Obligatory Disclaimer: The series Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto; I only own the OCs, picture, and this story.
Chapter 27: Of Changing Times
The winter months melted away for spring then came back around, and in the year that passed, many things happened.
I learned in March that Noburu's baby sister was born, lovingly named Tenten. Considering she was just a baby, I could not confirm or deny if she was the very same from canon, though it wasn't as if there were many others running around with the name 'Tenten'. Plus, the timing was too perfect for her not to be; as hazy as my memory was, I didn't think canon covered much of her background, and in this reality, anything was possible.
It wasn't the most startling of realizations, but it was certainly something I hadn't expected.
Neji was born in July and though I hadn't the chance to meet him, I was able to sneak updates from Hizashi who had become my mentor in all things clan related. I turned six in August which was a wild affair with the combination of Mother and Kushina's efforts. It more than made up for the fact that I had missed the party for Kakashi's promotion to jōnin, though I had bought him those clawed gloves I had seen in the Fujioka's weapon shop as a gift.
I didn't know how he felt about them but he did take them, albeit very reluctantly.
However, the biggest news came near the end of the year when Mikoto announced her second pregnancy in November. I had heard the news from Kushina since I did not have much time to visit the Uchiha as often with my new schedule. Learning that had almost given me a heart attack, but the look of wonder on Itachi's face when he told me on one of my days off was achingly heartwarming.
It was both the easiest and hardest year of my life; the training was constantly rigorous but in that time, I hadn't experienced any life-threatening scenarios. So it wasn't all bad, even with all the pregnancies and births going on around me.
Life after Father returned from the hospital was a gauntlet of change as well. My life was split between training with Kushina and learning the ins and outs of clan politics, which didn't lend itself to spending time with him as he recovered. As much as I wanted to stay by his side, I dutifully went to every meeting and training session that was scheduled for me, leaving Mother to take care of him by herself. Although, that wasn't exactly true; Aunt Mei still came around whenever she wasn't working at the hospital or helping my other aunt Natsumi recover from her pregnancy, who remained a mystery as my schedule didn't allow such leisure.
It had been…difficult seeing Father in such a way, the first few months being the hardest. His surgery had been a success and the medical staff was able to repair the damage done to his eye socket, replacing the stolen eye with a glass one. Besides, that wasn't even the most severe injury he had and I hadn't the heart to ask either of my parents or Aunt Mei for the details. Father wasn't the tall mountain of a man that I remembered from before his departure. Of course, I knew that things would be different all things considered, I wasn't naïve, but how different was blinding.
The injuries to his right leg and the damages he sustained to his rib cage made it hard for him to walk, needing the assistance of a cane to get around. By the time he was starting his post-surgery rehab, I was already deeply entrenched into the affairs of the clan and training, and couldn't accompany him to his appointments. Although I didn't want to admit it, the clan meetings I was forced to sit in were a nice distraction from how worst things could've turned out, as much as it was also a reminder of what could happen if I didn't meet the elders' expectations.
Kushina was not at all happy about the change in my clan duties but there was nothing she could do to change it. The clan wasn't willing to put up with another stint of me not having a stable sensei, and would make sure my training was not stilted again after that first time. So instead, the Uzumaki woman took to sabotaging training sessions whenever she could.
It was both exasperating and interesting to see what clever ways she could derail our meetups within acceptable means, 'acceptable' being loosely defined in her terms. She would make me work on my espionage and evasion skills by having Team Minato chase me around the village when they were around and had me pulling pranks on the patriarch of the Uchiha clan. It wasn't the worst, and sometimes I enjoyed being able to do something other than train but Obito, and Kakashi surprisingly enough, always took their tasks way too seriously.
Though if given the choice, I'd rather try to evade the Hatake's excellent nose instead of hearing Hideyoshi talk uninterrupted for almost two hours straight.
...
A yawn threatened to crawl out of my throat as I sat between Hiashi and Hizashi on a low table in seiza, the clan head's voice coming in an uninteresting drawl about the recent changes in the war. Things had been rather stagnant as of late, scattered skirmishes happening throughout the winter months. But now that it was the new year, he and the other elders assumed that the fighting would return full force soon as the snow was melting away faster than normal. And this time, Konoha would get the upper hand.
Although the meetings were informative, they were painfully monotonous.
"And that concludes today's meeting," Hideyoshi said and closed the folder in front of him, just as my legs finished going completely numb.
Thank God.
I trailed behind the long strides of the twins when we were formally dismissed, politely ignoring the words they exchanged. When they split, I followed Hizashi to the open courtyard where Riku was waiting underneath a lone tree. In the passing year he'd had a substantial growth spurt as well, his body now towering over mine as I stood a few inches short of four feet tall. If one didn't know his goofball personality, he could come off as a very imposing canine. Not that he couldn't be; Obito knew that more than anyone.
His head popped up at my presence, but seeing the older Hyūga with me caused him to drop his head moodily onto his paws. I sent him a sympathetic smile. The poor dog had been waiting for me all morning, but Hizashi still had to evaluate my skill with the jūken before I could leave the main building.
"Begin."
At his signal I ran through the standard kata, following up with the Eight Trigrams Thirty-two Palms at his count. I controlled my breathing, muscles tensing and relaxing in every inhale and exhale as I struck the air.
Two strikes then four.
Four strikes then eight. Each strike quicker than the last.
Eight then sixteen.
Sixteen to thirty-two.
He had me perform the technique several more times in quick succession, over and over again, until he was satisfied and I was a sweating mess. As I fought to catch my breath, he spoke.
"Your reaction time has improved from your last evaluation and your chakra production is solid," he nodded after a moment, his byakugan fading.
"Thank you, Hizashi-sensei," I wheezed and fought to stabilize my breathing.
Placing my hands on my waist, I took a few breaths and regulated my chakra to lessen the fatigue I felt. The jūken was both physically and spiritually intensive, and so you needed excellent chakra control and muscular strength to sustain and follow through each strike. I didn't have much muscular prowess, being a six-year-old girl, but I was able to circumvent most of my shortcomings with chakra. Although that also had its downsides since it expended chakra, the drain was worth it if it meant I didn't get overpowered. Besides, I had enough to spare considering my weird reserves.
Furthermore, in the past year Hizashi had helped me fine-tune my strikes with the jūken to an almost scary level, so that not a single strike used any more chakra than necessary. It would also help me keep my reserves up in case I needed to perform ninjutsu or activate seals. Often the man would be my only sparring partner in clan training and so I had gotten the hang of fighting people much larger than I was.
However, all the training and discipline in the world couldn't help with the physical fatigue.
"I will see you in two days for our normal training. Your next evaluation will be next week, same time," Hizashi said in dismissal.
"Understood. Give my regards to Natsumi-obasan and Neji-kun," I replied and he nodded before taking his leave, no doubt wanting to be with his infant son and wife more than with me.
Finally, I was able to drag my weary body out of the courtyard and into the compound proper, Riku faithfully following at my side.
I found myself at home soon enough and Mother greeted me immediately as I walked through the threshold to the living room.
"Welcome home Junko-chan," she smiled, rising from her seat at the low table with Father. "You look tired; today was your evaluation, wasn't it?"
I nodded, taking comfort in the way her hands combed through my damp bangs. The clash between Mother and I had been muted after that day, put on hold so we could focus our energies on the man we cared about. It stood above everything else in our minds, even though that unnamed threat continued to hang over me; it wasn't as though I hadn't felt that sort of thing before.
"Hizashi-sensei said that my skills are still improving, so we haven't run into any roadblocks with my progression yet," I replied, smiling as Riku padded over to where Father was seated.
If there was one thing I was grateful for, it would have to be Riku's presence through everything. Although he disliked the fact that I had to spend so much time with the clan, he loyally tolerated the twins and the elders. He was even helpful with Father's recovery; sometimes while I would study in my room, Riku would go and sit with him silently on the back porch. It made it easier for me to focus, knowing that Father had a companion while Mother was busy with other things since she couldn't be with him always.
"With how much he puts you through, I would certainly hope so," Father's voice rumbled as he gave the pooch a few scratches. "If you are up to it, you should get cleaned up and join us Junko."
Nodding at Father's suggestion and giving another smile to Mother, I dragged my tired body down the hallway and to the bathroom where towels and clothes were already waiting for me. I quickly showered, hoping to spend some time with my parents before I went into the village to run some last minute errands and recovered for the rest of the day.
Time was a very valuable resource after all.
Drying off and slipping on the burgundy dress Mother had laid out for me, I returned to my parents who had relocated to the back porch with a tray of snacks. I took a cushion beside Father and Riku as Mother moved behind me, brandishing a brush. Ever since they had come home, she always wanted to brush my hair and dress me up whenever she could, and I let her do it without complaint.
I closed my eyes and relaxed as she combed through my waist-length hair with her fingers first, using her chakra to pull the water from my damp strands. It was a neat trick, one I had asked her to teach me but she always put it off, saying she'd teach me when I was older.
I think she just liked being difficult.
Once she was finished, she brushed it into a high ponytail and tied it with a ribbon.
"You're so cute," Mother gushed happily, giving me a quick squeeze.
I gave her my thanks and she moved back towards the house to put the brush away. She took the empty tray on her way, sending me an amused look as she left seeing as I had cleared it by myself while she was busy with my hair.
What can I say? I'm a growing girl.
"I'm glad that your hair has grown so much," Father commented as I leaned against him.
"Why is that?"
"It means that instead of messing with my hair, your mother gets to play with yours."
I giggled, eyeing the low ponytail his hair was brushed into. It was draped over his shoulder and tied off with a similiar colored ribbon.
"I don't think having another head to mess with will stop her tou-chan."
"She is absolutely right about that," Mother said as she returned, hugging us both close from behind and giving us kisses on the cheek.
...
For a few hours, the four of us simply enjoyed the cool outdoors, looking out into the backyard and talking about nothing in particular- I might've dozed off for a bit. Father had been surprised that I had cared about the upkeep of the garden when he was finally able to come home from the hospital but he was happy to see it flourish despite his absence. Since he was still recovering, he couldn't work in the garden like he used to and so I continued in his stead even amongst my other duties.
Some of the hibernating buds were beginning to bloom already despite it still being January, reminding me that I needed to head over to the Yamanaka shop to pick up an order I had made last week. Much to Mother's disappointment and my own, I rose from my comfortable seat between her and Father.
"I need to stop by Yamanaka Flowers before it gets too late," I said. "Do you need me to pick up anything from the market?"
Mother sighed but stood as well, walking with me to the kitchen to get a list from the table.
"You never just stop and relax, do you?"
Really, it was a rhetorical question and I could only smile and give her a shrug in response.
With the list in hand, I donned my normal equipment and jacket, Riku reluctantly rising from his comfortable position to follow me out of the house. Without the distraction of my parents' presence, I let my mind wander to heavier topics. The snow was already starting to melt away from a weighty winter and a certain tension was in the air, as though people could feel the conflict coming to a boil beyond our walls. We couldn't be too far from a resolution, could we? I remembered that the Kannabi Bridge mission was the turning point for the war; the only question was when.
Strengthening my stride and squaring my shoulders, those thoughts faded as I was met with the bustle of the Konoha marketplace. Children ran about playing and laughing before being reined in by their mothers. Young and old shinobi ran about performing their duties. It was nice to see such life, and it gave me something to focus on before I could fall into those dark thoughts too deep.
I made it to the flower shop just in time and Riku remained outside as he hated the over-powering smell and was a bit too big for the shop anyways. I was met by Inoichi for a change, who stood behind the counter and greeted me with a smile as I entered.
"Good afternoon, Inoichi-sensei," I said, pulling an order slip from my pouch.
He took it from my hand, only having to gaze at it for less than a second before nodding.
"To you as well. My nephew tells me you come here a lot," he said conversationally as he moved to grab the order I had placed.
Inoichi, busy with his team, was frequently absent from the shop and so I found myself doing business with Minoru from the academy more often than not. However, we didn't talk all too often unless it was about an order I had placed or what new things they had in stock.
"Is that so?" I asked, eyeing a new pair of gardening shears and snagging them before returning to the counter. "I didn't think he noticed me all that much."
"Someone like you is hard not to notice," he replied with a hum.
The older man lifted a large bag of fertilizer onto the counter, along with small pouches of seeds.
"I can call someone to help you with this if you'd like," he offered, taking the shears to ring them up as well with my other things.
I smiled gratefully but shook my head and handed him the money owed. "I can take care of it myself. I wouldn't want to burden anyone."
Reaching into my pouch, I pulled out my storage scroll and unrolled it face-down on top of the huge bag. With a small burst of chakra, I felt the seal matrix 'open' and absorb the bag inside it before closing. I grabbed the scroll, closing it with a flick of my wrist- Kushina had taught me that, functional and stylish- and took the smaller items to stash them in my pouch.
Inoichi's blond brows rose in interest and amusement at the display.
"That reminds me, Junko-san," he said and grabbed a scroll from underneath the counter. "I have something for Kushina-san; if you could give it to her the next time the two of you meet, I'd really appreciate it."
I took it from his outstretched hand, subduing my curiosity as I smiled politely. It came as no surprise that the two communicated frequently since Kushina still sent things for Noburu to practice with to work on his fūinjutsu.
"It's no problem, Inoichi-sensei," I replied, stashing it away as well.
What could Kushina be planning now?
Bidding the Yamanaka head goodbye, I stepped back into the outside world and Riku stood alert at my return.
"We have a detour to make before we get home."
Before going to Kushina's, I ran to the proper markets to pick up some last minutes things for Mother, then made my way to the Uzumaki-Namikaze household. I enjoyed the cool air as I resumed my walk through the village with a bag hanging off my shoulder, filled with goodies. I absentmindedly handed Riku a treat I had bought for him, thinking about all the things I had to do. I had to get ready for my next evaluation as there was always the chance that Hideyoshi or the other elders could join in. Besides, I had read up on everything I could about bōjutsu but I hadn't the opportunity to put it to practice. I had to find a good shop that sold bō staffs but with the additional tasks I had been given, that quest was pushed to the back burner.
Still, it wasn't a bad idea to get started on it; there had been talks as of late about the chūnin exams coming up around the beginning of summer. I was unsure whether or not I was prepared for such a thing. The chūnin exams wouldn't be like anything I had experienced at the academy. Of course, I knew what to expect even with my foggy memory, but with my small stature and young age, I didn't think it was a good idea to get ahead of myself. Considering everything that happened with the d-rank mission gone awry and other factors like my parents' return, the exams had past by last year without a thought.
But if the elders pushed for it now, I probably had little choice in the matter.
So caught up in my thoughts, I didn't realize I was walking past Ichiraku Ramen until Riku barked and a familiar voice called out to me.
"Hey, Junko-chan!"
Blinking in surprise, I looked up to find the redhead Habanero herself just ahead of me, Minato at her side. Well, that cut my trip short.
"Good afternoon, Kushina-shishou, Minato-sensei," I greeted as I walked to the corner where they had stopped, no doubt coming from their place.
"You look tired Junko-chan," Minato observed lightly, and I gave him a smile in return for his concern.
"I'm alright, Minato-sensei. It's just been a busy day."
Kushina eyed me critically, placing her hands on her hips.
"Wasn't today your evaluation with Hizashi-san?" she frowned. "You should be resting, dattebane!"
"It was a matter of life and death shishou," I said seriously. She crossed her arms unbelievingly.
"Your garden won't wither and die just because you don't tend to it for one day."
I should've expected she'd catch the scent of flowers from the Yamanaka shop on me; Kushina had a surprising strong sense of smell.
"I had placed an order there a week ago," I argued. "It's not polite to have them hold onto it when I can pick it up. And kaa-chan needed me to pick up some things from the market."
Kushina rolled her eyes but came closer, resting her hand on my head.
"So, how did it go?"
I gave the Uzumaki woman a brief rundown of what happened and she listened quietly as I did.
"Well, that's good to hear," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Maybe your elders can finally lay off for a while."
I had to agree with her on that. While I did well most of the time, there were days when the fatigue was particularly bad. When those days fell on my evaluation, especially when the elders were observing, I always found myself with extra training as a result. I couldn't blame Hizashi as he was only following orders, but Kushina was very upset when she learned about it, but it wasn't as though she could fight against them.
And because of her inability to do anything about the extra training, it had become another point of tension between her and Mother. Of course both of my parents had been unhappy as well, but it wasn't as though Father could speak up considering his position in the clan and Mother had married into the same system and had to agree to their ways, though grudgingly.
I was their child but I was also something important to the clan as a whole, due to whatever agreement they had made. They did the best they could making sure I stayed healthy, and frequently, it was my own fault for going overboard. Nevertheless, I made sure to properly rest up before each testing from that point forward, not wanting to cause them any more trouble.
"Your training does seem excessive," Minato chimed in and I could only offer him a one-shoulder shrug.
"The only thing I can do is try to meet their expectations with the strength I have," I said looking at him.
Kushina made a noise of discontent but said nothing. However, from the expression on her face, I knew I needed to give her something else to think about before she blew a gasket.
"By the way shishou, Inoichi-sensei was running the shop when I went to visit," I began, causing her gaze to rise from where she had been trying to drill into the ground with her eyes alone. "He wanted me to give this to you when we saw each other again."
She blinked in surprise but a smile crossed her face as she took it. The four of us stood silently at the corner while she read over the scroll, once then twice, before a worrying smile spread across her face. My stomach twisted involuntary and Riku returned to my side to lend his comforting presence.
I didn't like the look on her face. I mean, if Inoichi was involved it couldn't be that bad. But the last time she smiled like that, she had me go into Fugaku's office and rearrange everything by half a centimeter to see if he would notice.
I almost had a heart attack when he came through the front door while I was in the act. And he had totally noticed, even though Kushina thought he wouldn't! Though I was glad he hadn't found out it was me, learning that he had spent the rest of the day running into things didn't bring me as much joy as it did the redhead; the Uchiha patriarch was an intimidating man.
Kushina flicked the scroll closed with a flourish and stashed it away in her pants pocket.
"You won't be making it to your next evaluation, Junko-chan," she declared cheerfully.
Was she going to put me out of me misery?
I raised a brow. "May I ask why?"
"You may not," she beamed, shaking a finger. "You don't want to ruin the surprise. And don't worry, I'll let your clan know."
I looked at Minato who only gave his own shrug, then returned my gaze to my mentor.
"I guess I have no choice but to accept your decision."
"Absolutely," she grinned, before becoming more serious. "This will be something you've never handled before, but I have no doubts that you can complete it."
My curious piqued even more than before. Just what had they planned?
I straightened my posture and nodded. "I understand shishou."
She smiled a little more normally before clapping her hands together.
"I'm glad. Now, Minato and I are going to walk you home so you don't get distracted by anything else."
"I do not get distracted!"
"What about last week? You were supposed to be recuperating after our day of ninjutsu practice and instead I found you in the village library."
"I was just returning some books."
"Not for six hours you don't, dattebane."
…
Kushina and I continued to go back and forth until we got to the front door of the house where Mother opened the door, and ended up roping the jōnin to have dinner with us.
We all enjoyed a simple and delicious meal over surprising calm banter and ended the evening with a round of tea in the living room. But instead of joining the group of adults, I excused myself and quietly escaped to the back porch to drop off my purchase from the Yamanaka shop. I hopped down, the feat much easier than it had been last year and in the dying light, skipped over to the shed. Once inside, I pulled out the scroll, shears, and seeds from my pouch and set them on a low shelf, planning to take care of it later.
Stepping out of the shadowy place, I closed the shed door just in time to see Father knelling down in front of the plot of snapdragons I had planted last fall. I rushed over to him as he moved to sit cross-legged with a noise of effort.
"Tou-chan!" I huffed as I helped him sit all the way down into the soft grass with worried hands. "You need to be careful."
Father chuckled. "I am alright."
I frowned. "You should be inside resting."
"As should you," he retorted and I pouted. Most times, I didn't know whose stubbornness I inherited.
"I was going to return in a minute," I sighed, but settled down beside him in the cool grass as well.
We were silent for a moment. I could hear the other adults talking from the open door leading to the porch deck if I listened carefully enough. A cool breeze swept through the backyard, reminding me of the changing weather. Winter was coming to an end and it seemed as though spring was going to come early. Being in the Land of Fire, our winters melted away much sooner than what I was used to.
Nevertheless, it was abnormally quick this time around and I didn't know if that was a good sign or not.
"You've really transformed the garden into something else," Father observed as he, in a move I only somewhat expected, pulled me into his lap.
The adult side of me was worried- I didn't want to aggravate any of his old injuries- but the child side was more than ecstatic.
Father's chakra was mellow in comparison to Mother's, though just like his personality, it had warmed up a bit since his return. It was an odd occurrence, and something I didn't think was in good taste to ask. Maybe it was a way of coping with the loss of his eye and his injuries, but he was more forthright with his opinion and smiled a lot more, both things I wouldn't take for granted.
It certainly made all the meetings and training worth it.
I involuntarily relaxed in his hold and set my arms on top of his as I looked out into the garden. I had done a lot of work on it, and it was barely recognizable from what it had been three years ago. Of course, Mother's plot of daylilies was still there and thriving along with the others Father had planted. Granted the ones that had died had to be replaced, the rest looked totally different. There was a whole new plot with a variety of herbs, for food and medicinal purposes, and I had redone the trellis with a new array of colorful flowers.
"Gardening is a relaxing pastime," I said, taking comfort in his warmth.
"With how much work you put into it, it seems a little more than a simple pastime," he chuckled. "But I am glad you enjoy it regardless."
I smiled up at him and fell back into my own thoughts as I rested against him. The times I worked in the garden were the only moments I didn't have to think about the clan or the village or any of the other problems hidden within my family. It was just me and the flowers and the soil. Really, it was the only time I was allowed to just be, not having to put up appearances for anyone.
"But now it is definitely time for you to get washed up and get ready for bed," he said after a while. "I heard that Kushina-san has quite the day planned for you tomorrow."
That reminder caused a whirlwind of excitement and dread to form in my stomach, but the weight of the food and my own exhaustion made the idea of sleep very inviting.
I went to remove myself from his lap when Father moved, wrapping his arm around my legs and lifting me into the air as he stood.
"Tou-chan! What are you doing!?" I squeaked as he rose to his full height and I grabbed onto his shoulders for balance.
"You're still recovering- you shouldn't strain yourself!"
"The doctor said I've recovered enough to do some light lifting," he said casually as if it was nothing, taking his cane and making his way to the steps that led up to the porch deck.
"I'm not that light!"
As if to prove me wrong, he jostled me in his grip, forcing me wrap my arms around his neck.
"You are definitely heavier than you were before, but that goes without saying," he hummed. I couldn't help the laugh that left me then at his words.
"Tou-chan!"
At the top of my mounting embarrassment and joy, he set me down in front of the porch door, just in time for us to see a tense standoff between Kushina and Mother. I absentmindedly grabbed onto his neutral yukata as the pair's eyes clashed with each other, Minato standing somewhat between them as a mediator. Father said nothing as he watched the affair, an unreadable expression on his face.
What was going on now?
Ever since that day in the kitchen, there seemed to be this growing tension between my mother and mentor. I could only blame myself for the riff between them; if I hadn't pushed Mother in the first place, I wouldn't have put Kushina in that awkward situation. It was just an assumption because the two strong-willed women didn't let me see the bulk of their arguments, but I had a feeling that Kushina was trying to get Mother to open about the issues that were going on.
A part of me wished she'd stop and let things just settle, but another appreciated her efforts; it wasn't as though Mother had opened up to me at all.
From his spot near the door Riku rose and returned to my side, his movement signaling our presence to the others in the room.
"Is something the matter?" I asked after releasing my grip on Father's clothing.
As she was always did, Mother turned to us with a smile on her lips.
"Everything is fine, Junko-chan," she chipped and Kushina followed suit.
"Yep, we just had a difference of opinion on some plans," the redhead grinned. "Nothing to worry about."
They were such bad liars.
But I forced a smile and nodded. "Okay, kaa-chan, shishou."
Mother moved from the pair of jōnin to regard Father and I, making eye contact with the man briefly before smiling down at me.
"You've had a long day haven't you?" she said, placing a hand on my head. "Why don't you get cleaned up and head off to bed?"
The smile strained to stay on my face. It was another one of those silent demands, that was more an order than a suggestion.
"Okay, kaa-chan," I said and turned towards Kushina and Minato who were still standing by the table. "Thank you for coming over."
"It was no problem, Junko-chan," Minato said, eyeing his wife who simply nodded with that fake smile on her face.
"I'll see you tomorrow, shishou," I tacked on at her silence.
"Yeah…! Bright and early, dattebane!" she said with an enthusiasm that didn't meet her eyes and I nodded before disappearing down the hallway, Riku obediently on my heels.
I mechanically got myself cleaned and changed, trailing the adults' chakra as I did. Father's was stable as always and Minato was as well, but Mother's and Kushina's were extremely tense. I released a sigh as I entered my room and closed the door, walking over to my bed and face-planting into its freshly laundered sheets.
What was I going to do?
A week passed and Kushina didn't let me in on the details of her plans until the night before we were to depart.
We were leaving Konoha on our first actual c-rank mission.
I spent that night packing my traveling bag, making sure all my equipment was up to par and my storage scrolls were adequately filled with the necessities for both myself and my canine partner. I didn't know if I was nervous or excited to be honest. Having been almost two years since I became genin, missions- except for that first one- had been mindlessly boring. Of course I never complained, especially since training with Kushina and the clan took up the majority of my stamina and effort, but taking higher leveled missions would confirm that I was actually progressing as a ninja.
After all, life experience was a better judge than anything else.
My first mission beyond Konoha's walls would be to deliver a message to one of the outposts that lined strategic points through the Land of Fire. It was difficult to figure out the importance of such a mission; being given to a genin, the message couldn't be all that secretive, but maybe that fact alone was meant to disguise its importance to the war effort. I wasn't entire sure, but that wouldn't change the fact that I would do my best.
Going outside the walls also meant the introduction of eye contacts. Both Mother and Father had been adamant in me wearing them for my own protection. The byakugan was a very distinctive dōjutsu, and considering my age and gender, the enemy would no doubt see that as an opportunity to take advantage. The more protection I had, the better off I was.
That didn't make the process of putting them in any easier. I hated putting things in my eyes; Aunt Mei knew that first hand, especially when I had first started using my byakugan. She'd had to hold my lids open to administer the eye drops for my eye strain because I kept blinking or turning away, unable to do it myself.
Thankfully, I've gotten better at it.
The morning of my departure, I stared at myself in the mirror, contacts in place. It was still me obviously, my long dark hair hanging around my waist, light skin and face annoyingly childish but my eyes were now a light hazel with dark pupils in the middle. It was weird, but it definitely made me look more like my mother.
As she usually did, Mother came behind me with a brush and got started on my hair. We shared a quiet moment together as she brushed out the waves that had formed in my sleep and braided it back. At the end of the braid, she tied it off and began to wound it around itself in a bun. Lastly, she wrapped a ribbon around the completed bun to hold it in place. It was nice and functional, much better than having the hair hanging down my back so anyone could grab it. I finished it off by tying my hitai-ate around my head, securing it with a knot under the completed bun.
In my opinion, even with my weird contacts, short stature and age, I looked pretty professional all things considered. My wardrobe had returned to normal as it wasn't as cold anymore though I had forgone the overly long sleeves for a slightly shorter variety, retaining my bracers from my winter attire instead. I just liked them better overall, and though I would miss having that element of surprise, I could be more efficient with my grapples and strikes without the extra fabric dragging me down.
Mother gave me a strained smile when I thanked her and hopped off my stool.
"Are you sure you have everything packed?" she asked as we left the bathroom and began walking to the living room where both Father and Riku waited.
"I am sure kaa-chan. You didn't find anything missing when you checked did you?"
I knew she hadn't as she had checked it about four times while I ate breakfast and got dressed; she was just being overly apprehensive.
"Leave the girl alone dear," Father said from his seat at the low table, reading over some documents. "You know as well as I do that she is prepared for this."
The proof was spread across the table in front of him, my equipment pouches and bag emptied onto its surface.
"But Kushina only gave her a day in advance! Really, I do not know what that girl is thinking," Mother sighed, watching as I began to return them all to their places.
While it had come as a surprise, it was such a Kushina move that the shock had worn off almost immediately. Besides, it was much better than cleaning up the river or delivering mail throughout Konoha for the nth time. Just because I didn't complain about how absolutely boring they were, didn't mean they weren't just that- boring.
I was just really good at hiding at it.
"Kaa-chan, I'm sure shishou has thought it through," I defended as I buckled my weapons belt around my waist. "I've done a lot since becoming genin."
"I know," Mother sighed, plopping down next to Father. "But couldn't it just wait for a little while? You're only six; couldn't missions outside Konoha wait until then a little later? Or even after the war is over?"
It was wishful thinking; I was sure many children, prodigy or otherwise, were out there fighting right now. I was only lucky because of my position in a prominent clan.
Father set his papers down and pulled her close.
"I'm sure Junko understands how it feels, with us having been gone for over two years," he said, and she looked away guilty. "She'll only be gone for a week or two at most, and she won't even be that close to the border."
I gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'll be fine kaa-chan."
She said nothing more, but continued to watch me moodily as I strapped my bag around my back and clipped it shut in front of me. Her sour mood continued as the four of us left home to head to the gates. I was achingly aware of their presence as they walked beside me, Mother with her worried looks and Father with his cane.
It was with a weird sense of déjà vu that we made our way through the waking streets of the Leaf Village; although, there wasn't a crowd of jōnin waiting to embark for war as we approached the gates, only Kushina and the guards on duty.
"Good morning shishou," I greeted and she smiled with a little wave, nodding to my parents in greeting.
"Morning! The outpost expects us to be there within three days, and it's quite the trip so we better get started," she said.
"Be careful out there," Father said simply and laid a hand on my head.
Mother wasn't as keen on a simple farewell and gathered me up in her arms, much to my embarrassment. Which only increased as the chūnin on guard began to chuckle. So unprofessional.
"Make sure you listen to everything Kushina tells you okay?" she said, squeezing me tightly. "Riku, stick to her at all times."
The canine barked in affirmation and Mother finally put me down, a rebellious blush spreading across my cheeks.
"I know, kaa-chan," I mumbled as I brushed my yukata top free from wrinkles.
"Kimi, Junko-chan will be fine. She has gone through a lot, dattebane. She can handle it," Kushina reassured.
I watched them lock eyes before Mother sighed and smiled somberly.
"I understand," she said. "Stay safe and come back soon."
Author's Notes
Posted/Edited: October 19th, 2017
Let's celebrate Shisui's birthday with a chapter! (Even though he isn't in this chapter lol)
Thanks for being so patient for this chapter; I was sick for part of this month and had a family emergency so it was kind of difficult to do much. Also, since this was the start of the new arc, I kept having to rewrite parts to fit what I had written in later chapters. I'm still not 100 percent in love with the chapter since it's very exposition heavy, but it's necessary for what happens next.
And yes I made Tenten related to Noburu. I hope it doesn't bother anyone- canon had literally nothing about her backstory, so I wanted to rectify that; she had to come from somewhere.
As always, thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites; I really appreciate them and they really kept my spirits up.
Q&A
DynamicCheetah asked something that I think would be beneficial for everyone to know:
'Would you tell us if this story goes unfinished?'
-Yes, if there ever came a time where I could no longer continue this story, I would definitely let everyone know since I too know the sadness of a story that hasn't updated in years. However, I plan to finish this story even if it takes a few years; it's just too fun not to.
Anyways, that's all for now. I hope you guys are ready; it's about to get bumpy.
Next time on For a Chance at Happiness
Chapter 28: Of Curious Coincidences