Having come to the conclusion that there are actually very few people in this life he can rely on, Yo decided he'd just put his efforts into making sure those particular were up to par. A quick check around the village showed that Toph, Yami, and Itachi had left in the dead of night. He was upset they said nothing to him about it yet again, but he understood why this time. No one wanted to stay in his shadow forever. What would they come back capable of? On the other hand, Benimaru had been locked away in his room, and Yo didn't care to coddle him. With them all out of his way, he decided to focus on the longshot first. Someone believed to only be a shell of their former glory.
"Yoriichi! Are you here?! Hello!" The next day Kushina enters the house that once belonged to Natsume Uchiha, Kushina looks for Yoriichi who had asked her to meet him here about something urgent. 'Geez… I get the boy can't manage his time well, but how are you late for a meeting you called…at your own home?" She taps her fingers impatiently sitting at the table. Looking around, the house was still fairly empty save for a few pieces of basic furniture. There weren't any pictures, art or décor that implied a family lived here though.
"Sorry to make you wait teacher," Yo says coming downstairs carrying a long box.
"Punctuality has never been your strong point," Kushina says.
"Heheheheh…no lie there," Yo chuckles scratching the back of his head.
"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" She asks.
Yo sets the box on the table in front of Kushina "Honestly the future is getting a little uncertain. Sure, I'll be fine, but I won't always be able to save everyone…so I want to make sure the people I care about are capable of defending themselves too."
"Are you saying you called me here because you think I'm weak?" Kushina asks, she's debating if she should be offended or not. While she did lose a lot of her strength because of losing the nine-tails five years ago, she was not helpless. "Why am I the only person you called here if that's the case?"
"Sure, you have powerful fuinjutsu but we both know your body and chakra reserves are not what they once were. You went from being one of the strongest kunoichi I know to hardly being considered a threat to anyone anymore." Yo answers seriously. "And to be honest, I care a lot more about what happens to you than most other people."
He was right, ever since that night, she had basically become a non-combatant. She couldn't help much if another catastrophe did befall her home. "Ok, so what is it you're planning to do about that? My chakra system is severely damaged, getting it back to normal is going to be impossible. It's already a miracle I'm alive."
"Teacher, teacher, teacher… impossible? No." Yo says shaking his head with a confident smile. "Am I not the miracle that saved your life?"
"Well, that's true but…"
"So do you really think it will be hard for me to get you back in fighting shape?" Yo asks, watching her think about it. "Of course not! Chakra is not the only path to power in this world!"
His teacher couldn't help but smile, he did have a very good point. "Ok Yo, so what is your brilliant plan?"
"Stand up for a moment," Yo instructs as he's approaching her.
"Oh, umm ok…what are you going to-" Kushina stands up then…Tap! Tap! Tap! He jabs Kushina in several pressure points with blinding speed. At first it was as if all the air had been forced out of her body as she briefly struggled to breathe, but when she managed to inhale again something felt different.
The very rhythm of her breathing had changed and though she had limited experience with it Kushina could feel natural energy coursing through her body. She could tell her strength and vitality was starting to increase with each breath. "Yo…what did you do?"
"Congrats, you're a water breather now!" Yo beams.
"Water breather?" Kushina questions.
"Yup, one of the many versions of my total concentration technique. Your chakra may not be as bountiful as it once was, but physically you'll be on your way to new heights. All you have to do is keep breathing like that, though you'll find it kind of hard to breathe regularly now. Instinctively it'll be like you've been doing it for years. In my opinion water breathing is one of the smoothest styles too."
"I-I see…" Kushina could actually feel the difference. This must be why Yo, Toph and Yami's strength all grew so fast. She had an idea, but using it is totally different.
What Yo didn't say was that was his first time forcibly making someone a breath user, there was a strong possibility of him just stopping her lungs. Fortunately, his theory works and now Kushina is one step closer to being a powerhouse again. She'd probably beat him senseless if she knew. "Next on the agenda is this!" Opening the box on the table he reveals a brand-new katana. It has an Uzumaki swirl shaped guard, blue grip tape and a blue scabbard with a swirling pattern on it.
Though the sword wasn't her first choice of weapon, Kushina would be a fool to turn that one down. She could feel the spiritual energy radiating from it, and it resonated strongly with her own. It was as if the sword was just for her specifically. She only saw them in action once, but these swords were capable of making mere children kage level. "This- this is…"
"Now you have a zanpakuto too! That's the first one I've made since I've woken up."
"Wait you make the zanpakuto?" Kushina questions while holding her new sword. This boy produces these weapons himself? He's full of surprises.
"Yeah, but they take a lot of effort and spiritual energy so I can't make that many in succession…well since the coma it's gotten a lot easier to do. I finished yours in just one night. I have about four or five more in me for this year though.
"You really are incredible Yo… So how do I activate it?" Kushina asks.
"Oh simple, call out it's name." Yo answers.
"What is its name?" She asks.
"I have no clue," Yo shrugs.
"What? How am I going to call its name if you don't even know what it is?"
"You have to wait until the sword tells you it's name, then you'll be able to bring out it's power."
She couldn't help but glare at him, "the sword is going to tell me it's name? Really?"
"Hey, don't look at me like that's weird when there are giant talking animals teaching people jutsu," Yo defends himself. "The sword has a spirit in it. It will speak to you when it feels ready to do so. Just train and meditate with it, but you gotta be patient."
"You have a fair point," Kushina sighs. "Alright, here goes nothing…" She sits in a cross-legged position with her sword across her lap.
"I doubt it's going to speak to you this first time, so no need to rush. Oh, one more thing," Yo makes eye contact with her putting her in a genjutsu where she finds herself in front of a small hut on a heavily forested mountainside on a sunny afternoon. She sees a man wearing a blue kimono with wave patterns over black pants come outside. The red tengu mask he wears covers his face completely but his short grey hair and raspy voice are clear indication of his old age.
Kushina finds herself a young teen again wearing the same blue kimono, with her sword on her hip. 'Eh? Where am I? How'd I get here? I can't feel any of my chakra… Is this a genjutsu? What did you do now Yo?' A million questions were going through her mind right then.
Her train of thought is interrupted by the man when he speaks. "Hello young lady, I am Sakonji Urokodaki…let's not waste any time. As of today, your water breathing training begins. Come with me," he says starting up the mountain.
"Umm ok…" she follows after him figuring this is all according to Yo's plan. 'I'm going to learn swordplay via an illusion? That boy really is something special' she thinks making her mind up to go with the flow.
In the real world Yo watches her for a moment. "She looks so sweet when she's not being a violent raging demon…maybe water breathing will help her mellow out…" While he was in thought he hears rustling outside the window.
"Oww stop pushing!" Someone whispers.
"But I can't see and you're in the way!" Another hushed voice responds.
"Shhhh he'll notice us."
"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this, this feels wrong."
"What are you guys doing?" Yo appears behind the small group to see Naruto, Sasuke, Toneri, Hana and Kiba all crowded around his window.
"YO!" They're all startled to see him.
"Stop being strange and come inside." Yoriichi says while gesturing to the front door. "I assume you all want to learn total concentration breathing?"
The answer was a unanimous yes.
"Can I have a zanpakuto too?" Sasuke adds.
"Not right now," Yo answers. "I'll let you know when it's your turn. For now you're going to focus on your swordsmanship and breathing.
"Do we really have to practice? You just made mom able to do the breathing thing with a few pokes." Naruto objects.
"Hahahahaha! Sons of luck already have enough cheats handed to them, you're going to work your ass off if you want to use my techniques." Yo answers. "Besides her training is not going to be easy either. Alright brats! Let's get started."
A brief look inside Kushina's mind shows her struggling to through an obstacle course filled with lethal traps at every turn. She narrowly avoids a swinging log trap that almost took her head off. Before she can catch her bearings she trips and falls into a pit, but barely manages to grab hold of a loose root and pull herself back up. "This should not be this difficult, but my body feels so weak… This must be what civilians with little to no chakra feel like… No matter I'm going to pass this stupid tes- Kyaaaa!" Another swinging log sends her flying