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Chapter 20
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Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
AN: Well… I really don't know what to say… My last post was in May… before my summer job even started and I haven't managed to get any writing done since then other than some vague outlines of a few chapters… I'm writing this (the AN) in my room at about 5:00pm on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 after spending the earlier part of the day re-reading everything I have written in this fic so far so I can get some idea of where I was going again… Yeah… well, enough of this rambling. I hope I haven't lost all of my reviewers in the 6 months + since I last posted, but I would definitely understand if I had… sigh… anyway, here we go again, after much waiting and I would hope much anticipation, Chapter 20.
Response to Reviewers:
Insufficient: Hmmm... More Sasuke huh... well, I think he'll be playing a bigger part in some of the next few chapters... or at least some stuff I want to include in this fic before I end it and move on to the next one... hmm..... We'll have to see how this goes... I'm really liking the Tokubetsu Jonin thing, the only probalme is that I have to type it and its quite a bit longer than Chunin lol. As for the relationship stuff... welll... I really don't know what to say about that... It will be adressed, but not too much in the next few chapters... thats all I can really say for sure, and even thats up for change...
Silver Shadowbreeze: I hope you like this chapter too, I put quite a bit of work into it and my wrists are still complaining lol.
Gravenimage: Thanks for the info : ) I don't know how much I'll be sticking to the cannon characters personalities though. I have found that I am coming down with something that I think many fanfiction readers do: I have very little interest in the actual cannon storyline anymore. Even though Shippuden is finally being shown on TV (even if it is on the Disney Channel) I can't seem to get motivated enough to watch it... Oh well, fics tend to be more interesting anyway lol.
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Kai grimaced at yet another shout from Naruto as he took another sip of his drink and looked around the room. He was in a Shinobi-only bar near the Hokage tower that Naruto had brought him to for his 'Welcome Home Celebration' after literally dragging him out of his hotel room a few hours before sunset. It was now nearing midnight.
If Kai was honest with himself, once he got past the fact that practically everyone was trying to force him to drink some sake or other random alcoholic beverages, he was having a fairly good time, which was good seeing as the party was for him.
He idly took the time to glance around the room and had to hold back a laugh as he caught sight of Naruto laughing drunkenly while Hinata giggled a few feet away from him. He was standing near Sasuke, Kiba, and Lee, who was only drinking water for some odd reason, one of whom had apparently said something slightly funny. Only slightly funny because Kai had quickly learned that when Naruto got even the slightest bit drunk, he started laughing hysterically at nearly everything around him and it never took much to set him off again once he had managed to calm down.
He continued looking around and finally came upon Tsunade and Shizune sitting with Jiraiya, Sarutobi, Kyo, and Izumi, all casually sipping drinks while they talked, finally reconnecting after so long apart. Near them were Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma, talking about whatever it was that Jonin talked about all the time.
Off in another corner of the room was Morino Ibiki and Mitarashi Anko, two of the proctors from the Chunin Exams and a pair of Tokubetsu Jonin like himself that, apparently, were never ones to pass up a party of any kind, or at least that's what Naruto had told him when they had arrived and been re-introduced. Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, and Neji had all been there earlier, but had left a few hours before, saying that they all had things to do in the morning and couldn't afford to stay up late.
Kai then found his eyes, nearly out of his own control, drawn to another table where Sakura, Ino, and Tenten were sitting. He sighed lightly to himself before forcing his eyes away and back over to stare at Naruto and his group. He couldn't keep tormenting himself like that. Ino was dating Kiba and that's all there was to it.
He let out another sigh before taking another sip of his drink, which was some kind of fruit juice that Sakura had recommended when she learned that Kai was not planning on having any alcohol that night. She was actually the only one who didn't freak out when he had told them that after the fourth time Naruto tried to order him some sake.
Kai just didn't like the thought of alcohol. He had seen too many drunken people in his time with Kyo and Izumi to even think about drinking himself. The particularly upsetting occasions were on missions where the drunken people were his targets and were completely unaware of his presence in their drunken stupor until his blade put them out of their misery.
That thought brought him around to another one. Izumi had never, ever, gotten drunk, no matter how much sake she drank. She admitted to having picked up the drinking habit form her former sensei, who she hadn't revealed as Tsunade at the time, and had said that she always managed to irritate her sensei when they would both wake the morning after a drinking binge only for Izumi to be perfectly fine, but for the sensei to be nursing the mother of all hangovers not to mention embarrassment after Izumi described, in perfect detail, her sensei's actions from the previous night when she had been drunk.
He then began to wonder why Naruto was able to get drunk. He knew that while Izumi was far more in touch with her inner demon, Naruto's demon was much stronger, which should allow for him to fight off the affects of the alcohol just as easily…
"The Kyuubi is a bit of a prankster."
Kai was jerked out of his thoughts by the voice of Kakashi, who had come over to stand next to him without Kai even realizing it.
"Huh?" Kai asked, momentarily taking his thoughts back to his younger days when he tended to use the same response in most conversations he was in.
Kakashi smiled, his thoughts along nearly the same lines as Kai's, "I saw you looking between Izumi and Naruto, both of whom are drinking rather heavily, and took a guess as to what you were thinking about. Was I right?"
Kai looked at his former sensei for a moment before giving out a light laugh and nodding, "Actually, you hit it right on the nose."
Kakashi nodded, "I figured as much. The reason behind it is that, while the Kyuubi can easily burn the alcohol out of Naruto's system before it starts of affect him, he is a prankster at heart, which is to be expected from a fox. He lets Naruto get drunk slowly, mostly so he will keep drinking, and then lets the full effects hit him in the morning, giving Naruto a huge hangover, which I would imagine gives the fox quite the laugh."
Kai shook his head slowly with a smile on his face, "I never would have guessed…"
"Of course, if Naruto is in a dangerous situation, Kyuubi prevents all the effects, but when he's here at home and relatively safe, well…" Kakashi gestured to Naruto, who was once again laughing loudly while no one else was.
Kai smiled while looking down, fighting back a laugh of his own. Naruto, the greatest prankster that Konoha had ever seen, was getting pranked himself, and likely didn't even realize it. "How do you know all this Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi gave Kai one of his eye-smiles, "Naruto had a talk with the Kyuubi one morning when he woke up with a hangover. He then proceeded to tell Sakura, Sasuke, and I all of this during our team training. He likely doesn't even realize that, while he doesn't think it's funny, or likely even remembers the conversation come to think of it, the rest of us have to constantly fight back our own laughs when we see him like this.
Kai looked back over and managed to see the barely-there smirk that Sasuke got each time he watched Naruto down another saucer of sake.
Kai chuckled lightly, "I guess it might be a good idea to avoid Naruto tomorrow morning then, huh?"
Kakashi nodded sagely, "That may be a smart choice Kai."
Both Shinobi stood silently for a moment before the elder Jonin spoke up again, "So, how have you come along with the Jutsu I gave you before you left? Naruto told us in his report that you managed to pull off the Chidori when the two of you fought against Sasuke all those years ago, but I would like to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak."
Ignoring the snort of indignation coming from Kanba in his mindscape, Kai smiled, "I got the Chidori down after a few months of practice, but the Raikiri didn't come for another year and a half. I honestly didn't have too much time to work on it for a while after joining up with Kyo and Izumi, and I still can't manage it more than once a day without making myself completely useless, although I did find a bit of a shortcut to make it easier on me."
"Oh?" Kakashi turned to face Kai with his question written in his visible eye, "And what might that be?"
Kai smiled, "because of my lightning based chakra, combined with my high level of chakra control, I can manipulate the technique a bit easier than I would be able to otherwise. With that in mind, I started using it with Reimeiken and formed the Jutsu around the blade in its neutral form when I first started learning to use it. It actually takes a bit less chakra to do it that way since I don't have to focus so much on having it hold its form, and it let me control it easier early on."
Kakashi paused for a moment, lost in thought, before nodding, "That's actually a really good idea Kai," he frowned for a second then, "but I would hope that you can use it properly now…"
Kai waved his hand airily, "Oh yeah, no worries Kakashi-sensei. I told you I had it down, but I've found that there are times that using it through my blade is more effective than otherwise… specifically when I'm facing someone who uses a big sword and needs a bit of a shock every now and then…" Kai trailed off, glaring lightly toward Kyo.
Kakashi followed his gaze and laughed easily, bringing Kai out of his glare and making him laugh along with the one-eyed Jonin. "It's good to have you back Kai, and I am particularly looking forward to having you back in team training before too long."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world sensei," Kai said, smiling as Kakashi waved and made his way back over to the other Jonin sensei.
With Kakashi gone, and since he had broken Kai's former train of rambling thought, Kai once again found his eyes drawn back to Ino's table. It never failed; he just couldn't seem to keep himself from coming back around to her. Not seeing any other choice, Kai sighed again and pushed himself away from the wall and began walking towards the door, hoping to be able to leave before anyone noticed.
He wasn't so lucky however, as the loud voice of Rock Lee cut across the room just as he began reaching for the handle, "KAI-KUN! You are not planning to leave your own youthful part so soon are you?"
Kai mentally groaned, much to the amusement of Kanba and Takagoei, who was monitoring Kai telepathically from back in their hotel room, and turned back while scratching the back of his head, "Sorry Lee, I'm getting kinda tired. Even after resting up for most of the day, I'm still pretty worn out."
Lee paused for a moment before smiling, "I can certainly understand Kai-kun. I too have fought against Neji many times, and my eternal rival is certainly a very strong opponent."
Kai was just about to turn to leave when he heard the sound of a chair scooting back and looked toward the sound to see Tenten, rather unsteady and clearly drunk, struggle to stand, "I think I'm going to have to call it a night too guys." She smiled apologetically to Sakura and Ino before taking a step away from her table and almost instantly tripping, failing to avoid her own chair in her drunken haze.
Lee was instantly by her side and caught her before helping her back to her feet and placing one of her arms over his shoulder, "Then Kai and I shall escort you home Tenten. You are in no condition to make it alone and I will not let my youthful teammate down when she is in need of help!"
Kai sighed again before making his way over to Tenten and Lee, and consequently Sakura and Ino's table. He gave each of the still seated girls a nod and a small smile before turning to Tenten and Lee and throwing the girl's other arm over his shoulder. The three Shinobi slowly made their way out of the bar, being forced to take their time due to the numerous tables in the room, and turned toward Tenten's apartment.
"So," Kai said a few minutes into their walk, "some party huh?"
Lee stood straight and let Tenten's arm fall from his shoulder while she pulled her other one from Kai's, revealing that she wasn't feeling nearly as much of the alcohol that she had drunk as she was letting on. "Kai," She said slowly, "you shouldn't withdraw into yourself you know."
Kai raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? And aren't you supposed to be drunk?"
"Kai-kun," Lee spoke up, brining Kai's attention over to him, "Tenten and I have both seen what you are doing to yourself, and it is not healthy. Neji did almost the same thing for a long time so we are more than capable of spotting the symptoms in others."
Tenten nodded, "I don't know what it is that is causing you to act like this Kai, but you shouldn't beat yourself up. Things always work out in the end."
Kai quickly realized what they were talking about. Somehow, they had noticed him deadening his emotions. He sighed, "I'm alright guys, there's nothing to worry about…"
Lee and Tenten shared a glance before looking back toward him. Tenten spoke up first, "Alright Kai, it's not really our place to call you out on that, but just remember that if you ever need to talk, we're here for you, alright?"
Kai gave them both a half smile, "alright… thanks."
The two members of Squad 9 gave him a sharp nod before Lee spoke, "Now, I believe that you should be getting to bed." He smiled, "I was serious when I said that I know what it is like to fight against Neji, and you will really be feeling it tomorrow if you are not already."
Kai smiled back and waved to them before turning and easily jumping to the rooftops to head back to his hotel room, leaving the two, now lightly frowning Shinobi behind.
"Tenten," Lee said hesitantly, "you know he still needs help…"
She sighed, "Yeah Lee… But there's nothing we can do until he comes out with it on his own. If we try to help him when he's unwilling to accept it, he'll just push everyone away even more."
The two sighed again before going their separate ways.
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Back in the bar, Sakura and Ino were still talking about whatever came to mind, but all was not well with one of them, and Sakura recognized it.
"Come on Ino-pig," she said with a slight smile, using her old nickname for her as a joke, "what's wrong with you? You've been really withdrawn ever since Tenten left." She paused for a moment before continuing softly, "Or was it because of Kai…?"
Ino looked at Sakura for a moment before sighing and looking down at the table before her, "It's like he doesn't even recognize me anymore Sakura…"
Sakura gave her a sad smile, "He still cares about you Ino, believe me on that."
Her blonde companion looked back up at her, "And how would you know that Sakura?" then, realizing what their conversation has shifted to, quickly looked away and said, "Besides, it's not like I care anyway. I'm dating Kiba now…" She trailed off at the end, confirming Sakura's thoughts without saying anything.
The pink haired Kunoichi sighed, "Ino, Kai still likes you. I can see it in his eyes every time he looks at you. The problem comes in who he is and how he found out about you and Kiba. I talked to Izumi-san a bit earlier today while Kai was recovering from his match and, apparently, one of the big motivators Kai had in coming back to Konoha was you. And now, after getting back, he finds out that you're dating someone else…"
"It's not my fault!" Ino nearly snapped, but managed to keep her voice down to avoid alerting the other people in the bar, "it's not like we were together before he left. And he was gone for three years."
"And he understands that," Sakura continued once Ino was done, ignoring her friend's outburst, "but what I was going to say was that it's not so much that he found out that you're with Kiba, but how he found out."
"What do you mean?" Ino asked, concern and curiosity written across her face for those who knew how to read her.
"Izumi-san told me that Kai came across you and Kiba meeting up for your date… and he saw you two kissing… it tore him up a little…"
Ino's eyes widened, suddenly realizing what Sakura was getting at. She knew that if he had come across someone she liked, she refused to think of Kai right then, kissing some girl she knew then it would have upset her too. Then, her eyes narrowed, "Well, he certainly doesn't seem too upset by the whole thing…"
Sakura sighed, smiling weakly, "You just don't know what to look for Ino… Kai's hurting, but it's hard to see if you don't know him as well as Izumi and Kyo do."
Ino looked back at Sakura again, "how so?"
Sakura ran her hands through her hair, slowly letting out her breath as she thought over what she wanted to say, "She said that its mostly in his eyes… even with the fire effect going on, you can still read emotion in them… and she said they look… dead almost."
"But he keeps his Miraigan active all the time," Ino protested softly, seeing her argument crumble beneath her, "how can she even tell?"
"It's also in how he acts. I don't know if you noticed it or not, I certainly didn't till I talked with Izumi, "but any time he's around you, he seems to look toward you every once in a while before jerking himself away… I think he's drawn toward you, as cliché as that sounds, but doesn't want to intrude since he knows you're with someone else… That's also probably why he's acting so… short with you. Why he seems to be going out of his way to not have to spend so much time around you…"
"It's because he hates me!" Ino snapped, still too quiet to be heard, "He's just throwing a temper tantrum because I moved on while he wasn't here!"
Sakura gave her another sad smile, "No Ino, it's because he's hurting… Just like you…"
Ino fought back a sob as Sakura hit the nail on the head. She had spent three years trying to forget Kai, and had nearly done so once she got together with Kiba. While he was there, she was able to put her crush on Kai behind her, but then he showed up again, and it all came rushing back. She had only known for sure that he was back since that morning, but everything had returned and she found herself missing him all over again, despite the fact that he was now within her reach, so to speak.
And yet, he wasn't. She was dating Kiba now, and she couldn't just dump him now that her old crush was back in town and seemed to be returning her feelings. Besides, Kai wasn't exactly acting like he was in love with her or anything. No matter what Sakura said, there was no way that someone could like someone like that and act like Kai had been with her: either with a fake smile and falsely happy statements or just a nod.
Sakura sighed when she saw that Ino was rejecting everything she had just said. After being friends with her for years, Sakura could read Ino's emotions just by looking at her face and reading her expressions, whether she said anything or not. "I'm not going to try to force you to see it my way Ino, but you have to realize that Kai is hurting too. It's not your fault of course, but don't count him as one of the heartless jerks just yet. Wait till you learn a little more about him first. If you have the time, I would suggest that you go talk to Izumi-san at the very least. Kai is almost nothing like he was back then, other than the obvious habits he picked up from Naruto and has kept since then, and Izumi is your best bet at learning how he's changed."
With that said, Sakura got up and announced to the room that she was heading home too. Ino watched her leave and caught the half-smile Sakura sent her way just before she left the door. Ino let her gaze sweep over the room until resting on Izumi. She might have to talk to her, so she could set her mind and heart at ease at the very least.
Across the room, Kiba watched his girlfriend and gave a sad smile, knowing what was happening and understanding that it was just something that had to happen. Good or bad for him, he vowed that he would support her in whatever choice she made.
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Kai knocked on the door to the Hokage's office and immediately received an invitation to enter. He had received yet another messenger bird that morning with another order from Tsunade to report to her office as soon as he could. Although he was slightly irritated at being woken up earlier than he had wanted to be again, he complied and made his way to the office as soon as he was presentable.
As he made his way into the office, he noticed that, other than the three Kage Bunshin working on the mountain of paperwork on Tsunade's desk, there were three people lounging on a few of the chairs in the room: Tsunade herself, Jiraiya, and Sarutobi.
With a small smile that worked through Kai's emotional shielding, the Tokubetsu Jonin bowed before the three, "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Sarutobi-sensei, how are you all doing this morning?"
Tsunade smiled back, glad that he had noticed that this would be a less than formal meeting, "Fairly well, considering the hangover I have, how about yourself?"
Kai gave Tsunade a Naruto-smile, "Not too bad, all things considered, although Takagoei asked me to relay a message to you. He said, 'Please stop sending those infernal pigeons so early in the morning or they may end up becoming my mid-morning snack.'"
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Tsunade said with a laugh before become a little more serious, "the reason I called you here Kai is so that these two," she pointed to her former teammate and sensei, "can evaluate your progress in the sealing arts."
Kai's eyes widened slightly before nodding, "Of course Tsunade-sama. What would you like to know?"
Sarutobi spoke up first, "Well Kai, I would like to know how far you've gotten in that book I gave you on your birthday all those years ago."
Kai gave the elderly Shinobi a smile before reaching into his hip pouch and pulling out a scroll, before opening it and unsealing the book in question. "I finished it about a year ago Sarutobi-sensei," he reported before offering it to the former Hokage.
Sarutobi smiled before waving his hand, "Keep it Kai, you never know when you may need to get back to basics."
Jiraiya's eyes widened as he looked at the book, "Sensei… isn't that the book you used to teach me?"
Sarutobi nodded, his eyes sparkling as Jiraiya's widened further still, "Yes it is. I felt it was appropriate since I couldn't teach him myself and you dodged out of teaching him by taking on Naruto as your apprentice. I had to give him something to help him along."
Jiraiya's jaw dropped and he struggled to say something for a few moments until Sarutobi and Tsunade both started laughing while Kai looked on rather perplexed. Seeing his confused state, Sarutobi decided to put him at ease, "Kai, Jiraiya had been hoping to have that book when I retired. He has his own copy, but that one in particular has some notes in it that I have made over the years that make it more useful to the average seal-user."
Kai nodded after a moment of thought. He had found the notes in the margins to be very helpful in his studies, sometimes allowing him to understand a particular aspect of sealing when the text itself had been largely unhelpful.
Jiraiya recovered from his momentary pout long enough to scowl at his Sensei before turning back to Kai, "Well then, if you've finished it, then have you managed to create your own seal design?"
Kai's forehead scrunched up in thought for a moment before he spoke, "Well… Yes and no… I'm really not too sure how to describe it actually…"
"What do you mean Kai?" Tsunade asked curiously. While her ability with seals wasn't on the same level as the other two, she still had more than a passing interest in the art.
"Well… It would be easier just to show you," Kai finally said, looking toward the three elder Shinobi.
Once they had all given him a nod, he formed a half seal and was promptly engulfed in a cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Kai was still standing there, but his vest and shirt were missing, revealing a bright red seal that slowly faded into a solid black before gradually vanishing entirely, leaving only a large spiral seal on the left side of his chest.
"What exactly was the point of that?" Jiraiya asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Kai smiled before channeling his chakra through his body, causing multiple seals to appear all over his upper body almost simultaneously. Jiraiya jumped up, eager to see what Kai had made and slowly walked around him, carefully examining the work. Once he had finished his circle, he smiled, causing Kai to return the gesture before relaxing and letting his chakra recede, leaving only the spiral once more.
"Most impressive," Jiraiya started, "you've created a system of seals on your body."
Kai nodded, "Yep. Storage seals to be precise. I got the initial idea from a seal I have on my wristband that was made by my family long ago. It holds my bow and all my arrows, but releases them without any noise or smoke. I started trying to copy them, but couldn't manage to make them to where they could hold any one object with a larger mass, like my clothing. That's where my shirt and vest went, by the way, into the seal on the center of my chest. I mostly use them for my Kagetaka disguise; the scarf, greaves, bracers, and gloves; but I have also put the corresponding seals on all my clothing and keep at least one set sealed at all times. It really helps if I have to get ready in a hurry."
"Alright," Sarutobi said, "I have a question then: What about the seals on your palms and the extra seals on your forearms, surely they aren't all for clothing."
Kai shook his head, "The ones on my palms are the closest in design to the one with my bow in that there is no smoke or noise when they are activated and hold Shuriken, nearly a thousand each actually. The extra seals on my forearms hold kunai. I prefer fighting with Shuriken when I have the choice between the two, so I keep them there for easy access, which is also why my gloves don't have any palms in them." Kai formed a half seal, which summoned his right glove onto his hand and opened it to reveal his uncovered palm and the now red glowing seal there. "All I have to do is apply a little chakra, and I can summon as many Shuriken as I want, corresponding to the amount of chakra I use, of course." Kai focused his chakra and demonstrated by summoning and resealing several Shuriken.
"And you have the Kunai for backup, just in case," Jiraiya said slowly. When Kai nodded to him, he continued, "Alright then, what about that one," he pointed to the spiral seal on his shoulder, "that's the only seal I didn't manage to recognize out of all of them."
Kai smiled, "That seal is the only one I didn't have to make myself. It actually comes from Kanba and is what links him to me. We knew from the beginning that I wouldn't be able to use any of Kanba's chakra myself because I didn't grow up with him sealed into me, so we found another way to make use of his excess chakra. The network all ties into his seal, which uses his demonic chakra to power it and keep the seals from collapsing and releasing everything within them all at once if I were to ever run out of chakra myself."
"Ah," Sarutobi said, smiling broadly, "a very eloquent solution to a rather large problem. I had wondered how you were powering this whole thing, and the demonic chakra explains the red colored seals as opposed to the white color exhibited by traditional, unaltered storage seals."
"Thank you Sarutobi-sensei," Kai said with a smile before scratching the back of his head, "it was actually Kanba's idea though, I just made it work and made the Kage Bunshin to apply it."
"Regardless," Tsunade said, speaking up for the first time since the seal talk had begun, "it is an excellent idea and a good use of your resources. What do you think gentlemen," she finished, turning toward Sarutobi and Jiraiya who then turned to each other and began talking in hushed voices.
Kai unsealed his clothes once again, shaking himself slightly to help his outfit settle once more, and looked over at the two men, knowing almost immediately what they were discussing. Sarutobi and Jiraiya were two of the foremost Sealmasters in Konoha, if not all the elemental nations, and the only thing that they could be talking about was Kai's own Sealmaster status.
After a few minutes of talk, the two Shinobi turned back to Kai who was holding his breath in anticipation. Sarutobi gave him a sad smile before speaking, "Kai, while your seal system is very impressive, especially for someone your age, it's not quite enough to have you certified as a Sealmaster."
Kai let out his breath in a sigh of disappointment, but he had honestly expected this. "Oh well," he said with a small smile, "I didn't really think it would."
Jiraiya nodded, but still gave Kai a sympathetic smile, "It's only because you used a series of well-known seals and combined them into a whole that we can't give it to you. The network you created is really a great idea, but doesn't quite meet up with the standards required to be named a Sealmaster."
Kai gave the three Shinobi a half smile, "It's no big deal, I'll just have to work harder now."
Tsunade smiled at the young Shinobi, glad he was still showing enthusiasm, "Good. I'm glad that you feel that way Kai. On a more serious note, I have authorized you for a one month vacation of sorts to reacquaint yourself with Squad 7 in particular and Konoha in general before you will begin missions again. I'm not sure if you know the duties that fall to the Tokubetsu Jonin of Konoha, but you will be put with Squad 7 for the foreseeable future seeing as they are the only team that you are currently known to be able to work with. Once you have proven your ability, you will be called upon to support other teams with your particular skills or even sent on solo missions that require your skills."
Jiraiya waved his hand airily and turned to Kai, "Basically kid, you're now in a support role unless a solo mission comes along that needs someone with your specialty. You backup whatever team your assigned to help, and will probably have a lot of free time between missions unless things get tight, which will give you more time for… other activities," Jiraiya began giggling pervertedly, completely oblivious to the danger he had just put himself in.
Kai nodded seriously, hiding his smile when he saw the frustrated look Tsunade was giving an oblivious Jiraiya from behind him. Sarutobi saw it too and was slowly backing away from the Toad Sage. "Uh… thank you Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama. If there's nothing else, I think I'll go track down my team now…"
Tsunade looked at Kai and saw that he recognized the mood she was currently in; probably because of the time he spent with Izumi who had apparently inherited a majority of her hatred for all things perverted unless Kyo was involved, and waved him off with a smile.
Sarutobi, seeing his chance, spoke up as well, "I had better be off as well… I've… uh… got things to do…"
Jiraiya noticed the uneasy tone in his sensei's voice and turned around to see Tsunade glaring at him menacingly. "Uh… Tsunade-hime… come on… you don't want to hurt me… I was just explaining everything to him in a way that was easier for him to understand is all…"
Kai and Sarutobi made it outside the room just in time to hear a crash as Jiraiya was sent out the window courtesy of Air-Tsunade. The two shared a smile and a laugh as they made their way out of the tower before going their separate ways.
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The next month passed quickly for Kai. He spent most of his time training from sunrise to sunset, both with and without his team, in an attempt to keep his thoughts off of Ino and any and all subjects related to her, and he soon found himself on a mission with Squad 7 once more.
Now he was back in his element. Moving through the trees as only a Shinobi could with his full 'Kagetaka' battle gear on and fully separated from his emotions. It was only now that he realized how few of his emotions he had actually been blocking in the last month. Only in the extreme solitude now provided in his mind did he fully understand the depth of his grief.
He forcefully pulled himself out of his stupor when he nearly missed a branch, which would have both sent him to the ground painfully and alerted their target that there was an enemy nearby.
The mission Squad 7 had been sent on was an assassination/retrieval mission requested by the Fire Lord himself. Kai had been quite irritated when he had learned what the actual object of the mission was, specifically the retrieval aspect…
Tori, Inu, Tora, Flashback no Jutsu!
"We have to WHAT!" Naruto and Kai both screamed at the same moment, causing Tsunade to massage the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"Retrieve the Fire Lord's wife's cat, Tora."
Kai's jaw dropped, realizing that he actually hadn't heard her wrong. "And this qualifies as an A Class mission… how exactly?"
Tsunade leveled a light glare onto Kai, only to grumble when she remembered that Izumi had rendered Kai immune to her glares, "Because the cat was kidnapped by a wannabe crime lord, who the Fire Lord also wants taken care of."
Kai immediately calmed down when he heard that, "I apologize Tsunade-sama… I just have a… problem with retrieving cats… You wouldn't believe how many cats there are in the Elemental Nations who pull the same stunt as Tora… on a Daily. Freaking. Basis."
Tsunade nodded to Kai in acknowledgement while Naruto continued to grumble in frustration.
Flashback no Jutsu Kai!
Retrieving Tora, aka 'That Freaking Cat… Again,' was secondary to assassinating the up and coming crime lord. The man, whose name was unknown, had set himself up in a rather large house that had been converted into a stronghold of sorts. From what the mission report had said, there were always several dozen heavily armed guards ready at all times, not to mention the ones that could be roused at a moment's notice. When you added in the twenty foot high wall and the archers that patrolled the wall and the roof of the building itself along with the possibility of Shinobi, you had quite the mission lined up.
Their plan was fairly simple when you thought about it. They would slip past the sentries on the perimeter of the property, and then Kai and Kakashi, as the two stealthiest team members, would take out the guards on the walls. After that, Kai and Sakura were going to take cover in one of the towers or in a tree that was tall enough to see over the walls, whichever worked best, and Kai would send in several Kage Bunshin to take care of the half-dozen archers on the roof without raising the alarm.
At that point, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi would try to infiltrate the building as quietly as possible and make their way to the target and complete the mission while Kai and Sakura waited as backup. If they were found, then they would simply bust in and fight their way to the target by whatever means necessary while Kai and Sakura played support from the outside, only revealing themselves if needed.
Everything went well at first. They moved in just after sunset and found it to be embarrassingly easy to get past the sentries, and the wall guards and archers fell just as easily. The problem came when they tried to get inside. Just as they were climbing in a window to a darkened room, the light came one revealing a rather large man leading a giggling maid into the room, which happened to be a bedroom. Needless to say, whenever the maid saw the three Shinobi, she screamed, which lead the fat man to bowl her over as he ran out of the room.
Kakashi quickly knocked the girl unconscious and lead Naruto and Sasuke through the building as quickly as possible. A few minutes later though, the alarm went off and all the guards were roused.
"Shit," Kai cursed, making Sakura shudder slightly at the lack of emotion in his voice.
She quickly shook it off and turned to look fully toward Kai, "Should we move in?"
Kai thought a moment before shaking his head, "Kakashi-sensei knows what he's doing. As long as they keep checking in with us every few minutes, we'll stay where we are."
She nodded and waited for a second before they both jumped slightly as Kakashi's voice came across their headsets, "Both of you stay where you are for now. We're alright, just a few Samurai for now, and I don't sense any Shinobi nearby other than us. We'll keep in contact. Let us know if you see anything worth making note of. Over."
Kai reached up and activated his own microphone, "Copy Kakashi-sensei, be careful in there guys. Over."
The next several minutes were stressful to say the least. Or at least they were for Sakura. Kai was used to this position seeing as he was almost always the one on the outside providing ranged support in his missions with Kyo and Izumi, and while he was with them, Zabuza and Haku.
Sakura wasn't handling the stress well. "Kai," she hissed after about ten minutes of waiting pierced by nothing but the alarm and the occasional shout, "how are you staying so calm?"
Kai glanced her way for a fraction of a second before turning back to survey the building and grounds before him, "It's a combination of two things really. One, I'm used to this position from when I worked with Kyo and Izumi. And two, I'm using a technique my mother taught me years ago to deaden my emotions so that I'm more… withdrawn from what's happening. It works quite well for keeping yourself separate from the anxiety in this line of work."
"I can imagine," Sakura said slowly, putting the pieces together to help partially explain his seemingly withdrawn attitude in the past month when compared to how he used to act before he left and how he acted when he first arrived back in Konoha. He was hiding behind this emotional barrier to avoid having to deal with the heartache that Sakura had known was there since he first found out about Ino and Kiba.
She frowned for a moment before filing that away as something to report to Tsunade later. As the team's medic, it was her place to do what she could to diagnose and treat every aspect of the team's health that she could, and that included their mental health.
A few moments later, there was a huge explosion on the far side of the building from where Kai and Sakura were sitting. Moments later, Kakashi's voice came over their headsets once again, "We're alright; just a fire Jutsu that hit a gas tank up here. No injuries. Over."
Kai then noticed a large crowd of people coming from the front gate and heading toward the building at a dead run. "Copy Kakashi-sensei," he said, "there are several dozen people coming from outside the walls heading into the building at a sprint, I believe they're the sentries; orders? Over."
There was a pause as Kakashi mulled this new information over, "Just stay where you are for now and keep us updated. Over."
"Copy Sensei," Kai answered, "Over."
Once again, a tense boredom settled over Sakura as she waited for any more news. Every once in a while, the two Shinobi would catch sight of their three comrades running past windows on their side of the building, or see the flash of a Jutsu being used, but other than that, nothing happened to give them any insight as to what was happening with their teammates.
"So," Kai said after a few more minutes of waiting, "how are things for you and Sasuke?"
Sakura blushed slightly, "So you noticed huh?"
Kai smiled slightly despite his emotional barrier, "How could I not? I would have to be blind to not see how you two are acting around each other, even though you keep it low key."
Sakura smiled as she looked down for a moment, "We started dating shortly after Naruto and Hinata, but don't really broadcast it too much. Even now, Sasuke-kun still gets propositioned on the streets almost daily, but we're happy with where we are right now."
Kai nodded, "That's good, but I'm sure you realize that with all the fangirls that Sasuke had, and probably still has if I don't miss my guess, he would probably get those same propositions even if…" Kai stopped suddenly, prompting Sakura to give him a confused look.
"Kai," she whispered, "what's going on." At that moment, Kai pushed her to the side just before an arrow pierced the air where she had been mere moments before.
He pulled her back to her feet before they jumped back further into the trees where they had been sitting while Kai turned his microphone back on, "Kakashi-sensei, our location has been compromised, no injuries, relocating now. Over."
"Copy Kai. Over," Kakashi replied quietly, signifying a lack of action on their end, which was all to the good as far as Sakura was concerned.
"What happened back there Kai," Sakura asked.
"Miraigan warning," Kai responded simply, "there was an archer on the ground that must have noticed us. We just have to move over to the other side of the compound now."
Sakura nodded and followed Kai as they silently made their way through the treetops. As the voice of experience, not to mention his higher rank, he was technically the superior out of the two of them.
Just as they settled themselves into a comfortable tree, they heard voices coming from the building and looked up just in time to see several people coming from a previously hidden door before quickly starting toward the main gate.
"…just know that they're here for me."
"Well we did warn you not to take that cat sir."
"How was I supposed to know that that woman was so obsessed with her cat?"
"We tried to warn you…"
"Enough of this! Where are the mercenaries I hired? They should have been here by now!"
"The messengers that arrived with the sentries said that they should be here shortly..."
Kai couldn't believe their luck. The target had practically walked out into their hands. Just as he reached up to turn his microphone back on and inform Kakashi, two figures appeared in front of the fast traveling group around their target in a swirl of mist.
"Sorry we're late," the taller figure said in a gruff voice, "got a little hung up on the way here…"
"I don't care for your excuses," the fat crime lord screamed, "just do your job and protect me!"
Just then, an archer came around the building at a dead sprint. "Sir!" he shouted before sliding to a stop and panting to catch his breath, "Sh… Shinobi sir…"
"I know there are Shinobi here you idiot!" the man interrupted, "they're inside the complex looking for me now!"
The archer shook his head before struggling to speak again, "No sir… I mean out here… I took a shot at them just a few minutes ago, but they got away…"
"SHIT!" the target shouted before turning back to the two mercenaries, "Well, it looks like you two get to do your job a little sooner than I thought."
Kai and Sakura watched as the taller merc reached behind his back and pulled a very large, very familiar sword from its harness, "Not a problem boss, we've got it covered."
Kai quickly turned on his headset, "Kakashi-sensei," he whispered urgently, "the target is outside. Repeat, the target is outside the building. There are also two mercenaries that just met up with him, most likely Shinobi. Over."
Kakashi grumbled for a few moments before speaking up, "Copy Kai, we just found the target's office and the secondary objective. If you get a chance, engage the target, but be careful. Over."
"Copy Sensei. Over." Kai shut his headset off once again and looked over to Sakura, "You ready Sakura? We'll probably only get one shot at this before all hell breaks loose…"
Sakura seemed uneasy for a moment before nodding, "Take your shot Kai, then we'll engage if we need to."
Kai nodded with an unseen smile under his mask and summoned his bow and a black feathered arrow. One of the smaller details Tsunade had had him change was his arrows, particularly the fletching. He normally used Takagoei's white feathers for his arrows, but since the white arrows were something of a calling card for Kagetaka, she had had him dye them all black, something which the falcon was of mixed feelings about.
Putting his thoughts aside, Kai drew back on his bow and sighted along the arrow, his Miraigan blazing in his eyes. Then, he got the now familiar feeling of rightness and let his arrow fly before quickly resealing the bow and watching the projectile's progress.
Everything seemed fine until just before the hit. The smaller of the two mercenaries moved suddenly and something bounced off the head of the arrow, sending it off target so it imbedded itself into the crime lord's shoulder instead of his head.
"Damn," Kai cursed softly before turning and nodding to Sakura, both Shinobi ignoring the now wounded man's screams.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!" he screamed, cradling his injured arm as blood ran freely from his wound.
"Oh, stop being such a baby," the taller shinobi said as he walked up and easily removed the arrow from his employer's shoulder, "Hmmm, it looks like it hit the bone… Not much we can do about it now, we'll have to keep moving and treat it once we're safe."
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" the man screamed once again, "I'M IN SERIOUS PAIN HERE!"
"And so are our ears," Kai mumbled, causing Sakura to giggle lightly before they started moving through the trees once more, coming into a position closer to their target and his guards. Once they got close enough, Kai turned to Sakura again, "Alright, I'll go in first, you follow when you see an opening."
"Gotcha," Sakura said with a nod of her own before moving back further into the trees to watch and wait.
Kai turned on his headset once more, "Kakashi-sensei, I am engaging the target and his guards. Over."
"Copy Kai," Kakashi answered immediately, "we're on our way out now. Be careful. Over."
"Copy. Over," Kai said before turning his headset off and summoning a few Shuriken to each hand while leaping high into the air just as a large cloud passed over the moon, shading the entire area in darkness.
As soon as his jump reached its peak, Kai's eyes widened slightly as he flung his arms out wide, throwing his Shuriken down toward the group crowded below and formed a quick chain of seals, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!"
The two Shinobi looked up in time to see the cloud of death about to rain down upon them and the smaller of the two moved in time to tackle the crime lord out of the way while the taller one leapt to safety himself. The other guards however, weren't as lucky.
Kai landed on one side of the now fallen group of mostly dead guards while the two Shinobi stood across from him with his target, who had apparently been shocked into silence by his guard's quick actions.
Then, as the cloud bank revealed the nearly full moon once again, Kai got his first good look at his opponents. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Kai said, a little exasperation managing to get through his emotional barrier when he saw that his opponents were none other than Momochi Zabuza and Haku.
"Kai?" Haku asked hesitantly, "Is that you?"
Kai smiled despite himself, "Yeah Haku, It's me."
The three Shinobi just stared at each other for a moment as the wind blew through the clearing, the silence only broken by the muffled groans of the few surviving guards between them. "Well," Zabuza finally said with an uneasy laugh, "this is kind of awkward…"
Kai could only nod in agreement. He hadn't seen his former Sensei and partner for three years, and now they came across each other again, once more on opposite sides of the battle lines.
The crime lord failed to see the humor, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING? KILL HIM!"
Zabuza shot the man a look before sighing and dropping him to the ground, making him land on his injured shoulder, "You know, he is right Kai. He's our employer, and you are apparently his assassin…"
Kai nodded as he drew Reimeiken, "You are correct as always Zabuza-sensei."
"Before we start this off though Kai," Haku interjected, "could I ask why you are trying to kill him?"
Kai thought for a moment and decided that there was no harm in telling them, and the more time he managed to stall for the longer Kakashi and the others had to get there to back him up. Even with Sakura, he wasn't feeling too confident about this matchup. With a sigh, Kai started talking, "I managed to get back into Konoha without any legal mishaps, and he is actually my first Konoha-approved mission target for two reasons: One, he is giving the Fire Lord a bit of trouble; and Two, he kidnapped the Fire Lord's wife's cat… stupid freaking cat…"
Zabuza nearly facefaulted, "You mean he took the cat that you had to capture over and over in your Genin days?"
Kai nodded solemnly, "Yep, and, in my book, making us have to go after that stupid cat again is more than enough reason for me to go after him even if I wasn't being paid to do it."
Zabuza nodded, a hint of a smile showing through his bandaged face, "I can certainly understand that, but of course you know that we'll have to stop you."
Kai nodded before sinking into his basic Kenjutsu stance, "I wouldn't have it any other way Sensei."
"WOULD YOU MORONS STOP CHATTING AND KILL HIM ALREADY!"
Zabuza sighed before giving his employer a sharp blow to the back of his head, sending him into blissful unconsciousness, "Now that the peanut gallery has been dealt with…" Zabuza disappeared in a burst of speed, suddenly appearing in front of Kai with Kubikiri Houcho swinging down for Kai's head.
Kai just casually raised Reimeiken up and blocked the strike without moving back, causing Zabuza to raise his non-existent eyebrows in wonder, "You've been training quite a bit I see…"
"Three years Zabuza-sensei," Kai said as he easily pushed the Zanbatou back enough to let him land a kick to Zabuza's stomach, sending the Jonin back a few feet, "a lot can happen in that time."
Zabuza's smile only grew, "Well then, let's see you handle this!"
The former Kiri Jonin moved in once again, attacking faster than Kai had ever seen him move before, showing of his own three years of improvement, but, no matter how fast he moved, Kai was able to block his strikes due to his own reflexes and his bloodline warnings.
"You've gotten really good Kai," Zabuza said as his strikes rained down upon his former student, "but you can't honestly expect to keep this up. I helped train you, and I can see that your style hasn't changed too much from back then."
Kai smiled grimly, "If you say so Sensei." Before Zabuza could react, Kai managed to shift him onto the defensive and pushed him back before landing another kick to his midsection and following it with a vicious punch to his face that send the Jonin spinning away, only to land near where he had started from.
Haku covered his mouth to hide his laugh when he saw the astonished look on Zabuza's face, "I think he got you Zabuza-sama."
Zabuza only grumbled, "Well then, let's see what you can do Haku."
"Hai Zabuza-sama," Haku said, still smiling before turning to Kai and letting his smile drop off his face, "I hope you're ready Kai."
Kai merely held up his hand, "One moment please Haku." Kai then focused on the crystal on Reimeiken and pulled his chakra down another elemental path.
As Haku watched, the entire weapon began glowing a light green color before stretching out. He watched in anticipation as the blade began rounding out, apparently losing its edge, as the entire thing stretched to just over five feet long. As the light died down, Kai was left holding a light green colored bow staff with silver caps on each end, with the crystal imbedded into the center of the staff.
Kai shifted his stance, holding the staff in front of him in both hands before spinning it around behind him in one hand and forming a half seal with the other, "Futon Reimeiken."
"Hmmm…." Haku looked thoughtful as he stared at his old friend, "it would seem that you have learned much about your blade Kai."
Kai nodded and smiled behind his mask, "I have Haku. Why don't you come and see how much."
Haku returned the smile, "Very well Kai, I won't be holding back."
Haku disappeared much like Zabuza had done, but didn't reappear instantly. Kai stood steadily, his eyes closed, waiting on the warning from his bloodline before reacting. Then, he felt a pinprick tingle at the back of his neck and shifted his staff slightly so the senbon bounced harmlessly off the metal cap. "Come on now Haku," Kai taunted jokingly, "surely you didn't think it would be that easy."
Haku's light laugh came from all around him, "You can't blame me for trying Kai."
Kai shook his head slightly before feeling another warning and spinning his staff around in time to lock up with Haku who was wielding his senbon between the fingers of each hand like claws. Haku stared at Kai for a moment and leapt back before charging his needles with chakra and throwing them toward Kai.
The assassin merely smiled and shifted his grip on his staff so that both hands were at the center. Then, with a twist, his staff broke cleanly into two halves right down the center of the crystal, revealing a bright green glow between them. With a swift pull, Kai took the two halves apart, revealing two bright green blades that grew as they were pulled apart while the rest of the staff shrunk in Kai's hands till he was holding two swords. With a flick, Kai brought his two blades around and cleanly sliced the eight senbon in half, causing them to fall short of hitting him while Haku watched, fighting to keep his jaw from dropping.
"How…?" Haku stuttered, "How did you cut those needles? I infused them with my chakra… It should have been impossible."
Kai smiled behind his mask as he shifted to a sideways stance, holding one blade before him in a reverse grip while the other stayed behind him, "Such is the power of the Futon Reimeiken. It gives me two extremely focused Kaze no Yaiba, which can easily cut through just about anything."
Zabuza and Haku both stared at Kai for a moment before looking at each other and nodding. Just as they both leapt forward to attack simultaneously, a pink blur came flying down between the three, smashing into the ground and creating a huge crater. The resulting shockwave sent the two mercenaries flying back to land on their backs, which gave Sakura time to free her fist from the results of her insane Tsunade-strength and jump back to stand next to Kai.
"I don't think so you two," she taunted with a smile, "two against one aren't the nicest odds you know."
"And neither is five against two," Kakashi called out from behind Zabuza, who quickly spun around, "although I think we can accept them in this case."
Haku quickly jumped back to Zabuza's side, but the Jonin merely laughed, "Well, this is quite the reunion isn't it? I've got an old student and old opponents all in one place."
Kakashi slowly lifted one hand up to his Hitai-ate, preparing to reveal the Sharingan below, "It's your call Zabuza-san."
Zabuza waved his hand airily while sheathing his blade with the other, "I know when I'm outmatched, and I would like to think that I'm not too stupid. And besides," Zabuza turned back to Kai with a smile, "this moron paid in advance and in full."
Kai smiled as he put his two blades back together, reforming his staff before letting it change back to Reimeiken before he sheathed it, "What a moron…"
"No kidding," Zabuza laughed before turning back to Kakashi, "he's all yours Kakashi-san, we won't cause you any more trouble tonight."
Kakashi, seeing Kai relax, let his hand drop away and gestured for Sasuke and Naruto to ease up as well. Kai finally looked over to Naruto to see that he had been chosen to hold the struggling Tora, who was trying his hardest to scratch Naruto's eyes out.
Kai fought down a laugh of his own and turned to Haku, "Uh… Haku… do you think you could…" He waved toward Naruto and the struggling cat, causing Haku to smile before letting out a pulse of chakra, causing an ice cage to form on the ground in front of Naruto. Seeing this, the Jinchuuriki eagerly threw the cat into the cage and slammed the door shut.
"HA!" she shouted triumphantly, pointing down at the trapped cat, "How do you like that ya stupid creature!"
Kai fought down another laugh as he let his emotional barriers relax back to their former level, watching as Naruto continued to taunt the feline. "Well," Zabuza said, causing Kai to bring his attention back around, "as nice as this has been, I think Haku and I are gonna take off."
Kakashi looked over at Kai before nodding, "Very well Zabuza-san," he gave an eye smile, "take care of yourselves."
Zabuza laughed, "We always do Kakashi-san; we always do." The Kiri Jonin turned back toward Kai and waved before disappearing in a swirl of mist.
"I hope to see you again Kai," Haku said with his own wave, "maybe next time, we won't be on opposite sides." With that, Haku let himself drop backward into an ice mirror that quickly dissolved, leaving no trace that they two had ever been there other than the still unconscious man that had employed them.
"Well…" Kakashi said as he drew out a kunai and walked up to the crime lord, "let's take care of this…" he smoothly drove the blade into the man's chest, ending his life before removing and sealing the head and cleaning his weapon it off on the man's overly-expensive clothing, "…and now we can head home."
With a sigh and a shake of his head, Kai jogged over to retrieve his arrow and then followed the rest of his team out of the compound while Naruto continued to taunt the bane of all Genin existence from outside its cage.
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A few days later, Kai once again found himself outside the Hokage's office. Squad 7 had been sent out on another mission shortly after they returned from the last one, but they hadn't needed Kai to come along this time. He found himself with plenty of time to continue his training, but eagerly took the potential opportunity to get another mission when he received the Hokage's summons.
He waited for a moment after knocking until he heard Tsunade invite him into the office. As soon as he opened the door, his eyes fell onto someone he hadn't seen for three years.
"Kaa-san!" Kai shouted as he ran forward and wrapped his mother in a hug that she eagerly returned.
A moment later, Tsunade let out a cough, causing Kai to let his mother go and step back with a blush on his face. Tsunade only smiled when she saw him, "Don't worry about it Kai. As you can see, your mother arrived earlier today and I felt that I should let you know that the Wareta Clan has now officially been made a clan of Konoha."
Kai's eyes widened momentarily before he smiled, "That's great!" He then turned back to Ushina, a question written on his face, "Kaa-san, how did you get here? Did you recover enough to travel or did someone come with you?"
Ushina laughed, "So many questions Kai. Although I guess I can't blame you. To answer you, I have not quite fully recovered yet, which is one reason I came here. I wanted to ask Hokage-sama to see if there was anything she could do to help me. I'm not quite as weak as I was three years ago, but I am now only at the level of a particularly agile civilian, and my stamina still runs out fairly quickly."
"Then who came with you?" Kai asked curiously.
"Well," Ushina began, slightly uneasy for some reason, "Yue wanted to come along… She actually wants to join up as a Konoha Nin, but she can't yet seeing as she's still on her current tour of duty back home. In a few months time, she'll be following us here, but I managed to find someone else to bring me…"
Ushina pointed over Kai's shoulder and he quickly turned, expecting Akira, Hanzo, or some other Shinobi that he had met at their home village all those years ago, but he wasn't expecting who he did see.
"Seiru!" Reimeiken was almost immediately in his hand as he placed himself between his former opponent and his mother, who was strangely calm all things considered.
The man hadn't changed too much in three years other than discarding his brown clothes from his time as a bandit for something closer to what Kai and Ushina wore, which confused the Tokubetsu Jonin to no end.
Kai jumped slightly when he felt his mother's hand rest lightly on his shoulder. "Kai," she said soothingly, "relax. He isn't an enemy."
"What are you talking about Kaa-san," Kai responded evenly, "this guy was working with the bandits that were occupying the village before you showed up. He's the one who gave me the scar on my face."
Ushina's maternal wrath burst forth and she nearly knocked Kai down with the chakra pulse that came with it, "You didn't tell me that Seiru-kun!"
Seiru laughed uneasily as he held his hands out in front of him defensively, "Uh… Heh heh… Sorry Ushina-chan…"
Kai was caught off guard by the way they talked with each other, it was almost as if…
"Kai," Ushina said once she had calmed herself down again, "please, put away your sword, there's something you need to know."
Kai slowly stepped to the side, sheathing Reimeiken, but never taking his eyes off Seiru, "What is it Kaa-san?"
Ushina paused uneasily, "Well… Seiru is… he's… uh… your father…"
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AN: Wow… You know, as I was typing this, particularly the bar/party scenes, I found myself thinking, "I'm getting really, really deep/sappy here…" And I'm not exactly sure where it came from either… hmmmm… Oh well!
A lot of fics I've read have pegged Kiba as a senseless moron, who constantly puts his foot in his mouth, but I would like to believe that with a family like his is portrayed, incredibly strict with a firm emphasis on loyalty and a for-the-good-of-the-pack mentality, he would eventually grow up into a reasonable person instead of a woman-obsessed dimwit. As such, I have tried to portray him like that here, and I hope I've succeeded. He can still be hotheaded, but he has a good mind behind all that.
Heh, I also explained Kai's amazing appearing/disappearing clothing in this chapter lol. I still intend on having Kai become a Sealmaster eventually, but not just yet. If things go as planned, which doesn't always happen if this past year is anything to go by, it won't be until Part 4 of the story.
Another random bit of randomness: I kept finding myself wanting to put a : ) at the end of a lot of sentences while typing this chapter… I really have spent too much time texting and chatting online lol.
I now know a little bit of the Shippuden storyline (courtesy of Wikipedia lol) and I want you all to know that I realize that my story has apparently disregarded the Akatsuki. They will have a part in this fic, but there will be a few changes in how and when they appear. You just have to be patient.
In case you forgot, the feeling of rightness talked about when Kai was taking his shot comes from an earlier chapter, the Valley of the End one if I'm not mistaken. Kai has a natural skill with his bow and that instinct helps him know when to take his shots.
And by the way, Kai is not stronger than Zabuza and Haku. He knows how they fight, or at least how they fought, and he had a few surprises that they didn't know about. I see a younger shinobi as having a bit of a learning curve. They get stronger, faster than an older, more experienced Shinobi would in the same amount of time, so they have a greater ability to change, and if someone doesn't see them for a long time, there's no telling how the fight will go. If they had double-teamed him, they would have beaten him… at least if he didn't have backup anyway : )
So, what do you all think about Seiru's part in this story? Be honest now, who actually saw that coming? ^_\\ I only decided to make Seiru's Kai's father a few weeks after I first introduced him. I had originally intended for him to just be the guy who gave Kai his bad-ass scar, but then decided to fill his character out a little more to help fill in a plot hole or two.
Jutsu List:
Chidori: One-Thousand Birds
Raikiri: Lightning Blade
Miraigan: Future Eye (For those that don't remember; which I really can't blame you for)
Kage Bunshin: Shadow Clone
Shuriken Kage Bunshin No Jutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique
Kaze no Yaiba: Blade of Wind
Alright, now I'm going to do a little Reimeiken recap.
Reimeiken: Dawn Blade
Raiton: Double Bladed Sword – abilities unknown (for now)
Suiton: Windmill Shuriken – telekinetic control of shuriken
Doton: Zanbatou – encasing the blade in stone to increase its size and power
Katon: Scythe – creating fire from the blade itself to attack and defend
Futon: bow staff – twin wind blades
All forms other than Raiton give Kai a limited amount of elemental manipulation for the form it is currently in.
Ok, now here's the part where I make my excuses. I have been BUSY! My summer job, where I was the supervisor for the first time, took up a lot more time than I thought it would. The only thing I was honestly able to do was make a few vague outlines like I referred to in the opening AN. Then, once that was over, I found myself going to school four days a week and working two days a week with the last day (Sunday) used for homework and catching up on the sleep I lost during the rest of the week before I had to do it all over again…. Not fun… I can't say that things will change too much next semester either, except that I now have all my classes on two days a week instead of four… at least I will if I can get them scheduled right… ugh…
Alright, I started typing this chapter at 5:00 on the 16th, like I said, and worked on it for about 4 hours (with a few breaks in there for food and stuff) which got me about halfway through the mission. Then I took a break and went to DQ for a little Ice Cream pick-me-up (YAY ICE CREAM! lol). I started up typing again at noon on the 17th, and finished it at 1:35 the same day. Then I read over it again and edited IT ,which took until 3:00, and then I posted it a little over 30 minutes later. Overall, this chapter took 7 hours give or take… Whew!
I hope this super long chapter (20 pages in Word) makes up for my extremely long gap between posting… (Scratches the back of head uneasily) uh… review please… and… uh… yeah…