It'd been a week since Ibiki had opened his shelter request to the clans. He had presented Mizumi as a brilliant little girl, a proud Uzumaki descendant, but hadn't gone into specifics. Tobirama was glad for it: if he had been too open about his daughter's abilities, he would have attracted the worst kind of attention towards her. The Council had apparently accepted the tale Ibiki had served them, but they were still eager for an Uzumaki child under their control – one that wasn't the feared host of the Nine-Tailed Fox.
How everyone could be so scared of a baby, Tobirama had no clue. The only things he had gathered were the publicly known facts of the attack: the Kyūbi had targeted the village, and both Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, heroes of Konoha, had died protecting it, and sealing the dreaded fox into a little baby.
Of course, there was more to it than that. There had to be. If only they hadn't been away from the village when it had happened, then Tobirama could have collected more information about the event… but then, Mizumi would have been in danger. Still, this whole situation didn't make sense. Uzumaki Mito's granddaughter should have become the next jinchūriki, and that branch of the Uzumaki clan would never have turned against Konoha. They were too close to the Senju clan, to the power they bore.
For the hundredth time, Mizumi contemplated those thoughts. They didn't belong to her, she didn't fully understand them, and yet she was feeding off them. Ibiki was still very much training her; he was bent on making her as strong as he could as quickly as possible. Who was she to complain? He disguised training as games, and they were fun.
"Kitten, I have received an offer I'd like to consider," he said after one such game.
She turned her face to him, still gasping for breath and struggling to hide her surprise. This seemed far too important a decision for him to ask her opinion on it. "Daddy?"
He seemed to understand the underlying question. "They're very nice people, their shinobi and their civilians. They're secluded, though, and… well, it's the Aburame clan. Their Kekkei Genkai uses insects. They said that if you're afraid of them, I really shouldn't consider their offer."
"The Aburame clan, uh? They'd be a good choice for you. Even if you're not born amongst them, they'd protect you with their life. Their loyalty is extreme, and offered to family first and foremost. I used to find it so annoying that the family and clan went above the village for them, but now, it'd be an asset."
"I'm not afraid of insects, Daddy. Some of them have nice colours."
Ibiki let out a long breath, his shoulders sagging. It was rare for him to express such obvious relief, even when it was just the two of them and his clone standing watch. "I'll accept their offer, then. It should be settled no later than today. They're eager to meet you and welcome you as theirs."
Mizumi froze, her breath itching in her chest. "Y-you come too, right, Daddy? I want to stay with you."
One of his wide hands, still covered by a dark glove, ruffled her scarlet hair. "Of course I'll come with you, kitten. I'll always be there for you if I can. But you're the reason they extended the offer for the both of us, not me. I don't interest them as much. Besides, I heard that they have a boy your age. It'll be good for you to make a friend."
A friend, hm? She already had a friend, but she couldn't say so to Ibiki. Tobirama was a secret, one she wasn't ready to divulge even to the person she loved the most in this world. She watched her father use a chakra thread to summon a letter, a pen and some paper to him. He didn't like fūinjutsu too much.
"Can't blame him."
It took all the self-control Mizumi had not to snicker at that. She managed to keep her face smooth as she watched her father pen a quick but polite answer to Aburame Shibi, head of the Aburame Clan. Well, she couldn't read what the letter said, but Tobirama did, and he told her in a quiet whisper.
"You'll learn how to read in around two years, I think. Do you think you can survive until then?"
She answered him with the image of a pout. Of course she would survive, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. She wanted to read, if only to quench Tobirama's unending thirst for knowledge. Also, his anger each time he heard about something he disapproved of was entertaining.
"I heard that, Mizumi."
Later, when afternoon and evening met, Ibiki dressed Mizumi in a yukata that was way too big for her. He grunted under his breath about Anko not knowing anything about children's clothing while fastening the obi so it would hold the garment closed and chuckled. Her poor father was stretching himself thin and delegating to his favourite student, something he clearly hated doing.
Since Ibiki's house was quite far from the Aburame clan's territory, he carried Mizumi on his back most of the way. Thankfully, he had let her keep her leggings under the yukata, but even with that he had to fix her clothes before they approached the main gate. On the way, they had walked past other entrances into clan land, but this one was clearly different.
"This buzzing on your skin is sensor abilities. The faint ones are seals, and the stronger ones are people, from civilians to shinobi. I'll be in charge of turning it on and off for now but, when you grow up, I'll teach you how to do it."
"It's not mine, right?" she asked, sending the buzzing feeling back to him.
"No, it's actually mine. I suspect that, as you grow and your body develops, I'll be able to lend you not only my chakra and strength, but my skills as well. However, to use them consistently, you'll have to train."
That was fair. Power should never come for free. She tried to think of a satisfying answer through words and pictures but, before she could make one, Ibiki had stopped in front of the gate. There were a lot of seals, and a lot of guards too, not just the two they could see. "Daddy," she whispered.
He looked down at her in surprise and gently squeezed her hand. "I know, kitten. Don't worry." When she relaxed, he turned his focus to the guards and bowed respectfully. "Aburame-sama is expecting us."
Mizumi's eyes went wide as an insect crawled its way out of one of the guard's skin then flew to Ibiki's cheek and stayed there a few seconds. When the insect went back to its owner, both men stepped aside. "You may enter. Aburame-sama is waiting for you."
Ibiki nodded and gently led Mizumi forward. She gasped and took in the sight before her: the village was so close she could still hear it, but this was nothing like Konoha itself. There were few proper roads, plants and flowers everywhere, and huge, huge trees.
"Hashirama," Tobirama breathed, his mental voice slightly wavering. "Those are his trees, Mizumi. You'll always be safe here."
Mizumi wanted to stop in her tracks and walk to the shadows of the trees, which stood out amongst typical essences with their dark, smooth bark and emerald leaves. Their colours were more intense and fuller than those of other trees, chakra discreetly oozing from them. She wanted to pay tribute to her demon's older brother, the one he was always pained to speak of. The time for that would come, but not now.
The building they went in was bigger than the houses they had walked by, with richer decorations. The tiles of its roof were painted solid silver and ached to look at under the sun. Ibiki opened the door then stepped aside so Mizumi could enter first. She removed her shoes, surprised to see that slippers were waiting for them. The weird thing was that the slippers were fitting, as if someone in the Aburame clan had managed to get their hands on their measurements.
"Yeah, they're sneaky as hell. You'll like that, you'll see."
Ibiki got hold of her hand again and led her past the entrance of the building to a huge room with a central kotatsu surrounded by kneeling pillows. A man was kneeling opposite them, his eyes hidden by small sunglasses. He had black, spiky hair and smooth pale skin. Despite the absence of scars, his nature as a shinobi was painfully obvious. Ibiki knelt and Mizumi clumsily imitated him, just as he had instructed her earlier in preparation for the meeting.
"Aburame-sama, my daughter and I are here to request the benevolent shelter and protection of your clan," Ibiki said, his eyes on the tatami before him. Mizumi had a hard time not looking up. She knew it would be considered impolite to do so without being prompted, as they were asking for a gigantic favour and weren't yet considered part of the clan. For now, they were both just shinobi of the village coming to a clan head and almost begging for his assistance. That he had been the one to offer it didn't matter: protocol had to be followed.
"Stand up and come join me at the table, Morino Ibiki, Morino Mizumi. We shall discuss this and come to an agreement."
They did as they were told, Ibiki extending a hand to help Mizumi to her feet. She was grateful for it, since she had no wish of faceplanting in front of a clan leader. They sat at their side of the kotatsu, Ibiki kneeling and Mizumi slipping her legs under the table. She was still young enough that it was considered acceptable, even in a clan setting.
"Morino-san, I'm glad you decided to consider my offer for shelter. May I ask why?"
Steel was back in Ibiki's black eyes. It was a pleasant, comforting sight for Mizumi. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but didn't dare. She knew he didn't like public displays of affection. He wouldn't chastise her for it, but he would get uncomfortable.
"We got offers from you as well as the Uchiha, Sarutobi and Inuzuka clans. While I respect all those clans and what they stand for, I felt that the values of the Aburame clan, and their protectiveness towards their young, suited us best. I want my daughter to have a safe haven in the village. I want her protected against political ploys that would have her subdued and turned into a tool. I want her to be able to grow and bloom at her own rhythm, no matter how quick or slow. I'm confident that the Aburame clan will give her that."
Aburame Shibi didn't answer right away. As Mizumi looked up, she realised he was staring at her. His glasses were too dark and too thick for her to be able to see his eyes. She shifted but didn't lower her gaze, and was surprised to see the hint of a smile appear on his thin, pale lips.
"What about you, Mizumi-chan? Do you want to be part of our clan?"
"Yes, sir," she said, her gaze still attached to his. She lacked the words to express how much she wanted to be close to those trees, how much she wanted to drink in all those colours, how soothing the safety of seals was. Still, she hoped he saw it in her eyes.
"You're not afraid of insects, are you?" he asked, his tone softer now.
"No, sir."
"Good. Then you can go play outside while your father and I discuss what has to be discussed. My wife and son are waiting for you."
Mizumi looked at Ibiki. When he nodded, she stood up and left, without forgetting to give Shibi a clumsy bow that almost had her tumbling over. Adults and their protocols were hard sometimes. Outside, she quickly found a woman with hazel-blond hair in a ponytail and a boy who already looked very much like his father.
"You're Mizumi-chan, aren't you?" the woman asked, her voice quiet and gentle. "This is Shino-kun, he's your age, and I am Nukuwa, Shibi's wife. Is it okay if you spend time with us while the men talk?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Nukuwa beamed and Mizumi couldn't help but smile in return. "Don't be so formal, little one. In about an hour, you'll be family. Call me 'auntie'."
Family. Yes, she was realising it fully now. It wasn't just Ibiki and Tobirama and her against the world now. She couldn't have Asami, who was back in Kirigakure, but she could have a family in the form of the Aburame clan.