Prologue
It’s been almost nine years since the fall of Konoha. Nine years we survivors have lived in the heart of the cold obsidian earth, in a city of mourning. Nine long years. The blink of an eye, yet an entire lifetime. It usually feels like the latter.
All who have come to call Kamigakure home have experienced loss, even the Ninja formerly of other villages aside from the Hidden Leaf. Well, it seems the perfect setting for individuals such as us: a city eternally the colours of bereavement. Everyone here mourns for someone, for the past, for who we used to be. To live here is to acknowledge that a large part of you has come to an end, and to let it die. I myself have lost much of who I used to be, much of my free spirit and even my very humanity. Sometimes when my husband and children are away I weep for that part of me which I was forced to let die. I know it will never come back. Yet when I am with others I lock it away deep in my mind and carry on with a smile.
This is an ability all Ghost Ninja learn. If we couldn’t, surely we would all die from our sorrow and then Konoha and Suna would never be avenged. So we bury our emotions when we walk our dark, lightless streets and talk to each other about happier and current events, taking solace that we have the Will of Fire, and that we do not suffer alone. We do this especially when we undertake missions, to show the other Ninja villages that our losses have made us stronger.
But we don’t just do it to maintain our reputations and to have a respite from our own personal hells. We need to stay strong for what little we do have. For me it’s my family. I put away my sadness so that I can be the best wife, mother and teammate I can be. Because these people are all that is still good in my life, all that I love and care about. As long as I have them then everything else, the loss and guilt and depression which haunt me, fades away as insignificant. And I know that they feel the same way about me, and hide their own sorrow to be the best family to each other and myself as they can, too. Maybe that is the true lesson of Kamigakure: only through loss and grief can you truly appreciate what you still have.
- Inuzuka Hinata
The world has changed, over these nine years. After the fall of Konoha the forces of Orochimaru did not claim the Land of Fire as their own, instead leading their allies the Land of Earth westwards in conquest. The armies wound along the Great Central Mountain Range, bypassing the Lands of Grass and Rain until they reached the Country of Wind. The memory of their assistance of Konoha still raw in his mind Orochimaru besieged the desert capital Suna, his forces a living sea of hate-fuelled destruction outside the city’s walls. Within another twelve months Suna had been razed, signaling the beginning of the end of the Country of Wind. Like Konoha, Orochimaru ordered survivors to be hunted down and captured or eliminated, drawing the country’s demise out unbearably over the next year and swelling his experimental subject pool significantly. Too late, both the lands of Lightning and Water realized the plan of the Sound/Earth Alliance: to eliminate all other Kages and rule the entire world with an iron fist, bloody from conquest and as black as the depths of terror itself.
The Land of Lightning would have been next if not for the intervention of Akatsuki. The Snake Master’s plans conflicting with their own, not to mention their already existing vendetta, they declared war on the combined forces of Sound and Earth, seeing a chance to destroy Orochimaru while in a state of vulnerability. Knowing that as it stood Akatsuki were the only group capable of defeating him Orochimaru ordered the Earth-Nin to hunt them down wherever they hid, alongside his own Sound. When the decision was met with flat refusal Orochimaru personally assassinated the Tsuchikage. The replacement as leader of the Land of Earth was weak, and in time became little more than a puppet of the Dark Jutsu Master, kept in line with threats of death and the destruction of his people. To this day the Sound/Earth Alliance continues to seek out Akatsuki members and eliminate them with sheer numbers, the war now spanning over half a decade. Even with some of the world’s most talented Ninja none can hope to stand against a veritable tide of enemies and live, and even though they made the enemy pay dearly with every life, Akatsuki is losing. Only four members still live. Which four, none can say.
But, unbeknownst to all save a handful, recent developments have cast the true leadership of the Sound/Earth Alliance into momentary uncertainty…
*****
Kamigakure has changed too. The survivors of Konoha were able to remain hidden from their enemy until they had left what was once the Land of Fire on their conquest, and turned their attention to setting up a new spy network across the countries. Once it was clear that neither the Land of Sound nor Earth were going to add the defeated country to their own fiefdoms smaller and less important countries scrambled forth, squabbling and fighting as they greedily ate up the now unoccupied lands. All except for the ruins of Konoha themselves, left in unclaimed territory by all as a show of great respect to the memory of a mighty nation.
Eventually the Ghost Elder Council decided it was time to make their presence known to the world. Without warning they surged forth from under Kozu Mountain, eliminating all who had dared to claim their portion of land near the borders of the Land of the Waterfall. The few warrior survivors of Konoha were skilled, and the forces of the lesser countries, most without a Ninja village of their own, quailed and abandoned their new expanses or were slain. Once they had all the lands they could comfortably manage the Ghost Ninja stopped, claiming less than an eighth of what had been the Land of Fire. The Land of Ghosts was founded. Surprisingly the villages within the fledgling country’s borders welcomed the new arrangement, as most had come to rely upon a Ninja village to help defend against bandits and the thought of invasion over the centuries. Jobs started to trickle in, even though none knew the true location of Kamigakure. Most villages had a contact stationed within who would act as middle man, relaying the mission to the Village Hidden in Divinity and brokering the mission’s price.
But even after all of this, Kamigakure couldn’t breathe easy. They were too few. Not enough had survived the destruction, and if measures weren’t taken soon it would spell doom for them all. At the time that this issue weighed upon them, all thoughts of revenge put aside in the face of this crisis, Suna fell to Orochimaru. Knowing the horrors of their plight firsthand, and the honour of Konoha’s memory demanding they send aid, the Village dispatched what little forces it had to bring the Sand Ninja survivors back to the dark fortress of Kozu Mountain. The Sand-Nin, after learning what Konoha had enacted since its supposed genocide and realizing that they were now homeless and leaderless, swore fealty to the Ghost Elder Council and joined the village as equals, their own surviving Elders welcomed into the Council. These newcomers kept their old symbol on their reflectors but sat it on the sunburst of Kamigakure, reflecting both their prideful past and uncertain but resolute future in harmony.
Once word of this amalgamation became common knowledge through rumour and espionage by the other Ninja nations the move was met with mixed reactions. While all voiced a public opinion of disgust at joining another village permanently, more than one marveled at the almost instant influx of warriors they now possessed. Normally both would be forced to wait a few generations to come so far in replenishing their number seperately, but they had taken mighty strides in one masterful stroke, ensuring both culture’s survival. Long before this Orochimaru had worked out what was happening, but did not see the culmination of two broken bands of refugees as a pressing threat, especially since he was busy with his war on Akatsuki. So the Elders of Kamigakure were left to wait in their dark lair, wait and scheme…
In fact, the scheme for revenge was only known to the Elders and some higher ranked Ninja formerly from Konoha or Suna, who were forbidden to talk about it unless in the exclusive prescence of the Council. Thus the plans were kept safe from any spies sent from Orochimaru or his allies. Indeed, the plans would take another ten years or more to come to fruition, but that was more than acceptable. Revenge, like a good game of shogi, shouldn’t be rushed.
And the chosen few discreetly moved their pawns about and waited.
**********
The following are excerpts from the journal of Inuzuka Kiba, and we continue following his entries from when he was twenty four onwards. The battered and worn journal is small and unassuming, much like a diary he kept in his teenage years. Missing the small insight into his everyday life the feature in that old diary had given him, he has entered headings to write the weather and a song he listened to (if any) at the beginning of every entry.
It should be once again noted that Kiba skips over or omits anything he doesn’t find incredibly interesting, and that additionally he writes as though someone is reading, as he knows that someday they will, and he wants his feelings and thought conveyed accurately to his audience.
*****
It should also be noted that over the passing years Umino Iruka, Kiba’s teammate has observed the tattoo clad Ninja, but so far has had no reason to believe that Kiba is an imminent threat, or ever will be.
*****
Chapter One
Date – September 10
Weather – Autumn Winds
Song listened to today – All These Things That I’ve Done by The Killers
More training out in the pine forests last night, and seeing there was no moon we decided to continue teaching tracking skills. It was good training for Minoruko, to learn to trust her other senses and not solely her eyes. Akamaru and I smelt out a rabbit and we had her follow their trail back to the warren. Easy enough for her, even though the only illumination was starlight. Sometimes I forget how phenomenal her nightsight is, having grown up in the darkness of Kamigakure. She killed four and brought them back, so seeing she’s learning the skills of an Inuzuka we had them raw. Iruka’s horrified expression as we ate was priceless. What I wouldn’t have given to have had a camera. I thought he was going to throw up. At least his rabbit didn’t go to waste; Akamaru’s was a little on the small side, and he’s a big dog.
This morning we only had three hours sleep, but today is the last full day we have left out here and I don’t want to waste it. Besides, it’ll be good for Minoruko. After all a Ninja needs to be able to perform their duties in any situation including sleep deprivation, and there won’t always be soldier pills to wake her up. After this entry we’ll send her into the forest ahead to lay traps for half an hour then Iruka, Akamaru and I will bypass and defuse them. After that we’ll work on tactics used when trapping an enemy. Heh, I promised her that if she’s good I’ll let her use an explosive tag out here.
All in all I’m pleased with how this training expedition has been going. It’s good for Akamaru and I to just get out into the wilds, and seeing the Academy is closed for a week I couldn’t pass up the chance of bringing Minoruko-chan out here to learn from myself and Iruka about trapping and survival. She has enjoyed it too, I see her during our breaks playing on the nettle covered forest floor with Akamaru. It makes me think sometimes. Just before she reminded me of Hana, the way she was standing as Iruka briefed her on this morning’s exercise. Wherever you are I know you’re smiling at us my sister. And I’m smiling back.
The only downside has been being away from Hinata and Satoroshi. But he really isn’t up to such a level of training yet so I guess it is best she stayed at home to train him. He has only begun to use his Byakugan so she was going to train him extensively in our absence.
Hopefully when we return there will be another mission. Holidays are good sometimes but you can’t beat being paid to take down scum like bandits or the thrill of infiltrating an enemy village.
**********
A small songbird chirped happily, its soft melody carrying through the crisp woodland air and reminding any who knew the song’s meaning that Winter would come soon. Now was the time to find shelter or migrate away before the lands drew their crystalline blanket once more. Kiba crept forward through the pine forest, the carpet of fallen brown pine needles muffling his already silent advance as he crept onwards. A cold Autumn wind gusted lightly between the dew-dampened trees, ruffling his spiky brown hair, now shoulder length at the back, before it stole away again, plucking a few green nettles from the trees as it sped along. The alpine draft carried with it the scents of moisture and cold. Light showers tomorrow. The Ninja ignored the particles of needle in his hair as he walked forward, his old black leather jacket dulled and unreflective in the dim morning sun which hadn’t been covered by the sparse cloud cover for once this trip. Kiba stopped his slow advance and tightened his jaw slightly. This was it. He had reached the area.
Kozu Mountain had a network of small ridges spidering away from its base like so many buttresses roots from a formidable ancient tree, turned to stone from a thousand seasons pitted against the elements. Much of the year the numerous secluded dead end valleys were filled with powder snow. But Winter hadn’t been yet, so they were decorated with a jumble of old avalanche rocks and twisted pines which had withstood snow-ins and the mountain’s movements. It was one of these valleys which Kiba stood at the entrance to, ridges heralding the feet of Kozu spanning away from him on his left and right, crowned by young pine trees which were gnarled and twisted by the ravages of the strong winds the dark mountain had swirling around it throughout the year. At the far end of the valley the grand mountain itself stood before him, dark and imposing a feeling of evil as always. Even now the very top was capped with snow reminiscent of a death shroud, as if the summit were being prepared for burial by the earth and sky.
Kiba crouched and looked at the pine needles at his feet, seeing a hollow in the foliage not created by the wind. A footprint, too small for an adult but definitely created by a Ninja tabi. She must have had a lapse in concentration. The Ninja smirked before scratching his chin in contemplation, absently running his index finger along a deep blue tattoo. By the depth of the print she is no longer on the ground. That means she’s jumped to the treetops, the tall one over there judging by the eleven degree angle of the print. Which also means… Guessing correctly, he looked down and found a small tripwire at ankle height, which ran between a tree and a small rock on the ground. After he followed it to the end Kiba disarmed the noisemaker quietly, gently lowering the small bamboo bell down into the dirt so that it created no noise. Not a bad ploy, in these conditions the sound of the bell would carry for a good long distance and alert her of their approach direction. As he finished and began to rise from his kneel Akamaru appeared beside him, a shaggy beast reminiscent of a massive white wolf with floppy brown ears. Kiba turned to his faithful old partner and scratched the side of his face in greeting before the dog growled once in a soft, low tone. So, she’s put noisemakers around the South ridge too? Not bad, but they’re a little obvious. Still, not bad.
He replied in a hushed voice, keeping quiet in the thin Autumn air.
“Good work. Haven’t heard from Iruka-san yet, but we can assume she’s put noisemakers on the North ridge as well. The plan goes ahead. Get back to your mark and we’ll all advance in two minutes and twenty-three seconds.” Kiba said, rising as Akamaru took two light steps through the needles before leaping into the treetops, the cool wind blowing his long white fur away from the mountain as the dog disappeared from sight.
Kiba waited in his spot near the disarmed noisemaker after Akamaru had left, staying absolutely still with a hand up to his earpiece. Nothing from Iruka. Of course, that didn’t mean anything. He was probably just trying not to give his position away. Even so, a teammate not sticking to scheduled radio contact is… disconcerting to say the least.
On the appointed second Kiba took to the treetops, following the trail Minoruko had taken through the crooked pines, sickly as if their life force was leeched by Kozu. Occasionally he would see another noisemaker or even a kunai trap on the ground. She was getting better; these traps were close to what a Genin would be expected to set up. As he traveled towards the depths of the valley his earpiece crackled to life, Iruka’s whispering voice barely audible as Kiba leapt through the air between the withered pines.
“Just encountered an explosive tag trip in higher up branches. Watch yourself.” The two Ninja had given Minoruko small pink pieces of paper which fizzed like an explosive tag’s fuse when set off. The highly visible colour encouraged clever placement of the tags.
“Check. Heading to forest floor now. Finish sweeping your area and press on further. If one of us hasn’t come across her by the time we rendezvous, we’ll search the back of the valley. Out.” Kiba replied to his teammate before bounding to a lower branch and then to the dark rocky ground of the valley’s dead center, deeming his landing area safe as he was airborne. A few dead pine needles flicked up as he landed in a crouch, his long hair and jacket swaying in the inertia of his landing. Kiba remained in his landing position, with both arms held out in front of him in a ready position and his eyes closed as he listened for anything which would give her away…
A kunai thudded into the ground at his feet, digging into the nettle covered soil between two rocks. Kiba’s bestial eyes snapped open and locked onto it. Attached to the weapon on a string was a pink note, which started to burn with a soft hiss. Kiba’s eyes narrowed. The fuse was much shorter than a conventional explosive note. Obviously Iruka wanted the training to work both ways. Without time to defuse the pink tag or throw the kunai away Kiba leapt deeper into the forest, forcing chakra into the forward thrust of his legs as he tumbled through the air in a controlled vault. By the time the paper gave off a sharp crack signifying an explosion he was clear of what should have been the blast area.
What was the point of that? he thought to himself as he descended through the gnarled pines towards an area unlikely to be booby trapped: the bare trunk of one of the larger trees. As he landed, using chakra through his feet to sit in a crouch on the trunk’s side, his question was answered with the telltale sound of a trigger string breaking. Before he could discern where the string had been cunningly hidden the forest air was cut by the sounds of commotion above. As Kiba looked up the tree he crouched on the side of his eyes and mouth widened in shocked disbelief. Above him, unseen due to his rushed jump to avoid the explosive note was a deadfall trap in the process of sending forest stones the size of his head crashing through the branches above straight towards him in a lethal shower. Without time to think Kiba rose from his crouch and sprinted horizontally down the side of the tree towards the ground with his hair slightly trailing behind him, forming quick seals as rocks thundered through the too thin foliage above. As the stony earth raced up to meet him the rock’s shadows grew on the wall of dirt ahead, and he imagined he could feel the first of the jagged missiles caressing his back and arms through his fraying jacket. KUSO! Kiba shouted in his mind as he finished the seals and lept forward into the dirt.
The world turned black for a moment as Kiba heard the muffled thudding and cracking as the deadly barrage thundered into the forest floor above him. Slowly as his vision acclimatized to the dark he was able to see a few meters ahead of where he now swam. Above his head the morning sunlight weakly caressed the forest floor, barely penetrating the carpet of dead nettles and scattered rocks. Looking out at the forest above was like looking up at the sky from beneath the surface of brackish water. Although one tries not to breathe when underground, inside Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. The stones which had fallen would most likely have crushed him if he hadn’t used his Underground Move Jutsu. Truthfully Kiba preferred offensive Jutsu to this one, being a tactless and brutal fighter at heart, but it was useful for the situations where avoiding detection was necessary so he had learned to use it. Well, seeing I’m down here already, let’s see what we can find he thought decidedly in the dark cold of the earth before swimming through the forest floor’s rocky soil away from the triggered deadfall, using chakra to slow his need for oxygen slightly. Above, scattered pine needles shifted along the broken stones in the alpine breeze and the songbird landed nearby and began it’s interrupted song again, it’s previous stage destroyed by the trap’s destruction. As Kiba pushed along a little through the rocks, dirt and worms of the forest floor he heard a dull thud straight above him. Through the brown haze he saw his daughter land and cautiously approach the rubble, using the Talon Jutsu he had taught her to make the nails on one hand grow long and sharp. She never took her concerned eyes off the pile of stones while at the same time listening, smelling for anything out of place, something which would give away assailants…
Kiba burst up through the dirt behind her, sending a shower of soil, decomposed needles and rocks outward from his emergence as he landed in a relaxed standing position. The eight year old girl gasped before jumping out of his reach and turning to face him, raising her hands in a Taijutsu ready stance with her rending claws before her, her other hand drawn back in a fist. Kiba laughed at her reaction, earning him a glare. Indeed he could have come up quietly and without breaking the soil but the reaction was more to his liking. She hated being scared like that. Seeing her in the Taijutsu stance that both he and Hinata invented especially for her claws, Kiba broke into a gentle smile which he changed quickly for a smirk before slowly, almost casually circling away from her, standing behind the crater he had created with his dramatic entrance.
The two stood in the enclosed arena for a long, tense moment, each waiting for the other to make a move. Kiba stood ten paces from the site of the trap, flecks of dark soil in his hair and stuck in the design on his forehead protector. It even stuck in the recesses of his black jacket, worn on the elbows and patched in places, as well as staining his favourite black jeans, faded to a gray through constant wear. If not for his trademark, cocky grin and casual stance it may have looked as though he had burst up from an unmarked grave, to wreak his revenge on the living. Across the other side of the crater from him, the recession already attracting dead pine needles from the wind, Minoruko stood in her ready stance still with an angry look on her face. The forest scented wind blew her brown tied-back hair slightly, an unbound wisp obscuring the left side sapphire fang she had tattooed on her face for her eighth birthday. Kiba remembered the pride he had felt overcome with when she had asked to have the Inuzuka tattoos applied to her on her birthday, as had been the tradition of the Inuzuka clan for over nine generations. For her to want to keep that tradition alive was a great source of joy to him and the small blue fangs, which would be re-inked every two years as she grew, framed her thin, soft featured face breathtakingly. Most of her looks had come from her mother, which Kiba adored, but occasionally he saw something which reminded him of Hana in her. In a stance, a smile, an attack. But especially her hair, which was bound in the style his sister used to like, if not a little rougher on top. Her eyes, even more bestial than usual from her anger at being scared like that, never left her father as she waited in the ambience. The wind dragged on her shale gray shirt with long red sleeves and mid-length heavy shorts slightly but she ignored the breeze and kept her focus on the environment around her with her senses, as she had been taught. While only a novice, barely initiated into the art of Taijutsu by her parents, she would give it her all.
A crane, sensing destruction coming, broke from it’s hiding place against a beaten tree trunk and flew southwest, calling out hoarsely as it departed hastily and dropping a light blue flight feather. The plume spiraled lazily to the forest’s floor between the two, who had both known of the bird’s presence and ignored it as they faced each other. As it lighted on a lichen-covered rock, Minoruku readied herself to lunge forwards across the earthy crater and join combat…
“Give up. We have you outnumbered.”
Without changing her orientation Minoruko flicked her eyes to a bank of deformed pine trees to the North. Seated on a low bough was Iruka, wearing his new near-black Chunin vest, given to him after his old one had fallen to pieces from wear a month ago. The scar across the face of the thirty three year old helped to hide the toll of a stressful job and heavy alcohol consumption over the years alongside his thick full beard, which was neatly cut around the edges. The old Sensei had become proud of his beard, spending as much time on it as Kiba did caring for his bonsai tree at home. His navy blue heavy jacket and pants underneath were swirled with other shades of blue and gray to help him blend into the shadows, although he still kept the red swirl of Konoha on both shoulders.
Having abandoned his sweep forward after being attracted by the noise Iruka jumped down from his vantage, slowly approaching the father and daughter facing off in the open area, casually disarming a tripwire connected to a shuriken trap as he walked. Minoruko sighed before dropping her stance and deactivating her Talon Jutsu, knowing that there would be no point to fighting. But she kept the look of annoyance up as she glared at her father.
“That wasn’t funny, tou-san.” She protested as she strode over to her kunai and plucked it from between the rocks.
“Well, paying attention with your senses or not you did walk forward recklessly.” Kiba replied matter-of-factly, finally noticing that he was filthy and brushing some of the coarse forest loam off his shoulder. She kept her back to him as she next spoke in a soft voice edged with worry, the anger at her father falling away.
“I was worried you had been hurt by the stones…” the eight year old held the kunai gingerly while she spoke, her young eyes cast to the forest floor.
“Never assume your enemy is defeated unless you can see without a doubt they are.” Kiba used his serious tone. Minoruko bowed her head for a second, ashamed of her mistake even though she had tried to be cautious in her approach. Sensing this Kiba walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, the wind breezing past the three lazily.
“But thanks for the concern.” Now, in a boastful manner with chest puffed out “Just remember in the future that it would take more than a small trap like that to hurt a Ninja as awesome as myself.”
Iruka looked at him as he rearranged the strap holding his wooden wine gourd on his back, his ponytail and the long tails of his headband blowing outward and away from his body.
“Then why is your hand bleeding?” he pointed out, amused.
Kiba looked down at the back of his left hand. In the rush to escape the deadfall trap he must have been hit by a sharp rock. Not serious, but he should probably do something about it. Minoruko’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of the trickling ruby blood trailing down over his wedding ring and pattering onto the pine needles but Kiba put her at ease, calmly asking her to retrieve a small container of her mother’s healing balm from her pack. She turned and raced off, her hair and long red sleeves trailing behind her and a kunai in one hand. Kiba smiled. The young girl could be a great Ninja someday.
Iruka looked over at the ruined trap as wildlife returned to the area again, the pile of stones and the broken boughs they destroyed in their chaotic descent scattered across the ground around the tree. He raised his eyebrows, impressed.
“Very well executed tactic, especially considering the limited time we gave her. Some of the other traps were obvious, but she’s only young after all. Minoruku-chan has really applied herself to learning outdoor survival and trapping.”
Kiba looked over at his old teammate. “You would expect anything less from a child of mine?”
At this Iruka chuckled. “No, I guess not. When Minoruko-chan returns we should inspect the rest of the traps alongside her. Are we still teaching tactics this afternoon?” he said as he looked to his friend. Now it was Kiba’s turn to chuckle.
“After all these years you’re still a teacher at heart, Iruka-sempai.” The ponytailed Ninja smiled politely, but the thought of full teaching again was no more appealing now than it had been eight years ago. He would never return as an Academy Sensei. His place was as part of this team, with Kiba-san and Hinata-san. And Akamaru. As if thinking along the same lines Kiba turned toward where his daughter had disappeared and slowly walked, digging the dirt out of his forehead protector, the band still the same he had used all these years down to the faint bloodstains.
“Alright, that all sounds good. But first we had better go get Akamaru. He’s probably waiting at the rendezvous, wondering what’s happened.”
Across the pine filled valley, nestled within two of the stone buttress feet of Kozu Mountain, a loud howl of annoyance echoed through the crisp morning air as Akamaru demanded to know what was going on.
*****
Firelight from the stone braziers posted around the courtyard, the only source of light the compound had this late in the afternoon, shined on the water’s surface and cast a golden film over the bank that Hinata and Satoroshi stood over. The young boy, only one year younger than his sister Minoruko, stared into the pond with a look of determination on his face as he tried to reach out to the tiny life signatures before him. Veins elevated around his illuminated face and eyes as he concentrated, trying to sense the bright orange fish as they swam lazily about or rose to the surface to gulp in air momentatily before returning to the darker areas with a flourish of their long trailing tails and leaving nothing but the occasional flash of indigo from the depths. His mother sat next to him, encouraging Satoroshi in a quiet voice so as to not break his concentration. She remembered how hard it had been at that age, and had resolved to be a better and more patient tutor than her father had been.
“Think of it like narrowing your eyes to block out a sunset behind a person you’re speaking to, but with your mind. Reach out with your perception to all areas of the pond and your Byakugan will show you the koi and the cavefish as they swim about each other. Just keep at it Satoroshi-kun, it will be easier each time you try.”
Satoroshi nodded and furrowed his eyebrows as he leaned slightly closer to the pond, his hands resting in the Byakugan’s final seal. Why is this so hard? he thought in irritation. It was way more difficult than seeing a person. Sure, he could sense the koi on the surface but that he could do without using his Byakugan. As the pond got deeper the orange and white fish were almost like outlines which blurred together until he couldn’t tell how many there were. But this was his family’s Kekkei Genkai. Not even his sister had it. If I can’t do this, then I’m letting mom and dad down. Strengthening his resolve Satoroshi forgot his annoyance and kept looking at the swirling and blurring outlines of the fish in the darker recessions of the pond where the naked eye could not see, not even if they had grown acclimatized to almost total darkness like his had from growing up in Kamigakure. Hinata kneeled on a cushion next to him and watched him patiently, hands neatly folded in her lap. Her long purple hair was brushed loosely over the light pink kimono she had chosen to wear today, the silk fading to white around the shoulders. She also wore some simple geta with white socks, but had removed the wooden sandals to kneel with her son. And as always she wore her wedding band and a thin gold necklace ending in a tiny light blue sapphire inlaid in gold, which Kiba had brought her for their fifth anniversary. She had matured into beautiful young woman, but though she had finally become confident in her own abilities, largely due to the love of her family and trust of her teammates and friends, she retained her quiet manner and could still be provoked into blushing bright crimson with the right stimulation. Satoroshi had forsaken his usual attire of black hooded tee-shirt and olive cargo shorts for this simple training, opting for a simple charcoal kimono of his own. A bead of sweat dripped from his face and onto the soft fabric, the speck staining his collar slightly. Veins from his activated Byakugan spread from his pale eyes, pupils visible from his Bloodline Limit’s active state, and across the tops of high cheekbones inherited from his mother. However his defined nose, jaw and chin were definitely Kiba’s legacy, as was his thin mouth, currently curled slightly in deep concentration. Spiked purple hair sat uncombed with some of the front spikes bent forward loosely and hanging over his furrowed brow. Although he was too young to have the blue Inuzuka fangs yet he couldn’t wait for the day he could get he tattoos and be just like his dad and big sister. Whenever he bragged to his friends about getting them Hinata would smile to herself. He was just like his father: once they decided something it was a battle to have them see things another way. Well, maybe not for her to get Kiba to see things another way… Hinata blushed slightly at the thought. She herself had opted not to get the tattoos, a decision her husband had stood by her on because he thought her face was perfect already. But to Satoroshi it was more than bearing the colours of his clan. It was one step closer to becoming a great Ninja and making his family proud, proving his worth as an Inuzuka and his right to live in his father’s home.
Inuzuka compound was situated in the heart of the east side of Kamigakure, surrounded by the houses of other important families. Built about five years ago on a block enclosed entirely by the city’s trademark chiseled stone streets, the site had originally been a gray betting house, abandoned due to the second and third story’s collapse. Kiba purchased the deed for the block before he and Akamaru set about demolishing the place over a weekend, a job they had thoroughly enjoyed. Once it was down he hired local contractors to build the house, recycling as much of the building’s materials as he could. When it was erected the couple personally set about with the finishing touches, bonding with the building through adding their own hard work and personality. The building had definitely turned out unique.
Bordered by a solid and imposingly tall dark gray stone wall which was capped with broken glass, visitors circled the block until they reached the western street. Situated a little to the left of the wall’s center was a set of wooden double gates, which had what once had been corrugated iron flooring bolted to them for strength and to stop passers-by from having a view into the yard over the top. On each of the doors was a stenciled blue fang, the symbol of the Inuzuka clan. Admittedly the wall wouldn’t keep out a Ninja or even a determined intruder but it did leave the imagination to run wild with theories on what would happen to trespassers.
Once inside the compound via the front gates the first thing one noticed was that the building looked like a hybrid of traditional housing and modern heavy industry. The main building sat on the block’s left, spanning almost the entire length of the left wall and bending in an L shape at the back, stopping a little over halfway along the rear wall’s span. A small wooden deck and verandah, akin to those seen on traditional buildings ran along the outside of this building. However the deck was railed with steel salvaged from warehouse catwalks, broken intermittently for a wooden step up from the ground. Supporting the awning over the verandah, the awning sharing black tiles with the rest of the roof were small metal beams, some painted gray or black, others bare metal. The walls themselves were light gray rendered bricks, the rough surface broken from time to time with a decorative metal sheet or iron ventilation pipe, all of which ran from inside the roof down along the wall and disappeared under the stained wooden decking. The pipes ran heating throughout the house from under the floor but needed to be on the outside as the walls couldn’t support them internally without changing the house’s dimensions. Burai once pointed out that having heaters inside would have worked just as well, but Hinata replied that heaters can’t compare to a central heating system, which is true. However the house’s cold exterior severely betrayed the interior. Inside all the floors were light tatami matting, and the walls were painted bright whites and creams. The doors were all solid wood except for the paper shojis which led outside, and down lights were placed cleverly around all the rooms. It was a warm house which gave the family an emotional reprieve from the depressing colours of mourning the city had always borne, and always would as homage to the fallen of both villages.
From the front gates a small walk ahead and slightly leftward across stone would lead to the guest’s step, where visitors traditionally removed their footwear and waited to be invited inside through the shoji screen doors. On the balcony above the step was a small vantage where the yard was visible. In the corner on the right of the entry was a small tea ceremony house, which Kiba had created for Hinata especially. It broke design from the rest of the house, the walls bamboo and the roof thatched in traditional teahouse style. Outside the small structure sat a wooden bench, in front of which a short table had been drawn. Taking prize place on the dark wooden table rested Kiba’s prized bonsai tree, which had originally been a housewarming gift from Shikamaru. The small juniper, immaculately clipped and tended, sat in a gnarled stone bonsai pot which had been ordered from the Country of Waves. Either side of the seat were low wooden planter boxes in which grew cultivated dwarf lavender, Hinata’s favourite plant. Sometimes she would cut some of the leaves and flowers and hang the sprig in the dining area so the sweet scent carried through the house. Except for some aquatic plants around the pond the lavender and juniper were the only plants which grew in Inuzuka compound, as the tea house and stone yard only received weak sunlight for a few hours a day through the cavern’s break. But the sunlight which did enter bathed inside the little teahouse with a gold colour. On lazy afternoons when they weren’t on mission and their children were at the academy, Kiba and Hinata would spend hours in the tearoom and let the world go on without them.
In the back right corner of the compound stood an independent guest house, continuing the design of the main house and connected by an unrailed wooden walkway between the balconies. It had been occupied by Iruka for the last eighteen months since he had been unceremoniously kicked out of Akiko Hotel because of an incident involving dance music, four drunken Kunoichi from Suna and a large fire. He humbly and graciously accepted their extended hospitality, and in return purchased sundries and stayed out of the family’s way as much as possible. He even cleaned the guest house so that Hinata wouldn’t be forced to. It was rare to see him in the main house, as he had no real need to enter it. But at the end of the day his two teammates were happy that he had somewhere better than a flea ridden boarding house to stay, even if only for a little longer. He had promised to move out soon, after he had saved up enough for a house of his own. Not that either Kiba or Hinata were rushing him. Despite his reputation he had changed from the messy bachelor he used to be.
Between the guest house and the tea house was an empty expanse of the cave’s stone floor before the south wall. There was a structure to go there at one point, but hopes of it’s construction were waning. The matter weighed constantly upon both Kiba and Hinata but they were forced to do nothing as all options were undesirable… in any case they would have to talk about it again after Kiba came home.
Lastly, in the center of the main building’s L shape was a pond which Kiba and Akamaru had hollowed out of the stone with their Gatsuga Jutsu. It had been filled and populated with bright Koi from a nearby village, as well as some of the pale white cavefish which resided in pools under the temple. The fish lacked eyes due to living in perpetual darkness but were docile and coexisted peaceably with the brightly coloured carp. Scattered around the pond’s outside, as well as around a rock in the center which Kiba retrieved from out in the open expanse of wastes near the city, were some simple reeds which the fish took cover in occasionally. The reeds weren’t too fussed with only receiving minimal light, and the fish didn’t eat them so it worked well. It was at this pond, reflecting the firelight emitting from stone braziers built in calculated intervals around the yard, where the two Inuzuka currently knelt, Satoroshi calmly listening to his mother’s gentle voice as she instructed him.
Hinata stood up after another moment. Satoroshi had been performing the same exercise all morning, and monotony is a hindrance to progress. Time to change the exercise slightly. Looking out over the golden rippled pond she selected the reed surrounded stone in the middle as an anchor before making some lightning fast seals and extending an elegant arm over the gently rippling surface, her index and middle fingers pointing at a stretch of water to the right of the rock. As she started rotating her pointing hand in a gentle anti-clockwise fashion the water slowly started to move, circling the rock as Hinata’s chakra dictated. Soon the pond turned with the inertia of a small whirlpool, powerful enough that the fish had to swim against it but not enough to injure or kill her small pets. The water’s surface near the rock lowered as the centrifuge cycled water out to the plant filled edges but Hinata encompassed the bank in her focus, keeping her current from tearing the plants out or spilling over onto the stone floor of the compound. Satoroshi kept concentrating as she manipulated the water with the gentle Whirlpool Jutsu, the fish becoming a little more identifiable as they were forced to swim in a predictable pattern and rise closer to the surface. Suddenly, a piece clicked into place. Like a flash of divine light he knew a fragment more about how the Byakugan worked, a trick that couldn’t be explained but had to be worked out by each individual. Focusing the technique had become just that little bit easier, but there was still much to learn. Soon he would begin to look for the chakra points of people, and this morning’s exercise was but a stepping stone to that. Hinata smiled proudly to herself, sensing his increased awareness. With her help he was taking strides in learning the Byakugan, and the doting mother couldn’t help but feel a sense of contentment.
Slowing the whirlpool until the water was calm once more Hinata remained standing as Satoroshi deactivated his Byakugan and smiled at her, his pale eyes losing their translucent pupils once more.
“Domo, kaa-san.” he said, knowing that his mother had helped him understand more about his gift, even if only a fraction more than he had before.
“You’re welcome Satoroshi-kun. Now go get changed. Tsuboro-san will arrive soon, and today we will train more at the Dojo.”
“Hai!” he said, vaulting over the rail with one hand and running inside, slamming the shoji door as he raced excitedly to get ready.
Hinata watched him go with a deep feeling of affection. It was nice to be able to spend time with him like this. He was at home less and less, either at the academy (which had been closed for a week while the building was fixed) or out playing with his sister and their friends, and even though she knew it was a sign they were growing up she missed them being around like they used to.
“Shigata ga nai, neh?” she intoned to herself, dismissing the thought and crossing slowly to the house to change before Tsuboro-san’s arrival, passing one of the stone braziers on her path. Indeed there was nothing that could be done. It was just another part of life.
*****
Tsuboro had come by every day that Kiba, Akamaru, Iruka and Minoruko had been away to borrow Kiba’s gym key since he loaned his own to Iruka, who for unclear reasons had taken it with him on his outing into the wilderness. Tsuboro would arrive at midday and borrow the key, returning it later on in the evening. Hinata had told him to hold onto it but he politely insisted on returning it, in case she needed to access the building. One look up at the ray of sunlight which shone through the cavern’s roof told her that he would be here soon as she stepped onto the verandah, removing her geta as she entered the house.
The gym had been founded by Kiba and Iruka just after Minoruko’s birth when they still lived in Akiko Hotel, the building originally an old gray supermarket six mournfully coloured blocks west from where Inuzuka Compound now stood. They soundproofed the walls before moving in weight benches and training mats (which the two had ‘liberated’ from Akiko Hotel’s facility gradually), as well as setting up ranged weapon targets. The vaulted ceiling, crisscrossed with silver air conditioning vents, was white roofing panels interspersed with yellow fluorescent bulbs which brightly illuminated the scratched and faded wooden floor. It had been a great project for the pair, and even though they paid rent for the premises it had become a secret of the team, where many of their Elemental Jutsus had been learned and polished. After they had rescued Rock Lee and Tenten five years ago Lee had purchased the supermarket outright and now lived above it in what was the owner’s house, caring for Tenten. The poor girl had gone blind during an Earth Ninja ambush soon after the fall of Konoha, and the two had wandered from village to village seeking work much like Kiba and Hinata had when they were rogue, until they had been brought back to the Second Founding. But Lee had now devoted his life to not only be the best himself but to train Tenten to be a weapon master without the use of her eyesight, relying on sound to draw a ranged target or to engage with a hand weapon of her choosing, usually a staff or nunchaku. She had progressed very far since their arrival and was even sworn in as a Ghost Ninja, attached to Lee on missions. Over the years the two had become attached to each other. How far Lee and Tenten’s relationship went no-one knew but them, but rumours circulated throughout the Ghost Ninja of Kamigakure of all kinds of descriptions, from the purest of friendship to outrageously sordid activities.
When he had the deed signed over to him Lee had given Kiba and Iruka a key and asked them to continue training in the Dojo as they always had, on the condition that it’s existence be kept a secret except for those who were deemed worthy to join them. The promise had been kept. Apart from Lee, Tenten, Kiba’s team (and family), Shikamaru’s team, Tsuboro’s team and Kankurou almost no-one else knew the Dojo even existed. Yuriko had been invited to train there too, but rejected the offer once she learned that Kiba and Hinata trained there.
*****
Back at Inuzuka compound Hinata strode into the master bedroom, turning on the down lights as she opened the teak dresser and closet across from the bed, picking out a dull white jacket with lilac elbow stripes and her usual undershirt and black jeans before heading to the shower. Realistically she didn’t need to have a shower. After all, she would be dirty soon enough from sparring. But she had already been training her Gentle Fist in her pink kimono early this morning before Satoroshi had woken and wanted to wash the grime from herself. On the way towards the white tiled room she stopped near a low table which had a lavender sprig with a pretty purple flower sitting in a thin vase and picked up a wooden framed photo of Kiba, Akamaru and herself at a festival they had stopped in on after a mission earlier that year. It had been a fun unwind to their mission, which had only been a partial success.
She missed him. Even though it had only been a few days she missed him. Kiba was such a big part of her life now that she would be lost without him, cut adrift in a sea of hopelessness. Just imagining being without him was almost scary, a sensation of vertigo gripping her. If anything happened on a mission… She tried not to think of such possibilities. Brushing Kiba’s cheek gently she put the photo back on the table and crossed the cold tiles to the fresh towels, knowing her love would be home tomorrow.
**********
Kiba sat alone by the fire, the eerie dancing shadows in the black forest his only company, cast by the campfire they had created for the last night in the wilderness. Normally fires were a commodity Kiba held in reserve. They created an atmosphere of calm and made those on watch dangerously comfortable while pointing out their position for miles around. But they were in friendly territory now, so there was no threat of attack. Besides, if Iruka had to see the others eat raw animals again he may have been sick. In consideration they cooked their kills over the fire and shared them with him so he wouldn’t have to have another meal of dried provisions.
Earlier a team of Ghost Ninja on patrol came to check on the fire’s source but didn’t stay long once they saw it wasn’t intruders. Kiba had been grateful for their departure. Much weighed on his mind.
The four had left the valley after the morning’s training and headed back to their base camp to conduct tactical theory lessons, the small bivouac occupying an open area in the thick of the alpine forest’s largest pines with a small perishable structure created to hold their supplies and no other shelter.
In this section of the forest there were no rocks intermixed with the carpet of brown nettles and all the trees stood tall and healthy, in a prime position to catch the sun. During the winter the trees formed almost an unbroken sheet of snow across their joined branches, waiting for one solid knock to collapse the powder downward in great mounds one could easily be buried under. But now was a good time of the year to camp. Animals were abundant and the few holly bushes scattered about were bearing fruit. Kiba and Akamaru loved it out here, more than Iruka or even Hinata could ever understand. Out in the wilderness, with nothing to rely upon but what you carried and your raw skills, it felt natural. It felt like a second home. But Kiba couldn’t appreciate it to it’s deserved extent tonight.
The Ninja sat on a cut log next to the fire having drawn the second watch, light reflecting off his jacket’s silver zipper and highlighting the stained bandaging around his hand. Truly Hinata’s salve was a wonder. Even now his hand felt normal. The wedding band he wore reflected the flame warmly, like the setting sun lighting onto temple stone.
He had relieved Minoruko three hours ago, who had immediately crashed in a state of torpor after only sleeping for three hours last night and training all day. She had brought a black sleeping bag and rested quietly on the left of Kiba, her hair unbound and scattered around her peaceful form in disarray. Kiba smiled. His daughter, when not fighting to stay awake, had been overjoyed all afternoon since he and Iruka had let her use an explosive tag on a broken tree during their afternoon break after tactics training. The broken pine arranged to represent an armoured target, she had tied the note to a kunai and thrown it, as it was a tactic she had always liked. The projectile hit the target on it’s very left side left but the explosion had torn it apart, as well as other trees close by. A good first attempt, but she needed to work on her ranged skills more. Nevertheless Kiba stood as a proud father during her celebrations at the fiery explosion and showering scraps of timber. At least Iruka hadn’t given her one of the special tags he had learned to write. Some of those were beyond a joke…
The trap expert had collapsed into the dirt on the other side of the fire after finishing off most of his wine bottle and was snoring loudly, dirt and pine needles coating the back of his new Chunin vest and sticking in his hair and beard. Kiba hadn’t yet decided whether or not to rouse his teammate for his watch in another hour. He had gotten pretty wasted. But they weren’t on mission, and there was no training tomorrow so Kiba had let him go.
Lastly, Akamaru lay with his head on his front paws, his lean barrel-like chest rising and falling as the great white dog dreamed. Occasionally his ears would prick in reflex but he never woke. It was Akamaru that Kiba was looking at the longest, mulling over his problem for the millionth time over the last few years.
Minoruko was eight years old now. Next year Satoroshi would turn eight too. According to Inuzuka tradition that was the year in which a child of the clan was given a Ninja dog puppy from the family’s kennel to accept as a partner for their life. So it had been for Kiba and his sister. And his father, may the bastard burn in hell. But it had been Hana who had been placed in charge of the kennel as oldest child, always taking her pack of dogs with her wherever she went. Now the only dog the Inuzuka clan possessed was the great white beast which slumbered next to the campfire, the tips of his long brown ears trailing in the pine needles. The kennel was broken.
Ninja dogs are not normal dogs. They live for fifty years and are born with almost human intelligence and chakra abilities, the result of selective breeding, care and attention. Dog-Nin have always only trained these special dogs through the ages, back to Manzo, the first Dog-Nin. All Ninja dogs traced their heritage back to Manzo’s stables, who according to legend gifted these special creatures to the eight families almost a thousand years ago.
Breeding a Ninja dog with an average canine would yield no pups with special abilities. Which meant for Kiba to keep the Inuzuka a clan of Dog-Nin he would have to broker a deal with another family from one of the other Shinobi nations. Looking away from the fire he scoffed ruefully, the sound carrying over the burning wood’s faint crackle. Dog-Nin were extremely competitive and jealous. If he approached another family it would weaken his clan’s reputation, not to mention that they may just choose to eliminate Akamaru and himself, destroying a competitor forever. His stomach sank at the prospect. If something didn’t come soon he would be forced to approach the other clans. But there were simply no other choices. Who knew, maybe it was a sign. Maybe it is Akamaru’s karma to be the final Nin-Dog of the Inuzuka.
In the fire a few embers collapsed outside the ring of stones. Kiba absently ground them into the dirt underneath, having cleared the pine needles well out of the area before lighting the kindling. There better be missions available when I get home Kiba thought, wishing to put the unwinnable problem aside for something he could do.
Looking over to the right of the flames, strangely cold and alone with his burden, he saw Iruka’s wooden wine gourd laying on it’s side near the provision shelter where it had landed after the bearded trap expert had fallen down, the leather strap laying messily alongside. Slowly he walked over and picked up the vessel before draining it all in one go, immediately choking on the vile alcohol and it’s foul aftertaste, waking everyone at the camp with a start. Damn Iruka’s appreciation of cheap booze…
*****
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Story notes: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of it's characters. I DO own my original characters, which are and remain my own intellectual property.
Written by Inquisitor-Bryce (Time Travelling Mechanic), for use on bandaicg.com, TONFA, deviantART, and LH’s Forum ONLY. If this FanFic is posted anywhere else, please contact me
Chapter notes: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or any of it's characters. I DO own my original characters, which are and remain my own intellectual property.
Written by Inquisitor-Bryce (Time Travelling Mechanic), for use on bandaicg.com, TONFA, deviantART, LH’s Forum and Divine Six Forums ONLY. If this FanFic is posted anywhere else, please contact me