WAVES: DAY 7
Hatake Kakashi took stock of his body and surroundings as soon as consciousness was within his grasp. His limbs felt heavy and sore. He was laying on the floor in a futon. He took a deep breath in. His bedding had unfamiliar smells, but the room was overlaid with scents he had come to known well in the last month. Ozone and crackling wood. Rich spices and delicate vanilla. Crisp mint and summer breeze. His genin. This must be Tazuna's house.
He opened his eye. The light coming through the window spoke of early morning. Soft steps came towards him.
"Kakashi-sensei?" a voice called softly.
"Hikari. Report."
"You were asleep for two nights, one day. You're the only one seriously injured," she was quick to reassure him. "From the top: the hunter-nin took Zabuza. You collapsed. After checking it wasn't from an injury, we came to Tazuna's. We thought you were suffering from chakra exhaustion." A small questioning note entered her voice.
"I used the Sharingan too much."
She released a breath. "Good, we couldn't think of anything else. We bandaged your hands and let you rest," He flexed his palms. They'd bandaged them well, and put clean gloves on top of them. Thoughtful, he thought with fondness. "That night, we set watch and made sure the family stayed inside. Yesterday, Naruto-san and Sasuke-san set up a perimeter of traps. We have enough food for today and maybe tomorrow, but then we'll need to go into town."
He blinked. He hadn't expected them to remain alert once they made it to their client's.
"Would you like some water, sensei? We set one-man shifts. This is mine, so everyone else is still asleep."
He nodded. Arms wound around his shoulders and hefted him up with care. He winced and blinked. At the other side of the room, his two other students laid, sleeping. The kids must have set camp around him. A bandaged hand entered his vision, offering a half-filled glass. His gaze sharpened.
"Hikari, your hands?"
"Scraped them. No lasting damage. Sasuke-san sterilized the tears. He and Naruto-san are fine, nothing worse than bruises." She waited, looking out the window, until he handed back the glass. "What about you, Kakashi-sensei?"
"I've been better." He eye-smiled. "It will be a week before I can move as usual."
Hikari nodded. A small hand settled on his shoulder. She crouched and leaned against him, barely putting her weight on him. "We were worried." Her voice was soft and a little scared. He closed his eye and swallowed down a wave of guilt. He'd wanted to get them to Tazuna's before collapsing as a small way of closing the day. He had wanted to get them settled after their first real battle against a much stronger opponent. Kakashi put a hand her back. "It's fine. Nothing I haven't been through before." He rubbed gently up and down.
She pulled away after a long moment. "Can we wake the rest of the team? They'll be glad to see you up." Her voice was back to normal.
"Alright, Hikari. You did well."
She gave him a smile, the first one since he'd woken up, and went to wake her teammates. They came awake quicker than he expected.
"Look! Sensei is back!" Naruto exclaimed, bright grin adorning his face.
"Hn. Good."
A warm feeling settled in his chest as the three of them settled around him.
The door opened and in came Tazuna and a blue-haired woman. They must have heard Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei, this is Tsunami-san. She was nice enough to let us take the room and afford us a little bit of privacy," Hikari made the introductions. Kakashi nodded to the woman, who seemed uncomfortable at his genin's unspoken rebuke. They could have at least knocked.
"We are glad you're finally awake," Tsunami offered.
"Well, he beat one of the most powerful ninjas. Of course he needed rest. I think we'll be safe for some time." Tazuna turned to his genin and complained. "I don't get why you kids want so many traps and won't let us out."
Hikari looked at him instead of Tazuna. "We don't like the hunting nin. Naruto-san doesn't like his strength, Sasuke-san doesn't like his weapon of choice, and I don't like his timing."
"Kakashi-sensei, what do hunting nins do?" Naruto asked.
"A shinobi's body carries many secrets, specific to their village. They can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. For example, if I died in enemy territory, they would try to analyze my Sharingan." He looked at Sasuke seriously. "In the worst case, it could be stolen and used against Konoha. To prevent this, if a ninja betrays their village, a hunting nin tracks them down."
"What's the girl talking about? You finished that monster. I thought the traps were for Gato's other thugs."
Kakashi's thoughts raced. He'd been focused on fighting off chakra exhaustion, but he'd noticed the wrongness. Seemed like his genin had, too. "Hunting nins take care of the body immediately. Zabuza is alive."
"But we saw the body, and you checked!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Senbon can put the body into temporary death, stopping the heart," Kakashi explained. "The hunting nin wasn't trying to stop Zabuza, he was trying to save him."
"Surely you're exaggerating," Tazuna chuckled nervously.
"How would temporary death react with a paralyzing agent? I made a deep scratch of about ten centimeters of length."
Kakashi startled. He'd wondered if she had managed to strike him, or if she'd jumped off as soon as she saw it put more strain on his bracers. "The body can't recover from temporary death quickly. It takes about a week. Zabuza's heart stopped pumping, so the poison remained in his body for longer. We have closer to two weeks."
"A couple of weeks won't make a difference. Gato will kill you," a child wearing a green jumpsuit called out from the doorway.
"What are you saying, you dumb brat?! Do you know what an elite ninja is? I'll be Hokage, dattebayo! That Gato is nothing against a hero like me!"
"Heroes aren't real. You only have stupid thoughts. You all should..." the child cut off, glancing at Hikari. "I'll go stare at the ocean. In my room. I want to be alone."
"Who does he think he is! I'll put him in his place!" Naruto stormed off after him.
Kakashi wondered what that was all about.
"I apologize for Inari," Tazuna rubbed the back of his neck. Hikari stared at him. Sasuke did the same. The old man shut up and excused himself and his daughter from the room.
"Hikari?"
"It's not his grandson's actions he should be apologizing for," she said, a bit coldly. She sighed. "I think the household had one more member, and Gato killed them. Inari-san is terrified, but he agreed to remain inside the perimeter."
"Can we train?" Sasuke asked, impatient gaze taking him in as he remained sitting up.
"I can still train you, yes." Hikari and Sasuke relaxed. "But first, come here, Hikari. Take off those bandages." She complied immediately, not asking questions. He extended his hands. She put hers on top of his, palms up. They were scraped raw in some parts, likely from where the bark had dug in. Sasuke approached too and looked away from the angry red.
"My shirts have some grip to prevent rips, but it didn't do much with the trees and so much momentum," Hikari explained. "I had some gloves in my backpack but... well, I wasn't wearing them."
"The Sharingan can copy some impressive techniques, but you have to be able to mold the chakra." He regarded both of them. "This is especially true of medical ninjutsu. You are not to try this one until you have impeccable chakra control. If it's not perfect, you can put your patient into a coma or cause more damage."
"Won't it tire you out, Kakashi-sensei? It can wait until you're feeling better."
"They're scratches, Hikari. If I were to try to heal a broken bone right now, I'd be in trouble." Broken bones were the most he could do, since he didn't have a medic-nin's knowledge and training. "This is fine. I'm telling you the risks so you don't attempt medical ninjutsu in a moment of panic and without the control to back it up. You could kill the person you are trying to save." He had seen desperate teammates in the war trying to patch up their fallen comrade. Their eyes became empty and they rarely came back from the next mission. Rin... had been an exemption. As a rule, chunins didn't have enough control or training to handle war injuries with A-rank medical ninjutsu.
He turned his hands so they hovered over Hikari's and focused his chakra. The scratches and tears closed and new skin formed. He glanced up. Hazel and dark eyes regarded the fading green glow in interest. He gestured them out.
"Alright. Grab Naruto and meet me outside."
"We'll start with a basic review on chakra, a shinobi's source of power."
"We already know that," Sasuke complained, hands in his pockets.
"Yeah! Hikari said it was energy!"
He turned to the girl, a little surprised. "Alright, continue, Hikari."
"Naruto-san, you're right. Chakra is the energy we use to make jutsus. But it's really two energies that twine together and become one," she twisted her arms as she explained, clasping her hands at the end. "Physical and mental energy. Without knowledge, movement is aimless." Naruto shifted his weight. Hikari seamlessly called his attention back. "Naruto-san, imagine you need to deliver a message. You can be the fastest runner, but if you don't know where you are going, it means nothing. On the other hand, intellect without drive is hollow. Like knowing where to go but never putting one foot in front of the other. Does that make sense to you?" Kakashi's eyebrow rose. That was actually a good explanation, and one that Naruto could grasp.
"Yes, dattebayo!"
"Body and mind, experience and understanding, voice and wit. You may call them many names. They are equally important in different ways. We focus both energies and combine them together, normally through hand seals, to perform jutsus."
"But we can do the jutsus already!"
"Naruto is right for once," Sasuke pointed out, annoyed.
"You have barely scratched the surface. Each jutsu has unique proportions of energies. You need to be able to choose the exact amount needed of each. If not, you're either wasting chakra or making the jutsu weak. Right now, you are guessing them." Kakashi took over.
"And... how do we change that?" Naruto questioned.
"You need to train your control until it becomes second nature to you. We'll start with getting you to climb trees," at his student's blank looks, he specified. "Without hands." He moved chakra to his feet and crutches and continued walking up the closest tree. Once he was standing upside down, he paused. "The bottom of the foot is one of the most difficult areas to gather chakra at. The amount you need to climb a tree is small, but it must be exact." He moved down, since the Mystical Palm Technique had sapped him some strength. "If you can learn this control, you should be able to master any jutsus. In theory."
He could see understanding dawning in all of his students. For Sasuke, it meant that even when he awakened his family's dojutsu, he would need control. For Naruto, it was a way of getting better. For Hikari, he thought it was the key to what she wanted to achieve. He winced. He should have started her with tree and water walking before moving to chakra flow. Especially when she wanted to infuse such a large and thin surface. He'd sort of... forgotten that his genins didn't know something so basic. He reassured himself with the fact that, regardless, Hikari had made good progress on it.
"I'll do it first, dattebayo!"
"Get some momentum first," he hastened to add in an effort to be a good sensei. "And mark your progress." He tossed them a kunai each.
He settled in to watch them. The boys immediately did the Ram seal, closing their eyes and focusing their chakra.
"I'm ready!" Naruto and Sasuke charged at their trees. To his surprise, Naruto didn't apply enough chakra and slid down. Sasuke managed a couple of meters before he put too much and had to spring off. Kakashi glanced at Hikari.
She walked towards the tree and focused her chakra on her palms. It came easy and fluid, which was no surprise after all the practicing she'd done. She put her hands on the tree and fluctuated the levels. Her right one slid down while the left got pushed off. He raised his eyebrow. He hadn't been expecting that. If she could hold two different strengths, this could prove to be interesting. She put them both at chest level and put chakra. They stuck. She moved them up and started climbing up like a monkey. Her hands clung. She only did a couple of meters before coming back down.
Her teammates watched her, baffled, as she laid down in front of her tree. She put her feet on the trunk and did the Ram seal. Chakra started flowing down, with more effort than to her palms. To Kakashi's surprise, they slid only an inch down.
Kakashi almost laughed to himself as he sat down. He didn't know why he'd expected Hikari to approach it conventionally. It made sense to 'get the feel' for the amount she'd need, but he'd honestly never seen anyone do it that way.
The boys looked at each other and glared. They ran at their trees again.
Kakashi glanced up when Hikari stood up. He'd been about to call her out. He thought she'd been channeling the right amount for close to ten minutes. She turned to him.
"Should I run up?" she asked him.
"Try to walk if you think you can keep up the amount you figured out."
Sasuke and Naruto looked at her, panting from their sprints. Hikari bit her lip as she went to her tree. She put one foot at about face level, channeled chakra to both, and jumped so the other foot joined the first one. She stood horizontal and grinned. She then walked up the tree, wobbling a bit when the bark changed texture, but overall holding steady. She laughed in delight as she sat down on the first branch and smiled at them.
"It looks like the best at controlling chakra right now is Hikari, the only girl in the team," Kakashi declared. Maybe if he got a rise out of Sasuke and Naruto, they'd be more motivated. "If we are talking about potential Hoka-"
"Why mention my gender, Kakashi-sensei?" Hikari's voice was quiet, but somehow the wind carried it to all of them.
"Hikari?" he questioned, not understanding.
"I'm also the only brunette in the team, but you didn't think hair color was relevant. Why do you consider me being a girl relevant?"
"But... You are a girl!" Naruto exclaimed after looking at them in turns.
"I am aware that I am a girl, Naruto-san." Hikari's voice was more polite than friendly. "I'm asking why it's relevant to climbing a tree."
"Maa, Hikari. I didn't mean anything by it." Kakashi retreated quickly, cursing his thoughtlessness. He'd been trying to provoke Sasuke, whose experience with girls had been monopolized with fan-girls he no doubt thought were useless. And Naruto's circle of friends was made up of only boys according to the Academy's reports.
"You chose your words, Kakashi-sensei," she condemned him. "And I don't appreciate the implications of them. I don't have to prove that I am 'as good as a boy', and I won't take refuge when something goes wrong in the fact that I am 'only a girl'." With that, she stood on the branch and made to keep going up the tree, dismissing him and the conversation.
"Hikari," he stopped her. "I have fought both deadly kunoichi and deathly male shinobi. It was a poor choice of words on my part." Kakashi refused to throw away all the progress over an implication he didn't believe in and had used as a tool. He waited until she nodded to him. "Now, get down here. We are going to try to get you to channel chakra to both feet and hands, so you can climb easily." She came down wobblier than she'd gone up, trying to fluctuate when the bark changed in texture. Kakashi thought it was remarkable that she'd noticed she needed to account for them.
"Naruto, Sasuke, go on. Your goal for today is to join Hikari in the first branch." They spent more time trying to focus their chakra before sprinting up their trees.
Hikari settled down in front of him, leaving plenty of space between them. Kakashi sighed.
"Hikari," he started. His student was always careful with what she said and how, but she was normally much laxer in others' expressions. Which was a good thing, since Naruto tended to speak before he thought. "Is something else the matter?"
"I don't understand shinobi," she laced her fingers together. He waited, since he didn't know what to do with that statement. "It's like you think women have to prove themselves twice over. And even when your actions aren't biased, your words are. You and Shika had never -," she cut herself off and channeled chakra to her hands and feet, as if the exercise was all that mattered.
Kakashi frowned and then seethed. "Did he say something? If he did, he's not worth it, Hikari."
Startled eyes met his and chakra dispelled. "What?"
His voice was hard when he said, "If he said he's better - "
"No! No, Shika has never... No. It wasn't about me. It was a general comment. We talked about it. It just caught me off guard, like yours. You haven't treated me differently. You expect me to get things right, too."
He wanted to press for more, but she'd answered truthfully about the Nara. He sighed. "Yes, I do expect you to get it right. So, go for it."
Her shoulders went down and she gave him a tentative smile as she formed the Ram seal.
WAVES: DAY 8
Hikari opened her eyes when she felt Tazuna approaching and raised her eyebrows.
"Are you always this lazy?" She was actually channeling chakra to her feet and hands, trying to get the feel of how to stick to a metal surface instead of wood. She didn't owe him any truth, so she waited. "Where's the weird blond and the sullen kid?"
"Training."
"Too tough for you?"
"They're improving the traps with Kakashi-sensei's help today. Since they set them, they get to do it." It was also good practice for getting them to stick to trees while doing something else.
"Well, let's get going. We're done for today."
She nodded and joined his side as they walked to the village. It was a drearier sight than she had thought. At the docks, fishermen were pulling up catches. It deceived the eye into thinking the food was the islanders'. In the village, nothing hid the harsh reality. There were children sitting outside the empty stores, thin arms encircling their knobbly knees. One had a baby on his lap, carefully swaddled in a faded yellow blanket.
She knew that islands were food-import dependent, especially on food groups that required high agriculture technology or industry. She knew they had small domestic markets and imported staples like rice. She knew that exports generated employment and drove growth. She knew that, the way she knew the Land of Earth's mountain range impeded most communication despite never having been there. She had the knowledge, but it wasn't her personal truth.
As Tazuna made his purchases, Hikari wandered down the bare produce aisles to the non-perishables and crouched. There, at the very end, and at more than five times the price it should be, were some baby formulas. She took all of them and went to the cashier. She'd thought she'd spend her money on crafts and sugar candies for the kyokuba-dan and her friends, but this was a worthier trade. Tazuna eyed her from the corner of his eye as they exited the store.
"Can you wait for me a moment?" she asked.
"I guess."
"Thank you."
She went to the boy and baby, keeping a considerable distance between them.
"Hello, my name is Hikari. Could you point out your mom or dad for me, please?"
The kid eyed her curiously. "Your eyes are pretty."
"Thank you very much," she smiled and didn't press. He regarded her as he pulled the baby closer to him. "My mom is over there."
She bowed her head to him and went to the store he'd indicated. The door chimed as she came in. She scanned the fares from the corner of her eye and had to suppress a grimace. It was a high-end wood sculpture store. No wonder they were doing badly.
"Good evening," she greeted the woman standing on the opposite side of the counter. She shifted her weight as she held out her bag. "Here you go. I don't know who else needs it."
The woman glanced inside. Hikari could see her stiffen, but she didn't reject the offering. The mother met her eyes as she held herself with pride. "Is anything here to your liking?"
"Your art is beautiful, but I'm afraid I can't carry it with me."
The woman pressed her lips together. "Come to the back room with me."
Hikari glanced at Tazuna. She couldn't leave the client. He made his way inside the store, so Hikari followed the artist. She led her to a corner filled with textiles and beautiful embroidery.
"My mother's craft," she explained.
Hikari hesitated to even touch. Her eyes caught on a hammock. "I don't have enough money on me," she apologized.
"It's a gift."
Hikari shook her head. "I couldn't possibly accept it." She made to move back to the front store. The hammock had to be less expensive than the intricate dresses, but it was still much more than baby formulas, if they'd been a normal price. Nails dug into her jacket's sleeve. Hikari fought the urge to use force to remove the hand touching her. She shrugged out of the way but turned back to the mother to explain. "It's worth more than what I gave."
"More than my baby's food? It's not. Here." Hikari scrambled not to drop the hammock she'd been eyeing. "You'll always be welcome in my store."
Hikari bowed. "Thank you."
"I'll put it in a bag for you. It can be packed small, so you can take it back to your home."
As they exited the store, Tazuna stopped her and gestured to the sack. "I'll carry it for you, so you can have both hands free."
"I'd appreciate that, Tazuna-san."
WAVES: DAY 9
"Hey, Hikari, you're good at this. Can you give me a tip so I'll last longer on the tree?" Naruto asked her, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Remember that one of the energies needed is spiritual?"
"Yes, dattebayo!"
"It means you need to be calm and focused. I usually start my day with yoga or breathing exercises. They help me connect my body with my mind. Do you want me to show you one?"
"Yes!"
"Alright. Lay down, please. I'll go see if Sasuke-san wants to join us."
"Do you have to?"
Hikari laughed. "The better everyone does, the better we are as a team. So, yes."
"Sasuke-san?" Her teammate turned to her, pretending he hadn't been eyeing Naruto and she talking. "Naruto-san and I are going to be doing some breathing practice to focus our chakra. Do you wish to join us?"
"Hn," was all he answered, but he followed her back to Naruto.
"Alright. Lay down and, if it's comfortable for you, close your eyes." Neither of them did. "Roll your shoulders down. Deep breath in. Let it go. Feel yourself getting grounded. In... and out. Feel what parts of your body are touching the ground. The back of your head. Your shoulder-blades. Your legs. Your heels." She eyed them. Naruto had finally closed his eyes and was wriggling his toes. "Feel the air enter your lungs and go out. Breathe in through your nose and exhale for five." Sasuke's breathing turned deep and steady.
"Bring your awareness to my voice." She made it turn softer, mellower. "Bring your hands to your chest, please. Feel your palms pressing together. Maybe you can hear your own heartbeat. Inhale... and exhale. Connect to your breath and anchor yourself to the present. What can you hear from the forest? What can you smell?"
Both boys had closed their eyes and were breathing in sync. "Slowly make your way to your feet, conscious of your breaths. Inhale... and exhale. Close your eyes again. Feel grounded through all four corners of your feet. Send your energy from your chest and down through your legs, all the way to your heels. Plant your toes and roll your shoulders down. Breathe in... and out. Bring your hands together again. Full breaths, please. Do the Ram seal, nice and easy. Your awareness is in my voice as you open your eyes."
Black and blue regarded her. "Focus your chakra. Feel it flow from your chest and down your torso to your legs. Feel it going down until it reaches your toes. Plant your heels and feel them support your weight. Tug your awareness away from my voice and towards that feeling. Grasp it and let it envelop you as you walk forwards."
She stepped back and gestured for the trees. They put one foot on the bark. And then the other. Nothing spectacular, since they had already achieved this. But they kept going, all the way to the cusp of their trees.
Her laughter filled the air, light and free. "There you go."
WAVES: DAY 10
Shikamaru yawned at the breakfast table. It was too early.
"Eat, Shikamaru! And hurry up! Your father has a mission today, so you don't have a lot of time to train this morning," his mother scolded. For the last couple of weeks, Asuma-sensei had given Team 10 a later meeting hour, but they were supposed to train their clan jutsus with their family.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Don't you say 'yeah, yeah'. Just eat!"
The day has barely started, and she's already angry. What a drag.
When his mom went to answer the door, Shikamaru leaned forward and lowered his voice.
"Dad, why did you marry mom?"
"Shikamaru," his father warned.
"No. It's a real question."
"Good question, then," Shikaku took a sip of his tea. "Believe it or not, there are days when she smiles. I guess because of that."
Shikamaru drummed his fingers in the table before laying his head on top of them. This promise was proving to be too troublesome.
"Is this about Hikari-chan, Shikamaru?" His father's voice was more solemn now.
"I'm certain she's it for me," Shikamaru answered, just as seriously.
"Ah, I thought it the most likely, but I wasn't sure if you saw it yet."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Of course he saw it, he wasn't an idiot.
His father sighed. "Eat up. We can skip training today and talk about this, but you'll have to make up for it in the evening."
Shikamaru nodded. He'd been training a bit more since Hikari had told him what she'd seen in the Hell Viewing Technique. Practicing in the late afternoon, when there were more shadows, suited him fine.
They stopped on a forest clearing and laid down.
"Is this about your comments, a couple of weeks ago?" Shikaku inquired.
"Yeah."
"You two seemed mostly fine in the evening."
"I promised her I'd look closer at my truth," Shikamaru said, uncomfortable. He hadn't mean to injure with his words. He hadn't meant for her to hear those careless remarks. His father let the silence stretch on, content to watch the early morning sky and let him guide the conversation. "Mom would have slapped you," he pointed out. This had been bothering him. He knew, without a doubt, that if his mother or Ino had overheard him, they would have hit him.
"Most probably, yes."
Hikari hadn't even used words as weapons. Shikamaru knew she'd been trained to make them as sharp as any blade, but she hadn't tried to hurt him back. She'd tried to explain and had given him a chance to do the same. She'd stayed, when her first instinct had been to go.
"Hikari didn't. Why?"
"She didn't," his father agreed. "Do you think that makes her weaker?"
Shikamaru drew back, startled. "No." Hikari's strength had never been in question.
"Different people react differently. Chouji and Ino would react violently if someone remarked on their weight. You wouldn't care." Shikamaru looked at a cloud shaped like a sheep. That was true. His teammates would fly into a rage at such a comment. His father continued. "And even the toughest woman will show a softer side to the man she loves." Shikamaru could feel heat creeping up his neck. "And believe me, they make us better men than we'd be without them."
It's strange to hear him say this, when he's as whipped and dependent on mom as he is.
His father smiled as if he read his mind and turned to regard him. "They make us want to be better. That's true of the people we cherish the most."
Shikamaru's eyes widened. He now held another piece of the puzzle. His father didn't mean that women intrinsically made men better. He meant that you wanted to be better for the people you cared about. They, indirectly, made you be better.
"Remember that, without women, we wouldn't even exist."
"Why are most of the shinobi in the clan men?"
"Ah. In the Second War, Tsunade-sama advocated for every team to have a medical nin. It was designed to avoid more deaths, but it meant a lot of Naras were in the front-lines. It was a rough transition, to have to protect a new member in your team. Medical shinobi are also the first targeted by the enemy. Our clan suffered for it, and my generation shows it. Since then, there have been more boys birthed than girls." His father shrugged.
Shikamaru's thought whirled. Kunoichi were encouraged to be medical nin. A team traditionally had one kunoichi, although some formations disregarded this rule. Naras had experience at medical ninjutsu, because it required either Yin or Yang Release. It made sense that most of the losses had been women with a high enough rank to be at the front lines. A consequence of their bias, he realized. It was likely why most jounin-level Naras were men. It made an awful sense.
"Anything else, Shikamaru? I do have a mission to get to," his father asked.
"No, thanks."
"Then I'm off. Remember that just like every person is different, so is every couple. You don't have to see yourself in my marriage, or in anyone else's. It will be what you and your spouse make of it."
"I - thank you, dad."
"Always, Shikamaru." His father reached out an squeezed his shoulder before getting up. "Remember to practice today."
WAVES: DAY 11
Hikari stared at the trees for a long moment. I get expelled from the surface if I apply too much chakra. It's probably because the tree weights more than I do, and if the forces repel each other, it's me who is going to move. The opposite from the leaf exercise, where it blew off. I should have figured it out sooner.
She climbed on until she was on the first branch, crouched, and applied a tiny amount of additional chakra. She didn't fight the push. Instead, she jumped. She now stood on a branch about five meters higher than she'd been. Hikari smiled.
WAVES: DAY 12
Hikari hopped off the metal railing she'd been half balancing and half sticking to and joined her sensei when he gestured to her.
"Hikari, can you guess why I came with you today?"
"Because it's the seventh day since the encounter with Zabuza, and you're worried he's already moving around?"
Her sensei huffed out a laugh. "No, I don't think he's moving well yet. You won't be guarding today." At her questioning glance, he added, "You've already figured out how to shift your chakra to adapt to different solid surfaces. I've noticed. Can you tell me why water-walking is more difficult?"
"Because it's always changing, and you'd need to change your output to match it."
He hummed in agreement. "I want you to walk down the pillars to the ocean and try to do it. You are not to move far from them, and you will always remain where I can see you. Understand?"
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei. Thank you."
She shed her jacket, long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and weapon pouch before walking down the cement support. She put chakra on her hands and bent so she was upside down, clutching the pillar. She stretched out a hand until she touched cool water and put chakra in it. She could immediately feel the difference. The surface was so thin it almost didn't exist. Each time she got the right amount of chakra to support her hand, it changed and was either pushed off or pulled in.
Hikari smiled. She held Hand to Hand with Arata. She could do handstands in upside-down bosu balls. She knew how to change her grip to match the minute shifts of another. This was going to be fun. And wet.
WAVES: DAY 13
Hikari turned to Sasuke. "Is everything alright? Neither Naruto-san nor Kakashi-sensei have returned from dinner." Her teammates had been late for the meal, and she had been too impatient to eat, take a shower, and put on dry clothes to wait for them.
"The kid shouted at Naruto again. He said that the strong always wins and that words mean nothing." She hummed, indicating she'd heard him. His voice turned more hesitant. "What do you think?"
"About?"
"Both parts."
"What is strength to you, Sasuke-san?"
"What?"
"What does strength mean to you?" she repeated. "Do you mean physically strong? That's one definition, but everyone holds a different truth. Some could say there is strength in choosing to go on in the midst of failures. Others would say it's in hope, in hard work, and in having courage. Or that strength lays in learning from your mistakes, in kindness, and in acceptance of yourself."
"Can I have your answer?"
Hikari smiled at her teammate. "Yes. You must have already noticed that I believe choices to be important."
"Hn."
"Yes, that's an understatement." She took a seat beside him. "Do you know where the word elegance comes from?"
"No."
"It originally meant knowing how to choose. If the sentence is 'strength wins', then my truth is that strength is the ability to make the best choice and adapt when things change."
Without that sentence... she didn't know of a bond stronger than those forged with truth and honesty. For the kyokuba-dan, choosing who to bare your unmasked self to was one of the most important decisions one faced. Hikari knew she was infinitely better with Shika in her life. That was her ultimate truth, one she would choose to hold onto when everything else crumbled away. It would evolve through time as they themselves changed, but it would remain her constant.
She wouldn't, couldn't, tell Sasuke that. She doubted he gave anyone, including himself, complete honesty.
"Is elegant the ultimate compliment, then?" His question brought her back to their conversation.
"For me? Close, yes," she grinned and then turned more serious. "About words... I believe they are powerful, but I also believe that actions can hold more meaning. Does that make sense to you? I think I'm not explaining well."
"Yes."
"Do you wish to share your truths?"
He eyed her from the corner of his eye. "No. Is that okay?"
"Yes, of course. Should we wait for them?" She changed the subject, suspecting he was done with the conversation. That was fine with her. Hikari wasn't blind to her teammates' circumstances. They were orphans and had done their best to survive and work towards their goals. If they wanted to talk about truths with her, truths she'd had the privilege to learn from her family, she didn't mind sharing some. She wasn't a singer, but she'd do her best.
"Hn. No."
WAVES: DAY 14
Shikamaru traced the words again.
Yours,
Hikari.
"Troublesome."
WAVES: DAY 15
"Kakashi-sensei!" Hikari called out, grinning bright and happy as she stood, feet planted in the water. She closed her eyes, keeping her focus sharp, and then glanced up.
A silver head peered down at her. "Maa, Hikari. Good job."
"Not this, Kakashi-sensei. Look." She very carefully focused her chakra as she bent. She touched the water between her feet and shifted her weight forwards. Feet pointed, legs together, and lift. Her legs moved straight up in a perfect handstand. She kept going, bending her spine and going off balance until her feet nearly brushed the water. She bent her legs so they touched her head instead. Straight legs, back to center, and split. She redirected chakra to her feet and stood back straight.
Hikari glanced up.
"Very pretty," her sensei remarked, and Hikari thought he was trying not to laugh. "Now walk."
Hikari frowned but obeyed. She put one foot in front of the other and touched the water. She breathed out in relief as she was able to take a step forward. She grinned at the second step. She spluttered as she went down on the third one.
As she threaded water, she heard her sensei call out cheerfully. "Back to work, Hikari!"
WAVES: DAY 16
"Hikari," Naruto approached her. "Remember when we introduced ourselves to Kakashi-sensei?"
"Yes, of course."
"You said your dream was to protect the people you cared about," he waited for her nod to continue. "Do you think that's when you become stronger?"
Hikari hummed. "I think that's when you become better, because you accept nothing but the best of yourself. You try your hardest and, yes, discover your limits."
"I said my dream was to become Hokage, so people would respect me and look up to me."
"You did." Naruto said nothing, so Hikari went over their conversation. "Truths change. Has your dream or the reason behind your dream shifted?" she stared at wide blue eyes as they bobbed up and down. "Change can be good, bad, neither, or both. Whatever you make of it, really. Are you doubting which one it is?"
"I think it's a good change."
"I'm glad," she smiled at her teammate. "Plus, every Hokage shapes the village in their own way. If you think the Hokage's first objective should be to keep the people safe, then that should be your goal." She was rewarded with a huge grin.
WAVES: DAY 17
Shikamaru fought the urge to sigh from where he sat on the carriage. This mission was proving to be such a drag.
Ino's eyebrows furrowed. "I could Mind Transfer into one of the guards when we get to the check point."
"Won't work, since you need a straight line and his companions will notice the shift."
Chouji chewed faster as the scenery continued to pass them by.
Ino glared at him. "So, what do you want us to do? Nothing?" She paused. "Well, why would they even search us?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "There are four shinobi guarding the carriage. Of course they'll notice we're the ones they're on the lookout for."
What a drag. But Ino is right. The best course of action is to not be searched, so they don't discover the cargo. But how can you hide four people inside a carriage?
'Just a scared little girl. Nothing to be worried about.' he remembered Hikari's words.
'Plus, kunoichi classes sound the most interesting.' Arata's eyes were on the performers.
Shikamaru could see why Arata would think that since they focused on misdirection, infiltration, and communication. 'What would you have done?'
'I would have found a way to learn. Perhaps I'd have made myself pass as a girl to attend the lessons.'
"How long can you hold a henge, Chouji?"
"Not very long," Chouji shifted, uncomfortable.
"What a drag, we'll have to use the cargo."
"The silks? What for?"
"They're searching for shinobi, so we'll make sure they don't find them. We'll make ourselves look harmless."
'It's also a weakness. If you truly feel that way, even a bit, be careful. Others will exploit it.'
Arata turned to him, 'It's your choices that determine who you are. If you put a contortionist against an aerialist in a battle of brute strength, the aerialist will win. Always, no matter their gender. In the same discipline, we tend to be stronger than girls. But that does not make us better. Creativity, sweat, and artistry count far more.'
It was a weakness. But he would choose not to let it be his.
He would be the one exploiting it.
WAVES: DAY 18
Hatake Kakashi regarded his three genin.
"I want you to tell me what you did right two weeks ago, facing Zabuza. Naruto, you first."
"We thought as a team instead of charging in alone!"
"We didn't engage in close-combat with Zabuza," Sasuke added.
"We took advantage of him being focused on you and dismissing us as a threat," Hikari finished.
"Now, tell me what you think the next encounter will be like," he encouraged. Naruto slumped over. Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"He'll focus on you, since you scared him and proved you could beat him. He'll likely use his mist technique again because he won't want you to use your Sharingan. His partner is an unknown, but we're at a disadvantage since he's skilled in long-range with his senbons," Hikari recited. Kakashi's eyebrow rose. It was a good first analysis.
"Why would we be at a disadvantage? It's four against two. And we've trained, dattebayo!"
"One of us will need to guard Tazuna-san. Maybe another one will have to empty the bridge if they decide to bring the battle there. And the hunter nin can pop your clones before they get close enough to strike, Naruto-san. He's also seen us fight."
Kakashi regarded Hikari more carefully. Most genin couldn't see their disadvantages before they were smacked in the face with them. "Hikari is right. We don't know when or where they will strike. Sasuke's accuracy will be key in your fight against the hunter-nin. So will all of us being present at the fight. We need to evacuate the workers fast."
"My clones can do it, dattebayo!"
Kakashi eye-smiled and nodded before turning to Sasuke. "Tell me one more thing you did right, the one that would have allowed you to beat Zabuza even if I had remained trapped."
"We divided his attention further, so he didn't notice Hikari. But you told her the neko-te wasn't going to work after being submerged in water for so long."
"Yes, that's right. But it's not what I want you to focus on," he regarded the three of them intently. "If you walk into a trap or a fight in which the enemy has the advantage, one of you needs to be maneuvered into a position in which they can help." All his years in Anbu hadn't prepared him for the sight of his genin as sitting ducks while he was trapped. Even new Anbu recruits had some viciousness or strong survival instincts. His genin had frozen.
They all nodded, faces serious. Good. "Today, we'll be reinforcing the traps and training together."
The three of them scattered downstairs. Naruto's loud voice led the way out.
He closed his eye. Sasuke's aim was close to perfect. Naruto could focus his enormous chakra enough to climb trees for hours. Hikari could walk in water, although sprinting was pushing it. If Zabuza took the fight there, at least she would be able to move. The three of them could, and were willing to, work together. He hoped it was enough.
He opened his eye and made his way to the door. It would have to be enough.