Chapter Text
“Congratulations honey!” Yamanaka Inoichi said to his newly minted genin of a daughter. “I'm so proud of you!”
“Thanks Dad!” Ino rushed to hug her father with a smile threatening to outshine the sun. She wore her new headband around her waist, a nice complement to her purple outfit. “I couldn't have done it without you!”
They currently stood outside the ninja academy, the environment vibrant with the sounds of other students celebrating their achievement.
“How were the exams?” Inoichi asked as the two continued their walk back home.
“Pretty easy,” Ino admitted. “The written part was a breeze but the physical was annoying.”
“How so?”
“I just don't like getting sweaty. Stains my clothes.”
“Aw my little princess,” Inoichi laughed. “Sweat's going to be the least of your worries.”
He sometimes forgot how young she was. Though then again, at her age he was preparing to go to war. By that stage in life, he already had a few friends who died in the war, taken before they even turned fifteen. No, this was a good problem to have. Children shouldn't be in war. His daughter would grow into her own at her pace. The alternative led to dead kids or broken geniuses. Sage knows Konoha didn't need more of the latter.
It was a breezy day with the sun shining overhead. The streets of Konoha were bustling in the afternoon giving the village a lively atmosphere. It gave him a sense of comfort to know that they were surrounded by others living their lives.
Being a Yamanaka had its advantages, such as being sensitive to the presence of other minds. Yamanakas almost had a supernatural sense of knowing when they were being watched and when they were ignored. It was almost like a kekkai genkai, hell it could've been a developing one. Either way, for a Yamanaka, being in a village of other minds was like a tiger finding comfort hiding in tall grass.
“What did Mom make?” Ino asked in anticipation.
“Your favorite, of course,” Inoichi smiled, seeing the glint in her eyes “Sukiyaki Nabe.”
“Aw yeah!” Ino exclaimed, pumping her first. “Come on, Dad, let's hurry home!” She took off running down the street.
Inoichi laughed and followed along. She's ready. Tonight will be the best time, he thought.
Sunset settled over the Yamanaka household in slow bands of amber and rose. Outside the window, Ino saw red clouds dot the sky as the sun threw out its last lights of the day. Those last lights passed through the paper shoji screen, softening as it entered the dining room. It made the dish in front of Ino all the more enticing as the lights painted everything gold. From the tatami mats, the low cedar table, and even the iron pot at the center.
Without a doubt, Tomato Sukiyaki Nabe was Ino’s favorite dish. It was a hot iron pot of thin-sliced beef, tofu, mushrooms, leeks, cabbage, and cherry tomatoes. The soy-mirin broth not only filled her mouth with its warm sweet-savory taste but filled the air with its delicious aroma.
“Ino, what do you know of our history?” Inoichi asked after they finished their delicious dinner.
“History?” Ino blinked as she collected the ceramic bowls, cleaning up the table. “Of our clan?”
“Yes.”
“I think we go back to before The Warring Clan Era, right?”
“That's right, dear,” Sayuri chimed in. “Our clan is about five hundred years old.”
“Yeah,” Ino nodded, “and the First Hokage asked our clan to join what would become Konoha.”
“All correct, Ino,” Inoichi smiled. “But do you know how our clan was founded?”
“No…” Ino said. Now that she thought about it, it was a good question. How exactly did her clan come about? There was always that vague answer of it being founded before the Warring Era, but so were many other clans, like the Uchiha and Senju. She was pretty sure they were even older than the Yamanaka. “I think the founder was Yamanaka Rei but I’m not sure what he did.”
“Do you remember his title?” Inoichi asked, surprised at his daughter’s recollection.
“Um…” Ino muttered trying to remember the lessons from when she was little. “The Mind something...”
“The Mind Sage,” Inoichi corrected. “Yamanaka Rei was the founder of our clan. He was the first to develop mind related ninjutsu and teach it to the rest of what would become our clan.”
“How did he do that?”
“No one knows. The best of our clan tried to retrace the development of our mind techniques but we haven't been able to come close. It's been both a blessing and a curse.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Inoichi said, getting up from the table and walking towards the wall in the back of the dining room. It was directly opposite the dining table from where they had just eaten their meal. “How valuable our mental techniques are. We can read minds, control other people, relay communication telepathically to our comrades in battle. In the domain of information gathering and sabotage, we might only be challenged by the Aburame and Hyuga clans.”
“Dad, what are you doing?” Ino asked, watching her father perform several seals against the wall.
“It's time honey, for you to understand your legacy and inheritance,” Sayuri said to her daughter, motioning her to join her father.
“What's going on…” the question died in Ino's throat as she stared at her father. He had lost himself in concentration as his hands blurred faster and faster, one seal flowing into the next. The chakra around her father surged to the point that she could see a blue outline forming around him.
A rectangular green light, the shape of a door, sprung out from the wall and started to flicker in sync with her father's pulsing of chakra, almost as if the two auras were conversing. With each second that passed the light from the door became brighter and brighter. The dining room, that was once colored dusk orange, was now an otherworldly eerie green. Ino took a step back in apprehension, but Sayuri placed a hand on her shoulder. “It's alright dear.”
“What's happening, Mom? What's Dad doing?” As if to answer her question, the door gave a final series of green flashing pulses before opening wide. To Ino's fascination and somewhat horror, where once had been a solid wall, had been replaced by a green door that hinged open revealing a series of steps that descended into a dark void.
“Has that always been there?” Ino almost yelled. How had she not noticed what looked like a basement in her own house?
“No, honey,” Inoichi smirked, remembering his first experience seeing the Inheritance Room appear before him. “It's something you have to summon.”
“Summon?!”
“Come along, Ino,” her mother said. “All will be explained.”
The three made their way down the narrow stairs, cool stone walls surrounding each side. Inoichi was in the lead, a ball of light in his hand from a basic application of chakra. Ino followed, bewildered by the appearance of a completely new room. Sayuri was right behind, pride and anticipation filling her chest.
“The blessing that I mentioned,” Inoichi said, his voice echoing down in the hallway, “is that none of our enemies or even allies have been able to recreate these mind techniques. It's almost a kekkai genkai suited only to our clan. We alone are able to use these mind techniques. Even if we try to teach outsiders from our clan how to use them, they would fail.”
“So that gives us a monopoly,” Ino commented.
“Yes, and hence the curse,” he grimaced. “Ever since our founding, the Yamanakas have been targeted for elimination by other clans. We, like the Hyugas, were too powerful to counter effectively, but unlike them we weren't as strong. For generations, enemies have kidnapped members of the clan and tried to steal our secrets. All those efforts wasted and our clan members were persecuted and murdered for something out of their control. It wasn't until the First Hokage asked us to join him in forming the village, did we gain stability.”
Inoichi took a final step off the staircase and reached the floor. He did a quick seal with his hand and a small ball of fire lit up. He lit the torches on the sides of the walls to illuminate the entire room.
“Woah,” Ino remarked. The room was small but its four walls were lined with bookcases. The bookcases were stocked full of books and scrolls that looked ancient. Even from far away one could see that the paper of the scrolls was fragile and withering away. The room was filled with the smell of fragrant incense. Ino tracked the scent and smoke down to a large desk that was against the opposite wall.
The desk itself was simple. It looked like any other study desk that a student would sit down to work on. Indeed, Ino had a similar desk upstairs in her bedroom. What caught her eye was the giant white scroll and small black box on the table. As if to contrast the table, both were ornate and had strange lettering on them. The scroll seemed to be sealed and despite everything in this room looking like it was hundreds of years old, appeared completely new. The paper on the scroll was so white that it looked like it was just purchased from a stationary store. On the seal of the scroll were black symbols that she couldn’t decipher. These were the same symbols that covered the black box, however instead of being black, they were blue.
“What is this place?” Ino finally asked, once the breath the room had taken away returned.
“This is our clan’s inheritance chamber,” Inoichi smiled, remembering the same reaction he had. It had only felt like yesterday when his father took him down here. “Our clan’s history, secrets, ninjutsu, and research into the mind are stored here.”
Sayuri took her place beside her husband in front of Ino. “It’s tradition that when heirs reach adulthood they learn of their clan’s past. Usually that meant when heirs would become clan heads, but ever since Konoha’s founding it was when the heir became a genin.”
“Huh,” was all Ino could say, stunned at the enormous weight of history that had been placed on her shoulders. This room full of secrets would be her responsibility in the not too distant future. “Wait, don’t we have the clan library upstairs in the compound? What’s the difference?”
“The library upstairs,” her father said, “belongs to the entire clan. Outside of us three, no one knows about this room. This room has passed down the line of Yamanaka Rei from leader to heir and now to you.”
“So all these scrolls are the research of previous clan heads?” Ino asked, walking around the room, the floorboards creaking with each step.
“Yes. I used to spend entire days reading the discoveries of our ancestors, their viewpoints on the mind. I wouldn’t be nearly as good of a mind specialist without this knowledge.”
“So what’s with the scroll?”
“That,” Inoichi said as he and Sayuri walked over to the desk, “is the Inheritance Scroll. Do you remember when I told you this room was summoned?”
“Yeah–” Ino said before she completed the thought. “Is that a summoning contract?”
“Got it in one!” Sayuri laughed. “Every clan head and heir signs their name into the Inheritance Scroll so they can summon the room.”
“Hold on, you can summon a room? But I thought you could only form a summoning contract with the animal clans. How do you do a summoning contract with a room?”
“Another secret lost to time,” Inoichi sighed. “The Mind Sage created this room at the start of our clan and was able to summon it anywhere he wanted. Do you see that shelf over there?” Her father pointed to a shelf on the first bookcase on the right wall.
“Yeah?”
“That whole shelf is devoted to researching and reverse engineering how he created this room.”
“That’s insane,” Ino looked around the room once again. It was hard to believe that this room was a summon. “Where is this Inheritance Room exactly?”
“What do you mean?” Sayuri asked.
“Are we somewhere else right now or are we near the house?”
“Pocket dimension,” Sayuri answered.
“What?” Ino asked in disbelief. “Mom, what does that even mean?”
“The room is in another dimension. The only entrance and exit to this room is through that door,” Sayuri explained, pointing to the green door they came through. “It’s not that different from a sealing scroll but instead of objects, we’re in another space.”
“And we can just summon the room wherever we want?”
“Anywhere that’s a hard vertical surface,” Inoichi said. “Pretty much anywhere a door can be placed and opened.”
“That’s a huge advantage in battle,” Ino remarked, her mind racing with possibilities.
“It has saved the lives of our ancestors quite a few times,” her father agreed. “But we want to use it in the most dire of circumstances. This is not only a clan secret, but a hiden. Not even the Nara or Akimichi clan know about this room.”
“Really?” Ino commented. She couldn’t imagine keeping a secret this important from Shikamaru or Choji, but then again, her father had managed to keep this secret from her.
“Come, it’s time,” Inoichi moved toward the scroll. Sayuri and Ino stepped forward alongside him. The three gathered before the ancient scroll. There was a certain gravitas radiating from it, as if it knew its own importance. Inoichi carefully picked up the scroll and untied the ribbon. The scroll unfurled to reveal a list of names, previous ancestors who had signed the contract.
“You just have to sign your name there,” Sayuri pointed to the empty space. Ino looked over the scroll and could see that next to the empty space, was her father’s name, her grandfather’s name, and his mother’s name before him.
“So we really do just have a summoning contract with a room?” Ino chuckled to herself. “I guess that answers why I’ve never seen a summoning animal.” Sayuri handed her the large paintbrush near the scroll while Inoichi unscrewed the ink pot.
“Believe me,” Inoichi shook his head, “I still find the idea absurd.”
He looked on with pride as his daughter dipped the paintbrush in the ink and wrote her name in the empty space. He could feel her awe with each brush stroke down the page. When she was done, her name shone beautifully in the new ink.
“Now darling,” Sayuri smiled, a few tears forming in her eyes, “seal the contract with your blood.”
“Yes Mom,” Ino said. She was going to hate this but she just had to push through. She bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood. A slight flinching of pain later and she coated each of her fingers red. She placed her fingers on the space below her signature and the contract was complete.
“And with this, Yamanaka Ino,” her father declared, “the Inheritance Room is yours, to help you whenever you need it. You are its newest guardian. Protect our secrets well, my daughter.”
“Yes Dad!” Ino exclaimed, like her mother, she was also beginning to tear up. “I’ll make you both proud!”
The three hugged each other, each happy with the small little ceremony that just took place. “It’s going to take forever to read everything in this room,” Ino laughed after she broke off from the hug.
“Yeah I didn’t finish until my early twenties,” Inoichi commiserated. “Though, to be fair, I took my time to digest everything slowly. Your mother’s pretty much read everything.”
“You’re just lazy,” Sayuri retorted and turned toward Ino, “Your grandfather had to practically lock your father in here for him to read anything.”
“Really?” Ino laughed, learning a bit more about her father’s rebellious youth. She was about to tease her father and persuade her mother for more secrets, when something on the table caught her eye.
“Dad, what’s that black box next to the scroll?”
“What black box?” Inoichi asked.
“What? The one right there covered with symbols,” Ino said pointing to the box with the strange blue symbols. They started to shine as if acknowledging her recognition.
“Ino,” Sayuri said, “I don’t see anything.”
“What do you mean? It’s right there.” Ino stepped toward the table and picked up the small solid black box. It was small enough to fit in her hand, but it felt dense, heavy enough that it belied its actual weight.
“Darling, I don’t see anything,” Sayuri said, inspecting the open hand that held the black box. It was completely empty.
“Release!” her father said, quicker on the uptake. If there was a genjutsu it should’ve been dispelled but nothing changed. “Did anything change for you, Ino?”
“No, Dad, nothing changed,” Ino said looking at the black box. “Wait, the symbols are getting brighter.” She outstretched her hand in vain to show the box to her parents who just saw an empty hand. The symbols were now moving around the box, getting brighter and faster, threatening to fill the room with its blue light. Ino was forced to squint as the symbols were too bright to behold directly. Something Inoichi took note of. That kind of reaction couldn’t be faked. To his daughter, at least, this box or whatever it was, was real to her.
“It’s like a star!” Ino yelled over what she perceived as a large wind buffeting her voice. The box had its reach max brightness covering the room in its blue light. She couldn’t even see her parents anymore and had to cover her eyes with her arm. The symbols that had once been on the box were floating and circling the box rapidly. They’re unsealing something, she thought. She somehow knew that whatever seals and locks that were in place around the box were coming undone. Just as she had come to that conclusion, the light disappeared. It didn’t dim, it just disappeared. One second it was omnipresent, the next second it just vanished, as if it was never there in the first place.
“Ino!” her mother yelled, grabbing her shoulder, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, Mom,” Ino panted, her breath returning to her. “The light’s gone now.”
“What about the box?” Inoichi asked, inspecting her daughter with as keen an eye as possible. He didn’t see whatever happened with this supposed box, but he felt a release of energy coming from her daughter’s hand. This was no genjutsu, there was something in her hand that pushed out a huge amount of energy. Something he could feel.
“I still have –” Ino said, pausing to look at her hand. What was once a solid black box was now replaced with an opening on top. It was like a small gift box except the top was open, hinged at the corner. “It’s open,” she said, looking inside.
“What do you see?”
“It’s a pendant,” Ino took the jewelry out of the box. As soon as she did, the pendant was visible for all to see.
“DId that come from the box?” Sayuri exclaimed. “Inoichi dear, did you see that?”
“Yes love…” Inoichi stated, slackjawed at his daughter pulling an object from nowhere. The box was indeed real. The box was something only his daughter could see. The box was previously on the desk. Something that everyone in the inheritance line had missed. What did that mean? he asked himself before changing his mind. Never mind that, his daughter was interacting with a strange and foreign object. “Ino, let go of that pendant right now.”
Ino would have listened but she was too entranced with the pendant. She inspected the pendant in her hand. It was a really simple design. A small gold chain that held a black circular jewel in the center. She stared into the dark gemstone and, she didn’t know how, but she could feel it staring back into her and judging her. It felt like time itself paused and the world held its breath as the pendant came to a decision. In the one second that had passed in real time the pendant deemed she was indeed worthy.
With that certainty, Ino felt a warmth travel from the pendant to her hand and up her arm. Before she could react, the warmth had crept up her neck and entered her head. What a weird day, she thought before she fell to the ground.