My Priest, My Son?

[Gracie-kun]

[You remember Lady Shion, the miko who got Naruto to make a rather unsightly promise? ...What do you think happened next? Second-generation so people have kids. NaruHina, LeeSaku, ShikaTema, NejiTen, ChoIno, KakaAnko, GaaMatsu. The rest have no-name spouses for the sake of being baby-makers. <3]

Sakura noticed she'd been tapping her foot and stopped. "Where's Naruto?"

"He told me he has lost something, and went to search for it," Lee explained. He and Sakura stood along with Kakashi, Guy, Neji, Shikamaru, and Temari. They were about to depart from the miko - Shion's - castle and out of Oni no Kuni (Land of Demons), but one knuckleheaded ninja was holding them up.

"I think we should get going," Kakashi suggested, eying their shadows as they became more prominent with the rising sun.

"What about Naruto?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru shook his head as if his assumption annoyed him. "It'll take him two minutes to catch up, knowing that juggernaut." Everyone else was at mutual agreement with this. After two more courtesy minutes of waiting, the band of shinobi took off.

In the guest quarters, meanwhile, Naruto had been reduced to flipping the straw mats lining the floors. He knelt in the middle of the mess, tearing the yellow spikes on his head. "Where the hell did I put that thing? Don't tell me I dropped it in the volcano - or in the lake - but maybe I left it in that secret waterfall place-"

"Leaving, Naruto?"

He looked at the doorway to find Shion leaning on it. She was back in her miko robes but bore no crown, violet eyes tight on Naruto. He chuckled. "Ah, not yet. I lost my-"

"This?" she asked and held out her hand. A crystal necklace was wound loosely around her fingers.

Naruto ogled at it. "Whoa, thanks, Shion! You found it," he said, grinning. But when he got up and reached for the necklace, Shion snatched it from his reach. "What gives? I said thanks."

She looked at him accusingly. "Urusai tsuki (Liar). You were just going to up and leave without helping me."

"What are you talking about? Give it back." For all his ninja skills and the years he'd spent honing them, Naruto could not seem to catch the necklace from Shion's pale little fingers, no matter how much he bent and twisted.

"You promised me, Naruto!" Shion said.

"Promised you what?"

She squeezed her fists and eyes shut. "To help me pass on my powers to the next miko!"

Naruto was starting to get irritated. "Look, not now, okay? Everyone's expecti-"

"Yes, now. I foresaw it," Shion insisted. "At this time and day, we are to create the next miko and…" She looked about the room, intrigued. "In fact this is the place, too. I wish we had a cleaner room, but beggars can't be choosers."

He watched her, befuddled, as she straightened one mat and settled onto it. "What are you waiting for?" she asked. "Come on, now, let's get started."

Clicking sounds could be heard in Naruto's brain. The mat, their isolation from others, "create" a miko…. All blood drained from Naruto's face. "Shion…when you say all this, you mean we…we have to…."

"What? Have sex? Of course." She blinked when he let out a strangled yelp. "Do you prefer the term 'making love'?"

Naruto's cheeks went red as a maple leaf and he pointed at her. "Are you crazy! Doing that…I never agreed to that!"

Shion frowned. "Yes you did. You honestly didn't understand? What did you think I meant, then?"

"I don't know! I…I thought we'd, like…pick a kid from a line-up," Naruto said. He couldn't look at her without turning bright red.

"That's ridiculous. It's obvious I meant to have sex with you."

"Don't say it so calmly! Better yet, don't say that, ever. What's the matter with you? Have you ever done this before?" he demanded.

"No, but I know the basics." She shrugged out of the first of her two kimonos. "Now come down here and take your clothes off."

"This is so wrong!" Naruto turned, necklace forgotten if only he could escape. He felt two arms sling around him into an embrace just as he touched the door handle. Shion had closed it when she came in. Now, Naruto felt her pressed tight against him.

She mumbled into his back. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being very indifferent about this but I saw what happens in my vision. I felt it. It was all so real it's as if we are already lovers, that it's only natural to make love with you." Shion almost said the 's' word but corrected herself quickly. "I just…I think I'm in love with you, Naruto."

He couldn't speak - his heart was pounding so hard, he was sure that if he tried to talk, only his heartbeat could be heard in his throat. Shion stood on tip-toe and kissed his earlobe. "You love me?" he managed to whisper. He was too afraid to speak above that, for fear that this moment would shatter from his voice.

Shion slipped around him, planting kisses on his jaw. "Yes." As she now stood in front of him, holding him with her eyes, she swiftly locked the door behind her without him noticing. She slid her arms up and around his neck slowly, seductively. Naruto's eyes were wide and he could only smell her perfume. He couldn't move. Shion pressed her lips to his'.

They were statue-still for mere seconds. Then Naruto's breath got heavy. Hesitation obliterated, he grabbed Shion's waist, kissing her deeply. While Shion pulled on Naruto's jacket, the shinobi practically ripped the miko's clothes. He attacked her neck and she gasped at the sensation. The Chinese dragon figurine along the wall watched with somber eyes.

Graduation! Is This an Enemy?

"Hokage-sama, it's about your children."

"…"

"I'm afraid they've gotten incredibly out of hand."

"…"

"Megumi-san is being especially disrespectful. However, Kotone-san and Sosuke-kun continue playing various pranks on the villagers. Inari-kun is trying to set an example but he just ends up caught unfavorably in the others' messes."

"…"

The shinobi looked up at Hinata, exasperated. "Is he even listening?"

She bowed to the young man. "I'm sorry; Hokage-sama has been held up late with paperwork all week…"

"But when it concerns his children's behavior-" The shinobi blinked at the snorting sound coming from behind the Hokage chair, which faced the window. "Hokage-sama?"

Naruto turned the chair and twisted his pinky in his ear. "Oh, hey! What are you doing here, Yaso-kun?" The young man grinned, the vein on his brow pulsing.

"Oh you know, same old reason." Yaso got up from his chair and beckoned to someone in the hall.

Four children filed in, varying in age but all oddly familiar. Each had large Hyuga clan eyes, and they all sported three black lines on each cheek. The rest of their features bounced from Hyuga to Uzumaki. The children stood in a line before the desk, eyes on the floor.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

Before Yaso could explain, begrudgingly and for the second time, the eldest child stepped forward. "We…that is, Koto-chan, Soso-chan, and I…we dropped paint balloons on Sarutobi-sensei from the academy roof," he said quietly. Orange paint was still drying in parts of Yaso's wavy black hair.

Naruto blinked. "That all?" The alarmed look on Hinata's face made him quickly glare at his brood. "I mean - I'm disappointed in you three! That was really stupid of you to do, and to a jonin."

"You're not disappointed," the girl with spiky black hair said. Her arms were folded, her eyes narrowing. "And if you are, you're a hypocrite."

"Megumi," the oldest, Inari, said through clenched teeth. He glanced at their father's stubborn frown.

Kotone suddenly hopped forward, Sosuke following her like a shadow. "Papa, it was just a joke. Plus, it was all my idea. Soso-chan and 'Nari-nii were just dragged into it," she insisted. The short tuft of a pigtail on her scalp bounced every time she moved. Megumi stared at it with great annoyance.

Yaso also glared, but for irritation of what Kotone had done to his own hair. "You're in enough trouble, and your siblings are responsible enough to refuse. You're not as persuasive as you think, you know." Kotone's pigtail drooped and she stepped back into line.

Sosuke, however, ran to Hinata and clung there silently. Naruto rubbed his temples. "Every day you guys are in trouble for a different reason. All right. Kotone, Inari, go clean up the paint from the academy. When you get home, no Ichiraku night." They looked like they'd been diagnosed to die. "For a month." Kotone let out a squeal of pain and fainted. "Okay, maybe just this week."

Inari bowed, still trembling. "Hai."

Megumi smirked with satisfaction. Naruto saw it and scowled. "Megumi, you're not going to the Hyuga estate today."

"What." The murder was so immediately palpable that Kotone sat bolt up-right, shivering.

"I had a nightmare. Megumi-nee was angry again." Inari knelt to pat her shoulder for comfort.

"The nightmare's just beginning."

Naruto crossed his arms, as if that gesture suddenly made him invincible to the death aura his daughter was emitting like smoke from a fire. "You've been too lippy these past few days. Your attitude's really sucked. So, no visiting Neji-oji and Tenten-oba."

The eleven-year-old's face was red with anger, her black hair seeming to spike even more like an animal's fur standing on end. She hated her hair. She hated the markings on her face. Megumi wished she could suck all the Uzumaki out of her so only the Hyuga remained. Then, maybe she could look decent, and her beloved Sho could spare her a loving glance. Now, she didn't even have the grace of seeing him today.

Hinata reached as if to touch Megumi, but the girl's enraged aura frightened even her mother. "Megumi, it's all right…."

"Your graduation is tomorrow, you two," Naruto went on, looking at Inari and Megumi. "You'll be put on teams and given a jonin, who will train you. You have to work hard. At this age, it's about time you stop being foolish." Hinata and Yaso exchanged looks. Like the Hokage could honestly say he'd done the same.

Yaso bowed to Naruto regardless. "Thank you, Shichidaime-sama (Lord Seventh)." Tiny hands grasped his hair before he could stand up. He blinked at Sosuke, who began picking bright paint from Yaso's hair. Yaso sighed heavily. "I forgive you, Sosuke-kun." The five-year-old's big eyes were watering rapidly. "Yes, I mean it. I'm not angry."

Kotone grabbed Yaso around the neck. "Wow, Sarutobi-sensei. You're such a nice guy." The raven-haired teen glared at her with great irritation.

"I did not forgive you."

Yaso disentangled himself from the seven-year-old and left. Megumi stomped out afterwards, holding in her anger like a bomb. Inari came up to the desk, block-like blond bangs hiding his eyes.

"Otou-san, we weren't trying to be immature. Really. We were just having fun," he murmured.

"I know," Naruto sighed. He looked at Kotone, and suddenly his face was stubbornly stern. "Okay, here's the deal: get that paint cleaned up in half an hour and maybe I'll let you go to Ichiraku night. Once in a lifetime chance here. Your thirty minutes starts n-"

Kotone's outline was held in the air many seconds after the door had slammed shut. Hinata straightened her windblown hair and Sosuke sat up from where he'd toppled over, dazed.

Naruto held up a limp finger, stunned. "…ow," he finished awkwardly.

Grinning just like his father would, Inari accepted the challenge and ran to clean the paint. The Shichidaime groaned and leaned back in his chair.

"You should go to bed early tonight," Hinata said softly.

"Can't. Meetings, mission distribution, Inari's and Megumi's graduation…." Naruto hit his head on the desk. "Just one of those days, y'know?"

Hinata looked at her husband with worry. Naruto had been having "one of those days" for a week now. He never complained about it openly, but it was clear that the recent drop in graduation rates and the declining number of new genin were running him ragged. There was a spike in D-ranks now, too. Jonin and chunin were being assigned to rescuing lost puppies and weeding gardens. She could only imagine the constant complaints Naruto had to sit through.

She smiled, now, petting his spiky hair. "You're really working hard, like always. I admire you so much for that."

Naruto peeked at her from under his bangs, grinning. "I couldn't stand disappointing you, Hinata-chan." He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. Before they could get into making Uzumaki-child number five, Sosuke suddenly squeezed between them to sit on Hinata's thigh. Naruto squinted at him. "Oh look, the jerk."

Hinata giggled, pulling Sosuke close. "A cute one, at least." Naruto looked like a puppy denied his treat and she laughed even more. "Later, if you have the energy."

The Hokage grinned vivaciously. "I'll have the energy if it means spending it with you." Hinata smiled coyly, blushing.

Sosuke pinched Naruto's nose between his little knuckles, face pugnacious. "No way, gaki. No interruptions tonight. N. O." Hinata shook her head fondly and carried Sosuke out so Naruto could work. Sosuke scowled at his father the whole way.

~*~*~*~*~

A person in a blue hooded jacket came to a stop in the forest outside of Konoha. He put his hand on a tree and leaned on it, wheezing for air. The sun was just breaking through the leaves to shed orange light over the teen.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle pierced his ears. He gasped, magenta eyes rounding as his head snapped up to stare at nothing. Then his eyes glowed pink and formed kaleidoscope symbols that spun in his irises. The small flute tied to his out-stretched wrist didn't stir, but he could hear its tone clearly.

That single note brought him out of his body so he looked down on his powder-blue hood. He felt himself as the breeze, weightless, without form. He was pulled by an unknown force along the wind in turns and weaves until he was on a wide dirt road. Before him stood two giant green doors, the entrance to a village within towering walls. He had just enough time to recognize the place before he flew backwards, abruptly sucked back into his body.

He gasped again, staggering, but otherwise kept his ground. A few deep breaths later and he was grinning. He threw off his hood, platinum-blond hair springing back into disorderly spikes.

"Almost there…Otou-san."

~*~*~*~*~

"Nanami!"

A girl with bobbed golden-brown hair stood at the top of the steps. "What!"

"Don't 'what' me. You'll be late if you don't get your breakfast now." Nanami puckered her bottom lip.

"I've been ready for ten minutes, Kaa-san."

"Your lazy brother was down here before you; now, come on."

A black ponytail protruded from the kitchen table, snoring. Nanami narrowed her eyes at it as she entered the kitchen. "Uh huh. Real early bird."

Temari whacked her eldest with a spoon. "Shikatsuro, I won't have that. Make your breakfast."

"But Tou-san's not up yet, either," he insisted in a mumble.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Their mother's green eyes were vicious, but she smiled, which made them even more wary. She handed the spoon to Shikatsuro and stalked out of the kitchen. "Honey," she called out. Nanami said a quick prayer for her father.

Shikatsuro yawned as he stirred the eggs to scramble them. "Why are we up so early, anyway? I don't have academy today."

"I graduate from academy," Nanami said proudly. Her brother gave her a blatant look and her smile vanished, replaced with a dubious look. "What?"

"I'm waiting for the real reason I got out of bed this morning."

"That is the real reason, couch potato."

"Good night."

"Don't sleep on the stove!"

He frowned irritably at the egg mixture he poured into the skillet. "But why do we have to go to a stupid, boring graduation anyway?"

Nanami turned up her nose. "I wouldn't expect a failing student to understand." Shikatsuro flinched like he'd been stabbed, but didn't stop stirring and didn't look at his little sister. "I guess it's tough mentally, though. If my twelve-year-old sister beat me to being a genin, I'd want to stay away, too." Another stab. "I'm so glad I got Tou-san's genius instead of Kankuro-oji's stupid, like you," Nanami said airily.

The infamous spoon embedded into the kitchen table an inch from Nanami's hand. Shikatsuro's green eyes were pools of fury.

"Say it again, and the hand comes off."

She peeked from the back of her chair, nodding quickly. Shikatsuro looked just like their father, and was very laid-back. However, the combination of Shikamaru's mother along with his wife had created a short-fused monster. Temari's personality was painfully evident in the fourteen-year-old's quick temper. Nanami used her God-given intelligence to know when her teasing would earn a beating. Right now, it told her to shut her mouth and remain still - Shikatsuro lost track of unmoving objects when he was angry.

Shikamaru came in with a few lumps on his head, the pregnant Temari following cheerily behind. After wolfing down breakfast, Nanami grabbed her new headband and tied it to her forehead, fluffing her bangs with pride.

She kissed Shikamaru's temple. "Bye, Tou-san."

"We'll see you at graduation," he said. Nanami's brother bent his fork with the press of his thumb. She skittered around Shikatsuro and hugged Temari.

Nanami kissed the bulbous stomach of her mother. "Please be a kind, gentle sister? For me?"

The morning was cool and crisp. The streets of Konoha were mostly empty save for the few shinobi wandering about and the store-owners opening their shops. Nanami breathed in the beginnings of fall with great excitement.

This is so great! As of today, I'm a genin. I wonder what team I'll have, who my sensei will be? I hope Megumi-san won't be on my team, she's scary. And Kumamichi would be a living hell. These thoughts dampened her spirits slightly. Please let me be with Subaru-san or Inari-kun or somebody without a short fuse.

Nanami ran into someone, her wandering thoughts having unhinged from running. She caught herself, but the other person fell without resistance with a loud thud.

She hurried to them. "Oh man, I'm so-" Her words evaporated as she puzzled his features. "I…Inari-kun?"

The boy she'd knocked over had spiky blond hair and whisker marks on his face. However, he was much older than Inari, his hair was lighter, and his eyes were…. Nanami studied them, shivering at the sight. His eyes were wide open and staring at nothing, those pink orbs swimming with symbols and markings. He wasn't moving.

Nanami clutched her head. "Oh sweet Kami-sama, I killed him." She knelt down, shaking his shoulders. "No, no, no-no-no-no-no. Don't be dead. A doctor, need a doctor!" she said frantically.

Someone grabbed her wrist before she could get up. "Hey, wait, I don't need a doctor." Nanami looked down to find the teen conscious, looking at her with those big magenta eyes. The symbols in his irises were gone.

"Who…who are you?" Nanami asked.

He grinned. "My name's Hoshu. Are you a Leaf ninja?" he asked.

She blushed in spite of herself, adjusting her headband self-consciously. "As of today, yeah…."

"Maybe you could help me, then," Hoshu said, sitting up. The thin tail of hair at the base of his neck jumped as he looked up at her eagerly. "Could you take me to see the Hokage? I've come a long way-- it's real important I see him."

"Uh, I have to go to the academy before I'm late. And I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," Nanami said slowly.

Hoshu wilted. "Oh. Sorry."

Her already-weakened resolve wavered at the disappointment on his face. She bit her lip, imagining how angry Shikamaru would be if he knew she had talked to a young man. A handsome young man. Though, at the moment, his expression was that of a lost child. She waved the angry-father image away. "Hokage-sama will be at my graduation, though. You can come along to meet up with him."

"Really? That's great!" Hoshu's eyes were pink fireworks as he hopped to his feet. Nanami noticed absently that there was nothing on his feet, which were dirty and calloused. He offered her a hand to help her up. "Lead the way, uhh…."

"Nanami. Nara Nanami."

"That's a lot of 'na's," he noted. "Okay, lead the way, Nanami-san,"

She walked on as Hoshu followed behind her. She saw from the corner of her eye that he was looking about the village with a mixture of awe and unease. Tou-san will be so angry when he finds out….

~*~*~*~*~

"So Hokage-sama forbid you from training with us yesterday?" Sho asked.

Megumi leaned against the wall beside their classroom door. She had her arms crossed, ducking her head so her hair hid the red in her cheeks. "I'm sorry the Hokage was being dense. But - I'll definitely train with you tonight," she said quickly.

Sho frowned a little. "Hokage-sama…maybe he was just looking out for you. I'm sure of it." This earned him a signature Megumi glare.

"Looking out so I'll be less Hyuga. He wants us all to use that ridiculous Shadow Clone Jutsu, and that clumsy Rasengan, and don't even get me started on those perverted techniques. I want to learn the Hyuga way and he won't let me. My Byakugan isn't even active yet." She dug her nails into her bicep. "I hate being an Uzumaki," she growled.

The boy dropped his gaze to their feet, his braid slipping over his shoulder. Technically, any child of Naruto's and Hinata's was to be honored as part of the main Hyuga branch. Sho and his baby sister were only cadet branch, like their father. Yet Megumi revered Neji and Sho as if they were superior. It troubled Sho to have a main-branch a year younger than himself think him better.

The bell rang, and Megumi hurried into the classroom without a glance back. She really was upset. Sho tightened his forehead protector and went to go in.

"Ah, sumimasen," Nanami said when he almost collided with her. She grinned. "Big day, huh?"

"So it is," Sho said politely. His eyes flickered to Hoshu, who stood behind her and studied Sho curiously. "Umm…."

Nanami looked between them. "Oh yeah. Hoshu-san, this is Hyuga Sho-kun; he's graduating with me. Sho-kun, this is Hoshu-san. He wants to-"

"Okaa-san talked about someone like you," Hoshu said suddenly. He pointed at Sho. "Yeah! Big light-blue eyes, long brown hair, regal-acting - she said his name was Neji or something."

"Neji is my Otousan," Sho said, looking at Nanami. She shrugged with helplessness.

Hoshu hit his palm with his fist. "Of course! Wow, it's so weird. This is like an alternate world, us meeting like this," he laughed.

Sho blinked slowly. "…I'm sure it is." He grabbed the shoulder of Nanami's mid-drift jacket and lugged her into the classroom, slamming the door shut. Hoshu stood in the hallway with bewilderment.

"Why is that man following you?" Sho asked Nanami sternly. Beneath his cool exterior, he was overly-freaked at Hoshu's comments.

Nanami sat at the end of a desk, Sho settling for one across the aisle from her. "I don't know! I knocked him over on my way here and he asked me to take him to Hokage-sama."

"I've never seen him in the village before."

"Neither have I. You think he's after Hokage-sama?" Nanami whispered.

Sho looked around furtively. Hoshu was peering into the room through the glass in the door, but with no attempt at stealth whatsoever. "Either he's an extremely talented assassin or an idiot. Best to tell someone of his presence. We'll inform the Hokage right when we leave to meet our parents." Nanami nodded dutifully.

"All right, kids," Iruka said, standing at the front of the classroom. His brown hair was peppering with gray from the years of teaching immature children to be semi-mature genin. "First of all, I congratulate you all on making it to genin. You've all worked very, very hard. However, your work isn't over yet. Those headbands can be revoked as easily as I gave them to you." He grinned at the little cringes of horror. "You'll be assigned to three-man cells, then be given a jonin to train you. If that jonin doesn't see you fit for training, you're back at the academy. But, after your teams have been announced, you'll first go outside for the graduation ceremony."

He beckoned at Yaso, who stepped forward with the teams list, and there was a collective sigh from all the girls. Yaso was fifteen and already jonin, a genjutsu wielder rivaled only by his mother, of whom had gifted him his beauty. He was a classic case of a genius heart-throb. Nanami gazed at him with an enraptured smile.

"Team One," Yaso began. He read down the list, mixed reactions appearing as students got their dream team or their living nightmare. "Team Four," he said now, "Akimichi Naoki, Inuzuka Subaru, and Haruno Mamoru."

Naoki turned to his twin, who mirrored his expression. Separated. It was a death sentence. Subaru huffed indifferently and the brown puppy on his head grumbled in sleep. Mamoru looked up from his one-handed push-ups, but other than a mild look of surprise, his face was blank.

Yaso, seeing no discrepancy, smiled. The girls tried to hold their squeals in at the sight. "Team Five, Inuzuka Kumamichi, Akimichi Naoto, and Uzumaki Meg--"

CRACK!

"Er…Uzumaki Megumi…."

Megumi removed her fist from the crater in her desk, anger not receding. She wasn't going to be with Sho, but she had to endure a mutt and a fat crybaby? The students around her scooted away from the blood-lust surrounding her.

Naoto shuddered at his fate, but Kumamichi grinned slyly. The beagle puppy in his shirt barked, her ears flattening. "We got the wanna-be Hyuga, Myu-chi," Kumamichi cackled silently.

"Team…Six," Yaso said, rolling his scarlet eyes. "Uzumaki Inari, Hyuga Sho-" WHAM! "And…Nara--" Wu-BAM!

"Megumi, stop it. The desk is in pieces," Iruka pointed out sternly.

Nanami felt a presence whose heart beat only for her blood and she stiffened. She glanced wearily at Sho but he was shaking his head to himself.

Inari looked back at his sister as Megumi sat with her head bowed. He knew her heart was breaking, even though everyone else saw it as monstrous moodiness. The eldest Uzumaki child could spot someone in love a mile away and he knew Megumi really liked Sho. Having a sweet blond with top grades and intellect on Sho's team instead of Megumi was a real kick to the heart. Inari knew he could say nothing without getting his throat stomped, so he turned back to gaze sorrowfully out the window.

Yaso grimaced. That better not be my team.

The others were compiled - somehow - and the children were marched out to meet their sensei and their families. Hoshu was still in the hallway, and he took Nanami's shoulder on her way out of the classroom. His face was pinched with unease. "Ah, Nanami-san, seeing the Hokage's really urgent. I have to get to him soon."

She pulled out of his grasp. "What's so important that you need to see the Hokage this instant, anyway?" she demanded. Sho and Inari hung back, the former intent on the answer and the latter simply waiting for his new teammate out of politeness.

Hoshu looked at the three children - and his eyes landed on Inari. The younger boy blinked at him but Hoshu looked like he'd be sick.

"Are you the Hokage's son?" he asked miserably.

"Hai. Do you need something from my father?" Inari felt Sho put a hand on his shoulder, and he watched as the Hyuga boy sent Hoshu a blackened glare.

"Let's go. Nanami-san." She sent the teen a look before hurrying to walk with her new team. Hoshu stood in the hall and watched them go. He particularly stared at the yellow spiral on the back of Inari's tan and blue jacket. Hoshu gritted his teeth together, enraged.

~*~*~*~*~

Naruto stepped back from his speech of congratulations and welcomed Inari with a high-five and a grin. "Man, am I proud of you! I'm glad you've graduated, too," he added as Megumi went to stand at attention beside Hinata. "You guys are developing so fast. Pretty soon you'll be the strongest shinobi here. Who knows? You might surpass me one day."

Megumi glared at her feet and let her accursed hair hide the tears in her eyes. I'm counting on it. Naoto and Kumamichi stood a little away from the Hokage family. The chubby boy looked frightened.

"Megumi-sama doesn't look happy to have us on her team," Naoto whined.

"What, are you kidding?" Kumamichi chuckled. "This team's the best! Oh, the fun we'll have with that stick in the mud, eh, Naoto-kun?" The shorter boy looked at him like he was insane, which was probably true, since Kumamichi was fabled to have spent the first four years of his life in a cave with starving wolves. His wild black hair and sharp canines definitely helped the rumors.

Myu whimpered at Kumamichi's eagerness to cause trouble and cuddled further into his shirt. The two boys avoided their female teammate and ran for their families.

Choji, Ino, Sakura, Lee, Kiba and his wife gathered around their children excitedly.

"You did it, Mamoru! That is my boy. Look at you; the exuberance of youth is practically exploding from your body," Lee exclaimed.

"It is?" Mamoru asked.

Lee knelt and took him by the shoulders. "Blindingly so! The fiery passion in your eyes is what makes you my beloved son." A fist crashed onto Lee's skull and the man fell, unconscious. Sakura glared down at him.

"I told you never to say that in public!" she hissed. Mamoru looked blankly down at his dazed father until Sakura embraced him affectionately. "We really are proud of you, Mamoru."

"…Thanks."

"Don't cause trouble for your teammates," Choji coached his twin sons. Ino was too busy grinning evilly at the fact that Sakura had spawned a child with the "beautiful green beast of Konoha". "Be kind to them, help them out. It may be tough now but soon you'll form an unbreakable bond with your team, one that can never be broken. Look at me - my teammates ended up being the love of my life and the best friend I've ever had."

Naoto nodded solemnly, but his brother looked over his shoulder at his own teammates. "Does that mean I have to marry one of those guys?"

Choji wiped his face with a meaty hand. "Naoki, shut up." Naoto scratched the back of his neck, glancing at Megumi like she had eyes in the back of her head.

Subaru punched his father's fist after Kumamichi's turn. "Ukyo says this is stupid." The brown dog blending with his brown hair harrumphed with approval.

"It isn't, Subaru," his mother, Asami, insisted. Kiba folded his scarred arms.

"Your mom's right. Every ninja is put on a team. If you can't work with others, you can't be a shinobi. Ukyo can keep his negative comments to himself."

Akamaru set Ukyo in a dominant glare and the pup growled and squeezed himself into a tighter ball. Subaru sighed heavily. "Hai, Otou-san."

"I'm looking forward to working with my team," Kumamichi said. Naoto shook his head wearily. Was he really going to be okay with a half-crazed animal and a wrathful woman on his team?

Sho and Nanami approached the Hokage and his family with purpose. Nanami hid behind her new teammate to avoid the death-stare of Uzumaki Megumi. Naruto noticed the two and grinned. "So you guys are Inari's teammates. It's good that you all know each other. I expect you three to work well together."

"Hokage-sama, there's a strange person asking around for you," Sho said.

"Strange person? Like what?" Naruto's big blue eyes were bright with curiosity that discouraged the fact that he was over thirty years old.

Nanami took it from there, explaining how she'd run into this person who called himself Hoshu and how he'd asked her to take him to the Hokage. Naruto's face grew grim.

"It's probably nothing, but I'll have all the jonin look out for the guy. What does he look like? What's he wearing?"

"Well-"

"There he is," Sho said suddenly, tensing. Hoshu was leaning against the tree on the edge of the academy yard. He was in shadow, and the swing beside him moved creakily in the breeze. Sho's special eyes could have spotted him if Hoshu had been hiding in complete darkness.

Shikamaru, Temari, Neji, and Tenten arrived to meet them, tiny Chinatsu seated on her mother's hip and lanky Shikatsuro dragging his feet behind his father. "Is something wrong?" Neji asked.

Naruto looked at the silhouetted figure with hard blue eyes, suspicious. "There might be. I'll be right back." Hinata took her husband's shoulder and shook her head.

"You're the Hokage and he wants you. Send someone else," she reasoned.

"We'll go," Neji said, glancing at Tenten who gave a short nod. "We'll take him to the questioning facility for interrogation."

"Mama," Chinatsu murmured as Tenten handed her off to Temari.

"Do we know if he's shinobi?" Tenten asked.

Nanami shook her head, starting to sweat at the thought of an actual fight. "He never said anything about that and he hasn't used jutsu."

The shinobi couple moved swiftly around the crowd towards Hoshu, who made no sign of acknowledging their approach. The group of parents watched tensely, Naruto especially on edge. Neji and Tenten stood before the teen cautiously but with authority.

"What's your purpose here? Who are you?" Tenten asked.

Hoshu took his hands from his pockets and shrugged off of the tree to face the married jonin. His eyes were filled with dulling anger. "I want to see the Hokage." His voice was strangled.

"You'll have to come with us before that happens," Neji said.

"He's right over there." Hoshu's magenta eyes flickered to where Naruto stood with his family. "I only need a few minutes with him, to talk things over."

"Either cooperate or we'll force you to comply."

"Try me," Hoshu snapped. He reached for something in his pocket - and gasped. Neji had been prepared to take a shot at his chakra points, and Tenten had withdrawn a small scroll from her sleeve, but now they stopped. The teen gaped into the distance as his eyes started glowing a stark pink. He dropped on his side without protecting himself from the fall.

Neji knelt by him cautiously, Byakugan activated for any kind of trick. What he saw instead made his insides twist. He looked back at Naruto, who gave him a look that brooked an answer for the odd behavior from across the field. The veins receded from Neji's eyes and he looked at Tenten. "Let's take him to interrogation."

[Gracie-kun]

[A/N: 'miko' means priestess and 'shisai' means priest.]

Hoshu heard the peal of the flute on his wrist, but instead of detaching from his body, he felt himself being dragged deeper inside. Light was quelled, form lost meaning, and yet he felt like he was choking on smog. Something like heavy, hot steam was filling his lungs and he couldn't breathe. His vision turned red for a brief moment before a malicious, canine face appeared before him. Its jaws opened to devour him whole.

"NO!" He was thrown back into his body to find himself sweating and heaving for breath. His body jerked upright from a patch of dirt in a cell carved crudely from a stone wall. He looked through the bars, the only light being the candles lining the walls. His arms were bound in a straight jacket.

Heart calming, Hoshu leaned his head back against the crag wall. "It's worse," he breathed.

"You're no shinobi."

He started at the voice only to find Neji standing before his cell. The man's light blue eyes were void of emotion while his face showed stone-like resolve. "Your chakra current hasn't been opened, not once. You couldn't be a ninja without an activated chakra system. However…there's a malicious power dormant in your current, one I've witnessed before."

Hoshu turned away from Neji as if that would make him disappear. Neji folded his arms. "Who are you." The teen seemed to deflate. Then he started talking.

Teams Matched from Hell - Father and Son Clash!

Mamoru, Naoki, and Subaru stood in line before their new sensei. The pink haired boy looked on with slight curiosity and Subaru stared off into the distance, but Naoki portrayed enough disgust on his face for the three of them.

"Oh hell no."

Lee threw a few punches at the air with great excitement. "YES! This is amazing! I have been graced with the opportunity to train my own son to be a shinob-" He was abruptly put into a headlock and couldn't continue.

"I said don't say that in public," Sakura snarled.

Kiba raised a hand at the pink haired kunoichi slowly from the parent section. "Uh, Sakura, it's not like it's any secret that Lee's Mamoru-kun's father, y'know." He flinched when green, hawkish eyes pierced him.

Subaru closed his eyes, huffing. "Kore ni wa orokadearu (This is so stupid)."

"Why does it have to be your old man?" Naoki demanded Mamoru. Big black eyes turned slowly on him, unblinking.

"The decision had nothing to do with me."

"Well do something about it!" The Akimichi child had heard the horror stories about Rock Lee's murderous training regiments, the personal, insane punishments he would put on himself if he lost a game he'd made up himself. Legend was that Might Guy was even worse. Naoki shuddered as he imagined the hell in store for him.

While Mamoru and Subaru followed their new sensei, the former dragging the dazed Naoki, Team Five stepped forward. Naruto stood with unusual soberness at his place near the pending jonin. He looked back at Tenten and Temari, the women exempt from being chosen because of their maternal duties. Tenten locked eyes with him as she held Chinatsu. She worried about Neji being alone with the intruder, but Naruto more so worried about who this intruder was. What enemies did he have now? Akatsuki was non-existent, Kabuto was dead along with the man who'd posed as Madara. Ever since the Fourth Ninja War had ended, every land had been in peace with each other. Maybe it was just some random attempt at his life, a rogue trying his hand at assassination. Naruto tried to pay attention as his daughter and her new team stepped forward.

Kotone tugged at Hinata's sleeve. "Is this going to be all right?"

"Of course, sweetie. Megumi is a strong girl. Even if she isn't sociable, she'll be able to adjust." The little girl swallowed hard.

"I wasn't worried about Onee-san."

Iruka looked at the paper he'd drawn with a puckered brow, looking from it to the team before him. Naoto shuffled nervously but Kumamichi grinned from ear to ear, and Megumi just glared at Iruka. "Team Five's sensei from now on will be Hatake Botan."

All any man saw walk out to greet the genin was a pair of legs concealed only in fishnet and a headband tied around the left thigh. Hatake Botan stood before her new students, fifteen-years-old with a body that made grown men cry for her young age. She wore a Leaf flak vest, very short shorts, and practically nothing else. Naoto almost fainted and Kumamichi's wide grin got even wider.

"Hi! I'm Botan, but you can call me Bo-sensei," Botan said with a wink.

Naoto raised his hand abruptly, speaking in a rush. "My name is Akimichi Naoto, I like potato chips and barbeque pork-" He was shoved violently aside by an exuberant Kumamichi.

"I'm Inuzuka Kumamichi, I'm a solid ten, and I'm the cutest kid you'll ever lay your eyes on."

Both Kiba and Choji covered their faces in shame at the same time. Ino was fuming in her seat, and Naoki wasn't much better. The difference in the siblings' luck with their sensei was so severe that he nearly got up to choke his twin brother.

Botan left to clear the way for more genin, Naoto and Kumamichi following her like flies. Myu hopped out of her master's shirt with a growl and trotted behind rather than be near his hormones. Megumi walked slowly after them all, eyes murderous. Hinata felt Sosuke squeezing her leg in a death embrace from fear.

"Okay, I see your point," she told Kotone, whose pigtail wiggled as she nodded rapidly.

Nanami stepped up to the waiting spot with Inari and Sho, heart pounding. She'd gotten good luck, getting placid teammates. Now, though, was the final test. She looked amongst the jonin gathered there, praying, hoping for a person sensible and decent, someone unlike Rock Lee and Hatake Botan.

"Team Six's sensei will be…Murai Nichiren."

A man shouldered his way from the pit of the crowd of jonin, and Nanami's prayers were smashed into insignificant pieces. Murai Nichiren was a bum. Hair like bed-head, eyes bland, the only personality in his standard Leaf ninja uniform being the blue tattoo of leaf designs on his neck. As he sauntered up to the three genin, the sharp smell of onions laced the air.

"Murai-sensei's fine," he roughed, voice deep and grating.

"Ah, I'm Uzum-" Inari's friendly introduction was cut off when Murai simply turned and tromped out of the waiting area. The blond boy looked at his teammates. Nanami sympathized and Sho just shook his head with disappointment.

Naruto watched Murai lead his son and his teammates away, and then felt a presence next to him. An AnBu member signaled for him to follow, and Naruto complied instantly. Hinata petted Sosuke's head as she watched her husband leave the ceremony earlier than was customary.

When Naruto descended into the holding cells below the interrogation building, he spotted Neji leaning on the wall opposite a particular cell. Naruto hurried over to get a look at the intruder. All he saw was a bowed head of light blond hair.

"So what's his deal?" Naruto asked.

Neji looked at the AnBu instead, face stern. "Let him out. He's no threat."

"What?" The Hokage watched in disbelief as the teen was being untied from the straight jacket. "Well if he's not a threat then who is he? Where'd he come from?"

"You should be familiar with that." Naruto blinked at the disapproval thick in Neji's tone. "We'll leave you two to talk it over," the Hyuga said as he beckoned the AnBu to leave with him.

"W-Wait a minute," Naruto protested weakly, but Neji and the AnBu were gone. The Hokage turned back to the younger man, whose head was still inclined. They stood there in silence for a minute or two. "Er…so…you wanted to see me about something?"

"I'm your son."

"Huh?"

The teen looked up through spiked bangs, the thin black lines prominent against his pale cheeks. "My name is Hoshu, and I'm your son," he growled.

Naruto stopped, looking over Hoshu clearly for the first time. Then the Hokage frowned. "That's impossible; don't waste my time," he said, waving a hand and turning to leave. He was stressed out as it was, and he didn't need anybody throwing something so ridiculous on him now.

Hoshu snarled. "My mother's Shion-sama."

The Seventh Hokage froze like he'd just run into an invisible wall. He turned and stared at Hoshu with confusion and alarm. The teen had light blond hair, sticking up in spikes as if his hair had been hacked at with a sword. His skin was fair, pale, but the whisker marks on his face cut the light skin with startling distinction. And while his eyes were not shaped like the priestess', the soft magenta hue under his furious brow was unmistakable. Naruto's own eyes rounded with disbelief as Hoshu spoke in a growling tone.

"Fifteen years ago a dark entity named Moryo threatened all of the shinobi world. Okaa-san was the only person who could stop him, to seal him within his body forever, but she was just a young miko. She needed help. That help was you. You fought tooth and nail to protect her, encouraged her, gave her the strength and the will to live on instead of sacrificing herself on a whim. You and my mother, together, defeated Moryo. And afterwards, you made her a promise. The result of that promise is standing right in front of you."

"Stop it." Naruto's voice was breathless.

Hoshu glared daggers into Naruto. "I'm your son, Naruto, and you know what? I had this crazy idea that you would remember my mother and would have loved her forever. I was so stupid, because here you are with a big family of your own, and I'm stuck being the bastard son of a great hero!"

"What the hell are you yelling at me for?" Naruto demanded, still shaken by what he'd been told. "It's not my fault for any of this. Shion- your mother tricked me into- she lied so that we could 'create' a miko!"

"Shisai," Hoshu corrected quietly. "Not something Okaa-san would have wanted, but she's stuck with me and my miniscule power. That's why…that's why I came here."

"You didn't run away," Naruto gasped. He could just imagine the international incident this teenaged shisai had created.

Hoshu wiped his fist horizontally in front of him, a gesture so familiar to Naruto that it was almost painful to witness someone other than himself do it. "Of course not! I told Okaa-san that I needed to get stronger, that I needed to find a peaceful area and meditate for a while. She agreed since my powers are so weak…just because I'm male, her powers weren't fully passed down to me…. But yours were."

"What?"

"I had a healer look me over on my journey, and she told me that I barely had any power as a shisai. The most I could do was predict when our country might be attacked, but not who was attacking or if we stood a chance. Then she said that I still had a chance. Because my chakra channels, the basis for shinobi power, she told me that they were immense and frightening. If I could harness this power and be trained as a ninja, it would make up for my uselessness as a shisai and I could protect Oni no Kuni myself."

"What does that have anything to do with finding me?" Naruto asked.

"What else? I want to be a ninja but I can't just walk into a random village and ask to become one. Since I'm in some way connected to you I-"

Naruto shook his head quickly. "Uh uh, no way. I'm not letting you stay here and I'm definitely not having you trained as a shinobi. I have enough problems of my own at the moment."

"I figured you'd say that, having a family of your own. They probably don't even know, do they?" Hoshu's anger receded only slightly and he looked mutely at his bare feet. "You completely forgot about my mother and me…but I'm not going to give you an option. I'm desperate. And if you don't accept me and teach me the shinobi arts, I'll tell all of the village who I am and how you left my mother alone with the burden of a child. Even if those you know are understanding, I doubt those who had loose trust of you before will stand beside you after hearing what I have to say."

The Hokage's blood went ice-cold. "You…You little!" He grabbed the collar of Hoshu's jacket.

He didn't flinch, eyes level with Naruto's. "You have enough problems, right? I'm not asking for your love or your acceptance, and you don't have to acknowledge me as your son. All I'm asking is that you help me get stronger so I can protect the people I care about. You owe me that much," he said with quiet resolve.

Naruto ground his teeth together and scrutinized the teen in his hands. Hoshu was just a kid, and he was trying to blackmail Naruto for something so severe and embarrassing. What would people do if they found out his big mistake from fifteen years ago? And Hinata? He felt his stomach twisting at the thought of her hurt, betrayed expression. She'd be so disappointed, so heartbroken. Why in God's name did Shion have to bring this on him?

~*~*~*~*~

Murai scratched the back of his head, sniffing. "Go on; do that little introduction thing."

Inari blinked at their new sensei. "Introduction thing?"

"Y'know, say your names and your goals and whatever else you feel like," the man said. He leaned against the side wall of the academy while the three genin stood before him. While the other jonin had taken their students all about the village to do this, he'd merely walked twenty paces to a place where he could take a rest at. And having their spot be at the side of a building with no other witnesses, Nanami felt like she was a part of some dirty, underhanded thing.

"Er, I'm Uzumaki Inari. I'm very much into training and my favorite food is ramen from Ichiraku's. I suppose my dream is to become an excellent jonin and to protect everyone who's dear to me. And I just wanted to say that it's great to have such a well-rounded team on my side," he added, smiling at Sho and Nanami.

Murai picked at something caught in his three-day stubble. "Next." Inari slouched a little at the indifference in his voice.

"My name's Nara Nanami. The Kagemane is my specialty, but I'm great at strategy, too. My dream is to stay one step ahead of my big brother and my cousin from Suna, Mokumasa," she said with determination. She smiled at Inari. "And it's nice to have you on the team, too." He grinned, spirits lifted again.

"Hyuga Sho," the brown haired boy said coolly. "My goal is to overcome the hatred of the Hyuga clan for the cadet branch, and show them what it truly means to be strong. I'm sure the three of us will make an excellent team."

"Grand. Now then…" Murai quirked a brow at Nanami as she raised her hand. "What."

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" she asked dubiously.

He heaved a sigh. "Again with this crap…Murai Nichiren. I don't like anything and there's too much that I hate to name them all here. I've achieved my ambitions already so I'm perfectly freaking content. The end. Questions?"

Inari patted Nanami's back comfortingly as she leaned her forehead into his shoulder. "We're doomed," she muttered.

Murai looked at each genin in turn, brown eyes dull. "Just because you were chosen today to graduate doesn't mean that you'll be on this team from now on. It's a very high possibility that I won't find you genin material. Your fate rests in my hands."

Now Sho had to comfort his teammates as they pressed their faces into either of his shoulders. "We're so doomed," Inari and Nanami muttered in unison. Sho rolled his eyes but could do nothing to shake them off.

The jonin thumbed his nose absently. "I don't really feel like going through this today, so - go to the seventeenth training area and I'll assess your skills. Hopefully you have some. Be there at eleven a.m. tomorrow." Murai became a flit of shadow and vanished.

"Will we really be okay?" Nanami asked. Sho shook his head.

"Doubt it. Our sensei's a creep."

Inari did his best to smile reassuringly. "Now, wait a minute; first impressions aren't always accurate. We can't jump to conclusions. Besides, we should get ready for Murai-sensei's test and be sure we're prepared for whatever he has in store for us." Sho and Nanami exchanged glances.

~*~*~*~*~

"So, I'll start with myself," Botan announced, raising her hand like she was a student. Naoto and Kumamichi nodded encouragement. Megumi sat on the railing on the roof where Team Five was meeting for the first time, and she glared into the sky as if to burn out the sun with her anger.

The silver haired beauty clasped her hands behind her back. "My name is Hatake Botan. I like barbeque chips-"

"Yes!" Naoto quietly pumped his fist.

"-doggies-"

"Yahoo!" Kumamichi hollered.

"-and dressing up cute girls. My goal is to find the love of my life and marry him and have lots and lots of babies."

"Is there an age-limit to your preferences?" the Inuzuka child asked. Botan giggled while Myu shook her little head in exasperation at Kumamichi.

Botan looked at the attentive boys before her. "Well I suppose you introduced yourselves already on our way here - you two are so talkative," she said with a smile, and they both melted. "So the only person who hasn't made themselves known isssss little Gumi-chan!"

The black haired girl sent Botan an evil stare, but there was nothing but a sweet smile on the jonin's face as she waited patiently. Megumi sighed, sliding off the railing and folding her arms.

"Uzumaki Megumi. I like training with the Hyuga clan. I hate giggly, air-headed girls like you. My goal is to become head of the Hyuga clan. And if you call me Gumi-chan again, I'll crack your empty skull against the pavement," she growled.

Botan's grin froze and she blinked her big brown eyes. Kumamichi looked expectantly between the girls, hoping for a brawl. Naoto shrunk into himself and Myu cowered behind his pudgy leg. Then Botan tilted her head and closed her eyes, smiling warmly.

There wasn't even a blurred image when the jonin disappeared. Megumi felt her hair pulled back, but before she could spin to attack, her wrists were snatched and held. She heard Botan speaking next to her ear from behind.

"There, now. You look so much cuter with your hair out of your face," she said in her bubbly manner. Megumi's blue eyes widened when she realized her hair was now in a high ponytail, her bangs nonexistent. She hadn't even realized what Botan had been doing.

She really is a jonin. Where'd she get the tie…? Megumi gaped at the missing string on her hooded beige sweater.

Botan released the startled girl and put her hands on her plentiful hips, smiling. "All right! Now that we know each other I'm sure that we'll all be the best of friends. But the fun's just beginning - I want you all to meet me in half an hour at the twenty-first training field, and I'll see what you've got." She kissed two of her fingers and winked at them. "Buh-bye!" In a twirl of leaves, Botan vanished.

Kumamichi whooped again. "Man, my luck is never-ending! What a fox. There's no way I'm botching this, not with a sensei like that to look forward to."

Naoto swallowed, watching as Megumi didn't move a single muscle, her face still portraying shock. "Ee to (um), Megumi-sama, I…" He threw up his arms in defense, but she only ripped the tie from her hair with a great snarl.

"That bitch!" Even Kumamichi was taken aback by her choice of words. "There's no way I'm taking that from a sleazy girl like her. I don't care if she is jonin - her head is mine." She leaped off the roof and darted out of sight in seconds.

Kumamichi grinned. "Well, you heard her. There's gonna be a cat fight after all. C'mon, Myu-chi." The beagle reluctantly hopped onto his head and he jumped straight down off the building.

Naoto stood alone, sighing. "I think I'd trade with Naoki about now…."

~*~*~*~*~

"Can I trade with Naoto?" Naoki demanded.

"You can't trade teams once you've been assigned," Mamoru pointed out.

"I bet I could. The right bribe, the right situation - it all depends on the circumstances."

"I don't think that's legal."

"Besides…" Naoki clutched his head. "How is running laps around the village considered initiation?"

Lee turned to jog backwards, looking at his team. "Come on, men! Let's explode with the passion of a thousand suns. Power of youth!" He turned and sprinted out of sight.

Naoki gaped. "How is that even possib-"

"Osu," Mamoru said, and in a flash of wind, the pink haired boy was gone. Naoki nearly tripped out of complete shock. Mamoru was the child of Sakura and Lee. The kunoichi's superior chakra control coupled with the green beast's insane speed and strength had created a taijutsu demon. And yet the boy's indifferent personality seemed an exact copy of Sai. Many people often wondered if those soulful black eyes hadn't come from the artful AnBu member instead of the beautiful green beast, but they let that touchy subject alone. At least Mamoru didn't seem to give the potential scandal any consideration.

Subaru rolled his eyes, walking far behind even Naoki, who at least made an effort to jog. "Kore ni wa orokadearu." Ukyo barked agreement and went back to snoozing in his master's shirt.

Mamoru was darting along beside Lee now, having caught up. The jonin grinned down at his son. "Excellent! You certainly have been training well with Sakura-san."

The pink haired boy kept looking forward, sweat beading on his temples but no strain appearing in his face. "You've been training me as well; it's not all Okaa-san's doing."

"Yes, but now I can begin to train you properly. You and your new teammates. I did not expect them to keep up with us the first day, so I am not discouraged by their lack of enthusiasm. Soon they will learn the rewarding ways of the beautiful green beast of Konoha! Just as you have, my son!"

"I doubt that," Mamoru said without infliction.

"Come! Let us run towards the sun, Mamoru!"

"Osu."

Naoki collapsed in the road, gasping and sweating profusely. "I'll die. I'm going to die like this. I won't even get a last meal." Subaru stepped over his whimpering form without so much as acknowledging him.

~*~*~*~*~

Yaso sat across from Shikamaru at the shogi board, chin on his fist, mind elsewhere. Shikamaru noticed and moved his piece to take a bishop. "Still sulking?"

"I'm not sulking," Yaso snapped. He stopped, studying the board, before slouching. "Okay maybe I am, but so what?"

"You can't dwell on this, Yaso-kun. This is the first time you've ever even been considered to teach genin, so of course your chances of actually succeeding was close to zero from the start. You shouldn't have been banking on this so much."

"But both Botan-san and Murai got teams this round, and they used to be on our cell. Sensei, isn't that a little unfair?"

"Life is unfair. I don't remember you complaining so much about it while you were just a genin," Shikamaru said with a smirk. Yaso frowned stubbornly and moved a piece, taking Shikamaru's castle. "There's always next graduation, kid; this wasn't a once in a lifetime shot."

The wavy haired teen sighed heavily. "I know…it just seems like my teammates are surpassing me by getting teams so early…."

"Do you remember how high Murai's standards were?" Shikamaru asked, quirking a brow. "From the look of things, that hasn't changed. And Botan…well, the result of Anko-san's and Kakashi-sensei's one-night-stand really created a troublesome woman. You used to always want to impress her when we were all on a team."

Yaso flushed and looked away. "That was before I actually got common sense. She may be strong but she's too ridiculous!" Shikamaru laughed and took Yaso's queen, making the young man groan unhappily. "If I'm going to be stuck doing D- and C-ranks for a while, I wanted to at least make them useful by taking my own team along, to teach them basics and things like that. Now I have nothing to do. What if Hokage-sama keeps assigning me babysitting missions?"

"Training a team of genin is babysitting. And do you really think Naruto would purposefully do that to you? Listen, your mother was ecstatic when you made jonin a few months back. You've reached what Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei…" Shikamaru grew quiet at his sensei's name on his lips. "At this rate, you'll surpass both your parents and beyond. Be patient. Wait it out and bide your time. Climbing the ladder of ranks is essentially a never-ending mission, so treat it like one."

The young jonin breathed out heavily. "Okay, Shikamaru-sensei."

Shikamaru nodded. "Good." Attention back to the game, just as Yaso placed his last bishop in a tile, the older jonin's hand moved like lightening to place his piece. "Checkmate." Yaso fell sideways on the porch, giving up. "Up for another round?"

~*~*~*~*~

Hoshu stood before Naruto's desk as the Hokage looked at him, fingers laced before his mouth and leaning on his papers. Neji stood by the door and waited for a verdict. The blond teen met his father's gaze steadily and never broke it once.

"…This is impossible."

"What?" Hoshu yelped.

Naruto leaned back in his chair and squinted his eyes. "We look way too much alike for me to let you just run around the village! Those handsome features of mine can be spotted miles away." Neji pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that his Hokage wasn't joking in the least.

"What are you talking about? I look more like my Okaa-san," the teen insisted. Naruto got up and pulled on Hoshu's cheeks, oblivious to the glittering anger in his son's eyes.

"Even if that's true, these markings are a dead giveaway. If we want nobody to know who you really are then you have to hide them, stat."

Hoshu slapped Naruto's hands away, fuming. "How the hell do you propose to do that!"

"Me? It's your fault for having them in the first place!"

"I had no say-so of what I'd look like when I was born. If it's anyone's fault, it's yours and your stupid DNA! I'd rather have looked exactly like Okaa-san than get anything from you."

"…Wow, that's way too familiar," Naruto said, suddenly cringing at the image of his eldest daughter. He shook his head to clear those thoughts away. "Can't you do transformation or something? We can't just let you walk around like that or the secret's out."

Two heads of spiky blond hair turned on Neji, and the jonin inwardly rolled his eyes. "Couldn't you just use make-up to cover the markings? Or bandages? If he used transformation, one hit from his peers and the illusion would break."

Hoshu blinked. "Wow, Okaa-san was right - you are the smart one," he said, poking a finger in Neji's direction.

Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. "So we can just slap some bandages on your face and you'd be set. Lots of people have spiky hair, and there's nothing else really prominent on you that screams 'I'm Naruto's kid!'."

"So is that it? When do I get assigned to my team?" The Hokage squinted at him irritably.

"You think you can become genin like that right off the bat? You have to go through the academy first, all us ninja do. A few years of training there-"

"I don't have a few years!" Hoshu snapped, alarmed. "I told Okaa-san I'd only be away for a year tops!"

"What the hell did you expect to get done in a year!" Naruto demanded.

"A whole bunch!"

The Hokage growled at Hoshu. "Have you even had the physical training for any of this? Ha! Probably not, seeing as you were waited on hand and foot by your servants." He stopped, thinking, and suddenly looked at his son somberly. "Hey, you don't…that power of yours, does it happen to be…the same as Shion's?"

Hoshu blinked. "You mean foreseeing people dying for me? No way, I'm not powerful enough for that." He pulled up his sleeve and showed the small flute tied to his wrist. "When I hear the tone of the flute, my pulse races, and visions of the present are revealed to me. I used it to find Konohagakure no Sato - I searched for it in spirit form, leaving my body behind each time. Once I had the location, I returned to my body and headed here. It's not the most impressive power but like I said, if I was born a girl my powers would have been greater."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. "Well, it's a heck of a lot better than Shion's power, and less scary," he muttered. "But you won't be using miko or shisai techniques; you'll be taught ninjutsu. I'm not sure if it's easier or harder, and I don't know if it's the same thing or not…."

The blond teen stared at the floor before looking up, squaring his shoulders. "I've had physical training - I sparred with the castle guards every day since I was eight. They also taught me how to use weapons like swords and bows and stuff. I think all I really need is to develop ninjutsu…please. Please Hokage-sama, I can't waste my time in a school when I need to get stronger in such a short amount of time."

"Have him take the test to become genin." Hoshu and Naruto turned to Neji as he spoke. "I can teach him basic ninja skills he'll need to know to reach that level, and one week from now he can take the genin test."

"And after that he needs a team, and a jonin," Naruto panned out, thinking. "We can't just pin him on any existing team; we'd have to scrounge up two more academy students." He rubbed his temples. "So where the hell are we going to find students who failed this graduation who will be ready for genin level in just one week?"

~*~*~*~*~

Shikatsuro panted heavily, glaring at the squirrel scuttling about the remote forest floor. No one was around for miles. He'd been at this for an hour. "Damn little thing's quick…." He scraped his nails against the flat metal rectangle almost as tall as he was. "But if I can capture this thing, then I can capture any ninja."

The squirrel sat up on its hind legs, looking towards Shikatsuro, recognizing a threat but one that couldn't touch it. The boy and the rodent stared each other down, unmoving, waiting for the other to strike.

Then Shikatsuro stuck the metal rectangle in the ground and made rapid handsigns. "Kagemane no Jutsu!" A tendril shot out from his shadow straight for the squirrel. The creature bolted back towards a tree and jumped to cling to its trunk. The shadow tendril reached around and attached to the tree's silhouette, absorbing it, and used it as momentum as the tendril slithered up and around the trunk.

With a brave leap, the squirrel descended from the tree and hit the ground running. Shikatsuro withdrew a kunai from his weapon pouch, concentrated his chakra, and threw it. It stuck into the ground in front of the squirrel. The string of shadow that had stretched from Shikatsuro with the knife snapped forward, and the rodent was caught.

Shikatsuro smirked. "Kagemane, complete." He pulled the metal rectangle from the ground as the squirrel shuddered, not understanding why it suddenly couldn't move. "If this were a real battle, I'd have played with you for a while, but I think I'll let you see all three moons at once."

With the smooth sliding of metal, the squirrel copying the teen's pose, Shikatsuro opened a dark green fan behind his back. There were three symbols along the top of the pleated cloth - the bordering ones being waning white moons, and the center was a circle with a white slash straight through it. His green eyes were intent on the squirrel.

"And now - Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" He swung the fan and gusts of chakra-enhanced air sprang from the motion. The invisible blades cut into the trees, gashing them, sometimes slicing them clean through. Four full-grown trees toppled with heavy crashes to the forest floor.

The debris cleared, and there the squirrel sat, huddled in a ball. It looked up at the amazing notion that it was still alive, and Shikatsuro smirked, triumphant.

"I did it. I finally did both at once." His eyes blazed with ambition. "Just wait, Nanami; there's no way you'll surpass me. Not ever again!"

~*~*~*~*~

Megumi, Naoto, and Kumamichi stood in the forest that was the twenty-first training field of Konoha. The trees were fairly thick and the sun only shone in dappled patches along the leaf litter.

"Oh my gosh, you're here!" Botan squealed, suddenly jumping from the trees and sweeping them all into a group hug. "I can so tell that we're all going to get along really well here~!"

While the boys were in their own personal heavens, Megumi's anger spiked again. "You're late, space cadet. You said thirty minutes, and you show up half an hour late," she snarled.

Botan released them, tilting her head like a kitten. "Oh my, I lost track of time. You see, Papa needed me to take out the garbage…."

"That takes half an hour?" Megumi stressed.

"It's okay, Bo-sensei. We don't mind waiting for you," Naoto said shyly. Kumamichi elbowed him away to stand before the silver haired beauty.

"Why don't I come with you next time? I'll make sure you get here on time." The ten-year-old grinned in a way he must have thought was seductive, but it made him look even younger. Myu rolled her eyes from the seat atop his head.

Botan clapped her hands together, getting their attention. "Okay, you guys! This test is very important. If I don't like what you show me, I'm required to send you straight back to the academy, so be sure to do your best. I won't go easy on you!"

Megumi set her in a condescending glare. "And what exactly are we supposed to do?"

The jonin giggled. She held up two bells.

[Gracie-kun]

Smoke and Mirrors

The seventeenth training ground was flat land, bordering a lake that deepened very slowly, so its shallow end was long. Several docks stretched into the body of water at different intervals. There was only one tree that sat smack dab in the middle of the clearing, and as Team Six approached, they could see Murai leaning against it.

"You're early?" Nanami couldn't help but be shocked.

"No, you three are late." Murai took a slice of onion from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. He shrugged from the tree to stand before his genin, chewing. "Hope you all brought your ninja tools, because we're not stopping once we start."

Inari raised his hand politely. "Er, Murai-sensei, what exactly are we starting?"

The jonin removed a carton of cigarettes from his flak vest and struck a match, lighting the tobacco. He exhaled a cloud of smoke onto his team, who coughed as a result. He didn't seem to notice. "Your objective today determines whether or not you're fit to be genin. I want all three of you to come at me full-force, no holds barred. I want you to attack me with the intent to kill. If you don't, you've wasted my time, and I don't like having my time wasted. I won't go easy on you, either."

Sho, Inari, and Nanami all bore the same deep frown, as if they smelled something bad. Nanami wiped tears from her eyes with her hands while Inari scrubbed the forearm of his jacket to remove them from his face.

Murai blinked apathetically at them. "What? It's not something to cry about. What are you, four?"

"The smoke's stinging our eyes!" Nanami snapped in protest.

"Hnn? You don't like my cigarettes?"

"They're disgusting," Sho coughed.

"Then take them from me."

"What?"

The jonin raised his eyebrow, cigarette bobbing in his mouth when he talked. "If you hate my cigarettes so much then you should confiscate them from me. I have three more in this carton, one for each of you. I'll give you all an hour to take one, and if you get one, you can consider yourselves lucky to have the great honor of being on my team. If you don't, I dangle you by the ankles in that tree for the rest of the day, and then I drag you back to your mothers in shame."

Inari blinked the remainder of his tears away. "But Sensei, taking your cigarettes isn't courteous to you." He started hacking again when Murai released smog straight into the blond boy's face.

"Does it really look like I care about courtesy, gaki?"

"I'll take those cigarettes," Sho said, eyes narrow.

Nanami frowned with duty and irritation. "Me, too."

Murai took the cigarette from his mouth only to blow more smoke. However, the indifferent air about him had changed in that gesture. A slight tension, a sensation of someone putting up a defense. "Ready when you are."

Nanami dropped down to one knee, making the sign of the Rat. "Kagemane no Jutsu!"

Murai leaped backwards with his hands in his pockets, moving in serpentine, half-lidded eyes on the line of darkness streaking across the grass to catch his shadow. It halted abruptly. "Must be your limit line," the jonin muttered around his cigarette. The flash of a red shirt alerted Murai in time to brush a two-fingered strike from hitting his neck. Sho came at the jonin, Byakugan active and straining the veins around his eyes.

Inari made a handsign as Nanami got up. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Three more Inaris popped into existence in plumes of white smoke. Two dashed towards the jonin, and the last grasped Inari's hand, spun, and threw him towards the battle. Inari landed and instantly ran, his clones forming a diamond with him as they sprinted.

Nanami hurried to catch up. When Inari and his clones joined the fight, trying to overwhelm Murai with numbers, she threw a shuriken.

It landed three inches from Murai's foot, but when he tried to move out of a kick, he found his legs stuck firmly in place. A thin layer of chakra surrounded the throwing star and pinned his shadow. Clicking his tongue, Murai leaned from the kick instead and threw the clone, making it implode.

The jonin made rapid handsigns, Sho the first to notice. What the-?

Suddenly the shuriken seemed to reverse, flying out of the ground and spinning high above their heads. A shard of glass winked in the late morning sun, stuck in the hole of the throwing star. Murai was able to shuffle his feet freely to allow him to fight with the minimal amount of movement possible.

Murai kicked the last clone out of existence. When he stepped back to face the real Inari, however, his heel pressed down on a steel wire. He looked back at it, unimpressed. "Traps?" A line of shuriken followed the breath of every leap backwards he made until he jumped straight up into the lone tree. Nanami met him there, already crouched on the same branch, and her shadow bolted to absorb his'.

Propelling sideways out of the tree, Murai rolled to break his fall and landed in a crouch. The blond girl grinned with satisfaction. "Game over."

The explosion tag under Murai's thumb burst to life. The jonin's brown eyes widened as seven more activated around him.

BOOM!

Inari gasped, looking more than horrified. He looked up at Nanami, pointing at the clearing fire and smoke. "N-N-Nanami-san! You killed our sensei!"

"He deserved that death, if that's the case," Sho muttered, but even their female teammate looked worried.

"Indeed, he deserved that."

Nanami's head snapped up to find Murai sitting on a branch several meters above her. His back was against the trunk, one leg swinging, as he lit a cigarette. He waved the match and glanced down at her. "I suck at making clones - they never end up being as strong as me."

Inari gasped, half relieved that they hadn't killed their jonin and half terrified that they'd been duped. "He uses kage bunshin too!"

Sho narrowed his Byakugan eyes at the figure in the trees as the young jonin blew a smoke ring out of pure boredom. "Honestly, if that's the best you can do you really are wasting my time. By the way, in case you were wondering, yes. This is one of your cigarettes."

~*~*~*~*~

Hoshu's eyes had glazed over, but it wasn't from his shisai powers. Neji rubbed his forehead as he tried to hold his temper.

"You really are his son."

"Wait, wait, explain it one more time!" Hoshu insisted. "And, maybe use a few smaller words?"

The Hyuga man sighed and thought it over. They were standing in the training yard of Neji's house. Hoshu was to stay there until the year was up and he'd become a shinobi, but as it turned out, the first day was slow-going. The teen didn't seem to understand anything when it was given to him in a full explanation.

"Okay, chakras are, to put it simply, the energies that a shinobi requires in order to perform ninjutsu. Basically, these energies are those of the body, drawn from each and every one of the approximately thirteen trillion cells that are believed to make up the human body, and those of the mental and spiritual energy acquired over the course of much training and experience. Together, those two forms of energy are what make up the chakras.

"In effect, all the arts and techniques of the shinobi are born of a combination of those two energies, brought forth from the body and spirit - in what is called 'manipulating the chakras' - and focused in the mystic process known as 'weaving signs'."

"…"

"Get out of my house."

"Maybe if you said it slower…?"

"Now."

Chinatsu presently came tottering into the yard, Tenten following after her with a juice box and straw. She noticed Hoshu and Neji at odds, and shook her head fondly. "Neji, you never did have patience as a teacher."

Her husband responded by folding his arms and trying to look as if he wasn't losing control of his anger. "I'm just trying to teach him the basic definition of chakra and he's not paying attention at all."

"W- I so am! You're just being really complicated," Hoshu snapped.

"Maybe you should try a different approach," Tenten suggested. "You know, more like how we explain things to 'Natsu-chan." Neji looked at her flatly. "Okay, okay, Mr. Macho. You didn't hesitate whenever 'Natsu-chan had a question," she teased.

"Bug!" The little brown bun on Chinatsu's head was the only part of her visible as the toddler skittered around a bush. "Bug, Papa, bug!"

Neji walked over to assist his daughter and Tenten sat on the edge of the porch, facing Hoshu. "You said you're a shisai, right? And being a shisai, you pray a lot, right?"

"Sure," the teen said slowly, searching for a relevance.

"Then think of chakra as a prayer. When you make a prayer, you put your hands together." She demonstrated. "In order to pray, you must put your two hands together. In order to make chakra, you must put your two energies together. Mental," she held up one hand, then the other, "and physical." She clapped her hands again. "Just like your two hands make a prayer, those two energies make chakra."

"So I fuse physical and mental energy together, and that makes chakra?" Hoshu's eyes squinted together. "That's so simple! Why'd he have to explain it like that?" Neji twitched where he held his daughter across the yard.

"Because grown men shouldn't have to have things explained in such a juvenile manner. Right, Natsu-chu?"

"Juice!" the girl declared. Neji nodded as if she'd just made his point.

Tenten poked the straw into the juice box and stood. "You got it? Just focus on squashing the energies together and you should get chakra."

"Hai." He watched with amusement as Neji set Chinatsu down and the little girl shot off like a rocket around the yard. Both jonin seemed to have a hard time chasing her as she crawled under bushes and weaved beneath the porch. "Now, squashing physical energy with mental. Can't be too hard - meditating never was a problem for me."

Hoshu sat cross-legged on the porch and rested his arms loosely in his lap. He breathed evenly and closed his eyes, letting the breeze and the sounds of Chinatsu's mischief be the only elements keeping him attached to his body. He almost listened for the tone of his flute but stopped himself, briefly cursing habit. I'll start making my chakra and be on my way to being a shinobi. Wait for me, Okaa-san.

~*~*~*~*~

Naoto walked back into the village from the forest, face a picture of wonderment. "Wow. That lesson really was deep. Who knew teamwork was so important when you're a genin?" He sighed, smiling at his own pathetic nature. "I can't believe I was the one tied up in the end, though."

"You're not the only one shocked," Kumamichi assured him. He tore at his hair. "Damn it, it should have been me who was tied up by Bo-sensei!"

"But that was a punishment…."

"Kid, it's the best kind of punishment."

Megumi trailed behind her male teammates as Kumamichi tried to explain the joys of bondage, and the dark haired girl was truly humbled. None of Team Five had been able to snag a bell from Botan. Kumamichi had just charged blindly and had gotten manhandled, which was probably his initial intentions from the start. Naoto had almost gotten the jonin with a Shintenshin no Jutsu but Botan was too quick, and while his body had been defenseless she'd tied him to a tree. And even using her knowledge of the Hyuga arts, Megumi had been unable to land a single blow on her sensei. Megumi indeed had been humbled - that didn't mean she wasn't still furious.

Reminded now that the current object of her hatred was being unusually quiet, Megumi turned to look back at Botan. The silver haired girl was looking up at the sky with a blank but thoughtful expression. "Sensei?"

"Hm?"

"You seem distracted. Not that I care."

Botan stopped, and Megumi did too, the boys continuing without notice. The jonin's mouse-brown eyes were still soaking in the celestial view with an indifferent but earnest curiosity. The wind played with her hair. "I was thinking about Nichi-kun."

"Nichi what?"

"Someone from my old genin team, a very dear friend of mine. He got a team yesterday, and he's testing them as we speak. I wonder…will he be able to accept them, with his heart in that condition? Such a fragile state full of mistrust and suspicion…."

Megumi blinked at the quiet tone in Botan's voice. The sadness in it completely opposed the jonin's bubbly nature. "Sensei…?"

Botan smiled abruptly. "Of course, Nichi-kun can't refuse me. I'm very special to him, you know! My sunny aura can clear away any kind of storm cloud around anyone's heart," she piped, voice dripping with honey. Megumi recoiled with automatic disgust.

"Prissy little…." The genin turned on her heel and stormed off. Botan giggled, smiling more naturally. She turned to look back up at the clouds with that same smile.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Nichi-kun, my prince."

~*~*~*~*~

Yaso's red eyes widened. "Hokage-sama did what?"

"You heard exactly what I said," Shikamaru said sternly, then smiled a little. "Turns out my good-for-nothing son is being graced with a second chance. He and two other kids are going to take the genin test in a week, and if they pass, you'll be their new sensei."

A slow grin broke out across Yaso's face. "That's amazing. That's fantastic. Okaa-san!" He ducked back into the apartment with the energy of a little boy.

Shikamaru shook his head and leaned against the doorway, laughing to himself. Yaso was such a goofy kid at heart. To see him before the Hokage's desk or during training, and then see him performing chores for Kurenai and play shogi with his old master almost bordered on multiple personality disorder. Of course, the separation of home life and the shinobi world had only become so extreme a few years back. The memory ruined Shikamaru's smile, dampening his mood.

Yaso returned, his eyes even brighter, and Shikamaru knew Kurenai had praised him. "So I can teach Shikatsuro-kun? We're almost the same age…but that doesn't matter. Who else is being admitted?"

"Calm yourself, gaki, they haven't even passed the test yet," the older jonin chuckled, still quiet. "If one of them fails the genin test, you won't have a team."

"Then I'll go train them for the week."

"You can't train them until they're your genin."

"Why not?" Yaso asked, bewildered. "I'm a student teacher at the academy - I should be able to."

Shaking his head at the honest determination on his former student's face, Shikamaru waved his hand. "I think we should bank on their natural talent. I don't know about the other two, but I think Shikatsuro is sick of losing to his little sister, so you've got that going for you. I hear the second kid showed up out of nowhere bent to hell on becoming an accomplished ninja in a year's time. Yeah, I know. Don't ask about the third; I have no clue who it is."

Yaso let out a breath to calm his excitement. He only succeeded in quelling half his anxiety. "One week. In one week I'll lead my own team." Shikamaru scratched the back of his neck.

"I told you, don't get your hopes up, kid…."

~*~*~*~*~

Murai skidded back to keep his footing, but otherwise stood his ground. No sweat blemished his skin and his hair looked tangled whether he was in motion or not. The second cigarette was burned halfway through in his mouth. Sho and Nanami faced him with growing anticipation.

From across the field Inari looked on, a stubbed-out cigarette in his fingers. He was the first to gain passage by distracting the jonin with his shadow clones. The blond boy studied the threesome in battle, concern writ in his creased brow. Five minutes left. Come on, Sho-kun, Nanami-san…!

After half a minute of intense staring, Sho moved to charge. Just as he did Murai made rapid handsigns. "Raikiri!" Electricity screeched and then blossomed in his palm. He grabbed the arm that held it, shaking as he tried to contain it.

Sho's Byakugan eyes narrowed. That technique belongs to Sharingan no Kakashi. He was only able to perfect it because of the Sharingan implanted into his left eye. But this guy - the Uchiha are wiped out, and he has no Sharingan. That jutsu will be clumsily powerful and chalk-full of openings. Does he underestimate us that much?

Murai reared back. "Ninpo: Shaado Sasu!" He slammed the lightening blade into the ground up to his elbow, seeming to snuff the jutsu. Then, sharp pieces of glass shot out of the ground, clustering towards Nanami and Sho. Several caught her in the stomach and chest, but in a puff of smoke she became a log, having used substitution. Sho deflected the shards with a knife and discarded it as he ran at Murai.

The jonin pulled his arm from the ground, shaking off the dirt, and leaned away from the deadly Hyuga-style taijutsu. Every stab for his chakra points were avoided but one, and it was a fatal mistake on Murai's part. Sho hit his palm square in Murai's solar plexus, and the teen blanched. The genin swiped the cigarette from Murai's mouth and leaped away to stand by Inari.

Murai's neck muscles were taut and he hugged his stomach, blood sliding down his chin. Inari bit his nail. "You used too much force, Sho-kun." The Hyuga shrugged indifferently.

Once the jonin had recovered somewhat, Nanami appeared from behind the tree. She and Murai locked eyes. Even hunched with pain, he still had the defiance to take the last cigarette and screw it between his lips.

Nanami dashed sideways, weaving handsigns. "Kage Nui (Shadow Stitching!" Her shadow attached to the tree's and stretched as she ran, hundreds of thin black tendrils sprouting from the line. They sped straight for Murai.

"Kabe Kagami (Reflecting Wall)!" Lightening flickered around Murai's feet for a moment, and then a rectangle of morphed glass shot up from the ground. He glared solemnly as the shadows bounced off the clear surface.

Nanami bolted for the wall with a shuriken between each finger. She focused chakra over them and threw them all at once. They pinged and clanged but made no breaches. Sweat slid down her temple. Two minutes left.

The jonin seemed mostly recovered, blood still staining his face. He pulled back his fist and punched the glass wall. It shattered and he grabbed smaller pieces, throwing them at her in quick succession. She leapt nimbly out of harm's way. One minute.

"Daini Sutoraiku (Second Strike)," Murai growled, making a handsign.

The sound of electricity warned Nanami a moment before each glass shard stuck in the ground exploded with lightening. A coil of yellow energy hit her leg, but she used substitution again and vanished.

Murai looked around the clearing to locate the shadow kunoichi. Sho and Inari did the same more so out of concern. Time was running out. Only a few seconds left.

The ground below the jonin exploded and Nanami jumped up, reaching for the bloody cigarette. Murai's eyes rounded in disbelief. It felt like slow motion as she stretched her fingers to take the tobacco.

A beeping sound went off. Murai vanished.

Nanami felt a hand on the back of her head to hold her in place. "Close. But no cigarette." She gulped as Murai switched the alarm on his watch off, and then struck a match against his facial hair. He lit his last cigarette. "You know the drill, sweetheart."

A minute later and Nanami found herself hanging upside down from the tree, limp and defeated. Murai blew smoke at her face with an air of triumph, though no smirk graced his features.

"This is an unexpected turnout," he said, glancing at the two champions. "I thought for sure Reigi-san (Mr. Courtesy) would be the one I hung dry, but you were the first to get one. Congrats."

Somehow, none of the children looked excited. Nanami looked especially depressed. Just a second earlier, if she had finished that tunnel a moment earlier…. Inari glanced at her with a heavy heart and Sho looked at his feet. It was sad that Nanami was the only one to lose. They didn't want her to leave.

"So as a result of the assessments I've just made…" Murai crushed the cigarette against the tree without finishing it. "Fail."

"You mean Nanami-san?" Sho asked.

"I mean all of you. None of you has what it takes to be shinobi." The genin stared at him with devastation as he pocketed the spent cigarette. He glanced back at Nanami. "You, I think I'll keep here, just because I like picking on girls."

Inari recovered from his sudden grief. "B-But you said that if we got one-"

He stopped at Murai's half-lidded eyes on him. "Did you not hear me? I've decided you aren't fit for genin-level. It's back to the academy with the three of you."

"What's your reason?" Sho demanded.

"Like I have to explain myself to wet blankets. Now, I'm going to the Hokage's to fill out the paperwork for this." He coughed into his fist. "And maybe stop by the infirmary. I want you all to sit here and wait until I come get you. Leave the training ground and you're dead. Oh, and if either one of you cuts her down, I'll make damn sure it'll be even more difficult for you to become genin next year. See you in a few hours, failures."

Minutes went by as the sun crawled a barely-noticeable amount of space across the infinite sky. It was warm without being scalding in the sunlight, and the slightest breeze flowed about the clearing.

Inari leaned on the tree trunk as he sat under it. "I can't believe it. Murai-sensei's really serious about failing us, isn't he?"

"I wouldn't put it past him," Sho said. He remained in his cool composure, but the edge in his voice told the others that he was furious and crestfallen.

Nanami wriggled her fingers to get feeling back into them. "I'm sorry, you guys. This is probably my fault. If I'd just have gotten his stupid cigarette, maybe we all would have passed."

"No, you're not to blame," Inari said. "We…must have done something wrong. Something important."

"But you two got cigarettes just fine. You should have passed, at least! But somehow we're all on the chopping block. I'm really sorry, guys." Nanami blinked hard. She was getting a headache from hanging upside down for so long. "We have to…start all over…."

Sho got up, making Inari look over at him. "Where are you going? Murai-sensei told us not to leave," he yelped as the brown haired boy started walking out into the field. Activating his Byakugan, Sho scoured the sight where Nanami had set paper bombs. He stooped to pick something up, coming back.

"Even if it was only for today, we're teammates. Who cares what some washed-up jonin says? We don't blame you, Nanami-san. If we start over, we do it together." Sho held a half-burned cigarette before Nanami's wide green eyes.

"Sho-kun…."

Inari hopped to his feet. "He's right. We were all put on the same team to work together." He exchanged a look with Sho.

"H-Hey, don't!" Nanami protested as Inari held her up and Sho sliced the rope hanging her off the ground. "If you do this…!"

"When we go back to the academy," Inari said, setting his shorter teammate down, "we've got to stick together. The three of us."

Nanami looked between the boys, one's face a cool smile and the others' a kind grin. She almost cried. Instead, she beamed at them, a younger, sweeter Temari. "You guys are too much." Inari and Sho seemed to sigh with relief.

"Eaugh! I'll say."

The genin whirled with a start to see Murai standing a little ways away. He looked like he'd seen the genin gut each other with spoons. "'We don't blame you'? 'We've got to stick together'? Are you trying to make me puke?"

Inari flushed, Sho just giving Murai an irritated stare. "Just because you're a sour jerk," Nanami said, "doesn't mean we have to be like you."

"You've already been to Hokage-sama?" Inari asked, stomach twisting. Naruto would be so disappointed if he found out his eldest son had failed to stay a genin.

Murai pulled a new carton of cigarettes from his flak vest and cracked it open. "I've been here the whole damn time. I saw everything. Son of a- I can't believe I actually lost."

"Lost what?"

"She'll never let me live this down…." Murai puffed on a fresh cigarette. "Apparently, I have no other choice but to give you a passing grade."

"We passed?" Inari squeaked.

"But you said-"

Murai raised a hand to silence Nanami, scowling. "The lesson here was teamwork. Even if all three of you had gotten a cigarette, using your one-man method I'd have failed you anyway. However, if you all had worked together and got no cigarettes, all three of you would have passed. As a genin your whole focus is on working with others to get stronger. Why do you think you were put into three-man cells?"

Nanami frowned in confusion. "But we didn't work together - you just changed your mind."

The jonin gestured to them all like they were animals begging him for food. "That sickening little display of gooey mushy friendship was proof enough. You're capable of teamwork. Great teamwork. Mendokusē," Nanami's face pinched at the familiar phrase, "but I guess my hands are tied. You…pass." He gave them an unfeeling thumbs-up.

Inari whooped and jumped about in the Uzumaki spirit. Sho crossed his arms and smiled to himself, too cool to react in such a manner. Nanami had to keep herself from hugging their smelly new sensei. "We won't let you down, Murai-sensei!"

Murai sucked tobacco from his cigarette. "I doubt it."

~*~*~*~*~

Naruto was about to walk to Neji's and Tenten's front door when he heard a frustrated howl. Hoshu was writhing on the porch, having finally lost his patience.

"What the heck! I've been sitting here all day and I haven't made any chakra! What's wrong with me?" he groaned.

The Shichidaime frowned, torn. He knew he should encourage the teen but somehow he felt uncomfortable with the thought of having a one-on-one with Hoshu. He was Naruto's son. Illegitimate, but still his son. Naruto couldn't help but to feel dirty knowing he'd been unfaithful to Hinata - even if this occurrence had happened before he'd even started seeing her. Hoshu didn't seem too happy with him, either. Naruto squinted at his predicament.

Damn it, Shion…. Naruto sighed and approached the teen. "Uh, hey." Hoshu sat up with a start. Then he slouched.

"What is it?"

Naruto sat on the edge of the porch that wrapped around the house. "I…came by to see how you were doing," he admitted.

Hoshu scoffed. "Don't go starting that. I told you, I don't care if you accept me or not."

His father frowned childishly. "You sound just like Shion."

They sat still and silent for a few minutes. After a while Hoshu wiped his brow and sat next to Naruto, and then they were silent some more. The warm sun cast the Hyuga clan's miniature village in a cognac glow.

Naruto scratched his head awkwardly. "Can't make chakra, huh?"

"I've almost got it," Hoshu snapped. That rushed defense betrayed him - even Naruto could tell that the young shisai was losing hope.

"If you…showed me what you were doing…maybe I could give you a few pointers?" The Hokage tried to make the suggestion aloof but he eyed Hoshu's face for a sign of compliance.

"…Okay." Hoshu turned his body towards Naruto and crossed his legs.

"Uh…what are you doing?" his father asked.

Hoshu didn't open his eyes. "Meditating."

WHAP!

"There's your problem!"

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?" Hoshu yelled.

Naruto shook his head. "No wonder you're not getting chakra. Meditating doesn't do crap! Well, it works with Sage chakra…but you need normal chakra first, and that sissy stuff won't- Ow! Why'd you hit me?"

"Meditation is not sissy."

"Ugh, my point is, blocking out the world won't do you any good. As a ninja you constantly have to be on the move, or you're dead. Pretending to be 'one with nature' will get you killed; besides that, no chakra comes out of it."

"But if meditating doesn't work - how else do you fuse physical and mental energy?"

Naruto stopped, staring at his son with his face scrunched in bewilderment. "Do what now?"

"You know, chakra is made by combining physical and mental energy," the teen said, clapping his hands together. Again, the look of understanding didn't even glimmer before it drowned in the dull ocean of the Hokage's eyes.

"…I don't know anything about that."

"How!"

"Look, maybe you're over-thinking it. I don't know how the hell chakra's made and I can use it just fine. All I ever did to start up my chakra was fold my hands and ask for it."

"You…ask for chakra."

Naruto clasped his hands, index and middle fingers standing straight up. "Yup. Just close your eyes and say 'give me chakra'."

Skeptical, but knowing that he wasn't exactly an expert himself, Hoshu copied his father. "Erm…Give me chakra…"

"More feeling, have more authority."

"Give me chakra."

"Throw in a 'please'."

"Please give me chakra."

"Now lie on your back and bark like a dog."

Hoshu punched the Hokage in the cheek. "I knew it! You're just making fun of me!"

Naruto grinned under his hand as he rubbed his face. "Okay, in all seriousness now. Concentrate really hard, but don't meditate."

The teen scowled suspiciously at Naruto as he complied, folding his hands again. He relaxed his shoulders and breathed out. He focused on the phrase, pleading, and the more he focused, the more he became desperate for it to work. Give me chakra….

A shift in the air made Naruto's eyes widen. "Hey, you did it. It actually worked!"

Hoshu opened his eyes and looked at his hands. Nothing was different that he could see, but he felt a trembling sensation just beneath his skin, a warm sensation. It was alien and unfamiliar, but it wasn't anything terrible. He realized that his fatigue was evaporating as the feeling grew stronger.

"This is chakra?" He was breathless with awe.

"It's the basis for every ninja technique you'll ever learn," Naruto said. "Channeling it is second nature, once your chakra line is open. It's forming it to create ninjutsu that's the tough part. But for now, you only need to learn things like transformation and substitution, basic things. Train all week, and you'll be a genin."

"You…you really believe that?" Naruto blinked as if it was a silly question.

"Well, yeah. You said you'd do it."

Hoshu shifted uncomfortably, suddenly not able to look at Naruto. "Yes, but nobody believes that. I fail at everything. Me being all pumped up is just something to distract me. It's hopeless, right? I can't do anything but lose." Naruto patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"That's because everybody tells you you're going to lose. Quit listening to the peanut gallery and believe in yourself, and you can accomplish whatever you want. Look at me - I was the annoying brat who kept screaming 'I'm gonna be Hokage' in everybody's face, and then got beat up for it. And look where I am now." He cackled, conniving. "I sure showed those jerks!"

"Believing in myself…it's hard when no one else does. I'm not saying you should believe in me just because I said that, either," Hoshu said quickly, embarrassed.

Naruto laughed quietly and tousled Hoshu's light blond spikes. "I want to believe in you, Hoshu. You and I aren't that different, really. And your mom…if you're anything like her, you deserve to have someone supporting you. You'll become a great ninja by this time next year. I know you will."

Hoshu's pink eyes rounded at his grinning father. The longer he stared, the more he realized that this new warmth in his chest and face was not because of his chakra.

"Hush-ooh!" Something small launched itself onto Hoshu's back, grabbing his patched-up face. "Hush-ooh, mush-ooh!"

Tenten rushed out with a pair of footie pajamas in her hand. She watched her daughter pull on Hoshu's ponytail with exasperation. "Natsu-chan, don't make people carry you so you can get away. There's no escape."

Chinatsu glanced back at her mother and pouted, eyes half-lidded. "Papa."

"No, Papa's not going to let you stay up, either." Tenten noticed Naruto's unmistakable grin and straightened a little. "What are you doing here? Aren't you busy?"

"I needed a breather," he said, standing up to stretch. He looked down at Hoshu and grinned again, winking. "Keep it up, okay?"

Hoshu watched the back of Naruto's modern red and white Hokage trench coat until it vanished around the corner. He blinked, Chinatsu's chin on his scalp to watch with him. "Is that guy always so…?"

"Ridiculous? Yes." Tenten plucked Chinatsu from the teen. "But when you catch him off-guard, he's a pretty great Hokage. Come on in, you must be starving. Natsu-chan, I swear, if you bite me one more time…"

[Gracie-kun]

[A/N: 'akage' is a derogatory term for 'redhead'.]

"Ow ow ow ow ow." Naoki complained loudly after each step towards the kitchen table. He pulled out a chair. "Ow." Sat in it. "Ow." Slammed his head into the table. "OW." His twin munched on eggs and french toast as he watched Naoki's performance.

"Still sore?"

Naoki sat up, a red mark on his forehead. "Still? Still? I've been sore all week! That Bushy-Brow-sensei is trying to murder me."

"How?"

"The first day, we ran around the village for hours. The second, we did curl-ups from dawn till dusk. Kicking dummies, punching dummies, head-butting dummies - I'm starting to see the stupid things in my dreams! And jumping rope. Jumping rope, Naoto."

"You look thinner." Naoki scowled at his twin.

"No, I look gaunt. Underfed. Starved. Anyway, why aren't you hurting like hell? Haven't you been training?"

Naoto shoved a few slices of bacon into his chubby, swirl-tattooed cheeks. "Mm-mm. I've been on missions all week."

"Missions?" Naoki gaped at the gentle boy. "As in 'I just pummeled a whole group of rogue ninja' missions?"

"Of course not. We only just became genin. Bo-sensei said we should start out slow and do missions like cleaning up the river and walking Kakashi-sensei's dogs. Although, that one turned out to be a chore he'd given Bo-sensei, but she paid us in the end. We get a lot of money doing little things like that."

Naoki groaned, poking a fried egg that was meant for him but finding no desire for it. He'd just throw it up in an hour once he started training. "Seriously, you got off lucky. I'd trade teams with you any day."

As he spooned another clump of sweet oatmeal into his mouth, Naoto thought about his team. Kumamichi was very vulgar for someone his age and maybe a bit crazy, but Naoto found himself liking the half-feral boy and his mild puppy. Botan was pretty, of course, but she was also cheerful and encouraging. Megumi had quickly gone from someone he feared to someone he feared and admired for her strength and determination. Finally, he smiled at his twin. "Trust me, you don't want anything to do with my team."

"NAOKI-KUUUUN!" Before the perturbed boy could ask Naoto how that could be possible, his name was roared from outside, and he sat petrified in horror. "Come, my student! There is much training to be had on this glorious, passionate day!"

Naoki glared at his brother, who smiled apologetically. "The same to you." He hurried into a cupboard to hide himself. A few seconds later, Mamoru leaped through the window, Subaru content with crouching in the sill. The pink haired boy looked about, not seeming to notice a surprised Naoto. Then Mamoru made a calm beeline for the cupboard. "WHAT! How the- wha-?"

"I sensed your chakra. And your scarf was sticking out."

"Kore ni wa orokadearu," Subaru murmured, launching backwards.

"N-No wait. Mamoru, put me down! Naoto, don't let him take me, NAOTOOO!" his twin cried as Mamoru jumped out the window with Naoki over his shoulder.

Naoto drank his milk to hide his innocent snicker. "Have fun, big brother."

"Naoto?" Ino came into the kitchen, then, holding her garden shears. "Your team came to pick you up. Where's Naoki?"

"He left already. Bye, Okaa-san. I love you." Naoto kissed her cheek and hurried to greet his team.

Hoshu-Shika-Who?

Iruka wiped his face as he looked at the papers on his desk. They were from second-year students, and the subject was strategy. It seemed that the longer he taught at the academy the less children instinctively knew. Grades were dropping lower and lower. He picked up a particular paper with disdain.

Lots was written on the paper, but indiscriminately and in sloppy script. The ideas seemed to be everywhere, and from what Iruka could make of them, they weren't very good ideas. Loose tactics, fuzzy technicalities, nothing stating what the other three teammates would be doing. Finally, Iruka looked up at the name written in big, fat letters: Uzumaki Kotone. Inari straightened out early and Megumi was perfect from the beginning. I think Naruto's finally shining through in his children. Iruka remembered the good qualities that had come out of his former student because of it and smiled fondly.

"Um…Sensei?"

"N-Naruto! What have I told you about sneaking up on m-!" Iruka whirled to face the person who'd startled him and stopped. "O-…Oh. I'm sorry. I thought you were someone…never mind. What can I do for you?"

Hoshu straightened his shoulders and held himself with a solemn air, mimicking the regality Shion always had in her presence. "I've come to take the genin test, Sensei."

"So you're the teenaged shisai from the Land of Ogres." Iruka looked him over briefly from his bare feet to the square bandages on either of his cheeks. "You want to become genin without going through academy. You know it usually takes an average of three years of training before you can consider yourself ready for genin level?"

"Y-Yes, Sensei. I just…I've trained physically since I was young. All I really needed to learn was chakra control."

"And you've done that in a week?" Iruka asked, doubtful.

"I sure did," Hoshu laughed. The graying chunin blinked at a case of de ja vu nagging in the back of his mind.

Iruka cleared his throat. "All right. The first of you three taking the test is already attempting it in the other room. Why don't you have a seat and wait. It shouldn't be more than ten minutes."

"Hai, Sensei."

"Iruka; my name's Iruka."

Hoshu grinned. "Hai, Iruka-sensei." Again, the chunin felt like he'd heard someone like Hoshu before.

It wasn't but a few minutes later after Hoshu had been sitting, poised and straight-backed, when another teen entered the classroom. His black hair stuck straight up in a ponytail and a green metal rectangle was strapped across his back. "Hey, Iruka-sensei."

"Shikatsuro. You really think you're ready for this?" Iruka asked, quirking a brow.

"Ha! Just watch, old man," Shikatsuro growled. He chose the opposite side of the classroom from Hoshu, who had gotten up to greet what he supposed would be his first teammate. The blond teen frowned a little and sat back, feeling awkward. Shikatsuro leaned back for a short nap and didn't acknowledge his existence.

A chunin poked his head into the classroom. "Who's next?" Shikatsuro didn't stir.

"Er, I am," Hoshu said, standing. He waved at Iruka as he followed the other chunin into the hall. He was led into another classroom where three people sat. There was a man with his headband drooped over his left eye, dull gray streaking the silver in his lopsided hairdo. A woman with large breasts and loose blond twin tails was also present. And sandwiched between them was Naruto himself. He grinned as Hoshu froze at the sight of him.

"Let's see what you've done in a week's time, Hoshu."

~*~*~*~*~

Inari made several handsigns. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Four Inaris popped into existence and darted at Sho. The brown haired boy held up his hand in the Hyuga combat style, the veins around his eyes swelling. The crowd of blonds attacked Sho all at once, but Sho was proving to be a taijutsu master. With just the press of his fingers, two clones exploded.

Nanami sat with her knees drawn up a little ways away. She had lost against Sho, which wasn't surprising, but this was their first week of genin level completed. And in that time, what had they accomplished?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

We haven't learned anything new, we haven't been on missions, we haven't had any real training. Nanami sighed heavily and curled up in a ball. Murai-sensei disappears for a week and we have to make due scheduling sparring sessions on our own. Where the heck is that smelly old man?

Suddenly, Sho stopped in the middle of the match. "Enough." Inari veered a hard right with his punch so he wouldn't hit his teammate, who didn't even flinch, and Inari was sent toppling from the force of his own swing. "We've been wasting our time long enough. We have to find Murai."

"I asked Otou-san, but Murai-sensei hasn't been called out on missions. He should still be in the village," Inari said as he sat up from the grass.

Nanami stood up and dusted off the back of her pants. "We've searched everywhere, though. If we could just figure out where he lives then maybe we could track him down?"

Sho puzzled it out. "I've used my Byakugan countless times. He doesn't seem to be anywhere in the village. Let's physically scout distinct areas and report back here in an hour. Ask around for him. If we don't have some sort of jonin teacher soon we'll be even more behind than the other genin. Understood?"

"Osu," Nanami and Inari said in stereo. The three of them blurred and went towards different directions to find their MIA sensei.

Inari checked each house in his area door to door, describing Murai to passers-by and asking if they'd seen him around. None had. He made sure that their sensei hadn't been in the hospital all this time but his worry was settled when no such person had been admitted. Still, it was unnerving that no one had even heard of a man named Murai Nichiren.

Sho was having similar luck, though he searched each house individually with Byakugan. He'd even chanced a peek into the infamous Forest of Death, the 44th training ground and one that had been used many a time in the Chunin Exams. No greasy jonin in there. He leaped from roof to roof, scouring the village with growing irritation.

Nanami combed the village on foot, weaving through the streets and poking her head into every shop, hoping Murai would be purchasing something there. Everyone she asked had never heard of their sensei. She stopped after almost an hour to rest, sitting at Ichiraku's with her back to the counter.

She groaned. "Where could he have gone? It'd be just our luck that he'd just been a genjutsu, a fabrication this entire time. We haven't seen him since we were accepted so where is that lazy lug?"

"You want anything?" Nanami turned to find an attractive teen behind the counter. She'd never seen him there before. He must have been new. She felt her face burn in the presence of this handsome young man.

"Oh, n-no, I was just taking a rest, thank you." Nanami turned back to the crowd if only to hide her blush. I should get back to the others and call it a day. It's obvious we won't be finding Murai-sensei anytime soon. Maybe we could have Lord Hokage send a search team for him?

"If you're not gonna order anything, then beat it," the teen said. Nanami turned back to give him a look for suddenly being so rude-

That voice. That lazy manner of speech. Nanami's green eyes widened at the teen, who stared at her flatly.

"Mu…M…Murai-sensei!"

~*~*~*~*~

Hoshu looked up when Iruka walked in, them being the only people in the classroom. Hoshu had been sent there after his assessment without any indication of how he'd done. He was ready for some answers.

Iruka smiled. "Well well, congratulations. You and the other two actually passed."

The blond teen stopped halfway from getting up. He stared at Iruka, eyes wide. His jaw moved mechanically to make words but they didn't carry. Finally, he remembered to breathe. "I…."

"Don't be too excited - the judges weren't overly impressed with your skills," the chunin said. "Your grade is the lowest of your new teammates, who were average at best. What really pushed you into passing was Hokage-sama's encouragement of you to Former Godaime-sama and Kakashi-sensei. He really seemed to want to pass you. So the other two had no choice or, quite frankly, Hokage-sama wouldn't have shut u-"

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei!" Hoshu flung himself onto the chunin and embraced him tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

Iruka turned blue. "Uh…Hoshu…my lungs have no oxygen…."

Hoshu released Iruka, who wobbled from the sudden lack of support. The teen clenched his fists with eyes like pink fire. "I'm a shinobi; I actually made it to shinobi level!"

"H-Hoshu, I just told you that your skills aren't that great." Iruka blinked when Hoshu just gave him a big grin in return.

"No offense, Iruka-sensei, but I don't care what you or anyone else thinks of me."

Iruka flinched, veins forming beneath his forehead protector. "Y-…You arrogant little…!"

"My teammates are waiting for me, right? I'd better go meet them. Thanks again, Iruka-sensei!" Hoshu waved and bolted out of the room.

The chunin sighed, deciding it better to let the subject go than to heighten his blood pressure. Still, the young shisai's words replayed themselves in his mind. "Not what me or anyone else thinks, huh? … I swear, he's like a whole other kind of Naruto," Iruka chuckled.

When Hoshu swiped open the classroom door, he saw Shikatsuro and two other teens waiting for him. The first was leaning in a dark corner and wore large sunglasses even though he was inside. The second stood by the teacher's desk, hair jet black, eyes red as candied apples, and skin as pale as porcelain. If not for his lack of feminine assets, Hoshu would have mistaken him for a girl.

The androgynous teen smiled a little as Hoshu walked in and stood straight. "Congratulations on passing. You must be the shisai, Hoshu."

"I am," the blond teen nodded, barely containing excitement. His attempt to stay composed like his mother would have insisted on was failing fast.

"My name is Sarutobi Yaso. Sitting here is Nara Shikatsuro-kun," he gestured to the napping teen, "and back there is Aburame Itsuki-san."

Hoshu threw a grin in the dark corner's direction. "It's nice to meet you."

Itsuki's head slowly turned towards Hoshu, and the mere motion locked Hoshu's joints with fear. "…Is it?"

"Y-Yeah…." Itsuki slowly faced the other direction again and said nothing more. Hoshu stared at him with great confusion and unease. "Ah…Wait a second, the Hokage explained that there would be three genin to the team and one elite ninja to teach us. So…" Hoshu looked about the room for some hidden jonin. "So why are there four of us and no sensei?"

"There isn't. I'm the jonin. From now on, you'll refer to me as 'Sarutobi-sensei'," Yaso said amicably.

Hoshu blinked. "So…you…." He suddenly let out a peal that jerked Shikatsuro out of his snooze. Hoshu pointed at Yaso. "B-B- You're a jonin? How! You're not any older than we all are!"

"Age doesn't matter when it comes to rank," Yaso said. "Our village's Copycat Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, was chunin rank when he was six and jonin when he was twelve. It all depends on skill."

"That's why Yaso's jonin and us lot are stuck at genin," Shikatsuro grumbled more out of annoyance for his interrupted nap than the statement.

"This whole time, I thought it was age that decided rank," Hoshu said with wonder.

"While one's age is irrelevant, the maturity and natural merit is that which divides the elite from the standard shinobi…" Itsuki muttered from his corner. Hoshu spared a moment to be thoroughly freaked out by the dark teen's cryptic words.

So if a six-year-old can be an elite shinobi, then…maybe I can advance just as quickly. Hoshu felt a thrill at the thought. With the chakra potential the healer said I had, I could become a ninja twice as fast as normal, couldn't I?

"This kind of graduation is a little unorthodox, as you can probably tell," Yaso said, suddenly addressing them all, arms behind his back in a formal manner. "That doesn't mean that the other genin that passed before you are better. It also doesn't mean that you'll be given leniency. This was a one-in-a-million occurrence and you three should be thankful for. Today, you three will prove to me that you are truly worthy of being genin and working together. In an hour's time I expect you to be at the ninth training ground. Bring your weapons, and be prepared for battle."

~*~*~*~*~

Nanami's green eyes were glued to Murai as he served customers with a grumpy frown. That scowl and gruff voice definitely belonged to her sensei, but the rest of him said otherwise. He was clean-shaven; his hair was cut, washed, and vaguely styled into soft spikes. His skin wasn't greasy or caked with grime. The only onion Nanami smelled came from the soup he was serving. A pain bloomed in Nanami's temple as she tried to piece together what exactly had happened to her sensei.

"I told you already; order something or hit the road," Murai snapped, handing a bowl to an elderly man.

She snapped out of it, remembering her initial purpose. "We've been looking everywhere for you, Murai-sensei! You haven't showed up once to train us. You're supposed to be teaching us the shinobi arts, and here you are making ramen? What's going on, sensei?"

"None of your business."

"It is when you aren't doing your job," Nanami pointed out.

Murai stopped chopping vegetables and put his hands on either side of the counter, leaning towards Nanami so abruptly she nearly fell backwards. "Listen, I don't have to take this crap from you. All my life women have been breathing down my neck and telling me what to do and what not to do, so I don't need my new flat-chested student on my back either. So go ask Shikamaru-sensei to train you or something. I'm busy."

Nanami flushed bright pink, but Murai went right back to preparing ramen. "Flat-ch- That's sexual harassment. I won't sit here and-" Her words got stuck in her throat as she recalled something. "Shikamaru-sensei? Tou-san…how do you know my Tou-san?"

He poured broth into a bowl. "He was my teacher back when I was genin." The blond girl crashed out of her stool and Murai glared down at her. "Finally leaving?"

"But you couldn't have been," Nanami gasped, springing back to her feet. "I remember - Tou-san taught three kids. Sarutobi-sensei, Bo-sensei, and…uh…then there was…."

Murai reached over and pulled up Nanami's ring finger so that she held up three digits. "Murai-sensei."

She swiped her hand away. "No!"

"It's so touching you don't remember me. After all the times I've been over to your house with Sarutobi and Botan, and you can't even recall seeing me."

"You weren't with them. It was another guy. He was fun and nice and he brought me snacks when I was little," Nanami insisted.

Murai scoffed. "Getting you to say thank you was like pulling teeth. You were a really impolite little brat. Not much has changed, apparently."

"You and that guy are two different people. There's no way you could be that nice."

He said nothing, his back to her as he wiped up the stove. Nanami rested her chin on her fist, scrunching up her brow as she tried to remember the real name of her father's third student. The old man, the last customer, said thank you for his meal and left the money next to his bowl. The seats were now empty save for Nanami.

"…Akage."

Nanami looked up, eyes round as that insignificant nickname sent her crashing into a reverie. She'd been around eight or nine at the time, back when her father was spending more and more time with his genin rather than his children. She'd gotten jealous. Once, when Shikamaru had taken the genin to his house, she'd intercepted one of them as he'd been wandering about the house.

"You're not going to take Papa away from me," Nanami declared to the boy. He was maybe twelve with big brown eyes and hair like orange flames. He frowned down at her.

"What's that mean?"

Nanami stamped her foot. "You and those other two are taking all of Papa's time, and he won't spend time with me or Shika-nii anymore. You aren't his kids. Butt out and leave Papa alone!"

The boy studied her a moment, then crossed his arms. "No."

Eyes brimming with tears, Nanami screeched and ran at him. He grabbed her arm and spun her away and it sent her tumbling to the floor. She curled up there and sniffed, tears flowing freely as she glared at the floor. The boy knelt beside her. "You really think I'm taking the place of you? If you do, then your stupid. Sensei loves you and your brother more than anything. How do you think a no-talent chump like me can take the place of his 'little angel'?"

Nanami blinked up at the boy, still trying to scowl. "Who are you, anyway?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Akage. What's it to you?"

"That's a silly name."

"It is silly. That's why Sensei can't love me more than you. You've got a really pretty name - Nanami. Having a pretty name means you'll be pretty and have a pretty life. Having a silly name like Akage means you can't take the place of anyone no matter how hard you tried. Okay?"

Nanami sat up and wiped her tears. "…Okay."

"Come on. Let's go find your dad." Akage took her hand and led her down the hall.

As the memory ended, Nanami found Murai leaning against the stove, arms crossed, looking at her. His brow was quirked. "You didn't honestly believe that someone could be named 'Redhead', did you?"

"Nanami-san." Inari and Sho jogged up to the ramen bar. Inari saw Murai and gasped.

"Murai-sensei!"

Murai bowed exaggeratedly with a ladle, as emotionless and dull as ever. "Congratulations on finding me."

"That wasn't a test," Sho said.

"No, it wasn't. I just needed to earn my daily bread. Shinobi missions these days don't quite cut it anymore in terms of payment." Murai removed the apron from his body and shut down the shop, stretching as he walked out into the street. "Better late than never, I guess - we'll train for the rest of the day and pick up more tomorrow."

"But it's almost sunset." Inari flinched as Murai flicked him in the forehead.

"Hope you can see in the dark, Reigi-san," the jonin said, monotone. He screwed a cigarette into his lips and lit it as he walked away.

Sho looked back as Inari followed their sensei. "Nanami-san? Aren't you coming?"

The blond girl blinked. She'd been following Murai with her eyes the whole time since she'd recalled him from her childhood. Her cheeks burned red as she noticed Sho waiting for her. "Y-Yeah! I'm coming, I'm coming!" she stuttered, hurrying out of the stool.

As soon as Sho and Nanami were on their way, Murai glanced back, clicking his tongue. "Still annoying…." He leaped straight up to travel by rooftop.

Inari yelped. "W-Wait, Murai-sensei!" He bolted after the jonin, Sho and Nanami following suit.

~*~*~*~*~

Hoshu leaned over to look down from the edge of a large cliff. He was a little outside of Konoha, on the ribbon of land that broke dense forest from the cliff. From his windy perch, he could see the whole village. He looked at the blazing orange sky with great appreciation for nature, thanks to his upbringing.

"You're the first one here?" Hoshu looked behind him to find Yaso making his way out of the trees. The jonin smiled a little. "I expected the other two to beat you here, since they both knew right away where it was."

"It wasn't that hard to find. I just listened and the wind led me here," Hoshu said simply. He turned back towards the setting sun without seeing Yaso's confused expression.

"Shisai have their ways, I suppose…."

In a few minutes, the other two had gathered. Shikatsuro was the last to show, looking like he'd been napping the whole time. Itsuki had appeared next to Hoshu so silently that the blond teen had almost careened off the cliff side from fright. Now, Yaso stood before the genin, expression authoritative.

"Now that you're genin, it's time I evaluated your true skills. Showing substitution and things like that to people in a safe room in a controlled environment is fine, but a true ninja has to apply them in the field. They have to make decisions on a second's notice, and those decisions, no matter how trivial or minute, could make the difference of a mission's success or failure. Or, in worse cases, whether you live or die.

"I've set up a scenario in which you three will have to act upon. Depending on your aptness to react and your skills in quick-thinking, I'll decide whether or not you're truly ready for the title genin."

Hoshu's face had gone blank. Shikatsuro leaned on his fan for a nap while Itsuki was several yards off admiring a spider web.

Yaso clenched his teeth, but tried to turn the gesture into a smile. The result was a bit frightening. "I guess I'll just have to show you." He made a handsign before his face. "Kai (Release)!"

Suddenly, a chunk of the trees melted away and the land morphed unexpectedly. Hoshu gasped and scrambled away as it was revealed that he was mere inches away from the real cliff's edge. He bumped into Shikatsuro, who noticed the sudden change and was instantly awake. Even Itsuki was paying attention, Yaso's reflection in his large sunglasses jumping backwards under one particular tree. Yaso pointed upwards, unsmiling.

"The situation is simple - I am your enemy, and I have a hostage. Up there."

Hoshu followed where Yaso's finger indicated to find a little girl tied high in the tree to its trunk, standing against it but seemingly unconscious. Her long dark hair played about her with the wind, along with the short pigtail on the side of her head.

"Your mission," Yaso said, bringing Hoshu's attention back to the jonin, "is to retrieve her from me unharmed and within the hour. I'll use my full force with this battle. The only way to get her back is by defeating me."

Shikatsuro suddenly scoffed. "Right. Game over, 'sensei'. Kotone-gaki's the worst hostage you could've picked."

The girl suddenly sprang to wakefulness. "WHAT!" she squeaked, writhing in her bonds. "Like you're any more important than me, baka!"

"Sure, she's the Hokage's daughter-" Hoshu flinched, turning to glare at nothing. Itsuki tilted his head at the blond teen "-but you've forgotten what everyone in the village knows." Shikatsuro shrugged helplessly. "You hate that girl more than life itself."

Kotone nearly screeched again but the seven-year-old stopped when she felt a presence beside her.

Yaso lowered his arm, undeterred. "You're right. Kotone-san really gets on my nerves. So." In a coil of black smoke, the jonin vanished.

Hoshu looked about frantically. "Where'd he go?"

Kotone squealed with fright and the genin all looked up to see Yaso crouched next to Kotone. She looked at the kunai against her neck with great terror as the jonin smirked down at his team.

"So you'd better retrieve her before I decide to get rid of the source of my annoyance."

"You wouldn't," Shikatsuro said, but even he doubted his own words.

Yaso sliced the ropes around Kotone and slung her under his arm like a duffel bag, the girl screaming all the while. "The Hokage's daughter has an hour to live, and that hour starts now."

Hoshu gaped as the jonin leaped backwards into the trees and disappeared. "Wait, he was so calm and collected earlier. Would he really be capable of something like this?" Shikatsuro darted past him, obviously apprehensive.

"I don't think he's kidding. Come on!"

While the blond teen followed Shikatsuro with some difficulty - having to stay on foot while the dark haired teen took to the trees - Itsuki stood completely still until he was the only one left in the clearing. Then he turned back to the spider web where a black and yellow arachnid sat, waiting for a meal to get caught in its trap. Itsuki poked it gently, making it curl its legs a little.

"Would you like to lend me assistance, little one?"

[Gracie-kun]

In the dark forests of Konoha, nightly sounds had overtaken those of the day. In only several minutes, the world of dappled light and vibrant green colors of live foliage had turned dark, unfamiliar, and ominous. Carnivores lurked for prey where passive creatures had walked not half an hour before. Coincidentally, something else had happened ten minutes earlier. One predator had started a game with some potential pack members. The prize was a certain harmless creature - though, one pending predator didn't consider this prize by any means worth the trouble.

I Will Become a Shinobi!

Hoshu darted amongst the foliage with light feet. Back in Oni no Kuni, he'd been praised for his speed. He could outrun anyone his age and nearly half the castle guardsmen who had trained him. Now, however, he found these skills, once valued in his homeland, completely useless in Konoha's forests.

The blond teen kept his eyes on the branches several meters ahead of him, seeing flashes of human shapes in the leaves, hearing metal clang against metal. His lungs burned. Is this even humanly possible? Hoshu's mother, the miko Shion, had traveled with shinobi once. She'd told him how a kunoichi - a female ninja - had carried her at great speeds for vast distances, never slowing, and staying seemingly tireless. Hoshu hadn't realized just how true these observations had been until now.

Presently, metal glimmered before him, and Hoshu reached out and caught the object as it nearly flew by. His pace hadn't slowed but the fire in his legs was quickly transforming into numbing pain. He looked at the throwing star he'd grabbed, absently admiring its sleek sheen.

A rock grabbed Hoshu's foot, then. Stumbling, he chucked the shuriken into the trees where he thought he'd seen Yaso's green flak vest. Then Hoshu fell face-first into the leaf litter.

As he slowly sat up to stifle the pain in his limbs, Hoshu noticed Shikatsuro drop down from the trees in front of him with his back facing the teenaged priest. Shikatsuro drove his metal fan into the dirt with unnecessary force.

"Dammit! The sun's gone. I can't use Kagemane like this. Sarutobi-sensei knew it and dragged me in here. I should've seen that coming. If he wasn't so damned quick…."

Hoshu was still panting from his dead-sprint. "You…should talk," he gasped.

Shikatsuro ignored him completely and rubbed his chin. "If it's this dark out, it'll be difficult to track him. Even the gaki's screaming has stopped." Suddenly, he looked all around him like he'd lost something. "Hey, where'd Itsuki go? I need some back-up, damn it all. Some team effort when I'm the only one doing any work."

"Oi," Hoshu snapped, clambering to his feet. His legs still felt like rubber but he managed to keep his footing as he glared at Shikatsuro. "I'm here, too, y'know. Let's come up with a plan and-"

"Please. You couldn't even keep up. What kind of shinobi can't do a simple thing like run without collapsing from exhaustion? I'm better off with that creepy Itsuki," Shikatsuro said, waving the idea off.

"I would have been better help if you hadn't just run off like that," Hoshu insisted. The dark haired teen glowered at him.

"If I'd waited for you, I'd have lost Sarutobi-sensei, moron."

"You lost him anyway!"

"Only because he tricked me! If I'd had some real help-"

"I did help."

Shikatsuro threw up his hands in a mocking gesture. "Ooh, sorry. Holier-Than-Thou tossed a throwing star before he fell on his divine ass."

"I could've done more if we'd done this together. Isn't that why we're on a team? Running off on your own is the move of an impulsive, stupid child." This made Shikatsuro twitch and bare his teeth in anger.

"At least I was doing something!" he bellowed. Hoshu drew back, anger forgotten because of the sudden fear towards Shikatsuro's livid tone. Shikatsuro muttered many a curse, yanking his fan from the earth and strapping it to his back. The blond teen lowered his arms from a defensive pose.

"Where are you going now?"

Shikatsuro waved without looking back. "To pick up on Sarutobi-sensei's trail. You find Itsuki. Try anyplace damp, dark, and scary," he hollered. Then Shikatsuro leaped into the trees and vanished.

Hoshu wiped his face of sweat and sat beneath a tree to catch his breath, which still hadn't slowed, nor had his heartbeat. Ninja really are something. Shikatsuro hasn't even broken a sweat. How is that possible? Ten minutes had passed already. Time was running out and the Hokage's daughter was….

He slouched. Hokage's daughter. Just how many children did Naruto have? Although the number of his offspring hadn't triggered something in Hoshu - it was the simple fact that he had any others at all. The blond teen had told himself not to worry about it. It wasn't his concern if Naruto had other children, and yet…. Despite his vows to remain apathetic, Hoshu couldn't help but feel a detached rage. Why could that little girl grow up with Naruto, with her father, but Hoshu couldn't? It just wasn't fair.

A high, shrill sound cut through the air, and Hoshu just had time to realize that it was his flute when he felt the pulling sensation. Once again, though, he found himself being sucked into his body rather than out.

Panicked, Hoshu clawed the air in spirit form, desperate to escape. He didn't want to face that evil aura again. He didn't want to drown in that red hatred. It was suffocating and he had no idea if this would be the last time he would ever be conscious again. Somehow, he managed to wrench himself out of the abhorrent, stifling hold.

He didn't return to consciousness. Instead he shot forward, coming free from his body, and careened through the trees faster than he'd ever traveled even by spirit before. He even passed Shikatsuro, who was still traversing through the trees above Hoshu's consciousness. Having turned to watch the genin for the split second that he was visible, Hoshu turned back to the direction he was flying only to abruptly halt.

Right below him, hugging a steep drop to water, was Yaso. Kotone was still under his arm and she was thrashing in his grasp.

"Sarutobi-sensei! Just wait until I tell Papa what you're up to! You are so d-"

Yaso clasped his hand on her mouth. It didn't stop her rant, but muffled it, so it helped a little. "Urusai (shut up), you little-" He stopped himself before he could say something unsightly. "I'm not up to anything. Hokage-sama, you, and myself discussed this already - this is just a scenario. I'm just trying to make it seem as realistic as possible. Remember?"

Kotone's light blue eyes rounded as realization hit her, and she nodded under Yaso's hand. He blew a sigh of relief before glancing about, red eyes narrow. He fingered a small cut on his shoulder absently where a shuriken had surprised him. "Those genjutsu traps will slow them down. It'll take a lot of their time to figure their way out of and around them."

Hoshu was yanked backwards too abruptly. In three seconds flat, he was back in his body. He slammed against the tree trunk as if he'd been physically thrown.

He leaned against the trunk, blinking in his stupor. "He's out to the east. Two hundred…no, three hundred? Three hundred meters…." Hoshu shook his head of stars but it didn't work. "And Shikatsuro's heading right for those traps. How am I going to find Itsuki and warn Shikatsuro with time to spare?"

"The fireflies appear fond of you."

"Waduhfaugh!" Hoshu flailed and toppled into a painful somersault at the sudden voice. Itsuki squatted underneath the tree, having materialized out of nowhere. Hoshu reclined on his elbow, laughing out of tampered nerves. "I-Itsuki! I didn't notice you…."

The quiet teen either didn't acknowledge or hear him. "Normally they spread amongst the air and only come together to mate, but these particular creatures are very drawn to you. They must be attracted to your aura," Itsuki murmured.

Hoshu didn't understand what he meant until he noticed the small round lights reflecting in Itsuki's sunglasses. Blinking insects were floating around Hoshu's head and shoulders. The soft gold light turned his wide pink eyes an orange hue. He touched one, making it shy away slightly.

"I've never used my power outside at night before. I guess I'm more one with nature than I thought," he mused. Then he blinked. "Ah! We don't have time for this. Itsuki, I know where Sarutobi-sensei is. He said something about genju-something traps, and Shikatsuro's heading right for them. We've got to hurry up and warn him before he gets caught in one."

Itsuki stared at Hoshu, tilting his head. "Genjutsu?"

"Y-Yeah, something like that. There were a lot, by the sound of it," Hoshu said.

"I've located the majority. My friends have made a path for us. I was merely suspending my journey to ask if you wanted to follow," Itsuki muttered. He gestured to his left with his index finger. Hoshu looked that way, and he saw a thin, uneven line of little spiders crawling amongst the dry leaves. "They seem to back-track, but their purpose is to avoid patches where genjutsu have been laid as traps."

"Whoa…" Hoshu smiled. "Itsuki, that's perfect! What a handy talent." Itsuki moved as if surprised by the compliment. He ducked his head so even his nose was covered by his tall collar. Hoshu's smile faltered a little. "But - Shikatsuro. He's probably caught in a trap by now."

"Do you wish to rescue him?" Itsuki asked.

Hoshu squinted as he thought it over. "…He's a jerk, but even a jerk doesn't deserve to get ambushed. Besides, we're a team. We should definitely act as a unit," he decided to himself.

Itsuki rose to his feet and offered Hoshu a hand. "Very well, then. We pursue our teammate." Hoshu chuckled, letting Itsuki help him stand.

"I'm not sure how much use I'll be…."

The quiet teen turned away abruptly, though his voice didn't change from the soft muttering. "You've been a tremendous help already." Hoshu threw a smile at him over his shoulder before running towards the heart of the traps, Itsuki slowing his pace considerably so he could sprint behind his blond teammate.

~*~*~*~*~

Inari wailed as he met the ground in a more intimate way than he ever would have liked.

Murai clapped his hands like he'd just swept up. "I think we're done here." As he spoke, the handful of Inari clones around him burst into clouds and dissipated. A few meters away, Sho and Nanami stood together, having observed the battle. The jonin turned to them. "Training's over for today. I expect you behind the academy tomorrow at exactly five a.m.. Any later, and you're replacing the practice dummy. And tomorrow's lesson? Shuriken practice. I suggest being early."

After Inari had picked himself up from the dirt and grass, Murai smacked him on the cheek, making him flinch. "Work on your stealth, Reigi-san," Murai muttered, walking off with an indifferent wave.

The blond boy frowned, crest-fallen. He went to rub his cheek - Murai had slapped him right on a nasty cut - only to find a bandage there. Inari turned to say thank you, but his sensei was gone.

Sho raised his eyebrows in mild surprise, but he still looked condescending. "Our sensei is unprofessional, but he has skill." When he heard no confirmation or denial, he turned to find that Nanami had also vanished. Unaffected, Sho started for home. Huh. I forgot to tell her that man from graduation is living with me, he mused with a shrug.

Back in the Nara household, Temari was putting her feet up to snuggle with her husband on the couch. Shikamaru was quiet for a minute, but then he folded down his newspaper.

"You hear that?"

"What?"

"A troublesome woman. About to ask troublesome questions."

The front door banged open, there was a shuffling, and then Nanami flew into the living room. "TOU-SAN." She sank her claws into Shikamaru's shirt, but more with the terror of a frightened kitten than a wrathful she-cat. The jonin blew out a sigh.

"I should tell people's fortunes for a living," he muttered.

"Nanami, what's wrong?" Temari asked, blinking at her daughter.

"Tou-san, you trained three people back in your day, right?" Nanami prompted her father. "There was Sarutobi Yaso-sensei, Hatake Bo-sensei, and someone else. Who was the third guy? What was his name?"

Shikamaru quirked a brow. "…You should know, considering Murai's your teacher."

"That's not an answer, Tou-san."

"What do you want from me?"

"Is Murai Nichiren-sensei the third genin you used to train?" Nanami stressed through her teeth.

"Hai."

Nanami howled like she was in pain, then bolted up the stairs. The two jonin heard a door slam. Shikamaru smoothed down his shirt and Temari looked between him and the trail of smoke Nanami had left. "What in the world was that about?"

"I dunno," Shikamaru muttered. He flapped his paper back into position and went back to reading.

Temari narrowed her eyes at her husband. Then she grabbed him by the collar and hauled him off the couch with her. Shikamaru groaned. "Temari, come on…." He made no other complaints as Temari dragged him up the stairs to their daughter's bedroom door.

"Nanami, sweetheart, open the door," Temari cooed.

"I don't feel good. I don't think I can go to training tomorrow," came the muffled answer. From the sound of things it was as if Nanami was trying to smother herself.

Both parents being jonin, neither had trouble unlocking the door. Temari sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Nanami's back where she was sprawled, face buried in her pillow. "Sweetie, you know you can tell us what's wrong. Give us a chance. I'm sure that you're overreacting about the whole thing." Shikamaru stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets, looking bored.

"I thought that, but if I'd said it out loud, you both would have hit me." The twin snake-like glares he received was confirmation of his theory.

Nanami sat up since she'd already uncovered her face to glower at her father. She wasn't crying, but her green eyes were clouded with anxiety. "Back when you were training your genin, Tou-san, Murai-sensei used to play with me. He was really nice to me in the kiddy sort of way. Well…I don't know how, but I forgot about all of that. It was only three years ago, but he'd totally slipped my mind. But apparently he'd known all along. It was so embarrassing! How am I supposed to face my sensei and learn ninja arts if every time I look at him, I remember all the embarrassing things I've said to him? How, Okaa-san?" she pleaded.

Temari pulled her daughter close, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, honey, that's all? Don't be so worried! You know, I remember when Murai-kun and the others used to come over with your father. Believe me, Murai-kun wasn't nice to you just so he could make fun of you for it now. Don't you fret about it. You can go on training and it'll be just as if you two have a clean slate together."

The blond girl looked up at her mother. "Really?"

"Really."

"Unless Murai decides you'd be fun to tease," Shikamaru said. He ducked outside from a flying stuffed animal and encyclopedia. "Fine! I'm leaving."

Temari turned back to Nanami, smiling in a maternal way. "You're fine, sweetie. Go to training tomorrow like always, and you'll see."

Nanami sighed. "Okay. You're right. It was a silly thing to worry about." Temari kissed her goodnight and went to turn off the light. "Oh, Okaa-san? Where's Onii-san?"

The former Sand jonin smiled mischievously. "Oh, he's busy proving himself to be genin level. To Sarutobi Yaso-kun."

After a second to study her mother's face to make sure this wasn't some practical joke, Nanami shook her head with great sadness. "He's doomed." She slid under the covers and snuggled into bed as Temari turned out the light and shut the door. Images of Murai Nichiren haunted Nanami all throughout the night.

~*~*~*~*~

Shikatsuro cried out at the sharp pain in his head, falling over. He sat up and rubbed his scalp. When he saw his attacker, his tone got even sharper. "You!"

Hoshu held the thick club he'd broken off of a tree, looking at Shikatsuro in wonder. "That's it? It's that easy to get someone out of a genjutsu?" Itsuki peeled off of a wall of darkness to stand beside him, making Shikatsuro's glare lessen and a shiver to pass through him.

"Sometimes. I deduced that since this is only simulation, the genjutsu level wouldn't be strenuous. Therefore, a simple cuff on the head would bring him out of the illusion," he murmured.

"Illusion?" Shikatsuro looked around him, suddenly finding the field he'd been chasing Yaso through to have transformed into dense forest, just like before. "Wait a second, what's going on here?"

"You were just standing here staring at that leaf," Hoshu said, pointing his club at a bright red piece of foliage at their feet. "Itsuki said you were in a genjutsu-thing, and that the best thing to do was-"

"I get it, I get it!" the dark haired teen snapped. He got to his feet, snarling profanities.

Itsuki turned his head to the right. "There is only twenty minutes until our time has ended. We'd best be moving soon. But before this occurs, I suggest a plan be put into place so that this occurrence doesn't repeat itself to further hinder our journey."

Shikatsuro stared at him. "What?"

"Itsuki says we should come up with a plan before we head out, so none of us are caught in another genjutsu-thing," Hoshu translated.

"How'd you get that?"

"It's not that hard to understand."

"Whatever."

Hoshu tossed the club aside, looking between his two teammates. "So…what should we do?"

All three of them lapsed into silence. The crickets serenaded the evening with the original sounds of the night, never changing key, never playing a new note. Somewhere far off, an owl graced the age-old chorus with a single call, but after that, the song remained the same.

Itsuki raised his head a little. "Can one of us use a bow with considerable skill?"

The other two looked at each other before Hoshu raised his hand awkwardly. "I can."

"Then I have a proposal."

~*~*~*~*~

Kotone yawned loudly from under Yaso's arm, the jonin checking his watch. "Five minutes left." He sighed in disappointment. "I really thought they had a chance, too…."

"You must have been itching to have them as your team, huh?" Kotone asked sleepily. Yaso smiled sadly to himself.

"Yes. I suppose I did." In half a second after his statement, his smile was gone. He whipped his head around, red eyes wide. "What?"

"You're mine!" Shikatsuro came dashing out of the foliage alongside the cliff, slinging a kunai knife. Yaso leaned out of the weapon's path and jumped backwards into the air. Shikatsuro pushed off the cliff to follow right on his tail.

Yaso's eyes narrowed as he floated for a moment. He avoided the genjutsu? No way. He failed genjutsu miserably in the academy. The other two must have caught up with him.

Kotone howled with glee. "Woot! Finally, this is fun!"

As Shikatsuro clashed with Yaso, the jonin with a knife in one hand and the girl in the other, a fleeting shadow passed by in the bushes. Yaso noticed but before he could flee, something very small was tossed into the air. His eyes widened. "A flash bomb!"

"My Kagemane works best with a bright light," Shikatsuro said with a grin, kneeling down and making the appropriate handsign.

Yaso bolted into the trees to escape the light-trap. However, as he was darting through the branches, he noticed a dark figure on one knee in one of the branches. The figure was swarming with fireflies and held some kind of weapon. As the person positioned themselves just as Yaso lighted down, too late to change direction, the jonin realized what the weapon was.

Hoshu released the arrow, letting it fly straight towards Yaso. But before it could make impact, it slowed, and then stopped in midair. Yaso frowned at it for an instant, leaping backwards to get away from the arrow as he did so, but there was no use. White silk shot from the clump of spiders on the arrowhead and stuck to Kotone.

She screamed as she was wrenched from Yaso's arm, and the pitch got higher when he sliced the spider silk with a kunai before Hoshu could pull the thread connected to the arrow meant to draw it and Kotone in. Hoshu stared in alarm, unable to react from his perch in the trees. Yaso went to jump down after her when he felt himself impossibly stopped cold.

Shikatsuro knelt several meters behind him, making the sign of the Rat. "Not so fast."

"Kotone-san," Yaso shouted.

Kotone continued to scream, arms pinned by spider silk, until she landed on something soft. Unharmed, blinking tears now stilled, she looked up at the dark sunglasses of the person whose arms she'd been caught in. She smiled. "Itsuki!"

The quiet teen looked up at the three men in the trees, nodding. "Mission complete."

Hoshu heaved a great sigh, leaning back on the trunk. "Thank goodness."

"And not a minute to spare," Shikatsuro added, standing up. Yaso copied him shakily and the genin smirked. "Looks like we pass, Sarutobi-sensei."

Yaso frowned as he tried to read over what had happened the last four minutes. "There was no flash bomb in the first place. You were just trying to flush me out to where Hoshu was waiting so he could use that arrow to get Kotone-san. Itsuki-san was waiting below, controlling the spiders and acting as a back-up knife man in case you needed one."

Shikatsuro blinked at Yaso. "…" He rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Let's go with that."

"And these fireflies had enough light to let you use Kagemane, anyway," Yaso confirmed, looking at the insects that had quietly made their way around himself and Shikatsuro. The shadow connecting them was darker and thicker than normal in the pale light, a telltale sign of the Kagemane no Jutsu. Yaso glanced back at Hoshu, unable to turn his head. He smiled a little. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"Does that mean we pass?" Hoshu prompted, excitement palpable.

Yaso stood straight, making Shikatsuro's Shadow Possession snap. The dark haired boy ogled at the impossibility as the jonin looked at them each in turn. "Nara Shikatsuro, Aburame Itsuki, and Hoshu of the Land of Ogres. As your assigned jonin, it gives me great pleasure to say…." He grinned. "You pass."

"YES!" Hoshu screamed, making everyone turn to him out of surprise. He laughed like he was insane and fell onto his back, kicking his legs. There was a snap and Hoshu's joy blended into an outcry as he fell with an audible thud. Yaso and Shikatsuro dropped down as Hoshu clambered his way out of some bushes. Shikatsuro pointed to the disoriented blond, looking at Yaso.

"Are you sure?"

"Regardless of basic skill, all three of you had a hand in rescuing Kotone-san," Yaso explained calmly. "The other two also came back for you even after experiencing your rotten attitude, which is shocking to me." Shikatsuro wilted sourly.

Yaso reached into his tool pouch. "Anyway…" He handed Shikatsuro a Leaf headband, turning the new genin's grouchy expression into a triumphant smirk.

Kotone - still in Itsuki's arms - snatched the headband meant for Itsuki from Yaso. She fastened it messily to her forehead, grinning like a wicked baby fox. Yaso yanked it off of her sternly before giving it to its rightful owner. Kotone stuck her tongue out at the jonin.

Finally, Yaso presented a Leaf headband to Hoshu. "Welcome to Konoha, Shisai-sama."

Hoshu took it, pink eyes bright with barely-containable happiness. He managed to bow low to Yaso. "Thank you very much, Sarutobi-sensei."

"Yeah, cool," Shikatsuro muttered, but his smile was still evident. He tied his headband loosely around his neck so it would rest on his collarbone.

As Itsuki set Kotone down to decide where his headband would go, Hoshu came to stand in front of him. The blond teen smiled widely. "We really couldn't have done this without you, Itsuki-kun. Thanks to your plan, I got one step closer to achieving my dream. That was really great of you," Hoshu said.

Itsuki's voice was tinged with surprise. "You believe so?" Hoshu just grinned warmly.

During that small moment of teammates coming a little bit closer into friendship, one that was precious and essential for genin to have, Kotone looked between Hoshu and Itsuki. Then she put her hands on her hips and shook them. "Itsuki and Hoshu sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The quiet teen's shoulders stiffened and he whirled his back on Hoshu, who frowned as Kotone did a silly jig that mocked the provocative nature of older females. "Very funny."

She kept going. "First comes love~. Then comes marriage~. Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!" Yaso smacked her lightly upside the head.

"Stop it. You're being very mean to Itsuki-san," he said harshly.

Hoshu blinked, not seeing that Itsuki had decided to open his jacket to place his headband. "Oh, so…Itsuki-kun likes men?"

Shikatsuro quirked a brow at him. "Why wouldn't she?"

"It's just I've never-"

… … … … … …

Hoshu raised a limp finger. "'She'?"

"Itsuki, right? Of course she likes men. Did she tell you otherwise?"

When Hoshu reeled to face Itsuki, he felt his heart stop.

The plain brown trench coat was in a heap on the ground, and the person standing beside it was unquestionably female. Though not as curvaceous as Botan Hatake, Itsuki was the slender sort of attractive, willowy and frail. She tied her headband around her waist, further accenting the delicate incline between her torso and hips.

Itsuki paused at the sudden silence, and looked up to find Hoshu gawking, wide-eyed. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she turned quickly, picking up her jacket and throwing it on. Hoshu whirled away as well, panicked and clearly embarrassed. Itsuki's voice was still as soft as always as she asked, "Is this not proper attire for a shinobi?"

Since Hoshu was too busy getting over his heart attack, Shikatsuro answered for him. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised you walked out of the house with your hands showing." Itsuki stuffed her hands into her pockets, hunched, as if hiding from sight. Shikatsuro sighed. "Never mind."

Hoshu's mind was still in a complete jumble. He tried to go over the brief time he'd known the quiet teen, but he couldn't remember anything that had indicated that Itsuki was female. That's even a boy's name! He recalled her dainty figure and shoved it out of his mind vehemently.

"Itsuki and Hoshu sittin' in a tree!" Kotone popped up in front of Hoshu, the rhyme making his blush return. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G~" Itsuki looked like she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a hole and die to escape the teasing tune.

Before Kotone could repeat the childhood favorite, Yaso grabbed her by the ear, making her squeal. He nodded to his team. "We'll start training tomorrow morning. Be at the training ground at six. Good evening." He and Kotone blurred out of existence.

After a few seconds to quell his shock, Hoshu turned and forced himself to smile. "Well, I guess I got to know you a little better, Itsuki-ku-- I-Itsuki-san," he corrected himself quickly.

Itsuki nodded mechanically, back still towards him. "Indeed you have," she muttered.

Presently, Shikatsuro let out a boisterous yawn that caused both his teammates to look at him. "I'm exhausted. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going home and crashing." As he walked away, Hoshu noticed Itsuki start to follow him.

He held up his hand. "Ah, Itsuki-san… uh, good…good night," he said, scratching the back of his neck and grinning out of unease.

Itsuki hesitated a moment before glancing over her shoulder. "…Sleep well." She hurried into the trees without another look back.

Hoshu waved a little with a helpless smile before looking down at the headband he held. The few fireflies left were creating a soft glimmer on the metal. He fingered the Leaf insignia, grinning to himself. "I'm a shinobi. And tomorrow, I start my training." He couldn't help the giggle that escaped from his mouth. "I'll be home sooner than I thought!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

A peal of thunder lashed the air like a whip. The clouds high above blocked out the sun and darkened the hillside of tall, dry grasses. Wind blew sharply, heavy with the scent of rain.

Abruptly, a cluster of fir trees exploded - among the bark and smoke debris, two men darted out into the open field. They stopped and turned back to the decimated chunk of forest. The younger one held a mangled arm and the other blinked blood from his eyes. Rain sprinkled the Leaf headband on each of their foreheads.

The rain became steady just as the less-injured shinobi noticed three figures in the clearing smoke.

Both Leaf shinobi bolted into the grasses, putting the rest of their strength into escape. The three shadows leaped up and into the clearing to pursue.

The young shinobi felt a presence running alongside him that wasn't his comrade's, and he lashed out with a kunai only to be met with a much longer blade. He and the cloaked swordsman continued the altercation, but being reduced to only one arm, the young shinobi stood no chance. Just as the cloaked swordsman could drive his black-bladed sword into the crippled shinobi's heart, a thick chain wrapped around his wrists, pulling his hands and sword aside. The cloaked swordsman stood awkwardly, hands trapped. The older shinobi held the other end of the chain in both hands.

On a signal undetectable to the Leaf ninja, another, smaller cloak launched into the air using the swordsman's back as momentum. A thin arm swept in front of the jumper, and amongst the rain, droplets of blood spattered the Leaf ninja's hands and chain. The cloaked jumper made the sign of the Tiger with bloodied fingers.

"AUGH!" The skin on the old shinobi's hands exploded violently and severed the chain. The hooded swordsman shook it off, and then turned back to the crippled shinobi he was about to kill.

The old ninja glared at his hands, the melted blood and meat that was left smoking from the blast.

"Whoops. Can't use ninjutsu, now, can you?" The Leaf shinobi looked up sharply. The blood-wielder was now shielded by a much larger person with a matching cloak. He folded his arms - for his voice was male - showing off bare muscular biceps. "Well that's just fine. I fight better hand-to-hand."

As the Leaf ninja shuffled into a weak defensive position, suddenly the blood-wielder lashed an arm from under his cloak, spraying the shinobi with blood again. His companion looked down at him. "Oi! He's mine."

The blood-wielder made the handsign and the fear on the old shinobi's face vanished in an explosion. The deceased fell in a heap, smoking under the rain.

A little ways away, the swordsman sheathed his weapon after disposing of the young shinobi. An irritated growl made him turn his head slightly.

"Damn it, Akane," the large cloak snarled, grabbing the blood-wielder roughly by the arm. "Every time! I haven't done crap during missions for weeks."

Akane's hood fell back as he shook the blood-wielder, revealing a girl with shoulder-length brown hair. Her eyes were on the ground and she made no move to escape the abusive treatment.

"Suketsune, enough," the swordsman called out.

"No, fuck you!" Suketsune barked, shoving Akane aside. She stumbled and fell beside the imploded carcass, sitting up instantly but with no expression other than quiet dolor. Suketsune threw back his hood and pointed at the swordsman. "Whenever there's a mission you automatically assume yourself as leader. Then in your so-called brilliant plans, you and this bitch do everything and I sit around with shit to do. I'm sick of it. Neither of you think I'm equal to you."

"That's because you aren't. Plans never work well with you factored into them," the swordsman said without malice.

The large man bristled, yellow eyes burning. "Oh, right, because rogue ninja can't do strategy worth dick, huh?"

"You've proven that without needing to cuss about it."

"Look, against your snobby beliefs, we're still a team. On a team, everyone's equal. I can get some fucking work done if you'd just give me an ounce of faith."

The swordsman came over to Akane and gently helped her up. She looked up at him wordlessly, and he wiped away the hair stuck to her face from the rain. "Our mission's done here. Let's head back to the camp," he ordered.

Suketsune gaped, incredulous, as the swordsman draped his arm around Akane's cloaked shoulders and just headed back for the trees. Another gust of air whipped across the tall grass and blew the hood off the swordsman's head. The wind jostled his already-tangled hair, which was turning a darker red from the rain.

"Damned Uzumaki…."

[Gracie-kun]

"That's it. I can't take this anymore," Shikatsuro groaned. He fell without resistance as soon as he'd entered the ninth training ground which overlooked Konoha. At the cliff's edge, Hoshu looked over his shoulder, having been there for hours.

He blinked now at the face-down figure. "Can't take what anymore?"

Shikatsuro's response was muffled by grass and dirt: "Waking up this early in the morning. Sarutobi-sensei is insane. How can he expect a growing teenager to haul his ass up here every day at this hour?"

"You know that Sarutobi-sensei's only a year older than you, right? …And that this is the first day we've been assigned any training?" Hoshu asked slowly.

"And I can see many more sleepless mornings in my future," his teammate grouched.

Hoshu chuckled, turning back to the rising sun. "Sleep seems to be the only thing you want out of life."

"Well excuse me for enjoying the little things." Shikatsuro finally came up for air, propping one arm up to watch Hoshu. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Saying a morning prayer. It wakes me up - I have trouble getting out of bed early, too. It uses the sun's rays to get energy or…drains tiredness and…I'm not really sure but I think that's how it works," Hoshu explained, eyes closed and hands pressed together.

Shikatsuro raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh really."

"You should get up," Hoshu said, avoiding the subject clumsily. "If you just keep lying there on the ground like that-"

"Your body will be battered by passersby."

The blond teen turned his head at the new voice to find Itsuki standing where Shikatsuro had been lying a second ago. He was impossibly twenty meters away, back against a tree. He looked a mixture of enraged and frightened. "Don't. Do that."

Hoshu waved a little over his shoulder. "Ohaiyou gozaimasu, Itsuki-san."

She nodded in his direction before stopping to study him. "That bow - is it the one my friends crafted last night for your use?"

He looked down at the weapon slung across his body and turned to face her fully, as if concealing it. Hoshu scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, yeah! Your spiders made really strong silk to bind it, and it actually turned out to be pretty nice quality. I thought it'd be a waste to toss it, so I decided to keep it. Unless you didn't want me to," Hoshu said quickly.

Itsuki ducked her head into her collar. "As I mentioned, it was created for the purpose of you wielding it. Its fate is entirely dependent upon your judgment. You may use it as you see fit." Hoshu brightened, grinning happily.

"Thanks!"

"It needn't be mentioned on the rarest occasion…."

"Really, I'll take good care of it. Arigatou gozaimasu."

Shikatsuro looked between Itsuki and Hoshu with exhaustion clear on his features. "How in God's name do you understand what comes out of her mouth?"

"Itsuki-san just talks properly, that's all," Hoshu shrugged. "My mom's friends are all either other priestesses or upper nobility, so I can understand it fine." He stopped to ponder on an interesting thought. "Though, I can't really get shinobi terms…when it comes to ninja talk, I guess I'm just plain lost."

"Sorry I asked," Shikatsuro moaned.

Presently, Yaso lighted down from the trees and entered the clearing. He saw Shikatsuro and the chipper mood he'd demonstrated just a moment ago sank into exasperation. "Really, is twelve hour's sleep a day not enough for you?" he asked.

Shikatsuro had seated himself at the base of his tree for a nap, shimmying into the bark to get comfortable. "A whole day isn't enough sleep in a day."

After forming his team into a line with much difficulty due to one lazy student, Yaso stood before them with natural authority. But beneath the stern exterior, the jonin was exuberating pride.

"I've given the results of your assessment to Hokage-sama. As of now, this is your first day as genin of Team Eleven, official shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. I, Sarutobi Yaso, will be your sensei until I see that you're ready to pursue the next level."

"So when will that be?" Hoshu couldn't help but ask. Yaso frowned a little.

"In due time. You've just become genin, after all." Hoshu slouched slightly but didn't object. Yaso went on, "So with that in mind, I'd like to present to you the first mission Hokage-sama has assigned for Team Eleven."

Shikatsuro laughed once, rolling his eyes. "'In due time'."

"When I was a genin," Yaso said, "all my team ever did was train. Yes, we honed our skills, but we never experienced real situations or got into the field. By the time we were given one we were unprepared. Our first mission was disastrous." He paused, eyes clouding over as if remembering something dark. Then he straightened and spoke more sternly. "In order for you three to be more prepared than I was, I've decided to blend missions with training. Lessons will be taught in real-life time and practiced as such."

"So what's our first mission?" Hoshu asked. He felt some kind of dread for the answer.

A Village to Sacrifice

Tsunade slapped her hands on the Hokage desk. "A C-ranked mission? Really, Naruto, what has gotten into you?"

The blond man scribbled his signature on a scroll before rolling it up, setting it aside and taking another from the case on his desk. His eyes glided over the page. "You gotta be more specific, Obaa-chan; I can't defend myself from vague phrases," he muttered absently.

She held a mission statement before his face. "This morning, Sarutobi Yaso left with his team of genin - who were just made official today, mind you - to perform a C-ranked mission. You've gone insane, haven't you? All this paperwork is driving you so up the wall you didn't even know what you were signing."

Naruto squinted as he looked over the statement, studying the pictures of Yaso and the others. "Oh yeah. Yaso-kun asked for something challenging, so I gave it to him. What's the big deal?"

"Do you realize how irresponsible that is? First of all, you're sitting here giving a mission most genin wouldn't see until a year's worth of D-ranks later to a team that's compiled of drop-outs and a non-shinobi. At the same time, you're giving your jonin jobs even a man desperate for money wouldn't do without losing half his dignity. What's so special about this team? You wouldn't just hand Yaso something if he asked for it. What's the deal here?" Tsunade demanded.

The pen clattered from Naruto's hand as he finished signing off three more documents in the time of Tsunade's lecture. He leaned back in his chair, blew a sigh, and looked at his most trusted adviser. Tsunade was now well into her seventies but still looked young - younger than Naruto, in fact. She had her hand on her spacious hip and the other over some important papers, waiting for a response.

He sighed again and picked up the mission statement. "You're right about one thing. I wouldn't give him something like this just because he asked. It's all a matter of selection. Team Eleven just seemed perfect for this particular mission."

Tsunade quirked a brow at him. "Is that so?"

"…" Naruto picked up a red pen and faced the mission statement towards his adviser. "This mission is to escort a couple of animals from one village to another for a religious ceremony, which the animals were hand-picked for. Very little threat, but the stakes are high considering the cargo's purpose, hence the mission being bumped up to C. I needed to choose a team that could evenly distribute their strengths so that the mission ran smoothly.

"First, Aburame Itsuki," he said, circling the quiet teen's photo, "may not work with mammals, but she is affiliated with living creatures and can oversee the sacred animals' safety and comfort. We wouldn't want to have an incident if the village's precious sacrifices had a hair split or something." Here, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Second there's Hoshu. He may be new and has no experience as a shinobi, but you have to take into consideration that he is a shisai. He deals with religious type deals all the time. If something were to go wrong, Hoshu would know what to do." Hoshu's photo was circled next, and then Shikatsuro's. "And he may have a temper, but Nara Shikatsuro is nothing if not a powerhouse. Best in offensive attacks, if there should be any trouble with enemies, Shikatsuro's the guy for the job. He isn't much to look at in the brains department. Then again, neither was I." Naruto's blue eyes flickered up to Tsunade's shocked face; he was totally solemn. "Add the fact that the child prodigy Sarutobi Yaso is accompanying them and this shouldn't be a problem whatsoever."

A moment of silence passed in the Hokage's office before the blond woman broke into a laugh. "No matter how many times I remind myself you're grown up, you still keep surprising me, Naruto. I'm impressed; I'll admit it."

Grinning, Naruto leaned back in his chair and let the mission statement slip from his fingers onto the pile of work he still had to do. "What do you think I've been doing these past fifteen years, Obaa-chan?"

"Fine. I suppose I understand the reason behind it. But there's one thing that's been bugging me," Tsunade said, tapping a perfectly-manicured finger directly on Hoshu's picture. Naruto swallowed a little but otherwise betrayed nothing. "Why did you let this kid try out for genin so quickly?"

"He's the son of some powerful miko. If I don't do as he says, the brat'll go crying to his mom and we'll have an international incident," Naruto shrugged. He was suddenly very absorbed by a treaty he'd read over ten times already. "Besides, he's not bad. He could be a pretty good shinobi in the future."

"Naruto, I know you think I'm senile, but don't make me out to be stupid," Tsunade said tiredly.

"Don't know what you mean."

"Naruto…."

"Oh, wow, the Land of Rice really is sucking up this time. Check out what they wrote here-" The former Fifth Hokage swatted the paper out of his hands. Naruto sat with his fingers curled around a non-existent paper, smiling with serene vexation. "That's okay. It was nothing. Just the Leaf Village's supply of rice for the next five years, is all. No big."

Tsunade looked at him seriously. "I looked into who this boy's mother is. It's Shion-sama, the miko from the Land of Ogres - I assigned you the mission to escort her to seal Moryo, preventing the world's imminent doom, your usual line of work. You remember her, right?"

Naruto sniffed, leaning back and folding his hands over his stomach. "I guess."

Her expression suddenly became a warm smile at the abrupt indifference the Hokage showed. Tsunade pretended to look at Hoshu's photographed grin with a scrutinizing air. "He's quite handsome."

"Sure, as far as guys go," Naruto mused.

"Such delicate features. He looks a lot like his mother."

"Meh."

Tsunade walked over and leaned on Naruto's shoulder behind him, holding the mission statement up in front of them. "And like you." The former Fifth felt her replacement stiffen.

"You are very, very funny," Naruto snapped.

"So defensive?" The Seventh Hokage ignored her, going back to his work with a guarded, sour air. Tsunade set down the paper. "Does Hinata know?" she asked, more gently.

After several minutes of ice-cold silence, Naruto gave up.

~*~*~*~*~

Somewhere in the countryside of the Land of Fire, Hoshu sneezed violently. Itsuki tilted her head at him. "Have you caught an unwelcome infirmity?" she asked.

"I don't know, maybe. I think it's just a cold," Hoshu said with a sniff to clear his nose, thumbing it with a frown, as if disappointed in his immune system.

"Serves you right for running around without shoes," Shikatsuro grouched.

Team Eleven was spread out along a wooden rancher's fence outside of a stretch of land owned by an animal breeder. Shikatsuro was sitting and leaning against one post, dozing off; Itsuki leaned against the fence; Hoshu was sitting on it. Even the most patient of the genin was getting antsy.

"Sarutobi-sensei's been in there for a while," Hoshu observed.

Shikatsuro grunted unintelligibly.

A few minutes later and Itsuki spotted Yaso leaving a barn with a small woman, their sensei dragging a cart meant for a horse to haul. An iron cage was strapped into it, and within were two small goats. Yaso and the woman met the genin at the edge of the ranch property.

"That's all we're transporting?" Shikatsuro asked, jolted awake by the wagon wheel's noisy clattering.

Yaso set down the poles meant to strap horses in and bowed to the small woman accompanying him. "Thank you very much, Hirijo-san. We'll take good care of your livestock from here on out," he assured her.

"I hope so," Hirijo said, though she smiled like she knew she need not worry. "I was absolutely tickled when the miko of Yukimi chose two of my kids to be featured in her annual sacrifice. Mine! I don't blame her - they're beautiful young'uns."

"What's so great about a couple of shee-" Shikatsuro was cut off by a cry of alarm.

Hoshu grasped the bars of the cage withholding the goats, eyes large and sparkling with wonder. "Sugoi! Look at them, not a single scratch on either of them! And the coloration - like they were painted by the gods. One dark, one light, both the same age, markings of fertility and prosperity. And this one, this one has a crescent-shaped mark just where the heart is. Itsuki-san, look at this!" he urged, waving for her to see excitedly.

Shikatsuro raised an eyebrow, mouth slack at how Hoshu was acting. "…Okay, maybe there's a lot that's great…?"

As Itsuki listened to Hoshu's enamored speech about coloration and the meanings of them, Yaso turned to Hirijo and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, he's very interested in this sort of thing. He's actually a shisai from the Land of Ogres."

She laughed heartily. "I'm glad someone's excited about it. The whole mission seems pretty boring to me. I mean, what block-head would want to steal a couple of goats from fully-armed shinobi?" she asked rhetorically.

"I'm guessing this guy would, if they had the right 'markings'," Shikatsuro gruffed, rolling his eyes and jerking a thumb at Hoshu. The blond teen was still admiring the goats, who only blinked slowly in wonder at this hyper, loud person.

The rest of the day went by smoothly. Each shinobi took turns pulling the cart, all except Shikatsuro, who hitched a ride with the cage and slept alongside the goat kids. Hoshu went on and on about the workings of the ritual the goats would be apart of, explaining what blessings the villagers would receive and the specific benefits given to farmers, law-keepers, and the poor. Yaso only made it seem like he was listening, too polite to simply shut his student down on something he was so passionate about. Itsuki, however, paid great attention to everything the young shisai said. She spoke little, only to make a small comment or question something else, and nodding every once in a while to show she was listening. Honestly, Hoshu might not have noticed if no one listened to him. After touching on the subject of priesthood and rituals, he suddenly felt a sharp pang of homesickness. He hid it by talking animatedly, painting a grin on his features.

As night fell, they set up camp, keeping the cart close to their fire. As Team Eleven settled around a meager meal of rice balls and extra provisions they'd brought, Hoshu found that he'd exhausted most of what he knew of the workings of shisai, miko, and their sacred rituals. Now he sat in silence, staring at the fire.

Shikatsuro stretched his arms over his head. "Well, I think I'll get some shut-eye."

"There is no way you can sleep more," Yaso snapped. He took a breath to calm himself, and said, "You've been napping all day. You'll be taking the first watch along with Itsuki-san. That's an order, Shikatsuro-kun," he stressed when the dark haired genin waved his hand with indifference.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Shikatsuro muttered.

"We'll switch shifts around one. While we're asleep, we're counting on you two to keep watch both over the camp and over the goats. If anything happens to them the whole mission is botched. Understood?"

Itsuki nodded. Shikatsuro sighed heavily. "What a drag." Yaso frowned deeply, a vein on his brow.

"I swear, the spitting image…."

As Hoshu got up to situate his sleeping area, he felt something tug his pant leg. Itsuki flushed and pulled her hand away swiftly, avoiding his questioning stare. "I-I only mean to wish you restful sleep," she stuttered.

He blinked slowly before grinning. "Yeah, thanks. See you when the watch changes," he said with a wave. Itsuki drew back a little, seeming perplexed, but she let Hoshu take his leave and instead curled her legs up to her chest to huddle by the fire. Shikatsuro seated himself beside her with a graceless flop.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Spiders, huh?"

"…"

Hoshu laid on his side in his sleeping bag next to Yaso's. The jonin had fallen to sleep the instant his head met the cushion that served as a pillow, but Hoshu was far from tired. The uncomfortable chill of night and the loud howling crickets only served as harsh reminders that he was far from home. Far from Shion. Okaa-san.... He blew a sigh, rolling onto his back to look at the canopy-framed sky pin-pricked with stars.

"Mama, your lap is so warm," a toddler Hoshu murmured as he dozed in his mother's arms. Shion was rocking him to sleep after a terrifying dream of a wicked fox grinning at him, red eyes ablaze.

Shion seemed startled, then laughed quietly. "You're such a child, Hoshu-chan."

He nuzzled underneath her neck, sighing contentedly. His mother smelled of incense and he loved the smell. "I'd like to stay here forever…."

"Stay as long as you like," Shion whispered, drawing him closer in a protective embrace.

Opening his eyes, heavy-lidded with reverie, Hoshu looked at the stars again. I was childish. I couldn't stay in Mom's lap forever. But right now…I think I'd give anything just to hug her again. The celestial dots of light suddenly seemed like a band of cold eyes looking down upon him, gleaming with indifference. He squirmed as another stab of longing pierced him like a thorn. I didn't know I'd miss home this much….

Finally he decided that he wouldn't be able to sleep. Hoshu sat up and tied back his hair into the thin hair tail he'd been growing since inducted into priesthood. Careful not to wake his sensei, he slipped out of his sleeping bag and padded quietly towards the fire a little ways more into the wood.

I'll let Shikatsuro sleep in my place, he decided. Besides, maybe hearing Itsuki-san talk will make me calmer. She really does sound like a miko or a noblewoman. It might put me at ease.

There was a crunching sound of dead leaves that wasn't made by Hoshu's feet. Tensing, still for a second only to hear it again, he reached into his tool pouch and removed a knife. He moved slowly, eyes scanning the forest around him. He could barely distinguish ground from brush, which didn't help his situation. He considered calling to his teammates, but that might only alert the enemy. If these guys are shinobi, I'm screwed.

After standing stock-still for what seemed like ages, a shadow stood out for an instant thanks to the bright background of the campfire in the distance - if he'd blinked, Hoshu would have missed it.

Hoshu bolted for the campfire as fast as he could. "Guys! Someone else is out here," he shouted.

He might as well have said a war had started - Hoshu never thought he would have seen Shikatsuro get up so fast, fan at the ready. Itsuki was on her feet just as fast, though she only held up her arms, her sleeves pouring spiders.

"Where?" Shikatsuro barked as Hoshu came into the clearing.

"I saw it a minute ago - it passed right by here."

"How many?"

"I-I only saw one."

"Itsuki, the animals," the dark haired boy said. She reached a hand out to the wagon, and her spiders crawled in small waves to surround the bars of the goats' cage. "Where's Sarutobi-sensei?"

"Asleep, last time I left him." Hoshu looked around at the dark forest. The bonfire's light was killing their night vision, making the trees look bathed in total blackness. He felt sweat slide down his temples. Where could the shadow have gone?

Movement in the darkness beyond their vision made Hoshu nearly throw his kunai and Shikatsuro almost release a gale of chakra-infused wind - they stopped when they recognized the sound's issuer. "Sarutobi-sensei," Hoshu breathed with relief.

Yaso was just putting away a pair of three-pronged knives, and he looked at the three genin with no tension in his face. "It's nothing. There's no one else in the area but us," he assured them.

Hoshu blinked, dumbfounded. "Are you sure?"

"Wow. Nice going, spazz," Shikatsuro snapped as he angrily clamped his fan on his back once again.

"But I saw someone running past the campsite," Hoshu insisted. He turned back to look at the wagon. Both goats were huddled in a corner in peaceful slumber, unharmed and indifferent to the swarm of spiders now retreating from around them. The blond teen took in the sight with a helpless expression. "I swear!"

Yaso patted his shoulder for encouragement. "It's fine, Hoshu-kun. This whole area's clean. You don't have to be ashamed - it's better to be safe than sorry. It was the right thing to do when you think something's suspicious," the black haired teen said, nodding approval.

"How could I have imagined it?" Hoshu asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Overactive imagination," Shikatsuro muttered, falling into a reclining position by the fire with a grumpy thud.

Yaso touched Hoshu's arm with a reassuring look before turning to go back to his sleeping bag. Hoshu didn't follow. He rushed over to the cage and peered into it at the sleeping goat kids. He shook his head, still unconvinced. "I know I saw something…."

"Were you so certain?" Itsuki was abruptly standing beside him, but Hoshu had quickly grown accustomed to her strange appearances.

"Really certain."

She looked with him for a few moments longer before turning back to the campfire. "Perhaps you want for more rest. Soothe your mind of this; it is as our sensei has proclaimed it to be. Be at peace and find sleep ere your time for watching."

"…Fine," Hoshu sighed. With one last glance back at the goats - one only shifted to a more comfortable position, not coming to consciousness - he went back to catch a few hours of sleep before his shift at watch.

As soon as he was gone, that goat raised its head and stared at where he had gone. Then it turned its head.

Behind the cart were the bodies of two goats, killed bloodlessly, so no stench tainted the air.

The goat in the cage turned its back on the gory sight and snuggled into its neighbor to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

"To have mastery over the chakras is to use no more than is necessary, but to maximize its effectiveness in where and how it is applied. That subtle control is the most critical aspect of every jutsu and technique you'll ever apply."

As Team Eleven's journey continued, almost twenty-four hours away from their destination, Yaso continued reciting oral lessons on the shinobi arts if only to let it subconsciously soak into his students' brains. It was his only chance, because only one-third of the genin was really paying attention. Shikatsuro - pulling the cart with his brute strength, forced to instead of hitching a ride like yesterday - looked forward with a perturbed expression. Hoshu walked behind the cart blankly.

Yaso directed the lecture at Itsuki from the opposite side of the cart from her as she walked on silently. "It's also the most difficult skill for even a master ninja to command. In battle, circumstances are constantly changing, and a true shinobi has to be able to manipulate and maintain his chakras on the fly, if he ever hopes to prevail. The time you need to just stand around trying to summon and control your own powers is a luxury you won't have."

Hoshu sighed quietly and glanced from below his headband at the goats carting in front of him. Ever since last night, one of them had become withdrawn and was still lying down in the corner. The other, however, was more alert than ever. Its drooping brown ears swiveled, and its head turned every which way with subtle but tense watchfulness.

I know something happened last night - there was someone around our camp. I know there was…. He frowned as the lively goat caught his eye for a moment. A strange emotion was there, an odd focus of the mind that a farm animal shouldn't have. It chilled Hoshu greatly. Then the goat stiffened and whipped its head to the front of the cart.

"You with the cart - hold up!"

A bald man stumbled out onto the road a little further up. There was blood on his face and he was holding his stomach. "Please, I need help. I'm hurt real bad," he gasped.

Yaso motioned for Shikatsuro to halt with a wave, and the lazy teen gladly obliged. The jonin approached the man quickly. "Show me your head. Were you in an accident? You'll be fine in a minute," he assured.

The brown goat bleated shrilly. Hoshu frowned at it until he felt like someone was watching him. He looked around at the trees and brush surrounding them, and his sudden tension alerted his teammates.

As Yaso got to the man, his painful grimace shifted, and became a devilish grin. "Thanks for the help." The man made a signal and a dozen men leaped from the trees and brush to surround the cart and the genin around it. "With the jonin out of the picture, it'll be cake killing the genin."

"An ambush?" Hoshu said, panicking as he surveyed that they were four times outnumbered. Shikatsuro and Itsuki hadn't moved and merely looked around at the situation. The dark haired teen's eyes were narrowed and somber but no one could tell what was behind the kunoichi's large sunglasses.

"We'll be taking those goats off your hands," the first man said, obviously the leader. He wiped the fake blood from his brow and stood healthy and straight before Yaso. His grin was menacing. "If you just stand by quietly, Jonin-kun, we'll let you live. Those brats have to die, though. You can run to your village and tell them you tried your best but there was nothing you could do. Come on, you haven't known these genin for long anyway. It's their, what, first week? You can't be too attached. So let us do our work and we can part ways without spilling any extra blood."

"Do you really think everyone is as malicious as you, or are you just stupid?" Yaso asked. "If you had any knowledge of shinobi at all, you'd know they don't abandon their comrades, even at the cost of their lives. I think you know my answer now." His tone had dropped low with quiet menace.

As Hoshu watched, suddenly the bald man looked stricken. He looked at Yaso but it was as if he wasn't seeing the black haired teen. Whatever he saw, it made him irrationally terrified. Something prickled his fingers and Hoshu looked down to find several spiders had made their way onto his hand. He turned it, letting them crawl into his palm, and they spelled out a message: "Guard".

Shikatsuro removed the fan from his back, sliding it open to the first moon. He swung it at a cluster of rogues who stood waiting for their leader's order. A gale of whirling chakra blew them back like a hurricane had been released in their faces.

Abandoning a signal from their leader, the rogues rushed forward, brandishing weapons to attack the genin. Hoshu disentangled himself from the bow around his body as Itsuki raised her hands at the advancing enemy.

"Kumo Kyōen (Spider's Feast)!" Itsuki's sleeves billowed with power and a massive swarm of spiders skittered and leaped from them, rushing for the rogues. They crawled up the men's boots and under their clothes. The rogues that were caught screamed and swatted to kill the spiders, but for every one they killed, two seemed to take its place. Several started collapsing with howls of pain as the arachnids covered their bodies, feeding on their chakra.

Shikatsuro acted as a juggernaut, fighting the other rogues with brute force behind monstrous punches and devastating blows given by his closed fan. Hoshu took arrows from his backpack, placing one in his bow to be ready to release it. His pink eyes were jumping from enemy to enemy as he waited for someone to try and attack the cage.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor pass under his feet. One of the rogues stood away from the skirmishes, weaving handsigns. He was finished before Hoshu could let an arrow fly.

Large chunks of dirt and rock sprang up from beneath the cart and Hoshu, who jumped to sit on it to avoid the boulders shooting up beneath him. Scrambling for his bow and arrow, Hoshu quickly aimed it toward the jutsu wielder and let the arrow fly. It found its mark in the man's neck and he went down, but the jutsu didn't stop. It was as if the rogue had been trying to form a mountain beneath Hoshu.

The cart tipped on an uneven crag growing from the ground, crashing on its wheels and jostling Hoshu violently. He gripped the bars to keep from flying off. The fall occurred on an incline, and - too fast for the blond teen to realize and react against it - he and the cart both were sent careening down the hill.

As it passed Shikatsuro, mowing down a few rogues, he blinked incredulously. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted. Itsuki turned from her own fight. Beneath her collar, she gasped when she saw Hoshu's fast descent.

Yaso turned to look back in time, and he tackled the genjutsu-bound rogue out of the way to avoid being hit by the runaway cart.

Hoshu kept a tight hold on the iron cage, his only ward against being tossed off of the cart. The brown goat was being jolted mercilessly. The blond teen looked through the bars at the road ahead. His face drained of color.

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

The road turned sharply to the right at the bottom of the hill - where a sheer cliff into a deep ravine sat in wait to swallow them up, Hoshu, cart and all.

Struggling to stand, Hoshu feverishly looked for the cage's door. It was at the top, but luckily there was no padlock requiring a key. He pulled out its pin and opened it, reaching into the cage for the goats. He stopped for only a second. There's just one? He shoved the thought aside and leaned in.

At the top of the hill, Itsuki ran as far as she could before halting, throwing out her arms. The spiders on her hands shot chakra-enhanced silk, which congealed into thick strands as it flew straight for the cart. The silk attached to the wheels and stopped the cart just at the edge of the cliff.

It was too abrupt of a stop - Hoshu had just gathered the brown goat in his arms when the halted cart sent him flying forward.

"Hoshu-kun!" Itsuki's voice was strangled.

The blond teen was too shocked to register anything but the rocky bottom of the ravine almost a hundred feet below, to which he fell towards head-first. Before his brain provided the necessary adrenaline for fear to register, the goat in his arms exploded into smoke.

Yaso, Shikatsuro, and Itsuki gathered around the cart - rogues defeated or dead at the top of the hill - just as something blurred from the side of the cliff into the air. The figure landed in a crouch a little ways behind them with a flap of a dark green trench coat.

Hoshu fell back on the dirt road in a daze. He looked up at the person crouched before him, pink eyes wide.

"You, step away from the genin," Yaso shouted. Itsuki and Shikatsuro stood on either side of the young jonin and waited for an order to attack. "Turn around and show your hands. Now."

The trench-coat-clad man rose from the dirt, Hoshu rolling back his head to look up at him. He was tall, as tall as a hero of legend. The man raised his hands in surrender and turned to face Yaso and the others. Violet-blue eyes, tangled chestnut hair, and a large frowning mouth. His expression looked of infinite exhaustion.

"I guess 'I mean no harm' is a useless thing to say at this point."

[Gracie-kun]

A shadow merged out of the stretch of darkness within a thick forest. The silhouette morphed into a human shape, becoming a man clothed in mottled black. He kept standing but dipped his head to show respect.

"The group of rogues was unsuccessful - the Konoha shinobi are still alive and the sacrificial cargo is dead," the man said.

"They slaughtered the cargo?" a young man asked, vaguely incredulous. Besides wearing the same gray-black clothes as his subordinate, nothing could be described about his face - from the neck on up, he was swathed in deep shadow.

"No. It seems one of the rogues turned on the group and killed the sacrifices long before the ambush. This rogue had used a weak bunshin jutsu, and then a henge (transformation) on top of it, to pose as the cargo instead. Neither the Leaf shinobi nor the rogues had any idea what he'd done."

The young man seemed to ponder on this information, rolling a white ball the size of a marble between his fingers like one would roll a coin. His subordinate waited with the patience of a statue. Finally, the young man said, "We'll continue the assault on Yukimi as scheduled. They'll most likely be so wound up in finding replacement sacrifices that they won't notice us coming. As for the Leaf shinobi, if they show up, against all our forces they won't make much difference. Tell the others to get ready," he ordered.

"It's done," the subordinate said.

"Have someone tail the Konoha ninja in case they try anything like call for reinforcements. There's still room for failure here. Go." The young man had barely uttered the command and his subordinate vanished.

After a minute the ball rolling between his fingers gradually stopped until it balanced on the young man's knuckle. Without a sound, it started to swell in size, and he turned his hand to catch the now baseball-sized sphere in his palm. "Ginma-san has to be in Yukimi this time. After five whole years of being lost, she has to be. If not…" he trailed off.

The young man lifted the white ball, and as he did, it dented and flattened. When he finally brought it to his face it had turned into an eyeless white mask. "Well, if not, what's one more village to destroy?"

Like Mother Like Son...

Hoshu looked up when Yaso finally released the handsign he'd been holding for an hour. The blond teen and his teammates had long secured the rogue gang, its members either dead or unconscious and bound together to prevent escape. Yaso turned away from the group's leader, who kept staring at nothing.

The jonin sighed heavily. "It's days like these I wish I was a Yamanaka. I put him under genjutsu and I still can't get anything out of him."

"He's more resilient than he looks," Shikatsuro sniffed, glancing the rogue leader's way.

"Actually, it's the opposite. He cracked like an egg. But when he did I found something a little unsettling."

"What's that?" Hoshu asked.

Yaso folded his arms, frowning at nothing in particular as if in deep thought. "When they first attacked us, I had placed a genjutsu on the leader, thinking you three could handle the rest since they were just low-class rogues. But as soon as it was in place, I suddenly found myself in a genjutsu as well. It wasn't from the leader, either - someone had placed a trap on him."

"A genjutsu that is triggered by a genjutsu?" Itsuki reiterated, quietly stunned. Shikatsuro rubbed his head and groaned as he futilely attempted to understand that statement.

"Exactly," Yaso nodded. "And a nasty one. I wanted to figure out who had placed it, but when I put him under again there was a block in his memories I couldn't bypass. Even a veteran member of the Yamanaka clan would have to work hours on a seal like that. Whoever wove that seal and the genjutsu-trap - if they're the same person, then there's no doubt they're one powerful shinobi."

Itsuki lowered her head a little. "The familiarity this beguiling genius possesses of our crew is also a staggering concept I cannot even begin to touch, let alone comprehend," she whispered.

Hoshu blinked at a sudden thought while Shikatsuro looked utterly and hopelessly lost in his female teammate's statement. "You're right! The leader knew that we'd just become genin; he'd said so. Then there was a trap set almost especially for Sarutobi-sensei. It's like whoever planned this knew all about us," he mused in awe.

"This was definitely staged for some greater purpose. Someone doesn't want us to get to Yukimi." Yaso turned to the rock formation caused by one of the rogue's jutsu. "There's just one more person I'd like to question before deciding where to go from here."

The tall man in the trench coat was bound against the mountainous boulder, wrists tied above his head so handsigns wouldn't be hidden from view. He raised his head as he heard them approaching. His mouth curled in a little smirk. "Look, as much as I really would love to be interrogated by the Leaf again, I've got more urgent matters to take care of."

"Right now, this is your top priority if you want to avoid incarceration by Konohagakure no Sato," Yaso warned.

"Take it easy - us rogues don't do well with those fancy words."

"I think you're smarter than you let on."

"You have more faith than my teachers had in me, at least. I could almost hug you."

Hoshu frowned at the man tied to the rock. "How can you be so smug? You've been captured. Don't you know we could kill you if we felt like it?" he asked, more out of astonishment than an actual threat. To maintain a big-shot attitude with a knife to your neck seemed overly suicidal to Hoshu.

The man quirked a brow. His smile was gone. "I'm not in any danger, from you or your team buddies. If you've kept me alive this long and went through the trouble to tie me up, when it'd be so much easier to just knock me out if you plan on transporting me, then you obviously assume I have something you want or need. You won't kill me until you're sure I don't have that something, or I hand it over. So, I can mouth off as much as I want, you spiky-headed patsukin (blondie). Plus," the large man grinned wolfishly, "keeping an unflappable image in the face of immanent threat is the first rule of surviving a kidnapping."

Blinking at the unexpected intelligence in the response, Hoshu found himself suddenly respectful of the rogue. Hoshu recalled how his life had been saved by this giant, and he felt his ears burn. "Don't you know we could kill you?" - the question now seemed so arrogant that Hoshu actually felt ashamed he'd spoken like that to an enemy.

"Whether you put on a brave front or not," Yaso said, interrupting Hoshu's thoughts, "you'll give us the information."

"Like I told you already; there's no time. That miko's village is in big trouble," the rogue said.

"Yukimi's in danger?" Hoshu asked. A hand clamped over his mouth and overpowered him to keep it there.

Shikatsuro glared moodily at him. "Keep your mouth shut, you annoying altar boy!" he growled. Hoshu bristled at the nickname and began a silent wrestling match with his lanky teammate. Itsuki stood by, shifting, unsure if she should stop the fight or let it continue.

The big rogue chuckled as Yaso gave them a look of hopelessness. "Cute kids. You all on a field trip or what?"

Yaso turned back to him, red eyes untouched by humor. "What were you planning to do to Yukimi Village?"

A bewildered look crossed the man's face, which quickly became fury. "To Yukimi…? I'm the one trying to save it, smart ass."

"I may not have been able to access the memories regarding the plans, but your boss' other memories were still intact. You're in a lot of them. Apparently you're one of the more trusted members of your gang, Tashiro-san." The name sent an invisible spike through the rogue's gut. "I have a feeling you weren't put under any sort of mind seal or genjutsu, so either tell us what you know or I'll drag it out of you. And I can promise you that the latter is excruciatingly painful. You leader can attest to that," Yaso said, forming a handsign.

The tall man - Tashiro - inclined his head and sighed. "…I really don't have time for this." Abruptly, he clamped his bound hands together above his head, making the sign of Earth. "Doton: Retsudotensho (Earth Style Split)!"

A shattering fracture rebounded through the air when Tashiro threw his head back against the rock formation, and the boulder irrationally exploded. Debris flew everywhere and soon the road was impossibly filled with smoke.

Shikatsuro released Hoshu from a neck hold and the two hacked dirt from their lungs. Hoshu covered his mouth with his elbow, squinting. "Wha-"

Something with the force of a sledgehammer came down on the base of his neck. Hoshu's watering eyes widened at the pain, and then flickered closed as unconsciousness fogged his brain as thickly as the smoke around him. Before he was lost to forced sleep completely, he felt someone catch him before he fell on his face, and then felt a brief flying sensation. Then, all went black.

In a large whooshing motion, the dust cloud was suddenly gone. Shikatsuro folded his fan and looked around. "Hey, where'd that guy go?" he shouted.

"He used doton (earth style jutsu)," Yaso muttered, livid. "Tied up like that I didn't think he'd be able to do much."

"Hoshu-kun!" Shikatsuro and Yaso turned to their lone female teammate, who was looking about in a panic. It was almost unsettling to see her do so. "The rogue has collected Hoshu-kun and fled," she gasped, speaking louder than usual.

Shikatsuro gave her a weird look. "Who the hell would wanna kidnap that guy?"

"It doesn't matter," Yaso said. "One of our teammates has been captured by the enemy. We can't do anything until we rescue Hoshu-kun, and that includes going to Yukimi or back to Konoha."

"Hey wait a second, don't you think going back for extra hands is a bette-" Shikatsuro was cut off abruptly by Yaso's stern tone.

"If we leave him in enemy hands, he could be tortured or killed. Even if the risk seems minor, never put off rescuing your teammates. A single miscalculation on the enemy's seriousness, and…." Yaso shook his head and tried to calm down, but his students saw that he was almost shaking. "We'll find Hoshu-kun and get him back. In the meantime, all else is postponed. Got it?"

"Osu," Itsuki answered immediately. Shikatsuro grumbled, pocketing his hands.

"…Osu."

~*~*~*~*~

"Oh! What could be taking those shinobi so long?" a middle-aged woman growled. She paced the floor of a lavish blue-marble manor. It may have seemed luxurious and startlingly rich for a village like Yukimi, but for a priestess, the accommodations were surprisingly poor.

An attendant scuttled behind the priestess, obviously more frazzled than her mistress, but she still implored, "Sata-sama, please stop pacing so I can dress you. We have to make sure your robes fit for the ceremony tomorrow."

Sata veered a sudden left, making the attendant unable to stop herself from running into the wall. "But what if there isn't a ceremony tomorrow because the shinobi never show up? I don't understand - all those years before Konohagakure no Sato has been reliable. What could be holding them up this time?" she asked no one.

"S-Sata-sama--"

"Every year for fifteen years, I've entrusted the delivery of the annual harvest sacrifice with Konoha. And every year, they were exceedingly competent. Now all of a sudden, there's a hiccup?" Sata moaned, sinking into a lounging couch. She leaned her head back to look at the portrait of a blond woman and child behind her. "At first I only did it because of Shion-chan's stellar praises of the Leaf Village for what service they did for her back when Moryo was trying to resurrect himself - may he never see this world's light again - but after that I started requesting them myself. I wonder if the Hokage has sent someone idiotic to be in charge of the sacrifice's delivery?"

After a short pause, allowing the attendant to slump to the floor out of exhaustion, Sata smiled sadly. "Ahh, Shion-chan…." She traced a finger over her dear friend's face. "Even in this situation, I'm still luckier than you. I had twin children and it's by the grace of the gods that at least one of them turned out female. Even so, I'm still in contact with their father, and if they'd both been boys I could have tried again. But you…mothering a male child, with your selected mate off and married…worst of all…" Her hand lingered on the smiling image of the boy in Shion's lap. "Worst of all, your partner has poisoned your child with that blood…."

Presently, the doors to the room creaked open. "Mama?" Two toddlers of identical age peeked into the room, an elderly attendant behind them.

Sata practically flew off the couch, arms spread wide. "My babies~!" The boy and girl lapsed into their mother's embrace, quite used to her theatrical behavior. She held the little girl's face suddenly. "Yui-chan, are you prepared for tomorrow? This is the first year you'll be helping me with the annual harvest ritual, you know."

Yui blinked behind her glasses - she was only six, and unlike her brother, her vision was tragically terrible. "Yes, Mama! I've practiced every day," she promised.

"Ah, good, good! Roku-chan, you'll make sure your sister is thoroughly prepped for the ceremony, won't you?"

The little boy saluted his mother enthusiastically. "You can count on me!"

Sata sighed dreamily and wrapped her children in her arms again. "Both of you, both of you are the most perfect children in the world. Now, run along. Tomorrow is a very, very big day." She kissed each of them and let the elderly attendant escort them out. As soon as the door was shut, the woman turned on the attendant holding her ceremonial kimono. "Fusae-chan! What are you doing just standing there! I need to be fitted!"

"A-Ah! Yes, Sata-sama," the attendant squeaked, rushing over.

"And don't go making it tight around my waist! Last year all of Yukimi saw my love handles and I want to give the village the happy illusion of a young, able miko." Sata was about to say more when she stopped, mouth gaping open like a fish. Her teal eyes flashed a bright color, and she staggered against the side table she stood by. The sound of wooden chimes filled her ears.

"S...Sata-sama?" A moment later, Sata was looking at Fusae, who stood awkwardly with the kimono.

Sata straightened slowly. "…" She waved her hands. "Oh, never mind! You're being useless. Just look up my measurements from last year and add five inches to everything but height. Out!"

Fusae squealed and skittered out of the room, leaving Sata alone. The woman wiped her sweaty brow, breath shaky. "…Chigau (No)." She lifted her head and whirled back to look at the portrait of Shion. "If there's anything you've taught me, friend, it's that one's destiny can definitely be changed."

Sata swept out of the room to consult her advisers.

~*~*~*~*~

The loud crunching of a bag brought Hoshu back from his doze. He stared at the uneven stone wall he faced while lying on his side. He blinked slowly. Where am I…? More crunching made Hoshu turn to look behind him.

Tashiro sat on the opposite side of the cave - Hoshu knew it was a cave now - and faced the opening, ripping a bag of spicy chips and starting to devour it.

Hoshu started as he remembered the ambush and saw his current situation. He sat up and reached for his weapon pouch-- it was gone. He patted his chest for the bow but it'd been taken. His pack and weapons were piled next to Tashiro like keys at the feet of a guard dog. Hoshu ground his teeth, glaring at his dirty, calloused feet.

"I expected a bigger reaction," Tashiro said, surprising Hoshu by talking. Tashiro polished off the chips and went for a package of snacks. "Guys don't do too well when they're the ones kidnapped instead of their female teammates. They get flustered and rush to attack the kidnapper. I'm getting more and more happy that I nabbed you first by the minute."

"You said so yourself," Hoshu muttered, thoroughly disgusted with himself. "If I'm still alive, then I have something you want, and you won't kill me until you get it. I'm not in any danger."

Tashiro stopped eating and looked at the blond teen. "You're smarter than that hair gives you credit for."

"You also had said 'I mean no harm'. But I'm confused. What part of bashing me in the head and kidnapping me does that phrase apply to, exactly?" Hoshu's voice was abruptly venomous.

"It's got nothing to do with this."

"Just what are you planning to do? You've got me but you're not doing anything but stuffing your face. What does a rogue ninja want from a genin?"

"You're already doing it," Tashiro said.

"Doing what?"

"Leading your team straight to us." Hoshu's pink eyes widened. "That Kumoshōjo (spider girl) is tracking your chakra with her pets and the other two are following. They're about half a day behind us. I want them to catch up, so I'm stopping here until they come rushing to save you," Tashiro said.

Hoshu clenched his fists. "You…you're just leading them here, using me. Teme (you [very rude])! What the hell do you need to do that for? If you wanted to attack us then you should have done it head-on, not by hiding like a coward. I won't let you use me as bait to get my friends killed," he shouted angrily.

The rogue laughed once without humor. "You don't have a choice, remember?"

Growling, Hoshu started to get to his feet. "You filthy--!"

"Sit down!"

The command was so immediate and thunderous that Hoshu obeyed instantly, eyes huge. It lingered a short while, bouncing off the stone walls. Hoshu stared with tight-chested fear at Tashiro's livid scowl. "From what assumption do you get that I lied when I told you I meant no harm?" he said tersely.

Hoshu stopped, not understanding. "You said you were leading them-"

Tashiro didn't let him finish, instead asking, "Does the fact that I'm leading your friends somewhere automatically mean I'm going to hurt them?"

"No, but-"

"I wouldn't need you alive if that was my purpose. I could have killed you and carried your body, and your teammates wouldn't know the difference until they faced me. If my only agenda was to kill you all I would have gotten a quarter of the job done by starting with you," Tashiro snapped.

"But you're a rogue. You're an enemy!" Hoshu insisted.

"I didn't hear you preaching that when you were taking a swan-dive off of that cliff."

Hoshu's face turned ashen.

"You call me filth, an enemy," Tashiro snarled. "You owe me your life!"

The blond teen studied the cave floor as he recalled again how he'd been saved from death. Half of Hoshu reminded him that rogues were untrustworthy - Tashiro wouldn't have saved him unless he'd already planned to kidnap the blond teen before the fall. No, that's not true, Hoshu realized. The look on Tashiro's face back then had been uncalculating, clear of malice intent. It was out of human compassion that the rogue had rescued him. Hoshu looked at Tashiro again with great humility. "You never were our enemy to begin with," he whispered.

Tashiro didn't answer; the statement was too obvious to mock with a confirmation.

Hoshu frowned, now. "But then why would you act like it? You disguised yourself as the sacrifices. You kidnapped me in order to get my team to follow you. Why would you go through the trouble if you're not our enemy?" he asked.

"Would you and your teammates really have followed me if I'd done anything else?" Tashiro shot back coolly.

Grasping that the likely-hood was slim, Hoshu found he was disgusted with himself. He shook his head. "But why did you want us to follow you in the first place?" he demanded.

Tashiro looked at him steadily. "For the same reason I killed those goats and took their place - I wanted to make sure you all got to Yukimi in time."

"For the ritual?" Hoshu highly doubted it.

"For the massacre. The day of the harvest festival, the village will be under attack."

~*~*~*~*~

Itsuki let a group of spiders crawl onto her hand, listening to their miniscule whispers with solemn duty. Her sensei and teammate stood a little ways behind her to wait for her directions.

She watched the arachnids skittering across her fingers. "…Hoshu-kun's abductor trekked perpendicular to the road into the forest's deepest heart, upon which he now makes his rest. One-half day is the expanse of his encampment from our current standing."

Yaso folded his arms. "This is strange."

"What is?" Shikatsuro asked.

"The rogue's been running in a straight path this whole time. No traps, no signs of evasion. At the rate he's going it's like he didn't expect us to be following him."

"Or the ruffian's trickery intends to usher us into mortal obstacles," Itsuki suggested quietly. The jonin closed his eyes to think.

"It's true that a bigger trap could be waiting for us. The rogue could be trying to put us at ease, make us drop our guard…. If he isn't leading us blindly into a trap, then I don't know what else he could be trying to accomplish. Come on. Half a day is a long way to catch up." His remaining students nodded, and the three took off at a shinobi sprint through the forest.

Shikatsuro blew a sigh as if he wasn't running at blinding speeds. "It's kind of a no-brainer that the shisai guy was taken, though. Out of all of us, he's definitely the weakest. Seems like a pretty easy target to me," he shrugged.

"There is also the chance laid beside your supposition of ability," Itsuki said, "that our Hoshu was cleaved from us by the proposition of fortune. He is sired by a priestess, one noble and of vast holding in her land. A large sum of wherewithal might the ruffian muse to be compensation for Hoshu's safety and return."

The lanky teen pinched the bridge of his nose. "At what point do you start talking like a normal human being?"

"I speak as what you describe. Our most chivalrous partner could heed my tongue, were he in our present grace." The brittle tone in Itsuki's quiet voice made Shikatsuro blink, startled slightly.

"O-Oi, you're mad about something…." He definitely didn't want to provoke his dark female teammate, so Shikatsuro shut his mouth with a shudder.

Yaso ignored the whole argument, deep in thought. Even if I said the rogue was part of that gang, I don't think he was working with them. They wanted to kill the sacrifices - if they'd known their comrade was disguised as the goats, why would they want to kill him? Then there's that genjutsu….

He doubted the rogue had set it. Tashiro's chakra didn't give off any hint of genjutsu ability to such an extreme degree. Yaso felt sweat slid down his temple as he was reminded of the genjutsu trap that had sprang on him from the rogue leader's mind.

Yaso had only just weaved a genjutsu on the bald man, a simple one. Kurenai had always told him that to use anything complicated on an amateur was wasteful and unnecessary. From the rogue's chakra, Yaso hadn't seen any genjutsu potential, developed or dormant. So he was alarmed when, turning back to help his team, he found himself already in one.

He knew the signs - a little detail left out, like an artist who only focused on the main subject and dallied the background with simple splotches of color. Yaso observed his surroundings furtively, jaw tight.

When had the rogue performed the genjutsu? he wondered. It didn't matter how, at the moment. Plying up his chakra, Yaso folded his fingers into a handsign. "Kai!"

The scenery changed - but not into reality. Now the cart, rogues, and his team were gone. He was alone on the hill. The world's colors had become bright and unnatural. He looked at his sky-blue hands with bewildered yellow eyes. "What the…?" He made the sign again, squeezing his eyes shut. "Kai!"

Pain. Searing, blood-curdling pain pierced Yaso like a needle stabbing each and every one of his cells. The genjutsu blurred both him and his surroundings as if the ground was shaking violently. It wasn't, though. Or, it could have been. Yaso didn't know. He couldn't feel anything except that constant agonizing sensation throughout his whole being.

No matter how many times Yaso tried to break out of the genjutsu, weighed down by pain, Yaso could not escape the plane. He kept telling himself it wasn't real, that it was only a genjutsu, but it didn't seem relevant. The pain still tortured him. At one point, he subconsciously wanted to reach into his tool pouch for a kunai and….

~Do it, then.~

Yaso looked around before he remembered - this is a genjutsu. The voice had just read his mind. He was going crazy. The pain sharply increased and he cried out, crumpling to the ground.

~I said, do it,~ the voice said again. It was a girl's voice, high and sweet, one that couldn't belong to anyone over two years old. Her words echoed a little before she spoke, and slightly afterwards. When Yaso could endure the pain a breath away from unbearable, he forced himself to open his eyes, and found himself staring into two big orange ones. They glowed like hell-fire beneath long lashes. ~If you don't want to die yet, I'll make you want to.~

Yaso shivered as he ran, red eyes grim. The cart was loud enough to latch onto from the genjutsu, and I could finally claw my way out. He wasn't a fan of bragging, but he knew his prowess in genjutsu was nothing to sniff at. Aside from his mother and a few veterans, Yaso was the best illusionist ninja of the whole Leaf Village. To be pulled into a genjutsu trap so powerful that he couldn't break out of it without outside assistance as daunting. Frightening. Yaso found himself scared of that child's voice, her commands. And we don't even know who the castor is yet.

~*~*~*~*~

"What do you mean, attacked!" Hoshu choked, drawing back.

Tashiro quirked a brow at him. "I thought I was being pretty blunt about it. You want a pamphlet?"

The blond teen got to his feet and stood in front of the rogue. "But who would attack Yukimi? A-And why? That village doesn't have any kind of security except for the priestess' guards. How could they be a threat to anyone?" he demanded.

"Being a threat doesn't always make you a target," Tashiro said.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to take over a religion-bound village like Yukimi," Hoshu insisted.

The rogue gestured. "Honestly, I have no idea either."

Hoshu blinked. "Then how do you know they're going to be attacked?"

Sighing heavily, Tashiro folded his legs underneath him, as if preparing to give a long explanation. "…You've been right to call me a rogue. That group that attacked you earlier, that was my gang, like your sensei had guessed. I was right underneath our boss in rank, one of the smarter muscles of our group. Kato-kun - that's my boss - he's not too bright. All we ever did was jump caravans and travelers that we came across, taking their money and supplies to sell later. I usually gave Kato-kun council, suggesting which carts to jump and which to leave, figuring out regular routes for big hits. The most criminalizing thing our gang did was steal and beat up the men - we never touched women or children. It was simple and low-brow.

"Lately, though, Kato-kun had been getting edgy. He was tired of just taking carts of rice and metals, beating up defenseless men who had no business with a sword. Kato-kun wanted a challenge. I tried to calm him down but for once he didn't listen to me. That's when he showed up.

"He called himself 'Moro', and no one ever saw his face. He approached our gang with a job, a legit one. We'd never been hired out before, being criminals. Moro said he wanted us to attack a certain cart carrying some goats guarded by Leaf shinobi. He said we had to kill the genin - told us they were weak, in their first few days of training - and somehow get the jonin to leave the cart and run back to Konohagakure. Then we would bring the bodies and cart to a designated area, where Moro would pick them up and pay us."

Tashiro's face suddenly became tired, his violet-blue eyes heavy with sorrow. "I had to admit, that Moro was good. When he explained it to us he made it sound so simple and easy, and the pay he was offering was more than we could ever get in a month's work. And I knew that if I was leaning towards the proposition, Kato-kun was already rallying our group to set out for the shinobi cart. This was what he'd been waiting for.

"But a few days before we would leave, someone came to talk to Moro - he'd been staying at our camp and being really friendly with Kato-kun. The messenger was dressed in grayish black from head to toe, and he came out of nowhere from the shadows. Moro disappeared with him off-camp to discuss something. Kato-kun thought nothing of it. I didn't like it.

"I went to check it out and eavesdrop on their conversation. I didn't want any secrets escaping me and my gang, not when there's the danger of being killed or turned over to the authorities. Moro and the messenger were talking about this village, Yukimi. They talked about how after the cart and bodies had been delivered, they could disguise themselves as the dead genin, take the cart into the village…and from there…" Tashiro shook his head.

Hoshu had settled down across from the rogue at this point, pink eyes wide with astonishment. He paused after Tashiro had stopped talking before saying, "It was good money, though. If you don't mind me asking…."

"What would I care so long as I got paid?" Tashiro smiled ruefully. "I'm a rogue ninja, Patsukin. I'm not a monster. I'm not very keen on killing innocent people. If I do something to get a whole village killed I could never live with myself."

The blond teen got to his feet. "Then what are we doing just sitting here? We have to go warn them! If you and your gang failed, Moro and the others will probably still attack."

"That's why we're waiting for your team," Tashiro said. "With their first plan in shambles, Moro and his followers will be busy trying to come up with a new tactic. If I have your team to back me up then the villagers of Yukimi will listen, and evacuate the village. And if that doesn't help, then at least you four can help me fight against Moro."

"But-" Hoshu's plea was cut as if someone had physically hit him. His eyes widened, then glowed, then expanded into kaleidoscope shapes.

"Patsukin?" Tashiro prompted. His confused expression turned into an alarmed one when Hoshu leaned backward. "Oi! Patsukin!" Tashiro caught Hoshu's limp body before he was seriously hurt by the unmerciful stone floor. The rogue shook him frantically. "What are you doing? Patsukin. Patsukin!"

Hoshu didn't hear him. His soul shot out of his body like a bullet and streaked through the forest. Hoshu could barely get a hold of his surroundings when his spirit form halted, jolting him to a stop beside a small camp.

Nearly a hundred men were there, dressed in a uniform of dark gray and black, nothing showing but their eyes, which were cold and indifferent. Hoshu absently wondered if he'd wandered into the camp of demons. A soft whoosh was the only warning before someone was suddenly standing in front of Hoshu, facing the horde.

"Are the men ready?" the person asked. He sounded older than Hoshu, but surprisingly young.

A man stepped out of the regiment of shadow-people, dipping his head in respect. "They were ready the moment I brought the news, taicho (captain)."

"We leave now, then. We'll be at Yukimi by the time the ritual starts." The young man spoke louder to address the gathering of black-clad men. "When we get there, eliminate all threats you come across. Tear the place apart if you have to. If Ginma-san can't be found in Yukimi then we'll destroy the remnants of the village to get rid of our presence. Kill whoever you want - just find Ginma-san. Understood?"

"Osu," the small army said in a quiet but unified voice.

"Ikou yo (let's go)," the young man ordered.

Hoshu drew back a little as the young man turned to unknowingly face him. A white mask covered the entirety of his face, letting glossy dark green hair be the only feature visible on his head. There weren't even any holes for eyes. That blank face made Hoshu's hair stand on end.

Then the young man was gone. The army behind him had vanished, as if never having been there in the first place. Hoshu found himself being dragged backwards by an invisible force once again.

When he was back in his body, somebody slapped Hoshu. Not gently. Hoshu clawed into consciousness to find Tashiro a foot away from his face, about to slap him again. "O-Oi, stop it! I'm awake," Hoshu insisted, raising his arms in defense.

Tashiro looked down at the blond teen with total befuddlement. "What in the hell happened? You froze up and went epileptic. And what was happening with your eyes?" he demanded.

Hoshu rubbed his sore cheek - Tashiro's giant hand had probably left a good red mark, with how many times he'd slapped Hoshu. Then Hoshu gasped. "They're not planning their strategy," he breathed, eyes wide. "They're headed for Yukimi. Right now!"

The rogue scowled down at him. "What does that mean. How can you know that?"

"I saw…there was at least a hundred of them. All in black. Their captain showed up and said they'd leave now. His face…there was a white mask. Just a mask, no holes for eyes or a mouth or anything. I don't know how he could see out of it-" Hoshu's dazed ramblings were stopped when Tashiro grabbed the front of his jacket, strangling him.

"A mask without eyes? That's Moro! How the… How can you…!" Tashiro was too shaken to get the question out properly.

Hoshu struggled to get free, to get air, but Tashiro's hands were iron clamps. "I-It doesn't matter how! Moro and that army are going to Yukimi right now as we're sitting here! We've…We've gotta get going if we're going to warn the villagers in time!" Hoshu choked.

Cursing, Tashiro dropped Hoshu and grabbed his bag. As the blond teen gasped and clutched his neck on the stone floor, Tashiro moved to the mouth of the cave with quick strides. Hoshu noticed and held out his hand. "Wait! I'll come with you," he shouted.

Tashiro slung the bag over his shoulder, ignoring the genin. "Then come with."

"I-I can't run like you!"

"Then don't come with."

"You said so yourself that you wanted me and my team to help you convince Yukimi that there's a threat. By myself, I can still tell them I'm from the Leaf and confirm that you're telling the truth."

"What, do you expect me to carry you?"

"Hai."

Tashiro paused, then turned to see if Hoshu had meant it as some kind of joke. Hoshu's face was void of humor - only determination rested in his pink eyes. Tashiro shook his head, growling with irritation. "You just have no sense of masculinity at all, do you?"

Hoshu ignored him and climbed onto Tashiro's back when the rogue knelt down to allow it. Tashiro was a big man, so carrying Hoshu - a teenager half his size - wouldn't give him any trouble. Hoshu slung his bow around his body and attached his weapon pouch to his back pocket before wrapping his arms around Tashiro's neck. The rogue grumbled something about 'Patsukin-hime' before taking off. (Princess Blondie)

[Gracie-kun]

Hours went by in silence around the large village gates of Yukimi as the sky lightened into gray, and the fog that hung thickly in the air started slowly to dissipate. Soon though, a guard found himself blinking his hazel eyes. "What's that, Kenjiro?"

"What?" Kenjiro grouched.

Haruki, the first guardsman, pointed a plump finger to the road that tapered off as the path dipped down into the valley in front of Yukimi. There was a dark spot moving on that horizon. "That's too big to be an animal. You think it's a person?" he asked Kenjiro.

The dark haired man reached for the arrows behind his back. "If it is, it's a big one." Haruki saw his intentions and hobbled over to stay Kenjiro's hand. "What are you doing?" Kenjiro snapped.

"Don't start slinging arrows at the drop of a hat! What if you killed an innocent person? We don't know who that is or if they're a threat to us. Let's wait until they get closer so we can evaluate," Haruki reasoned.

As the figure got closer, its silhouette in the clearing fog got sharper, revealing a strangely irregular form. Kenjiro scoffed quietly. "I can't believe it - they're bigger and lumpier than you are."

"Oh, be quiet," Haruki whispered after a few seconds. The dark haired man shook his head.

Once the silhouette was close enough, Haruki and Kenjiro stepped forward. "Stop! If you wish to enter the village, we'll need to see identification. Come forward slowly. If we see you as a threat we'll attack."

"But we'll see if you're a threat, first," Haruki added quickly, shooting Kenjiro a disapproving glare. Kenjiro only shrugged.

The figure did as they were told, walking slowly now. In the clearing mist, they saw that it was a giant of a man, thick-bodied but not fat, in a dark green trench coat. He was carrying something on his back from the way he was slightly hunched and his arms were behind him. Even Haruki drew his sword at the same time his partner did at the sight of this Goliath.

Kenjiro gestured with his sword. "Show us identification, now," he ordered.

The big man opened his mouth to say something, but an unseen voice piped up first. "I'm a genin from Konohagakure no Sato, and I was sent here to deliver the sacrifices."

Haruki blinked. "That's a really high voice for someone so big."

"It's not him, baka," Kenjiro snapped.

The giant dropped what he was carrying and a young man in his teens circled in front of his carrier. He took hold of the Leaf insignia metal plate on his forehead, speaking authoritatively. "My name is Hoshu, and this man with me isn't of any harm. I have to speak to this village's miko at once."

Kenjiro looked him up and down surreptitiously. "Why would the miko see you? If you're meant to deliver the sacrifices, where are they? And where's the rest of your team? This is looking pretty suspicious to me," he said slowly.

Hoshu glared at the guardsman. "She'll see me because I am Hoshu of the Land of Ogres, son of the high miko Shion-sama and shisai in my own right. Your miko will see me since I technically outrank her." Behind him, Tashiro ogled with disbelief.

Haruki and Kenjiro didn't look much better. "M-Many apologies, Hoshu-sama," Haruki stuttered, while Kenjiro would only bow his head with a quiet curse.

"Don't just stand there!" Hoshu barked, making the guardsmen jump. "Let me in!"

"But…this other man-"

"Is my personal bodyguard. Got a problem with that?" the blond teen snapped.

The guards opened the gates for them, sputtering apologies and bowing repeatedly. Hoshu strode in with an air of regality and Tashiro followed quickly behind, still in shock. Hoshu's pink eyes were straight forward but muddled with guilt. "I hate using that card on people, but it was the only way they'd let us in," he muttered.

"You can certainly play a convincing spoiled brat," Tashiro mused more to himself than to Hoshu.

The streets of Yukimi were empty. The abrupt sight of the barren village made Hoshu halt, bewildered. Tashiro looked about with confusion on his features. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing's been set up." Hoshu got more and more befuddled as he looked around and saw no sign of life anywhere in the open space between the streets and the gates. "I don't understand. The ritual should start to be in full-swing by now."

"Well something must have happened. An entire village can't disappear without a trace like this," Tashiro pointed out.

The blond teen closed his eyes with a deep frown on his features, as if trying to hear something over the deafening silence throughout the village. But instead of hearing his flute, the clunking of wooden chimes suddenly filled Hoshu's ears. His eyes flew open and he darted forward again. "This way!"

"What do you mean, 'this way'?" Tashiro demanded, hurrying after the blond teen. "First you knew that Moro was coming straight for Yukimi, and then you suddenly announce you're some hot-shot priest. Just who exactly are you, Patsukin?"

"You really want me to answer that right now?" Hoshu panted.

"Not really. But it'd have been nice to know I had kidnapped some royal's kid instead of just a dumb genin."

"Would you have done anything different if you'd known?"

"Probably not."

"Then stop complaining about it."

Tashiro glanced down at the blond teen, who was sprinting as fast as he could, but the bigger man was actually pulling back his speed to stay alongside him. Honestly, if Hoshu had never revealed that he was of nobility, then Tashiro never would have guessed it. Aside from that display at the gate, Hoshu didn't act like he was upper class, and even after he'd done so he'd looked sickened by it. Tashiro shook his head. "You're too slow."

"Oi!" Hoshu gasped as Tashiro grabbed him and sat him in the crook of his elbow like a child. The giant man picked up speed, becoming a blur. Hoshu barely had time to pinpoint their direction. "The big mansion, in the middle of the village," he confirmed.

"I really am starting to wonder if we're too late…."

At All Costs - Protect Yukimi!

In the mists outside of Yukimi, Kenjiro noticed a disturbance in the thinning fog and stiffened. "Haruki, look alive," he snarled, unsheathing his sword.

A figure was suddenly standing several meters away from the gates. Save for the white mask over his face, the man wore no color besides a uniform of gradient black and dark gray. He simply stood there, arms at his sides, making no move to advance or fall back.

"Who are you? Show us identification," Haruki ordered. Even he was wary of this faceless person.

Moro raised his arm, but slowly, so the guardsmen only tensed. Once his arm was fully extended, he paused, and then jabbed his thumb at his chest, over his heart.

Kenjiro heard the barest shuffle of feet. Then something hot lanced into his back. It felt like a wasp sting. Someone grabbed his shoulder from behind and he felt the sting again.

It wasn't a sting; it was too deep. Kenjiro gasped as roaring filled his ears. Haruki cried out beside him and the thud of his larger body could be heard over Kenjiro's rapid heartbeat. Suddenly, the moment took on startling clarity - they were being killed. Well, Haruki was dead already, from the look of it. Dead in one stab. The murderer working on Kenjiro must have been an amateur because he was still alive. Completely in pain and unable to raise his sword, but alive.

The ground jostled Kenjiro mercilessly as he was finally dropped. He felt warmth spilling from his chest, pooling around him at a fast rate, too fast for him to properly grasp that he should be terrified. He didn't know if it wasn't just his failing vision, but he saw a whole crowd of shadows suddenly materialize out of the dying mist. They rushed past him like the breeze.

Kenjiro felt the roaring in his ears recede, and the pain abruptly ebbed. His eyes closed just as Moro strode past him without so much as sparing a glance.

~*~*~*~*~

Just before the gates of the mansion, Tashiro ran into something invisible and bounced off of it. Luckily he kept his footing and only staggered back, shaking his head. "What the hell was that?" he asked, bewildered.

Hoshu wriggled out of the giant's grasp and approached the space. He reached out his hand only to touch a solid object that wasn't there. He frowned. "It's a wall."

"Must be ninjutsu used with sealing tags," Tashiro said. "If we can locate the tags, then-"

"I don't…think this is ninjutsu," Hoshu muttered, brow furrowing as he ran his hands along the smooth surface. The blond teen unconsciously closed his eyes, almost in a meditative state. The feeling of vibrations hummed in his palms almost directly to his ears. Wooden chimes resulted. Hoshu's eyes eased open again. "This miko has created a barrier. I…I think she knew the army was coming," he realized.

Tashiro blinked. "How the hell could she know that?" he demanded

"Same way I knew that it was coming. She had a vision. She must have evacuated the village and sealed herself and some bodyguards here, or maybe the citizens are inside with her. Either way, she was prepared for this. Yukimi's miko sure is something," Hoshu mused. Then he held his arm straight out to his side.

The giant man blinked. "Wha-"

"Hatsu!" Hoshu folded his arm so his hand was before his face, "Jin!" and then pointed two fingers above his head. "Kai!"

There was the shrill sound of a flute, and then a wall of clear teal flickered in front of the gate before disappearing. The wooden chimes vanished from Hoshu's hearing.

He turned back to Tashiro, who looked disturbed. "I'll put up another barrier once we're in. Let's go."

"What the hell are you, kid?" Tashiro mumbled, following Hoshu to the gates. The blond teen tried to open them but found himself struggling and straining. Tashiro grabbed one of the gates and yanked it open with a forceful tug, quirking a brow at the younger man. Hoshu flushed in embarrassment and turned back to the road they had come on.

"Min. Shin. Gan," he recited, swiping his arm before himself several times. "Reipyo. Shozen. Mika. Dan. Raku. Sho!" He punched his fist into his other hand, and the flute sounded again as a flash of pink flew up in a translucent wall around the mansion. Then it faded, but did not disappear. He turned and walked past Tashiro into the mansion gates. "That ought to do the trick."

"No, seriously, what the hell are you?" Tashiro asked, more ardently this time.

"Hold it!" All of a sudden, from the mansion's balcony, rooftop, and the trees around it, guardsmen either dropped and unsheathed swords or stayed in place and aimed arrows at Hoshu and Tashiro. The blond teen froze, but Tashiro clasped his hands into a handsign. Hoshu looked at him with alarm. "Raise your hands and don't move, in the name of the miko!" one guard, the captain, shouted.

"Tashiro, don't!" Hoshu hissed, grabbing the big man's arms, of course unable to budge them. "You're here to protect them, remember?"

Tashiro blinked, looking down at the blond teen. "Ah…right. Force of habit," he said apologetically. He raised his hands along with Hoshu, facing the group of guards.

The captain dropped from the trees, taking his sword from the hostler on his hip. "You took down the miko's barrier without so much as breaking a sweat. Who are you, and what purpose do you have here?" he demanded.

Hoshu stepped forward, hands still above his head. His heart pounded, but he assumed the regality that his mother had always prompted him to show. "I'm a genin from the Leaf Village, and also a shisai. I came to warn your miko of an army approaching."

A wave of whispers washed over the guardsmen. The captain looked stricken. "There's only one shisai as young as you among the recognized practices. Speak your name."

"Oni no Kuni no Hoshu," Hoshu said hesitantly.

"What business would you have here?" The captain looked more alarmed than reassured.

"Patsukin, they don't look happy to see you," Tashiro mumbled, glancing warily amongst the marksmen for those with trigger fingers.

"I'm not shocked," Hoshu muttered back, sweat sliding down his temple. Then he straightened his shoulders, face taking on a stern authority. "I told you my purpose - to warn your miko of an army headed straight for this village."

"As you can tell, we're well aware of this threat. Our miko is capable of protecting her own village," the captain snapped.

Hoshu took another step forward. "Please, just-" An arrow embedded into the ground an inch from his toe and he sprang back with a yelp.

"We're prepared for battle," the captain said. His voice was steel. "You can be on your way. You and your bodyguard."

Tashiro scowled at them all. "Hey, what the hell is your problem? Don't you know who this kid is?" Hoshu ducked his head and said nothing. "He came here to help you people; you can't just snub him out like this. You'll need a lot more than just bows and swords to defeat this army. Patsukin, seriously, say something. It's embarrassing for a man to sit there and take insults," he snarled.

"We need no help from demon spawn," the captain barked.

The blond teen closed his eyes against the man's words. Tashiro, meanwhile, gave the captain a look of confusion. "Demon what?"

"Miyagi Sozui, shame on you!"

The guardsmen all turned to the balcony, where a woman with long black hair stood between two marksmen. A necklace of wooden chimes sat at the base of her throat and a thin silver crown circled her brow. Her teal eyes were tight on the captain. "Whether you sired my children or not, I will not tolerate you disrespecting someone higher in title than me. You should be ashamed of yourself," she growled.

Sozui blinked in shock, then dipped his head in submission. "A thousand apologies, my lady," he said quickly.

"I'm not the one you insulted," she said harshly.

The captain reluctantly turned to Hoshu. "…I apologize, Hoshu-sama."

Hoshu wasn't listening. He stared up at the priestess with rounded pink eyes. His face immediately lit up from the dark expression he'd been showing. The priestess smiled down at him. "It's been a while, Hoshu-kun."

"S...Sata-obachan!"

An explosion resounded through the air, making the ground they stood on tremble violently. The plume of fire and smoke near the gates of the village burst into the air, quelling a patch of blue sky, making it smog and filth. Tashiro lowered his arms into an instinctive ready position. "They're here!"

Hoshu turned back to look up at Sata, who looked with narrowed eyes at the cloud. "Oba-chan, you don't understand. Those men attacking you are looking for someone. If they don't find that person, they'll destroy this whole village."

"I know," Sata murmured. She looked down at Hoshu. "But I have no idea who it is."

"Where are they now, your citizens?" Hoshu asked.

"Below my mansion in underground safe houses until the danger has passed. If they destroy the village that's fine; as long as my people are safe." Sata looked at the gate behind Tashiro and Hoshu. "Did you put up another barrier?"

"Not a normal one," Hoshu admitted, turning to look at it. "I had this feeling…the leader of the army, Moro…he's not a normal person. I sensed something wrong about him. So I…I used an extra layer on the barrier."

"What kind of barrier?"

Hoshu scratched the back of his head. "A demon barrier. It'll violently reject anything with demonic power when they touch it. It'll just repel normal humans like your previous one, too. This Moro person," he trailed off. "He almost had the same feel as I do."

Tashiro looked between the gate and Hoshu with great uncertainty. "What the hell does that mean?"

Sata, however, drew back. "You're sure?" When Hoshu nodded, she turned on her heel and into the mansion. "I'm coming down," she called over her shoulder.

"My lady, you shouldn't!" Sozui urged.

Tashiro turned to Hoshu with a stern look on his face. "You keep dancing around something, kid. What is it you're not telling me?" he demanded.

Before Hoshu could even try to avoid the question, one of the guards shouted, "I see them!" Among the buildings and houses, black-suited men flitted like shadows. There was the shattering of glass as they broke into the buildings, splintering wood as they kicked in doors. Explosions occurred every now and then, dotting throughout Yukimi.

The giant rouge gritted his teeth. "So we just sit here and watch this happen?" he snarled.

"Everyone is safely underground," Sozui said, obviously unenthusiastic about speaking to Tashiro. "They're only destroying buildings. Those can be rebuilt easier than human lives."

Hoshu's eyes glided along with the dark army, watching them raid and pillage through the buildings and homes in a quick and orderly fashion. They really were searching for someone. But shouldn't they have figured it out? That everyone was evacuated? No one will be hiding in their own home now, he reasoned, frowning out at the sight. What did those men hope to accomplish?

In the flash of a shadow, Moro suddenly dropped down before the gate with three other men; though, like the others, they sported black pull-over masks that had slits for their eyes only. It was just Moro who bore the white, faceless mask. Moro rose to his feet, seeming to study the troupe of men behind the gate without use of his eyes.

The eyeless gaze seemed to stop on Hoshu, and he felt his whole body shiver. Moro approached the gate and stood just before the barrier. He reached up to touch it - and immediately drew his hand back. His glove's fingers had singed completely away, and his skin was red and irritated. Moro hadn't even made a sound to signify he was in pain.

Instead, he seemed to look again at Hoshu. "That was intuitive of you, using a demon barrier. How did you know my powers branched from an evil spirit?" His voice was cool, calm, without malice.

Hoshu stared back evenly, though his whole being cried for him to flee.

"That's rude. You should answer an elder's questions." Moro looked at him a moment longer before turning back to the guardsmen behind the blond teen. "I'll start with them, then."

Suddenly, men from the balcony started screaming. Hoshu whirled around to find the marksmen dropping their bows, clutching their heads, howling with pain. A few tipped off the railing and landed painfully on the ground and pavement before the mansion. Hoshu turned back to Moro, who hadn't moved. "What are you doing?" he shouted.

"Just asking a few questions," Moro said.

"Teme," Tashiro snarled, making a handsign. Hoshu grabbed his arms again, trying to pull them apart. It was almost comical if the situation wasn't so dire. Tashiro glowered down at the blond teen. "Let go of me, Patsukin."

"If you use jutsu in here, it stays in here. You'll just be causing damage to us," Hoshu explained.

Tashiro's mouth gaped in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding. What kind of barrier is that? It's stupid!"

"It's keeping us from getting killed," the blond teen snapped.

"Tashiro-senpai," Moro called out, folding his arms. "What are you doing in there? You should have been helping your little gang. How did it feel when you openly betrayed your comrades like that?" he asked, tilting his head.

The giant rogue's expression was livid. Hoshu tried to shake his big frame to snap him out of his fury. "Don't listen to him; he's trying to make you angry!"

"It's working."

"Darn it, listen to me! Don't let him get in your head."

Moro folded his arms again after waving his three subordinates to fall back, a command which they obeyed instantly. "Our presence here can easily be revoked, you know. If you knew we were coming, you also know that we're looking for something. If you just give it to us, we'll be on our way."

Sata strode out of her mansion then, face hard and set in determination. "The person you're looking for is not here. You've targeted the wrong village. Now leave," she ordered.

The green haired man tilted his head again. "Really? You mean we've made a mistake?"

"You've made more than one," Sata snarled.

Moro put his hands on his hips and sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Then I'm afraid I have no choice. Your village will be destroyed now."

"Go ahead."

"And after we've taken care of the buildings, we'll come back here and take the lives of your people. I am nothing if not thorough. Sorry for wasting your time," Moro said, turning with an absent wave. "I'll be back to slaughter your citizens."

Hoshu's pink eyes widened, and he stood stricken. Then he clenched his fists. "Why? Why do you have to kill these people just because they don't have something that you want? Just leave and go find someplace else that Ginma-san might be hiding at!" he howled angrily.

Moro stopped. His subordinates tensed. He turned to look over his shoulder, an air of deathly intent building up around him. "I never said I was looking for such a thing. So, how is it you know that name?"

The ice that had entered Moro's voice made Hoshu's heart drop with fear. Against his better judgment, he began to stutter. "I…I just…."

"If you know where she is, I suggest you go get her. If not, you'll be put through the worst of all the deaths that will occur throughout this entire village. You can put down your barrier if Ginma is outside of it somewhere; we won't cross into it. I'll give you five minutes to bring her here. It starts now."

"But I don't know wh-"

~Karikari!~

Hoshu was cut off by the high, excited squeal of a girl. He blinked, looking around at Moro and his subordinates. They hadn't made any sign that they'd heard it. Neither had Tashiro, Sata, Sozui, or any of the other conscious guardsmen. Huh…?

"You'd better hurry," Moro said, interrupting Hoshu's befuddlement. The green haired man extended his hand toward Tashiro, who scowled. "Every minute, I'll put someone under a genjutsu, a painful one. I'll start with the Neanderthal, since you two seem so close," he decided.

Tashiro's violet-blue eyes rounded and he gasped, clasping his neck. He dropped onto his side with a loud thud and writhed there in pain. Hoshu knelt next to the big man, frantic. "Tashiro!"

"Hop to it. The miko is next."

"Like you could affect me with your ninjutsu," Sata sneered, obviously livid.

"You forget the source of my powers is demonic. I can affect you however much I want," Moro said simply. Sata's jaw tightened and she didn't argue. Moro looked at Hoshu again. "Go on. You care about these people, don't you? Or can you be that heartless?"

Hoshu gritted his teeth, watching Tashiro be mentally strangled, knowing there was nothing he could do. But I really don't know what the hell you want me to find!

~Me! He wants to find me!~

The blond teen frowned, hearing that toddler's sweet voice again. It seemed to echo through his head rather than hit his ears, like a normal voice would. ~You can hear me, right? You can, you can! I'm so happy! No one's been able to hear me for such a long time,~ the girl sighed sadly.

Who are you? Hoshu figured that the girl could read his thoughts, and he didn't want Moro to suspect that he was on to something.

~Ginma! Ginma the Silver! You can call me Gini-chan,~ she giggled.

Hoshu's pink eyes widened, and he looked at Moro, who stared back without any sign of emotion behind his white mask. Ginma. You're Ginma-san!

"Are you going or not?" Moro prompted. Tashiro let out another cry of pain and Hoshu jumped to his feet, panicked.

"Y-Yes." He turned and ran past Sata, who stared at him questioningly. He shook his head at her as if to assure her he had no idea what he was doing. He went into the mansion, if only to give the illusion that he was fetching what Moro wanted.

That little voice echoed between his ears again. ~Have you come to rescue me? Kya! My very own prince! You're as handsome as a prince too; lucky me, lucky me!~ Ginma sang joyfully.

"Can you see me?" Hoshu asked, voice tight. He looked about the vast entrance as if he would find a little girl sitting on the grand steps. "Where are you?"

~What's your name, Ooji-kun?~ Ginma asked, ignoring him completely.

"My…why does that matter?"

~If you won't tell me your name, I won't tell you where I am,~ she warned.

"Hoshu! My name's Hoshu."

Ginma sighed dreamily. ~Wah, kire! 'Atashi no Hoshu-oojikun (My Prince Hoshu). I get to be bonded to someone so handsome!~

"Bonded…? Never mind! Ginma-san, this is really, really important. Where are you?" Hoshu pleaded.

~Hmm? Oh yeah! I'm upstairs, at the tippy top! Up in Sata-obaachan's room!~

Hoshu darted up the steps, heart pounding, mind a whirl. What the hell is this? Shoving all his confusion away, he sprinted down the hall, glancing into each empty room with tension clear on his face. "Ginma-san, give me some hints here!"

~Not there. Not there. Nope. Nu-uh. Not even close!~

"Ginma-san, please. This is serious," Hoshu said desperately.

She giggled sweetly. ~But this is sooo much fun! I- Oh! Here I am!~ Hoshu skidded to a graceless halt in front of an ornate door. ~Right in there!~

Hoshu threw open the door - only to find the room empty. He stood there blinking. "Uhh…."

~I'm in the closet, silly!~ Ginma prompted.

"O-Okay." Hoshu hurried over to the closet and opened it. No child was sitting in a ball under the kimonos. He growled irritably. "Seriously, I have no time to play hide-and-seek right now! I have to find you. Where are you, really?" he demanded.

Suddenly, a golden glow started emanating from one of the slippers. Ginma was squealing with joy, and now it was as if Hoshu was hearing her directly from a communicator. ~You found me, you found me!~

Hoshu picked up the slipper, blinking at the bright golden light. He tipped it, and a little silver ball with golden, shining filigree rolled into his palm. It was warm and made of metal. It suddenly grew in his hand to fit perfectly into his palm. He blinked, pink eyes huge. "G…Ginma-san?"

~Yep, yep, yep! Here I am! But, Hoshu-oojikun, before we bond, can I ask you a little, teensy-weensy favor?~ the silver ball asked. Its glow had receded, but it still retained its warmth and baseball-sized shape.

"Oh, uh, sure?" I don't know what 'bond' is, but…. Hoshu shrugged it off.

~Can we go see Karikari? I haven't seen her in such a long, long, long-long-long time. Pretty please, can we go see her?~ Ginma lilted sweetly.

Hoshu gasped. "Wait, what am I doing? I have to give you to Moro or the whole village will be destroyed!"

~Yes, I know. But can we see Karikari first?~ The indifference in her voice shocked Hoshu still for a moment. Then he shook his head.

"No, I have to give you to Moro, or else-" The blond teen suddenly felt Ginma grow cold in his hand. Not just cool down, but suddenly turn freezing. He went to switch hands but found the silver ball stuck to his palm. The icy temperature was so cold that it started to hurt. "O-Oi! What's happening? Ginma-san…!"

She sounded miffed, pouting. ~Fiiiine. Then we can just bond right now!~

There was a sharp, stabbing pain in his hand, and Hoshu yelped at its intensity. Blood dribbled from beneath Ginma from his hand onto the floor, like he'd been cut somehow. He felt as if the ball was trying to push itself beneath his skin. His knees buckled from the agony and he gasped for air.

"Get…off!" Hoshu threw his arm in a whipping motion to shake Ginma off, but he did it so hard and fast that he nearly dislocated his own shoulder. However, somehow - with a split second of Hoshu's eyes turning red and a girl's squeal of alarm - Ginma flung off of his hand and punched through the window.

The blond teen sat in the middle of the floor, blinking at his cut hand. The coldness was receding slowly and the pain was gone, save for the sting of the cut. He didn't know how long he sat there for, but he knew that he was shaking violently. "What the hell was that?" he breathed.

~*~*~*~*~

Everyone looked sharply at the sound of a window being broken. Moro gasped quietly behind his mask. A baseball-sized silver ball bounced on the pavement, rolling towards the gates until it stopped on a clump of grass. It's her. It's Ginma-san, he knew immediately. But when he heard no child's voice, he frowned. Isn't it?

~It's Gini-chan,~ a little girl's voice confirmed, speaking only to Moro. ~This barrier is preventing us from hearing her, that's all.~

Can you take care of it?

~No. It's a demon barrier; I can't unbind it. The miko, however, can.~

Moro looked back at the miko, who was wrapped in his pain-bound genjutsu alongside her captain and the giant. He made a handsign, and the genjutsu was broken on all of them. Tashiro gasped when he could finally breathe again and Sata immediately got to her feet. Her teal eyes were tight on Moro. "Undo the barrier," Moro commanded.

"Like I would do that," she growled.

"All we want is that there in the grass," he said. Sata followed his pointed finger to the silver ball in her yard. "At least send that through, and we'll be on our way, no harm done," he assured her.

The girl only Moro could hear scoffed, an odd sound for a toddler to make. ~That miko deserves death, if no one else. She's so arrogant.~

Sata turned back to Moro with fierce determination on her face. "And what's so important about that? It's a trinket. It holds no power. What do you plan to do with it?" she demanded.

Moro paused. You're right. We'll kill her. The girl in his head giggled with satisfaction. Then he spoke to Sata, "You don't have a choice here, whether I tell you or not. I may not be able to get my men in there to kill your people, but that also means they can't come out. I'll starve your whole village until you die of it, and I'll collect that little trinket. So you can do as I say now and save your people, or stay stubborn and die painfully along with them. Not much of a choice, I think."

The miko gritted her teeth, teal eyes searching the ground at her feet for some kind of answer. Apparently, she found none. She closed her eyes with defeat. Sata walked over and stooped to pick up the warm silver ball. Besides its odd temperature, she found nothing special about it. It's been in my closet for years. What value does it hold to these murderers?

Coming back to the barrier, she narrowed her eyes at Moro's faceless mask. "If you go back on your word, a thousand horrors await you," she warned.

"I'm sure," Moro said coolly. He held up his hand.

Reluctantly, eying the green haired man, Sata made the necessary gestures with her empty hand. "Hatsu. Jin. Kai!"

Just as the barrier flickered into nonexistence, Sata found herself staring into two large, fiery orange eyes. Her mouth opened to scream but it never came.

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Suddenly, the eyes vanished, and Moro and his subordinates leaped backwards to avoid a burst of gale wind ripping across the ground.

Shikatsuro held his fan behind his back, scoffing. "Mendokusē. (How troublesome)" Yaso came to stand beside him, facing Moro.

The black haired jonin stared evenly at Moro, red eyes determined. "So you're the genjutsu genius who set that trap for us. I have to say, you're quite good."

"If you're wondering how we got here," Shikatsuro spoke up, smirking wolfishly, "it's because we kicked the crap out of those people you had following us. Real amateurs, those dweebs."

Moro said nothing, betrayed nothing behind his faceless white mask. Instead, he extended his hand. The silver ball in Sata's hands streaked to Moro's, slapping into his palm. He held up the sphere to the Konoha ninja as if thanking them. "I wish you the best, Leaf shinobi."

"Sir, our men are fleeing," one subordinate whispered. Within the village below, those black-clad men were darting for the village's exit with blinding speed. Coming more slowly after, small patches of writhing black crawled over the buildings. "Should we fall back?"

"We have Ginma-san. That's all we need."

"Don't you even try," Shikatsuro shouted, swinging his fan again. The whirlwind of chakra careened for the foursome, three able to escape the gale. One wasn't so lucky. He screamed and was sliced badly before being blown backwards with the force of a hurricane against a building, where his screaming ended, along with his life.

Moro wasn't even fazed, slipping Ginma into his tool pouch. "Let's go." Without another sound, he and his remaining comrades vanished. Itsuki saw them blur above her as she was sending all those spiders back to where they belonged, instead of crawling all along the buildings, but could do nothing to stop them.

Yaso grabbed Shikatsuro before the dark haired teen could run after them. "There's no point. They're gone, now. Our mission isn't to pursue them."

"It wasn't to go on this wild goose-chase, either," Shikatsuro muttered, clamping his fan shut moodily. Just then, Hoshu came stumbling out of the mansion. Shikatsuro's frown became sharper. "Oh, look, the goose."

Hoshu looked up, blinking in a daze. "Shikatsuro? Sarutobi-sensei?"

~*~*~*~*~

Afternoon settled on the village of Yukimi, the sun beating down on the men and women trying to put out fires and somehow regain some of their possessions from destroyed homes. As all of this was happening, Team Eleven knelt before Sata in the priestess' meeting room. She sat on her low throne-like chair with a sternness in her middle-aged features.

"So the delivery was a failure," she surmised.

"Our deepest apologies, Sata-sama," Yaso said, dipping his head. His face was blank, but his students could immediately tell that he was deeply ashamed. "Problems and complications arose that we couldn't foresee. The Leaf Village isn't to blame; it is entirely my and my team's doing."

"Our doing that we saved your butts," Shikatsuro breathed quietly. The next second he was face-planted into the floor from a punch to the solar plexus. Yaso hadn't even seemed to move.

Sata chuckled slightly, making the shinobi blink in surprise. "No, he's quite right. If you four hadn't shown up when you had, I'm sure our village would have been wiped from existence. Tradition is important, but between that and the safety of my people, I'll choose my people any day. I am eternally in yours and the Leaf Village's debt."

"Sata-sama?" Yaso was taken completely off guard.

"Besides," she said, glancing slyly at Hoshu, "I'm not allowed to speak out against a boy who is both my superior and my best friend's son."

Hoshu grinned sheepishly. "It's just a birth-given title. You're way more powerful than I am."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Sata stood up, sighing, her regality melting away to her usual uppity mood. "Of course I won't be paying you, because you didn't do your job. However, I suppose I could give a high appraisal for saving my village from total destruction. You can stay the night and then be off to the Leaf in the morning."

Once they were escorted out of the meeting room Shikatsuro stretched. "See? That wasn't so bad. But I could sure go for a nap right now."

"When could you not?" Yaso asked, rolling his eyes. Still, he looked much more relaxed than before. The reassurance that he'd done something right had settled his anxiety.

"At least Sata-obachan promised not to tell my mom I was here," Hoshu said under his breath, relieved. He felt a tug on his sleeve and he stopped, looking back to find a hesitant Itsuki. Shikatsuro and Yaso kept walking and left them behind. "Itsuki-san?"

"I am most exultant to have your healthy and unmitigated return to us," she murmured, ducking her head. "And; though it is extremely excruciating to enunciate and I therefore implore that you must find patience with me, if you can; I feel the direct obligation to tell you that…I was frightened when you were taken hostage. Most ardently so." Itsuki clenched her fist over her chest, looking away from Hoshu's surprised gaze. "In order to avoid my feelings from reaching such an anxiety again, I shall make it my sole duty to see to your safety in dire situations to come, should those situations arise. That is, only until your own hands are capable of accomplishing this. Not to say that you are incompetent of rescuing your own life-"

"You're going to protect me?" Hoshu asked.

A bright shade of pink colored Itsuki from head to toe. She whirled her back on him, floundering for words. "It is a strange thing to say, isn't it? Oh, if words could be plucked from the air once spoken…"

Hoshu grinned. "No, it's fine! I'm actually glad. I mean, I can't exactly turn you down - the first mission we get and I end up kidnapped," he chuckled self-consciously.

Itsuki slowly turned to face him again. "I…such things would not even need a second thought in the future. Not so long as I am keeping a watchful eye on Hoshu-kun." After a pause, she was blushing again. "I-In the manner of a guarding eye and not at all connected with a flattering or admiring one! Of course, I do admire you, that wasn't the intent of my words. I was simply-"

"Itsuki-san, it's okay," Hoshu said, holding up his hands in a stopping motion. "I know what you meant. I'm grateful you're taking the time to look out for me. It's the nicest anyone's ever been to me since I came to Konoha. So, thank you."

She looked at him for a long moment, seeming to calm. The mysterious eyes behind those large sunglasses scrutinized Hoshu from their hiding place. "So…that which troubled you before has been remedied?"

"What which troubled me?" he asked, blinking curiously.

"I speak to myself; pay me no heed," Itsuki muttered quickly. She bowed before rushing after the rest of her teammates.

Hoshu shrugged it off, but before he could follow her, someone whistled from one of the manse's windows. His pink eyes grew round with alarm. "Tashiro! What are you- If they find you, they'll lock you up for sure," he whispered harshly.

Tashiro leaned into the open window to beckon the teen over. "Yeah, yeah, I just wanted to talk. This might be the last chance we get to do that face to face like this for a while. Maybe ever," he pointed out. Hoshu gave a furtive look around before hurrying over to the window.

"You going back to your gang?" Hoshu asked quietly.

"Well," the giant blew a sigh, "seeing as they view me as a bastardly traitor, probably not. That's fine with me, but that means I have no idea what else to do with myself."

"You're smart, right? Go to another country and be a teacher. You know, get a decent job," Hoshu suggested.

"That sounds nice. 'Course, I might get violent if the kids are too dumb to learn what I teach. I think I'll just be a damnably-literate carpenter or something. Maybe in Rai no Kuni (Land of Lightening). I hear big guys like me are the norm there," Tashiro grinned.

Hoshu returned the gesture. "Just be sure to get a tan."

The giant rogue glanced down the hallway where Hoshu's team had disappeared. "You don't happen to like that Kumoshōjo?" he asked suddenly.

An embarrassed smile grew on Hoshu's face. "A little."

"She's a nice kid. I'd keep her close, if I were you, in case anyone else figures that out."

"Should I let you advise me on girls, now?"

"You should. I've got impeccable taste." Tashiro clasped Hoshu's hand in a firm shake, violet-blue eyes gleaming. "Take care, Patsukin."

"Be careful," Hoshu warned.

"It's my middle name."

Hoshu waved as the giant blurred out of existence, smiling in a pleased but saddened way. He hoped to see Tashiro again sometime in the future. At a chanced look, however, he noticed the deep cut in the hand he was waving. It'd already begun to heal over, but it still remained. It reminded him again of that cold, merciless pain as Ginma had tried to push herself into his body. He thumbed the scar, swallowing quietly.

What kind of demon was that Ginma-san? … More importantly - what kind of demon was Moro?

[Gracie-kun]

Sho sat on the edge of the porch that wrapped around his large home, pulling on his sandals. After a few seconds, Hoshu poked his head from the other side of the house and blinked at him. "Sho, what are you doing up so early?" The brown haired boy gave him a sidelong look.

"I could ask you the same thing," he pointed out.

"Just meditating. It helps me prepare for training." He approached and sat next to Sho, who scooted over a little from the teen's close proximity. Hoshu didn't pick up on that bit of hostility, but did notice the single-strapped satchel Sho had on his back. "You taking a journey or something?"

"Shinobi don't take journeys." After sitting for a minute in silence Sho sighed irritably. "My team and I have been assigned a mission. It will last a couple days, so I packed a few things."

Hoshu looked amazed. "You're just allowed to leave your home like this? Won't you say goodbye to your parents or Natsu-chan?"

Sho gave the blond teen a sharp look. "First, it's Chinatsu-san if you had any manners at all. Second, why would I? I'll be back in less than a week."

"What if something happens to you on your mission?"

"Nothing will happen - knowing Murai-sensei it's just some useless D-ranked mission, anyway," Sho said. He hopped down from the porch, sandals crunching on dry leaves. As he walked away Hoshu got to his feet on the porch to watch him leave.

The blond teen clapped his hands together and bowed at Sho's back. "Have a safe journey, and permit the gods to bring you and your comrades home safely." Hoshu suddenly grinned, waving his hand in front of his face. "And then there's a whole bunch of things about good health and luck but I doubt you'll be in my sight for that long. Those prayers only seem to work when I can see the person I'm praying for."

He was talking to himself, at this point. Sho had already left.

Double-Team of Prince and Peony

[/center]

"He's late?" Nanami asked, incredulous. "Murai-sensei is never late. Did something happen to him?"

Inari approached his teammates where they waited beside the academy, all three sporting some sort of bag. The blond boy scratched the back of his head and squinted with worry. "He didn't show up to get the papers to let us enter the Kawa no Kuni (Land of Rivers), or to confirm he was leaving. That's what Otou-san told me," he said.

"He could be in trouble. Let's go searching and-"

"And find him doing odd jobs about the village?" Sho shook his head. "I'll be shocked if he shows up at all with his shining track record as a sensei." Inari blinked at his male teammate. The brown haired boy usually never wasted his breath insulting people, so to have him spend a whole sentence putting down Murai was especially a rarity. "Besides, it's not like he's in any danger."

A crashing sound came from the front of the academy. The three genin tensed just as someone tumbled over some garbage cans, spilling himself and the contents onto the ground. Inari was the first to let down his guard.

"Murai-sensei?"

"Everybody packed?" the jonin panted, leaving the cans and running straight past his students. "Good. We're leaving, now."

"What's his hurry?" Nanami asked, taking off with her teammates after the fleeing Murai. They followed him into the winding alleyways made up of wooden fence line.

"Uh, Murai-sensei, the papers-" Inari began.

"I've got them; let's just get out of here before…" The jonin skidded to a halt abruptly as he turned a corner, making his students clamber to avoid bumping into him from behind. "Chikushō!" He turned and shoved them all backwards. "Move!" he ordered.

Nanami looked over her shoulder as she did as Murai instructed, but no one seemed to be pursuing them. "Murai-sensei, what are we running from?"

He increased his speed, pulling far out in front of the three genin. "If I tell you to do something just do it," he snapped. Nanami glared at his back wordlessly.

As they ran, Sho heard feet on wood, but when he looked at the wooden fence there was no real disturbance. He narrowed his light eyes with suspicion. Inari came to run beside him. "You see something, Sho-kun?"

"Maybe…."

Murai looked that way, too, and he bared his teeth in frustration. He suddenly leaped a sharp right, vaulting over one of the tall fences and leaving his teammates scrambling to a stop. "Murai-sensei? Wait!"

The jonin put all of his effort into evasion - weaving random paths through the allies, sometimes jumping over fences and other times backtracking when he came to a dead end. Still, he felt the overbearing presence upon him without it letting up once. Sweat slid down his temple and he ground his teeth together. If I'm caught, I'm dead! Cursing, he grabbed the top of one fence and rolled over to the other side.

He barely missed landing right on Kumamichi. "Whoa! Watch it, Ojii-baka," the feral boy snapped.

Murai frowned in confusion, stopping to look at first Kumamichi, and then Megumi and Naoto. Realization hit him too late as he heard someone lighting down at the end of the alley. Whipping out a kunai, he grabbed the nearest genin and whirled to face the person.

"Over here," Sho panted, skidding into view of an alleyway with his teammates following his expert Byakugan. From where they stood, their sensei's back was towards them, and Kumamichi and Megumi were on either side of him.

Kumamichi looked too shocked to react but Megumi looked her usual amount of annoyed. Murai was holding someone and Team Six could only assume that it was Naoto from the yelps of fear.

"Stay where you are! Damn it, don't make me kill him," Murai threatened. He directed someone his students couldn't see since his body was blocking the way.

"Murai-sensei!" Inari yelled, alarmed, but the jonin didn't seem to hear him.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud and Murai cried out as his head snapped back from a blow to the forehead. A kunai spun in the air before landing harmlessly on its side. Murai was knocked flat on his back, releasing Naoto who looked about ready to burst into tears.

Botan straightened from her throwing pose, hands clenched with excitement. "Wow, it worked! I was afraid I'd hit you with the pointy end," she giggled.

Team Six rushed over, the blond members hurrying to their sensei's aid. "Murai-sensei!" Megumi noticed the presence of her crush and visibly perked up, if only a little. Kumamichi only pulled Naoto away from where he'd been standing petrified with fear.

Murai laid spread-eagle on his back, looking up at the sky as a trivial amount of blood dripped from under his headband. His expression was of resigned damnation. "If you have any pity on me whatsoever," he told Nanami and Inari as they crowded over him, "you'll kill me now."

"Nichi-kun!" Before either genin could respond to the strange request, Botan pushed between them and flung herself onto Murai, squeezing him tightly. "I haven't seen you in such a long time. And look at you - you kept your promise to take care of yourself! You look so handsome, just like my prince should always be," she gushed.

"Botan get off of me!" Murai choked angrily.

She took a serene breath and rubbed her cheek against his. "No. <3"

Inari and Nanami stood awkwardly, unsure what to do as their sensei was accosted at their feet. "So is he being attacked or isn't he?" Inari asked slowly.

Kumamichi scoffed, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "What, you've never seen two adults gettin' it on before?" Myu hid her nose with her paws in mortification of what her master had just said.

~*~*~*~*~

A few minutes later, both teams were standing before the mission distribution table. Murai's hair and clothes were at a complete disarray and his headband was twisted sideways. Botan stood next to him, hands clasped behind her back and gazing at him with adoration. His expression was not an amused one.

Kakashi grinned at all of them from behind his mask. "Hey, you should be getting excited! What's with all the long faces?" he asked the genin lined up before him.

"Well, we're not exactly sure what's going on," Nanami offered, shifting uncomfortably. She was standing next to Megumi, who had forced her way in between her and Sho. Though the dark haired girl kept her sharp eyes forward and completely ignored her, Nanami felt an inexplicable hostility emanating from the Hokage's eldest daughter.

The silver haired man blinked when he was interrupted from beginning his explanation by a squeal. Botan had thrown her arms around Murai and was nuzzling against him. "Aw~! I can't take it; you're just too cute not to hug!" she cooed.

Murai stared blatantly at Kakashi while the silver haired man's daughter squeezed him tightly. "Laugh, and you die."

Kakashi hid his smirk under his hand - unnecessary due to his mask - looking up as innocently as he could. "I didn't say anything," he mused.

"Out with it; what's our mission," Megumi snapped. Kakashi's smile dropped as he looked at her. Then he leaned forward and rested his chin on the back of his hand, all signs of his joking demeanor gone. His voice was low and solemn as he explained:

"Team Five and Team Six, you'll be formed together for a joint mission in Kuwa no Kuni. Over the last few months there have been incidences of murder throughout that country. They're believed to be connected because all six victims have been noblemen ranging from ages sixteen to thirty, all unmarried, all looking to do so in the future. The way the murders were committed, local officials are convinced that it's one man doing all of this and that he's probably a former ninja. Team Five, you'll be given free reign to travel about Kuwa no Kuni in order to investigate the six other killings. Meanwhile, you other four will be charged with guarding the son of the daimyo of Kuwa, who the daimyo is convinced is next on the list. You all have to stop this murderer before he finishes in Kuwa no Kuni and potentially moves on to another land."

Kumamichi's feral eyes lit up and he showed off his canines in a grin. "Cool!"

"How can they be sure that it's a shinobi's work?" Sho asked. "Has anyone even seen this murderer?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No one knows what he looks like, not even a small description. You'll have to be extra careful because of that. As for the shinobi part…well, it's the way the nobles were killed that make us conclude he's at least a former ninja."

"How did they die?" As soon as the question left his mouth, Inari immediately regretted it.

"They were found usually in their bedrooms. There was no sign of any outward deathblow, except…." The elite jonin rubbed his throat absently. "Except for a human bite in the neck. There, the victims were drained copiously of blood. The bodies were bone-dry when they were found."

Nanami blinked. "Wait…are you saying the murderer…drank their blood?" she asked, suddenly queasy.

"That's what I'm saying," Kakashi nodded grimly.

The blond girl swallowed hard and stood stock-straight, though her whole body was trembling. Naoto wasn't doing much better. The other genin were either solemnly apprehensive, indifferent, or, in a certain Inuzuka's case, very much excited. "Vampire! We're dealing with a vampire!" he said, dancing in a circle.

"There's no such thing," Megumi spat. Kumamichi grinned, eyes half-lidded under arched eyebrows.

"Then why are we being given a mission to capture one?"

"It's not a vampire; it's some shinobi that's gone completely insane." Megumi made a 'tch' noise. "Thinking vampires are real - how moronic can you get?" Inari seemed to be the only one to look down at that moment, and he found his sister's legs were actually shaking a little.

Kakashi raised his hands, palms skyward. "Exactly! There's nothing to get so worked up about. You've got two jonin with you so it should be fine, right? … Of course," the jonin said, tone dropping low as he rubbed his chin, "the last group of genin sent to investigate from Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind) wasn't so lucky."

Naoto drew back. "What group of genin?" he asked tremulously.

"Ah, I guess releasing that to the public would cause hysteria, so you don't know: six Suna (Sand) genin and their two jonin went to find out about this nobleman-murderer back when he first started killing people a few months ago. The daimyo's people ended up finding them - dead, drained of blood, every single one of them. They were strung up in the trees as a warning to other ninja who tried to go after the murderer…."

Kakashi abruptly smiled, waving his hand cheerily. "But I'm sure you guys will be fine!"

Murai pinched the bridge of his nose as two third of the genin hid behind an irritated Sho and a grinning Kumamichi. "You are so full of it."

~*~*~*~*~

Mamoru stood across from Subaru in the dirt clearing. The pink haired boy pulled on a pair of gray gloves before putting one arm behind his back and the other held up towards his opponent in the familiar Rock Lee style. Subaru's hands remained in his pockets and Ukyo continued to slumber atop his head.

"Friendly sparring is one way that team members get to know each other," Lee called out from the sidelines. "You realize each others' strengths and weaknesses, and therefore get closer to them. You may even become the best of friends by throwing punches alone. Or, you could create a passionate rivalry. I expect the two of you not to go easy on each other. Begin!"

At the barked order, Mamoru bolted forward with intimidating speed. His fist reared back as he ran. Subaru leaped back at the last possible second, his teammate leaving a thundering crater in his wake. Ukyo suddenly sprang from his master's head and grew in size, tawny fur turning red. As the giant dog now went to pounce, Mamoru rolled sideways through the air to avoid the salivating jaws.

One foot hit solid ground and he was running at Subaru again. Ukyo intercepted and snapped air instead of a leg as Mamoru jumped straight up. Blue energy shimmered around the pink haired boy's foot as he spun to bring his heel down on the dog. Ukyo darted away as chunks of earth cleaved from Mamoru's monstrous attack. Neither boys changed expression from either flatly bored to mildly attentive.

Naoki sat with his back to the fight, munching on a few rice balls he'd managed to sneak before he'd been dragged away. Lee looked down at him. "Naoki-kun, you should also be watching. It does benefit to observe as much as it does to experience first hand."

The boy looked over his shoulder. Mamoru had just swept all four of Ukyo's legs out from under him, sending the massive animal crashing into the dirt. The pink haired boy jumped over the dog, spinning into a Leaf Hurricane. Subaru blocked the bone-crushing attack with his arm, unfazed.

The savage snarl of an animal was Mamoru's only warning before Ukyo leaped at his back. Mamoru whirled and swung his fist, cracking it against the dog's shoulder and sending the beast flying. Then he turned back and met Subaru in hand-to-hand.

Naoki sniffed. "Eh. I've seen better."

"What is wrong, my friend?" Lee asked, crouching next to his student with a worried expression. "You do not seem to have any energy whatsoever when it comes to training. Have you been discouraged in some way?"

"Oh, not really. It's just that my cry-baby twin brother has it better than me without even trying, is all. He's not tired all the time, he gets to eat whatever he wants, his teammates aren't insane, he gets to spend every day with a sensei that's got the body of lust incarnate, and as I sit here stuffing my face he's off on some dangerous B-ranked mission about to go kick some bad-guy butt. So maybe I'm just a tiny bit discouraged."

"The sarcasm in your voice is extremely noticeable." Naoki sent a moody glare at his sensei.

"Is it that obvious."

"Naoki-kun," Lee sighed, shaking his head as he stood up. "Simply being jealous of someone for their better lot in life is not a quality that I will tolerate in any of my students. If you are so down-trodden, how do you ever expect to become better than your brother?" he asked.

"I never said I wanted to be better. And I definitely never said he was better than me," Naoki snapped, abruptly angry.

The jonin studied his student as Naoki stuffed the rest of a rice ball into his mouth out of pure stubbornness. Lee suddenly grinned. "All right, then! We will just have to find a way to motivate you, young friend," he decided.

Naoki blinked. "Wait, what?"

Lee clapped his hands twice, and Mamoru jumped backwards and away from Subaru. The pink haired boy punched his palm, bowing. Subaru just shrugged it off as Ukyo shrunk and hopped back onto his head for a nap.

The jonin faced the two with hands on his hips. "My students, it has now become our collective duty to show Naoki-kun what it is to have the power of youth."

"What!" The Akimichi boy looked horrified. Lee picked him up by the arm and set him on his feet. When he tried to run, the jonin kept a grasp on Naoki's bicep. "Lemme go, you crazy-!"

"Mamoru, I want you to spar with Naoki-kun today," Lee declared. He shoved Naoki forward, sending the brown haired boy stumbling for footing.

"Listen, you big moron! I don't wanna-" Naoki's words died when he heard the telltale gripping sound of Mamoru tightening one of his gloves.

The pink haired boy's eyes were still void of emotion as chakra formed around his gray-clad fist. "Osu." Naoki wondered if hospital food was actually as bad as everyone said it was.

~*~*~*~*~

Nanami readjusted the bag on her shoulders, green eyes downcast with worry. "Our very first mission, and it turns out to be something so dangerous…."

Inari smiled reassuringly - though anyone who knew him could tell he was terrified too. "It's fine, right? Like Kakashi-sensei said, there are two jonin here to help us. And the way we've developed in training so far is pretty impressive, too. I don't think we need to worry much about it so long as we do our best."

"Do our best not to get…eaten?" Kumamichi grinned from his place between the two stricken blonds, cackling. "And this is your guys' first mission? Ha! Our team's been on dozens. You guys are such newbies compared to us, right, Myu-chi?" he asked the pup on his head.

Myu whined and shook her head demurely.

"Petty missions a child could be assigned are not real missions, and therefore don't count. You've got about as much experience in the field as we do," Sho said with a huff.

Kumamichi narrowed his feral eyes in a pout. "You'd think that, huh? But those missions are just as important as the ones you get to pummel the crap outta people in. The little missions teach you basic tricks that can be the difference between life and death in a real battle," he pointed out.

"Is that what your sensei told you to keep you from whining for extra missions?" The question stabbed straight through the Inuzuka's solar plexus. Sho rolled his eyes. "Aho (Fool)," he muttered.

Naoto patted his teammate's back comfortingly as Kumamichi tended to his wounded pride. "Well, I don't think that's why Bo-sensei gives them to us," he argued timidly. He flinched nervously when Megumi threw him a glare from her place walking next to Sho.

"That's exactly why she gives them to us. Bo-sensei doesn't think we can do any better. She thinks those little missions can pacify us like we're just desperate for the money. That woman does nothing but keep us from getting stronger."

"No, I agree with Naoto-kun," Nanami said as the Akimichi boy used the downtrodden Kumamichi as a shield. "Even if they don't teach you techniques useful in battle, those missions still teach you teamwork. Going into a mission, it doesn't matter if you're weak or strong, smart or dumb; if your team can't work as a unit for the simplest things you'll fail every time. Maybe that's why you've had dozens of those missions while we haven't had a single one," she said with a sniff.

"That's an interesting theory," Inari said quickly, squeezing his way between the glaring girls, "but let's not get on the subject. I mean, we should focus on the task at hand."

Kumamichi had mischievous life in his eyes once again. "Yeah, the blood-sucking vampire!" Naoto whimpered pitifully.

Just ahead of the genin, the two jonin walked side-by-side down the road. Botan glanced back at the troupe of genin with a little smile. "'Nami-chan's really smart. Just what you'd expect from Shika-sensei's little girl," she giggled sweetly.

Murai wasn't smiling. "She preached teamwork one second, then drove a wedge into our teams the next. I don't call that smart," he muttered. He threw a glower over his shoulder. "Especially since none of them can figure out that that Suna shinobi story is total bull. Your old man would never send you on a mission like that."

"But he would send me on one with the man I love," she cooed, wrapping her arms around him again. Murai shook her off deftly.

"Knock it off; we're on business."

"But Nichi-kun…!"

"Chigau."

"Can we at least hold hands?"

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?"

Botan puckered her bottom lip and sighed forlornly. "You won't even hold my hand; you're so cold, Nichi-kun," she murmured. Murai made a grunt of apathy. After a few more seconds, her pout was replaced with a smile and she slung herself around him again. "You'll warm up to me~."

Nanami watched the jonin tussle together, and for reasons she could not logically understand, she felt a sharp stab of something she'd never experienced before and was totally horrified for doing so now - jealousy.

~*~*~*~*~

The daimyo of Kuwa no Kuni was a frail old man by the name of Kagiwara Testuya. He was skinny but in a healthy way, and looked ten years younger save for his stark-white shoulder-length hair. His green eyes were crinkled and merry which matched his smiling mouth.

Teams Five and Six knelt before his throne-cushion now, Murai and Botan side-by-side with the genin lined up behind them. Luckily, the silver haired beauty had enough sense to keep her hands to herself in the presence of the highest-ranking man of the country.

"I'm so relieved just to see that you're here," Tetsuya laughed out of nerves. "The past few weeks of hearing about those murders…needless to say I was wary for my son."

Kuwa's daimyo was a widower of twelve years and was now too old to have more children. In life, his wife had blessed him with four daughters - all off and married to noblemen - and finally, one son. Mitsuzuka was nineteen with light brown hair and the same green eyes as his father. He was in the age range of the recent victims and - with the last murder taken place just miles from the daimyo's castle - naturally shinobi had been hired to safeguard the ouji of Rivers. Mitsuzuka sat now at the right hand of the daimyo, those green eyes downcast and heavy with some emotion no one could read.

Tetsuya continued, "The team in charge of investigation has rooms prepared for them for the night, so you can start fresh in the morning. The list of crime scenes have been gathered for your use as well as potential witnesses and any evidence relevant."

Botan beamed happily. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kagiwara-sama," she piped.

Megumi clenched her fist on her knee, making no other move in her body or face. Still, it was enough for Naoto - who sat beside her - to notice. Megumi-sama won't get to spend the mission with Sho-san, he realized immediately. Even though it had seemed impossible for such an angry girl, Naoto was convinced that she had feelings for the cadet-branch Hyuga. Naoto had become aware of it fairly early on, when Megumi would rush from the end of a mission or training to Sho's home for extra tutelage. Sho seemed to be the only person she didn't think of as stupid and openly loathe.

Naoto dropped his gaze to the wood floor he knelt on with a heavy heart but said nothing.

"However," Tetsuya went on in his warm voice, "I would like the others to start right away with guarding my son. I can't take chances, you understand."

Murai dipped his head solemnly. "As you wish." The genin behind him knew he would've given anything to just say 'sure', but if a shinobi cell leader approached a dire matter with such levity, the Leaf Village would lose business quite quickly. Nanami stifled a snicker at her sensei's expense until Inari gently elbowed her side in a friendly but stern warning.

The daimyo dismissed Team Five and left the meeting room to attend to other business, patting Mitsuzuka's shoulder on his way to stand. The young man didn't move.

As he was walking out with his team, Naoto noticed with surprise that Megumi didn't even say good bye to Sho. The Akimichi boy frowned, and then ran up beside Megumi before waving back at Team Six. "Good bye, Nanami-san, Inari-kun, Sho-san." He said the last name with slight emphasis and glanced at his female teammate.

"Ja ne, Naoto-kun," Nanami called as Inari waved back amicably. Sho looked back the same time Megumi did, and their eyes met. He gave a nod, but she turned straight ahead and strode out of the room. Naoto looked from her to Sho with a confused expression before following her.

Mitsuzuka finally stood once everyone except Team Six was out of the room, but didn't move otherwise. Meanwhile, Murai folded his arms as his students formed a semi-circle around him to hear what he had planned.

"We'll split into two groups. Hyuga, Reigi-san, you'll stay inside with the prince; Hyuga gets first watch. Nanami and I'll take our post outside the castle to keep watch for intruders. I'll start the shift. Anything happens, report through communicator. If the threat's outside, you two stay and protect the prince. If inside, we'll come back A.S.A.P. You got it?"

"Is that really the best way to split up?" Nanami asked quickly, obviously alarmed. She realized how she sounded and flushed. "I-I mean, well-"

"There are two sensory-types on our team," Murai stated blandly. "Hyuga, and me. Reigi-san is with Hyuga because creating clones is his specialty, and that means more bodies to shield our client. You're with me because your Kagemane can halt the murderer immediately should he appear."

"But with Sho-kun's Byakugan, he'd work best outside," she insisted. If she was to be stuck with Murai, she at least wanted another person present so it'd be less awkward.

Her hopes were smashed as Murai spoke monotonously: "While your talents are at their best in a closed area, I use my sense of smell and hearing to sense chakra. Being in a building practically dipped in perfume would kill my olfactory, and with all the people in here, my hearing would be shot. I can determine human sounds from animal - I can't tell an ally's sound from an enemy's. Besides that, this mansion is full of unnecessary and difficult twisting hallways. Anybody could get lost in this place. Lucky for us, Hyuga can see through walls. And since Reigi-san is technically the son of a leader himself, he can make conversation with the client to make things seem less restricted. That's more of a bonus. Any other complaints?"

Nanami's cheeks went bright pink at his apathetic tone. She'd known all of that and known it was the best possible strategy. However, she'd had no idea that Murai would shoot down every single target to make his argument water-tight. For once in her life, Nanami cursed logic. "No," she mumbled.

"Then shut up and get outside. I'm watching first, but you should familiarize yourself with the area before your watch." Murai glanced at Sho. "Check the place out before settling down, too. Get a feel for the normalcy of this place. Any shift in the castle's mood might be a warning sign. You hear me?"

"Un (Yeah)," Sho nodded.

"Ki o tsukete (Take care)," Inari called to his sensei and female teammate as they left the hall, the blond girl rigid and a deep shade of red. He frowned as his crush-senses twitched, but he shook it off and turned to Sho. "You going to look around?" he asked.

"I was thinking about it…. Stay with Ouji-sama and I'll meet up with you later." Without even a word of farewell, the brown haired boy left to familiarize himself with the mansion.

Inari turned to face Mitsuzuka, who had been standing and watching them plan the whole time. Smiling sheepishly, Inari scratched the back of his neck. "Well, looks like it's just you and me, Kagiwara-oujisama."

Mitsuzuka seemed to stare past Inari, and the blond boy wondered if he even knew he was there. Then Mitsuzuka moved toward the exit. "I'm going to study." It'd been the first time Inari had heard the prince speak, and he found the voice thin and reedy.

Feeling inept, Inari hurried to walk behind the prince he was now supposed to protect.

~*~*~*~*~

Naoto threw himself down on a mat in the room designated for the male shinobi to rest in. Botan and Megumi were off in their room, which left the Akimichi boy with his feral teammate.

"Yahoo!" Kumamichi slid across the hardwood-floored room with the towels he'd found in the bathroom on his feet. With his running start, he crossed the longest part of the rectangle room and even touched the wall. "This place is huge! What a set-up, huh? If I could get locked up anywhere I wanted, it'd definitely be in here."

Myu avoided her boisterous master and grabbed a throw pillow with her teeth. Naoto's and Kumamichi's mats were side-by-side, and she trotted to Naoto's side of the rugs and curled up there to sleep. Naoto scratched her ear absently and she grunted with satisfaction.

Kumamichi slid so his shins hit the raised area the mats rested on, falling on his elbows onto his rug. He beamed at Naoto excitedly. "C'mon, c'mon, get up! I wanna try a trick and I need your help to do it," he said.

"We should be getting our rest, Kumamichi-kun. We're leaving again tomorrow. If we don't get some sleep, we'll be dead on our feet by noon," Naoto said with a yawn. Myu nodded her head a little as she shifted to face the wall opposite the boys.

The raven haired Inuzuka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, we will." That moment of droning passed quickly, and his slit eyes were shining with calculated mischief again. "Let's go peek into the girls' room. Sensei's gotta have some sexy PJs, knowing that fox. She might even be putting them on as we speak," he added suggestively.

Naoto blushed profusely. "We can't do that!"

"Why not?" Kumamichi sat up, and Naoto saw that he was truly puzzling the reason of his refusal. "Bo-sensei is the hottest thing under the sun with clothes on, and you're not even curious about what's under the wrapper?"

"Don't say it like that. You make her sound like a piece of candy!" Naoto mumbled, turning away from Kumamichi and the lecherous thoughts he was suggesting.

"Can you blame me? That is one sweet piece of-"

"How old are you!"

~*~*~*~*~

Megumi threw herself down on a mat in the room designated for the kunoichi to sleep in. She buried her face deep into the pillow and hoped she'd never come back up. Probably my only chance to ever be on a mission with Sho-sama, and I won't even get to spend it with him. I have to put up with a fat coward, a lecherous brat, and-

Botan burst out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped like a turban around her head and a white robe around her body. "Ahh~ I can't believe what a nice shower they have here!" she exclaimed dreamily.

A vein pulsated on Megumi's brow as she glared at the wall rather than face the woman. -and THIS idiot.

"Ne, ne, you should go try it," Botan said eagerly.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep," the dark haired girl said, turning onto her side so her back was towards her sensei.

Blinking for a moment, Botan crossed the room and settled down on her mat, folding her legs underneath her. She looked down at the lump curled up under the covers. "Daijoubu ka?"

"None of your business, aho," Megumi muttered.

"You seem a little…down. Come on, we're like girlfriends now! You can tell me anything, and I promise, I'll keep it a secret," Botan said. She settled onto her stomach and put her chin on her fists, swinging her feet in the air. "Go on, shoot!"

Megumi didn't even think about it: "No."

"What? Come on~!"

"Urusai, airhead."

"You can't be that mean. I really wanna know! I could help!"

The dark haired girl paused, then murmured softly, "I doubt it."

Botan smiled a little and sat up on her knees, the turban slipping off her head and letting her damp silver hair drape over one shoulder. "Try me." She grinned with sly naughtiness.

Megumi came out from under the covers with her eyes down. She heaved a sigh that she'd been holding in for years. In the few moments to herself she felt her heart begin to race, thinking of her beloved Sho. After another couple of seconds to make sure that her voice wouldn't shake, she looked up-

-to a finger pointing into her face.

"You're in love!" Botan gasped.

Scarlet colored Megumi's skin like dye dripped into water. Her mouth hung open in morbid shock at what Botan had just done, thinking that the silver haired teen couldn't really be stupid enough to do that. But that silly look of half surprise, half excitement painted on Botan's face was too much of a confirmation: she was, and she just did.

The dark haired girl scowled lividly. "Go to hell!" She threw the covers over her head and scrunched up into a ball of fury and misery.

Botan hovered over her balled-up form with bright brown eyes and a gleeful smile. "You are! You really are! Ohhh that is soooo cute! Who is it. Tell me. I have to know. Kya~ we've got so much in common now! We're practically sisters, right?" she squealed.

Megumi glared abhorrently into her pillow as the jonin behind her squirmed on her mat with giggling hysteria. "I'd rather have Kotone, in all honesty…."

~*~*~*~*~

Murai lighted down from his combing of the manse rooftops on the west wall just outside of the estate. He glanced furtively where he stood with his back to lamplight, dark brown eyes scanning the fir and pine blackness around the castle. The air was crisp, cold. White mist curled around his nose and mouth, the only indication from his absolute stillness that he was a living creature.

Something didn't feel right. The forest in that particular area was too quiet, too void of animal activity. Though, at the moment, no odd noise reached his cold-reddened ears, and he smelled no source of chakra in the direction he was facing. Nothing was suspicious.

And that's what set Murai on edge.

Finally, still glancing about with caution, he bit the fleshy part of his thumb and drew blood. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Emerging from the cloud of smoke produced from the excess chakra expelled from the jutsu, a huge brown bear waddled up to Murai with many a groan. It looked up at the orange haired teen with large yellow eyes.

"Well, this is a rare occasion," the bear grumbled. "And what've you got for me to do this fine evening?"

"There's something wrong with the forest. I don't like it but I can't find anything wrong with it. Would you check it out, maybe ask if the other animals have seen a strange human skulking around?" Murai asked.

The bear grunted, jerking her head back in the short laugh. "Good to see you, too."

"Suzue, it's my mission," he said tiredly, flopping his arms at his sides in a helpless gesture.

"Hey, don't start crying, I don't know if I could take it," Suzue chuckled. She turned her enormous form, the stylized Leaf insignia on her neck rippling white against her dark fur, matching the blue tattoo on Murai's own throat. Suzue tromped into the forest with a bear's passive roar and Murai watched her until she was out of sight.

He sighed heavily with a fond shake of his head. Then the little joy in his face leeched out and he looked back at the forest. He shook his head again, shivering, and not because he was cold. "I really hate that Scarecrow man."

[Gracie-kun]

[ATTENTION: No adorably-timid blond Hyugas were harmed in the making of this chapter. Well...not critically... o^o;;]

Snow Falls with a Comrade's Blood

Three days had passed since Team Six had arrived at the Kagiwara estate. Botan and the others had already left to fulfill their own set duties, namely, figuring out who exactly was targeting Kuwa's noblemen. Team Six was left to guard Mitsuzuka, which was proving to be a very awkward task.

Before Inari could even knock, the door to the lounging room slid open to reveal Sho. The blond boy cringed as he heard a woman's frustrated shriek.

"He's got another one," Sho said indifferently. He strode past Inari towards the shinobi chambers. His pace was fast, so either he really wanted to get some sleep or he really wanted to get away from what was going on in there. Inari decided it was the latter.

His theory was confirmed when, as soon as he closed the door behind himself, a glass shattered. Inari almost backtracked out of the room until he heard someone's fingers snap. Mitsuzuka was staring at him when Inari turned to look. The ouji pointed to the only wall with a window; he wanted Inari to stand there. Begrudgingly, Inari hastened to the designated post and stood rigidly against the snowy backdrop of the window.

Mitsuzuka was seated at another writing desk - they seemed to be in every room in the mansion - pouring over books and notes. Standing beside him was a beautiful creature of nobility, with rich red hair and clothed in an expensive pale-green kimono. A champagne glass was shattered on the low table between Inari and the two adults, and the noblewoman clutched another in her hand. She was more than livid.

"Every time," she snapped. "Every time I'm invited here to see you, you're sitting here studying God-knows-what and ignoring me completely. I have tried everything with you. You've not only exhausted my father's patience but my own as well. If you've already got a fiancée in mind then at least tell me so that my nerves are no longer tampered with. You haven't even said a word to me this whole time, nor the last time, nor the time before that. Do you think you're so special that you can pick and choose your wives? Are you that full of yourself? I swear to you, Kagiwara - ouji or not, I will find a way to illicit three words from you contemptuous mouth," she yelled.

The whole time, Mitsuzuka had seemed to be totally unaware of her presence. He'd scribbled and read, as if her screeching was just a light breeze coming from the window. Now, however, he set down his pen and looked up at the woman, who looked taken aback by this sudden show of attention.

He plucked the glass from her hand and poured it onto the floor. He never looked away from her eyes. "You lose."

She slapped Mitsuzuka, hard. Inari moved uneasily to stop a potential second strike but the noblewoman just stamped her foot.

"You horrible beast!" She hurried out of the room and was crying before she could reach the door. She slammed it shut with tremendous force.

Mitsuzuka set the glass upside-down next to the puddle before going back to studying. Inari shifted uncomfortably against the wall. "I don't think I was supposed to see that, Kagiwara-oujisama," he murmured, cheeks red.

"Makuda-san chose to act that way in front of you. She saw you come in - she could have easily stopped herself. It's her own fault for acting like a foolish rage-driven child," Mitsuzuka said without looking up.

It was true that Mitsuzuka was anti-social. Almost to the extreme, really. Whenever eligible noblewomen were invited by the daimyo to sit with his son, Mitsuzuka wouldn't speak to them, wouldn't interact or sit with them, he wouldn't even look at them. Today had been a rarity, even if it had only been to humiliate the woman. But it seemed like whenever it was just him and Inari, the ouji would speak freely to him, even when Inari hadn't started the conversation. The blond boy guessed that Mitsuzuka saw him as a servant, and servants were simply mindless helpers to the prince. It was fine with Inari - anything was better than sitting in total, awkward silence.

"If you're not interested in any of the ladies that come here," Inari ventured, "then why not stop inviting them?"

"It's not my decision whether to invite them or not. If it was they'd never show up in the first place. Chichi-sama designates them in hopes that I'll fall madly in love. Though, at this point, he's probably throwing bodies at me thinking that I might catch one. Either way, I'm not interested."

"You don't want to get married?"

Mitsuzuka gave a little laugh. "The idea. Of course I want to marry."

"Then…" Inari was thoroughly confused.

"The daimyo wants me to marry a stuck-up, frivolous, empty-headed lady whose only job is to make heirs and sit around looking pretty. Or, better still, one of those ladies that come from another country so that Kuwa can have another ally. It's all politics, all business. I don't want to marry a doll. I want to marry someone who I can share my mind with as well as my reign as daimyo. I want a partner as well as a spouse. Isn't it so with your way of living?" Mitsuzuka suddenly asked Inari.

"O-Oh, well…Otou-san married Okaa-san because he loves her, but I guess it's also because she's really smart and he's kind of…not. She helps him with his work," Inari explained.

"Exactly." The prince set down the book he was looking over and turned in his chair to look at Inari. "That's the kind of person I want to marry, someone who can help me if I'm stuck somehow. Someone I can persevere with. Is it too much to ask?"

"I don't think so," Inari said slowly, unsure.

After a few more seconds - those green eyes burning into Inari - Mitsuzuka turned back to his desk. "No, it is too much. In order to rule, one's life must be ruled. One's freedom is taken so one's people may have theirs. If that's the case, then I'll never marry. If that can't be then I'll delay it as long as possible."

Inari bit his lip. "Kagiwara-oujisama…I think you should just do it. I mean, I don't think Makuda-himesama would be okay, but someone else. Even if she is…empty-headed…. Love isn't always found in intelligence. Like Okaa-san - she loves Otou-san even though he's really not that bright. She's loved him since she was a little girl, and he was even more dense back then, according to Sakura-obasan and the others," he chuckled sheepishly. "I'm just saying that, even if someone isn't smart, that doesn't mean that you can't fall in love with them."

Mitsuzuka shook his head. "It's still no good. I can't go through with it. At least…not until this is finished," he muttered.

"Your studying? Is it to become daimyo?" Inari asked, thankful for the escape that was subject change.

"To figure out who the murderer is."

The blond boy tensed, light-blue eyes wide. "The…? Kagiwara-oujisama, why-?"

"I'm not just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs hoping the murderer won't come for me," Mitsuzuka said, not looking at Inari. "I'm going to put all of my time and effort into solving this until either the culprit is captured or I die at his hands."

"But the others are already out investigating. You don't have to-"

"The last man to die in this case was Hiraga Masahiro. He was the only son of a count living several miles from this castle, and now that estate is left with two daughters and no heir. Masahiro was the count's only hope against the Hiragas' eradication. He was also my best friend." Inari's eyes grew even wider. Mitsuzuka clenched his fist, voice still quietly rasped. "I will not sit here and let that killer run as he pleases while my only companion is forever wrenched from this world. If I cannot be out there looking for him myself, fine. The only way I can actually help is by investigating from here, anyway."

Inari didn't argue anymore. The rest of his shift, he and the ouji sat in somber silence.

~*~*~*~*~

Nanami jerked awake when she felt something dropped onto her head. Before she could reach for a dagger, the object dropped into her hand. It was a plastic-wrapped rice ball.

"And here I thought the Nara gene skipped a generation," Murai gruffed, handing her a can of heated coffee. He leaned against the wall alongside Nanami and sipped his own drink. "I come out to give you a break and I find you sleeping on the job."

If it wasn't for the fact that the weather had made her cheeks and ears red, Nanami would have been embarrassed for her blush. "I don't need a break. Shouldn't you be sleeping?" she muttered.

He shrugged. "I can't when it's snowing. It's all bright and it keeps me awake. Plus, you're dead on your feet. Go take a nap or something."

"I told you, I don't need a break," she said defensively. As if to vex her, at that moment she yawned. Murai raised an eyebrow at her and she frowned. "Urusai, teme!"

"I said nothing."

Nanami unwrapped the rice ball with a furious tug. It'd snowed the first night, which had made keeping watch outside nearly unbearably cold. Her and Murai both sported gloves and Konohagakure cloaks but it still didn't help if they had to stand all day knee-deep in snow. Nanami's patience with the weather had run thin, as well as with her sensei. She shivered again and gulped down her canned coffee.

"Just go inside before you freeze to the spot," Murai said flatly.

"That's what she gets for being so skinny." Suzue came thundering slowly out from the trees, wading through the snow as easily as if it were water. She glanced at Nanami with a chortle. "Humans and their obsessions with vanity."

The blond girl frowned angrily. The first day Nanami had taken watch, Suzue had come out of the forest, thinking that Murai was still on guard. Nanami had attacked her after hearing her speak but the bear had disarmed her with lightening-style jutsu. Murai had come out of the castle to stop Suzue before she used a lethal attack on his student. He'd explained that Suzue was a familiar he'd signed a contract with, and that she wasn't of any harm. From the contemptuous looks the bear gave her, Nanami wasn't very convinced of the latter.

"You find anything out?" Murai asked, passing over the blatant insult to his student.

"All's quiet. If there really is a killer out there, he's definitely shinobi. I can't find any tracks in the snow but he could be traveling through the trees. Of course, I can't exactly climb up there to check," Suzue said sarcastically, shifting her enormous weight.

"Stay here with Nanami and I'll check it out." The orange haired teen dropped his can and vanished before it hit the snow.

Nanami chewed on the rice ball furiously and didn't look at Suzue as she plopped herself down next to the genin. The rice wasn't plain like it'd appeared, but filled with sweet red bean paste. She used to eat it all the time when she was young. She would have been happy if she didn't remember that it was Murai who'd given it to her.

He did it on purpose to remind me! She wolfed down the rest of the rice out of stubborn embarrassment.

Suzue exhaled loudly and scratched her ear with her fore-paw. "Sorry about earlier, I guess," she said suddenly. "I didn't think Nichiren would ever try to train cubs. He doesn't exactly have a shining patience with others. But when you came at me when I asked for him I sort of assumed," Suzue sniffed.

"You're a talking bear. It's not exactly something normal," Nanami said warily.

"Don't blame you."

Silence passed between them and Nanami tried to keep her attention on the forest, keeping alert for any unusual sounds. After three days, she was starting to be doubtful that the killer would even show up. This was the closest place with an eligible victim from the last crime scene. Still, it was comforting. She wasn't exactly hoping for a blood-sucking monster to show up.

The brown bear spoke up after a minute, "How's he been doing, by the way?"

"Who?"

"Nichiren." Suzue shook herself and licked her paw of snow, almost avoiding Nanami's questioning stare. "I'm too proud to ask him myself, so I thought I'd ask you. Besides, he always seems to be the same brooding child no matter what mood he's in - to me, anyway. I was just wondering if you've noticed something since you're with him a lot."

"I'm not with him that much," Nanami snapped, blushing. Then she honestly thought about the question. "He's always acting cryptic and callous, so I don't know. I only started training with him a few weeks ago."

"That's not true," Suzue mused.

Nanami looked puzzled, and then blushed. "Why does everyone have to remind me of that?" she moaned, covering her face with her black-gloved hands.

The bear flicked her ears back with a smug look. "I'm sure you're the only one reminding yourself, dear." Nanami made a hopeless sound and Suzue chuckled. "Come on, you knew him back then. Has he changed at all?"

"Yes. He used to be kind and sweet. Sure, he was a little jerkish, but not as much as he is now. It's like he's putting all of his energy into teasing me," Nanami muttered, put-out. Suzue's self-satisfied smirk faltered and her ears flattened.

"…Sô desu ka." She looked out at the forest with a heavy sigh, yellow eyes clouded. "I wish there was something I could do, but my pride wouldn't let me. I'm not made for that mushy-gushy emotional crap."

"Neither is Murai-sensei," Nanami said with absently pouting.

"Whether he likes it or not, he might need it."

The blond girl blinked. "Why?"

Suzue shook her great head with a bear's groan. "A few years back he was on a mission that really messed him up. I hear Botan and Yaso are fine, but they don't remember it."

"Remember what?" Nanami asked quietly, green eyes wide.

"During the mission, those three were nearly killed. The other two were rendered unconscious almost immediately. Nichiren had to face the enemy on his own. Just a kid - about your age - and he had to fight for both his' and his comrades' lives…."

Nanami felt chilling tingles in her spine and her hair stood on end. An image of a twelve-year-old Murai from her few memories of him came to her, that awkwardly-smiling boy, and she felt a stab of alarm as she tried to imagine such a boy facing danger like that. If she'd have to do that for Sho and Inari, if they were dying and she was their only chance to get them all out alive, Nanami didn't know if she could pull through for them.

Now Suzue got up, surprising Nanami out of her terrifying fantasy. "He's coming back. I'll get back to work." She stopped halfway to the trees, turning. "There was one other thing that surprised me when we first met."

The blond girl frowned. "What was that?"

"When Murai stood between you and me, he said, 'Nanami's my student'."

"'And it'd be a real pain in the ass if I had to tell Sensei my summoning mauled his daughter'," Nanami recited, rolling her eyes. "I know."

"…When Murai talks to people, he always refers to them by nicknames. He won't even settle with an honorific. To him, a first name is precious, something that should only be spoken by people who are close to you or care about you. He calls Shikamaru 'Sensei', Yaso 'Sarutobi', and your teammates 'Hyuga' and 'Reigi-san' while calling Botan, Kakashi, and me by our first names. I was just shocked, is all."

Nanami looked at the bear with confusion before Suzue laughed a little. "He calls you 'Nanami'. That doesn't sound like a nickname to me, sweetheart."

Murai dropped into the clearing from the forest, his tan cloak flapping as he did. "I didn't see anything, and the snow's messing with my sense of smell. Still, I don't think there's been any activity around here."

"Should I continue tromping around and scaring off all the other wildlife?" Suzue asked.

"It wouldn't hurt." Murai scratched her chin as he passed the enormous bear without looking at her. Suzue laughed a little and caught Nanami's eye. Her grin got slier. Then she turned and waddled into the forest without another look back. Murai stood in front of his student and frowned down at her. "Just get inside before your face freezes like that, would you?" he said with exasperation.

Nanami turned on her heel and hurried away. "Y-Yeah, okay," she sputtered.

"Get some sleep, Nanami."

The name sent a thrill through Nanami's heart. She stopped and looked back, but Murai only pulled the collar of his cloak around his neck, shivering, staring into the fir trees. A warm feeling spread over her and suddenly she didn't feel so cold. Flushing, she whipped her head forward and ran inside to escape the emotion that had made its way into her.

~*~*~*~*~

"This is booooring," Kumamichi yawned.

Naoto gently nudged his teammate with his elbow. "Shh! Bo-sensei's talking to someone," he whispered.

"But we've been at this for days," the Inuzuka youngest protested. "All we've done is talk, talk, talk. Not one hint of action and not one evil, blood-sucking vampire. This is becoming a total rip-off." Myu rolled her eyes where she shivered for warmth in the feral boy's shirt.

"Missions aren't supposed to be fun," Naoto mumbled.

Botan bowed to the investigator - who was smiling nervously in her presence - and came to stand next to the boys with a solemn expression. "It's the same here, too. No prints, no hairs, no nothing. And aside from the obvious evidence they aren't even sure if what killed him was human," she said.

Kumamichi waved her off, pouting. "Don't try to cheer me up now, Bo-sensei." Naoto, meanwhile, paled.

"You're not kidding, are you, Sensei?" he squeaked.

"Like I said, it leaves no evidence, and that includes smell. I know about a few shinobi who can hide their scent with cologne, like a perfume that corrupts the olfactory system, but - there simply is no scent of any intruder here whatsoever. I don't know of any shinobi who has enough power to eradicate their scent like this. It's almost impossible."

"Almost," Naoto jumped on that single straw of sanity. "This person must have found a way, then."

Botan twisted a strand of her hair around her finger, puzzling it out. "I suppose…but I can't think of any logical way unl-" She stopped. "Where's Gumi-chan?"

The dark haired girl had been exploring the manse with her Byakugan, and was not happy to be dragged back inside with her team. The redness in her cheeks diminished her death glare and made her seem more childish than threatening.

Botan pointed at the roped-off area of the room containing the victim's bed, where the body had been found. "Take a look around and see if you can find any chakra burns."

"Chakra what?" Kumamichi asked.

"They're marks left by concentrated chakra," Naoto explained. "If you got one, your skin would look okay but it'd hurt worse than if someone touched you with a hot iron. It's invisible to the eye, but the Byakugan can see chakra, so Megumi-sama might be able to pick up on it."

Megumi scowled. "In case you morons forgot, I can't use the Byakugan yet. It hasn't activated." Now her blush wasn't entirely from the cold weather. Naoto flinched and looked at his feet.

"S-Sorry, Megumi-sama, I just assumed-"

Botan bit down on her palm and pressed it to the floor. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Her students clambered back in alarm as the cloud of smoke erupted around her. As it dissipated, Naoto blinked in confusion and Megumi hit her hand to her forehead.

Pakkun looked up at Botan under heavy eyelids. "Whatcha need, Missy?" he gruffed around his under-bite.

"You can smell chakra, right?" Botan asked. "Would you see if you can detect any around the bed, please?"

The pug harrumphed and trotted under the police tape, Botan following him over it without hesitation. Naoto raised a hand to stop them - it was a crime scene after all - but decided to give up. After a minute, Pakkun concentrated on one spot in particular at the side of the bed.

"I've got some here; a male's," he said.

"Can you sense if the chakra system it belonged to has been opened or not?" Botan asked as she crouched next her father's familiar.

"Why does that matter?" Kumamichi asked, frustrated as he realized he knew so little.

"It can tell us if this is the victim's chakra or the murderer's," Botan told him.

Naoto frowned. "But the victim wasn't a ninja. How could he even have chakra?"

"It's the victim's," Pakkun said, brow furrowing at the spot. "But it's…weird. His chakra made a stain on the floor like it was liquid. Chakra shouldn't naturally be in liquid form; it's more of an energy than a tangible thing."

Botan stood up, hands on her hips with a look none of her students had ever seen on their sensei: grim duty. "I have a theory about that. But right now my gut's telling me we should hightail it back to Kagiwara Castle."

"You think the murderer's there?" Megumi asked.

The woman's brown eyes were tight with calm realization. "I think the murderer's finishing what he's started."

~*~*~*~*~

There was a knock at the door of the lounging room, and Inari got up from the table to answer it. Sho was waiting in the hall, impassive as ever. Inari bowed to Mitsuzuka, who nodded his head in turn, and the blond boy shut the door behind him so he was in the hallway. "Sho-kun, do you know what Kagiwara-oujisama's been doing in there this whole time?"

"It's none of our business."

"He's been investigating the murders," Inari stressed. He still sounded shaken. "Sho-kun, I don't think we should just be making him sit here all day. He's really smart. If we can escort him to where my sister and the others are working then-"

"And expose him to more danger than he already is in?" Sho's expression didn't shift from apathetically stern. "He's not going anywhere."

Inari shook his head. "We've got to let him help somehow. The last person to die was his best friend. That's gotta be killing him from the inside out."

The brown haired boy folded his arms with a sigh. "Look, I know you feel pity for Ouji-sama, but-"

"It's not pity," Inari insisted. He looked back at the door, aware that he'd spoken too loud. Now he whispered, "Can you imagine what it'd be like if your best friend died, that he was murdered, and people around you told you not to worry about it? That they'd take care of everything? Meanwhile, you're stuck sitting around, stewing about how your closest friend is dead and you can do nothing to help? I wouldn't be able to take it. Please, Sho-kun. We've got to think of something."

"Normally," Sho said, voice very much unchanged from chastising, "a ninja would put aside his feelings for the sake of the mission. If Ouji-sama stays here he has a higher rate of surviving than if he was on the move. We were assigned to protect his life, not his conscience. It's very sad that his friend was killed-"

"'Very sad'?" Inari repeated, incredulous.

"-but we have our mission. Ouji-sama will get through this and live. Our job isn't successful if we let him go chasing some fantasy of vengeance. That's all his obsession is, and you know it. He stays here."

The blond boy tightened his jaw, almost glaring at Sho. Inari's loss of patience and temper was unheard of; many people who knew him would go years without seeing its rare occurrence. Tonight, however, as he was stared down by cool blue eyes that were so like his own, Inari was inexplicably angry.

Sho finally looked away and walked into the lounging room, sliding the door shut, leaving Inari in the hall. Inari dashed away furious tears - an embarrassing trait for a boy to have - and strode down the hall towards the designated resting room. Of course, he knew he wouldn't sleep once there. He was too mad.

How can Sho-kun be so indifferent? Inari wondered as he navigated the dark, empty corridors. He didn't even think about Kagiwara-oujisama's feelings. That just isn't fair. Kagiwara-oujisama has to suffer like this just because it's our duty to protect him?

Inari stopped in the middle of one hallway, taking a deep breath. His feelings were getting away from him. Sho was right. The Hyuga boy was the one being logical. Whenever Inari had a brief moment of furious passion, Hinata would tell her son that it was his father's uncontainable spirit acting out. She'd explained that it was a good thing, that it meant that Inari was confident enough to know what was wrong and what was justified. But right now, Inari was having doubts.

It was illogical for a shinobi to allow the person he was assigned to protect to do something that would endanger the mission. Letting Mitsuzuka run around was like putting him in the sights of the enemy with a big target on his back. Mitsuzuka would surely be in more trouble, and it'd be twice as hard to guard his life. And then Sho's notion about vengeance shot down Inari's anger completely.

I can't help someone fulfill vengeance. No way. Not after what happened to Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sorry, Kagiwara-oujisama, but I can't help you anymore.

Sighing, dolor replacing fury, Inari started walking again-

Creak…

Inari had a kunai in his hand the same moment the sound had issued. He stood stock-still, waiting for another footstep. There was none. Inari swallowed quietly, feeling his heart beating out of control.

Someone was here. He could feel it.

He hadn't seen or heard anything, but suddenly he felt someone hitting his hand. The dagger was sent hurdling from his grip. Inari struck blindly behind him with his foot, cracking against a knee, but the attacker didn't make a single sound to signify pain.

Before he could turn Inari felt both his wrists snatched from behind, and the person folded him into their body. Inari kicked frantically, tried to wrench his arms away, aimed his feet for knees or legs or the groin. He only got time to scream once.

Something sharp pierced his neck and Inari lost the ability to move. His blue eyes rounded and his mouth gaped but no sound came out. It took him a second to get over the intense pain, and another second to realize that from that position, and with both hands pinning his wrists, the attacker was using…

Teeth. More than one thing was driving into his neck, and it could only be the attacker's teeth. A tiny sound of fear escaped Inari's mouth, but nothing else.

As the seconds ticked by, Inari squeezed his eyes shut with a whimper. Besides unbearably painful, it was gross. He could hear the blood being sucked and gulped out of his neck and could feel hot lips on his skin. Inari was getting light-headed. The person reached up and pulled Inari's head to the side by his hair, exposing more of his throat. Inari couldn't move, anyway. His arms and legs were limp and refused to move.

Oh Kami, oh Kami, oh sweet Kami, it's killing me. While his body was paralyzed, Inari's brain was on hyper drive, coherent thoughts cleaving into jumbled phrases, into one run-on notion. The dark corridor he stood in was fading and he could feel his heartbeat through the wound in his neck. It was slowing.

But his brain refused to accept that. Gotta get out gotta get out kill it kill it kill it before it kills you you're dying damn it all don't you get it why don't you move freaking move move fucking MOVE!

Inari didn't know how the kunai had gotten into his grasp, or how the attacker didn't notice it, but he cried out and drove the knife into his own thigh.

Initially, it had been meant to snap him out of whatever stupor he was in. Maybe so that he could throw his attacker off. Now, though, as he felt the stabbing pain he heard a piercing screech from the person killing him. It was high-pitched, and the attacker screamed into his skin.

Then the person was no longer behind Inari. The blond boy wobbled and fell to his hands and knees. He tried to blink the dark spots from his eyes, but they were replaced with drops of red blood instead. A spasm passed through his body and he collapsed on the floor.

Someone whispered something into his ear and Inari felt them disappear. I'm bleeding out, he thought. He reached with numb fingers into his tool pouch, retrieving his communicator. Not bothering to slip it onto his head, he turned it on and put the mouthpiece to his lips.

"Sensei…Nanami-san…tasukete…." Inari's world went black.

~*~*~*~*~

Murai frowned at the smell that hit his numb nose. He knew he should have been moving around, to keep his blood pumping warmth in his veins, but with the falling snow came a sleepy feeling, though he knew he wouldn't sleep. He'd just been musing that he'd make an obscure apology to Nanami - that girl got the funniest look on her face when she was annoyed and couldn't express it - when he detected that scent.

It smells. Like perfume? It hadn't been there the past three days, and it didn't reek of the usual odor of the castle. This was a different headache-inducing smell. And suddenly, Murai could smell nothing but that peachy scent.

An olfactory-killer. Murai cursed under his breath and tried to work the numbness from his fingers. Suzue hadn't called out yet so the attacker wasn't by her. He fingered his shuriken sheath, brown eyes jumping around the trees before him, hoping to pounce on human form.

/"Murai-sensei…Nanami-san…tasukete…"/ The communicator hidden in the collar of Murai's cloak crackled to life and startled him. The voice coming through was weak as a kitten's and rasped without the help of the poor frequency. Murai recognized it instantly.

"Chikushō!" he hissed. Murai didn't even consider a trap. Well, actually, it was the first thought that came to him. He just didn't care if it was. No one was ever going to die on his watch, not even if it was that man's son. The irony of the situation was forgotten immediately.

Murai abandoned his post and dashed for the castle.