Ch. 26: Little Brother
I arrived at the weapon store. Tenten was polishing a few short blades. She looked up and smiled when I said "Hi" and quicly put them back on display before asking me why I was back.
"What kind of weapon would you suggest for the way I fight?"
She considered it for a while, then told me to follow her. She led the way to the Yamanaka flower shop. She asked for Natsumi and we waited while her aunt got her from the back room.
"What's up?" she asked, brushing a strand of white-blonde hair behind her ear.
"Let's go to the training fields by the store," Tenten said.
So we walked to the training fields, and Tenten immediately commanded Tsumi and I to fight with our weapons. Tsumi shrugged.
"Sure." She pulled out her chain-connected blades and, letting go of one, swung it towards me.
I hit the ground, unsheathing my katana in a wide arc to catch her leg. Pulling the flying end back towards her, she grabbed it from midair and flipped backwards. Tsumi quicly sheathed both blades, flipping the clasps attaching the handles and sheaths together very carefully and securely. Then she began using the connected, sheathed blades as nunchukki.
I followed her example and sheathed my katana, sealing it shut with some 'sticking' chakra, the type used to walk up walls and tree trunks. I spun it experimentally like a long pole, then Tsumi came swinging and the battle became fiercer.
Duck, swipe, flip, kick up, swing right, twist, roll, check chakra glue, block, roundhouse kick, cartwheel, spin katana above head and backflip, swipe upwards, swing left, swing right, spin, check chakra, block, shove away, swing downwards. Then Tsumi swung her nunchukki at me again and I caught the chain around my katana. More 'sticky' chakra between the sheath and chain, chakra to arms, lift, spin, and release chakra.
But only the chain fell at my feet, Tsumi having unhooked her blades before soaring into a flip and landing softly.
"Use jutsus!" Tenten shouted. In response, I tossed a handy vial of plain scented water to distract Tsumi, then I quickly used a replacement jutsu to switch places with a log behind her so I could put a kunai up against her neck.
Then I gasped as I felt cold metal around my own neck, pulled taut but not choking. A simple genjutsu.
Tenten nodded in satisfaction before instructing Tsumi and I to follow her. Returning to the store, she pulled out a single weapon.
A senbon.
"Paired with poison, it can be a lethal weapon, even by itself. Easily concealed as well. You could have pulled one out coated in a paralyzing serum and jabbed it into Tsumi's femoral artery and she would have lost strength before she was able to choke you. Or there are pressure points, and all you need are speed and aim."
I nodded.
"Senbon require no elemental-style chakra, but careful application and control of regular chakra can allow you to direct senbon once they have left your control, much like the puppet masters of Suna."
"Like this?" I asked, sending a thread of chakra through the ground and up a table leg, managing with some difficulty to make a sword on display lift up vertically, hilt still in contact with the tabletop.
"Umm, yeah, I think so, but through the air. Try looking for a Hyūga for help. There's one in my class- a boy with ridiculously pretty hair, but his ability to see chakra would be really helpful."
"Thanks, Tenten, and you too, Tsumi."
"Glad to be of assistance. Come again!" Tenten smiled, waving goodbye and Tsumi doing the same.
"Hyūga, huh?" I wondered aloud as I walked toward the door. Then I tripped over a plastic garbage container, knocking it over and spilling its contents out.
My eye was immediately drawn to a piece of reflective material. Darn my fascination for all things shiny. I fished it out and felt my eyebrows draw together in confusion.
"Hey, Tenten, isn't this one of those pieces of chakra-affinity paper?" I asked.
"Umm... I think so," she said, perplexed. "I've never seen one like that, though. Does it have anything written on the back of it?"
"Let's see, it has R. T. on the back. Why?"
"R. T... Oh, that stand for Riku Tomoko. That was one of yours, but I have no idea what it means if it's shiny. I'd ask someone who knows a lot, like maybe Iruka-sensei," she murmured, "but if it's all the same to you, could I keep this one?"
I nodded, sorting through the worn polishing cloths and singed rags for the other glint of light I'd seen. I quickly grabbed the second piece that I remembered using before straightening up and nodding to Tenten and Tsumi.
"Well, see you guys around."
Tsumi waved while Tenten stared with a puzzled expression at the sheet of glossy paper in her hand. As I turned the corner, I found myself doing the same, pondering the meaning of a chakra-affinity paper looking as though it was covered in a metal with the flexibility of parchment and the clear gleam of crystal.
Curiosity piqued and mind made up, I turned towards the Hokage Tower. But I abruptly twisted back around at a glimpse of light I saw flash at the conrner of my eye. Then I fell flat on my back as the flash turned out to be a kunai. However, seeing a glaring orange as well, I immediately called out to the culprit.
"Naruto!"
"Sorry nee-chan!" he snickered cheekily, but his expression quickly turned to one of horror as he took in that I wasn't who he thought I was. His jaw dropped at the sight of the shiny metal insignia around my waist, and he took off, looking back every few seconds, squealing, "Sorry! It wasn't my fault!"
Shaking my head and muttering under my breath, I followed after him towards the Tower, trying not to laugh at the panicky shriek he gave when it became apparent to him that I was following him.
We finally came to the Tower and Naruto bolted up the stairs with me tailing him. He burst through the doors to Sarutobi-san's office which was, thankfully, empty but for the Hokage. Naruto immediately squealed, "Ojii-san, some girl is trying to kill me!"
"Really, now?" Sarutobi-san looked up to see me and smiled. "Did you do something to provoke her?"
"NO!" Naruto flat-out lied. "...Er...I said sorry!" he appealed.
"Riku Tomoko, correct?" I nooded. "I apologize for Naruto's actions. Now, I'm sure you had another reason for coming here, so Naruto," he turned to the Academy student, "run along and play with-"
"No," I cut in, "it's fine. He can stay." Sarutobi-san nodded, so I turned to Naruto. "You little brat. You invited me to watch your play but now you don't know me?"
Naruto peered through his ridiculously bright yellow bangs with equally ridiculously large blue eyes. Then his whole face lit up with a huge smile.
"Tomoko-nee-chan!" he exclaimed. "It's you!"
"Goofball. Be more careful next time," I admonished.
Then I turned to Sarutobi-san and explained the basis for my query. He kept a warmly impassive expresssion, but I could feel his chakra flaring out ever-so-slightly every once in a while, most noticeably when I showed him the chakra paper.
"So what does it mean?" I asked.
"From what I know about chakra and your abilities, it would seem that you have no affinity for any element. However, chakra control seems to come naturally to you. Am I correct in assuming that?" I nodded. "So, you could say that you have an affinity to chakra itself," he mused.
"Thank you, Sarutobi-san."
"How strange," he murmured, turning to the window on my left and waving his hand to dismiss me. I neatly tore the sheet in two and left half on his desk.
"Come on, Naruto," I called over my shoulder. He bounded up to me and slipped his hand in mine.
"Tomoko-nee-chan is so cool!" he exclaimed.
"You're not so bad yourself," I answered.
He grinned brightly enough to light up the whole village and kept the smile all the way to the inn.
"Thank you, fine sir, for escorting me home." I curtsied. He looked at me as if I'd grown another head. "You're supposed to bow and say something smart back!" I whispered.
"OH! Uh, I'm glad to eskirt you to your hou-" he did a double take, "-to your inn, m'lady."
"It's 'escort', but otherwise, perfect!"
"I remembered from a story the teacher told the class once," he confessed.
"Keep practicing, and then you'll be ready for when you meet an actual princess!" I encouraged, but Naruto was already tearing down the road to a distant pink shoulder-high blob.
"BYE NARUTO!" I bellowed.
It took a while for the sound to reach me, but I faintly picked up his answer.
"Bye Tomoko-nee-chan!"
Deki and Kazu came out to find me grinning like a certain idiot. They looked in the same direction as I still was, and turned to face me, puzzled.
"What?" Deki asked.
"I've got a younger brother."
"You already have one, remember?" Kazu's comment broke the spell, and I shook my head vigorously to clear it. I laughed lightly.
"Yeah, but this one is actually cute." I grinned cheekily. "Race you inside!"
Kazu won, of course, but it really didn't matter because Deki was truly smiling.
And me?
I had a younger brother who actually called me sister.