Home Again
Date: May 7th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 4
Time: 9:20 AM
The members Konoha Genin Team 11, with a team from Tanigakure – the Hidden Valleys village – in tow, were cutting through the massive Senju Forest following the Naru River northeast back to their home of Konoha.
"Hey!" Raiden Hata yelped with excitement as he glanced back over his shoulder. The skin around his left eye was still a greenish-yellow as he slowly recovered from Nakahito's sucker punch he'd received while trying to reign in his irate peer at the Gala. "I can see the wall! We're FINALLY home!" He pointed to a massive tan blur between the trees that rose above the tree line by several dozen stories.
His twin sister, Motoko, looked up from the ground listlessly; her normally vibrant green eyes had a rather dull look to them. "Oh… Yay… Home." The kunoichi wore the ninjato she'd named Haruichiban across her back, the strap configured so she could really draw the mid-length blade with her dominant hand over her shoulder, had become increasingly withdrawn and sullen the closer they came to their home Village.
While part of the kunoichi was more than happy out of the Mizumiyo Palace maid outfit – with it's low cut top that had been about half an inch from exposing the outermost curvature of her breasts, the high cut pleated skirt that had barely hidden her panties, and lacy white apron and hairpiece – and back in her preferred combat uniform, that comfort was reduced by the knowledge that every step they took made it officially the furthest she had ever been from Sho Inugami since she'd first developed a crush on him at age 5. The pain of separation was amplified by the lingering memory of the medic-nin's affectionate responses when finally confronted about the matter; her long-standing feelings reciprocated in kind. Genuine love had started to grow in that cozy little nook…
And now they were hundreds of kilometers apart and Motoko Hata was hating every single second of it! The lovesick kunoichi missed her troubled white-haired medic SO MUCH it was driving her to distraction.
"Okay, you two, turn left when you reach the tree break to get to the main road leading to the West Gate." Their Jonin instructor, Okito Tanaka, ordered as he looked back at the third and fourth members of his team, which were lagging behind. "Stop when you see the entrance to the check in station."
"Hai, Sensei." The twins responded in unison; confirming they'd heard his orders before adjusting their angles as they leapt through the trees.
Tanaka looked to the leader of the Tanigakure team. "Sato-san, we're about 10 minutes out from Konoha. Follow the twins and get your travel papers ready to check in; I need to check on Takahashi."
The Hidden Valleys ninja leader nodded, glancing back and down to ground level where the last member of Team 11 was following as fast as he could. "Considering his injuries, he's making great time. I'm just sorry that my medic couldn't do much for him." He shook his head. "Our programs are still recovering from the losses we took during the Third Great Ninja War; all the money in the world doesn't make up for a lack of skilled instructors."
Tanaka shrugged slightly, indicating the other man shouldn't feel too bad. "To be fair, even the medic we have on the other team said that there wasn't more that could be done until Takahashi could see a surgical specialist to remove the bone fragments that were too small to be repaired."
Sato nodded at the other's words. "I'll defer to Inugami-dono's judgement, then. Mizuzaki the 27th has been a strong supporter of our village over the years… Tani owes Inugami-dono FAR more than he is asking in exchange for saving our Lord Daimyo twice." He chuckled wryly. "That boy is NEVER going to be allowed to pay for his own drinks in River Country once he's old enough…"
Okito actually chuckled at that. While he still had personal reservations regarding the entire Inugami family – even for ninja, they seemed as a whole, to be layered in secrecy to an excessive level – even he had to admit that the apprentice medic's actions were exemplary… Albeit a little reckless; at least in terms of his personal health and safety.
'Miho's got an awful lot on her plate between him and Nakahito, but I have to admit that, despite her inexperience running a team, Sarutobi-sensei picking one of the most empathetic ANBU Jonin to teach them was brilliant.' Konoha's Diamond Turtle thought to himself as he descended to the forest floor. 'She'll listen and give them a means to vent, but isn't above giving their asses a thorough kicking if that's what they need…'
After a few minutes wait, Takahashi and the panther cub Kyouran, the final members of his team caught up. As he had been when returning to Mizumiyo Palace after his run in with the Sunagakure team lead by Kari, an assassin known as the Desert Rose, the scarred Genin was riding the back of a stone golem in the shape of a panther. This time with his living feline companion snoozing on it.
Takahashi had awoken the first morning after they'd left the Palace with his ankles swollen to the size of melons; stiff and immobile. A quick check by the Tanigakure medic had revealed that the bone fragments were disrupting the flow of chakra through the young man's feet in a way that had to have been causing intense pain, but he'd stayed stoically silent.
"It just felt so good to really move again, I thought it was the normal aches and pains from not exercising, Sensei…" The boy had replied humbly; a testament to his high pain tolerance… Probably another side effect of the injury that had scarred him and eliminated his ability to use – and be affected by – Genjutsu techniques.
Not wishing to risk exacerbating his student's injuries, Tanaka had guided Takahashi through crafting the initial construct; designing it for speed without sacrificing durability. They'd lost a good chunk of the morning – much to Raiden's dismay, as the pugilist desperately wanted to participate in the July round of the Chuunin exams – but they'd made good time in the end. Takahashi had been making further refinements over the last three days and the golem now resembled Ryoushi, the sire of Kyouran.
Okito Tanaka blinked as the golem slowed as its creator saw his Jonin waiting for him. The construct now more than RESEMBLED the old Lord of the Forest… It was now an exacting stone replica! As the golem approached, he could actually see muscles and sinews crafted of stone shifting on the construct.
'Three days…' The stunned Jonin thought to himself, half expecting to feel it have a heartbeat or be breathing as he touched it. '… and he's achieved flesh-in-stone level detail in his construct! It takes ME at least a week to do the same thing… Rook and Knight; your boy's a golem crafting prodigy!'
"Kyouran…" Takahashi murmured, gently shaking the panther cub who was snoozing in a little notch that the Genin had placed at the base of the golem's neck. "Wake up, we're nearly home."
The black furred wild cat stretched with a large yawn. As he took a deep breath, his hair fluffed out in shock. [Sire?!] He asked, looking around.
Takahashi looked around, getting ready to climb down respectfully. "The Forest Lord?! This far south? Where?!"
>> Welcome home, cub. Your pack brother may stay on the back of the stone me he has skillfully wrought; I can see he is injured. << The feline accented human speech of the massive panther echoed through the trees. A few heartbeats later, the larger-than-life ruler of the forest surrounding Konoha landed silently on the loamy ground. >> Did you enjoy your first journey out of the forest? <<
[I proved myself a true hunter, Sire!] Kyouran mewled excitedly.
>> Indeed? You'll have to share that tale with the Pride when your Pack Brother has recovered from his injuries. << The smaller cat's tail fluffed even further in shock; he had NEVER been permitted to address the full Pride before! >> You finally have a unique tale to share, my son. One that will officially introduce your Pack Brother at his naming ceremony. <<
Takahashi's eyes went wide. He was always referred to as "Pack Brother" because he had no name of his own. He was well aware that "Takahashi" had merely been the name assigned to him after he'd awoken with memory loss. The head of the Pride had steadfastly refused to call him a name that was not truly HIS. "Ryoushi-sama?"
A human-like grin pulled at the scarred side of Ryoushi's face. >> While my sightless eye can sometimes glimpse the future, my good eye can make use of the Third's telescope technique quite effectively, young one. You did well for yourself despite being outnumbered by the Pink Fox's teammates and you wisely ordered my child to leave you when you fell. I have pride in you; thus the Pride now welcomes you as an equal. <<
Tears of excitement began to well up in the blonde ninja's eyes. He bowed as low as he could. "Thank you, Ryoushi-sama; I… I am honored."
>> Now, if the two of you would go join the Electric Duo and the southern ninja, I must briefly speak in private with the Diamond Turtle. <<
Takahashi and Kyouran departed, leaving Tanaka alone with Ryoushi. "Your vision?" Okito asked, assuming that would be the only matter that the great cat wouldn't want shared with his own cub and someone soon to join the Pride.
>> Indeed. << Ryoushi confirmed grimly. >> I have had a deeper glimpse within the Darkness of Death I spoke of before… And what I have witnessed nauseates me to my very core… So much so that I would not be sharing it now if I had not had a vision of myself doing so. I must advise you to share this with no one, save the Third. Not until after the battles have ended, at least. <<
'What could distress Ryoushi so badly..?' Okito wondered silently as he grimly nodded at the stricture the Forest Lord was giving him.
>> The Darkness of Death comes from at least three sources; two of which I've identified. The Undying Snake will utilize the most vile of the Second's many Kinjutsu and it can only be countered by the most noble of the Fourth's. Tell the Third that the Master of Corpses holds the key to the Fourth's Kinjutsu from the Eddies. He must learn it in time for the First Battle or else… << Ryoushi shook his head mournfully. >> Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure will have more in common than they already do. <<
Okito Tanaka was silent. From his dimly remembered history lessons, he recalled Uzushiogakure and it's home nation of the Land of Eddies had been destroyed during either the Second or Third Great Ninja War – he couldn't recall which – and that its principal Clan, the Uzumaki, had been scattered to the winds. The First Hokage's wife had been an Uzumaki, which is why their red spiral design was part of every Konoha uniform.
He then tried to remember what techniques the Nidaime Hokage had made that were later forbidden, but it was so hard to be certain; the Second Hokage had died decades before the Jonin had been born, after all. Tobirama Senju had a reputation for being cruel to his enemies and making techniques to make them suffer, but Okito couldn't recall any that stood out as "the vilest."
Minato Namikaze, whom Tanaka had only passingly known, had been the Fourth Hokage for about a year; from the end of the Third War until the night the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. Tanaka had only been 12 when the Yondaime had died, so he hadn't been in a position to learn what Forbidden arts he'd created… Hiruzen rarely talked of the man whom had temporarily been his successor.
'Well, Master of Corpses has to be Kurando Inugami…' The diamond element master thought to himself. 'The inscription that I saw in Sho's copy of the Book of Namikaze suggested that he and the Fourth worked together.'
Okito reached into his travel pouch and touched the diamond case holding the scroll-stored corpse of the Ame Jonin, Akira Muto. "It just so happens that I'm about to have a chat with the Master of Corpses… Can I tell him that Sarutobi-sensei needs the Yondaime's technique? It's been 13 years, after all; he might need time to dig it out or something."
Ryoushi briefly acquired a thousand-kilometer stare with his good eye as his cloudy left began to twitch and move. After a few minutes, the great cat nodded. >> Whether you do or don't appears to have no effect on what is coming, so I leave it to your discretion… Farewell, Diamond Turtle; I will see you twice again before the end of all this. << The massive panther turned about; disappearing as swiftly as he'd arrived.
Tanaka swiftly made his way through the thinning forest to the ring clearing – a field half a kilometer wide that separated Konoha's external wall from Senju Forest – to catch up with his Genin and the Tanigakure team. The others silently flanked him when it was clear he had no intention of discussing what had delayed him.
The main check in station outside the West Gate was surprisingly busy, but there was a secondary spot for ninja that bypassed all that.
"Tanaka, Okito. Konoha Registration 010991. Returning from River Country with my team and a unit of Tani ninja who need a 3 day permit." He informed the two bored-looking men at the kiosk as he handed over his travel papers.
One typed Tanaka's registration into the computer and nodded. "Welcome home, Jonin Tanaka." His partner said, stamping Okito's passport to complete his check-in. "Will the Tani ninja require an escort?"
The Diamond Turtle shook his head as his Genin had their travel papers stamped. "I honestly doubt they'll need the full three days; they're here to collect a body. We're going to the hospital directly and then…" He shrugged.
The Chuunin guard at the computer nodded as his partner applied a special stamp to the Tanigakure team's paperwork. At the end of the three day permit window the seal – if it was still within Konoha's sensing barrier – would send a silent alert that would call the hunter-nin teams right to the paperwork.
"Welcome to Konoha; we hope you have a productive visit." The guard said politely to the visiting ninja, who bowed back in kind.
* * *
Good News, Bad News, Worst News
Date: May 7th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 4
Time: 11:35 AM
It took the group nearly an hour to reach the principal Konoha Hospital in the shadow of Hokage Rock. While it was more-or-less a straight northeasternly walk, the streets were packed and Takahashi's golem had to move slowly because of the crowd. As they reached the white building, a pair of hooded medic-nin appeared with a wheelchair and helped Takahashi off of his stone mount. Once he was seated, Kyouran hopped off the animated sculpture and curled up in a ball on his trainer's lap.
The Genin pulled a scroll from his pouch, opened it and pressed it to the golem, which vanished in a puff of smoke as it was placed into storage. Takahashi rolled the scroll shut. "I put a lot of effort into Fauxshi…" He said in a simple explanation as to why he didn't unmake the construct.
Motoko actually smiled at her teammate as he was wheeled into the hospital. Maybe her bad mood was finally breaking? "You did amazing work, 'Hashi; he's beautiful."
Tanaka nodded agreement as the medical ninja started in the direction of the triage center, where they would evaluate the Genin's condition. "I agree. You're a natural to come so far so quickly."
"I wish it had come that easy…" The blonde ninja said with a soft chuckle. "For the weeks I was stuck in those casts, I did nothing but make and refine small golems and look at sculptures in the Imperial Family's garden."
"Still, your skills are a lot further along for someone who only started making golems two months ago, kid." Okito said as he pulled the diamond encased scroll out of his pouch. "You two stay with Takahashi while I get this to…" He trailed off. The cause of Hata's distressed mood was obviously tied to the son of "The Master of Corpses."
The female twin sighed, shaking her head. "You can say his name, Tanaka-sensei… Sho's not dead; he's just far away." She looked around, gesturing with her arms before hugging herself tightly. "But here… I don't know… Maybe because this is where he spends most of his free time, but the distance doesn't feel as huge as it did a few moments ago."
The large man smiled at his student, patting her shoulder. "…while I get this to Inugami in the high security wing." Motoko, despite her words otherwise, got a little misty-eyed at the mention of Sho's family name. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner the bounty gets 'paid.'"
"And the sooner Sho-s…" The kunoichi's cheeks colored. They had used the -sa honorifics during those last few hours they were together in the security closet, but it felt wrong to use it when he wasn't there for some reason… "Sho-kun and the others can come home!"
"Oh… Yay… Can't wait…" Raiden muttered under his breath as the adults left them behind. Lucky for him, his sister didn't hear it, although Takahashi did.
'I wonder why Raiden is having such an issue with Motoko's choice…' The other Genin wondered. 'I mean, sure, Inugami wouldn't be MY first choice in a sister's boyfriend - if I had a sister, that is - but there's also no denying that he cares deeply for Motoko, either…'
So far, the only person Raiden had shared the discovery that he could get feedback from Motoko's joy or pleasure or embarrassment or whatever it was had been Nakahito Haruno; and even that had been unintentional. He was TRYING to give his sister the time she needed to process what was going on before he told her, but the thought of a continuation of what he'd felt from her during that last night in the Palace was utterly demoralizing to the Taijutsu specialist.
Tanaka lead the Tanigakure ninja down the hall and to a set of black doors that said RESTRICTED ACCESS. JUTSU R&D DIVISION.
The Konoha Jonin paused just before his hand touched the door. He'd nearly forgotten the most important thing!
"Okay, gentlemen, this is crucial...When you touch the door, you need to close your eyes and focus on the reason why you're there or you'll get stopped by the defenses. I'll see you on the other side."
Tanaka closed his eyes and touched the door. To the Tani ninja, he appeared to pass through the doors without them opening. The chamber he stepped into, he knew from past experience, had a spell form that would trigger intense nausea, progressing to paralysis and ending with the erasure of the previous 12 hours from one's memory. Only someone wearing a special ANBU mask could look at it without being affected; specifically the masks of the eight person hunter-nin team currently on duty in the chamber.
'Good morning, Inoichi.' Okito thought as he felt the first touch of mental pressure. 'I have a group of Tani ninja with me to see Kurando Inugami.'
'Understood, Yaiba.' The voice of Ino Yamanaka's father whispered in his mind as a hand grabbed his. 'You will be escorted to the doors of the principal morgue. This process will take some time to reach the bottom level.'
Roughly fifteen minutes of being blindly escorted through an extradimensional maze that touching the doors had transported him into the middle of later, Tanaka and his escort emerged on the sub-sub-"basement" floor of the R&D wing.
"Ugh…" Tanaka moaned as he went over to a nearby sink and splashed some water on his face. "That is one thing I don't miss from my hunter-nin rotation…" His guide chuckled as the doors opened and the Tani team emerged.
"What the fuck was that?!" Sato moaned as one of his team ran for a nearby bucket and vomited intensely."
"You just passed through a pocket dimension." A familiar sounding voice explained as Kurando Inugami stepped out of a pair of thick steel doors that had the word Morgue 1 painted on them. "It is the only way to reach the R&D unit which is in a subset of non-Euclidean space."
Sato looked on dumbly, having a hard time wrapping his head around the doctor's words. "What?"
"Basically we're in the space between spaces at the moment." Tanaka's guide explained. "There's a single entrance that has multiple exits; each one to a different unit of the JRD. Long story short, it's very advanced time-space distortion zone that prevents anyone from teleporting, digging, or otherwise sneaking into this place unless they know exactly where it is in five-dimensional space."
"We have to go that again?" The puking ninja asked between bouts of vomiting.
"Yes and no; leaving the space is a lot easier than getting in... As easy as getting on a playground slide." The second hunter-nin guide, whose gender was masked as well as their identity, said as their hand cast a greenish light that cleared the aftereffects of the previous space from the sick Tani ninja's body. The sick man nodded gratefully.
Kurando looked at Tanaka curiously. "Tell me what brings you to my little parlor, Yaiba? I thought you were on the Academy rotation now."
Okito pulled the case from his pouch, converting the diamond shell back into raw chakra and reabsorbing it. "I am, but in this case, I have a special delivery for you…" He said handing Kurando the note from Sho.
The elder Inugami frowned slightly taking the note. "You're being unusually cryp…" His voice abruptly cut off. "This… This is my son's handwriting!"
He abruptly turned the paper 90 degrees counter-clockwise so the text could be read left to right instead of top to bottom as was common on the Ninja Continent. Kurando began to read it, but kept backing up and, occasionally spoke aloud in another language that he was clearly rusty in. "Otets, okay that's Father… Damn it, Sho, not EVERYONE has a photographic memory!" He pushed the door to the morgue open, so he missed Tanaka's brief smirk of amusement. Apparently, Sho had an opinion of his father that was greater than his reality. "Ana! Letter from Sho! He used your language as a coded cypher. Again!"
Peals of laughter echoed from within as Anastasia Inugami emerged, pulling back the white hood that kept her copper red hair contained. "I ty tak khorosho eto govoril…"
Kurando rolled his eyes as he handed her the note. "YA vse yeshche mogu govorit' na nem; YA prosto bol'she ne mogu eto chitat'!"
"Kha, tak ty delayesh' moyu lyubov'…" Sho's mother said in a tone that suggested she was playfully ribbing her husband when suddenly her voice cut out. Her hands began to shake and tears filled her eyes. "Sho… Sho zastavili kogo-to ubit', Kurando!" Anastasia buried her face in his shoulder. "O, moy mal'chik…"
Kurando's jaw fell open slightly as he cradled his sobbing wife. He looked over at Okito, reaching out for the black scroll. "Sho killed someone?"
"Indirectly, but yes." Tanaka said, handing it over. "Sho set a trap using your graduation present."
Kurando clapped his hand to his face. "He shouldn't have taken that book outside the Village!" He growled with a sigh before collecting the scroll.
"His Jonin instructor has already chided him along such lines, yes. Unfortunately, the Rain Village Jonin that was affecting a person of significant importance in the Land of Rivers was using the Hydrification technique when the Raiken trap was triggered."
"My son was attacked by a JONIN?!" Anastasia screeched, turning on Tanaka; sorrow turning into a mother's protective rage. Kurando had to grab her by her shoulders to keep her from lunging at the messenger.
Clearly, Sho Inugami had inherited his mother's temper.
"Where the fuck is Miho Hyuuga?! I'll have her on my slab if she doesn't have a damned good reason she let my son kill someone using…" Then she paused. "Wait… Raiken? Sho can't convert his chakra to Lightning…"
She began to quickly read the letter. "Lord Daimyo Mizuzaki?! Augmented NF?" She looked at Kurando and plucked the scroll from his hands. "You're going to have to do this one in cold storage, my love. Better go get on your thermal gear." Kurando grimaced and re-entered the morgue as his wife continued reading. "Court case… Return delayed… Bounty?" She pushed the door open. "Kurando! Decant for transfer to Tani only!" She yelled, throwing the scroll like a kunai.
"Whoo…" Anastasia Inugami sighed as she leaned her back against the wall beside the doors. "Sorry about that, Yaiba… It's a little tough seeing your child being forced to grow up like that…" She arched an eyebrow. "Are you and Dr. Mao still a thing?" The other Jonin nodded. "You two don't have kids yet, do you?"
"No, ma'am; I was on a four year extended deployment until this past December. She was still in the middle of her residency when I left." Okito blushed slightly. "We're not opposed to it happening, but we're also not making a dedicated effort to make it happen, either."
"Nothing wrong with taking your time." Anastasia said with a smile. "I was nineteen when I had Sho, but, on the other hand, Kurando and I had been through three separate wars together beforehand." Okito frowned, doing a mental count, but came up short. A tittering giggle escaped the female Dr. Inugami at his confusion. "One was a carry-over from my homeland; it happened on the far side of the Land of Iron during the Second Great Ninja War."
"V trupe ne bylo nikakoy Zloby!" A shocked sounding Kurando declared in his wife's native language as he emerged with a scroll three times thicker than before. "V Strane Rek dolzhen byt' Henryuuki!"
Okito Tanaka nearly felt his own legs give out from under him. Kurando Inugami was not only the key to the Fourth Hokage's mysterious technique, but the way he just used the word Henryuuki – like it was a proper noun instead of a mere descriptor – suddenly made the diamond chakra user think that he might be a key to another part of Ryoushi's prophecy… He'd have to ask Sarutobi-sensei about it when he told him about the new development.
"CHTO?! Deystvitel'no? YA dumal… Moglo li eto byt' posle vsego etogo vremeni?" Sho's mother turned to Tanaka, a hopeful look on her face. "Yaiba, who was the closest to the Rain ninja when he was killed?"
"If you exclude Lord Daimyo Mizuzaki, me. Then the head of the Palace Guard..." Okito answered after taking a moment to think. "Honestly, the only person out of place was the dead ninja. Why?"
Mrs. Inugami looked slightly crestfallen. "So you didn't see a gentleman, mid-to-late 40's, with reddish eyes similar to Kurando's?"
Tanaka frowned, contemplating the male Doctor Inugami; the man's eyes had a decidedly ruby tinge to them. All these years of working with the head of the JRD and he'd never even noticed that fact before! "No; no one like that stands out. Is it someone important?"
Kurando Inugami smiled sadly. "In the grand scheme of things? No…"
"Just a dear friend that disappeared without a trace nearly 20 years ago." Anastasia clarified, wringing her hands with a sigh. "Kurando just noticed something during the transfer that brought back old memories." She shook her head. "In any event…"
The "Master of Corpses" walked over to the leader of the Tanigakure ninja cell, handing over the scroll holding what was left of Akira Muto. "Here you gentlemen are… I don't know if you'll be able to get much out of him…"
Sato accepted the scroll and tucked it away. "It's more a matter of honor than anything else. And speaking of…" All four Tani ninja bowed deeply. "The Land of Rivers owes your son a great debt of honor for saving our Lord Daimyo from the traitor's attacks twice."
Kurando smiled at his wife, squeezing her shoulder. "I guess saving high nobility runs in the family… He's going to have one hell of a story to tell when he gets home."
"That he will." Sato agreed, rising. He turned to the ninja that had guided them in. "We won't trouble you further; can you guide us to the exit?" The two hunter-nin nodded, guiding the people from Tani out.
Both Inugami looked at Tanaka, surprised that he showed no sign of being ready to leave. "Was there something else you needed from us, Yaiba?" Anastasia asked.
Okito scratched the back of his head. "Yeah… I had a run-in with Ryoushi on our way back. He said the Lord Third is going to need the Fourth's 'most noble Kinjutsu' and that you had the key to it."
"No! Oh, no..! Not again!" Anastasia abruptly cried out, falling to her knees, and began to weep intensely. "Hiruzen-sama..!"
'Okay… Was NOT expecting that reaction.' The Diamond Turtle thought to himself.
"What? What is it..?" He asked aloud, dumbfounded.
Kurando knelt down beside his wife, tears glistening in his own eyes. "It's a self-sacrificial jutsu, Okito-san… The one that stopped the Kyuubi's rampage after it escaped it's prior Jinchuuriki: Kushina Uzumaki; Naruto's mother."
Okito Tanaka felt his heart freeze in his chest. He remembered having a schoolboy's crush on Miss Kushina; how sad he had been when she – like so many others – had died in the attack by the Nine-Tails. She'd been the Jinchuuriki?! And Naruto's mother?! But worst of all… "Sarutobi-sensei is..?"
Kurando Inugami nodded grimly. "If he needs to use the technique, yes. That is the cost of invoking the Shinigami's power, the power of the God of Death." He sighed. "The instructions to the technique are hidden in the original Book of Namikaze… My copy."
The "Master of Corpses" pulled open his uwagi and reached inside; extracting a copy of the same book that his son had utilized a few weeks ago. This one looked a little less polished, like it had been assembled by hand...
The senior Inugami put his hand on the cover reverently, like it was a holy relic; which, to him, it was. A sad sigh escaped his lips. "Minato worked so hard on this, scouring old Uzumaki clan ruins left after Uzushiogakure was destroyed and its people scattered. I had found a few of them in my days as a yojimbo and helped him access them..."
He shook his head at the memory of his old friend. "Gods, he loved her so much… He knew that if her seal ever broke she wouldn't live for long, so he wanted to find the ultimate seal for her successor… In the hopes that whoever loved THAT Jinchuuriki would never know the same pain; not even for a minute." Kurando's throat bobbed with emotion as he took a deep breath. "The key to the Kinjutsu's lock is the name Minato had decided was going to be his first son's… Naruto Namikaze."
There was a flare of dark energy from the book as all the pages turned as black as night.
The Darkness of Death.
Kurando Inugami opened the book, showing that the black pages now had silver ink, before he handed the book to Okito Tanaka. As it changed hands, the pages reverted to their original tan color.
"That name…" Tanaka began, his voice and hands shaking at this revelation. The Fourth Hokage had had a family? "Are you saying Na..?"
Sho's mother abruptly clapped her hand over the other ninja's mouth, cutting him off. "Some things don't get spoken aloud, Yaiba; Not even here… The boy has enough of a burden being his mother's son; let him get used to that first…" Anastasia said sternly before she wiped the tears from her eyes with her other hand. "Sarutobi-sensei declared that knowledge a state secret… You are the sixth person who still lives that I'm aware of knowing the truth… I honestly don't know if Jiraiya ever told Tsunade..."
The Diamond Turtle made a quick mental count. The Third, Lord Jiraiya, the three of them, and… "Kakashi-senpai?" He asked, the Hokage's decision to place Uzumaki on the Copy Ninja's team suddenly making sense.
Kurando nodded. "Minato had tasked him to guard Kushina during her pregnancy when he wasn't available... After that night - losing the last people he was really close to - he was distraught for a long time afterwards; I was honestly worried that he was going to follow Sakumo." He sighed, referring to Kakashi's father, who'd taken his own life after the failure of a critical mission when the Copy Ninja was young. "But he pulled himself together… Eventually."
Taking a deep breath, Kurando looked at Okito as she squeezed his wife's hand. "As with Ryoushi's predictions, Yaiba, you MUST keep this knowledge to yourself. You're a smart young man; even if I hadn't allowed myself to have memories of our dearly departed friends out loud, you might have put the pieces together at an inopportune moment."
"I understand, Kurando-sensei. The younger Jonin nodded, putting a protective case around the book. "I'll make sure this gets back to you… Afterwards."
The male Dr. Inugami bowed with gratitude, which Tanaka mirrored, before the three of them shared a solemn look and thought. Hiruzen Sarutobi had been Hokage for nearly forty-two of Konoha's sixty-three years; the longest reign of any of the Shadows aside from Onoki of Tsuchigakure who'd ascended around the same time.
A era unlike any other was soon to come to an end… And they couldn't tell anyone else.
* * *
You what?!
Date: May 7th, 13 years aNb
Days since Team 11 left Mizumiyo Palace: 4
Time: 2:05 PM
As Takahashi's injuries were not life-threatening, it was over two hours before Team 11, sans their Jonin, got in to see a medic-nin. Motoko and the injured Genin were their usual calm selves and Kyouran was napping in his human's lap. Meanwhile, Raiden was going stir-crazy in the sterile doctor's suite.
A nurse had gotten Takahashi's vitals and she would pop in every ten to twenty minutes to give them updates. The door slid open once again, but this time was the nurse with a blonde lady around Princess Reiyuriko's age. Raiden's eyes dilated; the newcomer was not only very comely, but her bust, barely concealed by her blouse and lab coat, suddenly had him riveted.
His twin sister and Takahashi shot each other a glance and rolled their eyes.
"Hello there; I'm Dr. Matsumoto." The new arrival said with a smile. "I understand you were injured on a mission, received initial treatment, but that there was a need for additional follow-up?"
"Hai, Sensei." Takahashi agreed as she sat on a rolling chair and began examining his feet with glowing green hands.
"Mmmhmm…" The doctor said, mostly to herself. "Oh! This is Sho-kohai's work; it's the same technique for bone repair that his mother uses…"
Motoko Hata felt an odd stab of possessive jealousy with the informal use of her Sho-sa's name, similar to the one she'd felt when that Suna bitch had flirted with him, but she quickly pushed it aside. This woman was Sho's senior – both in age and level of education – so of COURSE she would use the honorific for a junior classmate when referring to him…
Even if she looked like she could just stepped out of one of Raiden's illicit magazines.
There was a knock on the door and it slid open once again to reveal a somber-looking Tanaka-sensei. "Well, Doc, what's the word?"
The woman turned and smiled at Tanaka. "Are you this young man's Jonin instructor?" Okito nodded. "Sho-kohai did a superb initial job; I'm only detecting a few problematic spots that are definitely going to need Dr. Kimura, our Orthopedic specialist, to deal with." She turned to the nurse, "What's Kimura-senpai's next ninja priority opening?"
The nurse flipped open the small laptop installed on the wall, entered her credentials and started typing. "Uh… Looks like next week; reserving the spot for him now."
Raiden's distressed behavior resumed. "Will he be well enough for the Chuunin Exams?!"
Doctor Matsumoto frowned at the irreverent young man. "First year?" Nods came from everyone on the Team. She chuckled slightly to herself. "I remember how gung-ho my teammates were… The rankings work a little different in the medical program; you could be a Jonin out there but still a Genin in here if you haven't passed your certifications."
The male Hata was looking increasingly antsy.
Matsumoto shook her head. "I'm sorry to say it, young man, but even if Kimura treated your teammate today, he wouldn't be ready in time for the first two stages. You're going to have to wait for the January Exams."
Raiden's face became downcast and he slipped off his perch. "Damn it! I kept my mouth shut and it wasn't enough! Karma is such bullshit!" He muttered under his breath, storming out of the room, leaving a string of expletives behind him as he went.
The red haired kunoichi sighed, bowing apologetically to everyone. "Forgive my foolish younger brother; he's been looking forward to participating in the Exams for a few months now."
She winced and shook her right hand; redness appearing on her knuckles. "Ugh, he's punching things now… I'd better make sure he doesn't hit something important. Sensei?"
Tanaka nodded, nodding his head in the direction her twin had stormed off in. "Go on. We're not on the service roster again until next month. I'll call you after Takahashi sees the specialist to schedule some training sessions."
The kunoichi nodded as she dashed after her brother. It only took her a few minutes to locate him; he was in front of the hospital sitting on a slab of rock that had been smoothed to act as a bench. Raiden was idly striking the rock… No form, practically no force behind the thrusts…
As if he was doing it for the sole purpose of make his twin sister miserable.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Motoko demanded hotly as he struck the rock once again, making her wince. "I thought I'd find you punching the hospital out of frustration over the bad news."
"Don't fuckin' remind me!" Raiden grumbled, grinding his bloodied knuckles into a rough section of the rock, getting a hiss of pain from his sister. "Karma is such bullshit…" He repeated the last non-foul words he'd left the doctor's office saying. "Hours of pure hell, tolerated without any complaining and the universe couldn't give me this ONE thing." The male twin began to strike the rock rapidly.
The female Hata dropped to her knees, gripping the wrist of her right hand that now felt like so much ground beef. "RAI! KNOCK IT OFF, THAT FUCKING HURTS!" She shouted at her twin in pain-fueled anger before making an "Eep!" sound and looking around worriedly to see if she'd upset anyone with her irate outburst.
A slightly cruel grin crossed her twin's lips, but he DID stop and reached into his travel bag for his modest self-treatment kit and his canteen. "I just wanted to make sure I had your full attention." Raiden said as he opened his canteen to wash off his bloody hand.
His sister's eyes narrowed in anger. "Oh, you have it, Rai-chan… Choose your next few words carefully; I have PLENTY of dirt on you to have Mom and Dad ground you until you're dead."
"So little Miss Perfect can play dirty, too. Good!" The younger twin said as he began to paint his wound with a liquid antibacterial agent. "I'm establishing some ground rules for when HE comes back."
Motoko glared at her brother, feeling a slight tingle in her eyes that was overshadowed by the rage that was gripping her. Raiden had never supported her interest in Sho Inugami, but this was going too far! "You don't get to dictate who I do or don't fall in love with!"
Her brother chuckled wryly as he put gauze bandages on his wounds. "I'm WELL aware of that, Sis… I don't like Inugami; no, no, let's be honest, he scares the shit out of me and it's not because of the boar thing. I get this vibe that I feel deep in my bones that has always made me uneasy around him… Like there's something UNNATURAL about him."
"Is that why you caved so easily and told him that I loved him?" Motoko asked archly.
Her brother paused. "He told you?! But he…" Then he shook his head as he began to wrap his hand. "Doesn't matter… You two CLEARLY had some heart-to-heart conversations before you let him tour Second Base."
The female Hata's jaw fell open and her face turned nearly as red as her hair. She grabbed her brother by the front of his combat uniform and practically yanked him off the rock. "RAIDEN HATA!" For a moment, her twin was worried that he'd overplayed his hand until the tears started. "How..? How did you know about that?!"
At this point, the Taijutsu specialist sighed, actually feeling a sliver of guilt. "I know because…" The memory of what he'd felt through their bond gave a greenish pallor to his skin. "Because I…" He trailed off again as he felt his stomach get queasy.
Finally, Raiden pried her hands off his uniform and, while holding her right in his left, pressed it against his firm, masculine pectoral on his left side. "You always complained about feeling stuff through the bond… You never actually explained how MUCH it sucked…"
Motoko's face screwed up in confusion at both Raiden's words and actions, feeling uncomfortable. "Rai, what are you…" She tried to pull her hand back, but then he pinned her hand with his own. "What are...?"
And then it hit her. What he was doing to her was the same thing she'd done to Sho!
She looked at their hands, then up to his downtrodden face, then back to their hands. "No…" She said in complete and utter disbelief as she remembered doing the same thing not a week ago. "You're saying you felt..?"
And then she began to laugh. Not in amusement, but as the only outlet for the shocked embarrassment. An embarrassment that Raiden suddenly felt to his core.
"Ugh!" He moaned, releasing her hand and squirming, his own cheeks coloring with her feelings. "Yeah, THAT'S not going to get old fast enough. I'm actually beginning to miss when you'd faint dead away because of your feelings…"
Motoko looked at her twin brother for a moment, covering her mouth with her hand. "So what you're telling me is the reason you haven't been able to look at Sho or I…" The male Hata squirmed harder. "You mean while the two of us were…" A blush colored her cheeks. "…alone…"
Raiden simply reached up to the collar of his outfit, pulling down the left side to reveal a faint discoloration on his neck. His sister's jaw dropped open and she touched her own neck, where the hickey Sho had given her was slowly fading.
"Yeah…" He grimaced. "The two of you kept ME up all night that last night down there!"
After a few seconds of absolute mortification, Motoko Hata began to laugh; this time genuinely amused. "Oh, geez, Rai… I…"
"Hata-senpai?!" A surprised girl's voice called from behind the kunoichi swordswoman.
Raiden looked over his sister's shoulder to see who was interrupting their conversation and Motoko saw something she never thought she'd see…
She saw Raiden fall in love at first sight.
Not his usual teenage hormone lust interest, but actual romantic interest. The male twin actually squirmed in place before shaking his head and straightening up in an attempt to reacquire his usual self-confident look.
The corner of her mouth curled up in a smile as she turned around, curious as to the identity of who could do that to her meat-headed doofus of a brother. Hata didn't recognize the girl off-hand, although she seemed familiar… Motoko had volunteered to help Suzume-sensei with the younger kunoichi classes during free periods when Raiden was practicing on Taijutsu dummies.
The girl in question looked to be about a year younger than the twins with copper red hair wearing a lavender top with a black and orange miniskirt with matching thigh-high boots that had a number of clasps that exposed a bit of skin on the sides of her legs. At her hip hung a sword of an unusual one-handed design that appeared to be fairly old, but the leather holding the sheath looked to be brand new... As if she'd just inherited the weapon in the past few weeks.
"It is you!" The other kunoichi said excitedly, grabbing Motoko into a warm hug. "When did you get back?!" The other girl pulled back a worried look on her face. "Please tell me that Nii-san was nicer to you like I told him to be… Do you know where he is? If he went to see Aniki before coming home to see his family I'm going to be so mad at him!"
It suddenly hit Motoko like a ton of bricks as she finally placed the face: this was the older of Sho's two younger sisters, Karin!
The irony that a second Inugami had fascinated a Hata made a fresh grin cross her lips. "We just got back earlier today and he definitely was, Karin-chan. As for…"
Suddenly Karin Inugami's watch started beeping. "Cr~ap! I'm going to be late for my shift on the Pediatric rotation!" She moaned as she turned off the alarm before looking back up to Motoko. "I'm off in four hours and I want to hear how things went from your perspective before I hear whatever spin Nii-san tries to feed me. Ichiraku's later… My treat?"
Motoko Hata nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan." She checked her own watch. "Say 7:30?"
Karin Inugami smiled widely and you could almost hear Raiden Hata swoon. "That will work great! See you then!" She agreed as she turned and dashed off towards the staff entrance on the side of the hospital.
"Who was that angel and where did she come from?" Raiden asked, sounding intrigued.
"Who, Karin-chan?" Motoko asked in a falsely innocent tone of voice as she turned about. After what Raiden put her through over the years, the kunoichi wanted to savor this… "1 would assume the same place as my Sho."
"Karin-chan…" Raiden said dreamily. Then, as if life came with sound effects, you could almost hear the scratching of a record as his sister's words registered. His eyes narrowed at her in annoyance. "Why would you mention Oni in the same breath as that glorious…" His eyes closed briefly as he silently cursed the universe. "Fucking hell… She's his sister, isn't she?"
Motoko gave him a shit-eating grin; his reaction had been everything she'd hoped for and more! "Since the day she was born."
Raiden frowned thoughtfully for a few heartbeats. "Huh… It WOULD be only fair if I was making out with HIS sister while he's making out with MINE…" He sat back down on the edge of the rock to stare at the hospital, murmuring to himself.
His sister rolled her eyes and walked away; leaving her twin with his delusions.
* * *
To be concluded