(Thanks for coming back to read the eigth chapter of the series. Team 3 continues training in the art of Genjutsu! How will they fare? I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
A hissing sound fills the room and Kuroda looks around to find that hundreds of snakes have abruptly appeared to surround him. They slide out of the cubbyholes and slither past the scrolls stored within, they twist around some of the spears and the wooden staff weapons, and soon the entire room is filled with them. Their tongues slip out of their mouths and flicker at him, the animals poised to strike. Many of the snakes have also climbed their way onto his sensei. They cover her voluptuous form winding around her waist and outstretched arms, giving her an appearance that would seduce most men. The snakes seem to move with her, declaring her their queen. Kuroda is entranced by her, but then remembers that it is all an illusion. He focuses his thoughts on the task explained to him only a few minutes earlier.
"First I have to gain control by stopping the flow of chakra in my body," Kuroda speaks out loud, his face scrunched up in concentration while performing the action, "Then I have to release enough chakra to disrupt the attacker's chakra." His hands come together and he gathers chakra, forcing it all to the center of his body, and then it explodes like a giant, blue balloon filled with water when he shouts, "Release!" The snakes dissolve, leaving no evidence they even existed in the first place, and the room returns to its clean and polished original state.
"Well, that was very surprising Kuroda," comments Kayo, her right hand locked in a vertical position to keep the Jutsu in effect, "You almost made me release my hold on Jando and Sakura."
"Did you put a separate Genjutsu on each of us?" he inquires quizzically with an eyebrow raised.
"That is correct," she replies, "Excellent analysis."
"So what now?" he asks, crossing his arms into a more comfortable resting position.
"Now we wait and see if the others can get themselves out," says Kayo, "In the meantime you can practice on focusing your chakra and directing it. You were able to free yourself, but a lot of your chakra was wasted because you made it go out in random directions."
"I will refine my technique Sensei," replies Kuroda.
"Ewwe, ewwe, ewwe, ewwe, ewwe!" Sakura screams as she tries to back up against the wall, "Get away, get away!" She pushes herself backwards along the floor only to find that the slimy, scaly, scary snakes have surrounded her on all sides. She curls in on herself trying not to be touched by any of them.
"What happened? How did all these snakes get in here?" she thinks desperately trying to remember what happened, "One minute Sensei was lecturing us and then the next she is covered in snakes along with the entire room." She looks over seeking help from Kuroda, but he is not there. She looks to the left and Jando is absent as well, his place filled by a pile of hissing reptiles.
"Crap, where did they go? Did the snakes get them already?" she asks no one in particular, "Wait, there is no way that would happen. Kuroda could easily take care of a bunch of snakes, and Jando would probably be stomping around the room trying to smash them all." She closes her eyes and thinks and thinks trying to figure what is going on until it hits her.
"Wait a minute, this is a Genjutsu," she concludes, "Kayo-sensei must have used it on us so we could practice the defensive stuff she was talking about. Okay, then what was the first step? Oh right, I have to gain control by stopping the flow of chakra in my body. And then next I release my own chakra to disrupt the enemy's. Okay, here I go, release!"
Sakura opens her eyes expecting to see everything returned to normal, but is very disappointed. "What? Why didn't it work?" she wonders, "Did I not do it right? Well, I guess the first time should be a little difficult. I'll try putting more chakra into it this time." She closes her eyes and repeats the process, but upon opening them again she finds the same result.
"Damn, I failed again! Why isn't it working? What am I doing wrong?" she shouts in frustration, "Okay, okay I need to calm down. I just need to concentrate and remember exactly what Kayo explained." After several failed attempts the sweat is dripping down her forehead from all the effort she has put into dispelling the technique. The snakes keep inching closer and closer and the fear of having their slimy, slippery bodies all over hers is starting to take over.
"I don't know how much more of this I can take," she thinks, her mind exhausted, "I only have one last push left in me, and after that I am done for. But I really don't want those disgusting things sliding all over my skin and inside my dress, so it just has to work this time!" She closes her eyes one last time and concentrates, gathering all her remaining chakra into a make-believe bubble in the center of her chest. Then with one final effort she pops the bubble and all of its contents come raging out.
She slowly opens her eyes hoping not to be trapped in the serpent prison any longer. Much to her delight she finds the room clear of snakes and her master sitting before her with a proud smile.
"Well done Sakura," Kayo congratulates, "It took you a while, but you managed to break free."
"Yes, good job Sakura," Kuroda adds with a cheerful grin.
"I did it, I did it, I did it!" Sakura shouts in her mind barely keeping her excitement contained.
"We'll need to work on you method more," Kayo says, "It looks like you used about all of your chakra."
"Yeah it was really difficult," Sakura replies scratching the back of her scalp, "How did you do Kuroda?"
"Well, I guess I was pretty lucky, I did it on my first try," he explains, "But Sensei said I still need a lot of work though."
"I knew you would be great," Sakura responds, "You'll probably have it mastered in no time."
"Maybe, we'll see," he replies.
"Okay, so what now?" Sakura inquires.
"We still have to wait for Jando," Kuroda says, "He seems to be having a lot of trouble."
"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" Jando yells, smashing his fist into the ground, "Stupid slithering bastards, why won't you go away?" The snakes seem unaffected by his outburst and continue to circle around him, slowly closing in.
"All right I guess I can try it one more time. Now how did Kayo-sensei say this works again?" he thinks as he tries to recall the correct method, "Something about building up my chakra and throwing it at the other guy... How am I supposed to throw chakra? Chakra doesn't have a physical form. It's like air, or a feeling. How the heck am I supposed to throw a feeling? Man, this is so frustrating I don't get this at all. Whatever, I'll just go with my gut." He builds up the chakra inside his body until it reaches a healthy amount and then stands up and jumps in the air yelling.
When he lands and opens his eyes he finds that nothing at all has changed, so he sighs and plops himself back on the floor. "I'm a Hyuga; this should be easy for me! Why do I need to learn this anyways? Dumb Genjutsu, using illusions is a coward's way to fight. A real man fights with his fists!" he declares. As he sits there trying to think of what to do he gradually becomes drowsy and his vision becomes blurry. Eventually he slumps to the side and the snakes overwhelm him as he falls asleep.
Jando wakes up rubbing his eyes and then lets out a big yawn as he stretches his arms up into the air. "Whoa, I did it!" he realizes as he finds the room returned to normal and his comrades all in their places.
"No, you didn't," Sakura says flatly, shaking her head.
"What are you talking about?" Jando responds, "I'm out of the Genjutsu, aren't I?"
"Yeah, but you didn't escape," Sakura explains, "You were taking too long so Sensei decided to let you out of it."
"What? No way, you are lying," Jando insists while looking bewildered.
"Sakura is telling the truth," Kayo reveals, "You're going to need some serious work if you want to get this right."
"Awwe man, this is so lame," Jando sulks as he crosses his arms.
"Well, that was interesting," says Kayo, "Kuroda you can leave and come back in a few hours. I want to try using more powerful Jutsu on you and see how you fare, but we cannot do that with the other two here."
"Why does he get private lessons?" Jando complains, still upset about his failure.
"Because not only was he able to escape the Genjutsu on his own, he was able to do it after only a few minutes," reveals Kayo.
"Really, you didn't mention that earlier, is that true Kuroda?" asks Sakura, her eyes filled with admiration.
Kuroda nods as he stands to leave, "I will see you later then Sensei."
"Even though Kayo said she didn't sense that any of us were suited for Genjutsu I was still able to escape her illusion with ease," Kuroda thinks as he walks out through the gates of her estate and onto the sandy brown streets, "I wonder if there is something that goes on during Genjutsu that she didn't explain to us. Well, since I have some free time I guess I will go over to the library and do some research." He turns and heads towards the center of the village where the library is located.
Kuroda walks up the white stone steps and into the building that is one of his favorites in the village. A slew of large white pillars line the front of the white building that sits in a favorable spot, reachable by most of the main village roads. He heads in through the big tan doors immediately feeling a sense of welcome. The walls are a faded light green color, having not been repainted in a number of years, and the ceiling's darker green coloring is in similar condition. The receptionist at the front desk recognizes him and offers a friendly smile which he returns in kind. He travels through the rows of tables neatly aligned near the entrance and nods politely to any of the people who happen to look at him. Then he walks up to the first column of maple bookshelves, filled with scrolls and books, and looks around until he finds the right row and enters to finds the research documents he needs. After a few minutes of searching he is satisfied with the materials he has found so he takes them to a door in the back and heads down to the lower levels. Only a few people are on this floor, but he ignores them and goes over to a cluster of very unorganized shelves. He navigates his way through the mess, careful not to make it any worse until he finds a dusty black door hidden behind everything. He opens that door and heads down to the basement level where extremely old documents are stored. It is a rare occasion when anyone comes down to this place, even the librarians, so he know he will not be disturbed down here and can research in peace. He sets his items down on the least cluttered table available and gets to work.
A few hours later he returns to Kayo's home and greets Sakura as she is on her way out. She looks tired both mentally and physically, but her face beams with pride. "So how did it go?" asks Kuroda cordially.
"I think I really got the hang of it," replies Sakura blushing and hiding her face behind her bangs, "But Jando was still as terrible as when we started."
"That's not a shocker," he jokes, letting out a light bit of laughter. Sakura joins in with her own soft giggling until the joke wears off. An awkward silence descends upon the two with neither of them knowing what to say next. Sakura fiddles with her hands and stares at her feet while Kuroda looks more closely at the design of the house.
"Well, I am beat, I am going to go home and take a long rest," she says as she stretches her arms up high.
"Yeah, and I probably should get inside before Sensei grows impatient," he responds as he scratches the back of his head.
"Good luck with your training then," she says before spinning around and running off. He watches her pink hair bob up and down for a few seconds as she exits the estate and then turns to go inside.
Kuroda does not see Jando on his way in, and finds his sensei in the same room as earlier. "Welcome back," greets Kayo, "I was surprised at how easily you dispelled the Genjutsu earlier, even if it was just a low level one. If you are ready I would like to test your capabilities more extensively."
"I am ready whenever you are," he replies.
"I thought you would say that," she smiles, "Then let us begin. I am going to skip up a few levels instead of going step by step. You might recognize this Jutsu from our recent mission. Body Freeze Jutsu!"
Suddenly Kuroda's entire body feels like it is tightly bound, not like his muscles are locked into position, but more like there is some invisible field preventing them from moving. He tries to shift position, but is unable to.
"I can't move," he asserts.
"I am aware," states Kayo as she sits across from him, sipping a cup of tea.
"Is that part of the Jutsu?" he asks.
"No, I was merely feeling a bit parched," she replies with a giggle, "The purpose of this Jutsu is restraint, as you have pointed out. Usually it is not meant for long term incapacitation. The idea is to throw the enemy off, and then strike while they are confused. However, for our training purposes it will do just fine. Now you need to focus, before I told you to practice on making all your dispersing chakra go in one direction. Now you also need to learn to detect just exactly how much chakra I have used in my Jutsu. You don't need to overwhelm me; all you have to do is match the amount of chakra I put in. It is wasteful and stupid to use all your chakra when you only need a certain amount to escape. Now focus."
"Why?" asks Kuroda reaching forward to get the extra teacup she had placed in front of her, "Oh, you don't mind do you? I was also a little parched and I just assumed the second cup was for me."
"When did you…?" questions Kayo, clearly astonished that he had escaped the Jutsu already.
"Right when you explained I only had to put an equal amount of my own chakra into my dispersal," reveals Kuroda, "I was just going to put a bunch in, but when you said that I suddenly became aware of the exact amount I needed to use. It was very strange."
"This is very odd," remarks Kayo gazing at him curiously as she scratches an itch on her cheek, "I can usually tell when a person is more suited to Genjutsu, but I guess everyone is wrong sometimes."
They sit there, staring at each other and the silence stretches for minutes until he finally inquires, "About the tea…?"
"The tea can wait. We need to continue exploring your abilities," she says as she begins to weave hand signs, "This next technique is a lot more advanced than the previous one so brace yourself. Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique!"
And so the process repeats, Kayo starts using stronger and more complex techniques on Kuroda, but time after time he is able to dispel them all.
"How is this possible? It doesn't make any sense," she thinks as she sits there baffled by what has occurred, "I'm not sensing any bit of talent for Genjutsu, he seems exactly like any other Genin when they are first learning it. And yet every time I use a technique on him he is able to get out of it in no time at all and using only a little of his chakra. Is he simply a genius, or does he have some sort of special ability I don't know about? There was nothing unusual in his file when I went over it, so that means the village doesn't have any clue either."
"What is going on? Kayo hasn't said anything for a few minutes, but I know she is freaking out inside. She told me that she was using stronger Jutsu each time, but they all felt exactly the same to me. The only difference was the amount of chakra I had to use to break free," Kuroda ponders as he watches his master's nonverbal messages closely, "Is it not supposed to be this way? I didn't really find a lot of detailed information when researching earlier, so I wasn't able to learn all that much about the mechanics of Genjutsu. I wonder what she is going to do next."
"If the village doesn't know about this then I guess I'll need to investigate it further. Or maybe they do know about it. Was this what the Hokage was truly hinting at when she gave me those orders," Kayo thinks, "But using my Mind Interrogation Technique on a child is almost unthinkable. It is one of the most dangerous Jutsu I have in my arsenal. The amount of damage I could cause if I am not careful is insurmountable. I could fracture his mind and trap him in a half-comatose state. He would barely be able to walk and eat, let alone talk or fight if I messed up. But this phenomenon I am witnessing is just too unimaginable not to investigate, and I did receive direct orders from Lady Hokage. So I guess I have no other option but to go through with it."
She slowly begins building up the necessary chakra, trying not to look suspicious. And then when she finally has enough she quickly makes the required hand signs and regretfully whispers, "Sorry about this."
A misty haze creeps up and surrounds the skilled boy and he quickly forgets where he was and what he was just doing. He hears the roar of some sort of beast and turns to find a mass of black stalking towards him. The shadow monster is quickly joined by a few friends and within seconds they have encircled him. A wave of fear that wasn't present before hits him and he hastily pulls out a weapon and prepares for battle. The shadow monsters loom closer and closer and he decides his best option is to attack. Caught in the fantasy, Kuroda charges forward to combat the monsters.
While Kuroda tries to deal with the illusions, Kayo walks the pathways of his mind trying to learn his secrets. His mind is set up as many crisscrossing hallways, each with many doors. Kayo is freely able to search throughout Kuroda's mind, opening many doors without problem and seeing the memories of his youth; him exploring the far reaches of the village as a child, sitting through lectures at the academy, watching the clouds with Ichimaru Naru, pulling pranks on the teachers, and various other adventures of his youth. However, the doors are in no particular order and the memory fragments are scattered all over the place.
"Well, so far I haven't found anything to explain his gift for Genjutsu defense, and I also haven't come across the Genin Test incident yet. So far it just seems like the mind that a normal boy his age should have," she thinks as she watches through a door as Kuroda and Ichimaru are attempting to train a monkey to throw poop at the academy teachers, "There are some peculiar things though. Normally a younger mind tends to store all of the memories in the order in which they happened, but his are all jumbled up. Also some of his memories are separated oddly; parts of them seem to be cut off halfway in the middle. Then finally I haven't come across any memories of a foster parent or a social worker. As an orphan he had to have been looked after and supported by some sort of adult. He can't have been living on his own all this time."
She continues to walk around examining things until she encounters a mind barrier unlike any that she has seen before. She tries to pass through it but halts when a yellow electrified field appears. The static energy crackles through the air giving off a constant buzz to signal it is active and protecting something on the other side. "What is this?" she exclaims as she stares in fascination at the spectacle before her, "I've never encountered anything like this. How can he be using an elemental construct as a defensive tool? My master taught me that only physical constructs could be used and elemental ones were only suited for offense due to their unstable nature. What's more, how can he even have it if he doesn't even have any other defenses anywhere? Is this where all those missing memories are? I'll have to get past it if I want to find out."
She sits cross-legged on the ground for a few minutes and considers how to get around the barricade. After deciding upon a course of action she makes a few quick hand signs and whispers, "Rise." She plucks out a strand of her hair and tosses it into the air. The strand expands and mutates until it takes the form of a large black python. The snake slithers forward and jumps straight into the barrier. The yellow current surges through the animal, electrifying it and throwing it back. The snake hits the ground smoking and melts back down into a simple piece of hair.
Kayo then tries a different method; after weaving some more hand signs a tree begins to spring up from the ground behind her. It grows larger and larger, turning brown as bark forms around the center. Then the tree sprouts branches and the branches sprout branches until it has developed into a fully grown adult. "Penetrate!" she orders and in response the branches surge forward into the barrier. But the yellow current again senses the attack and activates. It zaps the branches, immediately lighting them on fire, and they retract and cause the whole tree to light up in flames until it burns to the ground.
Kayo moves over towards the wall on her left and makes a few hand signs before placing a single hand on the stone and saying, "Emerge." A block of the wall about two feet high by two feet long emerges out of the wall and elongates itself. Then it makes a left turn and stretches toward the barrier. As soon as it comes in contact with the yellow current it is flooded with electricity and crumbles into dust.
"This isn't working," she thinks as she moves back closer to the barrier and sits down, "I don't know enough about its composition and function." She reaches out her hand cautiously to touch the barrier in order to understand it better. Then suddenly Kuroda walks out from behind the obstruction. The barrier surges with yellow sparks and tries to electrocute him, but he is completely unaffected by the electric barrier.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you Sensei," he warns, walking towards her. She backs away from him nervously allowing him to fully pass on to her side of the yellow static wall. "It is impossible to break though," he says, "And you could cause serious damage to yourself if you attempt to get past."
"Impossible, how are you here?" questions Kayo, "That Jutsu is one of my most advanced Genjutsu; there is no way a Genin could get past it."
"Yet here I stand," replies Kuroda.
Kayo eyes him suspiciously, he looks the same but his hair is darker and his eyes brighter and he has an air of absolute certainty about him. Then she returns her attention to the barrier, "What is that barrier and how was it created?"
"Impressive, isn't it?" Kuroda replies cocking his head to the side and waving his hand through the barrier, the electric pulse zaps him but he takes his hand out unharmed, "How about we strike a deal? I will grant you access to all the information you wants if you will sign a contract, but one condition is you are not allowed to read it before signing it."
Kayo's eyes light up, intrigued by the thought of learning about the barrier, but then they cloud over with doubts about the offer. She debates the positives and negatives of the deal, "I could end up in the same situation as Sakura, but I still don't know what that is exactly. I was there when Jando explained to the Hokage that Kuroda said something about following his orders. Yet both Kuroda and Sakura claimed it was a joke. If I sign the contract I could be putting my life at stake. However, I would learn all the information that the Hokage seeks, and I can learn what that barrier is and make one in my own mind. I have never seen anything like that barrier, or even something remotely similar. With all my encounters with elite ninja, not one of them has possessed something like it when I entered their mind through the Mind Interrogation Technique."
"You're sure you don't want to just tell me," she inquires.
"Positive," he responds with a strict gaze, "Do you agree to the terms or not?"
"There is something different about him, something dangerous about this kid," she thinks hesitantly, "But this could be my only chance to get the information that the Hokage seeks, and the only way for me to learn how to make that barrier. Is all that really worth it to do what he asks?"
After mulling it over for a while she decides that it would be worth it to learn how the barrier was made, so she could make her own. "Ok, I will agree to sign your contract," she says to the figure in front of her.
"Well then, I will meet you out there," replies Kuroda motioning to the ceiling, his eyes zealous with anticipation. Kayo nods and closes her eyes, letting her consciousness flow free.
She exits Kuroda's mind and her consciousness returns to her own patiently waiting body. When she opens her eyes she finds a contract sitting on the ground in front of her and the tip of a kunai up against her throat. "Is that really necessary?" she asks to the boy behind her, "I said I was going to sign it.
"True, but you could easily change your mind," he replies as he holds his arm perfectly still, "And I can't have you running around telling people about this."
"So you're just going to kill me if I don't sign it?" she inquires, "Do you really think you'd get away with it?"
"I really have no interest in taking your life," he admits, "But if I am forced to then I will. After that I would simply have to take Sakura and leave the village before anyone caught on."
"You're really serious about this, aren't you?" she asks.
"Deadly," he replies, allowing himself a slight smirk.
"Let me get a pen then," she says moving to get up.
"Sorry Sensei, that will not work," says Kuroda tightening his grip on the weapon, "You have to sign it in blood."
"A blood contract?" she thinks, "Just what am I getting myself into? Could a Genin really have created a working blood contract? No, that is impossible. Even I don't have the linguistic skills for that, and I am a Jonin. Whatever it is it can't be a real blood contract." After hesitating she pricks her thumb with one of her teeth and flinches a bit at the sting of pain, then moves to sign at the bottom of the contract in her blood. Kuroda allows her enough space to bend down, but still keeps his weapon tightly against her throat. She can't taste the blood seeping down from the tooth into her mouth and smell the metallic scent as she autographs the cream-colored paper.
"Very good," says Kuroda as releases her and goes to roll up the contract and place it in his pouch, "Now take off your clothes." She questions if she heard him correctly and a surging pain ripples through her body. If time was slowed and chakra was visible a miniature wave of purple lightning would be seen passing through the woman's body. She drops to the floor, completely enveloped by spasms from the shocks to her nervous system. Kuroda informs her, "That pain you are feeling right now will happen every time you do not follow my instructions. It is not fatal, but it hurts a lot and you cannot stop it."
Unable to bear the torture Kayo is forced to strip her clothes off. "All of them Sensei," he orders when she stops with her undergarments still on. She takes the rest of them off not bothering to hide the rage from being violated in such a way.
"Lie down on your back please," he requests. She quickly, but bitterly, complies and he walks over to her. He kneels down over her body, and then takes his right hand and scans over her searching for some strange invisible point. He quickly seems to find the correct spot just above her navel. Kuroda takes out a kunai and carves a strange symbol into her flesh. She winces from the stinging pain as she tries to keep an eye on his actions, "What is he doing? Is he giving me some sort of curse mark? Or is he just marking me as his property?"
After finishing with the symbol he makes a few hand signs and pours some of his chakra into the mark. After a minute the mark dims and soon is no longer visible. "You are to disclose to no one what has just occurred today," orders Kuroda as he stands up, "Oh, and you can put your clothes back on."
"What have you done to me? What was that contract, and what was that ritual you just preformed?" asks Kayo angrily as she redresses herself.
"I will explain it all in due time, but first we have a few more things to go over," he replies.
After making some fresh tea Kuroda sits down to set more advanced rules in place for what Kayo can and cannot say and do. "So, as I already explained, if you disobey an order that I give you, you will be tortured by that unimaginable pain until you comply. That was what you consented to when you signed the contract," Kuroda reveals.
"So then you really did manage to make a blood contract," Kayo comments.
"Of course I did, do you really think I would threaten to kill a higher ranking soldier if I wasn't absolutely sure that my contract would work?" her responds, "I know I wasn't showing you my true personality in all the time we've spent together, but I don't remember pretending to be an idiot at any point."
"I seriously underestimated this kid," Kayo thinks, "Just what have I gotten myself into?"
"Now if you'll let me continue I will explain a little more. In addition to setting that first rule there were some generic orders written in to the contract such as you can't try to kill me or physically harm me," Kuroda explains, "Then I also gave you that first order not to discuss this with anyone else. An order can last a lifetime or only for a few moments depending on how I phrase it, that was also disclosed in the contract."
"What is your game? Why have you done this? What is your objective?" Kayo questions.
"I told you I'll explain everything to you in due time," he replies, "But for the moment I guess I can explain why I chose you. I was hesitant at first, but after witnessing you in action and experiencing that mind-invasion technique I knew that you were a powerful ninja who can be very useful for my plan. I guess that is all I need to tell you for now, so let's move on. I want to learn more about Genjutsu. I still don't understand why it was so easy for me to get past all of your techniques, so if you can clarify and elaborate on a few things maybe I will be able to figure it out."
"You mean you didn't even know you could do that until just now?" Kayo questions in shock.
"You mean the barrier? Yes, I did invent that after all," he reveals, "But the Genjutsu thing I had no idea about. Shall we begin then?"
"So you didn't find anything unusual at all in his mind?" the leader of the village questions from behind her large oak desk.
"No my Lady, there was nothing that seemed abnormal," Kayo replies with a resolute stare.
"And the scroll that the Hyuga boy made such a big deal about was nothing more than a promise to do some chores?" the Hokage asks.
"That is correct," Kayo confirms with a nod, "Jando tends to exaggerate a bit."
"Well, then I suppose I was concerned over nothing," the Hokage responds, "How about Kuroda? Did you do any permanent damage to his mind?"
"No, I was very careful not to contaminate anything," the Jonin assures, "I left everything in the same condition as I found it."
"Very good, then I believe we can put a close to this matter," the Hokage replies, "Thank you for your hard work. That's all for now, I have some other reports I need to go over."
"Yes ma'am, I'll see you at the mission briefing later," Kayo replies with a bow.
"Get some rest," the Hokage says as waves her out.
"Whew that was close," Kayo thinks as she wipes her brow once the door to the Hokage's office closes behind her, "I think she believed me though. I wish I could tell her the truth or even write her a note, but I guess Kuroda thought about that when he gave his order. He said I can't disclose his secrets to anyone and that covers a very broad area of communications. But there has to be some way around it. I'll just bide my time and keep close watch on him until I can figure a way to get myself out of this." She turns to head down the stairs and go brief Kuroda about her report to the Hokage, resigning herself to doing nothing for the moment. Life moves on with more missions and more training for Team 3.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Kayo has signed a blood contract, what does this mean for the team? As usual, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)