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"You are troubled." Hotokaido said.

Masa nodded. His elderly cousin knew him well. The man had taught him a great many things, and had been amongst his most steadfast supporters for the entirety of the revolution.

That came at a price. When one gave others a glimpse beyond the mask, the canny among them gained insights that prevented a mask from fully hiding things ever again.

Hotokaido was one such man. Masa didn't regret depending on his cousin as one of his few sources of stability, but sometimes it irritated him that the man could read him so easily.

"Not about Kanami-chan, presumably." Tadori said.

Masa smirked.

In an ideal world, Tadori would've become Kanami's jonin sensei. Kanami's sensory abilities made her a shoo in for being a hunter nin; combined with Tadori's summons and Suiton mastery, they would've quickly become a truly formidable duo.

Things were not ideal. Tadori could ill afford to take time to train anyone, given the demands Masa had to place upon his most reliable jonin. What time she'd eked out for Kanami had mostly come early in the revolution. Even Masa had barely any time to offer her personal tutoring, despite her needing lessons that no one else in the revolution could teach her.

While it sat like a bitter, burning pill in his stomach, Konoha's acceptance of his offer was a salve on his worries about his sister.

A time was perhaps approaching when Masa would be forced to commit even half-trained genin to attacks. Casualties would be horrendous, and they could ill afford losses of any kind.

This deal with Konoha alleviated that worry, and provided a potential relief valve at the same time.

"Of course not." Masa replied. "She is more than capable of taking care of herself. And Morinoshin, should it come down to it."

"Well if it's not my adorable student, then it certainly isn't the assets we gained." Tadori said. "Though I'll admit, I'm very glad they're on our side."

The three masked Konoha kunoichi weren't visible within the clearing of their camp. Their presence out in the woods would keep away any curious patrols or returning teams.

Their presence in Kiri, with the revolution, would hopefully offer Masa the assassination and ambush team that he'd lacked. The nin of the revolution were talented, possessing higher than average chakra reserves and better training than most of the nin the Yondaime Mizukage had access to.

A glaring weakness amongst their strengths was the lack of stealth and long distance speed. They had combat power; that much had been proven by their continuous existence, despite the vastly superior numbers and resources of the current regime. Masa, in his initial separation and recruiting, had collected some seventy percent of Kiri nin who specialized in assault or direct combat. They thrived when they could battle the enemy toe to toe.

They did not have teams well suited going after soft targets, at infiltrating and removing key obstacles, retreating with speed and secrecy the enemy couldn't match. Not against Kiri, which produced more sensors than the other four great hidden villages combined.

As Masa had learned the hard way, the Yondaime Mizukage did have access to such teams. She used them ruthlessly, and relentlessly.

"Not used to being surprised. I understand." Hotokaido chuckled. "It took me a great deal of time to grow used to that myself, when I first came here."

The three Konoha kunoichi were, hopefully, exactly what he needed. Tatami Isari, Namiashi Raika, and Shiranui Ginna were all known names. They all had entries in Kiri's bingo book. Shiranui Ginna was an elite jonin, and the other two were regular jonin with years of experience as the Yondaime Hokage's personal squad on the battlefield, and then her personal guard.

As a unit, they were speculated to be a viable threat to S Ranks. It had never been confirmed, due to the Yellow Flash being present during all known clashes with S Rank nin, but Masa wanted to believe the speculation.

He needed it to be true. Working without it was viable, but he had a dream target in mind for the three kunoichi. A target that would remove a constant, lurking threat to the revolution's operations. A target that, with some luck, would net the revolution at least one irreplaceable asset.

Something to be considered after they'd proven themselves and run enough missions to reduce the burden on Kiri nin.

Being good enough to sneak up on Tadori, an excellent sensor that Masa rated better than most in his forces, was an excellent point in their favor.

Then again, they are comrades of the Silver Vixen and the Flickering Blade. If anyone could teach them how to sneak up on Kiri sensors, it would be those two.

Masa chose not to reply to Tadori's query. He knew what his cousin and Tadori were doing.

"Perhaps the cute little genin down there?" Tadori said. "I barely kept my laughter in when Hotokaido mentioned stories about raiding parties of Inuzuka. That was wit I never would've considered."

Oh this history of my mother's Clan.

Hotokaido sighed. "Tadori-chan, those aren't made up. The Uzumaki really had to deal with that. The Shodai Hokage took a chunk of the initial policies for inter-village Chunin Exams from the rules we developed for war games between the Inuzuka and Uzumaki. They were an annual event during the last few decades of the Warring States Era. My eldest sister's mother was an Inuzuka who stayed with us for nearly twenty years."

Tadori snickered. "Really?"

"Uzumaki men tend come out bulkier and taller than most." Hotokaido said. "And Inuzuka women usually like men who have the strength to match them in bed. Given the strength disparity between the average kunoichi and average shinobi, well, there was a recipe for continued interest."

"I firmly believe in my cousin's ability to get the job done." Hotokaido said. "Even without his training in seduction."

"No, he's too busy applying that elsewhere." Tadori said, laughing. "Interesting tastes, though I approve of the power potential."

Masa rolled his eyes.

For decades, his mother had pressed him for potential matches. The last loyal Hoshigaki had been a frequent favorite in her lobbying. It was one of the few propositions from his mother that Masa had semi-considered; he got along with Tadori and wasn't worried about her plotting and scheming. Tadori had far better uses of her time, and little interest in political power.

It wasn't to be. As well as they got along, it was problematically their identical preference in the gender of their partners that made things impossible.

Masa didn't regret it. Tadori was a loyal subordinate, and an excellent friend. He had remarkably few of those amongst the kunoichi heavy revolution, where there was a great deal of sexually tense friendliness in his many interactions.

"Don't." Masa said humorously.

"One of these days, you and I are going to sit down and you'll walk me through how you manage to get such pretty kunoichi eating out of your hand so easily." Tadori snickered. "Especially the ones who are also adorable, like Brown-san."

Masa chose, once again, not to reply.

Cassidy was…different. In a great many ways. Most of which he appreciated, and even those that grated on him had their uses. Tadori poked at him relentlessly for the girl's infatuation with him, the way she'd cast poorly disguised looks of longing. The desire had clearly been escalating, with Masa needing to put in almost no effort. It had long been clear to anyone bothering to look that if he just said the word, she'd be his. In practically any way he desired. She might not phrase it as such, but Masa had been trained in spotting the signs in young, vulnerable women.

Cassidy was ripe for the plucking; it would only take a few words, at choice times, and then stretching out his hand. He had simply chosen not to do so.

Not yet.

He chose not to inform his friend of Cassidy's most recent habit, one developed on their two month long journey. It was certainly a step in the right direction for his long term plans for the Bound.

Thinking on the Bound always brought Masa to a crossroads in his thoughts, one he hadn't resolved yet. He chose to push his immediate concern into the open instead of dwelling on the rare indecision churning within him.

"Tadori, you truly sensed nothing off that shinobi accompanying the Silver Vixen?" Masa asked.

"Ah." Hotokaido said.

Tadori let out a grunt. "No. I thought that was a ploy to keep them wary of the boy. He truly troubles you?"

The many conversations Masa had held with his mother over the past two decades swirled in his head. "You don't know the Sandaime Hokage; nor do I, but my mother warned me about her. Believing the tyrant's propaganda about her would be a dangerous mistake. Sarutobi Hideno can play the subtlest of games when it suits her, and I think she's done so here. That boy, more than any other there, was a message. To us, presumably, though possibly to the Clans and families who were also sent. I don't know the message, and it bothers me."

"He was no jinchuriki." Tadori said. "I know that."

"That was meant to tickle their brains and keep them wary." Masa said.

"I don't think it's occurred to them to be wary of a jinchuriki that isn't the Mizukage." Tadori said. "The tyrant isn't really a jinchuriki in their minds, and Utako was one of the favorite watchers before she left."

Masa nodded in acknowledgement. Utako's departure had hurt. It was necessary, given her growing disgust with the hidden villages, Kiri in particular. More importantly, Masa had known that Yagura was hunting Utako in particular, even more than himself. Denying the tyrant the asset, and the target, had achieved a number of objectives for the revolution.

Despite her departure from both Kiri and the revolution, she hadn't entirely withdrawn her support of the cause. Their agents on the outermost islands received irregular updates over the last year, tidbits of information that could only come from someone who created a limited spy network.

"I think," Hotokaido said in the silence, "that I know her message."

Masa looked at his cousin expectantly.

"The boy was the only one who wasn't made aware of what was happening." Hotokaido said. "Nor was the language that Seong Akena used initially inclusive of him, in the shinobi available for Kanami to choose from."

"It wasn't exclusive either." Tadori pointed out.

"Why send a boy who has no idea of his role?" Hotokaido asked. "Cousin, you're right in that the boy makes little sense in regards to the exchange."

"But not the Konoha Clans?" Masa asked, curious where his cousin's logic might be leading.

"Them either." Hotokaido shrugged. "Unless there are politics in play that I'm not aware of. The Sarutobi Clan, despite the Sandaime Hokage, didn't send one of their own."

"The boy is not a Sarutobi." Tadori said, then frowned. "Unless you think he's an unacknowledged bastard?"

"Doubtful." Masa said. "The Sarutobi Clan in particular was shredded by the Kyubi's attack. They don't have the numbers not to acknowledge one of their own. Especially one receiving training from the Flickering Blade."

"The message is for me." Hotokaido said quietly. "Where, outside of Kiri, was most renowned for nin wielding chakra metal weapons?"

Masa cocked his head, several thoughts connecting. "His blade? Is it an old Uzumaki chakra metal weapon?"

"Didn't feel like your blades." Tadori said. "The ones you brought with you, or the ones you've been forging. It was different, but I didn't sense any sort of affinity from it."

Hotokaido smiled, looking tired. "I suspect that blade is one of the batch that the Flickering Blade's own sword came from."

"Ah." Masa frowned.

"That monstrosity?" Tadori scowled. "That thing felt like sorrowful carnage in blade form."

"It's the result of an old branch of Fuinjutsu, one I hadn't realized my uncle had passed on." Hotokaido said. "It lacks the capabilities of the Seven Swords of Kirigakure, but this is an offshoot of that same branch of Fuinjutsu. I've always wondered, given the description of the blade that your aunt gave me, cousin, but having seen it up close, it's very much what I suspected."

The picture came together for Masa.

"My instincts were right, for the wrong reason." Masa mused.

Tadori raised an eyebrow. "Care to come back for the kunoichi still confused about the angry blade?"

"There is only one person who could have created those blades." Hotokaido said. "Furthermore, there was only one person who could've bound it to the Flickering Blade."

"Bound it?" Tadori said. "Different than the Bound, I presume."

"Yes, bound in the sense that no one else can wield the blade." Hotokaido said. "It takes an Uzumaki to activate the Binding Seal, it's literally embedded into the forging process. If anyone other than the Flickering Blade tried to hold her weapon, they would regret it. Provided they survived."

"So the boy has an inactive version of the Flickering Blade's weapon." Tadori mused. "They wouldn't give that to just anyone."

"They couldn't." Masa said. "There are few, other than the Flickering Blade, who I suspect could pick it up. And now the boy."

"It's a sacrificial blade." Hotokaido said. "You cannot pick up the blade unless having met the conditions required by the Binding Seal: spilling blood, both their own and enemy, in defense of the creator or their direct blood kin, a permanent donation of chakra to the creator or their direct blood kin, and a lack of blood relation to creator or direct blood kin. The requirements for activating the seal are even more stringent."

Tadori's eyebrows hiked. "That's possible? A seal can detect all that?"

"It's a very old art, one created by the kunoichi who was amongst the first in the split between Senju and our Clan, back before even the Warring States Era." Hotokaido shook his head. "We can replicate it, but even my uncle couldn't make heads or tails of how it actually functioned, and he was the foremost Fuinjutsu expert produced by the Clan in the last four hundred years. In my father's day, there was still a custom amongst Uzumaki for the Clan to forge blades for those who had proven themselves worthy of alliance and more."

"It was also known as the red marriage blade." Hotokaido said. "Because once a nin possessed one, even inactive, it was almost inevitable that they'd end up married into the Clan. Activating it was frequently part of the resulting marriage ceremonies."

"Ah. Ahhh." Tadori said.

A grin formed on her face. "And you pointed your adorable little sister right at that, Masa-kun. Told her to seduce him if necessary."

"I did." Masa frowned. "I don't like being outmaneuvered."

"There were worse maneuverings that could've happened." Tadori was still grinning like a loon. "Besides, it's not like little Kanami-chan knows what that blade means."

Hotokaido snorted. "That never seemed to matter."


"There he is." Akena said as Ry rolled over. "Better?"

Ry groaned, sitting up. "Feels like someone scrubbed my insides with steel wool."

"Different than what Kazune or I experienced, but equally painful." Akena nodded.

Ry looked at the small fire she'd built. There was a hare slowly roasting over it, set up on a spit.

Akena had brought a log from somewhere, and she was perched upon it as she slowly turned the spit.

"You've done that before?" Ry asked.

"Yes." Akena said. "Like I said, it's been of limited use, but we've used it before."

"What was it?" Ry asked. "You said it wasn't a kekkei genkai."

"You remembered more than I thought." Akena said quietly. "It's not. It's closer to a rapid, forcible conversion of your body and chakra network, doing what most Clans have done with hundreds of years of careful breeding, except in a few minutes."

"What?" Ry frowned.

"Do you think, even if you learned the jutsu, that you'd ever be as effective at Kage jutsu as the Nara?" Akena asked. "Or mind walking as the Yamanaka?"

Ry blinked a few times. "No. Wait. You…you're saying we forcibly adapted my body to whatever you just did."

"Yes." Akena nodded. "It reworked your entire chakra network, making the usage of sword seals much more efficient."

"That's…wow." Ry said, rubbing his cheek. "I don't even know what those are, but that seems incredibly useful."

"Not as much as you think." Akena shook her head. "It's a process that's linked to the forging of these specific blades. Only people who can wield them can be affected. Which, as of right now, are very few people."

"And given who made the blades, we can't replicate the process." Ry said.

"No." Akena was staring into the flickering flames. "Narisa's mom was…well, she wasn't the end all be all of Fuinjutsu, but she had this way of seeing things that no one else ever did. She could always find the wiggle room in any seal, figure out how to make it perform in more ways than thought possible."

"The man who dropped off our two new Uzumaki could probably forge more blades, but the circle we used…maybe, if we let him study it." Akena said slowly. "But it wouldn't be a guarantee. Jiruya-sama has spent years looking at this, every time she's back in Konoha. She's barely made progress; for all that it's supposed to supposed to be a science, they always referred to it as more art."

"Could Narisa use it?" Ry asked. "You know, if there was a way around her furry passenger being an intruder."

"Easily." Akena said. "She'd likely have the easiest time of all of us. Her parents had equal hands in crafting the circle we used and the blades needed."

"I'd ask if there was a way around it, but your expression tells me otherwise." Ry said.

"Bringing her here has been a goal of Jiruya-sama and I for years." Akena said.

Ry nodded. "Alright. Then what did you just forcibly improve my affinity to?"

Akena smirked, straightening her posture. "The Sword Seals."

"I have no idea what those are." Ry said.

"My father wasn't from the Elemental Nations." Akena said. "He came from the South Seas. They don't have nin there; they have sword saints."

Ry blinked. "They use chakra?"

"Yes." Akena said. "And their seals are markedly different. They were designed to be used with a sword in hand. It's part of why our geom have longer hilts than is common."

"Sword saints aren't as…diverse, or powerful." Akena said. "It's rare to find one of chunin level, let alone jonin. Their jutsu, such as they are, are remarkably similar to the samurai in the Land of Iron."

"What that means is a lot of work for you." Akena said. "Sword seals can accomplish anything regular hand seals can, but they're rudimentary compared to our hand seals. I'm sure you felt that."

Ry nodded; while the chakra that had moved inside of him was oddly familiar, it was also much less precise. Hand seals pushed and prodded chakra in very specific ways; in contrast, the sword seals were much more general.

"A brush to paint with compared to throwing a bucket of paint." Akena said, nodding back to Ry. "You have the requisite chakra control, and your forced affinity for the seals will help, but it's a learning process. Not to mention that you'll need to experiment with the sword seals, find which combinations push your chakra in approximately the same manner as jutsu you already know."

"But when I have them, I can use the Sword Seals for jutsu without having to release my weapon." Ry said slowly. "Even jutsu I don't have mastered to the point of being seal-less."

Akena smirked. "Exactly. Seal-less jutsu are not in your near future. These can be."

"Why give me this?" Ry asked. "Besides the limited availability, why give me this affinity?"

"Because I'll never have another child." Akena said. "And my sister is utterly horrid with kenjutsu."

Another child? Akena has a-

Oh. Past tense.

"So I'm your…legacy." Ry said.

"Yes." Akena said. "And I expect you'll be the first to step up and fight with Narisa, if she ever needed your help. My…her parents were dear to me, and I will not have their daughter unprotected."

Dawn began peeking through the trees, but Akena showed no signs of moving.

"We'll begin incorporating them into your kenjutsu lessons." Akena said. "Starting simple. Sword Seals aren't meant for complex jutsu in the first place, but we'll keep them as simple as possible for the moment."

Her orange eyes caught a glimmer of dawn, making them glow softly to Ry. "You think your training is bad now."

Ry groaned. "Sensei…seriously?"

"You want to survive monsters." Akena said. "Kazune and I can push you. Harder than we have been."

"Am I still going to be able to function at the Academy?" Ry asked.

"We'll strike the right balance." Akena said. "But if you're going to carry on my legacy, you're going to carry it well."

"Hai, sensei." Ry said softly.

"Now." Akena pulled the spitted hare off the fire. "We need to go."

She tossed the stick and hare over the wall.

Ry cocked his head.

"I like to leave a treat for some of the nearby empowered animals when I come." Akena grinned. "They defend the area rather vigorously because of it."

"Huh." Ry's wariness ratcheted up a few notches.

"Time to go." Akena stood up. "We have to walk back through the arch, but after that we'll take the trees."


"How'd it go?" Kazune asked quietly.

Akena-senpai grunted.

Kazune didn't ask again.

When her sensei had died, it had shredded what little was left of Kazune's world.

Akena-senpai had lost something at least as precious that night.

Kazune had her suspicions. She'd never pried, wanting to respect her senpai's privacy. She understood grieving in private.

Nor was there a good way to ask about her suspicions.

The two of them were situated on the roof of Narisa's apartment complex. While they shouldn't be necessary, they were the best ones to station nearby for the first meeting of the wayward 'Uzumaki' with the genuine article.

"Ne, nii-san, why do we have to wait around outside?" Narisa was slumped over the corrugated fence that ran at chest height around the property's edge.

The blonde wore an expression of misery. She'd clearly been planning to sleep in during the one week recess of the Academy. Her adopted brother showing up not an hour after dawn had ruined those plans.

The cap she still wore was testament to how sleepy she still was. The ratty thing had been around since Kazune was an ANBU working shifts guarding Narisa's orphanage over a decade ago. She was undecided if it was an anonymous gift from Jiruya-sama or the Hokage. Either way, it was something Narisa took great pains to take care of.

"Because there are some people you'll want to meet." Shiranui said.

Kazune saw the lingering effects of the ritual that Akena-senpai had put him through. His posture wasn't quite as straight, and there was a tension to his shoulders. Kazune knew what the plan had been, and she knew the pain caused.

It was a testament to Shiranui's toughness that he was already in his feet. While Kazune had weathered it better, she'd also had A Rank reserves and over a decade of practice tolerating jutsu backlash under her belt when going through it. The two other jonin – who were only chunin at the time - that Akena had put through the same ordeal had been laid out for several days.

"They can't wait?" Narisa whined.

"They can, but you'll be mad at me if I made you wait." Shiranui said.

Kazune smirked under her mask.

"How were the sealing procedures?" Akena asked.

"Fine." Kazune said. "Evidently the rebel Seal Master's set up a similar procedure for all of their bases. As soon as I explained what we were doing, they didn't ask more questions."

"I suppose they aren't worried about our ability to track them." Akena murmured.

"Maa, no reason to." Kazune nodded. "They know the bargain they've made. And with a Seal Master of their own, if they ever leave, he could neutralize them within a few minutes of study."

The seals weren't meant to be difficult to remove. It was a standard practice, one used by each of the Great hidden villages to track visiting nin. None were to the standard of Konohagakure, but even the inferior copies were effective for their purposes. The average Fuinjutsu user could decipher and remove whatever cipher they were using in about seventy two hours. Kazune could do it in about twelve.

She'd personally witnessed Jiruya-sama locate, crack, and neutralize one such seal applied to her within two minutes. Most of the time spent came from painting the counter seal around the original.

Seal Masters meant they'd have to utilize alternate protocols. There were less than ten of such a level that Kazune was aware of, but each of them had a detailed, unique tactical and operational encounter and procedure guide in ANBU's playbook.

And in this case, Jiruya-sama will have to examine the four guests. Just to make sure there's no hidden surprises that will neutralize our own.

"No, I'd guess not." Akena agreed softly.

"The Mist Viper still dearly wants your head." Kazune noted.

"That is often a side effect of killing someone's mother and crippling their father." Akena said dryly. "The Wave Dancer?"

"Fine." Kazune said. "They're both elite jonin, with chakra reserves that push them to pseudo S Rank. I suspect Nara-san will put your cousin and Mitokado-san on cat and mouse with the Mist Viper. Should keep all three of them entertained."

"Hmm." Akena grinned. "Takane won't like that."

"Not many other options." Kazune shrugged. Though it is Nara-san. If anyone will think of something unorthodox, it'll be her."

"Aoba-kun or Kuro-kun?" Akena said. "Maybe a Yamanaka."

Kazune shrugged again. She was considered a genius, but it had been a long time since she'd let that descriptor go to her head. Nor would she make the mistake of comparing herself to a Nara. Trying to guess at the mind of Nara Shikara was a good way to pass time, even for her.

"The Hokage will want the genin in the Academy." Akena said as she turned her gaze slightly.

"Maa, that will be interesting." Kazune said. "They're sharper than most, if not all of the Clan Heirs and Heiresses. Bit of a rude awakening."

"Uchiha?" Akena asked, glancing over.

"I'd have to see them spar." Kazune shrugged. "But Uchiha-chan will need to dedicate serious efforts to her chakra reserves to match the kunoichi."

"The Clans won't like that." Akena said, frowning. "Suppose that's why she's doing it."

"Sensei said she always did prefer subtle lessons hidden behind blatant knives." Kazune agreed. "Maa, I doubt it will work exactly how she hopes, though."

"Mm." Akena hummed.

Below, the approach of two redheads was visible. They were being guided by one of Kazune's summons. The dog reverse summoned itself when they came around the corner, leaving the two 'Uzumaki' to make the final approach.

"They know we're here." Akena said, smiling.

Kazune grinned under her mask. Both the 'Uzumaki' were excellent sensors, without a doubt. Their physical tells were still a bit obvious, but that was fine.

If they became true Konohagakure nin, they'd make sure to get rid of the weaknesses that relying on sensory abilities tended to impart.

If not, overconfident enemies were often easier to dispatch.

'That's…jinchuriki.' Kazune lip read the shinobi's words. 'Our cousin is the jinchuriki.'

'Doesn't change anything.' The kunoichi replied. 'She's still our family here.'

Despite her quiet words, the two approaching 'Uzumaki' were noticeably stiff.

Kazune waved off to her right without looking away. The slight scuff of a shoe scraping ceramic roof shingles reached her ear a moment later.

"Kyubi jinchuriki." The Wave Dancer said, his voice admirably neutral.

"Correct." Kazune said.

"Makes for cold logic." The Mist Viper said from Akena's other side.

"That's one way to view it." Akena replied. "Presumably it won't be an issue?"

"You would know better than most our lack of prejudice against jinchuriki." The Mist Viper said, her voice laced with venomous fury.

"I suppose I would." Akena agreed. "Your nephew and niece, though?"

"She's not the tyrant. They won't care." The Wave Dancer said. "Odd living arrangements for such an asset."

"Konoha has its uniqueness." Kazune said affably. "Surely it can't be much worse than where you all have been holing up for a few years now."

The four nin fell silent as the two 'Uzumaki' made it to the corrugated fence.


"Hello again, Shiranui-san." Kanami said, bowing her head slightly.

"Hello." Ry replied. "Narisa, these were the people who wanted to meet you. This is Uzumaki Kanami and Uzumaki Morinoshin."

Ry watched as Narisa nodded sleepily. "Yo. Uzumaki Narisa. Nii-san, what ssoooo…"

Narisa's sleepy expression faded away as her blue eyes widened. Her brows abruptly narrowed, glancing back and forth between Ry and the two Uzumaki.

"What were your names?" Narisa asked, her voice sharp.

"Uzumaki Kanami." Kanami said, bowing her head slightly again. "And this is my cousin, Uzumaki Morinoshin. I believe we're somewhat related."

Narisa's stillness was so complete that it was unnatural.

When she moved, it was with stilted motion as she grabbed for the fence's gate. She fumbled with it a few times, the blonde refusing to take her eyes off the Uzumaki. Ry gently nudged her hands, opening the gate and then getting out of the way.

Narisa walked around, stopping a few feet from the two redheads. "You're…Uzumaki?"

"I believe we're cousins." Kanami said. "I'm not entirely sure. We didn't know you existed until yesterday."

"They're family?" Narisa asked, turning to look at Ry.

Ry felt his heart tremble as he saw the beginnings of tears in Narisa's eyes. "Yup."

"They're….my family?" Narisa asked, her voice tight.

"Y-"

Narisa lunged forward, grabbing both Uzumaki in a combined bear hug. The two redheads let out grunts of surprise as she squeezed them together, their arms pinned.

Ry couldn't make out her mumbling, but he saw Kanami's polite mask soften to something almost guilty and piteous before she wiggled an arm free to wrap around Narisa's back.

Morinoshin wiggled his way out of the hug, which left Kanami as the sole recipient of Narisa's hug. Ry saw her face turn slightly red. He couldn't help wincing in sympathy; Narisa's serious hugs were no joke.

The red headed shinobi sidled around the fence, coming stand next to Ry. They stood in silence for a minute, as Narisa clung to Kanami so tightly the other kunoichi looked like she was in pain.

"Why is it that the hottest ones are always related to me?" Morinoshin muttered.

Ry turned to the shinobi with a look of disbelief. "What?"

"Don't worry about it." Morinoshin grinned.

Ry found himself instinctively disliking the look.

"So, I know you're not interested in the Clan kunoichi, but you have any details on which ones of them like to get freaky?" Morinoshin asked.

Ry's eyes cut to Narisa and then back to the Uzumaki in front of him. "No."

Morinoshin tsked. "Come on, man, surely you know something. Big and bulky guy like you doesn't get much action, so you have to know the easy kunoichi. Or even the hot little civvies."

Once again, Ry's eyes cut over to where Narisa and Kanami were standing.

"You're asking the wrong guy." Ry said slowly. "And I recommend you stop asking."

"Man, I'm here to make babies." Morinoshin smirked. "Might as well do it with some cuties!"

Ry took a large step back, shaking his head. "Again, I'd stop asking."

"Nah, you go the Konoha Academy. Do you know how much the fourth year swimsuit calendar sells for outside of Hi No Kuni? I've been dreaming of getting my hands on-"

"Ambush Pillars!"

"Pillar of Pain!"

Ry's large step gave him the distance needed to avoid the series of pillars erupting out of the ground, slamming into the red headed shinobi.

Of note were the smaller pillars knocking Morinoshin's legs askew before one the size of a fence post shot straight up, unimpeded in its path to the shinobi's crotch.

Damn.

Morinoshin let out a whimper as he was lifted into the air. The shinobi's arms shot downwards as his feet kicked for a brief moment. Then he crumpled, falling face down into one of the angled pillars.

Ry let out a whistle of sympathy. Looking over, he saw both Kanami and Narisa with identical expressions of fury on their face. Both of them had their hands pressed to the sidewalk, glaring at where the shinobi was quivering on the ground.

Surprise followed a moment later, as they glanced at each other.

Ha.

They did that without consulting each other.

"Pervy-baka." Narisa growled, straightening up. "That's my cousin?"

"Unfortunately." Kanami said as she stood. "He's incorrigible."

"Mmphh." Narisa huffed, then glanced at Ry.

"Means she's tried fixing him for a while and he hasn't changed." Ry replied to her silent query.

Narisa's vocab had vastly improved over the past few months, but he didn't blame her for her struggle with ten dollar words. Those came with a lot more exposure to literature than Narisa cared for.

Ry knew better than to try and force his imouto to read for fun.

Though he greatly enjoyed the fact that she had a stash of special books she clearly wanted no one to know she had. Ry had no plans to enlighten her that he'd stumbled across them either.

"Maybe I can help." Narisa cracked her knuckles. "I'm pretty good at teaching, ask nii-san."

"For a given definition of teach and a large pain tolerance, sure." Ry agreed with a grin.

"I think we're going to get along just fine, itoko." Kanami said. "That's how I like teaching the pervert too."

Narisa's smile was incandescent. "Mmmhmm, itoko."

Ry stepped over, crouching down next to Morinoshin.

"If you're going to be that forward, try the Hyuga." Ry said.

Morinoshin moaned in what might've been acknowledgment or another wave of pain.

Kanami was frowning when he stood up, but Narisa had her hands over her mouth in a barely repressed snicker.


"Maaa, Shiranui-kun is vicious." Kazune said.

Akena shook her head. "Presumably the boy isn't that dumb."

The Wave Dancer let out a long-suffering sigh. "If only…"

"Did Kazune-sensei teach you that jutsu?" Shiranui asked down from below.

"Mmmhmm." Narisa nodded, sleeping cap bouncing around. "She said it's the first in her line of endless torment jutsu, the one reserved for the bakas and temes of the world."

Akena glanced over at Kazune. "You don't plan on teaching her that jutsu, do you?"

"She's too innocent for the Thousand Years of Death." Kazune said dismissively.

Holding back her giggle while Akena gave her a flat look was a struggle, but Kazune managed.

"At least the kunoichi has some sense to her." The Mist Viper said. "Odd for an Uzumaki to have any skill with Doton, though."

"Ne, itoko, let's go get morning ramen!" Narisa said. "You'll get your first bowl free!"

"Morning ramen?" The redheaded kunoichi sounded confused.

Narisa gasped. "You haven't had morning ramen? We have to fix that! Ichiraku-baa-san makes the best morning ramen!"

"Narisa." Shiranui's tone was amused.

Narisa turned, clearly irritated. "What?"

"You're still in your pajamas." Shiranui said, gesturing to her head.

"…oh." Narisa reached up, pulling the sleeping cap off her head. "Let me go change real quick itoko. Stay right there!"

"The Hokage was curious if you wanted living quarters near her or not." Akena asked as Narisa dashed back up the stairs.

"Unlikely." The Mist Viper replied.

Kazune hadn't expected otherwise. The two jonin living too close to Narisa would cause a security concentration they were likely unwilling to put up with. They'd already have to deal with ANBU tracking them across the village.

"Think on it." Akena said. "The quarters you're currently residing in are available for the next several months."

"Come on!" Narisa came racing down the stairs, still pulling on her customary jacket. "Get up pervy-baka, even dumb perverts need to know the glory of morning ramen!"

The red headed shinobi had flipped over on his back. "Just…leave me here to die."

"He'll whine for hours if you let him." The other red headed 'Uzumaki' advised. "I'll try morning ramen though."

"Awesome!" Narisa crowed. "Nii-san?"

"Why not?" Shiranui shrugged. "And I'm not paying for yours."

"Meanie." Narisa said, though she was still smiling brightly. "Come on itoko, Ichiraku's waits for no one!"

The two 'Uzumaki' jonin departed after the three students rounded the corner.

"Come on." Akena said. "The Hokage wanted us in for a debrief after watching them."

"What do you think?" Kazune asked.

"About?" Akena asked as they dropped down to the street.

"Those two." Kazune said.

"Ah." Akena smirked. "If the personalities play the way I expect, I can see why the Hokage wants them on the same team. Not sure who she'll want the shinobi teamed with."

"Kunoichi willing to beat their teammate." Kazune said. "Maa, think Ibuki wants a genin team?"

Akena let out a bark of laughter. "I would pay to watch that. Isn't she training the little Yuhi?"

"Both of them, now." Kazune nodded.

There were a few moments of silence as Akena shook her head. "Yeah, I think that'd be a perfect team for the kid. Too bad they need his balls and dick intact."

"Maybe we could bring Tsunenobu-sama back." Kazune shrugged. "He has enough experience beating perverts."

Akena's smile dimmed, but didn't drop entirely. "Right. Jiruya-sama. Just have to make sure to keep those two separated."

"Considering Narisa?" Kazune glanced at her senpai. "I don't think that's likely."

"Senpai, sensei." Yuhi Kuro said, waving to the pair as they walked.

"Kuro-kun." Akena said as they approached. "You're off duty?"

"Hokage-sama gave me some time off, to watch Wako's graduation." Kuro said. "And help her adjust to her first few days working at T&I."

"Congratulations." Akena said. "We had a mission yesterday, but we saw some of it."

Kazune saw her kohai's red eyes flash with curiosity. The black haired shinobi squished it immediately. Kazune had known Kuro since the waning days of the Third Nin War. The shinobi had his weaknesses, but Kazune would never worry about him not following compartmentalization and classification protocol. He adhered to those rules with a fastidiousness Kazune seldom saw.

She assumed some of it had to do with his adoptive brother. For all Aoba-kun's eccentricities, the man was a zealot when it came to keeping secrets secret.

Maa, and far too much of that is likely from the trauma of his sensei.

"Thank you." Kuro said. "She should've graduated last year, would have had she and Emika not had their incident."

Kazune nodded; she remembered the minor fracas that had erupted from the skirmish between four Academy students. Wako had been injured, both physically and in her chakra network, setting her graduation date back a year while she recovered.

The two Hyuga had technically gotten off with slaps on the wrist.

Kazune was fairly certain they were the motivation behind the case of food poisoning that had ripped through the entire Hyuga compound less than two months later. Much like her older brother, Yuhi Emika neither forgot nor forgave.

"I think she's started scheduling sparring practices with Shiranui-san." Kuro said.

"That should be entertaining." Akena smirked. "Is Emika-chan included?"

"I have no idea." Kuro shrugged. "I actually had a related question, however. Is Shiranui training against Hyuga Hizashi with your permission?"

Akena blinked, glancing over at Kazune.

"They were sparring daily for a couple of weeks, but they've cut back to twice a week." Kazune said. "Hyuga-san comes by our taijutsu training once a week, and they have bouts on the Academy's off day every week."

"That makes sense." Akena murmured. "Are you still considering a mentorship?"

Kuro nodded. "I know my promotion to jonin is likely within the next few years. I want to show the Hokage I'm worthy of a genin team immediately. With Hyuga-san's situation and reputation within the Hyuga…there is not better method I see to prove myself."

"Your sensei would be proud." Akena said.

Kuro nodded. Kazune could sympathize. Her sensei's death had been far more heroic, but she understood the pain lancing through Kuro at the moment.

"A Hyuga learning from a genjutsu specialist." Kazune said. "Maa, that's a scary combination."

Kuro cracked a smile. "With their chakra control, an exciting one. But he needs a worthwhile opponent to practice against, both in taijutsu and using genjutsu. I watched one of Hyuga-san's sparring matches against Shiranui-san. He is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in their class when it comes to defending against the Gentle Fist."

"He doesn't like having easily exploitable weaknesses." Kazune said.

Akena hummed. "I believe that your old teammate, Yamanaka Naori, is going to formally request to become a mentor to Shiranui-kun in genjutsu. I plan on giving the Hokage my approval, if she asks. Considering her specialty, if she does apply, I suggest coordinating."

Kuro winced, then nodded. Kazune held back a snicker. Yamanaka Naori was a handful growing up, and Kazune knew that she and Kuro hadn't always gotten along. The two of them trying to coordinate training for two students would be entertaining.

Maa, especially if Yamanaka still has her obsession with Aoba-kun.

"I would love your thoughts on how to appeal to Hyuga Hiruka, if you wouldn't mind critiquing." Kuro said. "Both of you."

"Let us know." Akena said.

"You have him training with a Hyuga?" Akena asked after Kuro walked away.

"He came to me." Kazune said. "Said he wanted to train against chakra injections and opponents without a blind spot."

Akena frowned, opening her mouth and then closing it.

"Hmm?" Kazune hummed.

"I'll explain later." Akena said. "We should hurry. Our debrief is in five minutes."

Three minutes later, they were standing in the waiting room outside the Hokage's office.

Watching the Utatane, Fujimori, and Mitokado family heads walk out, Kazune saw the frustration on their faces. None of them did more than give Akena and Kazune fractional nods, nor did they acknowledge each other.

No doubt they want first shot at the 'Uzumaki.' Or are angry they couldn't send any of theirs back out.

Though it's never a good sign when both the Genin Commander and Chunin Commander storm out of the Hokage's office angrily.

As if knowing she'd complete the trio, the Jonin Commander walked out a moment later. She had an unlit cigarette spinning between her fingers, stopping in front of Akena and Kazune.

"I know it'll be in the report, but gut instinct." Nara Shikara said, her voice low.

"It'd be close, either way." Akena said.

Kazune shrugged.

Elaboration wasn't needed. There was only thing Nara Shikara wanted their gut instincts about that had happened since she'd last seen either of them.

"Well, I suppose that's comforting." The Jonin Commander sighed, scratching her face. "More chance of long term success. Nice touch with the blades, by the way. It went over the Clans' heads, but I imagine that threw our contacts for a loop."

"That wasn't a ploy." Akena said.

"I know." The Nara smirked. "That's why it was even more effective as a ploy."

"I hate dealing with her." Akena muttered after the Jonin Commander had departed.

"Meh." Kazune said.

"You just like having someone else who you can offload the duty of thinking onto, so you can read those damned books." Akena said as they entered the Hokage's office. "Hokage-sama."

"Hokage-sama." Kazune echoed, grinning.

The Hokage had a coy smile on her own face as the door swung shut behind them. Characters began dancing along the walls, then another set floated through the air. The characters glowed blue, then white, then turned pitch black as they revolved faster and faster.

"Damned books?" The Hokage sounded amused. "Jiruya would be devastated to hear that from you, Akena-chan."

"She can deal with being devastated." Akena grumbled, shaking her head.

"Very well." The Hokage said. "Let's walk through the mission."

Two hours later, the Hokage let out a sigh as she puffed on her pipe. The characters swirling in the background had long since faded from Kazune's conscious perceptions, though she was still cataloging them as they moved in and out of her peripherals.

"Good." The Hokage said. "Kazune, I'm reading Elite Jonin Seong Akena into Red Wax Seal Scroll E15-439."

Kazune straightened, as did Akena beside her. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

A few minutes later, Akena slowly lowered the scroll the Hokage had handed her. "But I thought…"

The Hokage tapped the side of her nose, smiling. "That's the point, Akena-chan."

"I never would've seen that coming." Akena looked over at Kazune. "I assume this happened while I was on mission in Iwa."

Kazune nodded.

"Why read me in?" Akena asked, frowning. "I'd understand if he had a kekkei genkai I could help him train, but as of right now, me knowing only increases the risks."

"Kazune." The Hokage said.

Kazune stepped up, running through thirty six hand seals in rapid succession. She finished and pushed her chakra into the scroll Akena still held. Her senpai frowned, then looked at the scroll again.

"Ah." Akena said. "That…that makes more sense."

"I thought it might." The Hokage said. "Hand the scroll to me."

The Hokage's own series of hand seals went by so fast that Kazune would've needed her Sharingan to track them. Then she handed the scroll back to the blue haired kunoichi another time.

Kazune was no sensor, but she felt the throb of the weapon on Akena's back. Her eyebrow shot up, even as the Hokage paused in taking a puff from her pipe.

"It's not confirmed." The Hokage said. "A second reference means that his existence is likely, but his identity remains unknown."

"Still." Akena's voice shook. "Hokage-sama."

"When Jiruya has any, more definite information on this orange masked man that Subject Two has mentioned, you may be part of the team to pursue." The Hokage said. "But until then, you have a legacy to pass on."

"And my daughter's murderer is still out there." Akena growled.

"So train someone to kill him, for if you fail." The Hokage said. "If anyone can train someone to kill a teleporter, it'd be you."

Akena went still. Kazune's hand was halfway up to her mask before her senpai let out a laugh. It wasn't a pleasant sound.

"Monsters indeed." Akena said, her smile humorless. "You may regret what you're letting me create, old woman."

The Hokage tapped her pipe for a moment. "A shinobi capable of matching what our jinchuriki will be capable of in the future. Anything else is a bonus. Reading in over."

The scroll in Akena's hands burst into flames. She stared at it while it crumbled, only dropping it as the fire came close to kissing her fingers.

"Fine." Akena said. "Fine."

"Kazune, stay." The Hokage said as the Fuinjutsu dropped.

Kazune gave Akena a nod as she stalked out. She didn't envy whichever groundskeeper was responsible for Training Ground Nineteen.

"You seemed surprised." The Hokage said once the Fuinjutsu was up and running again.

"That wasn't the scroll I thought you'd be reading her in on." Kazune said after a moment.

"She deserves to know." The Sandaime said. "She is no Uchiha, but she leans into vengeance much like they do."

Kazune couldn't blame her senpai. She didn't know how she'd react to the loss of a precious child. Losing her teammates and sensei had broken her enough already.

"If we get any information…" Kazune trailed off.

"You'll accompany her, as will Gaya." The Hokage said. "This man will likely be accompanied by Uchiha Itsuki, after all."

Kazune nodded firmly. As much as it galled her, she knew better than to throw herself at a foe like that, without backup. Being willing to sacrifice for her comrades and village was very different from committing suicide via S Rank missing nin.

"In the meantime, how goes work with Shiranui-kun?" The Hokage asked. "Our jinchuriki's closest companion?"

Kazune took the dismissal of the subject for what it was. "He is progressing rapidly, Hokage-sama. His taijutsu will never be prodigal, but much like Aoba-kun, or perhaps a better comparison is Akena-senpai, it will never be a weakness. Kenjutsu would be better coming from Akena-senpai, but his talent remains clear. I don't know that anyone except maybe Shie-chan took to her style so well. The rest of his bukijutsu is weaker, but solid, on par with his taijutsu. He's dangerous with a kunai because he treats it like a very short and throwable sword, rather than a knife."

The Hokage snorted. "Semantics, but philosophically important."

"Hai." Kazune nodded. "His ninjutsu is moving as quickly as he allows it. He-"

"As he allows it?" The Hokage interrupted.

"He seeks mastery of each jutsu, Hokage-sama." Kazune said. "He learns the proper seals for each new jutsu I instruct him in, but he still goes back to practicing the basic elemental bullet jutsu, except in Suiton and Doton, when on his own."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "Mastery as in reducing seals?"

"Two handed and one handed both." Kazune confirmed.

"So he does have the knack for one handed seals." The Hokage nodded, biting down on her pipe stem. "I presume you haven't told him how unusual that is."

"No, as per your instructions." Kazune said. "We have instructed him to keep it as secret as possible, to avoid demonstrating too much progress. He's never fought us on that."

"He used one handed seals to perform iryo ninjutsu in a practical exercise the Yamanaka conscripted him into a month back." The Hokage said. "Yamanaka Inari was very interested."

Kazune absorbed that information silently.

"Once I confirmed that he was studying under yourself and Matara Hirana, she seemed satisfied." The Hokage said. "Continue."

"In Suiton and Doton, he appears to be experimenting with the effects of moving chakra through the elements." Kazune said. "That, or he's working on increasing the number, speed, and density of his elemental bullet jutsu in both of his affinities. He appears to be having Narisa do something similar, using Kage Bunshin. He is also working to master Mizu Bunshin and Iwa Bunshin."

The Hokage smiled slowly. "I had wondered. Did he ask you about Kage Bunshin?"

"He asked if the memory transfer he's been using to study anatomy while in the Academy every day would work for jutsu." Kazune confirmed. "The very next off day, he took Narisa out to train, using extensive amounts of Kage Bunshin."

Her sensei's daughter was shaping up to be something terrifying, if she stuck to the training that Shiranui-kun was imposing on her. Kazune had been observing, watching for what worked for the Uzumaki and what didn't. She knew that when the time came, the vast majority of her attention would end up focused on the Uchiha. As a necessity, and for what she owed her fallen teammate, to train the last loyal survivor of her Clan.

Kazune would be the first to admit that teaching those who weren't prodigal or intuitive wasn't her strong suit. Shiranui progressed in taijutsu almost in spite of her instruction; Kazune had realized almost immediately that her explanations went over his head. If it wasn't for his stubbornness and a work ethic close to matching Gaya's, Kazune couldn't have imagined him continuing.

The Uchiha, she could teach, and know that the effort would be rewarded. Narisa would almost certainly chafe under her instruction, and unlike Shiranui, she wouldn't learn from an endless series of beatdowns.

It was the kind of knowledge that made Kazune doubt the composition of her future genin team. The last thing she wanted to do was stunt her sensei's daughter, just because she wasn't the best teacher for her.

"Genjutsu remains his weakest point." Kazune said, pulling her attention back into the moment. "His control indicates that he would be excellent with them, but some spark is lacking. My genjutsu are almost entirely incompatible, so I'm not certain what will help. I know that Yamanaka Naori has submitted a request to formally mentor him in genjutsu. Neither Akena nor I will be opposed to that."

"Forgive an old woman's memory, but she specializes in sensation genjutsu, correct?" The Hokage asked.

Kazune nodded. She didn't bother calling out the Sandaime, whose memory was as sharp as it had been more than a century ago.

"Mmm." The Hokage nodded. "Continue."

"Iryo ninjutsu is best described by Hirana-san, but my conclusion is that he's gained enough experience that I would equate him with any genin specializing in iryo. Better, due to his chakra control, but he lacks the variety of Mystical Palm jutsu to do more than triage nin outside of himself." Kazune said. "Any further assessment I am unqualified to give."

"Rank him." The Hokage said.

"If he was looking to kill, I'd expect most of his class to stand little chance." Kazune said. "The geniuses and prodigies would likely win, but he would make them pay for it. Especially the Hyuga kunoichi. Shiranui-san has been extremely focused on improving his ability to use all his tenketsu, not just his hands and feet."

"Yes, I heard about that." The Hokage nodded. "Hiruka-san was rather irritated."

Maa, well one of them was presumably supposed to meet and thrash the Last Uchiha. There'll never be a better chance to establish their Clan as the dominant dojutsu in the eyes of the next generation. Shiranui and then Yuhi-chan spoiled that quite thoroughly.

"As is, he's been holding back." Kazune continued. "I expect that he'd still earn Shinobi of the Year by the end, without a dramatic shift in talent from one of the other shinobi in training. The closest to him would be Kadowa Junji, and the boy's made little substantial progress since I've been observing and receiving instructor reports. He'll still earn the front runner position soon, even holding back."

"I thought so." The Hokage tapped a folder. "Iroha's and Mizuri's assessments of the third year class."

"You'll need to instruct him to hold back even more." The Hokage said. "And when he asks why, give him two reasons. One, I need another Shinobi of the Year, because of politics. And two, given his dislike of 'Clan marriage bullshit,' warn him that the Shinobi of the Year will almost certainly be forced into courting and likely marrying Uchiha Saneko."

Kazune couldn't help smirking. "Maa, I think the second one will carry more weight. He seems convinced he won't end up on a team with Narisa anyways."

"Does he now?" The Hokage mused. "Perhaps he's a little more aware than we thought. Let him know that those are orders, from the Hokage. Orders he's not to talk about. We will forge his standings if we have to."

And blame bias against Narisa extending out to him, if anyone were to ask. It's not as if any of the instructors will gainsay it; few enough like him as is given his situation with Narisa, other than Iroha, and she'll follow orders.

"Akena-senpai said you were planning to put him on a team with the 'Uzumaki' kunoichi." Kazune said.

The Hokage grinned. "I am. Call it an old woman's intuition. Their jonin sensei will have quite the team to teach, depending on whom will slot best into the third spot."

Kazune raised an eyebrow. "Are you recalling your daughter from the capital, Hokage-sama?"

"Not for them." The Hokage said, waving her pipe. "You're dismissed, Kazune-chan."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kazune nodded, spinning and departing as the Fuinjutsu characters faded away.

Her feet started guiding her towards the older Training Grounds. Her senpai would need someone to talk to, once she was done venting her anger.

Kazune knew better to dwell on that topic. Instead, she contemplated the likelihood of Asuna returning. Last time she'd been to the capital, her fellow kunoichi and friend had been rather adamant at thumbing her nose at her mother. That had included at least preliminary planning for seducing the Daimyo's son.

The married one.

Kazune didn't think her friend would need to try too hard. Not only was she a kunoichi, and one of the Daimyo's personal guard of jonin, Asuna had a pair of assets that defied logic.

And gravity.

Maa, it'd be good to have her back. I'll need another sensei to commiserate with, and Gaya doesn't know how to complain.

Which team is the Hokage planning to put her with, then? And who does she have lined up for Shiranui-kun?


Whew, sorry this came in late. Long story short, I've had this in position for a final editing pass for nearly two weeks, but real life held up a consecutive series of middle fingers. It's here now, and hope you enjoyed.

AN is pretty short this time. Kinda like the chapter, which turned out shorter than I wanted. The next section isn't quite ready yet, or it would've been tacked on here. Still, the chapter was long enough, and we get some fun questions to resolve.

The big, fun part of this chapter, that's been sitting in my head since about six months ago, was Akena's sword. I won't spoil what it does, nor what's required to activate it, but hopefully my hints give indications. I didn't want to replace the Seven Swords, because those things are awesome, but considering those blades are basically Fuinjutsu genius on display times seven, I thought the Uzumaki probably had something a little more standard that wasn't quite as awesome. The term sacrificial blade is not a misnomer. Wielding these things come with a cost, one that has to be paid upfront. Ry's paid for the inactive form already, even if completely unintentionally. That cost is nothing compared to the cost for activating it.

Other than that...well, I'm doing my best to avoid power creep. And the P thing is coming...soonish. I'm in the middle of transitioning day jobs, for something that pays much better than what I'm currently doing, but it's consuming my life at the moment. When I get into a rhythm, I'm going to seriously tackle that.

If you're not interested in reading me addressing the reviews I get, you can ignore everything below the line. Thanks again for reading, have a great month of may, and call your mom! Mother's Day is coming up soon.


Thanks for the additional reviews! I love knowing people reading this story care enough to say something, good, bad, or ugly. Always, ALWAYS appreciated.

Onto the critiques! Even more appreciated! I already went back and fixed the section separation. I think. I've tried to fix those damned things like three times already, so hopefully they stuck this time.

To address the thoughts about the action scene...yeah, ouch. I went back and re-read that chapter and winced more than a few times. That's something that will be getting an editing pass when I get to cleaning things up, because there are some key descriptors my brain definitely mentally added in, without the corresponding text. Including the bit where I should've probably made the ANBU gank a bit more explicit in reasoning. Also, I'm dying laughing at the tentacled blob descriptors, because they really do read like that, and now I'm picturing angry amoebas flailing. I'm not saying there's an angry amoeba yokai omake that's been spawned by this review, but the possibility exists in the future.

As for the bit about a long journey for a cheap power up, that's understandable. I don't blame you about thinking that, it can easily come across that way. The power up was mostly incidental - I did plan for it, but in a 'duh this makes sense that a hyper loyal, near death ROOT operative would give the village jinchuriki a power up the operative themselves can no longer use' kind of way - but the primary purpose of Saber's two POVs aren't about the powerup, nor even really about Saber directly. She's meant to be a look into the mindset of ROOT and the differences in the way they operated from canon.

The disorienting POV changes...totally fair. I'll confess, I'm easily squirreled - and if anyone reading this doesn't know what that means, go watch UP, which will make you cry in the first ten minutes, and anyone who says otherwise is a dirty rotten liar - and the POVs are somewhat a result of that. They're also one of my ways of trying to world build and exposit without just info dumping incessantly, because I'm an exposition addict. I could talk about things for chapters, because the worlds characters live in fascinate me, and demand to be explored in excruciating detail. But I know that's not fun for most people to read, so I try to drip feed that info as best I can, where relevant.

(I'll be honest, I wrote a ludicrously long response about POVs that have been cut, or halfway plotted out before I realized how bad of an idea they were. Or just the story bible that I have that seems to grow at a ridiculous rate. I got rid of the rant, because it's basically me venting about how my brain sometimes refuses to let go of an idea, even when I know it's terrible, and that's not something you guys need to read. Long response cut very short, the POVs are the excess boiling over, in a way that's hopefully more constructive and entertaining, because this one thing needs to be in the story, and damn the cohesiveness. If you'd like an example of things that are laying on the cutting floor, one time my brain decided that the Mist rebellion could use an analogue to Rogue One, and thus Operation Final Fish was born.)

I'll keep the motivations in mind, that is something I definitely need to work on. I have the damndest time remembering that other people don't live inside these characters heads the way I do, so what I think is glaringly obvious is sometimes completely opaque from an outside perspective. Especially for the POVs that haven't been seen before, with little to no characterization to give the reader the proper feel for how the character thinks and acts.