Their first real day as a team found them waiting for their Sensei in an early morning drizzle. It didn't bother the boys as the Land of Fire remained fairly warm well into Fall, and Summer had just ended recently.
"Excellent," they heard behind them, making two of the friends jump and the other one smirk, "You're all here."
"So do we get to start missions now?" Hotaka asked eagerly after recovering from his shock.
"Not quite," Hiroto smiled, "I have some more tests for you."
They groaned in unison before he continued, "These have no bearing on your position. You have more than earned your place in the Corps and this team. I just want to see exactly where you stand in your training so I know what to teach you."
"That doesn't sound so bad..." Masaru commented warily.
"Don't worry," Hiroto's smile somehow went from warm to slightly sadistic, "It won't be."
XxXxXxX
Hiroto watched Osamu and Hotaka complete yet another lap around their training field. That made forty-eight laps, or twenty-four kilometers, total they had run. Masaru had dropped out ten laps ago, and was still leaning against a tree guzzling water from a canteen.
"Small sips, Masa-kun," he called to his largest student, "You'll throw up again if you gulp it down like that."
The exhausted teen made a grunting noise that Hiroto took for understanding. A few minutes later, huffing and puffing, the smaller boys came around the bend. Neither looked very happy to still be running, but only Hotaka had the dull look in his eye that indicated he was past his limit and running on pure willpower.
"That's enough, Hota-kun," Hiroto called out, "How many more can you manage, Osa-kun?"
"Three... maybe four," he panted as he ran past.
"Give me one more," Hiroto ordered.
Osamu nodded and disappeared onto the wooded trail that went around the field.
Hiroto went to make sure Hotaka wasn't drowning himself, but was lost in thought. It surprised him that Osamu had the most endurance of the three, considering his small stature and specialty, but it didn't surprise him that they had tossed him yet another curve ball.
The first expectation they had destroyed since starting his diagnostics two weeks ago was with anatomical knowledge. He hadn't dreamed that Hotaka would blow his friends out of the water after seeing his academic scores.
That had just been the tip of the proverbial iceberg of odd skills. Hotaka also proved to be the best at pure stealth, while Masaru had the best overall reflexes. Osamu had shown he could forge any handwriting he saw and, adjusting for size and weight, was stronger than both of his teammates.
Topping the list at useful abilities was Masaru's uncanny knack for lockpicking. He could open just about any lock with tools as wild as a coat-hanger and a butter knife. Why this hadn't appeared on his dossier, Hiroto had no clue, but it would serve the team well.
His thoughts were interrupted as Osamu came jogging in from his last lap. He came to a stop and bent over gasping for air.
"Alright, boys," Hiroto said brightly, "Two weeks of hell is over. We'll start doing missions and team exercises after the Day of Mourning. I'll also have some personal training regimens for you."
"Hate... you," was the only response he got. Probably from Masaru, but he couldn't quite tell from the toneless fatigue in the voice.
"Good! See you boys in a couple of days."
XxXxXxX
Ren stalked her target with all the grace and stealth of her feline partner. As an added measure, said feline was maintaining an obscuring genjutsu around them.
Volunteering to watch Hiroto for her clandestine organization had been an entirely selfish play. Her doubts were hard to shake, and this gave her a legitimate reason to spy on him to make sure he didn't try anything. What she had seen had been eye opening.
Hiroto had driven her brother and his friends into the dirt just to get a feel for their various skills. They had spent two full weeks of ten hour days doing it, and Ren was astounded by the jonin's breadth of knowledge and skill.
He was harsh in training, but also a good mentor. It hadn't taken long for each of the boys to come to their Sensei with the issues that had arisen from their first kills. He had managed to calm each of their fears over the course of about an hour apiece.
On top of all that, he had dodged or defeated no less than five attempts on his life since the rumors had been spread. Each assailant had frustratingly managed to off themselves once defeated despite Hiroto's efforts to keep them alive.
The image she had of the dastardly Kumo shinobi that had so ruthlessly killed off her kin and the one forming as she watched this plain man go about his business were not syncing up in the least. Some irrational part of her mind refused to believe what she was seeing was his true nature, but she was beginning to ignore it.
There was no attack that afternoon, and Hiroto made it back to his apartment unmolested save for a few dirty looks. She watched from a nearby roof as he and the young jinchuuriki he cared for went about preparing an early evening meal. It was a signal that her relief would be here soon.
Sure enough she felt another presence on the roof with her after a few minutes had passed. She turned and was surprised to see Inoichi himself. Her normal counterpart had been an older gentleman with kind brown eyes who looked as if he couldn't hurt a fly. They had never exchanged names.
"Inoichi-san... I didn't expect you," she voiced her thoughts, "Is there something wrong?"
He waved his hand dismissively, "My ladies are having a 'girls night'... whatever that means. I've essentially been exiled from the house."
Ren smirked at the thought. Every time she saw what was essentially her boss, he seemed to be in a situation that made him look nowhere near the dangerous shinobi he was.
"Well... not much to report today," Ren started her briefing, "A full day of his diagnostics, mostly endurance tests. No attacks today."
Inoichi frowned in thought, "I have a feeling the next attempt will be made soon, and with more than one assassin."
Ren nodded in agreement, "I'm worried they may try something while Osa-kun and the others are around."
"That would be extremely problematic," Inoichi said seriously, "I don't doubt ROOT would take advantage of them. Hiroto-san has shown he is more than willing to face death to save a comrade, and as noble as that is, it could easily be used against him."
She looked back at the window she had been using to spy on her brother's Sensei. Hiroto and Naruto were currently heaving wooden chopsticks at one another. It was a game they played, one of many, to determine who had to clean up after the meal.
They were laughing and having fun. Despite the lack of blood relations, they were at least as close as she and Osamu were. The fact that anyone would try to destroy that relationship caused her ire to rise. It was then she realized that she no longer had any misgivings about Hiroto. She still wanted answers, but Ren no longer suspected he was up to no good.
"Ren-san?" Inoichi's voice sounded as if he had said that more than once.
"We need to help him the next time they attack," she advised her superior.
"That would expose us to a certain degree," he countered without actually denying the possibility, "The gain would have to be great."
"ROOT wants Naruto-kun for something," she looked him dead in the eyes, challenging him to argue with her, "If they get him, nothing good can come of it. We need a live prisoner to interrogate."
Inoichi sighed in resignation, "You're right, of course. How do you suggest we proceed?"
Ren gave him a vicious, toothy grin. One that made her look far more feral than happy.
She had a splendid idea.
XxXxXxX
Hiroto glanced out the window just in time to see Ren, or more accurately the illusion that was covering her, disappear. If he ever got the chance, he would mention to her that Mikazuki was losing his touch. He payed for the distraction when a bombardment of chopsticks pegged him in multiple vital spots.
"HA!" Naruto cried in triumph, "That's three hundred points for me. You only have two fifty."
He just smiled and decided to let the kid have his moment, "Guess I gotta clean up."
He began to pick up the dishes from their early dinner. He had hoped to get to bed early. He still needed to prepare a few things for tomorrow, and he would need to get up early to get them done.
"Hey, Nii-san," Naruto's unusually timid voice broke through his thoughts, "Can you do something for my birthday?"
He turned from his task at the sink and raised an eyebrow, "I thought you didn't want anything this year..."
"I know I said that, but..." he paused as if trying to find the proper words. A strange thing for the normally hyperactive teen, "I want to release some lanterns tomorrow for the Day of Mourning."
Now both of Hiroto's brows were raised, "That might not be such a good idea. People don't see the difference between the beast and its container so well."
Naruto nodded in understanding, "I know that. I... I just want to see what people lost. I've been having some bad thoughts recently... since I found out. I've been so angry about the way people treated me."
"Are you hoping seeing the hurt that the Kyuubi brought to this village will help you cope?" the elder brother asked, "You have every right to be angry, you know?"
"I know," Naruto moved to sit heavily on their couch, " but Jiji always told me that just because people do bad things sometimes, doesn't mean they are bad. He said that there's always a story behind each act."
"That's some good wisdom," he told the boy.
"That's why I want to see the lanterns," he looked at Hiroto plaintively, "I want to know the stories. I want to know that the people here aren't bad, and I want them to know they're wrong about me."
Hiroto ran a calloused hand through his short hair and sighed, "It could be rough, Naruto. October tenth is probably the worst day for you to be out on the streets."
"I won't leave your side," Naruto offered pleadingly, "I swear."
He considered the boy long and hard. He saw the determination in his eyes; the raw desire to see his village in a positive way. He finally decided that, no matter the consequences, he couldn't say no to that.
"I'm going to enlist an ANBU detail," he explained, "If anyone tries to attack you, I want you to clone yourself a hundred times and scatter."
Naruto brightened when he realized his request was being granted. He jumped up and tackled his older brother in a hug, "Thanks, Nii-san. My surprise won't work if I'm not there."
Before Hiroto could respond, the boy was gone into his room.
"Wait..." he called after him, "What surprise?"
XxXxXxX
Osamu was nearly finished prepping the food when he heard his sister come into the house. He was just placing the last few dishes on the table when she entered the kitchen.
"Satisfied yet?" he was careful to keep any accusation out of his voice.
"You sensed me?" her eyes widened a bit, "I was almost three hundred meters away. You're getting more sensitive..."
He nodded, "I can see auras even when I'm suppressing my Sight now. If I let it through fully, I can sense them out to almost half a kilometer."
She gave a low whistle and sat down to eat, "That's impressive, but not unheard of for a good sensor."
"It's a headache," Osamu countered sourly, "Konoha has a lot of people. I sense all the emotions in my range at once."
"Sounds distracting..." she gave him a worried look, "How much chakra are you burning just to keep it down?"
"Not all that much," he placated her, "You still haven't answered my question."
She smirked at his ability to keep from being led in a conversation, "I'm not spying on him for personal reasons."
He didn't respond to her question in any way, but she could feel the disbelief coming off of him.
"Okay... they aren't entirely personal," she admitted, "And to answer your question: yes. I am now sure he is not going to do anything to purposely hurt you."
"Well that's a relief," he replied sarcastically. His voice grew more serious with his next question, though, "What about the man I... I killed? Did you consider what I told you?"
She nodded in response as she began to place various items on her plate, "I'm certain he was possessed, but I doubt it was a demon if you saw the change in his aura."
Her lack of reaction, either to comfort him or condemn what he'd done, seemed to be the right answer. His level of discomfort from bringing it up seemed to drop.
"You think it was a human spirit?" he began to place food on his own plate.
"That's all I can think of," she frowned sadly, "I wish Kaa-san were here to guide you. She knew so much about the human spirit."
Osamu sighed in resignation, "Guess we'll just have to fumble around blindly and hope for the best."
"It could have just been an isolated incident," Ren offered speculatively.
"Maybe," he didn't sound too sure, "He did mention a 'master.'"
His sister shrugged, "Until we know more, we can't do much."
He didn't seem to much like the sound of that, so she decided to change the subject.
"There's something you can do," he looked at her curiously, "I need help with something."
"Does this have to do with all that secret work you do for the Hokage?" Osamu asked with undisguised interest.
"Know about that, do you?" she was beginning to get used to her brother having more information than he should.
"I do now," he replied with a smile, and she cursed inwardly for falling for such an obvious ploy.
She was going to tell him a bit about it anyway, so she just continued, "I need you and the boys to do something for me."
XxXxXxX
Masaru marveled at the quiet of the village as he followed Ren's black feline through the fox district. Though only the six of them lived within the district, and few dared to live too close, one could always hear the bustle of activity in the distance. Now all he could hear as he meandered down the road were a few birds.
Masaru had been surprised to hear Zuki scratching at the door to his home carrying a message. It wasn't that he didn't do it often enough; Osamu regularly bribed the cat with salmon to get him to perform such tasks. It was the fact that it was coming on October tenth.
He honestly hated the Day of Mourning. A lot of kids like him had lost parents that day twelve years ago. A lot of them couldn't remember those they had lost, but unlike him, they had people there to spin stories of the ones now gone.
The identity of his own father was a secret, though. One that had been kept from him. He was honestly jealous of Hotaka, who had a number of people to give him perspective on the parent he'd lost. All Masaru knew about his father was that he was a genius of fuuinjutsu.
He arrived at the Sakibous' large house and followed Zuki's lead in jumping over the high fence to the back. The feline led him past the garden, where a couple of larger cats were sunning themselves, and to a stand of trees.
"Alright, Osamu," he made his way in, "What the hell is so important?"
In the center of the small copse stood both of his friends. He stopped short to see them out of their normal regalia.
Hotaka had done as their Sensei asked and traded in his gi for more suitable duty attire. His upper body was covered by a soft leather vest dyed a deep crimson. Underneath it was a black sleeveless shirt. The combination left his wiry arms free to move, and would make him harder to spot in darkness. His pants were in even darker shade of red than his vest and kept the loose style of his old gi to allow for full freedom of movement. He'd kept his hitai-ate tied around his waist.
Osamu was already wearing his finest clothes for the releasing of the lanterns later that evening. Masaru couldn't help but feel envious that Ren didn't force her brother to wear one of the ridiculously heavy formal kimonos he had to suffer through every year.
The outfit was more or less a finer design and material of his usual affair. The top was stiff collared and long sleeved, almost hiding his hands. The whole thing was black, with dark gray embroidered vines, save for the pure white collar and cuffs. The loose slacks were black as well, but lacked the decoration of the shirt. As always, Osamu went unshod with only plain white bandages around his feet. He'd left his leaf plate off for the day.
"Well don't you two just look great," he said sarcastically to cover up the feeling of being under-dressed, "Seriously, though... why are we here?"
Hotaka shrugged, "He wouldn't tell me anything till you got here."
Osamu was busying himself with a can of salmon to pay for Zuki's services. Yancha was laying nearby, licking the last vestiges of her own treat off her chops.
"Sensei's in trouble," he began without preamble after giving Zuki the can, "Someone is trying to kill him."
They both stared at their small friend for a moment. They might have laughed had his face not seemed so serious.
"Okay..." Hotaka found his voice first, "How do you know this?"
"Remember when I told you guys I thought Nee-san was a secret agent?" they grinned at the memories of 'stalking' Ren around at the age of seven to find proof, "Turns out that's not far from the truth."
"So she just happens to know Hiroto-sensei is in trouble?" Masaru shook his head, "Why tell us, though?"
"She asked for our help," Osamu explained seriously, "She thinks whoever is trying to kill him will use us in some way. She decided it would be best to use that."
"Fair enough," Hotaka leaned against a tree, "but what can we do?"
"Masaru..." amber eyes turned to look at him squarely, "Remember that trap you made a few years back. The one that caught Mizuki-sensei and left him plastered to the wall?"
"Oh yea!" Masaru smiled evilly and chuckled to himself, "I had just learned to make chakra binding seals. He was stuck there for an hour before someone found him."
"Could you make a grenade-like version of that?" Hotaka asked, catching on to Osamu's game.
"Sure... no problem," Masaru rubbed his hands together, "What's the plan, exactly?"
"Nee-san figures they'll try to take one or more of us hostage to keep Hiroto-sensei from fighting," Osamu explained, "If you get taken, just set off the device point-blank."
Masaru held up his hand, "Two problems. One: That will get you trapped with whoever has you. Two: Can you even muster enough chakra to set something like that off?"
"How much would it take?" his small friend asked.
"Bout as much as an explosive tag," he replied after a moment of thought.
Osamu nodded, "I can manage that, but I'll be tired as hell."
"What about the first issue?" Hotaka interjected.
"Won't matter as long as they are disabled too," the small boy dismissed the issue.
"So when do I need this stuff ready?" Masaru asked eagerly. He loved building new toys.
"By tonight," Osamu said seriously, "Nee-san thinks they'll try as early as tomorrow."
"No problem," the large teen replied.
Osamu nodded and moved to leave, "Good. I gotta go now."
"Where are you going?" Hotaka asked curiously.
"A certain friend hasn't been keeping in touch like I asked her to," came the reply, "Just gonna go check on her."
His friends exchanged smirks.
"Not a word!" Osamu's voice came drifting back from farther away, causing them to burst into laughter.
XxXxXxX
The inner garden of the Hyuuga compound was an oasis of color in an otherwise dreary and austere environment. Hinata loved it for that and for the fact that her mother had made it that way. She made her way down a meandering path towards the center. There a cherry tree had been growing since her parents had wed. It was showing the signs of Autumn as its leave changed from green to lovely yellows and reds. She couldn't wait until spring when it would be in bloom again. Beneath the tree was a carved stone. That was her destination.
"Hello, Kaa-san," she knelt in the grass. An act that would have soiled her formal kimono and earned her no end of scorn. She had come out here before changing into it for just that reason.
She might have continued to speak to her mother had a familiar trilling meow not caught her attention. She turned her head to see she hadn't hallucinated the sound. Nearby, Yancha's golden fur glistened in the afternoon sun as she trotted up to Hinata.
She stood with a confused look on her face, but that didn't stop the large feline from doing figure eights around her legs.
"Y-yancha?" Hinata called to the cat, who looked up at her, "What are y-you doing here?"
"She followed me," another familiar voice came from behind her.
Hinata turned in surprise, and found herself eye level with an upside-down Osamu. He was hanging from her mother's tree with his legs wrapped around a lower branch.
"Osa-kun?" her voice was slightly squeaky from surprise, making the boy smile, "H-how did you... When d-did you..."
"I snuck in about an hour ago," he answered both unfinished questions at once, "You would be surprised how easy it is to time the patrols around your compound."
"Hyuuga guards kill intruders on sight!" she cried, her worry causing her to slip out of her timid nature for a moment.
Osamu frown as he flipped down from his perch, "Guess its a good thing I wasn't seen, then."
"W-what are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice had grown quiet again to avoid drawing the attention of anyone inside the house.
"You haven't so much as written in two weeks," Osamu chided her, "I thought we were friends."
She groaned in frustration, "You r-risked your life for this?"
He gave a nonchalant shrug, "I would do anything for a friend."
Now she felt bad. She had assumed that Osamu had just been friendly at first to help cover for the embarrassing moment his cat had put her through. When it hadn't fallen off as time went on, she suspected he was just making a show of being nice for his then Sensei. Now she felt like she hadn't been very fair to him.
"I'm s-sorry," she muttered, "I'm a t-terrible person."
"Woah!" he waved his hands in front of himself, "I didn't mean that. I figured you were too busy, and decided to check on you because I had time today. I was just teasing."
She searched his face and body language and decided he was sincere. It was nice to know someone cared enough to come check on her.
"How did y-you know I would be here?" she asked curiously.
He pointed to the grave, "Its the Day of Mourning. I know where I would be in your place."
"S-so why aren't you?" she continued to ask questions. She knew for a fact if she didn't, he would. They always seemed innocuous at first, but he had a way of leading conversations into personal areas without her noticing.
"I never knew my parents," he said sadly. She had known that much. She found him unusually open about such topics, "I guess its hard to mourn the loss of something you've never had. I'd be there for Nee-san, but she likes to be alone on this day."
"I s-see," she couldn't imagine never knowing her mother.
"How's your team doing?" Osamu asked, and she cursed to herself. He'd managed to take over the conversation.
"Kiba-kun a-and Shino-kun have trouble w-working together," she smiled fondly at the silly arguments the boys got into. Kiba yelling, and Shino calmly tearing him down with logic, "We d-do well enough on our m-missions, though."
"We haven't even done one yet," he sighed, "Hiroto-sensei has been putting us through some rough tests to 'see where we stand.'"
"Hinata-sama!" she could hear one of her branch attendants bustling down the path, "Hinata-sama! You must prepare for the lanterns or you will be late."
She turned in the direction of her attendant in surprise, then back towards Osamu with a desperate look in her eye. If he was caught, they would both be in serious trouble. He was gone, though. The only sign of his presence was a rolled scroll with a piece of paper attached to it. Upon picking it up, she saw her name on the paper, and she read the short note there.
Hinata
If you are reading this, then we either didn't get to speak or I had to leave suddenly. Hope you are doing well. Feel free to write or visit me any time. Yancha bothers me about you (She likes it when you pet her). The scroll is for Hiashi-sama. It details the holes in his defenses I exploited to get in here.
Osamu
She smiled to herself as she stuffed the scroll and note into her jackets large front pocket and moved to join her almost frantic retainer.
XxXxXxX
"Why do I have to wear this again?" Naruto had not ceased complaining about his black dress uniform for the past hour.
"Because it shows respect to those that have passed away," Hiroto patiently explained again. He was in his own black uniform.
He could hear the pair of ANBU the Hokage had assigned to protect Naruto sniggering as they followed from the rooftops. Cat and Tortoise were longtime babysitters of both pariahs. Hiroto felt much better for their presence since they were receiving quite a few dark glares from the people they passed.
They finally made it to the academy and climbed to the roof, where the Hokage would give his speech. As an active duty jonin, Hiroto was expected to stand vigil with his peers. Naruto was family to him legally speaking, and thus could stand with him. He smirked at the way that would cause a few gears to grind.
At the top he received a few curious looks and respectful nods. He exchanged greetings with both Tsume and Hiashi, who were having a quiet conversation. Nearby, Hana had her little brother in a headlock, and Hinata was blushing for some reason. She kept stealing glances their way.
The other council members were arrayed around the rooftop speaking amongst themselves or with various jonin. Soon the Hokage joined them as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Down below, the plaza in front of the academy and Hokage tower was packed with people. Nearby rooftops had been commandeered by those able to reach them.
Everyone silently took their places. The Hokage was out front with the council and their family members slightly behind him. Then came the jonin with any family they cared to bring.
The Hokage cleared his throat and the murmur from the gathered crowd fell away into silence.
"People of Konoha," his voice rang out clearly despite his age, "Today marks the twelfth anniversary of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's attack."
Naruto shuffled awkwardly next to Hiroto. He placed a supportive hand on the jinchuuriki's shoulder, and the teen seemed to calm.
"Not long after its defeat," their leader continued, "It was decided that October tenth be a Day of Mourning for those lost. Over the years it has come to be a day to remember those we have lost before, and since, that dark day. Many good people have given their lives in support of our village, and not just shinobi."
Here he took a moment to allow the crowd to absorb his words.
The Hokage took a deep breath and went on, "We lose those we love far too often. To fires and accidents. To murder and battle. To disease and injury. Today we have mourned apart, and tonight we mourn together."
An attendant approached the Hokage with a waist high floating lantern. It was three sided and decorated with both the leaf of Konoha and the symbol of the Hokage. On it were written three names; one on each side: Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, and Namikaze Minato.
The Hokage took the lantern and with a simple katon, lit the fuel ring at the bottom, "Remember, though, that their sacrifices are not in vain. It is when the night grows dark that the Will of Fire grows bright."
He released the lantern into the air with a gentle upward push. It began to float away from the rising heat. Soon, other lanterns began to join it as people released their own. Hiroto began to light his three small ones. One held the names of his parents, another the names of his first team, and the last was left blank for the Sakibou he'd helped kill.
Naruto had one of his own, the Kanji for mother and father written on opposite sides.
There wasn't a single person in Konoha that didn't mourn for someone, and soon thousands of the floating lanterns were in the air.
"One of our newest shinobi has asked to be allowed to make a gesture for the village," the Hokage said when most of the lanterns were in the air, "Naruto-kun?"
Hiroto looked down at his brother in surprise, as did many of the other jonin.
Naruto gave him a smile, then put his thumb and middle finger in his mouth to produce a shrill and loud whistle.
After a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then someone from the plaza called out, "On top of the monument!"
Sure enough, a series of lights had appeared above the shadowed heads of their leaders. They began to float up, joining their kin in the sky. In their light, Hiroto could just make out the numerous clones lighting the lanterns.
"One for each person who died twelve years ago," Naruto said quietly.
The additional lanterns brightened the sky considerably, and a murmur could be heard throughout the crowd. Hiroto didn't doubt that Naruto's stunt had caused a serious bit of controversy.
"I've decided on my nindo, Nii-san," Naruto seemed to ignore the fact that they were surrounded by Konoha's elite and simply stared at the floating lights, "I will never go back on my word."
"That'll be tough," Hiroto warned him seriously. Many of the other jonin nodded in agreement.
"I know," Naruto replied without looking. After a long pause he continued, "My first promise is that I will always protect Konaha. No matter what."
Hiroto mussed the boys already messy hair, "You make me prouder everyday."
"Thanks, Nii-san."
Can't believe I almost forgot to upload this. Damn GW2 is making me stupid. This chapter is shorter than normal, but I've always been an advocate of keeping the padding out; a chapter is done when its done regardless of word count. Even so I have officially broken the 100k word mark on pure content. I didn't expect it to get that big, but here we are.
Next chapter we step away from the feels into some action again. Until next time.
Mikazuki
Rank: Familiar (Cat)
Gender: Male
Birth Date: October 27
Fur: Black
Eyes: Green
Length (Normal): 26" (50.8 cm)
Length (Transformed): 7' 1" (216 cm)
Weight (Normal): 12 lbs (5.4 kg)
Weight (Transformed): 234 lbs (106.1 kg)
Mikazuki us the combat familiar of Ren. He has the physical characteristics of a black leopard (panther). Thanks to his merged spirit, the Yuugure no Seirei, he is able to produce subtle, but powerful genjutsu. Should Ren allow him, he can grow to the size of a large leopard, increasing his combat abilities.