He stared at her from his bed. He couldn't move much – not that he really wanted to, but the beds were close to each other in the same medical room. If he reached out, he could probably touch her arm.
He continued to stare as he watched sleep – not really a foreign site for him. Her hair was sprawled out on the pillow, and she was lying on her back. Her left arm was heavily bandaged and he had seen the medics check on it several times. He wished they would talk louder, so he could hear.
Right now, it was only the two of them in the room and he was grateful that she was sleeping.
He didn't know what he would say to his sister.
Shikamaru woke up a few days ago, but was still fragile from the attack and was not allowed to leave his bed. His teammates had come in that day, and every day after, to check on him, chat, and tell him the scope of what was happening outside these four walls.
He remember being shocked and sad when they softly told him about the Third Hokage. Apparently the Hokage gave his life to seal away the leader of the enemy forces, with the help of the sannin: Jiraiya. And with the death of its leader, the Sound pulled out of Suna – or at least, what was left of its forces.
Asuma-sensei told him that they were helping Suna with wounded and getting all the civilians, who were visiting for the Chunin Exams, home or out of the town while the Sand rebuilt. A large section of Suna's wall was obliterated in Naruto's fight with Gaara and the main section of town had crumbled from the summoned snakes and battling ninjas.
Gathering up the courage, Shikamaru finally asked tentatively about his sister, who hadn't stirred once since he woke up. His father was in the room at the time and asked his team to leave, to give him and Shikamaru privacy. Shikamaru had felt his heart dropped, expecting to hear the worst – that she wasn't going to wake up. Ever again.
When the door finally shut, his father told him about the condition Choji's father found her in and how she was barely healed before running to his rescue.
Shikamaru was completely floored.
He knew that the two of them had this weird bond where they could tell when the other needed them, but also knew that Kanoko ignored the bond most of the time. Or at least… He thought she did. Shikamaru's attention was diverted back to his father when he saw the serious look on his face. Shikamaru didn't understand the problem – outside the fact that his sister had pushed herself past her limits. It really wasn't a surprise to him. She did it all the time.
When he questioned his father, he sighed, explaining that she used too much chakra while simultaneously absorbing more than she could handle. Her left arm was completely burned and the chakra points were damaged severely. On top of that, her stab wounds were not completely healed when she went into battle with Gaara and as a result, reopened them.
To summarize: She was suffering from a severe case of chakra exhaustion, her arm completely destroyed, and suffered internal bleeding.
Shikamaru felt cold as his heart dropped.
For so long, Kanoko has been cold, indifferent, and distant. She would crack a smile or smirk here or there – followed up by some smart remark, but when it came to it, Kanoko didn't hug, didn't say she loved anyone, didn't cry… She never even rebelled or thrown a tantrum. She accepted things as they were and went about her way.
Shikamaru was always trying different things to get some sort of emotion out of her.
.
She didn't even cuddle.
.
What kind of girl doesn't cuddle?
.
Ok, maybe he's holding that one against her out of his own irritation that she refuses to cuddle with him, but they were twins! Twins cuddle!
.
.
Back to the point…
He knew that she was always there for him. If he needed help, she would always be around to support him in any way. Even though he was born first, she always acted like the older sibling. Like she had been through all this before and she was willing to help him through the rough patches.
He focused in on her expressionless and sleeping face.
He still didn't believe she would put herself through so much, just to save him…
He smiled slightly, "…I think I'm finally starting to understand you." And with that thought, he closed his eyes, hoping the next time he opens them, he will see his sister up and trying to escape the hospital – as she is prone to do.
He chuckled quietly before falling to sleep.
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Bright rays from the sun streamed through the shades on the window, flooding the room with warmth and light. Outside, the birds were chirping lightly as the leaves danced in the wind.
Kanoko's eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times at the light. She twitched and strength her muscles before shifting her head to look around the room. She vaguely recognized the surroundings, having visiting Konoha's hospital a few times.
"…When did I get in Konoha?" Kanoko's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, trying to recall her most recent memories.
"So you finally woke up… I was starting to get worried." A dull voice drawled out in a rough and deep tone.
Pulling her from her thoughts, Kanoko looked up at the voice.
Shikaku sat down on the stool next to his daughter's bed and gave her a blank look. Kanoko returned it with an annoyed look before asking, "What-"
"We need to talk." Shikaku told her firmly, disregarding her question.
Kanoko closed her mouth to stare at Shikaku suspiciously. She waited for him to speak, not willing to show weakness in this conversation.
Shikaku leaned back, crossing his arms, "…I honestly don't even know where to begin. I always knew you would be an exceptional ninja as you were such a unique child – even by Nara standards." He paused, closing his eyes, "Your hard work and determination is clearly a reflection of your mother and your intellect and paranoia is something I know comes from me."
Shikaku stared into his daughter's eyes, "…But that doesn't explain everything else – and if you think I never noticed, then you must think very poorly of me."
Kanoko's eyes held his firmly. Outside, she looked cool and controlled – but inside, her heart was beating so fast, she thought it would just pop out. Kanoko exhaled deeply through her nose before speaking, "...I-"
She was interrupted again from her father's hand in the air, indicating that she stop.
"I don't want to know. Not this way." He paused, "…I want you to come to me when you are ready." Shikaku looked out the window, "I have never once questioned your loyalty to the village." His eyes moved to Kanoko, "…And I know how much you love us, your family – even if you rarely show it." Shikaku finished with a smirk at Kanoko's embarrassed face.
She returned his look with an annoyed one.
Shikaku chuckled lowly before turning serious again, "…But you can't do that again… Using a move like that." He sighed, a hand rubbing his forehead, "I can't even begin to imagine where you learned the Fourth's secret technique…" He gave her a bored and annoyed look – something only a Nara could pull off, "…You're lucky that Minato was a good friend of mine… I was able to convince the others that you stole the notes he left me and taught yourself his jutsu – something that should be out of your league." He finished, giving her a harsh look.
Kanoko's eye twitched, "Out of my league...! I made that stupid jutsu! IT'S MY JUTSU!" Kanoko stewed a bit at such an accusation while her father just sighed, having seen that same sizzling look on his wife's face many times.
He rubbed his face again, "…Kanoko. You need to listen to me. This is serious."
Kanoko just gave him a dull look, but nodded, asking him to continue.
Shikaku leaned in close to her, giving her a dead serious look, "Kanoko. You can never use a jutsu like that again. Do you understand?"
Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "…No. I don't…" Kanoko really didn't understand. She knew why she was stopping herself from using it more often: The risk that her true identity would be revealed, but that clearly wasn't the case here.
Her father just leaned back, exhaling through his nose, his eyes sharpening, "Even the whisper of that jutsu spreads fear through our enemies… And even some of our allies and comrades. The Fourth used that jutsu to wipe out an entire battle field… If others were to know of your knowledge of it…"
Shikaku's voice dropped an octave, "Kanoko. You are not strong enough yet to defend yourself from such an overwhelming attack. Ninjas as strong as our Hokages will come for you – taking out everyone in their way."
His eyes turned sad, as he looked away, ashamed, "Kanoko-chan… Even I am not strong enough to protect you, if knowledge got out."
Kanoko's eyes were wide, "…I had no idea… They… Don't talk about the battles fought by the Fourth Hokage… Could this be why?" Kanoko took a moment to ponder her knowledge of the time in between her death and her second birth – she clearly did not know enough.
Shikaku placed a hand on hers before looking her in the eye, "Kanoko. Promise me, under no circumstance, will you ever use that jutsu again."
Kanoko stared bewildered at him before turning away, "I can't promise that… What if I need to use it? …But he's right… If the risk is truly that great…" Her fists tightening in the sheets, "I need to get stronger."
Turning her gaze back to her father, she nodded slightly.
Shikaku sighed in relief, "…I'm glad you understand." His eyes softened with pride, a small smile on his face, "And Kanoko… I want you to know how proud I am of you." His smile grew, "How you fight, how you think, how you'll push yourself to protect those important to you… You're everything a father could ever want in a daughter."
Kanoko's cheeks went pink as she shoved her face into the pillow, completely embarrassed.
Shikaku chuckled, rubbing her head and ruffling her hair.
He stepped back and walked to the door. When he placed his hand on the handle, he looked back and smirked, "Oh… And sorry about this."
Kanoko turned her face away from the pillow to look up at her father with a questionable look.
He just opened the door and walked out, not explaining.
Kanoko huffed lowly, before closing her eyes to get some more sleep.
.
.
.
"KKKKKKAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOKKKKKKKOOOOOO!"
Her eyes grew to the size of saucers before a bone crushing weight fell on her back.
"ACK!" She coughed out at the pain.
"NAAAARUTOOOO!" Sakura cried, jumping on Naruto and pulling at his face.
"OOOOFF!" Kanoko winced.
"What?! DOG PILE!" Kiba screamed, running up to the bed and diving on top.
"GYAH!" The female Nara cried out again, arms struggling to break free and kill one of them.
"WHAT IS THIS? A SYMBOLISM OF YOUTHFUL PASSION! WHY WAS I NOT INVITED?!" Lee wailed, bouncing off the walls before landing on Kiba.
Kanoko's mouth was wide open, but not sound escaped. She just lay there, screaming silently as she brother lazily walked into her gaze.
Her eyes focused on him in hope, "Shikamaru… Help…"
Shikamaru gave her a bored look, looking at the fighting bodies on top of her, before sticking a finger in his ear and removing wax from it.
"Stupid… Little… Piece of shit…" Kanoko thought angrily at her brother's betrayal.
Shikamaru crossed his arms, giving her a dull look before speaking, "Maybe next time you won't try to kill yourself by pushing yourself past your limits."
Kanoko frowned, "Well sorry for saying your ungrateful ass! For goodness sakes, he is just as bad as Hashirama! Stupid brothers and their passive aggressive ways!"
"Ok guys… Off of Kanoko. She should be still in a lot of pain." Kanoko heard the wise and logical voice of one Kakashi-sensei.
"Sorry…" They all mumbled getting off of Kanoko and moving back as Kakashi approached her.
Kakashi gave her a soft look, "You really over did it. Trust me when I say, that says a lot, coming from me." Kanoko raised an eyebrow, struggling to sit up.
"You need to take it easy. The medics can tell you more, but you used your chakra passed its capabilities and you somehow managed to burn all the chakra points in your left arm." Kakashi continued. Kanoko looked at her arm and noticed that it was difficult to move. Her eyes dulled slightly as she pulled back the bandages to survey the damage.
From what she could see, her arm was a nice dark red color from the chakra that had burned her skin, "Yeah… That wasn't one of my smartest ideas…"
Kakashi nodded, sensing her thoughts, before continuing, "But you're ok now and from what the medics tell me, you should make a complete recovery…"
Kakashi trailed off as the door slammed open – a dark and haunting aura flooding the room.
Those in the room quickly backed up to the furthest point away and those in the hall dashed the other way.
*STOMP STOMP*
Kanoko fumbled, as she tried to fling her body out the window – hopefully to her death.
"…You….. I expect this behavior from my good for nothing husband…. Even my lazy-ass son, who is just like his father….."
Shikamaru quickly dashed behind Kakashi – who was still trapped in the room as well.
*STOMP STOMP*
"…..But you….. My daughter….. The only glimmer of sanity I had left in my life….. YOU decide to go and pull this…."
Yoshino stomped towards Kanoko's bed, face promising pain as her fists turned white. Kanoko quickly closed her eyes, hoping Yoshino would be merciful and give her a quick death.
Yoshino's eyes started to water before she sniffed and pulling her daughter into a bone crushing bear hug.
Kanoko squeaked at the loss of air circulation.
"I was so scared! You had so much blood on you! And then you get up and run away! I was completely beyond myself in worry and then that silver haired, perverted book reading sensei of yours brought you back – unconscious and worse off than before!"
Kakashi sweat-dropped, hold his hand out to defend himself when Shikamaru shook his head roughly at Kakashi – warning him against further angering the Nara monarch.
Yoshino tightened her hold, hiccupping from her crying, "Kanoko… Please don't do that to me… Your mother's heart can't take it…"
Kanoko's eyes widened before softening and wrapping her arms around her mother's shaking form. Kanoko knew she couldn't make a promise like that, so instead, she held onto her mother – comforting her the best she could.
"I can't promise you won't see me like this again, but I will do everything in my power to stay alive." Kanoko's gaze moved from her mother, to her smiling brother, up to her aloof sensei, down to her chuckling teammates and onto the soft eyes of her father – who was holding the door open.
Kanoko nodded to him, "…I promise to live for all of you."
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A few days later…
"…And then I jumped up and got him right in the face with an Uzumaki special!" Naruto cheered before slurping down more ramen.
Kanoko just nodded, listening to Naruto's recount of the fight between him and Gaara of the Sand.
"Of course, the epic battle wasn't done yet. We were falling as the sand crumbled, when-"
"Well, I guess it is true! The only thing you eat is ramen!"
Kanoko and Naruto turned at the voice interrupting Naruto, "Pervy-sage!" Naruto exclaimed.
Jiraiya stopped suddenly, mouth open before narrowing his eyes and asking Naruto suspiciously, "…You haven't been calling me that over any important – possibly the Hokage's – graves, have you?"
Naruto stared at him like he was crazy, "What?"
Jiraiya shook his head, rubbing his chin and mumbling, "…It just doesn't make any sense…"
Kanoko turned a little pink before speaking loudly to change the conversation, "Jiraiya-sannin. How can we be of service?"
Jiraiya was pulled from his thoughts and looked down at the kids again, "Oh yeah. I wanted to steal this one, I have an important mission to complete and I was looking for a second."
Kanoko raised an eyebrow while Jiraiya pointed to Naruto, "You need Naruto… For an important mission?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes at his teammate, not liking her tone, before turning to Jiraiya, "No way! You're important missions are just you peeking in on woman in the bath." Naruto turned back to his ramen, taking a large bite.
Kanoko's eyes narrowed at Jiraiya, her aura darkening, "…Peeping again…" She cracked her knuckles as a warning. Jiraiya held out a hand with a small look of panic, "No! Really! It's an important mission to find a very special woman."
Naruto opened his mouth to insult Jiraiya when Kanoko beat him, "You… Need a little boy to find yourself a wife…" Kanoko turned around to her food, "… How completely pitiful."
Jiraiya fell to the ground, creating a small dust cloud. Naruto abandoned his ramen to point and laugh at his sensei, "Hahaha! She got you there, pervy-sage!"
Jiraiya quickly jumped to his feet, "I hate both of you…"
"Get in line…" Kanoko answered without a care, Naruto nodded at her statement.
Naruto looked at Jiraiya again, "Anyways, I'm busy training."
Jiraiya gave Naruto a dull look, "Ha! Training! How so?"
Naruto growled, "Hey, don't mock my training! And if you must know, Kanoko is going to teach me some of her awesome jutsus!"
Kanoko's head jerked up and faced Naruto, "…I am?"
Naruto ignored her as he crossed his arms at Jiraiya. Jiraiya laughed at him, "Please… I can teach you jutsus that are much cooler than anything your genin teammate knows."
Kanoko's eye twitched at the insult.
Naruto gave him an unimpressed look with an eyebrow raised, "Can you appear out of thin air, cover the area in darkness, steal chakra, seal souls, create massive bombs, manipulate water, spit out fire, create wind needles, and trap people with shadows?"
.
.
.
Jiraiya's shocked face slowly moved to Kanoko, who was trying to sneak away. He sputtered out, trying to find his words.
"You know… Maybe I should dial it back a few notches…" Kanoko thought, suddenly feeling uncomfortable by all the attention.
Shaking his head and turning back to Naruto, he begged, "Come on kid! I need you for this mission! No one else will do. I'll even teach you a jutsu that can defeat that Uchiha's Chidori!"
That caught Naruto's attention.
Kanoko used the distraction to slip away quickly, before she was "volunteered" for anything.
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He slammed his fist down onto his desk as he sat behind it, shaking with uncontrolled anger, "How dare they choose that buffoon as our next Hokage!" He grabbed his cane as he pulled himself up. He quickly made his way through the door and down the hall of his underground complex.
"The only thing he is remotely good for is espionage. He doesn't have what it takes to become Hokage – not when he continues to gallivant around and teaching his secrets to children of foreign villages!" The older man finally made his way to the surface before taken a deep breath in order to calm himself down.
"Forthcoming shinobi must suppress their emotions and create suitable rules that they then follow." He told to himself, quoting his deceased sensei. The man looked up at the sky, "If sensei could see the village now… He would be proud." He frowned, "But if he knew I stood back and did nothing while the village elects a leader who will lead to Konoha's destruction…" His fists tightened as he gritted his teeth, "…He would be so disappointed in me."
He exhaled as he entered a tea shop with private rooms. Stepping into a roomed reserved for him, he sat down and took a sip of his team – after checking for poisons. "I will simply have to… Get in the way." He thought before the door slid open, revealing his guest.
"Danzo. Why have you called me?" The tall, scarred, and imposing man spoke coldly, walking into the room.
Danzo motioned to the seat in front of him, "Blunt and straight to the point as always, Rokumaru. Quite the disappointment to your clan, I imagine."
Rokumaru narrowed his eyes at his old classmate, "Do not speak to me about the Nara clan."
Danzo shrugged, turning the conversation to his true intent, understanding Nara Rokumaru's patience to be very thin, "I asked you here to talk about the future of the village."
Rokumaru scoffed, "Then my answer is no. I will not take part in the pitiful battle you have started with my son. He's barely a man, and yet you struggle against him. Pathetic."
Danzo tightened his hand around his cup, growling slightly at Rokumaru's insult, "…You have to understand. Shikaku supports Jiraiya in becoming the Fifth Hokage – and where he places his vote, the jounin follow."
Rokumaru crossed his arms with an annoyed look, "And you want me to convince my son against such actions." Rokumaru grunted, "Too bad Danzo. My son doesn't listen to me and I don't care enough to make him listen."
Danzo spoke firmly, with narrowed eyes, "You should. The Hokage can have a great impact on one's clan."
Rokumaru rolled his eyes, "Really? I had no idea… I completely bought your little fairytale about a teenager wiping out his whole clan in the middle of the night - an extremely powerful clan with an equally powerful kekkei genkai."
Danzo's eye twitched in irritation. He opened his mouth to speak before Rokumaru interrupted, "Do not take me for a fool Shimura. I am both older and smarter than you. You are setting up the board for a takeover of your own. Why? I cannot even fathom. You would lose all the power that you currently hold." Rokumaru paused to give him a hard look, "Becoming such a prominent figure is not in your nature. Accept what you are."
Danzo looked up at Rokumaru, silent for a moment, "…What are you planning?"
Rokumaru raised an eyebrow, "What are you on about now?"
Danzo's eyes thinned as he frowned, "Coming here when you have already decided and trying to dissuade me from the Hokage's position – something I agree holds no interest to me, outside that fact that I do not like the fools that fill it." Danzo paused, "…You're making a power play. I just can't understand why… Or how…"
Rokumaru smirked, "If you thought like this when fighting my son in a battle of wits, perhaps you could win a few matches."
Danzo grabbed his cane and stood up, "…To be so indifferent about the Hokage's position…" Danzo's eyes widened, "You want it for yourself!" He paused to narrow his eyes again, "…But you have to know that your son will never support such a cruel and wicked man as the Hokage – he's seen firsthand your brutal nature."
Rokumaru shrugged, "Keep trying to figure it out Shimura. Perhaps one day you'll figure it out." Rokumaru turned to the door, but before exiting, he spoke with a low chuckle, "Oh course, by then, it will be too late."
Danzo glared at the Nara's back as he left, "How Shikaku even survived being raised by that man will forever remain a mystery."
Shimura Danzo closed his eyes while exhaling through his nose, "This changes nothing… I will not allow one of Hiruzen's students to become the Hokage."
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Sleep was important…
…To Shikamaru, that is.
His sister saw sleep as a commodity. If you have time for it, great; if not, oh well. To Shikamaru, it was as essential as eat or drinking… Maybe even more so.
So when the blankets were roughly ripped off of him before the sun even thought about rising, he was a little annoyed. Scratch that, really annoyed.
In retaliation, he just snuggled his face into his sister's back, trying to steal her warmth. Kanoko simply grunted in annoyance before opening her eyes to look up at the intruder – who she already knew to be her father.
Kanoko was still groggy and wasn't sure why her father was waking them up so early, but assumed it was an order from her mother. Why? She didn't know.
"UP." Shikaku told them firmly.
Not one to disobey an order, Kanoko sat up before getting out of bed, pulling a groaning Shikamaru – who was attached to her – with her. Shikamaru picked himself off the floor and whined at his father, "What does Kaa-san want with us so early?"
Shikaku crossed his arms, "Your mother doesn't need anything. Your training starts now."
Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "Training? But… Don't we normally do that in the evening?" Kanoko asked, a little on edge. She had never seen her father act this way. It reminded her of her first father – Senju Butsuma.
As if to prove her point, Shikaku just narrowed his eyes, "Enough questions. You are to be dressed in your ninja gear and in the backyard in five minutes or the consequences will be severe." When he finished, he popped away in a cloud of smoke.
"What the hell is his problem… Did Kaa-san make him sleep outside or something?" Shikamaru complained, moving slowly.
Kanoko shrugged, not sure either, "I don't know… But I'm not taking any chances." With that she quickly changed and walked out the door.
Shikamaru stared at his sister's back – deciding to move at his own pace. His father can wait. What's the worse he's going to do? Shikaku was completely whipped by their mother – he's harmless.
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Shikamaru panted as his lungs burned. He was moving forward as best as he could, but he had already lapped the village three times. His legs hurt, his lungs hurt, and his arms hurt.
Why do his arms hurt, you ask?
That would be because of the weight he is holding up on his back.
"You… Need… To… Lose… Weight…" Shikamaru gasped out at his sister.
Kanoko's eye twitched at him, "You are very lucky that I don't care – otherwise, you would be dead."
"Please… Please, put me out of my misery." Shikamaru drawled out.
"If you have the energy to talk, then you can go faster." Their father said, coming up from behind.
Shikamaru just moved a little faster, not willing to upset his father again. Once was enough to learn his lesson.
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Kanoko was currently sitting in the hospital. She was required to come by weekly for a checkup. The medic on staff worked around her, checking her blood pressure, chakra system, reflexes, etc.
"…Yep. Everything is coming along nicely." The medic muttered before turning back to Kanoko, "You still can't use chakra with your arm, but your reserves are developing nicely after the stress you put them through. The wounds you suffered in the attack are completely healed, with only slight scarring."
Kanoko nodded, "What do you estimate for my arm?"
The medic thought for a moment, "It's hard to say. You burned the chakra points completely. I am honestly surprised that they are healing at all. I can't give you an estimate. More than a month – maybe a year – I'm just not sure."
Kanoko nodded again before jumping off the bed and stretching slightly, "…Thank you."
The medic returned her pleasantries before releasing her.
Kanoko walked out of the hospital and in the direction of town. Her mind wondered as she made her way through the streets, "I should go buy flowers…"
With that thought, Kanoko walked into the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
*Jingle*
The bells over the door rang as Kanoko stepped in, looking around at the vast array of colors. She sweat-dropped. She was a little overwhelmed by the selection. She slowly walked up to a shelf of flowers when her former classmate ran up to her.
"Kanoko! I'm surprised to see you in here!" Ino squealed, thinking Kanoko was finally becoming the girl she was meant to be.
Kanoko quickly burst her bubble by giving her a dull look and saying, "I just need a handful of flowers for a grave."
Ino pouted, "You sure know how to turn a conversation depressing quickly, don't you?" Ino sighed, getting little reaction from Kanoko before asking her, "What meaning do you want them to say?"
Kanoko raised an eyebrow.
Ino gave her a baffled look, "Didn't you learn anything from kunoichi class?"
"Nope." Kanoko said firmly. Not wanting to speak of the dreadful experience.
Sighing dramatically Ino continued, "Well, do you want to tell the person you're sorry or that you miss them? Something like that."
Kanoko shrugged, "…Sorry. And… Thank you."
"For what?" Ino asked, not following.
"I want the flowers to say sorry and thank you." Kanoko told her plainly.
"Oh! Got it! One second." Ino said, snapping her fingers and running away.
Kanoko sighed, before walking slowly to the counter and pulling out some money. When Ino came back, she exchanged the flower with Kanoko's coins. Kanoko grabbed them and politely thanked her before leaving out the door with another jingle from the bells.
Kanoko walked for a while with the flowers in her hand until she found herself standing before a grave with a large red flame statue on top. She bent down to place the flowers on the ground before standing up straight. She stared at the name, "Sarutobi Hiruzen: The Third Hokage".
"Thank you… Waking up to all of them… My friends and family. I would have regretted my choice, had you not convinced me otherwise. They are what is important to me now, and I will protect them with everything I have." Kanoko raised her head to the sky as the wind blew by, causing her bangs to fly to the side, "Thank you teaching me, what I once taught you. To cherish those around you and to never let them down."
Kanoko smiled as she stood there for a few moments longer, simply watching the leaves dance in the wind.
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A few days later, Kanoko was walking back to her doctor for another checkup when she passed some gossiping nurses in the hall.
"Did you hear?"
"No. What is it?"
"The Uchiha. Maito Gai just brought him in and they say no one can wake him. His injuries were minor, but it's like someone put him in a genjutsu that he can't wake up from."
Kanoko's ears perked at the information. With a slight pause, Kanoko placed a hand on a nearby wall. She closed her eyes and pushed out her chakra. Her eyes snapped open, "Found him."
Kanoko picked up her pace as she walked towards his room. She stopped before rounding the corner when she heard Maito Gai speaking with another jounin, "…The same jutsu Kakashi was hit with. The only hope we have of them waking up is Naruto and Jiraiya completing their mission."
Kanoko's eyes widened slightly, "Kakashi-sensei too?"
"Do you know what jutsu he used at least? Maybe we can do some research on our end." The jounin responded. Maito Gai shook his head, "No. All I know is that Itachi used his Sharingan to do it."
"An Uchiha! I could only think of one jutsu that would cause this damage..." Kanoko thought, about to turn and leave when she caught Gai say one more thing.
"We are just fortunate Jiraiya was there to protect Naruto. I can only think of one reason why a man like Itachi would be after Naruto…"
Kanoko stilled, mind blank. …After Naruto? Naruto was in danger? And no one stopped to tell her? Her fists clenched while she gritted her teeth. Why would they tell her? A little girl like her against a S-ranked ninja like Itachi… Naruto was in the best hands possible…
Still…
"I already made a promise to protect my friends… Even the irritating ones with obnoxious voices." With determination, Kanoko quickly flickered home. She dashed into her room and grabbed her supplies. She raced down the stairs before stopping.
"If I don't leave a note, they'll be worried." Kanoko thought, quickly jotting down her intent and her request not to be called back. With that, she took off into the forest. She stopped, suddenly, "How to get out of the village without being tracked…" Her eyes shifted around, "I could use the ANBU passage, but that could lead to more issues…"
Turning back to the Nara forest, she thought, "That will work… Never thought I would be grateful to be born a Nara."
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Kanoko had been running most of the day and was starting to feel the burning in her lungs take its toll. She looked up from her crouched position, "I can feel his chakra getting closer…" Her eyes caught a town in the distance, "There…"
Kanoko straightened up again and starting making her way quickly towards the sounds of civilization.
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Naruto snickered as he held up two fried squids, looking around for his teacher. Naruto was in the best mood that he had been in, in a while and was excited to meet up with Jiraiya.
Unfortunately, when he found him…
Jiraiya was lounging on a couch, surrounded by beautiful women, and drinking booze.
All of Naruto's hard earned savings - gone.
Naruto leaped towards Jiraiya, making him spit out his sake. "I need a refresher! What were those prohibitions again?!" The ladies ran screaming as Naruto continued, "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!" Naruto raised the squid other Jiraiya's head, like he was going to whack him with it, "You're breaking all three in one go, you dirty pervert!"
"Wait Naruto!" Jiraiya defended himself as Naruto started pounding him on the head, "I can't believe you spent all my hard earned cash! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!"
Naruto continued his assault as two men walked in. One in a white coat and another in a black coat. In Naruto's fight, one of the squids flew out of Naruto's grasp and spattered on the man's white coat.
"WATCH IT!" The bodyguard yelled at Naruto, "Look what you did, you little punk!"
Naruto and Jiraiya stopped to look back, "Huh?"
"That suit cost the boss 100 large! And you're going to pay for it!" The guy continued.
Naruto's jaw dropped, "What?! That suit cost a hundred thousand?!" His voice getting higher with each word.
"That's seems a little excessive." Jiraiya said plainly, not impressed.
"Shut your mouth old man, if you know what's good for you…" The man in white rasped out. His body guard followed up, "The boss used to be a chunin from the Hidden Village in the Stones – The legendary dark ninja… Feared across the lands!"
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Kanoko walked through the crowd, zoning in on Naruto's chakra signature when she came to the opening of some hut. She looked inside to see two men standing in her way, blocking her view of Naruto and Jiraiya.
"…chunin from the Hidden Village in the Stones – The legendary dark ninja… Feared across the lands!" She heard one of them utter, gesturing to the man with the white jacket.
"Naruto… Finding trouble wherever he goes…" She thought with a dull look.
She was interrupted from her thought the man yelled, "You're asking for it!" She saw him move forward and assumed he was about to charge at Naruto.
With her eye twitching in annoyance, she ignored the gathering of chakra energy past them and walked behind the man, her sword pressed into his back.
"I can only guess what my friend did to make you angry, but know that I do not care and will skew you light a shish-kabob regardless." Kanoko spoke coldly.
Jiraiya cancelled his jutsu before crying out, "Come on! I was just about to do something really cool!"
"Kanoko!" Naruto shouted, ignoring his teacher and running to Kanoko, "What are you doing here?"
Kanoko shrugged, sword still firmly planted in the man's back before holding a normal conversation with Naruto, "Looking for you. You ran off without your teammates, or even giving us notice of your mission." Kanoko narrowed her eyes at him, "Clearly you have forgotten that it means to be a part of a team."
Naruto shook his head aggressively, "What?! No! I just… got distracted…" Naruto finished lamely, scratching the back of his head.
"Hey kid! Do you have any idea who you're messing with?!" The man in black yelled.
Kanoko gave him a dull look, "Some rouge chunin from the Stone Village. If that was even true, you still would be no match for me." Kanoko's face hardened, "Now leave before I make good on my threat."
The men clearly didn't believe her, so they moved to attack. Kanoko moved to slice their throats when Jiraiya stopped her, "Let me handle this."
Kanoko gave him and unimpressed look before shrugging and putting her sword away.
When Jiraiya finished and the man spat out information on Tsunade, they left the town, before finally stopping and making camp for the night. After everything was rolled out, Jiraiya turned to Kanoko.
"You are going back to the village tomorrow." He told her firmly.
Kanoko returned his look with one of her own, "No. I'm not."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, "Yes. You are."
Kanoko crossed her arms before Jiraiya sighed, "Look. We are on an important mission and I can't have you tagging along and messing it up."
Kanoko's eyes also narrowed, "If you think I am going to trust Naruto in your hands after what happened to Sasuke, you are greatly mistaken."
Jiraiya looked ashamed for a second before responding with a frown, "Which is exactly why I can't have you around. I can't protect you and Naruto at the same time."
"I can protect myself, thank you!" Naruto added into the conversation while crossing his arms.
Kanoko ignored Naruto, "I can sense any animal, human, or jutsu before it even comes into eye sight. You need me."
Jiraiya stared at Kanoko long and hard, "She did sense me at the bathhouse when I was concealing my chakra… And she would be very useful in tracking Tsunade down – especially if the princess tries to make a break for it…"
"Come on pervy-sage! Kanoko is a beast! She's almost as good as me. She'll be fine!" Naruto told his sensei, secretly hoping his teammate could join their mission. He missed his team and Jiraiya wasn't all the fun to hang around with – not when he's off chasing skirts.
Jiraiya sighed dramatically, "…Ok, but there will be some ground rules!"
Kanoko raised an eyebrow, "I will listen to your suggestions and take them under consideration."
Jiraiya's mouth dropped, "So rude! No respect at all! Little brat!" He put his hands in the air shrugging, "You know what… Just never mind. I don't care anymore."
Kanoko nodded, before jumping into the tree above, "I'll take watch for the night." Her tone leaving no room for argument.
Jiraiya just sighed again, "This is going to be one long trip…" He thought before calling Naruto over, "Hey Naruto, remember that cool jutsu I was telling you about…"
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"Report."
The blonde man bowed before his kage, "I successfully planted myself into the medical corps when the infiltration of Suna began. I saw the Leaf's operations up close while the containment and staging areas were combined."
The large, muscular man in front of him nodded, his chin resting on his hands, "Provide a detailed report to the intelligence and tactical units." With that, he waved him away.
"Pardon Lord Raikage." The blonde man said, not leaving as told.
The Raikage raised an eyebrow, "What is it C?" C was one of his most loyal and obedient shinobi. He knew not to waste Aye's time.
C bowed, "There is one ninja that you may be interested in. A genin."
Aye leaned back, "A genin? Do they have a kekkei genkai?" The Cloud was notorious for stealing kekkei genkai and other skilled ninjas from other nations to breed them for their own purposes.
C shook his head, "No."
Aye's eyes narrowed, "Then why would I be interested?"
"This kunoichi used the Fourth Hokage's jutsu – the one that allowed him to teleport about the area unobstructed."
Aye's eyes widened. He once faced the Fourth Hokage and that jutsu. He counted the years in his head before asking, "…Was this kunoichi blonde?"
C shook his head, "No. She wasn't his daughter. She is the daughter to the Leaf's jounin commander: Nara Shikaku."
Aye gritted his teeth before grunting, "Taking her forcefully will be nearly impossible…" Aye leaned back again, thinking over the situation in his head, "But a genin with knowledge of that jutsu… It's just too good to pass up…"
Aye called his assistant over, "Call the tactical unit's head and his best men!" He turned to C, "Go find Darui and meet me in the conference chambers… We have some planning to do…" C nodded, about to leave before Aye called out, "C! What is this kunoichi's name?"
C thought for a moment before answering, "Nara Kanoko." And then he teleported away.
Aye he stood to look out his window at his village below before smirking, "I hope you are enjoying your last moments with your friends and family… Nara Kanoko."
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"Naruto…. I hate you…." Kanoko thought as water dripped off of her face. Naruto held a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh at Kanoko. Kanoko was, graciously, trying to help Naruto spin chakra around in his hand in order to pop the water balloon.
He succeeded.
And she got a front row seat.
.
She calmly walked away, her hand twitching in annoyance and irritation, "At least he figured it out and hopefully will stop whining so loudly." Kanoko pulled off her dark brown, short sleeve jacket and letting it air out, leaving her in her tight black turtle-neck shirt.
Kanoko turned her head as Jiraiya walked up the hill, "Well this is a surprise… Normally we have to go find him and drag him out of some brothel…"
Naruto quickly called him over and showed him that he could pop the balloon. Jiraiya looked slightly impressed before lazily telling him about the second step.
"Yay! Enough with the kid stuff! What's next? Weapons?!" Naruto asked excitedly, a large grin on his face.
Jiraiya tossed him a ball, "Here you go."
"Huh? A rubber ball?!" Naruto asked with a frown.
Kanoko walked over, curious herself. This jutsu was one she wasn't familiar with, so while she was helping Naruto, she was learning it herself. Best to know in case she ever needed to defend against it.
Jiraiya smirked, pulling out another ball, "Let's see if you can pop this one." To demonstrate, he quickly demolished it with his chakra. "First, rotation. Second, force. This ball has no water inside, so it is far more difficult to exert the right amount of chakra to pop it."
"Yeah…" Naruto said, staring at the ball after giving it a try and failing.
Jiraiya's face turned joyous, "And in the meantime… I'm going to get back to my research!" Jiraiya turned around and started walking away.
Naruto's face jerked up before calling out, "Hey! Pervy-sage! Don't go away again! Come on, stay and help me with my training! Don't just leave me!"
Jiraiya didn't turn around, "Stop whining." He said coldly.
Kanoko raised an eyebrow, coming up behind Naruto. Jiraiya turned his head, "There is one part of this process you don't seem to understand. I said I would be your teacher. Not your father or your best friend. I'm not here to hold your hand."
Kanoko's eye narrowed as she crossed her arms, "He better not referring to me. I haven't been holding Naruto's hand."
Jiraiya gave him a hard look, "You have to do this by yourself, or not at all. Stop being a child and learn how to stand on your own two feet – like a shinobi."
Naruto laughed nervously, but Kanoko knew it to be his "I'm upset, but I won't show it" laugh. Years of being classmates and "rivals" taught Kanoko a lot about Naruto. "I know… I was just hoping… Before you left, you could show me… Just one more time?"
Jiraiya turned around and held out his hand. Kanoko looked at it dully, "Is he asking for the ball back?"
.
"Pay me." Jiraiya said plainly.
.
.
"Ok, I'm done." Kanoko thought, standing in front of Naruto with her arms crossed and her "Tobirama glare" on her face, "Listen here kid. I'm not sure what Hiruzen did to raise such a miserable child as yourself, but when you agree to teach, you commit. It's not when you feel like it, or when it's convenient - it's when your student requires your attention. Even if they're annoying little brats who blow their snotty noses on you and burst your ear drums with their yelling."
Kanoko narrowed her eyes further, "I'm not asking you to hold his hand, but asking payment for a service that is your duty to both your student and your village is despicable and disloyal."
Jiraiya opened his mouth to defend himself, when Kanoko spoke again, "And if you taught the Fourth Hokage as you say you did, they I am certain he would be ashamed to call you sensei, if he saw you now: Treating the future of the Leaf Village as a payday."
Silence took over that area as leaves passed on the wind. Naruto's jaw was wide open, staring at Kanoko's back. Jiraiya's face was dark, his teeth gritting and his fists turning white. He marched over to Kanoko, stuck a finger in her face, and opening his mouth to yell when he stopped.
Kanoko eyes were sharp and firm. She did not waiver and she did not back off. He could tell she felt strongly about this and she would defend it to her last breath.
Standing up straight, he looked down at her and exhaled through his nose, "Those eyes…" Jiraiya closed his eyes, taking a moment to think things through before turning back to Naruto.
Naruto stared back at Jiraiya – a lonely and hopeful look in his eyes.
Jiraiya sighed before giving Naruto a kind smile, "Fine. One more time."
Kanoko relaxed, turning to watch and not catching Naruto's soft smile at her.
"Thanks Kanoko."
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Kanoko picked up the plates from breakfast as Naruto raced back to their shared room to grab his stuff. Naruto quickly ran back into the room – completely ready to roll.
"I'm heading out! Meet you guys on the hill!" Naruto laughed, running out the door.
Kanoko's eye twitched, "Little runt…" Kanoko wiped her hands and started for the door when she was stopped by Jiraiya's voice, "Wait."
Kanoko turned around to give him a dull look.
Jiraiya sat cross legged, "I wanted to talk to you." He paused to look at the door, "Without Naruto."
Kanoko narrowed her eyes, but stood waiting.
Jiraiya sighed, realizing that she wouldn't sit down. His eyes turned serious, "I'm going to be frank… Everything about you is unnatural and suspicious."
Kanoko tensed, not liking his accusation.
Jiraiya noticed and just added it to his internal checklist, "But you're Shikaku's kid and that clears up some things." He paused to think, "And Rokumaru's granddaughter…"
Jiraiya continued, "But it doesn't explain your abilities. Your skills in fuinjutsu alone are rare, and with no teachers in Konoha currently… It leaves me suspicious. Tag on your multiple chakra natures and how quickly you are picking up on the jutsu I am training Naruto on…" Jiraiya rubbed his chin, "Just who are you?"
Kanoko held his gaze firm, "Nara Kanoko."
His eyes narrowed, "That doesn't explain anything."
"I imagine it wouldn't, but I am under no obligation to explain it to you." Kanoko answered firmly, expression void of emotion.
"You understand this leaves me in the position of distrust towards you." Jiraiya responded, eyes thin.
Kanoko nodded, "As it should. I am loyal to the Leaf, my family, my team, and my friends. You do not rank anywhere in my priorities and if I were to choose between you and Naruto, I would sacrifice you in a heartbeat."
Jiraiya's eyes went wide before barking out laughter, "As much as I would love to see that, you and I both know Naruto would have a fit."
Kanoko's eye twitched, remembering the whole "Haku" incident.
Jiraiya stood up, stretching out as he did, "To be honest, I was going to dump you off in the next town – skate out with Naruto while I had the chance, but…" Jiraiya looked Kanoko in the eyes and gave her a smirk, "I'm starting to like you, so I guess I'll keep you around."
"As if you could lose me." Kanoko thought, before turning to the door again.
"But I'll be keeping my eye on you. I don't know what you are, but are no child." Jiraiya said with a frown.
Kanoko shrugged with a "hn" before walking out, leaving Jiraiya behind.
Jiraiya stared at the door, "If she is the product of Rokumaru's doing… I can only hope that Naruto's light keeps her on our side…"
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The sound of leaves rustling was heard as blurs passed through the trees. The moon was bright as it covered that area below.
The figures stopped, parts of them shrouded in darkness while the white masks reflected the moon's bright rays of light.
One of them kneeled to the ground before looking up at another, "…We're close. The town ahead."
The leader nodded, gesturing the others to move out. In an instant, all were gone – except one. This ninja looked up at the bright moon, one day away from a full moon. He waited until the last shadow caught up to him.
Seeing his leader stop, he paused.
"I want you to turn around, Shino." The leader told the boy.
He shifted slightly, "…Why? Am I not strong enough?"
The leader shook his head, thinking, "This is not the life I wanted for you, little brother." He spoke to Shino, "…Yes."
Shino stared at his leader, through his ANBU mask. He moved forward to argue, but the leader was firm, "Please… For me Shino."
Shino stopped and looked down in thought. He took a moment, then lifted his head to his team leader and nodded.
The leader relaxed before disappearing away in the night.
Shino stood there for a moment longer, "Be safe… Torune."