A/N HELLO DEAR READERS!
It's done...my exams are done and now there is nothing stopping me from writing fanfiction!
I have a plethora of fics I've wanted to start and might start putting them on my profile (PM me if there's one you particularly want to read), but that's something for another time.
As of now most of my time will be dedicated to this fic.
As for the POLL, the majority of you guys seem fond of the idea of Eagle summons for Iruka, even if I like the idea's of cute giant and tiny voles... I'll leave it up for one more chapter before deciding and putting up the next group decision.
It'll be a new poll for Miyu and her summons after Chapter 16 is posted. It's a simple Yes or No. I'll be counting on you :D
Thanks for all your patience...I love you all (*Tears up a little*)
'Lo and behold' the awaited new chapter
...YEAH!
~Chapter 15 - THE QUIET AFTER A STORM
"Thank kami-sama you're both safe." Minato brought Kakashi and Miyu into a tight hug. One that was returned by both, though more tentatively from the boy.
"I think we're the ones who should be saying that," Kakashi responded dryly, "After all, us children were locked into a safety area while the adults went to fight." It was easy to see he was a bit bitter, though Miyu could understand. It was frustrating, being held back because of his outer appearance when most people knew he was as capable and in some cases, more competent than some of the older ninja.
"Looks like someone's sulking." The blond jounin fondly ruffled the boy's hair much like a father would, and Miyu wondered how close the two had truly become.
"Miyu." A tired voice called her over and she left Minato in favour of his wife. The red haired woman had been through a lot recently, and it had taken its toll on her. Her hair was a bit duller than usual, and slightly matted while her complexion was an unhealthy pale, but her violet eyes still sparked with life and joy. "Come a bit closer, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Kurama sat back on his haunches, watching his partner with knowing eyes, though he wasn't the only one that noticed her trembling hands when Kushina gently placed her child in Miyu's unsure arms. "His name is Naruto." Kushina told her in a soft voice.
"His?" Miyu caught her breath in surprise.
"Yep," Minato confirmed, "Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, our son."
"Son?" Miyu couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside her. She finally understood what Kurama had been talking about. "I guess I was expecting a girl." Her laughter was soft and, for reasons those gathered could not understand, melancholic. Eyelids fluttered before cornflower blue eyes revealed themselves, staring right at her. She would have to wait and see what colour they would turn out in the end. Now that the baby was awake she handed him over to his father who held him for a moment before passing the baby to his student. Kakashi was awkward at best, and the fact little Naruto looked like he was going to cry didn't seem to help. She took in the scene, burning it into her memory, knowing all the while that things from here would only get harder.
When Miyu arrived back at the compound her body felt lighter than it had in years, despite the resistance seals and despite the weight of the fox. She had finally saved someone. She had saved them.
"Nee-chan." She looked down at the small body that had attached himself to her. Though he was half her age he was a bit taller than average meaning he already reached her shoulder. She realised he had grown quite a bit in the past year.
"What's wrong Tachi?" the blue-eyed kunoichi asked, ruffling his hair softly in a way that soothed his anxiety. His face was pressed against her currently, non-existent chest, and she had to prod him quite a few times before he met her gaze. Honestly, what Miyu saw didn't surprise her. In the young prodigy's eyes was the startling red which had come about most likely from the pressure of the Kyuubi's demon chakra, the built up traumatic stress from the recent war and the almost destruction of his village combined. "Ah, you activated the Sharingan." She stated knowingly.
"Yes." He stared at her for a long while before glancing at the fox, "Your chakra looks different."
"Of course it does." She responded as if it cleared up his confusion, "Kurama and I share." She continued. "It's getting a bit cold outside so why don't we head inside?" The autumn chill had crept up on them both and she decided she'd rather not celebrate her victory with a cold.
1 year after the Kyuubi's attack – Amegakure Chuunin Exams
Miyu idly twirled the umbrella in her hands but managed to keep it covering the fox the whole time, the rain was coming down hard and regardless of his water-resistant fur, Kurama hated the wet. Therefore he greatly disliked his current situation due to the downpour of rain, which was heavy enough to obscure one's sight.
"How do you think he will do?" A slim, red haired male to her left asked. She squinted slightly trying to spot a familiar spiky haired brunet within the metal labyrinth that was the arena.
"He'll pass." She stated. Hearing the clashing sounds of steel on steel she finally found her teammate battling against an older genin from Kumo.
"Confident are we?" This time the question was asked from a woman with striking blue hair sitting to the left of the previous man.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She heard a chuckle from her right and huffed in annoyance. No one else in the audience could see what she was so annoyed about she was sitting in a first class seat, beside the three most important figures of Amegakure. She should have been honoured, and maybe she would have been, if she hadn't been accosted and wedged between them at the beginning of the final rounds.
"Oh, look it's already over." Yahiko drew her attention back to the match where Iruka's arm was being held up high, marking his as victor, while his unfortunate opponent lay unconscious on the ground. "He and the other two have performed remarkably well." He added as an afterthought, "Too bad you were promoted before I could see you in action."
"Hey, I'm still a ninja, and I'm out fighting bandits every other day," Miyu ranted exaggeratedly, "Chances are I'll be meeting you on the battlefield. On the same side." She clarified.
"Of course." He replied instantly.
"Miyu!" She heard Iruka call her name as he jogged towards her with Morino Ibiki and Gekko Hayate beside him. Since Chuunin Exams required a team of three most years the two boys had been chosen as Iruka's teammate. This may have partly also been due to the fact their own teammate, Tokara, had been killed in action by a pair of C-ranked missing nins. She had heard a couple vague rumours about what had happened at the end of the disastrous mission. Most seemed to contradict one another all for a single detail, and that was the fact the missing nins had been slaughtered mercilessly afterwards.
"You three did well." The girl complimented with a wide grin, "Good job!" The fox moved from her lap, twisting around her shoulders and allowing her to stand.
"It was easier than expected…" Ibiki commented blandly. She supposed if the interrogation specialist was able to do so well in the fighting components it must have been true.
"I agree." Hayate added, "But I think it's mostly because the other villages have held back their stronger genin."
"What do you expect?" Yahiko cut in, surprising the trio of genins, "The war ended just recently and Konoha came out victorious. The fact this Chuunin Exam was held here in Ame, a village recently allied to yours, does little to ease them. They won't be sending out any ninja they believe have potential unless their safety is guaranteed."
"Exactly what he said," Miyu agreed, "But putting that aside, let's go and celebrate!" Those around her sighed sightly at the familiar, carefree behaviour. "I'll pay, so come on."
"Team HIMI reporting back from the Amegakure Chuunin Exams." Miyu announced as the three boys under her command stood behind her proudly, each of them wearing a brand new, Konoha-issued chuunin vest.
"I see it went well." The young Hokage stated with a smile. "This, Miyu, is for you." He handed the girl a scroll filled with ryo, "For your successful mission of leading your team to Ame and Back to Konoha."
"Thank you." The girl replied politely, content that her funds were steadily increasing.
"And you three." Minato spoke to the newbie chuunins, "Get some rest, tomorrow you're going to be put straight to work."
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" They replied in synch, making the man smile.
"Hayate and Iruka will have to report to the Hokage tower for missions but I heard you have interest in torture and interrogation, Ibiki?"
"Yes, sir." The older teen replied with a serious face.
"Then you'll be apprenticed under Yamanaka Inoichi, the head of the TI department until he's satisfied with your progress or you chose to take another path." Ibiki nodded respectfully, inwardly excited at his new position. "Alright then, you three are dismissed, why don't you go find your senseis and tell them the god news?" They each saluted, and exited the room, leaving the ever busy man to his work.
"Neji-chan~" Miyu cried happily as a small child ran up towards her.
"Nee-chan, up!" He demanded cutely, and she obliged, swinging him into the air while her teammate and sensei chatted on the porch.
"How's my favourite little Hyuga?" She cooed, throwing him quite high in the air. A while ago this had frightened Hizashi into a near heart attack but the reassurance that she would always catch him calmed him greatly… Though he couldn't do anything about the nervous twitching.
"Today I played with Hinata-sama!" The child said between gleeful laughs. She smiled at that. A wide, sunny smile that forced her eyes shut.
"Really? Then when Hinata-chan gets older we'll have to play catch with her." The boy nodded enthusiastically but those around her looked worried. After all, the girl's idea of catching involved throwing small children in the air.
"Tadaima." The blonde called as she entered the Uchiha compound.
"Welcome back," Itachi greeted calmly, carrying his sleeping, one-year old brother. Miyu almost sighed in disappointment. She had never gotten a chance to play with the older Uchiha brother, probably due to his age and size in comparison to her own irritatingly small stature. At least Sasuke would play with her.
At least while he is young. Kurama added, lazily trailing behind her.
"How was the academy?" She asked curiously, ignoring the comment from the fox. Itachi, as expected, happened to be yet another prodigy and was entered years earlier than his peers.
"Interesting." He replied in a way that was the Uchiha's synonym for boring. "Shisui already taught me the academy jutsu."
"Shisui did?" Miyu matched the name with the Uchiha she had met a few months ago. He was only slightly younger than her with unkempt hair and a nice smile.
You take note of the most irrelevant things. The fox sighed. You should instead, focus on his skills as a shinobi. Yeah, yeah.
"Then how about I teach you something too? You can work on it when the other students are practicing the academy set."
"Really?" his dark eyes sparkled with interest.
"Of course. But first let's hand Sasuke-chan to your mother." She pointed over to where Mikoto was observing them with a fond smile. Itachi nodded and returned his brother to his mother's awaiting arms, before hurrying out to the backyard where Miyu was waiting.
"So any preferences?" Miyu questioned, stretching out her arms and running through her jutsu inventory.
"I want to learn a water one." Itachi replied, seeing as he knew a couple of fire jutsus already.
"Water huh," That narrowed it down slightly, "Offensive, defensive or supplementary?"
"…" He stayed silent in thought. Miyu understood that if left to his own devices, he'd be up thinking all night.
"Why don't we just start with some simple training first and you can decide what you want jutsu later." She suggested, scanning the backyard for anything useable, "How good would you say your chakra control is?"
"I'd say better than most other academy students." They turned at the sound of a new voice and found Fugaku standing just beside the house. "What are you planning to teach him?"
"I was thinking about a water technique. I know it's a bit soon but do you know his affinity?" The Uchiha head gave her a speculative look before speaking again.
"I don't, but I can find some chakra paper for you," He offered, "In fact I have a couple of sheets left over in my room."
"That would be great." Miyu replied. Fugaku nodded and headed inside. It didn't take him more than five minutes to reappear with the desired item. "You brought two?"
"If you're going to be teaching him, you may as well demonstrate what to do." He explained as he handed her both sheets. Though, he wouldn't deny that he was curious about his, recently acquired, daughter's skills.
"Sure." She shrugged and accepted the paper, passing one on to Itachi who examined it curiously. "Alright then, what do you know of chakra affinities?" She asked.
"Normally, every person has chakra that has an affinity towards a certain type, the five basic ones being fire, wind, lightning, earth and water." He began, reciting his knowledge, "Genetics also affect the outcome seeing as most members of our clan for example, have a fire affinity."
"Correct." Miyu praised, "And this affinity determines the difficulty of learning a particular technique. It would be a safe guess to assume that someone that can learn certain elemental jutsu easier has an affinity for the type. There are some other advanced types like ice used by Yukigakure nin, or the Tsuchikage's own unique dust release, but we'll leave that for another time. For now we'll focus on what affinity you have with the use of this chakra paper."
"How?" The boy asked, turning the flimsy item over in his hands.
"Basically, you just need to channel your chakra into it and the paper will react accordingly," Miyu explained, "Fire will ignite, wind will cut, lightning will cause it to wrinkle, earth will make it crumble and water will turn it dap. I'll show you an example." Slightly apprehensive, Miyu held the paper between her fingers and channelled a small amount of her chakra into it. No matter how little chakra she used the paper seemed determined to show violent results. The thin sheet of paper instantly shredded, its pieces falling to the ground in crumpled, soggy pieces.
"Impressive." Fugaku noted with unhidden surprise. The only other person he had seen with such a high affinity for wind had been Minato, and that was putting aside the girl's other two affinities. Oddly enough though, she hadn't picked up the Uchiha's fire.
"Hahaha…well, that's what happens when I use the paper." She rubbed the back of her head in habit, "As you can see I have more than one affinity, though my primary one, or my strongest affinity is wind."
"And you have a…secondary affinity to water and lightning?" Itachi asked, inspecting one of the torn pieces.
"Yep. Anyways, why don't you give it a shot and we'll go on from there." She indicated to the forgotten slip of chakra paper he held and the boy eagerly raised it to test his own affinities. He pushed his chakra out of his body and into the paper which seemed to blacken and crumble, leaving a smouldering pile of ash.
"Does this mean I have an Earth and Fire affinity?" The boy questioned curiously. Miyu idly bent down to tentatively touch the remaining pieces.
"Not exactly," She brought back the largest bit of paper she could find which was itself no bigger than her finger tip, "You're definitely fire but if you had an earth affinity the paper would feel dry."
"Its water isn't it?" Fugaku questioned, thinking that was probably why the paper hadn't ignited as expected, "Mikoto also has a water affinity. So it makes sense for Itachi to have one too."
"That's perfect!" Miyu smiled happily, "I was a bit worried since I don't know many fire or earth jutsu, but water I can work with."
"Hn." Itachi looked subtly pleased, seeing as he had asked for a water jutsu in the first place.
"Alright Tachi, what do you want to learn first?" Miyu ran over to a nearby tree and picked up a leaf before returning, "We can try the leaf exercise….though I'm not sure how it works with water… or we can practise pulling water out of the air!" She bounced excitedly at the prospect of teaching the little prodigy and held up her palm, dragging her hand through the air and collecting an orb of swirling water in her palm. Both Uchiha males were amazed though the fox groaned in response.
Kit… Kurama warned when she flawlessly showcased her talent. No shinobi at her age, despite her apparent skill, should have been able to perform such an act, sans the Nidaime Hokage himself. It's fine, Miyu gave a mental shrug, can't you see that things have already changed? The fox didn't respond and stayed silent.
"How strong is your affinity for water?" Fugaku asked in slight amazement, while his son had his full attention on the rippling ball of fluid.
"Almost as strong as my primary affinity." She replied, shaping the water into a large raven.
"Can it fly?" Itachi asked curiously, watching as the artificial bird began to preen.
"Of course." She charged up the water with chakra and ever so slowly the bird began to flap its heavy wings and take off. It soared in the afternoon sky before eventually dissolving back into the air it had come from.
"You really do have amazing chakra control." Fugaku complimented, almost making her choke on her own saliva.
"It's not that great, I just practise a lot." She waved off as Kurama snickered much to her ire.
1 Month Later – Uchiha Compound.
"Nee-chan, how's this?" Miyu looked up from where she had been performing her daily ritual of cleaning her swords. More specifically it was a single sword that required a bit more care than the rest. She gently put the blade down and waved Itachi over. The boy was proudly holding a single leaf from one of the nearby trees.
"Alright, show me what you've got." She prompted, watching as a small droplet began to form on the leaf. It grew to a rather large size while defying gravity and not simply falling to the floor. "Wow, that's faster than I expected."
To achieve this before even having graduated from the academy, Kurama noted, Itachi will grow to be strong. Stronger than before. I know. His partner replied. No matter how the other timeline had turned out, this time Itachi would not die. He would not be forced to kill his kin, nor would he live the life of a missing nin. She had made a vow after all, to protect him as well.
"The next step is drawing out the water without the leaf as a medium," She explained, "The air is full of water especially in a place like Konoha. I suggest starting off at the hot springs where the air is full of steam." She sheathed her sword in a swift motion, the pristine, square-tipped katana disappearing into its elaborate scabbard. It was mainly black, decorated with gold scales at the tip with a royal blue cord covering the handle, ending in two long tassels. The guard itself was a piece of art, a familiar mythical creature delicately carved into its metal. All in all, it was far too extravagant and fragile for actual battle but at the same time there was an undeniably powerful way to utilise its uniqueness.
"Hai." The boy was couldn't help but be a little frustrated at the slow progress. It had taken longer than he had originally though, and that was just a single step to mastering a single one of his affinities. In the end it was his own admirable patience and knowledge that kept him persisting whereas other's his age and even those older would have long given up.
"I'll be leaving for my mission now. Take care." Miyu stated, ruffling his hair, before strapping the sword to her waist.
"Be careful." The boy advised as he watched his sister, vanish in a swirl of leaves.
"Ahem, Hokage-sama," the dog masked Anbu cleared his throat, trying to catch the attention of his village leader. Sadly enough, the blond seemed determined to ignore all around him in favour of his adorable, babbling son.
"Minato…" Miyu joined in but by now he seemed to be purposely ignoring her much to her annoyance, "Minato…niisan…" She reluctantly called him by his preferred title and he snapped to attention, acting as if he hadn't been waiting for it this whole time.
"Ah, Miyu-chan! Nice to see you." He handed his son to the silver haired Anbu, rummaging through the several drawers behind his desk, "I assume you're here for the mission."
"Of course," She scoffed, "What's the point of visiting you when we have dinner together every other day?"
"Hahaha…" He let out a weak laugh, "You sound like you're in a bad mood."
"I assure you it has nothing to do with the surprise mission I found out I was leading only yesterday." She replied dryly. The Anbu held back a snicker, glad that his mask helped hide his expression.
"A moment of incompetence on my part," Minato admitted with slight embarrassment, "Here." He tossed an official scroll, marked by the insignia in the top corner. Silently she read through it.
"Do I have permission to pick my own team?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
"You have a choice of any chuunin on standby," The Hokage answered, "So who would you like?" She took a moment to think, going over the mission details though at least one member was a given.
"Umino Iruka," She said straight off the back, trusting his well-rounded skills, "Shiranui Genma…and…Gai." She heard the Anbu choke on his own saliva at the last name but she was convinced he would be perfect for the mission, no matter how much she truly wanted to deny it.
"That's fine." Minato approved, "I'll let them know this afternoon. Take care and proceed with caution, alright?" he added.
"Hai." She turned to leave but not before direction a sunny smile at her younger counterpart. Naruto giggled in response, grabbing a handful of silver hair and tugging mercilessly. Miyu laughed heartily, trying to smother her snickers as she walked out the building to find her furry partner.
A/N Thanks for reading, and staying with the story for this long :)
This chapter is a simple one, just a few changes here and there. An addition of the recent Chuunin Exams (Including promotions) and Konoha falling back into a peaceful life.
Miyu as of now, is a jounin. Some of you may think this is fast but she won't be making any rank changes for a long while after this (ie. she probably won't be entering Anbu) Plus she is certainly skilled enough to lead some simple missions.
I've given her the usual Wind affinity but she also has water as her natural second affinity, and lightning which she trained herself to wield. (There is also a pretty important reason for this...not that important actually...)
As for new jutsu;
Name: Tori o Kaeru – Tsubame/ Taka (Changing Bird – Swallow/Falcon)
Classification: Ninjutsu
Rank: C-B
Class: Offensive
Range: Mid-range
Summary: Water is used to form a bird which can be infused with other elements and changes accordingly using both nature transformation and the idea of shadow clones (essentially being sentient chakra beings) as a base. Usually a generic raven shape it may become a swallow of falcon if infused with wind and lightning elements respectively. The bird is able to fly towards enemies and deliver swift cutting strikes if in the form of a swallow or a single paralysing blow when a falcon.
I've also debuted one of Miyu's key weapons (the details will be displayed similarly to new jutsu);
Name: Zeijaku Ha (Vulnerable Blade)
Type: Iaito (Mock/Imitation sword).
Appearance: A decorative katana with a black sheath patterned with patches gold scales at the tip. It has a black guard, decorated with strokes of gold, shaped like a Kirin (dragon-unicorn) within the oval shape The blade is constantly a pristine, untarnished silver, with a squared off tip without a specific edge.
Ability: Incredibly light, can conduct wind and lightning chakra.
Summary: Forged with incredible fragile materials. The blade was not made to withstand an actual battle and would no doubt shatter if one tried. When used correctly though, it can be a formidable weapon, mainly used for iaido and battoujutsu (the art of quick-drawing). By channelling wind chakra the blade gains an armour-like overcoat and can move faster that the human eye can follow. Purchased by Miyu in Takumi Village.
The next chapter will be a brief mission with a bit of foreshadowing (If I can pull it off correctly). A slice of action for those who want it. But a good question to think about will be Haku and Zabuza. Should they live? And should Haku be male or female (honestly both ideas are appealing to me and will both mean drastic changes in the plot.)
Let me know what you think.