AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for the longer time between updates. I got some not so nice messages about this story and I needed a little time before I could get back into it. I hope you like this chapter!
"You ready for the test tomorrow, kiddo?" Kakashi asks after sensei leaves the apartment. I freeze before turning slowly to look at him. "So that's a no?"
"A definite no!" I yell.
"Alright, alright calm down Kiku-chan," he puts his hands on my shoulders. "I'll help you make sure you have everything you need, okay?"
"Okay."
"Alright, let's go through your backpack to see if there's anything we need to buy, then we can make a list, okay?" Kakashi asks gently.
"Okay," I say as I remove my sword from my belt and place it on the table. "I'll need to clean Ryūjin tonight, too."
"Good idea," he says as he puts my backpack on the table as well. He sits down in the chair he was in earlier as I stand beside him. "Alright, it looks like you're good on shuriken. Have you even used these?" He asks as he turns them in his hand.
"Only when I have to, I hate shuriken 'ttbane!" Kakashi sighs before looking in another pocket of my bag.
"It looks like you'll need more kunai."
"Right, list, let me find some paper!"
"Breathe, Kiku-chan~" I barely listen to him as I rush to grab some paper and a pen. I come back to the kitchen table and write kunai at the top of the list. "We should also get you a better first aid kit." I write that down after the kunai.
"I should probably get a couple weapon's pouches, right?" I ask as I pat my pockets. "My pockets aren't big enough to hold those."
"That's right." I add the weapon's pouches to the list as well.
"Ne, Kaka-nii, do you know how mom would store her offensive seals? There's nothing about where Mito-baachan put hers in her journal."
"Hmm, I don't think she ever told me that, imouto," I pout at that. Where am I going to put them, then? I don't want to put them in a weapon's pouch. They need to be in a spot where I can grab them immediately. "Add soldier pills to your list."
"Soldier pills? For our first test?"
"It'll be good to go ahead and get stocked up now before you start taking missions," he says as I start to write it down. "Add blood replenishing pills, too."
"I'm going to be doing D-ranks for the first few weeks, at least." I say, but I still write them down. "Oh, I'll need some more oil for my sword, too."
"Probably going to want some more paper and ink, too. Especially since you're going to refuse the exploding tags they sell at the shinobi market."
"Those things are absolute garbage, Kakashi! The arrays are uneven, they couldn't even pass a basic calligraphy class if they tried-
"And it's fucked up that we can't get a half decent sealing team in the village to make them." He finishes for me as he grabs the list.
"Exactly!"
"So then why don't you make them?" He pushes me towards the door. I think about my answer as I put on my sandals.
"It'd be a whole lot of work for one person."
"That's true."
"And I'm just a new genin."
"Also true," he shuts the door to the apartment behind us.
"And then I'd have shinobi beating down on our door for them as soon as they run out."
"And they would run out all the time-" Kakashi says as we step out into the street.
"Because once they use a decent exploding tag for the first time they're gonna demand them all the time," I sigh at just the thought of it.
"But it would also give teams some reassurance that their tags will actually work."
"And maybe it'd get more people interested in sealing."
"You could probably increase the explosion size for a bigger distraction-"
"That'd probably let people get away faster."
"You'd also have all the jonin in your back pocket." Kakashi says as he opens the door to Hiroto-ojichan's shop. Wait.
"You did that on purpose." I turn around halfway through the door.
"What did I do?" He does that annoying eye smile. I'm about to punch him when a voice gets my attention.
"Kikuko-hime!" I turn to see Hiroto-ojichan's assistant smiling at me from behind the counter. I freeze in my spot. My feet feel like they're rooted to the ground. His eyes crinkle in the corners just like Hiroto-ojichan's had.
"Maa, don't mind her Arashi-san, she's nervous for her team's test tomorrow," Kakashi says as he pushes me the rest of the way into the shop. Just as we enter, there's a small table that used to be where Hiroto-ojichan kept his extra snacks.
Now it holds a photo of him. Incense burns beside the photo. Snacks cover the rest of the table.
"I didn't bring anything for him," I whisper to myself.
"He wouldn't expect you to," Arashi says gently. "Would you come to the back? I've got a few things for you already." I look to Kakashi who just waves me away.
"I'll look around. I probably need to restock on a few things myself." I turn to follow Arashi through the back. When I push open the door I expect to see his sandy brown hair pulled up into a ponytail like it always is.
But it's not sandy brown.
It's bright red.
"Arashi?" I ask as I step closer. He turns around, and sure enough it's him. His warm brown eyes are filled with sadness.
"Hiroto-jiji told me to be very careful with who I show my true self to, but I assume my secret is safe with you, hime," he gives me a small smile before motioning for me to move closer. I move to stand beside him at the workbench and see it covered in different papers and ink bottles. "I'm not an Uzumaki, but my family was from Uzushiogakure. You've already surpassed my sealing techniques, but I thought that passing these onto you is the least I could do."
"Passing these on?"
"These were my mother's. She died as we fled to Konoha. We were visiting my father's family when Uzu fell. He wasn't from the island so he couldn't teach me anything when it came to seal work. I've kept these waiting for someone who will do them justice."
"Thank you," I manage to croak out. My voice sounds raw as I lean closer to Arashi. He rests a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it lightly.
"From what I remember, the different papers help boost elemental reactions. The inks, however, aren't used on paper."
"They're meant for use on the skin?"
"Exactly."
"Jiji let me use some for a storage seal, but he said it was super expensive, I can't-"
"I haven't used these in over twenty years, hime," he laughs as he starts to put everything in a storage seal. "I trust you to make good use of them."
"I will!"
"Now, let's get you some supplies for your actual test, ne?"
"Okay! Oh, do you know what oil Hiroto-ojichan used here at the shop? I never saw the bottle!"
"Ah, I remember your Uzu sword, yes?"
"Yeah!" I say as his hair turns back to the sandy brown from earlier.
"Go ahead and grab what you need from out front. I'll start another scroll for you."
"But-"
"You're not paying for anything, brat. I don't have kids so at least let me take care of you and your brother, okay?"
"Okay. That means you have to help our pranks, though."
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" He laughs as he starts digging through a box. Was everyone from Uzushiogakure into pranking? Were there prank wars? "Go, hime." Arashi snorts as he looks in another box.
"So mean," I huff as I push the door open.
A few hours later I'm back at our apartment. Kakashi got called for a mission as soon as we got back, so now it's up to me to get ready for tomorrow. I have no clue where to begin. All my gear is out on the kitchen table, organized by category. Kakashi told me I'd get a Konoha issued bag and sleeping bag once we're officially a team.
So I guess my old backpack will have to work until then. I put my first aid kit in the front pocket along with my blood replenishing pills and soldier pills. I put a spare change of clothes in the main pocket along with an extra water bottle. I also add a journal for any notes, a couple of pens and ink pots, and some extra blank fuinjutsu paper. I nod to myself before zipping up the pockets and hanging my bag up in the hallway.
Now it's time to work on these stupid weapon's pouches. I fill both of them up with shuriken and kunai so I have a bit on each side. One pouch will attach to the back of my belt on my right side while my other pouch will wrap around my left thigh. I still have no clue what to do about my seals.
I walk back to my room and drop the weapon pouches on top of my dresser beside the bulk package of bandages that Kakashi insisted I buy. Wait. It's common for shinobi to wear bandages, they help with loads of things, but mainly because they function a lot like compression clothing in my world did.
What if I'm able to tuck different types of seals into the bandages? I immediately shrug off my jacket and begin wrapping my arms from my elbows down to my wrists, covering the Uzumaki swirl on my left one.
I move to my fuinjutsu table, sitting down on my small cushion. I grab a few blank pages of fuinjutsu paper and start tucking them between the layers of bandages on both arms. I lean over and grab my jacket from the floor before shrugging it back on.
My jacket was almost identical to my brother's although mine is a dark blue, and its sleeves are longer and wider. They go down to cover my wrists, and as I reach under my left sleeve, I can easily grab my seals! I try it out a few times, seeing how fast I'm able to grab them.
After a few minutes, it's clear that this is a perfect way of storing them until I find out how those in Uzu actually stored their seals. Now I just have to actually make some. The only offensive seals I can make are mom's knockout seals. And I'd used them all on clones while training.
I'll make those first.
And then maybe some explosive tags? Yeah, definitely some explosive tags. But if sensei has his Byakugan activated, would he be able to see them? If I put chakra into them, most likely. I'd have to trap him first, then find a way to ignite them, then. Maybe I could use a form of a barrier seal?
Probably best to make both.
It also wouldn't hurt to use some glitter seals either. Glitter is always the answer.
I pull the papers from my bandages and then remove the bandages themselves. After I've rolled them back up, I turn back to my table and start on my knockout seals. I have a feeling sensei won't let me get close enough to use them, but I've got to have at least something up my sleeve (no pun intended).
As I start working on the seals, I feel my shoulders relax as time begins to fade. Before long, I've already made ten knockout seals, eight barrier seals, and ten exploding tags. There's also fifteen glitter seals, too. The barrier seals I made were basic for Uzu genin, they'll hold a target in an area for only a few minutes, so we would have to act fast if I did use them.
I carefully line the seals up on my dresser before I move back to the kitchen. I grab my sword and oil, before leaving the apartment and climbing up to the top of our building. I sit between some of Naruto's plants and clean Ryūjin to the muffled sounds of people out on the street.
I'm not looking forward to tomorrow.
"You will have one hour to get one of these bells from me. Anything goes." Sensei says as he puts the clock on one of the posts in the training ground. This is not Kakashi's test. At all.
There's three bells.
"You may begin in three," Minoru shifts next to me. "Two," I hear the buzz of Reiji's kikai. "One," none of us move. Sensei smirks, raising an eyebrow. "Begin." We all scatter to the trees that surround the clearing in the training ground.
What the hell is he trying to teach us?
"You fail." Sensei's tone is harsh from beside me.
"Time isn't up," I say, turning to look at him. His eyes are just like the villagers. Filled with hatred directed at me.
"I will not have a demon brat on my team, you will be its downfall." I feel my heart beat wildly in my chest, tears spring to my eyes.
"But you said-"
I feel someone kick me from behind, making me almost fall out of the tree. I flip forward, landing in the clearing to see it was Reiji who kicked me. Why would he? A shuriken breezes by my head, almost cutting off one of my braids. Minoru stands at the tree line on the other side.
Sensei suddenly appears behind me, I turn around, raising his hand as if to hit me. I bring my arms up, crossing them over my face and flinching away. Just like I had that first night I defended Naruto. The two scenes blend together. The face in front of me alternates between the drunk man's and sensei's. From day to night.
But then I feel a hand on one of my arms.
And then, suddenly I'm dizzy and I'm falling. I seem to fall forever until I hear a muffled "oof." It causes me to open my eyes. My head is in Reiji's lap as he looks down at me. From the way the light hits us under the trees, I can see his eyes.
Dark brown eyes filled with concern stare down at me.
"You were trapped in a genjutsu. My kikai attempted to break you out of it, but were unable to," he whispers.
"Oh."
"Can you continue? Minoru is distracting sensei."
"Yeah, thank you." I say as I start to sit up. "How long was I in it?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"But it seemed so short-"
"He must have not liked what he saw." Reiji says as he slowly moves to a crouched position. He could see? Well, that will be a fun conversation later. I sigh and move to a crouch beside Reiji. I look through the bushes in front of me and see Minoru almost hit sensei with his bo, but he's quickly thrown across the clearing in our direction.
Reiji and I move to crouch beside Minoru.
"There's no way we can get close enough to get those bells," he whispers to us.
"Think you two could distract him?" I ask quietly while turning my head to act like I'm grabbing weapons from my pouch. "If you can, I can set up a trap."
Reiji and Minoru both move towards sensei, Reiji's kikai form a cloud that surrounds him as Minoru tries to use his bo to trip sensei. It doesn't work, but it distracts him enough that I'm able to run around the clearing in the trees. I act like I'm trying to get a good view to hit him with my shuriken, but in reality I'm dropping some of my barrier seals, glitter seals, and exploding tags.
After the last barrier seal is placed, a shuriken almost cuts off one of my braids and I huff in annoyance. Really, sensei? I act like I lose my footing and fall to the ground, placing one of the glitter seals in the center of the trap.
"You cannot run forever, Kikuko." Sensei says calmly as he shunshins in front of me. He manages to get a good hit on my left shoulder, the pain brings a flash of white to my vision, but I blink hard and move back. I quickly shunshin away as sensei steps forward, activating the glitter seal.
Bright orange glitter covers him completely as Minoru comes from behind, managing to grab a bell. He quickly slips it in his pocket before jumping back at my signal.
I hear sensei's long sigh and smirk. He's about to move toward us, but I activate the barrier seal instead. A light blue dome surrounds him. He raises an eyebrow in my direction.
"While this is a useful technique for capture, you won't be able to access the bells from the outside."
"If we get all the bells you have to buy us lunch, sensei." Is all I say as I jump back up into the bushes with Reiji and Minoru. "When I made the barrier, I was able to put some of my chakra and the chakra of your kikai," I whisper to Reiji.
"How does that help us?" Minoru asks, his nose scrunching up in thought.
"Any chakra signature that's used to make the barrier is allowed in and out. I can distract sensei while Reiji's kikaichu grab the bells."
"He will be distracted by you-" Reiji begins.
"And won't even think they can get in!" Minoru smiles widely as he finishes Reiji's sentence.
"But his byakugan will present a problem."
"I'll keep his eyes busy," both boys look nervous at my look and I can't help but laugh. "Alright, we need to move, it only has three minutes left." I jump back into the clearing, sensei crosses his arms as he looks at me.
"Planning an ambush as soon as this goes down?"
"Nope!" I say with a grin. "Starting now!" I shunshin into the barrier, sensei immediately sends a kick in my direction, hitting me in the ribs. I let out a huff of air as I hear a crack, but I manage to hit my target.
The bright aqua glitter explodes straight into his face as soon as he begins to pull his leg back. I manage to duck under his arm as he tries to hit me, going for his side opposite of the bells. He turns to stop me, his eyes closed thanks to the glitter.
It's just enough time for the kikai to get out of the barrier with the bells.
I hear the clock's shrill beeping in the clearing as the barrier falls. I let out a sigh of relief, falling to the ground and laying down. I hear the jingle of a bell before it hits me on the forehead. I move my right hand up to grab it before it falls on the ground.
"That sucked," Minoru says as he sits down on the ground beside me.
"I must agree," Reiji says as he sits on my other side.
"Well, at least I won a bet," I hear the humor in sensei's voice. I struggle to lean up on my elbows to look at him. Minoru and Reiji are quick to help me sit up fully, Minoru moving behind me to help keep me propped up.
"Thanks," I whisper to them before actually looking up at sensei. His hair and face are wet, so he must have used some water to clean the glitter out of his eyes and face.
"We obtained all the bells, sensei," Reiji says in response to sensei's earlier comment.
"Oh, I know. You three worked so well together I had to let you get them."
"You let us get them?" Minoru squeaks.
"Of course," sensei gives me a smile that does not reassure me.
"Then what bet did you win?" Minoru asks as he carefully tucks a piece of my hair that had fallen out of my braid into one of my clips. I smile at the action, warmth filling my chest.
"There was a mysterious team that managed to infiltrate one of the most secure bases in the village," sensei says. I immediately feel dread as I see his smile start to grow.
"What?" Reiji deadpans.
"Yes, they managed to paint all the walls pink, including the fridge if I remember correctly." Minoru snorts in amusement behind me. "In addition to that, they managed to give anyone who entered the base buck teeth."
"What?" Reiji says again, causing sensei to smile even more. I'd never seen a Hyuga smile so much, but it makes sensei look so young!
"But the most annoying aspect of the prank was that all the clothing in the base was dyed pink and covered in glitter as it dried." I bite my lip to stop a smile from appearing on my face.
"This was in one of Konoha's most secure bases." Reiji says, completely unamused.
"Yes, we all decided to place bets on who the culprits could be," sensei shrugs as he moves forward to sit on the ground in front of us. "Many people thought it was Jiraiya of the Sannin, as there were toads hidden in some of the beds." Minoru bursts out laughing at that.
"But it wasn't him?" Reiji asks, sounding intrigued.
"No, although many bet it was him after they found his body expansion seal hidden in the base. That is what was used to give the buck teeth."
"But you just said you won the bet," Minoru reminds sensei. "Who did you say it was?"
"Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Kikuko." I feel both of my teammate's eyes on me, and I can't help it anymore. I burst out laughing. I immediately regret it, the pain in my ribs making me gasp and hold onto my left side. Sensei's eyebrows furrow. "Do you have something under your jacket, Kiku?" I nod and bring a shaking hand up to pull down the zipper. I hear sensei's intake of breath before he pulls me up into his arms.
"Will you both grab all of your belongings?" Sensei asks the boys. They both nod as I shift my sword to make it easier for sensei to carry me.
"Are we going to the hospital, sensei?" Minoru asks as he and Reiji come back over to us. Sensei nods, causing me to groan and drop my head against his shoulder.
"We will spend time going over proper nutrition during our first day of training," sensei whispers to me as Reiji and Minoru begin to walk in front of us. "That kick should not have done such damage if you were at a proper weight."
"Food is expensive and my brother needs-"
"You are a shinobi now, Kikuko," Sensei says firmly. "I will assist you with your shopping once a week." I don't even try to argue with him, the tone of his voice makes it clear he won't take no for an answer.
"Wait, are you going to tell the commander?" I ask quietly. Minoru's chest shakes a little with his quiet laughter.
"I'm no longer in that division, although I will collect my winnings."
"Did he bet on us too?"
"Of course."
"At least he won. The money will lessen the blow, right?"
"Add in some sake and you might be safe."
"But I can't-"
"Follow my nutrition plan and I will handle it for you," Sensei interrupts.
"What a drag," I say loudly as I close my eyes. I hear Minoru's startled laugh from in front of us and smile a little myself. I could get used to this.