Title: My Triumph lasted till the Drums
Chapter 6: We can find no scars,
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
AN: Here is the next chapter. I am falling in love with this story, and its generating a lot of material. Hope you enjoy.
The day after her birthday, Nanami woke up early with excitement. She dressed quickly and ran down the stairs to see her mother cooking breakfast. She stopped to admire the woman. Her gorgeous red hair fell past her waist and moved slightly as Kushina shifted her weight from one foot to another while frying eggs at the stove. Nanami brought her hands to her own long, dark hair. She began growing it out so she could try to look like her mother.
Kushina noticed Nanami looking at her, "You hungry Nanami-chan?" she asked.
Nanami blushed in embarrassment at being caught staring. "I wish I had hair like yours kaa-san." Nanami said.
Kushina paused in her cooking, mildly surprised by the complement, then again she knew she shouldn't be surprised by Nanami any longer. "That's funny Nana-chan, when I was your age I wished I had hair like yours."
"You're kidding! My hair is so common, but yours is so exotic!" Nanami said in outrage.
"Thanks for the compliment, dattebane. But, you'll come to realize that the traits that make you stand out have a positive and a negative consequence Nana-chan." she said, removing the pan from the stove, and twisting the heat dial to "off".
"What do you mean?"
"Well, when I was a kid in the academy, I got made fun of because of my hair. But, it also saved my life, and helped me realize that I loved your tou-san." Kushina explained.
"Wow! That's so glamorous kaa-san." Nanami said in awe.
"Well of course, it is your kaa-san after all." Minato said, as he walked into the kitchen from behind Nanami. The young girl couldn't get over just how beautiful a person her tou-san was. He was smart, and handsome, not to mention the Hokage. She was so lucky to have such amazing humans for parents.
"Did you sleep well, tou-san?" Nanami asked, looking up at the man.
Minato ruffled Nanami's hair and moved toward his wife in the kitchen. He kissed her cheek, simultaneously trying to snatch a piece of fruit from the counter.
"Nuh uh, Minato. You have to wait until I'm finished and eat breakfast with us to get your food." Kushina said, half-joking, but also serious.
"I have to get to the office early today, Anata." Minato said, a knot forming in the back of his throat. He knew what was coming next.
"Well then I guess you'll be hungry, dattebane."
Minato sighed and accepted defeat as he picked up his daughter and held her to his chest as he sat down to the table. Kushina began bringing breakfast to the table. "There aren't too many opportunities left to be together before Nana-chan leaves to train with Tsunade-sama. We have to make all these moments count dattebane." Kushina said.
"You right." Minato said, smiling down at the child in his lap. "Our little girl is growing up so quickly. Aren't you Nana-chan?"
"She is, she even has a little boy friend, isn't that right Nanami?" Kushina joked.
"WHAT?" Minato leapt out of his seat, Nanami still in his arms. He turned the girl to face him, "Your much too young to have a boyfriend Nana-chan. Is it that Uchiha boy? I'll kill him before he lays a hand on you!" Minato exclaimed with passion. Nanami could only smile in confusion and amusement at her father's actions. She knew he was protective, but this was a little too much.
"Settle down Minato. I was just kidding, dattebane." Kushina said, a sweat drop rolled down her face.
"Right, of course." Minato said, placing his daughter on the ground and taking his seat, "I knew that."
"Sure."
After breakfast, Kushina and Nanami saw Minato off and they began preparing to go out to meet with Tsunade.
"Are you excited, Nana-chan?" Kushina asked as they left the house.
"You bet. I can't wait to learn from her. She is one of my biggest idols you know!" Nanami said.
"One of, who are the others?"
"You and tou-san." Nanami said, looking up at her mother.
"Well, then I'm just gonna have to teach you some of my techniques before you go." Kushina said in a haughty tone. "I can't have my daughter not know any of the clan technique. And then, we can do more complex training when you return. I'm sure you'll have perfected your chakra control by then."
"That sounds wonderful, kaa-san."
The two arrived at the library, where they would be meeting with Tsunade. They saw the woman sitting at a table with some books and adolescent girl with black hair. Said girl had her nose buried deep in a book.
"Tsunade-sama!" Nanami exclaimed, running over to the table.
"Nanami, it's good to see you. Are you ready to start on some training?" the Sanin asked her.
"You bet!"
"Well then, I'm going to take off Tsunade-sama. Please have her home by dinnertime if you can." Kushina said.
"Of course. I'll see you then." Kushina walked off, waving to her daughter as she left.
"What are we going to do today Tsunade-same?" Nanami asked, eyeing the other girl at the table.
"See this pile of books Nanami?" the girl nodded at the stack to the woman's right, "you are going to start reading these like Shizune here." Tsunade said pointing toward the black-haired girl. "Then, I am going to test you on every bit of information in here. They are the beginning to understanding Anatomy and Physiology, as well as the biology of cells and tissues. Are you keeping up?" Tsunade demanded. She would only accept the best from her apprentices.
Nanami nodded and walked over to the table. She looked through the stack of books, then turned back to her teacher. "I've already read these Tsunade-sama" she said hesitantly.
The black-haired girl, Shizune lowered the book she was reading titled "Medical Physiology" to look at the young girl. She was surprised by the information, but blew it off at a lie the child said to make herself look important.
"Oh really." Tsunade said in disbelief, "And, you memorized all the information"
"Yes, shishou."
"Enough to be tested on the information?"
"Yes, shishou."
"Alright then. What are the two major cavities in the human body?"
"The Dorsal Cavity and the Ventral Cavity. The Dorsal Cavity contains organ of the nervous system that coordinate the body's functions. It also contains the Cranial and Spinal Cavities. The Ventral Cavity contains organ that are involved in maintaining homeostasis." Nanami recited.
"Explain homeostasis." Tsunade persisted.
"It's the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of a stable, internal environment.
The body's ability to physiologically regulate its inner environment to ensure its stability in response to fluctuations in the outside environment." Nanami said.
"Point to your pectoralis minor and cite the related nerve."
Nanami pointed to the mussel from her third to fifth rib, "This is the pectoralis minor, it is associated with the medial pectoral nerve, C8, T1." she said.
Tsunade stood at a loss for word. Shizune had slammed the book to the table in disbelief. Who was this child?
"I see you didn't waste your time while I was away Nanami. I figured something like this might happen so I gathered a second set of books." she pointed to another stack on the table. "Have you read these yet?" she asked.
Nanami looked at the books. She hadn't read these books, but she already knew the contents in them. General Principles and Hematopoietic System, Renal Systems, Endocrine and Reproductive System, and Extremes of Life. She knew all of this.
"I know this, shishou. I know the human body. I think my time would be best served on theory and chakra systems. Those are the concepts I have a hard time grasping by myself." Nanami said.
Tsunade was truly shock by this information. "I didn't expect you to need me to begin teaching you this soon. I still want you to take a test. My test. It's going to be difficult so I suggest reviewing this material. When you pass it with 100%, we will begin theory and application. Got it?" she asked.
"Yes, shishou." Nanami said, she couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face.
"Alright then. Be ready in two days' time. Got it?" Tsunade asked fiercely.
"Yes, shishou!" Nanami exclaimed.
Tsunade smiled at the sincerity on her pupil's face. She was a lot like her mother.