Please leave a comment or PM if you have any questions, suggestions, concerns, or just compliments. For the sake of this work, the elemental balance will go earth}lightning}water}fire}wind. Thanks to SmallFountainPen for betaing chapters 57-73. Thanks to SoaringJe for betaing beginning with chapter 116.
Ibiki cleared his throat, flipping to the next page.
There were so, so many eyes on him.
Of course, that was the point.
Ibiki did not want his first experience teaching to be with his coworkers who were twice his age and twice as experienced. He'd mentioned that to his aunt, who'd suggested he teach some friends and strangers first.
Bokuso had been the one to volunteer one of the Aburame's open air theaters for his use. The smallest one, thankfully, mostly intended for children's plays and the like, but it was still daunting, especially because not only were all the seats full but a number of children, teenagers, and adults were also just standing around to hear his lecture.
Awful.
The worst part was that he'd mentioned it to Deidara, who had invited himself along, and then Yasuo had been hanging around the gate when he showed up, and—
Well, he was happy so many of his friends weren't in the village.
Friends were even worse than superiors.
"Coming onto the matter of obfuscation of a complete seal…" Ibiki started. He'd brought a white board with him, and he pointed out various possible problems and danger zones as he worked his way through why you should never obfuscate a seal in any way but what a sealing expert recommended.
His throat was dry.
He picked up his bottle of water, drank.
Glanced around the theater again.
He'd clearly lost some of the youngest kids, and definitely Deidara too, but most teenagers were still following.
Yasuo's eyes were sharp.
He still wasn't sure about him being there, but there hadn't been time to ask, and he'd deliberately chosen not to include any actual seals in his presentation.
Besides, Yasuo had the Sannin Jiraiya as a sponsor, so he probably already knew plenty.
And… there were more people, now. More Aburame, and also one of the lemur summoners.
Lovely.
He put down his bottle of water, glanced at his notes again. "One of the most important seals to learn are the various message-security seals." Right, audience input. "Does anybody here know ways messages can be made more secure?"
"You can tie it to chakra, so only some people can open it!" one kid called out.
"That's right. Very useful, but something that also requires a lot of preparation, which means that it's used very sparingly."
"Timer seals!" another voice shouted, this one from the back.
"There are timer seals, absolutely. They have their uses, but because we generally want to be able to access information quickly in an emergency there are rules advising against their use in most cases."
"Password seals!"
"That's a big one. There are many types; you may have to write on the seal, although that's very uncommon. It's more common for the receiver to have to send in their chakra in a specific pattern. How about one that works when the receiver isn't a ninja?"
Murmuring, and then—Yasuo: "Cutting the seal a certain way."
"Exactly. That one's increasing in popularity, and the main Research Office—" who announced things when, for one reason or another, Konoha didn't want the invention tied to any bureau—"has recently announced that they will begin the sale of seal stamp punches, which will cut a seal uniformly and in a precise way. On our end we will have the blueprints to seal things for their eyes specifically, and nobles—and others, of course—can spend extra money to have messages sealed like that for any recipient who has purchased a seal stamp punch.
"Obviously, though, it's a lot easier when the recipient can use chakra." Muted laughter.
Ibiki glanced at the sun, then continued, moving on to the importance of set algorithms and seal structures in seal making and why seal order was important for its internal logic.
And then, finally, the two hours were open. "Thank you so much for your time." He bowed to his audience. They chorused thanks in response, bowing back.
Finally, finally, he was done.
Teaching an entire class still seemed daunting, but he'd managed this. He would manage that too.
"Um, Ibiki?"
"Hey, Haruto! I didn't know you were interested in sealing."
"I'm not; I was actually here to ask about something else."
"Hit me."
"I want to learn how to… how to work with my summons, instead of just… letting them do their own thing."
Ah.
Fair enough.
Ibiki had two firefly larvae in the helix of his ears right now.
Of course, lemurs were…
"You know, I don't think I'm the one to ask." Haruto's head bobbed in agreement subconsciously; clearly, he'd come to the same conclusion but didn't know where to go next. "Who you really should be asking are the Inuzuka."
The Inuzuka worked with partners who took years to learn to speak, did so in both combat and civilian situations, and had literally hundreds of examples of partnerships to draw from to help Haruto figure out how best to interact with his own partner(s).
The Inuzuka were absolutely ideal teachers, and by Haruto's expression, he agreed.
Ibiki grinned. He was so killing this adulting thing.
.
Maito Guy was having a Very Good Year. He was in the Springtime of Youth, and he was Thriving!
While he was Disappointed that his father had been assigned duties in Kaiso, such Disappointment was miniscule compared to the Joy he felt reading his father's letters, reading about the many different fighting styles his beloved father was learning from the various clans and families who called Uzu their home.
And then there was Maito Guy's own Journey Seeking Improvement. After some time he had finally convinced a Hyuuga to instruct him on the basics of one of his Clan Taijutsu Styles! The man—and he wished to be called Denpan, even though that was neither his personal nor his clan name, and Maito Guy was happy to oblige—had been Awed by the Speed at which Guy understood his Style, and was now talking to somebody named Mawaru about Guy perhaps learning some of the More Powerful Hyuuga Taijutsu Styles.
And then there was his Battlefield Victories, where he stood Bravely in the face of adversity and refused to bow. Those Victories had led to bonuses, and the bonuses had led to Maito Guy's very own Weight Seals! They were Beautiful, and Effective, and Youthful!
And then there was the Health Department Research Office's Study on Anatomy and Physiology. Once a Season, they tested everything about his Blooming Health and allowed Maito Guy to see the results. He knew the flexibility of each joint, the muscle mass of every limb—he even knew the current length of most of his long bones!
Knowledge was truly a Wonderful thing, and Maito Guy was going to use it to full advantage.
But that was not the Most Amazing Part of the year. The Most Amazing Part of the year was why he was in the Academy now.
Teaching Kakashi's Apprentices was a Joy Beyond Words. He now understood more than ever why his father Glowed so while teaching him. And Kakashi himself was a Joy, too! Not only a friend, but quickly a Best Friend; Kakashi refused no challenge, and they spent many Glorious Days competing in their Springtime of Youth!
And then Guy's Sensei noticed him and his acts, even though Guy was now a Chuunin, but Sensei was a Noble, Honorable Man and so he still watched over his former students. And he noticed Guy, and Sensei came to Guy, and suggested he take the winter test to become a Special Jounin.
And Guy had at first been confused, because Special Jounin required a Jounin-level non-combat skill, but Sensei told him that he believed Guy's Effective and Inspirational Teaching was Sufficient for such a Lofty Promotion when combined with his understanding of Physical Conditioning and Physical Therapy and Physiology and Anatomy and Fitness and Taijutsu Styles and Health.
And so Guy had applied, and after much serious discussion, he had been accepted; in five months, he would be the first to take the Special Jounin Exam, Specialty: Taijutsu Instruction.
If Guy were to Earn such a Glorious Title, however, merely teaching Clan Hatake's Apprentices was Insufficient.
And so Guy had sought and earned permission to audit the Jounin-Sensei class, and then he had sought and earned permission to assist the Hospital's Physical Recovery Department, and then he had gone to the Academy, and sought permission to Instruct the Youth of Konoha on the Joy and Wonder to be found in a Fuller Understanding of the Body and its Abilities.
The Sensei in front of him was now leading him to just such an Opportunity. And explaining a great many things it was important for Guy to know as she walked.
"—and then there's the Nara. You need to watch the Nara. Not only to keep them from slacking off—though that's important too—but also because when a Nara gets an idea, then there are problems, because most of them are just smart enough to think they would notice any possible troubles before they arise without being smart enough to decide that telling a teacher might be a reasonable safeguard against problems they haven't thought of. And if you don't watch them, then the next thing you know some Nara has decided that it would be easier to figure out how to use katon jutsu for the first time in his life instead of lighting a fire manually and you're racing him and what's left of his arm to the hospital."
The woman stopped, turned, looked him right in the eye. "So, watch the Nara. Got it?"
Guy nodded. "Got it, Sensei!"
She grunted, turned back around. She had already warned Guy about certain Troublemakers, and Slackers, and Over-Workers, as well as many Clans and the Common Struggles of their Children, and she had done so with Expedience!
"We're here." She gestured, and on the far field of the Academy Guy saw about Forty Youthful Students engaging in Calisthenics under the Watchful Eye of another Sensei. "This group is graduating in the fall, so they're better behaved than most. I still suggest creating some type of physical clone if you can and having them watch whatever you can't. It's important that they don't know which is which, because your clone can't report everything and so if they know it's a clone they'll try to slip a bunch of smaller offenses under the clone's nose."
Maito Guy nodded, but already knew he would not be using a clone. He did not like the idea of something with his face seeing something he would never see.
"Alright, go. Get started."
Guy grinned, bowed to the Sensei, and set off.
This was going to go Brilliantly.
.
"Sensei, is there a jutsu to walk on air?" Hayate asked. He was staring at his feet, continually lifting and dropping his right leg instead of practicing tree jumping like he was supposed to.
Yasuo blinked at him.
"I can't even imagine the chakra cost of that."
"It could be like a wind jutsu!" Hayate said. "There are those hot air balloon things, aren't there? What about that, for a person?"
…Yeah, no.
"How about you research it and get back to me?" Yasuo said. Hayate made a face—Yasuo liked to offer that when he thought his students were asking something outrageous or far beyond their level.
At least the other two were still at it, though they were flagging enough that Yasuo should probably just call the exercise now.
"All right, that's enough for the day!" Two kids and one dog dropped out of the trees, groaning in relief. "Let's go back to working on injured transport!" And three additional groans, this time in disappointment (Sumi didn't have to participate in this lesson, and therefore simply wagged her tail). Injured transport was important, though (how much chakra did you have? Was the person awake, or unconscious or dead? How fast did you need to go? How injured was either party? Where?), so Yasuo wasn't about to avoid such a vital topic. "Come on, kids. It's important."
They would, after all, begin working on specialization soon.
As they took turns being carried and carrying each other, Yasuo watched over them with a critical eye.
Anko… he wasn't worried about. When killing and butchering, she was unhesitating and efficient, and when he'd talked to her about the act of killing she had clearly already come to terms with it. No signs of sadism, which was a relief, but he doubted she'd have much trouble.
Inuzuka Kyuushi was a different story. When he was hunting, or even butchering, he was damn-near feral. He could keep himself—and Sumi—in check, but he certainly wasn't thinking long pondering thoughts about life and death. Unfortunately, in the interim between killing and butchering… well, that's when Kyuushi would look down at whatever rabbit or deer or bird was meant to be dinner and start saying things like, "Oh, but it was so cute!" and "Look at her! She was so young!"
Yasuo was going to have a few more conversations with him, make sure he really understood what he signed up for. He was pretty sure Kyuushi would be fine with it in the end, but he doubted the boy had spent all that long really thinking it through.
And then there was Hayate.
Hayate definitely seemed like the kind of person that would always remember everybody he killed, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
It was far more concerning that Hayate was still more focused on the 'coolness' of jutsu than practicality.
"Ow!" Kyuushi yelped.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to!" Hayate said.
"What were you trying to do, then?"
Hayate turned bright red. Muttered something.
"You were trying to walk on air?! Why even try that when I'm 'injured' on your back?!"
Yasuo sighed.
He'd have to break up the boys' fight in a few minutes, but he might as well let Kyuushi beat some sense into Hayate in the meantime.
Anko… Anko looked like she wanted to try walking on air too.
Great. Just great.
(He was dealing with a bunch of prepubescent children, Yasuo reminded himself. They had time to grow up. He just… wished they'd do it a little faster, or at least expedite some critical thinking skills.)
.
Bokuso loved being an Aburame: loved the community, and the productivity, and the unity.
But ever since Shijin was caught having an affair, his family had fractured.
An affair was…
The Aburame relied on their bonds to keep alive, to thrive: Shijin's actions indicated not only that he put himself above the whole of his marriage, but also that he was willing to do so in other settings too.
Bokuso's fear was this: what else had Shijin done?
(This was every Aburame's fear, no matter how many times their former leader swore he had only betrayed his wife and no other.)
His twins were anxious, were buzzing loudly enough for their Academy Sensei to call him in, make subtle hints that they were intimidating the other children.
Bokuso did not care about that; did not understand why the Sensei seemed to.
He did care, so much, about his twins: he did not wish them to be uncomfortable.
They were uncomfortable.
Supporting Shibi, then, had been straightforward: he had not wanted the man to be colored by the actions of his brother, and he had wanted to encourage in his immediate family as well as the clan as a whole the idea that Aburame would endure.
With Ibiki's sealing class over (a good opportunity for the clan, as seals had quickly become Konoha's most prioritized skill), Bokuso walked alongside Shibi back into the Aburame formicary. Their hives passed back and forth, bolstering each other: it was important that they remained strong for the good of the clan.
They descended into lower and lower chambers, pausing to exchange a few insects with each Aburame they passed.
Bokuso worked hard not to tense as they passed a group of children working on limewashing a tunnel. The world at large might think that the monster had been shot into space, but Bokuso was a shinobi: he had noticed that Tsunade of the Sannin still spent a good deal of time monitoring the birth rates the byoki seemed to effect, and there had to be a reason Kakashi, jinchuuriki of the Six Tails, was almost always within Konohagakure's borders.
Minato had dealt a great blow to the beast, but the Aburame would not allow themselves to grow complacent.
Nevertheless, showing fear would only disturb his family further, and that was unnecessary. Bokuso's hives remained at a background buzz as they passed their kin, and Shibi's own did the same. Lime-washing was just an unnecessary precaution, after all; done to help everybody feel safe, and not because it was necessary. (It was important that Bokuso seemed to believe it, when he was so close to his kin.)
Soon enough they were at the Head office, and Shibi took a moment to feed one of his ant colonies before sitting behind his desk.
"I believe you were right about the Aburame's future path. Why? Because adaptation is vital to continued survival."
Bokuso nodded. "Should we wish to further pursue sealing, my suggestion is this: studying how our kikaichu may be used instead of the chakra-inhanced ink."
Shibi's lip quirked. "I see we are, once more, on the same page. Why? Because I have already requested information on what materials are already in use."
Bokuso smiled in turn.
Shijin's actions had been a horrible, wicked blow to the Aburame, but they'd been hurt before.
The first and most important aspect of the Aburame was this: they always rebounded, and when they did, they always made improvements to be just that harder to kill.
Bokuso loved being an Aburame, and he was not going to let anybody (not even an Aburame) take his clan away from him.