A/N: Last chapter of 2023! Happy new year guys! Leaving the year off on a cliffhanger lol. Have fun :)
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Twenty-seven —Spirals of the Heart ~ ?￢ﾜ ?
Gaara, Shukaku's Jinchuriki, actually wasn't all that bad when he wasn't being all bloodthirsty. He went to Ka'rai to talk then joined the Jinchuriki school with Fuu and he! Gaara was just very… quiet, extremely observant as well. It was one of the days where Ka'rai wasn't there to run the Jinchuriki school. So, Fuu just went up into the sky to do things with Nanabi. Gaara went underground.
Naruto was left on his own!
Everyone was busy.
He… really didn't have anything to do. Kyuubi still refused to talk with him. All Kyuubi did was be his power battery. Naruto wasn't complaining, but… yeah, he was. Ka'rai was friendly with Nibi. Fuu was friendly with Nanabi. Gaara was kinda friendly with Shukaku?
But, yeah.
He was better, yeah, but he wasn't the best. Out of everyone in the Jinchuriki, he was still the weakest by a large margin. Fuu would beat him easily, let alone Ka'rai or Gaara. With all of his improvement, he couldn't help but still be inferior.
To get himself together, he went to Ichiraku's. Old Man Teuchi's ramen always made him feel better… the heavenly taste of it. It always brought a smile to his face. However, unexpectedly, he was joined by a familiar face.
Naruto gasped with a smile. "Iruka-sensei!"
"Hey!" he greeted, smiling back at him. "How's it going? I know it's been a while…"
"Don't worry about it!" assured Naruto giddily. "I uh… took the Chunin Exams! I only passed the first two stages… but, yeah!" Naruto sighed. "I'm disappointed that I'm not in the final round."
"It's great that you got that far in the first place, Naruto—it's amazing. How long have you been a Ninja for? Six months? On my first try, I didn't get past the first exam! And you nearly made it to the finals!" explained Iruka with an encouraging smile on his face. "You've already surpassed me! Y'know what that means? You'll be become a Chunin before even I did! The next time there's a Chunin Exams, you'll dominate for sure!"
"Heh…" chuckled Naruto bashfully. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei."
"Don't worry about it! Just keep up your training and I'm sure you'll get promoted in no time!"
"Yeah! I have been training! I'm already waay stronger than I was before! I'm learning how to use the Kyuubi's chakra!"
Iruka choked on his ramen. "Uh… how much?"
"Only a bit, but I'll have a whole bunch of tails in no time!" Naruto had his signature grin wide. Iruka just looked weary.
With a deep breath, Iruka met Naruto's gaze. "Just, be careful. Don't let the Kyuubi consume you, don't be like… Ryujin, alright?"
"I won't, don't worry about a thing!" Naruto assured with a nod.
Iruka nodded in kind. "Alright…"
—⊱✿⊰—
After talking more with Iruka-sensei, Naruto tried to look for Sasuke. He wanted to fight him. But… he didn't have any luck. He hadn't seen Kakashi-sensei since he had gone off to train Sasuke. They must've picked somewhere really private. Looking for them was entirely hopeless. So… he was by himself. He didn't want to train with Kyuubi chakra without anyone around, that would end badly.
It was a time like this where he really wished Ryu was there.
But he wasn't.
Naruto made a dozen shadow clones. He just… fought them all. It was a way to get used to fighting even more. Seeing yourself punch you in the face all violently was a lot more intense than somebody else doing the same thing. It was better to get himself used to it this way.
It didn't take too long for one clone and the original to be left standing. Naruto leapt atop his clone—the clone charged at him. They headbutt the other in the air. Naruto grabbed his clone's jacket and brought his knee into its chin. The clone fell to the ground and Naruto pummeled it.
"TAKE THAT!" he screamed, turning it into a cloud of smoke. Right as he was going to make another dozen to fight, he saw someone. It was… "Sakura?"
She just watched him, with a blank, yet concerned-ish expression. Her arms were crossed, she leaned against the tree beside them. She looked so… lifeless. "Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah?" You don't look okay… Naruto uncrossed his fingers from the clone seal.
Despite his answer, Sakura looked unconvinced. "Then why were you beating yourself up?"
"For training…?" Naruto blinked. "It's what I usually do."
"I guess…" Sakura hung her head and sighed. "Sorry for bothering you…"
She turned away to walk off but Naruto reached out in her direction. "Wait! No! You're not bothering me!" He chuckled. "You can… stay with me, if you want!"
Sakura paused. In place, still about a dozen feet from him, she sat down and leaned against a tree. She didn't say anything… just an awkward silence ensued. Naruto gulped. Because of Ino… she… must be really sad. Each of Naruto's feet felt like a ton of bricks as he walked over to her. He fell beside her, staying quiet… until he wasn't.
"So… what's the training been like?" he slowly asked.
Sakura shrugged. "Haven't really been doing that."
"Ah…" Naruto chuckled. "Well, don't take too much of a break! We're gonna get promoted the next Chunin Exams we take, y'know!"
"Yeah… I know…" Sakura sighed. "I just can't bring myself to right now."
"Damn…" muttered Naruto. How could you not? he wanted to ask… it didn't feel right in his gut. He didn't really understand… how she was feeling. Yeah, he was sad when he was mad at Shinrai, but… there was never a doubt that Shinrai would come back.
Ino was never going to.
Naruto just sat beside his teammate in silence.
"How do you do it?" she asked.
Naruto turned his head to look at her. "Do what?"
"You were so excited to take the exams, so excited to succeed, get promoted… but you failed. You're just looking to next time already… it's like it meant nothing to you. Gosei said that I would never be enough to match someone like him. He said the same about you. Sasuke barely focuses on us, he's strong like how Gosei is.
"Am I just—"
"Nah, what they say is bullshit!" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura widened her eyes a bit in surprise, the first time she didn't look totally depressed. "Get strong, beat 'em up, be so great that they'll have no choice but to acknowledge everything great about you!"
With his signature grin, he gleamed at Sakura. "That's how I roll. Plus, Bushy-brows beat Gosei! It's definitely possible for someone like you to beat someone like Gosei, or someone like me! You just gotta put your mind to it, y'know!"
Sakura blinked. "Right…" she chuckled a bit. "So… that's how? You just blindly believe in yourself?"
"What do you mean blindly?"
She shook her head. "You're like… hopelessly hopeful."
"That makes no sense."
"I've never seen you sad, or down… I don't get it. I'm trying to, so I…" Her fist clenched as she trailed off.
Naruto's grin dropped a bit, not into a frown, not that low. "Well, I do feel down… I just got tired of crying about it. I didn't wanna keep feeling sorry for myself. I'm sure Shinrai was tired of dealing with me being mopey all of the time… so I stopped. It wasn't that easy.
"I just decided to make myself better instead of wishing I was."
Sakura looked at him, blinking… again, she chuckled. It made Naruto happy to hear her not be sad. "Since when could you say things like that?"
"What?!"
"Nothing…" Sakura shook her head. "You're… you're kinda cool like this, Naruto."
This time, it was Naruto that had the blinking, blank stare. "You think I'm cool?"
"Don't make me take it back."
Naruto just laughed and leaned back onto his arms. "Thanks…"
"No… thank you." Sakura had her mouth open to speak more… but she closed it with another sigh.
"No problem!" responded Naruto with a thumbs up.
Sakura had a bit of a smile as she looked away.
Silence ensued for too long.
"You can go back to training, Naruto."
"Oh, right—"
"NARUTO UZUMAKI!"
Both of them whipped their heads back to see who just yelled Naruto's name. It was Natsuyo Senju. She looked tired, singed—was she on fire?!
"Hi?!" confusedly greeted Naruto. Sakura just stayed silent with her brow raised.
Natsuyo stopped and let out a long—smoking—breath. "Hello!
"As someone strong, I value your opinion. I need it right now," she declared.
Naruto furrowed his brow, looking at her smile… it was kinda pretty looking. "Huh… okay… what do you want…?"
"So, the Senju have an ability called the Godai, and it's where we have the ability to use elemental ninjutsu with reduced and even no hand seals. Gosei has it, but I don't. If I don't have it, then I won't stand a chance against Rock Lee. I've been trying for two weeks, well—a few months, and I don't have the hang of it."
Naruto's brain was overwhelmed by the information. "Train harder?"
"It's not that simple. You need control. Gosei unlocked his through meditation. That's not something I'm good at…" Natsuyo admitted. She sighed. "I tried to ask my mother, but she just told me to figure it out. That's what I'm trying to do now."
"Uh… I'm terrible at meditation too—" spattered Naruto.
Natsuyo groaned, the smolders on her outfit burned. Both Sakura and Naruto looked a bit alarmed. "Well, that's no good."
"What if you try something different? Just, I don't know, do what feels right. When I meditate, I get frustrated because I just want to move—"
"—I feel the same way!" exclaimed Natusyo with a gasp.
Naruto nodded excitedly, feeling his cheeks flush. "Yeah! So, why don't you… move? I don't know if that's how it works…"
"I'll be back if it doesn't!" Natsuyo grinned and turned her back. "Thank you, Naruto Uzumaki!"
"You can just call me Naruto—"
"Alright! Thank you, Naruto!"
With that, she left.
Naruto was left chuckling as he scratched the back of his head. Never taking his eyes off of her, he failed to notice Sakura's snort.
"You're blushing."
"What?!" asked Naruto with his eyes wide—finally looking in a different direction as he slapped his cheeks. "No I'm not!"
"Uh huh…"
Naruto groaned. After that, he returned to his training.
—⊱✿⊰—
Everyone wore black. The sky above was sunny, even though it hadn't been for months. Three shrines with the cremated ashes of three fallen beloved. Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. Those closest cried openly… besides Asuma. It seemed that his grief was spent already. Even with Kurenai beside him, it didn't seem to do all that much.
Miya let out a depressed sigh, for some reason, it fell on her to gather most of the Genin. Getting Shinrai to attend was like pulling teeth, but of course he listened to her. Even though he came, there was one thing he refuse to budge on. It was that black blade… when she tried to take it, he nearly had a panic attack. She needed to talk with him about that. Unlike Shinrai, Hinata was easy, she only seemed pensive about leaving Hanabi behind. The rest of Team 8 came with little pushback as well. Surprisingly, Kakashi got all of Team 7 to come by himself. Besides Sakura… she came of her own accord.
It never failed to pain her, seeing a kind and young soul like hers weep. To her surprise, Shikamaru didn't sob like she did. Well, it shouldn't have been surprising. Miya looked into his eyes only once… he looked through her past a thousand yards. She wished that there was something she could do.
Of course, Kusari came to support her brother, Neji, alongside Team Gai. At least she wasn't entirely vile. Gosei was in attendance as well, a show of respect to his fallen comrades. Miya respected him for it. What disgusted her… utterly enraged her was the fact that Ryujin was nowhere to be seen.
Be angry at her, she accepted it. Be angry at the world, go ahead, the world more than likely deserved it. But, to pull some shit like this was utterly unacceptable. The disrespect not only to Asuma, but to Shikaku, to Inoichi. To needlessly abandon them was the most atrocious thing she could think of doing—especially when he knew how it felt more than anybody else.
Miya didn't let it show. She couldn't… not at all.
"Ms. Miya…" whispered Shinrai. "Are we almost done?"
Her following glare was the most furious one she'd given someone in a while. Immediately, Shinrai looked to the floor. Shortly afterward, Lord Hokage made his presence known, walking to the front. Family of the deceased gave their speeches already, expressing their grief, good memories, and vengeance against those who killed their children.
Now, it was the Hokage's turn. He cleared his throat. "I extend my deepest condolences to all affected by the loss of Tenten, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi. From the time that I knew them, I was certain of their goodness, their will. They were the perfect fit to the Konoha Shinobi. Their Will of Fire was strong, and we will forever remember the warmth of their presence, never to be felt again. "
Someone grabbed her hand, it was Naruto. He was visibly shaken up… Shinrai was on the other side of her, he couldn't see. Miya took her hand out of Naruto's and wrapped her arm around him, pulling him beside her.
"However, as long as you keep your own Will of Fire burning within you, you'll be united with all in the village, dead and alive. The unifying flame is what makes Konoha the family it is, the strongest of the five villages, the village that never dies."
The Hokage stepped down, allowing for individuals to pay their respects to the passed. "You're going," said Miya to Shinrai.
He just nodded stiffly.
—⊱✿⊰—
The heaviness of grief was enough to affect even Gosei. He wasn't used to those types of things. As a Shinobi, it was a part of life to have people die. Luckily for him, it wasn't anybody he was particularly close to. It was… a grace period for him. Someone he truly cared about dying was an inevitably. He just needed to be prepared for it, and this was part of it.
He knew that there were those less fortunate. For once, he felt genuinely terrible about it. Survivor's guilt? Whatever it was… Gosei was always aware of his privilege, how above everybody else he was, but the past two weeks under Might Gai with Rock Lee… made him question that in a way.
What about those who weren't like him? The less fortunate. Rock Lee made it obvious that it was possible to defy all expectations, to overcome circumstance and become exceptional. What would he do with them? All he had was sympathy, pity, there was no way he could empathize or truly connect. That made him feel like a failure… his own defying of expectations.
Everyone expected him to succeed.
He expected everyone else to fail.
To accept that others could succeed like he could, would be to accept that he could fail. The thought was horrifyingly foreign. One day, it was possible that it would be his shrine that others mourned over.
Gosei… could die.
I can die.
Everything went cold at the mere thought.
Gosei shook his head, he needed to pay respects to his fallen comrades. He walked up to the three shrines, bowed and presented them a prayer. He wished them prosperity in the pure lands, an eternal bliss amongst the heavens.
As he finished, he turned to walk back. Someone caught his eye… it was Sakura. Her grief was palpable in every part of her demeanor. It pained him to see somebody he respected in such a state. What pained him more was there wasn't a thing he could do.
Every part of him wanted to try. But, he knew he'd just make things worse.
—⊱✿⊰—
Miya paid her respects, made Shinrai do the same, and accompanied any other Genin who needed support to do so themselves. Sakura needed it especially… But, after it all, she, Kakashi, and Gai needed to do something. Asuma was one of the first to leave. She understood… being there hurt.
If only Ryujin made even an attempt…
Not right now. If he didn't want to show his face, then she wouldn't give him the space in her mind. She let out a sigh, putting her hand on both Naruto's and Shinrai's back. "You two, I'm gonna go do something. " She then put on a smile. "I have something to show you guys afterward!"
"Is it gonna help me against Ka'rai?" asked Shinrai immediately.
Miya nodded. "Yes, it will."
"Oh! So it's a flashy jutsu!" said Naruto, his previous heavy look replaced by an excited smile.
Miya chuckled, shaking her head. "The flashiest."
Naruto let out a silent cheer. Her smile had to be dropped as she joined Kurenai, Gai, and Kakashi. They had something to take care of.
They went to where Asuma did, the Memorial Stone. It was where any grieving Konoha Shinobi went… it was always there. She'd been there herself. Asuma's demeanor changed once they set foot toward him.
It stiffened, he put his guard up.
None of the other Jonin said a word. Each of them individually took out a cigarette and began to smoke it. Smoking wasn't an activity Miya partook in, or even enjoyed at all. But, for Asuma, for her friend, she'd adore every inhale.
He chuckled, not turning his back to face the others. "Who's idea was this…?"
"It was mine," said Kurenai.
After that… Asuma just laughed, shaking his head. Tears dropped onto the memorial stone. "Thank you."
Nobody said a word as the smoke rose.
—⊱✿⊰—
Ms. Miya is so scary. The funeral service was done, and Shinrai was waiting for Miya to show him whatever she wanted to show him. It was in a forest, with one of the many seals Miya showed him. To make training easier, he told her of his Sharingan. So, his training consisted mostly of Miya demonstrating a jutsu, and then he and his twenty-four shadow clones attempting the jutsu.
It turned out that his second chakra nature was Water Style! Considering his matchup, it felt like a consolation prize. But, with his super-speed training method, he got down a couple-dozen new jutsu in the two weeks he trained under her. Seven Water Style Jutsu, Eleven Sealing techniques, Thirteen blade techniques… and other things he didn't feel like counting.
Her physical training on his main body was also increased a dozen fold. Shinrai was well acquainted with all of Miya's limbs hitting him with various levels of intense force. It activated the ability in his special Chakra… so he just kept going and going and going. Eventually, she threw him at Might Gai. Gosei was there, funnily enough. Might Gai was apprehensive about training him at first, but when he heard that Miya sent him, he did a whole one-eighty and was happy to.
Neji and Gosei didn't like it in the slightest, especially when he outperformed Neji on the first day. It was fucking hilarious. He and Gosei hadn't been so competitive in a long while… he also had a staff. It was but a poor attempt at mimicking his weapon mastery of the blade. Of course, Gosei denied it. Shinrai knew that it was true.
Shinrai laughed to himself, recalling the past two weeks.
What was funny, was that he knew that he was far off from beating Ka'rai. Naruto told him that Ka'rai's strength during the prelims was no fluke… he was just that strong. He forwarded what he heard about Fuu to Neji as well. Shinrai couldn't let Kusari become an only child if he could help it.
To his surprise, he was joined in the forest he sealed in. Quickly, a veil came over his active Sharingan. He looked back to see who it was. Floral firework eyes erupted a storm of joy in Shinrai's being. "Karin!"
"Hey, Shinrai," she greeted, sitting down beside him. Her head titled curiously at the sealing jutsu on the ground. "Seals, hm? Combination…" Karin turned to look at him. "What are you working on?"
"I should be asking you the questions," he muttered. "Where the hell did you disappear off to? Why did you—?"
"One at a time," she commanded, shushing him with a finger to his lips. Physical contact made his body flutter. Of course, Karin knew. She sensed it all… Shinrai couldn't be bothered to hide it. "I cannot tell you where I went."
"Ugh," he groaned, her finger still on his lips. "Can you tell me why you left?"
"No!" she said, growing a sly smile. Slowly, she pulled her finger down his lips, lingering on the parting that led to his mouth. "Did you miss me?"
"You know the answer to that…" he answered, surprised that he could in the first place.
Karin chuckled. "I do… You're more controlled than last time."
"Focus…" he responded, still facing the Jutsu formula he had in front of him.
Karin tilted her head, peering into his eyes with her own. The Sharingan brought out every detail of her face—her eyes. "Am I interrupting you?"
"You're a welcome interruption," he said, smirking.
Her hum was music to his ears. "Why do you have a Genjutsu over yourself?"
"I can't tell you that," he said, his tone hardening.
Karin's brows furrowed. "Is that so…? What if I break it?"
"Bold of you to assume you can."
"Is that a challenge?"
"I'd rather it not be…"
"...Okay," conceded Karin.
Thanks, he muttered. He really didn't feel like telling her about the Sharingan. Karin was… she kept too many secrets. Whenever she came to mind, it was just a shroud—her hand cupped the back of his head and she pulled him into her lips. First on his cheek, she pressed and Shinrai relaxed—he didn't even realize he was tense.
Slowly, she lingered on his face until she kissed onto the side of his lips. It was then when she pulled back and kissed him directly. This time it was… surprisingly gentle. Karin was comforting him… For the first time, she reminded him of Yora for a bit.
Karin pulled back and they looked each other in the eyes. Rose red flashed with the visage of scarlet. It scared him… what if she died too? He blinked. "You can grow back an arm, right?"
She was caught off guard by the question. "Yes…?"
"Okay… what about a heart?"
"I was never put in that situation," she admitted, narrowing her eyes. "But, I wouldn't expect a stab to the heart to kill me if that's what you're asking."
"Good… good…" He let out a breath, smiling. "Good."
"I won't die on you, Shinrai," she assured, putting on a smile. "I promise I won't."
He just hugged her. The racing of his heart calmed with Karin in his arms. He felt the toned thin-ness of her frame, it was so comforting. I never got to hug Yora like this.
Karin never hugged back.
With a sigh, he pulled away. "Sorry… I know you said for me not to touch you but… I don't know."
"It's fine," she said breathily.
He cleared his throat. "You felt really nice, by the way."
"Is that right?" Karin asked that as she laughed. The sound never not made him feel good.
Shinrai chuckled in response. "Yeah…"
Her eyes widened a bit, then she stood. "Naruto Uzumaki and Miya Uzumaki are coming."
"Oh, great!" exclaimed Shinrai. "You'll get to meet them!"
"...No," she denied, before walking off.
Shinrai looked bewildered, he shook his head. "But, they're Uzumaki? Why don't you want to meet them?!"
Karin stopped, her entire demeanor changed. His Sharingan whirled to scrutinize her chakra, he could see it, but not make out any details, no emotion. Even still, he saw her stiffen, he heard her breath hitch. "Just—don't mention me!" she ordered before speeding off into the forest.
He blinked in her direction. Okay then. With a groan, he returned to the seal in front of him. It was definitely the most complicated one he'd ever made. With it—he gripped Yora's hilt—he'll finally be able to be together with her again.
A sudden rustle nearly made him draw the blade. It was just Naruto. Miya followed shortly after. He smiled at them, putting the seal away in a storage seal on his wrist. "Flashy Jutsu," requested Shinrai immediately.
Miya rolled her eyes playfully. "I have to show you something else before the flashy jutsu."
"What is it? Does it explain why you smell like cigarettes?" interrogated Shinrai. "Please don't tell me you've turned into an addict."
"I…" Miya sighed. Naruto bellowed out with laughter. "It was a one time thing for a friend."
"That's how it always starts."
"Maybe letting Ka'rai burn you alive isn't such a bad idea—"
"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!"
"That's what I thought," she huffed. "Now, c'mon, you two. I need to take you somewhere special."
Shinrai stood up and followed behind Miya and Naruto. "Did Ms. Miya tell you anything?" he asked to Naruto.
He shook his head. "Not a thing! I guess it's a really big surprise."
"It is!" she confirmed.
Shinrai chuckled. "The way you're talking about it, you're making it seem like this jutsu could take down Ka'rai with a single shot."
"Well, it was inspired by the Bijuu Bomb, a jutsu made to combat Jinchuriki," she teased slyly.
Both Uzumaki Brothers gasped. "FASTER!" they both yelled, pulling Miya's hands and rushing her forward.
Planting her feet into the ground, she stood firm and both of them felt as if they were pulling a mountain. "Patience," she urged. "You guys don't even know where I'm going."
They pouted, letting go of her and allowing her to lead the way again. It took about thirty minutes for them to reach their destination, and they were sixty times more irritable by the time they were there.
Shinrai was tapping his foot on the floor and Naruto had his eyes narrowed. All Miya did was look back and smile. She had led them to a tower, decently close to the Hokage Monument, all of those stone heads. Shinrai's irritability was blown away by Miya's smile, he didn't think he ever saw her so excited. Compared to the wrathful glare of a thousand Kusaris she gave him earlier, it was odd. But, he was there for it! Shinrai smiled back, seeing Miya excited made him jittery as well. With both he and Miya excited, it was only a matter of time before Naruto jumped up. "I CAN'T WAIT!"
"C'mon then!" Miya led them inside the tower. It was a circular room with a spiral on the floor, and it whirled out until it joined up with a swirling staircase that led many stories up to the top of the tower. "This place, and the jutsu I'm going to show you, was shown to me by your mother, Naruto."
"Really?!" he asked with an excited gasp.
Miya nodded, smiling brighter. "Yes! It was developed by your father as well."
"This jutsu's going to be fucking strong then…" muttered Shinrai, placing his hand on his chin.
She chuckled. "Yeah, if anything, Naruto, you're the perfect person for this jutsu. It was made by your father as a showing of love and protection for your mother. It's a product of their love for each other, just like you."
"Woah…" he gaped. Shinrai didn't think he ever saw Naruto so… happy. It was just a genuine showing of raw elation painted all over his face.
"...Then why are you teaching it to me?" asked Shinrai. "Other than to keep me alive…"
Miya crouched down and touched the spiral on the floor. "The Uzumaki is a clan of love, our spiral shows that. An Uzumaki—a person without love is nothing but an aimless spiral, no direction, endless movement."
Miya stood, pointing to the staircase and following its whirl to the ceiling. "An Uzumaki with love becomes three dimensional…"
"...A helix," finished Shinrai.
Miya's smile grew just a bit. "Yeah! A helix. Let me take you guys up." She brought them up the helicitcal staircase, then began talking again. "There are three dimensions to a person. I told you two the third one, love. The first one, the one you need the most is existence. If you don't exist then… yeah. The second one is motivation, it makes you want to do something with your existence, but, you don't really know what. So you're aimless…
"But, love. Love gives you purpose, it's what allows the humble spiral to grow into the compounding helix!"
"I did not understand half of what you just said, but yeah!" enthusiastically agreed Naruto.
Shinrai chuckled. "Interesting…"
"I'd say you two are already helixes, because you two have the love of each other, you two keep each other going, your love for each other allows you two to grow into the two most beautiful boys I've seen."
Miya really couldn't stop smiling at them. It was starting to weird Shinrai out, but in the best way possible. Kinda like Karin did… but also entirely different at the same time. With each new window they passed, Shinrai could see they were higher and higher in the air.
Eventually, they reached the top. Immediately, they were greeted by the view of the four stone faces. It reminded Shinrai of Gosei… he never stopped talking about the Hokage. Naruto seemed a lot more enthusiastic about the view. "Hey! Remember when I painted all over the monument!"
"Hell yeah I do!" responded Shinrai with a laugh.
Miya just shook her head. "Kushina took me to the top to show me Minato's stone face. She said it didn't do him justice, that he should've been carved with his smile. You have the smile of both of your parents, Naruto."
Of course, Naruto showed it off, grabbing the back of his head with both hands. The sound of whirling chakra doubled over sounded into their ears. "Earlier, Shinrai, you asked me why I was teaching you the jutsu, and not just Naruto." Both of Miya's palms swirled with helictical blue chakra, whirling in a condensed ball.
"The Rasengan may be Naruto's birthright, yes. But, this jutsu is so much more than that. Kushina taught it to me because she wanted to love and protect me, just like Minato did for her. Now, I'm teaching it to you guys because I want to love and protect you, just like Kushina did to me."
Miya's smile shrunk, but it became a thousand times more powerful. "This jutsu is a show of how much I love you two." She chuckled, almost looking like she was about to cry. "Because I really do love you, Naruto, Shinrai."
…Love me? he questioned. Shinrai blinked in response, barely processing it. The cold in his heart was the most distant thing in the world. More than he felt with Yora, even. His hand strayed away from her hilt. He realized it. The greatest feeling of elation flooded his being. It was warmth that would last him a lifetime. "I love you too, Ms. Miya."
"Y-yeah!" agreed Naruto, smiling wider than he ever had before with the giddiest of giggles. "I love you too, too!"
"You two…" she muttered, the Rasengan in her hands dissipated and she pulled them in for a hug. Her arms were tight, secure, and so strong. It… shocked him almost. That someone would care so much. Someone other than Naruto.
She'd shown it so so many times before…
But to hear it. To feel it.
It was the most gratifying thing in the world.
Of course Miya loved him.
Shinrai hugged her back as tight as he could, basking in the warmth of her embrace. It was quiet, but there were sobs. The sound of Naruto's cries were embedded into his brain. He took one hand off of Miya and pulled Naruto into a secondary embrace, with him right there. Naruto did the same to him.
A three-way swirl loved its way into a helix most powerful.
—⊱✿⊰—
As Hinata walked through the Hyuuga Clan Compound… the looks were curious than anything else, not… disdainful, like they were usually. Even still, her steps were still heavy, weighed down by the feeling of dread she hid so well. The news of her reawakened White Eyes spread wildly. It only came with Bontena's Blessing, so usually, it was the same unexceptional lavender as every other Hyuuga.
After her battle with Kusari, Hinata didn't feel comfortable wearing an attire stained with her own blood. The white of her previous outfit was pink. So, she opted for something else, a white coat, heavier, but not so much to where it would slow her down. Owl feathers traced the outline of the hoodie she never planned to wear.
It was quite fashionable, and hid her away just as well as her previous attire.
"Lady Hinata."
She looked back to see a Branch Member—The Branch Member, if you will. His skin was pale, more so than even hers. His hair was a bright shade of brown, it reflected in the sunlight as if it was blond. His eyes, however, matched the deep lavender of her father's; with his robed garb matching that with a deep cyan of the sky.
"Toneri," she greeted in kind, bowing her head.
His head tilted as he analyzed her. "If I may ask, the rumors, the ones that I've heard… are they a lie?"
Breathlessly, Bontena's Blessing stretched across the concealed mark on her neck. The dread she ignored, the heaviness she felt… it was all gone. In its place was the most beautiful feeling in the world.
Peace.
Toneri's deep eyes widened as he looked into Hinata's, hers of White. His surprise made Hinata's fake smile turn true. "I would never lie to the clan I love so much."
Toneri chuckled, bowing in respect to Hinata. "Well, I welcome your return, Lady White Eyes."
A crowd formed around her, staring in awe at her. It was then when Hinata allowed Bontena's aura to flare, whisking them like the wind. The hair and robes of the Hyuuga flowed with serenity—the bliss of purity.
She heard some cry.
Most gasped.
Inevitably, everyone bowed.
Hinata wanted to join them in their tears. She didn't, she couldn't. This feeling was something she hadn't felt in so long.
The love of the Hyuuga Clan.
Truly, Hinata felt like that little girl again, the little girl who she wished she could be again. Her wish was granted—Bontena made her dream come true. Finally, truly, what was once unachievable was truly in her grasp once again.
It was noon.
Hinata looked up at the floral dancing light.
I will not fall again, Mother. I swear that I won't.
—⊱✿⊰—
The Rasengan was more difficult than any Jutsu Shinrai learned before. With his clones and his Sharingan, it usually took a few hours for him to get a jutsu down. Seals took a day. But this… it had been more than a day and he was still struggling. There were no hand signs for him to copy. Yeah, he had the way the chakra was molded burned into his brain two dozen times over, but it was surprisingly hard to imitate.
Needless to say, Naruto wasn't faring too much better.
The chakra just dispersed in Naruto's hand the moment he tried to do it. "UGH!"
"Don't worry!" assured Miya with a smile. "It took me a couple months to get this down—"
"MONTHS?!" screamed Shinrai. He shook his head. "Ms. Miya. I have. One month. NOT MULTIPLE—not even that! I have like two fucking WEEKS!"
"Well, you are doing better than me! You're better than me with clones than I was at your age. You also have the Sharingan." Miya shook her head. "You have no idea how weird it is to see you with those eyes—"
Shinrai rolled his scarlet eyes in response. "I suppose…"
Naruto roared—his clones dispersed. Kyuubi chakra poured from him and Naruto smirked. The devilish Kyuubi features made it look evil. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"
The forest clearing was filled with a thousand Narutos. "WITH THIS! I'LL LEARN THE RASENGAN IN NO TIME!"
"No," Miya denied. "Make like… a hundred. With your chakra spread so thin, the Kyuubi's going to have a field day taking you over."
One of Naruto's clones roared out in pain. His skin ripped with corrosive chakra tails. Miya stabbed it through the chest with a chain, dispersing it. Naruto shuddered at the memory. "Right…" Nine hundred of his clones popped into smoke.
Miya made her own clones, ten, one for every ten Narutos. "Okay, go ahead."
"Alright!"
"I can only make twenty-fucking-four what is this bullshit—?!"
"Kyuubi chakra bitch!" all hundred Naruto's yelled.
Shinrai twitched. "How mad do you think he'd be if I slaughtered all of his clones?"
"You can?" questioned Miya incredulously.
"I don't fucking know! I mean, I'm fighting a Jinchuriki, so I might as well get some practice in…" Shinrai pulled out the blade of his namesake with a smirk. In a scarlet flicker, three of Naruto's clones had their heads lobbed off. Miya shook her head and groaned, especially as Shinrai desperately tried to hold off the Kyuubi-fueled Naruto army.
He lasted longer than she expected, about twenty minutes before Naruto finally caught him off guard. From there… Shinrai lost decisively. He could hurt Naruto, but Naruto just kept healing it all. Shinrai just accumulated damage, it indeed made him stronger, but eventually even his super vitality would reach its limit. That took another long while… probably hours had Miya not signaled a verbal ceasing of "That's enough you two!"
Naruto replaced the dozen clones that Shinrai managed to take out before returning to his training with the biggest smile on his face. On the other hand, Shinrai crawled back to Miya, battered, bleeding and bruised. He let out a toothy grin covered in blood. "I think I did good!"
"Yes, good job, Shinrai…" Miya sighed afterward.
Shinrai nodded giddy, blood flicking off the open wounds on his face. "Yeah! I'm so happy I finally figured out my special chakra's ability! I can take advantage of it now!"
"It's lucky that you enjoy getting hurt then—but be careful!"
"I don't think careful is in my vocabulary—"
"Shinrai."
"Sorry—" he spattered. With a cross of his hands, two clones began to heal him from the damage he sustained in the battle.
Miya decided to help as well. Her Mystic Palm had hints of Adamantine Gold in it… Being around her so much really made him appreciate the color gold.
Only a bit of time passed until Shinrai was healed to a reasonable level. From there, he let out a breath that wasn't choked up with blood. "Ka'rai can heal, right, Naruto?"
"Yeah!"
"Is it like yours? From what I saw in the fight, he had two distinctive types of fire," Shinrai narrowed his eyes on the nearest clone.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! There's his regular fire, and then there's Jinsei Flame. It's what allows him to heal himself."
"So, it's not like yours…" hummed Shinrai. "Kyuubi's chakra heals you directly, but since Ka'rai has something that's not pure chakra…" Shinrai smirked. "Okay, okay… I think I'll be fine. I'll just need to damage him in the first place."
"That's why you're learning the Rasengan!" Miya added.
Shinrai pumped his fist, making twenty-four clones. "Yes!" Again, they attempted to forge the sphere of the chakra. First, the chakra was summoned, then it was rotated—it dispersed after five seconds.
"At least I kept it formed for an extra second!" he said, chuckling to himself, hiding the fuming anger in his chakra very poorly.
"It's your second day trying, you're obviously not going to get it. It took Minato three years to make it."
Shinrai pouted.
"Well, maybe the reason why they haven't learned it, is because you're not teaching them right!"
Miya visibly rustled at the new voice. All one-hundred and one Narutos, twenty-five Shinrais, and eleven Miyas looked toward the source. It was a man, the same towering height as Miya.
His hair was white and long, going down into his back. Twin red markings rolled down his face. He wore a ton of red on his outfit as well, and the smirk he had on his face was dastardly in every way Shinrai found appealing.
"I like this dude already," he muttered.
All two hundred of Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?!"
The man laughed. Miya groaned. "Who am I? Who am I?" He clapped his platform sandals together as he jumped, landing in a pose."I am the Legendary Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! I am the bestselling author of the hit Icha Icha Series!
"I am a slayer of men on the battlefield and of women in the bedroom! I am an esteemed member of the Legendary Sannin! I am the one and only Jiraiya!" he announced with the world's most prideful grin.
Miya looked about ready to tear every strand of hair from her head.
Sannin… like the snake. All of Shinrai's good will toward this Jiraiya faded in an instant. "Sannin? That's not a good look."
"Hey!" Jiraiya yelled, offended. "The Sannin are some of Konoha's greatest—"
"Snake Sannin is a fucking criminal who killed my family and the other one is related to Gosei, so what makes you any better?"
"Ah… so you know about that, eh?" Jiraiya sighed, then he huffed. "Well, to answer your question, I trained the Yondaime himself, and I even helped him develop the very jutsu you're trying to master right now!"
"OH SHIT!" yelled all the Shinrais and all the Narutos.
Shinrai pointed at Jiraiya. "Naruto! This dude trained your dad!"
"YEAH!" he agreed. The real one sprinted through the crowd of himself toward Jiraiya.
The Sannin blinked. "You… know?"
"Yeah! Ryu told me!"
"Huh… okay." He chuckled, pointing to Naruto's Kyuubi features. "I assume he taught you how to do all of that, eh?"
"...No," grumbled Naruto.
Jiraiya looked toward Miya, she shook her head. His brows furrowed. "Then who?"
"Ka'rai! Uzumaki!" Naruto answered.
"I'm going to fight him during the finals!" added Shinrai.
Jiraiya blinked. "Again, who?"
"He's Nibi's Jinchuriki," answered Naruto again. "Since Ryu was being an ass, he decided to teach me about Bijuu and stuff."
Jiraiya blinked, processing the information. "I feel like I'm missing a lot of context."
"I'll fill you in later," said Miya.
Jiraiya then nodded. "Gotcha…" He looked toward her, his gaze lingering. He chuckled. "In the years since I've last saw you, you haven't lost an ounce of beauty."
"Don't make me hit you, Jiraiya."
"Whaaat? It's a compliment!"
"If it was from literally anybody but you, I'd accept it."
"What did I ever do—?"
"DON'T MAKE ME EVEN START TO LIST—"
"CAN YOU TEACH ME THE FUCKING RASENGAN PLEASE!" yelled Naruto.
"Oh, right, I did come here for reasons other than bothering Miya." He cleared his throat. "Since you two already know about your respective pasts, I don't have to be coy. Naruto, you're my star pupil's kid, your name came from my first ever novel. I don't have a clue why Minato liked it so much, but he did. So, yeah, self-explanatory, I believe."
Naruto nodded slowly. "I see… What's the book?"
Jiraiya tossed him a copy of it. Of course, Naruto caught it. The title read Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. Shinrai looked over his brother's shoulder. "Interesting…"
"Shinrai, it was my failure as a teammate that led to your circumstance. So, naturally I have a responsibility to you as well as I do Naruto," Jiraiya explained. "Again, self explanatory."
"Then where were you?" asked Shinrai.
"I have only been in the village twice since the Kyuubi attacked. When Orochimaru deserted, and… now. I was out doing missions, trying to uncover the secret of the man behind the Kyuubi attack, and after the incident, finding Orochimaru." Jiraiya shrugged his shoulders. "I'm no good with kids, anyway. Ryujin had it covered before, so I assume he still does now."
"...That's fucking hilarious, honestly," muttered Shinrai.
Naruto just looked a bit bitter.
"He did renovate our apartment, though!" added Shinrai.
Jiraiya found himself speechless again. He looked toward Miya. "Fill me in…?
"I will."
"Okay." Jiraiya let out a breath. "Alright, you two—or hundred—sit tight. I just have to buy out about thirty stores worth of water balloons."
—⊱✿⊰—
As it turned out, Jiraiya was a better teacher than Miya. It was only nightfall and Shinrai as well as Naruto were already nearly finished completing the jutsu. Well, completing the incomplete version. Rasengan was supposed to have a change in chakra nature added to it. The only person to complete it was Ryu. It would've been so great if he was actually in the village to teach him shit.
Shinrai sighed. If Ryu was on a mission, then he couldn't blame him. Even still, he had Miya… and needless to say, he'd rather Ryu be on a mission over Miya, always. Just the thought of not being able to interact with Miya filled him with melancholic dread.
They loved each other, she loved him.
Not feeling her love seemed like the worst possible outcome. Miya's love would make hell feel just like home.
Her and Naruto.
They were… his family.
They were all he needed.
Well, most families had a dad. Nobody really fit the bill. Ryu…? Nah, being close to anybody seemed like the last thing he wanted to do. Plus, being close to Ryu felt… wrong. Naruto would think otherwise, probably.
If Shinrai was going to be greedy and look for more love... his hand slipped off of Yora's hilt… he'd look for Karin. That beautiful beautiful girl was such a mystery. Even still, he loved the way her lips felt on him. He loved being around her.
Shinrai wanted to love her.
After today, after the way Karin calmed him, after Miya told him about the helix of love… it was all clear. Karin was definitely a spiral, he gathered that much. His love would fill her into a rosy helix.
It was night, it was dark.
Something told him that wouldn't stop Karin from coming. He left his bed, made it up. Put on something comfortable, grabbed Yora from beside the bed. Shinrai was in a seal on his wrist. Afterward, he left his house. He went somewhere secluded.
Then, he flared his chakra. Code for the name Karin. There was no doubt that she would sense him if she was in the village. If Karin didn't come, then she wasn't in the village or ignoring him. Neither were true. A short while passed and he grinned at the sight of her floral firework eyes.
"So, you came." Shinrai sat down, leaning against a fallen log.
Karin nodded, walking toward him. "I did. I guess I'm surprised you found a way to call me…" she muttered, sitting beside him, shoulder to shoulder. Again, she blocked his hand from grabbing Yora's hilt. Not that he needed to. "Why do you want to see me? You're missing my lips already?"
"Nah… I want to talk, not to kiss," admitted Shinrai. For once, Karin looked genuinely surprised. Shinrai chuckled. "We can do that after, though…"
Karin shook her head, amused, but her eyes narrowed on him. Chuckles of Shinrai evolved into his laugh. "What do you sense in me?"
"Warmth and… purity," she answered. "Like a campfire."
Shinrai's eyes widened a bit at the idea. His wrist puffed with smoke, his white Grass Cutter flew from his wrist, cutting a large branch from a tree above. With a few hand seals, Shinrai lit the branch aflame and chuckled. "Here's a real one!"
"...That's not how you make a campfire."
"I know! But, I have Water Style, so I can put out any fire that gets out of hand," he explained, basking in the warmth.
Karin shook her head. "Alright…" She sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"
"What's your story, Karin?"
Her eyes widened, then they narrowed. She looked away, orange flames burned red in the reflection of her eyes. "Why do you care?"
"Why wouldn't I?" His head tilted, a bit confused.
"You didn't before…"
"If you hadn't broken my brain with your smooches, then maybe I would've had the clarity to ask earlier," he muttered playfully.
Karin rolled her eyes. "Why are you asking me?"
"Why are you so defensive?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Her tone almost sounded venomous.
Shinrai's eyes narrowed sympathetically. "Sorry…" he sighed, then he chuckled again. "I guess it's rude to ask when I haven't given myself up." He would've grabbed Yora's hilt had Karin not been there. But, part of him—all of him—wanted to grab Karin's hand. She wouldn't appreciate it, though.
"I uh… had a family, once. They're dead. Killed by the Snake Sannin. I was two when it happened. I remember it all…" Shinrai's voice turned hollow. "So clearly."
His eyes were focused on the fire, he didn't see Karin's reaction. "I was two when it happened. Then the Snake Sannin experimented on me, for two years. I was four when I was saved. For the longest… I didn't remember it at all. I didn't remember it until I fought him in the Forest of Death.
"But, yeah, when I was four… I met my brother. Naruto. I love him so much…" Shinrai forced a smile. "The village hates him, though. Everybody does. I was hated by association… Everyone hated us. Whenever someone tried to mistreat Naruto, I beat them up. I was fighting grown men when I was five—winning, too. I went in to the academy… Naruto, too.
"Nobody liked us there, either. Especially the girls… I asked out twenty-eight girls during my time in the academy, none of them wanted anything to do with me." Shinrai finally looked toward Karin. She almost looked… horrified.
"You okay?" he asked.
She blinked, shaking her head. "Yeah… I was just… shocked, I guess."
"Yeah, if you were anything to go by, girls would be all over me," muttered Shinrai, chuckling.
Karin let out a half-hearted chuckle as well. "Yeah…"
"Well, I graduated the Academy. Naruto almost didn't. That really would've fucked up his goal of being Hokage. I uh, am a Ninja now. I went on missions, did things, made Naruto really mad at me one time… and, I met… Ms. Miya." Shinrai smiled. "She loves me too.
"Naruto and Ms. Miya… they're my, new family, I guess. A mom and a brother." Shinrai's fists clenched. "I would burn the world down for them."
Shinrai turned his head toward Karin. Her expression was hard to read, it was so… blank. Like she was resigned to fate itself. "I want to do that for you, too. I want you to join us…"
Karin then looked taken aback. "What?"
"I want to love you, Karin," admitted Shinrai. "That's why I care… because I care about you and who you are. But the thing is… I have no idea what I care so much about."
"Shinrai—!" she exclaimed, almost scolding. Karin looked down… she nearly looked scared. Everything about her previous demeanor—calm, seductive—it was falling apart. Was that who she truly was? "What are you talking about?!"
"...I don't think I could've made myself more clear."
"Why? What about me? You… you're… you're not supposed to care about shit like this!"
"I…" Shinrai spattered. "I guess I can't help myself. I just want love, your love, to love you. I don't yet… but I know it's only a matter of time. You can sense how I feel. I don't even know why I'm explaining."
Karin trembled. Shinrai frowned. "Someone hurt you…"
Her eyes shut, she moved away from him.
"I won't hurt you, Karin. I never will."
"I know," she said quickly before getting up. "Goodbye." In a flicker, she was gone. Shinrai was alone.
He let out a sigh.
That was… something.
A feeling inside of Shinrai told him that he won't be seeing Karin again for a while.
Even still… nothing inside of him doubted that he would turn her spiral into a helix.
All it would take was time.
—⊱✿⊰—
What the hell—what the hell?! That was not how men were supposed to act. They were deviants—a slave to their own lust. Men didn't care about anything but themselves, their own pleasure, their own interests, their own sickness. That was how Shinrai acted. He loved the pleasure she gave to him, he adored the arousal he got from her. What just happened wasn't real.
That was how Karin hoped he acted before she met him.
Love?! What the hell did a man know about love?!
What did she know about love?
Why couldn't he just be another man? Why did he have to be different? Why did she have to lead him to his death?! No, not death, something worse. Whatever Orochimaru had planned for him. Why—just why?!
Why did she have to be the one?
Why was she even here?
She wished she could've just come to Konoha without interference. Everything wouldn't have to be a constructed lie. She didn't have to pretend to enjoy kissing him, she didn't have to fake being a sick and twisted seductress. Why didn't she have the courage to take the pain for him? Why was everything about her so fucking pathetic?
Shinrai suffered enough under Orochimaru. His family was murdered by him—he was already tortured. Now, here she was, lying to his face, leading him right back to the hell he was so lucky to escape from. Why, why, why why why why whywhywhywhywhywhywhy—FUCKING WHY?!
Why couldn't Orochimaru just die?
That would fix everything.
There was nothing she could do to facilitate that. She was a slave to him. With that Curse Mark, he knew about everything she did. She was utterly helpless. A fucking damsel. She hated it. She hated it. She hated how hard it was for her to die. No disease, no injury, her healing chakra made it damn near impossible.
What did she do to deserve this? Her mother was drained to death slowly over years in front of her eyes. She had to fight off sick and twisted men at every turn. The moment the light of freedom was dangled in front of her, she was snatched back into the void.
Nothing nothing nothing.
At this point, what about her was worth saving? What about her was worth being free?
Shinrai was the blindest—most ignorant mother fucker to see anything in her.
Well, she was the one covering his eyes.
Only two more weeks and then she'd lead him to hell.
She would not see him at all until then.
Karin couldn't even bear the thought of him anymore.
—⊱✿⊰—
Miya was confident in Shinrai, he should be fine… against Ka'rai tomorrow. From what she heard about him from Naruto, Ka'rai wasn't some blood-thirsty monster. She did talk to him once as well. He felt… remorse for his actions, surprisingly enough. With that, she was certain that Shinrai's life wasn't on the line, thankfully.
Naruto grew immensely in the past month. His control over the Kyuubi's chakra was much better than what… Ryu's was after only a month of serious training. Naruto was certainly going to dominate the next Chunin Exams. She really did feel bad for whoever his competition may be.
Kiba grew as well. With Shino focused on training for the exams, Team 8 didn't go on any missions at all. But, the fact that he didn't make it to the finals didn't stop him from training his hardest. He went head first into Inuzuka clan techniques and then ran to her for a training dummy. Offended, she made him into her training dummy—with love of course. It made him stronger, anyway.
She barely saw Shino throughout the month. His opponent was a Ninjutsu specialist, so he focused entirely on countering that. He didn't see much of a need to go to Miya for physical conditioning. On top of that, he wasn't too interested in learning anything else outside of his Aburame hidden jutsu. Of course, Miya respected it.
Hinata…
Miya turned her head, looking at the girl next to her on the couch. She was doing scarily well. With her Blessed Mark, as she called it, she recovered from her match with Kusari within a week. Hinata spent a lot of her time training with her, well, her clones since she was busy with Shinrai for most of the time. Of course she trained Hinata personally whenever she could.
The physical beating Hinata got from Kusari encouraged her to train her body as much as she could. There was nobody better than her—aside from Gai—to do that. Hinata trained with her blessing a lot, using techniques she never even heard of before. It caught her off guard more than once.
There weren't any more lies from Hinata, either, they just showed each other their hearts.
They showed each other through dance.
Miya smiled at Hinata.
Hinata smiled back.
The two went from side by side, to facing each other in the open space of Miya's living room. Their arms stuck out, touching at the wrist. In a single step, they spun, whirling together in the dance of a whirlpool. Hinata stepped back, Miya stepped forward, a knock on the door interrupted them both.
It was a pattern Miya recognized, but before she could react, Hinata spoke with her Byakugan active. "The Demon Twins…" she informed, less than pleased.
Miya nodded at her. "I know." It's the night before the finals, I told them to rest up. As she was in front of the door, the knock repeated—harder. Miya twitched before opening her door. "You two—!"
"There's an invasion tomorrow!" spattered Naruto.
Shinrai nodded in affirmation. "Kumo, Iwa, Suna, Oto, and Kusa are all planning to invade during the Final exams!"
Miya's eyes widened—then they narrowed. Both of them look frantic, it was obvious that they bolted here. She took a deep, long, breath. "This… this is not something to joke about."
"I know!" yelled Shinrai.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! The person who told us… told us not to—"
"Was it Ka'rai?" Miya guessed, eyes narrowed.
Naruto stiffened. "Uh—"
Shinrai remained stoic, an attempt to save face that Miya saw right through.
"I… see…" Miya sighed. "So, he committed treason? Why is that?"
"He doesn't want the second home of the Uzumaki to die," explained Naruto, fists clenched. "He couldn't bear hiding it anymore."
"Alright." Miya flickered into nothing. When she reappeared, she was in her full Shinobi gear. "Stay here tonight. All three of you. I have protective seals here, don't risk anything until I tell you that it's safe, alright?"
They nodded. From there, Miya disappeared again. Naruto, Shinrai, and Hinata were stuck inside her house… only able to contemplate the imminent war.
?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?