Chapter 19

Cascading Change

"Ok, I know what I asked for didn't sound the best." Naruto sits tied to a chair in the Yamanaka clan compound. Specifically, he's in Inouichi's private office, shortly after Ino had dropped him off to speak with her father. His arms are bound behind him and several suppression seals now litter his body. He always wondered what clan provided most of those for the Anbu. Guess that's answered now. "But really, this is unnecessary." He blows at the seal hanging over his face. "Really tired of doing this Jiangshi impression."

Inouichi keeps a kunai in hand as he watches Naruto from a distance. "You should be silent until the Hokage gets here to discuss whatever the hell is wrong with your seal for the fox to convince you to make me dive in to be his snack."

He snorts. "You're one of the few people of high rank that he actively knows of in this village that's not on his 'to eat' list, actually. Hokage-jiji barely squeaked by getting on it cuz he respects the man enough to overshadow the bullshit that got thrown at him when he was possessed during the attack when I was born."

Inouichi pauses. "… Wait... possessed?"

"I was hoping you'd pick up on that quick." Naruto shrugs. "Long story short, sharingan."

Inouichi slowly picks up his jaw and narrows his eyes. "… That's… quite the serious accusation. Yet none left to accuse, as there's only two Uchiha alive, and neither responsible."

"Yeah, I know. Still, once Jiji gets here. He'll confirm it. And probably tell you to do what I've asked for anyway."

"No." He spins his kunai a bit. "Still not falling for that one."

"You might, actually." Hiruzen opens the sliding door and steps through into the office. "Nothing to really fall for, he's being perfectly honest, if a bit forward and stupid with his methods."

"Well I'm sorry there's no safe way to ask someone to talk to the demon in your head." Naruto huffs and hangs his head. "Now can you please untie me so we can get this over with?"

Hiruzen pauses and peeks behind Naruto. "I don't think I need to."

"Yeah, I know." The ropes start falling around him and he stands while shaking his wrists before pulling the suppression seals off one by one. "Ugh, that hurt a bit. If not for my healing factor, you woulda been cued in by the blood from my failed attempts at cutting the ropes with wind chakra." He cracks his stiff neck. "I'm lucky you put most of the suppressing seals on my head and stomach to deal with the fox. Neglecting my hands made that escape method kind of obvious."

Inouichi stammers aimlessly as he looks between Naruto and the Hokage. "How… Why are you supporting this?"

Hiruzen chuckles softly as he reaches out to rub Naruto's sore shoulders, gently comforting his adoptive grandson to silently apologize for the hassle tonight. Naruto seems to lose his cocky façade and soften up on contact. "Because I'm impressed how much he's taking after one of my students."

That shuts Inouichi right up. He knows all too well that Hiruzen means Jiraiya, so he knows to keep a close eye on this unpredictable escape artist hellchild. "I… see. Well…" He clears his throat. "I suppose I can humor his request then, if you truly believe it's safe. If both of you would take a seat…" He pulls a chair up beside Naruto's and gestures for them both to take them. Naruto lowers himself back into the same seat he'd been tied to and crosses his arms. "Alright, be sure to drag all three of us in." He grin. "This one should be fun."

That does very little to calm Inouichi, but he places a hand over both their foreheads and channels his jutsu. "Let's just get this over with…"

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Clean across the village, deep in the Uchiha compound, Sasuke kills the rest of his day with more relentless training. The log in front of him is charred at every angle and slowly blackening, layers of soot tearing away with every hit as he slowly but surely decimates his own limbs. The damage is already stacking up and every strike hurts, but he just couldn't care less right now.

That is, until Kurenai is suddenly leaning against the next log over. "Your form is certainly good, but you're over-turning your back, and you're really gonna feel it tomorrow."

Sasuke stops just before landing another kick, slowly lowering his leg. "I thought Gai was the taijutsu expert."

"Oh, he is." She huffs. "But I know how much that hurts from experience. Kind of hard not to do when you're training with your mind elsewhere, right?" Sasuke tries to avoid reacting, but as an inexperienced genin, she catches the twitch in his eyes all too easily. "I've been there, you know." She turns her gaze to the sky. "… When the Kyuubi killed my parents and I lost everything… I guess my training suffered a lot when I felt I had nothing left to fight for. I still trained, but horribly. Injured myself a lot, lost days of progress at a time…" She sighs and hangs her head, shaking it a bit as she sees Sasuke return to his kicking routine. "I tried to get help from the only distant family I had left, but our clan still wanted nothing to do with me."

That startles Sasuke out of his training to the point of aiming too high, kicking the log with his toes, and hopping back while holding his foot. "AGH- son of a- WHAT?!"

Kurenai can't manage to stifle her giggling. "I know, it's not exactly common knowledge. You see, my mother was born of the Uchiha clan, but with a mutation of the bloodline. Born with red eyes, but never developed any tomoe, never had any ability to copy ninjutsu, just an incredible knack for casting genjutsu. That deviation wasn't taken lightly, and she was ostracized completely. She married out of the clan and cast the name of Uchiha aside out of spite for her treatment." She sighs and crosses her arms as she turns her gaze out across the compound. "I always wished I could have grown up here, though."

Silence falls as Sasuke calms from his martially violent toe-stubbing and sets his foot down. "So… Even my father didn't want you around?"

She shakes her head. "No… Fugusaku was never quite an open-minded man. That may not be what you want to hear, but…"

"No, I get it." Sasuke turns his gaze to the place that had once been his parents' bedroom. "… He… ignored me a lot, too. Always praising Itachi and never giving me the time of day." He sighs and hangs his head. "Always thought I'd just never gotten the chance to impress him."

"… You've impressed me." That draws Sasuke's eyes up in an instant. The gentle smile on her face is far too genuine for any shinobi to fake. "You've been through more than any child should ever see, more horrors than most shinobi will ever know, and yet… here you are. Going strong and with no signs of giving up." Her smile slowly fades. "But that doesn't mean you're not still in a great deal of pain."

Sasuke turns away to avoid her eyes. Those damned red eyes. Such a reminder of family. They feel so much like home that it brings his guard down far more easily than he could ever admit. "I'm fine, Kurenai-sensei. If that's all you're here for, then-"

"Not at all." Once again, Sasuke's shocked into looking up to her as she pushes herself off the log and stands across from him. "I'd like to help you train your genjutsu more. Your ideas are unique, and structurally sound, but they'll take a lot of practice. What you're aiming for is a type of sensory manipulation few genjutsu have ever produced before. Your elements may make it a tad easier, but it's still an uphill battle. So…" She starts stretching her fingers. "Let's go over the potential handsigns from some similar genjutsu and see what we can produce."

After a few moments, Sasuke nods and activates his sharingan. "Show me the jutsu, and I'll read how chakra reacts to each set of signs."

"Hmmm…" She smirks. "Smart kid."

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Shikaku Nara takes a seat at his favorite bar to find a man he's recently discovered to have taken a liking to the place as well. Not a surprise, as the owner and head bartender is a former shinobi himself and good at dealing with their kind. As such, the grizzled ex-nukenin known as Momochi Zabuza could easily be found there. He lowers his glass and side-eyes his new drinking buddy. "Shikaku? Well damn…" He snorts and takes another drink. For once, he's chosen to forego his mask to fully enjoy it. "To what do I owe the pleasure of meeting the shinobi world's top strategist?"

He grunts a bit. "Never expected such sarcasm from a nukenin. Still, glad to know my name still means something out there." He taps the bar and is wordlessly served his usual sake. "I hear you're already familiar with some of our genin and their sensei. As it turns out, we started a new training program, and we're in need of weapons instructors. I know Kubikirihoucho is unconventional, but you're good with plenty of other blades and blunt weapons if I recall." He peeks up with a sideways glance out of his saucer. "We're hoping you might want to join them and work with Gekko Hayate on the matter. Might be a decent way to kill time and get that good behavior racked up to get anbu off your back."

"Gekko?" He hums at that. "Interesting. Met the man once. Only a Tokubetsu, but his skills with a blade are impressive. Heard he's retired from most active duty, though."

He nods. "That he is. Inhaled a bit too much smoke from a fire jutsu and it's done serious damage to his lungs. Still, he's skilled and attentive as ever. Just lacking in stamina now."

"Shame…" Zabuza sips down more of a his beer. "Mm…. woulda liked to spar with him in his prime. Still, I don't see why I can't step in and put the kids through the ringer. Haku never took to blades, so it'd be nice to pass that skill on to someone. Already know that Uchiha brat's got potential."

"Sasuke? Yeah, surely. So does that mean you're in, then?"

He huffs and slams his empty bottle down. "Tell me where, and I'll be there. Expect Haku as well, I'm sure she'll be eager."

"Hmmm…" He takes a notebook from his pocket to jot that down. "That could have some interesting results, I suppose. Feel free to bring her, then." He pushes himself up from his seat and steps away. "I'd join you for a drink, but I have a few other stops to make. Tomorrow night maybe, once this is all settled?"

Zabuza peeks back over his shoulder. "Sure. And bring Ibiki if ya can, I've always wanted to meet that madman." He takes a swig. "Outside the interrogation room, anyway."

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Across the village from the bar, deep in the main shopping district, Haku wanders into a flower shop in search of a few species she could never manage to find in her travels. Quite a few require drier climates than what she was used to traveling through, so there's sure to be at least a couple of the ones on her list.

What she first finds through the door is a blonde ponytail whipping around behind a girl in purple as she gathers a bouquet for her only current customer. Ino jumps back over the counter with practiced ease, proving herself to have some degree of shinobi training, but Haku can't be sure just how much.

"Here you go, Iruka-sensei!" Ino hands the completed bouquet across to her former teacher with a grin. "Be sure to put in a good word for Anko for me too, alright? I'm really looking forward to training with her!"

Iruka sighs and scratches his head. "I'll be sure to let her know ya made this for her. She'll repay you, somehow. Just don't expect her to go easy on you, literally all of her teaching methods are painful and humiliating."

"Um…" Ino pales a bit. "I'll keep that in mind, I guess."

"Right… Well, I should get goi- oh!" Iruka turns around to find the Hyoton Heiress's gentle smile. "Haku! How've you been enjoying Konoha so far?"

"Haku?" Ino peeks out from behind him, then leaps over the counter. "So you're the girl Naruto was rambling about! Well…" She steps up with one hand outstretches and her other arm folded behind her back. "I'm Yamanaka Ino, one of his old academy classmates."

Haku gladly takes her hand and shakes. "Momochi Haku. I'm surprised Naruto was so talkative about me."

"Oh, it was hard to get him to shut up." Iruka shrugs a bit as Ino retracts her hand. "When he runs into something that's trouble for his traps, he tends to obsess over it until he finds solutions. When he obsesses, her rambles."

"Trouble for his- Oh." She pauses and tilts her head as she thinks that over. "I suppose my ice would be quite a risk to him. Locking up mechanisms, covering seals to trap their contents, reconfiguring the ground… I may be his strongest counter in our generation, in that light."

"Oh, definitely." Ino sighs and hangs her head. "And to think he used to be the weakest in our class. But that was well before graduation. Now, I have no idea."

"Well, I guess that's just proof of you all being rather talented. I believe in our few days together before returning here, he mentioned you being one of the more troublesome members of his class. He called your skill set…" She pauses. "I believe he said 'scarier than Tora on a catnip binge'. I have no idea who Tora is, but I'm guessing you would."

Ino forces a twitching smile. "Oh, well, I'll have to thank him for that later. By being my test dummy. S-So, um, Haku.." She shakes off her rage. "How are you liking the village so far?"

"Well…" She lowers herself onto a bench by the register, prepared for customers waiting on complex orders. "A bit overwhelming, honestly. I've spent most of my life on the run with Zabuza-sama. I'm not used to being around such large crowds, or crowds in general. Need to find a few quieter places to spend my time."

"I believe I may be of some assistance." Haku jumps a bit as she raises her head to find a boy in a gray trench coat and sunglasses. "Aburame Shino, at your service."

"Oh, Shino, hey!" Ino pulls an envelope out of a drawer beneath the register and tosses it to him. He catches it with practiced ease. "There's the payment and order for our next pest control session." She leans on the counter to peek around the register to Haku. "Shino here really would be the right guy to ask. He's the quietest guy I know and knows all the best natural views around. Go with him, and you'll be sure to find yourself a new haven before sundown."

Shino pushes his glasses up. "I do my best. And any friend of Naruto's a friend of mine. He's always been a remarkable judge of character."

"As I've seen." Haku giggles softly as she stands. "We were still enemies the second time we met, and he still managed to talk me down and into negotiating a collaboration against the man who'd hired me. Most would call it foolish, but I suppose Naruto's success proves otherwise."

"Oh, but he is most definitely a fool." Shino offers his arm to her. "So, how about a nice waterfall first? There's some fascinating dragonfly species there I'd been hoping to check on today."

"Um... s-sure! That sounds lovely!" She slips her left arm around Shino's right before peeking back to Ino. "Thanks for the suggestion, Ino! I'll be sure to visit again soon! I came in looking for a few rare flowers, but I suppose I found something better. I'll see you both later!"

Once Shino and Haku have made their way out, Iruka raises an eyebrow at Ino. "… Are you seriously trying to play matchmaker?"

"Sensei, I make flower arrangements for couples on a daily basis in here, and I figured out what was up between Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei on day one as a genin. You know I live for this stuff, and I'm good at it."

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"… so then I kicked Shukaku out of his own desert for about ten years and the Nanabi and I alternated between dueling and partying in an oasis there until the booze Shukaku fermented from that cactus field ran out."

"Hmmm…." Hiruzen strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Been many years since I've had a cactus brew. I can't quite recall what it was called. I doubt Onoki's forgotten that night, though. I forgot most of it, but he was the one trying to reel me in all night."

Inoichi facepalms quite audibly. "Are you seriously more of a lightweight than me?"

"No, I can compete with Anko and Chouza, I just had enough to make Tsunade have a conniption when I told her this story."

Naruto is grinning ear to ear as he lounges in a chair a short distance outside the fox's seal cage. "Before I take your hat, you gotta tell me every one of these stories, Jiji."

"Couldn't agree more." The Kyuubi lounges on the other side of the bars, quite laxed in the presence of two of the village's strongest. "But for now, I believe we've been rambling in here for long enough. So, Inoichi." He narrows his gaze on the mind-diver. "I may need to communicate with Naruto in combat without him relying on my chakra. Do you know of seals that could be used to do this?"

Inoichi lowers his hand from his face, slowly dragging it until it rests over his mouth. When he finally has an answer, he claps and spreads a seal layout into the air in glowing lines of chakra. "This array is normally used to link multiple of my clansmen into a single mind searching session, directed by whomever is at the center of the circuit. By removing this component…" He pulls away one piece and dissolves it. "And modifying these lines as such…" He swipes at a few to redirect and reshape them. "therefore creating a one-way circuit so that genjutsu Naruto is caught in don't effect you, so you can then knock him out of them…"

"Now, hold on a second." Naruto gets up and pokes at several points in the seal. "These here seem a bit redundant."

"The human mind is full of redundancies, this is to compensate for and coincide with them to prevent an overload caused by direct feeds."

"Alright, makes decent sense. I ain't any good at psychology or biology, so that's all you. How about this feedback circuit? I already have the seal rigged to let the Kyuubi witness everything going on with me as long as I don't actively cut him out, like when I'm taking a shower. Can't we just remove the feedback route and rely on the mechanism I already have in place, to keep it simple?"

"Hmmm…" Inoichi scratches his head. "Potentially, but you've gotta show me how you managed that. We may be able to incorporate it and make things a bit more efficient."

Off to the side, Hiruzen leans against one of the bars of the prison and peeks back to the Kyuubi. "He's impressive, isn't he?"

"I suppose he is. I see more of his obnoxious father every day, and yet his damned mother is still at the core of his personality. And yet… unlike them, I can't bring myself to quite hate him." He smirks. "He's a free spirit, who much like me, doesn't give a damn what the world thinks, but knows he'll get them to change their tune in time. He doesn't go with the order. He makes the chaos that forces it to change for the better. I couldn't ask for a better host." He grumbles. "Besides one who has enough control to improve my cell more."

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Halfway across the elemental nations, to the northwest and on the jungle border, several chuunin and a single jonin with headbands marked by a vertically bifurcated downward arrow stand around the base of their holy tree. The Jonin's eyes narrow on the two corpses found at the entrance to the Hero Water shrine. The chuunin ramble around him.

"What the hell are we gonna do?

"How the fuck did this happen?!"

"We gotta find who did it! We need kill them before they use the Hero Water!"

"It was you, wasn't it?! You always hated being stuck as a chuunin!"

"Hey, I didn't so this! Keep that kunai away from me! Besides, it had to be that monstrous brat, Fuu! She could survive using this shit, of course she wants it so she can kill us a-"

"SILENCE!" All chuunin present fall silent and look to their commanding Jonin the moment he barks out. He towers over them, a hulk of a man that even Morino Ibiki may be intimidated by. He's rather pale, with thick, dark circled under his eyes. His head sports a short but spiky cut, with a pointed beard down to his chest. He runs his fingers through his ebony facial hair as he inspects the wounds on the assassinated Jonin. The culprit was careless regarding any attempts at hiding his identity, but only because none but the oldest and most informed of the village would have a clue. Even then, none of them could od anything about the man who committed these atrocities. He was far too old, too far gone by now, and far too powerful to touch. His techniques are considered lost to the village after he'd personally stolen them in his escape from the village, and now, Taigakure's greatest mistake has come back to haunt them just as their sacred tree's hundred year cycle was completed. The Jonin's brow furls as his eyes dart up to a lonely green-haired genin girl tucked into the branches of another tree in the distance, awaiting the people's harsh judgement in the wake of a tragedy she had nothing to do with. If the intel he received recently and gave to Jiraiya is correct, this would be an ironically indirect way for the culprit to harm her years before he plans to do so directly. "Kakuzu… Why have you come back? The one secret we had left doesn't apply to you any longer. So why would you care to take it?..."