Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, just Takara and her family (not Anko(obviously, lol))

Trigger warning: Swearing


Chapter 33 ~ Preparations

That next morning I woke up early and made breakfast for Usagi and Dad, as is usual.

After the table was all set, like they had some mystic power for when food is ready, my family rushed to the kitchen.

Dad body flickered into his seat and began to eat, scroll in hand. Usagi came running down the stairs in his pajamas and was stuffing his face with egg immediately.

I sat down as well and sipped a bowl of miso soup while I ate my veggies.

Dad observed me for a minute before chuckling, "You would think that you would get tired of miso after eating it every day for three years."

Usagi watched me after Dad's comment and immediately picked up his own bowl of soup and tried to drink it, but ended up splashing half of it on the table.

As I leaned over to put my napkin on the spill, I started what I knew might be a losing battle.

"So, Dad, when should we start my training?"

My Dad hesitated before sighing, "Well, if I'm going to be taking time off during your exam, then I need to work a little more now. So I would suspect that you might be spending a lot of time by yourself."

I frowned, "How am I going to learn more if you're not gonna be around?" I whined.

Dad shrugged, "We will figure something out." He glanced at the clock before finishing his meal and muttering a goodbye as he quickly left for work.

I rolled my eyes and played with my food, a little downcast.

"Taka-onee, are we gonna play more?" Usagi asked innocently.

I gave him a soft smile but shook my head, "No, you still need to go to school, it's probably not safe for you to be around while I try new moves."

Usagi frowned, "That's not fair! I wanna watch Onee!"

"No Usa, it's just not a good idea, besides school is good for you." I tried to reason. But Usa was getting really worked up. Tears even pricking in his eyes.

As I started to try to calm his beginning tantrum down, there was a knock on the door that made us both pause.

Usa seemed to stop his tears immediately as I walked over to the front door and opened it.

I blink, a little surprised, "Hi Kakashi-Sensei, Sasuke." I nodded at them both, "What are you doing on the edge of the village?" I grin.

Kakashi gave a tired laugh, "Well, I thought I should tell you that I won't be able to train you during this month. I'm going to be focusing on Sasuke."

I nod, "Yea sounds about right."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, "Oh, does it now?" He said, sounding even more tired.

"Well, yea, you know about his seal predicament and will be able to train him around it. Besides, you also have Sharingan, and your fighting styles are similar. It makes sense." I said with a cheeky grin, but my eyes drifted to the bags they are holding. "You guys gonna go train in the mountains so the competition and/or Orochimaru can't find you?" I questioned.

Kakashi groans and rubs his forehead, "Your intuition is really annoying. Yes, we are going off to train during the month."

"Oh, where at? I wanna visit!" I chirped, but Kakashi shook his head.

"No, Sasuke needs to focus, so we don't need you hanging around."

I sigh, "Gosh Kakashi. It sure seems sketchy that you're taking a young boy off to a secret location where you won't let anyone visit. It sounds pretty scandalous to me. It would be a shame if someone told everyone in the village about your rendezvous." I lean against the door frame dramatically and fan myself.

Kakashi, visibly annoyed, "Takara! Don't say things like that, someone might take you seriously."

I look up at him and sigh, "I wouldn't, but I am a little annoyed at you, Sensei. Sasuke is my friend, and I want to make sure you're not too harsh to him. Also, what if he needs a training partner? At least consider having me come by for a welfare check."

'Not to mention he is definitely picking favorites, which is also annoying,' I think grouchily.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and told me he'd think about it.

"I've already set up Naruto's trainer while I'm gone. Do you have someone in mind yet?" He asks, obviously ready for the conversation to end.

I shrug, "I have my Dad. He'll train me."

Kakashi eyes me warily, "Do what you want, but I would recommend that you expand your jutsu a bit. Maybe take on a different mentor. I'm sure Anko would take you on."

I grin at Kakashi, "I'll see what I can manage, but thanks for the advice."

Just as I was about to bid them farewell, I felt a tug on my pants. Usagi was looking up at Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Oh!" I said, startling my teammates, "Kakashi, you've never met my brother, have you?"

I bent down and picked up the smol child, so he could see Kakashi better.

Usagi stares at Kakashi wide-eyed for several seconds while Kakashi very awkwardly waved hi to the child.

Suddenly Usagi grinned, threw his arms out, and yelled, "Chidori!"

I blinked in surprise. I have never told Usa about that move before. But Kakashi looked at my brother and sigh.

"Does he have your intuition too?" He asked. I giggled and almost said no- But then I thought back to Usa telling me about Orochi, and a bad man who wants Sasuke.

Does Usa have a Conscience too?

"Maybe a little bit!" I said with a grin as my brother giggled.

Sasuke reached out and tapped Usa on the forehead lightly, which made my little brother shriek with joy.

"Sasuke-Nīsan!" He laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Usa-chan, they need to leave. Let's say goodbye." I told him, and so we both waved at my teammates as they turned and left.

I didn't wait long before pulling back inside and looking at my little brother, who sat contently in my arms.

"Do you have a Conscience too?" I question him, trying to sound serious. But he only looked at me confused with his big doe eyes.

I sigh and shrug, "Ok, let's get dressed, you need to go to school." I set him down gently, and he booked it upstairs. I suppose seeing Sasuke and Kakashi made him forget entirely about watching me train.


After dropping Usa off at school, I meandered around the shopping district for a bit. We have plenty of food at home, and I never need new clothes, so it was a lot of boring window shopping. I mentally tried to come up with a training regiment for me to complete today, but I have no idea where to start to beat a taijutsu master, like myself. It's obvious that Neji will have the upper hand just based on how my hits will break bones, but his will give me a heart attack, like Hinata. Without Dad to give me directions in my training, and me still having a block on one of my ears, I'm not feeling very train-y right now.

As I walked closer to the medical district, I noticed a messy brown-haired guy in front of me.

With a smirk, I run forward and dodge the civilians before tackling Kiba from behind.

It's a miracle he didn't buckle from the surprise, and we didn't fall to the ground.

"Hey, Kiba! What's up!" I chirped, still holding him from behind. He had caught me in a piggyback- I guess after years of me catapulting him face-first into dirt he was finally prepared to catch me at a moment's notice.

Kiba looked over his shoulder at me before sputtering and turning red in the face, "Get off me, Takara!"

I laugh and released him, and he dropped me to the ground. He's in civilian clothes, as am I, and we are right in front of the hospital.

"What are you doing here? Visiting?" I asked, to which he nodded in return.

"Yea, stopping by to see Hinata. She's awake but still connected to a bunch of machines while they make sure her heart hasn't taken on permanent damage." He explained although I couldn't tell if it was good news or not.

"I should stop by and say hi, although," I pause and frown, "It's not like we are close friends. I probably shouldn't just start talking to her now."

Kiba shook his head, "No Hinata doesn't have any close female friends, she might enjoy it if you say hi. You don't have to stick around or anything."

Nodding in return, I grin, "Besides, I should see Lee too."

So the two of us entered the hospital, which was its average amount of busy.

However, the second one of the nurses noticed me, I was suddenly surrounded.

"Takara! How is your ear?"

"You don't have chakra exhaustion again, do you?"

"Did you schedule an appointment for you or your brother?"

I sigh at the supreme amount of attention I was getting. Kiba also threw me a mildly concerned look at how all the nurses seem to be on a first-name basis with me.

"Sorry for the concern ladies and gents, I am just here to visit a friend!" I said with a grin, and all the nurses seemed to relax.

"Oh, that's disappointing. I was hoping to give you an examination." Said a very familiar voice.

I turned to see my chakra vein doctor, who I had been seeing since I was a small child.

He grinned at me as he walked over to Kiba and me. "Visiting? Good to hear that you haven't managed to break another part of you in less than 24 hours." He jested as he motioned to my deaf ear.

"How did you find out about that?! You weren't even the one who treated me!" I exclaimed while he laughed.

"You have a reputation for being one of our favorite patients." He glanced at his wristwatch, "Wanna do a quick vein evaluation while you're here?" He asked.

I frowned, "Don't you have real patients?"

He shrugged, "I'm officially off the clock, but you are gonna be the subject of a massive paper on chakra someday, so I think I can carve some time out for you."

I sigh and tell Kiba to go ahead without me. I then followed the Doctor into his office, where we began the examination.

He touched his palms against mine while pushing his green chakra into my system. His eyes were closed tight as he tried to measure the differences.

I clench my teeth, as the experience never feels good and can be straight-up painful. Like overstretching a muscle. It feels like my entire body burns and vibrates.

After a couple minutes, he pulls away with a very puzzled look on his face.

"Have you noticed any differences in your system?"

I nodded a little, "I think my reserves have expanded since I can do more jutsu now.

He leans over and starts writing something down. "Yes, and how has your usage of chakra changed?"

I sigh in thought, "Well, my Sensei has been forcing me to use chakra more often and focus it in certain areas. But I think I've been fainting less. Hence the expanded reserves."

"What kind of chakra control?" He pushed.

"Standing on trees, and using chakra to enhance my speed. Pretty standard stuff. Oh, I recently learned a few more powerful jutsu for the exam, and I'm probably going to learn more."

The Doctor finishes his notes and sets his pen down gently before looking straight at me. "Do you know what percent your veins were at before you officially became a genin and started doing missions?"

I nod, "Of course I do, the numbers are always seared into me."

"13%" He answers for me. "From six to twelve, your percentage only went up 10%. Your family was doing the therapy, but they were also making you focus on taijutsu so that you wouldn't need your chakra. And now you have a sensei who is forcing you to use your chakra." He explained, sounding very serious.

"So… it went up? It expanded?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Your veins went from 13%, of a regular ninja, to 45% in just a couple of months."

My mouth dropped open.

"That is over a 230% increase. It's alarming, to say the least. If I didn't just check your veins and knew they felt fine, I'd be worried that your veins are tearing." He said seriously.

"But they aren't tearing… and I'm okay? And I can use more chakra?" It felt like I was floating on air.

"Yes, you are healthy and can use more chakra. It seems like just the therapy was not enough, you needed to be actively using it too, not just letting it stay stagnant inside you. In fact, your veins are even larger in your hands and feet than in other parts of your body. So your body is adapting itself for chakra usage." The Doctor was grinning, "This is amazing news! I'm going to send a scroll to your Dad, and you should celebrate tonight! If your veins continue at this rate, in a few years, you may be at the same level as other ninjas your age."

I thanked the Doctor graciously as I held back tears of joy. After he finished recording all of his new findings, he gave me directions to Hinata's room.

As I stumbled down the hallway, I couldn't help but think things are looking up.

I skipped into Hinata's room to find her propped up slightly on a pillow, and connected to a lot of monitors. But given that she was speaking softly to Kiba, I think she'll be okay.

I grinned at her as I walked in and sat next to Kiba in an uncomfortable hospital chair.

"Hi Hinata-san, how are you feeling?" I asked gently.

She seemed to offer me a half-smile, through her breathing mask. "We were classmates, you don't have to use san for me." She said softly, although muffled by her mask.

I nod, "And as such, just know you can call me Takara."

"I don't feel well, as the medication I'm on makes me feel dizzy." She says softly with a pout. "My chest also feels heavy, which makes it hard to sit up. I am to be on bed rest until the chunin exams."

I frown, "I'm so sorry, that sounds horrible. If I can help in any way, let me know."

"Well, we heard from Shino that you're fighting Neji, so if you can beat that freak then that would help me," Kiba muttered angrily.

Hinata lightly scolded Kiba for speaking like that about her cousin, which interested me deeply.

"You're not… angry with him?" I ask astounded.

Hinata shook her head slowly and softly, "No, I'm not. It may not seem clear to an outsider, but the Hyūga clan is very violent toward the lower branches. His anger at me is justified. Although his reasoning runs much deeper, and I am not at liberty to tell his tale."

I nodded, "That's not something I had really thought about before. And also, why didn't you stop using the Hyūga style? Why not stab him?"

Hinata laughed softly before devoting into coughs, "The Hyūga style is all I know and all I was ever taught. To not fight in that style would be shameful. Takara-chan, what would happen if you never picked up the katana?"

"My father and ancestors would be deeply disappointed," I noted softly.

"And toward the end, I was only fighting to show that I would not give up. That, that is my ninja way." She explained softly.

"That was very brave and respectful of you," I replied, but there was another topic on my mind. "I didn't come here with the intention of bringing this up…" I started, intriguing Hinata, "But, is there anything I should worry about when I'm fighting Neji?"

Hinata stared at me with her clear eyes, analyzing my face before she let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry. It would be wrong for me to give away my cousin's moves and secrets. Even if he harmed me. He is my cousin, and I love him for being my family, and I respect how strong he is despite the adversity he's faced on the lesser branch." She seemed genuinely sorry, and so I forgave her instantly.

I nodded, "I'll be honest, I don't really understand how you could still love him. But I respect your strong morals."

That seemed to please Hinata immensely before she sighed deeply. "Maybe there is one thing I can tell you. I won't tell you about what the jutsu is or how it works, but I suspect that it is what my cousin will learn next to fight you. So if you could find a way to shield yourself from his chakra, or learn to fight long distance. That would be best. Do not allow him to get close to you."

The information was very general and honestly doesn't help much. Still, I appreciate that Hinata is willing to tell me even that. I thanked her profoundly and bowed slightly at her.

"I should probably take my leave. I'm going to visit my friend Lee who is also in the hospital." I told her and Kiba.

They both nodded at me, and Kiba said he was going to hang around with Hinata for a little longer.

I exited the room and eventually found myself at Lee's room after getting lost a few times, of course.

I stepped in, and only Lee was sat there staring out the window.

"Hey, Lee!" I chirped and sat down next to him. He seemed mildly startled by me but grinned.

"Gushikan-chan! It is a pleasure to see you!" He exclaimed.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, looking at his bandaged body.

"Well, I have a couple broken ribs, muscle tears, and one of my legs is broken… but! The doctors say that I should heal up perfectly! I will probably still be in a cast for my leg when the exam rolls around, though."

I sigh, "Well, I'm glad you're positive."

"I must say thank you for the information you gave me during my fight with Gaara. I truly wonder what would have happened if your information was not so spot on." He said, looking off like he had imagined it.

"Well, I'm just glad you forfeited, although I know that must have been hard for you," I said softly. He nodded back.

"Yes, it was, and I almost did not do it. But when I was lying on the ground, I knew I would not be able to stand on my leg, and Gaara's sand was beginning to wrap around me, which you explained was dangerous. And everything else you had said was true. Gaara also looked unstable. I think It was the correct decision so that I may fight another day."

"Thank you for listening to me." I said sincerely, "Seriously, thank you."

Lee nodded and gave me a smile. "I heard from Tenten that you will be fighting Neji! It will certainly be a fight for the ages! I am excited to see how it will play out. My two rivals face to face!"

I grin and lean on the edge of his bed with my elbows, "Speaking of Neji! Can you give me any hints?"

Lee frowned, "Gushikan-chan, even though we are friends and rivals, I cannot allow myself to tell you any of my teammate's skills. I apologize." He looked very down.

I laugh, "It's fine, Lee, I didn't expect you to. I accept your apology."

"Actually Gushikan-chan, Neji and Tenten are not here because they have started to train for his fight against you. You should leave and begin training as well." Lee told me, looking concerned. After another moment, he seemed to nod to himself before saying, "I also did not tell Neji about my limited knowledge of your moves. Although I must say that he seems fairly confident that he knows your skillset."

Well, that's gonna give me anxiety.

"You're right, I'll take my leave! See you later, Lee!" I said with a grin and exited his room. I paused after I stepped out of the room and leaned back in to glare at the surprised Lee.

"You said you'd refer to me as Takara-chan!" I scolded, and Lee groaned and apologized.

"It's gonna take some getting used to!" He explained, but I only scoffed as I finally left.

I walked to the stairwell and began to go down when I heard someone say my name, causing me to pause.

Kankuro was standing a couple steps above me, having obviously followed me into the stairwell.

We stared at each other for several seconds.

"Did you track me down to kill me?" I joked, and thankfully he grinned.

Even when we were children, we didn't get along in our brief encounter, so this feels weird.

Kankuro seems off and motions for me to follow, so like the dumbass I am, I did.

We walked a floor down and into a deserted hallway.

Kankuro seems to look around for a second, and when he is positive we are alone, he finally speaks.

"What did you mean earlier about you not stopping your writing to Gaara?" He said seriously.

Oh, so that's what this is about.

"After corresponding with him for about six months, I sent a letter talking about my Mom's pregnancy. He never responded to that one or the one I sent after." I said, trying to think back to the series of events.

Kankuro nods, "We never got that letter. Did you get Gaara's letter about graduating from the academy early? That's the last one he sent."

I shook my head, "No, I didn't."

The very last letter I had sent Gaara was concerning my Mom's death and my pleading that he respond because I wanted to talk to him. But that is much too embarrassing for me to admit to Kankuro right now.

There is a tense silence between us.

"It is possible my Dad intercepted the letters. But we had always assumed you just stopped writing." Kankuro explained. "Our Dad really hates Gaara, so maybe he didn't like that Gaara had a friend."

We are silent for a long time, and then I asked why Kankuro is at the hospital.

"Gaara got some broken ribs during his fight and a concussion. So he needs some pain medication, but he is staying in our hotel. I'm just picking up the medication." Kankuro said offhandedly.

A seed of guilt was planted in my stomach.

"I'm sorry I told Lee about Gaara's sand. But I can tell that Gaara seems different, and I was worried about Lee's safety." I explained softly.

Kankuro seems understanding he rubs the back of his head as he nods. "After your communication stopped, Gaara was still unfairly punished by our Dad for, essentially, being alive. So Gaara did change to survive in the environment our Dad created."

I frown, still feeling bad, but Kankuro tried to explain that this was all probably inevitable.

I reach into my pack and pull out a small notebook and a pencil. After scribbling for a bit, I handed the paper to Kankuro and asked him to give it to Gaara.

"It says that the letters stopped on my side too, and I'm sorry I didn't try harder," I told him. "It also has the address of the training field my family frequents if he wants to talk."

Conscience began to throw a fit about my safety, but I ignored them.

"My Dad thinks the Kazekage has changed. So you siblings should be careful. The air is feeling eerie." I told Kankuro seriously.

Kankuro seems shocked by my words but tells me that they will be careful.

He looks a little guilty.

I bid Kankuro goodbye and left the hospital. As I stood outside for a second, to gather my bearings, I see a flash of orange run past that I'm reasonably certain is Naruto.

A black flash follows him, which I feel like I can assume is the teacher Kakashi set up for Naruto.

With nothing else to do, or people to talk to, I walk to the family training ground.

Without someone there to direct me, I feel lost in my actions. I do try to do a regular training regiment that Dad taught me, but it feels lackluster.

I sat on the warm ground and boredly filtered some dirt through my fingers. I'm actually pretty glad my chakra sign is Earth. Kami knows I've eaten my fair share of dirt during training, but there is something calming to just sitting on the ground for a while.

What can I say, I love dirt.

As I picked up a stick and began to poke the ground to create a little dirt pile, I hear my name being called. I look up mildly, surprised to see Sakura cheerfully skipping over.

"Oi Sakura, it's been a couple weeks!" I shouted at her as she came to stand in front of me. We both grinned at each other as she squatted down next to me.

"Takara, guess what!" She says, her entire face is flushed, and she practically shakes with excitement.

I rest my face on my knuckles, given that my palms are dirty, "Hmmm, now what could get you all bubbly? Could it be you've been confessed to?"

She shook her head, "Kami, I wish! Try again."

I hummed even louder as I stared at her until it clicked.

"You're wearing your headband! Your team passed its test!" I shouted, my face split into an even more massive grin than usual.

She shrieked a "Yesssssss!" and reached over to excitedly grab my wrist.

"We passed our test! Our Sensei says that we have all grown since our first try and that we will make amazing ninjas! Thank you, Takara!" Sakura exclaimed, close to tears.

"Woah woah, woah!" I say, holding my hands up, "What in the world did I do? You're the one who put in all the work."

Sakura's grin fell into something softer, and her already flushing skin turned redder. "Do you remember that day we had tea for the first time, and you listened to me freak out about failing the test?"

I nodded, after all, that's the big landmark that made us start talking. It was the first brick on the road to us, even being friends.

"You told me that if I train really hard, then one day I could be a sanin, that you had faith in me! Of all, people! We weren't even friends back then, but you saw something in myself that I hadn't. So thank you. You helped give me the courage to keep trying." Sakura was looking at my pile of dirt as she softly spoke.

My entire face turned red, and I turn to look anywhere but at her. "I stand by what I say! But don't take credit away from yourself; you're really amazing, Sakura."

The two of us stayed sat on the ground for a couple minutes until our blushes went down. When we were finally able to look at each other again, after such an embarrassing conversation, we laughed.

"Takara, let me treat you to some tea," Sakura said with a smile as she stood up and held out a hand to me.

"Sure," I chuckled, "but…" and held up my hands to show how brown and dusty they are from playing in the dirt.

Sakura rolled her eyes and reached down to pull me up anyway.

We went to our usual tea stand and were quickly served, leaving us sitting on a bench. Sakura went into intense detail on her and her team's test, and I got to relax and listen.

As we finished our tea together, I was suddenly delighted that I decided to stop and talk to Sakura on that day months ago.

Tea isn't better than Miso soup, but right now, it does taste surprisingly good.

After we were finished, I gave a joyful wave to Sakura, but before I could walk away, she jumped forward and pulled me into a hug.

I tensed up, but after she didn't let go, I sighed and gently returned the hug. She still tightened her grip anyway.

After a few moments, we released, and I reached up, given that she is taller than me, and patted her head kindly.

"I wish you and your team the best of luck!" I said with a soft smile.

Sakura flushed and grinned. "And good luck to you on your chunin exam! I'll be watching you from the stands!"

At that, we separated, and I walked the short distance to pick up my brother. I was in such a good mood from my lax day that I carried him on my shoulders on the way home.

When I enter the house, Dad was waiting for me by the door.

He had a flood of indescribable emotions on his face, and the only words he could say are "45%".

He hugs my brother and me before we begin to get ready for dinner.

I picked up a cake on the way home, so Usagi is very excited about dessert.

We all sat down for the meal, and I watched my brother stare eagerly at the cake on the counter.

"Have you ever thought of getting a mentor?" Dad asks randomly.

The question threw me off entirely, as I dished veggies on Usa's plate. "Mentor? Dad, you are my mentor?" I questioned.

Dad's eyes remained on mine for a couple more seconds before he grunted and pushed his food around with his fork. Usagi looked between the two of us curiously before mimicking Dad.

"Of course, I'm here to teach you the Gushikan way, but you are different from the rest of the family, Takara. You have a Kekki Genkai, no one else has had one." He placed a napkin on his lap, and the observant Usagi copied him.

"Well, I would, but no one has my Kekki Genkai, and Kakashi sensei is Sasuke's mentor." I pouted.

"Kakashi is going to make Sasuke very strong," Dad said in thought, his eyes landing on Usagi, which made the little boy smile.

"Yea, he probably will! I can't wait to see how he does against Gaara." I added, but Dad and I shared a knowing look.

"Curly top, you must realize that there is a chance you'll fight Sasuke in the exam, right? If the exam doesn't collapse, that is. You need to get stronger too, and that is not a strength that I can rightly give you. I can make you as physically strong as possible, and I will, but you need help with your genjutsu. You're chakra type too, if possible." His chopsticks clicked together loudly.

I slouched with a frown, "But who? Who would even want to train me? Also, you have the same chakra type too. Don't you remember injecting me every day for six years?"

Dad rolled his eyes, "Curly top, you are surprisingly well-liked, way more than I ever have been. Ask around." He ignored my chakra comment.

I nodded shallowly, "First, give me a list of everyone who hates your guts." I grumble.

He let out a short, loud laugh, "Sure, but people tend to overlook my transgression over just how oddly charismatic you are. I swear I have no idea how you got so good at making friends with two hermits as your parents."

'It's easy to make friends when you know everything.' Conscience quipped, but I decidedly ignore them as usual.


Later I sat in my room, reading up on the Konoha bingo book when Dad knocked loudly and entered in the same breath.

Before I could scold his callousness, he set a paper in front of me. "There," he said confidently, "these people will train you and do so efficiently if you ask."

My eyebrows raised in surprise before I snatched the paper and began to read through.

"Ibiki Moriano, Inoichi Yamanaka, Kurenai Yuhi, Tenzo, Boar-mask." The more I read aloud, the more confused my voice became. "Who is Tezo? And… Boar-mask?"

My Dad sat at the end of my bed, "Well, Tenzo is one of my subordinates. He is proficient in Earth-style and has the material to be a skilled teacher. Boar-mask is another Anbu Captain, like me, and his specialty is Earth-Style techniques." He replied.

I frown at the list. "Well, let's consider Kurenai-san out of the race since Shino made it to the top. And Yamanaka-san too, since I'm sure Ino will be training under him.

My Dad nodded stoically. "And as such, your only chance at genjutsu teacher is gone."

I shot him a look, "Dad, if that's the case, then why do I need a mentor that is not you!"

He sighed very loudly, an action he really doesn't do often enough, "Takara, I am a good ninja, right?"

I nod enthusiastically, "Yea, the second-best in the whole village! Only surpassed by the Hokage himself."

I've said that sentence so many times over my life.

My Dad shook his head, "No, Takara, I am simply a good ninja. There are probably plenty of other ninjas that could kill me in this village, and I simply have no desire to find out how many. I will admit I am strong, my position can speak for itself, but I do not know everything. There are plenty of techniques I cannot teach you, or I am not knowledgeable about. Part of being a good ninja is learning everything you can so that you can apply it, so learning from only one source is something a bad ninja would do. For your own sake, learn from everyone you meet, ask questions, and jump at the chance to get a new mentor."

I honestly felt a bit defensive at first. Although I was not sure if I was defensive of my own intelligence or my father's. But I sat on my bed for a few moments pensive and annoyed.

"Ok fine," I said with admittedly more bite then I meant to, although Dad didn't seem to care, "Then I'll study under three people; Ibiki, Boar-mask, and you."

Dad seemed to pause for a second before nodding stoically, "I'll try to set it up."

"Although I can't help but notice that Anko isn't on here," I said, pouting and turning to pick at the quilt on my bed.

My Dad made a noise as he walked over to the door, "Do you really wanna be trained by someone like that?"

I didn't respond, cuz I really don't want to be trained by her.

I guess, took my silence as my answer as he left my room, leaving me to be consumed by my own thoughts.

I hadn't really had time to absorb the talk Dad, and I had about Anko before the Forest of Death. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt because who could say for sure what happened back then. But now, having come face to face with Orochimaru on more than one occasion, I'm not sure how to feel. Did she really not know what was going on? Or was she let off easy like Dad thinks? I'm not even sure I wanna know the answer to that.

What I do know is that I'm finding my trust in my Aunt to be wavering, and I'm glad that Usagi is not close to her.


The next morning I knew Dad had some time off, and I couldn't help but think about our family's specialty jutsus. If Dad is going to teach me anything, it should be our specialties.

"Dad, can you teach me to summon?" I asked at the breakfast table.

Dad paused for a second before nodding, "Alright. If you're gonna use it in the exam, then we should begin right away."

The three of us went to the training ground a short walk away. Usagi happily running around us and picking flowers along the way.

As we arrived at the training ground, Dad suddenly paused, causing me to look at Dad, confused.

"What's wrong?" I queried, but Dad only looked at me seriously.

"I didn't ask who you want to summon."

I sort of laugh, "Well, preferably an animal of some sort."

He shook his head, "Yes, but do you want my summons or your Moms? As it stands, ninja's can only form a contract with one animal group. I have heard rumors of overly powerful ninjas forming more than one contract, but there's probably a lot that goes into that, and I have never witnessed it to be true. Besides, I think it offends your summon if you form more than one contract."

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I had never even thought Mom's contract was an option. I stood there for a moment considering my options, I could have bears or bats. Mom was more reconnaissance based when she was active in the feild, while Dad has always been on the front lines. So if I plan on being in many battles, then bears are probably the way to go.

I nod to myself after a minute and smile at my Dad, "I'll stick with the Gushikan way."

Dad nodded back, but I swear I saw a ghost of a smile on his face.

Dad bit his thumb to summon, and a poof of smoke appeared that filled the entire space.

Then red eyes shone through the mist.

A bear that was at least nine feet tall loomed over me, with bushy black hair and teeth that were bigger than my fingers.

"Takara, this is Yamashiro. We've been partners for ages." Dad grumbled as he motions to the Bear that not only I could ride, but I don't think it would even notice if I was doing so. I noticed that Usagi stood off to the side, watching us, with his collection of flowers, but did not seem scared in the slightest.

"Hello, little one. Your father speaks of you often." His voice rumbles. His voice is so deep I can feel it reverberating in my chest.

I grin at the giant, "It's nice to meet you too."

The Bear seems to nod before falling onto all fours. The ground shook slightly as he did so.

"What do you want, Tenchi?" The bear yawns.

"The summon scroll, Takara wants to join." Dad relays shortly.

The Bear swings his giant head to look at me. He gives a long inhale through his nose and makes a chuffing sound.

"She is a deficient one. She could never muster anything more than a cub." Yamashiro rumbles before lying down.

Dad frowns, "I don't think I asked your opinion on the matter." He replies sharply, and the Bear chuckles. He opens his mouth, and Dad walks over and sticks his entire arm into the mouth to pull out a giant scroll.

Gross

"Here is it." He says to himself before unrolling the slobbery scroll. He points to a spot, right under his own name, "Write your name here in blood."

I bite my thumb and cringe as I do so. I'm not a fan of drawing my own blood. After a couple strokes, my name is proudly written on the scroll. Dad rolls it back up and tosses it like a treat to Yamashiro, who consume it one bite. Usagi giggled and clapped his hands at the sight.

Dad then shows me the signs to perform. "Make sure to push your chakra into your hands." He instructs.

I nod, and I put my hands together before pressing them into the ground. A puff of smoke fills the field, and when I pull away, I squeal.

The CUTEST little baby bear. It has dark brown hair and is at my knees in height. Its soft-looking fur is puffed up like it was blown dry.

Yamashiro makes a laughing barking sound, "What are you doing here, little one?"

The baby bear turns around to look at Yamashiro and makes a purring sound, "Pa, I was summoned!"

The baby turned around to look at me, "Who are you?" It asked.

"I'm Takara Gushikan," I say, squatting down and putting out a hand. The Bear looks at it before resting it's surprisingly large paw on it.

"I'm Yamane!" It chuffs. I smile more.

"Yama again? That means "mountain," right?" I ask.

Yamane swings its head around, "Yes! It is a tradition to be as strong as a mountain! But why am I here? You want my older brother; he's the one who's been training to be a summon."

I flush, "I'm sorry Yamane, I guess I'm not strong enough to summon your big bro yet. What is his name?"

"Yamamoto!" The baby chuffed as it sniffed my hand.

I smiled at the baby bear as it continued to teeth lightly on my fingers.

"Takara, you did extremely well! Look, you didn't even faint. How do you feel?" Dad asked as he grinned at me.

"I feel fine, but that certainly took a large chunk of my chakra. Maybe a third?" I note in thought. "I'm still limited, but I think I can manage way more now." I grin.

I look back at Yamane, "Maybe after a few more tries, I can get your brother! You better tell him how cool I am!"

The Bear giggled.

It only took a moment for Usagi to run over and very excitably pet the baby Bear. Thankfully Yamane seemed to enjoy the attention.

I smiled more, and then I sniffed the air a bit and frowned. I gently removed myself from the Bear and looked at Dad and sniff loudly. "I smell… an animal?" I ask, confused.

Dad nods, "Now that you've opened yourself up to summons, your chakra will become drenched with bear chakra. You may notice a few changes. It's not like it's second puberty or anything." We both cringe, "But you will notice your sense of smell increasing, such as sniffing out another person's chakra reserves. You may even begin to smell the fear of others. Trust me that is a rank smell." He groaned.

I sniff some more before covering my nose, "Oh, kami, I can smell everything." I groan. "This makes no sense. It's not like my nose changed."

Dad shrugged, "And yet it did. Bears can smell up to 20 miles away. Trust me, I still have nightmares about diapers." He shivers slightly.

I frown, "How does this even help me?"

Dad shrugged again, "Well, you'll be able to sniff out people hiding from you."

I wince at the imagery of me with my nose pressed to the ground to find a hidden ninja.

"Your sense of smell will be incredibly strong when you have a summon out with you, and it will remain heightened when they aren't, but not to this degree."

"Thank Kami," I mumble. Before wiggling my nose, "Two people are coming over here?" I asked, and Dad nodded.

"Yea, that's Naruto and…" Dad sniffed in deeply and frowned. "Hmm, who is that? Maybe…" He looked confused, and we both turned toward the road where the smells were coming from.

Naruto came prancing over to me before back-peddling real hard when he saw the two bears.

That's the first time I smelt fear. It's hard to explain, but it could be akin to a pot of boiling sweat but with an oddly sweet after-smell.

I frown, and Dad and I make eye contact before he smiles and shrugs.

"It's okay Naruto, it's just my family's summons," I say as I walk over to him and the man he brought over.

The man was tall and had strikingly long spiky white hair. He looked oddly familiar, and I could feel Conscience chattering about it, but I ignored them the best I could.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking up at the man.

His eyes seemed to be surveying me before he said, "Naruto, did you really bring me all the way over here to meet your girlfriend?"

rED FACE

"WHAT?!" Naruto and I both shouted at the same time.

I frantically fan my face, "Who the hell are you, you old man?!" I shout, "I'm Naruto's teammate and best friend."

Naruto, also completely red, "Yea, you pervy sage! I thought you should meet my team."

It only took a moment for my Dad to cross the training field and smack me in the back of the head. Then forcing my head into a bow. "I'm sorry for my daughter's tone Jiraiya-sama. She can be a bit dense."

I sputter, "Da-dad?"

The old man seemed to scoff before telling us to raise our heads. When we did, I looked up to my Dad to glare at him, but the glare he shot back at me made me freeze.

Dad looked down at Naruto and raised an eyebrow, "Naruto, how do you know Jiraiya-sama?"

Naruto, still a little red, scoffed, "He's my teacher for the chunin exams. He's nothing more than an old pervert."

Dad's hand was still on the back of my head, and I felt him tense up.

"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked, "You look very familiar."

Dad seemed to bow slightly again, "My name is Tenchi Gushikan, and I'm in the Anbu. But we met once during the great ninja war. I was a child."

Jiraiya stared for a moment before snapping his fingers, "Oh, you were the katana kid! You traveled with that purple girl and blue boy." He looked down at me, "Yea, you have the same eyes as that purple girl."

"That was my late wife, Umi, and my late teammate. I wish we could've been more helpful in those days." My Dad nodded.

Jiraiya nodded before his critical eyes fell back on me, "You don't seem to have much chakra." He stated.

"Yea we are training, I just summoned my first bear!" I grinned as Yamane and Usagi fumbled over and sat next to me. Usagi was staring with big eyes at Jiraiya, seemingly surprised to see him.

Naruto woooaaaahhhed over the baby bear, his fear disappearing.

Jiraiya stared for a moment before nodding, "That is impressive. But you are running low on chakra from one jutsu, isn't that dangerous?"

I looked up and blinked, "What is? I faint from chakra exhaustion all the time, the doctors all know me." I half-joke, but the man's face darkens.

"It's not healthy for someone of your age to be dealing with chakra exhaustion like that." His tone was stern and a little annoyed.

Naruto just shrugs as he plays with the baby bear, "But it's true, it's not uncommon for her to faint during missions. That's why she's a taijutsu and kenjutsu master."

I giggle, "I wish, but I'll get there someday."

Jiraiya just shook his head before turning to my Dad, "You're in the Anbu, but you're letting your daughter exhaust herself by draining her reserves regularly? There's no doubt you've seen what the effects of long term exhaustion are."

I pause to look up at the two adults. My Dad looks uncomfortable in a way that I've never seen before. Like he's been caught.

"She wants to be a ninja." He said simply.

The old man stares at my Dad for a moment before looking down at me. "If you continue to exhaust your reserves over and over for longer and longer periods, you can die from chakra shock." He was speaking as if he was telling me a secret everyone had been keeping from me.

I blink and stare at Jiraiya for a second before turning to look at my Dad. He is silent and staring at the ground below him.

Oh, so it was a secret.

The old man stares at me, "I would suggest you retire early before you die. Or stop using chakra entirely."

Naruto's hand reassuringly found mine, but I didn't really need the comfort.

"Thank you for the concern," I said with a smile, "But I'm a Gushikan, I don't fear death as long as I am serving my nation. Besides, I already knew about the risks."

That got everyone's attention. Even Dad seemed to snap his gaze to me.

"I'm not just some dumb kid. When I fainted for the first time, I got concerned and did my own research. I want to know what's going on with my body. To counteract the effects of constant chakra strain, I've put myself on a very high-calorie diet. I only allow myself to collapse once per mission. And finally, I do constant check-ups with my doctors to ensure my system won't fail." I held eye contact with Jiraiya the entire time while keeping a broad smile on my face.

"Don't get me wrong, there are still risks, but this is all I've ever wanted. I want to be a ninja to protect the people precious to me." I tilted my head and squeezed Naruto's hand. "Plus, despite my disability, I'm still way stronger than Naruto."

Naruto whipped around to look at me and shouted, "Hey!" Which makes both the adults chuckle.

My Dad set a hand on top of my head. "I'll continue to support her because this is what she wants. And that is why we will continue to train. Compared to just months ago, her reserves have increased by over 230%. She will be fine."

I grinned as I looked up at my Dad and then to Jiraiya.

"Forgive my tone, but sir, you don't know me or my situation. So judging my father for my sake is not needed. Although I do appreciate that you are worried about a child that you don't even know." I stretch out a hand to him, "I have a feeling we will be getting to know each other quite a bit considering Naruto. So it is nice to meet you, Sage-sama."

Jiraiya looked at me with critical eyes before sighing and reaching out to grip my hand for a moment and then letting go. "I'll be interested in seeing how you progress, Gushikan."

My grin stretched larger, and I lean over to throw an arm over Naruto's shoulder, "Good because you don't have a choice! And you may refer to me as Takara."

I couldn't tell if he thought I was funny or annoying, but he did pause for a moment, seemingly considering my name, "I think I'll refer to you as Kara-tan."

I blinked, confused for a moment, the gears turning in my head almost visible. "Kara? TAN!?"

Naruto burst into laughter, and my Dad sighs deeply.

"You mean Kara as in lovely, right?!" I quickly tried to fix the hole Jiraiya was digging for me, but he just grinned. I decided not to even acknowledge the fact he just used "tan." One battle at a time.

"No, I mean Kara as in empty- just like your chakra and your head." Jiraiya began to laugh joyfully at his own joke while I stewed in embarrassment.

I turned to Naruto and seriously set a hand on his shoulder, "I don't like your Sensei. We have to kill him." I said.

That broke Naruto as he dissolved into giggles.

Finally, I turned to Dad, who was watching stoically.

"Dad. Why did you allow Mom to curse me so."

His face broke into a smile, the closest he'd ever get to laughing in public.

I have won.

Sometimes, when you're supposed to be training for the fight of your preteen life, you just need to let everyone laugh.


Authors Note:

Yea so "TAN" basically means he thinks she's a baby, it's only used for small children.

I hope you guys are excited for the training montage next chapter! Lol

Thank you and have a nice day,

-ToL