Butterflies
"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!
Chapter 23 – Throw me to the wolves
8-8
When Naruto-nii heard what happened… he hit the roof. So it goes without saying that he wouldn't hear a word about Yasu-san or Sakiko-chan going back to their apartment. I shrug it off. Yasu-san's a good cook, and she's been helping us with everything around the house; I won't mind if she moves in.
I help Yasu-san set up a room where she can be a bit more comfortable – unsealing my old bed and closet and nightstand and whatnot for her to use as she pleases. Sakiko-chan gets my old room – stuffed animals and all, even Bazu. She cried, of course, but they were happy tears.
Naruto-nii and I spent the rest of the day training though. And the next day as well. He helped me to perfect the body flicker jutsu, and I've been working on a variation to make sure I can take out people quickly. I know I'm not skilled enough to take out everyone that would try to hurt me, but… if you combine a genjutsu, a body flicker and a tanto slice to your throat… I think I should be able to handle a few idiots now and again.
"Hey, Nii-san. I've been thinking. It's so nice to have a back porch, but wouldn't it be nice to have a front porch too? I mean, we could have it wrap around the house, you know?" The house is kind of designed weird, I think. I mean, the family sitting room and the visitors' sitting room are both facing the front yard, while the two offices, the dojo and the kitchen face the back yard? There's enough space for a wrap around porch though, without it having to touch the retaining walls. It should work, right?
"We'll see what we can come up with." He says, thinking about it.
"And what if we switched the rooms up a bit. I mean, it would be so much more practical if we turned that office into a sitting room if we have people over and want to train. Otherwise they'd either have to walk through an office or walk around the house. And we really need to organize those offices anyway, you know?"
"Hmm, that sounds like a really good idea! I think the corner office is the better choice?" He suggests.
"I was thinking that too!" After all, the other office is much smaller – perfect for paperwork and whatnot, but horrible for a sittingroom. We could have them go through the dojo, but that's just silly. We go back and forth a bit, trying to plan how we're going to set the room up, even though we're still having a light spar on the pond in the back yard. "Ooh, you think we should invite Moegi and her friends over? They are a bit older, but I'm sure Sakiko-chan would love to have someone to play with."
"We can ask. What about your cache, by the way? Already organized?"
8-8
The next day, Friday, Naruto-nii and I start the day as any other. An early breakfast, a good morning workout, a light spar on the pond – which we agree should really be made larger. We talk about looking into some targets for the back yard, maybe some training dummies. We agree that we'll set aside some money from future missions for that though – we like knowing we have a bit of a buffer in case we fall on hard times.
Around nine-thirty, we have a light snack –me with my chocolate mousse, Nii-san with some ramen– and we tell Yasu-san that we'll be out for a bit. She makes us promise to stick together, just in case, so we tell her that we will and not to worry.
Outside the gate, we run into Captain Ecchi. I roll my eyes, but greet him more or less politely. We make our way to training ground seven, finding Uchiha-san already there. I nod to him, he nods back. See, we're all one big (cr)happy family.
"There's still twenty minutes before the test. Are the three of you prepared?" Captain asks. I nod, as does Nii-san. We've packed for a full-on mission, so we should be alright.
"I heard about your message, Namiki. Harsh." Uchiha says.
I turn to him, offering a dull glare. "Like you'd be any different if you found someone worth protecting?" He smirks, obviously agreeing with me.
"If you need a hand with that… let me know." He offers. I raise an eyebrow, wondering what brought this on. "I don't want to run the risk of getting stuck with fangirls." Ah. That makes sense. I nod, but don't comment.
"Here they come." Naruto-nii gives me the heads up. I follow his gaze, finding Yoshino-sensei, Hokage-dono and Umino-sensei coming our way. That means the there's at least two Anbu in hiding somewhere. Whatever.
"Good morning. Thank you for being on time." Hokage-dono greets us. Nii-san and I bow to him properly, and I see Uchiha-san doing the same from the corner of my eye. Hmm, he's been learning. "Now, the test. I would like to see the three of you face three opponents each for three rounds. First will be Iruka-kun, then Yoshino-chan, and last is Kakashi himself. I want you three to show me what you can do. Each round will be considered won or lost by a mock kill-move. Meaning: a kunai to the throat but not piercing skin, or something similar."
We nod, but I'm the only one that works her shoulders to loosen them a bit. Uchiha-san is instructed to go first. He's at a major disadvantage, seeing as his moves are all flashy and showy and likely to kill his opponent with caught in it. Still, his taijutsu is really good, and he presses Umino-sensei for each round. Against Yoshino-sensei, Uchiha-san is a bit more relaxed. We regularly spar against her, so we know what she'll get out of without question. Then Uchiha-san is up against Captain Ecchi. This time, Uchiha-san goes all out, showy, flashy, fiery, the whole nine yards. He loses all three rounds, of course. Which was true against Yoshino-sensei as well.
I'm instructed to go next.
Umino-sensei makes the seal of confrontation, I mirror him, and we begin. He comes at me with a kunai in his hand, but I'm not in the mood to figure out his plan.
Snap.
The second his eyes gloss over, I body flicker behind him and place my kodachi against his windpipe. One for me.
The second round is started a moment later. He is more cautious this time, but really I don't like using the same tactic on the same opponent twice. So when he's close enough, I kick at his right knee, which he sidesteps, then I seallessly cast the Hell viewing jutsu on him and place a kodachi against his windpipe again. Totally different this time! The sound release genjutsu is a nice one! Hell viewing jutsu isn't. And it's actually harder to do. Let alone doing it seallessly, but the sound release one is sealless as well… whatever! Totally different tactic!
"That's quite impressive, Aya-chan! Two genjutsus done seallessly!" He praises, but I shrug it off. He comes at me again for the third round, so I engage him in taijutsu this time. Medic style – meaning using the chakra scalpels and sweeping motions with my hands to cut him up.
No, this jutsu isn't combat ready, but he doesn't need to know that.
It's really hard to swipe for his throat, considering how much taller he is than me. I had to use the tree-climbing skill to stick to him just to reach! But, now, I'm not sure if I can do that and keep the chakra scalpel active. Well, there are other options, like his heart, his liver, some fairly major arteries. But he's fought against medics before, so he knows to simply avoid me – and when he does attack, I make sure to avoid him as well.
This goes on for another minute or two, before I get bored of the tactic. So I release the jutsu, switch to Muay Thai, and… Crap, he slips a kunai through my defence and places it against my windpipe. I nod, accepting my defeat.
"You should have used another genjutsu. If a tactic works, use it. Even if they can see it coming, so long as they cannot counter it in time, you won't risk getting killed." He lectures me, ever the sensei.
"Nn." I nod, promising myself to keep his lesson close to heart.
"Still, very impressive, Aya-chan. You've come a long way in a very short time. I'm proud of you." He praises me again. I just nod, getting back to starting position for Yoshino-sensei.
I know not to bother holding back with her. Even with the new skills I've learned, I know she's by far the better kunoichi.
The first match I begin with that move I've been working on. I snap, place her in a simple genjutsu, body flicker to her and place my kodachi's tip over her liver. Or, I try to. She release the genjutsu as fast as Captain would, knocking my kodachi off course and places a kunai against my windpipe. Easy point for her. I nod, knowing that I'd never be able to go up against her if she's even sort of serious.
The second round, I do the Hellfire genjutsu, but she releases that just as quickly as the first. Luckily, I'm still a ways away, so I'm not risking anything this time. "Good. Checking my reaction time first before attacking. Smart." She compliments me. I nod, to show I heard her. She's not going to lose so much as a point against me. I know that. But that means that I can show her where I am in my training. Show her just what I can do.
So, I prepare the Siren's Call and I start to sing. Her eyes gloss over, focus, gloss over and keep going through that sequence over and over again. It's fascinating to watch on her. I walk up to her, placing the tip of my kodachi right over her liver again, and stop singing. Her eyes focus immediately.
"Very good! I thought Kakashi was exaggerating how dangerous that jutsu is, but… wow." I blush at her praise, smiling brightly at her. She pets my hair, then motions for me to get ready again.
Round three against Sensei. And all I have left is that jutsu. It's still too chakra intensive to use for long, and it's still not combat ready, but… this is for Sensei. To show her that I'm blooming under her guidance. I'll do my best.
The second the round starts, I snap my fingers, amplify the sound as loud as it will go and force it into a tiny little ball about a half centimetre if diameter. With that done I toss the ball at her, snap, and create a new ball almost instantly. I snap another three times, keeping all five balls focused and flying at her. She's dodging like a madwoman, and showing just how skilled she is. I almost get her once, but she substitutes. The ball hits her log with a loud, thundering crack. I feel my chakra reserves dipping dangerously low, so I release the jutsu, breathing hard.
"What was that!?" Yoshino-sensei asks, appearing out of thin air.
"Step two of a jutsu I'm still working on." I huff and puff, trying to calm myself and catch my breath. That thing takes up a LOT of chakra. Sensei looks at the log she substituted with, seeing very clear tears its bark. Yeah, I put a LOT of force into that ball; roughly three-hundred decibels if I estimate it right (or the sound of two explosive notes). "Sensei, I'm done. I've shown what I can." I say honestly. She nods, walking over to me with a proud smile on her face. She hugs me, telling me just how proud she is of me.
"Out of curiosity. If that's step two, what's the final jutsu?" Sensei asks.
"That's still up for grabs. I'm kind of figuring that out as I go." I say, walking with her to one side so Naruto-nii can take his shot at Umino-sensei. I unseal a bar of chocolate, to help me recover my chakra naturally.
"Nii-san! Knock 'em dead!" I cheer him on, tired as I feel. He turns to me, smiling.
Against Umino-sensei, he simply overpowers him with numbers – ten clones to one academy instructor. Nii-san gets all three points.
Against Yoshino-sensei… he has to work a bit harder. So he uses a simple lightning release jutsu Captain showed him, forcing electricity from his finger tips and into the opponent's flesh. It messes with Sensei's muscles every time he lands a blow, so she has to avoid his every attack. Which is harder than it sounds when there's like… fifteen clones attacking her at the same time. She keeps dispersing the clones, but Nii-san just makes more. Eventually, he overwhelms her and tires her out – like an hour later. She forfeits the other two rounds to him, too tired to fight him any longer. He still looks like he's rearing to go… that's my Nii-san for you.
Sensei plops onto the ground next to me. I unseal a bar of chocolate, offering it to her. She takes it, offering a worn out smile as thanks. I offer her a bottle of water too.
I mostly ignore the fight with Captain though. He'll just want to show how he's the better shinobi, and use some tactic or whatever against Nii-san.
Not worth watching.
8-8
"Well, that was impressive." Hokage-dono announces once Naruto-nii's match is over. "It would seem Aya's been showing Naruto Muay Thai?" I nod, feeling a bit more rested now. Sure, I'm still low on chakra, but I'm doing okay. "Iruka-kun, how would you rank these three individuals?"
"Let's see. Aya's high genin, maybe low chuunin. If she works on her speed and her chakra reserves, she could be a solid chuunin in a few months. Naruto's… a bit harder to rank. I want to say high chuunin, but I really can't say for sure. He needs to branch out his jutsu repertoire though, but he's still a very skilled shinobi. Sasuke I would say is easily mid chuunin." Umino-sensei explains.
"Yoshino. Would you agree?" Hokage-dono continues. Doesn't he have a meeting, or something?
"Yes. Except with Naruto-kun. He's roughly mid chuunin as well. Yes, his chakra reserves are much closer to elite jounin, but his chakra control, speed and other skills are what make him a solid chuunin." Yoshino-sensei agrees.
"And if you were to compare their growth in their time with you, to their growth in their time with Kakashi. Which would you say is more pronounced?"
"Their time with Kakashi, obviously." She says. "However, you neglect many other aspects in this evaluation. Such as social acclimatisation, overcoming internal stumbling blocks and learning to grow as a team."
"This is true." Hokage-dono admits, then turns to Captain. "Kakashi, do you agree to Yoshino's observations and both hers and Iruka's ranking of these genin?"
"I do."
"Very well. Then please understand that what I am about to say is final. Kakashi, you will resume your duties as sensei to Team Seven. I will expect monthly progress reports. Yoshino, you are hereby given a long term C-rank mission to continue aiding these three as you have. Kakashi outranks you, but outside of training, your word is law. I will not have these three wasting any more time with D-rank missions. Make sure they are trained properly. That's an order."
"Yes, sir." Yoshino-sensei smiles at us. She didn't need an order to do what she's always done anyway.
"Oh. And Team Seven, I expect you in my office at four o'clock sharp. You as well, Yoshino. There's a… situation I believe you can help me with." With that, Hokage-dono disappears in a poof. If I didn't know any better, I might think that was a shadow clone.
8-8
"Ah, right on time. Please, come in and shut the door behind you." We enter Hokage-dono's office, finding two familiar faces there. The two that were brought back from Wave with Sarutobi-san's team. I shrug, wondering what they have to do with anything.
"Momochi Zabuza, I'm sure I don't have to introduce this man."
"Hatake Kakashi." The tall and shirtless man smirks. I can see it even through his face bandages. I do wonder why he has no eyebrows though. Still, he's cute enough, I suppose, in a rugged, outdoorsy kind of way. And he certainly has a body worth killing for. The advantages of being a shinobi.
The girl with him though, is a real beauty. She's not shy, but I can tell she's a not very outspoken, just from looking at her. She has a warm smile as well, even now. Neither of them wear a headband though.
"Team Seven, these are Momochi Zabuza, formerly of the Seven swordsmen of the Mist, and his apprentice Yuki Haku." Hokage-dono introduces them. "They are currently on probation to see if they can live peacefully in Konoha." I'm not really sure what this has to do with us.
"Or perhaps I should better say their probationary mission is to guard Uzumaki Naruto and Namiki Aya until further notice."
"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious!?" Yoshino-sensei took the words right out of my mouth.
"Oh, I'm very serious. Kakashi will be keeping an eye on them, of course. But their mission is clear."
"And where will they be staying?" I ask.
"They've been given apartments in the Civilian Sector for the time being." I'm informed. I snort. That makes perfect sense. Put them in the Civilian Sector. "You have a better idea?"
"How then will they keep an eye on me and Nii-san? After all, that's clear across the village from us. And to boot, they can't enter my home without my knowing it. And to add insult to injury, you ignore the simple fact that I can take care of myself. Perhaps you could better explain to me why this is needed?"
"Very well. As you know, there's been one overt attack on your person. What you do not know, is that there's been an uproar of complaints that I allowed you to attack a chuunin, heedless of Kakashi's eyewitness report that you were attacked. There's a wider problem going on here, and you placed yourself in the middle of it. So, this mission will allow for Zabuza and Haku to prove themselves as capable shinobi of Konoha, and allow Kakashi to continue focusing on your training."
"You present logical fallacies." I say, but I don't explain what. I mean, really. If Captain's training us, he can't keep an eye on those two. If those two are meant to guard us, then that means they can be trusted and therefore don't need to be watched. And if your shinobi don't listen to eyewitnesses, they are the biggest fallacies of them all. You have widespread disobedience on your hands, and I'm not going to care how many of them I wind up ending if they come after me or Nii-san.
"Oh?"
"If you cannot control your shinobi anymore, perhaps it's high time you retire." I tell him plainly. Everyone looks at me, shocked. They aren't used to me being disrespectful to Hokage-dono, but really, I'm just being realistic. "Actions against Naruto-nii have been accepted too long. If you cannot control the people behind these actions, then I warn you again, Hokage-dono… I will."
"I am taking actions against them, Aya. But there will always be those who fight change, which is the reason for the situation I present to you." He says in a soothing voice.
"Then you will lose good shinobi." I warn him, just as harshly.
"Aya." Yoshino-sensei gets on my case.
"No, Sensei. If those people think they can attack my family and get away with it? I warned Hokage-dono that the only reason I didn't kill the last one was because I had Yasu and Sakiko with me. The next time they won't be so lucky."
"Aya, stop biting off more than you can chew." Sensei warns sternly. "There are people that-"
"Sensei." I interrupt her, my eyes hard. "Mama would never have tolerated such a thing. We all know that. Do not expect any different from me. Anyone that attacks my family, dies. Allies or enemies, I don't care. Civilian or S-rank rogues, I don't care. No one messes with my family. No. One."
"Heh. The little girl has bigger balls than most jounin I know." Momochi-san seems amused. Hmm, perhaps he needs to understand that he falls under the umbrella of 'no one'.
Snap.
I body flicker towards the wall, run up it, kick off and land on Momochi's shoulders, a leg to either side of his neck. I'd tried slowing down a bit earlier, to make sure I don't kill Sensei by accident, but I don't have to worry about that with Momochi-san, now do I?
"Crafty little whelp." Momochi-san looks up at me, while I'm looking down at him.
"Momochi-san, I hope you understand that you would suffer the same fate as any, should you try to attack my family." I coo.
"Hmm. An E-rank genjutsu activated by a snap. Sound release user, huh. Not bad speed, but could be better. Pathetic chakra reserves though. You wouldn't last five seconds against me." He analyses me well enough, but he's missing something.
So I start my jutsu again. My Siren's Call. Kami-sama I get a twisted pleasure knowing I can mess with so many people like this. His eyes gloss over, sharpen and gloss over again and again. I unsheathe my tanto, placing it against his windpipe, with the sharp edge against his skin – unlike with Umino-sensei who only got the blunt side of my kodachi against his. I stop singing.
"Something to say, Momochi-san?" I wonder. He smiles this time. Actually smiles.
"I like you already. Hokage-sama, I'll take the mission."
"You understand that she's serious, of course?" Hokage-dono asks.
"She won't harm me so long as I don't act stupid towards blondie. I can handle that. Besides. I'm more than a little curious what he can do now too. Kami-sama, why couldn't you guys be sent to Wave instead!"
"We were, I refused." I tell him honestly. He looks up at me again, confused. "We knew the next shinobi would be a jounin. A genin cell isn't supposed to face someone like you."
"I think I'm going to enjoy this mission. Come on, Haku. Let's go." I slip off from his shoulders, dropping onto the ground. I nod to Naruto-nii, and-
"On last thing before you go." Hokage-dono announces. I turn to him, wondering what he needs. "I assume I don't have to tell you that it would be wiser to training in private for now?"
"Meaning?" I ask, not liking this one bit.
"Until I've routed the problem, it would be wise to keep your head down. After all, I'd rather not lose good shinobi, like you said."
"You are placing me under house arrest?"
"No, not at all. Merely advising that staying out of the public's eye for a short while would be wisest."
I turn to Yoshino-sensei. "How big is this problem, exactly?" She asks.
"I've had three meetings with Shikaku today alone."
"I'll keep her under control, but I can almost guarantee you that you've got no longer than a month."
"I understand. Thank you. And Aya-chan. Here's the scroll with both Zabuza's and Haku's weapons. It's up to you when you think they should have it."
8-8
Once outside the Tower, Yoshino-sensei suggests we head to my house to plan. I wonder what we're planning, because frankly this isn't worth me changing one habit to accommodate traitorous scum. I snort at my thoughts, thinking about the things I will happily do to the next person that tries to attack Naruto-nii or me.
We make it home without any incident, not surprisingly. I mean, if someone's stupid enough to try something with Captain, Sensei and Momochi-san here… they deserve to have their brains splattered over the nearest surface.
I turn to tell Captain to wait outside, but Naruto-nii is already looking at me, begging me with his eyes. I sigh explosively, motioning everyone through the gate. Sakiko is running around in the yard again, so she runs up to us, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Aya-nee! Yasu-nee is in the kitchen already. I don't think she expected so many people though. Should I go tell her?"
"Yes, please. And ask her if she will need a hand. Everyone here's a shinobi, so you should tell her to expect them to eat for two. Okay?"
"Don't worry about it, sis. I'll help." Naruto-nii says. I smile, grateful for him.
We make our way through the front door, everyone takes their sandals off, and I usher them into the family sitting room. Nii-san of course makes a clone to help Yasu-san with lunch, and making sure there'd be enough for everyone.
"Nice joint." Momochi says, looking around. I don't answer him.
"Sensei, what's the big deal, exactly?" I ask, wondering why everyone's suddenly so cautious. I mean, it's not as if I haven't been glaring at everything that so much as looks at Nii-san funny. Or that I haven't been doing said glaring for weeks!
"Well, it would seem that you've given Hokage-sama the reason he's been needing to act." Is all she says, smiling at me. I roll my eyes – she'll tell me more when the time's right. "Now, the important thing, is to make sure you three are given every opportunity to train. Aya, would it be acceptable if team trainings were to take place here?"
Wait… that means Captain and Uchiha in my home… regularly. I grumble. "Aya-chan, please. It's the most efficient way to keep you and Naruto busy and out of the public eye while Hokage-sama deals with the problem, as you've asked him to." I grumble some more. Even Yoshino-sensei asking is not enough to keep me from complaining about this stupidity!
"Sasuke, Kakashi, Naruto… I think the three of you should go into the back yard and train." Yoshino-sensei announces, her eyes never leaving mine. "Now, please." Naruto-nii leads them out. Sensei remains quiet for another five minutes almost.
"Zabuza. I take it you're aware of Naruto's burden?"
"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. What of it?" Momochi-san asks coldly.
"What you are not aware of, is that before Aya, Naruto has never truly made a connection with people. Not one as deep or as meaningful. Hokage-sama understands perfectly well that if anything were to happen to Aya, Naruto would lose his mind and more than likely unleash hell on whatever harmed her."
"I believe that statement goes both ways, Nara." He counters, unimpressed.
"I'm aware of that. I'm making sure that you are as well. Furthermore, I'm sure you are aware of her mother's reputation? Namiki Miwako?"
There's a low whistle. "Konoha's she-wolf. Explains a lot really."
"Exactly. I want to make sure you understand that early on." I'm not really sure what's going on here. At all. And I'm not sure I care. This is just all flying straight over my head. "So I trust you understand what I want you to do?"
"Understand it, yeah sure. Why would I want in on it?"
"Tell me something, Zabuza. What would happen if you were to be considered part of her pack? What if Haku were to be considered part of her pack?" Why is everyone suddenly trying to get on my good side? Well, not that being on my bad side is a smart choice to make, but… still. I'm starting to feel REALLY patronized here.
"Yeah, so?"
"Now, compare that to being on her bad side. You've seen what she can already do, and she's just starting out. She has two teammates that have the drive to become the best, and she isn't getting left behind. Which side do you prefer to be on, Zabuza?"
"Heh. Don't underestimate me. I know more about Namiki than you think. She won't attack me if she sees me as a neutral. I'm a neutral. I'm safe. It takes no effort whatsoever for me to simply stay here in the neutral zone and not get tangled up in whatever it is that you're planning."
"You, perhaps. But, I was more aiming that information at Haku-chan. Now that she knows what I want her to know, I don't have to waste my breath on you. But thank you for playing along anyway." Yoshino-sensei is scary when she wants to be. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go check on my team. Aya-chan, thank you."
Sensei leaves, heading towards the office that opens out into the backyard.
"I tried to not get manipulated, and I still got manipulated." Momochi-san complains.
"You get used to it, Momochi-san. I mean, this is Yoshino-sensei we're talking about." I say honestly. "Anyway, I'm going to check if Yasu-san needs a hand." I get up, walking towards the door.
"Oh, and Momochi-san. I think you'll make better use of this than I will." I toss the scroll that Hokage-dono gave me. How silly, to keep a swordsman you trust from his sword.
8-8
After lunch, and washing up, Sensei starts her planning and plotting all over again. "You have a medical class tomorrow, don't you?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"Good. Take Haku with you. She can keep you safe and she might even learn a thing or two." Sensei says. She doesn't ask, she just says it and knows I'm not going to fight her. I roll my eyes.
Although, I'm starting to suspect that Sensei wants Haku to be a bit socialized as well. It sounds like something Sensei'd want. I mean, new to the village? Yup, Sensei wants Haku to make bonds as well to help her grow a healthy attachment to Konoha. I shrug. It isn't something I'm meant to understand at any rate; or something I want to.
"And Aya?"
"Yes, Sensei?"
"I want to speak with you privately. It doesn't have to be now, but it does have to be today, alright?" Our eyes meet. There's something going on, something she's not telling me. Perhaps this is the chance she wants to talk to me about it?
"Of course, Sensei. I'm not doing anything right now, if you want?" She nods, so I lead her upstairs and into my bedroom. Once we're both inside, I activate a seal near the door. I'm not sure why, but that seal locks the door and creates some kind of soundproof barrier, almost as if I'd need absolute privacy in my bedroom for something. I shrug; I'd rather seals like that in my office, to be honest.
"Aya, what do you know about your heritage?" I'm asked. I shrug. Not much really. I know mama's parents died when she was young. I know papa's parents were civilian merchants. That's about it. "Your mother never took your father's name. She's a born and bred Namiki, just like you. The Namiki family, though never declared a clan, has always worked closely with wolves." She explains.
I nod slowly, taking it all in. Then I shrug, unsure what to make of it. "That's why your eyes are slightly yellow. It's a sign of your closeness with wolves." I shrug again, wondering where this is even going.
"I'm telling you this, because sooner or later, you're going to have to go into your mother's library and study your family's secret jutsus. And you may want to consider your mother's summoning contract with the wolves." Okay… that hits me. Hard.
We have secret jutsus? We have a summoning contract? With wolves? "I don't get it… I don't have anything against cats!"
Sensei laughs a bit. "Neither did your mother. She loved them, actually. Being close to wolves doesn't make you hate them, and it certainly doesn't make them hate you… as far as I know. Dogs, on the other hand… they fear wolves."
"Is this why I'm so comfortable with killing?" I wonder. "Why blood doesn't bother me?"
"It might be. Your mother was the same. It's also why you so deeply crave for people you can trust. Wolves are social animals. And why you take so much pride in your skills, since they're apex predators."
"Apex… predators?" I wonder about that.
"Always the hunter. Never the hunted." Sensei smiles at me. That… that sounds so much like mama. "But listen, since I've got you alone anyway. I wanted to talk to you about… certain things."
I nod, trying to process all the information she's already given me. "About being a girl…" I nod again. Probably something about makeup or whatever.
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End Chapter 23
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A/N: The wolf summoning contract wasn't decided upon until like three or four chapters ago. It's actually Setokaiva's idea, but I find it really fits with Aya's personality (not at the beginning of the story, but as she is now that she's come out of her shell). However, her closeness to wolves would very much explain a lot about her, which is why I liked the idea the second I heard it. To be honest, I was considering going with the Rabbits again, seeing as they're kind of a constant in my Naruto stories. I like the wolves though, and I love the little things I have planned.
And for those wondering, no, I'm not going to go into details about what Yoshino's going to tell Aya about 'being a girl'. Just know that it's a birds and bees thing, and preparing her for monthly visitors and whatnot. Things that a mother usually tells her daughter. And really, considering the countless hints that Aya's clueless about things like that... her not understanding why Naruto finds certain wordings funny for example.