moment, the fight was over. Hinata had lost.

Gold was a great conductor of electricity, so Hinata saw no issue in Katsuki blocking with the daggers. However, as soon as Hinata’s palm made contact with one of the daggers, it changed forms… into the chain and sickle Akane had seen yesterday. Just as soon as the lightning had entered the sickle and started flowing through the chain, the weighted ball at the end had already wrapped around Hinata’s legs, and Katsuki let go. Hinata screamed. The lightning flowed straight back into her body, leaving what looked like incredibly painful scorch marks along her legs. Katsuki picked up his chain and sickle, and switched the weapon back into its larger naginata form, and waited to see if Hinata would do anything. If he wasn’t confident he’d already won, Akane was sure he would’ve gone for a finishing blow instead. 

Hinata fell to her knees, and didn’t move for a few seconds. Then, she raised a hand slowly to her left temple. Is she going to open a gate again? Akane wondered, genuinely unsure what their teammate would do. Hinata’s hand paused over her left temple, and then instead raised straight up into the air. 

“I surrender,” Hinata declared weakly. The medics quickly rushed out to treat her injuries, and Genma declared Katsuki to be the victor of the match. The boy bowed to the audience, gladly accepting attention and praise over his victory. 

Meanwhile, in the uppermost northern section of the audience stands, a grim-faced visitor had come bearing news for Lady Chiyo, Suna’s official representative to the Chunin exams. Her face quickly moved through a series of expressions before settling on controlled anger. “Lord Hokage, might I have a word in private?”

Not even half an hour after the end of the semi-finals, Akane opened the door to the Hokage’s office, and quickly realised that they were not the only person to have been invited. To the left of the Hokage stood an elderly woman who they recognised to be a representative of the Kazekage. She had medium-length grey hair tied up into a bun with a burgundy headband tied around her forehead. The woman mostly wore plain grey clothes, and had a forlorn expression on her face. Beside her was a man with cloth from his hitai-ate covering half of his face, who Akane assumed was the jonin leader of Suna’s genin team. That genin team also stood in the room. Across from the Hokage’s desk were several Konoha ninja. Might Guy stood tall, wearing an unusually serious look on his face. Behind him were Neji, Hinata, Sasuke, Ino, Kaya and Haku. 

“I apologise if I’m late, Hokage.” Akane nodded politely. 

“No matter, we haven’t been waiting long,” Fugaku spoke in a low tone. “Now that everyone is here - what I am about to tell you is considered an S-Ranked secret for now, however the news will surely circulate across the elemental nations in the next couple of days. Last night, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was murdered by an unknown assailant.”

Temari had an angry look on her face, and Kankuro looked like he was ready to cry. Gaara, however, had an unreadably blank expression. Several of the Konoha ninja gasped. 

Fugaku continued. “As you might imagine, this puts Sunagakure in a vulnerable position from both inside and outside sources. However, they are not in a position of financial security where they can afford to recall all their active teams from missions to defend their village. As allies of Suna, we will be sending the eight of you on a month-long mission to Sunagakure. Your primary task will be to protect particular persons of interest from harm until they are able to stabilise the inevitable power vacuum. These persons of interest include Rasa’s children, who are here with us now. You may also be tasked with protecting members of their council.

“As of now, there is one jonin amongst you and seven genin. However, Uzumaki Akane and Hyuuga Hinata will henceforth have the rank of chunin, based on their performance in the chunin exams. The rest of you will remain genin, however upon return from this mission you will likely all be given field promotions based on your performance. Uzumaki Akane, you will also be the second in command for this mission. Whenever Guy is unable to issue orders, that responsibility will fall to you. Any questions?”

Silence. Understandably enough, most people needed a moment to process everything they had just been told. Akane noticed Hinata look uneasily towards Neji, realising that she would have to spend the next month with one of the people who had been responsible for much of her trauma. 

“Very well, dismissed. Akane and Guy, please remain behind for further information. You will all depart in two hours, so please prepare yourself for a month-long B-Rank mission to the Land of Wind. Hinata, there will be a chunin vest waiting for you in the Mission Assignment Hall.”

The six Konoha ninja made their way out, leaving Guy and Akane with just the Hokage and the Suna entourage. Akane noticed the older Suna woman eyeing them with quite some interest.

The Hokage continued speaking. “Over the next few weeks, Sunagakure will undergo a process of selecting a new Kazekage, and given the nature of the Fourth Kazekage’s assassination, it is expected that there may be foul play. Lady Chiyo, would you mind explaining further?”

The elderly woman stepped forward. “In the last few months, there has been an element of tension and conflict in our council of elders. Our village is in a financially insecure position, as we have not been receiving as many missions to complete as usual. There have been some suggesting the need for renewed leadership, though none have appeared to make significant actions towards such a goal. I have my suspicions as to who might have been involved in hiring an assassin - a jonin named Asato Fugi . I will be keeping an eye on these people over the next month. I will personally be nominating myself for the position of Fifth Kazekage. I had hoped to stay in my partial retirement, however there is nobody else I would trust to lead the village at the moment. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for our journey.”

Chapter Text

After leaving the Hokage’s office, Akane proceeded to the Mission Assignment Hall and collected their brand new chunin vest. Protocol said that they didn’t have to wear it all the time, and so Akane decided to only use it where status signalling would actually be beneficial. They quickly ran home, taking the rooftop route, to pack their things for the trip. On top of clothes, weapons and various other general ninja supplies, Akane packed away several books they wanted to read as well as plenty of seal crafting supplies. They were careful not to take any particularly important notes, just incase an unfriendly individual were to try and sneak a look. Once they had sealed everything away into their large travelling scroll, Akane ran downstairs to the kitchen. They grabbed a loose sheet of paper and a pen, and wrote a note for the family just in case they didn’t have time to find each of them and say goodbye. 

The first people Akane looked for were Karin and Tayuya. They were just beginning to form a good relationship with those two, and wanted to ensure that the two didn’t feel ignored. Akane explained that they were going away for a month-long mission to the two, and politely excused themselves to go find the rest of their family.

Akane had managed to find everyone except for Sora before they had to go straight to the gate. They wanted to be a little early to make a good impression as a freshly promoted chunin. They’d opted to wear the chunin vest at least until they’d settled in after arriving in Suna, since most people wouldn’t otherwise take a young teenager particularly seriously. Besides, it was fun to show off to the chunin stationed at the gate, if a tad ego-driven. 

Akane arrived at the village gate fifteen minutes early. The only others there were Ino and Neji. Ino was making a point of not looking at or so much as acknowledging Neji’s interest. Akane understood why - anyone who was friends or even just friendly with Hinata had developed a disdain for Neji. Still, they were going to be on a mission together for a month, and it was a mission with high political stakes too. The team needed to work together reliably. As second in command, Akane knew they had a responsibility to help that cooperation come to fruition. They didn’t want to single Neji out in front of everyone, since that could make things worse. 

“Neji, a word please?” Akane called out, and gestured the older boy over to a space out of Ino’s earshot. “I’m sure you’re well aware that several people on this mission do not like or trust you. I’m sure you also know that such a rift is a risk to the team’s safety and performance. I’m going to speak with each of Ino, Sasuke and Hinata individually to discuss working with you. As the second in command, I’m giving you an order to be mindful of your interactions with the others. Got it?”

“Understood.” Neji agreed, and said no more. Akane knew that he wasn’t the most talkative person, but ever since his loss against Hinata he seemed to be a bit more… withdrawn. Akane didn’t think any issues would arise from Neji’s direct actions, and if anything this mission would provide a good opportunity for Neji to repair his relationships with the others.

Neji walked off, and Akane took the opportunity to call Ino over. They quickly contemplated how best to approach the conversation based on Ino’s mentality and values. “Hey Ino, you’re not too fond of Neji, are you?”

“Duh, of course not!” Ino declared with no hesitation. “You were there at the preliminaries.”

“Okay, but in the interest of having an actually functioning team on this mission, I need you to understand something. Hinata doesn’t need you to be angry on her behalf. Trust me when I say she’ll have this under control. Don’t get me wrong, Neji isn’t suddenly being absolved of his actions, but he deserves an opportunity to do better. If you have any negative feelings that arise towards him while on the mission, please come speak to me so you can have an outlet, but otherwise they have no place in your interactions with him. Instead, I need you to get to know him and learn how he operates as a ninja, so you can understand how to work together with him. This is your first mission with a different team, and part of success with a new team is learning to work with new people. Understood?”

Ino nodded. Then, her expression changed. “Do… do you have someone to talk to about your issues with Neji, too?”

Akane smiled. “I do, and thanks for asking. And, Ino? Don’t stop caring the way you do about people. Okay?”

Ino flushed, unsure how to respond. 

When Sasuke and Hinata arrived, Akane pulled them both aside to have a similar conversation, more tailored to what Akane anticipated of their responses. Hinata was more stoney and agreed to be curt about the whole afair, whereas Sasuke had a more visibly reluctant agreement to play nice. Guy arrived part-way through that conversation and seemed impressed with how Akane was handling the situation, and so left them to deal with it. 

The five Suna ninja arrived all together. Chiyo moved straight towards Guy to exchange some brief words, and Akane figured that if it was important, Guy would fill them in later. Akane noticed a brief exchange between Gaara and Hinata. It seemed as though the red-haired Suna ninja gave Hinata a small smile, which confirmed Akane’s suspicion that, at some point, the two had become friends. 

“Alright everyone,” Chiyo called out, getting everybody’s attention. “We only have a few hours until nightfall, and our aim is to arrive in Sunagakure by late morning tomorrow. We’re going set up camp near the border between Fire and Rivers tonight, and make the rest of the journey at dawn. Understood?”

Everyone nodded, and they set off immediately.

“Hey, Akane?” Ino called out while the mission squad was setting up camp for the night. 

Akane placed down the last perimeter alert seal and moved over to Ino. “What’s up?”

Ino looked contemplative. “I’m a bit confused why I’m here, without the rest of my team. I mean, minus our senseis, your whole team is here, and same with Neji’s team. Moreso, why wouldn’t they send a higher ranked, more experienced team for something like this?”

“By my understanding, genin teams don’t usually get mixed up for missions, but it can happen. Besides, nobody on this mission is really a genin, even though technically most of you still are. I think that was an intentional choice. Given the power vacuum that will most likely have begun to emerge in Suna, it would be suspicious for Konoha to send an experienced team in right now. Even though we’re allies, it would look like we’re trying to manipulate the results of the Kazekage selection. Having a team mostly comprised of genin, a couple of fresh chunin and a jonin to oversee their safety is far less suspicious, and a more reasonable way for Konoha to offer a show of support. As for why you’re here without your team, there was probably just an extra spot to fill, and again they would have wanted to pick a competent genin over another jonin for the same reasons. You could have been chosen at random-” Ino pouted at this “-but more likely it would be for the combination of your combat and social skill. We need someone who can make a warm impression, and I have to agree that you’re a good choice on that front.” 

Akane was thinking on their feet with that response, since they honestly hadn’t given the team composition much thought yet. A mistake that they wouldn’t make in the future. Having come to this realisation about Ino’s purpose on the team, they made a mental note to speak with Guy about giving Ino opportunities to become the ‘face’ of the team when interacting with the Suna ninjas. 

Ino’s pout turned into a grin, and she nodded. “Yeah, I am good at that. But still, I don’t know how to work with any of you.” 

Akane nodded. “That’s a fair point, and I’ll definitely bring it up with Guy. We should have some time to do some group training, and get a feel for how to account for each others’ strengths and weaknesses. There’s no way of saying how likely actual combat will be for this mission, but we’d better be prepared. Hey, thanks for checking in and bringing up your questions.”

Akane liked to encourage inquisitiveness, and they could see Ino’s face warm to the praise. 

Hinata and Gaara took the first night watch shift. Gaara didn’t sleep much, so they were more than willing to volunteer - at which point Hinata opted in as well. Neji seemed like he wanted to object, but held himself back, which Hinata noticed and was pleased with. She wasn’t ready to have a relationship with him again, but at least she could see that Akane was right that Neji was making an effort to actually respect her. 

Their camp was in an easily defensible cave with only one entrance, so Gaara and Hinata went and sat outside. The stars were so much easier to see and appreciate outside of the village, without the artificial lights to dilute the view, and it had a calming effect on Hinata. “Do you feel ready to go back to your village?”

“It’s an inevitability, so I have no choice but to accept it,” Gaara responded impassively. “But being in Konoha was… nice. People are less afraid of me there.”

Hinata had seen the natural fear countless people in Konoha experienced around Gaara, always giving them a wide berth. If that was less bad than what they experienced in Suna, Hinata would definitely need to restrain her anger. Hinata knew her situation was similar, albeit on a smaller scale. Inside the Hyuuga compound, people looked down on her, always disappointed and projecting who they thought she was onto her in a way that hurt her, badly. And yet she had come to accept it, just like Gaara seemed to accept their own situation. It had taken so much work with Ibiki to even fathom the idea of leaving her clan, and yet it was so easy for her to become angry on someone else’s behalf.

“It shouldn’t be like that, you don’t deserve it.” Hinata whispered. She knew that they wouldn’t accept such a notion outright, but she wanted them to hear someone say it. 

“I- I’m dangerous,” Gaara responded, as though that justified their treatment. 

“Because of your Bijuu?” Hinata offered. It was a gamble; they’d never spoken about that before.

Gaara blinked, in a slight display of what must have been alarm. “You… how did you know?”

Hinata activated her Byakugan, and looked at Gaara. “I can see it. I only recognised it because I know other jinchurikis. Would you like me to introduce you sometime, if they’re willing to talk to you about it?”

For a moment, there was silence. And then, “I’d like that.”

There was nothing more for either of them to say, so they sat in silence until it was time to wake the next shift of the night watch. 

Approaching the entrance to Sunagakure, Akane couldn’t help but marvel in the sheer fact of its existence. The entire village was enclosed in a ring of towering sandstone, an incredible feat of architectural engineering. What was even more impressive was how the citizens of Sunagakure had, for as long as the village had existed, made life work in the middle of the desert with no arable land. Perhaps they were able to nurture soil inside the village, where everything was sheltered from the too-common sandstorms. Akane looked forward to entering the village and exploring, and learning what it was that kept Suna going.

Waiting at the large, guarded passageway between the sandstone walls, was an elderly man with a cloth turban wrapped around the top of his head and eyebrows that were so long they almost dropped to his chin. He looked stoic and unreadable, as though he had discarded the need for facial expressions long ago. 

Chiyo leapt forward to greet the man. “I see you came out of hiding, baby brother. I thought you might have curled up and died or something.”

“Now is hardly the time for jokes, sister.” The man’s face remained still and unreadable. “I see you’ve brought help, which was a good decision.”

“Of course it was a good decision,” Chiyo huffed. “I made it, after all.”

“Word of your arrival will obviously spread quickly, as well as the arrival of these Konoha ninjas. I will get ahead of the spread of rumours at this afternoon’s council meeting. In the meantime, please head to the late Kazekage’s residence - there is more than enough space for his children as well as the rest of you.” 

Chapter Text

Akane knew that they were the second to wake by the noises coming from outside. Apparently, travelling to another village wasn’t a good enough reason for Guy to take a break from early morning training. There was a small training ground just outside the late Kazekage’s residence, and Guy was running laps around it on his hands. Of course he was. Akane rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes. Given that it was their first proper day in Suna, given that yesterday was spent mostly indoors getting a briefing from Baki, Akane thought it would be good form to wear standard Konoha ninja attire, with their chunin vest over the top. 

Once dressed, they went to locate the kitchen. Given that they would be living here for the next month, it seemed only logical that they acquaint themself with all the various facilities they would need to use. Once they found the kitchen, they got to work preparing food. Suna had a different local cuisine and food culture to Konoha, and so there were plenty of ingredients that Akane had never used. At the very least, Akane was able to find oats and miso, and make a simple savoury porridge for breakfast. 

They sat down, and were soon joined by Guy, who had finished his workout. “Good morning, Akane! I am glad to see such a youthful soul up early, ready to seize the day!”

Akane nodded, lacking the energy to respond to Guy. Fortunately, the jonin marched off straight away, presumably to shower off the sweat and grime from his morning exercise. Just as soon as he left, Gaara tiredly meandered into the kitchen and took note of the large pot of miso oats. 

“Help yourself,” Akane offered. “I made enough for several people.”

Wordlessly, Gaara located a bowl and served themself some oats, and then sat down across from Akane. They looked around, as though to confirm that nobody else was in the room. “Hinata tells me that you are a jinchuriki too?”

Akane nodded, having expected this to come up eventually. “I am. Why do you ask?”

“How do you sleep so easily? Do you not hear the endless taunts of your bijuu?” Gaara asked bluntly.

Akane blinked. What? “That’s never been an issue I’ve had to deal with. I can communicate with Kurama when I want to, and he can see and hear the world through my own eyes and ears when he’s interested. How long have you had to deal with this?”

Gaara yawned. “Always. Are you telling me that what I experience is not the norm for our kind?”

Akane shook their head. “Look, the jinchuriki I know include you and one other person, so I can’t say for sure. Hey, can I have a look at your seal? If you don’t want me to, that’s fine, of course! But maybe I can help you, and if I can, I’d like to try.”

Gaara turned to stare at the food in front of them. “I would like that, when we have time.”

“Yosh, youthful friends and squad members, I will now reveal the plan for today!” Guy addressed everyone in the room - the seven other Konoha ninjas, the three Suna genin, and Baki. “Akane and myself have been summoned by the esteemed Suna council of elders, and we will be accompanied there by Baki and Lady Chiyo. The rest of you are to remain with the late Kazekage’s children all day, and ensure they stay safe as they go about their business.”

Neither Temari nor Kankuro looked pleased with this, whilst Gaara’s expression remained unreadable. 

Akane stepped in with further direction. “We’ve decided to split you up into two-person teams assigned to each of Gaara, Temari and Kankuro, for whenever they choose to part ways. Ino and Neji, you’ll be with Temari. Sasuke and Haku, the two of you will stick with Kankuro. And finally, Hinata and Kaya will stay with Gaara. Guy and I need to be on our way now, so we’ll check in with you when we get out of the meeting.”

Akane made a beeline for the door, and took off alongside Guy and Baki. Somehow, despite their usual comfort in taking the lead with Hinata and Sasuke, this felt different. Even despite their vague recollections of a lifetime spent as a teacher, still this just wasn’t the same. Casting their mind about for ideas to help this transition into authority, Akane settled on a plan to check in with each of the squad members over the next few days and ask what they could do for each individual to ensure a healthy team relationship. With that dilemma out of the way, they turned their focus to the upcoming meeting. Even without Chiyo’s insinuation that some members of the council may have been involved in the Kazekage’s assassination, Akane knew to be apprehensive of this meeting. They needed to present a front that they weren’t intending to meddle in Suna’s affairs in any way. Certainly, that was a lie, but for the moment they needed to sell it as the truth.

The three ninja arrived at a large building in the centre of the village, entering through a balcony on one of the upper floors. The balcony led into a long hallway, with doors on either side. Towards the other end of the hallway was a large meeting room populated by those who Akane could only assume were the council members. They mostly wore the same attire - beige robing and turbans, all designed to protect them from the sandy wind and the sun’s scorching heat. At first, Akane had wondered how full-body coverage was helpful in the hot desert, but then they realised that the fabric was light and airy, and the full coverage was intended to protect them from the sunburn. 

When Guy, Akane and Baki entered, every head in the room turned to face them. Akane felt several eyes fall upon them, and forced themself to meet each one of them with an unperturbed look. Much unlike how they actually felt. This was nothing like the time they talked Zabuza down back in the Land of Waves. They didn’t have clever pre-planning on their side, and they couldn’t fight their way out with crafty genjutsu or fuinjutsu. All they had was their words, and they were at a disadvantage. It was obvious that every single person in the room looked down on them, and saw a child. And a show of power would be too threatening, so they needed to fall back on their quick wit in order to earn the respect of the council.

It was Baki who spoke first. “Esteemed Council of Elders, I present to you the leaders of Konoha’s envoy - Might Guy, ranked Jonin, and Uzumaki Akane, ranked Chunin. As Lady Chiyo explained yesterday, they are here to volunteer their protection for the late Kazekage’s children, in light of the circumstances of his recent death.”

“Uzumaki?” A few of the council members muttered. Given their age, Akane wasn’t surprised that some of them still recalled the Uzumaki clan who once led the now-vanquished Uzushiogakure. “How can this be? The Uzumaki are exctinct!”

“I am descended from a survivor of Uzushio,” Akane lied with a blank face. Well, it wasn’t far from the truth, and it would do to protect secrets of their parentage that were still worth protecting. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, and hope that our squad can serve you well while we are here in Suna.”

Guy made eye contact with Chiyo, who was sitting across the room, next to Ebizo, who Akane recalled from the village entrance. At Chiyo’s nod, he spoke. “As Lady Chiyo would have informed you, we are here solely to protect the late Kazekage’s offspring. We will not interfere in the selection of the new Kazekage in any way, shape or form.”

Akane had to work hard to keep a straight face. It had been a long time since they had seen Guy this serious, and it was certainly a sight to behold. As polite as Guy had been, the council didn’t seem terribly impressed. 

One of the council members looked at Guy and spoke. “Greetings, Might Guy. Though the circumstances may be inopportune, I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Yura. I hope you will understand the apprehension of the council at your presence. Many here disapprove of just your presence here, but I would speak to a different issue. Your squad is comprised of mostly genin, which is an understandable, and might I say, trustworthy display of your intent to stay out of our political affairs while providing protective services. However, with one jonin, two chunin and five genin, how can we expect you to actually be of use? Rasa’s children are each capable of defending themselves, and I doubt a group of genin would make much of a difference.”

Akane wanted to respond to this, and speak on behalf of their friends. However they recognised both their presumed and actual lack of experience, and left it to Guy, who they were more likely to take seriously at this point. 

“I appreciate your concerns, Councilman Yura, however I want you to rest assured that my team is entirely capable. Each member of the squad was selected for their performance in the recent Chunin Exams, and though they have not been promoted to the chunin rank yet, each one of them is certainly chunin rank in combat skill alone. It is no secret that you have neighbours who would want to prey on your village with the Kazekage dead. Wouldn’t you rather be able to save your own forces for the village’s defence once word of Lord Rasa’s death gets out?”

As much as Akane knew that Guy was a far more complex person than the persona he presented most of the time, they couldn’t help but be incredibly impressed by the tact with which he handled such diplomacy. Suddenly, the selection of Guy’s team for the earlier diplomatic mission to Tsukigakure made a whole lot more sense. 

Akane could tell that Yura had been won over, but they weren’t so sure about the rest of the council. And so they decided to pitch in, measuring their next words very carefully. “With our secondary purpose here being to lighten the burden on your ninja forces, allow us to help a little bit more. With our protection, you could still assign missions to Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. We’ll assist them on these missions, without taking any of the village’s pay.”

Members of the council began muttering amongst themselves. After a few minutes, they seemed to come to an agreement. One, who introduced himself as Goza, spoke on behalf of the rest. “Very well, your terms are acceptable. We will welcome your services for the next month. But take heed, we will have absolutely zero tolerance for any interference in our political affairs.”

Hinata’s assignment of guarding Gaara had taken her to Suna’s ninja academy. Apparently, they taught some lessons when they had time, which came as a surprise to Hinata. After all, Gaara had a way of making most people uncomfortable, so she was curious to see how he interacted with the students. Kaya kept her distance, both uncomfortable with Gaara themself but also feeling a bit isolated given Gaara and Hinata’s closeness. 

The lesson that Gaara was assisting with was a weapons lesson, taking place in an outdoor field behind the academy building. Hinata had helped Gaara to lay out a vast array of different weapons, and many of the students gawked. There were a couple of academy teachers who took the lead.

“When you train with a weapon, you are learning to make it an extension of yourself,” said the instructor named Oni. “This kind of training takes time, but will be much more effective with a weapon you feel an initial connection to. One by one, you’ll have an opportunity to pick a weapon, and then you’ll spend the next few taijutsu lessons practicing with it.”

One by one, the students stepped forward. Most of them were drawn to the bigger, sharper weapons that seemed more intimidating. Hinata thought it was interesting that one girl, named Matsuri, picked a Johyo - a nonlethal weapon used more for field control. This child was not drawn to offense, but to a support-oriented tool. Hinata was familiar with the tool; it was one of many different weapons Panther had demonstrated, such that the ANBU recruits could be prepared for anything.

 Even more intriguing was that she was not among those who quickly darted away from Gaara to work with one of the other instructors. Rather, Matsuri walked right up to Gaara. At this point, Hinata decided to size the girl up. She had a mess of unremarkable brown hair that dropped to near her shoulders, and a face that in no way stood out. There was a dull yellow bandana wrapped around her neck, and she wore simple blue top that hung low on one shoulder.

“Excuse me… please be my teacher,” Matsuri asked. She appeared antsy, but it wasn’t because of Gaara - the shift in her demeanour had begun when every single other student stepped away from Gaara. It was because she was alone.

“Are you sure you’re okay with me?” Gaara asked in turn. The question was simple, the intent less so. Hinata could see what Gaara was doing. They were giving Matsuri an opportunity to rejoin her peers, lest she become an outcast by merit of association with the village demon. 

“Please teach me!” Matsuri insisted, and Gaara nodded. The girl had made her choice. 

Each group of students followed their instructor to one of three training spaces. An advantage Matsuri had earned by being the only student learning from Gaara was an entire training space to herself. Hinata and Kaya followed at a distance, taking their places at two opposite walls of the training area. Even with Hinata’s Byakugan, it was still important to cover more ground in their protection duties. Hinata watched as Gaara began to demonstrate the correct way to swing the johyo. Their form was good, though not as refined as Panther’s. 

“The sharp blade on the end of the rope is to keep an enemy out of one’s reach, rather than for attack. The rope can be used to seal off an enemy’s movement, taking up space and controlling where they can safely go. Learning to use this weapon will take a great deal of practice - perhaps more than most others. However, it affords you a greater variety of options,” Gaara explained.

Hinata continued to watch silently, as Gaara guided Matsuri in how to gain better control over the rope with both hands, and how to not lose control of its momentum while swinging it around. They were direct and clear, and connected easily with this student who earnestly wanted to learn. She had no prejudices towards Gaara’s position in the village, and for that Matsuri had earned Hinata’s respect. 

To pass the time, Hinata observed the lesson more closely. As direct as Gaara’s communication was, they struggled to adapt when Matsuri ran into problems with her practice. It was almost as though he didn’t know any way other than his own. It made sense, given how he had spent his whole life being avoided and rejected by those around him. Hinata imagined Akane’s voice in her head, excitedly creating opportunities for Matsuri to fail and learn, instead of Gaara’s approach of immediately wanting everything to be just right.

To humour the voice in her head, Hinata got up and walked over to Matsuri and Gaara. “May I take over for a minute?”

Gaara simply nodded and stepped back. Matsuri looked curiously at Hinata. This whole time, they hadn’t exchanged a single word with one another. Hinata had been no more than a silent onlooker. 

“Your training should have two priorities, Matsuri.” Hinata painted on a smile, trying to appear more approachable. “First, practice the basic motions until they become muscle memory. Then, explore. Try things. Fail. Get it wrong. Get it right. See what works, and what doesn’t. Many weapons users make the mistake of learning to use their weapon exactly the way their teacher does, and that only serves to limit your potential. You need to make it your own. Do you understand?”

Matsuri nodded hesitantly. “I… I think so. But I’m still struggling with hitting targets.”

Hinata stepped to the side, out of the path between Matsuri and a wooden pole behind her. “Aim for this, and just try and hit it.”

Matsuri did as instructed, and the dart on the end of the rope launched out towards the pole, but missed by about a metre to the right. 

“Good try,” Hinata praised, remembering that Anko always commended reasonable efforts, regardless of the outcome. Ibiki was the same too. “What do you think you did wrong. Any ideas?”

Matsuri frowned. “I flicked my wrist like Gaara told me to, but I can’t figure out how to line up the aim. I can’t get a feel for it at all!”

Hinata shook her head. “Regardless, did you see how it travelled in a clean, straight line? That part was good. The wrist movements for aiming are subtle, and take practice. How do you usually aim when throwing weapons?”

“I focus my eyes and mind on where I want it to go, and that usually helps. I tried it here, but it’s not working!” Matsuri exclaimed, and Hinata could see the frustration growing. Time to try something else, then.

“Okay, maybe you’ll need something different with the johyo. What if you try to compensate, and aim a little to the left of what you want to strike?” Hinata offered. “Try that, let’s see what happens.”

Matsuri tried. This time, she was closer to the target. The girl grinned, excited. Hinata grinned too, not only because the girl had done well, but her own advice had worked. She had never thought of herself as a teacher, but apparently she’d soaked in some understanding of it from those around her. Having played her part, Hinata stepped back and allowed Gaara to take over once again. It appeared they had been paying close attention too, because for the rest of the lesson they tried to be more adaptable in their teaching approach, asking Matsuri more questions and trying to understand her better. 

Towards the end of the allotted lesson time, Kaya circled around from the opposite side of the training field and sat next to Hinata. “So, what’s this guy’s deal?”

Hinata made piercing eye contact with the Nara. “I don’t see any guys here, do you?”

“Gaara,” Kaya replied simply.

“Is not a guy,” Hinata finished, tone harsh and unforgiving. “Do you have a question of actual importance about them?”

Kaya backed off a step. “Sheesh, no need to be so rude.” 

Hinata rolled her eyes. “Do you have an actual question, or not?”

“Nevermind, it’s not even worth it. I guess you’re as much of a weirdo as them anyway,” Kaya huffed and marched off. 

Hinata glared daggers into her back as she walked away. 

Ino and Neji had accompanied Temari to what appeared to be Suna’s guard station. It was a large, rectangular building not far from the village entrance, and was broken up into several rooms. There was a mess hall where guards could break to eat, a few rooms with bunks for resting, a couple offices and one huge training room set up with practice dummies and weapon racks. 

Temari had walked straight off to the training room, and approached a large, burly man with a head covered in scars. The man reminded Ino of Ibiki, one of her dad’s friends from work in T&I. 

“Reporting for training and duty, Captain Iko, sir!” Temari proclaimed, standing upright in front of the man. 

Captain Iko grunted. “And these brats from Konoha? Is that what protection details amount to, these days?”

That was an obvious challenge, and Ino never backed down from a challenge. Officially, she was supposed to be focused only on protecting Temari. But she could absolutely work with this. “Hey Neji, can you keep eyes on the perimeter for a little while?”

After getting Neji to agree to use his Byakugan for a bit, Ino turned to Captain Iko and marched right up to him, grinning confidently. “Looks can be decieving, Captain. Why don’t you let me spar with one of your guards, and prove myself through actions?” 

Captain Iko met Ino’s eyes, and let out a bark of laughter. “You’ve got guts, brat! Very well, let’s see how you do against one of my best chunin. Kasumi!”

Across the other side of the room, one of the guards turned to attention. He was tall and lanky, with short and spiky blonde hair. The sandbag he had been training with burst and spilled sand everywhere just as he began walking towards his captain, a clear sign of his strength. 

“Sir?” Kasumi asked, unsure of why he’d been called over. 

“I want you to spar with this brat from Konoha. Two minutes, no holds barred.” Captain Iko instructed. 

Ino sized Kasumi up and down, and then gave him a polite nod, before issuing a warning. “Please don’t hold back, okay?”

Ino and Kasumi then stepped over towards a designated space in the centre of the hall. Several other guards who were in the room stopped what they were doing in order to watch. This was a great opportunity for Ino, and she had already started planning what to do after she won the spar. 

As soon as Captain Iko declared the start of the fight, Kasumi formed a hand seal and then punched directly into the ground. A series of earthen pillars shot out of the ground in a path towards Ino. The pillars were fast, but she was faster. Weaving through a series of hand seals, Ino shouted out “Lightning Release: Full Body Shroud” and then she was gone. 

With enhanced speed, Ino used one of the emerging pillars as a springboard, and launched into the air. As she descended, her left leg lashed out towards Kasumi’s shoulder. The blow connected, and he had barely even seen it coming. The kick sent him tumbling to the ground. Ino dispelled her chakra, and walked over to Kasumi, smiled at him and extended a friendly hand. 

“Hey, that technique you used was pretty neat! Only one hand sign for something that fast and powerful?” Ino praised the man while helping him up. “Hey, let me help you with that burn, okay?”

Still dazed, Kasumi vaguely nodded, and Ino brought warm green healing chakra to her hands, pressing it over the electric burn wound on his shoulder. After making sure he was okay, she turned back to Captain Iko. “Impressed yet? And because you’re probably wondering, Neji over there is way stronger than me.”

Sasuke did not get along with Haku anymore. Haku hadn’t done anything wrong, per se, but his presence had just irked Sasuke ever since Naruto first laid eyes on the boy at Ichiraku’s. Undeniably, it came down to jealousy, as much as Sasuke tried to pretend that it didn’t. And to have to be paired up with Haku on a protection detail? Sasuke didn’t like this. Still, he was on a mission and had to put those thoughts aside. 

Instead, Sasuke tried to strike up a conversation with Kankuro and get to know the guy. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“I need to pick up a few things from the market, and run a couple personal errands. Nothing too exciting, if that’s what you were hoping for,” Kankuro answered while leading his two bodyguards down the streets of Suna. 

“Oh,” Sasuke sounded, having no idea where to go from there. 

They ended up walking in silence while Kankuro purchased a wicker basket and a variety of fruits before stopping in front of a stall selling flowers. Sasuke had never seen any of those flowers before. Given that Suna was surrounded by desert, they had to be special kinds of flowers that could actually survive in this environment. Sasuke idly wondered if Haku knew anything about these flowers, given his knowledge of medicinal plants, but he didn’t ask. 

Once everything had been purchased, Kankuro leapt up to sit on the edge of one of the rooftops, and Sasuke and Haku followed. Kankuro started arranging the flowers atop the basket of fruits, and finally Sasuke connected the dots. “Who’s the special person?”

The Suna boy blushed faintly. “Huh?”

“Oh, come on. A fruit basket?” Sasuke gently jabbed his elbow into Kankuro’s side. “Sorry, I don’t mean to tease. Forget I asked.”

“No, it’s fine. Doesn’t matter anyway, since he probably doesn’t even care about my existence…” Kankuro trailed off, and stared longingly towards a building that Sasuke had earlier identified as the village library.

Sasuke then looked back at Kankuro in time to see his face go even redder, still staring in the same spot. Turning back yet again, Sasuke saw someone walking out of the library building. From his perch above the market, Sasuke could barely make out a brown-haired boy with glasses. 

“That him?” Sasuke asked. He glanced over at Haku, just curious to see if Haku was paying attention to the conversation, or to Kankuro. He wasn’t, or at least if he was, he didn’t show it. No, he seemed to be remaining on guard for danger. 

“Yeah. Every time I go to the library he has his face stuck in a book, so I doubt he even knows I exist outside of being the Kazekage’s… the late Kazekage’s kid.” Kankuro lamented. 

Sasuke sighed. “Yeah, I know what that’s like. Having feelings for someone who just doesn’t see you that way. It sucks.”

Sasuke glanced towards Haku, who seemed to be passively listening without reacting much. Against his better judgement, Sasuke invited Haku into the conversation. “Do you have anyone special in your life like that, Haku?”

Haku shook his head. “I’m not interested in that sort of thing.”

“Oh!” Sasuke exclaimed, perhaps a bit too emotively. Part of him was relieved, knowing that Haku couldn’t return Naruto’s affections. Another part of him instantly started feeling guilty for taking pleasure in that thought. 

Haku raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, but didn’t say anything more. The three sat in silence a little while longer, and watches as the library boy walked down the street and turned a corner. 

Sasuke grabbed the basket, put it in Kankuro’s hands, and placed a hand on Kankuro’s back. “Go on, then!” 

Sasuke shoved Kankuro off the rooftop. 

Chapter Text

Akane and Gaara met in the middle of the night. There was no other time for it, and it seemed neither of them would be getting much sleep that night. Gaara was used to it. Akane… less so. Gaara led them to a well-lit room that they had promised would be isolated enough that nobody would stumble in, or think to look for them there.

The room wasn’t completely empty, so the first few minutes were spent by the two jinchuriki shoving tables to the side and removing any clutter. Akane then had Gaara sit in the middle of the room, with their shirt off to expose the messy seal on their right shoulder blade. Akane performed a few hand signs, and then pressed all five fingertips of one hand into the centre of the seal. They then splayed their hand out, and script began rushing out to fill all the floor space on the room. 

“I need to read over this properly first, and then we can get to work,” Akane declared, and then their mind instantly tunnelled into the world of fuinjutsu. They spent an entire hour just reading over all of the seal’s script and fully understanding it. It wasn’t badly done, it was just… bad. The seal wasn’t powerful enough to safely contain a bijuu on its own - which explained why it kept almost breaking and needing to be repaired. 

Akane considered their options. Under optimal circumstances, they would have liked to completely redo the seal from scratch, however that would require the help of at least Jiraiya and Orochimaru to make sure the bijuu didn’t go on a rampage. No, the only real choice was to expand the seal with additional layers of protection. The current seal wasn’t conceptually that different to Akane’s own seal, even if the structure was totally different, and less efficient. 

Because of the lack of efficiency, the bijuu’s chakra was leaking through at too high a rate, making it easy to influence and disrupt Gaara’s state of mind. There was only so much that Akane could change without disrupting the core seal, but they could make a few tweaks to improve that efficiency a little bit. And then they could add chakra limiters around the outside, which would reduce the total amount of chakra that could be transferred. An argument could be made that this was weakening Gaara’s potential as a jinchuriki, which had dire political implications. Still, Gaara would never even reach that point if they were just corrupted by an angry bijuu. Besides, these limiters could be removed or even destroyed if needed. They functioned like dams, partially blocking the flow of chakra as much as possible without risk of bursting. 

Akane explained their plan to Gaara. With the Suna jinchuriki’s consent, they got to work. It didn’t feel like long, but hours passed by quickly, the only noises being brushstrokes around the room. Just as Akane was about to finish installing the final in a series of five limiters, the door burst open.

“What’s the meaning of this?” screamed a voice that Akane quickly realised was Chiyo. “Get away from them this instant!”

Akane didn’t turn to face Chiyo. If they looked away, they would lose track of where they were up to, or mess up a brushstroke. “You and I both know that if I stop here, Gaara’s life will be in danger. If you’d like, I’m willing to explain everything I’m doing to you, and even teach you how to replicate my work.” 

“What’s going on, Lady Chiyo? I felt that weird energy and came to report it to you, but I don’t understand any of this!” An unfamiliar voice called out.

“You’re dismissed, leave us,” Chiyo quickly replied, and Akane heard footsteps heading away. 

Chiyo stepped inside, and closed the door. “Very well, explain.”

“Just give me two minutes, I’m almost finished,” Akane requested, and then proceeded to ignore any response Chiyo gave. It didn’t matter, she wouldn’t interfere. 

A couple minutes later, Akane stood up, and faced towards Chiyo. “Watch your step, I don’t want any of the script being disrupted before I set it back in place. So, I’ve only really made two core changes. First, I modified a few of the sections in the original seal just to improve the efficiency of the chakra flow regulators as much as I could. Then, I added some limiters modeled after the Five Elements Seal, which will block off a portion of the bijuu’s chakra for the time being, and they can be removed safely and easily. While this does mean Gaara will have access to less of the bijuu’s power, they’ll be able to control it much better. And get a good night’s sleep, I’d expect.”

Chiyo took several minutes to inspect the work, making a variety of odd thinking noises all the while. “I’ve never seen work like this before. So this is the legacy of Uzushio?”

Akane shook their head, not satisfied with misplaced understandings. “No, this is the result of spending an unreasonable amount of time studying fuinjutsu since I was a child. It’s something of a hobby. Anyway, can I close it up now?”

Chiyo sighed. “Very well, close it up.”

Akane carefully stepped over to the centre of the room and put a hand on the centre point of the seal on Gaara’s back. It took a large amount of chakra, but Akane was able to compress all of the script back into its condensed form. 

“This should hold up for a few years, at least. Gaara should safely be able to commune with the bijuu now if they want to, since it doesn’t have a hold on their mind anymore,” Akane explained.

“I trust you understand there will be no recognition or reward for this,” Chiyo said. 

Akane yawned, now allowing the fatigue to reach them. “Gaara is important to one of my teammates, so I’m really just helping out because I can. Besides, they were suffering, so I put a stop to that.”

The first thing Gaara did was sleep. For almost a whole day. 

Akane stood guard by Gaara’s room while they slept under Chiyo’s specific instruction. If anything went wrong with the seal, they needed to be nearby. Akane knew the seal would be fine - they’d checked over their work five times just to be sure. Things remained peaceful, as expected, until Gaara had been asleep for almost 18 hours. That is, until Hinata into the hallway in a panic. Akane hadn’t seen Hinata panic in ages, so they knew this had to be serious.

“What happened?” Akane asked, but Hinata just kept going, opening Gaara’s door and waking them up. 

“Gaara, it’s Matsuri. She’s been taken,” Hinata announced, with a failed attempt at a calm tone. 

Akane followed into the room and saw Gaara snap upright and get off his bed. “What? When?”

“Just now, I came straight here. I went to check on her training, and found her johyo abandoned on the ground. As soon as I activated my Byakugan, I saw four individuals running out of the village, carrying a fifth, who was definitely Matsuri,” Hinata said slowly, careful to remain clear. Her stammering was mostly gone, but sometimes re-surged when she got heated or particularly upset.

“We need to go after them,” Gaara declared. “Now, before the council attempts to stop us.”

“Wait,” Akane urged with the best authoritative tone they could muster.

“I appreciate what you’ve done for me, Akane, but don’t try and stop me,” Gaara insisted.

“I’m not trying to stop you. Hold on a minute, and hear me out, okay?” Akane asked, and Gaara relaxed back onto their bed. “If we just rush out of the village with you now, there is no way the council will react any way but poorly. I understand that this Matsuri is important to you, and I wouldn’t dream of telling you to let her be taken. Give me half an hour to gather my team and your siblings, and we’ll come up with a plan. I’ll also visit the village gates and see if the guards have any information.”

Akane looked across the room, which was now occupied by everyone who needed to be there. They hadn’t had time to discuss anything with Guy yet, but they had a feeling that wouldn’t be a problem. 

“Okay, we don’t have much time, so listen up. Gaara’s student, Matsuri, has been kidnapped by four individuals who call themselves the Celestial Guardians. When I visited the guard station, I learned that both of the gate guards on duty had been attacked, and one of them was killed. The other was left with a message, for Gaara. I’ll spare the details, but this kidnapping is bait to lure them out. And we’re going to take it. Of course, I have a plan.

“Right about now, the news will be reaching the council, who will most likely order Gaara to stay. I want Guy and Kaya to stay behind, and do your best to buy us some time with the council. You can tell them that Gaara refused to stay, and we had to make the decision to follow in the interest of their safety. The rest of us will go with, and work in three-person cells. Our objective is to rescue Matsuri and immediately retreat, but combat is to be expected. Our opponents’ abilities are unknown, so proceed with caution.”

Then, Akane looked towards Guy. “Is this plan acceptable?”

Guy gave them a thumbs up, face now serious. “As Jonin leading this mission, it would be foolish of me to let you go. However, it would be disgraceful of me to abandon a child of Suna, when we have the opportunity to be of help. You have my approval.”

With that said, Akane proceeded to divide up the teams. “Hinata and Haku will go with Gaara. I’ll go with Sasuke and Kankuro, and Ino and Neji will stick with Temari. This way we have a medic on each team, as well as a balance of our scouts. Now, there’s another layer to this plan. We don’t know whether the enemies are expecting a smaller or larger team, so here’s what we’re going to do: Gaara, Temari and Kankuro will take the lead and we’ll follow behind out of sight to circle around for an ambush. Focus on supporting your team, since it’s likely they’ll try to split us apart and pick us off. Now let’s move out.”

The Celestial Guardians had left a trail. It was clear that they wanted to be followed, and Akane did not like that. They trusted in the teams they’d set up, but still felt uneasy. They chased for almost an hour, fanning out in the open desert to avoid their full numbers being detected. When the landscape changed into green grass and treelines, it was clear that they had crossed over into the Land of Rivers. The implications of this were not good - to actually leave the Land of Wind with the Kazekage’s children… this was a mess that Akane would have to work overtime to clean up afterwards. But they couldn’t just abandon Matsuri. 

Hinata and Neji both noticed movement in the treeline about fifty metres ahead of the Suna team, and reported as such. Akane held out a hand and pointed slowly, signaling for the Konoha teams to slow down and move around to one side. They’d keep watching to see what happens, ready to jump in at a moments notice. 

Gaara and Kankuro both moved ahead, whereas Temari stayed behind to face off against the enemy who had appeared. When as much was reported, Akane directed Neji and Ino to get closer to Temari’s location and be prepared to engage. The rest circled around, following in behind Gaara and Kankuro. 

Neji hid behind a particularly thick tree, watching with his Byakugan as Temari and her opponent tore the forest between them to shreds. Temari’s opponent had two swords that were practically alive with chakra, which had the ability to manipulate wind much like any Wind Release jutsu. They were powerful, perhaps stronger than Temari’s jutsu. Unfortunately, unless she could carve a path, he and Ino wouldn’t be much help. Neji had nothing to contest this kind of long-range combat, and he knew Ino was in a similar position. It wasn’t looking good; the enemy had the upper hand, and was laughing as though defeating Temari was a trivial task. 

Perhaps if the two of them could edge around from either side of the undamaged treeline, they could try and close in. A three-pronged attack would be difficult to defend against all at once, and at least someone might be able to break into close range. It had been agreed that Ino should signal when to go in, since Neji could see that signal from a distance. Once the two Konoha genin were in position, all they could do was wait, and watch Temari sustain injury after injury, until the right moment presented itself. 

The four remaining Konoha shinobi followed behind Kankuro and Gaara. It seemed likely that there would be another split-off, and if Akane had to hedge their bets, it would be Gaara who continued the chase and Kankuro who would stay behind. That was good, because neither Akane nor Sasuke had a Byakugan. Hinata could communicate when to split again, and then look after Gaara while Akane and Sasuke made sure Kankuro stayed safe. 

Hinata held out a hand to stop. “Kankuro’s been attacked, but not injured.”

Akane noticed Sasuke tense slightly. They knew he and Kankuro had become friends over the last couple of days. They also knew that Sasuke wouldn’t endanger the mission because of this - he would still make good decisions, so if a physical reaction allowed him to express his emotions and keep them in check, Akane encouraged it. They put a hand on his shoulder, and gave a non-verbal check in. He nodded, indicating he was fine. Akane smiled sympathetically back at him, and then returned their attention to Hinata, waiting for any indication of Gaara and Kankuro separating, or something else happening that required their intervention.

“Gaara is moving on,” Hinata declared, and looked to Akane for instruction. 

Akane pointed onward, and nodded to Hinata. She and Haku split off and circled a path to one side to avoid Kankuro’s fight. Akane and Sasuke slowly edged forwards through the trees, splitting apart to set up a pincer attack on Kankuro’s enemies. Neither of them had the scouting ability of a Byakugan so they couldn’t just wait for the right moment. Once they got close enough to observe Kankuro’s enemies, they risked the possibility of detection. Their plan was to get in close enough to observe momentarily, and then join the fray. Until then, Kankuro would have to survive on his own. Akane would have liked to get more information from Hinata, but there wasn’t time. 

When they were close enough to hear with their Kyuubi-enhanced senses, Akane couldn’t restrain the smirk that followed. Kankuro’s opponent was handing out free information, gloating about his abilities. “My sword amplifies my chakra and turns into the form of a dragon!”

Akane hoped that ability translated to an over-reliance on the weapon. That would make this fight substantially easier, if they could stay hidden and land a genjutsu. But in the off chance that this opponent was skilled in detection and dismissal of genjutsu, they needed a distraction. Sasuke was perfect for that role. 

They arrived in position, close enough to see the combat unfold but hopefully far enough to not be noticed. They took a closer look at Kankuro’s opponent. He was a teen at most, with a lean build and short blue hair. He wore a hitai-ate with a symbol they didn’t recognise from anywhere, and wielded a strange blue sword with prongs emerging all over the blade to the left and right of the central piece. He looked confident, as though Kankuro didn’t pose any threat to him at all. Akane watched as dragons made of what appeared to be water chakra smashed one of Kankuro’s puppets apart and attacked the puppeteer himself. They then saw Sasuke charge in with a blade of fire forming across his arm, which launched itself at the blue-haired boy. He was able to defend against it relatively easily; fire wasn’t a good match against water. However, Sasuke was used to working with Akane, and knew all he needed to do was distract, so he kept going anyway.

Making the most of the time Sasuke was buying, Akane fished out their metal whistle and put it between their lips. They started weaving hand signs for genjutsu, layering it up to amplify the illusion’s power as much as possible. They couldn’t afford to take chances. The illusion was one that Akane had used before, designed to be extremely close to reality so it was harder to notice - one that was more akin to a paralysis jutsu than genjutsu, really. The boy would still see what happened in reality, just a few seconds late. 

Given Akane’s ability to weave Kurama’s power into genjutsu and make their victim’s perceptions into their body’s reality, this wasn’t a particularly offensive genjutsu. Its power lay in the difficulty to notice and dispel it, and the fact that the damage the victim took would be twofold - including both the damage Sasuke and Kankuro could inflict in the real world, and that same damage again in the illusion.

When Akane’s chakra reached its victim, it took. Akane’s hopes were met; this boy was so reliant on his powerful weapon that his other skills had suffered. He started reacting late to every strike Sasuke aimed to inflict, and then again to Kankuro who was able to reattach chakra strings to the broken pieces of his puppet. After this, he was defeated easily, unable to successfully defend against any of the incoming strikes. Severely burned and poisoned, the boy fell to the ground and let go of his sword. 

Akane released their genjutsu, and leapt to the ground. Before saying anything to their teammates, they grabbed the blade and stored it in a scroll. It was unwise to leave the sword on the battlefield - the boy could wake up and rejoin combat later, or a scavenger might claim it for themself. But most importantly, Akane wanted to poke and prod at it, see how it worked. If it had any kind of fuinjutsu, they wanted to study it closely, see what kind of scripting could create this sort of power.

“Okay,” Akane turned to Sasuke and Kankuro after the sword was sealed away. “Lets tie this guy up and keep going to catch up with Gaara.”

Hinata watched every single movement with her Byakugan as Gaara engaged with their opponent. This was a mission against opponents with unknown abilities; she needed to take everything in. When Gaara’s sand wrapped itself around the man’s body, she kept watching. And so she saw the chakra get sucked away from the sand into the man’s armour, and saw it flow into the chest piece where it was was stored. And then Hinata noticed one vital piece of information - the man’s face and hands weren’t covered by the armour, and chakra wasn’t draining through those parts of his body. The Because of the interconnectedness of Gaara’s sand, the chakra affecting those regions was being drained from other places. Weak spots. This, Hinata could use.

Hinata put out her hand to get Haku’s attention. “Gaara is fighting an opponent who can absorb chakra from anywhere on his body that is covered by the armour he wears. His weak spots appear to be his hands and head. It’s safe to assume that the armour is durable enough to deal with brute force, so we need to aim for those areas. Are you able and willing to use your ice mirrors here?”

Haku shook his head. “Willing, yes. Able, not exactly. I could, but with the lack of humidity it would take me far more chakra than I believe is wise to expend. I usually relied on my master’s chakra stores to create my water supply. However, I can support you from a distance with my senbon nonetheless.”

Hinata nodded, finding the response acceptable. Haku was familiar with how Hinata used to fight, and she could adopt the old style so they could work in sync. It just meant relying more on the simpler Gentle Fist form, rather than a more unpredictable combat style. “We’ll enter while the opponent’s vision is obscured by sand. Get in position on one side, I’ll take the other.”

Haku took his leave, travelling to the right. Hinata was glad to be paired with him. They hadn’t worked together before, but she knew he was far more experienced that any of the others, and she didn’t have to worry about him falling behind. Her peers were skilled, sure, but they hadn’t been through the kind of training she had. 

Hinata moved to the left, watching both Haku and the fight with her Byakugan as she got in position. When Gaara next attempted to enclose their opponent with a coffin of sand, the opponent laughed loud enough that Hinata could hear it, even from a distance. He probably thought Gaara was a fool for trying the same thing again. 

Flickering in, Hinata was beside the tall man as soon as the sand fell away, drained of its chakra. But he couldn’t direct all his attention to her. Ability to absorb chakra or no, not only was Gaara still a threat on his own, Haku’s senbon were already in play. With one arm, the man swung his flail on one side to deflect the senbon, remaining guarded on the other side. Hinata tried to strike along his arm with the Gentle Fist. Mislead him first, make him think she didn’t understand that it wouldn’t work on the armour. 

The man blocked, and laughed. “None of you can penetrate my armour! Give up, and go home. I’ll never fall to a group of mere children!”

Hinata watched the pattern of movement of his hand as her strikes were blocked, memorised where it would be at an given instance. And then her hands began to crackle with electricity. Working in sync, Haku began dashing around and hurling senbon from multiple angles. He made the man work to defend, creating an opening of distraction for Hinata. She struck his hands with her Lightning-infused Gentle Fist several times, deadening it and preventing it from utilising chakra in any way.

Gaara utilised all of this to pick up his own momentum. His sand closed in around the man’s head, and was dyed crimson with his blood. A decapitated body fell to the ground. Once, Hinata would have emptied her stomach at the sight. But that Hinata was long gone. This was the life of a ninja, one she had become accustomed to despite her clan’s wishes, despite their bullying. It was kill or be killed.

Their opponent had been arrogant, believing his armor enough to protect him from all blows. And that had cost him his life. Without so much as a word between the three, Gaara and their protectors moved on, continuing on the trail to rescue Matsuri.

Akane caught up just in time to see the remnants of Gaara’s fight. There was a headless man, body collapsed to the ground. Gaara, Hinata and Haku had already moved on, most likely continuing their pursuit of the remaining Celestial Guardian who held Matsuri hostage. On the dead body, Akane could see a piece of armour with tiny engravings on the chestpiece- engravings that looked like fuinjutsu. 

They turned to face Sasuke and Kankuro. “You two go on ahead, I’ll catch up in a minute. I want to get the armour off this guy and store it away. These four have powerful tools that were made by a fuinjutsu expert, and I want the opportunity to study them. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up before you even notice I was gone.”

Sasuke and Kankuro nodded, and flickered away. Akane continued to convince themself that this wasn’t neglecting the mission. After all, leaving this on the battlefield posed a risk, if a potential new owner of the armour intended harm to their team. They ran over to the body, and tried not to gag at the sight of the blood. It would be easier to seal the entire body, and Akane knew how. But they didn’t really want to have a dead body in their pouch. It felt wrong. And so they got to work at undoing the fastenings of the armour one by one.

Just as Akane was about to remove the armour from the dead man, it began glowing. And the chest piece vanished, a white hot light shooting into the sky in the direction that Kankuro and Sasuke had gone. 

“Shit!” Akane cursed, and flickered in the direction of the light. 

The scene that they arrived at was… bad. Gaara was enclosed in some kind of metal cage; Akane could see them faintly kneeling on the ground through the openings. Kankuro’s puppets were completely out of commission, and all three of Hinata, Haku and Sasuke were unable to land a hit on the final opponent. He was wearing the armor Akane had been trying to retrieve moments ago, and wielded a blade in each hand. In his left, a long black sword with a green gem near the point of the blade. In his right hand was a shorter silver blade with strange ridgings along it. Around his body hovered three green orbs of chakra. 

Akane noticed the absence of Temari, Ino and Neji. Hopefully they would be okay, but Akane had to focus on the task at hand.

With the sheer amount of chakra this man possesses, my genjutsu will probably be useless. Fuinjutsu is also unhelpful here, I don’t have enough time or control over the battlefield. Perhaps I could join the fray with my Shadow Release, to try and create openings. Akane thought through the situation as quickly as they could. The problem here appears to be the multiple weapons and their abilities. If only Naruto were here, he might have the brute force to create an opening…

The man laughed maniacally. “With the power of the Ichibi, I’ll finally be able to resurrect Lord Seimei! Finally, the Elemental Nations will once again recognise the strength of Takumi Village, and fall before us! And yet… you children dare stand in our way?” 

While the man was ranting, Hinata had dashed over to Akane, and pointed towards the cliff face behind Gaara’s cage. “In there, I can see some kind of coffin, and for the last minute, our opponent has been defending the spot in front of it. There’s chakra flowing out of the cage into the coffin. Can you do anything about that?”

Akane nodded. “Buy me some time?”

And so Hinata launched back in to attack the maniacal man. He released a torrent of violently swirling wind, and it was all she could do to evade it and keep his attention. Sasuke and Haku quickly rejoined the fray, and between the three of them, they were able to keep the man’s attention away from Akane.

The jinchuriki flickered over to a space beside Gaara’s cage, out of the enemy’s line of sight. “I’m gonna get you out of there, Gaara, just give me a minute to work this out.”

Now, of all times, Akane wished they had access to Earth Release techniques. If they could burrow through the cliff side and find the coffin, they could access it quickly. It definitely had seals on it that they could figure out how to disrupt, but what they needed more than anything was time. If they just blew up the cliff side, their opponent would notice. But perhaps…

Akane fished out a series of privacy seals, scratching some modifications onto them as fast as they could. Usually they worked in solid rooms, but Akane could set them up to work across cardinal points. It would be easier to disrupt from the outside, but it was the best they had. Akane lay out the seals around the cliff’s base, and activated them. Then, they placed a genjutsu over the space so it would look like nothing was changing, even when a hole was blown into the cliff. Finally, Akane climbed up the wall and slapped on several exploding tags, and then jumped down to detonate them. Akane could only hope the enemy was distracted enough to not see the hurling chunks of rock.

The jinchuriki then quickly crawled into their newly formed tunnel, and found the coffin they were looking for. It was dark inside, so Akane fished out a seal they’d designed to produce a small light source, and stuck it on the rock around them. With the space lit up, they could see the indentations on the coffin’s top. It was complicated, but the style wasn’t that different to what they were familiar with. If only they had more time, they could fully understand it.

After several minutes of inspecting the seal, Akane heard screaming. Gaara’s screaming. “Shit,” Akane muttered, and hurriedly pricked a spot on their finger to draw blood. With blood now flowing, they painted on a small modification to the seal, prayed that it would work and dove out of the tunnel as fast as they could. They made it just in time for the coffin itself to surge out of the earth.

Akane took stock of the situation they’d left. All the fighters looked bruised and battered, and Sasuke had a deep gash along his leg. Hinata had a burn wound on her right shoulder. Ino, Neji and Temari appeared to have just arrived. Gaara’s screaming intensified.

“HAHAHA! It’s too late now! With the sacrifice of my body, Lord Seimei will be resurrected, and show the nations Takumi’s might!” The enemy gloated. 

The chakra flow out of the metal dome containing Gaara had become so strong that it was clearly visible. Akane could only hope that their modification of Gaara’s seal was enough to protect them here, and that their own modification on the coffin actually worked. It was a rush job, and if it backfired, they were all screwed.

Right in front of their very eyes, the enemy’s form dissipated into pure chakra, which flowed into the corpse within the now-open coffin. And then the corpse exploded in a burst of chakra. The piece of armour and two swords fell to the ground, no longer having a body to hold them. Likewise, the metal dome cage fell apart, revealing Gaara who was still standing, albeit wearily. It was over.

Chapter Text

"What? How?” Kankuro gasped. “I …what?”

Up until a few moments ago, everyone had been struggling to stay alive against this opponent who was skillfully wielding three powerful ninja tools with complete mastery. They hadn’t landed a single decent hit. As far as they could tell, he had succeeded in completing his master plan. And then he up and exploded into chakra. Akane was too overwhelmed to give their usual proud grin when they’d done something clever. 

“I know better than to doubt crazy bullshit with you, but I have to admit I’m curious,” Sasuke added in. “What did you do?”

Akane dropped to the ground, resting their back against the cliff face. “The coffin was covered in fuinjutsu, designed to absorb chakra and a human sacrifice in order to revive the corpse within. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I was out of time, so I modified one of the seals designed to integrate the external chakra into the new body, and had the chakra collide instead. Apparently it worked. I wish I’d figured out a better way, though.”

“Better way?” Kankuro’s eyes were wide. “What do you mean, better way? We’re all still alive, right?”

Akane shook their head. “This was bigger than this ‘Lord Seimei’ these four wanted to resurrect. Don’t you think it’s suspicious that so soon after the Kazekage was assassinated, these four were able to break into the village and targeted Gaara? The timing is off. Someone on the inside helped these ‘Celestial Guardians’. Someone who wants Gaara dead, or has some other goal that benefits from their death.”

Temari stepped forward, sighing. “I’m with Akane on this, brother. I was wondering the same thing myself. But… where is Matsuri?”

Akane’s heart stopped for a moment, realising that Temari was right. Matsuri had been on the ground away from the combat, unconscious. When they realised that Hinata was also gone, Akane relaxed a bit. They looked around more, and spotted Hinata off in the distance, checking Matsuri for injuries and providing some minor healing. 

“Over there with Hinata - she’s good at getting around unnoticed,” Akane offered. “Okay, if you have any injuries, come to either me or Hinata. Sasuke, get your ass over here, don’t even think about trying to tough it out.”

Sasuke puffed his cheeks indignantly, but did as instructed. While Akane was healing his gash, they looked over to Temari. “So what happened with your opponent?”

“Honestly, it wasn’t going well. I’ll be next in line for healing with you, I think I have a couple broken ribs,” Temari admitted. “Even with all three of us, we were barely holding up. We had a pretty poor match-up with our opponent, but suddenly her weapon disappeared and she was defenseless. She’s… no longer with us. If not for Neji, though, I wouldn’t be alive either.”

“I see,” Akane nodded. “Good work, Neji.”

The Hyuuga boy nodded, but said nothing.

After tending to Sasuke, Temari and Neji’s injuries, Akane got up and walked over to Gaara, who was now laying on the ground. “You good?”

“Yes. Shukaku spoke to me while I was in there, said that it would sustain me. It didn’t sound happy about it, but I am alive, and thus grateful,” Gaara said. “Matsuri is okay?”

“Looks that way, Hinata has taken care of her. Do you think you’ll be able to travel in a few minutes?”

“Yes.”

When they arrived back in Suna under the cover of the night sky, the team made a beeline straight for their lodgings. Guy was waiting in the foyer, but only seemed interested in speaking with Akane. Everyone else went off to rest, exhausted from fighting the Celestial Guardians. 

“I did my best to hold off the council, but they were not impressed. Fugi tried to shift blame onto our team for being irresponsible, and most of the council were quick to side with him,” Guy explained.

Akane sighed, collapsing onto a nearby couch. “Of course he was. First he helps the Celestial Guardians get into Suna to kidnap Matsuri, and then he shifts the blame onto us so that he looks good. He’ll be disappointed to know we all survived, but I doubt it will affect his plans. I have something to buy back some tolerance from the council, but damn, Fugi is playing this well.”

Guy’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have any evidence, do you?”

Akane shook their head. 

“Not good. That means we can’t do much other than apologise profusely,” Guy said. He collapsed onto another nearby couch. “So, what did you bring back?”

“Powerful weapons our enemies wielded. I managed to collect all four of them, and as much as I would have liked to study the fuinjutsu that powers them, I think we have no choice but to give them up.”

“Yosh! Get some rest now, but we will need to meet with the council in the morning, bright and early!”

Gaara and Hinata sat side by side in the former’s room, resting off the fatigue from their rescue mission. They were both too amped up after what they had experienced to fall asleep, and Gaara’s body wasn’t used to frequent sleep anyway. Hinata fidgeted with her fingers nervously, something she hadn’t done once in months. 

Gaara noticed the fidgeting, and spoke up. “Are you okay? Is it about what happened with Matsuri? Or when I was imprisoned?”

Hinata shook her head. “It’s not that. Now that Matsuri is safe, I’ve finally had time to think about… something. Something personal that I’ve been trying to figure out for a while, and now I’m sure.”

In truth, Hinata had wanted to talk to Gaara about this for a while now, but never had the combination of both the courage and the time. But now, it was time. “I think I’m a boy.”

“Okay,” Gaara responded simply, accepting the statement as easily as if it had been about the colour of the sky, or the sharpness of a new kunai. “Do you want a different name?”

“Hanta, I think.” Hanta let out a breath that he’d been holding. He knew Gaara would be accepting, but that didn’t detract from how overwhelming it was to finally say the words. To finally accept his own identity. 

“Hanta, huh?” Gaara hummed thoughtfully. “Suits you well. It feels more like you.”

“Thanks,” Hanta said as he cracked a small smile. “Once I finally had space from my clan, and was finally able to start figuring out who I am, I began to realise. And then with Akane being, well, Akane, I… realised that this was an option. Because when I’m allowed to be me, instead of the person the Hyuuga keep telling me that I am, I’m… I’m a boy.”

There was silence for a little while longer. It wasn’t awkward. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and so they continued to rest side by side. And then Gaara pulled out a kunai, their face expressionless. “Do you want a haircut?”

Even with the gifts Akane had presented, the council were not impressed. Akane had explained that everything had been under control, and they did keep the late Kazekage’s children safe, but Fugi was relentless in his assertions that the Konoha team was a danger to the safety of Suna.

“If we hadn’t been there at all, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari would likely be dead,” Akane insisted. “Not only that, but you would have an even bigger threat to the village to deal with. Look, I don’t mean any disrespect, but we have performed our duties to the letter. If you want to dismiss us, go ahead, but there have now been two infiltrations of your village, and we’re doing a pretty good job of protecting Rasa’s kids. So, what will it be?”

“Fine, you can stay,” declared one of the councilwomen whose name Akane had yet to learn. “But if you allow those three children to leave the village one more time, we will not be so merciful.”

Guy bowed deeply. “Understood, ma’am. I will personally step in to prevent it from happening again, and use force if necessary.”

The woman nodded. “Very well, please excuse us to discuss other matters.”

Dismissed, Guy and Akane respectfully left the room and made their way back to the lodgings.

“That was quite daring, youthful Akane,” Guy said, and Akane wasn’t sure if it was a commendation or a reprimand.

“Fugi has the council wrapped around his finger. They’re not seeing the situation clearly at all, and this doesn’t bode well for the selection of the next Kazekage. It’s hard sitting on the sidelines just watching,” Akane complained wistfully.

Guy’s expression hardened. “And you’ll stay on the sidelines, understood?”

“Understood,” Akane lied. After getting a better gauge of the dynamics of the council, they had an idea for something they could do to help sway the situation without getting caught. They tabled it away for later, though; it was too soon to do anything.

The first thing Akane noticed when they returned to the lodgings was their light-eyed teammate standing in the dining room beside Gaara. The Hyuuga looked… different, and Akane had a feeling they knew why. It was a feeling they’d gotten for a while now, but the only appropriate way to handle it was to wait and see what would happen. The Hyuuga’s hair was shorter, with a side part rather than a bowl-cut style, and the sides and back were cut extremely short. It looked simultaneously boyish and serious, and Akane couldn’t help but admire how fitting the style was for their teammate, messy and uneven though it may be.

“So, you figured it out, huh? What should I call you now?” Akane asked, grinning at their teammate.

“…Hanta,” their teammate finally replied. “You mean to say that you knew?”

“Hanta,” Akane began. “Figuring this kind of stuff out is an important, and personal journey. You know I’ve been through it myself, and I wouldn’t have wanted someone to tell me the answer when I wasn’t ready to understand it. By the way, do you still want to be referred to as a Hyuuga?”

“No,” was the immediate reply Hanta gave. “Now that I’m a chuunin, I’m going to disavow myself from the clan as soon as we return, and get my own place. I’ve been saving up money from missions.”

“Okay, noted. They’ll probably give you shit, but you know I have your back. So does Sasuke, and so do the rest of our friends. Speaking of which, are you ready for them to know you as Hanta?” Akane asked.

Hanta nodded, with a faint smile. “This is who I am, and I have no reason to hide it from anyone.”

Akane could scream. They wanted to scream, but decorum demanded otherwise. It had been a week since the incident with the Celestial Guardians, and the council were watching them and their team like hawks. What made it worse was that Akane was confident that, if not for Fugi, the Konoha team would have a far more amicable relationship with the council. 

Instead of screaming, Akane found an empty training space and began working through a series of training exercises that Hayate had once shown them. As they swung their wakizashi around the room in measured motions, they allowed their frustrations to flow out. 

Councilman Fugi was at the root of everything. Perfect Councilman Fugi with a clandestine record. Perfect Councilman Fugi who had no known transgressions in his entire career - at least, not that there was evidence to support. Perfect Councilman Fugi who was trusted by the council, and trusted by most of the jonin of Sunagakure. Perfect Councilman Fugi who had the council around his thumb. 

There were even moments when Akane believed that Fugi might actually be innocent. That the mole was someone else, or that perhaps there was no mole. But no, they knew it was him. Because there was one thing about the man that kept Akane’s suspicions afloat. His private residence was well locked up, and nobody ever visited it. Ordinarily, that would be perfectly common and acceptable - after all, many people liked to have a private space that nobody else could enter. Except…

Except that Fugi’s residence was protected by a sealing array. Akane hadn’t managed to get close enough to inspect it without calling suspicion upon themself, so they couldn’t call it incriminating for sure. It wasn’t even uncommon for experienced ninja to seal their private residences, but Akane had a feeling that any incriminating evidence against the man would be hidden in there. Everything else about him was too clandestine. Akane couldn’t think of any ninja who had made it to Fugi’s age without amassing at least some amount of controversy. 

They needed to find a way into the councilman’s home. 

Three weeks passed, and the Konoha team were approaching the end of their duties in Suna - officially they had one week remaining until they were dismissed. Much had happened over the last three weeks, but very little of it had required actual ninja work from the Konoha team. With Sasuke’s encouragement, Kankuro had scored a date with the subject of his affections, which had lifted the teen’s spirits considerably after having spent day after day working hard to mend his destroyed puppets. Hanta had taken to giving Matsuri one on one training, helping the girl learn how to be a powerful defensive fighter who could protect her teammates in many situations. Ino continued to establish herself as a charismatic and friendly training partner to many of Suna’s guard ninjas, which in turn made many of them friendlier to the entire Konoha team. 

Akane, however, had continued to spend as much time as they could covertly find a way into Fugi’s home in order to dig up any information they could to prove him guilty of treason to Suna. When the council declared that the final decision of the Fifth Kazekage selection was to take place in three days, Akane still had no dirt on the conniving jonin. They knew he was dirty, that he was the one who had communicated with the assassin and with the Celestial Guardians. But there was no evidence anywhere to be found. Akane had still hoped, even after collating information on his perfect record, to privately source something to pass on anonymously to a council member, but nothing had turned up. And yet, they couldn’t just sit by. At this rate, it was inevitable that Fugi would become the new Kazekage. That wouldn’t be good for Suna, nor for Konoha’s alliance with them. It would likely put Gaara, Kankuro and Temari at risk. 

It was time to execute Akane’s reserve plan. They’d hoped not to fall back on this - after the incident in Wave, they only felt safe using it one more time before things got tied back to them. Suna’s Intelligence team would probably figure it out in time, but it would take them long enough that they could get away with it.

Akane went and found a secure spot not too far from Councilman Fugi’s house, somewhere nobody would see them. They veiled themself in genjutsu for extra protection, and formed the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu. After biting their thumb to draw blood and slamming their palm into the ground, Akane was greeted with a loud honk. 

Within a couple hours, the rumours had spread across Suna like wildfire. The Jonin and Councilman Fugi’s private residence had been almost demolished; His belongings had been strewn across the street, valuables smashed or stolen, and a strange white bird seen running through the streets with one of his family heirlooms, honking menacingly at anyone who dared approach it. 

Over in the home of the late Kazekage’s children, Sasuke burst into the room Akane was resting in, unannounced. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Akane shrugged. Sasuke continued to stare at them, trying and failing to find the words to express himself. “No, really, I have no idea what you’re talking about and it would be wise of you to not bring up any accusations or suspicions to anyone, understood?”

Sasuke screamed with frustration, and marched back out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Akane barely stifled a proud giggle once they were alone again. The rumours had flown fast enough that Fugi’s reputation would be in absolute shambles, and the council would likely choose Chiyo to be the fifth Kazekage. It was a risky move, but after the goose summon had run out of the village and dispelled itself once out of sight, there was no trail going back to Akane. 

What made the break-in even more successful were the pictures mixed up amongst the belongings scattered through the streets. Pictures of a missing-nin formerly from Suna known as Sasori of the Red Sand, and pictures of the leader of the Celestial Guardian. There was no way Fugi would be able to talk himself out of this - he couldn’t even spin it as collecting intel on the recent incidents, because that was exactly the kind of intel he should have shared with the relevant people, such as the council. Perhaps Fugi had them prepared to frame someone else? 

Neither Akane or Guy had been allowed to any of the council meetings - of course they hadn’t, they were from another village and had no specific purpose for being there. But both of them were keeping an ear out for word of what was discussed - if Fugi ended up becoming Kazekage, or stepped out of line, the Fourth Kazekage’s children might be endangered again. And, after all, their mission was to protect those three. But the discussions were airtight, and neither Guy nor Akane heard anything.

The three days passed especially slowly, and the appointment of the Fifth Kazekage was declared to be taking place that evening as a public event. Naturally, the entire Konoha team attended as protectors of Gaara, Kankuro and Temari. When the elderly Chiyo finally stepped up onto the raised platform and accepted the Kazekage’s robes and hat, Akane let out a breath they didn’t realise they’d been holding. 

“Greetings, citizens of Suna. As I’m sure you’ve all heard, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us. He contributed greatly to the safety and prosperity of our village, working hard to get us through our financial struggles, and that job is not yet done. As the Fifth Kazekage, it is my oath to all of you that I will continue that fight - through our partnerships with other nations, and the strength of our own strong, persistent people who thrive in the desert like no other can, we will grow and overcome this hurdle to our prosperity. And should anyone try to threaten our safety again, I remind them of this piece of wisdom - never pick a fight with an old ninja, for we are those who have survived because of our skill. I will protect Suna, I will work for Suna, and I will bring Suna forward into the future. Thank you all for coming out today.”

There was applause as soon as Chiyo finished addressing the crowd, and Akane joined it. It was a good speech. Short, sweet, to the point and confident. Some would probably try to raise doubts about the cause of Rasa’s death, which wasn’t openly acknowledged, but Chiyo would certainly earn their trust through her actions in time. 

As the crowd began to disperse, Akane made sure all of their focus was on their duties as a protector - with everyone moving about, it would be the perfect time for someone to make a move… if not for the fact that there were two Hyuuga actively surveilling the area the whole time. 

The anticipated attack never came. 

The month in Suna had gone by faster than Akane had expected, and the Konoha team finally stood outside the walls of Suna, ready to make the journey back home. They were given a small sendoff by the new Kazekage, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Matsuri and a small handful of ninja from the guard house that Ino had befriended. 

Everyone seemed to be saying rather ordinary goodbyes, until Kankuro dragged Sasuke off to whisper something in his ear. The boy returned to his team’s side looking beet red, but wouldn’t say anything about the exchange. Hanta shared quick embraces with both of Gaara and Matsuri, and then Gaara came to thank Akane again for their help with the Ichibi’s seal. 

And then they were off.

Chapter Text

They ran the final stretch back to Konoha overnight - a suggestion Akane had made to Guy with the reasoning that ‘it would allow everyone to make the most of the day upon their return’, which Guy ate up straight away. Of course, there was another reason Akane set that up. 

As soon as the team of eight passed through the village gates, Akane pulled Hanta aside and told him to follow them home. The sun had barely just risen, and since Guy was out of the village there was a decent chance that Naruto would still be asleep. When they entered Akane’s home quietly through the front door, it quickly became clear that the dining room was occupied. 

Sora peeked his head out into the hallway, and grinned when they saw Akane. “Hey! Welcome home! How was your first mission as a Chunin?”

Akane’s tense expression softened on seeing Sora. “It was… eventful. I wish I could stop to chat, but I have some things that need attending to urgently, so maybe we can cook together tonight?” 

“It’s been a while since we’ve cooked together, so let’s lock it in. Who’s your friend? I’m sorry, you look familiar but I just can’t place it.” Sora turned his attention to Hanta.

Akane looked to Hanta for permission to speak on his behalf, and he nodded. “Hanta, from my genin team. That’s actually what we’re in a rush for, getting his ninja registration updated just like mine was a while back. Is Naruto home?”

The look of recognition struck across Sora’s face. “I almost didn’t recognise you there, Hanta! The new style suits you. And yes, Naruto is upstairs, probably still sleeping. I’ll see you later, then? Hanta, why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?”

“Thank you, I will,” Hanta responded quietly, but his small smile didn’t go unnoticed. 

The two chunin quietly went up the stairs, and Akane knocked on Naruto’s door. There was no response, so they slowly opened the door to reveal Naruto, fast asleep. Hanta looked like he was about to suggest waiting, which was unsurprising since he didn’t even know why he’d been brought here, but Akane moved too quickly. They grabbed a stray pillow that had made its way to the bedroom door and hurled it at Naruto’s face. It collided with its target, and Naruto lurched upright.

“Wha? Oh, Akane… Welcome back,” Naruto muttered wearily after pushing the pillow off his face. Then, he woke up and his energy came all at once. “Akane! You’re back? Also, who’s that behind you?”

Akane stepped into Naruto’s room, signalled for Hanta to follow and closed the door. “You wanna explain, or do you want me to?”

“You knew me by another name, Naruto. I’m Hanta, Akane’s teammate from Team Six,” Hanta declared.

“…OH! Cool!” Naruto exclaimed as soon as he connected the dots. “So, what’s up? It’s kinda early, and I was hoping to sleep in…”

“Well, I’m going with Hanta to update his ninja registration today, and since he’s going to be leaving his clan, I had an idea in mind but I wanted to discuss it with both of you,” Akane began, and then turned to look at Hanta. “If Naruto is okay with it as well, I was going to suggest that you take on the Uzumaki name.”

Hanta’s eyes thinned. “That is a very kind offer, and I understand why you’re making it, but are you sure?”

Naruto rolled out of his bed with a thud. “Wait! I don’t get it? I mean, I’m fine with it, but why wouldn’t Hanta just take on a new name altogether?”

Akane fell backwards and lay down on the floor, deciding it was time to stop being upright at all. “The Hyuuga aren’t going to be happy about Hanta leaving. In fact, they may even try to intervene or threaten him into staying without any kind of clan protection, which is why a new name might not work. But if Hanta were to join another major clan, there would be strife between that clan and the Hyuuga, which is good for no-one. But the Uzumaki - we’re not a noteworthy clan so it won’t look like a power grab. Still, we’re both jinchuriki, and so if the Hyuuga tried to pick a fight with us, we’d probably have the backing of a lot of the village’s power players. So Hanta, if you’d like to take on our name, I’m confident it will afford you the political protection you need to split with the Hyuuga. What do you think?”

Hanta nodded, and began to cry.

“Hey Naruto, I guess we have a new brother now,” Akane declared with cheer, and offered Hanta a hug. 

An hour later, when the village was starting to come to life, the jinchuriki twins and their newly adopted brother Hanta stood in an office within the Hokage Tower, waiting patiently while Hanta filled out some paperwork to update his ninja registration. When done, Hanta handed the paperwork back to the desk chunin who handled registrations. The chunin looked at the form, blinked a few times and then looked up at the paperwork.

“I’m sorry, there seems to be some kind of mistake here? You’ve written your clan name as Uzumaki, not Hyuuga. Unless you’ve suddenly married one of those two behind you, I don’t understand how that tracks?” The confused chunin said. 

In his response, Hanta’s voice was blunt and toneless. “I no longer consider myself a member of the Hyuuga clan, and with the consent of the two Uzumaki heirs, I am joining them instead.”

The chunin lost his composure for a moment, and then carefully put himself back together. “I… see. Do you have approval from the Hyuuga clan head for this?”

Akane stepped forward. “Does he need approval from the Hyuuga clan head for this?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Then process the paperwork,” Akane demanded. “Unless there’s some other problem here?”

The chunin squeaked. Akane wasn’t usually the kind of person to be intimidating like that, but they refused to let Hiashi get brought into this. He would undoubtedly find out about this by the day’s end, and they needed that  time to prepare for his reaction. 

“Um, okay… Do you want a new headshot for your registration entry?”

“Yes, please,” Hanta nodded politely.

The chunin then scurried around the room to set up the camera and another chair for Hanta to sit in for the photo, and then directed him to sit. Hanta stared into the camera without any kind of facial expression, and the photo was taken.

“Alright, this should all get put through by the day’s end. Come by in the afternoon to pick up your new card, okay?” The chunin said, and then all but pushed the trio out of the office room.

“Welcome to the family,” Akane grinned and put an arm around Hanta’s shoulder. Hanta cried for the second time that morning.

Dinner was peaceful, for a time. The twins, their adoptive parents and newest sibling caught up while they ate. Akane and Hanta told stories of their time in Suna, fighting against the Celestial Guardians and befriending the Fourth Kazekage’s three children. Rather than talk about how he’d been promoted to chunin and already done a small handful of missions with new teams, Naruto waxed on about his fight in the final round of the chunin exam finals. From his retelling, it sounded like his match with Katsuki had been extremely close, and very action-packed. Akane wholly believed it - Naruto had the kind of persistence to be a fair match for Katsuki’s skill. 

Just as Naruto was finishing his story, there was a loud knock on the door. Hanta’s Byakugan instantly went up - he had been especially on edge today, after everything that had happened. Hanta had reacted like this a few times today, so at first Akane ignored it, thinking that he would settle down when he saw that everything was fine. But then, Hanta started shaking, and Akane couldn’t tell if it was from rage, fear or both. And then they realised - word had travelled, and Hiashi had definitely heard Hanta’s registration and name change by now.

Akane stood up abruptly. “I’ll handle this.”

“You look serious all of a sudden,” Genma observed. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, just some asshole sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong anymore,” Akane answered bitterly before walking over to the door and opening it. “Lord Hiashi, to what do we owe this pleasure?”

Hiashi glared at Akane. “Don’t play games with me, child. I know my daughter is inside. Return her to me now.”

Akane put on a confused look. “Oh, I don’t think Hanabi is here, but then again I don’t have the powerful, all-seeing Byakugan. I can’t imagine what she’d be doing here though?”

“I said don’t play games with me. Get out of my way, I’m taking Hinata back home with me.”

This time, Akane was the one glaring, and that was with controlled fury. “Hanta is his own person, a legally recognised adult, and he will go where he wants to.”

“These are clan affairs, child. Know your place, and don’t meddle,” Hiashi growled. 

Akane sized the man up. He looked angry, but they were pretty sure it was just an act of attempted intimidation. They weren’t the best at reading people, and yet they got a clear impression that Hiashi didn’t care about Hanta as much as he cared about his clan’s appearances. And that made Akane even more mad. 

“Oh, clan affairs, huh? Well, I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Hanta is now part of the Uzumaki clan, not the Hyuuga. We may not have any influence individually, however it would do you well to remember that myself and Naruto are both jinchuriki, exceptionally important members of Konoha’s ninja forces. Not only that, but we’re quite close with both the Uchiha and Yamanaka clans. So let me be clear, Hiashi,” Akane spat with now unveiled fury. “This is a threat. You try anything with my brother and I will bring an absolute shitstorm into your life. He is no longer your clan heir, and you don’t deserve to have him in your life.”

Hiashi’s fake expression of anger morphed into an arrogant grin. “You’re playing with fire, Uzumaki Akane. You do not want to challenge me, and out of kindness I’ll give you an opportunity to take back what you’ve just said.”

Akane didn’t back down. “No thanks, but I appreciate your ever so kind offer. I’ll return the favour with my own words of advice; don’t underestimate me. I’ve already brought down two political powers on my own, and with help? I can make you the third. So, Lord Hiashi, fuck off.”

Hiashi’s eyes thinned. “You’ll come to regret this, child.”

Akane rolled their eyes as the Hyuuga clan head turned and walked away with a measured gait. “I really won’t, asshole.”

Sasuke tossed and turned as he tried to get to sleep. He couldn’t stop ruminating on what Kankuro had told him the other day. It was whirling violently across his mind, and he desperately wanted the thoughts to stop. 

“Let me return your own advice to you - if you don’t talk to him, you won’t get anywhere.”

No, he couldn’t do that. His advice had worked for Kankuro, but that was a totally different situation. Kankuro wasn’t in love with his best friend, the one he’d grown up alongside and shared everything with. He wasn’t in love with someone who looked at other people the way Sasuke looked at him. Kankuro wasn’t in love with someone who could never possibly feel the same way about him. 

Sasuke could say something, tell Naruto how he felt, and then watch as his most important friendship came crumbling down around him. He would ruin that part of his life, and then what? They shared the same friend group, so they would be around each other all the time anyway. Would Akane look at him differently when they found out? 

Before Kankuro had said what he did, Sasuke was doing fine keeping these feelings bottled down. Everything was fine, he could watch from the sidelines and still be comfortable as Naruto’s best friend. But now everything was confusing, and Sasuke wasn’t sure what to do anymore. At the very least, he would probably be getting his official chunin promotion in the coming days, and that would keep him busy. Perhaps the answer was to keep ignoring the feelings after all. Yes, that would work out just fine. 

He turned over once more, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

AN: To the anonymous commenter who left a review on FFN telling me I should stop writing trans characters and that I’m “going too far”, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. This is my fic, I’ll write what I want, and this content is important representation for a lot of people. 

“So, what have you and Karin been up to while I was gone?” Akane asked their cousin while the two of them waited for their fresh bowls of ramen to be served. 

A frown passed over Tayuya’s face, and she brushed a long strand of hair away from her eyes. “Well, Karin has started training under one of the hospital medics, and she seems to be having a good time. Starting to come out of her shell too, which is nice to watch. But I…”

Akiko sent an appraising glance towards their cousin. She looked restless, legs shaking and hands tapping on the wooden counter. It had been just over a month now since Karin and Tayuya had come to Konoha, and it was clear that the two twins were handling the adjustment quite differently. The quieter, more nervous Karin had quickly found a path for herself, whereas the bold, protective Tayuya seemed lost. No, not lost. Stuck. Like she knew what she wanted to do, but didn’t know how to get there. 

“I want to get registered as a genin and work my way up, but obviously the academy isn’t really an option for me,” Tayuya said, giving Teuchi a polite nod of thanks when he served her a large bowl of miso ramen. “And I don’t really know many people yet, so I don’t have the connections to figure out what to do about that.”

Another bowl of miso ramen appeared in front of Akane, who quickly thanked Teuichi for the food as well. “I can get you sorted, if you’d like? I’ve never seen you train or anything, do you have a specialty of any kind?”

Tayuya took a break from slurping up noodles. “Uh, I’ve dabbled in genjutsu a bit? But honestly, neither of us had much by way of formal training.”

Akane nodded. They had an idea in mind - Tayuya would need some form of guided training and a recommendation in order to get registered. “Okay, once we’re done eating, I can take you to my academy teacher, Ebisu. He runs the place now, and will have a good idea of who’s available to take on a student since he coordinates with a lot of ninja of varying ranks who are suitable to run extra classes for the academy kids. That said, I do need to meet with Uncle Fugaku at midday to give my report on the Suna mission. Sound like a plan?”

Thirty minutes later, Akane and Tayuya were walking into the academy building. It was always an enjoyable experience coming back - with Ebisu now being in charge, the academy was running like it should. Students were much happier to be there, and took their learning into their own hands. There was a trail of logs set up throughout the hallways, and kids who looked to be about eight years old were doing an amusing sort of race that only allowed them to move by using the Substitution Technique. Akane and Tayuya carefully squeezed past them, and made their way to Ebisu’s office. 

Akane rapped their knuckles on the door, and waited for permission to enter. Upon hearing Ebisu’s voice, they opened the door and led Tayuya in. Ebisu’s lips tugged upward into a small smile upon seeing Akane. He looked exactly the same with his bandanna and dark glasses, and he wore the same clothes as always - Akane always assumed he had an entire wardrobe filled with multiples of the same dark apparel. 

“Akane, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Hey, sensei! I’m actually here to ask a favour, if you have time?”

Ebisu nodded, and gestured the two redheads to take a seat in the chairs across from his desk.

“So, this is my cousin Tayuya, who moved to Konoha with her sister a month ago. She’s looking for a teacher who can prep her for some kind of alternative to the graduation exam, so she can become a ninja herself. Know anyone who might fit the bill?”

Instead of answering, Ebisu turned to look at Tayuya. Unlike her sister, Tayuya never shyed away from attention, and returned his gaze with a bright smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tayuya. May I ask, do you have any kind of skillset or specialisation in mind?”

Tayuya nodded, resolute. “I have a little bit of skill with genjutsu, and I’d like to hone that further.”

Ebisu rested his head on the backs of his hands, fingers woven together. “In that case, I know exactly who to pair you with. There’s a recently appointed Jonin named Yuuhi Kurenai who is looking to take on a genin team next year, and she would probably appreciate the opportunity to practice and refine her teaching skills. I cannot guarantee that she would take you on, but your chances are good. If I may, though, could I run you through a few diagnostic exercises first?”

An hour later, Akane found themself on their back, winded, staring up at the ceiling of one of the academy’s indoor training halls. Tayuya stood over them, and extended a hand. Akane took it, and hoisted themself back up.

“So what was that about not having much training?” Akane asked with a jokingly betrayed expression.

“What?” Tayuya shrugged, grinning. “You’re the chunin, aren’t you supposed to be tougher than that?”

Akane sighed. Compared to most genin, their taijutsu wasn’t bad, but for a chunin it was pretty far below the standard. And Tayuya had completely outmatched them, as though it wasn’t even a particularly big effort. Oh right, she has field experience. “Any other secret skills you have?”

Tayuya chuckled. “Well, I got pretty decent at setting up traps from the, you know, assassins who were after me and my sister. But honestly that’s about it. So, is that it for the diagnostics?”

Ebisu adjusted his glasses, and turned to leave. “Indeed. As a matter of fact, I doubt it will be long before you have your own hitai-ate, but I’d like to see you work with Kurenai first, so she can work through the basic knowledge and skills you still lack. Impressive work nonetheless, Tayuya.”

Akane sat in the Hokage’s office, the only other person in the room being the man himself. And that meant that all pretenses of formality were out the window. They threw their legs up over the side of the chair in order to get comfortable, ignoring the Hokage’s irritated gaze. With nobody else present, the Hokage’s reputation wasn’t at risk - which meant that Akane was allowed to enjoy messing with the man just a little bit. “Oh, come on, Uncle Fugaku. We’re basically family, so we don’t need to follow all the rules that closely, do we?”

Fugaku sighed, probably realising he would never win that particular fight when Akane didn’t have to perform formality for others. “I want you to give me your side of the mission report as well as whatever analysis you’ve no doubt thought up, but there’s another matter that needs attending to first.”

Akane raised an eyebrow. “Is this about Hanta?”

Fugaku nodded. Before he could get a word in edge-wise, Akane cut back in. 

“I’m not apologising for anything I did - Hanta is family now, and he deserves to live a life of his own choosing. Clan affairs and village politics aside, I’m not backing down so don’t even bother trying.”

Fugaku coughed loudly. “Actually, I wasn’t going to ask you anything of the sort. I wanted to let you know that I cannot back you up in this, but the Uchiha clan can. So if you need our support, you need only ask Mikoto. Oh, and I’m giving the entire Suna team another day off to get some more rest and put any affairs you may have in order.”

“…oh. Thanks, then. So, should I get on with the mission report now?” 

With a nod from the Hokage, Akane got started. “So, since you’ve already got the general details from Guy, I’ll cut to the chase. It’s quite fortunate that Lady Chiyo was appointed as the Fifth Kazekage, but there are some important things to note there. Firstly, there will still be some resistance to her leadership - even with Councilman Fugi’s reputation in ruins, he did a pretty good job of getting the council to doubt Chiyo. They probably chose her as the only other option, even though she was always the right one. Her intentions to maintain allegiance with Konoha are likely strong, but may face opposition - I noticed that some of the more conservative council members believe quite strongly in surviving independently to prove Suna’s strength. Secondly… I might have meddled in their Kazekage selection just a little bit.”

“You… what?” Fugaku blinked, and gave a sigh of absolute defeat. “Of course you did. You may as well fill me in on the details so we can plan accordingly for if you get found out.”

Akane smirked. They knew fully well that if Fugaku didn’t respect Akane’s skill at meddling and getting good outcomes, they would get in a whole heap of trouble for this. “So, the initial context is that we knew that Councilman Fugi was vying for the Kazekage position and had it on good authority that he might pull some dirty tricks to get the position. Dirty tricks such as cavorting with assassins to arrange the death of Rasa, or letting in powerful enemies from another village to kidnap and kill Suna’s jinchuriki, which would make us, Chiyo’s hired guards, look bad and in turn ruin Chiyo’s reputation amongst the council. Now, trying to influence their selection process would of course be an unforgivable crime and an overstepping of the alliance between our villages, so I worked covertly to try pull some dirt on Fugi. 

“I found nothing, except for the fact that his home was well secured and nobody else ever went in or out. So I, uh… may have unleashed my summons on the place. Practically nobody outside of my own genin team and Orochimaru know I have a contract with these particular summons, so it is unlikely to be traced back to me any time soon. However, the more times I use them, the more likely it is that someone will eventually put the pieces together. So, all in all… Konoha should probably come out of this fine.”

Fugaku dropped his head into his palms and groaned. “Fine, I expect a full written report on my desk by the end of tomorrow, explaining exactly what it is that you did, who knows, who might know, your assessment of risk factors for others finding out, and any other details you deem important. Other than that, you’re dismissed. Oh, and I believe that Tsunade has a mostly empty schedule tomorrow, barring any emergent cases.”

Akane nodded, and took their leave by window. 

One last stop for the day, and then I can actually go and rest, Akane thought as they walked into a store they were about to become a very frequent customer in. They eyed weapon racks all along one wall, and all sorts of gear along another. Then, their attention was drawn in by a familiar face greeting them a few steps from the doors.

“Hey, Akane! Need to top up on some equipment?” Tenten smiled. There was a certain excitement about her that Akane appreciated - they knew she worked here, but had never actually seen her in the store before. She loved weapons with her whole being, so it wasn’t a surprise that she was an enthusiastic worker in such a store.

Akane shook their head. “No, actually, I’m hoping to talk to your father about a special order. Is he around?”

Tenten nodded, and gestured towards the back of the store. “Yeah, he’s out back. Congrats on your promotion, by the way! Everyone’s talking about how you’ve already led an important mission, which is pretty cool!”

Akane blinked. After all this time, they still weren’t used to kind, genuine praise in a village where most people looked at them and Naruto and saw demons. “Oh, I wasn’t actually leading. I was just second in command, is all. But thanks, I guess.” 

Tenten clapped a hand onto Akane’s back, and they did their best not to react to the unwanted physical contact. “Hey, don’t sell yourself short. Anyway, let’s head on back. I’m kinda curious about this special order of yours…”

The two of them walked into the back, where Higurashi Genki was hammering impurities out of some metal. It was far warmer in the back, enough that Akane knew they would probably be covered in sweat by the time they left. They shrugged that thought aside, and greeted the blacksmith.

“Oh, Akane! What can I do for you? Since Tenten has brought you back here, it must be something non-standard, yes?” The blacksmith put down his hammer, and gave Akane a curious glance. 

“How much chakra metal do you have? And how much experience do you have working it?” Akane asked, getting straight to the point.

Genki scoffed. “Pshhh, whatever you need done, I can do it.”

“Even if it requires learning new techniques? I doubt you’ve ever made anything like what I’m going for.” Akane gave the man a challenging grin.

Genki ate the challenge right up. “Are you serious, kid? Of course I can do it. Out with it, then. What’s the order?”

“It’ll take a few months since I still need to do some research, but I recently came across a weapon sealing technique that I think I can replicate and make my own, and together I’d like us to make a weapon that surpasses Kiri’s Seven Swords.”

Chapter Text

“What now, after all the havoc you’ve wreaked?” Kurama asked, peering down at Akane with his big, red eyes. 

Akane couldn’t help but appreciate the changes to the fox’s mental cage. Ever since they had modified the seal, Kurama had gained a fair deal more control over the space’s visual manifestation. He now sat surrounded by clear springwater, trees colouring the background of what Akane could see. The bars were still there, but they were now made of tidy wood instead of ominous, looming steel. It was more livable, and for that, Akane was glad. 

“Oh, you mean with the Hyuuga clan? I make no apologies for that,” Akane smirked.

“Not only that. You’ve been more reckless than usual of late. No, perhaps that isn’t quite right. You’re no more reckless, but you play with higher stakes without giving due consideration,” Kurama chided. 

And he was right. Akane knew it, but they still didn’t regret their decisions. Helping Gaara, interfering with the Kazekage selection and freeing Hanta from his father’s influence were all things that had to happen. One day the fallout would catch up to Akane. They just had to be ready when that day came. 

“I did what had to be done,” Akane replied. “Let what happens, happen. But people deserve better.”

Kurama huffed. “Well then, I suppose I should lend you my chakra. Consider it a gift of thanks for helping Shukaku, and so that you don’t get us both killed. Reforming is a pain in my ass, and I don’t care to experience it again.”

Akane stared at Kurama. They blinked a couple times, processing what Kurama had just said. He had offered his power to them. More than just the way small slivers of his chakra altered their genjutsu. He had offered its full power - with training, that kind of chakra could augment their combative capabilities so much. It would probably never come even close to Naruto’s ability, but that was a given with him possessing Kurama’s Yang chakra. 

“Are you sure?” Akane asked, not wanting to tempt fate but also appreciating how extreme this was.

Kurama’s tail flicked out, dancing against the clear spring water. “When I gave you my first gift, you never flaunted it, despite my expectations. You never took it for granted, even with your recklessness. You didn’t let it go to your head. Just don’t let that change. Hm, it seems like you’d best be waking up now. ”

It took Akane a moment to register what was wrong when their body left Kurama’s mindscape and they woke up. Even having trained to reach alertness faster on waking up, familiar environments were their greatest weakness. And their bedroom was far too comfortable for that. But once their senses fully came to them, Akane wasn’t sure whether to gasp or cackle. There was writing on the outside of their window, in what looked like blood. 

“Meet at Training Ground 2 at 8am.”

Cackle it was. Honestly, Akane was mostly impressed with how adeptly Anko had managed to write the message completely mirrored so it would show correctly on their side of the window. Anko sure had a way with dramatics, and this wasn’t even near the top of the list of their shenanigans. But it was nice - they hadn’t heard from their sensei since arriving back in the village, so it would be good to see her again. All of Team 6 were of chunin rank now, but Anko was never going to be the type to leave them to fend for themselves as soon as they were promoted. 

Looking at the time, Akane had about half an hour to get to the training ground - which meant they could grab a quick bite and then go. They made sure to pack some combat supplies - knowing Anko, there would be some kind of training exercise involved. Akane idly sliced some bread and toasted it, added some jam and ate quickly before heading out. 

When they arrived, with five minutes to spare, Sasuke and Hanta were both already there, and going through a series of light stretches together in silence - which meant they had also assumed that Anko was going to put them through some sort of training. Akane joined in for the last few minutes until Anko arrived. 

Arrived certainly was one word for what happened. 

Akane, Hanta and Sasuke found themselves surrounded by snakes, without even a second’s warning. And the snakes were all coiled and ready to strike. And even though they had mostly operated separately in the last couple of months, Team 6 still worked together like a well oiled machine. They danced around each other fluidly, taking down the army of snakes and protecting each other’s backs. In under a minute, the snakes were all gone, and the trio of chunin hadn’t even broken a sweat. 

Akane heard the sound of clapping from somewhere behind them, and turned to face Anko who had emerged from within the trees. 

“Nicely done, brats. Back when you were fresh genin, there was no way you’d have been able to handle that without exhausting yourselves. Sasuke, you’ve gotten far more adept with using your fire in close range. I’m especially impressed by your improvements in chakra control. Akane, those shadows of yours are a potent weapon that I hope you’ll keep refining further. And Hanta…”

Hanta let out a small gasp, which Akane assumed was one of surprise at Anko already knowing about him being a boy. 

“Your confidence has grown a hundred-fold, and you deserve to be proud of yourself for that. Heck, I’m proud of you. All of you. But enough sappy bullshit, I called you here for a reason. You three will start your rounds as baby chunin today, which means Team 6 won’t be seeing much action together for a little while. Before then, I want to test you kids. Remember the test I gave you on your first day? Time to do it all over again. Same rules - I’ll produce one shadow clone, and you have to pop it. However, things will be a little different this time.”

Once the clone had been produced, Anko didn’t jump straight into combat like Akane had expected. No, her clone stood completely still and closed its eyes. And Team 6 made one terrible mistake - they let her get away with it. Something about Anko’s clone changed as Team 6 convened and prepared to step into formation. The skin around their eyes turned purple, and the texture of their face changed, growing scaley. When she opened her eyes, they were yellow and somehow snake-like. 

“Since you kids have grown so much, I can’t afford to go easy on you. Besides, you’re not the only ones who’ve been growing stronger,” the Anko clone smirked, and then she disappeared. 

Akane wasn’t quite able to track Anko’s movements, but both Hanta and Sasuke’s respective doujutus allowed them that vital advantage. Each of them covered either side of Akane and Hanta ended up blocking a powerful strike from the Anko clone. It sent Hanta sliding back, and both Akane and Sasuke had to leap out of the way. Whatever Anko had done, it was powering her up in a way Akane had never seen before.

And there was only one fair response to that.

“Ready to show her what we’ve got?” Akiko cast the thought inward.

“Damn right.” Kurama responded. 

Akane began gently pulling chakra through the seal on their belly, letting it integrate with their own coils and encompass their whole body. The process was a little slow, since Akane and Kurama hadn’t actually practiced this yet, but both Hanta and Sasuke provided Akane the cover they needed to pull this off. 

Once it was done, Akane was shrouded in a cloak of bubbly red chakra, a singular tail extended from their lower back. Akane felt their senses sharpen as the power coursed through them. It wasn’t physical power; no, this was raw Yin chakra. While Sasuke and Hanta simultaneously clashed against Anko’s clone at close range, Akane began weaving hand signs. After a few dedicated to imposing genjutsu on a defined space, and a rat seal to pull it all together, Akane watched as the illusory lance of ice shot out of the ground and speared straight through Anko’s clone. 

Nothing happened. 

The clone should have popped, but it didn’t. There was only one explanation for that - the Anko clone was simply powerful enough to shrug off the illusion. Even with the enhancements of Kurama’s chakra, Akane’s illusion did nothing against Anko. That didn’t quite mean that genjustu was off the table, but putting something together that would be powerful enough would take too long, and risk the safety of their teammates. No, Akane would have to resort to other measures. 

Just as soon as Anko had shrugged off the fake spear of ice, Sasuke unleashed a blade of flame that sliced towards the clone’s body. Anko leapt over the blade, contorting their body midair to avoid being burnt, but at the same time, Hanta had appeared directly above Anko, hands crackling with lightning. He lashed out, barely managing to tap the clone’s shoulder. Despite making contact and singing the clone’s clothes, it wasn’t enough to dispel the clone. But that wasn’t the end of the coordinated strike. 

Akane quickly closed the distance and sent a spike of pure shadow towards Anko, and with Kurama’s chakra augmenting the jutsu, it was stronger and faster than Akane was used to. Not fast enough to strike Anko, but fast enough to tear into the ground and affect the terrain where Anko was about to land. Footing unsteady, it took her a fraction of a second longer to regain her balance, which was long enough for Sasuke to charge forward and stab a flaming kunai right into the clone’s chest, dispelling it in a cloud of smoke. 

When the real Anko stepped out of the shadows and clapped, Akane allowed the Kyuubi chakra to be drawn back into the seal. 

“Impressive, taking down my clone that fast. Even used my new technique to push you brats harder, too,” Anko commended. “Well, you pass the test. Congratulations!”

Akane and Sasuke both grinned, whilst Hanta bowed his head politely. They all knew not to let this go to their heads - they’d won that fast because the clone only had half of Anko’s chakra, and because it was just a clone. Even though they’d successfully exploited that tiny opening, the real Anko could have escaped with just an injury, undefeated. Or survived the hit and taken one of them out in retaliation. 

“Anyway, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, you have two hours until you need to report to the Hokage’s office for your new appointments,” Anko informed them.

Sasuke’s eyebrows shot up. “Appointments?”

“Yep,” Anko said, putting emphasis on the p. “Every new chunin gets appointed to one of Konoha’s specialised units for further training. The Hokage decided to delay the appointments for all the new chunin until you guys returned from Suna, so that’ll be happening later today. In the meantime, I believe you all have your own business to attend to.”

Once Hanta had been dismissed, he headed straight for the hospital. His stomach felt like it was flipping all over the place, an intense mix of feelings nearly overwhelming Hanta’s mind and body alike. Just yesterday, Akane had come to him and let him know that he should pay Tsunade a visit during her free hours this morning. He knew what it was about, and Hanta wouldn’t hesitate to take what Tsunade could offer. But that didn’t stop the angry tide of feelings that Hanta would no doubt need to discuss with Ibiki later. 

Deep in thought, Hanta barely noticed his own arrival outside Tsunade’s hospital office. Just as he was about to knock, the woman’s voice called for him to come in. 

“Hanta, yes? It’s been a while since I saw you last, and I hear you’ve been kicking up quite a fuss amongst your cl- your old clan. Honestly, I think they had it coming. So, what do you want?”

For a moment, Hanta struggled to find the words. He could feel his old stutter coming back from sheer nerves, so he took a steadying breath. This was something he wanted to say confidently, and to get right. “Akane told me that you could help me fix my body. To make it my own.”

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork, and a small grin crept onto her face. “That, I can do, kid. But before I start you on anything, you’re getting the full rundown.”

“Ughhh, I wish you’d been able to watch the fight! It was soooo intense,” Naruto ranted as the twins walked into the Hokage tower. “It was really close, too, but that Katsuki guy was just way too strong. I reckon I could have beat him if I used the Kyuubi powers, but I wasn’t allowed to use them in front of such a big crowd. And, I mean, I get why, but I coulda won! Even still, it was such a fun fight! Maybe I’ll get to spar with him again some day, and we’ll see who’s really stronger.”

Akane listened intently to Naruto’s every spirited word as he retold what occurred during the finals of the Chunin Exams. They were pleased to see that Naruto wasn’t disappointed by his loss - instead, he had learned from it. Naruto then went on to recount how boring the month after the exam was - apparently Fugaku didn’t want to send any of the new chunin who had stayed behind out of the village, so that the appointments wouldn’t be delayed any longer. 

Akane listened to Naruto ramble on for a little while longer until they arrived outside the Hokage’s office. As was becoming characteristic of the twins, they were the last ones there. Across from the Hokage stood several others: Sakura and Ino chatting side by side, Haku standing stoically in one corner, Hanta quiet in the other corner, and Sasuke pointedly not looking at his father. 

“How kind of you two to show up only three minutes late. This seems to be becoming a habit of yours - fix that,” the Hokage commanded in a tired voice. “Now, I’m sure that most of you have been informed of what this meeting is about. As the newest batch of chunin, you will each be allocated to one of our specialised units based not only on your current skill sets, but what your senseis and I have deemed to be areas for potential growth. Each of you will be dedicating the next three months to what those units require of you. After that, you will settle into your regular chunin service - consisting of primarily working in your allocated units and secondarily being assigned to missions that require your skill sets. As such, none of you should expect to serve on missions with your original teammates for at least the next three months.”

Akane noticed an almost comical expression of relief on Sakura’s face that was definitely directed towards Naruto. They would have to grab lunch with her sometime, since they’d barely hung out properly since graduating from the academy. 

“Now, for your assignments,” the Hokage continued. “Ino and Naruto, you’ll both be working with the Sensor unit, led by Inuzuka Tsume. Ino, Asuma has informed me that you’ve showed some budding talent as a chakra sensor, and Naruto, you have your enhanced senses that will serve the unit well. Sakura, your sharp mind and excellent chakra control will serve you well being trained as a field medic.”

“Akane, you’ll be serving with the Intelligence Division, specifically working with the foreign relations and diplomacy team - I’m sure you can all appreciate why,” Fugaku said, and chuckled. That was a rare sight to behold within the walls of the Hokage Tower, but the others were too busy chuckling alongside him to recognise that. Akane themself didn’t even bother hiding the smirk that emerged on their face. They could even guess what their first major task with their new division would be, and looked forward to working the case. “Haku will be working alongside the same unit as well. Hanta, you’ve been specifically requested for Torture & Interrogation. And finally, Sasuke. You’ll be serving in the Ninja Police, which I’m sure you’ve been expecting.”

Sasuke frowned, as though disappointed. The Ninja Police was led by Uchiha Mikoto, so Akane would have expected Sasuke to be pleased with his allocation. Perhaps he wanted to not be tied down by the expectations the village had of the young Uchiha. 

It was a little upsetting that Team 6 would be split up even if it was only temporary, but Akane knew it was coming as soon as they had been promoted. In good time they would reunite, and take the ninja world by storm. 

Chapter Text

Akane rolled their shoulders back, letting themself stretch out and enjoy the sense of freedom as they stepped through the village gates for the first time in three months. Three months since Suna, three months since being assigned the ‘Foreign Relations’ team. Three months of being tasked with research that wasn’t even foreign - it was all to study a single town within the borders of the Land of Fire, named Tanzaku-Gai. The town that Akane was now heading towards, accompanied by Sakura, Kiba’s older sister Hana and one of her ninken, Ichimaru, and Kotetsu as their mission leader. 

Officially, this team of four was on a mission to find an apprehend a serial killer - one who has been preying on the elderly for at least a few months now, if not longer. But of the four on this team, Akane was the only member from the Intelligence Division. Naturally, they had been given a secret second mission of their own. It wasn’t anything special - just gather any additional intel they could from the rumour mill that was Tanzaku-Gai, and report it back to their supervisor, Aoba, when they returned. Which meant that Akane wouldn’t have any time to themself on this mission - disappointing, but not unsurprising. 

“So… how have you been these past few months?” Came the sound of Sakura’s voice from Akane’s left. “Tsunade’s been working me so hard that I haven’t had time to catch up with anyone.”

Akane snapped out of their thoughts and turned to face Sakura, matching pace as they walked along the dirt road. “Mostly same as you, it seems. Between my work in the Diplomacy team and a certain personal project, I haven’t had much time for socialising. It’s weird, I feel unusually out of the loop.” 

“Mm, yeah,” Sakura agreed. “At least I have the others in the medic training group. I’ve been getting to know your cousin Karin a bunch - she seems shy at first, but I think there’s something raw and fierce hidden behind those glasses. And her sister Tayuya, she’s something else.”

“Oh yeah,” Akane laughed. “I’d never want to get on Tayuya’s bad side, that girl does not pull her punches. Did you hear she got her hitai-ate the other week?” 

“I… did,” Sakura responded, and Akane couldn’t help but notice Sakura’s cheek flush the tinest tinge of pink. 

“…oh?” Akane pried teasingly.

“Shut it!” Sakura shouted, swinging a punch towards Akane’s shoulder which was swiftly dodged.

“Well, you have my blessing!” Akane declared light-heartedly. Kotetsu signalled towards the trees, and the squad took off. There wasn’t any point walking all the way when they could make it to Tanzaku-Gai in a couple hours leaping through the trees - and so they did. 

The rest of the trip towards Tanzaku-Gai was quiet and uneventful - other than Sakura, Akane didn’t really know the other members of the team. Sure, they’d had some teasing interactions with Kotetsu in the past, but knew next to nothing about him. And when it came to Hana, well, Akane hadn’t actually met them before today. Their knowledge of the woman was limited to Kiba’s undoubtedly biased complaints during their academy days. 

Accordingly, Akane had run alongside Sakura to hold up the back of the formation, whilst Kotetsu and Hana quietly chatted in the front. When they had reached a couple hundred metres out from the town, the shinobi took to the ground and walked the rest of the way - running in at full speed risked causing alarm, which could spook the serial killer they were looking for into hiding. They opted not to use the transformation jutsu and pass as civilians - that way, the talk of town would just say that this was some innocuous, routine visit from Konoha rather than anything of note. 

“Alright, let’s get started,” Kotetsu said as they walked through the town. “Hana, take Ichimaru and head over to the local law enforcement office to get whatever extra intel they have. The rest of us will go find lodgings and settle in.”

Finding lodgings in Tanzaku-Gai wasn’t actually hard. It just depended on whether you were here to drink and gamble or avoid trouble whatsoever. Naturally, the trio made their way over to the drinking and gambling part of town, since that was where tongues were looser. Kotetsu picked an inn sandwiched between a brothel and a pub, and paid for two rooms each with two beds. Akane and Sakura took a key each, and set off towards the room they would share. 

Akane opened the door to reveal a small, dusty room with two rolled up mats sitting on one side of the room. They looked around, and let out a sigh of relief when they saw that there was an actual bathroom, rather than the bucket they’d half expected. 

“Home sweet home, huh?” Akane joked, earning a groan from Sakura. “Well, I should get our room set up, and then I’ll move on to the other one.”

“Set up?” Sakura queried as she walked inside and dropped her pack.

Akane nodded, and let out a short chuckle. “This town is gossip central, and I’m a sealmaster. I’m putting up some privacy seals, and maybe a lock and key barrier as an extra precaution.”

“Master?” Sakura asked in a teasing tone. “Bit young for that, aren’t you?”

“I said what I said,” Akane replied confidently, and got to work. They started with a basic privacy barrier - four tags around the room that would prevent sound from getting out so long as the door was shut. Next up, Akane added another four tags that set up a chakra barrier, alongside two ‘key’ tags that could be used to temporarily create an opening in the doorway. Akane handed one of the key tags to Sakura, and kept the other for themself. They set up similar seals in Kotetsu and Hana’s room, this time creating three keys so that Ichimaru would have one as well. Half an hour later, all four of the Konoha shinobi, as well as Hana’s ninken, gathered around in one of the cramped rooms. 

“So, here’s what the local investigations have pulled up so far,” Hana started, idly giving Ichimaru some head scratches. “There has been one more death consistent with the usual patterns since the request for help came in last week - another elderly townsperson gone missing, and the body turning up a couple days later. The reappearances of the bodies seem to follow a pattern as well - one to three days after the disappearance, usually in an alleyway not far from where the townsperson had lived. The enforcers had the most recent body in-house for investigation, so Ichimaru and I took a look. It seemed… dry. As though it had been decomposing for longer than the person had even been missing.”

Kotetsu nodded in understanding. “So more than likely that we’re dealing with some sort of chakra-user, or perhaps someone knowledgeable in natural processes of speeding up decomposition. Anything else?”

“Nope, that’s all I could get from them. Aside from a list of the victims, they really didn’t know much,” Kana answered. 

“Not much to work off,” Kotetsu said, frowning.

“We could make house calls?” Akane offered. “We have the list of victims, and you mentioned that the bodies turned up near the homes of the deceased, so there could be a connection there.”

“That’s a good call,” Kotetsu agreed, and stood up. “Keep to the shadows - if the connection is a community one, we don’t want to tip off the killer. If you decide it’s worth approaching a family directly, make sure to use a disguise.”

As the sun began to set, the residents of Tanzaku-Gai began either heading home or to engage in their personal vices. It was the perfect time to do something more than just observe the relatives of the deceased from the shadows. Akane had seen how they behaved, what they cared about, and their professional relationships. But many people wore masks by day that fell off at night. Furuya Yunito’s mask fell off the moment he walked through his front door. He was a plain-looking middle-aged man who worked as a small-time carpenter, mostly fixing broken walls, fences and furniture. He had a wife who helped out at a fruit market, and two children who were too young to work, so the neighbouring family, who also had similar aged children, supervised them by day. While at work, Yunito seemed… focused. He completed each task methodically, and moved from one to the next. He spoke politely to his clients, and made sure to thank them for hiring him. He even handed out maintenance advice so they would need less repairs in the future. 

At home, Yunito walked slowly. His expression drooped, and he didn’t have much energy to play with his children. His wife looked at him with an expression of understanding sorrow, and she didn’t push him hard. After finishing an evening meal, Yunito walked along a hallway and stopped in front of a photo of an elderly man - his father, perhaps. And he cried. After a couple tearful minutes, his younger child, a boy with messy brown hair, walked up to him with a confused expression.

“Daddy, when is grandpa coming home?” The boy asked. And if there was anything wrong about the boy’s voice, or his other mannerisms, Yunito was feeling too much grief to notice. 

Akane felt awful for borrowing the body of this child to extract information. Using the mind body swap technique itself was simple, but in situations like this, it just felt dirty. But it had to be done, because the serial killer was still at large and needed to be stopped.

“In a few weeks, son,” Yunito lied. “Remember how sick he was? He went to see a doctor in a nearby town, and he’ll come back when he’s better.”

Akane’s stomach sunk. Years of shinobi training didn’t remotely help with situations like this - with such raw grief being put on display. This man had no clue how to break the news to his children, so he lied. 

“Oh, okay,” Akane responded with the boy’s voice. “I’m hungry!”

Akane followed Yunito to the kitchen, sat the boy’s body down in a chair and cancelled the jutsu. Once back in their own body, Akane took to the shadows and made their way back to the team’s lodgings to report what they had learned.

And it seemed that all four Konoha shinobi had discovered the same thing - each of the victims had been sick before they died. It was unlikely that they were being killed by someone who made them sick. No, the killer had a preference for the old and infirm. Now, there was some actual information to work with.

With a few more hours to spare before Akane actually needed to sleep, they set off to get started on their secondary mission. For the past few months, Akane had been studying Tanzaku-Gai. They had learned about its economic system, its aggregate involvements with Konoha, and the trade routes that travelling merchants took in and out of the city. Travellers came from just about everywhere, and left to just about everywhere. It was a popular place for the weary and restless to ‘have some fun’. Akane had been rather amused to find a wanted poster with Tsunade’s face on it amongst the files, dated almost ten years back. 

Akane had also learned exactly where and how information moved in the cities - whilst tongues were loosened well wherever alcohol was to be found, it was the brothels that dominated the information trade. In Tanzaku-Gai, sex workers made half of their earnings from actual sex work, and the other half from a fine art of prying open travellers’ secrets. But Akane couldn’t start there - the less you knew, the more you paid. Instead, they walked themself into a bar wearing the guise of a young man with a scruffy beard and calloused hands. Just a simple blacksmith apprentice in search of some ale. 

“Whatever’s cheapest,” Akane requested to the bartender, as they sat sandwiched between two pairs of chatty men. One of them claimed to have seen a man who looked like he was part fish the other day. 

“Part fish, you say?” Akane questioned, butting into the conversation on their right. “Sounds like quite the tale!”

“Aww, pshh!” The man slammed his drink down onto the bar. “I swear, it’s true! He was blue, and wore this huuuge wide hat. Scary looking fella too, had something bandaged on his back. Shit, maybe that was a dead body bandaged there!”

The man’s friend chortled. “Nah, that’s a load of crap! If someone like that had been in town, I’da heard of it!”

“I’ll tell ya,” Akane said, trying their best to mimic these men’s manner of speech, “it does sound like a tall tale, but strange things sure do happen these days!”

The first man continued to insist that the fish-man was real, and eventually Akane decided they wouldn’t get anything else useful out of these two. They downed the drink - or at least pretended to - and took their leave. They couldn’t ask too many questions at a time, so they’d find a different bar the next night. Perhaps, later, Akane could see if anyone else had seen this supposed fish-man too. 

Chapter Text

“So,” Kotetsu started, initiating a conversation over the team’s ever so exciting breakfast of ration pills. “We actually have something to work with now - all of the families we visited yesterday had one thing in common: their murdered relatives were sick before they died. And we’ve already determined that there’s not much chance they’re being poisoned, having had different symptoms while still alive. If they were all sick, there could be a connection in the clinics interspersed around Tanzaku-Gai. Akane and Hana, I want you two to make visits to as many clinics as you can. Keep things subtle, and check their records for matches with the list of deceased. Sakura and I will look around for social places that the elderly of this town tend to frequent, and see if there’s anything to be dug up from that avenue.”

Akane nodded - it was simple enough. With the help of a little bit of genjutsu, Akane could quickly move in and out of each clinic without much trouble. Still, that would easily take up the whole day. Tanzaku-Gai was one of the biggest towns in the Land of Fire, and its large population demanded a fair deal of medical resources. Honestly, Akane was kind of shocked that they didn’t have a centralised hospital of any kind. 

Without much need or opportunity for conversation with their teammates, Akane set off straight away. Kotetsu had already procured a list of clinics, giving half to them and half to Hana - meaning Akane’s work was easily cut out for them. The first four clinics were rather straightforward - first, disguise themself with a camouflage jutsu that would make the majority of civilians want to look away and not notice their presence. Then, walk up to whatever desk or other store of records the clinic had, place another genjutsu that made the local area look unchanging so nobody would notice drawers opening or files being opened up. Check the files, scan for any relevant names, and then leave. 

Akane had almost expected to not find anything for a while - the illness connection was a good line of investigation, so it was much more likely that Akane would find the relevant patient files in groups. It was only at the fifth clinic that anything interesting happened. Before Akane even made it to this clinic’s files, they stopped. Most of the other clinics had been quiet, a few civilians stopping in need for basic care. But in this clinic sat a young woman with jet black hair and a gaunt face - she was so thin that Akane could see the full outline of her bones through her skin, and the woman was clutching her stomach in pain. 

And Akane wanted to help. They had medical training, and they wanted to at least use some kind of basic jutsu to alleviate this woman’s pain, but that was too much of a risk. Not only would it reveal their presence in the clinic, it risked drawing attention to them and getting word spread about a ninja healer showing up at a random clinic in Tanzaku-Gai. As much as they hated it, Akane had to move on. They looked away, and proceeded towards a back room where the clinic’s files were messily organised. 

And found what they were looking for. Several files matched their own list of names - accounting for maybe a quarter of the known deceased. One of the files had been sitting just to the side of a rubbish pile, and it couldn’t have been a coincidence that the matching name was towards the bottom of Akane’s list. If the patient had been reported dead months ago, why keep the file for any longer than they needed? It was a small clinic, without any great deal of resources or space. And looking through the files, Akane noticed something that only confirmed the clinic itself was somehow connected to the murders. In each file, the most recent record of each patient’s visit mentioned something about the individual being somehow untreatable, medicines no longer providing them any relief or curative effects. These victims weren’t just sick when they were killed - they were close to death with no known hope of recovery. Akane couldn’t help from wondering whether this serial killer might just be performing acts of mercy. 

With nothing else to check at this particular clinic, Akane moved on to the next one. By the end of the day, they’d found two clinics that had files on the murder victims, accounting for about two thirds of the victim list all up. With their final clinic ticked off, Akane returned to the inn and reported their findings to Kotetsu. When Hana returned a short while later, it was no surprise that she had found one more clinic that accounted for every single remaining victim. Three clinics, twenty victims. Every single victim reported to have been without hope of recovery, aside from a couple of clerical errors where the reports were missing. That was their connection.

Kotetsu and Sakura hadn’t found much more of use - a couple of libraries and card houses had been confirmed as locations some of the victims spent their time, but none of the others who visited those locations were sick or possessing information of any import. There wasn’t any more work that could be done until the next day, so Kotetsu dismissed the team to spend the evening as they each wished - which meant it was time for Akane to hit up another bar. That story about the fish-man had been intriguing, and Akane wanted to investigate further. One of the men from last night had described what could have been some kind of weapon or other object of interest, so it was certainly worth looking into. 

With a story like this, Akane needed to be a little more strategic than just bringing it up and asking if anyone had seen this fish-man as well. So, disguised as a tall, well-muscled carpenter, they made their way into another bar and bought a drink. This time, Akane needed to stay a bit longer and be even more convincing than last night, which meant they actually needed to drink the alcohol. But Akane had no intention of getting drunk, so they cast an inquiring thought inward.

“Hey Kurama, is there any chance you know some trick to nullify alcohol in our body?”

“Our body, huh… Trying to butter me up or something, brat?” Kurama chided.

“Always,” Akane teased. “I mean, we both live in this body so definitionally it is ours collectively. Anyway, can you do it?”

“Of course I can, brat,” Kurama responded. “Drink away.”

And so that was exactly what Akane did. Disguised as this tall, muscular woman, Akane downed a mug of ale whilst starting up small talk with the bartender and a couple other patrons. After another drink, they had gotten into a conversation with a wild game hunter about how some nearby bandits had been scaring away most of the animals. Apparently, to an experienced hunter, it was easy to avoid the bandits themselves, but the noisier ones made the game jumpier and harder to kill. 

On the third drink, Akane decided to bring up the fish-man. True to Kurama’s words, Akane wasn’t feeling the alcohol at all, and the bartender had remarked that Akane could hold their drink rather well. He and the patrons apparently found Akane quite friendly and easy to talk to, which was exactly what they had been working towards. It had just been a matter of sounding interested and asking questions that let the others talk and boast.

“Y’all wanna hear something real strange? One of my brothers mans one of the village gates, and I was playing cards with him the other day when we saw the oddest looking fella pass by. I swear, he looked like he was half fish, and had blue skin. I could swear I even saw a pair of gills on the guy. Weird, huh?”

Akane slammed down their mug on the last few words for emphasis, and that seemed to create the buy-in they were looking for.

“No, no!” The hunter piped in. “Three days ago, I was coming back from a week out in the wilds and I saw the guy too! Strange, I didn’t see you there… but never mind that. Did you see his cloak? It had these flash red clouds on them. The things that pass for fashion these days, huh… but I suppose if you’re half fish, you can probably get away with anything!”

Red clouds. That was good to know - if it was some kind of symbol, that might be what Akane needed to approach the brothels and buy their information on this guy. With the hunter confirming the story, Akane knew that the fish-man was real. A blue-skinned man wearing a wide hat, a potentially symbolic cloak and a likely weapon strapped to his back - definitely a point of interest that Akane should be reporting back to their team once this mission was over. 

And now that the team had a more sizeable lead on this serial killer, Akane didn’t know how long they’d still be in Tanzaku-Gai. Which meant if they were going to investigate this any further, tonight was the time. Akane excused themself from the bar, and set off for one of the more reputable establishments they knew of. 

Orange light shone through the window of Akane and Sakura’s inn room. They both groaned almost simultaneously, pushing themselves up and preparing for the day ahead. And as they idly performed various bodily maintenance tasks, Akane thought back to the previous night. They had singled out the woman who was truly in charge of the brothel they’d visited - not the fake leader that put on a pretty face for actual customers. They had said all the right things, and even paid the right price… and found nothing. That brothel had been the go to venue for information trafficking, and they knew nothing of this blue fish-man, nor anything about the red clouds. Akane had hit a dead end. Even if they had more time, asking around in too many places would draw too much attention. It was too risky, so all Akane could do was report back the small amount of information they knew and leave it to the rest of the division to decide whether or not to investigate the red clouds further.

A couple minutes later, Kotetsu and Hana arrived for the morning meeting. The instructions were yet again straightforward - now that they knew the clinics were connected to the murders, it was time to investigate them a little more thoroughly. It was still too soon to do anything drastic or active, so they would just watch from the shadows. Catalogue any particularly sick patients, watch for anything suspicious, and wait. 

The waiting was boring. Kurama wasn’t interested in conversation, and Akane couldn’t exactly pull out a notepad to scratch down ideas for fuinjutsu without risking blowing their genjutsu camouflage - and thinking over their current project without something to write on felt dangerous. Akane didn’t want to come up with a brilliant idea and not write it down, only to forget it later - that would be far too tormenting. And the people-watching was barely fulfilling either. Nobody matching the potential victim profile had come into Akane’s assigned clinic that day, nor was anybody acting out of sorts. Nothing had come up - Akane could only hope that one of the others had found something because they did not want to do this for another day. 

When the sun started to set and the clinic closed for business, Akane started making their way back to the inn. They took a back-alley route, keeping to the theme of subtlety. A back-alley route that Akane had expected to be as uneventful as the rest of their day. A back-alley route that Akane definitely didn’t expect to contain a dead body.

And it wasn’t just any dead body - no, Akane recognised who this was. It was the sickly woman with the stomach pain from yesterday. And her body was drained, just like the elderly victims that the Konoha team had been investigating. But she wasn’t old. Sick? Yes, but not old. Still, if this was connected to the other murders, that meant the victim list could have been larger than they knew. If there were other young victims…

Akane sealed the woman away in a specialised black scroll designed for bodies - Kotetsu had given each member of the team one towards the start of the mission in case they found any new victims. Naturally, the first thing Akane had done was study the seal so they could reproduce it, rather than think about the implications of what it meant to have to seal away a dead body in a scroll. And here they were, doing exactly that. Akane returned to the inn, and explained the situation to Kotetsu, who had been waiting around on standby in case anything came up. 

“I want to say it’s a good find, but there’s nothing good about any of this,” Kotetsu said. “You found the body, so take it over to the guard station and show them, see if they think it fits the profile of the other victims they’ve seen, despite the age gap.”

Akane pivoted right back out the door, not even taking a moment to sit done. This mission was getting less appealing by the minute, and they wanted this over with. They made their way over to the guard station, and asked around for whoever was most familiar with the serial murder case, finding a weathered man with barely greying hair hunched over a desk in the back of the station.

“I need to show you something,” Akane declared as a means of announcing their presence, and then unsealed the scroll. The body appeared on the floor beside the man’s desk with a pop, and he almost leapt out of his seat in surprise.

“What are you doing? Explain??” The man demaned, thoroughly flabbergasted. 

“This body, does it look like the others?” Akane asked.

The guard blinked, and gave Akane an odd look. “You… do know that the victims are all elderly, yes? That is, you ninja folk actually talk to each other, right?”

“Of course we do, but that wasn’t the question. Let me be more precise - does the drained feature of this corpse look the same or similar to the way the other victims appeared drained?”

The guard slowly nodded.

“Okay. Thank you. Have you or any of the others seen any additional corpses in the last few months that were similarly drained, but not elderly?”

Again, he nodded. “But… all of the murder victims were old, we didn’t think the other two younger folks were killed the same! They weren’t… right?”

Akane sighed. “Look, fair enough. You guys didn’t know about the connections between each victim that me and my team have found. All of the victims were terminally ill, or at least presumed as such. Two others, you said? Do you have their names or any other information on them? I just need to confirm that they fit the pattern we’ve found.”

The guard scurried out of his chair and pulled out a couple of loose files from a cabinet nearby. Akane had to admit - for a run of the mill town guard station, this place was organised. The files they had been handed were detailed - they included pictures of the corpses, names of the deceased and any basic information the guards had managed to pull up. 

“Thank you for these, I’ll run them by my team lead,” Akane said, and took their leave. 

Upon their return to the inn, Akane found Kotetsu, Sakura and Hana in deep conversation with a single file sitting in front of them. Beside Hana, Ichimaru was wagging his tail proudly.

“Good, you’re back,” Kotetsu said. “Come take a look at this.”

Akane sat down in a gap between Kotetsu and Sakura, and looked over the file - it was an employment record of sorts from the clinic Hana had been assigned to. It showed a photo of a scruffy, middle-aged man with short indigo hair and a tan overcoat. It had his name - Shinko Daichi. According to the file, he wasn’t formally one of the clinic’s doctors, but he came by every now and then to help out, and was accordingly paid for his services. 

It took a moment, but Akane managed to connect the dots without being told. The clinic that Hana had been assigned to today was one of the ones Akane had identified, not the one she had. And Ichimaru was looking especially proud of himself. The ninken had picked up on a familiar scent from the previous day - the scent of Shinko Daichi. 

“His scent was at two of the clinics, right?” Akane asked, just to confirm.

Hana nodded. “It’s more than that, though - not all ninken can detect individual chakra signatures with their smell, but Ichimaru is one of the ones who can. And he could smell chakra off the guy, enough to match the levels of most genin, perhaps even some chunin. And according to my friend here, there was something in that chakra scent that Ichimaru had never detected before.”

“Get your gear ready, we’re moving out in ten minutes,” Kotetsu instructed. “Hana pulled his record from her clinic today because she was confident this might be our guy, but it’s only a matter of time before someone notices the file is missing and reports it. If this is our killer, we need to take him down now before he catches on.”

“Got it,” Akane said. “Oh, and for the record? The body I found matches the drainage pattern, and there were two other recent young victims who had been found the same way. The guards never mentioned anything because they thought the age made the cases unrelated.”

Just as Akane was turning to leave for their own room, a thought occured to them, and they paused. “Actually… once we track him down, can I take the lead? I probably have the best tools suited to a quick and quiet capture. Besides, I want to ask this Shinko Daichi something.”

Chapter Text

The unique chakra signature had mostly confirmed that Shinko Daichi was the killer - it was certainly enough evidence for Kotetsu to make the decision that the team would make their move to take him down without any more delay. So, they took to the rooftops. Once the squad had reached one of the clinics, Ichimaru picked up on Daichi’s scent and took the lead. Large though Tanzaku-Gai may be, it only took the team of ninja a minute to reach the seemingly abandoned warehouse in one of the shadier parts of town. The warehouse was in dire need of repairs, probably not far off from losing its structural integrity. 

Ichimaru padded forward towards the door, sniffed at it, and returned to Hana’s side. Quietly, he barked something that Hana obviously understood - the mechanism of how the Inuzuka could understand their ninken so well was something Akane had never managed to figure out.

“He’s here, but not alone. None of the others have any notable chakra signatures, though, and Ichimaru says some of them smell sick.” Hana glanced towards Kotetsu. “We letting Akane go in first, or moving together?”

“Akane first,” Kotetsu replied. “You can handle yourself in there, right?”

“Course I can,” Akane answered confidently, reaching into their pouch and handing Kotetsu a paper tag. “Here, I threw this together just before we left. I have a matching tag - if I activate it on my end, yours will light up. If it does, that means you should come in.”

At Kotetsu’s nod of understanding, Akane stepped into the warehouse. At first glance it was mostly empty, aside from a few stray wooden crates. But towards the back, Akane spotted a trap door with a dimly-lit candle sitting next to it. Quietly, they walked over to the trap door and pulled it open. Down the stairs, Akane found a room that looked like some sort of bare bones clinic or medical wing. A small handful of sickly-looking people were sitting in chairs on either side of the room. At the back, Shinko Daichi sat calmly at a desk with one of the apparent patients by his side. Akane watched as Daichi picked up a crimson-coloured crystal of some kind and pressed it into the patient’s chest. Some sort of red energy flowed out of the crystal and into the patient. The man’s features brightened up, and he smiled. 

“It works! It actually works!” the man exclaimed. “I feel so much better now! I can’t thank you enough, doc!”

“Please,” Daichi said gently. “I’m just happy that you’re okay.”

And Akane wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Shinko Daichi, who was almost definitely a serial killer, was running some kind of underground clinic and providing people with medical care. 

Daichi had just started to call up the next patient when his eyes landed on Akane. They had made no attempt to disguise themself for the raid, hitai-ate on full display. A look of recognition settled over Daichi’s face, and he sighed. “Next patient!”

A woman rose from one of the chairs and hobbled over to Daichi’s side. As she walked, she was clutching her hip and limping, clearly in pain. She sat down next to Daichi, and Akane made no move to stop her. They wanted to see what happened next, to make sure they understood what was really going on. Just like before, Daichi held up a crystal to the woman’s chest, energy flowed from the crystal into her, and she got up. After thanking Daichi, the woman walked away, no sign of her earlier limp. 

Akane hadn’t seen wrong - he really was using some strange ability to heal people’s illnesses and injuries. Just like they had begun to suspect, this was extremely far from a simple black and white mission. A plan began forming in their head - one that unfortunately required Akane to clear the remaining patients out. As much as they wanted to just let Daichi heal the rest of them, they could only get away with so much insubordination and rule-breaking. 

“Everybody out now,” Akane commanded, stepping into the light so that their hitai-ate could be more easily seen. Although hesitant, all of the patients - healed and unhealed alike - made their way out, leaving only Akane and Daichi in the warehouse basement. “Sorry about that, Daichi, but we need to talk.”

Once again, the scruffy-looking man sighed. “Yeah, I suppose it was only a matter of time before I got caught.”

Akane walked forward, unafraid to get close to this man. “Please don’t try and resist, I guarantee you it won’t go well.”

Daichi shook his head. “No, I have no plans of trying to escape. I knew this would happen eventually, and I’m not a fighter. So, what’ll it be? Are you going to kill me now or take me to the guards? Either way, it’ll probably end the same.”

“Hopefully neither,” Akane admitted, and Daichi looked up in shock. “I wasn’t sure what to make of you until now, but I don’t think you meant to hurt anyone. Tell me, how does your ability work?”

Daichi opened out his palm, revealing one of the crystals for Akane to see clearly. “I have this power, just like my mother did. I can… pull a person’s life force out of their body and make these crystals from it. And then, I can put that energy into someone else to heal them, like you saw.”

Akane hummed. “And that energy can heal… anything? Or are there limits?”

“Depends how many crystals I have, and how much energy is in them,” Daichi explained. “I guess you’re wondering why I didn’t just heal all those other people, instead of taking their lives?”

“Kind of, but I think I can piece it together, mostly,” Akane said. They could never remember much from their past life, but one almost-memory had resurfaced over the last couple of days - the memory of how they died. It wasn’t complete, but Akane knew one thing - they had been given a medication to allow them a painless passing when there were no other options left. “They were all in too much pain, and didn’t want to live anymore, right? Even the younger ones - I’ll bet that they had just lived with too much pain to want to get better.”

“Huh, sounds like you’re somehow… familiar with this. And yes, you’re right. Especially with the younger ones, I made absolutely certain that they wouldn’t be convinced. Even when I told them that I could heal them completely, they had nothing left - not physically, but emotionally. It’s difficult to see, but I have this gift, and I can use it to grant people mercy they deserve.”

Akane nodded. “But not something that you can do in the open. At least… not here. And not like this. I have one more question: can you draw out only part of someone’s life force? And if you do, can they get it back on their own?”

Daichi laughed. “That’s two questions. Yes, and yes. I didn’t jump into this blindly, I made sure to understand my ability before doing anything I wasn’t prepared for. So, if you’re done asking questions, am I about to find out your intentions here? You’re a pretty inquisitive kid.”

The way Daichi answered Akane’s questions and kept up the conversation so casually, so unfazed, only confirmed what Akane had hoped was true - this man fully understood the meaning of his actions, and had accepted whatever would come of it. And because of - not despite - all of that, he made the most of it. Shinko Daichi deserved a chance to do more good with his power, and he wouldn’t get that in Tanzaku-Gai. Most people probably wouldn’t understand, would find Daichi’s actions repulsive, but it truly wasn’t that simple. He was thorough, careful, and compassionate. He gave terminally ill individuals what they needed, instead of forcing them to cling to life at the pleas and demands of their loved ones. And even if he were never to take another life again, Akane had no doubt he would want to heal people anyway - and he had the tools for it. 

“I can’t promise any success since I’m not in charge on this mission, but my hope is to take you back to Konoha, where you can use your ability in a more legitimate setting,” Akane replied. 

“Konoha, huh? Wouldn’t have been my first choice since folks tend to be better off there, but I suppose I’m not really in any position to make requests or demands,” Daichi conceded.

“No, unfortunately not,” Akane agreed. “But word travels, so who knows?”

“Really?” Kotetsu explained, exasperated. “Fucking… really? What are you up to, Uzumaki?”

Akane smiled with faux-innocence. “Nothing, I swear! I told you, I just think that we should take Daichi back to Konoha, and figure out what to do with him there. He was running a free clinic down there, which means he may well have a reputation and a community that will stand to protect him. Leave him here, and Tanzaku-Gai might end up with even more trouble on their hands - in the form of a riot. Do you really want to risk that?”

Kotetsu groaned. “Knew I should have asked for you to be replaced… fuck. Fine, take him back to Konoha tonight. But you better watch yourself, Akane. One day your meddling is gonna get you caught up in some fucking rough shit. Got it?”

“Yes sir!” Akane exclaimed, cheerfully. “One more thing though - you three should probably stay here for a couple days? Someone will need to explain things to the town guards, and Sakura should probably stick around in the clinic. Patients will come seeking Daichi’s healing again sometime over the next couple of nights, and if they find out he was taken away they might not be happy. Sakura, if you can give them whatever healing you can provide, that’ll probably help pacify them a bit.”

Kotetsu rolled his eyes. “Just… get out of here. And stay out of trouble!”

Akane took that as their cue to leave immediately, tugging Daichi along by a rope that they had tied his hands in to try make things more convincing. The two of them quickly stopped by the inn so Akane could collect and seal away the rest of their belongings, and then made for the town gates. Travelling by night wasn’t necessarily the safest, but Akane could handle themself well enough. And if Daichi was willing to be carried, they’d make it back to Konoha well before dawn.

Everything had been fine. Peaceful, even. No signs of trouble on the road, nothing at all wrong. And then suddenly, fear. Killing intent, roaring at them from behind. Akane whirled, and came face to face with a giant man with blue skin, a shark-like face and a cloak adorned with red clouds. 

“I heard you’ve been asking around for me.”

Chapter Text

Akane grabbed Daichi and leapt back, trying to create some space. This man exuded such overwhelming power that if it came down to a fight, Akane needed him out of the way if they wanted even a sliver of a chance of surviving. The man made no move to chase.

“What do you want?” Akane asked, trying desperately to keep the tremor out of their voice.

“You’re the one who’s been asking around about me, so I figured I’d just… come and say hi,” the man responded. His words sounded friendly, but the way he said them… it sent shivers down Akane’s spine. “The name’s Hoshigaki Kisame, though you won’t live to share it.”

And with that declaration, Akane’s first instinct was to size the man up as best they could. He wore a Kirigakure hitai-ate with a slash running through it - meaning he had left and renounced his village. And with that piece of information, Akane was certain that the object strapped to his back was one of Kiri’s seven swords. 

“Won’t I?” Akane tried, hoping that a little bit of bravado could save their life. “I mean, killing me here would only draw attention to your elusive organisation, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

“Oh please,” Kisame laughed. “You don’t know anything about us, and even if you did… nobody will know what happened to you. That red hair of yours… an Uzumaki, huh? You guys are pretty rare, so I hope you live up to your clan’s reputation and make this fun. And from Konoha too - you must be one of the jinchuriki brats. Damn, we weren’t supposed to start hunting you lot just yet. Just my luck!”

Hunting jinchuriki? Fuck, this is bad. I need to escape right now!

Kisame laughed again. “You must be thinking something like ‘I need to escape with this new information’, right? Don’t even think about it.”

Akane ran through their options. If they wanted any hope of escaping, they would have to somehow incapacitate Kisame - and that really didn’t seem likely. No, the only way Akane was getting out of this was with help. The signal tags! The rest of the team were probably too far away, but if Akane could buy just a few seconds of time they could adapt the seal to boost its signal - though it would be costly to pulse out a signal at such long range. 

An idea entered Akane’s mind. It was a bad one - if they survived this, they would truly struggle to repay the debt created, but they needed a distraction and this was their best option that didn’t take time to set up. Without waiting for Kisame to move first, Akane bit their thumb and slammed it into the ground, pouring much more chakra than usual into the technique. “Summoning Jutsu!”

A giant white goose, almost as tall as the threatening man in front of Akane, appeared in a cloud of smoke. It was wearing a shimmering golden crown, and had a full-sized nodachi propped up in its beak. It looked at Kisame, and honked a low, bone-shaking honk. 

“The fuck are you supposed to be?” Kisame asked the bird. “Other than dinner.”

And Akane got to work. They leapt even further away, grabbing the tag from their pouch and using their still-dripping bloody finger to paint a singular addition to the seal in several places. Then, they poured chakra into it and just prayed that Kotetsu would see the light on his own tag, and understand what it meant. Knowing that they couldn’t afford another moment of distraction, Akane returned their attention to where they had left Kisame and the giant goose. 

Kisame had drawn his weapon, and… Akane didn’t quite have the words for what they were seeing. The ‘sword’, if it could even be called that, looked alive. It mostly consisted of scales, with a mouth right at the very end of the ‘blade’. And that mouth was clamped onto one of the goose’s wings, and it was… Akane could see the chakra being drained out of the goose and into the sword. Within moments, the goose was dispelled from the sheer lack of chakra to sustain its presence. 

Kisame had a chakra-eating sword. Akane had heard of it, from their research into Kiri’s famed weapons - after all, if they wanted to recreate that kind of creation, they needed to know more about what kinds of weapons had already been made. This one was undoubtedly Samehada - the only one of the seven swords which was sentient. Something must have been sealed inside it to make that work, and the implications of that horrified Akane. But they didn’t have time to be horrified, not if they wanted to make it out of this alive. 

“Kurama, I’m not sure if you’re seeing this right now but I’m going to need as much help as you can give. You in?”

“I’d rather not die alongside you; reconstituting my form is a pain in the ass. I can give you three tails, but that’s as much as your body will be able to handle right now.”

The cloak of chakra that enveloped Akane felt corrosive. Akane had practiced with a single-tail cloak before and it had been nothing at all like this. Kurama’s chakra was painfully hot, and Akane quickly understood why Kurama couldn’t supply them with more - even in this form, Akane wasn’t sure they’d be able to last for too long. But it would give them a major boost in power, and Akane just hoped it would be enough to survive. They were well aware - and now directly acquainted - with the way Samehada could drain chakra, so they would need to try and keep a distance, and that meant…

After running through three seals, Akane sent the entire area up in flames. None of them were real flames, but if Kisame wasn’t able to detect the genjutsu, they would be real enough to him. But when Kisame walked through the flames like they were nothing, Akane cursed aloud. Akane’s genjutsu was enhanced with a third of Kurama’s strength, and did absolutely nothing to their opponent. Even if a more powerful illusion were to work, Akane’s bets were on it barely holding for more than a second anyway. So genjutsu was no longer a viable option.

Akane also doubted that their seals would be of much use - barriers produced by seals were still made of chakra that could be consumed, and-

They could be consumed. Samehada would eat the seal whole. If Akane could create some kind of ‘chakra virus’ with a seal, that might actually be enough to incapacitate the creature. If they could draw up a seal… perhaps something that would make any nearby chakra go wild, kind of like what they’d done with Seimei’s tomb… Meaning Akane needed to buy more time. 

But they couldn’t. In order to get the amount of time it would need to create that kind of seal, Akane needed help. Without genjutsu or standard barriers being an option, Akane just didn’t have any other tools at their disposal to stall Kisame whilst also keeping their hands free to draw the seal. No, the only option was to survive long enough for the others back in Tanzaku-Gai to arrive. They sent another pulse into the signal tag for good measure, and threw it to one side. Instead, Akane drew their wakizashi, and realised that they really needed to master Haku’s trick of doing hand seals with only one hand. 

Using a level of speed that Akane could only barely keep up with, Kisame flickered forward, and Akane felt their sword arm being yanked upwards to block the incoming strike. Akane cast a thought of thanks towards Kurama, and pulsed their chakra through their wakizashi. The repulsive force crashed outwards, launching Kisame and his giant weapon a couple metres back.

“Well, that’s an interesting trick,” Kisame mused. “This should be fun!”

And just like that, he closed in again. But this time, Akane was ready. They swung their blade into position to defend, blocking the giant, squirming shark-like sword. But the same trick wouldn’t keep working, so Akane had to mix things up. They used the boiling chakra tails to lash out at Kisame. But all it took was a slight twist of the man’s wrist and Samehada intercepted the tails, while still pressing against Akane’s much smaller sword. Samehada squirmed faster, and Akane could feel the chakra being sucked away. It wasn’t just disturbing, it was horrifying. The tails flinched backwards, once again settling behind Akane’s smaller form.

Kisame was gaining on them - a moment more and he’d be able to push Akane to the ground. If that happened, it was all over. This chance, this new life, gone just like that. No, Akane wasn’t going to let that happen. They couldn’t just give up, and leave their precious people to pick up the pieces after their death. No. They pulsed more chakra through the wakizashi, sending out another wave of force. Kisame held his ground, but that was fine. This time, it was Akane who let the force blast them backwards, gaining some space.

Before Kisame could gain on them again, Akane chucked the sword backwards, catching it with one of the three tails. Their hands moved through a short sequence of seals automatically, ending in a Rat. Shadows shot out of the ground, spearing at Kisame’s position. But he was fast. Too fast. The spears of darkness couldn’t keep up. Akane added a few more desperate seals, creating a wall of shadow between themself and the enemy. Another seal, and Akane swapped places with a stray branch off in the distance.

And they had been stupid enough to hope Kisame wouldn’t find them straight away. When Samehada ripped into Akane’s leg, they screamed. It came out as a kind of sharp gurgling sound under the cloak of Kurama’s chakra. The chakra that was being sucked away even faster now. Akane had no time to think, only to react. They used the Substitution technique again, swapping back with the same branch. Clutching their fast-bleeding leg, Akane ran towards Tanzaku-Gai, Daichi already long forgotten. 

Get closer to their team, cut down the time before they would arrive. They ran, and kept running, not looking back. Moving as fast as they could. At an estimate, Akane had made it maybe half a kilometre before Kisame appeared right in front of them. Suddenly, Akane couldn’t breathe. They were trapped, unable to move, confined in a sphere of water. Kurama’s boiling chakra cloak made the water warm, but there was only so much it could do.

“You can stay right here,” Akane heard from Kisame’s muffled voice through the water. “Until you pass out. It was a good try, kid. Survived longer than most, but this is the end of the line for you.”

Unable to breath, move, or do anything to help themself, Akane wondered what would happen next as the jinchuriki cloak faded away. Would it be quick? Would their second life flash before their eyes? Perhaps the first life too? Would Naruto be okay? Would he be able to move past the grief and live a full life, or would it consume him? And their teammates… not from this mission, but their genin team - would they make it in this world? Akane’s vision started going dark, and…

Air flooded into their lungs. Akane fell to the ground, gasping for each and every breath. They felt movement, and pain - it took a moment, but Akane realised that they were being dragged across the ground, something sharp digging into their already injured leg. Once their breath had stabilized, Akane opened their eyes to see a concerned face looking over them from above.

“You’re a troublesome brat, you know that?” 

It was Hana, and her gruff voice was the best thing Akane had heard in the last hour. The next thing Akane felt was the cold sensation of healing chakra. They slowly pushed themself up, and saw Sakura leaning over their injured leg, a hand over each injury. 

Akane was alive. They were alive, and reinforcements were here. But would it be enough? Tentatively, they turned around to look behind them. After encountering that monster, Akane almost didn’t want to look again. But they had to. They had to see what was happening, because this wasn’t over. 

The sight before them was just as bad - perhaps even worse than experiencing it first hand. Kotetsu was going up against Kisame alone, wielding a giant, spiked mace-like thing that more resembled a conch shell than an actual weapon. And while it was large enough to keep Samehada away from his body, Kotetsu was still taking a beating. He couldn’t keep going alone, he needed help. 

“Go, my leg is fine now,” Akane insisted. “You guys need to use everything you’ve got - do not hold back.”

“Ha!” Hana barked, and Ichimaru matched her with a short howl of indignation. “Still trying to give orders? Chances are, we’re not all gonna make it outta here alive. Sakura, Akane, if either of you see a single viable opening, you run. Use whatever you need to make it back to Konoha alive, and tell the Hokage what happened here. I recognise this guy from my mom’s Bingo Book. Hoshigaki Kisame, S-Rank missing-nin from Kiri. The order is flee on sight.”

“But-” Sakura tried to interject.

“Shut it, rookie! You have your orders. The moment you can, you run,” Hana cut over her. The next second, she and Ichimaru were gone. In their place was a giant, two-headed wolf. The wolf launched into the fray, leaving only Akane and Sakura behind.

“You’ve trained under Guy, so be honest - do you think you could keep up with that fight without getting in the way?” Akane asked, grabbing onto Sakura’s arm before she could move anywhere.

“I- no,” Sakura admitted. “I can track high speeds, but I can’t match them.”

“So go,” Akane said, tone insistent. “Curve around the fight, or tunnel past it if you have to. Go, and tell the Hokage that a group of rogue ninja wearing cloaks with red clouds are hunting jinchuriki.”

“Hunting jinchurki? Then… it’s true? That you’re-”

“Just go! We don’t have time for this! I’ll catch up as soon as I can,” Akane interjected. “Oh, and if you find Daichi somewhere along the way give him a ride.”

“I’ll call for reinforcements,” Sakura said, and then she was gone, tunnelling underground and to safety.

Akane needed to follow suit, and soon. They couldn’t just run - even if their remaining teammates were keeping Kisame busy, he wasn’t just going to let a jinchuriki go without an even bigger fight. But now that Kisame was being kept busy, Akane had time. Time that they needed to prepare that seal, and hope to whatever gods may be out there that it worked. There wasn’t much point in hiding - Kisame had already made that clear. So, in plain sight, Akane got out a blank sealing tag and their brush, and got to work. Blood would have to be the ink conduit if there was any hope of this working, so Akane sliced into their left palm with a kunai and turned it into a stinging, but effective, inkpot. In the centre of the seal, Akane wrote a large symbol for chakra dispersion - something to ensure that the seal’s effects spread fast and far. Around it, Akane let the brush dance across the paper almost as fast as their mind, colouring the small tag with delicate symbols that would hopefully create the desired effect. 

A minute later, the seal was ready. All Akane needed to do now was figure out a way to get it inside Samehada’s mouth. The one idea they had, Akane really didn’t like. They flickered half of the distance towards the ongoing battle - close enough for their genjutsu to reach Kisame, but far enough to have a small modicum of safety. This illusion would have to be powerful - the most powerful they could possibly come up with. They still hadn’t gotten a chance to spend any significant amount of time seeking genjutsu training from Kurenai, so the best they could think of was to layer a standard technique with an absurd amount of chakra and repeated hand seal sequences. 

Fifteen seconds later, Akane weaved the final seal, and blew into their specialized metal whistle. The genjutsu was executed, and Akane watched as Kisame froze. He froze, but not before managing to get behind Kotetsu and slam the hilt of Samehada right into the small of Kotetsu’s back. As Kisame froze, Kotetsu fell to the ground, unmoving. But Akane couldn’t stop to think about what that meant. No, they had to move. 

While Kisame was paralyzed, Akane dared to get up real close with the freshly designed seal in the palm of their right, unbleeding hand. They close enough to look into Samehada’s squirming, tooth-covered mouth. 

And they shoved their whole hand inside, and let go. Akane yanked their hand back hard enough to almost lose their balance. But they kept their eyes on Samehada and watched. Watched as it squirmed harder and faster, and grew. It grew, and grew, and grew until it exploded. Akane was blasted backwards, hitting the ground with enough force to hear the sound of several ribs cracking. Hana and Ichimaru’s fused form was bulkier, and they managed to mostly hold their ground. And Kisame?

Kisame was blinking, staring with disbelief at the hilt of his weapon - and only the hilt. The rest of Samehada was gone - or more accurately, everywhere. 

“The fuck?” Kisame asked quietly, visibly stunned and struggling to comprehend what he was looking at. And then he was gone. Kisame was gone, and Akane was still alive. But… 

Kotetsu. 

Akane got up, ignoring the shooting pain in their side, and stumbled over to Kotetsu’s prone form. They pressed a finger to the jugular vein, and felt nothing. No pulsing, no hammering, not even the smallest of movements. Kotetsu was dead.

Chapter Text

At full speed, it only took an hour to get back to Konoha - Hana, Ichimaru and Akane didn’t dare go any slower, not wanting to risk Kisame returning to chase them down. The sheer shock of Akane’s plan succeeding was enough to scare him off temporarily, but there was no certainty that he wouldn’t come back for revenge once that wore off. No, they had to get back as fast as they could. The entire way back, Akane couldn’t stop themself from eyeing the large black scroll strapped to Hana’s back. Hana wore it gingerly, constantly readjusting as though to ensure that no harm came to the scroll. 

Truly, Akane had no idea what to make of the situation - this had never happened to them before. They still hadn’t figured out what they were supposed to feel about Kotetsu’s death - they were unsure if, or when, the feelings would even surface. But all the same, it was a grim reminder that this world was dangerous. And Akane was weak. If their improvised seal tag hadn’t worked against Samehada, there was no doubt that Kotetsu wouldn’t have been the only one to die. No, all of them would have lost their lives against that too-powerful man. 

When the gate guard, Kamizuki Izumo, saw their return, his face lit up into a grin. Sakura had doubtlessly informed him of what happened, so perhaps he was excited to see the rest of the team arrive? But then, as they drew closer, Izumo’s searching eyes settled on the black scroll. He fell to his knees. Kotetsu and Izumo were rarely seen without one another. Most people said that they were remarkably close friends, but Akane knew better. Those two shared a powerful love, a romantic companionship that ninja often found difficult to come by. And Izumo had just lost his life partner. 

“I… I had a feeling, but I didn’t want to believe it,” Izumo said before he broke into inconsolable sobbing. 

Akane pressed a hand gently against the man’s shoulder. “Go, I’ll cover your post until someone comes to replace me.”

Izumo managed a small nod, and followed Hana into the village. He made no move to go his own way, which was unsurprising. He probably wanted a chance to say one last goodbye. Akane morbidly wondered if Izumo would ever be okay again - if he would find a way to move forward, or do what a scarily large number of ninja did after losing loved ones - throw themselves into dangerous missions with no regard for their own lives. 

Akane noticed a clipboard with a series of notes and files atop Izumo’s now vacant desk. It contained basic records of those who were currently outside the village, with a categorised list marking those who were expected to return soon. Fortunately, there was also a procedural guide for processing unplanned arrivals - which Akane needed, having no training in the role of guarding the gate. But this was good; Akane could keep themself busy, and put off making their report. Because once that happened, once they returned to their team within the Intelligence Division to make their report, the happenings of this mission would be sealed in a way that made it all real. 

Covering Izumo’s station kept Akane busy for all of an hour, before another chunin that they didn’t recognise came and relieved them of the position. There was no more putting this off - Hana would have made the report about the official mission to the relevant people, which meant that Akane’s first stop was to Aoba, their Intelligence supervisor. After that, they could go speak to the Hokage about Daichi. And then? Akane wasn’t sure what they would do next, or how they would even feel. 

It didn’t take long to get to the office complex Akane had been assigned to, not by the rooftop route. They dropped in through a window, not in the mood for wasting time with the door. Finding Aoba was a simple task - he was usually either in his own private office or in the simulation room - a room that had a bunch of screens and a map-covered table in the middle, which was used to discuss a variety of scenarios and plan many of the Foreign Relations Team’s missions. At this point, he was alone in his office. Good. Akane figured this was the kind of intel that needed to be distributed extremely carefully. 

“Hi,” Akane managed awkwardly, without any of their usual composure.

Aoba looked up from his desk. “You’re back, and rather soon at that.”

“We finished our core mission, but there were… complications on the way back. Kotetsu was killed.” And it was my fault, I fucked up while gathering intel and it almost cost the whole team’s lives.

Aoba frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. This is your first teammate death, correct? After this report, please go find a mentor you trust to guide you through this. Losing comrades is never easy, but the first time is always the hardest.”

Akane nodded, not sure what else to do. “Thank you. Have you heard of an organisation that wears cloaks covered with red clouds?”

“The Akatsuki? Only rumours,” Aoba said, and Akane could feel his stare grow more attentive and intense from under his dark glasses. “They’re supposedly a mercenary group originating from Ame, but little is known about them. I haven’t come across any indication that their operations were below board.”

“I have reason to believe this Akatsuki are planning on hunting Jinchuriki in the near future,” Akane stated, ignoring the sheer horror of the fact that they were being hunted by an organisation that may well have others just as powerful as Hoshigaki Kisame. 

“Your proof?”

“I was attacked by one of its members, Hoshigaki Kisame. That’s how Kotetsu was killed. He explicitly stated that they were planning hunt Jinchuriki soon.”

“Shit. I’ll pass this on to Jiraiya. Anything else to report?”

Akane shook their head, and took their leave. They expected to feel worse after making that report, but it had just been too clinical to affect them. Even the way that Aoba had directed them to seek support had been distant, removed. It had made everything that happened seem so far away, which somehow wasn’t what Akane needed right now. They needed to feel something, but perhaps that would come later. Right now, they needed to head to the Hokage’s office and deal with the whole Daichi situation - assuming Sakura had in fact found him and brought him back to Konoha. 

The Hokage’s office looked empty when Akane arrived upon the windowsill outside, so they knocked and let themself in. Fugaku didn’t say anything, instead just looking at them as though waiting for them to speak. Usually, Akane had a lot to say. But right now? They just wanted to get through the essential details and leave. 

“Did Sakura bring a man named Shinko Daichi with her?” Akane asked simply, and Fugaku nodded.

“He’s in a holding cell elsewhere in the village, awaiting a decision as to what will be done about him. I expect you have some grand ideas, if you’re here asking about him,” Fugaku intoned wearily, but Akane was going to grant him reprieve from his expectations coming true.

“Daichi should be given an opportunity to work in Konoha’s hospital. Do with my suggestion what you will.”

Just as quickly as Akane had arrived, they left the same way they came. They fled down towards the tunnels, seeking out Orochimaru’s lab. The dam was beginning to break, and they didn’t want to be around anyone else when it did. They found the Sannin standing hunched over a series of vials, mixing up some kind of clear concoction. 

“Congratulations on surviving your first run-in with the Akatsuki,” Orochimaru said suddenly as soon as Akane entered the laboratory, without even turning to see who had entered. 

“You know already? And you know about the Akatsuki too?” Akane asked, already quickly bewildered.

“I was informed that during the period for which I have no memory, I was once one of their members. And yes, word travels quickly in Konoha; all you need to do is listen,” Orochimaru answered, as if that explained anything about how they could have listened in on news that had only occurred in the past few hours. Perhaps they had heard through Sakura’s arrival earlier that there was a clash with an Akatsuki member? There were still many mysteries about how all that information had slotted together for Orochimaru, but Akane wasn’t particularly interested in figuring that out at the moment.

“How do you do it? Deal with comrades dying.”

“Badly,” Orochimaru answered with an odd-sounding snicker. “I’ve never had the best track record when it comes to death; part of why I spent many years attempting to cheat it altogether. Jiraiya was the best of us, when it came to that.”

“Really? Jiraiya?”

“Even if I only crossed lines with my research after Danzo’s involvement, my coping tool was to turn to dangerous experimentation. Tsunade developed a fear of blood, one which she is still learning to overcome. I believe Jiraiya had the answer that would suit you best - any time someone he cared for died, he resolved to train harder and grow stronger. Death is the cruellest of gods, and there is no way to defeat it. You can, however, take things into your own hands and become someone who protects those around you with renewed vigour and intent.”

“Thats….” Akane paused. “I’ll have to sit on that for a while. I just- I thought I’d feel more. Izumo’s already broken, and I know it’s because of how close they were. Hana was far quieter, and clearly pained on the way back, but all I can feel is numbness.”

“It will come eventually,” Orochimaru advised them. “Do not rush yourself, and when it comes? Let it out. Oh, and be warned - you may find yourself laughing at the funeral, if you choose to attend.”

Laughing? Akane pondered Orochimaru’s words here and there as they wandered home. Everything they said had been unexpected, from an admittance to coping poorly with death right through to the remark about laughing at funerals. Truly, Akane had expected some kind of formulaic process to dealing with the death and moving on, but Orochimaru had supplied nothing of the sort. If anything, the conversation had left Akane feeling even more blank? They were counting on the emotions flooding in at some point because this was just disconcerting. Maybe at the funeral. Akane held out hope, and cast the thoughts aside as they turned the corner beside the Shiranui residence. They noticed a shock of blonde and orange upon the rooftop, and leapt up to join their brother.

“Sup,” Akane said, no other conversation starters coming to mind.

Naruto looked up, and Akane could immediately see that he had been crying. “O-oh, you’re back?”

“Naruto, what happened?” Akane asked, the edge of demand creeping into their otherwise gentle tone.

“It’s… nothing. How did your mission go?” 

“We- Kotetsu died. We were attacked on the way back.”

“Oh,” Naruto said, eyes returning to the rooftop tiling below. “Now my stuff feels silly.”

Akane sighed. It was just like Naruto, to see someone else hurting and think that he had to put his own issues to the side. “You’re allowed to have feelings. You know that, right? You can even have them on my behalf, since I’m still pretty numb about Kotetsu.”

“It’s silly, but fine. I asked Haku out, and he said no. He just… looked at me all confused and told me he wasn’t interested. And I know it was just a small crush, nothing like with S-” Naruto abruptly cut off, but he had said enough and Akane could already guess who he was talking about. But Naruto didn’t need Akane bringing that up right now, so they willed themself to pretend it never happened. “Just… it stings. He was so… unfazed?”

“You can’t control other peoples’ romantic interests, and it doesn’t reflect on you,” Akane offered, feeling a sense of familiarity in the words. It felt like something carried through from Akane’s past life, something that came from years of forgotten experiences. “But yeah, it still sucks. But I reckon you’ll find someone. Someone who fits with you like Izumo did with Kot…etsu…”

There. There it was. The feelings, the tears, the sudden inflow of sheer horror. The way it had happened so fast. The way Kotetsu was gone, and would never be able to come home to Izumo again. The fact that it was at least partially Akane’s fault - they were the one who had failed to consider the fact that other people and organisations had their own spies who could overhear Akane’s amateur attempts at gathering intel. The way that someone had just died, and would never get to experience the world again. Kotetsu was just… gone.

“Well, I’m going to have a mental breakdown right now, if you want some crying company?” Akane managed to joke before the gentle flow of tears turned into a bawling cascade of raw, unfiltered grief and fear. And just like Orochimaru had advised, Akane just let it all out. There was no effort to hide the feelings or to mute them in any way. No, they just let themself cry, and scream, and curse the world for being so cruel. 

Eventually, both twins ran out of tears. At some point during the cryfest, Naruto had wrapped his arms firmly around Akane, leaning his head against their shoulder and just holding them tightly. It helped. Naruto’s presence grounded them, as it always had. 

“I’m going to get stronger,” Akane declared. “I can’t keep relying on teammates to protect me. I’ll ask Guy to train me in taijutsu, and perfect seals that allow me to hold my own. I’ll get Kurenai or Itachi to help me with my genjutsu.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Naruto agreed reassuringly. And then he noticed someone approaching from the distance. As the figure drew closer, Naruto fled.

“Haku,” Akane acknowledged quietly as the other joined them up on the roof. “I know you don’t always notice these things on your own, and that’s okay, but coming here was a poor choice. What Naruto asked you meant something to him, and while you had every right to turn him down, he needs some space from you now. We should go elsewhere. You are here for me, yes?”

“I see,” Haku said slowly, nodding as he processed Akane’s advice. “And yes, I am here for you. We have a brief mission, off the records.”

The two of them set off, and it didn’t slip Akane’s attention that Haku was leading them towards the edge of the village. “So, he’s come with an update?” 

Haku nodded, wisely not wanting to reveal any information regarding who or what was being discussed. The duo then fell into silence, which Akane appreciated. They were still recovering from the tidal wave of emotions that had struck them down out of nowhere, and relished in the brief opportunity to pull themself back together. The two of them quickly climbed the village walls, and leapt towards the trees. They couldn’t exit through the gates, not for this. 

In continued silence, they ran several kilometres, wasting no time to travel but also taking caution to avoid any patrols, hunters or anyone else present in the expansive forest surrounding Konoha. This was the sort of mission that needed to be kept quiet; nobody could know until the right moment had come. Haku led Akane into a small underground cave, and they were quick to notice the handful of privacy seals pasted around the entrance. Good - their… informant had a sealsmith on his side. 

At the end of the cave stood a tall, muscular man armed with a menacingly gigantic sword. Haku abandoned all semblances of unreadable composure and leapt towards the man, throwing his arms around the hulking figure. “Master!”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve missed you too,” responded Momochi Zabuza in fond voice, barely able to contain a smile of his own. 

Chapter Text

The sound of hammers striking against hot metal in an uncomfortably warm room was not Akane’s first choice of morning experience while in Konoha, but today was different. About nine months had gone into this project, and finally Akane and Genki had something to show for their work. It was, by far, an incomplete prototype, but Akane wagered that it would be impressive enough - assuming the seals retained their structure and function when Genki was done hammering the blade into its final shape. The blacksmith had come a long way with this new technique, months of trial and error going into creating a new metalworking technique that could leave seals intact throughout the inner layers. And Akane had spent time almost every day for each of those months tuning their ideas for seals, calibrating the script to be compatible with chakra metal. Once that had been mastered, they also had to get the chakra to flow in the right directions and not cross over with itself, which was far easier said than done. But they’d figured that out too, and now they had a working prototype, probably. 

Prototype or not, though, this weapon was getting put to use. The seals had been crafted with some of Akane’s weaknesses in mind, and even if the blade couldn’t do anything too intricate, it should be able to output a great deal of power in ways Akane couldn’t manage alone. They had gotten the idea for this weapon from Kaiza Katsuki’s Tsukikosei - but the Mahou no Tsue, as Akane had decided to name it, did something completely different to the shape-changing weapon. Still, the inspiration would probably be evident if Katsuki ever saw it. Or if Naruto ended back up in Tsukigakure and blabbed about the weapon to his friends there, which was more likely than Akane wanted to admit. 

The hammer’s blows came to a stop, and Genki let out a heavy sigh. “Well, it’s done. Give it a few minutes to cool off, and it should be safe to test. You sure about that name, though?”

Akane grinned. “I mean, yeah? It’s pretty apt, given the function. And hey, I need something fancy to tell the Hokage, now that he’s found out about this little project of ours.”

Genki scratched at his head bashfully. “Yeah, sorry about that. I swear, you drunkenly brag about your accomplishments ONE time, a sneaky ANBU bastard overhears and then you never get to live it down.”

Akane shrugged, not too phased. “Word was going to get out eventually - and besides, I was planning on taking it on my next big mission, which is definitely gonna get word spread. And when I get back? We can work on the final version of this - since the seals can’t be modified once the metal gets folded over them, only way to improve these weapons is to make them fresh. You’re still in, right?”

“Bah! Of course I am. We’re making history here!” Genki exclaimed confidently while picking up the ornate wakizashi by the hilt, now that everything had cooled down. The blade component was black, with a series of intricate wave-like etchings running up and down the middle. Those weren’t actually connected to the seals, but rather a decision Genki had come by to make the weapon look flashy. The guard was made using a red-tinted metal, and the hilt was covered in red patterns as well. A singular white gemstone sat at the end of the hilt - that piece, at least, wasn’t for show. The gemstone was rare, but it was useful for picking up chakra from the blade’s wielder and channeling it through the rest of the blade more cleanly, which allowed for far more efficient conversions throughout the network of seals folded into the chakra metal. The scabbard was comparatively plain, a simple black leather casing for the weapon with a string tassel hanging off the end. 

After Genki was done testing the weight and admiring the blade, he passed it off hesitantly to Akane. They needed to take it and do a test run in the next room over before reporting to the Hokage, just to ensure that everything was in working order. Once in the next room, Akane channeled a not insignificant amount of chakra through the blade, watching with glee as a spear of ice formed right at the blade’s tip and launched straight ahead.

Uchiha Fugaku sighed. When the three Sannin had shown up together in the village all those years ago and shared the finer details of a plan to overthrow Hiruzen with Fugaku designated to take over as Hokage, he had accepted. He knew that being the Hokage would be a lot of work, and take away time he wanted to spend with his family, but he had agreed all the same. Konoha had needed an Uchiha Hokage to seal the growing rift, and it was a far better option than the civil war his clan was tending towards. But if he had anticipated the extreme pain in his ass that Uzumaki Akane would be, perhaps he would have turned the role down.

“So, what do you think?” Akane asked, smiling with a feigned innocence that Fugaku had long since learned to interpret. This was their way of saying ‘I am well aware what consequences will come of my actions, and I’m gonna do it anyway’. Fugaku let out a weary sigh. The soft spot he held for the child due to their closeness to his son was becoming easily outweighed by the frustration at just how much harder they made his job.

“I think that if we weren’t looking forward to an alliance with Kirigakure, I would have ordered this weapon to be sealed away so that Kiri could never find out. I assume you’ve anticipated how they’ll pester you for your secrets?”

“Of course. But it should be fine, right? If anything, once Genki and I get more of these weapons made, it should act as a war deterrent, the same way the Seven Swords did for a little while after they were made. Yes, other villages might try to steal the weapons, but I already have an idea to counteract that - it’s not perfect, but I think I can get the chakra-conducting gems to be coded to specific individuals’ signatures.”

Yep, Akane was going to be the death of him. They were right, of course - doling out these kinds of powerful weapons to Konoha’s forces would definitely deter those looking to pry apart the village’s weaknesses and start a war, but the amount of work Fugaku had to do to control the flow of information and keep various parties satisfied was just far too much. He really ought to start training a successor, at least to take some of the burden of his work. Perhaps Itachi would suit? No, not only would Fugaku be accused of hedonism, his eldest son was never one for leadership. The Sannin were too old, and the teenager standing before him was both too young and too predictable. Perhaps Kakashi, then? Fugaku filed away the thought for later.

“Now that I’ve seen your demonstration,” Fugaku started hastily, realising that he had been silent just a little too long, “we should get on to business. Your fuinjutsu skill alone provides enough merit to warrant a promotion to the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin, but your experience isn’t quite where I’d like it to be for you to take on that role. You’re only fourteen, and you’re still too brash. Still, I won’t deny the importance you have for the upcoming mission - the team of you assigned to this mission are likely to be involved in a confrontation with Kirigakure’s jinchuriki. My information indicates this is most likely the Mizukage. Given your… reputation, you have to be around for that conflict, to manage a potential Bijuu attack or otherwise contain the Mizukage’s jinchuriki abilities. 

“I’m hesitant to bestow this promotion, but at the same time I don’t want any misuse of power or conflicts of authority on this mission so I am temporarily promoting you to the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin. Depending on the outcomes of the upcoming mission, I may choose to leave you with that rank, otherwise I’ll ask that you reapply in a year’s time. Do not misuse this authority. Understood?”

Akane bowed their head. “Yes, sir. Is there anything else?”

“No,” Fugaku said, shaking his own. “Do you have somewhere to be?”

“My dad’s running the bell test with his new genin team in about half an hour, and I was hoping to watch,” Akane answered honestly. “I figure it should be fine, since we only head out tomorrow morning, yeah?”

Fugaku nodded. He recalled Sasuke mentioning something about a younger friend of his from the Academy graduating early and being placed on Genma’s team - it must have been Hiruzen’s grandson. Genma had finally taken on a team, and he was getting a rather unruly bunch. There was an Uchiha on the team too, a child from one of the outer branch families that Fugaku regrettably wasn’t too familiar with. 

Without any delay, Akane disappeared through the window, and the Fifth Hokage let out an embarassingly long sigh of relief. 

Akane was hardly surprised to find Sasuke perched atop a branch of one of the many trees in Training Ground 3 that had a good view of the main clearing by the river. Of the three genin assigned to Genma, Maru was one of them - he and Sasuke had been close ever since that babysitting mission almost a year back now. Maru had graduated from the Academy unsurprisingly early, what with the speed he picked up new skills. He had a lot of natural talent for a variety of ninjutsu styles, and the work ethic to back it up. Akane honestly just worried for the other two on the team, hoping they would manage to bond well with Maru and not get torn down by his near-compulsive need to get stronger and be recognised for his own merits. Genma had shown them the file the previous night - Maru’s two teammates were Uchiha Anzu and Yuuhi Eichi, both of whom had their own unique skills. Anzu was known in her academy class for having impressive tactical foresight, redirecting others away from subtly dangerous decisions with a degree of skill that could one day rival the Nara clan with the right support, but she wasn’t too great with ninjutsu yet. Eichi had a skill with genjutsu that was quite characteristic of the Yuuhi clan, but lacked the taijutsu skill to keep himself safe. Meanwhile, Maru was an incredibly talented ninjutsu user who could almost be mistaken for somehow having the Sharingan’s ability to copy techniques. His main weakness was his tendency to rush into the fray, something that would undoubtedly make him butt heads with his teammates.

Akane looked forward to watching Genma pick apart each and every one of their weaknesses and see if they could still function as a team. But there was still some time before the fun began, so they swung down to land beside Sasuke and tapped him on the shoulder. “Excited?”

Sasuke shrugged. “Maru will do fine, I just wonder about the others. Anzu has a tendency to come across as a little bossy, so I’m worried she and Maru will explode at each other a little too much. Still, should be fun to watch.”

Akane leaned companionably against their childhood friend. “Mmm, and Genma won’t go all that easy. I’d even bet he’ll go for Maru first, just to make a show and spook the other two. He’ll probably back off after that, give them time to recuperate and see what happens.”

“How are you feeling about this? About one of your dads taking on a team?” Sasuke asked, and it was an amusing question that Akane had wholly expected to come up at some point or another.

“It’s not a big deal or anything - if anything, Naruto and I get a chance to poke fun at him while papa tries to keep the peace. What about you and your feelings? Gonna pluck up the courage to talk to Naruto? He is quite upset that you’ve been ignoring him lately.”

Sasuke almost fell out of the tree, and Akane would have given away their own presence howling with laughter if he had. Once Sasuke had regained his balance and calmed the flush of red invading his face, he mustered up a retort. “I’m- I didn’t mean to ignore him, but you try hanging out with someone who can never return your feelings.”

Akane shrugged. “Don’t really get those kind of feelings so I’m not sure I can fulfill that request. I won’t push, but you really should go talk to him sometime.”

It was painful, honestly. Naruto and Sasuke had now both been pining after each other for at least a year but they were so bad at this whole romance thing that they found every excuse to believe that the other could never feel the same way. Akane wished they could just sit the two boys down and force them to talk it out, but that would be far too hard to pull off. Maybe after Akane and Sasuke got back from Kiri, they could try and engineer some kind of situation to force the two boys together. 

Sasuke mumbled something incomprehensible and jabbed an elbow into Akane’s hip. Akane tensed up so that it wouldn’t hurt as much, directing a small flow of chakra to the area to bolster their defenses. It was one of the numerous taijutsu tricks Guy had taught them over the past six months, and it really paid off in small situations like this. Before long, Genma’s new students started arriving, noticeably keeping their distance from one another. Akane had woven a small camouflaging genjutsu over themself and Sasuke, which not even the Yuuhi kid had picked up on.

A couple minutes later, Genma arrived and sighed at the state of his new students. “Seriously, you three are going to need to get along if you want to survive. Eh, nothing a shared trauma or two can’t fix. Anyway, let’s get on with the test. Here are the rules - I have two bells, and you need to get them off me by lunchtime. Whoever doesn’t end up with a bell gets sent back to the academy.”

When not a single one of the fresh genin picked up on the obvious contradiction in what Genma had said, Akane smacked a hand over their face in dismay. Genma wasn’t actually going to fail them, even if this test was a complete and utter abomination, but it was still almost sad to see how little the three of them noticed. One of their first lessons would have to be about seeing underneath the underneath, and Akane felt quite sorry for Genma who wouldn’t have Sora to vent to in the evenings for at least the next few weeks. Naruto was definitely going to get held hostage for conversations he was entirely uninterested in. Well, not much Akane could do about that - even if they tried to suggest adding Naruto to the team, Fugaku would never allow it. Sending both of Konoha’s jinchuriki on this mission was a recipe for disaster, even if Naruto was almost up to five tails of control now. Besides, Naruto wasn’t exactly known for stealth and precision, which was key to this entire operation.

Sasuke jabbed Akane again, this time to snap them out of their thoughts, since the action was starting. Exactly as Akane had predicted, Genma went for Maru first. The Sarutobi kid had an incredible mastery over both the Shunshin and his array of Fire Release techniques, but Genma was literally Konoha’s go-to ninja when it came to the most precarious and difficult of assassination missions. He was one of the very best when it came to both speed and catching enemies off guard, and Maru never stood a chance. He was knocked out in one strike, caught mid-shunshin, which aptly terrified the other two genin, so much that they fled without even trying to take Maru’s unconscious body with them. Akane knew for a fact that if Kakashi had been the jonin sensei here, the entire team would have been failed outright just for that. Retreating to find an opportunity to rescue their teammate would have been the best option here beyond at least attempting to intervene combatively, but outright abandoning a teammate? These kids needed work, and they were lucky that Genma was particularly forgiving and had taken a liking to the trio based on their files alone. 

Akane and Sasuke both continued to watch, silent whispers missed by the genin as they commented on the trio’s performance. Genma even dropped by to say hello at one point, but had to flee quickly as the three genin drew closer. Finally, they had grouped up with some sort of plan, which was good. But Akane couldn’t resist the opportunity to meddle, and sent a relatively basic genjutsu infused with Kurama’s chakra their way. All they had done was pop up an illusory earth wall in front of the team. The Yuuhi kid looked at it suspiciously, but clearly didn’t have quite enough experience to think to just dispel the illusion, given the way that he ran at it. Watching him smack head-first into a literal illusion was kind of amusing, but Akane decided they had meddled enough and dispelled the illusion to let them pass.

“That was mean,” Sasuke chided. “Funny, though. Isn’t that kid a Yuuhi? Surely he should have been able to dispel it on his own.”

“He probably thought he could just ignore it,” Akane suggested. “Even if I’m the only one who can do that with genjutsu, the kid needs to learn to dispel illusions when he has the time. Powerful illusionists can do some pretty funky stuff too.”

“But not reality-warping. Because that’s what your ability is, just so we’re clear,” Sasuke said in a jokingly irritated tone. 

“I mean, aren’t you working on getting the Mangekyou? That’ll probably give you equally absurd abilities, so no complaining!”

Sasuke groaned. “My mom is dead set on me taking the same route as her in unlocking her abilities, and reckons it’ll probably take me a few more years at least. Still, beats the alternative path.”

“Plus, isn’t she literally stronger than the Hokage at this point?” Akane offered, and Sasuke let out a subtle smile. It was true, and those close enough to the main line of the Uchiha clan all knew it - Mikoto had surpassed Fugaku in terms of skill a few years back, even if she rarely went on external missions these days.

The duo returned to watching the new genin team’s bell test, finally leaving after all three of them were neatly tied to the stumps in the middle of the clearing with Genma jangling the bells right in front of them.

After hanging out with Sasuke a little bit longer, there was really only one thing Akane had left to do before tomorrow’s mission departure, and it was going to take the entire afternoon so they headed straight home and stuck a “do not disturb, fuinjutsu in progress” sign on their bedroom door. All the strategy meetings had already taken place sporadically over the past few months, since this was a huge operation to be involved in. The choice of ninjas assigned to the mission made a great deal of sense - six jonin all of whom were extremely well versed in stealth and diplomacy whilst also being capable of extremely high level combat, Akane as the tokubetsu jonin who was primarily there as a safety measure, and three other chunin who were specifically selected. Sasuke and Hanta were both ninja that Zabuza could vouch for despite their lack of international reputation, and Haku was an obvious choice given the location of the operation. The mission? Take over Kiri, and turn over control of the village to the rebel army. 

For a mission this huge and this sensitive, Akane needed to make sure that they were completely prepared, which meant pulling every stop in their arsenal. They had the Mahou no Tsue ready to go, but that wasn’t nearly enough on its own. No, Akane needed to prepare as many seals as they could - which they had been working on for the past week. But what good was a mountain of seals with nowhere to keep it? Traditional sealing scrolls couldn’t store more seals inside. The concept of adapting a sealing scroll for that purpose wasn’t new, but it also wasn’t trivial at all. And beyond that, what was the point of storing hundreds upon hundreds of seals if the only way to pull them out was all at once? It wasn’t going to work, and Akane had spent the past couple days drafting ideas to solve that particular problem. The solution had come to them yesterday, but it was going to take hours of intricate work to design. 

The design itself was genius, something Akane would forever be proud of, despite its apparent simplicity. The seal was designed with a kind of quasi-compartmentalisation, that had an algorithm for sorting the contents within by storing items with a certain pattern of encoded chakra and then releasing those same contents with the same pattern. Akane had managed to design a seal that would respond to the basic hand seals. For now, they had encoded regions to each of the twelve core seals, with an additional axis for quantity. Form a seal and then tap the scroll to draw an item out from that section. The more chakra you put in, the more contents you draw out from the section. Later, Akane could potentially increase the complexity with hand seal combinations, but twelve storage sections would do for now. After several hours of drawing out the seal and condensing it onto a singular scroll that could fit into Akane’s pouch, they started loading tags into each of the twelve compartments. With only twelve slots, Akane had to be mindful of which kinds of seals to load in. Half of the slots were taken up by different kinds of barrier tags and explosives, whilst the other half were loaded with more esoteric, situational tags. The one that Akane was most proud of was the Overload tag, which had been inspired by the fights with Seimei and Kisame - it flooded the target’s system with viral chakra that would turn the user’s chakra against them and fry their chakra coils. Being generalised to any individual, it wasn’t quite as powerful and could have its effect negated by anyone skilled enough to quickly flush the viral chakra out of their system. Still, it could put weaker enemies out of commission quickly without causing them any permanent harm - perfect for a mission like this.

Once everything had been loaded up, night had already begun to fall. Now laid out on the floor of Akane’s room was a larger scroll containing all of their general supplies, the smaller seal scroll and Mahou no Tsue. There were also travelling clothes folded into a neat pile to put on in the morning, alongside a more standard pouch filled with kunai, shuriken, wire, ration pills and soldier pills. Everything was physically ready, but Akane still had one more piece of mental preparation to do. 

After taking one of the ration pills in place of a family dinner downstairs, Akane sat on their bed and pressed a hand gently against their belly. They allowed their mind to fall back, and entered into their shared mindscape. The springwater was the same, though the trees in the background were different - they were flowering, all sorts of colours now gracing the Kyuubi’s home. Kurama sat by the wooden bars, peering down as though he had been expecting Akane’s arrival.

“So?” Kurama asked, the singular word supplying a full question that Akane had been more than anticipating.

“Everything’s ready, physically. All that’s left is the matter of Isobu. I took your advice, and pushed for both Sasuke and Itachi to be on the team, just in case. You really think he’s under a Sharingan control?”

“I can feel traces of all my brethren, and Isobu’s chakra changed a few years ago. It felt the same as what happened to me on that night, so I’m more than certain. If you want to minimise casualties in this little operation of yours, you will have to-”

In a manner that Akane had never seen before, Kurama completely froze up. His jaw locked, as though some kind of invisible mechanism was slamming it shut. Akane couldn’t feel any kind of invasive chakra, and nothing was shifting in the Bijuu seal. “Kurama?”

The invisible grip on the fox’s mouth loosened, and Kurama let out a groan. “It would seem that my lips are quite literally sealed. Just… be careful. There is more danger to this mission than you may think. Isobu’s actions are not entirely fir own.”

“Noted,” Akane said, giving a slight nod. “Then I won’t take chances.”

“I know. You’ve become far more cautious in the past months - just take care not to let that caution hold you back.”

Chapter Text

From the first light of dawn, Konoha’s Kiri Siege team had roughly an hour before their planned departure. Sasuke was a little surprised to have been placed on the mission at all, but he did know Zabuza and Haku, and he figured that the familiarity with two of the Kiri Rebels would help the others to adjust, and to more fully accept Konoha’s support. But he’d made little to no progress with his Sharingan in the past nine months - most of which had been spent becoming familiar with the Konoha Police’s operating procedures and getting his hands dirty with whatever work his mother had for him. At the very least, the police were nothing like what the stories said they were a generation or two ago. Now, instead of enforcing calm and earning the ire of the village whole, Uchiha Mikoto had broken down and rebuilt what the force did. They did a lot more work with providing mental health support services and using their resources to resolve issues peacefully. Only on the odd occasion would force be used, and even then it was with restraint.

Still, Sasuke felt like he was once again falling behind. Sure, his mother was continuing to train him personally, but he was losing out on experience. The only one of his friends who was stuck in the village like him was Sakura, but she was training to be a field medic under Tsunade, and learning something active. Despite how much good Sasuke’s assigned division was doing, the work left him restless. He knew why he was allocated to the police, of course - with Itachi in line to become either a future Hokage or enter some other high up position in the village whole, Sasuke would be expected to one day inherit the police force. Not that he even wanted it, but it didn’t feel like he had a choice.

This mission though - it would give Sasuke the experience he was missing. It was an S Rank mission; and not just any S Rank mission, it was one that would influence the political landscape of the elemental nations. Surviving something like this would certainly make a difference - and maybe it would be proof enough that Sasuke was better off in the field than being trapped into the local police service. 

A knock came at the door to Sasuke’s room. “Brother, are you prepared for our departure?”

“I am,” Sasuke answered. “But don’t we still have an hour?”

The door slid open, and Itachi stepped in. “I thought it would be beneficial to spend some time training.”

Sasuke eyed his brother - over the past few years, he felt like he was falling out of touch with his brother. Neither of them really knew how to interact with each other - ever since it was made clear that Itachi was favoured to be the next Hokage, he’d been taken away on mission after mission, and then kept busy with a genin team of his own. The brothers, who were already not quite close, had barely any time to spend with one another, and so they drifted apart. 

It was a good opportunity, at least. Grow more familiar with the style and skills of one of his teammates on such an important mission, and more importantly, have a chance to get to know the person his brother had become. “Sure, let’s go.”

Sasuke made a point of not taking from any of the tools or supplies he had set out for the mission; he wanted to keep everything clean and ready. It was an S rank mission, so there was no room for error. The family dojo had plenty of high-quality, weighted wooden and steel weapons for training with, and there were often kids from the clan coming in and out to clean and maintain them. It provided an opportunity for younger members of the Uchiha clan to become acquainted with weapon care, as well as to meet and get to know the members of the main branch, even if the interactions were brief. There was one such young Uchiha in the dojo when Sasuke and Itachi arrived, even in the early hours of the morning. If he remembered right, her name was Haruko.

The girl scrambled to leave, probably made nervous by Itachi’s presence. His name bore weight in the clan, but not many got the opportunity to know him. Before she left, Sasuke called out. “We’re just about to train. Would you like to watch?”

“U-um… I don’t want to get in the way!” Haruki declared.

“It’s fine, you can stay,” Itachi offered, which made Sasuke glad. She really needed to hear it from him, since he was the source of her worries. “Keep to one spot by the wall, and you won’t get hurt.”

Haruki bowed deeply. “Thank you very much for the opportunity!”

Her reaction made Sasuke feel uncomfortable. The more he got to know about the deep-seated issues with the structure of the Hyuuga Clan from Hanta, the more he began to view his own clan through the same lens. While the Uchiha didn’t practice such barbaric rituals as physically binding branch members to the control of the main branch, there was this sense of automatic authority and power that the main branch held which Sasuke didn’t like. It didn’t feel right that he was just better than his relatives by virtue of who his parents happened to be, and he didn’t want his clan mates to feel that they owed him subservience. It was why he made an effort to remember the names of those he met, and tried to learn little things about them. That was all he could do for them now, and it felt significant in and of itself.

Lost in thoughts, it took an extra moment for Sasuke to realise that Itachi had been calling his name. “-suke. Sasuke. Are you with me now? You can’t afford to zone out like that on the mission, or you’ll get yourself and others killed.”

Sasuke nodded, and returned his attention to his brother. “I know. It won’t happen again. Shall we begin?”

“Taijutsu only, we’ll go for three rounds and see how much time is left.”

It felt odd - after all this time, only now did Hanta realise that he would have to confront the choices he had made about his ninja career, no, about his life, in the eyes of his friends. His friends, who had become his true family - nine months since being gifted the Uzumaki name, and only now did he start to worry. Hanta knew why he was being assigned to this mission; it wasn’t just because he was one of the skilled chuunin who was acquainted with Momochi Zabuza. There was one other reason: Uzumaki Hanta had been trained as a torture specialist. None of the jonin on the mission had the same degree of training, despite having seen Yugao around the T&I building from time to time. Even Yamanaka Sora didn’t know how to work like Hanta did. Sure, Sora could break into the minds of the enemy to procure information, but it was Hanta’s job to loosen them up first.

What would the others think when they eventually saw Hanta work? Would they be scared, or even repulsed? Everyone who served as a ninja knew that things could get messy and violent, but torture was a completely different kind of violent, and Hanta had never actually talked about his work at T&I with his friends. Hanta had kind of fallen into the line of work after being looked after so much by Ibiki - the man who had become more of a father to him than Hyuuga Hiashi could ever be. Ibiki had directly asked for Hanta to be assigned to his team, which was one of the highest compliments Hanta could ever recieve - it was an acknowledgement that Hanta had gotten so good at looking after his mental wellbeing that he could handle everything that came with torture work. He could compartmentalise without losing sight of what it was he was doing. He could inflict precise, controlled measures of pain upon others without going into sympathetic overdrive or losing the ability to care. The others at T&I were some of the kindest, albeit most erratic, people Hanta had met, and they understood.

But would Akane? Would Sasuke? They would respect his skills and the necessity of his work, surely, but would they still look at him the same way? Hanta could only hope. And if they didn’t? Perhaps Hanta could take leave from work after the mission, and travel to Suna for a few weeks. He and Gaara hadn’t seen each other since the mission in Suna, though they had written to one another weekly. They talked about their lives, their problems, their growth and their joys. Gaara had become a friend that Hanta had never expected, but treasured in a way that felt inexplicably different to all the others. The two of them pushed each other to grow, and found solace in one another in times of hardship. Hanta missed them dearly - maybe he would go see them after the mission was over anyway.

Akane was ready - with everything laid out the previous night, they had time to go get some breakfast downstairs. It was probably going to be the last proper meal they had for a while, so they wanted to enjoy it. Apparently, Sora had the same idea, and had prepared enough miso soup, rice and fish for two. Akane slipped into the seat across from Sora where their food was laid out, and mouthed a word of thanks. But beyond that, Akane wasn’t sure what to say. The two of them had never been on a mission together, only heard stories of one another’s adventures. It would be… emotionally peculiar - to say the least - running head-first into danger with one of the men who had become parents to Akane in this world. Akane wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“How are you feeling about the mission?” Sora asked, his face gentle and welcoming, but not patronizing in the slightest.

Akane shrugged. “Ready enough, I suppose. Not like it’s my first time going up against S-Ranked threats. At least now I know what it’s like, and I’m prepared.”

“That’s good. At least now I finally get to know what that ‘need to know’ report was from your first big mission! Can’t say I’m suprised by you running around and shaking up international relationships like that. Always the meddler,” Sora teased, and took a spoonful of soup. “Hanta didn’t make it home last night, do you know what’s up with that?”

“Mmm, he probably crashed at T&I - I’d imagine he wanted to have the space to clear his head. He’s never opened a conversation about his torture work before, so I can imagine him being anxious about how the rest of us will take it,” Akane suggested, feeling a little guilty and complicit, not knowing how to tell Hanta that it was okay. “On an unrelated note, have you had a chance to check out Genma’s newbies?”

“Only their files,” Sora answered. “That Maru kid seems like a piece of work, I hope he’ll be able to learn teamwork.”

“If Genma doesn’t have that covered, Sasuke will. He and Maru have been close for a little while now, and Maru tends to listen to him. Maybe once everyone’s back we can have Genma’s team around for dinner?”

Sora smirked. “Between you and Naruto, this family really just keeps on growing, huh? Speaking of, how are Karin and Tayuya?”

Akane smiled fondly. “Being kept busy, but I think they’re both happy like that. I swung by their apartment a couple days ago, and they’ve really done the place up. Karin’s steadily working her way up in the hospital ranks, and Tayuya seems like she’s about to blow a fuse at Sakura’s utter inability to make a move.”

Akane finished the last of their food, and started moving dishes to the kitchen sink. Sora did the same, and the conversation continued. “Sometimes people are just like that. Genma was, that’s for sure. It took several months after we met and hit it off for him to ask anything of me, but I think he was nervous to ask too much since he had you two, and you were his priority. Perhaps Sakura is in a similar situation, with priorities that keep her busy?”

Akane mulled it over for a moment. “No, it’s probably not that. I think Sakura’s just failing to comprehend that the feelings are actually mutual.”

Sora dried off his plate, and turned towards the stairs. “When we get back, track down Raido and ask him about the intervention he staged for Genma. Well, I’d better get ready. I have to go ahead and meet with Kakashi, so I’ll see you at the gate.”

Ten Konoha shinobi were standing gathered at the village gates, early enough in the morning that most of the village was still asleep. It was by far the largest team Akane had left the village with. There probably would have been more people gathered just to see the team off, but Naruto and Anko were away on some secret training mission with Lee, Kiba, Tenten and Shino, all of whom were preparing for the upcoming Chuunin exams in Suna. So, they gathered quietly without anyone to see them off for an extremely dangerous and volatile mission that could unfold into the next major war if it went wrong. 

Along the way to the Land of Water, the team was going to have to stop off at a port town to gain passage across the sea; specifically, they were headed for a small port town near the border with the Land of Tea. The first option had originally been to go via Degarashi Port, which was in the Land of Tea, but the local political climate had posed too much of a risk. There were two warring clans that competed for control over the town every four years in Degarashi Port - it was all well and good that they had a mostly peaceful means to select leadership, but there was just too much risk that the Wagarashi family, who had lost the last competition a year ago, would sell out the Konoha team for even the smallest crumb of power. So, instead, the team travelled to a small port in the Land of Fire. Both ANBU and Intelligence reports agreed that there was a greater presence of Kiri spies in the Land of Fire’s port towns, so the team needed to pass through and board a ship without being caught. 

The trip to the port town was fortunately quite peaceful, especially considering the group were posing as an eight person trading caravan with only two guards. A short kilometre from the port, Sarutobi Asuma, who was disguised as the ‘leader’ of the caravan, pulled everyone off to the side of the road. “Alright everyone, I know we’ve been over the port plan already, but I want to review it once more before we head in. Yugao and I will meet with the rebel contact in the fish market and confirm that everything is running smoothly. We all have a copy of Akane’s signalling tag and they’re connected together. Expect communication in an hour; one pulse means everything is proceeding according to plan. Two means we meet back here to figure out a new plan, and three means there are hostiles. In the latter case, dispatch them without being seen. The rest of you will operate in two groups of four, maintaining your disguises. Kakashi, Sora, Akane and Sasuke will order food at the pub and hold position, whilst Itachi, Guy, Hanta and Haku will purchase typical seafaring supplies, load them into crates and barrels, and carry them over to the port’s loading zone and stand by.”

Akane nodded, and glanced towards the other members of their allocated group. They were all already changed into their disguise clothes, with very minor transformations that would be harder to detect. Without much further delay, everyone returned to the main road and entered the port town. It was small, not too lively, and efficiently organised. There wasn’t much space, so every stretch of land had a purpose. The market ran in a straight line with five different stalls, three selling fish and two selling smaller supplies like baits and wire. Behind the market was a warehouse, which was where Itachi’s group was headed to purchase the more heavy duty seafaring supplies that were more of a fake out than everything - this was a Konoha ninja team on an S-Rank mission; they already came prepared. The pub was right by the town’s entrance, its door directly facing where a small handful of ships were moored. 

The pub’s food ended up being nothing fancy, but it was certainly nutrient-rich. Sailors and fishers expended a lot of energy, and they needed a diet to match, which was exactly what the pub aimed for. Near the middle of the morning, the pub wasn’t all that lively either - a few workers stopped in for a bite or to rest their feet, but otherwise several empty tables. A group of trading caravaners wasn’t too odd a sight, so nobody spared the four of them a second glance. Kakashi started a conversation about the trading culture of a town that they had supposedly passed through - according to their cover identities - and the hour passed quickly. At the expected time, Akane felt a single pulse of low-buzzing chakra from their chest pocket.

All according to plan.

Sora handed the pub’s owner the correct amount of ryo for their meals, and led the group outside. Itachi’s group were already loading their crates of ‘supplies’ onto the ship while Yugao and Asuma carefully pulled a wooden wagon up the barely-large-enough gangplank. Once everyone was on board, the ship’s apparent captain called for the sailors to set sail. Even once they were away from the port, nobody was to talk about the mission… yet. Not until nightfall, when the next part of the plan went underway. 

It was a rather hilarious plan, when Akane gave it any serious thought. Of all the supplies Itachi had purchased from the warehouse, only one was actually to be used. It was a small vat of water-resistent glue, used in the case of any physical damage to the ship. The glue was used by sailors to patch up a ship until it could make it to a port where a carpenter could properly repair it. Sailors would take planks of wood and glue them over the damaged region so water couldn’t flood in. Ninjas, however, had access to precision cutting and barriers. They could cut out a part of the ship’s hull, replace it, and the sailors would be none the wiser. The plan? Cut a hole in the bottom of the ship and swim away under the dark of night.

One at a time, those who weren’t already in the ship’s hold made their way down from the deck. Once everyone was there, Akane put up a barrier to prevent from getting the ship flooded, while Itachi cut a hole in the side of the ship’s hull, through which everyone began swimming out. Once everyone was through, Itachi prepared the glued replacement wood, used some Water Release technique to push out the water than had gushed inside, dismantled the barrier and swam through, pulling the perfectly cut and glued wood into place. With that done, the final phase of the travel plan had begun. Swim far enough from the ship before it was safe enough to go up to the surface, and make for land. 

Two hours later, the Konoha team arrived outside the charted location of the rebel base.

Chapter Text

“I’ve gotta say, I still think Orochimaru should have been assigned to this team,” Akane mused aloud as the team ran along the Land of Water’s salty coast, knowing exactly what response they were going to get. Even so, not only was Orochimaru a mentor that Akane had grown to trust, respect and admire, they had the sheer power that a mission like this required.

“The Sannin Orochimaru is an untrusted entity across the Elemental Nations,” Itachi recited, as though it had been drilled into him time and again by his father. It probably had. “Despite Konoha’s knowledge that his actions in years past were due to Danzo’s mind control curse seal, the other villages don’t know that. To simply release him on large-scale operations like this, regardless of outcome or purpose, would incite aggression from certain nations, such as Kumogakure, who have been substantially harmed by his, or perhaps Danzo’s actions.” 

“Yeah yeah,” Akane countered dismissively, “I know. Still, you have to admit their strength would have been a huge benefit to this mission. Don’t get me wrong, I know just how much of a powerhouse you, Kakashi, Guy and Asuma each are, but even the four of you could have a lot of trouble holding back the Sanbi if it breaks free.”

“Maa, we’ll be fine,” Kakashi piped in. “You may not know this, but the Rebel Leader you’re about to meet has held her own against the Snake more than once in the past. If it’s raw power you’re worried about, don’t.”

Akane whistled. “Damn, alright then. I want to say this is probably the most interesting and precarious mission I’ve been assigned to so far, but-”

“-but your penchant for dangerous meddling would disagree,” Sasuke cut in, teasing. “Can’t wait to see what absolute bullshit you pull this time to make things go our way.”

“I have to admit I’m still figuring that out myself,” Akane squeezed in between laughs. “Probably not geese, though. I’m not sure how they’d respond to a war-zone, and I’m a little too scared to find out.”

“Thank goodness for that,” Haku commented, the first time this whole mission that he’d joined in on any conversation. “I’ve seen their carnage, and I do not believe there would be much left of Kirigakure if they were to get involved. On a separate note, we’re almost at our destination.”

The group were coming up on a rocky bluff at the end of a stretch of beach, which was the landmark identifying the nearby entrance to the rebels’ base. Akane suspected that it was one of several entrances, and that this was just the one that made the most sense for arriving via the border to the Land of Water. After reaching the bluff, it was just a right turn towards a stretch of forest, where they would find the entrance to the underground cavern that had been used as a base for a number of years now. 

The entrance itself was impressively innocuous, and for just a moment Akane had wondered if it was due to some kind of genjustu. But no, they couldn’t feel any genjutsu active in the area, and nor could Kurama. It looked like a plain and ordinary dark cavern entrance that nobody would really bother exploring unless they had an active interest in caves. In all, a well disguised entrance.

“Let me go in first,” Haku suggested. “Even though our arrival is expected, those within will be too on edge for a large group entrance to be wise.”

Asuma nodded, and held out a hand instructing the rest of the team to wait by the entrance. Itachi and Akane, the two genjutsu specialists of the team, got to work setting up a strong but basic camouflage, so nobody unwanted would detect their presence while loitering. 

A few minutes after Haku disappeared down the dark cavern entrance, he returned with company. Just one person - a tall, older looking man with slicked up blue hair. There was an eyepatch over his right eye, above which sat a Kiri hitai-ate which shone as if it had just recently been polished. Two talismans hung on his ears, and from the distance Akane could barely just discern the markings of fuinjutsu running along them. He looked… distrustful, or at least disapproving, with his cold scowl and his crossed arms.

“So these are the ones?” the man asked, as if the answer wasn’t already clear.

“Yes, sir,” Haku confirmed, stepping off to the side so that everyone’s attention would tend towards the older man instead.

The man sighed. “Well, I suppose a welcome is in order. My name is Ao, and I direct most of the logistical operations within the base. I am responsible for who goes in and out of the base, and as such any missions you are assigned to will be allocated under my watch. Please, follow me so that I might show you in. Our leader has been awaiting your arrival, and would like to speak with whoever is in charge of your team at once.”

At Ao’s direction, the Konoha team followed inside. The stretch of cave was dark for a while, only illuminated by a single oil torch in Ao’s hand. After a minute’s walking into a deeper, wider section of cave, the group stopped at what, on the outside, appeared to be a dead end. Ao pressed his hand against an unassuming rocky protrusion and twisted until even more rock started sliding up, revealing a hidden entrance to the true base.

From there, everything was well illuminated and tidily organised. Natural cave structures had been carved outwards into long hallways and rooms breaking off to either side. The path began to wind here and there, and eventually opened out into a huge, deep chamber with bustling activity. People scurried about, some in combat-ready gear and others looking like they’d just woken up. The chamber was otherwise organised into clearly distinct sections.

One quarter of the chamber had all sorts of crates and boxes, some stacked, some closed, and some open. Another quarter had training dummies, targets and a handful of shinobi training on their own and in groups. The third quarter looked like an armory of some kind, though half of the weapon stands and supply shelves were empty. The last quarter was where Akane saw Zabuza standing at one end of a large table engaged in conversation with several other less recognisable figures. Akane was willing to bet that if they owned an up-to-date bingo book, at least some of them would have been in it. 

Whatever they were discussing had seemed pretty heated, but it came to a stop as soon as those around the table started to notice the presence of the Konoha team. One of the figures, a tall woman with long burgundy hair, stepped away from the table and approached the group. “You must be the team from Konoha. Welcome to our base, I hope Ao hasn’t been too prickly with you. I’m Terumi Mei, the leader of this little operation. Forgive me for not knowing, since our communications have been quite restricted, but which one of you is in charge?”

Asuma stepped forward, holding out a hand for Mei to shake. “That would be me. A pleasure to meet you, Mei. I am Sarutobi-”

“Asuma,” Mei cut in, a smile on her face that radiated the aura of someone who was in control. “You have quite the reptutation. And I see you have competent company. Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi and Might Guy. Jonin of quite a high calibre, and I’m sure the rest of you won’t disappoint us. So, Asuma, shall we speak over there by the map? I’d like to get you up to speed, and then you can relay instructions to the rest of your team.”

Before Asuma had a chance to agree and follow Mei anywhere, Ao stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Mei, I have brought our new… helpers over as instructed, but may I speak candidly?”

Mei sighed. “Yes, go ahead.”

“Please do not misunderstand me, I have no doubt that most of these shinobi from Konoha will be invaluable to us. But for them to have sent children, too? We need the best we can get, and I’m worried that Konoha has sent us at least three liabilities,” Ao declared without any hesitation, more like the speech had been prepared and spring-loaded. Akane held their tongue; as much as they would readily volunteer to set Ao straight, Asuma was in charge, here.

Zabuza flickered past the table to stand closer to Ao, but it wasn’t Ao that he was looking at. His stare was leveled on Akane, accompanied by a small smirk. “Ao, do you remember when I told you that a genin team managed to completely dismantle Gato’s operations and left the spoils to be split between us and the people of Wave? That was what, a little under a year and a half ago? This is them.”

Ao stared at Zabuza for a moment, and then over to Akane, Hanta and Sasuke. Akane waved. “Tokubetsu Jonin, Uzumaki Akane at your service. My teammates here are both of Chuunin rank, Uzumaki Hanta and Uchiha Sasuke.”

Ao scoffed. “Tokubetsu? At your age? Konoha must be desperate.”

Akane couldn’t help but notice how nobody was intervening. Not Mei, not Asuma, not even Sora who could have stepped in as a protective or proud parent. No, there was more at play here, and trying to verbally persuade this man that any of the younger members of the team were valuable would be insufficient. “Would you like a demonstration of our competence?”

That earned a kind of half-smirk, half-scowl from the rebels’ second in command. “A demonstration, you say? Very well. Choose one between yourself, and I will find a suitable opponent. If you manage to stand your ground against one of our own, I shall accept your right to be here. Mei, is this acceptable?”

The actual leader stepped back, hands directing those around her to move away as well. “I don’t see why not - trust between comrades is quite important, after all. Asuma, what about you?”

Asuma laughed. “Sure, give the kids a chance to show you what they can do.”

Akane turned to face Hanta and Sasuke, a question on the tip of their tongue. Any one of them would make a good enough showing, and even if Akane was responsible for inviting the challenge, they didn’t want to just assume that their teammates wouldn’t want in on the action. 

Before Akane even got a chance to ask, Sasuke spoke. “You should do it, Akane. We all know you want to show off your new toys, anyway.”

Hanta nodded, and gave a small smile. With that, Akane turned back to face Ao. “Well, I guess I’m up, then. So, who am I fighting and what are the rules?”

“Follow me,” Ao instructed, and led Akane over to the chamber’s training quarter. Most of the others followed, except for Asuma and Itachi who remaining behind to speak with Mei, and Haku who had practically glued himself to Zabuza’s side. Akane could guess at most of their reasons for tagging along - Sora would want to let loose a little bit of his parental pride that otherwise had to be kept on hold while on-duty. Sasuke and Hanta were there to support their teammate. Guy would be keen to see some action and cheer along, whereas Kakashi and Yugao were probably just bored.

“Tatsu, if you will?” Ao called out, and a tall, muscular woman with a spiked club by her side walked over to stand in a paint-marked rectangular space on the floor, which was easily large enough for a proper match. Akane stepped inside the space as well, standing across from the woman called Tatsu. “This is Tatsu, one who I can confidently say sets the standard for what a true Tokubetsu Jonin should be capable of. Any jutsu usage and weaponry is acceptable, but do try not to injure each other permanently. We don’t have time to wait for our forces to recover from unnecessary injury.”

Akane nodded. “Alrighty then. Pleasure to meet you, Tatsu. Shall we dance?”

Tatsu returned their nod. “I won’t be holding back, kid.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Akane responded, and unsheathed the Mahou no Tsue, holding it pointed towards the woman. With their other hand, they reached into their pouch and unfurled their specialised storage scroll just enough to be able to utilise it from right within their pouch. For all intents and purposes, it would just look like they were pulling out a near-endless supply of tags from their pouch the same way any other ninja would. Akane couldn’t reveal all their secrets too easily, after all.

“I shall erect a defensive barrier to protect all onlookers, and then you may begin,” Ao declared, pressing the palms of his hands into the ground. A faintly purple prism rose up around the combat space, sealing Akane and Tatsu within.

Tatsu didn’t waste any time launching into the fray, club held up and ready to swing. Akane wasn’t planning to let her get close, though, and started pumping chakra through their new black wakizashi. Energy flowed through to the tip of the blade, crystalizing into several spikes of ice, which blasted off towards Tatsu, forcing her to halt her approach in favour of evasion. 

Right then, before anything could actually happen with the fight, everything came to a halt. Tatsu didn’t approach, and most of the spectators fell into complete silence. Akane smiled. “Something the matter?”

Ao shot his attention towards the first Konoha jonin his attention would land on, making Kakashi his victim. “Would you care to explain how a child of your village is capable of Hyoton?”

“It’s not Hyoton,” Akiko shouted through the barrier. “Well, it is, but it isn’t. Tatsu, shall we continue?”

The woman nodded, and eyed the sword. This time, she slowed her approach. More caution, more observation and calculation. It was more than enough time for Akane to catch her in a genjutsu and end the match, but they suspected that Ao wouldn’t be satisfied with such a brief display. Plus, for all they knew, Tatsu could have been sufficiently genjutsu resistant to shrug off anything more basic. 

Probably to the great surprise of Tatsu and the onlookers, Akane sheathed their sword before Tatsu could close the distance. The purpose of this match was to demonstrate their skill, and they needed to thoroughly convince Ao there was no reason for doubt. 

Tatsu, however, saw the movement of the blade as a threat, and attacked. With a heavy spiked club swinging down on them, Akane didn’t have much time to react. Fortunately, they had time enough to throw together a Ram seal and tap the scroll in their pouch, drawing out two Bungee seal tags. The seal was one of Akane’s more defensive ones, which formed an elastic barrier between all tags of the same kind in a small area. 

Akane activated one tag in each hand, holding their hands spread out on either side of where the club was swinging down. The club connected with the elastic barrier and pushed against it, making it almost an inch away from Akane’s face before the seal pulsed with a small amount of visible light, and then worked its effects. As the barrier snapped back into place, it sent the club straight back where it came from with a similar amount of force. Tatsu had to twist pretty quickly to not get smacked in the face by her own club, and took a second too long to regain control over the weapon once again. 

That second was all Akane needed to form a Dog seal, procure two Overload tags and slap them against an exposed section of skin where Tatsu’s shirt had been lifted up by the club trying to fly away. Akane bounced back, and watched as Tatsu tried to recenter her gravity but ended up staggering to the ground, falling on one knee.

“You should be able to flush it out with a simple Kai, but you should work fast before it takes over,” Akane advised. Tatsu did as instructed, and then Akane extended a hand to help her up. Then, they addressed a simple question towards Ao. “Do you want us to continue, or have you seen enough?”

“I’ve seen enough,” Tatsu answered before Ao had a chance. “You’re good, kid. Creating openings like that and not hesitating to exploit them? It’s what we need. I’d be happy to fight with you by my side. I’m curious, though. What were any of those tags you used? I’ve never seen the like of them before.”

Akane chuckled. “The first one I’ve named the Bungee seal. It works with the same base of most barrier tags, but instead of acting as a direct shield, it works as an elastic. After taking a hit, it’ll snap back to its original position and send whatever struck it flying back where it came from. The second one is called the Overload tag, which introduces destructive chakra into a target’s body, spreading like a contagion and corrupting the local chakra as well. It works like a genjutsu, so it can be dispelled the same way, but only if the victim recognises what’s happening to them.”

“Where… where did you get those?” Tatsu asked, a little breathy in a way that betrayed more surprise than desire.

“Made ‘em,” Akane answered honestly. “I’m a sealsmith by specialisation; I make my own seals as needed. If I don’t have a seal to do what I want, I invent a new one. I’m also decently experienced with genjutsu and medical jutsu, but fuinjutsu is my strongest skill. Oh, and probably something worth mentioning is that if the Sanbi breaks free from the Mizukage, I’m here specifically to seal it back away so long as someone can fend it off to buy me time.”

“Hot damn,” Tatsu responded, while Ao did little more than stare. Someone else dismantled the sparring barrier, and Akane stepped out to stand beside their teammates. They’d had their spotlight, and now it was time for the others to prove their worth however Ao would require so there could be no doubts of their usefulness.

Hanta stepped forward. “I am an interrogation specialist and a front lines fighter. I possess the Byakugan, and am able to put it to whatever use is required.”

Ao’s one unconcealed eye widened even further. “You brought a Hyuuga?”

There was a lot to unpack in what the man had just said, and the way he said it. Any team preparing for all-out battle should be especially enthused to have a Hyuuga on their team - they were in high demand in Konoha for a lot of the more challenging missions, and there had been the whole set of historical ordeals that had led to the Caged Bird Seal. More than that, though, Ao sounded… worried. Perhaps he had become an enemy of the Hyuuga clan in his time, though that wouldn’t be an issue here.

Hanta shook his head, quick to refute the suggestion. “I am no Hyuuga. Not by anything more than birth. Any feud the clan may have with you is not shared by me.”

Ao let out a sigh, and gathered his composure once more. Akane didn’t quite know what to make of the second in command being so easily shaken, and hoped that it didn’t correspond with a lack of strategic or combative skill. “Very well. I’ll have you coordinate with our own torture specialist to see what you can do. Perhaps you can find some success with a particularly tight lipped prisoner of ours. And you, the last of the younglings?”

Before opening his mouth to speak, Sasuke allowed his Sharingan to swirl to life, all three tomoe in each eye as present as always. Akane noticed something interesting in those eyes - the points at the end of each tomoe were undeniably longer. “Uchiha Sasuke, at your service.”

The Sharingan alone was proof enough of Sasuke’s competence, and Ao recognised it with a nod. Like the Byakugan, the Sharingan was a feared and respected doujutsu across the elemental nations, and one who could wield it proficiently was immediately a threat.

“Tatsu, please show the Konoha squadron where they will be sleeping. I’m sure your journey has been long, and you’ll need rest before we begin the final stage of preparations tomorrow.”

Akane noted the lack of any apology for the accusation that Konoha would supply insufficiently skilled aid for the rebellion, but said nothing about it. This wasn’t their mission to lead, and it wasn’t their place to take offense on behalf of themself or their teammates. Instead, and largely so that they wouldn’t speak out, Akane trailed quietly at the back of the group as Tatsu directed all of the Konoha team but Asuma through another corridor. 

It had been too easy to become confident and showy about their skill, but Akane knew to keep it in check. They had faced Hoshigaki Kisame with three teammates and barely survived - and one member of the team hadn’t. Overconfidence was fatal, and Akane knew that all too well.

Chapter Text

Sorry that this isn't a new chapter! But hey, I thought I'd share these bc I made them and they look cool :3