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Chapter 5

you've got a friend in me

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Note: surprise cameo today, first major canon character appearance! :)

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64年1月29日

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The Hoshigaki compound is pretty close to his home, now that he thinks of it. It lies next to the Kawachi and Satsuma compounds, near the harbour. A thirty-minute walk at civilian speed, so a five-minute run at his measly genin speeds— for a jōnin, this distance is a matter of seconds.

In terms of with, the Nakagawa is the smallest district. The zones where the clan compounds lie are the widest, spanning multiple acres, but there are many miles of perimeters where you can cross the district lines in three steps of fewer. It hosts six clans.

The Hoshigaki clan has the lowest numbers of the chūtō clans, with around twenty or so. Actually— he's pretty sure only Konoha's Kurama clan and Kusa's Itagaki clan have fewer members. But each member makes up for it more than enough. He knows of Kisame. And not just from his foreknowledge. Already whispers are hushing through the mist, talking about his abnormal chakra reserves, even for Hoshigaki; talking about enemies on the frontlines calling him a Tailless Beast. Some murmur of Uzumaki blood coursing through his veins. Hoshigaki Majisame, head of the Hoshigaki, is another force to be reckoned with. Bloodthirsty, violent, yet strategic and cunning, he is what most people think Kiri-nin are.

Akuto's never met the man and hopes it stays that way.

Aside from the Hoshigaki, the chūtō boast the Kinkan, Satsuma, Iyokan, Kawachi and Yubari clans.

The Kinkan are the most well-known clan of the lot after the Hoshigaki, though far bigger with roughly two-hundred members. Famous for passing down Hiramekarei, the Kinkan had many a notorious and powerful ninja hailing from their lineage. The current being Kinkan Ibuki, wielder of Hiramekarei, Kinkan Masato, clan head, and Kinkan Hatsue of the Silent Mist. Aside from that, they don't have much to offer.

Next is the Satsuma clan. They're very much infamous for their poison skills, some of them even rivalling the skills of Chiyo of the Puppet Brigade. Or, well, at least in Kiri. He's not sure if anyone outside of Kiri even knows of the Satsuma— they do look fairly ordinary with their brown hair and eyes, and pale skin, and Kiri in general is known for its poison skills. They're Kiri's biggest clan, though, with four-hundred members.

They make fantastic infiltration specialists. Akuto's pretty sure he attended school with at least five of them, but they all turn into blurry memories if he tries to think of them.

Another clan only well-known in Kiri are the Iyokan. They have a natural affinity to Yang Release, and thus medical chakra, and make up most of the hospital with their fifty-something members. They're also the only clan liked by all castes, since they tend to stay out of internal conflicts and run the hospital.

Then, there're the Kawachi. They have around three-hundred members, though only their main line has access to their speciality— the crocodile contact. Otherwise, they have a few Water Release techniques that could be considered a hiden, similarly to how the Sarutobi consider their techniques a hiden.

And lastly: the Yubari clan. With roughly one-hundred members, the Yubari make up the rest of the chūtō clans. Some of them have access to the Boil Release kekkei genkai, but otherwise they're pretty average if tenacious.

Akuto tucks his hands in his pockets once he sees the compound. The gate is large, taller than that of the Academy, and adorned with wind chimes, shells, and shark teeth. A Chinese— Iwan here, he supposes— gong hangs from the board engraved with a single kanji, kyōji, for threat. Or danger. Whichever you prefer. Two watchtowers flank the gates; only one is manned.

He approaches it casually but carefully.

"Who's there?" asks one guard, not unkindly. He's tall, though still roughly two heads shorter than Fuguki-oji, and muscular. Akuto can tell, even through the blue-grey flak jacket he's wearing. A chūnin, then. This Hoshigaki has three sets of gill-like features under his eyes, as opposed to Shizuki's two. His hair's blue and short, styled like a shark fin. A greatsword is strapped to his back. Akuto recognises him immediately.

"Sanbokan Akuto," he says. "Shizuki invited me for a spar."

Kisame grins, looking him up and down. "Sanbokan, eh? Small world."

"Sure is."

He's ninety percent sure Kisame is Fuguki's apprentice. Not one hundred percent, because he's never seen Kisame round their place before; Fuguki-oji likes to draw a very firm line between his work and home life. It's almost a chasm, actually. The only time work is ever even mentioned is when he talks to Okan about it, but even then, they always stop the second he or Aneki enter the room or come close enough to listen in.

He respects that.

Home is their safe space.

Kisame nods his head towards the compound. "Come on, I'll take you."

They walk through the compound in silence, the only sound the soft rustle of the wind. It's an old place. Old, but beautiful. Minka houses rise around them, nestled among carefully tended gardens. Stone paths wind through, bordered by soft moss and scattered seashells, leading deeper into the heart of the compound.

Occasionally, they pass by a dojo or a small hokora. A shrine dedicated to Suijin-sama stands near a quiet pond, its water glistening under the sunlight. Further along, a shrine to Inari-sama, framed by stone fox statues, stands beside a small field. Near the harbour, a larger hokora comes to view, its offerings and prayers left for Ōwatatsumi-sama, the dragon god of the sea. The scent of salt hangs in the air, and the faint sound of waves whispers through the compound.

Then, they pass a large house, much bigger than the rest of them. It's got to be the main house, where the clan heads and their heirs live. At his curious gaze, Kisame walks faster. Ah. Touchy subject. Main houses are guarded tightly, obviously. Fuguki-oji once told him thousands of seals protect them, with new additions every year.

"Here we are," Kisame says with a smirk. "Just holler— she'll hear you."

Akuto snorts. "Sure."

Kisame shrugs and makes his way back. Guard duty seems awfully boring, and Akuto desperately hopes he never has to suffer through it himself.

He turns away from the retreating Kisame and looks at Hoshigaki's house. It's impressive. Traditional. With its dark wooden beams and contrasting smooth, white shikui walls, and steeply sloped kaya roof curving gently at the edges. Bamboo sways gently in the breeze by the entrance, and soft furin chimes tinkle faintly from above. A beautifully maintained stone pathway leads up to the engawa wrapping around the house.

Akuto walks up and knocks. Once, twice, thrice. Moments later, light footsteps resound and the door is opened hastily. Not-Uzumaki stands in the genkan, breathless. When he sees Akuto, his face lightens up a bit. "Come on it," he says. "We didn't expect you just yet."

Akuto snorts. Steps in. Not-Uzumaki exchanges his slippers for shoes.

The genkan is modest but well-kept. Wooden floors, polished to a gleam, extend into the house. A small, neatly arranged shelf holds an assortment of large shoes and boots, open-toed and closed. It smells of incense.

Hoshigaki rounds the corner seconds later. Akuto didn't hear her. "Well, look at that," she says, eyes glinting and a smile dancing on her face. "Didn't think you knew how to be on time."

"I'm full of surprises, y'know."

Not-Uzumaki and Hoshigaki exchange looks, then laugh. Akuto rolls his eyes but doesn't stop the grin that blooms on his face. "Yeah, yeah," he says, "just wait and see."

Not-Uzumaki bumps Akuto with his shoulder.

"You ready?" Hoshigaki asks. When they nod, she too exchanges her slippers for shoes, grabs a scroll, and they're out of the door.

She leads them further down into the compound. The deeper they go, the fewer people he sees. The Hoshigaki clan has no civilian side, unlike every other clan he knows of— even beyond Kiri. Well, almost. The Komori clan from Iwa and the Hanawa family from Taki also have no civilian side.

A wee bit outside the residential area, Akuto can see the training grounds. They're vast, a bit larger than those of the Academy, but smaller still than the public ones on the east side of the village. It smells of dirt, burned wood, and smoke.

Hoshigaki leads them to an empty plain. Nothing but grass and a single tree right by where they stand.

"We should probably set some ground rules," she says, turning around. Hoshigaki wears plain clothes today, as if she expects to get dirty today.

Akuto leans against the tree, grinning. "Alright, shoot."

"No killing—" Akuto laughs. Like he could. "—no maiming. We go until one of us yields or someone draws first blood. Taijutsu only."

(Bulging eyes. Trembling chin. Rasping breaths— Sour bile— )

"What," he taunts, digging his nails into his palms, "scared you'll lose for sure otherwise?"

Hoshigaki smirks. "In your dreams."

"Can't we just get this over with?" Not-Uzumaki says, sitting at the border of the training ground. The scroll Hoshigaki had in her hand before now rests on his lap, a brush in his ink-stained hand. "Not all of us are into brawling."

Akuto shrugs. "Sure. You'll ref?"

"If I must," he says with a sigh.

Hoshigaki and Akuto look at each other and nod. Then, they walk a bit further in, take their stances, and wait for the signal.

"Go," Not-Uzumaki says, dropping his half-heartedly raised arm.

Hoshigaki's relentless. From the moment they start, Akuto is already struggling to keep up. She moves like lightning; her fists a blur as they connect with his body— arms, chest, legs. Each hit lands with brutal precision. Knocks him back with bone-rattling force. He barely has time to react, let alone defend. Every time he raises his guard, she's already past it, slipping around his blocks like water.

Akuto grits his teeth, trying to focus, but every strike she lands sends sharp jolts of pain shooting through him. She dodges his attacks with casual ease. Counters with sharp kicks and elbows that leave him staggering.

He can't find an opening.

He tries to close the gap, launching a wild right hook aimed at her side. It's a desperate move— he knows as soon as he throws it— but he's running out of options. Hoshigaki easily sidesteps. His left is wide open—

Before he can recover, her elbow drives right into his ribs with the precision of a snake, knocking the air from his lungs in a single, devastating blow.

Akuto gasps. His body buckles from the pain. His minds screams at him to stay on his feet, to keep moving, but his body isn't listening. She sweeps his legs out from under him with a swift, calculated kick. He hits the ground hard, dirt flying up around him as the impact rattles his bones.

"Come on, Akuto," Hoshigaki teases. "You're making this way too easy."

Akuto barely hears her. His ears are ringing, and his vision blurs as he tries to push himself back up. His arms tremble. Every muscle in his body's aching from the constant punishment. He grits his teeth. Refuses to stay down.

I'm better than this, he tells himself. I can do this.

But as he stumbles back up to his feet, chest heaving, it becomes painfully clear that she's in a completely different league. Every time he moves, she's already reacting, her strikes perfectly timed, her footwork flawless. It's like fighting a shadow— one that hits back, hard.

"You ready?"

Amusement glints in her eyes. She doesn't even wait for his response. In a blur of motion, she lungs forward again. Akuto barely has time to bring his arms up to block before her fist slams into his guard. He stumbles back. His feet are digging into the ground as he struggles to stay upright. Before he can catch himself, she follows up with a quick kick to his left. Sends him sprawling to the ground again.

Pain flares. His body screams in protest, but he refuses to stay down. Pushing up on shaky arms, he forces himself to stand, his breath ragged and uneven. He can't let it end like this— not without putting up some kind of fight. Moyashi was easy. Hell, most of his year was easy. But Hoshigaki?

The longer the spar goes on, the more futile it feels. No matter how hard he tries, no matter how much he pushes and pushes and pushes, Hoshigaki's simply too fast. Too skilled.

His breath comes fast and shallow as he steps back, trying to shake off the sting of another hard fall. His arms feel like lead. His body is sluggish and unresponsive. He pinches his lips. Clenches his jaw. Curses under his breath. Frustration is building, bubbling just beneath the surface.

He's losing. Badly. And he hates it.

Hoshigaki isn't even out of breath. She looks completely at ease, like this is a warm-up for her. Each strike she throws is sharp, controlled, while his movements are becoming slower. More desperate.

He tries to steel himself for the next exchange, plating his feet and raising his arms, but his confidence crumbles with every passing second. His heart pounds in his chest. His throat closes up. His stomach hardens.

Hoshigaki doesn't give him any room to breathe. She darts in again. Her speed almost blinding. He barely manages to get his arms up in time to block her fist, but the force of the hit sends him stumbling back again. Before he can recover, she sweeps low, her leg connecting with his ankle, and Akuto finds himself on the damn ground once more, the dirt harsh against his skin.

"Get up," Hoshigaki says, her voice firm but not unkind. "You're not done yet."

Akuto groans, rolling onto his side. His body aches all over, bruised from countless hits. He slams his fist into the ground. "Damn it," he curses under his breath in English. His pride stings worse than the bruises. He's giving it everything he fucking has, and it isn't even bloody close to enough.

Before he can push himself up again, Not-Uzumaki's voice cuts through the air. "That's enough." Akuto bares his teeth. "Shizuki wins," he adds needlessly.

Akuto juts out his chin. Clenches his fists. Bites back the urge to protest. He wants to keep going, wants to prove he isn't as weak as this spar makes him feel. But. A small part of him knows it's over. He's outmatched. His body is beat. He can try another day again—

He will beat her another day.

(It doesn't ease the tightness in his chest, the pounding in his head, the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.)

"Good spar," he says at last. He stands back up again, his entire body screaming in protest. "Next time, you're eating dirt."

Hoshigaki grins. "I'd love to see you try."

"How you two can keep going, I'll never get." Not-Uzumaki sounds exasperated. "Anyway, Shizuki, your Okaa-san said she got mochi."

Hoshigaki eyes Akuto. "Want some?"

"Hell yeah."

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"I'm back!"

His voice echoes through the quiet flat as he steps inside. The last afternoon sun has long dipped behind the horizon, painting the sky in hues of violet and amber. He spent the rest of the day with Hoshigaki and Not-Uzumaki, eating mochi and dango and lazing about in Hoshigaki's ridiculously beautiful backyard. After, he took the long way home, past the Academy, to see his exam results pinned on the courtyard bulletin.

He's the first of his caste, and in the top twenty overall.

Hoshigaki's first of her caste and the top ten overall. Not-Uzumaki is pretty far down, barely having passed anything but the theoretical part of the exam. But he passed. And that's all that matters.

Akuto trades his boots for slippers and pauses when he sees a familiar pair next to his spot. A pair that has been gone for the past four weeks. He grins.

The sound of hurried footsteps thunders down the hallway. Deliberately so. Before he can turn, he's engulfed in a crushing bear hug, arms like iron bands wrapping around him, squeezing with the kind of strength that threatens to snap his ribs. Nanami. His Aneki. She pulls, pulls, pulls. As though the very act of letting go would shatter something fragile within her. Akuto lets her. He doesn't complain, not even when it feels like the air is being squeezed from his lungs. Instead, he digs his fingers into the fabric of her shirt— a pinstripe turtleneck. She must've just got home. He inhales. Nanami smells of saltwater and lightning and blood.

Very faint, though. Not hers.

"Welcome home," Akuto mumbles, his voice muffled against her shoulder.

Aneki buries her face in his hair, holding on for just a moment longer before she pulls back. Her eyes— those sharp, knowing purple eyes— are rimmed with red. A flicker of chakra twists in the air, and the genjutsu she casts slips over them. He says nothing. Something must've happened, something bad, to shake her so.

She clears her throat and offers a shaky smile. "Let's eat," she says, her voice softer than usual, but steady. "Tell me 'bout your day, yeah?"

Akuto hesitates, just for a second, then beams at her. "Sure!" he replies brightly, the word coming out with more energy than he feels.

She mirrors his grin with her own lopsided one.