In which Iruka gets to know Naruto and Fuu saves a life.
Warning for some canon-typical violence in this chapter.
O-O-O-O-O
Once the two classes were joined together, Naruto sat next to Hinata every day.
Every morning and during the breaks, they talked about whatever came to mind. She told him about her family: a distant father, a busy mother, and a precocious sister. In exchange, he talked about learning to cook and clean in his apartment. During the lessons, she whispered help whenever he got confused. Likewise, he helped her with the material about history. Hinata was definitely his favorite person in the class.
As for Sasuke, Naruto didn't know if he liked or hated the guy. After their fight, they glared daggers at each other every single chance they got, only exchanging a few tense words. However, despite their animosity, they met every day after school to spar and practice. Yugito had told him to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. While Naruto agreed with her sentiment, he was not sure if he would classify Sasuke as an enemy yet.
To their mutual dismay, they were matched nearly neck and neck in skill. Sasuke was strong and fast, able to disarm and pin Naruto to the ground within seconds. However, whenever their spars lasted for longer than a few minutes, Sasuke tired quickly, allowing Naruto to win.
On days in which they didn't spar, they worked on their shuriken and kunai skills. Naruto was much better with the larger weapons, achieving close to pin-point accuracy. He enjoyed watching Sasuke seethe at being outdone and bragged whenever he could.
"You're holding the kunai wrong, jerk!" Naruto yelled at him after watching him try and fail for the tenth time. "You're not accurate because you're too tense! You have to relax your grip!"
"Don't tell me what to do, loser!" Sasuke yelled back. "My brother told me this was the correct way and he's the strongest ninja in my entire clan!"
Naruto snorted. "Then your brother is stupid, ya know."
"What'd you say about my brother?"
"I said your brother is stupid!" Naruto yelled. "I'm better at kunai, so you should listen to me!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He lunged at Naruto, throwing the kunai to the ground, weapon forgotten. Naruto prepared himself for a fight. In the end, Sasuke emerged victorious, forcing Naruto to admit that his brother was not stupid. They said goodbye to each other curtly, promising to get together the next day.
Through their rivalry, they forced each other to improve. Naruto whined to Hinata and the jinchuuriki about Sasuke. Yet, part of him couldn't help but enjoy his company. It wasn't like there were other people to spar with, considering how Hinata always went home right after class.
He also liked his new teacher, Iruka. The man was a lot kinder to Naruto than the other adults he'd met. He didn't mock him whenever he struggled in class. He also discouraged teasing, greatly improving Naruto's overall experience.
Naruto even looked forward to their first exam. He struggled when reading and writing. However, with time to think and sound the words out to himself, he was more than ready for anything.
O-O-O-O-O
With fewer children, Iruka and Suzume's classes were combined into one. Suzume became the specialist kunoichi instructor. Meanwhile, Iruka would teach the newest crop of Academy students. It was a difficult task, but Iruka was ready for the challenge. He was not ready, however, to be the teacher for the Kyuubi.
His name was Naruto Uzumaki and he was much smaller than he had anticipated.
Iruka observed Naruto every day, looking for any hint of the demon that killed his parents. However, all he saw was a loud and overly confident boy.
Like everyone else, Iruka had been surprised during the physical trials. Naruto had nearly tied with Sasuke Uchiha and he had surpassed everyone else. In the end, he had achieved one of the highest scores they had ever seen from a first-year student.
On Monday, Iruka re-introduced himself to the students and discussed their objectives. The boy looked at him with glittering eyes. Iruka smiled back. I shouldn't underestimate him. He's the Kyuubi.
Iruka didn't know what to make of Naruto until he asked him to read a passage from their book for the first time.
Immediately, the boy's face turned pale before shifting into a deep shade of red. Naruto stood up, refusing to meet Iruka's eyes, before clearing his throat and reading.
"Uh... um... Hokage are... uh- res-respon-responsible for- most of the... uh... v-vill-village's a-ff-a-i-r-s... uh... affairs!"
Naruto painfully stumbled through the paragraph. The entire classroom froze and Iruka felt tempted to interrupt and beg him to stop.
When Naruto finished, he collapsed on his chair with a heavy sigh. He gave Hinata an embarrassed smile while she placed a hand on his shoulder. Iruka, meanwhile, had to suppress the criticism threatening to burst out of his throat. How could you have so much trouble reading something so simple?! There are only, like, three kanji in that passage!
"Thank you, Naruto," he said instead before looking around the classroom. "Well, Shino, would you please read the next paragraph?"
"Yes, Iruka-sensei." Unlike Naruto, Shino read perfectly with no hesitation. Naruto hid his face behind his book while Hinata threw a concerned glance in his direction.
Iruka shook his head. Perhaps the fox has something to do with that.
Iruka observed Naruto for the rest of the week. At first, he wondered if the boy only struggled with reading. However, during their math practice, he made just as many mistakes. He also never spoke up during the lessons unless forced to participate. Instead, he stared at Iruka, refusing to actively engage with the material. Occasionally, he saw the boy staring out of the window or whispering with Hinata Hyuuga.
Two weeks after meeting Naruto, Iruka handed out their first test.
"Good luck, everyone!" Iruka cheered once all of the exams had been handed out. "Remember what we've learned so far! You can go home as soon as you finish and turn in your test."
The students began. Predictably, Sasuke, Ino, Shino, and Hinata sped through the exam. Within minutes they were already on the second page. To his surprise, a small pink-haired girl sitting at the back answered faster than anyone else. She wrote so quickly that ink stained her nose.
Naruto, meanwhile, chewed on the back of his pencil as he whispered something to himself. He wrote down something and looked around. Iruka kept him under watch. Naruto paused to look out the window and around the room. He didn't seem particularly concerned. Iruka dreaded to grade his exam.
The pink-haired girl, Sakura, finished the exam first. She scurried to Iruka's desk with a blush, dropping off her finished test and running out. Shino followed a few minutes later, leaving the room without saying anything. One by one, the rest of the students finished and left until only Iruka and a handful of students remained.
When only three students were left, Naruto stood up with a grin to turn in his finished test.
"I finished, Iruka-sensei!" he shouted cheerfully. "I tried real hard, ya know!"
"I'm sure you did, Naruto," Iruka answered with a fake smile. I'm going to suffer grading, aren't I?
A few minutes later, the last of the students finished and left. Iruka sighed in relief before looking at the finished tests with a whine. He put Naruto's exam at the bottom of the pile. Might as well save the worst one for last.
As expected, the children of clans had the highest scores. Sasuke and Ino had nearly perfect answers while Shino and Hinata trailed behind them. Even the lazier students like Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba managed above-average final scores.
However, to his surprise, the highest grade went to the pink-haired girl Sakura. She rarely brought attention to herself, as she preferred to sit at the back and cover her face with her bangs. He hoped her performance would improve her confidence.
He smiled as he graded the exams. Everyone had gotten a passing score, with many students surpassing his expectations. I guess they're paying attention to me after all.
His smile fell when he reached Naruto's exam. He glared at the paper for a moment. He knew it would be full of mistakes. He sighed. Let's just get it over with.
He read through the first answer. He read it again. He read it a third time. He blinked in surprise. It's correct?!
Thinking that it was a fluke, Iruka skimmed through the rest. The majority was correct. All the answers about ninjutsu were perfect, as were the answers about history. In reading and literacy, there were only a few minor errors. Only the mathematics section had a couple of significant mistakes.
Iruka smiled at the test before realization set in and he snorted. There is no way Naruto got this many correct answers without cheating. He was always looking around the room during class. He definitely copied from someone else.
Iruka turned to the first page with a frown. Instead of writing a number as he did with the rest of the students, he wrote 'See me after class' in red ink. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. Why do I have to be the one teaching the Kyuubi anyway?
O-O-O-O-O
When he returned to class on Monday, Naruto wondered how well he did on the exam. He doubted he got the highest score, but he thought it was better than the average. Now I just gotta wait and see.
"How do you think you did, Hinata-chan?" he asked as he sat down next to her. "The math part was hard, ya know. But everything else was fine if I took my time."
"I thought it was easy, Naruto-kun," she answered. "There was only one question about history I couldn't remember. What was the name of the Second Hokage?"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Tobirama Senju! He was the First Hokage's younger brother."
"Well, now I remember," Hinata said with an exaggerated sigh. Naruto grinned. She was usually shy and quiet, so he enjoyed the rare glimpses of frustration.
"Good morning, kids!" Iruka entered while holding a folder full of papers under his arm. Naruto's heart beat faster. The exams!
"Iruka-sensei!" a girl with short platinum-blonde hair stood up and yelled. "How did everyone do on the exams? Are we gonna get the scores back? Who got the highest score? Did anyone fail?"
Iruka scratched the back of his neck. "Don't worry, Ino," he said with a smile. "Everyone did pretty well, even better than I expected. I'll give you your tests back at the end of the day. I won't publish the scores, but I will say that the person with the highest grade was Sakura Haruno."
Confused, everyone turned their heads to search for the named student. After a few seconds, their eyes settled on a pink-haired girl sitting at the back of the classroom. With everyone's attention on her, she yelped and looked down at her desk, face red.
Most of the students grumbled about a civilian girl getting the highest score as they glared at her. The girl seemed to shrink further into herself. Naruto frowned. The heck's their deal? Are they jealous?
Iruka cleared his throat. "Well, yes, congratulations, Sakura," he said. "Now I think it's time to start class."
"Yes, Iruka-sensei," they replied as they settled back on their seats and got ready to begin.
Naruto listened to everything, although he refused to volunteer himself to answer. The other kids might not make fun of him anymore, but he didn't want to call attention to himself. Being embarrassed once for answering a question was more than enough for one lifetime.
After what felt like forever, the day ended and Naruto looked forward to getting his exam back. Iruka handed the papers out one by one as he moved around the classroom. Most of the students cheered or laughed in relief. Hinata smiled at the 91 written at the top of her exam, eyes full of happiness. Sasuke stared at the number, face impassive before folding it in half. Shikamaru only yawned when he read the result, whatever it was. Naruto received his exam last, face down. He flipped it over.
His heart sank. Instead of a number score, he only read "See me after class" written in large red characters. He scanned the front and flipped through the other pages, but there were no markings anywhere. With a frown, he stared at the exam, as if glaring would make a score appear.
The students around him packed up their materials and headed home, unaware of Naruto's dilemma. Hinata beamed at him and waved goodbye. Naruto returned the greeting, but he was frozen to his seat. Why didn't I get a score?
Naruto waited for everyone to leave before walking to stand in front of Iruka's desk.
"What's wrong with my exam, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked apprehensively, placing the exam between them on top of the desk.
Iruka let out a heavy sigh and he leaned back in his chair. "I know you cheated, Naruto."
"Cheated?" Naruto's heart beat faster. I don't get it.
Iruka nodded. "I don't know if maybe you just didn't know, but I don't condone any sort of cheating during my exams. All work should be your own."
"But... Iruka-sensei!" Naruto protested. "I didn't cheat! I did everything on my own, ya know!"
"I wish I could believe that," Iruka retorted. "But I never see you participate in class. The few times I call on you to answer a question or read a passage, your performance is mediocre at best. I simply can't believe you could get this high of a score without copying from someone else."
"But... I really didn't copy anyone!" Naruto didn't know if he wanted to cry or shout in frustration.
Iruka groaned with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Look, Naruto, I know school can be hard, but I don't condone copying in my classes."
"Iruka-sensei, I-"
"No excuses, Naruto!" Iruka interrupted before he had a chance to explain himself. "I won't give you a punishment because this was the first exam. But if I catch you cheating again, then I'm going to tell the Hokage."
Naruto's stomach turned over itself. The Hokage?! No! If he does that, then I won't get my allowance anymore! And I won't be able to get ramen!
Feeling trapped, Naruto nodded reluctantly. He took the exam back from the desk and shoved it inside his pocket, not caring about keeping it intact. He scowled at Iruka before stomping out of the classroom as fast as he could.
Furious, he ran to the training grounds, where he knew that Sasuke was already waiting. A spar is exactly what I need. I'll win the fight no matter what it takes!
"What took you so long, loser?" Sasuke asked when he saw the glare on Naruto's face.
"Nothing, jerk," Naruto answered. "I'm just angry. I'm ready to fight."
Sasuke obliged, lunging toward Naruto with a punch. Naruto dodged, but his mind was too furious to focus. Sasuke won within seconds, leaving Naruto lying down on the mud in defeat. Sasuke frowned but said nothing. He fell into a taijutsu stance and waited for Naruto to stand up and attack.
Their second fight began. Once again, Sasuke won in seconds, pinning down Naruto with his knees. Sasuke's frown deepened and they fought again and again. They had five more spars before Sasuke stopped with a deep frown.
"Okay, loser, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he glared at a defeated Naruto on the ground.
"Nothing's wrong," Naruto lied.
"You're lying!"
"I'm not!"
"What's wrong?" Sasuke repeated.
"Nothing!"
"Is it about the exam?" Sasuke asked.
Naruto couldn't help but flinch and look away. He sat up and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking anywhere but in Sasuke's direction.
Sasuke sighed and sat down next to Naruto. Naruto refused to look at him. They sat silently next to each other as they waited for the other one to break. Naruto won and Sasuke spoke first.
"Did you fail the exam or what, idiot?" Sasuke asked with his usual sensitivity.
"What!" Naruto glared at the other boy. "No! Well, yeah, kinda?"
"No, yeah, kinda? What does that mean?" Sasuke repeated Naruto's words and snorted. "Did you fail or not?"
Naruto sighed. Well, it's not like I'll lose anything if I tell him. "Iruka-sensei thinks I cheated on the exam,'' Naruto began. "So he gave me a zero on the test! Except that I didn't cheat and he just doesn't wanna believe me!"
To Naruto's gratification, Sasuke looked nearly as surprised by Iruka's words as Naruto did. "Wait, why does he think that?"
"Cause I never raise my hand in class, so he thinks that I don't know anything."
"Why don't you answer in class?"
Naruto snorted. "Are you kidding me? Last time I answered a question, everyone laughed at me and we almost got into a fight, remember?"
To Naruto's satisfaction, Sasuke looked away in embarrassment. "It wasn't that bad."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Even now I can tell the others are talking behind my back 'cause I struggle to read out loud during class. If I start answering questions, it's probably gonna get worse."
"No, I don't think so," Sasuke shook his head and shrugged. "Only the best students are still here. They're not gonna say anything, at least not to your face. After they saw your performance during the spars, I don't think they'd want to get on your bad side, anyway."
"I guess..." Naruto dared to get his hopes up. He had been holding back on participating during class, fearful of being made fun of, but if what Sasuke said was true...
"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "Just answer the stupid questions so Iruka-sensei doesn't suspect you of cheating next time."
Naruto grinned and laughed, punching Sasuke on the shoulder and standing up. "Fine! Now, are you ready for me to get serious?"
Sasuke smirked and stood up as well, falling into a taijutsu stance.
Naruto was starting to like Sasuke. He was never going to tell him that, though. He has a big enough head already.
O-O-O-O-O
Whenever Takumi had extra time at the end of school, he told her stories about Fuu's mother.
While they usually stayed in the classroom, the cherry blossoms compelled them to sit outside in their shade. Fuu laid down on her stomach while her teacher leaned back on the trunk of the cherry tree. He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he retold Fuu one of their favorite stories.
"And then, your mother yelled: 'If you didn't want the house to be destroyed, you should have told me from the beginning!'" Takumi said.
'I remember that!' Chomei reminisced. 'I knew it was a bad idea, but your mother always did whatever she wanted.'
Fuu's laughter intensified at her bijuu's addition.
She tried to get her breathing back in order when Takumi's silence told her someone was approaching. Curious, she turned her head around to look at their new visitor. Her heart sank.
Suien walked toward them, a smile on his face that nevertheless made Fuu shiver. He is always at is cruelest when he smiles.
"Takumi-san," Suien said with a nod before staring down at Fuu. "I've been looking around for you, Fuu-sama."
"Oh," Fuu answered, trying to quell down the roiling feeling in her stomach.
Always trust your instincts, Han's voice said in her head. Your instincts are often the difference between life and death.
Biting her lip, she stood up to meet Suien in the eye. While he was no longer as gigantic as when she was his student, he still towered over her. She made a conscious effort not to shudder.
"What is it, Suien-sama?" she asked with forced politeness.
"Hisen-sama is looking for you," Suien answered. A shiver ran down Fuu's spine. It's a lie. What does he really want?
"Why didn't he send Senji-sama?" she asked, feigning confusion.
"Don't worry about it, girl. Just come with me."
Fuu flinched and took a step back. The few times Hisen had requested her presence, he had sent Senji to do the task. Something is wrong here.
"Why does he want me?" Fuu asked as she took a second step back
Suien frowned and he glared down at her. "I don't know. Just come. Next time I ask I won't be so nice."
"Suien-sama," Takumi interrupted. He left his resting place under the tree to stand behind Fuu, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Immediately, Fuu calmed down. That's right, Takumi-sensei is here. He'll know what to do.
"It's none of your business, Takumi," Suien snapped. "I'm taking her, no matter what you say."
Her teacher left her side to stand in front of Suien. "In that case, I'll-"
Before he could finish his statement, Suien buried a kunai into Takumi's lower stomach.
Fuu screamed. Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground. She looked up at her sensei with eyes already filling with tears.
"Fuu... run," Takumi whispered as he grabbed onto Suien's arm. "I'll hold him as long as I can. Run and hide. Leave me behind."
"God, you're annoying." Suien twisted the kunai in deeper and Takumi screamed at the pain. "There's no way for you to run and hide, Fuu. Come along and I won't hurt your precious Takumi anymore."
Fuu could hear her heartbeat in her ears and she stared in shock at Takumi trying in vain to push Suien away. Her tears obscured her vision and the only thing she wanted to do was break down and cry.
'Fuu! Fuu!' Chomei's voice broke her out of her reverie. 'Leave this to me! I know what to do!'
'What to do?' Fuu repeated dumbly. 'What is it?'
'I'll cause a diversion. Use it to pull Takumi and run away.'
'What kind of diversion?'
'When I say 'go,' make the tiger seal, clap your hands together, and then open your mouth. Use the opportunity to grab your teacher and use your wings to fly away. For now, pretend you're going along with his plan.'
Fuu nodded, although she knew Chomei couldn't see. Heartened by her bijuu's words, she stood up and inched her way to Suien.
"If I go with you, do you promise to let Takumi-sensei go?" she asked while biting her lip.
"Of course!" Suien lied while his grip on the kunai stayed the same.
"No, Fuu..." Takumi whispered. "Run away... You're much more valuable than I am..." Takumi coughed at the effort and he quieted, focused on keeping Suien from moving.
Suien smirked. "He still has a chance to live, girl," he taunted. "Come closer and I'll let him go."
Fuu took a step closer. 'Almost there,' Chomei said. 'Make sure you're as close to the bastard as possible.'
Fuu bit her lip. She stood next to Takumi. "Let him go," she said as she held her hands up in front of her chest. "It's me you want, right?"
"Good, now, come with-" As soon as Suien began to speak, Fuu heard Chomei telling her "go."
She made the tiger seal, clapped her hands together, and opened her mouth. A cloud of shimmering scales appeared, blinding Suien. He reflexively took a step back and loosened his grip on the kunai.
Fuu didn't hesitate. She summoned her wings, kicked Suien in the chest, grabbed onto her teacher, and carried him away. By the time Suien had a chance to recover, she was already on her way to the giant tree at the center of the village.
It wasn't until she has placed her teacher down on one of the branches of the giant tree that she dared to breathe. She examined her teacher's condition. He was unconscious, yet breathing. However, his breath was shaky and Fuu knew that without treatment, he would die in a few hours.
'Chomei,' she said.
'What is it, little one?'
'Thanks. Takumi-sensei would already be dead without you.'
Chomei made a chittering sound. 'I had to show you how to do that eventually anyway.'
Fuu breathed a sigh of relief before turning her attention back to her teacher. She recalled all their first aid training in school. She tore out a chunk of his pants for bandaging and applied pressure on the wound. It was sufficient considering the situation. A few minutes later, Takumi opened his eyes to blink up at Fuu.
"Fuu?" he asked blearily.
"Sensei!" Fuu replied, keeping her hands pushing down on his stomach. "Don't talk! You're bleeding!"
"Fuu..." he spoke again. "What happened?"
Fuu bit her lip. She recounted the story briefly, telling him about Chomei's involvement in the rescue.
"Chomei?" Takumi asked.
"The seven-tails." Fuu nodded. "That's their name. They gave me the plan and I followed through with it to rescue you. We need to get you to a hospital though, sensei. I don't know any healing jutsu."
"Your bijuu? How is that possible? Does it lend you its power?"
Fuu shrugged. "I don't know. Chomei is just nice. They think I'm cute and polite."
'You are cute and polite.'
"Aww, thanks Chomei. You're super cool, you know that?"
"You can talk to your bijuu?" Takumi blinked up at her. He looked more concerned about the newest revelation than about the blood pouring out of his abdomen.
Fuu shrugged. "Yeah, for the past couple of months. They taught me how to use my wings to fly. And I guess I have a new technique now, too. I don't know what it's called, though."
'Scaled Sneak Jutsu,' Chomei answered. 'To be more specific, Hiden Ninjutsu: Scaled Sneak Jutsu.'
"Oh! Chomei says it's called the 'Hiden Ninjutsu: Scale Sneak Jutsu' or 'Scale Sneak Jutsu' for short," Fuu said. "That's not that short, though."
Takumi only looked more perturbed the more she spoke. At least he's not panicking about the stab wound.
"Wait, Fuu, help me sit up," Takumi said. "I know some medical ninjutsu. I can heal myself well enough for now."
"Yes, Takumi-sensei!"
Fuu helped Takumi lean against the trunk of the tree. With a wince of pain, he placed a hand over the bleeding wound. A soft glow emanated from his hand and he hovered the chakra over the injury. Slowly, the blood stopped flowing. Takumi collapsed against the tree, his eyes closed in exhaustion.
"Takumi-sensei, are you all right?" Fuu fretted, placing her hands on top of his shoulders.
Takumi opened his eyes and gave her a wan smile. "I still need someone more professional," he admitted. "But I'm fine for now. We need to stay together until we know what's going on."
Fuu bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "Should I look for Hisen-sama or Senji-sama? They probably know what was going on."
"No, it's too dangerous and you're too valuable," Takumi answered immediately with a shake of his head. "We should wait here until the coast is clear."
"I can fly and look for someone," Fuu protested. "And if Suien sees me, I can use the Scale Sneak Jutsu and then fly away."
Takumi blinked at her, face pale. "I forgot you could fly now," he said exasperatedly. "When I woke up this morning, I was not expecting the day to end up like this."
Despite the situation, Fuu couldn't help but giggle. Takumi joined her, coughing painfully as he struggled to laugh. Fuu's face turned serious again.
"I'll be careful, Takumi-sensei," she promised. "You need to get to the hospital as fast as possible."
Takumi sighed. "Promise?"
"Promise."
"I don't believe that promise," he admitted with another sigh and a shake of his head. "Your mother would say the same thing. Then she would charge head-on at an enemy and almost get herself killed."
"I won't do that!" Fuu protested. "I double promise!"
Before Takumi could retort, Fuu summoned her wings and floated down through the branches. She heard an exasperated sigh from Takumi as she left.
Descending in complete silence, she hid behind the roof of one of the houses near the tree. Seeing no one, she flew in the direction of Hisen's office.
'Be careful, little one.'
'I'll be careful. I'm sure Hisen-sama knows what's going on.'
She flew through the village, hiding behind roofs and trees in case of enemies. To her surprise, the village was eerily quiet.
'Where is everyone? There should be people wandering around at the very least.'
'I don't know, but be on your guard, Fuu.'
As she flew, she grew increasingly unnerved about the silence, especially with all the closed windows she saw. She arrived at Hisen's office without bumping into anyone else. She peeked over the roof at the courtyard in front. She had to slap a hand in front of her mouth to keep herself from yelling.
A group of villagers was tied up, a few shinobi wearing foreign hitai-ate holding them captive. Fuu's stomach sank when she saw Senji among them. Suien stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding a kunai up to the neck of a terrified Shibuki.
A short distance away, Hisen stood tall and proud, holding a vial of water in one hand and a sword in the other. He glowered at Suien, showing his teeth in anger, impotent with his son out of his hands.
Fuu hid behind the roof before peeking down again, but no one seemed to see her. She sighed in relief. What's going on?
"Let's make a trade, Hisen-sama," Suien said with a mocking smirk. "Your son in exchange for the girl. It seems fair to me."
"What do you want with her?" Hisen asked, taking a step closer. At his approach, Suien hovered the kunai closer to Shibuki's neck. Hisen froze.
"Nothing much," Suien answered. "I just want to sell her off. Amegakure would pay a lot for the Seven-Tails."
"You can't do that!" Senji yelled from among the captured. "You would only break the peace and create war!"
"Shut up, old man!" one of the shinobi yelled as he kicked Senji in the face.
Fuu flinched as Senji fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his mouth. Despite the obvious injury, the old man only glared at his attacker, spitting out the blood at the enemy's feet. The man growled and kicked Senji again, that time in the stomach.
The other villagers protested, pleading for the man to stop. A few children cried while a woman prostrated herself on the ground, begging for mercy. However, there was only bloodlust in his eyes as he kicked Senji over and over again.
Fuu couldn't take it anymore. Before anyone else, Senji had been the one person that had always been kind to her. She flew out from behind the roofline and toward the enemy shinobi. With a kick to the head, the man fell backward, immediately unconscious.
"Senji-sama!" she yelled as she knelt next to the semi-conscious old man and took his hand. "Are you okay?"
"Fuu-sama...?" Senji whispered before closing his eyes. Heart pounding, she checked his pulse, but to her relief, he had only fallen unconscious. She turned around to look at her opponents.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at Fuu's arrival. Fuu bit her lip. Now what?
"So you came!" Suien yelled with a deranged smile. "Now we can do the trade! What do you say, Fuu-sama, you for the boy? That's fair, don't you think?"
Fuu clenched her jaw and glowered at Suien. The traitor kept his grip on the kunai. Hisen tensed as the sharp edge loomed ever closer.
"Fine!" Fuu yelled. "Let him go and I'll follow you!"
Suien shook his head. "I'm not falling for that again! Let my friends from Amegakure tie you down and I'll let him go."
Fuu looked around at her enemies. If she tried to attack Suien directly, the other shinobi would stop her before she got close. If she attacked the Amegakure ninja, Suien would kill Shibuki before anyone could intervene. If she were to use the Scaled Sneak Jutsu, Suien would kill Shibuki before she had a chance to attack.
'This sure is a shitshow,' Fuu complained to Chomei, borrowing one of the words Yagura liked but that made Roshi mad.
'That's for sure, but, Fuu, I have a plan.'
'A plan? Another one?' She really did have the best bijuu.
'Yes, I'll lend you my power and give you one tail's worth of chakra. Let them capture you and then break out. We have the element of surprise here.'
Fuu bit her lip and looked down, holding her hands up in front of her in surrender. "Fine, tie me up if you want. Just let Shibuki go," she said.
Suien glared at her for a few seconds before nodding and gesturing to one of the enemy shinobi with his head. "Tie her up. Make sure it's as secure as possible."
"Yes, Suien," a kunoichi said as she grabbed onto a length of rope. She approached Fuu cautiously, but when Fuu did nothing, she wrapped the rope around her arms. Fuu flinched at the pressure. The kunoichi had constrained her arms more than necessary.
Now captured, the enemy walked Fuu to stand in front of Suien. Her former teacher looked at her like something he had found on the bottom of his shoe.
Fuu's heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she stared at Suien. "Now, let him go!" she yelled.
"With pleasure," Suien kicked Shibuki to the ground before shifting his kunai to point at Fuu's neck. She stared up at the man unflinchingly.
"You know, I knew I would take you first chance I got," Suien commented. "I tried to make sure you didn't learn anything, but I guess you were more of a prodigy than I expected."
Her heart began beating faster as she tried to understand his words. "W-what?"
Suien rolled his eyes. "I knew one day I could find someone who would be willing to pay for you," he explained. "A weak kid is easier to capture and sell."
Fuu felt the blood drain out of her face. Suien had always been cruel in his teachings, but she had never thought that it had a higher goal. Years of training came into stark focus. If I didn't have the other jinchuuriki, I would be a complete failure of a kunoichi.
'Fuu!' Chomei's voice cut through her thoughts and she flinched in surprise.
'Chomei?'
'Get a hold of yourself, Fuu! You have to escape! I won't lend you my power until you're calm!'
'I... okay, Chomei.' Fuu forced herself to breathe. She inhaled and exhaled deeply while Suien gloated with the other Amegakure shinobi. A few seconds later, her mind was clear once again.
'Chomei?'
'Yes, Fuu?'
'I'm ready.'
In an instant, Fuu felt a surge of energy that covered her entire body in a thick shroud of chakra. The rope started to burn away and with a flex of her wrists, Fuu broke free. Her body felt unstoppable like it never had before.
Moving faster than ever, she pushed Suien's kunai out of her face before kicking him away and flying up. She flew down to attack, but Suien was a jounin and he dodged smoothly. A crater of dirt and dust exploded where she landed on the ground.
"W-what are you?" Suien yelled as he leaped away.
"My name is Fuu! And I'm the jinchuuriki of Lucky Seven Chomei, also known as the Nanabi!"
Silence fell at her words that was only broken when Hisen took a swig of water and leaped to stand in front of Fuu. Chaos ensued as the villagers screamed in fear and shock. Gritting his teeth, one of the Amegakure shinobi lunged forward to attack. Before Fuu had a chance to show off her skills, however, Hisen stepped in front and sliced the attacker away.
"Fuu-san," he said. "I'm the head of Takigakure. Leave everything to me. Please, go help my son."
Fuu nodded obediently and ran back to where Shibuki lay on the ground, weeping softly. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and he looked up. They exchanged reassuring grimaces as they look back at the fight.
Hisen got into a fighting position, sword in front of him. The rest of the enemy shinobi lunged toward him, weapons at hand. Without breaking a sweat, Hisen held off their attacks, killing them with a single slice of his sword. They tried to swarm him, but Hisen was stronger than he looked, defeating everyone without effort.
"Fuck this, I'm out of here!" one of the enemy Amegakure shinobi yelled as he ran away.
Like a dam breaking, the others tried to leave as well. However, Hisen was too fast and he killed them before they have the chance to escape.
"Hisen-sama is a lot stronger than I thought," Fuu said to Shibuki.
"That's because he drank the Hero Water," Shibuki said, face pale.
"Hero Water?"
"It multiplies your chakra ten times of what's normal, but, in exchange..."
"In exchange?" Fuu asked but Shibuki fell silent, staring at the fight with his hands clenched into fists.
With a shout, Hisen captured and killed the last of the Amegakure shinobi. He looked around in search of Suien, but the man had somehow managed to escape while Hisen was distracted.
"Suien!" Hisen shouted. "Come and fight me like a man! Let's settle this once and for all!"
No one answered back and Hisen sighed heavily before turning around to look at his son.
"Shibuki!" he yelled as he ran toward them. "Are you okay? You should have fought back!"
"I-I'm fine, Dad, but... you... the Hero Water..."
Hisen blinked and smiled sadly. "You have to take care of the village, Shibuki," he said. "I wanted you to enjoy your youth for a while longer, but you have to grow up faster than I wanted."
Shibuki shook as his eyes filled with tears and fell down his cheeks. I don't understand anything.
"Do you promise me, Shibuki?" Hisen asked.
Shibuki nodded, eyes full of tears as he met his father's eyes. He leaned over to hug him. Hisen smiled before he flinched back in pain, breaking the embrace.
"Dad!"
"Don't worry, Shibuki," Hisen panted. "I'm fine. It'll all be over for me soon, anyway."
"But... Dad..."
Hisen smiled one last time before collapsing. Shibuki caught his body and pulled his father onto his arms. Fuu's heart sank as she finally realized what was going to happen.
"No... Hisen-sama!" she shouted, grabbing onto his robes. If you're not here, what's going to happen with me and Shibuki?
Fuu felt tears in her eyes once again. Hisen had seemed as constant and solid as the tree at the center of the village, but now he was gone. The man had left, leaving young and terrified Shibuki in charge.
Shibuki cried over the corpse of his father, grabbing onto him as if the mere act of holding on would bring him back.
With shaky legs, Fuu stood up and walked to where all the captives were waiting. The villagers flinched away from her approach, but Fuu didn't care. She cut open the ropes holding one of the villagers before handing him a kunai.
"Help me free the others," she ordered.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: Iruka has some conflicting emotions right now. Suien doesn't have creative plans. He likes negotiating through hostages.
You can talk to me on Tumblr at waffledogwrites if you still use it. Thanks so much to the r/fanfiction and r/narutofanfiction discord servers. Y'all are awesome, inspiring, and helpful!
Next chapter: Ameyuri interrupts Utakata's lunch.