"It broke again!"
Hiroshi blinked from behind the counter. The all too happy voice of a kunoichi brought his thouths away from his small notebook, ripe with doodle ideas.
No matter how many times he saw it, natural purple hair still gave a form of short circuit in his mind. Like it should not compute. He simply brushes it up as some quirky of chakra
The second short circuit was in the blatant flirtations' ways of Mitarashi Anko. As she leaned over spilling her bust over the balcony.
His eyes lingered enough to see her saccharine smiled over her face. He coughed trying to fix his gaze on her eyes or forehead.
"So what broke?"
"Oh only this little trinket here."
Anko said reaching withing her cleavage, he darted his eyes up again, her broad smirked showing she had caught him again.
"Still in the guarantee you know?"
He looked up taking a deep breath smelling her perfume, wandering if he made a mistake. The scent was something sweet with a touch of spring rain. Exhaling and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"That's for me to decide, if it is an item of my shop that you bought. Did you bring the certificate?"
Anko pouted leaning over the balcony again.
"Oh, can't you just pick it up for Anko-chan?"
It was ridiculous how much effort it took to say.
"No."
She gave a little snort bringing up a small scroll again from her cleavage, he did not even pretend to look away as he pick up the scroll to read.
Anko, was a little much. Okay overly much. It still rankled him the first time she steped in the shop, she played him like a fiddle.
He felt like a stupid teenager all over again. A pretty face and generous proportions almost made him crawling for her.
It was frustrating how used he felt when she used her charms on him and the amount of time it took for him, to stop falling for it.
Reading the certificate he frowned.
"If what is in that scroll is not a washing box described in here. I will not even dignify to keep it on my store."
She gave an annoyed grunt rolling her eyes.
"Fine."
Picking up another scroll and placing it on the balcon.
"You don't need to be so boring you know."
Hiroshi stared at her blankly.
"I am boring."
She leaned over again and his eyes wondered again.
"But you don't need to be."
"But I am."
Picking up the scroll, she snorted disgusted.
"That's why you don't get a girl."
Hiroshi grinned.
"Nah, it because I am not good at romancing. You know, flowers, chocolate, promises I don't intend to keep."
She shook her head bemused.
"Whatever you say."
Then disappeared in a cloud of smoke and leaves filing the entrance of the shop with dry leaves everywhere.
"I already told you! No shunhin in my store!"
Hiroshi sighted as he stored away the scroll and went back to his notes. Since arriving in Konoha he opened a small business of apparel running on fuinjutsu.
For some reason, the shinobi loved it, although his intended public were the civilians. He was happy to deal with both.
Washing box is the equivalent of a dish machine. The store has several other trinkets based on modern world appliances. He was dammed if he were to spend hours washing dishes ever again in his life.
The only thing they didn't make were microwaves. He didn't intent to touch it if a ten-foot pole. He remembered myths of how it was discovered, and as usual it was an accident. Some stories told of people cooking from the inside out.
Ever since his rebirth into Uzushiogakure he flummoxed that he could not do traditional sealing. But for some reason his meager programing skills translated well to sealing.
A vibration on his pocket got him blinking. He pulled out the scroll with text. With a little help. His clan also invented the Uzu Chain. He didn't choose the name. He suggested internet, people just stared at him as if he was an idiot.
Picking up the scroll on his inner pocket he started to read the email, he would not call it chain mail thank you very much and begun to read.
The Head of culture begun the first drafts to the play. It was good actually, pretty good.
He noted a few points here and there, sending back a review. He did help write a few comedies in his youth in another life.
Another vibration and another subject to deal with.
"Good afternoon."
He blinked a little seeing a bit of spots in his eyes, rubbing then to get clear.
"Ah sorry about that."
He looked up again, to see Yuhi Kurenai staring at him with a polite smile. He blinked a little.
"How can I be of service miss?"
"Yuhii Kurenai. I was informed that you have high quality utensils for shinobi."
Hiroshi scratched his neck.
"They are not specifically for shinobi Kurenai-san. They are all base on sealing if that's what you want to know?"
She tilted her head.
"Why sealing?"
"I am descendant of Uzushiogakure. I don't have Uzumaki skill for that, but I can make some more durable seal and utensils. They have longer lives and no electric bills. You will still need soap and water for the washing machines."
She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"That is rare to hear about Uzu nowadays."
Hiroshi grimaced.
"As if people wanted to forget it ever existed."
"The machine, why not take water from the air?"
Hiroshi looked up remembering the calculus that had being made for the sealing matrix.
"It would take days to fill up the water for a single wash. there is no point in it."
He felt unnerved by her scrutinizing stare before she nodded.
"I see. Can you show the more common utensils bought up by the shinobi?"
Hiroshi spent the rest of the day showing around the store to Kurenai. She wasn't the first shinobi to ask for a tour nor would she be the last.
And contrary to Anko, Kurenai was a delight to talk to, even if she had all the sex appeal Anko had she did not throw it around like candy. Even if the polite demeanor was somewhat cold.
"I am home!"
Hiroshi spoke as he stepped in his home. As he heard a call from the outside.
"Welcome back."
Hiroshi smiled back at the nin-ken on the veranda lazing in the end of the afternoon sun.
"Hey there Blue."
The ninken huffed standing up. She was already the size of a German shepherd, and looked like one too except the eyes that were blue.
"So ready for a run?"
"Let me change."
Hiroshi spent the rest of the day light running around Little Uzu roads with Blue, till he collapsed underneath a light pole in wooden bench. As the sun begun to set.
"You are getting better."
Ruffed the nin-ken.
"Thanks. How was the training with the Inuzuka?"
Blue huffed.
"Not bad. Still wished you could participate."
He ruffled her head.
"Nah I am not an Inuzuka. It's alright, let them keep their secrets."
She huffed glanced to the side as her tail swept sideways.
"Someone is coming."
He just waved calling out without looking.
"Hey!"
There was a snort of a rough voice.
"Hey yourself."
The man had thick eyebrows that practically hid his eyes. Hiroshi sat and moved giving space for the man to sit.
"So inner or outer business?"
The man sat looking forward.
"Outer business."
Hisorshi nodded.
"Any problem with the retrieving teams?"
The man balanced his head sideways.
"Somewhat. What do you know form the land of water?"
Hiroshi stared at the man.
"Not as informed as I should be. Probably. I know they are in or are about to enter a civil war."
The man nodded.
"The rebellion started recently. A few years back."
The man seemed to weigh options before sighing.
"We found a Uzumaki descendent there."
Hirsohi blinked.
"That is usually good, I am sure I am hearing a but in there."
"She was raised in Hidden Mist and is leading the rebellion."
A woman with beautiful auburn hair crossed his mind.
"Mei Terumi, her mother was from the Uzumaki clan. Her father was a Terumi, we have no doubts of that. And the tracking seals point at her being Uzumaki. The question now is. She is a bloodline theft? Is she aware of her legacy? Does she disdain it?"
Hiroshi sighted rubbing his face on his hands.
"What a mess. Do we have any idea how the rebellion is going?"
The man raised an Eyebrow.
"Do I look like shinobi to you?"
"Right dumb question. I will have to think about it."
The man winced.
"Sorry, but I don't think our recovery teams can remain hidden for long. We are not really shinobi."
Hiroshi blew into the air.
"Make a small memo explaining the situation and ask for a meeting tomorrow for the council heads to speak with Mei. Ask the recovery team to ask for a meeting tomorrow night."
The men nodded and rose bowing.
"Good evening Hiroshi-sama."
Hiroshi bowed back as the man walked away among the lamp posts disappearing among shadows.
"Sometimes we do look like shinobi."
Blue batted her head on his shoulder making him stumble from the bench. The man looked back at the dog.
"Your thoughts are heavy."
She then walked up in front of him staring him in the eye.
"Perfect is enemy of done."
He stood up walking forwards. The dog smiled and trotted behind him.
"So what news of your training can you share? Any amazing earth shattering technique?"
She snorted.
"I learned to spin."
Hiroshi raised an eyebrow.
"Spin? Really?"
"... Really fast."
Hiroshi snorted and begun to laugh, Blue snorted.
"Laugh it up, one day my amazing rotating techniques will awe you."
They were back home and Hirsohi pick up the dinner on the fridge for him. A big slab of meat for blue, for the days she was not hunting.
And both enjoyed a meal. Little tibts of their days here and there. Having a talking nin-ken was peculiar in many ways.
Because, even though she could talk and logical thinking. She was still a dog, and some topics were plain out weird.
Like how butt smells were practically interchangeable with different behaviors for human. Like.
"Oh John has being a little weird lately. Pakkun butt is smelling a little nutty. He's is not doing well."
It was plain out weird sometimes. Not to talk about in heat seasons.
Hiroshi shivered, trying not to think about it.
The council united in the conference room. IT was a c shaped table with specific seals on it.
Hiroshi looked around to the council.
"Everyone ready?"
There is a collective snorts and non-comital hums.
"Good to know we are on the same page."
Hiroshi brough up the light interface activating a Hologram, that projected Mei Terumi on the other side. A brief look of surprise adorned her face. With an audible click of her mouth Hiroshi stood up and little bowed.
"Greetings Terumi Mei. We are the council of Uzu. We are responsible to look over and reuniting the Uzumaki clan."
After a moment of silence in which she had being scrutinizing him he scratched his head.
"So, how have you been doing?"
There was a moment of silence, and then she smirked tilting her head slightly.
"Oh nothing much. Running from my village, planning to topple a major military power. Organizing a resistance. You know the works."
Hiroshi blinked twice.
"I have no idea how that goes."
Before Mei could respond half the table snorted, the other half coghed and some stared right ahead blankly.
Mei seemed amused.
"I believe some would disagree."
Hiroshi shook his head.
"Anyway, we just found out you are Uzumaki, and we are rebuilding the Uzumaki clan..."
Hiroshi tilted his head.
"Do you have any interest in being part of the clan?"
Mei begun to open her mouth and Hiroshi cut her off.
"I am not talking about political gain. About numbers for your rebellion. I am talking about being interested in family."
Mei stared at him intently.
"A clan is a lot like a little community, and a huge family. There will always be the direct family, to whom you live with and are closer to your hearth."
Then he gestures to the other on the table.
"Them there your quirky relatives, that even you don't like very much, will be there for you."
He then gestured beyond the room.
"And then you have the clan, with all its little idiosyncrasies, with people you might meet later. And that are responsible for part of your life even if you don't know then."
He then sat again.
"Beyond that is too big a scope, but you are also part of. But we are here to invite and to know, if you do want to be part of the clan."
Mei stared up at him, face blank for a moment.
"How many shinobi would the Uzumaki have?"
Hiroshi heard a lot of disappointed sighs. He tilted his head a little.
"Basically none."
She blinked trying to process it.
"Fun fact. Very few people know this now days, but the Uzumaki were not a shinobi clan. We were closer to the samurai from Land of Iron with ninjutsu and funijutsu knowledge."
Mei stared beyond the projection.
"The man that found me?"
"Not shinobi."
Hiroshi precede a few commands and a seal appeared on the screen.
"This is a blood seal tracker. It is tracking Uzumaki Blood. We are not remarkable trackers or investigators. We just can read a compass."
Mei stared at him for a moment before sigh.
"I don't have interest in being in another family. These people are my family. And I will die with them before I give up."
The old woman snorted.
"Well, she does have the Uzumaki stubbornness."
Mei looked up.
"But I do need help. We do need help."
The council stared blankly at her. Hiroshi answered.
"You do know Mist was one of the villages that united to take us down Uzushioakure right?"
Mei shrugged her shoulder pouting.
"You still hung up on that?"
And Hiroshi was suddenly glad of Anko's flirting. Because those pouty lips really dragged attention.
"In Uzu, mist shinobi and oath breaker are interchangeable words."
Mei face became blank.
"What?"
"Who do you think that made the seven blades of mist seven swordsmen?"
Mei continued to stare at him.
"For the swords, the oath was that they would never be used against Uzu, as a gift of friendship. Imagine who were the first ones in the first line of attack?"
"That was the mist village. Help us topple them down and take your vengeance."
The old woman respondent.
"And then have our own blood you take us down for the same inane reason. I don't think so missy. We are not shinobi, doesn't mean we are dumb."
The man missing an arm intoned.
"Shinobi do lack a large amount of common sense."
Mei rolled her eyes.
"The Uzumaki were a too great treat, the attack was a preventive strike."
Silence, and a chill crept in the room, and Hiroshi felt, pity, for she did not know what she spoke of. And no small amount of rage, for she did not know what she speaks of.
Some seemed ready to raise and he rose his hand, and silence was made. Hiroshi tended to wonder why he was good at making silence, but when he demands it happened.
"Travel west, reach the ruins of Uzushiogakure. The barrier is damaged but will allow you passage. walk to the grand hall. It was the last stand of the clan. In its walls is the last thoughts of our clan. Our people."
Mei seemed unimpressed.
"Read their words and understand who were destroyed. Once you done that you can contact us again. Before that we will exchange no more words."
And he cut off the transmission. The thick eyebrow man checked another interface in relief.
"The retrieving team escaped, sound and safe. They are in the alpha camp."
Hiroshi sighted.
"This could have gone better."
The old woman clicked her tongue.
"She will come back once her troops start losing morale."
The one-armed man nodded and glanced at him.
"You did good. Most people don't really understand the fall of Uzushiogakure. We were going to say some regrettable things."
Hiroshi sighted.
"Meeting adjourned."