Shinobi One-Half
Chapter 6
Inner Self
Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.
I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.
The air was thick with smoke, the acrid winds of fire and death, filling his nose.
In the distance, a shadow seemed to loom, growing bigger, despite the fact the sun was not behind it.
"Byel," Rokubi hissed, as he sensed the demon's casual approach.
Looking around, he spotted his brethren; Raiju and human warriors gathered for this assault, this one and only attempt to stop the constructed monstrosity before it could wreck the human world. If they failed, only the Gods themselves would have a chance to defeat the beast, and doing so would break treaties from before recorded history.
"Back to the village, wench!" yelled one man, waving a sword at a female.
"Leave her be!" shouted a samurai, hand on the hilt of his sword. "If she wishes to stand and face the demon, then let her!"
The man snorted. "A woman's place is not in the field of battle, but in the home watching the children."
"Should we fail here today, fool," snarled Rokubi, "there will be no home for her, and certainly no children for her to care for.
"We stand here against Byel with all we have, including her and her weapon of choice."
"Mangy beast," snarled the man, as he sheathed his sword. "What gives you the right to dishonor our ways?"
"Our Lord Daimyo does," said the samurai, withdrawing his blade. "Do you wish to stand against my Lord now, fool?"
The man snarled once more before leaving.
"I apologize for him," the samurai said, returning his blade to its scabbard. But to whom the reply was meant for: the woman or the Raiju, he did not specify.
Perhaps it had been meant for both.
"It is foolishness like his that led to our current fate," sadly admitted Rokubi. "No matter what, blood will be spilled here today, both human and Raiju. I have no doubt only a small amount of us all shall remain to see the next sunrise."
"Forgive me, Holy Messenger, if I choose not to believe such a grim prediction," the samurai said with a smile. Turning slightly, he looked off to the distance. "Storm clouds, most ominous."
Rokubi nodded. "It is an honor to fight beside you this day, samurai."
"Likewise, my friend," said the samurai.
"Meow?"
Rokubi growled slightly as he tried to force open his eyes, trying to ignore the splitting migraine that seemed to indicate someone had cracked open his skull the previous night and shoved several hornet nests inside. Did he perhaps upset his mate last night?
"Meow?"
Succeeding finally in forcing his eyes open, he tried to focus on whatever was making that obscenely loud noise. But all he could see was…
"Oh, it's you," he grumbled, spotting the familiar cheetah. "What do you want?"
"Meow?"
"You don't know how to speak, do you?"
The cheetah only tilted its head.
"Of course," sighed the Raiju.
Forcing itself to a standing position, it looked around, trying to figure out just where it was inside of Ranma. The last he recalled, his power was being sucked up by the Nekoken.
And then, he was here, in some empty room, the only exit seemed to be a small staircase to his left. "And how did I end up passing through such a small portal?" he pondered, looking at the staircase that was barely large enough for a human, no where close to the size needed for the Raiju.
Sniffing around the cavern, Rokubi noticed that he was still within the mental landscape, but once again, the doorway was the only way out of the room. "Did I get sent here with my power drained?" he wondered. Being a creature of energy, losing it could very well affect his size. But to be drained to the needed size to fit through that door would have taken him longer to recover than he had been out, that much was certain.
And being trapped in a void with his mate and his greatest foe made one very capable of telling how much time had passed. It had been a few days at best. To recover from the energy loss needed to fit through that door would have taken a century in a normal human host, years inside of someone such as Ranma.
"Perhaps I am approaching this subject in the wrong fashion," he said, casting his glance towards the plain ceiling. "I should not be asking how I got here; I should be asking … why I am here."
"Meow?"
Sighing, he lowered his gaze to the small predator before him, still looking at him inquisitively. "To be placed here with you … the Nekoken then," he murmured. It made a bit of sense, if he thought about it. Since he wasn't feeling a drain on his power, it meant Ranma was no longer in the need of it, no longer in the throws of the insanity. And as such, a conscious mind would do what any personality would: it would shunt the formerly in-control mindset to the subconscious.
That was the reason the corridor was the size of a man, because it was meant only for a specific man to travel through. The reason the room had no other exits, no seals, nothing to show the wall was anything but one solid piece was because the subconscious had built it around them.
But the cheetah was easily able to leave through the doorway, just as easily as a human could. The toughness of the walls probably reflected some unknown mental anguish to forever separate the Nekoken from Ranma.
A person can never separate the spirit of the soul from their self.
Taking in a deep breath, Rokubi concentrated, compacting his form as much as he could. If he was to walk out of here as easily as the cheetah could, he needed to be smaller than the man the hallways were meant for.
A cat spirit, even a Nekomata usually stayed around the size range of a normal human. Raiju themselves could either follow those limits or allow their energy state to remain relaxed, thus allowing them to be larger. It wasn't by choice, it was just usually less stressful for them to remain so large than try and assume such small sizes. The fact they could reside within the navels of humans was more a result of entering sleep, residing within the aura of their shelter. He wasn't too clear on that contradictory nature himself, but the Raiju who understood it had passed on long ago … before even Byel had come.
After all, one could hardly expect something the size of a house to fit into a navel, even if you removed all the lint. But being beings of energy, they could alter their state. And while maintaining such a small size was easy while sleeping, doing it while awake was something else entirely.
Add to the fact he was in a mental world never before touched upon by the Raiju, and he wasn't even certain how well he would do. But he only knew of what worked in the real world, everything else was simple theory until he was forced to try it.
Finally, he found his form refused to compact any further, and opened his eyes, hoping it had been enough.
His answer came as he was staring eye-to-eye with the cheetah, which licked his nose in greeting.
"I'm really beginning to hate you," Rokubi growled out, as he made his way to the door.
"Meow."
Shaking his head, he paused at the archway, before looking back into the now larger room, seeing if the shadows from his own past, his own memory had surfaced once more.
But the room remained empty, save for the annoying cheetah.
Turning back to the hallway that would lead him hopefully to the Meadow, to where he could approach Saotome in his dreams and help him master the Nekoken, he strode forward.
The room was filled with bad memories; his own and those of Ranma. Staying there wasn't too appealing anymore.
Within the land under the Nakano Shrine, a meeting was taking place. This meeting was only for the upper echelon of the Uchiha Council, made of the Uchiha members considered both elders and those of respected mental capabilities. The room had only a small table for those few there, light from a circle of candles along the wall providing light for their meeting.
"Another meeting so soon," sighed Youta, a grizzly old man with long hair, his eyes black; the standard for all Uchiha. "And with so few of us… Did I miss something at the last meeting?"
"No," said Daiki, leaning back in his chair, only a few patches of grey forming in his hair. "Something came up recently, elevating its level to something we needed to discuss immediately.
"May we start the meeting and stop wasting such time then," said Itsuki, one of the oldest of the Uchiha, some said he had existed before Madara even took control of the clan all those years ago. But time had blinded the man; dark sunglasses covered his eyes from all.
Two more, a man and a woman, nodded their heads slowly, expressing their desire.
"Very well," said Kenji, an elderly Uchiha whose hair retained the same vibrant color it had always been. "We are here to discuss two newcomers to the village."
"That's it?" yawned Youta.
"These are newcomers the Senju are assisting," Kenji added, "as well as the Hokage. Minato has assigned them two tutors to train them as shinobi: Sarutobi and Jiraiya."
Youta's mood immediately cleared, his eyes focused. "I see, the Third and a Sannin; that is interesting. Do you know why?"
Kenji shook his head. "Information on them is extremely limited, both in scope and what is allowed for public knowledge. There is no listing of what if any country they come from, skills, or anything. Medical records are either destroyed or placed within the Records vault, showing how classified even a simple medical report is on them.
"There is even some suspicion they were in fact the two carried into the village with Minato's team from the War Prevention Mission."
"You now see why this meeting was enacted so quickly," said Daiki. "We know they have something the Senju covet, something they wish for no one else to know."
"Has any announcements been made about them?" asked Youta.
Kenji shook his head. "Nothing, we only know that they are being trained by the Third and Jiraiya because they were spotted doing such. Even that they are being trained is confidential." With that, he handed out several photos around the table, showing the people in question. "We have learned the male seems to have formed some sort of bond to Orochimaru's former apprentice, a big brother/little sister type," he continued. "He also seems to have some ability to change genders. Whether this is a kekkei genkai or not, we cannot be certain."
"I severely doubt the Senju would be interested in a gender-shifting ability," muttered Kohaku, a man nearly hidden in the shadows, despite the wide assortment of lit candles providing light in the room. "Though I could see how it would assist in infiltration missions…"
"There is also suspicion they harbor a great power," finished Kenji.
"The power I sensed a few days ago," muttered Itsuki.
"It is possible," said Kenji. "The area at the time was surrounded by ANBU, so we were not able to send anyone to investigate. But the likeliness does exist."
"So then what do we do?" asked Youta.
"Killing them is not an option," said Kohaku. "If the Senju and the current administration have taken this much of an interest in them, doing so would only serve to hurt our power."
"Accidents happen," offered Youta.
"No," said Itsuki. "We should make them allies."
"The Uchiha do not need allies," spat Kohaku. "We are Uchiha, we are a power beyond all others."
Itsuki shook his head. "It appears the foolishness of youth is not wasted merely on the young," he said sadly.
Kohaku delivered a glare towards the man, something that was lost considering the man was blind.
The eldest Uchiha sighed. "Madara's weakness, as well as the weakness of our clan before Konoha was those we conquered and absorbed. The Senju clan absorbed clans as well, but the philosophy differed.
"The elders at the time, they saw only the Sharingan as valuable. Any undesirable traits or bloodlines that would threaten that power were destroyed.
"The Senju clan did not act or think this way. What made them so powerful were the allies that would never abandon them, an assortment of bloodlines that till this day support the Senju desires, even with the clan's main heir away from the village."
"You mean Lady Tsunade, the Sannin," said Kenji.
Itsuki nodded. "They cultivated allies; the Uchiha had always cultivated 'additions', additions that were always subjugated to improving our standing, our power, and our eyes. Where they had friends, we had conquests. It is that ideal that Madara desired, why he could not stand to allow a Senju to have any power above an Uchiha, why no kekkei genkai but our own survived such joinings, and why even now, the Konoha Elders are wary of us."
Many of the others nodded in agreement. It was no secret to any of them Madara's actions had led to their current state within the village. The Senju's allies were allies that did not break away so easily, that supported them until this day.
"Then you suggest," said Kohaku, his tone almost unbelieving, "that we approach these outsiders as allies only."
Itsuki nodded somberly. "If they are the power we think they are, then acquiring them as allies would only benefit the Uchiha. The Senju and their allies expect us to try and absorb them into our clan in one fashion or another. By befriending them, we do what they do not expect; we show that we too can learn like they did, that we do not continue the path Madara sought."
"I agree," said Riku. The man had remained silent throughout most of the meeting, something that was usual for the elder Uchiha, his once dark hair already grey, only black tips remained to show how long such had occurred. "Let us build alliances as well, let us prove we are more than our past."
Daiki just snorted. "Let's do it because it'll send the Senju into a fit trying to figure out some secret plan we don't even have."
"That too," said a smiling Riku.
"We must be careful, however," advised Itsuki. "We must never plan to bring them into the clan, never approach them to even marry an Uchiha nor make plans to have their children marry Uchiha."
"You ask us to avoid them yet befriend them," said Tsubame, the lone female on the Uchiha Council.
"I ask simply that no plans be made," sighed the elderly man. "If love forms, we allow it. If not, we don't force the issue. If a hint of such is ever found, ever considered, then we lose the allies we seek."
"Then we only assist," said Riku. "There is a small plot of land on the southern edge of the village, near where the expansion project is planned to start," he murmured, remembering the discussion from a meeting last year about expanding the village for the growing population, a huge undertaking considering the need to first build a new wall before removing the old one. "We can offer it to them to live in, plenty of space for them without it appearing as if we are setting them up."
"It may seem too extravagant," murmured Tsubame. "The house is large, as well as the grounds the estate covers. It may seem too obvious, despite the disrepair of the place."
"All the better to entice them while annoying the Senju," smiled Riku. "Besides, the Hokage has already authorized a stipend payment to them while they are training to be Konoha ninjas. Let the Uchiha provide them a place to call home, instead of some dingy apartment the Council will offer."
"And if asked what we expect from such an offer?" questioned Tsubame.
"We expect the occasional invite to dinner, and the occasional acceptance of our own invites," said Itsuki. "Nothing more, nothing less, and we begin to form a bond from there."
"Then so be it," said Tsubame.
A slight breeze blew through the room, taking out the flames of the candles present; the Uchiha Council was then dismissed.
Nabiki sat on a bench, panting heavily from her recent reintroduction to Anything Goes, sweat soaking her outfit. It had been a few days, and having finished with her shinobi tutoring earlier, she once again went to Ranma for more training in Anything Goes.
He wasn't holding back as he did with her sister, which was something to be both grateful for and upset about. He hit back—lightly to let her know where a hole in her defenses were—which was something he could barely bring himself to do with Akane. But this world carried dangers one would never see in Nerima. Then again, her sister wasn't one who could take such criticisms well, let alone had yet to clear up her lacking defense and low speed. Perhaps she had too many holes for Ranma to point out, or he saw no need to do what her father refused. There could be any number of reasons he didn't do that or he was planning to do so if and when the two sparred again.
Sparring wasn't just to perfect the Art here though. It was preparation for when you might need to defend your life or those on your team. It was a defense for close combat, when your enemy came too close to use something else.
It was also something that would develop her stamina, which seemed somehow connected to the 'chakra' these shinobi used. Nabiki still wasn't certain how chakra compared to ki. She never got the concept of ki, having no need to study it in the first place, as well as the fact that what little she knew about it stated it could be called any number of things, not counting the varying names manga gave it.
But she did know about chakra, she had spent the last few weeks going over it, wanting to master it, control it, and use it to protect herself. Once she could understand it enough and get her 'chakra coils' developed, Gobi had stated she would begin to help 'augment' them, developing them as fast as possible without damaging them. It sounded dangerous, but it would certainly give her a leg up on any possible opponent.
At least that was the plan. She only had nine of the twelve hand seals memorized, and could form around half of those quickly. So for the moment, it was a long-term goal, hopefully less than a year.
"If I knew my life would have ended up like this, I would have practiced more," she grumbled out.
"Quit your bitching," snarled Anko, as she turned back to watch Ranma practice. "He's pretty good."
Nabiki nodded slightly. "He better be; he's been training since birth." She giggled slightly at the memory of what had occurred when Genma had first taken a baby on a training trip.
Anko said nothing, simply watching her self-declared big brother—something both insisted hadn't occurred but Nabiki insisted was true—as he went through kata after kata. "Oh yeah, I gotta get some lessons off him," she chuckled. Anything that could give her an advantage over her former Sensei was definitely something good. "Of course, I don't think my first attempt would end as poorly as yours."
Nabiki's eyes narrowed at the barb. "Must be a family thing," she snorted, smirking internally as she felt Anko direct a glare at her.
"We are not family," Anko growled.
"Whatever," Nabiki said, waving dismissively, glad that her breathing was back under control. She was only slightly tempted to go back out there, to resume her training. But it was not her usual laziness holding back, but the fact her short excursion with him had left her limbs wobbly and her chest aching. Sure, it was something that wouldn't stop Ranma: a man who routinely would exhaust himself trying to learn something.
She wasn't him and she wasn't quite ready to push those limits yet. Doing that might mean she was losing herself to her need for strength, for safety, and would be like admitting she needed to do this because of the dead bastard who assaulted her mind with that genjutsu.
"While I commend you for determining the line between need and obsession," commented Gobi, "do know that with just a little snap of power, I can make your body regenerate just about any and all damage, including the tears currently knitting in your muscles."
Nabiki openly blinked at that. The Raiju could heal her injuries?
"Well, except losing your head, most things, humans included, tend to die when you remove their head … unless they made some pact with a demon or whatnot.
"Granted, I might be surprised in this world. But a normal human—which is the group you still fit into at the moment without my help—usually die without a head. Anything else is something I can help you with all too easily, more so when we figure out these supposed 'chakra coils' these ninja talk about."
Signing, Nabiki shook her head, trying to force herself back to a standing position. Fine already, work your magic so I can get back to having my cute tight rear handed to me.
"Fine, but if I may suggest," said the Raiju Tanuki, her voice sly, "that you not only work on attacking him with physical force, but mental force as well."
Nabiki smirked, finally standing back up, her earlier weakness gone as the energy of the Raiju within her healed the damage as rapidly as possible. Her eyes narrowed a bit, her mind recalling the discussion about Ranma's unique bloodline healing ability. Using that often probably isn't a good idea. As far as she knew, she didn't have some genetic ability to heal rapidly and safely.
"While this is true, it is meant more for rapid and excessive healing. Minor injuries like minor tears along your muscle tissue will not result in your body rapidly breaking down."
Oh, thank you for staving off my fears, Nabiki grumbled internally.
"I'd hold off on trying to rejoin the fight," said Anko.
"Why?"
"Dainamikku-Entorī!"
"GAH!" cried Ranma, ducking to the side as a green-clad ninja passed by where his head had been, narrowly avoiding the flying kick.
"Ah, my new rival in the noble art of Taijutsu!" yelled Gai with a smile. "I have once again returned so that we might test ourselves against one another, striving to show the world our fires of youth!"
Ranma just blinked at the guy. "Oh great, it's you," he muttered, staring at the jounin Ranma was fast beginning to question if he was ever sane. "You mind explaining why you jumped me like that."
"Of course," said Gai, slipping into a ready stance. "Very few take the noble Art as seriously as you have, my fellow practitioner of such our Art. As such, I have spent my time since that encounter training, wishing to grow stronger, and hoping to overcome a great challenge.
"And now, that day to test myself once again against your Art has returned!"
Ranma could only stare. This … felt familiar. "So let me get this straight: I defeated you, you went and trained, and now you're back to see if it was enough?"
"Yes, for only by facing new challenges can one improve and forge new limits to their skills," Gai replied, his voice shifting from fanatic to one of wisdom.
Ranma just snorted. "This I like," he smirked. Yes, something like this made him feel right at home. Sure, the guy was a little … out there, but no more than Ryoga, just replaced depression with confidence. Oh Kami!
Needless to say, the images of Ryoga acting like Gai was not an image Ranma wanted to have floating about in his head.
"Saotome, you okay?" asked Nabiki, as she watched her companion become seriously pale.
"Um … yeah," he said, shaking his head. "Okay then," he finished, his usual smirk returning to his face. "Let's see what you got!"
"Yosh!" cried Gai, his stance shifting to a crouch, tears in his eyes. "At last, a worthy opponent with whom I can thrust myself with into the fires of youth!"
Ranma just twitched. That statement was wrong on so many levels. "Let's just go!" he said. The less chances Ranma gave Gai to spout something off more comments like that, the better for his psyche in the long term.
"Then here I come, make ready!" shouted Gai, as he raced towards the pigtailed boy.
Ranma smirked. He could use a good fight to calm down. The recent days had been sort of stressful, tests and training, trying to figure out the natural energy children around him could grasp easily here. Lost in a strange world, almost zero chance of returning home, it was all starting to pile up.
But a simple spar, a test of limits to see who had improved how much; that was something he could relax with. That was not just something that reminded him of home, but it gave him a way to unwind and vent some of the pressure that had been building up since that first exam.
Deciding that he was going to get the fullest enjoyment out of the spar—and hopefully awe those masked guys who liked to follow him around, as if he didn't know they were there—he forwent his usual 'wait and see' approach and charged into the fray, a smile on his face.
This is why he was surprised when his vision became blurry and began to fade.
"Ranma!" cried Nabiki, as the boy suddenly pitched forward, only saved from hitting the ground as Gai rushed forward, catching the collapsing male.
Ranma blinked as he looked around. Instead of the forested area he had been training in, he found himself surrounded by a sea of darkness, the only light seeming to shine down upon him. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" he cried out. "Couldn't you have waited till I was done sparring? I mean, that guy's only good in small doses, and now I'll have to hear his corny speech again! Damn it!"
"I apologize for my method of requesting your presence," came a very familiar voice. "But I was only now able to return to a portion of your mind to make contact."
"Okay," grumbled Ranma. "Just what happened?"
"It took me this long to remove myself from the prison your mind conceived for the Nekoken," Rokubi said, once again his voice coming from everywhere. "Look at a small patch of ground in front of your feet."
Blinking, Ranma did so, hoping that he wasn't about to be forced early into his Nekoken-anti-fear training.
"Relax," said Rokubi. "I am just presenting what happened."
Ranma watched as a miniature version of him appeared, barely a centimeter tall. Behind that, a small cat-figure appeared, before running towards the Ranma-figure. As soon as they meet, the figures seemed to combine, with the cat-figure now easily four times the size as the Ranma figure had been. It seemed somewhat hollow, as he could still see his earlier representation, just much smaller, and somehow inside the cat-figure's head.
Then a new figure appeared behind them, a six-tailed cat figure easily the size of the enlarged cat-figurine. "You," hissed Ranma quietly.
The Raiju stayed silent, but the figures continued to move. Ranma watched as sand from the Rokubi-figure seemed to fly off and merge into the transparent cat-figure.
Then, the surrounding sand welled up, surrounding the three figures, before submerging them. When the sand finally settled back into the ground it had come from, only the Ranma-figure remained.
"That is approximately what happened. When your mind rebooted, it worked to protect itself from the damage, thus it isolated the Nekoken and I, submerging us deep into your subconscious.
"But the mind will always leave a door, a path you can find and enter these memories, and as you witnessed, the Nekoken Spirit is easily your size, and thus easily able to leave the chamber."
Ranma could only stare. He now got the gist of what had occurred, explaining not only what happened to the Nekoken when he snapped out of it, but why it never stayed buried, why it always came back. "Hey, if only something my size could get out, then how'd you get out?"
"I compacted myself to a smaller size, a difficult task for any Raiju to accomplish unless we were preparing to sleep."
"That whole navel thing?"
"Yes," grumbled the Raiju. "That whole navel thing," it said with distaste. Really, was that all the legends spoke of for his kind?
"Well, it ain't like they spoke of you having lots of tails or anything," muttered Ranma.
For some reason, he wondered why he felt the Raiju shaking its head at him.
"I forgot the developing bond," it murmured.
"Bond?"
"It started when we rescued you," Rokubi responded. "Even without our current ability to converse in the waking world, we are still connected in some manner. In here, we can converse as my mate and your friend can in reality. But it is developing."
"Oh," said Ranma. "Well … that's good, right?"
"Yes," came the suffering response of the Neko Raiju.
"Cool!" chimed Ranma. "So … can we start on fixing my fear or what? I gotta get back to mastering this chakra stuff."
The Raiju sighed once more. "Very well, but take these studies seriously, or I may tempted to let that furred menace that is your soul spirit sit in as well for … motivation.
"I did not enjoy being buried within your mind; let alone having my energy consumed by that mediocre animal. I want this gulf between us erased as quickly as possible.
"Now then, let us see how well you have come along on your own."
"You can't be serious," grumbled Minato, as several council members stood before him within the Hokage Tower.
"Very," said Hiashi Hyuuga, the declared speaker for the group. Several of the various clan heads stood behind him, lending credence to exactly who the Hyuuga Head was also speaking for.
"I fail to see how our offer offends so many," said Itsuki Uchiha, the blind man sitting off to the side, an unnamed Uchiha attendant beside him.
"You seek to curry too much favor with the outsiders," said Hiashi.
"We seek to give them a home, a home nowhere near Uchiha grounds, a property we do not use or have used for almost a decade," said Itsuki. "Unless you would like to explain what dastardly plan a blind man is suspected of having?" he asked with a smirk.
"You have to admit, sir, that your offer is more generous than most would expect," said Minato, trying to maintain decorum.
Itsuki continued to smile. He expected as much, Senju associates and the clan in particular had learned from past experiences that the Uchiha always had a hidden agenda, a motive to any seemingly benevolent deed. The fact he was now using that against them was somewhat humorous to him. No doubt all of the clans supporting Hiashi as well as the Hokage's resources were soon about to be wasted, trying to uncover a conspiracy or some hidden plans that simply didn't exist. Oh, if only his eyes still worked, he could enjoy the looks of displeasure on their faces, as they trudged about trying to uncover something. Ah, the simple joys of politics; days like this remind me why I stopped being a ninja. "While you see it as generous, and while to some it may be, we of the Uchiha Council do not see it as such. The place will need severe repairs, time, and effort to bring it so a useable state."
"And I suppose you plan to have them pay for it?" asked Minato.
"You make it sound like we are doing this to avoid wasting resources to fix it up," sighed Itsuki. Yep, there was one avenue for them to grow paranoid on: what did the Uchiha see as a better use for those resources? "The point is many of the clans within the Council seem interested in helping the young foreigners starting a life here. But residences are usually within clan grounds or properties not maintained in decades, while what I am offering is neither. Sure, it requires work from what I've been told, but surely it is not something we as a society cannot do."
He successfully hid his smirk from them as they felt the impact of what he had insinuated. They were either planning something on their own, thus why they would be upset by the Uchiha offer, trying to pass off their own dilapidated properties as a suitable gift, or they were somehow insisting that fixing such a property was beyond their abilities. Not like the fools themselves would ever do such work, they'd probably hire a contractor with some poor genin teams cleaning things up. He could almost hear the anger percolating within the council.
"This is not about the Uchiha need to give such a lavish gift," said Hiashi, keeping his tone even if but barely. "It is about the appropriateness of such a gift."
"Oh?" asked Itsuki. "How is the Uchiha offer … inappropriate?" asked the blind man.
"The lavishness for one," said a head of a lesser clan, one Itsuki did not recognize.
He would have to have his retainer describe the man to him later. Obviously, that clan head wasn't well versed in such matters of protocol. "We're offering a house not used in years, in need of repair, in an area of the village we could care less about. Perhaps you could tell me what golden chandeliers or libraries full of techniques you find offensive about the gift?" he asked, making certain he faced the unknown head.
Minato sighed, rubbing his brow. Once again, with moments like this, he wondered if it was too late to simply hand the hat back to Sarutobi. "I understand there are certain objections to the Uchiha offer," he started, silencing the clan heads. "However, I have yet to see a reason to refuse such an offering. I know from personal chats that both the foreigners and the hospital staff would prefer the duo to find a place to live.
"Add to that the house offered is not within any clan territories or districts, as well as presents no clear security threat to either the Village or the others, I fail to see any … reasonable … issues with such."
"Then you have no ulterior motives to making this offer?" asked Hiashi quietly.
To some, it would have sounded as an insult. Itsuki just continued to smile, knowing that the Hyuuga Main Family Head was merely upset that such an idea had not come to him first. Say what you will about Uchiha in-fighting, but at least they didn't have an issue with Cursed Seals—something Madara probably would have wanted if such a thought had come to him. But like the Hyuuga, the man was consumed with what he felt was ultimate power, why would he wish 'weaker' methods to be at his disposal? "Well, I am curious what dishes they can make," said the calm Uchiha. "That's what I miss most about not being on missions anymore, the selection of foods. We have some bakers, but sadly with the wonder of our eyes, we do not have a grand Uchiha chef," he lamented sadly.
Even Minato had to fight hard not to chuckle at those lines. Many things could be said about Itsuki, but a lack of humor was not one of them. Only a blind Uchiha would suggest using the Sharingan to become a chef.
"And I would hope they'd invite an old man to dinner sometimes," sighed Itsuki wistfully. "Ah, to hear some dinner conversation that doesn't always begin with the phrase 'while on a mission', such a rarity for my life nowadays."
"I … see," said Minato, a small smile hidden by his hands. "Does this settle what issues the Council members had with the Uchiha offering?" he asked the glaring Hiashi.
"For now," said the Hyuuga Head, as he bowed, and exited the room, the other Council Members quickly following behind him.
"Well," said Itsuki, standing quickly and clapping his hands, "I too must leave, all that hot air has made me need to wash myself, so humid in here as well," he muttered. But to Minato's surprise, the man gave a courteous nod to him. "Whatever may come, Hokage-sama, I believe you will be the perfect man for the job."
"Sucking up already?" asked Minato. "And here I thought I had a few more weeks before the greater clans tried that." His face and voice conveyed his jovial expression.
Itsuki just snorted. "Please, between you and the Snake Sannin, it wasn't as if we had that much of a choice. But you being in that chair is certainly much more acceptable than any of the Sannin. Why, I shudder to think of what changes your Sensei would have made with such power … at least changes I could not appreciate given my current state," he said, as the duo parted.
Minato could only shake his head sadly, chuckling loudly after the door shut. Sometimes, this job was worth it.
Now, he just needed to figure out what gift to get Kushina to make up for their missed date. "I can't believe she's still so angry," he muttered.
"Shouldn't we get him some help?" asked Anko, looking at the sleeping form of her self-appointed big brother.
"He's fine," said Nabiki. "Right now, he's just in some trance, probably something he set up to work on his chakra and forgot," Nabiki replied, trying to keep what Gobi had told her from the kunoichi.
"Perhaps we should worry less about her perception and worry more about the fact you have asked this Gai-person to assist you in some light taijutsu training."
It was your stupid idea! Nabiki ducked quickly to avoid a spin kick, her own legs shooting out to trip her adversary.
Apparently, Gai didn't hold back much either. Nabiki was seriously questioning her sanity at that point for even asking for the Jounin's help, as well as hoping that she really could heal as easily as the Gobi no Tanuki suggested.
She was going to need it. Ranma so owes me for this!
"Oh sure, blame the guy passed out on the side of the field."
Author's Notes: Some have raised a few questions I need to address.
The first was about Nabiki's current attitude. Some have suggested she should be still in her money-making ways. That was true at the beginning of the story, before she was abducted and subjected to the Hell's Viewing genjustu, overdone by the ninja to try and full break her. So yes, she's bound to change a bit mentally as a result of her assault. A part of her is raging against her weakness for getting into the situation. On the other hand, a lot of what Nabiki did in Nerima also dealt with what she knew she could get away with. She knows here that they can and will toss her out if she becomes too troublesome, and with everything she's seen and heard, that scenario isn't a good one for her.
The second is that they are not looking for a way home. Aside from no idea or even rumors of items that might allow them to transverse their way back to their own universe, there is the fact that even the Raiju had no idea transporting that close to the abyss would send them so far. So for the moment, until a new idea or lead appears, they are simply staying put and hoping that someone from Nerima finds a way to them, such as an old ghoul with three thousand years of Amazon history and assorted magical artifacts to assist her.
I hope this helps.