A/N. Revised 12/3/2021.

"You guys know how to Pyramid?" I asked. I really hoped Ayame taught them that one. I don't have an overwhelming amount of chakra left, so this'll have to be quick. The three in front of us were lining up. The Aburame put up a hand sign.

"Let's just do this already!" Anko shouted impatiently. I'll take that as a yes.

Anko and Kouta unleashed shuriken on them and rushed their position. They dispersed in separate directions. The Aburame jumped back. Perfect. I jumped too.

"Passing fang!" I rotated in midair, just fast enough to force myself into a chakra corkscrew, subsequently ramming into the girl, feeling her defending bugs burn themselves against my form.

Her back slammed into the ground. Hard. I felt her chakra disrupt and dip.

One down.

I flew to Kouta's position and found myself facing rando. I've actually come to like the nickname.

They had gone to ground, Kouta on top in a grappling position. Well that's not ideal. For rando.

I calmly walked around and wolf clawed his face. He stopped resisting. That's probably a concussion.

"I totally had that.." Kouta said, getting off of him.

"Sure you did." He perked up once he saw Anko jogging back to us, a scratch on her arm the only indication she just came out of a fight.

"Let's go! I just heard Tomoe yelling! They're probably still fighting!"

We rushed towards the sound of battle, dodging a particularly nasty Great Fireball. That was probably Ayame. She's still not messing around.

Coming to the scene we found that the other battles had merged into one big one, jutsu and shuriken and bodies flying everywhere.

Damn. Not much space for an actual strategy. Eh. Fits the Four Legs better like this anyway.

"Let's gooo!" Hyuurou flipped over me and kicked some guy back to where he came from. Anko started throwing shuriken again.

I grinned, and put my hands together. "Bestial Illusion: Emblematic Pride." If possible, the battlefield got even more chaotic.

Some girl came from below me, trying to grab my ankle. Kurenai again? Didn't we get rid of you like way back?

I jumped back, and then to the front again as an explosive tag went off behind me. Kurenai capitalized and moved for my throat. What is with these tiny children and murder?

Oh right. Ninja children.

I clawed her outstretched hand away, then used my other claw to punch her face, swiftly following it with a roundhouse kick. Ain't no way Four Legs is getting beaten by a genjutsu specialist.

"There can be only one~!" I shouted as she flew out of the danger zone. I couldn't deny it now. I was having way too much fun.

Whoa! Kunai too close to my face.

Wait, is that Tomoe on the floor there? And that's Genma standing over her, rather menacingly I might add. That's not good.

"Lighting Release: Striking Bolt!" I sent out in their general direction. The bolt just barely missed him, but it spooked him enough to back away a few meters. I shunshined over. Did I mention I could do that now? I can do that now.

"Arata! What are you doing here?!" Tomoe grunted out. She was clutching her arm. Can't count on her to fight then.

"Saving you, duh. Tit for tat and all that."

"What?" I don't think that translated very well. Win some you lose some I guess.

I looked over to where Genma was before. And oh. He's on the floor, and that's a dislocated shoulder. Seems Ayame got her way with him.

The battle was dying down now, and it was clear who the winner was. The older kids definitely didn't foresee having an entire new group of children to fight in their strategies apparently. So far only Tomoe seemed to have any significant injury among our group.

I lifted her up by her good arm. It seems only Asuma was left, slowly backing away from a furious Ayame. All of our group approached Ayame from behind, probably making for a very intimidating sight from Asuma's perspective.

"You make traitors out of my friends, then you injure my other ones." She started whispering, her voice increasing in volume as she got more and more heated. "You steal my Heirship." The Killing Intent came back in full force. How does she still have the chakra for that? "You bully my best friend! Then you tried to kill me!" She took one solitary kunai out from the ground. "Tell me why I shouldn't end you right now!"

I smelled pee. And—really? Now?

"That'll be quite enough, Ayame." Chizuru-sensei shunshined in between them, calm as you like. I could feel the chakra signatures of other sensei and medics come in through the battlefield. Where the hell have they been this whole time?

Horrified looks crossed everyone but Ayame's face. They think we're in trouble. How funny.

I deactivated the Four Legs.

…..

Fuck. That is a crash. Where did my jovial mood go? I didn't know the Four Legs could influence my mood this badly. I'll have to examine this a bit more. Seems embracing your feral side is just the beginning.

"You will all head back to the barracks as soon as you are cleared by the medical staff. Recalcitrant behavior will be reprimanded. Harshly." Chizuru-sensei looked at Ayame pointedly.

My toes curled. This wasn't right. All of this? I glared at Chizuru-sensei as everyone left or got checked up, making sure she knew what I wanted. I didn't really care for the warning she gave me.

She gave in just as Ayame took the hint and lowered her kunai, instead walking towards Tomoe, whose arm was being healed by a medic.

Chizuru-sensei took off her glasses.

….In spite of my reason for being here, I still had to take a second to admire the place. Didn't get any less cool.

Back on topic. "This could have gone wrong in so many ways. It really wasn't worth the potential lesson." About halfway through I started to figure out why the sensei hadn't intervened yet. That was pretty much the closest we'd get to an actual battle until the war started. This camp is to prepare us for war. Didn't really matter how you achieve that goal. In the end, that's the bottom line.

Doesn't mean I had to agree with it.

"If it is any sort of consolation, I did not agree with letting tensions rise to this degree." Her avatar said.

'Then who did?' I didn't ask. The answer wouldn't matter to me. Not that she would give me one.

"We could have seriously injured ourselves many times. A few actually went in for the kill. It isn't worth the very real damage." I clenched my teeth. "Next time something happens, I'm stopping it way before it can escalate to that level. I'm not interested in another fight like that, no matter what anyone says." Including you.

As usual, Chizuru-sensei gave nothing away on her face. Kami, sometimes I wish I could just—

"That will suffice." What?

I was wrenched out of the genjutsu, almost losing my footing from the shock. Chizuru-sensei had her glasses back on and was walking in the direction of the sensei's quarters like nothing happened.

Rude.

I held myself in from stomping back to the barracks. Wouldn't exactly send the best message.

After bathing and checking on the bleeding from before, (thank kami it healed fairly quickly, another change..) I sat down on my bed.

I couldn't sleep. This was contrary to almost everyone else there, who after the events from today were pretty much passed out. Even the children that didn't participate were probably hung up from the stress, and therefore dead to the world. If only I could join them.

I played with the sleeve of my gi, wearing it as a pyjama again. It's still a little too big for me. Really hope I grow into it by the time I get my headband. Shizuka would hang me by my foot if I didn't wear it by the time I get a jounin sensei.

"Hey. Tomoe wants to speak with you." Ayame was beside me suddenly. I had sensed her coming, but thought she would go over to Torune instead. These past few days she made a habit of curling up in Tomoe's bed to protect her. It was kinda cute actually, even if the reasons for it certainly weren't.

"Aren't you way on the other side of the barracks? She's like. Four beds over." Seriously, can't she come for me herself?

"Yeah?" She asked innocently.

"Ugh. Fine. Just know we're gonna have a talk soon as well. Going off like that wasn't right, no matter what he did to you." Her eyes flashed, and I was reminded of the moment on top of the pillar. She really would have burned all those kids. Didn't matter if they'd make it out alive. Third degree burns are no joke, even if the Mystical Palm technique could heal those.

"Okay. We will." She said, almost defiantly.

I raised my eyebrows at her as I walked away, letting her know I wouldn't drop this topic. She met my eyes the whole way. This girl.

Anyway, "You wanted to talk?"

Tomoe scowled at me from on top of her bed. Her hair was somehow even wilder coming out of the baths. She didn't speak for a few seconds. "Why did you help me?"

Umm, what? "Didn't I tell you? You came for us, I came for you. It's not that complicated." I crossed my arms.

She huffed. It was a high huff. "I didn't come for you! I came for Ayame and Torune! Hah! You and your scrawny butt. No way I would come for you." She avoided eye contact.

I'm not impressed. "Uh huh. So are we done here?"

"N-no!" Her hand on my shoulder stopped me from walking away.

Huh. That was strange. In all the years I've known Tomoe, not once has she touched me without the intent to hurt there. Even before she started hating me, she wasn't exactly a docile child.

I turned around, slowly and deliberately, question very much posed.

"Just know that I could have gotten in a lot of trouble coming to save you guys, you know," She said, not meeting my eyes. "But I went anyway. Because Hayama wanted me to, I went okay?"

My mind lit up with several different pings. Let's address the most important one first.

"That's very brave, Tomoe, to go against Nobuyuki like that." I went out on a limb.

She puffed up. "That's Nobuyuki-sama to you! And he can be kind sometimes too. When he tells me to do things I get treats sometimes. You know that? They're the good treats too. Not the store bought ones."

Seriously? Nah. He couldn't have left a hole this big. This is too easy. "What was the best treat you've ever gotten?" I asked, hoping I sounded curious and not investigative.

"Once I got this really good cherry-flavored one! I love cherries! I just had to give this letter to Mana-san once and he was really happy with me! Mana-san didn't seem too happy though." It really is this easy.

And blackmail? Against the caretakers? "When was this?"

She frowned. "Uuuh, two months ago?" That recent? Seems his hold on the place isn't as strong as I thought. There's a hope at least.

"Wait! Why do you care anyways? You're not gonna get any treats from him! Not ever!" I really hope people could sleep through her shouting right now. I don't wanna have even more problems in the morning.

"And why is that?"

"Cause he doesn't like you! He wants you gone and I have to show you up to—oh crap." She clammed up, slamming a hand over her mouth.

"Why do you have to show me up, Tomoe?" I asked patiently. She started trembling. I took her hand, hoping it would calm her.

"I—I can't tell you. Stupid Arata!" She wrenched her hand away from me. Her eyes frantically started looking for exits.

And I hit the limit. Or maybe.. "Tomoe. He's not here. He's not going to harm you."

"You don't know that! He has eyes and ears everywhere!" No way. There's no way.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can't tell you!" There was a rush of chakra, and Tomoe's signature was suddenly half a mile away.

Great.

Shin P.O.V.

I watched the flowers bloom. Usually when I do so, there's a feeling of calm. Peace. Nurturing something so beautiful is my light in the darkness you could say. But today there was no feeling of tranquility. Nothing to sooth my ailing heart, when in its most desperate hour.

I'm getting poetic again. At least that's a good sign.

What's not a good sign, is my lotus flowers. Usually lotus flowers are easy to grow. Even in the dirtiest waters, they persevere, and bloom to become something beautiful.

But mine weren't doing anything. I had been watching them for days, but no progress. None.

Not many put too much stock in the predictive aspect of the language of flowers. Even among the Yamanaka there's not a lot of people that think too deeply on how and why certain flowers bloom in the places that they do.

But I do. Every time something happened to me or my family, my garden told me so. Most people think I'm weird for thinking that. I certainly don't.

When my mother died in the Second War, all my carnations were eaten by mice.

When my sister was discharged from the Intelligence Division, my dahlia's, specifically my black ones started draining the nutrients of my amaryllis flowers.

And when my cousin fell ill after his wife left him, my peonies started rotting.

So when my lotus flowers don't bloom, I get worried. Really worried.

I heard a creak on the other side of the garden, and turned my head. Tsume walked in, closing the fence behind her.

Timidly.

Now, ever since we were put on the same team together, way back in our genin days, I've never known Tsume to do anything timidly. She was always direct and straightforward with everything. She never did something without asserting herself in the loudest and brashest way possible. It used to drive sensei mad.

She didn't like me at first, since I was none of that. But. Well. Things happened. Heh.

"Hey." She said in greeting, and nestled herself up next to me on my bench. I smiled at her. She didn't return it. I guess she doesn't wanna talk then. That's worrying.

I watched a frog enter my garden. He jumped on my lotus flowers, the ones that weren't blooming. Mmm. Should I do something about that?

Tsume's body pressed heavily against mine. She had stolen my right arm, hugging it.

The frog technically wasn't doing anything yet. No, I'll leave it.

"You didn't come to my marriage ceremony." She said quietly. Yeah, that came and went.

"I don't think I could have looked at his smug face for that long." I clenched my teeth. Just the thought of that Haruo bastard being anywhere close to her was too much for me to handle.

"I would've appreciated the support." She squeezed my arm tighter.

I stayed quiet. She unwrapped herself from me. "I made a lot of precautions to come here." She said.

Why is she being so roundabout today? "Alright, what's wrong?" I faced her.

"I… I need to know you're as committed as I am. Through all of this. I need reassurance."

"Of—of course I am. I'm still here aren't I?" A bead of sweat rolled off my back.

"Then I need more of you. With the war, and Haruo, then Nobuyuki I need people I can trust. I need you to be there." She grabbed my hands, and squeezed.

"I thought we agreed to keep it low profile, for now? Until the heat blows over?" My hands turned blue.

"Yes, but.." She trailed off. There she goes again. What's with all this hesitance?

"What's really wrong, Tsume?" I tried.

"I need—I…" Enough.

"Tsume." My hands creaked.

"I can sense when you're lying." She whispered. Shit. What?

"I'll be there, okay? Always. No matter what. Even if—" I felt my breathing becoming uneven.

"Even if what?" She said, with no heat. No will.

How could I explain my flowers to her? She never did believe in any of it, even when I told her about my stories. I can't.

"I need you to tell me what's wrong."

"I.."

"Tsume." I couldn't feel my hands anymore.

"I…"

"Tsume!"

"I'm pregnant!"

….

I lost control of my face. No matter what I tried, it didn't move.

"I'm pregnant. And I need your help. I don't know what to do. I feel lost. Mom and dad are too busy with the clan for me to dump this on them and I know ordinarily this would be a good thing but.." This quickly? It's barely been two weeks. How? "And then Haruo and dad are going to be deployed! They're being sent to fight already! What kind of timing is that?! I don't even know how to feel about—"

"How?" She stopped.

"How what?"

I couldn't process this. "How could you know?"

"Haruo wanted me to check, so I—"

"It's Haruo now? Not Haruo-teme? Or Harushit, or Haru—something else!"

She looked stricken. "Look, that doesn't matter right now. Right now I need—"

"It does matter! You're having his child!" I yelled. I stood up. I can't do this.

Tsume P.O.V.

No. No. Please no. "Shin, I need your help. I need you! Can't you see that? Haruo doesn't matter, I just ne—"

"Then why are you carrying his child!"

"I.." My chest ached. I vomited.

"Ugghleearhh!"

My knees are shaking. I can't feel my toes. I'm not in control. I'm not in control and I can't do anything about it. I need someth— I need Shin.

"Shin! I.."

That look in his eyes. Of disgust. And fear. He's never looked at me like that. Never.

"I can't do this Tsume. There's too much risk involved." No. No. Nononono.

"Goodbye." The whip of his chakra leaving me pushed against my face.

Leaving me.

He left.

He actually left.

He left.