Chapter 10 Chūnin Exams Part 8
Note: Many thanks to my Beta MathIsMagic, who helps minimise my appalling inability to stay in one tense, among other things.
"Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved." Marcus Antonius
With wide eyes Shikako examined her surroundings. It was an ordinary, if large, examination room. The exam table was odd though, with a strange seal adorned hood-type-thing that would cover the head and shoulders of anyone who laid on it.
Shikako swallowed and examined the seals, before turning to the occupants of the room. Just for the sake of saying something, Shikako spoke.
"Good morning everyone." She said unsurely. ''Hokage-sama" She added with a distracted bow.
There are a million things she wants to tack on the end of that.
'What are we doing today?'
'Hokage-sama, what are you doing here?'
"Why is Hinata's dad here?'
'Should I ask for legal representation?' That last one was a joke of course. A bit of gallows humour to take the edge off her growing panic. There is no legal representation worthy of the name. Not in a dictatorship, not when the dictator himself stands in front of you.
In lieu of embarrassing and/or incriminating herself, Shikako simply let the words die stillborn in her throat as she examined the seals on the table.
"I thought you'd find that interesting, Shikako." Inochi commented brightly, following her gaze to the seal device.
"It's something that Yamanaka R&D have been cooking up for a long time, and I thought now would be a good opportunity to test it out."
This was also not the comforting thing Inochi seemed to think it was. Yamanaka R&D mainly dealt with psychology and the development of their Mind-Related techniques and technologies.
"What does it do?" Shikako asked as evenly as she could.
"Why don't you have a look and tell me?" Inochi asked cheerily. "I've heard your sealing studies have come on in leaps and bounds recently."
'So the test has begun,' thought Shikako to herself, 'assuming that it hadn't already.'
She shuffled closer uncertainly.
It was massively complicated, whatever it was, and it connected to a TV screen as well. Shikako could tell just by looking that whoever had designed it was not a Seal Master. There were poorly incorporated elements, repeated sections, and several parts that seemed to do nothing except attempt to balance the chakra equations. That wasn't a good thing. Not in the slightest. All the parts of the seal had to do something, or they'd start to warp; thereby affecting the overall function of the matrix.
Shikako felt deeply worried about subjecting herself to exposure to this device on two fronts now; but Inochi was looking at her expectantly.
"Erm... Something about... Measuring electrical outputs? And chakra... A kind of imaging conversion, and... That's all I can say." There was more, but the whole thing was so hellishly messy that it would take days off dedicated study to decode.
Inochi looked pleased. "Very good! It measures the electoral impulses in the brain."
Shikako blinked and tilted her head at the machine. Neuroimaging she realised slowly. That doesn't sound too bad, she tried to convince herself.
"All you're going to do is lie back, look at some pictures on the screen in there, and answer some questions. It's mostly for the development process" The uncle figure said pacifyingly "Though we will have to get some base lines for your sense perception, but it will only be a very minor part of the process, and you'll be healed immediately" he continued earnestly as Shikako grew steadily colder. "And then we can get around to the real business of testing your chakra sense!" He finished happily by adding that it should take 'no time at all'.
Shikako just nodded and gave a plastic smile; because what other option was there?
Inochi then explained that Hiashi was there to periodically examine her chakra network, and help with testing her chakra perception. Shikako had two thoughts about this. 1. This is not the ideal first test for her Markless Seals subtlety and 2. They were going to Jūken Strike her: so that's why Hinata's father was there.
She reminded herself that she was no more capable of defending herself against the people in this room standing, than she would be in that machine. It wasn't a particularly welcome sentiment, but it was accurate.
Aunt Kofuku helped Shikako into the device, and Inochi activated it. Shikako sensed it immediately; it felt like the sound of turning on an old air conditioning unit.
"Ah, here we are. I can see that beautiful brain in action now." Called Inochi from beyond the hum.
As part of the 'testing procedures' Shikako was required to state: her name, age, place of birth and shinobi registration number.
Shikako wondered what kind of baseline they were establishing with all the half-truths she supplied; and if that was a good or a bad thing for her.
They talked about her likes and dislikes after that. Gyoza, reading and playing shogi with her brother vs Natto, taking boring tests like at the academy, and evasion training with Kakashi-sensei.
Then they moved on to the image recognition part of the assessment. There she identified the people she was close to, and how she felt about them.
"That's Inuzuka Kiba, he's a loudmouth pain, but he's not too bad."
"That's Sasuke, he's my teammate. I'm worried about what extended isolation with only Kakashi-sensei for company will do to his sanity."
"That's Chouji, he's the nicest person ever."
Then the body of the grass nin that contained Orochimaru flashed up on the screen, and even just the sight of a picture of him was enough to send a bolt of fear down her spine.
"That is Orochimaru of the Sanin. He tried to put some kind of soul consuming seal on my teammate's neck and I hate him."
The Hokage coughed. "Soul consuming?" he asked, sounding a little concerned.
"Yes." Shikako answered plainly, before elaborating. "There is a storage element that locked behind a one way containment modulator which seems to contain foreign spiritual energy described in Kanji as Soul. Then in the outer part which would interact with Sasuke directly, the seal describes the process of influencing his chakra network as 'consuming'." The memory of how the seal felt against Shikako's soul overwhelmed her for a moment, and she shuddered. "It was the most disgusting thing I've ever felt in my whole life." she informed them firmly.
They went through a few more people and places before shifting over to the supposed real point of the examination: her chakra sense.
Through the cloying blanket of chakra-sound from the Neural Imaging Seal, Shikako felt her aunt move closer. Physical sensation first, they told her. First it was just the light brush of old fingers against her arm, then a painful clamp over her fingers, and finally ending with the pad of her thumb split open with a scalpel.
Shikako, as directed, allowed herself to feel the sensation; rather than push it away as she would normally.
She did the same with the uncomfortable invasive feeling of her aunt's healing chakra knitting her skin back together.
Shikako was aware of a sudden stillness that seemed to overtake the room.
A hand wreathed in healing chakra descended on her arm and pressed against her chakra network. Shikako started to focus on making her suddenly disquieted chakra pathways work as usual, when she remembered that this was exactly the reason they were looking at her. Shikako simply grit her teeth and let the uncomfortable feeling and consequences of her aunt's chakra wash over her senses.
Thankfully, Kofuku-oba removed her palm before the flow disruption started to creep over her shoulder.
"Shikako... does healing... hurt you?" Her Aunt sounded strangely distant and subdued, Shikako concluded it was just a psychosomatic effect of the seal network wrapped around her head.
"I don't like the feeling of it." She answered after a moment's thought. She knew it didn't damage her, but it was a very unpleasant feeling; so her reply was accurate.
There was no warning when the Jūken strike happened - same as with the other sense tests.
The effects were immediate and severe, and she didn't attempt to control it; even though she really really wanted to. Excruciating pain radiated from a single point of white hot agony on her arm, and her vision faded to black for a moment.
She heard violent cursing and then, with a swift brush of fingers, the pain lessened as the foreign chakra dispersed; and she was able to eject the remainder herself with much relief.
"Are you alright, Dearheart?" Shikako heard her father say from close by, and then registered that he was cradling her formerly injured arm in both hands. One hand supported her wrist, the other pressed against her pulse point.
"I'm fine" She said a moment later, after coughing displaced chakra out of her lungs. "This is why I always hated facing Hinata in the sparring sessions at the academy. One touch and I was out." She kept her tone deliberately light, but the twitch of her father fingers told Shikako that her words failed to have their intended effect.
"Is it over yet?" Shikako asked, wanting to move the proceedings on one way or the other.
"Not ye-" Inochi begins apologetically, but is cut off by the Hyuuga Clan Head.
"Yes. Shikaku, your daughter must begin treatment immediately; or she will very likely die a slow and painful death in the near future."
Dad's hands are like shackles around her wrist, like he could keep her alive if he could just hold on hard enough.
"What." He snarled, demanded and all Shikako could perceive was the endless black of his churning chakra; vast as the night sky.
Then it's suddenly gone, and she can't feel him at all, except for the gentle curve of his fingers around her arm.
Shikako feels... lost. She isn't dying. She doesn't even have Chakra Hypersensitivity like they thought. They're wrong again, and she needs to step in and out a stop to this nonsense before it takes root.
One handed as she manoeuvred herself out of the device, she heard the Hyuuga explain what he thinks is wrong.
"Her Chakra Network is unstable, and without treatment, it will collapse in on itself. Untreated the condition will be fatal." he sounded both certain and sincere; which meant that it is going to be much more difficult to convince everyone else that he's mistaken.
"You're wrong." Shikako told him firmly, and really, why is was conversation happening above her head?
"I am not." Hiashi Hyuuga replied solemnly, a touch of honest regret in his voice.
Shikako rolls her eyes, obviously people who are wrong don't know that they're wrong.
Turning her face to her father's, Shikako mentally prepared the speech that would make all this ridiculousness go away. Then stopped.
Dad's face... She's never seen anything like it before. He looked... hollowed out, and crushed; like there was nothing left of him but despair.
Shikako felt her eyes burn, and she cursed Hiashi to the pits of hell. How could he tell everyone this hurtful untruth; how dare he make her father look like that.
Gently, she pressed her hands to get fathers chest. "I'm okay." She said gently. "I'm the same as I've always been. I'm not going to die; it's alright." She still can't feel him.
His face did some incredibly complicated things then, and he brought his hands up to cradle her skull; just the way he had all those years ago.
"You are going to be okay." He decided finally. Command again.
"You are going to get treatment, and do everything your doctor's tell you to, and then you'll be okay." His face was resolved now, which was easier to look at; but he was still wrong. He still had to be corrected.
But he'd already started talking over her head, taking to Aunt Kofuku about treatment - for something she didn't even have.
When she heard Kofuku-oba day she had to be withdrawn from the Chunin exams, Shikako really had to object.
At first Dad was dismissive, then he was annoyed.
"No. You're all blowing this out of proportion! I'm not quitting the exams!"
Then he was angry.
"I know that you're twelve, and that you think you're invincible; but you're not!" He shouted at her. Dad. Dad shouted at her. She'd never heard him shout before.
"You are quitting the exam, and getting treatment, and doing whatever you have to, to get better - even if that means not using chakra. Ever again, if that's how it has to be." He's not quite shouting now, but his voice is rigid, and hard, and louder than usual.
She wanted to shout back; to tell him that he's wrong, that he's being stupid, that he can't tell her what to do. But her throat closed up, and her eyes were blurry: because her Dad just shouted at her.
"Of course Shikako-chan can be excused from the exams on medical grounds" the Third said, diffusing the tension in the room.
He looked old, and tired; and there was so much pity in his expression that Shikako suddenly wanted to find some way to maim the old goat.
With anger-cleared eyes, Shikako examined the faces in the room. Inochi, and aunt Kofuku were both grey, and horrified. The search for Hiashi turned up nothing; clearly he had seen a way to escape this situation and taken it. Shikako was torn between jealousy, and the desire to find him, punch him in the face as hard as she had his nephew.
The Sandaime Hokage and Inochi left soon after, and Shikako was stuck between her aunt and father as they dictated her 'treatment plan' and actions; without ever consulting her on the matter.
And with her father between her and the door, there was no hope of escape.
Even when it came time to moving to Kofuku-oba's office, Shikako had no opportunity to run. Her father laid one hand on the back of her neck, under the plait, and guided her the whole way.
After a brief and miserable session of trial and error, it was determined that Shikako would have to perform the Pathway Reinforcement Iryō Ninjutsu herself, and was given a heavy set of medical texts to memorise.
Had she really thought just yesterday that more books were the most important thing?
'What a joke.'
When they finally arrived back home, Mum was there to greet them. The way her face changed when she saw them was too painful after everything else that had happened that day; so Shikako walked silently past her Mother to go and hide in her room; and wonder how this had happened.
How had she asked this ridiculousness to persist?
Shikako sat and read her prescribed reading in silence for hours. Not because she thought they were right... obviously not, but... It couldn't hurt to know, she would be expected to learn.
She consoled herself in the knowledge that they hadn't forbidden her to use chakra or Jutsu. She could still find ways to train; to prepare for the invasion.
Shikako laid in bed for hours afterwards, didn't come down to dinner when called.
In the dead of night, Shikako felt her brother's restless chakra make its way to the closed door to her room. He just stood there. Unmoving.
Eventually, the drama was too much (she couldn't bear to have Shika standing just out of reach when he clearly needed comfort), so she coughed loudly, and flicked the bed covers back pointedly.
He crept in, quiet as a shadow and laid down beside her.
She could see his eyes glimmering in the dark with tears, and wanted to tell him it was all a big misunderstanding.
She wasn't quick enough though, and he pulled her in to his chest, sobbing and dripping tears into her hair; and she couldn't speak at all. She just held on, and hoped that would be enough.
In the morning, Shikako carefully detangled her person from her brother, and silently made her way to the kitchen to prepare bento's for her friends.
On the way out, Shikako passed her mother, and she had to look away from the older woman's face. The anguish was unbearable.
"I'm going out to see friends, that's okay right Mum?"
As she stepped out the front door, Shikako heard the faint voice of her mother mumble. "Alright then..." And took that as carte blanche to do what she wanted.
It's a good thing dad wasn't home.
Being that it was functionally still night-time, Shikako had to limit who she could visit.
It was hilariously outside of visiting hours, so she couldn't see Hinata (didn't want to go back to the hospital), and it was a bit early to see Ino (whose father will have told her everything by now) or Chouji (who would know one way or the other about her supposed condition). Shikako decided to drop in on Naruto instead.
She couldn't sense him at all at his ratty old building, so she went back to the training ground she'd seen him at yesterday.
Sure enough, there he was: slumped face-down on the grass, out cold. She couldn't even blame him; Shikako'd sleep outside too, if she had a home as dilapidated, and unpleasant as the one waiting for him. She resolved to find and secure a better house for him in the not too distant future; he and Karin would need a nicer place to live.
When Shikako prodded him awake, she could have been forgiven for thinking that he'd just rolled out of a bed in a 5 star hotel. He was just immediately sunshine bright and awake; it was a bit unpleasant to witness.
They had breakfast, and Naruto chattered on about everything and nothing, and Shikako amused herself with observing Naruto's shadow guard. He (or she) was very put out, presumably about spending the night outside; and was then even less amused to hear his overly emotional and joyful commentary. Obviously, they were as jealous of Naruto's unnatural vitality as Shikako herself.
She didn't mention the diagnosis. There was no reason to. It was a false positive, and the misinformation would disseminate without any help from her anyway. Why not enjoy one morning, one last day, of being treated like a person, rather than a glass figurine?
They had a brief, warm-up spar, and then Shikako drilled Naruto on the basics of Fuinjutsu again – determined to make it stick.
The Sealing Arts would likely be the only thing she would be encouraged to pursue for the time being, but at least it was something. This whole state of affairs really was just so tiresome.
If Naruto didn't have a minder, Shikako would probably have asked the blond to cover for her while she went off to see their other teammates. A disguised Shadow Clone with seals to give off her scent and chakra signature would have been perfect – she'd just tell Naruto to dump it in the library and spend the next several hours doing some book-learning.
Wait.
Why couldn't she do that anyway? It would be a somewhat more involved process… but a workable solution slowly presented itself. 'This is going to be fabulous,' Shikako thought to herself grinning manically.
"Ne Ne Naruto, would you make three clones? They can spend the day with me at the library to help with your studies. Make them really durable – you have a lot to learn!" She said, more for the sake of their hidden listener than anything else. Naruto looked suspiciously at her, but agreed easily enough – he clearly recognised that expression.
She and the three Narutos left the training ground with no reaction from the ANBU. When they were far enough away, Shikako motioned for the clones to follow her to a secluded spot.
There she told them her plan, and was met with three identical foxy grins.
A Shikako (who looked, and smelled, and felt like Shikako) and a Naruto set off towards the library. Meanwhile, a nondescript kunoichi casually leapt over the village walls, just happening to miss the perimeter guard patrols. No one noticed if she had a small passenger on her left shoulder. Even if someone did, by chance, spot the young woman; they would have dismissed her immediately. That was the power of looking casual and harmless; and Shikako would be grateful to Kakashi-sensei for that lesson forever.
She took all due care; her scent was already sealed, but she compressed her chakra as much as she could while enhancing her muscles, and left no trail on the ground to follow. She even used the Chakra Pathway Reinforcement Technique while on the move – so she could tell everyone that she was taking her 'treatment plan' seriously. It took three-and-a-half hours, all told, to find them; it was only because of the tracking book, that Shikako found them that quickly.
Shikako was about 2 kilometres away from her teammates (and three deathly bored ANBU) when she released her suppression techniques and flared her chakra in greeting.
Sasuke looked thrilled to see her, and Kakashi looked very, very tired.
"And I suppose you got permission to come out here?" He asked halfheartedly, eyeing the dull greyish-green knee-length jacket she wore belted closed over her usual outfit.
Shikako preened playfully for a moment - it really was a good find. An uninteresting colour and style, with a thick pouch laden belt at the waist to accentuate her (non-existent) femininity. The side slits in the fabric from the hips down meant that freedom of movement and access to her thigh pouches were preserved. In short, it was almost enough disguise on its own - as long as she tucked her hair down the back of the collar.
"In a manner of speaking. I try to follow rules to the letter." Shikako said brightly, and continued "And in that vein, since Naruto can't be here personally, I brought a Shadow Clone with me. So that Naruto doesn't feel left out, I remember you were worried about that." Which was nothing like what he'd said, but Shikako was happy to play pretend.
The clone poofed back into its usual shape at her side, grinning up a Kakashi-sensei as well.
"Ah, well… isn't that clever…" Kakashi looked very much like he was contemplating suicide or murder, but couldn't quite work up the energy to do either.
Naruto stayed behind with Kakashi-sensei to 'catch up' while she and Sasuke had their race, then helped with their 'agility training', and finally he yelled advice and good-natured abuse at them as they sparred. Sasuke protested that he hadn't aimed the kunai which almost popped the clone; it was clearly an accident.
No one even pretended to believe him.
Hours later, they were all laid out on the sun-warmed stone. The three physical people ate bento's, and all four of them bantered; familiar and easy.
It was one of those perfect moments: the ones you wish you could freeze and keep forever, untouched by the merciless progression of time.
So obviously, that's when the topic of tactics for the exam came up; and Shikako remembered her 'condition', and the issues that had come with everyone thinking she had it.
It was Sasuke that noticed the fall in her mood first.
"Is something wrong?" He asked softly, tilting head in askance.
"You wouldn't believe how troublesome everything at home is." She said simply, grumpily.
"Maa maa, they have you doing the extra sensory training already?" Kakashi-sensei asked sounding gleeful, clearly attributing her grouchiness to a typical Nara response to more work.
She dearly wished he could have been correct.
Also, extra sensory training? Shikako had thought the Third was making sure she wasn't a spy (or otherwise compromised) in preparation for using her seal perception as a weapon in the shadow war between himself and Danzo. Maybe Kakashi was using training as a cover, or euphemism of some kind?
"No. I've been pulled out of the exams on completely bogus medical grounds. It's so frustrating." She complained; hoping to frame the conversation in such a light as to allow herself to explain the ridiculousness of the entire thing.
It did not work.
Her teammates all immediately pushed themselves upright to examine her; the boys with exclamations of shock and concern. Kakashi, in contrast, rose with deadly silence; lifting his Hitai-ate as he did so.
With six concerned eyes (three of which being Sharingan) fastened on her, Shikako groaned dramatically, and laid her arm over her eyes.
"I swear! One person, who isn't even a doctor, diagnoses you with Chakra Instability; and suddenly everyone thinks you're dying or something! This is such a pain." She groused.
One of the boys echoed softly "dying?" and Shikako realised she probably should have kept a tighter hold on her temper.
"I'm not dying!" She told them, sitting up to prove how very not-dying she was.
"Report. Now" Kakashi commands, and what is it with people commanding her lately?
"It's nothing. I'm fine, exactly the way I've always been, as a matter of fact. But then Hyuuga Hiashi said that I have Chakra Instability, and everyone lost their minds. Now I'm off duty and have to perform Iryō Ninjutsu on myself – it's such a waste of time!" Why could no one see this?
None of them looked convinced.
"Show me." Again, this was not a polite request from her dear Jōnin-sensei; but an order from her commanding officer.
Jokes on him though – being on medical leave means that Shikako doesn't have to do anything he says.
She still does it though, because Kakashi's current emotional state could easily be designated as 'apoplectic rage'; and Shikako really doesn't want that directed at her any more than it already is.
She makes a bit of a production over doing it; huffing and muttering as she performed the hand seals. Turning her natural chakra into healing chakra while it's still in her network is actually really hard. And then she had to perform a kind of odd chakra manipulation, whereby she spun the chakra within its pathway; which pushed the healing chakra out to the edges like a centrifuge, allowing it to reinforce the 'wall' of the circuit. She forced the technique to run for one full rotation of her system; her coils still felt oddly distended from the other day's chakra reabsorption, and the reinforcement didn't help them get back to normal. Really, the Jutsu did nothing even remotely helpful.
Then a thought struck her.
If this whole mess was because of her fluctuating chakra levels (that would be classed as 'instability' would it not?) then Shikako was going to scream.
"There. That's it. Satisfied?" Shikako said tersely; in a way that strongly implied, that she thought the entire exercise was pointless.
"Are you even permitted to use chakra?" Kakashi-sensei asked with something like a snarl in his voice.
"Did you not hear the part where I have to perform the Medical Jutsu myself?" She asked insolently, but the dark look she received compelled her to add "I have not been prohibited from using chakra."
The good mood had clearly been broken beyond repair, and Shikako excused herself from the visit.
"I'm afraid I have to be getting back to the village now. It was good to see the two of you; I'll see if I can come visit again before the Third Exam, but I wouldn't count on it."
She turned to leave, but Sasuke reached out to grab her wrist.
"You're not… really dying are you?" He asked hesitatingly, and Shikako thinks he looks 8-years-old again. Vulnerable and hurting, but also a little disbelieving – like it can't be true.
She pulls him into a tight hug "Of course not! Even if Hyuuga Hiashi is right, and if there was something wrong with my chakra, then I'm already getting treatment. You won't get rid of me that easily." She tried and failed at humour, then simply let him squeeze her tighter.
The way home was much quicker – just under an hour and a half with her really pushing it.
She asked the Naruto clone that had insisted on accompanying her home for an update as they approached the walls. It had some bad news.
Apparently her plan, and Naruto's disguise/infiltration work, wasn't quite good enough to fool the Jōnin Commander of Konohagakure.
Go figure.
Hesitantly, Shikako lessened her suppressant techniques, sealed the disguise jacket away, and approached the main gates.
And there he was; her father, leaning casually against the guard box. Deadly calm.
Shikaku looked deceptively nonchalant. Like it might have been a perfect coincidence; like he just happened to be waiting there for some entirely unrelated reason.
He was Not Impressed.
Shikako was grounded. Actually grounded. She had never in her life been grounded, but she knew better than to protest this time.
'Worth it.'
Notes 2: I would like to thank whoever it was that came up with the sick!Kako idea in Recursive, if someone can direct me to the page/individual then I will name them and thank them personally. Now I'd just like to take a second to justify this change from cannon: I think that Shikako had the chakra network instability issues in DOS (caused by manipulating chakra too young, or damage from the Kyuubi attack, being a twin, or by being from another universe - whatever), but was cured by Gelel, so no one ever knew that she avoided death another time during that mission. That is my headcannon. Also, Shikako playing with the Seals did make it look worse than it really was.
Update requested by FallTigerKisa on the Soulmark Colour Changes: Naruto – Green, Sasuke – Green, Kakashi – Gold/Blue/Green, Kiba – Orange, Hinata – Silver/Orange, Haku - Purple/Orange/Green. All others remain as stated. Becuase of the minimal Chakra emissions made by Kabuto and Orochimaru, and the small amount of time she was around them, Shikako doesn't have marks for either - but might still get some if they come back to haunt her...