"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
~ Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
...
Mitomi would list waiting for the eventual shit storm the chunin exams would turn into as one of the most stressful and boring times of her entire existence. Shikuka and Inoichi had their plans that they weren't telling her and she had her own plans because she didn't know how to just let it go. She planned with Anko's team, trained with Hayate, and occasionally went to antagonize team 7. They needed the extra training and Kakashi was still doing a less than subpar job. Her shishou was still out of the village and for that she was somewhat grateful.
Orochimaru had carved a cavern in his soul, a cavern that Shimura had filled with treasury and darkness. A cavern that Kakashi had pulled him out from and that Mitomi was determined to fill with light. It was better if he just wasn't around.
No matter how useful his abilities would be.
"Kid stop acting like you hate life." Mitomi crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Anko.
"I have a bad feeling about this." She tells the woman seriously. Because she did. Mitomi also knew her feeling was more than just that.
This was going to end horribly.
Hayate reaches over and ruffles her hair, she'd forgoed the space buns and actually had her hair down for once. She hated it, but her ponytail broke so she was stuck. Mitomi smoothed the frizzy mess back down and glared at her senpai. Anko gives her a measuring look.
"How bad of a feeling?" They were waiting for the genin to arrive at training ground 44, Anko had a clone leading them. Hayate and Mitomi were to stay out of site and observe the genin once they arrived. Mitomi shrugs.
"You know how animals get right before a disaster… that's how I feel right now. Like I want to burrow myself far away from everything. I think… I think something really bad is coming, my senses feel heavy and dark. Like I'm being strangled by a python and struggling to breath. It's not a nice feeling." Mitomi hopes her explanation tells Anko what she cannot.
"A python eh?" But whatever else the woman is going to add is cut off by the arrival of the genin and Hayate grabs her and they jump out of sight.
It was time.
Mitomi makes sure to point out the sand genin to Hayate, she mouths 'host' as she points at the red head. Who for the record looked far less homicidal than the last time she had seen him. She'd need to check the seal later, make sure it was still holding up. Then when some interesting grass shinobi makes a move she sighs 'snake'.
Hayate signs 'understood' and they continue their quiet observations.
Anko meets them in the tree and she is paler than she'd been before. Mitomi looks at her and the older woman nods her head. Anko signs a confirmation of 'snake'. ANBU Mouse appears when signed for.
Anko looks crazed and Mitomi understands the feeling. The snake woman makes a series of hand signs and Mitomi only catches the words 'snake' 'danger' and 'infiltration'. Mouse understands everything signs because the agent deflates with a singular response of.
'Message received'
"How good are your paralytic and barrier seals?" Anko asks and dread crawls up in her stomach.
"The best."
…
Mitomi would like to state for the matter that she had not intended it to go down this way. Her carefully made plans did not involve facing a legendary sannin head first in the forest of death. But here they were. She moves through shunshin backwards than kawarimis out of the way of a rude explosive tag. Guard duty during the second stage of the chunin exams was to make sure no one really killed themselves, it was not meant to be an all out brawl with a sannin. She was fucked.
Hey Kurama.. Wanna help me skin a snake?
I thought you'd never ask brat.
Golden chakra folds over her skin, eyes dilate then turn to diamond slits, a flowing clock falls from her shoulder. A large scroll appears on her back. Her hair splinters out like nine tails around her face. She probably resembles her mother with this. Mitomi grins at the implication. She lets just an inch of killer intent out.
Two could play this game.
"Well then, this is quite the surprise." Orochimaru chuckles like he thinks he's funny and she narrows her eyes.
He won't be laughing long.
He speeds through hand signs and throws destructive jutsu at her, she dodges with ease. Leaping over fire as if it was a pastime. In one life it had been. She may be younger now than she was before when she fought Orochimaru, but she was much smarter.
Mitomi puffs up her cheeks and blows giant acidic bubbles at him. He was probably poison resistant so acid was a much safer bet to hurt. His eyes widen, Orochimaru disappears in a puff of smoke. Mitomi is disappointed when he proves just how cowardly he truly is. She lands on the smouldering earth but doesn't let go of her hold of Kurama's cloak.
She didn't count it as a win. Mitomi knew that the sannin was probably low on chakra after fighting her brother, fucking with his seal, and biting Sasuke. She ignores the ANBU that touches ground a few paces away from her. It's Gekko, he knows better than to ask questions.
"Is Anko-san okay?" Orochimaru had gone after her first and Mitomi is hitting herself for not fixing that poor woman's seal earlier. She'd been too busy focusing on everything else to remember to look at it.
"She has been taken to the hospital. The Hokage is being updated on the situation." Mitomi nods and lets Kurama's cloak fall.
"Great. I know I'm not supposed to interfere with the kids but that bastard did something to my brother's seal and I need to go look at it. He doesn't have the same partnership with his half of the fox as I do." Gekko shrugs at her, she can feel the unease wafting off of him. He would have to get over it.
"I don't think rules matter at this point Uzumaki, we've been infiltrated." She sighs.
"Fair point."
Infiltrated or not, Konoha still had a show to put on. Mitomi fixes Naruto's seal while he sleeps invisible to Sakura because she didn't want to break all the rules and ruin Naruto's chance of getting to beat Neji up. She hoped that still happened, cause someone needed too.
She takes one look at Sasuke's seal and decides it has to wait until she has proper tools. Removing it would take time, and he needed to be awake for it. Curse seals were evil and she hates them, so it was definitely going to have to go.
In her last life she'd let it be, indifferent to the situation. Mitomi hadn't actively tried to change anything until things just started spiralling. This was a whole new arena for her. She has so much work to do.
Mitomi places a quick retainer seal around the curse mark then leaves, that should hold off any of the more dubious side effects… for now.. Hopefully.
She heads to the tower. She needed to talk to Shikaku.
It was about time he informed her on what the fuck his plan was. Mitomi was tired of running around blind.
She didn't want an invasion to take place, because if she had to fight Orochimaru again she'd lose.
…
Mitomi sits with her legs tucked under her, head leaned against the railing. She was exhausted. Irritated that they were still continuing this farce. Shikaku had told her to keep her guard up and don't let the rookie nine out of her sight. Which meant having to subject herself to watching these ridiculous preliminary matches.
It also meant she had to openly defy a direct order from a superior. But honestly Kakashi could go fuck himself. She told him to fuck off in tap code too, which earned a raised brow from the other two jonin sensei but she ignored them.
"What has my cute little kouhai been teaching you?" She ignores him and pulls Sasuke down by the back of his shirt. Mitomi's not letting him out of her sight.
"That going off alone when there is a power threat loose is a very bad idea." She eventually responds only half paying attention to the match below. Shikamaru was winning.
Even if no one else saw that currently.
"I will remove your seal after this is over, now sit quietly and stop using chakra. Or you'll bust the retainer I've already placed on it." She whispers to Sasuke so only he can hear. They aren't friends, she's barely talked to him at all.
To be honest, he was probably her least favorite person. Selfish and immature. She couldn't.
"What?" She ignores him and looks back at the fight. Shikamaru is declared the winner.
Naruto's match is next, Mitomi beams at her brother giving him a wide smile and a thumbs up. "Go kick butt!" He returns the smile.
"Believe it!" Mitomi rolls her eyes, then briefly makes eye contact with Hayate. He doesn't look the greatest, she may drag him to see Shion after this.
Kakashi squats down next to her, slightly aimed KI just at her. He's not happy with her and she doesn't give a shit. Mitomi returns the gesture with a droll look. "I have orders that quite frankly outrank yours. No offense Hatake, but I am a seal mistress and you have a bare rudimentary knowledge of the art. If you have issues with it you can take it up with the jonin commander and the Sandaime." Then she turns her head back to watch the match. Naruto wins.
Maybe she should have placed bets. That could have really benefited her.
Kakashi stands back up, he's giving her a careful once over. Perhaps she should tell him to fuck off again. He has almost pushed the limits of her patience with him currently. Asuma apparently catches the drift because he gets Kakashi and drags him over to where Sakura is finally waking up.
"Can you really remove it?" Sasuke whispers, there is still a shred of light in his soul. Hope. Mitomi nods.
"I can." Mitomi looks away from the injustice that is about to happen.
She couldn't wait for Naruto to beat some sense into Neji.
Mitomi looks across the arena and meets eyes with Gaara. He's been staring at her the entire time. She's mostly been ignoring him, but Kurama has been yelling at Shukaku the whole time.
How is his seal holding up?
Okay, but it needs adjusting. Shukaku is being a little shit.
Mitomi sighs, slightly disappointed. She knew there was a possibility… Nothing she could do now but look at it later.
On a scale of one to ten how likely is he to injure Lee like he did before?
Seven.
Mitomi bites her lip… that wasn't ideal at all.
Fuck this.
XOXOX
In which Mitomi hates life.
Thank you for reading!
~LaRae