Part II

"Chuckles, you need a better poker face, my man."

Miho grinned, shifting her stance as Shin schooled his features into a passive mask. Still his eyes danced with mirth. He was so obviously amused, baiting Tetsuya with occasional raised eyebrows and thoughtful taps to his chin. Each movement was exaggerated, with a hint of unnecessary flourish that made her giggle. Whether this was strategy or simply for his own entertainment, Miho wasn't quite sure. Tetsuya scowled, giving Shin a swat.

"Please, I did the emotionless thing for years. Cut me some slack." Shin winked in Miho's direction, earning an incredulous snort from her. "This is going to be a disaster." Shin's observation was casual, delivered as if sharing a bit of juicy gossip. His arms crossed as he leaned back against the wall. "An absolute disaster."

He was probably right.

The room was tense.

Despite being deprived of emotions for years under Danzō's thumb, Shin was incredibly well-attuned to emotion. He could read people, understand them and their motivations. Miho took a bite from her cookie and watched as teams from the various hidden villages separated themselves.

Sunagakure. Takigakure. Kusagakure.

The tense atmosphere was underscored by the howling wind outside, the obvious exhaustion everyone was feeling, and the continuing rivalries. Miho couldn't remember anything— if it even occurred before— from that other world. This joint exam happened, she was sure, but she couldn't remember it.

The Hokage took that as a halfway decent sign.

Not a big enough fiasco to be remembered. Not a huge plot point.

"We'll fill in the gaps." Lady Tsunade had grinned, like she'd already won something.

Miho wasn't quite so sure.

The whole exam was a farce.

The Hokage and the Kazekage were using it to draw out the Akatsuki. If they could prove there was a threat, then the other nations might be quicker to respond. They had to know that the Akatsuki wouldn't be that easy to deal with, but Miho left it to brighter minds than her own to figure things out.

As it stood, Miho just had to follow orders. Those orders included participating in the chūnin exams and monitoring the other teams.

With a sigh, she nodded. "This is gonna be a mess."

Team Ten was stationed elsewhere in the building, with the other exam proctors. Team Gai stood nearby, quietly assessing the other second exam entrants. For a moment, Miho met Lee's eyes. He nodded, calmly reassuring and confident. As always. Lee was constant and consistent. TenTen smiled, moving to settle herself at the table. A moment later, Sakura settled herself down as well.

"Did Gluten Free pout about getting replaced?"

TenTen snorted, shaking her head. "Please. He was smug as hell."

Sakura raised her brows in question, looking around. "Gluten Free?"

"Neji." Tetsuya and Shin said at the same time.

"My Great Friends Neji and Miho have found a wonderous relationship in which they have Meaningful Nicknames. It warms my heart that they are so—" Lee received a firm bop to the head from TenTen while Miho grimaced, equal parts thankful and irritated. "Regardless! Neji did wish us the best in this endeavor and sent the same sentiments to you!"

"Did he really?" Miho raised her brows, waiting as Lee began to deflate under her stare.

"No, not really. However, I am sure that he felt such in his heart." Lee finished lamely, hanging his head. Laughing a bit, Miho reached over the table and patted his hand. He perked up at the contact, smiling brightly as if his energy had been restored. "We are, of course, ever thankful the Sweet Flower Sakura joined our team."

Sakura shrugged, carding a hand through her pink hair. "I'm happy you all let me join you for this. I'm sure we'll do well."

Honestly, Miho thought Team Gai was a powerhouse line-up. TenTen was one hell of a weapons mistress, absolutely vicious in battle. Lee was on track to actually inherit Gai-sensei's taijutsu skill. And Sakura was the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage, with her strength and medical prowess to boot. Stacked team.

Her chair vibrated and then the whole room shook. Thump. Thump. Thump. Recognizing the vibrations as steps, Miho turned to see a large man stepping away from his chair at a table on the other side of the room.

He looked quite a lot like her Uncle Zosui, with the build of a sumo wrestler. His jowls were swinging. Uncle Zosui was one of the largest members of her clan. That kind of fat storage required patience and determination. She could see a sheen of sweat on his skin. The room was already warm. She knew the back of her head was a bit damp from the heat. Her eyes tracked around the room to see that others were watching his movements.

Some, with scorn.

Some, with fear.

When she focused on him again, she saw the food he was eyeing.

The situation was easy to size up.

Pun absolutely, enthusiastically intended.

Miho pushed herself out of her chair, walking toward the end of the buffet. The sweat was even more visible as she got closer.

His weight had likely taken a decade or longer to accumulate. With his sweating, that meant that it was either insulating for a cooler climate or…there was an underlying cause. She could feel the people behind and around her tense as he reached for a pastry. Her instincts were right then. Seems that people were the same no matter where they were from.

"Here! I can grab you something. What would like?"

This was Akimichi practice.

She had barely realized that her actions would be seen as odd to anyone outside of the clan.

It was only polite to help a larger member of the clan to get food at events when they could not do so easily themselves.

Outside of battle situations, the Akimichi sometimes were not as delicate in their actions and movements.

That had been a lesson she had to learn at Center Mountain.

It took her a year to learn delicacy, patience, and control.

His hand stopped and his attention fell on her. For a moment, Miho wondered if he would be offended. Despite his large size and sweating, he actually smelled quite nice. Like some kind of flower. This was kekkai genkai, she realized. She wasn't sure if it was the sweat or the weight. Or both. Idly, Miho sat her hands on her hips, waiting for a response.

His attention tracked down from her face to her too-wide hips and stomach. To the fat accumulated there.

After a moment, the Kusa-nin smiled. His smile was so wide she couldn't see his eyes. He definitely reminded her of her Uncle Zosui. "I wanted to get some dinner, but dinner's always best when dessert is first."

Miho laughed, nodding her head. "Can't argue that." She grabbed a plate and flipped it to show both sides. It was a demonstration to show that she didn't do anything funny to it. "I'm Akimichi Miho." She sat three, then four, pieces of pie onto his plate. She continued to pile as many different desserts as possible onto it. "You going for one plate or two?"

He snorted. "Two. I'm Burami." Miho finished the first plate and handed it over, smiling even as she could feel others cringe as a drop of sweat nearly missed the cake. Miho didn't cringe. "Sure are a nervous bunch, aren't they? Probably just worried they're gonna lose to the likes of me." Idly glancing around, he met Miho's eyes and winked. He sighed, slouching down. "They're afraid of a little sweat, huh?"

Miho finished piling a bunch of donuts onto the plate, eyeing him. "Personally, I think you're actively trying to freak them out." She handed the plate over and he laughed. The great booming sound seemed to shake the sweat from his arm, down onto some of the food. She could hear a few shrieks and dramatic hurling noises.

"Little old me? No." He winked, closing the short distance between his eyelids. "Sweat can't ruin food anyway. Adds flavoring."

Miho nodded, starting to turn back to her table. She definitely didn't agree, but—

"Yo, if I see you out there, I won't kill ya."

Very carefully, Miho ignored the thrill of fear that shot through her stomach. Instead, she just drew back her shoulders. "Yeah? I figured politely helping you get food would at least earn me an assist."

"Could've gotten the food myself." He responded, but seemed no less amused. Burami thunderously ambled back to his table. The whole room shook as he moved.

Miho returned to her seat, earning a few incredulous looks from Teams Gai, Eight, and Five.

Tetsuya and Shin were talking quietly between themselves, obviously unbothered.

"Just what the shit was that about, eh?" Kiba questioned, pointing his finger toward the Kusa table. Bored, Miho drew out a protein ball and popped it into her mouth. The chocolatey flavor was comforting. Paired with the prunes from Center Mountain, it made the fear in her stomach ebb away. "Hello? I'm talking to you, fatty."

"What's Pretty Ino doin' talkin' to that fatty?"

A hand came to rest on her knee, grasping there with such force that Miho wondered if she'd have bruises. Her eyes trailed over to Tetsuya's scowling face. She could see it there, like she did every so often…the guilt. That's what he used to call her, when they were children. He didn't look at her, staring Kiba down with angry brown eyes.

"Shut up, Inuzuka."

Shin smiled. Not so casually, he twirled one of his sai.

"Kiba…" Hinata trailed off, trying to reel her teammate back into something resembling politeness. Miho caught the Hyuuga's eyes, shaking her head. Let Kiba be annoying. He was so good at it after all. Besides, there was some truth to his words.

She was fat after all.

She knew what it was like to be judged from afar.

"Can you imagine what would've happened if his sweat actually got onto the food? I bet the whole room would've imploded. None of us can risk a brawl."

"We could take them!" Kiba shouted, jumping out of his chair. "Who are you to—"

Sighing, Miho glanced over to Shino. It was actually Shin who stood up, black eyes seeming impossibly cold. His eyes were as black as his sai and just as sharp, too. Tetsuya's nickname was both truth and irony.

'Chuckles' wasn't very amused, and he was staring down Kiba like he was nothing more than an annoying insect. An insect he'd be peachy-keen to stab. Stabbing was Shin's thing. Shino turned his head, obviously sensing Shin's roiling energy.

"Sit down and shut up."

"And don't call her 'fat ass' again." Tetsuya added, idly dragging a whet stone over his sword. Miho tried not to snort, but failed. He was ridiculous. He'd just sharpened that sword just after they'd arrived a few hours ago. Which meant he was doing it for dramatic effect. His look told her not to say a word.

"Yes, Kiba, your words are most unyouthful."

"Kiba, shut your trap, okay?"

Sakura and Lee spoke at the same time. Sakura looked over to Lee and smiled. Miho saw how red Rock's cheeks got. Bless him. He was still carrying that flame. She had figured as much, but never asked. Miho shifted and drew a bag of cookies from the pocket of her vest, setting it down at the center of the table.

"Kiba, you should be mindful of what you say. Why? Because Akimichi Miho is a friend."

'Friend' was a strong word for Kiba, but Miho didn't argue it.

Shino's voice was level, even. He received a proud look from Hinata, whose scowl was then turned on Kiba. The loudmouth was either going to settle down or double-down and Miho didn't know him nearly well enough to anticipate one way or another. As his hands fisted on the table, she could see that he was edging toward the latter.

Luckily (or rather, unluckily?) a window on the far side of the space exploded inward. Miho turned, angling her body defensively in front of her teammates. Dropping her center of gravity lower. She could feel Tetsuya angling and Shin preparing to—

A girl flew in through the window, landing on what used to be the Amegakure table. The room fluttered into defensive positions, each ninja settling into katas or the first of several seals. The girl held up both hands, grinning like a lark.

"TA-DA!"

Miho leaned back, trying to get a look at more than just the girl's upheld arms.

Familiar.

The girl was familiar. Light green-blue hair, darker skin, amber eyes. A sick feeling struck Miho's gut, swishing around like motion sickness. Her heart began to beat wildly. The sense of it was like anxiety, curling up around her esophagus. Fū.

That was her name. Her name of Fū.

And Miho couldn't quite breathe.

"I'm Fū! From Takigakure! I came here to the Chūnin Exams to make a hundred friends!"

Fū …The jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails.

The Seven-Tails looked like a moth.

There'd been a moth at her mother's house in that other life, attached to the railroad tie wall next to the basement. It was bright green and so large that, when she was little, she thought it might as well have been an animal. She didn't want it to stay on that wall. It would get eaten.

Swallowing her last bite of a cookie roughly, Miho reached out blindly for Tetsuya. She found his knee and settled her hand there, squeezing it. She felt his gloved hand rest on top, fingers cinching around hers. Though he couldn't know who Fū was, she could feel him edging forward on his seat.

"So, guys! What's the plan after dinner?"

The girl— No, she had to be Miho's age or so, maybe a little older— looked around for a response. For anyone to respond. For anyone to acknowledge her. A few scoffed. No doubt hearing those scoffs, Fū sat both hands on her narrow hips.

"How about we all take a bath together?"

"Seriously, what's with her?"

Completely ignoring the loud kunoichi, the assembled shinobi fell out of their defensive stances. They went back to their conversations as if nothing had happened. Ignoring Fū as if she were nothing. This was familiar. Not because she'd seen it before, but because this was exactly how Naruto was treated. Miho's eyes tracked over the forced happiness on Fū's face to the swirling sand outside. The wind was howling.

"Ignoring Kiba being an idiot…" TenTen started.

Miho pushed herself up again, eyes falling back onto Fū. Her bright eyes were looking around the room for something, anything. Any indication she was heard.

It was too familiar.

It was too similar.

"Don't. Let her go." She heard Tetsuya's voice somewhere in the fog. Miho wondered if that was Shin's hand she'd felt on her shoulder. Or Lee's. They both had strong grips. They both were the type to hold on.

Maybe it was stupid. Seeing Naruto in Fū.

Maybe that was unfair somehow. Miho wasn't sure.

She just…couldn't not.

Fū saw her approaching, a flash of caution behind the sparkling amber of her eyes. Miho was familiar with that too. Naruto had that sometimes, whenever someone was unexpectedly kind or welcoming. Trauma did that to a person. Kindness, sometimes, couldn't be trusted.

Before Miho could say anything, Lee appeared at her shoulder.

"That was a youthful entrance!"

Turning, Miho almost smiled at his grin. He held a thumb up, eyes sparkling with energy. That energy was reflected back at him when Fū returned the pose after only a second of hesitation.

"Thanks! I think your jumpsuit's pretty awesome!"

And Miho wondered if maybe Lee fell in love right in that moment.

His head turned to Miho almost mechanically, looking for confirmation that he'd heard right. Smiling, Miho nodded. Something sparked in his wide eyes. "YOSH! You said you were looking for friends! I will be the first friend you make at this Chūnin Exam of Friendship! My name is Rock Lee of Konohagakure!" He danced around and produced a flower from one of his hip packs. Miho wondered if he kept the prop on his specifically for this reason.

"Woah! How did you do that? Did you just make a rainbow appear?"

Before things could get too complicated, Miho stepped forward and held out a hand. "We haven't quite figured out how he does it. You're lucky to get a flower. He's stingy with them." Lee squawked a protest. "I'm Akimichi Miho. Also from Konoha. I guess you can count me as Friend #2."

For a moment, Fū looked absolutely, positively dumbstruck. "Say what? Seriously?"

Lee hooked an arm around Miho's shoulder and winked. He was trying to act cool and Miho had to bite down a laugh.

"Do you guys wanna play cards? Backgammon?"

Miho heard a scoff from behind her and she turned, dragging Lee with her in the movement. Tetsuya strolled up, hands hooked into his pockets. His sword was strapped to his back, an ever-present reminder of his skills. He did a not-so-subtle once-over of Fū before shrugging. Miho didn't miss the look he sent her, brows raised. Minutely, Miho nodded.

"Backgammon is only for two players. Looks like we've got at least four. Let's go for poker."

It looked as if Fū might cry from happiness.

"Hell no. Shinobi poker is a bad idea. Definitely a Bad Idea." TenTen called from the table, crossing her arms in an 'x.' Shin appeared vaguely interested, the corners of his lips tipping upward. Sakura and Hinata were obviously a bit more hesitant. "Go Fish is a better idea."

"Boooring. I'm outta here. See ya, losers." Kiba pressed a hand to his forehead as he made his dramatic, huffing exit. Shino watched his teammate leave before looking to Hinata.

"I— I think I'll take my leave as well. Good luck, everyone, tomorrow." Hinata stepped away with a bow. She was followed by Shino, who no doubt would see her to her room.

Without Neji nearby, her teammates were likely asked to stay near her while on foreign soil.

They were only four rounds into poker – which was, as TenTen thought, a Bad Idea – when there was a yell from outside. Then, a howl. Miho was on her feet in an instant, arriving to the open window at the same time Fū and Lee did.

"Did someone seriously go outside? Giant scorpions come out at night during this time of year." A local, one of the Suna kunoichi, grimaced.

"Scorpions?" Sakura's voice echoed.

Miho couldn't see anything in the whirling sand, but she could hear the distinct yelp of a dog and a string of yelled curses. She knew that voice. "It's Kiba!" Fū was in the window and leaping out before anything else could be said. Gulping down a swell of anxiety, Miho looked at the window and decided better of it.

There was no way she could fit through the space without getting cut on the glass. And the angle wouldn't be helpful either.

"Lee."

He saluted, climbing into the window. He leapt down into the sandstorm.

When she arrived outside, it was to the dead body of a huge scorpion – as big as a building. Miho felt her jaw drop. On the ground near one of its pincers was Kiba, holding one of his arms. To his huge credit, he threw himself off the ground and toward Akamaru, who was whimpering near another pincer.

"What in the world is going on here?"

Sakura hustled over to Kiba, quietly reprimanding him to stay still while she healed him. Her hands glowed green in the barely-lit night. Meanwhile Kiba continued to fret over his partner. For all of his faults, and there were many of them, Kiba cared about his partner to no end.

Looking up, Miho could see Fū dancing about on top of the scorpion's carcass. Lee appeared a moment later, smiling broadly as he watched Fū dance. Miho saw it, that same spark as before, in Lee's expression.

It didn't bode well.

Because Miho distinctly remembered that only two jinchūriki made it to the end of the show.

"H-Hey! You two good?"

Both stopped and held a thumb up. When they saw that they'd both given distinctly similar responses, both fell into excited giggles. They launched into some sort of high energy mirroring game.

"Oh Kami, there's two of them." Tetsuya sighed at her left. "Two."

Shin materialized to her right. "Don't be such a buzz kill, sweetheart." Sweetheart. Miho swallowed down a laugh. Tetsuya huffed. "Let them have fun."

"There's a difference between fun and…that."

"The Second Exam begins before dawn!"

Bless her heart, Temari sounded so frustrated. Miho had to admit, it seemed that Konoha had gotten out with the easier part of the test. Which meant that Shikamaru had gotten the easier part of the test. Chewing on her cheek, Miho reached for a bag of chips. That, in particular, had to annoy Temari to no end.

"Get inside!"

She'd need to get a message to Team Ten. They'd need to get word to the Hokage. Fū's presence changed things. If she was here, then she was just as much of a target as…

Turning, Miho watched as Gaara materialized from sand next to Gai-sensei and Temari. His arms were crossed as he looked up at the dancing ninja on top of the building-sized scorpion.

"Lee! Get down here!"

Lee turned and went still, noticing that their show was now much more public. He reached over and settled a hand on Fū's shoulder. She immediately went still, looking to Lee with wide eyes.

Miho wondered, idly, if she was just as unused to friendly touches as Naruto had been. Lee immediately apologized, retracting his hand as if it were on fire.

"Lord Kazkage, Gai-sensei!"

Temari turned to the gathered crowd. "Well? Get back to your quarters!"

Folding his arms behind his head, Tetsuya turned and started walking, humming under his breath as he moved. Shin raised his brows, grinning around at the chaos. Miho could only imagine how entertained he was. Lee bowed to Gaara and gave Gai-sensei his best shiny-eyed smile.

"It was good of you to help them. If you hadn't, you would have less rivals tomorrow." The statement was directed toward Fū.

Miho turned, starting to follow the others back to the dormitories. There was suddenly an arm hooked around her shoulder. She heard Lee's familiar yelp. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see pale blue-green hair and dark skin. Somehow, Fū had her in a headlock with Lee. Miho hadn't even sensed the girl's approach.

"I don't care about rivals or allies."

She let them go. Miho was damn near incredulous when she felt a hand ruffling her hair. The mane was already wild enough without Fū's wild mussing. While Miho was stunned, Lee looked about ready to cry Tears of Youth. He adored when his hair was ruffled. She might as well have watched his Sakura Crush turn to dust.

Her friend was a goner.

"Hey, we can be friends, too! What's your name?"

Pushing all of her hair forward over her face, Miho flipped her hair back again over her shoulders. It was a wild untamable mess of curls. Tetsuya claimed her hair weighed ten pounds. Miho scoffed. Her hair was nothing compared to Chōji's. No one had ruffled her hair in years.

Not since Elder Torifu passed away.

"That's the Kazekage and the jōnin supervisors!"

The voice was panicked, belonging to a young man who ran up in a Takigakure headband. Another ran up a moment later, hair darker and expression even more exasperated. Not hard to figure: these were Fū's teammates. Miho felt her mouth fall open as both grabbed one of Fū's arms. She whined, dragging her feet.

"Hey, wait—"

A look from Gai-sensei had her mouth snapping shut. Conflicted at the way a jinchūriki was being manhandled, Miho folded her hands into her pockets.

"It's cool, Miho! Lee! I'm gonna make 98 more friends while I'm here! I will! Then, we'll all have a party, okay?"

Miho let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She needed to message Genma-sensei. She needed to get word to the Hokage as soon as possible. Team Ten needed to know, too. And Gaara needed to know. Looking back to the Gai-sensei, she found herself meeting Gaara's eyes.

A thrill shot through her stomach. Miho consciously tried not to tense.

He didn't feel like a tornado anymore, like chaos. It didn't feel like she was staring down a disaster. She knew he wasn't a disaster. He'd changed. Just like what she'd seen. She could still hear his voice from back then though, threatening to kill her. To kill Ino. To kill her brother. Naruto. Lee. Everyone.

"Not my brother."

She remembered his eyes then.

Cold. Chaotic. Unhinged.

Now though…

"You're Akimichi Miho."

"Ah, Lord Kazekage, yes! This is Akimichi Miho. You met during the last chūnin exams!"

Lee smiled. He was so good at easing tensions that it often read as humor or ignorance to someone who didn't know him. His hand came to rest on her shoulder, a casual reminder that he was there for her. To support her. She distinctly remembered him standing in front of her after Gaara's sand had cut her skin.

She spent weeks by Lee's side.

After his bones were shattered.

She'd worried that Gaara would come to destroy him, to finish the job he'd started.

Then, he went after her brother again.

"It is good that you remember her. She is a good friend of mine!"

"Yes…I remember her." Gaara trailed off. Miho wondered which interaction he recalled. When he attacked her brother? When she'd stared him down? When he tried to kill her brother? When he tried to kill Lee? When he watched her with Naruto? Miho held his eyes. Once again, like before, she was unable to look away. "It is nice to meet you again, Lady Akimichi."

How often did he say that, hoping for someone to take the re-meeting to heart?

Miho bowed. When she rose up again, she smiled. If that surprised him, he certainly didn't show it. "It is nice to meet you again as well, Lord Kazekage. I've heard nothing but good things from Lee and Naruto. And Kankurō."

"That's right. You're friends with Uzumaki Naruto."

Nodding, Miho tried to find another thing to say. "Yes, I am."

"Miho! Tell me you didn't go out at night here. Geez, I told you about these things. Ah, hey, Gaara!" Kankurō grinned as he approached, folding his hands into his pockets. Temari looked about half-a-second from scolding him, so he diverted. Miho tried hard not to laugh. "Looks like you've already re-met Gaara when he's not trying to kill you. Congrats."

"Not trying to—" Lee looked dumbfounded, looking around to Miho for some kind of explanation.

The war paint on Kankurō's face made his grin more pronounced. And he was enjoying the hell out of the awkward atmosphere. The joke was on him, Miho had Tetsuya and Shin as teammates. And Genma-sensei as a teacher.

Two teen boys and an absolute mess of a teacher. She dealt in awkward.

"The pleasure was all mine."

Miho heard Tetsuya choke on nothing a few feet behind her. She did notice that the Kazkage's eyes widened a bit. There was little other reaction.

The Akimichi were a noble clan. She was trained in all the graces.

"All y—" Temari started, but she was cut off by her taller brother.

"I see you didn't bring him cookies though."

"Who says I didn't?" Miho reached in her vest pocket and withdrew another bag of cookies, sealed in a beeswax bag. "I'm a polite guest and a guest always brings something to offer." These cookies weren't meant for the Kazekage, but…Well, she never had a shortage of sweets on her person at any given time. Vaguely, she noticed that Gai-sensei's eyes were shining. "Besides, I'm an Akimichi. If we go anywhere even remotely diplomatic, we bring food."

"That's not why you brought cookies." Kankurō challenged. "Is it?"

She'd forgotten his tone. Tone never did translate well to writing.

"No, that's not why I brought cookies, but it's a damn good cover." Smiling, Miho held the bag out to Kankurō. "It's for all of you, so…"

"Yeah, yeah. Konoha mantras—sharing is caring. Sure, whatever."

Temari cleared her throat. "Not to break up this clearly touching reunion, but…" Miho could see her eyes flash toward her Kankurō with barely hidden curiosity. So he kept the letters secret, huh? Miho raised her brows at him, earning a grimacing smile in return. "Get back to your dorms."

Lee squawked, throwing an arm over Miho's shoulders. "She is right, my bosom friend! Our teams will be so worried! Oh, you're here!" Tetsuya scoffed at Lee's mock surprise at his presence. Over her shoulder, she could see Kankurō holding up both hands in placation as Temari snatched the bag of cookies from him in a swift swipe. Miho could've sworn she met Gaara's eyes across the courtyard.

Not a tornado or a natural disaster. At the moment.

He felt like something else entirely, but Miho couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Are you serious?"

Genma sat back, staring at the decoded message from his student. Miho always seemed to find the drama. Or the drama always seemed to find her. At a certain point a few years ago, he'd resigned himself to it. Resigned himself to early gray hairs and the occasional weekend bender. Honestly, Genma was getting too old for the latter.

He didn't have any gray hairs before he started teaching.

Literal years in ANBU, never one gray hair.

He pulled three out just last week.

Teenagers.

Another jinchūriki.

Not that the Hokage would be opposed to sweetening the pot, but this didn't bode well. Takigakure had been largely negligent, or rather, ambivalent, in their responses to the Hokage's calls for organization. Whereas Iwagakure and Kumogakure said outright, "No." Takigakure was hem-hawing about oversight from larger villages.

Now, the idiots had sent their jinchūriki— Fū, apparently— into the lion's den.

And Genma was no fool.

There was no way in hell that girl was going to make it back home alive. Not with the current timeline. Hell, they knew for sure she died at some point before. Miho seemed to know that as well, despite this blank part of her Mental Comic Book.

"You look a little freaked out."

Genma deflated in his chair, letting his back slide down until his body was at an uncomfortable angle. "Why did I take on a team again?"

"Dad forced you?" Asuma let out a puff of smoke that seemed to linger longer than normal in the room. Whatever new cigarettes he'd started, Genma liked the tobacco smell. "What happened? One of the boys get caught sneaking out or something?"

Genma really didn't have the emotional capacity to think on that one. He also didn't get paid enough. "Nah, I'm pretty sure that's not gonna happen for another couple years. Or it won't be the boys at all. They might not need to sneak out." Asuma snorted. "There's another jinchūriki here." Well, that certainly knocked the smirk right off Asuma's mug. "Yeah, fun times."

"How— Shikamaru didn't report it. Hell, Ino didn't report it. We didn't see another jinchūriki."

"In the Mind Walks? Yeah. Seems she didn't remember this part."

Despite what most seemed to think, Miho's memory wasn't infallible. It took damn near a year for her to sort it all out. Even then, there were some parts of her memory that…Genma often wondered how she viewed the world. Or worlds. Once, about three sheets to the wind and too much sake down the hatch, Genma thought he understood.

A year of training to sort out her memories. It took near the same for Shikaku and Inoichi and everyone else 'in the know' to sort it out as well.

What remained was a series of 'blanks pages.'

Blank sections where there was little-to-no information.

Who were the other jinchūriki? How did they die? What illness did Itachi have?

And Genma didn't even want to start grappling with the Uchiha Obito mess. That was for others to deal with. Genma didn't really care for the guy when they were kids. Nevermind now. No, he was on the Jinchūriki Task Force.

Somehow, all but two of the jinchūriki were captured and killed by the Fourth Shinobi War. Gaara, notwithstanding. Miho remembered everything about the kid's death and resurrection. Genma didn't want to interrogate that any more than he had to. Ino teased Miho enough about it anyway.

Despite attempts to locate and secure the other jinchūriki, the year-long diplomatic approach was coming up short and time was running out.

Thus…this foolhardy plan.

The One Tail Jinchūriki so vulnerable? Who could resist?

Genma slid the senbon between his teeth. "Miho didn't know. They didn't know. We need to tell your kids and we need to get word to the Hokage."

"I'll send a courier. Better this stays off a hawk." Asuma heaved a breath. "Is this jinchūriki…stable?"

"Seems to be."

Genma huffed as Asuma left. Really, he should've anticipated that Sarutobi would default for the message-sending rather than talking to Team Ten. They were an intense bunch, after all. Genma had never asked Asuma if he'd spoken to them about his apparent impending demise. Figured that was a topic best left alone. Still, those brats had trained themselves to the point that Genma frankly wondered just how long it would be before the surpassed their predecessors.

Not long, if they hadn't already.

Their room was down the hall and to the left. Genma hadn't even knocked when the door swung open, revealing the hulking form of Akimichi Chōji.

"Yo, Genma-sensei." Stuffing a handful of chips into his mouth, Chōji stepped back and allowed him entrance. Genma quickly took stock, looking from Nara Shikamaru lounging on the bed to Yamanaka Ino 'meditating' by the window. "Ino said you were coming."

Raising a brow, Genma, sat on the edge of the empty bed. "It's not good form to establish barriers in other villages, kid." Ino opened her eyes and stared at him. That stare, whether from her father or Ino herself, was always chilling. "Particularly ally villages."

Primly, she lowered her hands from their meditative position. "I was testing a new technique."

Bullshit.

"Bullshit." Shikamaru didn't move on the bed except the slightest tick of his lips toward a smile. "Genma-sensei is former ANBU. He knows a sensory barrier when he sees one." Yeah, the kid would know that, given his recent offer to join Black Ops. Blinking slowly, the kid angled his head a bit and gave Genma a once over. "Something's gone wrong. Did someone start something? Kiba?"

Genma snorted. "I appreciate that you assume that loudmouth did something. And, yeah, he did." The other two sat a bit straighter while the Nara moved upright. "It's handled. Not the point of this visit. I got a message from Miho. There's another jinchūriki here."

Shikamaru's eyes went wide. At Genma's side, Chōji lowered himself onto the bedside.

The whole bed slanted downward at such an angle that Genma channeled chakra to his thighs to remain in place.

"In addition to Gaara?"

"Which one? Who?"

"Fū?" Genma asked, as if it would spark one of their memories. It didn't by the expressions on their faces. Double-confirmed then. The girl simply wasn't part of Miho's memories. "Miho remembered her this evening after meeting her apparently. She's the moth one?"

"Seven." Ino supplied, arched brows drawn sharply together.

Despite being one of the best kunoichi in the village, and Genma didn't throw around that praise lightly, she also was one of the easiest to read. She looked unsettled.

"I don't remember her."

"None of us do. It's a blank spot." Shikamaru returned. His tone was matter-of-face as he pressed a hand over his forehead. "What a drag."

"Is she…"

"She's in danger not dangerous, Chōji." Ino cut her teammate off. By the dark look Chōji shot her, Genma realized that their relationship was a bit more tenuous than Miho and Asuma had let on. Genma kept his eyes on Shikamaru, who met his stare. Already thinking of plans, that one. Ino continued, "Two jinchūriki in one place? They won't be able to resist."

"They're still maintaining a low profile. They're not going to attack such a large event." Shikamaru tried to give the observation as much emphasis as he could muster. Genma nodded, agreeing. "They want to keep out of the limelight until they have…" His eyes flashed before they closed, mouth setting into a firm line.

"This was a risk anyway, right? Does it really matter?" Chōji stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth with a thoughtful hum.

The Hokage was a gambler. This was a gamble.

The Hokage was a shit gambler. And therein lied the problem.

Miho swallowed the last of her twelve scrambled eggs and watched as Shin finished packing. He was equal parts meticulous and chaotic. Neatly folded materials were swiftly followed by a hastily shoved-in pants. The method fit him somehow. At the corner of the room, Tetsuya was pulling off his shirt, muttering under his breath. He turned, crossing his arms. "Run it by me one more time."

"I already explained enough, Stringbean." Miho rolled her eyes, pulling out a protein ball as she stood. "We're up against a jinchūriki. We need to avoid her and monitor her at the same time." Tetsuya sighed. "I know it's not what we planned, but it's in our orders."

"I wanted to hunt down Lee."

Snorting, Shin melted into laughter. "C'mon, sweetheart, you really think you can take on Rock Lee and not get your ass beat?"

"Shut up! I can take him."

"This was never about the exam in the first place. You know that." Miho sighed, drawing her backpack up onto her shoulder. Tetsuya grumbled, securing his sword across his back. When he straightened, Miho sighed, feeling like a weight was pressing down on her shoulders. "It's the first step in stopping the almost literal end of the world."

The room was quiet for a few moments as her words lingered in the air. It was Shin who broke silence... because of course he did.

"No pressure."

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! We're starting a bit in medias res, but we will get some flashbacks that help to establish some development for how we got here during the chunin exams. Also, the pairing is decided, but won't be announced for another couple chapters. You'll probably see it before it's announced.

SO, Shin (yep, Sai's Shin) is now on Team Book Club. He's a trip to write. I'm excited about him joining the team. We'll see a lot more of their dynamic in future chapters.

We're going to see just how much of a ripple effect we have in the next couple chapters. We'll see how Team Book Club got to where they are now. We'll see training at Center Mountain. We'll see where this takes us!

Currently, things are very overwhelming in real life. I'm sure everyone knows. I cannot guarantee when I will be able to post new chapters. That being said, I hope that you all are staying safe. If this story can provide even just a moment if distraction, then I am happy I was able to write it. I write this for fun, so I hope you had fun reading so far!

Thank you, everyone, for your comments and your kudos and your bookmarks!