Chapter 3 - Getting acquainted

The sun was rising quietly above Konoha when Asuka stepped out of the intelligence headquarters. Ibiki had told her to return there by nightfall to meet him and he'd find quarters for her in the meantime. Receiving her bag, she'd changed out of her torn outfit into her green backup one, and she had even gotten her sword back.

"You will atone by working for those you have spied against, those you have wronged and those you have killed. We have certain missions that we could use someone like you for. If you survive, you have paid your debt." He'd read the disbelief on her face.
"Maybe I am an old fool, but I have known many people. I've seen honesty and lies. And I am willing to give you a second chance."

But his trust didn't go all the way. She was to head to a training ground on the outskirts of the village to meet one of the Leaf's Jonin. She didn't have an escort, per say, but she wasn't allowed to just roam wherever she pleased. For now, Asuka decided to go along with it.
A few days to relax and recharge was just what she needed. And Katsurou wouldn't dare step foot inside Konoha. For that, she'd deal with a chaperone without fuss.
Following the directions she'd been given, she soon found herself on the edge of an open field. Near some poles, a dark-haired man stood with three children. Another Sensei, then…

All four of them turned to look at her as she approached. A fat kid, munching on some chips, a petite blonde, and a gangly boy, looking like he'd much rather be anywhere else.
Asuka approached them, giving a small wave.

"So, you're the one I'm supposed to babysit today? Could be worse. I'm Asuma Sarutobi, and these three are my students, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji."

"I'm Asuka, nice to meet you." She replied, with her pleasant, distant smile. He raised a brow at how similar their names were, but didn't comment on it.

"Well, the Hokage mentioned you needed to recuperate, but we need to train, so I suggest you make yourself comfortable."

'And stay out of the way, yeah, I get the implication,' Asuka thought, though she didn't complain. She just slid down against one of the poles and sat down cross-legged on the soft grass.
Watching how the kids did some simple exercises to warm up, the woman remembered how she had taught Hikaru these same things. She half expected to hear his voice behind her, a soft voice, like a song, but she knew it was a foolish wish. He was dead.
And looking at these children, so full of life, suddenly it was painful.

Asuka raised her hands and interwove her fingers in front of her chest. She just had to focus on her breathing, brush all these emotions aside, and just focus. She could sense how her chakra flowed through her body, following its path with ease.
This always calmed her down, and she had a feeling she'd be needing this technique a lot in the near future.

The Jonin and his students didn't notice the stranger's short emotional turmoil. Asuma ran them through a rigid training session. The three had to learn to think as one, so he had them in a three-way fight with the goal to not get hit and anticipate each other's movements.
It was going reasonably well, but Asuma encouraged them to go all out, use every trick they could imagine, so that they'd learn their team mate's style and way of thinking.
Shikamaru and Choji, having been best friends since before the academy, were doing very well and ganged up on Ino. She was holding her own nicely, being faster than Choji, but the girl had to constantly be on guard for Shikamaru's shadow jutsus.
For now, Asuma simply watched, barked out the occasional order, and took mental notes on what specific areas he needed to focus on with each individual student.
But after almost an hour, Choji got a wicked punch on Ino that sent her sprawling backwards.

"Ino! Are you okay? I thought you'd dodge that one." The heavy-set boy helped his friend back on her feet.
The girl could already feel a lump forming on her forehead, but just laughed it off.

"I'm fine, I promise. Who'd've thought a big guy like you could move that fast." Her voice a bit shaky though, so Asuma came over and swept the hair from her face.

"Here, let me have a look at that. Yeah, that's a nasty lump. Go sit down and take a break, then we'll see. If you're dizzy or anything, you tell me, alright. Now get."

Ino was secretly glad that she got a break. That punch had knocked the wind out of her. While the boys now went two on one against their sensei, the girl walked over to poles and caught an unusual sight. The stranger was meditating, by the looks of it, but there was something weird going on. Her hair was on end, the strands circling each other, weaving around her head like blue snakes.
It was hypnotizing.
The Yamanaka girl quietly sat down near the stranger, not wanting to interrupt, but glued to the performance nonetheless.

Asuka was completely zen again. She'd noticed the girl approach, but chose to ignore it, as to not break her concentration. But after ten or so minutes feeling the kid staring at her, Asuka sighed and let the chakra flow back into her body, her long hair dropping down her back.

"So, taking a break?"

"Yeah, got punched in the forehead. Asuma-sensei told me to go sit down for a bit. How did you do that weird thing with your hair? What technique is that?"

Asuka looked puzzled for a second, but then smiled.

"It's not really a technique. Just something I discovered while meditating. It is quite useful though. Changed the outcome of more than one battle I've fought."

"Really? Can you show me how it's done?!" Ino was kneeling on the grass, leaning towards Asuka and regarding her with sparkling eyes. Her hair was just as long as the older woman's and having it actually be useful and not just pretty was an exciting prospect.

Asuka was taken aback, seeing the girl's eagerness. She glanced at the older ninja fighting with his students.
'Would he mind?'

She had been adamant about controlling every detail of Hikaru's training herself, but then again, the only alternative had been Katsurou. Ah, what the hell. If that Asuma didn't like it, he could always interfere.

"Alright, I'll show you. It requires some patience. This is not something you master in an afternoon. First, focus on your chakra. Feel how it flows through your body. Let your mind's eye follow it, visualize the path. In the beginning, form a handseal most suited to your nature. It helps keep focus, nothing else. No unexpected Jutsu discharge."

While explaining, Asuka formed the Tiger seal, the one most familiar to her, and as she watched, Ino decided to use the seal for her mind transfer jutsu. The girl closed her eyes and tried to do as she was told and focused her chakra. It was easy to sense, especially since she had already mastered walking up trees, and started to be able to walk a few steps on water. The second part was more difficult.
Ino pictured the diagram they'd been shown at the Academy that showed the chakra network throughout the body. She knew where it flowed, but it was hard to follow.

After 20 minutes, Asuka saw the small crinkles in the girl's forehead. She was getting frustrated.

"Ino," when the girl looked up, she continued with a small smile.
"Try finding a starting point within your body. I used to start behind my left eye. When you have a starting point, imagine a knot, or a bead running from that chakra point and follow it throughout your body a few times."

"Alright! I'll try," she said with an enthusiastic nod. Inhaling deeply, the young blonde formed her handseal again, and focused.

Asuka simply watched, occasionally throwing a glance at the other three. They were still going at it, but from subtle hints in their movement, she could tell they were beginning to get fatigued. For now however, they didn't look like they wanted to give up just yet.
Looking back at Ino, she too was working hard. This "non-technique" that the girl wanted to learn took a mental toll, more than a physical one and would require immense chakra control later on.
But for now she seemed to be doing well. Asuka hadn't expected her to be able to concentrate that much.

"I think I got it now," the girl spoke up.
I can follow the knot through every chakra point."

"Very good. Now, look at me," Ino's blue eyes opened, looking happy at being praised. Unbeknownst to either of them, Asuma and the boys had called it quits and were slowly walking over to them.
"Watch what I do and try to mimic it. I focus on the knot behind my eye, and let it run to the chakra point on my skull."

The others had reached them now, but Asuka ignored them and Ino was focused on her own chakra. But they leaf ninja all noticed the faint blue lines snaking across the woman's skin, and Asuma didn't know if he should intervene or not.
But to Ino, who was watching her face, the lines were helpful. When the blue haired woman had explained what she was doing, the blue line that started at her left eye and ran into her hair glowed brighter than the other lines. It was like Ino could watch the knot travel.

"Your hair doesn't have chakra points. Hair is just dead cells. But if you concentrate your chakra along one strand, you can move it. Think of your chakra as a string, and your hair as the puppet. And then, when you manage to focus enough, you can do this." She ended her explanation with a demonstration, the light blue chakra forming around a thick, long strand of hair, standing up straight, then dancing around.

With a look of determination, Ino closed her eyes again, forcing her own knot into a chakra point on her skull. It lay just underneath a strand of hair. She tried forcing the energy outwards, have it encompass her blonde hair, but it was much harder than the stranger made it seem. Asuka watched intently, still ignoring the girl's teammates and sensei, and after five minutes, and sheer stubbornness, one strand of Ino's hair started to move. She got about a third of the strand to stand up straight before it collapsed again as her concentration broke.

"That was so difficult! You made it look so easy."

"You did extremely well, however," Asuka replied with a smirk. Her hair had started swirling around her head again, and the blue lines on her body glowed softly.
"It took me far longer to figure out how to do it. And with some practice, you'll do this," one of her longer strands snapped around Shikamaru's wrist and yanked the boy a bit before he could react, "without even thinking about it."

"Hey, let go of me!"

With an impish laugh, her hair slid off the boy's wrist, the lines on her skin faded away, and she addressed the Jonin.

"Sorry for stealing your student. She could have gone back to training."

"Don't even worry about it," Asuma waved her off, lighting a cigarette.
"If Ino learns something remotely useful, I'm fine with it. I was going to end the session anyway. Care for getting some Barbeque with us?"

"Yay" Barbeque! Let's go!" The chubby kid, Choji, was excited, while his teammates shared a look and a sigh.

Asuka and Asuma both knew she couldn't very well say no. Ibiki had told her that she was to stay with whoever the Hokage assigned to chaperon her. She nodded and came to her feet in one fluid movement without help of her hands and together, they all set off. The three children walked ahead, while the adults followed at a more leisurely pace.

"That thing you were teaching Ino," Asuma started, his cigarette bobbing as he spoke, "Is it really useful? Or just 'Occupation Therapy'?"

"It has saved me before. It will take a long time before she will be able to use it in battle, but if Ino masters it, she can use it defensively and offensively."

Asuka stayed quite for a bit. Finally, he grumbled.

"Thanks for showing her that. The boys are both better at Taijutsu than her, and her family's jutsu is difficult to use in single combat. Having something that gives her an edge in a fight will motivate her to train harder."

"No thanks needed. I... enjoyed teaching her something. Didn't think I would, but it's a great feeling when you see understanding wash over someone's face. And it's better than just sitting around on my ass all day."

They entered the little Barbeque restaurant, where the children had already claimed a booth. Asuma raised an eyebrow at the woman beside him.
There was a tinge of sadness in her voice, but he didn't ask, certain that she wouldn't tell him.
Settled in the booth across from the students, Asuka perused the menu.
She had only a little money on her, but the food seemed to be rather cheap.
They ended up with a plethora of different meats and side dishes on the table and Asuka watched in shock as Choji began shovelling food in his mouth.
The other boy, Shikamaru caught a glance from her and just grinned, shaking his head.
This seemed to be normal, then.

They talked about nothing special, Asuka just asking the children how they liked their training and about what they'd learned at the academy. They answered with long stories on how the lessons were sometimes bland, and especially the boys told her about tricks they'd played on the instructors.
Asuka smiled as they told her about their antics, and the afternoon passed as they talked, ate and laughed.
Once the table had been cleared of the incredulous amount of food, Ino mentioned that she should go home soon, and the boys joined her, leaving Asuka at the restaurant with their sensei, Asuma.

She knew that she was to stay with him, so Asuka made no move to leave while the Jonin asked for two bottles of sake.
The drinks came, and after downing the first small cup, Asuka turned his head to look at the woman beside him.
He had been briefed on why she needed an escort, but had not wanted to bring it up while his students were still around.

"So, did Ibiki let you know what kind of missions he had in mind for you?" Asuma truly was curious. He couldn't imagine a mission that would require an outsider instead of the Anbu.

"No. He hasn't been very forthcoming with information. Which I understand, I suppose." Asuka knew that something like this was going to come sooner or later, but it wasn't like she had tried to hide anything yet, so there was no point in starting now.
"I guess he'll let me know half an hour before I need to leave. Seems like his style."

Asuma snorted into his drink. It really only took one meeting to see what kind of man Ibiki was.

"Yeah, he's a bit of a sadist. But he's also one of the best shinobi I know. He doesn't send people to their doom, so you should be just fine."

"We'll see," Asuka replied, sipping her sake.
"It takes a lot to take me out, so I'm not too worried."

It wasn't an arrogant claim; it was just a fact. Asuka could take one hell of a beating, and had done so many times. She wasn't worried about what kind of missions she'd be sent on. She'd succeed, or she'd fail, simple as that. All she hoped for was that these missions made a dent in whatever the Snake Lord was planning. Taking something away from him was all she had left.
Asuma noticed the dip in her mood, but he wasn't having any of that. Waving for the waiter to bring them another 2 bottles.

Instead, her urged her to drink with him, as he told her what kind of pranks he used to pull with his teammates. They had kept up after the academy and good lord, had they been a handful.

"...and then, when he'd fallen asleep, Raido and me, we painted his face to look like a mouse. Oh, it was glorious, I tell you! Our sensei wasn't a morning person, and he was still half asleep when we reached Konoha. The Gate guards nearly died laughing when they saw us!"

"Oh my… What did he do when he found out?" Asuka was controlling her laughter, but just barely. There was redness on her cheeks from the alcohol and her eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"Well, when the guards fell down laughing, and he saw his reflection in a window, he chased us through the entire village. He was so pissed at us, we were actually running for our lives!"

Now, Asuka didn't hold in anymore. Her and Asuma laughed until their ribs hurt and the other patrons stared at them.
The young woman wiped her eyes, but before she had caught her breath, a voice behind them made her and Asuma jump.

"You're late." Ibiki grumped. Then he saw the sake bottles, and sighed.
"I see Asuma is being a bad influence as usual."

Asuma was slightly drunk, as was his charge, and just gave the older man a lazy grin.

"I wasn't aware that the adult woman I'm babysitting had a curfew. But with you here, I guess I'm not responsible anymore. Asuka, I had a blast. Until my old man decides you can be trusted not to go on a killing spree, if you ever need a chaperone, come find me, alright."

Asuka smiled at him, and with a nod, she stood up.

"See you later, Asuma."

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Asuka followed Ibiki out of the narrow streets of Konoha. They walked in silence, and the girl didn't mind, just stared at the stars and smiled.
Drinking had been just what she needed. She was just buzzed enough to not give a damn about anything.
He led her to a small shack, just on the edge of a small wooded area.
The tall man had to stoop to fit through the door, and Asuka entered after him. The inside was a relatively small room, with a bed in the corner, and a small door leading off to what she assumed was a bathroom.

"It's not much, but it's all we had on short notice, and it beats the holding cell. It used to belong to an Anbu member who was… a bit of a hermit. Anyway. For the time being, it's yours."

"It's nice. Quaint and quiet," Asuka smiled. It was small. And needed a clean-up. But for now, it was hers. For the first time, she had a place to call her own, where she could shut out the world if she needed to.
"Thank you. I know I'm not owed anything. But I appreciate it."

Ibiki had figured out by now that this small smile was her default expression. But her eyes were unguarded, and he saw she was being honest.

"Go sleep of the alcohol. Come see me first thing in the morning. I have a mission and we need to discuss details."

He was already out the door, when Asuka bade him a good night. He raised his hand in acknowledgement, and she closed the door on his back.

Soft moonlight filtered in from the window, the silvery patch falling just short of the bed. She didn't try the lights, didn't need to, as Asuka saw well in the dark.
Taking off her jacket, she laid it, her bag, and her sword on a shelf beside the door and sat on the bed.
The whole place was old, and she could smell the dust, but someone had put new sheets on the bed, and she lay down, pulling the covers around her.
For as long as she stayed here, working to redeem herself, she's have a place of her own. A place she could flee to when she needed solitude, or when the headache came back.
She drifted off to a deep sleep, wondering what her first assignment would be.