A/N. Revised 12/6/2021.

Nobuyuki P.O.V.

'If you know this is a trap, why are you springing it?' Seki recounted in my head for the eighth time that day.

'Can I have some rest from this topic please? I have explained it many times already.' I made my way down the trapdoor, making sure no one followed me.

And I really had explained it. Three times to the rest of my supposed "allies," once to Danzou, and now twice to Seki. It was getting unbearable.

'You know Tomoe isn't a secure bet. So you intend to intervene. That plays right into Tsume's hand, and you know that. She's going to be there, making sure to catch you red-handed. So you stall Tsume with your Root guards, then make sure Tomoe gets a big enough catch? That's risky. First, Tsume might go right through them, and come straight to you. And she's not gonna be the only one in that forest. There might be others working against you here! We need more agents inside.'

I sighed. We had already reached the training grounds by this point. 'Tsume might be strong, but she is also pregnant. She will be unable to make it through that encounter unscathed and I have specifically ordered the Root agents to aim for her womb.'

I unsealed my whip. There was no one around at this time, it being mid-afternoon. They were either in their covers, on a mission, or sleeping. Not that I cared overly much.

I gave my new whip an experimental whack. It lit up in flames. Perfect. 'Aside from that, we have Sayuri waiting in the wings. It's regrettable that we couldn't get any others due to the war, but we are not alone in this either. Don't forget that.'

'So you intend for this to be an outright brawl? Settling the Inuzuka headship like that is barbaric!'

I stretched, then summoned three Fire Shadow Clones. 'Any more barbaric than our initial plan? I doubt it. Tsume was right, in a way. We would have whittled each other down for months, risking our standing with the rest of the clans because we were hoarding our resources to pit them against each other instead of sending it out to war. This is better. Danzou thinks so as well.'

'I know that. It's just. We spent years building up our support base, but now we are not even going to be able to use it to take her down. It seems wasteful.'

I activated the Four Legs. Chakra surged through me, and the whip lit up. It responds to clan jutsu? How interesting. 'It won't be when we are pulling the strings when Haimaru is head. Now are you going to sit there or are you going to help me train?' I tossed the second whip to her. She transformed into me.

She still hesitated. 'We're playing someone else's game. You know I'm not comfortable with that.'

'Don't worry. I have a contingency plan. Now that there is no one else around, I finally get to tell it to you.'

….

'Oh. Well. It certainly takes care of future problems.'

I looked back at the thoroughly scarred floor, sans Shadow Clones. Heh. 'Very effective' indeed.

'Doesn't it?'

Arata P.O.V.

I still couldn't believe it. I just stared, having been ushered out of the line quickly. Everyone else who made it this far was rejoicing, holding theirs aloft or already wrapping it around their heads or waist.

Surprisingly it didn't weigh all that much, but the metal was still sufficiently dense. I wonder what's it made out of. The dark blue cloth felt comfortably soft on my skin.

I was a ninja now. A real honest-to-God ninja. Many in my old world I knew and even some here would relish the opportunity but..

I would be a soldier now. I would go out to war, and take lives. Possibly, they would take mine. The headband all of a sudden became a lot heavier.

"You're supposed to put it on, silly! Look! I asked for mine in red. Doesn't it look cool?" Ayame announced next to me. She was showing off hers, forehead covered with the shiny Leaf insignia. She did a little dance.

"Are you having trouble deciding where to put it, Arata? I think I'll put it alongside my arm." Torune said, tying hers around her left arm. It looked right, somehow.

"Does it matter? Just put it anywhere! Who cares where you put it? I don't!" Anko yelled.

"I care.." Hayama muttered quietly, so only I could hear.

They were soldiers now too. They would be going out with me. Is it wrong that the thought comforted me?

Tomoe stepped out of the line with her new headband and made no fanfare in putting it around her head. "Get ready Arata. I'm coming for you. You're gonna lose."

I stepped up to face her, the air tense. "Sure I will. When pigs fly." I honestly couldn't care less about the Hunt, but Tomoe cared. And that was enough for me right now.

Chizuru-sensei stepping up on an erected podium killed our staredown before it truly started. "I have nothing left to say. You are out of my control, now. Go. Be ninja of the Leaf." She stepped down. That was it? Alright.

Tomoe zoomed away the moment she was done. "Have to go see Mariko! It's been ages!" Some sensei and newly-christened genin did the same.

Shiromaru. "Same reason. Gotta go." I Body-Flickered away.

"...Does he have to go see Mariko too? Why?" Kouta asked.

"I have no idea." Torune responded.

"Tsume help! I'm being squeezed to death!" Shiromaru squeaked out from between my arms. I had him in a vice grip. He smelled awful. When's the last time he's taken a bath? Clearly he does nothing right without me. I snuggled in deeper.

'It's been four months. I deserve this hug.'

'...yeah yeah. Nice to see you too.'

"Hey squirt. How was the training?" Tsume asked. It was nice being back in my own room, lying on my own futon. Trying to get sleep around dozens of hyperactive children was a nightmare. I was lucky they were dead tired at the end of most days, but my God the noises! I couldn't stand it. Add on the fact that some were just starting puberty and you could say my nose wasn't having any fun either. I hate being an Inuzuka sometimes.

"It was tiring, that's what. We were chased around by giant summons every morning. Had to be constantly on guard for the other kids too. Started some sort of pseudo war with a few of the older ones. We won, naturally."

She raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Why do you smell like that?" It was weird. She was letting out all sorts of unorthodox smells, but it very clearly wasn't menstruation.

"Well. Might as well get to the heavy stuff now." Ominous. She sighed, and took a seat in front of me.

I let go of Shiromaru, and he wiggled his way out and to the side of me. "I'll start with saying I'm pregnant." I choked on air. WHAT. "It's Haruo's. He's off to fight. So is dad and Aomaru." My eyes flew to her stomach. It's true, there was a bump there. How did I not notice that? And dad's gone?!

"Wha—"

"Let me finish." She held a hand up. "That's not everything. Nobuyuki's turned up his efforts towards headship by 11. Mom and Hanako went out to investigate but. Well. I'll just show you." She stood up just as quickly as she'd sat down.

We went out of the Head's house. Walked the lanes, slowly turning to the apartments. Why was mom there and not at home if she wasn't sent out? Going up the stairs we stopped at a familiar walkway. "Why are they at Shizuka's of all places?"

"She's shown an adverse reaction to her previous sleeping quarters." She said, tone clipped and not looking me in the eye.

"Why? What's wrong?" Why do I feel like I'm being led to a funeral or something? Tsume knocked.

Shizuka opened the door, and immediately moved to hug me. "Oh Arata! You're alright!" She squeezed me to my bones, and suddenly I felt a lot more sympathetic towards Shiromaru. Didn't mean it wasn't nice.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't I be? People had been giving me shifty eyes when I entered clan grounds a few minutes ago." In contrast to the usual ghosting. "Does that have anything to do with it?"

"Come in, I think you have a right to be filled in." She scooped me up in her arms and carried me in, so it's not like I had a choice.

"You know I'm a ninja now. I don't need to be dragged everywhere. Don't you see the shiny head..band.." Mom was in the center of the room, but she wasn't making eye contact. Wasn't responding to anything at all, really. Her stare was vacant, unfocused. She didn't look up at me when I entered the room.

"Mom, I'm back from the stupid camp. Are you alright?" Everyone sat down slowly, deliberately. "She's not responding. Tell me why she's not responding. Where's Hanako?" She wasn't in her usual jounin vest, having traded it for average civilian clothing. It didn't look very well-kept. Kuromaru was lying next to her, quiet and brooding.

Tsume sighed. "She and mom went to investigate like I told you, but only mom came back."

No. "Hanako is dead. And Nobuyuki killed her."

How?

I'm not happy. Nothing can't ever just go right anymore! Figures they'd dump everything on me in the end, somehow. Fucking hell.

Ugh I have to get out of this mindset. Tsume and Kuromaru were going to be right there in the forest with me. The real plan was catching Nobuyuki red-handed, that's all.

The Hunt was starting anytime now. I had to focus. Even though Ha—No! Focus.

We weren't in the village anymore, but at the old Inuzuka clan grounds. Some of them still used it as a supply point or meeting place but most of the time it was left up to the civilian sectors to do with as they pleased. What they couldn't touch however, was the massive forest right next to it. It was giant and fenced off. Supposedly it had all sorts of large and dangerous creatures there that I had to somehow subdue.

Without Shiromaru. Oh joy. And what's more, I don't think the game I'm gonna have to fight is going to be an animal.

I turned around to watch the procession behind me. Everyone in the clan who could had shown up today. It was a pretty big deal after all. This Hunt would decide the future of the clan. All their faces were stone. I saw Tsume and Nobuyuki at the forefront, both off and to the sides of Rika. Both shadow clones no doubt. They were probably already in the forest.

I turned back to the rest of the competitors. Tomoe was already there, nerves jacked up to eleven. Masato was also there, seeing as he graduated with us. There was another older kid I didn't recognize who I assume was on his second run. It didn't matter, really. It wasn't a competition.

And yet it was. Deep breath.

In.

Out.

"We will now commence the Hunt. At my signal you will head into the wilderness and show us the scope of your worth. Prove yourself honorable and valiant, and you will be greeted as one of our warriors. That is all." Rika droned.

The space was dead silent. I turned my body into a crouch, ready to jump into Four Legs as soon as possible. I could see in my peripheral others doing the same.

"Go."