Chapter 321: Acculturate

v. to alter through sharing and learning the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.

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Baki was a loyal ninja. He had lived up to the tenets taught to him while in the academy and had never wavered. Ninja obeyed their Kazekage. Ninja did not question the mission. Ninja killed those they were commanded to kill, and they did not feel remorse for doing so. As Baki gazed at the seals plastered throughout Konoha's markets and civilian quarter, he began to feel the barest spark of rebellion that whispered doubts about these creeds.

Baki would recognize these rudimentary seals anywhere. He had watched countless nights as Kagome sat hunched over the low table scrawling out the hieroglyphics over and over. Whenever she was anxious or awoke from a nightmare, he could find her obsessively filling out the rectangles of rice paper with increasingly desperate strokes.

He had known as soon as the High Council members had tasked him and his team with identifying these mysterious seals that had appeared overnight in Konoha just where it had come from. The font was evocative and although he did not know the purpose of the seals, knowing Kagome as he did, Baki could guess at its meaning. Before Baki stood a choice, follow his teachings or his heart.

Kagome felt a blush burn across her cheeks as she glanced through her eyelashes towards Temari who walked beside her. Temari had been nearly silent since expertly maneuvering their extraction from the two Leaf Nins. Kagome did not regret her decision to fortify the enemy's buildings, but she wondered what Temari must think of her actions.

"I…" started Kagome before pausing at Temari's sharp look. Kagome's eyes widened as she watched Temari stumble around a person that had stepped in front of them and into Kagome's side.

"Not here," murmured Temari as she straightened up from her fall. Kagome dipped her chin while helping to stabilize her friend. Loudly Temari declared "Sorry, I must have trained too much today."

"Of course, but you might want to give yourself a break tomorrow before the big day, otherwise you'll be exhausted before its even your turn in the competition!" commented Kagome with a playfully stern expression.

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" sighed Temari with a shake of her head as she released a long sigh, "I'm up against one of the laziest beings to ever grace the Ninja Nations!"

Kagome giggled as she continued to follow her friend back to her hotel room.

In the end it wasn't a difficult choice for Baki to make.

Ever since Baki had received his team he had felt his heart starting to soften, so by the time he had gained guardianship of Kagome he had already been compromised. The difference between Kagome and his team lay in the fact that his team had been taught the same creeds as Baki, while Kagome's upbringing left him baffled. His team operated in much the same way as all ninjas in Suna did, Kagome did not.

The rest of Suna were a reserved group who carefully kept their emotions locked away behind polite discourse in front of outsiders. Kagome held no such reservations. She was infinitely polite, but she held no qualms about showing her interest, amusement, or affection to anyone and everyone. She held no judgement towards any of her ninja friends, even actively seeking to befriend Gaara.

So Baki did the one thing that he knew he could do to maneuver leverage for Kagome and his team, he sought out the enemy. He had little contact with any Konoha nins, but there had been one that he had clashed with before and who had earned his respect.

Asuma's eyebrows furrowed as the one-eyed Suna nin sat beside him.

"Whatcha drinking, friend?" garbled Asuma while gulping the remains of his sake, before finally turning his full attention to the Suna nin. Asuma's eyes tracing the red triangles on Baki's face before settling on his one eye.

"Genmaicha," Baki responded, "if they have it."

"You want tea? At a bar?" incredulously probed Asuma, slight grin tugging at his lips.

"Unless Konoha hasn't been receiving their shipment because of trouble in Kusagakure?" lightly asked Baki, his eye tipped forward meaningfully, "there is talk of a snake causing issues for everyone."

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