Author's Note: Huzzah huzzah, another chapter! And to those who are rather good with memory, yes, I did use Final Fantasy Tactics incantations. Enjoy!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Spell/Jutsu"
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Final Fantasy series, or any other anime I am accused of owning.
Of Identities and Illusions
With the Sandaime…
Sarutobi was absolutely shocked when his scouts reported that the famine stricken Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Fields) had suddenly experienced miraculous growth in its fields all over the land, bringing surplus rice in for harvest. It was expected that they would flourish to their former glory within a few years.
He was rather edgy today, though. Today was the first day of December, and it meant that 'Byakko' would be coming. His scouts reported that two human-sized white blurs were quickly bouncing through the Konoha forest, on a direct course with his the gates, and he quickly used a Shunshin (Body Flicker) to appear at the gates to meet the two blurs.
At the gates…
Kimimaro and Naruto stopped barely ten meters from the thirty foot tall gates of Konoha. Kimimaro had removed the purple bow from his outfit, as well as the two lengths of cloth draping in front and back of him from his waist to his knees, decorated with a Yin-Yang symbol. He now stood in a simple pair of black shinobi pants taped off halfway down his shin, a black pair of shinobi sandals, and a white gi top.
The Hokage appeared within a puff of black smoke, surrounded by three ANBU that had settled in defensive stances behind him. As soon as they caught sight of the fox kit, though, they each flung multiple kunai in an attempt to kill the 'evil fox'. The Hokage and Kimimaro were too shocked to stop them, but they needn't have bothered. About five inches in front of Naruto all the kunai immediately dissipated into dust, having been victim to intense temporal acceleration imbued to the barrier, aging them hundreds of years in a second. The silver haired teen leveled a glare at them, the likes of which could never be replicated as his earthen green eyes glowed slightly.
"If you ever attempt that again, not even Kabuto will be able to piece you back together."
While none of the four had the slightest idea of whom Kabuto was, Kimimaro knew all too well. Kabuto was a medical genius, definitely on the way to becoming the 'next Tsunade', and was able stitch nins back together masterfully, even if they had lost a limb or four.
The ANBU, not taking this warning to heart, sent another volley of kunai and shuriken towards the kit, who they swore gave a smug smirk at them. Kimimaro was ready this time, however, and raised both hands outwards. His emotionless voice carried an edge of malice to it as his technique activated.
"Tenshi Sendan (Finger Bullet Drill)"
The bones in his fingers launched out at speeds exceeding the visible spectrum, most of them knocking the projectiles out of the air. Three finger bones, however, lodged themselves between the three ANBU's eyes, one bone per person, killing them instantly.
Naruto turned towards his companion and gave a resigned sigh.
"Do you know how annoying it is to revive the dead?"
The Hokage was shocked at this, as he had never heard of anyone being able to do something remotely like that. Kimimaro, however, let a smirk slide onto his lips, tilting his head mock respectively towards the other.
"But of course. It's the only way to make sure you don't start slacking."
The fox kit spoke up at this point, scaring the Hokage even more.
"Kaa-chan, just revive them so we can go in. I wanna play with Hebi-chan's soul again!"
Naruto just gave another mock-exasperated sigh, before raising a single hand with the fingers spread. Thin tendrils of mana shot out of his fingers, wrapping around something invisible hovering just above the three ANBU's corpses, before tying them to the body. The glow around his hand intensified, manifesting a slight blue-green glow around his hand as three orbs of pale blue light coalesced, each about the size of an apple. He flung his hand carelessly, and each orb slammed into an ANBU's body, causing the fatal finger bones lodged within their skulls to be violently rejected, and causing them all to gasp for breath as their wounds healed in less than a second.
"Can we go now before they fully wake up?"
The Hokage nodded dumbly, shell shocked by the casual display of power before he took them both to the Hokage Tower via Shunshin (Body Flicker).
At the Hokage Tower…
The Hokage was currently sitting in his chair, his hands clasped together as he leveled a piercing stare towards the three standing opposite him. The fox kit had now buried himself in the silver hair of his 'kaa-chan', making it seem like two red eyes were staring out of a mass of hair.
Naruto… yawned with an air of boredom, before returning the exact same piercing stare at the Hokage.
"Ask your questions, and we will answer them."
The Hokage puffed his pipe for a second, contemplating how to word his questions, before placing a silencing technique on the room and replying.
"Who are you three, why are you here, how did you resurrect the dead?"
Kimimaro was busying himself by inspecting every detail of the Hokage's office, and allowed Naruto to do the speaking.
"He is Kaguya Kimimaro, recently freed from the thrall of Orochimaru. I am Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, and I'm a guy regardless of what this kit says. The kit… I'd rather let him decide whether to tell you or not. I am an extremely powerful medic, and that is how I am able to resurrect the newly dead."
The Hokage was astounded for a few moments, blinking rapidly to try and fully absorb the information given to him. He suddenly focused his stare purely on Naruto, as if scanning every last detail of him.
"You can't be Naruto. He died eleven years ago, and you look nothing like him."
The White Mage's lips broke out into the single most mischievous and slightly sadistic smile he could muster, before his form began to shift rapidly, startling both Kimimaro and the Hokage. As he became smaller and smaller, sounds of bones cracking and grinding into place could be heard, with the voice of Naruto getting higher pitched as he seemed to regress in age.
"You'd think that, wouldn't you, ojii-san?"
By this time there was a little four year old boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks along his cheeks speaking, and he was absolutely swimming in the clothing before his form began to shift back into what it was. The Hokage was dumbfounded for a moment, before blurting out the first thing he could think of.
"How the fuck did you do that?"
Naruto rearranged his clothing minutely before responding, adopting an air of boredom once again.
"I'm able to manipulate my body, Hokage-san. Kimimaro can manipulate his bones, but I can do it all, even on a genetic level."
Sarutobi was hard pressed not to faint in shock at this news, before regaining his dignity. Kimimaro, unfamiliar with this new ability, resolved to ask Naruto about it when they were in a more… private area. Before the Hokage could begin speaking, however, Naruto had already spoken once again.
"Before you even begin thinking about it, I'm not here to 'protect Konoha' or any such thing. I prefer to go by the name of Byakko, as my caretaker didn't have a last name, and she was the one who raised me. I am merely here on… a trial basis, if you will."
The Hokage pondered on this for a few moments before asking a few more questions.
"What are your conditions, and what is the full extent of your abilities?"
The teen gave a light chuckle, before pulling his scrying mirror out of between the folds of space that he had stored it. The Hokage was amazed at this technique that he was showing, as the mirror seemed to materialize out of thin air. The mirror itself seemed… unearthly for lack of a better word, and while it seemed normal aside from the slight tint of color to it, it felt… off. The kit atop Byakko's head hopped down into his lap, transforming into his humanoid form with a slight puff of red smoke, giggling childishly as he reached for the mirror.
The White Mage suspended the mirror in the air, pulling a large marble of black... something… out of it and handing it to the toddler in his lap, who proceeded to squeeze it rather harshly. The mirror's surface flickered a moment, before it showed the inside of an underground room, with a snake-like pale man with serpentine gold eyes wide with agony as he writhed upon his throne in obvious pain.
"What the kit here is doing is causing pain to a fragment of Orochi-chan's soul, something that he had implanted into some of his bodyguards under the guise of a 'Cursed Seal'. I removed the soul fragments from his 'Sound Five', and now it's my past time to cause him pain at inopportune moments. This mirror allows me to scry, much like your crystal ball, though it's a bit more than that. It's a focus for some of my abilities."
The Hokage quickly nodded, feeling a mixture of intrigue, disgust, and amusement as he watched his traitor student being caused pain by… a toddler.
"Please continue."
Byakko simply chuckled a bit, before taking the soul marble away from Kyuubi, who gave an adorable pout in response. He quickly placed it back into the mirror, before placing the mirror back in between the folds of space.
"You'll have to find out on your own, Hokage-san. As for my conditions of this trial... I'll give your village six months to make an impression upon me. You will not reveal any information on my abilities, my identity, or anything else about me. Let them form their own ideas about me. Kimimaro, any other stipulations?"
The white haired Kaguya seemed to zone out for a few moments, before nodding to himself. He cleared his throat before asking a simple question.
"What is the Clan Restoration Act entail?"
Sarutobi, wondering where exactly this was going, gave an abbreviated explanation.
"The Clan Restoration Act was created by the Shodaime Hokage so that clans with less than ten members were allowed to practice polygamy to speed up the resurrection of the bloodline. Why do you ask?"
The stoic Kaguya's face betrayed nothing, but the gleeful gleam in his light gray eyes was the closest to a reaction akin to a kid at Christmas that Kimimaro would get. His deadpan answer caused Byakko's left eyebrow to twitch violently, Kyuubi to cackle maniacally, and the Hokage to blush profusely with a perverted giggle.
"I want a harem."
The aged Sarutobi quickly regained his composure, before nodding decisively.
"We should take this before the council."
Byakko muttered a half-hearted 'I'm surrounded by perverts' before agreeing. It was at this point that the Hokage's heart almost stopped because the toddler looked directly at him before giving him one of the most adorable smiles ever created, and dropped a bombshell.
"I'm the Kyuubi no Kitsune, but I was purified to an age where my soul is pure. You can call me Kyuubi! Nice to meet you, Hokage-chan!"
Byakko simply glomped his child, hugging the life out of him for pulling off quite possibly the cutest smile possible.
In a dimension away from them…
A small girl with a side ponytail, clothed in a checkered kimono gave a cute sneeze, immediately provoking a reaction that would later be known as 'Mother-Hen Sesshoumaru'.
Healers all across Sengoku Jidai (Feudal Japan) shivered as if the apocalypse was coming.
Back with Byakko…
The Hokage briefly had a hyperventilating episode while he tried to come to terms with the fact that the Kyuubi no Kitsune… was now incredibly adorable, and childish.
Oh the irony.
He gave a shaky smile, patting the cute child on his head before turning towards the council chambers, where a meeting was already in session. He was already a few minutes late due to the…encounters… today. He motioned both Kimimaro and Byakko in front of him, the latter setting a retransformed fox kit on his shoulder, and all three walked into the chambers together.
Council Chambers…
The Council was currently engaged in a rather heated debate of what to do concerning this 'Byakko' person who had become notorious throughout the Elemental Countries. Should they capture them? Assassinate them? Try to get them to join Konoha?
Before they could formulate a plan (involving several tons of weapons-grade explosives, a kitten, and a cardboard box) to capture Byakko, the door opened. Walking in with the Hokage were two people, one in his late teens and rather pale with ivory hair and strange facial markings. The second had most of the attention, though, as he fit the description of the 'Byakko'.
Light silver hair shimmered as he walked upon silent unshod feet, complete with golden bronze skin as well as a silver furred kitsune kit upon his left shoulder. His hair was tied back in a high ponytail with a black ribbon, the ends of which were fluttering slightly in an unknown breeze. Two locks of hair fell from his temples, tied near the ends by several strands of white thread. He was clothed in a pure white kimono style top with wide sleeves that hid his hands, and simple white shinobi pants, sans the popular bandages that shinobi tend to tape off their pants with. His appearance, combined with an elegantly refined face with slightly pointed facial structure led to the appearance that he was older than he really was. Now that they saw him in person, though, they could clearly see that he couldn't be older than twenty.
The Hokage cleared his throat to silence the council, before speaking.
"I am slightly tardy, as Byakko had appeared near Konoha with an offer. If you would please reiterate it for the council?"
The young man stepped forward, before nodding his head only slightly in respect for the council. Many were slightly confused by this, as it was customary to bow from the waist when one other than the Hokage or the Council spoke. Hyuuga Hiashi, who knew what it meant, found his respect for the stranger rising. He basically had given a notice that he was barely giving respect for them as unfamiliar people, and not giving any more until it was earned. When he spoke, it was rather soft and level, coming right to the point, though there was no denying his masculinity to those who paid attention.
"I am Byakko, and I have come here to give this village a… test, if you will. My offer stands as thus: Kimimaro and I will stay here, enlisted as shinobi to adequately view a few points on the village. Mainly, we will focus on how it is run, how well it is run, the morale of the people, and the general competency of the ninja. This test will last for six months, and if I find the village lacking, I will leave. If I like it, I will apply for a citizenship. Kimimaro will decide on his own should he stay or not."
Hiashi, acting as the 'voice' for the council, quickly processed this before asking a few questions of his own.
"Byakko-san… what abilities would you be able to bring to Konoha? We have all heard the rumors, but they are just that; rumors. Also, what of the kitsune on your shoulder? Surely you have heard of the Kyuubi attack that happened barely fifteen years ago. Many are… wary… of foxes now."
'Hm… he's good at this. I never was one for politics.' Byakko quickly cut his train of thought before looking at his kitsune companion. The kit hopped down to the ground, disappearing in a puff of red smoke before appearing in his humanoid form once again and speaking to the stunned council.
"If they cannot look past the fact that a single kitsune yokai (demon) attacked them and take out their anger on all other foxes… then that shows exactly how competent this village as a whole is. One bad mark against a race, and they immediately discriminate against the race as a whole."
Byakko let a ghost of a smile slip onto his face as he pulled the kit into his arms, situating him on his left shoulder once more. Before any of the council was able to object to the statement the kit had made, he already spoke.
"He brings up a good point. If you can't look past the fact that there is light and darkness within everything, then why should I look past the fact that this village spawned Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi? Why shouldn't I hold this entire village in contempt because of two nuke-nin that came from it?"
Many of the council paled at this, and sputtered as they tried to form a solid defense against it. Hiashi, however, was pensive. He quickly spoke his mind in an effort to diffuse the situation.
"Byakko-san, could you hold this village in contempt, knowing that not everyone holds the same views?"
The silver haired teen gave a slight smirk at this, and Kyuubi gave a slight giggle from his shoulder.
"No, I cannot, Hyuuga-san. Why else would I do this test? It's to see the 'true' face of Konoha, if you will. I'll be able to interact with the majority of the village at least slightly, and gain a better insight to the general 'feel' of the village. I shall leave the room and await your judgment, though I believe Kimimaro-kun has something to say. Good day, council."
With his piece said, he left the same way he came in; gracefully and silently. All the council's eyes turned to the pale young man left in the room. When he spoke, it was an emotionless monotone, which many compared to that of Itachi.
"I am Kaguya Kimimaro, and am the last of the Kaguya clan which were wiped out on a failed raid upon Kirigakure. I escaped during the fighting, and was but a child at that point. Orochimaru picked me up soon after, enticing me with offers of power if I were to serve him. I agreed, and he gave me the Cursed Seal, which was slowly destroying my individuality the more I used it. Byakko removed the seal from me completely, revealing something rather interesting about the seal itself, and why it worked, allowing me to be free from the snake once and for all. I believe, should I stay, that I will fall under the requirements of the Clan Restoration Act, as I carry the bloodline from my clan."
The council was quite shocked at this, while Danzo was plotting to get Kaguya children within his Ne (root) ANBU force. Hiashi spoke up once again.
"Kaguya-san, should Byakko not find this village to his liking, what will you do?"
Kimimaro gave a half-shrug, his eyes half-lidded in apparent boredom as he replied in the same monotone.
"He is his own person, as I am my own. I will forever be grateful for his help, but that does not mean that I will follow him should I enjoy my time here when he does not. That is why we both are inspecting this village. We both gain a different perspective, and compare them to one another to get a better view of the village as a whole. Is there anything else?"
A councilmember quickly blurted out the first thing on his mind.
"Will you prove that you are able to use your bloodline?"
Kimimaro's pale lips twitched upward at the left corner in an action that denoted a suppressed smirk to those who were watching closely. He shrugged off the left shoulder of his gi, allowing a white bone to slide upwards. He grasped it with his right hand, pulling it all the way out, and showing that it was a hilt-less bone wakizashi. He quickly did a few quick strikes, before causing the bone to explode in a white powder, showing that he still had control over the density and structure of the bone even after it was detached from the main system.
"Is there something else you wish?"
Hiashi shook his head, allowing Kimimaro to leave and the council to begin discussion with the Hokage.
An hour later…
They were called back in and told that they would allow the 'test' to commence. However, the Clan Restoration Act only worked on citizens, so Kimimaro was flat out of luck on his harem. For now.
Inner Kimimaro, a personality created from repressed emotion (but mainly lust), was pouting petulantly within the confines of the Kaguya's mind.
They were instated as temporary chuunin rank, and were stationed with two different jounin to watch over them, though they were free to do as they wished. They would have to live with their jounin, as Konoha wanted to make sure this wasn't simply a sabotage attempt. They were not issued hitai-ate, as they could be used against Konoha when the two weren't citizens yet.
Byakko was placed with Yuuhi Kurenai, the Ice Queen of Konoha, well renowned for her genjutsu, stealth, recon, and observation skills. Kimimaro was placed with Sarutobi Asuma, renowned for his wind manipulation, strategy, tactics, and his hand to hand knuckle-knife fighting.
Poor Inner Kimimaro was bawling his chibi eyes out at not getting to live with the hot woman. Kyuubi looked quite smug, for some reason, and he could've sworn the fox knew that Kimimaro wanted to pout and wail.
Byakko and Kimimaro, with Kyuubi situated atop Byakko's shoulder in fox form, quickly headed towards the academy, where the two jounin were supposed to be waiting for their new genin teams.
At the academy…
They quickly bypassed the secretary after asking where the jounin senseis were collected, and headed up to the lounge room.
Upon entering, they were both the victims of scrutinizing stares, though many took a single glance and began glaring at the kit. Byakko took one look at the room and sighed exasperatedly before speaking.
"You would think a village of shinobi would know better than to judge an entire race of creatures by the actions of a single specimen of said race. We are here to speak with Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma."
The glaring increased for a moment before they all looked away. Three people who belonged to the group that weren't glaring, however, were now interested. One quickly hid her interest, and allowed the two to stand up and engage in conversation.
Yuuhi Kurenai was a rather beautiful woman, aesthetically. Her eyes were an odd shade of red, different from the Kyuubi. Her eyes were more of a cherry color, as opposed to the bloody crimson. She was slightly pale, and had had an interesting outfit. It was a short dress composed of wrappings much like bandages with a triangular design upon them, with a single crimson sleeve on her right arm that ended near her wrist. Her hands up to her elbows were wrapped in bandages, and had wrappings on her thighs as well to hide her modesty. Her hair was black and curled slightly, cascading down to just below her shoulders and giving the illusion that it wasn't high on her priority to keep it perfectly neat. It was held out of her eyes by her hitai-ate (forehead protector) situated on her forehead, and she was wearing blue shinobi sandals.
Sarutobi Asuma was wearing the standard 'jounin uniform'. It comprised of a jounin vest, dark blue long sleeved shirt, and dark blue shinobi pants. He was also wearing dark blue shinobi sandals, and had wrappings on his calves, taping off the pants. He had a single cigarette, unlit, hanging out of his mouth and had two specialized holsters on his person to carry his knuckle-knives. His hair was an odd blue-black and was spiked slightly. He had sideburns leading into a goatee, and his hitai-ate was situated on his forehead as well.
The woman, Kurenai, spoke. Her voice was reserved, much like her demeanor, and gave nothing away.
"Why are you two looking for us?"
Byakko's lips twitched upwards a little, settling in a gentle smile. His murky eyes sparkled a little in apology at having been the messenger for such random news as he spoke.
"Kurenai-san, the Hokage has placed my comrade and me under a specific style of probation. I am to live with you, and Kimimaro is to live with Asuma for the next six months. I believe this would be so that you could make sure we aren't saboteurs in disguise, as well as be able to see things others would hide under the privacy of a home."
The woman looked slightly startled for a moment, with the only movement to denote it as a slight widening of the eyes, while Asuma nearly dropped his cigarette. Byakko gave a slight chuckle as he ushered them towards the classroom where the two jounin were to pick up their teams.
"Kurenai-san, I apologize for giving you such short notice of this. However… I believe this could help you two a bit, as we would be able to assist in training your genin teams, should they pass their exams. I am an expert of illusions, healing, and hand to hand combat, and Kimimaro is an undisputed master at close quarters combat."
They were both slightly interested at this, before something came to the forefront of Asuma's mind and he voiced it.
"Maybe we should start with you two introducing yourselves? You both know us already."
Kimimaro gave a dry chuckle at this, before beginning.
"I am Kaguya Kimimaro, sole survivor of the Kaguya clan and master of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) Kekkei Genkai (bloodline limit). My likes include training and onigiri. My hobbies include playing with Byakko's adopted kitsune kit who will remain nameless unless he decides to tell you his name, and theorizing new 'dances' for my bloodline. My dislikes include those without a drive to grow, and Orochimaru. My dreams… I don't really have any. I suppose my goals for now are to give the kit a childhood I never had and to learn more about social interaction due to my… 'sheltered' childhood."
Byakko gave a wry laugh at this, before introducing himself as well.
"I am Byakko, and I have no surname. I was raised in the Konoha forests, actually. I am an accomplished combat medic, illusion master and have several other combat talents. My likes include my kit, preserving the balance, and pocky. My hobbies include raising my kit the best I can, training, and creating new techniques. My dislikes include Orochi-chan, as he is a body-jumping soul-fragmenting bastard, and those that disturb the balance. My dreams… I suppose, like every parent, I dream to have my kit be raised well. I also dream to have Orochimaru's soul in my possession, so that I may cause him the same pain he has caused others and for disturbing the balance of life and death."
Kurenai and Asuma were rather intrigued at this, and nodded as they got to the classroom. Byakko and Kimimaro quickly swept piercing gazes over the classroom, getting a general 'feel' of the students, and didn't like what they 'felt'.
The genin barely had any drive at all, and none of them seemed to have known real combat. A few seemed to have some potential, though, like the pale-blonde Yamanaka who seemed to have a well established façade, denoting great acting skills.
Kurenai and Asuma quickly gathered their teams, and decided to have their teams meet at the same spot, since they had a feeling they would be training together often. They all met at a quaint barbecue restaurant, and placed their orders. Chouji, of course, ordered more than three times that of anyone else. Ino, after a rather odd look from Byakko, ordered something actually hearty instead of her normal salads, prompting surprised looks from all. After ordering, they all sat back to introduce themselves. Byakko and Kimimaro went first, stating that they would be 'subordinates as well as roommates' of their jounin senseis, and would be assisting them on missions as well as training.
Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress of the main branch of the Hyuuga clan, spoke so softly that she was almost whispering. She apparently enjoyed cinnamon buns, flower pressing, and wished to abolish the seal upon the branch house. She missed spending time with her cousin Neji who now hated her for some reason, and she had a huge confidence issue.
Inuzuka Kiba, the heir of the Inuzuka clan, spoke a little louder than needed. He enjoyed spending time with his partner, Akamaru, who was a wolf-sized white dog that followed him around everywhere, as well as any type of food that he can chew on. He was fiercely loyal to those close to him, but was rather brash and impulsive, and disliked those that called the ninken (ninja dogs) of the Inuzuka clan 'pets'.
Aburame Shino, the heir of the Aburame clan, had a voice much like Kimimaro's. He enjoyed learning about new insects as well as spending time with his family, and disliked loud noises, fire, and water. Though he didn't voice it, Byakko and Kimimaro were able to tell that he disliked being shunned for the fact that he was a living host for his kikaichu (destruction bugs).
Yuuhi Kurenai had apparently just been promoted to jounin six months ago at the last jounin exam. She enjoyed red wine, spending time with her long time friend Mitarashi Anko, and creating new genjutsu. She disliked those who took family for granted or treated them badly, as well as kunoichi who didn't take their jobs seriously.
Sarutobi Asuma was rather laid back, which enhanced his ability to strategize as it lowered his stress. He enjoyed smoking, playing Shogi and Go, and spending time with his father, the Hokage. He disliked people who were too uptight and strict, as well as people who have abrasive personalities.
Nara Shikamaru, the heir of the Nara clan, had to be shaken awake before he could make his introduction. He apparently enjoyed cloud watching and sleeping, as well as playing Shogi and Go. He disliked strict, 'troublesome' women. That was all they could get out of him before he slipped off into La La Land again.
Akimichi Chouji, the heir of the Akimichi Clan, introduced himself in between mouthfuls of chips. He enjoyed eating, as it gave him extra energy that was required for his clan techniques, and spending time with Shikamaru. He disliked people who called him the 'f' word (fat), and preferred to be considered 'big boned'. In a mumble that was unheard of by everyone except Kyuubi, he added under his breath that he missed how Ino used to be his friend too until she became obsessed with Sasuke.
Before Ino could introduce herself, the kit scurried down Byakko's shoulder, jumped over the table, and hopped onto Ino's shoulder, whispering in her ear. Many of them were rather shocked at this, though Byakko just had a knowing glint in his eye. Ino, however, had her eyes wide in disbelief, as well as slight hope, before nodding. She gave a resigned sigh, and a change seemed to melt across her expression. Where there once was a bratty, obsessed, and spoiled fangirl, a cool, calm heiress remained. She gave a hesitant smile, fiddling with her napkin a little in nervousness, before introducing herself.
"I am Yamanaka Ino, heiress to the Yamanaka clan. I'd… like to apologize to everyone for how I've acted for the past few… years. I adopted a mask to help one of my friends with her problems concerning her personality, but I never accepted that it might be harming others until now. Sakura broke off her friendship with me to chase after Sasuke, and I knew her self esteem would suffer from it, so I became her 'rival' for his affections. I made sure to push her higher and higher, perfectly creating a mask of a fan girl so that she would take it seriously and come into her own more instead of hiding behind me in my shadow. I enjoy flower arranging, as well as learning psychology and anatomy. I dislike those who don't take their training seriously, as well as bullies. My hobbies include working at the Yamanaka Flower Shop, studying on the human psyche, and tinkering with the Yamanaka clan techniques. My dream… is to become an accomplished kunoichi, as well as rebuilding my friendships that were inadvertently destroyed by my façade."
She looked away at the last part, her eyes haunted with guilt, before the kit hopped down into her lap and smiled, changing to his humanoid form with a puff of red smoke. The kit gave her a big hug around the middle, his voice slightly muffled by her shirt.
"Ino-chan, don't worry. If anyone would understand, it would be Kurenai-san and Byakko-okaa-chan. The basis of illusions is creating realistic changes and scenarios, so what you did could be counted as a really good illusion!"
The strained smile on Byakko's face, the tic at his temple, and his slightly strained voice broke the rather shocked silence.
"I. Am. A. Guy."
The rest of the meal was rather sedate, as Ino's confession gave everyone much to think about. Byakko gave her an understanding smile, however, and that cheered her up a little. The two teams agreed to meet up the next day at Training Ground 13 to do their 'real' genin tests.
Kurenai and Byakko headed back to the woman's apartment so that the silver haired teen could move in his stuff as well as get acquainted with each other. Asuma and Kimimaro headed to the Sarutobi clan compound for the same reason, making sure to fill in the Hokage about what they thought of the teams.
On the way to Kurenai's apartment, however, they ran into someone rather interesting.
Mitarashi Anko, also known as the Snake Mistress to her face, though other titles such as Snake Whore, Snake Bitch, and Serpentine Strumpet behind her back, was an interrogator for the Torture and Interrogation unit of ANBU. She dressed in a beige trench coat with long sleeves, ending at her wrists. Underneath that was a fishnet body glove, as well as a short yellow skirt with an even shorter pair of shorts, bordering on panties beneath the skirt. She was wearing metal shin guards, as well as blue shinobi sandals. Her purple hair was pulled up in a pineapple style ponytail, and her hazel eyes sparked with playfulness and mischief, as well as slight bloodlust.
She hopped down in their path, grinning like a loon and holding a take-out bag of dango.
"Kure-chan! I was looking for you! Who's the bishounen? Getting lucky tonight, Kure-chan?"
Kurenai looked mortified at the blunt remarks, hoping that her guest wasn't offended, though Byakko simply chuckled dryly.
"It's nice to see that some people find me attractive. Actually, I'm on probation by the Hokage, and he assigned me to stay at her apartment so that I would have her watching over me."
The snake mistress gave a cackle of delight, grabbing the teen in a one armed hug and pressing her 'assets' up against him in an attempt to break his calm.
"Ooh, I like this one! What're you on probation for?"
"I am merely… I apologize; do you have a Curse Seal?"
Anko clearly wasn't ready for that question, and backed off as if slapped. Kurenai looked affronted at the subject, and was trying to think of a plan to diffuse the subject before it became too emotional. Anko's face quickly changed to suspicion, as well as restrained anger as she answered.
"Why do you want to know?"
Byakko gave a one armed shrug, figuring out how to phrase it correctly before responding.
"I removed five others, and I know what one 'feels' like now. If you would like, I could remove this one, as well, though it would have to be done in private. I won't charge anything for this service."
Anko furrowed her brows in contemplation, before nodding. She looked pleadingly to Kurenai, who gave a sigh as she nodded, beckoning both of them to her as she did a few quick seals, teleporting all four of them (as Kyuubi was still on Naruto's shoulder) to her apartment.
Kurenai's Apartment…
All four appeared within a rather spartanly decorated room, which was a combination of a kitchen and living room. In the corner was the kitchenette, and the rest of the room had a couch, a few chairs, a table, and a television. The apartment itself had a main bedroom as well as a guest bedroom, and was painted in neutral colors. Byakko was the one who broke the silence first.
"The procedure is rather… painful. However, the amount of pain depends on how much you've used the seal. Basically, what Hebi-chan did was break off a fragment of his soul and implant it into your body, as well as making the seal inject a foreign enzyme into you if you used it that allowed you to change into a monstrous humanoid form to increase your strength. The more you use the seal, the deeper the fragment goes, the more pain caused from the removal. Are you sure you want to do this, knowing what you do now?"
Anko nodded her head quickly, before sitting on the couch and bracing herself. She moved her trench coat off one of her shoulders, showing the three spiraling tomoe that make up the Cursed Seal of Heaven, and waited patiently while watching Byakko's every move.
Kurenai was rather intrigued, as the silver haired young man pulled a mirror of all things out of thin air, though the surface was tinted with a slight aquamarine color. He held it in a strange way, pointing it directly at her friend, and gave a rather apologetic glance before the mirror shimmered and sparkled with energy.
For Anko, the pain was not nearly as much as Kimimaro felt, but it definitely felt like Orochimaru just impaled her with thousands of needles. She gave a muffled scream as she clenched her teeth, hoping it would go quickly. She kept her eyes open, though, alert for any foul play and watched as a black mist shot out of her seal and into the mirror itself.
Kurenai watched the proceedings very carefully. There was something decidedly off with that mirror, and she wanted to know what exactly was wrong with it.
'He did warn her it would hurt… and it seems to be working, as the seal is fading. Still, it pains me to see my friend hurting this much.'
It took about twenty seconds to remove the seal, as opposed to the Sound Five's minute or longer procedure due to the fact that Anko never used the seal. When it was over, she had several beads of sweat upon her brow, and she was panting heavily. Kurenai quickly went and got her a drink, while Naruto simply cut the mana to his mirror, allowing Anko to see that the seal was no more.
As soon as Kurenai returned from the sink, she saw Anko in a shocked state, her hand shaking as she reached up to touch where the mark once was. She gave out a whoop of joy and glomped Byakko in a bone-cracking hug, not noticing the mirror floating in the air as she attempted to hug the life out of the young man.
Kurenai managed to pry her friend off of her houseguest, and stared pointedly at the mirror which was currently floating in the middle of the air, as if accusing it of defying gravity. She handed Anko the glass before speaking.
"Thank you for removing the seal but… what is that mirror? Why is it…floating?"
Byakko gave a slight smile as he reached out for the mirror, causing it to float back into his grasp. He seemed to reach into the mirror, grabbing the same black marble thing from earlier in the day, only now it was a little bigger from the new fragment joining the other five. He tossed the marble to Anko, before scrying with the mirror to show Orochimaru currently debriefing a few Oto jounin on their new mission to Nami no Kuni (Wave Country) to scout it. With a deadly smirk on his face, Byakko spoke to Anko who had caught the marble.
"Apply chakra to your hand and squeeze the marble while watching the mirror."
As she followed his instructions, the apartment was witness to Orochimaru screaming in either pain or anger, they couldn't tell which, until the ninja left him, allowing him to writhe in agony in privacy. Anko's grin could've split her face as she realized what she was now able to do, and gave a maniacal cackle. Kurenai was rather amused, before she connected the dots.
"The black marble is a piece of his soul, gathered from the six seals that you removed? And when someone harms part of the soul, the rest of it feels the same pain?"
"Exactly. The reason I started doing this is because if someone uses the seal too much, the fragment fully embeds into their soul, turning them into puppets for the person's whim. Your strings have been cut, Anko-san. You're free."
This became the start of the close friendship (whether he wanted it or not) with Mitarashi Anko.
The next day…
After awakening, Byakko offered his cooking skills to Kurenai, as he had used her guest bedroom that she usually let Anko sleep in when the snake jounin's apartment was vandalized by prejudiced villagers. She had (rather wisely, Kyuubi and Kimimaro would have added) declined, and took her guests, as well as Anko, out for breakfast.
When all four of them met up with Asuma and Kimimaro, the Kaguya was looking rather twitchy and anxious about something. Upon sighting Byakko, he immediately seemed to teleport to the silver haired teen's side, and started shaking him frantically, asking an apparently rather important question.
"You didn't cook for them, right? For all that is sacred, please tell me that you didn't go near a kitchen!"
The three jounin were rather surprised, as the bone manipulator seemed as he never lost his composure. They turned to Byakko with distinct 'what the fuck is he talking about' faces, which caused the White Mage to laugh nervously and explain.
"I seem to be… cursed with my cooking. I could follow a recipe for cereal to the letter and it would become sentient and aggressive, growing several razor sharp teeth and try to bite whoever came near. Neither Kimimaro-kun, my son, or I know exactly why this happens, so we usually never let me cook… but I didn't want to seem like a freeloader, so I offered to cook for you, Kurenai-san."
The jounin clearly didn't believe him, so he shrugged and showed them an image of Orochimaru in his mirror, who had (conveniently) just received a package.
"I sent him a fruit cake. Observe."
Before their very eyes, as the wrapping was ripped off by the snake sannin, an abomination of culinary delights was created. A deep purple color, it stood around six feet tall and had several appendages resembling arms and hands, though they only had three fingers, and were more like claws. It had no legs or feet, and looked more like it slid around like a slug. It had over five different mouths on its body, each filled with hundreds of razor sharp teeth, and all of them moaning and gurgling. It had no eyes, but it seemed to 'lock on' to Orochimaru from his body heat, and immediately charged for him, arms outstretched, roaring and moaning.
Kimimaro, Kyuubi, and Byakko started chuckling as they watched the sannin ordered a 'Code Pink; unknown experiment on the loose', sending many nins into a frenzy to capture or kill it as soon as they could. Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai were dumbfounded at the display of… unholy culinary skills.
Byakko quickly banished the mirror back to its spot in the folds of space just as the two teams came within eyesight of the jounin, ready for their exam. The exam itself was rather boring for Kimimaro and Byakko, who watched the whole thing. Anko was too busy cuddling Kyuubi like a plush toy, though the kitsune wasn't complaining.
Asuma's exam was for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to go through an intricate obstacle course within a time limit without setting off more than five traps. This stressed their teamwork and observation skills, as they had to look out for one another and warn each other of traps.
Kurenai's team had to find her, but she placed restrictions on them via genjutsu. For Hinata, she cut off her eyesight with the Kokuangyo no Jutsu (Bringer of Darkness technique). For Kiba and Shino, she created a genjutsu that cut off their advantage of smell, which she named Hana Kusai Danmaku (Flower Smell Barrage), leaving everything smelling the same, cutting off the Inuzuka's nose as well as Shino's female insect's pheromones. She then hid herself amongst the trees, forcing her team to work together to help Hinata overcome the blindness.
By noon, both teams had completed the test with flying colors, though the spectators noticed that Ino wasn't as fit as the others, probably due to lacking training since keeping up with her façade was a full time deal. She seemed rather put out, but a spark of determination was smoldering in her demeanor. Her Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind Body Switch) intrigued Byakko, which led to an interesting show in front of the others.
He quickly spotted a rabbit, before asking Ino to stand near him. She was rather perplexed, and did as he asked, watching him closely. He pulled the mirror from thin air, and she watched, fascinated as he focused on a rabbit in the undergrowth. His silvery hair, bound by the black ribbon, fluttered a little in a breeze as a light blue… something… shot out of the rabbit and slammed into the mirror, causing a slight shockwave as well as blowing his hair back for a moment as if in a gust of wind. He then reached into his mirror and pulled out what looked to be a light blue glowing orb, and held it in his hand.
"Can you see what I'm holding, Ino-san?"
The pale blonde nodded, intrigued, while the rest looked at the both of them like they were insane. Byakko handed the orb to the mindwalker, smiling lightly as she tossed it from hand to hand before asking the pressing question.
"What is it?"
"It is the soul of that rabbit, Ino. I noticed your clan's technique forces your soul into the target's body, possessing it, and I wondered if you may be able to do something I have been interested in for some time. You are capable of manipulating the soul due to your Kekkei Genkai. Now that you know what a soul looks and feels like, I'll let you figure out how to tinker with it."
He quickly pulled the soul back from her grasp and tossed it back into the limp form of the rabbit, causing it to twitch a few times before seeming to wake from a fainting spell, hopping off.
The blonde was shell shocked at this, before deciding that she would speak about it with her father. She also renewed her vow to train harder than ever.
For the next three months, Teams 8 and 10 trained extensively, only taking the prerequisite thirty D-ranked missions that they needed for the chuunin exams as they honed their skills. Hinata began her studies to become a medical ninja, while Ino caught herself up to the rest of her team with the help of Byakko and Kimimaro. Shikamaru started to learn taijutsu, while Kiba and Chouji learned more ninjutsu. Shino learned a bit more taijutsu as well, allowing him to hold his own in close combat, or to escape if need be.
Konoha gradually got used to the presence of Kimimaro, Byakko, and the kitsune kit, though only the Hokage knew the kit's name. Both teams were called in for a C-rank mission, something almost unheard of after only three months of training. The C-rank mission was a rather bland one, to investigate an outpost that had quit sending reports in. For this reason, the Hokage allowed two genin teams (as well as two 'chuunin') to go on it.
Most likely, the outpost had just forgotten their duties, as it had only been two weeks since the last report. However, it was protocol to send out a team to make sure everything was alright, regardless.
They packed for a week long trip, as the outpost was near one of their borders, and headed out.
When they were but half a mile away from the outpost on the third day, Byakko felt a coil of dread tighten around his stomach. Something was…wrong. As they got a little closer, Akamaru and Shino's insects began fidgeting and buzzing nervously, clearly showing that something was wrong.
Hinata was the first one to find out exactly was wrong, and immediately spoke up. Her confidence had been growing slowly, but the shock of what exactly she was seeing caused her to stutter again, something that hadn't happened in over a week.
"K-kurenai-se-sensei! A c-camp of n-nuke-nin and bandits c-captured the outpost! My Byakugan (All Seeing Eye) c-can't see the Konoha s-shinobi anywhere!"
Byakko stiffened almost imperceptibly at this, though it was caught by Ino, Shikamaru, Kurenai, and Asuma. He remembered what the Hokage had said, in the event that the outpost had been taken.
"Should the outpost be taken, and the shinobi stationed there be compromised, I want you to…deal with the threat."
"You want me to kill all those who currently occupy it?"
"Yes."
By this time they had gotten within eyesight of the outpost itself, just to let the other shinobi who didn't have the Byakugan get a good look to check. They all suppressed their chakra, making sure they were adequately hidden within the foliage as they scouted. The nuke-nin weren't higher than C-rank, possibly B-rank, but there were well over ten of them, as well as at least thirty bandits armed with anything from boards with nails to katanas.
Byakko gave a deep sigh of resignation, catching the attention of both teams. He held a hand to his forehead, as he spoke in a soft tone.
"I apologize for this, but I'm afraid I must enact my secondary mission. In the chance that the outpost has been taken, I am to deal with the threat, as they are encroaching upon Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) and have compromised a military outpost."
Kurenai, Asuma, and the genin looked shocked and appalled at this, while Kimimaro looked pensive. Kyuubi, who had come along, stationed atop Byakko's head gave a sigh of resignation before speaking.
"Kaa-chan, you're going to use it?"
"Yes… it's the only way that nobody will know who or how someone recaptured the post. It just sucks that now more people know exactly what I can do."
The kit nodded a bit, before sticking himself to Kurenai with youki, who was looking slightly suspicious.
"What do you mean, 'it'? What are you going to do, Byakko?"
The silver haired teen gave them all an apologetic smile, before holding up two glowing palms of aquamarine energy. He quickly spoke the incantation for the spell, deciding that speed wasn't necessary this once, and preferring power.
"Spirits of time, hide us from the judging hand of God! Stop!"
Team 8 and Team 10 were frozen in place, including Kimimaro. The only one free from the paralyzing attack was Kyuubi, who was situated atop Kurenai's head to keep watch. The only parts of their bodies that they were able to move were their eyes, which were locked onto Byakko with accusing stares, who simply looked resigned and apologetic.
"You're paralyzed for the next few minutes until I get done, as I don't want you caught within the crossfire. I implore you to close your eyes so you won't have to see this."
With that said, he disappeared into thin air, appearing in the sky about twenty feet above the camp itself. Hovering in place, and still unnoticed to the camp, he pulled his mirror out of thin air. Ino, who knew exactly what was about to happen, would have taken a horrified gasp if she was able to move. As it stood, her eyes widened in fear at what was going to happen.
The mirror shone innocently, though all of them knew better. Byakko began to glow with a soft blue-green energy, as he chanted another incantation that drew attention to him from the camps.
"Mindless, spiritless, hear the immutable beat and destroy all who hunger for destruction! Soul Puppetry!"
Over half the camp gave wails of agony as light blue comets ripped themselves from their chests, slamming headfirst into the mirror and giving off a visible shockwave, causing Byakko's hair to whip around in the aftershock. The bodies, instead of crumpling like the last time with the rabbit, reanimated with glassy eyes devoid of emotion or soul.
The two teams watched with rapt attention as the half under Byakko's control began to attack their comrades. Quite a few of them were horrified to witness the sheer… brutality of what Byakko was doing with his puppets. No mercy was given as he intricately manipulated his puppets to make it seem as if the bandits controlling the outpost had rioted.
Hinata was horrified that the compassionate, calm, and composed Byakko had… manipulated a bunch of nuke-nin and bandits into killing each other!
Ino was halfway between shocked and awed. She was learning Soul Manipulation in her own style, and this gave her a great idea to base a few techniques off of. It was like a Shinranshin (Mind Body Confusion) on a large scale!
Kurenai, Asuma, Chouji, and Kiba were horrified at what exactly was happening. Their medic friend had just… ripped souls out of over twenty people and was now using their soulless bodies as puppets or golems to do his will!
Shikamaru, Shino, and Kimimaro, however, were pensive. It seemed as if Byakko had quite a few skills that he hid from others, as not only were they unprecedented, but they also were quite… scary and borderline evil.
Byakko, however, was too concentrated on his task to pay much attention to the others. He held his stance, with his right hand atop the mirror, and his left on the bottom, as he mentally pulled the strings on his marionettes. Seeing about ten people dashing in different directions to escape the outpost and possibly warn their friends, he manifested part of his soul outside of his body to assist him in casting his next spell.
A vibrant pure white appendage in an exact replica of Byakko's arm seemed to emerge from his back. It didn't seem to have any flesh, and seemed more like an outline if anything. It seemed to reach up, and a shimmering white energy started to coalesce into the palm in a ball shape as another incantation rung across the battlefield, as there was still time before the prey could leave his range, so he didn't have to sacrifice power for speed.
"Death's song, Death's door, Death's river awaiting… Heaven's wish to destroy all minds, attack by the master of commandments! Bright light, shine down upon bloody impurity! Holy!"
The white globe of power hovered above the palm of the ghostly arm for a moment before splitting seamlessly into ten equal balls of light which homed in on their targets like heavenly comets. They moved almost too fast to be caught with the untrained eye, slamming into each of their targets with a vengeance. Each victim gave out an agonized scream of horror as they were enveloped in the white glow, and disappeared without a trace, nor a body.
Ino, who was able to see and feel what the spell did, broke out of the spell by sheer force of will and fell to her knees, staring horrified up at Byakko as if he were some sort of angel of death.
Soon the only ones left alive were two B-rank nuke-nin and six bandits, all under Byakko's control. The silver haired young man quickly descended to the ground, hovering above all the blood, gore, and dismembered bodies, and floated towards them as they lined themselves up. His calm visage didn't waver even once as he trailed a single palm down one of their unbloodied faces, as if caressing it. His voice broke the post-battle silence, stunning his onlookers.
"You have served me well. Return into oblivion, to be reborn once again."
With his simple eulogy said, a katar of bone, hidden from all onlookers, erupted from his palm, which he used to deftly decapitate all six with varying angles before disappearing into a white powder that blew away like dust. He then tilted his mirror slightly, allowing the souls stolen and stored to evacuate, where they dissipated into the sky and ground in a seemingly random order. He floated across the battlefield, capturing the heads of those who had bounties upon them in a minor barrier, slipping them within the folds of space to be turned in for money later. As soon as he was done, he floated across the battlefield back to the teams before landing. A sound, not unlike that of a chime tinkling in the wind, was heard as they were able to move again.
"My mission is completed. When we report to the Sandaime, I'll tell you exactly what I just did, though I'm sure some of you already know. Shall we go?"
The trip back to Konoha was filled with tense silences. Only Ino, Kimimaro, and Kyuubi would approach Byakko after 'The Battle' as it had to be referred, in capital letters no less.
Ino bounced ideas of a taijutsu style that allowed the soul to manifest out of different parts of the body to help fight, so if, say, her hands were both being blocked, an arm manifested out of her soul could appear out of her chest and attack for her. Byakko nodded and told her to try it sometime. She may even be able to do jutsu with the soul arms.
As soon as they got back to the village, they immediately barged into the Hokage's office after checking with the secretary to make sure nobody else was already in.
Hokage's office…
As they all entered, all of them dropped behind the silver haired one, as if collectively agreeing that he had to report. He stepped to an acceptable distance away from the Hokage, and gave a tip of his head in respect.
"Hokage-san, the outpost was occupied by bandits and nuke-nin with no sign of Konoha shinobi. Secondary mission parameters were completed. I used my… abilities… to stage it as a riot within the group, and left none alive. Permission to speak freely?"
Sarutobi nodded, puffing a little on his pipe as he activated the silencing technique on the room.
Byakko gave a slight smile before continuing.
"I used my mirror to steal and contain the souls of half of the group, leaving only a fragment of the soul left behind in the body. The majority of the soul in the mirror allowed me to manipulate the fragments like a puppet, much like how Orochimaru would be able to do if his victims of the Curse Seal didn't have their souls intact. Ten attempted to escape, and I was forced to banish them from the material plane of existence, sending their souls directly into oblivion to wait to be reincarnated. Is there anything else you wish to know?"
The Hokage thought for a moment while the two teams digested the information before they were gently ushered to the door, leaving only the Hokage and Byakko in the sealed office.
"Was there any other way for you to complete the mission parameters that wouldn't have been as… traumatizing to those who were watching?"
The White Mage chuckled wryly at this, his green-brown eyes sparkling a little.
"Very clever, you knew I was hiding a few tricks up my sleeve. Well, since the trial is already halfway done with, I suppose I could let a few more abilities out into the open. I could have killed them all with my version of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), dropped a meteor from the heavens upon them, violently corrupted their souls with dark energy before sending them straight to Hell, violently purged all corruption from their souls before sending them straight to Heaven, or a few other things. I will say this, though; your village isn't doing too well against my standards. While the younger generation is alright, the older generations are quite corrupt. Using my mirror, I was able to watch many of the civilian council be bribed, several ninja plot to kill my kit, and apparently Danzo was working for Orochi-chan for quite awhile. I don't think Kimimaro likes it here either, as he's been bribed, brown nosed, and almost blackmailed by several civilian and some shinobi clan heads wanting his bloodline. Good day, Hokage-san, and I hope you like my gift to you."
As he teleported back to Kurenai's apartment, the Hokage was able to hear a faint voice reach his ears.
"Time, rest and give your kindness to the worthy, obey the sky's will and slow down time! Slow!"
As Sarutobi looked down at his hands, he saw his skin becoming healthier as well as losing the wrinkles.
He quickly got up and checked a mirror in the nearby bathroom, watching as his hair darkened back into the black it used to be in his youth, and the wrinkles fade away. His height increased a few inches from when he shrunk in his old age, and he nearly fainted when the full consequences of what just happened hit him:
He had just de-aged two decades!
He quickly applied the genjutsu that he worked on with his medic student, Tsunade, making him look just as he did two minutes prior. He marveled at the feat that Byakko was able to pull off, before going back to paperwork with a new vigor.
One thought echoed in his head, taking his full attention away from signing the papers.
'That ability should never be made public.'
Author's Note: So... I kinda decided that there will be no romance due to the fact that: He's too powerful, and nobody can come close to his power. This makes me think of some sort of cheesy 'The Lord and the Peasant' type romance, and it doesn't seem to work out in my head. Plus, how is he supposed to objectively judge everyone equally if he's in love? Love screws up logic, which is the basis for the balance.
