Chapter Fourteen: Demons Within, Demons Without

My parents came by the next morning, along with Neji and Sakura, to get the details I'd promised. In all, I think they took it rather well. Sakura glared, Neji blanched, Mom nearly fainted, and Dad's expression told me he was getting into a shouting match with his own inner demon. That's when I remembered to tell them that Kitsu, by all indications, was friendly.

The effect those words had on the group were roughly the same as if I had announced that I had joined the cult of Jashin and invited them all to an evening of tea, sweets, and mass murder.

"Shien… son, how do you know that? What you have in you is a demon. I think I should know what they're like, and friendly usually isn't it."

"I'm not so sure about that, Dad. I won't claim to be an authority on the subject, but this doesn't seem like normal circumstances, so I'm taking it from square zero."

"Neji, could you…"

"Already on it, Sakura. Byakugan!" For the second time, he gave my chakra paths a full scan. "No doubt about it this time. Friendly or not, this is not a hallucination or an illusion. Shien has a demon within him, awake and free."

"Will you all stop treating this like a full-scale emergency? Look at it this way, if Kitsu was hostile, I would not be in full control of my own actions. It doesn't have anything caging it, after all. Of all people, you four should know what a hostile demon in full control looks like."

"T-that's true, Shien. Unless this demon is completely different from the Kyuubi, we'd all be fighting for our lives right now."

Dad's face suddenly got a strange look. "Well, THAT's a new one. That stupid fox wants a say in what we're talking about."

Shien, is he talking about my father?

Yeah, Kitsu, he is.

If only this once, please let him say something! We usually aren't the truly social kind, but father and son require some formalities. I'll have to take over for a minute, though.

I'll… try. I can't guarantee anything here, though, but if they agree, I'll let you up front. "Looks like Kitsu wants to talk to his father, too."

"Do you think we should let them?"

"Not letting them speak would be like someone forbidding us from seeing each other. Neither is behind an effective seal, and I think it would be best to stay on their good side, as it were."

"It's settled, then. Neji, could you do us a favor?"

"What do you need?"

"Before we start, seal all of the tenketsu of our arms and legs. I want to take no chances here, and that'll keep them somewhat suppressed. If they go berserk, do not hesitate to kill us both. Hina-chan, help him if it comes to that."

You got that, Kitsu?

Yes. It's not perfect, but better than nothing. You need not fear for your life, Shien.

My life is not what I fear for. I trust you enough to do this. However, please do your best to keep your father calm. I love my dad, and I do not wish to see him dead.

You have my word. If it is within my power, no violence will take place here.

The process didn't take long, though I have to say something here. Having all of the tenketsu of a limb sealed is oddly like having the limb go to sleep, but more so. Looking at the world through Kitsu's senses, though… that was strange. It's like opening your eyes underwater, but for all of your senses. Nothing seemed quite in synch, as though I'd woken up a bit too early from an anesthetic. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, either, but I could catch the sense of sadness, and of separation. Then, a feeling of relief. The world snapped itself back into focus not long after.

It is done, Shien. I can assure you, I'm not eager to repeat the conversation.

What do you mean?

I have never been outside of your body, and thus I find it quite comfortable in here.

I'm flattered, I think, but what does that have to do with anything?

My father does not share that sentiment. Being trapped in that kind of a shell for almost forty years after a long lifetime of freedom has done some strange things to his mind.

This is supposed to be reassuring, why?

I will not need his tutelage to access my abilities, in time. He was clear enough to tell me that much. There are more details that I'll figure out later, but that's the gist of it. You may want to return your attention to the other humans, though. They seem concerned.

"I'm awake, guys, don't worry. What are the results?"

Neji, Sakura, and Mom gave me a rather pained look. I can't imagine seeing two of their closest people possessed by demons and conversing in whatever alien tongue they use is very reassuring. Sakura spoke first, though. "I… don't know. I really don't. Shien, I'm going to have to do several studies on both you and your father before we truly know what's going on." She glanced at a clock. "Much as I'd like to begin those tests right now, there are several people who need my help from yesterday's fight. I will be seeing you later, but you're free to leave for now." She walked out.

"Naruto-kun… we should be going, too. There is much we need to take care of, especially now."

"You're right, Hinata. Shikamaru will be waiting with the council. Shien, I'll see you later, alright?"

"Alright, Dad. I'll be ready to join whatever you guys plan."

"No, you won't. If there's one thing Hinata taught me, it's that you don't go out of your way to look for trouble, especially when you have as much on your plate as we do. Whatever we plan, you're probably not going to be leaving Fire Country for a while, so get used to the idea." With that they left, leaving me with Neji.

"I suppose, sensei, that you have something left to say on this?"

"Not quite. Shien, your demeanor has changed somewhat since I last saw you."

"That is to be expected. About twelve hours ago, I found out a few things about myself that I hadn't realized were there."

"There's more to that than you're directly telling me. I believe you have come to a rather important decision regarding your own personal life."

Yeesh, he's being even more observant than usual. Like I could hide anything from him before. "I have, sir. All that's left is figuring out how to tell her."

"Good. I'm sure you made the right choice."

"I just followed my heart and mind, sensei."

"Then I know what you chose. Let me just say one more thing: if you ever make my daughter cry, if you ever again hurt her as your self-denial has been doing for the past month, you will answer to me, and I will show you why I was called the Genius of the Hyuuga Clan."

Gulp. "Yes sir, you need not worry about that ever happening, as long as I am able to prevent it. If I may ask one thing, sensei?"

"Go on."

"How could you tell what I decided?"

"Many things, Shien. I started looking a bit more closely when I found out about Hiromi's feelings, and you promptly showed us all what you would do at the Chuunin Exam finals. That is irrelevant, however, as your present state tells all. You are calm, in a way you haven't been before. This is despite all that has happened in the past day. I daresay that calm is not what you'd be feeling if you were getting ready to tell my daughter that her love was unrequited, correct?"

Interlude Fourteen: Tactics of the Secret Wars

In a normal war, certain things can be expected. Among them are open battles, set battle lines, and effectiveness of walls, among other things.

In battles among the Hidden Villages, however, the rules change significantly. First off, the vast majority of the battles take place in one-on-one or small group situations, unplanned. Attrition is inevitable in these conditions, although the rates will favor the better-prepared and better-trained village. However, the losers of the fights will almost never know the fight ever took place until days or weeks after the fact, since the ones who were in it usually won't come home.

The concept of "lines in the sand", as it were, also does not apply to Secret Wars. Battles take place in a geometric distribution, increasing in density as you approach the midpoint between the villages and decreasing as you draw closer to the villages themselves. Despite this, shinobi tacticians can never discount the possibility of an attack in force at their gates. Not only does this make maintaining a defensive line critically important in such times, scouting teams also become crucial.

Along the same lines, walls are not true barriers to a trained shinobi. To many, they are little more than an inconvenience. Thus, defenders must concern themselves with the standing of the village itself, not just its surroundings. Assassinations and attacks coming from both sides of the wall are not just common, they are expected.

These fights do share one trait with conventional battles, one of terrain. Commanders of ninja strike teams will strive to find areas most like the homes they trained in for fights they must engage in. This is, however, for a much different reason than a conventional military might want their terrain. To them, terrain forms physical barriers, increases the effectiveness of certain units and hampers others. Shinobi are slightly different, in that their very techniques are inevitably developed for the terrain of their own hidden village. While poor terrain might mean a disadvantage to a normal group, it could cripple a shinobi team outright.