Chapter 1

It all started innocently enough. Yamanaka Inoichi came home tired and satisfied; between interrogation and therapy, he preferred the latter. No matter how horrible the stories he had to listen to, healing was a greater accomplishment than inflicting them. The capstone to the day was entering his house to hear his four-year-old daughter giggle. That was why he did this job day after day—to keep her safe.

"He called me a bad word, so I kicked him between the legs!" she crowed. Inoichi smiled a little, his daughter was turning out to be a little hellcat already, she'd make a fine ninja. He relaxed, allowing himself to enjoy the sound of her telling her mother about her day.

"Good job, Ino-chan! You should always hurt people who are mean to you." Inoichi blanched. He knew that voice! In a blink, he was at the doorway to the main room and what he found chilled his blood. His daughter had a huge smile on her face, a juicebox in one hand, and lollipop in the other—that wasn't a problem; the problem was that she was sitting on the lap of a man who could be his twin, save for a thin scar running from where his eye met his cheekbone down to the back of his jaw.

"You." Inoichi tried to get himself back under control. "You're not allowed here!"

"Excuse me, Ino-chan." The man set her on her feet and rose, giving Inoichi a small smile. "How else was I supposed to meet my niece, big brother?"

"He tells great stories, daddy!"

"You're not allowed in the family compound, Jokuro," Inoichi hissed.

"Do you know, I had to hear that I had a niece from Anko-chan talking to someone? You didn't even tell me you had a cute, little daughter. That hurts." Jokuro placed a hand over his heart. "It makes me think you don't trust your little brother."

"I. Don't. Ino, go upstairs."' The two brothers stared at each other until her footsteps disappeared. "Get out of my house."

"Alright, alright." Jokuro huffed as he headed for the door. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." He poked his head back around the doorframe. "Tell Ino-chan I'll see her again soon." A kunai sliced through the air just missing his eye as he moved. "Bye, big brother!" Inoichi held still, waiting for the cheerful ditty his brother was whistling to fade out.

~Blood~

"Daddy?"

Inoichi forced a smile on his face. That had been far too close for comfort. Why had Ino been smiling? "Yes, Ino?"

"When will Uncle Jokuro come back?"

That was unthinkable. "Never. You will never see him again." This had to be kept as an aberration.

"But I like him!" Ino shouted. Normally, this was enough for him to cave and give her what she wanted. He was a terrible father that way, but he loved seeing her smile. Not this time.

"No." He steeled his heart when the tears started to fall. Terror made it easy. "No. Go the fuck to your room." Inoichi never swore in front of his daughter, but he couldn't release the tension wrapping around his soul right now and he couldn't have kept the curse from his lips if he'd been thinking about it at all. Which was why he didn't really notice that his daughter had run instead to the kitchen. Didn't notice when his wife came in with a scowl on her normally-sweet face. Didn't hear her demand to know what he was thinking until she'd taken a swing at him with a frying pan.

"Did you curse at Ino?" she snapped when he'd finally come out of his fugue.

"Jokuro was here."

The frying pan clattered on the wooden floor as her hands went to her mouth. "What? I thought he was banned from the compound!"

"He was—is! But he heard that I have a daughter."

"He knows about Ino?"

"Overheard Anko-san. He decided to meet her."

"Oh gods. What do we do, Inoichi?"

"Make sure this never happens again."

That should have been the end of it.

~Blood~

It wasn't.

~Blood~

A six-year-old Ino raced home from the Academy. It had been her first day and she was excited; she was on the road to being a ninja! She couldn't wait to tell her uncle! Of course, he knew, but that didn't mean he wouldn't let her tell him about it anyway. She wasn't entirely clear on why her parents didn't like Uncle Jokuro, but she'd grasped that she had to keep their meetings secret from the second time they met.

He'd just been sitting in her bedroom when she came home from the park, relaxing against the wall with that faint smile on his face. When she went to call out to him, he'd motioned for silence and gestured for her to come sit beside him on the floor so he could tell her more stories. And so it went. At least once a week, she would come into her room and find her uncle waiting so he could talk to her. It was like having an imaginary friend—her playmates had those—but hers was real!

Today he wasn't sitting next to the window. He stood, eyes alight when she came in.

"Hello, little Ino-chan." He kept his voice low, but she could hear the affection in it. He'd always had to be quiet enough not to be overheard in a house of ninja, but she didn't think Uncle Jokuro was the type to shout anyway.

"Hi, Uncle Jokuro!" She ran to him and gave him a hug. "It was my first day of the Academy!" She was about to launch into telling him about the people she'd met when he held up a hand.

"I know that. And that's why we're going out to celebrate."

"I'm supposed to celebrate with mommy and daddy tonight."

"You'll be home around dinnertime, Ino-chan. Now come on, it's time for you to get to be part of my story."

"Can I really?"

"Of course. Come on." He picked her up and slipped out the window. He moved quickly and quietly along the side of the house and then over the wall to the street outside, where he set her on the ground and stuck his hands in his pockets, looking like a father out for a stroll with his daughter. To a casual observer, he looked like Inoichi; Ino's presence helped the impression.

~Blood~

Ibiki looked up from his paperwork. "What're you doing back Inoi . . ." he trailed off as he saw that smile. "Jokuro." His eyes moved from the man to the young girl who was the center of every picture in his colleague's office. "No . . ."

Ino tugged on Jokuro's sleeve. "Hey, who's that?"

"That's Morino Ibiki," replied Jokuro, not looking away from Ibiki's eyes.

"Teddybear-san?"

"Yep."

"Hi, Teddybear-san!"

Ibiki was still staring. "No. Jokuro. No."

"'No' what, Morino-san?" That smile was still on the man's face.

"You wouldn't. Not your niece. Not even you, Jokuro."

"'Wouldn't' what, Morino-san?" Jokuro's smile grew fractionally larger.

Ibiki took a deep breath. Then he closed his eyes and murmured an apology to his dear friend before turning and walking down the hall deeper into T&I.

~Blood~

Anko found herself lifted off her chair. "Ibiki, what the fuck?" It was a mark of her personality that she rarely used any honorific, even for a direct superior with whom she was personally close.

"I'm coming down with the flu," the man replied, his tone flat. "I couldn't make it in today, so you're in charge."

"What the fuck is Jokuro doing?" she demanded. "You never use that tone unless Jokuro is up to something."

"I. Have. The. Flu." Ibiki dropped her back into her seat and vacated her office with a rapidness not common in T&I outside of prisoner-riots.

"Seriously!" she shouted at his retreating back. Then she caught sight of the two figures walking along the hallway. "What are you doing back here Inoi—Jokuro. And that's . . ." Anko paled.

"Uncle? Who's that?"

"That's Crazy-Snake-chan. She's very good. And very pretty."

Anko shuddered a little. "You know something? I think I got Ibiki's flu." She coughed theatrically. "I better go home for some bed rest. I wasn't even here today." She hurried off, adding a few coughs now and again.

As they ventured deeper into the building and its underground complex, there was a mass exodus of employees who all came down with the flu and had to stay home. By the time they got to the prisoners they were headed for, there were no other employees in the building.

~Blood~WARNING TORTURE SCENE~Blood~

"Well, boys and girls," Jokuro's voice was upbeat and cheerful. "I have good news and better news!" The whimpers rose in volume. "The good news is that some of you are going to help my niece learn the trade. The better news is that all the supervisors have caught the flu today, so I've got no one watching over me!"

Whimpers from tortured throats somehow became actual (if quiet) pleas for a mercy they knew wouldn't come. Ino pointed at one man. "He's peeing his pants," she giggled, "can we use him first?"

"Sure, Ino-chan." Jokuro sauntered over to the cell and entered it, dragging the sobbing man from it, casually kicking at his hand where he clasped at a fellow prisoner. "None of that, boy-o, you're helping us at Ino-chan's request."

"Hey, Uncle Jokuro? Did that man come in here missing an arm?"

"Who? Oh, him. Yeah, he did. Why?"

Ino looked down sadly. "Oh." Then she brightened. "Could we maybe make him match?"

"Only if you don't learn properly with this one."

The young blonde's face took on a calculating expression. "Nah, better to learn properly."

"Good lass." Jokuro heaved the man into the restraints of what resembled a horizontal Saint Andrew's cross. He turned, opening his arms expansively to encompass the wall covered in a variety of sharp, blunt, pointed, serrated, and otherwise unfriendly instruments. "Before we delve into specialist tools, we will start with the basics." He looked over his shoulder, waiting for Ino to nod before facing her and continuing. "You can't rely on having these things with you in the field, so it's always good to know how to work with the things you will have." He drew a kunai from his holster. "The humble kunai is the first choice of most ninja and it's the same with us. Not only does it have a bladed edge and a stabbing tip, but it comes with a handle and a ring that are oh-so-useful to the technician in a hurry."

Jokuro flipped the kunai over, holding the blade pointed down from his hand and reached down, sliding the ring over one of the man's fingers. "Now, the simplest move is a quick wrist movement, like so." He twisted his wrist suddenly, causing the ring to twist as well. There was a cracking sound and the man screamed. "As long as you have the strength, you can do the right damage, but there's something elegant about the single motion." He held out the kunai to Ino. "You try."

As Ino fumbled slightly with grasping a weapon designed for the hands of an adult male, Jokuro's right hand fell to his side, index and middle fingers extending.

Ino managed to get the ring on the man's middle finger and made a frown of concentration as she was forced to grip the kunai with two hands, twisting too slowly; instead of a quick noise, there was a slow grinding as the bones cracked and then broke. Jokuro blinked and relaxed, his hand rising and clapping Ino on the shoulder. "Not a bad first attempt, Ino-chan."

"It didn't go right," she huffed. "But at least he made fun noises."

"That he did, Ino-chan. Now, try again."

~Blood~

Inoichi was approaching frantic. Ino wasn't at home. Of course, she liked to go to the park to play with the other children, but today had been her first day of the Academy and he'd been home early so that they could celebrate. She knew that, so she should have been here. Maybe she lost track of time, but he was feeling uneasy and getting worse as it got closer to sunset. He'd taken to standing by the door to the compound, looking both ways to try and spot her.

Off in the distance, a blonde figure turned the corner and Inoichi was down the road like a shot, skidding to a halt in front of his daughter. She looked unharmed, though he didn't recognize the small satchel over her shoulder. And there was a splash of blood on her cheek.

"Oh gods, Ino, are you okay?"

His little girl gave him a broad smile. "Of course, Daddy!"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Is that blood? Where'd it come from?"

Ino looked to the side of his head. "I was told not to tell you."

Inoichi froze. "What?"

"I was told not to tell you." There was an evasive inflection to her tone.

"Who told you not to tell me?"

"I was told not to tell—"

"Yes, yes. Ino, I'm your father; tell me what happened."

"I was told not to tell you because you're a bitch."

Oh gods. He knew that phrase. "Was it Jokuro?"

"I was told not to tell you because you're a bitch."

Inoichi threw his hands up in the air, unwilling to delve into his daughter's mind; that was a level of violation he wouldn't inflict on his little girl. "Alright, it was Jokuro. What's in the satchel?"

"It's mine and I can't tell you what it is because you're a bitch."

"Jokuro gave it to you?"

"It's mine and you're a bitch." Ino's face was calm despite the harsh words.

Ino tried to stop her father from grabbing the contents of her bag, but he was a fully trained jōnin and she was a six-year-old who just started training. He snatched the kunai up and stared in horror at the blade which was covered in the flaky brownish-red of dried blood. "Ino . . . what is this? This is sharp! You know you're not allowed sharpened kunai!"

"It's mine and you're a bitch."

"Not anymore, it isn't. Now go to your room."

"It's mine!"

"Like I said, not anymore. Now go the fuck to your room before you get the first spanking of your life." Inoichi didn't like snapping at his daughter, but his brother was a presence he didn't want in his life, let alone hers.

"I'm telling him you stole it!"

"I don't care. Now. Go. The. Fuck. To. Your. Room!"

"You'll be sorry." Ino stormed off, face fixed in rage.

~Blood~

Morino Ibiki answered the hammering knock at his door with a blade in his hand. "If this isn't a summons from the Hokage himself, I'm going to gut you and use your intestines for a jumpro—Inoichi-san . . . what are you doing here?"

"Just coming by to check on a sick colleague," replied the man brightly. "I stopped by the office to see if I could find someone and I found the place was completely empty. No guards, no interrogators, no staff at all. Funny thing, that. Though there was a man with his throat cut lying on the floor by the wastepaper basket. He'd had a rough day."

"I have the flu."

"That's amazing. Do you know that Mitirashi-san said the same thing?"

"I must have given it to her."

"Yes, she told me that too." Inoichi reached out and grasped Ibiki's undershirt, dragging him close (and down, since the man was a head taller than the Yamanaka clan leader). "You sure it's the flu? It wasn't just that someone saw a certain someone wandering around with, I'm just pulling this idea out of my ass here, my daughter?"

Ibiki coughed theatrically. "Definitely the flu. You are a friend and colleague, Inoichi-san, so I will say this nicely: let go."

Inoichi shoved the man back. "Your cowardice disgusts me."

~Blood~

Ino wasn't surprised to find Jokuro sitting in her room two days later. It would have been reasonable to expect that her father had ordered her uncle away and possibly invoked his authority as head of the clan to enforce it; but Ino knew better. Uncle Jokuro did as he liked.

"Hey there, Ino-chan."

"Daddy tell you to stay away from me?"

"He wasn't nearly so polite, but yes. I do believe he was rather upset about our celebration."

Ino shrugged. "He took away my kunai."

"That wasn't nice of him. He hasn't stepped up patrols in the compound, so I guess he doesn't know where we meet."

"He didn't ask."

Jokuro shook his head. "Clumsy, big brother, very clumsy. Well, his failure makes my life easy. How was your day, Ino-chan?"

"I found some interesting people! They're just the kind you told me to look for, too!"

"Oh? So soon?"

"Mhmm! And I even rescued one of them from bullies today!"

He gave a slow, quiet series of claps. "Well done, Ino-chan. That's impressive. Tell me about them."

"The one I saved is Haruno Sakura," Ino's face took on an expression of great concentration. "Parents are merchant civilians; no known ninja ancestors or relatives. She's smart, but doesn't think she's pretty or that anyone will like her. People were mocking the size of her forehead after classes today, but I made them leave her alone." A single eyebrow raise prompted further explanation. "I kicked one between his legs and told them to back off. I was late today because I walked her home." He nodded. "The other one is Hyūga Hinata. I haven't spoken to her yet, but she has a complete lack of self-worth and clearly thinks she's a burden to everyone around her."

"Good, good. Your second shinobi assignment is already complete and you've barely started at the Academy. That, Ino-chan, deserves a reward."

"Can we go back to the fun place again?" Ino's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Not today. Best to give them a little time to recover. But I was thinking that with all the skill you've shown, you should learn some of the family techniques."

"Daddy says I'm not ready to learn them yet." When he merely raised an eyebrow again, Ino went on, "but he's a bitch."

"That's my girl." He held up one hand. "I'm going to teach you the way I wish I'd been taught. We're going to skip the usual handsigns and go straight to my preference for how to do this." He let his arm fall, and two fingers casually made half of what was normally used to perform the Yamanaka techniques. "When you officially learn, you'll find out how to do it their way. Besides, what we're learning today are two specialist jutsu I created myself."

Ino's eyes brightened as she dove into the lesson.

(A/N John)

And this is the first chapter of Blood Is Thicker. We have had this one in the works for literally a year or more. The document has been sitting on my hard drive for six months. But it was time to give in to Spoon's whinging and publish a chapter.

(A/N 2 John)

As stated in Itachi, I break with my own preferences here and made use of an original character. He is not the only one who appears in this tale. The fact is that Jokuro was created as the jōnin-sensei of a team I made a couple years ago when Spoon was getting into making OCs. As usual, I managed to start with a basic idea and end up with some dangerously insane results. I love my little psychopaths, though. Rejects and maniacs all.

(A/N 3 John)

And yes, if you hadn't guessed, we have managed to have three stories with Hyūga Hinata as a merciless killer and yet in each, she is different from the others. I'm glad about that. Besides, the world needs more #Baddass!Hinata in it.

(A/N 4 John)

Honestly, I don't expect to publish this one quickly because I really want to get more done in Itachi and there's still FMB that needs work and some day I may return to Weasleys of the Corn and there's a prequel to write.