Chapter 26: When two worlds collide.
"Before we begin." Kyougi continued, "Konoha have some information about the clans of the land of Water. All we have comes from a single report that was deemed unreliable. I have been given access to it, along with a word of warning. Things might have changed when we acquired them and the information inside might as well be false, but let's still analyze them."
Oh yeah, since the council never had the last letter, they thought Manami had lied. Damnit gramps…
"From this file, the Sumire are a new clan in the land of Water. The most that we could gather was that they specialize in medicine and poison. Yamamoto-kun, your job will be to assess if this girl is even close to your clan level."
Yama nodded anxiously.
"Her age, height and weight are still quite an enigma, but for the purpose of this mission think of her as your equal. Do we agree?"
Yama agreed again, then sensei pointed toward a line of her file that said, 'enrolled at the academy at five.'
"Hum. Five?" I could only say. "Yeah, it's weird. Children enter the academy at four. She entered later and…"
"Wrong Shinji-kun. Konoha children enter the academy at four. But the first four years can be resumed as 'civilian training'. They are taught how to read, write, the history of our country and only starts 'shinobi training' in fourth year when they are eight."
That cut me short. I mean yeah, I know it, I was there, but…
"Kiri children starts their Shinobi education at eight." Kyougi continued. "And they directly start with the 'How to Kill' segment. The 'How to read and Write' is done individually, if not, they don't care."
"So, this Aka No Usagi showed enough talent that… They sent her directly into 'now let's kill each other for fun' part when she was five, and graduated?"
"With honors, apparently. And that's the best-case scenario, trust me on this, kids, there's a lot of worst-case scenarios. But that's everything we know about her. Let's continue."
Sensei moved the paper about the Sumire girl on the side. The next one was about a guy that seemed…
Hey, I know you. What the FUCK are you doing here?
"Next one is Hozuki Suigetsu. His clan is famous for…"
I cut out my sensei, focusing on the boy with shark teeth that was smiling to the photographer.
Suigetsu.
Future comrade of Sasuke.
How can I make this not happen…?
"…zuki can turn themselves into beings of pure water." I returned to my sensei continuing her explanation. "Weapons, Jutsu…All useless. The only way to harm him will be Lightning, I will teach you that. Just in case. But for Yamamoto-kun sake, I must ask this. Even if you fight him don't use the 'Shared journey'. He'll dilute it and he'll only have a headache while you will die. This is the Chunin exams, you'll be safe."
Yama nodded.
"Next is Hiroshi Kishi." Our sensei continued by showing the picture of a blond boy.
And I mean… Yeah, he was blond. Really blond. A blonde kind of blondy-Yamanaka-blond really… Also, good looking, but where's the threatening part?
"From the report we received, this guy is the least dangerous but at the same time the one we understand the least." Our sensei said.
"The Kishi are clerks. Historians. That should pose them as no threat, but his file showed a huge proficiency in ninjutsu. Which is weird. Clerks don't need to have such a high level in this field. Which suggest that they are something more. We have no data so don't lower your guard and find everything you can about him."
Sensei then continued to shuffle.
"Next is Aozora Kiriko." The next file showed the picture of an extremely attractive young girl. 12 or 13 years old. Soft features, smooth skin and gentle smile. From what I remembered of my grandfather story, the Aozora took great care to have the most attractive children.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Yama was slightly blushing. I stored that in the 'to be used later for blackmail' part of my memory.
"From the report, the Aozora are a clan of diplomat and information gatherer. She will come to you in order to understand us. Use that. Shinji, I expect you to do your 'Protection' speech at least once. It won't work, but how she reacts to it is the point. Yamamoto-kun, since you and her share the same age, she might try to approach you first. Do your best."
"Yes sensei." Our teacher raised an eyebrow at him, before shrugging. No way she hadn't noticed the absence of my friend's usual stammering.
Then there's the usual Big Guy: Hamasaki Gonmaru." Our sensei continued, showing the face of a bulky boy. "Earth-attuned… His clan is simply written as: 'deadly taijutsu fighters and assassins.' Be careful with him, he's probably the bruiser of his team."
"Moving on, next is Mizushima Mitsuki. They are noted to be 'businessmen' in a way that reads 'Would give Gato a run for his money'." Our team shared a wince that was noted by Neji. He didn't inquire, though. Since the Hyuga were a noble clan he probably already knows about the cockroach.
"Expect her to be cunning, devious and extremely adaptable. Besides that, she doesn't have any exceptional skills elsewhere. Now, before last, we have Akebino Chojuro."
I had to suppress my fear as I looked into the timid eyes of the blue haired kid in the picture.
Chojuro. Of the seven swordsmen of the mist.
Personal bodyguard of Terumi Mei, the Fifth Mizukage.
And finally, the man who will become the Sixth…
Let's have a little summary. An underage girl that entered and apparently aced the school system of a country that used to kill half of their children, a boy that fought along Sasuke on his prime and the future Mizukage… What kind of freak show is this…?
We are so fucked…
"The Akebino are a clan that descends from samurais having adapted to ninja warfare. They are expert swords master that provided a good portion of the seven swordsmen of the mist. If you must fight him, don't. Do not engage, we know everything there is to know about him. Am I clear?"
Everyone nodded. Me with a little more enthusiasm, and sensei continued.
"And the last one is a girl called Minami. In Kiri, having no surname means 'orphan'. I doubt that she will have a lot of information. Still, it means that she is the representative of the civilian shinobi, which put her threat level…"
I stopped listening. Minami… Name's familiar, somehow… Where did I…
"Friend?" Moon-moon said in our headspace.
"Wait a second, please, I'm trying to remember something."
"Frieeeeeend?" I left out a sigh at my Friend insistence.
"Ok, I'll bite. What is it?"
"Remember… Manami's letter? The second part…?"
"Oh, that's why the name sounded familiar. Yeah, I remember. I was about her being pregn…WAITASECOND!"
… I, with the help of a disabled elder, gave Kiba a daughter. I called her Minami…
… The conviction that 'someone will come' changed to 'someone had come'…
… I watched her being sent to the orphanage…
Oh… You've GOT to be kidding me!
"What's wrong, Shinji-kun. You scared?" Kasumi taunted me as I did a full body shiver.
"Hum… Yeah. But not for what you think…" Okay, think fast Shinji, think fast… "Sensei? Can I go back home? Like, right now? I just remembered that I forgot to do my chores this morning. If I don't do them before she returns, I'm… Pretty much dead. And that would delay the mission and stuff…"
"Well…" Nara Kyougi was clearly not buying it. "I guess you can. The briefing is pretty much finished anyway."
"Wait sensei!" Kasumi said with way too much enthusiasm. "I have a few ideas about our team, can we discuss them now? Of course, Shinji-kun must stay. As our Protector, his input is extremely important!"
Oh, you piece of…
"As fun as it is funny to watch Shinji-kun squirm, we will discuss those later. Besides I need to talk to his mother and now's a good time since her shift ended half an hour ago. On a completely unrelated note, have you written a testament or something, Shinji-kun?"
"In nomine Doggi et Puppi et Poochitus Sanctus…"
"Anyway, we'll be meeting here tomorrow and leave toward Kumo. Take the day to prepare for a long-lasting mission. A month should be enough. Be sure to check with your family that your supplies are adequate. I'll help you for that, Kasumi-chan."
Everyone left and Kyougi-sensei accompanied me toward the busy streets of Konoha. She signaled me toward a busy market and took my hand. Like a parent leading a child through a crowded area.
'Information relevant to mission'. She tapped the words on the back of my hand with the Konoha code. Ending with the symbol 'question'.
'Information relevant to clan'. I tapped back. 'Unverified.'
She raised an eyebrow at me but did not continued as we exited the market and headed straight to home.
Inside, mom was at her usual place on the sofa, with the usual classified documents displayed in front of her. She acknowledged our presence with a small nod and continued to read them.
I went straight to the book that held our family photos, sat with my sensei on the table, and opened it somewhere in the middle. Right on a page displaying some photograph of me as a baby.
I heard my sadistic sensei giggle at the 'cuteness' that was displayed and immediately turned the pages back. Ten at a time.
And there she was.
"Is your mom… Completely trashing her little comrade while blushing?" Asked my sensei while looking at the picture of a twelve-somewhat years old Tsume beating the shit out of a classmate. Hey, is that dad?
Shaking my head to get rid of the image, I discretely pointed some details on the photograph. Her lips, her eyes, her chin…
I immediately saw my sensei tensed-up as she locked her eyes on mine. She had made the connection.
"Hey! I remember that photograph! That's when your father did his first confession!" Mom was right behind us, surprising us both. "I had a crush on him for a long time, but I was so happy when he confessed that I beat him up by reflex! Since the clan rules states that the one who propose must Protect the one proposed it took a bit of time before we managed to set up a credible way for him to win. Ah… Good times…"
"I… I think I'm not going to like the answer but… How did you two managed?" I asked, against my better judgment.
"Oh, we waited for your grandfather to go on a mission during winter, then he proposed again. The duel was to be held the day after, so I stayed up all night outside in my pajamas and caught a cold. He was declared the winner by default, and we started dating. Your father was quite smart when it counted, you know? No one saw it coming!"
Must not insult my clan, must not insult my clan, mustnotinsultmyclanmustnotYOU FUCKING MOROOOOOOOONS!
"Why have I never thought of that… It's… Brilliant…" Nara-sensei was gazing at nothing. Her hands together on her chest like she just had an epiphany.
What the hell is even right with this village…
"But why are you interested in that photo, my pup?" Mom asked, genuinely curious.
"Hum… Well… I'm not sure. I just wanted to see you when you were a child and Nara-sensei… Tagged along?" I managed to scramble my thoughts into a coherent sentence. Yeah, perfect excuse.
"When I was thirteen… And you were just given a mission to… Oh! I guess I do have a younger sibling in Kiri after all. Well, there was a huge betting pool on that. I guess I'm rich."
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"
In case you were wondering, no, that wasn't me. I froze on the spot. That scream came from Hana, who was tumbling through the stairs. If she wasn't a shinobi, I would have been worried she might hurt herself. But since she was one, it was a convenient (and humorous) distraction.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, MOM?!" She was quick to get back on her feet and rushed toward us.
"Huh? I just said that I secured the funding for the extension of the clinic you asked for. You're going to be swamped with work, my pup!"
"That's not what I meant! You have… You have a SIBLING? In an enemy country!?"
"Hana." Mom voice became cold. "Recite Shinobi Rule number 23."
"What? And why would I…" She was cut by an icy glare from mom we all knew as the 'Obey, Now'. "Hum… Twenty-three… In case an infiltration is compromised, all possessions that are not a direct threat to the safety of Konoha can and must be discarded for a successful exfil…tration… No…"
"Yes." Mom coldly cut her off. "That include children without blood limits. Having a child with a civilian during an infiltration mission is a good way to integrate yourself with the community, and my father spent four years in Kiri. Hana, you are not a field kunoichi, but this is not unheard of in our profession."
"But gramps would NEVER stand for this!" Hana pressed on. "I might have been too young to really know him, but I've read everything about The Wise! He was all about 'the Protector protect everyone he wants to'!"
"Maybe he…" I said, cutting through her argument. "Maybe he wasn't even aware he had a daughter…" Ok, gramps. If you're dead, then I'll resurrect you, just so that I can kill you myself for making me lie to my mother and sister. "If he had to leave before the mother even knew she was pregnant…"
Hana withdrew, and silence reigned.
"Can I see the person in question?" Mom asked in a cold and professional voice. Kyougi-sensei just gave her the file about 'Minami'. Then she just stared at the young girl in the photo for a few seconds. Her eyes moving with a methodical precision, her fingers tracing Minami's hair, which were nothing like ours. Her eyes the wrong color.
But her fingers started to trace the features I've highlighted before to my sensei, then moved to reveal some similarities I haven't realized. Her ears, her nose… They were a complete copy of Hana and mine… Then her fingers stopped.
"Hi… Lil' sis…" The Fierce said in a weak voice before tears started to fall from her eyes.
Shinobi rule number 25: "A shinobi must never show tears during a mission."
This wasn't a mission. But I took a moment to think to myself. Have I ever seen someone shed tears of joy since I've came here?
"This is Kumogakure, kids. I hope you'll be at your best behavior."
The village hidden in the clouds was… Weird. In the fact it was really hidden by clouds. This simple fact somehow shook me more that I expected.
While travelling here, we passed a few security checkpoints. All manned by ninjas and were ushered into what I recognised as a cable car.
It felt nostalgic, somehow, as the car started to move upward and upward, through the white sky, toward an unknown destination.
The land of Lightning was filled with mountains and peaks. I guess the name came from it because those mountains weren't like the Alps in my former world. Going high and low with plains and such, but more like what I imagined mountains in China where like. Huge spikes of rock with nothing in-between…
Natural lightning rods.
Our car was blindly following its rails through the heavy clouds that were this village equivalent of our city wall, and we finally emerged.
"Wow…" Yama said, awe in his voice. And we ALL shared the sentiment.
As the cloud around us were left behind, Kumogakure greeted us.
Spires of stones, piercing the clouds below, going higher that I thought was possible, maybe… Dozens of them… Habitations directly built into the rock. Cables connecting them in a gigantic cat's cradle, cable cars like our own slowly moving people from one spire to another, shinobi simply running on the threads like they weren't thousands of meters above ground...
And in the center of this was the biggest one. Kumogakure. Or… As I could describe it…
"It looks like a giant upside down onion..." I said while watching the towering building in the center. Blue glass completely encircling the spire it was built upon. It was an impregnable fortress.
"While I understand the comparison, Inuzuka-san, please refrain from using it around important people."
The man who spoke was a Chunin from Cloud who was accompanying and watching us during our approach to the village.
"Kumogakure was built to withstand invasions coming from below, thus the lower levels are quite confined, then the higher you go the more space you have. It was made to create choke points and potential points of ambush. Not that it mattered in the end since Kumogakure was never attacked, but still. That term had been used in the past to demean our village before it was as powerful as it is today, and thus, have still a stigma attached to it. If you wish you can say 'inverted triangle'. Then you won't be ki… Scolded by someone who overheard you."
"I hope that my student didn't create a diplomatic incident with you, Chunin-san. If so, I humbly apologize." Our sensei simply said from her sitter place, her hands crossed around her chest and eyes looking toward the village.
"Do not worry, Jonin-sama. Three quarter of our job, as guides, is to tell this to new visitors. A lot of people make the same comparison, and we are tasked to ensure they do not repeat the same honest mistake."
"Is that so, that's good." Kyougi just said while looking at a pocket watch.
"Now, we have arrived at the last checkpoint. Please, esteemed guest, have the papers concerning your participation in the Chunin exam at the ready. A Jonin will take you to your lodging and… Ah…"
Everyone perked up when our escort voice… Died out.
Our car suddenly stopped, and the door opened. A stairway was put against it, and we all looked toward the Jonin that was awaiting at the other end.
A blonde woman, probably between 20 and 25 years old with long blonde hairs was waiting for us. Someone I recognized immediately. She appeared in the story maybe once or twice but… She made a striking appearance. That and because of the blinding resemblance she shared with someone in my team.
Yugito Nii greeted us with a predatory smile.
"Why… Are you here…" Kasumi said, a mix of anger and despair in her voice.
"Well." The blond Jinchuriki said with a smile. "I would be a bad host if I didn't welcome my cute little sister when she is visiting my home, right?"
Oh, come the fuck oooooooon… I need a fucking break!
"So, sis. I guess this is your squad?" Yugito Nii said while looking over our group. "I'll admit I expected… More. When Matatabi told me that you finally swallowed your pride and moved out of the Litter I hoped that you'll come to Kumo. I would have welcomed you with open arms!"
"Nee-san!" Kasumi argued, half embarrassment and half despair in her voice. "Why have you left us! Mom… Dad… They all miss you! You were supposed to be our greatest…"
"Exactly." The finality in our escort voice completely shut our teammate. "They wanted me to be something I never wanted to be. So, I left. Anyway!" Her serious demeanor changed completely.
"I will ask you to follow me to the last car toward your lodgings. They are on spire number six." Yugito pointed toward one of the spikes closer to the main one. "This spire hosts the foreign affair building. As you can imagine, space is important in Kumo, so we grouped everything not directly related to the village here. The beds will be good though, we try our best to be accommodating guests, after all."
"Hey sensei…" I weakly said to the responsible adult in the room. "Did you know about this?"
"Of course, I knew. It was in Kasumi-chan files after all. You could have found it yourself since they are public records."
I was starting to have a very, very bad headache.
"So, my teammate is the younger sister of the Jinchuruki of the two-tail… Great… And her family are somehow important… Ever greater… I should just invest in a notebook and start collecting cats paw prints. At least I will have something fun to do while we… Huh?"
The moment I said this, EVERYTHING stopped. Except Yama, who facepalmed.
The other shinobi that were directing the other clients froze on the spot. And all eyes turned to me.
And among those, I felt three pairs that were trying to KILL ME just by looking at me.
Kasumi, her cat, and YUGITO? HEY WHAT THE HELL!
Then I felt… A fourth pair of eyes on me… And I almost pissed my pants. WHY WAS THE TWO-TAILS TRYING TO KILL MEEEEE?
WAIIIIT WHAT THE FUUUUUCK!
"4 MINUTES AND 37 SECONDS! AHAHAHAH! YES! FUCK YES! I'M RICH! OH, IT WAS SO CLOSE!"
Everyone then turned toward our sensei, that was… Dancing in joy…
"Hum… Sorry, I believe I said something insensitive, apparently, but…" I only managed to say, unable to divert my eyes from the spectacle before me.
"HE TRIGGERED A DIPLOMATIC INCIDENT LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES AFTER WE ARRIVED IN THE VILLAGE! I WON! I WON! I'M SO RICH! SO MUCH SAKE! SO MUCH! AND I WON'T SHARE ANY OF IT, KURENAI-CHAN! SUCK IT! OR BETTER! SUCK ASUMA-KUN! YEAH, YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, SENSEI!" Yama and Kasumi screamed toward the… 'Figure of Authority' in the room.
"Hum… Sorry… But I feel like… I'm missing something…"
"Shinji-kun, you might not know it. But for a cat, especially a nin-neko, having your paw printed on paper is like having a naked picture of you plastered for everyone to see." Kuroko helpfully explained in her offended but still motherly voice…
"WHY WAS I NEVER TOOOOOLD!"
"Does the words 'Common Knowledge' means anything to you, Shinji-kun?" Yama asked, completely tired.
"Soooo…" Yugito Nii slowly turned her gaze from our sensei to Kasumi. "An idiot, a child that barely hit puberty and… That… Last year must have been rough on you, sis…"
"You get used to it…" The little blonde answered with a thousand-yard stare.
"She's lying." Said Kuruko, still looking at our sensei.
"Any… Anyway. We should get moving or we'll miss the next car…"
"…AND THEN I'LL INVEST THE FUND! AND IN TEN YEARS I'LL MONOPOLIZE THE ALCOHOL MARKET IN THE LAND OF FIRE! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT GROVELING BEFORE ME KURENAI-CHAN! THAT'S THE PRICE FOR SAYING A GENIN TEAM WILL BE 'GOOD FOR ME'!"
I grabbed her hand and forcefully dragged our delirious sensei toward the next cable car. But then her fingers tapped something in my hand.
Element of surprise gone. Complete communication blackout.
Yeah, thanks mom. Nice way of saying 'now shut the fuck up'. I think I would have figured that one myself.
Our team entered another cable car. This one heading toward the spire that held our future lodging.
We all took our seat, under the supervision of Yugito, before it started moving.
We travelled in silence. Then halfway there Kyougi-sensei looked at us seriously.
"Kiri's team is in range. We begin now. Shinji-kun and Moon-moon, you go first."
"Not even trying to pretend you're not here to spy on them, aren't you?" Yugito spoke in an amused tone.
"Oh please. Don't tell me you're not doing the same. Besides, it's not like we're going to share anything between each other. It's part of the game after all."
I ignored their bickering and moved toward a window that could be opened. The cable car holding the Kiri delegation was moving toward the spire at our speed. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and contacted my Friend in our Imprint.
"Let's start with emotions, can you feel them, Friend?"
"Yes but… Too much conflicting ones. They are too far to precisely pinpoint each source. I feel… Surprise, mostly. A bit of wariness, wonder. Also… Nostalgia, somehow…"
"Well, that's hardly unexpected. Let's switch to smell and sight. You take sight, I take smell. Ready?"
At my signal, I focused my smell on the cable car that was holding our targets, took a deep breath and… Immediately closed the window.
Everyone saw me wobble toward my seat and collapse on it before dry heaving. No one commented on it, but Yugito seemed amused.
"Neji-kun, go." Our sensei said.
For this mission, Neji was wearing a conical hat made from straws. I've seen this kind of attire in samurai movies but I didn't expect to see one here. I got it's importance when he lowered it to hide his eyes.
"So, you're sending an intelligence gathering team in training at our exams and not even bother to warn us. One with a sealed Hyuga, no less. It's kind of a low blow, Nara-sama." Yugito continued to probe our sensei.
"Well, considering the past history between our village, the old fogies in the council deemed it… Ironic."
Nothing happened for a few seconds while sensei humored our guest. Until Neji's posture straightened up, his Byakugan now disabled.
He simply stayed on his seat, no trace that he even did anything. But I've known him for a long time and from the look in his eyes and his posture… He probably saw what I smelled.
Blood. Lots and lots of blood.
The cable car finished its voyage in silence, and we all disembarked. What welcomed us on spire number six was… A hotel.
"Welcome!" The young female receptionist greeted us after Yugito took her leave. "This is the foreign affair building; all external participant of the Chunin Exam will be living here for its duration. You can spend your day however you see fit in the festival area, but please come back here at the end of the day or your safety can't be assured!"
Okay, girl. You're way too cheerful for that phrase.
"Also, I am obligated to say this. Your room will have a microphone set in the main room, right above the main door. It's not that we are trying to spy on you, but this spire will host all Shinobi not affiliated to Kumo, past teams had tried to assassinate potential opponents. This is only for your protection. I'm sure you'll agree. The study and each individual room won't be under any surveillance!"
Yeah, and you don't say that only because you know there's a Hyuga among us. I didn't even need the 'she's lying' prompt from Moon-moon.
"Anyway, here are your keys. The other team from Konoha came last week and they have been marvelous guests! Especially the silver-haired one. Oh, he's such a cutie that I…"
Everyone ignored the receptionist and moved toward the stairs to our room.
Okay, I'll be honest. They were nice.
We had a sofa that was in front of a motherfucking television. Our room had two bedrooms. One for the guys, one for the ladies. We had a kitchen that was well equipped, with furniture I never seen in the land of fire, like a food processor or even a coffee grinder.
The message was easy to understand.
Please buy our wares, foreign traveler. And our extended guarantees. And our batteries to make everything works. We even provide discount if you buy in bulk!
Frankly, it was working.
But my thought was interrupted when someone knocked on our door, as we were all unpacking.
"I guess this is the second team." Sensei got immediately close to the door.
"Seriously, you took all this time coming here?" A bulky adolescent boy, probably 15 to 16 years old with a Konoha headband entered our room. "I know that we are the backup-dancers, but would it have hurt you to send a message?"
I tried to attract the attention of the teenager in front of me and point to the microphone that was above his head. He missed it.
"Oh, come on, Itomi-kun. It's nothing we've done before." His teammates entered our room one after another, a smaller boy and a slender girl. "Everyone is gunning for these Kiri-nin. Seriously from the way our team works I'm surprised they even choose us for this."
"Huh? You're trying to say I'm not good enough for a promotion?" The bigger boy turned toward his team. Two boy and one girl. They were so… Well, imagine a shinobi team, the Large One, the Pretty Boy and the Obligatory Kunoichi. Remove the budget for original character design and you'll have them...
Now everyone was trying to silently gather their attention while they started arguing between themselves. It failed.
"Itomi-san, you have a microphone above your head. Please stop embarrassing our team even more." The fourth member of their team entered. A silver haired boy with round glasses.
The young boy stopped immediately and finally, FINALLY, looked above him. And saw the obvious microphone above the door, Kumo didn't even tried to hide it. That would have been embarrassing if my mind wasn't completely frozen in horror.
"Remember, they are here to provide a credible cover." Sensei told us yesterday, before we arrived at the village. "None of them are trained in information gathering. They will try to help you if they can but were ordered to not go out of their way for that."
Fuck me all the way back to Konoha…
"Well, sorry about all this, we haven't been a team for long. I'll do the honor. I'm Yakushi Kabuto and I hope that we can work together!"
Oh… Fuck… no…