Welp… Merry Christmas.
I have to, once again, thank you all for the reviews. Seriously. I usually write slow, but I managed to push this one out in a mere ten days which is alright for 12 thousand words, if I do say so myself.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
Itachi looked down at the report card with a quiet analysis of the marks. Sasuke had been proud of his grades at the academy. He was the top of his class in all five subjects. Sasuke frowned out into the garden. The Uchiha clan crest proudly lined the wall on the other side and he stared at it unseeingly in thought.
"Keep this up and you'll be just as amazing as your brother," Sasuke muttered the words echoing in his head.
His father was the first person he gave the report card to. And his father once again…
Sasuke was disappointed, he knew that. Although some smaller part of Sasuke had come to expect it, he had hoped that maybe something would be different this time. It wasn't only his father though. Some of these feelings, the disappointment and hate, were directed at his older brother too. For always standing in his way.
Sasuke felt horrible for it.
Itachi folded the report card and joined Sasuke in gazing out into the scenery.
Why did Itachi always have to be better? He was forever setting a standard that Sasuke didn't have a chance at achieving. Why was father so blind to him? No matter what Sasuke did, it was always received by 'Just like your older brother'.
It wasn't fair.
"Do you hate me?" Itachi's voice cut through the silence.
The question surprised Sasuke. There were times where Sasuke felt like his brother could read his mind and his emotions. The question replayed in his head and Sasuke found himself unable to answer.
"It's fine," Itachi replied to the confession in the silence. "I mean, it's true that ninja live their lives hated by others."
Sasuke looked away from Itachi in shame of his negative feelings. Sasuke wasn't only upset with his brother, there was more than just the negative emotions. He loved his big brother. The only person in his family that understood. Itachi was also the son of Fugaku, so Itachi understood how frustrating their father was. Only, Itachi didn't need to fight for a scrap of attention or praise. But Itachi knew the pressures that others threw onto the son of the 'Main Line'.
Itachi understood.
And his brother, unlike all the others, did his best to help Sasuke. On his few days off and free time, Itachi would show him a new technique or just go to the park together with him.
It was for those simple reasons that the bad feelings didn't matter.
Sasuke loved his big brother.
"I-I don't think…"
But the sheer weight of his older brother's abilities were crushing.
Itachi laughed without any real depth, Sasuke didn't like it. "Being the best isn't all it's cracked up to be." His brother spoke, "Having power means being isolated, and it leads to arrogance. No matter how high people's hopes were for you."
Sasuke understood some of what his brother was saying. Their father expected a lot from Itachi. The pressure had led to a lot of arguments that had Sasuke waking up in the night.
His brother went silent. A deep frown and dark look crossed Itachi's expression as the older boy stared at the Uchiha crest on the wall.
Sasuke watched Itachi with worried eyes.
Then, his brother took a deep breath. "But… it's just the two of us. I'll always be there for you, even if it's just as an obstacle for you to overcome."
Sasuke wanted to surpass Itachi. He wanted it with every drop of his blood. Sasuke wanted to stand beside his brother that was always walking ahead of him.
"Even if you do hate me, that's what big brothers are for." Itachi smiled. Warm and gentle eyes glazed so fondly. Sasuke could see the age of stress setting into his brother's features in heavy lines.
The adults never noticed, but Sasuke knew when his father had had a rough day at work. Or when his mother was upset about some of the missions Itachi went on, especially the ones where he returned home injured. Sasuke had watched his brother every opportunity he had. That's how he knew; Itachi was tired. And yet, his brother still sat with him every other evening.
Sasuke felt the emotions whirl through him in a confusing storm. But…
Beyond all of that, beyond the anger and jealousy, beyond the awe and love, Sasuke wanted to protect his big brother. Maybe, if Sasuke could take just a little of the weight from Itachi, then Itachi might start to see him as more than someone who needs to be protected. They could face enemies together, watching each other's back.
The way brothers should.
Sasuke was seconds away from voicing this before the front door of their home slammed opened, echoing through the house.
"Itachi, you there?! Come out!" the voice of an older man boomed through to their spot on the engawa. "We need to talk to you!"
Sasuke turned a curious and concerned look to his older brother.
"It's alright." Itachi consoled, standing from his relaxed seated position and turning towards the front door.
Sasuke followed behind as silent as he could. His feet muffled by the fuzzy warmth of his socks and sure steps that Sasuke had learnt from endless months of mimicking his elder brother. Sasuke hid behind the corner of the hall, peeking past the edge of the wall to the entrance of his home.
"What is it? What brings you all here?" His brother asked in a cold voice. A tone that Sasuke had never been the subject of.
"Only two people didn't show up to yesterday's meeting." The long-haired man, wearing an Uchiha high collar shirt, stated bluntly. "Where were you?"
His brother said nothing.
"Since joining the Anbu," the man continued, "You've pulled us through many situations. We understand that. Your father said so, too, he's trying to defend you. But…"
The man's words made Sasuke annoyed. If they knew Itachi was trying his best for the clan, working himself to the bone, then why were these guys here? And why did it sound like they were accusing his elder brother?
"But we can't make exceptions." The other guy, more solid than his two buddies looked and older judging by his greying hair. Uchiha Yashiro, even Sasuke knew of this guy. He was one of his father's main subordinates.
"I understand. I'll be careful from now on. So, are we done here?" Itachi replied shortly.
"Almost," Yashiro said, his voice lowered. "It's about Uchiha Shisui."
Cousin Shisui?
Sasuke's thoughts went to his grinning older cousin. The only other person in the clan that Itachi ever spent time with. The only Uchiha that could go toe to toe with his older brother. Although, Sasuke was sure that Itachi was better than their cousin. Itachi was the strongest in the clan, after all.
"He threw himself in the Naka river last night and killed himself."
What?
Sasuke found himself frozen in shock.
"Shisui was the other person who didn't show up at the meeting last night." The man added. "We know you adored him, like he was your own brother."
Were these guys… accusing his big brother of killing Shisui?
They were brain dead, Sasuke was sure of that.
"Is that so? I haven't seen him at all lately… but what a terrible tragedy." Itachi replied.
Sasuke was surprised by the sheer dead tone of his brother. Of course, if Shisui was really dead, Itachi would never show his emotions. Not to these guys. Not when they had pissed him off just from standing in their doorway.
Itachi wasn't an open person to others he didn't like.
"Well, the Military Police Force has decided to launch a full investigation." The long-haired guy said.
"… Investigation?"
The Uchiha Yashiro handed over a folded piece of paper while the other two watched intently.
Itachi took the paper and stared at it.
"This is Shisui's final note. A handwriting analysis was conducted. There's no doubt Shisui himself wrote it." The grey-haired man said.
Final note… In other words, a suicide letter. Would Shisui really?...
"If there's no indication of murder, then what's the investigation for?" His brother looked up from the note to the other three.
"For a Sharingan user, copying handwriting is easy."
Sasuke frowned in confusion from behind the corner of the hallway he watched past.
"Shisui was one of the most talented of the clan and the best ever at the body flicker Jutsu, practically teleportation. He was always the first to take missions for the clan's sake." Yashiro said as if boasting in Shisui's place.
"It's hard to believe that a man like that would leave a note like this and kill himself." The long-haired guy said, carrying on from the other points.
Sasuke could see the paper in his brother's hand crumple in his tightening grip. "You shouldn't judge people by their appearances or preconceptions," Itachi said in his subtly sarcastic tone, the one he often used in arguments with Father.
The long-haired guy ignored his brother's comment and continued, "We'll leave that note with you, for the time being. Take it back to Anbu and request their cooperation in the investigation." He ordered.
"Understood." Came Itachi's dry reply.
The three Uchiha men turned their backs and strolled out of the house and into the road, chatting loudly as though Itachi – or Sasuke, hidden away – couldn't hear them.
"Hopefully, we'll get some sort of lead," Yashiro said.
The other guy, who had been quiet the entire time, spoke to Itachi without bothering to turn around. "We have alternate information channels into the Anbu. If you destroy the note, we'll know."
Sasuke felt the hairs on his skin raise, as though he had been electrocuted, the instant the otherwise-silent man had finished speaking. The feeling that coursed through Sasuke's blood was instinct. An instinct to hide, to protect himself. Sasuke squashed the feeling immediately. Moving was not an option at this point. His brother's anger was on a level that every part of him was unfamiliar with. It screamed danger.
"Why don't you just say it?" His brother was not asking a question.
At Itachi's words, all three men stopped on the dirt and stone path. Three sets of Sharingan turned and glared at Itachi from outside.
Sasuke was choked. The stifling desire for death between these men had Sasuke gripping at the wall for any sort of support and his legs weakened.
"You think I did this?" His brother's bloodlust intensified.
Sasuke struggled to take slow, quiet breaths. Not daring to gain the attention of the ninja before him.
"In fact, we do, you damn brat." The long-haired guy outright accused. They really thought that Itachi had killed Shisui. They were willing to fight against him to prove their suspicions. "If you did indeed betray the clan, you will pay."
His brother vanished.
The sound of harsh strikes reached all the way to Sasuke tucked inside the house. As quietly as he could, Sasuke moved to the door where his brother had stood seconds ago. Now, Itachi was poised in the street. The only figure still on their feet as the other three lay on the ground, Itachi straightened to his full height from the attacking position. The men were no longer a threat.
"Like I said, don't judge people by appearances or preconceptions." His brother scolded in an icy tone. The three Uchiha men on the ground groaned and turned their bodies to look at his older brother. "You misjudged me completely, I have no patience for any of you."
Sasuke saw one of the men glare at Itachi with Sharingan eyes.
His brother met the stare in a dominating challenge.
"The clan… The clan… You babble on, but you overestimate your abilities. And you have no idea at the depth of mine, which is why you're here crawling before me." The anger was vocal in Itachi's voice. The deadly promise growled in the lowered tone of his voice.
The grey-haired Yashiro pushed his chest from the ground in a struggle to get up. "Shisui… He was watching you… It's been a while since you joined Anbu. What you've said and done since then, it's too strange to overlook. What's going on in your head?"
Itachi continued to glare down at the three. "You cling to the clan, to your name, a name only luck or fate has given to you… You've not earned it for yourself… You limit yourself, you arbitrarily decide on your capacity. It's disgusting… And then, you fear and despise what you can't see and do not know! Sheer idiocy!" Itachi snarled.
Itachi tensed like a wire pulled taut. Sasuke was attuned to the feeling of his brother's power. He could feel the moment his brother decided that these men weren't worth the breath they each took. And Sasuke could tell that, if somebody didn't stop him, his brother would murder these men in blind anger in the middle of the street.
"Itachi, stop it!"
Sasuke turned to the voice. Their father stood a small distance from the scene with a shocked look on his face. Not once did Father cast a glance away from Itachi to the men on the ground. As always, Itachi was Father's first priority.
"That's enough, what's wrong with you?" Father approached Itachi with subtle, cautious steps. "I'm worried about your behaviour as of late."
Itachi visibly turned away from their fathers active Sharingan, not meeting the red-eyed gaze. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm busy with work. That's all."
"Then why didn't you show up last night?" Fugaku silently waited for Itachi's answer.
Sasuke used to be jealous of Itachi for being able to join the clan's meetings. He wasn't so sure now.
"I needed to achieve the next stage," Itachi said making their father frown in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Itachi didn't answer. Without a single glance, Itachi pulled the Kunai from seemingly thin air. Sasuke felt that same feeling again, that dark intent, aimed at their father for a brief second. A tip of his brothers' thumb, in a flourish of mastery, reangled the Kunai at the last instant before it flew from his fingers.
The Kunai embedded deeply into the centre of the Uchiha clan crest. The stone wall split from the force of the small weapon.
His father's energy turned restless as the mature Sharingan lingered on the blade. Sasuke watched a bead of sweat trail down his father's brow.
Itachi's lowered gaze dropped even more. "My ability's been repressed by this pathetic clan." His brother said lowly. "Obsessing over worthless things like the clan, you lose sight of what's really important… Premonition and imagination… You can never achieve real change so long as you're bound by regulations and restrictions."
"What insolence!" Their father declared loudly.
Was Father not able to hear?
Hear the agony in Itachi's voice?
Sasuke could hear it, he could hear the desperation and isolation in his big brother's tone.
The pleading.
But Sasuke couldn't understand it.
He only knew that Itachi was hurting.
The silence intensified and Itachi's bloodlust began to stir once again.
"Enough! If you continue speaking this nonsense, you're going to prison!" Sasuke couldn't believe his father's words. Would they really throw Itachi in prison just because he was finally saying the things he kept locked away? Was what his big brother saying actually nonsense? Why wasn't Father trying to understand Itachi now, when he needed it the most?
The three idiots knocked on their asses finally scrambled to their feet and flocked to the safety of Fugaku's side. Once in the safety of their commander, they started barking again like the dogs they were. "Well, what will you do?! Captain, give the arrest order!"
Sasuke felt more than saw the malicious intent in his older brothers sweltering glare. The bloodlust peaked and Itachi took a single step forward.
"Itachi! Stop it!" Sasuke shouted. Taking the words that his father had used in halting Itachi's unbearable craving for death.
His brother froze.
Sasuke watched in disbelief as Itachi crumpled to the ground like a fallen leaf. Both hands placed in front of him and his head bowed deeply.
Sasuke, at that moment, met his father's thankful red eyes.
"I did not kill Shisui… But I apologize for the things I have said today. I'm very sorry."
Sasuke almost pouted, Itachi didn't sound all that apologetic but with the overwhelming bloodlust gone, Sasuke could finally breathe again.
"Lately, the heavy mission load for the Anbu seems to have tired him out," Fugaku said.
The three men turned to his father in outrage and disbelief. "Captain!" They protested. Insisted.
"The Anbu is under the direct control of the Hokage. You'd need a warrant to arrest him anyway. As for my son… I'll take responsibility for him. Please…" Their father finally tore his gaze away from Itachi's kneeling position.
"Understood…" The three idiots turned away, disappointed.
"Itachi." Their father addressed. His brother looked up with black eyes. "Inside." The older man ordered before slipping out through the gates.
Sasuke could still feel it. The sheer force of his older brother's anger. The torrent of flames and magma barely contained by the mountain. It swirled deeply inside Itachi, looking for any outlet, any escape.
For an instant, Sasuke caught sight of the red and black of his brother's eye. A Sharingan in the shape Sasuke had never seen before. The light faded into darkness and when he awoke, Sasuke stared up at his brother. Long fingers combed through his hair and a remorseful, apologetic look was deep set in Itachi's expression.
So, just for today, Sasuke would let him off the hook. Usually, he would complain when his big brother would rake his fingers through, untangling knots as they passed.
But the pain in his brother was deeper than Sasuke could ever imagine.
And Sasuke would never speak of today again.
The gentle fingers and annoyingly careful untangling of his hair had Sasuke back drifting asleep. He didn't wake again for dinner that night.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
Sarutobi Asuma was more than eager to leave the Capital. Finally, today, after this last meeting, they would return to Konoha at Shinobi speed. Ginshu, the Chunin, would be staying in the Capital for another few months. That meant that it should only take a few days of travel. Assuming the Nara kid with them could keep up. Kakashi had spoken for the girl's abilities, and that alone was enough for Asuma to trust the girl's judgment.
One thing had Asuma slightly concerned. A single fact he picked up on when the girl first took off her mask. Why didn't he know that the Jounin commander's eleven-year-old daughter had been made Anbu?
Better yet, why had his father recruited such a young girl into the Anbu?
His father wasn't one to do something like this without first having a motive.
As for the matter of not hearing about her recruitment, Asuma supposed the talk of an Uchiha in Anbu could have overshadowed it. Or been used as the perfect cover.
Thinking about his father recruiting preteens into the assassination corps of the village made Asuma seriously want a smoke. Maybe then, he could actually relax a little.
But there would be no smoking with the Daimyo in the room.
He wanted this meeting over with already. This was nothing more than the Daimyo playing with the puppet strings of his councillors. Something Asuma had seen many times in his younger years, when he had been a part of the Daimyo's guard. On the bright side, Konoha benefited greatly from this parade.
But with this benefit came major setbacks.
The heir of the Nara clan was now in the ownership of a large portion of the Land of Fire. While the civilian nobles of the Land of Fire remained in the carefully constructed balance the Daimyo had created, the Shinobi noble clans were now in need of reestablishment.
Among all of the noble clans, the Uchiha and the Hyuga have the largest portion of lands in the Hokage province. Followed by the Akimichi, Sarutobi and the Nara clans respectively. The Uchiha had gifted a fair portion of their territory to the Leaf back when the village was founded, and the rest is currently under the collateral maintenance of Konoha.
The lands of the Hyuga originally were further north in the Land of Fire, and once they were invited to join the village, they traded their lands. The funds the Hyuga gained and the smaller lot of Land allowed the Hyuga to have more influence in the village's establishment. Clan laws were first developed by the Hyuga in an effort to protect their bloodline. In return for their investment into the village, the Leaf said nothing on the borderline barbaric slavery of their own.
The Sarutobi was in a similar situation to the Hyuga, except with a smaller amount of land. The Sarutobi's status came from the blood and sweat that was put into the village from its earliest days. Sarutobi clan was the first clan to accept the offer by the Senju and the Uchiha.
But the Nara, the smallest ownership of all the other clans, were the guardians of the Nara forest. It had been there from before the village. Before the Land was named of Fire. The forest was said to have been created by the Sage himself. It was a sacred place to Shinobi. Despite this, only the Nara could freely enter the forest. The protective deer wouldn't allow anyone else inside except the Nara.
It was only on rare occasions that guests were allowed inside.
So, it was no surprise that Asuma had never entered the forest.
But now the Heir to the clan was in direct possession of the better half of an entire province. Asuma was not looking forward to the next clan council.
Asuma zoned out from the babbling of the Lord Daimyo. Years of practice had allowed Asuma the perfect amount of listening and filtering of what the man said. His ear kept sharp for keywords and names but otherwise indifferent.
Kakashi beside him stared blankly in a face that was nostalgically familiar. It was the same expression his friend had back in the academy classes. Utterly uninterested, but his values wouldn't allow himself to turn it away.
Asuma resisted a small smile at the thought.
"While I have gifted these lands to you, if you find that managing them to be too much or if you are not satisfactory in your development, I will be forced to reclaim the area and give it to someone trained and capable." The Daimyo said.
Asuma suddenly realized a fourth motive behind the Daimyo's decision. The Nara girl was being tested.
He wondered what his elder brother's student was thinking with all of this being practically forced onto her shoulders.
It wasn't the development of the land that the Daimyo was worried about, but the girl. The long-faced Lord probably had too much land to be worried over something like this.
"I understand, Lord Daimyo."
"Right. Seeing as you have not had any official training, the capital will supply you with the satisfactory study material and will take care of the integration of the lands into the Fire domain."
"Thank you for your generosity."
"Hmm. Well, an investment is called as such for a reason. I expect that the Tekka province will satisfy the court in its shipments of revenue within four years." The Lord Daimyo closed his half-circle eyes in thought. "As for reports and registers… Let's just see how you pick those up. Now, as for your residence… I suppose, being a Shinobi, you will continue to stay in the Hidden Leaf?"
"Yes." Kyoko replied politely.
"Very well… When appointing a new governor or relocating my nobles, I usually gift them a place of residence. However, it seems that is not needed this time."
"If I may humbly request, Lord Daimyo?"
Lord Daimyo peered curiously at the girl, "Yes?"
"May I build a residence within the province and establish an office of sorts?"
"Oh? Well… I suppose that can easily be arranged." The elder nodded with small crinkles forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Thank you, Lord Daimyo." Kyoko tipped her head to the man in a very urbane bow.
"That covers most of what I expect from you. I will send you a list of administrators that you may choose from or you can employ your own. I expect you to visit the lands at least once within the next two to three years. You will also be given a budget that is to be used on the development of the lands. This budget will last for the next six years which by then you must be fully self-sufficient from the capital. Of course, in the event of serious misfortune, the capital will consider providing aid and disaster relief. I will be needing yearly reports for the next six years, after that, you will continue on a tri-yearly basis. I look forward to your lands maturity." The Daimyo dismissed them with a large cloth bag and as simply as a wave of the lord's hand, they were off.
They had already packed and were ready to leave. His companions were just as eager to leave the city. Or at least, they had been. Asuma couldn't see through the impassive mask under Kakashi's mask. And, ever since last night, the Nara girl had been silent. Not a single word was spoken, other than when people directly addressed her. Asuma had asked Kakashi but all he received in return was a shrug.
From the way Kakashi's lazy eye frowned at his former subordinate, Asuma had guessed that this was not a normal occurrence. Beyond the extended silences, the girl acted normal, albeit a bit of a Shinobi textbook example. Yet, lacking in any real depth. She felt almost doll-like. Asuma found it more than a little disturbing.
They strolled through the streets of the capital city and out into the wide road. After a five-minute stroll beyond the entrance of the pompous city, Kakashi took to the trees. Kyoko followed immediately, obviously used to shadowing after Kakashi as her captain.
Asuma took one last drag of his cigarette, flicked it on the dirt ground, twisted it out with the bottom of his ninja sandals and took off after his two companions.
They cut straight through in a direct line back to Konoha. Through forest trees, over the lakes and rivers they had travelled around on the journey to the capital. Cliffs were another obstacle that a ninja could make light of, unlike a caravan or civilian. While it had taken the caravan multiple weeks to travel from the Leaf to the Capital, it took the three ninjas only five days. Kyoko was, in fact, more than capable of keeping pace with Kakashi and himself the entire journey.
They arrived at the large An gates of the village, passed by the Chunin guards and made their way through the comfortingly familiar main street that lead directly to the Hokage tower at the back of the village.
Kakashi gave the verbal report to the Hokage, being that he was technically the highest-ranking Shinobi of the party. Asuma and Kyoko both stayed quiet as Kakashi summed up all of the main, important details. The rest of the smaller details would be included in the written report that Kakashi would also likely fill out. If his father had any questions beyond that, personal questioning would likely be the fastest and easiest route to the information his father wanted elaborated upon.
With a quick dismissal from his father, Asuma made to leave. The Nara didn't move.
"I would like to request a formal discussion with Lord Hokage." The girl said.
He continued walking.
It wasn't any of his business.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
"I hereby renounce my inheritance of the Nara clan and formally pass on the privilege of leadership to my younger brother, Shikamaru, on the grounds of my new duties to the Tekka province, which is under my direct independence," Kyoko spoke loudly to the room.
"What?!" One of the Elders of the Nara exclaimed.
Kyoko didn't bother to reply to the man, he was marginally insignificant. The only reason he was even here in this room was because of her father's insistence. She would never doubt her father's advice.
"Granted." Kyoko could count on the Hokage to quickly come to terms with the best course of action when it is presented to him.
"Lord Hokage, please wait a moment?" Another of the elder men of the clan asked calmly. Kyoko was twistedly amused at their desperate grasping as the situation slipped through their fingers. All frantically aiming for a descendant of theirs to become her spouse and claim leadership of the clan.
"Granted." Her father dismissed the elder's pleading.
Kyoko fought the cheshire grin from curling darkly on her lips.
"Shikaku-!"
"It's interesting." Kyoko interrupted.
No more of this pressure on her father, she decided. It needed to be choked right now before Shikamaru was placed in their father's position. "It's almost like you assume your presence in this room is anything other than a formality."
"Why you-!"
"You do not have a voice in this decision beyond requirement. I am the Heiress. My father is your leader. You may advise him, but you do not get to push your decision out through the actions of my father. Back off and shut up." Kyoko scowled, she no longer had the motivation to remain polite to these pricks.
"Besides, can you not see that Shikamaru is the obvious choice? My brother is named 'Shika'. He will be on the generational team of Ino-Shika-Cho. His relationship with his team will further solidify the clan for the next generation, as it always has. He has infinitely more potential than I, and he shows signs of superior intelligence to match. Not only that, but it seems like he'll give more thought to our clan than me or you lot combined."
The room stared at her in a mixed reaction of surprise and shock. Her father smiled with pride.
"Now, why don't you rise to your name and make the logical decision." Kyoko challenged.
One of the elders sighed in defeat.
"Granted."
"Good." She spat.
"And what of your intended marriage, girl?"
"Shikamaru is now the Heir of the Nara clan and its direct inheritor, I will take up the role of support for my brother when he comes to inherit the clan. Until then, leave me the fuck alone." Kyoko turned to the Hokage, "May I leave now, Lord Hokage?"
"I will be seeing you here for your duties tomorrow morning." Kyoko nodded in reply to the Third Hokage's words, she'd be officially starting daily duties as the aid of the Lord Hokage. Joy. The white-haired man took a long drag from the pipe, "Dismissed."
She wasted no time in leaving.
.
Kyoko stared at the mountain of scrolls on her newly gifted low desk table. Kyoko sat relaxed on a cushion. Her elbows rested against the wood of the table and her hand knitted through her loose strands of hair in a tangling grip.
Her hair tie had just snapped, it lay discarded just beyond arms reach, and the pile of scrolls she had only managed to skim halfway through just seemed to grow.
Long, dark tresses fell in a frame around her vision like a black curtain. The light of the candles cast dancing shadows on every inch of her room in a way she used to find calming. Nothing felt calming anymore. Like her hair tie, she felt used and worn, ready to give at any moment but desperate to try and hold dark strands together.
Kyoko slipped her head further down, letting her fingers trail through the hair at the back of her scalp.
With a deep breath, Kyoko cleared her mind and shoved the loose hair away from her face. Her hands deftly gathered it all up, twisted it into a single continuous bunch and looped it at the top of her head in a loose bun. A single Senbon kept everything from falling apart.
Kyoko reached over for another scroll.
She'd already read over any number of subjects. Fostering agriculture and sericulture, the registration of population, supervision of local police, hearing grievances, registering households and rice fields, imposing taxes, corvee labour.
And she was only halfway through, from skimming. She hadn't actually read the damn scrolls in depth. She had, at most, made notes on key points, the scroll they were in and its approximate place within for later study. She had already covered an entire three sheets of paper with her notes alone.
The scroll Kyoko opened next was of maintaining irrigation systems. She pulled more of the scroll, eyes dancing over well-drawn diagrams that made barely any sense to her. She replaced that scroll for later.
Next was the maintenance of public buildings, such as shrines and halls.
Then it was the development of local pastures.
Then the capacity that the province is able to defend itself by means of militias, arms and signal fires.
By the end of it all, Kyoko was tired.
And that was just skimming.
Kyoko bent over her table; her mind kept blank.
She could hear the birds. The crickets. Her brother's droning voice. The sway of the trees in the wind. The neutral lull of the land's energy.
A calling of her name from the other side of the shoji stirred her from the light nap. Her face felt reddened from its time plastered against the table.
Her father's voice called again.
"Yes?" She replied, rubbing away the imprint on the side of her face. She caught sight of a reddened mark on her arm, no doubt it was the matching other to the one on her face. Well, at least she didn't drool all over her notes.
Her father pulled back the wooden paper door, the quiet lighting of her room did little more than give shadows to the age lines in his eyes and brows.
"How are you doing, squirt?"
Kyoko groaned and fell backwards on the tatami of her floor. "I'm just… doing what I need to do." Her eyes stared at the ceiling and her mind twisted the shadows above into the forms of her thoughts.
"I see…" The shuffling of fabric in movement was her only indication of her father moving, his feet made no sound. "I bought you something, might take your mind off of things."
Kyoko turned to her father with intrigue. All she had been trying to do was distract herself, the overload of practical information did help with that, but she was bored with it. She was bored with it from the moment she had opened that first scroll.
"Here." He said, something was tossed in her direction. Kyoko cast a quick glance and easily caught the scroll tossed at her.
"What is it?" She scowled, she didn't need another damn scroll. This one was fairly big too. Even bigger than that monster scroll on agriculture and sericulture.
"Our history." He spoke.
Kyoko shot up and turned to her father. "This is…?" Her father nodded. "But… I'm no longer the Heir of the clan." Kyoko voiced in question.
"You are still my firstborn. Besides, it isn't something Shikamaru will be interested in. Not for a while anyway. Look after it until he is able to understand when he finally does read it." Her father frowned to the side at his own thoughts. Probably at that last report card of Shikamaru's from the academy. While her brother was quick and creative in intellectual situations, his attention span was shorter than their mother's patience in topics that didn't interest him.
Kyoko twisted the scroll in her hands, the texture of the lining felt nice. Surprisingly, it looked newer than she'd imagined. She voiced her thoughts to her father.
"It's been transcribed." He said, "Every few hundred years, when the white begins to colour and the ink greys, a Nara will take the duty of diligently copying, word for word, the entire scroll in his best writing."
"You're not telling me to transcribe this, are you?"
Her father chuckled, "I think I'll save that for Shikamaru. When he's older, of course."
Kyoko grinned, "A brilliant idea, Pa."
"It's yours to look after for now." He turned away from her room and slid the door closed.
Kyoko looked down at the scroll in her hands.
She shuffled back over to her desk and, with a swift shove of all the other piles of rolled paper, she cleared space on the table. Her fingers carefully untied the dark, braided cord that kept the scroll tightly coiled in on itself.
A gentle tug and coaxing had the scroll rolling open.
Of Nara: Notes and Collections.
Account 1: The first of the Scratchings – Nara no Mori, Kiyomaru
There are some things that the others just don't understand. In the cluster of homes they have built, they do not see that they have begun to lose connection with Nara. In their open fields, there are no great trees to provide. They will come to realize this and, no doubt, leave to find someplace else.
The few of us that have stayed, we watch from afar.
It took my son leaving for me to realize that our way of life was in danger from the constant threat to all people.
Time.
I fear I am the only one to have come to notice.
Our traditions, our values and our spirit will all be lost. For how could an oral tradition, a closely guarded way of life, continue if there is no one to listen? No one to know. No one to tell.
And beyond the demise of our living tradition, there is other knowledge lost. If the way we cook our rice is forgotten, then so is the need for our cookery. Should the need for our cookery be lost, then so shall our mastery of crafts. Gone is the metalwork, the clay, the very growth of the land and therefore, gone is ourselves.
So, I write.
I have not written since I was a child, my father insisted that I was not worth the paper. I stole from him, often, as a child. Small scraps where, with the pointed tip of a piece of coal, I would scratch my endless worries and thought upon the discarded plans of my father's paper.
My fingertips and nails were consistently blackened.
Now, I no longer need to take from my fathers failed scraps. The failed scraps I scratch upon are now my own.
In my hopes, I write for if my son should return someday – with a family of his own – he will be able to understand the words I have spoken to him over these last fifteen years. Each reality I forced him to face was nothing more than a lesson so that he may become stronger in mind and in life.
Eventually, should my descendants be as wise and covetous as my kinsmen, the future generations will be able to analyze these scraps of paper for clues as they too, gasp their way through life.
And so, I shall begin with the first thing my parents told me, and I to my own son.
"Fear the dark."
Our world is filled in every single corner. Light blinds. Shadows linger.
When we are first taught to fear the darkness of the night, that includes the dangers it brings. It keeps curious children from wandering too far and away from all manner of beasts with which we share our home.
And yet, they still wonder.
This is what we seek.
Despite our children having been taught that, in the darkness of the forests, danger lurks in the most unforgiving of forms. They still wander.
This is foolish curiosity and courage at work.
When the child ventures into the night, should they return, they learn the necessary realities of life. Death is a shadow.
They see it every day, death. In the snapping of a boar's neck, they have a meal. The cicada caught by the bird. The unlucky of the winter months.
When the fox dive for fish, the fox lives on stronger and the fish becomes a part of the fox.
They accept this fact.
Become stronger.
Wiser.
Then, when I had stumbled home after the dark, my father told me the next lesson I would come to apply in life.
"Learn in the dark."
I did.
And by doing so, I learnt to see the way light reflected beyond the shadows. The world became a little more clear.
But the single most important thing I learnt, during that time, was that the difference between darkness and a shadow is nothing more than a single ounce of light.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
"Itachi is twelve now." Danzo looked down at the Third Hokage sat at his desk. "It's about time you did it."
Kyoko stood silently beside the Hokage, the older man gestured for the next document and Kyoko wordlessly handed the next from the stack in her arms. The papers had been sorted into reverse chronological order. That way, when the administration office was given them, it would be easy to sort and distribute. The Third Hokage was nothing if not efficient in his work. Kyoko supposed it was an accumulation of knowledge that allowed the man to work so efficiently.
"With Shisui's death, the only pawn we have against the Uchiha is Itachi. We can't have him spending his days burdened with all these random missions as a member of Anbu under your control."
Kyoko soothed the storm in her heart. It wouldn't do any good to bring about trouble. Not here. Not now. She could wait. Bide her time. And plan.
"Promote him to team leader, hm?" Hiruzen remarked, setting a signed and sealed paper with the rest of the completed stack.
"Just as I said before. Raise his official age by a year, and the issues of the rules resolve themselves."
The Hokage sighed, reached across his desk for his pipe. With a small flame and a deep breath, purple smoke filled the room. Danzo's eyes narrowed and Kyoko took small amusement in the way her leaders eye crinkled in the corner. Deliberately aiming to annoy.
"I can't stop feeling sorry about Shisui's death. That a ninja of his capabilities would commit suicide…"
Her heart warped at Shisui's name.
The Third Hokage watched Danzo through the tint of the smoke. He had not asked for Kyoko's thoughts or opinions on Shisui. Not yet anyway. Kyoko had a feeling that Hiruzen was sniffing around, finding the smaller facts and working his way inwards. A fair way to get a good idea on the bigger picture.
But Kyoko had the answer.
As did Itachi.
The Hokage only had to ask.
If she went ahead and blurted out this pricks name, it would be seen as primarily an accusation. The real point of the question would then be lost. She never said more than what she was asked of.
Danzo turned to Hiruzen, "The Uchiha were quiet for a time because of Shisui's death, but recently, they've started to move again. We won't be able to avoid an explosion."
"I know that."
"So, then?"
"I'll approve Itachi's promotion."
With a pleased smile curling across his face, Danzo turned away. "Then I'll go ahead with the paperwork."
"Know that this is a special case." The Third Hokage warned. "When the dissatisfaction of the Uchiha clan is resolved, I will release Itachi."
"Once they settle down, there's no need of Itachi. After that, you do what you want." Danzo strolled proudly from the Hokage's office. The door swinging closed behind.
Once more, the purple smoke filled the room. The pipe was set aside.
"Your thoughts?" He asked the room.
Only Kyoko stood present, with her new role of acting as aid and guard there was no need for guards at the Hokage's door when she was on duty.
"If you don't want my flittering thoughts, Lord Hokage, then you're going to have to be a little bit more specific," Kyoko said flatly. She could tell him exactly how she felt. The old man probably wouldn't appreciate it though.
"What are your thoughts on Shisui's suicide?" He elaborated.
Kyoko frowned. "Shisui's hand was forced."
She saw, from the corner of her eye, how the Hokage turned and frowned in thought.
"You sound very sure." He said.
Kyoko dragged her eyes away from the closed door to meet her leaders analyzing gaze. "There's a reason for that."
"You know who killed him…" The Lord Hokage was quick to catch on to small nuances. "How?"
"I felt it," Kyoko confessed. The crack within her grew just a little more at the mere thought. A slither of the absolute uselessness crept back. She killed that emotion quicker than any in-turned blade could.
"But you were in the Capital at the time…" He trailed off. Kyoko's extended silence seemed to provide the answers the older man needed. "How far does your sense go?"
Kyoko turned away from the Hokage. "Further than the capital." She stated. "Further than the Land of Fire, if I want to spend the next hour vomiting and delirious."
The silence dragged through the room like a reanimated corpse.
"Who?"
Kyoko chose not to reply, she only glared fiercely at the door. The more she looked at it, the more she started to drown in anger.
"I see." Hiruzen reached for his pipe once again.
"But you already knew that, didn't you? Lord Hokage?" Kyoko spat.
His hand touched the pipe, hesitating for a moment, then drawing away with nothing in its grasp. The pipe remained perched in the tray where the ashes were often discarded. "…Yes."
One deep breath through her nose, she pulled a lid over the flames in her heart. "The both of you disgust me."
The Hokage simply hummed in reply. Of course, he already knew that.
She turned her fuming stare back to the old man, revulsion at the forefront of her mind. "Itachi is no pawn."
A small smile curled on the Hokage's face and he gestured for the next sheet of work to be done.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
Her father sat with her under the stars of the engawa. Kyoko had been staring out endlessly into the sky.
Her days were mostly quiet now.
She would still wake early in the morning, train in the darkened Nara forest. Meditate with the rising of the sun. She would come back home, eat with her family, have a shower then go to the Hokage office. After, she would train some more, maybe visit some people. Eventually, as the sun set, she would return home and pour herself all over those damned scrolls until it felt like her brain would explode. Dinner with her family. Maybe a little more training, some sleep and she'd do it all over again. This cycle was stale in routine.
But routine was the only way she could continue.
"Your grief is wounding you." Her father said matter-of-factly.
"I'm not wounded," Kyoko replied in exactly the same tone her father used.
"I'm not talking about a physical wound, daughter."
She knew that, what idiot would think otherwise? She didn't need him spelling his cryptic way of getting his message out. She had long deciphered her father's way of speaking.
Still, he was pushing on something she was trying so hard to bury, it was quick in pissing her off.
"I'm fine." Kyoko insisted.
She had to be.
"You're tearing yourself apart." Her father snapped at her, scolding her like the child she could no longer be. "What you need to let yourself heal!"
Kyoko picked her hanging legs from over the side of the engawa, bringing them under her to stand herself up. Kyoko stood above her father's seated height. "I said I'm not wounded!"
Her father rose to his feet, meeting her challenge, "You are-"
"I'm not!" She screamed. The night silenced in the aftermath of her shout. The breath was far from her grasp, her chest heaved in effort and every drag of her breath hurt. But this pain was nothing compared to the pain Shisui had endured. The pain she had felt through him.
"I'm not wounded! There's no rip that makes me bleed, no tears from my eyes or in my skin. I'm not wounded..." Her words shook. Her head spun in a torrent of overwhelming emotions, the sheer strength of her feelings were a force Kyoko had never faced before. "Instead, there's a hole."
"This endless, consuming hole that just takes and takes from me! Until there's nothing left except misery and anger! So much anger that I don't even know…" She swallowed past the thick steel ball of built-up discourse.
"Papa..." Her breath caught in the hitch of her throat.
"It hurts..." Thin, calloused hands gripped tightly over her clothed heart in a desperate cling to anything remotely physical.
"It hurts..." That hand began to shake with its fierce grip. The shaking of her hand steadily moved throughout her body.
A rough grip latched onto her shoulder and dragged her forward. Familiar arms caught her in an unfamiliar embrace. Her father's warmth trickled into her skin. His sent coaxed guilt. When was the last time she felt this?
When was the last time she had hugged any of her family?
Ma or Shika?
Her Uncles Inoichi and Choza?
Itachi... and Shisui?
Would this... also be the last time?
The all-consuming hole deep within her chest filled with thick, hot red that travelled up and leaked from her eyes. She pushed it back. She needed to be okay, so she could move forward and focus on what remained. She needed-
"Even shadows cry, my daughter."
Like a dam bursting, the flood of her tears seemed never-ending and the agony shook her body with every dry lungful. And with every breath, her sorrows flowed swifter. Swift like the river.
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
In the dead of the night, Kyoko searched for his chakra for the first time since her return to the village.
It was almost second nature to pull on her ninja sandals and walk out the front door. Her silent steps guided her along the firm trail of the street.
The moon glowed brightly in the night sky, illuminating every crevice and rock in her path. She weaved through the roads slowly, in no rush to put herself in what will no doubt be an awkward predicament.
Her fingers trailed lightly along the steel mesh fencing that caged back the dense shrubbery and wrapped around most of the park. Kyoko paused at the opening of the gate and looked down the stairs to her precious friend.
He sat on an unmoving swing, his upper body bent in half and folded over the platform of his thighs. She took one slow step after another. All too soon, she was sitting on the chain suspended chair beside him.
She hesitated for a moment, swallowed back her indecision and tried again.
"Itachi?" She spoke softly.
She could see the heaving quiver of his body in a large exhale of breath.
Kyoko waited quietly. For the longest time, ever since her return from the capital, she had no room for wasted time. But now, Kyoko seemed to find endless patience within. She cast her eyes to the flittering light of the bright stars. The guiding formations stood out in the uncountable clusters dotting the sky, her mind intuitively differentiating based on her knowledge.
But… It wasn't often that Kyoko looked to the stars and saw the sky as nothing more than a singular fact of life.
"I'm sorry," Itachi whispered. The words Itachi needed to hear weren't ones he wanted to acknowledge, so Kyoko hummed a faint tune into the night while her friend took his time to grieve in company.
"I… killed him."
"It was Shisui who made that decision," Kyoko said, hoping it would bring him some small form of comfort in knowing that she didn't blame him at all.
"You…"
"Yeah."
"How long?" He asked.
Kyoko rocked lightly back and forth in a soothing sway. "Shisui's chakra was saturated in his emotions. Even as far away as I was, I could feel them like he was next to me."
Itachi turned his sorrow reddened eyes away from her and back to the dirt of the ground.
The song of the crickets was all they needed between them and the world slowed to the clam of the night.
"What will you do now?" Kyoko asked.
Itachi straightened at the question. "I will carry on where Shisui left off."
"In stopping the coup your clan threatens against the village?"
The stillness in the air gained weight as the illicit topic was introduced. A topic that Kyoko had never included herself in before. It was something that apparently Itachi was highly uncomfortable discussing with her, judging by his immediate tensing.
Kyoko sighed, leaning back in a heavy forward motion, "We've gotten so much stronger." She continued at the crowning forward sway of her swing, landing light as a raindrop. "And yet, I still feel so damn helpless."
She took a few steps away from the swing in short paces. Not really straying more than a few meters away from the boy watching her every twitch and flex of movement. "Every time I free myself from whatever holds me back, something else gets in my way." Kyoko stopped right in front of Itachi, a few strides out of his immediate reach. The way it always had been. "It's the same for you. Right?"
"Nn." He acknowledged quietly. "But our trials have always… differed from each other."
"Yeah..." Kyoko smiled. With a gesturing tilt of her head towards the gate of the park, she turned away. "That's why you guys never outright told me, isn't it?"
The silent footfalls of Itachi following behind her was a soothing reminder. "Because, in reality, there isn't a hell of a lot that I could've done to help you guys." It was a reminder of what she was really working for. "If anything, I would've just made things more complicated. Right?"
Itachi chose not to reply. They turned down the streetlight lit sidewalk.
"Shisui's dead." Her harsh words of reality pulsed through the both of them. "There's no one else you can rely on. No one you can trust..." Kyoko turned back to catch a glance at her crestfallen friend. He looked horrible, with heavy bags under his eyes and raw trails down his cheeks. "Except me."
His heavy emotions didn't hold him back from asserting his opinion. "This doesn't have anything to do with you." He said.
"Bullshit! You don't even trust yourself anymore." Kyoko scoffed. With a kick at the solid ground, she paused before turning to address Itachi directly.
"That's untrue." He argued.
Kyoko turned to him with a challenging frown and an outstretched hand, "Would you like to prove that?" She dared him to take her hand. To exercise Ninshu and verify that she was right.
Itachi refused to meet her gaze and made no move to take the challenge. It was all the answer that Kyoko needed. "This place, when Shisui died, started to feel less..." She didn't have the words to even begin describing the tangle in her heart.
"It's lacking now, somehow, and..." She struggled, "If you were to leave me behind as well, I don't know if... I don't think I could still call Konoha home..."
Itachi met her worried, hesitant stare. "You still have your family."
Kyoko smiled at the thought.
"Yes. I have my parents, Shikamaru and all the people I've come to know. But, one day, Ma and Pa will retire, Shikamaru will grow into the leader he's meant to be and have a family of his own... Everybody will move on." The image in her head was so clear. Like she knew in the depths of her bones that they would be fine in their lives without her.
She could see herself there with them, but also… It wasn't the place where she would belong day in and day out.
She knew why.
She had known for some time now. It was stupid, embarrassing even, as the heat crawled up her cheeks.
"But... to me... you've become my family."
The aspect of family was one she had always struggled with, between the confusing line of clan and friends, family was a flexible category to her. It didn't quite fit.
She realized it in that moment. The word she had been searching her heart for.
"No, maybe... You're my home."
That was it.
Finally, she knew.
And now, so did he.
"Why are you telling me this?" The boy questioned, his tone was full of pain and reservation.
Kyoko pondered on the thought briefly.
"Because I want you... To understand."
She wanted to be able to say these things before life took him away too.
"To trust that I'll never betray you."
So she wouldn't feel the unbearable guilt of lost time like she did with Shisui. The things she would say to Shisui if she just could, but she would never get that chance again.
"To know that above everything else, you are my best friend." Because this was who she was. "So use me in a way that only I can of use to you. I am a Shinobi, after all."
Itachi met her determined stare with a calculating and painful fire beneath his inky black pools. "That's what you want?" He asked.
The weight on her heart was less, somehow. Burned away to ash, she felt light. "If I can be helpful to you, I am happy."
He looked away, "I don't want to."
"Why not?" Kyoko demanded with a twitching eye. After all that, he still had the audacity to say something so stupidly selfish? He annoyed the crap out of her at the simplest of times.
"I want you to be safe."
Her harsh emotions fizzled away, and Kyoko was left with nothing but fluster. Kyoko burst into laughter at the sheer irony, "Itachi, I'm never safe."
"I'm unfortunately aware."
"Pft." She smothered the amusement, "Don't act like the victim here. You always-"
"There is a way." He interrupted before she could get the chance to actually ruffle his feathers any, in an attempt to lighten their spirits was her only objective, of course.
"A way what?" Kyoko asked in mild confusion.
"A way you can help." He spent a few moments in silent thinking, "But it's conceited and more like insurance than actual help…"
"I'll do it." Kyoko agreed.
A mix between a deadpan and a frown formed amusingly over Itachi's expression. "You don't even know what I'm asking yet."
She pushed aside the light nature she had been aiming for in this awkward and almost depressing interaction. "This is your family, Itachi. If you need my help in any way, no matter how small, you have it."
Itachi turned his back to her, looking out into the river that trailed through the village. A large red bridge was quietly illuminated by the off lighting of the streets.
"Thank you." He spoke quietly.
Kyoko waited. When Itachi turned around, the ink in his eyes turned to stone in hardened seriousness. "That promise… This burden, are you willing to bear it, even if it takes the rest of your life?"
"I'd want for nothing less."
౦０o ｡ (‾́。‾́ )y~~ (ಠ_ಠ)
Don't smoke kids, you'll go broke
Shikamaru carefully trodded through the dense, dark forest. Careful steps and sharp eyes guided him along the path his father had taught him. Shikamaru stopped at one of the old Torii gates scattered about the forest. He turned off to the side, the smallest worn trail led him ducking under massive overhanging roots and over moss softened boulders. The trees parted slightly into a small clearing. The Shika deer were dotted around the clearing in curled up balls napping on the ground and lazy plodding about the area in search of grazing. Among them all, completely at home, was his sister.
"Skipping class?" She asked unmoving from her sprawled out position in the grass.
"Skipping work?" He retorted.
Kyoko chuckled, "Come to join me in playing hookie?"
Shikamaru shrugged, "Sounds fun." His sister snorted in response but made no other move.
Shikamaru glanced about the clearing his sister favored. It wasn't all that big, most of the undergrowth had been stripped as the deer's lunch and several small stone lanterns decorated the lining between the forest and the clearing.
"What are you doing here?" He asked more for conversation than actual curiosity.
"Isn't it obvious?" She replied.
"Sleeping?"
"Yup."
Shikamaru walked over to his favourite deer, the one named Rikumaru, who was similarly laying in the grass like his sister. Dark eyes watched his approach. Shikamaru sat next to the young buck, a lazy hand grazed lightly over the hide of the unfazed animal.
"Other ninja can't come into the forest."
Ah, so that's why she hadn't come back home for breakfast. She hadn't left the forest from her morning training.
"You're hiding." He stated.
"I'm hiding." His sister confessed. "But I also plan to spend the day training."
Right, training. He could tell from how slow her breathing was and her completely relaxed form, he had woken her from a nap. "Looks like you're training really hard." He said sarcastically.
"Adequate rest is a form of maintenance of the body and therefore an important part of one's training." She said in a way that sounded like she was reciting from a book or something.
"Right…" Well, in theory, she wasn't wrong.
"I'm chakra exhausted."
That excuse, whether it was an excuse or not, was far more believable. "Have you been training the clan Jutsu again?" Shikamaru asked curiously.
His sister groaned, "Yeah. The damn thing just eats away at chakra." She threw her arms up into the sky dramatically, "I have more chakra than even Pa does and it's still a pain in the ass."
He wondered how she was using the Jutsu. Shikamaru had studied it, out of interest and jealousy. The practical usage of the Shadow Jutsu depended on finite control of condensed yin chakra. He could materialize the shadow of the Jutsu from his own shadow, but he couldn't move it yet or link it to hold anyone else's. Attempting to do so would leave him passed out in the dirt from the amount of chakra it used. If someone like his sister, who's chakra capacity was probably the largest in their clan, was unmoving in the grass from exhaustion… He wondered what stupidity she was attempting now.
"You just thought something mean, didn't you?" She scolded.
He felt no guilt. Sure she could read his chakra, decipher his emotions, but she would never know the details. That fact alone would drive her up the wall.
"Just what is my little brother thinking, that would twist his chakra so vindictively?"
"Who knows?"
"Tch." Her response gave him great amusement.
The serenity of the forest led to a calming silence. Shikamaru looked up into the opening of the trees above. The blue sky of the late morning threatened the heat of the summer day. It was one of the reasons why he had come to the forest anyway. The tall dark trees provided a thick cover against both the sun and the wind, preserving the cool climate of the morning forest. In this clearing though, Shikamaru could feel the touch of the sun against his skin. If he stayed like this for too long, he'd probably burn.
"Speed Shiritori?" Kyoko asked out of nowhere.
Shiritori was a game they had played all throughout his life, as far back as he could remember. It was how he learnt words that would never be taught at the academy. Aside from the corresponding Kanji, but if he asked then Kyoko would teach him that too.
"Metal." He began.
"Lips." She replied instantly. Usually, a person had thirty seconds to respond but Speed Shiritori only allowed for three.
He took the final letter from her word, "Steward."
"Descendent."
"Truth." Rikumaru stood slowly and strolled away, following the rest of the herd as they moved further across the clearing. Probably to one of the streams that flowed through the forest and linked with the Naka river.
"Haunting."
He paused for a second in thought of his responding word, taking a single other second to consider which word would be the more difficult for her to reply to. "Gloomy."
It was her turn to pause. "Yarn."
"Neighbor."
She smirked, "Raikage."
"Existing-state." Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her little inside joke. One of the Kage were always mentioned in their game. It had become kind of a tradition for the two of them to create the circumstances where a Kage could be used as one of the words.
Kyoko raised an eye at his choice, "Exercise." She didn't have the time to ask for his reasoning anyway, that was the good thing about Speed Shiritori.
"Envious." The bad thing about the timeframe was that thoughts tended to slip out through the choices of words as pressure built up. It was something the both of them acknowledged and left alone.
"Son."
"Nine."
"Establishment."
He contemplated a second, "Type."
"Enraged…"
"Dominion."
More than three seconds passed. "Shikamaru…" Kyoko ended the game.
That tone of voice took him back to a warm night where he sat with his mother at the dinner table and his sister's wails echoed through the halls. Shikamaru hummed in reply.
"What is it you want from the future?" She asked.
Shikamaru sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. "I just wanna spend my days watching the clouds."
"That type of simple peace…" He could hear the fond smile in her voice, "I want that too. I want to build a home in a quiet forest and honestly live out my days… I feel so old."
"Sis is eleven." She was young in age.
"Yeah, that's my problem. But every mission adds years of guilt and acceptance in a crushing cycle. That is what it is, being a ninja. It's all about enduring the endlessness of life. It is an untainted hypocrisy at its core, a rushing loop of light and shadow." Kyoko sat up from the ground covered in blades of grass, "If nothing else, remember that, little brother."
Kyoko stood and strolled over to the shade of the trees. "Let me show you something." She gestured for him to follow after her.
He was quick in trailing after her. Giddy whenever she wanted to share her multifaceted knowledge with him. She maneuvered between the forest like a flowing river in a channel, effortless. Meanwhile, he had to watch for the roots in the ground and hidden loose rocks. She even took care to avoid the smaller creatures crawling over the damp leafy floor. He began to copy her footsteps, finding the faint and fading imprints she left behind as he literally followed her step for step. It was a bit difficult at first, her strides were longer than his, but soon those strides shortened. He felt his face redden in embarrassment and immediately dismissed it.
Soon, she stopped. Shikamaru looked around and saw nothing but more of the Nara forest.
"This tree here." His sister said. Shikamaru looked at the tree in question. It was a normal tree, like many others in the forest, if anything, it was more unremarkable than the rest. It wasn't as big as the prized Hinoki nor as scented as the Sugi. It just looked like any other tree. It really did. But something felt off when his sister pulled a small piece of bark from the width of the tree. She ran her thumb over the inside of the bark, seeing things he could not. With simple pressure, the bark split in two.
"Here." She handed one of the pieces to him.
He turned it about in his hand, peering at the soft, strand-like texture. He turned curious eyes up to his sister.
She smiled at him, her own piece perched between her thumb and forefinger. She maneuvered it into the open palm of her hand and held it out for him to see. With a nudge of her pinky finger, the piece of bark crumbled away into dust. Shikamaru blinked in surprise, clutching at his own piece to prove that it had once been naught but bark. The bark in his hand didn't crumble like his sisters.
"This tree… According to our ancestors, the Great Sage himself created this breed of tree from nothing but a single seed and the purity of his chakra." Kyoko let the remainders, of what once was bark, fall to the forest floor. "The tree flourished. It nourished the deer, the birds, boars, insects and our people… It tree feeds from the natural chakra of everything around it, stores it and reforms the chakra into an energy of its own before giving back to what it took from."
Shikamaru looked down to the small piece within his grasp in curious wonder.
"And yet, when it comes into contact with a person's chakra… It changes erratically before fading away into nothing. What does that tell you about the true nature of a person's chakra?" She turned away, placing a single hand against the wide trunk of the tree.
"We create something called chakra paper from these trees." She continued, "They are cut, steamed, stripped of bark that is hung to dry and stripped again. Until it is reduced to the thinnest strips of pure fibres. From there multiple craftsmen work in specialized areas to turn it into what we Shinobi use as chakra paper that reacts specifically to a person's natural chakra affinity."
He pondered silently with the information. His mind twisted over what could possibly explain the solid tree turning to nothing but dust if a person touched it with chakra yet could still be turned into something that works with people's chakra once it'd become paper.
Well, they wouldn't be using the leaves from this tree for the academy chakra exercise, the thought amused him.
But Shikamaru couldn't figure it out, he didn't know much about chakra. Other than the basics that the academy had taught him, like how chakra flowed in every living thing and that it could be harnessed to create Jutsu.
"We are unbalanced." She eventually offered the answer. "The tree will take in the chakra of nature itself, and grow explosively from its sapling form in just a year. Yet, a single brush from the chakra of a person will cause its immediate death. We are too disconnected from the real meaning of energy, it has been forgotten, so our chakra turns into a stale poison for this tree."
Kyoko cupped his hand with her own. The almost-uncomfortable warmth of her chakra blanketed his hand, he stared fascinated at the piece of bark as it moved. From the bark sprung small stalks forming small petals and leaves that meshed together. A coaxing smile and nod of her own had Shikamaru experimentally pushing a small sliver of his own energy out and the piece of bark became something like a tree with its roots wrapped firmly around his hands.
"Let's go plant this little fella somewhere?" His sister suggested.
He paused in a combination of shock and wonder before following after her once again."How did you learn this?" He asked.
"It was a combination of two things." She replied, "Reading the old notes of Nara's before us and the fact that I can feel every movement in the chakra flow. I've come to understand it better than most Shinobi who simply use it."
Shikamaru frowned in thought.
"Here's a little extra food for thought…" His sister trailed off, "A ninja who understands the flow of chakra will be able to neutralize and split a Jutsu's effects."
He stared at his sister in doubt and surprise, "You can do that?"
She laughed, "Not yet. But it is possible. There was a Hyuga that could do it. But he's dead, so I have to figure this out on my own."
"Hmm…" He asked nothing more, his thoughts sufficiently distracted for the rest of the day.
Though he did wonder. What really classified as balance, and how did his sister achieve it? He would think about it more before resorting to asking her directly. Or maybe he'd ask Dad first...