Pseudo Styles V-II: A Naruto Fanfiction

by Alpha Vii

(Shut down for the foreseeable future.) Second iteration. Slow burn. Mass bash/anti-bash story. Dark COP. The world of shinobi. Deception is their way of life, although many have come to forgive that attribute. When the greatest atrocity is in your own backyard however... The swarm does not forgive secrets.

10. Chap 10: Vineyard in the Forest

Pseudo Styles V-II: A Naruto Fanfiction: Chapter 10: Vineyard in the Forest of Memories: Parts 1-3

Alpha sighs nostalgically, "These titles are getting better in my mind. Granted they feel more disconnected, but I am tired of clinging to cannon tropes like they're set in stone. I'm not about to forget my place as a fan-based author, but I'm glad to be finding a style here. Once again, thank you to all those who have taken the time to read these stories. Thank you for those who have leant your opinions. Thank you those of you who have taken an interest, be it past or future. And thank you all for having both the patience and bandwidth to share this space with me."

Disclaimer:

"I hold no relation to the original content of the Narutoverse or any other series/oneshots. The OC's present are based on the fundamentals of poetic and philosophical perspectives so as much as they are SI's they are NOT original and will use techniques inspired and derived from alternative sources. In reality I do NOT own this account. That right goes to the moderators loaning me a spot in the internet. As such the content below is NOT protected by property rights and can be shut down if it infringes on that. Please do NOT sponsor any content presented in this or any hosted stories."

Alpha smiles, "Well with that done I'd like to get to writing. I've got some interesting plot devices to employ, and a brilliant audience to entertain."

CRACK

—

Alpha taps back in, "Actually, I think it might be time to remind the viewers that there is still a poll going to decide how the C.O.P. will be incorporated into the story. Each person is granted two votes so we can get some diverse opinions. The current options/votes are:

Formally announced (1) - The C.O.P. is addressed within the council.

Publicly announced (1) - The C.O.P. Is known within the village.

Privately announced (0) - The C.O.P. is hidden from the village.

Whichever emerges victorious will determine approximately the level at which the C.O.P. intentionally reveal themselves. Overall they will emphasize on stealth and remaining unseen. They will still perform raids, but it will be to exercise their stealth potential and preparing pranks/traps in advance."

"As I said in the summary: Stealth and skill are the name of the game. Where the previous generation brought 'flashy', the current generation will focus on the skills that backed that up."

===Chapter 10===

—Part 1: Haruno Champagne—

Mebuki was looking over a number of potential 'petitions' for an idea to distill the village from the Vii 'temptress', but the previous night's 'efforts' left a thorn in her side. Suddenly the patter of footsteps drew her attention.

Sakura 'spelunked' down from the stairwell and called back, "I'm off to meet with Ino. I'll be back in time for dinner."

Mebuki quickly added, "Stay away from the village filth."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

The door closed and Mebuki rubbed her face, "How am I going to get rid of that tramp?"

—

A.N: Alpha tenses, "Wouldn't that have been the 'point of orign' scene? The one where someone misinterprets the subject of distaste? This is where Sakura would suffer an emotional breakdown, and later find out she was never part of the issue!"

"This is what I mean about cliches. You see one and suddenly you realize it's been everywhere for the last two years."

"I've been pissed at the fourth wall for over a decade, and that's just because I've seen the real life version. Covered in 'A.N' with some wise guy at the other end of the strings. That's not how reality's supposed to work! Sad thing is; kids learn to pull those strings at the ripe old age of two. It's depressing to see adults walking around in circles like they forgot about those strings and how powerful they are."

—

Sakura made her way down the street to her friend's 'house' and rang the doorbell.

A few moments passed before Inoichi opened the door. Noting his daughters 'best friend' present he gave a notable, "Ah. So you're what has Ino buzzing around."

A moment later he was pushed to the side as Ino escorted a basket through the door, "I'll be home by dinner. Tell mom I've got lunch covered."

Ino put down the basket by the door and embraced her best friend like a flying squirrel. Re-acquiring her basket the two took off like a bear was after their honey. (*Pumps fist* "I am on a role today!")

—

As the two arrived in one of their favorite parks within the heart of Konoha, Ino asked quickly, "Did your mom finally let you try and become a kunoichi?"

Sakura huffed, "She says I'm too young to be using knives to fight."

Ino scoffed, "Who said anything about fighting? Even my dad is nervous when I throw a knife, but that doesn't mean he doesn't trust me to be smart about it. Your the smartest kid I know, and we'll make a brilliant kunoichi out of you yet." Ino tapped her chin for a moment, "You know what…later today I'm going to check out one of the newer shops. You wanna come with?"

Sakura nodded before looking at some of the flowers in the field, "Well, the spring flowers aren't quite in yet. (What calendar!?) Can we visit some time this morning?"

Ino smirked, "Well I think they open pretty early. Want to head out?"

Sakura smiled, "Race you there!"

Ino lifted a finger, "Not without the basket; you don't!"

—

Sakura and Ino pushed threw the front door of the shop and Ino quickly set the basket aside.

Sakura noticed a girl no older than them manning the front desk.

Said girl smirked before going up in smoke.

Sakura panicked, "What happened to that girl?"

Ino was about to search before a thundering emanated from upstairs.

Ambiance appeared from the stairwell, "Hey Yamanaka-san. Is this a business or leisure visit?"

Ino seemed to go through a few things before deciding, "Calling in a favor. My best friend Sakura is interested in becoming a kunoichi but her mother's having trouble tolerating the idea of using a knife."

Ambiance folded her arms and tapped one of them, "So your looking for an alternative to kunai?"

A.N: Alpha tenses, "Uh oh. Potential for an angst scene is rising. Please karma; don't make me target a mother daughter relationship at the wonderful age of FIVE!"

Ino nodded, "Something Sakura can use that's not quite a knife, but sturdy enough to use for target practice."

Ambiance rubbed her jaw, "Well, I've got a few scraps of timber my brother Phantom used for making handles. I'll see about carving some wooden kunai while I'm out today, but I've committed to training Naruto. The kids learning to swim and his commitment is way up there. After that we're practicing survival techniques. If you promise not to harass him, you're welcome to come with."

Ino quickly asked, "Is the location pleasant?"

Ambiance tapped her arm again, "Not in the 'perfect world' sense, but it has a much more natural feel. There are some spots that are a bit eerie, but there are a lot of different types of plants. Occasionally I stumble upon a rather interesting stone formation, a natural cradle, even a few more exotic flowers, but the general vibe is a sense of undisturbed nature. I have yet to find another forest with that much natural character."

Sakura seemed to bounce on her feet as she debated whether to go for it or wait for parental consent. Finally she spoke, "Can we be back by lunch?"

Ambiance tapped her chin, "Well it's not like I'm keeping you hostage. You're welcome to leave whenever you feel like it." Pulling a satchel over her shoulder Ambiance formed the stance for the shadow clone technique.

Ino's eyes widened when a second Ambiance appeared next to the original. When the second gave the first a high five Ino actually raised her arms in defense, "You have a twin?"

As the second Ambiance arrived at the desk she answered, "Now I do. Have a good time 'sis'!"

Ambiance shrugged and made for the door, "Make sure Enigma exercised his chakra cores yesterday."

The clone saluted, "Aye eye!"

—

Ambiance made her way through the forest and came upon the campsite that Naruto set up. She grinned when she actually saw him snoozing in the lean-to, "Glad to see you're taking this to heart."

Naruto twitched for a moment before asking, "What took you so long?" Meanwhile rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Ambiance shrugged, "I got a few visitors to the shop. Have you met Ino Yamanaka and Sakura…" Suddenly she slapped her face, "Baka, baka, baka, baka!" Turning to Sakura she held her hands together, "So sorry Sakura-san. I neglected to get your last name." {Method acting FTW!}

Sakura blushed at the sudden attention, "Haruno. Sakura Haruno."

Ambiance smiled brightly, "Are you the daughter of the community advocate, Mebuki Haruno?"

Sakura rubbed her head, "Is this going to affect our relationship?"

Ambiance shook her head, "Not directly. It's just that your mother caught my eye. You are your own person in my eyes. If I may, your name alludes to me; a person who thinks with her head, but lives by her heart. Lore of the sakura trees." Ambiance bowed briefly.

Sakura seemed to shake before the girls words.

Ino tilted her head, "You sure you're not part Yamanaka?"

Ambiance shrugged, "No, but I could flower lore you out of business if that's all you had. Lotus, Sunflower, Tulip, Rose, I could lore those all day if I had to. But for my friends? I take them as serious as my whole life, And I'll be hell bound in my next incarnation before I take life for granted."

—

Naruto had collected his tools - Those being the improvised ones Ambiance had taught him to make, the original kunai, and whetstone - and checked the stack of firewood he'd gathered the day before, "What's next?"

Ambiance seemed to go over a mental checklist {Priority list, actually.}, "Well, we covered; shelter, fire, food and the essentials of water. It's a little early to be dealing with international environments. Well for today we'll focus on hunting and making sure you can both relocate and survive for a number of days. For today; we'll practice transporting your more crucial resources to another location. This is essential when you need to travel through adverse territory. When you're in your enemies back yard; staying put for too long leads to being discovered."

Ino tilted her head, "Can Sakura and I join?"

Ambiance shrugged, "Sure. Just note; I don't think Sakura's mom likes me right now. I said a few things she didn't approve of and she's been a bit grumpy about it."

Sakura pouted, "So what? She doesn't ground me for doing chores. Why's training any different?"

Ambiance sighed, "I agree. But for the the next few weeks, When you talk about this training with or around your mom; You're meeting with Ino and Naruto. If my vibes about your mom are right, she wont let you come here the moment she here's my name. If you want this to be extra safe, don't mention my last name either. There aren't too many Vii in Konoha. If she figure out I might be involved she could keep you away from here, but if she finds out after a while she might be more optimistic." With a grin she added, "Especially, if you develop some skills while you're here."

Sakura nodded briefly, "I'll try."

Naruto quickly asked, "What's todays training?"

Ambiance pulled out a scroll before unsealing a brick, "For the next few visits to this forest: You'll have to pack-up and move to a new camp site before setting up a tent and lighting a fire. You can decide what you need to carry, but this brick goes with you. No taking trips. You need to carry everything in one go. After you are done, we will go to a camp of your choice and try and survive out here for five days. I'll clear it with my clanmates. You clear it with your mom and dad. Same rules apply though; One kunai. If you can make it through this training without switching kunai once; I'll take you out for ramen when we're done."

Naruto shouted "Yatta!" before taking the brick. A moment passed before he frowned, "But what if the kunai gets mixed up?"

Ambiance tapped her chin, "Well, there's a couple things you could do to prevent that, such as; leaving a mark on the kunai you're using, leaving it here, and keeping it separate from your other tools. Whatever you find best to manage."

Naruto nodded and carried the brick over to his camp site. He checked over a few of his tools and gathered those he found most useful.

Ino placed her hands on her hips, "What about us?"

Ambiance folded her arms and frowned, "Well if you want to participate in this particular exercise, I'm laying the same rules I gave him. One kunai knife and one whetstone. Since only one of you are ready to wield a kunai, you can form a team of two until Sakura gets the okay to wield one. Leave the rest of your tools to the side and pick a spot to set up camp. Remember; look for function, not fashion. That means finding a place that has something you can use to your immediate advantage. Make a shelter; Produce a fire; Gather food and water. Those are your first three goals. If you need advice you can ask Naruto. If you three get stuck with something, I'll give you some tips, but try to forge ahead on your own when you can."

—

The group had been working on their sites for about three hours. Naruto managed to start his fire with a few of the dry coals he'd gathered at the previous site by grinding them down with a stick.

Ino and Sakura were giving it a try, but the stick they used wouldn't stay where they wanted it.

Ino went over to ask Naruto for advice and Sakura looked around for extra firewood. When they reconvened Ino was rubbing her nose, "Well I feel silly now. Naruto just showed me a trick Ambiance showed him the other day." Using a kunai ino pulled up a dry stick and made a notch on one of the sides. Placing the kunai on one side of the notch she pinned down the stick with her foot and spun the kunai's tip a number of times. A narrow hole developed and she picked up the stick they'd been using, "Now this is the part we figured out earlier. Fast, and light." Ino took the stick in both hands and twirled it similar to the kunai. Eventually smoke formed, but she kept twisting it. Finally she dumped the embers onto the growing pile of dust and blowed on them. Once the coals became a small flame she brought over a patch of dry leaves and twigs. Once those lit and started producing embers Sakura brought over a few slightly larger branches.

—

Ambiance watched as the other aspiring kunoichi finally figured out the process of fire. Then a tap on her shoulder drew her attention, "Huh?" She noticed Naruto with a smug grin before he made his way back to camp. The girl pouted, 'Well he got me. If nothing else; he saw a window to strike and used it.' Ambiance called over, "Alright Naruto. I'll let that one slide. But in the future; If I know you were the one who tapped me, regardless of whether I saw you, It won't count towards your streak."

Naruto frowned and looked up, "But you'll see me after I tap you."

Ambiance placed her hands on her hips, "So If I look but haven't said your name, you pass the day. If you truly want topush yourself, don't let me see you when I turn to look. Also, try to avoid using the same tricks. They might surprise people a few times, but if you become predictable, you will be sooner defeated."

Naruto nodded curtly, "A ninja must see through deception."

Ambiance raised a finger, "Remember to read between the lines. A ninja must see deception through, as well as perceive when they are being deceived. It is not our place to be all knowing, but rather to identify what we do know."

Naruto scratched his head, "Do I have to say it like that? It sounds really long."

Ambiance smirked, "Not If you figure it out. Word for word matters not when you understand the intent. Just make sure you're not drawing conclusions too quickly. Karma is not fond of haste, especially when it harms a persons bonds." Ambiance noted that Naruto had carried his tools in a bundle of leaves, "When your done setting up your camp; I'm teaching you weaving."

Naruto groaned, "But mom says weaving is unnecessary."

Ambiance shrugged, "I'm not saying it's necessary. I'm saying it's useful. Wouldn't you prefer to carry your tools in a mat than those leaves?"

Naruto pouted before looking at the pile of leaves. He sighed, "Fine."

—

Thirty minutes later and the three kids had gotten their camps set up and functional.

In her off time Ambiance had woven a small basket out of a freshly fallen tree's bark fibers. She stood up and sighed before turning to the group, "All right team. Who's hungry?"

Ino pulled up the basket she brought and revealed a bunch of sandwiches, "I brought enough to share."

Ambiance pouted, "Alright lassie. Before we eat though; The two of us are going to practice gathering food. Today we'll focus on preparing fish for making a meal. Note this might be a bit morbid since we'll be gutting the fish first. Trust me; You'd rather not eat a fish with its guts still in there."

Naruto folded his arms, "Can we try spear fishing? Mom is arranging a camping trip in a few weeks, and I'd like to impress her."

Ambiance tapped her arm, "Alright, but first we're preparing those nets I showed you. Spear fishing is tricky, and we need enough fish for the other two to practice cooking them." Ambiance suddenly remembered something and turned to Sakura and Ino, "For today, don't worry about gutting the fish unless you feel up to it. First you should get accommodated with the first part of a hunters mindset. Acceptance."

—Part 2: The young tomato vine—

Sasuke entered the forest where he'd heard Naruto frequented. Since Enigma was gathering firewood for the forge he'd directed Sasuke to the forest, where he'd found the trail Ambiance left. Eager to improve his techniques again he almost fell into a pit, "Why would the trail end with a…"

"I GOT ONE!"

Sasuke tilted his head towards the noise, "…Pit." He took off after the shout before reaching a number of campsites. Looking around he noticed the sound of chatter coming from further into the forest. Following that he almost fell into a river, 'What's with me and ledges?' He quickly spotted Ambiance and Naruto wielding long sticks. He made his way down the ledge and noticed Ino and Sakura weaving a net out of bark. Arriving at the shoreline he called over, "Enigma said you might have advice for improving my techniques! Do you have a moment!?"

Ambiance called over, "Depends. Are you interested in talking over lunch? Cause we could use some skilled eyes to gather some of these fish."

Naruto shoved his pike into the water and yelped, "I got another one!"

Ambiance groaned, "How are you so good at this?"

Sasuke looked down at the water before shrugging. He threw off his sandals and waded through the water. Quickly noticing the occasional moss patch he made his way to the Duo, "What are you doing?"

Ambiance rubbed her head, "Spear fishing. It takes a measure of skill because water bends light differently than air. It's kind of like hunting through a natural genjutsu."

Naruto smirked, "That makes three!"

Ambiance handed the Uchiha her shaft, "Do me a favor and take my place. At this rate Naruto will need another pike before those two finish the nets. I'll be back after I sharpen a few more."

Sasuke took the stick before asking, "What do I do with it?"

Ambiance pointed at a number of schools that were swimming by, "Skewer a few of those fish with the spear and bring them to the basket on shore." She handed him a small woven quiver harness, "Carry the shafts you've used in this."

Sasuke nodded as he put on the harness.

As Ambiance left Naruto made to acquire another fish with his shaft. With a pout having missed his target Naruto entered a stance with his head directly above the water and the spear closer to his body and at an angle.

Sasuke tilted his head before looking a fish that was nearing him. He lifted the spear and pushed it towards the fish. The fish evaded, but more importantly, Sasuke noticed the illusion that Ambiance spoke of. The spear seemed to bend under the water, and where he'd pointed it was - in practice - not where he'd thought he was aiming. After adjusting his position, he found a way to reduce the size of the discrepancy. Almost right away, his next strike caught the fish he'd been after, "Ha. Better luck next time fish."

Naruto had just caught another fish when the turn of phrase registered, "I think Ambiance said the same thing the other day. The next moment…"

"Alright guys, I got a few more shafts. I'll trade you for the ones you've used and get them back to you after the fish are in the basket." Suddenly she seemed to catch something before sneezing, "Gah, Karma has it out for me."

—

The five kids finally gathered back by the campgrounds. After Ambiance, Sasuke and Naruto gutted the fish {Not my favorite pass-time activity} they mounted them on fish-kebabs and met up with Ino and Sakura who were picking some spices.

Ambiance decided to teach the kids some of the tricks and techniques of weaving while they waited for the fish to cook.

As Sasuke figured out the basic principles he asked, "The other day, Enigma managed to make my fire technique more powerful…"

Ambiance quickly countered, "Make no mistake. That dragon thing was all you. All my brother gave you was inspiration."

Sasuke sighed, "Yeah well, It worked better than anything my brother told me. Is there any way you can help me get stronger?"

Ambiance took a moment and paused in her weaving. Finally she continued before answering, "Alright two things there. First, your brother isn't you. What he knows about you is less than you know about you. Enigma didn't make you stronger. He help you find your strength. If you're asking me to make you powerful; then you're deciding you're not. If you're asking me to help find your power; then you're acknowledging you have more than you've been able to show. What is it that you haven't found a way to show?"

A.N: Alpha groans, "Kamikaze. When I said I'd push for character development; I meant occasional scenes. I realize I said I wouldn't 'half ass' this series, but why is Ambiance pushing for the other extreme? I've got the light. I've got the chimera. NOW PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ACTION!"

Sasuke pulled out a wire net from his pouch, "Can you teach me to hunt?"

Ambiance frowned, 'Well I'm not about to let you purge the forest of natural wildlife…' She rolled her head, 'but there IS, an alternative.' "Alright, but if you really want to learn to hunt; I wont go wasting the lives of the wildlife to do so." Ambiance stood up, "You need targets right? Well, I'll give you targets. But I'm not about to give you kid gloves. When shinobi hunt; they hunt shinobi. You'll be hunting my clones. Once you can take out three clones without alerting me to your presence, We'll move on. Fair warning though, shadow clones share memories, so alerting me means that I could tell it was you from their memories." (Yeah, I know. Not a perfect system. This could be balanced by dispelling clones at random intervals to simulate guard shifts, but for your sake; We'll leave those details out of the story. If there's a confusion issue; we might address it, but Alpha's already getting ahead of himself.)

Ambiance turned back to camp, "Actually, I could incorporate those exercises into our camp out next week." She turned to Naruto, "Hey Maelstrom. If your mom hasn't set her heart on a location; maybe you could convince your parents to set up camp nearby. That way we can do a bit of a skill exchange. See if the former generations have some bits of wisdom to share with the newer generation."

A.N: Alpha pouts, "You do realize; I'm not made of poetry right?" {Says the guy who's already done: flower lore; earth lore; chakra lore; Yin-yang lore; elemental lore; ritualistic lore;…} Alpha raises his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright! you've made your case quite clear! I can handle parental-historical lore!" 'Sometimes I worry about overstepping my bounds, but clearly that's not an all encompassing issue!'

Naruto rubbed his brow, "Well, I can ask, but she's been planning this for weeks."

Ambiance shrugged, "Shouldn't hurt to ask. Anyway, we'll meet again tomorrow and the day after to continue practicing relocation. Then we'll start practicing survival 'endurance'. Make sure your parents are okay with spending a few days away from home before we start camping. There will be no outside help for five days. You can work in teams, but I want to see at least one functional camp for every two people. I'll be pitching my own camp as well. I may have lived on the move, but I've got some skills I still need to practice."

—

After the group departed the forest and went their separate ways, Enigma ran up to Ambiance nearly out of breath.

Ambiance scoffed, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Enigma quickly drew her to the side and hid behind a tree, "It's the cloud. They're finally making their move!"

Ambiance tensed, "Where are we?"

Enigma shook his head, "They already signed the treaty. Earlier today if the rumors are worth anything. Ambiance, I don't know if this one's real or not."

The girl seemed to shimmer as a kind of grieving energy poured into her, "I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but the moment I sense a KI flux, I'm burning a hell trail to the Hyuga compound!"

—

The sun began to set and Ambiance prepared her battle garb on its stand. Enigma offered to come, but Ambiance specified that the fight be hers to handle.

Hours passed before Phantom groaned, "Abdicated KI field on the move. The schrodinger is making for the compound."

Ambiance practically teleported her sheets into the air as she slid into her battle gear, "Follow at your own risk. We're not losing someone tonight."

—

The ambassador skulked his way into the Hyuga compound. Due to his armor, he was utterly invisible in the eyes of the Hyuga, but he was wary of any night owls that might be prowling the halls. He entered the heiresses bedroom and noted her stirring.

Hinata rubbed her eyes, half asleep, "Is that you Ko-san?" She eeped when she noticed the man but before she could react a drugged cloth made its way to her mouth. Within moments she was out like a desperate candle.

The man bound her limbs before wrapping her in canvas and tying the cloth against her. Within moments he'd made it to the building exterior and to the forest surrounding the compound. He was about to jump the wall when a voice drew his attention to glowing yellow armor and capes that matched the Hyuga's hair.

Phantom intoned from a tree, "Poor choice Raphael." (NAME THIS REFERENCE!)

Enigma chuckled from the compound wall, "Far to clumsy Michelangelo!"

Ambiance slammed into his side, "MIND YOUR FOOTWORK DONATELLO!"

The Ambassador was fine until a rather inconvenient root halted his lower momentum. The sack with Hinata tumbled before the two boys caught it. The Ambassador had no such curtesy and hit the ground with a deep thud. Pulling himself from the ground the man growled out, "You have no idea who you're messing with." He pulled out two short swords from within his armor.

Ambiance shrugged, "A cloud ninja who recently had mixed feelings about a treaty, tried to get at one of my peers, and figured nobody would notice. I DON'T GIVE A CRAP WHO YOU ARE! You don't get to walk away from this without repercussions! You think Karma won't bite your village in the ass?! News flash halfwit: Karma appalls favoritism!"

The man quickly made for his kunai pouch.

Ambiance suddenly leapt at him, "NUH UH! No cowards way out for you!" She tore away his pouches with her evolved talons and shoved him back.

The man bit down on something, but before it could take effect…Ambiance's KI shot up and managed to rival the Nibi. She roared like a hound from hell and the man puked. The suicide pill purged by the natural rejection.

Ambiance stormed up to him and shouted, "Try that again and I will have you fearing ever using your legs! Who ordered you to die the moment you were discovered!? You would display your village as cowards?!" The forest trembled as she roared out, "HELL NO! I've been in the leaf for not a full year and no one here would have you waste your life like that! If you weren't proud to do this then make sure as hell the one who gave you that piece of crap knows it!"

The Ambassador went red faced, "What do you claim to know about the life of a shinobi? What does a pint sized brat like you know about anything?"

Ambiance rolled her head in frustration, "I know that Kumo prides themselves on the arts of combat. I know they are a village that thrives on confrontation. I happen to know that despite his ambitions the Raikage is a proud man who doesn't do things halfway. If he was backing this there'd have been a show of might at some point to show the true strength of Kumogakure. And he'd know DAMN WELL what it would mean to restart the fight with the Uzumaki. What is it you think I'd need to know?!"

The ambassador hesitated as he watched a five year old girl tear her way through his mission's classification process. After a moment he snarled like a cornered wolf, "You think you can fight a cloud shinobi!?"

Ambiance smirked, "Now that's more like it. SHOW ME WHAT BEING A CLOUD SHINOBI MEANS TO YOU!"

The Ambassador charged forward in narrowing blitz before attempting to slice Ambiance in half.

The girl immediately lunged at the attacking arm and - to the shinobi's surprise - managed to force to strike into the ground.

The ambassador pulled his arm out of a narrow trench and rolled his shoulders, "I'd like to see a Hyuga try that!"

Ambiance laughed, "Way ahead of you jiji."

The man turned to the girl, "Jiji? You calling me old?!"

Ambiance pouted devilishly, "We'll if I called you Onee, there'd be a whole other issue."

The Kumo shinobi faulted before chuckling, "I've gotta say. You really threw me for a loop with that one."

Ambiance grinned deviously, "Old man, I've been running circles around you this whole time. That you finally noticed even once means you finally got off you lounger and might be taking me slightly seriously. You do realize the Hyuga are coming right?"

The man scoffed, "And miss a fight like this?! HELL NO! What can a clan of tired taijutsu wielders offer that they don't use elsewhere?"

Ambiance smirked, her face glowing with exertion, "Are you saying that you can still affordto underestimate the next generation? Times are changing Jiji. If Kumo's looking for potential, remember to ensure that your kids reach theirs."

The 'Jiji' took a kenjutsu stance and drew his swords again, "Why don't you remind me what that is!?"

Ambiance gave a primal roar before he KI disappeared from the air. Her Chakra and Qi spiking like a looming quasar. She spoke in subdued voice as her chi climbed and the forest around her writhed in anticipation, "Cores of the Vii. Chakra Core of Foundation: AWAKEN! Chakra Core of Balance: AWAKEN! Eye of darkness: Awaken! Shadow of light: Awaken! SOUL BOUND SIGHT: AWAKEN!"

The Cloud shinobi had waited to see what she was doing before he paled, 'THE INNER GATES!? Were those others a new technique?!"

Ambiance continued and her chi continued to pike, "Core of fortification: AWAKEN! Core of alliance: AWAKEN!"

The wind seemed to dance around her as her KI began to glow across her body. Suddenly she changed her stance, both arms to either side, "Pinnacle of CHI: Awaken."

Enigma's jaw dropped, "She's going all out on this guy?"

Phantom shook his head, "You forget; awakening is only the first variant."

Enigma stepped away and asked, "She was SERIOUS?!"

Ambiance took a moment to breathe before adding, "Pinnacle of KI: Awaken. Pinnacle of Qi: Stir from you slumber."

The ambassador looked at the way the trees seemed to physically stretch, "M-mokuton?" With that he decided to charge.

Ambiance added thrice more, "Core of Expression: Awaken. Core of Equilibrium: Awaken. Core of Individuality:…" Ambiance looked to the stars, "Awaken." She held her hands out to her sides and two triangles appeared orbiting them. Over her chest, a seven pointed star appeared over her chest, each point holding one of the seven chakra cores' avatars. (Each of them spirits she draws on in techniques mind you) With a mighty growl she spoke, "Forge of the Humane: Thirteen Cores of the Mortal Plane: Y FORMATION!"

The Kumo shinobi had pumped Elemental chakra into his blades and made to strike.

The two collided and a trail of chakra poured between them as they separated.

Ambiance received a sword strike to both sides, but her Qi poured into them leaving permanent patches of scales. In her hands, a climbing flame revealed a sword that had been emptied of its energy in their confrontation.

The ambassador fell to his knees before landing on his hands. He was gasping for air as he announced, "I - I - I can't fight. My chakra control just went to hell when we confronted." He chuckled, "I don't think I can use a jutsu for weeks after all this."

Ambiance leaned against a tree as she chuckled, "Well, better than being dead. Look the Hyuga are probably trying to figure out what the hell is going on. My hope is that you can open a more worthy negotiation with Konoha than that piece of excessive flattery you brought them. You're already here. Your mission went bust, but as long as your honest, I guarantee Konoha's T&I division will at least hear you out. Might as well make the voice you carried here count for something."

The ambassador scoffed, "The Hyuga will tear me to shreds. What makes Konoha any different?"

Ambiance folded her arms, "Faith, Jiji. It's one of the many things Konoha's got in abundance. Doesn't remove the wound you inflicted tonight, but it gives you a hand in healing it. Karma's a very strict judge. Humans are more optimistic on their worst days."

The Ambassador sighed before shaking her hand, "Umare Kawaru."

Ambiance smirked, "To be reborn. Fitting. My name is Ambiance Vii. Make sure you never misuse that name or I'll ruin you."

The man looked around at the trees that had been dancing with her energy, "A dispersed presence. Fitting."

===Chapter 10 End===

Alpha whistles, "And that makes three chapters posted in as many days! Son of a Gun!"