Author Notes:

So this chapter has taken so long. (Hangs head and shuffles feet) My brain stole my wallet and went on this really fantastic vacation with my credit cards and it just took me a long time to find it again. Sorry

Disclaimer:

As always I'm too poor to own Naruto but my brain takes nice vacations for me so it works out.

Chapter Seven

An Apprentice

Watarimono wandered around the town for awhile. She had already seen enough to learn that this town was pretty much the same as the one she had yearned to get away from when she had been a child. However she was looking for where the Yamanaka family lived here and although Tsu had given her the address that didn't make it any easier to find. The Streets of Konoha were a maze to navigate. Alleyways were created by buildings being placed right in the center of the street. She supposed if she'd had been a ninja it would have made travel by roof top easier but she wasn't a ninja so her feet had to travel over the ground. Eventually she found herself standing in front a flowershop with the address she was looking for. So the Yamanaka family seemed to be into plants here too. That was interesting. She was about to push the door open when a pink blur brushed by her with a cuse me floating in the air over her shoulder. Following the blur through the door, she wasn't surprised to find Pinky leaning up against the counter talking animatedly to the blond girl standing behind it.

The Blonde had noticed her entrance and gave her a smile of welcome while holding up a finger to indicate she needed a minute or two before she could help her. Watarimono nodded and smiled back, giving the girls a moment to finish their conversation. It seemed that Pinky was doing all the talking but the cashier heard her out patiently.

"So Sakura, you're excited because he touched your hand when he passed you on his way home for lunch. You think he did it on purpose or did he just not have enough space to avoid it?"

"What does that mean, Pig? Of course he meant to touch me. Why wouldn't he? Everyone knows we're meant to be together. I am his biggest fan after all."

"Forehead girl! Stop it. If he meant to touch you, then he must have said something to you. So what did he say? Did he ask you to have lunch or go on a date?"

"No Ino. He didn't say anything. He just touched my hand."

"Well did he at least look at you. I mean in the eye. Look you in the eye." Ino sounded like she believed Sakura's story about as much as she believed she'd sprout wings in a min.

"Well, no but so what. He touched my hand." Sakura squealed like a stuck pig.

Watarimono decided enough was enough. She needed to get this girl out of the range of her ears if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her hearing. "Excuse me girls but I believe you are the person I am supposed to find young lady." She pointed to Ino.

"Wait your turn. My lunch break is almost up and she and I were talking. You can order your flowers when we're done," said Sakura turning her back on Watarimono.

"Hey Forehead, that was rude. This is my folks shop and maybe she's on a lunchbreak also. This may be the only time she can buy her flowers." Ino stepped out from behind the counter folding her hands together neatly in front of her body. "My name is Yamanaka Ino. How may I help you today?"

Behind her Sakura snorted but Ino ignored her to concentrate on the customer in front of her. "Oh I am not here to buy flowers. And you are the person I was asked to train. My name is Yaman Watarimono and I am a distant relative of yours. My branch of the family uses our bloodline trait a little differently than yours does and your Hokage has asked that I show you how to use it like I do. Would this be of interest to you?" She had seen the interest the moment she had said they were related but it wasn't Ino that answered her.

"Yes, she would Rakki Otome No Jiko." A man with the same blond hair as the girl in front of her now stood behind the counter. "Any thing you could desire to teach my unworthy daughter would be help most welcome." He sent a deep bow in Watarimono's direction. Ino and Sakura were looking at him as if they'd never seen him before.

"Who are you and what did you do with my daifu?" asked Ino.

Watarimono laughed. "Don't worry. That's your daifu. I guess he's just heard of me that's all. Why don't you say good bye to your friend and then we can get down to what I will teach you and what you already know."

"Ok." She walked back over to Sakura. "As for what you were telling me earlier, it doesn't sound like Sasuke really meant to touch your hand at all. He probably doesn't even know he did. Knowing you, you didn't give him enough room to get by on the sidewalk so he brushed against you by accident. It doesn't mean he's chosen you so it's still on Forehead." Then she turned on her heel and Watarimono saw two expressions warring for dominance on her face. The first was exasperation and the second exhilaration. It was clear the girls were in a race for the boy they both liked but just how common was the name Sasuke in this town? They couldn't be vying for the boy with no emotions could they? Ino made it back to her side and together they left the shop.

"What's a good place to observe people while we eat some decent food?" she asked the girl.

"Well for observing people an out door café would work best but for good food than it'd definitely have to be the Bar-b-Que joint down the street from here." She paused for a minute. "Can I ask you why my Daifu was acting like that? I've never seen him bow to anyone before except the Hokage."

Watarimono sighed. "Well now that I've walked into your life it's going to change things for you. Hopefully not very much but it will still change things."

Ino frowned delicately. She didn't want wrinkles but this was confusing. "Like how?"

"Well, when you get home tonight your Daifu is going to ask you a lot of questions about me and what I talked to you about today. He is going to know what I said and you are going to be asked to recall the exact language I used. It's a lot of nonsense but that's how it is I guess."

"Is your name really Rakki? If so then why did you introduce yourself as that other name?"

"Yeah my given name is Yamanaka Rakki Otome No Jiko. A proud boastful name given to me by an arrogant little man who wanted to make sure he was remembered by everyone who knew me. But when I gained my freedom from him I changed my name. Now I am Yaman Watarimono. My daughters are Rakki and Jiyuu, so named because with their birth we all gained our freedom to be the people we were born to be."

Ino looked puzzled but hopefully she'd figure this one out later. For now she just led the way inside the Bar-b-Que place and looked for her Sensei and friends. When she spotted Chouji she led Watarimono over to them and introduced her. Asuma, her Sensei, gave Watarimono a polite greeting and then asked her to join them for lunch.

"I have been asked by the Hokage to train Ino in the way my branch of the family uses her gift but I do not wish to interfere with her regular training. Is there a good time for her to be with me and away from you guys?

"We usually do our training whenever we can get this lazy guy to wake up long enough so whenever is best for you I will work around."

Watarimono looked at the boy he had indicated who had his head resting on his folded arms which were resting on the table. She saw Ino poke a finger into his side but the boy didn't even twitch. Ino's brow shot up and she got a slight grin on her face as she poked him twice in rapid succession. For her reward, he snored but made no move to protect his vulnerable side. Watarimono smiled as she watched the girl playing with her sleeping teammate. She glanced at the tables other occupants and saw they were both watching Ino also. Asuma had an indulgent smile on his face while Chouji showed more interest in the bar-b-que on his plate.

After lunch they walked out of the restaurant with her genin team and parted ways on the sidewalk. Ino followed her and she led the way to the training ground where she'd found Kakashi training his team the day before. As they walked she had Ino observe the people around them. She kept quiet and did the exercise herself.

When they drew near the training ground she took a seat on a bench and had Ino tell her what she had seen.

"Well, I'm not sure what I was supposed to be looking for but Ms. Yaku really needs better help in picking her wardrobe. She seemed to think she looked good in that color but boy is she wrong." Ino rolled her eyes.

"Ok Fashion is not what I wanted you to observe. It's good to note when someone is wearing something out of character so in that sense noticing what people wear is important. Does she normally dress like that?"

"Always. She really has no sense of when colors clash. I still swear she's the seamstress who made that jumpsuit Naruto always wear. No one else would make one in bright orange with blue trim."

"Then she is a seamstress?"

"Uhhh. . . I don't think so. Her daifu would probably have a heart-attack if she ever soiled her hands on real labor."

"Oh so that was just gossip. Ok. Well, let me tell you how I work. I work with peoples minds. Not to trap them but to heal them. When people wear a mask it is because something is hurting them and they don't want anyone to know about it. But it's my job to find it and relieve that hurt before it can destroy them. Ninjas wear a lot of masks I am discovering. So this town alone could easily keep me, my daughters and you busy for the rest of our natural lives."

Ino thought carefully about what she'd just heard before she spoke, "Let me see if I understand this right. My branch of the family uses our gift to slip into people's minds and make them give up the fight but your side uses it to rip away the masks we put on to keep others from hurting us over things we are sensitive to and you want to teach me to do this also."

"Basically yes."

"Why?"

"Because when people hide things behind a mask they are things that are hurting them. And sometimes those things can hurt others as well. I don't like to see people in pain when I know I can help remove it."

"Ok I guess that makes sense but what about those people who aren't hurting and only put on a mask to keep themselves from being hurt?"

"No one does that, Ino. People only find a mask after they have already been hurt."

"I need to think about this and talk to my daifu about it. It feels like I would be betraying my friends if I agree to learn this and I don't want to do that."

"You wouldn't be betraying anyone Ino because you wouldn't be able to gossip about what you find under the mask or even who is wearing it. You wouldn't be able to say a word about it. We do not under any circumstances gossip. Ever. And in a way you are already attempting to do what I do anyway. Your friend, Pinky at the shop. . ."

"Oh you mean Forehead girl. She and I have been friends since before the academy but right now we both like the same boy. He doesn't share the attraction but that's what makes it cool cause he doesn't like any other girl either."

"Ok new question. How many boys are there named Sasuke in this village?"

"Just one that I know of. Uchiha Sasuke. His whole clan was killed when he was a kid by his older brother who then ran off leaving him alone to practically raise himself but the village pitched in and made sure his needs and most of his wants are met. Everyone tries their hardest to help him but Sasuke changed after that and now he hardly ever smiles and all his feelings come out of his eyes. You have to look hard to know what he thinks about anything."

"I see you've really though a great deal about him but now I want you to close your eyes and just think about him as he was when you last saw him. I want you to throw out everything you think you know and just tell me what you know from the image in your mind."

Ino was quiet. She sat with her arms around her knees which were drawn to her chest as she studied Sasuke in her mind. Finally she said, "He's sad, and angry and lonely. There were a bunch of us all around but he seems to be looking for a particular person. I get the feeling he doesn't see who he wanted to and that's what is making him angry. It's like maybe if that person had been there then he wouldn't be lonely and he's angry cause he is, you know?" She opened her eyes and looked at Watarimono.

"Much better Ino. Much better. When was this?"

"We have a weekly get together of the genins from our graduating year. Well, us and one other team. But it's a lot of fun and everyone who isn't out on a mission or off training comes to reconnect with friends and just relax for a few hours. In our line of work those ties that bind us to each other are all the more precious cause we know they could snap at any time. We're Ninjas and our lives aren't ours to command, as Shika says."

"Shika?"

"My teammate who slept through lunch today and will sleep through it again tomorrow too. I have to stop by his place every time we have an early practice and wake him up but he is really smart so I don't mind doing it. It's one way I can benefit my team and since I am the most vulnerable of the team . . ."

"That's why I don't really understand why you're a ninja at all. My family always said we shouldn't be ninjas because we were too vulnerable to attack."

"Well, all girls are the most vulnerable members of their team but they can also make the difference between a team surviving a mission and dying. Rarely are we ever stronger than our male counter-parts but we tend to be medics and most of us have better chakra control than the boys do. Statistically we are also better at Genjutsu than guys are. I think that's because we think differently than the guys but I'm not sure."

"Hm Could be. I never really thought about it before but yeah I can see how having a girl on the team could help a team make it back from a difficult mission alive. Anyway don't you want to know who we will be working with while we train you?"

Ino grinned, "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready to."

"Well, Tsunade has asked me to help Naruto and Sasuke to take off their masks. Neither is wearing a physical mask but both have one that they are hiding behind. My job is to rip it away and you will be helping me do it while you learn to do it yourself. We are also going to help that girl, what'd you call her, Forehead I think, learn some better manners and some definite people skills before she gets the crap knocked out of her for hitting someone on the wrong day."

"Forehead girl? Sakura! She normally has really good manners. Please don't judge her by the way she behaved today in the shop."

"I'm not. While you have been doing your exercises I was watching the practice going on in the field behind you. She has hit that boy in orange who I know to be Naruto no less than ten times for little or no reason as far as I can see. That is way more dangerous than she knows."

"Naruto? He would never hurt her. He'd never hurt anyone in this village. And he probably made a rude comment to or about Sasuke. Either that or he asked her out again. She always hits him for that stuff."

"And you seem to think it's ok for your friend to beat up on her teammate because he asked her out." Watarimono raised a brow at Ino.

"Well, no but then he seems to expect it and if she didn't he'd think something was wrong you know. Actually I don't like how free she is with her fists towards him but this is the pattern they have developed and I don't know that she can stop without hurting him more."

"I see. But as far as I can tell she doesn't want to stop either. She seems to look for instances to hit him. He was fighting Sasuke when she ran out and hit him on the top of his head. Sasuke stepped away from the fight but she stayed there and when he went to stand up she beat him down again. Is that alright in your book?"

"No. If he and Sasuke were fighting than what she did was dangerous. Their fights are legendary here. They can turn from practice to real in a heartbeat and when they get real, they get deadly."

"I thought you said Naruto won't hurt anyone here."

"Well he will Sasuke cause Sasuke provokes him and he knows Sasuke has a good chance of surviving the battle. They'll go all out on each other but with everyone else Naruto will hold back and only use as much of his strength as he needs to in order to win. He never tries for the kill in a battle unless there's no other way."

"Hm. . . well I think it's time to go cook my girls dinner so I will pick you up tomorrow at the flowershop for lesson two. Same time I picked you up today. Goodnight Ino."

Watarimono walked over to where Kakashi stood alone by the black spire. He was staring at the names carved on the stone so she gave him a couple of minutes in silence before speaking.

"Kashi, come to my place for dinner tonight. There's some things you need to know." She put her hand through the space between his chest and his arm. He just looked at her and then gave a slow nod. He turned from the spire and reached out with his other hand to touch the surface of the rock before leading her away from the memorial. They didn't talk on the walk to her place. He held her hand on the crook of his elbow and they just enjoyed the silence of the evening.

When they reached her place the door was thrown open by Rakki and they stepped inside. Now that Kakashi wasn't trying to avoid Watarimono he actually had a chance to notice the girls. He saw they both had the same silver hair that he had only theirs was longer.

"Watari? Who's children are these?" he asked growing suspicious.

Watari walked over and placed a hand on the shoulder of each of her daughters. They all three looked at him with the same green eyes and said, "Yours."

He fainted to the sounded of laughter.

Author Notes:

And here it is; the next chapter in the saga of Watarimono. I'm trying to keep all the characters true to the personalities they show in the magna and I know I'm exagerating Sakura's behavior but really she is a rude abusive little girl who does think too highly of herself quite often. If you really like Sakura and you think I'm making her too mean then I apologize but it's my story and I'm too much of a parent not to want to punish the brat when she behaves badly in the magna.

Ok lot of new words today. I got these from a English/Japanese translation site so if they are wrong tell them not me. Just kidding tell me and I'll try to write it down somewhere it won't get lost.

Rakki Otome No Jiko Lucky daughter of Self. Watarimono's father named her lucky daughter and used his own name "Self"as part of her name.

Daifu father