As promised, here we have the second chapter in short order! First time for everything, right? Though I guess it took like 4 or 5 months, so… Anyways, I'm trying to make the fights seem more snappy, so I hope you like the faster paced action. Enjoy the chapter!
TFI has a discord, so if you wanna join, this is the code! uDyCFFxB2X

–—-

August 4th 1bNb

As Anko and I made distance from the others, we entered a forested area of the Training Grounds, I found myself at a loss for words. When Shimada and I had gotten into a fight, it was because the topic of Utahime's events was brought up. I didn't want to fall into a screaming match with Anko this time. As I looked into her eyes, she seemed calm and resolute. If our friendship was still salvageable, then maybe this could be the first step, and her demeanor clearly differed from Shimada's.

"Why'd you save me?" Anko asked, breaking the silence, "It's not like we're friends anymore," she elaborated, her expression holding steady. I sighed, "Shimada asked the same thing," I smiled bitterly, "What's with that question, anyway? It wouldn't be a stretch to say that I still consider you a friend, you know,"

Her gaze became disbelieving before she continued, "Well, don't expect me to reciprocate, but I guess you've earned yourself a pat on the back this time, so thanks for yer help." Anko smirked, her tone genuine. Sure enough, she and Shimada were acting differently. A few silent moments passed where I didn't respond, and her expression twisted into a scowl.

"I don't get it – Orochimaru-sensei saved you back then, he saved all of us, so why won't you apologize? Why don't you take back what you said about him?" she asked, crossing her arms. I grimaced at the mention of Orochimaru, which only served to make her more upset. I could tell what was going on. She was offering an out, a way to make amends and be friends again. If I admitted I was being insensitive, and paranoid, giving a sincere apology, we could go back to being as chummy as we used to be.

I thought about it for a moment. Two moments. I thought about it more than I care to admit. I wanted to be Anko's friend again. Sure, we weren't lifelong friends, but we got along well throughout our time in the Academy. We joked together, bantered, ranted about Hayashi-sensei behind his back, and did school work together. It didn't take long for her to be a part of my list of precious people. The temptation to swallow my previous words and rekindle that friendship was strong. It was almost enough to cave. I wanted to pretend that nothing bad would happen if I let it go. I wanted to believe that Orochimaru was different from canon for whatever reason, but in the end, I bit down on my lips and shook those thoughts away.

If I paid lip service to Orochimaru and went on with my life, business as usual, would Anko be branded with a curse seal like in canon? Would she live with the same feelings of humiliation, bitterness and vengeance she did in Canon. She had been willing to commit suicide just to kill the man who betrayed her. The thought of Anko having to live like that made me nauseous, as if a snake had coiled around it. If I took that out, then I couldn't very well consider myself Anko's friend.

At that moment, I threw away the notion of reconnecting with Mitarashi Anko.

"I'll admit that I'm glad Orochimaru chose to save us, but if you want me to take back what I said, you're wrong." I said, holding Anko's gaze. She growled, her scowl deepening, "Why? There's nothing wrong with him! He called you magnificent… he sees potential in you! You should have a chat with him, and you'll see that you're overthinking things!" she pleaded, once again offering me a chance to start over.

Here goes nothing.

I locked eyes with Anko, "Do you remember that moment as well as I do, Anko? I don't remember him calling me magnificent, I remember him calling my eyes magnificent. Do you remember the face he made when he said that, or his tone of voice? Did nothing about that unsettle you?" I pressed on, despite the pit in my stomach and my growing trepidation. Anko's eyes widened for a moment, before she schooled her expression, shaking her head.

I may have made a mistake spilling my guts back then, but since my and Anko's friendship was already ruined, maybe it was best to make use of the situation. If Anko hates me already, then she can stand to hate me some more, as long as she hears what I have to say. As long as she gives my words even a passing thought.

"That's ridiculous-" Anko started, rolling her eyes, before I cut her off, "I… I think I get it. He's the only one who's ever believed in you, the only one who's ever given you the time of day. Of course you'll argue with whoever questions that," I said gently, before frowning, "but there's more to Orochimaru than you think."

Anko nearly laughed, "Again with this? Are you gonna tell me that I should 'trust you on this', or that he's dangerous and I should be careful?" she mocked, forcing me to recall memories from a few months prior. She looked at me pointedly, "Why do-"

I interrupted her, "He's a researcher, isn't he?" I asked offhandedly, "Hikaru-san said he spends a lot of time doing his experiments," I commented, my tone smooth despite myself. She shook her head, "Of course he does – he's a genius. That's what they do" she shot back easily, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I lifted an eyebrow, "And has he ever trusted you enough to include you in his research? I can't imagine he's ever asked you for any help. I wonder if he trusts you as much as you trust him." I said, tilting my head. Anko narrowed her eyes at me, "Trust–? Of course he trusts me, he's my Jounin sensei! What does it matter if I'm not involved in his research!?" she defended him, taking a step forward. I hummed, "He doesn't trust you with his research, even though you're his student. He trains you, but does he show interest in your personal life? I don't think he's interested in you, Anko, not in the way you think, anyways." I continued, thinking out loud.

Anko winced, freezing for a moment, her mouth slightly open as if to retort, before her scowl returned, double as fierce, "What the hell are you talking about?!" she demanded, anger dripping into her tone. She took another step forward, daring me to continue.

I stepped forward myself, accepting her challenge. "You said that Orochimaru is the only one who acknowledges you, but are you sure about that? How much interest does he express in your team? How much interest does he express in you? I wonder if he really cares about you." I taunted, face hard as stone.

The words felt like ash on my tongue.

Anko grew outraged, baring her teeth at me. "Asshole. You don't know anything." she said, her hands clenched at her sides. I swallowed a lump in my throat, "Doesn't it ever scare you, Anko?" I asked pointedly. "What if the person who means the most to you turns out to be somebody you barely know?" I wondered aloud, a voice at the back of my head screaming at me to shut up and mind my own business.

Last time, I tried to be considerate with my words, and everything I said came out weak, easily dismissed as childish fear. My attempts blew up in my face. If Anko is going to listen to anything I say now, I can't keep my words mild like before. All I did back then was confuse her. I have to be insensitive and uncompromising. The worst that can happen is that we'll never be friends again, but if she takes even one thing I say seriously, then there's a chance she won't be branded with the Curse Mark. If some harsh words and a ruined relationship was the price to pay for that outcome, then so be it.

I forced myself to meet her gaze as I stood straight, my heart beating out of my chest. I opened my mouth, barely keeping my tone measured, "Orochimaru doesn't care about you. He only cares about what he can turn you into – you're more like a project to him. A pet. An experiment."

If I said it enough, she might just believe it.

Anko's expression twisted as stared at me with wide eyes. Anger and shock flashed across her features like lightning, as her anger rose. I was hitting her where it hurt, and I hated myself for it. Every word was as sharp as a knife, and I was the one twisting it. I wanted to tremble, I wanted to reel back and apologize, but I knew what letting up meant. If this conversation could spare her from her future as Orochimaru's victim, then the choice was a no-brainer. I schooled my expression, keeping up a sharp and cruel facade, even when guilt was eating at my insides like poison.

Anko's fury flared up like a storm, "You don't know him!" she screamed, "Y-You don't know anything about either of us!" she choked out. A smile formed on my face, my lips grating harshly against each other, "Do you know him?" I asked blandly, "It sounds like blind worship to me,"

"Yer full of shit!" Anko cried, lunging at me, "There's no way that's true!" Her voice cracking near the end. Anko's sudden charge surprised me, but I was half-expecting a fight when I first saw her anyway. I threw my arms up in a cross-block as I took on the brunt of her punch.

Her punch was heavy. Too heavy. It drove me back, my feet dragging on the ground to catch myself. The moment I dropped my block, her leg was barely an inch from my face, threatening to take off my head. Pain exploded across the side of my head as I flew back, disoriented. My teeth rattled as the impact reverberated through my skull, but I automatically caught myself in a landing, my hands scrambling to steady myself.

I felt myself stagger, but the coppery taste of blood was enough to shake me out of my daze. The world around me blew into focus as I took stock of her form, a familiar burning coursing through my eyes. I wiped blood from my lips as I threw myself at her, a kunai in hand.

Anko's eyes narrowed at me in recognition as a handful of shuriken fell into each hand from her sleeves. The shuriken sliced through the air in a deadly arc, sailing right at me.

Was she trying to kill me?

I tracked the projectiles, vision darting from shuriken to shuriken in that split second, predicting their trajectory. There were fourteen of them in all. In that same movement, I sped up, avoiding eight of the shuriken in a mad dash and deflecting the remaining six with my kunai.

Anko brought her own kunai out, scowling. Her hand twitched, and I knew she wasn't going to throw this one. I threw the kunai at her, a metallic hiss trailing behind it. She sidestepped the projectile, as my arm snapped at her kunai-bearing hand in the same movement, harshly smashing into her wrist. She hissed as the kunai dropped to the ground, but reacted in that moment with a punch aimed at my head.

I tilted my head to slip past the punch without a thought, relying on my precognition. I regretted that decision immediately as I took in a strange movement in his shoulder, her body tilting slightly as her hips squared. She had redirected the attack and I was too committed to my previous head movement to move in time.

Anko's fist struck my jaw, and the world turned on its side. I staggered, pain exploding from my gut and my nose before I could collect myself. I forced myself to stay upright, teeth gritted, catching her next movements. A sharp front kick came right for my jaw. I stepped less than a foot to the right, catching her leg and clutching it to my side. I swung at her head with my free hand.

I couldn't help but feel satisfied as my attack connected, her head snapping to the side. I went for another punch, clicking my tongue as she spun, her leg still caught. Her free leg's heel was already a blur of motion, primed to burrow itself into my chest. I watched the sharp details of the attack with bated breath – the twist of her ankle and the strain of her muscles, and I let go of her trapped leg, leaping back before it could connect, barely avoiding the strike to my solar plexus.

The two of us got up, breathing harshly as we regarded each other with caution. Dull pain still radiated from the attacks she had landed on me. I found myself wondering what kind of training she had been doing since I last saw her. She was never someone who I would consider weak or helpless, but I was stronger than her during the invasion of Utahime. Even with the Sharingan and the last 6 weeks of intense training, she was somehow matching me.

Anko caught my puzzlement, a feral smirk shaping her face, "Not so confident now, are ya?" she sneered, baring her teeth at me, "You can thank the very same Orochimaru you oh-so-hate!" she proclaimed, her stance loosening itself up. For a moment, I wondered if it was worthwhile to continue this fight. I had already used a decent chunk of chakra against Genma, and logically, I knew I shouldn't be fighting Anko, but despite that, I found my lips curling up with excitement.

Even through the pain, adrenaline was coursing through my veins. Her words ignited a spark in my gut as a wellspring of exhilaration overrode my thoughts. My eyes hungrily took in the moment; the world was slow and as every detail became clear as day. The power of the Sharingan was intoxicating.

"So he did make you stronger!" I shot back, matching her intensity, "Let me show you what I've learned – without crawling to a monster!" I laughed, unrestrained, my hands forming shaky seals. If taijutsu wasn't getting us anywhere, then what about ninjutsu? I flew through the seals as quickly as I could, automatically skipping over both Tiger seals in a spur of the moment decision.

Rat-Dog-Ox-Rabbit. Fire Style; I thought, Phoenix Flower Jutsu! The fireballs roared towards Anko, a deep crackling eating through the air in a violent surge. She was already moving by the time I had completed the jutsu, zipping around the trees and avoiding each one. A few fireballs nearly got her, singing her cloak and sleeves, but she was otherwise unharmed.

Anko darted from tree to tree, rapid barrages of kunai emerging from the shadows. I had to break off my jutsu, abandoning my own barrage of fireballs. As my attention was split between her movements, and barrages of kunai.

Dodging a specific barrage of kunai, I landed by a tree. My senses screamed at me as I ducked on instinct, narrowly avoiding a kick. The arc of her leg was fast and ruthless, cutting through the air as it whistled above me. I shot up from my lowered position, leaning into my own gut punch. Anko was more agile than me, and she regained her footing easily. Without enough time to move out of the way, however, she caught the punch in an elbow block instead of dodging, the impact reverberating through the forest.

Anko's face twisted painfully, and she bit down on her lips. A knee drove itself into my gut with immense force and bile rushed up my throat. My stomach churned in agony. She wasn't the only one who could withstand some pain, though. I grabbed her shoulders, slamming my forehead into hers. Our heads collided, a deafening clang resonating through the clearing. A sharp jolt ran through my head, the world spinning.

We were wearing forehead protectors, sure, but if anything the metal amplified the impact. We were protected against full-blown head injury, but as for a mild concussion…

I staggered back, regaining my senses, before my back impacted the tree behind me. I suppressed a surprised grunt as I looked onwards. Anko, for her part, looked worse off than me, and yet she remained defiant. She surged forward, throwing an overhead punch with her lead arm. The headbutt had clearly affected her precision, but it had also affected my own agility.

I dodged, barely swaying my head around her onslaught of blows. After a glancing strike grazed my cheek, I raised my arms in a block, wrapping them around my head. I chose to prioritize defending against more significant blows, as I was trapped against the tree with seemingly no way out. The Sharingan was helping me block major strikes – temple, chin, even an attempted liver blow, but I couldn't stop them all. I was taking a beating.

My arms were going to be covered in bruises tomorrow.

Even under the onslaught of strikes, the ringing in my head was slowly subsiding. Watching Anko movements for the next few seconds, she began to fall into a pattern. She tensed, twisting her hips and bending her knees in preparation for another uppercut aimed at my jaw. Behind my guard, I took in the movement unblinkingly as the world slowed.

It was my chance.

When Anko's fist flew at me, I shifted my weight, stepping away from the tree and slamming a hook into her cheek, driving her against the tree I'd just been pinned against. I drove my other hand into her gut and she doubled over, allowing me to hit her exposed head with an elbow from my right, and raised my left to follow up with an overhead.

Then, I heard the sound of wood cracking.

Before I could identify the source of the sound, Anko was in my face and I was suddenly toppled over. I whipped my head around to search for her. She stood a short distance away, blood dripping from a cut above her eye, yet she stood against me, unwavering.

I growled in frustration as the chance to end the fight escaped me. Mitarashi Anko just refused to go down. She shot herself from the tree on purpose, using overcharging the chakra in her feet to propel herself away from her predicament. I couldn't help but admire her quick thinking, despite my annoyance.

Anko unexpectedly grabbed her bicep with her arm, blood dripping down the side of her face. She raised her other hand up into the air and clenched it, dragging an invisible force down.

My eyes widened as I watched the flow of Anko's chakra. As she completed the motion, her chakra flow became abnormal, directing itself to her right arm, as if she was casting ninjutsu. My breath hitched as I realized what she was doing. A modified hand seal!

Half a dozen snakes burst from under her sleeves in an instant. I could easily follow the serpents with my eyes, but my body couldn't keep up, too hurt to muster the necessary strength in short notice. They coiled around my limbs, tightly enough to cut my blood flow. I hissed as a stabbing sensation burned through my arm, her snakes digging their fangs into me. Squirming against the constricting force of the snakes, I found myself unable to move.

Anko, for her part, smirked at me confidently, "Don't stress too much, none of those snakes are venomous," she jeered, glee lighting up her features, "Now what was that about showing me what you learned? You were usin' the same tricks as before," she taunted, stepping closer. I groaned in exertion, but after one final push to escape with my raw strength, it became obvious I couldn't break free.

I scowled at her, "What now, Anko? You gonna string me up here until you get bored?" I asked mockingly, when in reality I wanted nothing more than to get out of the predicament. Despite having trained as a ninja, being captured and tightly bound by giant snakes left me mildly terrified. My heart was beating in my chest as I felt my limbs grow numb from lack of blood flow. This didn't bode well for me.

Anko's expression shifted to a more serious one, "No. I want you to say exactly why yer so skeptical of Orochimaru-sensei. Don't think I'll let you down 'til I'm satisfied with your answer." she said, her voice snappy.

I frowned. Even if I were fully honest, I didn't think that my answer would satisfy her. I severely doubted she would take my words at face value like Gai had, and even if she did, a stubborn voice at the back of my head demanded I still fight back. I had already tried moving just moments ago, and it was obvious I wouldn't go further with that approach. I couldn't move, and therefore couldn't muster up any hand seals for ninjutsu. I wasn't skilled in genjutsu, past shoving a bunch of chakra into somebody's chakra system, and I had no idea how to cast genjutsu with the Sharingan yet.

Anko's head tilted, "Well?" she said, goading me for an answer. The snakes' hold on my limbs tightened, and I barely suppressed a wince. I couldn't make hand seals, but that didn't mean I couldn't cast ninjutsu.

I closed my eyes, focusing on my chakra. The only jutsu I could cast without a seal in the midst of combat was the Hidden Mole Jutsu. It was the only one I had practiced to do on the fly, however, now that I couldn't move, I had all the time in the world to play around with my chakra.

I breathed in and took hold of my bouncing, panicked chakra, its flow returning to a normal, controlled state. I focused on transforming the chakra in my stomach to Earth Release chakra, condensing it tightly, grinning to myself as I felt the familiar rigidity of Earth Release chakra. Really, its rigidity and stability was what made earth easier to manipulate than fire. The Earth Release chakra in my stomach spun and spun, condensing itself further, forming a rock. It was a familiar feeling, and it marked the completion of my jutsu. A jolt passed through my head as I reminded myself to control the power of the jutsu.

I was trying to hurt her, not tear a hole through her head.

Anko, oblivious to my efforts, smirked at my grin, "What's so funny-" she mocked, before her eyes widened. Earth Style: Stone Pistol Jutsu! I boomed internally, a fist sized stone flying out from my mouth at breakneck speeds. It crashed into her head, a loud clang echoing through the air, knocking her flat on her back. The snakes withdrew instantly, blood flow returning to my dull limbs as I dropped onto the ground. Despite being free, my arms and legs felt weak from lack of blood flow and low chakra levels, so I watched Anko with bated breath, my vision returning to normal.

To my relief, the girl was scrambling herself up to her feet before long, her equilibrium thoroughly disrupted. She might actually be concussed this time. She locked eyes with me, both of our breaths coming out as labored and uncontrolled huffing and puffing. "That," I breathed out, "is what I've learned," I said, a tired grin on my face. Anko's dazed expression shifted into a frustrated sneer, "What's the deal with you?! You'd rather it come to this than give me a proper answer?!" she demanded, clenching her fists to her sides.

My heart clenched as I averted my gaze. A long, deafening silence resounded between us, a familiar routine at this point. Anko stomped the ground harshly, turning to leave, "Again?!" she cried out angrily, her voice cracking at the end. She held my gaze for a moment, her lips pressed into a thin line. Her gaze became hurt as I watched her, a painful expression on my own face. "I shouldn't have come to see you…" she muttered under her breath, before she shook her head and stormed off.

As I watched her retreating figure, I knew I had gotten ahead of myself during the fight. A hollow sense of loss squeezed at my chest.

—-

A week passed after my fight with Anko, and I continued throwing myself into training. Despite how poorly the encounter went, I decided not to dwell on the outcome. Sadly, I had become accustomed to Anko's unfriendliness. I hoped that I had gotten through to her, even a little bit.

Gai and I kept up our sparring routine, but with how we were becoming busier and busier with our missions and team training, we couldn't find the time to train together every day. Our skill sets were quickly diverging, and our habits were slowly growing apart, so it was better time-wise if we simply sparred together.

With Tsume-sensei, I continued growing accustomed to the training weights I was given alongside my teammates, but we were slowing down on that front as we approached our limits. There came a point where training past a certain point became much less effective until our bodies matured, so it was better to use that time and energy for 'soft skills'. For me, this meant my endeavors in hand seal omitting, Shimada was still working on her close combat skills and honing her already amazing shurikenjutsu skills, but was also receiving tutelage from her parents in Nara clan techniques, and Iruka was continuing with his own close combat and genjutsu skills.

We were still grinding out our weaknesses, and they were slowly becoming less pronounced.

After managing to cast the Stone Pistol jutsu without any seals, I hung onto the feeling and began working on growing more and more used to omitting seals. Having already learned to cast the Hidden Mole jutsu sealless, along with my feat against Anko, I had something of a headstart in improving my nature transformation skills, internal chakra control and developing muscle memory when casting the Stone Pistol jutsu, and I ended up reaching a similar proficiency in casting it sealless as my proficiency in the Hidden Mole jutsu even faster than I had managed that first step in the last week of July.

I came to the conclusion that it would only snowball from here. Even managing one of these Earth Release jutsus without any hand seals already improved my nature transformation, shape transformation and chakra control a lot, but if I went jutsu by jutsu, casting each one sealless, my skills would only grow. Learning jutsus will likely become easier, and years down the line, I could consider making my own.

Anyways, casting a jutsu without hand seals had a lot to do with emulating the effects of hand seals. It wasn't a simple case of 'oh, just give your chakra good shimey!'. Hand seals were called hand seals for a reason, and they altered the flow of a person's chakra network, affected chakra concentration in tenketsu, caused vibrations in a person's chakra, and even affected the properties of chakra. Being able to omit hand seals in quick succession took the culmination of 5 qualities: muscle memory, excellent internal chakra control, excellent nature transformation, excellent shape manipulation, and a vision along with an intent. Without a certain level of prowess in all 5 of these qualities, it took time to manipulate the chakra. I could only cast the Stone Pistol jutsu without hand seals against Anko because I had that leeway.

At present, I was with my family in the living room, the four of us idly resting. It was a rare moment, as all of us were generally busy, especially Tou-san, who worked as an artisan even before he was drafted to war. Kaa-san always had household chores to attend to, and now that Izumi was old enough to be home alone, she went out for errands or to meet with friends of hers more often. Furthermore, as of today, Tou-san was permanently retired from shinobi service. A veteran of two Great Shinobi wars, he was awarded with a generous retirement stipend, an official field promotion to Chuunin and certain benefits from the village, such as various Konoha-supported discounts and access to training grounds despite his status as a retired shinobi.

More than anything, I was glad that Tou-san was done fighting.

Importantly, much of both of my parents' free time was spent bringing Izumi up to speed with training. Izumi's birthday had come on the 5th, and we once again had a smaller celebration, complete with cake and dango, the latter likely being the most important part of her birthday feast. As a gift, I spent some of my A-ranked pay to get her an intricately made tanto custom-ordered from a blacksmith that Hayate recommended to me, because it was the blacksmith that his family exclusively ordered from if they needed a good blade.

I didn't know if she would like it, but I thought it was a good idea for her to learn some kenjutsu to see if she had a knack. Worst case scenario, she learns a thing or two about the art and drops it, but best case scenario, she gains a reliable skill that will serve her well. Izumi, for all my anxiety, was ecstatic when she got my gift, which was a relief. A blade is a blade, though, and Kaa-san promptly banned her from handling it until she had sufficiently trained with a wooden practice tanto, that I was unfortunately roped into buying as well, as it was my responsibility to ensure she handled my gift safely.

Kaa-san had gotten Izumi a set of nice looking clothes for the academy preemptively, and they were both larger than what would currently fit her. The clothes were similar to what I had gotten back on my 6th birthday. The set included sandals, blue pants, a pouch for various ninja tools, and a high-collared sleeveless purple shirt. When I saw the outfit, I quickly recognized it as what she was seen wearing throughout the canon flashbacks, and it reminded me of the reality of her pursuing a career as a shinobi.

Tou-san had gotten her a set of kunai and shuriken, and also a set of custom-made wooden kunai and shuriken he had been working on here and there for the past three weeks. The design itself didn't differ very much, but he used a specific hardwood so that the weight of the practice weapons would match the weight of their metal counterparts. Clearly, he had better foresight than I did.

With Izumi sufficiently spoiled on her birthday, having now turned 5, she was even more motivated in her training, eagerly practicing alone if she was left to her own devices (within the obvious boundaries). She was making progress fairly quickly, absorbing the basics like a sponge. It was clear to me that the academy wouldn't prove itself much of a challenge to her, but being a shinobi was different.

"Hear me out, okay? Rice porridge." I proposed, watching Kaa-san as she wrinkled her eyebrows, considering the idea. "Rice porridge? Like Okayu? I don't get it… we aren't having problems with money or anything." she frowned thoughtfully. I shook my head amusedly, "No, no. Get this; we only use enough water for the rice to puff up a little, and then we add milk and sugar and boil it together for like an hour."

Kaa-san's mouth flung open in horror, "What! Daisuke-chan, that is an abomination!" she exclaimed in outrage, "Why waste perfectly good rice by drowning it in milk?" she demanded, pressing the back of her hand on my forehead, "You don't have a fever, do you?" she asked with exaggerated worry. I shook her hand off of my forehead before holding my hands up defensively.

"Just imagine it! A warm, creamy and slightly sweet porridge. Doesn't it sound cozy, something to enjoy on a cold winter with your family?" I asked, fondly remembering the glory of the Danish Risengrød. "Then you top it with some butter, or even warm cherry jam… Mmmh~," I hummed with my eyes closed, relishing my horrified mother's expression.

Kaa-san's eyes narrowed in disbelief after a moment, "How did you even come up with this idea?" she paused, before pointing at me, "Oh, I get it! You must've made it already!" she nodded to herself, "another one of your strange culinary experiments, right? I bet I'm right!" she theorized. I perked up, "Hey, the Pizza was good though!" I insisted, excitement shining in my eyes. Her face scrunched up, "That Piza-thingie was alright, but I don't know about rice and milk – it feels wrong! Like pointing at the moon, or-, or, cutting your nails at night!" she insisted, spreading her arms wide.

I rolled my eyes, "I'll make it myself if I have to. You'll see reason after you've had a taste!" I declared, eliciting a sigh from Kaa-san. Tou-san smiled fondly, looking up from his newspaper, "It sounds pretty good, to be honest," he admitted, "What do you think, Izumi?" he asked, his gaze panning over to my sister, who was shaken from her silence. She had been meditating, an effort to learn to better control her chakra.

Izumi got up and stretched, grunting softly, "I have full trust in Nii-san after the Pizza," she yawned. Hah, take that. Kaa-san grumbled good naturedly, "Okay~, guess we can try your weird, milky rice sometime soon," she relented, before shooting up from the couch, suddenly excited about something. "What say we make use of today and do something as a family?" she asked the room, looking between the three of us expectantly. We all eyed her, before nodding in agreement in the same time. She pumped her fist, "I'm glad this household agrees with me on something! Get ready, everyone, we'll leave within the hour!" she announced brightly, before darting out of the room to get ready.

I slowly rose from my comfortable position on the couch, groaning as anybody would. I looked at Tou-san and Izumi before frowning, "Hey, did she even say where we're going?" I asked, a bored expression on my face. The two gazed at me, "No," they deadpanned at the same time. I huffed amusedly, "Of course not. Classic Kaa-chan," I said, before turning my head to Izumi, "All while you're meant to be training," I recalled with a sigh. Izumi shook her head, "It's okay! This'll be waaaay more fun!" she beamed, running past to get a change of clothes. I watched her incredulously as she sped off.

…Definitely Kaa-san's daughter.

Tou-san's chuckle caught my attention, "Don't worry too much. She's making progress very quickly – at this rate, she'll be more than ready to enter this April, and even if she isn't, I'll keep her from entering for another year." he reassured me, sensing my worry. I found myself with a fond grin plastered on my face, "If you say so. She was getting bored of sitting still anyways," I rationalized. It's for the best that she has some balance to her training.

Kaa-san had apparently formulated the plan for our outing in the midst of getting changed in truly spontaneous fashion. I thought we might do something like a picnic before realizing we had nothing prepared, so I was pleasantly surprised when shaved ice was brought up as we left the door.

It was prime time for a nice icy dessert, early August, and I was positively delighted. Shaved ice was something I had in my last life as well, though not very often, and I wondered whether the different flavoring or syrups would differ from Earth to here in Konoha.

As we approached a popular stand at one of Konoha's parks, I gazed at the menu longingly. There weren't a huge amount of flavors available, at least as many as I had expected, but there was still a solid selection. Matcha, Strawberry, Brown sugar, and Yuzu flavors were available. There were options to top it with mochi toppings, condensed milk and sweet red bean paste freely, for a small extra fee.

I went for Yuzu without any toppings, Izumi got Matcha with Shiratama mochi toppings, Kaa-san got Strawberry with condensed milk, and Tou-san got Yuzu as well, but with condensed milk. After paying for our desserts, we set out to a more isolated part of the park and set down a picnic blanket to enjoy ourselves in the sun.

As we enjoyed our shaved ice, Izumi quickly found herself busy quizzing me, having inhaled hers before we had the chance to blink.

"How do you do it?" Izumi asked, waving around a leaf frustratingly, "Otou-chan's too lazy to help me, so you have to!" she demanded. I looked between her and the leaf, carefully holding myself back from grinning, before I grabbed the leaf and stuck it to the tip of my nose. I shrugged, "I dunno. It's not too hard?" Izumi glowered at me, before tearing the leaf from my nose.

How about some manners?

I chuckled, tapping her forehead with my index finger, "In all seriousness, I think you're trying too hard. You should go back to the basics and keep meditating, unless your problem is controlling the adequate amount of chakra." I suggested, giving her the space to give it a try. Izumi stared at the leaf carefully, before slapping it on her forehead. A second didn't pass until it glided down to her lap.

Izumi scrunched her nose in frustration, picking up the leaf stubbornly. I had a light bulb moment. "Hey, here's a tip," I said, her attention snapping to me. "You can practice with your hands first. It's easier to flow the chakra into the tenketsu in your hands," I explained, before crimson bled into my eyes, tomoe swimming in a sea of red, eliciting an excited gasp from my sister. "I'll watch how much chakra you're putting into your hands, and tell you if you're on the right track."

I looked at my own hand for reference, flowing the perfect amount of chakra to stick the specific leaf Izumi was using to it. If she got the flow mostly right, it should work. "Okay…" she murmured, "From my tummy… to my arm… to my hand…" she chanted to herself, as her chakra flow awkwardly made its way to her right hand. I squinted, before shaking my head, "Too much chakra. Try to adjust the flow. You don't need so much going into your hand right now." I said.

Izumi's closed eyes fidgeted, as I watched the flow of chakra to her hand slowly calm down. Before, it was like a river of chakra was flowing into her hand, but now it was like a creek, silently streaming into the tenketsu of her hands. "You're getting closer, Izumi," I praised, "but you'll have to constrict the flow a bit more. Your tenketsu are too highly saturated in chakra. The excess will blow the leaf away," I amended, remembering the rough amount of chakra she should be molding.

Now, her whole face was scrunched up in concentration. The flow of chakra in her hand was slowly spreading it more evenly, which was something of a short shortcut, but it was still a legitimate method she could use to control her chakra. The stream bounced against her skin, slowly straightening itself out, before it splintered and traveled to all the tenketsu in her hand. The flow of chakra from her arm began to slowly compensate for the decreased concentration. Her chakra shrunk and shrunk until…

"There! Keep it like that!" I shouted, startling her enough to where her control visibly shook, but she skillfully kept it under control after the initial shock. Woops. "Now, bring your hand or a finger up to the leaf and use the accumulated chakra to maintain a connection. Continue feeding some chakra flow into your hand to keep up!" I ordered, watching her open her eyes and slowly bring her right hand to the leaf on her lap.

Her finger hit the leaf, and I watched as the accumulated chakra in her finger slowly began transferring itself onto the leaf. For a moment, she struggled to compensate for the chakra flow to the surface of the leaf, but quickly adjusted. She took a few breaths, before she lifted her hand up, leaf coming up with it.

Izumi perked up, "I did it!" she cheered, the leaf sliding down in that moment of lower concentration to the middle part of her finger, which she managed to correct, a panicked frown appearing on her face. My eyes flashed back into their normal blue as I smiled, "You did," I said with my thumbs up, "Good job." I praised her.

Izumi hummed in delight, accepting the praise with an indulgent grin, "I mean, I knew I could do it with your help," she bragged, acting casual. Time to rain on her parade. "Yeah!" I cheered, "Now you just have to learn to do it with any part of your body!" I exclaimed cheerfully. Her grin turned into a displeased frown and the leaf fell from her finger. "You're mean," she pouted, and I blew raspberries at her in return.

Kaa-san perked up, amused by the interaction, "Now now, Daisuke-chan's right! Now that you can do it with your finger, it won't be long until the whole exercise is child's play!" She encouraged her brightly. To be fair, I went about the whole process differently, opting instead to test the capability of the leaf to withstand chakra when I was first learning. I didn't have the same experience with chakra control as my sister – I had fewer problems learning the exercise, so my method wouldn't have worked as well with her.

Tou-san gazed at me, a smile tugging at his lips, "Don't be smug to your sister, kiddo. Sure, you never had trouble with chakra control, but what about your aim? Need I remind you of that?" he teased. Oh lord. I gave Tou-san a pleading look, begging him to shut up, but he ignored me, "How was it explaining to me that you needed money because you owed your friend dango, because you wagered your aim would be better than his?" he asked, his tone buzzing with amusement.

My face grew hot as 5 shades of red worked its way onto my cheeks. "I-, uh, well…" I murmured, "He challenged me, okay! I couldn't help it! I was on a Birthday High!" I shrieked, looking between my family. Kaa-san, Tou-san and Izumi looked at me for a second, looked between each other, and then burst into obnoxious laughter. "Oh, come on!" I groaned, turning to my sister, "I'm sorry Izumi! I won't tease you again!" I promised, an embarrassed grimace on my face. The laughter continued for almost another minute before dying down.

Izumi sighed, her laughter subsiding, "Even if Nii-chan's super strong, he isn't good at everything," she said, an odd look of relief on her face. I grinned fondly, glad that she could take some comfort in today's outing. I shook my head, a slight smile on my face, "I would hesitate to call myself super strong. Try sparring with the Green Beast of Prey since your early childhood." I said, eliciting a blink from each of my family members.

"The who?" Tou-san wondered.

"The what?" Izumi asked.

"A Beast?" Kaa-san demanded fiercely.

Silence reigned for a moment, until-

"Ah!" Kaa-san snapped, "Gai-kun!" she realized.

We didn't spend too long enjoying ourselves at the park. The rest of us ran out of shaved ice pretty quickly, and there was only so much fun to be had sitting on a picnic blanket. We had packed up and began idly wandering home before I remembered I wanted to ask Kaa-san about something.

"Hey, Kaa-san?" I asked offhandedly. She blinked, turning her head to me, "Yeah?" she responded, "I was actually thinking about joining the Military Police Force. Do you know anything about that?" I asked quickly, deciding to just rip off the bandaid. I knew Kaa-san probably had some opinion of her clan, considering she was presumably estranged from them after getting with Tou-san, but I didn't know whether it was a sensitive topic.

Kaa-san's eyes widened, "When did you become interested in the Police Force?" she asked, shocked by the sudden name drop. I relaxed, seeing as she didn't become defensive, "I know I'm still a part of a Jounin's team, but I thought I should know more about the clan we came from. I want to see what people mean when they tell me I'm not a typical Uchiha. I want to know why people generally don't like the Uchiha. I think it would be a good chance to learn new skills that aren't just fighting and killing." I explained, intent on mostly telling the truth. These were all good reasons to enter the Force, but I also had political ambitions. I wanted to become acquainted with Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head.

She held my gaze for a moment, "It sounds like you've thought it through. I'll tell you what I know, okay?" she relented. I nodded in excitement, prompting her to continue, "The general entry requirement to apply for the Force is to be a Chuunin from the Uchiha clan, but there are also special entry requirements. If you can get sponsored by an Uchiha Jounin, you can apply, no matter your rank, age, or clan affiliation." she explained.

I would need to catch the attention of a Jounin from the Uchiha clan, or I would have to wait for promotion. I sagged in disappointment, "There's a reason for these rules, Daisuke-chan. The Force is made up of elite shinobi who monitor fellow shinobi, so you must be strong enough to enter. No matter the route to take when applying, there will be strict examinations to undergo. A written exam, a challenging physical exam and combat aptitude exam are all part of the process," she paused, scrutinizing me for a moment, "You're waaay stronger than I was at your age, but I'm not sure if they would accept you just yet. And you aren't a Chuunin yet, so…" she thought to herself with a frown.

My plans to join the Military Police Force would have to take a back seat for now, then. It was unfortunate, but at least I had more time to focus strictly on growing stronger, even if I preferred to begin making more moves.

As I contemplated my options, Kaa-san stopped for a moment, "Oh!" she realized, seemingly connecting some dots, "I know!" she said with a broad smile, "Your Obaa-chan, she's a Jounin!" she recalled with a snap to her fingers.

I have a grandmother?

—-

We were twenty days into August when I was scheduled to meet my grandmother for the first time. My grandmother, Uchiha Reina, had disowned Kaa-san when she found out about her relationship with Tou-san. She was a staunch traditional Uchiha clan member, and marrying outside the clan was heavily frowned upon.

That was what Kaa-san told me, anyway.

Apparently, Kaa-san had still managed to contact her mother. Considering what I knew about my grandmother's character, I was surprised that she would have agreed to see Kaa-san, but I didn't have much to go off of. Kaa-san didn't tell me what she wrote in the letter she sent, and I could only guess that she wanted to see her grandchildren.

As my grandmother was a traditionalist, Kaa-san reckoned she would appreciate it if we showed up in formal wear. I didn't have any formal wear as I hadn't needed it before, so we went out to buy some in the days coming up. I wore a black montsuki kimono over grey hakama pants, and Kaa-san wore a modest blue kimono, a light obi tied around her waist. Her hair was neatly done in a smooth, disciplined bun, an elegant silver kanzashi keeping it all in place. My hair was brushed and combed down, a styling oil keeping it in place. Kaa-san had a really hard time getting my hair to stay down.

I was not used to wearing this kind of clothing whatsoever. It was itchy, stiff and hard to move in. It was also hardly breathable, and my body was uncomfortable and hot. We had made quite the preparations to appease my grandmother, and yet I still found myself nervous. I knew at heart that worst case scenario, I'm forced to find another avenue into Konoha's political sphere, but something about meeting a member of my family for the first time still left a pit in my stomach.

We passed through the Uchiha clan compound, carefully ignoring stares and gazes. The attention we were attracting could likely be attributed to our dress, but it was also possible that the gazes came from a place of curiosity. Kaa-san had not lived in the compound for more than 10 years from what I knew, and it may have surprised people to see Kaa-san traveling through her estranged compound with an unknown boy in tow.

Kaa-san noticed my nervousness and patted my shoulder. Normally she might have ruffled my hair, but I bet she didn't want to ruin her hard work on taming my mane. "Don't be so nervous, sweetie," she soothed me with a calm voice, "Okaa-sama might have kicked me out, but she's prim and proper enough to not be too rude. As long as we're respectful with your request, and maintain our manners, the worst she could do is refuse, right?" she said with a reassuring smile.

I nodded, feeling a little tension leave my shoulders, "Okay. I hope she has a soft spot for kids," I laughed, not actually joking, "I would really like to join the Police Force," I said. Kaa-san looked down at me fondly, "My little boy's moving up in the world! You just look so cute in that kimono!" she cooed, clearly resisting the urge to mess up my outfit. I sighed, a shade of pink lightly dusting my cheeks.

"I'm not gonna be your 'little boy' forever! I really hope you won't be this embarrassing as I grow older…" I murmured, eliciting a snicker from Kaa-san, "No promi-" she said, before cutting herself off. "Ooh, we're close! Let's go!" she said, dropping her teasing immediately and speed walking towards the residence in question.

A beautiful genkan spanned in front of us, presenting a humble and yet spacious wooden house with a tiled roof. A short series of steps led up to the entryway, the door looming before us, almost daring us to knock. We silently walked up the steps, before we stood in front of the doorway.

"Are we supposed to knock, or-" I asked, before Kaa-san cut me off with a horribly loud 'shh', "It's rude to talk in front of the doorway!" she whispered, her warning coming out as loud hisses instead, clearly louder than I had been. Absolutely clueless. I nodded anyway, suppressing the urge to smile. Kaa-san took a deep breath and made three deliberate, slow and steadily timed knocks. Silence resounded through the air as we waited with bated breath to be answered.

We waited for fifteen seconds, and no one appeared. Another fifteen seconds passed, and the door didn't open, still looming over us. Thirty more seconds passed, and I found myself growing impatient, yet I held steady. The silence was deafening. Finally, the second minute passed, and I caught myself fidgeting, my nerves betraying me once again. I was about to turn to Kaa-san to ask about etiquette in answering the door, before it finally opened, presenting a certain Uchiha Reina.

My grandmother was wearing a kimono as well, though it was longer at the ends and bore more neutral colors than Kaa-san's. A dark Obi was tightly secured around her waist, which appeared visibly uncomfortable to me. Her greying hair was swept up in a skillfully arranged into a high chignon bun, no strand out of place. She looked down upon the two of us with unflinching onyx eyes, boring into us, seemingly absorbing every detail of our appearance. Her face was set into a stern frown.

Kaa-san blinked, before she gave a deep bow, "It has been a long time, Okaa-sama," she greeted in a tone completely alien to me. Her usual bubbly and emotional tone was now controlled and measured. She raised her head with a diplomatic smile, "I'm glad we could meet again after so long. Have you been well?" she asked robotically.

I kept my expression schooled, but I was surprised by Kaa-san's sudden 180 in attitude. Was this her homelife before she left with Tou-san? I followed up with a deep bow of my own.

Finally my grandmother gave a curt nod, and then she spoke, "You remember your manners, at least, Hazuki." she said, tone stiff and neutral. "Less can be said about you," she commented, turning her head to me, "I suppose expecting even two minutes of patience was too much for a mere boy," she said pointedly, deliberately pausing before her lips parted in a sneer, "Tapping your foot, shifting your stance, biting your lips – do you lack even the discipline to stand still, or has my daughter taught you that such restlessness is best left unrestrained?" her voice was sharp and direct, a disapproving glance on her face.

I-, what? I felt a twitch tug at my eyes as I maintained my cordial smile.

"My apologies, Obaa-sama. It won't happen again," I bowed again, dutifully escaping from her piercing gaze, "Be sure that it won't." she ordered firmly, prompting me to raise my head, my smile still in place, "I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting yet. I am your grandson, Daisuke." I said as formally as I could muster. She stared at me with an inscrutable gaze for a few moments, before an unreadable expression flashed across her face. To me, it looked like begrudging acceptance.

"...We have not. It has been long overdue." grandmother commented bitterly, eyeing Kaa-san, "Come in, Hazuki, Daisuke. We have much to discuss." she ordered sharply, stepping away to allow us entry.

—-

Alright everyone, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm stepping into unknown territory here, so bare with me! If anyone has any questions, concerns, or especially criticisms, please don't hesitate to make them known in the comments/reviews!

The direction I'm going with Anko is definitely not outright reconciliation. I don't think it's justified. Anko is too complicated of a character, but don't think she's walking out of the fight the same as when she came into it! A few of Daisuke's words have gone through her skull just a little. I wonder what could go wrong?

In other news, I still have no idea what I'm doing, especially pacing, so let me know what you think. Thanks for reading! Next chapter is either a POV chapter or a regular chapter, but I know at the very least that the POV chapter will be the next or the one after that, so stay tuned for a shorter chapter that will outline a specific character's thoughts, background, and reveal a new, important character.

… y'know what, it probably fits better to include that POV chapter after the next one, as it would cut in the middle of a narratively important scene (meeting Uchiha Reina)