As the teams began to disband, Asuma spoke up, his voice carrying the weight of the lesson. "This exercise wasn't just about strength. It's about synergy and understanding your opponents' strengths and weaknesses."
Shikamaru nodded, though he seemed deep in thought. He glanced at Ino, whose unusual silence hadn't gone unnoticed by him. "Ino, you alright?" he asked, his usual lazy tone masking genuine concern.
Ino blinked and nodded quickly. "I'm fine, Shikamaru." She gave a tight smile, but her mind was still locked on the other Kenshin. She couldn't focus on anything else.
Kenshin lingered a little longer near her, watching the faint shift in her expression. His instincts told him something was wrong, but there wasn't a clear path to ask. He decided to leave it alone for now.
As the group began to disperse, Akane walked up to Kenshin, casually resting her hand on his shoulder. "You were holding back, weren't you?" she teased, her smile warm but knowing. "You had your mangekyo activated but you didn't use it once."
Kenshin shrugged slightly. "It was a training exercise. And my abilities aren't exactly easygoing."
Maki, overhearing, chimed in with a playful smirk. "So was Choji, but look how that turned out." She gestured toward where Choji was still recovering, leaning against a tree as Shikamaru checked on him.
Kana, still bubbling with excitement, jumped in between Kenshin and Akane. "We should celebrate! My first time leading a team and we won!" She beamed at them both, her enthusiasm infectious.
Akane chuckled. "Alright, alright. But maybe we should check on Choji first before you throw a party."
"All right! Party's tonight then." Kana agreed, walking towards Choji.
The mood lightened, but as the team walked back toward their assigned training area, Ino's thoughts kept drifting back to the conversation with the other Kenshin.
His warning, his loneliness... and his role as protector from the Uchiha curse. What would this mean for Kenshin, and could she really keep something this important from him?
As the teams parted ways, Ino lingered at the edge of the clearing, her mind racing. She offered quick goodbyes, hoping no one would notice her distress. Slipping away unnoticed, she made her way toward the village, her thoughts spinning.
As she walked, she accidentally bumped into Neji, who was returning from his own training. His sharp eyes immediately noticed something was off.
"Ino," Neji said, his voice calm but probing, "you seem distracted. What happened?"
Ino stiffened, forcing a smile. "We had a mock battle against Yuki-sensei's team. Kenshin , Akane and Maki. They won. That's all."
Neji's expression remained neutral, but he narrowed his eyes slightly. "That doesn't explain the way you're acting. You're mature enough to not let a simple training battle disturb you. Did you use your mind transfer on Kenshin?"
Ino's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Neji, who held her gaze with an intensity she couldn't evade. "You've seen something, haven't you?"
Taking a deep breath, Ino relented. "I saw... something. Something I wasn't expecting."
Neji nodded slowly, his mind piecing it together. "Back when Akane introduced Kenshin to us, we saw Kenshin use his Mangekyo Sharingan, I and Hinata-sama noticed a dark chakra within him. It felt... unnatural. Did you encounter something related to that? Instead of taking control of his body, you encountered something?"
Ino hesitated, but Neji's calm demeanor reassured her. "There's someone else inside Kenshin. Another soul, one he doesn't know about. The Kenshin we know, he was reborn in that body, and the soul that originally belonged to it got pushed back."
Neji's eyes widened slightly, though he remained composed. "Another soul? In one body? That shouldn't be possible."
Ino nodded, "He called it a freak accident of fate. Instead of disappearing at the emergence of a reincarnated soul, he stayed, coexisted. He said he's keeping the darkness of some curse of the Uchiha at bay. He asked me not to tell Kenshin."
Neji was silent for a moment, considering her words. "It's hard to believe, but I'll trust you as a friend." He crossed his arms. "If this other soul is telling the truth and keeping Kenshin safe from the curse, then perhaps it's best that Kenshin remains unaware. Since we don't know what the curse is, it'll be dangerous to act without thinking."
Ino glanced at him, her voice uncertain. "You also think I should keep it a secret?"
Neji nodded. "For now, yes. Listen to him. He knows about this curse more than we do. But if you need to confide in anyone else, you can tell Hinata-sama."
Ino felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, Neji."
Neji nodded again. "Be careful, Ino. This is no small matter. I've been keeping watch on him from a distance because of the dark chakra but now I know what the cause is. It's not Kenshin. At least, not the one we know."
Later that day, Asuma leaned back in his chair at a bar, nursing a drink as he waited for Yuki to arrive. When she finally walked in, he gave her a nod, gesturing to the seat across from him.
Yuki took the seat, raising an eyebrow. "You don't usually invite me for drinks. Ever since we became Jonin, you'd say I'm not fun as a drinking partner."
Asuma chuckled lightly. "Of course not. You're too uptight. But today's different. I need to ask you something."
Yuki's curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
Asuma leaned forward slightly. "Ino. After our mock battle today, she's been acting strange. She used her mind transfer on Kenshin, and whatever happened afterwards left her rattle. She's not the kind of person to get this shaken unless it's something big. And it's not the first time her mind transfer failed."
Yuki's expression shifted, her gaze sharpening. "Did she say anything?"
Asuma shook his head. "Not a word. But I have a feeling it's something serious. Do you know anything about Kenshin that might explain it?"
Yuki leaned back, her eyes narrowing as she thought. "No. If I did, I would've told you already. He's smart, could even be considered genius. He invented jutsu without any supervision."
"That's impressive, but that's not what I'm asking." Although Asuma was impressed to learn that Kenshin invented his own jutsu, his mind was too preoccupied with concern for Ino.
She tapped her fingers on the table, her mind turning over the possibilities. "I don't trust the guy yet, but you know that it's hard to deceive me. He doesn't seem like he'd have any ulterior motives, or disturbing secrets."
Asuma sighed. "I suppose you're right. I just hope whatever it is, it's not going to cause trouble for Ino. She's gonna be participating in the upcoming chunin exams with Sakura and Choji, and I don't want her to fail this time."
Yuki smirked slightly. "You're worried about her? Or maybe you're worried about the fact that your polished team got beat by my ragtag bunch?"
Asuma laughed. "Maybe both. But still, great job on those guys, I wasn't expecting that much, not from that Kana lady. Those chains remind me of Kushina-san."
The two shared a quiet moment, each lost in their own thoughts about the unsettling mystery Kenshin presented.
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Once again, thank you everyone for your continued support and power stones. And as always, please give me your power stones and comment your opinions. They make a big difference and motivate me to write more.