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7, [Control]
Since it's been awhile, here's a short Synopsis.
"Ryuto" might inhabit Orochimaru's body, but she is no evil child genius. An orphan of the civilian-led Resistance in a young Konohagakure, Ryuto is a brash, passionate, and resourceful reincarnate. After entering the Ninja Academy, she finds herself caught in the middle of an unresolved situation involving some of the greatest minds of Konohagakure– Nara Shikae, the unsettling, bubbly Nara matriarch— Mito Uzumaki, the broody tactical genius— and Mamushi Senju, the mysterious sage and Ryuto's mother. Meanwhile, she struggles to navigate her newfound relationships with Katomaru (Dan), Jiraiya, and Sakumo.
I must learn how to hold my tongue.
After the Yamanaka disaster, I was fueled with so much self-loathing that I dragged myself to the training grounds in the early Saturday hours. Shift, lunge, breathe, strike. The misty clearing was still as I whirled across the packed earth, delivering countless Kata #1s— the basic punch.
My movements were also driven by something deeper than frustration: urgency. Being defeated by Sakumo was disheartening, but getting my face pushed into the dirt by my beginner classmates was outright embarrassing. Shift. I am a grown! Lunge. Ass! Breathe. Woman! Strike. At two hours of training a day, it will still be at least a month until I master the 25 basic katas. Until then, I can't even dream of rising through the ranks.
As the Sun slowly pierced the crisp dawn, I worked up a sheen of sweat. Over the past few days, my outspokenness has gotten me into a lot of trouble. First the Hokage, then the orphans and Miko, and now Inodan—
I gritted my teeth, grunting as I landed a solid punch on the training post. To my satisfaction, the worn wood cracked beneath my fist. Before I could gloat at my accomplishment, however, I noticed the blood trailing down from my reddened knuckles.
Shit.
"Need tape?"
Sakumo! He stood at the edge of the small training ground, offering a roll of bandages and a hint of a smile. I took a deep breath, resisting the urge to hurl a snide retort. "That...would be nice, Hatake-san."
He tossed me the roll. I snatched it out of the air, reflexes enhanced by exercise. As I unrolled the cloth and winded it around my hands, I decided to make conversation. "Here for training?"
"Of course. I see you've finally gotten around to taijutsu." His tone was more observational than mocking.
The bandages fell limp as I struggled to fasten them. "It's not like I have any resources. Everyone's already started, and I've only been here for a week."
"Ah, I suppose that's true. Your last kata was pretty decent for a beginner, though."
"Thanks," I said with slight bewilderment, increasingly aware of my inability to understand the goddamn bandages. Was that a compliment...from the Hatake prodigy? Perhaps he was just being polite, but his comment still sent a rush of power through me.
Sakumo noticed my struggles with bandaging. "Is this your first time wrapping?"
"Uh," I started, slightly self conscious. "Yeah."
"Let me see." With that, he closed the gap between us and held out his hand. I handed him the roll, and waited as he skillfully bound my hands from knuckle to wrist with the medicated cloth.
"The trick is weaving it through the last wrapping," He finished with a flourish, redoing the last step to demonstrate. "After awhile your knuckles will be broken in and your chakra will start protecting the skin, but taijutsu users still rely on these."
I flashed him a small smile. The salve soothed my raw knuckles. "Thanks, Hatake-san."
"Keep up the work. And hold on to the bandages— I have plenty." With that, he left, tanto bouncing on his hip.
As I watched him walk further into the public training grounds, I felt oddly warm. Perhaps I had misjudged him. But no matter— I must train. With that, I returned to the training posts with a renewed sense of purpose. "Kata number two, here I come."
Flashback
Traitors are traitors, no matter the intention.
I was the first to notice the message scrawled on our family room ceiling. Kouji's unsettling visit left my entire family nervous, and the red ink dripping into the breakfast rice further distressed my poor parents.
"Oh, by the Shodai!" My father cried, his sanguine disposition cracking. "They're toying with us!" The red ink kept dripping. It was fresh.
"Daisuke, there's nothing we can do about it." My mother said sternly, rummaging around under our table for a rag.
"I know, Taka. They're telling us that they know who we are, where we live, and they can kill us anytime they wish."
My mother's face turned pensive as she stood on the table to scrub at the dripping ink. "I don't think this is the work of the Hokage. His stance was never so extreme."
"Whoever it is, we're in danger." Father interrupted her thinking. "Let's lay low for awhile, for everyone's sake." He said, dark eyes glinting in the low light.
"Hokage-sama, you have a visitor."
"It is past visitor hours." Hiruzen grumbled, barely glancing at his secretary as he sped through the last pile of paperwork.
"Yes, but I believe you won't want to miss this one."
"I don't-"
"Stop whining, Hiruzen."
"Uzumaki-sama!" The young Hokage scrambled to his feet as the imposing woman swept into the room. He was so stunned by her presence that he didn't even register the slap until his face began to stung.
"Ow!" Hiruzen was reminded of his chuunin days as he cradled his throbbing cheek. "What was that for?"
"Neglecting your sensor training." Mito accused, grey eyes stern. "Remember? One meditation session a day? Scoping out at least fifty people a week?"
"What? How did you know?" Hiruzen didn't even deny the accusation, staring at the redhead.
"Three days ago, you interviewed Hisoru Ryūto for Shinobi training."
"Yes, and?"
"She was in sage mode the entire time."
"Sage mode? She?"
Mito let out an aggravated sigh. "Again, if you had continued your sensor training regimen, you would've noticed the drop in the chakra pressure around her, and how her chakra center is located too low on her abdomen for her to be male."
"Damn," Hiruzen dragged a hand down his face.
Mito shot him a patronizing look. "How many times have I told you? Just because you can annihilate someone with all five kinds of elemental ninjutsu doesn't mean you're invincible. You still have room to grow."
There was a long pause.
"You're right, Uzumaki-sama." Hiruzen admitted reluctantly. "But, what do you mean, she was in sage mode the entire time? She said during our interview that she'd never had chakra training before."
"She definitely hasn't," Mito confirmed. "But that doesn't mean she can't use sage chakra. Think, Hiruzen."
The young Hokage's brow furrowed in dubiety. "Most people master their natural chakra before even trying to harness sage chakra. If what you're suggesting is true, which it probably is, then that means...I don't know, she was fed sage chakra in the womb or something. Oh."
"Her mother was a sage." Mito confirmed. "And probably meditated during her entire pregnancy. Ryuto has been saturated in sage chakra since the day she was conceived. Her chakra pathways have been adjusted to sage chakra long before she was even born."
Hiruzen leaned back, crossing his arms as his mind raced. A child like this could not be an ordinary orphan— a child of shinobi, then. There weren't any female sages in Konohagakure. Their last, Senju Mamushi, went missing right around the time Mito lost her late husband, eight years ago. Wait. Ryuto is eight years old. Then-
"Are you saying that Senju Mamushi is-"
"Ryuto's mother."
"Didn't she go missing during that battle?"
"Missing to most, yes."
Hiruzen caught the meaning of her words. "You're in contact with Senju Mamushi?"
"In contact? No. We simply keep tabs on each other." Mito met Hiruzen's suspicious gaze evenly. "We're both sensor-nin, after all."
"If she is alive, then she is a high-profile missing-nin, Mito. You should have let us known."
"Then what? She was wandering around in territories hundreds of kilometers away from Konohagakure? She means no business with Konohagakure, save for her child."
"Your range is that wide?"
"Practice, Hiruzen-kun, practice." Mito smirked.
Hiruzen ignored her gloating. "If she wants nothing to do with Konoha, then why send her child here?"
Mito's smirk disappeared, and she was silent for a few moments. "Mamushi has always been rather secretive, especially in the months that led up to her disappearance. Whatever she's doing, it's probably too dangerous for a child to follow. Besides, Konoha is the village she trusts the most."
Hiruzen frowned. "What was she doing before she disappeared?"
"Ancient lore," Mito responded, tipping her chin as her eyes darkened. "She spent a lot of time searching through ancient texts, especially in the Senju and Uchiha archives."
"I need more information than that," Hiruzen announced resolutely. "Secretive, missing nin, and 'too dangerous' do not bode well together." Mito opened her mouth, but Hiruzen forged on. "Uzumaki-san, as Hokage, I command you to generate a full intelligence report on Mamushi Senju. I want her current whereabouts, known locations from the past few years, and your hypothesis as to what had prompted her to leave and her current goals."
Mito raised a crimson eyebrow. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Nara-san will contribute, too. I will issue the official order..." Hiruzen glanced briefly down at the papers scattered across his desk. "Tomorrow. Between the two of you, there should be enough information about Senju-san, right?"
Mito said nothing.
"Good. Start working on that as soon as you wrap up with Miko's investigation. Speaking of which, how is that going?"
Mito's expression darkened. "Nothing too surprising. Of course, she was looking for other chakra sources. Her technique has gotten much more eloquent since the last time I've seen it. But worry not— Shikae is personally in charge of this investigation. I have complete faith in her."
"Good afternoon, mou!"
Maito Dai jolted awake at the cheery voice. Shaking off sleep, he sat up on the rough blankets that had been his home for the past month. A round-faced woman smiled down at him. Her dark curly hair cascading over a green vest and hitae-ite, tied loosely on her left arm. A ninja! Alarm flared up in the young child's chest.
"Hello, shinobi-san." Dai greeted her cautiously.
"You're Maito Dai, right?" She spoke loudly, loud enough for him to hear. His body wasn't the only thing his strange illness had handicapped- his hearing had taken a hit too.
"Yes." He moved aside and stared in budding wonder as she sat down on the grimy blankets.
"My name is Nara Shikae, and I would like your help." The woman said as she pulled out a bento box, opening it to reveal a spread of mouthwatering food.
Dai gawked, partially at her request and partially at her offer. "O-of course, Nara-sama." He said quickly.
"I know you got sick about a month ago." Shikae started gently. "Please tell me about it. You can have all the food, if you like."
Dai looked down at his dirtied hands. Her mention of his disease made him uncomfortable, but he wanted to help the kind lady. "It started out as a fever. I thought I had a cold, so Sensei told me to take a few days off. He said I'll be okay. But," he hiccuped involuntarily, "When I went back to school, I couldn't use chakra. Sensei took me to the hospital, and they told me that I couldn't use chakra anymore. I lost my scholarship to the Academy, and tou-san kicked me out. So I'm just living here now."
Shikae regarded the ugly child with only half-fake sympathy as he finished his tale and began sobbing. "Dai-kun, listen to me. I have another question." Shikae intoned loudly. "Do you know Uzumaki Miko?"
Dai sniffled out his words in between his loud cries. "Yeah. She lives near me, and she was very nice to me while she was alive. Now she's dead though."
She patted his greasy bowl cut reassuringly. Her hypothesis had been confirmed.
She'd spent the morning compiling a list of people Uzumaki Miko had contacted during two months before her death. After studying the list, she'd suspected that Maito Dai, an academy student that had suddenly withdrawn from his 4th year in the Shinobi Academy after meeting Miko, was an unfortunate victim of her experiments in chakra siphoning.
But why siphon chakra now, two years after the last of the civilian uprisings have been stamped out? Perhaps Miko was not linked to the Resistance after all.
"There, there, Dai-kun." Shikae sighed, gently rubbing the sobbing child's back. "Let's go back to my home. You can eat there."
Two minutes after Shikae loped away with a hopeful Dai in tow, an old monk passed by Dai's abandoned sack. In another life, another time, this old monk would become Asura-sensei to the crippled Maito Dai, teaching the child how to use his broken body. But in this one, he simply swept by in a swish of russet robes and wooden rosary.
AN: Long story short, I started attending a boarding school that kicked my ass. However, I am now approaching the end of my senior year, leaving plenty of time to goof around and write fanfiction.
