The first four chapters weren't that good, thanks for sticking around while I found my voice...
This is my first time writing anything, so the story will get better as I put out more chapters.
...
Anyways, I'm getting mixed messages...
Some of you love the story, some of you hate it.
Some people like the newer chapters and think the first few suck...
And some people like the older chapters and think the new chapters suck...
Some like the humor and some think that I'm turning this into a crackfic...
People like different things, if this fic isn't for you then stop reading it...
There's other entertainment to be found on this lovely site.
...
Another week passed.
I was now no longer being "punished" and could now roam free.
Thankfully my home remained uninvaded and I didn't have to worry about Kushina ambushing me when I didn't expect it.
We now had another mission to do for the month.
I had requested a mission at or around another ninja village.
I wanted to nab some jutsu.
Put the Byakugan to use.
…
My mom arrived home scroll in hand.
"I got us a C-ranked mission to Suna."
Good stuff!
"What's the mission?"
My mom had a mirthful smile on her face.
"An escort mission."
Fuck!
…
We were escorting a merchant from Konoha to Suna.
Which sucked…
What sucked, even more, is, we likely wouldn't be allowed into Suna...
…
I was escorting our client to the gate where my mother was waiting.
I tried to use rock, paper, scissors, to get out of merchant walking duty but it was not to be.
Mom was much faster than me, even with my perception slowed, she still beat me…
…
Goda Hidetoshi was the name of the merchant, he also brought his son Ide along for our journey.
Hidetoshi had grey hair and brown eyes, his son had both brown hair and eyes.
Hidetoshi and his son had what I'd call an average build.
They weren't fat which was a plus.
Merchants who could afford to eat whatever they wanted and are not fat, were admirable.
Most merchants I've met were so fat, that their body started storing fat in places it shouldn't be.
Like their face and forehead...
…
We arrived at the southern gate, the plan was that we'd travel southwest through River Country stoping at Tani, which was River's capital, and from there we'd make our way to Suna.
A nice plan
The Village Hidden in Valleys or Tanigakure was located in River Country, and maybe I could send a Shadow Clone to have a peek and see what they had while we were at Tani.
There was a second hidden village called Takume village or The Village Of Artisans, though I wasn't too interested in them, so, they'd be left alone for the time being.
I looked at my mom, she looked bored.
I looked to Ide he also looked bored.
I looked at Hidetoshi, he didn't look any less bored.
"So, what are you selling, Hidetoshi?"
I used my hidden move cultivated over many merchant escort missions.
Hidetoshi perked up and a smile appeared on his face.
"I've got a lot of honey, grain, and glassware, most of which I plan to sell in Tani, I'll fill any space I've made with water and bring that to Suna…"
Social Fu: Ask a merchant about his product!
Works every time.
…
The trip was quiet, none of us seemed to be much for conversation.
Usually this is when Minato would carry the conversation with his charisma.
But he was not here and thus it fell to me to make small talk.
Ide and I were at the back of the cart, watching the trees pass.
"Why are you traveling to Suna, Ide?"
I didn't care, but idle talk made the journey seem shorter.
"My mom and pa are on a break, mom said she needed space, and pa's been upset and throwing himself into work, so I'm traveling with him, tryna make sure he's alright yanno?"
Yikes, now I have to fake sympathy.
"I'm sorry to hear that, what's your mom's name?"
Social Fu: continue the conversation with a question!
"Mum's name is Fuime."
Fuime…
"Nakayama Fumie?"
He blinked at me.
"Yeh, that's mum's family name from before she married pa."
Tokuma's has a new girlfriend called Nakayama Fumie.
"Oh, I've met her before."
When your mom said she needed space…
She meant she needed some dick…
…
It took us three days to reach Tani, Ide and Hidetoshi are going to set up shop and sell what they could for the next two days.
That left me and mom to wander around Taki and entertain ourselves.
...
I was far outside of town standing with my mother preparing to release my seal.
I needed that extra chakra to make my clone last.
"I'm going to release the seal."
Mom nodded.
Alrighty…
The first use of the seal is a go.
I brought a tendril of chakra to my seal and gave a twist.
…
Chakra flooded my body and I felt a tingling as the seal spread across my face.
I smiled and laugh bubbled from my throat.
"Hahahahaha!"
My grin could only be described as manic.
…
"Shiro!"
I let my head loll backwards so I could make eye contact with mom.
"That's me!"
I eyed my mother.
"Stop smiling like a creep and make your clone."
Oh, yea…
I made a clone, giving it a good part of my chakra.
The clone stared at me with a raised eyebrow.
"Get going idiot."
The clone stuck his tongue before disappearing with a Shunshin.
I blew a breath out of my nose.
I hate clones…
I sent a tendril of chakra to my forehead and deactivated the seal.
That done I sat cross-legged and started sending my chakra back into the seal.
…
Phew!
What a trip…
Having that much chakra saturating my body, made me a bit crazy.
"Let's get going, any nearby ninja will be coming to investigate the spike in chakra."
Alrighty…
…
We were seated in our room.
"So, how did I look with that seal active?"
Hopefully like a badass.
"You looked insane."
Or not.
"Did It look cool though?"
My mother was silent for a moment.
"… It looked cool."
I smiled.
Good.
…
We had to lay low for the rest of our stay.
The clone should have dispelled by now, as the trip to Tanigakure only took half a day.
The clone had been active for a day and a half, which wasn't good news for its sanity.
Clones get a little silly after a day of exitance.
Tomorrow we'd set off to Suna, hopefully, the clone dispelled before then.
…
It was mid-day and I was sitting in our room when my clone dispelled causing me to sigh.
…
I arrived at Tanigakure.
Henged as my brown-haired cannon fodder teacher minus the headband.
Compared to Konoha, this place was hot garbage.
Though it did look nice nestled between the mountains.
I easily snuck past the walls and into their city.
Their sensors were hot garbage as well.
I looked at the sun.
It was mid-day, and I had plenty of chakra.
So, I'd take my time and explore the city.
…
I walked all around the city Byakugan active mentally marking places of interest, there was a bank, the village leaders tower, the academy, the market, and so on, so forth.
I spotted a pretty redhead selling vegetables.
I approached her with a smile.
"Hello miss, has anyone told you how beautiful you are today?"
She looked at me with disdain, a mocking smile on her face.
"No, they haven't"
Bitch.
"Well good luck tomorrow."
Her jaw dropped and I left feeling victorious.
…
The day passed and I accomplished nothing of note.
I wandered around Taki and pondered robbing their bank/treasury.
I decided that I'd give it a try if I had the time, and things went according to plan.
I snuck into someone's house and slept on their couch.
…
I got up bright and early and was leaning against the tower Byakugan active and reading Tanigakure's version of the scroll of seals.
I was slowly browsing the techniques while deciding my plan of action for robbing the bank.
Barrier Shattering Technique.
If a barrier is active, the user can see in enemy territory and shatter the barrier's source from within while his team lends him chakra.
Needed more than one Pearson
Nope.
Earth Release: Coil Of Earth.
The user releases a row of rising earth towards an opponent.
Nope.
Self Detonation Technique.
The user can cause themselves to explode with varying effects from simply blowing open a door to destroying a home. They may be able to control the strength of the explosion, blow up portions of their body, or severe parts of their bodies and let it explode at contact with the enemy.
No thanks…
Hiding with Camouflage Technique.
Maybe…
Hiden: Animal Possession Technique.
The user is able to take over the bodies of non-human animals and...
I blinked.
…
I focused on an "innocent" bird that had been staring at me the entire time I had been leaning on the building.
"…"
Ok then…
I focused back onto the scroll.
…
Body Elimination Technique.
The user self immolates...
I didn't plan on dying so…
Nope.
Mutual Death Technique.
The user grabs one of their intended victim's hands and forces it to assist in performing the necessary hand seals. Once this is done, the user and the victim die.
That's a dark technique.
Nope.
Yin Release: Jibakugan.
This Genjutsu brings out the victim's subconscious negative or hateful emotions. The caster can take advantage of these feelings and control the victim's actions.
Nope.
Ultimate Death Beyond Terror.
More useless Genjutsu.
…
All of Tanigakure's techniques were useless.
They had nothing good.
I looked at the Anbu in the ceiling.
There were only two...
I focused on the village leader sitting at his desk doing paperwork, he had high-Jonin level chakra, nowhere near as much as the Hokage.
Weaklings...
I focused back on the bird, sitting on the ledge of the roof.
It did have a stupid amount of chakra.
...
I started tapping my foot.
What do I do now?
I focused back onto the scroll...
Self Detonation Technique.
I started cackling.
I knew exactly what to do.
...
I walked a distance down the street humming a cheerful tune.
I stopped, spun on my heel, and broke into a run straight towards the Kage tower.
A manic grin stretched across my face.
I jumped and started making hand-seals.
...
I broke through the window.
"Surprise Mother-Fucker!"
Boom*
...
I sighed through my nose and started rubbing my eyes.
My clone just tried to assassinate the leader of a village...
Why didn't the Anbu react to that?
Maybe they were surprised...?
It's a shame the clone didn't see the leaders face...
I sighed.
What happened to robbing the bank...
The clone should have stayed away from the tower...
Clones are so stupid...
I need to lie down...
The mental stress of absorbing a day and a half of memories is a bit too much...
...
It was still dark when I woke up, I looked at the clock.
It seems I've slept for fourteen hours.
I've got three hours until everyone's up...
I sighed...
...
I used my time to make another bone senbon.
My mom woke up, just as I was about to start on my second senbon.
"Morning."
Mom blinked at me with half-lidded eyes.
She was still half-asleep it seemed.
"My clone didn't get anything good."
Other than the Self Detonation Technique.
Mom Yawned and then buried her head into the pillow.
Alrighty...
I focused back on my senbon.
I rolled it between my fingers.
Could I make them hollow and fill them with poison?
Or are they better coated with poison...
Or can I use a hollow senbon to extract stem cells?
...
Mom had showered and was now awake and ready for the day.
"The clone I sent to Tanigakure didn't find any worthwhile jutsu."
Mom wrinkled her nose.
"Not even a Hiden technique?"
There was one.
"There was an animal possession technique, but there was a high risk of your human body dying and getting stuck in an animal body if the jutsu was done incorrectly."
Which made the technique too dangerous to learn.
"How do you plan to look at Suna's jutsu?"
I didn't know...
I certainly couldn't use clones, I didn't want another assassination attempt on a foreign Kage.
"We'll see how it goes, it depends on the layout of Suna."
Everyone was packed and ready to go.
The only change to our appeal was a wide-brimmed hat and some sunglasses.
Hidetoshi and Ide had replaced a lot of their goods with water.
They both looked to be in a good mood, so I assumed that business was good.
"Everyone ready to go?"
"Yeah."
"Yep."
"Yup."
Mom blinked at the variation of yes's that she got.
"Alright let's go."
I scratched my chin.
How was the cart going to get through the sand?
...
Suna had a sandstone road leading directly too it.
Which was good for both my chakra and the cart.
I figured I'd have to "Water walk" on the sand for the next two-days...
...
Even walking on the sandstone path, sand still managed to get into my shoes.
I taped the front of my left shoe on the sandstone letting the sand escape from the open toe area.
I looked at my shoes.
They were called "tabi boots".
They were a boot, with no covering for the toes.
The only plausible reason for no coverings was ventilation...
I tapped my right shoe dislodging sand from it as well.
Perhaps I can target my enemies toes...?
...
We finally arrived at Suna after three days of travel.
The trip to Suna was painful.
Though my pain was only mental.
We ditched the father and son pair, they would make their own way into the village.
They would employ Suna ninja for the return trip and make their way back to Konoha at a later time.
Thus we were no longer needed.
...
I assumed foreign ninja would not be allowed into Suna.
My assumption was false.
Mom and I were welcomed quite warmly.
We got visitors passes with strict instruction not to wander after dark and we were sent on our way.
The only thing of note was that they assigned us a room at a inn.
It was a nice place so I had no problems with it.
...
Suna's was much bigger than I had expected...
The village was in fortified valley behind cliffs of rock, with passage in and out restricted to a single entrance, making the area very hard to attack from the ground.
I couldn't imagine how they kept their people well-fed and watered...
Then again, they probably didn't...
...
We were sitting in our room.
I was in the bed curled up in the blankets.
Mom was leaning against the wall, head bowed with sunglasses covering her eyes and using her Byakugan, probably looking for any hidden danger.
"Why were we let in so easily?"
I figured it was because they wanted us to spend money in the village.
"Their grateful we escorted some merchants supplying water and goods..."
They want us to escort some more merchants here, so they treat us well...
"...and they want us to spend our money here."
That's more like it.
"So, how's it looking?"
Meaning is it safe?
"Not too good."
I saw the veins recede from her face.
Meaning keep my mouth shut we're being watched.
Alrighty...
"Want to go explore what products Suna's got?"
Mom picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders.
That answered my question...
I copied her and slung my own backpack over my shoulder.
Time to look at the market.
...
Suna was doing extremely well.
I figured they would be on the verge of economic collapse.
But that didn't seem to be the case, the market was bustling and full of life.
I looked at their street food, some of it normal some of it not.
I eyed a fried scorpion.
Hmmm...
I wonder how crunchy that is...
...
I walked side by side with my mom, a stick of small fried scorpions in hand.
I was currently trying to summon the will to start on it.
I took a deep breath and took a bite.
Crunch*
I chewed the scorpion and swallowed.
Hmm...
It tastes like beef jerky with a slight fishy taste.
It's not that bad...
I took another bite.
Crunch*
...
Crunch*
I finished my last bite of fried scorpion.
Alrighty...
I looked at the Kage tower in the distance.
I just needed to find a bathroom within my Byakugan's range so I could take a peek at their scroll in privacy.
Or at least that was the plan.
Their big round and stupid looking Kage didn't have any easy shops around it.
It seemed to be mostly administrative buildings...
Hmm...
I guess I'll keep looking...
What to do... What to do...
Suna's Kage tower was surrounded by non-public buildings.
I was having a hard time finding somewhere to sit and peek at their scroll...
I thought this would be easy peasy lemon squeezy.
But it was actually difficult difficult lemon difficult.
...
"Can we go see Suna's Kage building?"
Plan B.
"You can see it from here."
Why are you being difficult...
"But I want to see it!"
I was now dragging her toward the tower.
...
Finally, we were close enough to Suna's ugly ball thing.
What a hunk of shit.
We were a little less than a kilometer away from the tower.
I activated my Byakugan.
I noted the two Anbu following us but quickly dismissed them.
I scanned the tower roughly and quickly located where they kept their scrolls.
Suna didn't have one forbidden scroll, they had a forbidden bookshelf with many scrolls.
Nice.
I started scanning the scrolls.
...
Wind Release: Infinite Sand Cloud.
Nope.
Wind Release: Multi-Layered Gale.
The user creates a wall of multiple layers of vacuum that are stacked on top of each other. This technique can be used to provide additional support to other defensive techniques.
Nope.
Water Release: Water Blade Technique.
The user raises a column of underground water from beneath their feet, which takes the shape of a high-pressured water blade. If one were to take a direct hit from the blade, it would cut clean through flesh and bone.
Cool but nope.
Third Eye Technique.
The technique Gara used during the Chunin exam's written test.
It requires ten hand-seals...
Nope.
Magnet Release: Imperial Funeral
I don't have Magnet Release so...
Nope.
Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique
The user seals away the target's memories by burying an extremely small needle into the brain's memory center. The memories can be restored by canceling the technique, thereby destroying the needle. If a subordinate had this operation performed on their brains and has infiltrated an enemy camp, they can safely perform spy activity over a long period with no memory of being a sleeper agent. This could help enhance their act as they will fully believe their loyalty lies with the ones they are spying upon. If the user cancels the technique, the target will once again remember their mission as a sleeper agent.
Yep.
I need to get closer to memorize the seal though...
Puppet Performance: Skilful Achievement with a Human Body
A puppet performance technique where chakra threads are attached to various spots on a person's body; the head, torso, both arms, and both legs. The person being manipulated gains the ability to not only use their techniques but the skills of the puppeteer as well.
The origins of this technique lie on the battlefield. When a puppeteer's puppets were all destroyed, they would begin using corpses. To perform this technique with a living person would normally require both parties to cooperate. However, a highly skilled user can control the target by force if the person is severely weakened or damaged, rendering them unable to resist.
Maybe...
There was some good stuff but these scrolls noticeably lacked Kinjutsu and Hiden jutsu's.
I was mainly looking for the jutsu the old lady uses to revive Gara...
Perhaps they've been hidden elsewhere...
...
Sigh...
I already needed to get closer to use Kokoro no kyōka.
I might as well just memorize everything there...
"Let's get closer!"
My mom sent me a stern look.
"Shiro! That's close enough!"
Meaning stop pushing your luck.
Shit.
What do I do...?
Oh...
...
I blinked at the sudden brilliant thought I had.
"Alright, I've seen enough..."
We started walking away from the tower.
"How good is your writing?"
I got an embarrassed smile in response.
Oh boy...
...
We had purchased writing supplies and were now four kilometers from the Kage building, sitting in a Dongo shop.
Well out of my range, but well within moms.
I don't know why I hadn't thought of this earlier...
Mom was in the bathroom writing down as much as she could in a reasonable time.
We would take the book back to our room where I would memorize everything before destroying the book.
It was a good plan.
Mom didn't want to write down anything in case we were caught with it.
But I eventually persuaded her.
Though I probably could have done it myself with telescopic vision...
A waitress interrupted my thoughts.
"Excuse me, sir, would you like something to drink?"
What do they drink in Suna?
"What are my options?"
The waitress smiled sweetly.
"Yes or no."
I blinked.
"Yes please."
The waitress gave me another smile before she left.
Bitch.
...
We left the restaurant and got back to our room in one piece.
Mom closed the curtains before handing me the book she had hidden in her backpack.
"Thanks, I'll memorize it."
Mom raised an eyebrow but nodded.
I cracked it open and flipped around until I found the thing, I was the most excited about.
Memory-Concealing Manipulative Sand Technique
The seal she drew wasn't pretty but I got the point.
I activated Kokoro no kyōka and burned the seal into my memory.
I then ripped the page from the booklet and ate it.
"Shiro!"
My mom of course wasn't happy.
A few chakra enhanced bites and the page was no-more.
"Sorry I was hungry."
I didn't need that page to exist any longer than necessary...
...
Hmm...
There were a lot of Magnet Release techniques, more then I had originally seen...
There were also pages and pages of Wind Release techniques.
I don't know why mom wrote these down...
I sighed and started memorizing the book page by page.
...
Dawn broke and it was the start of a new day.
Sadly, this was the day we leave.
If I had a few more days I would have poked around more, maybe take a peek at their library.
But sadly, mom was extremely eager to leave.
So, I wouldn't be raiding Suna's library...
...
We made it past the gate without trouble.
I expected a bag search of some kind, but no such thing happened.
They did watch us the whole time...
But still, a little extra cation never hurt anyone...
...
"What should we do with the techniques we stole?"
Keep them?
"What do you have in mind?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"We either give them to the Hokage or the clan head."
Oh...
I forgot she was loyal to Konoha...
I eyed her for a second.
"Will we get praised for sneaking into Suna and stealing their scrolls?"
Or will we be punished for risking potential conflict?
Mom frowned and didn't answer.
"I only really planned on stealing these for myself, I had no intention of giving them to anyone."
This was more of a test run, I didn't think things would go this well.
"It's up to you."
I'd put the choice on her shoulders.
...
We talked while we traveled.
It was decided that our stealing would remain between us.
Mom didn't want the reputation of being a thief and I didn't want to give up my hard-earned loot.
I traveled eight days to steal those jutsu after all...
I didn't feel like sharing.
...
The trip back only took three days.
The trip was much easier without the father-son duo slowing us down.
I started asking mom questions about her life, trying to pass the time.
Mom told me stories about her Genin team and the shenanigans they got up to.
Sadly, she was the last surviving member of the team.
The team split up after the Chunin exams and slowly died off one by one.
She told me about her parents and how her father died when she was young.
Her mother was around for a while longer but died on a mission gone wrong when she was seventeen.
We chatted and I got to know my mother better, something I wouldn't have imagined could occur just two years ago.
...
We passed through the gate with no trouble, mom disappeared with a Shunshin and I followed her soon after heading home.
...
Mom had beaten me home and thus beaten me to the shower...
I was extremely annoyed, although I bathed in any rivers or streams, I passed it just couldn't compare to a warm shower...
As if to taunt me, mom started humming a cheerful tune.
Knock* Knock* Knock*
"Hurry it up!"
I want my shower!
...
The next day I sent three clones off to start on Fuinjutsu in the third training ground.
Suna's memory seal renewed my enthusiasm for sealing I couldn't wait to start making seals.
I figured there'd be plenty of clone deaths, but as they returned any remaining chakra to me, I could continue to send them to their deaths gaining valuable knowledge in the process.
Lovely, I thoroughly enjoyed it when I didn't have to pay for my mistakes...
...
I was storing my remaining chakra in my seal when mom interrupted me.
"Do you have any plans Friday?"
Lay in bed while my clones use their deaths to advance my Fuinjutsu...
No, do you have something in mind?"
I didn't want to do anything...
"Mikoto's invited us to dinner, do you want to come?"
No thanks.
"Not interested."
Mom cracked a smile.
"Let me rephrase that, Mikoto's invited us to dinner and your coming."
Why did you pretend I had a choice in the matter...?
...
I had three days until Mikoto's dinner.
I occupied myself by practicing Lightning Release while my clones worked on Fuinjutsu.
I wasn't making much progress in either, but then again I'd only been working on them for a while, progress would come with time.
...
The day of the dinner arrived.
Mom had forced me into a white Kimono and sternly lectured me on proper manners.
My manners were fine...
...
We stood in front of Mikoto's house.
It was a traditional-looking building.
I could already hear Kushina's laughter from outside.
Sigh...
My mom didn't wait for me to compose myself and knocked right away.
Knock* Knock* Knock*
After a few seconds I heard the knob jiggle and the door opened.
"Shiro, Sumiko, I'm glad you could make it."
I didn't have much choice...
...
We were let inside.
After we took our shoes off we were walked to the dining room where Minato, Kushina, Kakashi, and who I guessed was Fugaku were sitting.
Fugaku had brown hair and black eyes.
I had expected him to have black hair...
He wore a simple kimono with grey pants which had the Uchiha emblem on them.
I decided that I probably shouldn't be staring and turned away.
I saw there was an empty seat beside Kakashi and figured that was for me.
I made my way over to my apparent seat.
"Hello Kakashi."
Kakashi sent me a dull stare and didn't respond.
Ok then...
I took a seat and watched the proceedings.
Minato and Fugaku were talking, Fugaku didn't seem to like Minato and was giving him the cold shoulder.
Mom, Kushina, and Mikoto seemed to be the best of friends and were chatting and having a blast.
Mom was telling them about our "boring mission" of course excluding any Jutsu theft.
Though I doubted the Uchiha would care about jutsu theft...
...
"... So, we decided to try for a baby!"
I tuned into the end of what Mikoto was saying.
I blinked.
I looked at Fugaku who looked slightly embarrassed.
So, is there going to be a baby Itachi soon?
Cool...
...
I wonder if there's a way to make non-crazy clones...
I would have used a clone to attend the dinner if I was confident it wouldn't cause havoc...
Minato spoke knocking me out of my thoughts.
"What have you been up to Shiro?"
I've been practicing Fuinjutsu and thinking about ways to get to the moon to capture an Ōtsutsuki.
"I've been learning Fuinjutsu."
Minato raised an eyebrow.
"How's it going?"
Not well.
"Not well, everything I make explodes."
Minato nodded.
"Fuinjutsu gets easier to learn after everything you make stops exploding."
I think he's telling me to stick it out.
"Feel free to come to me and Kushina if you have any questions."
How nice of him!
"I understand..."
I nodded in thanks to Minato, before continuing
"...If at first, you don't succeed, find some who has succeeded, kill them, eat their flesh, and absorb their essence... and then succeed."
The entire table was silent, and everyone was looking at me.
Mom mouthed 'cut it out'
"That was a joke."
Nobody laughed.
Alrighty...
...
Eventually Food was brought out, and everyone was served.
I had stayed quiet but figured I might as well make another attempt at conversation with Kakashi.
"What's new Kakashi?"
Kakashi didn't answer for a moment.
"...I'm Practising Lightning Nature Transformation."
Starting on the path to the Chidori are we?
"Nice."
I sent him a nod and a thumbs up.
I didn't know how to continue the conversation...
Topic change!
"Kakashi, recently I learned a valuable lesson recently and I would like to share it with you."
Kakashi looked skeptical but nodded.
" Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day."
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week."
I nodded seriously, and Kakashi looked weirded out.
...
Finally, we made it through dinner and it was time to go.
Kushina ambushed me as I was leaving and squeezed the life out of me, she told me she missed me and that I should visit her.
After many promises I was released.
Mom and I made our way out of the Uchiha compound and started heading home...
...
We arrived home without fanfare.
"Alright I'm going to bed."
Mom nodded.
"Good night Shiro."
I gave a little wave as I walked towards the shower.
"Night"
...
We were eating breakfast the next morning when I popped the question.
"Should I enter the Chunin exams?"
Mom shook her head.
"You should wait around a year before you take it."
Hmmm...
"I'm approaching Jonin level and I don't want to stagnate doing Genin missions for long."
With my different enhancements and my Seal, I was very much unbeatable to anyone below Jonin-level.
"Sigh... you can do the Chunin exam when you turn eight."
So, in ten months?
Sounds good.
"I'll work on Lightning Release and Fuinjutsu until then."
Mom nodded.
"I need to teach you how to hide your chakra as well, as it is, you're a giant beacon of chakra."
Alrighty, hopefully, that wouldn't be too hard.
...
I was using today to test an idea I had for a lightning Jutsu.
It was just a more guided version of Lightning Palm.
Instead of letting the current run rampant I was trying to make it target something.
Mainly the heart or nerves.
I wanted it to kill with a strike or cause immense pain.
Both suited me fine.
Sadly, the creation of the technique required a test subject.
I didn't have one at the moment, so I was striking trees and trying different variations of chakra to see what happened.
I wasn't making much progress, but I was learning.
And that's all I needed to do.
As long as I kept progressing things would be fine.
Or at least I hoped so.
...
...
Interlude
Shiro and Sumiko arrived completing Mikoto's list of guests and signaling the start of the dinner.
Shiro was a bundle of nervous energy, he couldn't stop himself from tapping his foot or fiddling with his Kimono sleeves.
The only time seemed Shiro seemed relaxed and happy was just after he fought.
The only time I had ever seen Shiro get a full eight hours of sleep was after he killed a cave full of bandits by himself and then experimented on them...
Shiro was a special one...
Shiro took a seat next to Kakashi and I returned to my conversation with Fugaku putting Shiro out of mind.
...
"Fugaku and I have known each other for a long time and are sure of our love, so, we decided to try for a baby!"
The girl's conversation gained the attention of the entire table at Mikoto's words.
Everybody gave their good wishes and conversation continued this time about baby names.
...
Conversation between Fugaku and I had died down, so I had to find someone else to converse with.
I looked at Shiro and sent him my best smile.
"What have you been up to Shiro?"
Other than the normal hiding from human contact and experimenting on criminals.
"I've been learning Fuinjutsu."
I raised an eyebrow and cocked my head.
"How's it going?"
It's good Shiro's found a way to occupy his time.
"Not well, everything I make explodes."
I nodded.
"Fuinjutsu gets easier to learn after everything you make stops exploding."
After I was no longer in danger of losing my limbs Fuinjutsu was smooth sailing.
"Feel free to come to me and Kushina if you have any questions."
For all his faults Shiro was good company, I didn't mind teaching him and spreading the craft of Fuinjutsu to future generations.
"I understand..."
Shiro trailed off as he dipped his head to me but then continued.
"...If at first, you don't succeed, find some who has succeeded, kill them, eat their flesh, and absorb their essence... and then succeed."
The entire table was silent, Shiro seemed to have realized no-one shared his humor.
Though part of the problem was his deadpan delivery, no-one could tell it was a joke.
"That was a joke."
Sigh...
...
Eventually, Mikoto brought out the Sukiyaki and everyone was served.
I idly watched Shiro and Kakashi attempt to make conversation.
"What's new Kakashi?"
Kakashi and Shiro were both painfully socially awkward leading to painful but entertaining exchanges between the two.
"...I'm Practising Lightning Nature Transformation."
Kakashi had recently become chunin and started on learning Lightning Release.
"Nice."
Shiro sent Kakashi a nod and thumbs up.
"Kakashi, recently I learned a valuable lesson recently and I would like to share it with you."
Shiro started killing the conversation, something he often does when he gets nervous.
" Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, making Shiro smirk.
"Give a fish a man and he'll eat for a week."
Shiro nodded seriously, and Kakashi cocked his head in confusion.
Oh, Shiro...
...
Everyone had eaten and it was getting late.
Kushina caught Shiro before he could slip away and hugged him to prevent any possible escape.
"Shiro! I miss you! You never come around anymore."
She shook Shiro emphasizing how much she missed him.
"Shiro, you definitely have to visit more often!"
Shiro was tense, he didn't enjoy contact of any kind unless initiated by himself.
"No worries Kushina, I'll drop by more often."
He likely wouldn't, Kushina mentally exhausted Shiro, he never hung around with her for more than a few hours and even then he would hide for the next few days to recharge.
"You better Shiro!"
Kushina was banned from Shiro's residence by Sumiko after she ambushed him early one morning.
The only thing she could do was invite him over after she had been banned from 'invading his safe space' as Sumiko had put it.
"I will! I will! Stop shaking me!"
Eventually, Shiro was released and he eagerly made his way out of the Uchiha compound with Sumiko trailing behind him.
He wasn't a bad kid but his apathy and disregard for human life made me wary of him.
Though perhaps I was mistaken...
Time would tell...
.Shiro my Eternal Friend!"
I'm not sure how I felt about the emphasis he used on the word eternal.
"Gai! It's been a while! Have you been Youthful lately?"
Meaning were you just training or were you about to train?
"I was just fanning my flames of Youth, my Youthful friend."
Meaning Gai already did his routine.
Ok...
"Want to spar?"
Gai gave a nice guy pose, a thumbs up, wink, and winning smile.
"AN EXCELLENT IDEA!"
Gai reached behind his back and pulled out some...
Nunchucks?
Since when did Gai use nunchucks?
"Here I come my Youthful friend!"
Seriously why nunchucks...
...
"Shiro?"
Hmm?
"Yes?"
Mom was staring at my new pet.
"Why do we have a rabbit?"
I didn't answer but gestured to the rabbit.
"His name is Emergency Rations."
He was my new pet.
"Who's going to feed him when we're on missions?"
He could fend for himself.
"No worries, I'll hire a Genin team to look after him."
Hopefully no one let him out, he was near impossible to catch.
...
"What are you drinking?"
I was sunbathing and enjoying my alone time when Kushina started bothering me.
"It's the source of my strength."
I looked at my drink and gave it a little swirl.
It was pretty much a health drink, I was using resources faster then my body could get them from my normal food and Duy created supplements.
Thus my drink
"Want some?"
I offered her some, with a kind smile.
"I'd love some!"
I had a second cup beside me that I had intended to drink.
"Here ya go!"
I gave the cup to her.
"Thanks!"
She didn't even have the cup a second before she took a swig.
"HUUUURGGEHH!"
Kushina immediately started vomiting.
She stumbled away from me and out of view.
I continued to hear the sounds of retching for a few minutes afterwards...
Poor Kushina...
...
Eight months had passed since Mikoto's dinner, I had two months until my eighth birthday where I would then be allowed to take the Chunin exams.
I could now hide my chakra, was passable with Lightning Release, and was able to make basic seals and copy simple pre-existing seals.
Sadly, I wouldn't be making any original seals any time soon.
I spent a lot of time practicing the Shunshin and trying to make it more efficient, I could now use it to travel long distances and could now do multiple short Shunshin 'jumps' around an opponent.
It was becoming my most used combat technique next to the Gentle Fist.
My medical skills didn't make any progress for the first four months until I started sending Henged clones to any villages we passed.
I'd let the clones run wild and heal anyone they could, it led to many shenanigans but it also improved my medical ninjutsu so I'd take what I could get.
I also enhanced my nerves/reflexes.
A reflex is a simple and automatic response to a stimulus.
If you touch something painfully hot you will automatically withdraw your hand, so it's a reflex.
It's pretty much your brain receiving information via the nerves and your body reacting to it.
When you touch something hot there's a small delay where you don't feel anything until your brain receives information from the nerves that the thing your toughing is hot.
The reason for this delay is how fast the signal can travel from the nerves in the hand, to the spinal cord, to the brain, and back down to the muscles.
So, I wanted my nerves to conduct signals faster.
The first thing that popped into my mind was lightning chakra.
Sadly, lightning chakra did more harm than good, and there were a few mishaps...
So, I spent time looking at different people mainly ninja and non-ninja.
I realized that non-ninja had smaller nerves or neurons while ninja had bigger neurons.
Ninja didn't just have bigger nerves their neurons were also insulated with a super salty conductive fluid that allowed for faster electrical transmission.
Something that civilians lacked.
So, I just had to make my neurons bigger or more conductive...?
The only problem with making the nerves bigger was the lack of room.
The nerves throughout the body, especially in the spine only had a certain amount of room.
If I wanted to make them bigger, I'd also have to make more room.
It wasn't too much of a problem, my bones were already abnormally sturdy and if I cut some bone away it wouldn't affect me overly much.
After my research was done I was ready to experiment.
I caught 14 rabbits and attempted to enhance their nerves...
I then had one nerve enhanced rabbit and a large amount of rabbit stew.
The nerve enhancement worked, though not in a way I liked.
The rabbit reacted to things faster then he could see them.
The rabbit's visual reaction time and his body's reaction time were very different now.
The rabbit seemed to react to stimulus automatically before it could even comprehend what it was doing.
I wasn't sure how I'd adjust to the same myself.
If someone puts their hand on my shoulder, I might accidentally grab them and flip them.
Or if someone launched a Fire jutsu at me my body could start automatically getting away from the 'hot' and react before I even consciously registered that there was a jutsu coming my way.
It wasn't a bad thing, I was just worried about opponents finding ways to use my reflexes to trap me.
It was probably an unnecessary worry, but that didn't stop me from having anxiety about it.
So, without further ado, I enhanced my nerves over a months time.
...
My enhanced nerves led to my body moving a lot on its own, something I had expected.
If I knocked something off the table I would grab It before I even thought about it.
If my mom threw a kunai at me my body would automatically start dodging before it even left her hand.
It was nice...
It made me faster, and better able to react when using Chikaku no kyōka.
I'd liken it to having more pronounced instincts...
I'd hear the woosh of a kunai slicing through the air from behind and my hand would snatch it from the air and toss it back before I'd even thought about it...
Now my body was reacting faster.
Next, I needed my brain to do the same.
I didn't know how that would look, perhaps my perception would be permanently slowed?
I didn't know...
But the speed the brain processed things had a lot to do with how fast the neurons conducted electricity...
So perhaps enhancing the neurons in the brain would make me smarter?
It was something I was wary of testing...
But something I'd have to get around to.
I wanted to scan Kakashi and Minato to see what made them smarter than average.
There was a lot to do.
...
"I haven't seen you in a few days, what have you been up to?"
I've been looking for some Byakugan that won't be missed...
"I've been meeting with different clan members and trying to make friends."
I wanted some spare Byakugan, in case something happened to my own.
"Any success?"
Some...
"No, most of the clan are unlikeable."
I ended up deciding that I should wait until the war starts to nab some Byakugan.
...
"Shiro, you've been moody lately."
Yes, it was almost that time of the month...
"We have to do a mission soon."
I didn't like missions.
"I'll let you pick if that will make you feel better."
It wouldn't, but I'd never turn down an opportunity to pick a mission.
...
Things went as they usually did, I looked at the missions with disgust while my mom held back her laughter.
There were only two options that weren't total garbage.
Both B-ranked.
There was a rouge Konoha shinobi that escaped to the Land of Vegetables, it'd take about ten days of travel to get there and we'd have to pass between both Lightning Country and Water Country by boat.
And there was a one-armed Mist Jonin named Edano Ryoko, that had taken over a village on the border of Fire Country and Noodle Country, this trip would take around three days.
I wasn't interested in a near month-long mission...
...
We arrived at the border of Noodle country.
The village was about five kilometers away, we had stopped and mom was checking using this time to check the situation in the village.
Judging by the look on her face, it wasn't looking good for the villagers.
"How's it looking?"
Mom blew a heavy breath from her nose.
"The men are dead, only the women and children remain."
Meaning murder hobo Ryoko had been having a blast, raping and murdering his little heart out.
"So... can I fight him?"
With my gravity seal off I was confident I could kill our target.
"As long as your careful."
Sweet, my first Jonin.
...
We approached slowly, eventually, we got within a kilometer and I was able to see our target.
He was tall with cyan hair and eyes, he had a katana next to him marking him as a swordsman.
He was having a hearty meal and being serviced by the naked village women.
He was living it up...
I spotted the kids they were in a different part of the small village and being cared for by what I'd call the ugly village women...
Sigh...
"What do we do with the villagers after I kill Ryoko?"
I hoped we could just leave them, I wasn't interested in walking at civilian speed to the nearest town or city...
"We'll figure that out later."
Alrighty...
"Want to guard the children?"
I didn't want Ryoko to get any hostages after-all...
She nodded and disappeared towards the children...
...
I was within two-hundred meters of Ryoko, he had finished his meal, bent one of the women over the table, and was now thoroughly enjoying himself.
The other women were cleaning up the table ignoring what was happening just a few feet from them.
I held back my sigh...
.This was what happened when you were powerless in the Naruto-verse.
...
I arrived at the house and activated Chikaku no kyōka and my perception slowed.
Ryoko was occupied, most of the women were in other rooms with only three remaining in the dining room/kitchen.
Acceptable causality's...
I took a deep breath before barrelling through the wall with a One For All enhanced punch.
A second One For All punch sent Ryoko flying through the house and out into the street.
He tumbled and tried to recover, but his pants were around his ankles so he only flailed around and continued to tumble into another house.
I walked out of the hole I had created ignoring the screams and waited for Ryoko to get his bearings.
He stood up and kicked off his pants.
"You can put those back on, I'll give you some time."
I wasn't interested in getting literally dick slapped.
"Hahaha... you got me good!"
Ryoko ignored my generous offer and charged.
He was naked and without his sword and arm, so I didn't know what he hoped to accomplish.
We engaged in a flurry of blows, Ryoko used his arm to block my Gentle Fist strikes and lost use of it.
An One For All kick to the chest sending him tumbling again.
Lacking both arms and his sword Ryoko wasn't living up to his rank as a Jonin.
"YOU BITCH!"
Ryoko got his feet under him and took off in a sprint towards the forest.
A quick Shunshin and a swipe with a Chakra scalpel and Ryoko was short a head while I had gained one.
"Hahaha..."
I chuckled.
I deactivated my Byakugan and Chikaku no kyōka.
I grabbed Ryoko's head by its hair and made my way over to my mother.
...
"I see that your fight went well."
When people couldn't tell you were a Hyuga they tended to use their limbs to block your strikes.
"Yes, as you can see, I came out ahead."
I waved Ryoko's head around for effect.
"Shiro!"
She sent me a stern look.
"What? Ryoko thought that was funny. Didn't you Ryoko?
I held up the head, grabbed its jaw, and started making it talk.
"Hahaha, it was very funny Shiro!"
My mom shook her head.
"Stop playing around, go seal 'Ryoko' up."
I blink innocently at her...
"And I mean all of Ryoko."
She then started walking towards the house Ryoko had been occupying
...
The surviving villagers were rounded up.
Ryoko had done a number on the woman and they required some healing.
So, we would be staying the night while I healed them and they gathered their things so we could drop them off at a neighboring village.
I took some time to check Ryoko's belongings for potential loot.
His only possessions were his sword, kunai, a picture, and the money he looted from the villagers.
I looked at the picture, it was a younger Ryoko standing next to a brown-haired, big-nosed, bearded man, who had his hair in a top-knot.
Nothing useful.
I sealed Ryoko's belongings and left the money for the villagers to collect...
...
I was startled awake by my mom.
I locked eyes with her and realized whatever was happening was serious.
"We're being watched by a team of hunter-nin."
That was not good.
I activated my Byakugan extending my range as far as I could.
"Yeah I see them."
There were four of them, which didn't bode well for us.
There would be no peaceful solution, we had a body that they were supposed to dispose of.
The whole reason for hunting down missing-nin was so we could uncover village secrets from their bodies.
And Kiri's hunter-nin killed their own missing-nin to prevent that...
So, we had a conflict of interest...
We couldn't just hand them the body, even if we did, they would still hunt us down.
There was also the village folk to consider.
I briefly focused on a building full of sleeping children.
...
I watched as mom put contacts in her eyes, making them black.
Nice.
I gave her a thumbs up.
If they don't know you're a Hyuga then they won't dodge your strikes.
"So, what's the plan?"
Hopefully we are abandoning the village folk and racing straight towards Konoha.
"We're going to lead them away from the civilians and engage them."
I didn't like the sound of that.
"Were not leaving the villagers?"
A boy could hope.
"No we're not."
Dammit...
"So, what's the plan?"
...
Mom jumped out a window and Shunshined into the surrounding forest.
Three hunter-nin followed her leaving my range.
It seems jumping out the window before anyone could protest was the best way to solve arguments...
Sigh...
...