Fate

by PancakeFlying

The Kanbayashi were supposed to die, wiped out and never mourned because in the eyes of the world, they never existed. That is not what happens, nor what should have happened. An black alien creature came for them and burned everything they loved to the ground; Sachi, against all odds, survives when she wouldn't have. This will change everything. Full summary inside!

6. Chapter 6: Thirst for knowledge

CHAPTER 6: THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

He dropped the body scrolls onto his sensei's desk. The mission took out three months out of his life, staining his sword and his hands even more.

For the glory of Leaf, and the life of your comrades.

Or so went the saying.

He had been sent to Water to survey those that were behind Uzushio's fall. It wasn't a mission but a favour to Tsunade, one that he took in order to save her more grief or the start of an early war.

The Hokage nodded at him, saying. "Thank you, Orochimaru." and, as he liked to say next, "Welcome back."

"Glad to be back." it sounded monotone, rehearsed as it was. "Here is the report."

He only wished to go back to his lab, ready the samples he had collected and see if any of the long term plaques had any changes since his leave. There was no one waiting for him in his mother's house, only the wild snakes, and his experiments.

"That was a long mission, you should rest."

He bowed his head, respectful and polite, just like he had been conditioned to be in front of the hat. It was good to display himself as a dog with a short leash, if only for the peace of mind of the guards above in the ceiling.

Unease and distress was the usual response to his presence, the clerics in his sensei's office stiff and wide eyed, except for Katō Dan, but that man was dating Tsunade, so it was safe to assume he was a madman. It didn't matter how many missions he took, or how much he did for anyone but himself, they will fear him.

Orochimaru had long forgotten what warmth was.

Before he left, Dan said "Tsunade should be on a break now."

She probably wasn't. Exhausted and not in the mood to humor anybody, he bowed his head again, and left.

And yet, something in the air had changed. It wasn't his arrival, because he had saved enough chakra for a body flicker instead of parading himself through the village. A new presence, the hushed whispers of gossip and intrigue.

Orochimaru, finding it distasteful, turned his nose and went to his lab. It didn't concern him, and Tsunade would tell him once they met; he had better things to do.

(That was Orochimaru's first mistake.)

.

The Hokage stood in his office, overlooking the village and smoking his pipe. A perfect afternoon, devoid of any pressing matters or overdue paperwork.

Except the Uchiha report on his desk.

And Inuzuka Ashi and Inuzuka Sachi in front of it.

The Hokage had received a very interesting folder, stating that a certain 'Inuzuka child' had 'injured a comrade' and 'slandered a Hyūga clansmen with prejudice' and 'accused of Clan Theft'.

Turning around, he saw that the injury part was somewhat true; with Sachi bruised from neck down and with a busted lip. She walked with a slight limp, although from her shameless smile she was not bothered by it.

Ashi, in spite of her calm chiseled façade, was two seconds away from strangling Sachi. Haiiro was standing between them, appearing rather tired while acting as a buffer.

Normally, he would be miffed about dealing with court cases. They took too much time to process and it often involved a great deal of drama, especially when it came to big clans. Nearly always ending in neither part benefiting from the ordeal except fulfilled pettiness.

Sachi was involved this time though.

"What happened?"

He had been expecting the girl to grace his office one day, inevitable considering her problems with authority and her complicated past. As it stood, Sachi had went almost three months without causing an uproar, outing herself as a Kanbayashi, or prompting the Inuzuka to riot against the world.

Ashi looks at Sachi, the kind of motherly glance that promised a great deal of retribution if it wasn't heeded. "Tell the Hokage what happened, Sachi." her tone was glacial, the girl shrinking a tiny bit.

Impressive. It reminded him of his wife scolding their children.

"He called me… a stupid Inuzuka." Sachi said, baring her teeth in the same animalistic fashion as an angry Inuzuka did.

Quite the fast learner.

"I see." he said, taking a drag of his pipe and letting it rest in his lungs before exhaling back. "It must have been upsetting to you, as no one deserves to be insulted, but I fail to see how… excuses you being involved in a fist fight."

Or so the report claimed.

"Hyūga Tōkuma," she snarled the name. "insulted me first. I was going to buy groceries for lunch when he went after me, I didn't even notice him before he called me that!" and then. "I get that the Hyūga hate the Inuzuka, and that fighting people it's wrong when you live in the same village, but he deserved it— "

Ashi, recognizing the killer intent emanating from her, slapped her up the head lightly. Sachi stopped talking, her chakra settling around her.

Oh?

"Tell the Hokage what you said to him."

Sachi hesitated, her previous bravado interrupted by the glare of her alpha. "Um… I told him that… the Hyūga family tree is round as a wreath. A-and… that they have a stick so far up their ass that I could see it... from the back of his mouth."

That was the slander part.

Ashi took a deep breath to steel herself. Honestly, he had heard worse, much worse when it came to Inuzuka and their colorful vocabulary for curses. Sachi, apparently, had picked up much more than regular body language.

"You have rather… strong opinions of the Hyūga clan, Sachi-kun."

Sachi opened her mouth, quickly closing it down again. Ashi was using all the hard earned patience of her career to not strike her down, Hiruzen objectively proud for it.

"I might have… exaggerated. But! he started it, Hokage-sama."

"He might have. I have to ask, why does it bother you that much to retaliate? Not everyone will be kind to you."

"The Hyūga hate the Inuzuka." she repeated. "They think it's okay for them to insult me, an Inuzuka, because I'm an Inuzuka! He had no way of knowing how smart I am or not, not that it would have made it okay, but he said it because he saw my cheeks and decided it was acceptable!" a beat later, she added "And I'm not stupid."

Such was the problem.

He is… surprised to see how eagerly Sachi has integrated herself in the Inuzuka clan, growing as protective of them as they were of her. The rivalry between the Hyūga and Inuzuka was well documented, with police reports and misconduct subpoenas. They were competitors as they were rivals; both specialized in tracking, their clan's rules also clashing against each other.

Where Hyūgas were calm, Inuzukas were impulsive; Hyūgas strict of mind and Inuzuka liberal of spirit. Yet, Ashi was in charge of all her clan, independently of the family, and they followed her lead like loyal dogs. Whereas Hyūgas were subjugated to one branch of their clan, and their freedom kept close to the main house best interest.

Sachi was an observant child, but Hiruzen hadn't expected her to embrace that kind of Inuzuka traits willingly.

"I assume those comments instigated a reaction." he pointedly counted the bruises on the skin she was showing. She was embarrassed, gingerly hiding the mark on the side of her neck.

"He threw her 'round like a ragdoll, Hokage-sama." Haiiro spoke, his gravely voice neutral. "Used the Gentle Fist too, for good measure."

Ouch.

Gentle Fist was a highly painful technique, when not deadly, targeting the chakra points and constricting them. That caused the tenketsu to block the chakra flow to whatever part they regulated, activating the chakra refill reflex of the gates and overproducing chakra that would widen the pathways and render them useless until the blockage was cleared. A fully trained ninja would be forced to stop, either by the pain or the chakra impediment, and it could cause knots that were excruciating to free.

For Sachi, whose chakra pathways were virtually nonexistent, it must have been a special kind of hell.

Still, Hyūga Tōkuma, an Academy student, should know better than to use it for meaningless fights.

"Come on, tell him."

"... I might have told him… something else." Sachi slowly continued "He kinda snapped when I, um, asked him to tell me what color my eyes were."

He took a long drag of his pipe, gathering his thoughts and coming with no explanation as to why, out of all comments, Sachi would ask that. "Why?" he relented.

"Because Hyūgas are colorblind," she stated "so he couldn't answer. And I might have… laughed. A little… and he kinda punched me a few times? I got him too, by the way—"

"Colorblind?" he asked, lost.

It was ridiculous to believe that a dojutsu clan, centered around the power of the eyes and one's eyesight could be… incapable of seeing color. Hyūgas were sentinels, sent to every watchtower because of their clan's bloodline limit that allowed them to see to great lengths and clear details. When activated, they were able to have almost full vision, around and through objects.

Colorblindess?

Impossible.

"Their byakugan doesn't let them see color." Sachi said easily. "The byakugan, at its core, is an open retina. They do not have irises or pupils, receiving as much light as possible." she explained in a monotone voice, deeply serious. "They have adapted by coating the retina with a thick layer of light receptors, leaving color receptors aside. They have extra chakra pathways around their eyes, that feeds their dojutsu and gives them the autonomy to use their chakra to judge their surroundings and allow for a full spectrum of vision, exceptuating the spot where their optical nerve is. "

"So, because the Hyūga only see in greyscale, he couldn't answer me and he got really angry." she finished.

Hiruzen snuffed out his headache pipe, deciding that he needed all his mental strength to get through the day. Or survive Sachi.

"How do you know this, Sachi-kun?"

It was a redundant question. Sachi and knowledge were synonymous, as it was trouble. The girl, far from perceiving the wrongness of it, said. "It's common knowledge." Ashi, wiser in the ways of ninja related problems, slapped her again. "I don't know why he's suing me for this! He insulted me first, he attacked me first, and used his byakugan and clan technique against me!"

"Hyūga Tōkuma was in the wrong for insulting you, true, and to having used clan techniques against a comrade. Regardless of age or position or status, it's a grave offense."

Before Sachi got too triumphant, he continued "So it's Clan Theft."

The mention of it curled Haiiro's fur and deepened the scowl on Ashi's face, but Sachi only frowned in confusion. "What's that?"

"Clan Theft is a protocol established by the Shodaime Hokage, implemented in all hidden villages." he began, catching her attention. "It serves the purpose of guarding clan intellectual property, from clan techniques and bloodline limits, to history or customs. Aiming to preserve and maintain it a secret for those not belonging to said clan."

"The Hyūga and Uchiha are famous clans, their dojutsu known across the Continent and the Islands. They're powerful, yes, but also targets. Their eyes are sought for blackmail and organ harvesting purposes." Sachi blanched slightly. "As you understand, it's in their best interest to keep anything related to their abilities a secret, even among allies."

"Clan Theft includes a large variety of offenses, from jokes like yours, to murder. For that, the punishment for such things are either a Yamanaka mental swipe or execution."

Sachi didn't have anymore comments.

"After explaining this, you understand why someone making witty remarks about what they consider a secret, the inner workings of the byakugan no less, can be… distressing."

Realization hit her, as she remained silent. Sachi knew a lot, but lacked what they considered common knowledge.

Ashi, surprisingly, had managed to break her in her clan and keep her muzzled. So far, the only remarkable reports were of Admin that noted down when she used the lifts or Ashi's notes on her behavior. She had kept a low profile, not engaging with any other clans or ninja staff unless necessary. A good girl, if he were to borrow Ashi's comments.

Clan Theft… was quite the strong start.

"How have the Hyūga reacted?"

"They have sent us the lawsuit, but they're open to negotiation." she said, not hiding her bitterness. Mature or not, Ashi had one or two things against Hyūgas. "They're more scared that I or one of us have told her about the byakugan, saying that they want to check with a Yamanaka."

Sachi cringed, the mention of that particular clan inciting a flare of chakra. "They can't do that!"

"They can, and it's their right to do so." Ashi replied.

"But..!" she argued. "It was just a joke. He insulted me first! Hit me, used his supposedly secret techniques on me and I get sued for Clan Theft?"

"Yes." Ashi said, absolute. "One lesser wrong doesn't justify a bigger one, Sachi. You tried to be funny, and you failed, and now we gotta deal with it."

"I was defending myself!" she muttered, but otherwise didn't fight it.

"Will they listen?"

"I… will try my best, Hokage-sama. Hiroto-sama and I aren't in the best of terms, but he will at least listen before he decides to continue with this or not." Ashi said honestly, although unsure. "He's specially sensitive about their bloodline limit, I can only guess that he is not happy."

An understatement.

Hyūga Hiroto, current Clan Head of the Hyūga clan had the record of executions for Clan Theft; most of them applied to their side branch. The Hokage understood Ashi's dilemma. A Yamanaka mental swipe, when utterly uncomfortable, would clear for suspicion that Inuzuka didn't have any information about the byakugan.

However.

Ashi did have delicate information about the Kanbayashi and Archive, whereas Sachi was both of those.

"Did you use the Archive, Sachi-kun?"

"No!" she protested. "I was taught! I haven't used the Archive, or my own bloodline limit! Even my seals… I kept my side of the deal, and I can show it to you! That Tōkuma went after me, and called me something completely untrue, I can show it to you and prove it."

"No." The Hokage and Ashi said.

"Sachi-kun, you cannot use your bloodline limit to prove nothing." Sachi was ready to argue, but he continued. "Or will you risk your position as Inuzuka just so you can have the last word?"

Ashi, instead of hitting her, puts a hand on her shoulder. Sachi welcomes the touch and stays defeated.

She's working miracles on that girl.

"It's unfortunate that you've found yourself in this situation, Ashi-sama."

"I've dealt with Hiroto-sama before." she said, shrugging. "We have a few loose ends between us. I'll only need to explain how this one here," she shook her gently "knew that they were colorblind."

Hiruzen was about to wish her luck with that, Sachi quipping in. "You could tell him that's obvious." before she struck her again, she added. "I mean, why would they dress in plain colors? All greys, white and black… only a few use brown, which doesn't make sense when they have so much history. Also, they don't practice medicine. Their byakugan is useful, seeing through objects and all, but why aren't they surgeons? Or field medics? They only map out chakra systems, because they can't differentiate between blood and mud. What about night guarding duty? I haven't seen one Hyūga on the streets after the sun goes down! It all points out that they need light instead of color, which means they're colorblind and, ughm—"

"Okay, darlin', that's enough rambling." Ashi said, covering her mouth. "Sorry 'bout that, she gets… excited sometimes."

Sachi's switch of moods was neckbreaking. He dismissed Ashi's apology, as he was interested in hearing her out. "Did they teach you that too, Sachi-kun?"

"You only need to pay attention." she said over her guardian's fingers. "They're ninja but aren't as sneaky as they think they are."

The Hokage was concerned about that comment.

He wondered, sometimes, just how Sachi saw the world, or how much, for that matter. He had had his suspicions, regarding Hyūgas and their byakugan, but not quite reaching the conclusion that only took Sachi a few months to achieve.

"I see." he said, deciding to cut it short before Sachi came up with yet another problem. "Anything else you would want to discuss?"

When the report appeared on his desk, ink still fresh from the Uchiha officer, he sent a messenger to fetch them both. He decided to involve himself not only to make sure what kind of trouble their little migraine had gotten herself into, but also to see how Ashi dealt with the situation.

"Yes!" Sachi said, getting away from the Ashi that warned her to not continue speaking. "I want to go to the Academy."

Oh dear.

"How come?" he asks, avoiding Sachi talking over him. "I remember you being quite certain that you would never become a ninja."

"It's because I don't want to," she smiled, mischievous. "but I have to blend in, right? I'm an Inuzuka, and I need to at least act the part. I'm already weird for not having a dog with me... not going to the Academy is even weirder."

The Hokage didn't buy it, but he let her expose her case.

"I know you don't trust me," she didn't, either, though she didn't say "and I can't stay with Ashi and Haiiro forever. I could get into the Guilds, but it'll be suspicious since no Inuzuka ever attends them. The Academy is the best option to build a life for myself, if I'm here to stay." Sachi, like a merchant, did her best to sell her excuses, saying "No one questions a Nara on how smart they are, but they do if you're an Inuzuka; at least, they will stop looking at me weird. It's not like I want to become a ninja, but graduating doesn't force me to take that path."

The Hokage nodded politely, feeling merciful enough to warn her that "The Academy is not based in as much theory as is in practice. Physical endurance and prowess play a major role in graduating, and ninja arts are essential. Pardon me, but your health…"

"I'm not weak." Sachi hissed. "I know my body is… not good, but I'll make it work."

Ah, to be so young and naive. It was refreshing to see Sachi blossom in such a courageous young lady. A pity, knowing that she will be crushed under the Academy's requirements.

He had seen healthier and more promising students fail miserably.

The Hokage didn't tell her that, letting her believe she was playing him with her words.

"It's also mutually beneficial, you see." and there it was, that eery glow behind her irises. "I'll be bound to the village if I graduate, wouldn't I?"

Now, that gave him pause.

Graduating from the Academy had a ceremony in which the students took a vow to the village, swearing to be loyal and protect the village as much as the people inside of it. The Will of Fire, often overlooked, it was a promise of faithfulness.

Had Sachi not been a Kanbayashi, he would have dismissed that claim. But because she was, he considered it.

A loyal Sachi.

The Archive of the Kanbayashi, serving Leaf… it did pose a compelling picture.

And Sachi knew it too. By the look on Ashi's face, Sachi's decision was not one that she approved of.

"I do not have the power to restrict entrance to the Academy, Sachi-kun." he answered her, mimicking Haiiro's bening expression. "That is for the parents or guardians to decide."

Sachi turns to said guardian, her eyes glowing and smiling widely, almost begging "Can I—?"

"Wait outside." Ashi says flatly. "Haiiro, stay with her."

The girl deflates, shoulders slumping down. There's no exclamation of outrage, or mumbled curses, though. She turns, and accompanied by the dog, she leaves the office without even so much as a bow to the Hokage.

Ashi has her whipped.

Once the door is closed, Ashi lets out a sigh. "I apologize, Hokage-sama."

"Don't, Ashi-sama." he brushes off her appeasing words. "Sachi-kun is a difficult child, I understand, it's not your position to apologize in her stead."

"I know, Hokage-sama. It's turned into a mindless action, by now."

"Have you been apologizing much?"

She shakes her head. "She doesn't do it on purpose, she sometimes… slips, I think it's the word? She's missing basic ninja etiquette, how to greet ranks, speak to superiors… she's getting there, but it does raise eyebrows."

"I can only imagine. What is your opinion of her request?"

"The Academy? Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but don't listen to Sachi." she says, not unkindly. "She wants to get inside the ninja library, and she has come up with that speech to convince me."

It sounded like Sachi.

He had learned very early into meeting the little girl that what she said was completely different from what she meant. Doubletalk came naturally to her, a Kanbayashi trait or a sharpened skill, he wasn't sure. He only paid the necessary attention to follow the conversation but believe none of it.

The Hokage already did this on a daily basis, Sachi occupying the same place as overly enthusiastic merchants or traders. Good with words, bad with compromise.

"She goes to great lengths for knowledge."

"Oh, yes." she agrees. "I've run out of things to teach her, and I don't think the village will offer her much more."

There was worry in her words.

"How so?"

The Inuzuka wasn't squirming under his inquiries or his gaze, but she was tense. "Sachi… likes to learn. At first I thought she was searching for, maybe clan secrets? Precious intel? But… she just takes everything." she rubs her temples, smoothing her wrinkles. "She's down two libraries, our own and the civilian one, read every book there was, and she wants more. I've had to send her to the clinic to shadow our vets to keep her busy, our Elders teaching her how to train the dogs even though she's kinda chary, even staying with the guards when she's got nothing to do."

A curious one, she was. Sachi did have the wonder of a child her age, yet her intellect was not. Kanbayashi seals or not, Sachi's thirst for knowledge was enough to strain a veteran like Ashi. Ninjas were curious too, more out of necessity than for pleasure, but Sachi… was open about it. Ashi, used to hide her interest, was met with the challenge to keep Sachi's enthusiasm hidden when the girl had no intention to.

A strange combination, one that was working well, if he was to judge.

"Do you believe her intention on entering the ninja library is something we should worry about?" he used the pronoun 'we' just in case, catching his drift.

"I'll be honest, Hokage-sama. I don't understand why Sachi seeks out information like she does, but I believe she… needs it."

"Needs?"

"She… when she isn't learning, or has something to work on, she… gets weird." Ashi gathers her thoughts after a moment, saying "There are times when she… freezes. Sort of, fades out, and she stays so still it's like she's stopped breathing."

(She will turn, and her eyes are burning. Something lurks beneath her skin, and her mind is filled with monsters— it's chaos, entropy and disaster in the form of a girl.)

"Sachi gets lost in her mind, and that's what worries me more." she settles with. "I don't fully grasp what those... seals do to her brain, but it makes her restless, forcing her to go out of her way to keep 'em busy or else..."

Ashi doesn't finish the sentence.

The Hokage understands.

"Sachi-kun does have high aptitude for academics, and we have no way of knowing what kind of education her clan had provided her prior to coming here. It's safe to assume that ours is starkly different, to not say lacking." a ninja needs to be a jack of all trades, knowing enough to get them by but not so much to get involved. They couldn't invest in general knowledge when what they needed was how to learn how to kill and not die. "Ninja life is not what I would subject Sachi-kun to, but it will pose a challenge for her."

Ashi gives a dry grin. "Challenge is a great word use instead of carnage. I accepted Sachi as my ward, and even when she's difficult sometimes, I don't want her too hurt."

Wouldn't you look at that, Wolf baring her fangs.

"It's your ward, Ashi-sama, you're free to use whichever words you desire and choose any option." he amended easily, it wasn't quite his problem how Ashi dealt with Sachi, as long as she didn't make herself a problem. "Although… from what you have reported, Sachi-kun has quite the active mind."

No one got away with getting too curious around ninjas.

It was only a matter of time when Sachi will prod too many times, ask too much or listen too little before someone takes action. The Hyūga were almost there, and Sachi had only joked. Who knows what she will do when she's motivated enough.

That's what Ashi feared.

(And everyone else.)

"Sachi's body isn't one for more roughin', Hokage-sama. Tsunade-hime has godly hands, but she can do so much before she breaks for good."

"Well, she did say she wasn't weak."

And from Ashi's tch of tongue, she disagreed. "Smart, not strong. Nara's get away with it because of their clan techniques and friends, Sachi… not so much."

There was a reason why the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was so stable. "They didn't start that way." he reminds her, just to see her sour reaction. "About the Hyūga…"

"I'll deal with it, Hokage-sama." Ashi says, wearied "It is true that they haven't taken a night turn, or that they aren't field medics."

Ashi had been a medical aid in the Third War. Inuzuka's were specialized in veterinary medicine, but they could heal humans too. In times of need, it was good to have an Inuzuka near, their rudimentary healing jutsus enough to at least keep you alive long enough for a field medic to finish the job. The Hokage owed his life to a few of them, long dead.

Hyūgas were only seen in hospitals, were they could take their time to copy down the individual chakra pathways instead of the constant action of the battlefield. Night time was mostly an Uchiha's strength, previously believed that Hyūgas left them that role to take up daytime and cover all weakness and avoiding competition.

Who would have thought that they didn't have such great intentions?

"Do you believe Hiroto-sama will accept that?" he asked, genuinely curious. The image of a weathered Clan Head, with deeply ingrained views on his clan and dojutsu that one would rather kill him than coax him into changing his mind, actually forgiving someone that he perceived as a threat.

Ashi smiled wolfishly. "Not my first time, Hokage-sama." then, more seriously "I can't keep Sachi as your run of the mill Inuzuka, not when she can't have a dog or play dumb."

Stereotypes, often wrong, were quite useful while hiding in plain sight. Sachi was seen as a peculiar Inuzuka, certainly adopted. Betting on Sachi being a lost prodigy that Ashi had decided to take in was more credible than trying to sell her as a bastard Inuzuka that Ashi, by Clan law, had to claim.

"Best of luck with that, Ashi-sama." it wasn't often that he took a side when clan tensions were on the table, but this time he was willing to indulge if it could prove… mutually beneficial. "This can be easily a misunderstanding, if thoroughly explained and both parties agree."

Ashi bowed her head, partially in gratitude and in respect. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Don't mention it."

The woman turned her back, ready to leave before the Hokage called after her. "Not everyone would be able to do what you're doing, Ashi-sama." praise came only when it was deserved, as Tobirama used to say. "What Sachi-kun has… it can tempt the best of us."

She had shared the information with them willingly, without censure or question of why it would be troublesome. If she had been taught how the byakugan works as part of her curriculum, who was to say that she didn't know how the sharingan worked? Not only the noble clans, but the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi… Aburame… even Sarutobi.

Or Senju.

Inuzukas weren't academically inclined, but Ashi undoubtedly saw how convenient was to have information on everyone and everything. She could have easily lied to him, or omitted details in her reports. How simple would have been for her to use the byakugan's newfound weakness against her life long rival.

But she didn't.

It spoke more about her character than the conditioning she went through. The Hokage was more willing to believe in that than in Sachi, for how long that may last.

"She's a good girl, Hokage-sama."

He hopes she is, her life depends on it.

.

The walk home is done in silence. Sachi, given the opportunity, would talk your ear off on all topics imaginable. Ashi had found herself listening to an hour long rant about different methods for pickling food, and she didn't even like pickled food.

This time, Sachi was silent.

She had gone into a fright when she saw her come back black and blue because she got into a fight with a Hyūga. After treating her wounds and untying the chakra knots the best she could, she had listened to what happened from her mouth and realized that she was in much more than she had anticipated.

Sachi's mind was… terrifying.

A good girl, happy to learn and to teach. The Hokage had given her a crash course on Kanbayashi lore, and how secretive they were about their memories and wisdom.

Sachi shared it anyway.

Perhaps she was a bad Kanbayashi, or they were wrong about the secretive part, but Sachi didn't hide what she knew. Kind of a big problem, since walls had ears and floors had eyes. The Hyūga incident was just the beginning of a long string of problems, if Ashi were to predict, unless she taught Sachi how to keep her tongue tied around strangers. And that was going to prove more difficult than teaching a puppy not to bite ankles.

(Haiiro teased her about being a mother, Ashi told him to fuck off.)

A quiet Sachi wasn't a good Sachi.

Her head was strained in all directions, taking everything in, devouring every detail. Shikaku was the same, usually hidding his interest by cloudwatching or faking naps. Sachi wasn't discreet in her curiosity, craning her neck and staring holes through whatever caught her attention.

Ashi hadn't gotten used to it yet. Normally, such intense gazes meant either a proposition for a fight or fucking; and since Sachi was not allowed to do neither of it yet, Ashi endured it.

"Being one of us…" she began, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "it's not gonna be easy, darlin'."

"I know." she said, treading her hand through Haiiro's fur. "You're the only one I know, though."

Fucking dammit. She was not gonna turn soft.

"It's not like I want to keep you caged, darlin'. But…" the scars haunted her too, deep and wicked. The Hyūga had gotten her good, and her gates were a mess. The sight of her, gasping for air and burning up was something that she didn't want to see again. "still fresh, you know?"

Of course she knew, she had to feel the pain.

She hummed, stepping closer to her when they reached the lifts. It was endearing, to see her reach out for her so easily, making something in her chest flutter when it was supposed to be dead. Ashi couldn't say she liked it. "We'll find you somethin' to do, don't worry." she tried.

"Okay." she said, devoid of her usual cheer.

The happier she had ever seen Sachi was when she was talking about books. She had to give it to her, Sachi read a lot, but she grew frustrated when they didn't show the same interest.

Or worse, lonely.

Haiiro had brought it up, once or twice, how Sachi went more after ink on paper than human interaction. Inuzukas were highly sociable, a tiny bit suspicious of others at first before they got loose. That, paired with Sachi's own wariness meant that she kept herself to the sidelines; not outside, but not in either.

What was she going to do with her?

With nothing in common with the others, which involved dogs, ninja stuff and spars, Sachi was all but doomed to be by herself, and that just won't do.

The dogs howled their entrance, more so than usual. If Ashi had to guess, word spread out about Sachi's fight.

"Oi, where's my favourite feral pup?!" they had exactly one second before Tsume was running towards them, full speed, and snatching Sachi before Haiiro could stop her. "There you are!"

Ashi watched as Tsume threw a flailing Sachi in the air, encouraged by the gathering crowd. "Careful!" Haiiro barked.

"You sore, puppy?" Tsume asked, squishing Sachi's cheek until her lips were fish-like "Heard you got your ass beat by a milky!"

Sachi tried getting away from Tsume's rough love, failing and giving up as she got her by the scruff of her tunic and dragged her around.

"They're gonna mess her up." Haiiro whined, worried about her injuries.

"Let 'em play."

Other Inuzuka closed on her, ruffling her hair and shaking her, laughing and celebrating her first fight with a Hyūga. Ashi tried discouraging seeking trouble with them, it was useless when she had cracked milky skulls before.

She would be lying if it didn't feel good.

Sachi couldn't get away from the clan's claws, as they teased and joked and embarrassed her in all the best ways. Everyone went through it at some point, Inuzuka's preferring to yell it out than to whisper it behind one's back. It was something that Ashi loved about her clan, free of the tension that larger clans had.

"Punched him? No way!"

Little by little, Sachi seemed more like an Inuzuka. She laughed with them, when they let her have enough breath for it. They were touchy feely, grabbing her and biting her like the fucking puppies they were. It didn't matter how many missions they took, or how much time passed, they were still ankle biters.

"Next time, get 'em in the eyes." Ashi heard from Obu, applauded by the others. "I can give ya senbon if ya want—"

Tsume punched him in the ribs lightly, saying "You givin' advice? You can't grab chopsticks to eat!" and then, she kneeled down, grabbed Sachi by the cheeks again and said "You listen to your sis, you gotta stab 'em first like this—"

Obu threw himself at her, a friendly sparr breaking out as Kuromaru snapped his teeth at the other dogs, barking playful warnings. Sachi was a little lost, not quite understanding why she was being celebrated when moments ago she had been scolded by the Hokage and Ashi. Yet… she didn't run away like the other times.

She actually laughed, letting them pinch her, ruffle her and push her; when she would have left right away and hid herself in the library.

"One of ours." Haiiro said, brushing against her side before joining the ring. "She's my pup, you rats!"

Haiiro jumped right in, flattening both Tsume and Obu with his weight and digging his paws into their bellies. "Stand back!" he growled.

"Fuck off!" they replied.

Chairo and Kuromaru went after him, a temporary alliance to take the old hound down. Haiiro, for all his years, was not that old. He had a few inches on them both, and a couple dozen pounds too.

Also, he was the alpha.

Ashi took advantage of the fight to take Sachi back, avoiding their clanmates getting too rough or too curious. Sachi was still injured, and some of her coils were still knotted. The girl gave her the biggest toothy grin, her cheeks flushed from all the rubbing and the joy.

Yeah, she fit right in.

"Okay, that's enough." she whistled, everyone coming to a halt slowly. "Sachi's grounded, so no playing."

"Partypooper." Tsume said, smiling. "It's her first time, give her some slack!"

The crowd, picking the cues, used the most powerful Inuzuka clan technique to change her mind.

Puppy eyes.

"Nu-uh!" she hugged Sachi tighter, petting her head to show them who was calling the shots. "You know that fuckin' with Hyūgas get you in trouble, and first offense or not, she's not gonna go unpunished."

They booed, Haiiro joining them with the sad howl. "She's too young for guarding duty!" one of them said. It was a tradition, that every Inuzuka that actively sought to fight a milky had to pay for it with the most boring mission ever; early morning guarding duty at the northern gate.

"Not for the kennels."

The second best way to make an Inuzuka remotely sorry for causing problems was to put them to cleaning the kennels. Not quite as effective when you lacked their nose, but good enough to make you think twice.

Puppies were a lot of work.

"So cruel, nee-chan." Tsume said, shaking the dust off her clothes. "She didn't kill him, punishment enough is to get Gentle Fisted, don't you think?"

"Gentle Fisted? Really? Sick dicks!" Obu said, sharing his best friend's stance. "Damn! Now we gotta go after 'em!"

If only they knew that Sachi was two bad words away to go to trial for Clan Theft.

"Stand down, Obu." Haiiro intervened, going towards her and shaking his fur. "Or you can get guarding duty."

The clan laughed, Obu taking it with grace and bowing his head low. Giving Sachi a wink, he said "Sorry pup, I tried."

"Come on, everyone as you were!" Ashi called over her shoulder, letting Sachi go and nudging her towards the house.

They muttered some more, the dogs barking before they dispersed. The last thing they needed was a noise complaint from their neighbours, or a party when they just got a lawsuit. Tsume and Kuromaru followed them, petting Sachi a bit more.

(Ashi saw much more than a ward in Sachi.)

"Nee-chan, you need to teach her some moves to defend herself. We can't have you getting fisted, at least not until you actually want to—" Ashi slapped Tsume as she cackled like an unrepentant witch. "It's good advice!" she slapped her again.

"Shut up and go make lunch." she told her, focusing on Sachi. "I'll be going to sort things out with the Hyūga. You stay here and don't get into fights, got it?"

"Can I go with you?"

"No, it's Clan Head business" she immediately responded. Only the Sage knew what kind of scandal would pop out if she let Sachi talk to Hiroto.

"You going to see that old fart this fast, nee-chan?"

"Better now than later." since dear Sachi had gotten Hiroto's attention and a death sentence. Tsume hummed, not quite convinced. "I'll steal a bottle from your collection, to make a point."

"I swear, those milkies have a cellar full of our sake by now." she called after her, not even miffed.

The Hyūga, prickly assholes as they were with all their rules, and morality and traditions, sure had a taste for the Inuzuka sake. Ashi had learner very early in her life that one way to appease the noble clans was to get them utterly and completely drunk. Thankfully, the Inuzuka recipe was good enough to warrant peace talks and a slight chance of not going through the courtroom, mostly because it was distilled twice. Again.

"We're off!" Ashi said, carrying a dusty bottle. "And don't forget the kennels, Sachi, I want them clean when we get back!"

Once alone, Tsume and Kuromaru regarded Sachi, who had went quiet, looking at the entrance like a lost puppy. She ruffled her hair roughly, saying "Don't worry, it won't be the last time nee-chan has to go see that shriveled prune."

"Yeah, don't worry."

"It's not that…" she said, turning around with a frown. "I don't want Ashi to speak for me. I did it, so I gotta deal with it, right?"

"Real nice, pup, but let nee-chan deal with it. Clan Head business is hella complicated, and I bet Hiroto just wants to make sure we lower clans don't mess up the delicate asses of upper clans." she rolled her eyes, huffing. "And what would you tell him, anyways? That you were sorry for punching one kid of theirs when they insulted you first? Because that's not how it works with clan business, pup."

Sachi considered it, coming up with nothing. The Archive usually dealt with this kind of problems, surveying the memories of both parties and deciding what should be done. Here, where people had to rely on verbal statements, which could be easily faked, justice was a tricky deal.

It frustrated Sachi to some extent, because it would be so easy to just show the memories that Tōkuma called her names, insulted her and then attacked her. Sure, she did insult him back and strike back, entirely justified.

But that's not how it worked in Leaf.

If they were that mad that she made a simple joke about being colorblind, how would they react with the rest of the information she had about them? About that sick seal on the side branch of the family, which the main house branded them at birth with the idea that those born in the lower cast were a risk to the clan.

Sachi had listened with disgust at the words of her cousin, explaining her that the Hyūga esteemed their dojutsu to the extreme. The only explanation being that the side branches couldn't deal with the responsibility of having such abilities, and on the happenstance that they were either captured or led astray by the world, the seal would make sure their secrets died with them.

Seals used for pain and suffering had disturbed the young Sachi, not understanding how someone could force a seal on others with the clear intent to hold power over them. The temporal seals were a way to ensure the full potential of the mind of a Kanbayashi, instead of the Caged Bird seal which would slowly corrode her brain's pathways until her mind slipped away; and her eyes exploded from her orbits.

Yet, it didn't matter.

No, it didn't matter because Sachi was not a Hyūga, but an Inuzuka. Ashi was her alpha, and so she obeyed like she would have done with the Archive.

"Fuck, this even works'" Tsume grumbled by the stove.

If the Hyūga couldn't take a joke, then fine. Her body still throbbed with every beat, her gates stuttering every so often because of the abuse, but Sachi could withstand pain very well. Or so she had discovered. She didn't need them, and she didn't want to stay on that watchlist forever.

"I'll cook."

Tsume regarded her oddly, quirking a brow and slowly asking "You know how to cook?"

"And bake. I'll show you."

Sachi decided whose side she was on, taking the matches from Tsume's hands, she lit the hearth and pulled out the pots and pans.

Hyūgas could suck a dick, she much preferred the Inuzuka who didn't torture their clanmates for fun, and who certainly did know how to take a joke. And not sue a literal child.

(She was more pissed off at the audacity than at the charges)

"You don't smell like poison, sure."

Sachi grinned carefully, her lip still bruised.

Yeah.

It was worth it.

(It was worth it.)

.

"Easy there, Ashi."

They slowed down, jumping off the rooftops. Ashi took a deep breath. She really, really hated going to the upper clans. Especially on peace talks.

"I can fake rabies, if you wanna."

She would have chuckled, had they not been met with the grand entrance of the Hyūga lands. "So they sue you too?"

"They can try." he snarled silently, not happy in the least. "Let's get this over with. Good luck."

Ashi let him nuzzle her hand before heeling her body. Humans were her domain, Haiiro choosing to stay away because if not, he would end up biting fingers off, or taking a chunk of flesh out of someone. Hiroto was the first target, if Ashi ever gave the order, and as tempting as it was, Ashi preferred to keep her clan alive for a few more years.

The gates of the Hyūga lands were giant rounded wooden structures, black lanterns hanging from the higher arches glowing with violet fire. The Hyūga in front of them gave them a dirty glare, their milky eyes bulging out like crushed toads.

"Ashi-sama." they said, cautious enough to keep their snark away but not bowing to her. She was not their Clan Head. "Hiroto-sama is expecting you."

They didn't need escorting. Ashi and Haiiro had walked up and down the path to the Main House before those two younglings were alive. Nonetheless, they trailed after them like trained dogs, lest they get ideas and worsen the situation.

Noble clans loved to boast, which made her grit her teeth. The lands were certainly bigger, more organized and neat. Their compound was crammed, Inuzukas prowling around, yelling and laughing and training in open rings. Puppies and old dogs running all over their forest, yipping and howling. They were a tight knitted clan, and it showed.

And it did show that they weren't as affluent as Hyūgas. They were wealthier, their lands spread all over the upper plain and even a few in the lower one. Also a bigger clan, perhaps a hundred in terms of working force. Two big families, completely severed from one another.

Mostly flat and decorated sparsely, the Hyūga lands were the example of sobriety and minimalism. The paths were made out of cobblestone, even the dirt besides it shinier and cleaner than anything you would find in their compound. Ashi's nose tickled with the scent of violets and olive trees, all arranged neatly in geometric shapes, leading up to the main house.

The Main House was a massive building, wooden like the usual designs in the first level. All straight edges, intricate window plaques in deep violet following the geometrical pattern, and brown, grey and white curving roofs. It had several floors, five if she recalled correctly, and spreading into three cuadrangular segments with a massive training field in each of the centers.

A testament to how imposing the main branch of the Hyūga was.

Ashi knew that the Main House had been made by Hashirama, per the request of the newly settling Hyūgas. An envy, anything related to their Shodaime valuable even across the Continent. The Hyūgas knew this, and so they flaunted their roots by surrounding the structure with the the side branches houses. Although still pointedly expensive and old, they didn't have as many sly details as the others.

Small, evenly squared around the walls of the compound, beige with dark roofs, they blended into the background. They weren't important, left aside like scraps.

Haiiro nuzzled her hand again.

It wasn't Ashi's place to speak, and yet she was unreasonably angry being in the Hyūga lands. Seeing the stark difference between main and side families made her swallow down a growl.

The Inuzuka didn't have a problem with the Hyūga per se, putting aside the strictly financial reasons or the old grudges. What the Inuzuka didn't like, or rather didn't accept, was the blatant disregard of one's own family, cutting them apart and keeping them separated.

(They didn't speak about how the Inuzukas were the first ones to defend the side branches of the Hyūga, or how those very same side branch Hyūgas lessened the charges afterwards.)

The Main House, was ever so sunny inside. If she were to believe Sachi's guesses, the Hyūga didn't deal well with darkness, which would explain why every hall had the roof with violet lanterns. There weren't as many windows as there were holes for light to seep through. Walls for a Hyūga were useless, light was a necessity.

The steward, an old branch woman that Ashi met when she first became Clan Head, guided her to the end of the house. There were many rooms, as the entire main family lived in the same house. Some were in the courtyard, the grunts and slaps of hits meeting either skin or dummies filling the quiet silence of the Hyūgas.

They didn't stop to stare, extremely impolite and a cause for the ever unblinking Hyūga watchmen at every corner to report back to their leader. Gentle Fist was not a technique anyone besides the Hyūga were interested in, needing the byakugan to successfully accomplish it. With enough anatomical knowledge, one could pin point the tenketsu, but not accurately or quick enough to be implemented into their fighting style. It didn't matter, not for them, because the paranoia of their Clan Head ran deeper than any logical argument.

Haiiro bared his teeth, letting a silent warning for those staring Hyūgas.

Ashi was very happy with the Inuzuka style, thank you very much.

"Thank you, Hanae-san." she said as she kneeled and slid the door open.

Her response was "Ashi-sama has arrived, Hiroto-dono."

Hyūga Hiroto was an old, wrinkly man. The same age as Ashi's father would have been had he not died, with deep ridges around his forehead from all the frowning and the edges of his lips permanently set downward in a scowl. He was seated in the middle of the room, otherwise empty except for the low desk.

Shadows cast for the afternoon hour from the window frame behind him, Hiroto was the same man she kept visiting at least once every two months. Ancient, rooted and austere, he slowly met her eyes in the doorframe. Ashi was not one of his sclaves to be neatly kneeling down, waiting for his command to step in. She stared right back, Hiroto familiar with her customs as she was of his.

"I would say welcome, Ashi-sama," he said, voice perfectly even and composed "but I'm not one for lies."

"Likewise, Hiroto-sama." she said, closing the door behind her and letting Haiiro first to set down at the table, giving an uninterested huff.

Hiroto watched the dog with barely contained disdain, Ashi knowing full well that he was very particular about fur. Had they not been facing Clan Theft charges, Haiiro would have rolled down on his pretty brown cushions, maybe even drool on them, to spite him.

"I've brought sake, in case our throats get dry during our talk." not wasting any time, she set the bottle down.

Hiroto nodded in acknowledgement, clapping twice for Hanae-san to slide the door and take the order to bring little dishes to drink. All of them were familiar with the procedure, Ashi bringing alcohol, Hiroto feigning sobriety, and Hanae-san indulging them both as if it was the very first time.

"I do not accept bribes." he reminded her, more for appearances sake than real intention.

"A very honorable trait." she played along, just like her father taught her.

"The best way to jack off a Hyūga is with words, dear." her father would say every time he came back from 'peace talks'.

Hanae appeared shortly after. Haiiro was convinced that the old woman prepared the dishes beforehand and hid them in the hems of her yukata when another Inuzuka messed up a Hyūga. Ashi was willing to believe it, if only because she hadn't heard her move at all since her master prompted her to.

Hanae poured a tumbler for each one and left after Hiroto waved her away. Sometimes, Ashi swore he did it on purpose just to piss her off. Ashi would willingly engage in a spar to kick that dried out grape anyday if it made him at least hesitant to treat his family like garbage.

Ashi sipped her drink, savouring Tsume's work to distract herself. It wasn't her clan, and so she had no leverage. No complaints would move the Hokage, excusing that behaviour because the Hyūga would only change if they wished, not forced by outside perspectives. Tradition. Ashi could somewhat understand that, Inuzuka customs often judged as well, but—

Oh for fucks sake, Hanae was Hiroto's. Little. Sister.

"Let us begin." he murmured, setting his cup down. "I see you have been busy… with your newly found daughter, I believe."

"Ward." she corrected. "Sachi is my ward."

Hiroto took that in with grace, or disinterest, she wasn't sure. "She is under your direct protection, I assume?"

"Yes."

He was asking to make sure how to address their issue. A regular Inuzuka, that is, not related to the Clan Head by close bonds, falls under different laws than a close family member. Any Inuzuka will be defended by the Clan Head equally — or so was the theory— but family members such as parents, siblings, partners or children had much more weight when it came to conflicts.

Sachi was not Ashi's daughter and not blood related by any means. However, Ashi was her guardian in any legal matters plus being her Clan Head, and whatever semantics the Inuzuka alpha used, Sachi was under her direct protection.

"Quite the change." he mused. "I wouldn't have guessed that your clan has a tradition of for acquiring a heir through adoption."

At her side, Haiiro almost reached out and bit his delicate parts underneath the table. Hiroto was a heartless bastard, using whatever details from his opponent to bring them down. Using Ashi's lack of a husband for 'acquiring an heir' through the usual methods was downright nasty. Heavily implying that she had went out of her way to get a child just so she could have a loyal minion to continue the line, not through blood, but through teachings.

"There were extenuating circumstances." she defended herself, taking another small sip to busy her teeth unless she gave into her instinct to punch that sentient butthole. "It's somewhat of a modern concept, Hiroto-sama, to take someone in with no further motive than providing a home and a family for them." then, filling her cup with a flourish, she added "My clan does not elect their Clan Head based on bloodline, as you must know."

The day Hiroto kicked the bucket Ashi was going to throw a party, drown herself in their best sake, and then throw up in his mausoleum. Probably set it on fire too.

"Ah, yes." he dignifiedly remarks. "The Inuzuka do not need bother themselves with keeping a bloodline pure. A trial by fire, so to speak."

Ashi strained a toothy smile. The Hyūga were strictly patriarchal and by order of birth, a straight line all the way to their first ancestor; only keeping a male and a female from each litter, the rest were sent to be branded and awarded with a life of servitude for the mere fact of being born later.

How could a man like Hiroto understand? His life laid in stone for him by his predecessors; similar to the Uchiha. To willingly choose, or rather work your way up, was a foreign concept for him that he never passed the opportunity to criticize.

Ashi was willing to admit that fighting your way through the clan, breaking bones and possibly crippling or killing them, was not the best way to do it. The Nara were evaluated all throughout their lives, all their decisions weighted and analyzed, until coming up with the wisest of them all to rule. The Akimichi shared their spars, adding the body modifications until either their opponent gave up or their own bodies did. Yamanaka had a contest on who could mindfuck their opponent the best, achieving a vegetative state adding bonus points. Aburame…. well, they had a nice rotation or something like that, all hard facts and logic, that bunch.

"Not for the weak heart." she jabbed, relishing the deepening of his stern expression. Ah, to be young and make people self conscious about their age, what a classic.

A Hyūga's hate had become a family heirloom for the Inuzuka, for only they got away to pissing the noble clan off. Her father had problems with Hiroto ever since Ashi had been born, a woman not good enough in his eyes.

(He later broke his nose in the ANBU HQ, and he accepted the demotion with a smile.)

After Tsume was born, and consequently grew to go to the Academy, it jus so happened that she got into the same class as his sons. To say that they didn't like each other would be an understatement, the three of them managing to retire four teachers and a director because of all the political tension that followed their usual fights.

It hadn't started like that. Hizashi and Tsume had an on-and-off friendship, the younger Hyūga quick of wit if inspired enough. That is, until she learned about the Caged Bird seal, being horrified, fighting Hiashi for justifying it and then dealt with the aftermath. It hadn't been pretty, and it deeply affected her, only worsening when Hizashi broke any contact with her; either by his own volition or forced by the very same man Ashi was staring across the table.

Of course, it didn't help that Tsume spent her Academy days alone, too young to be drift into war. Ashi and their parents had been on the front lines, medic aids and fighters in equal measure. Ashi was the only one to make it back, and from there it was brawl after brawl.

She had never wanted to become Clan Head, willing to let anyone take the lead and try to cope with life after war. How could she? When she came back to find Tsume sad and alone and betrayed, with a lawsuit hanging from her neck, and newly orphaned. The last thing she would do was to force her out of the house they had spent their childhood in— Ashi fought for her right to be Clan Head for the sake of her little sister, not wanting her to hurt anymore.

It disgusted her, to know that the Hyūga Clan Head would rather kill his own siblings than care for them.

"I believe we have pressing matters at hand, Ashi-sama." Hiroto said, breaking their salty chit chat. Sliding a thin folder towards her, he added "Tōkuma-kun has his left flank bruised, soreness of his forearms and… his eyes damaged."

Ashi surveyed the nurses report. "Soreness and bruising are often signs and symptoms of physical exertion, such as using clan techniques, especially one as complex and draining as the Gentle Fist."

Fucking milkies.

Hiroto was not amused.

"About the eye damage… here says 'cephalea, possible photophobia' which, if I may explain—"

"It's not necessary."

" —it's a condition that is not related to Sachi. At all."

Hiroto filled his cup once more. "Tōkuma-kun was very insistent that it is." he said, making a point to pause before continuing. "You have not brought a medical report."

"It's not necessary, I know the extent of the damages well enough."

"You might be… trained in veterinary medicine, Ashi-sama, but your involvement rules any of those reports null and void until a neutral third party confirms it." he said flatly. "I would like to review the damages."

Ashi hissed dramatically, saying "I apologize, Hiroto-sama, but there are no medical reports than any other than myself might provide. Sachi came quite bruised, and she has brittle health you see, and I couldn't wait to get her to the hospital when I'm already trained in the medical field aside from veterinary medicine."

As if she was going to let that old, hairless rat spy on Sachi's medical reports that easily. Tōkuma must have told him about Sachi's pathways, and going by their photophobia, he must have gotten flashed in the process of using his byakugan to find her tenketsu.

Ashi didn't feel bad at all. Let it be a warning for any other nosy Hyūga.

Although it did worry her, not Tōkuma, but Sachi. She knew the basics of human medicine and Tsunade had thoroughly explained her how to treat emergencies if any of Sachi's haphazard pathways broke out again. Normally, when one used a diagnosis jutsu, the pathways echoed the intruding chakra with a push of its own; a reflex reaction. With Sachi it was… a global response, all of the stray chakra in her blood and tissue surging like a slap.

"But if you so eagerly want a report, then… laceration of the lower lip, knotting of the right infraclavicular and pectoral tenketsu points, also knotting following the left sternocleidomastoid muscle" which were hell to get out, the small pocket of chakra blistering her skin" localized bruises in epigastric and umbilical region," the fifth, sixth and seventh chakra gates, all with neat purple fingertips around them "grade one ankle sprain and overall chakra overload that I, with great care, thankfully treated without further intervention." she let him drink, and said "Guardian or not, I cannot disclose anything more. Patient confidentiality and all that."

And fuck if it didn't ran her empty. Only stubbornness and the scare had planted Ashi in the bathroom and painstakingly unknotted every damn turn and twist of her pathways. Sachi took it in with a grunts and gasps for air, holding the tears as best as she could. Only her burnt pain receptors prevented her from passing out, wich didn't reassure Ashi in the least.

"Patient confidentiality or not, we cannot evaluate the extent of your… ward's damages without a reassurance that no underlying conditions could worsen her state." the sly fucking bastard— "You have officiated assault charges against Tōkuma, when your ward clearly retaliated against him, I want an explanation."

"My Sachi is getting accustomed to a hidden village life, coming from a civilian background." if a centuries old clan that had dirt on anyone counted as civilian. "When Tōkuma-kun instigated a fight with insults, and then physical violence, she had no other way than defend herself. Not quite as effectively as Tōkuma-kun, since she hasn't had any ninja training."

He squinted his white eyes at her, not believing her one bit. "There's no proof that Tōkuma-kun instigated a fight, nor insulted her."

Ashi shook her head, not letting the old hawk head that way. "The other options are that my Sachi started that fight, or that they both willingly engaged in a spar. My ward didn't have a motive to insult Tōkuma-kun, and she obviously wouldn't know how to act in friendly spars." taking a breath, she said "It's not the first time someone from your clan sought a conflict with my clan, on the sole basis of being part of the Inuzuka. And—" she tapped the medical report with her finger "this incident falls under that pattern."

Hiroto, not so easily sweetened up by words, replied "And for every Hyūga that engaged with your clan with no honorable intentions, five Inuzuka actively humiliated, insulted and attacked my clan for our dojutsu. And—" he took back the report, closing it with a smack "this does fall under that pattern."

Touché.

Inuzukas did hunt Hyūga for a fight, although Ashi greatly discouraged it. They clashed, and when they did, it was a family affair. Had Sachi been part of another clan, like the Yuuhi, she would have been brushed off and settled with paying for one another's medical treatments.

Because Sachi had the red fangs and Tōkuma had the byakugan—

Politics.

"Your ward is not from Fire Country, correct?"

She nodded.

She couldn't hide that. Sachi's features were akin to those up in the Northern Belt, and although she had died her hair dark, once she grew up there would be no denying where she came from. Fire Country folk was more rounded, easily tanned and bulky yet not heavy (except for the Akimichi).

"And you say… she isn't accustomed to living in a hidden village." which ruled out a spontaneous kidnapping from their fellow ninja neighbours. "Yet… she was not surprised to see Tōkuma."

Damn.

Hyūgas were creepy as they came. Ashi had grown up to them, as she did with the Aburame bugs and the Uchiha sharingan, but for foreigners they were like tourist attractions. That's why most of the Hyūga were in ANBU, hiding underneath a mask or taking up tracking missions. Sachi did know how a Hyūga looked, and knew much more than their appearance.

"The Hyūga name and the byakugan's fame has traveled far and wide, Hiroto-sama." more verbal masturbation, great. "Sachi, although ignorant, is quite intelligent to recognize a person with seemingly white eyes and clearly able to see."

He hummed, not satisfied but letting her words stroke his ego.

Counting her lucky stars, she pushed. "Sachi is being sued for Clan Theft, I want an explanation as to why a civilian is being prosecuted for it when she visibly isn't from this country, and not familiar enough with its clans to have any sensitive information about them."

The bottle was halfway done, using it as buffer to buy them time or try to get the other drunk when not answering.

"Your ward has made an unsavoury comment to Tōkuma-kun, which has been brought up my attention." suspicion didn't quite say, but Ashi knew his tells by now to not need a voiced opinion.

"Just as Tōkuma-kun did to Sachi." she commented, seeing his confidence slip away. "I wasn't aware we were now taking children arguments to discuss in the courtrooms."

He held her eyes for a second before taking another gulp. Ashi was allowed, by law, to act upon any aggressive eye contact for more than fifteen seconds. And sometimes, just sometimes, she wished that Hiroto held her gaze for fifteen seconds and a quarter to take out those fake teeth of his.

"The Hyūga have a dojutsu, Ashi-sama." he insisted "I have to act on my clan's best interests, being a child or a criminal. Your ward made quite the remark that troubled me and my clan."

Before she could speak, he continued. "As her guardian, you are obligated to teach her proper behaviour. If… she isn't from Fire Country, and you don't appear to be as bothered as I am, then… you aren't fully aware of how much she might know."

Ashi knew that he would bring it up. Adoptions weren't that rare, even common with civilians, but it was odd to see a Clan Head take up a child without exhibiting prior intentions. If asked, anyone in the ninja field would testify that Inuzuka Ashi did not want children. It stopped being an option when Isamu died, and the Inuzuka had quite a few orphans from the war that she could have easily taken under her wing.

Discarding motherly instincts, Sachi's case was an open question.

Why did Ashi adopt her?

Tsume asked her once or twice, her clan questioning her before accepting Sachi. Nonetheless, Ashi couldn't silence the rest of the village via spars or warning growls, and so she had to deal with the consequences of gossip.

Like now.

"Sachi is a very smart child, Hiroto-sama." she emphasized slowly "I saw potential in her, although I prefer to keep my motives to myself. The Hokage agreed me becoming her guardian, and he has deemed her a citizen of Leaf like any that has been born here." and then, just to be clear "If Sachi has startled you with her comments, enough to claim Clan Theft, then I can speak with all honesty that it was not her intention."

Hiroto doubted that, Ashi doubted that, Haiiro doubted that and even Hanae eavesdropping doubted that. Sachi had spoken with the mission to hurt and make fun of Tōkuma, her tongue wicked when she put her observations into insults. Thankfully, Tōkuma was ten years old, flashed down by an Inuzuka and acting up as any child would. Hiroto was tempted to believe Tōkuma, being a main branch, but there weren't any other witnesses to get the exact words. Ashi was going out on a limb, betting on Sachi's strange state of affairs, but children were mean, often exaggerating, and easily misinterpreted.

After what seems like hours, Hiroto turns his cup upside down, saying. "I'm…open to withdraw the Clan Theft charges. If you're willing to revoke the Civilian Harassment claims."

Clan Theft was serious, but so was Civilian Harassment. Because ninja were in the military, and trained to hurt and to deceive, civilians had laws protecting them. It didn't help that those kind of claims needed the Clan Council and Civilian Council all gathered up in the same courtroom, and that civvies, being granted impunity over more than a ninja could get away with, the lawsuits often ended badly for the ninja party.

It wasn't as serious as death penalty, unless you really messed up, but it did cause the civilian population to antagonize shinobi even more. Add that to a noble clan, who was suing a child not even a decade old, recently adopted and with a compromised health… and you had quite the story to share over tea.

Oh, what a scandal.

Sachi was considered a civilian, despite being an Inuzuka on paper. If one wasn't in the Academy or wasn't working in any of the ninja facilities or positions, then they were considered civilians.

It happened to be Sachi's saving grace, as Ashi put her cup upside down and said "It has been a great misunderstanding, hasn't it, Hiroto-sama?"

"It has, Ashi-sama." he answered, glacial as his heart.

Ashi nodded politely and got up, Haiiro matching her and shaking the sleep out of his body, or so appeared. "Until next time, Hiroto-sama." she said, flashing her fangs, and then turning her back.

Before she got out of that Sage awful room, he couldn't help but remark "I advise you to teach Sachi-kun better."

Haiiro put himself in the middle just in case, Ashi choosing to close the door behind her before she turned around and fucked him up. Hiroto, who didn't even acknowledge anyone but himself and Hiashi, speaking about teaching children.

What a fucking joke.

"Thank you, Hanae-san." Ashi said, mustering a good comment for the woman at her side, who put up with too much bullshit to endure her fuming at her side.

Her white eyes met hers for a second, free of any challenge and full of slight amusement and understanding. "You're welcome, Ashi-sama," and then, with a wink "Haiiro-sama."

"Thanks."

Not many of the noble clans were willing to bow to a dog, perceived as inferior in their eyes despite being a rightful alpha. Hanae knew better than to go against the supposed hostility of the Hyūga towards the Inuzuka, but few were paying attention to them now. No wonder they liked her.

Wasting no time to get out of there, they used a body flicker as soon as they crossed the threshold of the compound, their feet clashing with the platforms of the trees above them.

"He's a dick," came Haiiro's reassurance, feeling her upset "it could have gone worse, knowing that filth."

It could have.

Ashi hated being powerless, the bile rising in her throat at the thoughts of the Inuzuka that she couldn't defend from that paranoid bastard. Thinking of Sachi, going through a Yamata poison, or worse, decapitated as a criminal because she didn't know better than to just punch the Hyūga instead of making fun of him—

"That he is." jumping higher to release the tension in her body, she said "She's just a kid, for fuck's sake."

They had been lucky enough to turn the charges, because as much as Ashi wanted to believe that Hiroto wouldn't issue an execution on a child, she just couldn't lie to herself.

(The Hyūga were ruthless when it came to the byakugan. Their eyes were more important than the bodies they were attached to.)

"You see her like that, not our old 'kage though."

"I didn't—"

She didn't fucking care about the Archive, that's not why she took Sachi in.

"I know you didn't," Haiiro interrupted her, on edge too. "but my nose's telling me that Sachi getting in trouble with the neighbours is gonna happen again."

Ashi had that feeling too. She would swear up and down that she was a good kid, little as they knew each other, but she had a way to unsettle people around her that Ashi couldn't hide.

(Her eyes. Her eyes were too bright and too cunning.)

They couldn't keep her trapped forever, because it wouldn't be different from the other option that the Hokage had proposed to her. ANBU surveillance, drifted off to their most secure facilities and made part of the witness protection.

A prison with fancier bars.

The Inuzuka alphas cared for the child they had swore to protect, but they were at a loss how to achieve that long term.

"Ashi—"

"Haiiro." she warned.

"She needs to learn."

They dropped off to the lower branches, losing altitude as they approached the cliff between the levels. Ashi didn't want to hear it. She had expressed her opinion on the matter and she didn't want to be questioned again.

"I will teach her." she hissed, the parting words of Hiroto pulsing in her brain. Ugh. "She's smart, she'll get it quick."

Or so she hoped. Sachi was a quick learner, true, but it was another matter if she went with it or not. They had tried very hard to explain to her the importance of caring for animals, considering their job at the clinic, but, without fail, everytime Tsume complained about a patient she would say 'kill it'. She was absolutely serious, always, and Tsume would slap her up the head for that. It didn't stop her though.

What a fucking mess.

"I wanna see that." he commented, groaning when they got to their district. "Might surprise us."

After getting to the compound Ashi started to feel the exhaustion in her bones. Politics had been her least favorite bonus when she became Clan Head, taking too much mental effort to doubletalk back and forth while keeping track to not disclose too much. Haiiro was tired too, trying to hide it by pretending to be lazy.

"I'm showering and going to bed." she confessed, cracking her neck. Hiroto's scent always irked her, enough negative associations to make her ill.

"Damn right, maybe food. Do you think the pup's cleaned the kennels yet?"

The answer came right as they entered the house.

" —useless! I told you already, thirty minutes, can't you count?!" that was Sachi's voice, reaching pitches that were hurting their ears.

"Fuck off! This clock's broken! And if you sass me again, pup, I'm going to—"

Smack.

Ashi felt a cold dread in her spine while her body moved instantly towards the kitchen were the screams were coming from. Sachi pissed off the Hyūga already, the last thing she needed was to get on Tsume's tail too.

What Ashi and Haiiro found was far from the battlefield they had expected. Tsume wasn't above hitting children, happy to reinforce the hierarchy with painful methods, and Sachi had a stubborn streak that took a saint not to act upon. Tsume was not one.

Instead, they found the kitchen covered in flour, something burning on the stove and Sachi and Tsume seizing each other, Kuromaru whining in a corner.

Another detail that they hadn't expected was to see Tsume, paler than they had ever seen her — and not because of the half pound of flour on her— and staring with her jaw to the floor. Sachi was brandishing a wooden spoon, her chakra crackling like a thunderstorm while she bared her teeth.

It took Ashi and Haiiro a moment to understand what happened.

Sachi hit Tsume with a spoon.

Tsume broke out from her stupor, her cheeks flushing so red that her fangs faded into her skin. She straightened her back, flexing her muscles slowly and ready to throw Sachi onto the floor and possibly break every bone that the Hyūga Tōkuma had missed earlier that day.

But it didn't happen.

"Watch it." Sachi said, mimicking the tone Ashi used when she wanted people to obey. "Are you going to let me, or not?" she growled. An actual, honest to the Sage, growl.

Up until then Sachi had taken their physical clues slowly, growls and barks not quite her thing. People outside the Inuzuka had a hard time understanding the subtlety of a growl or the eye contact, involving much more than just words. It was clear that Sachi dealt opposite as them, using their bloodline limit to share information and only using words to communicate with each other.

Quick learner alright.

To Ashi's surprise, Tsume relaxed, although not entirely. "Let's see what you can do."

And then, like they hadn't been engaged in a standout against each other, they welcomed them back with tense grins.

"What happened?"

Tsume shrugged off her apron, throwing it in Sachi's direction with more force than necessary, the girl catching it with her face. "Your pup and I got into a bet."

Tsume had a way with bets that made Tsunade-hime weep with envy. Ever since she was just a snotty brat she knew how to coax the best outcome based on pure instinct alone; it saved her ass more times than her through training did. Normally, when Tsume betted on something, she usually won.

"We bet that I could make lunch faster than she could bake whatever she wanted."

Oh.

Tsume's luck with bets was always right except on one thing: her culinary skills. Ashi was no better, but she knew how to not burn water. Tsume had cursed hands when it came to cooking, baking being a downright nightmare. They had lost counts on how many walks of shame they had done to the nearest Akimichi restaurant after checking if they were still useless in the kitchen. They had quickly adapted to smooch out of Hisumi-baa-sama.

"I bet her that I could make something for lunch before you got here, so we can eat together." Sachi said, easing on her own. "She insisted that I couldn't cook, so.." she pointed at the flour covered kitchen and strange substances on the floor and table with her spoon "here we are."

Haiiro went to investigate, making sure Tsume wouldn't go for Sachi's throat or the other doing something as stupid as hitting a higher placed member with an easily breakable weapon.

"... why?"

"We were bored." Tsume supplied, patting the flour out of her clothes the best as possible. "And hungry."

Ashi took a few steps forward, surveying the pan sizzling with burned… pork ribs? There was something akin to rice in a pot, although blackened beyond recognition, going by scent alone and grimacing.

Not promising.

But… there was something sweet in the air too.

Ashi looked down, the ancient oven that they hadn't messed with ever since Tsume made it to genin, was actually working.

"Are those… cookies?"

Sachi beamed at her, flailing her spoon like a wand with pride. "Yep! And they're almost ready, but lunch will take longer, since Tsume kept going on and on and—" her sister slapped her up the head, a trademark warning for Sachi. She didn't even pretend it hurt her anymore.

"Don't listen to her, nee-chan." she hissed, not hostile but not amused either "I would have managed if you hadn't kept criticizing me!"

"I was telling you how it was done!"

"I didn't need it!"

Sachi pointed to the stove, her unimpressed expression making her reconsider. "I told you to mind the rice, nine times, and you told me to fuck off and mind my cookies."

"You know what? I'm done," she threw her hands up in the air, before sharply cornering her to the countertop and rumbling low "you better make the best lunch I ever had, pup, or I'm going to throw you at the senile hounds."

Sachi, despite being terrorized of their hounds with dementia, stood her ground with her nose crunched up and not backing up an inch. "You're going to clean the kennels, Tsume."

Ashi should feel very bad for being proud of Sachi challenging Tsume. She fully trusted her sister to not act upon it, since Ashi could tell that she was humoring their struggling pup, but to see her behaving like an Inuzuka after so many months of painfully standing out—

There was hope.

"Very well, Sachi." Tsume said, smug. "We'll see how this ends."

Her sister left, whistling after Kuromaru who undoubtedly had to endure hours of on and off challenges. Sachi's eyes focused on her, turning serious in a heartbeat and asked "How did the meeting go?"

She was nervous, more than her mock fight with Tsume. Ashi couldn't make sense of it, since she didn't care about the Hyūga that had kicked her ass.

"The Hyūga have taken down their charges, so no death—"

Sachi sighed in relief. "Does it mean that won't happen anything to you?"

She frowned. "Why would something happen to us, darlin'? You were the one sued."

"Because of what I said? I… I though that they would blame you and…" she trailed off, switching stances a moment later. "I'm sorry," she truthfully said "not to what I said to that— Hyūga Tōkuma, but… I don't want to cause problems to you."

Fucking hell. Sachi wanted her to cry.

Something she had noticed after speaking with her was that Sachi rarely hid what she thought, at least not with her and Haiiro. There were things that either of them refrained from asking her, mainly her family and what happened to her, but she had told them everything they wanted to know without restrictions. She commented and remarked freely, voicing her opinions often.

To hear her apologizing to her, despite Ashi acting as her guardian, made her all mushy inside. She ruffled her hair, getting some of the flour in her fingers "Oh pup, you don't have to worry about it."

Sachi disagreed just as much as she talked, Haiiro speaking before she got the chance "Already forgotten, pup, but you watch your mouth from now one, 'kay?" she nodded. "Good. You have bigger problems now, like filling Tsume's stomach before she makes you lick the kennels clean, pup."

That image wasn't a fun one. Sachi grimaced, saying "I know what I'm doing."

.

Turned out that Sachi did know what she was doing.

Ashi, Tsume and the dogs got treated with the most fulfilling and delicious meal they had ever had ever since the war ended. They ate until they went into a food coma. Sachi made a full stockpot of soup, a cauldron —which they didn't even knew they had— of vegetable rice with grounded beef with some kind of sauce and cookies for desert.

Tsume wasn't even mad that she had to clean the kennels, deeming it worth it in her book, even more because Sachi was in charge of breakfast too the next morning.

"You're really good at this, pup."

"Thanks, Haiiro, but it isn't ready yet."

Ashi was watching Sachi work her magic in their kitchen. It was not that small, since the Inuzuka main house had been made with the ide to host at least twenty people, although not as great as the noble clans. The pantry was at the left, mainly meats and bones, some preserves they hadn't grow that desperate to open. Tsume kept her sake and wine there too, the barrels never piling for long.

Sachi seemed comfortable there, between the old stove and the oven.

"Where did you learn to cook, Sachi?"

Ashi regretted it the moment she spoke. Where would Sachi learn how to cook, except from the home she had to flee—?

"The kitchens." she said, her chakra at ease. "It was one of Chika-sama's favourite punishments. There was always work to be done, and after a while," she flipped the eggs "the cooks taught me how to work there, how to sharpen the knives, to dice onions, peel potatoes, there were so many potatoes… and how to do the menus, or prepare food for the travelers."

"It serves you well, then." Haiiro amended.

Sachi didn't often speak of the Kanbayashi, out of suspicion or grief, she had closed that door firmly. They were moments in which she was more open, like now, yet with the unspoken pain behind her words.

She giggled, saying "I almost destroyed the kitchens when I tried to pour water on an oil fire. Which wasn't the best of starts, you know…"

"What did you learn?"

"To never, ever, pour water on an oil fire." she paused, putting aside the eggs. "Unless you want a column of fire spitting everywhere, people screaming at you, and your hair singed."

Breakfast was almost done, the smell rising Tsume from her deep slumber, Kuromaru's nails muffled by the carpets on the halls.

"It smells fucking good in here." was her greeting.

Breakfast they ate at the kitchen table, sometimes skipping the eating order depending on who had to wake up first. Inuzukas they were, but they were also ninjas. Sometimes it was impossible to match their schedules. Ashi used to get a cup of coffee and grab whatever rations they had in the cupboards and run to whatever mission she had.

It had been a while since they ate together.

"Morning to you too, Tsume."

She saluted them, taking the plate Sachi gave her and settling down on the kitchen table. "Sage, I can get used to this."

Sachi put the meals for the dogs on their respective bowls, before she took a seat at Ashi side and waited.

Ashi took a bite so Tsume could start on her meal, watching her ward with curious eyes. "You can eat too, Sachi, it's your own work."

"Good one too." tried to say Tsume, coming out as "gooshonetoo."

"I'm fine." she simply said, "I don't like hot food."

That comment struck her as odd, Ashi getting better at reading Sachi than relying on her chakra. She decided to let it be, eating dutifully the eggs and bacon Sachi had made for them.

There was nothing better than home made food.

(It has been a good while since they had it.)

Tsume finished eating and took a handful of cookies and grabbed Kuromaru's tail. "I'm off."

"Mission?"

She nodded. "A week, tops."

"I could make you food—"

"Nah, pup. We can't take food with us or it can distract the ninken, especially," she pinched Kuromaru's nose, "this one here. Make sure you have something when we come back!"

Tsume stormed off as she came, their encounter not having passed ten minutes. "That was fast." she remarked. "I could have given her something, I know how to make travelers food."

"Don't worry 'bout her, pup." Haiiro said, licking his snout. "Tsume will eat anything as long as it doesn't make her too sick."

A ninja didn't have the luxury to turn away food, much less on the field. "Yeah, it's only a week. She can't carry food with her, however good as it might be." she nudged her, making her eat.

"You don't carry traveler food, you put it into retaining scrolls."

Haiiro barked a laugh. "Not sure 'bout that."

She frowned, swallowing the bite and asking "Why not?"

"Retaining scrolls are very expensive, Sachi." Ashi answered instead. "They aren't used for food, but for weapons and supplies."

"Expensive?" Sachi insisted, aghast.

"An entire year of wages for a jōnin." Ashi said with a shrug. "More, now that sealing masters are in hiding."

A retaining scroll was the epitome of wealth. You paid for their skill, their knowledge and trust. fūinjutsu was an art that besides useful, was deadly; normally for the user, rather than the master. That is, if they were truly a master. There were many impostors, seeking the fortune and fame of a sealing master, that would endanger those who bought any seal from them. It didn't end in scrolls, exploding tags another item that ninja would, and have, killed to get at least once.

Uzushio had been famed for producing such masters, their alliance with Leaf beneficial in terms of procuring such trust and genuine seals. There had been a time where you could get any seal if you were amiable enough to have a small vacation in Uzushio, and the price lowered if you flashed a Leaf's insignia.

But Uzushio was dead, and all its masters scattered.

"Why would you pay someone else to make a retaining scroll?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she stared blankly at her "We don't know how."

Sachi finished chewing, and said very carefully. "You don't make your own seals?"

"We don't know seals, darlin'." she repeated.

Wich was like a slap to her face, if she had to go by her expression. "None? Not even paralytic seals?"

"None, pup."

The girl took a moment to gather her thoughts, clearly shaken. Ashi believed that she might have thrown a fit in her frustration, her chakra tightly bound around her in uncertainty. However, she didn't address it, saying "Seals aren't for everyone."

The cemetery was full of failed sealing masters.

"They're dangerous if you don't know what you're doing."

"Yes, but so is everything else." Sachi said, taking a cookie. "It does explain a few things, though."

Haiiro put his head on her lap, Sachi scratching him behind his ears. "Like what?"

She looked around the room. "There aren't any seals in the house, not even the protective ones around the windows. Only wire traps."

Oh fuck. Ashi had forgotten to warn Sachi about the traps. Inuzukas could hear the sneeze of a rabbit a mile away, an approaching enemy easy to pick out in their territory. Traps were only a failsafe, only for peace of mind rather than true protection. Not a fun surprise, their traps designed to cripple.

"You had seals in your houses?"

"Everywhere." Sachi corrected. "There are so many seals that you can't count them. Protection, warmth, mood… when you moved across the Heart the seals followed you, bringing light or muffling your steps to not bother the others." she explained, nostalgia permeating her words. "If you put your hand to whatever surface," she did so, palm down on the table. "they would recognize you, greet you. You could feel everyone in the Heart beneath your skin, pulsating like a throbbing beat that—" she stopped abruptly, her eyes glazing over before blinking forcefully. "You don't have this."

She took her palm down, petting Haiiro again.

That did explain why Sachi kept touching the walls, and staring at them as if they would do something. Ashi pictured it, a home filled with seals, that answered one's touch like they were truly alive instead of the machinations of their masters.

"They teach you seals in school or…?"

"Usually school, but there's always someone that can show you a new seal or you can go to the Library and learn by yourself." Ashi had the slight suspicion that Sachi did all of those, repeatedly. "I learned seals before I learned language."

"Really?" she asked, interested and concerned. "How's that work?"

"I… Mother didn't teach me." and there was something heartbreaking in her tone, the way Sachi spoke of her mother. With fear and guilt. "She did teach me seals, though," and here she brightened, if only minutely "and they sort of… clicked in my head, I guess. Seals make sense, they always have."

For her, maybe they did. Ashi had struggled to learn the medical seals to stop the blood or restart the chakra gates, the sigils and matrixes just drawings that could blow off her arm if she put too much chakra on them. Sachi didn't have that unease when it came to them, and Ashi could tell by the scent that she missed them.

Loneliness had a distinct smell. Salty like tears, sweet like sweat, and desperately bitter.

As useful seals were, they were a source of great grief.

Uzushio was dead because of seals. The Kanbayashi were dead too, because of them. And perhaps, most unforgivable of all, they had sentenced Sachi for life.

"Sachi," Ashi called her, the girl facing her with all her full attention. She was a puppy in more ways than one. "do you want to learn how to fight?"

...

Sooooo this is the end of THE BEGINNING ARC, aka, the introduction.

I'll be posting by arcs, instead of chapter by chapter, so I can edit them. I know that my pace is kinda slow, but I'm trying to flesh out Leaf the best I can, with all the things that I would have liked to see in the manga, or hell, even the anime. Just before you come at me with pitchforks, I love details and I don't spare them when writting, which is a terrible excuse for saying that this is going to be a VERY LONG FIC (not that I want it to be, mind you.)

I put a rivalry between the Inuzuka and Hyuuga, and introduced Hiroto. My hc is that the Hyuuga are very paranoid about their dojutsu, and that's why they came with the Caged Bird Seal, so if any of their clansmen are captured, they won't endanger the others by the enemy obtaining intel on the byakugan. However, for that to work, one has to be cruel. Don't worry, this isn't a Hyuuga bashing fic, and they will get their moment to shine, but from Ashi's POV, they are a little bit weird.

About Clan Theft and Civilian Harassment, I invented it just for the sake of having some sort of laws in Leaf, necessary when you put military and civilians together.

How the byakugan works? Well, I pulled it from my ass, basically. I think that the Hyuuga being colorblind adds a little more spice to their dojutsu, and explains a little bit how it works without using the chakra-magic-bullshit excuse. My take on them is that their eyes are not eyes, technically, but only retinas.

Like, instead of having an iris and a pupil that regulate how much light enters the eye, the Hyuuga have an empty orbit with only the retina in the back. This is why their eyes are so pale, since they have only the back of their eye on display. Instead, they have a sturdy membrane (eyes are pretty though, surprisingly) that protects their eyeballs from the exterior, even their optical nerve slightly coated in it that has an abundance of light receptors that help them see in everything.

They have more chakra pathways around the eyes, that thicken when they use their byakugan. You can see the entrance of the optic nerve as some kind of barely visible pupil. The byakugan, when active, doesn't see colors but presences. Idk how to explain it, like, they can see chakra and the basic forms of things, but not colors. The byakugan puts a series of chakra layers that help the receptors dismiss colors and focus on the inherent chakra of everything, thus able to see through things and people. This can be enhanced by chakra bursts, that, like the echolization of a bat, bounces over their surroundings and gives them info about depth, shape, width… things like that; their brain then processes it and gives them the X rays eyes.

(I bullshited the byakugan, okay? Rant over.)

AND! I put actual leaves in Leaf. It annoys me a little bit that Konoha (or Leaf, whatever), the Hidden Village in the Leaves, does NOT have any sort of leaves in the village. Like, one would think that Leaf would be sort of like a tree house but bigger, but instead we get a regular village with ninja sprinkeled about. My hc is that Hashirama used his Wood Release to shield the village (like, from avoiding the enemy spying on them with bird summons or smth) and they adapted from there, using the forest as a natural barrier and a special feature to train themselves.