The Hokage’s office was tense. Asuma-sensei and I stood alongside the captain of the ANBU squad to explain the details to Tsunade-sama, who was accompanied by Shizune-san, as usual. An irritated and tired Hokage was something I’ve been seeing a lot lately.
“First an ex-samurai, then Orochimaru, and now some anonymous third party who’s skilled enough to disguise himself within the village and help Shinrin escape single-handedly.” Tsunade-sama muttered as she glared at the reports spread across her desk that detailed the latest events. “And you said you recognized that man?” She asked, directing the question to me.
“Without a doubt.” I nodded. “He looked different, though. His skin and eye whites were dark. It made him look sickly.”
A deep line appeared between Tsunade-sama’s brows that had me worried.
“That bastard Orochimaru…” She growled, her lips tightening into a firm line. “That sounds like an Edo Tensei.”
“A what?” I asked before I could keep quiet, realizing quickly that everybody else in the room already knew what she was talking about and matched her expression.
“Simply put, it allows the user to bring back the dead.” I clenched my jaw and Tsunade-sama raised a brow. “Are you sure he was the same person as the one from the war?”
I hesitated a bit this time because hearing about such an impossible jutsu that was so obscure and surreal, but I know what I saw. I nodded with certainty, despite the pause. “Without a doubt.” I repeated myself and meant it this time.
Tsunade-sama frowned and laced her fingers. “Are you sure you don’t remember anything else about him?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
She sighed and waved her hand. “Well, no use wasting time on a dead end. What else do I need to know? Is there anything you can confirm about the seal?” She was now speaking to the ANBU, who stepped forward in turn.
“Apart from the already-known fact that it’s a highly advanced space-time seal, the only things we found worth noting are that the sigils and characters used are uncommon or unfamiliar. It seems to be something more ancient – nothing that you would see a regular shinobi using in this age. There was one symbol in particular that raises some concern.” The ANBU’s tone became firmer as she handed Tsunade-sama a scroll. “We did our best to recreate the seal from memory, given the brief moment that we saw it. While the bordering sigils and characters are debatable, we are certain that the marking in the center is identical to the marking on Shurikane-san’s back.”
“Tch, just who is this guy?” Tsunade-sama muttered, voicing the question we were all asking but couldn’t be answered.
“If he was so set on getting Shinrin, he’s most likely associated to Orochimaru, too. They didn’t make any attempt at capturing Riku.” Asuma-sensei noted.
“Then they have more plans in store for us if recusing him was their priority. Thankfully, the Raikage has responded to our request for their aid, and they’re willing to help take responsibility for their rogues.” Tsunade-sama informed us, lifting the tension a bit. “Mifune-san wants to remain neutral, but has agreed to provide resources, which is better than nothing.”
I bit back a sigh.
This is definitely way too complicated for a couple of pairs of eyes.
There had to be something bigger going on, but like hell I had any idea what that something was. If anybody else knew, they certainly weren’t going to let me in on it anytime soon. I was already being let in on more than the average genin as it was, now that I thought about it. Then again, it was probably only fair that I know what threats I should be aware of.
Still, it didn’t make me feel any less like a burden to Tsunade-sama, to Asuma-sensei, to my comrades, and to the rest of the village. There seemed to be a lot of danger forming around all of this, and all because some defected Sannin wants a few fancy-looking eyes.
“Geez, wouldn’t it be easier if I got lost or something?” The words slipped before I realized I had spoken.
Shit.
All eyes fell on me, silently urging me to continue. The stupid part of me that couldn’t take back my words followed through.
“I mean, wouldn’t it be easier if I just left and took the threat with me?”
Tsunade-sama gave me the most unimpressed expression I had even seen her give. I didn’t want to look to see what kind of face the jounin was wearing.
“Tch, and I thought you were one of the smarter ones.” The Hokage finally sighed, shaking her head. “Do you really think we could afford to have you running around on your own without any sort of defense, waiting to let your kekkei genkai fall into the wrong hands? This issue is far bigger than your consideration to our shinobi – whose jobs are to fight these battles, since you apparently forgot. I don’t need another self-centered brat in my village.”
I winced, her words cutting and harsh. “…Sorry.”
“You’d better be.” The Hokage’s mouth pulled into a smirk while still retaining her authoritative voice. “You’re staying with this village whether you like it or not, brat.”
As if baking up her statement, I glanced up at Asuma-sensei, who had set his hand on my head in that reassuring way he did whenever he could tell I doubted something.
“Riku, I’m granting you access to the records we have on fuuinjutsu. See what you can find about that mark on your back.” Tsunade-sama slid a piece of paper towards me.
“You sure you should be leaving me in charge of that?”
“If we want to get working on out to get around your seal, it’d be easier if you understood the basics of how seals work in the first place.”
“I guess so.” I nodded.
“Now all of you get out.” Her voice became serious again as she waved us off. “I’ve got work to do.”
The three of us nodded and the ANBU disappeared with hardly a sound while I left through the door with my sensei. The moment the door closed behind us, a face I hadn’t seen in a while came right around the corner.
“Sasuke?” I greeted questionably, wondering what he was doing, visiting the Hokage alone.
He hardly spared us a glance, however, brushed past with silent steps. I frowned, knowing that I wasn’t the only one who sensed the way the Uchiha seemed distracted and lost in thought. Something was on his mind when he knocked on the door. The heavy expression he wore suck into my mind without me knowing, even if I saw it for that brief moment until he slipped inside the Hokage’s office, closing the door behind him.
“She must be telling him about the upcoming threats.” Asuma-sensei answered my silent question.
Something twisted in the pit of my stomach, but I could find no other reason than the one my sensei just gave.
The past two weeks had been redundant.
Training in the morning, additional training in the afternoon if I had the time and energy, followed by surrounded myself in books and scrolls about fuuinjutsu. Every now and then, my team and I would go on a D-ranked mission to keep ourselves busy and our wallets full, but other than that, nothing exciting happened. It was probably better that way.
Before I started this self-study, it had been a while since I surrounded myself with books and scrolls. The peace and quiet was nice, but I can’t say I missed the frustration that came with not being able to wrap my head around what I was reading.
“Who the hell even came up with this stuff?” I hissed under my breath, trying to make sense of the few books there were about the techniques in the first place.
I sighed. The basics of fuuinjutsu were easy enough, like how an even numbered seal on an odd numbered seal would create an imbalance, and the whole idea was like forming hand seals in order to perform a jutsu. It was just the sheer number of possibilities that I found overwhelming.
Which was why I asked for a helping hand.
“It’s easy once you get the hang of it.” Tenten grinned, rolling out a blank scroll on the table. “Here, give it another go!”
“Are you sure you don’t have anything else to do?” I asked while loading the brush with ink.
The older genin shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to help! Besides, not a lot of people use fuuinjutsu, so if you get the hang of it, maybe you can work it into your fighting style. Oh, your seal will be more balanced if you switched these two sigils around.” She changed topics, pointing to two of the freshly painted sigils.
I huffed, tearing off the bit of the scroll to try again. “Where did you even learn this kind of stuff, anyway?”
“The Academy taught the basics. The rest was mostly self-study and some fooling around, but I asked for help, too.” Tenten answered. “Every chuunin and jounin should know how the common seals work. They used them all the time to seal files or keep the armory stocked. I bet even Asuma-sensei would be able to provide some insight. It’s only when it comes to the more advanced seals that makes it harder to find information on.”
“It’s always the information I need that I never have access to.” I smiled wryly as I finished the seal. “Okay, how’s this?”
The brunette grinned. “Give it a try and see for yourself.”
I frowned. “If I die, it’s on your hands.”
Setting what felt like the hundredth kunai in the blank spot of the seal, I focused chakra into my hand and set it on the separate part of the seal that I was supposed to focus it into. With a poof that startled me enough to make me flinch, the kunai disappeared with a small puff of smoke.
“Hey!” Tenten exclaimed with a wide smile. “You did it!”
“I did it.” I echoed, noting the character that appeared in the center of the seal that identified the sealed item as a kunai.
It was an improvement, but as far as I was concerned, it was going to take ages until I came close to understanding what was going on with the seal on my back. Then again, that probably wasn’t what Tsunade-sama had in mind when she told me to get studying. If it was too complex for her to understand, there was definitely no chance for me. It really was just for preparation. As frustrating as it was, at least it gave me something to do with my spare time.
“So, do you want to keep going?” The brunette asked.
“Let’s end things on a high note today.” I laughed airily while rolling up the scroll. “Thanks a lot for your help, Tenten.”
She grinned as she helped clean up the sheets of failed seals and borrowed books. “Anytime. I’ve Do you wanna grab dinner?”
“I’ve already taken up enough of your time.” I said while putting the books away.
“Come on~ Dinner is more fun with a friend!” Tenten insisted.
Not wanting to have an endless squabble about something so trivial, I huffed. “Alright, fine, since you apparently have nobody else to keep you company.”
“Hey!”
The library had a few cafés and restaurants around, which were all starting to get lively around this time. Not wanting to find someplace particularly busy, Tenten and I settled for a dumpling restaurant. For once, our conversation wasn’t about fuuinjutsu. Part of me worried that dinner would be quiet, but once we started doing impressions of the other genin, it became rather lively for just two people.
“There’s no way you can get this wrong. Why? Because it would be illogical to misunderstand such a flawless impression.” I kept my voice low and expression blank for added effect.
“Shino!” Tenten laughed as I dropped my façade to grin. “Okay, how about this one: bwu bwu, bwu bwu bwu! Bwu!”
I nearly choked on my food as I coughed back a snort. “Oh my god, is that supposed to be Tonton?”
The genin burst into another fit of laughter as she nodded.
“That was terrible!” I cried with a grin. “She sounds more like bweh bweh bweh!”
“No way! It’s totally bwu bwu bwu!”
“I’m telling you, it sounds like bweh.”
“And I’m saying that she bwu’s!”
“Bweh!”
“Bwu!”
I don’t know how we managed to not get kicked out of the restaurant for excessive pig impressions, and terrible ones at that.
The evening ended up being longer than expected. Tenten and I sparred for a couple of hours afterwards to help work off dinner and the ridiculous laughing high. It was a pleasant break from the usual tension that was shrouding the village, though, but it was still important to stay sharp. I even used that one seal I made that day to surprise her with a single kunai, but of course, nothing was compared to her barrage of weapons.
We parted ways as the moon began to rise and the moment I got home, I got ready to pass out. Even my brain was feeling sore from all the fuuinjutsu studying.
I should give myself a break tomorrow.
With a groan, I cleaned up and got into bed as quickly as I could. Unfortunately, sleep didn’t come as quickly as I’d hoped. Instead, somebody usually so keen on staying quiet decided now was the best time to speak up.
The seal won’t be bypassed so easily, foolish human.
I huffed while rolling onto my back, staring at the ceiling so I didn’t accidentally fall asleep mid-conversation. Not that I really could, what with his booming voice echoing in my head when he spoke.
Don’t need a mighty chakra demon to tell me that much. Any reason why you care about this all of a sudden?
You had best not get arrogant with me, human! Having my vessel waste its energy on something so pointless is insulting to the Ape King, and trying to force my chakra past the seal causes unnecessary strain on both of us. It is a hopeless effort as you are now!
Yeah, I figured as much. Now that I think about it, shouldn’t you know something about the seal?
As foolish as you humans are, it would take an exceptionally large imbecile to leave what is sealed with the method of unsealing itself. It already takes a large imbecile to even ask such a thing!
Right, right. Just checking. Is there a reason you’re telling me this now, after I’ve been apparently wasting the past two weeks will all this pointless stuff?
I would be as foolish as a human if I were to let my vessel continue damaging itself. A despiteful human you are, but even I will acknowledge that my survival depends on yours, as well!
How thoughtful. I thought dryly, now rolling onto my side. Guess this whole deal with Orochimaru and Shinrin and our mystery man has you on edge, then.
Silence.
Yonbi?
Irritated silence.
Son Gokuu.
Silence.
I scoffed, closing my eyes.
No need to be shy. This lowly human appreciates you caring for her, even if it’s in your own selfish way.
Sleep came shortly afterwards, as it seemed like he had nothing left to say to keep me awake.
Unfortunately, I can’t say I felt well rested. I woke up early in the morning, roughly half an hour after the sun had risen and two hours before my alarm was supposed to go off. A sense of unease filled my stomach.
Something isn’t right…
I frowned, swinging my legs over my bed to get dressed as quickly as I could. After slipping outside, nothing was out of the ordinary. That is, until the resident lazy ass chuunin rushed by.
“Shikamaru?” I called absently, immediately taking off after him. “You look surprisingly alive, considering the time. Did something happen?”
Although more serious than usual, he gave his usual irritated sigh. “Yeah, something happened, alright.” He drawled, shaking his head. “Sasuke decided it would be a great idea to run off.”
The words took a moment to process until I narrowed my eyes. “He what? ”
“You heard me.” Shikamaru sighed again. “And with all the chuunin and jounin moving out to prepare for battle, Hokage-sama left me to gather a team of genin to track him down.”
“Should I be offended that you ran right past my apartment?” I jabbed half-heartedly.
The chuunin scoffed, offering me an apologetic smirk. “Sorry, but I got really specific orders not to get the enemy’s other target chasing after said enemy. You understand.”
I huffed. “Yeah, I gotcha.” That didn’t mean I had to like it, though. “Tch, guess that means they’re making their first move, if something made Sasuke leave like that.”
“Looks like it.” Shikamaru agreed, looking uncharacteristically sullen. “Troublesome…”
We stopped in front of the Hyuuga Manor, where the chuunin explained the situation and asked for Neji, who was the fifth and final member of the team Shikamaru put together. Since I was already up, I decided to see them off at the village gates. There, I saw Chouji, Kiba, and Naruto as well.
“Riku’s coming, too?” Kiba immediately asked, giving me an unimpressed look. It’s like he completed blocked the memory of getting his ass handed back to him by me.
“Luckily for you, mutt, ” I snapped, glaring at him as he glared back, “I’m practically under house arrest. Not that I really want to go on a morning run, anyway.”
That was a bit of a lie. I would gladly take part in pulling Sasuke back by the ear if I could.
“Under Shikamaru’s command, though, you wouldn’t need me, anyway.” I shrugged, waving my hand nonchalantly before grinning slyly. “If anybody can make use of somebody like you, it’s him.”
“Hey--!”
“Riku.” The chuunin sighed, putting a ceasefire to our squander before facing his team. “We’re taking on a pursuing role here, so this is how we’re going to travel.”
Kiba and Naruto didn’t seem particularly fond of the idea of having Shikamaru lead the team, but it didn’t take long for the lazyass to show them just why he was the only one that got promoted in the first place.
After the chuunin did an impressive display of his leadership and strategic skills, Sakura had shown up looking worse for wear. Tears brimmed the edge of her eyes and I winced. I had never seen her cry before. She always seemed too put-together for that, but right now, I knew that whatever she was feeling was nothing I could even try to imagine.
“Please, Naruto…” She sobbed, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. “Bring him back…!”
“No matter what, I will!” Naruto reassure with a bright smile and a thumbs up completely contrasting his teammate. “It’s a promise of a lifetime!”
I smiled at the display before looking over to my own teammate and his best friend, wanting to pass on a few parting words myself. Chouji was nervous, but hid it as best he could. I scoffed at Shikamaru’s expression that had “troublesome” written all over it. Typical.
“Hey.” I caught their attention, approaching them with just a couple of steps. “Since Asuma-sensei isn’t here to say it…” I sighed, scratching the back of my neck, “once you guys get back, we’ll have barbecue, yeah?”
“Oh! A perfect way to celebrate a successful mission!” The Akimichi grinned cheekily.
“How about we talk about this after we come back.” Shikamaru sighed.
“Hey, if you’re not gonna motivate ‘em, somebody’s gotta do it.” I laughed softly, glad to see that Chouji was in a better mood. The chuunin, on the other hand, still looked a little tense. I waited until Chouji had turned his attention to going through his equipment again before pinching Shikamaru’s cheek. “Hey.”
“Ow.” He hissed, slapping my hand away. “What was that for?”
I gave him a soft smile as I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “You saved my ass once, Nara. I bet you can save his, too.”
The brunette was taken aback for a moment. I kept eye contact with him to make sure her understood that I was serious. Finally, he huffed and smiled back.
“That’s Naruto’s job, isn’t it?”
“Maybe, but do you really think he’s getting anywhere without you and the rest of ‘em?” I nodded my head towards the other four genin.
Shikamaru’s sole answer was an airy laugh. He shook his head, flashing me another brief smile before turning back to his team.
“We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s go!”
I looked over to Sakura and smiled when she turned to me with her tear-stained face. She forced a smile back, and I immediately winced at how tired she looked. For the few weeks I spent training with her, I never knew she had it in her to cry like that. With another nod, I faced the five departing once again in silence.
With five backs turned to us, they were off.
And then everything fell into chaos.
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