Chapter 2
Hidden Power
The next morning Rusuta woke to the sound of a small flute, it was barely dawn but when she looked outside she could see Umani, he was playing a small wooden flute that was painted a grey silver colour. He stopped for a moment and looked up to her window, Rusuta grabbed her hair and held it up still wary of her appearance. He waved good morning and started to play again before gesturing her down. Rusuta quickly dressed before jumping into her nearby tree and joining him.
"Your music, it's amazing," she smiled.
"I've been able to play since I was a child, it's such a nice morning, cool and misty, perfect for training," he told her.
"You want to train, with me," she almost squeaked.
"We are teammates after all," he smiled winking at her. Rusuta smiled nervously and nodded in agreement, then he took her hand again.
"Come on then," he said leading her away into the mists. Later Koni woke up and went downstairs, he was surprised Rusuta wasn't there, she always woke up earlier than him.
"Dad have you seen Rusuta?" he asked Varundo who was helping to dress Velia.
"No, maybe she's not awake?" he replied.
"That's not like her," sighed Koni, "we're going to be late for Yumo Sensei, no telling he'll want to teach the three of us some new moves before the Chunin exams come round."
"Oh yes Jivana told me about your new partner, work him hard son," smiled Varundo standing up with Velia on his shoulders.
"I think she went after the pretty bird this morning," smiled Velia happily.
"Pretty bird?" asked Koni.
"Yeah this bird's singing woke me up this morning, it was so lovely, then I heard Rusuta jump into a tree, she must have gone after it, I wonder if she caught it," giggled Velia. Koni ran back upstairs and much like his sister had said Rusuta was gone, he looked outside and could see where she'd broken a few branches on the way down and then two sets of footprints. Koni jumped out of the window and followed them.
Umani and Rusuta were on a hill near the Ninja school sparring with each other, Umani had revealed that his weapon or rather weapons of choice were a set of slightly larger than normal shurukin with which he was able cut through the air and create sharp sonic slashes of cold wind. Rusuta was showing off her Venom Blade with masterful control, not only had her dance training made it look like she was dancing but she had further enhanced it to make it seem as though the blade itself was dancing and writhing and almost alive. In one amazingly athletic move Rusuta had Umani all tied up in her whip but she held it looser than normal as it was only training.
"This was amazing Umani, but I've won now so, maybe we should go find Koni," she smiled triumphantly.
"I'm not beaten yet," Umani smiled cockily suddenly turning grey and disappearing in a fine smoke, Rusuta's whip fell limp, he wasn't there anymore. Suddenly she felt herself grabbed from behind and held round her neck and waist.
"Wow, you can turn into air too, where did you learn that!" she cried amazed.
"It's a simple move in my village, it's good for getting the upper hand on an opponent," he smiled, "now, what was that you said about giving up?" Rusuta laughed and her rune started to enact, suddenly Umani couldn't hold his grip on her and she escaped his hold, her skin shimmered a little as if she were wet.
"I call that my Snake Skin Jutsu, my rune sheds the top layer of my skin and my next layer takes on the form I wish it too, be that sandpaper rough, or oily smooth to get out of enemy holds," she smiled happily bracing with her whip again.
"Looks like we're both quite even" said Umani taking out a few more shurukin.
Then Koni arrived, he was out of breath and a little annoyed Rusuta was training without him.
"Next time, wake me up," he panted.
"Koni, hello," said Umani.
"You should see Umani fight Koni, he's just as amazing as we are, he can turn into thin air," she told him excited.
"Ah well, that's no way as amazing as being able to change the structure and constitution of your skin," he replied modestly.
"Really, well check out this!" smiled Koni drawing his wooden sword, Umani looked interested, and then Koni revealed a handful of kunai, one for each finger.
"Sen Blade Jutsu!" he cried placing the blades to the sword. Suddenly his rune flashed and the wooden sword became coated in metal and several sharp blades pointed out of it. Koni jumped into the air and attacked Umani but Umani merely dodged before showing that he too had a similar Jutsu to Koni. He took five of his shurukin and they joined together to form a spiked ball on a chain, it was light to wield but piercing to human and in most cases animal flesh, however it was not effective against any metal or thick wooden armour.
"Hmm I'm impressed," smiled Koni slashing at him again but missing, Umani's chain wrapped itself around the thinnest blade of the sword and pulled it from Koni's hands sending Koni flying over him. Umani then span the ball and chain and whipped up a blast of wind that sent Koni straight up in the air.
"He's really good, we might just have a chance at the exams," smiled Rusuta.
As Koni fell back to earth he twisted his body and stretched out an arm so that he would land fist first on Umani, Umani looked like he would just dodge so Koni used a new move he's been perfecting with Varundo.
"Rock Fist Jutsu!" cried Koni holding his fist with his left hand and then sweeping up his arm with that hand. Where his hand touched his skin turned to dense stone something Umani wasn't expecting which cause Koni to be able to land the hit and knock Umani to the ground hard.
"Yay Koni, that's amazing!" cried Rusuta happily as Umani got up.
"You're both really powerful, I'm defiantly behind you," he said.
"Don't be silly, only my dad gives me a work out like that one," smiled Koni modestly.
"You have some amazing Jutsu Umani, the three of us will be a great team," smiled Rusuta.
"I hope so, it would be such an honour for my parents," he told them.
"Oh yeah, where are they I'd love to meet them," smiled Rusuta.
"I'm afraid they died on the journey here," he replied bluntly. Koni and Rusuta looked at each other worried.
"You mean you're an orphan?" said Koni.
"Yes, but they told me to go to the Leaf Village and be a strong Ninja, find a strong team and make it the best in all the world, I truly think I can do that here," replied Umani seeming like he wasn't sad about it.
"You know, it's ok Umani, I don't have a father," said Rusuta, Koni looked at her puzzled.
"Then I am sorry for mentioning wanting to meet him," said Umani respectively.
"You weren't to know, I was told he was dead my whole life, then well, I kinda accidentally found him, but he doesn't love mother and me, so I have no father," she told him trying not to seem sad either.
"Then, one day I hope he realises his mistake," said Umani smiling at her.
The three walked into the main market looking for something to eat, a girl with pink hair met them there, it was Sakura.
"Rusuta hello," she smiled kindly.
"Hi Sakura," smiled Rusuta. Sakura hadn't changed much, she'd grown up and her hair was a little longer now but other than that both she and Naruto had remained very much the same.
"Who's this?" she asked.
"This is Umani, he's our new partner," said Koni, Umani came over and took Sakura's hand placing it to his forehead like Rusuta's. Sakura was just as astonished as Rusuta had been.
"A pleasure to meet you Miss Sakura," said Umani.
"Umm, hello," she replied nervously.
"Don't worry Sakura, it's just a greeting," giggled Rusuta.
"A ha," she said and Umani let her go, "so does this mean you guys are actually going to make it to the Chunin exams this year?"
"Yep, and we'll beet the other teams too!" cheered Rusuta.
"You're confident," Sakura giggled.
"We have to be, we are one of the oldest teems," said Koni.
"You'll all do fine I'm sure, you guys kinda remind me of our little group back when we were Chunin," smiled Sakura.
"I wonder which one of us is Naruto," Rusuta giggled to Koni.
"Me?" he said worried and Sakura giggled.
"Well you have his aspiration if nothing else, but I meant more of your structure than personality," she told them.
"That is a good question, what is our structure?" asked Umani.
"Well my mother used to lead her team and Varundo and Jivana were her support, but I'm not exactly leader potential so you and I support Koni, he's so much stronger than me," said Rusuta.
"Ah Rusuta, still as modest as ever, Krysta was never like that," smiled Sakura.
"So then you are the leader Koni?" asked Umani.
"Well I don't tend to take the word to heart, Rusuta and I are such a great partnership we've been told we sometimes fight like one person, so I'm not really a leader, we'd be best fighting as one," said Koni.
"I see," said Umani.
"It's great you two are still so close, I may be helping Kakashi Sensei a lot with his teaching young groups but Naruto's always training to get stronger with Jarriya, but at least he's still in the village," sighed Sakura.
"You mean there's still no word of Sasuke since he disappeared," said Rusuta worried.
"No nothing, it's almost like Kakashi and the others don't care anymore, he's been gone so long, I wish I could go find him, but I don't have the strength to go myself, I'm better as a teacher," she said trying to cheer up leaving them.
"Four years, poor Sakura," sighed Koni.
"I still can't understand why he disappeared, it's not like Sasuke could be kidnapped," said Rusuta.
"Who is this Sasuke?" asked Umani. Rusuta told him about her family's past and how Sasuke was quite a central part of it all, from saving her mother's life as a child to the hatred she had for him, then how he'd helped save her from Orochimaru and how Rusuta had promised she'd show him that her family weren't monsters.
"So this Sasuke is quite important to you?" asked Umani.
"Not really, I'm grateful for him helping me save my mother but I hate how he treats my family, I just wanted to prove him wrong, now I may never have that chance," she replied huffing a little.
"Family honour is a great thing," smiled Umani. Sasuke had disappeared in rather unusual circumstances, it was foggy the night he'd left and unusually ice cold for their temperate climate. In the days running up he had seemed distracted and colder than normal. No one witnessed his disappearance but news travelled quick and a huge search team was dispatched. Some trees in the forest showed signs of a struggle and fibres of blue cloth were found but there had been no sign of him ever since. His official status was simply that he was missing, however Krysta herself felt that was a cover up so others were keen to see the truth too.
In the end the three met up with Yumo and he trained them for a few hours, he was impressed at how they gelled, they seemed to be making a very good team and were able to combo well, with the new wave of exams drawing close he was glad he did not seem to have to urge them to work together. That evening Rusuta walked home past the area where the younger children were trained, they all seemed happy as they met their parents to go home, she sat on a rock and sighed watching them, remembering her childhood.
"You envy them don't you," she heard Umani say, he'd followed her.
"What do you mean?" she asked startled.
"The way they smile and cheer and hug their loving parents, these children all seem to have stable homes, both parents to love them, it's been peaceful so long that the numbers of children from broken homes has fallen a lot," he told her.
"They're lucky is all," she said confused.
"I don't have parents, but I did all my life so it doesn't matter so much that they're gone now, I still have memories and times when we fought and trained together. Rusuta, you don't, you just have your mother and even though you said you know and therefore don't care your father doesn't love you, I know that you're hiding how you really feel. You wish he could have watched you grow up, you wish that he'd have loved you enough to keep his promise, you look at these kids and not understand how they all have dad's that love them, when yours does not," he explained she sighed again.
"It's ok, I'm over my father, I am really, there's just some things I can't forget, things I can't change, he disowned me, but I can't disown him, I can't disown my face," she said running off. Umani stood by the rock and smiled, it was clear he was different from Koni and Rusuta but as he turned away from the area and walked off into the shadows of the enclosing night, it had to be contemplated, just how different was he?
Rusuta sat in her garden long into the night, eventually Krysta came out to find her, she was a little worried, Rusuta hadn't eaten.
"What's wrong Rusuta?" she asked sitting with her.
"Nothing mother, really," she replied defensively.
"Rusuta I know when you're upset. You haven't eaten and you love to eat, there has to be something up," Krysta replied firmly.
"I'm just tired, I've had a hard day training and all," she replied.
"Rusuta," said Krysta quietly and Rusuta could tell she knew she was lying.
"I thought you'd stopped thinking about it all, you've been so happy lately," said Krysta.
"How can I stop thinking about him mother, even if I cut off all my hair, I still have his eyes. He promised to come back, sometimes I wish I had never met him after all, no matter how much I wanted a dad," she said sadly.
"You were just a kid, I did what I thought was right and never told you, what happened was not your fault, you came to save us, you had no idea your father was the man holding me captive. Rusuta this has been hard on both of us, I guess I never realised just how much it has weighted your heart," she told her daughter comfortingly.
"I shouldn't feel like this, I should be happy with Koni and Umani, they're my friends, I shouldn't need him," she said frustrated.
"You don't need him Rusuta, you're old enough not to need me anymore, soon it will be time for you and Koni to train as adults and barely ever see me or Jivana and Varundo. Tsunade will be grateful of a second strong team, she sends us out on the same kind of suicide missions the Hokagi that lived here when I was your age did, only Tsunade knows we will return and she hopes we will. It's a new village now, people care about us and though I am still this village's most feared ninja, I know that there are those who care about my welfare. They care about you too, this is your home always Rusuta, remember that," smiled Krysta going inside out of the cold.
Rusuta looked up to the stars and started to sing. Ever since she had met her father she had heard a lullaby in her dreams, it was a sweet song full of hope. It's words were as if they were someone telling a small child not to be afraid of the dark, the catch was the whole thing was in Yulikan. Somehow Rusuta understood the words and it helped her be calm and happy, she felt it meant that she would see her father again and that he would love her after all. Koni watched her from the door with his sister, Rusuta looked very lonely but he liked her singing and didn't want to disturb her.
"You can't be serious!" cried Koni the next day when Yumo came to the door.
"The Chunin Exams begin within the week!" cried Rusuta.
"Do you even think we're ready?" said Koni.
"You're going to have to be, I'm not running the risk of something happening to Umani before you get the chance," laughed Yumo.
"Yumo Sensei this is serious," sighed Rusuta.
"We'll do fine," smiled Umani appearing.
"Umani," said Rusuta.
"That's what I like to hear! Confidence!" smiled Yumo.
"So what do we have to do?" asked Koni.
"I don't have any doubt you three will find the written section a breeze, then Tsunade's going to send you on a really tough mission in the forests, she says she's been cooking up a really special one, after that it's an individual evaluation, you guys play your cards right you could end up fighting each other in the final rounds," explained Yumo.
"Then how do we all become Chunin if we beat each other?" asked Rusuta.
"It won't matter they're looking at how you fight, not if you win," smiled Krysta appearing with Varundo and Jivana.
"Mother," said Rusuta.
"Koni, can you take care of Velia? We have a new mission," said Jivana.
"Yeah sure mom, but I have to train though," said Koni.
"Take Velia with you," smiled Varundo.
"Where are you going?" asked Rusuta.
"Sorry Rusuta, this one's top secret, I can't tell you," replied Krysta seriously, Rusuta nodded.
The three waved goodbye to their children and walked down the path, once they were out of sight Jivana giggled,
"Can you imagine the look on their faces when they find out?"
"They're certainly not suspecting it," smiled Varundo.
"I wonder what Tsunade's planning asking us to be fake enemies for the exams," said Krysta suspiciously.
"We just have to not hurt them too much, I wonder if Tsunade minds you feeding on them?" wondered Jivana.
"She's not going to have much choice, don't worry I don't intend to kill any, but I am going to have to survive while we lie in wait for nearly a week," said Krysta.
"A trip to the butcher then?" offered Varundo and the two women nodded.
"I guess Mother's going to be away for a while this time, this mission seemed a big deal," sighed Rusuta watching on a hill with Velia as Umani and Koni trained together.
"That's ok, we've just got to concentrate on the exams, maybe when they get back we'll have passed," smiled Koni.
"I like it when mum and dad are away, I can have loads of fun and they never know," cheered Velia sitting with Rusuta.
"It's silly but I still miss mother when she's away," smiled Rusuta laying back on the grass and looking at the sun. She closed her eyes for a moment but when she opened them again she was in her room.
"What?" she said sitting up startled, outside her room it was raining heavily and everything looked grey. Rusuta went out of her door and into the house, there was no one around and parts of the house looked caved in and neglected.
"What happened?" she worried looking around for her family.
"Mother! Koni! Uncle!" she cried running frantically through the house,
"Velia? Jivana! Varundo!" she went outside into the rain and still there was no one around.
"What's going on, what happened to everyone," she said frightened, then she looked towards where the village would be near their house and all she saw was rubble and dust, there was no one here, it was as if a great storm had destroyed the whole village and she was the only survivor.
"Mother! Koni!" Rusuta screamed running through the streets, "Where are you, where are you!"
"Rusuta?" she heard a voice.
"Who's there!" she cried out before opening her eyes again and found herself being shaken awake by Koni.
"Rusuta, are you ok?" he worried she held onto him tightly.
"Koni!" she sobbed, "I was all alone, the house, the village, everything, everyone gone, I was so afraid!"
"It's ok, it was just a dream, Rusuta you look horribly pale," Koni tried to comfort her.
"Are you alright Rusuta? You were lying down and then you were shaking like you were sick," said Velia.
"Shaking?" wondered Rusuta.
"We should get her out of the sun, here drink this," said Umani giving her a flask of water, Koni helped her sit under a tree.
"I, it felt so real, so cold and close, I felt like I was suffocating," she stammered drinking, her hands started to shake again.
"We should tell Yumo Sensei," said Koni.
"No, no I'll be fine, I have to be, we have the exams," she said covering her deeply entrenched fear. Umani looked at her smiling confidently, Koni may have been blind to what was happening but he was not, he saw it all like a bright beacon, Rusuta was afraid of being left alone, her heart was beating very fast and her eyes were pale, he could see she was very afraid right now, very afraid. Rusuta soon recovered physically and they continued to train but that night Rusuta searched the whole house for signs of disrepair and made sure Velia was in her bed at least three times. Koni watched her as he ate, he was a little worried by her behaviour and decided he should ask Kumico.
"A vivid dream of being alone? It sounds like a harmless nightmare?" said Kumico.
"Haven't you seen her? She hasn't stopped moving since we came home, up and down the stairs in and out of every room, it's so frantic," said Koni.
"You say she saw our home and the village destroyed and no one around at all?" he asked.
"Yes, I was training with Umani when she started to cry out my name hysterically, she was lying on the grass shaking like she was sick, I woke her up and she lept at my like we hadn't seen each other in years. She cried as if she thought I was dead, I'm worried Kumico," explained Koni, Kumico sighed heavily.
"Koni I can not say if her dream is anything more than just that, but remember that Rusuta and her mother bare many strange and mystical powers that even normal Blood Creed do not posses. Keep an eye out for danger young one, Rusuta's grandmother could see so far into the future she foretold of her own death, Krysta is so powerful she can harness elemental energy to delve further into the past and any other mystic, even to see the beginnings of our kind. Rusuta has proven that the present seems to be her particular time frame for seeing events, perhaps what she saw was another village barren and empty," explained Kumico. Koni lifted his head and saw Rusuta leave and finally settle in the back garden. Rusuta lay back on the stones and breathed shallowly, whilst she had stopped shaking inside she was very unstable.
"Why, why would I dream that my home was gone and my mother too, all those images, burned into my memory, I dread to think if I shall ever sleep again," she sighed.
"I know why you're afraid and you shouldn't be," said Umani suddenly, Rusuta looked at him, how was it he could keep doing that?
"I'm not afraid," she said stubbornly.
"You shouldn't be, because it will never happen, you will always be as you are now, well if you stay here anyway," he told her.
"What do you mean?" she asked confused.
"Simply that, this place isn't good enough for you; if you stay here you'll just complete a few missions, teach a few ninja, and never really become anything, but you'll be safe. However out in the world you could become more powerful than your mother and make a name for yourself, only, you would have to face all of your fears at some point. Your soul is obviously at a restless stage, stay and be safe or go and fulfil your potential, you will have to make your choice," he told her taking out his flute and starting to play. Rusuta looked at him interested, the music was familiar to her and without thinking she started muttering words to it, he stopped and looked at her puzzledly.
"How can you know that song," she said shyly.
"It's a lullaby, I only know the tune," he said playing again, this time Rusuta joined in with the words.
"How do you know it?" he asked.
"I've heard it every night in my dreams for years," she told him shyly and he started to play again, Rusuta continued to join in and smile, she seemed happier. Koni watched them from the door, for some reason he glared harshly at Umani and could feel a hot burning inside him, Velia looked too.
"The pretty bird song," she said smiling. Koni looked down at her and then back to Rusuta and Umani, he felt something was wrong about their closeness, he didn't like it, but why, they were teammates this was a normal thing.
"Sister Rusuta really likes bird man, his song is so nice," giggled Velia. Koni sighed and went inside, sister Rusuta, that's how Velia saw her, they'd been friends for so long he guessed his little sister wasn't the only one mistaking them to be brother and sister.