?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Four — Bonds of Introspection ~ ?￢ﾜ ?
Five minutes passed and the Hokage's call was answered at last. Ryujin narrowed his eyes on the man that entered the office of the Sandaime. He was calm, bandages wrapped on the left side of his face, concealing his eye; only the arm of the same side was visible. His hand gripped the head of a cane he used to support his hunched posture as the rest of his body was sheathed by robes.
"You called, Hiruzen," Danzo greeted, his tone even—almost unnerving in its stillness.
Ryujin gazed at the seeming cripple, unflinchingly intense. "It took you five minutes to arrive."
"Leave him be, Ryujin," The Hokage commanded, exhaling smoke. Ryujin's gaze didn't waver. "Danzo, do you wish to tell me why you decided not to tell me about the fact that Shinrai Uzumaki was kidnapped by the Uchiha?"
Danzo didn't react to the question. Not a widened eye, not a twitch of the lips, not even a difference in his breath. "Because I had Root take care of the situation before it could become something you needed to get involved in. If I may ask, where did you hear it from?"
"Shinrai himself," Ryujin answered.
Danzo turned his head toward Ryujin. "Under what circumstance did he tell you?"
"I was talking to Naruto about the Kyuubi, and when I brought up how Madara Uchiha was the one behind the attack, Shinrai commented on his dislike of the Uchiha. I asked him why," Ryujin explained, keeping his gaze on Danzo even.
Danzo did react to Ryujin's explanation. With a tap of his cane, he faced Ryujin with his entire body. "You told a Genin an S-Rank secret?"
"I established that any information said inside that would room were not to leave it. Originally, I was going only to tell Naruto; I then realized that Naruto was going to tell Shinrai no matter what I said, so I decided to include him in the conversation." Ryujin held his chin a fraction higher, nigh unnoticeable as he looked down on Danzo.
Danzo looked up at Ryujin. "I grow increasingly disappointed by you as the days go by." That was his only comment before he walked toward the Hokage. The sound of his cane hitting the floor shattered the dead silence that the room otherwise would have.
He stopped in front of the Hokage's desk, and the two experienced Shinobi looked each other dead in the eyes. The Hokage's stare of displeasure seemed to be overpowered by Danzo's stoic glare, but the former did not look away.
"On top of you keeping secrets from me," the Hokage began. "You were also in contact with Shinrai when I explicitly told you to stay away from him."
Danzo tilted his head. It was slight, but the movement was ever apparent in contrast with his previous stillness. "All I did was tell him to stay away from the Uchiha. I was proved correct in my warning, wasn't I?"
"What made you distrust the Uchiha with him originally?" The Hokage pushed, leaning forward in his chair, adding power to his glare.
Danzo was unaffected by the Hokage's glare; he simply tilted his head back into position. Then he spoke. "I've already proven that you were a fool to trust the Uchiha. The fact that Shinrai was a mere child wouldn't stop the fact that they saw power in him."
Ryujin narrowed his eyes further, and his brow furrowed.
"Itachi leaked the fact that the boy was subject to Orochimaru's experiments at a young age to the Uchiha Clan. They knew that after the death of Shisui Uchiha, that they'd need more power to succeed in their coup.
"The young Kyuubi Jinchuriki would have been an option, but they knew he would be heavily guarded. With Shinrai, they had a target that wouldn't be heavily guarded; so, they struck. I anticipated this and had Root follow him until the Uchiha attacked. Root took care of those Uchiha, and you all know the rest," Danzo explained.
He turned his back to the Hokage and began walking toward the exit. "I believe I have answered all of your questions. Am I correct, Hiruzen?"
"You're dismissed, Danzo…" the Hokage said, shaking his head before inhaling from his pipe.
Without another word spoken, Danzo left the Hokage's office, leaving Ryujin and the Sandaime alone again. The latter let out a deep sigh, and the former shook his head.
"You can't keep letting him get away with this," Ryujin suggested, visibly irritated by the encounter.
The Hokage eyed Ryujin. "As much as I may disagree with his methods at times, I trust him."
"You can't be blinded by that trust either," Ryujin pushed, looking at his Hokage.
The Hokage took a deep, long inhale of his pipe, before exhaling a large puff of smoke out into the air. "I'm not. You, however, are blinded by your distrust. Danzo values the village above all else. There isn't one thing he'd give up for it.
"As long as his loyalty remains with Konoha, then I will allow him the freedom he needs to work. You are dismissed, Ryujin," the Hokage informed, still relishing in the smoke he blew out.
Ryujin stepped forward. "Lord Hokage—"
"You are dismissed, Ryujin," The Hokage repeated, leaving no room for argument with his stern tone.
Ryujin stopped, then bowed his head—a fraction higher than he usually would. "Yes, Lord Hokage," he said, his tone completely even yet conveying his displeasure more than words ever could. He left the office as he was told. As he was leaving, the seeds of distrust and uncertainty grew in his head.
He had no idea what Orochimaru pumped into Shinrai, and that fact frustrated him to no end. On top of that, Danzo may scare Shinrai at the moment, the fact remained that he only proved himself trustworthy to him because of the whole Uchiha situation.
There were two things he needed to do with Shinrai. He needed to keep him as far away from Danzo as possible, and he needed to find a way to see what Orochimaru did to him. He had ideas for both, but a plan for none.
Ryujin walked out the front door and was greeted by a cold night time breeze. He looked to the starry sky above and clenched his fists. His eyes shut and the darkness enveloped him.
As he sighed, he released his hands. What's even the point? There was nothing he could realistically do. Danzo was untouchable, and he was just a Jonin.
They had many disagreements. But, if there was one thing Danzo and he agreed on… is that he was an utter disappointment. What was there that could change that?
Nothing.
Nothing was in the sky besides the stars. Small, insignificant little lights that stuck out of the black.
All he had to do was think of Aiko's letter.
Ryujin took a deep breath.
He didn't take his eyes off of the stars until he got home.
—⊱✿⊰—
The following night, Shinrai laid in his bed, wide awake and deep in thought. He was indescribably happy that Naruto had learned of his parentage, his heritage, hell his heritage was badass as can be as well! The Yondaime fucking Hokage bro… you can't get much better than that.
But… as much as he hated his entire being for feeling it… the selfish emotion of jealousy was there, nonetheless. Who are my parents? Where did I come from? He wondered to himself.
Shinrai frowned. He didn't remember a single thing about his life before the age of four. All he remembered was…
Eight Years Ago…
The boy opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. A blinding white light flashed on his pupils and he brought his hand up to shield it. "Hey! What's going on?!" he questioned.
He didn't feel wrong… nothing hurt… but all he felt was nothing. Nothing to remember, nothing to remind himself that he was alive. Was he dead? Who even was he?
"Ah, so you can speak. That is good news indeed," said an old voice.
The boy's eyes finally adjusted to the light, and he put his hand down and took in his surroundings. He was in a bed; the sheets were white, in a room, which was also entirely white, there was a window, and outside it he saw that he was up high.
All he saw were clouds, which were also white. He was starting to hate this color… Lastly, he looked to his left and saw an old man. His hair was white, and so was the robe he wore. At least his hat has some red on it… the boy muttered to himself.
Red, he liked that color.
"Can you hear me?" The old man asked.
The boy nodded. "Uh yeah…" he affirmed. "Who… am I?"
"According to where I found you, your name is Shinrai Uzumaki," the old man answered.
The boy ruffled his brow. "Shinrai… Uzumaki…" he mumbled. He had to admit it. The name sounded… good. He liked his name.
Shinrai nodded. "Okay… What is this place? I… I think it starts with an H…?"
"It is called a hospital, Shinrai," the old man informed.
Shinrai smiled. "Yeah! Yeah…"
"Now, do you remember anything?" the old man asked, leaning forward in his c… the thing you sat on that started with a C.
Shinrai shook his head. "No… everything is just… black. Not even black, it's just…"
"Nothing," the old man finished.
Shinrai pursed his lips. "Yeah… nothing."
He didn't like nothing.
"I see," the old man said with a sigh. After he sighed, seemed to relax, like he was… happy?
Shinrai tilted his head. "Is it a good thing that I don't remember anything?"
"It… may be for the greater good," the old man answered, doing the thing that isn't relaxing again. The old man stood. "Come, I will lead you to your home."
Shinrai perked up. "Home? I have a home?!" he asked, a smile growing on his face. Home… he knew that was a good thing.
"Yes, you do, Shinrai," the old man said, smiling back at him.
Shinrai leapt out of the bed and stood beside the old man. "Take me home, please!"
"I will," the old man said with a little laugh. The two walked out of the hospital, and then they walked down a weird type of floor that goes downward. There were a lot of those, but his legs started to hurt near the bottom.
His brain told him that the hurt was bad, but it was a feeling that… made him feel like he was there. He didn't feel nothing anymore! It was nice to not feel nothing…
He continued his walk with the old man, and then they walked outside of the hospital. Shinrai's jaw dropped. There were so many colors! There were red buildings, blue buildings, there were trees that were green! But the bottom part was a different color… the same color that his skin was… he didn't know what to call it.
He liked this place a lot more than the hospital. Shinrai remained silent for the entire walk with the old man. After the long and colorful work, they went inside another building. It made him sad, but at least it wasn't white on the inside. The floor was green, and the walls were a lighter version of the color of his skin and trees.
He thought it was cool. It was like being inside a tree! Eventually, they went up the weird floor again. It hurt going up a lot more than it hurt going down; but, it was less nothing he had to feel, so he didn't mind.
They walked down a long and skinny room, and at the end of it, there was a door. There were numbers on the door. He didn't know what they were called, or what they meant… but he felt like he should remember those numbers.
The old man took something out of his pocket that was a shiny yellow, and he put it inside the part of the door you used to open it. The old man twisted the shiny yellow thing, and then it opened.
"This is your new home, Shinrai," the old man said, before making a weird growling sound with his neck. "Naruto!"
Shinrai scrunched his eyebrows. "Naruto…? What's a Naruto?"
"Naruto is going to be your brother," the old man said.
Shinrai smiled. "Brother?! I'm gonna have a brother?!"
"Yes," the old man said with a smile of his own, and then a boy, who looked the same age as he did, walked in. His hair was yellow, and his eyes were a very shiny blue.
Shinrai liked him already.
"Who's that?" Naruto asked, pointing at Shinrai.
The old man put his hand on Shinrai's back. "Naruto, this is gonna be your new brother. His name is Shinrai Uzumaki."
"WOAH!" Naruto yelled, with a really really big smile. "A BROTHER?! He has the same last name as me too!"
The old man did another little laugh. "Yes, he does. You two get along now," he said before softly pushing Shinrai into the house and closing the door.
Shinrai did the same really really big smile that Naruto did. This was another feeling that wasn't nothing. He liked this feeling. He was…
Happy.
Present Day
Shinrai let out a ragged sigh. I fucking hate this shit; he groaned. The cold patch in his heart was more clear to him than ever before, and guess what? There was no romantic love in sight.
He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. What the fuck am I doing? Sulking? The fuck's wrong with you?! The cold in his heart was vanquished by the heat of anger. If he was feeling unwell, then he'd do something about it.
There was no point in lying around and feeling sorry for himself. Nothing would happen that way. He arose from his bed, a scowl clear on his face. "It's only eight. There's still time to do shit."
—⊱✿⊰—
Moonlit rays of silver peeked through her small bathroom window. Kusari yawned as she held a smooth birch wood brush that she stroked across her hair. She paused, narrowing her eyes.
She brought her other hand up and plucked a strand of white hair out of her head. Kusari furrowed her brow, scoffing in disbelief. I can't possibly be going gray already.
Was Ryujin-sensei actually that stressful to deal with? If so, then she needed to become a Chunin as soon as possible. Kusari sighed. Why is Ryujin-sensei so dead set on me abandoning the way of the Hyuuga?
Over the past two days, Ryujin-sensei proved himself to be too much of an annoyance for her. What was worse is that she couldn't even blame him because as things are going… he was proving himself correct with her newfound investment into kicking using the Juken in her feet.
Kusari sighed. She still hasn't told Neji about that; she knew that she should… but she also didn't want to disappoint her brother. He meant too much to her, but because she meant so much to him… doesn't that mean she should tell him?
Kusari shook her head. She felt more gray hairs growing already. She was happy that her teammates weren't as nearly as stressful as her sensei was. She very much enjoyed her talk with Gosei on the day of their first D-Rank. She wanted to be close friends with him one day, and that talk greatly helped with that.
Kusari smiled. After a stressful day such as that one, that conversation was definitely a positive way to end the day. She simply needed to build upon that foundation, and then she'll have a lifelong friend.
However, when it came to Shinrai… there wasn't much to be happy about. The only real interaction they had is when she denied his romantic advances. After that… he didn't really interact with her at all. He stood distant to her and basically refused to look in her direction.
She… didn't like that. She wasn't satisfied with this relationship. I am going to change that; she resolved. I am going to talk to him today, and we are—hopefully—going to become friends.
Kusari placed her brush on the counter and inspected her hair in the mirror. No more gray hairs… she thanked with a sigh. She walked out of the bathroom to prepare herself for bed.
—⊱✿⊰—
Shinrai entered the Shinobi Library of Konoha. Thanks to his shiny headband and Shinobi ID card, he was granted entry. This was the first time he was in the library. It was… underwhelming, to be honest. It looked pretty much the exact same as the public library, only there were more scrolls and different labels.
He shrugged. I don't know what I was expecting… he muttered before walking off to the Shinobi Clan section. It was alphabetically sorted, so he went to where he saw the letter U. He passed by the Uchiha section with distaste, before smiling once he saw the Uzumaki section. Perfect.
He grabbed the thickest book, found a seat, and began reading. Despite the length of the book, it didn't take him more than thirty minutes to finish. For the second time today, he was… disappointed.
The entire book was basically everything that he already knew but in expanded form. Yeah, there were some cool tidbits such as the Shodai's wife being the first Jinchuriki, and the fact that his clan enslaved death itself—which was cool as all hell, he had to admit—but he didn't really find… anything else. Shinrai groaned, frustration boiling over as he slammed a fist on the table, cracking it.
No secret techniques, no Kekkei Genkai, just the generic seal master, large chakra reserves, and extreme vitality that he's heard a dozen and a half times. He grit out a ragged sigh. If he'd have to find information about the Uzumaki Clan, he'd have to ask someone who had more knowledge than a book, then force them to write a book.
He chuckled bitterly. What am I thinking? The only person who'd know shit about the Clan was the Old Man Hokage, and I'm not gonna bother him about something like this. He pursed his lips, then he sighed.
He could at least find out who his parents were. All he'd have to do is look up the name Uzumaki in the record books. If he knew their names, at least… it would make him feel so much better.
He put away the book of the Uzumaki Clan, and walked toward one of the many copies of the Konoha Record Book, took it, and took another seat to read. He went to U again and skimmed past all the names until he got to the end. Uzumaki… he mumbled. The cold in his heart ached as he saw the few members of his clan that were ever in Konoha.
How many? Twenty? Thirty at most. The vast majority of them died long before he was even born. He drawled down the list before pausing at a name. Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mom.
He placed a hand on her name. I wonder what she was like? If she gave birth to Naruto, of all people, then she must've been amazing… he mused with a small smile. Of course, he saw his name, and Naruto's as well.
But… there was one more. Miya Uzumaki. His eyes widened. She is… alive. His smile grew. A living adult Uzumaki… he mumbled in disbelief. I have to meet her.
Shinrai paused. Wait… could she be my mom? he wondered. The age matched up. What if she hated him? Abandoned him purposefully… Well, there's only one way to know for sure.
He needed to speak with her. Her address was right next to her name—just like everyone else in the Record Book—it wouldn't take him more than a couple of minutes to reach her if he hurried up.
He just hoped that she was actually home, and not on a mission or something. That would suck very much indeed. He put the Record Book away, took a deep breath, then exited the library, making his way to the home of Miya Uzumaki.
—⊱✿⊰—
It was nights like these that Ryujin hated the most. Late-night cloud cover hid the stars. It made no difference whether his eyes were open or closed. The black nothingness was all he saw. His heartbeat felt like a fly in a hollow metal cast.
He simply looked into the black. Eyes open… sleepless. They burned from the lack of moisture—but he couldn't be motivated to keep them closed. With each meaningless breath, he slipped deeper and deeper. The black nothing turned into a pitch void. The fly in the hollow cast grew into a beetle in a cage.
The quiet movie of all his past failures, every pain—it bled to red. Silence shattered. Sadistic laughter. Ryujin clutched his heart, banishing its demonic grip. Awareness exiled the laughter from his mind.
Ryujin stood up from his bed.
He inhaled, he exhaled.
Ryujin shook his now aching head.
If I can't sleep then I need to do something… he murmured. But what?! Painful thoughts whirled in the pounding migraine of his skull. They flashed before him; he picked one out.
Naruto and Shinrai's apartment…
It was in shambles. That had yet to change.
No longer… he declared.
—⊱✿⊰—
This is a nice house, Shinrai thought to himself. It was a modest house, painted violet and black, with two stories to boast. If she's my mother, then of course she has good taste.
He took a deep, long breath to prepare himself. He walked up to the ebony dark wood door… and knocked. Each time his fist hit the door, he felt ice jolt into his veins. Silence followed, a silence so potent that he could only hear the blood pumping in his ears.
The silence was broken by the sound of a door unlocking. Oh shit, oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck! He chanted in his head as he began to tremble. I'm not ready for this. She's gonna fucking kill me. What part of me made me think showing up at a woman's house at night was a good idea?!
The door opened, and Shinrai stumbled backward. A woman towered over him with a visibly irritated expression. Her amber eyes glared at him like angry stars in the moonlight.
OH SHIT! SHE'S TALL! Shinrai panicked."Uh—h-hi…"
Miya let out a breath, and Shinrai gulped. "Who are you, and why are you at my house?"
"I… uh—I'm…" Shinrai sputtered, shaking as Miya's presence weighed down on him like a dozen mountains. "I'm uh…"
Miya glared, and Shinrai nearly shit his pants. "You have thirty seconds to leave, or explain yourself."
"I'M SHINRAI!" he yelled, causing her to raise her brow. "Uzu… Uzumaki… "
Miya's glare softened, and Shinrai let out a sigh of relief, finally able to breathe again. "And… I…" Shinrai continued. "Do you… know who I am?"
"Yes, I do," she answered, her voice softer, and much, much less angry.
Hope soared in Shinrai's heart. "Are you… My mom?"
"No… I'm not your mom," Miya answered, shaking her head.
Shinrai chuckled, scratching the back of his head, trying to ignore the sudden pit of despair in his stomach. "Ah… okay. Is… Is it okay if we talk?"
"Yeah, we can talk," Miya agreed, her irritation turned fully into a small smile. "Just… don't randomly show up at someone's house at night—especially a woman's."
Shinrai lowered his head and chuckled still. "Yeah… I figured. I was just impatient."
"I understand. Come in," she urged, holding the door open for him.
Shinrai walked into her house, and his eyes widened. It was the cleanest house he'd ever seen in his life. The walls and floors were pristine, the tabletops and contours sparkled in the artificial light, there wasn't even any dirt between the tiles.
"Woah…" he gaped in awe. He made sure to take off his shoes before stepping off the welcome mat. He would rather die than mess this place up.
Miya chuckled. "Thank you for taking off your shoes."
"No problem," Shinrai responded.
She pointed to the burgundy couch to the left. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll get you some food."
"How did you know I was hungry—?" Shinrai questioned.
Miya laughed. "I was just being hospitable. It's polite to offer food."
"Ah, I see," Shinrai noted before walking over to the couch, awaiting the arrival of Miya and her food.
As promised, Miya came to the living room with a bowl of fruits, and Shinrai's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "Hot damn, that looks good."
"Don't make a mess," Miya stressed, before sitting down on the couch across from Shinrai with her own bowl of food.
Shinrai nodded. "I won't!" he assured with a smile. Now that Miya wasn't obscured by shadows, he could finally make a proper assessment of how she looked.
Her hair was long. He even saw the silky onyx black of it resting on the couch behind her back. However, it wasn't completely black. There were streaks of the same crimson he displayed on his hair on Miya's like tiger stripes.
Shinrai took a handful of fruit and stuffed it in his mouth. She was definitely gorgeous. Her skin matched her amber eyes with a tanned brown. It was the exact same shade as Ryu's, actually…
"You better not…" Miya said, before sighing. "What do you want to talk about?"
Shinrai looked up, his mouth full of food. "Uh…"
"Swallow first…" Miya ordered. "Don't forget to chew! I don't want you to choke."
Shinrai was already coughing on the food. He slapped his chest, cleared his throat, then did as Miya said. She shook her head, chuckling.
Shinrai smiled awkwardly, before gaining his composure with a deep breath. "Do—did you… know who my parents were?"
"I knew of them," Miya responded, her soft tone low with… guilt, sorrow even.
Shinrai nodded slowly, taking a deep, shaking breath. "Can I know their names?"
"Your father was Hajime Uzumaki. Your mother was Shizu Uzumaki," Miya informed, looking down into her bowl of fruit.
Shinrai smiled. A warm wave of satisfaction and peace washed over him like the warm serenity of a shower. "Thank you…"
"You're welcome," Miya answered, allowing a small smile to cross her lips when she saw Shinrai's.
Shinrai's smile faded as another question came to mind. "Am I right to assume they're dead?"
"They… are," Miya said, her smile fading as the shadow of sorrow shaded her face again.
Shinrai tilted his head slightly. I don't know what I was expecting… he sighed. "I didn't see their names in the Konoha Record Book. Were they not from Konoha?"
"No," Miya said, sitting stiffly as she seemed to up her guard.
Shinrai narrowed his eyes. There's something going on here, he noted. "How did my parents die?"
"I… can't tell you that. I'm sorry," Miya apologized, looking down as she shut her eyes. "It's… a village secret."
Shinrai sat up straight, leaning backward as he hummed. "Interesting," he noted. He decided not to push this subject, despite the churning pit of emotion that ached in his stomach."If you knew who I was, and I assume you know of Naruto, everyone does…"
Shinrai leaned forward, staying silent until Miya looked up at him. He locked his emotion into a cage and looked at her with an even stare of his coal-black eyes. "Why weren't you there for us?"
"I… couldn't be," Miya said, shifting in her seat. "After… an incident, a couple years ago—"
"Was it eight years ago?" Shinrai questioned.
"How do you know?" Miya questioned in return.
"Lucky guess," Shinrai murmured, as his mind raced.
Miya looked at him suspiciously, but sighed. "I was on a series of long-term missions outside the village, which I've only recently finished. I'm sorry I wasn't there… I really wish I could've been."
"I assume you can't tell me what you were doing?" Shinrai asked, leaning back.
Miya frowned. "I can't."
"Thought so," Shinrai said with a sigh. "I'm sorry for being such a downer. I just needed those questions answered," he apologized, finally touching his bowl of fruits again.
Miya leaned forward. "You don't have to apologize, I understand… the loneliness. How it hurts sometimes," Miya empathized, looking downward. "I'm sorry for being one to make that hurt worse."
"You're not making it worse, you're making it better," Shinrai assured. "You exist… which is more than I could ask for, honestly."
Miya's face fell as she shut her eyes. "Shinrai…" she started. "So, you're not… mad or anything?"
"Nah, I'm not mad," Shinrai said. "Unless you killed my parents or something, I don't think I could be mad at you. I just… want to—I don't know how to say this without sounding weird—but like… I want to be with you, I want to interact with you. I want you to be my family…" Shinrai drabbled, looking Miya in her eyes with an emotional stare.
"I barely know you, but you're already so important to me. I don't care that you're not my mom, I don't care that you weren't there, I don't care that you can't tell me everything I want to know, I just care that you're here!" Shinrai stressed, rambling before letting out a chuckle.
He looked up at her and smiled. "I'm just happy you're here now."
"I…" Miya started, at a loss for words. She shook her head and let out a small laugh. "Well, I'm glad that you're happy."
Shinrai grinned. "Y'know, let's talk about something fun!"
Miya nodded readily in agreement. "Let's do that."
"What do you know about the Uzumaki Clan? That isn't… what everyone already knows," Shinrai stressed, looking at her more intensely than he intended.
"Well, what do you want to know?".
Shinrai pondered. "Any like… Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques… I already know all the history and stuff. Just like, cool things y'know."
"Well, have you heard of the Adamantine Chains?" She inquired.
Shinrai perked up. "I haven't!"
Miya opened the palm of her hands, and slowly a single chain of Adamantine Gold tipped with the point of a spear. "I can make a hundred of these."
"Woah…" Shinrai gaped in awe.
Miya smiled. "The Uzumaki Clan has a strong affinity for Yang Chakra. Adamantine is extremely dense Yang Chakra. When balanced with the mostly Yin-based nature of the Sealing arts… it creates a very potent combination."
"How do I get them?!" Shinrai asked, nearly jumping out of his seat.
Miya's smile grew. "Usually extreme through emotional trauma."
"Then why don't I have them?!" Shinrai yelled in outrage.
Miya's smile dropped in an instant. "Uh… Sir?"
"Do I need… more trauma?" Shinrai inquired before stuffing a strawberry in his mouth.
Miya waved her hands. "No! No. Stop, you can get stronger in other ways. Plus, not every Uzumaki can use the chains, anyway."
"Aw," Shinrai pouted, chewing the strawberry.
Miya sighed. "How good are you at math?"
"Terrible."
Miya placed a hand on her chin. "Hmph… Well, that's what sealing is mostly—"
"FUCK!" Shinrai yelled after swallowing the strawberry. "Yeah, I'm a failure of an Uzumaki."
Miya leaned forward. "If you're so bad at math, then how did you graduate from The Academy?"
"Oh, I ran a cheating ring!" Shinrai answered excitedly. "I basically offered people protection from bullying as well as fake physical test scores—performed by Naruto and I—and other beneficial things in exchange for answers!
"And if someone didn't keep their end of the bargain…" Shinrai trailed off, crushing a grape in his hand as a demonstration. "They paid… interest. Never got caught once."
Miya hummed in pondering. "So, you're smart enough to run a cheating ring under the nose of Chunin… but not smart enough to be good at math?"
"Exactly," Shinrai answered.
Miya chuckled lightly. "That sounds more like a lack of effort than a lack of capability. You tried math, you weren't good at it and you didn't like it, so you did everything in your power to avoid doing it."
"Uh…" Shinrai mumbled, at a loss for words. "I mean…"
Miya laughed. "Yeah, I think you should give math another go, then come back to me and then we'll start on learning the Sealing Arts."
"What does math have to do with sealing, anyway?" Shinrai asked, leaning back on the couch, looking longingly into his empty cup where there was once fruit.
Miya sighed. "I would explain, but that would take very long and it's already getting late. Go get some books from the library tomorrow, and then that should let you know everything you need.
"If you need help with math, just ask me. Make sure Naruto does this too. No Uzumaki is going to be ignorant in the Sealing Arts under my watch," she declared.
"Alright, alright," Shinrai said, standing up from the couch with a huff. He smiled, looking at Miya. Thanks for talking to me tonight. Naruto's going to be real excited when I tell him about you," he thanked as his smile grew.
Miya let out a breath and smiled back. "You're welcome, Shinrai. Now go home and get some sleep."
"I will; have a good night," he said, waving as he walked out of Miya's home. He took in a deep breath of the night's air and looked in the direction of Konoha's library. Sorry, Ms. Miya, but I'm too excited to sleep.
He proceeded to make his way to the library, and check out as many math and sealing books as he could. This meeting went infinitely better than he thought it would, and for once… he was alone, and the cold was gone.
He paused. This is odd… He was very sure that he had no romantic feelings for a thirty-plus-year-old woman, and yet, her presence in his life still warmed his heart enough to make the cold go away.
Was it simply a new bond? The information about his parents… was it all of those things that made him happy? If so… then he would need to forge more bonds with people. He just… didn't know who.
The first person that came to mind was Kusari, but it felt weird trying to talk to her after the whole rejection thing. She was kind of cold, too. She seemed to like Gosei more than him, anyway.
Gosei was obviously off the table. Befriending him was a betrayal to his brother, and he would die a thousand times over before ever thinking of doing such a thing. On top of that, his fucking attitude never failed to piss him off. It reminded him of how the villagers treated Naruto…
Ryu, however, seemed plausible. After the conversation with Naruto the other day, it was very apparent that he cared about Naruto—more than himself even. Anyone who cared for Naruto was a friend in his book. He just needed to… talk to Ryu more.
Shinrai nodded to himself as he clenched his books. Yeah, Ryu's hopefully gonna be a good friend…
He made the resolution that he would befriend Ryu, pretend Kusari didn't exist, and wish for Gosei's downfall.
Yeah, that's a good plan
—⊱✿⊰—
The following day, Kusari sparred with Ryujin under the afternoon sun, quite displeased with the interaction that she had with Shinrai some time prior.
…And it happened again, Kusari grumbled as she hurled a kick at Ryujin-sensei. She had gotten the hang of using her legs in battle quite quickly. It was only an extension of her body after all, a body she was very familiar with using.
What can I do? She questioned, throwing her foot at Ryujin-sensei's gut. It was reflected, as was expected. She wasn't even properly thinking about what she was doing. Her body just moved on its own as she fell deeper into her thoughts.
I talked to him, and then he avoided all my questions and scurried off into training as soon as possible. Did I really hurt him? Is it impossible to be his friend now…?
She launched her leg at her sensei and she felt her body quake as it was blocked. No. I will find a way to be his friend… She furrowed her brows with thought as she unknowingly increased the speed of her kicks.
What does he like? Maybe I can play into that… what did he say he liked again? She dug into the depths of her memory. Red… she noted. His outfit made it quite obvious. Self-improvement… Poetry… and… she trailed off.
These won't be much help right now, she grumbled audibly so as she further increased the ferocity of her kicking. What did he show rather than say…
Her mind raced alongside her legs, and then her heart dropped. She was in freefall for a split second before hitting the floor of the grassy field with a thump. Kusari looked up at Ryujin-sensei, who looked down at her with a smirk.
He tripped her.
"Y'know, it's not a good idea to get lost in thought during a sparring match; unless it's me fighting you guys, of course," he quipped with his signature look of superiority.
Kusari sighed, then got up from the floor. "I would like to spar with Shinrai."
"What brought this on?" he inquired with a raised brow.
Kusari shrugged. "A whim," she answered half truthfully.
"Alright…" he agreed with a slow nod. "C'mon then."
He turned his back and walked toward the forest, leading Kusari into it.
"I FUCKING HATE WATER!"
Ryujin-sensei chuckled. "We're getting closer."
"Indeed…" Kusari agreed.
A short walk later, and they came across a stream where the real Ryujin-sensei sat by, reading a novel while Shinrai alongside a dozen of his clones struggled to stand on the water.
The Ryujin-sensei next to her popped into smoke, and the real one looked in her direction. He nodded slowly and turned his head to the stream.
"Shinrai! You have a visitor!" he announced.
Shinrai looked at Ryujin-sensei. "Huh?" he questioned before falling into the stream for the nth time.
His clones laughed at him, and then they fell as well. Shinrai's clones popped into smoke and the original climbed out of the water with he and his clothes utterly soaked.
He looked at Kusari and pursed his lips. "Hello…"
"I wish to spar with you, Shinrai," Kusari proposed. "Do you accept?"
Shinrai paused, furrowing his brow. "O…kay? I don't know why you'd wanna do that though," he mumbled as he stepped in front of her, sighing deeply as got into a battle stance.
Kusari took a deep breath. Okay, if I give him a good time in a fight, then that should mend our… awkwardness. She observed the pleasure Shinrai derived from battle in the past; the way he couldn't help but grin while battling Ryujin-sensei was her only real example, but it was all that she needed to know.
Kusari couldn't blame him at all. She had to admit that the intense adrenaline that was birthed from combat was a fun experience from time to time. On top of that, he was a boy; all boys liked violence in some way, shape, or form.
She activated her Byakugan and her field of vision increased to a nearly three-sixty-degree dome around her. The color of the world vanished aside from the blue fiery chakra that Shinrai displayed.
Shinrai took a step back and hurled a flurry of shuriken her way. She effortlessly knocked them out of the air with her fingers. There was no immediate follow-up like she expected. She assumed Shinrai knew he couldn't hide from her, which it seemed he attempted to in the tree above.
She leapt up to the tree to engage. He simply leapt out and threw a kunai at her. She, of course, deflected. Kusari narrowed her eyes. This isn't how I thought he would fight, it's too passive… I might need to increase my offense.
Her Byakugan pulsed, and she saw Shinrai's chakra flare with alarm. She used the Juken in her feet. The tree branch snapped from the inside out. She launched herself at him with a blue streak.
Shinrai braced as she hit his arms with the Juken. He winced, but it seemed to have little effect. She looked inside his arms. There's no more chakra than there usually would be. Is his natural durability just that high?
In the time she analyzed his arms, he didn't attack. He didn't utilize the opening I purposely gave him… He's definitely holding back.
She launched another Juken strike to his arms, stronger this time. He tensed, and she spied small tears in the muscles of his forearms. "If you keep holding back, then you're going to lose this fight."
She backed up her statement by kicking his side, channeling the technique of the Juken into her shins. It made impact. Shinrai buckled, falling to his knees. Kusari didn't stop. She took her other leg and kicked him in the chest, and he fell to the ground.
"Get up," she ordered, more sternly than she intended.
Shinrai sighed and did as she said. Kusari nodded, allowing a smile to curl her lips slightly. "Now fight back."
"I know how to fight, y'know," Shinrai mumbled, avoiding eye-contact.
Kusari tilted her head. "It doesn't look like that right now."
Shinrai grunted in response, before pulling out two kunai from his pouch and holding them in a reverse grip. Kusari smirked victoriously. He's taking this seriously!
Shinrai swiped at her, and she dodged the attack with little effort. The hesitation in his attack was clear as day under the scrutiny of her Byakugan eyes. Her smirk disappeared. I need to push him further.
She took advantage of the opening in Shinrai's half-assed attack and stuck at his chest with her palm. He groaned and took a step back. Kusari struck at him again. He blocked the Juken with his opposing hand, wincing as he did so.
Good, she muttered before intensifying her offense. She forced Shinrai further on the defensive. She flung Juken strike after strike at him. He kept stepping back and back until he leapt away from her, shakily landing on the stream.
"So, what's your plan here?" Ryujin-sensei asked rhetorically.
Shinrai ignored him and looked at Kusari. He sighed, shaking his head. She saw his legs erupt with chakra. He launched himself at Kusari. She prepared for it, lowering her stance as he flew at her like a bullet.
She deflected the kunai that was hurled at her, then jumped back to dodge Shinrai himself. He didn't seem to do anything with his momentum other than land with a massive thud.
There it is, that was a hint of something; I'm getting there. I just need to hurt him more, Kusari planned, before charging at Shinrai and hitting his shoulder once with a full-power Juken strike, knocking it out of place.
Shinrai growled as he held his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw Kusari preparing another Juken strike of the same veracity. She saw panic spike in his chakra as he sporadically leapt upward, head-butting her in the nose with his guarded forehead.
Kusari shut her eyes in pain as she took a couple of steps back. Closing her eyes put her at no disadvantage. She could see through her eyelids. Through said eyelids, she saw Shinrai freeze, with a different type of panic causing his chakra to spike like an erratic heart rate.
She couldn't deny that she disliked being caught off guard by the sudden pain. But… I can't let him know that, or this is all going to fall apart. She opened her eyes, wiped the blood from her nose, and forced a smile.
Shinrai paused, and Kusari took advantage of that. She looked him in the eyes, channeling every bit of the real emotion and desire she felt to bond with him through the intense glare of the Byakugan.
Shinrai's chakra calmed, and he chuckled. He gave a slow, understanding nod… and smiled before crossing his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as a dozen Shinrais were summoned into existence in a cloud of smoke.
Kusari's forced smile turned into a real one of triumph. Finally, she said in relief as she steeled herself. The clones charged at her and she disabled all of them with a single Juken strike to the chakra core on their stomach.
By the time he was done with the last clone, she saw the real Shinrai dart toward her, his right arm—the one she dislocated—was pulsing with flared chakra. She turned to him, readying her Juken to strike, but Shinrai grabbed at her wrist with his other hand.
Kusari braced for impact. Shinrai's chakra filled fist was propelled into her already injured nose. Her entire head ached as she felt more blood pour from her nostrils. This is… pretty much what I was expecting.
She stepped back, but Shinrai's grip on her remained strong. She kicked Shinrai's chest with the Juken. He only paused momentarily before grabbing her ankle, lifting her up and slamming her on the ground.
She pulsed chakra from her wrist and ankle, forcing Shinrai off of her. She regained her ground and spun. "Rotation!" she shouted, forming a dome of chakra that launched Shinrai into a nearby tree.
She stopped her Rotation only to see a flurry of shuriken launched at her. She deflected them only for them to pop into a cloud of smoke, revealing that they were clones. One kicked her in the back of the head, and the other at her side. "Rotation!" she repeated, making a larger dome that blew the clones into smoke.
She stopped it again to see the real Shinrai charging at her with his dual kunai. Her Byakugan pulsed. She met him halfway and struck him in the chest with her Juken. Shinrai was slowed, but he kept going and slashed at her. She deflected it, but it only returned and her hand was cut, drawing blood.
Shinrai kicked her in the gut. She was sent skidding across the forest floor with a furrowed brow. He laughed, cracking his knuckles with his kunai in hand. "If you keep holding back, then you're going to lose this fight."
Kusari chuckled, enjoying the irony. "You are correct, Shinrai," she agreed before taking a deep breath. Her Byakugan pulsed, and a visible flare of chakra erupted from her eyes as she charged.
Shinrai attempted to block. Before he could do so, his arms ached with multiple Juken strikes. His chakra points were blocked. Shinrai grinned. He pushed through the pain and kicked at her. She knocked his leg down with a double Juken strike, ripping the muscles in his legs apart.
He stifled a scream of pain and somehow laughed at the same time. Kusari simply struck both of his shoulders, stopping his laughter. "You're not going to relocate them this time," she informed as she dropped into the Eight Trigrams stance.
Shinrai's chakra flared with fear while Kusari uttered, "Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms." With a flurry of quick strikes, thirty-two of Shinrai's chakra points were blocked. Kusari knew that wouldn't be the end, so she placed two fingers over his chakra core.
Shinrai cringed as he felt like his chakra was being siphoned from the source. Kusari ripped her two fingers back and struck his chakra core with a Juken strike from the opposite hand.
Shinrai's strangely chakra-filled eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He collapsed to the floor face first, entirely immobilized. "Fuck…"
"You're the one who asked me to stop holding back," Kusari commented with a smile on her face. She knelt down and rolled him on his back to rest in a more dignified position.
Shinrai attempted to nod. "Yeah… you're right," he agreed with a strained voice.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Kusari asked, tilting her head over Shinrai.
Shinrai smiled, looking her in the eyes. "Yeah! Yeah… Why did you want to fight me, anyway?"
"Because I gathered that you like fighting, so I decided to fight you as a bonding activity," Kusari explained truthfully.
Shinrai raised his brow. "Bonding…?"
"Yes," Kusari confirmed with a dutiful nod, remembering to deactivate her Byakugan. "I want to be your friend, Shinrai."
Shinrai simply stared at her, almost in disbelief. "You want to be my friend?"
"I do. We're going to be connected to each other for the rest of our lives because we're on this team. So, why not be friends the whole time?"
Shinrai's smile turned into a grin. "Yeah, let's be friends, Kusari!"
"I'm happy you accept," Kusari said, lowering her head as she returned Shinrai's smile. Two lifelong friends… Just as I promised, mother.
Ryujin-sensei cleared his throat as he walked over. "Now, that's sweet and all that you two are friends, but Shinrai is in need of medical attention since you really beat him into the dirt there."
"Oh—" Kusari realized, looking down at Shinrai with a more concerned look. "Did I hurt you too badly? Are you alright?"
Shinrai chuckled weakly. "Yes! I'll just need to wait until my chakra comes back, then I can put my arms back in place. But are you okay though? I kinda tried to break your nose…"
"My nose is fine," Kusari assured, touching it. "The bleeding stopped. I've never broken a bone in my life, actually."
Ryujin-sensei furrowed his brow. "Really?"
"Damn," Shinrai sputtered. "I think I've broken every bone in my body at least once…"
Ryujin-sensei's brow furrowed even more. "What—okay, both of you need to explain."
"I don't have an explanation," Kusari answered. "I simply have bones that are stronger than average."
Shinrai laughed, as if he recalled fond memories. "Me and Naruto beat the shit out of each other all the time! We break bones, stab each other, slice each other… It's how we settle things and have fun!"
"...Okay then," Ryujin-sensei said, dropping the topic. "I'll go pick up Gosei, then you two are going to the infirmary with me."
Kusari bowed. "Yes, sensei," she said before picking up Shinrai, who yelped in pain as she did so. "Sorry—" she apologized.
"You hurt me way worse five minutes ago; why are you apologizing now?" Shinrai questioned, flopped over her shoulder.
Kusari chuckled lightly. "Right…"
They walked by the river as the backdrop of the setting sun silhouetting the trees black as the blue stream glistened with gold. New bonds were formed that day, born from the introspection of those who wished it so.
—⊱✿⊰—
"Y'know, Ms. Miya is the literal best and the actual worst at the same time," Naruto muttered, walking with his hands clasped behind his head.
Shinrai scoffed, walking beside him with his hands in his pockets, which were covered in bandages from his battle with Kusari. "What are you talking about? She's as amazing as the stars above us!" he said, gesturing to the night-time sparkles in the cosmos above.
"She made us do math!" Naruto grumbled with distaste.
"So we can use seals! The trademark of the Uzumaki!" Shinrai defended.
Naruto shrugged. "I'd rather have the chains…"
"Not gonna lie, I would too…" Shinrai agreed, ashamed that he did so. "But the seals are cool too! Plus, she said that seals make the chains better!"
Naruto looked at him, his brow raised. "Huh?"
"The regular chains are pure Adamantine… but when you add the Yin of the Sealing Arts on top of it…" Shinrai explained slowly, awaiting Naruto to catch on.
Naruto's expression lit up. "OH! Yeah! That! I totally remembered that."
"Uh huh…" Shinrai falsely agreed as they walked into their apartment complex. They walked to their door at the end of the green and brown hallway. They raised their brows in sync as they read the note on the door.
A gift from Papa Ryu
Enjoy~!
The Uzumaki brothers looked at each other, then back at the door as Shinrai unlocked it. The door was opened and the pleasant aroma of campfire wood candles blessed their noses.
"Woah!" Naruto exclaimed as his eyes feasted on the sight of their apartment.
Shinrai rubbed his eyes, making sure his vision wasn't broken. "No way…"
The brothers gazed upon their newly renovated apartment: Pristine white marble was the material of the countertops. The walls were fully repaired and painted a warm sunset orange. The roof's water damage was gone, and it was colored a flashy yellow that matched Naruto's hair.
Shinrai took off his shoes before he walked into the apartment. Naruto followed his example and they both stepped onto the pristine opal tiles that were newly laid. The first place they went was their spotless kitchen.
They looked through every new wooden cabinet they had; to their amazement, it was stocked to the brim with every type of food imaginable, including six cabinets full of healthy, high-quality instant ramen.
"WOOHOO!" Naruto cheered. "This is enough ramen to last me a lifetime!"
Shinrai opened the fridge and was blasted by chilled air. He pulled out a carton of milk—there were about three of those in there—and gasped as he looked at the expiration date. "This milk won't expire for weeks!"
"No way!" Naruto shouted in disbelief. "Fresh milk?!"
Shinrai nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Everything here is fresh!"
"Man, Papa Ryu's the best!"
Shinrai pumped his fists in agreement. "DAMN RIGHT!"
"Wait, what do our bedrooms look like?!" Naruto asked, his eyes wide with joy.
Shinrai gasped and ran to his room without saying a word. He flung open the door to see that he had a King sized bed all to himself. It had four pillows on it and two blankets, all colored various shades of red.
He flung his jacket off and leapt onto the bed, nearly falling off from the bounce that the springs had. "Woah!" he yelped as he grabbed onto the bed. "THIS IS SO COMFY!" he yelled.
"MINE IS TOO!" Naruto shouted back from his room.
They ran out of each other's rooms, meeting in the hallway with a thud as they ran into each other. Shinrai groaned as his wounds ached, and Naruto laughed. "Wait," Shinrai realized. "I think I saw food on the table."
"OH, YEAH THERE WAS!" Naruto realized as well. They got up from the floor and ran to their dining table and found two bowls of professionally cooked gourmet ramen.
Shinrai's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Damn…"
"THIS LOOKS SO GOOD!" Naruto screamed before clapping his hands together.
Shinrai did the same. "Thank you for the food!" they thanked in tandem before digging into the ramen, elated with joy in their new home.
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?