A/N: Hi folks, hope all of you are safe from Corona. Frankly, I am becoming stir crazy here. If anyone else is feeling the same, know that you are not the only ones out there. But, being patient now can help us evade the sufferings of many. So, be understanding and act accordingly. That's my humble request for all of you.
Ahem... with that being said, I am now happy to say that I am grateful for all your support. The story has crossed 1K in follows and favorites which is a milestone in itself according to me. I am really happy with the amount of response I am getting from each chapter recently. It lets me think of other ideas and narratives. Some of the ideas you guys suggested may be used in the future. Once again, thanks for all your love and support.
Now, let's get on with the story...
Chapter 31 – Small Steps
My eyes narrowed as the kunai flew into the air. My muscles tightened in anticipation as I watched it perform an arc and head downwards. I took a deep breath as I watched it near the land.
The kunai thudded into the land.
I shot off like an arrow out of the bow, raising my speed to the max, as I knew well any kind of carelessness would result in an immediate loss against my opponent. I rushed towards him, pausing a moment to kick the kunai on the ground towards him.
Orochimaru parried the kunai I shot at him with ease, but the next moment I had closed in on him with a kunai in each hand. He dodged my swipes and blocked my kicks, before falling back. I closed in again knowing that giving him time to perform a jutsu was a stupid thing to do.
He caught my hand which was leading with a kunai to his eyes. I bent my arm and pushed trying to attack his throat with my elbow. Surprise flicked across his eyes as I saw his neck lean back as if there were no bones.
My surprise lasted for a moment before I brought my other hand to punch his guts. He dodged jerkily, his movements not smooth anymore. I didn't let up the pressure and my legs unleashed a whirlwind of kicks. He dodges most of them with his unusually flexible body, but I did manage to land a few solid blows making him retreat with a substitution that had no seals.
I grimaced and jumped up, only to see him rise from the ground with a sword shooting out of his mouth. The Kusanagi Sword – my mind supplied. I spun in midair releasing a bunch of shurikens which he batted across with his sword.
As I began my descent, my hands flew through seals. Meanwhile, I shot a couple of water bullets making him retreat. The moment I touched the land, four water dragons rose to pounce on him. I didn't stop, knowing full well that it wouldn't be enough to take care of him. As I moved to change my location, hand seals were rapidly formed.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru had summoned the Triple Rashomon gates to deal with my water dragons. When the three gates were taken care of, half of my water dragons' strength was gone. He followed it by Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes.
The snakes rushed to bind the water dragons and pull them down. I completed my hand seals for the Water Dragon Whip technique and unleashed it. Using the whip, I cleared away the snakes, but I had to immediately control them back into a wall-like structure so that I wasn't blown away by the Wall of Wind Orochimaru had created.
I barely managed to steady my footing when I saw Orochimaru rushing towards me with his lower body turned into a snake. I gritted my teeth and once more spat out a water bullet to buy me time. He dodged it effortlessly, but I gave me enough time to block his next attack. As it pushed me back, Orochimaru rushed towards me.
But, the next moment he flipped back narrowly escaping the mud pillars that were rising out of the ground. His eye narrowed taking in the seal I had made in the split second, a small smile formed on his face and he licked his lips. It was way too creepy but I managed to hold in the shudder. I gave him an innocent smile in return.
"Kukukuku, Hato kun your combat seals seem to have improved a lot," Orochimaru said.
"I still couldn't catch you off-guard, Orochimaru san" I said taking in an easy stance.
Something felt wrong. I knew I shouldn't be letting my guard now, but I couldn't help it. My mind rushed through possibilities as I maintained my guard inwardly. I couldn't help but sweat bullets as I saw my body relax more.
'A Genjutsu! But, how? How did he cast a fucking genjutsu? When did he cast it?'
I cursed mentally and disrupted my chakra flow. But I could still feel some more foreign chakra flowing through me.
'Multi-layered one, eh?'
I could slowly unravel it, but I didn't have much time. So, I stabbed my thigh to induce pain and get out of the genjutusu. The moment I woke up, Orochimaru was already close to me. I took in his whirlwind of strikes which were far more powerful than normal strikes. It was a lot faster too. In the end, deciding to take a risk, I molded my chakra in one palm and tried to block his strikes with the other limbs.
It was difficult, but I was faster than him by a little, that enabled me to block all the fatal ones, only a few non-fatal ones landed. But soon, I could feel my body beginning to get numb in a few spots.
'Probably poison,' I thought glumly.
Gritting my teeth, I finished my Whirlpool Cone and slammed it towards him. An alarmed expression came on his face and he jumped back, creating some distance from my jutsu. I concentrated a bit and manipulated my chakra and turned the Whirlpool Cone into a vibrating whip of water. The sudden shape manipulation caught him off-guard and I managed to slice off a chunk of his shoulder.
Murderous air filled the training ground and we both stared at each other across some distance. His killing intent was rising each moment and I struggled hard to circulate my chakra and expel the numbing effect he had gifted me with.
And then all hell broke loose.
Orochimaru was like a mad war machine that was unleashed after a long time. His hand seals flew threw and jutsu after jutsu was launched at me. I could barely escape the barrage of jutsus. Even if I wanted to retaliate, I wasn't able to do because of the low chakra reserves I had. On the other hand, he looked like he knew no such thing as chakra exhaustion.
What followed was a one-sided beatdown. Even though I managed to escape most of the jutsu, his expertise in linking them and using them one after the other, made my head ache. I was literally running for life for five minutes. Since the training ground was small, I had less room to maneuver.
After fifteen minutes, I couldn't take anymore. The snake bastard didn't look like he was going to become tired anytime sooner. What little comeback I mounted were all brushed aside like wooden sticks.
I knew that if I closed in on him, I could take back the advantage. But, the problem was that I wasn't able to get near to him at all. I had thought Mei was a terror in the long-range, but Orochimaru was on another level.
In the end, I could do nothing but pitifully admit defeat. The vindictive smile he sported made me shiver.
"It's a pity you couldn't last loner Hato kun. Work on your Chakra reserves, they are barely passable," he sneered.
"One question," I gasped taking in deep breaths, my body lying battered and bruised all over. I am not sure even I would recognize myself currently. "How did you cast that genjutsu?"
"Ah, that's a sound-based one. I have newly developed it. Exquisite, isn't it?"
I nodded understanding that he had laced the genjutsu when he had complimented on my seals. Damn, crafty bastard!
With my confusion cleared, I gave in to exhaustion and fainted right away.
(*****)
I watched with a morbid fascination with how things were developing. I could see the train-wreck coming a mile away. And the wonderful feeling of being helpless once more rose up in me gnawing my guts. To my side, Biwako sat with a morose expression wondering where her beautiful family had gone wrong.
Asuma's recent behavior and attitude were becoming a headache. He was in his teenage rebellion phase and it was manifesting at the worst time possible. Hiruzen's patience was running so thin that I feared he might snap one of these days.
It has been three weeks since Minato became Hokage. After Hiruzen spent the first week with helping Minato transition smoothly, he enjoyed a much-needed rest for the next week. By the third week, Hiruzen had become stir-crazy. It was understandable considering how he was the busiest man in Konohagukure just two weeks prior.
So, Hiruzen had this wonderful idea of making up for missing Asuma's growing years. While I too had the offer on the table, I politely rejected letting Hiruzen reconnect with Asuma considering Asuma was the real teenager here.
And that's where it all began.
Hiruzen's idea of reconnecting with Asuma was to help him train. While the idea had merit, just two days was enough to let us know how catastrophic it was. Hiruzen, being the proud man he was, had a high expectancy of his progeny. And his ludicrous amount of knowledge when it came to all things shinobi made him a tough taskmaster.
Combining that with Asuma's pent-up years of frustration and the need for identity, one can only imagine how dire the situation was turning out to be. Biwako's thin lips expressed her displeasure with how things were going.
For years, Asuma had been trying to get out of the shadow that was his father. And my performance in the war, only added him another shadow to step out of. Hence, it was understandable that he was chafing to get out of this situation.
Hiruzen, for his part, was trying to make up for the missing years. But, cramming it all up into a single week was not the ideal way to go about it. He was trying too hard to remold Asuma into what he thought of as an ideal shinobi.
If there was anyone in Konoha that didn't need that, it would be Asuma.
"Asuma, you are not concentrating," Hiruzen barked.
While what he said was true, the way he was going about it was really bad. I couldn't fault him either. Asuma had been an absolute brat throughout the week. If I was in Hiruzen's place I would have throttled him to death by now.
"That's it, I am done with you and your stupid training. Leave me alone!" Asuma angrily huffed stepping away from his training exercise.
"You!" Hiruzen's eyes twitched.
I knew that the inevitable was going to happen. But, Biwako's tightening hands made me realize that it need not happen right now. Grimacing, I stood up and hollered to Asuma.
"Hey Asuma, wanna go grab some Dango?"
Asuma didn't reply. He was still hell-bent on glowering at his father. Hiruzen looked torn between ripping Asuma a new hole and sighing in defeat. He too was glowering back. It looked like neither of them was going to back down. I sighed, knowing that there was only one thing that could divert Asuma's mind.
It was time to go for the kill.
"I heard from Harami that Kurenai might be coming around to the shop at this time. Are you sure you don't want to go?" I asked knowing full well that I was going to get hell from Asuma for pulling this.
Asuma jerked like a noosed chicken. He looked around wildly before calling back to me, "Are you sure?"
"Don't know, but it has a high chance. Harami is scary when it comes to knowing these kinds of things. But, if you don't want it, it's not a problem. I will go on my own."
"Hey, when did I say I was not coming?" he grumbled running up to me entirely forgetting about the glowering contest he had with Hiruzen.
Hiruzen looked amused as he saw Asuma beginning to drag me.
"Are you sure you want to appear before her like this?" I asked taking in his appearance.
Panicked, he looked down before shooting me a grateful smile and vanishing in a Shunshin. I grimaced knowing full well that Kurenai didn't like Dango at all. We weren't going to run into her, but if it postponed the impending explosion, then it was fine.
Biwako shot me a grateful look. I smiled in return, before turning to see Hiruzen looking out at the sky with a forlorn expression. Biwako patted me in the back and motioned me to go as she made her way towards Hiruzen.
I looked at the duo for a couple of seconds, before making my way outside. Asuma arrived in a Shunshin, neatly dressed, but his hair was still messy. He still seemed a little sweaty, but not by much. I raised my eyebrows taking in his half-hazard attempt at cleaning up.
"I can still wait for a bit more before, you know?" I asked him eyeing his hair and sweaty face.
"No, this is perfect. This way, she will know that I have been training hard," Asuma said enthusiastically making me snort.
"Asuma, is there a need to flaunt that you are training hard?" I asked as we made our way to the Dango stall.
"Yes, you stupid little brother. This way she will know that I am becoming strong."
"Asuma, you are a Chunnin who is set to become a Tokubetsu Jounin in a year or two. If she doesn't already know that you are strong, then appearing like this before her wouldn't do anything much."
"Do you think she already knows I am strong?"
"Did you listen to what I said?"
"That isn't important. If she already knows I am strong then why isn't she….."
"What?"
"You know," Asuma gestured his hands dramatically which vaguely resembled everything.
"Have you asked her out?"
"Jeez, we are still thirteen Hato. I can't ask her out till we are a bit older."
"Says who?"
Asuma huffed in annoyance, "You are dumb as a brick."
"Me," I asked in confusion, "dumb as a brick?"
"Yes,"
"Why do you say so?"
"People don't date till they are fourteen or fifteen Hato," he said preachingly.
"Idiot, if you can kill at ten, why are you afraid of dating at thirteen?" I asked honestly confused with his statement.
"It's the norm," he said stubbornly.
"Fuck the norm Asuma, I mean, most people don't make Chunnin until they are fourteen or so. You are already one."
"They are not same,"
"Whatever, you are buying me Dango," I said giving up with arguing further.
"If I ask her out before that she will think I am a pervert," Asuma said solemnly.
"I wonder what others think with you gawking at her every time she is in your vicinity," I snorted.
"Yeek!" Asuma flushed in embarrassment.
For the rest of the way, he didn't talk much. We both ended up getting Dango. As Asuma looked around wildly for Kurenai, I gorged myself with his money. As time passed, he sat there forlornly with the single Dango stick he had bought. Several finished Dango sticks were splattered below my feet as I enjoyed my snack.
It was a wonderful feeling. I now understood why Anko and Harami always made me pay whenever we ended up getting Dango and why they always ate like famished tigers. I let out a content sigh and looked over at my idiot brother.
"Are you going to eat that or not?" I asked eyeing the Dango stick in his hand.
He shot me a stinkeye and huffed.
"She is not coming, is she?" he asked forlornly.
"Idiot brother, as far as I know, Kurenai doesn't even like Dango," I said plucking the stick from his hand and started eating it.
"You…. You…. You tricked me!" Asuma yelled causing the bystanders to look at us.
Asuma flushed once again in embarrassment. I simply shrugged concentrating on my Dango.
"First get to know what she likes and dislikes, idiot brother. Then, you won't be tricked like this. Imagine if Harami or Anko was the one sitting next to you now. You will be waiting till the end of the day thinking Kurenai would make an appearance. They will even trick you to come again tomorrow."
He sat there glowering at me. But it was a wasted effort with how thick my skin currently was. In the end, he could do nothing but huff and stare away from me with his arms crossed.
"Give him some leeway, can't you? You know he is feeling guilty and trying to make up for it," I said pausing with my eating.
"Hmmph," he snorted looking away.
"Asuma, you know deep down he cares for us. Give him a chance," I said.
"Of course, you would take his side," Asuma retorted angrily.
"Hey, I am not taking any sides. I can understand why you are angry with him, but he knows he has done something wrong and is trying to make up for it. All I am asking you is to give him a chance."
Asuma didn't reply. He merely stared away at some unknown point.
"You know, it hurts him that he doesn't have a good relationship with you. The most he desires for currently is to have a good father-son relationship with you."
"Why does it always have to be with what he wants?" he asked a little longingly. "Why can't it ever be about my needs?"
I couldn't answer that. I simply sighed knowing Asuma's hurt ran too deep.
"Think about it Asuma. You have always wanted his attention. And now he is willing to give it. Don't let your pride stand in your way," I said patting his shoulders.
Asuma didn't reply. He merely stared at his feet with a complex of emotions running through him.
"What about you?" he asked softly after a while.
"I am not his son, Asuma," I said softly as a strange melancholic feel took over me.
"You are as much as a son to him as I am," Asuma shook his head smiling at me.
"Regardless, your forgiveness means more to him, think about it," I said thinking about my own parents about whom I knew next to nothing.
Before anything else could be said, a soft voice interrupted us.
"Hey Asuma, Hato kun."
Asuma jumped to his feet like an energized bunny. I smothered a chuckle and looked up to find Kurenai walking towards us leading a small child.
"Her Kurenai," I said with a smile as Asuma was busy gawking at her. "Your niece," I asked nodding towards the kid.
"Yeah, she wants Dango. I honestly don't like it. But, she was demanding only Dango," she said as the young kid stuck her tongue out at Kurenai.
I chuckled as an evil plan formed in my mind, "Why don't you ask Asuma then? He knows all about Dango. Maybe he could help you choose the flavor."
Asuma shot her strained smile and nodded as Kurenai looked at him in expectancy. When she bent down to talk to her niece, Asuma shot me a panicked look. I eye-smiled at him making him blanch and whispered good luck before vanishing in a Shunshin.
I was sure Asuma was going to skin me alive for what I did. After all, I had emptied his Ryo just moments before. Chuckling evilly, I took off humming a jaunty tune.
(*****)
"Tell me, why I am doing this again?" I asked to no one in particular as I eyed the fence I was to paint, wondering if I could get away with fucking this up.
"Well, if you want to know, it is because Hokage sama assigned you with a week of D-ranks after you called a noble from Fire Daimyo's court a fat pig during the diplomatic mission. Need I say, that the Daimyo wasn't impressed with it and wrote a stern letter to Hokage sama stating that under no circumstances are you allowed to be on a diplomatic mission again," Shisui chirped happily standing on the fence.
Then again, maybe not.
"He was a pig,"
"I agree,"
"He was fat too,"
"I agree,"
"Then, why am I being punished for speaking the truth,"
"Maybe, the truth was unpleasant to hear, Hato," Shisui chuckled gleefully as he watched me paint the fence.
"I hate Minato," I grumbled. "I am going to sic Kushina onto him."
"I am sure that will earn you another week of D-ranks," Shisui drawled lazily twirling his kunai.
"Why the hell are you even here?" I asked annoyed with him not allowing me to vent.
"Because the Hokage sama feared you would do something stupid and wanted someone else to supervise you. And I volunteered for the job."
"I hate you too, you red-eyed freak."
"Coming from the red-eyed devil, it warms my heart," Shisui countered easily.
I shot him a glare which he returned with an eye-smile that screamed fuck you too. I worked on the fence grumbling about idiotic Hokage and stuck up nobles, all the while Shisui enjoyed watching me toil. We had been paired up more than once recently because some diplomatic missions needed high-level clan shinobis to be present to represent Konoha. Over these missions, we had stuck up a friendly rapport between us that had some easy camaraderie. Both of us being in the same age group and having made Jounin helped us to bond over a few things.
"I heard Kakashi was going into Anbu," Shisui said after a while.
I grimaced not knowing how to take this news. Strangely enough, me, Shisui and Kakashi were the talk among most of the Jounins. I even overheard rumors about a betting pool being started to decide between who would reach S-rank first. I would have tried to confirm these rumors if not for the people managing it. Kushina and Mikoto. Those were two scary women who I didn't want to turn their attention towards.
"What about his team?" I asked a little confused.
Team Minato was still whole and healthy. I have expecting stuff to go wrong any moment these days, but to my continued surprise, they were managing to come out on top even in several dangerous missions.
While Shisui and I were stuck doing diplomatic crap, not that they will send us after this, Kakashi was beginning to build a sturdy reputation for himself. While his name was popular even before the war ended, these days his name was synonymous with dangerous missions.
Initially, several people viewed it as Minato showing favoritism to his team. But, Kakashi shut all those rumors with his excellent performance. Obito's growth after obtaining the Sharingan was mindboggling. He was almost catching up to us with his tremendous improvement rate that there were talks about expanding the betting pool to include him.
"Rin is planning to concentrate more on her medic training. Her chakra control is scary good and there are whispers that she might catch up to your cousin soon," Shisui said eyeing me.
"Fat chance," I snorted.
While Rin was good, Tsunade was on an entirely different level. The best thing about Tsunade was not her chakra control or incredible knowledge of human anatomy. It was her brilliant and creative mind. Rin was too timid and had a tendency to bow to people's wishes. That prevented her from truly chasing after greatness as Tsunade did.
In order to be as good as Tsunade, she has to start walking her own path instead of only thinking about walking the path laid out by Tsunade. It didn't look like she was going to realize this anytime soon.
"Hey, she is a good medic, and she is cute too." Shisui pouted.
"She is good, I will give her that. But she has a long way to go before becoming Tsunade's level. And don't let Obito hear you say that," I brandished my brash at him threateningly.
Shisui paled a bit imagining what reaction his cousin would have if he heard Shisui talking about how cute Rin was. He shook off the mental image with a grimace.
"What about that bafoon?"
"Oh him, well cousin Obito is also planning to join Anbu. But, I don't see it happening. While he has improved tremendously, he is a little bit off. His personality doesn't suit that kind of job."
I nodded acknowledging his point. Obito was like a Naruto lookalike. All bubbly, full of positivity and hope. That was not an ideal profile for an Anbu.
"What about you? Are you going to join Anbu?" Shisui asked me.
"Nah, Anbu's a waste of time," I said waving the thought away.
Shisui looked at me like I had gone mad.
"Care to explain?"
"Well, you see, Anbu is not going to help me grow. Sure, they do all the tough missions and are the elite force of the village. But, personally I don't fancy them much. Moreover, I don't have much time to waste after next week. Kushina has come out of her wedding trance and since Minato is mostly busy, she has decided to bug me. She is going to be teaching me advanced fuinjutsu concepts. With that and my own training schedule, I will hardly have time to do much else. Also, I don't want to take too many missions. I am content to sit back, relax and enjoy this peace while it lasts. I am going to do only the absolute minimum missions required of me."
Shisui eyed me for a while, before nodding and looking away. As Jounin we had quite a bit of downtime between missions. I had already decided to use this to relax and train at my own speed. Joining Anbu will only bring on more pressure that I didn't want.
"Well, what about you?" I asked.
"I have been thinking about joining Anbu," Shisui said looking at the far sky. "I received my invitation a week back. Next week, I am supposed to report for training if I am willing to join them."
I paused with my work and eyed him for a while to determine whether he was interested in Anbu.
"You are joining," I said simply.
He jerked his head and nodded a little hesitantly.
"Well, good for you," I said continuing my work, "but I never figured the ever-laughing Shisui Uchiha to don a mask with an animal painted on."
He glared at me, but we both knew he was only doing that to keep up appearances.
"The next time we meet, I am gonna beat you into a pulp," Shisui declared pompously.
"If you weren't fast with your Shunshin, I would have already done that. Remember the last time we sparred. That arm still hurting," I asked teasingly.
"You absolute brute," Shisui scowled, "you are a nightmare in close combat."
"Thank you," I smiled pleased with his assessment. "There are not many people in this village who would want to get close to me."
"What about Gai?"
"Well, Gai is an exception to all things common sense," I chuckled.
"But, his Taijutsu is beginning to improve a lot."
"Yeah, but we will see whether he will catch up to me," I shook my head imagining Gai spouting his youth spiel.
"Well, anyway, a little birdie told me that Orochimaru san wiped the floor with you."
"Harami huh, I swear her favorite thing to do is to make my life miserable. Anyways, that guy is a Ninjutsu freak. Never ever fight him in a ninjutsu battle."
"I will keep that in mind."
"Finally," I said getting up and stretching. "At last, I am done with this crap. What's the next one on the list of missions?"
Shisui retrieved a list from his pouch. He eyed it for a while before starting to guffaw in earnest. A bad feeling rose in my gut as I watched him laugh his lungs out.
"Gar…. Garbage Dis…. Disposal!"
I really hated Minato now. Looks like revenge is in order.
(*****)
"I don't know what you are worried about Minato san," I smiled evilly as I took in his nervous expression.
"This will work, Minato. I am telling you, dattabane!" Kushina huffed exaggeratedly.
"Tell me, Hato kun is this revenge for those D-ranks," Minato asked me eyeing me critically.
I snorted. While it was true that I was doing this for payback, it only amounted to a tiny part. The major reason was to thwart the Kyuubi attack that was going to happen in the near future.
"Minato san, as per the principles of Space-time, it has all indications that it would work. I am merely curious to check if it remains the same," I answered with a dazzling smile.
"What if something goes wrong?" Minato frowned.
"That's why I am not asking you to do this. Instead, I am sure that this notebook would be sufficient test subject," I said indicating Minato's fuinjutsu notebook which he guarded seriously.
"Why don't we send something else?" Minato asked petulantly.
"I have already answered this question Minato san. Common objects don't have chakra flowing through it. Your notebook filled with seals that mimic chakra pathways a human or summon might have. So, by testing with this notebook we can see whether there is any interference in the chakra pathway."
"He got you there kid," Jiraya guffawed from the side patting Minato consolingly.
"Why are we not using yours or someone else's?" Minato whined with almost tears coming out of his eyes.
"Seriously, you full well know what my seals contain. While yours are merely barrier seals, mine is filled with trap seals. Want to gamble on that?" I asked raising my eyebrows. "As for Kushina nee's…."
"Don't even think about it, Minato," Kushina growled causing Minato to wilt like a flower.
"Do I need to say anything else?" I said smugly.
"Fine, fine," Minato shot me a withering glare that a lesser man might have cowed under. Not me though.
"Well, if the principles behind your Hirashin are right, then by all accounts this notebook should be able to bypass this barrier and appear at the seal placed over there. That way, it would determine whether barriers can be bypassed using Space-Time seals," I hefted my notebook preparing to take notes. "If it makes you feel better, then think of this as an experiment to find existing loopholes in the current Konoha barrier system."
Minato let out a sigh and nodded. At last, he was taking this seriously. He took a deep breath and concentrated on the distant seal. I could feel his chakra envelop his notebook. The next moment I sensed a pull and the notebook vanished to reappear at the target location.
Minato and Kushina looked at in wonder. Jiraya had a thoughtful look. I sighed knowing already that it would work. My suspicions of Tobi had infiltrated to the heart of Konoha without alerting anyone where right.
"The barrier didn't prevent the bypassing. None of the alarms were activated," I said somberly.
"Of course it wouldn't activate, dattabane! I told you this would work. You are essentially using an anchor point to warp space and time around it. The channel doesn't exist in this space and time. That makes it non-existent to the barrier. So, the barrier was never triggered. After all, the barrier interacts with this space and time and not that space and time where the channel exists," Kushina blabbered on not noting the serious look Minato's face had.
Jiraiya looked a bit serious now as he too understood the implications of what this meant. The limitations of the barrier were clear. It only interacted with space and time existing in front of us. If anyone tapped into a different space and time concept, they can bypass all the security. Just like Tobi did in Canon.
"The chakra pathways in the notebook weren't affected a single bit. Essentially, it was unharmed," I noted grimly pointing at the book.
Jiraiya and Minato exchanged a worried look. Kushina, oblivious to the serious atmosphere, was babbling about the various theories that this touched about and how it was going to be useful when it comes to other seals and such.
"Kushina," Minato's grave voice stopped her enthusiastic babbling and she blinked taking in the serious atmosphere we three had. "Can you create a barrier seal to prevent such a thing from happening again?"
"Hmmm, it will be hard. But, it's possible. Why do you want me to do that?"
"Kushina nee, this experiment exposed a serious security breach in Konoha's barriers," I said shaking my head.
"You both are overthinking this," Jiraiya grunted rising up from his position. "While I do accept that there is a possibility of this becoming a security breach, not many people are well-versed in space-time concepts to make this a serious threat. At most, this is a remotely relevant exception."
"He can do it," I said pointing at Minato.
"For that, he needs to have a seal at the other end," Jiraiya countered smoothly.
"Are you telling me he couldn't leave a seal behind secretly in either Kumo or Iwa during a visit and use it to get into there in the middle of the night and steal their secrets?"
"The chakra expenditure alone makes it a daunting task. While Hirashin does provide instant teleportation to the target location, it is only viable when the distance between the target location and him is minimal. Long-distance usage will leave him with chakra exhaustion. While this could be used as a last-ditch effort, you would be foolish to use these things regularly. I am sure he hasn't forgotten about lying in the hospital for two weeks after using an unstable seal."
"Still the possibility is there?" I argued.
"Oh, shut up Hato kun. You are getting more and more paranoid these days. I have to tell Biwako san to not allow you to visit that bandaged freak you call a mentor," Kushina swatted my shoulder and chided me.
"What do you think?" I asked Minato.
"I think Hato kun's right. Hear me out sensei, I am not arrogant enough to think that only I could master Hirashin. Who knows if the other villages had some other methods similar to Hirashin. I would rather be paranoid than overconfident," Minato said seriously.
"Fine, fine!" Kushina huffed. "This would put all my projects behind. Anyway, I will do it. And you, Hato kun, are going to be my helper."
"I am making this an S-class secret. Apart from the four of us, no one is allowed to know." Minato shifted to his Hokage manner and addressed us seriously making us nod.
"And Hatorama, you are exempted from taking any missions until this problem is fixed. I need a working barrier that could prevent someone else bypassing the security in this manner."
I nodded, inwardly happy, knowing that this would make it hard Tobi to get near Konoha if he was using the same method. This could possibly help in preventing the Kyuubi attack that occurred in Canon.
But, still, we needed to come up with a proper barrier within the next six to seven months. With a little bit of testing, the barrier will be ready by the time the Kyuubi attack was supposed to happen.
(*****)
I looked at the shogi pieces in front of me, my mind working out the several possibilities that could occur in the next hundred or so moves. I grimaced knowing that my opponent was no slouch. After all, he was the previous Hokage.
Hiruzen puffed his pipe and looked at me with a small smile that belied his amusement at my predicament. We have been at this game for over a few hours. I know that I was gradually losing. Unlike Shikaku, Hiruzen had a methodical style. He was far too rational and very, very sly. He was old, experienced and cunning. A very dangerous combination.
But the thing that caused me more problems was his willingness to sacrifice even powerful pieces if it meant he would get an advantage. That was entirely eye-opening for me. I usually sacrificed pawns or other less useful ones to gain an advantage. His ruthlessness was steadily making me lose.
"I would like to spar with you once more, Hato kun," Orochimaru smiled from the side.
He was yet another reason for my predicament. He knew how exactly to mindfuck me letting my concentration waver, the bastard.
"I am not keen on getting beaten into a pulp once more by you, Orochimaru san," I said gritting my teeth.
"It is only natural," Hiruzen said letting out another puff of smoke, "you are still young. And Orochimaru has grown into his potential."
"He isn't far off from my level sensei," Orochimaru said causing Hiruzen to give him a disbelieving look. "Only, his chakra reserves are pathetic."
"You mean, I am not a freak like you two," I said making my move.
"The difference between a shinobi of your level and of our level is not something that could be easily accomplished. You have good chakra control and decent chakra reserves. You have intelligence, creativity, and wisdom. But, what you lack is experience," Hiruzen said making a move to counter mine.
I snorted not believing what he said. After all, I had gone through a war. If that isn't enough what else was needed.
"You think you have seen everything just by being on the frontlines," Hiruzen arched his eyebrows. "Then you are far too naïve. Being on the frontlines merely tests your survival skills and bravery. There are far too many aspects to reach our level. You will understand it in the future."
"Improve your chakra reserves first. They are pathetic," Orochimaru supplied from the side as he went through the scroll in his possession.
"What are you occupying with yourself these days?" Hiruzen asked.
"Research, sensei," Orochimaru answered without taking his eyes off from the scroll.
"Good," Hiruzen said, "don't stagnate."
"About what?" I asked eyeing the scroll with suspicion.
"This and that," Orochimaru looked up from the scroll at me and smiled. It was a little eerie. "I am going through some applications of fuinjutsu and exploring its boundaries. It is fascinating, really! The Second Hokage has left a treasure trove to explore through."
"Sensei's knowledge was vast," Hiruzen nodded taking in his answer.
Fuinjutsu huh, that was good. Fuinjutsu research was not completed easily. There was a lot to explore and knowing Orochimaru he wouldn't be satisfied with something minor. Major fuinjutsu research would need a lot of time. It could even take years to complete a single thing. More importantly, he wasn't researching bloodlines. That made my heart settle down a bit.
"I heard that Fugaku visited you, sensei. What did he want?" Orochimaru asked curiously.
"Ah, he wanted my blessing to name his next child after my father Sasuke Sarutobi. My father lost his life on an escort mission defending Fugaku's mother and him while they were visiting Nekotama. From his recountings, I understood that his team was defending them against two jounin teams from Kumo. He acted as the rear guard and helped him and his mother escape with his teammates. Unfortunately, my father wasn't able to make it back alive. To young Fugaku, his sacrifice was a heroic effort that he wanted to honor by naming his second child after him."
"Why not name the first one after him?" Orochimaru asked in confusion.
"Because the first child is the clan heir," I said simply causing him to turn in my direction. "To Fugaku, his grudges and gratitude fall short before his clan interests. Naming the clan heir in memory of a shinobi from another clan will be an insult to Uchiha ancestors. Hence, he can only name the second child."
"Ah, I see," Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully.
"Those clan rules are shit. They serve no purpose than to brag about your ancestors. But, that is clan politics for you. Even now, he will get some flak from the elders for his actions. But, if he had named the first one after him, he would be ousted as clan head soon. All politics are silly and complicated like that. You need to understand your own actions and how others might perceive them before you do something."
"Danzo has taught you well," Orochimaru nodded.
"I heard that you have been banned from taking any diplomatic missions," Hiruzen said mildly amused, "Danzo was disappointed that his teachings have been wasted."
"I can't stand those pompous nobles," I snorted. "Especially when they keep trying to insinuate that they are far more intelligent than us Shinobi barbarians."
"You need to have more patience, not everyone understands our way of life," Hiruzen reproached.
"Kukukuku, Hato kun, I can understand your frustration," Orochimaru chuckled.
"It's not as if we can't understand their words. They think they are up so high when all I need to do is pinch his neck to make him squiggle like the worm he is," I snorted in return.
"Violence is not always the answer, Hato kun. You need to think more along how to outwit them when dealing with people like them," Hiruzen said making yet another move to push me into a corner.
"I don't have the necessary patience for it," I grumbled searching for a way out of my predicament.
"I heard you were working on some research too," Orochimaru said diverting the topic.
"Yeah, me and Kushina are working on some barrier seals Minato has ordered us to do," I said scratching my head.
"It needs two fuinjutsu masters?" Orochimaru raised an eyebrow.
"It's complicated. We have barely scratched the surface. There are too many things to take into account. I am afraid I can't tell you any more than that," I said in reply.
"Interesting, maybe I will have a talk with Minato regarding it," Orochimaru's eyes gleaned.
"Honestly, I don't think he will reveal many details before we are done. He has classified it as an S rank secret," I replied and made a move to counter Hiruzen.
Orochimaru and Hiruzen exchanged a glance.
"Now, I am keener to know more about it," Orochimaru said with an eager gleam to his eyes.
"Oro kun, I know you are curious by nature. But, it would not be in good form to press details regarding this. Let them work on their own. I am sure Minato has his reasons for what he is doing," Hiruzen said letting out another puff of smoke.
"I understand sensei," Orochimaru looked a little put off. "Anyways, I have my own stuff to do. Good luck with your research Hato kun, I am sure you will surprise me with your findings."
I merely smiled and nodded.
"Have you given any thought about improving your traps?" Orochimaru asked after a while.
"I have some ideas. But, I am currently busy with what Minato has ordered me to do. Once done, I think I will develop more of my ideas into a working prototype."
"Good, don't lose your focus. Fuinjutsu is a very vast world that we have yet to explore," Orochimaru nodded.
"How's your nature transformation coming along?" Hiruzen asked making his move.
"I am proficient with Suiton and Raiton. But, Suiton comes naturally to me. My preference mostly lies with Suiton and I rarely use any Raiton," I said grimacing.
"I have noticed," Orochimaru nodded from the side. "You didn't use any Raiton techniques during our spar. While being proficient in Suiton is good, you need to have a little variety in your jutsus. If you meet a Doton user, you will be in big trouble."
"I know," I said nodding along. "I learned lightning to make up for it. The problem is, I instinctually resort to using Suiton. Changing it to Raiton needs conscious thought on my part."
"Suiton and Raiton are a good combination, you will need to work more on combination techniques before you can start using Raiton instinctually," Hiruzen said letting out a puff of smoke.
"I will keep that in mind," I said nodding along.
"It would be better if you learn some Doton. Not many see the application of it. Very few expect a Doton jutsu to follow up a Raiton one. It would be a good surprise element," Orochimaru advised returning back to his scroll.
I nodded knowing what he said was true. When encountering a Katon user, one is always on the lookout for a Futon jutsu to augment it. The same goes for Suiton and Raiton. Combinations like Katon and Suiton and Doton and Raiton are rarely used. Not because no one has thought about it, but the inherent difficulty in doing so made it hard to actually accomplish it.
Now that I had a lot of free time, maybe I should look into some unusual combinations. This might be a good avenue to look into, it had potential. Just because no one else had done it, it didn't mean it was impossible.
Apart from Fuinjutsu research with Kushina, I was currently stuck with indecision when it came to improving my strength. Like Orochimaru had said, I need to increase my chakra reserves and it meant emptying out my chakra reserves and letting it expand as much as possible. Now that I had some direction to proceed, a vague training plan was forming in my mind.
(******)
OMAKE
"I'm saying Minato, Hato kun's right," Kushina said vehemently expressing her displeasure on the Ramen put in front of her.
Minato didn't answer. She knew him well enough by now to know that there was something bugging him. Teuchi san was preparing yet another bowl of Miso Ramen. She needed to finish this fast. So, she picked up her speed of eating unmindful of Minato's pondering.
Minato can wait. The Hokage can wait. But, Ramen shouldn't wait dattebanae!
"It's not simple Kushina," Minato said after she had finished her fifth bowl of Ramen.
"What do you mean, dattebanae! It's simple. You are Hokage!" She grumbled as she reached out for the next bowl of Ramen.
"You think its simple to appoint my own councilors and depose the old ones," Minato shook his head. "You are far too naïve to think that they will agree to that. And moreover, there is a lot of handing over to do. While his idea has merit, I think I should hold off for a year or two to do it. That way, I will learn most of the stuff before actually acting out."
"Moreover, one of the things that every new councilor should know will be your real status in the village. Not as my wife, but the real reason you are important for Konoha. Tell me, are you fine with other people knowing it?"
Her hands stiffened as she imagined the scenario. She couldn't help but let out a light tremble. Not because she feared them or anything, but because she feared their abandonment. She had at last stepped out of her lonely life. She now had a husband, an younger brother, kids who looked up at her as a role model, friends, and a small family. How many of that will last if her status as jinchuriki came to light?
Not many people understood the difference between the jailor and the prisoner. Hato kun was one of the few who actually understood it and stood by her. Even Sandaimae sama and the other Konoha higher-ups only saw her as a weapon. Biwako san only felt pity for her. Other than Minato, only Hato kun had understood.
If even people as old and experienced like Biwako san and Sandaimae sama thought of her as a weapon and pitied her, what hope did she have to think that other people would understand? That was the reason Hato kun was special to her. Just like Minato. That's the reason she supported most of his decisions. Not that he had many bad decisions.
He was far more mature than many people she had seen. He looked at the underlying problems and facts in everything he came across. When Minato had told her about his encounter with Hato kun in the graveyard, she had been proud of him as a shishou. After all, she had learned from Mito sama and it would be laughable if Mito sama didn't talk about her idiotic husband a few times.
She knew the First Hokage would have approved of Sakumo san's actions. But, her knowing was one thing and Hato kun knowing was entirely another thing. That was the day she realized that Hato kun actually understood what a village actually was. It had been gratifying to know that someone understood it.
When he had revealed that he had already figured out her status and didn't react badly, she couldn't help but be moved by his thoughtfulness. Very few people had such a wide breadth of mind. From then on, he wasn't her student but her little brother.
His actions during the elections once more showed his keen understanding of the village. While she had been put out a little that he wasn't going to support Minato, after Minato had explained the intricacies of the situation, she didn't think about it much. She was once more proud to call him her little brother. While many were blinded by the Hokage elections, he had seen through the undercurrents and acted proactively to counter it. She knew of the Uchiha clan's unrest with the nominations from Mikoto. But, she had been powerless to do anything else. But, not Hato kun.
Even now, she understood his reasoning. That old hag and her teammates were all outdated in their thinking and had little grasp on the current situation. They would make poor councilors in this new era. This was something that was needed to be rectified as soon as possible. He had once more understood the need for change and suggested Minato form his own council of advisors.
But, things weren't that easy. Like Minato had said earlier, those old crones wouldn't easily relinquish their power. Minato needed more time to establish himself and get to know the workings of higher-ups in Konoha. Him pushing Kakashi into Anbu was a good decision. That would help him to have someone inside Anbu. With Rin entering medical corps, that was covered too. Minato was actually having a headache regarding Obito. But, his recent progress made him an ideal candidate to put in Jounin council. Administration, Intel, and clan councils, he had people he trusted in them. It's a pity that Hato kun was such a lousy diplomat. But, Fugaku can make up for it.
But, these were not enough. He needed more time to solidify his control over Konoha. The old councilors had serious power in the shinobi and civilian circle. She knew of his misgivings about the bandaged freak. Jiraiya san was currently working on collecting information about Danzo's wartime activities. If their reactions during those discussions were anything to go by, they weren't liking what they were learning about him. Especially, the Foundation program was making Minato very unhappy.
She knew this wasn't the right time to move against the councilors. Like Minato had said, he needed more time to solidify his control and increase his influence in shinobi circle. More than half of the people who voted for him had done so because of their dissatisfaction with Hiruzen san. That couldn't be counted as his power base. But, if he performs well they might soon become his power as well. Politics was so tricky.
Once she too had dreamed of being a Hokage. But, she was a foreigner and no matter how good she was, Konoha wouldn't allow a foreigner to become a Hokage. Yet, she had persisted until she realized that her duty to this village that had provided her shelter was of a different kind. When Mito sama had handed over her responsibility to her, her dream of becoming Hokage had shattered into a million pieces. But, she did begrudge Mito sama for that.
Rather, she had felt proud to carry Mito sama's burden and protect the village. But, reality soon came crashing down. Once Mito sama died, she realized that she was nothing but a weapon in the eyes of Konoha higher-ups. Her movements were restricted. Her life was controlled. She rarely had people she could interact with.
Just when she was about to fall into despair, Minato came into her life. She was more than grateful to him for that. She even shuddered to think about a life that Minato wasn't there for her. With someone to rely on, her burden lessened. It wasn't suffocating anymore. He took on her dream too on his shoulders and marched on despite the difficulties to stand where he was today. He was her knight in shining armor. Not that she will ever tell him that. That Dork!
"I am pregnant," she whispered and watched Minato choke on his food.
She waited for him to calm down. From the side of her eyes, she saw Teuchi san pause in his work and turn around to see her with surprise etched on his face. Minato was still looking like he had been hit with Hato kun's training weights on his head. She had once done that and it had been so satisfying. She averted her gaze and started eating Ramen, afraid of his reaction.
She didn't know how she should feel. Someone like her having a baby was very, very dangerous. As Hokage, he should order a medic-nin to remove the fetus. But, as a father, he should be happy. She didn't know what he was going to do. And his answer was way too important to her. If he ordered her to remove the fetus, she would do it. Regardless of how much it would pain her, she would do it. If it meant she couldn't have a baby to live a long life with him, she would do it without a second of hesitation.
But, as a woman, it would kill her heart. She didn't tell anyone else about her pregnancy. Teuchi san was like a father to her, so even if she was going to abort the fetus inside, she wanted him to know. That was the reason she told Minato in front of him.
Still, Minato hadn't replied. And her bowl was almost over. What was he going to do?
As she looked up, there were tears in his eyes. Her heart shuddered.
Has he hardened his heart to kill the fetus for the safety of the village? That's what a Hokage should do, isn't it? Put the safety of the village over every other thing. He hadn't even been Hokage for a half a month and yet he had to make such a sacrifice. Why couldn't she be happy just like everyone else?
"I….. I…. I am havvvving a baby?" he stuttered causing her breath to catch.
Her mind ran a mile a second. What did it mean? Is he happy? What is he thinking? Is he fine with having a baby? Wouldn't it freak him out? What about his duty as a Hokage?
"It's so cool!" Minato shouted happily and hugged her so hard that she almost ran out of breath. "Teuchi san I am going to be a father! Father, Teuchi san. It's so cool. I can't wait to teach her all kinds of super-duper cool jutsus. She is going to be a great kunoichi. Ha ha ha! I am going to pamper her so much that she is going to be Konoha's little princess. I am having a baby!"
"Baka! You aren't having a baby. I am the one having it dattebanae! And it's going to be a son dattebanae!"
She plonked his head hard making him fall to the ground. But, there were tears in her eyes. She didn't know when she had been so happy.
"You are just the father. I am the one having the baby. Do you understand dattebanae!" she said with tears streaming her face as he hugged her waist from a kneeling position. Teuchi san's bright smile was filled with tears from behind them.
She was happy. Her family was complete at last…..
A/N: Thus enters Naruto into the story... Meanwhile, the capitalization of Ramen was intentional. To Kushina, Ramen is a god. Hence the capitalization.