Author's notes: Aunt Natsumi continues to be her awesome self. The Uchiha continue to be lovable dorks. Danzo jumps to the wrong conclusion (surprise surprise). It becomes very obvious that Tsume has a hair fetish. This is the second-to-last chapter of the Alpha Years. I'll post the last chapter soon, and then there will be no updates next week, as I have to have surgery. (Ah, intermittent ovarian torsion. Is there room to complain about medical misogyny? Let me express my fury of waiting four and a half hours in my local ER with severe, unresponsive abdominal pain - which could've been appendicitis, or ovarian torsion, or an ectopic pregnancy, and the lady who thought she needed stitches after her corgi bit her was seen before me. She arrived after I was already there for 2.5 hours. She was seen after forty minutes of waiting. IF YOU HAVE A HEALTH PROBLEM THAT CAN BE HANDLED BY URGENT CARE, THERE IS NO WAY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH THAT IT RANKS HIGHER IN TRIAGE THAN SEVERE ABDOMINAL PAIN IN THE ER. I sure as hell don't need no male doctor telling me that this is ovulation pain. Look, buster, I've been ovulating longer than you've been a doctor. I've had five pregnancies, three live births, and two miscarriages, and I've never had such excruciating abdominal pain. I think I know what's a normal level of ovulation discomfort. How about I channel my inner Tsume and rupture a testicle, and ask you why you're fussing, it's totally normal to feel like that... I hope I still have an ovary come next week)
o-o-o
o-o-o-o
o-o-o-o-o
The Uchiha Clan was considered by many (most of them also Uchiha) to be a clan amongst clans. Strong, disciplined, honorable, and talented even without use of their powerful doujutsu, they held themselves to a standard that many other clans sought to achieve.
"This," said Uncle Obito as he held a tea tray and walked shoulder to shoulder beside his wife, "is the best vacation ever. I haven't had to do a thing except collect heads for bounty."
Across the span of his life, Kagami had worked with the best of his clan. Uncle Obito was Izuna's eldest of two children – the only one still alive – and he had fond memories of "Uncle Madara, you know, before he went completely batshit crazy." Uncle Obito had also been a lethal Uchiha ANBU captain back in his heyday, before Tobirama established the Uchiha Police Force and decided to funnel most of the Uchiha into it. Uncle Obito had declined leadership of the Uchiha Clan, feeling unworthy, and requested that it instead go to a different cousin.
Kagami had also worked with the worst of his clan, and everything in between.
"Which color do you want, red or blue?" Fugaku asked Mikoto, offering her blue teacup.
"Red," she breathed, not looking at him. She kept twisting her head and looking over her shoulder, unwilling to lose a single moment of Natsumi's glory. Fugaku guided her through the rolling plains with a hand gently wrapped around her wrist. He really was a good man, truly considerate of darling Mikoto's needs.
Kagami accepted the blue teacup from Nashi with a quiet murmur of thanks. He was under no illusion that the Uchiha clan was perfect. It had its own fair share of flaws, quirks, weaknesses, and oddities. He had also worked with many other clans, and ninjas with civilian backgrounds, and found that life required a wide and varied assortment of differences. If life was a garden and everyone was a rose, it would be a very boring, monotonous garden.
"There's blood. In my tea. Again."
His tea was delicious, blood notwithstanding – at least it added extra flavor. And having tea on the run also meant that the reinforcements traveled at a pace that didn't eventually leave Kagami gasping desperately for air. He was no longer suited for long-distance stamina after surviving rheumatic fever.
"She… she aims it just for me, doesn't she? I can't…I feel faint. I think I'm going to pass out. Or throw up."
In the great garden of life, Kagami decided that he liked the idea of being a carrot. Yes, a carrot suited him just fine. Cheerful, crisp, reliable, and sweet. It was a good metaphor, and the Second – who did so love his metaphors, no matter that he rarely used them – would've been proud of Kagami.
Uncle Obito rolled his eyes and switched teacups with Yakumi, careful not to jostle the liquid. "Take a deep breath and think happy thoughts, boy."
Yakumi obeyed, squeezing his eyes shut and muttering, "Butterflies. Butterscotch cookies. A brand new toilet brush with an ergonomic handle for the basement cells' restroom."
"Bah, young kids these days," Uncle Obito muttered, sipping the tainted tea. "Modern village living has made them all soft. Back in my day, we graciously accepted teacups brimming with the blood of our enemies."
Aunt Nashi lightly touched his wrist. "Darling, we all know that Uncle Madara was unbelievably unstable, but he only did that once, and only because Inuzuka Shinzou challenged him in front of Tobirama and Hashirama."
Daimaru whined. "Are we there yet?"
"No," Fugaku replied with a frown. "But we are five minutes closer to our destination than we were the last time you asked. Five minutes ago. Which is the distance of a kilometer."
"Yeah, but I thought we'd finally see some action instead of this. It's boring. I want to be in the fight – not watch it. This is even worse than when you investigated who was extorting the Civilian Chairman for having sex with his wife's cat, and all you let me do was alphabetize your files!"
"You complained two days running about the paper cut you got," Ringo said. "We'd never hear the end of it if you got stabbed. Besides, Natsumi-san appears to have it all taken care of."
"Are you drinking tea?" Natsumi looked outraged beneath the splatters of gore as she joined their sedate pace.
Mikoto's smile was shy as she held her teacup out as an offering. "They're brimming with the blood of your enemies. The blood flies far with your marvelous ax."
"Look, that was between my sister and Madara, and they were both showing off in front of the Senju, anyway. I had nothing to do with any cups brimming with the blood of any enemies."
"It's disgusting, is what it is!" Yakumi insisted, forgetting all about describing to Uncle Obito how he color-coordinated his spice rack. "Completely unhygienic! It was red, and floating right there in my tea. I…I think I'm going to be sick." He turned away from his clanmates as his face went pale once more.
"Oh." Natsumi eyed her Uchiha companions, as if calculating how far out of reach she should be. Especially when Ringo and Daimaru began to loudly discuss Sanzo-kun's illicit affair with Miss Fluffster The Third, and how the physics of such could even be possible. Natsumi settled for walking at point with Kagami as the group was circled restlessly by the three gouka inugami that she kept constantly at her beck and call. She bumped Kagami's recently-dislocated arm, which was tucked away in a makeshift sling. "This was the best you could come up with?" she hissed, too softly to be heard by the others. She absently adjusted her breast bindings, opting to wear them during the fight. Her upside-down otters could no longer be seen, but at least the blood splatters matched in color. "Obito isn't bad – at least he knows which side of the sword he's supposed to stick into his enemy. Two of the others are sleepwalking. And snoring!"
Let it never be falsely said that Uchiha can't multitask, Kagami thought imperiously as he took a sip of tea. After all, those two had been awake for forty-eight hours when he pulled them for this mission, and he had promised to let them sleep as long as they could still keep up. Then Kagami gave Natsumi a shifty look. "The Second used to say that every family tree has a few nuts."
"Soooo, what? You shook the tree until all the nuts fell out at once?"
"They're not that bad, Natsumi-san. While the selection was admittedly limited, I chose people who are skilled fighters with a variety of talents – not for their shining personalities or social graces. Otherwise, I would have protested more about you joining us."
Because, in the great garden of life, there would always be nuts. And that was okay. If it weren't for the nuts in his life, Kagami didn't think he'd know what normal people looked like, much less appreciate them – especially after his youth with Team Tobirama.
oOoOoOo
On the evening of their first day of camping, a group of twenty-two enemy Kumo nin decided that the hillside opposite of their hollow was the perfect place to set up a small camp.
"That's just perfect," Danzo grumbled as he glared over the stone wall at the enemy camp.
"Can't blame them, really," Sakumo said, leaning both elbows on the stone wall and also watching the group from a distance. "The Kurama genjutsu is so good at making this area so unassuming and unthreatening, they figured it was a good place to also set up shop." Then he nudged Danzo without looking at him. "And we might want to spread the word that I will personally drag back anyone who tries to sneak off to assassinate the Kumo nin. Mifune-dono said as long as they don't come in our direction, if they're not bothering us, we won't bother them. We'll wait until our reinforcements arrive, since we're pretty safe as long as they don't have a tracker or a sensor."
Danzo glared silently, and Sakumo subtlety shifted a little further out of the reach of Danzo's crutches.
oOoOoOo
They were in the midmorning of their second day of camping, when Tsume finally managed to mostly self-heal her left arm. Unfortunately, she hadn't realized that causing the skin to heal while she still had stitches in place meant that Kyou had to spend nearly an hour carefully cutting out the stitches – although he could've gotten them out sooner if he didn't also read Tsume the riot act at the same time. Kyou made his displeasure with her thoughtlessness very clear to everyone in hearing as he loudly berated Tsume. Then he spent the next hour reviewing Tsume's chakra control. She proudly demonstrated her skills by healing her skin once more. Sakumo was quiet but thoughtful as he and Tsume's teammates sat and watched from a wagon's shadow with the four ninken clustered near by.
It had been an overcast morning that smelled like it was going to be clear day, but the temperature hadn't improved much since awakening to a dusting of fresh snow covering everything. Tsume, still wearing Sakumo's shirt and not much else for warmth on account of how Kushina and Kokoro didn't have any spare cloaks to share, had snuck into Danzo and Sakumo's wagon. Kushina and Ichi kept a lookout while Tsume poked through Sakumo and Danzo's things. She discovered a large, long-sleeved wool shirt in Danzo's bag, right next to his labeled shaving kit and a pair of chakra-suppressing cuffs that smelled like Sakumo (she was so not going to think about the implications of such), and was pleased to see that the shirt would fit perfectly over her cast without the need to rip out any seams.
Kyou rubbed his chin as he considered Tsume. "You're remarkably good at this. I expect such control from the Inuzuka women, but rarely are they skilled at your age."
Tsume glanced quickly at Sakumo. She carefully made sure that she was never alone with Sakumo, always having Kushina or Kokoro has a cushion between them. So far, Sakumo seemed equally reluctant to be alone with her. "I spent a couple of months in the company of Iwa shinobi, like Daisuke. I got a lot of practice in."
Sakumo flinched.
Kyou cleared his throat before lightly tracing her cast. "How about this arm?"
"Every time I try healing my right hand, I get really bad muscle cramps. They feel wrong, so I decided not to try."
"Sound choice. Bones have to be straightened correctly before you can heal with chakra, otherwise they heal incorrectly, and that would cause problems later. The only way to correct such problems is by systematically breaking every incorrectly healed bone. Besides, it's best to let bones heal naturally in younger people, otherwise you run the risk of affecting the growth plates." At her look of confusion, he added, "That's the portions of your bones that become longer as you grow. You'll wind up with a stunted arm."
Tsume rubbed her nose and thought about how Narumi had chewed her out for breaking every bone in her hand. "That would be a lot of bones to break." She didn't want to go through that process again.
"Have you ever tried healing anyone else?"
"No. Should I?" Tsume wilted slightly under the glare that Kyou gave her. "I guess that's a no."
"There's a reason why we don't let anyone run amok, healing willy-nilly when they don't have the formal training and knowledge. You know a little of what to do, but do you know why or how? Do you have the knowledge of anatomy and physiology to prioritize and triage? You Inuzuka have a tendency to run headlong into battles, which med nin are not to do. Med nin aren't to stand in the front of the battle line, they're to die last of their team, and they cannot stop the healing until the lives of their teammates come to an end. Not in that particular order. And if I know anything about the Inuzuka, it's that they're sure to be in the first line of casualties."
Sakumo coughed into his fist. His cough sounded like, "Tsunade."
Kyou's expression instantly soured. "Unless the med nin happens to be a Senju with an incredibly rare razor-edge chakra control that's seen once every two or three generations. Oh yeah, and that she's mastered the Strength of a Hundred technique and the Creation Rebirth. The first you could probably learn from your aunt, who gave Tsunade-hime the idea and the groundwork in the first place. Who knows about the second, however."
Sakumo didn't bother hide his grin. "While I think it's great that Tsume-chan has good chakra control and knows how to heal herself, I don't believe that she's quite up to learning anatomy and physiology just yet."
"Is there math involved?" Tsume asked nervously. "Oh, gosh! If there's numbers involved, I won't do it!"
"Worse," Kokoro replied, scratching San behind the ears. "Memorization."
"Noooooo." Tsume's melodramatic whine was saved from being addressed when Danzo entered their midst. He was astride Juubi, having decided that it was better to move across camp on horseback than on crutches. Juubi stretched his powerful neck and immediately began nosing Tsume, looking for some of the stray carrots that Tsume continued to feed him when Danzo wasn't looking. Juubi was being nicer to Danzo, as if he had decided that Danzo was worthy of riding him after they shed blood together in their battle against the Iwa nin. Danzo still didn't like Juubi, but apparently liked him a little more than the crutches. Or maybe just sitting so high made Danzo feel superior, that's what Kokoro had said.
"Tsubasa-san reported sensing our reinforcements four kilometers away," Danzo told Sakumo, jerking Juubi's head away from Tsume's reach. He unhooked the saber from his belt and tossed it to Sakumo, who caught it with a wide-eyed look of grateful wonder. Sakumo began caressing the blade and checking for any possible flaws. "How far away do you think they smell?" he asked Tsume. His eyebrows dipped low in a puzzled frown as he studied her.
"Um." Mentally swearing at her greatest nemesis, Math-sama, Tsume did her best to measure the distance of the Uchiha and Aunt Natsumi's scents with their current location. "Just over the hill? Maybe two hills over?" She was fairly sure that was reasonably close. "Aunt Natsumi and the Uchiha are moving steady, but at the angle they're approaching…" Stupid Math-sama. "I think they're going to cross the hill and run right through the Kumo camp. They'll be here in twenty minutes."
"Oh! Oh!" Kushina bounced up and down. "Can we watch the meet-up?"
"Sure," Sakumo declared, just as Danzo said, "Hell no!"
Then Danzo glared at Sakumo. "What do you mean, sure? And why," he glared down at Tsume, "are you wearing that?"
"I never said they could be on the battlefield. They can watch from the wall and see everything from there. Give me some credit here, Captain – it's rare to watch a strong, skilled kunoichi on the battlefield, when their traditional roles usually involve healing, espionage, or Intel. Hardly a lick of battle to be seen. To watch the Hell Hound herself in her favored environment is a privilege few survive to tell about, especially when she retired before the girls were even born."
Tsume sulked. "I was really, really cold this morning. Do I have to give it back? I'll arm-wrestle you for it."
Danzo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arm-wrestle me, she says. With no viable arms. Keep the damn shirt, I didn't need it anyway. Sakumo, what are you teaching these girls besides those ridiculous rules of yours? If I know Inuzuka Natsumi in full-fledged battle form – and I do, I've had to paint the damn otters on right-side up too many times – you will regret letting them watch." Wait – Danzo got to personally help Aunt Natsumi with her battle paints? "The Slug Princess would be a far more valuable role model for them."
Sakumo shrugged as he stroked the pommel of his saber. "Tsunade-hime is in a different country right now, anyway. And I'm sure that Natsumi doesn't have anything that the girls don't have themselves."
"Except the piercings," Tsume said absently as she wracked her treacherous brain to remember if Grandmother or anyone else had ever told her of any incident where a male had been allowed to assist an Inuzuka with her battle paints. She studied Danzo with newfound admiration. Face paints signified a woman's caste in the clan, and the battle paints was her favored guardian. The symbolism was intensely private now that most Inuzuka women dressed in clothes, with only a hint of their heritage usually limited to their facial markings, but it had always been a considerably great honor for younger, inexperienced clanswomen to assist a higher-ranked warrior in prepping for battle.
As Danzo shifted his glare from Tsume to Sakumo, Sakumo angled his body to hide his chakra saber from Danzo's gaze, and held up a defensive, slightly placating, hand. "Hey, don't look at me like that, Captain. Tsume already knows about her aunt's piercings. All the piercings."
"Kakashi probably knows too. Aunt Natsumi joined us enough in the onsen."
Sakumo wilted in dismay at that, whimpering.
Danzo yanked Juubi's head away from the carrot that Tsume offered. She pouted. "Stop feeding the disobedient cow."
Tsume turned her nose up in the air. "Juubi should have as many carrots as he wants." Juubi snickered softly in agreement.
"Stop calling him that infernal name!" Juubi swatted Danzo with his studded tail; Danzo shielded his head and back with long-suffering practice, his forearm crisscrossed with multiple old and new lacerations.
"You know, Captain, you're going to lose this argument and therefore some of your authority if you try to win this one with Tsume. Apparently, she regards Juubi just like a dog, and you know where you stand with her dogs."
"Floundering buffoons are not allowed to call my horse anything either."
Tsume shifted closer so Juubi could eat the proffered carrot.
Danzo leveled his glare onto Kokoro and Kushina. Both girls cringed backwards. Even Kyou, who wasn't on the receiving end, began looking for an escape route as the scent of his fear spiked. "Besides," Danzo drawled, his eye half-closed, "I'm pretty sure that everyone else has the wherewithal and the sensibility to realize how dangerous it is to piss me off."
Danzo didn't smell angry, so Tsume ignored while she offered Juubi a handful of grain that she had snuck from the bags stored in the girls' wagon. Sakumo shrugged nonchalantly, used to the worst that Danzo had already thrown at him in ANBU. Danzo sighed. "Fine. Let them watch the Hell Hound tear through her enemies like the wrath of Amatsu-sama rising from the pits of hell."
"This," said Tsume with a triumphant fistpump, "will be the coolest thing ever." Her other hand was wet with Juubi's slobber. She swiped it clean on Danzo's pant leg.
oOoOoOo
Personally, Tsume thought it was a stroke of genius for Kokoro to figure out how to pop the horse's corn into popcorn so they could have something to munch on as they awaited Aunt Natsumi's arrival. The popcorn needed butter and salt, but such commodities were considered a luxury when it came to war rations. The clouds had cleared away to reveal a surprisingly bright sun, made even brighter from the reflection of the lingering snow. Kokoro was wearing a pair of sunglasses to protect her gaze from the glare as she sat carefully balanced (with a chakra-enhanced seat, just like Tsume had explained) on the top of the stone wall. Kushina and Tsume sat on either side of Kokoro, since Kokoro wasn't willing to relinquish her hold on the bucket of popcorn. Grandmother's four ninken were on the other side of the stone wall, all resting just below Tsume's dangling feet and pressed against the wall to avoid the edge of the Kurama genjutsu.
"They should be coming along at any moment," Tsume said, waving at the two distant hilltops. On the left hilltop, the Kumo nin were scattered around the premises of their own camp site, digging pits and renewing traps. The Kurama genjutsu was subtle and innocent enough with the sheer sense of boredom, that it failed to illicit any suspicion or curiosity. Kumo nin hadn't ventured close enough to the Konoha camp to require necessary action on Mifune's part. However, given the trajectory of the incoming Konoha reinforcements, it looked like a collision was going to take place very shortly.
"Are they here yet?" Mifune asked, sounding slightly out-of-breath but looking unruffled as he gracefully alighted upon the stone wall beside Tsume. He surveyed the countryside for a moment, and then slid down to sit beside Tsume. He clasped his hands in his lap. "If I get to see the Hell Hound in battle, I feel that I may die a happy man."
"Why's that?" Tsume asked around her mouthful of popcorn.
Mifune side-eyed her for a moment, and then turned his gaze back to the enemy. "Let's just say that some dreams are always possible, no matter how old you get."
Huh. Well, Tsume could respect that. Especially when she had tried on Aunt Natsumi's traditional garb and modeled it for Kakashi and Kuromaru. They all agreed that the loincloth was probably too large for her. Tsume was still trying to work out what she wanted for her battle paints. Crimson red for alpha, of course, but she hadn't figured out what sort of guardian she'd wind up with. She hoped that it would be something fierce and terrifying. Definitely nothing like what Cousin Hiji had. There was no way Tsume would ever admit that she was painted with guppies and llamas.
Sakumo squeezed himself between her and Kokoro, leaning half-over the side. "I wanna see this too," he said, dangling from the stone wall with his head nearly tucked beneath Tsume's cast.
"Where's Danzo?"
Sakumo indicated the direction with a brief nod of his head. "Over there."
Tsume craned her head backwards. "Um." She straightened her head. "He looks as angry as he smells." She cringed at Danzo's scent as he approached the wall, able to easily see over it from horseback. "He really doesn't want us watching Aunt Natsumi, does he?" She wondered if giving Danzo back his wool shirt would improve his mood. Of course, she'd also get cold again, and he had said that he didn't need it.
Sakumo reached up to ruffle her hair. He winced and withdrew his bleeding hand. "Spikes?" he asked, his voice equal parts of outrage and amusement. He stuck one bleeding finger in his mouth and sucked. "You put spikes in your hair?"
"Juubi liked the dandelions that I braided in his tail yesterday and said I could keep the spikes. I figured that would be okay since Danzo wasn't going to be riding out into any battle while his hamstring is giving him fits." Well, Juubi hadn't said anything, but he smelled of approval, and that was good enough for Tsume, so Tsume had left the caltrops in the tail.
Mifune-sama coughed. "You… you braided flowers into the tail of the fiercest war horse I have ever seen?"
Well, technically, dandelions were an herb, and she couldn't find anything else that was green and growing in the plains of early winter. She liked dandelions because they were incredibly hardy, and they were also fluffy and cheerful. She wanted to be like a dandelion.
Tsume bounced her heels off the stone wall and stared across the distance, trying to see just the countryside in front of her. There was still a residual ache in her head and scalp from two days ago, and her stomach swam with overwhelming embarrassment if she allowed herself to think about what Sakumo had seen. "Juubi just wanted to be pretty, and I wanted hair that someone couldn't grab. Besides, Danzo helped, because I couldn't get the spikes out of Juubi's tail very easily with just one hand." Danzo had also been half-groggy from his nap when he caught her. Tsume suspected that he was just delighted to make Juubi's tail a little less painful to get whacked with.
"Ah. It was good of Shimura-san to assist you. Your decision seems very reasonable to me after what happened." Mifune's voice was full of understanding, but not pity. Tsume decided she liked him. "So, how much longer do you think we have to wait?"
"Any minute now," Tsume said, rocking. "They smell really, really close."
"Ah. I don't sense their presence. They're probably masking their approach."
Danzo snorted. "Natsumi is too bold of a woman to mask her approach. She's the brawler of the Hell Hounds. Shinzou was the one with all the subtlety; she would silently and patiently track her prey, able to completely mask her presence from almost all forms of detection. Natsumi was the brute force of the duo, so when the prey was discovered, Natsumi would incapacitate them."
Mifune sighed wistfully. "Legends in their own times," he murmured, sharp eyes not moving from the horizon.
"Oh! Oh!" Tsume bounced up and down in her seat. "Here they come!"
One far-off figure, a blotch of tan and red, appeared against the skyline as it crested the top of the rolling hill. It paused a moment as it was joined by four ominous black blots. Everything stood still for a single moment – no breeze, no call of birds, insects silent. And then the blotch darted forward to the other hillside where the Kumo camp was, parting through the snow-covered dead grass like a scythe, and the black blots followed smoothly behind. Half-way down the hill, a shrill, wordless battle cry echoed across the countryside. This startled the Kumo nin, causing a flurry of movement and shouts to ring through their camp.
Aunt Natsumi collided with the camp without slowing her headlong rush. Enemies went flying and tents collapsed under the brute force of her attack. The blots – gouka inugami – lunged at the Kumo nin as Aunt Natsumi plowed through with her ax swinging freely.
"Oh look, Sakumo," said Danzo, his voice disturbingly light, "Inuzuka-san is frolicking with the enemies."
Sakumo choked on his laughter. "There's certainly no question of Aunt Natsumi is enjoying herself."
As Aunt Natsumi crushed the opposition, seven other figures crested the hill and meandered towards the Konoha camp.
"Uchiha," Tsume supplied as she crammed a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"Wow," said Kushina, unblinking as she watched Aunt Natsumi's carnage. "They can't even touch her. She slides around like oil on water!"
"That's not sliding. That's jumping," Kokoro said. She peeked over the edges of her sunglasses. "Is it just me, or is Aunt Natsumi not wearing a vest?"
Tsume hastily ate more popcorn as she felt Danzo's gaze burn into the back of her head. She didn't know why he was glaring on her; she wasn't wearing the traditional battle garb!
Mifune winced as one of the inugami set a Kumo nin on fire. "I think we can get the horses hitched and move out in an hour. It won't take long for Inuzuka-san to clear our path of obstacles."
"Hey." Kokoro reached around Kushina to poke Tsume in the knee. "So, are the Uchiha just here to act as an honor guard? They aren't doing anything to help your aunt."
"They'd just get in the way," Tsume said, her cheeks bulging. The Uchiha were now visible enough that Tsume could visually identify what her nose had told her. Fugaku and his brothers were there (Tsume vaguely recalled the twins from her first year in the Academy, but they just weren't as fun as Fugaku…), and so was the clan cousin whom Tsume had smelled with the Hokage when Danzo first tested the strength of her olfaction, wearing a long red coat with a wide raised cowl and his arm in a sling. She turned to Danzo and pointed. "That's him," she said. "Remember when I told you about Fugaku and his father back in Earth with the Hokage? He's the third Uchiha."
Danzo rubbed his temples. "That would be Uchiha Kagami. Head of Internal Affairs. Given your general antagonism with the Uchiha, try not to cross paths with him, Tsume. He and the Jounin Commander are the highest ranking shinobi in Konoha after the Hokage."
"He's also one of the Captain's old teammates," Sakumo said cheerfully. "And his brother-in-law."
Well, Tsume's nose already knew that this here Kagami was sexually intimate with someone who was closely related to Shimura Danzo. Tsume tilted a look between Kagami and Danzo. The teenaged Uchiha girl's scent was a conglomeration of Uchiha and Shimura, with an active Sharingan, so it was obvious that the sexual intimacy had been fruitful.
The Uchiha stopped just outside the edge of the Kurama genjutsu, their Sharingan active and their expressions bored. In the background, Aunt Natsumi's laughter was harsh. Everyone but the teenaged Uchiha girl was staring at the camp; the girl kept her gaze turned towards Aunt Natsumi and had to be guided by Fugaku. Kagami's scent was mild like fresh milk and honey, and his face placid and friendly – and there was a taint of illness in his scent.
Kagami moved forward until his toes brushed against the genjutsu. "We're coming in."
It was a simple matter for the Uchiha to hop the stone wall, even with all the watchers lining it. Kagami weaved his way through the samurai and ninja, walking the top of the wall, until he stood between Danzo and Mifune. He inclined his head first to Mifune. "I am Uchiha Kagami. It is my understanding that you are in charge here, Mifune-dono."
"Yes. Thank you for answering the summons. Moving across the countryside with minimal forces has proven to be riskier than initially anticipated. My samurai can guard the wagon train, but it's in everyone's best interests if the fighting is kept away from the train, and you shinobi are the only ones with that kind of mobility." It was left unsaid that Mifune didn't like to engage the enemy without reason, as he still wanted to maintain his neutrality in the war. He took up arms to protect the wounded; he would not battle to defeat an enemy if they didn't first attack him. That was how he had explained it to Tsume and Kushina when Danzo introduced them.
"It would be my honor to accompany this train, helping you to protect the most vulnerable. I hope we don't disturb your routine too much." Kagami turned to Danzo and grinned in amusement. "You're looking more battered than I'm used to seeing. You must've tangled with some really tough opponents."
"I'm fine," Danzo said, raising his chin stubbornly in the air. The light in his eyes was the softest that Tsume had ever seen.
"Whoa," said Kushina, not looking away from Aunt Natsumi's carnage. "Did she just punt that head clear over the other side of the hill?"
The Uchiha girl sighed wistfully. "Isn't it amazing?"
Tsume swiveled her head away from Danzo and Kagami in time to see Aunt Natsumi rip off another head and toss it casually over her shoulder.
Tsume saw Fugaku glaring at her from the corner of her eye. Tsume really had no idea what she did four months ago that would make Fugaku still be angry with her. Honestly, he didn't tend to stay angry at her for very long. ("A wasted effort. Besides, the more tickets you get, the more fines you owe the Police, and the more we can make you clean the station to pay off the fines whenever they exceed your allowance. By the way, stop putting the rolls of toilet paper on backwards. You are exceeding the limits of Yakumi's medicine and therapy."
"I still don't see why you keep him around. He keeps buying all the wrong cleaning products. I told Yakumi-san that white vinegar works just fine and can be used on everything. Do you think he does it on purpose because he knows how strong the products smell to me?"
"Nah. He just doesn't like to cross-contaminate, even with products. As neurotic and OCD as he is, I'll have you know that paperwork in the Police Department is exemplary because of him. Don't be putting away the mop yet, Tsume. You missed a spot there in the corner."
"I did not!"
"I can see it with my Sharingan. Hop to it girl, you still have another four hours of janitorial work to pay off your fine.")
The girls sighed in delight as Aunt Natsumi slaughtered the last remaining Kumo nin – a half dozen had fled, and she wasn't bothering to give chase. She circled the camp for a few moments, and then put both fists on her hips. "HEY. YOU GUYS BETTER NOT HAVE TRIED DITCHING ME AGAIN. WHERE THE HELL IS EVERYONE?"
"Tsume." She turned to Danzo. "Are the surroundings safe?"
She made a show of sniffing. "Free and clear of enemies." She froze as Aunt Natsumi yelled about what she was going to do if the Uchiha didn't come back for her.
"Is that even possible?" Kushina asked in awe, pressing an uncertain finger against her lips.
The eldest Uchiha grinned. "You betcha. The Kiri nin actually threw himself at the inugami and begged to be eaten."
Danzo pinched the bridge of his nose, and then waved Tsume off. "Go to your aunt. Maybe that will appease her."
Tsume jumped off the wall. The four ninken clustered around and followed at her heel as she dashed forward. Behind, she distantly heard one of the twins say, "Simpleton Tsume off playing fetch again. Some things never change."
Tsume ignored the twinge of resentment that as she and the ninken ran through the snow and grass. Her legs quickly became wet, and her footing was surprisingly slippery. She smelled the excitement and wariness of the ninken, unhindered by the presence of inugami or the Kurama genjutsu. "Aunt Natsumi!" she yelled. She nearly tripped over a groundhog hole, but Ichi nudged her upright. "Aunt Natsumi!"
"TSUME? WHERE ARE YOU?"
Tsume followed her nose through the grass to Aunt Natsumi, who dismissed her summon creatures before they could gobble Tsume's soul. Aunt Natsumi must've followed her ears, because they met half-way across the field. The world seemed to stop for just a moment as Aunt Natsumi dropped her ax, scooped Tsume into a bone-cracking hug, and spun her about in mid-air, laughing and crying at the same time. Aunt Natsumi felt solid and smelled of love (and fresh blood, adrenaline, excitement, and anger).
"Let me look at you," Aunt Natsumi set Tsume on the ground and held her at arm's length. The mass of scar tissue bisecting her face crinkled as she frowned unhappily and touched Tsume's face with both hands. Her touch trailed to the pit of Tsume's throat, where the hand-shaped bruise was still present, and hadn't yet started to fade from its purple and dark gray mottling. "What happened to you?" Her voice became harsh as the scent of fear flooded from Aunt Natsumi's pores. She touched the uncovered bite wound that had scabbed over. "Who hurt you like this?"
"He's dead, Aunt Natsumi – Sakumo-sensei killed him. Gosh, I missed you!" Tsume pressed her upper body against Aunt Natsumi's mostly-bare torso and looped her left arm around Aunt Natsumi's neck in a clumsy hug, ignoring the smear of blood and paint. Aunt Natsumi wore breast bindings, which Tsume was pretty sure wasn't part of the clan's traditional wear, but figured it was probably meant to keep Aunt Natsumi warm. Their breath fogged in the frigid air.
Aunt Natsumi didn't return Tsume's hug. Tsume felt her own body go tense. "He hurt you." Aunt Natsumi's voice was almost a shapeless growl. Aunt Natsumi framed Tsume's face with her hands, and pushed back to study Tsume. Fear was quickly being replaced with rage. "I'll kill him."
Tsume saw the wrath in Aunt Natsumi's eyes, and felt the ninken go tense around her, their heads lowered and their fur bristling. The ninken's scents shifted into fear and anger. It suddenly occurred to Tsume that Aunt Natsumi probably knew the language of her sister's ninken better than Tsume did, even without the ability to detect the shifting scents. Tattletales! "He's already dead," she said firmly, and then glared sideways at Ichi.
"I'll just use the Edo Tensei to kill this man all over again." Aunt Natsumi loomed over Tsume. "And then I'll bring him back, and kill him again, and again, and again."
Uh oh. This didn't bode well if Aunt Natsumi ever found out about Danzo.
"Don't, please," Tsume cried, throwing her arms around Aunt Natsumi's waist. "Don't. Leave the dead dead." She imagined a whole line of people taking numbers so each could have a turn at killing Daisuke. "It wasn't that bad—"
"Not that bad?!"
Tsume flushed hot at the memory. "Being raped didn't hurt as much as Sakumo-sensei seeing it, Aunt Natsumi!" Her eyes began stinging as she thought of Sakumo's shattered expression when he received the blast tags. "And it was over faster than normal—"
"Faster than normal? THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE? WHY DO YOU HAVE A STANDARD FOR WHAT A NORMAL RAPE SHOULD BE?"
Tsume wondered if it was possible to take her foot from her mouth long enough to kick herself with it. She didn't have much time to wonder, since Aunt Natsumi snatched up Tsume and her ax, and shunshinned across the hill, following the trail through the snow that Tsume and the ninken had made. "SAKUMO. SHOW YOURSELF!" Aunt Natsumi may have lost her sense of smell, but that didn't mean she couldn't ruthlessly track and corner her prey like a hound on the fox's trail when there was an obvious path to follow.
Aunt Natsumi broke through the Kurama genjutsu without any change to her level of wrath, and leaped the stone wall in a single bound. Tsume dangled from her grasp, babbling desperately to redirect Aunt Natsumi's attention. "It was only once, Aunt Natsumi, really!" She cringed as onlookers turned their attention on them. It was just as embarrassing as the whispers that rippled through the ranks after Sakumo deposited her at the top of the ravine to face the two medics alone.
"You!" Aunt Natsumi struck the ground with her ax, splitting it open when she saw Sakumo. "I require a word with you, Hatake." And then to Tsume, her grip tightening in warning. "Once is one time too many."
"But you don't understand—!"
Aunt Natsumi tore the ax from the ground and leveled it at Sakumo. "Where were you?" she screamed.
Tsume threw her arms around Aunt Natsumi's ax arm. She dangled in the air with a chakra enhanced grip, even though it made the broken bones and half-healed tenketsu in her hand throb with more pain. "I disobeyed Danzo's orders, so it's my fault—"
The ax swung around to point at Danzo. Juubi laid his ears back in warning as Tsume kicked her feet in the aim, swinging like a pendulum. "I want a word with you, too, brat!"
"—there were forty-two Iwa nin! I couldn't just leave Danzo to fight them alone—"
Sakumo held up placating hands to Natsumi, carefully keeping them away from his weapons. "I would've torn the world apart to keep her safe…"
"—SUPPOSED TO WATCH MY NIECE—"
"—and I had Grandmother's ninken, so I was already armed to the teeth—"
"…I don't blame you for being so angry, but can you please yell at me in private elsewhere?…"
"—NO CHILD SHOULD EVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT—"
Danzo and Kagami silently exchanged a look. Danzo impatiently flapped his hand at Kagami; Kagami rolled his eyes upward and sighed as his fingers flashed through multiple seals. "You owe me for this, Danzo." A waterfall drenched Aunt Natsumi, Sakumo, and Tsume.
"YOU." Aunt Natsumi swiveled the point of her ax at Kagami and swiped the plastered wet hair away from her face. "ARE NOT INVITED."
Kagami tucked his free arm into his sling as he smiled. "Well, that's certainly true. Nobody ever invites Internal Affairs. We're not exactly the life of the party, even though I always look the other way when someone spikes the punch. But I'm sure that Mifune-dono wants the camp to start moving while we still have daylight, so we'll need to let Danzo and Sakumo decide what to do with the reinforcements. Now." After a slight pause, he added, "The reinforcements includes you. The Uchiha should probably scout ahead, but it's best if your summons can communicate between each other and the wagon train."
Aunt Natsumi slammed the ax into the ground. A small crater formed beneath the impact. Tsume slid off the ax to the ground with a solid thump. "My priority has always been Tsume. Do not make yourself an obstacle between us, Uchiha Kagami. I will crush you."
Kagami slowly walked towards Aunt Natsumi, pointedly brushed past her with his bound arm, and then squatted down until he was eye-level with Tsume. "From the sounds of it, it looks like I need to address this sooner rather than later, and you need to cool off before you hurt someone – like your niece. It appears that this young lady has already been through a lot, so let's not add to it with even more of a public spectacle." Tsume saw her reflection in his dark eyes, surrounded by crow's feet. "Tsume-san? I am Uchiha Kagami, and I've always wanted to meet you."
Tsume took in his scent; it was as light as Danzo's was dark. Most of the Uchiha that Tsume met didn't particularly like her – they were such stuffy duds – but this one seemed pleasant and friendly enough, and didn't stink of deceit the way that Madame Haori had. Sakumo said that this man was Danzo's old teammate – Danzo had the scent of love for Kagami, and she had never known Danzo to ever bear the odor of love before. "Thank you," she replied, when it seemed like Kagami was waiting for a response.
The crow's feet deepened as he smiled at her. "Your reputation precedes you. I've heard much of you from my clanspeople." Kagami assisted her upright to a standing position, his one arm helping her with her one arm. She felt an instant kinship with Kagami and his sling.
Tsume shuffled a toe against the ground as she felt Aunt Natsumi and Danzo's glares burn into her scalp. She kept her gaze on Kagami's face. "Most of it is probably true," she mumbled.
"Indeed." Kagami straightened. "'Bull-busting Tsume', they call you."
Oh. Well, that was certainly different from Simpleton Tsume. Had a better ring to it, too. She tried not to preen.
Kagami ignored Aunt Natsumi's mutter of, "I'll show you ball-busting."
He held his unbound hand out to Tsume and waited until she accepted it. His grip was firm and gentle. "Danzo, a place for privacy, if you would."
Danzo nodded Sakumo towards the Uchiha as he urged Juubi forward. "This way." He and Kagami were silent as Danzo trotted to his and Sakumo's shared wagon. Grandmother's ninken followed after, but Tsume made San stay for Kokoro. Activity flared into a loud bustle as people began clearing the camp site., most of them smelling of second-hand embarrassment from Natsumi's very public outburst. Tsume felt her face and shoulders flush red with shared embarrassment. A driver was preparing Danzo's wagon for hitching just as they arrived.
"Anything I should be aware of?" Kagami asked as he lifted Tsume one-armed into the wagon, over the raised tailgate. His face was neutral as he turned to Danzo, but Tsume sensed a swell of… something. She couldn't tell if it was a good swell or a bad swell, since his scent didn't seem to shift from its odor of friendly calm.
Danzo was quiet for a moment, and then rubbed a spot on his forehead just above the bridge of his nose. "Kagami – I beg your honesty, despite our ranks and the classification involved. If you've ever had any regard for our kinship… Are you aware of Tetsuzanshi?" No one was close by to overhear Danzo's words.
"Somewhat, given the rank and age of the participant. I had to give approval for certain details as the Hokage worked them out."
Danzo's face remained still, but his scent shifted dangerously, love and respect withering into a strange combination of despair and hatred. His grip on Juubi's reigns went white-knuckled as his spine relaxed. "I see. I never expected you to stoop so low, my friend." He turned Juubi's head away with a harsh snap of his wrist. "Then again, you are every bit as Uchiha as Madara." He spat the name as if it left a foul taste.
"Danzo, wait."
Danzo dug his heels into Juubi to quicken the trot. Tsume felt a looming cold leaning against her shoulders as Danzo disappeared from sight.
"I think you pissed off Danzo," Tsume said helpfully as Kagami climbed into the wagon with a sigh. "I don't even know how you did it, and I'm saying that as a person who usually knows how she pisses people off." Ichi and Ni leapt inside, and Shi settled on the ground outside, looking alert and ready.
Kagami rooted around in Sakumo's supplies until he found a few candle stubs and lit them with a light puff of fire from his lips. He dropped the wagon's back flap to muffle sound, and sat down beside Tsume on one of the oat sacks. "Danzo has always been easy to offend for reasons known only to himself," Kagami said, leaning back. "For someone who disdains emotions, he certainly cycles through them quite rapidly." He flashed through multiple hand seals – one handed – that made the walls of the wagon glow blue for a moment. Tsume felt a pressure build between her ears. "That'll keep things private." Kagami braced his unbound elbow against his knee and rested his chin on the heel of his hand. "Do you know what Internal Affairs does, Tsume-san?"
Ichi rested his massive head on Tsume's lap. She scratched behind his ears. It looked like he had some grime in them. He was still a little clumsy on his feet, his equilibrium not quite restored. "Internal Affairs makes sure that people like ANBU and the police don't hurt the civilians." That was how Tsume understood the explanation from Academy. "Because shinobi are so much stronger than civilians, Internal Affairs makes sure that the shinobi follows a code of ethics, especially against those who are much weaker and can't defend themselves. And ninja clans have different standards for what constitutes as child abuse from civilians." Children of ninja clans were trained from an early age, and it wasn't unusual for them to be injured in the training. Apparently, there was a fine line between what was considered acceptable training, and what was considered abuse.
Tsume suspected that investigations were limited to physical abuse, given how emotionally and verbally abusive Grandmother had been over the years with not a single Uchiha policeman stepping forward. (Although, come to think of it, Fugaku had a tendency to make her work her fines off, rather than reporting her infarctions to her guardian, as usually required by law. She wondered if that meant Fugaku was secretly nice… nah. He was still a jerk-butt. He probably didn't feel like constantly reporting her to Grandmother.)
"Something like that, yes. Police investigates civilian matters, and the lawbreaking of off-duty shinobi. Internal Affairs investigates reports and suspicions of lawbreaking, misconduct, and abuse by on-duty shinobi. In short, I police the police and ANBU. I also represent genin and chuunin who are orphaned, clanless, or civilian-born, because they have no one to speak up on their behalf. The Hokage believes, as do I, that the powerful have the responsibility to protect the vulnerable, that someone like Danzo should watch after someone like you. I'm also consulted regarding highly-sensitive missions where there's a strong potential for abuse or exploitation of minors."
That was good. Tsume had always thought that the Hokage was a nice man.
"It would seem that Danzo has done his best to watch after you, and per my recollection, he isn't supposed to have any knowledge or involvement with the Tetsuzanshi Op in the first place. But I see that's not important to you, right now. Rather, do you know what upset your great-aunt and Danzo?"
Tsume checked Ichi's paws. The pads were still only partially healed from skidding down the ravine walls, and still tender where he was missing his claws. "I just do what I'm told, sir. Well, usually I do. I didn't do what I was told last time because Danzo ordered me to go back to the wagon train and let them know that forty-two Iwa nin were approaching. Instead, I sent Shi off with a message and followed after Danzo, because he was going to face those forty-two nin alone, and I couldn't let that happen!"
Kagami sighed and looked mildly exasperated. "Danzo can be a real idiot sometimes."
Tsume nodded her head vigorously, thrilled that someone finally saw things her way. "Exactly! Grandmother's ninken and I took out a lot of enemy nin when we got there, and Danzo even admitted that he would've died if I didn't come! Anyway, Sakumo and the others also came, and none of us died."
"But you were raped before they got there."
Tsume resumed inspecting Ichi's paws. It was important to make sure they didn't get infected, and it was hard to see in the dark wagon. She channeled some additional chakra into her eyes. "It went faster than I'm used to though, and I worked with what I had." She tugged at Ichi's ears again. She needed to make sure they were clean so Ichi's hearing wasn't affected. After a moment of distraction, Tsume risked a peep at Kagami. He still rested his face on the heel of his hand, and his eyes were sad.
Gosh. His hair looked really, really soft. Was it as soft as Minato's?
Kagami's gaze flickered red, but remained Sharingan-free, as he studied Tsume and the ninken, and then he reached forward to tug a spiky lock of Tsume's hair. "Would you feel more comfortable if a woman was in here, if you weren't left alone with me? I would gladly suffer your aunt's presence and temper if it makes you feel safe."
"No, I'm okay." Tsume glanced at Ichi and Ni. Neither seemed wary with Kagami. "I'm not scared, and you smell nice."
Kagami looked a little sheepish as he then combed his fingers through his gray-streaked curls. "Do I? I haven't had a chance to wash since leaving Konoha."
"I know. But your personal scent – it's a nice scent." In her experience, Danzo wasn't any fonder of the Uchiha Clan than Tsume. If she and Danzo could've bonded over anything, it would've been over that. It seemed so bizarre that Danzo would be so fond of Uchiha Kagami. "You're married to Danzo's sister."
"Half-sister, but yes. Danzo was never particularly close to her. He's much closer to me, as his old teammate, than he is to Fumiko as siblings."
"Is it because she married an Uchiha?"
"No, nothing at all like that. I think he was more disappointed in me for marrying her, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Danzo's father died in battle, and his mother was pregnant by another man two months before his father's death. Danzo resented his mother for this betrayal, and some of that resentment bled onto Fumiko. But it wasn't Fumiko's fault – she didn't have a choice in who her father was or what her mother did."
Within the closed confines of the wagon, she could definitely smell that he was in ill health. It was a scent that wasn't rare with older adults, but Hidarime had never explained anything when Tsume had asked in the past. Tsume decided not to ask Kagami – it might embarrass him, the way that having chlamydia embarrassed Tsume. "I like your scent. It's a scent I can trust." She eyed him as a sudden suspicion entered her mind. "Wait. This isn't some kind of seal, is it?" If she could have a seal that made men lust after her, then Kagami could have a seal that could make people trust him. Grandmother was always complaining about Internal Affairs sticking their snooping noses in unwelcome areas, so Tsume figured that such a seal would be a really useful thing to have if your business was to check on everyone else's business.
Kagami laughed. "No seal. I do what I do because I believe what the Second Hokage taught me – to protect the weak and the vulnerable. Shinobi have a great power, and great power sometimes attracts unsavory characters. My mother's uncle, Madara, had great power. And, unfortunately, an even greater darkness in his heart. What do you know about seals?"
"I don't, really." Tsume remembered an old voice and the surrounding redness. "Just that… well, sometimes, they can be useful enough for you, but other times, they're not worth the pain or the hassle."
Kagami carefully poked through her hair. "I see you have spikes woven in your hair. It's a good choice."
"Yeah, Danzo helped me. I don't want anyone to grab my hair and smash my face. That happened to me, in the ravine. The other man broke my nose, and then I couldn't smell anything."
"And an Inuzuka nose is her livelihood. Do you like being a kunoichi?"
Tsume couldn't imagine what life would be like if she wasn't a kunoichi. She thought of her older brother, Subaru, apprenticed to a local butcher, and she thought of his dog, Jet. She thought of a variety of Inuzuka women, too disabled to be kunoichi, who helped with the ninken and children, especially cousin Shinchuu. "Sure." A kunoichi was way better than a butcher. Or, well, considering the spine she ripped out… maybe a kunoichi was sometimes nothing more than a butcher of humans. At least Subaru's work fed people.
"You're a genin now. Do you see yourself one day becoming a jounin, or even a teacher like Sakumo-sensei?"
Tsume had never thought about it. She barely even thought about being the Clan Head, and knew it was probably something she should focus on. "I don't know." She marveled at being a jounin sensei like Sakumo, of having a gaggle of children like Kakashi. Then she wondered why he kept changing the subject. "Why aren't you asking me any questions about the Black Ops that never was?"
Kagami considered her again for another moment; his scent swelled and settled. "To be perfectly honest, I've been trying to build rapport and encouraging you to lead the conversation." He tilted his head to the side and rested his unbound hand in his lap. "Did you know that you were supposed to be the kennel keeper's apprentice?"
Tsume frowned in confusion. "But Madame Haori didn't like her girls going anywhere near the dogs…" She felt her eyes sting, and she didn't know why, so she shifted the extra chakra away from them. It didn't ease the stinging.
"It was something that the Hokage and I had arranged. The Madame was trying to procure more dogs, fresh ones for training and breeding, and you were supposed to supply the dogs, and assist the kennel keeper in their training."
"I was a prostitute." Tsume's mind whirled as she pushed Ichi's head off her lap and drew her knees up. "Orochimaru had Grandmother sell me." And Madame Haori had sneered and turned her nose up, saying that Tsume was too ugly for what Madame Haori normally bought, but war increased the demand on her goods, and she needed more, younger, goods.
A thousand ryo was all that Madame Haori was willing to cough up for ugly little simpleton Tsume.
Madame Haori had eagerly paid over a hundred thousand ryo for five sleek hounds a week after Tsume's arrival.
She hunched behind her knees and her voice broke. "I was supposed to be with the dogs?" She thought of Grandmother and Orochimaru, the look on Sakumo's face when she gave him the blast tags, and Danzo as he shoved her against the bleached boulders when she offered to fuck Orochimaru. It felt like someone was repeatedly punching her in the heart.
Kagami sighed as he leaned back against the oat sacks, stretching his legs out languidly. "I am sorry that Konoha failed you, Tsume."
Tsume blinked back tears as she stared at the candles. Her jaw trembled, so she clenched her teeth. It was hard to breathe. She felt the looming cold beneath her, an emptiness hovering just beyond her shoulder blades. If she wasn't supposed to be sold to the brothel, then she wouldn't have received the seal on her toe. Without the seal, Daisuke would never have raped her, and then Sakumo would never have seen what she desperately wished he hadn't seen. She rubbed at her eyes. "G-grandmother said she loved me." A fancy little lie without a whiff of deceit, and Tsume had swallowed it – hook, line, and sinker.
She viciously wished she had kicked Grandmother's cot twice.
Kagami hugged her close; the looming cold retreated at his touch. She buried her face against her knees and tried hard not to cry. She focused on breathing – in and out. In and out. "You are a very brave, very strong kunoichi," he said, touching his chin carefully on the top of her head twice before finally resting on a spot that didn't jab him. "And despite what happened, you still succeeded with your mission. Not many people can carry on successfully when their superiors screw up."
Tsume didn't know if that was supposed to be a good thing or not. Ichi nudged her elbow and whined. "I don't want to talk about this," she said, squeezing her eyes shut.
"That's fine. We can talk about whatever you want."
When Kagami remained silent, Tsume peeked at him. He stared at the candles with a look that reminded her of Minato. Maybe that was why she felt an immediate liking for this Uchiha – he had that quiet, bright center that effortlessly pushed back the void. She snuggled close to his side, rubbing her cheek against the rough wool of his red coat because it made the cold nothingness shrink down until it was nothing more than just a shadow of a pin. "Who's Madara?" she asked. "Grandmother mentioned him before she died."
Kagami's voice was wry. "I'm sure she did. Inuzuka Shinzou always said that she smelled Madara in the Nara Forest the day you were found. My mother's father was Madara's younger brother, Izuna. Madara went rogue some years after the founding of Konoha. Rather infamous, as ancestors go, so I'm sure you've heard of him before, although we've done our best to, uh, downplay his role in history because of what happened. He fought with the First Hokage and lost, but not before changing the landscape or wounding the First so severely that Hashirama had to retire and hand the Hokage hat over to his brother. They say that Hashirama died from the wounds, but I remember him. I think Hashirama died of a broken heart."
"I don't know if it was Madara, but I remember meeting an old Uchiha." Tsume closed her eyes. "He asked me if I knew what they say about curiosity and cats. I said no, I'm an Inuzuka, and we don't have cats. He said that didn't matter because dogs die just like cats do. He had white hair and red eyes, except they were different. Instead of the three commas, he had three red circles in a triangle." She tried drawing the shape in the air with her finger, but her finger couldn't quite recreate what her mind remembered. "And there were three black stripes, too, in his eyes, with the circles and triangle."
Kagami's scent coiled, shifting to surprise as the coil became a spike. "The eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Is that important?"
He sucked a breath through his teeth. "There are very few people in living memory who would know what it looks like. My mother knew. She drew it for me, once."
"Oh." Tsume decided that she very much liked Uchiha Kagami. The sound of his heart where her ear was pressed against his torso was reassuring, even if it seemed sloshy. "It was very pretty, especially when it began to spin." Of course, that was when the pain also started, so maybe it wasn't such a pretty thing. "Wait. If he was an Uchiha, how did he get into the Nara Forest?"
"Madara was a very talented ninja."
Tsume supposed that he would have to be, to get into a fight with the First Hokage and live. She considered her knees in the dim light. "Why would he hurt me?"
"Madara was also a very ruthless ninja. Let's just say that it wasn't the first time that an Uchiha has deliberately targeted a young child with intent to maim or kill, although usually they were Senju children. We generally stayed away from the Inuzuka women and their daughters because there are few people in the world who can be more terrifying than a rampaging mother bear. Especially an entire clan of them." He snorted. "An entire clan of naked rampaging mother bears with absolutely no personal boundaries when it comes to their sexuality."
Tsume felt a looming cold over her shoulder again. Why me? She wished that Minato could be here, with his sunshine bright smile. She reached out with her left hand and pawed Kagami's hair. It was silky and soft – nothing at all like her stiff, wiry hair. Kagami allowed her exploration, smiling with a gentle indulgence so she knew that her touch was welcome. "Gosh," she said, knotting her fingers in his curls and sniffling, "you have… you have dandelion fluff, too." Then she pushed her face into the crook of his neck, tightened her fingers so they wouldn't leave his hair, and bawled. Kagami kept his arm wrapped around her, and gave her the comforting affection that Grandmother had always withheld.
oOoOoOo
The travel back to Konoha was mostly without event. Well, between Aunt Natsumi, the Uchiha reinforcements, and Aunt Natsumi's creative summons (Tsume would never look at a goose again without feeling her rarely-used self-preservation poking its head up as a quick reminder of its actual existence) enemies were not an issue, at least.
"I feel weird," Kushina said, glancing around their campfire on the third night. Kagami had planted himself right between Danzo and Sakumo, Aunt Natsumi was growling at Sakumo, Mikoto stared at Aunt Natsumi with a lovelorn expression, Danzo glared at Kagami, and Fugaku was giving Tsume the stink eye. The eldest Uchiha – Nashi and Obito – were also present, and also seemed oblivious to the tension, although Obito seemed to have no problem metaphorically poking the situation. Nashi told him to stop being such a gadfly.
"Me too," Tsume told Kushina, rubbing her cast and wishing her broken limb would heal faster.
Kagami was as placid and calm as the surface of a pond on a quiet afternoon summer. He was also extremely good at being oblivious to tension. Tsume wondered if this was something he deliberately cultivated, or if it just came naturally to dandelion fluffheads. "The tea is really quite lovely tonight," he told Nashi as he sipped from the blue cup. "You're always outdoing yourself."
Aunt Natsumi abruptly stood. "I want a word with Tsume in private." She glared down at Kagami, as if challenging him to stop her. Kagami somehow managed to keep steering Natsumi away from private moments with Tsume ever since their arrival.
"I want a word, too!" Tsume said, also jumping to her feet before Kagami could distract Aunt Natsumi again. "Well, actually, lots of words. What?" Kagami studied Tsume from across the fire; the flames highlighted the bone structure in his face. As red glinted in his eyes, a brief image superimposed itself over Kagami's face – white spiky hair, spinning Sharingan, a relaxed face free of menace or the looming agony that would soon follow – and Tsume rubbed her eyes. Where did that come from?
"Have fun," Kagami said with a shrug and a sip of his tea. "Try not to kill anyone out there," he added for Aunt Natsumi's benefit as she grabbed Tsume by her upper arm. Grandmother's ninken followed as Aunt Natsumi led Tsume away from the wagon camp, into the thick forest of baron oaks. They were within a day and a half of reaching Konoha, and Tsume missed Kakashi and Kuromaru so much that it hurt.
"Sit down with me, child," Aunt Natsumi said when they reached a fallen tree, half-rotted away and covered with a thick moss. Aunt Natsumi sat on the tree, resting her ax on the ground with her hands crisscrossed over the handle. "I want to apologize," she began as Tsume plopped herself beside Aunt Natsumi and leaned sideways so she could rest her head against Aunt Natsumi's shoulder. "Sakumo told me when you were on patrol earlier today with Mikoto that making a big scene in front of you was hurtful and embarrassing. I'm sorry for adding to your pain like that. I know I would've been… upset if my sister had said the same things in public after what I went through, when we finally settled in Konoha."
Tsume snuggled close against Aunt Natsumi's arm. The painted skin felt cold in the night air. "It's okay. I'm not mad at you." Patrolling with Uchiha Mikoto turned out to be way better than Tsume would've hoped. Mikoto reminded Tsume of Hidarime – from the gentle serenity and smiles, to the smooth long hair that Mikoto even let Tsume braid when they stopped for a quick lunch break. Tsume decided that Mikoto was the second-best Uchiha she ever met, even though Mikoto kept trying to talk about Aunt Natsumi
Aunt Natsumi laughed. "I'm not really sure that you're capable of getting angry. I don't think I've ever seen you lose your temper, even before the brain injury. Sakumo said that there's more to what happened than what meet's the eye, including your disappearance four months ago. I suspect my sister was involved in the worst way." A tremble ran through Aunt Natsumi's body. Beneath the body paint on Aunt Natsumi's arms, Tsume watched as hairs rose on end. "When I heard that you were dead, I knew, in my heart, that my sister had taken away yet another child of mine. I always thought the gods were punishing me, to take away my daughters, only to give them back to me as sons, and then I lost them once more. Always have I lost my dear children.
"Nearly an entire lifetime passed, and then you are born, right into a family with a father. I thought, this must also be an omen from the gods that the time of our clan is drawing near the end, for an Inuzuka daughter to be with another clan. But then Shinzou demanded your return, tore you away from the mother that accepted you as her own, and then ripped the pack away from its home. Shinzou never gave any thought to the recklessness of her own actions. She demanded a heavy price for you, and then decided that you weren't worth the price after your injury, when she realized that you were even more damaged than I was.
"But that was when I realized that I had misread the omen of your birth. Just as you were reborn on your father's soil, so will our pack be reborn in you. It will be costly, and it will never be the same, but I know that the pack will be renewed in you. Oh, how grateful I am that you're alive! You've always been my favorite, you know."
"I'm here," Tsume said. Ichi rested his head on Aunt Natsumi's lap and looked up at her with soulful eyes. Their surroundings were quiet, except for the distant murmur of voices from the wagon train. "Grandmother told me that she l-loved me." The words left a bitter aftertaste in Tsume's mouth as she thought, I should've been with Madame Sora, not Madame Haori.
"I know." Aunt Natsumi snaked an arm around Tsume's shoulders. "But Shinzou is dead – and with her, the old clan dies. I will support you every step of the way, and give you everything that you need to be the clan head that my sister should've been – the clan head that the gods have promised me."
Tsume hoped that the gods didn't speak directly to Aunt Natsumi. "Okay."
"Sakumo told me I cannot ask questions of what happened, that it's safer for you if I didn't know. I don't know how much of his judgment I should trust though. He also said that Danzo is the one who found and brought you back, and that no matter what else I ever learn or think of that brat, I should always remember that the only reason you're back in my life is because of Danzo. Sakumo also said I should never forget that Danzo still has a heavy price to pay for returning you."
Tsume bumped her feet together, and thought of how Orochimaru had benched Danzo because he was supposed to leave Tsume at the brothel. She thought of how much Danzo would have to pay because of her, and then wondered if that debt was actually hers. "Danzo rescued me, Aunt Natsumi. He wasn't supposed to, and I think he's in a lot of trouble for it." She pulled away from Aunt Natsumi. "Can I have a summon? Please?"
"Do you want the summon because of what happened to you? You'll need larger chakra stores before it can be effective."
"Danzo said that he didn't have a summon because no one trusts him."
Aunt Natsumi eyed Tsume. "The brat was open and honest enough to actually say that to you?"
Tsume shrugged and rubbed her heels against the ground. "He implied it, I think. I want him to know that I trust him, no matter what, so I figured that if I signed a contract, then I could give it to Danzo as a present. He saved me from an awful life, and I don't know if I could ever repay that." She caught a hint of Kakashi's scent on the wind – her eyes burned with tears as she thought of how she was so close to Kakashi because Danzo chose to disobey Orochimaru's orders.
Danzo was bringing Tsume home – home to Kakashi, home to Kuromaru, home to Konoha.
Aunt Natsumi pressed her scarred forehead against Tsume's. "You don't have to sign a contract to give it to Danzo as a gift. To be honest, I want you to reverse-summon before you sign anything – that's the best way of finding out what your guardian is, after they put you through a trial to prove your worthiness. But if you don't have enough chakra to successfully reverse-summon yourself, you will be forever banned from any other summon. Once rejected, you'll forever be closed off."
Tsume touched Aunt Natsumi's breast bindings. "Did you reverse-summon and get otters?"
"Nah. I paint the otters to honor Tobirama – water was his element. Whales are my guardians."
"Oh." Tsume rubbed her nose. That would explain why Hiji probably wound up with guppies. Or llamas. She wasn't sure which, and Tsume really hoped that she didn't wind up with a lousy summon, like guppies. "How come I never see you summon whales?"
"Know of any place with a body of water large enough to fit a whale? Yeah, that's why you never see me summon them. Good things to have when you're stuck on the ocean, but kinda useless in a desert or a forest, unless you're trying to squash someone." Aunt Natsumi adjusted her breast bindings. "I'll give you a contract to give to Danzo. It can be a gift from both of us." She pulled her knapsack close and startled rifling through it.
"Danzo said that he helped you with your battle paints."
"Indeed. Tobirama and I never had any more children after… Well, neither of us had any children. Tobi said he barely had enough energy to keep up with me, so handling two women was simply too much for him. He never had the opportunity to sire any other heirs." Aunt Natsumi opened a contract, peered at its contents, and then shoved it back into her knapsack with a shake of her head. "Danzo's older brothers and his father were dead when Tobi took Danzo's team, and Tobi took it upon himself to be a father figure of sorts. I decided that if Tobi could be a father figure, then I could be a mother figure."
Gosh. If Danzo was Aunt Natsumi's… son figure, then did that make her and Danzo cousin figures? It was kinda like how the Uchiha clan generally kept it in the clan. It suddenly made the sex between them seem so much more awkward than before.
"That, and it irritated Shinzou to no end that I was letting Danzo assist me with my battle paints. He was a good kid. Really sincere – threw himself heart and soul into everything. I think he tried hard to kill that part of himself after Tobi died, and I'm glad to know he still has it in him – even if it is deep down." She considered for a moment. "Really deep down. Ah, here we are." Aunt Natsumi opened Tsume's hand and placed a scroll in it. "Your death was a nightmare come true to me. This is a contract for mystical creatures that are guardians of children. They are nightmare eaters. You say that Danzo brought you back? Then my lover's apprentice returned my chosen heir. Danzo took away my nightmare. And despite Danzo being scary enough sometimes to qualify as his own nightmare, I've always known that the Second's favorite apprentice could be a good man."
Tsume threw her arms around Aunt Natsumi and hugged her tight. "Thank you," she whispered. She marveled at the combined hardness and softness of Aunt Natsumi, and hoped that one day she would be the same. "So, when do I get to do this reverse-summon?"
Aunt Natsumi sniffed. "Not until we get back to Konoha, and then maybe another year or so. If you disappear in mid-route, I'll never hear the end of it from Sakumo and Danzo. Not that you have enough chakra to be successful, but it's kinda hard to tell with the way you're so battered. Give yourself time to heal, kid."
oOoOoOo
They arrived at Konoha two days later. Kakashi and Kuromaru – along with eight summon dogs – were sitting outside Konoha's gates. They didn't run to meet the wagon train, but Kakashi laughed and held his arms wide when he saw Tsume. "You're back! You're back!" She swept him up in a bone-crushing hug. The wagon train rolled passed them through the great gates, but a small crowd managed to surround Tsume and Kakashi.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Tsume cried, burying her nose in his gravity-defying cowlicks. "You smell so nice!" He smelled like home and dog saliva and love. It was wonderful and marvelous and it made her heart sing with delight. Kuromaru stood up and put his paws on her shoulders, eagerly licking Tsume's face. His growls almost sounded like human words.
You're back! You're back!
"Hi," said the little pug at Tsume's feet. She peered over Kakashi's hair at him. "I don't know who you are, but I missed you too. I'm Pakkun."
"Pakkun?" Sakumo joined their little crowd. He turned slowly to look at Aunt Natsumi, his expression mildly confused. "My dear Aunt Natsumi," he began, very carefully, "when you told me that you had entrusted my son to the care of a lovely young gentleman named Pakkun, I was under the impression that it was… an adult."
"I'm an adult," Pakkun said defensively. He had a permanently sad look on his face, even though he smelled of joy and hope. "And I'm better than most humans. Your pup was kept well-fed and watered, and we went for daily walks. I would've had him housebroken by now if he wasn't already."
Sakumo glared down at Pakkun as he accepted Kakashi from Tsume. "His clothes are dirty and he smells like a dog. When was the last time he was changed?" Kakashi pressed his face against the side of his father's neck, arms clinging tight.
Pakkun held up a paw as Bull lolled his splotchy tongue at Sakumo. "Buttons require opposable thumbs, and Aunt Bashira was a bitch and refused to help. Something about getting stuck with bears instead of dragons? Anyway, I will have you know that Bull washed and groomed Kakashi every night."
Tsume reached out and squished the pads on Pakkun's paw. "It's so soft!" she squealed.
Kushina shoved Tsume aside. "I wanna touch, too!"
"You may touch me," Pakkun told Kushina generously, holding his paw out to her.
Sakumo turned back to Aunt Natsumi as Danzo rode up to them. "You left my son in the company of talking dogs," he muttered as Kakashi looked around, feet swinging against Sakumo's side.
Aunt Natsumi just shrugged. "Kakashi chose them."
"And you trust the judgment of a toddler?"
"Trust had nothing to do with it, Sakumo. As I said, Kakashi chose them. I just supplied the contract for him to sign. Kakashi was the one who summoned them. They were impressed enough to stick around and watch after him until I came back. Look – blame Kagami. I barely had enough time to gather all my supplies, and Bashira was so bitchy about the bear contract that she refused to babysit."
"He's very talented," Pakkun said solemnly as Tsume picked him up in her arms and scratched him behind his ears. "Oh. I like Kakashi's aunt. She's my favorite."
"Yeth," Kakashi said. "She'th great!"
"We've working on Kakashi's vocabulary too, but he seems to have developed a lisp."
Sakumo reached up and grabbed Juubi's saddle. He whimpered as he leaned against Juubi. "Danzooooo. My two year old summoned."
"Don't come crying to me, you buffoon. I told you that the kid successfully pulled off a henge with Tsume when he was less than a week old, and you bragged about he learned how to chakra-walk up trees when he was barely a year old." Danzo grunted in pain as he dismounted from Juubi, and dropped the reigns. He patted Sakumo on his head with a condescending air as thick as his ongoing anger. "Congratulations. You have the strongest, most talented two year old in all of Konohagakure. Try not to let it get to your head."
"The only thing getting to my head right now is the fact that I have the team of genin that I do, and the son that I have. I'm going to need a vacation!"
Danzo cackled. "Well, you already have a team of baby sitters. If they can watch Kakashi, I'm sure that Pakkun and the others would enjoy Tsume, Kushina, and Kokoro."
"Sure," said Pakkun, tail wagging as Tsume found another delicious spot beneath his chin.
Tsume hugged Pakkun and Kuromaru close, and thought of how good it was to finally be home.
addition author's notes: Why yes, Fugaku was trying to shelter Tsume from her great-grandmother's wrath. Remember Delta Years, Chapter Three?
Tsume was also a peripheral matter – most likely because she had such a long, personal history of antagonizing Uchiha Fugaku that he had resigned himself to a lifetime of such abuse. Fugaku would probably suspect that a polite and respectful Tsume was nothing more than a cleverly-disguised enemy.
Fugaku is actually fond of Tsume, and trying to do right by her. He just recently joined the police department and didn't have much control over investigating questionable child abuse - especially when it's obvious that no training is actually taking place for Tsume. Tsume is also a source of frustration, having been a pain in his ass ever since he was eighteen years old, and she's a thoughtless eleven year old challenging the recently-obtained authority.
I eagerly look forward to the Gamma Years, in which Tsume - pregnant with Kiba - has to pretend to be Fugaku's wife, as they and Shisui and Itachi are disguised as a civilian merchant family, rooting out random stray missing nin left over from the Third Shinobi World War. (Mikoto was reassigned from the mission when she accidentally immolated the horses due to pregnancy hormones wrecking her chakra control.) Fugaku made a name for himself in the Third Shinobi World War - "Wicked-Eye Fugaku" - and I couldn't figure out WHY or HOW Itachi and Shisui would be involved in the war, as young as they were. So this idea popped into my head, and it's been brewing for the last five years.