Author's Note: I was trying to find out the exact date for when Orochimaru left Konoha but all I could find on the subject was after Minato was announced and before the Hyuga incident. I'm still deciding whether or not he will defect with all these changes but it would have been nice to have a more solid timeline of when he did in canon. Anyways here's a chapter with a lot of character development and a touch of the Green Beast of Konoha because why not.
Every hour Aiko would bang on the gong and each time she would bang on it an extra time to probably let the teams know that time was running out. After about 6 hours of waiting around she struck up a conversation with us.
"So I kind of expected more teams to come out by now. You seemed to be in the thick of it judging by your badges so what do you think happened?" I wonder if the no questions rule is still in effect? Eh, better not chance it.
"Some idiot used a large scale jutsu which brought a large portion of the cave down on our heads. We even got trapped for a while because of it."
"Hmm, so that was why the ground was shaking so much. Ugh, it's going to take forever to dig out the tunnels again once this is done. I'm so glad I won't have to deal with that." I wouldn't want to deal with it either after almost being buried alive. Aiko stretched out then banged the gong 7 times.
She sat back down and then gave me a grin. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to one of our teams would you? We found him at an entrance with his teammates in scrolls and him knocked out."
"Yeah we found him after he finished murdering his team because they didn't take into account the spores. I thought it would be only courteous if we knocked him out and made sure he was safe as Suna and Konoha are allies."
"After stripping him of everything valuable?"
"A payment for saving his life." I shrugged. "Surely Suna isn't so concerned about material wealth that they would begrudge us that." She stared at me and then let out a chuckle.
"Has anyone ever told you you're a cheeky little shit?" I looked downcast and started doodling in the sand.
"No, but I've driven a few people to alcoholism. I don't even know why? My jutsus are always awesome."
"Jutsus?" I could hear the concealed interest and nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah like this one." My tongue extended and I waved it at her before it sucking it back in. She blinked heavily once and then twice before a gleeful look overtook her face as I heard a thump behind me. Turning around I saw Hina laying on the ground beet red and giggling to herself. 'Pervert.'
I felt a pair of hands clamp down on my shoulders and turning around I came face to face with Aiko. "Kid, if you teach that jutsu to my boyfriend I'll name my firstborn after you." The intensity of her gaze made me numbly nod and she released me to skip back to the gong but not before flicking me on my forehead. "Oh and don't stick your tongue out at me again brat."
I rubbed at my forehead and everyone lapsed back into silence as we waited. On the ten hour mark a team stumbled out of one of the entrances. They looked like crap and they seemed able to walk only because they were supporting each other. Other than that they were all caked in blood and I couldn't see their headbands or faces underneath their masks.
They weakly struggled their way over and almost collapsed at Aiko's feet. "Team 5 did you finish your objective?" There was no pity in her voice, just disinterest.
"Yes." A rasping voice came from the one in the middle and they fumbled around their front pocket before withdrawing two badges to hand to Aiko. "Team 5 has succeeded hunting team 31." She took the two badges and then inspected them before writing something down on her clipboard.
"Team 5 has passed." As soon as Aiko said that they collapsed onto the ground and several chunin came over to start attending to them. I watched as the team was taken away before I heard Shisui speak up behind me.
"Do either of you know where team 5 was from?"
"Taki." I said distractedly as I saw a two man team come out of the caves. They failed then and I didn't pay much attention to them. Over the next two hours two more teams trickled in but they both failed to pass. After that Aiko banged the gong twelve times in a row before waiting for a moment. When no one showed up she shrugged and turned to the surviving genin.
"Alright then it'll be a two hour run back to Suna. Get your asses running." There was some grumbles from the few remaining teams but they ran nonetheless. By the time we arrived in Suna the sun had set and Aiko dismissed the losing teams before pulling us aside. "Team 5 will be told this when they wake up but you have a month to recover before the next portion of the Exam. It'll be a one versus one tournament and you'll each be paired with one of the Taki genin for the first round."
She clapped her hands together and then rubbed them. "Now that the official stuff is out of the way I'll be back in an hour with my boyfriend. I'll find you so don't bother waiting up." She vanished in a shroud of sand and I felt Jiraiya amble up to meet us.
"I heard you guys were one of two teams to pass. Good job." He looked us over with a critical eye before speaking again. "If you want anything special to eat it'll be on me tonight." I didn't have any preference so I shrugged and looked over to Hina and Shisui. They both looked at each other before Shisui suggested curry. She agreed and Jiraiya took us to an expensive looking restaurant with a private room just for us. Once we had ordered he turned to us and told us to tell him what happened down in the cave.
We took turns explaining what happened and a short break for when food came. When we were just about finished there was a knock on the door and I could feel Aiko's chakra along with an unknown person standing on the other side. Jiraiya gave a curious glance at the door before calling out to them. "Come in."
Aiko came barging through the door dragging someone who I assumed was her boyfriend. The man had a headscarf so I didn't know his hair color but he was dressed like a jonin and he was rubbing his head sheepishly as he was dragged in.
"Um, sorry to disturb but Aiko just dragged me over here to learn a technique or something that a kid promised her." Jiraiya looked between the bouncing Aiko and me before giving the guy a huge grin.
"Of course, I, Jiraiya of the sannin support your endeavor. Now Shiro, show the nice man your jutsu." The guy's eyes bugged out when he heard Jiraiya's name and then he focused on me as I stood up.
"I don't understand why Aiko wants you to learn this but,' my hands slowly formed the hand seals making my tongue extend from my mouth to wave at him before I ended the jutsu. 'Here you go."
"Ah, um, adult things, haha. How do you do that again?" I did it again and after several tries he got it right. He gave me a bow. "That you for sharing your technique with me." I waved it off.
"Aiko said she would name her first born after me if I did it." He gave her a sharp look and she shrugged at him.
"You'll be in the finals for the Chunin Exam right?" I nodded. "I'll get you something by the time you get back."
Aiko lightly punched his arm. "You big softy." He gave her a wink and a smile. "Before we go can you sign this?" She pulled out a familiar orange book and placed it in front of Jiraiya.
"Oh, a fan eh? Of course I'll sign it." He opened the book and signed it with a flourish before giving it back to her.
"Hehe, come along Kirito. We're going to do everything in this book." I've never seen someone look scared and aroused before. It was an interesting look.
"Everything?" He said faintly.
"Everything." She confirmed as she pulled him out of the room. I managed to catch a glance at the title of the book as they left and had to stifle my laughter. I knew why Kirito was scared now. I would be too if my girlfriend dragged me off holding a book about bondage.
Everyone was silent for a while after they left and then Jiraiya turned to me with a serious look on his face. "Never mention tonight to Kushina or that insane sensei of yours." I considered trying to get him to teach me something for it but in the end I decided it wasn't worth it to piss him off right now.
"Okay." He seemed to search my face to see if I was sincere enough before grunting and motioning us to continue our report. The meal ended and the next day we left for Konoha. The two days that it took to get there were uneventful and as soon as we arrived at Konoha's gate I said my goodbyes to Hina and Shisui before I jumped towards an ANBU that had gained my attention. They motioned me to follow and I followed him to a base where I could feel Kushina, Mito and Karin's chakra.
Opening the door I was greeted to the sight of Mito and Karin getting ready for bed. "I see my favorite little girls." I called out and was greeted to a cry of "Shiro" and a redheaded missile running at me. I scooped Karin up before she could hit me and settled her on my hip before looking over at Mito who seemed to be pouting at me.
"Hello there Karin, hello Mito, hello mom." Kushina beamed widely at me when I called her mom.
"You missed my birthday." Mito said without preamble.
"I know that and I feel terrible about it." I walked over and kneeled down awkwardly with Karin still attached to me. "It took longer to get your present than I thought it would."
"Present?" I took out the fan from my inventory and then snapped it open. "Pretty." She reached out to take it from me and then started opening and closing it over and over again.
"Oh, you look like a princess with that Mito." Kushina cooed at her. Mito beamed at her and then looked back down at the fan.
"So do you forgive me for missing your birthday now?" She looked up and her face shifted from happy to angry before settling on disgruntled.
"I guess." I'll take it. I straightened and Kushina wrapped both Karin and I into a hug.
"Welcome back."
"It's good to be back." I returned the hug as best I could before she stepped back and Karin pipped up.
"Shiro can you tell us a story?" Large red eyes stared right into mine. Ah, a cute attack, it's super effective.
"A story? Story, story story." Mito began to chant and I relented under their combined chanting.
"Okay I think I have a story to tell." Twin cries of joy came from them both of them as I gave into their demands. "But I think you need to be tucked into bed first." Mito darted towards a bed and ducked under the covers. I tried to pull Karin off me but she held on tight.
"No you have to stay close to me."
"Oh, I have to do I?"
"Yes!" She declared childishly. I thought about it for a moment before I decided to indulge her. Taking off my sandals I settled into bed with Karin curling up on my right side. Moments later I felt Mito settle in on my left side. Looks like I was totally forgiven then. Kushina settled onto a bed next to us with an amused smile on her face as she looked at us.
"Now this story starts with a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins…" Yes I totally stole the story but no one here would ever know that. I had just reached the part where the three stone trolls had been turned to stone by the morning light before Karin let out a large yawn. Dispelling the clones that were acting out the scene I said, "I think that's a good time to stop for the night."
They both let out weak yells of protest but Kushina chimed in as well. "Shiro is right. It's time for bed." Neither of them made to get up and I shifted slightly.
"Are you guys going to let me get up?"
"Nooo." I let out a dramatic sigh.
"I guess I'll just be stuck here forever then." They giggled and then let out yawns. I don't actually mind going to sleep now. It's been what? A few years since I've last slept. I keep on wanting to sleep and this is a perfect opportunity to do so. I settled in as I felt both of them drift off to sleep.
The last thing I felt was Kushina kissing my forehead and her whisper, "Goodnight Shiro," before sleep overtook me.
~Interlude~ Hina
I watched as Shiro jumped away from us to a waiting ANBU and my Byakugan activated as they moved further and further away. 'Is he an ANBU?' I almost dismissed the thought as it came to me yet something told me not to discard the notion entirely. It would make a certain amount of sense if he was but I was broken from my thoughts by Jiraiya sensei giggling and the sound of him writing something down.
"Ah, I can see it now. The uptight, yet perverted, clan girl and the cold, mysterious, clan less boy. They overcome adversity after adversity before they fall hopelessly in love. I just have to change the age a little bit and-" He let out a yelp and hopped comically on one foot after I kicked him in the shin.
"I'm not a pervert!" I ground out before walking away from him in a huff. Ever since I met Shiro and he took me to that Ramen restaurant that rumor has been going around. It had even reached my parents and my cheeks heated up as I remembered how mortifying that had been. My mom had such a smug look on her face as my dad handed her money after they had heard the rumor. It was almost worse than the sex talk I had been given at 8.
Even with my mind occupied it would seem that I had unconsciously walked myself home. Blinking and giving a solemn nod to the gate guards I entered the clan compound and made my way towards my house. Along the way I was greeted by several other clan members and I responded politely enough but excused myself soon afterwards. I really just wanted to go home and collapse into bed.
Reaching my house soon enough I slide open the door. "Welcome home Hina." My mother's voice called out from further inside the house.
"I'm home." I called back as I took off my sandals and proceeded towards where I heard her voice. Entering the room I saw my mother and father sitting on pillows drinking tea. They both gave me a smile as I entered and my mom gestured towards a third pillow.
"Come have some tea with us and tell us all about your Exam." I really didn't want to do this now but I sat down and waited for her to serve me before launching into my tale. It took two cups before I was finished and I left out some parts like me falling asleep leaning against Shiro because I had no intention of being teased about that.
At the end of it there was a brief silence before my dad spoke up. "That sounds like quite the harrowing mission. We're proud of you for coming out of something like that unscathed." A warm feeling spread throughout me at his words and I smiled at him. He smiled back and took a sip of tea before speaking again. "It would seem like the rumors of you teammate's power are true as well."
That sparked a thought from me and I spoke without thinking. "Is Shiro an ANBU?" The harsh glare sent my way by both of them made me shrink back.
"Hina, you should know better than to try to actively discover the identity of ANBU agents. What were you thinking?" I shrank further into myself.
"I'm sorry I just saw him leave with one and I spoke without thought." The glare lessened but it was still present as my mom spoke.
"Do not speak before thinking or the consequences could be far direr than a stern talking to." She leaned back and composed herself. "As for your question the Hyuga clan can neither confirm nor deny whether or not he is an ANBU agent." My eyes widened at that. She was practically saying yes to me but before I could fully adjust to this she continued on. "Regardless of that the clan has decided to pursue closer ties to Shiro as the Uchiha clan have been trying to do."
"They have?" I blurted out again without thinking and then blushed at my outburst. My dad sent a wry look my way before nodding.
"Yes, we've been able to find out that they've been rather unsubtly trying to catch his attention with a girl from their clan. So far that endeavor has been unsuccessful but he is friendly with the clan head's son Itachi and you do have another Uchiha in your team."
I blinked as I processed this before slowly asking, "Why are you telling me this? Do you expect me to woo him or something?"
"No, of course not, he's only 6 at the moment. We just want you to continue on as you have been and become a person he can confide in. It's entirely possible that your team will continue to be together even after the finals so maybe you could invite him to your birthday later."
"I see." I looked down at my now cool tea and sent a brief flare of chakra into it, warming it back up. Drinking the rest of it in one large gulp I set the cup down and bowed to my parents. "I would like to be excused. It has been a long day and I would prefer to rest."
"Have we troubled you by saying these things Hina?" I shook my head at my mom's question.
"No you have just given me much to think about and I would prefer to retire to think upon this in my own time." My father seemed to study me before nodding.
"Go then," I bowed once more and rose to leave but paused when he spoke once more. "And Hina, welcome home."
"It's good to be home." I replied and then left them. My thoughts were troubled that night and it took me several hours before I was able to finally go to sleep.
~Interlude Ends~
~Interlude~ Shisui
Watching in amusement as our sensei hopped around clutching his ankle I waited until Hina was far enough away to address him. "Sensei?" He stopped hopping and looked at me.
"Yes?" Mustering up my courage I asked him the question that had been burning away ever since I saw Shiro's shadow clones.
"Would you be able to teach me a jutsu?" He eyed me steadily and then started writing in his notepad again.
"That would depend on what justu you want and I'm letting you know now I won't just let you copy it with your sharingan. You'll have to actually work at it to master it." I pout at that but nod. I'm fine with putting in the hard work when necessary and I know that some ninja are jealous of our ability to instantly perform new techniques. That's part of the reason why we aren't allowed to simply copy allied ninja's jutsu without permission.
"I want to learn the shadow clone jutsu that Shiro used." He stopped writing completely before letting out a sigh and putting his notepad away.
"That's a dangerous technique you know."
"I know, Shiro told me all of the dangers from it." He hummed at that before motioning me to continue. I listed out everything that Shiro told me and he sighed again.
"So even knowing all that you still want to learn it?" Nodding at his question prompted him study me carefully before he seemed to make a decision. "Alright, meet me at training ground 3 tomorrow at 9 and we'll see about you learning the jutsu." Score! Internally dancing a gig I nonetheless heard him continue on. "If that's all I have to go turn in your report to the Hokage."
"That's everything sensei." He flickered away after a quick goodbye leaving me standing there alone. I stood there for a moment before heading off towards the Uchiha district. It didn't take me long and as I entered my apartment I let out a soft, "I'm home," as I took off my sandals.
The silent house didn't respond and I made my way inside towards a very special room. Opening the door I was greeted to the sight of an incense stick burning in front of a shrine and I smiled at the sight. It would seem Itachi kept his word about replacing it daily. My mood sombered quickly as I knelt in front of the shrine. "Hey mom, hey dad, I'm home." I fingered the wound I had received across my chest. "Safe and sound as always. So do you want to hear how my mission went?" I spent the next hour simply talking about how my mission but I cut myself off as I heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." I yelled and I heard the door open and then close.
"Shisui, are you here?" A small smile formed on my face. It would seem Itachi came to visit.
"Yeah, I'm in the shrine room." I waited as he made his way over and then knelt down next to me. "Thank you for keeping the incense burning."
"It was no problem at all." His gaze flickered over me. "I see that you're unhurt." I let out a chuckle.
"Nah, I got a little cut up during the Exam but your friend Shiro patched me right up and I feel fine now."
"Truly?"
"Yep, I don't even feel it anymore and it's just a red line now. I'll go get it checked out tomorrow to make sure though." He nodded at that and we lapsed into silence for a while.
"Would you like to come over for dinner?" I tilted my head at that out of the blue question. I suppose it would be better than simply going out to eat.
"If it wouldn't be a bother." He shook his head.
"No, my mother wouldn't be bothered at all by it." I let out a cheerful grin and agreed. Saying my goodbyes to my parents I followed Itachi out of the silent house. Sometimes it's good to have friends.
~Interlude Ends~
Ding! You have slept in a bed. Both health and chakra are restored to full and all status effects are removed.
I was instantly awake as per the norm now. It still took me a moment to identify the two sources of soft breathing near me. 'Ah, right I went to sleep with Mito and Karin curled up next to me.' Carefully moving my head around I didn't see Kushina in the room and as they didn't seem likely to wake anytime soon I settled back down to wait for a while. I suppose I could create a shadow clone and have it substitute itself with me but I was feeling lazy right now anyways.
A short while later a well-oiled door leading to a different room opened and Minato walked in. As soon as he saw me a wide smile formed on his face and his eyes seemed to dance with mirth. He started making hand signs at me and at the end I nodded slightly before he gave me a cheerful wave and left me trapped under Mito and Karin. Settling back in I processed the new information. Apparently my team and I had the entire month off to improve so there would be no team meetings or missions for this month. All we had to focus on was getting stronger for the Finals which I was fine with. I would probably see if Kushina could spare any time to train me in fuinjutsu or whether Saiko was available at all.
It was probably about an hour or so of just laying there thinking about things before I felt Kushina's chakra coming towards me. I glanced towards the door as she entered and mouthed, 'Help me' when she caught sight of me. She let out a snort but came to the side of the bed and started to gently shake Mito and Karin awake.
"Rise and shine you two breakfast is ready." There was a series of groans and grumbles coming from both of them but they didn't try to get up. "Come on girls your poor brother is being crushed underneath you." That got them moving slowly and as they stumbled out of bed I stood up and pulled out a new outfit to get changed into. Quickly changing I was still able to see both of them follow Kushina out of the room like a pair of ducklings and I followed after them as soon as I was done.
A breakfast of grilled fish and rice was laid out on the table as I entered and we all sat down to eat although the girls had more of a shove things near their mouth and hope it goes in approach. I simply ate the food quickly, but before I was finished Kushina spoke up. "So what will you be doing for your month off?"
Finishing chewing and then swallowing I replied. "I was wondering if you could take some time to continue teaching me fuinjutsu? If not I was going to go see if sensei is available." She seemed to ponder this for a bit before smiling.
"I don't see why I can't continue teaching you. I've hit a snag with the barrier seals anyways so it would be good to take a break from it." Karin looked up from her meal at that.
"Does this mean Shiro will stay?" I nodded at her and smiled as she gave a cheer of joy along with Mito. After that the meal was finished in relative quiet and afterwards I helped clear up the dishes before I made 3 shadow clones. Karin had a wide eyed look as her head swung between them. "You all feel the same."
Two of the clones went over to the corner and started practicing elemental manipulation while the third scooped up Mito and Karin to bring them to another room. "Yep, your brother is awesome like that." The sounds of their excitement was muffled as the door closed and Kushina gave me a wry grin before sitting down at the table and pulling out stacks of paper.
She suddenly turned serious and spoke to the seemingly empty room. "We're discussing clan secrets so could you please vacate the room for now?" Twin shadows detached from the corners of the room and left while Kushina slapped a seal on the table. I gave it a once over and nodded. It was a one way sound dampening seal as evidenced by the fact that I could still hear Mito and Karin. Taking a seat opposite her I pulled out my special ink and waited attentively.
"So far you've learned about standard ninja seals, barriers such as this one and a few specialized ones. You almost never make any mistakes on the simpler ones anymore and when you do you can recognize that you have done so. In recognition of this I've decided to delve into the next level of seals, curse seals." She pinned me with a look.
"Curse seals are wide and varied but the one thing that they all have in common is the fact that they mentally influence or physically stop someone from doing something such as the one under your tongue. Yes, I know about it and while I don't approve of it I understand the reasoning for it." She took a deep breath and then continued.
"Curse seals are also some of the most easily abused seals as they can twist a person into someone else's personal slave. I've seen the results of those types of seals and even been present for the execution of those who placed them. If I ever find out that you have done such a thing to an ally I will kill you even if it would break my heart." Reaching over she grabbed my hand. "You have to understand that this has been the law for my clan almost as soon as it was discovered and for a good reason. It is far too easy to become corrupt after having complete control over another human being and so anyone that uses these types of seals for personal gain will be executed."
I gripped her hand tightly. "I understand mom. I'll never use these types of seals unless all other options have been exhausted and even then I'll defer to a higher authority on the matter." She smiled at me and gave my hand a squeeze before pulling it back.
"Good. Now that we've gotten that out of the way I want you to try to create a curse seal that doesn't allow you to talk at all." I nodded and pulled out my brush. The rest of the day was spent focusing on seals and as night came I continued the story of the hobbit until both of them were asleep before slipping out of bed and leaving the base to go see Saiko. It didn't take me very long to get to the Root base and I traveled along its maze like corridors until I came to her door. I could feel her chakra moving about inside so I knocked and after a brief moment I heard her say, "Come in."
I walked in to the sight of her sweating profusely as she went through a series of exercises with heavily looking weights attached to her. "Hello Saiko, is this a bad time?"
She let out a grunt after what looked like a particularly difficult set before speaking. "No it's fine. I'm just doing my wake up routine and you're welcome to join me." Shrugging I joined her. "So what's up?"
"Ah, I just wanted to see how you were doing and know if you had any time to spare to continue training me before the Chunin finals. I can understand if you're busy though."
"I'm doing well and I might be able to make some time but it won't be every day."
"That's fine I just wanted some help with kenjutsu and physical conditioning. I feel like I'm hitting a plateau with the physical components because you guys won't let me wear weights." She let out a sigh as I brought up the old argument.
"You know why we don't want you to do that. It'll impede your natural growth and that will hinder you later in life." I grumbled but didn't say anything else and we went for another 30 minutes before she called for a break. "I can't train you tonight but I do have something for you." Walking over to her desk she pulled out a scroll and handed it to me. "In there is all the information we could get on the three Taki genin."
"That was fast." She smiled and ruffled my hair.
"Not really. We had more than a months' worth of notice which genin would be participating in the Exams and smaller villages tend to have weaker security than the big 5. Just don't underestimate them because they're smaller though." I nod and look down at the scroll. I can only assume they didn't show me other village's genin profiles before because it was a test to succeed even with a degree of the unknown. Now that I had passed that portion they were willing to give me more information on my opponents so I didn't fuck things up in front of a large crowd.
"Would it be possible to show this to my teammates?" She shrugged and grabbed a towel.
"Sure just be sure to destroy any copies you make. Now scram I need to take a quick bath and get ready for a mission. You can tell me all about how the first two portions of the Exam went later." I said my goodbyes and left after shoving the scroll into my inventory. With nothing else to do I left the base and traveled to training ground 3 for a night time work out under the stars. The night passed by and by the time the sun was beginning to rise I felt a chakra signature running nearby that stopped momentarily before heading my way. Stopping my workout I turned towards where the person was coming from and waited.
A figure jumped out of the tree line and landed nearby me. The man had a head of shiny black hair styled in a bowl cut with intensely thick eyebrows and a green jumpsuit with orange leg warmers. As I was studying him he was doing the same before a huge smile formed on his face and I swore I saw a glint from his teeth as he gave me a thumbs up.
"Yosh!" He all but screamed at the top of his lungs making me want to cover my poor delicate ears. "Such a Youthful Fire to already be working out at such an early hour and at such a young age. I cannot be outdone by such a Youthful person. From now on I shall wake up at 3 and add 500 pushups and 50 laps around Konoha to prove my Youth. Thank you my friend for inspiring me by showing me such a Spring Time of Youth!" The obviously deranged man ran off shouting about Youthtm. As the screaming grew quieter I discretely pinched myself to make sure that what just happened was real and finding that it was made a mental note to workout inside from now on. There would be less chance of running into a crazy person there.
I ran, ehem, left the clearing behind me in favor of finding a bath to wash off the accumulated sweat and dirt. It didn't take long to wash up and put on new clothes and at around 8 I set out for Shisui's house first to show him the documents on the Taki genin.
As I got close I could feel his chakra up and about so I had no problem knocking on the door. At him yelling at me to come in I did so and took off my sandals as I closed the door behind me. "Shisui, where are you?" I called out to be polite as I didn't know whether he knew it was me or not.
"Shiro," his head popped around a corner, "What are you doing here?"
I pulled out the scroll and waved it at him. "I have some information for you regarding the Taki genin we're going to face." His face morphed from his confused look to an astonished one.
"You already have information on them. How?"
"I'm a time traveler." I deadpanned and he just snorted.
"Fine be that way. Give it here then." I handed it over and he unsealed the three files as his eyes turned red. He quickly scanned each one before resealing them into the scroll and handing it back to me. "Thanks for that even if you won't tell me how you got it." He paused as I put the scroll back into my inventory. "Do you want anything to eat?"
"I'm good I was just passing through and then I'll be going to Hina's place next."
"Oh, alright take care than." I gave him a little bow as I headed out towards the Hyuga compound and slowed to a stop in front of the two stern looking guards at the entrance.
"Excuse me could I see Hina please?"
"Name and reason for visit." The one on the left said as blandly as possible.
"Shiro, no last name, and team related." I thought I saw something flicker in the eyes of the guards as I said my name but I could be imagining it.
"Follow me," the left one spoke up and I followed along behind him along the grounds until we came to a moderately sized house and he knocked at the door. There was a momentary pause before one of the chakra signatures came to the door and opened it.
"Yes?" A woman who could only be Hina's mother opened the door. It was like looking at a mirror that showed a person's future as she had the same silky black hair and pupil less lavender eyes as her daughter with a willowy figure.
"One Shiro, here to see your daughter relating to team matters."
"Oh, of course, thank you." He gave her a bow and left. "Why don't you come in Shiro? My name is Hiroko Hyuga. You may call me Hiroko."
I gave her a bow. "It is a pleasure to meet the mother of my teammate. I do hope I'm not disturbing anything important with my impromptu visit?"
She waved it off. "No of course not. We have recently finished breakfast but I'm sure I could whip something together for you if you're hungry."
"No thank you I don't want to be a bother." As we were talking I had entered their house and I was removing my sandals.
"It wouldn't be a bother at all but if you're sure at least have some tea." I nodded as we entered the dining room and I saw Hina and her dad sitting at the table with the remains of breakfast spread before them.
"Please sit and I'll get your tea shortly." I gently sat down on an unoccupied pillow as Hina's dad stared at me. As his wife left the room he spoke to me.
"Hello there my name is Hiroshi Hyuga and you may call me Hiroshi." Giving him a bow I spoke as soon as I had straightened. He seemed like what you would expect a male Hina to look like but effeminate at the same time if that makes any sense at all.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Hiroshi." He gave a small nod as I turned to Hina.
"Hello again Hina."
"Hello Shiro." She seemed kind of distracted to me but I pushed on regardless. I pulled out the scroll and unsealed the three folders before handing them over to her as she gave me a curious look.
"These folders contain a decent amount of information on the three Taki shinobi that we will be fighting in the Finals." Her eyes widened as she glanced down at the folders and back up at me.
"Truly? How did you manage that so quickly?"
"I'm a time traveler." Both Hina and her mom let out the same snort before Hiroko set a cup down in front of me and poured some tea into it. "Thank you." I took a sip of the piping hot tea as Hina began to read through one of the folders.
"So we've heard a lot about you from Hina recently. From what I heard from her you were instrumental in passing the two phases of the Exam." I waved her praise off.
"I was merely directed the talents of the team towards their strengths. Without Hina we would have been lost in a cave like so many of our competitors." I took another sip of tea, it was really good.
"Now don't be modest I heard that you gathered three badges all by yourself." I tilted my head in acknowledgement.
"I did and immediately afterwards my teammates berated me for working alone. They were right of course. Konoha's strength lies with their exceptional teamwork and I disregarded that to make due on my own which just goes to show that I have much to learn still." Hina glanced up at me at that part but soon enough went back to reading
"That you can admit your flaws is what will make you a truly good leader." 'Why are they praising me so much?' I took a sip of tea to give me time to think. 'Are they beginning to court me like the Uchiha are? It would seem like the likeliest answer.'
"Thank you for that and as a leader I do have some concerns."
"Oh?" I nod solemnly.
"I noticed that your daughter fainted shortly after the second portion of the Exam was done for no discernable reason." Hina had gone very still at my words and the icy glare she was sending my way made the top three on my list, but I was too far into it to stop now. Both of her parents were looking at her with concern.
"She did? What happened?"
"Well I had just performed a jutsu-" I had to bend backwards to avoid a gentle fist strike to my forehead, "for the proctor of the Exam-" there seemed to be a murderous aura emanating from Hina as she did her level best to kill me and I calmly took a sip of tea while hanging from the ceiling to avoid her for the moment. It was a little tricky doing so but totally worth it. "Then as soon as I performed the jutsu I heard a thump from behind me-" A wordless cry of rage came from her as the veins around her eyes bulged.
"And I turned to see Hina slumped over on the ground beet red and giggling to herself." I adopted an air of naivety which might have gone over better if I hadn't been trying not to die from Hina's fists. "I just don't understand how doing this would make her pass out." As soon as I finished talking my tongue shot out in front of me and stopped a few centimeters in front of Hina's face. She went cross eyed looking at my tongue and then her eyes rolled up into the back of her head as she fainted. I caught her easily enough and finished the last of my tea before looking back at her parents. "I mean sensei said it would make all the ladies pass out but I just don't know why?"
I'm not quite sure how I looked to them as I stood there with their unconscious daughter in one hand and an empty tea cup in another but they seemed far too stoic to be natural. Hiroshi gave a small cough before he began to talk. "It would seem that Hina has come down with a nasty fainting spell recently that's causing this. Why don't you let my wife carry her upstairs and I'll walk you to the gate." I let Hiroko take Hina from me and then gathered the folders to put in my inventory before following Hiroshi out the door.
We walked for a bit before he stopped at a gravely courtyard and turned to me. "Now Shiro the jutsu you used is a very powerful one and the Hyuga clan would pay you for the inner workings of such a jutsu." 'Ah good, I thought I was in trouble.' I tilted my head to the side as I considered the offer.
"Well, the proctor of the Exam told me she would name her firstborn child after me if I taught it to her boyfriend but perhaps we could exchange jutsus instead." He seemed amendable to the idea so I continued. "What would you consider a fair deal for such a technique?" He seemed to consider and I felt quite a few chakra signatures surround the court yard.
"Two low tier or one high tier and the gratitude of the Hyuga clan." I internally boggled at that. They really are a bunch of perverts to want it that badly.
"The two low tier please." He nodded at then motioned for me to watch closely. One second he was standing there and the next he was sinking into the ground until it swallowed him completely. Soon enough he reemerged without a speck of dirt on him.
"That was hiding like a mole now you try it." Alright.
Ding!
Learned Hiding like a Mole D Rank(Active(300(225)/min)) LVL 1 – 0%
The user molds their chakra around their body in such a way that it allows them to flow through the ground like it isn't even there.
Decreases casting time by 5%
There wasn't even a twitch on his face as he saw me perform the technique. "Good this is the next one." The ground rose around him and flattened onto him to form armor. "This one is called Earthen Armor."
Ding!
Learned Earthen Armor C Rank(Active(750(562))) LVL 1 – 0%
Grants the user a medieval set of armor made out of hardened earth. Decreases speed by the amount of earth packed into armor.
Decreases casting time by 5%
I nod as the ground rises around me and let the technique dissipate before I look back up at him. "Alright here's how mine goes." I could feel the chakra of the surrounding Hyuga activate as I said that and I slowly made the hand signs then extend my tongue to wave it around before letting the technique fade. It took him several tries before he got it and when he did he gave me a little bow.
"You have done a great service for the Hyuga clan today. Please feel free to stop by anytime."
"Thanks, I'll stop back when Hina isn't in a murderous rage anymore. She never finished reading the folders for some reason." I think that was a little too much when his eyebrow twitched.
"Indeed. Shall I escort you to the gate then?" I nod amicably and he led me the rest of the way to the gate. Once we were there he turned to me once more. "I will inform you once Hina is in a friendlier mood."
"Thanks. I'll see you around." I gave a bow which he returned before I flickered away from the clan of perverts. Just a little bit less than a month before the Finals and look how much I've already accomplished.
Age: 6 years - 0 months
Title: Rookie Root Shinobi
LVL: 19 - 21% to next LVL
HP: 1,240/1,240
Chakra: 34,648/34,648
Elemental Affinity: Water
STR: 130(156)
VIT: 124
END: 112
DEX: 141(155)
INT: 115(121.9)
WIS: 100(106)
LCK: 20
Points: 29
Money: 221,546
Skills Learned
Hiding like a Mole D Rank(Active(300(225)/min)) LVL 1 – 0%
The user molds their chakra around their body in such a way that it allows them to flow through the ground like it isn't even there.
Decreases casting time by 5%
Earthen Armor C Rank(Active(750(562))) LVL 1 – 0%
Grants the user a medieval set of armor made out of hardened earth. Decreases speed by the amount of earth packed into armor.
Decreases casting time by 5%