Top secret plan lightbulb - fail

Top secret plan curtain - fail

Top secret plan… (yet to name or create)

I make my mental diagnoses of the situation. I may be clever and more intelligent than the average six-year-old, but even I have my limits.

It turns out a doujutsu that is always 'active' is highly annoying. It may not leach chakra like Kakashi's Sharingan, and it may not be as completely noticeable as Nagato's (Madara's?) rinnegan, but it is a pain and a half to hide. And that brings another creepy thought. There's no way I can be in a Nagato situation with someone else's eyeballs shoved into my head without me knowing… right? I shutter. I really hope not.

My first plan, which I mentally dubbed 'Top secret plan Lightbulb,' had been simple. I had, of course, determined that the more chakra I used, the brighter my eyes glow. So my 'brilliant' plan followed this guideline. If there were zero chakra flow to JUST my eyes, there would obviously be no glow.

What I failed to account for are three things. One chakra is made by the cells and slammed together into a useable mouldable energy in the gut (spirallatis). Two, the cells are just as dependent on chakra flow as they are in the blood. The nervous system and the chakra system are interconnected and inseparable.

In other words, it was doomed to failure without me even realizing it. How it ended up failing was very dramatic. (The shower incident way back when pales in comparison) So picture this. I'm in the bathroom with a determined look as I stare myself down in the mirror coaxing just a little chakra into my eyes. I take a deep breath and, with all my might, force the chakra away. The results are instantaneous. I'm BLIND.

The panic sets in first, and I try to remind myself that I am not blind. Then the burning sets in of the small traces of chakra in my cells being kept shoved in there. I can feel my eyes watering like I just ate the world's hottest chilli pepper, only it's my eyes that are burning instead of my mouth. Worse now that it is out, it's all clumped up, blocking the way to my eyes. Thankfully I don't have the control to keep the cells bottled up for long (or the effect could have been PERMANENT), so the burning stops and my brain calms down but for the rest of the day, as my vision slowly, painfully slowly, returns I am left wandering around the apartment knocking into things. Not trying that again. Thankfully Ami wasn't home, and I was passable by the time she was, or I would have never lived it down.

After that experience, though, I now understands why the Hyuga clan is so feared that they can do that to an enemy.

What surprises me is the notification I received.

Chakra Concealing Proficiency level has risen X1

Chakra Concealing Proficiency Level 52

The ability to hide one's chakra from others. Active hiding to completely hide your presence, success increases per level. Cannot perform jutsu while concealing chakra, requires less concentration per level to maintain.

I've been working on this skill a lot, lowering my chakra signature. In fact, I try to keep it on practically constantly, but after that, I have far more respect for this skill.

My second great failure of a plan, thankfully, didn't fail as spectacularly. I figured that since I couldn't actually stop the glow that, I could hide it. It's relatively simple, out of sight, out of (hopefully never entering) mind.

Now there were many options for this too. I could wear a headband or bandages over my eyes, (some sensory types do it), but that wasn't really appealing. So I went for the obvious, sunglasses. (Even if I looked like an albino Abarame) I realized something, though… sunglasses are great at what they are meant to do, block out or dim the sun, but blocking out chakra-induced glow? They suck at it. In fact, the sunglasses made the light appear even MORE noticeable, as blue against black tends to do rather than just different shades of blue.

Now… well, now I am out of ideas.

Once again, I can't help but look longingly toward the ninja-only section of the library. Almost all the information is available to even genin, with only jutsus really being separated by rank, with only a few exceptions. I am tempted to try and bribe a genin to check a book out for me, but I know better than to try that.

I look back at the history book I am reading. It is a nice book, but the limits of knowledge leave such a bitter taste in my mouth. I really miss the internet right now. Being able to look up ANYTHING was such an underappreciated commodity.

"Sayori-chan, I'm about to end my shift for the day…." Hazuki says, and I can't help but wonder why exactly she is phrasing it like that. Usually, it's a simple 'I'm headed out', as the farewell greeting. "Do you think you could walk me home?" She then asks, and I pause, my eyes still staring at the page, suddenly shooting up to meet her confusion shining brightly and clearly through them. I mean, yes, I've been to her home before, and I've been to the Uchiha compound quite a few times now, but why the sudden invite?

"Is there a reason for the invite or…?" I question, trying to figure out a way to do so without sounding terribly rude.

"I just picked up a particularly large load of groceries on my way here and could use some help carrying them home," Hazuki answers smoothly, but I just know that that isn't the truth. Hazuki always travels light, only ever a midsized purse over one arm that reminds me a bit of Ami's bag, only it's a faded red colour with a thinner strap. Still, she holds up a brown paper bag containing, yes, groceries, and so I fail to see the whole in the story. Narrowing my eyes, not out of anger or anything like that but confusion, I nod.

The walk to Hazuki's home is lovely. The bag isn't that heavy, but it is pretty big, forcing me to carry it embarrassingly with both arms hugging the bag and its contents to my chest. The weather is boringly nice, as always in fire country, and Hazuki is good company. We spend the walk with her telling me about many different authors and books and making her recommendations. Many of the books I'm sure I would have noticed at the library before now. Books dating back before the founding of the villages about the warring states era which is sorely lacking in information from or on.

"Could you show me them another day?" I ask Hazuki as she finishes telling me about a book she read about the account of a woman who lived in what is now the land of wind but was once just deemed 'the wasteland' about how the one-tailed tanuki had the land shifting as though the dunes were more ocean than earth and that she could 'taste the great dessert mother's chakra in the air before a full moon storm.' The fact that Shukaku was already going by 'mother' is an interesting tidbit.

"Yes, I think I can do that," Hazuki says with a fond smile. We arrived at her home, and I noted how the guards at the gate didn't look surprised to see me, only sighing. As we enter the actual building, I can feel the faint buzz of chakra contained around us.

"Should I bring this to the kitchen?" I ask, and Hazuki nods and leads the way. As I empty the bag's contents out onto the kitchen counter, Hazuki calmly reaches into her purse, taking out four thin scrolls. After looking at each of them, she seems to decide to unroll one of them, and I feel her chakra flare to life and eagerly rush into the scroll, and with a puff of smoke, two additional brown paper bags appear. I could feel a tiny spark of indignation. I mean, she could have been carrying the bag the whole time?! I mean wouldn't mind USUALLY, but the bag doesn't even have handles! However, that feeling was quickly replaced with a sense of wonder, because I had never seen anything like that before!

"Is... Is that a storage scroll?" I ask, my eyes wide. Storage scroll, seals, ninjutsu, AKA word magic.

"Yes, it is. It's a much more convenient way to carry things." Kazuki informs me, and I can only nod dumbly. It's so cool! "Now then, I wanted to show you something." Kazuki says, motioning with her hand for me to follow into the hall. I follow her into the living room as she goes up to one of the many bookshelves lining the walls more than paint. Moving her lips as she reads the worn titles, she apparently finds the right book, one that somehow looks both simultaneously ancient and brand new at the same time. She hands it to me, and I look at the title 'Land of Great Winds' the title says, and I can barely make out the author's name. 'Mio' with no last name, just Mio. I guess that's common in the land of wind?

"This is the book you were talking about?" I ask, a bit of wonder in my voice.

"Konoha's library is a wonderful place. However, I have a feeling that some of these books may... The interest you more." Kazuki says, gesturing to the books shelves. "Akihiro had quite the collection from his family when I met him. They truly... Appreciated the written word." Kazuki says with a small, sad smile as though she isn't sure if she should laugh at her own personal joke or cry. Akihiro was her husband, I remember. She clearly still loves him very much.

"I... Thanks... I would really love to read them." I say, trying to be gentle. Kazuki nods and turns, leaving me with this apparent treasure trove of rare books.

Hey!

Updates might be less frequent for a bit but I do plan to keep writing this story :)