AN (I rambled a bit, so be warned it's rather lengthy) at the bottom, enjoy the chapter!
Also, warning, another lemon ahead!
Shikahana considered the board in front of her. Her mother sat across from her, a lit cigarette dangling from her mouth. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be paying even less attention than Shikahana.
Sitting with her hands tented, Shikahana thought about her moves.
She'd only beat her mother at Shogi a few times. Each time had come with a handicap. Slowly but surely, Shikahana was narrowing that gap, but it wasn't in sight yet.
Nor was she one to exert herself unnecessarily. Victory would come in time.
Still….perhaps…
Coming to a decision, Shikahana made her move. Her mother didn't react for a moment. When her eyes opened, they scanned the board in a moment. The only visible reaction was a single eyebrow raising by less than a hair.
"You ladies nearly done or should I put dinner in the warmer?" Shikahana's father asked, sticking his head in the room.
"Nnn." Shikahana and her mother replied at the same time.
"Warmer it is." Her father said. "Don't take too long, dear. I'd hate to use all the hot water again."
Shikahana's mother shivered slightly. Shikahana understood. It wasn't her father's most common stick, at least not with his wife. That was reserved for the pan. He had no problem putting his wife or daughter over his lap, paddling them until they caved.
Shikahana respected the pan like a mouse respected an owl. Preferably from a great distance with no interaction whatsoever. Her mother was the same, from everything she had observed.
"Your move." Shikahana's mother said a minute later.
"Kaa-san." Shikahana said after making her own move. "How many objectives do you fulfill by having me watch Uzumaki-san?"
Shikahana's mother paused in the middle of placing her piece. She put the piece down without placing it, taking her cigarette in one hand.
"One less, now." Shikara said. "Who brought that one to light?"
"Her brother." Shikahana replied. "He pointed out that you never do things for just one reason. Not when you can do more."
"He's a clever sort like that." Shikara nodded. "He'd have to be, to survive and grow from what his aunt's friends are putting him through. Takes clever and determined to understand the promise of pain."
Shikahana cocked her head. "Promise of pain?"
Shikara smirked. "A phrase from the second Hokage. When an enemy's action is only a promise of pain, why do they still take it?"
Shikahana considered that. "The pain achieves other objectives. Ones not easily seen in isolation of the action in question."
"A corollary of underneath the underneath." Shikara nodded.
Shikahana hummed, closing her eyes. She heard her mother place her piece, but ignored it.
"Learning to cope with those beyond his strength?" Shikahana asked when she opened her eyes again.
"That is one." Shikahana's mother gestured.
"Superior training, in quantity and quality, to that of the average non-Clan nin in training." Shikahana said. "A fast track into ANBU, if he wants it. A unique blend of skills he's unlikely to receive elsewhere, even if he were to be in a Clan, given the jonin his aunt is close with. Vastly increased appeal to the Clans as a marriage prospect."
"You're missing an important one." Shikahana's mother said.
Shikahana let her mind churn. The answer wasn't obvious; she couldn't see what major benefit he would receive that she hadn't already considered.
Why didn't she ask me to watch him, too?
The question floated up from the depths of Shikahana's thoughts. She wasn't sure where it came from, or how it pertained to the current problem, but she followed it anyways.
The answer arrived quickly. In a rare moment, Shikahana felt both blind and dumb.
"You've stumbled across it." Her mother's tone indicated it wasn't a guess.
"To be able to protect his little sister from the kind of nin that would be sent after a strategic asset." Shikahana said. "Like the Kyubi jinchuriki."
Nara Shikara smiled. "A promise of pain."
"Will he succeed?" Shikahana asked.
Shikahana's mother shrugged. "Who knows. He persists, which will get him farther than most of your classmates. He's no genius, but that isn't always necessary to be a good nin. A better question to ask yourself is not if he'll succeed, but what he will perceive as success. The answer to that question will help you weigh the odds better than just his skill and dedication."
"Nn." Shikahana nodded.
"Now, place your piece so this game can end in twelve turns." Shikahana's mother said, taking another drag of her cigarette. "And don't mention that boy to your father. He's exactly the kind of nose to the grindstone type of man that you don't want brought to his attention."
Shikahana shuddered. She loved her father; at the same time, it was impossible to miss her mother's insinuation.
"Exactly." Shikahana's mother nodded in sympathy. "Enjoy your freedom from that while you can."
"Welcome, third years." Iroha-sensei said.
Ry watched as the other students shuffled in. He and Eiko were the only third years in attendance at Hirana-sensei's iryo lessons, thus the only ones who were at the Academy early.
Eiko hadn't struck up a conversation with Ry once, and he'd been burned enough times in his own attempts that he wasn't an initiator either. Enough time in her proximity had given him a picture of her normal.
That normal had changed.
I know she said she had a little brother, maybe her family's been having issues. Or her job's more demanding now.
The indicators didn't point to anything specific. She'd been sporting bags under eyes every iryo lesson, her entire face seemed thinner, and she was clearly having trouble staying awake, a trend that hadn't been there more than a month ago.
She was also eating constantly, which Ry understood well. His time working night shifts before being transported to the Elemental Nations had taught him all about eating to power through exhaustion.
The most interesting piece was that her chakra control had stagnated, if not slipped slightly. Eiko hadn't been at the top of the iryo class when it came to chakra control. The singular chunin claimed that spot, then Ry and Zerin trading second back and forth. But she had been far from the worst.
Now the sandy blonde seemed stuck in place, her control having stayed static for the last three lessons Ry had attended.
Ry felt bad for her, whatever was happening in her life, but he wasn't going to reach out. She'd made it clear she didn't like people. She especially seemed to have it out for the shinobi in training.
The instructors will intervene if it's a serious issue. They'd have to, right?
Ry had resolved to keep an eye on it. If she continued to look like she was declining, he'd bring it up to Iroha-sensei and Seong-sensei.
Part of it was his conscience, but another part was practicality. Ry wanted as many competent nin around as possible. Eiko, and others like her, would be outside the knowledge of any other Bound. Wildcards and unpredictable variables would be necessary if any of the Bound had malicious intent.
Probably. It's also entirely possible she's some obscure manga character. All depends on the knowledge the other Bound have.
Narisa plunked herself down in the seat next to Ry. Chori pulled out the seat next to her, while Shikahana was grumbling under her breath. Unlike their normal classrooms, this one was large enough to seat at least a hundred, holding the seventyish third years easily.
"Today marks the start of the final three weeks of this year." Iroha-sensei said. "Which is why all of the third years have been gathered."
The door, which had been shut, opened again. The instructors all filed in, standing in front of the chalkboard with Iroha-sensei.
"Each and every one of you has been ranked." Iroha-sensei said. "All of these ranks are final. Your ranks cannot go up."
"As Seong-san has already informed you, they can, in specific cases, go down." Iroha-sensei smiled. "Which is why it's important you know the graduation requirements for the fourth years and above."
"The students wishing to graduate must place in the top fifty for ninjutsu. They must place in the top fifty for either taijutsu or bukijutsu. They must also place in the top fifty for overall academics or genjutsu."
Ry frowned.
That's different than what Seong-sensei told us. Does make a bit more sense about specialization, but I guess they don't want people to overly specialize either.
"The only exception is if a student ranks in the top five in any one of the five major disciplines." Iroha-sensei continued. "Then they only need to be in the top one hundred for the others."
Huh. I take that back. Sorta.
"Now, we'll begin listing off students, and their ranks in each subject." Iroha-sensei said. "Be aware that these are school wide, ranking against the fourth years and above. You will have all of the next school year to improve these."
"Aburame, Shiori." Iroha-sensei said. "Ninjutsu, forty third. Taijutsu, thirty eighth. Bukijutsu. Sixty third. Genjutsu, fourteenth. Academics, twenty seventh."
"Akimichi, Chori." Iroha-sensei said. "Ninjutsu, eighty fifth. Taijutsu, ninety seventh. Bukijutsu, sixty fourth. Genjutsu, seventy seventh. Academics, ninety fifth."
She continued, but Ry glanced over at Chori. She was snacking on her usual bag of chips, but there was a disappointed look on her face.
"How many nin graduate to genin every year?" Ry asked.
"Minimum of forty, in peacetime." Shikahana said, unusually alert.
"Well, that puts you in striking range for all of them." Ry said, nodding at Chori. "Maybe you can do some training with Narisa and I after school."
"Mm, thanks Shiranui-kun." Chori said.
Well, her male counterpart made it through in the show, so her odds are excellent.
"Kadowa, Junji." Iroha-sensei said. "Ninjutsu, seventeenth. Taijutsu, twenty fourth. Bukijutsu, nineteenth. Genjutsu, twenty second. Academics, sixty fourth."
"No way he's going to beat out Satoshi-kun." Narisa grumbled.
Ry glanced over at the blonde. She was glaring a hole in the back of Junji's head, several rows below and to the left.
Shikahana's eyebrows suggested she had thoughts similar to Ry's own: Satoshi and Junji weren't in the same league. Shikahana didn't voice that opinion if she had it, and neither did Ry. Narisa wasn't rational when it came to Satoshi.
Ry's thoughts were vindicated when he heard Satoshi was first overall in academics, and in the fifties or sixties in everything else.
Is he showing the instructors things he isn't showing the rest of us? Because I wouldn't put him in the sixties for taijutsu. Or bukijutsu.
Then again, he only ever seems to go up against other characters from the show. That's a pretty non representative group.
Eiko was in the eighties or nineties for every discipline. She was slumped over when Ry glanced her way. A prolonged look told him she was asleep.
Maybe bring that up even sooner. I really do like the idea of more competent iryo nin around.
Hizashi was fifth in academics, and below seventy in everything else. Ry made a mental note to work with him more. What he could remember of the Hyuga from the show and what he'd learned since his arrival told him that Hizashi could be much more dangerous than he was. The Hyuga were a scary bunch when motivated.
And I have the perfect lever to accomplish it too. Just need to see how much steel is in his spine.
Kina's name was absent, reminding Ry to check with her family again. He'd likely be rebuffed, but she deserved to know someone outside of her family cared she was okay.
Shikahana was below one fifty in academics, below one hundred in taijutsu, and in the seventies with everything else. She didn't seem bothered by her rankings in the slightest.
"Shiranui, Ry." Iroha-sensei said, pulling Ry's attention from where it had drifted into speculation. "Ninjutsu, fifth. Taijutsu, twenty fifth. Bukijutsu, eighth. Genjutsu, fifty fourth. Academics forty third."
Wait a minute. How am I pulling those rankings in ninjutsu and bukijutsu?
Ry felt the weight of the room's attention swing his way. Narisa had a giant grin on her face, while Satoshi and Ikuhito both swiveled in their seats to glare at him.
Ah. Dammit.
Ry sat there, enduring the attention patiently. While he could guess at causes for his ninjutsu score, he knew who was responsible for his bukijutsu score. Fugari-sensei was responsible for the focused lessons in bukijutsu, but Ry imagined a certain taijutsu instructor may have let slip that he was training with her older sister. That, or Kazune had decided to inform on him for reasons that escaped him.
Given that she's one of the literal three people who know about my status as a Bound, I can't imagine her doing that. Unless it's a version of refuge in audacity, which makes no sense. Not to me, anyways.
"Heh, wait til you hear my scores, skewer-kun." Narisa snickered.
"Uchiha, Saneko." Iroha-sensei said. "Ninjutsu, ninth. Taijutsu, second. Bukijutsu, fourth. Genjutsu, tenth. Academics, fourth."
"No way." Chori paused in her snacking, looking at Ry. "You placed higher than Saneko-chan in ninjutsu?"
Several of the instructors had their eyes flicker in Utatane-sensei. The kunoichi, who looked like she was in her late thirties, ignored the flickering looks. She was the instructor responsible for the twice a week ninjutsu focused blocks.
Ry hadn't thought he'd done anything particularly impressive with the three required jutsu in her presence.
So…either she knows about my iryo skills, and that's influencing it, or she knows about Kage Bunshin.
Guess we'll see, depending on Narisa's score.
Saneko hadn't so much as flinched in her seat. Ry was grateful for that; being of interest to her would make him of much greater interest to all of her fanboys. He wanted nothing to do with that.
Ry shrugged at Chori's comment. "Beats me."
"Uzumaki, Narisa." Iroha-sensei said.
Then she paused. Glancing back towards both Utatane-sensei and then Seong-sensei. Neither face so much as flickered, but the interest in the room rose significantly.
"Uzumaki, Narisa." Iroha-sensei said, shaking her head slightly. "Ninjutsu, twelfth. Taijutsu, forty ninth. Bukijutsu, thirty second. Genjutsu, ninety sixth. Academics, one hundred and ninety fifth."
"Hehe, I'll catch you soon, skewer-kun." Narisa said, smirking.
The rest of the room had a markedly different reaction. Satoshi and Ikuhito were staring like they were seeing an alien, and their reaction was far from uncommon.
So if it's Kage Bunshin, it's not just Kage Bunshin. Unless she's biased against Narisa. Never been sure where Utatane-sensei falls in that regard, she's not obvious about it.
"Yamanaka, Ikuhito." Iroha-sensei said. "Ninjutsu, twenty eighth. Taijutsu, sixty eighth. Bukijutsu, fifty sixth. Genjutsu, eleventh. Academics, eighth."
"The fourth years and above received their rankings yesterday." Iroha-sensei said, putting away the sheaf of papers she'd been reading from. "Which means that some of you have taijutsu ladder matches to participate in."
"This is going to be such a drag." Shikahana grumbled.
"You ready?" Ry asked, standing on his mark opposite of Hizashi.
Hizashi swallowed, frowning. "If you say so, Shiranui-san."
"Let's begin." Ry said, shuffling forward.
Hizashi had his hands up. A frown adorned his face, even as his open palms were held in a neutral stance.
Ry struck first, which Hizashi batted aside. The Hyuga retaliated, but it was weak, limp. Ry let that slide, but a minute later he drew back.
"Hyuga-kun." Ry said flatly. "You're supposed to be trying."
"I-I am trying, Shiranui-san." Hizashi said.
"No you're not." Ry said. "You're barely defending yourself, and your attacks are pathetic."
Hizashi's face reddened. "I-I am s-sorry, Shiranui-"
"Stop." Ry interrupted. "Let's change the objective here."
Hizashi blinked, face still red.
"We're going to start again." Ry said. "And I have a scenario for you."
Ry brought his hands up. A moment later, a clone stood next to him. The clone brought its hands up and a puff of smoke surrounded it. When the smoke dispersed. Hizashi let out a grunt. His pale eyes tracked the clone as it walked around to stand behind Hizashi's starting mark.
"I'm an enemy nin." Ry said. "And I'm here to do what others couldn't. I'm going to kidnap your little brother, so that my village can pluck his eyes out and use them."
Hizashi's face was no less red, but Ry saw a flicker in his eyes.
"Stop me, or I'm going to use my Bunshin to demonstrate what failure means." Ry said. "Begin."
Ry advanced forward. He threw a punch, eyes widening as a network of veins suddenly bulged around Hizashi's eyes.
Oh boy. Here we go.
Hizashi's deflection hurt, pain spiking from the tenketsu near Ry's wrist.
"Gonna take his eyes out, then strap him to a chair and breed bitches to make more." Ry snarled as he circled. "Take their eyes and-"
Hizashi's hand snapped out so fast Ry couldn't even track it, dodging on pure instinct. The brushing contact set his face on fire, his muscles misfiring as another blockage sent his chakra rampaging through his jaw and neck.
Ry managed to catch the next strike. Hizashi struck the arm he used to capture, the Hyuga's hands moving so quickly Ry only knew there were three strikes because he felt pain erupt in three different spots.
Damn that stings!
Hizashi's eyes widened in surprise when Ry's grip didn't release. The surprise made it easy for Ry to pivot and sweep the Hyuga's feet. With Hizashi's forearm gripped and having the only stable footing, Ry turned his opponent's fall so that the Hyuga pinned his own arm with his landing.
Hearing the breath whoosh out of Hizashi, Ry let off the grip. He could've dropped into an easy pin, but that wasn't the point.
Bringing up his right hand, Ry injected his chakra into his left arm. There he found the blockages that Hizashi had inserted. Unlike the Bijuu chakra that he'd experienced Hirana grind down, these blockages were thin. Easy to pierce, then scrape off and eject the remnants. It wasn't advisable in the middle of combat, at least not with his speed and rudimentary control, but they were fixable if he had a few moments.
Ry shook his arm out as he did the same to his jaw.
"Appreciate you not going for the throat or heart." Ry said as Hizashi rolled over, coughing. "That's some wicked speed."
Hizashi's coughing stopped as he craned his head up. "Y-you can speak again?"
He dropped Byakugan.
"Iryo training." Ry shrugged. "Part of my training so far has been removing foreign chakra, whether that's a block in my tenketsu or something more insidious. Mostly for poison or venom that come from jutsu, but it works for this too. Your chakra is nothing compared to how toxic some of Aoba-sensei's summons are."
Hizashi coughed again, shaking his head. "O-oh."
"Still, that is painful." Ry said. "No wonder everyone fears the Gentle Fist. My arm and jaw felt like they were on fire the way my chakra was spilling out."
Hizashi blinked a few times.
"But, good job." Ry said, offering a hand up. "That is what I want to see from you when we're sparring. I wasn't expecting the whole blocking my tenketsu while in a sparring match, but I can understand. I said some gross things."
Hizashi took the hand, coughing a bit more as Ry hauled him to his feet.
"Knew you had it in you." Ry said, patting Hizashi on the shoulder. "You just need proper motivation."
"Mmm." Hizashi murmured.
"I won't say anything else like that, but you know there are nin out there who would do that, yes?" Ry asked.
"H-hai." Hizashi's voice was soft. "All of our Clan know how far people would go to obtain our eyes."
"Thought so." Ry nodded. "You have to train with those people in mind. I'd go just as far to protect my little sister as you would your little brother. But that desire, that will to protect, goes nowhere if you don't train to utilize it properly."
"Now, you ready?" Ry asked.
Hizashi looked up slowly. Then he nodded, a determined look on his face.
"Hai, Shiranui-san." Hizashi said, veins bulging around his eyes again.
Ry found himself limping along an hour later. Hizashi, when properly motivated, was indeed the taijutsu monster Ry expected. He didn't have overwhelming speed, nor power, but he didn't need them. Gentle Fist made any contact with his hands dangerous.
He'd already had a healthy respect for what the Hyuga could do. Reading had given him perspective, as had a few questions to Kazune and Aoba about the best ways to improve his taijutsu while sparring with his imouto and friends. Now Ry had just gotten a firsthand lesson from a shinobi in training on how damn dangerous the Hyuga were when their blood was up.
Need Narisa to experience that. Don't know that Hizashi's blocks will be enough to really stop Narisa's chakra flow, given the sheer volume she possesses, but even partial blocks are bad enough.
Also need to ask Kazune what defenses there are against the Gentle Fist. I don't recall any in particular, other than 'don't get hit,' but I imagine there have to be theories. The answer is definitely not iryo, at least not mid fight when at my skill level. Whatever they are, I need to learn them so I can help Hizashi learn to counter them.
"Are you okay, Shiranui-san?" Hizashi asked yet again.
"Fine." Ry grunted. "Not any worse than what Narisa can dish out."
And nothing compared to Aoba when he's irritated with me. Or what Kazune and Akena do before Hirana lets me practice healing myself.
Hizashi said something else, but Ry's attention was grabbed by the commotion down the street. A flash of platinum blonde hair caught his attention as a crate smashed in the ground about thirty feet in front of Ry.
Glancing around, Ry saw the Yamanaka Clan markers on most of the stalls and businesses. He hadn't really been paying attention to their route, just taking the fastest option available to meet Narisa at Ichiraku's.
Hizashi came to a halt beside Ry. "Ah, Shiranui-san."
Ry cocked his head, observing. The flashes of platinum blonde had revealed themselves to be three of their classmates. Ikuhito, Rei, and Tsugumi all had their hands thrust out, forming three identical versions of the iconic Yamanaka circular seal.
They weren't the cause of the smashed crate. That belonged to another platinum blonde, in the center of the three of Yamanaka. The woman had a smirk on her face, even as she formed another series of hand seals.
Wind swirled around the kunoichi before gusting outwards. Several more crates were blown off a table, one arcing to crash into a roof. Tomatoes rolled down the slanted surface, splattering near Tsugumi. Her focus didn't waver even as juice sprayed across her leg.
Despite the nin clashing, none of the civilians looked concerned. Ry glanced towards the rooftops expectantly.
Which means…Ah. There they are. Presumably a genjutsu, to facilitate some kind of test?
Did they purposefully exclude Hizashi and I? And what the hell is the purpose of this test?
One of the civilians flinched as another gust of wind collapsed a table near them. Ry saw their eyes widen in surprise for a moment before glazing over. At the same time, Rei's nose began bleeding as she dropped to a knee.
"You seen anything like this before?" Ry asked.
Hizashi shook his head. "The kunoichi has on a Konoha hitai-ate. She looks like a Yamanaka too."
"Oh there's no way this isn't an exercise or a test of some kind." Ry agreed. "I just didn't know if-"
Two kunoichi, wearing Konoha green flak jackets with the Yamanaka sigil appeared in front of Ry, a few leaves falling to the ground at their feet. One had brown hair and one black, neither of them possessing facial features close to Ry's usual profile for the Yamanaka Clan.
Retainers, or something similar with whatever they have going on with branch families.
"Please do not intervene." The black haired kunoichi said. "This is an official test."
Ry glanced past the two kunoichi. Rei wobbled where she knelt, while both Ikuhito and Tsugumi were dealing with nose bleeds. Tsugumi's looked worse, and Ry saw paleness where her face normally had a golden tan.
"They don't look like they'll be on their feet much longer." Ry said. "Should we wait to pass by, or would you like us to go around, Yamanaka-san?"
The brown haired kunoichi clicked her tongue. "Doesn't matter, as long as you don't interfere."
With that, the two kunoichi disappeared, a swirl of leaves taking their place.
"Huh." Ry said, looking over at Hizashi. "Your Clan ever run tests like this?"
"No." Hizashi shook his head. "But my mother has brought me to take part in emergency drills before. The Yamanaka Clan usually has a responsibility to guide civilians to safety and prevent them from fouling up evacuation procedures."
Ahhh. So…this is a stress test. Which makes those three the ones holding the genjutsu, or maybe their Clan jutsu. And what…the other kunoichi is stressing it by causing stimuli that might startle the civilians?
Or are they trying to contain her at the same time?
Are these civilians even doing this willingly?
"Makes sense." Ry said. "Though not the part where they're not getting reinforcements here."
The two kunoichi from earlier reappeared. The brown haired one wore a frown, arms crossed over her chest.
"I stand corrected." The brown haired kunoichi said. "The two of you will need to turn around and-"
"Yuki-san!" Ry blinked, turning as he heard Bitai's shout.
The brunette was dressed in full kunoichi attire. Ry noted with interest that she had the same sigil on her vest as the two retainers in front of her. Of more pressing concern was that she was holding a kunai, a sharpened one judging by the glint of the slowly setting sun.
The brown haired kunoichi clicked her tongue again. "What, Tebori?"
Bitai skidded to a stop in front of them. "Ah, sorry Yuki-san. But Shiranui-kun here is training in iryo ninjutsu. He would make a more accurate 'teammate' for any of the tested than a genin or chunin handicapping themselves."
Ry cocked his head.
The brown haired and black haired kunoichi turned to look at Ry.
"I'm not sure I want to be volunteered for whatever this is without-"
"Sure you do." Another kunoichi appeared standing next to Bitai. "Unless you don't want another visit to the same cafe?"
Ry's words dried up in his mouth. Yamanaka Hanara had a wry smile on her face and an amused glint in her eye. The expression and response answered one of Ry's major questions about how much knowledge the kunoichi had about what happened in her genjutsu. He'd assumed a lot.
For once, it appeared he'd assumed correctly.
There was a minute twitch from the black haired kunoichi. Hizashi and Bitai were less restrained, eyes widening as they turned to Hanara. When she maintained a casual smile, both his classmates swung their confused gazes to Ry.
Crap.
"I don't get to know anything, Yamanaka-san?" Ry asked.
"Konoha nin often get thrown into conflict without knowing anything." Hanara said.
"Figures." Ry muttered.
"Follow Tebori." Hanara said. "She'll explain what she can. Hyuga-san can stay with me and observe."
Ry grunted, moving to follow Bitai.
"What are we doing?" Ry asked.
"We're acting at Tsu's genin teammates." Bitai said. "She and the other two are working on keeping civilians calm while containing a rogue threat within the village."
"So they're maintaining multiple Clan jutsu at once?" Ry asked.
When Bitai nodded, Ry winced. The Yamanaka had it easier than most, their Clan jutsu augmented by centuries of their physiologies adapting to their techniques, but that still sounded painful. Ry could do it, but only with Kage Bunshin and he was pretty sure that didn't count.
I need to work on that, or at least investigate the likelihood of it being worth it. It'll likely require genjutsu though; I can't think of too many external ninjutsu that can be layered, otherwise.
It spoke to the prowess of the leaders of the youngest generation of Yamanaka.
"What's the threat listed as?" Ry asked.
"A nin being possessed by a yokai, one that forcibly augments their chakra at the cost of their sanity." Bitai replied. "One empowered if people around it are riled up."
Ry frowned. "And what are we supposed to do?"
"We're backup." Bitai explained. "We're supposed to put ourselves between Tsu and the possessed nin, make sure she can keep up her jutsu."
"And this is a standard exercise?" Ry asked.
Bitai turned her head to glance at him. "No, this is new. Why?"
Because this feels uncomfortably similar to how they might ask students to suppress Narisa if her seal cracked, until more adept nin can arrive.
"Just curious." Ry said. "Supposed to figure out as much as possible, as nin. Right?"
Bitai nodded slowly. "Come on."
"Do we get any gear?" Ry asked. "I'm clearly not outfitted here."
Not to mention the fact that he'd just gotten done sparring with Hizashi. His limp was getting better, but his body was still aching. Before meeting up with Hizashi, he'd been doing free running training, working on basic jutsu while moving. Aoba showing up to riddle him with half a dozen poisonous senbon before disappearing didn't help his current condition; the dregs of the poison were still affecting his chakra control. He was not in prime condition.
Bitai made a clicking noise. "Probably not. Otherwise Hanara-san would've given you something. It's supposed to be a response exercise."
"And I may have to respond in less than optimal condition." Ry finished. "Joy. How-"
The brunette Yamanaka appeared in front of them. "Go."
Goddammit.
Ry spun on his heel, running towards where the trio of Yamanaka were surrounding the singular nin. Bitai passed him quickly, given she wasn't running with a hitching limp.
"Here." Bitai drew a kunai out of her pouch, tossing it.
Ry snatched it out of the air. He spun it around into a reverse grip. It wasn't a sword, but he'd made do before. The Academy emphasized kunai, but it was Akena who'd really taught him. She didn't emphasize it, but she made sure he was competent, both in using kunai and understanding how other nin used kunai.
Which, via her instructional style, came from giving him bruises and cuts until he was able to correct the mistakes she pointed out. While Ry had improved marginally, he'd still become a bit leery of holding a kunai. Akena's training had created a strong Pavlovian association of kunai to kunai fighting ending in bloody pain.
Which was exactly how all his weapons training with her ended, but he still would've preferred his geom.
Other nin came into view as Ry slid to a stop in front of Tsugumi. Ry didn't recognize them by name, but he was pretty sure they were fifth or sixth years at the Academy.
"Good, this'll be the fun part." The kunoichi who'd been flinging Fuiton jutsu around. "You know the drill."
She grinned and Ry heard Tsugumi grunt behind him. Then the kunoichi moved.
Right away Ry knew she was handicapping herself. He'd spent far too many hours sparring against his instructors to think otherwise. She threw herself at the pair of kunoichi blocking for Ikuhito.
They worked fairly well together, but gave ground quickly. Ry could see what she was maneuvering them towards.
"They're not going to hold." Ry said. "You good here for a moment?"
Bitai blinked. "You're going to help?"
"Konohagakure nin always work better in teams." Ry said.
Bitai nodded. "Yeah, alright. She might try to come this way though, so be careful."
Ry grunted in affirmation.
The kunoichi shot him a glance as he moved in from the rear.
"Oh?" She cocked her head as she ducked one of the students, lashing out with a kick that sent the girl sprawling.
Ry swayed away from her first punch, using his kunai to ward off her grab. She turned the failed grab into an elbow that cracked into Ry's face. He stumbled backwards, his foot finding her leg in the middle of lashing out. He couldn't block it, but the contact did let him push himself out of the way.
The kunoichi not holding her ribs on the ground tried to attack from behind. It ended up with her catching a brutal palm heel to the stomach, dropping to the ground as she gasped.
Oooph, through the infusion. Never fun.
Ry tried – and failed – to take advantage of the momentary shift in attention. The kunoichi moved in almost textbook Leaf Style, but was simply too fast for Ry to exploit the gaps he could see.
Her whirling kick left Ry flat on his back, the kunoichi moving towards the other pair guarding Rei. Ry kipped up immediately, flinging his kunai at the kunoichi even as his other hand snagged the kunai one of the other genin had dropped. His thrown kunai whistled by the kunoichi's cheek as she twitched to one side, turning to grin at him.
"Oh, you know how to take a hit." The kunoichi smirked. "Give me one moment."
Without looking, she threw a quartet of senbon. The two students in front of Rei let out grunts, falling to their knees as they grabbed at their thighs.
Damn. That speed, she's at least a chunin, possibly tonkebetsu jonin. And she's still holding back.
"There." The kunoichi said, turning to fully face him. "Just you, me, and the unfortunate one over there."
"This is gonna suck." Ry groaned.
"Then you shouldn't hold up better than two on one." The kunoichi said, drawing a kunai.
The way she spun it didn't bode well for Ry. He grimaced, shifting his grip on the kunai.
Her fist skimmed his face, her knee left his calf aching, and in a move he didn't catch, stars burst in his vision as pain suffused his head.
Ry threw himself upwards and backwards, bringing one hand up to his head. He didn't get much done – three half seals was not nearly enough to utilize a full Mystic Palm – but the brief flare of iryo ninjutsu did help reduce the blood flow Ry could feel already matting his hair.
Hey, I managed to keep up chakra infus-
Ry's arm was technically in position to block the kunoichi's leaping kick. In that it got between her foot and his ribs. His world turned into a blur, then a revolving crash. Motion stopped about the same time pain started, Ry fetching up against a wall.
Fuck.
That hurt.
Half on instinct, Ry went through the two dozen hand seals necessary for Mystic Palm. Self diagnosis indicated the worst problem was his head, and that nothing else would make sense until he fixed it.
Hours of sparring with Akena, Aoba, and Kazune had him getting on his feet even as he tried to fix his throbbing head. His vision resolved and confusion receded slightly.
Alright. Make sure I don't have internal bleeding, then move to triage the others.
Bitai was still on her feet, but only because the kunoichi was clearly enjoying herself. Ry's fellow student bled from a dozen small cuts, a kunai held in each hand.
Rei and Ikuhito are down. Ikuhito still conscious. The defenders are all down, unconscious. Or with injuries beyond my ability to triage and repair, given this is just a training scenario.
Ry staggered towards Ikuhito, dropping to a knee.
"What kind of pain?" Ry growled.
Ikuhito blinked owlishly. Then he tapped at his forehead.
Ry began the series of hand seals. Halfway through, he had to stop, lunging to take a kunai off of Ikuhito and deflect one thrown at him. A stray thought wondered where the kunai he'd been holding went, but he concluded that the kunoichi's kick had likely sent it far, far away.
"Damnit, stop being interesting." The opposing kunoichi said, spinning another kunai.
Bitai tried to stab her in the back. The kunoichi kicked back without looking, sending Ry's classmate to the ground.
Ry appreciated the effort from his temporary teammate.
Lady, how the fuck am I interesting?! I'm just trying to avoid you breaking me.
One handed, Ry worked through the needed seals. He kept his eyes on the opposing kunoichi, who sauntered his way.
Putting his hand down, Ry pushed his chakra into Ikuhito. He could feel the slight swelling and inflammation. It wasn't anything serious, but Ikuhito's body had clearly forced him to stop before he could do any permanent damage.
Ry wasn't going to fiddle with the brain itself. Pushing chakra in to reduce the swelling and inflammation was something he was much more familiar with. Kazune and Akena had taken to concussing him once a week or so. Aoba often used poisons and venoms that caused swelling. He could handle swelling.
"Start your jutsu again when you can." Ry said, lurching to his feet and stepping away from the Yamanaka. "I can't buy you much time."
Ry spun the kunai in his hand, eyes on the opponent.
The kunoichi grinned. "Oh, I like you. Still going to break you, but I like you."
"Yeah." Ry groaned. "Tell me something new."
She had the kunai away from Ry within four moves, and flat on his back three seconds after that. Ry was pretty sure she'd broken bones in his left hand, and fractured something in his cheek.
"Exercise concluded." Another platinum blonde appeared with a few leaves fluttering down onto Ry. "Stop tormenting the students, Naori."
"You're no fun, sister." The woman who'd broken too many of Ry's bones pouted. "This one's fun. Someone's trained him to actually know what he's doing."
Ry twitched his head, kunai cutting off a lock of hair.
"Naori." The new Yamanaka said tonelessly.
"See?! He's still conscious and aware of threats." Naori said, another kunai spinning in her hand. "He's fun!"
She reminds me of all the worst parts of Aoba.
"Torment him on your own time." The new Yamanaka said. "For now, I need my children, and you need to be back at T&I."
"I'll be seeing you soon, fun one!" Naori said, giving Ry a bright smile and half-hand wave as she disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Ry closed his eyes with another groan.
Inari drummed her fingers on the desk. The various reports in front of her had been written by eleven nin, covering various components of the exercise they'd just run her three eldest through.
Two eldest, technically.
Inari reminded herself of that often. Tsugumi looked like her in all the important ways, but Inari wasn't her mother. Forgetting that would lead to strife with Hanara. Inari had no desire to stir up her cousin. Hanara was pleasant to work with, as long as no one encroached upon her parenting. Some days, Inari still counted her as one of her closest friends. She'd never taken what their Clan Elders had done well, and the actions she'd taken in response were likely half the reason that Hanara hadn't disavowed the Yamanaka Clan entirely.
Even if Inari and Hanara had sold the Clan Elders a false story, maintaining the fiction was a delicate balance.
Hanara sat across the desk, as did Jinsuke and Ikumi. Inari's first husband had a thoughtful look on his face as his eyes skimmed over the report closest to him. Ikumi, meanwhile, wore her customary blank expression.
Inari ignored her sister's blank expression and boring eyes. It was a time worn dynamic between the two of them.
Instead, she addressed her first husband. "Jinsuke, your thoughts?"
Jinsuke hummed, tapping the report he'd been skimming. "They held up well. With the number of Clan nin we had fluctuating pressure on them, holding as long as they did was beyond expectations."
"Ikumi?" Inari turned her gaze.
"Rei did well. Her persistence, even into losing consciousness, tells me that she has taken her punishment seriously." Ikumi said tonelessly.
Inari nodded.
Her anger, upon hearing what her daughter had done, was not a small thing. Bitai was likely to become Tsugumi's right hand, and attacking her was much like attacking Tsugumi herself. Even if the intent had only been to embarrass, usage of a Clan jutsu in such a manner broke a number of unspoken, ethical rules.
Ikumi, as the one who'd birthed Rei, had to choose from the three punishments that Inari had offered. The punishment chosen would follow Rei well into her years as a genin. Hopefully it would also produce a useful and productive member of the T&I team, rather than a spoiled brat who sulked that those who worked harder got further.
And we're lucky she didn't attempt it with the boy.
Inari didn't know the entire story with Shiranui Ry. Nor did Hanara, but Inari's cousin had reported several extremely specific markers left in the boy's mind. Ones warning away from a massive portion of it. Ones only known to the Yamanaka Clan. Ones left by Inari's first husband.
Ones indicating he'd removed his own memories of everything related afterwards, to preserve the secret.
Inari was glad her eldest daughter hadn't been caught up in whatever danger her first husband's markers had indicated. While Inari was certainly the most powerful mind walker in their Clan, Jinsuke certainly possessed the deftest touch. Anything he left warnings about was not to be taken lightly.
"As long as she continues to take it seriously." Inari said slowly. "I will consider her progress as adequate. The Elders will still rank her lowest in this exercise."
Ikumi nodded woodenly.
"Jinsuke." Inari said. "You were monitoring Ikuhito."
"His touch has grown softer." Jinsuke said. "It speaks volumes for his ability to successfully infiltrate, but he needs more tests like this if he wants to avoid easy ejection."
A common flaw for Yamanaka when using their Clan jutsu. That, or going the other way and using too much brute force, making the takeover obvious in all situations.
"Something to consider." Inari agreed. "For all of them. Hanara."
"Tsugumi has the stamina and control." Hanara said. "She should, as the eldest. Her situational awareness could use a great deal of improvement. In this case, she happened to have competent teammates."
Inari nodded, drumming her fingers once more. Hanara's daughter frustrated her. She had gotten a wake up call from the mandatory lessons, but Inari knew the Clan Elders were unlikely to ever give the girl a chance to fully reclaim her position. While the Yamanaka weren't nearly as strife ridden as other Clans, their elders knew how to hold grudges. Many of them had never forgiven Hanara, and by extension, Tsugumi.
"Very well." Inari said. "My initial inclination is to pass all three of them. Any disagreements?"
The three in front of her shook their heads.
"Hanara, Jinsuke, stay." Inari said. "Sister, will you go inform the three that they passed and they are released for the day?"
Ikumi nodded, departing quickly.
"She won't be happy about that." Hanara said.
"What did you need, dear?" Jinsuke asked.
Inari closed her eyes. It helped her focus, and simultaneously ignore the slight emotional turbulence coming off her cousin. Hanara had never held the past against Inari. Still, she was human, and Inari knew her cousin's heart had never fully healed.
Jinsuke knew as well. His behavior was calculated, and had been for nearly twenty years. Inari loved him for it, even if it made these private meetings more difficult.
"Naori is interested in the Shiranui boy." Inari said.
"Ah." Hanara said, her voice dry. "She'll need to go through Hatake Kazune, Seong Akena, Matara Hirana, and Mitarashi Aoba if she wants to train him."
Inari opened her eyes, looking at her cousin.
She'd known the boy was part of Tsugumi's mandatory lessons. Knowing her cousin, she'd been certain that Shiranui Ry was unlikely to cause issues for Tsugumi, or the Clan in general.
Hearing he was receiving training from the Silver Vixen, the Flickering Blade, the Bone Saw, and the Purple Viper shifted the boy's potential considerably. Inari had been aware that the boy's aunt was part of the Hokage's cadre of elite jonin, but hearing who his instructors were forced a reevaluation. If they were truly invested, it was training on par with anything the Clans could offer their own children. Better, in some ways.
Inari herself had offered Matara Hirana a sizable retainer to teach iryo ninjutsu to some of her Clan. She'd been turned down, but only because the kunoichi offered free classes at the nin hospital and the Academy, for all who were interested.
Inari knew better than to ask the other three.
Hatake Kazune was a running in-joke amongst the jonin for the Hokage's stubborn insistence on keeping the lazy pervert as a jonin instructor; the woman was as sharp and deadly a kunoichi as they came, but she was allergic to any work not related to a mission or those damnable books.
Nor would Inari subject any of her children or nieces and nephews to Mitarashi's sadistic tendencies.
And for all my confidence in myself as a kunoichi, Akena would thrash me just as thoroughly as she did everyone else who came looking for her to take up new students after Shie's death.
"There's a reason that Kae-chan chose him." Hanara smirked, aware of Inari's and Jinsuke's looks.
"That won't discourage her." Jinsuke pointed out.
Inari nodded. Her youngest sister was willful, and obstinate. It was rare for her to take an interest in something for long, but while she wanted something, she didn't let go easily. Even as a chunin going up against the interest of elite jonin, Naori wasn't going to be intimidated.
It was likely to only intrigue her further.
Considering her youngest sister for a moment, Inari hummed. "None of them specialize in genjutsu."
"Take it up with them." Hanara said, shrugging. "I just wanted to make sure you were informed."
"I'll talk with her." Inari said. "How are Tsugumi's mandatory lessons going? Is the progress still adequate for the requirements the elders set?"
Hanara's eyes sparkled for a moment. "Tsugumi is ranked forty ninth in taijutsu, as of yesterday. She will likely move up further tomorrow. Bitai is forty first."
Inari let out a small sigh of relief. Tsugumi had too much talent to be failed out due to the petty grudges of the Clan Elders. She might not be Inari's actual daughter, but Inari did care for the girl.
"The yuwaku portion?" Inari asked.
"Kae-chan wants to have it continued through the first few months." Hanara said. "At least while they're in their obligatory two months of D ranks."
"How are the practicals being received?" Inari asked.
Jinsuke's face tightened slightly. Inari ignored it for the moment. She knew that no man really wanted to know about their daughter's sex life. Even if it was for training purposes.
The Clan Elders had chosen him to be their intermediary, however, which meant he needed to hear everything.
"They haven't been yet." Hanara said. "Kae-chan wants to have a few to choose from before introducing them."
Inari frowned. "Did something go wrong with the first?"
Hanara grinned. "No. Quite the opposite. If Kae-chan's reactions were anything to go by, it's a shame the boy doesn't have the right mentality to be an infiltrator."
Inari's eyebrow rose. "Really?"
Hanara snickered. "If you saw the way she threatened him to never say anything, to anyone, you'd understand. I've been polite and not probed the boy, but yes, he either has prior experience or a natural inclination."
"You're recording these, correct?" Inari asked, the beginnings of an idea floating around in her mind.
"I hadn't for the first, but I can." Hanara said. "They're intense memories, they'd be excellent material to test some of the seals I'm working on."
"Do so." Inari said.
There's potential, if Shikara is right about needing to cultivate a few new intelligence sources.
Ry let out a groan as he walked back inside.
Rain had been pouring down for the entirety of the patrol, and all he wanted was a hot meal and a good rest.
"I hear you." Tatsumi said.
Ry glanced over at his patrol partner. The sensor had a drawn look on his face. Given that they were out looking for yokai, he couldn't blame his fellow shinobi. Sensors always had it the worst on patrols.
Wait, how do I-
"The handsome heroes return!" A familiar voice called out.
Ry turned toward the speaker.
Tane Megumi was one of the few civilians on staff at the patrol base. She worked as an administrative assistant, doing paperwork for the jonin in command of the base.
The way her eyes zeroed in on Tatsumi didn't surprise Ry. Her desire had been fairly clear ever since Ry had been posted nearly three months prior.
Three months doesn't seem-
"You mind giving the debrief?" Tatsumi asked.
The sensor had perked up. Ry couldn't help smirking; his fellow Konoha chunin had lost his drawn look completely.
"Yeah yeah." Ry snorted. "Don't get her in trouble."
"She's gonna get me in trouble." Tatsumi said, waving Ry off.
"Yeah, I can see that." Ry muttered.
The report to the jonin in command, Inuzuka Hitomi, was routine. Tatsumi hadn't sensed any rifts, nor any yokai nor nin. Completely standard. He'd been dismissed quickly, the jonin almost chasing him out of her office. Fairly standard for their grumpy commander.
Why do I know that she's always-
"Shiranui, up for some fun?" A chunin named Hikari called out. "We're headed into town."
Ry grunted his agreement. He wasn't much one for drinking to blow off steam, but he always had liked watching others get drunk. Between his iryo and taijutsu skills, he made a pretty good babysitter for drunken kunoichi and shinobi both, if necessary.
Even if few nin liked getting forcibly sobered.
The other nin, mostly kunoichi, were immediately interested in flirting with the civilians. Ry was content to let them; the civilians in town knew all about the patrols. If they weren't interested in nin, they wouldn't be in the bar known to be a nin hangout.
Ry couldn't blame the guys. Kunoichi, thanks to a mix of chakra and rigorous training, were always a sight to behold. For a civilian guy, a one night stand was something to be bragged about to buddies. Ry was fairly certain there were a few regulars, ones the kunoichi were familiar with and possibly traded around.
He knew better than to stick his nose in that business.
For the women, it was different. Quite a few of the civilian women were there for the kunoichi. Not for hookups, but to make friends. Job hunting, more or less.
As Ry had learned, most nin couples that wanted children had a surrogate. Not all of them, and not all the time, but it was a fairly common practice.
Civilian women knew that, and they were not afraid to ask. Ry had been shocked by some of the conversations he'd heard between kunoichi and civilians.
Wait, when have I-
"You mind giving me a breather?" Ry glanced up at the speaker.
She was a brunette, hair pulled into a side ponytail. Her brown eyes were expressive; in that moment, they showed an exhaustion leaking through. Her pale features were round, the soft and cute Ry associated with young civilian women.
"Sure thing." Ry gestured to the empty seat, long since vacated by a kunoichi who was chatting up a man and a woman at the bar itself. "What do you need a breather from?"
"My family." The woman smiled softly, sliding into the seat. "My brother's mother-in-law, specifically."
Ry nodded, sipping on his drink. "Those can be scary. Happy to provide a bit of quiet if you need it. Shiranui Ry."
"Watara Izumi." The brunette said. "And thanks."
They sat quietly for a few minutes. Ry tried to recall if he'd seen her before. She wasn't a regular, or at least not at the time she typically accompanied others from the patrol base.
"So, I don't see you around often, Shiranui-san." Izumi said, flagging down the waitress. "You're stationed at the patrol base?"
"Ish." Ry shrugged. "Haven't seen you around much when I'm here, either, Watara-san."
"Usually you wouldn't." Izumi smirked. "We're typically sitting in the back. My brother is a solicitor. He writes contracts, and reviews wills."
"Oh." Ry blinked. "Suppose I shouldn't be surprised he works at the bar."
"Nin do tend to congregate here." Izumi shook her head. "But we usually aren't doing business. Not beyond advertising; nin tend to come find us their next off day."
"Makes sense." Ry nodded. "What do you do for your brother?"
"Administrative assistant and notary." Izumi said. "He needs one his wife won't get jealous of."
Ry snorted. "And a sister is safe in that regard. Though I do question why you need to hide from his mother-in-law."
"Because she also has two sons." Izumi said dryly. "Single sons, of marriageable age."
"Say no more." Ry nodded. "I've gotten enough of that from civilian mothers on my own."
Izumi grinned, taking the drink that the waitress offered. "Yeah? You're pretty good looking, and a shinobi like you makes good money. Suppose I can see it."
Ry saw the way she looked him up and down. She couldn't see much – he was still wearing his flak vest and standard rainy weather attire – but her eyes suggested she liked what she saw. Which wasn't unusual with civilian women.
Bahp. Nope. Hold the phone. Getting checked out by civilian women is not something that's happened that I can recall. Too much time with Narisa
I don't-oh.
"Can you?" Ry grinned right back. "Well I appreciate the compliment. I imagine your brother's mother-in-law is trying to lock down a competent and beautiful wife for a son before she gets snatched up by someone else who sees her worth."
'Izumi' snorted, playing with a stray strand of blue-black hair. "You don't know I'm competent."
"I can guess." Ry smirked. "Unless you play the airhead around her. And you don't strike me as that type."
That drew a laugh from 'Izumi.' "Fair. And true. I have a hard time not being me."
"And the real you is competent." Ry postulated. "And, if you're hiding, both unwilling to cause unnecessary strife and not particularly enthralled with either of the candidates your brother's mother-in-law is putting forward."
'Izumi's' smile was radiant. "Now that wasn't a hard guess at all."
"No, it wasn't." Ry agreed. "But I wasn't aware I was in any sort of competition. I'm just a breather, remember?"
'Izumi' rolled her chocolate brown eyes. "So you weren't flirting with me."
"Is flirting required to be difficult, or to need hard guesses?" Ry asked. "To my, admittedly limited, understanding, flirting requires one person to be interested in another. Successful flirting requires both parties to be interested. Will I need to make more difficult guesses in order for this to be successful?"
"Perhaps." 'Izumi' said, smiling coyly.
"What should I guess about, then?" Ry asked. "Unless you want me to take a stab at why you're not satisfied with either of the men being presented, I've got little else that I can begin from."
"You think you can guess why I'm not interested?" 'Izumi's' cobalt eyebrow arched.
"The classic guess would be that they don't hold your attention." Ry said. "I'm fairly certain you're not shallow, son I doubt it has much to do with their looks. Unless they're straight up ugly. They're not, are they?"
'Izumi' snickered. "No. They're not the most handsome, but they're not ugly."
"Then my guess is that there's little common interests." Ry said. "They don't talk about things you're interested in, and they have little interest in listening to you about your interests. I've seen that happen a few times with the kind of arrangement you're talking about, where both sides essentially talk past each other."
I mean, I haven't, but I can guess. Arranged marriages always remind me of Fiddler on the Roof and that song. Tough sledding, even if it can turn out happy.
'Izumi' cocked her head. "See that often?"
"Nin marriages are political as often as not." Ry said. "I'm lucky enough to not be important, but some of my friends aren't so free."
"Mmm." 'Izumi' said. "As it happens, you're close. They don't talk about things I'm interested in, but the real problem is that they're dumber than a bag of bricks."
Ry nearly did a spit take. Knowing what he did about 'Izumi,' he had no doubt she was conjuring up a memory of a past encounter. The flatness and dull weariness in her voice was too real to be faked.
Ry knew the feeling. He'd made that mistake in college. Melanie had been a nice, wonderful person, genuinely beautiful inside and out. She'd also bored him to absolute tears; he'd made it two months before breaking up with her, and he had long ago guiltily admitted to himself that the great sex and not wanting to make her sad were the only reasons they'd lasted longer than a few weeks.
"That does sound like something I'd want to hide from too." Ry said carefully.
"Mmhmm." 'Izumi' nodded. "I-"
"Izumi." A man's voice called out.
Ry saw 'Izumi's' put upon look. Glancing over, he saw a civilian in his late twenties or early thirties moving in their direction.
Hikari and a few other nin still in the bar had clearly clocked him. The guy looked affable, but drunk. Hand signs were exchanged back and forth. Ry was amused; he had no idea how far he could stretch things, but tucked a few idea away for the future.
"I need more alcohol for this." 'Izumi' muttered before turning and smiling. "Hello Memeri-san."
The guy stepped up and sat down next to 'Izumi.' His facial expression didn't change, even as his arm draped around 'Izumi's' shoulder.
"Izumi-chan, you're so pretty." Memeri said, his voice slurred. "Mama was right about you being the prettiest girl in town."
"Memeri-san, please let go." 'Izumi' said, ducking out of his grasp. "I was talking with Shiranui-san here."
"But you're soooo pretty." Memeri said, frowning. "Mama said you and me are gonna make such beautiful babies."
Ry bit his tongue. The flash of unadulterated irritation in 'Izumi's' eyes was hilarious. Her bronze cheeks flushed, and it wasn't with embarrassment or happiness.
"Give me just a minute, Shiranui-san." 'Izumi' said. "I need to go make sure Memeri-san here is taken care of."
Watching 'Izumi' escort Memeri away, Ry couldn't hold in his snickering.
'You good?' Hikari signaled.
'Fine.' Ry replied. 'Probably going to leave. Not worth the trouble.'
We'll have fun for you.' Hikari signed, then returned her full attention to her conversation.
Huh. I know the hand signals here. Cool.
Ry was walking through the drizzle when he heard feet squelching through the mud. Turning, he saw 'Izumi' running towards him.
The drizzle had dampened her white blouse, giving Ry an excellent look at her curves. Her bra, a dark color, stood out prominently.
He stopped, waiting for her.
"Shiranui-san." 'Izumi' said, smiling tentatively.
"Watara-san." Ry replied, adopting a curious expression.
"So…maybe you weren't just a quiet breather after all." 'Izumi' said, biting her lip. "Could we speak somewhere a little less…."
"Damp?" Ry suggested.
When the woman nodded, Ry led her towards his lodgings. He normally slept on base, but he technically shared an apartment with three other shinobi just off the west side. It was meant to be a place where they could relax without being subject to the formal rigor of command.
Ry was almost certain that they were still under observation, by sensor if nothing else.
Now how would I know that?
With a gesture, Ry had 'Izumi' climbing the stairs ahead of him. He freely enjoyed the view of her pert, tight ass. The drizzle hadn't soaked her skirt to the point where it was skin tight, but the otherwise loose garment was certainly more clingy than was normal. Her bronze legs swayed underneath it, offering the temptation to change his angle ever so slightly for a glimpse of what the skirt hid.
Ry declined. Situational awareness was important.
And, to be totally honest, I'd much prefer the enjoyment of seeing it for the first time if I get the chance to peel it off of her later.
Inside the apartment, Ry offered 'Izumi' a towel. The woman accepted, removing the hair tie and drying her long, cobalt locks.
When she was done, Ry sat down at one of the kitchen chairs. 'Izumi' sat next to him, shaking her head.
"So," 'Izumi' said, glancing at Ry out of the corner of her eye, "thanks for taking me somewhere dry."
"Curiosity kills the cat." Ry shrugged.
"Mmm, yeah." 'Izumi' nodded. "Truth time, I suppose. A couple of my friends have been checking you out, trying to get a read on you."
"Because you asked them to?" Ry asked, leaning back in his chair.
"No." 'Izumi' shook her head. "They're looking to be concubines for married nin. You were a curiosity at first, one they used to spark conversation with the kunoichi."
Ry hummed, not saying anything. He could see that happening.
Shikahana's words floated around in the back of his brain. He still hadn't worked up the courage to ask Kazune about them; the resulting ridicule was something he wasn't ready for.
"But, they figured out that you're, well, single for the moment." 'Izumi' continued. "And that you're likely to be married to one of the Clans, young and talented as you are."
Kunoichi talk to civvies about this sort of stuff? I mean, it's harmless gossip, but enough harmless gossip can provide situational confirmation, depending on what the enemy is looking for.
Wonder if that's true, or if shinobi are just expected to buy that kunoichi gossip as freely as civilian women.
Hmm….
"And…" Ry trailed off leadingly.
"And I want out of this town." 'Izumi' said. "I know new patrols are typically stationed here for six months, and you've only been here for a month. I thought I might audition for the time you have left."
"Audition for what?" Ry asked.
'Izumi' shot him a cross look. "To be a concubine. Everyone says that the really good shinobi are allowed to bring one or two with them, since kunoichi usually have a couple of husbands."
Okay, now I'm really confused. Is this a line of bullshit she's selling, or am I completely misunderstanding how the marriage structures within the Clans work?
"Everyone says." Ry mused. "I'm not everyone, so I'm not sure that's true. And you'd hitch yourself to a total stranger, one working in a profession of paid spies, thieves, and killers, just to get out of here?"
'Izumi' cocked her head. "You don't have a high opinion of your own profession."
"A realistic view." Ry shrugged. "You haven't answered the question."
"Nin aren't that bad." 'Izumi' said. "Not all of you. We've all lived near the patrol base long enough to spot the trouble makers and bad eggs. You're not either."
"Ah." Ry nodded. "Based on a month of observations. Are you sure that's accurate?"
"No." 'Izumi' said. "But I'm willing to take the risk."
"Suppose I can't fault bravery." Ry said. "Is your plan just to move in with me? You're aware I live on base most of the time."
"I still planned to live at home." 'Izumi' said. "But I thought we could spend your nights off together."
"Mmm." Ry hummed. "I'm not opposed."
He'd have to report it to his commander. Given what Ry suspected 'Izumi' was up to, he'd be an idiot to do otherwise. Knowing his commander, she'd encourage him, because it gave her a known variable.
So weird, 'knowing' all of this like I do.
"You know if this works out, you'll be carrying children." Ry said, tipping back in his chair. "Most of which won't be yours."
"Mmhmm." 'Izumi' said. "But I could negotiate for a couple to be mine, once one or two are carried to term and found healthy."
"That might depend on the Clan, provided I marry into one like you're assuming." Ry said. "Which is far from a guarantee."
"I'm willing to take that chance." 'Izumi' said.
With that, she abruptly rose from her seat. Ry watched as she turned, pushing down on his knee. He obliged, letting his chair settle. 'Izumi' squeezed, running her hand up his thigh. She bent over, her still damp shirt making it easy to see the generous curves of her chest.
"You seem like you're not sold." 'Izumi' crouched down. "I can understand. It's a negotiation, and I'm just a pretty lady trying to get some benefits out of you. You've probably been burned by a woman or two before, handsome as you are."
Not in this life. Heh.
'Izumi' began unbuttoning her blouse. "Why don't I give you a bit of a demonstration of what I can do? Maybe see if you'll find me…tolerable, at least."
This is so goddamn mercenary. But kinda hot. She's more or less trying to sell herself to me. Dunno why that's turning me on, but it is.
'Izumi' stopped three buttons down. Enough to let the blouse gap, revealing most of her inner boob that wasn't cupped by a tan, silky bra. It was lighter than Ry had expected, given what he'd seen, but he supposed that it might have darkened while wet, and dried up slightly in the time they'd been talking.
He didn't really care. 'Izumi' had moved on, the bluenette moving one hand to caress the bulge in his pants. She shifted for a moment, settling onto her knees. Ry could feel his blood beginning to rush south. He put his hands behind his head.
'Izumi' cocked her head, hands pausing where they were delving for the inner fasteners of his pants. "Someone's confident."
That wasn't the reason Ry had put his hands behind his head, but he was happy to let her assume so. "Well, if you're going to make a sale, it'd only be gentlemanly of me to allow you to give your best effort. And, ah, my hands to have a mind of their own if I don't hold back."
A smirk appeared on the bluenette's face. "Selling myself, am I?"
"Slip of the tongue." Ry said. "But, that's more or less what you proposed."
'Izumi' considered that for a moment before shrugging. The shrug did wonderful things, somehow letting her blouse slide further open, exposing more of her shoulders. Ry flickered his hands behind the back of his head, completing the half seals.
"That was the other thing the kunoichi said." 'Izumi's' hands went back to unfastening his pants. "That you're a realist. And that you're-"
Her words stopped as she pulled Ry's cock out. She gave an appreciative little mewl.
"And that I'm?" Ry asked.
He could tell she was acting. The appreciation wasn't entirely faked, but she was definitely playing it up.
Sweet. So it doesn't need to be through my hands to use the scanning version of Mystical Palm. The next step would be to test Hirana's comments about nerve stimulation, but that'll need to wait.
"That you're well hung." 'Izumi' said, leaning in close.
Her brown eyes had a glint to them as she stuck her tongue out. She didn't immediately go for his cock, hovering for a moment. It was a rather obscene look, no doubt meant to inflame Ry's imagination. It worked, to an extent.
Ry was just also running a scan through her and could feel the way her heartrate was slightly elevated. She was either nervous or actually a little bit aroused.
Given the way she didn't know what was happening last time, I'm leaning towards the latter. There's no reason to be nervous if she thinks I'm not going to know who she is. From everything she said, I'm not supposed to remember these.
Though clearly Tsugumi's mom knows otherwise.
Huh. Maybe she told her? Damn, I hate these kind of games.
Keeping his brain actively engaged with the hypotheticals kept Ry from getting swept up by the mix of hormones and residuals of recent high chakra usage. Therefore he offered 'Izumi' a small smile as she gave him her best innocent, awed eyes.
It was a hell of a look. Ry would guess she had practiced it at one point. Or was a natural heartbreaker. He didn't know enough of her past to know either way. Nor would Ry ever be stupid enough to ask about prior romantic entanglements.
He only needed one Seong sister breaking his bones and lacerating him on a weekly basis.
'Izumi' twisted her wrist, running her fingers along Ry's erection. He let out a hissing breath. Aware of what was happening or not, he was a man. A man with a beautiful woman handling his erection. There was only so much he could do to control his reactions.
'Izumi's' smile was smug and knowing. "A well hung shinobi who won't judge me for wanting to get out and being willing to use my looks to escape. That's what the kunoichi said you were."
Her hand began gliding up and down, fingers warm and soft as she stroked. Ry let out a soft grunt of approval.
Focus. Now's a good time to test.
Flickering through more half seals with his hands still behind his head, Ry pushed through the distraction of his growing arousal to properly mold his chakra. It was a struggle, feeling like he should just relax into 'Izumi's' ministrations. Until it was a struggle in an entirely different manner.
There.
Maintaining both the scanning Mystical Palm and the nerve stimulation Mystical Palm took a massive amount of concentration. Ry was in no danger of going soft, but suddenly was in no danger of his arousal taking control. Too much of his brain was focused on maintenance and proper utilization.
The added difficulty of harnessing both jutsu through his dick, rather than his hands, meant that wasn't going to change any time soon.
Ry's control, with both jutsu, normally faded out about a foot away from where he'd placed his hands. With his alternative usage, he felt his chakra slipping from his grasp after only a few inches. He had enough proficiency with the scanning Mystical Palm to still get a rough reading of 'Izumi's' body, even with minimal control. The nerve stimulation, on the other hand, was far less useful than he'd been anticipating.
Studying anatomy was one thing, but Ry had zero knowledge of how stimulating nerves in a woman's hand might lead to his desired result.
Fortunately for him, 'Izumi' decided that she wasn't making her desired progress merely using her hand.
"Well hung, non judgmental, and he has the courtesy to last a while." 'Izumi' cooed. "The kunoichi weren't wrong about you."
Considering I know I've never slept with anyone here, that's funny.
Like, the memories I have very clearly tell me that I haven't slept with anyone. Is she making this up as she goes, or did the kunoichi feed her info they knew would point her at me? And if so, did they know what she's supposed to be?
These scenarios are confusing as hell. Is that part of the point?
"If you fuchgh." Ry trailed off into a groan as 'Izumi's' tongue, which had come so near Ry's cock earlier, darted out again for a lick.
It was stupidly hot watching her lap at his cock. She was the kind of gorgeous he never would've stood a chance with in his first life, and here she was 'making a sale' to him. Which, if this were real, would eventually involve him getting her pregnant. Which led to Ry thinking about who 'Izumi' really was, and then what it would be like for her to actually be propositioning him to become a concubine and eventually get her pregnant, putting her full seductive wiles towards the goal.
Ry felt himself throb dangerously at that stray thought.
The surge of arousal scrambled his thoughts to the point that he didn't respond in time for the second, or third, slow, sensuous lick. As 'Izumi' ran the flat of her tongue along his shaft, her fingers circled around his base, Ry finally got his thoughts together.
A few inches of hand and arm didn't give Ry much to work with for nerve stimulation. A few inches of tongue, and mouth?
Completely different story.
Ry wasn't fully versed in stimulating nerves. He knew how to dampen pain, how to dull sensation, and how to stimulate blood flow via nervous signals. His goal, however, was decidedly different from those three objectives. Different enough that he decided to start small.
'Izumi' paused mid tongue stroke, her brown eyes widening. She didn't say anything, but Ry saw consideration and a hint of surprise flitting through her eyes.
Then she took another lick. A small grunt escaped her throat, even as Ry let out a groan. When the tip of her tongue flicked across the head of Ry's cock, he saw her visibly start with surprise.
Yeah, I think it's working.
"Damn, if you're that good with just your tongue, I don't know how much of a gentleman I can be." Ry said.
Mirth played across 'Izumi's' face. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Then she leaned forward, lips sliding over Ry's head, tongue flicking playfully as she moved downwards.
Ry had noticed, way back in his initial self evaluations after waking up in the middle of the Elemental Nations, that certain things about him had changed. More musculature, his facial hair growing in at a rate it hadn't reached until his twenties, and he was pretty sure he'd gained an inch or two in height.
The extra dimensions down below, length and girth wise, were far less relevant to Ry's daily life. He didn't think about it often. When relieving the pressures of chakra usage, it didn't really stick out. Even 'Izumi's' earlier comments hadn't really registered, coming across more as flattery than anything else.
Watching 'Izumi' gag and recoil with a couple inches to spare reminded Ry in a viscerally pleasing manner.
Especially when a flicker of embarrassment, then determination shot through her eyes.
Is she remembering how lopsided last time was? Is it a pride thing?
God damn, I don't think I care.
Ry's eyes shut involuntarily as his head lolled back. 'Izumi's' tongue traced its way back and forth across his shaft as she withdrew upwards. Then she slid back down, lips feeling glorious as they caressed him. Her giggle was musical, and for the brief moment he reopened his eyes, she had a look of vindication playing across her face.
It took nearly a minute of 'Izumi' blowing his mind before Ry recollected enough of his faculties to make another half seal, moving onto the next part of his experiment.
Whereas Ry had been limited to affecting the bluenette's tongue and jaw before, now his chakra was regularly moving in and out of range of portions of her brain.
Ry wasn't going to mess with the individual nerves directly. He knew better than that; the brain was a complex machine with billions of moving parts.
Part of reducing and alleviating the regular brain trauma Kazune and Akena inflicted on him, however, was dulling and numbing the portions of the brain associated with sensation. It was a less precise art, but it allowed him to create temporary changes without worrying about permanently messing up brain chemistry or accidentally rewiring someone's brain.
If Ry wanted to, he could've cut off sensation entirely. Or cause unbelievable pain. Both options unavailable in combat, because a basic chakra infusion would tear apart the delicate workings even without input from the target.
Ry's target was pretending to be a civilian, and he wasn't aiming for numbness or pain.
'Izumi' let out a startled moan as she slid downwards again, her teeth briefly skimming along Ry's shaft.
Ry opened his eyes to see her staring at him with wide eyes.
"Fuck you're good at this." Ry groaned. "One hell of an audition."
'Izumi' blinked, slowly withdrawing back up his shaft. The surprise in her eyes softened and she let out another moan as Ry continued his own efforts. He wasn't going for any big or obvious effects - he hoped – but he was happy to see what little he'd done was already having an effect.
Ry left his eyes slitted as 'Izumi' resumed a regular rhythm. Her cheeks were slowly flushing, even as her bronze chest gained a sheen of sweat. A hand moved to begin cradling his balls, and the other disappeared from Ry's perception.
At least until he heard a faint but audible rustle of fabric. His eyes traced her right shoulder and tricep, which were oddly flexed. 'Izumi's' breathing sped up slightly, her nose flaring even as her eyes hooded.
To his delight, her head continued to move in perfect rhythm, bringing him closer and closer to his own, explosive finish.
"Not going to last much longer." Ry said, reaching down with one hand.
'Izumi' blinked with hazy eyes, staring up at him in confusion as he put a hand on her head to stop her.
"A gentleman wouldn't try to drown a lady without her permission." Ry said, hissing a bit as her tongue continued to move.
A spark of amusement flickered in the bluenette's expression. She pushed against his hand, descending downwards once more.
Fuck that's hot.
Ry pulled his hand away, closing his eyes once again. 'Izumi's' movements sped up and Ry clenched his teeth, trying to prolong his own enjoyment for just a bit longer.
It wasn't to be. 'Izumi' was both talented and determined. Ry growled as he came. 'Izumi's' tongue slid upwards, drawing a moan from Ry as the sensation only heightened.
The bluenette's mouth didn't stop its steady motion, even as Ry felt like his soul was leaving his body. His legs trembled as her lips and tongue continued to caress him until he had nothing left to give.
"Fuck me." Ry moaned, feeling like jello.
It was, bar none, the best blowjob he'd ever gotten. Second place wasn't even close. Wasn't in the same hemisphere.
His erection was still hard, and 'Izumi' wasn't stopping. If anything, she sped up, letting out a moan of her own.
Then she froze mid-motion, before pulling away without warning. Ry opened his eyes to see her slumped over, legs spread wide as she had her mouth held open in a silent rictus. Her right hand was buried beneath her skirt, moving back and forth furiously.
She's a clit gal, no surprise there.
With a sweet moan, 'Izumi's' tension disappeared from her entire frame as she slumped over.
"Damn." Ry said, feeling a bit of his lethargy disappear. "I'm going to enjoy returning the favor."
'Izumi's' eyes, which had been closed, popped open. Ry caught a faint hint of alarm.
Heh. She definitely remembers last time. And now I've got a better idea of what I'm doing in regards to chakra. Thanks for the suggestion, Kazune-sensei and Hirana-sensei.
This is going to be fun.
Sorry it's a bit late, sometimes work is easy, then sometimes you have nearly an entire month of overnight shifts where your boss splits your off days. The rule of thumb, at least for me, is that on overnight one night off feels like no time off. Haven't gotten much writing time with this one, and it caused a bit of a delay as I went through editing.
That being said, this lemon was way better. At least, for me. (Can I phrasing myself? It feels like I should.) I said at the beginning of this fiction, way back in Chapter One, that this was a write as I go experiment in discovery writing. That being said, I've had these lemons written out for a while, just needing to find spots for the story to flow into them organically. As you've no doubt seen, my little story device I've decided to use makes that relatively easy for me. The problem with the first flirting scene, and then the first lemon, was that I was aiming for them to feel a bit awkward. Ry's not a lothario, and there's an intentional dissonance going on in the genjutsu practicals. The flirting wasn't so bad, as I sort of wanted it made obvious that Ry is A) not necessarily the world's greatest ladies' man and B) he's an ordinary guy from Earth who feels a bit awkward about basically having to flirt on command, knowing it's likely to be dissected and commented on by three women he finds attractive in one sense or another. The first lemon, though...
Obvious statement time, writing an awkward sex scene is awkward. Reading it back, many times, it felt more awkward, almost jarring. It was part of what I grappled with last chapter, before ultimately sticking to my guns because otherwise there'd have been a major delay. I'm still not entirely happy with it - it may end up with a rewrite if I ever go back and do a deep editing pass, even if I'm not sure how I'd improve what's supposed to be awkward - but it accomplished what I needed it to.
I think. Regardless, this sex scene felt much more satisfying, as an author.
Don't expect them every chapter, by the way. The back to back ones were coincidence because they naturally fell into place there.
More importantly, at least in the obvious mechanics of the AU world I'm working my way through worldbuilding, we get Ry's first real interaction with Gentle Fist. I'll be honest, Gentle Fist is broken and will be staying that way, but it's also always felt a bit dumb that it was restricted to the Hyuga. I don't think it's going out on too much of a limb to say that somewhere out there, some genius of a ninja might have figured out that simply injecting their chakra and striking at statistically likely tenketsu points would make a pretty good bastardization of Gentle Fist. *Cough cough snake obsessed with collecting jutsu*
Ahem. Therefore, I've decided to tie it entirely to tenketsu, thus increasing the importance of the Byakugan. Along with that, we had a discussion involving the Hyuga Clan Head, waaayyy back when Kina and Akahana had their unexpected incident, about chakra network distributions and layout. I won't get into the depths my brain decided to go when it started considering how focused, multi-generational breeding programs might end up playing out, but I feel safe in saying that they should have an effect. They might, honestly, somewhere in canon, but I can't recall if they mention it, and if so, what they say. My AU will be headed in its own direction, and if it somehow falls into canon compliance, excellent. If not, hang on to your butt cheeks. There's fun ahead.
Also, don't worry. The Hyuga can still Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique people. That's just something of a more advanced technique in this AU. You've already seen hints of it, but much like I mentioned things changing once we get above genin levels of combat, high level nin have tools at their disposal that haven't been fully explored or even revealed yet. What they'll do with those tools, I won't call it 5D chess (because that is a level of hype I don't think I can live up to) but nin that make it to chunin and jonin are smart. They work in a profession where they can be pitted against people with all sorts of insane abilities. The stupid ones should, sheerly by the Darwinistic tendencies of the semi-meritocratic, heavily militarized society they've lived in, be getting eliminated with extreme prejudice.
(By the way, if you don't know the FPPEHT reference, please go watch Kill Bill. It's worth spending a few hours on a lazy day, even as just a campy, Mystery Science 3000 watch where you poke fun at what's considered something of a classic. It even comes with a couple of fight scenes that are both completely unrealistic and totally fantastic at the same time.)
Shikahana's comment about numbers in peacetime isn't a throwaway. The nin profession can easily turn into a meat grinder, and there's going to be a certain amount of chaff that will likely only be revealed once the stakes are lethal. People who seem intelligent and competent while in a relatively relaxed environment can become entirely different animals when under real pressure, let alone the stress of a mistake meaning death. I'm walking a bit of a tightrope in regards to the Academy in that regard, and can only hope I'm managing it well.
Final point, hopefully the relative complexity of internal matchmaking and procreational politics in the Clans is becoming a bit more apparent. It's a bit of a pain to write, as Ry has been very intentionally keeping himself away from that lunacy, because he knows himself well enough to want to avoid something that he believes will cause him a lot of grief. That being said, it's an important part of the story, and one I think canon glosses over. Which makes sense, as a shounen, but considering they live in military dictatorships after a preceding Era literally called the WARRING CLANS ERA, I feel like some of the smarter ones might've rubbed a few brains cells together and started trying to have stronger children, to gain future advantages for their people.
This author's note turned out to be...a lot longer than I planned for. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next-
Oh! Oh wait! For the hardy and dedicated who've made it this far, my tentative pokes at writing a second fiction have borne fruit! In my typical fashion, I couldn't decide between two, so I did both. Neither will be regular updates, but if you're a RWBY or High School DxD fan, there might be something for you around the time of my upload next month.
Okay, that's-
Ah! Wait! Two more things. If this fiction continues to do well and/or the ones I put up next month garner enough interest...I'm gonna do a couple of things. First, I'll cross post this. I've been putting it off, mostly because it's going to require a solid weekend of sitting down and ensuring that formatting issues don't pop up. For the moment, it'd also end up on AO3, and maybe a couple other sites, not entirely sure yet. Second, well it's the thing with the P-word. Don't worry about the fiction going away, it'll stay updating monthly, but I'm about...*double checks word count and chapter divisions* about sixty five thousand words/approximately five and a half chapters ahead of schedule, with some additional omake that bubble from time to time or got left on the editing floor. Considering that I'd love to actually be able to call myself a paid author, I think the P-word thing for advance content is reasonable.
That's it. For real. Have a great day, not another fakeout, promise. Well, maybe give your mom a call. Mine's birthday was recent, and most moms appreciate random calls - about things other than money - from their children.
Seriously, are you still reading? See you next month!
