Akira didn't exactly listen to Maru. She'd only returned to the hospital at dawn, taking the opportunity to walk the streets at night to clear her mind. The morning air was cool, borderline humid, a little bit of dew making the leaves and blades of grass gleam in the pale morning light. Every single inch of her body was numb but felt like it was lit on fire when she moved. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it did during the preliminaries, but the pain was nowhere near subsided. Until she was able to control its power, the pain would throb constantly.
Akira walked through the front door of the hospital without much shame, figuring that the nurses had noticed her absence during the night when the night shift doctors were doing their rounds. As expected, upon entering the building, two or three nurses shuffled toward her, checking Akira on all sides. The young ninja didn't bother to push them away or help them in any way, she just kept walking, half-conscious, towards her hospital room until she collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
She awoke sometime during the day, hearing the sound of retreating footsteps. They stopped when Akira began shifting in her bed, and then they got louder, signalling whoever was leaving was coming back. The girl turned onto her back and stretched, wincing a little bit because the pain from the cursed seal had not died down. When Akira opened her eyes, everything was blurry, and she was unable to make out anything at first, but after a few moments, everything came into focus. Sasuke was sitting beside her. She smiled weakly at him.
"You shouldn't be out of bed," Akira told Sasuke.
"You shouldn't have gone out," Sasuke retorted, crossing his arms.
"I went out for a walk. No harm done."
"I don't believe you."
"Hey, you're the one going out training."
"True."
"Going to find Kakashi-sensei?"
"It's not going to be too hard," Sasuke sighed. "I'm sure he wants me to find him. He gave me a whole speech about this stupid thing on my neck and how I need to learn to forget it's there or whatever."
Akira looked down at her hands.
"The seal relies on you not using the mark, Sasuke. That's why he gave you the speech."
"Did he give you one too?"
"No."
"Figures. He trusts you more than me."
Akira's heart sank.
"Hey, you good?" Sasuke asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, why?"
"You look depressed as hell."
"Well, that's because you're getting extra training with Kakashi-sensei and I'm not," Akira said, smacking her brother on the arm.
"I still don't get why you worship the guy. He's a lazy idiot."
"Hey, don't talk about our sensei like that, you twerp. Now go before I call the nurses on you."
"You coming?"
"No. I'm of no use in my state. Besides, I'll be reprimanded if I leave again and they'll chain me to the bed."
Sasuke chuckled and shook his head, and Akira watched him leave. The second he was gone, Akira swung her legs over the edge of her bed and got dressed, attaching her new katana to her belts. She was halfway out the window when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Akira turned and smiled sheepishly.
"Heading out again, are you?" Kiba asked, unimpressed, as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"You saw nothing," Akira said playfully.
"The nurses are gonna freak out again if you leave. You've been passed out for two days."
"You know me, Kiba. I don't exactly care for hospitals much. Besides, I'm only going out to make myself some new holsters for my favourite gift."
Kiba chuckled and smirked.
"Figured you'd like 'em. You're also lucky that you're you. Mr Ogawa wasn't willing to sell them until I told him they were for you."
"Proud of yourself, aren't you?"
"Damn right, I am. Though, I have to give Shikamaru some credit to put that picture of himself on display," Kiba laughed.
"I'm surprised he even kept it," Akira admitted, sitting on the window sill. She picked up the picture and smiled at it. "He hates pictures of himself, especially ones where he's smiling."
"He might be a grumpy idiot, but you're his closest friend. It's only normal that he'd want to keep a picture of the both of you. I mean, I have a whole bunch of pictures of us at home."
"I keep telling you to burn those—I look ridiculous," Akira groaned. "You keep taking pictures of us when I'm not paying attention. Kai doesn't help either, stalks us and jumps out of nowhere."
"Shut up, those are the best ones. I'm not burning those damn pictures 'cause I like them," Kiba chuckled.
"Fair enough. So... can I go, now?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's not like I can keep you here. You're too stubborn for that."
"Indeed I am."
Akira winked and smiled at Kiba before swinging her legs out the window and jumping down onto a lower balcony. The person inside the room screeched in surprise and Akira jumped down storey after storey until she reached the ground. Akira walked down the streets of Konoha with her hands stuffed in her pockets, heading towards the materials shop. As she walked around, Akira noticed that the pain unrelated to the curse mark had gone. She smiled. She'd return to grab her things later today, but she wouldn't be staying. One thing that bothered her however was the fact the katana were rubbing against her sides. She couldn't wait to make some new holsters and get those things back onto her forearms. Thankfully, the new gourd attached to her back wasn't causing any issues.
People stared at her as she walked past spots she used to go to often, recognizing her as one of the finalists for the Chūnin Exams, and wondering why she wasn't training for next month's final. Akira paid them no mind, save a few children who greeted her happily. When she arrived at the shop, she greeted the store owner and lost herself in the isles of fabrics, metals and other materials used for crafting. Akira bought a large piece of black leather, some tough fabric, metal pins and thick thread, paid the shop owner, and then made her way out into the forest to craft in peace.
Akira sat beside a small stream in the middle of the woods off of training ground three. The bright midday sun shone down onto the glade making all the green hues of the forest more vibrant than they usually were. The water coming down from the waterfall was a brilliant aqua colour, almost unnatural, and gleamed in the sun's rays. Men, women and children alike came to swim in the pool below it, but as the afternoon went on, and Akira was making good progress in the making of her new holsters, only a small group of three women remained in the pool, happily splashing each other with the cool water. Akira looked up and smiled at the women, peacefully. She sighed, thinking how much she'd pay to be as blissful as they were, how much she would pay to remove all her worries and stress.
Suddenly, Akira's ears perked up and, sensing something in the bushes, she threw a handful of kunai. Pain throbbed all over and she winced, nearly bending over, but she managed to ignore it and ran off into the bushes, leaving her crafting equipment where she was sitting. Past the bushes was Naruto, freaking out, and an older man, who was also freaking out. She glared at the both of them because they'd most likely been peeking at the women. She went to yell at them, but upon closer inspection, Akira recognized the older man. Her demeanour changed instantly. She went from being a menacing aura of anger to her usual self, a respectful young woman with a stern expression. Her dark blue eyes were cold, but they held a certain admiration, and as the older man stood up, noticing her change in mood, her posture straightened out of respect for him.
"Master Jiraya!? My apologies! I should have verified who it was before I threw my kunai!" Akira said, a little startled.
Naruto was incredibly surprised by her attitude, gaping at her.
"Master Jiraya!? This pervy sage isn't a Master!" Naruto yelled. Akira looked at him, a dangerous look in her eyes.
"Naruto! Don't you ever bother to listen in class? He's one of the three strongest ninjas ever. Don't insult him right in front of me."
"Testy, testy," Jiraya said, contemplating Akira. "Just like your brother, I see."
Akira's surprise suddenly faded into contempt. Jiraya was surprised at just how fast her attitude had changed and he gazed at her quizzically as she stared at him coldly. He was unphased by her unrelenting glare, but the look in her eye was somehow familiar.
"You look just like him."
"To which brother are you referring?"
"Sasuke, of course. Best in your class alongside him, huh?"
"Right," Akira said, not believing him. "Can I ask why a Legendary Sanning is lurking around Konoha with Naruto?"
"He's supposed to be training me," Naruto complained, crossing his arms. "But he keeps peeping on girls and blames it on research for a book." Akira raised an eyebrow at Naruto, and then looked back at Jiraya. "It's true, it's true!"
"Okay, okay! I'll show you a technique then if you're gonna be that way," Jiraya said casually, almost annoyed.
"Do you really mean that!?"
Jiraya nodded, seemingly despite himself, and asked Akira and Naruto to sit down by the water with him as he spoke.
"Naruto, do you remember what I told you yesterday about the two types of chakra?"
"Huh? Yesterday's talk?"
"You know, what you said about the blue and red chakra or something," Jiraya added.
Akira frowned, thinking. Blue and red chakra wasn't a concept to be taught.
"Oh, right! Well, what about it?"
"You said that when a great power came out, you felt the red chakra," Jiraya said.
He glanced at Akira and she slowly looked up at him. The blue and red chakra wasn't a concept he was teaching, but Naruto describing the feeling of his own chakra versus the Demon Fox's chakra inside of him.
"Try building that chakra up, now."
Akira looked dangerously at Jiraya and, as if the universe was against her, a wave of pain from the curse mark rushed through her shoulder. She tried not to show she was in pain and was mostly successful. Naruto hadn't seen a thing, but Akira was sure Jiraya had taken notice.
"Master Jiraya, are you sure that's a good idea?" Akira said, trying to mask the pain.
"Of course I am!" he said happily, almost aloof. The Uchiha gave him a concerned look, which he ignored.
"Well, I guess I can give it a try," Naruto said, putting his hands together to begin focusing his chakra. Everyone waited a moment, but Akira didn't feel anything different. "Hm, it's not right. It's the same chakra as always."
"Jeez, you have no talent."
"Don't be talking all high and mighty! In the first place, I really don't understand those two types of chakra myself!"
"Just keep trying," Jiraya said, suddenly serious and nearly glaring at Naruto.
Akira stared at Naruto as he attempted to draw out the chakra belonging to the Nine-Tailed Fox to no avail. After a while, she sighed. If Naruto still referred to the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra as 'the red chakra', clearly there was no way he was going to be able to draw it out. How could he if he didn't even understand was he was trying to awaken?
She looked over at Jiraya. He was deep in thought, eyes almost glazed over as he 'watched' Naruto. Akira would give her left leg to find out what was going on in that man's brain.
"It's no use," Naruto said after a while. "Only the usual chakra is coming out. Say, Pervy Sage, what the heck does the red chakra and the technique you're going to teach me have to do with each other?"
"Listen, boy. For the technique I'm about to teach you, the chakra you've had until now is not nearly enough. Therefore, you'll have to be able to pull out and use the other chakra that has been dormant within you at any time you need."
"But how do you know I have that much chakra?" Naruto asked.
"Oh, that's just what I wanted to hear!" Jiraya said, suddenly excited. "Actually, it's because I'm a Sage."
Akira rose an eyebrow at him and Naruto sent him a deadpan look.
"Jeez... that's no answer," Naruto complained.
"For once, I agree with Naruto," Akira said simply. "I'm not a Sage and I know what you're referring to."
"Do you now?" he said. He seemed to be thinking for a moment but continued as if Akira had never spoken. "Anyway, the special kind of chakra only you have will become your greatest weapon."
"Greatest weapon?" Naruto questioned, tilting his head.
"Not using that is like wasting treasure. There's no need to forcibly do the same training as everyone else. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're poor at. You have your own style."
"That's an understatement," Akira muttered under her breath.
"Your training until now, maintaining and releasing a set amount of chakra, was, in other words, training to control the suppression of chakra so that you wouldn't get exhausted," the Sannin continued. "Akira, for example, is quick on her feet and can use different tactics and tricks to get away or win a fight as well as raw power. But you, who only has a lot of stamina and no tactical ability, should be about power rather than a trick. You, who has two types of chakra and doesn't exhaust easily, should release the largest amount of chakra you can and train to increase the amount of chakra you are able to use. Then there are tons of techniques and jutsu you can use."
"Like what?" Naruto said, blinking stupidly.
"Like Summoning Jutsus... which I will show you now."
"Summoning?" Naruto asked, confused.
Akira groaned.
"You don't even know what a Summoning Jutsu is?" Akira said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I thought we'd covered this."
"Care to explain it, Akira?" Jiraya asked.
"It's a type of spatio-temporal technique where you sign a contract in blood with all kinds of living creatures and summon them whenever you like using ninjutsu."
"Oh! That sounds awesome. Pervy Sage, teach me real quick!" Naruto said excitedly.
"Before that, I'll have to ask Akira to leave us," Jiraya said seriously, glancing over to the Uchiha.
And while Naruto complained about kicking out someone who could help him, Akira simply stood with a graceful calm and bowed to the Sannin. Summoning techniques were usually secret, passed on from master to pupil, and it wasn't her place to stay and watch. Akira wondered what sort of thing she'd like to summon—if she ever learned a summoning jutsu. It wasn't really her style, but Akira could appreciate using the summons to get her places she normally wouldn't be able to get to. It'd have to be something big, smart and fast—anything less and Akira didn't want it.
Akira wandered back towards the waterfall and its pool of crystal water which was now deserted, the commotion that Akira had created shooing away every sign of life. The sun had begun to set by now, and Akira could no longer hear the rumbling and cackling of Naruto's and Jiraya's training in the distance. As the sun cast its warm glow over the glades, Akira finished her holsters and snugly tied them to her forearms. With a sigh of relief, she pulled out the katana from her belts and fit them into their new homes. Soon, the inky darkness of night had arrived and the cool air caressed the girl's skin. She put on her happi again, which she'd discarded earlier due to the heat, and after stuffing all the remaining equipment into their respective pouches Akira headed towards training ground three. Once again she sat by the lake and waited, but unlike last night, Akira didn't have to wait for long. Maru was already there, lurking in the shadows.
"Had fun with Jiraya, did we?"
"Ordinarily I'd be concerned that you knew where I was, but this is you, after all," Akira said, sounding bored. "Anyway, I wouldn't consider watching him fail to teach Naruto a jutsu fun. The only interesting part was the part I couldn't assist."
"Curious, I see."
"Well, look inside yourself and tell me whether you'd be curious in my shoes, or not," Akira said jokingly. "Doesn't really matter. Summoning techniques aren't really my style."
Akira turned to Maru.
"What does Jiraya summon? It's never really mentioned in the books for some reason."
"Toads. Horrid creatures," Maru said, sounding almost disgusted. "But I suppose every summon is horrid in its own way."
"Do you have any?"
Maru seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if debating whether he should share that kind of information. Akira found that odd. He was already helping her deal with the very illegal curse mark, so what was it that made him hesitate over a summoning jutsu?
"I do. Care to learn?"
"As I said, it's not really my style," Akira sighed. She frowned. "Besides, I'm not asking for anything else other than to control this damn mark."
"Your determination to have as little to do with me as possible hurts me, my dear."
"Yeah, right."
"I'd be willing to teach you regardless if it's your style or not. As you said, if I look deep within myself... I know you're curious."
Akira looked up at him and stared, deadpan. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Can't say no. This isn't illegal at least."
"That's the spirit," Maru said, a little too eagerly for Akira's taste. "I have one condition, however."
"Maru—"
"It's only a matter of... discretion."
The girl rose her eyebrow and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.
"You must not use this technique unless absolutely necessary."
"Why not?"
"The creatures that I summon tend to have a... bad reputation if you will."
"Well, that hasn't stopped me from being here, has it?" Akira sighed in standing. "I agree."
"Then follow me. We can't do this in the open."
The man turned away and Akira followed him away from training ground three all the way to the 44th battle training ground, better known as the Forest of Death. As they entered, Akira was trying very hard not to let her emotions get the better of her. Everything that had happened here was still somehow erased from her memory and walking back into the forest without having a clue what had happened here set her on edge. Maru led her to a clearing, which was somehow familiar, where Akira could hear all the insects crawling in the trees and the earth. Other than that, it was dead silent, eerie.
"Uncomfortable?"
"Yeah," Akira said, annoyed, glaring out at the darkness. "I still don't remember what happened here. It's giving me the creeps."
"Good."
Akira stared at Maru, deadpan.
"I'm serious. It'll be harder for you to focus under these conditions. If you master a skill under pressure, you'll have no trouble performing the summoning in normal conditions."
"I just think you're a sadist," Akira said, unimpressed.
She saw the corners of Maru's mouth twitch upwards, but Maru had stopped himself before he laughed.
"I'm not going to ask whether you know how this works. I assume you do."
Akira nodded. Maru rose his sleeve and his thumb on the other hand, drawing blood. He drew a line of blood on his forearm and, after a few hand signs, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. When he reappeared he was standing atop the head of a large grey serpent. Something somewhere inside Akira should have woken up, a bell should have rung, and a nagging feeling should have begun to gnaw at her insides. But the memories that were made in the Forest of Death were still far out of reach and nothing, in Akira's eyes, seemed to be amiss. All she could see was a strangely charismatic and clearly untrustworthy man standing on top of his summon. Nothing more, nothing less. There was no Kusagakure ninja, no near-death experience, no recollection that the voice belonging to Maru was the same as Orochimaru's.
Akira watched in quiet amazement as a large, deep violet scroll rose from the snake's throat. Maru came down and grabbed it, unbinding it to reveal a few names and fingerprints that were written and stamped down in blood.
"The summoning contract of the Ryūchi Cave is a noble and proud one," Maru said. "They don't like many people and therefore don't sign on many people."
"You stole this didn't you?" Akira said, an eyebrow raised.
"Now, now, have a little faith, my dear," Maru replied. "I've taken over with blessings from the Snake Sage of the Ryūchi Cave."
"Forgive me if I don't believe you."
"There are several great serpents you can summon, as well as many smaller ones for more covert uses. The greatest of them all is Manda. I would not expect you to ever summon him."
"Why not?"
"He's stubborn, capricious, and loves to insult the summoner."
"What a charmer," Akira said sarcastically.
"You know what to do."
Akira didn't hesitate. There was a craving in the back of her mind for this knowledge, anything that could give her an edge. She pulled out a katana from its holster and glided her thumb against it to draw blood. Akira drew the characters of her name on an empty slot in the scroll then dabbed the rest of her fingers with blood. She pressed her fingertips underneath her name, leaving their imprint, and then bound up the scroll once again. Akira held up the bound scroll to the grey serpent and bowed respectfully, and only stood straight again when the snake had accepted the scroll.
"Mi, Tora, Inu, U, Tatsu," Maru said simply, as Akira rose.
With a nod, Akira concentrated chakra. A sharp pain rose in her shoulders and back but she ignored it, and she performed the hand signs just as Maru instructed.
"Mi, Tora, Inu, U, Tatsu," she said quietly. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu."