Shiranui Genma leaned against the wall, observing. It was just past six in the morning and he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. On the other side of the examination room, Akimichi Miho and Uzumaki Naruto were talking. It was a subdued exchange, far different from what he was expecting of the pranking terror that destroyed his dorm during his days in ANBU. Or the rambunctious heir to Kushina's legacy. Instead, at that moment, he looked way more like the Fourth Hokage, like Minato.
He knew his teacher's daughter was actually Chisato and Keisuke's. When she and her brother were just babies, he'd held them. Just a few months after…everything. That was before he'd thrown himself into ANBU and the world outside of shadow fell away.
"They're good kids." Iruka's voice spoke up, still quiet. Genma shifted the senbon between his teeth and sighed, shoulders sagging. "You sure you're ready for this?"
"Ready for breakfast? Yeah, I'm ready. Just waiting for Chōza-sensei to show up."
Iruka rolled his eyes, hissing a bit as the medic disinfected another kunai wound. Across the room, both kids looked toward the Academy teacher. If he channeled some chakra to his ears, he might've heard them. Genma instead read their lips.
"— gonna be okay?"
"I'm sure he'll be yelling again in no time. Besides, he owes you some ramen, doesn't he?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Not gonna tell you he doesn't care about Your Buddy."
"Buddy?"
She shrugged. "Can't say it loud and saying 'Thing' is rude."
Iruka drew his attention away. Genma tried not to acknowledge his inner countdown. It was only a matter of time before the Akimichi Clan Head showed up at the hospital. A little bit more time before he needed to submit his report to the Hokage. And shorter time still until his wallet died a horrible death. "Heads-up, Shiranui." The teacher nodded toward the door.
"Genma! What— Miho! Naruto!"
Chōza-sensei appeared in the doorway, looking a bit winded. Genma could only imagine how scared and frantic the man had been when he realized his daughter was missing. Then, getting an urgent message requesting his presence at the hospital. Pushing off the wall, Genma started forward and then stopped, watching as his former genin teacher rushed toward the children.
Both were swept up in an embrace.
Battle-hardened and one of the deadliest ninja in the village, Genma grinned, remembering how great his teacher's hugs were. He'd received more than his fair share growing up. Hell, the man even hugged him now. Akimichi were very tactile folks.
It seemed, strangely enough, that Naruto was completely comfortable with the hug. Perhaps even used to it. The rumor mill had done its thing over the years. The Akimichi were saints for taking Uzumaki into the fold. The Akimichi were heathens for forsaking the village to engage with a demon. The latter pissed Genma off.
And if a disciplinary reprimand was in his permeant file from a particularly brutal brawl at a seedy civilian establishment?
Well, the Hokage smiled when he wrote it.
"What in the world happened? Miho, explain. Now."
The girl immediately looked to Naruto. Something seemed to pass between them before she sat a bit straighter.
This only made her injury more visible. Genma grimaced.
"You're hurt!" Chōza hurried forward again, cradling her arm to get a better look at her shoulder. It was all wrapped up, set immobile by stints and bandages. The skin was healed, but the muscle was bruised. A week with limited movement. It could've been worse. "You best explain quickly, Miho, before I get impatient."
Genma resisted the urge to wince.
Because he was a jōnin— an absolutely deadly force— not a genin facing Chōza's wrath. Or even worse, disappointment.
"I— Naruto didn't graduate. Mizuki told Naruto that he could graduate if he stole the Scroll of Sealing from the Hokage. As proof of his abilities. Really, Mizuki was trying to frame Naruto and steal the scroll for himself."
Genma withheld a snort. That was context, not an actual explanation. He watched with no little amusement as Chōza's right brow rose.
It was such quiet disapproval that it always felt like a slap to the face. Genma had been on the receiving end of it more than once.
The girl seemed to realize that just context wasn't going to cut it.
"I went to find Naruto last night. After I ate the Seven, I knew I needed to find him. I knew that he shouldn't be alone." She grimaced, looking over toward where Iruka was sitting. The teacher waved half-heartedly. "Iruka-sensei was there. He protected Naruto. Then, a lot happened and I met—"
"'A lot happened' is one hell of an understatement." Genma interrupted.
"Genma. I wondered how you were involved given the summons that showed up on our doorstep." Chōza nodded to him and Genma took the invitation to step up and complete the story.
"Ran into your girl in the northern forest. Told me the same thing she just told you. I took her at her word and we found Mizuki, being an idiot and a traitor, and everything was just as she said. We're forgoing the fact that she was out and about during a Level Two."
Suitably looking chastised, the girl glanced to her shoes.
Still, Genma grinned around the senbon. "She also protected her friend and her fellow shinobi. Literally took a kunai." He raised his chin and tried to put on his best commanding officer voice. "Still, charging into battle without a direct order might not be the smartest move, little lady. Keep that in mind next time, yeah?"
Chōza actually snorted, the tension melting away. It wasn't quite gone— How could it be with his daughter injured?— but he eased his stance a bit. "Well, Genma, now you know what it's like on the other side."
Genma resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Barely. After all, he was an elite jōnin. Possessing decorum and all that shit. "Yeah, well, she needs to work on not dropping the stick-of-death or whatever when injured."
"I'll work on that," the girl spoke up. That earned her an amused look from her father. Naruto, for his part, slammed his fist into his palm and smiled. She looked at her friend and sighed. "Don't start calling it the 'stick-of-death.' I'm begging you."
"'Bō' sounds boring."
"Iruka-sensei, are you alright?" Chōza questioned, seeming used to the bickering that erupted between the two. He tuned them out.
While his teacher went to speak with the Academy instructor, Genma went back to his observations. If anything, it was entertaining. The girl and Uzumaki got along well and had obviously grown closer through the previous night's events. They settled the debate— Naruto deciding to forgo the battle for the war, Genma suspected— and lowered their voices. Genma leaned against the wall by the door, seeming to study his shoes on the tile. Really, he was eavesdropping.
On a couple preteens.
He'd had better nights and better mornings.
"Your dad let that go pretty quick. Think he's gonna be mad I stole the scroll? The old man wasn't. Not really. I could tell."
She gave an aborted shrug, frowning at his look of admonishment for moving her shoulder. Genma feigned interest in whatever Chōza and Iruka were discussing. "No, I think he's just happy we're okay."
"Chōji's gonna— Oh shit, Ino's gonna kill you."
"She's gonna kill you too. Don't think you're getting out of her wrath."
Yamanaka Ino, Genma figured. Inoichi's girl. Akimichi Chōji, Chōza-senei's son. The two of them, plus Nara Shikamaru, were set to make up the Second Ino-Shika-Cho team. Asuma's kids. Considering the tone with which both kids lamented, that bearded jerk was in for a time. Genma has half-tempted to place bets.
"Yeah, whaddya think Bushy Brows is gonna say when I tell him you threw yourself in front of a kunai?"
"That I'm full of Youth and am a Beautiful Bosom Friend whom he would Never See Injured lest it affect the Balance of Youth and Beauty in the world." She laughed lightly at her impression. Genma made another connection— this 'Bushy Brows' had to be none other than Guy's protégé. "Or something like that."
"And Shikamaru?"
They both grinned and spoke at the same time. "We're 'troublesome.'"
Genma wasn't amused.
Really, honestly, he wasn't.
Damn it.
"—not all that surprising. Miho's been protective of Naruto for years."
Chōza was saying as Genma pushed off the wall to join the adult conversation, just as the medic finished tending to Iruka's back wound. She bowed and made her way out, saying that the discharge process would be complete once Iruka picked up his prescriptions.
"That group looks out for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if it is actually Shikamaru that chastises them into actual guilt."
Iruka snorted, looking sadly at his ripped flak jacket. Genma felt some sympathy. The death of a favorite jacket was something to be mourned. "Nara Shikamaru is an ace manipulator if he can be motivated to do it."
"Chōji's been a nervous wreck all night." Chōza said with no small amount of grief. "He's kept his lips sealed about when she left. Gave us some kind of sickness excuse. Couldn't get a word out of him."
"Chōji's a strong one. He's not the type to back down when he believes in something." Iruka commented. And he would know, considering how long he'd been their teacher. "He's loyal, too." After a moment, Iruka straightened and winced. He held Chōza's eyes for a long moment. "It'll be Shikamaru to put them into place. It'll be Chōji that motivates him to do so. And it'll be Ino who—"
"Scares all of us into compliance."
"Mhm. Mhm." Naruto agreed. He was at her shoulder, circling his arm around her like she was about to fall his direction for some reason. Like some energetic buffer between her and the world. Genma tried not to think that the action was adorable. "Ino's scary."
Chōza-sensei chuckled, leaning down to look both kids in the eye, hands propped on his thighs. "I heard that Genma here promised breakfast?" The girl grinned widely, looking to him with wide, excited eyes. Her father sobered. "Do not think that either of you have escaped a discussion about what happened last night."
Both kids nodded.
"And don't forget that knowledge of all that must remain a secret." Genma charged, looking at both children to impress upon them with the importance.
It wasn't as if the Hokage hadn't made it clear that Naruto's secret was absolutely essential to maintain.
When the Hokage had left the examination room, the kids looked to each other and nodded. As if confirming to each other that they got it.
"We understand!"
Genma deflated, feeling for all the world that he was being taken advantage of with his teacher's presence. He looked to the older man and tried not to grimace. "You're tagging along, aren't you? Is this payback?"
Chōza smiled sweetly— so sweet that it made Genma want to run. "Now, Genma, why would I want payback?" He laughed, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. The weight rattled his whole body. "Besides, the way I hear it, karma has already come around to you, my student." With a rare wink, the Akimichi Clan Head ushered the kids from the room. "Naruto, you're coming to our house to get cleaned up before Academy. After all, you will meet your team today."
Staring at the door where they disappeared, Genma let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Iruka practically giggled behind him. The irritating chūnin was definitely amused by this whole affair.
"I've seen Miho eat six plates of bacon and seven plates of eggs. It might've been more, but I left before I saw the total."
If he, a very well-respected jōnin and much feared shinobi of Konohagakure, wailed in despair— Well…
"I won't chastise you for helping a friend. And I won't punish you for helping Naruto." Her father stated carefully, hands firmly on his knees as they sat in the living room. Naruto was getting washed up in her bathroom upstairs while Chōji put his orange jumpsuit through the wash. Miho'd taken one look at her brother and felt guilty. "We raised you to be the kind of person that looks out for friends, that protects them. We raised you to care for family. And Naruto is practically family. However, what Genma and Iruka said concerns me."
Miho nodded, trying to keep eye contact. "I understand."
"How did you know something was wrong with Naruto?"
"I…could feel it." It was the truth, somehow. She didn't want to lie. She lied too much. She'd have to keep lying. "I knew he didn't pass. I just…I knew that something was wrong."
"So, you left in the middle of a Level Two."
Her head shook. "I left before. I was on the street when the alarms sounded. I kept going. Naruto was the reason forthe Level Two. I couldn't leave him out there. I knew I'd get a reprimand or maybe even a dismissal. I went anyway."
He stared at her, eyes critical. It was rare that her father shifted into his shinobi persona with her or Chōji, but he'd been shaken and he needed to understand why her arm was bandaged and why she now knew one of the village's biggest secrets.
"Genma said you were barely hiding your chakra."
Then, she grimaced. "I'm not good at suppressing."
"He also said that you failed to wait for orders."
Her mouth opened then snapped shut again. "That's true."
"Miho, I understand. I do. But you will have to trust your leaders to know what is right, and to know what actions to take. Trust, it seems, is your biggest obstacle." She jolted at his tone and the way he pitched his head forward to look her in the eyes. "You are a kunoichi now. You will need to trust those around you. If you cannot start with your brother and your family and your friends, then what?" His lips pulled up in a sad smile. "I fear for you if you cannot trust."
Her mouth opened again, but she couldn't seem to force any words out.
All of the various lies that came into her head were too much.
"You did not even trust your brother. I believe that is the part of this that bothers me the most, Miho." Her father sat back, eyes closing as he took a large, steadying breath. Heat gathered behind Miho's eyes. "You do not trust him. You do not trust us. In many ways, you do not trust Naruto."
His eyes opened again, sharp and unwavering.
"Trust is essential if you are to be a good kunoichi. You will have to trust your teammates. You will have to trust your leaders. Lack of trust will get you killed."
Miho swallowed. The truth was: she didn't trust her leaders. The Third Hokage had let so, so much go over the years. In many ways, he was at fault for the Uchiha Massacre. He was at fault for Naruto's treatment. He was at fault for Orochimaru's actions. He was at fault for Danzo and Root.
How could she trust a leader like that?
And how could she trust that what she knew wouldn't end with her untimely death?
How could she trust that her literally indoctrinated friends and family wouldn't out her to the leadership she didn't trust?
Ino agreed with her. Ino was the only person she trusted implicitly, with no doubts or reservations. Ino knew her better than anyone else, knew what was coming. Ino had already started making her own changes. She was the same at her core, but...
But the time was quickly approaching that her circle of trust would have to expand.
She'd need Ino to help.
As always.
She needed more people to help— beyond Ino.
Her father took her silence as reluctance. His demeanor shifted. He was a patient man and never truly lost his temper with her. This was the most irritated she'd ever seen him. "You should trust family, Miho, if no one else. Have we ever given you any reason not to trust us?"
Unbidden, Miho thought to that day when Naruto was beaten in that alley. How her father, Uncle Inoichi, and Uncle Shikaku would've let it happen in the other version of this world. How she loathed that fact. How her father had served on the same ANBU cell as Naruto's father and yet—
She shivered. She knew that, something that could get her killed.
How was she supposed to trust anyone?
"We have."
His voice was a bit fractured and uncertain. Miho flinched.
She'd never been one for hiding. Miho had always preferred to be honest and forthright wherever she could. So.
"I'm not good at politics. I don't know why you and the other Clan Heads didn't protect Naruto." Her father's eyes widened and his entire gigantic body jerked as if she'd struck him. "I may never understand it. And I…I…I'm sure there was some kind of decree about it. Like how nobody can know, but somehow everyone knows. I'm sure that decree says that no one clan could gain the favor of Insert Powerful Name here. Or something like that. I'm sure everyone expected for him to overcome all of it. I don't know how he was supposed to overcome all of it."
Her father sat in silence as she gained momentum. The frustration of the past five years building and building and building. The time that Shikamaru and Chōji walked away after Naruto had a mask thrown at him. The time that she and Naruto were thrown out of an Akimichi-owned grill. The time that grocers gave Naruto spoiled milk and bread and he got sick. The horror stories that Naruto told her about the orphanage, stories that he told with a smile.
Stories he told with a smile.
Stories that made her cry for him.
"I'm sure everyone expected that he would just deal with it. I'm good at math. You all grew up together. Your age or close and Uncle Inoichi's age and Uncle Shikaku's age. You're a good man, I know. I know that. And you were probably told that Naruto had to be alone. That it had to be this way. For the good of the village. For the good of the village. But, Papa, what is the 'good of the village' when one person is suffering? When a child is crying and hurting and feels trapped and alone, what is the village's good then?"
She didn't realize she'd come to stand until she noticed that she was at her father's eye-level. She stared at him.
"Maybe I'm…stupid. Or something. That I just don't understand it."
Nevermind the fact that her words could be taken as the words of a traitor.
He took a deep breath and held it, chest puffing out as his eyes closed. "I…have no excuse." His eyes opened. "There are…histories at play here that you don't know. Those histories make his situation impossible."
But she did know.
And maybe this was one time that she could change something.
This was a gamble.
This was a gamble she'd have to take.
"Papa, please…I—" Terror tore at her stomach and she barely kept herself from shaking. "Can we turn on the privacy seals?"
His eyes widened a bit at the request. The privacy seals were rarely used unless her father was getting an in-house debrief from his teammates or family technique secrets were being shared. She had never requested her father to activate the seals.
At her age, she shouldn't have had any information that demanded those seals in the first place.
He stood, walking over to the wall where the seal was painted. It glowed green under his palm and the chakra echoed over the space before settling.
"Miho, whatever you say to me is said in confidence. You can trust your father, I swear it."
"I know, Father." Miho nodded, trying to conquer the nerves that made her hands shake. He flinched at the formality in her tone. She ignored it.
She curled her fingers around the hem of her dress—which she had yet to change. She'd need help getting washed up and dressed. Blood was still matting the whole left side.
He remained standing, hands holding to his belt.
"I— I guess he doesn't know because of Iwagakure? Or…maybe because he might hate his father for what he did to him? Sealing him like that? It doesn't make sense not to tell him who his parents are."
Her father was normally a very stoic man, with an easy smile and a relaxed air. All of that was gone. In front of her stood a legendary jōnin who'd destroyed entire battalions during war. His expression was like the edge of a naginata's blade.
"How did you learn of his parentage, Miho?"
"He contains the Nine Tails. The Fourth defeated the Nine Tails. His last name is Uzumaki and there's only been two Uzumaki in the village besides Naruto— Princess Mito and The Red Hot Habanero."
Miho's voice was shaking.
It was shaking because her father was leaking Killing Intent. He was controlling it, but it was still there. It felt like a knife to her throat. Her father was using Killing Intent on her.
She weathered it, gritting her teeth.
"You shouldn't know that, Miho."
"Why doesn't he know? Papa— Father, why make Naruto a pariah when he doesn't have to be? The only thing I can think of is because people would've been gunning for him or using him as a political tool. And he would've been useless to stop it as a civilian. People would've used him or killed him. Or both, I guess."
"Miho—"
"So, he was isolated. No political leanings, no actual weight. Just a nobody from Konohagakure. No parents. No roots. Sometimes, no food or bad food. And a nobody with no roots and no good food has no enemies. But a nobody with no roots…has no one."
She shook, staring up at her father. She felt so much older than her age in that moment. The weight of years spent in silence overcoming her in her fatigue.
How long was it since she'd last slept?
Her stomach growled.
"Miho…" He trailed off. The Killing Intent slowly abated and then dissipated altogether. She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry." His great shoulders rounded forward as he moved to kneel in front of her, large hands coming to cover her own. She saw moisture in his eyes. "I…should not have…"
"It's alright, Father. It was from fear. I know."
He nodded but did not look convinced. She wasn't convinced either, and that fact hurt.
"As for what you have said, you are right. He should have been told. He should know. What I say now is insubordination, against the decree."
Miho felt that proved her case.
"Naruto would have many enemies if his lineage was known. His father and his mother had many who would want their offspring dead or worse." He chewed on his lip before nodding. "We have not made many political allies by having Naruto over so often. So, yes. The lack of action was political. And it was shameful. It is shameful. I served his father, had friends and family die to protect him and Naruto's mother. Each of the major clans sought custody, but no petition was granted. He was too large of a chip, so he sat in the middle of the table."
Miho felt sick at the illustration of Naruto as a bargaining chip. A bargaining chip was an inanimate object. A bargaining chip didn't have feelings or needs. Naruto was a person, a child. A living being. He deserved more. He deserved to know who he was. Her shoulder ached as she attempted to roll it.
"Naruto is a person. A good person. He's not a demon and he's not a bargaining chip." Her chin rose as she dared her father to say anything different. "It shouldn't feel like I'm a traitor to my own village for thinking that."
It seemed her father had no response to that.
Instead, he lowered his head.
"If I can change things, Papa, change things for the better…I have to start with him. I have to." She twisted her hands until she was holding his hands. "I am Akimichi Miho and I'm going to protect Uzumaki Naruto with my life. And some day, when he's the Hokage— because he's going to be Hokage— I'll be his guard." Miho held her father's gaze when he looked at her once more. His expression was a mixture between proud and horrified and scared. "I'll guard his back and I'll guard Chōji's back. And Ino's and Lee's. And Shikamaru's. I'll be the rear guard for everyone. Their shield."
A shield.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Images flew through her head as she lost focus. The other life surged forward, throwing moving pictures and symbols and stories into her head like a hurricane.
A literal shield.
A literal…shield.
"I'll be a shield."
Her father's breath seemed to catch and Miho felt her heart clench. Grief was painted in his eyes. She didn't know what ghosts he was seeing, but he was certainly seeing someone else. Perhaps her biological mother? She didn't know. Miho wasn't sure she wanted to know.
"I— I understand, Miho. Protect you friends and family in the best way you know how. I only ask…as your father… that you learn to trust. You can't do any of this alone."
Miho nodded and squeezed his hands. There was no resolution in this talk, not really. She hadn't really told her Truth, but she did speak her mind in a way that she never had before. For now, that was enough. She'd told him her feelings. She'd told him as much as she was comfortable.
Who knew if anything would come of it.
One thing would: Miho now had a goal.
Miho had a plan.
Chōji was giving her the silent treatment. It wasn't his normal M.O. for disagreements. Normally, Chōji called out things he didn't agree with. He was truthful and stubborn and determined. Despite his lack of self-confidence, with those he was close to, he would tell them his problem. Her brother was the kind of person to say things straight-out. So, his silence was rubbing her the wrong way.
She'd changed slowly while her mother fretted with her bandages and her ruined dress. Her mother's tutting continued through the bath. Only once did she bite back a yelp as she slipped on her brown t-shirt.
Her mother had declared that she needed a new outfit to meet her team, but Miho fought against that as much as she could. Her team would need to work with her regardless of her fashion. A brown t-shirt, black pants, and a burgundy obi-like belt was sensible enough without making her feel uncomfortable. If anything, the belt emphasized her size.
Her mother pulled her mass of black curls up and away from her face, tying the forehead protector around her neck.
When she'd stepped out into the hallway, Chōji had been there. He was waiting, eyes sharp and critical. For a moment, he looked a lot like Papa. Her studied the curve of her shoulders, the bags under her eyes, and the bandages around her left arm. When he jerked his head toward the stairs, Miho knew she was in for a long day.
Walking to the Academy was arduous, frustrating, and downright irritating. Chōji was dead silent. Naruto was fidgeting, observant enough to notice Chōji's quiet seething. Miho— in some random burst from another life— wanted a beer.
"— and then, you know, it was over. Miho was awesome though. Never seen someone take down civilian robbers that fast." Naruto let out a peal of nervous laughter, scratching the back of his head. "Miho gave them the what-for after that, you know!"
That was one telling of it.
In each telling, the story changed.
Confusion as cover.
Naruto was a master at it.
The story changing each time had Chōji getting more and more agitated. Now, he was frowning and his brows were knitted together. It wouldn't be long before he lost his patience. She could see all the tells, but couldn't do anything to stop them.
Naruto bounded along, practically bounding with glee. "Who do you think our teams will be? Being on a team with Miho would be awesome! And maybe Kiba? Or you, Chōji! I'm sure whatever teams we're on will be awesome! We'll get awesome teachers too!" Miho tried not to correct him, already knowing everyone else's teams but her own. "Just as long as I'm not on a team with that bastard Sasuke."
"Don't call him that, Naruto. It's mean." Miho interrupted. "Choose another name."
"Wha— Why? That's what he is." Naruto threw his arms behind his head and Miho stared at him, not backing down. He blew a raspberry and sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll pick another name, but he's still a jackass."
"Never said he wasn't." Miho smiled slightly, knowing that dynamic was likely to never change. Sasuke's path to vengeance and all that wasn't something she could affect easily. Then again, she didn't want to help him along it either. "If you get on a team with him, try to be nice. You have to work together."
"That jerk isn't gonna be on my team!"
"Miho, I wanna talk."
Miho stopped, turning to look at her brother's downcast face. Naruto stopped as well at her shoulder. And, somehow more observant than anyone gave him credit for, took off toward the Academy. She watched him run before he waved over his shoulder. "See ya inside, Miho, Chōji!"
"I'm mad at you." Chōji said after a moment. Miho nodded. He bristled a bit at her easy acceptance of it. "I don't like being mad at you, but…Miho, this isn't fair. It's not. You knew. You knew something was wrong and I don't know how you knew. And I've been thinking about it. I'm not as stupid as people say I am. Shikamaru's my best friend. I'm not stupid."
"I don't think you're stupid."
"No, you think I can't be trusted. That's even worse."
Miho swallowed down her kneejerk denial. After her conversation with their father that morning, she recognized how much damage she was doing by keeping her secrets. Perhaps she'd never tell Papa, but Chōji? She'd always planned on telling him, someday, somehow. "I— You're right."
He nodded. "It's good you protected Naruto. I'm not mad at you for that. I can't be. But there's something else going on. Something else has always been going on."
"I'll tell you."
That brought him up short and his eyes opened to stare at her. She held that gaze for a long moment before hesitantly reaching for his shoulder. He let her grip it, the anger melting from him and the tension leaving his body as he sagged. All that was left was her tired brother.
"I'll tell you tonight. I promise. I'll…I'll need Ino there. She…She can help. It's difficult to explain."
"Ino knows."
"Ino knows. She knows a lot more than she ever lets on." Miho chewed on her lower lip. "I didn't tell you because it's—it's a lot. It's not that I didn't…don't trust you. It's more because— Life won't be the same after you know. It won't. After Ino found out, she changed. You change when you know. And I didn't want you to change. I wanted you to live without knowing for a while. I'm…" Her head shook and she noticed how his eyes fell to the bandages.
"You knowing whatever this is ended up with that. You got hurt."
"This won't be the worst of it, Chōji. I'm sorry."
His head shook and he pulled out his bag of chips, popping a few into his mouth. It was the first snack she'd seen him eat since she returned that morning. "I want to know. You're my sister and I want to know. You can trust me."
He held out a chip.
It was an olive branch. Forgiveness.
Miho took it and let her brother walk by her side to the classroom, as if he were guarding her from the world. For that short walk, she let herself believe it. Believe in it. That kind of innocence wouldn't last for long. She knew she best savor it while it still existed.
Shikamaru was already in the classroom, head resting on his folded arms. Chōji made a beeline for his friend, waking him from his nap to speak in low tones at the back of the classroom. She wasn't an idiot. With the way Shikamaru's critical eyes flicked to her and then to Naruto, she knew Chōji was relaying the whole affair from the previous night.
Sighing, she turned to find Ino.
Her friend was waiting, arms crossed and foot tapping. A flash of fright crossed her face before she schooled it away. Ino was a master of emotions— in a way that no one else seemed to notice. She stepped away from the fangirls, flicking her newly cut short hair as she moved. Miho smiled at the style.
It was like when they were kids.
Ino stopped, hands resting on her hips. "You wanna explain or do I just need to beat up anyone that looks at you funny?"
Miho waved her away with her good hand. "You're a good friend, Ino. And the haircut looks great."
Her mouth opened to say "I know that" when she stopped, eyes falling onto the bandages and Miho's stiff posture. "You went to help then?"
"I couldn't not."
Ino actually smiled a bit, sinking down into the seat next to her as Miho settled down. Her tablemates had yet to arrive and she wondered if they had somehow failed the exam. She'd actually had confidence both would pass, but… "I— You know, the big changes start now. I don't just mean my hair." Her voice lowered and she leaned forward to whisper. "We're going to make it change."
The Akimichi nodded. "For me, I have a plan. And we need to tell Chōji. Tonight. At twilight, my house."
Ino sat back, crossing her arms again. "Figured that would come sooner rather than later. D'ya want to show him?"
Miho shrugged, but then winced. Ino sat up straight, eyeing her carefully. "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Yeah, we'll talk about that later."
"I'm sure we will." Miho accepted her fate there. "Showing him is easier than explaining. And you've gotten even better with the Mind Walk technique. You're a prodigy. It's no wonder you're ranked first in the class." Ino flicked her bangs and grinned. "Anyway, it's up to you on the other one."
Miho nodded toward where Shikamaru was speaking to Chōji. His eyes cut in her direction, sensing the attention. When his dark eyes narrowed, Miho cringed. She really was in for it. Shikamaru was the worst when he got on a soapbox.
There was a collective gasp from the rest of the classroom and it seemed to reverberate in the walls. Miho looked down just in time to see Naruto recoiling away from a flushed Uchiha Sasuke. He flung himself backwards as if he'd just been scalded.
"What in the—"
Ino snapped her fingers, drawing Miho's attention back to her. "Focus, sweet bun." Rolling her eyes, Miho made sure to keep her eyes on Ino when a raucous fight broke out on the levels below. "I think it needs to be both of them. Shikamaru's a layabout— and that utterly pisses me off— but there's no denying he's a genius. He'll be useful. Not to mention, he's capable of chastising basically anyone into compliance."
Miho deadpanned. "Ino, that's you."
"Funny that you say that," Ino simpered.
Finally, Iruka arrived. Ino patted her head as she moved away, letting Koji settle into his usual seat. He shot her a smile, which turned concerned when he saw the bandages. Miho just smiled in return, knowing that he wouldn't ask. On her other side, Shino sat down. With a prim nod, he looked toward their instructor.
Thirty. Thirty graduates.
Ten teams.
Historically, that was a large graduating class.
"Your team assignments are final. I don't want to hear any complaints!" The command was said with such a tone that a couple students— or former students?— cringed.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Miho held her breath for each one. She knew that she wouldn't end up on Team Ten or Team Eight or Team Seven. Her rank in the class was the top third, but that meant that she was fairly average. And that meant that her team arrangement would be by skills and emphasis rather than academic merit. And she didn't have history supporting her team structure like Seven, Eight, and Ten.
"Team Five is Akimichi Miho, Koji, and Utatane Tetsuya."
She turned to Koji and stared for a moment before smiling. This wasn't so bad. He seemed like a good guy. They'd stayed in their seats for years because the arrangement just worked. He never insulted her and was always polite. He never made rude remarks to anyone and kept his head down to complete his work. Miho was actually pretty pleased. That was until she looked past him to where Utatane Tetsuya was wiggling his fingers in a teasing wave.
"This could either go really well…" Koji trailed off, looking between their teammate and her.
"Or really bad." Miho nodded, glancing at her teammate's half-resigned smirk. Behind him, she could see Tetsuya frowning at the lack of attention being paid to him. "I'll try my best, Koji. I want to make our team work."
"Same. And if that jerk gets mean…Well, we'll just show him the error of his ways. 'Sides, he just doesn't know how good he's got it!"
Snorting a laugh, Miho grinned. Koji kept a low profile in class, but she already liked his mentality and his good humor. Opening a bag of chips, she sat back to watch the entertainment of Team Seven's assignment. Naruto crowed like a loon, beaming at Sakura before deflating like a flan in a cupboard as Uchiha Sasuke was announced.
Team Eight was an obvious tracking team. Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino— the rest of the major clan heirs. Miho wished Shino and Hinata luck with Kiba. Even she had to take breaks from him whenever he was around the boys. Often, she hide with Ino, who scared Kiba more than anyone else in class.
"Team Ten is Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji, and Yamanaka Ino."
Ino shot her a smile and a thumbs-up, winking dramatically at Shikamaru and Chōji. The former rolled his eyes and hid his head in his arms. Chōji smiled around a chip, waving at his new female teammate.
Miho quietly nodded in Ino's direction, catching the intensity of her friend's expression. She'd seen what she'd been like— then and there. Mean, insulting. Ino had been absolutely appalled at her own actions in that other version.
Her attention was diverted to Naruto, whose shoulders shaking. She knew what was coming, quickly wadding together a piece of paper before pinging at his head across the aisle.
He yelped, batting at the air wildly as he spun around. "Just what's the big idea?!"
Miho shook her head, holding up her good hand in a 'stop' motion.
His mouth opened, shut, and then opened again.
He looked like a fish and Miho grinned, shaking her head again. This time, she tried to convey her sympathy.
Sasuke pissed her off on the best of days, but he was also in so much pain that Miho could barely stand to look at him.
Or was that because of her guilt?
Finally, Naruto deflated and sank back in his chair. She could see he was muttering, but couldn't hear what he was saying.
"In the afternoon, I'll introduce you to your jōnin teachers. You're dismissed until then. Take the lunch period to get to know your team members."
Miho turned to Koji. "I brought extra today, if you're interested?"
"That's very nice of you. I appreciate it. Hey, Utatane, let's go eat outside, yeah?"
"Sure, sure. Why not?" Miho tried not to lose her patience with the glance-over Tetsuya gave her. Though, she did notice that his attention lingered on her bandages. "Maybe then Chubs can tell us how she got injured." Before she or Koji could respond to the name, he was out the door.
"I can—"
Miho waved him off with her good hand before grabbing her extra-large bento. "Don't bother. 'Chubs' doesn't bother me. Since we're using descriptors, I guess I can call him 'Stringbean.'"
Koji let out a guffaw, taking the bento box from her with a joking groan at its weight. Miho didn't quite know what to make of the politeness, but followed along anyway. "Do I get a nickname, too?"
"You want one?"
"We'll see what you come up with."
Tetsuya had somehow commandeered the picnic table farthest from the Academy building, on the other side of the training fields. She wondered if that was why he left so quickly, so he could lay claim to his favorite table before any of his buddies could.
She vaguely noticed that Team Ten was at the picnic table on the other end of the yard, awkwardly sitting around it with food at the center.
"Soooo, Team Five?" Koji questioned, settling down beside Miho. Tetsuya sat on the opposite side, pointedly staring at the food as she unboxed it. "Looks like we're in this together, folks."
With a small smile, she moved it to the center of the concrete before handing him a pair of chopsticks. His dark eyes went wide and he took them. She wondered if he knew the significance of Akimichis offering food.
Was it something his grandmother had taught him?
It was only after he'd taken a bite of grilled meat that he nodded:
"Thanks, Chubs."
"Call me that if you want, Stringbean." She said it with a note of challenge. Shrugging her good shoulder, she grabbed the soup thermos and spoon. Koji snorted a laugh beside her, falling into rough giggles. "Considering I gotta eat 25,000 calories a day — ya know— 'Chubs' isn't too far off."
Tetsuya sat with that for a moment. It was obviously new information for him and he was processing it. To be honest, Miho felt him rise a bit in her estimation. He was actually thinking it through. "Wait! Whaddya mean 'Stringbean' then?"
Miho just raised her brows and stared at him.
"I'm not a Stringbean. I'm lean and muscular. I'm wiry!"
"Sure, wiry, and Koji's the shortest person in class."
Koji choked on his water, barely catching it before it came out his nose. Tetsuya, red-faced and obviously irritated, chewed his rice with an angry tilt to his lips. Miho didn't know if she was overstepping, but she reached over to pat Koji's back as he recovered from his first near-death experience on their team.
"You know what Chubs?"
Miho turned, finding the anger gone from Tetsuya's face. Instead, he looked resigned and, perhaps, a bit excited. She waited, removing her hand from Koji's back as he muttered his thanks.
"You're alright."
Smiling around her spoon, Miho hummed. They settled into an easy sort of rapport, somehow. For all the years that Tetsuya had teased and poked, he didn't take a single swipe at her weight. Instead, she noticed, he left the higher calorie items in the bento for her to eat. Koji followed his lead, doing the same.
"No way! I'm into that series too!"
"So am I!"
"It's gotta be fate!"
Miho's amusement felt like carbonated bubbles in her chest. Koji and Tetsuya fist-bumped, looking to her for confirmation that she was part of this fixation on The Sky Temple series. "Personally, I think The Empire Falls is the best book in the series."
The two boys whooped. Koji flung an arm around her shoulder while Miho grinned at Tetsuya and fist-bumped his outstretched hand.
"We're gonna be a good team." Koji said, raising his cup of water. He waited for Miho and Tetsuya to pick up theirs, holding them up as well. "We're gonna do this. It's gonna be hard and we're gonna screw up, but we're gonna do this. Team Five! Let's do it!"
"Team Five! Let's do it!"
She sat with Tetsuya and Koji in the second row when they reentered the classroom. Behind them, Team Ten sank into their seats. She heard her name whispered as other teams filtered in and she turned to find Ino stretched out over the table, hand already cupped over her mouth. Miho leaned back to let her whisper into her ear.
"Two things. One, we're telling Shikamaru." Miho nodded in acceptance, trusting Ino's judgement. "Two, do you like your team or do I need to threaten them?" Dissolving into giggles, Miho gripped the back of Tetsuya's chair to keep from falling over. When she turned to Ino, it was to see her sharp attention on Miho's outstretched hand.
Slowly, Ino grinned.
Then, it was and outright beam.
"Good."
Miho turned to see Chōji smiling around a chip. His voice had been muffled by his chewing, but he swallowed and then nodded.
"Good, Miho. I'm glad."
"Team Five's the best team in this room." Tetsuya said as he turned around, sitting on the table with his arms crossed. Miho shot Koji a look and huffed. "Don't you forget it, Team Ten."
"We're literally twice you, Utatane." Ino retorted, mirroring his crossed arms. "No offense, Miho, Koji."
"None taken."
"I SWEAR I'LL BEAT YOU INTO THE GROUND YOU BAS—YOU JERK!"
Miho deflated, wincing as her shoulder and arm muscles pulled tight at the motion. Ino shot her a worried glance before looking toward the debacle that was Team Seven. Sakura was looking plaintively toward the ceiling, obviously praying to whatever deity would listen. Sasuke was doing his best impression of an indifferent jackass. And Naruto was riled, arms waving and ears red.
"Yo, Naruto!"
He spun around, ready to shout at whoever'd yelled at him. When he found Miho, he stopped still and his mouth snapped shut. Miho wasn't but she thought she saw a bit of respect from Sakura at Naruto's sudden silence.
"Naruto, Sakura is really, really smart! She's a good person to have on your team. Have you seen her do chakra exercises? Her control is awesome!"
He pouted for a moment before letting out an excited yell. "Hell yeah! I know she's awesome! It's the bas— jerk that I think is—"
"And Sasuke is super good at ninjutsu and taijutsu. He'd be a great person to spar with since your styles are so different."
"He doesn't have a style." Sasuke retorted, shooting her a glare.
Miho didn't flinch. Instead, she just weathered the look with a warm smile. Behind her, she heard Ino snort. "The absence of a style is still a style if you land the hits." With that said and the argument somewhat derailed for the moment, she turned to Tetsuya. "You were second to Sasuke in taijutsu, right?"
Startled, he turned to her. His eyes narrowed, but his lips tipped up in a smirk. "You were watching my spars, Chubs? I'm flattered. Yeah, I'm pretty awesome, but...Who would've thought Chubs would be my own personal fangirl?"
Koji nodded, eyes closing as if in thought.
"She literally made you eat dirt when we were seven."
Tetsuya sputtered, choking on nothing. She heard Koji let out a wheezing giggle that turned into another one of his outright guffaws. It wasn't Koji he turned his ire on; it was her. "I could totally kick your ass, Chubs!"
If she felt the murderous aura behind her, then she ignored it.
"The moment you can actually move me, I'll believe that, Stringbean."
"You two are freakin' adorable." Koji noted from the peanut gallery. It sounded like he actually believed it. Miho might've flushed at his tone, as if was talking about a bunch of puppies rather than his teammates. "But you may wanna cut it out before Team Ten decides to eviscerate our spirited- but tiny-teammate."
"I'M NOT TINY!"
"Alright, alright!" Iruka-sensei shouted, drawing attention. Behind him, a line of jōnin entered the classroom. Miho recognized two immediately— Sarutobi Asuma and Kurenai. Then, her attention landed on a familiar face. A face she'd only seen a few hours before.
His senbon shifted between his lips before he grinned around it, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Shiranui Genma.
When the first shinobi who entered— a stern-looking man with a large scar on his throat— got Team One, Miho did the math. He was watching when the realization hit her and she noticed the slightest bit of amusement. As soon as the pieces clicked into place, he winked. Miho felt a bit reassured at the obvious confirmation. He wasn't trying to be mysterious about it at all. She wondered if he'd known the previous night when he found her in the forest.
This would be okay. This would work.
"Team Five— you're with Shiranui Genma."
"C'mon, Team Five. Let's go."
She followed Koji, throwing a smile back at Team Ten. Ino winked and gave a thumbs-up while her brother waved with a chip in his hand. Naruto waved as well, looking a bit lonesome and put-out and eager at the same time. Miho forced away the guilt at his expression. There was no way she would've gotten onto his team. Not with her skills.
"Okay, so… I'm Shiranui Genma. You can't quite call me Genma-sensei yet, but we'll talk about that in a minute." He paused when they were outside, hand rising to block out the sunlight. She glanced to her teammates. Tetsuya seemed interested while Koji, despite her expectation otherwise, looked suspicious. "Let's go get something to eat. How about… takoyaki? I know a place."
Offering food to a team with an Akimichi was a tradition. She expected Team Ten's teacher would do the same. It went vice versa when an Akimichi was a teacher. The Akimichi teacher would cook. It was a way of honoring the importance of Akimichi supplies to the village, like how the Uzumaki were honored in the village's symbols. Food was symbolic. Food held a lot of meaning.
She took the takoyaki gratefully, nodding her thanks.
"So, let's do the get-to-know you stuff. I'll start us off, okay?" If he was nervous, he hid it well behind an impartial façade. There were no tells. Not like Tetsuya's bouncing right leg or the twitch in Koji's jaw. "Like I said, I'm Shiranui Genma and I'm a tokubetsu jōnin. My favorite food is pumpkin broth. I love travelling and learning about other cultures."
"Least favorite food?" Koji questioned, still a bit standoffish.
"Nah, not yet. That info can be used against me."
Miho giggled a bit, shaking her head. She could probably find out from her father. That made her start.
Her father was his teacher. Did her father ask him to—
"Go on then."
"I'm Koji. Just Koji." Miho felt him tense next to her, but she couldn't figure out why. "My favorite food is grilled fish. My least favorite food is spinach. My hobby is woodworking. And I like to read." He looked toward Miho, expectant. He wasn't even giving their teacher time to respond.
Miho raised her brows at Genma, waiting to see if she should disclose anything or not. Instead, she went for generic association. It was up to him to decide otherwise. After all, he was their leader now. "I'm Akimichi Miho. I have a lot of favorite foods, but I can be best tempted with takoyaki and ice cream."
"Noted," Tetsuya commented. This got Koji to snort.
"I hate ikayaki. My hobby is reading and studying and I love learning about history."
She turned to Tetsuya and waited.
"Utatane Tetsuya here. I like grilled pork and I hate, hate seafood. I like swimming and reading and— Well, comic books." He looked to her and Koji like they were going to laugh at him. When they didn't he relaxed and folded his arms behind his head, looking pleased as punch.
"Okay, so you're a bunch of nerds."
Miho barked a laugh while Koji's jaw dropped and Tetsuya froze. Genma-sensei seemed amused, even if he wasn't showing it. Just the slightest tick of the muscle on the right side of his mouth. If he was trying to be intimidating, it wasn't working. She'd seen him intimidating before, in the battle the previous night. This was nothing compared to that.
"We're already planning to form a book club."
This time, it was his mouth that fell open.
Then, he palmed his forehead. "I don't know what I was expecting." After a moment, during which the three kids shared triumphant looks, he sat back and crossed his arms. "Here's the deal, Book Club." Koji's elbow slipped out from under his head and he catapulted forward. "You have one more test before you're on the team. If you don't pass the test, then you fail and you'll be sent to the Genin Corps. If you wanna move along as a unit, then you pass the test. Got it?"
They nodded, eyeing each other.
"The test will take place tomorrow morning. Zero-six-hundred. You'll learn more then. Until then, talk amongst yourselves and…I wouldn't suggest eating breakfast."
He disappeared with his plate of takoyaki, like he'd never been there in the first place.
Miho felt the tension building in her chest before she growled. "That's SACRILEGE!" Quickly turning back and forth between the boys, she emphasized each word. "Do. Not. Skip. Breakfast. Tomorrow. That's a load of bullshit!"
"Language, Chubs." Tetsuya lightly admonished, leaning back against the wall to get a better view of his teammates. "Maybe we should, I dunno, listen to our teacher?"
Koji moved to the other booth, shrugging his shoulders as he slipped onto the creaking leather. "Could be about following orders."
"You can't perform well without nutrition. This was in standard mission prep procedures. Remember? Why do you think there are Akimichi nutritionists retained for each of the platoons? Hell, there's a nutritionist specifically for jōnin to monitor their caloric intake. This is a trick!"
Koji stared at her before flicking his eyes to Tetsuya. "What's your take, Beansprout?"
"It's Stringbean," Tetsuya corrected automatically with a flick of his hand. Miho saw Koji wink as he took a bite. "And I buy what Chubs is sayin'. Seems kinda stupid to go into an unknown situation with no food."
"We need to catalog our skills. And we need to figure out where we're supposed to meet this dude."
Miho stopped short, stick halfway to her mouth. "You're right! He didn't say where to meet."
"Mark 'observation' as one of Koji's skills." Tetsuya commented. "What else you got up your—" He stopped and stared at Koji's lack of sleeves with a perplexed expression. "What else do you got in that hat?" With triumph, he popped a pepper into his mouth.
"Loads of stuff, Beansprout."
Miho snorted.
"After we get done eating, let's head to that bookshop on Market Street. The one with the purple sign? They've got a sitting area we can plan in."
"We're going literal book club?" Miho questioned, raising her brows. She wondered how she'd come to love her team so quickly. It always felt like it would be a burner team. Every time she imagined it, she didn't think she'd do well on a team. Not when all of the other teams seemed to struggle so terribly.
Koji grinned.
"Let's go 'Literal Book Club'."
Of all the ways Team Five could have gone, Miho had never expected this. Her concerns about Tetsuya were put away, replaced by the respect needed for good teamwork. And Koji was quickly coming out of his shell. It was only around their teacher that his defensiveness showed up, even then it was like a controlled burn. A bit of smoldering heat. She'd spent the entire afternoon holed up in The Kunai's Edge bookshop on the corner of Market Street and the Eastern Road. They catalogued their skills and weaknesses. The got to know each other more.
She was a long-range fighter with good skills in taijustu and bōjustu. Tetsuya was a short-range fighter with excellent skills in taijustu and genjustu. Koji was a mid-range fighter with mediocre skills in taijutsu and pin-point accuracy in marksmanship with kunai and senbon. They'd settled on meeting at Training Ground Five, taking a risk that each team would be assigned to the corresponding field. Common sense, she figured, was their first test.
Miho knew…They could make it work.
Koji's nickname developed when he'd picked up a book about woodworking.
"Woodchuck."
If Koji threw the book at Tetsuya's head, then she sure didn't get up to stop it.
Now, she felt the nervous energy fluttering in her stomach as she drew nearer and nearer to the Akimichi compound. Ino's gold hair was obvious from half-a-block away, shining in the evening sunlight. Beside her, Shikamaru was leaning against the wall, head bent down as if he were napping standing up.
Knowing him, that was entirely possible.
"If your teammate starts calling you 'Chubs' nonstop, Chōji's gonna burst a blood vessel." Ino commented with a wave. "Please tell me you put a stop to it."
Miho smiled. "His nickname is 'Stringbean' now and he's 'wiry.'"
Shikamaru lost his balance and stood upright, eyes open. "You're calling him 'Stringbean?'" An almost sinister smirk broke on his face. "Chōji'll love that."
"I actually like my teammates a lot. We're a good match."
"Good." Ino threw her arm around Miho's good shoulder. "I didn't want to use force, but I could've if they were anything less than gentlemen. C'mon, Shikamaru."
"Bossy woman, just why am I here anyway?"
"Secret reasons. Just follow us."
Miho reached over and grabbed Ino's shirt, funneling all of her nervous energy into her grip. Ino patted her head, moving toward the gate. Ino was now almost her height, with an even bigger personality. "We going to the archive then?" Miho nodded and glanced back to see Shikamaru grudgingly following along. He was dragging his feet and looking particularly petulant.
"If we all do what you say, are you just gonna bait us with whatever the hell's going on or are you actually gonna trust us?"
Miho barely kept Ino from whipping around, keeping a firm grip on her friend's shirt. That was the shot from Shikamaru that she'd been expecting all day.
Chōji stepped out onto the porch as they approached the house, two bags of chips in his hands. He moved down the stairs and handed her one, opening it as he did so. His open eyes flicked to Shikamaru, who came to his side.
"So, you're telling Shikamaru too?"
"I— I didn't want—"
"That was more my decision than hers. She let me decide. He should know." Ino interrupted, looking to Chōji with a bit of edge in her stare. "Team Ten should know. You'll…You'll see why."
"See?" Shikamaru questioned before his eyes widened. Ino raised her brows, waggling her fingers. "You're kidding."
"Not kidding," Miho sighed. She jerked her head toward the direction of the old archive.
When they arrived in the small alcove study room on the western side of the clan archive, Miho rested a hand against the doorframe. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and pushed chakra into her palm, and then, into the wood. She felt it pulse and she opened her eyes to see the green chakra fading. The room was sealed, impervious to sound. Turning, she tried to collect her whirling, terrified thoughts.
This was unfair.
To them.
They'd never live without this knowledge.
She locked eyes with Ino and frowned. "I…Maybe we should give them a choice?"
Ino huffed, crossing her arms as she fell into one of the examination table chairs. "I guess." There was a subtle note of that is more than what I had but Miho tried to ignore it. She sometimes wondered if Ino hated her for what she saw and what she knew. Ino had said otherwise hundreds of times. "Once you guys see this stuff— what Miho knows— you won't be the same. You have to live with it, change with it."
Ino knew more than anyone. Her short hair was a testament to that.
"Whaddya mean 'what Miho knows'?" Shikamaru questioned, uncharacteristically serious. He looked to Miho for the explanation, crossing his arms. "Context is important."
"I want to see." Chōji stepped forward, leaving the bag of chips on the table. He reached for Miho's good hand. He pressed every bit of emotion into his fingertips as if willing her to realize that he was serious. That he meant it. That he wanted her to trust him. "Whatever's been haunting you, I want to know."
Shikamaru sighed, nodding. "Why do I get the feeling that this is gonna be troublesome?"
"Because it is."
Ino gestured toward the two chairs. "Have a seat, boys." As they sat, Ino turned to Miho and pulled her into an embrace. Both boys stayed quiet when Miho's forehead pressed into Ino's shoulder. She shook like a leaf. Like a leaf caught in an onslaught. "It's fine. They'll understand. They'll see. Then, you'll have more than just me."
Forearm braced on her good shoulder, Ino patted the back of her head with her other hand.
"Trust me."
A/N: I am amazed by the length of this chapter. Over 10,000 words. It's a lot. Thank you all so much for your reviews and support! It lights up my day when I receive a notice that someone has favorited/followed or reviewed this story! Have a wonderful day!