This is a re-upload to fix formatting issues, hopefully it worked! Enjoy the chapter!


When Ryan got back to Ginna's, he found her cooking in the kitchen.

"That smells really good." Ryan said.

Ginna pointed towards the table without turning around. "Sit. We'll talk in a minute. You didn't eat while you- you didn't take any money with you, did you?"

Ryan's stomach gurgled before he could respond.

"Ha." Ginna snorted. "Sit down. My beef rice isn't nearly so good as some of my friends, but I do alright."

Ryan sat.

"How were your wanderings?" Ginna asked once they'd both finished scarfing down the food.

"Fine." Ryan shrugged. "They did help clear my head."

"Yeah?" Ginna quirked an eyebrow.

Ryan had semi-rehearsed his response, under the reasonable assumption that Ginna would want to know his mental status. Muttering under his breath while ambling along had brought back the strange ominous tingling, which gave Ryan good guideposts on how to phrase things.

"You have to understand, where I came from…it's not like here." Ryan replied. "There's far less organized violence, and nobody can use chakra. It's…a lot to know, and adjust to. I never thought I'd need to touch a weapon in my life, and now you want to mold me into one, if I understand the context correctly. Jarring is an understatement really. And that's not even getting into the fact that it really hasn't sunk in that I'm almost certainly never going to see my family again. I don't know if they think I'm dead or that I just disappeared. I don't like leaving them like that."

"Fair." Ginna said. "You ready to answer my questions?"

What followed was Ginna pulling out a sheet of paper and reading from it. They were fairly basic questions, and she made Ryan tell her every time he felt the tingle warning him to stop speaking. She never showed him the paper or wrote down any answers.

"Now, time for the fun part." Ginna grinned as she folded the paper, putting it in one of the pockets on her vest.

"Ominous grin there, auntie." Ryan noted.

"Sure is." Ginna gestured towards the living room. "Let's go to the roof."

For some reason, likely his mind clinging to any shred of normalcy it could, Ryan was expecting her to lead them to a staircase.

When she stepped onto a balcony, Ryan was confused. Then she jumped upwards, landing on the lip of the roof above.

"You know that's absurd for me to think about doing, right?" Ryan asked.

Ginna grinned where she was crouched down. "Come on, brat. Your body should be able to make it up here."

Ryan couldn't. Sure, he had nearly four feet of hops, which was absurd. But it was far from being able to jump onto the roof. Ryan settled for grabbing the ledge and levering himself up from there.

"Oof, we really are starting from the basics." Ginna said, arms crossed as she watched him climb up.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." Ryan grunted.

Ginna just smirked, that stupid toothpick wiggling slightly.

"Basic chakra infusion." Ginna said. "It's how kunoichi and shinobi are able to jump around, take hits regular people can't, and the prerequisite for pretty much every single type of jutsu."

She frowned. "I never did like teaching."

Joy. An unenthusiastic teacher, how novel.

"Anyway, it's almost as natural as breathing." Ginna said. "All you need to do is find your pulse."

Ryan cocked his head. "My pulse? Like my heart rate?"

Ginna shook her head. "No. You have a core of chakra. You can probably feel it if you close your eyes. Turn them inwards, so to speak."

The skeptic in Ryan didn't like the sound of that at all. He followed her direction though.

Immediately, his inner skeptic had its mind blown.

Ryan didn't know if it was a sixth sense, or some odd form of proprioception involving bodily energies, but he knew exactly where his core was at. The same way he knew where his foot was at, without thinking about it. There was a warmth to it. It wasn't searing, but a gentle heat that gave him a sense of reassurance. It felt, dependable, reliable, much like Ryan could depend on his arms to do what he wanted them to.

"Wow." Ryan murmured.

"Your pulse is how you get chakra from your core into your chakra network. Now that you can feel it, try pulsing it." Ginna's voice was soft but clear.

She hadn't given explicit instructions. She didn't need to. Ryan pulsed his chakra and felt it begin spreading through him, running along predefined pathways. It seemed nearly instantaneous. Little nodules of slightly warmer heat were spread throughout, along with an odd, pressure-like sensation at a large number of points on his skin. Those points coincided with places where tiny branches of the network dead-ended.

"Good, that's fairly smooth." Ginna said. "Now, open your eyes. Should be pretty easy for you to maintain that feeling. You're a shinobi, not a kunoichi, but you're no slouch in the chakra department."

Opening his eyes brought awareness his sharpened senses. The sounds of the city drifted into his ears, conversation mixed with the wash of foot traffic. The pungent smell of sweat wafted into his nose, mixed with a slight perfume he assumed came from Ginna. The air tasted fresher, the wind carrying it past Ryan, and the sensation was noticeable on his face.

More than anything though, Ryan's sight felt sharper. Despite the darkness, he could make out every feature on Ginna's face. Details were clear in a way they never had been before.

"Jump down onto the balcony." Ginna said. "Then jump back up here."

Huh. Is it really that simple?

No. No it was not. Dropping down onto the balcony was easy. Ryan barely felt it even as he dropped into a crouch.

Looking up at the roof, Ryan took a moment to prepare himself. The memory of his failure was still fresh and he put everything he had into the jump.

Ryan went hurtling into the air, mostly straight up, and whizzed right by the roof. He was at least sixty feet above the roof before he hit the apex of his jump.

Shit!

Wind whistled in Ryan's ears as he plummeted back down. Ginna stared up, arms crossed with a smirk on her face. It only registered peripherally as Ryan panicked about landing.

Which, while surprisingly painless, created a deafening racket. Ceramic tiles shattered under Ryan's feet, shrapnel spraying outwards. Ginna flickered briefly, looking untouched despite the shards that zipped through her personal space.

"You're lucky I put down a silencing tag." Ginna snorted.

Ryan was too busy staring at the small ring of devastated tile around his landing point. His mind kept oscillating between the ceramic fragments and his unbelievably uninjured legs.

"Wait what?" Ryan cued in to Ginna's next sentence. "I have to pay for- I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Clearly." Ginna said. "Any second year Academy student would manage that landing with barely a crack."

"Yes, compare me to students who've grown up with the idea that they might be able to do stuff like this and have trained for over a year." Ryan growled. "Seems reasonable."

"You'll get better." Ginna said dismissively. "But you need to know where you're at. I can get you enrolled in the Academy, but if you don't show rapid progress, they'll probably fail you out rather than stick you with the beginners."

"Joy." Ryan said. "Then why enroll me at all? Why not just teach me yourself?"

"Because I don't want to, for one." Ginna said. "And two, it's against the law for me to teach official ninja skills to anyone who isn't a child, an Academy student, or an official ninja of the village."

Ryan hated that explanation. It wasn't fair to demand she teach him, and he wouldn't ask her to; the question had just bubbled up from his irritation. He didn't like the idea of restricted knowledge. Never had. One of the careers he'd toyed with for a while in college was being a teacher, and the idea of withholding valuable knowledge from those who wanted to learn irked.

"You did keep your infusion up, even while you were panicking, which is a positive." Ginna continued. "Working on your mobility is something we can do later. I need to assess just how effective you are at taijutsu and how quickly you can learn the basic ninjutsu. That's what your instructors at the Academy will really be looking for. Presuming you can do math and write."

"Well, I could in my old language." Ryan shrugged.

"Right." Ginna said. "Taijutsu first."

Ryan got his ass handed to him. Quickly, and repeatedly. He'd been expecting it, but it was demoralizing to know just how much the kunoichi was holding back.

"You pop back to your feet quick enough." Ginna observed. "Excellent perception and reaction time, but horrible reflexes outside of dodging. Have you never been taught how to defend yourself?"

"I'm going to re-emphasize that where I came from was not nearly as violent as here." Ryan said, wincing slightly as he put weight on his right leg.

Ginna frowned. "Maybe I'll delay your enrollment by a few weeks. Find someone to work with you on your taijutsu."

"I thought it had to be soon?" Ryan cocked his head.

"I have a mission coming up. The plan was to get you enrolled before then." Ginna shrugged. "I trust you can fend for yourself though, and I'll have friends check in on you."

"Will they know about me?" Ryan asked.

"They'll know you as my nephew." Ginna said. "The one I'm going to get you a job with will know a bit more."

"Job." Ryan said fully. "To pay for the damages here?"

"And food and things like that." Ginna said. "This place is paid for, for two full years. Now, ninjutsu and we'll be done for the night."

I'm sure this will go well. Getting thrown right into using chakra, with no prior experience. Yup, this will go flawlessly.

"We'll start simple, and walk through the hand seals." Ginna said. "With each one, we're going to pause between and put your hands back down. Hand seals will help you mold chakra but we don't want you accidentally trying to use a jutsu you're not prepared for."

Which was how Ryan found himself holding both hands up, going through the seals as Ginna demonstrated. Some of them were vaguely familiar, but there were only a couple he could form instinctively.

Interestingly, he could feel the effect on his chakra the moment he formed a hand seal correctly. Each reaction was different, but it was easy to see why Ginna wanted a pause between each. Ryan wasn't trying to do anything with the seals, but even a single one sent his chakra rushing in various patterns. It would be all too easy, while holding his infusion, to accidentally do something if he formed enough hand seals.

"Repeat them." Ginna said some time later.

Ryan dutifully did as instructed."

"Here are the two sequences I need you to practice. Drop your infusion for now." Ginna said, holding her hands out. "Henge: Dog-Boar-Ram. Bunshin: Ram-Snake-Tiger."

Ryan had trouble releasing the infusion, but once he'd managed to let it go, the hand seals were fairly easy.

"Good." Ginna said after a few minutes. "Now. Infuse yourself again, and try Henge, thinking about me."

"What's that do?" Ryan asked.

Ginna smirked. "You'll see."

Going through the hand seals while infused felt strange. Almost like stretching, both ephemerally and physically at the same time.

Ryan jumped in surprise when a cloud of white smoke billowed out from him.

"What the he-" Ryan stopped, hands flying to his throat. "Ginna, what the hell?"

Ginna was busy snickering.

Looking down as the smoke faded, Ryan saw a pair of boobs and what appeared to be an exact replica of Ginna's outfit.

"Henge is the most basic disguise jutsu." Ginna got out, still grinning widely as she walked over. "Spin for me."

"You don't have to say it in such a creepy voice." Ryan grumbled, spinning. "I don't feel any different."

"You're not." Ginna said. "This is just a chakra projection. Which is why you're so much taller than me still. Though I look really good with long legs."

Ryan was pretty sure his new 'aunt' looked hot as is, but held his tongue. He knew better than to fall into that trap.

"When you've got better control, and you're more used to molding your chakra, it'll push further, if you want it to." Ginna said. "You can stick with the basic projection, but your body might change heights or get thinner. Ninja who specialize in it can do entire bodily transformations, removing the need for a chakra projection completely."

"That sounds strange." Ryan said.

"Wait until you transform into a rock, or an animal." Ginna snickered.

"Can I drop this now?" Ryan asked. "It's weird hearing your voice coming from my mouth."

"Yeah." Ginna said. "You did better than I thought you would. Not perfectly, lots of details to be improved upon, but not bad at all. Henge generally depends on how familiar you are with whatever you're disguising yourself as. Most ninja will make up someone completely new if they can. Otherwise, it can require a great deal of study to imitate someone successfully."

"You can drop it." Ginna said.

Ryan stood there awkwardly. "…how?"

"Feel how your chakra's being held and focused to certain places?" Ginna asked. "You need to disrupt that. Just pulse your chakra for now. Layering jutsu can come further down the line."

Ryan's sigh of relief was audible when he felt the jutsu end. Glancing downwards let him see what he was used to seeing. A shudder ran down his spine; that was a strange experience, looking down and seeing an unrecognizable body.

"Doubt you'll be an infiltration specialist, given that reaction." Ginna said. "Let's try basic Bunshin."

The feeling in Ryan's chakra was different. The different hand seals guided his chakra into other locations, pushing and prodding.

Then there was another Ryan, standing off to his right. He was immediately fascinated. Ryan's hands dropped to his sides as he walked around the clone. He looked just like the new version of Ryan. Same…everything.

He looked at Ryan, cocking his head.

"Now that's weird." Ryan said.

The clone nodded.

"Can you talk?" Ryan asked.

The clone shook his head.

"It's the most basic Bunshin there is." Ginna said. "You'll work on making more, and eventually on clones with actual substance. Producing sound will be part of that. Along with making them able to stand up to even the slightest physical contact."

Ryan reached out and his clone did the same. It was strange to know that he knew what Ryan wanted. Their fist bump popped him silently.


Ry grunted as his alarm clock went off. He slapped his hand around a few times before finding the infernal, ringing device.

Getting up was easier than before he'd been thrown into his new life, but still not fun. Especially not when getting up to go to work.

At least they provided the uniform for me.

The shirt was simple, blue, long-sleeved, with the characters for Rei's Dumplings emblazoned across the chest. White pants and white socks, along with a white headband he didn't need to put on until he was officially at work. He grabbed his bundled apron and his rolled utensil bag, tossing both of them into an over the shoulder satchel he'd gotten after going shopping with Ginna. Boots – he'd learned the hard way not to wear sandals working a dumpling stand – were laced up.

Ry took a moment to stop at the mirror. His hair wasn't too long yet, but he could see why the headband would be useful if he let it keep growing. For the moment he attacked his hair with the comb sitting on the sink. Breakfast was a rice ball around some fried pork he'd saved from yesterday's leftovers at work.

Stepping out of the apartment, Ry took a moment to lock it, loneliness gripping him. Ginna had left on her mission nearly a week ago, but she'd promised she'd be back before a month was up. Before she'd left, she'd done exactly as she promised. She'd found him a taijutsu instructor, along with a kenjutsu instructor, genjutsu instructor, and left him with scrolls depicting a series of chakra control exercises. The last two scrolls talked about tree walking and water walking, which had firmly snared Ry's interest. His meeting with his instructors started tonight, which he was looking forward to.

Reluctant about potentially having to kill people or not, the idea of learning all the incredibly cool things ninja were expected to know sounded awesome.

Rather than walking down the stairs, Ry hopped up onto the railing.

Looking below, he saw Rika-chan and Tojo-kun both outside. Their mothers came out for morning tea everyday while the two kids played together.

Rika's mother saw Ry and called out. Both kids looked up, then cheered. Ry tossed them a small wave, dropping off the railing. The plunge had scared him the first ten times Ginna had forced him to do it. Going through with it had required a multitude of internal reminders that he might be falling far further than a mere thirty feet at points in his future. Falls where he'd have far more to worry about than just the ground below him.

Upon landing, Ry was rushed by the two kids.

"Ry-san, you're gonna teach us how to do that, right?" Tojo asked, his dark eyes wide with excitement.

"When you're older, if you have the chakra for it." Ry patted him on the head.

"Please, Ry-san?!" Rika begged.

She weaponized her pout quite effectively in Ry's opinion.

"Maybe we can practice jumping off the benches when I get done with work today." Ry told the pair of six year old kids.

That satisfied them, if the cheers were anything to go by. They ran back towards their mothers, both of whom gave Ry a kind wave. He bowed his head slightly in return before walking off.

As far as he could tell, most of his new neighbors liked him. The two moms seemed to appreciate his willingness to indulge their children and play with them. The rest liked that he was quiet and didn't bring around a bunch of loud teenagers. Or so he presumed.

One of the apartments on the second floor belonged to someone else in his own age group and from the grumbles the neighbors made, they hosted regular parties.

"Ry-kun!" Ry heard his boss call out as he stepped inside the original Rei's Dumplings.

Shogo Rei was a bear of a man, with the blustery attitude to match. He served a killer dumpling, and in Ry's – admittedly with a stunted frame of reference – opinion, was doing booming business. Enough that he'd hired a number of people to wheel carts out into different parts of the city, near establishments that sold dishes pairing well with dumplings.

Ry wondered why he didn't just enter into partnerships with those same restaurants, but he wasn't going to ask questions.

At least Rei's and his employees' mode of address had let him get used to his 'new' name. It had been less troublesome than he'd expected. Ry wasn't entirely sure if that was due to having his old nickname as his first name, or if the people who'd messed with his brain had done more. The part of him not screaming in existential terror was fairly grateful.

"Hey boss." Ry replied. "I'm still by Kotaru's?"

"Nah, that old hag chased off Hideki yesterday night after you switched out." Rei snorted. "I'm putting you by Ichiraku's today. You been there before?"

"No." Ry said. "Should I go, though?"

"Some of the best ramen in town." Kaori, one of his boss's daughters, chimed in from where she was behind the counter. "I thought we weren't going to put a stand by there, tou-san?"

"Might as well try for a few days." Rei shrugged. "And if anyone can get along with that old hag, it'll be Ry-kun here. He's not a shouter."

Ry blinked. "Shouter?"

"You know, shouting out to sell the goods." Rei said, holding his hands out wide. "Trying to get people interested. Like this: Try Rei's Dumplings, the best dumplings in all Konohagakure!"

"I'm supposed to be doing that?" Ry asked, feeling dumb.

That wasn't in the job description Rei gave me.

"No, Shiranui-kun." Kaori rolled her eyes at her father's antics. "Because it annoys people. You keep using the fanning method I showed you and you'll be just fine."

"She has no sense of showmanship." Rei said, tossing an amused look at his daughter. "Kaori, since your lazy sister actually got up this morning, can you escort Ry-kun to Ichiraku's?"

"Hai." Kaori said, grinning as she tossed her apron onto the counter. "Come on, Shiranui-kun."

Ry followed the girl into the back. Most of Rei's daughters were back there, putting necessary equipment in the right spots for the employees to grab and put on their own stands.

As Ry had learned, while they had a lot of modern conveniences, they didn't have all of them. For one, he had to haul or push the cart by hand. Motors, at least small ones, didn't seem to be a thing in the village. Ry had seen some construction equipment, but for anything not industrial or construction related, people seemed to get by on good ole' elbow grease. Or horsepower.

They did have a number of electrical appliances, which were helpful. Including streetlights for times such as the predawn he'd just traveled in. Ry wasn't certain how they charged them, or kept power supply for an entire city, but suspected some nin with the ability to produce lightning made excellent money.

Hell, maybe it's a thing where even civilians with minimal access to chakra can donate some of their own, to convert and help power their house or their neighborhood. Reduce costs.

For Ry's stand, those electrical appliances mostly related to heating his fryer. He had to lug around a couple of spare batteries, but he could heat his fry oil for nearly eight hours without ever having to touch a match or try lighting a fire.

While Kaori was willing to help him load his cart, it was clear he would have to haul it.

"So, Shiranui-kun, how are you liking this so far?" Kaori asked as they walked along.

"Working?" Ry asked. "It's alright. I'll probably like it more when I'm not doing it every day."

"Yeah, tou-san said you're going to start at the Academy, right?" Kaori asked, looking over with sparkling eyes. "You're going to be a shinobi, I'm so jealous."

That's unusual. Most civilians don't seem to talk much about nin. I mean, they're always polite around them, but I've heard some grumblings disguised as questions a number of times.

Most of them seem to be about how the Hokage handled some incident with Kumogakure. Or the Nine-tails.

Something Ry had not been thrilled to hear. Mostly because it meant he was sometime before the show started, sometime during the show, or in some version of the Naruto world that didn't have Naruto in it. Ry wasn't even sure if the first option was possible, because his fuzzy memory had something clattering around about the healing lady being the first female Hokage.

Regardless, all of those options meant there was a high likelihood of a worldwide war and apocalypse happening at some point in the future.

"Really?" Ry asked. "You want to get beat up and stabbed and have people trying to kill you whenever you do your job?"

Kaori turned and stuck her tongue out at him. "You sound like ji-san. I mean, it's not all fun, but look at all the amazing stuff nin can do."

"From a certain point of view, that makes sense." Ry allowed.

"Meanie." Kaori replied. "You get to be a shinobi. Most guys would be jealous of you. Kunoichi run the world, and most of my classmates are super jealous of the shinobi, since they get to hang out with all the beautiful and powerful kunoichi."

Ry quirked a brow at that. He'd had a nagging feeling in the back of his brain over the past few days. Comments, mostly made by the civilians he'd been selling dumplings to. A few Ginna had made as well, along with his encounter with his potential classmates.

It hadn't coalesced beyond a suspicion, but a hard one to prove or disprove. There were really only two people he could think of who would prove it to him beyond a doubt. Which would be problematic in its own way, as it could conceivably throw off even his limited knowledge about the world's potential future.

"We'll see." Ry grinned. "You think they'd be okay getting beat up by all those 'beautiful kunoichi' every day?"

"The smart ones would." Kaori smirked. "Why? You afraid of getting beaten up by girls?"

"Nope." Ry said. "I'm resigned to it. I kinda suck for a shinobi. That's what my aunt said, anyways."

"Oh." Kaori's smirk disappeared. "I uh, I'm sorry Shiranui-kun."

"Don't worry about it." Ry replied. "I'll do my best and I'll see where it gets me, but I'm not expecting to become the next Hokage or anything like that."

"Um, Shiranui-kun?" Kaori asked a couple minutes further on. "You're not dating anyone, are you?"

Ry blinked. "No? I've only been in Konohagakure for a week. I don't know anyone here, and I definitely wasn't dating anyone when I lived with my parents. Introducing a girl to my family…ugh, no thank you. Aunt Ginna's much cooler."

Not that I have plans to date anyone, at all.

"Oh, okay." Kaori said, wringing her hands together.

"Are you asking for yourself, or a friend?" Ry laughed.

Kaori glared at him. "A friend. I have a boyfriend, thank you very much."

"Your tou-san know about that?" Ry asked.

Kaori's eyes went wide. "Uh no. You better not tell him either! Kaa-san said she'd help me do that."

Ry snorted. "I don't plan on it. But so your friend knows, I'm not really interested in dating anyone. Not until I graduate the Academy at least, and I know that nin don't really have the easiest time dating."

"Phooie." Kaori said. "That sucks. But at least you're honest."

Part of Ry wanted to ask if he knew the friend in question. He presumed it was one of her sisters. Or that Kaori had decided to set him up on a blind date. Or that she'd been roped into asking him. In the four days he'd worked for Rei's Dumplings, the women working there had asked him a lot of questions, especially after finding out he was going to attend the Academy. Mostly the older women working at the store itself. It was entirely possible that Kaori was just the point woman of a scheme with several women in it.

Given the fact that Ginna rented an entire apartment, just for me, and doesn't seem to be worried about it, nin probably make great money. I'm not sure at what age people can get married around here, but moms and female relatives sniffing around for good matches for girls they know isn't that surprising.

"We're here." Kaori announced.

Ry looked around. The ramen restaurant was easy to spot, set up on the side of the street. Behind it was the sidewalk, then what looked to be several residential buildings. Looking at the restaurant itself, there was a guy a couple years older than Ry's new age, puttering around and moving dishes.

"Thanks, Shogo-san." Ry said. "I can set up. You have to head back, right?"

Kaori pouted again. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Shiranui-kun."

The girl jogged off. Ry's eyes found a kid a couple years younger blatantly staring at her retreating rear end. He glared at the kid. When the boy turned, his eyes widened at Ry's look. Ry just shook his head slowly and the kid scuttled off.

He was in the finishing stages of setting up his cart when he heard knuckles rapping on the stand.

"Hello?" Ry popped up from where he'd been finagling the supplies of flour and sealed pork and chicken balls.

The guy from the restaurant was standing there, an inquisitive look on his face. "What's this?"

"Ah, Rei's Dumplings." Ry said. "We sell dumplings and potstickers near places that have food that goes with them. So, for your customers that want your delicious ramen, they can buy a stick or plate to go with."

"Ah." The guy said. "You just sell dumplings and potstickers?"

"I don't think my boss would be dumb enough to try selling ramen next to one of the best ramen places in town." Ry parroted Kaori's earlier words.

The guy grinned. "Got that right. Obaa-san's recipes are the best in all of Konohagakure."

"So I've been told." Ry replied.

"Then I guess we can let you be." The guy said. "Ichiraku Ayaki."

"Shiranui Ry." Ry replied.

Ayaki went back to the restaurant and Ry began cooking his first dumplings. Using the method Kaori taught him, he wound up a small fan while slow-cooking pork and chicken on a rotisserie. Then he turned one of the fryers up on high, adding a bit of water. He kept the lid halfway canted, enough to block any spray, but open enough to allow the loud sizzles and pops to sound clearly.

It worked well enough. Ichiraku's was clearly popular, as people began stepping in as soon as Ayaki put up an 'Open' sign. When a line formed, several of those waiting noticed Ry.

His practiced spiel didn't get everybody, but quite a few were happy to buy a relatively cheap couple of potstickers to snack on while waiting for their food. From the ensuing conversations, Ry found out that Ichiraku's sold sealed bowls of ramen. They used some sort of thermally insulating material, and quite a few of their morning customers were making purchases for their lunches.

"You're very polite, young man." An old, wrinkled woman said as she stepped over to the stand, leaning on a cane.

"Thank you, ma'am." Ry replied. "Are you wanting to purchase some dumplings or potstickers?"

"I'm good, but thank you for not shouting." The old woman said. "I've seen Shogo-kun when he goes out with his own cart, or did before his wife made him stay at the restaurant. He's much too loud, and too many of his employees are the same."

"Ah, I don't really like shouting." Ry said sheepishly.

"Good, good." The old woman smiled, pushing some of her hair behind a white headband. "I'd hate to have my grandson run you off."

"I would hate that too." Ry agreed. "Would you like some potstickers to give to your grandson? Free, of course."

He didn't know who she was, but he'd been given a crash course in cultural values over the past week. Some of it came naturally with the way his new language had been wired into his head, but plenty would've escaped him otherwise. The importance that civilians placed on the elderly came courtesy of Ginna, when he'd asked about people clearing out of the way of an old couple during a walk with her. The civilian population gave great deference and respect to the elderly, at least as much as they did to kunoichi and shinobi. Especially old women. The way Ginna had shivered when speaking of her childhood run ins with the elderly women who ran her neighborhood told Ry plenty.

She's probably one of the granny patrol for this neighborhood.

Upsetting an elderly woman would not be good for continuing business and while this wasn't Ry's plan for the future, he didn't want to ruin whatever opportunities Rei's Dumplings might have in the future. It certainly seemed like a winning spot for their business to make money.

The old woman smiled. "That would be lovely."

Ry used his fork to snag several potstickers that had just finished frying. He deftly skewered them, flipping the skewer around to point the end at the old woman.

"Good showmanship." The old woman nodded. "Arigato."

Ry's eyes widened when the old woman wandered over to Ichiraku's. The potstickers were handed to Ayaki, who took a moment to flash Ry a smirk.

Oh shit.

Definitely dodged a bullet there.

Ry had slipped into the rhythm he'd established at work. In his past life, as he was coming to think of it, he'd done several summer stints in the food industry while in high school. This was the same thing, except people were much politer, on average.

"Ne, skewer-kun, what is this?" Ry looked up. "You better not be trying to steal Ichiraku-baa-san's business."

Standing in front of Ry's stand was a very pretty girl around his own age. Her attire caught his attention immediately. A big, puffy jacket, with dark red for the shoulders, arms, and chest, while the stomach and below was dark blue. The partially unzipped jacket revealed a similar blue shirt underneath, with a logo of swirling red on it. Ry had no idea what pants she might be wearing, but he suspected they would be equally colorful. She had on a blue bandanna, covering hair that looked strawberry blonde, with quite a few stray hairs escaping confinement. Her bright blue eyes had a hard look in them, hands on her hips.

Ry's mind stuttered at the whisker marks, prominently displayed on her cheeks. He'd never seen something like that on a human before, but they were utterly unmissable. They weren't actual whiskers, but looked like indented tattoos, lightly shaded, but there nonetheless.

"Uh…" Ry desperately scrabbled for words, falling back into part of the speech he'd created throughout the day. "No, no, I just sell dumplings and potstickers. For people to have with ramen, or while they're waiting in line."

The girl tilted her head. "Mmmm. Ramen does go pretty good with dumplings. Could I dip them?"

"Uh…yeah." Ry could feel his logic and rationale clicking back into place, but it was slow going. "If you buy some of Ichiraku's ramen, I'll give you a free sample. But only one."

"Yosh! Sounds good to me, skewer-kun. I'll do that!" The girl scurried over towards Ichiraku's.

That can't be.

It just. It can't be. Right?

It has to be, but it can't be. I'm losing my fucking mind.

The girl ran right past the line, slapping down money on the counter. Ry saw a lot of ugly looks directed her way, but no one said anything. It was clearly a regular enough occurrence that Ayaki slid an already prepared bowl down the counter while the eponymous Ichiraku herself took the girl's money. She let out a laugh as the girl cheered, ruffling her hair before the girl ducked out and darted back Ry's way.

"Back for my sample, skewer-kun!" The girl declared.

Ry held out a potsticker mechanically, which the girl grabbed. Ry watched as she walked over to the curb, idly noting her pants were equally strange, with one leg of dark blue and one of dark red. As she sat down, Ry shook his head. Hard.

Fuck me.

I have to know.

"One second, honored customer." Ry said after handing a skewer to another customer, holding his hand up. "I'll be right back, I need to go ask that girl a question."

"The demon bitch?" The next customer in line sprouted an ugly scowl. "You don't want anything to do with the whiskered freak."

"Uh-huh, yeah, you get out of line by the time I get back." Ry said absently.

Ry walked over to the girl, coming to a stop in front of her. She was inhaling the ramen at a speed that defied everything Ry knew of physics, at least when it came to eating.

"Mmm." The girl looked up, then swallowed. "Your potsticker was pretty good skewer-kun. Ramen is still better, but they're not bad together. Thanks!"

"Yeah." Ry said. "Um, can I ask your name?"

"My…" The girl cocked her head. "Name?"

"Yeah." Ry said. "Your name."

"Uzumaki Narisa." The girl said proudly. "One day everyone will know that name, since I'm gonna be the next Hokage!"

Oh fuck me.

I was right. I didn't want to be. But I was definitely right.

Ry nodded. "Thanks, Uzumaki-san. Enjoy, and please come back to buy more in the future."

He nearly tripped walking back to the stand. Only after getting started mechanically on the next round of potstickers did he actually focus back in. His thoughts were a chaotic, whirling, terrified mess.

Then he saw the guy he'd told to get out of line. "Hey, you, get out of line. I told you to leave earlier."

"What?" The guy's eyes grew wide. "What for?!"

"You insulted a customer." Ry said. "I don't feed people who badmouth other customers."

Especially not a customer that will grow up to be able to destroy entire countries.

"But she's a demon bitch!" The guy snarled. "It's true!"

"I don't care what she is, she ate my food." Ry said calmly. "And I don't serve people who say negative things about my other customers. So, get out of line."

The guy looked around, clearly looking for support. The two women in line both had studious blank looks on their faces. Then Ry saw him twist further, and it became apparent that Ichiraku-sama herself had heard some of the conversation. Enough to come around the counter and level a glare that could freeze the sun at the man.

"Shit." The guy grumbled.

Then he stalked off.


Am I in the right place?

Ry wouldn't be surprised if he'd gone astray. Ginna had shown him the locations he'd be visiting for each of his instructors, but Ry had been off his game since work.

Meeting the MC of the story universe he'd found himself inside of was not great for mental equilibrium. Meeting the female version of her, even less so. His thoughts had been in something of a repeating, panicked loop ever since. He'd finally calmed down, but the situation still kept threatening to set off internal panic.

Guess that makes my suspicions correct. It's not Naruto. It's goddamned genderbent Naruto.

Which means I've met…what, probably Sakura and Ino. And the uh…shit. Sasuke would be the girl they were talking about, so Saneko. Narisa is clearly Naruto. Which means…if the Hokage's a woman, then she's the old dude with the red hat, because the blonde medic lady would be a dude now. So it has to be the old man. The one with the monkey and the staff.

Dunno if Ginna's anyone important, or even named. I only know some pieces of the main cast, and then some of the bad guys. Oh, and Killer Bee, but mostly because his character cracked me up. Was that even his name?

They're all older now, though. So…am I in some sort of weird, alternate timeline? More alternate, I guess? They're all still in the academy, if Satoshi and Ikuhito really are Sakura and Ino, so I'm technically before the show starts. Even though they're older.

Huh.

Ry shook his head. "This isn't helping. You can't change your situation. Just…adapt to it, and move on."

"Wise words." A voice said.

Ry swore as he spun around. His heart thudded in his chest as he saw the woman standing behind him.

The dojo he'd be training in with his taijutsu instructor was well lit. It was one of the private rooms, with only a single door. Wooden floor, with wooden walls and a number of dummies along the wall itself. There were even mats to use.

The singular door had not made a sound at the instructor's entrance. Which meant they'd either come in completely silently, or they'd been waiting there, hidden from Ry's sight. He laid equal odds on either.

Seeing Narisa had almost completely convinced Ry that his suspicions were correct. The woman standing in front of him solidified them beyond a doubt.

She was almost of a height with him, perhaps an inch shorter, making her much taller than the average he'd seen amongst women in the village. Her attire was the standard he'd come to associate with Konoha kunoichi and shinobi, at least going by what he'd seen Ginna wear, along with some of the ones moving throughout the city. Covered sandals, blue pants, blue shirt, green vest, the headband he'd learned was called a hitai-ate around her forehead.

Her silver hair was pulled back in a bun, with a strand dropping down over the hitai-ate and right over the blue mask covering most of her face. Only one dark eye was visible, along with part of her cheek.

Fuck.

Definitely right. Which means Kakashi's a woman too. A hot woman, even seeing so little of her face.

Which feels so wrong to even think, despite being true.

"You stayed on your feet at least." She noted. "I've seen worse."

"Are you my sensei?" Ry stuck with a neutral reply. "Shiranui Ry, I'm here to meet with a taijutsu instructor."

"I suppose." The woman said. "Ginna-chan did say she had a nephew who she wanted to help with taijutsu. Hatake Kazune. Which makes you Shiranui-kun."

"Hai, Hatake-sensei." Ry replied.

"Maa, that makes me feel old. Call me Kazune-sensei." The woman's eye crinkled with her smile.

"Okay, Kazune-sensei." Ry said.

"I suppose we'll begin with the basics." Kazune pulled out a small red book, walking over and leaning against a wall. "Ginna-chan said you barely have the forms down. Let's see them."

Ry frowned. Kazune appeared to have her entire focus on the book. He knew better – he remembered Kakashi's seeming omniscience during the bell test – but it wasn't the best feeling in the world.

He was halfway through the basic forms when a foot hooked his ankle. Ry caught himself before he hit the ground, rolling over onto his back.

Kazune stood over him, still looking at her book. "Maa, you are bad. Ginna's not wrong. Start again."

"No pointers?" Ry asked as he got to his feet.

"You're so bad there aren't any pointers to give yet." Kazune said, her eye crinkling in another smile.

"…Right." Ry said.

This time, he got almost all the way through. He felt the slap on the back of the head, staggering forward.

"You're dedicated, I'll give you that." Kazune said. "But you look uncomfortable. Like you're about to pass an unusual amount of gas."

Ry scrunched up his face. "I mean, I guess?"

"How much training do you actually have?" Kazume asked.

"In formal taijutsu?" Ry shrugged. "Almost none."

"Hmm." Kazune tucked her book into one of her vest's pockets. "Let's try something else."

"Punch me." Kazune said.

Ry looked at her. "There's not a chance in hell I actually hit you."

"Maa, of course not." Kazune snorted. "But you should try anyways. Punch me, kick me, whatever you can do, just try to make contact with me."

Ry's first punch she dodged, the second she batted aside, and the third ended up with him thrown across the room. Getting back to his feet, Ry charged at her. His punch did nothing, his attempt to elbow her coming back got him tripped. She kicked him as he rolled, knocking him back to the ground. Ry kept rolling, getting to his feet. Kazune stood there, watching him impassively.

His attempts at kicks farer poorer. The only time he came close to touching her was when he tried to tackle her. It didn't connect, but he felt like he briefly brushed fabric when he grabbed at the hand she used to redirect him.

"Enough." Kazune said.

Ry dropped to his knees, panting. He probably could've stopped sooner, but something in him hadn't wanted to give up. He knew he'd been getting sloppier and sloppier, but he'd never liked quitting. It always rubbed him the wrong way.

"I'll be honest." Kazune said. "You're terrible at Leaf Style. Your instincts and movements are all wrong. Teaching you would be like teaching a dog to walk on two legs."

"So I can't do taijutsu?" Ry asked.

"I didn't say that." Kazune said. "I said you're terrible at Leaf Style. There are plenty of other styles out there, and I know most of them. I'm thinking Sandstorm Style for you."

"That sounds like something from Suna." Ry replied.

"Because it is." Kazune's eye crinkled in another smile. "So, probably shouldn't go using it at the Academy. Your instructors won't care if I tell them before your final, but your fellow students might not understand."

"Great, so my peers will think I'm terrible at taijutsu." Ry said.

"You're a bumpkin as far as they'll all know." Kazune said. "They're going to think you're incompetent anyways. And you'll be learning Leaf Style there, so I'm sure you'll get better. It just won't be comfortable."

"That's…discrimination. But probably fair." Ry grumbled. "I'm guessing most potential nin not from villages aren't as good?"

"Most of you are usually found by testing parties much sooner and sponsored to attend the Academy." Kazune shrugged. "Not sure how you escaped their notice. Ginna said she felt you as soon as she got close to you."

"I have no idea either." Ry said.

"Doesn't really matter." Kazune said. "Ginna was right to send you to me. You might be able to learn Leaf Style, but you'd only ever be decent at it. Sandstorm Style, you'll fit better. Maa, maybe another too. We'll see."


Waking up the next day hurt. A lot.

Ry felt bruises everywhere. Kazune had taken him through all the forms of Sandstorm Style. Then she'd hit him with most of them. He'd been infused the whole time, but it hadn't mattered. Sandstorm Style eschewed big, powerful attacks, focusing on quick bursts of offense while staying light on one's feet. From Kazune's descriptions, the intent was to strike quickly, recover quickly, and flow with the opponent. According to her, it was the style that Suna Sandwalkers used, the Sand ANBU units that patrolled the deep deserts and dealt with the onryo that whipped up sandstorms on a regular basis.

Ry hadn't cared about the philosophy of Sandstorm Style nearly as much as he cared about the fact that she'd hit him everywhere. The only places spared were his face, his hands, his feet, and his groin. The last only because Kazune evidently hadn't wanted him to still be limping the next time they had a lesson.

At least she mentioned something about getting a medic to attend. Maybe they can teach me how to heal myself?

Groaning, Ry went through his morning prep. It hurt, and took longer than he wanted. He felt smart for setting his alarm half an hour early, but he still barely made it to work on time.

"You look like you barely slept." Kaori noted.

"Slept fine." Ry said. "Just had training last night. I hurt. Everywhere."

"Get beat up by a pretty girl?" Kaori grinned.

"Repeatedly." Ry grunted.

"Ouch." Kaori said, frowning when he winced at her shoulder pat. "All over?"

"If you can't see it, there's a bruise." Ry confirmed.

"I'd offer to kiss it better, but my boyfriend would be mad." Kaori giggled.

"Ha." Ry winced. "Well, my sensei spared the part that would make him maddest, but yeah, no, I'm okay. At this rate, I couldn't fend off a determined ten year old with a stick. I want nothing to do with an angry boyfriend."

"Best not." Kaori's mother, Shogo Mari tsked as she walked by. "He's not the one you're supposed to practice flirting with, Kaori-chan."

"Hai, kaa-san." Kaori flushed red.

"As for you, boy, are you going to be able to pull your cart?" Mari asked.

"Hai, Mari-san." Ry replied. "A little slower than normal, but that's why I'm here early."

"Good, then get going." Mari said.

"Bye Shogo-chan." Ry said, hefting his cart's handles.

"Bye Shiranui-kun." Kaori said, looking anywhere but near him or her mother.

"You're back." Ayaki said when Ry was finished setting up the cart.

"Of course." Ry replied. "Your customers seemed happy to munch on something while they waited for the best ramen in Konohagakure."

"They were." Ayaki grinned. "Very happy. Though obaa-san didn't like your replacement much."

Ry cocked his head for a moment. Then he smirked.

"Ahh, well, I guess I'll inform Shogo-san that he'll need to pick quieter people for this cart." Ry said.

"Obaa-san would appreciate that greatly." Ayaki said. "Those potstickers were good. Could I trouble you for some more?"

"Can I get a free bowl of ramen for lunch?" Ry asked.

"Deal." Ayaki said, sticking out a hand.

Ry hadn't liked ramen in his past life. Then again, the only ramen he'd ever had was the kind that came out of a sealed paper cup. What he ate for lunch was so different that his previous assumptions felt more like insults.

"Ne, skewer-kun, you like ramen too?"

Ry looked up from his spot on the curb. Narisa was leaning over, grinning at him. Her attire was identical the previous day, though Ry saw a stain on her jacket that wasn't there the previously.

"It's the best, right?" Narisa asked.

"Sure is good, Uzumaki-san." Ry replied. "If you're wanting a potsticker, I can get you one as soon as I'm done eating."

"I'll wait." Narisa plopped down on the curb beside him. "You seem new. Did Shouter-san hire you recently?"

Shouter-san…Rei. She means Rei.

"He did." Ry nodded. "Though you mean Shogo-san, correct?"

"Eh, I call him Shouter-san." Narisa waved a hand dismissively. "He used to haul one cart around, shouting so loud everyone could hear him. Even I could hear him, up on the roofs. Then he disappeared for a while, and then a bunch of mini Shouter-san's showed up. They aren't as loud, but they're kinda funny."

"Are you going to start shouting too?" Narisa asked.

"No." Ry shook his head. "I'm not a loud person by nature. His daughter, Shogo-chan, showed me something called the senses method. Seems to work just as well."

"Ne, what's that?" Narisa asked, cocking her head.

Ry slurped the last of his bowl. "I'll show you."

Setting up his cart, he walked Narisa through little methods he used to entice the other senses of the passerby. She followed along, especially keen when she got to be the one creating the pops by pouring water into the 'noisy' fryer. Ry did have to forcibly stop her from going overboard, but he'd half expected that. She was the female Naruto, which meant she was something of a bonehead.

"Let's not get so eager." Ry said, holding Narisa's wrist. "Unless you want both of us to be sporting burns on our hands and faces."

Narisa had the grace to look sheepish about her near mistake. "Sorry, skewer-kun."

"It's fine, I know it's fun to make the noises." Ry smiled. "But judging by the noises your stomach's making, I'm surprised you're not over at Ichiraku's."

Narisa looked away. "I uh, wasn't feeling like it today."

Ry remembered certain things about Naruto's personality. He was boneheaded. He was often loud, unthinkingly rude, and tended to act without thinking. He was the posterboy for dogged persistence.

And he was utterly addicted to ramen.

Is she poor? I mean, the ramen's not too expensive, but if that's all she eats…and she has to pay for rent? Does she?

Narisa's stomach gurgled again.

"You feeling like a rice ball with roasted pork inside?" Ry asked, holding up the food. "I brought some for lunch, but I already ate a bowl from Ichiraku's."

"Ah, you don't have to share food with me." Narisa protested. "I just wasn't feeling like ramen today, he."

"Okay." Ry shrugged. "Well, the offer's open."

"Narisa, don't you need to be at the Academy?" Ichiraku-san called out.

"Ah!" Narisa's head whipped around. "Iroha-sensei is gonna think I skipped again!"

"Gotta go skewer-kun, see you later!" Narisa took off in a sprint, jumping and landing on the roof of a nearby building.

"I know I know!" Ry heard her shout. "I'm going, I'm going, you don't have to chase me today!"

Wonder if she noticed I slipped the rice ball in her jacket pocket.

Ry didn't have much time to think about his interaction with the protagonist. One end of the street had gone silent. Looking over, Ry saw a group of men in armor walking along. Most of them had weapons held in the upright positions, weapons Ry could only think of as spears with short swords on the end of them. Their armor looked lacquered, layered similarly to a shark's skin. As they got closer, Ry was fairly certain their armor was wooden, rather than metal.

That's a noble, according to what Ginna pointed out. Where the nin are the force multipliers here, the nobles are the economic stimulus.

Ry hadn't had a line – they seemed to clear out the second he'd walked over with Narisa – but the one customer who'd started walking over heel-turned to head in another direction.

Fortunately, the guards were headed towards Ichiraku's. The palanquin rounding the corner behind them looked like it was following.

Ry settled in to wait. He couldn't leave, but none of the civilians would come within spitting distance of the nobles if they could avoid it. From what Ry knew, the nobles weren't intentionally cruel, but they ran roughshod over civilians that happened to get in their way. It was one of the reasons Konohagakure and the other, big hidden villages were so large; the civilians that lived there were under nin rule. Nin, at least, knew to keep their economic backbone the happiest, by leaving them be. Ginna had spoken of permits civilians needed to purchase to live there, all sorts of requirements and hoops they had to get through before they were simply allowed to move in. Once they were in, however, they were rarely bothered unless they stirred up trouble.

When a few of the guards wandered over, Ry straightened up. "Honored guards, are you interested in purchasing any potstickers or dumplings?"

"They certainly smell good." The closest guard said, then glanced at the wooden sign painted off to one side. "Cheap too. I'll take two skewers."

"I'll take four." Another one said. "We can give them to Chojuro to carry."

The three guards snickered at that.

Ry handed them the skewers, taking the ryo in exchange. The guards split one of the skewers between the three of them, before one of them walked over with the rest of the skewers. The guard he went to seemed annoyed, but Ry had zero interest in getting involved. Until he was an official nin of Konoha, he was just as vulnerable to the whims of nobility as any other civilian in Konoha.

"This smells good." A woman's voice said.

"Mei-sama!" One of the guards hissed as both whirled around.

Ry saw little. The woman wore a veil over her face, attached to a hat of some kind that covered the rest of her head. Everything else was covered by a long dress, with the exception of her neck. She was far shorter than him, with a hint of green hair peeking out of the head garment.

He didn't need to see more. He bowed deeply, and held it.

"Oh, you've secured the streets, and the Sandaime would commit harikiri if a nin were to actually carry out a successful assassination in the streets of Konohagakure." Mei said. "This smells delicious and looks much easier to consume in the palanquin. How mother manages to eat the ramen so successfully while swaying is something I've never been able to mimic."

"Vendor, I would like to purchase two skewers." Mei said.

"O-of course, honorable lady." Ry said, straightening up.

He didn't look at the woman, keeping his eyes focused on the food in front of him. The guards were flustered, and he didn't want to give them any excuse to come after him for perceived insults. The civilians might not regard nin with much love, but the nin's apathy was greatly preferred to the feelings towards nobility. Much of that negativity came from perceived insults that the guards 'witnessed,' and the punishments doled out for them.

Holding out the skewers once they were ready, Ry felt a gloved hand take them from him. The soft susurration of money being placed on the counter followed.

"Tanks." Mei's mouth sounded full. "Mm, dese arr gewd."

If I look up right now, there's no way those guards don't try to call me out for something. Ginna made sure that was pounded into my skull.

"Honored, honorable lady." Ry said.

"Gmph." Mei's swallow was noisy. "Oh, I do like these. Get one for all the guards, Najima-san. Have Chojuro-kun carry them."

"Hai, Mei-sama." The guard said.

"You can look up now." The guard Ry tentatively identified as Najima said softly, about a minute after Mei's footsteps had faded away.

"Right." Ry lifted his eyes. "It'll take me a bit to make enough for all of you."

"We've got time." The other guard said. "Hina-sama always takes her time at Ichiraku's. We only come through a few times per year, but she likes the old lady."

"Makes sense." Ry shook his head.

"You did good." Ichiraku said after the guards and nobles left. "Quite well, for a country boy."

"I tried, Ichiraku-san." Ry said. "Rather not get arrested for some sort of slight to their honor."

"So your aunt taught you well, in the time you've been here." The old woman said.

"You know my aunt?" Ry asked in surprise.

"I know lots of things boy." Ichiraku smiled. "Us old women talk, and I was curious about the quiet boy that Shogo-kun hired. It's too bad I don't have any granddaughters near your age to tempt you with. I bet you'd be good at making ramen, too."

Ry laughed. "Thank you, Ichiraku-san, but my aunt wants me attending the Academy. I have the talent for it, talent the testing patrols somehow missed."

"Oh?" The old woman's saggy brows rose. "Well then, you'll be Narisa-chan's classmate."

"She attends the Academy?" Ry asked, to keep up the proper pretenses.

"She does." Ichiraku smiled. "But don't go getting any ideas about wooing her. Her heart's set on a certain young man. I've been trying to woo her to look at my Ayaki-kun for two years and she barely even notices besides calling his ramen third best, after mine and my son's."

"I had no plans to do that." Ry held up his hands, palms out. "Who knows how hard I'll have to work to catch up to everyone else? And I'm not going to slack off; becoming a shinobi means I'll need those skills when people are trying to kill me. Love can wait."

"A handsome and smart young man." The old woman chuckled. "My you'll be a dangerous one. You sure I can't interest you in some of my friends' granddaughters? Meet a pretty girl or two, settle down and have a few kids, work at my ramen shop? No need to be a shinobi."

Or two? Not going to think about that.

"My aunt insists, and I do want to learn." Ry shrugged. "Maybe if I fail out. Though you'll see me on weekends. I already talked with Shogo-san, and once my aunt enrolls me, I'll still work on weekends."

"I'll have to talk to Shogo-kun then." Ichiraku said.


Kazune stood silently in the tree, watching the boy sit on the porch.

He'd prepared, with a bag full of carefully intact leaves. According to Raika, once the boy had realized the futility of finding her in the genjutsu, he'd decided to use his time wisely.

It brought a smile to Kazune's face. Raika was proud of her genjutsu, and she had not taken Shiranui-kun's sudden diversion well. Kazune couldn't exactly blame the boy; she wouldn't have responded any better, and the boy had zero experience with dealing with genjutsu.

Now, on his one night a week he had off, he was seated on the porch of the apartment Ginna had rented for him. Her mission was going according to schedule – the merchant had hired jonin with the express intent of scaring off any bandits – but in her absence, it fell to Kazune and Raika to watch over him. She knew Asuna would've been included as well, if she wasn't still with the Fire Daiymo's guard.

The Hokage really needs to get off her high horse and apologize. Then Asuna could come home and we'd have one more trusted kunoichi to handle this.

In their favor, the boy didn't do anything that put him in much danger. His cooperation had been both forthright and complete; unlike the whispers she'd heard of how rebellious the other Bound were, this one seemed inclined to keep his head down. He'd stuck to the job Ginna had secured for him, he went to the lessons she'd scheduled, and other than that generally sat quietly and read. Kazune knew exactly what he was reading, as she'd helped Ginna gather the necessary materials.

The boy was immersing himself in the knowledge he'd need to blend in. Not just as a bumpkin blending into a hidden village. A man blending into a place not at all his own. Perhaps not even his own world.

Kazune wasn't privy to that information. She did not get along with most of the Root operatives; Shimura-sama had a particular dislike for her after the business with Tenza.

She could live without that knowledge. While she might not like Root, she knew they weren't going to deploy against Shiranui-kun. Shimura-sama wasn't one to throw away a weapon unless there was absolutely no other recourse. Until there was a better understanding of how exactly the Bound came to be, and what was different about them, Shiranui-kun wasn't in any danger from his own, adoptive village.

And that old bitch has her own Bound to play with and train, to her heart's content. That, and what would no doubt be a perverse pleasure on her part on knowing that we might be hiding a supremely effective weapon where no one will find it. The Sandaime knew what she was doing in proposing that compromise, amongst the layers to the plan she laid out.

It helped, on all fronts, that Shiranui-kun's timeline differed than the others. The Hokage had the medical nin keep him in a coma for much longer than the others. A year was likely longer than she'd planned for, but it was the first opportunity they'd had to introduce him in believable manner. It was horrible that it came with Ginna's own tragedy, but Kazune was glad her friend had something to latch onto. She knew all too well the danger of retreating into her missions after personal tragedy.

Now, Kazune watched the Bound close his eyes, holding a leaf to his forehead. She'd watched his previous attempts, on the nights where she didn't have him for taijutsu practice. Akena and Raika were going much easier on the boy, though they could afford to be. Without at least rudimentary taijutsu skills, he'd be picked apart by his fellow Academy students in seconds during their first sparring match.

The boy expelled his breath gently, taking his hand away. The leaf remained and chakra flowed into it. The first adhesion exercise was a simple one: too little chakra and the leaf would fall or blow away, too much and it would turn to ash.

Kazune continued to watch as she gained a companion on the tree branch.

"Maa, his control is impressive, eh Raika?" Kazune said without turning.

"You would know better than I." Raika said, standing up from her crouch. "But it certainly appears so. This is only his second week at this?"

"And I've seen genin with less precise control of their chakra." Kazune said. "Chunin too, come to think of it."

"Do you think it's what makes him special?" Raika asked.

Kazune shook her head slightly. "Unlikely. I imagine all of them have superior chakra control. They'd need to, given their chakra reserves in comparison to most, at least if they want to perform anything beyond basic infusion."

"Any other signs of it?" Raika asked.

Kazune turned to look at her compatriot. "So eager?"

"You missed the last meeting." Raika sighed. "One of our spies believes they've spotted one of Kumogakure's Bound. That, or a brand new kekkei genkai came into being."

"What'd they see?" Kazune asked.

"Metal nature." Raika said. "They were creating weapons out of thin air. It's possible our spy didn't see everything correctly, but from everything she observed around her, the Kumo nin also observing were equally caught off guard."

"That sounds handy." Kazune said. "Not world ending, though."

"No, but if one has something unseen, who knows what the others might have?" Raika replied.

"We'll have to wait and see." Kazune said.

Kazune could feel Raika's eyes turn to her. "You know."

"Know what?" Kazune asked.

"What makes him special." Raika said flatly.

"What makes you think that?" Kazune asked.

"Because it's you, Kazune." Raika said tersely. "You're watching him, and you don't have that damned, dirty book out."

"Maa, not having my favorite book out means I know something?" Kazune smirked. "It could just mean I'm taking my mission seriously."

"No, it doesn't." Raika stated with confidence. "You know. I'll bet Kazune of the Sharingan saw something with that special eye of hers."

"You can believe what you'd like, Raika-chan." Kazune said with a shrug. "If he manifested some amazing nature transformation or other type of kekkei genkai, it'd be in my report to the Hokage. I haven't seen anything like that."

"Of course it would be." Raika said. "Well, if you ever decide to come clean, I'll be happy to listen."

Kazune kept watching Shiranui-kun as Raika held up a hand, using a Shunshin a moment later. The swirl of leaves was soundless, Kazune plucking one out of the air as it flew by her face.

For a moment, she considered the leaf, then tossed it over her shoulder. It wasn't worth her time.

Instead, she focused back in on the boy.

She hadn't been lying to Raika. She hadn't seen anything worthy of being called a kekkei genkai. He didn't have chakra reserves that already put him on level with the strongest kunoichi in the land. Nothing she thought made him unique, in the way that the other, semi-confirmed Bound were unique.

It was what she hadn't seen that piqued her interest. It wasn't something that would change a battle, nor would it singlehandedly turn him into a weapon the other hidden villages would fear.

Absolutely no backlash or backwash. It'd be absolutely miniscule, but given how long he's been maintaining the exercise every night, it should be noticeable when he ends it. But it's not there.

I wonder if that pertains to just general manipulation and control, or all jutsu. Maa, now that'd be interesting.