The Perks of Not Being The Mistress of Death
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Summary: Instead of immortality and power over Death, Carry Potter brokered a deal with the aforementioned entity: the Deathly Hallows in exchange for time to say goodbye. The catch: Fate is not happy about how her life turned out. So our lovable heroine is sent to aid Kakashi Hatake in changing the future of a newly founded Konohagakure, after he died on a bloody battlefield at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War.
- Chapter 3: -
Two years later, the minor clan had settled into their part of Konoha. Joji-kun loved to see the buildings he knew from his first life come into existence, always watching when something new was added.
Sometimes he even dragged Hari along, to show her something that held a lot of meaning to him.
Ringo-sama personally trained Joji-kun, refining his chakra control and sword-fighting abilities, sharpening his instincts and honing his mind.
Meanwhile, Hari apprenticed under Tora-san. She learned all kinds of tricks a capable kunoichi was required to know, from turning everything in reach into a weapon (even if said thing might turn out to be a paper fan) and a little tessenjutsu as well.
Hari could flawlessly infiltrate a palace by the time Tora-san was done. And get out of it alive, too.
On the side, the young girl also expanded her chakra reserves in techniques known only to her family. She wanted to sign the scroll as soon as possible.
It was a rite of passage in her clan. To effectively use such techniques in battle though, one had to have the chakra levels of an experienced fighter - or nearly flawless control.
Thanks to her rigorous training, duties as future Hatake Matriarch and extra exercises, Hari usually fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep at night. More often than not, her body was beaten black and blue, small cuts littering her arms and legs whenever Tora-sensei felt she required some visual encouragement.
At least her inner witch didn't feel the loss of her magic so fiercely whenever she utilized her chakra.
Joji-kun sometimes sparred with her, to keep both of them from growing too used to another partner. Additionally, he seemed to force himself into spending time with her.
Life sped by.
Their first actual mission for the village was fairly easy. Joji-kun, Hari, and an Inuzuka clan member were supposed to scout out the roads in a certain sector around Konoha, due to a few rumors of a rising bandit population. Those seemed to favor attacking weary travelers, especially of the civilian merchant variety.
Hari slipped into her mission clothes: sensible pants, bound by hidden bandages, a long-sleeved shirt and her armor. All of it was dyed in various shades of the traditional Tsubasa (dark-)green, incidentally masking her fairly well in the large, shadowy forest.
Joji-kun was wearing his infamous mask, and a blue version of her own outfit. He carried two swords though, and more shuriken. (Those the former witch could barely stand to throw - she preferred knives. As Lady Black, Carry had been required to be proficient in other dueling forms, additionally to using spells. It was a rite of passage and a requirement if she wanted to lead the quite diminished House.)
The Inuzuka turned out to be a wild-haired, grey-eyed teen with a pair of red fangs tattooed on his cheeks. His dog's name was Gin, after his fur. The man himself was creatively called Kiba.
He sniffed them twice, then told the other two: "You smell alright. No cat lovers though, right?"
Hari snorted quietly, slightly amused by their new temporary partner. His easygoing, ice-breaking question showed he clearly didn't place too much importance on formality. "No, the Hatake Clan favors canines over felines - just like you Inuzuka do. This is Hatake Joji-sama and I'm Tsubasa Hari, in case you were wondering," she explained readily.
"You smell like birds," Kiba-san commented curiously.
Joji-kun rolled his eyes, apparently also amused by the new guy. "Hari-chan adores all kinds of raptors, especially owls."
The mission went fairly well from then on. The three youngsters got along fine, easing the tension between new acquaintances quite quickly. Therefore, they had few difficulties with removing the bandit problem, almost automatically protecting each other from unnecessary harm.
Kiba-san somehow caught on to their relationship, but he didn't comment. He simply glanced from one to the other, then shook his head in a pitying manner. Gin-kun snorted and barked something at his partner, but that was it.
In the end, they concluded running missions with each other would definitely not be something they would mind repeating in the future.
Hari was quite grateful that the Inuzuka did not (openly) discriminate against kunoichi - or simply dismissed a female ninja as the stereotypical seduction-/assassination specialist.
Although the Tsubasa heiress had been taught the arts only a kunoichi could learn, she proved to be a capable ninja on the battlefield. Due to her long linage of raptor Summoners, the young teen could track others fairly well, had improved vision, in daylight and at night, and the larger Summons would occasionally allow her to ride on their back. (Mainly due to their mutual love of flying.)
The Inuzuka were one of the few clans who trained their males and females almost equally, only caring for the individual strength of their Alpha - not his or her gender.
The Hatake clan differentiated more noticeably between kunoichi and shinobi, although they provided a general foundation in the beginning of their clan training.
Joji-kun had progressed much faster than anyone else in his training, surpassing their age-group very easily. At age twelve, nearly thirteen, he could efficiently take down shinobi much older than himself, even if they had more (recorded) experience than the clan heir did.
Ringo-sama always paid special attention to his needs, drilling his nephew to perfection. It had been needed when the careless or reckless would be killed much too easily on a mission gone wrong.
In comparison, the younger kunoichi was required to know ikebana and the flower language, traditional dances, how to play several popular instruments, and dressing correctly for whatever event her sensei could cook up on a whim.
All of these were requirements for infiltration, but otherwise not particularly useful if one was caught.
Time flew by.
Joji-sama often received assignments alongside Hari, but usually ran missions with whomever was at hand or specialized in a certain field. He was treated respectfully by most of those their age, with a few exceptions. However, his professional and efficient attitude while 'on the job' quickly earned him a favorable reputation within the village. He could work alongside pretty much anyone, despite his personal opinion of that person.
In contrast, most Uchiha and Hyuuga looked down on Hari whenever they were paired up. After mastering the Summoning technique, the last Tsubasa was more often assigned to tracking missions, usually either with an Inuzuka, Hyuuga or Aburame. (Depending on the respective mission rank and target.)
She never flinched away from the insect-hosting clan, which led to a quiet friendship between Hari and Shie, an Aburame kunoichi. The Inuzuka accepted that the young teen was a submissive Alpha female, but they respected her impressive work ethic and strange love for dogs.
Most Hyūga, rather condescendingly, considered the petite, lithe kunoichi useless in the ninja business. She didn't appear to be much of a fighter, her stature too childish, too weak on first and second glance. Then, they activated their eyes and saw her chakra reserves for the first time - which usually served to stun them into speechlessness. Around age thirteen, Hari's reserves equalled or surpassed those of competent, older shinobi. (As long as they were not of Uzumaki blood.)
Nevertheless, she was still hopelessly outclassed by her future husband.
After a particularly grueling two-week-mission, Hari returned home to the Hatake compound, exhausted to the bone. She barely managed to disrobe and lightly wash up, before falling asleep onto her futon.
The following morning, Tora-san came to wake the fifteen-year-old for breakfast. Still tired, Hari barely protested when she was dressed in a traditional kimono and all 'dolled up' for some unknown reason.
However, the emerald-eyed ravenette slowly became more conscious when a silvery hair ornament with bells was fastened in her bun. That particular ornament was only ever used for special occasions within the village walls. (A delicate heirloom inherited from her paternal grandmother, which could also double as a thin dagger in emergencies.)
Tora-san informed the younger kunoichi with her usual levels of enthusiasm: "Ringo-sama has finally set a date for your wedding to Joji-sama. We will be acquiring your attire today."
Hari nearly groaned aloud. She absolutely hated the seemingly endless fitting sessions which were required when shopping for new clothes, especially fitted kimono, in this world. It was a much longer, more complicated process than buying new school uniforms from Madam Malkin's ever had been.
After forcing herself to swallow some breakfast, exchanging an acknowledging glance with her soon-to-be husband, and slipping into her traditional sandals (which reminded the former witch of flip-flops), the redhead obediently trudged after her MacGonagall-esque caretaker.
A small group of women, consisting of Ringo-sama's wife Hoshiko, Tora-san's niece Emiko (a younger copy of the older woman), and a dignified redhead Hari had never spoken to before, met them in front of an obviously new seamstress shop. This one was specialized on quality traditional Japanese attire, including wedding kimono of all styles and sizes. All clan heads and heirs, as well as their close family, usually bought the required clothes from the same seamstress.
Tora-san took over the role of the bride's mother, seeing as her actual Kaa-san was no longer available for the occasion herself, and introduced the stranger to said bride: "Hari-sama, this is Uzumaki-Senju Mito-sama. She has honored us with her presence today."
The future Hatake Matriarch bowed respectfully, initiating the exchange of the traditional words reserved for such an (unlikely) event.
In all honesty, Hari was not exactly sure how to react to the presence of the Shodaime Hokage's wife during her wedding kimono hunt, but thought the intelligent woman must have had to want something to intrude in such private matters.
"None of that, dear. We are first cousins, after all, so no such formalities are required on your part, Hari-hime," the older, much more dignified redhead declared delightedly.
For a brief moment, the younger quarter-Uzumaki was stunned by the newly provided information. Then, she allowed a small smile to cross her lips, hoping to all known deities that her eyes wouldn't betray her in front of these gossiping vultures. "Please, no such formalities are required from your part, at all, Mito-sama," the orphaned Tsubasa retorted effortlessly, a mere hint of her inner torrent of emotions in her voice.
Tora-san evidently approved of how her charge handled the situation and they entered the store.
Immediately, a shopkeeper bustled over, much too formal and subservient for Hari's tastes. Promptly, a nearly disrobed ravenette found herself being measured, poked and wrapped in various shades of white or red.
Having expected nothing less, the former witch retreated into her mind, to go over her latest missions for future improvements.
Eight hours later, all the layers and different outfits had been decided on - naturally without much input from the bride in question. She honestly liked the last kimono she was required to change into for that overly formal Shinto wedding, but could care less about all the pompous posturing that accompanied the occasion. She hated formality and the circus the clan made the wedding of their heir into.
If anyone truly cared to ask for her opinion of a perfect wedding, the fifteen-year-old would have described it like this: "The groom and I will elope in the most comfy clothes our trunks contain, with the required number of witnesses in attendance, and maybe a few friends, before running for the hills until Tora-san has cooled down again."
The most comfortable article in her entire collection was actually an old training shirt she had nicked off of her betrothed, which the teen secretly used as sleepwear. Said cotton shirt had been washed too many times; it felt very smooth and soft now. A very faint note of Joji-kun's scent clung to the fabric still, in spite of time and heavy duty laundry soaps.
The ladies reconvened in a small teahouse for dinner, to commemorate the momentous occasion.
At least there, Hari could actually order what she liked. Herself.
Friendly chit-chat about their own weddings filled another hour, until they had to return to their respective clan compounds.
Surprisingly, Tora-san waited for everyone else to leave and accompanied her charge to her private rooms. She ordered some strong tea from the kitchens, seating herself in a perfect seiza-position.
Dread began to churn in Hari's gut. She had an idea what this might be about. Although presented with a bare minimum of information - she was a kunoichi, after all -, no one had bothered to clear up the 'facts of life' for the teen. Yet.
Apparently, Tora-san chose this particular evening to breach the topic: "Hari-sama, tonight I am to explain your wifely duties to you."
Barely restraining a blush, the younger female settled in a more comfortable position. This would probably take a while and require even more patience to endure silently. "Of course, Tora-san," the teen replied obediently, swallowing her instinctive top five retorts.
The following hour could be summarized as follows: retire from active service, never reject your husband's advances, provide an heir quickly, pop out some more spares, and raise them. In this order.
The Hatake Matriarch was responsible for baby production, child rearing, and connected inter-clan business. Lady Hatake took care of the initial training of her children, managed the household and was supposed to network with other clans' Ladies to improve the Hatake standing within the village.
All this at fifteen years of age.
Thankfully, Hari could view her first life's memories. Those memories provided a great deal of practical examples of her new role in life, hopefully preventing a full-blown breakdown.
Outwardly, the young kunoichi blushed to the roots of her midnight-black locks, masterfully pretending to be incredibly embarrassed by the act of procreation as lined out by her caretaker.
Tora-san uncharacteristically petted her shoulder before leaving, muttering something along the lines of 'you'll come to enjoy your wifely duties much more with less resistance'. Or something equally as obnoxious.
Hari finally found out the date of her own wedding; it would be officiated in four months, on her fiancé's nineteenth birthday.
Congrats.