Ch. 19
Seals and Jail Break
With quarantine over, the village returned to what was considered normal for a ninja village.
The Hyuga main branch practically got bitch slapped by the Hokage when they tried to protest what Hiruzen had done in regard to the tensions between the main and branch family by removing the caged bird seal and separating the branches until further notice. Hiruzen said that it was under his purview.
Then he laid the scroll containing the body of one Harumi Hyuga on the table and all yelling immediately shut up. It was made clear to them in no uncertain terms that their killing or covering up of the kunoichi's death was a crime against the village that had only fostered further resentment in the clan, that as Hokage he could not sit back and let the clan implode like the Kaguya clan had.
That they had threatened the stability of the village with the actions of their clan and this separation was both a punishment and for everyone's protection. They had been upset but had let the matter drop, not willing to face the consequences of their actions. Hiruzen breathed out a puff of smoke glad that Moriko and Jiraya had already drawn up seals in the main branch's blood that could reverse summon them into a cell or room if needed. The young woman had been good for Jiraiya's growth as a person and as a seal master. With such a voracious learner on his hands, Jiraiya had been forced to expand his knowledge of seals, far outstripping his previous abilities.
...
With the village returning back to normal, the Academy had started up again and with that, team assignments were handed out.
"Moriko-nee!" Naisho cried as he sprinted into the training field, Sakura and Sasuke running with him. Moriko paused mid-kick, leg fully extended as she shot the boy a curious look. Her eyes widened when he tackled her in a hug and she landed with an omph.
"Naisho!" Sakura chided as the beaming boy hugged the stunned kunoichi.
"I'm assuming you guys got into a team together then," Moriko wheezed, causing Sakura to beam and Sasuke to give a small pleased smile.
"Hell yeah! We're going to be the best team ever!" Naisho cried as he jumped up practically vibrating with his glee. Moriko laughed and accepted the hand that Sakura and Sasuke offered to help her to her feet.
"Who did you get as a teacher?" Moriko asked as the kids traded looks.
"One of your friends I think. His name is Kakashi Hatake," said Sakura as Sasuke gave a small nod. Moriko's eyebrows rose.
"Yeah, he's a friend, I've been teasing him for years," she said with a grin as all the kids perked up.
"Can you tell us about him? He didn't really say anything about himself when he had us all introduce ourselves," said Sakura and the others perked up with interest.
"Well, he used to be an Anbu until about five years ago. He's pretty laid back most of the time and he likes to read. He's extremely intelligent so he picks up on things pretty fast. He has a pack of dog summons that are pretty fun but can be deadly in battle and are excellent at tracking.
"His best friend is Gai because Gai never gives up and has been pestering Kakashi for years. At this point, he's just given up on getting the guy to go away and just accepts that if Gai says they are 'rivals,' AKA best friends then they are 'rivals.' Gai has them doing all sorts of weird competitions to see who is considered to be better, but in actuality, I think Gai came up with it because it gives them the excuse to hang out all the time and do fun or silly activities together. He likes to tease Gai a lot though. He'll pretend he wasn't listening and Gai totally flips." she said with a chuckle causing the other kids to laugh.
"Well, he said that the real test to become a ninja is going to be tomorrow," said Naisho, his face falling a bit before perking back up.
"Whatever it is though, I'm sure we can handle it," he said with a wide grin that Sakura returned as Sasuke gave a small smile. Moriko chuckled and pulled the three kids into a group hug.
"I'm sure you guys will, you all have been training hard," she said as they beamed up at her.
"Moriko-nee, can you treat us to ramen?" Naisho pleaded with big eyes. Sakura easily followed suit and while Sasuke's puppy eyes weren't obvious, that didn't make them any less effective. Laughing Moriko swung Sasuke on her back before playfully picking up Sakura and Naisho under an arm so she could gently sling them around and threaten to drop them, much to the preteen's shrieks of glee. Kakashi watched quietly from a treetop and followed them into the village. While he didn't appreciate what Moriko had told the kids she hadn't said anything about his belief in the need for teamwork. He would have to ensure that's the way things would stay.
Kakashi followed the group as they went for ramen before they went to the Uchiha compound to tell Sasuke's family. Kakashi watched from the roomtop chuckling as he watched Shisui mess with his younger cousin, Sasuke. When Itachi landed beside Kakashi, Kakashi gave him a nod and went back to watching.
"Making sure she doesn't tell them anything?" Itachi asked though it sounded more like a statement Kakashi gave a nod to. Itachi nodded.
"I will let her know," he said before disappearing. After a moment Moriko's eyes flashed up to spot him and there was a slight relaxing in her figure. Itachi appeared by the group and began signing with his hand. Moriko gave one large nod that Kakashi could see though she didn't look at him. Satisfied, he left.
...
Naisho's face fell at his new teacher's words. Only two could pass?! He shared looks with Sakura and Sasuke who were looking as shocked as him. They leaned together to start whispering and Kakashi paused mid-instruction as the kids began quickly conferring with one another. Sakura pulled out of the huddle.
"Sensei, is there no way for all of us to pass?" she asked. Kakashi sent them a beatific eye smile.
"Nope!" he chirped cheerfully. That seemed to settle it for the kids and they straightened before bowing as one.
"Then we're sorry but we can't have you as a sensei, even though you sound pretty cool. We are a team and will pass as a team when the time comes," said Naisho as the group straightened and nodded. Kakashi's grin only seemed to widen.
"In that case... you guys pass," he chirped as the kids' mouths fell open in surprise.
"I know Moriko-nee said you like to mess with people but what the hell?" Naisho said as the others seemed to think it over.
"It's about teamwork isn't it?" Sasuke spoke up causing the copy-nin to grin again.
"Exactly! I'll see you guys tomorrow for your first mission! Meet at seven tomorrow!" he called before disappearing into a nearby tree, watching the kids confer before racing back. Kakashi was going to have fun messing with the other Jonin sensei when he went in to report a team finally passing.
...
"Moriko-neeeeeee!" Naisho cried as he raced into the backyard of the Sarutobi compound, Sasuke and Sakura hot on his heels their glee tangible.
The children suddenly bounced off an invisible barrier causing it to gong loudly as it became visible and Moriko's attention wavered on the seal she was working on, her brush slipping and destabilizing it. She barely managed to get her hair to protect her, hardening it to steel before it exploded in a great wave of power and she was sent flying back into the other wall of the seal, knocking her out. The kids panicked, trying to find a way in before running off to get help. Their screams for help in the street as they ran towards the Uchiha compound across the street drew the attention of a couple passing Uchiha and Branch Hyuga.
Hearing what had happened, Shusui ran off to find Jiraiya while one left to tell their respective clan heads, while a Hyuga went with the children to try to help break down the barrier. There was no telling if she had snapped her neck or merely been knocked out, her long hair covered too much of her face and shoulders since she had used it as a shield. She might heal fast but they weren't sure if she could heal from that. Soon there were Hyugas filling the yard trying to use their doujutsu to find a weak point in the barrier. It distorted too much of their vision for them to be able to tell if she was alright.
Finally, Jiraiya arrived and swiftly brought down the barrier so he could rush inside. The Hyugas were able to see that she had cracked a shoulder blade and had hairline fractures on her skull but seemed otherwise fine.
"She's got a couple of cracked bones and a concussion, but otherwise she's fine, you can move her," said Hizashi, his arm in a sling and bandages under his partially open yukata. Jiraiya sent him a thankful nod before disappearing in a whirl of leaves for the hospital.
Mikoto gently shushed a sobbing Naisho and Sakura while Sasuke looked teary-eyed but wasn't letting them fall, his eyes red with the Sharingan.
"Oh my son, it's going to be ok, she's going to be right as rain in no time," she soothed Sasuke before turning her attention to the other children in her arms.
"You all know how Moriko is. She's made of hearty Uzumaki stock. They have to be, to be able to use seals. They can be very dangerous," she said, her eyes turning to the large scorch mark that covered the barrier on the ground. The Hyuga seemed to be regarding the large scorch mark with newfound understanding.
...
Kakashi warily regarded his gloomy team as they walked before him toward the Hokage's office, their missions done for the day. The children hadn't even complained when he had shown up late, merely sat in a huddle. When they did the D rank they didn't even protest. All day. When Kakashi turned in the mission scroll to the Hokage, the old man regarded the gloomy children for a moment as he puffed on his pipe.
"I hope you all have learned a valuable lesson. While it was not your fault for not seeing an invisible barrier seal, you could see that Moriko-san was working on a seal. Seals can be very dangerous, to use and for the person crafting them. As such, we have set up a designated area for sealing that is closed off in the back garden and that lights up when its barriers are active to ensure that incidents like what occurred yesterday do not repeat themselves," he said as Kakashi sent the Hokage an alarmed look. The Hokage merely watched the children.
"Hai Hokage-sama," they said quietly. Hiruzen sat back his stern visage fading.
" I believe Moriko-san has woken up and is asking for you three," he said causing all the kids to look up swiftly. They were practically vibrating in place and the Hokage chuckled dismissing them with a wave. They ran from the room, Kakashi following.
"What happened?" he demanded as they sped down the halls. The group traded looks.
"We went to go tell Moriko-nee that we passed and ran into an invisible barrier. It made a loud gong then the seal Moriko-nee was painting destabilized and exploded," said Naisho as the other two nodded before they burst from the tower, taking off down the street.
"Did she get chakra burns?" Kakashi demanded as the group shot him with looks of alarm.
"No, the Hyuga leader said she had a couple of cracked bones and a concussion," said Sakura as the other two nodded.
"She used her hair technique to shield herself from it but it sent her flying into the barrier wall. Most of it was directed forwards to protect her from the seal, leaving her back and head exposed," said Sasuke as Kakashi frowned more deeply. Moriko had a lot of hair. For her to prioritize protecting herself from the seal foremost...
"How big was the blast?" Kakashi demanded as they raced into the hospital only to skid to a halt at reception.
"Moriko Uzumaki's room!" said Naisho. The nurse only took one look at his hair before giving him the room number and the group raced up the stairs.
"It filled the barrier that she has in the back of Hokage-sama's backyard," said Sakura as the other two nodded. Kakashi's lone eye went wide, having seen such a barrier in the backyard a time or two. Normal ninjas couldn't take that level of harm relatively unharmed, much less walk away with a couple of cracked bones and a concussion. To be fair, she was in the hospital and had just woken up but still.
They paused in the doorway to find Moriko arguing with a nurse.
"I'm telling you, I heal very quickly. I'm perfectly fine," she said as the nurse sighed.
"Listen Moriko-san, I get told that by at least ten ninjas a day wanting to leave early," the nurse said as Moriko shot her an affronted look before the nurse turned and went past team seven. Her expression cleared when she saw them, a rueful smile tugging her lips as she took in the kid's hesitance.
"Did you guys pass?" she asked. It seemed to set the kids off and a sniffling Naisho and Sakura came over, Sasuke blinking rapidly as he followed.
"Whoah, hold on! First off, it's partly my fault for using invisible barriers. I knew you guys would be coming back, but I didn't think you guys would pass so soon, so it's not fully your fault even though I can tell you all feel guilty," she said halting the bawling before it could start, much to Kakashi's relief. She gestured for them to come over as she sat on the edge of the bed before having them sit beside her. She pulled them to her in a side hug as they sniffled and she quietly soothed them as they hugged her or one another.
"We will talk about seal safety later. Now, why don't you guys help me find my clothes so I can get out of here?" she asked with a mischievous grin as the children perked back up. Kakashi looked and found her burned clothes on the visitor seat against the wall and held them up. Moriko's eyes widened slightly as the children did the same before they were grabbing and checking her arms for burns.
"How did you not get burned?" Kakashi asked as Moriko shot him a rueful look, the children looking up for her answer.
"I coated myself in chakra I think," she said as Kakashi sent her an incredulous look before returning his attention to her clothes, feeling a trace of her chakra still in them despite the time that had passed.
"You think?" said an incredulous Sasuke as Moriko sent him an affronted look.
"Hey, I hit my head pretty hard," she quipped and the kid deflated. She patted his back consolingly as Kakashi walked over to crouch before her. Moriko shot him a weirded-out look as he took her chin and began checking the reaction time of her eyes. She settled after a moment when she realize what he was doing.
"Are you really alright?" he asked as she gave a huff.
"Yes. If you don't believe me you can ask one of the Hyuga to check me when we get home. If anything is wrong I'll come right back," she promised. Kakashi sighed before straitening, looking back as the nurse from earlier looked up from her clipboard only to pause in the doorway when she found the ninja regarding her. He turned away, picked a surprised Moriko up, and hopped on the sill of the open window before sending the kids a cheerful wink.
"Jail break!" he chirped before he hopped out the window. The suddenly gleeful kids hopped out of the window right after him as the nurse stared in disbelief.
"I was just about to release her" she huffed as she marched out of the room grumbling about stupid ninjas under her breath.
AN: yay, team seven is back with a bang! And Sasuke has to get his eyes somehow with how he's surrounded by powerful older siblings or friends lol