Chapter 31
Katiya (two weeks later, approximate time: 6:00 AM)
A crow landed, its chakra signature muted, but the carrying case on its leg marked with the faint outline of the Uchiha clan crest. Its recipient took the message.
"I have money. Meet at the border between the Land of Fire and Land of Grass, southeast of last meet."
Temari (approximate time: 4:00 PM)
Baki-sensei rolled out a scroll before his eldest student.
"What's this?" she asked.
Baki gestured to the scroll. "The Lord Kazekage has made more resources available to you to prepare you for the upcoming Chunin Exams. This is a scroll used to identify your affinity to a spirit summon."
A spirit summon?
"How does it work?"
Temari took in the scroll—and then Baki's instructions. An offering of blood, followed by the few hand signs that constituted the Summoning Jutsu.
"Doing a bare summoning without a contract does not work for everybody. Especially if that person has no affinity for any animal, or that animal spirit's contract has been destroyed. One otherwise could teleport to a summoning spirit's… domain, assuming the spirit does have a physical region of grounding. However, if the spirit has none, or finds the one who executed the jutsu is unworthy, that jutsu has an equally high chance of failing or killing the caster to the jutsu working as intended.
"Using this scroll brings you a portion of the animal spirit you have an affinity to, if successful. Items such as fur, scales, or discarded shell fragments. It would then be up to you to seek out the contract of the animal you have an affinity for in the physical realm—and identify the animal fragment," Baki-sensei explained. "Or, if you want to risk it, once you know you have an affinity for a summoning spirit, you can do the Summoning Jutsu again, without the scroll or a contract to attempt to teleport to the spirit's domain after knowing you do have an animal affinity."
"Inoshi, inu, tora, saru, hitsuji," Temari mentally rehearsed as she read.
"But doing so requires a sizable chakra amount. As does the summoning of larger spirits," Baki continued.
Temari re-read the instructions again. "I'm ready."
Kabuto (approximate time: 4:00 PM)
Kabuto passed a chakra scalpel over Katsu's extended arm before leaping back. The latter of the two let out a sharp exhale from the exchange as the wound began to reseal itself with the faint glow of a medical ninjutsu, retreating a few steps to a defensive position.
"Still doing it wrong," came Kabuto's call from the opposite end of the room. "You're healing after the wound—that works for minor things—but anything organ damaging, you'd already be down."
He paused, waiting for the other to become ready. It was a spar, and by definition, the both of them were holding back. And while he knew the point of the exercise was to get "Katsu" to heal mid-battle what was injured, the look that crossed his face at the amount of blood loss could have been interpreted as worry. Whether out of concern for her eventual safety or at the prospect of her purposely holding back excessively solely to gauge his fighting ability, however, is difficult for us to ascertain.
Katsu frowned under her balaclava and pushed chakra into the arm she was practicing the Yin Wound Healing Jutsu on. While the arm was indeed healing slowly, it was decidedly not with the jutsu he was attempting to teach despite it indeed utilizing a somewhat yin-orientated medical ninjutsu. The one she used, seemingly more passive and more slow than the Yin Wound Healing Jutsu; her attempt at his jutsu, seemingly built off of that existing passive one of hers rather than working on its own as intended.
Kabuto narrowed his eyes, noting it. He reignited his chakra scalpels before engaging once more, flicking his chakra scalpel again over the same just-scabbed arm in their spar. The scalpel passed through, and the wound bled even more copiously. Katsu let out a grunt as she staggered back, smacking the wound with a Mystic Palm Jutsu this time, with her good arm.
She then spun out a torrent of waves along the ground to push Kabuto back, the escaped blood spinning into her weaponry. The Mystic Palm Jutsu she was attempting faltered, however, her focus divided. Kabuto dodged, now knowing his opponent's use of the Mystic Palm meant her own passive healing jutsu didn't stand a chance against extensive damage and that her attempt at the Yin Wound Healing Jutsu was failing.
Kabuto Body Flickered in front of his former spar opponent and smacked her hand engaging the Mystic Palm Jutsu away before she could replace it onto herself. "Don't do that. Screw up on that A-rank and you're asking for a coma," Kabuto told her, smoothly delivering a tense look of good will as well.
The attempt of a medical ninjutsu halted. Katsu grabbed onto her staff for support before simply pressing a chakra-heated fingertip to the area. She seared the flesh of her wound closed, cauterizing it.
The cloying smell of sweaty burnt skin filled the ill-ventilated underground hold. Kabuto's mouth twitched downwards. He grabbed and pulled away that jutsu arm as well, deciding to treat the area with his own Mystic Palm. It was good to note, however, that cauterization was much more painful than a Mystic Palm healing and much more likely to get infected, even with the use of automatically sterile chakra scalpels... and that the smell was no worse than that of the infirmaries, though Kabuto himself may attempt to argue otherwise if asked.
"Want to call it a day?" Kabuto asked.
"Tomorrow?" the other asked wearily.
"… Maybe a few weeks from now. I've got a few errands to run in Konoha."
"Again, then."
He spared her a second glance. "No. Any more, and you're only going to hurt yourself."
"And dying during the eventual invasion is any better?"
"You've survived this far using what you know… I'm sure those jutsu work well enough."
Katsu grunted in response, pulling her healed arm from him. "They are. Nothing wrong with learning more, though."
The two measured each others' responses. They both were clever enough to tell the other could use the previous statements to subtly maneuver to get more information spilt. He, on the sources of her jutsu, and she on the depth of his knowledge of Lord Orochimaru's operations and thus the depth of his allegiance. The latter of which, quite a bit more complex than "Katsu" may have expected.
"You heal quite a bit faster than average… what jutsu do you usually use, besides the Mystic Palm?" Kabuto asked first, superseding Katsu's potential chance to question him.
Katsu hesitated but stowed her own inquiry chain. "It's something of a hiden from my… mother."
Kabuto looked at Katsu interestedly. He hadn't heard anything about it from Orochimaru. "What's it called? And how long has it been in the family?"
"It's… called the… Lucid Sleep Healing Jutsu… it's a passive reflexive jutsu and a fairly recent development, I think. Usually, it'd only work when I'm asleep or unconscious. But I don't think I can say any more about it, even if I were willing to share it. It… rests on a jutsu formula I neither know nor think I can replicate," she replied at an even tone and pace.
Though Kabuto noted the guardedness of the response, it could have easily been the hesitation regularly garnered by any other inquiry into secret clan jutsu. And hiden being exactly what they were, it would have explained the irreplicability of it. He had no reason to doubt the statement. However, he also noticed having responded, she was not at a definitive "no" in regard to sharing the jutsu specifics.
"Hmm. Well, the curse mark formula has a healing element to it, as entrenched in natural energy as it is… So it could similarly be refined into yin or yang chakra itself… What do you think about looking into that?" he asked benignly. "Lord Orochimaru did work quite extensively with your mother on that subject. Perhaps it's related to her skill in the area."
The trepidation as he broached the subject, the tone. All of it executed in such a way that could be used to slip under her guard. Kabuto watched Katsu, whose eyes widened slightly, then flicked to his own. A look of cautious curiosity. Interest in the subject. It didn't necessarily mean she was willing to share her findings if she was going to investigate herself, but he knew that could be subject to change.
Kabuto innocently widened his eyes by a fraction and tilted his head.
Twelve face cards in one of our traditional decks of fifty two. Ninja info cards and their makers: unknown. Behind those lying eyes, another face was smirking.
Temari (approximate time: 4:10 PM)
"Sensei—?" Temari asked tentatively at the appearance of a scrap of cloth and fur from a plume of smoke.
Her sensei leaned over the scroll. "It is common for summoning spirits to wear clothing…" he started.
"It's such a small sample of fur… is it enough for me to use to identify it?"
Her sensei frowned.
The way I see it, I only have two options now, I guess… run around in circles for whatever creature produced this… or that riskier option…
"Try the jutsu again, using more chakra. And try dabbing your blood onto each of your fingers."
Inoshi, inu, tora, saru, hitsuji, Temari tried again, with more chakra as well.
This time, a tiny crescent of a claw appeared.
"That is… a weasel claw," Baki-sensei identified.
"A weasel claw—like a—"
Like a kamaitachi? A sickle weasel? A favored quote of Temari's and a mental image of what would be one of our Japanese mythological creatures appeared in her mind. She knew at once what she needed to do.
"Sharpen your sickle at sunset."
Katiya (three days later, approximate time: 7:00 PM)
"Do you believe in reincarnation?" Itachi asked once they were settled in.
The one he had asked was rather focused on her chakra scan, noting to herself what was maybe progression of the disease on his subclavian and carotid arteries. She didn't respond immediately, but eventually she replied, "I believe that thing we call the soul is or is made up of energy… And since most scientists within the last century agree that energy is neither lost nor gained, only converted… sure."
It was a fairly reasonable response by Itachi's standards. "And have you heard of the Curse of Hatred?"
"No," came the decisive reply.
Itachi nodded slowly at the response. "I worry for you. That you're falling for it, sometimes."
She ignored the statement and continued on her own different train of thought. "Experiencing any dizziness?"
"No."
"Any medications since we last spoke?"
"… Only the first six on the list you gave me, one at a time. But I didn't take any today in anticipation of this meeting."
There was a grunt of acknowledgment. "Did you combine any of them with anything while on them? And how long did you stay on each one?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew what the medic-nin was attempting to do. "No, and about two weeks, like you recommended."
The shinobi healer hummed in thought. "You might be able to combine them with some over-the-counter civilian medications… depending on the medication and its processing… and herbs are always an option… Where have you been procuring the medications from?"
Itachi did not deign the question with a response.
There was a sigh. "Alright. What is it?"
Itachi watched her carefully. "Have you ever heard of the Uchiha 'Curse of Hatred'?"
The reply was negative. Again.
Itachi nodded his head before he launched into explanation. It was apparently a term coined by the Senju clan to describe a philosophy so deeply entrenched into Uchiha clan history that there were those who thought it tied to the Uchiha's unique chakra. The one he was explaining to, however, found the idea of it a pile of hogwash with perhaps stronger phrasing, though she didn't use it out loud.
"You mean to tell me a philosophy that someone else says the Uchiha have, but don't necessarily have, and I didn't grow up with, is corrupting my mind." It was a deadpan tone.
Itachi gave Katiya a look.
She shook her head slowly. "That sounds even more stupid than what Orochimaru's been feeding us… How exactly did the Senju clan even know about this 'Curse of Hatred' assuming it's not made up by them? And don't give me that whole 'clans are tied together by reincarnation and history shows it' crap."
"The name comes from how we derive the chakra for our kekkei genkai. The chakra's development being 'cursed'…" Itachi replied rather patiently. "Do you remember triggering your Sharingan for the first time, following a traumatic event?"
There was a single hum of affirmation. Too much red water that wasn't of fish origin came to someone's mind. "That still doesn't mean anything," came the reply instead, "Didn't the Senju clan benefit from alienating the Uchiha clan? And assuming this 'Curse of Hatred' even is… real, it still doesn't change the fact that I was born outside your clan and therefore its… 'philosophy'."
Philosophy and genetics being two distinct separate things in her mind.
"It is true," Itachi started, "the Senju clan did rely on the Uchiha for much of Konoha's history… but despite being raised outside the clan, you still share the Uchiha blood… and the kekkei genkai that comes with it."
"Then what made the Senju clan so sure this 'curse' is so prevalent? How do we know it's not just a pattern one person just saw one too many times and started parroting it as their truth? You said this 'curse' was a philosophy—and I don't remember philosophies being hereditary… And what the hell makes you think I'm 'falling' for it? We barely see each other as is…" Katiya's voice lowered, cold. "We see each other, what, once every three—four—months? You barely know me."
What right do you think you have to say that?
"And how do you know who you are?" Itachi asked, "Without a frame of reference? How do you know what disease is, without knowing health as a frame of reference? … Philosophies may not be hereditary, but that does not stop others from unknowingly practicing the same ones." Itachi met Katiya's eyes meaningfully. "Your Sharingan is proof of that."
The one he was addressing scowled under her balaclava.
"A Sharingan that hasn't changed for years. I know who I am—I see it every day. I don't like it, but nothing about me has really changed."
"… Not physically, no," Itachi replied.
The medic-nin Itachi had been speaking to turned to glare at him. Not replying, Itachi watched as she sharply pulled out a civilian pen to alter his "try this" medication list and cross out all of the basic civilian anti-inflammatories. She circled the first oral corticosteroid she saw. Pulling her payment-laden bag over her shoulder, she roughly walked out, the meeting over in her mind.
Itachi supposed it was good enough that she had been willing to show up to the meet in the first place. He picked up the scraps of parchment and the package of herbs left for him. "Try alone for a month unless major side effects occur. Send a sample if drug procured is suspicious. Can and should be used with these herbs, as tea, once a day. Best in the morning, before food. Find herbalist. Contact again after. Disease is progressing," Katiya had written.
Author's Note
I made up some lore and made some glue for the canonical Summoning Jutsu. Tenten had to use a scroll that was distinctly NOT a contract in one anime episode, trying to summon slugs (which failed)… but I like to think Gai knew what he was doing, giving her the scroll… though, him knowing what he was doing is questionable… Combined with anime Jiraiya's successful attempt to get into toad land but (from what I hear, haven't seen or read anything with him) Boruto's apparent failure doing the same move (a Summoning Jutsu without a prior contract), you have my little… "glue". I PLEAD "ARTISTIC LIBERTIES".
I also haven't the foggiest clue if Itachi actually knows about the Uchiha Curse of Hatred as it was mentioned nowhere in NARUTO or the first half of NARUTO Shippuden that I was able to watch and remember… But side effects of writing a fanfiction and wanting to have a good grasp of canon: ya don't have the luxury of not getting spoilers and since them spoilers ain't always good at citing true canon, ya haven't the foggiest if it complies or not… Besides, Itachi canonically has a good grasp of history and philosophy, and clan history is definitely history…
And I'm good with a bit of canon bending… (fanfiction and all) so… this is… fine, I think.