CHAPTER 9
TITLE: Family is Not Just a Word
"Uhhh, you want me to do what again Grampa?"
The old Hokage very nearly winced hearing the painfully young voice of his grandson. Konohamaru stood in front of him, as punctual and curious as many shinobi he'd summoned to be debriefed for a mission.
But ever since he was first made Hokage by his sensei Tobirama, this was by far the youngest, and the least prepared.
He glanced over to the stack of documents, many red and black markings covering sensitive or redacted material, but containing just enough information to give the reader a rudimentary grasp of the mission.
This one in particular was way off the books officially, but Hiruzen had always believed that no mission should ever truly be completely undocumented.
The thought of lives, human lives disappearing off the face of the earth without a singe shred of proof or documentation rubbed Hiruzen the wrong way. A foolish sentiment, yet also one of his precious few connections to his own humanity.
He shook off his own dour thoughts, focusing on the present, his eyes swaying back to the folder.
Before Konohamaru had walked through his door, he briefly entertained showing him the document. Believing that his beloved grandfather trusting him with a mission as sensitive as this would encourage the eager youth.
But the moment he looked into the eyes of his grandson, the eyes of his beloved son's wife Mikumo. He knew that uncovering the veil of this mission, opening the world of shinobi politics to someone so young and innocent was just something he wouldn't do.
Something he couldn't do.
So now he was stuck in a predicament. He'd already gone as far as to use ANBU resources and manpower to summon the stubborn young child, and the reason he summoned him was still a problem that needed fixing.
Naruto had refused to visit him dozens, maybe even hundreds of times in the past couple of years. And the only time he did accept was to trick him out of the scroll of seals.
He supposed that it was to be expected, after all he was young. And Naruto tended to shed much of the well-deserved blame onto him. Distancing himself from him.
While slightly disrespectful, at one time, it was understandable. Innocent.
But now that Naruto was a shinobi, it was nearing treasonous levels of disrespect. To refuse a summons from the Hokage was serious, and Naruto couldn't get in the habit of thinking that was okay to do that while he's an enlisted shinobi.
However, pushing the issue was also a problem.
For now, Hiruzen, and the village by proxy, had Naruto's allegiance. His loyalty has never been brought into serious question by any actions of his own. But as Naruto grew, and the threat of the nine tailed fox's power grew to loom over the heads of Konoha's leaders, pressure to deal with a possibly rouge Jinchurriki would only grow by the day.
Compound that with his own need to check up on Naruto and see how he's been doing, and Hiruzen had a complicated issue he couldn't simply solve through brute force.
"If you want answers to a problem, if you need to catch your enemy off guard, you must find strength in ways, and places where they are the least expected."
He cringed when he heard the low, gravely voice of his friend Danzo Shimura in his head.
In the past, he'd cursed the dirty tactics of his friend, the low-down methods, the way he twisted the words of Senju Tobirama just to meet his own selfish ends. But the anger would not come, for he could find no fault in them now. Now he could only see the wisdom in the words.
It scared him more deeply than anything had in a very long time.
He decided that he'd handle the issues with Naruto's refused summons whenever the issue next came up. For now, employing his grandson into gathering information on the young Jinchurriki, and find out where Naruto's allegiances truly lay. He looked up from his reverie, flashing the most painfully friendly smile he could manage, "Exactly what I said my dear grandson. I only wish for you to spend some time with Naruto."
The boy's face scrunched up in confusion, "But, why me?"
The Sandaime shook his head slowly, "Young Naruto needs a friend Konohamaru. Naruto doesn't have many friends, and even less that are his own age. He needs a smart, friendly boy like you."
The boy hummed in thought, bringing his hand to his chin an an eerie, but flattering mimicry of him scratching his beard, "Well you did pull me away from being bored to death at the academy, and it sounds kinda weird, but fun."
Konohamaru nodded violently, quickly snapping up to salute him, standing as straight and tall as Hiruzen had ever seen him, "Ok! You got it Jiji! I was gonna try and learn from Naruto already, but now I'll take it super seriously!"
Hiruzen couldn't decide whether it was his young grandson's enthusiasm for the task, or the image of his grandson saluting him much in the same way his father and mother had before he sent them off to their deaths, but his insides curdled in his stomach.
He smiled anyway thought, it was all he could do to stop the dark wave of depression and despair from overwhelming him.
Kakashi could recall several times where he'd been asked to attend a meeting on the behalf of a student. Typically they were the angry parents of a genin whom he had sent back to the academy. And in those cases, the parents were nearly always civilians, largely ignorant of the harsh realities of shinobi life.
They were mostly only truly concerned with prestige or popularity. Hoping that having a son or daughter as a shinobi would boost the reputation of their family.
Unaware that they were more likely to gain little else than a shiny new headstone and an vacant room in their houses, than any kind of acclaim or fortune.
They were fairly easy to tune out, or otherwise dismiss. It never seemed to make the Hokage happy, but they were normally of little consequence.
Here though, was a VERY different scenario.
He was currently sitting in the same room he had just met his team only two days before. Sitting, and drinking tea with their ex-teacher, who also happened to be the ANBU he had basically bullied into submission.
He did his best not to let it show, but 'awkward' didn't even begin to cover how he felt right now.
Her mask was gone this time, now relaxing in the loose long sleeved jounin undershirt and pants, her jounin vest strapped on tightly. She finished drinking the tea, using her bandaged arm to steady herself as she poured herself a new cup. Kakashi looked down, watching as small whips of steam rose from the cup filled with green liquid.
Kakashi was glad for the mask that covered the grimace he made. The earthy smell of the tea aggravating his sensitive nose. He wasn't really one for tea. Even back when his father taught him proper etiquette and manners. It always seemed to smell and taste like dirty leaf water to him.
He watched in faint disgust, and curiosity and as Rei Masako raised the cup to her lips, swallowing long gulps of the stuff, sighing in pleasure as she lay the cup back down. She dabbed at her lips with a napkin, her sharp brown eyes betraying the mirth she felt at his displeasure.
"Not a fan of tea Kakashi-san?" She asked, just holding back from smirking openly at him.
"Not particularly, I always kind of thought it was an 'old-people' thing." He said, looking away.
The corner of her mouth twitched, in what was either annoyance, or a held back smile, "Perhaps that's true. I've always been told its a bit of an acquired taste. I suppose having so many meetings that involved tea have numbed my tastebuds."
Kakashi nodded absently, "Yes, I suppose overexposure to a lot of things can make you numb. Less, aware of the, finer details." Rei hummed, shaking her head slightly as she raised the cup to her lips for a final sip, sitting up straight, "I suppose I should get to the reason I asked you to come and visit me."
Kakashi nodded, "I did find it odd that you of all people would call me here. After all, this is the second time we've talked about this subject in about as many days. People will start to talk you know."
To her credit, Rei let the comment slide past her with a poise and ease that would make many of the ANBU he knew, jealous. She shook her head, smoothly turning to one side in mock outrage at the outrageous accusation, "I really have no Idea what you mean."
Kakashi chuckled, finding himself more and more intrigued with this curious ANBU.
He had the pleasure of working with hundreds of shinobi throughout his career, and while he had served with shinobi with all kinds of quirks, (One in a bright green jumpsuit came to mind…) Rei was not what she appeared to be.
Of course, he wasn't one to talk, but he couldn't help but mark the differences between her and her, compatriots.
Beyond the disguise, and veiled intentions, she seemed so painfully, average, that it bordered on suspicious. There were dozens of Root shinobi that had successfully transitioned into ANBU.
The adjustment was far from smooth, but there were examples of shinobi from even before the merge where shinobi have wrenched themselves away from Danzo's clutches.
However, all of them had one problem that very few ever escaped from.
The old war hawk had done a superb job in ridding all of his subjects of any trace of humanity they possessed. All feelings of camaraderie, friendship, or even basic teamwork were annihilated from their psyche, save direct orders from Danzo, and Danzo alone.
He made men and women into mindless slaves. Very efficient at killing, and following orders, but very poor at completing tasks that didn't involve some kind of violence, or required some kind of deeper thought or understanding.
In essence, they could kill, but hardly ever 'look underneath the underneath'. Making them poor shinobi overall.
The ones that were able to overcome the darkness of Root were normally the ones that maintained some small bits of their personality. The ones that fought the brutal 're-education' training Danzo put them through.
Little bright spots of memory from before Root, that helped them see underneath the underneath. To become true soldiers that embodied the will of fire. To become something other than the blank pawns that he desired.
His friend Tenzo was one of them, and even then it was a close thing. Luckier still that he managed to escape younger than most.
But Tori was a young adult by the time she made it out, a recent graduate of the penultimate trial of Root. The cruel test that demonstrated loyalty to Danzo, and only Danzo.
Kakashi didn't know much about the young kunoichi in front of him, but what he did know was troubling.
She was well trained, experienced, smart, and intuitive.
Dangerous.
And there came the issue.
Tori had gone above and beyond to secure the trust of a senior shinobi she barely knew, all just to keep tabs on Naruto. That fact, in and of itself should've been a good thing. But Kakashi only had one question, why.
Why Naruto Uzumaki. The container of the Nine Tailed Fox.
Of course, he was aware of several facts that made Naruto stand out among the rest. None of them were facts that she should be aware of, and if she was, that was a completely different, yet equally troubling issue.
He had a feeling that he wasn't going to get the answer he desired from this conversation. After all, she confessed the other day that even she didn't fully understand the reason for her actions.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the ANBU in disguise, but he took a conscious effort to calm himself, lest he react similarly to how he did yesterday.
Tori watched him carefully, her sharp gaze observing his every movement, every flinch or facial expression. He began to feel naked, and strongly resisted the urge to touch his face to check to see if his mask was still there.
She stared for a little while longer, before she eventually sighed, looking away.
"Why this team Kakashi-san?" She said softly.
Kakashi drew a blank, more surprised by the bluntness of her question than the question itself.
"They're different." Was all he could think to say. There were so many reasons, but none of them felt quite as right as the one he chose to say.
He could've said that he spent nearly a decade lobbying the Hokage for a chance to teach Naruto, or at least get in contact with him.
He could say that he was sick of the Hokage nagging him about failing every genin that came his way.
He could've told her how the Hokage and the elders basically ordered him to pass this team just to teach the only remaining loyal Uchiha.
But none of those seemed reason enough. If he were truly honest with himself, he was glad that this team did end up passing, because he didn't know if he had the heart to fail his sensei's son. But at the same time, his words still rang true. Better to fail now and live, than pass now and die.
Rei scoffed at him, "Really, this one above all the others?"
He shrugged, "You organized teams that, given time, may actually work pretty well together. Not to say that team 7 is a perfect trio, but I think they'll do very well together."
Rei watched him closely, before she shook her head, standing up and walking away from her desk. She stopped a few feet away, still turned away from him.
"You really think they'll be okay?"
Kakashi's eyes widened, the realization dawning on him like a new sun, 'Worried. She's just worried.'
He waved a hand, leaning back in his chair, "Maa Maa, they'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." He spoke those last words with all the steel he could muster, meaning every word.
She sighed again, "These kids ARE different Kakashi, they're hurt. They're not like we were. They weren't raised in wartime, they'll need serious—"
"I said I've got it." He interrupted, "Look, I can't promise that they won't get hurt, but I won't fail them." He said.
'Not like I failed THEM'
'Minato-sensei'
'Obito'
'…Rin'
"You shouldn't pick favorites like that."
His eyes widened, surprised that someone, especially someone who barely knew him could read him so easily. A more petulant side of him felt a bit angry at that, he'd actually taken great pride in not being an easy person to read. The constant theme of people being thrown off by his smutty novels and nonchalant behavior tended to be enough, but neither seemed go be enough to fool her.
He looked right into her eyes, staring right at those small, dark brown pupils, seeing the eyes of a person who made a habit of looking underneath the underneath, more skilled and savvy than an academy teacher had any right to be.
"I really have no Idea what you mean." He said calmly. She scoffed out a laugh. A sad laugh that echoed off the empty walls.
She turned her body around, letting her body drop lumpy into the chair, looking terribly tired.
"I've taught these kids Kakashi-san. I only want you to understand that you may run into some particular issues with this team."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, as proud and confident he was, it would be remiss of him to ignore first hand intel on his team. After all, those thin flimsy files can only help so much. In a normal situation, Kakashi would most likely interview the parents of his new genin team, but for one reason or another, that was now impossible for two of them, and highly unlikely for the third.
Rei went on looking him dead in the eyes, "I'll try not to repeat what was already in the file, and I'm sure you've extrapolated some information based on what was and wasn't there. I admit for Sasuke I hit somewhat of a wall. He is completely shut off, his mind on only one thing. Something that I'm sure you've guessed already.
Kakashi shrugged, "He said as much when we talked on the roof."
Rei nodded, "Fortunately, since the Hokage assigned him to you personally, his file is the most complete. I'm sorry to say that I can't say the same for Hinata or Naruto."
Kakashi sighed, "Yes, both files are tampered with in some capacity. One being redacted beyond all recognition, and the other so cherry-picked that its pretty much useless."
Rei shook her head slowly, using her hand to pull her hair away from her face, "Not my choice, last minute alterations I'm afraid. For both of them."
Kakashi nodded, 'Nothing much to be done about that. Naruto's file is mostly censored for his own safety. And as far as Sasuke's file is concerned, clan politics are a pain in the ass to deal with on the best of days.'
Rei scoffed, and the corners of her mouth tilted upwards, almost a smile, but not quite. She continued, "Hyuuga Hiashi insisted on adding his personal records from her in-clan training to the file. And Naruto—"
Kakashi cut her off with a raised hand, "Best not to speak so openly about his. Besides, I already know more than that pointless sheet of paper could ever show. You forget, that I was there too."
"I know…" she said in a knowing, yet quiet tone. Whispered so lowly that Kakashi could barely hear it.
"Just…" She trailed off. She glanced at him, her eyes wet and pleading, and Kakashi realized with a spike of nervous panic, that it looked like she was painfully close to begging.
He nodded, gently raising a hand, the unspoken question as loud in his ears as any desperate plea.
'Take care of him. Of all of them.'
If there was any doubt that her motives were anything but genuine, those doubts were gone the second he looked into her eyes. He recognized that look, it was the same look he saw in the mirror in the months after Minato-sensei was killed. He could remember it clearly, so clearly that some nights it felt like he was one step away from going back, back to desolation.
To oblivion.
Back when he knew that there was only one thing, one string that tied him here. One last promise that kept him tethered to the cares and woes of the world around him.
Back when he learned that Naruto, his sensei's son, was alive. It hurt him to look at her now, so close to giving up, to letting the world swallow her whole.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair.
'If this is an act, I deserve the kunai in the back. No one's that good.'
If her goal was to kidnap or kill Naruto, why plead for his safekeeping or his overall wellbeing? She could be a plant to lure Naruto away from the village.
Gain his trust with gifts, kind words and false promises.
Kakashi shook his head, 'Then why injure herself in an attempt to save him from Mizuki. A convoluted plan perhaps? A misdirect designed to gain trust from the village as well as Naruto?'
Feasible, possible, but extremely unlikely.
At this point, all the more nefarious plans made next to no sense. In the end, all his doubts and suspicious were exhausted. The only logical answer remaining being that she'd been telling the truth the whole time.
And the pit of guilt he felt for treating her like a spy deepened even further. He wasn't heartless, as so many had claimed. He was just, callous. Sturdy. Perhaps to a fault. But he'd make good this time, and with what he had planned, they'd be more than ready.
'Hehe, I can hardly wait.' He thought mischievously.
'Speaking of which..'
He got up, pushing the chair behind him back into its place in front of the table, "I think you worry too much. I'm no idiot, and I'm no slouch. I'll whip those kids into such a shape they'll be strong enough to protect themselves. Maybe even me someday. Just you wait. One of these days I'll be a regular old 'damsel in distress'."
Rei looked up as he rose, letting herself smirk at his joke, "That'll be the day. Do be careful though, they can't exactly protect anyone if they're too sore to move." Kakashi turned away, laughing darkly, "Oh come on now. Who am I, some kind of sadist?"
He walked off, disappearing around the corner, but he couldn't help but feel his heart swell at the high, happy laugh that came from the classroom.
For Naruto Uzumaki, it was easy to despise silence.
Ever since he was little he always preferred the noise of the bustling town square over the silence of his tiny apartment. Even the loud, angry shouts of furious food stands or store fronts telling him to get lost was preferable over the confining space of his apartment. It was one of the reasons he begged to be brought into the academy so early.
Naruto smiled to himself, 'Heh, I bet that Ino would've loved to live like I used to. If I had a ryō for every time she complained about her dad. I'd have enough to buy the whole village dattebayo!'
No curfew, no rules, and no parents to tell him what to do. With all the time in the world to goof off and play with the other kids. To spend time with their friends.
Naruto frowned as he walked, finding himself heading to their training ground much earlier than he planned. It was still pretty dark, with the only real light being the light blue that seeped into the dark sky, the promise of sunlight nearly at the horizon.
The nightmare he'd had last night was the same one he'd been having almost twice a week for almost a month.
Pain, blood, and silent screams. A familiar face drifting just into view, the color in his eyes faded and grey, his mouth moving, the words on his lips cutting and painfully true.
'...Your fault, Naruto... Why?'
Naruto's stomach flipped over in protest to his gruesome memories, and the blond genin gripping his stomach over the black and orange hoodie, doing his best to take his mind off the nightmares. Unless he felt like bowling over to release the limited contents of his already empty stomach.
He didn't have the heart to eat, not even the promise of his delicious stash of instant ramen could bring him to eat. Normally this would probably be a sign of the apocalypse, or of hell freezing over, but the thoughts and images reverberating his brain made eating impossible, so he figured he'd just head over anyway.
Besides, he was actually pretty excited for his first training session with Kakashi.
Not that he trusted the shifty, silver haired jounin. But he was strong, and probably knew a lot of jutsu that he could teach Naruto. He quickened his pace, his mind filled with picturesque images of him shooting lightning from his fingertips, or even breathing fire like Sasuke-teme did the other day. Only way better, and looking cooler than that glorified emo sad boi ever could.
'Yes, soon Naruto.'
Naruto halted, stopping right in his tracks.
He growled, stomping ahead, 'Oh no. Don't you talk now you mountain sized asshole!"
The voice growled deeply, grounding out his words in a measured, but furious tone, "Watch yourself boy, mind who you are speaking to."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Oh piss off. I've had dog shit under my sandals stick around for longer than you! You didn't say a word or lift a finger to help me yesterday! I haven't even heard from you since the test! You don't get to claim to teach me or help me, then drop of the face of the earth!"
"Calm yourself Uzumaki. Do not blame me for the shortcomings of your own feeble human body. I cannot appear and speak whenever I wish. I must be allowed free rein to move and speak clearly. The more cluttered and chaotic your thoughts, the less able you are to heed me. I spoke, but I was ignored and shut out. Your panicked inner thoughts, and your pathetic night terrors make it nigh impossible for me to break through. You must make your ears ready to hear, your mind, to listen."
Naruto threw up his hands in frustration, "Well it would have helped if you had told me that a little bit BEFORE the test. What the hell?"
The fox was silent for a while after that, and if not for the furious growls and heavy breathing he heard in his head, he'd think the fox was not going to say anything further.
But after a minute of near silence, the fox spoke, "I was, unaware. There are many aspects to this... partnership, that are new to me. I learned this nearly the instant the test began, after I discovered that you were unable to hear me."
Naruto raised his eyebrows, almost about to see the outline of the fox in his vision now. His great head bent downwards in either deference or even possibly embarrassment.
He realized that this was the very closest to an apology that Naruto was EVER going to get, so he nodded slowly.
"It's ok, I didn't know either." He said quietly.
The fox snorted, "Obviously."
Naruto rolled his eyes again, watching as the fox rose, pacing his side of his mindscape, a large open space of twisted, rusting metal stretching between them.
"We must monitor this Naruto. It is important that we catalog both the strengths and weaknesses of this union of mind and flesh. In order to accomplish our goals, we must be diligent."
Naruto stared blankly, much in the same way he did when he found himself lost while in the middle of Rei-sensei's most boring lectures.
The fox sighed, "What makes us strong can also make us weak if we don't pay close attention. You must focus your mind if you wish to hear me."
Naruto nodded, "Ahh, ok. Well why didn't you just say that before." The fox growled, and like a flash of lightning, he was back to the real world.
He shook his head, 'Why doesn't everyone just talk normal. What's with all the fancy talk when its easier just to say what you mean?'
Naruto doubted that he would ever get it, but now he understood. 'Focus your mind' he said huh?
Naruto thought hard, trying to visualize the fox in his head, thought of how his voice sounded like...
'Good, Naruto.' He heard him say.
He opened his eyes and saw nothing, but the booming voice still remained, 'Hmph, why those humans you fraternize with adore this place I will never know.'
Naruto's eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls, "You can see what I see!?"
He could feel the fox nod, almost as if he was siting right next to him, "Hmm. And feel what you feel apparently. I have not hungered for physical food in a manner like this in millennia. It is, unpleasant."
Naruto winced in sympathy, he wouldn't have skipped break fast if he knew that someone else would feel it too. The fox waved a huge clawed paw nonchalantly, "It matters not. It is novel in a way. To experience the world in this way."
Naruto nodded, "I bet. Can't say it goes both ways though. I don't feel any different."
"You are the only one with a physical body. I am a being of pure chakra. I don't 'feel' as you do. It is similar, I suspect, but not the same."
Naruto nodded, curious, "Well, let's see how long I can do this for."
The fox didn't object, so Naruto continued on his way. Realizing after a moment that he spent longer than he thought talking to the fox. He picked up the pace, and was about to put his head down and run to avoid being late when he heard a voice call out to him.
He was about to ignore it, figuring the noise was a jeer from a villager, but he recognized the high pitched noise and turned to see Konohamaru, still wearing the strange helmet that uptight jounin from the other day forced him to wear.
Konohamaru waved at him, his child-like gap-toothed grin filling Naruto with joy. Even though he had only met Konohamaru a few days ago, Naruto saw a lot of himself in the kid.
Loud, straightforward and curious, he reminded him of how he was when he was younger. He didn't really know what that said about him, but the fact that he seemed like a nice kid, plus he didn't blame him for the fox made him alright in Naruto's book.
He waved back, gesturing for the academy student to follow him in his walk to team 7's first ever training session.
The early morning was silent, hardly a single cricket announced its presence this early. The steady rhythm of her sandals hitting the floor being the only thing that broke the frozen stillness of the world around her.
There were people of course. If she activated her bloodline ability she was sure she'd see dozens of figures flitting about in the dark. Either genin getting up in the morning, just too far for her to hear, or more experienced shinobi who prided in their skills too much to be heard by anyone.
She might be one of them, she might've tried her hand at being as stealthy or as silent as possible, but she didn't have the energy for it.
Her left foot hit a crater in the dry, dusty earth, the imbalance sending her flying forwards. She was barely able to catch herself, but the repercussions were instant. Her whole body was wracked with pain, several localized pits of burning agony, spreading outwards, coating her whole body in a hot flash of pain.
"Ah!" She cried out, finally stabilizing herself, letting herself stand still, waiting out the pain.
She could hear the steady throbbing of the various bruises and lumps in her flesh, peppering her body with injuries that beat in steady tempo of agony along with her heartbeat.
Her heartbeat, and the constant footsteps she made sent a new volley of painful reminders of each and every bruise, cut or scratch that marked her flesh. The dread only growing in her chest, as she knew that every step brought her closer to her second round of training.
It was torturous, her aching body walking towards yet another source of pain and hardship.
Not anyone's fault but her own, the success she wore on her back became a humiliating failure the second it crossed the threshold of the Hyuuga estates.
"How was your test?"
Hinata stared ahead, her face impassive despite the rising feeling of pride and joy at her team's success.
She was in her father's private study again, the hot tea in front of them sending white trails of steam up and into the air, filling the whole room with the stuffy, earthy scent.
She smiled as she breathed it in, it was her mother's favorite. Which later became his father's preferred choice after she died.
She couldn't recall the name, but she would always remember the smell. Just as keenly as she could remember the day she died. The day the world lost its color.
She stared back across the table, her face reserved and impassive, "I passed. Kakashi-sensei told us to come back in the morning for training."
Hiashi nodded stiffly, "I expected nothing less." He said with an air of classic Hyuuga brand superiority.
Hinata felt like gagging, 'Of course not.'
Her father reached forward taking a polite sip from his cup, "How do you feel you preformed."
The wording set off alarm bells in her head, and she thought of several ways she could tell the truth, but also give an answer that would please him.
She held the cup close to her lips, but not quite drinking, trying to think of what to say. Or rather, how to say it.
"Kakashi-sensei is quite the opponent. He was familiar with the Gentle Fist. Familiar enough to predict my movements and counter them perfectly. I managed to hit him once, and had a chance to grab a bell, but he caught me and tied me to a tree."
Hinata took a sip as soon as she finished, cutting herself off.
Her father would smell a lie from her a mile away. Deceptions was one of many shinobi arts that she had yet to grasp.
She learned this years before, whenever she tried to sneak a spare sweet roll from the kitchen. Her mother always knew, even without the power of the Byakugan. Her clairvoyance was legendary enough to persuade neji that the risks were to high to risk sneaking an extra helping of sweets from the kitchen.
But it never scared her off, much to her father's chagrin.
Every time she tried to pass of the crumbs on her kimono, or the sweet cream on her face, her mother would only laugh, and hug her tightly.
She used to say that she was too honest, too kind to lie. Her mother was a kind woman, too kind in the eyes of some people.
Hiashi scoffed, in a way that was dangerously close to a laugh. The sound brought her roughly back to the present, "Kakashi-San is an elite shinobi. One of our best in fact. He's a dangerously talented taijutsu practitioner, with a penchant for memorizing, and countering combatants. Any Shinobi, even most jounin would struggle against him. I doubt that beating him was ever going to be possible."
Hinata looked down, 'He wasn't even there and he he saw through the point of his test almost instantly! Just how stupid am I?'
She heard a laugh, deep and grating, and she looked up to see her father, smiling at her, "I expect great things from you, just like all Hyuuga, but especially from you Hinata. But like it or not, you are, still a child. You will grow with time."
The alarms in her head were shrieking now. Screaming at her that something was wrong. Her father was NOT a man who forgave and forgot failure. No matter how excusable, or understandable.
She looked up, and he only started laughing more. Her cheeks went red when she realized just how obvious her surprise must've been.
He berated herself for being so easily readable, and wiped her face clean of emotions, "Thank you father."
He nodded curtly, his ever subtle way of saying, 'you're welcome'.
"From now on, in addition to your regular training with your team, you will also train with me beforehand."
Her stomach lurched.
The reason for his generous, amicable attitude. To lure her in with sweetness and care, just to lighten the blow.
The first emotion she felt was confusion.
"Why?"
Hiashi's eyes narrowed, his head tilting to one side, "Excuse me?"
Her heart plummeted, and she bowed her head in apology for her outburst, "I apologize father, I merely meant..." She trailed off, glancing up to see her father's face.
He wasn't furious as she feared, only slightly affronted, and a bit curious. With his lips in a thin line, a single eyebrow raised.
She continued, "I-I... Well, I thought I did as well as I could."
She winced when she heard him laugh, "As well as you could perhaps, but still woefully short of what is expected of the heir of the main house."
She rose her head back up, her heart pounding in her chest.
"I told you that the position as clan heir was something you had to earn. Perhaps I did not do enough to aid in your training before, but that, among other things, will change. I told you that I expect great things from you. Greater still than the excrement waste left behind by that dead clan of traitors. I have been told that the Uchiha trounced you and the Uzumaki."
Hinata's eyes went wide, "Told!? By whom?"
Her father stared, his eyes hard, piercing, "That is not for you to ask." He said sternly.
Under the table, her hands clenched into fists.
Why? Why, or all things was this not for her to discuss? Her father was having her followed? Or at least he ordered someone to watch the test, how was this not under discussion?
She breathed out steadily trying desperately, unsuccessfully to reign in her anger, "I must insist that whoever this 'informant' is, they are mistaken—"
"You encountered Kakashi in the forest behind the main field did you not!?"
She froze, her words dying on her lips. He glared at her, his eyes prodding her for an answer.
"...Yes." She said meekly.
He snorted angrily, "Your taijutsu was laughable. Slow, sloppy, disgraceful. So disgraceful in fact, that you resorted to brawling like a common street thug just to get a single hit in."
"It worked, didn't it?" She said acidly.
She knew it was a mistake instantly. An explosion of pain and white light exploded to her left, the force of the strike knocking her off her feet, and skidding to the floor. She cried out, her hand pressing against the side of her face.
Her father was yelling something, but she couldn't hear, couldn't focus.
She writhed in pain for a moment, opening her eyes to see the livid expression on her father's face.
He glared at her, his Byakugan active, pinning her down as chakra radiated from him in waves. Fear, pinning her to the spot. Unable to do anything but stare back, and do her best not to burst into tears.
He stared a hard at her for an unmeasurable amount of time before he finally spoke. His tone more calm, yet more furious than she had ever heard him.
"Remember your place Hyuuga Hinata. Hyuuga women in the main house do NOT speak out of turn. Especially in the presence of the head of your clan. Even less so when the head of your clan is. Your. FATHER. Am I understood?"
She didn't move, she didn't dare to do anything.
Her father took her silence as an extra affront, and exploded in anger once more, "AM. I. UNDERSTOOD!?" He screamed.
She nodded so fast she made herself dizzy, and finally, her father's eyes returned to normal, the pressure from his chakra dissolving.
He took a deep breath, and sighed out long and slow, his tall imposing figure melting into the ground as he knelt back down.
She remained where she was, still staring at him, watching his every move even after it became apparent that his angry tirade was over.
The shock she felt was almost enough to consume her. She sat frozen, completely unable to move. Her father had never hit her like that before, never outside training, and never with the back of his hand.
As the fear subsided she waited for the anger to come, waited for the hot, sticky feeling to grow in her chest, making her head pound, and her face feel hot.
She waited for it, not even trying to fight back against it.
She felt her bloodline limit activate, unbidden, as a swell of anger filled her being. She watched her father, watched his every move.
She tracked every minuscule bit of movement, watching as her father sighed again, putting his head into his hands.
"I should not have to explain myself to my own daughter. Not with anyone else do I have to go this far only to ensure the wellbeing of my family. I do this only for your own good. Hanabi understands. Neji understands, why is it that you do not?"
She listened to every word, her temper raising with every syllable. Her chakra pulsing more and more every second.
She could feel her anger and her chakra coalescing, mixing in her chest becoming something else. Something, loud... and impossibly strong.
Her fingers on her left hand drifted to her thigh as she lay on the ground, searching with careful slowness as she continued to watch him.
She could see the fringes of her own chakra bleeding outwards, her 360 degree vision watching as the flowing, angry chakra leak out.
Hinata waited for something to happen, waited for him to catch her gaze, see the anger there, and react. Finally see how she truly felt.
She wanted him to see it, to strike out again. She nearly begged for it, for she knew how she would respond.
She could feel it there, the inborn sense of Hyuuga pride rising to the surface. The extra voice inside her that told her Hiashi Hyuuga would NEVER hit her like that again.
She'd kill him first.
Perhaps if only to show him just how 'lacking' her fighting prowess really was. Maybe to make him pay for his mistake, his 'insolence', she'd steal an eye from him. A permanent reminder to never touch Hyuuga Hinata.
Then her father looked up, and fixed his eyes on her, and the vicious rage left her, taken by the overwhelming gale of fear she felt.
The fear galvanized her sense of self-preservation however, and she stared back, still watching him.
He stared too, and his eyes widened with shock.
If her Byakugan wasn't active she'd have looked down to see what he was looking at, but she could see that nothing had changed about her appearance.
From the angle of his pupils she could see he was looking at the whole of her, but she couldn't discern the reason.
He stared, his jaw slack for a moment longer, then he looked over to his left hand, rubbing at his calloused, slightly wrinkled knuckles.
He looked back at her, his eyes so painfully sad and downcast.
'He was probably thinking of Kaa-san'
She wondered if he ever saw her mother in her anymore, or if all he saw was a failure.
The thoughts of her mother stirred her anger again, and before her father could speak, she rose quickly, as gracefully as she could.
She swiftly bowed, "I take my leave Otou-sama."
She turned on her heel and fled, walking away from the room, away from her Father.
"Hinata." Her father cried, still commanding, but also a hint of desperation in his tone.
She found herself stopping, not turning around.
"... Remedial training in the morning. 4AM."
Then the door was shut with a bang, leaving Hinata alone in the dark hallway. She stared at the door for a moment longer before she continued on her way, heading to her room.
She now had a long, long day ahead of her, and it was best to be as well rested as possible.
"Trouble with our clan leader Hinata-sama?"
Hinata jumped, turning to her right to see Neji standing there. He was dressed for bed, a thin white Yukata, with the clan emblem on the shoulders and back, his long hair bound into a ponytail behind his head. He stood straight and rigid as always, a slightly grin on his face.
It was then that she realized that Neji was the one to watch her exam, and an extra dosage of shame and embarrassment filled her.
Of all people, Neji needed the least amount to reason to prove her incompetence. He looked as if he were about to speak, but he stopped himself, frowning abruptly.
Her left hand flew up to cover the bruise on her face, and she cursed herself for her forgetfulness, 'Oh Kami, how many people have seen me like this?'
She began walking away, her face reddening, "No trouble. Just a regular meeting with my father, that is all. See you tomorrow cousin."
His form faded from her peripheral vision, but she could see a deep frown on his face as she fled. She couldn't tell if its due to her odd, jittery behavior, or at the reminder that they are, in fact related.
After an eternity of drawing stares, and avoiding eye contact, she finally reached her room. She closed the door behind her harder than she meant to, and leaned back against it, the full weight of everything that had happened in the last 24 hours threatening to over whelm her.
She felt the tears, and through blurry vision, her eyes caught something in the corner of her room.
A picture.
A picture of her mother.
Ir was on a desk in the corner, along with several other pictures. It wasn't a shrine, merely a desk with some of her favorite pictures she kept.
It wasn't a typical portrait, like the one on her shrine in her father's room. It wasn't even particularly flattering.
It was a picture of their whole family, whole and together.
She couldn't recall the circumstances of what exactly went wrong, but a stray candle had set her father's second favorite kimono. Throwing the whole room into chaos. The camera was timed, and captured the whole essence of the situation in one photo.
Her, her sister Hanabi and Neji stood laughing as her father danced about frantically, trying to put out the flames that had already claimed the lower half of his clothing, revealing the lower parts of the man's undergarments.
Her uncle Hizashi and his wife stood about a foot away, flapping a fancy, very expensive rug at his brother, the both of them barely holding back laughter. And Her mother stood a ways off, separated from the chaos, in the middle of a laughing fit.
She was as happy as Hinata had ever seen her, the glee in her eyes nearly contagious, even through the photograph.
She smiled, despite the tears that fell down her face, walking away from the door, lowering herself into the chair next to the desk.
She sighed, staring at the picture, feeling the fear and sadness slide away, leaving only one emotion left behind.
Resolve.
She stared at the photo, wiping away the tears, "I promise Kaa-chan. I promise to fix us, to save our clan. Our family. No matter what it takes."
And the first step, was to live through tomorrow. Another step in the road to wiping that accursed seal off the face of the earth. Another step to healing the rift the separate branches have created.
She sighed, "One step at a time."
She would do this. Not because her father ordered it, not because she had no choice, but becasue cruelty always demanded recompense. An explanation. An Answer. Something...
She didn't know what that answer was, but she'd find it someday.
Or, more likely die trying.
Either way, she knew it was the only path left for her, the one that held her future.
The only one she would accept.
Sasuke awoke soundlessly, his eyes opened, his breathing quick, but unlabored. He just lay there, breathing, listening for sounds that weren't there. Sounds that would never be heard again.
Too many times he awoke like this, halfway expecting the shy, yet polite knocking on the door. His brother, attending breakfast with them for once.
Or even the inpatient calls of his mother, the annoyed voice telling him how much he'd overslept.
Perhaps even the ambient noise of the clan on a regular day. An day off for him, but just any other day for the kids playing in the streets, the idle chatter of people walking the sidewalk...
But they were all dead, and now it was silent. Not even the birds disturbed him while he lay there, motionless on the bed.
Not even his dreams had any kind of noise that broke the silence of his home. His dreams were dark and empty, or at least that's all he could remember from them.
He always did wake up breathing hard though. Perhaps he really did dream, he just couldn't remember them.
He shook his head, ridding his mind of petty, meaningless thoughts.
He got up, and within 5 minutes, he was dressed and out the door. It was still dark, the sun just barely illuminating the sky with a hint of light blue on the horizon, otherwise casting the whole Uchiha compound in darkness. He walked forwards, looking to the left as he always did, nearly spotting the vague outline in the shadow of a nearly house.
It was round and lumpy, just as Eiko-San had been in life. She always had some extra tomatoes left from her husband's vegetable stand left out for him on the weekends.
When Sasuke first arrived at his house that day, he wished desperately thought in vain, that it was merely the ruined tomatoes she held in her woven basket that was spread all over her clothing. Specifically in her chest, just to the left, where the red liquid ebbed outwards, nearly covering her entire body in crimson.
He knew logically that she wasn't there. Hauled away like all the others by ANBU the following morning. Although if he were to squint, he'd still see the vague outline of red that forever scarred the old wooden balcony where she lay. Dead. At the hands of his brother, the traitor that murdered every one he ever knew, and besmirched the name of his clan.
Hs clenched his hands into fists, forcefully averting his eyes, looking forwards.
His time would come. When Sasuke was ready, he'd come for Itachi. He'd avenge his clan, and make everything right again.
He walked a little faster, the fire in his chest urging him onwards.
Konohamaru noticed something about Naruto this morning.
He couldn't really claim to know much about his new boss, but he was pretty sure he wasn't a morning person.
He had to be up this early to practice the Katas his Ojiji made him learn before the academy. But he'd been doing that all year, so he was pretty used to getting up before pretty much everyone else.
But Naruto, who he was pretty sure had never gotten up this early for anything outside of pranks, seemed unbothered.
If anything, he seemed happier than normal. Naruto must've caught him staring because he stared back, looking confused, and a little put off, "What? Something on my face, Dattebayo?"
Konohamaru rolled his eyes, "Well yeah, but no."
Naruto frowned, and wiped his face hard, looking deeply confused about what he meant.
Konohamaru laughed, "I meant that you look, different. You seem happy about something."
"Oh, yeah. Well, our team passed the test our Jounin-sensei gave us."
Konohamaru's jaw dropped, "I'm gonna have to take ANOTHER test after the genin exam!?"
Naruto scratched at one of his whiskers, thinking hard, "Well, I think its actually like a secret. We didn't know anything until he told us the day before, so I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to talk about it."
Konohamaru pouted, how the hell was that fair? Konohamaru didn't always do well on the tests he STUDIED for! How was he supposed to pass one he didn't know anything about!?
He heard Naruto laughing, but before he could turn to see what was so funny, he felt the cold morning air rush past his now exposed head, only for a hand to replace it and ruffle hair.
He squawked in outrage, but naruto just laughed harder. After a few seconds, Naruto roughly placed the head covering back on his head, ceasing the torment.
Konohamaru growled and slapped at Naruto's side, but the Uzumaki only laughed harder, "Oh calm down Konohamaru, it's not so bad. We kicked it out of the park! So as long as you train and work hard, I'm sure you'll be fine."
Konohamaru stopped, not quite expecting the praise from him. He meekly muttered out a thank you and kept on walking, until Naruto stopped. Konohamaru looked at him, and Naruto gestured to the field the were standing next to, "This is my stop. This is were Kakashi-sensei said we're supposed to meet."
Konohamaru nodded, and whatever look on his face must've looked pretty funny, because Naruto laughed again, "Don't worry Konohamaru, your big strong boss's got it covered dattebayo!"
Naruto stood there, waving at him for a second longer, then he turned and took off running towards the middle of the field.
He squinted, making a figure in the distance, standing under the shade of a big tree, too dark to make out.
He kept watching as Naruto's black and orange form grew smaller and smaller, only for Naruto to turn back again, waving at him from afar.
He smiled and waved back, jogging away, in the direction of the academy. He skidded to a stop as he turned a corner, watching the other sides of the street conspiratorially.
Once he was sure that no one was watching him, he whipped out his notebook from the secret compartment in the rear of his pants.
He opened it to the first page, taking a moment to admire the cool artistry of the cover page that he'd cleverly titled, "Konohamaru's super secret journal!"
He turned a page, finding the lowest bullet point, and writing underneath it, 'Super cool and nice' with a helpful drawing of the boss right next to it.
He closed the notebook, and tucked it away, heading back towards the academy, 'I can't wait to show this to Jiji!'
Watching the world from the eyes of his host was, disorienting.
The differences in his previous grandeur and his current position wasn't something one merely forgot. Much less so the oldest and most powerful of all the Bijuu.
Instead of the grand, high view he was accustomed to while in his own physical body, humans walked close to the earth like vermin. Only observing. Existing, but changing very little about the world around them. Humans went about their day, surviving as small, insignificant specs in the broad and grad design of the world they had made for themselves.
He watched when his father created Ninshu. Watched as their lives began to shift when the advent of chakra changed the way they lived. Changing only for the worse. Leaving new, profane ways to cause chaos and death.
He was there, watching them as they struggled to survive. Crawling thought the dirt, muck and grime. Casting aside the high ideals of his father, only seeing the potential gain in using their chakra. Not for the betterment of their pitiful race, but merely to learn to kill one another.
It made him sick just to watch as Naruto passed the townsfolk of the village. Many of them casting sour looks at his host. HIS Jinchurriki. It made him long for his body more than usual. Long for his long, indestructible claws, if only to eviscerate the fools that would dare look down on what was so obviously their superiors. Their betters.
In the end, they were of no note or worth. So it was easy, over time, to simply ignore them and their petty, pointless ways. He focused his attention forward, watching as Naruto jogged through the town, eventually making his way to the grassy fields that made up the grounds where shinobi trained their bodies for warfare.
He shook his head, nearly spitting in disgust.
'How a weak, insignificant ant like one of 'these' managed to seal me, control me. Not once, but three times...'
It was sad just how laughable it was.
Laughable. Yet horribly, horribly true.
Naruto jogged a little farther until he eventually spotted a petite figure dressed in white, sitting underneath a tree.
His host waved like an imbecile, yelling the name of the descendent of his false uncle, Hamura Otsutsuki.
He sighed, half sad, half frustrated at the memory of the annoying, yet dutiful, wise and softspoken Hyuuga patriarch.
'Blasted perfectionist. What the world would do with your teachings if you ever actually bothered with the human race. Rather than holing yourself up with you and that blasted Gedo Manzo.'
Not that he could really blame the sage. Humanity had brought Kurama nothing but conflict and pain. But they may not have been so horrible if perhaps the younger sage had succeeded where the elder had failed.
He could see much of Hamura in the girl, even with generations separating the two. The eyes went without saying, but she also had his angular features, and the way her brow furrowed when she looked to be in deep thought.
It was almost enough to forgive the presence of the last remaining member of Hinata's 'sister clan'.
Sasuke Uchiha had yet to arrive, but Kurama could smell his stench on the wind. Sense his foul chakra like a carrion smells the stench of a carcass.
He growled in the direction the Uchiha was arriving from, deaf to the voice of his Jinchurriki making small talk with the Hyuuga girl. The voice of his container grated him, only stoking the flames of his anger.
'Foolish boy, you would be better off ridding yourself of connecting to these worthless humans. Descendant of Hamura or not, the girl will only prove a hindrance to you and your growth. Discard them like the chaff they are.'
Naruto paused mid-word, scrunching up his face in confusion, 'What the hell are you talking about? Who's Hamra'
Kurama sighed, averting his sense to the crest of the hill where the Uchiha was coming from, settling down on his side of the mindscape.
'Nothing boy. Mind the hill to your left, the Uchiha dog approaches.'
Naruto's head whipped to the side, his crystal blue eyes narrowing at the arrival of the ever irritable Uchiha.
He approved silently as his container glared at the Uchiha as he walked over. He ignored Naruto, and he could feel his anger nearly boiled over when the girl spoke.
"Good morning Sasuke-kun." She said, speaking softly and politely.
Kurama turned his attention to her. He found the girl to be an oddity. From what he was able to gather from the messy garbles of input he'd receive from time to time, as well as the bits and pieces he's managed to get from Naruto, the girl seemed to be an oddity.
He was ignorant of the state of her clan, mostly because he couldn't be bothered to care. However he did meet a handful throughout his long life, and found them to be the least changed by the slow passage of time compared to the other clans he'd come into contact with.
In fact, as he could recall, before the clans made it a habit of forming villages, Hyuuga and Uchiha were the two clans he came into contact with the most often. He often thought it was some kind of punishment, the echoes of his father's former greatness constantly being thrown in his face.
Although recently he often thought that their tendency to develop an overblown sense of pride was the culprit for their more frequent run ins. Some young ninja fancying themselves as heroes to their clan by bringing a powerful asset to help them win some war someplace.
Of course every meeting ended in a snack for him, but he could see none of this pride or arrogance in her at all.
In fact, no real sense of pride to speak of.
At times, she acted the part, but even being separated by an powerful seal he could see that it was mostly, if not entirely, a lie.
A veil to cover something else, something that no one, possibly not even herself truly saw or recognized.
Kurma narrowed his eyes, silently making a note to watch the Hyuuga even closer than before.
The Uchiha nodded silently at the greeting, and the Hyuuga stared, something in her eyes telling him that she had more to say.
She took a step back and bowed a tad lower than was necessary, "I just wanted to apologize again for yesterday. It was wrong, and I let my anger get the better of me. It won't happen again."
He scoffed to himself, finding the gesture pointlessly degrading. When he heard about the basic synopsis from his container it took him a while to stop laughing.
Any misfortune befalling ANY of the descendants of the cursed child of Otsutsuki Hagoromo, was as sweet a gift to him as a single instant of freedom.
He'd happily spend the remainder of eternity in the belly of even the most wretched of humans, if only he could watch as the entire Uchiha clan, along with every shred of evidence that the evil clan burn to ashes in front of him.
Apologizing, much less to an Uchiha, for such an action unnecessary, and a little unnerving to hear from who was apparently the princess of the Hyuuga clan.
The boy glanced down at her, considering, before walking swiftly past her, "Get in my way again, and you'll regret it. Hyuuga."
He felt the rage and anger he felt in his container bubble warmly, watching as Naruto stormed over to the Uchiha, nothing other than violence on his mind.
Naruto snarled, "Hey dickhead! Hinata's just trying to make up for messing up in the exams! Who the hell do you think you are?"
Sasuke turned to glare at Naruto with all the pompous, yet impotent grace of a baby hawk, "I think I'm the only one here who even stood a little bit of a chance yesterday. Weak fools like you will only ever slow me down."
Naruto didn't back down, inching just a little bit forward, their foreheads nearly touching, "Hinata's the only reason any of us passed the damn test! I didn't know that stick up your ass had branches so long they're clogging up your fucking eardrums!"
Sasuke frowned, his feature creasing in anger as he took a step, both of them glaring into the other's eyes. Naruto's stark blue darkened nearly an entire shade, turning almost violet. His eyes staring into the deep charcoal black of the Uchiha's.
Kurama chucked, 'Good Naruto. Put that arrogant waste of chakra in his place. At our feet.'
Naruto growled, his anger nearly hit the boiling point, but just as Kurama was about to encourage a proper match, only with his help, he felt a presence to his right, up in the trees.
Naruto's head whipped to the side, just as Kakashi began speak from his spot sitting lazily in a tree.
"Although I'm inclined to reproach Naruto-kun's language, he is right you know."
The Hatake brat merely sat there, face deep in one of those pornographic novels the man seemed to cherish.
It seemed fitting that a low, insignificant leech like him seemed to enjoy that sort of literature.
He growled to himself, 'The only real problem is that he wasn't so insignificant after all, he might just be one of the most dangerous men to Naruto and I.' Shamed as he was to admit such a thing.
Naruto frowned, 'Why's that?'
'He's got something of an infatuation with you young one. His eyes pry deeply, as if he knows something we do not.'
Naruto sighed, 'Translation please.' The fox sighed, doing his utmost to remind himself that his container, while promising, was still a work in progress.
'He knows too much, and the man seems to have a habit of being overly nosy. In time, when he believes he has your trust, he'll start to ask questions. Sensitive questions...' He said in a leading tone. Trying hard not to sound too frustrated. There was a time to allow his emotions to rule, and a time for a cooler mind.
It was important that Naruto stay away from men like these, the kind that would seek to warp his mind. To sway his loyalties to this disgusting village, rather than to him.
He felt the boy's heartbeat quicken, felt his excitement for his first mission dampen, and saw how Naruto's glare at the man grew stronger.
He smiled, retreating back in his mind, resuming his role as the idle bystander. 'Good. Very good.'
The Hatake smoothly leapt from his place, and walked, almost skipping over to them. Apparently in a jovial mood today.
Naruto stomped over, yelling shrilly at the silver haired obstacle for his tardiness. Kakashi just shrugged, "There was an old lady near my house that needed help. What was I supposed to do?"
Naruto just scratched the back of his head, looking confused, while the other two just glared, with Hinata's seeming more disappointed than angry.
Kakashi just shrugged it all off like it was nothing, just turning around and waking away.
As soon as he turned Naruto jogged forwards, his hands cupped to the sides of his mouth, "Hey! Where do you think you're going!?"
The man didn't turn, yelling back, his course unchanged, "Come on slowpokes! Follow me to your first mission!"
Kurama's eyes narrowed, growling lowly in confusion and suspicion, "Wily bastard. Keep up your guard Naruto, don't let yourself fall victim to his lies, or his tricks.
Naruto rushed forwards, his heartbeat in his ears, "Mission!?"
Kurama rolled his eyes.
The infuriating human adult looked over his shoulder, "Yup. Now let's get a move on, we're already late."
Before the fox could complain about the likely reason for such a fact, Naruto was off, followed by the other two, the hyuuga lagging behind.
Kurama sighed, 'He's almost there. A fox in all but name. He's dull to be sure, but with time he will know the truth of this world. To be clever is more than just intelligence."
He settled himself down, his eyes fluttering closed, a devious smile on his lips, 'Wit, distrust, and callousness are all tools of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Its only a matter of time before he learns to take what is needed, and eat whatever remains.'
A/N - Great seeing you all again. We're now officially finishing up with the initial character work/changes, at least for Team 7. I have big plans for the story, and I'm super exited to hear what you all have to say about this arc. I know that this story has been moving kinda slowly, and that's part of the way I write, but expect the story to heat up as it goes along. I hope you like this chapter, and I'd love to hear from any, and all of you concerning how you like/dislike this chapter. Thank you again, and I'll see y'all next time! KCMC66
(Next Chapter: 9-23-22)