AN at the bottom, enjoy the chapter!
Warning: Lemons ahead!
"Nii-san, why are we here again?" Narisa groaned.
Ry ignored the petulance in the blonde's voice. Narisa typically slept like a log on their one day off a week. Now that she had Kage Bunshin at her fingertips, she was even lazier.
Ry had a plan to counteract that. Namely, something he should've been doing since becoming friends with Narisa.
"We're training." Ry said. "Unless you don't want to learn the jutsu that Kazune-sensei taught me."
"I do!" Narisa said, though she still had a bit of a whine in her voice. "Just…not so early, maybe?"
In her defense, Ry had woken her up at sunrise.
Ry wasn't that sympathetic. He wanted to make the most out of the day. Which could begin, now that he'd found the clearing he was looking for. She was lucky he didn't want to practice free running. It was something he'd begun incorporating after his difficulties maneuvering in the attack. He didn't want to get caught needing to maneuver in a vertical area without options or experience.
Of course, Aoba and Kazune had gotten in on it. Kazune had started making him spar while using tree walking, which took 'combat in three dimensions' to an entirely new level.
Aoba just threw poisoned or envenomed senbon at him while he did free running. The sadistic jonin didn't limit himself to scheduled training; he liked to ambush Ry, senbon appearing out of nowhere during his solo training to make him miserable. There was now rarely a day where Ry wasn't suffering under some adverse effect.
At least he's merciful enough to avoid the ones that affect my bowels or bladder during my morning training.
Reserving Training Grounds for what Ry wanted to do with Narisa took a bit of doing. Only official Konohagakure nin could do so, which neither Ry nor Narisa qualified as.
Kazune did, and she'd been more than happy to reserve one of the smaller ones once Ry explained his purpose.
Then again, Ry was pretty sure she wanted to steal the training method he'd mentioned wanting Narisa to use. An entire day where she was ostensibly 'babysitting' while both observing the training method and using it herself was perfect for her.
Not that I blame her. Pretty sure Kakashi is the one who came up with it, or at least the one who taught Naruto to use it in the anime. It's an extension of the memory sharing she had me taking advantage of for my iryo studies. She might've been using it already, for all I know, and just wants to see how we'll apply it.
Ry did feel slightly bad for requesting the day off from his job, but Rei seemed perfectly understanding. Mari had given him a bit of good natured teasing, which seemed expressly designed to bother Kaori, rather than Ry himself. The girl had pouted at her mother, which let Ry slip away once Rei had given his approval.
"Right." Ry turned to Narisa, gesturing to the left. "Make ten kage bunshin."
Narisa blinked a few times, then brought her hands up. The clones appeared in clouds of smoke, looking equally confused.
"The ten of you, go collect a bunch of leaves." Ry said. "Then sit down, doing the leaf concentration exercise. The bunshin that does the best, I will buy a bowl of ramen for. Just for them, not your boss nor any of the others."
The clones all perked up. Then they started eying one another.
"No disrupting the efforts of the others, either." Ry admonished. "Do that and no one gets ramen today."
Narisa's pout was in full force when Ry looked at her again.
"I need ten more." Ry said.
"Are you going to bribe them with ramen too?" Narisa whined.
"Yes." Ry said. "Quit acting like you won't get the memories of eating and enjoying it after they're done."
Narisa blinked a few times. "Heh. Right, forgot."
No, you just wanted to guilt me into getting you ramen as well. Not happening.
"You ten." Ry said, making a clone of his own. "Off into the woods a bit. I want you using Wind Bullet Jutsu. My bunshin will demonstrate and then observe. The bunshin with the fastest set of correct hand seals earns a bowl of ramen, as will the bunshin that makes the most effective version of the jutsu when targeting a tree."
"Ten more." Ry said as the clones eagerly followed his clone into the woods.
"You never buy me this many bowls of ramen." Narisa said, her tone suspicious.
"Because you're a bottomless pit and my wallet isn't." Ry replied, focusing on the next set of clones. "You ten are working on Molding Earth Jutsu. Head opposite the group training Wind Bullet Jutsu. Your goal is to create something using Molded Earth Jutsu and nothing else. The bunshin that disturbs the environment the least gets a bowl of ramen, as does the bunshin with the most impressive creation. Go."
"Let me guess: ten more?" Narisa frowned. "I'm not some infinite source of bunshin, nii-san."
"Wasn't suggesting that." Ry said. "You and I are working on taijutsu. Do need one more though."
Narisa puffed her cheeks out, making the clone seal once more. "I don't wanna. It's too early. Can't we work on something more fun?"
"Later." Ry said. "Right now, though, taijutsu. And if you let me get five touches on you in a row, without getting one on me, that's a bowl of ramen you owe to our judge."
The Narisa clone in question perked up at that. "Boss, I ain't goin' easy on ya."
"Baka." Narisa said. "I am you though!"
"And if I go easy, neither of us gets tasty, tasty ramen." The clone said. "Kick her ass, nii-san."
Ry laughed. Narisa wore an expression of utter betrayal mixed with grudging respect. She opened her mouth several times, only to close it. The nod to her clone got a grin from the clone, who began bouncing up and down excitedly.
Stripping off her jacket, Narisa tossed it on the grass. Her blue shirt still bore the red whirlpool on the front, obscured as Narisa put both hands out in front of her. She cracked her knuckles, grinning at Ry.
"Guess the little sister is going to have to beat up her big brother today, eh nii-san?" Narisa asked.
Ry snorted. "She will try."
In fairness, she did try. Repeatedly, over and over. Ry won their spars convincingly. He'd taken to heart the knowledge that Narisa could take an incredible amount of punishment without complaint. It didn't matter how hard Ry hit her, Narisa wouldn't stay down. Narisa took the abuse Ry wished he could level at his jonin instructors and kept swinging.
Which was why the spars were all to a number of touches, rather than knockout or anything else. It gave Narisa a chance to avoid eliminations by ring out or a number of other concerns, while Ry didn't have to worry about the unreal stamina and endurance of the blonde forcing the first match into an infinite deadlock. Changing the rules ensured they could focus on improving their technique, form, and reactions, rather than being stuck with arbitrary rules that wouldn't apply to either of them in real life. A win for all involved.
The spars continued until Narisa's clone lost track of the number of ramen bowls she'd earned merely for existing. Her celebrations abruptly ended in a puff of smoke.
Ry glanced at the kunai that had dropped point first into the grass. Then he looked at Narisa, who looked irritated and abashed at the same time. She was still laying on the ground from the last time Ry had tossed her over his hip.
"You realize you just denied yourself a lot of ramen, right?" Ry asked.
"Won't be the same." Narisa said. "I've tried with bunshin before. The memories are good, but they're not Ichiraku's perfection delivered straight to my tongue. And gloating to myself is weird."
Weren't you just happy about that when I was talking about bribing your- ah. It's not as good when you have to pay for it, hmm.
"Huh." Ry said. "Well, your bunshin are doing well."
They were. The ten working on the Leaf Concentration Exercise all had their eyes closed, meditating. Or in three cases, sleeping, but seventy percent participation was fine with Ry. For the moment.
Her clones working on Fuiton and Doton were far more engaged. Competing indirectly against one another, they'd taken Ry's instructions with the utmost seriousness. The sound of crunching and muted swearing came regularly from the Doton direction. The Fuiton was quieter, except for moments when loud mixes of cheering and booing broke out.
Ry was doing his best to ignore it. Judging by the minute twitches on Narisa's face, she was doing the same. They'd reap the consequences of their bunshin when they came.
Offering the blonde a hand up, Ry hauled Narisa to her feet. She let out a grunt, moving to reset on her mark.
"Let's try something else." Ry said. "You erased the scorekeeper, after all."
"She wasn't keeping score, she was squeezing me for as many bowls of ramen as she could." Narisa protested.
"It worked." Ry shrugged. "Anyways, we're moving on. I've thrown you around enough for the day."
"Good." Narisa groaned. "I like sparring with you nii-san, but it gets a little boring after a while."
Ry didn't bother explaining that any other person who'd taken the amount of punishment she had, even with chakra infusion, would likely be too punch drunk to understand boring. If they were still conscious. Pulling his punches meant Narisa wouldn't correct bad habits, and Ry was determined to nix as many of those as possible in the aftermath of their encounter with the nin who tried to kidnap her.
For him, it was excellent practice maintaining his own chakra infusion during extended exertion. And a way to give himself stress injuries to practice on. Fully broken bones were still beyond him, but he could handle small fractures fairly well.
"Boring, eh?" Ry grinned. "Guess I need to start hitting harder. My imouto is getting a bit cocky."
Narisa blinked a few times, then snorted. "You hit like a little boy, nii-san."
"I've got something to practice later, but first we'll do lunch." Ry said. "And you can explain this new prank you're wanting to pull."
Narisa's eyes were practically glowing.
"Ah, let's move away from our bunshin." Ry said. "No need to torment them."
"So, spill." Ry said as he was unpacking the lunches he'd prepped. "Who's the target?"
"I guess it's a classmate." Narisa said. "You remember how I wanted to paint the Hokage Mountain orange?"
"Sorry about that." Ry said.
Narisa frowned at him. "Nii-san, don't apologize for almost dying while saving me. Or I'm gonna prank you, a lot."
"Fair." Ry held up his hands.
"Mmhmm." Narisa gave him a skeptical look.
They hadn't talked much about the attack since it happened nearly eight weeks ago. Narisa had wanted to hang out with him nearly every day, which seemed to be her way of coping and adjusting. Ry didn't mind, though he wasn't sure how healthy it was for either of them.
For the moment, he planned to leverage that desire into more training time for Narisa. He'd worry about mental health later.
"I was thinking something a bit smaller, now." Narisa said. "Inu-baka is still isolated, so not her, but maybe Iku-hime. I've still got lots of pink paint."
"And what do you want to do with it, and Yamanaka?" Ry asked.
"Mmm, I was thinking breaking into the Academy and painting a whole bunch of stuff and signing it with Iku-hime's name." Narisa said. "I know how much it annoys Neko-baka when they pester her, so maybe a bunch of signs painted asking her out? Sorta still working on it, I just know it involves paint. And not any merchants. Obaa-san said not to bother them for a bit."
"Seems pretty tame." Ry said.
"I know." Narisa huffed. "I'm outta inspiration for the moment."
A thought occurred to Ry. "Hey, I haven't asked, but how's the research going for the jutsu you're going to teach Konohakime? For the prank on her babysitter."
Narisa turned red. "Um. Well?"
Aww, she's embarrassed. Poke.
Ry cocked his head. "Just well? Do you need help with it?"
Narisa shook her head violently. "No, no, I'm good."
"You sure?" Ry grinned. "Don't need big brother to give you some advice?"
Narisa's expression was a mix of horror and embarrassment.
Ry burst into laughter. He couldn't help it, snorting and closing his eyes.
"Uwa, you're mean, nii-san." Narisa mumbled.
Ry wiped at his eyes, shaking his head. "Says the girl who left me buried in mud for an hour, sitting on my back, all because of an accidental spill."
"That's a kunoichi's right." Narisa said, sticking her tongue out. "Any good shinobi knows that."
"I disagree." Ry said. "But, you want to do something with paint? Is that just because you have all the paint?"
Narisa nodded. "Some of my bunshin have been working on it for a couple months. I have a lot."
"Huh." Ry nodded. "Maybe they could make that a longer term project? They can make and store paint, and when you do think of something, you'll have more than you'll know what to do with."
"Mmm." Narisa shrugged. "I guess? Did you have another prank instead?"
Ry nodded. "Sort of. More along the lines of thinking you could recruit alternate help."
Narisa tilted her head. "Alternate help?"
"Oh, I can still help." Ry said. "But, we've been hanging out with Akimichi-san and Nara-san for a while."
"Crisps-chan and Pineapple-chan?" Narisa asked. "You think they'd help?"
"For the right target, absolutely." Ry replied. "Nimaijita-san, for example."
"Crankypants?" Narisa blinked, then grinned. "Haven't messed with her in a while. And she's one of Neko-baka's friends."
Ry let Narisa's mind spool out the possibilities. They'd percolate in that unique mind of hers. The end result was beyond Ry's abilities to predict, but that was expected.
"I have some ideas if you're interested, but I mostly wanted to point you in her direction." Ry said.
"She do something to you, nii-san?" Narisa asked, frowning.
"No, she just likes to bully others in taijutsu." Ry said. "That doesn't work on me, obviously, but I saw a lot of it last rotation."
"Mhmm." Narisa nodded, smashing her fist into her palm. "So you need the prank kunoichi of justice."
"Where did that title come from?" Ry smirked.
"Eheh, it's from the Gutsy Kunoichi." Narisa said, grinning. "Though she's just the kunoichi of justice."
"Yours fits you better." Ry agreed after a moment.
He clapped his hands. "Let's eat!"
After the food, including several instances of slapping away Narisa's thieving fingers, Ry and Narisa went back to their original clearing.
Several of Narisa's clones gave them baleful looks as they continued to practice the leaf concentration exercise. Ry ignored them, and Narisa rubbed her belly mockingly.
She's going to foment a revolt amongst her clones at some point.
"Let me check something quickly." Ry said.
Narisa stood obligingly as Ry ran a scan over her. His scan fidelity was improving with Hirana's training, but it had a long way to go. Ry was purposefully sacrificing fidelity for speed and reduced number of hand seals, but he was willing to make that trade at the moment. Like his direct combat jutsu, he didn't have time for complicated series of hand seals, even the half seals he'd learned for Mystic Palm. He'd die getting them off. Or his patient would, if he was using iryo ninjutsu.
Ry didn't need much fidelity at the moment. The differences between the chakra networks in Narisa's left eye and right eye were obvious. Even as his hand throbbed with pain, Ry reaffirmed what he'd already seen several times.
Not that he could do much with them, but he knew Kazune might be able to. Theoretically, she had the knowledge about the chakra network of Sharingan. The differences might help Ry and Narisa figure out a way forward.
He'd need to figure out a way to model it for the jonin to see, but he was confident in his instructor. Ry rarely saw it in action, but he knew Kazune was a genius, when she cared to apply herself.
"Whatcha checking?" Narisa asked as Ry stood there.
"Remember how I said your eye was fine?" Ry asked, still focusing.
"Is there something wrong with it?" Narisa asked.
"Not wrong." Ry said. "Different. The eye I used to replace yours wasn't normal."
"Oh." Narisa said. "Sorta wondered why it wasn't a different color."
"I have my suspicions." Ry muttered. "But, nothing concrete. Part of what I'm looking at now is the difference in the chakra networks."
"They feel the same though?" Narisa blinked a few times. "Closing one eye doesn't change anything."
"Turn that way." Ry gestured with his hand.
He assumed Kazune was watching from somewhere nearby. He certainly hoped she was paying attention. Ry only remembered a few effects of the Sharingan, and its more ominous evolved form, but he was far from confident in his own abilities in that regard. If someone started throwing around the effects of Mangeyko Sharingan he did remember, Ry's only real method of coping was running the hell away.
Narisa stood, facing perpendicular to Ry. He could still see her right eye, but he wasn't in her direct gaze.
"Try pushing more chakra specifically into your right eye." Ry said.
Ry blinked in surprise a moment later. Narisa had done as directed. Ry was just caught off guard by the sheer volume of chakra moving through her network. She probably barely noticed, but the amount of chakra moving equaled at least a quarter of Ry's entire reserves. It all poured into Narisa's right eye, circling between the three tenketsu.
I need to find a way to improve my chakra reserves further. And my efficiency with my usage. Or I'll be out of chakra right around the time our enemies get done warming up. Because the people gunning for Narisa are pretty much all chakra monsters.
"Feel anything?" Ry asked.
"Sorta?" Narisa shrugged. "Don't see anything different. My eye just tingles, like my forehead when I'm doing the leaf concentration exercise."
Ry nodded. His reply was cut short, however, when the surge of chakra shifted. It leapt from the three tenketsu, pooling about where her pupil was.
"Whoa-" Narisa grunted as her head snapped backwards.
Chakra, red-gold and nearly solid, exploded out of her eye. Ry ripped his hand away from Narisa, letting out a hiss of pain as the chunk of Bijuu chakra flared. His other arm moved independently, steadying Narisa as she stumbled.
The blonde had already cut off the chakra to her eye, but Ry saw the projectile impact the tree. It was fuzzy, indistinct despite its impression of solidity, but something about it seemed oppressive to Ry.
Not that it affected the tree. The chakra flowed around it, wrapping around almost like a bolo. The moment it settled into place, it sat there.
"Huh." Ry said, looking at Narisa. "You okay?"
"Wasn't expecting to get my head thrown back." Narisa said, shaking her head. "What was that?"
Ry saw flecks of red and gold swirling in her right iris, disappearing a few moments later.
"No idea. But it's still there." Ry pointed at the tree. "Everything still fine with your vision?"
Narisa paused. She put one hand over her eye, looking around. Then she switched the eye she was covering.
Putting her hands down, Narisa nodded. "I think I'm fine. Can you check?"
"Not the most knowledgeable on eyes, but I can look." Ry said.
Gritting his teeth, Ry ran another scan on her. The Bijuu chakra throbbed painfully as he let his chakra paint a mental picture for him.
"You look fine." Ry said. "No bleeding or anything like that. Your chakra network doesn't look strained. Whatever happened, it didn't injure you."
"Sure felt like a punch to the face." Narisa said, frowning. "Or more like a shove, maybe? It didn't hurt, but it was like my head was just thrown backwards, sorta like a punch snaps my head back."
"Alright." Ry nodded. "Let's check what your eye shot out then. Carefully."
Two hours later, they had some more conclusive results. Not on what Narisa's unknown dojutsu did, but at least they knew what it wasn't doing.
For all the recoil Narisa had to deal with when she activated the dojutsu, it didn't actually carry any kinetic force. Testing with trees, branches, and clones of both Ry and Narisa herself. The chakra just glomped onto whatever it hit.
The effects were unknown as well. Neither Narisa's clone, nor Ry were able to determine any deleterious effects. It didn't harm them, nor – as several gleeful punches demonstrated - did it protect them. Movement was unaffected, as was anything else they could think to test.
They did discover how to disperse it. Physically interacting with it did nothing. Ry attempting to scan it with Mystic Palm got a fizzling, bubbling reaction as part of the red gold chakra deteriorated. Further experimentation showed that it took Ry's or Narisa's clones about three times as much chakra to disperse as the projectile itself contained. Which wasn't efficient in the slightest; the ratio of chakra pooled in Narisa's eye to the amount expelled was horrendous.
If they could figure out what purpose the dojutsu served, then that cost for an enemy nin might come into play, but for the moment it was useless. If Narisa wasn't the original chakra monster, she'd barely be able to use the dojutsu in the first place.
The most important aspect they figured out was that Narisa wasn't going to be able to use it subtly. One, because of the kick.
Two, her entire iris turned red-gold when she activated it, lingering after she deactivated it. The more chakra she put into it, the longer the red-gold notes lingered in her iris.
"I thought dojutsu were supposed to be cool." Narisa whined as they walked out of the training ground.
"I'm sure this one is." Ry shrugged. "You can't be expecting to figure it all out in one day."
"Eh, but it's boring." Narisa said, throwing her hands up in the air. "It looks super cool and flashy, but it doesn't do anything."
"That we've figured out." Ry corrected. "Come on, we owe some ramen to your winning bunshin."
The six clones in question let out whoops of joy at that. There should've been five, but two of the 'sculptors' had impressed both Ry and Narisa to such a degree with their finished products that they couldn't pick one winner.
"Ne, nii-san, can you buy me a bowl too?" Narisa asked, tilting her head and smiling wide.
"You know that doesn't work on me." Ry snorted, ruffling Narisa's hair. "After all-ah!"
Narisa batted at Ry's hand, stopping only a moment later when Ry didn't continue with her.
Ry grinned, nudging Narisa. "I do see someone who it might work on, however."
Narisa looked around. "Who? And stop messing with my hair, nii-san, it's hard to deal with when it's sweaty."
"Big brothers have permanent rights to mess with their imouto's hair." Ry snickered. "It's in the rules. Look, you go ahead to Ichiraku's, and have your bunshin order after they Henge. I'll grab your potential sucker."
Narisa kept looking around. Ry knew she wouldn't spot who he had, mostly because they'd already ducked back out of sight.
After a minute of weathering Narisa's whining, Ry watched her depart.
He didn't really care if a few of Narisa's clones stuck around in Henge. He intended to have the real conversation later, once Narisa's inclination to be nosy had waned.
Walking around the corner, Ry found his quarry.
Hizashi's white eyes blinked in shock as Ry grinned.
"Hello, Hyuga-san." Ry said.
"Sh-sh-Shiranui-san?" Hizashi's arms slipped upwards, wrapping himself in a slight hug. "H-how unexpected?"
"Did you have fun watching my sister and I train?" Ry asked.
Hizashi's eyes went wide. "Ah, I, s-sister?"
"Come on, Hyuga-san." Ry gestured with an arm. "Let's go meet Narisa at Ichiraku's, you can buy her dinner, and then the two of us can chat afterwards."
"Hizashi-kun?" Narisa glanced at Ry when he arrived with Hizashi in tow. "Really?"
"Hyuga-san offered to buy you five bowls of ramen, of your choice." Ry said, patting Hizashi on the back.
The frail boy blinked a few times. Then he was pounced on by a grinning Narisa. She had him seated next to her with his wallet out as she extolled on the great virtues of all types of Ichiraku's ramen. Hizashi looked stunned, but he put in zero effort to resist as Narsia swept him along.
Ayaki sidled up to Ry a few minutes later. "You know she's oblivious, yeah?"
"Well aware." Ry replied as he slowly ate his own ramen. "But she needs friends, and he's clearly in heaven."
Narisa had a stack of empty bowls in front of her and continued to inhale her current bowl. Hizashi was seated off to the side. His facial expressions alternated between bewildered and small smiles when he thought no one was looking. The infatuation was impossible to miss.
For anyone other than the blonde, anyways.
Her clones had left to dismiss themselves several bowls back. Ry had seen them bursting with jealousy, even after their own ramen, purchased at his expense.
Wouldn't surprise me if they start demanding to Henge as pretty men and women on occasion, simply to sucker people into buying them ramen. Or maybe they do that already? No telling with Narisa, her mind and her clones' minds are impossible to predict.
"That she does." Ayaki agreed. "Sobo looks happy too."
Ry didn't glance over. He knew the eponymous Ichiraku was busy making more ramen, a doting smile on her face. At the same time, her presence discouraged any passerby or other customers from disparaging remarks.
As Ry had learned during his time in Konoha, Ichiraku's was a fairly beloved business. It sat in a premiere spot, perfect to catch the traffic of affluential civilians transitioning in and out of Inner Konoha. In addition, Ry knew that the old woman headed a rather formidable 'granny committee' that held a great deal of influence amongst the civilians in Inner Konoha.
Nobody wanted to find themselves on the outs with the senior Ichiraku.
"So you picked the Heir of the Hyuga?" Ayaki asked, resting his forearms on the bar next to Ry. "Interesting choice."
"The choice made itself." Ry snorted. "I'm just facilitating."
"Suppose that is the job of an older brother." Ayaki grinned. "Sobo loves you for that too, by the way."
"Hnnn." Ry shrugged. "We fit. My aunt loves having a niece around too."
"Haven't seen her in a while." Ayaki said.
"Mission." Ry grunted.
"Ah." Ayaki nodded. "Well, I need to get back to work, but just wanted to say thanks. She's like a little sister to me too, in some ways."
Ry nodded. He could understand.
After walking Narisa back to her apartment, Ry led Hizashi towards a park. Sitting down at a picnic table, he gestured for the Hyuga to sit opposite.
"Hyuga-san, I'm going to be direct." Ry said.
Hizashi's hands came together, poking his fingers against one another. "Of course, Shiranui-san."
"You like my little sister." Ry held up a hand to forestall Hizashi's stuttering outburst. "I'm fine with it. Planning to encourage it, really. But we have to talk through some things first."
Hizashi's white eyes were wide. "T-talk through things?"
"Exactly." Ry nodded. "First and foremost, you understand she's obsessed with Haruno, yes?"
Hizashi's posture deflated, his voice a whisper. "Yes."
"That's not likely to change soon." Ry said. "The good news, though, is that Haruno is just as, if not more, obsessed with the Uchiha."
Hizashi's meek expression hardened slightly. "I am aware."
Ry nodded. He'd seen the way Satoshi and Ikuhito operated. Between the two of them, they held sway over almost all the shinobi in training their age bracket. The few outsiders were shunned, even as the two groups spat and snarled at each other. Moreover, they might not like the opposition, but they seemed to go out of their way when it came to those who refused to choose a side.
Ry himself hadn't been bothered for a long while, but between Narisa's presence and his own ability to kick their asses in taijutsu, they had no real avenues to approach him. Given that they knew his aunt was a long standing jonin, they knew that any reprisals outside of the Academy would end poorly.
At best.
They'd settled for expressing their dislike with glares and silence, which suited Ry fine. He was more than willing to live and let live. A part of him wanted to try helping them, but he was human, and the amount of dislike and coldness they had sent his way had shrunk that desire greatly.
Hizashi didn't have the same deterrents protecting him; his mild personality and default kindness had almost certainly been perceived as weakness. Being a Hyuga protected him outside of the Academy, but inside was a different story. Ry didn't know any specifics, but he imagined that the Hyuga had not been treated kindly. An obvious infatuation with Narisa wouldn't help; Ikuhito and Satoshi both seemed to carry deep seated grudges against Ry's imouto and without Narisa returning the affection, they would have zero concern about being targeted for pranks.
"So, rather than try to pursue Narisa at the moment, might I suggest an alternate path?" Ry asked, grinning.
"W-what are you suggesting, Shiranui-san?" Hizashi asked.
"Becoming her friend." Ry said. "And doing some additional training, so you can keep up with her."
Hizashi blinked. He cocked his head, white eyes narrowing slightly.
"K-keep up?" Hizashi asked.
"Hyuga-san, have you ever looked at Narisa with Byakugan?" Ry asked. "Ever noticed anything different about her chakra?"
Hizashi sat there silently for a minute. Ry waited.
"Ah…she has a lot of it." Hizashi said. "More than the Hokage."
"Correct." Ry nodded.
It wasn't what he was hoping for in his response, but he could work with it.
"Narisa wants to be Hokage." Ry continued. "And, with the sheer volume of chakra at her disposal, if she can dedicate herself to training properly, I don't know who else in the village might surpass her."
A lie, technically. Because who the hell knows what Saneko is packing in this weird world. Narisa has two elemental affinities; for all I know, Saneko somehow has two kekkei genkai, or something equally crazy.
"With that in mind, can the Hokage be married to someone weak?" Ry asked.
Hizashi went bright red. "M-m-married?"
"That would be the end goal for you, yes?" Ry asked. "Married. Maybe her first husband, if she has to start her own Clan."
Hizashi's face was glowing, but he nodded, eyes downcast.
Still a romantic at heart. Good enough for me. I'm the same. Not that I foresee much romance in my future. Closest I'm likely to get for the next few years is the mercenary encounters with Seong-sensei.
But for Narisa, I'm all for rooting for cute, overly nervous romance. It'd be adorable to see both her and Hizashi together. I think they were a thing towards the end of the series, so it's not like it's out of the realm of possibility.
"So, if you want to be considered, outside of romantic interest, you'll need to be strong enough the village will support any relationship wholeheartedly." Ry said. "Therefore, training. With Narisa and I, for now."
Ry had hopes to get Hizashi some more effective training than what he could provide. That was in the future, if he could interest Seong-sensei in training him.
Or others, with different specialties. I wonder how much the Hyuga deal with kiting, or whatever they call it here.
For the moment, he knew that Hizashi would be thrilled just to be around Narisa more. Selfishly, Ry wanted a training partner who essentially had eyes in the back of their head. He didn't remember much about the purple eyed guy's dojutsu, but he did remember that surprising the guy was borderline impossible since he could simultaneously see multiple perspectives.
Whether or not Ry ended up facing the guy, Narisa almost certainly would. The lessons she learned going up against a Hyuga would hopefully help her as well.
Hizashi was still studying the table, but he nodded again.
"Good." Ry smiled.
He felt a little bad for the conversational equivalent of running Hizashi over by using his infatuation with Narisa against him, but he didn't want the Hyuga heir to have time to object. The training would be useful for all of them.
He walked Hizashi home, managing to break the ice a little by asking about the Hyuga's hobbies. The boy had a passion for helping his little brother train, painting, and strangely enough, watching civilian kendo matches.
Success. From what I remember, nobody would really be frightened of Hinata. Hopefully Hizashi will be different, with a year of more focused training under his belt.
Ry's good mood lasted until he opened the door to his apartment.
"Sensei?" Ry said, stopping in the doorway.
Kazune and Seong-sensei both turned to face him. Kazune shut her orange book, while Seong-sensei put her conversation with an unknown woman on pause.
"Maaa, Shiranui-kun, it's time for those lessons you and I had to sign waivers for." Kazune said.
Ry gave her a flat stare. He was not at all opposed to the physical actions about to happen. He did, however, have qualms about the lack of emotional or mental connection.
More importantly, he was irritated Kazune was giggling up a storm on the inside. The slight creasing in her visible eye suggested as much. There would be no end of shit talking, and he knew it. Knew it, and was rather helpless to do anything about it. Unless he refused.
Which he refused to consider. One, because he'd given his word. Two, because Seong-sensei was stupidly hot and Ry would happily take her offer as an alternate way to address the effects of daily, high volume chakra usage.
It was worth it. Ry knew it. He just had to accept that nothing good came for free.
"I guessed as much." Ry said, his eyes finding Seong-sensei. "Seong-sensei, we're doing this tonight?"
"Tonight is the first practical, yes." Seong-sensei replied. "There will be at least two or three more."
Yay, but also not yay.
I almost feel like I'm getting whored out.
Which just seems…wrong, given that I'm likely more eager and willing, and less desperate, than most in those circumstances. Feels like I'm looking down on prostitution.
…if I am, now isn't the time to ponder it.
"Okay." Ry said, his eyes glancing over to the brunette.
"This is Yamanaka Hanara." Seong-sensei said. "Head of the Third Branch of the Yamanaka Clan, and a tonkebestu jonin who specializes in immersive genjutsu when she works with T&I."
"Nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san." Ry bowed.
"It's good to meet you as well." Hanara said. "I've been curious about the shinobi volunteering to help my Tsu-chan and her friend."
…fuck.
"Yamanaka-sensei is here to help with a genjutsu we'll be using." Seong-sensei said. "That way we don't have to leave your apartment to conduct these practicals."
"Which is my cue to leave." Kazune stood from her spot at the table. "Don't have too much fun, Shiranui-kun."
Ry gave the Mistress of a Thousand Justu a droll look as she strolled by. The way she ruffled his hair didn't help. Nor did the way her eye crinkled even further.
"Come sit down." Seong-sensei said as Kazune shut the door behind Ry. "We need to talk a few things over, first."
Ry sat down. His eyes kept skittering towards the Yamanaka. She seemed perfectly at ease, but Ry's brain kept returning to the fact that she was facilitating a pseudo-sexual experience between teacher and student so that her own daughter could then delve into the teacher's mind to experience it from her angle.
Though…is Tsugumi her flesh and blood daughter? I've kept my head intentionally buried in the sand about the weird marriage and procreational practices that the Clans have going on. As much as I can anyway.
…Damn Shikahana for putting this curiosity in my brain.
Nothing about the situation felt normal to Ry. Regardless of blood relationships involved.
"She's not going to bite." Seong-sensei grinned. "That's more likely to be me."
Ry had heard that one more than a few times in his past life. Mostly from an ex that enjoyed riling him up in public.
His response was automatic. "Better than you blowing out my eardrum."
Seong-sensei and the Yamanaka both sat there for a moment.
Then the genjutsu specialist began laughing. "I see why you picked him, Kae-chan."
Seong-sensei snorted, shaking her head. "That's the first remotely sexual remark I've heard from him in all our lessons."
Ry was happy his automatic response hadn't upset either woman.
"Shiranui, you brought up a good point." Seong-sensei said. "If you know it's me, and you know these lessons are happening, it will make the end result suspect. So, we're going to use Yamanaka-sensei's expertise to resolve that issue, while also resolving your concerns about this becoming known."
"You're worried about other people finding out?" Hanara asked.
"I'm sure your daughter spoke to you about her brother and Haruno Satoshi." Ry said. "Their first obsession may be an Uchiha, but their second is beating everyone else out for Shinobi of the Year next year, to further their first obsession. If they thought I had an advantage, such as, I don't know, sleeping with an instructor, they'd lose it. I'd prefer to avoid the drama."
"I've heard." Hanara said, smiling slightly. "It speaks well of you to be aware of the ramifications. From what I've heard, it's likely you'll have Clan kunoichi interested in pursuing you in your future. Understanding the ramifications of relationships is crucial."
Ry blinked a few times.
Hanara laughed, looking at Seong-sensei. "You didn't tell him?"
"He doesn't need the pressure." Seong-sensei rolled her eyes. "Or the inflated ego."
"I get my ass kicked far too regularly to ever be in danger of that." Ry pointed out. "What is she talking about, sensei?"
Seong-sensei sighed.
"Given the need to repopulate the Uchiha Clan, it is likely that Uchiha-chan will take several husbands, as soon as the Council can finagle her being promoted to chunin and thus being eligible for Clan Head status." Seong-sensei said. "Given the strong likelihood that Kadowa and Haruno will end up in that number, you are unlikely to be considered. Your talent, however, will catch the interest of other Clans. Your aunt could tell you all about it."
"So could your sensei." Hanara smirked. "She is quite the object of interest amongst Clan shinobi herself. She's left a trail of broken hearts and rejected marriage proposals ever since her Academy days."
"Sensei." Seong-sensei grumbled.
"Ah." Ry said, nodding. "That makes sense, at least for Seong-sensei. But me, really?"
Hanara frowned, glancing at Seong-sensei. She sighed, shaking her head.
"They haven't published the rankings yet." Seong-sensei said.
"Ah." Hanara nodded, turning her ice blue gaze on Ry. "Take my word, yes, the Clans will be interested. That will only increase if you continue to push yourself and excel the way that your sensei have described. With that in mind, your awareness of further reaching impacts will serve you well."
"Back to the topic of the moment." Seong-sensei said. "Yamanaka-sensei has a jutsu that will make it so you don't recognize you're in a lesson. Nor will you recognize me, since I'll look very different. It will be a more realistic encounter."
"Wait…" Ry frowned. "All this, from a genjutsu? That seems…incredible."
"There are limitations." Hanara shrugged. "This genjutsu actually came about from my psychiatry practice. It's how I help patients deal with phobias and stress reactions. Most importantly, it requires all other parties to willingly participate. Otherwise it fails because your chakra will reject mine."
"And if we happen to infuse ourselves, or flare our chakra because we're startled?" Ry asked.
"That's why it has to be consensual." Hanara said. "I use seals that will convert your chakra to help fuel the genjutsu. It's necessary for nin, and it will help it feel more realistic. The moment your subconscious truly rejects what's happening, you'll pop the seals and the genjutsu will fail."
Ry nodded slowly. To him, it sounded like it could easily be modified to allow for unwitting interrogations. He wouldn't be surprised if that was its usage, psychiatric practice or not. What he'd learned of Konohagakure nin told him that they loved using tools with multiple purposes whenever they could get away with it.
"Alright." Ry said. "That makes sense. When do we start?"
"The best way for this to work is for the both of you to be asleep." Hanara said. "It's most effective when your brain believes you're in a particularly realistic dream. You'll still be in control of your actions, and there isn't dream logic, but 'dream logic' will help your brain dismiss the particulars of how you arrived in your particular situation."
Easing out of his final stretch, Ry let out a deep breath.
"Done." Seong-sensei said, straightening in front of him. "Dismissed for the day."
Ry exhaled again. The constant repetition of katas in the mandatory lessons were a bit boring for him, but he did enjoy the way he felt after stretching. Being loose, limber, and ready for action was always nice.
Especially because I'm off tonight. Sucks that Kazune and Aoba both have missions, but whatever.
Ry relished the rare opportunity of a night for himself. His typical nights off involved hanging with Narisa. She, however, had fully committed on his idea to utilize Shikahana and Chori for pranks.
Just wait until she realizes how useful Hizashi's Byakugan will be for her pranks. She'll never let him go.
Off to the side, Tsugumi and Bitai were whispering furiously back and forth. Ry was practiced at tuning them out, noting only that they seemed to be extra smug about something. He presumed it had to do with the practical examples they were diving into. Ry didn't know how much of the first practical that Seong-sensei had shared, but he found himself oddly okay with it.
He walked out the door, his thoughts his only company.
Helps that I don't really remember much of it. Last thing I remember of the night was her telling me it'd be best if I was asleep for its usage. Assuming that's Hanara manipulating the genjutsu to make it harder for me to form concrete memories of what happened.
What Ry hadn't figured out was how he was going to spend his night. He pondered it as he exited the Academy.
He'd gotten so far as deciding to have a night off, but he hadn't gotten beyond that point. Part of him wanted to work on more training.
Another part of him wanted to enjoy a bit of solitude. Ry knew himself; he could push hard, and he planned to, but burnout was looming. He needed to figure out something, a hobby or otherwise, that would act as a stress reliever.
Part of him had hoped that his 'practicals' with Seong-sensei would contribute.
They might've, if I could remember. If they're all like this, where it's just a fleeting feeling, then it's not going to help much.
"Shiranui-kun!" Ry paused, turning to look back at the Academy's entrance.
Bitai stood there, gesturing for Ry to wait.
On my night off too…guess I might as well see what it's about.
He wasn't sure what her objective was when she disappeared back into the door, but she was only gone for a few minutes.
Oh.
His confusion was answered almost immediately. Bitai's usual attire was nowhere to be seen. She still wore her hair in a ponytail, though her brown hair had a lustrous shine it normally lacked. Her pants had been replaced by a dark green skirt, one that revealed quite a bit of long, tanned leg. Her top, contrary to the normal cleavage shown, was almost completely covered by a black sweater. Granted, said sweater clung to her like a second skin. To finish the ensemble off, she had on sandals that wrapped halfway up her calf.
Ry's brain involuntarily threw up comparisons to the number of wealthy, preppy college coeds that had often waltzed through his job in his first life, equal parts alluring in their appearance and infuriating in their entitled behavior. Often simultaneously.
How the shit did she do all that in five minutes?
Bitai walked up to him, a knowing glint in her green eyes.
"I realized I never thanked you for helping me home the other day." Bitai said, smiling. "So, I was hoping you'd let me take you out to dinner? My treat?"
Ry took a moment to rein in his hind brain.
She knows the effect she's having. Especially after a goddamn long day where I've been using chakra like crazy.
I can't imagine Seong-sensei hasn't covered this at least a few times in some of the lessons I've been dismissed from early. The question is, what does she want?
"Sure." Ry said, offering a smile. "Dinner sounds excellent, Tebori-san."
Bitai's heart shaped face contorted into a pout. "If I'm buying you dinner, surely you can be less formal, Shiranui-kun."
"Sure, if you'll do the same, Tebori." Ry said.
Bitai pouted at him again. "Ry-kun."
"Fine, fine." Ry held up his hands. "Yes, Bitai, I'll go to dinner with you. Should we swing by my apartment quickly so I can get changed?"
Bitai shook her head. "No, we can go as is. I have to help my mom take care of my little siblings, so I can't be out for too long."
Odd contrast with all the effort of getting dressed up, but sure.
To Ry's surprise, Bitai took him to a fairly expensive restaurant. From what he'd seen of her home, her family wasn't poor, but they weren't wealthy. Bitai was the first nin in the family, with her younger sister eagerly awaiting the day she could be officially tested.
Ry enjoyed himself to a surprising degree. He'd suspected that much like Tsugumi, there was a formidable mind hiding behind the facade of a carefree girl. From everything he encountered during their dinner, his suspicions were right on the money.
"I wish I didn't have to go." Bitai said, frowning as she put money into the small tray where the receipt had been placed. "This was a lot of fun."
"It was." Ry shrugged, offering another smile. "Maybe we could do this again in the future?"
Bitai smiled brightly. "I'd like that a lot."
"Hon, you aren't leaving your date all by his lonesome, are you?" Their waitress asked as she swept up to the table.
Ry noted the red blush spreading across Bitai's face.
"It's not a date, just a thank you." Ry said.
Bitai opened her mouth, then shut it as she nodded. The waitress pursed her lips, glancing between them a few times.
"You'll only have yourself to blame if he gets snatched up by some other girl, sweetheart." The waitress said, shaking her head.
Ry quirked a brow.
I'm not that hot a commodity. I've seen the kunoichi in training. They aren't daydreaming about me. Auntie confirmed when I asked about how my body type compares to what kunoichi typi-
Oh. I wonder if civilian women have different tastes?
Bitai turned to Ry. "See you tomorrow at the Academy, Ry-kun."
"Have fun with your siblings." Ry waved her off.
"Haaa, you're a shinobi?" The waitress asked.
"In training." Ry shrugged.
He slugged back the rest of his juice, standing up. Only for the waitress to slide in front of him.
"You have somewhere to be?" The waitress asked.
Ry narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because I've been listening to three of our younger girls gossip about how cute you are." The waitress smirked. "Your little kunoichi girlfriend wouldn't be upset about a civilian gal getting to know you too."
Ry blinked a few times.
Weird. But…whatever.
"We're not dating." Ry reiterated.
"Even better." The waitress gestured at the table. "Sit right back down, let me work my magic."
This has a pretty obvious ending point. Several, really.
Given that I'm feeling antsy and almost led on, why not see which one this will head to?
Heh…feels petty to think of it that way, but man, I was hoping for some memories of the experience with Seong-sensei.
Ry sat back down, nodding to the waitress. "Sure. What's your name, by the way? I didn't catch it the first time."
"Don't you worry about that." The waitress grinned. "Let me be the lady of mystery while I go watch a bit of a cat fight."
Ry blinked, but the waitress was gone. Judging by the chuckle accompanying her departure, she was serious about her statement.
Huh. Awfully forward of her.
Wonder why this is only happening now? Given what Shikahana said, and my new perspective on Mari's teasing in light of that, this is a thing. Civilian women, and probably men, actively look for these opportunities. Though maybe women more, given that they could stick around?
No, wait, easy answer. Every other time I'm out to eat, it's with Narisa. At Ichiraku's or one of the street stands. This is the first sit down restaurant since my 'date' with Kina.
Which feels so much longer ago than it actually was. But, regardless, this is the first time I'm in a space where it's both obvious I'm a nin and I don't have some form of discouragement around.
Something about that train of thought felt wrong to Ry. He couldn't exactly place why, and wasn't favored with the amount of time necessary to figure it out.
"Excuse me, shinobi-san?" Ry glanced up.
The woman in question was pretty, no doubt about it. A heart shaped face, blonde hair pulled back in a professional bun, and a svelte figure that had a dress clinging to it.
Ry's focus shifted to her eyes. They were dark brown and warm, the color of chocolate melting in a cup. He could see a mix of nerves and excitement in them, accented by the slight flush of red in her cheeks. Those same eyes, nerves and all, didn't flinch away when he stared into them.
"Hai?" Ry asked.
"Ah, my aunt said you could use some company." The woman said.
Huh. There is a bit of resemblance to the waitress. But this lady isn't wearing the attire the other waiters and waitresses are.
"She did?" Ry cocked his head. "Well, I wouldn't say no. It's my first night I've had to truly relax in a while. I wouldn't mind getting to know someone new. Shiranui Ry."
Ry barely repressed a frown. He wasn't the world's largest introvert, but he knew himself. His words weren't full truths. Ad hoc rationalizations, at best, and that rankled him.
"Ah, Ataru Yukari." The woman smiled slightly. "It's nice to meet you, Shiranui-san."
My brain doesn't like this. I don't like this. It feels forced and wrong.
"Sit down, I don't want you to stand there awkwardly." Ry said, offering a soft smile.
Yukari sat. As she did so, Ry swore her entire dress flickered, changing colors for the briefest moment.
What the…no, I'm not in a genjutsu. Am I?
Subtly, Ry flared his chakra in his head. He didn't find anything strange, nor did Yukari's clothing flicker again.
"So, why did your aunt send you over here?" Ry asked.
Yukari smiled. "Being honest, Shiranui-san, she thinks I need to talk with more men. I broke up with my boyfriend recently, and she accuses me of moping. It's why she got me a job as a hostess here."
"That's…honest of you." Ry said.
"Shinobi are masters at spotting lies, ne?" Yukari shrugged, still smiling. "Lying wouldn't get me anywhere. I'd be suspicious of my aunt's motives too, if I were you."
"You think I'm suspicious?" Ry asked.
He wasn't entirely surprised. Every single instructor he had agreed on one thing: he wasn't cut out for long term infiltration missions. His emotions were too easy to read, and he didn't have a liar's mindset. Dissembling with questions and redirection was about the best he could do, and he wasn't certain it wasn't all that effective.
"Yes, Shiranui-san." Yukari giggled. "The frown on your face gives it away, if nothing else."
Ry blinked a few times. He hadn't realized he was frowning, but she was right.
"Ah." Ry nodded. "Fair."
Again, his brain chimed in that something was wrong. Yukari's appearance wasn't changing, but something about her words bothered him.
Grasping for a topic that would get her talking more, as well as provide insight on why his instincts insisted something was off, Ry latched onto the first reasonable question his mind offered up.
"How does being a hostess here get you talking to more men?" Ry asked.
Yukari tilted her head slightly.
A teasing smirk replaced her smile. "Shiranui-san, did your girlfriend really bring you here without explaining what kind of restaurant this was?"
"She's not my girlfriend." Ry replied automatically. "She just wanted to buy me dinner as a thank you."
Yukari giggled. "Oh. Then she's a nice friend indeed."
"This is a hostess restaurant." Yukari said. "Where single men, and single women if they choose, can come to have a meal. With a companion, who will chat with them throughout, to make the experience more enjoyable."
"Huh." Ry said.
Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong.
I consider myself fairly oblivious but I've seen how Bitai's been treating me. I'd guess she's holding back due to Tsugumi, but I'm pretty sure she'd be receptive to me asking her on a date. Especially if it's not a friend date.
Which, to my knowledge, means she wouldn't take me to some place like this, of all places. Especially not if she has to leave before me, putting me somewhere where quite a few pretty, presumably single women are around. That's just dumb, and Bitai is not dumb.
Yukari brought a hand up, playing with a loose strand of her light green hair. "Maybe she wants to see what kind of women you'd like as a concubine? She looked like she's from a wealthy nin Clan."
Ry exhaled slowly.
Something is off here. Seriously off. Flaring my chakra isn't working, but something is wrong.
Which means I need to throw a wrench into things, and see what falls out.
"Do hostesses work outside the restaurant?" Ry asked.
"What do you mean, Shiranui-san?" Yukari asked, frowning cutely.
"Well, you make conversation over a good meal, yes?" Ry asked, continuing when she nodded. "So, if I were to pay for it, would you continue to do so if I wanted to practice having conversations while making the meal in the first place?"
Yukari didn't say anything for a moment. Then her brown eyes sparkled.
"That's very forward of you, Shiranui-san." Yukari smiled, her hand still playing with her seafoam green hair. "You know that hostesses are just hostesses, yes? I'm not someone paid to do other things."
"I wasn't planning on that." Ry said.
Mostly. He could freely admit he wouldn't mind if it happened, but there was a prideful part of him that refused to pay for sex.
"You can even bring a friend along." Ry said. "I'll pay for both your time, and you don't have to worry about me trying anything with you alone."
Still wrong, but less wrong. If nothing else, moving to the apartment will give me a bit more control of the setting. Maybe.
And a sharp implement in hand, if necessary.
Yukari snickered. "Maybe. Let me go talk to my aunt."
Ry tried not to think about how much money he might be about to spend. Keeping his focus on trying to resolve the wrongness in his brain helped. Any amount of money would be worth figuring out what the hell was going on with him.
Yukari returned, with her aunt.
"She'll go alone, but I'm walking her to the door of your place." Her aunt said, practically beaming. "She works until one this morning, so you'll pay her hourly wage plus usual tips until you bring her back. If I don't see her by one, then you'll get a visit from the police."
Hai, ma'am." Ry nodded.
The walk to his apartment wasn't overly long. Yukari did hold onto his arm the entire time, her smile soft but constant. Ry wasn't sure how much of her leaning was because she wore rather high heels, but he didn't mind overly much.
The less horny part of him wondered if her 'aunt' was actually pimping her 'niece' out. Or if they were angling for what Shikahana had spoken about. Yukari looked no older than twenty, and Ry could trust civilian appearances as a fairly accurate indicator of age. Yukari's 'aunt' was the one who brought up the idea of concubines in the first place.
Still have no idea where I fall on that morass. Logic says hell no, hormones say hell yes. Emotions seem to be abstaining until necessity calls for weighing in, but I have no idea where they're going to fall. Ugh.
That same, suspicious part of Ry wondering about Yukari and her aunt's actual relationship was pretty sure there was more going on. He couldn't escape the feeling of wrongness. It had lessened, but not disappeared.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Yukari's 'aunt' said chidingly as she stood at the door of Ry's apartment.
Yukari giggled. "Of course not, auntie."
The moment the door shut, Yukari threw herself at Ry. He was caught off guard as her lips pressed to his.
"This is what you wanted, yes?" Yukari asked in a breathy voice as she pulled away from this kiss.
Ry looked at her soulful brown eyes, a look of mirth in them. Before he could open his mouth to respond, Yukari was kissing him again.
When they broke apart, Ry's eyes registered her sky blue hair.
The sense of wrongness shattered under the realization.
Oh. Ohhhhh!
'Yukari' had a playful smirk on her face. "Why so surprised, Shiranui-san?"
"You're way too gorgeous to be this into me." Ry smiled. "But I'm not saying no."
'Yukari' blinked, then let out a breathy laugh. "Not saying no to what?"
Ry lacked a pithy response. He pulled the bluenette into another kiss. At the same time, he infused himself with chakra.
Let's see if I can apply all those chakra infusion lessons.
Running his fingers down her back, Ry pushed little sparks of chakra into 'Yukari.' She gasped softly into his mouth, pressing her hips directly into him as he ran his chakra along the muscles flanking her spine.
Shifting his hands further south, Ry grabbed 'Yukari' by her ass, hoisting her into the air. She broke the kiss with a whimper, pressing her face into Ry's shoulder as he once again sent chakra into her. He started with her ass, but pushed further with some of it, both up into her back and forward.
"Oh kami, Shiranui-san." 'Yukari' panted. "Do they teach you shinobi how to kiss like that in the Academy?"
"Not quite." Ry grinned.
Taking advantage of 'Yukari's' positioning, Ry began kissing along her shoulder. Manipulating chakra through his mouth was easier than he thought, until a tiny part of him remembered that he'd been practicing five different elemental bullet jutsu, all of which pooled chakra in his mouth.
'Yukari' mewled, her own lips finding Ry's neck. She kissed her way up it, finding his jaw before frantically grabbing his hair and pulling him away from her shoulder.
Her lips captured his and Ry could feel the need in them. He hadn't stopped stimulating her rear, both by squeezing with his hands and with pulses of chakra.
Ry didn't realize his subconscious had been steering until he stepped through a doorway and his elbow was jostled by the frame.
'Yukari' grunted, pulling back slightly as she looked around. Ry saw her take in his bedroom, brown eyes surveying and analyzing. The lust in her eyes was still clear as day, made all the more obvious by the way she was still grinding her hips into him. Her cobalt locks were no longer kept in their perfect style, though the stray strands of hair only gave her a wild appearance that Ry found arousing.
"That little kunoichi doesn't know what she missed out on." 'Yukari' giggled.
Ry grinned.
Well, not yet. Though that's weird to think about, it's also kind of hot.
'Yukari' let out a soft cry of surprise as Ry tossed her into the bed. It was replaced by a giggle as he grabbed one of her kicking legs, kissing his way up her calf.
As he explored her bronzed, muscled leg, Ry's thoughts were decidedly amused.
Does she even realize what's happening?
I know she can't resist what I'm doing because it would give her away as a kunoichi. That being said, it makes me wonder if she realizes that the genjutsu is slipping. Because 'Yukari' here doesn't really resemble the original. At all.
Maybe she perceives herself the same as she always does? And my growing resistance just lets me perceive that, instead of what the genjutsu is trying to show?
Ry decided he didn't care. Concentrating more chakra in his lips, he listened to 'Yukari' hiss as she gripped his hair. Her hand tugged him upwards, even as the other yanked the hem of her dress.
He was more than happy to oblige. She smelled heavenly, and as he approached, the sight of the lacy black panties she wore only made him more eager.
"Oh Shiranui-kuuuunnnnn!" 'Yukari' moaned as Ry began kissing her sex.
Ry grinned happily, enjoying the writhing motions. 'Yukari's' fingers gripped his hair tightly as she thrust her hips forward. Laying on the edge of the bed as she was, it gave Ry easy access from where he knelt.
Diving back in, Ry continued to kiss her lower lips. He used his tongue to explore, caressing her and probing as his hands held her thighs apart.
What he didn't do was utilize his chakra any further with his mouth. Only the small pulses his hands continued to emit.
May not be the most experienced, but there's a rhythm to this. Crescendo, decrescendo, then reaching a higher crescendo. Can't blow the whole load at once. Even if I'm not the one blowing my load.
Heh.
'Yukari's' orgasm was easy to see coming. Her moans got breathier, and Ry could hear her groaning. Several quick peeks showed that the hand not gripping his hair was covering her mouth.
Probably doesn't want something to slip out on accident.
As she grew closer, her writhing lessened. Her muscles in her legs stopped fighting him, letting him spread her wider. Her hips pressed forward more urgently though, requiring Ry to exert more force to keep her pressed to the bed.
When she came, it was a quiet moment. Her legs suddenly tried to snap closed around his head while her hips gave their best effort at wrenching his neck. Her moaning cut off, resuming with a quiet groan as Ry's lips and tongue continued their endeavors.
As her groan turned into panting, her grip on his hair released. Ry slowed his ministrations, stopping his chakra pulses from his hands at the same time.
Getting off his knees, he rose to his feet.
'Yukari' lay there panting, brown eyes wide with mixed wonder and bafflement. It turned to coyness the moment she realized they were making eye contact, but Ry knew he hadn't imagined it.
"Oh my kami, are all shinobi this good?" 'Yukari' asked, a grin appearing on her face.
"Dunno, never been with another shinobi and don't have any plans to." Ry said, matching her grin.
A giggle escaped 'Yukari.' "Well I'm jealous of all the kunoichi you've been practicing with then. That was sooooo good."
"No practice." Ry said, stepping forward.
He stepped again, turning as he sat next to 'Yukari.' "Between the Academy and training, I don't leave much free time, and I spend most of that with my little sister. This is the first night off I've had in months."
'Yukari' smirked. "You don't have to lie to me, Shiranui-san. I'm not going to get jealous if you've been with other women."
"If you say so." Ry shrugged. "But I was telling the truth."
He forestalled any other comments by running his hand along her exposed thigh. 'Yukari' shivered as his fingers traced their way back to her pussy, playing with the now very damp lace covering it.
"This wasn't exactly the conversational practice I had in mind, but I'd like to continue." Ry said, grinning.
Once again he began emitting small pulses of chakra, his fingers sliding up onto 'Yukari's' mound and hips.
The bluenette let out a soft mewl as he did so, her playful smirk softening with need.
Damn this is effective.
…Or she's just a phenomenal actor. Fifty fifty.
"Mmm, continue how, Shiranui-san?" 'Yukari' asked, biting her lip.
"For starters, getting you out of that dress before we ruin it." Ry chuckled. "And from there, maybe seeing if I can get you to moan all sorts of nasty things while making you cum over and over again."
He coincided the end of his statement with a slightly stronger pulse from his wandering hand.
'Yukari' shivered again.
Her brown eyes had a mix of calculation and desire in them. "Yeah?"
"Don't think I can?" Ry asked with a laugh.
"Mmm, I think I'm eager to have you try, Shiranui-san." 'Yukari' husked.
Me too. Me too.
"Three hundred and four!" Rokku cried out.
Ry let out a grunt as he lowered himself down.
"Eternal rival, your student is so vibrant with his youth!" Gaya exclaimed. "Only two months out from debilitating injury and already he pushes for sets of five hundred. He truly is possessed of the passionate flower of youth, blooming bright!"
No I'm not, you mad lady. I just know better than to turn it down. You and Rokku come up with more insane versions of exercises whenever I do that.
The push-ups were bad enough. Ry had no idea how much 'weight' the bracers and greaves were simulating, nor the burden provided by his vest. All he knew was that his arms burned and his legs were still shaky after the frog jumps of the previous exercises.
All of that on top of the fact that he'd woken up feeling like he'd put himself through a free running gauntlet, only to follow it up with Kazune and Akena mercilessly beating him for hours.
Totally worth it though. Heh.
"Hai hai." Kazune said.
Ry couldn't look up, but he knew that Kazune was likely seated on a tree branch, orange book in hand.
"Three hundred and five!" Rokku cried out.
Ry lowered himself again. As he came back up, he glanced over.
Rokku was doing push-ups with a 'small' log strapped across her shoulders. Small by Gaya and Rokku standards; the thing was easily a foot in diameter and seven or eight feet long. Gaya herself stood atop it, dancing back and forth while cheering excitedly.
Ry had zero desire to experience that hell.
"Three hundred and six!" Rokku called out.
Ry gritted his teeth. Enduring through the rest of the set had his shoulders and chest screaming at him. By the time he was done with the third, and final set, he could barely feel either arm.
Which was, of course, when Rokku wanted to spar. As a break before their next exercise.
"Ya know, it's times like these I understand why you normally hide from Gaya during our joint training sessions, Kazune-sensei." Ry said after the two spandex wearing bowl cuts had departed.
His attempt to roll over went nowhere, his shoulders failing to engage. His core fared no better, leaving Ry lying on the ground helplessly.
Hirana snorted from where she sat. "Presumably senpai won their last challenge. Shiranui, see if you can begin healing yourself."
"I can't move my arms Hirana-sensei." Ry remarked.
"But you can move your fingers, and your chakra." Hirana replied. "Good practice, extending your scans and efforts further than a few inches from your palms."
I hate you.
Ry did as directed. By the time he could push himself over onto his back, he found Kazune standing above him.
"Maa, Shiranui-kun, you shouldn't be this tired." Kazune said, her eye crinkling. "Did someone have too much fun with their practical last night?"
"Not supposed to talk about that, Kazune-sensei." Ry said.
Waking up had been an experience. For one, he'd woken in a rather compromising position. Then there was the way he'd felt utterly wrung out, physically. Which had been odd, given what he remembered of the experience within the genjutsu.
More importantly, Seong-sensei had threatened him with grievous bodily harm if he spoke to anyone about it. Ry believed her. He still needed time to process their encounter within the genjutsu. He didn't want to imagine how she felt when they woke up.
"Can't or won't?" Kazune asked, tilting her head. "You're not embarrassed, are you Shiranui-kun? Hirana and I have heard it all, we're kunoichi. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Kazune's tone contradicted her words. Ry had no plans to open himself up to that kind of torment.
"Not supposed to talk about it, Kazune-sensei." Ry repeated. "Talk to Seong-sensei if you're curious."
"Oh a shinobi and a gentleman." Kazune snickered. "Hirana, should we talk to our kohai?"
"Sure." Hirana's voice was flat. "I'm sure she'll tell us if Shiranui-san had proper applications of the nervous stimulation techniques. If he did, I might be able to move him ahead in class."
I hate both of you. Though…that's not a bad idea. Have to remember that. Chakra stimulation is one thing, but actually going after the nerves…
Huh. Well, goals for next time. Presuming things break the same way next time.
"Ne, nii-san, why are you laying there?" Narisa's voice interrupted what Ry was sure would've been further heckling and prying.
"Training." Ry said. "Everything hurts."
"Oh." Narisa stepped into view, looking over at Kazune. "Mask-sensei, is this the poison and venom training nii-san has to do?"
Crap. I'd forgotten about that. The free running was already bad, now he's never going to quit.
"Not quite, Uzumaki-chan, though Aoba-kun will likely be starting that again soon for Shiranui-kun." Kazune crouched down, patting Ry on the forehead. "Maaa, it'll be great fun. You can even help Aoba-kun pelt him with senbon during his free running."
"You just like watching me writhe in pain." Ry accused.
Kazune flicked him on the forehead.
"Ow." Ry said flatly.
"I'm your instructor, not a sadist." Kazune said. "Though it is funny when you fall because your muscles betray you. Or you can't control your legs or bladder."
"He's peed himself before?" Narisa asked.
Ry could hear the curiosity in her voice. "It's not something you can use in pranks, Narisa. Not unless you want the Hokage and Iroha-sensei really angry."
"Drat." Narisa grumbled.
"I'll see you at training tonight." Kazune said, flicking Ry's forehead again. "Don't be late."
"Don't plan on it." Ry grunted.
"Good job today, Shiranui-san." Hirana said as she paused near Narisa. "See you in class tomorrow morning."
"Hai, sensei." Ry groaned.
He wasn't looking forward to waking up early.
Narisa plopped down next to Ry, resting her chin on her palm. "You gonna be there a while, nii-san?"
"Probably." Ry said, closing his eyes. "What I can feel aches and what I can't…probably will ache more later."
"Mkay." Narisa hummed.
"How was Akimichi-san's breakfast?" Ry asked.
"So good." Narisa said happily. "Crisps-chan's kaa-san said I should come back more."
Food lovers unite. Heh.
"Good." Ry said. "Are you going to hang out with Akimichi-san and Nara-san later, while I'm at training?"
"Nnn, maybe." Narisa said. "Pineapple-chan said she still has to think about the effort involved in pranking Crankypants."
"Maybe see if Hyuga-san will hang out too?" Ry asked. "His eyes would be helpful."
"Nnn." Narisa hummed. "Maybe. He's so quiet, nii-san, I forget he's even in our class."
"Not everyone can be as loud as you are naturally." Ry replied dryly.
"Mean." Narisa said tonelessly.
"Tell you what." Ry said, knowing Narisa was on the verge of boredom. "Why don't you practice Wind Bullet right now? Use some of the stumps that Riri-san uses for taijutsu training."
Ry could see Narisa's face in his imagination.
Her tone confirmed it a moment later. "She does that to stumps with taijutsu?"
"She's probably the only student who could give Uchiha-san a run for her money." Ry said, grinning. "Don't try to start anything there, either."
"Aww, come on nii-san." Narisa whined. "I just want to see Neko-baka get a little beat up."
"Give it time." Ry said. "Besides, Uchiha-san could be your teammate one day."
"Phhhbt." Narisa made a dismissive sound. "Not gonna happen. It'll be you, me, and Satoshi-kun."
Ry blinked his eyes open, glancing at Narisa. "There is literally zero chance of that happening."
Narisa frowned. "It could happen."
"Konoha doesn't assign two genin shinobi to a single squad without an exceptionally good reason." Ry replied. "Which, according to my aunt and Kazune-sensei, only happens when they're absurdly strong. I may get there, but even you can admit that your precious Satoshi-kun isn't strong."
"He throws me around easily enough." Narisa pouted.
"And when was the last time he beat any kunoichi in the top half of our year in taijutsu?" Ry asked. "Hell, when was the last time he even offered me a good fight? He's smarter than any three other shinobi in training put together, academics wise, but that's not going to qualify."
Narisa crossed her arms with a huff. "Fine. Then it'll be me, you, and…"
Ry waited. And waited. Narisa seemed to be having an exceptionally difficult time coming up with a third member of their team.
"You keep thinking." Ry grinned. "When I'm right, and Uchiha-san ends up on your team, you're going to owe me."
"Challenge accepted." Narisa said, pointing her finger at Ry dramatically.
Poor imouto. Pretty sure the village politics are going to conspire to prevent you from winning that challenge, no matter what you do.
Sorry about this being a few days late. In my defense, I was literally iced in at work for three days last week, with no access to wifi, and trying to edit and submit this on my phone isn't an option. Sorta threw a wrench in the works.
In mildly related news, if you live in a cold place where ice is a frequent thing, creating a walkway in two inches of solid ice via shattering it with a hammer is very cathartic. Especially if you've spent three days at work with your coworkers, your boss, your boss's boss, boss's boss's boss, and boss's boss's boss's boss. My sidewalk was spotless when I finally got back home.
Not sure how I feel about this chapter. There were parts that I like - writing Ry and Narisa interacting is always fun, as is anything involving Gaya and Rokku - but I'm not super happy with other parts. I really wanted to get this out, because one of my reoccurring goals for this fiction is to publish chapters consistently, but I think there were parts I could've improved on had I given it more time and ruminated more. I'm not sure what they were, and I content edited it to death, but there's something that I can't put my finger on that's irking me.
That's it, thanks for reading, hope you continue enjoying. Another chapter may be coming out soon, if for no other reason than to get my discontent with this chapter further in my rearview mirror, but have a great month and for sure see you in March!
