Chapter Thirty-Nine

"Do you think Cousin Ken is okay?" Naruto asked as he and Karin made their way through the village toward Senju Park.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's tough," Karin replied. "Why do you ask?"

"He's been acting weird since he and Tomo got back from that mission far away," Naruto replied. "He's all spacey and he and Tomo act funny when they come near each other. And not funny-funny that makes you laugh, but weird-funny that kinda makes you hurt for 'em."

Karin thought over what her younger cousin had said and frowned as she thought over what to say. "Well, I might have overheard Ken talking to my mom about it," she admitted. "He said they fought … a jinchuriki." Naruto's head spun toward her, his eyes wide as saucers. "And it was a really tough fight and Tomoko got hurt really badly. Lady Katsuyu was able to patch her up, but maybe they're both just kinda shaken up by it."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, the expression giving him a distinctly fox-like appearance. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense, I guess."

"So who are we meeting up with, again?" Karin asked.

"His name is Shino Aburame," Naruto replied. "He's kinda quiet and odd sometimes, but he's polite and smart and focused. I kinda feel like the guy's lonely, so I thought we'd meet up with him. And Ken thought it would be a good idea to make another friend."

"You will meet up with him," Karin corrected with emphasis. "I'm only going because Mama and Ken don't like us wandering around alone."

"Wait, so what're you gonna do all day?" Naruto asked.

Karin reached into her bag and removed a book on medical ninjutsu. "Brush up on my medicine. Mama's preparing for classes to resume in the fall, and I wanna keep up to help her study."

"Aww, that's so nice!" Naruto said. "I wish I was smart enough to handle all that stuff." His smile wavered before growing again, this time clearly a front to someone who knew him. "Or Uzumaki stuff. Ken hasn't taught me the mind's eye thing or the healing bite or those cool chains."

"You have different talents, Naruto," Karin said seriously. "Don't worry. Besides, most ninja don't start really branching out and finding their niche until they graduate from the Academy. You've got plenty of time."

"What's a 'niche'?" Naruto asked.

"Your place, your job, or your specialty," Karin explained. "The thing that sets you apart and makes you unique."

"But Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji have been starting to learn their secret clan skills," Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah, but just the super weak stuff to get their feet wet," Karin noted. "They probably won't learn any real stuff until after the Academy, either."

"Get their feet wet …?" Naruto asked.

"You're impossible," Karin grumbled fondly.

"But you still love me, Cuz!" Naruto grinned.

Finally, they found themselves at the gates of Senju Park, the verdant trees towering over them and casting the park in shade. During the hot days of summer in the Land of Fire, it was a popular destination for families who weren't at work. As they passed, Naruto noted with mixed feelings that kids and families didn't glance at him with more than casual interest since he'd dyed his hair red. It wasn't that cold disdain, or the guilt-ridden pity anymore, just as if he were a normal, unremarkable kid. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, honestly.

Finally, they made it further into the park than most went, to a ring of massive sakaki trees around an open field that let in streams of sunlight, each tree mounted with an ornate plaque commemorating various clans that had been important in the founding of the village. The far four trees were marked with the four noble clans of Konoha — the Hyuga, Uchiha, Aburame, and Akimichi — and the rest with the original clans who had joined the Uchiha and Senju — the Sarutobi and Shimura.

Under the Aburame clan's tree sat Shino, dressed in his long hooded jacket and buttoned shirt with its upturned collar that hid most of his brown hair and face, as well as his dark sunglasses, gray pants, and sandals. He looked up when he noticed them and nodded before approaching.

"Naruto," he greeted. "Karin."

"What's up, Shino?" Naruto said back with an offered fist for a knuckle touch.

"The branches," Shino said with complete deadpan sincerity, his hands remaining in his pockets. Naruto awkwardly lowered his fist and scratched the back of his head.

"I'll leave you two alone," Karin said. "Naruto, let me know when you're ready to leave." Naruto side-hugged her and went off with Shino, randomly asking about grasshoppers.

Karin smiled fondly and rolled her eyes before adjusting her glasses and selecting a tree to sit under, the one with the Sarutobi plaque. She fished her book out of her bag and opened it up when she heard her name being called. Karin snapped the book shut and opened her mind's eye, her awareness intuitively expanding the second sight with sensory chakra. She sensed two girls headed her way, and very close. She closed her mind's eye and found two faces she vaguely remembered from the Academy.

One girl, the seemingly more outgoing one, was slim and fair-skinned and wore a blue quipo blouse and dark trousers with shinobi sandals. Her brown hair was tied into twin buns on the sides of her head and her matching eyes sparkled. "Hi, I'm Tenten," she greeted. "It is Karin, right?"

"That's me," Karin confirmed, a bit warily. "Why do you ask?"

"We saw you in the park with your cousin and just wanted to properly introduce ourselves." She chuckled. "Us girl-ninjas gotta stick together, you know?"

Karin blinked and couldn't help but smile. She hadn't made any close friends since she'd come here, the closest thing she had being Naruto's friends who were friendly enough but not really in her age group. Maybe that could change today.

Karin offered a hand to shake while she studied the other girl. She had charcoal gray hair that fell into spikes and hung to her shoulders while her bangs nearly reached her steel-gray eyes. Her cheeks seemed flushed and her skin lightly pink. Unlike Tenten's somewhat exotic clothing style, the other girl wore a simple brown tunic tied at the waist with a red cord, loose dark trousers, shinobi sandals, and oddly enough a bronze bracelet on her wrist.

"And you are?" Karin asked, trying to be polite.

"Hatsume," she greeted with a faint smile and an offered handshake.

"Nice to meet you, Hatsume," Karin said, accepting the shake and returning it. She quickly searched out Naruto with her chakra sense, ensuring he and the Shino boy hadn't wandered off too far. "Are you two busy?"

"Not especially," Tenten said. "Do you wanna hang out with us?"

"Sure," Karin said a little dazedly, and she gestured for them to sit. She herself folded her legs under her while Tenten settled on her knees and Hatsume sat with her knees against her chest. "What, uh, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, you're the newest person in the village," Tenten chuckled. "What do you wanna talk about? Anything we can do to help you settle? I know you've already been here a few months, but we'll help however we can."

Hatsume smiled wanly and nodded in support.

Karin blinked and thought over any questions she had about the village, eventually settling on one. "Back in the Hidden Grass, there were almost no girls in the Ninja Academy." That had singled Karin out even more. "It's not quite as bad here, but are there really so few kunoichi?"

"Yeah, it seems to be kind of a guys' club," Tenten said. "That's why it's important for us ladies to stick it out, though! To prove we're just as capable as the boys."

"Why don't you tell her what made you want to join the Academy?" Hatsume suggested.

"I'd like to know, if you're comfortable talking about it," Karin said.

"Well," Tenten said with a blush. "My Uncle Genma is a tokubetsu jonin, and he sometimes tells stories about kunoichi. Plus, my mom talks about Lady Tsunade of the Sannin. I want to grow up and be a respected hero, like her!"

"My mom told me stories about Lady Tsunade growing up!" Karin said. "They made me want to become a ninja, too!"

"Right?" Tenten asked. "I mean, my skill at medicine is awful, but there's other ways to be a great ninja." She held a hand to her chest in pride. "I personally am going to specialize in ninja tools, weapons and bukijutsu."

"Why's that?" Karin asked.

"My uncle has been teaching me the basics for the last few years," she explained. "And even before that I would watch him as he trained when my dad would take me over to his house. And watching him and his teammates fight, it was like each weapon was an extension of them, but each in its own unique way." She shrugged. "Weapons have fascinated me ever since. Chakra can run out, and muscles can be exhausted, but the right tool can still get you out of any situation."

"Wow," Karin said, "that's really deep." She blushed and adjusted her glasses as she looked at Hatsume.

"I want to be a great ninja to make my family proud," she said. "My clan was one of the first to join the village but we've always had a hard time making our mark. I want to change that, to show that we are a worthwhile part of the Hidden Leaf."

"It's kinda the same for me," Karin said. "I mean, I grew up on stories of Lady Tsunade, too, and I always thought she was an inspiration. And I do want to make my family proud and prove myself to the village." She quieted and checked on Naruto's chakra — he was still close by. "But more than anything, I want to protect my family from what happened to our clan's village." She clenched her fists. "I don't want other people to lose what they have like we did."

The other girls were quiet for a moment at the declaration before Hatsume smiled a little wider than before and offered a fist to bump. "Well, you've got us, right?"

Karin looked down at the loose fist in something like shock before she smiled and reciprocated. "Does this … make us friends?" she asked, for complete and utter surety.

"I'd say so," Hatsume said.

"If qualities of Heaven are your dsire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack." — Hiruzen Sarutobi, on traits of a successful chunin.

Though Sasuke had never heard this poem before, he understood its meaning. His parents, particularly his father, had strongly impressed upon him the importance of wrote, "book" knowledge as well as physical training as the components of strength and power as a ninja. It was why he was pushed to do so well in his Academy classes and continued to focus on his grades as much as his training, both to honor their wishes and to grow closer to the power he needed to execute Itachi and avenge his clan.

As such, unlike most Academy students his age, he spent quite a bit of time in the shinobi library researching tactics, techniques, and other forms of shinobi lore that may be useful in his goal. A voice of doubt in the back of his mind whispered that Itachi had the second highest scores in the history of the Academy, second only to Minato Namikaze, and so probably knew much of this. But he was resolved to remain learned to use what Itachi may not know against him.

Today, he was looking through his mother's personal journal for names of shinobi he could try and learn from. He flashed back to the Uzuamki clan head's demonstration of sealing months ago as an example of skills he might need an actual teacher for. He also thought over Naruto's month-long gushing about his cousin's matches in the Chunin Exams that showed solid clones, summoning a giant slug, self-healing, and some kind of chakra chains.

Sasuke shook his head and returned to reading his mother's journal from her time as a shinobi, doggedly ignoring the ache in his heart from the sight of his mother's neat, flowing handwriting and her thoughts during her ninja journey before she had married Father and had Itachi. That last thought stoked his cold fury and he bulled onward.

He'd gone through most of the journal by now, and his cross-referencing of names had revealed most of the names she recorded as now-dead shinobi. The few who were alive he'd resolved to attempt to contact after the journal was finished. As he'd gone through and it transitioned to her time after Itachi's birth, it was more a record of her thoughts and opinions on her husband's missions and comrades, and then Itachi's. His heart ached even harder as he arrived at the part of the journal during his mother's pregnancy with Sasuke himself, his eyes burning at the clear love she had held in her heart for him even before he had been born.

"April 14. My boy is such an active baby, unlike his brother. I hope that it is an indicator of his energy and drive when he grows into a fine shinobi of the Leaf. Speaking of fine shinobi, after weeks of thought and a few discussions with Kushina, I have finally settled on a name, one that Fugaku approves of even reluctantly. We will name our second boy "Sasuke," after the father of the Third Lord Hokage: Sasuke Sarutobi. Such a legendary name; I can only hope our Sasuke will be as talented as Lord Sasuke and his son, Lord Hiruzen."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the entry and he read it again — twice — to make sure he understood it. He had been named after a non-Uchiha! One that both his mother and father had respected for his talent. A Sarutobi, huh … Sasuke examined his list of shinobi that her mother had known and worked with to find more than one member of that clan. Uma Sarutobi, Basuto Sarutobi, Yanagi Sarutobi, Bandoru Sarutobi, Omasa Sarutobi, Daichi Sarutobi … so many names from one clan. Not to mention the Third Hokage himself, the strongest ninja in the village even as an old man.

Sasuke closed and locked his mother's journal before tucking it into his bag, then stood and searched out any books on Konoha shinobi clans. He was of course familiar with the Uchiha and had researched his family as heavily as he could in the time since … that night … but he had to admit that his knowledge of others was lacking. He found a few books that looked promising and began searching them for relevant information.

From each of the books' overlapping information, he learned that the Sarutobi were known for their exceptional willpower, physical strength, overall strength and skill in ninjutsu, and use of hiden techniques involving Fire Release. Legends said that the earliest members of the clan had been taught taijutsu by the monkeys of the "Mountain of Fruit and Flowers" and that the clan maintained a strong relationship with them. They were known for producing experts in numerous shinobi fields and arts.

When he came across an image of their clan crest, Sasuke narrowed his eyes as it tickled his memory. He brushed his fingers against it as he tried to recall where he had seen it before. He finally remembered when he thought about that trip Naruto had made to his clan compound during the winter months, when he'd been escorted by that mouthy kunoichi — who wore that symbol on her armband.

As he stacked his books to take to the return desk, Sasuke mulled over everything he had learned and began making plans to further his training. Perhaps it really was time he learned from someone who wasn't an Uchiha. After all, it might give him an edge against Itachi.

While the children were out with friends and Ken was burying himself under sealing commissions for whatever reason — she would have to talk to him about that soon — Kaori used the free time to do some grocery shopping. Maybe also peek into the shinobi supply shops for sealing equipment; Ken had been teaching her the basics and so might need more soon.

As she lugged the groceries back to the rental house — she smiled to herself at the thought that they would have their own clan compound soon — Kaori glanced up at the sign for a baker and decided on impulse to get something sweet. A bell jingled as she entered and she hummed in thought as she looked over the selection.

"Miss Uzumaki?"

Kaori looked over at the sound of her name to find a group of Hyuga composed of Ko and little Hinata, a three-year-old holding Hinata's hand, and a young woman. "Hinata?" Kaori asked back with a smile. "What a small village."

"Greetings, Mrs. Uzumaki," Ko said in a Hyuga's typical stoic tone.

"Hello, Ko," she answered, having met Hinata's caretaker several times during Naruto's play dates with the girl. "And who are these two?"

"Natsu Hygua," the woman answered formally. "And this is Lady Hanabi, Lady Hinata's younger sister."

"Hi!" Hanabi said, exuberantly waving her little hand. Kaori chuckled and waved back.

"It's nice to meet you, Hanabi." She looked at Hinata. "And, of course, it's a pleasure to see you again, Hinata."

The caretakers seemed to tense up at the lack of a title given to the girls' names, but they decided to let it go.

Soon enough, the Hyuga group's order was prepared, and Kaori grinned at the tray of steaming cinnamon rolls that Ko picked up, handing some to each of the others. "If you'll excuse us, Mrs. Uzumaki," Ko said, "we need to get the children back to the compound." He waited until he was finished speaking to take a bite of his roll.

"Of course. Have a wonderful day, girls." Kaori waved again to the Hyuga girls as they left, both of them waving back, and picked up some cupcakes to take with her back home. As she made her way back, she hoped the children were having fun.

Across the village, Kato Sarutobi was intently watching a sparring match with wooden poles between one of his Academy-age cousins, Toso Sarutobi, and his best friend Seishi Akimichi.

Toso was a lean boy like most Sarutobi, almost scrawny for his age of nine years, his skin lightly tanned and his brown eyes glittering and intense. He had a large hooked nose that always seemed to be reddened and his dark bangs fell into his eyes every now and then. Light scars littered his knuckles from punching trees as a childhood outlet for his constant energy that exhausted everyone except his friends. He wore a forest-green shirt with a dark-red vest and matching pants tied up with a green rope, as well as shinobi sandals.

"Come on, bring it! I know you're better than this!" Toso laughed as he clashed training staves with his best friend.

Seishi grunted and disengaged, leaping backwards to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her brow beneath a red cloth headband. Like most Akimichi her age, Seishi was a large girl, particularly around the middle — though more muscle than the fat that people tended to assume. Her spiky chestnut hair was gathered by her headband and fell down to the base of her neck to resemble a short sow's mane, her dark eyes were often narrowed, and markings like tridents were inked on her cheeks. She was dressed in a sky-blue shirt and shorts that would be replaced with blue plate armor when she grew older, a stylized image of a rake on her shirt.

Toso and Seishi began to circle each other like rival wolves, each one grinning with the thrill of a good spar and trading jeers and barbs as they searched for missteps or openings to attack. While they did, Kato glanced at the third member of their merry little band, another girl named Kyosai "Kyo" Suiro. Unlike the others, Kyo was more soft-spoken and levelheaded, preferring to watch intently during or when watching a spar rather than trade taunts. Also unlike them, she was not from an established shinobi clan or family, and so took most everything with an air of seriousness. Kyo had sandy-blonde hair drawn back in a hairband, coppery skin, and wide, green eyes like river water. She was a slim child and hid herself under a clay-red knit poncho dotted with pink wavy lines, the pants and shirt underneath a dark purple.

After several more minutes of sparring, Kato called an end and gestured for them to come to him.

"Nice work," he complimented, his smile turned sly, "for Academy students."

"Oh, just because you're a chunin now," Toso said, his voice heavy with sarcasm, "you think you're all big and bad!"

"Isn't your sister a tokubetsu jonin?" Kyo asked dryly. "Maybe Ms. Tomoko would like to observe us and give more useful feedback."

"Alright, easy does it," Kato said. "Jeez, a guy can't have any fun with kids these days." He laughed and popped his neck. "So, you kids have any idea who's gonna make the shinobi cut?"

"You mean besides us?" Toso asked cockily. "That Hyuga guy is pretty hardcore. Kind of a jerk, but the instructors say he's a freaking prodigy."

"A girl named Tenten," Seishi piped up. "She's got a lot of talent with weapons, and the mind and drive to back it up."

"What about the Uzumaki girl?" Kyo asked. "Karin, I think? You seem to have developed a certain rivalry with her, Seishi."

"A friendly one," Seidhi rebutted. "She's got a lot of skill, herself."

"I would hope so," Kato said. "Koko and I were part of the group that brought her and her mom to the village." He brushed a thumb across his chin in thought. "They said they'd enroll her in the Academy. I'm glad to hear she's doing so well." He shrugged. "Anyone else?"

"No clue," Seishi said.

"Me neither," Toso added.

"It's in the hands of Lady Luck," Kyo finished. "Though, we do have three more years in the Academy. It's entirely possible for others to come into their talent in that time."

"True enough," Kato said. "Breaks over. Back to fighting!"

Chapter thirty-nine, everyone!

*the idea that Tenten is Genma's niece was not originally from me, but I loved the idea and so I'm using it. His involvement with her becoming a ninja is from me, though.

*The names of the Sarutobi referenced in Mikoto's journal literally or closely translate to "Horse," "Burst," "Willow tree," and "Bundle." While they have no meaning on their own, when translated from Chinese (via Google Translate, so take it with a pinch of salt) they are the names of Sun Wukong's four monkey generals of Fire-Fruit Mountain: Ma Liu, Beng, and Ba.

*Toso Sarutobi's name means "Strife," as in Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII - tying to Sun Wukong's well-known power to fly on a cloud. Seishi Akimichi's name means "stillness." Finally, "Kyosai" means "mutual aid" which is a character in the name of Shu Wujing/"Sandy", the third disciple in JttW; her surname "Surio" means "waterway" another reference to Sandy who was a river demon after being banished from heaven. The trio are modeled after Xuanzang's three disciples of the novel: Sun Wukong, Pigsy, and Sandy.

*Seishi's shirt having a stylized rake is a reference to Pigsy, who used a powerful magical rake in combat. **Seishi is the akimichi girl Karin sparred against in an earlier chapter.