Pareidolia


Chapter seven

Honen


"A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

― C.S. Lewis


"Orochimaru-sama?" a young man with black rimmed circular glasses strode through the dark hall from which his master had summoned him.

"Kabuto… I want you to set out and retrieve Karin," the pale snake sennin said from behind his desk. To the untrained eye, one might assume this man was busy studying whatever data was laying in front of him; to Kabuto, however, the scene told of something completely different- to such a degree that even Yakushi Kabuto took a step back.

Staying too close to a furious Orochimaru was not a position in which most people had a long life expectancy.

"Karin? I thought Kimimaro was with her," Kabuto frowned. Despite his concerns, Kabuto could not shake off the thought that Orochimaru had made a grave mistake by not listening to his advice. "Is it Kimimaro's health again?"

""You might say that.." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, staring at his bespectacled servant. "Kimimaro-kun has fallen in combat."

"I advised against sending him out, because he…" Kabuto paused for a moment and processed what his master just said. "Wait, he was slain? Even without his cursed seal, there shouldn't be too many who could defeat him. Or did he activate-"

"I do not know," Orochimaru hissed. "He activated the second level, and died shortly afterwards. Karin should have been near the area, so I want you to find her and make sure she is secure. We cannot afford to lose Karin; she is the last one who can bear the Kyuubi, and is the key to my plans. Vexing as it may be, the loss of Kimimaro is of little significance in comparison to the possibility of losing Karin. Though I do admit that it hinders our plans to strike Takigakure, especially after the loss of the Sound Four, Karin's importance is far greater."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto bowed, knowing full well that the Kyuubi was a more valuable 'prey' than the Nanabi.

"Then go; the last message I got said that she and her guards are on their way back from the western wastelands."

Kabuto nodded and left. 'How could there be someone capable of forcing Kimimaro to release the second level of his seal? Someone like that shouldn't have been there. Unless there was some wandering high-level jonin in that hasn't been accounted for. And Akatsuki should still be quiet… It makes no sense.'

Sighing, Kabuto wondered when Orochimaru would ever be satisfied. After all, his scheme to distract the ever-vigilant annoyance that was called Jiraiya was successful, and his master's 'new body' had arrived to the hideout without any obstructions.

'Then again… Danzo might have warned us how weak the vessel was. It will be easy for Orochimaru-sama to control someone with a broken will, if only he has the right coin to motivate someone… But if the body is too weak from years of neglect, it will not sustain him for too long,' Kabuto knew that this was a point of annoyance for his master. His current body was already approaching the end of its usability, and with all the experimentation to prolong the next, the additional time it would take to boost her strength was a hindrance.

Then again, getting a hand on an infamous bloodline such as hers was a rare occasion, and made all the trouble well worth it…

'Danzo threw her away, but I doubt he really know what a fine specimen he wasted,' Kabuto smirked, correcting the position of his glasses while he walked through the shadowy corridors. 'But after the modifications Orochimaru-sama made for him, I doubt he cares for something he perceives to be weaker than his current ability. But just because someone isn't at their prime, doesn't mean they are useless. Not that those short-sighted fools would ever learn that lesson…'


"That was close," Genkuro mumbled as he looked at the wasteland surrounding him. Absentmindedly, he plucked away a few shards of bone which were sticking in his skin, while he walked towards what little remained of his fallen adversary. Kimimaro was nothing if not thorough. Despite that, he could never have expected Genkuro's unusual skill.

"Too close. If I had chosen to consume you with my flames, my new body would have been destroyed," Genkuro sighed. Genkuro knew full well that if he had attacked Kimimaro with his flames, the damage to his own body would have been far greater. And he was not sure what would happen if his body ended up being destroyed. After all, this body was completely different from those from before.

At the same time, Genkuro knew that his control over the flames that now surrounded him was still flimsy. Defense and offense at the same time was simply impossible against an opponent as strong as Kimimaro. So, when he realized what his opponent was going to do, Genkuro had instinctively chosen defense. After all, the reckless amassing of chakra in the bones that had covered the area meant that Kimimaro was going to use some kind of sacrificial attack. Genkuro knew full well that there was no way the Kaguya's crippled body would have been able to survive the strain of such an attack. The hits Genkuro had landed on the last Kaguya had given him enough information to know that.

And when he looked to the destruction surrounding him, Genkuro had been right when he took that split-second decision.

The flowing flames had woven into a tight barrier, burning most of the bone shards to ashes that emanated from Kimimaro's final attack, before they could even reach Genkuro. Even still, Genkuro knew that his fiery barrier was not exactly a good defense. "Had I not used so much warmth to solidify myself beforehand, those shards would have done a lot more damage…"

It had certainly not been the easy 'test run' for his newly-created body that he had imagined it would be. The effects of the vile chakra of the cursed seal had exceeded his expectations. Impaled, cut open, needled with bone shards, Genkuro at least had gained a lot of knowledge on how to repair himself. The aftermath of it all, however, was still weird.

At least, the gnawing feeling in his stomach, followed by the spreading weakness and general lack of energy, was foreign to Genkuro. He had never felt real hunger. In fact, his previous forms didn't even have a digestive system. And though he copied it, Genkuro was still ignorant of the functions his organs had.

Eating, something which was a perfectly normal action for any other living being, was a novelty to Genkuro.

So he went down the route that was familiar to him: a raging inferno. The flowing stream of fire that had orbited around Genkuro spread out, consuming all the fragments of bone that Kimimaro had left behind. Fragments of which all contained some chakra, the energy Genkuro could extract and redirect to his own body instead.

"Gathering warmth in this body is equally difficult. I would almost regret making it… But with the way I'm bound to it right now, it is too late to reconsider," he realized with a sigh.

The fires which engulfed the area returned to him. While the hunger didn't disappear, energy filled his body. In order to conserve his warmth better, he let less warmth flow through his muscles. Shrinking down his muscles gave him a leaner, and thereby younger, appearance, but Genkuro judged that if gathering warmth was this troublesome, this minor loss of physical strength was well worth it. Besides, he could easily reverse the process when he needed the strength again.

'I should seek out Mari and Tayuya,' he stood up while consuming the last bits of fire that flowed towards him. 'I wonder why they haven't gotten any further away from here yet… Is Mari's leg still hurt that much?'


"Don't struggle so much you dumb bitch," the man growled. "We're engaged, so stop resisting me if I want to have some of the fun I'm entitled to have," he smirked lecherously. His strong hand restrained her, and though she tried, he was just too strong.

"Get your hands off me!"

"Suit it yourself," the man chuckled, planting a fist in her stomach. With the breath knocked out of her, the man grabbed her shirt and tore it open. "Well now, it seems I will have even more fun with you than I had expected," he smirked lecherously as he looked at her exposed breasts.

"You disgusting piece of filth…"

The man laughed at the blonde's expression.

"Temari-san?" the door opened. "What is going on in here?" the old woman demanded.

"Chiyo-sama!" Temari gasped.

"Damn, talk about a horribly bad timing," the man muttered. "Get lost, hag."

"Get out of her room," Chiyo narrowed her eyes. "Right now, unless you want to face me, Ishikawa-san…"

He scoffed at the threat. "Who cares. It's not like you can prevent me from having my fun. Your village already sold her to me."

"That may be, but still I will not tolerate anything like this happening right here," Chiyo's scowl deepened. He only smirked at her and left. Chiyo turned to Temari, who started to cry after the man left her room. "I'm so sorry Temari… I am sorry that I cannot protect you any better. That I couldn't stop this madness.."

"Temari."

"I know Chiyo-obaasama," Temari sniffed. "But the thought of leaving Suna… The thought of having to live with that pig… To have him… To be forced to bear his… I would rather die than suffer his-"

"Oi, Temari!"

"-understand, but our village cannot refuse Iwa's demands. Not with Danzo at our throats. And you know that Iwa reasons that kunoichi are easier to control, due to the belief that a mother's love for her child would bind her to the village, whether the child was conceived voluntarily or not."

"I hate our world, why-"

"Dammit, wake up you freaking dumbass!"

"-loyalty is not something they desire. They can indoctrinate your offspring, but they will never fully trust you.. It is a disgusting long term plan, but in our-"

Smack.

Temari blinked, struggling to open her eyes. "What.."

"Finally! You moron, you got your ass knocked unconscious and then you started thrashing around like you have some kind of freaking nightmare," Tayuya grimaced.

"It was a bad memory," Temari whispered, shivering as if she felt the man's hands on her breasts again. She vowed never to let herself be touched like that again. She would never again be treated as a pile of flesh on which a man, against her wishes, could indulge his filthy fantasies. "What happened?"

Frowning a little at the odd behavior of her blonde companion, Tayuya pointed at the area behind them. "Kimimaro went batshit insane," she snorted. "We narrowly evaded the onslaught by jumping down the dried-out riverbed. You hit your head when you fell to the ground though, moron."

"Ah, so that is why my head feels like it is bursting. I thought it was your fault," Temari reposted.

"If that little smack of mine was enough to hurt that empty head of yours, I'd be severely disappointed," the redhead snickered. However, her fun was immediately ruined by the pain the laughter caused her.

"You're hurt!" Temari realized. "Let me-"

"It's nothing, just some shards of bone that hit my back," Tayuya tried to act tough. Though Temari could see she was in pain.

"Where's Genkuro?"

"He feels fine, so I guess he will be here shortly," Tayuya shrugged. The simple gesture made her cringe though. "Stop looking at me like that. Seriously, you're the one who looks like crap, not me. Hell, what kind of fucked-up memory was it?"

"The one who taught you how to be subtle must have been a mute," Temari sighed. "It was a bad memory, okay? I don't like talking about it." Still, subconsciously she crossed her arms in a defensive posture. A gesture which didn't escape the observant redhead. "Now, stop struggling and show me your back. I'll get it cleaned, so that Genkuro can heal it."

"Y-you want me to undress in front of him?"

"Well, it's not like he would understand," Temari frowned. "I still have to beat subjects like shame and modesty into his thick skull…"

"You don't say?" Tayuya said dryly. "Though your nosebleed suggested that you didn't-"

"Did you say something? Your persistent blushing distracted me."

"Cheeky little wench," Tayuya grumbled.

"Let me see your back, and no arguments this time. Genkuro isn't here yet, so if you hurry…"

"Yeah yeah," Tayuya sighed. "Geez, don't be so uptight."

Taking off her tan tunic, and the black shirt underneath it, Temari was inclined to riposte, but she knew Tayuya would only call her a nitpicker again. 'How troublesome…' she sighed to herself. Though, when Tayuya unwound the bandages that she had around her chest, acting as a bra, Temari felt a little jealous at the sixteen year old redhead. 'I really should change my diet, shouldn't I?' a small sweat drop started to run down the back of her head. 'Starving myself didn't really help me up here.'

Instead of talking about breasts and make this even more awkward, Temari gasped when she saw the shards that had shredded Tayuya's back. "Darn… that must hurt."

"It hurts like fucking hell," Tayuya growled when Temari pulled another shard of bone from her back.

"Thanks," Temari spoke softly after a few moments of silence.

"What for?"

"My leg.. I wasn't quick enough. If you hadn't pushed me, I would have been dead…"

"Well, you saved my ass, I saved yours," Tayuya grunted. "So don't thank me. I only returned the favor."

"Still… thanks, for saving my life. And I'm sorry that you got yourself injured because of me," Temari smiled gently, seeing the redhead's discomfort at her gratitude. "I guess it must be odd for you, a situation like this?"

"You've got no fucking idea," was the grumbled response, although the girl was glad her red hair fell in front of her face now. 'Stupid-ass emotions running out of control all of the time… Damn, ever since that flaming shithead removed my seal, I've been getting weirder and weirder. What's so fucking special about a simple thank you to make me all giddy like this? I'm losing my fucking mind here…'

"How's your leg?" she decided to change the subject.

"Genkuro closed the wound, but it's not healed," Temari admitted. "Underneath the skin, the muscles are still torn."

"So that's why you limped like that."

"He promised he would heal it when he dealt with Kimimaro. There wasn't exactly much time before we left again."

"You just want him to touch your legs again, don't you?" Tayuya chuckled.

"D-don't be absurd! How about you, already pulling out your clothes while you wait for him to return?"

"What!? You don't have any-" Tayuya started to protest. Jumping up in spite of her injured back, to face the blonde who made the remark that irked her. But, in her impatience, she forgot about her lack of clothing. Not that she cared that much about showing off her breasts in front of another girl. Then again… there were more people around..

"Hi Tayuya!" Genkuro smiled.

"…"

"Tayuya?" he wondered why the redhead had such a distraught expression on her face.

"You may want to cover yourself," Temari coughed, in a weak attempt to cover her laughter.

"Shit!" Tayuya twisted around, hands now covering most of her ample breasts which she had been flashing in front of Genkuro, while her face was redder then her hair.

Frowning, Genkuro looked from the girl, whose outrage he felt through their link, to the blonde who now stood bent over from laughter. "Mari?"

"T… Temari," she gasped, out of breath due to her laughter. "Learn to say it right this time, okay?"

"Okay!" Genkuro shrugged. Still occupied with the redhead's embarrassment, Temari made the crucial mistake of not paying attention to what he was going to do. Next thing she knew, Tayuya was the one roaring with laughter, as Temari shrieked in outrage and embarrassment.

Blinking, Genkuro massaged his head, rubbing over the red imprint Temari's hand had left on his cheek. "Mari?" he didn't understand her for even one bit.

"Why are you just groping my leg like that?" the crimson-skinned blonde said, just a few tones too high.

"You wanted him to heal your leg, didn't you?" Tayuya smirked.

"Genkuro, heal Tayuya's back first. But I swear to you that the next time you put your hand under my kimono like that, I will kill you, you hear me?" she added with the most threatening voice she could muster in her flustered state.

"Ehh, okay?" he questioned. "But your leg…"

"My leg can wait!" Temari snapped. "Tayuya first! Now!"

Genkuro shrugged, really not understanding the point of Temari's embarrassed rage. In his eyes, all he did was to try and heal her injured leg. Instead, she snapped at him for no apparent reason. 'She was never bothered by it before.. And Tayuya is acting weird as well. Is it me? Is my new body in some way defective?'

With every step he set in her direction, the mirth about Temari's little freak-out vanished, and Tayuya became more and more aware about her lack of proper clothing. 'Thank Kami it's only my back. Oh, I'm so getting back to her when he fixes her leg after I'm healed,' Tayuya thought, though she first had to bite on her lip in order to suppress a moan.

Her back was covered with cuts, but amidst that throbbing pain, Genkuro's hands suddenly spread pleasant warmth. His method of healing her, whatever he might name it, flooded her with his energy. Combined with the sudden relief due to the removal of her pain, Tayuya couldn't help but struggle to not show how she enjoyed this. For the first time, Tayuya realized what Temari had meant by saying that it was difficult to resist his chakra. The sensation of his chakra flowing through her was just too pleasant…

And to Tayuya's dread, the blonde kunoichi noticed.

"Genkuro, I think she also had some injuries at her chest," Temari smirked devilishly. 'You laughed at my embarrassment, so now you get some payback!'

"N-no, I'm fine," Tayuya moaned. Her arms tightly covering her chest. "D-don't you dare t-touch me there, you fuckhead."

"But-"

"No buts! If you touch me there, I'll kill you!" she muttered. She had to resist the urge to just let him touch her, an urge that she would never admit in front of Temari. However, Temari, in turn, would never admit that she was glad that Tayuya didn't allow it… Teasing was fun, but it shouldn't get too serious.

Genkuro scratched the back of his blond head, wondering what on earth was happening to these two. Both girls were acting weird, and he couldn't fathom why they were so rude to him, even if his life depended on it. He only wanted to help them. Even though he could feel Tayuya's inner conflict through their linked minds, it eluded him that his new appearance was the root cause of the problems. "Okay, I think?" he mumbled, turning around to heal her back, which was mostly healed now, apart from a scratch down at her...

"Not that low, you dimwit, you don't need to heal my damn ass," Tayuya shrieked. "Go heal the bimbo, I'm fine now!"


Devastation. The entire area was ruined, as if a raging inferno had burnt everything to the ground. Sands had turned to glass. Rocks were partially molten. Something had been intent on destroying this area.

Sure, he had seen the smoke from a distance, shortly after the disturbingly strong chakras had flared up in this area. But to witness a sight like this... "Arata-sensei said that this was unnatural," Honen whispered. "But to see something like this, it is far beyond my expectations."

The young monk Honen had been sent out to find out the truth about the strange infernos that appeared across the continent. With most of the higher-ranked monks already dispatched to the more-populated regions, Honen had been sent to this region. After all, he was by a fair margin the strongest amongst the monks of the second rank, even though most of his generation were still novices, or monks of the first rank. But Honen had shown the promise of talent, and his control was mostly on par with the senior monks, those who held the third rank. Spiritually and mentally he still needed to grow, however, before he would be deemed worthy of attaining that higher position.

And that was to be decided by those of the fifth and highest tier within the shinobi temple: the elder monks of the council. Though, it was mostly incorrect to say that the elders were the highest tier in terms of skill. The elders were chosen from each of the three ranks, and could actually even be chosen from the novices, although that had never happened in the history of the temple before. The elders were not chosen for their martial skill, but rather for their wisdom. Unlike the kage-system from the hidden villages, the temples believed that the wisdom to lead the temple did not always come with the strength to defend the temple.

Although Honen's great example Chiriku was a large exception. Unlike the other elders, Chiriku had been given the rank of elder after he returned from his duties with the twelve guardian ninja, as his skill and experience had grown so much that the inhabitants of the temple looked at him for leadership anyway, in spite of being younger than most of the monks of the third rank.

"Calm down, Honen," he mumbled to himself. "Don't allow yourself to be impressed by your surroundings, focus on your center, be calm and flexible like the wind," he repeated Arata's lessons on maintaining a calm and analytical mindset.

Focusing his senses, the young man noticed three sources of chakra nearby. Though… one felt so alien, he almost wondered whether it was truly of human origin or not.

"Is this the one who caused the fires?"


Temari had laughed at Tayuya's expense, but now the tables were definitely turned around. With his hand on her thigh, Genkuro spread his chakra through her system in order to undo the damage Kimimaro's attack had done to her muscles. But inevitably, the warmth spread out, which led to a rather embarrassing sensation. Because it radiated up her leg towards…

Well, let's just say that Temari was thankful that he was utterly clueless on how he made her feel. 'He hasn't changed one bit. His body might have changed, but his mind… Oh Kami, with that body of his, this situation is going to get a lot worse, isn't it?' she bit her lip in order to suppress making any improper sounds.

As if he read her mind, Genkuro started to smile at her.

"What," she asked suspiciously.

"Done."

"Aww, is she 'done' already?" Tayuya teased. Though she hadn't taken the time to wrap up, she quickly put on her shirt and her tunic to at least cover herself. Though, the usually brazen girl felt confused at the stupid things that ran through her mind. Then again, she suspected that the 'imbalance' was caused by the removal of the seal.

Bending over, Genkuro touched Temari's leg one more time, sending a pulse of chakra through her body, something she hadn't been prepared for. Ignoring Temari's blush, Genkuro looked at Tayuya. "Yes, she's completely recovered and-"

"Don't put your hand on a lady like that, you felon!" a man's voice sounded up.

"What the fuck?" Tayuya blinked.

A young man, with either a bald or shaved head, wearing the standard attire of a ninja monk, stepped forward. "Hand? Lady? Felon?" Genkuro wondered. "What's a felon?"

"Who are you?" Temari demanded. "And what do you want?"

"Did you think this blond shithead was molesting her? Hah- moron," Tayuya chuckled. "It's more the other way around," she added, eliciting a furious glare from Temari. "Seems you have as much brains as you have hair."

Seeing Tayuya's typical choice of clothing, the young monk's eyes narrowed. "Otogakure…"

"What's it to you?"

"And Sunagakure," he looked at Temari. "It makes no sense. Oto and Suna became sworn enemies after the attack on Konoha. So what are you three doing here?"

"Listen up you shining bald piece of thrash, you're the one disturbing us, so you do the explaining here," Tayuya started to get some of her old agitation back. "Talk or leave, your choice, shithead. But don't you fucking insult me by saying I still belong to that accursed Snake!"

But the monk ignored her. "Feeling your chakra signature from up close, I can tell that you are the one I'm here for," he looked at Genkuro.

"Well, he's ours, so you can't have him, tough luck," the redhead huffed.

"Why are you after Genkuro?" Temari demanded.

Rising up, Genkuro looked a bit down at the monk. In his turn, Honen wondered how this, by the looks of it, younger man was even taller than Chiriku himself. Not that he was as tall as the infamous pervert Jiraiya of the Sannin, but still. What disturbed Honen more was the indomitable aura which surrounded the man. 'He is strong. He feels strong. But how? He shouldn't be aware of the senzoku no sai, he should not be able to radiate such a presence.'

"I am tired. I don't want to fight. But I have no interest in avoiding it either," Genkuro said, perfectly calm. His innocent and childish demeanor vanished as snow underneath the summer sun, as he assessed the threat in front of him.

Honen swallowed, disturbed by Genkuro's gaze, but could not back down. "I was sent out by the Fire Temple. Our order has sought for you, my lord. It was told that you were the incarnation of the god of flames that now wandered the earth," Honen's light grey eyes looked into the churning orbs of flames which acted as Genkuro's eyes. "But I cannot blindly take you with me, either. Unlikely as it may be, you might be an imposter. One can't be careful enough when some straggler from Sunagakure and one of Otogakure's treacherous ranks are involved," he added with more than a little disdain.

"I told you, I'm no longer part of that-" Tayuya swallowed her protests when Genkuro raised his hand.

Genkuro sent some of his warmth to his muscles. He knew only two people, and Honen just insulted them both. "Go ahead, make my day," he said, deceptively calm.

'He's still perfectly calm… no hesitation whatsoever. But his eyes… I never expected it to be so annoying, to not be able to read the look in someone's eyes,' Honen sighed. "Seiken is the name of our fighting style. It means 'true fist', but don't mistake it for common taijutsu. Seiken is a style that is powered by our mastery of the senzoku no sai, the 'gift of the hermit group'," Honen explained. "This is a special kind of chakra which only the ninja monks can master."

"What kind of moron would start explaining his skills to his opponent?" Tayuya huffed, after Genkuro simply ignored the monk's attempt to defuse the situation a little.

"My intention is not to hurt, but to test," Honen said, unmoved by Tayuya's condescending tone. "I therefore would request a one-on-one duel, without the intention to kill or permanently maim the opponent."

"Genkuro, you do understand what he is saying, right?" Temari sighed, seeing his questioning face. "He wants to fight you, but not to hurt you, and asks you to do the same."

"Why?" the honestly baffled blond wondered. "Fighting is not fun."

"It is but a test, not a fight," the monk interjected.

"Just do as he asked, okay?" Temari sighed.

"If you say so, Mari," Genkuro didn't know why he should spare someone whose warmth he didn't care about.

"Te-ma-ri. Temari. Learn to say it properly already!"

"Okay Te Ma Ri," he smirked.

"Is he… hit on the head?" Honen wondered, not really understanding whether he was made fun of or not.

"Nehh, he was just a kid a little while ago. Somehow, he created a new body, but his mind is still as empty as that of a child," Tayuya explained. "I'm not shitting you. I mean, it's not like I could fabricate such an unbelievable story myself," she shrugged, seeing his look of disbelief. "I'm crazy, but not that insane… Hell, if I had said this shit a month ago, I would've gone to a nut house voluntarily."

"You understand what is going on?" Temari sighed.

"I hold back," Genkuro nodded.

"Well… Let's just see about that, okay?" Honen frowned. "Seiken: Tamen."

Standing perfectly still, to the point where he was completely defenseless, Honen created several fists out of chakra. These fists surrounded Genkuro the moment they were created, and immediately charged at him. Being at the center of the several-sided attack, Genkuro had nowhere to dodge.

So he just took the attack, reinforcing his body to strengthen his defenses.

Now, Honen had been holding back, but seeing his attack being completely neutralized was a bit unnerving too.

"My turn," Genkuro announced grimly. Planting one foot in front of the other, he forced a fair share of his energy to his legs. In the blink of an eye, Honen felt himself flying backwards, having the air knocked out of him.

"Genkuro…"

"Eh? But I wasn't even serious! I just play-fighted!" Genkuro whined, when he saw Temari's disapproving look. "The other one would have dodged… And I only used part of my warmth for that hit!"

"Control yourself next time, okay?"

"Fine…" he sighed.

"I… underestimated your speed. Your lack of style made me underestimate you." Coughing, and catching his breath again, Honen picked himself up from the ground. "Jinsoku," he announced his next move.

Abandoning the notion of strength, Honen switched instead to the quicker variant of the seiken style, focusing every movement on speed rather than impact. Bursting forward, he aimed for Genkuro's shoulder. But the churning orbs of fire never lost track of him.

Only due to the jinsoku stance, Honen was able to evade the counterattack. 'He knew where I was going to strike. And I was not holding back either. His perception is faster than my movements. So continuing in this stance would be a waste of energy… but if I dropped it, he would immediately catch me off guard with his speed.'

Honen hopped back, creating some distance between them.

'He is far stronger than his movements suggest. By the looks of it, he is completely untrained, but his reflexes… Even Chiriku-sama would have difficulties with this level of raw strength,' Honen considered. 'I suppose I don't have to hold back anymore of my skill…'

Honen pressed his hands together, almost as if praying, and started to amass chakra. "Shichu!" Honen barked. A pillar made out of his chakra appeared above Genkuro. The solid construct was about as thick as a tree and high as a grown man, and when Honen moved his hands to the ground, the pillar crashed down towards Genkuro.

Genkuro, who barely seemed to show any interest at all in the weird jutsu.

Temari and Tayuya coughed when a cloud of dust erupted due to the impact. 'Were we stupid to allow this? This monk seemed honest in his intentions, but this was no regular move at all,' Temari wondered. 'No, it should not make that much of a difference. This guy is hardly comparable to Kimimaro, so Genkuro should not have any difficulties with him.'

But despite her faith in him, Temari did start to worry if Genkuro was hurt by the impact. Tayuya, on the other hand, remained calm.


"Raikage-sama, you called for me?" the dark-skinned kunoichi asked.

"Mabui, you were back already?" the large and muscular man known under the name of A looked up from the piles of paper on his desk.

The young woman wore formal attire, a long-sleeved, high-collared green dress shirt and skirt, which matched her green eyes. Although she had attained her jonin rank a while ago, she did not go out of the village often these days. So, the fact that the Raikage had called her here under the pretense of a mission confused her a little.

"I have a very important mission, Mabui," A sighed. "You are aware that Danzo closed the borders of the Land of Fire, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, we need to know what that warmonger is planning to do. The war between Suna and Konoha seems to have died down a little now that Iwa started to meddle, so I am afraid Danzo is starting to create new schemes."

"You want me to sneak into Konoha?" Mabui wondered.

"No. No, since Root took control, infiltrating Konoha has been a fruitless undertaking. No, I would rather have you gather information from the nation itself. Troop movements, supply lines, fortifications. Anything that could give us an advantage in case he decides a war with Kumo is necessary. Your tenso no jutsu enables you to transport objects anywhere at the speed of light, so while I would have preferred to keep you here, you are the best option Kumo has when it comes to gathering and sending the information we need."

"Yes, Raikage-sama. Is this a solo or team mission?"

"Solo," he grunted. "I don't like it either," he admitted. "But you would have the biggest chance of slipping past the border on your own, not in a four man cell…"

"Understood," Mabui nodded.

"Go to the border tonight. C reported that there would be a shift change in the patrols tomorrow. They are likely already preparing to leave, and are tired from their mission. Tonight would be the best time to get past the borders. C and his team will act as a diversion."


'Play-fighting is a bit boring,' Genkuro concluded. His hand held high, he had simply caught the pillar. Still, Genkuro felt the exhaustion increase further and further, to the point where he decided to end this situation quickly.

With the dust settling down, the sweating and panting Honen saw that his opponent was practically unscathed. The pillar shattered, and with the weight gone, Genkuro charged forward.

"Jinsoku!" Honen switched to his faster stance, forcing himself out of the way. 'Pure brute speed and strength. And he hasn't even used a single jutsu…'

Skipping left and right, Honen tried to stay out of Genkuro's reach. But the latter had, due to his length, greater reach. So a counterattack was difficult for Honen. 'He has all the advantages. He's both superior in speed and strength, to such a degree that my advantage in skill is negated. And worse, he seems to learn quickly. He's already adapting to my style. Continuing this would not serve any point.'

"Enough!" Honen panted. "You are strong, that I admit defeat."

"Good," Genkuro huffed. He suddenly staggered and slumped down against the nearest tree.

"You okay?" Temari asked him. She had never seen him actually being tired. Tayuya, on the other hand, had a much better insight through her link with Genkuro.

"He's hungry," she chuckled. "The damn idiot doesn't even know what it is to be hungry yet."

"He doesn't know hunger?" Honen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Don't ask us," Temari shrugged. "He's just completely weird. I think he used his fire to gather the chakra to sustain himself, but apparently his current body is different?" she asked, looking at Tayuya.

"I dunno," Tayuya replied. "Hey, you know him longer than I do. I just recognized what he feels. And that's hunger. It's not like I can read his retarded mind!"

"Let's put up camp then," Temari sighed. "I think those stupid lizards won't come out to attack us anymore."

"And in that case Genkuro would have a good meal," Tayuya grinned. "But, baldy, what is your big idea of coming here?"

"As I said," Honen scraped his throat, not willing to get into it with her over the undignified nickname 'baldy'. "I am a monk of the Fire Temple, which is the largest shinobi monastery in the Land of Fire. I was sent out to this region with a mission to find the one who caused those mysterious fires all over the continent. And I think this man is the one I was supposed to seek out. Genkuro was his name if I heard it right?"

"What do you know about him?" Temari wondered.

"Me? Nothing," Honen admitted. "But I think the elders know more. Though, I do know that Jiraiya of the Sannin asked for our help in this matter."

"Jiraiya?" Tayuya's eyes narrowed. "Well, at least he opposes Orochimaru."

"He does, but still… Last I heard, he was still loyal to Konoha. I take it you want to take Genkuro to the temple?" Temari asked. Honen nodded. "Fine, but on two conditions: first, the two of us go with him. Second, no other shinobi are to know of this. Tayuya recently defected from Otogakure, and I left my village too. We have no interest in getting mixed up with our pasts again. We want to remain anonymous."

"The temple has no interest in politics. Your names and pasts are your own- as long as you do not commit crimes on the temple's grounds or while you are affiliated with the temple, no one will bother you."

Genkuro looked at the girls, and then at Honen. "You can promise that?"

Honen grimaced. "I cannot give guarantees, as I am not one of the elders, but I can say that handing over shinobi who try to remain hidden but are not evil is not a custom of our temple. Besides, Chiriku-sama more or less predicted that Kagutsuchi-sama would seek refuge, as we fear what the current Hokage might do to you."

"Good," Genkuro mumbled, closing his eyes and quickly drifting asleep.

"Kagutsuchi-sama?" Temari frowned.

"I was told to seek for the kami of fire," Honen shrugged. "Kagutsuchi-sama is his name. And considering we did not know the name 'Genkuro' at the time, we used Kagutsuchi-sama's name whenever we spoke of the person behind the mysterious fires."

"A God," Tayuya mused, unconsciously starting to rub over the place where once the cursed seal rested. "It's more fitting then Genkuro…"

"Well, he accepted that name, and I'll keep calling him like that," Temari huffed.

"Still, I would have liked to see Kagutsuchi-sama's flames. But it seems I am not capable of pushing him that much."

"You don't want to see his flames. Really," Temari grimaced.

"He wouldn't have used it anyway," Tayuya promised. "He was already exhausted from his battle with Kimimaro, so I don't think he was even capable of burning this area to the ground."

"Let's get something to eat.."

"Aye."


"Mabui-san, there are two teams patrolling to our west, and one to the east. We will form a distraction, so that you can slip by," C whispered. The young man with his short, blond hair and dark eyes was as serious as usual. Then again, this mission was important enough as it was, any possible failures would cause even more trouble.

"Thanks, C," Mabui whispered back. She now wore a long, short-sleeved dress, with the regular white Kumogakure flak jacket on top of it. Though, she wore a cloak on top of it, in order to remain undetected. She had deemed it pointless to dress like a Konoha shinobi, considering that her skin color would give her away anyway. No, she rather trusted in genjutsu to deceive the ones she could not evade.

"Go," he whispered. "And good luck." He signalled his men, and they would start to move.

"You too."

"We will," C promised. "Find out what those Konoha dogs are planning, okay?"

"I will," Mabui sighed, and looked back one last time. She really did not like this mission one bit. Jonin or not, going into the Land of Fire alone was not easy job. Especially not since the new Hokage was a paranoid warmonger.

'Traitors never have faith in anyone…' she mused. 'Small wonder Danzo hardly ever misses a spy.'


Under the same starlit night, another kunoichi was contemplating her position as well. The former shinobi of the hidden sand was restless, turning and twisting underneath her blanket, unable to catch her sleep. 'Things seemed to have become so much easier when I got free. When Genkuro freed me, it was just me and him, wandering in the shadows, seeking a place where we could hide. And now…' she sighed, and turned around, hoping that the ground would feel a little more comfortable if she would lie on it in this position. 'Now he changed. No, he didn't really change. Only his body is different now. But why does it make me so damn uncomfortable?'

Hearing her grumble something in her sleep, Temari noticed that Tayuya wasn't exactly stress-free either. 'She's almost as awkward as I am,' Temari smiled. 'Then again, she's probably sleeping badly because of the gambit we're going to take. At least Suna believes that I'm dead… But if Orochimaru is as smart as she says he is, he will be looking for her. If that Fire Temple can't be trusted, we would be royally screwed. Danzo would kill me before I could blink my eyes, and if Tayuya is right about their alliance Danzo would send her back to that snake, and who knows what kind of horrific fate would await her there? And I don't even want to think what he'd do to Genkuro. If Danzo succeeded with that indoctrination thing, Genkuro might become the key to conquering the entire world. At least, the small part of it which his fires wouldn't have consumed in the process…'

Turning around once more, Temari considered that death wouldn't even be that bad. It would certainly be better than the fate that awaited her in Suna or Iwagakure. 'But Genkuro and Tayuya… She's so fragile now that she's broken free from Orochimaru, she needs a chance to rekindle her faith in the world again. To grow some trust in those around her. And Genkuro… he's like the little brother I always wanted Gaara to be. Cute and clueless, yet smart and inquisitive at the same time. I don't want him to lose that innocence. I don't want him to face this world's darkness. Even though he isn't exactly a child anymore, it's my duty to protect him...'

Temari sighed, and rubbed away a deviant strand of her blonde hair. With Tayuya's help, she had untangled her four consecutive ponytails, and instead changed it to one big spiky ponytail. Still, the long strands framing her face were a little irritating. Though, her hair wasn't really the source of her irritation right now. The threats surrounding Genkuro, with him being an unknown quality in the balance of powers in this world, worried her more than she had ever expected. Underneath her tough façade, Temari had grown far too attached to him: her savior, her liberator, and the first friend she made in years…

Someone who didn't judge her for what her father was, or what her brother had done. Someone who didn't see her as 'the Kazekage's daughter', or 'the monster's sibling'. Genkuro expected nothing from her, protecting her without ever asking something in return. Unconditionally, like a child.

'But he isn't a child anymore,' she repeated to herself, over and over again. His physical change confused her. Yes, he was far too intimate with her, but when he looked like a kid she didn't really feel bothered by it. Well, the sensation his chakra gave her was bothersome, simply because it was too pleasant, but back then it did not matter to her. Not this much, at least. But with his new body… 'I need to make sure he keeps some distance. He's too hot to get all cuddly with now. It's too embarrassing. Not to mention that after Iwa, I have no intentions of…' Temari suddenly started to blush. 'What am I thinking? No matter his looks, he still has the mind of a kid. Get your mind out of the gutter, Temari!'

Needless to say, it took a while before Temari finally fell asleep.

The moon was long past its highest point in the night skies, several hours later, when Genkuro woke up. His body felt oddly sore, and the influx of sensations confused him for a while. Living as a mass of flames was definitely easier than having a real flesh-and-blood body. The pain was irritating, and the fatigue and hunger even worse.

Still exhausted from the battle of the day before, Genkuro tried to sink back into that state of obliviousness that the others called 'sleep'. For the first time, he understood why Temari did this odd ritual every night.

But no matter how close it seemed to be, falling asleep was impossible. Yawning, the thought of Temari made him stand up. 'Warmmm…' his lazy mind mused. 'Maybe sleep then…'

A few seconds after, Tayuya woke up roughly. Very roughly. "Shut the fuck up," she roared. "What kind of degenerated fucktard is screaming her lungs inside out during the middle of the fucking…" she looked and saw Temari's position, "…night."

"…" Temari stared blankly at the redhead.

The former kunoichi of Otogakure stared back at her, equally dazed and confused.

And that was the moment the young monk entered the scene. "What is going on? Is there…" Honen stood still, frozen, with eyes bulging out. "How dare you!"

Genkuro looked at the bald man, to drowsy to comprehend what all the fuss was about. "Sweepy," he mumbled. "Shut it." He slumped down, ignoring the outraged man, and hugging Temari again. As Genkuro had expected, this entire sleeping thing was far more comfortable when she was near him. 'Warmmm,' he smiled contently, eyes shut as he sought for that quiet state of mind called sleep once more.

The fuming monk, still sputtering about the absurd intimacy, and the flabbergasted (and somewhat jealous) Tayuya looked at Temari. A very much blushing and awkward Temari. "D-don't look at me! I-it's not like I asked for this… J-just… I mean, t-this isn't… Help me get him off me.."

"Sweeep," Genkuro grumbled absently, dragging her even closer to him.

Pleading, Temari looked at Tayuya, her last hope. And her 'last hope' suddenly got a brilliant idea… "I suppose that sharing body warmth in this cold night is a valid survival tactic, isn't it?" the red-haired girl smiled deviously. "I'll join ya," she chuckled, lying down on Genkuro's other side.

Palm connecting to forehead, Honen turned on his heels and gave up. "How could Kagutsuchi-sama be so immoral?" he voiced his exasperation. "How could these women be so shameless?"

"H-hey, I'm not shameless," Temari protested weakly. "Tayuya, at least help me out in here. This isn't a joke. It's not like I'm…" she heard the redhead snicker. "Ah, curse you," Temari just gave up. She knew that Genkuro's hold was hard to break by now, so she just resigned herself to her fate and tried to sleep again. 'It's not like Genkuro would think anything weird about this, right?' she tried to convince herself.


Author's notes:


It seems like the trio has finally found a safe place to live. At least, for a while… The Fire Temple was one of the more interesting things left unused in the manga, at least in my view. The anime team tried to expand it, but I never was able to like that stuff with Sora and all… So, this story being in the 'alternate universe' category anyway, I simply decided to just redesign the monks and the temple in my own fashion. Part of altering the temple is a small number of OC's. Honen was, as mentioned earlier, created based on an idea from percy zoe and artemis fan. Obviously, I wouldn't write a data entry for this character if he wouldn't be playing some bigger role in this story. Next chapter, I'll expand more on the temple!

I wonder how many will find today's "hidden quote". After all, one of you challenged me to find a more difficult one this time. And I think this one is certainly less obvious than Yoda's, though it got famous from two different movies at least.. I bet Illuminated finds it first?

Ill: Nope, he was looking for something more subtle!

Zil: Then I'll give a hint, and say that it's a line from a movie from the seventies! I guess that should at least point the guns in the right direction? (I suck at subtlety, don't I?)

Don't forget the basic routine: read and review. Well, except for that one anonymous 'hero' who keeps wishing me to die in the weirdest ways. I've got no intentions of doing that, thank you very much..


-Z-


Honen

The unwanted child of an (presumably) important nobleman, Honen was left with the Fire Temple when he was but a baby. Though Honen is unaware of this fact, his biological parents are known to the leading council of the temple, but the subject remains strictly classified until further notice.

Gender: male
Age: 20
Height: 176.5 cm
Weight: 64.6 kg
Blood type: B

Ninjutsu: 2.5
Taijutsu: 4
Genjutsu: 2
Intelligence: 2.5
Strength: 2.5
Speed: 3
Stamina: 3
Hand seals: 3

Total: 22.5

Notes: Ranks as a full-fledged monk, which is the second rank a monk can attain within the temple, and one of the youngest to reach that rank in years. Arata, who attained the third rank, was his former teacher, and still his trusted friend. Like all monks, Honen focuses on the seiken style, which combines taijutsu with a peculiar style of ninjutsu.

Jutsu and translations

Seiken = true fist. This is the name of the fighting style of the ninja monks, which is a hybrid of taijutsu and ninjutsu, although in contrast to chakra, the monks use senzoku no sai. Instead of the physical fist, seiken is about wielding the mental fist, which is projected through the use of the senzoku no sai. The greater the mastery, the greater the projection will also be.

Senzoku no Sai = Gift of the Hermit Group. This is a special kind of chakra used by the ninja monks of the Fire Temple, and is the fundament of the seiken-style.

Tamen = Many-sided. A seiken stance in which the user abandons defense, and creates multiple 'fists' of chakra, which form around the target and strike simultaneously from all those directions. Has great offensive power, but it leaves the user open for any counterattack.

Shichu = Pillar. A variant of Tamen, though this focuses all the chakra into a single construct which strikes the opponent from above. Mastery of the Shichu is usually a sign that monks are nearing the latter stages of mastering the Senzoku no Sai, and can begin training on the more advanced forms of the seiken style.

Jinsoku = Quick, fast. This is a seiken stance which focuses purely on speed and agility, but usually lacks the power to hurt an opponent. A seiken expert is capable of effortlessly switching between jinsoku and other stances, in order to quickly outmaneuver the opponent and create the distance needed to prepare more decisive attacks like Tamen or Shichu.

Tenso no Jutsu = Heavenly Transfer Technique. This technique enables Mabui to transport inanimate objects anywhere at the speed of light. When being transferred, the object is engulfed in light and moves to any desired destination that is within sensory range through a bolt of lightning. As the bolt reaches up the sky, the object travels towards the destination, where it once again descends to the ground. Kumogakure uses special platforms which ease the transferring and reception of objects, but skilled sensory shinobi are able to deploy the jutsu without these platforms as well.