Iryo-nin Kasa (医療忍)

Chapter Forty-Eight: Weather Phenomenon

"Oh, it's you again," said Shikamaru with a deadpan voice when he greeted me at the door.

"Hello Shikamaru." I returned with a bright grin.

The lackluster boy paused briefly at my response before pocketing his hands. "…You're here's to see dad and Uncle Inoichi right? I'll take you to the study."

"Pardon my intrusion." I said in turn as I took off my shoes and followed him in.

"Dad, that girl from last time is here," droned Shikamaru as he pulled the sliding door open.

"Thanks Shikamaru," said Inoichi before the boy waved a hand and turned to leave, but not before giving me a side glance just like last time. I found myself giving him another smile before he walked off.

"You must have questions," droned Shikaku once I stepped in and slid the door close behind me.

"You didn't tell Sandaime, why?" I got straight the point, no need to go the roundabout way about this.

"I wanted to test a theory," replied Shikaku lazily from his seat as he took a sip of his drink and rested his arm lazily on a propped up leg.

"About?" I asked.

"The extent of your oracle abilities," said Shikaku. "While I've speculated that you're limited to the events of a single future at the moment, I wanted to know if that extends to your own future."

"My own future?" I asked in surprise.

"You can't see the events connected to yourself, can you?" Shikaku's comment made my mouth snap shut. "Judging from Inoichi's recount of your meeting with Sandaime, you were not expecting a promotion, much less a team reassignment."

"And?" I asked stiffly.

"Your father is a surprisingly accommodating man," commented Shikaku. "Despite knowing of your abilities."

"What are you implying?" My eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I've looked up some records the past week," said Shikaku as he shook the ice in his glass. "Your father had done quite a bit to help you cover up your little slip ups. The biggest being the Kyubi incident."

"If you think my dad would use me for—"

"Your father is not that sort of man," interrupted Shikaku. "I've worked with him on more than one occasion and while I can't say I know all there is to the man, you and he can't be any more different."

"Different?" I paused in surprise at his words.

"If I have to give an analogy to your father, I would compare him to the rain. Soothing and gentle when he comes to treat his patients, be them civilian or shinobi. Ferocious and unforgiving when it comes to your safety. The amount of tenderness and care he gives to his patients has been praised many times just as much as his protectiveness. You on the other hand…"

His eyes met mine and I had to fight back a flinch. Despite his lazed posture there was a threatening pressure behind his gaze. I felt like I was under judgment from his gaze.

"You're like the foreboding cloud that tells what the morrow brings, but like the obscuring mist you hide what's to come. No one knows if you'd bring a gentle rain or if you'd strike down like lightning," said Shikaku, his eyes never breaking from mines. "You said you're loyal to Minato and you swore you would protect his legacy but—"

"Minato's legacy will be carried on." I grounded out getting sick of the accusations. "I don't care if you don't trust me or where my loyalties lie. I said I will do what I could to protect his legacy, but in the end Naruto would be the one to continue to do so and he will do so with his own power. I will support him only as needed."

"As needed?" repeated Inoichi with a raised brow. "By your guidance?"

"I have no interest in becoming the next Danzo." I retorted, voicing out the unspoken concerns. "It's not my place nor do I have the power to decide on the future of Konoha. Not when there's a more capable advisor that could decide such things."

"…Singular," noted Shikaku with a frown.

"Quality over quantity." I countered with a snort before he could make any more assumptions. "Though with how slothful he is, the additional advisors are likely there just to drag him from his cloud gazing to finish up his paperwork. Staging a coup would be more troublesome than what it's worth."

If either of them was a lesser man, they be spluttering in disbelief. True, I'm totally pulling this out of my ass since I never saw what happened in the end, but it's not like they could call me out for bull shit. I've said enough for them to draw their own conclusions and they've seen just enough to know my words carries some truth. It's not like I'm completely lying.

In my memories, what little that was accessible, a surprising number of them included Shikamaru. He had said that he would take up the role as an adviser when Naruto became the Hokage. Much like how Tobirama did for Hashirama, he would stand by Naruto, making sure he would never have to face anything alone. I'm not sure if it was due to my wariness of the Nara Clan's intellect or if it was due to Shikamaru's frightful ability to come up on top when he's grievously underpowered with nothing more than his wit and tactics to keep him going.

To this day, even though I've forgotten so many other things, I could still remember the entirety of what happened with Hidan and Kakuzu. Shikamaru was likely one of the few people that I would think twice before daring to cross. Not that he would take offense or react much towards petty pranks and harmless fun, but I know better than to threatening someone that he holds dear.

"And what makes you think that future would continue since you've revealed that tidbit to us?" said Shikaku. "Your visions become obsolete when more and more people are aware."

"Naruto takes after Minato-san more so than you think." I replied. "He would not need my machinations to bring forth his future. That will be done by his hand and his alone. The friends he make, the allies he gain, that would be solely on him. The only thing I can offer him and will offer him is the support of a family."

"And if I decide to use this knowledge and turn the tables against him?" droned Shikaku.

"I can't stop you if that's what you've decided." I answered.

"You won't try to stop me?" continued Shikaku.

"Do you think I could stop you?" I returned. "Be it age, experience or skills, you outrank me in every possible way."

"Then why tell me? Do you want me to ruin Naruto's future?" asked Shikaku.

"You could try… but I wouldn't recommend it." I answered.

"Is that a threat?" said Inoichi with narrowed eyes.

"And what would I threaten you with?" I asked. "Uncertain futures that no one could prove?"

I allowed my words to settle for them to digest and interpret its meaning. It was a risky move to make them think my words held more than what it's worth, but necessary if I don't want them to continue treating me as an enemy. Unfortunately, the two people in front of me were likely the hardest people to fool. One, the head of a certified genius clan and the other the head of a mind-reading clan. Both were used to reading people and extracting information.

To have the galls to try to pull one over their eyes… If I was a guy, I'd say I have balls of steel for doing this… but since I'm not… hmm… what's the equivalent for girls? Ovaries of steel? Good lord, that just sounds gross… wait, where was I again? Oh god, I spaced out again didn't I? Biting my lower lip, I forced my mind back into focus as tears of pain welded up in my eyes, blurring my vision.

"It's no coincidence that you returned on the same day as Kyubi's attack…you knew Minato was going to die," said Shikaku quietly. Through the blurriness of my unshed tears, I could vaguely see him directing his attention towards me.

"…Yes." I admitted, my voice straining with a choke as I did my best to resist the urge to wipe my eyes. It won't do for them to think I'm trying to act up just to get pity points. Even I would find that trick being one too obvious.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" demanded Inoichi.

"…Would that have helped?" I asked, lowering my eyes to the ground, blinking away the unshed tears. "Regardless what you do or how hard you try, major events couldn't be changed so easily. Even if you manage to stop one person, another would just take up where the last left off."

"Worsening the situation instead," concluded Shikaku as he watched the ice melt and clack in his glass. "What happened when you tried last time?"

"Last time?" repeated Inoichi with a frown furrowing his brows as he glanced towards me.

Trust Shikaku to read the queues so flawlessly…

"…Konoha was only supposed to have one jinchuriki." I answered quietly.

Dead silence fell over the room and I said nothing else. There were several outcomes I could already see from my revelation. One of three things could happen. One, they're more wary of asking of the future and attempting to change it. Two, they lock me away or kill me so I couldn't change the future. Or three… they call bull shit and promptly strip my mind of the knowledge not giving a damn if I turn into a vegetable and try to figure out the whole future thing on their own.

"How troublesome," sighed Shikaku as he lowered his glass to a coaster on the ground. "What is with the Uzumaki clan that makes you all such trouble magnets?"

"Shikaku?" queried Inoichi as he glanced at the other man with a questioning gaze.

"Tell me, aside from your father and everyone in this room, who else knows?" asked Shikaku, ignoring the fact that I just admitted it was my fault that Isobu attacked Konoha.

The sudden change in questions placed me at a lost. I wish I knew how the man processed his thoughts. One moment he's staring me down, daring me to say something wrong and the next he acts like I haven't said a single word. Just what is going through his mind?

"…Rin-san and Jiraiya-sama." I answered, not seeing the harm in answering truthfully.

"I see…" murmured Shikaku as he fell into a brief silence.

If I could, I would say a pensive look crossed his face as the gears in his mind worked, but the moment passed by so quickly, I barely even noticed that a thought even crossed his mind.

"The first time you snuck in, you said you wanted to find Minato's kunai," said Shikaku. "When I asked what you wanted to do with it, you said you wanted to use it to cut down traveling time."

I frowned, unsure where he was going with this.

"Now let me ask you," said Shikaku as his firm gaze landed on me. "With that extra time, what do you plan to do with it?"

The room grew quiet as I mulled over his words, trying to figure out what laid beneath it. What would I do with that extra time? He specifically noted time. If I thought about this with the old saying that time is money and in turn, money is power… the question would be what I do with that power.

When I first went after Minato's kunai, the only thought I had at the time was to get out of the Academy without getting lumped into an apprenticeship with whoever Danzo manage to stick me with. I never really thought I could pick up where Minato left off and use the hiraishin in combat.

Power… wasn't exactly something I desired. Sure, it's nice to be a badass and to be recognized as such, but like Yami said… power requires a whole lot of effort to maintain and sometimes that meant unsavory dealings. I don't think I have the right mindset for this sort of thing. Even if I had someone to deal with the dirtier parts of gaining and maintaining power, I…

"…I don't know." I answered quietly.

"Maybe it's time you took a step back and think about it," said Shikaku. "Since you have no clue what to do if you had extra time, why don't you think about how to utilize what time you have better instead of wasting it like you have already?"

In another lifetime, Shikaku's words would've completely gone over my head. If it was not for Hizashi and Kurei's training, I wouldn't have been able to pick up the subtleties of this conversation. All this time, I thought Shikaku was questioning my loyalty to Konoha, questioning my every action and inaction, but in reality he was questioning my resolve.

Yes, he knows I have the so-called foresight that would dub me an oracle in this world. He's aware that every bit of information I reveal has repercussions. Even so, he was encouraging me to use that knowledge. Not only that, he didn't seem bothered by the severity of the possible repercussions. Just what the hell is thinking?

"When you find out what you want to do with that free time, come tell me. Until then, I think it's best you focus on your training with Inoichi with whatever time you have," said Shikaku.

With that, our conversation ended and it would be quite some time before I saw the elder Nara again for another conversation. Inoichi still had some matters to deal with Shikaku, so I was left to show myself out of the Nara household. As I walked down the hall, I realized how different it felt compared to walking in the Uchiha district or the Branch House in the Hyuga compound.

Having walked through the latter two many times before, the first difference I notice between here and there was the amount of noise. In the Uchiha district, it always seemed so lively with the chatter and energy that they all give off. Sure, there were moments where they're utterly unsociable with a stick up their asses, but even then you could still tell what passionate people they were by how they insult you.

The Hyugas were no different. Being more subdued and reserved compared to the Uchiha, their compound held a different sort of energy. One more on the side of peace and serenity rather than fanning the raging the flames of a passionate fire. On more than one occasion, I found myself nearly falling asleep despite being under the Hizashi sensei's scrutiny during morning training with Tokuma.

The Nara household on the other hand…felt dark, bordering on lifeless. Even the silence here was different from the quiet tranquility in the Hyuga compound. Odd, considering the Naras were likely the most laid back clan… Though, I supposed it makes sense for a clan of shadow users. Shadows were something to be seen, but rarely noticed. Ironically, it works very well with the phrase "You see, but you do not observe."

Speaking of seeing, I glanced over to the open veranda and spotted the younger boy on the floor with his hands behind his head, staring out to the sky.

"Cloud gazing again Shikamaru?" I said in amusement, stopping briefly at where he laid. Shikamaru flinched briefly when I spoke before craning his neck a little to arc back to glance at me. I gave a faint smile as he sighed.

"Geez, don't scare me like that, I thought you were my mom," grumbled the boy.

"Sorry." I held curled fingers against my lips, covering a giggle. Even with how uncomfortable it felt to be in the Nara household, something about seeing the carefree lazed expression on Shikamaru's face just eased my nerves. "I'll leave you to acquaint yourself with the clouds. Have fun!"

Again, he gave me an odd look as I turned to leave. I wonder what's going through his mind every time he looks at me like that. Ah well, I guess I'll never know.


After nearly a month's worth of training, for the life of me, I still couldn't meditate for shit. However, Inoichi did manage to find another way for me to focus and clear my mind from succumbing to the debilitating thoughts brought on by overthinking. Turns out the best way to get me to stop thinking was to distract me with something that requires all my attention.

Such as…jutsu creation. And before any of you decide to jump to conclusion, no I'm not creating a JMD. I'd risk going feral if I tried pulling out more chakra than I'm currently using. Even though I'm already running on pure demonic chakra, my body was still human and a child one at that. The body could only take so much before it decides to say up yours and drop dead. Maybe when I'm a bit older, the body would be better adjusted for larger amounts of demonic chakra, but for now I'm stuck with what little I could access that my mind hasn't already sealed away.

Speaking of sealed things, as it turns out, the sealed doors affect more than memories. According to Inoichi, after several sessions he realized that I wasn't improving as quickly as he expected. You see, with the mental arts there was a certain level of learning curve for people. With my inability to meditate, my slower progress was expected. However, it was even lower than what Inoichi estimated and he decided to look into the reason why.

Apparently, sealed doors have a nasty habit of stunting mental growth and occasionally making the person regress both physically and mentally. That might just explain the feral tendencies and my absurd bouts of childishness. I'm quite aware I'm a grown woman stuck in a child's body, but I'll admit I've acted more like a child in more than one occasion and with the frequency as late, I couldn't put it off as just an Uzumaki quirk anymore.

If Inoichi hadn't found out… how far would the regression have gone? The thought was enough to send chills down my spine. Hence, the jutsu creation became more than just a distraction to keep me from overthinking. As I've said before, I'm not creating a combat jutsu, it just wasn't something I could use without losing what little of my mind I still had.

Instead, I was trying to create a medical based jutsu that could repair damage left by the sealed doors. Can't say I've made much progress since I'm the only test subject and I didn't dare try any volatile experimental jutsu on myself that would blow up the fishes I tested it on. Due to my enforcer ability there was a slight issue of chakra oversaturation that causes cellular disruption.

What's that you ask? Well, you know how Tsunade's creation rebirth technique hastens the cell multiplication to repair whatever damage the body takes and continues to heal throughout a battle until she runs out of chakra? Her regeneration stops once the injury's gone and running in the background until she's injured again. My technique… doesn't. Like cancer, the cells continuously divides and eventually engorging whatever it heals and blowing up… not exactly helpful for my situation… but I guess if I ever decide to get sadistic, I could heal someone to death… if that makes any sense.

Until I find a way to lessen the chakra saturation and stop the cellular disruption that leads to things blowing up, I doubt I could use it to heal anything, much less myself… How does Tsunade and Kabuto make this shit look so easy?

Poke

"Damn it, Itachi! I snapped, raising a hand to cover my forehead before another poke could assault it, but paused when I realized it wasn't Itachi that poked me. "Eh, Shisui?"

"Itachi's going to be a little late, he told me to send you his regards," said Shisui cheerily as he pulled back.

"Good lord, even when he's not here, he's still an utter ass." I muttered darkly under my breath.

"How are you feeling? I heard that your health was acting up again," said Shisui as he leaned against the tree I was sitting under.

A shrug. "There are good days and bad days, but I was told that it won't affect my career as a kunoichi, so I guess that's something to be happy about."

"That's good," said Shisui as we fell into a brief silence.

Had it been with anyone else, I might've found the silence awkward, but with Shisui it's pretty much normal. We had a weird dynamic where if we weren't around the others, we really didn't have much to say. He was always the accommodating one that gave into my whims and joined me in my impromptu displays of over-exaggerated drama. Aside from that one time during the chunin exams, I've never really had any arguments with Shisui.

"You know… I never really thought of you as the type to get sick," commented Shisui offhandedly.

"Hmm?" I glanced up at him with a questioning gaze. "What do you mean?"

"How do I put this?" said Shisui as he grabbed his chin thoughtfully before raising a finger with a grin. "I guess, I'd compare you to the sun."

"Sun?" I raised a brow.

"Bright and full of energy," explained Shisui. "On top of that, you're an iryo-nin so it's hard to stay down for long with you around."

"You say this like I'm infallible." I said with a deadpan. "Have you lost count how many times I've been hospitalized already?"

"True," chuckled Shisui as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the tree once more. "But that never stopped you for long."

"Is that so?" I said with a snort. "Well, if you think I'm like the sun, I think you're like the wind."

"Why?" asked Shisui with a tilt of his head.

"Because you enjoy blowing people away." I answered with a grin.

"Hmm?" Confusion crossed his face.

"When people think Uchiha, they usually think of someone like Fugaku-san or even Itachi. A bit snooty and arrogant to anyone they think is beneath them." I said as I shuffled the cards absently. "You are more like Obito, you enjoy messing with people and surprising them."

"I see," said Shisui thoughtfully.

"You know, I'm starting to feel like a weather phenomenon with the comparisons I've been getting lately." I answered as the cards hissed against each other.

"Oh?" asked Shisui with an amused grin. "What were the other ones you got?"

"Nothing pleasant, that's for sure." I said dryly before I noticed movement at the corner of my eye before Itachi appeared in a body flicker. I gave an annoyed snort. "Show off."

"Itachi," said Shisui cheerily as he greeted the younger Uchiha. "I thought you said you were going to be late."

"I finished early," said Itachi.

"That's what she said." I sang with a childish grin as the cards hissed against one another again.

"…Should I even ask?" said Itachi as he turned to the older Uchiha.

"Probably not," replied Shisui with a chuckle.

"So, were you on a date with Naori-san?" A sly grin crossed my lips as I waggled my brow. "Are we going to have a happy announcement soon?"

Itachi reached out to poke my head, but I ducked and rolled out of the way before he could manage.

"Ha! Not today! Get me once shame on you, get me twice, shame on me." I retorted.

"I seem to recall having poked you on more than one occasion," said Itachi dryly.

"Those were on different days." I countered.

"You're in denial," said Itachi with a wry grin.

"And you're a prick." I returned.

"Now, now," said Shisui teasingly. "Both of you stop flirting. There's plenty of time for that later."

"Shisui, I'm hurt." I said with mock sorrow. "How could you think I would try to steal Itachi from you?"

"Oh Kasa!" said Shisui just as dramatically, kneeling down on one knee to be at my height.

Itachi let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as Shisui and I went into yet another one of our impromptu performances.

"How many months am I going to be stuck with the two of you?" said Itachi with a sigh.

"You know you love us," said Shisui with a grin as he hung an arm over my shoulder.

"Don't mind him Shisui, he just likes raining on other people's parades." I said.

"Oh?" said the older Uchiha in amusement. "So we're back to the weather phenomenon again?"

"Weather phenomenon?" repeated Itachi with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Right, you weren't here," said Shisui as he gave a wave. "Before you got here we were comparing each other to the weather. She said I was like the wind. What do you think?"

"Don't bother Shisui, Itachi's not the type to play this sort of—"

"I think Shisui's more like a sun shower," answered Itachi, ignoring the fact that he just cut me off to prove me wrong.

"You're doing this on purpose." I accused.

A smirk crossed his face as if to say, what are you going to do about it?

"Why sun shower?" asked Shisui as he tightened his arm around my shoulder to keep me from pouncing Itachi.

"Because you enjoy making people miserable with a smile on your face," said Itachi in deadpan.

"Who me?" said Shisui cheerily with a bright grin as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders resting his chin on my head and his weight on my back. "I would never do that, right Kasa-chan?"

"No, I'll have to agree with Itachi on that. Schadenfreude is definitely your sort of thing." I grumbled trying to shrug him off. "Get off, you're heavy."

"But you're just so much fun to hug," chirped Shisui. "Right Itachi? Wouldn't you say she's like a big fluffy white cloud?"

"I thought you said I was like the sun?" I retorted.

"Nah, after thinking about it, you're like a fluffy white cloud, always floating away when someone wants to get to know you," said Shisui.

"Then I'm changing my comparison too! You're like humidity." I said in a deadpan. "You're suffocating me."

"Aw, isn't she just cute Itachi?" chirped Shisui as he ruffled up my hair into a mess. "Just like a cute fluffy cloud."

"Quit it!" I whined, trying to swat the older boy away. "Itachi, help!"

"No," said Itachi.

"You dick!" I snapped. "When I get free from this I oughta—"

"I think she's more like the sky," said Itachi before both Shisui and I paused.

"Sky?" the two of us chorused in confusion.

"Because she's unpredictable and bipolar," said Itachi bluntly. I gave him a death glare while Shisui snickered. "You could never tell what she's going to be like. One day she could be as bright as the sun and another she could be unstable like a hurricane."

"Isn't that a bit extreme, Itachi?" asked Shisui with a chortle.

"I'd be doing people a disservice if I answered otherwise," answered Itachi with such a nonchalant expression on his face. "They should know how dangerous it is to deal with her."

"Gee thanks." I said sarcastically. "I'm so flattered you think this highly of me."
"You're welcome," said Itachi with another smirk.

Oh, so he's going be like that huh? Two can play that game.

"And you show my thanks, I'll show you a trick!" I switched to a cheery tone as I fanned out my cards in front of him. "Pick a card."

"You're not going to blow it up in our faces and drug us, are you?" asked Shisui with a raised brow.

"Now why would I do that?" I chirped, not withdrawing the cards.

"Because it's obviously a trap," said Itachi, not bothering to pick a card as I suggested.

"Stop being a pretentious ass and pick one. I promise it'll be funny." I said with a honey laced chirp.

"No," refused Itachi bluntly.

Before I could decide to just throw a card with an exploding cow at his face, Shisui loosened his arms around my shoulders and reached out to pluck one from the center.

"Shisui," warned Itachi.

"What's the worst that could happen?" asked Shisui cheerily. "Kasa's not going to kill us even if she's annoyed. Right?"

"And this is why I like Shisui more than you Itachi!" I said, sticking out my tongue at him childishly.

"So what's the trick?" asked Shisui as he flipped the card curiously in his hand.

"Now watch closely and don't blink." I spoke as if in a performance, moving to tap the card three times as I counted down. "Three… two… one!"

The instant the countdown was over, I sent a burst of chakra, making the card explode into a puff of cloud. Shisui took a step back, expecting the reaction, but when he saw what was hidden amidst the smoke, he let out a hearty laugh.

"A rubber duck?" asked Shisui with mirth as he squeezed the little duck, making it squeak.

"I said it would be funny didn't I?" I chirped.

"You're right about that, but why a duck?" asked Shisui with a grin as he held the duck closer to his face to study the details of the toy.

"Why not?" I grinned. "Who would ever expect an attack from a rubber duck of all things?"

"Eh?" said Shisui before the duck's squeak ended and another cloud of gas shot straight into Shisui's face. Itachi jumped, backing away from the spreading gas. Spluttering, the older Uchiha coughed taking in a good breath of the gas before he fell into another fit of laughter. "L-laughing gas?"

"Surprise!" I said as I plucked the duck from his hand, unnoticed by him, there was a second seal on the bottom of the duck that stored the compound.

"Told you it was a trap," said Itachi from a safe distance away.

"D-damn it Kasa, hahahaha!" laughed Shisui as he stepped away from me and clung onto the side of the tree for support.

"Kasa, what did I say about drugging your own teammates?" said Kurei as he approached us.

"You gave that speech to Santa." I retorted as I resealed my ducky back into its card. "Besides, this one will wear off in a bit. The dosage in that one isn't that strong."

"Even so, that's irresponsible of you to debilitate your teammates in such a manner. If we were on the field, you'd be placing him in danger," said Kurei.

"But we're not on the field, sensei." I answered with a cheeky grin. "There's no harm in these little pranks as long as they're in the village right?"

Kurei gave an exasperated sigh. "And here I thought you've matured since the promotion."

"Only when on duty, sensei!" I said cheerily. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"We'll be taking missions today," replied Kurei. "It's about time you three start doing them again after such a long hiatus."

"Sensei's cold like a snowstorm. I just got back from health issues you know." I said with a pout.

"At least your tongue hasn't grown dull with disuse," drawled Kurei. "I'll make sure to ask for a mission that involves with at least one noble."

"Serious?" I said, dropping the act with a whine. "I was just kidding around."

"Just because you've gotten a promotion, doesn't mean you get any special treatment," said Kurei in amusement before his expression turned serious and our attention focused on his words alone. "From now on, I'm only an observer in missions. I will only step in if one of you are in danger. Otherwise, it's on you whether the mission is a success or a failure. Got it?"

"Yes sir." The three of us chorused, wiping away any signs of jest from our faces.

"Good," said Kurei as he glanced at the three of us. "As of today, the three of you will be known as Team Karasu."

Karasu…Crow… that is so not foreboding at all.


Author's notes: Happy Fourth of July! I'm quite giddy with the long ass reviews some of you been leaving and I have to say you guys make me blush with such generous flattery! While the first half of the chapter was a pain to write, the second half, I had a blast. I've been anime binging again, so the chapter's content been slightly influenced by what I watched. Let's see how many of you could guess which anime it is! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Love ya!