Pain, Hunger, and Betrayal

by Tyrannitor

The Shinigami was satisfied by the bloodbath called the Fourth Shinobi World War. He reaped the souls of over 80,000 ninjas and countless civilians... Then why does he send one of them back in time? (Time-travel done RIGHT; read the first chapter to be convinced. Full summary inside. Features Fūinjutsu!Naruto. Will be EPIC in length. NO HAREM.) "Err... why do you smell like fish?"

19. One Day, One Room

Original Publish Date: 9th-April-2016

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A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Story Cipher, for valiantly defending me against someone who can't apparently read the damn disclaimer. Still, I've gone back to the first chapter and emboldened the relevant bit. Cheers to you, Story Cipher!

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Chapter 19 – One Day, One Room

I'm going to base this moment on who I'm stuck in a room with. It's what life is. It's a series of rooms and who we get stuck in those rooms with, adds up to what our lives are.

-Eve, House M.D.: Season 3 Episode 12 - One Day, One Room

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Honshu Island, Water Country: 4465617468

The word 'Terumī' means 'Shining Beauty'; even a blind man would attest that this description fit Terumī Mei.

Terumī Hayato, on the other hand, was a big, ugly brute of a man.

My initial impression of him a few minutes ago had been of a bear; this was mostly due to his bearing and his large frame. He was powerfully built, well over 6 feet tall; in fact, he kind of reminded me of the Yondaime Raikage, Ē. He had that same aura of barely restrained power. However, there was a crucial difference: whereas Ē didn't bother hiding his chakra, Terumī Hayato barely let a peep out. Even when he had attacked me I could barely detect any chakra from him; he appeared to have an Academy Student's reserves. However, the short skirmish we had proved that he was no Academy Student; he was easily on my level, if not outright stronger than me.

I wondered why I had never heard about this man in my time. Clearly he was a capable shinobi. Maybe Mei and him had never gotten along and didn't make up without my meddling? There did seem to be some unresolved family issues, if the reaction of the shinobi back in the base a couple of days ago had been anything to go by.

And yet, the two of them seemed to be walking side-by-side in harmony. There was some slight tension, but no outright hostility, no awkwardness. They might have been any father-daughter pair out for a stroll for all the ceremony involved, even though I trailed awkwardly behind them. Just when I thought that things couldn't get more surreal, Terumī Hayato asked Mei a question, in a very deep baritone.

"So how is your day job?"

An incredulous look crossed my face. For fucks' sake, she was the leader of an insurrection against the established lawful government! She was responsible for bringing peace to a fractured nation! She had taken up the self-appointed duty to provide justice to all the Bloodline wielders in the Water Country! Fucking hell, she had spent the last day jumping through hoops just to set up this freaking meeting! And he had the audacity to downplay all of that by calling it her 'day job'!?

And yet, when Mei replied, I knew her lips had twitched just beforehand in amusement; I could hear it in her voice. "I can't complain."

Terumī Hayato tilted his head very slightly back to look at me. "Well, with Konoha helping you, I can see why that would be the case."

…seriously? Was I carrying around a freaking Neon sign that proclaimed that I was from the Hidden Leaf Village!? By the Log; I had left my headband behind for this exact reason dammit!

Not that this made it any apparent difference to these people.

Still, I had tangentially been made a part of the conversation, so I took the opportunity to interject myself, "If you don't mind my asking, where are we headed?"

Mei took a look around and calculated our trajectory, before shooting a surprised look at her father. I couldn't see his expression since I was behind them, but I could see Mei's expression turn from surprise to delight in response. Smiling, she turned to me, "We're going to my home."

"Oh", I said, once again understating my shock. This was not how I had expected this day to go.

And then a sudden alarm rang in my head; I was not able to consciously form the thought before my mouth was expressing it. "Is your mum going to be home?"

"Yes, she should be", Mei said, looking to her father for confirmation. He nodded in reply.

It was only when they had both stopped, and subsequently walked back a few paces towards me, that I realized that I had stopped walking. "Nanashi-kun?" Mei asked.

I shook my head to clear it; my thoughts having gone completely haywire. "I need to buy a present for the lady of house when visiting for the first time", I dutifully recited. This was one of the manners that Hinata had made me memorize; and I was damned if I would forget it.

Mei and Hayato exchanged a look, before Hayato shrugged and started walking again. "You know where it is."

Mei nodded, but her attention was already back on me. "You don't need to do that, you know."

I shook my head. "Yes, I do. Being an orphan, I never had anyone to teach me this stuff when I was growing up. I was taught manners by my…by someone important to me late in my teens. Dishonoring that person by willfully ignoring my manners is not something I'm going to do."

Mei nodded slowly, conceding to my request, "Very well. Do you have something in mind?"

I shook my head sheepishly. "Unless she's fascinated by medical supplies and weaponry, not really. Can you suggest something appropriate?"

Mei tilted her head, considering my query for a moment. "Oh! You both use the same fish oil for your hair! You can get her the same oil, she would love that."

…fish oil? For your hair? I knew that fish oil was good for your eyes and your heart, but for your hair? Also…

"I'm sorry?" I asked, confused about the second part of her statement as well. Since when had I used fish oil on my hair?

Mei frowned slightly, "Remember the shampoo I gave you? For using in conjunction with the fish oil?" she said, trying to jog my memory.

A light bulb came on in my brain. I had been stuck inside a barrel full of the damn fish during infiltration and my hair had come undone; that was why I had fish oil in my hair.

Holy shit, people did this sort of thing voluntarily?

And yet…I recalled my soft hair. I had used the shampoo once more, but the result wasn't as good as the first time. So it had to be used in conjunction with the fish oil then?

Yeah right. The first time had been due to circumstances beyond my control. I had smelled like a fish for nearly three days, and that was after taking a bath. There was no way I was going to subject myself to that sort of torture on a regular basis; even if it gave me a superstar's hair.

I didn't know it then, but very shortly, I would be eating my words; or rather, drowning my hair in the same Log-damned fish oil.

"Right! Sure, let's go with the oil." I spoke with false cheer. Mei raised a confused eyebrow, but started walking in a slightly different direction to the path her father had taken.

"Shouldn't we disguise ourselves?" I asked Mei.

She shrugged, "A regular Henge will be fine for this area. If any Kiri shinobi show up, there will be a signal long before they reach us."

"What signal?" I asked Mei; but she only smiled in reply.

A few minutes later we came upon a small town with a marketplace that consisted of four shops. Mei walked into the general store and picked up a bottle of the (slightly expensive) fish oil; it smelled exactly like the fish I had been trapped in the barrel with. I paid for the oil and for a fancy gift bag, before we resumed our trek to Mei's home.

The island we were on, Honshu island, wasn't very large, maybe 4 kilometres long, and 2 kilometres wide in the middle, and tapering towards the ends. We were headed for the windward side of the island, which was mostly deserted.

As usual, silence made me fidgety, so I opened my mouth and let it do the talking.

"Your dad is really good at suppressing his chakra. Even when we were fighting him I could barely sense him." I figured paying a compliment should be a safe topic.

I was wrong.

Mei's eye flashed with something unidentifiable. After a moment she responded, "What you were sensing was the entirety of his chakra."

I was shocked. Based on his Taijutsu, his trap making and his planning I had pegged him to be a borderline S-rank ninja. I usually wasn't this wrong about an opponent. I didn't know what to say.

Even as I was floundering for a polite way to satiate my curiosity, Mei elaborated, "In the last Great War, he was attacked by one of your Hyūga clan. His chakra network was almost completely destroyed; he can barely channel enough chakra to stick to surfaces and to set off exploding tags."

Oh. That made much more sense.

Mei wasn't done though; she smirked, "The Hyūga got what was coming to him, however."

I had a sudden burst of clarity. I let out a smirk of my own, "Would this be the same Hyūga that Ao-san 'borrowed' an eye from?"

Raw shock erupted across Mei's face as she stared wide-eyed at me. Of course, I wasn't done milking my future-knowledge for all it was worth. "You don't have to look so surprised. Of course I would know about your highest-placed spy in the loyalist government."

Her lips parted, but she caught herself before her jaw dropped completely open. The incredulous expression on her face almost made me snicker; it was the perfect reward for a well-executed prank.

Our regular Henge's were suddenly disrupted as we crossed a Barrier Seal boundary. I looked around in interest, indulging my professional curiosity, but I didn't see any visual markers of the seal, which meant they were expertly hidden. This raised my respect for the creator of the Seal.

"Who put up this Barrier? It is very well done, I must say."

Mei smiled a far-off smile. "My grandmother did."

Oh, right, she had been an Uzumaki. I would have liked to have met her, but the bittersweet look on Mei's face told me that she had passed away.

We were on the windward side of the island; this meant that we were currently walking through a lush green forest. The leeward side of the island is what had the beach, and what a gorgeous beach it was. Pure white sand, aquamarine ocean, beautiful blue skies. I would definitely come back to Honshu Island if I ever had a small vacation.

The forest came to an abrupt end, and we came out near a cozy-looking traditional one-storey house. I could see a small garden in the back and a small open lawn out in the front. The house was less than 50 feet from the end of the island, but the path was still rising, and the forest still surrounded the house, so it could not be seen by anyone on a ship or a boat. Along with the Barrier Seal I had detected, it was pretty much the perfect hideaway.

We were still a couple of dozen feet from the house when the front door slid open and a second red-haired woman hurried out. "Mei-chan!"

"Okaa-san!" Mei returned equally enthusiastically, also hurrying forward into the embrace of the older woman.

"Oh it's been so long! Let me look at you!" she pushed Mei back to an arm's length by her shoulders and scrutinized her daughter from top to bottom, searching for any visible signs of damage. Then she started rattling off questions, "Are you eating enough? Have you been getting enough sleep? Are your subordinates giving you any grief? Because if they are, so help me I will-"

"They respect me just fine, mother", Mei said in that patiently exasperated tone that every grown-up child uses with their parents. "And I am eating enough, although I could use some more sleep. There just isn't enough time." Mei finished with a sigh.

Mei's mother let out a sympathetic sound. "Well, now that you're here, you will just have to catch up. You know how important sleep is to maintain your good looks. You're lucky enough to be born with a pretty face, but you know how important sleep is to keep it that way! Although that does not mean you will be cutting it out of the time you will be spending with your parents, understood young lady?"

"Yes, mother." Mei replied in the same tone as before; clearly implying that she would have rolled her eyes if she would have gotten away with it.

Mei's mother stared at her until she was sure that the message had sunk in, before nodding firmly.

And then she turned to me, her tone turning mischievous, "And who is this?"

Ever since she had appeared, my eyes had not left her face for even a fraction of a second. She had that motherly kind of beauty, with prominent laugh and smile lines, slight crows-feet at the corner of her eyes, her hair just starting to turn grey, the bustling chatterbox manner that made you feel right at home…

…or maybe I was biased…

…because she could easily have been sisters with Uzumaki Kushina.

Her cheekbones were a little more prominent, her chin a little rounder, but she had the same straight red hair and the same striking violet eyes as my mother in another life. She even had a similar smile.

"Err", I said intelligently.

Thankfully, Mei came to my rescue before it could get (any more) awkward, "This is Nanashi. He's helping us with our little rebellion."

"Uhh..." Yeah. My eloquence was astounding. Way to make a first impression, dumbass.

A sudden brainwave hit me; I extended the bag that I had (thankfully) brought with myself, "For you!" Yeah, I was totally going to win the 'Speech of the Year' award.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" She took the bag from me all the same, taking a quick peek inside, the contents making her smile. She shot a look towards Mei, "I'm glad to see that you remembered your manners for once."

This time Mei did roll her eyes, "He insisted."

Her mother's smile widened as she turned back to me, "Well, aren't you a gentleman? Thank you for your thoughtful gift, Nanashi-kun. I'm Terumī Kaya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

It was the exact same thing Mei had told me with the exact same inflection; back when I first met her. Coincidentally, it had the exact same effect on me as that time; it caused a feeling of horrific dread and anticipation to pool into my stomach.

"Likewise", I said weakly.

Her dimpled smile pinned me for a second longer, before turning it on to Mei; but Mei had already started walking towards the house.

Kaya turned back to me and bowed, "Welcome to our home."

I bowed deeply in return, "Thank you for your hospitality."

I was quite sure I was missing something here; but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what.

Kaya led the way into the house, where we both took off our footwear. I could hear the sound of a whistling teapot from somewhere in the house; clearly Hayato had already prepared for our arrival.

I followed Kaya into the sitting room, where Mei was already seated. For some reason she seemed to be avoiding her mischievously smiling mother's eye. This seemed strange; a moment ago they had been hugging and exchanging pleasantries. What had happened?

Hayato brought the tea to us, thereby breaking the tension. Once he had poured everyone a cup and we had all taken a sip, he broke the silence with his deep baritone.

"So, what brings you back home?"

Mei took an unnecessary sip of her tea, dragging out the moment. "You know why I'm here", she said while daintily putting her cup down, the movement belying the gravity of her words.

And for the first time, I could see the tension rise between father and daughter. It only lasted a moment, however.

"Really, you two! Can we at least get through a single cup of tea without you two talking shop?" Kaya interjected reprovingly.

They both shrugged, but the tension didn't disappear entirely. A few minutes later, they both finished their cups and walked out to the back garden, shutting the door behind them. I stared at the door, trying to understand the dynamic between the two. Clearly this was an argument that they had gone over multiple times. Also, wasn't I here to help change Hayato's mind? Shouldn't I be out there with them? And where were the rest of the Terumī clan?

Kaya forcefully put her cup down, making me start; I had completely forgotten about her presence. "Honestly! Those two drive me up the wall with their antics. She isn't home for five minutes before they go at it again", she grumbled, mostly to herself. Then she turned to me, "Please tell me you didn't come here for a rehash of the same old argument", she said pleadingly.

"Err…" I floundered. I was having trouble being coherent around her as it was, without being put on the spot.

I shook my head, exasperated at yet another ridiculous situation that I had found myself in. "I didn't even know we were coming here. She didn't even tell me it was her own clan she was having problems with."

I chanced a quick glance at Kaya; and for a fraction of a second caught a calculating expression on her face, before it was covered with her motherly persona. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad she decided to come home", she said with her matronly smile.

Once more, a frission of dread pooled in my stomach. Of course Mei had learned to use her femininity as a weapon from her own mother.

Kaya wasn't done, however. "And I'm glad she decided to bring such a handsome house-guest!"

I had never been as glad for my mask as in that moment; I could feel my cheeks heating up. I had never done well with receiving compliments. I never knew how to respond; should I say, 'Thanks, you too?' Even I knew that wouldn't go over well. So, I just decided to stick with Hinata's safety net; I smiled and tilted my head.

Kaya wasn't discouraged in the least, however, "Well, Nanashi-kun, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Konoha." A moment after I said it, I realized that she already knew. Hell, if Mei and Hayato had figured it out by taking one look at me, there was no way that Kaya hadn't. Clearly, she was pumping me for information under the guise of polite interest.

Her eyebrows went up in a practiced motion, but her eyes showed that she wasn't surprised in the least. "Oh! Konoha! I've heard it's a beautiful place!"

I felt a smile come unbidden on my face, "It most certainly is!"

"I would love to hear about it."

"Well, my favourite part is the top of the Hokage monument just when the sun sets. You can see the entire village lit up with an orange glow…" I started waxing lyrical about my village, and she calmly sipped her tea with a small smile, listening to my discourse on the beauty of the Hidden Leaf Village. Then she asked me another question about my travels, and I responded enthusiastically.

As I did for the next question that she asked me, about Mizu. And for the next one after that about the people I had met in the Resistance.

It was a good twenty minutes and two cups of tea later that I realized that she had me eating out of the palm of her hand. This was despite the fact that I had been on my guard to start with.

Mei had nothing on her mum when it came to charming people.

She had poured a third cup for us when I came to my cognizance; and I couldn't help but shoot her a betrayed look when I did. She gave me slightly patronizing in return; as if I was a child playing an adult's game and had only just realized how utterly outclassed I was.

Mulishly I pursed my lips; I resolved not to say another word. I raised the cup to take a sip of the rather refreshing blend of tea.

"I can see why she likes you."

I chokingly coughed as the tea went down the wrong pipe. Kaya couldn't entirely hide her smirk behind her cup as took a sip of her own; she had done that on purpose! My earlier resolution forgotten, I stared wide-eyed at Kaya. "What!?"

She then smiled that enigmatic smile that every woman had graced me with at one point or another.

And then she became the first woman to tell me what that smile meant.

"Not too bright, though."

I was really, really confused; which meant that she was right about me being not too bright. In the name of the Log, what was going on? "Err…"

Her smile turned mischievous; it was eerily similar to Naruto's malevolent declaration-of-prank-war-smile. I knew that things were about to go Very Wrong.

"There's only one reason why a girl brings a boy to meet her parents, Nanashi-kun."

Thankfully I had already put my cup down; otherwise I would have sprayed the countertop with the burning liquid. I was sputtering as it was, "Wait, what!? That's not…I mean, we're not…why would…but we haven't…argh!"

Kaya was openly laughing at me by this point. "Oh dear, I seem to have flustered you. Perhaps you would react better to Hayato's approach?" She cleared her throat and widened her shoulders, before speaking in a hilariously poor imitation of Hayato's deep baritone, "What are your intentions towards my daughter?"

My mouth fell open in shock. What!?

Just…what!?

"Umm…I'm helping her with her rebellion." Praise the Log for my mouth having a mind of its own. It was time to let the mouth do the talking. Why hadn't I done this to start with?

Kaya's smile didn't diminish in the least at my rather neutral answer. "Let me put it this way. Describe Mei-chan to me; tell me what you think of her."

"Well…" it was only when I felt the scratching at the back of my head that I realized that my hand had gone up there without me telling it to. "She's really beautiful; only an idiot would say otherwise. She likes salted mackerels, and she's scared of mice. Her favourite colour is blue", I was basing this on the fact that her dress in the future was blue, "She likes going to the spa and pampering herself in general. She's usually very eloquent, but she says the word 'indeed' when she can't think of anything to say. Her lips twitch before she smiles, and she has a terrifying glare. She does this trick with her eyebrow that somehow gets everyone's attention; it's something I'm really jealous of. She likes messing with people's heads", I shot Kaya a look, "and I think I know where she gets that from. She's really perceptive and a good leader, and she cares for all of her subordinates. I haven't seen her go all out in a fight, but I'm willing to bet that she's at par with Tsunade of the Sannin, if not stronger. She knows how to keep a cool head in any situation and she has the knack for making the right decisions in a split second. She's a true visionary, and she is going to change the way the Elemental Nations are run. She's going be a great Mizukage; in fact, I'm willing to bet that she goes down in history as the greatest ever Mizukage."

There was silence following my monologue. Thankfully I had managed to keep myself from describing Mei's heavenly voice or her pretty tinkling laugh. That would definitely have given Kaya the wrong impression.

Speaking of Kaya, she was staring at me with an inscrutable expression. After a moment, she raised her eyebrow expectantly, as if to say, 'Well?'

"What?" I asked.

She shook her head and gave me the enigmatic 'you're not too bright' smile again. But as she opened her mouth to say something, the door to the garden slid open, revealing Mei.

I hadn't heard any footsteps. My heart started pounding; had she heard what I had said?

Mei caught my eye for a fraction of a second, before she walked straight to the kitchen, ignoring her mother entirely.

Kaya looked after her before giving me a false smile. "Allow me to show you where you will be staying."

"Err…You don't have to go through any trouble! I can find-"

"Nonsense, Nanashi-kun. You're a guest in our home." She interrupted me calmly, before standing. I followed suit and followed her up the stairs. She took me into a guest bedroom that had a view of the cliff at the edge of the island. "I know you've had a long journey, so please feel free to wash up. Towels are in the closet."

Reading between the lines, she wanted me out of her hair while she spoke with her daughter. I nodded and bowed my head in gratitude. "Thank you for your kindness. I shall see you later."

She smiled and nodded approvingly at me. "Please feel free to call me if you need anything."

Once she had gone, I decided to do as she had suggested. I took a large luxuriantly fluffy towel and went into the bathroom to have the first proper bath since I first came to Mizu no Kuni.

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One Hour Later: 4465617468

I stole some of the shampoo.

Kaya used the same shampoo as Mei (and now me), so I used some and topped up the same in the tiny bottle Mei had given me.

I would say I'm ashamed, but if I really was, I wouldn't have done it.

Guiltily I put the now-full bottle back amongst my belongings before stepping out of the bathroom.

Once I was dressed again, I decided that it had been long enough, so I went down for a glass of water. I made my footsteps loud enough so that they would know I was descending the steps.

There was a small surprise for me in the kitchen. Mei was sitting on the kitchen countertop and swinging her legs as she talked to her mother. Her hair was pushed on top of her head in a messy bun, tendrils of hair escaping all around her face and giving it a very domestic look. I caught both her eyes as I walked in, causing me to double-take. For the first time I saw the entirety of her gorgeous face, and it gave the weirdness in my chest another kick.

For once, thankfully, my mouth was proactive, "Could I trouble you for a glass of water?"

I couldn't see Kaya's face, but I could definitely hear the smile in her voice as she raised one hand from the salted mackerels she was preparing and used it to point, "Take one of the bottles in the corner, dear. Dinner will be ready in half-an-hour."

Clearly they weren't finished talking. I took one of the aforementioned bottles, "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all, dear."

I made my exit and went back up the stairs; just as I turned the corner I heard the faint sound of Mei saying, "Don't start, mother."

"I haven't said a word, Mei-chan!" The delight in Kaya's voice, however, was unmistakable.

Confused, I shrugged. I had no idea what they were talking about. Women.

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2 Hours Later: 4465617468

I really didn't understand the Terumī family dynamic.

Quite clearly there was some tension with regards to the Terumī clan's participation in the ongoing insurrection. From what I could glean, Hayato was still the Family Head, even though he was crippled. Obviously Hayato was not going to be on the front lines. And yet, the rest of the clan seemed to have adopted Hayato's isolationist attitude. Mei was the heiress, but the clan chose not to follow her. I'm sure there was more, but nobody had really explained any of this to me.

On the other hand, Hayato had gone down to the village market and bought Mei's favourite mackerels for dinner. It was something that Mei had profusely thanked him for, and he had smiled indulgently and waved it off. It was a loving gesture from a father to a daughter.

For me it was as confusing as hell. Were they on the same page or not?

In any case, I now had a new second-favourite dish. Salted mackerels as prepared by Terumī Kaya were to-die-for.

Ramen was still better though.

I had offered to do the dishes once dinner was done, but Kaya shooed me out of the kitchen. A moment later she pulled Hayato out as well, before dragging us all towards the stairs and up to the bedrooms. "Have fun, Mei-chan!"

I shook my head as I smiled. Leader of a rebellion, scourge of a tyrant, S-ranked future Mizukage, and she was being forced to do the dishes by her mother. It really was funny. Kaya seemed delighted by my amusement, while Hayato seemed stoic.

We exchanged good nights at the top of the stairs before making our way to our separate bedrooms. Once I reached my temporary lodgings I realized that my bottle of water was practically empty, so I went down again to exchange it for a full one. Atleast, that was the plan.

Once I stepped off the stairs, a sound made me pause.

I could see Mei at the sink, washing the dishes. It was from her that the sound originated.

She was humming to herself.

It was a simple tune, not particularly catchy. And yet, it was the most captivating thing I had ever heard.

All other sounds faded from existence; the clinking of the dinner plates, the distant splashing of the waves, the wind in the trees, my thunderous heartbeat, everything. The world was reduced to the most enchanting song I had ever heard; the melodious harmony that didn't even need any words.

I have no idea how long I stood at the base of the steps, staring at the back of Mei's head listening to her sing. I have no idea how long I stared at hair the colour of desire, wanting to imbibe all of the beauty I could see and hear and feel.

I was almost seized by the sudden intense desire to walk over to Mei and slide my arms around her waist. I imagined that she would sigh softly, and I would nuzzle my face in her gorgeous hair, making her giggle as she turned her head and softly brushed her lips with mine…

My chest and my stomach gave a sudden lurch and my heart gave a ginormous thump as my brain came to a screeching halt.

What was that!?

Why was I imagining intimate scenes starring myself and the future Mizukage!? And why was it causing me a rush of endorphins to do so!?

I turned back and started walking up the stairs again.

Log-damn it! It was all Kaya's fault! She had messed with my head and put these weird thoughts in my brain! I had been perfectly fine before today without any of this crap cluttering up my head!

A tiny rational part of my brain pointed out that this wasn't exactly true.

All right, fine! She's an extremely beautiful woman; of course I would have fantasies about her! Any guy would! Every guy she met most likely did!

The annoyingly rational part of my brain told me to quit dicking around and connect the dots.

Fine! I'd caught myself at odd times thinking about her laugh and her smile. I had enjoyed butting heads with her during the negotiations and with the pranks that we had played on each other. I had enjoyed her teasing and I had teased her right back. I liked the fact that she came to see me off whenever I went on a mission, and I liked the way she called me Nanashi-kun, even though we weren't close. That hardly meant that I was in love with her!

The stupidly rational part of my brain re-played my earlier description of Mei to Kaya.

.

.

And this time, I saw what Kaya had most likely seen within a minute of meeting me.

.

.

.

…oh.

.

.

I hadn't known that chest-feelings could give me condescending looks until that moment. What did you think I was!?

.

.

…I had fallen in love with her!? But how!? When!?

Apparently that part was easy; I could still clearly recall the feeling of our chakra's harmonizing as we bared our souls to one another, our eyes locked as our hands touched each other.

.

.

"Nanashi-kun?"

I started violently and the empty water bottle flew out of my hands before I caught it acrobatically. My heart hammering, I turned to see Kaya at the top of the stairs that I had stopped climbing at some point.

"Is something wrong? You were staring into space and your foot was in the air…"

"Nothing's wrong!" I let out in an unusually high pitched voice, my face reddening in embarrassment at the ridiculous image I had been projecting.

"Good night!" I squeaked out, as I rushed past the woman who had realized that I was in love with her daughter before I had. I shut the door as fast as I could before I slumped against it. I groaned. What have I got myself into now?

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4 Hours Later: 4465617468

Well, it was official. Sleep was not going to be my mistress tonight.

I had tossed and turned, trying to get some shut-eye, but my traitorous brain had decided to torture me with images of the gorgeous crimson-haired woman I had evidently fallen in love with. Naturally, I was quite favorable towards the images that had me and her involved in some kind of intimacy.

Once or twice though, my absolute gobshite dick of a brain sent me images of her being…close to someone else. One time, it even showed me Mei singing to someone else.

I nearly let out a burst of killing intent at that.

All right, fine. I was in love with her and I hadn't even realized it until her mother pointed it out. Although…speaking of Kaya, hadn't she said something about Mei liking me back?

A rather pleasurable lurch went through my stomach as I imagined this to be the case. Unless Kaya was fucking with my head?

Argh!

Women!

I huffed as I turned over once more. Even when they weren't in front of you they messed with your head!

And that was when I heard the main door open and close. Instantly alert, I enhanced my senses, trying to discern any sounds. To my surprise, though, I heard footsteps going away from the house.

I got up and went to the window, where I saw the object of my desire making her way to the raised cliff at the end of the island. Err… I don't mean 'object' as in objectifying her, but…argh! It's just a figure of speech all right!?

Mei's hair appeared almost black in the soft white moonlight, swaying behind her as she walked to the lip of the cliff. It was over 50 feet away, and I saw her looking over the edge for a few minutes.

And then she spread her arms and jumped.

I was flying out of the window before my senses caught up with me.

Skidding to a halt right at the edge, I looked over the cliff to see nary a sign of Mei, just the water lapping at the base of the cliff, well over a hundred meters below me. I took a deep breath and activated my Fūton chakra cloak.

And then I jumped in straight after her.

The feeling was more exhilarating than the first time I had done this; but then again the drop was longer. I landed into the water with a huge splash.

Have you ever been underwater?

At night?

It's an entirely different world. First of all, there are no sounds underwater. Colours are muted. You cannot breathe, unless you have a Kekkei Genkai, a tank strapped to your back or a Fūton chakra cloak. You cannot move as quickly as on the ground. But you can move in 3 dimensions. Once you achieve neutral buoyancy, all you need to do is draw breath to hold in your lungs, and the inflation will cause you will rise. Blow out the air and you sink back down.

The natural beauty underneath the surface of water is breathtaking.

The vivid colours and sheer variety of the fish underneath the ocean is awe-inspiring. There is an entire eco-system underneath the surface of the ocean that most of us don't ever see.

And at any other time, I would have paused to observe the coral reefs and the various fish swimming around. At any other time I would have been stunned by the sheer beauty of the underwater terrain.

But right now I had to find a woman who had willingly jumped off a cliff.

Now that I was underwater I could see exactly how unrefined my chakra cloak was. It was uneven in patches, too sharp in some places and too flimsy in others. I made a mental note to repeat this underwater training to get my chakra control up to snuff at a later date. I swam around, using my chakra control to help me move faster as I took in as few breaths as possible, trying to conserve my oxygen supply.

It took me a couple of minutes to find her. And once I did, my breath was stolen away.

She was illuminated by fractured moonlight through the undulating surface of the sea. Her unbound hair floated majestically through the water, framing her beautiful figure and giving her the appearance of an ocean nymph. Her hands were spread and her eyes were closed, and while she didn't appear to be breathing, she gave the impression of being one with the water. The expression on her face could only be described as religious, so enraptured was she. Her chakra wasn't saturating the water, and yet...

...and yet the water was obeying her.

If I didn't know any better, I would have said that she was gathering Senchakra.

Her features appeared white in the moonlight as she bent the water, turning herself around and floating ethereally in the water. I suddenly realized that I was spying on her training. Feeling very foolish, even though my heart hammered in my chest at the angelic sight, I turned around and made my way back to the surface.

Of course she hadn't just jumped. She was training.

The raw night wind chilled me to the bone as I climbed out of the water. I tried climbing the cliff with chakra, but the dirt was too loosely packed and kept giving way. While it gave the Terumī clan head's house that extra bit of security, it was seriously annoying to try to find a path through the darkness, with just the moonlight to light my way.

Well, I thought to myself as I made my way back up to the house, if I hadn't been in love with her before seeing her underwater, I sure as hell am now.

---

The Next Morning: 4465617468

Rather than (literally) dampen up the Terumī household, I had elected to go up on to the roof to dry out from my impromptu jaunt in the ocean. As I lay on my back on the roof, the calm breeze and the millions of stars kept me company, and I gave up on thinking and simply basked in that warm feeling I got whenever I thought about Mei.

I had clearly dozed off on the roof at some point, because I found myself waking up to the divine sound of Mei singing. The millions of stars had just about disappeared as I opened my eyes to the slowly lightening sky. I turned my head to try and locate the source of the singing. I was on the side of the roof that faced the garden, and that was where I found her. Brushing her vivid crimson hair and singing to herself.

I've woken up next to Hinata and Sakura-chan, women who I've cherished from the bottom of my heart and who have loved me back as much as I did them; I've even woken up next to Anko, who never let me in, but who I had strong feelings for regardless. And let me tell you, those beautiful waking-up-moments had nothing on that moment, nothing on waking up to the tender melancholic sound of Terumī Mei singing softly.

I swallowed, knowing I would be haunted by that singing for as long as I lived.

An eternity passed and I didn't dare to move as I watched Mei stroke her luxurious hair and sing.

She finally finished and made her way back into the house, her gorgeous hair flowing behind her. The spell broken at long last, I stumbled back to my room, managing not to use any chakra to alert the denizens that I had not exactly slept in the bed they had so kindly provided. Having stayed up practically all night after my emotionally turbulent epiphany, I just knew that today was going to suck. I would definitely be off my game, at a time when I needed to be at the top of it.

Thankfully though, today was a Sunday, and it seemed like the Terumī's were taking the day to relax.

Apparently Hayato was in charge of making tea and breakfast. This was evidenced by the fact that Kaya came stumbling down the stairs, yawning widely and looking as tired as I felt. She collapsed on to the kitchen chair with an incomprehensible moan while Hayato prepared a simple breakfast of rolled omlettes, fish and pickles while Mei made miso soup. Clearly Uzumaki's (like Kaya and I) were not morning people.

Once we had eaten and Kaya's wakefulness had upgraded to blinking blearily, we all went for a quick bath, after which Kaya and I were both finally awake. I could feel that slight burning behind my eyes that meant that I would not be at 100% for the day, since I had skipped sleep, but I was as awake as I was going to get.

Hayato was reading the paper while Mei and Kaya chatted. I stayed physically as far away from them as possible while still being in the same room, not wanting to intrude. It didn't last very long, because both Mei and Kaya brought me into the conversation, asking me general questions about myself. I felt comfortable enough to tell them that I had a bratty little brother back home who shared my ramen obsession, even though he was technically my temporal twin. Or was it causal twin? Ugh. Time travel necessitated the need for a whole new set of grammatical rules and terms.

Mei also mentioned that I was a Seal Master, at which point Kaya perked up. I ended up showing and describing my Sealing Tattoos, something that even had Hayato raising an impressed eyebrow. After that, though, Kaya kept giving me appraising looks, something that unnerved me in an entirely different fashion than yesterday. I felt like she was measuring me up for an entirely different reason, and I didn't know exactly what.

On the other hand, I learned a little about the elder Terumī's. Kaya and her mother were (clearly) from Uzushiogakure, and landed up in Mizu no Kuni after its destruction. They both never felt that Kiri was the village for them; instead they had built this house, secured it and decided to live a life of solitude. Kaya's father was not from the Uzumaki clan, he was the one with the Yōton bloodline; which was where Mei had picked it up from.

Hayato talked a little about the Terumī clan's history. It was one of the oldest clans in Mizu, and they had a legendary rivalry with the Hōzuki clan, similar to the Uchiha and the Senju clan's. It was the Yuki clan, however, that brought them to the table and ensured that the village of Kirigakure was formed. Thus, they had 3 noble clans, the Terumī, the Hōzuki and the Yuki. None of the 3 noble clans were loyal to the current Mizukage.

I was smart enough not to ruin the day by asking about the reason why the Terumī clan didn't participate in the Resistance. I felt inordinately proud of myself for that fact.

After a morning's worth of easy conversation, we all broke for lunch. Once we had eaten, Mei said that she was going for a nap, and Kaya said that I should take one as well. I knew I was exhausted too, which was why after a token protest I allowed Kaya to shoo me up the stairs as well.

I ended up sleeping the entire day away, only waking up when I smelled ambrosia.

I immediately shot awake and sniffed once, twice. There was no mistaking that scent for anything else.

Ramen!

I jumped up from the bed and rushed down straight into the kitchen. "Are you making ramen!?" I cried in delight.

Kaya shot me a very amused look, "Yes, you mentioned it in passing today. I made Mei's favourite dish for dinner yesterday, so I thought I would make your favourite tonight."

I lacked the words to describe this wonderful woman, this most perfect example of the zenith of her species.

Evidently she understood wordless adulation, because she let out a giggle and pushed me out of the kitchen. "Now go! I'll call you when it's ready."

I went and sat in the living room, but I kept fidgeting and shooting looks over to the kitchen, unable to wait for the ramen to be ready. Hayato rolled his eyes at my near-manic behavior, while Mei's lips kept twitching, but I honestly couldn't care less. Why would I, when there was ramen on the pot!?

An eternity passed before Kaya finally called out, "Dinner's ready!"

I shot out of my seat and went into the kitchen at record speed. Utilizing my full range of speed and dexterity, I quickly gathered all the plates and pots and pans and set the places for everyone before Hayato and Mei had as much as finished getting up from their seats. Kaya smiled indulgently at me as she brought in the pan and started pouring the broth into everyone's bowls. Now that the moment was here I sat down quietly as we all took up our chopsticks. "Itadakimasu", everyone intoned, and they dug in.

I didn't.

Instead, I spun the noodles and breathed in the steam that wafted up. Aroma: 4.5/5. I'm picking up garlic, ginger, black pepper and two more ingredients. Then I slowly twisted the noodles around my chopsticks and took a careful look. Noodles cooked evenly all the way through: 5/5. And now for the most important part, the taste: I brought the perfectly cooked aromatic noodles to my mouth and took a bite...

...and my brain exploded in ecstasy.

While I was tripping on the exquisite taste, the tiny rational part of my brain was screaming out the identity of the last two ingredients: tapioca and chili powder! Clearly all parts of my brain liked its taste.

...I really, really like ramen all right?

"Do you like it, Nanashi-kun?" I vaguely heard Kaya ask.

Like it? I'm seriously considering marrying Mei just so I can eat your home-cooked ramen during the holidays, I thought to myself.

I put the chopsticks back into the bowl and was just about to take another bite when-

Danger! Killing intent!

I whipped my neck towards the window. No! The danger wasn't coming from that direction. I whipped my neck towards the other side, but I caught a glimpse of glaring green eyes on the way. I blinked in surprise as I realized that it was Hayato who was glaring venomously at me as he blared his killing intent.

Confused, I looked around the table. Kaya had slapped her hands over her mouth, but I could see her wide smile through her fingers; it was so wide it was causing her eyes to squint. Mei's face, however, was hidden behind a curtain of her hair.

I quickly added up the clues, and reached the logical conclusion. I sighed.

"I said that out loud, didn't I." I said sheepishly.

Kaya let out a strangled giggle as Hayato's glare and killing intent intensified; I refused to look at Mei. Great, I was going to die because I had set off a girl's father's protective instinct. Although... since I was going to die anyway...

...I might as well have the perfect last meal.

Which was why, instead of apologizing or groveling for my life, I started wolfing down the ramen as fast as I could.

Kaya cracked up at that point.

A few minutes later she diffused the situation by promising that there would be no maiming's or killings at her dinner table. I still refused to either say another word or as much as look in Mei's direction, but I did take seconds of the ramen. And thirds. And...well, you get the picture.

Once dinner was (finally) done, Hayato cleared his throat. "Nanashi-san, come with me please."

For a second, I was terrified that he was going to pull the protective father act and beat the shit out of me for daring to look at his daughter wrong. But a closer look at him suggested a profundity to his manner which indicated that the matter was far more serious than that.

Ah, it must be time for that talk; the talk I had come to this house to have.

I didn't look at Kaya or Mei; I just nodded at Hayato and made my way behind him. Well, I had been planning to have this talk sooner rather than later. I suppose that sooner is better time than any.

---

Back in the kitchen: Terumī Mei

Once the door had shut behind her father and 'Nanashi', Mei got up and put the kettle on. Once the water boiled and the tea leaves had been mixed, she poured a cup for both herself and her mother before continuing to sit quietly. Silences made her mother fidgety, so she figured that she would let her mother sweat it out and broach the topic that was clearly on her mind.

"It's in the way both your eyes search for each other whenever you enter a room."

Of course, Kaya also had the propensity to take charge of the conversation by hitting the nail on the head. Hiding a wince by taking a sip, Mei realized that her mother was right; she always looked for him whenever she entered a room, and she always found him looking right at her in return.

Kaya smiled softly, "Atleast you are not in denial about it, unlike that adorable boy. Although his asinine comment at dinner showed that he is perhaps beginning to realize his feelings for you."

Despite herself, Mei had to fight off a blush. "That is not why I brought him here."

Kaya took a sip, dragging out the moment. "Wasn't it?" she asked with a knowing smile.

At that moment, Mei found herself cursing her mother's perceptiveness. She tried to steer the conversation away from potentially uncomfortable topics, "He has a rather remarkable way of connecting with people. I thought that perhaps he would do better at convincing tou-san."

Kaya's smile drifted away, as she allowed her daughter to change the subject. Taking another sip, she gently said, "Your father has already fought his war."

"I know, mother", Mei replied with a sigh.

"And your cousins have the right to choose their battles too."

"I know, mother", Mei repeated.

Kaya shrugged, "Then why don't you try appealing directly to them? You know your father is rather set in his ways."

Mei made an exasperated sound, "Because they say that they will follow the Clan Head's decision! He made a personal choice to stay out of the Resistance! It wasn't a directive to the clan! Why don't they see that?"

Kaya took another sip of her tea, "Perhaps they don't want to lay their lives down for a village that betrayed them."

And that was the crux of the issue. The Bloodline Clans had been the ones to orchestrate the rise of Kirigakure, and yet they were the ones driven out by rampant bigotry. It was horribly unfair.

For the first time since Mei came home, she felt a bone deep weariness that showed on her face. Her clan, her own clan, was not behind her as she tried to right the multitude of wrongs that Kirigakure was responsible for propagating. They had been belittled, ostracized, discriminated against and finally declared subhuman as they were driven out of the village that they had founded.

They had lost family members in the Purge. Everybody had.

And yet, Mei was the only one from her clan who wanted to do something about it.

And right now, it was all too much. For the first time in over a year, away from all her subordinates and with just her mother for company, she let the doubts overwhelm her. "It's just so hard being there all alone", she whispered as she finally allowed the tears she had long suppressed to overflow.

"Oh, Mei-chan." Kaya moved around the table and comforted her crying daughter, drawing her into a hug. "You're not alone, you have our blessing. You have always had it."

"I know, but sometimes it's not enough. You told me to always follow my path, but sometimes I don't know where the next step is. It seems like I'm surrounded by bad choices and worse choices, and all I can really decide is who dies in place of whom." Mei's voice broke several times as she cried, clutching her mother for all she was worth.

Kaya stroked her daughter's hair lovingly, calming her as much as she was able to. "All you can do, Mei-chan, is make the best decision you can. That's all anybody will ever ask of you."

The next few minutes were spent with Kaya letting Mei get all the stress out. She held her daughter and hummed her favourite lullaby as she stroked her hair, before a small smile broke out on her face. "You know, if your father saw you crying, he would change his mind and order the clan to your side in a heartbeat."

Mei let out a strangled half-sob, half-chuckle at that.

Kaya's smile turned mischievous, "And the part about you being alone isn't really true anymore, is it?"

Wiping her eyes, Mei asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you have that boy helping you now."

Mei sighed, "You are not going to let this go, are you?"

"After you brought a boy home for the first time, did you really expect anything else?"

Mei opened her mouth, but for once couldn't think of something to say, so she went with, "Indeed."

Kaya let out a delighted laugh at that, and Mei finally blushed as she, too, remembered 'Nanashi's' impassioned description of herself.

Kaya's tone turned thoughtful, "You must have noticed it, how he likes one particular aspect of you more than anything else."

Mei smiled; she had never seen anyone as obsessed with her lips as 'Nanashi' was. Men had always been drawn to her voluptuous figure more than anything else, and having someone attracted to her lips was a novel experience.

"Your voice."

Mei blinked in surprise.

Kaya continued, "Even when he's not looking at you, his eyes slightly lose focus whenever you start to speak. He's completely enchanted by the sound of your voice."

Well, that was new. She had no reason to doubt her mother's perceptiveness.

But before Mei could ponder this any further, Kaya started to giggle conspiratorially, "Soooo, tell me how the two of you met! Were there sparks? Was it love at first sight? Or did you try to kill each other?"

Mei snorted, "We used the Shinjutsu no Fūin (Seal of Truth) on each other."

Kaya's smile froze. "What?" she asked calmly, dangerously.

Mei shook her head, "I don't think he even knows that it can be used as a weapon. He's surprisingly scatter-brained about such important details."

Kaya analytically ran through everything she had gleaned about the masked blond man. It did seem to be in his character to be absent-minded. And yet, she was not fully convinced; he was a self-professed Seal Master after all. "Are you absolutely sure he didn't change you, Mei-chan?"

"If he had, the first thing he would have done was remove the memory of the Seal being used at all. Don't you think so?"

Hesitantly, Kaya conceded that yes, that would be the first thing he would have done. "Why did you even need the Seal in the first place?"

"We needed it for confirming that our accord with Konoha was being made in good faith." For some reason, Mei didn't share the details about signing the agreement with her blood; her mother would likely have a conniption.

"So, what did you learn from him in return?"

Mei smiled softly, "He wants to bring peace to the world." She raised her head from her mother's embrace for the first time since she had broken down and locked eyes with her, "He believes it with all his heart."

Kaya stayed silent for a while as she processed this. After a while she asked, "Do you really think it's possible?"

Mei's eyes shone as her smile deepened, "You should have seen the strength of his conviction, mother. It was awe-inspiring. He's also powerful enough to back it up. He can use the Yondaime Hokage's Yellow Flash technique."

Kaya blinked in surprise, "Really? I thought he was related to the Uzumaki clan, given the quality of his chakra and his proficiency for the Sealing Arts."

"I never said he wasn't", Mei said triumphantly.

"Interesting", Kaya said thoughtfully. Then she smirked, "And here I thought he was flustered on meeting me because I was a prospective mother-in-law." Mei sniffed at her, causing Kaya's mischievous smile to grow, before it softened. "I suppose I must remind him of his own mother then. He mentioned that he was an orphan. No wonder he reacts so favorably to my presence."

Mei sighed exasperatedly, "Just don't…" she tried to think of a word, but she didn't find the right one, "take advantage of him."

"Shouldn't I be giving you that advice dear?" Kaya responded wickedly.

"Mother! You know what I mean!"

Kaya giggled, "Oh, fine. Take my fun away. I won't 'take advantage' of your precious boy-toy when we spend tomorrow looking at him."

Mei ignored the boy-toy comment for the more important subtext, "You mean…"

Kaya smiled, "Yes, you were very subtle dear. I almost had no idea that what you were really after", she said in a slightly supercilious tone. "I'll do a reading on him tomorrow."

Mei beamed and embraced her mother.

After a few moments she turned her head and looked out to the garden, "Where are they? They're not in the garden."

A wistful smile came across Kaya's face. "He's gone to where your brother and sister are."

---

At the Same Time: 4465617468

Hayato and I had walked through the dark forest for quite some time, both of us alone with our thoughts even as we walked together. We reached another corner of the island, not outside the Barrier Seal, but close to the edge of it. The ocean was quick kunai flick away, but there wasn't any beach; instead, there were rocks that broke up the waves.

Hayato stood solemnly before two rocks that could only be gravestones. With the starlight beaming down on us (as the moon still hadn't risen), he finally broke the silence.

"This is Terumī Nagisa, my firstborn daughter", he indicated the gravestone on the right. "She was killed at the age of 11, for the crime of being born with a Bloodline. To this day I do not know who killed her."

Oh...

He shifted his gaze to the gravestone on the left, "This is Terumī Seitaro. He was killed in the Kirigakure Academy at the age of 8 in a…spar that got out of control", he sneered, clearly repeating the official statement he had been given.

I froze. After a few moments I spoke quietly, "My sincere condolences on your losses."

Hayato nodded, acknowledging my feelings. "Mei-chan is our youngest. She wasn't old enough to remember either of her siblings. Neither Kaya nor I ever let our grief affect how we raised Mei, but we decided then and there that we would not lose another child to this accursed village. We trained her since she could walk." Hayato grimaced, "Of course, I had more time to train her once I got my injury."

"Didn't the village offer you an administrative position or something? I'm sure you could still have been useful."

Hayato snorted, "They left me for dead on that battlefield. As far as Kiri knows, I died in the war."

I blinked in shock. Hayato smiled grimly, "This isn't Konoha, boy. Kiri does not coddle the weak. Either you are strong or you are useful. If you are neither, you are culled from the herd."

The stance of the Terumī clan towards Kiri was slowly becoming clearer to me. The Clan Head had been assumed killed, while his wife never acknowledged Kiri as her own village to begin with. "But then why did you train Mei? Surely you could have raised her here if you didn't agree with Kiri's policies."

Hayato grunted, his naturally deep baritone making the sound more ominous than it was, "Even by the age of 5, it was clear that she was going to be a pretty girl. You've been in this country for long enough; tell me, what do you think happens to pretty girls who can't defend themselves?"

I didn't answer, but the grim look on my face was answer enough. Hayato nodded, "We trained her, and she was a natural. Everything we taught her, she soaked like a sponge. Ninjutsu, etiquette, infiltration, information-gathering, interrogation; she was a prodigy. I focused on the physical aspects of her training, while her mother focused on the more subtle and deadly arts. Even before she left for the Academy, she could have taken on both her elder siblings together and won. And let me tell you, they were no slouches either."

"I understand why you trained her. But why did you let her go to the Kiri Academy, if you were so disillusioned with the village?"

Hayato shrugged, "It was her choice. We never interfered with her choices. We gave her the best tools we could, but we never told her how to live her life. She was the one who chose to go to the village, despite knowing that it had killed her siblings."

I really wanted to demand answers from Hayato, if he had supported her then, why not now? It was hard, but I held my tongue; I had the feeling that being direct and accusatory would not work on him like it had worked on Mei.

Ugh, I hated being crafty. I let my mouth come up with something suitable.

"There's one thing I don't understand. You told me Kiri was by the union of three clans – the Terumī, the Yuki and the Hōzuki. Why was it that you were discriminated against in the first place?"

Hayato shook his head, "It was more than those three. Those three were just the more prominent Bloodline Clans, the noble ones. There were a couple of minor villages and a few other wandering families as well. The only reason they banded together was their envy for Konoha's prosperity." He sighed, "Even at the start, it should have been obvious that there was something rotten in the heart of Kirigakure.

"To be united by hatred is a fragile alliance at best.

"Ever since the First Hidden Great War, it was noticed that those from Bloodline Clans came home more often than those who didn't have special abilities. Of course, this bred jealousy and resentment from the rest of the shinobi. Was there another reason why those with Bloodlines survived where others died?"

I interjected, "But that's stupid! People die in wars, Bloodlines or not!"

He gave me a condescending look, "One thing I have learned throughout my life, Nanashi-san, is that people can be exceptionally stupid and willfully blind whenever it suits their needs." He looked out over the ocean, "But in this case, the suspicions were somewhat justified. Tell me, have you heard of the Kaguya clan?"

I nodded, remembering both my encounter with Kimimaro and the descriptions of the Resistance members. "They were said to live for battle."

Hayato nodded, "They always wanted a fight. It was the only way they felt alive. They didn't know the meaning of restraint, nor did they truly understand the concept of allies." His countenance turned dark, "Even in the middle of war, they went feral, attacking allies and enemy alike, caring nothing for the carnage they caused. They even thought nothing of killing their fellow Kaguya clan members. Indulging their sick fantasies was all they cared for."

With a horrified fascination I exclaimed, "But that was just one clan! A clan that was known for its barbaric practices!"

"And the rest of the clans were guilty by association. It didn't matter that we were stronger and killed more enemies in battle or completed more missions. We were the enemy.

"The caste system in place in Kiri didn't help matters any. The commoners were given the most mundane missions, while the best ones went to the Clans and the prominent families. The resentment festered, and the nefarious deeds against the Clans began in the darkness. It didn't take long before they became commonplace, and now it's considered 'lawful'.

"From the day the village was formed, this war was inevitable."

"Perhaps", I said grimly. "What I do know is that it's time for this war to come to an end."

Hayato gave me a long, considering look. "War… is a hunger. And there are spirits in the world whose hunger is never satisfied."

He wasn't wrong.

"Tell me, Nanashi-san, do you know how children are created?"

I blinked in surprised shock. He wanted to discuss the birds and the bees at a time like this!?

Hayato clarified, "I do not mean the attraction between men and women. I am talking about the actual mechanics."

Adopting Sakura-chan's manner to shelve embarrassment, I clinically asked, "Are you referring to the sperm and egg?" Upon seeing his nod I continued, "Once the sperms are released, they travel towards the ovaries and fertilize the egg, and the process of cell division begins."

Hayato nodded, "And how many sperm are released at a single time?"

"Millions."

He nodded again, "Millions", he repeated. "And yet only a single lucky one gets to fertilize the egg. The rest die. So, even before we come to exist as a fertilized egg, a part of us has to win a conflict against millions of others for our very survival."

His eyes were boring holes in me, "Do you think matters change when children come out of their mother's womb? Do you think the conflict stops?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't.

"You have a younger brother back home, yes?"

My eyes narrowed and I subtly shifted my weight so that I could neutralise Hayato before he ever threatened Naruto. He noticed my response, but didn't physically react. "Tell me this, if he was ever in a life-threatening situation, would you let him face it? Or would you protect him and face the danger yourself?"

"Protect him", I growled out.

Hayato made a dismissive noise, "I had no idea you cared so little for your brother, Nanashi-san."

I blinked, before tilting my head in confusion, "What? What do you mean? I would protect him because I cared for him."

"And yet you would deprive him of the chance to test his mettle? To prove himself? To grow?" Hayato pressed.

Once more I silently pursed my lips.

"Would you spend your life fighting his battles for him? Such a thing will not only weaken him, but also cause him to resent you. Would you be able to live with yourself if he did so?"

"Fine! I'll let him fight his own battles."

"And what if letting him do so costs him his life?" Hayato relentlessly asked.

I glared at Hayato for dicking me around. "What's your point?"

"A culture's teachings, and most importantly, the nature of its people, achieve definition in conflict. They find themselves… or find themselves lacking."

Once more, I stared at him. "So your point is that conflict is essential for us to grow as human beings?"

Hayato nodded, "Exactly. And that is the core failing of humanity. We cannot grow unless we fight one another. We cannot exist unless we kill each other. Conflict is essential to our survival and propagation as a species. We need challenges to overcome."

I tilted my head, "So you think that peace isn't possible?"

Hayato actually snorted; it was something that offended me deeply. "Peace...is a lie. There is only passion, and those with the power to turn their passions into reality. People with power will always wage war against other people with power, for the greed of more power. We are destined by our very nature to be locked in a cycle of hatred."

I was starting to get pissed off. "I disagree. I think that all people need is to understand one another. Once everyone is on the same page, wars and conflicts should cease."

Hayato smiled condescendingly at me, "Are you truly that naïve? Understanding is always coloured by perception; and people's perceptions are played with all the time. A skilled leader always keeps the masses in line with the right propaganda."

I started to object, but then I suddenly remembered Teuchi and Ayame's faces when Naruto had mentioned the 'gratefulness' of the civilians in return for shinobi's services. Hayato was right, even Konoha, as the most 'benevolent' of the Five Great Villages, was not above propaganda.

Seeing that he had scored a hit, Hayato pressed his advantage, "And that does not even take into account the circumstances of living. Have you ever been to Suna?"

I frowned as I wondered where this was going, "I have."

"What resource would you say is the most precious to the desert dwellers?"

When he put it that way there was only one answer. "Water."

"Water", he repeated. "Do you know where an entire Hidden Village gets its water supply from?"

"It's pumped in from at-least three different filtration plants; one in the Land of Rivers, two from their coastline."

He raised his eyebrows, and I got the sense that he had only known about two. "And what do you suppose would happen if all three of them stopped sending water for some reason?"

"That's rather unlikely, don't you think?"

He snorted, "Imagine that the Land of Rivers had a diplomatic dispute with Suna and shuts off their water supply to put pressure on them. There might be a problem with one other plant, or there might even be a regular maintenance scheduled, putting the second out of commission. An opportunistic village, maybe Konoha, maybe Iwa, takes control of the third for their own purposes."

Well, it was certainly plausible. Unlikely, but possible.

"Now, the village of Suna is out of water. What do you think happens when water rationing starts? What do you think will happen when Suna scrounges up a few hundred thousand litres of water from somewhere and brings it into the village?"

I knew what would happen. I had seen it happen.

Hayato nodded grimly, "People will turn on each other for an extra drop of water. Lifelong neighbors will remember old minor complaints and use them as weapons in the war against dehydration. Once things get bad enough, family will fight family. In the end, people will pile up a mountain of corpses and happily climb over them if it means their own survival."

I was breathing heavily, and the roaring in my ears had nothing to do with the crashing of the waves. "Not everyone is like that."

"No? You think that people are noble in the face of starvation and thirst? Such nobility" he emphasized with a sneer, "is often the first principle that is discarded. Survival trumps all emotion, all 'civilized' behaviour."

I glared at him, wanting to punch him in the face, because I couldn't deny the truth of his words.

Hayato was silent for a time as he took his gaze away from the gravestones of his children and looked to the calm ocean that was barely visible in the soft moonlight. I was breathing heavily, because this was one of the most difficult battles I had ever fought, and I hadn't as much as thrown a punch. We should have been fighting inside a volcano with the fate of the world at stake, not conversing on a moonlit beach with nothing but our perspectives up for grabs.

Hayato broke the silence once more, "Do you know how the Third Secret Shinobi War was started?"

"The Sandaime Kazekage went missing, and Suna initiated hostilities while trying to track him down."

Hayato gave me a look. "That is propaganda. Do you know the real reason?"

I stayed silent.

Hayato smiled grimly, "Our world is never far away from war. The has been a war like clockwork every two decades or so. I would not be surprised if there was another one in the next 3 years."

Five years, but I didn't bother to correct him. It would only prove his point.

"The formation of the Hidden Villages was supposed to put an end to the hostilities of the Warring States period. And yet all it did in the end was to give the clashes an even higher body count."

"It gave everyone a home!" I burst out, physically restraining myself from kicking the tar out of this...this...blasphemer.

"A home? Perhaps. All it really did was to give the Shinobi a different name to rally under, a different reason to keep killing everyone."

"You know what!? I think I finally understand why Kirigakure produces the most missing-ninja out of all the Hidden Villages!" I remarked cuttingly, finally finding a weak point to attack him.

But instead of taking offence, Hayato laughed, pissing me off even further. "Finally learning, are you boy? Yes, Kiri does produce the most missing-nin, but it's only because we don't delude ourselves about why we do the kind of work we do. We're a nation of killers, spies and thieves, and we don't apologise for it or make excuses about it. We have been bred for war, and thus war we will wage."

There was a keening ringing sound in my head, and I didn't know what to do. "I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that we are only good for killing. We do good things as well."

"Oh no doubt, Shinobi do good things...when it aligns with their own interests. But do not mistake Shinobi for honourable people. Samurai used to be famous for their honour, and a century ago were the primary fighting force in the Elemental Nations. Where are they now? They are dying a slow death, one that will likely take another century, but make no mistake, their code of honour is obsolete. One day, we Shinobi and our murderous legacy will be obsolete too."

It would. And it would take less than a decade, if events were allowed to continue unhindered.

I finally calmed myself down and tried to listen to what Hayato had been saying so far. He had been right about so many things that would happen in the future, he had successfully predicted so much that would come true, it would be stupid not to listen to the man. I looked over the glimmering ocean and let it soothe me.

"So you're saying you have a problem with the Hidden Village system, and Shinobi in general."

Hayato sighed, "I think it would be better to say that I have a problem with human nature in general, but I do have numerous objections against the Shinobi system too."

I blinked, and Hayato looked tired as he, too, looked over the ocean, trying to find some serenity. I had never met someone who was so profoundly affected by the way human beings treated each other. Despite the fact that I had wanted to punch his lights out the entire time we had been talking, I felt a weird kinship with him.

A kinship that got terrifyingly clear with his next statement.

"My summon creatures had a prophecy about the return of the Rikudō Sennin. They believed that I would one day awaken his eyes and bring peace to the world."

My entire world shattered.

Hayato didn't even notice.

He continued, "Of course, with my injury that is no longer possible, if ever it was. It did, however, get me to thinking about peace, and why one single man was supposed to be responsible for it. And that is when I came to realize the problems that existed in our world."

I stayed silent as the wind ruffled my hair. I was still stuck on the fact that Hayato may have been another child of prophecy.

"Our entire society is based around our military and fighting capability. Through sheer bloody-mindedness we have created a world that lends itself to our talents. We live in a village that is made up of similar minded people. We follow a dictator who embodies the best, or the worst depending on your perspective, of our ideals. Children are given knives and shown how to maim and kill, and taught to never trust anyone wearing a different symbol on their headband. Everyone has to pull in the same direction, and if you don't you're branded a traitor. The only civilians that are allowed to live in the village are those essential to the military. Would you say that this is an accurate assessment?"

I didn't answer; it had become a theme, I vaguely realized.

"You came here to establish peace between our villages, yes? How long do you think that such a peace will last?"

He was right. Unless something fundamental changed, this peace would not last.

"To believe in an ideal, is to be willing to betray it. It is something that none of the Kage have ever truly learned."

It was a little too deep for me. I tilted my head questioningly.

"If you are to truly understand, then you will need the contrast, not adherence to a single idea."

That made more sense.

"Are the xenophobes right? Are they making the right choices? Will getting rid of the Bloodline wielders really fix what is wrong in Kiri?"

I shook my head in negative, but didn't say anything.

"Is our system right? Is putting the fate of the village in the hands of a single man the right thing to do? And if it is, is the current civil war the fault of the man at the top? Or is it with the people who put him there, the common people? Is it the fault of the common people, because they can rise against the established order at anytime? What really defines our village at the end of the day? What really defines any Hidden Village?"

Once upon a time, Uchiha Sasuke had asked the same question. The answer he received caused him to raze all the villages to the ground.

Hayato continued, "Our own village takes pride in the fact that we take the suicidally difficult missions. No mission is too difficult or too despicable for us. Burning an orphanage to the ground with all the occupants inside? We're the ones to call. We always completed our missions regardless of morality." He sighed, "I suppose that was why it was so easy for the discrimination to take root. We were already desensitised to killing without mercy. Killing other Kiri ninja just became another mission, somewhere along the way. The fact that it was because of a bloodline was just an excuse that was needed. It was all in the name of nationalism and our leader, so that made it all right in the eyes of the many."

"Enough!"

He turned to stare at me, surprise and shock mingling on his features. The his expression turned blank. "Enough?" he asked me dangerously, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, life is pretty fucked up. Yeah, we produce child soldiers and kill one another. Yeah, we're probably quite far from peace with the current system. I get that. I also get that you're disillusioned with your village, especially because they left you for dead. I just have one question for you, and one question only."

It was Hayato's turn to be quiet as he glared at me, the wind blowing across us with the scent of salt in the air.

"If you were still capable, would your daughter still be fighting alone? Or would you be fighting at her side?"

I didn't really want him to answer the question, terrified that his misanthropic world-view would make him answer in negative, but thankfully he stayed silent.

"And why is that? It's because we always fight to protect our precious people! You said we are born in conflict right? I fight to end conflict. I engage in conflict so that others won't have to. I fight others so that my brother won't have to! I don't want him to be any stronger than he absolutely has to be! I fight to change the world for the ones I love! You were right in saying that our world is fucked up, and I fight to change it, as does your daughter. Did Mei even tell you that she intends on establishing a democracy instead of replacing the Daimyō and the Royal Family?"

Hayato's shocked look informed me that she hadn't. But then again, she hadn't told me either.

"I figured it out, back when we first met. It's one of the reasons we managed to trust each other and form our alliance. Peace shouldn't be up to one prophesied person. It will only come about if we all work together for it. We need to change our world, one battle at a time. And this is just the first battle, but the war is long and arduous. Nothing will change if we keep fighting. We aren't animals, were supposed to be better than them! The only thing, the only thing that will change the world, is if we do what separates us from animals, and we talk. We talk to each other and settle our differences.

"Battles may be fought with blood, but wars are won with words."

Wow.

I had even impressed myself with that little tirade.

Man, sometimes I could be really cool.

I wanted to keep talking, to keep explaining that he was wrong about people, to explain that sometimes adversity brought out the best in people instead of the worst, but he likely knew that already. I really wanted to keep talking, but nothing I said after this point would really match up.

In any case, Hayato was looking at the gravestones of his kids, deep in thought. I had really wanted to throw that fact in his face; he had brought me here because this was the place where he could always be right. Nothing I could say could explain why his were kids killed by senseless violence, but this way he wanted to use their deaths to convince others that he was right about everything.

Thankfully, I had instinctively used his third child to make my point.

I smiled as I thought of Mei, and my mouth had started speaking before I could reign it in. "You know, earlier when you told me to follow you, I thought you were going to play the protective father routine."

Sigh. And I had just finished being so cool too.

Hayato leaned back, and looked at me with one eye, not turning his face towards me. "Mei-chan and I may have ideological differences, but I have always been a good father to her. I taught her to never let herself be taken advantage of. When she was 15, a boy toyed with her heart. He left her for another girl, and Mei cut off his hand for putting it on another girl, and cut the girl's eye out for daring to put it on her man."

Uhh... What!?

Mei was crazy! All of the Terumī clan was!

"She is perfectly capable of melting the flesh off your bones if you ever break her heart. And if she is merciful enough to let you be breathing after exacting vengeance," he smiled a smile that stabbed me with dread, "As a parent, I will correct my daughter's oversight."

As far as overprotective fathers go, Hyūga Hiashi is pretty much the poster-child. Stern and haughty, Hiashi had this way of making you feel like a crushed insect at the bottom of his shoe, and expected you to apologise to him for ruining his footwear. His Byakugan-enhanced glare was the stuff of nightmares, and his bearing alone made you want to start blubbering. All in all, Hyūga Hiashi is more or less the stereotypical terrifying father-in-law.

And let me tell you, Hyūga Hiashi had nothing on Terumī Hayato as an overprotective father.

I gulped, nodded, and left; leaving Hayato to his musings.

I really should put a muzzle on my mouth.

---

The Next Morning: 4465617468

I stumbled down the stairs once more, yawning widely and synchronously with Kaya who was somehow at the table before me. I mumbled out a good morning, but I'm not sure it came out right.

It took me a few minutes to notice, but there was some obvious tension between Mei and Hayato once more. They weren't looking at each other as they made breakfast. I didn't let my attention linger on Mei for too long, still somewhat embarrassed after last night; but I did notice that she was in a yellow dress that could only be described as pretty.

Kaya poked me in the arm, grabbing my attention. She then tilted her head in Hayato's direction, wordlessly asking me what had happened last night. I scratched the back of my head and shrugged. I had no idea what conclusions he had come to.

There was natto instead of rolled omelettes this morning, but otherwise the meal was identical to the previous morning. The mood, however, was anything but.

Once we finished, Hayato cleared his throat. Everyone's attention had already been on him, but now it became obvious. "Mei-chan, we have a lot of ground to cover today, so I suggest we get a move on."

There was an incredulous silence after his words. I smiled softly underneath my mask. Therapy Jutsu strikes again!

"You mean…" Mei said with barely concealed hope in her eyes.

"We have a lot of hidden houses of our clansmen to get to if you are to take them back with yourself for the Resistance."

Mei's resulting smile was radiant.

Not that I stared; I started fiddling with my teacup instead.

Once Mei and Hayato had left, Kaya asked me, "How did you convince him?"

I scratched my head, "I'm not sure, to be honest. Mostly I just asked him that if he could still fight, would he still hang around here or help his daughter. That did the trick, I think."

She smile softly at me, and then waited until I was finished with my tea.

"Nanashi-kun, I have a talent whereby I can see into either your past or your future, and tell you something significant about yourself. Would you like for me to do a reading on you?"

"Err...sure."

We got up and went to the living room, where she directed me to move the furniture. "How does this work exactly?" I asked, curious about the mechanics of such a technique.

"Well, Mei-chan told me you know how to use the Shinjutsu no Fūin (Seal of Truth) right? It's similar to that. I can catch glimpses of your life. Sometimes they are from the past, sometimes from the future, but they are all significant to your life. If it is from the past, it may be something you already know, or it may be something you forgot. If it's from the future, it will be something that you need to be wary of."

By now, she had brought out a calligraphy brush and a small bowl of ink. She sliced her palm and let a few drops of her blood mix in with the ink, and then gestured me to sit on the floor. I did, and she drew four unfamiliar seals around me, each in one of the cardinal directions. She then did the same around where she herself would sit, and then drew one a final one between us where we would be facing one another.

She hadn't closed the cut on her palm, and she sliced open her other palm and gestured for me to do the same. Once I had, she extended both her hands, one with the palm facing upwards, one palm facing down. I matched her, and our palms met, the blood mixing at the point of contact.

"Next time, Nanashi-kun, be a little more careful with techniques that allow someone access to your spirit. Someone with bad intentions can fundamentally change you if you're not careful."

I whitened.

Kaya chuckled, "Don't worry, Mei-chan didn't do anything of the sort, and I don't intend to either. Just be careful in the future, all right?"

I nodded fearfully.

Kaya then started chanting under her breath, causing all the seals around us to light up with a glowing blue colour one by one. As the final one between us lit up, my eyes rolled in the back of my head.

Flashes flew past my eyes, far too quick for me to make sense. I saw visions, I heard snippets, I felt emotions, but it was a jumble, a blur.

What wasn't a blur was the awful disgusting feeling of the Shinigami's maleficent chakra pouring from my heart.

Raw terror gripped me as I fought to keep it from reaching Kaya.

I fought against The God Who Embodied Death to keep Kaya alive.

I may as well have been an ant trying to hold back the ocean.

I was back in the black blank emptiness of space, and had as much power as I did the last time I was here.

Fighting against him was futile.

I could only slow the nauseating chakra for an infinitesimal second.

But somehow...that one second was enough.

Gasping, Kaya ended the technique.

I staggered to the kitchen sink and threw up.

My breath came in great heaving gasps as I fought valiantly to calm myself, but my heart was banging a mile a minute.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you that it can be uncomfortable sometimes."

I let out a hysterical laugh. Uncomfortable? UNCOMFORTABLE!? Woman, you came so close to death it could smell you, and you think it was UNCOMFORTABLE!?

I didn't say this out loud, of course.

I took a few minutes to calm myself, dunking my head underneath the tap and trying to drown myself.

I hadn't dreamt of the Shinigami since a few weeks after my initial time travel. Thankfully those nightmares of memories pain and death had gone away after a while. They would be back with a vengeance tonight, I was sure.

I staggered back to the living room and collapsed into one of the sofas, trying to stop the shaking and shivering. I wrapped my arms around myself as tightly as I could and brought my knees to my chest.

Kaya didn't look at me, instead she was looking out of the window.

After a while, she began to speak softly. "Three."

The number didn't mean much to me.

"Three enemies."

I didn't have the breath to reply.

"One who lives pain, breathes pain, and is blind to all but pain."

His name was Pein, too.

"One whose ravenous hunger knows no bounds, and in his wake life dies, sacrificing itself to his hunger."

Orochimaru.

"One who holds the knowledge of betrayal, who has been betrayed in their heart, and will betray in turn."

Sasuke.

This was what she had risked her life for!? And she didn't even know how close to death she had come!

I waited until I was sure I could speak without my voice cracking. "I've already fought them, and believe me, I've learned the lessons they had to teach me."

Kaya looked surprised. "Nanashi-kun, these are the enemies who will shape you in the future."

Well...fuck.

---

A Few Hours Later: 4465617468

I had spent some time at the cliff overlooking the ocean, being careful not to be seen by any passing ships.

Apparently, I had three new enemies who would shape me, whatever that meant.

I knew that Pein was Naruto's problem, and Orochimaru was pretty much a pushover for me. Sasuke didn't even count this time around.

So who were these three enemies?

Well...Obito/Tobi might be one.

But which one? And what about the others?

After a hours of contemplation, I decided to burn those bridges when I got to them.

My mind made up, I headed back to the house and decided to make a stew for lunch. Since it would be just me and Kaya, I figured making a meal would be adequate thanks for her going through all the trouble she had gone through to accomodate me in her home.

Of course, once I started working, it took her a few scant minutes before she came to see what the noise in her kitchen was. Once she saw me pottering around, she just smiled and started helping me despite my protests.

Once we had finished our meal of rice and stew, we started talking about normal everyday stuff. By mutual silent agreement we didn't discuss the reading that had taken place a few hours ago.

Instead, for some reason, She started stirring as I talked to Kaya. And slowly, without me realising, She had guided the conversation to some weird topics.

Somehow, we were talking about hair-care. I had absolutely no idea how this came to pass.

"You really should use the oil regularly if you want your hair to retain it's volume, Nanashi-kun. How often do you condition your hair?"

"Err...condition?" I asked naïvely.

I've received less horrified looks for telling someone that they had lost a loved one. Kaya had even gasped and placed a hand in front of her face rather melodramatically. I wanted to roll my eyes, but She had grown rather antsy at Kaya's reaction.

It gave me a Very Bad Feeling.

"Has nobody told you how to take care of long hair!?"

I shook my head no.

Kaya clasped her hands together and adopted a pleading look. "Mei-chan never let me take care of her hair. Please let me show you how to care for yours!"

My hands had almost snapped into the seal for my Oiroke-no-Jutsu (Sexy Technique) before I could control it.

Clearly, I no longer had a choice.

She was coming out no matter what I did.

"Fine!" I burst out, talking to Her; but Kaya was taken aback by my vehemence.

I literally sat on my hands to give the poor woman a little time and warning before...before disaster struck.

"Err…" I floundered.

How does one even begin to explain that they have a repressed female personality!?

"Look, something is going to happen, and I need you to promise me, promise me, that you won't breathe a word of this to anyone. Promise me!"

Kaya was eyeing me warily, watching my hands and how they kept twitching, trying to complete the stupid seal. "Is it dangerous?"

"No, it's...embarrassing. Umm...I'm not going to remember what will happen, so…please don't judge me!"

Kaya was looking quite apprehensive by this point. I sighed, "If She really freaks you out, just hit her really hard, and I'll come back."

Those were the last words I managed before I surrendered control.

As my hands snapped into the seal and the transformation started, I quickly submersed myself into the corner of Kurama's seal that I used whenever She came out.

The last thing I saw was Kaya look at 'Naruko' and squeal in delight.

And to my eternal shame, I heard an answering squeal come out of my own mouth before darkness claimed me.

---

Once upon a time, I spent my formative teenage years in the company of the self-proclaimed 'Super Pervert'.

(That statement explained it all, really.)

Six months into our three year training trip, I had once more been left to 'train' while Ero-Sennin went womanising. Once more, I found him in an upscale brothel, arms around women half his size (to say nothing of their age).

It pissed me off.

I was no stranger to making scenes to get what I wanted, but clearly I needed to up my game if I was to force the old lecher to stop forgetting about my training and go off gallivanting.

I thought using a combination of Oiroke no Jutsu and embarrassment would leave a lasting impression.

It did, but not the one I had envisioned.

"Jiraiya-sama!" I moaned cutely in the feminine high-pitched whine of my Oiroke no Jutsu. "You told me that you would be back soon." My lower lip began to quiver as my eyes filled with crocodile tears, "But you left me all alone…"

I thought it was first class acting. Jiraiya certainly looked highly uncomfortable at being called out by an obviously underage girl, and was quickly beginning to sober up. It looked like my plan had worked.

And that was the first time I learned about the Law of Unintended Consequences.

"Kyaaaaa!" "She's so adorable!" "Look at the marks on her face, they're so cute!" "Aww, don't be sad sweetie, come with us, we'll make you feel better."

And then my female transformation was carried off by a horde of courtesans, each of whom insisted on being called 'nee-chan'.

The evening that followed was...educational.

There I was, a boy in the first year of his teens, in the beginning stages of puberty, and I was being taught about boys and girls and men and women by 'experienced' women. I had been in love with Sakura-chan, sure, but I had only recently started experiencing...err...hormonal symptoms. Girls were confusing terrifying creatures, they may as well have been aliens to me. Yeah, I transformed into a girl on occasion, but it was more of a laugh than anything else.

And then I had to learn about the opposite sex through the eyes of the opposite sex.

It was, and I cannot stress this enough, extremely confusing.

Jiraiya, of course, called it training and happily threw me to the wolves, now having found a semi-legitimate excuse to hit the brothel with me in tow.

So now, in addition to learning how to fight against S-ranked nuke-nin, I had to learn feminine grace, how to attract a man by using my...err, assets, and loads of other crap, while Jiraiya boisterously laughed and enjoyed the company of my fellow nee-chan's.

A year later I was on a mission where I had to steal a valuable bag from a bunch of mercenaries. I idly caught myself thinking about how to entice them as a distraction in order to steal from them. I wasn't even in my female form right then.

That was the last straw.

I finally put my foot down and stopped my feminine training.

Of course, by then the damage had already been done.

I locked away all the weird shit I had learned and didn't use my female form once. I thought that it was all behind me.

But somehow, repressing my memories led to the creation of a separate female personality inside my head.

She called herself Naruko.

Every once in awhile, She took over my body and did some random feminine shit. (Kind of like She was doing right now, with the hair thing.)

One time, She did something weird to Hinata. Hinata never told me what it was, but she blushed far harder than she ever had when I asked her about it. Another time, I 'woke up' to find an enraged Sakura-chan chasing me. If I had been caught, I have no doubt whatsoever that Sakura-chan would have killed me by beating me into paste. Sakura-chan never told me what had happened either (not that I really pushed for an answer).

She hadn't been out for a couple of years at this point, so I could only imagine what She was going to do. Usually, I locked myself into Kurama's cage, and the monstrous Nine Tailed Demon Fox, the locus of all of humanity's malice, was nice enough to never tell me about the shenanigans that She got up to. I don't think my questionable sanity could have survived that knowledge.

I felt the pull that signified that She was done.

Well, it was time to face the music.

Log save me.

---

The first thing I noticed was that I was in the master bedroom.

The second thing I noticed was the fact that my hair was once again smelling like a fish. Kaya's hair did too.

For some reason, this fact did not fill me with reassurance.

I swallowed, as Kaya moved with supreme languidity, a satisfied smile on her face.

"Err…" I floundered again. "You're...you're not going to...to tell anyone about this...right?" I finished uncertainly, a horrible churning in my gut.

Kaya made a noncommittal sound as she pottered around her room, putting various bottles back on her vanity, the damnable smile still on her face.

I was sweating bullets by this point. "Please", I said, my voice cracking.

Kaya shrugged, looking at my reflection in the mirror. "I never promised to keep your secret, Nanashi-kun."

There should be a law against people smiling that widely.

Raw terror flooded my entire body, and I caught a sight of how white my skin looked and how wide my eyes were in the reflection.

Kaya giggled demonically. "Fine, fine…" She waited just long enough until a sliver of hope blossomed in my chest, before she crushed it with ruthless prejudice, "I won't say anything unless I'm asked."

My limbs began trembling in fear.

Why did she have to resemble my mother so damn much!? It made everything so much harder than it had to be!

"Oh look! Hayato and Mei-chan are coming back!"

Oh no. No no no nonononno!

I tried making puppy-dog eyes at Kaya, but she didn't even notice my pitiable attempt at manipulation. I was more than a few years too old to be trying that tactic anyway, but I was desperate.

I followed Kaya down the stairs as the main door slid open and Mei entered. I saw Hayato go to the garden through a window. "Welcome back, Mei-chan! How did it go?"

Mei's smile was radiant, "The Terumī clan will be meeting up with the Resistance within the next month!"

"That's so wonderful dear! I'm so happy for you!"

Mei embraced her mother in happiness before taking a look at me.

I saw her nose twitch and a surprised expression cross her face. "So what did you two-"

I cut her off by shooting her the most pleading look I could give her. She was actually taken aback at the sheer intensity of my begging.

She looked to her mother, who grinned widely and made a gesture at her to ask.

She looked back at me and I pathetically shook my head, imploring her not to ask.

She looked back to her mother, who nodded energetically.

She looked between us once more.

And then she thankfully took pity on me. "Very well, I won't ask what you've been up to."

My explosive sigh of relief was only drowned out by the indignant sound of Kaya's disappointment.

Praise the Log! I was saved!

I moved past Mei, intent on going outside.

And then...

And then my salvation was yanked out from under my feet.

The moment I walked past her, Mei asked me incredulously, "You let her braid your hair!?"

I ran.

But it wasn't fast enough to escape the peals of laughter I could clearly hear from behind me.

As I ran, I could feel the rhythmic tapping of the weight of my hair hitting my back, confirming that yes; yes my hair was indeed in a braid.

Can one even murder a voice inside their head?

Log damn it!

---

An Hour Later: 4465617468

I had undone the stupid braid and tied my hair into its usual ponytail as I looked over the ocean. I just knew that She was going to insist on the oil being a regular part of my hair-care.

And just when I thought things weren't bad enough, to my terror, I felt Mei coming up behind me.

I seriously considered using the Hiraishin to escape back to Konoha.

Her hair was pulled back in a rather attractive ponytail, leaving her graceful swan-like neck beautifully bare, and that sight was the only reason I didn't run like a bitch. (Even though she was likely crazy, if what her father had said was true.)

"Would you like to spar, Nanashi-kun?"

Being mercilessly teased for something beyond my control or doing something relatively normal like train? No contest.

"Sure", I said, getting up and pushing my own stinky hair out of my face, following Mei to another part of the island which was covered by the mother of all chakra dampening barrier seals.

---

I suppose it's to my credit that I lasted for about half an hour against an S-ranked kunoichi.

But that didn't change the fact that she kicked my ass.

Thankfully I was used to receiving ass-kickings from the Hokage, so I took it in stride. I say took it in stride, but I was limping a little. Mei hasn't escaped unscathed either; her training robes were ripped in more than a few places and she was bleeding from a shoulder wound.

"I must say Nanashi-kun, I'm surprised that you're taking your loss with such grace. Aren't you the least bit bitter about losing to a girl?" Mei asked with an unidentifiable glitter in her eyes.

I snorted. "You're a Kage level ninja. Being a girl has nothing to do with how strong you are."

I then blinked in realisation and shot her a look. She had an inscrutable expression, but I could see a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes at my reply.

Huh. Apparently being a woman was a point of pride for her. Well, I had grown up around Tsunade-baa-chan and Sakura-chan, so I had a more-than-healthy respect for strong female figures.

"Is being known as a strong woman important to you?" I asked directly. Meh, sometimes the direct approach worked best.

Mei tilted her head, considering her answer. "Who would you say is the strongest kunoichi in the Elemental Nations?" She asked instead of giving me a straight answer. She was very much like her father that way.

"Hmm… Each nation has some strong examples. Chiyo from Suna and Nii Yugito from Kumo spring to mind. But overall, I would say that it's a straight toss between you and Tsunade of the Sannin."

This time there was a definite pleased look across her face. Even her tone was lighter as she continued, "If one asks a random person on the street, what would their answer be?"

"Probably Tsunade, because she's really famous. That will probably change once you become Mizukage though."

Mei smiled a gorgeous smile that got my heart racing, even as I limped along. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Nanashi-kun", she spoke in a smoky voice that sent all my blood rushing south. I swallowed due a suddenly dry throat, but thankfully she continued instead of teasing me. "What is Tsunade famous for though?"

"Medical ninjutsu." I said instantly.

Mei shook her head, "I am referring to her vices."

I stayed silent. You don't badmouth your colleagues in front of foreign ninjas, even if said foreign ninjas are off the charts in terms of hotness.

Mei gave a half-smile at my non-reply, "It's well-known that her moniker is 'The Legendary Sucker', Nanashi-kun."

I rolled my eyes, "Fine, she's been known to enjoy the occasional drink and play the odd hand of poker." And as long as I was understating things: Ramen was only something I ate when I was desperate, and orange was an okay colour at best.

Mei giggled softly at my description of Tsunade's legendary rampages through the Fire Nation's casinos. "My point is, she drinks, she gambles, and her preferred method of fighting is punching people until their bones break."

I considered this for a second, "Sounds about right."

Mei tilted her head, "So she's just another one of the guys."

I scratched my head in confusion, "Err...maybe? I'm not sure what you're getting at."

"In other words, she is strong in-spite of being a woman, rather than because of it."

It took me a minute to comprehend what Mei was saying. She meant that kunoichi's usual strengths, whether that was poisoning, genjutsu, assassination, to name a few examples, went underappreciated, despite them being as successful as male shinobi, if not more so. "I never thought about it that way before", I admitted.

"Most men never do", Mei said neutrally.

I felt vaguely offended for being stereotyped because of my gender, but it was for stereotyping women, so she had a point. "Is it really that different for a woman? I mean you're about as strong as Hokage-ji-chan, and once you become the Mizukage, the hat will be all people see, right?"

Mei smiled indulgently at me, "It's sweet that you think matters will be that straightforward."

Ugh. I knew enough female-talk to understand that 'sweet' meant 'naïve'. Time to let my mouth loose.

"Well, we're fighting bigotry and xenophobia already right? I say we add sexism to the list and be done with the lot."

Mei started smiling despite herself, "Just like that, huh?"

"Just like that. Teach the kids in the Academy better, and spit lava on anyone who disagrees."

Mei laughed her beautifully tinkling laugh, causing me to grin widely.

I think that counted as a win.

---

The Next Morning: 4465617468

Mei and I were leaving.

Somehow I was sad, despite the fact that Kaya kept making fun of me. I hadn't even managed to prank her once in return. This had never happened before with anyone.

I was awkwardly fidgeting, trying not to stare as Mei embraced her parents goodbye. Each of her parents whispered a piece of advice in her ear, and I had to conspicuously look away to avoid lip-reading, trying to give them their privacy.

To my surprise though, both the elder Terumī's wished me a warm goodbye as well. Kaya embraced me as warmly as she had embraced her own daughter. And then to my shock, she handed me a bag which had a few old and valuable looking scrolls.

Each one of the scrolls had the Crest of the Uzumaki clan.

"I can't accept this!" I said incredulously. These were incredibly valuable; retrieving each of those scrolls individually was worthy of an S-rank mission.

"Oh nonsense, you can and you will. They're all gathering dust in my attic, and they can be of some use to you since you're a Seal Master. My mother was quite good at Barriers, and she didn't want the knowledge to go to waste. HOWEVER-" she raised her voice to cut off my protests, "you cannot teach the techniques inside to anyone outside the Uzumaki Clan. That is my only stipulation. Understood?"

I opened my mouth…

...and Kaya gave me a flat look as she raised an eyebrow.

So that's where Mei got it from, I thought absently.

I dumbly nodded my assent, and received a blinding smile in return.

Privately, I thought that Mei was being foolish when she said that women didn't get the same acknowledgement as men; all they had to do was smile at us and we would move heaven and earth for them.

Kaya then slipped a small paper bag into my hand. "And this conditioner is for Naruko-chan", Kaya whispered rather audibly. "She knows how to use it."

I felt, rather than saw, Hayato and Mei's curiosity.

"I'll pass on the message", I said through gritted teeth.

"And tell her she's welcome to visit anytime!" Kaya continued happily in her stage-whisper, either unaware or uncaring of my anguish.

With a clenched jaw I nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment; Mei had raised one eyebrow, while Hayato had raised two.

Kaya grinned and hugged me again. "Take care of my daughter." Her whisper was inaudible this time to everyone except me.

"I will", I promised. Of course I would. Our respective dreams depended on each other.

Hayato gave me a short bow, one that I returned. "Good luck", he said in his deep baritone.

"Thank you."

And after another awkward second, we took off. I fidgeted again; are you supposed to look back when leaving? If so, how far away are you supposed to be before you do?

"Nanashi-kun?" Mei thankfully interrupted my musings. "May I ask you for a small favour?"

"Sure!" My reply was as surprised as it was instinctive. What could she even want from me? Was it something to do with the Uzumaki Clan techniques that Kaya had generously given me?

Mei blushed, and there was an embarrassed timbre to her voice as she refused to meet my eyes. "Would you mind if I borrowed the conditioner sometime?"

I took a second to repeat her words in my head, certain I had heard her wrong. I hadn't. "Sure."

Mei's blush didn't die away, and internally I was freaking.

Why?

A beautiful girl wanted to borrow my hair-care product.

This...this doesn't make me gay, right?

---

Author's Notes: Phew! It took me all month to write this monster of a chapter! Instead of 3 chapters of 7k words, you have a single one with a massive 20k words. I wanted to split it up, but this was a shatterpoint chapter. It had to be written according to the quote at the top. Each 'room' was important and highly significant.

The underlined lines are all Kreia's dialogues directly taken from KOTOR II.

In case it wasn't clear, this chapter is based on my absolute favourite episode of House M.D. And as fate would have it, the episode played on Friday :)

And now you know why Nanashi will smell like a fish :D

Heh, and yes, I borrowed the 'Therapy Jutsu' thing from sarah1281. Her stories are awesome.

Some of the things revealed in this chapter will be discussed further at a later date, namely Hayato revealing that he was a candidate for being the prophecy child, Kaya's revelations about Nanashi's Triumvate of enemies etc. Not to mention the actual consequences of the fascist society the Narutoverse is set in. Nanashi has barely scratched the surface of the inherent problems in the shinobi system.

So, what did you think of the individual interactions? Tell me below!

In other news, my Pat-reon account has officially gone live! I have the same username there as here, and the same is the case for Twitter. For those generous souls among my readers, support my habit of living and breathing, and therefore writing!