?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Six — Dual Remainder ~ ?￢ﾜ ?
White. All he saw was white. White walls, white sheets, white lights, white curtains, white bandages that completely wrapped his hand, white curtains that hid the surely colorful view that was outside.
I really fucking hate this color, Shinrai mumbled as he sat up and his body ached. Well, I'm still alive… he said, letting out a breath of relief. He looked around the white hospital room and there was nobody there. Not even a nurse. Not even Naruto…
Shinrai pursed his lips as the last interaction he had with his brother flooded his pounding head a thousand times over. Fuck—
He leapt out of the sheets before pausing as he felt his back rebel against the sudden movement. "Fuck…" he grumbled through his teeth. He stretched in an attempt to relieve the pressure. His back cracked. Shinrai fell to his knees and gritted his teeth. Shit! Did my fucking back break?!
Shinrai cracked his neck and stood. I can still walk, I'm fine, he muttered before approaching the door and reaching his hand out to grab it. He stopped himself and narrowed his eyes in thought. Going out the proper way is gonna be a hassle, he stated, before turning around to the curtain-covered window and smirking. This is much better…
Shinrai walked forward and opened the window, before summoning chakra to his feet as he climbed out. He was about six floors up, and he let out a breath as he looked out to the gorgeous sunset that dyed the sky a plethora of oranges and indigos. He noted the absence of red, however. Red would make this so much better… red makes everything better.
Shinrai let out a sigh and began to walk down the hospital walls with little difficulty. Naruto, please be okay, he pleaded as the sense of dread regarding his brother exploded out of his control.
Because he used that Genjutsu on Naruto, he fucked up his mental state, and he is the one that let the Kyuubi out. Shinrai's heart dropped. …Naruto used the Kyuubi… he realized as he felt blood pulsate throughout his entire body.
The sound of his heart overshadowed the blowing of the wind, goosebumps rose alongside the hair on his cooling skin. Kusari could be dead, he could've died. What if Naruto was killed because there was no other way to subdue the Kyuubi's chakra?
All of it… would've been his fault.
Shinrai bolted down the hospital walls. I need to see Naruto, I need to see Naruto, I need to see Naruto—he chanted. The ache in his back meant nothing to him—neither did the burn of his legs nor the pounding of his head.
He leapt off the hospital wall onto the rooftop of a nearby building and moved so fast it looked like he flickered across the village. Naruto, Naruto, Naruto. His brother's name bounced in his head like a cannonball as bolted toward his apartment.
Shinrai saw the burgundy multi-story building and his eyes locked on it. He seemed to move even faster and before he knew it he was already at the front door. It would take too long to get the door open, so he kicked it off its hinges. Shinrai jumped up the stairs and within seconds, he was in front of his apartment door.
He instinctively twisted the handle, and the door flung open. Shinrai didn't even notice how the door was unlocked—he just screamed his brother's name. "NARUTO!"
From the couch, a blonde boy clad in orange stood. All the panic in Shinrai's body melted into relief as he nearly collapsed to his knees. "Naruto…" he said breathily.
Naruto didn't even turn to face him. "Leave."
"What?" Shinrai questioned as he looked up at his brother's back.
Naruto clenched his fists. "I said LEAVE!" he screamed, his voice cracking… as if he was on the verge of tears.
"Naruto—"
His brother turned his head viciously toward Shinrai. "LEAVE SHINRAI! How many times do I have to say it—just go! I can barely look at you!" Naruto yelled, tears nearly spilling out of his fierce azure eyes.
Shinrai trembled, looking down as he forced his composure and stood. He swallowed the lump in his throat; he stepped out the doorway and shut it. At least his brother was alive… but he was far from well. Shinrai walked out of the apartment, less than two minutes after he entered.
He hurt Naruto… I hurt Naruto… Shinrai mumbled to himself as he forced his trembling hand into his fist. He walked forward, and each step felt like he was picking up a boulder and putting it back down—over and over, and over, and over.
His heart was as cold as ever and it felt like ice every time it beat. The endless empty void that his body seemed to be imploding into didn't help and then there was the way his back instinctively slouched made his spine scream with pain and, and—"And everything FUCKING SUCKS!" Shinrai screamed as he fell to his knees.
Whether it was from exhaustion or pain, fuck it, it was probably both… Shinrai shook his head, fully slouching as he let out a breath of despair. He spent thirty minutes aimlessly walking around the village… only to realize that he was homeless.
Naruto kicked him out of their house, and he had nowhere to stay. Shinrai chuckled, shaking his head as his entire body rumbled with his hollow chuckles of empty humor. It hurt. Laughing hurt. Walking hurt. Everything fucking hurt. At least that meant… he was alive.
Not that I want to be alive right now… Shinrai mumbled, before sighing. It was time for him to deal with the consequences of his actions; he got himself into this situation. He wasn't a coward. Whatever happens, happens, and I'll just have to accept that it's all my fault…
Shinrai walked forward. This time, he had a destination. Ms. Miya's nice… she should let me crash at her place for a couple of nights… or permanently… Shinrai frowned at the possibility. Was it possible that he permanently cut himself off from his brother?
The very thought made him feel weak—even more so than he already was. Shinrai shook it off. No, I refuse to believe that. He walked forward with a ragged, painful sigh. He was on his way to Miya's home. Being around her brought him peace of mind. Maybe he could regain something resembling that there.
A short amount of time passed and he arrived at her home. He dragged his feet toward her door as he knocked; Miya told him to have a specific knocking pattern, so she'd know that it was him at the door. He managed to knock in that pattern despite the fire in his knuckles and the burn in his shoulder.
No answer.
He repeated the pattern, harder this time. His body screamed for him not to, but it fell on deaf ears.
Once again… no answer.
She wasn't home.
Shinrai let out a sigh. He turned around and slumped his back onto the door, sliding down the dark ebony wood and letting out a sigh of both pain and relief as he hit the bottom. The moment he let himself relax, his eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand tons and the world went blurry.
Shinrai knew at that moment that he let himself sleep—like he had much choice anyway—he'd fall straight into a nightmare. He didn't care; he fucking deserved it. It wasn't like his brain could conjure up something worse than the reality he lived in right now.
Before Shinrai could think much more, he slumped into the depths of unconsciousness against Miya's front door.
—⊱✿⊰—
Naruto didn't move from the exact stance he was in earlier; the stance he kicked his brother out in. He was still in front of the couch. His head was hung low and his fists were clenched.
Empty. Cold. Alone. The desolation of his apartment was strangling. It was pure claustrophobia. There were countless reasons why it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help but feel—no believe the contrary, the opposite of what was.
He knew a hug from Shinrai would make him feel better, but the moment he laid his eyes on him, he'd yell at him again, yell at the brother he almost KILLED!
I almost killed Shinrai.
I almost killed Shinrai.
I almost killed Shinrai.
Tears seeped from Naruto's eyes as guilt drained all the strength from his body. It was nauseating. They were right, all of them were right.
"You're a monster!"
"Fuck off, you devil!"
"Go back to hell, demon, it's where you belong!"
Naruto trembled with each stifled sob. A toxic churning of nauseating thoughts, confirming his newfound belief sickened Naruto to his core.
He hated this… this feeling. He felt…
… Like a monster. I'm a monster, Naruto admitted, failing to keep himself together. He was a monster because he could barely stand to look at his own brother, the only person that was always there for him.
Nothing he saw there was even real! Yet, he kicked his brother out of the only home he had because he was mad. All he was mad, he was sad; he was everything bad. He was…
"A monster." Naruto looked down in shame. "I'm a monster," Naruto sobbed, falling onto the couch in tears. He sobbed and cried for what seemed like forever. He was sick to his core, sick of himself, sick of EVERYTHING! He grit his teeth and wiped the tears away, catching his breath.
He stared through the non-stop welling of his tears and kept wiping them away to little avail. Through his grief, through his sadness… one declaration made itself clear.
If I'm a monster… then I want to be a monster in control.
Naruto stood, still wiping his tears away as he walked away from the couch and toward his front door. He opened the door and left, slamming it shut.
He was going to get that control that he needed.
—⊱✿⊰—
Everything was falling apart, and Ryujin knew he was to blame for all of it. He was unable to properly bond with any of his students, and they barely did so with each other, so this entire team didn't really live up to the name. A team that can't stand each other… What a fucking joke.
What was worse, however, was the situation with Naruto. Shinrai put him under a Genjutsu and he lost it. Ryujin clenched his fists. He nearly killed his own brother and would've done the same to Kusari had I not intervened…
Ryujin looked at the carpet of his apartment floor aimlessly. Sluggish heat and mellow cold weighed him down to the seat of his chair. He let out a ragged sigh and planted his face in his hands.
I told you that putting me in charge of a Genin squad was a bad idea! But NO! Ryujin screamed internally. You just had to do it anyway, put me in charge of a team. 'You need to find your Will of Fire and pass it on to the next generation.'
Isn't that what you said, Hiruzen?! The only will of fire I feel the will to burn in hell for all of my mistakes. I can just never stop fucking up, can I?!
Ryujin let out a bitter chuckle, then shook his head, rocking his cynical smirk back into a neutral expression. But, I'm here now; as much as it sucks, I'm here.
He let out a sigh. This wasn't like the past, set in stone… the future was uncertain. These kids were the future. They weren't the past; they weren't like him. They had hope, potential, and something to look forward to.
Whether he liked it or not, he was in charge of molding that future. Ryujin clenched his fist out of frustration. He stood from his chair, the light above him illuminating him like a flame alight.
I need to at least try, he declared before sliding on his sandals and walking toward his front door. He opened it and he saw a fist hit air.
A fist extending from an orange sleeve.
Ryujin furrowed his brow. "Naruto?"
"Teach me how to control the Kyuubi," he demanded, his gaze low with his face obscured by the shadow of his hair.
Ryujin paused; he shook his head, assuming he misheard. "I'm sorry?"
"Teach me how to control the Kyuubi's power," Naruto repeated. The rising frustration in his voice was clear as the words he spoke.
Ryujin let out a breath. "Come inside—"
"No," Naruto snapped. "I don't want to talk. Just teach me."
Ryujin frowned. "Naruto… what's wrong—?"
"You know what's wrong!" Naruto roared, finally looking up at Ryujin with a fierce azure glare surrounded by a face of dried tears.
Ryujin reeled, his frown deepening. Ice flooded his veins as any words he attempted to form disappeared into thin air. Nothing he could say could be comforting… but I can at least be useful.
"You can't control the Kyuubi's power when you're this emotional." A pool of uncertainty churned in his chest as he looked Naruto in his eyes.
Naruto began to tremble, his fists clenched, his teeth grit and tears welled in his eyes. "I know…" he said, barely above a whisper. "But this is all I know how to be!"
Ryujin felt the pool in his chest pour into the growing pit in his stomach.
"So, teach me not to," Naruto pleaded, swallowing the lump in his throat.
Ryujin took a deep breath. "Calm down, for starters."
"HOW?!" Naruto shouted, tears pouring out of his eyes. "I'VE BEEN TRYING! I've done breathing, I've sat down, but nothing works! Whenever my mind is clear, all I can think about is how much of a monster I am!"
Ryujin's blood ran cold. "You're not—"
"YES I AM!" Naruto refuted, glaring at Ryujin. "Don't you dare try to tell me otherwise!"
Ryujin glared back. "You are not the Kyuubi, Naruto."
"I KNOW THAT! I'm the monster!" he pointed to himself. "Naruto Uzumaki is the monster! The Kyuubi's just a bigger one inside me!"
To that, Ryujin could only look on with widened eyes. "Naruto…"
"If I'm a monster, then I want to be a monster in control, a monster that doesn't hurt his friends." Naruto stopped to catch his breath, wiping the tears from his face. "So, help me," he pleaded.
Ryujin nodded stiffly. "Alright." He closed his door and stepped forward. "Follow me."
"Thank you." Naruto let out a breath as he spoke. He followed behind the stiff and cold Ryujin, who looked down at his feet when he walked.
—⊱✿⊰—
Miya walked under the clear, starlit night. She smiled slightly. She was proud of what her three Genin were becoming. She'd always wanted to be a Jonin-sensei, ever since she became a Genin under her own.
It was a shame her dream came so late; her prodigious strength made her in incredibly high demand… for a long time she wasn't in the village for more than a month at most before being sent out on another mission to do something for months at a time.
Things… were different now. She'd been in the village for a year consecutively. The longest amount of time since she was a Genin, when leaving the village for a month was a novelty.
A wave of nostalgia hit her, and her smile grew. The simplicity of being a Genin, she was barely six when she graduated, all she could remember was the excitement and wonder… the innocence.
It was a beautiful feeling.
What was more beautiful, however, was fostering that innocence for her own Genin. Team 8: Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga. When she first met them, it was one loud mouth trying to interact with two people you'd have to fight to the death for them to even let out a peep.
It was funny—if not a little painful—to witness. Honestly, she was a little disappointed in their raw Shinobi ability; but she was comparing them to herself at their age, which wasn't fair. She was a Jonin at age ten, after all.
She nurtured them into grace, however. It took time, a headache or five, plenty of heartfelt talks, and even more hard days of training, but it was all worth it to see them grow into the splendid Genin that they are now.
Miya's smile grew. She was proud of herself for teaching them—but was even more so for the Genin who put in the hard work to grow themselves, in not only ability, but character as well.
She let out a breath of satisfaction, looking down from the sky as she approached her home. However, she noticed an oddity. She squinted and leaned her head forward.
Shinrai?! She questioned as she saw the boy asleep against her door.
Miya speed-walked over to him and crouched. A frown crossed her face. He's injured… what happened? She gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Shinrai? Are you alright?"
He stirred, wincing as his eyes opened slowly. "So beautiful… Are… Are you an angel?"
"What—"
His eyes shot open, and he gasped. "FUCK, DID I DIE?!" He questioned, frantically looking around, before groaning in pain. "Ah… nope, very alive…"
"Shinrai—?" Miya shook her head. "What happened to you?"
His eyes locked with hers, and he let out a breath of relief. "Ms. Miya, hi!"
"Answer my question, please." Miya narrowed her eyes.
He nodded slowly. "Yes…" he muttered, rubbing his bandaged neck. "Uh… training accident, Team 7 ambushed my team, I fight Naruto, I put Naruto under a trauma Genjutsu, Naruto got mad… then he almost killed me—then I got better! Then he kicked me out of our house, so I went to you."
Miya blinked, slowly processing the information with her body growing cold. "...Okay. Can you stand?"
"Yeah yeah," Shinrai assured before taking a deep breath. "Gimme a sec…" He groaned as he forced himself up. Miya helped him up, and Shinrai managed to stand on his two feet.
"Thanks." Shinrai scratched the back of his bandaged head, chuckling.
Miya looked at him with a frown, feeling a worrying ache in her throat. "Are you okay?"
"I'm alive!" he answered enthusiastically, sticking his thumb up.
"Shinrai." Miya glared at him, eyes intense as the coldness in her grew.
He drew in a sharp breath. "Yeah… I'll be fine. I just need a bit of time to heal, and Naruto hopefully won't be mad for too long." Shinrai blinked. "Wait—mind if I stay here?"
"It's fine." Miya let out a breath before opening the door. "You're not training until you're fully healed."
Shinrai frowned, but knew not to argue. "I don't think Ryu would agree to that…"
"Ryu…? Ryujin?" Miya questioned, raising her brow.
Shinrai nodded stiffly. "Yeah, he's my sensei. You know him?"
"He's my little cousin…" Miya bit her lip, mulling over the mention of his name. How did I not know of this before?
Shinrai looked up at Miya, aghast. "No fucking way."
Miya allowed herself to laugh a little. "Well, Little Ryu would be understanding enough to allow you to rest," she said. He shrugged in response, then entered first, and she watched him walk stiffly, as if he was hiding a limp… terribly.
Miya sighed. "How long ago was the accident?" she asked once he sit down.
Shinrai shrugged. "What day is it?"
"Tuesday…"
"Oh—it was today then… unless I've been unconscious for a week… or a month… fuck." Shinrai let out a sigh. "Can I go bathe?"
Miya closed her eyes and nodded. "Upstairs, first door to the right. The first door to the left is the guest room, you can sleep there. But you're eating before you sleep."
"Alright." Shinrai forced himself to stand. "Thank you… for everything, Ms. Miya. You're the best."
Miya sighed. "You're welcome, Shinrai."
After the boy stood, she helped him up the stairs—much to his protest—and led him to the bathroom, where she then left him alone. Miya walked down to her kitchen, preparing food for him, but as she did, the worrying ache in her throat only grew.
She rubbed her neck and sighed. I'll definitely be talking with Ryu about this… Miya swallowed. The lack of context and knowledge she had about this made her even colder. She let out a breath. If I talked to him more, then I probably would've been in the know already.
Miya looked down at the vegetables she cut, not necessarily paying too much attention to how she was cutting it. Does he even want to talk to me? A part of her hoped that a knock on her door would prove her wrong, but of course it didn't come, it would never come.
Miya sighed. It's not like she could blame him too much… after that—
Miya froze—She could barely move—
All she could taste was the metallic tang of blood that pooled her mouth—
The eyes of the demon—
Five tails—
Miya slammed the knife into her cutting board. No. That's what we don't think about.
She sighed, looking at the uneven lettuce and tomatoes that looked like it was butchered by a five-year-old.
He won't notice once it's on the sandwich…
—⊱✿⊰—
Everything fucking burned. The bathwater was hot, just how he liked it, but god damn—
…However, he relaxed in the burning pool of water. He always took comfort in pain, physical pain. Not emotional, however. He was just happy that he didn't have another breakdown in front of her… that would've been bad.
He had no idea how he would get back in his house, regain his brother's favor… He shut his eyes, risking the possibility of sleeping for the sake of comfort. Naruto would forgive him eventually, or he hoped.
But the fact that he was put into a position where he had to be forgiven by his brother was disgraceful enough. I should've gone to Ryu's house to punish myself more; Ryu would've been a lot meaner, he joked, earning a chuckle from himself that sent an aching wave throughout his body.
He would see what happened to everyone else tomorrow. He'd made the decision not to think about the impossibility of what might've happened for the sake of his peace of mind—something he didn't deserve, but he clawed for it nonetheless. He ignored the ache of guilt in his head and sighed, sinking into the water of the bath.
He would…
He would…
I would…
Shinrai's mind drifted away from his body, and into the realm of nightmares.
—⊱✿⊰—
Kusari walked to the training ground under the morning's light, hands in her pockets with her gaze glazing over the path in front of her, obstructed by her hair. Her eyelids hung heavy, as did her head. Each time her mind drifted to her team, she couldn't fight the urge to shut her eyes and shake her head.
Disappointment was apparent and widespread within her mind. Disappointment toward herself; she failed to defeat Sasuke in a fair battle and was unable to even twitch in the face of imminent death.
Disappointment toward her teammates, their petty infighting that likely cost them the match and further divided the already iffy team. These two are going to be the end of my career as a Shinobi, aren't they?
She sighed. Her dream of lifelong friends wouldn't exactly work out too well if they hated each other. She resisted the urge to pull out her hair. One more chance; they have one more chance to get their act together before I force them to.
Kusari looked up and her hair fell into form. She glared and grabbed a single strand of hair that she spied. A single silver strand. She let out a defeated sigh. I'm going to look seventy when I'm seventeen.
Kusari plucked out the strand and dropped it to the floor, shaking her head. She looked forward, and something else caught her attention. Someone that made the mild irritation of her silver hairs and even the frustration of the state of her team seem like an ant in comparison.
It was the heiress.
Kusari's eyes locked onto her. She never liked her, even before she proved herself to be a failure. Something deep inside of her couldn't stand to be in her presence. It was inexplicable, but afterward… after the heiress allowed the clan she held up to fall and shatter like glass, after her father died.
Kusari's entire body heated up like a flame raging and it took every fiber of will in her body to not activate her Byakugan out of the pure aggression she felt. The flames grew and burned and a hatred inside of her churned so intensely it felt alien—wrong… like it wasn't even hers—
"—Ow," Kusari muttered, forced out of her tunnel vision by an impact with another human. She looked up to see an elder of the clan. His robes were as white as his hair, and half of his face was burned with a nasty scar, forcing his left eye permanently shut. His forehead was on full display, completely unmarked aside from the scar.
Kusari's heart plummeted into her stomach. "I deeply apologize," she said quickly, bowing as fast and far as she could.
The one-eyed elder remained silent. All she saw was the ground below, so she couldn't even see what his reaction was. Kusari's heart pounded in her ears as a drop of sweat rolled down her face.
The longer she stood there, the more her dread grew, but at the same time, her inexplicable rage did the same. An unbearable combination of ice and fire grew in her chest. Her legs felt weak as she could barely stand, but her arms were strong and ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The elder didn't move, so neither did she. However, she heard footsteps, and she felt the inner rage spike.
"Let her be; she did no wrong," said a soft voice.
Kusari glared at the sound of her voice. Why is she here?! she questioned angrily before the tense silence returned; she couldn't tell if it was better or worse than before. The silence was broken by an elderly, commanding, rage filled voice.
"As you wish…" the elder finally spoke, grit and reluctance rang in his voice like a bell.
Kusari finally looked up. She couldn't help the stifled gasp that caught in her throat and the chill that washed over her body in a wave of goosebumps. The elder's hand was in a painfully familiar half-seal. He was going to use the seal on me?! For this?!
The elder glared at Kusari, slowly bringing his hand down and out of the seal. "Watch where you're going," he spat before turning his back and walking off.
Kusari stood upright. The fear subsided but only a minor amount of her hatred was quelled. The heiress spoke; Kusari tensed.
"I apologize for him, Kusari," the heiress said, bowing her head slightly. "I'll speak to my father about his abnormal behavior."
Kusari swallowed hard, not daring to look in the heiress's direction. "Thank… you…" she strained before quickly walking away, exiting herself from the situation.
Kusari took many deep breaths as the hatred inside of her finally subsided, clearing her head and giving her something resembling peace of mind. She shook her head. I hate being near her… she thought as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and continued her walk home.
—⊱✿⊰—
As he had done many times before for peace of mind, Gosei sat with his legs crossed in the Senju Garden at dawn. In this instance, however, peace was the last thing he desired.
The natural energy was thick and constricting, the trees and plants cowered in fear as the wind flinched away from Gosei's aura. The Senju's hands weren't in the standard relaxing position—no, they were clenched—they were tense.
His entire body was tense, lit like a fire under the morning sun. His eyes were forced shut, his muscles twitched non-stop, and his teeth grit against each other. Gosei's chakra seeped out of his skin and created ripples in the water.
I can't do ANYTHING about it, he lamented as his fists clenched harder. Every time he imagined his face, thought of his name, his anger, his hatred, it only grew like a stick of sharpened bamboo through someone's spine.
That bastard forced him into the weakness that he spent years vowing that he'd never return to; the weakness he'd spent so long training to distance himself from, that BASTARD had just thrown him right back.
He pounded him into the depths of failure, shattered his armor, and obliterated his structure. He felt like nothing, just like he did so long ago—NO!
Young Gosei sobbed on the dirty Academy Floor.
Gosei shook his head frantically as his heart raced the same way. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Everyone stood in a circle, pointing, laughing, and mocking.
Gosei's chakra flared as his breathing sped.
"I'm sorry! It was just one mistake!" The young Gosei wailed; he cried, he sobbed, he pleaded for forgiveness, for his apology to be accepted.
Gosei's heart beat in his ears—just like the sounds of Shinrai's fists hitting his—
THAT NAME! Gosei roared.
Shinrai's sadistic smirk clouded his mind, he laughed—
The children laughed at the young Gosei even harder. "Look at him! He's apologizing! He's says he's sorry!"
The sobbing boy cried even harder, he was unable to speak as his cries caught in his throat—
The feeling of hard, unforgiving metal intruded in Gosei's mouth obtusely; the taste of steel, blood, and sweat assaulted his tongue as he failed to get the kunai out of his mouth. The smell of his own clothes and skin burning caught in his throat—
Gosei clenched his fists even harder. Blood soaked the white bandages, and they ached—
Young Gosei massaged the cut on his palm as tears poured into the wound, making it burn—
The more Gosei struggled against the kunai impaling his palms, the more he bled, the more he hurt, the more he raged, the more he gave up, the more he wanted to scream but he couldn't because his mouth was stuffed with that DAMN KUNAI—
Gosei screamed, and his chakra erupted out of him. The water below spouted outward like an aquatic detonation as Gosei panted; his breath was lost and all he could hear was the rhythmic craze of his beating heart.
His eyes were open, but his vision was blurry. It took him all his remaining strength to keep himself from collapsing into the pond below. Once again, Gosei was powerless. This time, he was powerless to himself, a slave to his own memories and emotion.
Once again.
He could do nothing but curse his weakness.
—⊱✿⊰—
Shinrai saw Kusari alive. He smiled.
Unfortunately, his smile faded when he saw Gosei also alive.
God dammit Naruto, you could've at least killed your competition… he mumbled half jokingly to himself.
Shinrai walked up to Kusari and smiled like the morning sun above. "I'm so happy you're alive."
She furrowed her brow. "Why would you think I'd not be?"
"Because… of the Naruto thing that happened yesterday…" he mumbled, ignoring Gosei as he approached him. "I'm sorry…"
"...It's not your fault," she said. Shinrai snorted. "Do you know what happened to Naruto? Ryujin-sensei wouldn't say."
"I do," Shinrai answered, dropping his smile in favor of a more serious expression. "I will also not say, it's something Naruto doesn't like to—"
Crunch!
Shinrai fell to the floor, rubbing his cheek as he glared up at Gosei, who glared back with his fist clenched.
"You mother fucker—!" Shinrai yelled, getting up to his feet.
Kusari let out an exasperated breath.
"It's the Kyuubi, Kusari." Gosei stood tall, not taking his eyes off of Shinrai froze once he heard Gosei's words. "Both Naruto and Ryujin-sensei are holders of the Kyuubi, one half each."
Shinrai clenched his fists, he trembled and his entire body seared. He glowered at Gosei so hard his eyes burned and his chakra ignited within him like an inferno. "WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"
"Because Kusari deserves to know what nearly killed her," Gosei spat. "Every adult knows anyway, this barely makes a difference."
Shinrai stomped forward and attempted to grab Gosei's collar, but the Senju simply grabbed his wrist and kicked Shinrai in his already injured chest. Gosei walked forward with his fists clenched as Shinrai pulled out a kunai with a malicious glint in his black eyes.
Kusari stepped between the two boys and struck them both in their chakra core, subduing them immediately. "Both of you, stop it," she seethed, glaring at both of them simultaneously with her Byakugan.
Shinrai huffed, and walked away from the two, sitting down away from his teammates, still holding his kunai.
Gosei sat where he stood, shaking his head. "He doesn't deserve to be on this team."
Kusari shrugged, deactivating her Byakugan and sitting down next to Gosei.
Shinrai overheard what Gosei said. He ignored it in favor of getting himself under control, his grip over himself was slipping, and—
"You guys got into another fight, didn't you?" Ryujin said as he entered, shaking his head in condescending disappointment.
—it seemed that it wasn't going to happen. Shinrai clenched his fist over his kunai, not caring that he reopened the wounds on his hand.
Ryujin stood in front of his students, looking over at the one who seemed displaced. "Shinrai, come here."
He did as his sensei said, wordlessly.
"Okay, now that we're all here… let's discuss what happened yesterday," Ryujin started. Gosei scowled at Shinrai, Kusari remained neutral, and Shinrai let out a silent breath.
Ryujin looked at the Hyuuga and the Senju. "You two, you did well…ish. Amazingly compared to your other teammate, but of course it would've been better if you three stuck together instead of splitting up.
"Kusari, you could've directed both Gosei and Shinrai using your Byakugan, and waited for Naruto to use another Wind Jutsu to blow away the steam, where you three should've worked together to fight valiantly against Team 7…"
Ryujin set his sights slowly on Shinrai. "But that didn't happen."
Shinrai felt Ryujin's eyes on him, but didn't budge.
"You betrayed your teammate and helped the enemy against them. What type of decision—?"
Shinrai looked at his sensei and gripped his kunai. "Naruto was not my enemy. I helped Naruto because Gosei stood in the way of his path of proving himself to be Hokage. If it was anyone else, any other team, I would've worked with Gosei for the sake of the team because I know that's how this Shinobi shit works."
Shinrai was calm, his gaze was even, and his tone was stern. However, there was a slight tremor, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. "If I were to break my vow to Naruto, if I were to betray him by standing in the way of his goal to being Hokage, to being accepted… I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
"But you hurt him anyway." Ryujin glared at Shinrai. He drew in a sharp breath and his trembling ceased. "On top of that, that doesn't explain how viciously you attacked Gosei, how you tortured—"
Shinrai stood, ignoring the agonizing protest of his body. "That's how Naruto and I always fought! We've been doing shit like that to each other for years. If little bitch boy Senju can't handle it, then he should reconsider being a fucking ninja."
He paused before shaking his head and letting out a chuckle. Fukkit.
"Honestly, yeah, part of it is because I hate his ass. I'm fucking sick of his attitude, how he thinks everyone's beneath him like an ant under his boot." Shinrai laughed. "Honestly! He needed that! He needed to be put into the dirt like I where I was my entire fucking life!"
Gosei stood too. "What did you say—?!"
Shinrai pointed the kunai at Gosei, and Ryujin grabbed his wrist with a glare. Shinrai, however, kept his gaze on Gosei and Gosei alone. "Another word, and this time I'll put the sharp end down your throat."
"I couldn't care less about your empty threats and insults!" Gosei yelled, stepping forward with a fierce glare. "I don't care how sick of me you are, I don't care how much you love your brother, or how much you hate me! That doesn't change the fact that what you did was wrong."
Shinrai glared, and Gosei was unphased. "I may not have liked you or your attitude either, but that didn't change the fact that I had trust in you as my teammate! You betrayed me and shattered that trust!"
"That was your first mistake; trusting someone that you made it a point to put down and shame every day," spat Shinrai with a smirk.
Gosei clenched his fists again but paused, wincing as the dual gashes on his palms opened up, dying the bandages red with blood. Shinrai laughed, dropping the kunai and pulling out of Ryujin's grip.
"Look at you! YOU'RE WEAK!" Shinrai jeered, before pulling out another kunai stabbing himself in the palm exactly how he did to Gosei. "Can you do this?! Tell me?!"
Gosei reeled, Kusari gasped in horror, and Ryujin grabbed Shinrai's hand again, bewildered. "Shinrai?! What's wrong with you?!"
"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!" Shinrai pointed at his sensei. "I'm sure you've gotten the most shit from bitch boy over there!"
Gosei glared at Shinrai, still nursing the pain. "Stop calling me that!"
Shinrai ignored Gosei and met Ryujin's stare. "I've noticed no difference between how stupid he was from when I met him to today. He's been the same insulting, undeserving bastard he's always been. So, you obviously haven't been doing your job right.
"Just the thought of him fighting Naruto by himself, of all the shit he must've said, all the bullshit, all the condescending lies!" Shinrai screamed. "It made my blood boil. I thought you of all people would understand. Understand that Gosei needed to be put in his place, how I had to be there for Naruto, how I had to defend him, how I had to help him against an obstacle to his goal!"
Shinrai chuckled, flexing his impaled hand. "But of course you wouldn't. It's not like you were there for the past eight years of his life to know anything about him."
Ryujin's eyes widened. Shinrai smirked, seeing the flash of guilt on his face. Ryujin's shock and guilt turned into rage as he glared down at Shinrai, tightening his grip. "At least I'm not the one who put him under a trauma-inducing Genjutsu. The one who caused him so much pain to the point where he came to me in the middle of the night crying."
With a burst of charka, Shinrai yanked his arm out of Ryujin's grip again and stepped back, his entire body heavy with guilt and alit with fury. "That doesn't change the fact that you did something eight years ago to make yourself unable to see Naruto," Shinrai countered, glaring so hard that the black hatchets around his pupils became visible against his coal-black iris.
"Eight years ago…" Shinrai chuckled. "Y'know, that seems to be a really consistent date. Eight years ago, Ms. Miya got sent on a series of missions outside the village for years straight. Eight years ago, something happened with you that made you untrustworthy to be around Naruto for eight years.
"Eight years ago, I woke up at four years old, not knowing a damn thing about my existence beforehand. Too many things for it to be a coincidence, don't ya think, Ryujin? I know you're hiding something from me, another thing you're guilty of…"
Shinrai paused, a thought crossing his mind… "Did you kill my parents?"
"What—?!" Ryujin questioned.
Shinrai titled his head. "It would make sense. They were someone you worked with, but something happened and you killed them; it would make sense why betraying a teammate is such a touchy subject with you, and killing an Uzumaki would surely make you untrustworthy to be around a family of Uzumaki."
"No," Ryujin answered, eyes narrowed. "I've never met your parents."
Shinrai looked Ryujin in the eyes, analyzing every detail. "Meh," he mumbled dismissively. "I guess that's a dud of a theory." he pulled the kunai out of his hand and threw it to the ground.
"Either way, I'm done here," Shinrai stated before turning his back and walking away. "Ryujin, Gosei… Kindly, fuck off," he spat.
Ryujin let out a ragged sigh, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, you two. Let's train without him today."
"Good…" Gosei mumbled, still nursing his palms as he trembled.
"Yes, sensei." Kusari bowed her head and stood afterward.
—⊱✿⊰—
Bark shattered and the splintering crunch of cracking wood echoed through the forest, scaring any nearby wildlife in the complete opposite direction. Shinrai pummeled the tree in front of him, paying no mind to the open wound in his palm or the splinters embedded in his knuckles.
That was a lie, he did pay mind to them. He thought about the searing burns in his skin, the way his hand was soaked with blood, and it only made him punch harder. Shinrai screamed and struck the tree as hard as he could; his fist cleaved the tree in half and it fell beside him.
He clenched his fists and tensed his entire body as he stifled another rageful scream… before panting as he let himself calm down. Several deep breaths later, he was sitting on the grassy forest floor, with the ache of his still injured body pounding all over.
I shouldn't have done that… he mumbled, his mind drifting to the words he said earlier. Fuck. Shinrai hung his head as the pit of shame he sat in only deepened. I need to apologize to Ryu…
Shinrai flung himself back on the forest floor, gritting his teeth as his back roared in agony. I shouldn't have said all of that… The fact that Kusari had to witness that too…
He rolled over on his side and groaned. I need to apologize to her too. Shaking his head, he sat up and rubbed his temples. But I can't apologize within the fucking hour… that'll be weird. He took in a deep, painful breath and released it. I'll say sorry tomorrow.
For now, imma go find Ms. Miya, he declared as he sat up and walked toward the exit of the training grounds. Almost halfway there, he paused. Wait, doesn't she have a Genin team? So, she should be here…
She could be any team number from one to a hundred. Shinrai was unphased. I will check all of them. Just that he did.
Training ground one, no luck. None at two, nor three or four. He skipped past training ground five. He checked six and there was nothing there, same result for seven. Finally, he checked training ground eight.
So, she's Team 8's sensei, he noted as he sat on a tree a distance away from Miya and her team. He didn't want to go up to her like he desired; that would require socializing with the other Genin there. He didn't want to do that.
Especially since Kiba was there. His dog ass… he huffed. He was a pain since the academy days. He even tried to take down the cheating ring one time. Naruto and I put him in his place.
The other two people he vaguely remembered, more so the Hyuuga girl, she was cute… very cute. It almost made him want to go over and talk to her. But, that didn't change the fact that Kiba was there, and that he was still fresh out of the hospital and—oh shit, I'm still bleeding—
Shinrai looked at his impaled palm, counting his lucky stars that his red outfit hid the bloodstains. He made a half seal with his uninjured palm and shot a small fireball at his hand. He bit back a groan as the fire burned and cauterized the wound.
That's taken care of now, Shinrai thought before he relaxed in the tree. He went into his pouch and pulled out a mathematics book titled Algebra 2: The Unit Circle. He opened the book and grabbed a pencil. Math didn't make him want to pull his hair out anymore, probably because he was actually trying and saw how easy it was… he chuckled.
Suddenly, he felt the surrounding air change. He looked around, before focusing on Miya. Any details on her face were obscured by distance; that didn't change the fact that he could feel her eyes on him.
He waved back with two fingers and a smile. She looked away, shaking her head. The fact that Miya noticed him made him happy, evident by his small laugh to himself. He dug his nose in his math book and worked diligently for hours to come.
—⊱✿⊰—
Fury guided her actions like a possessive serpent. She paid no mind to Gosei next to her nor the task at hand; it was something she had done a thousand times before and would do something a thousand times more. The lack of attention to Gosei was a conscious decision, her anger was already palpable and if he were to associate with one of the causes of said anger, then she just might—
"Kusari…" Gosei began, his voice uncharacteristically hollow. "I understand that he's insufferably irritating, but please let's work together on this…"
She paused, her chakra spiking as she shot him a glare. "Have you considered that you are the same?"
"What?" he questioned, exasperated.
Kusari turned toward him. "Shinrai is not the only one I am angry at. You and your attitude is exactly what placed the wedge in you and his relationship—"
"Well, if he knew his place, then we wouldn't have this problem," Gosei bit back, his hollow voice gilling with irritation.
Kusari nearly activated her Byakugan with how hard she glared. "That right there is the issue, your unfiltered arrogance."
"You say that as if it isn't unfounded. I'm stronger than him, my clan is more prestigious, my intelligence is probably greater, I'm of a higher class, and I could continue," Gosei declared. "He is beneath me in every way."
Kusari let out a breath, her anger soaring as the energy to deal with said anger plummeted like a rock. "Tomorrow."
"What about tomorrow?"
Kusari let her Byakugan come to life as a tool to help drive her point home. "Tomorrow I will force you and Shinrai to work together because I am sick of the both of you sabotaging this team and the future of my Shinobi career. Am I understood?"
Gosei narrowed his eyes. "You're in no place to order me around—"
"I will be," Kusari declared, turning away from him without another word spoken.
Gosei scoffed, shaking his head as he returned to his work.
—⊱✿⊰—
Ryujin watched the little Genin's spat from afar, with a deadpan stare of utter disappointment… This team is falling apart at the seams. Hell, everything is falling apart at the seams.
Sighing, he leaned back onto the tree behind him and looked into the clouds drifting across the blue sky. At least Aiko's letter should be coming soon. That's something to look forward to at least.
Despite the slight detour he took, his thoughts whipped back on track, much to his dismay. Feeble groaning attempted to drown out the thoughts, but it ultimately failed. Hanging his head, he realized he had no other options.
He needed to see Miya about this. The thought of vulnerability made him sick, but he knew that he had to bear this illness for the greater good.
Trust was hard.
Vulnerability was harder.
Weakness was hardest.
Miya made those things—the first two, at least—easier. She was family, after all. Sitting up from the tree, Ryujin made his decision. Tonight, I am going to… he swallowed hard. Ask Miya for help…
"Sensei," Kusari greeted.
Almost startled, he looked at his disciple with a raised brow. I was really deep into my mind… He cleared his throat. "Yes?"
"I wish to conspire with you," she said flatly.
Ryujin nodded slowly. "How so?"
"When it comes to Shinrai, Gosei, and the unity of this team, I'm at the end of my rope. I thought them mature enough to resolve it by themselves, but evidently I was wrong. Tomorrow, I wish to force them to cooperate for the sake of my career and my sanity, and likely your sanity as well."
Ryujin chuckled. "Indeed…"
"I want you to disband this team and allow me to become your sole disciple if they don't manage to come to an agreement," she requested, looking up at her sensei with a determined face of cold stone.
Ryujin's eyes widened. "Well, well… With that, you've earned your place as my favorite student once again."
"So, is that an agreement?" Kusari asked for confirmation, not being able to help the minor smirk of pride that curled her lip.
Ryujin stuck out his hand. "Yes, I will conspire with you, Kusari."
She stuck out her hand and sensei and student shook on it. "Thank you, sensei." Kusari made sure to bow before she left.
Ryujin chuckled to himself. That cunning little bastard. Not that I wouldn't have thought of it myself, but dammit to hear it from one of my students is something else…
A feeling of warmth swelled in his chest, and he nodded. Is this… pride? Pride in someone other than myself? Impossible…
Ryujin learned that day that things he thought impossible were quite the contrary.
—⊱✿⊰—
Gosei was home, but he wasted no time with formalities. He brushed off his siblings, entirely discarded his father, and made way directly toward the room of his mother. He opened the door and immediately spoke—"Mother, I need you to train me."
She looked up from her desk, unphased by the rudeness. Her face was stoic and her gaze twinkled with her emerald eyes. "Is that so?" she asked simply.
Gosei nodded affirmatively. "Yes. I'm tired of being weak." he winced at the mere mention of the words. Why is that bastard right about me?
His mother—Yosei—hummed. "What makes you think that you're weak, my son?"
Gosei faltered, and his breath was stifled by his own closing throat. "I… I lack…" he shook his head. "It doesn't matter!"
"Oh, yes it does," Yosei countered. "You know the weak aren't worth my time, let alone the weak that don't know why they're that way." Her words were sharp, like each syllable was a shuriken that cut down Gosei's will as they were spoken.
Gosei shook his head. "I—"
"Is this about your defeat at the hands of the Demon Twins? This is your first time losing a fight to anyone outside me or your father," she presumed, rolling the words she planned to speak next around her tongue as goosebumps rose on Gosei's skin.
"You take one defeat in battle and then you crumble, as if your entire worldview was shattered. By a single loss…" Yosei folded her hands together and placed her chin on them, allowing a few strands of her blonde hair to fall out of place. "I'm disappointed in you, Gosei."
He took a step back as the words hit him like a pile of bricks.. "Mother… Please, I'm sorry!"
"I'm sure you are," she said, unapologetic in her words and actions. "Until you've gained your strength back by yourself, I will not train you at all, and neither will your father. Now, leave my office."
Gosei tensed. Every part of him wanted to rebuttal, fight back, something—but he knew it would amount to nothing. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. "Yes, mother," he said, barely above a whisper before leaving.
He stormed off into his room and wiped the tears that began to form in his eyes, shaking his head in utter denial. No, no, no, no, NO! He wanted to scream, but he wanted to make of a fool of himself even less so he kept to himself as he clenched his fists.
Regain his strength by himself. That's what he had to do? Child's play, Strength flowed through his blood—his Senju blood. Right now, he was a disgrace, those bastard Uzumaki kicked him down into the depths of dishonor and it was his job to climb back and make them pay. They had only won the first battle anyway through cheating…through ganging up on him.
Gosei nodded, forcing a haughty smirk onto himself. Yes, yes, yes, YES! He felt himself re-energize as he took deep breaths. Gosei clenched and unclenched his fists. Tomorrow, I'm going to put you Shinrai Uzumaki where you belong…
—⊱✿⊰—
Chilled evening air entered Ryujin's lungs as he began to sigh. When was the last time I talked to her… A less than a minute exchange when we first became Jonin Sensei. Huh… that was more recent than I thought.
Okay, when was the last time I had an actual conversation with her? Ryujin hummed in pondrance… drawing a blank. There we go.
Ryujin dug his hands in his pockets as he approached Miya's home. The lights were on, she was home. Such a revelation caused a wave of anxious energy to wash over Ryujin's body.
He furrowed his brow. Odd… he mumbled as he walked toward the ebony dark wood door. He brought his hand out of his pocket and formed a fist to knock. He moved it forward, but paused. Ryujin dropped his hand ever so slightly. Shaking his head, he dismissed his hesitation and knocked on the door.
He let out a breath. No backing down now…
The door unlocked, and Ryujin's energy spiked. Why is this so nerve-wracking? Stop brain stop!
Surely enough, the door opened slowly, revealing a confused—yet undeniably happy—Miya. "Ryu?"
"The one and only!" he greeted, looking up at her.
She smirked. "Short as ever, I see."
"...And you've already made me want to leave—" Ryujin mumbled, shaking his head.
Miya laughed. "Well, you came here for a reason, and I'm sure it's not just to say hi."
"True, true," Ryujin admitted. "May I come in?"
"Of course!" Miya responded quickly with her smile growing. "Take off your shoes—"
"I know, I know," he muttered as he walked in, doing as she said.
Miya led him to the couch before going to get him something to eat—
"I'm not hungry. I just came here to talk," Ryujin interrupted.
Miya frowned, but complied nonetheless and sat across from him on the other couch. "Oh, by the way, I have something of yours here."
Ryujin furrowed his brow. "Huh?"
"Shinrai!" Miya called. "C'mere!"
Ryujin titled his head. "Huh, you two have met?"
"We have!" answered Shinrai as he came down the stairs. "We've been talking for years! She's basically my mom at this point."
Ryujin's eyes widened into saucers as Miya sighed. "By years, he means two weeks."
"Oh," Ryujin mumbled, shaking his head as he looked up at Shinrai. "Why did you not tell me you've been meeting with my cousin?"
Shinrai sat next to Miya on the couch. "Because I didn't know you two were related until yesterday; I was just hunting down Uzumaki and struck gold."
"Why?" Ryujin asked, despite already knowing the answer.
Shinrai shrugged. "The whole eight years thing I kinda yelled at you about and speaking of which I'm sorry," he apologized, bowing his head. "I was mad, and I took it out on you because it felt like you were trying to… I don't know—do something that wouldn't benefit me."
Ryujin nodded slowly.
"And when I'm mad, I'm hurtful. So, I went out to hurt you. I shouldn't have done that at all; I shouldn't have said those things to you and I'm sorry that I did," Shinrai rambled with his head still bowed.
Ryujin let out a breath. "We'll talk about this later…. I might need to put you under the same training I did to Gosei if you keep it up."
Shinrai paled. "That won't be necessary… That was the exception, not the rule."
"Mhm…" Ryujin mumbled, expressing disagreement, but he believed him in reality.
Miya interjected. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh, yes, yes." Ryujin looked toward Shinrai. "Please leave."
Shinrai pouted, but did as his sensei commanded. "Goodnight, Ms. Miya. I'm probably going to sleep. Same to you, Ryu," he said as he left.
Ryujin couldn't help but snort. "Ms. Miya," he quoted.
"Shut it," Miya ordered.
Ryujin raised his brow. "I thought you wanted me to speak?"
"You came here," Miya rebuttaled.
"Oh, so you want me to leave?" Ryujin asked in faux offense.
Miya shook her head and let out a sigh. "Just say what you need to."
Ryujin laughed. "Alright, alright. I wanted to ask you about…" Ryujin swallowed. "Help with… teamwork…"
Miya hummed. "Should've known; Shinrai told me how much of a shitshow Team 5 is today."
An embarrassed chuckle escaped his breath. "Yeah…"
"So, you want tips on how to have your team work together?"
Ryujin sighed. "Pretty much. I do have a plan to force them to work together, which I will be employing no matter what for a short-term solution, but I need something long term."
"Got it." Miya placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head in pondrance. "Well, you could show them positive examples of teamwork, tell them stories about how teamwork helped you in the past." She chuckled. "Just give 'em to Kakashi for a day."
"No," Ryujin flatly denied. "Just asking you for tips is painful enough."
Miya laughed. "Also, give them tasks that force them to work together."
"Oh hey, I tried that one today, it… kind of worked."
Miya smiled. "That's good to hear!" She paused, thinking of another tactic. "I would say urgency: giving them a reason to work together, but I'm sure you have that taken care of."
Ryujin smirked.
"Anyway, I don't think I have much else… most of the whole teamwork thing is reliant on the kids themselves. Team 8 didn't really take all that much, Hinata's the anchor that keeps the team sane, Kiba's the protective one, and Shino's the one who gives the group direction. Try to find the roles that each member has and play to it. Develop it for the good of the group," Miya explained.
Ryujin nodded slowly, absorbing the information like a sponge, and applying it mentally a thousand times over. "I see…" he mumbled, singing his words. "I think I have a strategy now."
Miya grinned. "Great!"
He stood. "Thank you for helping, Miya. I'll pay you back somehow within the week."
"You don't have to do that," Miya said, shaking her head.
Ryujin shrugged dismissively. "Yeah, yeah." He began his walk toward the front door and as he grabbed the handle, Miya called to him. He looked back. "Hm?"
"It was… It was nice talking to you." Miya smiled. "We should do it more."
He paused, with Ryu returning the smile, albeit smaller. "Yeah, we should."
Miya grinned, and Ryu left her house, ready to wrangle the rabid circus that was his Team 5.
—⊱✿⊰—
The sun shone and Kusari stood between Shinrai and Gosei as Ryujin concluded laying out the terms of what would happen if they didn't find a way to work together today.
Gosei snarled at Kusari. "YOU—! You're sabotaging my career simply because of your frustration?!"
"No," Kusari answered simply. "Consider it retribution for you sabotaging mine."
Gosei grit his teeth as Shinrai chuckled. "Not gonna lie, I wouldn't mind not being forced to see Gosei's face five days a week…"
"Shinrai," she began. "If you are not willing to at the very least work with Gosei, then you can consider our friendship over."
"Now that's just plain manipulative," stated Shinrai with a scoff.
Kusari gave a deadpan stare. "We're Shinobi, Shinrai."
"Then, I guess the friendship is over…" Shinrai said with a whistle.
Kusari panicked. "No! No… fine."
"See, two can play at that game," Shinrai quipped. "Now… Kusari, you're great and all, but this team isn't like… paramount, you know. I've even gone on D-Ranks by myself when I needed some extra cash.
"Even if Ryu isn't here to train me, I have someone else willing to throw me a bone. All things considered, I'm chilling whether I have this team or not," Shinrai explained nonchalantly.
Kusari fought the urge to pull her graying hair out. She let out a sigh. "Okay, we're friends, right?"
"Yes indeed."
Kusari nodded. "Okay, friends help each other, and make sacrifices for each other, so please stay on this team because we're friends."
Ryujin couldn't help but laugh as he observed from afar.
Kusari ignored him and kept her gaze on him. "Please."
"Mmm," Shinrai pondered. "If Gosei apologizes, then I'll stay."
Gosei scoffed. "You owe me an apology! You're the one who betrayed me and beat me to a pulp!"
"So, you seriously expected me to fight against my own brother with someone who was trying to crush his dreams? Yeah, no." Gosei shook his head, and Shinrai continued.
"On top of that, there wasn't a single wound I inflicted on you that I wouldn't have minded being inflicted on myself," Shinrai held up his bandaged palm. "As you can see here. Do you want me to do the other one for you?"
Gosei glared. "The Fire Jutsu?!"
"The first thing I did when I learned that Jutsu is have a clone shoot it at me to see what it would feel like."
Both Gosei and Kusari were speechless.
"Now, apologize—"
"No," Gosei snarled.
Kusari rubbed her temples and sighed. "Okay, you two don't have to forgive each other right now."
"Or ever…" interjected Shinrai.
She ignored him. "Please, just have an agreement to refrain from violent acts against each other so this team can exist."
"Why do you care about this team so much?" Gosei asked.
Kusari paused. Debating whether vulnerability would be advantageous or not. "I…" she began, not knowing what she would say afterward. "I want you two to be my friends, lifelong friends. I've always heard stories of comradery among Genin Teams throughout their entire career, and I wished for an experience like that for myself."
It was genuine enough to gain sympathy—hopefully—and restrained enough to not force her out of her comfort zone.
"Aww, so you're lonely," Shinrai teased.
Kusari reddened with embarrassment.
"I can sympathize…" Gosei muttered, his conscience heavy on his mind. "Having a direct Jonin-sensei alongside two training partners helps me as well." Gosei stood tall. "I agree," he stated, looking at Shinrai.
Shinrai pondered, giving a dramatic pause. "Okay, I agree as well."
With the release of a breath, the weight of a thousand mountains was lifted off of Kusari. "Thank you…"
In an instant, Ryujin flickered toward Team 5. "Good, good, the little puppies aren't violent anymore!"
Shinrai and Gosei grumbled.
"Oh, if you two are mad now, then you've seen nothing yet."
Gosei and Shinrai's eyes widened in sync.
"Huh?!"
"Excuse me?"
Ryujin pulled out an oversized white t-shirt with the words 'I will not fight my teammates' written on it.
"No way, there's absolutely no fucking way I'm putting that on," denied Shinrai as he stepped back.
Gosei glared. "No." He attempted to drive his point home with a stern tone, but of course, it didn't work.
Ryujin grinned, and Kusari giggled. The boys paled. Shinrai bolted away and Gosei did so in the opposite direction. Before they could get too far, Ryujin grabbed both of them by the back collar of their shirts as they trashed and yelled.
Kusari laughed as Ryujin stuffed the two boys into the shirt. They fumed, moving to the opposite side of the shirt to be as far away from each other as humanly possible.
"You two are going to stay in that shirt for the rest of the day, and if in the future you two fight again, you're gonna go right back in," Ryujin said like a scolding parent.
The boys grumbled.
"Let's get to training now, shall we?" Ryujin asked.
"HOW?!" the boys yelled in tandem.
Ryujin shrugged. "Figure it out~"
They let out an infuriated breath and followed behind their sensei and his favorite student. Team 5 was together, haphazardly glued together like an academy student's school project, but together nonetheless.
—⊱✿⊰—
Two weeks later…
Ryujin huffed out a worried breath. Aiko's letter is late. He hurried toward his home under the noon's sunny spotlight, just returning from Shinrai's home—who he had moved back into since Naruto recently left his first C-rank a few days earlier.
He shook his head. Is she okay?! She did mention instability in Grass… DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?! His gut churned to the point where he felt sick. He flickered to the nearest rooftop, then across the next, then the next, returning to his home in a matter of moments.
He opened the mailbox to his apartment and grabbed a handful of letters. Bills, spam, spam, bills—AIKO! The signature green grassy letter trademark of the Land of Grass was in his hand.
Relief escaped his breath as he clutched the letter gently in his grip and entered his house. Sitting on his couch, he opened the letter and unfolded it. It's… short. Biting his lip, he began to read.
To Ryu…
I'm sorry if this gets to you late. Things are complicated right now; I'll get to that later, though. Honestly, I was really looking forward to your thoughts on Akari, since I just knew you would disagree. The debate you proposed can wait for a bit, though.
I would like to let you know I had the biggest belly laugh in my life when you told me that you were a Jonin sensei. The great Ryujin Hiyenzo, now a glorified babysitter; a truly shocking turn of events. I'm happy you passed them, though. This is going to be good for you, I can tell.
Ryu rolled his eyes playfully. We'll see…
Gosei sounds like a handful going off of how you described him. I do wish you luck curbing that arrogance; if Lady Senju is anything to go by then he was raised that way. Shinrai sounds like a good time, though; I'm surprised it's your first time meeting him, considering how he's Naruto's brother and all…
Ryu swallowed.
Kusari, however I'm interested in; mostly because of the fact that you compared her to me. I know I'm great, so she must be the best of your students by a large margin. I'll be looking forward to meeting her for sure!
Anyway, I'm really happy to hear that you have a Genin Team. You're going to excel as a Sensei for sure! I believe it whole-heartedly. As the 'Avatar of the Sun,' I'm sure your Will of Fire is strong, and when you pass it on to your students, it'll burn even brighter.
Ryu chuckled, a small smile growing on his face. Maybe he could, maybe she was right… he shook his head and continued reading.
So… about me. I'm sorry, I… I need your help.
Ryu leaned closer to the letter.
I appreciate your offer to send a healer to my father, but I already have one that helped… or tried. My father passed.
Ryu's heart dropped. Aiko…
Grass is at its breaking point, a civil war is on the horizon. The Blade Faction is a group of revolutionaries that wish for Grass to be the country that can challenge the Great Nations once again. They use domestic terrorist acts to destabilize the existing government and take control behind the scenes.
The Seed faction is the government currently in power. They simply wish to keep the status quo, which is what I want, it was what my father wanted… I wouldn't be surprised if Blade was the one behind my father's death.
The bitter rage was clear in Aiko's writing. Ryu shared the sentiment with his grit teeth and tighter grip on the paper.
I don't feel safe here anymore, and as the daughter of one of the biggest influences of Seed's government, I don't doubt for a second that there's a target on my back. I need you to escort me back to Konoha. By the time you receive this letter, a C-Rank mission request should be coming within a day, if not already there.
I know this isn't a C-Rank mission… but before my father's death, his fortune was picked apart by Blade. I have little money to my name and it's all I could afford. I'm sorry to ask so much of you but please can you help me?
Thank You
Aiko.
Ryu trembled, ever so slightly, that it was near invisible but he felt it like an earthquake. He folded the latter and placed it back into the envelope. Ryujin stood from his couch and left for the Hokage Tower, flickering across rooftops with only one thing on his mind.
Aiko…
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?