Disclaimer: Naruto is property of Masashi Kishimoto, not me. However, Kosu and Hiro are mine. Warning, possible themes of a dark, violent or suggestive nature and use of mature language as the story progresses… They're ninja after all.
Chapter 6
The Wilding
Since her first encounter with Mito Uzumaki, Kosu had returned to the Uzumaki mask storage temple each evening. Often arriving long before the elderly woman and still managing to be surprised when the Uzumaki elder seemed to appear out of thin air. She no longer squeaked in surprise, but it was unnerving how the woman seemed to be able to move like a wraith.
Mito had always been pleasantly surprised to see Kosu already engrossed in fūinjutsu literature on her arrival, she knew from experience that it could be a dry topic to study.
It took only three training sessions with Kosu for Mito to know that her instinct had been correct. Kosu had a natural affinity to fūinjutsu - the theory of it at least. Where most would struggle to identify the pattern formed by and within the symbols, Kosu seemed to find it like it was her second nature, a gut instinct for the ebb and flow of the seals. Mito only hoped that Kosu's chakra network was functional enough to allow the child the manipulate the seals.
By their sixth night Mito had grown accustomed to the small nuances of Kosu's behaviour. The Uzumaki watched the girl fondly as her brow creased, the only outward sign of her increasing frustration at the seal in front of her. It was the most difficult seal Mito had challenged her with so far.
"You keep a very calm head." Mito commented, sipping her tea. It was the usual arrangement of their sessions. Mito and Kosu would sit around a small fire outside of the Uzumaki shrine. The elder woman would make tea whilst creating a series of seals for Kosu to comprehend. Sometimes it would reverse and Kosu would be tasked with writing seals for Mito to check. Kosu was still amazed with Mito's ability to simply glance at a seal that Kosu could spend hours on and understand it's very core instantly.
"Frustration is dangerous." Kosu replied. "It distracts." It gets you killed.
Mito had drawn the comparison to Kushina before she could stop herself. How opposite they were, the red haired girl with a fiery temper to match would never sit so calmly whilst being beaten by a sheet of paper. There would have been shouting and raging long before this point. Mito adored her former pupil, but Kosu's cooler temperament was a pleasant change of pace. If Kushina was the fire, then Kosu was the ashes left after the blaze had died.
Kosu picked the seal up and turned it 90 degrees, hoping that a new angle would help. Her eyes widened and she quickly rotated it back 90 degrees and turned the paper over so she was facing the blank side of the parchment. She raised the seal up to the light and smirked as she could read the symbols through the paper. "It can be read backwards."
"Very good." Mito praised, taking the seal from the girl and handing her a cup of tea in its stead. Kosu had never had tea before; having been introduced to it by Mito she found she quite liked the subtle aromas. "You're making good progress." She sipped her own tea. Kosu raised her gaze from her cup and regarded Mito, inclining her head slightly.
Mito smiled faintly at the younger girl's subtle way of saying thank you.
X
A week passed before Kakashi, Rin, Genma and Obito found themselves perched on a roof top overlooking their target once again - Kosuke. Just like before their classmate only had a kunai pouch and some rope on him as he headed once again to the main village gates. What on earth is he doing?
"He's about to leave." Rin whispered, her eyes not leaving Kosuke's back as he passed by the chunin guard.
"Silent pursuit." Kakashi warned.
"Ergh, we're wasting time." Obito whined. "We're going to lose him."
Kakashi sighed but took off from their position regardless. Naturally he took the point positon once again, Obito and Rin flanked him with Genma reliably covering the rear.
X
Kosu sighed as she checked yet another empty snare. She was going to have to change their positions. Analytical eyes glanced around, the tracks that had been there when she had set the snare hadn't been reaffirmed. The creature – a badger most likely – wasn't passing through that spot anymore.
Nimble fingers deconstructed the snare and she quickly searched for a more appropriate spot to set up the trap. Once the snare was reset in a better position, she felt a shiver run down her spine.
Kosu's head rose and she inhaled deeply through her nose. The air was thick and felt almost static around her. Eyes turned upwards to the sky and she was unsurprised to see the same colour as her irises looming above her. The birds fell silent around her and the wind whipped through the tops of the trees. There's a storm coming.
She immediately considered making a dash back to Konohagakure. That was quickly dismissed when she evaluated the distance. Wait it out. With that decided, she darted quickly from her position to a hollowed out cavern in the side of a small hill. She'd originally found the unusual structure on a previous hunting trip. Kosu had hoped that the rounded edges of the entrance meant a creature of some sort had dug it out and made a home for itself – an easy kill if that was the case. On closer inspection there were no signs of an animal and the unusual hollow was most likely caused by a jutsu of some kind.
Kosu stood at the lip of the hollow entrance and watched as multiple streaks of lightening illuminated the sky. Crashes of thunder soon followed with barely a second between the light and sound. Then the rain – sheet rain – falling so fast the ground couldn't absorb it quickly enough and a layer of water formed on the forest floor. She retreated to the back of the cavern, pleased with her decision to take shelter.
The sounds of the ongoing storm formed a lullaby for Kosu, so when shouts and cries were carried brokenly on the wind her eyes narrowed. Returning to the mouth of the hollow she peered out, confusion quickly colouring her features as she spotted the distinct white head of Kakashi. Beside him Rin was crouched over Obito who was collapsed on the forest floor. Genma was stood a few feet from Kakashi clutching his left arm to his chest protectively. Kosu raised an eyebrow. Those idiots are going to get themselves killed.
From her vantage point she could see the pure terror on Rin's face. She was shouting to Kakashi and Genma, wind whipping the wet tendrils of hair around her face and her pale hands clutched Obito's prone form. Kakashi shouted back to her over the storm, trying desperately to take control.
Idiots. Kosu shook her head and turned back into the cavern.
There was another massive flash of lightening, but it was Rin's piercing scream following it that had Kosu frozen in her retreat. Hiro appeared in front of her mind's eye and that sick feeling churned in her stomach once again. She turned back around, looking down at her classmates huddled beneath her.
"Damn it." She hissed. Kosu picked up a small black stone by her foot and threw it at Kakashi. It hit his back, square between his shoulders.
Kakashi whipped around, startled and wide eyed. His gaze found Kosu and he swallowed thickly. The lowest ranked ninja in their class looked anything but weak. How could they? High and dry, looking down on the four of them bumbling around in the rain and mud. Kosu turned and disappeared into the cavern the others hadn't even realised was there.
Rin appeared first at the mouth of the hollow first, supporting Genma who had his right arm slung across her shoulders. Kakashi appeared next carrying Obito on his back. Kosu's head tilted to get a better view of the small bruising lump on Obito's temple. At the slight movement her three conscious classmates turned to look at her, shifting on their feet uncomfortably. Dark clothes against a dark cave wall only worked to emphasise the haunted stare on Kosu's face.
Genma swallowed thickly as he saw Kosu's gaze lower to assess his injured left arm. He struggled to tell whether Kosu was concerned that he was injured, or if he was considering how much of an easier target Genma would be.
A groan from Obito broke the stillness.
Kosuke sighed and walked over to Kakashi. His shoulders tensed as she extended a hand towards him, but it was Obito's chin that she grasped. She didn't even glance at Kakashi as she tilted Obito's head to gain a better view of the injury. His goggles had been removed, held desperately by Rin, allowing Kosu to gently pull back on Obito's eyelids. Pupils equal and reactive.
"He's going to get cold." She frowned. Unimpressed eyes glanced over all four of them, soaked through. "You all are." Idiots. It was Rin's large pleading eyes that had Kosu's hard frown softening. With a sigh she jerked her head towards the back of the cave. Kakashi let go of the breath he hadn't realised he was holding when Kosu stepped away from him. Rin stepped passed him, following Kosu without hesitation.
Kakashi let Obito down from his back and Rin was immediately by the black haired boys side. Cold hands cupped his head gently. Kakashi felt sick to his stomach. He was the leader of their team, he was responsible for their welfare. Yet as he looked to Obito, laid prone and unconscious and then Genma, left arm damaged he realised just how much he failed them.
"In the storm, there was a tree, it hit him, h-he's not woken up." Rin babbled as Kosu moved around the three of them.
"Rin, sit over there with Obito on your lap." Kosu ordered not acknowledging the girl's babblings. "Rin!" She said more forcefully when she continued to mumble more to herself than anyone in particular.
"Don't shout at her." Genma snapped. "What the hell are you doing anyway?" he glowered motioning with his right hand to the earth and foliage she was gathering into a large pile. Kakashi watched Kosu with growing intrigue.
"Kakashi, Genma, do the same and sit next to them." She ordered.
"Hay I ask y-" Genma stopped when Kakashi placed a hand on his arm.
"Let's just see what he plans to do." Kakashi said.
Rin had already shifted so that Obito was sat in her lap. Genma sat down next to Rin. He and Kakashi looked away awkwardly when the smaller of the two sat down on Genma's lap. Confusion decorated all of their faces when Kosu began piling the earth, foliage and moss around the four of them.
"Kosuke?" Rin asked.
"What are you doing?" Kakashi asked, pushing the earth she put on him off. Kosu exhaled heavily, not pausing in her task for a second.
"Hypothermia will kill you." She said bluntly. Kakashi frowned, that wasn't an explanation.
"So we make a fire." Genma stated, pushing the mud off of himself.
"Everything is soaked." Kosu frowned. Idiot. "Your bodies are good sources of heat though. This," She motioned to the layer of earth and moss, "will keep the heat around you." Kakashi blinked in surprise. That was genius. "Now sit still."
Kosu didn't stop until the four were almost completely covered in earth and moss. She stepped back and appraised her handwork. They were a miserable sight, but at least they were warm and miserable. She sat down a few feet from them and tucked her knees up to her chest.
"What about you?" Kakashi asked. Kosu's brown pinched slightly in confusion.
"What about me?" She asked.
"Won't you be cold?" Rin asked in concern.
"I'll be fine." Kosu said, turning her head to look back out through the mouth of the cave. Lightening lit the sky once again and threw shadows across Kosu's face. "I didn't get wet."
"Oh." Rin looked down, her cheeks flushing.
"Just ignore him." Genma huffed. Frustrated all the more when his body actually started to feel slightly warmer and he stopped shivering.
Kosu sighed. The cavern was more peaceful before.
"How did you know about all of this?" Kakashi asked. Kosu's head tilted slightly to the side. "This cavern, how to use the dirt and moss?" her head straightened.
"I found this place a few weeks back." She replied. "And I've been cold and wet before." She added dryly.
She and Hiro had been so cold they felt their very bones had turned to ice. Too many nights the siblings had been just like Rin and Obito. Hiro would sit in Kosu's lap and she would surround the pair with as much dirt, foliage and moss she could gather, anything to insulate them from the cold. Though where she and Hiro had been forced into an unstable life in the wilderness, these four had stepped willingly. A frown pulled at her mouth.
"What are you doing out here" Kosu asked. Silence
"We followed you." Rin admitted. Kosu raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "We wanted to be friends, so we followed you. And then when you left the village we… we were concerned." That sick feeling was creeping back into the pit of her stomach.
"Your concern is unnecessary." Kosu replied, looking down at her hands.
"You're so rude!" Genma snapped. "You should be nice to Rin. She's the only one willing to even try to talk to a piece of cheating scum like you."
Sharp eyes snapped to Genma. Ignorant and naïve. She scoffed and turned her head away. Fucking child.
"What do you do when you leave the village?" Kakashi asked, breaking the silence that had fallen.
"Hunt." Kosu shrugged.
"Hunt? For what? Animals?" Rin asked. Kosu nodded. "Why?"
"To eat." Kosu replied, the answer obvious.
"But we have a butchers," Rin's brow pinched "Just last week Goro's had this massive, delicious ham joint." Kosu stared at Rin, bewildered. Did she think the animals just threw themselves on Goro's blade?
A groan from Obito stopped Kosu before she could address Rin's naivety. Slowly his dark eyes fluttered open.
"Rin." He murmured dreamily.
"Obito!" She beamed down at him. The black haired boy blinked a few more times and glanced around.
"Rin. Where are we? Why are we covered in dirt?" He asked and attempted to brush it off. Rin's hands grasped his and a blush quickly decorated the Uchiha's cheeks.
"The earth is insulating us, keeping us warm." Rin explained. "And we're in a cavern outside of the village." Obito eyed the DIY insulation realising that the unusual material was actually keeping his own body heat around him.
"Let me guess, it was Kakashi's idea." Obito asked with a frown.
"Er no, Kosuke's actually."
"Huh?" Obito lifted his head and caught sight of their runt of a classmate sat a few meters away. "Oh." He blinked and quickly leant back down. "Guess we're following him a bit too closely huh." Obito grinned cheekily causing Rin to chuckle.
"Just a bit." Rin giggled. Her eyes ran over Obito's face and the smile quickly left her face at the sight of the bruise forming on his forehead. "How's your head?"
"Don't worry about me." Obito smiled, desperate to chase the worried expression from Rin's face.
"You make it hard not to." Rin smiled weakly. Obito blushed and looked down, suddenly very interested in the piece of moss in front of him.
Kakashi hadn't taken his eyes off of Kosu. There was something different about him and he was racking his brain trying to identify it. He was still as bruised and scraped as usual, the same baggy dark clothes were used to hide the extent of his beatings. His face? He noted that Kosu's face wasn't baring any fresh bruises, only the faded yellows and greens from days previously. It's more than that. His brow pinched. He couldn't pinpoint one single difference.
Thunder clapped, so loud it felt directly above them.
There.
Whereas Rin had flinched and clutched to Obito at the sound, Kosu had exhaled almost blissfully. In fact, sat in the dark cavern out of the village with a storm over the top of them, Kosu was more relaxed that Kakashi had ever seen him. He hadn't noticed until he had something to compare it to, but Kosu was a coiled spring in the village, wound up and uncomfortable. Yet, out in the wild, he was at ease.
"My parents are going to be so worried." Rin said sadly.
"My grandmother." Obito looked outside the cavern sadly. All four of them thought about their families and the worry they must be putting them through. "Maybe we could travel back?" The question hung in the air and the four glanced at each other, four pairs of eyes then turned to Kosu.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Should we go?" Rin asked. Kosu sighed and shrugged.
"I'm not going to stop you from leaving." Kosu said. Genma scoffed.
"How like you to only look out for yourself." He said bitterly. Kosu's nostrils flared.
"You're not my responsibility. Grow up." She had already gone out of her way to show them where they could find shelter.
"Hay-"
"Leave it Genma." Kakshi sad calmly. "We'll stay and head back to the Village when Kosu does."
"Why the hell are we following the outsider?" Genma asked harshly, earning himself a glare from Rin. Kosu clenched her teeth and turned to look back out at the rain. "Kakashi you're the best in the class come on."
"We're not in a classroom Genma." Kakashi pointed out. The statement caught Kosu's attention. Her head tilted as she regarded the masked boy in front of her. Not so naïve. "Kosuke has been through this before." Kosu blinked in surprise.
"How do you know what Kosuke's done? He doesn't talk to anyone." Obito asked.
"Did you make friends?" Rin asked happily. Kakashi shook his head.
"It's obvious." He turned to Kosu, "From the way you hunt, knowing how to keep warm without a fire, even how you've acted in this storm. It's like you welcome it." She swallowed thickly. "You've been through his before."
She nodded. The sick feeling was back.
"I lived like this before arriving at Konohagakure, surviving off of the land" She said quietly. Until we tried to live off of the wrong land. She thought back to the vicious deer in the Nara forest.
"Your parents…" Obito trailed off. He suspected Kosu was an orphan and being an orphan himself he knew how hard talking about it could be, especially if their passing was recent.
"Dead." Kosu finished for him. "Along with our town. So we left it behind."
"Kosuke, that's horrible." Rin said sadly. Even Genma felt for the outsider – even just a little bit.
Kosu shrugged. That's life.
"'We'?" Kakashi asked. "You said 'we left it behind'."
"My brother, Hiro." Kosu tried to swallow down the uncomfortable churn rising from her stomach. Why do they care? "You four should try and get some rest, the storm will last the night." And with that she turned away from them, promptly ending any further questions.
X
Mito's frown was reflected in the dark surface of her tea. Dark blue eyes scanned the open area outside of the Uzumaki mask temple. The rain was falling thick and heavy, but she didn't expect it to have put off her most dedicated student. So where has the child gone?
The liquid in her hands was stone cold and barely touched. Worry gnawed at the back of her mind. Mito had known Kosu for just under a week, but that was long enough for Mito to feel responsible for Kosu's wellbeing. The child was like a tumour. She grew insidiously around the heart and by the time it was realised it was too late to do anything about it.
X
Hiriko rubbed her eyes tiredly as she made her way to the front door of the orphanage. The lights were dimmed and the entire building silent. Hiriko loved all of the children under her care, but she had to admit she enjoyed the peace and quiet when they all went to sleep.
Opening the door there was a lone figure, their face obscured by the large white hood of their cloak – protection from the rain. The figure lifted their head and Hiriko gasped in surprise, quickly ushering the woman in out of the rain.
"Mito-sama, I'm sorry to keep you waiting in the rain." Hiriko apologised.
"It's okay Hiriko-san, I know my visit is unexpected." Mito smiled back at the woman, pulling the hood down off of her head.
"Is there anything I can do for you? Would you like some tea?" Hiriko flustered, unused to such high-ranking guests.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I won't be staying that long." Mito said. "I believe you have a child named Kosuke under your care?" Hiriko nodded hesitantly. What could Mito-sama possibly want with Kosuke? "I wish to see him."
"O-of course." Hiriko nodded, "Follow me."
The two women arrived outside of apartment 2C, knocking on the black door. Mito's keen ear could hear shuffling feet from the other side. The lock on the door clicked and was opened to reveal a small blonde haired child glad in baggy pyjamas.
"Hiro-kun, sorry to wake you." Hiriko apologised. "But I have a very important lady here who wants to speak to your brother."
"I'm sorry, Kosu's not here." Hiro said. The brows of both women furrowed. "He left to go hunting early." Hiriko's eyes widened.
"You mean he's out in this storm!" Panic hit Hiriko like she'd been thrown into a cold bath.
"You don't need to worry Hiriko," Hiro smiled. "Kosu will be fine, he always is."
"I need to report this." Hiriko flustered. "Akira-chan can manage here." She was muttering more to herself, ignoring Hiro's protests that Kosu would be fine and back when the storm ends.
Mito glanced out of the apartment window, lightening darting cross the sky. How adapted to the wild are you?
X
"Fugaku-sama, there's another missing child."
Fugaku's brow furrowed.
That made it five reported missing children and their search efforts across the village had yielded nothing. The storm was rendering most of their search tactics useless.
More concerning, one of their own was amongst the missing. Obito Uchiha, whilst not in current possession of the sharingan, was still a likely candidate to unlock it. Was someone after the Uchiha eyes?
On top of that the Hatake boy had also disappeared, another noteworthy clan name, and Sakumo wasn't short on enemies. The White Fang of Konoha was as feared as the three great sanin and his son, Kakashi, was a prime route to get to him.
The other two Genma Shiranui and Rin Nohara were talented children, but not of the same calibre and blood as Kakashi and Obito. Maybe they had been used as a forensic counter measure, to make it look like the assailant wasn't targeting clan children.
"Who?" Fugaku asked.
"Kosuke." The officer replied. "A refugee at the orphanage, Hiriko-san reported his absence. She claims he left the village earlier today to go hunting and as not returned."
"What do we know of this refugee?" Fugaku asked. Is he a spy?
"Very little. He was found in the Nara forest with his brother around 2 months ago. The pair were placed under Hiriko'san care and Kosuke began studying at the ninja academy." The officer paused as he stepped forward and offered a folder of papers to Fugaku, "I have his academic transcript so far."
Fugaku took the documents and thumbed through them quickly. Unremarkable. Below average. Unimpressive. Everything a sleeper agent, wishing to go unnoticed, would strive to be.
"Thank you, go and assure the parents we're doing everything we can. I need to inform the Hokage." Fugaku ordered, pulling a cloak on over his police force uniform. "And don't let them know we think the children may be outside of the village." Fugaku added. Sakumo Hatake was already running across the village with his ninja hounds in search of his son. Fugaku didn't need another man going missing outside of the village boundaries.
To LostPrincessHolly: Thank you for your review. I'm happy that the 'damaged chakra network' concept has gone down well I got inspiration for it when I was re-watching the Naruto-Kakuzu fight and he shreds Kakuzu and damages his own arm. And I get what you mean! I feel the anime is kind (probably intentionally) vague about chakra and how it works haha, but I guess that means there's plenty of room for poetic licence. I'm just so happy that my patch work attempt of pulling it all together has impressed you :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!
To Kitca: Many more canon characters in this chapter in rather extreme conditions so I hope they seemed in character :D It's so good to hear that you're interested in Kosu's back story! It'll probably be fed in dribs and drabs rather than just dumping it on you in one go BUT I do have her and Hiro's origin story all planned out. I did it as part of the preparation for writing this so I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!
To LadyAmazon: I know right! Don't worry he will make more than just a cameo appearance! Those fūinjutsu users have to stick together! Haha
To wyteeth: Yay! Kosu has fans! I'll admit I've never seen a fic that uses Mito either, but she's such a cool kunoichi I'm really excited to use her. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To OneWhoReadsTooMuch: Ah! Real life Kosu that's so cool :D And you're so right, Kosu has been thrown into a harsh world and adapted in order to survive it. I really wanted this chapter to show off a little more of that so I hope it has! And like I said in an earlier review reply, Minato won't have just a cameo appearance, fūinjutsu users together-forever and all ;)
To Kyrie Twilight: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the fic
To TheWick: Thank you! And so do I haha, I feel like it's such an under used technique. I have a plan for how Kosu is going to use sealing so I hope you approve when it all gets revealed!
To curlystruggle: Yay, thank you! I'm so happy Mito has gotten such a good reaction! Hope you enjoyed this chapter
To lizyeh2000: Thank you and thank you! Here's your update!
To ZippyZappy: Gah! Thank you :D I too share your guilty pleasure in OCs haha. This chapter had some more Rin interactions for you so I hope you enjoyed them… as for Obito, I think he's quite happy in Rin's lap for now! Haha
To Anon: Ah thank you! I was there for hours trying to pin down exactly what happen to Mito and suspected that she may have died when passing on the ninetails… but in the end I was just thought f*** it, this is fanfiction and my plot, I want her haha. I hope she proves to be an interesting character for you all to read. I feel like she is sorely neglected in the anime, manga and on fanfiction. I hope you've enjoyed where Rin and the three little jerks (that comment had me howling haha) saga has gone… It may be a little predictable, but… as well. Hope you enjoyed it either way. As for Kosu still hunting, when I thought about her character it seemed obvious that she still would go and hunt. She spent over a year being completely independent – that's hard to give up… Plus a super large village would freak her the hell out haha. So happy you enjoyed the tibit about only killing what you can carry! :D I was tempted to put in the scene with Kosu going at it with Hiriko but edited it out in the end as it didn't fit properly. Don't worry, there will be fireworks eventually and you can see another side to Kosu, think angry lion mother haha. And I agree, Hiro is just adorable, like my heart swells when I write about him haha. Well, thank you again I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
To Guest from 18/1/17: Thank you! I'm so glad that main premise of my plot is an appealing one, and I agree I've rarely seen it done! It's so good to hear that you think I'm portraying a refugee with Kosu's background believable. And thank you for reviewing the summary. I find them ridiculously hard to write haha Hope you enjoyed this chapter
To Mirinae: WOW! Hoy crap so much review! So much love! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Here is another chapter with plenty of Kosu and her interacting! It's great to hear that I'm writing Kosu's character believably. Her lifestyle was unlike all of her classmates have even considered so it's been interesting writing children from both sides. And exactly! That pretty much summarises Kosu, she's not the strongest or quickest but is very, very good at just doing anything she needs to in order to survive – a product of her background. I'm in this story for the longhaul and slow burn so brace yourself now this is going to be journey, I'm so happy to hear that you're looking forward to following Kosu's journey!
It's really good to hear appreciation for showing the darker aspect of shinobi life. I feel fanfics can often overlook this.
Yay! You also see the irony in Kosu's peers hating on her for using tactics they're later going to have to employ haha. I think there will definitely be a time for all of her classmates when they resort to underhanded tactics and think of Kosu as they do so haha. Whether it makes it into the Art of Survival or not I'm not 100% sure yet.
Yes! Yes! A Naruto-fanfic-writers dream review! You have no idea how reassuring it is to hear that Kosu appears to be balanced, not over or under powered. It's so easy to slip into Mary-Sue-dom. I put so much thought and planning into my OCs abilities and I really hope I can continue to make Kosu's abilities believable. Haha, writing the hog scene was one of my favourites so far haha, I'm glad it went down well. I mentioned in another review that Minato will be more than just a cameo role. And Mito's lessons will be interesting for sure! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
To skyspica: Thank you for the review and here you go!
To Nelly: Gah! Thank you! I too am also tentative when starting OC fics so I'm so pleased to hear that you're enjoying the story so far. There is a massive lack of KakashiXOC fics out there! One of my main goals for this fic is to NOT make Kosu a Mary-Sue… that would be my worst nightmare haha. I go to great lengths to work out exactly what abilities are and aren't realistic for Kosu, and then do the same for her weaknesses as well haha.
I'm always looking for a good fic to read would you mind messaging me the title of the KakashiXOC fic?
As for when I post I am for weekends. Life occasionally gets in the way… but yeah. I aim for weekends. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To MoonacreBunBun: Holy crap. Best review ever hahaha. You've literally summed up all of the things you're going to need as we go through this fic haha. I'm in this story for the longhaul and slowslowburn and all of the torment and triumphs along the way. I mean we haven't even gotten to Kakashi's douche phase yet haha Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To Sketchbananafairy: yay! Thank you, hope you enjoyed this chapter.
To DreamerNightingale: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the chapter
To Zilcho: Thank you and thank you! I'm so glad that you like the fact that Kosu comes from a very normal civilian family. And yes! Coming from outside is definitely hard for her… In the anime the children were horrible to Kushina, so I figured Kosu would face exactly the same problem. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.