Chapter 10: Feral Lady And Ice Queen

Yokai had left the Hokage tower and found himself in a restaurant somewhere in the middle of the merchant district. He had recently ordered his meal when he heard someone say the oddest thing.

"There's that smell again. Only trace amounts now, but definitely coming from somewhere in here." A woman said from the direction of the entrance.

Yokai sweatdropped. Of course something is bound to smell since it's a restaurant. 'Wait a second. Trace amounts? So it's not the food she's smelling. But what could she be…'

He was interrupted in his thoughts as the woman suddenly stood besides him and he felt a small amount of killing intent, just enough to assure you sensing that this wasn't a formal greeting.

"Aha, found it." She said firmly.

"Er… Hello, miss. And what have you found?" Yokai sweatdropped again, this time out of nervousness.

"You." She stated simply.

"Huh? Me? Why are you looking for me?"

"Because you still carry a faint smell of fear, which has risen slightly since I arrived. Tell me, shinobi-san, what business have you in Konoha. "

Yokai was confused, what fear? 'Oh, wait a second. She looks feral. She must have heightened sense of smell. Then she most likely is one of the Inuzuka that Ayame-san has told me about.'

"You must be of the Inuzuka since you can smell fear to such a degree even when it has subsided considerably."

"Correct, but answer me. What is your business in Konoha and why do you smell of fear?" She demanded with a frown, which looked more like a death stare because of her feral look.

'Kami have mercy, she is not a woman to be trifled with either. Konoha seems to be full of hardened… ladies' Yokai thought with a nervous chill going down his spine all the while having a pleasant smile plastered on his face.

"Well, I'm actually back from a mission of sorts and am now basically waiting to start training my student in one last field before I leave for another mission."

"Really? I don't recognize you, in either looks or smell. Just who are you, and why were you afraid?" She said impatiently now.

"Um… well I don't know what to tell you about why I was afraid as I can't remember being afraid really. Nervous, maybe but not afraid."

"Nuh-uh. There's a difference in smell between nervous and afraid, totally different concentrations of adrenaline." She started tapping her foot and had her arms folded.

"Is that a fact, miss…?"

"Hana Inuzuka."

"Ah, Hana-san. Well, in that case I can explain what I must've feared rather than feeling nervous about, although it is kind of embarrassing."

Hana raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"Well, you see I was offered to be taken on a tour by this lovely lady who works in a ramen restaurant. Her name's Ayame. I accepted and as we were going through the village, we came upon this other lady named Anko."

Upon hearing the names, Hana's expression softened a little but still listened intently.

"Anko-san tagged along. But for some reason the two ladies couldn't seem to be nice towards one another throughout the remaining parts of the tour. I would've attempted to defuse their arguments but something within me told me I should not. I keep coming to the conclusion it was Kami-sama Himself." Yokai said, a hint of embarrassment heard in his voice.

Hana now looked a little amused. 'So the two are competing for this man? Wow, it's not everyday you see Anko actually keeping at her flirting. Usually it's a small tease towards the girl half of a pair. Although upon further inspection this man doesn't seem to be that bad of a catch. But I've yet to know his name.'

"Well, that explains a lot. But I've yet to hear your name, mister."

"Yokai, but that's my codename. I'm not to reveal my real name at this time."

"What are you, an ANBU?"

"Not quite, but I operate like one in many respects."

"Very well. So who's this student you claim to wait to start training?"

"I'm sure that you have at least heard of him. His name is Naruto Uzumaki."

'The Jinchuuriki?' Hana thought, barely able to contain her surprise. "Yes, I know of him. He has been missing for quite some time now. I take it you've had a hand in his disappearance then?"

"Indeed, he and I were on a training trip. He's just finished his first day in the Academy in fact. It was the very first place he went to upon our return. I will train him soon on the last thing I intend to teach for the time being."

"That being?"

"Genjutsu, or rather the breaking of it. He has so far shown no aptitude towards this field. All the more reason to have him learn how to get out of one."

"Okay, it seems your story holds up. Naruto is indeed back since he's the talk of the town. He was seen recently walking with my little brother and the Nara heir to and from the ramen restaurant."

"I'm so glad I was able to prove that I'm not a hostile nin, I would hate to find myself defending against you due to a misunderstanding."

"Why, because you think I wouldn't be able to handle you?" Hana angrily accused.

"What? No, I…"

"Oh, so you're saying you don't like to fight kunoichi, is that it?" She became angrier.

"No, absolutely not."

"Why, is there something wrong with how kunoichi fight? Are men better opponents?"

"That depends, they…"

"Uugh! MEN! You can't seem to be able to apologize when you've made a mistake. I hope you enjoy your meal. Good. Bye."

Hana stormed out of the restaurant. The waiter just arrived when she closed, no slammed the doors behind her. The waiter commented to Yokai; "Shinobi-san, please don't upset your girlfriend in a restaurant like that, it's disturbing the other guests."

Yokai merely sat there with a blank expression in his eyes and that 'pleasant' smile still on his face. Inwardly he was exasperated and wondered why Kami-sama saw it fit to make fun of him in this manner, among other things.

Later…

Yokai was waiting on training ground seven, which for some unknown reason felt like the right choice to meet Naruto at. He had left a note on his doorstep earlier, telling Naruto to meet him there. Naruto hadn't read the message until after Anko had taken her leave. In fact, if it weren't for Anko noticing the note, which had been slid under the door, Naruto would've been quite late.

Finally Naruto arrived at TG 7. He saw Yokai leaning against the middle pole of three standing in the middle of the clearing.

"You have no idea what day I've had!" They both exclaimed simultaneously.

After a brief moment of awkwardness they took turns telling of their day. After all was said, Yokai commented with a weary sigh.

"Naruto, I would have imagined your day being interesting, for sure. But for both of us having such an interesting first day is nothing short of incredible."

"Tell me about it. But I won't complain, it's been awesome. So what did you want me out here for, sensei?"

"Because there's one more thing I want to teach you about, something I've put on hold until you've shown any aptitude towards it."

"Oh, so what have I shown aptitude in?"

"Nothing."

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hahaha. No of course you've shown aptitude in all other things. This last thing I want to teach you, you still haven't shown that you're ready for it."

"Um… okay. So what is it and why are you still going to teach me?"

"Because it's genjutsu and you're seemingly unable to fathom how it works. However, anyone can be taught to dispel genjutsu and it is vital to know. I just wanted to let you train in all the other skills before it."

"Oh. Well let's get started, sensei."

"Very well. Listen carefully, Naruto. Genjutsu works by affecting another person's chakra with your own, the most well known type is the genjutsu performed through the kekkei genkai called the Sharingan. But others exists and are just as effective and thus deadly. In order to break the effect you have to spike your own chakra by putting your hands together in the required seal and inject yourself with chakra from one hand to the other. Another method is to have an ally do it by injecting his or her chakra into your body at any point."

"If that's all there is to it, how come genjutsu is so feared and effective?"

"Because sometimes you are alone and the genjutsu so thorough that your mind wont even know it is in a genjutsu or the nature of the genjutsu 'binds' your hands within the illusion preventing you from doing the needed seal to escape it."

"Okay, I'm ready to learn."

And so Yokai taught Naruto how to break simple genjutsus. He knew Naruto would have to learn better ways to do it in order to truly be a resilient opponent against genjutsu users. While walking the streets later on that evening he decided he would have to ask the Hokage for advice at some point.

As he finished that thought, he bumped into someone.

"Oh, my apologies. I was in deep thought and didn't watch where I was going." Yokai said.

"That's alright, Yokai-san." Said a bearded man in his early thirties.

"Uh, have we met before?"

"Heh, no but my father has told me about you. Your description is quite easy to recognize, especially since no one else walks around in such garb, save masked ANBU."

"You have me at a disadvantage, mister. Who are you and who is your father?"

"Oh, this time you'll have to pardon me. My name is Asuma, Sarutobi Asuma."

"Sarutobi, then you must be the son of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage."

"That's right. Now, one could see you had something on your mind from a block away. Would you mind telling me about it, perhaps I could be of help?"

"Maybe, I'm currently training someone to be effective in countering gejutsu, but I don't want to train my student in breaking out of simple ones only. I want him to be able to counter just about any genjutsu out there and I know I'm not the man for the job."

"Ah, say no more. I know just the perfect teacher."

"Really, who?"

"She's known as the 'Ice Queen of Konoha', Kurenai Yuuhi."