There was silence at the training fields.
It was not the kind of silence one usually associates with a field devoid of people, where one might wonder if a falling tree actually made a sound.
No. This was the kind of silence usually associated with a group of people feverishly taking a difficult exam, or the kind that might exist when one person is striving mightily, watched by his or her peers. Today's combined session was a chance for the instructors to see if any of the chuunin or newly promoted jounin had a talent for Kuchiyose no Jutsu.
While it was not supposed to be a contest, a rite of passage, or anything too serious, the shinobi had given it everything they had. With the increasing number of threats to the Hidden Leaf Village growing every day, each of them hoped to be able to add a skill that could help their friends, and the people they had sworn to protect.
For Naruto, it was a time to laze about some, until Tsunade have him an evil glare. He had long since been able to summon frogs, including the might Gama Bunta. It was his calling of the Boss Frog that had saved Konoha from Shukaku, and helped start Gaara down the path of sanity and true kinship. Of course, while he gladly shared that information with his struggling companions, he conveniently left out the part about the tadpoles. Fortunately, Jiraiya wasn't there to remind him.
The situation wasn't nearly so sanguine for two particular kunoichi. Sakura felt an inordinate amount of pressure, being the Hokage's apprentice. Tsunade could summon Katsuyu, the mother of all slugs. She would feel like a failure, if she couldn't at least muster up the ability to call one of the other smaller slugs. She was very proud of Naruto's ability, since she was his friend and teammate. But, his success was a never ending reminder of her failure. For all she knew, Sasuke had learned from Orochimaru how to summon snakes. Kakashi, her team leader, could call Pakkun and the rest of the dog pack.
Hinata knelt on the ground, sweat beads covering her forehead. Kurenai had told her a number of times already, not to put so much of herself into this. She might not have the talent. That would be alright. There was no sense hurting herself. But, those comments fell on deaf ears, as did the remarks from the Hokage. The white-eyed girl was feeling an altogether different kind of pressure. She wanted badly to catch Naruto's eye somehow, and figured this might be the perfect way. Having something in common with him might give her the courage to speak to him. At the very least, it would give him a reason to seek her out and talk to her.
But, that wasn't all. The one time heir to the prestigious Hyuuga clan paused a moment, her breath coming in great heaving gasps. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Sakura, who seemed to be trying just as hard. She knew that Sakura had begun wondering about her own feelings for Naruto. While her reasons for succeeding might be different, the end result might be the same. And, the other girl had an advantage. She had a contract scroll, one that had been effectively connected to the slug clan by past summonings, thanks to a succession of powerful ninja. By all accounts, that was a tremendous head start of sorts. She herself had one of the general purpose scrolls, the type that were used to judge the affinity of the ninja towards different kinds of animals.
All manner of creatures could be summoned. Not only living things, but inanimate objects as well. Orochimaru had summoned Manda, the king of the serpents, along with a number of large snakes in the Forest of Death. His acolytes and followers had called forth a three-headed snake to battle Konoha, when the Sand and Sound struck. Tsunade could call Katsuyu and smaller slugs. Jiraiya and Naruto had summoned the Oyabun Frog; a Demolisher Frog; large common frogs; and two small amphibians, Gamakichi and Gamatatsu.
The talent was not limited to the Legendary Sannin, or to the boy with a Bijuu sealed behind his navel. Sarutobi had once had a relationship with Enma, the Monkey King. Gai had the ability to call forth an intelligent summoning, the large turtle Nin Kame. Prior to his death, Kidoumaru of the Sound Five could call a giant spider. Temari summoned the weasel-like Kirikiri Mai during her fight with Tayuya. The Kamizurui clan can call forth bees, whose stingers are loaded with an exceptionally lethal poison, and which can be made to carry exploding tags to inflict massive damage on the enemy. Suzumebachi of that clan could summon a giant bee, with wings capable of causing gale force winds, and a mouth able to spit massive amount of honey to ensnare its victims.
"I wonder why some of the animals look like the people who call them," Lee mused, breaking the silence. He was in the middle of doing push ups, since he was unable to take part in the testing. "Orochimaru looked somewhat like a snake around the eyes. The shinobi from the Sound had extra arms, like a spider."
"Naruto does kind of look somewhat toad-like," Ino said, smiling. "At least he did once." She had grown fonder of the villages noisiest ninja. They all had. He wasn't nearly as obnoxious and troublesome as before. The more time that the ninjas spent in mixed teams, the more their appreciation for one another grew.
"Does that mean…" Choji stopped munching for a moment, and turned to look at Tsunade. That earned him a look that threatened to burn the fat out of him quicker than his family's Sanshoku no Ganyaku pills.
"That kind of thing is silly," Kiba claimed. "They say the same thing about pets and their owners. Or, humans and their companions." He looked over at Akamaru who snorted and shook his head in a doggy 'No way.' Of the chuunin, only he and Lee didn't make any attempts. He didn't know how Akamaru would react if there was another animal closely bound to his life long friend. "Although… I wouldn't be surprised if Hinata managed to call up a mouse…"
Hinata winced. She knew that her teammate was only joking; but there was some shred of truth in the comparison he was making. Closing her eyes, she began the jutsu again, even though she was beginning to feel dizzy.
"What kind of animal has a really big forehead?" Ino asked conversationally, grinning at a grunting Sakura. "Oh… that doesn't matter, does it." She laughed. "A slug has a big forehead… if that really is a head…" She looked over at Tsunade when Shikamaru tapped on her shoulder. She swallowed hard, frowning when her teammate muttered 'bothersome.'
"If Ino ever succeeds, we'll have bacon for months." Sakura sat back on her haunches and wiped her forehead. It was time for a breather. "We could put away enough salt pork to last through a hundred sieges."
"Good one, Sakura!" Naruto smiled. He laughed when Ino stuck her tongue out at him. Looking at his friends, he began running a long tally sheet in his mind. Some of them owed him a number of bowls of ramen. Careful not to let their sensei or superiors overhear them, they had placed bets on the outcomes. Choji had been convinced that he could at least summon a small butterfly. Kiba had wagered that Shino could call a bug of some sort, or some kind of hound, since 'Shino' is the given name of the samurai Inuzuka of Hakkenden, a novel about a dog samurai. "But, names don't mean everything." 'Ino' means 'wild boar.'
"That's right. Choji's the porker." Ino held her nose up, until she realized what she had blurted out. She had been on her teammate's case a long time over his appearance; but, it seemed to be a family trait, and one that actually played into some of the jutsus he and his father used. "Sorry…"
"It's alright." Choji smiled, but there was a look of disappointment in his eyes. The dynamics of the heart were a strange thing. Choji liked Ino. Ino liked Shikamaru. Shikamaru couldn't be bothered. But, he was who he was. He kept the kanji for food on the front of the armor he had taken to wearing. "You can buy lunch today." He looked at Shikamaru. He had expected his friend to be able to summon a deer, given his family's history, and the fact that Nara ko-en was the name of a park area famous for that kind of animal.
"Make sure she buys plenty of noodles for you," Naruto said. "You owe me a number of bowls." he rubbed his stomach. "You too, Lee. You thought that Ten Ten could summon a panda."
"OHHHHH-HHHH-HHH-HH-H… remember your promise…" Lee stopped with his push-ups. He sighed. He had sworn not to do that. As a penalty, he would have to do two hundred leg-kicks.
"I did," Naruto said. "To the letter." He had promised his bushy-eyebrowed friend that he wouldn't repeat his belief that Ten Ten looked like a panda, with her hair done up in its usual fashion. He had mentioned that panda's were often named with the same syllable used twice in succession. And, Chinese food was amongst her favorites. 'Ten Ten' can also mean 'here and there,' or sporadically'; but, Lee had felt those words fit Naruto better than his kunoichi teammate.
"What promise?" Ten Ten cocked her head and looked at Lee. Although his honor and steadfast loyalty would make him impossible to crack by an enemy interrogation squad, he could always be coaxed into telling either Ten Ten or Lee his personal secrets.
"It doesn't have to be animals, you know." Naruto smoothly changed the subject, earning a look of gratitude from Lee, even though it had been Naruto who caused the trouble in the first place. "Orochimaru uses the forbidden Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Edo Tensei
to resurrect humans. That summoning requires a human sacrifice for each person resurrected."
"I really don't think we need to talk about that," Tsunade said with a definite sour tone of voice. Her old teammate had been a thorn in her side for a while now, and she didn't want to think about him. As it was, she was pissed off enough with her other fellow Sannin. Jiraiya had promised to teach today's lesson, but had never shown up. No doubt he was giggling like a twelve year old, peaking at some women through his stupid telescope, or throwing down large sums of money for a chance to be catered to by a room full of cuties.
"Orochimaru can also do Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Rashoumonsummoning Rashoumon large impenetrable gates with the face of a demon on them." He struck a lee like pose, but did not add that he could blast past a number of the things, when he was in the inadvisable Four-tail Kyuubi form.
The Hokage sighed. She wished that she could summon up a large padlock to put on a certain ninja's mouth.
"Don't forget Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Mouhogosha," Naruto added, smirking when he saw Tsunade frown. She was acting altogether too irritable these days. When he was Hokage, there was no way that he was going to become a grouchy old fart.
"There are others," Shikamaru stated, sounding very bored. "But, I do not think that we need to hear them all today."
"Thank you!" Everyone but Naruto, Lee, and Hinata had spoken up at once. That had Naruto tugging at one ear and making a face.
"Yo! Sorry I'm late.." It was the Frog hermit. He had figured they would all be done and gone by this time. Ah well. You win some and you lose some. "A number of lovely ladies had summoned up the courage to ask me for a personal reading. How could I possibly turn them down?" He was referring to the newest Icha Icha book, which hadn't hit the stores and newsstands yet. "It's a shinobi's duty to foster good relations with the civilians in his village."
"This is not your village," Tsunade said with a growl. "You consider any village to be your village, as long as it has Sake, women, and more sake." She knew why her former teammate traveled so much. It was not merely to check up on his network of spies. No. He was always one step ahead of some angry parent… a jealous husband… a priest with some lesson to teach… or the constable and his men. And, he always needed to find more people who were willing to treat him like a celebrity, until the shine wore off.
"And your point is?" Jiraiya shrugged, not feeling guilty in the least. He looked over at Naruto. "So boy, did the pink-haired one call a slug yet? She's got Tsunades' temper… Tsundae's talent…" He held his hands wide apart. "And Tsunade's ass." He laughed. The look on Tsunade's and Sakura's face was almost identical.
"AHHHH-HHH-HH-H… it is a very nice ass." Lee had meant to come to Sakura's defense. He had not meant to use those particular words. He turned bright red, starting at the toes visible through his sandals, and climbing quickly to the top of his head. "That is… I mean…"
"Which one," Naruto asked, unable to pass up the opportunity. "Sakura-chan's, or the Old Lady's?"
"Naruto!" Sakura held up one finger. Tsunade had been teaching her the Ishii Reshiin. Her mimicking her teacher's action only had Naruto smiling even more. "You'll pay." She was feeling somewhat miffed. Naruto should have been the one to come to her rescue, not make things worse.
"Sakura is not the only one like her teacher," Tsunade said in a very dry voice. "Unfortunately." She sighed, wondering if it really had been a good idea to send Naruto off to train with that hairy old pervert. The boy had certainly grew stronger. But, some things just weren't worth the cost!
"It could be worse," Kurenai told the Hokage in a hushed voice, so as not to be overheard. "At least he doesn't wear a green stretchy suit." She looked over at Lee and shook her head. Poor kid. "Although I hear that Gai did give Naruto one, once."
"That's almost a criminal offense," Tsunade answered. She looked over at Lee, too. Deep inside, she knew that the boy's lucking upon Gai as his mentor had helped him a great deal. Restricted to Taijutsu skills, the big-eyed boy might have ended up quitting otherwise. He had turned out remarkably well, all things considered. They all had.
When as coincidence had it, Gai and Kakashi joined the group, baiting one another with challenges and clever remarks, the Hokage decided that it was a good time to stop for the day. Things were getting too hectic, and this kind of evaluation required quiet concentration.
"One… more… time…" Sakura gave things one more great effort, ignoring the growing chaos surrounding her. Chewing on her hair and unaware of that fact, she slapped her bloody hand down on the contract scroll.
P-O-O-F
A small cloud of smoke reached skyward, almost looking like it was a grey scroll unrolling. When the hard dirt of the training field was visible again, framed by thick tufts of grass, a small pink blob remained, looking like over chewed gum.
"Look!" Ino laughed. "Sakura called up a wad of gum." She grinned, seeing her friend make another face at her.
"Hold on…" Shino pushed back his cowl. "I would not be so rash…"
"Of course you wouldn't," Kiba said, knowing his teammate very well.
Sure enough, as they all bent over and watched with rapt fascination, the pink glob unfolded some. Then, one small nub appeared and elongated into a tentacle. Soon, a second followed suit. Located on much shorter stalks, just in front of the first recognizable structures, the creature's eyes appeared. It was a very small slug.
"ALRIGHT SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto ran over to congratulate Sakura, making a big fuss over her accomplishment. That had Hinata looking over at the two of them, one of her greatest fears seeming to unfold just the way the smoke and the slug had.
"It's really not such a big deal," Ino quipped, feeling the need to tease her friend one more time. "It's not like the thing can talk."
"I don't know," Kiba said. "I don't talk slug." He winked at Shikamaru, seeing that his buddy was rolling his eyes again. "Why don't you give it a try. With your hair like that, you fit the part." Ino's hair had come unbound. Two large bangs hovered over her face, looking like the tentacles of the small invertebrate.
Ino put a hand to her hair, and blinked rapidly. Then, she gave Kiba a really nasty look. That had Choji smiling and Shikamaru shaking his head. Akamaru barked, and then began chasing a butterfly. That used to be cute, before the dog had reached the size of a pony. Now, everyone watched warily, not wanting to be knocked down to the ground by the playful pooch.
Hinata wasn't paying attention to the tomfoolery and shenanigans. She was too busy watching Naruto's animated descriptions of tadpoles with and without legs, as he tried to tell his teammate that a small slug was a good start.
"I know! I'll get Tsunade to throw you into a really deep chasm." Naruto looked over at the retreating form of Ero-Sennin, thinking back to the turn of events that had led him to call Gama Bunta. He knew that Sakura didn't have a storehouse of Bijuu chakra like he did. But, he was only kidding about the chasm part.
Sakura punched Naruto playfully. Hinata bit her lip. The sight was another small nail in a heart that already looked figuratively like a pincushion. With silent dignity, she picked herself up, vowing to try her best. After all, it had been Naruto that had encouraged her before. He didn't need to say anything to her. Just looking at him gave her the courage to keep going. She wished that she could tell him that. She wished that she could tell him how she felt. But, why not make one final attempt? It had worked for the Sakura. "One more time," Hinata said. She whispered "I can do it…" She brought her bloody palm down hard, striking the scroll, leaving another red print on what had started off as white parchment.
There was a puff of smoke. She was too excited to realize that there was no smoky smell accompanying it. As she watched, her eyes grew wide, as the small puff grew into a large roiling cloud. Bolts of lightning shot out of it in all directions. Soon, she couldn't see anything but wave upon wave of undulating grey and black smoke.
"Oh my god… look…" Kiba pointed, a smug grin on his lips. He knew something that the others didn't. So did Shino, who had agreed to this plan. When he watched his friend, the other boy made a cutting motion with his hand. At the same moment, the smoke cleared.
A gigantic squid lay flopping in the middle of the training fields, its great tentacles whipping this way and that, and its mammoth beaked mouth opening and closing. When Kiba projected his voice, it sounded like the squid said "Hyuuga Hinata, I'm at your com-m-m-m-m-mand…"
"Now there's two of them!" Naruto called out. "Look… the Legendary Suckers…" He looked over at Tsunade. "It's Granny Tsunade's twin…"
At first, Hinata felt a sense of elation course through her like a bolt of electricity. But, soon enough she caught on. Using a small jutsu that dispelled illusion, she broke through the Genjutsu performed by Kiba and Shino. Her spirits fell. They were her friends, and they were only joking. It hurt just the same.
"It's alright," Kurenai said, coming over to put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. She gave the boys a look that promised an extra long practice session. Why a squid? Oh. Right. Hinata detested eel and crab, so they went for something else of that sort.
"The lightning was bit much," Kiba said critically. He was shocked that his conservative friend had added that frivolous artistic touch.
"It was quite appropriate," Shino said in his serious voice. "The voice sounded too much like yours. You should work on that."
Lee and Ten Ten walked over and offered Hinata words of encouragement, before they headed off to work on the large wooden posts at the other end of the fields. Hinata thanked them, before looking over at Naruto. She had wished for him to do the same. But, at the moment, he was too busy risking fate with Tsunade again.
Heavy in heart, Hinata made the walk home alone. Neji hadn't been there to watch, having gone off on a mission earlier that day. When she made her way through the gates and found herself at the stairs leading to the main building of the Hyuuga estate, the door slid open and her father walked out.
"So. Did things go well?" Hiashi looked down at his daughter, a critical look in his eyes. Some things never change. He still wanted his daughter to succeed in a big way. But, he was no longer the ogre that he once was. After his eldest child had returned from a mission a few months back, and had managed to smile when she told him that everything had been a complete disaster, his heart had began softening, seeing that she was learning to accept her failures with a cheerful heart, without wanting to run and hide. That was a good sign.
"No… Father…" Hinata tried to put on a smile, but couldn't. "I was unable to summon anything…"
"Well… it's not a skill that everyone has…" Hiashi motioned for his daughter to follow him. "That doesn't mean you should stop trying. I'm just saying that I was never able to do so myself. Then again, I never really gave it much effort. Neither has Neji." It wasn't a skill that Hyuuga's traditionally used in this day and age. Were they becoming too limited, relying on the remarkable abilities of their Blood Limit? That was a thought for another day. "I will not even teach it to Hanabi. But, it had been written about in some of the early family records."
"I will try again tomorrow, Father. If there is time between training and meetings." Hinata had some duties with the newest genin, and was supposed to go over team strategies with Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino.
"Good. I have something you can borrow. If I can find it. I'm pretty sure it exits, and was kept somewhere in this house." He signaled Hinata to follow him into a part of the house that she usually didn't venture into. "And if it's still legible." The estate had countless nooks and crannies. While many held ceremonial suits of armor, large decorated urns, or simple gathered dust, others were hidden behind fanciful metal doors, with engraving of Oni, Kitsune, Tengu, and other fantastic beasts.
Hinata followed her father from room to room, as he sorted through collections of things that predated the creation of Konoha. The hoard was in dire need of cataloging and organization, but there never seemed to be time, or need. One small jeweled door was left untouched. She knew everything that hid behind that. Her father had put her mother's things there after her death.
"I was correct," Hiashi said, taking out a large scroll case. He blew off the dust, causing His daughter to cough and sneeze. "My apologies." Carefully, in case it was warded, he undid the end cap and slid out the contents. The scroll paper looked as fresh as one that had just been made. "You may want to look into this. It may prove useful. There are stories of the Hyuuga family having powerful Shikigami. I surmise that the tales are exaggerations, with one foot steeped in reality."
"Shikigami?" Hinata rubbed her fingers together, stopping when she realized what she was doing. That was at the top of her list of things to stop doing.
"Shikigami were supposed to be spirits summoned to serve or protect an Onmyoji, a person versed in Onmyōdō, a method of divination used by Buddhist priest who were forbidden to use astrology." Hiashi stopped, looking at a large box with chipped lacquer panels. He began looking for a key to fit the large brass lock.
"Could shikigami be called father by a summoning scroll?" Hinata ran a finger over the scroll. "Do they truly exist?" She had reason to doubt, seeing how her father had couched things earlier.
"Who can say," Hiashi said. "There are plenty of things that defy imagination." He scowled for a moment, his thoughts going back to the day that the Kyuubi attacked Hidden Leaf Village. "I doubt it, however. The shikigami were said to take the forms of birds or other small animals, and the more powerful ones were said to be strong enough to take possession of a person. Usually, the range of abilities possessed by such a spirit was said to be dependant on the Onmyoji's own capabilities. That is not true of the animals summoned by shinobi nowadays."
"I see." Hinata couldn't keep the sound of disappointment out of her voice. She had been secretly hoping that the scroll might call such a spirit, and that the shikigami might be something strong and powerful like the summonings that Naruto and Tsunade could perform.
"Shikigami were not without their uses, though." Hiashi found the key he needed. "Many of the ancestors in the stories could summon two of them at a time, and they were capable of significant feats. Abe no Seimei was a distant relative, and he was said to be able to summon and use twelve shikigami simultaneously." He put the key into the lock. "If that's true, then there may have been a more traditional explanation. One of the jounin can summon a number of dogs at once, can he not?"
"Yes, Father." Hinata nodded her head, watching her father open the strange box. "Hatake Kakashi." She thought but did not say: 'Naruto's team leader.'
"Ahhh. So it does exist." Hiashi reached into the box and removed a large black felt bag. Reverently, he slid something out of it. It looked like baseball-sized orb with a tail, similar to a three-dimensional comma, cored through by a hole in the center. The green colored suggested that it had been made from jade.
"What is that, Father?" Hinata took a step closer, careful not to intrude too far into her father's personal space.
"It is a Magatama," Hiashi replied. "In the past, they were curved comma-shaped beads that were popular during a number of ancient periods. Some were given as offerings to deities, or left in graves. Some people probably wore them as decorations, or found some religious significance in them." He ran his hand over the slick surface of the orb. "The shape of a sphere with a flowing tail is still the usual visual representation of the human spirit in some cultures. I have seen a number of older men and women wearing magatama in this village, probably thinking it would protect them from kami."
"That looks too large to wear, Father." Hinata eyed the sphere with uncharacteristic curiosity. There must be some story connected to it as well. Why else would it have been locked away in such an expensive looking container?
"This is not the usual magatama," Hiashi remarked. "Far from it. I remember a story that my grandfather once told me." He paused a moment. It felt good, sharing something like this with Hinata. Most of the time, if he spoke about legends or historically important events, he did so with his youngest daughter and Heir. "In mythology, a jeweled necklace and a mirror were placed on the tree outside of Amaterasu's cave, where she had gone to hide, causing the sun to hide away as well. Those items helped lure her out. In popular culture, the necklace was said to have a single magnificent gemstone." He looked down at the magatama. "Instead… the necklace was composed of multiple jade magatama."
"Then that…" Hinata swallowed, and pointed at the orb. Why was she suddenly feeling so awestruck. It was just a story, wasn't it?
"Yes," Hiashi said. "One of the magatama that made up Amaterasu's necklace. Or so my grandfather claimed." The hair stood up on the back of his neck. He felt a tingling sensation in his fingers. There was probably a rational explanation. "Before the Hyuuga clan traveled to the part of the world, they had been entrusted with this. Regardless of its true origin, every story told about it mentions that it contains some kind of power." He looked at Hinata silently for a few moments. "The risk is uncertain. But, if you like, I will lend it to you along with the scroll."
"Father?" Hinata blinked rapidly. She smiled a shy smile. Before either of them knew what had happened, she embraced her father and released him.
"Ahem." Hiashi cleared his throat, not knowing if he should be affronted as clan leader, or gratified as a father. "Any way. I expect you to return them in good order, when you are done with tomorrow's attempts." With that, he headed off to handle pressing official matters.
Hinata didn't get a wink of sleep that night. She couldn't wait to give things a try again. Who knows what the scroll might call? Having unrolled it to great length, she saw writings for a jutsu she could not figure out. There were handprints and thumb prints galore. It must be a contractual relationship of some kind. If she could somehow arrange to make a successful attempt with Naruto watching, her life would be back on an even keel.
When the morning finally came, she skipped breakfast, dressed as quickly as she could, and then lugged the heavy scroll case and magatama over to the training area. She had some time before Kurenai would bring the genin by. It might be nice to do all of her struggling unwatched, and then do things again in front of Naruto, after she had succeeded. She could do this. She knew she could!
"Oi! Sakura-chan. Look!" As it turned out, Sakura had dragged Naruto out early too, so she could work on her summoning skills. A small was-like slug was not going to prove useful in battles against enemy agents. "It's Hinata. Hey, Hinata-chan, are you out here to try again?" He marched over to see what Hinata was up to, his usual cheerful look on his face.
"Ummm… Hi, Naruto-kun…" Hinata leaned on the scroll case to maintain her balance. She almost felty as if she were going to faint again. "I… well… my father loaned my an old summoning scroll." She had trouble meeting his gaze. "I wanted to try the… ummm… the Kuchiyose no Jutsu again."
"Good for you!" Naruto stared at the scroll case, and then the magatama. "I knew you weren't the kind of girl to give up." He gave her a 'V' sign, and then wondered why she turned bright pink. She was nearly the same color as Sakura's hair. "What's that?" He pointed to the jade orb.
"It's a magatama," Hinata said, giving Naruto a brief explanation.
"Cool," Naruto said, smiling. "Sakura-chan doesn't have a magatama." He folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe that's why she only gets puny slugs." His eyes sparkled with humor when his teammate shook a fist at him. "Someone as freakishly strong as her should be able to do better, right?"
Hinata wouldn't have answered that in ant case. She especially had no desire to do so, seeing the look on the other girl's face.
"Maybe it's because she's a girl," Naruto said. "I don't need any help."
"You've got a demon inside of you, genius!" Sakura tugged at her hair. Naruto could be so aggravating, early in the morning. He had to wipe away his obnoxious tendencies, the way that most people brushed the sleep out of their eyes. "And you forgot about Tsunade!" She new she shouldn't take his gender stereotype jokes seriously, but couldn't help herself.
"I try," Naruto said with a laugh. "But, it's hard. You know, someone really stands out, when they try to make themselves look young… gamble too much…" He went on to list all of the things he had said to Tsunade, when she agreed to return to Konoha and accept the Tri-corner hat. He fingered the First Hokage's necklace, something that could buy that up to three mountains, the item he had one in his bet with Tsunade when he claimed that he could learn Rasengan in only a week It had been one of her treasured possessions. Now, it was one of his. He was a great deal fonder of the Fifth Hokage than he ever let on.
Hinata watched the way that Sakura and Naruto bantered with one another, wishing that she could do something like that. Her thoughts went back to the day when the teams were assigned. She had wanted to be in the same group as Naruto, and had been disappointed when he was placed with Sakura and Sasuke. The familiarity the two teammates had with one another was a hard thing to match.
When the girls settled in and got down to business, Naruto kept walking between them, staring over their shoulders, making a nuisance of himself. It took a while until Sakura had another success. This time, the slug was bigger, about the size of her thumb. It was pink again, a fact that had Naruto making fun of her. But, when he congratulated her, there was a real sense of respect in his voice.
Hinata tried again and again. Still, nothing happened. Her hand had started hurting really bad, and the magatama kept rolling down hill and bumping into her knee,
"Here… why don't you get that out of your way?" Naruto was his usual considerate self. Taking a spool of twine out of his pouch, he made an impromptu necklace for Hinata. "Don't get so uptight… it's not like this is some kind of test, you know…" He put a hand behind his neck. "It's OK to be a proud failure… right?"
Hinata nodded. She felt a warmth I her chest, over her heart. The same place that the magatama rested. She didn't know if the feeling had been caused by the strange artifact, or by her important person offering her words of support. "This time," she said between clenched teeth, trying not to cry out from the pain.
The moment she slapped her hand down hard, Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino walked into the clearing. They were followed by a group of genin, all of whom looked like they had wanted another hour of sleep. She didn't see them. Focused, she looked up to the tops of the nearby trees, when a real cloud of smoke quickly began to obscure them.
"I didn't do it." Kiba looked over at Shino.
"The same joke is not funny twice," Shino said, by way of denial.
"I wonder what it will be." Kurenai smiled, happy for Hinata's success.
"Probably something really great!" Naruto's enthusiasm knew no bounds. He liked to see people succeed, whoever they were. He especially liked to see his friends do well. "Maybe a giant cat. Or, something strong like a badger, or clever like a raccoon." he gave Hinata a thumbs up signal. "Hinata… you rock!"
Hinata felt on top of the world. Her heart was beating faster and faster, and not simply because of the praise. She had done it! And, she was excited, wanting to know what it was.
"I hope it's not a skunk or something." Kiba said. That kind oif rtemark threatened to knock a few petals off of the rose.
"Indeed," Shino added. The genin all began whispering amongst themselves.
"What is that?" Sakura looked perplexed. "I think… It looks like it's made out of paper…" Everyone turned and followed her gaze.
In many old stories, shikigami had been depicted as magical servants made from folded or cut paper. That might be related to ofuda, Shinto talismans made from paper, but could well be a play on the word 'shikigami' itself. The second character of 'shikigami,' which means 'god' or 'spirit', is pronounced the same as the character for 'paper.' Hiashi hadn't told Hinata those facts, as he did not know them himself.
"I guess we should have known," Kiba said, in one of his moods again. He truly liked Hinata, and was a good and trustworthy teammate; but, she was just too easy a target to pass up. "Paper dolls." His comment had Akamaru snorting, and then rolling on the ground with his tongue hanging out.
"So it would seem," Shino said, no trace of humor in his voice. "But, as always, it is best to gather all of the facts before leaping to a conclusion." He looked down at an errant chakra bug, which had come out unbidden, drawn by some unknown force.
Hinata didn't know whether to be elated, or embarrassed. Looking over at Kiba, she felt a sudden small surge of resentment. She wished that he would stop teasing her. Quicker than lightning, the enormous folded paper changed shape from an indeterminate abstract form, into something that looked like a 'T' with a round head above it. One of the paper 'arms' lashed out, striking Kiba on the rump and sending him somersaulting through the air.
"Serves him right," Kurenai said under her breath. She was too stunned to go check on the boy. What had Hinata called up? What kind of abilities did it have? Was it somehow alive?
"I said nothing disrespectful," Shino quickly put in, just to be safe. A number of the genin were looking at Hinata with a look of awe on their faces.
After that, Kurenai began thinking of a logical way to put the shikigami through its paces, trying to find out the limits of its power, and wanting to determine just what kind of control Hinata had over it. Giving the girl a number of simple tasks, and using the genin to create mock battlefield situations, she performed a systematic check, using the opportunity as a chance to train the younger shinobi.
The huge 'creature' could form itself into a giant bridge. It made itself into a giant ladder, as tall as the tallest tree. It had offensive and defensive capacities, and seemed to react as quickly as Hinata could speak or think. Hearing about the strange goings on, Tsunade and a number of elders hurried over to the training fields. They were joined by large numbers of jounin and chuunin, along with anyone else who might have overheard the strange rumors.
"Wow! That's truly amazing, Hinata-chan!" Naruto stood by Hinata's side, amazed by what he had seen.
Hinata smiled. Barely had the smile graced her lips, when the shikigami transformed itself into the shape of a giant heart.
"Hey! Hinata!" Naruto squinted, staring at the huge shape. "Why did it do that?"
"Ummm…" Hinata rubbed her fingers together.
END