120Okay. Next chapter. I kinda really like this one. Some important things happen! Shoutout to topsyturvy-dream for leaving the 100TH REVIEW!
...(Nazoko-14)
"Why are you so anxious, Nazoko?" Kushina asked as they walked back to Minato's place after his celebratory dinner for his promotion. He received it not long after turning fifteen.
"Me?" She squeaked. "I'm not anxious. Why would I be anxious? I have nothing to be anxious about! There is literally nothing in the world that could ever make me anxious! Nope. No anxiousness here!" Minato was fifteen and Kakashi had started in the academy. Sakumo was out on a mission that Okami had no idea about. Nope. Nothing at all to get her anxiety going...
"Nazoko," Kushina warned.
She worried her lip before huffing. "Sakumo is out on a mission and with things how they are, I have a feeling it's going to go bad and be the start of the war," she blurted.
"Pfft! Nazoko, you have a wild imagination!" Kushina guffawed. "Sakumo has the reputation of a sannin. He won't fail."
"He's human too, Kushina. He can fail just like the rest of us," Nazoko uttered quietly.
Kushina stopped laughing and frowned before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It'll be fine. Stop worrying so much." She placed a hand on Nazoko's shoulder to reassure her. "You'll see. He'll come back and all the worry will have been for nothing. Well, this is where I split off. I'll see you both tomorrow!"
Nazoko waved half-heartedly. 'No, I won't see. He'll fail and the war will begin.' She swallowed thickly. She let her feet guide her the rest of the way to Minato's.
"Okay," Minato said once the door had shut and they both sat at his table. "What's going on, Nazoko?"
She blinked at him. "I just said, didn't I? I'm worried about Sakumo and the outcome of this mission."
"Nazoko... The way you said it... 'No, I won't see. He'll fail and the war will begin.' You were absolutely sure that's what happened."
'I said that out loud?'
'Yup.'
'Why didn't you stop me?!'
'Figured you knew what you were doing.'
'I NEVER know what I'm doing! Question everything!'
"Well- I jus-" She stopped when Minato held up a hand.
"Before you lie, perhaps you could also explain how you knew Kushina was heading towards the Kumo border when she'd been kidnapped? There was-"
Her eyes widened and she slapped a silencing tag on the table between them. "Don't say that shit out loud," she hissed between clenched teeth.
He gave her a blank stare then continued where he left off. "There was only that single strand of hair in the house. The next was was near the edge of the village. There was no way you could have known it was there unless you had seen it beforehand. The enemy was far enough away that there was no chance you could have sensed them. An even bigger question, how did you even know to assume she had been kidnapped in the first place?"
Each word out of his mouth had her heart racing. Was this really happening? Now? Her mind scrambled for an answer. Anything. It came up blank. Yet again, she found she was tired of hiding things from the people that mattered to her. He already took the other news of her being reincarnated well enough... Maybe this won't be so bad.
"Nazoko. Please..." The look in his eyes did it. He looked so... distressed.
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Minato... It's not that I don't want to tell you. I just don't think my story is very believable."
He placed his hands over hers on the table. "I like to think I'm pretty good at keeping an open mind." He made sure to keep eye contact. "Just like when you told me about your life Before."
She took a deep breath in and slowly released it. "Okay. Alright, fine." She was really going to do this. "You remember those dreams I was having back in the academy?"
"The ones of your past life."
She winced. "I was only telling you the half truth. I did... sometimes dream about my life before this. I was going to tell you back then but... you were just so young. Even now..." She sighed again. "The majority of those dreams were about people I've never met. Places I've yet to go. Things I had no right in seeing... in KNOWING." At his confused look, she decided to just say it. "I was having dreams of the past and of the future, Minato."
He blinked... for a prolonged period.
She let him mull it over for a bit before continuing. "I knew about Kushina because I had seen it. I saw it back in the academy. I saw the Kumo headbands. I saw YOU finding her hair and going after her. Just like I saw Sakumo choosing to save his teammate's life instead of completing a mission and giving Iwa a reason to start a war."
A few more beats of silence.
"You... see the future?"
"A future." She knew it was important to emphasize that point. "I've only seen one future. One past.
"And everything you've seen so far has happened?"
She made a face. "Sort of. I mean, the dreams didn't have me in them. So, I'm a bit of an unknown variable in everything. I wasn't supposed to be on your team. In fact, I wasn't even supposed to EXIST. So, to say that what I see is THE future is inaccurate. But I have seen A future and it is startlingly similar to how things are happening now."
"I see... So... It sounds like you know what would happen if you weren't... here?"
She nodded. "That's right."
"That's... a lot to take in."
"I know. It is a bit unbelievable."
"No, no. I believe you," Minato was quick to assure her. "I just need some time to process it."
"What?" Shock was a thing and she was feeling it. "Seriously?"
"Of course. It makes sense. Your reincarnation made is so that you knew some of the things that were taught in the academy. You future knowledge covered the ninja part."
"Oh..."
'Himitsu,' Hisoka warned.
Nazoko turned her gaze to the window. Himitsu looked frantic. She was up and by the window in a second. "Himitsu, wha-"
"Five three slash five! Immediate!"
Oh fuck. Danzo had already acted and it would lead to... mass murder and or no deaths but a political disaster?
"Okay." She gently had Himitsu land on her finger as she shut the window, placed another silencing tag on it, then shut the curtain before bringing Himitsu to the table, entering the other silencing tags sphere. "Minato is fine to speak in front of."
Himitsu waisted no time. "Danzo has already sent some of his men to go and inform the Iwa shinobi about Konoha sending a team in to get information that would stop the war from ever happening."
Nazoko's breath caught in her throat. "FUCK! Go get Ramen. Tell him to come to Minato's yesterday!"
Himitsu gave a sort of feeble nod as she was let out of the window.
"FUCK!" She yelled again.
"Nazoko! What is going on?! Danzo who? Danzo Shimura?"
She grabbed him and dragged him back into the seal's sphere. "Never say that name outside of this! Please, Minato! I know that Danzo is a hero to most people. But I know what he will do. I know what he IS doing! He is bad news. Okay? Very bad news."
Jiraiya poofed in a moment later. "What's going on?!" He slapped his hand down on the floor and his own silencing seal spread out.
Nazoko removed the tag from the table. "Danzo sent some men out to inform Iwa of Sakumo and his team. He is the reason that Sakumo..." Her fists were clenched so hard that her nails broke the skin of her palms. The fight drained out of her and she fell into the chair. "It's already too late to do anything about it, isn't it?" She hung her head and let her tears fall.
Jiraiya sighed. He knelt in front of her. "I'm afraid so. Himitsu said they were sent out this morning. I wouldn't be able to catch up. He'll be back though, right? You know that much."
"But I don't! Not really! What I know isn't set in stone! What if, because of me, Sakumo missed out on some sort of training thing and he can't make it out alive?! What if-"
Jiraiya gave her a shake. "Calm down, Nazoko! Breath. That's it. Just breath." He made sure she did as instructed. "I know Sakumo. He will be just fine. He will survive this and if things happen like you saw, then he will need his friends and family to be there for him. Don't let your panic get in the way of that."
She inhaled. "Right." She exhaled. "Okay. Sorry... This is really happening though, isn't it? The war is really going to start soon." She clenched her teeth. "All because Danzo fucking Shimura is a greedy fucking bastard! I hate him! So many people will die because of that man!" Angry tears spilled. She sat up straighter a determined glint in her eye. "I will find a way to take him down. Death is too good of an end for him. He will watch as everything he worked so hard on burns before his very eyes!"
Now if only she could figure out how to do that...
"Remind me never to piss you off," Jiraiya eyed her wearily.
Sensing that things had calmed down, Minato decided to voice his own thoughts. "So Jiraiya-sensei knows..." He sent the hidden question with his eyes.
"He knows about the dreams." 'And nothing else.'
"When did you tell him?" Jiraiya asked.
"Just now, before all of this. He was able to piece some things together that didn't add up. Mostly when Kushina had been kidnapped."
Jiraiya made a noise of understanding. "How much did you tell him?"
"Just that I know of A future and the past. The dream with Kushina and the one with Sakumo. And he just now found out that Danzo is a dick that I want to-"
"Okay. So nothing much really."
"Nothing much?" Minato shook his head. "No, wait. Danzo having his hand in this seemed to really surprise you..."
She exhaled. "My dreams didn't show me everything, Minato. In some cases, they barely showed me anything. I've had to do my best to piece things together in the right order. That was the real reason I even bothered learning the mindscape technique. It's a way for me to organize everything. Keep it straight."
"Hm." He seemed deep in thought.
"Any guess when Sakumo will be back?" Nazoko asked Jiraiya.
"Hard to say. I wasn't given any details about the mission myself."
"Great."
"I think... that I don't really want to know."
The pair looked over at Minato. "What?"
"The future. Or the one that you saw. I don't think I want to know. Not unless you really need to tell me, and only when it becomes relevant." He sent Nazoko an apologetic glance.
She shrugged. "That's fine. Sometimes I wish I didn't know."
Minato slouched. "That makes me feel even worse that I'm asking you this after practically forcing you to tell me."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't. I get it. There will be stuff I'll need to tell you eventually. But for now, you just keep doing what your doing. Sensei and I will handle the rest."
Minato pulled her to her feet. "The future is a heavy burden to bear. I'm very sorry that it fell on your shoulders, Nazoko." He pulled her in for a hug. "I ask that you don't tell me anything without needing to, but know that I will listen if you ever need to talk. Even if it means having to explain the future."
Nazoko smiled. "I really love you sometimes, Minato."
"Only sometimes?" He prodded.
She squeezed him tighter. "The other times I'm a little too in awe of how flipping incredible you are to process my familial feelings."
He chuckled. "I love you too, Imoto."
...(Nazoko-15)
Sakumo made it back. The relief Nazoko felt was almost overwhelming. It was also shortlived. In almost no time, people started whispering. She wished she could smack some sense into these stupid people. Doing so would do nothing to help her though. It definitely wouldn't help him.
"Mi-no-ri," Nazoko sang as she twirled the little toddler around.
Minori screamed in delight.
"Nazoko... Shouldn't you be at the mandatory meeting the Hokage called?" Sakumo asked tiredly. There was a warmth in his eyes as he looked at her though.
"I already know what it's about," she shrugged and began tickling the little girl who favored her mother in looks. The Hokage had called an emergency meeting to announce that the third war had begun. "I'd much rather spend my time with all of you." She met his gaze evenly.
Sakumo's lips twitched sadly. "It's not going to make you very popular."
"I don't care," she responded without missing a beat. She handed Minori to Okami and walked over to Sakumo. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at him determinedly. "Hatake Sakumo, you are my family and I love you. I will stand by you even if the entire world was against it. You are a hero to me." Tears started making her vision blurry. "Everyone else is just stupid. A ninja who fails a mission may be trash," her heart broke when he winced.
Surprisingly, Kakashi finished her sentence. "But a ninja who abandons his comrades is worse than trash." Sadly, just before he'd started at the academy, he'd donned his signature mask.
Nazoko giggled wetly. "I see I've taught you well, Kashi-chan."
"You're the one who taught him that?" Sakumo asked in awe.
"Of course!"
Okami threw her head back and laughed. "I love you more and more each day, Nazoko."
She grinned at Okami as her tears receded before turning back to Sakumo. "I'm going to promise you something, Sakumo. I only ask that you promise me something as well."
He looked at her curiously. "What is it?"
"I promise you that I will get people to see you for the hero you are. I will do everything in my power to do so. I simply ask that you don't give up while I do that." She took his hands and dammit if those tears didn't come back at the thought of what could happen if her words didn't reach him. "Please stay strong for your family. I WILL find a way to get people to the truth. Just... survive this."
"Oh, Nazoko. You don't-"
"Promise me, Sakumo. Please." A single tear fell.
Sakumo inhaled quietly as he brought a thumb up to brush off the drop. "I promise."
She nodded. "Then I promise as well."
Okami walked over and threw her open arm over Nazoko's shoulder. "You're a good kid, Nazoko. Don't let the world change you."
She sent her a wobbly half smile. "As if it could."
...5mos?(Nazoko-15) (I am aware that the information in this next scene is incorrect. It will be changed in the rewrite)
The war had started. Officially. Not that it hadn't been more or less happening for the last five years. The villagers had this tenseness about them that just made everything feel... off.
She hadn't received any orders, nor had her friends, to go out to the front. Not yet, at least. She had taken to just walking through the village aimlessly, or perhaps restlessly would be a better word. The worst part was, so many people still talked about Sakumo. She wanted to shake them and scream at the top of her lungs that it had been Danzo. She didn't... but she wanted to.
No, she knew that she would need to play it smart. She needed to be more subtle in her approach when it came to making people see reason. Yelling and screaming would only lead to more people being angry and would make her words less impactful. She would need to be strategic about it... Too bad she didn't quite know how to do that.
"One hundred ninety-nine. Two hundred! If I cannot complete three hundred sit-ups I will run around Konoha five hundred times!"
She had wandered back to the same training field the day she'd shut her emotions off. She allowed herself to lean against the tree and watch the young boy. The older green-clad man was not present.
He was so close to his self-set goal but he was lagging. Only twenty to go and he looked as if he was about to give up.
"Oh, what's the use? How could I ever hope to be a splendid ninja without genjutsu or ninjutsu?"
She frowned. She hadn't expected to hear that. "There is always hope."
Mini-Gai yelped and scrambled to his feet. "Ah, Shinobi-san!" He bowed. "Forgive me if I am taking up your training space! I did not see you."
She waved him off as she walked into the clearing. "It's me who should apologize. I was just walking around and intruded on your training. I think I could benefit from some if you don't mind me joining you?"
"Oh... Of course not, Shinobi-san."
"Please, just call me Nazoko." She sent him a smile.
He turned bright red. "As you wish, Nazoko-san. I am Maito Gai!"
"It's nice to meet you, Gai-kun." She sat down on the ground. "You were doing situps?"
"I was!"
She nodded. "Could you hold my feet?"
He was staring at her with a dumbfounded look. "I-uh... Sure?" He slowly moved until he was on his knees by her legs and lightly placed his hands on her sandals.
She let out a breathy laugh. "You'll need to press a little harder than that."
He got a determined look on his face and nodded before pressing harder.
She smiled again then started to count. "One, two, three, four, five..." She continued doing situps until she felt the burning in her middle. That was when Gai decided to speak.
"What did you mean, Nazoko-san? About there always being hope?"
She only paused for a second before continuing. "The only way there is no hope is if you give up on it."
"But how can I be a ninja if I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu?"
The situps were really hurting now. She was only on two-fifty... "I am of the firm belief that a person can be anything they want to be if they are determined enough to give it everything they have... Except for the Daimyo. You would need to be born into that family. But an advisor to the Daimyo, that is possible." She made it to three hundred and placed her hands behind her to prop herself up. "If taijutsu is all you have, then that is what you will need to focus on. I can already tell you will be great at it."
He blinked rapidly. "You can?"
"Tch. I just did three hundred situps and I don't think I'll be able to get up if I allow myself to fall now," she said as an example. "You were nearly there and yet here you are, still moving like it was nothing."
He sent her a shy smile. "Tou-san says that hard work can overcome any obstacle!"
"He's right... and wrong." Nazoko tilted her head. "Hard work is a very important part of it. But there are times that a person will be faced with something they cannot overcome. That's when you need a friend. That's why Konoha is so great, you know? We work together to get stronger. We are there for one another even when no help is really needed. Just because you can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, it doesn't mean you will not be a good shinobi. You'll just have to be placed on a team with people who can use them."
Gai looked deep in thought. "I think I understand."
"Good. How about some pushups?"
He grinned. "We shall do three hundred pushups or we will do six hundred kicks!"
She laughed to hide her moan. He wasn't even an adult and she was already hating his training regime.
About halfway through the pushups, Gai asked another question. "Do you think I can be more than a genin?"
"The only limits we have are the ones we set for ourselves. I have no doubt you could be a jonin if you put your mind to it."
"You really think so?"
She nearly flinched at his intense gaze. Geeze, does he get picked on so much that he really doesn't believe in himself. Instead, she offered a smirk. "I know so."
"My father is only a genin," he informed her. He was side-eyeing her. He wanted to see her reaction.
"There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it quite admirable." She felt chakra appear at the edge of the clearing and freeze. "Being a genin is hard, Gai-kun. A lot of people don't think it is, but I promise you, they are wrong. It's also one of the most important ranks."
"It is?"
"A genin is often the only ninja that civilians interact with regularly. Essentially, they are the face of the village. They do the missions that the villagers either don't want to do or cannot do. I also think that genin are some of the strongest shinobi in the village. Perhaps not in terms of strength. But in Will they are unmatched.
"They have to find the will to continue serving the village even when others think them unimportant. Even when others might make fun of them, they must endure as any shinobi would. I'd even go so far as to say they must endure more than a shinobi should. I don't know if I would have made it very far if I didn't have people to believe in me. I might have even given up if I hadn't gotten lucky with my team." Her arms felt like jelly by the time she'd finished. She was barely able to push herself to her knees.
"I have never met your father, Gai-kun, but I can already tell that he's a great shinobi."
Gai gave her a watery smile and bowed so low his head touched the ground. "Thank you very much, Nazoko-san!"
"Hey now! None of that! I only spoke the truth."
"They were kind words! Most youthful!"
She turned her head and saw Maito Dai walking forward with tears in his eyes. He mimicked his son's position.
"I, too feel I must express my gratitude!"
She could feel the blood rushing to her face in embarrassment. "Oh, uh. It's really not necessary."
"Nonsense! I must return your kindness!"
"No, really! It's fine! Gai-kun has already helped me with my exercising. That was more than enough. It also showed just how out of shape I am," she mumbled that last part.
"Then I shall help you! My son and I will have your fitness level up to par in no time!"
She couldn't stop the growing feeling of horror at the thought of the torture she was about to endure. She just couldn't say no. 'It'll be good, right? I should use all the help I can get, right?'
...(Nazoko-15)
So... Nazoko finally got her first set of orders. She was sent out with a group of sixteen genin, eight chunin, and three other jonin. They were to set up a base camp. She was in charge of getting a big enough hole dug up. It was rather boring, to be honest. She grabbed a few of the other earth natured ninja in the group to help her out.
It took her, the two chunin, and four genin she'd grabbed a full day to dig up enough earth. Mostly because it was only her and the chunin who could do earth jutsu. The genin had to use shovels and just do it manually. Then they also had to move the dirt elsewhere.
The next day, it was time for the builders to go in and start construction. She was moved to sensor duty and spent twelve hours a day running from one end of the camp to the other. Her range had grown. Resting, she could now sense about eighty-one meters.
She found herself wondering how it was possible to sense anything? It kind of felt like it was some superhero bullshit. Maybe everyone here just got bit by radioactive spiders? Actually, it could be that the humans in this world are capable of using more than the 10% believed to be accessible Before.
Or perhaps not. There were some articles that contradicted that "fact" so... She didn't know what to believe. Nor did she really care, to be honest. Those thoughts were simply a way for her to pass the time.
'Tree. Tree. Konoha nin. Tree. Squirrel. Tree.' She was having so much fun. They never really showed this stuff in the show. 'Tree. Bird. Konoha ni- Hold up...' She paused and turned her head. She squinted. 'That's that weird chakra... But it's not the same genin...'
"Nazoko-san?"
She turned towards Toku. A jonin about ten years her senior. One of the other sensors in her group.
"You sense anything?"
"No, sorry." She nodded to the female genin. "Who is that?"
"Mori Usagi."
"Right. Thank you." She continued her route. What were the chances that Mori Usagi was related to the male genin from the restaurant and that's why they both had the same odd feeling to their chakra? It's not like she could say what was wrong with it though. Maybe it was a clan thing...
She was tired by the end of her shift. She just wanted to crawl into her sleeping bag and not wake up until her next one. Life had other plans though.
"Nazoko!"
She smiled tiredly at the blond. "Hey, Mebuki."
"Can I talk to you?" Mebuki shifted nervously.
"Sure." She followed the elder teen until they were far enough away not to be heard. "What's up?"
"I... I don't think I can do this."
"Um... Do what?"
She made a noise and gestured around wildly. "This! All of this. Being a ninja isn't what I thought it would be."
Nazoko didn't know how to respond to that. "Okay... I'm sorry. I don't quite understand-"
Mebuki cut her off. "I thought it would be different. Like, I thought I would be making a difference. But... I'm still a genin. I'm just doing things like this and D-ranks. And... the thought of this war... I'm terrified, Nazoko. I just don't think I can do it. Kizashi says that I should quit if I'm not happy. And I'm not happy with things as they are."
Nazoko sighed. "Mebuki... If you weren't terrified, I'd be a little worried. I'M scared. But if you want to stop being a shinobi, then stop being a shinobi. This life isn't for everyone. Just make sure your choice is your own. Make sure you choose the life that you can live with. Whatever your decision, I won't think any less of you. Nor will any of the other girls. You'll still be welcome to those tea things, though I'm not sure how often we'll be able to have them at the moment."
A smile started to grow on Mebuki's face and Nazoko found herself being pulled into an embrace. "Thanks, Nazoko."
"No problem."
" He... he asked me to marry him. I said yes," Mebuki said shyly.
"Kizashi? That's great! Congratulations." She didn't have to feign her enthusiasm. Mebuki and Kizashi always seemed rather happy in the show. The little that was shown of them anyway.
Mebuki spent the next hour telling her all about the plans she had for her future as a civilian and a wife. She hated being kept from sleeping but she wouldn't deny her friend the chance to tell her all the details. It was nice to know that some things were happening as they should be.
...(Nazoko-15/16?)
The world was muffled. Nazoko rolled to her feet from where she landed after an explosion had detonated too close. She swiped a hand over her forehead to prevent the blood from getting in her eyes.
She spun left before the Kumo chunin could land his blow. She grabbed one of the rods and brought it across his face. The sickening snap of his neck pierced through the fog that was her head.
She blinked to rid her eyes of the haze. Everywhere around her was fighting, blood, and the smell of death. This fight had been going on for too long. She stopped a jonin from beheading a Konoha nin. She didn't know his name. She didn't really know anyone that was around her.
She backflipped over the jonin's wild swing and brought the foot long staff section down on his arm. His arm bent awkwardly at the forearm. She'd definitely broken it. The chunin she saved slit the jonin's throat before nodding to her and running off to face his next opponent.
Her own ragged breathing filled her ears. Her heartbeat pounded a tattoo in her chest. She was tired. Her stamina was quickly fading. Where had Minato gone? He was by her before the explosion went off. Why had Kumo attacked? She shook her head to clear the fatigue. She quickly pulled out the other pieces of her staff and connected them to make two short ones.
With one in each hand, she took off at a sprint to search for her teammate. The more troubling question was how had Kumo gotten so far into their borders? They were less than two days run from Konoha. There were advanced warning systems in place for border stations that were attacked. It shouldn't have been possible.
She sent her lightning nature chakra through her weapons. She took out as many of them as she could in her search. It wasn't as simple as looking for someone with blond hair when the enemy had that hair color too. She barely felt the katana of her opponent graze her side as she twirled and crushed his ribs when both staffs connected with his middle.
Blood flew out of his mouth, indicating a few ruptured organs, before the momentum of her strike made him fly back and into more Kumo nin. Where was Minato?
Movement in the corner of her eyes caught her attention. A group of the white-clad shinobi were dragging a person away. Not just any person. Inoue Satoshi. The assistant to the one in charge of this half-way station. He could have a lot of valuable information on the rotations and locations of more of these points, among other things, simply because he had access to it.
Shit. She looked around and saw that everyone else's attention was not on the group. She couldn't let the man be taken. His life was not high on the list of people to save by those in charge, but she'd be damned if she'd overlook someone just because of their station. That was how wars were lost.
She took in a deep breath and pursued. She had no backup. She was about to face off against at least four jonin level Kumo nin. She clenched her teeth and felt determination flare. She would do this. She connected her staff and then attached it to her back. She swiped at her forehead again and performed the series of handsigns. Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. She flung her hand to the side.
"Sukkaku." Ten butterflies poofed into existence. They quickly caught up to her and kept pace.
"Nazoko-sama?" The unison voice they spoke in never ceased to creep her out.
"I don't need anything too big or intricate. I just need the ninja in the white armor ahead of us distracted. I have to stop them."
"Understood." They flew ahead of her.
She picked up her own pace. The group was moving fast. They knew the person they had could be a goldmine of information. They knew that human nature made people curious. The stupid old men from her village expected people to know their place and follow orders. They were fucking idiots if they thought people would always do it.
Inoue's chakra wasn't very active. He must have received a head wound. As soon as she felt the chakra of the enemy waver, she pushed harder and managed to cross the distance between them.
The first man spun as she burst through the trees and came down on him from above. She had her arms over her head her fully assembled staff clasped between the two like a long sword. She felt her kimono-style over jacket flare up. His reaction was to lean back.
The resulting image would give her nightmares. She was practically directly over him... Her staff hit his chest and his spine... caved. He literally folded in half... backward. She wanted to throw up. She knew how it would make her seem if anyone who knew her heard her thoughts. She could contort her body into nearly the same position. In her defense, her back never made that sound.
She didn't have any time to dwell more than that. Two of them shook off the illusions and were on her. She gave a short cry when one landed a kick on her leg. She separated her staff into two and brought one down on his head. She was pretty sure his brain matter landed on her cheek.
The other grabbed her from behind. He tried to perform a suplex. She kicked off his knees when he was parallel to the ground and slipt from his grasp. She brought her knees to his chest when he landed and applied chakra at the moment of impact. His collar bone gave way and her knees sunk an inch further. He screamed in agony. She took out a kunai and jabbed it into his throat as she rolled off him.
She stood and faced the final man. He looked at her in horror. It took him a second to decide. He threw Inoue at her and fled.
She caught the man and stumbled back as the wound to her leg flared in pain. She landed on her back and felt the breath whoosh from her lungs as he landed on her. She let out a groan when his elbow dug into her stomach as he scrambled off her.
"Shit! I'm sorry!" He looked her over. His head was bleeding a little. "Why the hell did you save me? I'm no one important."
She struggled to regain her breath but that's when it hit her. How she could fulfill the promise she made all those months ago. "Sakumo Hatake..."
"What?" He gave her a perplexed look.
"He wouldn't leave... a man behind... if he could... help it... Neither will I..."
A new look crossed his features. He nodded slowly. "I see..." He studied her face a moment longer. "We need to get back. Can you stand?"
She winced but stood. "I'll be fine. Let's go." She dismissed her summons and took off with Inoue following. By the time they got back, the rest of the fighting had ended.
"Nazoko!" Minato was suddenly THERE and wrapped her in a hug. "You're alive!"
She grinned as she peeked up at him. "Mm. You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Good," he said seriously. "You're bleeding." He ushered her to an overworked medic.
"Just make sure my leg injury isn't serious. The rest can be wrapped for now." She quelled Minato's protests with a glare. "I will not let non-life-threatening injuries take priority."
She allowed Minato to carry her out with the knowledge that her leg only had deep tissue bruising. Her side and head had been disinfected and wrapped tightly. "I need sleep."
"Wait!"
Minato paused and turned to face the voice. "Yes, Inoue-san?"
Inoue looked Nazoko over once before bowing. "Thank you."
She sent him a meaningful look. "Don't thank me. You know the person responsible."
A conflicted look crossed his face, but the imploring one Nazoko sent him made him sigh. "Of course, Nazoko-san." He bowed again and walked off.
"What was that about?"
"Damage control."
...(Nazoko-15/16?)
"Our spies say that they have a central base in Rice. If we can take it out, there is a chance that they will pull back," Shikano stated from his position over the map.
"How much of a chance?" Shikaku asked.
"To be completely honest... I'm not sure it's much of one. Maybe in the thirties, if we're lucky."
"That's hardly worth the risk."
"I would agree." Shikano sighed and rubbed his face. "Not to mention how heavily guarded it would be. Add to that the terrain in Rice... It's damn near a suicide mission. But... The Hokage wants us to try."
Nazoko looked around the group. Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Minato, Shikano, Shikaku, Inoichi, Choza, and herself were present along with the captain of the base. A tired looking woman.
"Who is the "us"? The ones in this room? That's too many if you want the people going in to have even a chance to go unseen," she, Ayame, said.
"You couldn't send in more than four," Jiraiya stated pensively with his chin resting on a palm.
"You'd need people fast. Capable of hiding their chakra for an extended period of time. Strong enough to fight if it comes to it," Orochimaru added his thoughts.
"I could go," Minato suggested. "I'm fast and-"
"Your hair would stick out in the terrain," Nazoko cut over him. The thought of him being anywhere near this mission made her heart race in fear. She hid it behind a neutral facade.
"I would have to agree," Jiraiya nodded. "I was actually thinking that Nazoko would be a good fit."
"No!" Every head whipped to look at Shikaku in surprise. He cleared his throat. "She- she hasn't ever had to do something like this before." His argument sounded weak. It seemed to her like he just threw out the first thing he could think of, though she didn't understand why.
"Shikaku, I'm a jonin. Just because I haven't done it, doesn't mean I am unaware of how to do it. I think it's a good idea. I'm close to Minato in speed. I am more than capable of keeping my chakra hidden for a long period of time. Strength wise, that's really a matter of opinion."
"Pft." Jiraiya slapped a hand over his mouth to try and hold back his laughter. It took him a couple of minutes to pull himself together while the room watched him. "Sorry, sorry. It doesn't really surprise me that you don't know but... Oh man."
"Why don't you inform the rest of us then," Ayame commented. Her expression conveyed her annoyance.
"It's not just a matter of opinion if other countries are starting to get a little worried about you." The white-haired sannin pulled out a book. He snickered. "You're gonna love this." He handed the book to Nazoko. "Page forty-eight."
She opened the book and found a blond-haired face staring up at her. "Minato's in the Kumo bingo book? A-rank threat. Kill on sight." She chuckled. "Look at that. Congratulations, Minato."
He'd moved to read over her shoulder. "Yeah... That's cool and all but..." He snorted. "I don't think that's what Sensei wanted you to see."
She moved her gaze to the opposite page and her expression flattened. "You're kidding me."
"Hah! That's what I wanted to see!" Jiraiya slapped his knee.
"Heh." Minato started laughing too.
Nazoko's eye twitched. She whacked Minato over the head and chucked the book back at Jiraiya. "It isn't funny! I just flipping knew it! Those unimaginative bastards!" She crossed her arms and jutted a hip out.
"What is it?" Inoichi asked in annoyance.
"They- Ha!- gave her a moniker!"
She growled. "I flipping called it too!"
"You mean..."
"You're looking at Konoha's very own "Hell Butterfly"!" Jiraiya and Minato were on the ground laughing now. Inoichi, Choza, and Shikaku soon joined in with their own chuckles.
"Fitting."
"And why are you laughing, Shikaku?" She glared at him. "You lost our bet. Both of them actually."
He sent her the signature Nara smirk. "So I did. I'll have to pay up when we're both back in the village."
The light atmosphere only lasted another few minutes. Shikano was the one to break it. "So, any suggestions on who you should bring with you then?"
She crossed her arms and thought. "Do you have any Hyuga that would fit the bill?"
Ayame nodded. "Hyuga Hizashi should be able to keep up."
Nazoko inclined her head. The next person... She didn't really want to include, but he could be a very good ally for this one should things go wrong. She glanced over at the golden-eyed man. "Orochimaru-san." She did not like the thought of trusting him to have her back.
His head dipped low and a corner of his mouth twitched up.
She looked back to Shikano. Although she wanted more people just in case Orochimaru tried anything, for the sake of this mission, she couldn't risk it.
"Hm... That could work. I'm assuming you mean to be the one to do the work while the Hyuga watches. Orochimaru-san is there as a back up in case of an emergency."
She confirmed his thoughts with a noise.
"I really don't think-"
Inoichi placed a hand on Shikaku's shoulder and shook his head.
Shikaku shrugged his hand off and he looked pleadingly at Jiraiya. "Tou-san just said this is a suicide mission! Why aren't you more against this idea?"
Nazoko felt a pang of sadness. Did he not think she could do it? It was quickly overshadowed by a more worrying thought. Why wasn't Jiraiya protesting more? She had suggested she go into enemy territory with OROCHIMARU. The man that could one day kill-
Oh. That's right. She had been so caught up with Yahiko and Minato dying that she hadn't mentioned Orochimaru. Well, shit. She should really tell him... after. She'd have to do it after. If there was even the smallest of chances this would get Kumo to back off for a while, she'd have to take the risk.
Jiraiya sent him a sympathetic look. "I get where you're coming from. Nazoko is the best chance we have for this mission. I have faith she can do it."
Shikaku made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a groan before he turned and stomped out of the room.
She worried her lip as she stared after him. That little sliver of hurt came back. He really didn't think she could do it.
"Right... I'll go get Hizashi." Ayame stood and left the room.
Shikano approached her and handed her a scroll. "There's a little bit of everything you could possibly need for this." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "My son can be a bit of an idiot. Don't take it personally. He's just worried about you. Take care of yourself. Tell me all about it when you get back." He ruffled her hair a bit before he left. Inoichi and Choza walked out with him.
"You alright, Nazoko?" Minato asked in concern.
She lifted a brow. "Why wouldn't I be?" Sure, it sucked when a friend doubted you, but Shikano's reminder that it was because Shikaku was worried helped ease those feelings. Unless he was talking about the mission itself. In which case, she was perfectly fine.
"Oh... Well, you know..." He huffed. "Nevermind." He mumbled something that sounded like 'obtuse' under his breath. He gave her a side hug. "Just be careful. Come back safe." He left as Hizashi walked in.
"I'm needed for a mission?"
"I'll leave you three to figure out the details." Jiraiya walked out of the warded room.
Nazoko turned to Orochimaru. As the senior jonin, she figured he'd take the lead. He, however, just sent her a questioning look. Okay then. Looks like she was taking lead. She turned to Hizashi and filled him in.
The half-day run to the Kumo camp had been uneventful. It had given her time to think though. She hadn't been back in the village for longer than a few days at a time before she was sent out again. It was nearly the same for Minato. In total, though, she'd spent maybe a month in the village since the war started a year and a half ago. She was sixteen now.
She hadn't had the chance to see if anything she'd done had made a difference in the way people treated Sakumo when she was there. She'd been able to spread the same message that she'd given Inoue to a small handful of other people. The fact that she hadn't heard too many disparaging comments made her hopeful.
She had heard that Okami refused to let Kakashi graduate when he was five. She'd quoted Nazoko's words. Kakashi hadn't liked it, but he didn't complain too much. At least Minato had taken to lending a hand to Kakashi's training every once in a while. He wouldn't tell her about Sakumo though. The look he gave her when she asked at least made her sure Sakumo hadn't taken his own life. So that was good enough for now.
Nazoko took a moment to center herself. She'd sealed her lilac jacket along with her ankle weights and staff and left them with Minato at the base. This needed to be done without drawing attention, so anything easily identifiable need to be removed. She needed to be fast for this.
She couldn't use her sensory for this. Kumo had at least three of their own. She was relying on Hizashi's Byakugan to see what needed to be seen. She checked the comms.
"Ready," she murmured. It was the only thing she'd say until she was done unless something happened.
"You're clear. The next guard will be by in thirty seconds."
She dashed forward and jumped the high walls. Without chakra, it would be difficult for most shinobi, but for her without her weights, it was a breeze. Gravity had nothing on her right now. She felt a second of fear as she reached the top. Anyone could see her if they were looking. She jumped down and hid between two tents.
"The next guard passed. Go," Hizashi instructed.
Nazoko darted the edge of the wall and dug a small hole and placed the little ball of explosive clay that was attached to a wire with an exploding tag on it. She carefully covered it back up and darted back between the tents.
She made no noise as she circled the entire fenced-in camp. There were a few close calls, but she'd managed. She even planted a few between the rows of tents. It was time to leave.
She couched near where she had entered and waited for Hizashi to give her the all clear when he said something that made her heart freeze.
"Someone found one." Just after he said the words, a cry rang out. It started a chain reaction and then there was movement in the tent behind her.
"I'm going. We need to move."
"The guards' back is turned."
That was all she needed. She jumped over the wall.
"There!"
"Fuck!" She hissed. She sprinted as far as she could. "I'm detonating."
"You're not-"
"I will be!" She sent a pulse of chakra through the wire in her fist. It quickly spread back.
A deafening series of explosions rang through the air.
"You have pursuers."
"Ugh. Great. How many?" She veered off so she wouldn't lead them directly to the two that accompanied her.
"Ten. There are a handful of survivors in the camp."
She huffed. There wasn't a chance of them catching her, but why not make a statement?
"You need any help?" Orochimaru's voice slithered across the comm.
"Hm. Let's see if they are willing to stand their ground. They want to give me a stupid moniker, then I'm sure as hell going to give them a reason to call me that." Boar. Dog. Bird. Monkey. Ram. The pushed a little over half her remaining chakra into the jutsu. "Chikyu! Doku! Kaze!"
Three poofs of smoke spread out above her raised hand. Each butterfly looked similar to its namesake. They were all the size of Nazoko herself.
"Nazoko-sama?"
"Your orders?"
"What do you need?"
She spun around and grinned. "Give them hell. Keep the poison that way."
"As you wish."
Chikyu flapped her wings and the pursuing Kumo shinobi found themselves knee-deep in the earth. Doku copied the motion and a mist started to cover the area in front of him. Kaze sent it towards the enemy with a blast from his own wings.
"Chikyu, can you go and take care of putting out those fires? Just a bit of an overturn should do it."
"The people?"
"I was nice enough to warn them. If they didn't listen that's their problem."
"Understood." She flew off.
One of the ninja broke free before the poison could get to him. He rushed around the two giant Lepidoptera.
She flicked a storage scroll open and pressed enough chakra into it to release the chakrams inside. She hooked them with her chakra threads and spun them around her body in a tight circle. The man didn't even realize what happened and then he was on the ground in three pieces.
She turned to the camp when a rumbling started. She saw pieces of earth flip over until all that was left was barren ground. She could see a dozen shinobi running back towards their own country.
"Nazoko-sama. I believe they are dead."
She turned and gave her summons' a small bow of thanks. "I appreciate the help. That's all I needed."
Three poofs and they were gone.
"So much for covert."
Nazoko grinned at Hizashi as he walked over to her. "Well, it got the message across... I hope."
"Well done, Nazoko-chan."
She resisted the urge to shiver in disgust. Why did everything he said have to sound like he was coming on to a person? But, like, in a super creepy way? "Thanks... We should probably go now. My chakra is down to an eighth. It'll be enough to get back but I'll need to rest."
They started back.
She trudged out of the warded office after giving her report. Jiraiya had found it particularly funny when she recounted the part about summoning her butterflies. He knew, just like she did, that it would only solidify her nickname within Kumo.
She sighed. Sleep. Sleep sounded good. Minato had gone back to the village already. Jiraiya said he would send a messenger toad to him. So she didn't have to worry about him.
She made down the hall when she saw a hunched figure leaning against the doors. He straightened when he saw her.
"Nazoko."
"Shika-" The rest of his name got muffled as she was pressed against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I'm sorry. I should have apologized before you left. I knew you were the best person for the job. I just didn't want to think about you getting hurt." He pulled back and looked down at her with a gaze so intense she felt her face heating up in response. "If something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."
Her eyes widened. That... was not really something casual friends would say to one another. It was something her dad would say to her. It was something Minato, her brother figure, would say to her. It was something you said to someone you felt strongly about.
He leaned forward and placed his lips against her forehead. "I'm glad your okay."
That... was not something casual friends would do to one another. Hell, that wasn't even something Minato did often unless she needed the comfort.
He cupped her face in his hands and he stared into her eyes with that same intense expression. "Nazoko, I-"
"Shikaku!"
He dropped his hands and his face turned slightly annoyed as he looked over his shoulder at Inoichi. "What?"
"Uh... Did I inter-"
"What is it, Inoichi?" Shikaku asked again.
"Uh, Shikano-ojisan is asking for you." Inoichi started backing away.
Shikaku huffed. He turned back around and pulled Nazoko in for one more hug. "I'm glad you're okay." He placed one last kiss to her forehead and he left.
Nazoko stood with wide eyes staring at the place Shikaku disappeared. Her heart was racing and her face was on fire.
'Oh.' Those were all things you said or did to people you loved. 'Oh.'
This would be a good time to panic.
Welp, there you have it. She's finally catching on! And the third war is here... About the Gai thing, I'm not actually sure why I thought he couldn't use genjutsu or ninjutsu. He literally summons a turtle and that corny background when he poses is obviously a genjutsu...
So, I was going to wait to post another chapter until I had at least the first two chapters rewritten(I'm about halfway through the second I think) but then I realized I had a few questions. First, was anyone interested in being a beta for the rewrite specifically? Catching spelling and grammar errors, making sure everything made sense, and stuff like that.
Second, third, and fourth, are there any other things you'd like to see for the academy specifically? Classes, topics of discussion, etc. And does anyone know of any cool team-building exercises like that obstacle course where Nazoko was tied to Minato? Mission idea! I can always write more missions! I don't think I left you readers with a very high opinion of Eiji and I'm disappointed with myself for that. While he was a bit of a jerk, in the end, I'd always imagined him to be a bit of a tsundere... Sort of... So, yeah. Missions for the original Team Jiraiya. Or in general, I suppose. You can be as detailed or as vague as you want to be with suggestions. So, yeah...
100 reviews! Seriously! You are all so amazing and inspiring! Thank you so much!
P.S. The girl I have as my cover is what I picture Nazoko to look like. Just in case anyone was wondering.
P.P.S. I keep saying that I'm rewriting. Perhaps I'm misusing that word. I guess you could call it heavy editing of some scenes. There are other scenes that I'm barely touching since they look decent enough. As an example, the first chapter is heavily edited completely. Whereas the second chapter contains the scene where Nazoko finds out she's a sensor and only Okami's test has edited lightly. So... yeah. Not sure if that would change anyone's opinion of me putting the "rewrite" up as a new story or not... Just thought I'd let you know.
