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 26 – Calling up some trouble

8-8

~Flashback, midnight, the night before~

"We should probably call it a night." I say, but not really wanting to. These scrolls are simply addictive.

"What time is it?" Nii-san asks, but I can't tell if it's the original or a clone. I can't tell the difference between them.

"Going on midnight." I say, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I'm tired.

"Yeah, we probably should." He isn't happy about it, but he sees the logic in it. After all, we can come back here every night from now on. We carefully roll up our scrolls. Me with just one, him with one per clone. Then the clones disperse. "Hey, sis… you'd do anything for me, right?"

"Silly question." I say, stretching to try work out the kinks. The floor isn't very comfortable in here.

"Maybe it is… but you would, right?"

"Of course I would." I say, in my most 'duh' sounding tone. I'm too tired to figure out what's got his panties in a twist.

"…" He's thinking something. Thinking hard. I narrow my eyes at him, fighting back another yawn. I motion for him to 'spit it out'. "… even if I asked for to think up a way to get Hinata-chan away from her family?"

O…kay! Where did that come from, exactly? "Depends on why?"

"… I don't think her family is treating her right. I mean, just look at her. Supposedly the heiress to their clan, but she's a stuttering mess!" Naruto-nii. It's the middle of the night. We're in an enclosed space. Keep your voice down!

I rub my forehead trying to fight back the building headache – both from his loud voice and the situation he's giving me to solve.

"She does sometimes show she has a spine… and when she's talking about something she's passionate about, she doesn't stutter either." I murmur, thinking about what he's saying. "We'd need Sensei in on this though. I mean, no one can work out personality kinks like she can."

"… so you'll help?"

I sigh explosively, rolling my eyes and fixing him with my most annoyed stare. "Why'd you wait until midnight to bring this up?" I complain. "We'd have to figure out a way to keep her isolated from her family for no shorter than a year… and we'd need to make sure that there are witnesses to show that everything we do in arranging this is completely legit."

"What about a bet?" Nii-san offers. Hmm, that would work. "I mean, betting on matches in a 'tournament' setting… that's pretty common, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but that means she'll have to trust me enough that even if she sees through what I'm doing, she'll agree to it anyway. And I'll have to make it a pride thing. Hyuuga clan versus Namiki Family? I mean, if I drop some hints that I've been studying up on my family history? And that we have a proud history as well? It might give her a cover story?"

"Oh… and would you mind taking it easy on Sasuke? He's been through a lot too, you know? And he's more friendly towards us than anyone else I've seen him interact with."

Kami-sama, I just want to go to slee~eeeeeeeep!

~End Flashback~

8-8

Looking at Hinata-chan. Seeing her breathing become more and more ragged. Her face is flushed. She's having more and more trouble standing on the pond, beginning to sink little by little. Yet, no matter how many times I knock her down, she just keeps getting back up.

How is it that you are still so weak then, Hinata? Your eyes, your resolve, your refusal to give up or give in… you're as headstrong as Nii-san ever was! So why…? Naruto-nii must have been right. This has to be something to do with your family. Are they holding you back somehow?

"For… the Hyuuga… clan… I… will not… falter…" And a lot of good they've done you.

Hinata comes at me again. Though she's clearly tired, she's focused. Her body is carefully controlled, her features carefully arranged and blank.

I sidestep her finger jab, kneeing her in the armpit. She pauses, trying to will away the pain (I guess), spins and tries a roundhouse kick, I duck and kick her behind her supporting knee. She splashes into the water, unable to focus the needed chakra to keep her dry this time.

"Winner, Aya!" Captain calls it. I quickly move to Hinata-chan, pulling her up and out of the water. She sputters a bit and coughs up the water that went down the wrong pipe. Her drenched clothes aren't doing me any favours; we're both soaked before I can even step off the pond.

And, for the record… pond water is GROSS!

"Sweetie, inside, the both of you!" Yasu-nee demands. "It's far too cold out to be walking around soaking wet!"

Naruto-nii and I share a look. He nods, almost imperceptibly, then his eyes flick towards the house; good work, I'll take it from here. "Hey, Kurenai-sensei! Think you could swing by Hinata-chan's house for some clean clothes? Knowing Yasu-nee she's gonna drag the both of them to go wash up."

"That sounds agreeable. And… I think her father will have to be informed as well." I hear Yuuhi-sensei say, but she doesn't sound happy. Hey, it's all legal! Not my problem!

8-8

"Indentured servitude!? Really, Aya! That you would dare to do something like this to one of the few people you consider a friend!" Yasu-nee is livid!

"Nee-san, calm down." I say, soaking in the gorgeous tub – in what has been dubbed 'the girls' bathroom'. Hinata-chan is right across from me, looking a bit beat up. I feel horrible, but… "I'm sorry we didn't tell you before, but Nii-san asked me to." Hinata-chan's eyes go wide, blushing deeper than I've ever seen her blush.

"That doesn't excuse it!"

"Nee-san, hear me out. Please?" She crosses her arms, tapping her finger against her biceps. She's pissed, but she's listening at least. "Nii-san had a theory that Hinata-chan is being emotionally and mentally sabotaged by someone in her clan. She's not exactly someone with high self esteem, but… in the right situation she's every bit as brave, as stubborn, as selfless as Naruto-nii is. And she's so passionate about music and the theatre, and a lot of things."

I pause a moment, hating that I'm making her seem so small; not to mention the winces I see from her. "So he asked me to come up with a way to get her away from them for a while. So that we can build her up. So that we can help her become the person she needs to be."

There's a knock on the door, just before it slides open. I slide closer to Hinata-chan, trying to help her cover up, just in case. "May I come in?" Yoshino-sensei asks. Obviously she heard every word I just said too. Crap.

"Sensei! You weren't supposed to hear about this until tonight! How do you think plausible deniability works?" I complain, rolling my eyes. I don't even pretend she wouldn't hear everything.

"So if this all blows up, it's just your face it blows up in?" She asks. I nod, sliding back now that the door's closed again. Sensei's eyes narrow at the movement, but she doesn't comment. "Aya… thank you."

My head snaps back towards her, shock plain in my eyes. I'd… expected at least a speech on proper etiquette, or something. But a 'thank you'? That's a bit unexpected.

I try to come up with something intelligent. Something wise-sounding. "Huh?" But clueless works too.

"Kurenai's been wracking her brain for months, trying to come up with something. She spent most of the morning complaining about it too." She tattles. I bite my lip, trying not to look too pleased with myself – I'd outsmarted a jounin! Sort of at least. I mean, it's not as if a jounin can challenge a genin to a spar and not expect the outcome to appear fixed. But two genin?

"Well. Then I guess I should say this now. Hina-nee. Welcome to the pack." I smile at her, bright and warm.

8-8

It's about a half hour later, when I hear someone ringing on. Everyone knows that only Naruto-nii and I are allowed to open the gate, so I start making my way downstairs – cursing that I'm wearing a much thinner jacket.

I make my way outside, seeing Yuuhi-sensei with three white-eye people I don't know. "Yuuhi-sensei, might I ask who is with you?" I don't know her well enough to test her at all, let alone subtly. So I'll just have to assume this one time.

"These are Hiashi-sama, Hanabi-sama and Neji-kun. They are Hinata-chan's father, sister and cousin." The tall one –Hyuuga-sama– is completely neutral. The short one –Hyuuga-san– is worried. The prick looks stoic, but showed annoyance when Hinata-chan's name was called.

"You may enter." I say, but I turn to the middle-height prick. "You may not."

Yuuhi-san looks worried. "Namiki-san, I assure you Ne-"

"Are you trying to tell me who I am expected to allow onto my property?" I interrupt. The four of them are stunned, but do not argue against it. "The father, the sister, the sensei. Yes. The cousin. No. If you disagree, all four of you will not enter."

Hyuuga-sama nods. "As you wish. Neji will remain here." I open the gate, allowing the three in without another word. I do make sure to glare at the moody one as I'm closing the gate though.

"Yuuhi-sensei, she's upstairs second door on the right. Please announce that it's you before opening the door though. Yasu-nee and Yoshino-sensei are with her." Yuuhi-sensei nods, moving towards the front door. "Hyuuga-sama, if you would follow me to the back yard. There is much to discuss. Hinata-chan will join us once she is ready."

The two follow me around the house to the backyard without a word. I invite them to have a seat on the porch, even as Uchiha-san is dominating Aburame-san in another match.

"Namiki-san, I understand there's been a wager. A year's servitude?" Not the wording I used, but hear what you want. The end result won't change.

"More or less. Yuuhi-sensei, Sarutobi-sensei and Captain bore witness to the terms, the match and the results. You may ask them if you wish." I answer neutrally.

"Yuuhi-san has already filled me in on the details. It would seem Hinata has shown more skill today than ever before, yet this was not enough. Even in a taijutsu match." And there's the source of her self confidence issues. Nii-san, you are smarter than you think. "Am I to understand that she will move in with you for the duration of this… agreement?"

"Yes. She will be given her own room, duties to tend to daily, and I, and those I deem worthy, will see to her training." I make sure to point out the training part. That's the intention, other than building her up. Nii-san wasn't too impressed that Hina-nee only shows taijutsu and nothing else. After all, Yoshino-sensei clearly hates people who only specialise in close range combat. Even Naruto-nii was taught mid and long range, to make sure he can survive no matter the situation.

"Father, are we really expected to give into such an outrageous claim?" Hyuuga-san sounds neutral, her face is held blank as well. But I see anger in her eyes. Hmm. She fears I'd steal her sister from her? This is a good thing!

"Hanabi, remember your place." Oh, no you didn't! "Hinata knew the terms and agreed to them. Her honour demands that she fulfil the terms to the letter."

"What if you were to challenge her, to square the debt via combat?" He presses.

Hyuuga-sama sighs, shaking his head and is obviously disappointed. I see. So passion is discouraged in your clan, is it? First problem identified. "A jounin challenging a genin is frowned upon. There is nothing I can do other than request she release her from her agreement. Do you really think one as headstrong as Namiki-san would do such a thing?"

"Fine! Then I'll challenge you! If I win, you let Hina-nee go!" He gives her a wilting glare – I can almost hear him warning her that he will not tolerate another such 'outburst'.

"Hyuuga-san. You look like an academy student. Me accepting this challenge is no different to Hyuuga-sama issuing it. You have no change of winning, and as such there is no honour to be found in it." I explain gently.

"Then where is the honour in allowing my sister to be your slave?" She demands. The fire in Hyuuga-sama's eyes burns brightly for a moment, before the stoic mask takes over once again. I get the impression she's in for a serious beating once they get home.

"Please listen carefully to me, Hyuuga-san. The challenge is an all out spar on the pond. The winner is determined by knock out, ring out, or by falling into the water. Do you really think you can even fight in such a situation?" I ask her. This way she'll be rude if she doesn't answer me, and even Hyuuga-sama has to admit that.

"… no, I can't." I nod agreeing with her. Academy students aren't taught to walk on water, after all. "But if you offer me the same in a ring on dry land, I will!" Crap.

"Namiki-san. I would allow such a thing, should you wish it. Same terms. Only I wish to double the time limit. Should you win, two years of indentured servitude from each of my daughters." He offers. I try not to react too quickly. Mostly because I want to rip his head off and spit down his throat for willingly doing this to his daughters. He sees this as a 'discipline issue' it seems.

"Should I win, Hina-nee goes free!" Hyuuga-san declares. I nod. Yes, this is probably for the best.

"Captain!? Would you mind setting up a ring on dry land please? I have another challenger!"

8-8

"To keep this fair, the rules are as follows." Captain begins. "Aya must score three points, by means of genjutsu, taijutsu, ninjutsu or a ring out. Whereas Hanabi only needs to score one point. Any physical contact between combatants will be scored as a point, that point going to the one that initiates said contact. No unnecessary force, and no killing moves. Is that clear?"

I nod, so does my challenger. There's fire in her eyes. She truly cares for her sister – well, our sister technically.

I make the seal of confrontation, so does she. "Combatants ready? Begin!"

Snap!

Her eyes gloss over. That's one point for me. I walk over to her, slip my foot out of my slipper, and carefully shove her back. That's two points. She falls, rolls, and stops just outside of the ring. That's three points. I slip my foot back into my slipper so I don't let it get dirty.

Captain sighs. "Winner, Aya!"

The girl stirs, looks around, and sees the disappointment in her father's eyes. I hate him for that. He knew she could not win. Hinata-chan walks onto the porch, taking in the scene, and has to wipe away a few stray tears. She already knows what happened here.

Hyuuga-san gets up, rage in her eyes. She activates her Byakugan and makes a wild dash for me. Naruto-nii body flickers to her, grabbing her by her collar and lifting her up into the air.

"Hanabi." I call to her. She snarls, obviously overly emotional. "The first lesson you will learn here: know when you are in over your head." She tries to still look angry, but I see the embarrassment. Her Byakugan deactivates, so Nii-san puts her down.

"Hyuuga-sama, I trust you accept what this means?"

"I do. I will send their things over later today. The agreement will begin today, on the seventeenth of November, and will continue until the same date in two years time." He says coldly. Not just neutrally, but actually coldness in his tone. Can we just kick him out now, please?

"As you say. I would have you tell your clan they are here for another purpose however. Perhaps a specialised training? After all, I will be requiring that any family secrets they learn here only be taught to their descendants."

"… That is acceptable." He eyes me, trying to understand me a bit. Good luck, sugar.

"Good. Then I will not keep you any longer, Hyuuga-sama." I bow to him, Yoshino-sensei already asking him to come with her. I know she'll show him out quickly. Everyone's eyes are on me. "I hope I don't have to say that what just happened stays here." I get nothing but nods.

8-8

I end up having 'secret meetings' all afternoon. One with Sensei so she can go buy the furniture we'll need for the Hyuuga sisters. One with Captain and Yuuhi-sensei to discuss Hina-nee's training, and to demand that Yuuhi-sensei come pick her up here and bring her home when they're done. Another with Naruto-nii about my suspicions on Hina-nee's confidence issues. And let's not forget Yasu-nee, to discuss that she's in fact the woman of the house and it's her job to dish out chores as she sees fit.

Now… now is only the Hyuuga sisters, to discuss what I will be in their lives from this point on – even after the agreement is over and done with. Once in the pack, always in the pack.

"Hina-nee. Hanabi. Sit." I demand. Sensei was kind enough to get me two chairs for my office as well – just so I can hold meetings here. I'm still sore about not having those seals though! But Nii-san just isn't skilled enough yet for that.

The sisters do as I ask.

"I am going to explain what you will do here, and what my role will be in that." I begin. "I am not going to pretend I'm the best person to help either of you. However, I am not alone in wanting to help you. Yoshino-sensei has expressed a desire to oversee certain aspects in your training. You will do as she asks, when she asks."

They nod. From the way they aren't even reacting emotionally, I can tell they are used to this kind of talking. "Yuuhi-sensei has also asked that she be allowed to teach you far more than you've been allowed to until now." I say, looking at Hina-nee. "This includes genjutsu training, which your father refused. I think he's an idiot. You will learn these things and more."

The two of them stiffen, but do not say anything. "While we're at it. Everything you learn from me will be considered a secret. You may teach no one other than your descendants, and the same applies to them. Do you understand?" They nod, assuring me that it will be as I demand – or some crap like that.

I look around my office. The floor the ceiling bookshelves covering every inch of the two walls to my right and left. On the right (I think) are my father's medical books, on the left (it's the opposite side at least) are my mother's books on laws, general books on wolves, tracking and plants – I haven't read half of these books.

"Good. Now, let's stop with all this official crap, please?" I offer in a complete deadpan. Hina-nee is so shocked that a laugh escapes her before she can stop it. "Seriously, sounding like Sensei is tiring. And please, don't either of you try sounding like that around me too much. I like things informal and family-like, okay?"

They nod, unsure how to react.

"Good. Hina-nee, this is my office, but you can come in here any time you want. These books weren't meant to collect dust. So I say we read each of them at least once." I tease, smiling at her.

"Th-thank y-you." Hina-nee manages.

"Don't thank me. Naruto-nii's idea. Thank him." I smile at her blazing cheeks. "And Hanabi… I have no idea what you like. So you're going to have to help me out here."

"Hmm?" She seems unsure about that. I study her while she's thinking. The sleeveless shirt (she's completely nuts, wearing that in this weather), the obvious mesh undershirt, the grey pants matching her shirt. Her eyes are white and pupil-less, and utterly expressive. I can tell just by looking at her that she's thinking long and hard, just by her eyes. And her long black hair, with one lock constantly kissing her nose. She's the definition of a kunoichi is training, even though she seems to only be seven years old. Hmm. "Well, I guess I really like to train. I don't like to play much, but I kind of like bananas and milk?"

How revealing. I know so much about you now. I offer a dull glare, unimpressed with her.

"She's also into poetry. She loves writing new poems and simple songs that she likes to sing." Hina-nee adds. I sigh, happy to have more to work with. And just as happy that Hina-nee didn't stutter while saying that.

"Hanabi. I'm a sound release user, a wolf summoner, a kunoichi, a bookworm and a chocoholic. Not everything we do needs to revolve around the shinobi arts." I tell her. She seems shocked that anyone would say that, but Hina-nee just smiles. "And poetry is awesome! You should seriously be proud of something like that!" I sound just like Nii-san. Still, she needs to hear this.

She blushes, smiling a little, but looking away all the same. I don't think anyone's ever complimented her on this – other than Hina-nee at least.

"Hanabi." She looks to me again. "I don't know how much you understand me or my ways, so I'll just say it. I don't trust people as a rule. There are only a handful of people I can say I trust, and only one I trust blindly."

She nods, unsure of what that means. "So please don't make me regret letting you into my pack."

She stares at me in wide-eyed shock. "But… why would you…?"

"Because you love Hina-nee, and she loves you." I say. "And that's enough for me."

8-8

Dinner is turning into quite the affair. The Naras are here, Chouji-kun is here, Momochi-san and Yuki-san are here. Saki-chan is gushing over having another sister and I think Hanabi is really happy about it too. Hina-nee and Naruto-nii are sitting together – and everyone seems more than happy about that. And Yasu-nee… she's mostly just amused that everyone keeps trying to help her with everything.

"Really, it's not like I mind cooking for everyone." Yasu-nee tries again.

"It's not about that. It's about wanting to help you. Is that bad?" Sensei counters. I'm keeping out, mostly.

"So, Chouji-ku~uuuun." I coo. "I hear you've been training really hard lately. It shows in how you handled yourself today." I compliment him, smiling and fiddling with my fingers nervously. He blushes a bit, rubbing the back of his head.

"Really? I mean, I lost every match." He points out.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean you aren't skilled or motivated. I really admire your drive." I blush a little, knowing that I'm laying it on a bit thick. I can't tell if he's even picking up on the HINT AFTER HINT I'm sending his way. I mean, really. Even Naruto-nii is catching on here!

"Thanks. That means a lot coming from you." He grins. He's not going to ask me out, is he. "Now that you mention it. The chuunin exams should be coming up in a few months. I'm really trying to up my game for that, you know." No. Definitely not going to ask me out.

"Yeah. Naruto-nii and I are aiming to ace the exams." I say, my tone less… upbeat. "If you keep training hard like you are, I'm sure you'll do well."

"Speaking of which." Sensei interrupts. I'm grateful, to be honest. This conversation obviously isn't going anywhere positive. "You and Naruto will start your elemental training tomorrow. And make sure you've both signed those summoning contracts. I plan on dealing with that tomorrow as well."

"Signed it last night." Nii-san says, his mouth still half full. Sensei, Hina-nee and I glare at him. He swallows almost painfully. "Sorry. I meant to say that we both already signed the summoning contracts last night." Our glares dull, but we're still glaring at him.

"Well, that's good at least. Now if only you could remember your table manners. We don't want Hinata and Hanabi to get a bad impression of you, now do we."

"Sense~eeeeei! I have great table manners!" He complains.

"You're capable of it, yes." She meets him halfway.

"As interesting as this is. I could use a drink." Momochi-san announces. Well, I'm already done eating, and he has been really nice so far – in his own way.

"Alright. I'll go warm it up for you. Nara-sama, did you want some too?" I offer.

"Thank you, Aya-chan. And really, you can call me Shikaku if you want. It's so confusing with three Naras here." He tries. Yeah, but one's Sensei, the other's Nara-san, and you're Nara-sama. Still… I kind of do feel like I can sort of trust him, a little.

"And calling you Shika-sama would be better?" I tease, bringing my plate and chopsticks with me as I walk to the kitchen. I place the items in the sink, noticing the warm water in a large pot that Yoshino-sensei probably already had prepared for warming up the sake. I grab two bottles from the collection in one of the lower cabinets and place them both in the water. I then go back into the same cabinet and grab two saucers. I make sure to rinse them with some tap water and dry them properly – all the while keeping a count in my head of how long the sake's in the water. When it's exactly the right time, I grab both bottles at once and I walk with them back into the sitting room. I offer Momochi-san his saucer and bottle first, mostly because he's closer, and Nara-sama soon after.

"Thank you, Aya-chan." Nara-sama smiles at me, as he usually does. I beam, thankful for little things like this. Hmm, maybe I should…

"You're quite welcome, Shikaku-san." I make my way back to my seat, not even caring that Momochi-san didn't thank me. He didn't exactly ask me either, so he probably just doesn't think he has to, or something.

"Zabuza-sama~aaaa…?" Yuki-san glares at the man. I know that look. It's a promise of absolute and totally annoyance should the 'request' go ignored.

"Thanks, Namiki." I smile at Momochi-san, but I offer Yuki-san an especially warm smile – controlling a man like Momochi-san can't be easy.

8-8

"Alright, Kakashi. You've run them into the ground all morning. Ease up." Sensei sounds amused. Yeah. Six hours of training. Straight. No breaks, no excuses. Nothing. Why? Because he heard Sensei making me and Nii-san (though mostly me) promise not to give Captain a hard time today.

Bastard took total advantage of it.

"Alright. I guess that's all I'm needed for today then?" He almost sounds disappointed.

"No. Sasuke already has some experience with elemental manipulation. It would be wise to start him out on a secondary element. And I want Aya to start working him in on genjutsu after dinner."

WHAT!?

"Sis, come on. Please?" Nii-san tries, but is immediately ignored. Just like I ignored his last SIX attempted to get me to play nice with Uchiha-san.

"Aya. Listen. And listen well. The team you are assigned to is at worst a peripheral pack. In this case, you are on the same team as your brother. Would you want something to happen to Naruto because you didn't want to work with Sasuke?" Sensei. Stop making sense. Please?

"… fine." I grumble, looking away.

"Aya." I turn back to Sensei. "Stop. Sasuke made a stupid mistake for a stupid reason and then handled the repercussions like an idiot. But… thanks to that you know who your godmother is." Who hasn't shown her face once before or since. I'm so changed by the incident.

"What are we doing now then?" I change the subject.

"Getting you to see what you should be focusing on with your teammate." Sensei doesn't let it go, though. "Tomorrow you'll be doing teamwork exercises. And from what Kakashi tells me, these are teamwork exercises meant for Anbu operatives on a new team. It's going to be demanding, gruelling work. And if you have any issue working with him, you will fail the training. Do you understand?" I meet Sensei's gaze, wondering why she refuses to let this go. I worked just fine with Uchiha-san on a mission!

"Hawk. Eyes. On me." Uchiha-san looks completely blown away, but he activates his eyes. Two commas twirling around like turds being flushed down the toilet. I do the Hell viewing jutsu, with handsigns, so he can copy it. "That's your homework for later. See if you can do it without handsigns. If not, I'll show you a trick that should help."

He deactivates his eyes, nodding to show he understands.

I turn back to Sensei with a look that should clearly ask: satisfied? She looks pleased with herself. "Good. Then Kakashi, Sasuke's with you. Aya, Naruto, you're with me. The first thing we're doing is your initial summoning. I've worked with both your mothers, so I've gotten to know a few of the summons both of you will be working with."

More like Captain's likely to go on himself if he sees a wolf in the flesh.

Still, Nii-san and I follow Sensei into the dojo. She closes the sliding paper screen behind her as she enters. Obviously this is mean to be a private thing.

"Aya. You first. The handsigns are: boar, dog, bird, monkey, ram. You need to bite your thumb and spread the blood onto your fingertips just like when you signed the contract. And it has to be with the same hand you signed with." She explains sternly. "Use about three times the amount of chakra for a body flicker. If that's not enough, you could always try for more after. Nothing bad happens if you don't put enough into it."

"Why not just try for more to begin with then?" Nii-san asks.

"Because you want your first to be young so you can properly bond with them over time. That's why I want you two to start with this now. It takes years to properly bond with your summons, and even longer to trust each other to the point where you can summon them in the middle of a battle and have them not complain about it."

I bite my right thumb, smear the blood onto my fingertips just like when I signed. Then I do the signs.

Boar – Dog – Bird – Monkey – Ram – Summoning jutsu!

I slam my hand onto the training mat. Almost immediately after touching it, I see this… web of black ink flying out from around my hand. A second later, there's a poof of smoke. A rather large poof. Just how big do these wolves get?

It takes almost five seconds before the smoke goes away. "Hello, Aya." I hear. A large –nearly the size of Captain's largest, the bulldog– silver furred wolf with piercing yellow eyes is laying on her side. But that's… the last of the smoke disappears, revealing four pups nursing.

"Awwww! Little babies!" I squeal before I can help it. I don't move though! That might end up being the last thing I do. Nursing wolves aren't… the friendliest of animals if they feel threatened.

"I thought it might end up being you." Yoshino-sensei says, obviously amused. "Aya. I'm not sure if you remember, but this is Tsuren. She was one of your mother's personal summons and one of your babysitters if I recall."

I look at the… intimidating wolf… wondering about that. Nope. No clue. "Sorry, I… don't usually think about the past much."

"Fret not, pup. You barely opened your eyes last I saw you." She soothes. "We were, however expecting you to summon one of us soon. It's been a few days since you signed, after all." She sounds like rolling thunder in the distance, and her eyes are pretty fierce. I can understand why people would find wolves intimidating.

"May I… come closer?" I ask carefully.

"You may. And you as well, Naruto."

"You… know me?" I don't get into their conversation. I take a very clear path around her so she can still follow me but can tell I'm not trying to get too close to her pups. Kami-sama only knows what would happen if she were to get upset or defensive.

Let's see. Ears are relaxed, pointing two different directions to monitor her surroundings. She's not paying too much attention to me. No tension in her. Skin leading to her nose not folded. Teeth not bared. She looks… relaxed. I take a few easy steps coming much closer to the large –and very dangerous– wolf.

"No. I knew your mother, Kushina. I'd been summoned quite often to mind her. And you smell just like her. Cursed noodles and all." Tsuren answers evenly. She turns to me, her eyes almost looking curious. "It's alright, Aya. I won't hurt a member of my pack." That's all the permission I need! I put an open hand on her neck…

"Soft…" Her fur feels… familiar… Like Bazu almost. I smooth her fur, making sure not to muss her fur in the least – wolves aren't prideful of their looks, but I'd rather be overly cautious. "I may not remember you, Tsuren… but I know this feeling. All too well."

"I thought you might. You used to hate taking naps unless Miwako summoned me. I might almost call you my first pup." She teases. I carefully, slowly, wrap my arms around her, burying my nose and most of my face in her fur. I haven't felt this… safe in years.

A pitiful whine snaps me out of it though. "Ah, it would seem the pups have finished with their meal. Would you like to come say hello?" She asks. I nod, but I take another moment to enjoy her fuzzy warmth.

Walking around, I see the four pups, each as large as Pakkun, tumbling over each other. Same gorgeous silvery fur, if a bit more poofy. Same yellow eyes, if a bit softer and cuter. "Be mindful. They are teething, so they might try to bite you to sooth that. It won't hurt, but they aren't allowed to anyway." I'm informed. I nod.

"So… I'm allowed to touch them?" I ask cautiously. "I've read that mothers can be super protective of their pups, and that if another's scent is introduced… it doesn't end well for the owner of the scent or the pup."

"You are right, but older pups are allowed." She points out. Well, she's a wolf, she should know.

"That's true. I'd read that sometimes older she-wolves would be allowed to help raise the pups. Is that why I'm allowed?" I ask, trying to not only understand, but show her that I really do want to understand her and her pack. Respect goes a long way with a wolf – and a Namiki, if I'm honest.

"Yes. You are both she-wolf, and my pup. Not to mention a pup yourself. You won't pose a problem to my babies." She nods almost. I come closer to the four, unable to tell them apart from looks. But… I don't know, they almost seem to smell different from each other. It's not really something I've paid too much attention to. I mean, smelling people to get to know them? Not something you want to do if you want to come over as sane.

One of the pups notices me, tumbling over the others and gracelessly coming over to see who I am. "That's Tsuki, the sole girl of the litter." I nod, letting the curious pup come over on her own. I sit down seiza, letting her sniff me as she pleases. She comes close, sniffs, withdraws, then comes back for another sniff. She's the cautious type; I can respect that. Curious but cautious. I place my open palm in front of me, not near her, but near enough to invite her to come sniff it. It takes almost a minute before she does.

"Hello, Tsuki. I'm Aya." I say, enjoying that she's licking my finger over and over again. Her tongue is really rough, but it somehow feels nice anyway. She whines, yawns so wide that I can see a few teeth peeking up through her gums, then climbs up into my lap and curls up. She's a bit heavy, but not much heavier than Pakkun.

I pick her up, cradling her in my arms. She looks at me, curious. Then she rubs her head against my chest a few times, placing her ear against me and just zones out. I think she just fell asleep. Judging form the light snore-like breaths… yeah, I think she did.

"She trusts you. Mind her for me?" Tsuren asks.

"Of course." I say, marvelling at the gorgeous little thing in my arms.

"When she wakes up, tell her to come home. She'll know how to. Tsuza, Tsuma, Tsupou, we're leaving." There are four poofs, and suddenly the others are gone. Not a very original way to name your babies – do all of their names start with 'tsu'? Well, it can be taken to mean 'fang', maybe that's really important to them? I'll have to ask someday. But not today.

"Aww, I wanted to pet the cute wolf too!" Nii-san complains.

"Shh." I look down at the bundle in my arms. He laughs a little, but doesn't make more noise.

"Naruto. You're up."

He goes through the motions, a much smaller poof pops up. "Yo~ooooo!" I hear instantly, even before the smoke has a chance to disappear.

The smoke is slow to leave… mostly because I think my brain just broke. When it does, I see a tiny little fox. Orange-red fur, on its hind legs, its front paws crossed over its chest. I can't tell the sex, but I can tell that this fox is smaller than the pup in my arms. Much smaller. Skinny, lithe. And the ears are perked up. And wearing a kimono shirt; boy's kimono. "Yokoshima here!" I hear, but… "You the new guy, ain't che. Waz good in yo' hood?"

8-8

End Chapter 26

8-8

A/N: A good bit longer, but I simply needed to cover more this time. Few little subtleties I wanted to point out. First off, Kurenai. As far as I can tell in cannon, she and Hinata are quite close, especially from Hinata's PoV. Or at least, in the pre-Shipuuden days. I have no idea why Shikamaru would offer her more attention in and post Shippuden than Hinata. It doesn't fit with the girl's character. Still, whatever. Hinata probably just fell into Kurenai's "you really don't have to" crap because she was mourning, but whatever.

Anyhoo, Kakashi. He still isn't the type of person he needs to be, though he's obviously trying his best. With the trauma of his past and how poorly he dealt with it, both in Canon and in here, he'll need a lot more time to work out the kinks. For those who REALLY like Kakashi as a character, fret not, he'll get there.

Hiashi on the other hand. He's more complex than a simple 'good/bad guy'. Everyone is, but especially him. There's a backstory to his idiocy in this chapter, even though it's convenient for Aya. It may or may not be dealt with soon. No promises; it'll happen when it happens.

Shikaku is something more of a mystery, even to me sometimes. I mean, what's his relationship with Aya? Does he see her as his wife's student? Is she family? At any rate, he's protective of her, but... I dunno, I feel like there could be more lurking there.

As for Zabuza and Haku. They're still somewhat more a mystery at this point, not surprising given they're new to Konoha and don't really trust anyone yet. But... just how much would Haku's gender change in their dynamic?

Sasuke though... what's his deal? Does he have a crush on Aya? He says he doesn't, but he sometimes act as if he does. He knows she is crushing on Chouji, and he knows Chouji reciprocates, but Chouji just isn't making his move! Why? And will Sasuke be able to try worm his way into her heart before Chouji does? So much going on!