Still Waters Are Deep 5
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Summary: Follow the life of Senju Rurimi, daughter of the late Second Hokage. Read as the shy, reserved girl transforms into a quiet, self-assured leader on the battlefields of the Second Shinobi World War. However, behind the pretty facade, the Senju princess hides an incredible secret. Reincarnation!MOD
Warnings: major character death, language, mentions of character death, canon-typical violence, fem!Harry, gore, dark themes, major plot holes
~ Chapter Five ~
(Three and a half years later)
A village-wide assembly had been called to the Hokage Tower. Rurimi had been playing ninja with Nawaki and Shikaku when they were called to gather at the base of the high building.
She joined her fellow Senju in the crowd, having given Shika-kun back to his father. Tsunade-nee gripped her hand tightly, both women fearing what the Hokage had to say.
War had been looming on the horizon for a while now.
Nawaki-kun clutched Rurimi's other hand almost as tightly, fear-filled, but determined eyes directed at the Hokage Tower.
Kin-oba-chan stood behind the trio, Mito-obaa-sama by her side. Both women personified calm dignity - outwardly.
"Shinobi, civilians of Konoha, today I, as the Sandaime Hokage, have to make an announcement that weighs heavily on my soul. Hi no Kuni has declared war on Iwagakure, Sunagakure and will most likely declare war on Amegakure shortly. The Will of Fire burns brightly in each of you, enhancing our strength from within. From this moment on, all rules and regulations for war times apply. All able-bodied shinobi are to check with the mission desk for detailed information on their deployments. All registered shinobi are to wear their provided uniforms at all times. If we stand together as one, we shall overcome any and all obstacles and win! For Konoha!"
"For Konoha!" The crowd roared back.
Tsunade-nee and Rurimi exchanged worried glances.
Twenty years of peacetime were officially over.
The two Senju princesses, as they were teasingly called by Jiraiya, sought out their assignments in the overfilled room usually reserved for mission assignments.
Somehow said pervert managed to find them in the chaos, clinging to their group. Orochimaru soon joined them as well, already having managed to discover their assignments.
"We'll be deployed together. We're supposed to secure the border to Amegakure," the raven-haired male hissed at his former genin-teammates. "We'll leave tomorrow at first light. Pack accordingly and what you don't mind losing."
Jiraiya-san nodded, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Orochimaru followed his example a moment later. Tsunade-nee stuck by Rurimi's side, until an annoyed Jōnin Commander simply read the list out loud, easily quieting the noisy room.
Impatiently, the Senju waited for her name to fall.
"Second Division, under command of Jōnin Okako Isamu: Uchiha Jiro, Takano Hayato, Senju Rurimi..."
Satisfied to be deployed with her old genin-teammates, for now, the young woman listened for further instructions.
Then, Tsunade-nee and her went to the quartermaster for new uniforms. Their old ones had grown much too small to fit any longer. However, they hoped to be able to exchange them for another set.
On their way there, the two met Miné-chan who was deployed to Kaze no Kuni with the Third Division. She also held her old uniforms in hand, ready to exchange them for new ones.
Tsunade received two hip pouches, one for her medical supplies and another for her regular ninja gear. However, the top part of her standard uniform had to be altered to fit her massive décolleté.
Meanwhile, the other two kunoichi had more luck. Each had found two sets of uniforms in their size. Rurimi slipped straight into a navy-blue, form-fitting set. Then, she pulled her still relatively new flak jacket over the nearly black cloth, hoping they would both fit.
She could move well enough in the outfit, so the white-haired nineteen-year-old left it on and just grabbed another pair of shoes in her size. They would hold her over in case her other pair got destroyed. Fighting barefoot was not fun.
Rurimi also added a blue face-mask to her pile, to conceal her features. They were very reminiscent of her father, so she would stick out like a shiny hitai-ate in the sun amongst the rest of the Shinobi Corps. To complete her disguise, the Senju pulled a bandana over her trademark hair.
Tsunade-nee critically surveyed her attire for a long moment, then she nodded approvingly. "Good idea," was all she said though.
Miné-chan finished as well, so the three females left the overfilled armory and headed back home.
On their way, Rurimi promised to write to her best friend as often as possible, only for the promise to be returned. Tsunade would accept nothing less than the same.
A heavy feeling lingered over the compound. Akamaru-oji-sama welcomed the two females, embracing both his heart-daughters tightly. He was slated to lead the Third Division.
"Promise me to write often," he demanded roughly.
Both Jōnin nodded. "Of course, Otō-/Oji-sama," they chorused obediently.
"Good. Remember, Kin-chan still wants grandbabies to spoil from both of you," he attempted to joke.
It fell flat, but the two kunoichi chuckled halfheartedly anyway.
They desperately prayed none of them would fall in this war.
At dinner that night, everyone felt the somber atmosphere. The whole clan was eating together, as was the norm for special occasions.
Twenty some years ago, Tobirama-sama had sat next to his nephew at the head table. Now, Akamaru-sama sat next to his wife on one side, and his fearsome daughter on the other. Next to Tsunade-sama sat Tobirama-sama's Legacy: Rurimi-sama.
She had been such a timid, tiny child, they could not have imagined her growing into the beautiful, talented Jōnin of today.
Tonight, conversation was limited to last-minute preparations for the war.
One last night for all of them to be together peacefully, because many clansmen would not return. Senju died of old age or on the battlefields they fought on, side-by-side with their brethren and comrades.
Tobirama-sama might have been proud of his only daughter's bearing that evening. She exuded calm, sitting dignified next to the head family. Although Rurimi-sama was still not one to talk much, she somehow always managed to get her point across.
Tsunade-sama had an aura of grim determination around her, lending the rest of them strength. She would be the next leader of their famous clan, someone to look up to.
That fateful night, the Senju saw a glimpse of their future. And maybe even a peak at the two strongest kunoichi their clan had ever produced.
If Nawaki-sama followed in his sisters' footsteps, the Senju had nothing to fear for years to come. The next generation was going to blow the old one from their minds.
The next morning, Rurimi woke early. She took a last bath, drying her long hair with a handy water jutsu.
Then, she braided it in a thousand little braids as had been tradition in her mother's clan, reserved for female warriors. She fixed them in another, large braid before rolling the hair up in a low bun at the neck. Securing the bun with matte silver ninja-wire, the kunoichi covered the distinct color with the blue bandana. Finishing her outfit by pulling up the face mask, Rurimi armed herself with as many weapons as possible.
She stored another scroll full of the leftover kunai in her breast binding.
Hefting her pack, the kunoichi slowly descended downstairs.
Kin-oba-chan surveyed her similarly to what Tsunade-nee had done the previous day and sighed. "There is something your mother gave me for safekeeping. Wait here."
The blonde woman returned a minute later, a thin, wooden box in her hands.
"This is for you," she said, gently pressing the box gently into Rurimi's grasp.
Carefully setting it on the table, the young woman allowed a trickle of chakra to flow into the elaborate locking seal. The top lifted, revealing two long Katana. Each sword was sharp enough to effortlessly cut through silk, even after all those years of neglect.
Artistic seals were carved into the handles, guards and even the blades. The seals were disguised by the depictions of colored dragons. A folded lump of silk laid under the handles, ready to be wrapped around them for a better grip.
Involuntarily, tears welled up behind Rurimi's eyes. These blades had once belonged to her mother. Even knowing giving birth to the white-haired Senju would cost her life, Hoshiko-sama had thought to leave the unborn child within her something to protect and guide it in the future.
"Thank you," she whispered quietly, a suspicious hitch to her voice.
"You are welcome, my dear. The seals ensure that these blades never dull or break. No one, but you will be able to wield them, until you have a child of your own," Kin-oba-chan explained solemnly.
Some distant memory nudged Rurimi in the back of her mind, stirred by the Other. A memory of a strange golden sword that would never dull or break; that would always answer a call in need and absorb all that would strengthen it.
Mito-obaa-sama sucked in a breath when she saw the beautiful swords. "I haven't seen those for a long time," she muttered surprised. But there was also a distinct note of wistfulness in her voice. "These swords are special, Rurimi-chan. It can never be stolen from its rightful mistress. Those dragons will have to obey you for the full might of the sword to be unleashed on the enemy," the wise elder informed her adopted granddaughter gently.
Rurimi stored the newly provided information in the back of her mind, cautiously wrapping the handles of her new weapons. Then, she stepped outside, testing the grip. Smoothly moving from one kata to another, the blades swung through the air as if they had been forged specifically for their new mistress.
Rurimi strapped them to her back in a criss-cross fashion. The tantō she had been gifted nearly ten years ago now hung at her hip.
Then, she joined her sister for a quick breakfast. No one knew when they would get the chance to eat next.
After saying their goodbyes, the two females left among their clansmen, led by Akamaru-sama.
Civilians stopped and stared at the silent, serious military procession. Some waved them off, others bowed.
When they reached the gates, every last one of them simultaneously turned to salute their clan head who formally dismissed them.
Tsunade-nee and Rurimi split up, each joining their own division. They had said their farewells already. Jiro-kun and Hayato-kun nodded respectfully to their unofficial team-leader.
"Show off," Jiro-kun teased quietly, in order to lighten the somber mood.
Rurimi didn't acknowledge his poor attempt at gallows humor, beyond a slight upwards twitch of her lips.
The Second Division leader, Okako Isamu-san, gave the signal to leave when all his subordinates had arrived.
Six months away from home, at the front lines, awaited those who survived the hardships ahead.
Maybe even more, depending on their casualties.
Former Team Nine stuck close to each other for the trek to Kusagakure and Iwagakure's border. They stopped only to sleep, running straight through the daytime. Okako-taicho was very demanding, but his strict regimen did wonders for their endurance conditioning.
At night, Rurimi curled up between her two brother-figures. Both males sandwiched her, to afford their team's brain a little more protection.
Of course it was noted by others, but for now no one commented.
Thanks to the strict regime, Second Division arrived at their first station within four days. Only a river separated Kusagakure from Iwagakure's territory. Immediately, they set up tents on the ground, hidden in the high grass.
Okako-taicho ordered those with night watch to rest and everyone else would receive duties - such as digging latrines, kitchen duty etc. - to complete while it was still light out.
Team Shikata received kitchen duty, so they set to skin and prepare the game they had picked up on the way.
Jiro-kun lit a small, unnoticeable fire with a small Katon-jutsu. Hayato-kun fed the innards to several Inuzuka hounds, using everything they had been given. What remained would be either dried or reheated the next day.
Meanwhile, the genjutsu users were weaving a concealing illusion around the camp while others set up traps.
Later, during dinner, one of the more nosy Uchiha asked why Jiro-kun had curled up with a Senju. (Of all people.)
In response, the younger Uchiha simply stared back at his clansman, smirking slowly. "You'll see, Akari."
No one else dared to say anything to that, so they concentrated on other, more important matters.
Rurimi hated the long bouts of silence and anticipation. She knew they would engage in battle sooner rather than later, knew her hands would be bathed in blood at the end of the war, but the tense waiting for an attack got to her unlike nothing else.
The Senju wanted to keep her self-adopted brothers safe, alive and well. They were supposed to return to Konoha together when this mess was all over.
It was bad enough that she didn't know what was happening to her best friend and Tsunade-nee. Or Uncle Akamaru. It was unpleasant to think about their possible fates - and never knowing if they were faring well. If they were alive.
So the young kunoichi concentrated all her worry and concern into her two teammates.
The Other, who had been keeping quiet for the last few years, occasionally whispered reassuringly to the Senju that everything would be fine. To focus on what she was doing, not worrying about someone out of her reach. To always keep calm, so she wouldn't accidentally make a mistake.
Those days, Rurimi finally found out its name: Harii. And The Other was a girl, apparently.
For the first few days, they dug trenches, set up camp and trapped their surroundings. After which each team was assigned a trench and ordered to protect their border.
Nothing happened for a week. The other side dug their own trenches, set up their own traps and kept watch on them.
Iwa-nin loved trenches. Their Earth-jutsu saved them a lot of grunt work, allowing them to think of new plans or plots to breach their side of the border.
Okaku-taicho kept a tight leash on the anxious Leaf-nin. He exuded a grim calm-and-collected aura that helped to settle almost everyone's nerves.
Then, one morning, their alarm rang.
Joji-kun automatically flew through hand-signs at an incredible speed and detonated their part of the traps while Hayato-kun readied his kunai. Rurimi gripped one of her swords and began to mold water chakra. She could sense several people around them, mainly in the ground.
Exchanging a quick look with her teammates, the white-haired kunoichi commanded the water from the river and the air to form an intimidating dragon. She directed it to attack the field in front of them, flooding the grassy plane and some of the Iwa trenches.
A split second later, Joji-kun aimed a weak Raiton-jutsu at their enemies. The electricity fried those that had hidden underground as Rurimi's water had soaked the earth, conducting the artificial lightning perfectly fine.
Immediately, a large number of Iwa-nin turned to target their small cell.
The white-haired Senju kept her eyes peeled, fingers flying effortlessly through one-handed signs. Her chakra surged slightly, commanding the remaining water of the dragon.
Joji-kun readied another lightening jutsu, Sharingan-eyes taking in their surroundings.
Their two chakra-natures combined, electrifying the large dragon before sending it at the quickly approaching Iwa-nin. They attempted to protect themselves with more earth jutsu, but underestimated the destructive power of one Senju dragon.
Hayato-kun had their back, deflecting shuriken or kunai aimed at their blind spots.
Team Shikata was joined by their comrades from Chūnin Cell Nine who used an impressive fire/wind-collaboration jutsu which blew the Iwa-nin back to their trenches.
Fifteen minutes later, the first exchange had tapered off, defenses tested. Okaku-taicho ordered a rotation of trenches, so no one would know who sat in what trench.
Rurimi was curtly ordered to set up a barrier jutsu to prevent sneak attacks from underground. A red-haired Uzumaki kunoichi helped the Jōnin with her newly-assigned work, refining and adding on to the fairly simple, yet vicious barrier seals.
Joji-kun relaxed only when both females had returned unharmed.
The war had officially begun for Team Shikata.