Chapter 10: Her Parents

When Kurotsuchi was born into the world, the whole Kamizuru clan was overjoyed. Kitsuchi and Keiko's daughter became the only girl who descended from Onoki. That was just one factor that made them too happy. In reality, the reason was that she looked much like her mother who was regarded as the most beautiful Iwa Kunoichi of their time. It took the couple a while to conceive. After two miscarriages, Keiko lost hope until she found out that she was three months pregnant when she was 36 years old.

Carrying a child at that age required a lot of rest and attention from Keiko, Kitsuchi, doctors and the rest of their family. On her 39th week, a baby girl was born. Her name, Kurotsuchi, was of Kitsuchi's choosing. Keiko, at first, didn't like such a dark name but due to customs, they had to name their children with the 'tsuchi' pattern.

The third Tsuchikage had gotten tired and sick of playing with and eventually, training his grandsons into their extensive Earth, Boil and Lava Releases techniques. When Kurotsuchi started to walk, he had already conveyed his interest in training the young beauty. Kitsuchi was too honored by his father's attention but Keiko, who had preferred raising her daughter in the Odori-style (踊り) taijutsu she mastered, could only acquiesce to her husband and father-in-law.

It did not take long for Kurotsuchi's talent to surface. At ten years old, Kurotsuchi mastered Earth jutsus and began learning lava based techniques. She became a chuunin right after graduating from the Academy at age 12 and five years later, had become a jounin.

A mother could not be prouder, Keiko thought, if only she did not act like a tomboy 99% of the time, wasn't as stubborn as her father, tactless and ruthless as her grandfather. Her looks were put to a waste. She did not have a decent boyfriend even at seventeen, excluding Deidara who had left Iwagakure and her daughter, in pursuit of his ideals; Kurotsuchi was never romanced yet she's completely fine with it. The kunoichi who labelled as the 'Beauty of Iwagakure' did not expect her daughter to grow into a woman who prefers power over love.

After the Fourth Shinobi War, she had tried to coax Kitsuchi into allowing Kurotsuchi to live on her own. She would never forget how he reacted.

"Isn't she too young for that?" Kitsuchi answered.

It was dinnertime. As a lady, Keiko would not get mad at her beloved husband but she slammed the dining table and flashed her pink eyes towards him. "No dear. Your daughter is eighteen years old! She should start being independent!"

"She might get married young."

"You married me when I was nineteen!" Keiko glared at him. "Kurotsuchi is single, has zero romance and is too boyish to attract decent men who would pass our rigid requirements! Actually, I'm more worried that she'll die without any children! She's too fixated on being the Tsuchikage!"

"Nope. You told me about Deidara—"

"That boy is dead, dear. And even if he were alive, he's too… unstable for our daughter."

"Besides she's too you—"

Whenever Kitsuchi dotes on Kurotsuchi and treats her like a baby girl, when in fact she is not anymore, enrages the taijutsu master. Keiko understands how a young, ambitious woman would think and feel if her people around her cage her from experiencing things because of her sex and age would drive her insane.

Keiko went through almost the same thing although, in a different light. She did not come from a prominent ninja clan. Their family's jutsu were limited to mediocre, earth-release techniques. Her meek father, worrisome mother and depressed older brother believed that her dreams were too far-fetched for a ninja family of their standing. But Keiko, even at a young age, did not lose heart. She performed well during her academy days and had caught the eye the late master of the Odori-style Taijutsu when she was eleven, a year before her graduation. As a genin, Keiko religiously practiced the exclusive deadly, dance martial art. She was deemed a natural practitioner of Odori because of her intelligence and in-born strength. It didn't take long for her to master it and introduce a few techniques to the discipline. During the year when Keiko was preparing to join ANBU (she's seventeen years old), she earned the nickname 'Beauty of Iwa' because of her splendor as a woman and kunoichi.

But the fame didn't faze her at all. She had an unwavering determination to achieve her dream; to be the Head of Iwagakure's ANBU corps. Keiko, at nineteen, had already become a division commander. She thought she could achieve it as long as she delivered exemplary results, performed more than necessary and kept her character in check…

…until a marriage proposal was made by the Kamizuru clan to theirs, the Koishi (小石) Clan. Seeing the Third Tsuchikage himself with his eldest son, Kitsuchi, speaking with her delighted but nervous parents shocked. She knew exactly what had been happening that time. The respected jounin commander of Iwagakure had expressed his interest in her several times but Keiko turned him down many times because she thought that somebody from the Kamizuru Clan should marry a woman from a more prominent clan. Keiko had prayed that the jounin was just playing around, but that meeting crushed her denied wishes. He was not a bad choice, but she had other things on her mind. If she marries, she would be made to retire from her ANBU career… and Keiko will not be able to achieve her dreams which Marriage was out of the question if she had a choice. But Koishi Keiko didn't have a choice. Her parents were too honored that their daughter would be wed to the Kamizuru Clan. The date was pushed forward; Keiko and Kitsuchi was wed a month after the proposal.

A year into the marriage, her husband had asked her to quit ANBU because she was with child. Reluctantly, she did but Keiko turned distant towards Kitsuchi subconsciously. During her 8th week, she had a miscarriage and she blamed her husband for it. The second time around, Keiko had another miscarriage at age 24. That made her depressed and she lashed out at Kitsuchi for forcing her into a marriage that she cannot fulfil. But he did not retaliate or argue with her whenever she would have episodes of violence. Eventually, after learning and accepting that the combined effect of her depression and hormonal imbalance caused her miscarriages, she somewhat felt guilty. Her strength returned and from that day on, she vowed that she will do everything in her power to help her children achieve their dreams.

Keiko, though, felt a bit cheated. With thirty-nine long years in the marriage (and counting), she only had one daughter and she had her a bit late. What's worse, her daughter is experiencing almost the same, shackling fate that Keiko had.

Both chopsticks that she was using was thrown with precision towards Kitsuchi's eyeballs. Her dark husband, caught them with his left right hand even whilst drinking water.

"She's still young, Keiko." He reiterated. "Your aim is still as good as ever."

"You will have to kill me before you marry her off like a cow but it's high time she experiences freedom, independence and love!" Her already loose kimono's neckline dropped even lower when she attempted to throw the table up which was stopped by her husband.

"Let's talk about this later." He said. "Your kimono's falling."

"I don't care, husband." Although, she lifted her kimono back to where it was supposed to be. "I will not tolerate your overprotectiveness over Kurotsuchi."

"We'll find a decent husband for her, but as of now, the marriage proposals are no good. There's no need to rush it."

"But you keep on threatening any male friend she has even though they're not suitors."

"I'm just being cautious."

The Beauty of Iwa wanted to scream at her husband, but her desire to look prim and proper got the best of her. She recalled some of her tiny mishaps earlier, but they were minute compared to her daughter's dark fate ahead. "Dear, your daughter's turning nineteen. In another year, she'll be twenty. Before we know it, she'll be thirty. Beyond that age, she will not be able to find a decent man to marry her. Not to mention, our young woman—"

"Baby girl—"

"Dear, baby girls are daughters who have not started menstruating. Kurotsuchi had her period when she was twelve years old. She has been a lady for six years now. Anyway, our young woman is aspiring to be a Tsuchikage. If she replaces father in the next ten years and she's unmarried, she won't be able to get married anymore! Look at the beautiful Fifth Mizukage? She's gorgeous, talented and intelligent but she's unmarried all because she became a Kage at the wrong age."

"Keiko, you're overreacting. Our little girl is still our baby; she won't get married now, or in the next ten years."

"Well, that's fine with me!" Keiko kicked the table and turned it over. Her kimono's sash loosened even more, allowing anybody to see her well-sculpted shoulders, collarbones, and left leg. But she didn't care. Keiko was mad and she'd rather put shame on her body than her ideals. "Let her die as an unloved, old maid who didn't live her life to the fullest!"

Ever since that day until present time, Keiko was at a loss with Kurotsuchi's father's reasoning. Her husband still believes that Kurotsuchi, is a baby girl even though she's twenty-two and had clearly showed signs of infatuation ever since they had returned from the emergency meeting in the Land of Iron.

When Kurotsuchi had left for the Land of Snow, she had attempted to talk some sense into her selfish, paranoid husband. It was the same scene: dinnertime, except it happened about four years after the Fourth Shinobi War.

"Dear, did you notice something in Kurotsuchi?"

"She's starting to mature, but still childish. She never defeated father in a one-on-one battle yet but she's already close to. Whenever I spar with her, I feel like she can kill me if I let my guard down for a second."

"Is that so?" I have to lure his attention and then, drop the bomb when he becomes too engrossed! "I guess she really is turning too strong. She defeated me one time." It was a huge lie. When Kurotsuchi challenged her mother for a taijutsu match, it only took the younger kunoichi three minutes before she was howling in pain.

"You?!" Aghast, Kitsuchi's already round eyes became rounder and his prominent jaws dropped down. He thinks highly of his wife, and her losing a taijutsu match is a bigger deal for him than for her. "Even I and father cannot defeat you in a one-on-one taijutsu match."

She giggled a bit and combed up a few strands of the strawberry blonde hair that fell down to her eyes. Just a bit more. "No. If you stopped treating me like your wife and father stops treating me as his daughter-in-law, then there's a chance you would defeat me." She said modestly.

"I sparred with you many times even before we got married and all I did was lost. Even father said that he would not be able to defeat you in a taijutsu battle even in his prime."

"Father even said she's almost ready to take the helm." She poured placed one of her pork dumplings in his plate.

Kitsuchi hates eating her share of pork or beef. "Keiko—"

"You have work tomorrow." She squinted, causing Kitsuchi to have a mini heart attack. Keiko knew how to scare Kitsuchi and it works almost always, except for matters concerning Kurotsuchi. "You need protein."

He ate that pork dumpling and took the rest from her plate earning a sweet smile from the Lady.

"Speaking of work, you never told me much about the emergency meeting except about Kurotsuchi's presentation."

"Well… there's nothing to it. They just connected the pieces they had to come up with the mission to the Land of Snow. Kurotsuchi though… I've never seen her so passionate about something…" Kitsuchi nodded at the thought. "If the mission goes well, she'll get the credit from saving our country from a possible epidemic."

"It's all about the Union now, dear. We're not warmongers anymore." Keiko took Kitsuchi's serving of anko.

"Hey—"

She placed her index finger between them. "Too much sweets are bad for you."

"I train every day. You can ask our helper for more, don't just take my anko—"

"No." She took one and sensually played with it while taking small bites. "I gave you my dumplings, so I shall take your anko."

Kitsuchi closed his eyes and slouched over to compose himself. When he was about to resign himself to get another serving of anko (Keiko didn't want their maids to wait on them as they eat), Keiko threw the bowl which he caught from behind. "If that was a kunai, my hand would be bleeding now."

"It isn't a kunai darling, and I won't just throw one at you for no reason." Keiko placed her chopsticks on the table. It was the best time to bring up the matter on Kurotsuchi. "That girl had grown so much. Who'd have known that after the war and all the things concerning the Shinobi Union, she would mature so much as a ninja and a woman?"

"Precisely. I'm thinking of…" Kitsuchi gulped down the remainder of his miso soup as his wife prayed that he'll blurt out that Kurotsuchi should get married. The suspense of him returning the empty bowl back on the table's surface was killing her. "Thinking of passing the title, jounin commander to her."

What the hell did I expect?! Keiko blew some of the hair that fell down in front of her face again. "You're the perfect man for that." She said coyly. "Besides, Kurotsuchi doesn't want to be tied down in the village. Missions are her thing, not a tiny desk and meetings. She doesn't have to be a jounin commander to become a Tsuchikage." They were straying away from her intended conversation flow. She had to make him talk about the current mission.

"You have a point. What can I do without you?" He said sarcastically. Kitsuchi loved Keiko but he'd only listen to her if they both have the same opinion about something. This time, they didn't so Keiko had to find a way to stop him from doing what he was [most likely] planning; to make Kurotsuchi a jounin commander to keep a keener eye on her. Keiko didn't want that for her daughter.

"Nothing."

"Except agree." Kitsuchi, like Kurotsuchi, had a bottomless appetite. He was on his fifth cup of rice. "Maybe you're right. She's all grown up now."

"Indeed."

"You're right. Well, you're always right..." Kitsuchi said while eyeing the untouched gyoza. He reached for it and quickly stuffed it down his throat. "...but I think it's too early."

"What is too early?" It was about time. "She's twenty-two, dear; an adult in all aspects of her life. Nothing is too early for her."

"No. Even father thinks that she's still too raw. She needs more EQ." Kurotsuchi nodded while chewing his fourth or fifth piece of gyoza.

He's talking about her being the Tsuchikage. But I can use the words he just said. The fair-haired lady mentally gave an evil laugh. "I bet that her EQ will drastically improve once she gets back from this mission. I'm staking all of my sake collection to you."

He grunted. Of course, the man of the house got excited at the thought of drinking a hundred year old rice wine from the Land of Tea. "What makes you say so? I'm looking forward to that bottle from the Land of Tea." He was finally caught off guard.

"You'll have it in due time." Keiko smirked. "You see, Kurotsuchi has not experienced situations requiring adult reasoning except for missions and sometimes, her raw emotions hinders her from making accurate judgments. She's smart, yes, but lacking in some areas. But, something happened to Kurotsuchi in the past month. I think this emotional maturity would gradually manifest in her." She giggled at her perplexed husband.

"How could that happen?" Kitsuchi almost choked on the last piece of gyoza and drank water to push the food down.

"Did she meet somebody new in the emergency meeting?" Keiko chuckled a bit when she tried to imagine what kind of man her daughter was swooning for. "You should have noticed that. You're in close proximity the whole time."

"What do you mean?" Kitsuchi stopped eating and looked at her. He didn't like what his wife was pointing out.

"Our daughter likes a man whom she has met in the Land of Iron."

Kitsuchi's nostrils flared. "HUH?!"

"Yes." Her strategy a few years ago failed. Her second strategy would be a bit different. She'll pretend that she's a bit shocked because the guy is from another country but she doesn't really care about those things. Besides, they're top ninjas of their home villages which is not entirely, a bad thing. She moved nearer to him and placed a hand on his clenched fist. "Calm down. I'm telling you this because it is a matter that might trouble the council. Who attended it this time?"

"Hmm… Except for the five kage, the other ninjas present are Chojuro and Ao of Kirigakure, Kankuro of Sunagakure, Shikamaru and Shizune of Konohagakure, Atsui and C of Kumogakure." The dark-haired man gritted his teeth. "H-ow… How could that happen? They're all unqualified."

"Relax, dear. Let's go through it logically. Which among these men are about her age?"

"Chojuro, C, Shikamaru, the Kazekage and his brother."

"Shikamaru is the one who married the Kazekage's sister, am I right?" The inner witch was almost showing herself. Keiko was keen on the idea of marrying her only daughter to a prominent man in another hidden village if he had good genes, influence and money. Nobles were out of the question since she hated their gut so she was always prowling for good men… and apparently, their choices are limited in Iwagakure.

Kitsuchi wanted to find a husband manlier, stronger and kinder than him which is almost impossible to find because only a few people are stronger than him in Iwagakure and those who are stronger than him have a few loose screws in their heads. Keiko initially understood his strictness, but now that there was an opportunity, she has to convince his stubborn mind…subtly.

"Yes, he's the one." Kitsuchi said. "The Kazekage had already acknowledged the Nara for his intelligence. But I can't imagine him giving up one of the best wind users in the land because of marriage. I think it's a bad move for the Kazekage. He really is…green."

"But he's been running their village for almost six years. He can't be that green." She sighed. "So that narrows down the list to Chojuro, C, the Kazekage and Kankuro." Keiko tied her long, pale red hair with the pink ribbon she keeps in her sleeve. That evening was particularly humid and she hated that because it makes her skin all flushed and her hair drier.

"All of them are… bad." Kitsuchi muttered.

"Dear, they're all top jounins in their respective countries. They can't be too bad. If Kurotsuchi's "

"I'm not talking about that. They're not from Iwagakure." He shook his head in disgust.

"Do you have anybody else in mind?" She stretched her neck. Putting on the frontage that she's a bit bored in the conversation would make him think that he's running the boat. Her objective this time is see her daughter earn a bit of independence and experience love because she thinks Kurotsuchi would have lesser chances of getting married if she becomes the Tsuchikage in her mid-twenties. "Remember, we have looking for viable men for years and it was all for naught. Maybe it's time to look for somebody in other lands."

"Our daughter would have to be sent off to some foreign land."

"Maybe we can make arrangements. Kitsuchi, our daughter is in line to be the next Tsuchikage. We have the upper hand in the negotiations." She didn't want to say what she was thinking outright because Kitsuchi would notice that she's manipulating. The fact that she is, all the more she needed to be careful.

You have to say that our daughter would be the Tsuchikage so we can convince this foreign guy to live with her in Iwagakure once she is inaugurated. The marriage won't happen until she ascends to power or else everything we had invested will be put to waste!

I don't really care about politics though. All I want to see is a handsome grandson because I don't have a cute son.

"Hmmm. Why do you say the right things at the right time?" Kitsuchi bowed to his wife. "We can entertain marriage offers from foreign ninjas but they'll have to be married once she's the Tsuchikage so our clan would remain in place. This man, whoever he is, would have no choice because Kurotsuchi would be of much higher rank than no matter how great a jounin he is." He took her hand and kissed its back. "I can't believe you ended up marrying me."

Kitsuchi laid his head on her lap and searched for her warm eyes. Even if his woman and their daughter have exactly the same eyes, Keiko's were warmer and he preferred it over Kurotsuchi's since he finds solace just by looking at it. From his angle, Kamizuru Keiko's face was inverted nonetheless, striking. His hand stroked her cheeks which made her smile.

I win!

"I didn't marry you because I had a choice. But I could have done worse if I didn't." She had to appear confused, but in her mind, she's kicking and jumping because of what Kitsuchi had said. She had him in the palm of her hands in that situation and he didn't even know it.

What she told him was true. At first, the ordinary at birth yet extraordinarily beautiful and talented girl from the Koishi Clan was reluctant to accept that she was married. Consummating it and keeping her husband company whenever needed is something she saw as a chore. It took seven years to realize that she had grown to love him. She could not ask anything more from a husband who had literally worshipped her but she didn't want her spoiled daughter to go through the same thing… because Kurotsuchi is less tolerant to conform.

Out of exhilaration, she kissed his forehead. "So husband, what should we do?" If things went well, then she would be lucky to marry whoever this man she has placed her eyes on. Her mission now is to find out who this guy is and steer her husband, his father and the Village's Council to have the only natural born girl in the Kamizuru Clan espouse him.

"We will start finding eligible bachelors who will meet our tastes. For the mean time, I will talk with father about this idea and see if we can get the council's approval." He actually agreed to her. It was an exemplary way to complete today's mission, Keiko brood over.

"I shall start doing it first thing in the morning, dear."

"Can I close my eyes for a bit?" Since they had been married, Kitsuchi would always ask permission from Keiko if he wants to sleep with his head on her lap not because of courtesy but partly due to the risk of accidentally breaking his neck is Keiko moves suddenly. She had enormous strength in her even in normal movements consequently, if Kitsuchi would sleep on her, she has to keep still or an accidental nudge from her might cause her husband some minor injuries.

She positioned herself in a more comfortable position before laying on her back. A smile which she has been suppressing drew on her face. All she has to do now is find out if the devil whom her daughter was smarmy on is worth the attention. If he is, then all she has to do is to convince the large man who is snoring on her.

She had no choice but to slither her legs very gently to not wake and injure him all at the same time.

Notes:

About Keiko – Since Kurotsuchi is arguably, the best looking person in Iwa, she had to have the hottest mom ever. I mean come on, her dad is Kitsuchi (no offense there). The only similarity they have is the black hair and their fighting style. Because of that, the idea of Keiko was born. Well, the details about her are mostly spontaneous and thought of while writing this particular chapter. So here's some data about her:

Name: Koishi Keiko

Age: 58 (at the time of the story but looks a lot younger than her actual age)

Eye Color: Pink (like Kurotsuchi in the manga)

Hair Color: Strawberry Blonde

Hair type: Very long (reaches her lower back) and fine; curls at the ends with some short strands that keeps on falling in front of her face

Height: 5'2 or 160 cm (A little shorter than Kurotsuchi)

Weight: 100 lbs or 45.36 kg

Jutsu: Odori-style Jutsu

Nature Release: Earth Release

Kekkei Genkai: None

Ninja Rank: Jounin, ANBU (retired)

STATS

Taijutsu: 5

Ninjutsu: 2

Genjutsu: 3.5

Hand Seals: 2

Intelligence: 4

Strength: 4.5

Stamina: 3

Speed: 5

Total: 29

About Kitsuchi – I made him a bit older in this fic. He'd be around the same age as Keiko.

Some terms:

Odori (踊り) style taijutsu – A taijutsu based on feminine, dance movements. The school used to only accept female disciples, but in recent times, even male students too. However, only women can earn the title of 'Master'.

Koishi (小石) – this means 'pebble'. I chose this for Keiko's clan name because I've envisioned her as somebody who had come from a 'small' family yet, became somebody bigger than her beginnings.

This chapter is mainly an introduction to Keiko - my OC mother of Kurotsuchi. I want her to be cool, I hope you'll find her cool too.

I'm currently writing the next few chapters and once I'm done with them, I'll post them in bulk just like my first upload (hehehe). The basic flow of the The Black Ones is already inked in my head but there are times when I feel a bit unsatisfied by some parts that's why I take a bit longer in writing. Also, during the writing process, my head keeps on making up stuff along the way and if I think that it's pretty cool, then I'll tweak the plot a bit.

While I'm at it, I'm looking forward to reading your reviews. :)

I hope you'll wait for the updates!

xoxo